It might be what passes for sports radio/TV in this town these days. Nothing but faux controversies and studio-gangsters talking tough. Here’s a partial list of things I’m not interested in these days:

I’m not interested in Dennis and Callahan talking about eating feces, sodomy or Callahan’s questions about why can’t we just blow up tornadoes with a laser.

I’m not interested in the Dennis and Callahan producer somehow trying to compare Rob Gronkowski with Larry Bird in terms of being a career disappointment.

I fear that kids now may view Gronk’s career as I did Larry Birds.

— Chris Curtis (@_ChrisCurtis) May 17, 2013

If the Patriots win three Super Bowls and Gronk is a three-time MVP and a Hall of Famer, I won’t be disappointed.

I’m not interested in hearing Fred Toucher’s impression of Jaromír Jágr ever again, though I know I will.

I’m not interested in hearing Jon “Bonafides” Wallach get some basic sports fact wrong again.

I’m not interested in counting how many times Lou Merloni says “damn” in a 20-minute segment.

I’m not interested in Andy Gresh’s opinion that Rajon Rondo is the most hated athlete in Boston.

I’m not interested in Scott Zolak’s ham salad sandwiches and coffee that he got at Cumby’s on the way in.

I’m not interested in hearing how Mike Mutnansky can ramble his way into the next break. Example (Courtesy of Scott@PD):

Faced off with Salk, TC, there on NESN, went at it in the Twizzle, Celtics, rebuild, keep the core together, debated that thing, there on NESN, after the post-game show, great job done there on that, followed up with that debate, Salk wants to blow it up, couldn’t defend it, kicked his *ss there on NESN and had no problem doing it, want to mix that thing in there along with your Bruins, Red Sox calls, I see you lined up there, Steve in Fall River, Russ in Walpole, great callers. Ortiz, questions now, on something, see Shaughnessy in the Globe, asking the tough questions, agree, topic worth exploring Lou Merloni, Bruins, a little gamesmanship there on the faceoffs, getting the benefit of the doubt on those things, Michael Holley says now he doesn’t see the Bruins losing another game in this series, interesting, Holley, bold, I had the Bruins losing this series TC, we’ll explore that after this break.

Even so, I’m not interested in the prospect of Jessica Moran (though I like her on CSNNE) replacing Mutt.

I’m not interested in seeing how Dan Shaughnessy can make himself the story this week, and then take a victory lap on Gresh and Zo and on the weekend TV shows and any national outlet that will have him and promote him as the face of Boston sports.

I’m not interested in hearing how Mike Felger can blame Tom Brady for Peter King’s puff piece on him in this week’s MMQB.

I’m not interested in in hearing Tony Massarotti declare that everything SUCKS, unless it’s something that Felger came up with.

I’m not interested in Mike Salk try to “interpret” comments made by a guest such as Danny Ainge and then try to create some sort of story about a rift between Ainge and Doc Rivers. Or talk about how John Farrell really isn’t a clone of Terry Francona, and because of that, is he really any different than Bobby Valentine?

I’m not interested in Michael Holley floundering hopelessly as he tries to save his own job as he realizes that since Salk is Jeff Brown’s guy, Holley would be next out the door.

I’m not interested in anything Mike Adams has to say. (How many Mike’s are there on Boston radio, anyway?)

I’m not interested in hearing the Felger and Massarotti show repeated almost verbatim during the evenings on 98.5 by Adam Jones.

I’m not interested in hearing Larry Johnson tell everyone on the weekends how people like Dan Shaughnessy and Dennis and Callahan and everyone is doing such a great job.

I’m not interested in the Yankee-programming on that same show.

I’m not interested in Jen Royle’s tweets of herself in bed with her dog, and utilizing Butch Stearns as her new radio coach and mentor. Butch Stearns????

I’m not interested in yet another review of the 2009 season on the ESPN Boston Patriots blog.

I’m not interested in seeing the new guy at the Globe retweeting Mike Florio.

I’m not interested in hearing the Boston media fawn over John Tortorella while waiting hopefully for an explosion out of him.

I’m not interested in seeing how Chris Gasper can find creative ways to shoehorn $100 words into his column. Fustigated? Lugubrious?

/Rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Time For The Annoyed Rant is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

The Celtics opened the playoffs by demolishing Houston.  After the sweep, Rockets coach Del Harris anointed the 1980 Celtics as “the best team I’ve ever seen.”  The C’s, however, were given a rude awakening in the opener of the conference finals, as Philadelphia used a combination of style (Dr. J), power (Darryl Dawkins), and grit (Henry Bibby) to wrestle away homecourt.  Game Two was a different story, as the Celtics relied heavily on their starting five and fought off every Philly comeback to hold on and win, 96-90.

Bob Ryan examined the victory in the pages of the Boston Globe the following morning, a game that saw all of Boston’s starting five in double figures:

There can be no denying that the Boston half of the morning box score is an eyebrow archer.  Boston substitutes accounted for a mere 28 of the 240 playing minutes.  Fitch stayed with his five-man mule team, and nobody will ever be able to convince him he did not do the right thing.

“If,” he said, “I run into a carbon copy of this game anywhere along the line, I’ll do it again. I think this team is as well-conditioned as any in the league.  My players have the right to ask out for a blow, and the substitutes for each player can put themselves in for their man if they think they should. I may run a dictatorship, but it’s with a diplomatic-democratic twist.”

Larry Bird, who played 46 minutes, led all scorers with 31 points and, as evidenced in the video, put his body on the line for the Celtics.  The NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year also picked up 12 rebounds.  Ryan touched on Bird’s play, which ultimately was the difference between victory and defeat.

After missing his first three shots, he sank 13 of his next 15 attempts from the floor, and the variety of his offense suggested a man playing “Horse” with himself.  The level of the 76ers’ defense in this game matched their first-game effort, but this time The Rookie made shots no 6-foot-9 man has a right to make.  It was that simple.

“He made some incredible shots,” conceded Sixer coach Billy Cunningham. “There wasn’t much you could do about it.”

The game was not entirely perfect for Bird.  He accumulated only one shot at the free throw line, delivered only two assists, and turned the ball over an alarming eight times.  Despite the defeat, Philadelphia saw vulnerability in their opponent.  Larry Whiteside’s story from the Globe had Julius Erving’s take on Bird’s 31-point night.

“Let’s face it,” said Julius Erving.  “Larry had an outstanding individual game.  Everybody knows he is capable of doing that on any given night.  He’s got that kind of ability.  But he wound up taking 30 shots, and everybody knows that is not the kind to team game that the Celtics have played all year.  I just don’t know if he’ll have that kind of success if he has to do it every night.  It worked in this game.  We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Ryan touched on the sequence that gave the Celtics their first victory of the series:

The game wasn’t put away until the final nine minutes, or until the Celtics, who had blown a 15-point second-period lead down to a tie at 62-all, answered the final Sixer thrust with big baskets by Cowens (14) and Bird.  Philly was still hanging tough at 76-70 when Cowens responded to a delightful low-post mismatch with Steve Mix by swinging into the lane for a hook with 9:18 left.  Bird then expanded the margin to 10 at 80-70 with a jumper from just inside the three- point arc.  The 76ers were unable to reduce the deficit to less than 10 until garbage time, as the Celtics twice expanded the lead to 13, the second time at 90-77 with 3:41 to play.

The Celtics also reasserted themselves on the glass.  After the Sixers picked up nine more defensive rebounds than the C’s in the series opener, Bird (12 rebounds) and Cedric Maxwell (15 rebounds) shifted the direction of the series by limiting Philly’s second-chance opportunities.  The Sixers shot 48 percent in Game One, yet barely managed 44 percent from the field in Game Two.

“I just went out there with the same confidence that I’ve had all season,” Bird told the Globe’s Whiteside.  “We proved we were the best team in an 82-game season. Now we’ve got to prove we’re the best team in the playoffs.  I didn’t mind the fact that I played so long.  In a game like this, and playing against a talented club like Philly, you don’t really want to come out.”

The Globe’s Leigh Montville, who now writes for Sports on Earth, detailed the scene in the Celtics’ locker room after the game:

“Sloppy,” a man tried to tell Celtics’ guard Chris Ford.  “You won, but you looked sloppy.”

“What do you mean?” Ford fairly shouted.  “Everyone out there is fighting tooth and nail.  Maybe from where you’re sitting the game looks sloppy, but if you’re playing you know the games aren’t going to be picture-perfect because nobody’s going to let them be.  Maybe you can say everyone’s making mistakes.  I say everyone’s just trying like hell.”

The Celtics had not won in Philly since January of 1979.  In order to avoid returning to the Garden facing a 3-1 deficit, the C’s would need to find a way to procure a victory at the Spectrum.  While the Celtics were only seven wins away from a championship, the Boston Bruins had just bowed out of the playoffs after losing, 4-1, to the New York Islanders (who were beginning a run of four straight Stanley Cup victories).  The Globe’s Ernie Roberts asked Harry Sinden his thoughts on the Celtics:

One writer asked Sinden if he thought it unfair that the Bruins had to play eight games in 11 days while the Celtics seemed to have the luxury of a two- or three-day rest between playoff games. Harry grinned.  “I don’t think it is pertinent,” he said, “but who should I complain to?  Mr. (Larry) O’Brien (commissioner of the NBA)?  Actually I hope the Celtics win their title because I’d like to see one championship team come to Boston.”

The Celtics traveled to Philadelphia for Game Three.

Bird’s Rookie Year — Game 2 vs. the 76ers is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

Brad Marchand goal lifts Bruins past Rangers in OT – Steve Conroy has the Bruins doing a good job turning the page from their electrifying game seven win over Toronto.

Marchand finally looks himself with Game 1 goal – Joe Haggerty has the Bruins winger getting himself back to form last night.

Young blueliners don’t look green – With the Bruins down three veteran defensemen, Joe McDonald looks at the fine performance by the trio of Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton last night. Kevin Paul Dupont has more on the young trio.

Nobody bigger than Zdeno Chara – Mark Daniels has the Bruins stalwart playing an immense 38 minutes last night.

Bruins fans made CSN studio scary – Chad Finn’s media column looks back at the scene in the Comcast SportsNet studio outside TD Garden after the historic game 7 win over the Maple Leafs.

So, let me get this straight, Mike Felger was scared, not of bodily harm, but about the quality of the broadcast? That’s why they called 911? Also, since when has Felger been worried about the quality of any broadcast?

Finn also mentions the Entercom employee satisfaction survey.

Jack Edwards’ winning Bruins call gains notice – Bill Doyle’s media column has Jack Edwards talking about his call of the winning goal in game seven.

The Red Sox were down 3-1 in the ninth inning, and the Rays had their closer on the mound to start the inning. The same closer who had struck out the side on Tuesday night. The Sox loaded the bases, and with two outs and two strikes, Will Middlebrooks emptied the bases, giving Boston a 4-3 lead which they held for the win.

Red Sox rally on Will Middlebrooks’ bat – Scott Lauber looks at the important win for the Sox.

Shane Victorino toughing it out for Red Sox – Nick Cafardo look at how important the outfielder has become to the Red Sox.

Bard’s control issues big concern in Double A – Sean McAdam looks at the struggles for the formerly dominant reliever.

Red Sox steal drama trick from Bruins – John Tomase looks at this one as a win that the Red Sox can build on.

Just how ridiculous (and transparent) is Mike Florio?

Patriots’ decision to cut Love looks like disability discrimination

Jaguars help Patriots, in a roundabout way

From the latter:

The Patriots’ apologists suddenly have gotten very quiet.

OK, so no one is defending the team any more. Then:

The team has not responded to a PFT request for comment, and no amount of off-the-record spin being espoused by writers covering the team regarding concerns such as Love’s performance slipping in 2012 and the addition of other players who may be better than Love changes the fact that the Pats cut Love not because of his performance or his competition but because of a medical condition.  We know this because the team released Love in the immediate aftermath of his diagnosis with the “non-football illness” designation.

So are the apologists quiet, or are the apologist writers covering the team actually making excuses for them?

While the Patriots may suffer no consequence or reprimand for a fairly blatant violation of Love’s human rights (because, you know, they’re the Patriots), the Jaguars deserve to be praised for ignoring a condition that can be treated and controlled. Many people operate successfully with diabetes, and every diabetic should be a fan of the Jaguars moving forward.

Excuse me, Mr Florio, but your slip is showing. What does this even mean? Is he saying they won’t be punished because the league looks the other way on the Patriots, or is he saying the Patriots make a routine habit of violating of the human rights of their employees?

On the matter of spin coming from the local media, I’m not seeing it. Tom E Curran wrote about it – More to Pats’ release of Love than meets the eye but Florio’s line seems to be more about retaliating for being called out than actually debunking anything Curran says. I’m not seeing other Patriots media rush to the defense of the team as Florio indicates is happening.

Then Florio runs this last night:

Krafts catch flak for favoring Patriots over Revolution

Included is this paragraph:

Still, a Sports Illustrated poll of anonymous players pegged the Krafts as the worst owners in the MLS, and players like Thierry Henry and David Beckham have balked at playing on the FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium.

Seriously?

Bruins Take Game One, Sox Rally In Ninth is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

Here is the email sent to employees earlier this week:

Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 10:52 PM
To: BOSTON USERS
Cc: Jeff Brown; Carmela M***; Mike K****

Subject: Employee Opinion Survey

Entercom Boston Employees,  As you are aware, we have conducted employee opinion surveys in our markets in the past. Weezie Kramer, who was recently promoted to Station Group President, has requested that we do a company-wide survey.

The survey consists of questions that measure employee engagement and workplace satisfaction, that you will score on a scale between 1-7. We also have a few questions about what you like best/least about your job, along with what is going well overall and suggestions for improvement.

To expedite the process, I’ve asked Carmela M*** to facilitate the survey. You will be receiving an email from Jeff about the meeting schedule. The meetings will begin with a video message from Weezie, followed by a video message from me. Carmela will then hand out the survey and we ask that you complete it at the meeting and place it in a Fed Ex box that will be in the front of the room. The surveys will be sent overnight directly to my office.

I want to assure you that your feedback will be protected. Carmela has promised that no one will read your survey locally. She will make sure that the completed surveys stay in the Fed Ex box until I receive them. All of the feedback will be compiled into a report and therefore your feedback will be anonymous.

Thanks in advance for taking the survey and we look forward to receiving your feedback.

Corporate surveys are not all that uncommon. Companies do them all the time to gauge the morale of employees. My buddy Andy at WEEI says they’ve done them at WEEI before. The email above says so too. That’s not what Dennis and Callahan said this morning, as they said it was the first time they have ever done something like this in their 15/16 years at the station.

They also questioned why the company felt the need to do it at this point in time. Given the amount of recent departures from the station, both voluntary and involuntary, it seems obvious, which was the very point they were making. Interesting that the company is calling everyone to these meetings and having them take the survey under supervision. While this is a company-wide survey, you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to guess that it is aimed specifically at the Boston market.

Another email set the times for these meetings, as management went in at 9:00 am today, and there are all-employee sessions scheduled for 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.

Entercom Looking To Survey “employee engagement and workplace satisfaction” Today is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

Also:

If you missed it, Bruins – Maple Leafs Game 7 received 16.8 HH rating/ 26 share -3rd best in NESN Bruins history. The series averaged 11.7

— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) May 15, 2013

Mike Felger Has A Little Fanboy In Him is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

How many columns with sentiments similar to the above do you figure were in the process of being written during the third period last night?

The Bruins instead pulled off a historic comeback, scoring three times in the third period, including twice in the final 90 seconds to force overtime and then won on Patrice Bergeron’s wrist shot in the extra period (Dave Goucher audio) to take the series four games to three and move on to face the New York Rangers.

It’s hard to imagine two more different scenes than the one right after the fourth Toronto goal, and immediately following the game. Dirt was being shoveled onto the Bruins grave, and then fans had Mike Felger calling for backup and fearing for his safety in the studio across the street from the Garden. There was also an F-bomb dropped on the air coming in from a break as they wondered if the window was going to be broken.

Bruins Win Overtime Thriller, Toronto Left Staring Into Nothingness  – Deadspin has the NBC video, the NESN video and reaction from the Toronto crowd. For some reason they also do a finger wag at NESN (New England Sports Net Switches To Toronto Feed In Ultimate Dick Move) for briefly showing the Toronto crowd. What Deadspin seems to miss is that NESN was showing those Toronto crowd shots all night long, especially after Maple Leaf goals. Many complained on Twitter after the game winner that NESN didn’t show enough of the Toronto crowd after things went bad for them.

Hope Was Lost Until The Bruins Restored It – Kevin Paul Dupont compares this game to Carlton Fisk’s home run in the 1975 World Series. (Except here, Patrice Bergeron  played the role of both Bernie Carbo and Fisk.)

Bruins display heart of champions in comeback – Joe Haggerty looks at the unlikeliest of game seven comebacks.

Bruins pull off epic turnaround – Joe McDonald has the Bruins making history again.

Bergeron delivers in face of mounting criticism – Stephen Harris has Bergeron delivering after his line had been criticized all series.

Leafs endure heartbreaking collapse in Game 7 overtime loss to Bruins – From North of the border, Bruce Arthur is as good as they come.

Miracle On Causeway Street is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

Bruins have lost wiggle room – Joe McDonald says that the formula for the Bruins is simple, they need more shots, more traffic, more players in front of the net to cause havoc.

B’s flaunting inconsistency to the end – Joe Haggerty says that based on this season, we have no idea which version of the Bruins will show up tonight. Haggs also notes that this band of Bruins are familiar with the pressure of a game 7.

Tuukka Rask hopes for best – Stephen Harris has the Bruins goaltender putting the 2010 playoffs out of his mind as he readies for tonight.

Undying loyalty to Seguin, Marchand might lead to Bruins’ early demise – Matt Kalman thinks that Claude Julien’s loyalty to his young duo might end up costing him his job.

Toronto got the better of Boston twice yesterday, as the Blue Jays pounded Ryan Dempster and the Red Sox 12-4 at Fenway Park. Boston has now lost eight of ten.

The Red Sox’ reality: The lineup’s problems, and potential solutions – Rob Bradford looks at how the Red Sox can turn things around as they now face a nine-game road trip through Tampa, Minnesota and Chicago.

May has brought lots of problems – Tony Lee notes that since the calendar switched from April to May, it’s been all bad for the Sox.

It’s getting to be a grind for scuffling Sox – Ron Borges looks at how things have faltered for the Sox as of late,  suggests they take  a lesson from the Mayans, and has a new nickname for Dan Shaughnessy.

David Ortiz is 1-for-17 since The Cooler asked him to defend himself because apparently 40 allegedly negative drug tests for performance enhancers weren’t good enough.

How much longer Ortiz struggles is anyone’s guess, but you don’t have to know much about baseball to understand he wasn’t going to continue to hit .450, because if he did, The Cooler wouldn’t be the only guy asking him questions about how that was happening.

Not bad, not bad. Whenever things are going well, we can count on Dan Shaughnessy going in to insert himself into the equation and foul things up however he can.

Of course, “the Cooler” is a phrase that Shaughnessy himself had some fondness for, as he used it in at least three different columns as a nickname for Adrian Gonzalez.

Bruins Pushed To The Brink By Leafs is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

The worst baseball writing of the month -Rob Neyer says that the column takes muckraking to a whole different place.

You know what’s really a shame? I mean, aside from the fact that Shaughnessy gets paid a great deal of money to compose this drivel, year after year? He might have spared himself this particular embarrassment if he weren’t so bloody afraid of statistics that his grandpappy didn’t teach him.

And more.

Nowhere in the column does Shaughnessy offer even the tiniest shred of evidence, not one, that Ortiz’s bat speed is higher now than when he was 34. Nothing from an Internet database, no quote from some grizzled (and anonymous) scout. Just the argument that Ortiz’s bat speed must be higher because hey look! .426!

From Deadspin: Dan Shaughnessy Invents Some David Ortiz PED Rumors

Except, this isn’t a column accusing David Ortiz of PED usage. It’s a column about David Ortiz denying accusations of PED usage. Except there are no active accusations, so Shaughnessy has to create them, confront Ortiz with them, and then run his denials. The truly incredible part is that at some point, this logic ran through Shaughnessy’s brain and he decided it would be a good idea for a column.

He concludes:

The Red Sox have been in first place for most of a season in which they’re supposed to finish last. If there’s not enough there for a local sports columnist without having to resort to sorry-I’m-not-sorry defamation after a month, I feel for Dan Shaughnessy’s shriveled black writer’s soul. But Boston’s lost three in a row, seven of 10, and Ortiz is hitless in his last 13 at-bats. Shank can happily go back to blasting the team for being bad, which is a lot easier and more straightforward than this tortured bit of “I’m just asking questions.”

Unkind Reactions To Shaughnessy Column on Ortiz is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

The Celtics began the  Eastern Conference Finals at the friendly confines of the Boston Garden against the Philadelphia 76ers.  The two teams split the six regular season meetings, with each team winning their home games.  Rumors that Philly could not win in Boston proved premature as the 76ers dominated the game’s third quarter and stole the opening game of the series, 96-93.

Despite an eight-point halftime lead, the Celtics lost their compusure in the second half and the lapse cost them the home court that took all season to earn.  A look at the list of high scorers provides a quick glimpse at the game and, ultimately, the series.  Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell led the Celtics with a respective 27 and 21 points, but were out-done by Julius Erving and Darryl Dawkins, who posted 29 and 23.  The opening game served as a microcosm of the series as whatever the Celtics did well, the Sixers were able to do better.  The  Celtics were held to just 16 points on the fast break, while the 76ers scored 19.  The Celtics outscored the 76ers on second chance baskets, but Philadelphia held Boston scoreless in the fourth quarter in that same category.

“The makeup of a champion changes over time,” said Jan Volk in his recent interview with BSMW, ”but if you look at all of the teams that contended and eventually won titles in that time period through the 80s into the 90s, you had young contending teams that had to be battle-tested.  It happened to Chicago, it happened to Detroit, and it happened to the Celtics.  Those were the major teams of that era and they all went into the playoffs at one point in time and were beaten.  Playing Philadelphia was part of our maturation process.”

Billy Cunningham’s 76ers immediately exposed major flaws for the Celtics.  The defensive boards were a particular disaster area, with the Philly winning the battle of those boards by nine, 35-26.  Whether playing on the youth level or in the NBA, the direct relation of rebounding to winning is one of the few fundamental laws still remaining in the game of basketball.  Dave Cowens had a solid night with 10 rebounds, but the combined effort from Philly was too much for the Celtics.  Erving picked up seven rebounds, Caldwell Jones grabbed eight, and Dawkins collected ten.  As much as the NBA was licking its chops at the prospect of a long-running feud between Julius Erving and Larry Bird, much of this Celtics-76ers series would be decided in the trenches by Cedric Maxwell and Darryl Dawkins.  The opening round went to Dawkins.

“I threw up a power dunk.  Dawkins made a power block.  He was awesome.  Not many centers in the game have the ability to work inside and outside. He can control a game with just physical ability,” said Cedric Maxwell to the Boston Globe’s Larry Whiteside.  Philadelphia finally thought the 23-year-old Dawkins, already a five-year NBA veteran, was on his way to becoming the game’s next dominating center.

“I think he really began to come into his own late in the regular season when Julius (Erving) got hurt. He knew he had to take a bigger role in the offense and he did. It continued in the Atlanta series and you saw it tonight. It didn’t look like it at the time but getting Erving hurt was a blessing in disguise,” said Sixer coach Billy Cunningham.

Known by his “Chocolate Thunder” nickname and a bevy of slam dunks, such as the Gorilla Slam, Dawkins put together a critical stretch in the fourth quarter with his block on Maxwell and then, after the Celtics had knotted the score at 88, unleashed a scoring barrage with six straight points for Philly, a stretch from which the Celtics never recovered.  Whiteside’s story gave more detail on Dawkins’ play:

There was no disguising the man they called “Chocolate Thunder” last night.  Only modesty prevents him from saying that he is a new force inside, and one the Celtics must deal with, and quickly, if they are to avoid future pitfalls.

“I’m not going to let people say I’m the key,” asserted Dawkins, who threw his 6-foot, 11-inch, 251-pound frame around last night with reckless abandon.  “The Doctah (Julius Erving) is still the key to this club.”

“What I was able to do tonight was good because it helped the team.  But it was not by accident or because they were feeding me.  We take what the other team is giving us, and many times I happened to get the ball in a position where I could score or get a rebound.  But I worked for that position.  I’ve caught hell in this building over the years and never have played particularly well.  Both (Dave) Cowens and (Rick) Robey are good centers.  But tonight, I worked hard and my teammates worked just as hard to get the ball to me.”

Cowens was on the bench late in the fourth with five fouls, and Dawkins exposed the lack of depth for the Celtics in the middle of the paint.  The team’s inability to defend down low was suspect all season, as the likes of Moses Malone, Bill Cartwright, and even an aging Wes Unseld chewed up the Celtics down low.  The problem reared its head at the worst possible time against Philadelphia, and it was an issue the C’s would have to correct over the off-season.

In addition to the usual suspects of Bird, Erving, Maxwell, and Dawkins, the play of Philly guard Henry Bibby helped decide the fate of the game.  Bibby, the father of future NBA point guard Mike Bibby, came off the bench to deliver 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists.  The Globe’s Ray Fitzgerald detailed his impact:

And then there’s Henry Bibby.  If Julius Erving is rated a 10 on the excitement scale, Henry Bibby is down there around 1 1/2, somewhere east of Rex Morgan. Erving is the Jaguar, Bibby the battered Chevy pickup.

Erving was great, Dawkins was great, but so was Bibby.

“I’ve been an All-American in college,” he said. “I’ve been a star. It was no big deal. I’m not ever going to be a star on this team. All I want is a job in the NBA, and to do that job the best I can.”

Spoken like a true team player, which I guess is what Bibby is.

“I’ve always admired him,” said the Celtics’ Chris Ford.  “He does the little things, the important things that aren’t always noticed.  Every season, he goes to training camp knowing he’s the veteran who might be cut.  But he’s there when the season starts, and when it ends.  He’s got heart.”

The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan also detailed both teams’ displeasure with the officiating crew, a constant complaint throughout the history of the NBA:

Neither side was pleased with the identities of the officials selected by supervisor Norm Drucker to work this important game.  Joe Gushue was the lead, and his partner was Ed Middleton.  The opinion of both sides was that Middleton should have been watching on TV in Fargo, or maybe Liechtenstein, and Gushue, if here at all, should not have been the lead man.  “How many other NBA games were there tonight?” Bill Fitch asked rhetorically.  He also said, “It’s silly for me to be sitting here trying to analyze this game for you people, because my feelings about this whole evening bear no relation to this business.  I lost something even before the game started when I walked out there and saw some of the things I was going to have to contend with.”

Nice to know some things never change.

Bird’s Rookie Year — Game 1 vs. the 76ers is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

Krejci continues postseason heroics – Joe Haggerty looks at another big playoff performance for Krejci.

David Krejci on top of his game – Joe McDonald notes that “in 63 career playoff games, Krejci has 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points, including a plus-26 rating. Those are some sick numbers and his teammates know it.”

Meanwhile, not everyone is happy with the victory and series lead. Kevin Paul Dupont tries out a little Dan Shaughnessy schtick to open up his column today:

The Maple Leafs are all but finished, although we only need recall Boston’s 3-0 series lead over Philadelphia in 2010 to remember that sure things can turn into dreaded, torturous black holes of despair in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Duly noted.

Also this morning, the noted hockey experts on the WEEI morning show were declaring that the Bruins trade of Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs has now proven to be a bad deal, and it was noted that Kessel has outplayed Tyler Seguin in this series. A caller informed them of the following stats:

Kessel the last three seasons:  -33
Seguin the last three seasons:  +53

**********

Elsewhere, there continues to be some confusion over the status of Rob Gronkowski’s arm, and the number of surgeries needed. I was under the impression, and I’m not the only one, that the plate that is currently in Gronkowski’s forearm would need to be removed at some point, and so another surgery to take it out seemed to be a given. Thus when I see every outlet reporting that he might need a 4th surgery, I thought it was just hysteria.

I haven’t seen it clearly reported, (perhaps I’ve just missed it) but apparently the plan all along was that the plate would be left there permanently. Now, when the current batch of antibiotics runs its course, the arm will be evaluated for infection, and if needed, they would go in, remove the current plate and put another in, which of course would be a setback.

Whether that plate needs replacing hasn’t yet been determined officially.

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A few other links/items of note:

Celtics myths miss point – Steve Bulpett does a masterful job dispelling a number of myths surrounding the Celtics such as “they’re a better team without Rondo” and “the Celtics could’ve traded KG to the Clippers” and “the Celtics could’ve beaten the Knicks if they signed a true point guard after Rondo went down.”

It almost seems like Bulpett is taking aim at a certain 98.5 afternoon drive show…

Papi’s performance speaks for itself – Along the same lines of taking aim, Gordon Edes offers an alternate view of David Ortiz’s performance this season to that suggested by Dan Shaughnessy yesterday. (He must be on steroids!)

Speaking of Ortiz and Shaughnessy:

End of my hitting streak tonight the season stil going and l hope Dan shaugnessy is a happy man now… Not more 426 enjoy it✌

— David Ortiz (@davidortiz) May 9, 2013

Bruins Take 3-1 Lead After OT Victory is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch