↵Anyone who remembers the first week of January knows that Boston is not invincible. Unfortunately, everyone seems to forget the first week of January. Since Christmas, the Celtics have a 20-12 record, a 62% winning clip -- real good, but hardly amazing. (The Lakers have gone 25-6 over the same term, for example.) But Boston gets beat by the Clippers and lose at home to Detroit in the same week, and all the talking heads want to talk about are excuses.↵
↵Granted, Boston had a heck of an excuse this week: no Kevin Garnett. But every team suffers major injuries. In fact, the Celtics have been rather fortunate over the life of the new Big Three. Nothing will ever excuse a loss to the Clippers (barring injuries to Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Tom Thibodeau), and the Pistons happen to missing their own first ballot Hall-of-Famer (Allen Iverson). Even if Detroit plays better with Rip Hamilton starting in lieu of A.I. (and they do), a void is a void. Rajon Rondo kept Rodney Stuckey quiet, and Will Bynum had to play 12 minutes. Iverson could have helped.
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↵God love him, Hubie Brown not only held back credit to Detroit on the basis of Garnett's absence, but continously propped up the impact of injuries to Tony Allen and ... Brian Scalabrine. This absurd Bizarro World water-carrying voids my perpetually favorite tic of Hubie's: a staunch refusal to even attempt to properly pronounce the names of foreign players. Stuart Scott struggled between "Water Air-mahn" and "Walter Hair-mahn." Hubie gave us, straight-faced, "Walter Herman." I can't wait until "Da Joo Wohn Blair" makes the league and long for the days of "Wang Zah Hee Zah Hee." No wonder Iakovos Tsakalidis changed his name to Jake.↵
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