5 Things We Learned From Celtics vs. Heat Game 1

The Miami Heat played like the team that most experts picked to win it all, while the Celtics showed their age.  Lebron James dominated the Celtic defense for most of the game and in the fourth quarter Dwyane Wade lead the team in the fourth quarter, which at no point seemed close.

As for the Celtics, Kevin Garnett was the centerpiece of the Celtic offense scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.  The rest of the starting lineup only scored 42 points on 18 of 56 shooting in a lackluster effort.  

Through all of that, the story for the Celtics could have been the technical fouls.  The Celtics had four technical fouls, one was a defensive three seconds and the other three were questionable to say the least.  The Celtics seemed to concentrate more on the refs than the Heat and combined with the other issues they have let the game get out of hand.

Aside from the obvious game summary there were a few key takeaways from last night’s game that will be pivotal in the rest of the series.

Avery Bradley Will Be Severely Missed

One important factor in this series that has not been discussed nearly enough by analysts is the loss of Avery Bradley.  Bradley was an important cog in the Celtics regular season defeats of the Heat with his defense and contributed on offense as well.  The most effective lineup that the Celtics put on the floor was with Bradley (Bradley, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett) who had a plus 53 point differential and the next best only had a plus 18.

Bradley is most known for his defense as most would know, Bradley even got a vote for First Team All-Defense.  Bradley was able in his matchup’s with Wade to significantly bother the All Star including a sensational block he had on Wade’s runner in a regular season meeting.

Aside from his ability to defend Wade, Bradley converted from Point Guard to Shooting Guard.  This means that Bradley can take up the ball when Rondo is not in the game and it allows penetration on offense to continue without Rondo.

Avery Bradley’s injury may not play as big of a role if it had not been for the injuries that have damaged Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.  When it comes to Allen, he missed a couple of open 3’s and uncharacteristically missed free throws.  Pierce could not create his own shot and the Celtics desperately need that from him.  Both of those players if not for their nagging injuries would be playing better and the impact of the missing Bradley would not be as great.

The Heat Supporting Cast Is Better Than We Thought

When Chris Bosh was sidelined with an abdominal strain in the Pacer’s series many experts questioned the ability of the supporting cast to allow the Heat to win that series.  The Heat were able to persevere mainly on the shoulders of Wade and James, but last night others contributed to the victory.

The stat sheet may not have reflected the effort that those player put forth, but to anyone who watched the game they acknowledged the importance of those players.  

Mike Miller was able to knock down both of his three point shots and has appeared to regain the shooting touch that made the Heat sign him last year in free agency.  Miller will continue to spread the floor for the Heat allowing Wade and James to drive the lane.

The two that have the most impact on the game are the two that played the most minutes and they were Battier and Chalmers.  Battier had a double-double with a couple of momentum changing blocks and even though he has not found his shot he is helpful.  Chalmers has played well overall, getting rebounds, passing the ball and defending Rondo.

If this trend continues the Heat will be able to move easily past this round and into the NBA Finals.

Rondo Must Fuel The Celtic Offense

Rondo lead the Celtics in shots taken in game 1 and that trend cannot continue in order for the Celtics to win the series.  The rest of the Celtic offense besides Garnett struggling, Rondo took it on himself to carry the team and it did not work out for the team.

Rondo started the game on an awful stretch turning the ball over multiple times, which along with open missed shots lead to an 11 point first quarter.  In the second the offense flowed with Rondo distributing getting his teammates open shots and them getting knocked down tying the game at the half.

The second half was Rondo forcing passes, trying to attack and finish and with the rest of the team not being able to create the offense sputtered. Rondo needs to attack and create because Allen and Pierce who are two main scoring options can create their own shot anymore.  This means that Rondo needs to do it for them, and scoring on his own will not make the team any better.

If this formula were to continue they will lose the series without putting up much of an effort.

Officiating Will Play A Role In This Series (Unfortunately)

As alluded to before the Celtics were hit with four technical fouls that stopped the their momentum at key times.  The Garnett technical was especially ridiculous, he merely tapped the ball in the direction of the sideline and that warranted a foul?

That entire sequence was horrendous, those officials last night seemed to not be on top of their game and it hurt the game considerably.

That brings up the Doc Rivers technical foul, Doc was lobbying for a foul on a Rajon Rondo lay up when he recieved his foul.  Everyone watching the game could see that the call was utterly fabricated and there was no reason to give him a technical in that spot.

Even aside from the technical fouls that the referees gave out, there were some other calls that made spectators scratch their heads.  

The officiating needs to get significantly better to ensure fairness for the rest of the series and to make sure we get the correct winner.  The last thing that any fan wants to see is a series where the home teams gets the calls in every game simply because they are the home team.

Lebron Can Carry The Heat Without D-Wade

Lebron James last night was masterful, he had 32 points, 13 rebounds and played lockdown defense on Paul Pierce.  He ran the show and as some have criticized him for ‘showboating’ almost the entire night showing the Cleveland Lebron James.

In the fourth quarter Lebron gave control of the offense to Dwyane Wade when the game was out of hand.  The stats may have seemed like it was a dynamic duo, but truthfully it was carrying the night.  

Dwyane played the distributing role last night dishing out seven assists and Lebron carried the scoring load.  

James last night was awesome from the post, he had the fadeaway working, the hook shot and was able to distribute from there.  He was most effective from there, he took the what he was working on in the offseason and put on a display.

If this game proved anything it was that Lebron even without Wade could lead this Heat team to a victory without Bosh or Wade really contributing for much of the game.  It has been true what they say Lebron can take a lead and not relinquish it and last night was a prime example of that.

However, if its in the last two minutes of the game Wade still needs to have the ball in his hands until Lebron can prove otherwise.

Nets Under Construction

The New Jersey Nets as of April 30th, 2012 have officially moved to Brooklyn and major changes are coming.  New and exciting possibilities result from this move, but there are still many questions surrounding this basketball team and if they can succeed.

While the Nets are now located in Brooklyn their new arena is still under heavy construction.  The Barclays Center will open for the 2012-2013 season and will be one of the most state of the art arenas in the NBA.  The arena will be ready and fully finished for the beginning of the season, but the same cannot be said for the team on the floor.

This team has many questions that will need to be answered during the offseason in order to know what direction they plan to go.  The entire direction of the franchise hangs on the decision of their star point guard, Deron Williams.

Williams has the option to become a free agent this offseason and has made it clear to numerous sources that he will exercise that option.  The writing appears to be on the wall that he will leave for most likely his hometown Dallas Mavericks and play for a contender.  That being said, if Deron decides to leave for a different team, then the front office will have some decisions to make.

The Nets have tried over the past few seasons to hit it big in free agency and through trades to build a contender without rebuilding.  This organization with the move to Brooklyn was under immense pressure to build a winner quick to create a positive reaction from their new fans.  If Williams decides to leave they will have failed and be back to square one because they would have lost their best player.

This team which seems to be devoid of talent besides Williams needs to be rebuilt from the ground up acquiring talent through the draft.  The first step will need to be trade away Gerald Wallace and get draft picks back.  I know some will say that the team gave up a lot to get him and could never get what they gave away, but it is necessary.  The Nets will then struggle through this season and then a few more, but it will then turn into a team that could eventually win a championship.

These decisions will not be popular among the new fans in Brooklyn, but unless they want to suffer through what the fans in New Jersey endured it must be done.  While in New Jersey never got their star player through the draft, their most success came through trades and getting veterans.  Since their merger into the NBA they have never won a title and unless this philosophy ends, they will wallow in mediocrity.

This is all just speculation and if Deron Williams does stay, they may get another star to pair with him and win quick.  They still have a lot to do in these upcoming moths no matter what happens because change is needed.  The Nets will hopefully for the sake of Brooklyn sports will turn into a contender and prosper for years to come.

Hofstra Dorms

Spring Break

This spring break my family and I took a trip to our nation's capital Washington D.C. for a couple of days.  There was history in this town wherever you turned and it was almost surreal to take it all in.

To see all the monuments that you have seen in photos as a child was truly astounding.  In person the size of these great pieces of artwork took your breathe away.  When you see them for the first time like that you appreciate not just the work that must have been done, but how significant these artifacts are to our nation.  They symbolize our nation's past and to witness all of it can really humble you.

Another amazing thing about the monuments was that some of the great ones I did not know existed until I saw them.  The Martin Luther King monument had recently been completed last summer and I knew nothing about it.  Then when I was taken to and learned the backstory behind it, that it was created by a chinese man who prior to it knew zero about the man was perplexing at first.  Then it was revealed that he read all his works to get a sense of the man and know him through the speeches was inspiring.  The way that he incorporated that into the statue was also, very interesting.

However, my whole trip was made with the people that I went with, my family.  They are not always the easiest to get along with or agree with, but I could not imagine the trip without them. The moments you remember are the ones that you did not intend on happening because they are made by the people not the place.

Anyone who usually comes to my blog for the latest sports news I' am sorry, but I'll be getting back to that in my next post you can count on it.

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Slideshow Profile

The college experience for some is purely partying and studying with not much else.  For others they have to go to work and balance other extra curricular activities.  This is the college experience for Samantha Nycole Prekeris, she has to balance a job, a sorority and all of the other responsibilities of college.

For Samantha everyday is a busy day even on Sundays.  This Sunday she had to get up early in the morning and go to work to her job at the Cheesecake Factory.  Her employer treats her like any other employee and that adds even more work. 

After a full seven hours at work Samantha has to study for her test that she has the next day like every other student.  She is currently working on her double major in Psychology and Education at Hofstra with a minor in Art History which is the test she has to study for. 

However, her studying is interrupted by a meeting with her sorority that takes at least two hours of her time.  A sorority here at Hofstra University is a major commitment to a group of her sisters and is a sacrifice for the betterment of an organization.  After the meeting it would be back to studying and then all in one day trying to balance some social responsibilities.

Samantha’s situation is not uncommon for college students, but it is one that needs to appreciated.  College students take on a lot of work, but most do not view it that way.  With all of these extra jobs that college students are taking on it prepares them for life after college.  She will surely be one of the most prepared to take on all of the multi-tasking that comes with life after college.