Game 1 Thoughts..

• HOLY CRAP! The Celtics can withstand a late game surge by a talented team!! ... To be honest, I was waiting for that 20 point comeback the entire second half.. I just kept saying "the 3's are going to start falling soon.. uh-oh".. I'm pleased the C's held on, but I never expected the game to be a blowout in the first place.. If you had told be me before the game.. "Celts win by 4 in Disney World" I would have started to pre-cum with happiness..
• Am I completey insane, or are the Magic just as good with Gortat on the floor as D12 sometimes? There were some 5 minute stretches last night where the offense was absolutely seamless with Gortat, and with Dwight, they couldn't get anything going. (And I am not just basing this just on last night, I watched a lot this season too, but last night it showed a lot.)
• I may be completely, 100%, embarassingly proven wrong in a few years.. But I'm going to say something controversial: Dwight Howard has hit his ceiling, this is the best he will ever be. In his 5 years in this league, he has developed 1 post move: the 2-handed power slam. In his 5 years in the league, he hasn't learned how to shoot a free throw or a jumper. HOW HAS NO COACH TAUGHT HIM THESE THINGS??? WHAT ARE THEY BEING PAID FOR?? Yes, I know he's the best rebounder and shotblocker in the league, no questions asked.. but how can someone that amazingly athletic not learn this shit in a sport they are being paid professionally to play? I'm going to completely rip off a caller on D&C this morning.. but.. Al Jefferson went in the same draft, and think about how much his game has improved since he was raw on the celts and how many different avenues he has to score with now (yes, on an awful team, but still.. just saying.)
• Does Jameer Nelson + Kevin Garnett + Vince Carter + Rasheed Wallace - Hedo Turkoglu = another 7 game series? I personally think it does.
• Is there a surgeon who can remove some of the 90 lbs of solid muscle from D12's shoulders and put it into his legs.. Guy's still got sticks for legs.
• Mickael Pietrus still terrifies me.. Maybe its just because I think the Phoenix Suns mascot has escaped from the desert and is going to do an enormous trampoline dunk on the Celtics?
• I think this game probably brought the Magic down to earth, since the Bobcats and Hawks stuuuunk up the place for 8 games.. They will be much more ready in the opening minutes tomorrow night.. no way they go 10 minutes without a single field goal again, not gonna happen.
• I love the Celtics ability to change up their defensive schemes, props to Thibodeau. Round 1: Contain Wade somewhat, keep the shitty role players at bay.. Round 2: Contain LeBron somewhat, keep the less shitty role players at bay, and hope Mike Brown plays all the wrong players. Round 3 (change it up!!): Single-team Dwight with big bodies who are gonna piss him the fuck off.. Cover and run at all the 3 point shooters (5-22, 22.7%)...
• The only thing that killed us was the pick and roll with Jameer when he was hot.. But if that is the their one go-to play for the entire series, I can live with that for 7 games.