The first thing I did when the Rockets beat the Lakers let Houston fans know the streak ends at 22. I’m happy they beat the Lakers. Honestly, the only time I’d root for the Lakers would be in a game against 5 reanimated Hitlers and a bench of zombie Pol Pots…. and even then I’d do it only because I had to.
And while I have no animosity towards the Rockets, tonight I root against them as hard as I’ve ever rooted against anyone. Not only are the Celtics coming in on a high after last night’s huge win, they’re going in feeling like they’re the underdogs. They’re on national TV tonight… and they feel like they’ve got something to show America.
Paul Pierce
“I’ve felt all year that we’re the team that’s going to get everybody’s best, but when you’ve got a team that’s that hot, you definitely want to go out there and break up what they’re doing.”
Doc Rivers
“I just think any of that type of stuff in the regular season is a good thing. It gives you more spice during the regular season and I don’t ever think that’s bad. It’s a challenge.”
“You know what? We’ll be there. We’re coming. The Green Machine is coming.”
Ray Allen
“We look forward to getting in that building and really just showing them how we play.”
It’s too bad Ray is out for tonight’s game. I thought for sure he’d come back for this one. He could be ready for Thursday’s game in Dallas.
Herald: Texas sized comeback | To defend or attack? | Globe: Sam Dunk | Hoopsworld (scroll down): Celtics would consider Penny Hardaway in a pinch | Philadelphia Daily News: Role players fuel Rockets | Slam: Luck of the Celtics | Yahoo: Celtics looking forward to the rest of their travels | AOL Sports: Sam helps C’s drop Celtics | ESPN Daily Dime: Deep inside C’s-Spurs | Power Rankings: Rockets-Celtics are 1, 2 across the board – SI… ESPN… Hoopsworld.
(note: How freakin’ great is that picture of Pierce? (Courtesy: Getty Images. Click photo for full image) I don’t think the Celtics have ever posterized this many people in a season)