About the Other Night

We were dreading this series match-up for precisely what went down Thursday night in Boston and it had nothing to do with the final score, though that obviously stung.

With about 5-1/2 minutes left in the 3rd period, the Celtics’ Paul Pierce goes down in a heap underneath the Celtics’ basket. Unable to walk off under his own power, he is carried back to the locker room by his teammates only to return a few minutes later to knock down two 3-pointers at the end of the 3rd sparking the Celtics to their eventual victory over the Lakers, 98-88. Diagnosis: slight knee sprain.

Maybe they applied some of that magic spray that they give to soccer’s Euro-floppers that has them miraculously revived after writhing on the ground like one whose right leg has just been amputated. Maybe Pierce did hear something “pop” and wasn’t taking any chances. Only Paul Pierce knows. But what has transpired in the aftermath should’ve have been embarrassingly shameful if the participants had any shame.

Back in the 1970 NBA Finals, New York Knick center, Willis Reed played Game 7 against the Lakers with a torn muscle in this thigh. Reed, who tore the muscle in Game 5, missed Game 6 and was all but scratched for Game 7 when he emerged from the tunnel of Madison Square Garden to join his team for warm-ups amid raucous cheering of the Knick faithful. Reed knocked down two jumpers for the first points of the game and was not to score again but that lift from their team captain was enough inspiration to get the Knicks past the Lakers for the title.

Of course, immediately after the game on Thursday, the Willis Reed comparisons were flying and we have scarcely been able to turn on the radio or T.V. without hearing them. The Reed comparisons were predictable and predictably lame. But an East Coast-centric press corps aided and abetted by gauzy-eyed New England fans were more than willing to buy-in to this latest Gospel.

We don’t understand this near-pathological need for New England fans to create Messiahs of their sports heros – to fashion these resurrection moments for them to take place in the great pantheon of New England sports lore. Whether its Bird returning after being face-planted in the ’92 playoffs or Curt Schilling’s bloody sock performance in the baseball playoffs a few years ago or this latest witness to Glory, New England fans want desperately to believe that these moments wash away the sins of years and years of disappointment they’ve endured until recently with the Red Sox, the general pathetic condition of their football franchise until 7-8 years ago and the tragic and abysmal fortunes of the Celtics over the past 15-20 years. We don’t recall even 4-time Super Bowl winner, Joe Montana receiving the worshipful prostrations by Niner fans that Patriot fans reserve for Tom Brady.

Its unhealthy and downright creepy.

And trust us – as sure as the Sun rises in the East, would this ever have happened to Kobe, it would not be “Willis Reed”, it would be “Drama Queen”.

To hell with Paul Pierce and Willis Reed, though. All you need to know about this series is 46-33, the margin by which the Lakers got their heads handed to them on the boards.

UPDATE #1: Proving our point, read here about some of the feedback L.A. Times Sports Columnist Bill Plaschke received from Celtic fans regarding his column on Friday which suggested that L'Affaire Pierce was somewhat less than genuine. You stay classy, Boston.

UPDATE #2: We're laying 3-1 odds that before this series is over, James Posey goes McHale on Kobe.