NBA NOTES - CELTICS WOES

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics opening game loss in the first round of the NBA playoffs indicates that the road for a repeat title will be rough and hard to come by for the 17 time NBA champs. With Kevin Garnett out injured - IS CHARLES IN CHARGE? BARKLEY THAT IS

Tuesday April 21, 2009

CELTICS HURTING

The opening games of the first round of the NBA Playoffs saw four of the eight favored higher seeded teams losing. Most notably the Orlando Magic's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics 105-103 overtime defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. The San Antonio Spurs fell to the Dallas Mavericks 105-97 and the Portland Trailblazers lost to the Houston Rockets 108-81.

The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics opening game loss in the first round of the NBA playoffs indicates that the road for a repeat title will be rough and hard to come by for the 17 time NBA champs.

With Kevin Garnett out with an injured right knee that occurred Feb. 19 and out for the entire playoffs. Garnett has tried to return but to no avail. He could only play 66 minutes over the last 26 games of the season and his knee proved not good to go.

The burden now falls on the other two of the big three stars. Ray Allen had a nightmare of an opening round game shooting just 1-12, three rebounds and only one assist. Last seasons NBA Playoff MVP Paul Pierce shot a poor 8-21 that resulted in 21 points. With the game on the line Pierce missed a game winning soul shot at the end of regulation time. A 9-33 shooting performance won't earn any team an NBA title.

Last season the Celts youngsters came through big time during the playoffs. Rajon Rondo has picked up that pace scoring 29 points and pulling down nine rebounds in the first game while leading the Celts in both departments. The Celtics need big time performance out of their young players and more consistency from Allen and Pierce if they are to reach the second round and escape the heard of Chicago's Bulls.

The Bulls were led by rookie sensation Derrick Rose who had a 36 point performance that matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record with 36 points in his career first NBA playoff game. The rookie also dished out a game high 11 assists.

We love him dearly for what he is and that is being himself. Who? Well former NBA All-Star Charles Barkley. Over the years we have had several experiences with the round mound of rebound ("Hey I don't like being called that.") Nor do we like some of his flippant remarks but hey you win some and you lose some and Charles has sad story to tell.

As a recent guest on the Tonight Show with JAY LENO Charles was relating his experiences after serving a three day jail sentence for a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Barkley who also has an admitted gambling habit that has cost him losses in the millions of dollars related to Leno how humbled he was by having to serve time for his violation of the law. He complained that he wasn't allowed to have a computer nor TV in the pen. Leno humorously sympathized with the now NBA analyst on the TNT Network as in poor baby.

Barkley also complained that US president Barack Obama won't return his phone calls but did so when he went on the campaign trail for the first black US president. "He's big timing me," Barkley grumbled. Ï know he's busy but at least he can call me and ask how I'm doing," the mound added.

Leno then brought up that fact that Obama enjoys playing basketball and is supposedly pretty good. Barkley gave it some thought as if he were choosing his words carefully and replied, "He's good for a president. He's a lefty (left handed), he always goes to his left."

He went on to say that Obama has to show him that he can go to his right (attack on the right using his right hand) in order to receive a more favorable evaluation. When Leno asked if he would let the president beat him in a one on one game Barkley adamantly said no indicating that he would have to keep Obama in his place when it comes to playing Barkley's game.

Barkley can be called a lot of things and in his NBA afterlife is trying his hand at comedy as he did when he was a player. Whatever he says it's usually backed with a twinkle in his eyes… unless he had a bad game and was in a bad mood. My personal experience in interviewing Barkley while he was in the league was a bitter sweet one of which at some point we will share some of those stories with you.