Category: Boston

What the Hell is Going on With the Celtics Right Now?

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No, but really, though. What the hell?

After Sunday night’s 100-94 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Celts are set to return home this week after a rough 1-4 road trip – which could have easily been 0-5 were it not for a furious fourth-quarter comeback which forced overtime against the two-win, atrocious Phoenix Suns. (Yeah, we struggled to beat the effing Suns!)

The Celts now currently sit sixth in the East, at 7-6, tied with the Charlotte Hornets and five games behind the 12-1 Raptors.

Yeah, I know it’s still early in the year, but again: what the literal hell?

For starters, after giving up just 99.5 points per game through the first eight games of the year, the Green gave up just about 110 points per contest over the past five games. Sure, this stat could be slightly skewed by last week’s OT game in Phoenix, but the team still allowed 115 points to the Nuggets last Monday and 123 to the Jazz on Friday night, both in regulation. As of Monday morning, they’re still somehow first in the NBA in defensive rating, but this past week really wasn’t so hot on that front.

Offensively, the team continues to struggle, although there have been slight improvements. Kyrie looks like he’s starting to get hot; after putting the team on his back with 39 points – 18 of which came in the fourth quarter and OT – against the Suns, he missed Friday night’s game against the Jazz due to his grandfather’s funeral. However, he averaged a solid 27.3 points per contest in the other games he played on the trip, and he’s now shooting over 40 percent from three on the year.

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Kyrie’s been cooking lately.

Jayson Tatum has looked good the past two games as well. Although he somehow only mustered up four points in Phoenix last Thursday, he’s shot exactly 50 percent in each of the past two games with totals of 21 and 27 points, respectively. The 300s favorite Marcus Morris continues to be a force off the bench as well, currently sitting third on the team in scoring in just 25 minutes of action each night. And finally, even though he’s not racking up the points, Marcus Smart has been a great facilitator all year long and is second on the team to Kyrie this year in assists.

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Yeah, Marcus. I see you dropping dimes out there.

Otherwise, though, there’s not really anything to hang your hat on. The Celtics rank only ahead of the Magic, Hawks, and Suns in terms of offensive rating. Again, I know we’ve only seen the team play 13-of-82 games at this point, which is a paltry 16 percent of the regular season action the C’s will take part in this year. A lot can still change, and I’m not saying to hit the panic button.

BUT MAYBE we’re starting to see signs of trouble, those that aren’t found on the stat sheet, which could be a slight cause for concern.

Earlier last week, there were rumblings that Terry Rozier was unhappy with his bench role after being one of the team’s studs (at times) in the playoffs last year. Rozier downplayed the rumors on Thursday, but he didn’t necessarily deny them outright (h/t ESPN):

“I go from starting in the playoffs to coming off the bench. … I’m pretty sure it’s not easy for nobody. But I’m not complaining. And, if you know me, I would never be the one to complain about it. I would never go to the media or bring out the unhappy thing. Like I said, people that know me know I wouldn’t do that. I’ve never been a selfish type of person, selfish player. You can tell the way I play I’m all about team.”

He said he wouldn’t “complain” or “go to the media” about it, but that certainly does not constitute a denial of the rumor itself. Not in the slightest. I’m not saying I blame him either, as he could probably start for most teams throughout the league, but this is definitely a situation to monitor.

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“Scary Terry” might soon become “Salty Terry” if the rumors are true.

And as much as I love Kyrie, the guy’s definitely a bit of a wild card. After rifling the ball into the stands after the game in Denver because some kid roasted him for almost 50 points that night – a move which I made sure to call him out for last week – he comes out with this comment after the team’s latest loss to Portland:

Really, man? So, having you – a former champion and THREE-time NBA Finals participant – Al Horford, and Gordon Hayward won’t cut it? You can’t express to them just what it takes to win a title, or at the very least get to an NBA Final – which, again, is something you’ve done yourself on multiple occasions?

For a guy who supposedly left Cleveland to be THE GUY, it doesn’t always seem as though Kyrie relishes the role. And while I’m not in the locker room and don’t want to just project, Horford and Hayward don’t really seem like big rah-rah-type leaders either.

So while it’s definitely too early to begin worrying about hard numbers and stats, it may not be too early to start monitoring the air in the locker room. As with any NBA roster loaded with talent, there comes a point where the “team-first” mentality can start to wane, for different reasons, after everyone gets a little taste of success.

I’m not jumping ship guys, and you shouldn’t either. But, Brad, it’s time to get ya boys in check now before it’s too late.

Is Kyrie Irving Courting Carmelo Anthony?

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Reports came out over the weekend that the Houston Rockets are about to part ways with Carmelo Anthony after just 12 games. Then we get this vague quote from Kyrie Irving alluding to the Celtics needing a 15 year vet (like Carmelo) to help out? Kyrie, lets not mess up a good thing here. Sure the Celtics are currently tanking on a roadtrip of their own losing 4 of their last 5, but for a team that puts a premium on defense, moving the ball, and everyone being multi-faceted, adding a 33-year-old iso guy is not the solution.

I remember we all had delusions of grandeur when there were rumors of a Rajon Rondo-Carmelo-Kevin Love Big Three. And I was all in on that. Mostly because I was an impatient fan looking for anything to jump start a post KG/Pierce/Allen Celtics team that had fallen on hard times.

Thats why I’m not a GM.

Danny Ainge instead opted to play the long game and put this team in arguably the most enviable position in the NBA with the current collection of players and draft capital.

So I’m not saying I’ve never wanted Carmelo, but just look at recent history and you’ll see this is not a guy the Celtics want to add. If he were a through and through 3 point guy, then I could see adding the veteran, similar to how the Heat brought on Ray Allen in 2012 just to drain wide open corner threes. But Melo is a career 34% shooter from three. That would be good enough for 168th in the NBA this season.

While it is tempting to add another elite ball handler, shooter, playmaker — this isn’t 2010. This isn’t the “I’m Coming Home” Knicks Melo. This is 2018 Melo who has averaged 22.4, 16.3, and 13.4 points per game the past 3 seasons on 3 different teams. Thats not a coincidence.

Hoodie Melo though? Give me Hoodie Melo and we can talk…

The New Celtics City Edition Uniform Is Damn Near Perfect

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NBA City Edition uniforms are a mixed bag. Some, like the Timberwolves uniform, are great. Others, like the Suns uniform, suck. They all feel like an obscene cash grab. Still, this Celtics uniform is damn near perfect.

It can be easy for Nike to get a little too creative and make these uniforms too busy and look like costumes. Last year’s gray Celtics uniform is a good example. Others feel a bit dull. This year’s Celtics City Edition uniform strikes a perfect balance.

The Celtics can’t really wear throwback uniforms because they’ve basically worn the same uniforms for 70 years. They’re the Yankees of the NBA, in more ways than one. This uniform feels like a throwback, though, when compared to the Celtics’ old warmup jackets:

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Some people might call these Celtics uniforms dull, but the introduction of a third color for them is huge. The yellow is a nice touch, much better than going the easy route and just adding in more black. I would have preferred Celtics on the front instead of Boston, but I guess they are “City Edition” uniforms.

The Celtics will wear these uniforms 11 times this season. And of course, they’re on sale now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bruins Start Practice Late Then Release Statement Saying Tuukka is Taking a Leave of Absence

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First and foremost, hopefully this leave of absence isn’t for a serious issue or a family matter. The guy has not been playing well so it’s hard to tell if this is related to his play and a possible mental health day, but hopefully there’s nothing serious going on behind the scenes.

With that being said, this is odd. The Bruins started practice 20 minutes late and their franchise goaltender is nowhere to be found? Only for the team to release a cryptic statement saying Tuukka is taking a leave of absence? Again, I hope all is good on the home front, but just a weird situation all around.

We’ll update it when we hear more, but for now the Bruins will be relying on hot and cold Jaroslav Halak (he was very cold last night giving up 5 goals) and a player to be named later between the pipes.

Former Red Sox Top Prospect Yoan Moncada Likely to Switch Positions; Dombrowski Deserves Credit for This Move

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Yahoo – White Sox second baseman Yoán Moncada is “open to a position change,” according to comments made by GM Rick Hahn over the weekend. It appears to be something the club is considering as they head into their third rebuilding year, though Hahn noted that the decision would hinge on any pickups the club makes over the offseason.

It’s not the first time Hahn or Moncada has addressed the potential shift away from second base. After the 23-year-old infielder closed out his 2018 run with 21 errors and a .963 fielding percentage (eclipsed only by the Reds’ José Peraza and Red Sox’ Rafael Devers, the latter of whom committed 24 errors with a .926 fielding percentage), Hahn told reporters he believes Moncada’s athleticism will make him an “above-average defender at other positions.” Moncada himself said he’d be willing to move back to third base, a position he occupied during his rookie campaign with the Red Sox in 2016. There’s also a possibility that he could be considered at shortstop or center field, although he has yet to play either position at the major league level.

Full disclosure: I am a HUGE prospect guy. I hem and haw about every trade the Red Sox make that involves high level prospects. For better or for worse, I am very reluctant to include top prospects in a deal. Maybe it’s the Theo Epstein in me, who knows? Big Z is the exact opposite when it comes to handling prospects, but it’s what makes us different that makes us great, guys.

I think Dealer Dave has as much regard for individual prospects as a college kid has for what brand of beer he drinks, but Dombrowski deserves credit for making the right decision here.

I have been fond of beating on the drum that Dave Dombrowski primarily makes moves that any of us could make like signing the most expensive free agents in David Price and JD Martinez or trading top prospects for premiere talent like Craig Kimbrel and Chris Sale. Something that I have yet to give him credit for though is making the absolute correct decision in the Chris Sale trade.

The Red Sox coveted Chris Sale for years and the season before they finally pried him away from Chicago, reports had mentioned the White Sox wanted Mookie Betts AND Andrew Benintendi in any deal.

Obviously that didn’t happen, but when the trade was finally consummated the Red Sox and Dombrowski essentially said to Chicago we can’t give you those two guys, but we can give you our *top* prospect in Yoan Moncada, who was also the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball at the time. And again, full disclosure, I was big on Moncada so this is far from revisionist history.

Some of my commentary aged better than others…

“I feel like Costanza after he ate one of Kramer’s mangoes from Joe’s fruit shop. You want to talk about excited? How about having a player waiting in the wings that many scouts say projects to be most similar to Mike Trout…Whether he sticks at 2B remains to be seen, Pedroia is signed through 2021 so that could be a logjam issue.” – April 25, 2016

So while Chris Sale has been lights out (when healthy), it was still hard to trade away a guy as talented as Moncada. Things haven’t really gone so well for him thus far though. While still only 23 years old, Moncada has been an unmitigated disaster to put it lightly.

In 901 Plate Appearances in 211 games over parts of three seasons, Moncada is batting .234/.319/.399. That amounts to a little less than two full seasons so it’s not a huge sample size, but Moncada also led the league in strike outs last season with 217 K’s, which is alarming.

But at least he can play defense right? Well, actually he made 21 errors at second base last year, good for third in the league.

Now Chicago has publicly broached the idea of moving Moncada to another position like third base, center field or even shortstop, which makes no sense. Shortstop is a much harder position defensively with a longer throw to first. It seems like the White Sox are just looking for somewhere to plant Moncada while they shuffle some roster pieces around. It’s been reported that the White Sox are going to court Manny Machado who could play either SS or 3B and they also have another first round pick coming up in the system that apparently is a stud 2B and Moncada seems like anything but a natural second baseman.

Now just to go back to me giving Dombrowski some credit for a second; the Red Sox could have very easily traded Benintendi as part of that deal instead. So lets take a look at how Benny’s numbers stack up when compared to Moncada.

Benintendi is nearly a year older than Moncada and has a bit more experience at the major league level with 1,437 Plate Appearances over 333 games in parts of three seasons. For his career, Benintendi is slashing .282/.359/.447. The power is about even so far between the two as Benintendi wacked 16 dingers to Moncada’s 17 last season. Whether you value it or not, Benintendi also topped him in steals 21 to 12 last year. I won’t get into RBIs because thats largely dependent on the team around you, which is garbage in Chicago. In another display of power, Benintendi also bested Moncada in doubles last season 41 to 32.

Benintendi has essentially been twice as valuable to the Red Sox with a career WAR of 7.0 to Moncada’s 3.5 (3.9 to 2.0 in 2018 alone).

So it would take some serious mental gymnastics to argue that Moncada has been or remains the better prospect thus far, especially with Benintendi playing such a vital role in the playoffs for a 108 win Red Sox team.

The best prospect Chicago got in the Sale trade now seems more likely to be Michael Kopech than it is Moncada. Kopech is the No. 4 overall prospect in all of baseball on MLB.com and looks like an absolute stud in the making. Just look at his MLB.com scouting report:

“Kopech throws as hard and is as difficult to hit as any starter in the Minor Leagues, which has prompted comparisons to Noah Syndergaard. His fastball, which sits at 96-99 mph, repeatedly hits triple digits with late run that keeps it off barrels. Hitters who try to sit on his heater get embarrassed by his upper-80s slider, which features two-plane break and is a plus-plus offering at its best.

Kopech just needs some refinement before he’s ready to pitch at the front of a big league rotation.”

Butttt he only threw 14.1 innings last year as he tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John Surgery because of course he did. So as big as I am on Kopech, his timeline was obviously pushed back a couple of years with the elbow injury.

Dombrowski swung and missed on the Drew Pomeranz – Anderson Espinoza trade, but he absolutely nailed the Chris Sale – Yoan Moncada trade and to that I tip my cap.

 

Red Sox Adviser and Sabermetrics Guru Bill James in Hot Water for Saying MLB Players Are as Valuable to Baseball as Beer Vendors

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CBS Sports –  In a series of since deleted tweets, sabermetrics godfather and Red Sox special consultant Bill James responded to general criticism by agent Scott Boras, who ripped teams for tanking during the GM Meetings earlier this week. In those since-deleted tweets, James called all players replaceable (transcript via Hardball Talk):

If the players all retired tomorrow, we would replace them, the game would go on; in three years it would make no difference whatsoever. The players are NOT the game, any more than the beer vendors are.

Yikes. Bill James is the godfather of modern day baseball. He made analytics, sabermetrics and Moneyball cool. He changed the game, there’s no denying that. But he’s also been know to say some pretty outlandish shit. Like back in 2012 when he defended Joe Paterno for turning a blind eye to child rape.

“During an interview on ESPN radio, James claimed…that it wasn’t Paterno’s responsibility to report allegations of child molestation to the police… When asked if he knew anyone who had showered with a boy they were not related to, James said it was a common practice when he was growing up. “That was actually quite common in the town I grew up in. That was quite common in America 40 years ago.”

Soo yea, Bill James is all over the place. Revolutionary baseball mind? Yup. A guy that probably has a few screws loose after spending the majority of his life playing baseball in excel sheets? You bet.

I can kind of understand what he means when he says baseball is bigger than any one player; its the centuries of fandom, its listening to the game on the radio with your dad, the old adage we all root for laundry. But to flat out say that if Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and the rest of the Red Sox quit it wouldn’t make a difference?

If a high school baseball team was playing under the lights at Fenway rocking the classic white and red home unis, ya know what? That game would be unwatchable. There’s a reason minor league baseball is a niche sport in terms of spectators. Theres a reason nobody gives a shit about the CFL. Theres a reason nobody watches Boston College football. Theres a reason only degenerate gamblers watch Division II football. It’s the players. It’s the talent. If your team, league, or sport doesn’t have the best talent in the world then I’m not really interested.

Well it came as no surprise that the MLB Players Association was pretty cheesed when they heard Bill James say the players are as valuable to the game as BEER VENDORS!

MLBPA chief Tony Clark responded to James’ stunningly dense tweets with a statement Thursday morning.

“These comments Bill James made yesterday are both reckless and insulting considering our game’s history regarding the use of replacement players. The Players ARE the game. And our fans have an opportunity to enjoy the most talented baseball Players in the world every season. If these sentiments resonate beyond this one individual, then any challenges that lie ahead will be more difficult to overcome than initially anticipated.”

Not to mention, Bill James’ comments come right on the heels of Scott Boras accusing the entire league of collusion against big money free agents. So Tony Clark has every right to be bullshit here. If an employee consultant of the Boston Red Sox and someone with a vast influence as the most respected sabermatrician ever is publicly downplaying the value of the league’s players, you can imagine the conflict of interest. Maybe the GM of one team says you know what he’s right, I’ll just pay 25 beer vendors the league minimum instead and people will still show up. I mean, the Marlins tried it and they had 39 of the 50 Lowest Attended Games in baseball last year, but you get my point.

Players around the league, including the one who just won the Gold Glove for the team that employs Bill James, were less than pleased with his comments.

Even the guy who credits analytics for making him his fortune, Red Sox owner John Henry, is side stepping the bus to let his old friend Bill James take this hit on his own.

The Red Sox issued the following statement Thursday afternoon in response to James’ comments:

“Bill James is a consultant to the Red Sox. He is not an employee, nor does he speak for the club. His comments on Twitter were inappropriate and do not reflect the opinions of the Red Sox front office or its ownership group. Our Championships would not have been possible without our incredibly talented players — they are the backbone of our franchise and our industry. To insinuate otherwise is absurd.”

Live look at the Red Sox front office calling Bill James in for a meeting:

While nothing is quite as entertaining as the drama that is the NBA offseason, the MLB offseason is off to a roaring start with Bryce Harper turning down $300 Million contracts, Craig Kimbrel claiming to be the GOAT, Scott Boras blaming everyone for everything, and now Bill James is referring to real life MLB players like they’re his own personal MVP 2005 on PS2.

The Bruins Just Dropped Their Winter Classic Jerseys

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Love the subtle nod to the Bear working tirelessly on these new digs. If we’re being completely honest here, I have to say these 2019 Winter Classic jerseys are solid if not spectacular. The Bruins are clearly looking to evoke memories of their jerseys from the 1930s when they rocked the brown and gold stripes with the large block B on the chest.

They tweaked the sleeves and the stripes above the logo slightly to give it a more modern look, but overall if you’re a history buff you should appreciate the throwback.

I do love the attention to detail on the collar though with the Bruins Stanley Cup winning seasons marked by shamrocks as they’ll be playing at the home of the Fighting Irish in South Bend.

LOVE the new patch though. That is an excellent patch. It’s unique, the green pops against the Brown, and it’s subtle yet instantly recognizable because of its relevance to Chicago and Notre Dame where the game will be played.

I think the matching winter hat is a no questions asked must buy item though.

Overall its a pretty solid sweater, I think I’m out on dropping $100 for one, but that also might be because of my PTSD from the last Winter Classic. I froze my balls off at Gillette as the Bruins got stomped out 5-1 by Montreal while I sat there in my brand new and immediately tainted Winter Classic jersey.

This is the face of a man completely unprepared for the thrashing he is about to see.

Thank christ someone in the marketing department said hey guys we have to work these jerseys into the normal rotation as a third alternate otherwise we will never sell a single one of these, even at Marshalls. So after a couple of seasons of seeing the sleek jersey mixed in, the sting has come off enough to regularly rock these again.

I think they should have owned it and gone with the old school yellow pooh bear jerseys, but what do I know.

 

Craig Kimbrel’s Agent Made an OUTRAGEOUS Claim Yesterday

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This is hyperbole that would make Scott Boras blush and that’s a guy who just said JD Martinez was so good (the best free agent ever in fact) that teams should apologize for underpaying him!

But for Craig Kimbrel’s agent to say he is the *best* closer of ALL-TIME?

Only 319 more saves to go to tie Mariano Rivera, Craig.

Lets take a look at this outrageous statement. Yes, Kimbrel is 14th all-time in MLB history with 333 saves. In fact he and Fernando Rodney, who is 11 years older than Kimbrel, are the only active players in the Top 20 in career saves. But that 333 BARELY puts him halfway to the 652 saves that Rivera racked up in 19 seasons. So if Mo Rivera pitched until his age 43 season and Kimbrel just finished his 9th season at age 30, that means he’d have to average 25 saves a season for the next 13 seasons. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but what position is more fickle and fades faster than hard throwing relievers?

Hell, Jonathan Papelbon is the best closer in Red Sox history, one of the most dominant relievers I’ve ever seen, and he only lasted 12 seasons (7 with Boston). Papelbon is 9th on the all-time list with 368 career saves, but he fell off the map and was done at 35.

So yes, statistically Kimbrel is definitely up there with the best closers of all-time, but have you ever really felt secure when he comes into a game? Yankees fans went two goddamn decades of playing 8 inning games because when Mo Rivera came into the game in the 9th it was over. Meanwhile every single Craig Kimbrel save is a high wire act and god forbid someone is on base or it requires more than 3 outs.

Love ya, Craig. Mean it, wish ya the best. But you are not the greatest closer of all time and the Boston Red Sox will not be paying you anywhere near what you are looking for.

What is the Most Obscure Sports Memorabilia You Own?

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Aside from all the outdated 4x Time Super Bowl Champion and 04/07/13 World Series Champion banners, shirts, and posters that I own, one piece of sports memorabilia really takes the cake. My 2013 World Series Game 7 tickets are absolutely the most obscure piece of sports memorabilia that I own because as you may remember, that game never actually happened as the Red Sox won the World Series in six.

Funny story behind those tickets.

We all joke that Sox tickets have become much easier to get the last few years as “championship fatigue” sets in (Big Z told a story on a recent episode of The 300s Podcast how he once literally found tickets on the street), but when it comes to Green Monster seats and playoff tickets, good luck. Sure you can pay through the teeth and get in the building buying on the secondary market, but getting playoff tickets face value is nearly impossible. The only way to really do so is to enter the Ticket Lottery that the Sox put out each year for Opening Day, Patriots Day, Yankees games, Green Monster seats, and playoff tickets.

So back in 2013 it was really an incredible series of moments coming together. I lived in Allston with Papa Giorgio and our third roommate was a bartender right outside Fenway. With that being said, a lot of October 2013 is a blur. I entered into all of the lotteries as I normally do and I actually won the opportunity to buy tickets to the ALCS and wound up getting to see the greatest game of my entire life: October 13th, 2013 ALCS Game 2 AKA Big Papi’s Grand Slam.

Incredible game to be at. I was only about 20 feet from where the legendary dinger landed, as seen in this grizzly Sasquatch-like footage from the broadcast.

Anyways, I also wound up winning the lottery and an opportunity to buy tickets for the World Series. Unfortunately I was stuck in a meeting so I texted Big Z to grab the tickets and after passing on some nosebleeds in Game 1, the best he could find was Game 7 standing room.

Guys, you never go back in when buying tickets online! You take what you can get and say thank you.

So while the Red Sox winning the World Series at home in 6 games was something I’ll never forget, I will also never forget these obscure World Series Game 7 tickets I own for a game that never was.

Now I ask you, whats the most obscure piece of sports memorabilia that you own?

Real Talk: I’m Not Mad at Jamal Murray and Kyrie Needs to Relax

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Look, sometimes you just have to buck up and admit when you got got.

Last night, Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray went off on the Celtics in his team’s 115-107 victory in the Mile High City last night, scoring 48 points on 63 percent shooting, including five triples.

He tried his damnedest, however, to break the 50-point mark by hoisting up a completely unnecessary three-point attempt at the buzzer – and that little move is what irked Kyrie Irving and a few other Celtics teammates so much on Monday night.

Seriously, with the way Kyrie acted – firing the ball into the stands after rebounding Murray’s missed last-second shot attempt – you would’ve thought Murray took a shit in the Celtics’ Gatorade cooler. Kyrie even doubled-down on his reaction after the game (h/t ESPN.com):

“I mean, what kind of competitor wouldn’t it bother? I understand if we fouled him, going to the free throw line. … I don’t want to make a big deal out of it…Obviously, I was pissed at the game, but it’s time to decompress and move on. Congratulations to him having 48 points. …But the ball deserves to go in the crowd after a bulls— move like that. So I threw it in the crowd.”

Honestly, dude, relax. Love ya. Mean it. But you’re acting like a third-grader who didn’t get one last push on the swing before recess was over even though the other kid got to go TWICE.

And to fire the ball into the stands over it? Really?

To be entirely honest, I’ve never been one to buy into the whole “running up the score” myth anyway. I cannot stand it when a team gets criticized for simply continuing to do what they are supposed to do – score points and win the game! – in ANY sport, at ANY time. I don’t care if you’re up three touchdowns with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, toss the hail mary and go for another score if you want! Up five goals at the end of the third period? Rip one from the blue line straight at the goalie’s chest and make him stop the damn puck.

If you’re a professional sports team and you can’t prevent the other team from scoring on you, that’s not their problem; it’s yours. Stop them next time.

Look, I’m not saying that sportsmanship isn’t important, and I’m not endorsing the idea of acting like a selfish douche out on the field of play. I’ll also note that, yes, in that situation most players would have simply let the clock run out and not have gone for another basket. The Celtics weren’t even trying to defend the shot, and they were caught off guard.

But I think the real anger had to do more with the fact that they let a career 13.6-point-per-game player drop more than three times that amount on them last night. Or maybe it was the fact that it was their second-straight loss to a team that they were expecting to beat. Or maybe it was the fact that loss gives them four already on the year in just 10 games.

Regardless, let’s stop vilifying a 21-year-old who just had the game of his life and maybe just got a little too caught up in the moment. Monday night was his night. Deal with it.

End rant.