The On Deck Circle

Big Mo’ has become a rather finicky friend to have. It used to be that you could trust him at least to stand by you for a while, enough that you felt comfortable with him on your side. Now though, Mo’ just seems to flip-flop around with no consistency at all. Here today, gone today.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love him – no one is better to have with you than Big Mo’ when he is really present – but it has become exhausting trying to figure out whether he is going to show up or not.

Mo’, I love you man, but how about bringing some dependability, some stability to our friendship. This intermittent back-and-forth is not your style. That indecisiveness is more Lady Luck and Fair Weather Johnson’s modus operandi, and those guys are both galoots. Pick a side in this battle and stay with it brother!

The trials and tribulation of relying on Big Momentum aside, here are the talking points from Game 4 to discuss around the watercooler for when you run out of soccer player names you remember how to pronounce.

Top 5 Takeways

1. Boston’s Bench Delivers: Krypto-Nate and Big Baby came to play alright, and their determination and energy pushed the Celtics over the top Thursday night. So what if Baby looks like he needs a bib and if Robinson’s little man complex reminds me of this guy – Shrek and Donkey got it done and deserve 100% of the praise they are getting this morning for stealing this win for Boston.
2. Bynum’s Woes: The Laker big man was only able to go for 12 minutes last night, and did not return to the game in the second half. The extra day off before Game 5 should help somewhat, if only to get him another day of treatment, but his knee is not going to magically get better before Sunday. His ability to play through this will have a major impact on who walks away with a 3-2 lead.
3. Lakers’ Tired Legs: While coming into the series we knew that the Celtics would want to get out and run on Los Angeles to make the most effective use of Rondo’s speed and athleticism, it still holds to reason that the Lakers themselves should be able to score more than a single basket in transition as they did Thursday.
4. Tony Allen is Gully: Grimey, filthy, smothering – whatever term you want to use to describe Allen’s defense on Kobe Bryant, it probably applies. While Kobe was much more effective in Game 4, scoring 33 on 22 shots compared to 29 on 29 as in Game 3, Allen is making life extreme difficult for the Mamba.
5. Phil Jackson’s Privacy: Phil was having no part in pumping the tires of the Boston bench, or of giving a clue on how he plans to make adjustments for the next game. Asked after the game for his strategy for stopping Davis and company, PJ simply said, “No, I don’t want to talk about that.” O.G.

Low 5 Takeways:

1. Paging Lamar Odom: Yes, Odom put up 10 points and seven rebounds, but it took him 39 minutes to do so, and he was sorely outplayed by a player whose body type resembles a McDonald’s mascot. No one is under the assumption Odom will deliver on his considerable talent consistently, but doing so on Sunday at least would be much appreciated.
2. “Whatcha Gonna Do Brother?!?!?”: Big Baby played like a star on Thursday, so it is unfortunate that instead of celebrating his hustle and hard work I have to take him to task for some Hogan-esque WWE preening and histrionics (actually, as a Lakers fan I would knock him anyway, but its particularly annoying that he has taken after KG in the overly-emotional department).
3. Desperation Mode: This is exactly what the Celtics were in Thursday night, and they responded by playing emotional, lively ball. Game 5 will remain a must-win for Boston, as they would be unlikely to take two straight in LA, but the Lakers should also consider Sunday a must-win, given the odds against a team losing Game 5 and still taking the series.
4. Rasheed being Rasheed: If you ask him, Rasheed last committed a foul during the Clinton administration.
5. 7 Minutes in Heaven: Every part of me thinks this series goes the distance, if for no reason other than the back and forth nature of old momentum described in the (overly drawn out?) introduction above.