6 reasons to feel better about D12 to L.A.

"What's everyone so upset about?"

When I heard the big news last night that the Lakers had somehow won the Dwight Howard sweepstakes without sacrificing Pau Gasol, I was displeased.  Michael-Scott-finding-Toby-back-in-Scranton displeased.  And this morning, the consternation is still fresh.

But it's time to start rationalizing; it's good for the soul.  Twelve reasons to feel better about D12 landing in L.A. would be a stretch, but here are six that might help lift your spirits on the gloomiest Friday for Celtics Nation since July 6...

Fun with Pop Culture: Hello, Goodbye (Part Two)

For Part One, click here.

Still more interesting than health care reform.

If Rolling Stone could devote a cover story to analyzing the Beatles' breakup almost 40 years after the fact, I think we can break down Ray Allen's departure from the "C"-tles one more time, four weeks after the fact.

So:  Why is Walter Ray Allen a member of the Miami Heat?

Let's take a look at the various explanations we've heard over the past month -- With a Little Help From Our Friends.

Fun with Pop Culture: Hello, Goodbye (Part One)

Ray Allen has fallen in with a bad crowd.

I've always been a little resentful of the "Heatles" nickname.

Yes, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh garnered Beatle-esque media hype and fan attention from the get-go -- I get it.  But as an unabashed post-Decision Heat hater and a huge Beatles fan, I've never felt totally comfortable linking the prima donnas from Miami with the lads from Liverpool.  Such an awesome band deserves equally awesome basketball counterparts (which is why "Run-T.M.C." worked so well).

Plus, I always thought, how could we compare a team built around a triumvirate to the Fab Four?  That's just bad math.  And while journalists and amateur Photoshoppers alike awkwardly tried to shoehorn various Pete Bests into the role of "Fourth Heatle" (from Mike Miller to Norris Cole, Coach Spoelstra to Emperor Riley, and even the artist formerly known as Juwan Howard), nothing quite worked.

Until now.  Official as of this past Wednesday, Miami has finally found a worthy Ringo in Walter Ray Allen.

Problem is, of course, that Ray was already part of a pretty good band -- one that Celtics fans were quite fond of, and one that won't be as easily forgotten as Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.

It was a group that actually laid claim to a Beatles-inspired nickname years before LeBron took his talents to South Beach.

An open letter to Ron Mercer.

The third and sixth picks of the 1997 NBA Draft.

Dear Ron,

First of all, I hope you agree that we're on a first-name basis now.  In this crazy mixed-up digital world we live in, I think your indulgence of my shameless retweet request last week constitutes a legitimate friendship, bordering on full-out "bromance."  If, however, I've misread this one, I'm still glad to have registered a blip on your social media radar as a Celtic fan who remembers you fondly.

You may have only played 121 games in the green and white, Ron, but I'll never forget game no. 1 when you matched up with MJ and helped upset his 2-time defending champion Bulls on Halloween.  And I'll always wonder whether -- given the proper time and encouragement -- you and Chauncey could have lived up to Coach Pitino's "backcourt of the future" moniker.  We all know how Chauncey eventually became Mr. Big Shot in Motown, and, with your tireless athleticism and stellar mid-range game, I don't see why you couldn't have developed into a (much) more highlight-friendly Rip Hamilton in some alternate universe.

It's not, however, that magical opening night in '97 or your untapped potential alone that have made you so unforgettable to me.  And it's not my ownership of both your home and away no. 5 replica jerseys, either.  There's something more.  And that "something more" also has a lot to do with my love for the 2012 Boston Celtics.

Re: the 2 story lines of game 2

Rajon Rondo took center stage in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals last night.

As Celtic Nation continues to digest last night's thrilling and ultimately heartbreaking 115-111 overtime loss to the Miami Heat, two dominant story lines have emerged.  Let's take a look.

Story line no. 1:  How about that Rajon Pierre Rondo??

In this morning's Boston Herald, Steve Bulpett described it as "the best performance of a young career now littered with triple-doubles and other such statistical finery."  Today on Twitter, self-styled franchise historian Bill Simmons upped the ante, anointing it "one of the greatest Celtic performances ever."  But none other than Earvin "Magic" Johnson gave higher praise than Bulpett or Simmons during last night's post-game analysis on ESPN, calling Rondo's 44-10-8 one of the greatest performances he'd ever seen.  Period.  And he reiterated that opinion via tweet.

Excuse me for being a bit of a Debbie Downer, but I think we all need to take a deep breath here.