I am not inclined to watch much of the current series between the Celtics and the Magic. With the results of the past two seasons' playoffs for the Cavaliers involving these two clubs, to pretend to have a rooting interest would be like pretending to choose to be dinner for the winner of Wolfman vs. Dracula...whichever one wins, it ain't gonna feel too good for me.
But I do find the result of today's game to be almost sublimely delicious, given the context of what happened to Cleveland three days ago. In some bizarre, and perhaps fan-hopeful way, it almost makes sense of having lost to Boston. And the fact that it was precisely a mirror for Orlando, going from beating an 8-0 playoff team on the road last year to being an 8-0 playoff team this year and losing at home makes me want to shout "Touche', now you know how it felt!"
Of course I then feel a little silly, and there is no post game euphoria like there would be had Cleveland still been playing, but even so...for one evening, all the thoughts I have had about stepping back just a wee bit from firing Mike Brown based on a bizarre playoff run seem almost vindicated.
Just one game, but, given the opponent the Celtics faced today, and given the venue, and given the marvelous job that Boston did in limiting the Magic to 42% shooting, including only 23% on their bread and butter - threes - and all this while having only three players score in double figures, and the marvelous Rajon Rondo held in check...
Let us concede, no matter who we have on the roster next year, and no matter who is the coach, that in 2009-10, the Cleveland Cavaliers came up short in the playoffs, with an injured LeBron James, against, not the junior varsity of a local high school, but a pretty damn good team.
Of course the Celtics won today. That way Cleveland can say "If we would have taken care of business, we would be the team up 1-0". But we didn't take care of business. Maybe the better team did.