Celts stun magic for 3-2 lead.

Damn. That is the kind of game that gets me pumped up about being a fan of the World Champion Austin Celtics. My C's were down by 14 points with seemingly not enough time left on the clock, when they staged a magical comeback to take the lead with 1:20 left and hold on for a huge game 5 victory. Austin held Orlando to just one field goal in the final 6:06 of the game, and my boy Glen "Adequate Sized Baby" Davis and Stephon "I Finally Decided to Start Playing" Marbury combined for 22 of the C's 33 points final quarter, in a game that finally ended 92-88 in favor of the good guys. 

Brandon knows I like to make a big deal of quotes, so let's see what the Star-bury had to say, "I'm playing basketball this year. For me, that was enough." What the hell does that mean? Really weird. Austin trailed the entire game, 22-16 after 1, 45-37 after 2, and 67-59 after 3, before making their amazing race in the fourth (finishing +8) to steal the game. Glen Davis was the man with the plan, yet again, making me proud that he won the tournament to become my favorite Green & White player. GD finished with 22 points and 7 boards on a +16 night, and truly was the most underrated player in the match with all the love for the backup point guard. Other big stars for the C's were Paulie with 19/9/8 and Ray Ray with 13/3/3 (and 2 for 5 from 3). It goes without saying, most because ESPN said it too much, that Steph has his best game in a Celtic uniform since coming over, finishing with 12 points (all in the final quarter), but he still was a sour note on the floor for me at -6. My main man, Brian "The Wrecking Ball" Scalabrine finished as the biggest liability in this one, with a -11 night and only 6 points in 18 minutes. I don't really care that he has the flu, either. Lucky for us, we overcame that. The really big story on the other side of the ball was the night that "superstar" and Atlanta, GA native Dwight Howard had. The Big D (and I'm not talking about Dallas) finished with just 12 points and 1 assist (let's not discuss the 17 rebounds), and only ended up taking 10 shots. 10 shots for Dwight Howard? I guess I can thank Orlando for allowing this comeback to happen! Hedo Turkoglu (who could have ended up in Anaheim if he would have stayed with the Kings) had a great take on what the Magic could have done, "We were up all night, but the last two minutes we just stopped. We shouldn't even be in that situation because we could have won this game easily." No comment. 

Game 6 in Orlando is scheduled for this Thursday at 4 pm, and it is a huge chance for my boys to close out the series and head on to meet their match against the Cavs. I sure hope the C's beat the Magic, because it'll probably be the last taste of winning on the hardwood that I'll get until next October. Wait, wait; got to stay confident. 

By the way, I was able to watch my first Angels game since the season actually started (with the Canucks bowing out of the playoffs), and I think I'm picking up right where I left off. We're losing to the Red Sox! The worst bullpen in the Major League was able to show its ugly head with Darren Oliver beaning Ortiz with the bases loaded and Scot "Karen's Favorite/Gas Can" Shields blew the whole damn thing in the ninth. Did you know: The Angels bullpen have been scored on in 20 of their 29 appearances this season? With 5 blown saves, a 2-9 record, and a 6.90 ERA, it is clearly our liability (as I've talked about before). Weaver, Saunders, and the young guys have done a great job starting, and no one is there to finish things up. Should Scioscia adjust, and let the starters rock and roll a tad longer than usual? With only 98 pitches in his seven innings, couldn't he go another one? Get it to Fuentes (who, I know, has also been shaky) to reduce the chance of blowing it? I don't know. I'm just glad that I can start getting into baseball with hockey season over, and that I can jump right into the suffering with the Red Hats. 

A caller on AM 830 summed things up perfectly for this 16-15 team that is just 1.5 games back from the division lead, "I don't know what they need to change, but something needs to be done immediately. Or sooner, if possible."