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Posted by Brian Robb on May 28, 2012 19 comments
"I love where we are at. I told them after the game, 'This is exactly where we thought we would be, and we're going to Miami.'"
Doc Rivers after Game 7
We've had more than 24 hours now to settle in and digest the reality that the Boston Celtics hung in there and survived the road to the Eastern Conference Finals. It wasn't a pretty ride, but they don't award points based on whom you beat or how you beat them. The fact you get there is the only thing that matters.
And now we are left with another showdown in South Beach. The Celtics are bruised and battered and missing four rotation players. Yet here they are facing a Heat team they've been incredibly competitive with over the past couple seasons that will be without Chris Bosh for much, if not all of this series.
Despite this reality, literally no one outside the greater New England area gives Boston a legitimate chance to win this series. I've seen the countless predictions and as I've looked through them all, I can't help but reflect on a few key pieces of information.
Let's start with the series last year. I know, last year is last year and both teams are different but hear me out. Outside of The Big Four, (and Delonte West) the Celtics got nothing out of their supporting cast against Miami last year. Literally nothing. Jeff Green was struggling to get his training wheels off, Glen Davis was mirred in a deep funk, Jermaine O'Neal was well Jermaine O'Neal (and also was playing with a broken wrist), and Nenad Krstic was glued to the bench for the first four games.
Despite all of this, the Celtics were still on the verge of tying this series at 2-2 in 2011, despite having a point guard playing with one arm, and despite the fact the C's were playing with a small lineup for one the first times all season in the crunch time on Game 4, because Davis and Green couldn't be trusted out there.
Oh yes, the elbow injury though. Remember that?
Listen, let's be real here. Despite this gruesome injury last year's team wasn't going anywhere. After the Perkins deal, and the numerous buyout signings late in the season, the Celtics were a shell of themselves, limping to the finish line down the stretch before sweeping an overmatched Knicks team in the first round.
Glen Davis fell off the map, Rajon Rondo was moping and hurt and the Celtics had lost their interior presence and enforcer in Perk. Despite that trainwreck, the C's still gave the Heat a pretty competitive five-game series, that almost certainly would have gone longer had Rondo been at full strength.
That's enough about last year though. Rondo doesn't want to hear it.
"Last year is in the past. This year we are a totally different team. We feel we can beat Miami. Obviously we got to this point. There's no doubt in my mind that we can, so we got to go down there and take care of business."
And you know what? He's absolutely right. This isn't last year. Last year they were a mess. Now? Despite all of the injuries, they're still collectively better than the group that lost to Miami last year.
Now, the C's have guys they can count on in supporting roles. They have a wingman in Mickael Pietrus who can match up with either LeBron James or Dwayne Wade. They have a power forward in Brandon Bass capable of big scoring nights when the bright lights are on. They have a gritty bench who have responded to the challenge when Doc has called upon them to this postseason (see Game 2: Atlanta). The team collectively has the experience of playing with a small lineup for much of the postseason, instead of just being thrust into it in the heat of the moment.
Perhaps most importantly, the Celtics have guys they can trust. This unit (save for Ryan Hollins) has been together through thick and thin this season. They know each other, they'll fight for each other and play for each other. They don't make it easy or pretty necessarily but when push comes to shove, they have found a way to get it done when it counts.
You also have a Big Three along with their captain Rondo who have great continuity and are hungrier than ever right now. They know the proverbial clock is ticking and realize they won't see another year in the Eastern Conference anytime soon in all likelihood where they will be able to avoid having to get through Chicago and Miami on their way to an NBA Finals. This is house money for them, and they won't take it for granted. Playing against a team that won't have a guy that averaged a double-double against the C's last year in Bosh.
The biggest point though is this year the Celtics know who they are. The "cool" Celtics have left the building, and instead this one has been built on grit.
"This season, with a lot of injuries, people counted us out. Doc just came into the locker room one day and said that we just have to be a grind team," Brandon Bass said after Game 7 Saturday. "We might not blow teams out, teams might go on big runs but he just wants us to have resolve as a team and fight. That is what we've been able to do."
This team has been grinding it out for three-plus months now and it's got them ready for their ultimate test.
"It is what it is. We're up for the challenge," Paul Pierce acknowledged. "We know how tough it is to win in this league, especially in the playoffs. We know how hard it is to win a championship. So we expect this to be tough."
Kevin Garnett has appeared to be watching some highlights of Bill Belichick press conferences as well.
"It's what it is, man. (The Heat are) playing well right now," Garnett explained. "They beat a very tough Indiana team. I think LeBron and Wade are playing at high levels right now. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves, so it should be an interesting series."
I agree Kevin, even if the rest of the basketball world doesn't.
"This is the cream of the cream," Garnett continued. "This is what it's all about, conference finals. We definitely don't like the way we left last year, so we'll see what happens, man. We'll see what happens. Let's get it on."
Back in the underdog role this team relishes it, I expect nothing less than a seven-game series and an ending that may shock almost everyone who watches it.


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Kinect Party (X360) - ReviewVGChartz Staff, posted on 14 January 2013 / 1,979 Views
You may remember Double Fine Happy Action Theater, which I reviewed about a year ago and found to be an odd game that revelled in its experiments and originality. There was certainly room for improvement, though, and to this end Double Fine have released a sequel: Kinect Party. And they've done so in a way that makes the old game completely redundant.
Kinect Party is a free game that comes with a handful of minigames. These minigames aren't worth much on their own; they're rather simple and shallow. The concept here is that you are taken through these minigames, playing each one in turn for no more than a few minutes. You can choose to play individual games for longer, but the game rotation is important for keeping things interesting. So how do you add more games to keep repetition from setting in? Well if you already own Double Fine Happy Action Theater then all of the minigames from it will already have been added to Kinect Party, boosting the total amount of minigames to 21, but you'll still want something new. Fortunately an additional 14 minigames are up for sale, which brings the overall total to 35.
It's a special kind of science!
The game is set up as a TV experience; you're a channel surfer and each minigame is a channel of its own. Regardless of whether you own Double Fine Happy Action Theater or not, you can buy additional channels for 80 Microsoft points a piece. Owners of Double Fint Happy Action Theater can buy all of the channels they don't have for a flat 400 points, while those who don't own it can buy all of the channels for a total of 800 points. I bemoaned the pricing when I originally reviewed Double Fine Happy Action Theater, and this is definitely a turn for the better. But Kinect Party also brings with it other improvements that make the offer a bit more tempting. For example, it's now easy to take pictures of what you're doing and share the craziness with your friends on Facebook. There's also a photo editor for those who are so inclined to play around with their pictures, but it's rather rudimentary. The voice commands are also a nice addition, making it easier to navigate the channels than before.
Despite these changes, my original Double Fine Happy Action Theater review remains fairly accurate, and you should read it if you're looking for more detail on how the game actually plays. In summary, there's no real structure or rules to the game, instead it relies on your own playfulness to bring the fun. If you go along with it, the game is indeed fun on the first playthrough, poking at your inner child, and even more so when playing with the right company. You can play up to six players at once, but unfortunately any more than four will be too cramped for your playing space; Kinect simply can't detect enough space to keep six players actively engaged without someone losing a tooth or an eye.
WARNING: Represents actual game footage.
The new minigames are almost indistinguishable from the old ones, though you can tell that the team have improved their technology and have become better at using it as well, making the new minigames a little bit more refined. The most noticable difference is that the game now includes costumes for you to wear while you're playing some of the minigames, allowing you to really bring out your inner pirate, dragon, or fairy. And like its predecessor, Kinect Party presents itself well, though it's more about getting the job done than being technically impressive, and that goes for both the graphical aspects and the sound design. The augmented reality remains impressive, however.
Kinect Party is, in essence, Double Fine Happy Action Theater version 1.1, with around double the content and a better pricing model. It remains a fun distraction for anyone with an eye for experiments and originality, though ultimately it's perhaps best suited for people whose inner child is just under the surface. Or, you know, actual children.
This review is based on a digital copy of Kinect Party and DLC for the Xbox 360, provided by the publisher.
VGChartz Verdict
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We just can't get Kylie's candles out of our heads
Rather wonderful dontcha think? Especially For You ACHICA Living readers, we're posting news of Kylie's latest candle range 'Kylie at home', which launched this week and has got us Spinning Around. On A Night Like This, when it's raining outside and winter is having a ding dong with summer, it's such a delight for us to light one of Kylie's beautifully scented creations and chill out under the candlelight.
It's No Secret that they'd be perfect for a Celebration too. If You Were With Us Now you'd be able to tell how delicious these candles are. There are four scents in the range, including Oralee, a floral yet slightly spicy, gingerflower scented candle, which is enclosed in a stylish white box adorned with a diamante embellishment. There's Artemis, Liora and Hestia too, defined by their style and shape, which have a vanilla and mint scent. We Wouldn't Change A Thing about them. They make the perfect gift, but We Should Be So Lucky if anyone will buy us some...
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