Sports Redux: A Tale Of Two Upsets

At what point do we ready the panic buttons? Two legitimate losses to two legitimate good teams (LA, Portland), one stinker that can be chalked up to Laker hangover (G.State)...but then, this, now. The Celtics' eight-game winning streak against the Knicks, which stretched back to those prehistoric pre-KG teams, is over. The C's looked flat, couldn't keep up with New York's speed and intensity, and fell 100-88.

Doc Rivers, who spent much of the night in this exact pose, summed it up succinctly: "I thought they played harder than us, they executed better than us, and I thought Mike [D'Antoni] did a better coaching job than I did, and their players did a better playing job than our players. When that happens you are probably going to lose the game." It's really hard to think what to add to that.

Paul Pierce was the only Celtic worth much of anything, as his 31 points kept the C's from sinking farther out of sight as Wilson Chandler and the Knicks hit almost everything they threw up. Rondo was blanketed by NY's defense, and Garnett was having trouble even before he got whacked in the knee by David Lee.

Garnett, however, was healthy enough to give a less-than-ringing endorsement to those terrifying Stephon Marbury rumors. "I'm not opposed to Steph...If Steph comes to this team and makes us better, I'm all for that." Rajon Rondo, who stands to be the one most likely to find a boiling bunny in his kitchen if things go this way: "I'm new in this league, I heard a little bit of his reputation, but I'm not going to judge him." You may feel differently later. Doc, for his part, says he wants to talk to the veterans before making the move to bring Starbury in.

In more happy local upset news, BC shocked the world and popped undefeated #1 Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Eagles refused to be intimidated, said Tyrese Rice (game-high 25 points): "We wanted to challenge them to see if they were going to step up and play as hard as we were going to play." If you missed the end of the game, the final was 85-78 Eagles.

Things aren't as collegial at the other end of the hall in Chestnut Hill. Football coach Jeff Jagodzinski was invited to interview for the Jets' head coaching job, and BC is telling him that if he goes down for the interview, whatever happens, he shouldn't make plans to come back. A willingness to coach the Jets, clearly, is a fireable offense and possibly a symptom of severe head injury.

Day two of the NFL playoffs has come and gone, taking with it the Vikings and Miami, who acquitted themselves miserably as champions of the AFC East and got smacked up and down the field by Baltimore. Thanks again, Brett and Eric. Reports are that the Patriots are going to assign - sorry...slap - the franchise tag onto Matt Cassel, but nothing's official yet.

Photo by Kathy Willens/Associated Press.