THE BIG THREE, ONE BIG LOSS AWAY FROM FAILURE

This year's NBA playoffs has been filled with plenty of excitment and mystery. If you had told me the Spurs would be having fits with the Hornets, I would have laughed. And if you had told me that the Boston Celtics with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce had to go seven games against the Atlanta Hawks, I probably would have wet myself.

The Hawks will be a great team, but they are still way young and inexperienced. Putting them against three guys who have had their share of playoff games, I would have picked them to sweep the Hawks with an average margin of victory of about twenty points.

After they squeaked that match out, I thought to myself, the Celtics just had a bit of a mental let down. They will be back next series and obliterate team Lebron. In the beginning, it looked just like that was going to happen. Boston's defensive toughness has made it tough on Lebron James. Of course, taking away Lebron makes the Cavs look like a little league team. So after two games in Boston, I thought surely the C's would have no problem on the road, again. Especially since they were league's best road team.

Again, I stand in amazement. The Cavaliers have somehow found ways to win at home with Lebron shooting nothing but bricks. I don't know what the Celtics'problem is, or how to fix it. And I don't know how KG will sleep at night after Lebron threw it down in his face. All I know is that they will not win a championship without winning on the road.

They may have home court advantage throughout the playoffs, that will help. And they maybe incredibly good in Boston, but somebody is going to figure out how to beat them at home. When a team does that, it will be lights out.

The Big Three are going to have to step up their game. Sam Cassell, the ageless wonder, has pitched in at home, but he has to turn it up a notch. I believe they can and most likely will beat Cleveland. Boston's defense is too good for a lackster Lebron team to contend with. But against Detroit (the Magic need to use a little to win the series), they will lose. A Detriot team that has turned it on since their near death experience against the 76ers.

If Detriot does the unthinkable and upsets the mighty Celtics, what will happen to the Big three then? Three great regular season players who can't get it done in the playoffs may never recover as teammates. Then it would just become a big failed investment for Boston fans.

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