Anything but a blowout ...

That's all I was hoping for in last night's game - whether the Celtics won or lost, as long as they remained competitive and exhibited the kind of intensity that they had during Game Three, then I would have been happy and upbeat about their chances for coming out in this series on top.

Sadly, that's not how things went down (sports.yahoo.com) ... Sure, there were plenty of moments when the Celts came back and made the score close, but - to be perfectly frank - those brief runs did not instill me with a great deal of confidence, as there was just no passion behind those outbursts. In the end, the C's just had no business winning that game.

Now, all of that positive energy that Boston built up with their first road win in the playoffs has been (seemingly) squandered away ... Obviously, the series being tied up at 2-2 is not a death knell which signals the end of the C's postseason run by any stretch of the imagination, and yet I can't help but feel that the guys lost an opportunity to really "step on their chests" (as Tommy would say) and take control of the series.

Oh well, that just means that the Celts will have to work that much harder tomorrow to break the tie and get back in the drivers' seat ...