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Top Ten (part 2) - by Bent
Time to delve back into the archives again for more of my lists. Yes, I know lists are the epitome of lazy journalism. Who do I am think I am, Mark Blount? Oops, I just dropped the mouse.
The same rules apply: These are not supposed to be exhaustive and are fully open to
debate, but I have tried to pick out some more of my personal favorite moments,
together with some interesting ones.
The Top Ten Dunks in Celtics History
10. Ricky Davis v Minnesota, 2004. For Davis even to attempt a 360 dunk in a road game was audacious enough, but he glided in gracefully and effortlessly to make you wonder why he always finishes last in the dunk contest. Of course, the next time he got out on the breakaway, in a far more widely publicised moment (in a home game versus the Lakers) he would get even more audacious and would still end up with the two points, but also pull one rebound closer to that first elusive triple-double.
9. Tony Allen v Sacramento, 2005. Allen's rookie season saw many of his dunks featured on the highlight reels, so he definitely merits inclusion on the list. The pick of these was probably his two-handed reverse on the break, but there were (and will be) many contenders.
8. Reggie Lewis v Cleveland, 1992 playoffs. Reggie was such a nice guy, you would never expect him to humble someone by dunking over them, but in this series, he demonstrated a rare desire. Lewis drove down the middle of the lane, reared back in mid-air like he was just about to deliver a Dontrelle Willis fastball and slammed the ball hard over "Hot Rod" Williams. Knowing Reggie, he probably apologized afterwards. This'll make you feel old: Willis was ten years old in 1992.
7. Ron Mercer v San Antonio, 1999. When Rick Pitino traded Chauncey Billups, he maybe didn't take as much heat as he did when he traded this guy, who averaged 17 points per game in his second season with the C's before being traded in a multi-player deal, basically for Eric Williams and Danny Fortson. Mercer flashed some real promise in just his second game against the Magic, with a Jordan-esque tip dunk of a free throw, but he makes this list for a one handed flying jam over Jaren Jackson, which I believe has the unprecedented honour of being the only dunk in Celtics history to be a Slam magazine "Slamadamonth".
6. Gerald Green: "The Dunk". When a dunk is called "The Dunk", it has to be something special - even if it is only in a pre-season game. A spin move, a two footed takeoff outside the lane and a horizontal finish where he jumped so high that the other players must have looked like ants. This would probably be higher in the list, if it had been in a meaningful game. The scary thing is, if you've seen highlights of Green in action, you'll know he's capable of even better.
5. David Wesley v L A Clippers, 1996. Yes - David Wesley! Any time a dunk comes from an unlikely source, it's a shoo-in for the top ten. I always root for the underdog. Wesley received a bounce pass on a back door cut and rose up to dunk two-handed as everybody on the court, including Wesley as he hung from the rim, looked amazed. It was a bit like Woody Harrelson's dunk in "White Men Can't Jump", but minus the little trampoline (unless M.L. Carr was particularly creative that day).
4. Brett Szabo v Golden State, 1997. Another underdog pick. As Brett Szabo got set to jump at half court at the start of this game, the Fleet Center breathed a
collective "who the heck is this goofy white guy and why is he wearing scientist
goggles?" He got the biggest reaction of the night (and probably his career), though, when he leapt up to grab a high carom off the rim with one hand and slammed it down in one motion. Perhaps mainly on the strength of this play, the Celtics signed the 6'11" Szabo for the rest of the season and the rest was...forgettable.
3. Larry Bird v Detroit Pistons, 1986. The ULTIMATE underdog pick. If you ever get to meet Dennis Rodman, remind him of this play, when he was DUNKED ON BY LARRY BIRD. I'm sure he will remember it fondly. ("Just another good player", huh, Dennis?) Larry used his cat-like quickness to beat Rodman to the baseline and then came up under the basket for a one-handed reverse. Earlier in his career, Larry used the same move to beat Dr. J for what was perhaps an even better dunk, but this was a somewhat sexier pick.
2. Todd Day v Detroit Pistons, 1996. A strange choice, perhaps, but one that is
particularly dear to my heart - because I was there! Day rose up gracefully in the lane and dunked powerfully right over Theo Ratliff. And I, neither gracefully or powerfully, dropped my popcorn right over the woman in front of me. A great moment. (For me, anyway).
1. Dee Brown v Golden State, 1993. For me, Dee just had to top this poll. Many of the moments he provided in his time here were worthy of a mention (a dunk over Shawn Bradley, a tip dunk over Olajawon, countless alley-oops or the show he put on to win the contest to name but a few). My favourite though, has to be the monster left-handed tip dunk of a McHale miss in the fourth quarter of a tense late-season game at the Boston Garden. The roof nearly lifted off the place, which probably would have been just as well because Dee's head nearly hit it.
"He's On Fire": The Ten Best Examples in Celtics History
10. Bob Cousy v Syracuse, 1953. Bear in mind that this list has to be restricted to games I have actually seen, so there will be no Havlicek, Jones, White, Heinsohn or Russell, and obviously these guys have probably had performances that deserve to be on the list. I'm sorry about that, but the best I can do is to mention them all here! Cousy's performance (which I obviously haven't seen either), in a 111-105, 4 OT playoff series decider, makes the list in honour of all these guys. Cousy hit 30 of 32 free throws on route to a then-record 50 points and also sent the game to a fourth overtime with a 30-footer at the buzzer.
9. Tony Battie v New Jersey, 2002 Playoffs. An unusual choice, in that Battie was on fire defensively. In the second quarter of game two, Battie was all over the place as he blocked four shots, altered several others and pulled down several rebounds for good measure as well. Every one of the blocks was a big swat as Battie single-handedly took over the game. (Now there's something you don't hear every day). Battie was a dominant force for the Celtics - for twelve minutes, anyway.
8. Bill Walton v Los Angeles Lakers, 1985/86. This is another game I haven't seen, but you can appreciate that the aging Walton was on fire in all aspects of the game just by looking at his stat-line. 16 minutes, 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 blocks.
7. Kevin McHale v Charlotte, 1993 Playoffs. Kevin's biggest night was undoubtedly
his monster 56 point effort against the Pistons, but I haven't seen that one. This performance, anyway, was surely far more emotional and memorable. Kevin, who most people had assumed was pretty much done as a player, stepped up and took the Celtics (still reeling from the loss of Reggie Lewis following his game one collapse) on his back in a heroic effort and almost led them to an emotional win. His 30 point effort included a tough fadeaway to send the game to a second overtime period, where the Celtics would eventually fall short, but the best sequence of the game was in the third quarter as the Celtics went to Kevin several times in a row and he pulled out the whole repertoire. Eventually, after drawing a foul and narrowly missing out on a three-point play that would have again lifted the roof off, an exhausted McHale had to call a time out himself and left the floor to the kind of ovation you could only get from a Celtics crowd.
6. Antoine Walker v Minnesota, 2002. Antoine Walker shoots too many threes. We all know that. (Here's an interesting statistic: By about a quarter of the way through next season, the 29 year-old Walker should surpass double the amount of career three point attempts that Larry Bird had). We also all know that sometimes he did make them. On this day, he hit nine-of-twelve, but the best bit was right before the end of the third quarter. Walker hit a three with about 50 seconds left in the period, then on the C's next position, he nailed a 30 footer at the shot clock buzzer. Finally, the T-Wolves tried to push the ball downcourt and lost it, leaving just enough time for Walker to bank home a half court shot and complete perhaps the best minute of his career.
5. The Whole Team v Detroit, 1995. On this day, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the
Celtics rolled to a 118-103 win, behind a quite incredible shooting performance. The Celtics hit their last five shots of the first half and then proceeded to go fourteen-for-fourteen in the third. Dino Radja would eventually miss the Celtics second shot of the final stanza, but the twenty made baskets in a row established a team record. The feat was accomplished mainly by a line-up of Douglas-Brown-Gamble-Pinckney-Parish, but Radja (to that point 0-5) came off the bench to hit the final five shots of the sequence. Nearly all of the shots were tough ones, none tougher than a twenty foot, left-handed hook shot by Sherman Douglas at the shot clock buzzer for the thirteenth of the twenty shots. Following a flagrant foul, Douglas also had four free throws at once towards the end of the sequence and, despite Boston's collective hot hand, bricked all four.
4. Scott Wedman v Los Angeles Lakers, 1985 Finals. The Memorial Day Massacre, a 148-114 drubbing of the Lakers and unquestionably Scott Wedman's finest hour is mired in Celtics folklore. Wedman hit all eleven of his field goal attempts, including four threes. This would have been higher up the list, but (a) they probably would have won anyway and (b) they would ultimately lose the championship that year.
3. Dee Brown v Dallas, 1998. Always one with a flair for the dramatic, Dee (by then, pretty much a forgotten man in the Celtics rotation) would mark his last ever game in Boston with a fourth quarter explosion. He scored 22 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, including five threes, to lead the Celtics to a 110-99 win and left the floor to a rapturous reception. That's good closure.
2. Paul Pierce v Indiana, 2003. Pierce could have been on this list several times. (Having only two points at halftime against the Nets and ending up with 48; scoring five straight baskets on the way to a nineteen point fourth quarter in the comeback game, also against the Nets; hitting 21-of-21 three throws (including twenty swishes) earlier in the series that this choice comes from; or as part of another "whole team" nomination for the fourth quarter of game five against Philly where Pierce (46 points, including 29 in the first half) and his teammates kept on firing - and making - threes, much to the chagrin of the color commentator, one Danny Ainge). This choice is Pierce's finest moment though, by my reckoning. The Celtics trailed 48-36 at the half, and 52-36 early in the third but embarked upon an amazing 15-0 run, sparked by Pierce and shortly after, went on another run with Pierce scoring the last 11 points himself as he scored 21 of his 37 in the quarter to
give the Celtics an 11 point lead, which proved to be too much for the Pacers. The sight of Pierce so unconscious that he was babbling incoherently to Al Harrington as he drained a dying-seconds three over him, is one that Celtics fans will never forget.
1. Larry Bird v Atlanta, 1985. Larry could probably fill out a list like this that extended to about a thousand choices, but the performance which for my money surpasses anything else I have ever seen was his 60-point effort against the Hawks. The game was close and exciting throughout and Larry shot the ball well and scored a bunch of points, but as the game went on he just got hotter and hotter. He had 42 with 5:11 to go. Then it just got silly. Larry was throwing up all kinds of stuff (threes, turnarounds, runners, leaners, unexplainable off balance yet somehow under control heaves) and they were all going in. He was harshly ruled to have stepped out of bounds when he hit a three point fadeaway on which he was fouled, otherwise he could have had 64. The place (and several of the Hawks bench players) went nuts for him even though it was a road game. Quite incredible.
That's the lists for this time. Feel free to debate or correct any of my choices or to request anything for a future top ten list.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
About Mark Blount - by ReggieR 
Mark Blount, the man we love to hate. The man with appendages of stone, a simpleton's visage and, as least last season, a poisonous attitude. A man that most would be happy to see traded for a six pack of Red Bull and a bag of Cheeto's (but probably not straight up for Rasho Nesterovic)
How did it come to this? How did a perennial underdog favorite, who's hard work and perseverance were an old-school inspiration, come to be so vilified by Boston sports fans? One reason is money.
When he earned a measly million a year, he was good to have around. Now that he's making the kind of money that Ben Wallace, Brendan Haywood, Dan Gadzuric, and Jeff Foster are making - more money than the likes of Nene and Melvin Ely, then we expect him to play like that. (We do conveniently ignore Adonal Foyle, Olowokandi, Mehmet Okur and Erick Dampier.)
The more pragmatic among us realize that 7 footers aren't cheap after their rookie contracts…Dalembert and Chandler got $8M raises. So though it is an issue, the money paid to Blount shouldn't be the difference between someone that is groused about and someone that is truly hated by some fans. Money isn't the only issue.
In the off-season last year, Ainge signed Blount to his current deal. It was obviously a "good-soldier" deal because, though he had other offers, none were as good as the one with Boston. So at that time Danny (and Doc) felt that Blount was a good fit for the current and, with a 6 year commitment, future, team. What did they see in Blount that the fans don't?
Most of us think that Blount pulled a Joe Johnson, and parlayed a single year's performance into an untradeable contract. And this will always be the case for those with uncluttered minds. The facts are, it wasn't a single season. Blount had a history of constant improvement and coachability. For his entire career he had been the consummate professional... why wouldn't you reward a player like that?
Something besides a lucrative contract - which he'd earned - impaired his game.
It has been proposed that he was unfit for anything but Dick Harter's defense and that that transition for him to something else was too difficult. But he played a good part of a season in Denver - and started - in a system nothing like Dick Harter's. Additionally, Mark signed a new contract knowing full well there would a new system in place in Boston.
It's been proposed that he and Doc didn't get along. And by the end of the season this may have been true, but not at the beginning. Doc at one time recruited him in Orlando. They certainly met during that time. Doc was interested in Mark as a player and Mark knew who he'd be playing for when he re-signed with Boston.
I think that Mark's issue with Doc and the team was one of, what Mark felt, were broken promises.
We've all heard Ainge and Doc espouse their desire to have a running team that plays tough defense. This is what they say to fans, this is what they thought Blount could contribute to, and this is what they promised Mark. We saw that it didn't really happen and so did Blount. Who could blame him for feeling betrayed?
At the beginning of the season last year, Blount was the first man up the court on offense on a plurailty of transitions. I can remember saying, "Get Blount the ball, he's wide open ahead of the pack". (Knowing full well that at least half the time he'd bobble the pass.) But as we all know, Payton insisted on bringing the ball into the forecourt himself. Payton, unlike Chucky Atkins, never made any attempt at all to include Blount in the offense. After a while Blount stopped running, he wasn't rewarded for his effort. So much for the promise of a running team.
Secondly, Doc seemed more than willing to give minutes to players that had no clue at all on defense - i.e. Jefferson. Is that consistent with espousing tough team defense? Not to me, and not to Mark Blount whose minutes were sacrificed.
So in light of these developments, it is easy to see how Blount might feel as though Rivers and Ainge duped him. How he might feel betrayed. Why give the effort if they weren't going to hold up their end of the bargain?
So what does the future hold for Blount and the Celtics. Obviously both sides have something to answer for. The Celtics let Blount down, and he in turn let them down. Ainge doesn't appear to be willing to just dump him, and therefore we can assume, thinks he can still make a contribution to the team. They both must make amends. Blount will need to accept his role and the point guards will need to reward him when he runs.
If Blount returns to his 2nd half of the 2003-2004 season form it will be a win-win situation. The Celtics will have a center who can make the shot in the pick and pop play and play good man-to-man and team defense and Blount will be a contributor to a running team that plays tough minded defense.
Note: If you got deja-vu reading this, it might be because this is the same poster from RealGM and the CelticsBlog boards. I asked him to be a our newest cheap seats author based on this article and many posts I've read by him in the past. - Jeff
Monday, August 15, 2005
The Top Ten of Everything - by Bent
The same rules apply: These are not supposed to be exhaustive and are fully open to
debate, but I have tried to pick out some more of my personal favorite moments,
together with some interesting ones.
The Top Ten Dunks in Celtics History
10. Ricky Davis v Minnesota, 2004. For Davis even to attempt a 360 dunk in a road game was audacious enough, but he glided in gracefully and effortlessly to make you wonder why he always finishes last in the dunk contest. Of course, the next time he got out on the breakaway, in a far more widely publicised moment (in a home game versus the Lakers) he would get even more audacious and would still end up with the two points, but also pull one rebound closer to that first elusive triple-double.
9. Tony Allen v Sacramento, 2005. Allen's rookie season saw many of his dunks featured on the highlight reels, so he definitely merits inclusion on the list. The pick of these was probably his two-handed reverse on the break, but there were (and will be) many contenders.
8. Reggie Lewis v Cleveland, 1992 playoffs. Reggie was such a nice guy, you would never expect him to humble someone by dunking over them, but in this series, he demonstrated a rare desire. Lewis drove down the middle of the lane, reared back in mid-air like he was just about to deliver a Dontrelle Willis fastball and slammed the ball hard over "Hot Rod" Williams. Knowing Reggie, he probably apologized afterwards. This'll make you feel old: Willis was ten years old in 1992.
7. Ron Mercer v San Antonio, 1999. When Rick Pitino traded Chauncey Billups, he maybe didn't take as much heat as he did when he traded this guy, who averaged 17 points per game in his second season with the C's before being traded in a multi-player deal, basically for Eric Williams and Danny Fortson. Mercer flashed some real promise in just his second game against the Magic, with a Jordan-esque tip dunk of a free throw, but he makes this list for a one handed flying jam over Jaren Jackson, which I believe has the unprecedented honour of being the only dunk in Celtics history to be a Slam magazine "Slamadamonth".
6. Gerald Green: "The Dunk". When a dunk is called "The Dunk", it has to be something special - even if it is only in a pre-season game. A spin move, a two footed takeoff outside the lane and a horizontal finish where he jumped so high that the other players must have looked like ants. This would probably be higher in the list, if it had been in a meaningful game. The scary thing is, if you've seen highlights of Green in action, you'll know he's capable of even better.
5. David Wesley v L A Clippers, 1996. Yes - David Wesley! Any time a dunk comes from an unlikely source, it's a shoo-in for the top ten. I always root for the underdog. Wesley received a bounce pass on a back door cut and rose up to dunk two-handed as everybody on the court, including Wesley as he hung from the rim, looked amazed. It was a bit like Woody Harrelson's dunk in "White Men Can't Jump", but minus the little trampoline (unless M.L. Carr was particularly creative that day).
4. Brett Szabo v Golden State, 1997. Another underdog pick. As Brett Szabo got set to jump at half court at the start of this game, the Fleet Center breathed a
collective "who the heck is this goofy white guy and why is he wearing scientist
goggles?" He got the biggest reaction of the night (and probably his career), though, when he leapt up to grab a high carom off the rim with one hand and slammed it down in one motion. Perhaps mainly on the strength of this play, the Celtics signed the 6'11" Szabo for the rest of the season and the rest was...forgettable.
3. Larry Bird v Detroit Pistons, 1986. The ULTIMATE underdog pick. If you ever get to meet Dennis Rodman, remind him of this play, when he was DUNKED ON BY LARRY BIRD. I'm sure he will remember it fondly. ("Just another good player", huh, Dennis?) Larry used his cat-like quickness to beat Rodman to the baseline and then came up under the basket for a one-handed reverse. Earlier in his career, Larry used the same move to beat Dr. J for what was perhaps an even better dunk, but this was a somewhat sexier pick.
2. Todd Day v Detroit Pistons, 1996. A strange choice, perhaps, but one that is
particularly dear to my heart - because I was there! Day rose up gracefully in the lane and dunked powerfully right over Theo Ratliff. And I, neither gracefully or powerfully, dropped my popcorn right over the woman in front of me. A great moment. (For me, anyway).
1. Dee Brown v Golden State, 1993. For me, Dee just had to top this poll. Many of the moments he provided in his time here were worthy of a mention (a dunk over Shawn Bradley, a tip dunk over Olajawon, countless alley-oops or the show he put on to win the contest to name but a few). My favourite though, has to be the monster left-handed tip dunk of a McHale miss in the fourth quarter of a tense late-season game at the Boston Garden. The roof nearly lifted off the place, which probably would have been just as well because Dee's head nearly hit it.
"He's On Fire": The Ten Best Examples in Celtics History
10. Bob Cousy v Syracuse, 1953. Bear in mind that this list has to be restricted to games I have actually seen, so there will be no Havlicek, Jones, White, Heinsohn or Russell, and obviously these guys have probably had performances that deserve to be on the list. I'm sorry about that, but the best I can do is to mention them all here! Cousy's performance (which I obviously haven't seen either), in a 111-105, 4 OT playoff series decider, makes the list in honour of all these guys. Cousy hit 30 of 32 free throws on route to a then-record 50 points and also sent the game to a fourth overtime with a 30-footer at the buzzer.
9. Tony Battie v New Jersey, 2002 Playoffs. An unusual choice, in that Battie was on fire defensively. In the second quarter of game two, Battie was all over the place as he blocked four shots, altered several others and pulled down several rebounds for good measure as well. Every one of the blocks was a big swat as Battie single-handedly took over the game. (Now there's something you don't hear every day). Battie was a dominant force for the Celtics - for twelve minutes, anyway.
8. Bill Walton v Los Angeles Lakers, 1985/86. This is another game I haven't seen, but you can appreciate that the aging Walton was on fire in all aspects of the game just by looking at his stat-line. 16 minutes, 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 blocks.
7. Kevin McHale v Charlotte, 1993 Playoffs. Kevin's biggest night was undoubtedly
his monster 56 point effort against the Pistons, but I haven't seen that one. This performance, anyway, was surely far more emotional and memorable. Kevin, who most people had assumed was pretty much done as a player, stepped up and took the Celtics (still reeling from the loss of Reggie Lewis following his game one collapse) on his back in a heroic effort and almost led them to an emotional win. His 30 point effort included a tough fadeaway to send the game to a second overtime period, where the Celtics would eventually fall short, but the best sequence of the game was in the third quarter as the Celtics went to Kevin several times in a row and he pulled out the whole repertoire. Eventually, after drawing a foul and narrowly missing out on a three-point play that would have again lifted the roof off, an exhausted McHale had to call a time out himself and left the floor to the kind of ovation you could only get from a Celtics crowd.
6. Antoine Walker v Minnesota, 2002. Antoine Walker shoots too many threes. We all know that. (Here's an interesting statistic: By about a quarter of the way through next season, the 29 year-old Walker should surpass double the amount of career three point attempts that Larry Bird had). We also all know that sometimes he did make them. On this day, he hit nine-of-twelve, but the best bit was right before the end of the third quarter. Walker hit a three with about 50 seconds left in the period, then on the C's next position, he nailed a 30 footer at the shot clock buzzer. Finally, the T-Wolves tried to push the ball downcourt and lost it, leaving just enough time for Walker to bank home a half court shot and complete perhaps the best minute of his career.
5. The Whole Team v Detroit, 1995. On this day, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the
Celtics rolled to a 118-103 win, behind a quite incredible shooting performance. The Celtics hit their last five shots of the first half and then proceeded to go fourteen-for-fourteen in the third. Dino Radja would eventually miss the Celtics second shot of the final stanza, but the twenty made baskets in a row established a team record. The feat was accomplished mainly by a line-up of Douglas-Brown-Gamble-Pinckney-Parish, but Radja (to that point 0-5) came off the bench to hit the final five shots of the sequence. Nearly all of the shots were tough ones, none tougher than a twenty foot, left-handed hook shot by Sherman Douglas at the shot clock buzzer for the thirteenth of the twenty shots. Following a flagrant foul, Douglas also had four free throws at once towards the end of the sequence and, despite Boston's collective hot hand, bricked all four.
4. Scott Wedman v Los Angeles Lakers, 1985 Finals. The Memorial Day Massacre, a 148-114 drubbing of the Lakers and unquestionably Scott Wedman's finest hour is mired in Celtics folklore. Wedman hit all eleven of his field goal attempts, including four threes. This would have been higher up the list, but (a) they probably would have won anyway and (b) they would ultimately lose the championship that year.
3. Dee Brown v Dallas, 1998. Always one with a flair for the dramatic, Dee (by then, pretty much a forgotten man in the Celtics rotation) would mark his last ever game in Boston with a fourth quarter explosion. He scored 22 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, including five threes, to lead the Celtics to a 110-99 win and left the floor to a rapturous reception. That's good closure.
2. Paul Pierce v Indiana, 2003. Pierce could have been on this list several times. (Having only two points at halftime against the Nets and ending up with 48; scoring five straight baskets on the way to a nineteen point fourth quarter in the comeback game, also against the Nets; hitting 21-of-21 three throws (including twenty swishes) earlier in the series that this choice comes from; or as part of another "whole team" nomination for the fourth quarter of game five against Philly where Pierce (46 points, including 29 in the first half) and his teammates kept on firing - and making - threes, much to the chagrin of the color commentator, one Danny Ainge). This choice is Pierce's finest moment though, by my reckoning. The Celtics trailed 48-36 at the half, and 52-36 early in the third but embarked upon an amazing 15-0 run, sparked by Pierce and shortly after, went on another run with Pierce scoring the last 11 points himself as he scored 21 of his 37 in the quarter to
give the Celtics an 11 point lead, which proved to be too much for the Pacers. The sight of Pierce so unconscious that he was babbling incoherently to Al Harrington as he drained a dying-seconds three over him, is one that Celtics fans will never forget.
1. Larry Bird v Atlanta, 1985. Larry could probably fill out a list like this that extended to about a thousand choices, but the performance which for my money surpasses anything else I have ever seen was his 60-point effort against the Hawks. The game was close and exciting throughout and Larry shot the ball well and scored a bunch of points, but as the game went on he just got hotter and hotter. He had 42 with 5:11 to go. Then it just got silly. Larry was throwing up all kinds of stuff (threes, turnarounds, runners, leaners, unexplainable off balance yet somehow under control heaves) and they were all going in. He was harshly ruled to have stepped out of bounds when he hit a three point fadeaway on which he was fouled, otherwise he could have had 64. The place (and several of the Hawks bench players) went nuts for him even though it was a road game. Quite incredible.
That's the lists for this time. Feel free to debate or correct any of my choices or to request anything for a future top ten list.
#
posted @ 8/29/2005 12:15:00 AM 
- Message Board
- Message BoardThursday, August 25, 2005
About Mark Blount - by ReggieR
Mark Blount, the man we love to hate. The man with appendages of stone, a simpleton's visage and, as least last season, a poisonous attitude. A man that most would be happy to see traded for a six pack of Red Bull and a bag of Cheeto's (but probably not straight up for Rasho Nesterovic)
How did it come to this? How did a perennial underdog favorite, who's hard work and perseverance were an old-school inspiration, come to be so vilified by Boston sports fans? One reason is money.
When he earned a measly million a year, he was good to have around. Now that he's making the kind of money that Ben Wallace, Brendan Haywood, Dan Gadzuric, and Jeff Foster are making - more money than the likes of Nene and Melvin Ely, then we expect him to play like that. (We do conveniently ignore Adonal Foyle, Olowokandi, Mehmet Okur and Erick Dampier.)
The more pragmatic among us realize that 7 footers aren't cheap after their rookie contracts…Dalembert and Chandler got $8M raises. So though it is an issue, the money paid to Blount shouldn't be the difference between someone that is groused about and someone that is truly hated by some fans. Money isn't the only issue.
In the off-season last year, Ainge signed Blount to his current deal. It was obviously a "good-soldier" deal because, though he had other offers, none were as good as the one with Boston. So at that time Danny (and Doc) felt that Blount was a good fit for the current and, with a 6 year commitment, future, team. What did they see in Blount that the fans don't?
Most of us think that Blount pulled a Joe Johnson, and parlayed a single year's performance into an untradeable contract. And this will always be the case for those with uncluttered minds. The facts are, it wasn't a single season. Blount had a history of constant improvement and coachability. For his entire career he had been the consummate professional... why wouldn't you reward a player like that?
Something besides a lucrative contract - which he'd earned - impaired his game.
It has been proposed that he was unfit for anything but Dick Harter's defense and that that transition for him to something else was too difficult. But he played a good part of a season in Denver - and started - in a system nothing like Dick Harter's. Additionally, Mark signed a new contract knowing full well there would a new system in place in Boston.
It's been proposed that he and Doc didn't get along. And by the end of the season this may have been true, but not at the beginning. Doc at one time recruited him in Orlando. They certainly met during that time. Doc was interested in Mark as a player and Mark knew who he'd be playing for when he re-signed with Boston.
I think that Mark's issue with Doc and the team was one of, what Mark felt, were broken promises.
We've all heard Ainge and Doc espouse their desire to have a running team that plays tough defense. This is what they say to fans, this is what they thought Blount could contribute to, and this is what they promised Mark. We saw that it didn't really happen and so did Blount. Who could blame him for feeling betrayed?
At the beginning of the season last year, Blount was the first man up the court on offense on a plurailty of transitions. I can remember saying, "Get Blount the ball, he's wide open ahead of the pack". (Knowing full well that at least half the time he'd bobble the pass.) But as we all know, Payton insisted on bringing the ball into the forecourt himself. Payton, unlike Chucky Atkins, never made any attempt at all to include Blount in the offense. After a while Blount stopped running, he wasn't rewarded for his effort. So much for the promise of a running team.
Secondly, Doc seemed more than willing to give minutes to players that had no clue at all on defense - i.e. Jefferson. Is that consistent with espousing tough team defense? Not to me, and not to Mark Blount whose minutes were sacrificed.
So in light of these developments, it is easy to see how Blount might feel as though Rivers and Ainge duped him. How he might feel betrayed. Why give the effort if they weren't going to hold up their end of the bargain?
So what does the future hold for Blount and the Celtics. Obviously both sides have something to answer for. The Celtics let Blount down, and he in turn let them down. Ainge doesn't appear to be willing to just dump him, and therefore we can assume, thinks he can still make a contribution to the team. They both must make amends. Blount will need to accept his role and the point guards will need to reward him when he runs.
If Blount returns to his 2nd half of the 2003-2004 season form it will be a win-win situation. The Celtics will have a center who can make the shot in the pick and pop play and play good man-to-man and team defense and Blount will be a contributor to a running team that plays tough minded defense.
Note: If you got deja-vu reading this, it might be because this is the same poster from RealGM and the CelticsBlog boards. I asked him to be a our newest cheap seats author based on this article and many posts I've read by him in the past. - Jeff
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posted @ 8/25/2005 02:45:00 PM
- Message Board
- Message BoardMonday, August 15, 2005
The Top Ten of Everything - by Bent
At this time, there seems little point in analysing, over-evaluating, micro-scrutinising or even mulling over the Celtics roster, because if we take a snap-shot of the roster at any specific moment, the make-up is likely to have significantly changed before we get the final print developed. Instead, let us look forward to what this exciting breed of new Celtics stars might one day offer us, by looking back at some moments from Celtics greats of the past.
"The Top Ten of Everything" is a book that was published over here in Britain, probably in the late-eighties, a period of time I will be revisiting over the course of this article. I have no idea whether it was popular in the States. The most interesting thing about it was the top ten most unusual phobias, which included things such as moustaches and bread. For some reason that stuck in my mind all this time. Anyway, I have decided to resurrect the concept as an excuse to revisit some great moments from Celtics history.
These lists are by no means exhaustive, since I was only born in 1976 and living across the pond prevents me from seeing all Celtics games, but I have endeavoured to include all of the most famous moments I have seen or heard about, including a few personal favourites. I would welcome your submissions for any of these categories (especially from you older guys) and, naturally, my selections are open to debate.
I will look at three different categories today, but if this is a popular concept, I will look at some other categories another time. Anything to wile away those days until November, eh?
The Top Ten Buzzer Beaters not by Larry Bird in Celtics History
(Note: To qualify, the shot must affect the result…60 foot heaves in the first half need not apply).
10. The game winner that wasn't. John Havlicek v Phoenix, NBA Finals 1976, 2nd overtime period. Hondo Havlicek curled off a screen and hit a fifteen foot runner as time expired to eclipse the Suns. Bedlam ensued as thousands of fans ran on the court. One problem: Time hadn't expired and some craft Paul Westphal shenanigans followed by an improbable Gar Heard fadeaway would send the game to a third OT. The C's would eventually win by two.
9. A Minor miracle. Greg Minor v Denver, c. 1996. With the score tied and only 0.4 seconds on the clock, the game seemed destined for overtime. A botched lob play went over everybody's head and bounced off the top of the backboard to an alert Minor in the middle of the paint, who would catch the ball and flip it in from his hip as time expired. Minor never did live up to Tommy Heinsohn's hopes ("if this guy develops a pull-up jump shot on the break, I'm TELLING ya, he'll average 20 points a game in this league"), but he sure did father a lot of illegitimate children (allegedly).
8. The old man delivers. Robert Parish v Cleveland, 1991. With the game on the line and Larry Bird in the hospital with an ailing back, the Celtics got a career night out of Ed Pinckney and kept alive their slim hopes of an improbable (and ultimately successful) run to the Atlantic division crown. When they needed a hero though, it was the Chief who stepped up and nailed a game-winning jump shot from the elbow as the buzzer sounded and then calmly accepted the congratulations of his teammates before returning to the locker room to prepare for the next game.
7. Finally! Paul Pierce v Portland, last season. Pierce had been in a slump in terms of hitting game winning shots and hadn't made one since a left handed drive beat the Heat at the horn a couple of years earlier. When he swished an off-balance fadeaway with a guy in his face to give the C's a much needed win, it got the Celtics some momentum, but as we know, there were more ups and downs for last year's Celtics than there were for Paris Hilton's bedsprings. Pierce celebrated by leaping up onto the scorer's table and letting out a primal scream. I'll leave it to you to decide whether you prefer this to the Chief's reaction. With the albatross off his back, Paul would hit three consecutive game winners towards the end of the year.
6. Huh? Kevin McHale v Detroit, 1988 Conference Finals. With the clock winding down and the Celtics in big trouble, about to go two games down, the Celtics got an incredible lift, when, of all people, Kevin McHale buried an improbable three to send the game to overtime. The Celtics would go on to win the game, but would eventually fall short in the series. Over the next few years, McHale suddenly started shooting the occasional three. In 89/90 and 90/91 (the only two years where he shot over 20) he shot 35.8% which is actually better than Antoine Walker's career percentage…and the same as Pierce's.
5. A Star is Born. Antoine Walker v Washington, c. 1998. Young Celtics forward Antoine Walker had shown great promise over the course of his young career. On this night, facing two of the best young forwards in the league (Juwan Howard and Chris Webber), Walker would come of age. He punctuated a terrific all-round performance of taking it to the hoop, hitting mid-range jumpers, rebounding, dishing and running the floor, by hitting a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give the C's a win. He would score 49 against the same team a year later. What the heck happened?
4. Better to be Lucky than Good. Don Nelson v Lakers, NBA Finals 1969. In game seven, the Lakers finally thought they were going to overcome the Celtics. This looked even more likely when Don Nelson bricked a jumpshot with seconds to go and the shot clock expiring. However, the ball bounced up and dropped through the hoop and the Celtics hoodoo over L.A. continued.
3. Sam Kind of Wonderful. Sam Jones v Lakers, NBA Finals, 1969. Jones hit a last second jump shot to win game four by one point. Always one for the dramatic, Jones made the ball bounce twice on the front of the rim before it dropped.
2. Take that! Dennis Johnson v Lakers, NBA Finals, 1985. OK, so the Lakers would ultimately prevail in the best of seven series, but you have to admit, seeing D.J. take a kick-out pass from Larry Bird and drain an open jumper at the buzzer to silence the Forum was probably one of the best single moments of the Celtics/Lakers rivalry.
1. Cooz the man? Bob Cousy v Syracuse, NBA Playoffs, 1953. On an incredible night, Bob Cousy would simply not allow the Celtics to lose. He scored 50 points and led the Celtics to a quadruple-overtime victory that gave them their first ever playoff series win. Cousy made the record books by hitting 30 of 32 free throws, but has there ever been a more clutch shot than his 30-footer as time expired to send the game into a fourth overtime?
The Top Ten Steals in Boston Celtics History
10. Emmette Bryant v. Lakers. NBA Finals 1969. Emmette Bryant only played 2 seasons with the Celtics, but made one of the biggest plays during the 1969 finals. Bryant's steal with the C's down one with seven seconds left, would give Sam Jones a chance to even up the series at two (see above). Bryant's son, Mark would go on to play for the Celtics in 2003 and his grandson Kobe would become a Laker. (Not really).
9. Robert Parish v Lakers. NBA Finals 1984. The Chief came up with a huge steal in game two after Scott Wedman's jumper with 14 seconds to go in overtime had given Boston a 122-121 lead. Incredibly, this wasn't even the biggest steal of the game, though. (See below).
8. Al Jefferson and Gerald Green. At 15 and 18? In consecutive years? Are you kidding me? Hopefully, in years to come, this may be looked upon as even bigger than the 8th biggest steal in franchise history. It makes the list for its "upside".
7. Kenny Anderson v New Jersey. Eastern Conference Finals 2002. The greatest comeback in playoff history was punctuated when, seconds after the Celtics took the lead back for the first time Anderson made a steal and went coast to coast for a (goaltended) lay-up. The roof almost lifted off the fleetcenter and Paul Pierce would soon be back up on that scorer's table. Kenny actually had it pretty easy as Kerry Kittles threw the ball to no-one in the backcourt. Somewhere, Kittles is going to be on the top ten list for worst passes in Nets history.
6. M.L. Carr v Lakers, NBA Finals, 1984. Another classic overtime game was clinched when M.L. Carr stole James Worthy's inbounds pass with six seconds to go and dunked to clinch a 129-125 win. Larry Bird had just given the Celtics a lead with a turnaround jumper over Magic.
5. Milt Palacio v Nets, 2000. Down two, Nets ball at half-court, under two seconds remaining. How the Nets managed to lose this game is anyone's guess. The inbounds pass was stolen by Palacio, who managed to launch a 30-footer just before the buzzer. Amazingly, it went in and gave the Celtics an implausible 112-111 victory. This was the highlight of Palacio's short-lived Celtics career and probably his NBA career as a whole. Sadly, it was probably the highlight of the Rick Pitino era too. (And yes, it probably should have been in the buzzer beaters list, but I had more to work with there).
4. Gerald Henderson v Lakers, NBA Finals 1984. Another guard whose signature moment was a game-saving steal was Gerald Henderson. Another James Worthy assist, as Henderson ghosted in to tie the game with 13 seconds remaining. Another steal would later preserve the win (see above).
3. Kevin McHale and Robert Parish for Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown. What? I've seen you guys come up with some pretty terrible trade ideas, but what on earth were the Warriors smoking when they agreed to this deal?
2. John Havlicek v Sixers, Eastern Division Playoff, 1965. Game Seven and up one, Bill Russell had just made an uncharacteristic mental error to give the Sixers a chance to win with five seconds left. Guess what? Hondo had his back and his leaping pick-off gave Johnny Most the chance to shine brighter than ever.
1. Larry Bird v Pistons, Eastern Conference Finals, 1987. Best play I have ever seen. Full stop (that means "period" where I'm from). The game (which even without this finish was a classic) was over and the Pistons had won. I still can't believe how Larry appeared in a puff of smoke to pick off Isiah's pass and feed it to a cutting D.J. for the game winner with one second left. Everything about this play is perfect, from the reaction of the crowd (including some who were on their way out of the building) to the reaction of the Pistons players. I must have watched it a thousand times and I've never seen anything in sport as exciting.
The Top Ten Blocked Shots in Celtics History
10. Rick Fox on Hubert Davis. It was Celtic rookie Rick Fox's first ever NBA game. The Celtics were hoping that he would be their third decent late first rounder in five years (after Brown and Lewis). He was quite impressive early on, hitting a couple of threes, but it was his stuff of a driving Hubert Davis that showed off his excellent defensive abilities. Fox would go on to become a captain of the Celtics and won three championships. Unfortunately, all three championships were with the Lakers.
9. Greg Kite on Magic Johnson. In game three of the 1987 Finals, little-used Greg Kite came off the bench to rescue the Celtics, whose aging veteran frontcourt was struggling to keep pace with the Lakers running game. Kite grabbed nine rebounds and played excellent defense on Kareem, but his most memorable play was a leaping rejection of Magic Johnson, where he not only blocked the shot, but also caught the ball. If you haven't ever seen Greg Kite play, think Ned Flanders.
8. Kevin McHale on his college roommate. No story captures Ol' Chickenchest's personality quite like this. I can't remember the name, but Kevin's old roommate was trying to make it in the NBA, so Kevin said "I'll let you score, if you let me score next time down". His old buddy went baseline and put up a short shot, which Kevin swatted into the crowd. "Not really," he said.
7. Robert Parish on Gerald Wilkins and Hot-Rod Williams. Everyone thought they could score on the old man, but in this 1992 clash, the Chief would not be posterised. Wilkins found his right handed dunk turned back by a clean Parish block and then, moments later, Williams put up a shot that Parish swatted to Sherman Douglas, who fed Alaa Abdelnaby for a fast break jam. The Celtics would go on to win the game and the Atlantic Division with an amazing winning streak, coupled with a Knicks collapse.
6. Bill Russell – Honourable mention. Whilst I cannot pick out any one particular block from Russell's career (in fact, he used to deliberately deflect and retain the ball rather than swatting the ball more spectacularly), it would be remiss of me to ignore him on this list. What better spot to do that than at number 6. Red Auerbach estimated that Russell averaged 8 blocks a game, which (even if it is a major exaggeration) is unbelievable by today's standards. Russell used to warm up by jumping so that he was at eye level with the rim and Wilt Chamberlain was one of the first basketball players to lift weights. That's why these two were so dominant, but it's no reach to say that although they were clearly ahead of their time, they could have played today.
5. Dee Brown on Michael Jordan. Jordan's patented turnaround jump-shot was impossible to stop…except on this occasion, Dee leapt up and turned it back with his left hand. I also remember Paul Pierce and Reggie Lewis doing the same, but Dee gets the nod because he is five inches shorter than M.J. I have never seen anyone who can jump like Dee Brown.
4. Robert Parish on Victor Alexander. With the Celtics up two and less than ten seconds to go, Tim Hardaway drove at Parish and dished off to Alexander at the rim. Parish jumped up and blocked Alexander's two-handed dunk attempt above the rim and tied him up for a jump ball. Chief then won the jump ball for good measure and the C's won by five.
3. Larry Bird on Chuck Person. This was the ultimate embarrassment for Person, who had been jawing at Bird from the start of this first round playoff series. Person went strong to the hole and was met by Bird, who blocked the shot in mid-air and stripped the ball away and then started talking trash before he had landed, which given Larry's legendary lack of hang-time is no mean feat. Bird would get the last laugh too, as he heroically returned from a fractured cheekbone to spark the Celtics in the Game Five decider.
2. Marcus Banks on Steven Hunter. What a play this was from last year. When a seven footer sees his two handed dunk not only blocked, but swatted by a six footer, you have yourself a pretty spectacular play. Great call by Tommy Heinsohn, too.
1. Dee Brown on Kendall Gill. I told you – no-one can jump like Dee Brown. Here he followed up another block from moments earlier with a flying, two-handed swat of Gill (himself a former slam-dunk contest participator). What was remarkable about this play was that Dee basically had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the rim and do the splits to avoid crashing into Gill. Sadly, this game will be remembered as Reggie Lewis' last, but Dee's play was certainly unique.
That's all for now, but I have already started to compile some more lists for another time. Any requests?
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Managing Expectations - by Green17 
If you are reading this, I'm assuming you are in for the long haul with the Celtics and not a casual fan. If you are reading this, I also assume that you have very strong feelings about the Antoine trade and what it means to this season. For those who are upset that Toine wasn't invited back and are despondent about the upcoming season, this ones for you (hopefully, unless you think I'm full of it).
This team is not going to win the championship this coming season. Yeah, I said it. We will not see the Celtics in the finals this year, and that is OK. Trust me, it is. This "mega"-deal with Toine certainly sends a crystal clear message. The roster is a work in progress, and its time for the young guys to earn their stripes. And I'm all for it.
Last years team had an exciting stretch of wins, but in the end just was not good enough. The team wasn't one player away, if they were Danny would have added said player this offseason. It's not like the Celtics can go out and add a Duncan or Garnett. The realistic choice is to build from the bottom up, develop some young guys and continue to tweak. As I've written previously, Danny effectively hit the old reset button on the Celtics roster and is in the middle of building this foundation.
Let me take a minute here for an aside. I live close to New York City and have some bizarre sports alliances. While the Celtics are my favorite team, I am also a NY Giants fan, and Mets fan. It occurred to me that both of these teams, particularly the Mets are in the same situation as the Celtics. The Mets, for example, are rebuilding, Petey aside, with a core of young exciting players - David Wright, Reyes, Beltran. They are improving; you can see it almost weekly. In a year or two, providing Omar Minaya can add pitching and a bat or two, they will be in serious contention for the playoffs, a prospect they are flirting with currently. Despite the fact they are still a step away, there is a feeling with this Mets team, a feeling that is fun, it makes you want to watch and care. Maybe its Pedro, part of it certainly is, but underlying that is the promise for the future, that it is not bleak, there is hope and promise.
The Celtics are just a step behind in this process. Pierce is akin to Pedro on the Mets, the star, still in his prime, capable of carrying the team for stretches, but will not be able to throw the team on his back and get them over the hump. That's fine. There are good things to come from the youngins this Celtics team. We know all their names, and what their potentials are, I don't need to remind you. It is a work in progress, and there will definitely be bumps along the way. Realistically, I'm expecting a significant step back this year. I'm fine with this. I can see what's coming down the road, and I like it. A smart, balanced and athletic team, that has learned the game together and therefore, has great chemistry. Without winning a once in 15 years superstar in the draft, that's the best formula to bring that 17th championship back to Boston.
I've basically taken this outlook with all my teams. They are all in the same boat, I just hope to see improvement from the individual players, see that they are learning and improving, anything above that is all gravy in my book. I've set my expectations low for this season; my suggestion is that we all do. That's not to say, give up on the team, but just don't expect to win every night. Enjoy the youth, the newness of it all, it will certainly be fun, and definitely frustrating at times, but in the end, I'm fairly confident it will be worth it.
"Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things."
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
The Fellowship Turns Green - by Gabe Kahn 
Boston fans have long had the reputation of being fickle, gloom-and-doom types. Living in a city with the pre-2004 Red Sox often bred this attitude amongst the loyal sports enthusiasts in Beantown, but that negativity has only recently permeated the air that surrounds the Boston Celtics.
As we all know, in the 1980s there was little if any doubt about the ability of Larry Bird et al to, at the very least, be a top contender for the NBA championship. Until some extremely unfortunate events at the backend of that powerhouse (such as the deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis), the franchise enjoyed 12 straight postseasons. Since then, the team has been mired in mediocrity or worse, the lowlight being the 15-win team of '96-'97 and the highlight being their 2002 run to the Eastern Conference finals. With the recent success of the Sox and the Patriots, it appears that the fans have shifted their low expectations toward the Green and White.
After a most promising draft last month and a third-place finish among the 16 teams participating in the Reebok Vegas Summer League, one might think that optimism would be flowing around Causeway Street, but that is not the case. Instead of focusing on a very good showing by the summer league squad, fans have chosen to put their attention squarely on Al Jefferson's lack of statistical productivity. Though Jefferson really didn't look so bad, Justin Reed showed himself to be a potential breakout player for the team in '05 and Ryan Gomes proved to everyone in Vegas that he is ready for the NBA, nobody else is taking this positive approach.
Since the C's finished up their summer tour out West, the overwhelming cry of the fans has had to do with the signing of former Net, Brian Scalabrine. Although it's not entirely clear if the Celtics have used part of their mid-level exemption (approximately $5.1 million) or if they're in the process of orchestrating a minor sign-and-trade agreement with the Nets, most agree that Scalabrine will be with the club for 5 years and a total of $15 million. Scalabrine, who averaged 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds last season, is seen by the "experts" in the stands as soft and a lousy excuse for a power forward. In addition, they believe that this signing was a waste of the majority of the money the team could have used on one of the better free agents available.
Let's get one thing straight: Jefferson struggled only with his shot in Las Vegas, hitting at only 44.4%, taking only 45 shots in six games (Kobe Bryant took 47 shots in one game against the Celtics in 2002). This has a lot to do with his unimpressive scoring averages in Vegas ( 7.5 ppg). But even with the shots not falling, Jefferson still had his inventive and explosive post moves to go with a new, finely tuned body and gave no indication that he isn't ready for a starting job next year.
Given those positives, why are fans so incensed that Danny Ainge has made no attempt to sign forwards Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Udonis Haslem, Donyell Marshall or Kwame Brown, who were likely out of the Celtics' price range, anyway? If the Celtics are willing to give Jefferson the keys to the franchise, and by all indications they are and should be, why do they want someone from the above list, guys good enough to take minutes away from Big Al, but with a much lower ceiling? People who believed that getting their hands on Abdur-Rahim would somehow lead anywhere close to a title are fooling themselves. Even now, having drafted Green, the C's remain in the middle stages of their three-year plan, and won't be truly competitive until the full plan runs its course. Anything that takes them away from that plan, including the addition of a ready-made power forward, who is the active leader for players with the most regular season games and no postseason appearances, is a roadblock towards a championship.
The same goes for the possibility of signing of one of the better point guards around this summer, such as Sarunas Jasikevicius or Earl Watson. Although the Celtics wouldn't mind upgrading at the point, they're fairly confident that the only guards they can snatch off the open market will be either inferior to Delonte West or more expensive than is necessary for a team in a rebuilding mode like the Celtics. The ideal way to teach a young kid to play is generally believed to be by throwing him in the fire, not by watching what's going on from the bench. Ainge would gladly add one of the above (and maybe Brevin Knight) to their roster if they could come cheap, but short of that unlikely scenario, it just doesn't make much sense.
Celtic fans must come to the realization that while teams like New Jersey and Cleveland may have improved greatly (though I'm not completely sold on either of them), the Celtics are not particularly concerned with making the playoffs this coming season. If it happens, they won't complain, but making the postseason in a sub-standard East hasn't taken the Celtics to the Promised Land in the last four seasons and it won't this year, either. Keeping their eyes on the prize is all that matters to the Celtics and it should be the only thing important to the fans, too, however impatient and negative they may be inclined to be.
Monday, July 25, 2005
The Meeting that Wasn't - by Master PO 
I have always been the curious sort when it comes to what people say, when they say it and how they say it. Sometimes not saying anything at all says a lot as well. One of my pet peeves is people who don't really say what they mean and of course mean what they say. I guess all of us like to think of ourselves as straight-shooters when we talk, and nobody likes to think of their self as deceptively evasive or slippery.
In this regard, I many find NBA players, coaches, agents and GM's frustrating in how contract negotiations, trades, basic honest communication and ultimately some strained relationships all play out in the NBA. I guess I really am old fashioned.
Let's take Paul Pierce as an example in communication, or in this case - no communication. As we all know he was recently in Vegas to watch his new teammates show their young skills, and supposedly do some charity work (what was that work by the way?). His presence in Sin City prompted Danny Ainge to declare to the press that Paul and he would get together and talk while they were both in Vegas. According to what we know, Paul never returned the Danny Ainge call to meet and talk (as he was apparently very busy and then left town in a hurry), and so both sides played that off as no big deal – just two busy people. Was it just bad timing and busy schedules? Or is our franchise player still playing mind games, showing too much bravado, and ultimately showing the fans why maybe we should be sick of him.
I know, I know my fellow Celtic fans, you are saying to yourself; Po's turned completely paranoid and delusional inside the Temple smoking too much opium or eating too much rice. I know I should not try to not read too much into this, as stuff like this just happens in the big crazy world of NBA players and GM's all the time. Apparently now players always need their agent to speak for them, and simply sitting down and saying what's on your mind in a respectful manner violates the acceptable norm, and makes people feel uncomfortable, or makes them feel as if that somehow puts them in a disadvantage or appear weak. Here is my old-school take on the late meeting in the desert that simply wasn't.
Danny and Paul have apparently not talked since season end, and now they were in the same city, at the same time, and even in the same gymnasium. Danny extends his hand by calling Paul Pierce and leaving him a message to meet. Sounds reasonable to me.
Both guys probably have lots of time on their hands in Sin City, or at least enough time to carve-out an hour in quiet bar, or a hotel suite somewhere, to have a few words for each other. There are lot's of things to do in Vegas to stay busy, (trust me I know), but come on Paul I don't buy it. Danny had already bought all the ugly golf shirts he needed on that trip (the pictures prove it), and Paul probably didn't have any more suitcase room to stuff more souvenir #34 Celtic jerseys down in his bag. Paul Pierce had time to meet no question about it.
Certainly one would think Paul Pierce had enough time in the last few months to think through last year's successes and failures, and to also get his emotions in check. One would also think he has things he wants to express, both good and bad, about last season to Danny. He has to have pertinent questions about his own future, the team itself, what Danny is trying to put together as the nucleus surrounding him. I am sure he wants to know if Danny Ainge really wants him at this point. If Paul were truly excited about the Celtics future (with him in it), plus ready to get busy on the upcoming season as the sole captain of the team, my hope and expectations would be that he would be able to squeak out an hour to at least look Danny Ainge in the eye and say: "thanks for calling me and now what can I do to help us get better next season as I really want to be in Boston?" (if that is really what he wants). Now giving Paul Pierce the benefit of the doubt here, maybe he knows (or just thinks he knows) that Danny rarely gives straight answers to any of his former questions (provided he ever asked any direct ones in the first place) so why bother now. Maybe he quickly thinks back to the Antoine Walker trade to Dallas, and how Danny was not exactly shooting straight at that time as I recall with AW, or so it seemed.
On the other hand, I am sure Danny Ainge, wanted to probe the post-season mindset of Paul Pierce on a number of subjects so he could better determine "is this a player I still want to be my franchise player". He certainly has that right to ask someone on the payroll being paid large amounts of very green dollars a direct question like: "Do you really want to be in Boston next year in the midst of a youth movement as I try to do what's best for this team?" He should also expect an honest answer in return.
I think an hour of well used meeting time could have answered many questions for both Danny and Paul. It could have given each person a chance to say with straightforward passion and/or conviction what they really want, and what they are both trying to accomplish. Life's too short for anything else.
Paul probably could have used this talk as a chance to calmly and respectfully get his concerns out on the table. Simply put, Paul should finally say what he means, and then mean what he says in all his future actions - no excuses. This could have been a good time to start acting like a veteran captain of a team or a time to say " I want out".
Danny Ainge could have used 1 hour to find out if this specific Celtic investment would be better off some place else. Danny would hopefully have shown Paul Pierce his due respect by shooting straight with him and being honest with him. No hedging or no GM doublespeak.
I know many of you will call me naive. I encounter that sentiment everyday with people I negotiate with who have a hard time just saying what they really mean., Call me old school, call me whatever you will, but getting to the point in a forthright manner always makes me feel much better than all that other side-steppin crap in the long term.
My gut in this case tells me Paul Pierce left town without returning the phone call not because he was busy, but because he still does not "get it" and he likes to play some games. By that I mean Paul Pierce still does not fully understands what it means to be a true professional (both on and off the court) while playing for, and being the captain of, an historic championship franchise who needs his leadership. My gut still tells me that the Celtics deserve something better than Paul Pierce can ever deliver. He can't even seem to deliver an hour of his time when your boss calls while you are in town. For the sake of my Celtics, I hope my gut is wrong once again that The Truth really can deliver. He certainly didn't in Vegas.
Friday, July 22, 2005
NBA FASTBREAK 2006 - by Bent
"The Top Ten of Everything" is a book that was published over here in Britain, probably in the late-eighties, a period of time I will be revisiting over the course of this article. I have no idea whether it was popular in the States. The most interesting thing about it was the top ten most unusual phobias, which included things such as moustaches and bread. For some reason that stuck in my mind all this time. Anyway, I have decided to resurrect the concept as an excuse to revisit some great moments from Celtics history.
These lists are by no means exhaustive, since I was only born in 1976 and living across the pond prevents me from seeing all Celtics games, but I have endeavoured to include all of the most famous moments I have seen or heard about, including a few personal favourites. I would welcome your submissions for any of these categories (especially from you older guys) and, naturally, my selections are open to debate.
I will look at three different categories today, but if this is a popular concept, I will look at some other categories another time. Anything to wile away those days until November, eh?
The Top Ten Buzzer Beaters not by Larry Bird in Celtics History
(Note: To qualify, the shot must affect the result…60 foot heaves in the first half need not apply).
10. The game winner that wasn't. John Havlicek v Phoenix, NBA Finals 1976, 2nd overtime period. Hondo Havlicek curled off a screen and hit a fifteen foot runner as time expired to eclipse the Suns. Bedlam ensued as thousands of fans ran on the court. One problem: Time hadn't expired and some craft Paul Westphal shenanigans followed by an improbable Gar Heard fadeaway would send the game to a third OT. The C's would eventually win by two.
9. A Minor miracle. Greg Minor v Denver, c. 1996. With the score tied and only 0.4 seconds on the clock, the game seemed destined for overtime. A botched lob play went over everybody's head and bounced off the top of the backboard to an alert Minor in the middle of the paint, who would catch the ball and flip it in from his hip as time expired. Minor never did live up to Tommy Heinsohn's hopes ("if this guy develops a pull-up jump shot on the break, I'm TELLING ya, he'll average 20 points a game in this league"), but he sure did father a lot of illegitimate children (allegedly).
8. The old man delivers. Robert Parish v Cleveland, 1991. With the game on the line and Larry Bird in the hospital with an ailing back, the Celtics got a career night out of Ed Pinckney and kept alive their slim hopes of an improbable (and ultimately successful) run to the Atlantic division crown. When they needed a hero though, it was the Chief who stepped up and nailed a game-winning jump shot from the elbow as the buzzer sounded and then calmly accepted the congratulations of his teammates before returning to the locker room to prepare for the next game.
7. Finally! Paul Pierce v Portland, last season. Pierce had been in a slump in terms of hitting game winning shots and hadn't made one since a left handed drive beat the Heat at the horn a couple of years earlier. When he swished an off-balance fadeaway with a guy in his face to give the C's a much needed win, it got the Celtics some momentum, but as we know, there were more ups and downs for last year's Celtics than there were for Paris Hilton's bedsprings. Pierce celebrated by leaping up onto the scorer's table and letting out a primal scream. I'll leave it to you to decide whether you prefer this to the Chief's reaction. With the albatross off his back, Paul would hit three consecutive game winners towards the end of the year.
6. Huh? Kevin McHale v Detroit, 1988 Conference Finals. With the clock winding down and the Celtics in big trouble, about to go two games down, the Celtics got an incredible lift, when, of all people, Kevin McHale buried an improbable three to send the game to overtime. The Celtics would go on to win the game, but would eventually fall short in the series. Over the next few years, McHale suddenly started shooting the occasional three. In 89/90 and 90/91 (the only two years where he shot over 20) he shot 35.8% which is actually better than Antoine Walker's career percentage…and the same as Pierce's.
5. A Star is Born. Antoine Walker v Washington, c. 1998. Young Celtics forward Antoine Walker had shown great promise over the course of his young career. On this night, facing two of the best young forwards in the league (Juwan Howard and Chris Webber), Walker would come of age. He punctuated a terrific all-round performance of taking it to the hoop, hitting mid-range jumpers, rebounding, dishing and running the floor, by hitting a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give the C's a win. He would score 49 against the same team a year later. What the heck happened?
4. Better to be Lucky than Good. Don Nelson v Lakers, NBA Finals 1969. In game seven, the Lakers finally thought they were going to overcome the Celtics. This looked even more likely when Don Nelson bricked a jumpshot with seconds to go and the shot clock expiring. However, the ball bounced up and dropped through the hoop and the Celtics hoodoo over L.A. continued.
3. Sam Kind of Wonderful. Sam Jones v Lakers, NBA Finals, 1969. Jones hit a last second jump shot to win game four by one point. Always one for the dramatic, Jones made the ball bounce twice on the front of the rim before it dropped.
2. Take that! Dennis Johnson v Lakers, NBA Finals, 1985. OK, so the Lakers would ultimately prevail in the best of seven series, but you have to admit, seeing D.J. take a kick-out pass from Larry Bird and drain an open jumper at the buzzer to silence the Forum was probably one of the best single moments of the Celtics/Lakers rivalry.
1. Cooz the man? Bob Cousy v Syracuse, NBA Playoffs, 1953. On an incredible night, Bob Cousy would simply not allow the Celtics to lose. He scored 50 points and led the Celtics to a quadruple-overtime victory that gave them their first ever playoff series win. Cousy made the record books by hitting 30 of 32 free throws, but has there ever been a more clutch shot than his 30-footer as time expired to send the game into a fourth overtime?
The Top Ten Steals in Boston Celtics History
10. Emmette Bryant v. Lakers. NBA Finals 1969. Emmette Bryant only played 2 seasons with the Celtics, but made one of the biggest plays during the 1969 finals. Bryant's steal with the C's down one with seven seconds left, would give Sam Jones a chance to even up the series at two (see above). Bryant's son, Mark would go on to play for the Celtics in 2003 and his grandson Kobe would become a Laker. (Not really).
9. Robert Parish v Lakers. NBA Finals 1984. The Chief came up with a huge steal in game two after Scott Wedman's jumper with 14 seconds to go in overtime had given Boston a 122-121 lead. Incredibly, this wasn't even the biggest steal of the game, though. (See below).
8. Al Jefferson and Gerald Green. At 15 and 18? In consecutive years? Are you kidding me? Hopefully, in years to come, this may be looked upon as even bigger than the 8th biggest steal in franchise history. It makes the list for its "upside".
7. Kenny Anderson v New Jersey. Eastern Conference Finals 2002. The greatest comeback in playoff history was punctuated when, seconds after the Celtics took the lead back for the first time Anderson made a steal and went coast to coast for a (goaltended) lay-up. The roof almost lifted off the fleetcenter and Paul Pierce would soon be back up on that scorer's table. Kenny actually had it pretty easy as Kerry Kittles threw the ball to no-one in the backcourt. Somewhere, Kittles is going to be on the top ten list for worst passes in Nets history.
6. M.L. Carr v Lakers, NBA Finals, 1984. Another classic overtime game was clinched when M.L. Carr stole James Worthy's inbounds pass with six seconds to go and dunked to clinch a 129-125 win. Larry Bird had just given the Celtics a lead with a turnaround jumper over Magic.
5. Milt Palacio v Nets, 2000. Down two, Nets ball at half-court, under two seconds remaining. How the Nets managed to lose this game is anyone's guess. The inbounds pass was stolen by Palacio, who managed to launch a 30-footer just before the buzzer. Amazingly, it went in and gave the Celtics an implausible 112-111 victory. This was the highlight of Palacio's short-lived Celtics career and probably his NBA career as a whole. Sadly, it was probably the highlight of the Rick Pitino era too. (And yes, it probably should have been in the buzzer beaters list, but I had more to work with there).
4. Gerald Henderson v Lakers, NBA Finals 1984. Another guard whose signature moment was a game-saving steal was Gerald Henderson. Another James Worthy assist, as Henderson ghosted in to tie the game with 13 seconds remaining. Another steal would later preserve the win (see above).
3. Kevin McHale and Robert Parish for Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown. What? I've seen you guys come up with some pretty terrible trade ideas, but what on earth were the Warriors smoking when they agreed to this deal?
2. John Havlicek v Sixers, Eastern Division Playoff, 1965. Game Seven and up one, Bill Russell had just made an uncharacteristic mental error to give the Sixers a chance to win with five seconds left. Guess what? Hondo had his back and his leaping pick-off gave Johnny Most the chance to shine brighter than ever.
1. Larry Bird v Pistons, Eastern Conference Finals, 1987. Best play I have ever seen. Full stop (that means "period" where I'm from). The game (which even without this finish was a classic) was over and the Pistons had won. I still can't believe how Larry appeared in a puff of smoke to pick off Isiah's pass and feed it to a cutting D.J. for the game winner with one second left. Everything about this play is perfect, from the reaction of the crowd (including some who were on their way out of the building) to the reaction of the Pistons players. I must have watched it a thousand times and I've never seen anything in sport as exciting.
The Top Ten Blocked Shots in Celtics History
10. Rick Fox on Hubert Davis. It was Celtic rookie Rick Fox's first ever NBA game. The Celtics were hoping that he would be their third decent late first rounder in five years (after Brown and Lewis). He was quite impressive early on, hitting a couple of threes, but it was his stuff of a driving Hubert Davis that showed off his excellent defensive abilities. Fox would go on to become a captain of the Celtics and won three championships. Unfortunately, all three championships were with the Lakers.
9. Greg Kite on Magic Johnson. In game three of the 1987 Finals, little-used Greg Kite came off the bench to rescue the Celtics, whose aging veteran frontcourt was struggling to keep pace with the Lakers running game. Kite grabbed nine rebounds and played excellent defense on Kareem, but his most memorable play was a leaping rejection of Magic Johnson, where he not only blocked the shot, but also caught the ball. If you haven't ever seen Greg Kite play, think Ned Flanders.
8. Kevin McHale on his college roommate. No story captures Ol' Chickenchest's personality quite like this. I can't remember the name, but Kevin's old roommate was trying to make it in the NBA, so Kevin said "I'll let you score, if you let me score next time down". His old buddy went baseline and put up a short shot, which Kevin swatted into the crowd. "Not really," he said.
7. Robert Parish on Gerald Wilkins and Hot-Rod Williams. Everyone thought they could score on the old man, but in this 1992 clash, the Chief would not be posterised. Wilkins found his right handed dunk turned back by a clean Parish block and then, moments later, Williams put up a shot that Parish swatted to Sherman Douglas, who fed Alaa Abdelnaby for a fast break jam. The Celtics would go on to win the game and the Atlantic Division with an amazing winning streak, coupled with a Knicks collapse.
6. Bill Russell – Honourable mention. Whilst I cannot pick out any one particular block from Russell's career (in fact, he used to deliberately deflect and retain the ball rather than swatting the ball more spectacularly), it would be remiss of me to ignore him on this list. What better spot to do that than at number 6. Red Auerbach estimated that Russell averaged 8 blocks a game, which (even if it is a major exaggeration) is unbelievable by today's standards. Russell used to warm up by jumping so that he was at eye level with the rim and Wilt Chamberlain was one of the first basketball players to lift weights. That's why these two were so dominant, but it's no reach to say that although they were clearly ahead of their time, they could have played today.
5. Dee Brown on Michael Jordan. Jordan's patented turnaround jump-shot was impossible to stop…except on this occasion, Dee leapt up and turned it back with his left hand. I also remember Paul Pierce and Reggie Lewis doing the same, but Dee gets the nod because he is five inches shorter than M.J. I have never seen anyone who can jump like Dee Brown.
4. Robert Parish on Victor Alexander. With the Celtics up two and less than ten seconds to go, Tim Hardaway drove at Parish and dished off to Alexander at the rim. Parish jumped up and blocked Alexander's two-handed dunk attempt above the rim and tied him up for a jump ball. Chief then won the jump ball for good measure and the C's won by five.
3. Larry Bird on Chuck Person. This was the ultimate embarrassment for Person, who had been jawing at Bird from the start of this first round playoff series. Person went strong to the hole and was met by Bird, who blocked the shot in mid-air and stripped the ball away and then started talking trash before he had landed, which given Larry's legendary lack of hang-time is no mean feat. Bird would get the last laugh too, as he heroically returned from a fractured cheekbone to spark the Celtics in the Game Five decider.
2. Marcus Banks on Steven Hunter. What a play this was from last year. When a seven footer sees his two handed dunk not only blocked, but swatted by a six footer, you have yourself a pretty spectacular play. Great call by Tommy Heinsohn, too.
1. Dee Brown on Kendall Gill. I told you – no-one can jump like Dee Brown. Here he followed up another block from moments earlier with a flying, two-handed swat of Gill (himself a former slam-dunk contest participator). What was remarkable about this play was that Dee basically had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the rim and do the splits to avoid crashing into Gill. Sadly, this game will be remembered as Reggie Lewis' last, but Dee's play was certainly unique.
That's all for now, but I have already started to compile some more lists for another time. Any requests?
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posted @ 8/15/2005 08:00:00 AM
- Message Board
- Message BoardWednesday, August 03, 2005
Managing Expectations - by Green17
If you are reading this, I'm assuming you are in for the long haul with the Celtics and not a casual fan. If you are reading this, I also assume that you have very strong feelings about the Antoine trade and what it means to this season. For those who are upset that Toine wasn't invited back and are despondent about the upcoming season, this ones for you (hopefully, unless you think I'm full of it).
This team is not going to win the championship this coming season. Yeah, I said it. We will not see the Celtics in the finals this year, and that is OK. Trust me, it is. This "mega"-deal with Toine certainly sends a crystal clear message. The roster is a work in progress, and its time for the young guys to earn their stripes. And I'm all for it.
Last years team had an exciting stretch of wins, but in the end just was not good enough. The team wasn't one player away, if they were Danny would have added said player this offseason. It's not like the Celtics can go out and add a Duncan or Garnett. The realistic choice is to build from the bottom up, develop some young guys and continue to tweak. As I've written previously, Danny effectively hit the old reset button on the Celtics roster and is in the middle of building this foundation.
Let me take a minute here for an aside. I live close to New York City and have some bizarre sports alliances. While the Celtics are my favorite team, I am also a NY Giants fan, and Mets fan. It occurred to me that both of these teams, particularly the Mets are in the same situation as the Celtics. The Mets, for example, are rebuilding, Petey aside, with a core of young exciting players - David Wright, Reyes, Beltran. They are improving; you can see it almost weekly. In a year or two, providing Omar Minaya can add pitching and a bat or two, they will be in serious contention for the playoffs, a prospect they are flirting with currently. Despite the fact they are still a step away, there is a feeling with this Mets team, a feeling that is fun, it makes you want to watch and care. Maybe its Pedro, part of it certainly is, but underlying that is the promise for the future, that it is not bleak, there is hope and promise.
The Celtics are just a step behind in this process. Pierce is akin to Pedro on the Mets, the star, still in his prime, capable of carrying the team for stretches, but will not be able to throw the team on his back and get them over the hump. That's fine. There are good things to come from the youngins this Celtics team. We know all their names, and what their potentials are, I don't need to remind you. It is a work in progress, and there will definitely be bumps along the way. Realistically, I'm expecting a significant step back this year. I'm fine with this. I can see what's coming down the road, and I like it. A smart, balanced and athletic team, that has learned the game together and therefore, has great chemistry. Without winning a once in 15 years superstar in the draft, that's the best formula to bring that 17th championship back to Boston.
I've basically taken this outlook with all my teams. They are all in the same boat, I just hope to see improvement from the individual players, see that they are learning and improving, anything above that is all gravy in my book. I've set my expectations low for this season; my suggestion is that we all do. That's not to say, give up on the team, but just don't expect to win every night. Enjoy the youth, the newness of it all, it will certainly be fun, and definitely frustrating at times, but in the end, I'm fairly confident it will be worth it.
"Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things."
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posted @ 8/03/2005 11:15:00 PM
- Message Board
- Message BoardTuesday, July 26, 2005
The Fellowship Turns Green - by Gabe Kahn
Boston fans have long had the reputation of being fickle, gloom-and-doom types. Living in a city with the pre-2004 Red Sox often bred this attitude amongst the loyal sports enthusiasts in Beantown, but that negativity has only recently permeated the air that surrounds the Boston Celtics. As we all know, in the 1980s there was little if any doubt about the ability of Larry Bird et al to, at the very least, be a top contender for the NBA championship. Until some extremely unfortunate events at the backend of that powerhouse (such as the deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis), the franchise enjoyed 12 straight postseasons. Since then, the team has been mired in mediocrity or worse, the lowlight being the 15-win team of '96-'97 and the highlight being their 2002 run to the Eastern Conference finals. With the recent success of the Sox and the Patriots, it appears that the fans have shifted their low expectations toward the Green and White.
After a most promising draft last month and a third-place finish among the 16 teams participating in the Reebok Vegas Summer League, one might think that optimism would be flowing around Causeway Street, but that is not the case. Instead of focusing on a very good showing by the summer league squad, fans have chosen to put their attention squarely on Al Jefferson's lack of statistical productivity. Though Jefferson really didn't look so bad, Justin Reed showed himself to be a potential breakout player for the team in '05 and Ryan Gomes proved to everyone in Vegas that he is ready for the NBA, nobody else is taking this positive approach.
Since the C's finished up their summer tour out West, the overwhelming cry of the fans has had to do with the signing of former Net, Brian Scalabrine. Although it's not entirely clear if the Celtics have used part of their mid-level exemption (approximately $5.1 million) or if they're in the process of orchestrating a minor sign-and-trade agreement with the Nets, most agree that Scalabrine will be with the club for 5 years and a total of $15 million. Scalabrine, who averaged 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds last season, is seen by the "experts" in the stands as soft and a lousy excuse for a power forward. In addition, they believe that this signing was a waste of the majority of the money the team could have used on one of the better free agents available.
Let's get one thing straight: Jefferson struggled only with his shot in Las Vegas, hitting at only 44.4%, taking only 45 shots in six games (Kobe Bryant took 47 shots in one game against the Celtics in 2002). This has a lot to do with his unimpressive scoring averages in Vegas ( 7.5 ppg). But even with the shots not falling, Jefferson still had his inventive and explosive post moves to go with a new, finely tuned body and gave no indication that he isn't ready for a starting job next year.
Given those positives, why are fans so incensed that Danny Ainge has made no attempt to sign forwards Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Udonis Haslem, Donyell Marshall or Kwame Brown, who were likely out of the Celtics' price range, anyway? If the Celtics are willing to give Jefferson the keys to the franchise, and by all indications they are and should be, why do they want someone from the above list, guys good enough to take minutes away from Big Al, but with a much lower ceiling? People who believed that getting their hands on Abdur-Rahim would somehow lead anywhere close to a title are fooling themselves. Even now, having drafted Green, the C's remain in the middle stages of their three-year plan, and won't be truly competitive until the full plan runs its course. Anything that takes them away from that plan, including the addition of a ready-made power forward, who is the active leader for players with the most regular season games and no postseason appearances, is a roadblock towards a championship.
The same goes for the possibility of signing of one of the better point guards around this summer, such as Sarunas Jasikevicius or Earl Watson. Although the Celtics wouldn't mind upgrading at the point, they're fairly confident that the only guards they can snatch off the open market will be either inferior to Delonte West or more expensive than is necessary for a team in a rebuilding mode like the Celtics. The ideal way to teach a young kid to play is generally believed to be by throwing him in the fire, not by watching what's going on from the bench. Ainge would gladly add one of the above (and maybe Brevin Knight) to their roster if they could come cheap, but short of that unlikely scenario, it just doesn't make much sense.
Celtic fans must come to the realization that while teams like New Jersey and Cleveland may have improved greatly (though I'm not completely sold on either of them), the Celtics are not particularly concerned with making the playoffs this coming season. If it happens, they won't complain, but making the postseason in a sub-standard East hasn't taken the Celtics to the Promised Land in the last four seasons and it won't this year, either. Keeping their eyes on the prize is all that matters to the Celtics and it should be the only thing important to the fans, too, however impatient and negative they may be inclined to be.
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posted @ 7/26/2005 08:13:00 AM
- Message Board
- Message BoardMonday, July 25, 2005
The Meeting that Wasn't - by Master PO
I have always been the curious sort when it comes to what people say, when they say it and how they say it. Sometimes not saying anything at all says a lot as well. One of my pet peeves is people who don't really say what they mean and of course mean what they say. I guess all of us like to think of ourselves as straight-shooters when we talk, and nobody likes to think of their self as deceptively evasive or slippery. In this regard, I many find NBA players, coaches, agents and GM's frustrating in how contract negotiations, trades, basic honest communication and ultimately some strained relationships all play out in the NBA. I guess I really am old fashioned.
Let's take Paul Pierce as an example in communication, or in this case - no communication. As we all know he was recently in Vegas to watch his new teammates show their young skills, and supposedly do some charity work (what was that work by the way?). His presence in Sin City prompted Danny Ainge to declare to the press that Paul and he would get together and talk while they were both in Vegas. According to what we know, Paul never returned the Danny Ainge call to meet and talk (as he was apparently very busy and then left town in a hurry), and so both sides played that off as no big deal – just two busy people. Was it just bad timing and busy schedules? Or is our franchise player still playing mind games, showing too much bravado, and ultimately showing the fans why maybe we should be sick of him.
I know, I know my fellow Celtic fans, you are saying to yourself; Po's turned completely paranoid and delusional inside the Temple smoking too much opium or eating too much rice. I know I should not try to not read too much into this, as stuff like this just happens in the big crazy world of NBA players and GM's all the time. Apparently now players always need their agent to speak for them, and simply sitting down and saying what's on your mind in a respectful manner violates the acceptable norm, and makes people feel uncomfortable, or makes them feel as if that somehow puts them in a disadvantage or appear weak. Here is my old-school take on the late meeting in the desert that simply wasn't.
I think an hour of well used meeting time could have answered many questions for both Danny and Paul. It could have given each person a chance to say with straightforward passion and/or conviction what they really want, and what they are both trying to accomplish. Life's too short for anything else.
Paul probably could have used this talk as a chance to calmly and respectfully get his concerns out on the table. Simply put, Paul should finally say what he means, and then mean what he says in all his future actions - no excuses. This could have been a good time to start acting like a veteran captain of a team or a time to say " I want out".
Danny Ainge could have used 1 hour to find out if this specific Celtic investment would be better off some place else. Danny would hopefully have shown Paul Pierce his due respect by shooting straight with him and being honest with him. No hedging or no GM doublespeak.
I know many of you will call me naive. I encounter that sentiment everyday with people I negotiate with who have a hard time just saying what they really mean., Call me old school, call me whatever you will, but getting to the point in a forthright manner always makes me feel much better than all that other side-steppin crap in the long term.
My gut in this case tells me Paul Pierce left town without returning the phone call not because he was busy, but because he still does not "get it" and he likes to play some games. By that I mean Paul Pierce still does not fully understands what it means to be a true professional (both on and off the court) while playing for, and being the captain of, an historic championship franchise who needs his leadership. My gut still tells me that the Celtics deserve something better than Paul Pierce can ever deliver. He can't even seem to deliver an hour of his time when your boss calls while you are in town. For the sake of my Celtics, I hope my gut is wrong once again that The Truth really can deliver. He certainly didn't in Vegas.
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posted @ 7/25/2005 09:14:00 AM
- Message Board
- Message BoardFriday, July 22, 2005
NBA FASTBREAK 2006 - by Bent
KF: Welcome to this special pre-season edition of NBA Fastbreak. I'm your host, Kevin Frasier and alongside me, I have my good friends, Steven A. Smith and Greg Anthony.
GA: Hi.
SAS: Helloandletmefirstsayhowglady'allaretohavemehere... (continues to speak but you can no longer hear him).
KF: Oh, there appears to be a "problem" with Steven's microphone. (You can still hear SAS yapping in the background). Anyway, coming up in tonight's show, we'll check out the pre-season action from tonight's schedule. There was one game on tap: The Celtics versus the New York Knickerbockers. (Pause for effect... SAS looks confused and has stopped talking for the first time). Let's get to the action...
SAS: (Grabbing GA's lapel and shouting into his microphone) FirstIwanttosay... (strangely, GA's microphone cuts out too).
KF: Early action, Knicks making a move. Jamal Crawford with the pull-up trifecta.
GA: BUCKET!
KF: Crawford ended up 1-for-8 from downtown. Later on, Marbury with the pull up. Tres bien.
GA: BUHHHCKET!
KF: Celtics by ten after one. Second quarter, Knicks looking to fight back. Channing Frye with the little jump hook and the Knicks trail by fifteen at the half.
SAS: FryecametoplaytonightIknowalotofpeoplethinkhe'ssoftbut
Iconsiderhimtobemoreofa FINESSE PLAYER. IfyouknowwhatImean.
KF: THIRD quarter, David Lee with the steal, takes it coast to coast for the hoop and harm. Dunk of the night nominee, there.
GA: Ooooh.
SAS: LetmetellyoutheseyoungguysaregonnamakesomeNOISEnextyear. FryeLeeRobinsonItellyouwhatlookoutfortheknicksnext
yearyougottagivemymanIsaihaTONofcreditforassemblingthislineup.
KF: Celtics entered the fourth leading 81-55. Ricky Davis…makes the free-throw. He finished with a game high 22 points. Eight Celtics in double figures tonight. Late fourth quarter, Bruno Sundov from dahntahn...
GA: BUHHHHHHCKKKKEEEETTTT!
KF: But the Celtics hang on for the 106-80 victory. So guys, what about these team's chances for the upcoming season?
GA: Well, as we ALL know, pre-season results mean nothing, so don't put too much stock into this result. The Knicks are assembling a young group of guys and they've picked up some solid veterans. Not to mention that they now have a PREMIER head coach in Larry Brown.
SAS: LarryBrown. Greatpedigree. CelticsDocRiversunprovencoachgoingtostruggle. IsayitonceIgottasayitagainyougottagivemymanIsiahaTONofcredit.
GA: When you look at the guys the Celtics have lost this summer: Payton. Walker. These guys were a BIG part of that team that won a weak Atlantic division last year. The East is going to be stronger this year. The Cavs, Bucks, Bulls, Magic and Knicks are all going to be stronger and I think the Celtics are probably going to miss out altogether.
KF: Well, the Celtics have some guys who figure to play a bit more this year. Brian Scalabrine, Delonte West, Kendrick Perkins. (They all laugh).
SAS: ANYTIMEyougotateamwithnotalentyou'regoingtostruggletogetanywhereintheNBA. Danny Ainge…hedon'tgotnotalentmakesmewonderhowmuchlongerhegoingtolastinthatjob.
KF: Yes, Celtics fans: not renowned as being the most patient of people.
GA: I think the Celtics have some good young guys, like Carlton Banks and Justin Reed…
SAS: Who?
GA: …but they lack the experience and chemistry to make it to the playoffs.
SAS: Igottatellyou... Paul Pierce... Heain'tgonnawannabestickingaroundwhilethisteamrebuildsagain.
KF: Actually, we have some exclusive news on the Celtics and any potential trades. Let's go over to Chad Ford for exclusive details.
CF: Thanks, Kevin. Well, I have been speculating on Pierce being moved for some time now and I can now exclusively reveal that despite there being over 400 players in the NBA, I have now reported every possible combination of players that could be traded for Pierce. So, if he IS traded, you can be sure I was right.
KF: Thank you for that exclusive information, Chad.
CF: More detail can be obtained by subscribing to ESPN Insider on our website.
KF: Just time now to look at the 3D's from tonight. Obviously, we won't be looking at any Celtics highlights because this is ESPN, but let's see what the Knicks did. Starting with DISHES. Well, the Knicks actually had no assists in the game - in fact the only time any Knicks players passed the ball was when inbounding it after a made basket, but here's a shot of the dish that Vin Baker kept his beer-nuts in last season.
GA: Ooooh!
KF: Moving on to DEFENSE. Erm, there wasn't a whole lot of that going on from the Knicks either, so let's skip that section. DUNKS now: Here is a quarter of an hour of footage from the Knicks running the lay up line before the game…
SAS: Ohhh!
GA: Ooooh!
SAS: NahthatonewasWEAK.
GA: Ooooh! (This continues for 15 minutes)
KF: Finally some action from the game. Here's David Lee.
GA: Ooooh!
KF: And with the Celtics walking off the floor in the closing seconds, here's Trevor Ariza.
SAS: Ohhh! Letmetellyouthiskidblahblahblahblah...
KF: Dunk of the night now. Plenty of contenders, but the panel went with... David Lee.
GA: Noooo! That was NOT the best dunk of the night.
SAS: Whochoosesthesethings? ManIgottatellyoublahblahblahblah.
KF: Okay guys, that's all we've got time for tonight. The trifecta continues with Outside the Lines. We'll be back tomorrow. (Four million viewers across the globe switch off their TV sets and think why DO I watch that show?)
GA: Hi.
SAS: Helloandletmefirstsayhowglady'allaretohavemehere... (continues to speak but you can no longer hear him).
KF: Oh, there appears to be a "problem" with Steven's microphone. (You can still hear SAS yapping in the background). Anyway, coming up in tonight's show, we'll check out the pre-season action from tonight's schedule. There was one game on tap: The Celtics versus the New York Knickerbockers. (Pause for effect... SAS looks confused and has stopped talking for the first time). Let's get to the action...SAS: (Grabbing GA's lapel and shouting into his microphone) FirstIwanttosay... (strangely, GA's microphone cuts out too).
KF: Early action, Knicks making a move. Jamal Crawford with the pull-up trifecta.
GA: BUCKET!
KF: Crawford ended up 1-for-8 from downtown. Later on, Marbury with the pull up. Tres bien.
GA: BUHHHCKET!
KF: Celtics by ten after one. Second quarter, Knicks looking to fight back. Channing Frye with the little jump hook and the Knicks trail by fifteen at the half.
SAS: FryecametoplaytonightIknowalotofpeoplethinkhe'ssoftbut
Iconsiderhimtobemoreofa FINESSE PLAYER. IfyouknowwhatImean.
KF: THIRD quarter, David Lee with the steal, takes it coast to coast for the hoop and harm. Dunk of the night nominee, there.
GA: Ooooh.
SAS: LetmetellyoutheseyoungguysaregonnamakesomeNOISEnextyear. FryeLeeRobinsonItellyouwhatlookoutfortheknicksnext
yearyougottagivemymanIsaihaTONofcreditforassemblingthislineup.
KF: Celtics entered the fourth leading 81-55. Ricky Davis…makes the free-throw. He finished with a game high 22 points. Eight Celtics in double figures tonight. Late fourth quarter, Bruno Sundov from dahntahn...
GA: BUHHHHHHCKKKKEEEETTTT!
KF: But the Celtics hang on for the 106-80 victory. So guys, what about these team's chances for the upcoming season?
GA: Well, as we ALL know, pre-season results mean nothing, so don't put too much stock into this result. The Knicks are assembling a young group of guys and they've picked up some solid veterans. Not to mention that they now have a PREMIER head coach in Larry Brown.
SAS: LarryBrown. Greatpedigree. CelticsDocRiversunprovencoachgoingtostruggle. IsayitonceIgottasayitagainyougottagivemymanIsiahaTONofcredit.
GA: When you look at the guys the Celtics have lost this summer: Payton. Walker. These guys were a BIG part of that team that won a weak Atlantic division last year. The East is going to be stronger this year. The Cavs, Bucks, Bulls, Magic and Knicks are all going to be stronger and I think the Celtics are probably going to miss out altogether.
KF: Well, the Celtics have some guys who figure to play a bit more this year. Brian Scalabrine, Delonte West, Kendrick Perkins. (They all laugh).
SAS: ANYTIMEyougotateamwithnotalentyou'regoingtostruggletogetanywhereintheNBA. Danny Ainge…hedon'tgotnotalentmakesmewonderhowmuchlongerhegoingtolastinthatjob.
KF: Yes, Celtics fans: not renowned as being the most patient of people.
GA: I think the Celtics have some good young guys, like Carlton Banks and Justin Reed…
SAS: Who?
GA: …but they lack the experience and chemistry to make it to the playoffs.
SAS: Igottatellyou... Paul Pierce... Heain'tgonnawannabestickingaroundwhilethisteamrebuildsagain.
KF: Actually, we have some exclusive news on the Celtics and any potential trades. Let's go over to Chad Ford for exclusive details.
CF: Thanks, Kevin. Well, I have been speculating on Pierce being moved for some time now and I can now exclusively reveal that despite there being over 400 players in the NBA, I have now reported every possible combination of players that could be traded for Pierce. So, if he IS traded, you can be sure I was right.
KF: Thank you for that exclusive information, Chad.
CF: More detail can be obtained by subscribing to ESPN Insider on our website.
KF: Just time now to look at the 3D's from tonight. Obviously, we won't be looking at any Celtics highlights because this is ESPN, but let's see what the Knicks did. Starting with DISHES. Well, the Knicks actually had no assists in the game - in fact the only time any Knicks players passed the ball was when inbounding it after a made basket, but here's a shot of the dish that Vin Baker kept his beer-nuts in last season.
GA: Ooooh!
KF: Moving on to DEFENSE. Erm, there wasn't a whole lot of that going on from the Knicks either, so let's skip that section. DUNKS now: Here is a quarter of an hour of footage from the Knicks running the lay up line before the game…
SAS: Ohhh!
GA: Ooooh!
SAS: NahthatonewasWEAK.
GA: Ooooh! (This continues for 15 minutes)
KF: Finally some action from the game. Here's David Lee.
GA: Ooooh!
KF: And with the Celtics walking off the floor in the closing seconds, here's Trevor Ariza.
SAS: Ohhh! Letmetellyouthiskidblahblahblahblah...
KF: Dunk of the night now. Plenty of contenders, but the panel went with... David Lee.
GA: Noooo! That was NOT the best dunk of the night.
SAS: Whochoosesthesethings? ManIgottatellyoublahblahblahblah.
KF: Okay guys, that's all we've got time for tonight. The trifecta continues with Outside the Lines. We'll be back tomorrow. (Four million viewers across the globe switch off their TV sets and think why DO I watch that show?)
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posted @ 7/22/2005 08:18:00 AM
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