Celtics vs. Lakers: A History

The 2010 NBA playoffs have had far too many sweeps. There really hasn't been enough close games for the fans to enjoy. We can only hope that the Celtics-Lakers rivalry brings out a full blown, 7 game final series match-up. Now, it isn't official, but lets be honest. Does anyone outside of Arizona think the Suns could take the series? No. And we all know that even though the Celts may have lost this evening in OT, they are going to take the Eastern Conference Championship. So, with that approach...

The Celtics (with 17) and Lakers (with 15) have won more than half of all NBA championships. When the Finals are over this year, the Celts and the Lakers will have combined to have won 52 percent (33 of 64) of all NBA titles. They have played against each other in the finals 11 times with Boston winning nine, most recently in 2008.

The rivalry has spanned generations.

The Lakers were still playing in the land of 10,000 lakes (hence the name) when the Red Auerbach/Bill Russell Celtics first met them in the Finals. It was a four-game sweep for Boston at the old Boston Garden. It was the first of seven meetings involving Russell and the Lakers and the Celtics won it every time.

It was 1962 when the Lakers met the Celtics for the second time, this time in Los Angeles. The Lakers pushed Boston to a seventh game and L.A. had a chance to win it, but Frank Selvy took a buzzer-beater that somehow got the win and the Celtics, of course, won the series in overtime.

From 1959-66 the Celtics won eight consecutive championships and four times they beat the Lakers in the Finals.

L.A. grew more frustrated toward the end of the 1960s. The Celtics looked old and vulnerable (hmmm... sound familiar?) in 1968, but still managed to beat L.A. in six games.

The 1969 Lakers had West, Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain. They went 8-1 in their first two playoff series. The Celtics were a 48-34 team with six players over 30 (same as this year). Los Angeles won the first two games of the series. At that time, no team in NBA history had lost a Finals series after winning the first two games.

Boston battled back and before Game 7, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke lined the Forum ceiling with balloons and even had hired the USC marching band to play "Happy Days Are Here Again" when the Lakers won.

But the Lakers lost. Again. Chamberlain took himself out of the game in the fourth quarter and never returned. Russell won his 11th championship in 13 seasons, his seventh against the Lakers.

The rivals did not meet again until Larry Bird and Magic Johnson revived the NBA in the 1980s. In 1984, the Celtics and Lakers played for the first time since the 1969 Russell-Chamberlain finale and produced one of the greatest series in NBA history. Unfortunately for folks in L.A., the Lakers lost again (starting to see a trend?).



One year later there was redemption for Magic, Worthy and coach Pat Riley. After losing eight consecutive Finals to the hated Celtics, the Lakers won the championship in the old Boston Garden in six games. It remains the career highlight for Riley, Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Boston and L.A. met three times in four years with the Lakers winning the series in six games in 1987.

That was it for the Celtics. They didn't get back to the Finals until 2008 and then the rivalry was renewed- they returned to the championship round to play the Lakers. Once again, the Lakers were favored by just about everyone. And just like in the old days, the Celtics won it all. Paul Pierce outplayed Kobe Bryant and Boston won it in six games. The Lakers were a disgrace at the finish. Boston ran to a 43-point lead, winning the finale, 131-92. It was embarrassing for Kobe and Pau Gasol.



The defending champions, the Lakers, are still angry about their “six-game sweep” from two years ago. The Celtics would love to prove to the world—and especially to the Lakers—that had they been at full-strength last season, they’d be shooting for a third straight title right now.

There are 10 Lakers on the current roster who were on the team that lost by 39 points in the deciding Game Six two years ago. They want it bad.

Eight Celtics still remain from their title team—including all five starters. They need to prove themselves.

Now the Lakers are back and they'll have home court advantage. L.A. is feeling good about its chances.

But have you seen a trend? The Celtics will likely find a way to win this one, too.

YouTube turns 5!

There are 2, maybe 3 videos of myself on the site, out of a staggering 120 million total.

There are about 200,000 new videos uploaded everyday.

It would take you over 600 years to watch all of the videos.

Over 12% of the videos violate copyright laws.

5 of my personal favorite youtube videos:
1. Twilight Trailer Spoof from Hummpy


2. Nut Shot (not actually a favorite at all, but this is my brother, getting hit in the nuts with a drumstick. Only in the days of youtube could I share this with the blogging world.


3. Miley Cyrus Virus Rap


4. Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise


5. Charlie bit my finger (an obvious classic)

Don't Doubt The Celtics

"We didn't say we wanted to come into this season and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. Our goal has been the championship."
- Paul Pierce


Two years ago the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship for the first time since the days of Bird, McHale, and Parish. Because of the old age of the new Big Three, Garnett and thirtysomething partners Paul Pierce and Ray Allen (elderly for the NBA), many people assumed this was a "one more time" thing. But here the Celts are again, one series victory in the Eastern Conference finals from another trip to the league finals, helped along by the new talent found in Rajon Rondo, the renewed health of Garnett and a dominating defensive team beat "King" LeBron James. America, don't doubt the Celtics.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I thought we were phenomenal in training camp. I thought we looked better in training camp than we did two years ago, quite honestly," Rivers said. "As a team, I thought we were close, we started out great, and then we fell apart with injuries and all kinds of other issues. But you could see that everybody wanted to get back. It was tough the last three weeks of the season because we had to make a choice. But it was the only bet. That was the only way we're going to be able to try to win this -- by guys being healthy."

Now, the Celtics are performing like a team that could win its second trophy in three seasons!

"I'm really not that proud of this, truthfully, because our goal was to win a championship," Pierce said of eliminating James and the Cavaliers. "We didn't say we wanted to come into this season and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. Our goal has been the championship. We can be excited for one night, winning a game, winning a series, but I don't look at it like this made our season. The only thing that's going to make our season, to be honest, is winning a championship".

"The big thing with Doc, he just kept faith," Kendrick Perkins said. "I know we ended the regular season on a bad note, but at the end of the day it starts over in the playoffs. We came together at the right time in the playoffs. All it takes is a couple of games to get your stride back, and guys were locked in."

Go Celtics!

Watch Your Tweets

While attempting to convince a few friends to sign up for a Twitter account, one friend declined saying "If I get a Twitter it will just be one more thing people can hold against me when I run for office." We all laughed, but she definitely has a point. Our future leaders will probably have embarrassing MySpace, Facebook or Twitter posts that will come back to haunt them when they decide to make something of their lives.

In addition, the following story explains why you should be careful what you say on the Internet, unless you want to find yourself with a criminal record and a bill for $1,500. That's the lesson a British man may be learning today after a court found him guilty of "sending a threatening message".

According to The Register, Paul Chambers posted a message on Twitter last January, when the airport he was set to fly out of the next week closed due to weather, threatening to blow it "sky high".

The Tweet: "Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your shit together otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!"

Although the tweet was never taken as a credible threat, according to a manager at the airport who found the tweet and testified at the trial, Chambers was prosecuted and today was found guilty.

The Telegraph reports that a district judge ruled that the tweet was "of a menacing nature in the context of the times in which we live". The Telegraph writes that "district judge Jonathan Bennett found Chambers guilty of sending a message by means of a public electronic message that was grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character contrary to the Communications Act 2003."

Chambers not only has to pay nearly $1,500 in fines but lost his job as an accountant trainee due to the prosecution. Chambers has been tweeting about the situation all day today, responding to questions and other tweets. In one tweet, he says that he is "Currently considering an appeal. Half of me just wants it to be over, the other half is indignant."

While Chambers called the tweet "innocuous hyperbole", we have to wonder how he hopes to argue his case. Even in the U.S. under the First Ammendment, incitement to violence is not protected. At the same time, if someone says aloud, in anger, "I'm so mad, I could kill..." or something according to those lines, should they be prosecuted for making death threats? How about if they tweet it? Is it a matter of how public or permanent the statement is?

Ridiculous Rap Lyrics

I secretly (or not so secretly) want to be a rapper. I already have 2 potential names: K-Phizz or K-Frenzy. Rappers can say completely ridiculous things and get away with it. MOST ridiculous in my opinion?

1. "Call me Mr. Flintstone, I can make your bed rock" -Young Money/Lil' Wayne, Bedrock

2. "How it feel to wake up and be the shit and the urine?" -Kanye West, Swagga Like Us

3. "Call me George Foreman cuz I'm selling everybody grillz" -Nelly, Grillz

4. "Baby, you're looking fine, I'll have you open all night like an Ihop" -Timbaland/JT, Carry Out

5. "My name ain't Bic, but I keep that flame" -Lil' Wayne, A Milli

6. "Take it off, let it flop, shake it freely" -Bubba Sparxxx, Ms. New Booty

7. "I'm Santa Claus, didn't you hear? Tell Johnny Saint Dick what you want this year" -Ying Yang Twins, Drop

8. "Jesus Christ had dreads, so shake em. I ain't got none, but I'm planning on growing some" -E-40, Tell Me When To Go

9. "Got a Bill in my mouth like I'm Hilary Rodham" -Grillz, Nelly

10. "She walkin' around lookin' like Michael with ya money. Shoulda' got that insured, GEICO for ya money" -Kanye West, Gold Digger.

Remember Me

Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie and you don't want to know what happens!



I saw this movie last night, and I haven't cried that hard in a movie in a very long time, if ever. To top it off, I KNEW the controversial ending. I couldn't resist looking it up after I heard the mixed feelings about the end. However, it still managed to have a big impact on me and offer several surprises. Remember Me is a love story, but not only a love story about Tyler (Pattinson's character) and his girlfriend. I saw (and reacted to)the love Tyler had for his family, especially his brother and sister, and the love that Tyler's father had for his children even though it was incredibly hard for him to show it.

The trailers suggest a Nicholas Sparks weepie of boy meets girl standard variety, but this is much more than that. Rather, what is featured is a story of two broken families of different social and economical sectors, struggling to mend old wounds as their children fall in love with one another.
Check out the trailer:

In his first official post-Twilight-craze-outing, Robert Pattinson stars as Tyler, the black sheep of a well to do family torn apart by the suicide of their eldest son, with Pattinson stuck in a permanent melancholy while sucking down a never ending amount of booze and cigarettes.

Acting on a dare (that ever cliché tool used in many romance movies), Tyler asks and goes on a date with working class college student Ally (Australian actress Emilie de Ravin). She also knows the pain of death in the family when –as a child- she witnessed the murder of her mother, a harrowing scene depicted in the film’s opening moments.

Even though its beautifully played love story is its drawcard, what will be remembered in Remember Me is the relationships with the fathers of these characters, played by the ever reliable Chris Cooper (as an over protective cop, father to Ally) and Pierce Brosnan (a self absorbed lawyer with shaky Brooklyn accent, dad to Tyler).

It is the moments with the fathers that give the characters a depth and maturity other films of the same ilk do not allow, even if their actions can come across as immature in their post-teen angst.

So what's the big shocking ending?
In the absence of any time-marking signposts, viewers are led to believe that Remember Me is set in the present — but it's really 2001. At movie's end, after having a fight with de Ravin, Pattinson's character takes an elevator to his father's 92nd-floor office on a bright September morning, looks out the window, and watches helplessly as American Airlines Flight 11 hits the building. That's right — Robert Pattinson dies in 9/11.

Some negative reviews:
If Remember Me is remembered for anything at all, other than being yet another Robert Pattinson vehicle, it will be for its over-the-top ending, which ranks high amongst the most shameless jerkers of tears ever unleashed upon lachrymose teens. - The Toronto Star

There's no shame in exploring tragedy through art. But exploiting it to make your very ordinary movie feel more important? That's another story. - The New York Daily News

Play OFFS!

GO Celts!

P.K.E.

I love my brother and sister!!!

My dad named his shop P.K.E. after us (Parish, Kelsey, Emily). Don't ask why I'm not first. I'm the oldest, I should be.

I like to think we are really close, and we have been through a lot together. Our parents are a little crazy ;)

Parish thought I dedicated a blog to them a while back, but really I was just publicizing for my blog, so I decided now would be a good time to tell them I love them.

Its going to be weird when Parish leaves on his mission (June 30th: Oklahoma City, Spanish speaking!!!!) I hope he writes me, but I have my doubts.


My family plus uncle Jim & aunt Tracie at Parish's graduation. Parish loves to quote Harry Potter: "Maybe if the fat lump would have given this a squeeze, he would have remembered to fall on his fat ass!" (please say this in a British accent)
My sista Emily & I a couple years ago. She is BEAUTIFUL! She also LOVES rap music, and she can sign (language) to it. Its so impressive.
Aw, weren't we cute back then? This is my favorite picture of us as small children.
Camping at a family reunion. I HATE camping, but I love my family. This is our cute cousin Abi. Parish is wearing his Harry & The Potter's T-Shirt, which is awesome. We went to that concert together. I have a shirt that says "Save Ginny" and it has a picture of a Basilisk.
Christmas this year. We get pajamas every year on Christmas Eve.
Parish came to BYU this year and it has been super fun (hopefully he agrees). This is us at a football game, NOT in the student section, which we secretly loved.
Dinner before Parish's graduation. Parish rarely smiles normally.
Me, Emily and Abi on family picture day. This was the day my dad grabbed my mom's boob during a family picture. My parents are ridiculous.
Me and fat Parish. He was so large, and so cute.
We love the Celtics! This was at the Celtics vs. Jazz game, and they lost. :( boo.
Cousins with Grampa McCombs.
Last Christmas with our cousin Sara and Maddie. Sara baby-sat us A LOT growing up and we love her like a sister.
Christmas break this year! 4-wheeling. Our dad is so awesome for taking us out, cause I wanted to so badly! We saw 5 moose!
Thanksgiving last year.
Playing Pretty Pretty Princess with our awesome aunt Kriste. Parish is the winner! So cute! haha

Pursuit of Happiness

KID CUDI!
Obsessed with this song right now. Obsessed.

Duke Holds Out Against Butler for NCAA Title

If Gordon Hayward's shot from past half court had gone in, that would have been the best play of all time. It would have been replayed over and over again, and Gordon would have even more girls on twitter asking for him to be their "baby daddy". Actually, the shot was replayed from just about every possible angle after the game had ended. But I don't think that will last very long.

It was clear from the start last night that if Duke (35-5) was going to get that fourth national championship, Butler (33-5) was going to make certain that it was earned and not given.

All game, Duke seemed in some control, at least on the scoreboard. But the lead was never enough to relax. Butler was far too determined for that.

Even when Duke finally seemed to have it, leading 60-55 with the ball and barely 2 minutes to go, Butler forced a turnover, a miss at the rim and, then after a short jump shot, had the ball, after two Matt Howard layups, with a chance to win.

Hayward got the ball at the top of the key, his team trailing 60-59, and ready to hit the game-winner. Only his right baseline fadeaway was long. Duke's Brian Zoubek got the rebound and was fouled with 3.6 seconds left.

He made the first, missed the second. Hayward got the rebound, took off up the right sideline and launched just before the clock turned to zeros.

"I was standing at halfcourt and thought it was going in," Howard said. "That makes it even a little more devastating . . . I've seen him make that numerous times before in practice and in games.''

He almost made it again.

But this NCAA championship game was about a team that knocked out one heavyweight after another until it got to the heaviest of weights in the championship game. Duke had won its first five NCAA games by an average of 17 points. This was not like that.

"Butler wasn't a fairy tale. Butler was for real. Just check the bite marks on almighty Duke from a bunch of Bulldogs who turned what the foolish thought would be a blowout of a national championship game into a classic".

Smells Like Team Spirit

I have had the privelege of going to several Utah Jazz games in the past couple of months. I love seeing the game live- even if it is from the nosebleeds. The main reason is the rowdy fans. Even in Utah, fans are often obnoxious drunks who yell out things pertaining to the game that they don't fully understand.


Personally, I am a Celtics fan. Huge fan. Born and raised. No, I am not from Boston. So, what do I say when people ask me why I love them so much? And, NO, I am not a bandwagon follower after they won the championship. I had been wearing kelly green long before Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen graced us with their skills. It is pretty hard to explain why I feel a strong loyalty to the Celtics, but I do know that I love it. It makes it so much more fun when you have a team to cheer for, when you feel like you know the players personally because you watch them so much. One of the closest moments with my family was during the 2008 playoffs, resulting in the 17th NBA Championship for the Boston Celtics!



That is the major trump card that Celtics fans always, always love to use. Especially against the Jazz, whom the Celtics have lost to in Utah almost every time. Yes, I was at those games, and yes, my mother does trash talk and says to Jazz fans "Who has 17 championship banners and who has NONE?" (the Jazz, obviously). So, this isn't just a season to season loyalty. We are loyal to the franchise. We have to be. My family owns so many green things that we would have to buy all new decorations for our homes and all new wardrobes if we decided we didn't like the Celts anymore.

So, its a weird thing, team spirit. Its also a weird thing how when the Jazz beat my team I suddenly want them to lose every game to every opponent (except the LAKERS!!) every time. I'll be talking trash until we get an 18th ring.

You Google Your Name and You See...

Our online repuations are so important these days. Most of us have "googled" ourselves at one time or another, just to see how we are portrayed to the internet world. But what happens when our reputations are tarnished by occasionally untrue gossip or innappropriate photos? Many celebs have found themselves victims to past mistakes showing up online years later.
It is important to get rid of that stuff- because it's entirely likely that your future employers and boyfriends will Google you. And who wants to hire or date an internet hussy? Nobody.

What is the solution to fixing your online reputation?
1. Sign up for Google Alerts: Any time someone spreads rumors about you, you will be notified.

2. Start a blog called www.yourname.com- this will pop up first in a Google Search. Make sure to update with interesting content so they will get caught up in reading it.

3. Sign up for every social networking site possible.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, MySpace... etc. The more accounts you have, the more of that first page they'll take up and then that picture of you making out with a Johnny Depp cutout will get bumped to the second page.

Never do this, or it will end up online:
1. Make your eyes look Chinese, like Miley Cyrus did, or take pictures of yourself in a bra like Miley did, or pose inappropriately with your dad, like Miley did.
2. Grab a cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton's boob, like Barack Obama's head speechwriter did.
3. Tell racist jokes at a comedy club, like Kramer did.
4. Scream profanities at an inferior, like Christian Bale did.
5. Call your daughter "a little pig" in a voicemail, like Alec Baldwin did.

Top 20 Most Annoying Status Updates Ever

I may be guilty of a number of these, so I am passing no judgment on any of my facebook friends. But really:

1. "Friday can't come fast enough!" "Can't wait for the weekend" "Longest week everrrr"

2. Solicitations for money for charities

3. Health updates- TMI! For your immediate family that are concerned for you, CALL THEM or at least send a private message.

4. Politics.

5. SUPER long status updates- please no longer than 2 lines. We get bored.

6. "Just got back from the gym!" "LOVES spin class" "Went to the gym for the 28th day in a row!"

7. "Bored at work- someone come visit me"

8. Children's sleeping habits.

9. Wedding planning updates, or "48 days until the big day!"

10. Counting down to some event that no one else is going to. Especially when you don't say what it is. "7 days until the best day ever!"

11. Spoiling a TV show. Some of us watch it on hulu later. Try to remember that.

12. Depression. "Just can't do it another day" (Disclaimer: If you really are clinically depressed, please get some help! We care!)

13. Nonsensical quotes.

14. Passive-aggressive statuses meant to make your ex feel bad.

15. "So tired from my trip to Spain" "So tired from working and homework and class. ugh" "SO TIRED!" "So tired from my crazy weekend"

16. Alcoholic's complaints about yet another hangover

17. Overuse of obscure song lyrics.

18. Pleas for fb friends to come to your show.

19. Repeated statuses about love.

20. "is in class" Well, that's nice that you want the world to know how much you AREN'T paying attention.

Karaoke for Dummies

Karaoke Night at Applebee's is out of control. I have gone a few times, but only for the half off appetizers and the entertainment. I have never sung anything. Most people are awful, and when giant groups of girls get up together I mostly want to kill myself.

If you must sing karaoke (hey, someone's gotta do it!) here are some suggestions to please the crowd and make the experience as pain-free as possible:

1. Current Hits
If you have a terrible voice but love to sing, this is probably your best bet. Choose a Top 40 song, and that way at least a few other people in the crowd will sing along with you. They will not be able to resist it, since they know all of the words from hearing it on the radio at work everyday for a month. Example: Black Eyed Peas or Rhianna.

2. Power Ballads
If you have a decent voice, try a classic power ballad. They are always a crowd favorite. Example: "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera

3. Oldies but Goodies
People will be happy to hear Michael Jackson, Madonna or Elvis. It takes them back to the good ol' days. Example: "Piano Man" by Billy Joel.

4. Group Numbers
Meaning 3-4 people, not 12. These will also probably get the crowd to sing along. Example: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen

5. Duets
"Crazy in Love" by Beyonce and Jay-Z or "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher.

*"Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung" -Voltaire

The Nets try really hard not to have the worst record in NBA history

After 66 games the New Jersey Nets only have 7 wins. Ouch. They need 3 wins to get to 10, and thus avoiding the shame of having the worst record in the history of the NBA.

The Nets can and should avoid that record. Yes, they have had stretches like 18 consecutive losses. But twice they won three in 14 games and once three in 15games. So it’s possible.

Also, the schedule lightens up a little with seven games currently against teams under .500, including at Philadelphia, Washington and Indiana and home for Sacramento, Detroit and Chicago.

Really, the only thing the Nets have to play for at this point? Their pride and avoiding the record that the franchise will have to live with forever. But it’s going to take a commitment to doing what needs to be done on both ends of the floor.

Current worst record? Philadelphia 76's in the 1972-1973 season. They went 9-73.

So, can the Nets steal the title?