IF you remain unsurprised with the way the ongoing NBA series is going on in the Eastern Conference Finals, carry on. You’ve got company in me.
Boston bamboozled Cleveland back-to-back, what the hell happened to the Celtics in Game 3?
They were crushed like pumpkins by a steamroller.
Well, they say that, perennially almost, if the battle is held at TD Garden’s parquet floor, Boston is practically unbeatable.
The slogan, “Not in my house,” befits the Celtics more than any other team in the NBA. The stats tell us that unceasingly.
So, if you watched the first two games, it was exceedingly evident in both games that Boston thoroughly beat Cleveland. You couldn’t be blamed if you had believed the Celtics would proceed to also stash away Game 3.
But, uh-oh. Hold it right there.
With Boston flying to Ohio and playing at Cleveland’s home court of Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday, fortunes had shifted like political turncoats surfacing just as fast at every change of administration.
Thus, in Game 3, role reversals appeared just as quick, with the Cavs suddenly supplanting the Celtics’s dominance when play was held at Boston’s TD Garden.
Who could easily believe that Cleveland would dispatch Boston in a ghastly 116-86 rout in Game 3?
More to the point: Why do teams play always better, deadlier, on their home court?
Home court closeness should practically be non-existent.
And aren’t all basketball courts the same?
Four lines form the rectangular court.
A length of 94 feet coast to coast.
But still, the feeling’s always different when you play at home. You seem to have the psychological edge. Familiarity never breeds contempt on your own turf.
And so, will Cleveland win again on Tuesday (PHL Time) to level the series at 2-2?
“Not only that,” said one pundit close to my legman, Valentin Dakuykoy. “Cleveland will win four straight for a 4-2 victory over Boston.”
Upps! We all believe that LeBron James is that good—actually almost as good as Michael Jordan.
But should that pundit be proven correct and Cleveland proceeds to a 4-2 glide past Boston, it could jeopardize Jordan’s GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) stature. Seriously, that is.