How cool was this? The Celtics clinched their first playoff spot in 7 years with a drubbing of the hated Lakers. L.A. proved once again that without Shaquille O'Neal, they are, in my dad's words, "a really ordinary team". You can Kobe-this or Kobe-that all you want, but the guy simply can't carry a team. Like tonight. 26 points sounds good, but not on 18 free throw attempts and a pitiful 5-25 from the floor. Without the posters and commercials and kowtowing from the refs, Kobe is just another talented player.

So I'm more optimistic about the C's going into the playoffs. I think they're capable of beating anyone in the East, but I can also easily envision Philly or Milwaukee taking them out in 4 in the first round. And it looks like that's who they'll be playing. So we'll see.

Non-game highlight of the night had to be the National Anthem, sung by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who plays Meadow Soprano. She sang before a Pats game last fall and they never lost again all year. It's not hard to see how she could inspire anyone; I hope her magic works on the C's too.