There's All-Star Jermaine O'Neal, whose shoulder was so painful after Game 3 he couldn't lift his hand above his waist. O'Neal also had his right ankle checked by the medical staff after the game, but was mum on the reason. O'Neal is encased in ice after every game, a nifty impersonation of Nolan Ryan after throwing nine innings of fastballs. It was a wise strategy to make Indiana's big fella pay with hard fouls every time he ventured inside, but even that backfired when Antoine Walker took it one step too far and got himself tossed. Advantage, O'Neal.
The mercurial Stephen Jackson, the only player in this series who has a championship ring (he snagged his with San Antonio two seasons ago), played 33 minutes on a balky left knee that made it darn near impossible to keep up with Paul Pierce in the opening half. Pierce wisely took advantage of the mismatch -- for a while. But when Boston closed within 7 and needed a big basket from its captain, why take a three against a guy who is having issues with mobility? Take him to the hole. Make it hurt. Make the kid work.
Boston must also exploit Indiana's bench. Fred Jones broke the middle finger on his shooting hand earlier this month and had missed 16 consecutive shots -- that's right, people, 16 consecutive shots -- before knocking down his first and second jumpers of the series Thursday night. Jeff Foster is playing with a bad hip and injured calf, but still managed nine boards and two blocks. Austin Croshere is fighting off persistent pain in his shoulder and a bulging disk in his back. Scot Pollard, the oft-traveled backup big man, can't play anymore. We're pretty sure backup point guard Eddie Gill can't play, either.
Shooting guard James Jones looks like he'll be a player someday, but he's too young. Center Dale Davis was a valuable asset in his day, but he's too old.
How is it that the Celtics haven't exposed these obvious weaknesses?
