I didn't want to title this post "Power Rankings By Gant." That sounds too disturbingly Wade Boggsish, talking about myself in the third person...
Traditional Power rankings need a jump start. Let's face it, the
parameters are old and tired: An esteemed journalist ranks the teams from 1-30, fans argue, repeat. Snooze. So I'm going to experiment and rank teams according to strength on the one hand as everyone else does; but unlike everyone else, I'll actually admit I'm completely biased and put teams where I want them.
Here we go:
1) Boston Celtics. 20-2. Last week (first): The Celtics are the
best defensive team in the league. They have the best record in the
league. They are morally and ethically superior. Their basketball
prowess is unmatched. Everyone in the organization is witty,
handsome, and warm-hearted. Every decent human being loves them. They have great broadcasters. They have the best GM and coach in the league. Their trainer walks through the snow for pizza. Like the team, their fans are uniformly attractive, intelligent, and innately good.
2) Nobody. I just wanted to put some distance between Boston and
the next team.
3) San Antonio. 18-5. Last week (unranked): The Duncan swipers
parlayed one little bit of luck into four titles. Despite having
some talented likable players and a great recent history, there's
very little chance of them rising above the #3 position in these
rankings regardless of the outcome of any future games.
4) Detroit. 17-7. Last week (unranked): They rank extra high
because these guys dismantled the Laker title run a few years back.
They're skilled, poised and professional. They can beat any team on
a given night, but are henceforth doomed to fall short of any pending
finals appearances due to the awesome irresistible might of the
reborn Boston Celtics.
5) Phoenix. 17-7. Last week (unranked): They play like the old
Tommy Heinsohn coached Celtics— flying up the floor, fastbreaking off free throws and made baskets. But unlike Tommy's teams they don't play great defense. They get an A for reminding me of the old Celtics, and a D for not being the old Celtics.
6) Orlando. 17-8 and dropping. Last week (unranked): They've got
Dwight Howard. Man he's good. But the Magic have been falling recently. They're the only team in the league to beat the Celtics and not lose to them (a situation to be remedied this coming Sunday).
7) Dallas. 16-9. Last week (unranked): The thought of Texas makes
me so unhappy these last seven years... I should really rank them
lower for all that extracurricular stuff going on in our nation's
capitol, but it's probably not the Mavericks' fault. This has been
an extremely well-coached team for many seasons. No rings though.
This year? Uh uh, no ring again.
8) New Orleans: 15-9. Last week (unranked): You gotta love Chris
Paul. Plus you gotta feel for the great city of Louis Armstrong and
Sidney Bechet. In fact, they probably should be ranked like 4th just
because of the music, but their frontcourt isn't nearly as good as
their point guard or horn section.
9) Minnesota. Record- undisclosed. Last week (unranked): They've
got Big Al! They've got Gerald and Gomes! They beat Phoenix! I
love the Timberwolves! I have not seen their season record, but
whatever it is, it will not affect Minnesota's power rank. Please no
one email it to me; I don't want to know. I'm shutting my eyes and
covering my ears. "La la la la la."
10) Good Milwaukee. 10-0. Last week (unranked): This team is
undefeated. When they win they beat everybody. I miss Earl Boykins
though.
11) Denver. 14-10. Last week (unranked): Wow, this is one strange
conglomeration of fine basketball talent running wild. They're
great; they're good; they're fair; they suck. They're
inconsistent. ...not a tremendous formula for playoff success.
12) Utah. 14-11. Last week (unranked): They get a slight boost for
sharing a D-league team with the Celtics. Utah is a beautiful
place. Their lake is salty.
13) Washington. 13-10. Last week (unranked): No Arenas. Too bad
because I loved Gilbert when he talked a lot and backed it up. But
guess what? I love Gilbert when he talks a lot and doesn't back it
up too! Get well soon Gil. In the meantime the team's doing pretty
well.
14) Golden State. 13-11. Last week (unranked): Remember when Don Nelson used Manute Bol as a 3 point specialist? He does a lot of things that go beyond "creative." I think maybe Don takes the old
Celtic style, draws up a bunch of plans on the blackboard, and then
drops some acid before each game. His 1969 finals game seven shot
that bounced straight up and dropped down through the rim crushing
the Laker's hopes is just about the greatest moment in the history of
the sport.
15) Indiana. 12-12. Last week (unranked): Once again Jim O'Brien
wrings every last win out of his talent, but this time it's not
completely insane looking. Good for him and Larry. Oh and God bless
Jamaal Tinsley and Jermaine O'Neal. There's something very likable
about both those guys, isn't there?
16) Houston. 12-12. Last week (unranked): You look at Yao Ming
and you just shake your head in awe— and I'm not even talking about
basketball. I mean I saw a little of the Houston-Dallas game this
week and Yao makes 7 foot wide-body Dampier look like a little kid.
You throw in McGrady and you'd think this team would be like 24-0.
Nope.
17) Cleveland. 10-14. Last week (unranked): They've just gotten
their guys back. They've got you-know-who. As everybody in the East
found out last year, this is a really scary team to have to face in
the playoffs. Still, 10-14? You guys suck so far.
18) Chicago. 8-13. Last week (unranked): They've got depth. Oh
my yes. Such depth. The preseason champs-on-paper have fallen short record-wise to this point. They could make the playoffs though. Really, I mean it.
19) Portland. 12-12. Last week (unranked): They're on a hot
streak. They're young. They're good. They're doing without
Aldridge and Oden right now. Since I don't know how this is
happening, I'm dropping them 4 positions. (I love being in charge of
the rankings.)
20) Atlanta. 11-12. Last week (unranked): I'm really glad the
Hawks are doing so much better. I always felt like Sally Struthers
should do a charitable infomercial for them in past seasons. Is the
ownership thing straightened out yet? Does anyone know? Or care?
21) Philly. 10-14. Last week (unranked): They rise 4 positons for
being feisty. Cripes, if they weren't so morally upright and would
just tank a few seasons, they could turn this thing around.
22) Jersey. 10-14. Last week (unranked): What a weird vibe this club
has. They've got winners and they've got whiners. No their big 3 is
not nearly nearly nearly as good as our big 3. Their successful era
has just ended and they haven't made the next move yet.
23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28) Clippers, Sacramento, Charlotte, Seattle,
Memphis, and Miami. 9-14, 9-14, 8-14, 7-18, 7-16, 6-17. Last week
(unranked) : All of you are such a bitter disappointment to me. The
old Chris Wallace magic is working in Memphis.
29) Bad Milwaukee. 0-13. Last week (unranked): This team has yet
to win. When they lose they can't beat anybody. I like Yi long term.
30) New York. 7-16. Last week (unranked): I fear Isiah is going to
lose his job and hope this does not happen because I love him in New York. I got your back Zeke.
31) Toronto. 14-11. Last week (unranked): I actually like the
Raptors a lot, but their online fans are so out-of-control I thought
I'd needle them a bit by putting Toronto here.
32) Lakers. 14-9. Last week (last): The Lakers are an organization
dedicated to pure evil. They will not rest until they have
obliterated everything good and decent from the face of the Earth.
For now their nefarious plans have been derailed.
How come no one else was swift enough to draft Bynum before the 10th pick in 2005?
Date of next rankings: never.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Quiet Joy
Less Griping, Less Typing
There's a strange counterintuitive phenomenon taking place. Before the season started I expected activity on Celtic boards to grow with the team's winning percentage. If anything the opposite seems to be happening.
Take a look at Celtic forums around the web. With the team great again, you'd anticipate a fury of activity; thousands of new voices being heard; an avalanche of green-tinted posts and opinions. Unexpectedly just the opposite appears to be taking place. So far the busiest Celtic discussion groups seem slower. The team's phenomenal early season success has had a deadening effect on online banter.
This is all very unscientific and is based only on my own foggy perception, but it sure seems real...
You may well ask- How come?
I have 10 theories:
1) The Inertia of Bliss
Happy fans are just sitting back and enjoying this.
People are just not moved to type, "The team sure looks good."
Or to respond, "Yup. They sure do."
2) Nattering Nabobs Are Hushed
Do you hear those squeaky wheels? Not too much anymore. Most of the formerly negative voices have come over to the light side of the force. Welcome!
3) So Are The Pathological
As for the rest- well even crazy people generally don't want to appear crazy. (As a side note, you can tell who these nice folks are because they generally start off saying "I was right all along, BUT..." or they're still just going along same as ever— steadfastly criticizing the rotations, management, or searching for imaginary character flaws instead of enjoying success.)
4) Serial Traders Are On Vacation
Why propose moving a guy out when he's helping the team win? ...and everybody seems to be helping the team win.
5) What College Game?
No one's talking about the 2008 draft. Last year at this time I was watching every Ohio State game I could. This year, I know there's some guy named Beasley and some guy named Rose out there, but I've never seen them play and probably won't until midwinter.
6) Pink Hatters Aren't Joining Up
Would you? You come into a place where people are saying things like: "Have you seen Rondo's rising mid-range hot zones?" "Glen Davis has an incredible PER." You've got fanatics discussing every arcane statistical and historical detail of the sport— it's probably intimidating to hesitant pink toppers at the entryway.
7) Basketball Viewing of the Diehards Has Changed
A lot of folks who previously posted in game threads have bought season tickets and are now cheering in person. Others are watching Ray Allen with bandwagon jumping friends instead of brooding alone with Allan Ray. When you watch with flesh and blood others, you probably post less.
8) Green Discussion Has Spread To New Places
Though the Celtic talk has subsided a bit on our own boards, it's exploded everywhere else. Celtic fanatics who have huddled together in the darkness for years are now boldly going forth and interacting with fans of other teams.
9) Nobody Disagrees
There's no controversy. We all like... well, we all like everything. Who wants to talk about that?!?
10) It's All New
Unlike previous great teams, this one is so unknown. This is a group that no one had seen before. They didn't just add one or two key guys. Instead it was pretty much a full roster makeover. So final conclusions are slow to arrive since we're seeing each situation for the first time.
I do not expect the mass silence to continue. When the playoffs loom there will be an explosion of activity. There will be a cacophony of joyful online noise— the first great green eruption of the internet era. The Celtics had one of the worst records in the league last season. Now they're a leading title contender.
We're all adjusting.
There's a strange counterintuitive phenomenon taking place. Before the season started I expected activity on Celtic boards to grow with the team's winning percentage. If anything the opposite seems to be happening.
Take a look at Celtic forums around the web. With the team great again, you'd anticipate a fury of activity; thousands of new voices being heard; an avalanche of green-tinted posts and opinions. Unexpectedly just the opposite appears to be taking place. So far the busiest Celtic discussion groups seem slower. The team's phenomenal early season success has had a deadening effect on online banter.
This is all very unscientific and is based only on my own foggy perception, but it sure seems real...
You may well ask- How come?
I have 10 theories:
1) The Inertia of Bliss
Happy fans are just sitting back and enjoying this.
People are just not moved to type, "The team sure looks good."
Or to respond, "Yup. They sure do."
2) Nattering Nabobs Are Hushed
Do you hear those squeaky wheels? Not too much anymore. Most of the formerly negative voices have come over to the light side of the force. Welcome!
3) So Are The Pathological
As for the rest- well even crazy people generally don't want to appear crazy. (As a side note, you can tell who these nice folks are because they generally start off saying "I was right all along, BUT..." or they're still just going along same as ever— steadfastly criticizing the rotations, management, or searching for imaginary character flaws instead of enjoying success.)
4) Serial Traders Are On Vacation
Why propose moving a guy out when he's helping the team win? ...and everybody seems to be helping the team win.
5) What College Game?
No one's talking about the 2008 draft. Last year at this time I was watching every Ohio State game I could. This year, I know there's some guy named Beasley and some guy named Rose out there, but I've never seen them play and probably won't until midwinter.
6) Pink Hatters Aren't Joining Up
Would you? You come into a place where people are saying things like: "Have you seen Rondo's rising mid-range hot zones?" "Glen Davis has an incredible PER." You've got fanatics discussing every arcane statistical and historical detail of the sport— it's probably intimidating to hesitant pink toppers at the entryway.
7) Basketball Viewing of the Diehards Has Changed
A lot of folks who previously posted in game threads have bought season tickets and are now cheering in person. Others are watching Ray Allen with bandwagon jumping friends instead of brooding alone with Allan Ray. When you watch with flesh and blood others, you probably post less.
8) Green Discussion Has Spread To New Places
Though the Celtic talk has subsided a bit on our own boards, it's exploded everywhere else. Celtic fanatics who have huddled together in the darkness for years are now boldly going forth and interacting with fans of other teams.
9) Nobody Disagrees
There's no controversy. We all like... well, we all like everything. Who wants to talk about that?!?
10) It's All New
Unlike previous great teams, this one is so unknown. This is a group that no one had seen before. They didn't just add one or two key guys. Instead it was pretty much a full roster makeover. So final conclusions are slow to arrive since we're seeing each situation for the first time.
I do not expect the mass silence to continue. When the playoffs loom there will be an explosion of activity. There will be a cacophony of joyful online noise— the first great green eruption of the internet era. The Celtics had one of the worst records in the league last season. Now they're a leading title contender.
We're all adjusting.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
10 things about Orlando, Sherpas, and the rotation
1) Orlando
Have you been reading the Orlando box scores? The faint of heart should probably move to the next paragraph because what I'm about to tell you is something so disturbing that it may cause irreversible trauma: Stan Van Gundy has recently been playing his main guys close to 40 minutes per game! Shocking but true.
This is the most outrageously reckless act I have ever heard of. Is he insane? Doesn't the Magic coach realize that playing key players long minutes in consecutive games is incredibly dangerous? Doesn't Coach Van Gundy realize that playing starters for (gasp!) 39 minutes can cause an explosive chain reaction that could obliterate virtually all life from the face of the Earth?
It's happened before. Remember Vincent Price? Remember Charlton Heston?
Please Stan Van Gundy. Keep us safe. Rest your starters. Play Pat Garrity. (Oh yeah, the Magic DID win those two games against top teams.)
2) Rivalry
Orlando and Boston had a nice little contest the other night. It almost made me remember how furious a REAL rivalry can feel- because this is no such thing. It was just a contested game. At various times in history the Celtics have had authentic rivalries with opponents like the Knicks, Sixers and the evil Lakers. Those games were so intense it made you have a physical reaction for days before and days after. If the Celtics won everyone felt euphoric. If they lost, all you felt was a focused desire for revenge. The vile bitterness built and built and lasted for years. What lighthearted fun.
I bring this up because I realize that younger Greeniacs have never experienced the powerful emotions of a true rivalry. That's because they've never seen great Celtic basketball. Oh maybe people thought they felt some mild emotion aimed at New Jersey a few years ago or with Indiana a while before that; but those weren't rivalries— that was just a couple of clubs accidentally bumping into each other.
When the real thing comes along, you'll know it.
3) Stan n' Pat
Orlando does look very good . They've got the monster in the middle and stingers on the wings. They're well coached too. Don't get too attached to Stan Van Gundy though. If the Magic ever do look like they're serious title contenders, won't Pat Riley somehow try to chloroform Stan and steal his job again? What's that you say, Bodyfat Pat can't do it this time? Perhaps not, but if I were Mr. Van Gundy I'd hire some husky ex-mercenary bodyguards from the Happiest Place On Earth just in case.
4) The History of Film
Bear with me on this one.
In the 19th century two rich guys who were also horse racing aficionados had a disagreement. One of them claimed that while racing there were times when all four of a thoroughbred's hooves left the ground at the same time. The other rich guy said this was impossible. Basically they argued over whether horses ever flew. So they made a sizable wager.
How to prove it? They found an enterprising photographer who set up a series of still cameras at ground level along the sidelines of a racetrack. He attached fragile invisible wires across the track from each camera. When the horses galloped by they tripped the wires and created a series of photos. When these photos were viewed in sequence they revealed that horses did at times completely leave the ground. Horses did fly.
I was reminded of all his while watching Ray Allen move around the court. He seems to glide just like those horses- wisely expending energy. At times his feet seem like they're barely touching the floor.
5) Sixth Man
Speaking of Ray Allen— my inner rotation manager (do you have one of those?) keeps suggesting that Ray ought to be this team's 6th man.
The reasons:
It would cut down the potentially catastrophic planet-killing minutes problem.
It would bring enormous firepower off the bench while still leaving the starters with plenty of ammo.
It works really well in San Antonio with Ginobili.
If Havlicek and McHale could do it, why not Ray?
You would still end the game with the big 3 on the floor.
Who would start? House, Tony Allen or Posey? Probably Posey. Eh, I go back and forth on this. Maybe it's crazy.
...actually since this idea is coming from a voice in my head, it likely is crazy and therefore should be treated with powerful prescription drugs made by giant pharmaceutical companies. It's our new national tradition- just say "No" to drugs and "Yes" to medication. God bless America.
Wait, did I get off topic? I'll fix that with a little thought about Sherpas:
6) Sherpas
Celtic TV Ratings are up. There's lots more local and national coverage, more ticket sales, more buzz. But when times were dark (like say the last few years) who was watching the team? Who was keeping the flame burning? You were! Yes I do mean you- anyone reading this now -the hardcore greenhearts.
You're like Sherpas; those dedicated guys that walk up Mt. Everest lugging someone else's gear. Anyone who stuck by this franchise when times were hard should be congratulated. If anything great happens this season, you deserve it. How the hell did you ever walk up that enormous mountain? No matter what else happens, be sure to fully enjoy this season. You deserve it, you hearty bunch of Tenzing Norgays.
7) Kevin n' Paul
I really like the postgame dual press conferences hosted by Garnett and Pierce. Talking to reporters is obligatory so they take on the task together. It makes for a fun dynamic as the two pass questions back and forth. I've heard Garnett isn't crazy about talking to the esteemed fourth estate after games and this twin presser is the result. Good entertainment.
Funny though— for someone who supposedly doesn't like such things, Kevin Garnett is great at it. His way of thinking and speaking is fascinating.
8) 36
Many pointed out after I asked last week that it was the 1997-98 San Antonio Spurs who had the greatest increase in wins from one season to the next. 36. They were led by David Robinson who had returned from missing the most of the previous year with injury and rookie (ugh) Tim Duncan.
There's an enchanted symmetry going on here. Wouldn't it be fitting if this Celtics team went 61-21 and broke the record?
Wait, don't answer yet. There's more: Doc Rivers' career coaching record going into this season was 273-312, or 39 games under .500. A 61-21 record would make him 334-333.
It just seems so meant-to-be.
9) Rondo crunching revisited
This summer I wrote a thing about Rondo's rising shooting ability. Though he was barely over 40% last season in fg%, once he got regular minutes and started, he shot 47.3%. A steep upward trend. This year he's in the high 50's.
I'm glad the Celtics have not yet gotten a vet point. It gives Rondo a chance to grow more quickly. He's more than the future at point. He's the point right now. If they want to get Cassell or someone like that at the trade deadline, great. In the meantime let Rondo continue to grow.
Unexpected: Rondo's defense which was his trademark has been uneven so far though. He tries to angle his man off too much and go for the steal instead of staying in front of the guy. It's easily correctible, and Doc pointed it out this week so the mistake is being fixed as we speak.
Soon everyone will pay for doubting Rondo. Oh how they will pay.
10) Golden State
Another 20 point win. Another night of great defense. Another night of great offense. Another night of great rebounding. Everything is right with the world.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
Have you been reading the Orlando box scores? The faint of heart should probably move to the next paragraph because what I'm about to tell you is something so disturbing that it may cause irreversible trauma: Stan Van Gundy has recently been playing his main guys close to 40 minutes per game! Shocking but true.
This is the most outrageously reckless act I have ever heard of. Is he insane? Doesn't the Magic coach realize that playing key players long minutes in consecutive games is incredibly dangerous? Doesn't Coach Van Gundy realize that playing starters for (gasp!) 39 minutes can cause an explosive chain reaction that could obliterate virtually all life from the face of the Earth?
It's happened before. Remember Vincent Price? Remember Charlton Heston?
Please Stan Van Gundy. Keep us safe. Rest your starters. Play Pat Garrity. (Oh yeah, the Magic DID win those two games against top teams.)
2) Rivalry
Orlando and Boston had a nice little contest the other night. It almost made me remember how furious a REAL rivalry can feel- because this is no such thing. It was just a contested game. At various times in history the Celtics have had authentic rivalries with opponents like the Knicks, Sixers and the evil Lakers. Those games were so intense it made you have a physical reaction for days before and days after. If the Celtics won everyone felt euphoric. If they lost, all you felt was a focused desire for revenge. The vile bitterness built and built and lasted for years. What lighthearted fun.
I bring this up because I realize that younger Greeniacs have never experienced the powerful emotions of a true rivalry. That's because they've never seen great Celtic basketball. Oh maybe people thought they felt some mild emotion aimed at New Jersey a few years ago or with Indiana a while before that; but those weren't rivalries— that was just a couple of clubs accidentally bumping into each other.
When the real thing comes along, you'll know it.
3) Stan n' Pat
Orlando does look very good . They've got the monster in the middle and stingers on the wings. They're well coached too. Don't get too attached to Stan Van Gundy though. If the Magic ever do look like they're serious title contenders, won't Pat Riley somehow try to chloroform Stan and steal his job again? What's that you say, Bodyfat Pat can't do it this time? Perhaps not, but if I were Mr. Van Gundy I'd hire some husky ex-mercenary bodyguards from the Happiest Place On Earth just in case.
4) The History of Film
Bear with me on this one.
In the 19th century two rich guys who were also horse racing aficionados had a disagreement. One of them claimed that while racing there were times when all four of a thoroughbred's hooves left the ground at the same time. The other rich guy said this was impossible. Basically they argued over whether horses ever flew. So they made a sizable wager.
How to prove it? They found an enterprising photographer who set up a series of still cameras at ground level along the sidelines of a racetrack. He attached fragile invisible wires across the track from each camera. When the horses galloped by they tripped the wires and created a series of photos. When these photos were viewed in sequence they revealed that horses did at times completely leave the ground. Horses did fly.
I was reminded of all his while watching Ray Allen move around the court. He seems to glide just like those horses- wisely expending energy. At times his feet seem like they're barely touching the floor.
5) Sixth Man
Speaking of Ray Allen— my inner rotation manager (do you have one of those?) keeps suggesting that Ray ought to be this team's 6th man.
The reasons:
It would cut down the potentially catastrophic planet-killing minutes problem.
It would bring enormous firepower off the bench while still leaving the starters with plenty of ammo.
It works really well in San Antonio with Ginobili.
If Havlicek and McHale could do it, why not Ray?
You would still end the game with the big 3 on the floor.
Who would start? House, Tony Allen or Posey? Probably Posey. Eh, I go back and forth on this. Maybe it's crazy.
...actually since this idea is coming from a voice in my head, it likely is crazy and therefore should be treated with powerful prescription drugs made by giant pharmaceutical companies. It's our new national tradition- just say "No" to drugs and "Yes" to medication. God bless America.
Wait, did I get off topic? I'll fix that with a little thought about Sherpas:
6) Sherpas
Celtic TV Ratings are up. There's lots more local and national coverage, more ticket sales, more buzz. But when times were dark (like say the last few years) who was watching the team? Who was keeping the flame burning? You were! Yes I do mean you- anyone reading this now -the hardcore greenhearts.
You're like Sherpas; those dedicated guys that walk up Mt. Everest lugging someone else's gear. Anyone who stuck by this franchise when times were hard should be congratulated. If anything great happens this season, you deserve it. How the hell did you ever walk up that enormous mountain? No matter what else happens, be sure to fully enjoy this season. You deserve it, you hearty bunch of Tenzing Norgays.
7) Kevin n' Paul
I really like the postgame dual press conferences hosted by Garnett and Pierce. Talking to reporters is obligatory so they take on the task together. It makes for a fun dynamic as the two pass questions back and forth. I've heard Garnett isn't crazy about talking to the esteemed fourth estate after games and this twin presser is the result. Good entertainment.
Funny though— for someone who supposedly doesn't like such things, Kevin Garnett is great at it. His way of thinking and speaking is fascinating.
8) 36
Many pointed out after I asked last week that it was the 1997-98 San Antonio Spurs who had the greatest increase in wins from one season to the next. 36. They were led by David Robinson who had returned from missing the most of the previous year with injury and rookie (ugh) Tim Duncan.
There's an enchanted symmetry going on here. Wouldn't it be fitting if this Celtics team went 61-21 and broke the record?
Wait, don't answer yet. There's more: Doc Rivers' career coaching record going into this season was 273-312, or 39 games under .500. A 61-21 record would make him 334-333.
It just seems so meant-to-be.
9) Rondo crunching revisited
This summer I wrote a thing about Rondo's rising shooting ability. Though he was barely over 40% last season in fg%, once he got regular minutes and started, he shot 47.3%. A steep upward trend. This year he's in the high 50's.
I'm glad the Celtics have not yet gotten a vet point. It gives Rondo a chance to grow more quickly. He's more than the future at point. He's the point right now. If they want to get Cassell or someone like that at the trade deadline, great. In the meantime let Rondo continue to grow.
Unexpected: Rondo's defense which was his trademark has been uneven so far though. He tries to angle his man off too much and go for the steal instead of staying in front of the guy. It's easily correctible, and Doc pointed it out this week so the mistake is being fixed as we speak.
Soon everyone will pay for doubting Rondo. Oh how they will pay.
10) Golden State
Another 20 point win. Another night of great defense. Another night of great offense. Another night of great rebounding. Everything is right with the world.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
10 things for those who have seen no losses
1) Garnett
I'm no Phi Beta Cappuccino.
I thought I knew something about this game. I was wrong. I did not even come close to realizing how great Kevin Garnett is.
All through the summer Sean Grande TOLD us how great Garnett was. He TOLD us we didn't understand, that we had to watch him play day in and day out. He TOLD us about the metahuman intensity. But did we listen? No we did not. We were too busy watching the Red Sox, drinking delicious icy beverages, going on picnics, and partaking of other carefree warm weather frivolities. I shake my head.
Back to the point— I've watched plenty of Garnett over his career, but apparently not enough to realize just how furiously he plays, how well he passes, or even how dominant a rebounder he is.
I'm dumb. I'm no Magna Cum Latte.
2) Larry and Max
Garnett is great, however let's not take it too far. I didn't hear it but apparently Cedric Maxwell said Garnett was better than Larry Bird. Huh? What the hey? I remember a couple of years ago Max said Nowitzki was better than Bird.
I don't know if Maxwell was kidding, needling Larry, or serious. All I do know is this: If the statement was serious, it was SO incorrect. And if the statement was a joke, it was a bad one. You DO NOT poke Larry Bird. You just don't. It's a bad move on so many levels.
3) Tinsley
I don't know who despises Jamaal Tinsley more, Celtic fans or (judging by their half-empty arena) Pacer fans. That wallop on the Pierce's head by the pathological point guard was ill-advised as it sent Mr. Truth on a rampage of vengeance which ended any Indiana hopes for a victory.
What I found fascinating about that sequence were Paul's push ups. Instead of emotionally reacting to Tinsley's cheap shot, Paul threw himself on to the free throw line and did a couple of push ups to calm himself down.
Later he said this unusual tactic came out of a preseason conversation with Kevin Garnett. Apparently Paul was upset about an incident in the Knicks game, and Garnett told him to do whatever it took to gain control of himself— do some push ups, blow off some steam, and move on. So Pierce literally did. As Doc Rivers said postgame (from Steve Bulpett's article in the Herald), "“This is such an emotional game,” he said. “I know you remember the whole playoff thing, so he was doing everything he could to control his emotions. That to me is what he was doing. He wasn’t trying to put on a show, (but) it’s the strangest damn thing I’ve ever seen.”
I was impressed. It takes a lot to turn a dirty play like that into positive energy. It shows incredible self control and maturity, and more importantly it bodes very well for this team come playoff time.
4) Minutes
I don't want to diminish the legitimate concerns many Celtic onlookers have about the big three's big minutes. In fact I don't really want to talk about it at all since I think that's premature. Instead I just want to say that this reminds me of the 1980's when Celtic fans saw so few losses that they used to get down when the team simply did not win the way they expected.
This is great! Undefeated. Best team in the league (yes). And the issue is style points. I love it.
5) Danny the Drafter
The Celtics would have taken Yi. Danny avoided admitting as much but Doc said it. Yi looks great. The alternate universe resulting from keeping the 5th pick would have been rewarding too. Jefferson/Yi /Pierce (or whoever they might have traded Paul for) would have been fun to watch for many years. Maybe not as great as what Pierce/Allen/Garnett have shown, but that would be good path to travel too.
The moral of the story is, when you have a gifted GM you have confidence and a real future.
6) The Building Fear of the Unbelievers
Remember this?:
The Celtics won't win because the big 3 are too old.
The Celtics won't win because they need time to gel.
The Celtics won't win because they won't share the ball.
The Celtics won't win because their defense is terrible (Ha, my favorite— best in the league terrible.)
The Celtics won't win because of their coach.
The Celtics won't win because of Rondo and Perkins.
The Celtics won't win because they have no bench.
The Celtics won't win because Pierce, Allen, and Garnett came from losing teams.
Now frustrated pagans who fear of the Green are running to deeper fallback positions: "The Celtics won't CONTINUE to win. They've had an easy schedule."
Please. The combined record of the Celtics' opponents has been seriously damaged because Boston has beaten every one of them. Obviously this pace can't continue indefinitely but the team hasn't even hit its stride yet in terms of how well they can play. This is exciting. Perhaps even darned exciting.
7) OBieball
Watching the Pacers brought on a few unpleasant flashbacks. To put it mildly I never liked the three point offense, though I did notice the Pacers shooting was much less reliant on the three pointer than expected.
Still it brought back a memory: When the OB Celtics were shooting endlessly from downtown, Tommy Heinsohn, high priest of the running game, hated it. He never said so but early on when he broadcast those games, he often sighed and remarked, "Live by the three, die by the three."
That only lasted a very brief period and was soon amended to, "Live by the three. (Shrug) Live by the three."
I think Tommy likes Jim OBrien personally and didn't want to criticize his philosophy too much. Anyway, sorry to bring it up at all.
8) Swagger Update
I notice some folks haven't got this swagger thing completely mastered yet. In pregame threads on various Celtic forums, many people are expressing a bit of dismay at certain match ups. Ease your troubled mind. Yes the Celtics will lose now and then but personally I go into every game KNOWING they're going to win. There's no place for doubts this season. Thinking championship is the first step to getting one.
9) A Suggestion
On the home game broadcasts when they do tight crowd shots I often ask myself, "I wonder if that guy posts online. Maybe I know him from RealGM or Celticsblog."
Here's what I think should happen (Please don't tell me it's not realistic.) During fan close-ups Comcast should put a graphic onscreen revealing the person's online screen name. Great idea huh?
You could look at the television and say, "Hey there's johnnybanner17! There's piercedanny! There's maineceltsguy! I know him. I know that guy!! Hmm, I didn't think he'd look like that."
Wouldn't that be entertaining?
10) Undefeated
Earlier I spoke about an alternate universe. Often I think THIS is actually the alternate universe. I read the standings and see the Celtics on top of the league. I mean how did this happen? They were 24-58 last season.
Somebody must know- what's the all time record for greatest increase in wins from one season to the next? Because whatever it is that record is in serious jeopardy.
Bonus thing) Since the beginning of preseason, with all 5 starters playing the Celtics are 11-0.
I'm no Phi Beta Cappuccino.
I thought I knew something about this game. I was wrong. I did not even come close to realizing how great Kevin Garnett is.
All through the summer Sean Grande TOLD us how great Garnett was. He TOLD us we didn't understand, that we had to watch him play day in and day out. He TOLD us about the metahuman intensity. But did we listen? No we did not. We were too busy watching the Red Sox, drinking delicious icy beverages, going on picnics, and partaking of other carefree warm weather frivolities. I shake my head.
Back to the point— I've watched plenty of Garnett over his career, but apparently not enough to realize just how furiously he plays, how well he passes, or even how dominant a rebounder he is.
I'm dumb. I'm no Magna Cum Latte.
2) Larry and Max
Garnett is great, however let's not take it too far. I didn't hear it but apparently Cedric Maxwell said Garnett was better than Larry Bird. Huh? What the hey? I remember a couple of years ago Max said Nowitzki was better than Bird.
I don't know if Maxwell was kidding, needling Larry, or serious. All I do know is this: If the statement was serious, it was SO incorrect. And if the statement was a joke, it was a bad one. You DO NOT poke Larry Bird. You just don't. It's a bad move on so many levels.
3) Tinsley
I don't know who despises Jamaal Tinsley more, Celtic fans or (judging by their half-empty arena) Pacer fans. That wallop on the Pierce's head by the pathological point guard was ill-advised as it sent Mr. Truth on a rampage of vengeance which ended any Indiana hopes for a victory.
What I found fascinating about that sequence were Paul's push ups. Instead of emotionally reacting to Tinsley's cheap shot, Paul threw himself on to the free throw line and did a couple of push ups to calm himself down.
Later he said this unusual tactic came out of a preseason conversation with Kevin Garnett. Apparently Paul was upset about an incident in the Knicks game, and Garnett told him to do whatever it took to gain control of himself— do some push ups, blow off some steam, and move on. So Pierce literally did. As Doc Rivers said postgame (from Steve Bulpett's article in the Herald), "“This is such an emotional game,” he said. “I know you remember the whole playoff thing, so he was doing everything he could to control his emotions. That to me is what he was doing. He wasn’t trying to put on a show, (but) it’s the strangest damn thing I’ve ever seen.”
I was impressed. It takes a lot to turn a dirty play like that into positive energy. It shows incredible self control and maturity, and more importantly it bodes very well for this team come playoff time.
4) Minutes
I don't want to diminish the legitimate concerns many Celtic onlookers have about the big three's big minutes. In fact I don't really want to talk about it at all since I think that's premature. Instead I just want to say that this reminds me of the 1980's when Celtic fans saw so few losses that they used to get down when the team simply did not win the way they expected.
This is great! Undefeated. Best team in the league (yes). And the issue is style points. I love it.
5) Danny the Drafter
The Celtics would have taken Yi. Danny avoided admitting as much but Doc said it. Yi looks great. The alternate universe resulting from keeping the 5th pick would have been rewarding too. Jefferson/Yi /Pierce (or whoever they might have traded Paul for) would have been fun to watch for many years. Maybe not as great as what Pierce/Allen/Garnett have shown, but that would be good path to travel too.
The moral of the story is, when you have a gifted GM you have confidence and a real future.
6) The Building Fear of the Unbelievers
Remember this?:
The Celtics won't win because the big 3 are too old.
The Celtics won't win because they need time to gel.
The Celtics won't win because they won't share the ball.
The Celtics won't win because their defense is terrible (Ha, my favorite— best in the league terrible.)
The Celtics won't win because of their coach.
The Celtics won't win because of Rondo and Perkins.
The Celtics won't win because they have no bench.
The Celtics won't win because Pierce, Allen, and Garnett came from losing teams.
Now frustrated pagans who fear of the Green are running to deeper fallback positions: "The Celtics won't CONTINUE to win. They've had an easy schedule."
Please. The combined record of the Celtics' opponents has been seriously damaged because Boston has beaten every one of them. Obviously this pace can't continue indefinitely but the team hasn't even hit its stride yet in terms of how well they can play. This is exciting. Perhaps even darned exciting.
7) OBieball
Watching the Pacers brought on a few unpleasant flashbacks. To put it mildly I never liked the three point offense, though I did notice the Pacers shooting was much less reliant on the three pointer than expected.
Still it brought back a memory: When the OB Celtics were shooting endlessly from downtown, Tommy Heinsohn, high priest of the running game, hated it. He never said so but early on when he broadcast those games, he often sighed and remarked, "Live by the three, die by the three."
That only lasted a very brief period and was soon amended to, "Live by the three. (Shrug) Live by the three."
I think Tommy likes Jim OBrien personally and didn't want to criticize his philosophy too much. Anyway, sorry to bring it up at all.
8) Swagger Update
I notice some folks haven't got this swagger thing completely mastered yet. In pregame threads on various Celtic forums, many people are expressing a bit of dismay at certain match ups. Ease your troubled mind. Yes the Celtics will lose now and then but personally I go into every game KNOWING they're going to win. There's no place for doubts this season. Thinking championship is the first step to getting one.
9) A Suggestion
On the home game broadcasts when they do tight crowd shots I often ask myself, "I wonder if that guy posts online. Maybe I know him from RealGM or Celticsblog."
Here's what I think should happen (Please don't tell me it's not realistic.) During fan close-ups Comcast should put a graphic onscreen revealing the person's online screen name. Great idea huh?
You could look at the television and say, "Hey there's johnnybanner17! There's piercedanny! There's maineceltsguy! I know him. I know that guy!! Hmm, I didn't think he'd look like that."
Wouldn't that be entertaining?
10) Undefeated
Earlier I spoke about an alternate universe. Often I think THIS is actually the alternate universe. I read the standings and see the Celtics on top of the league. I mean how did this happen? They were 24-58 last season.
Somebody must know- what's the all time record for greatest increase in wins from one season to the next? Because whatever it is that record is in serious jeopardy.
Bonus thing) Since the beginning of preseason, with all 5 starters playing the Celtics are 11-0.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
10 things with the season underway
Whoa what a performance that was. 3-0 baby. You don't usually see a game decided that early, but the Nuggets just got skewered. When the normally skeptical Bob Cousy is all sunshine and flower petals you know it was a great night.
This is just going to be a fantastic year. Anyway, here's 10 things to ponder:
1) The Nutmeg Jinx
Now that the team is good again, do you ever wonder why they were so bad for so long? It could have been due to more than just mismanagement— likely all that losing was directly caused by the greatly underpublicized Nutmeg Jinx. Well, here and now I'm lifting the information blackout on this pernicious curse.
In the 1989-90 season the Boston Celtics played their final regular season game in Hartford, Connecticut. For many years the Celtics had used Hartford as a satellite home site, hosting a few games there each year. After that season the team pulled out, never to return again. Little did they realize that in doing so they awakened powerful and angry spirits from their neighboring state, because from that time forward the Celtics played consistently bad basketball. That is until now.
So what happened to diffuse the hex? Actually it was very simple: this June the Celtics traded for UCONN luminary Ray Allen, and in a single moment the great jinx of Connecticut vanished. The Seattle deal served as an instant exorcism. Since the draft day trade nothing has gone wrong for the team. It opened the door for Kevin Garnett...
2) Value Added
...and it added guys like Eddie House, Scot Pollard, and James (3 point dagger) Posey for "free" (free- meaning no picks or players were given up to get these guys). With the vindictive spirits of Hartford placated, the CT Jinx turned upside down. Once Allen and KG arrived lots of players suddenly wanted to follow. In essence the Celtics traded Jefferson, Gomes, West, Szczerbiak, Green, a bunch of empty shells, and a few picks for Garnett, Posey, Pollard, House, Glen Davis, and the jinx-busting talisman himself, Ray Allen.
In case you're wondering— No, Travis Knight doesn't count and Vin Baker doesn't count either. They only made the Nutmeg spirits even more irate. Only the pure Huskie goodness of Ray Allen could break the wicked spell.
3) Double Teams and Title Dreams
Quality is great. You obviously need it to win a title, but if you get quality AND quantity something magical happens. (Hey this is another "value added" subject. I think there's a theme going.)
The Celtics have three uberstars. That opens up a world of possibilities over having only one or two top players. For example, if you're Houston the opposition can double team McGrady or Yao whenever they want. There's always a lesser player to sag off. With Boston it's not possible. It's just a matter of numbers. You need six defenders to double team three guys at once, and according to close interpretation of the NBA rulebook, having six players on the floor at one time is illegal.
Wait there's more: When one of your three is Kevin Garnett, you don't HAVE to double team on the defensive end yourself. Think about Dallas or San Antonio. They love having you double team Nowitzki or Duncan, because it tears huge holes in your defense. But Garnett can play either of those formidable Texans straight up. With Garnett doing his thing, the team defense remains intact, and because of that Boston could beat those guys. Yes I said it.
4) The Fork In The Road
What if the Celtics kept the 5th pick? I mean aside from still having the Nutmeg Jinx in full raging operation, this would have remained a young, developing team.
Personally, I can't quite let go of the old-young guys. I find myself checking the box scores from every Supersonics and Timberwolves games to see how Al, Ryan, Delonte and Gerald are doing. I saw Minnesota fall just short against the Knicks and thought, "That very easily could have been us." I bet there are plenty of other Celtics fans with a compulsive thing for Seattle and Minnesota.
5) That Old Time Feeling
It's SOOOooo great to be hated again. Everywhere you go on the internet, people hate the Celtics. Ancient animosities have been reawakened and new ones have been born. It's just like the good old days! In this league you can tell you have a team when everyone despises you. I'm so happy.
6) Bad Breaks, Who Cares?
For many years if anything went wrong in a game, the Celtics lost. This year even if a lot of bad things happen, the Celtics can still win. In Toronto they faced a good team, on the road, who had been playing fabulously. Pierce had an off night. Three starters got into severe foul trouble. Rondo had his worst game ever. Guess what? They won anyway! They overcame everything and made their own breaks. That's what winning teams do.
7) Paul Pierce's Hidden Value
(More value added.) One reason Shaq's teams historically have won big was that despite his own atrocious free throw shooting, he always drew so many fouls. As a result his club regularly got into the free throw bonus early in most quarters. This allowed his teammates to get many extra foul shots.
The same is true of Paul Pierce. He draws so many fouls driving to the basket that this Celtics team will benefit in the same way. It's a huge advantage. Don't forget, free throwing should be an enormous strength now with sharpshooters like Ray Allen, Eddie House and others aboard.
8) Doc's Altered Role
Since Doc River's arrived he's mostly had a very young team and has spent much of his energy during every game, teaching. During timeouts you'd always see him pulling a young player aside and explaining what he did right or wrong. This year with the tadpoles mostly bench-bound, Doc has been coaching, not just educating.
9) Your Reward Is Fluff
Another sign that the team has arrived: Comcast has added a fluffy magazine show on the Celtics. Um- woohoo? I would file this under the category of: Harmless.
By the way, I thought Laura Behnke did very well filling in for Gary Tanguay last Sunday. (I mean its not like Gary is a great student of the game, being distracted all the time by the baseball and football guys.) All any host has to do on that pregame show is toss scripted questions to Donny Marshall and "send it back to Mike and Tommy." Still, good for her.
10) People I Wish Were Alive To See This Season:
Red Auerbach, Johnny Most (no disrespect to Sean Grande, but I'd LOVE to hear Johnny calling this team's games), Dennis Johnson, and Doc River's dad. It's a shame Grady Rivers couldn't have stuck around one more year to watch his son really succeed as a coach.
This is just going to be a fantastic year. Anyway, here's 10 things to ponder:
1) The Nutmeg Jinx
Now that the team is good again, do you ever wonder why they were so bad for so long? It could have been due to more than just mismanagement— likely all that losing was directly caused by the greatly underpublicized Nutmeg Jinx. Well, here and now I'm lifting the information blackout on this pernicious curse.
In the 1989-90 season the Boston Celtics played their final regular season game in Hartford, Connecticut. For many years the Celtics had used Hartford as a satellite home site, hosting a few games there each year. After that season the team pulled out, never to return again. Little did they realize that in doing so they awakened powerful and angry spirits from their neighboring state, because from that time forward the Celtics played consistently bad basketball. That is until now.
So what happened to diffuse the hex? Actually it was very simple: this June the Celtics traded for UCONN luminary Ray Allen, and in a single moment the great jinx of Connecticut vanished. The Seattle deal served as an instant exorcism. Since the draft day trade nothing has gone wrong for the team. It opened the door for Kevin Garnett...
2) Value Added
...and it added guys like Eddie House, Scot Pollard, and James (3 point dagger) Posey for "free" (free- meaning no picks or players were given up to get these guys). With the vindictive spirits of Hartford placated, the CT Jinx turned upside down. Once Allen and KG arrived lots of players suddenly wanted to follow. In essence the Celtics traded Jefferson, Gomes, West, Szczerbiak, Green, a bunch of empty shells, and a few picks for Garnett, Posey, Pollard, House, Glen Davis, and the jinx-busting talisman himself, Ray Allen.
In case you're wondering— No, Travis Knight doesn't count and Vin Baker doesn't count either. They only made the Nutmeg spirits even more irate. Only the pure Huskie goodness of Ray Allen could break the wicked spell.
3) Double Teams and Title Dreams
Quality is great. You obviously need it to win a title, but if you get quality AND quantity something magical happens. (Hey this is another "value added" subject. I think there's a theme going.)
The Celtics have three uberstars. That opens up a world of possibilities over having only one or two top players. For example, if you're Houston the opposition can double team McGrady or Yao whenever they want. There's always a lesser player to sag off. With Boston it's not possible. It's just a matter of numbers. You need six defenders to double team three guys at once, and according to close interpretation of the NBA rulebook, having six players on the floor at one time is illegal.
Wait there's more: When one of your three is Kevin Garnett, you don't HAVE to double team on the defensive end yourself. Think about Dallas or San Antonio. They love having you double team Nowitzki or Duncan, because it tears huge holes in your defense. But Garnett can play either of those formidable Texans straight up. With Garnett doing his thing, the team defense remains intact, and because of that Boston could beat those guys. Yes I said it.
4) The Fork In The Road
What if the Celtics kept the 5th pick? I mean aside from still having the Nutmeg Jinx in full raging operation, this would have remained a young, developing team.
Personally, I can't quite let go of the old-young guys. I find myself checking the box scores from every Supersonics and Timberwolves games to see how Al, Ryan, Delonte and Gerald are doing. I saw Minnesota fall just short against the Knicks and thought, "That very easily could have been us." I bet there are plenty of other Celtics fans with a compulsive thing for Seattle and Minnesota.
5) That Old Time Feeling
It's SOOOooo great to be hated again. Everywhere you go on the internet, people hate the Celtics. Ancient animosities have been reawakened and new ones have been born. It's just like the good old days! In this league you can tell you have a team when everyone despises you. I'm so happy.
6) Bad Breaks, Who Cares?
For many years if anything went wrong in a game, the Celtics lost. This year even if a lot of bad things happen, the Celtics can still win. In Toronto they faced a good team, on the road, who had been playing fabulously. Pierce had an off night. Three starters got into severe foul trouble. Rondo had his worst game ever. Guess what? They won anyway! They overcame everything and made their own breaks. That's what winning teams do.
7) Paul Pierce's Hidden Value
(More value added.) One reason Shaq's teams historically have won big was that despite his own atrocious free throw shooting, he always drew so many fouls. As a result his club regularly got into the free throw bonus early in most quarters. This allowed his teammates to get many extra foul shots.
The same is true of Paul Pierce. He draws so many fouls driving to the basket that this Celtics team will benefit in the same way. It's a huge advantage. Don't forget, free throwing should be an enormous strength now with sharpshooters like Ray Allen, Eddie House and others aboard.
8) Doc's Altered Role
Since Doc River's arrived he's mostly had a very young team and has spent much of his energy during every game, teaching. During timeouts you'd always see him pulling a young player aside and explaining what he did right or wrong. This year with the tadpoles mostly bench-bound, Doc has been coaching, not just educating.
9) Your Reward Is Fluff
Another sign that the team has arrived: Comcast has added a fluffy magazine show on the Celtics. Um- woohoo? I would file this under the category of: Harmless.
By the way, I thought Laura Behnke did very well filling in for Gary Tanguay last Sunday. (I mean its not like Gary is a great student of the game, being distracted all the time by the baseball and football guys.) All any host has to do on that pregame show is toss scripted questions to Donny Marshall and "send it back to Mike and Tommy." Still, good for her.
10) People I Wish Were Alive To See This Season:
Red Auerbach, Johnny Most (no disrespect to Sean Grande, but I'd LOVE to hear Johnny calling this team's games), Dennis Johnson, and Doc River's dad. It's a shame Grady Rivers couldn't have stuck around one more year to watch his son really succeed as a coach.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
A Trade Too Far
A Trade Too Far
There's virtually no chance of Boston trading for Kobe, but recent rumors have vaguely connected the Celtics to the temperamental one. That's one wacky notion. I mean who came up with this idea, Salvador Dali? Even though it's far-fetched, the mind has been sent spinning so here we go:
Trading Shaq to Miami hasn't worked out too well, has it? The entire backdrop of Laker championships is based on flagrant larceny of other cities' giant centers. They weaseled Wilt from Philadelphia, kleptoed Kareem from Milwaukee, and shuttled Shaq out of Orlando. (Plus they moved Mikan's banners from Minneapolis.) Only after having their pilfered behemoth in tow did the the diabolical purple and gold ever succeed. So when they traded away Mr. O'Neal instead of Mr. Bryant they went against their entire sordid history.
...and now they're paying the price.
Kobe wants out. The Lakers want something substantial back. Many teams have been linked to these stories including Boston. Oh I'm sure Danny Ainge has spoken to Mitch Kupchak. In fact I'm sure everybody has talked to everybody about everybody at one time or another, but I highly doubt any Celtic/Laker discussions regarding Kobe Bryant have ever gotten serious.
First off the Lakers would want too much. It would start with Paul Pierce and then you'd have to add at least Rajon Rondo, if not Rondo AND Ray Allen. That's too high a cost for someone with so much potential for instability. I could see LA going for it because they're not going to get anything better, but Boston has no urgent need to make that swap.
Let's just be patient here and see what the Celtics have. A trade like this could easily be one too many. Let the Lakers do whatever they will. While Boston is testing the parameters of their new might, the disintegration in Los Angeles will be an entertaining sideshow.
There's another lesson in all this: If any of you are thinking of betting your franchise on a volatile, unpredictable, high-strung fellow, please remember to NOT give him a trade veto.
...I almost forgot to add: Heh heh heh.
No Second Unit
From Mark Spear's article in the 10/31 Globe: "Rivers hopes Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce will play fewer than 40 minutes per game, but would like at least two on the floor at all times, and one 'is almost mandatory.'"
Very good. There will very rarely be five subs playing together at the same time, not until the game is determined. That means the worst team the Celtics will ever have on the floor this season will be equal to the best team they ever had on the floor in 06-07. If things get hairy for the back-ups, you just reinsert another all star. Isn't life grand?
If you're the coach and you need to turn to someone resting on the bench and say, "Get in there and change the momentum," who would you rather it be: Ray Allen or Allan Ray? That's last year versus this year in a nutshell.
Scheduled In Advance
Before the lottery, I think the league might have had "San Antonio and Duncan versus Whoever Gets Oden" pencilled in as the season's introductory game. Fate wrecked that tantalizing debut and so the first game of the season was the powerful Spurs against the talented but not-yet-ready Oregonians. I'm sure if they had it to do over again it would have been SA/Boston.
LaMarcus Aldridge sure looked good offensively though.
Eastern Teams Worth Eyeballing...
...as far as how they match up with the Celtics. I'm not too worried about Orlando no matter how good Dwight Howard looks, because Perkins routinely seems to be able to slow him down. Cleveland has big problems. Miami might be good enough, but they have those health issues. I don't worry about Jersey or Washington because our big three are bigger than their big three. (So there.)
Until Miami stops limping, here are the teams I think match up well against the Celtics and could give them problems on any given night: Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto.
Detroit is polished, about as good as ever, and when they click they can beat anyone.
Chicago is one of the very few teams that has hope of covering Pierce and Ray Allen straight up, one on one. Deng has always bothered Pierce, and the same for Hinrich on Allen. Still Kevin Garnett has historically shredded the Bulls, so unless Tyrus Thomas and Noah develop quickly, Boston should still have a big advantage inside. Boston against Chicago is my co-most-anticipated contest, along with San Antonio.
Toronto, with their outside shooting is just one of those quirky teams that can clobber you when they're hitting from long range. Bargnani is really hard to cover out there, and Bosh takes Garnett's attention leaving the sharpshooting Italian free to hoist them at will. Like Chicago they're young and deep. They're not finalist level yet, but the Raptors are worth watching.
Add a vigorous Miami and there are four or five teams that could come out of the East. The only guarantee for the Celtics this season is the one they forge themselves. This will be fun— maybe 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's caliber fun.
A Modest Man
Danny Ainge has spent a lot of time answering big 3 questions, contrasting the new trio to the legendary 80s troika. Again and again he's stated that Larry, Kevin and Robert had great help, citing DJ, Sichting, Maxwell, Walton and Wedman, while never mentioning a certain #44.
The modesty is admirable but c'mon Danny, knock it off. You were hell on wheels yourself. We can only wish the current team had circa 1986 Danny Ainge playing on it.
Oh Yeah, There Was A Game Friday Night
Ooooh, very nice. With numerous Celtic greats looking on, the new Green Machine smoked Washington. The Celtics were poised and powerful.
Doc River's rotation patterns were flawless, resting Pierce early, then inserting him back in with the subs to lead the second quarter charge. Scot Pollard didn't have his wind but he did still have his height, sparing Garnett from going it alone down low while Perkins sat. Rondo was brought back in at just the right moment to control the pace. The few times the Wizards did manage to capture the some momentum, Doc squashed it with a timeout. Pierce sliced, Ray Allen glided, Garnett thundered, and the raucous Garden crowd went home satisfied.
The scary thing is, I thought the Celtics only scraped the surface of how good they can be.
There's virtually no chance of Boston trading for Kobe, but recent rumors have vaguely connected the Celtics to the temperamental one. That's one wacky notion. I mean who came up with this idea, Salvador Dali? Even though it's far-fetched, the mind has been sent spinning so here we go:
Trading Shaq to Miami hasn't worked out too well, has it? The entire backdrop of Laker championships is based on flagrant larceny of other cities' giant centers. They weaseled Wilt from Philadelphia, kleptoed Kareem from Milwaukee, and shuttled Shaq out of Orlando. (Plus they moved Mikan's banners from Minneapolis.) Only after having their pilfered behemoth in tow did the the diabolical purple and gold ever succeed. So when they traded away Mr. O'Neal instead of Mr. Bryant they went against their entire sordid history.
...and now they're paying the price.
Kobe wants out. The Lakers want something substantial back. Many teams have been linked to these stories including Boston. Oh I'm sure Danny Ainge has spoken to Mitch Kupchak. In fact I'm sure everybody has talked to everybody about everybody at one time or another, but I highly doubt any Celtic/Laker discussions regarding Kobe Bryant have ever gotten serious.
First off the Lakers would want too much. It would start with Paul Pierce and then you'd have to add at least Rajon Rondo, if not Rondo AND Ray Allen. That's too high a cost for someone with so much potential for instability. I could see LA going for it because they're not going to get anything better, but Boston has no urgent need to make that swap.
Let's just be patient here and see what the Celtics have. A trade like this could easily be one too many. Let the Lakers do whatever they will. While Boston is testing the parameters of their new might, the disintegration in Los Angeles will be an entertaining sideshow.
There's another lesson in all this: If any of you are thinking of betting your franchise on a volatile, unpredictable, high-strung fellow, please remember to NOT give him a trade veto.
...I almost forgot to add: Heh heh heh.
No Second Unit
From Mark Spear's article in the 10/31 Globe: "Rivers hopes Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce will play fewer than 40 minutes per game, but would like at least two on the floor at all times, and one 'is almost mandatory.'"
Very good. There will very rarely be five subs playing together at the same time, not until the game is determined. That means the worst team the Celtics will ever have on the floor this season will be equal to the best team they ever had on the floor in 06-07. If things get hairy for the back-ups, you just reinsert another all star. Isn't life grand?
If you're the coach and you need to turn to someone resting on the bench and say, "Get in there and change the momentum," who would you rather it be: Ray Allen or Allan Ray? That's last year versus this year in a nutshell.
Scheduled In Advance
Before the lottery, I think the league might have had "San Antonio and Duncan versus Whoever Gets Oden" pencilled in as the season's introductory game. Fate wrecked that tantalizing debut and so the first game of the season was the powerful Spurs against the talented but not-yet-ready Oregonians. I'm sure if they had it to do over again it would have been SA/Boston.
LaMarcus Aldridge sure looked good offensively though.
Eastern Teams Worth Eyeballing...
...as far as how they match up with the Celtics. I'm not too worried about Orlando no matter how good Dwight Howard looks, because Perkins routinely seems to be able to slow him down. Cleveland has big problems. Miami might be good enough, but they have those health issues. I don't worry about Jersey or Washington because our big three are bigger than their big three. (So there.)
Until Miami stops limping, here are the teams I think match up well against the Celtics and could give them problems on any given night: Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto.
Detroit is polished, about as good as ever, and when they click they can beat anyone.
Chicago is one of the very few teams that has hope of covering Pierce and Ray Allen straight up, one on one. Deng has always bothered Pierce, and the same for Hinrich on Allen. Still Kevin Garnett has historically shredded the Bulls, so unless Tyrus Thomas and Noah develop quickly, Boston should still have a big advantage inside. Boston against Chicago is my co-most-anticipated contest, along with San Antonio.
Toronto, with their outside shooting is just one of those quirky teams that can clobber you when they're hitting from long range. Bargnani is really hard to cover out there, and Bosh takes Garnett's attention leaving the sharpshooting Italian free to hoist them at will. Like Chicago they're young and deep. They're not finalist level yet, but the Raptors are worth watching.
Add a vigorous Miami and there are four or five teams that could come out of the East. The only guarantee for the Celtics this season is the one they forge themselves. This will be fun— maybe 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's caliber fun.
A Modest Man
Danny Ainge has spent a lot of time answering big 3 questions, contrasting the new trio to the legendary 80s troika. Again and again he's stated that Larry, Kevin and Robert had great help, citing DJ, Sichting, Maxwell, Walton and Wedman, while never mentioning a certain #44.
The modesty is admirable but c'mon Danny, knock it off. You were hell on wheels yourself. We can only wish the current team had circa 1986 Danny Ainge playing on it.
Oh Yeah, There Was A Game Friday Night
Ooooh, very nice. With numerous Celtic greats looking on, the new Green Machine smoked Washington. The Celtics were poised and powerful.
Doc River's rotation patterns were flawless, resting Pierce early, then inserting him back in with the subs to lead the second quarter charge. Scot Pollard didn't have his wind but he did still have his height, sparing Garnett from going it alone down low while Perkins sat. Rondo was brought back in at just the right moment to control the pace. The few times the Wizards did manage to capture the some momentum, Doc squashed it with a timeout. Pierce sliced, Ray Allen glided, Garnett thundered, and the raucous Garden crowd went home satisfied.
The scary thing is, I thought the Celtics only scraped the surface of how good they can be.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Preseason wrap up
With all the exhibition games done, the Celtics final preseason record is 4 wins, 3 losses, and 1 Worcester. The general sense of euphoria that recently saturated the great nation of Greenistan was moderated briefly after the visit to Gotham and Jersey. Many Greenistanis became restless. They questioned themselves: “How is my depth? What happens if the other team presses my vulnerable back up point guard? My chest is pounding. I’m having trouble breathing. Where is my back up big man? Will help be coming soon?”
All good topics for thought, especially difficulty breathing.
Hey, It’s preseason. The team was 4-0 playing their starters. Let the real games begin. Two quick wins and everybody will be flying high. Two quick losses and there will be widespread despair. That’s just human nature.
My unsolicited advice: Gently down the stream. It’s many months to springtime.
The Celtics do need another big person. Danny Ainge saw what you and I saw. As we speak he’s working on acquiring another exceedingly large individual.
In the meantime Kendrick Perkins’ hamstring remains #1 on the most watched muscles list. If Perkins is healthy, then Garnett can stay at power forward; no one can use brawnyball on Boston; the interior defense and rebounding is fortified; and the Celtics will win as they should. But if Perkins is out teams can take advantage of Boston inside as the Knicks did in Madison Square Garden.
* Here’s another important factor to keep in mind at season’s start— Do you recall how exceptionally good Phoenix was last year? Well remember this- they started really REALLY slow. They got Euroed, suffering a debilitating case of communal jet lag and began last year 1-5. It took them a month to feel normal.
For this reason only, I don’t like the overseas exhibitions. I would not be shocked to see Boston start out fairly slowly as well.
* I’m highly optimistic about this season, but as long as I’m complaining, here’s everything else I don’t like right now:
1) I have mixed feelings about the new Comcast Gary Tanguay/Donny Marshall studio. It should be green. Blue? What is this the Knicks pregame set?
2) I don't like this unoffical "Big Three" ban. Tommy Heinsohn was saying "Big Three” before sinister forces seemingly got to him. GPA, PGA, New Three, Trio Grande, Triumphant Triumvirate— give me a break! Do you think Larry, Kevin, and Robert care? This isn't like the King Arthur saga where Pierce, Allen, and Garnett have to jointly pull the sword from the stone to claim their rightful place on the throne of England. It's a simple descriptive phrase. "Big Three." Tommy said it. I just said it and there were no lightning bolts. Everybody can say it. Anyone who doesn't want to, doesn't have to.
If the phrase was sacred, they wouldn’t be able to use it in New Jersey to describe Vince Carter and his cronies.
3) Scot Pollard's ankle. I don't like it unhealthy. Somebody fix it.
...That's all I got. That's how magnificent a summer this has been. I love this team. I'm ecstatic. Look- there’s a few more holes to be corked, but this is all very exciting and I can't wait for the real games to begin.
* Defense. Mike Gorman made a wise comment on CSL last Sunday about how much he liked the Celtics on defense. If it's anywhere that the Celtics are being underestimated by followers of other franchises (those poor lost souls) it's on D. This is going to be a fine defensive team. Pierce is way better than given credit for. We all know what Perkins and Rondo can do. But mostly it's Kevin Garnett (at power forward please). The big tickety fella just ties the whole thing together. You can't go inside on Boston anymore. Most teams will have to resort to outside shooting to compete with the Celtics. Most will fall short. ...as long as Perk’s hamstring is ok. Everything depends on having a big strong guy in the middle.
By the way Thank You Justin Poulin for adjusting the Celticsstufflive podcast so it doesn't break up on me anymore. (The CSLers are very good and well worth a listen for anyone who hasn't heard their show.)
* Big Baby looked great against Cleveland and in the Izod center (Cripes I hate arenas and stadiums being named after corporations. It’s like selling your soul.) Glen Davis has a chance to be fabulous. I really hope he’s able to work his way into the rotation at a not too distant date. In limited minutes, he seems to push the WOW! button at least a few times a game. Danny Ainge is uncanny in the second round.
* Oh yeah on that Minnesota/Miami trade: Yipes! Are you freakin’ kidding me?!? Hang on. I gotta edit myself here. (After some sober thought I deleted the two scathingly over the top paragraphs I wrote right after hearing about this.)
ahem... Instead I just hope everyone involved becomes a contributing member of society, that no one is too flabby to meet Miami’s scrupulous body fat standards, and that all future three point attempts resulting from this deal are sane shots with a reasonable chance of going in. Let’s just leave it there.
* That’s it. The 2007-2008 festivities commence in a few days. For what it’s worth (very little, believe me) here’s my prediction: One more roster move early. An uneven start, picking up steam after a few weeks. Season record: 50-32, though it could be better if they have excellent health.
All good topics for thought, especially difficulty breathing.
Hey, It’s preseason. The team was 4-0 playing their starters. Let the real games begin. Two quick wins and everybody will be flying high. Two quick losses and there will be widespread despair. That’s just human nature.
My unsolicited advice: Gently down the stream. It’s many months to springtime.
The Celtics do need another big person. Danny Ainge saw what you and I saw. As we speak he’s working on acquiring another exceedingly large individual.
In the meantime Kendrick Perkins’ hamstring remains #1 on the most watched muscles list. If Perkins is healthy, then Garnett can stay at power forward; no one can use brawnyball on Boston; the interior defense and rebounding is fortified; and the Celtics will win as they should. But if Perkins is out teams can take advantage of Boston inside as the Knicks did in Madison Square Garden.
* Here’s another important factor to keep in mind at season’s start— Do you recall how exceptionally good Phoenix was last year? Well remember this- they started really REALLY slow. They got Euroed, suffering a debilitating case of communal jet lag and began last year 1-5. It took them a month to feel normal.
For this reason only, I don’t like the overseas exhibitions. I would not be shocked to see Boston start out fairly slowly as well.
* I’m highly optimistic about this season, but as long as I’m complaining, here’s everything else I don’t like right now:
1) I have mixed feelings about the new Comcast Gary Tanguay/Donny Marshall studio. It should be green. Blue? What is this the Knicks pregame set?
2) I don't like this unoffical "Big Three" ban. Tommy Heinsohn was saying "Big Three” before sinister forces seemingly got to him. GPA, PGA, New Three, Trio Grande, Triumphant Triumvirate— give me a break! Do you think Larry, Kevin, and Robert care? This isn't like the King Arthur saga where Pierce, Allen, and Garnett have to jointly pull the sword from the stone to claim their rightful place on the throne of England. It's a simple descriptive phrase. "Big Three." Tommy said it. I just said it and there were no lightning bolts. Everybody can say it. Anyone who doesn't want to, doesn't have to.
If the phrase was sacred, they wouldn’t be able to use it in New Jersey to describe Vince Carter and his cronies.
3) Scot Pollard's ankle. I don't like it unhealthy. Somebody fix it.
...That's all I got. That's how magnificent a summer this has been. I love this team. I'm ecstatic. Look- there’s a few more holes to be corked, but this is all very exciting and I can't wait for the real games to begin.
* Defense. Mike Gorman made a wise comment on CSL last Sunday about how much he liked the Celtics on defense. If it's anywhere that the Celtics are being underestimated by followers of other franchises (those poor lost souls) it's on D. This is going to be a fine defensive team. Pierce is way better than given credit for. We all know what Perkins and Rondo can do. But mostly it's Kevin Garnett (at power forward please). The big tickety fella just ties the whole thing together. You can't go inside on Boston anymore. Most teams will have to resort to outside shooting to compete with the Celtics. Most will fall short. ...as long as Perk’s hamstring is ok. Everything depends on having a big strong guy in the middle.
By the way Thank You Justin Poulin for adjusting the Celticsstufflive podcast so it doesn't break up on me anymore. (The CSLers are very good and well worth a listen for anyone who hasn't heard their show.)
* Big Baby looked great against Cleveland and in the Izod center (Cripes I hate arenas and stadiums being named after corporations. It’s like selling your soul.) Glen Davis has a chance to be fabulous. I really hope he’s able to work his way into the rotation at a not too distant date. In limited minutes, he seems to push the WOW! button at least a few times a game. Danny Ainge is uncanny in the second round.
* Oh yeah on that Minnesota/Miami trade: Yipes! Are you freakin’ kidding me?!? Hang on. I gotta edit myself here. (After some sober thought I deleted the two scathingly over the top paragraphs I wrote right after hearing about this.)
ahem... Instead I just hope everyone involved becomes a contributing member of society, that no one is too flabby to meet Miami’s scrupulous body fat standards, and that all future three point attempts resulting from this deal are sane shots with a reasonable chance of going in. Let’s just leave it there.
* That’s it. The 2007-2008 festivities commence in a few days. For what it’s worth (very little, believe me) here’s my prediction: One more roster move early. An uneven start, picking up steam after a few weeks. Season record: 50-32, though it could be better if they have excellent health.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Phases of the game
One of the best ways to size up a team is to look at the different phases of the game and see where the strengths and weaknesses are. Since this is pretty much a whole new roster, stats from last season don't mean anything. Still I'll throw some of last year's differentials in to give this some foundation and to indicate just how far the Celtics have come during the enchanted summer of 2007.
Rebounding:
The boards have been a recent team weakness for the Celtics (which tends to happen when you play Mark Blount at center and Walter McCarty at power forward) so I was a bit surprised to see that last season's inexperienced and injured group actually held their own on the glass. They were 14th in the league at -.01, virtually getting the same number of rebounds as the opponent.
Oddly, rebounding differential is not a great indicator of success. The best at it from last year were Utah at +5.5 and the Knicks at +4.4. San Antonio was down the list a ways at +1.6 and Phoenix was near the bottom at -2.3.
This year's team is going to play the main men a lot. The have big plus rebounders in Garnett, Pierce, and Rondo at three positions, and the new healthier leaner Perkins should also come out ahead. As long as Garnett and Perkins can stay on the floor the team should do very well here. Leon Powe and Hisbabyness will also chip in.
Passing:
Last year's Celts were near the bottom at -2.2 in assist differential. By far the best three teams were Phoenix, Utah, and San Antonio. No surprise there.
The current Greenies have dramatically improved their passing. Perkins and especially Garnett can both really toss it from the big positions. Ray Allen and Pierce have often been the best passers on their respective teams. Rondo should just have an eye popping year in this category. He's going to have his choice of wide open all-stars on a regular basis. Assists do come a lot more easily if you have some real shooters.
Turnovers:
Unfortunately this is one of the categories last year's squad did really well in. They were adept at giving the ball away, coming in fifth in TO differential at +1.1. The Knicks ran away with the crown here with a whopping +3.0, giving back most of what they gained on the boards. This stat can sometimes be misleading as running teams tend to throw it away (what they call good turnovers) and deliberate teams tend to keep turnovers down. (Last year's young Celtics just didn't cherish the ball. This year's vet team will.)
Which leads to a note on Tempo. Doc Rivers has stated that this year's squad will be an uptempo team though not a running team in the Phoenix Suns mode. They don't have the roster to be out and out sprinters, but they are mobile and skilled, and will benefit from a quick motion offense. They have the talent to impose their tempo on just about any team in the league.
Scoring Efficiency:
Boston was 7th from last in point differential at -3.4. That's actually not bad for the second worst team. San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas dominated this stat. In straight up FG% the Celtics were second worst overall at 44.3% despite shooting well from three point range. In FG% differential, the Celtics were dead last in the NBA at -2.5%.
Needless to say, this year's star laden roster should be near the top of the league in both scoring differential stats. They could even go all the way from worst to first.
Defense:
The other side of the FG% deficiency was the lack of defense last season. The Celtics gained a truly gifted, agile frontcourt defender in Garnett, fortifying their #1 weakness from the previous year. Perkins is more mobile than he's ever been. Posey, Tony Allen and Rondo are all very good to great defenders. Paul Pierce is poised to have his best defensive season ever now that he doesn't have to spend every possession on that end replenishing his oxygen.
Chemistry:
I have no doubt at all that the starting unit will play very well and also play a lot of minutes. You just can't take these type of quality players, put them on the court together, and not see success.
Are they tough enough? Do they have intangibles going their way? Are they hungry? Yes, yes, and where's the buffet table?
Depth:
If there is a concern it's still with depth, at least to some degree. There's no surefire Antonio McDyess coming in to spell the big men, and some say the back up point situation needs to be watched.
A healthy ankle for Scot Pollard would help a bit. Other than that someone needs to emerge as a reliable back-up large guy whether it be Scalabrine, Powe, or the esteemed Mr. Baby.
There are still possibilities for another acquisition at back up point. Rumor has it that Memphis has the potential to be involved here and one look at their roster tells you why: They have Conley, Lowry, Stoudamire, and Navarro all at the position; and it's hard to see them carrying four point guards very far into the season. They may wait to see how their young guys look before dealing Stoudamire, but they'll make a move at some not-too-distant date. Maybe they did bring Navarro in mainly to pal around with Pau, but few clubs carry four points. (Juan Carlos is too short to play much shooting guard, right?)
Likewise Portland has four at the position, not to mention another stashed overseas. Blake and Jack seem like they'll stick with the Blazers. Taurean Green has looked good so far. That leaves flashy Sergio Rodriguez as the possible odd man out. The Celtics might be looking for someone a little more experienced and poised than Rodriguez (they already have their own young developing point in Pruitt).
Personally I think Eddie House will be the back up point and will do just fine. Whatever remaining assets the front office has would be much better spent acquiring an unusually tall person.
Finishing this thing off where it began- Evaluating the new Boston Celtics obviously can't be done based on any team statistics from last season or before. You look at what it takes to win on the basketball floor in every phase of the game (and I mean REALLY win) and all you see are strengths on top of strengths. There remain a few questions of depth, and a lot of unknowns in chemistry and tempo, but overall this is one formidable looking group. No matter what the game situation calls for —defense, rebounding, or an end of game play— the Celtics have the personnel to match it.
I actually was not setting out to statistically prove that last year's team was bad. Everybody's already painfully aware of that. Instead the point is this: The 07-08 Celtics look really good in every aspect of the game. When you do that, you win big.
Rebounding:
The boards have been a recent team weakness for the Celtics (which tends to happen when you play Mark Blount at center and Walter McCarty at power forward) so I was a bit surprised to see that last season's inexperienced and injured group actually held their own on the glass. They were 14th in the league at -.01, virtually getting the same number of rebounds as the opponent.
Oddly, rebounding differential is not a great indicator of success. The best at it from last year were Utah at +5.5 and the Knicks at +4.4. San Antonio was down the list a ways at +1.6 and Phoenix was near the bottom at -2.3.
This year's team is going to play the main men a lot. The have big plus rebounders in Garnett, Pierce, and Rondo at three positions, and the new healthier leaner Perkins should also come out ahead. As long as Garnett and Perkins can stay on the floor the team should do very well here. Leon Powe and Hisbabyness will also chip in.
Passing:
Last year's Celts were near the bottom at -2.2 in assist differential. By far the best three teams were Phoenix, Utah, and San Antonio. No surprise there.
The current Greenies have dramatically improved their passing. Perkins and especially Garnett can both really toss it from the big positions. Ray Allen and Pierce have often been the best passers on their respective teams. Rondo should just have an eye popping year in this category. He's going to have his choice of wide open all-stars on a regular basis. Assists do come a lot more easily if you have some real shooters.
Turnovers:
Unfortunately this is one of the categories last year's squad did really well in. They were adept at giving the ball away, coming in fifth in TO differential at +1.1. The Knicks ran away with the crown here with a whopping +3.0, giving back most of what they gained on the boards. This stat can sometimes be misleading as running teams tend to throw it away (what they call good turnovers) and deliberate teams tend to keep turnovers down. (Last year's young Celtics just didn't cherish the ball. This year's vet team will.)
Which leads to a note on Tempo. Doc Rivers has stated that this year's squad will be an uptempo team though not a running team in the Phoenix Suns mode. They don't have the roster to be out and out sprinters, but they are mobile and skilled, and will benefit from a quick motion offense. They have the talent to impose their tempo on just about any team in the league.
Scoring Efficiency:
Boston was 7th from last in point differential at -3.4. That's actually not bad for the second worst team. San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas dominated this stat. In straight up FG% the Celtics were second worst overall at 44.3% despite shooting well from three point range. In FG% differential, the Celtics were dead last in the NBA at -2.5%.
Needless to say, this year's star laden roster should be near the top of the league in both scoring differential stats. They could even go all the way from worst to first.
Defense:
The other side of the FG% deficiency was the lack of defense last season. The Celtics gained a truly gifted, agile frontcourt defender in Garnett, fortifying their #1 weakness from the previous year. Perkins is more mobile than he's ever been. Posey, Tony Allen and Rondo are all very good to great defenders. Paul Pierce is poised to have his best defensive season ever now that he doesn't have to spend every possession on that end replenishing his oxygen.
Chemistry:
I have no doubt at all that the starting unit will play very well and also play a lot of minutes. You just can't take these type of quality players, put them on the court together, and not see success.
Are they tough enough? Do they have intangibles going their way? Are they hungry? Yes, yes, and where's the buffet table?
Depth:
If there is a concern it's still with depth, at least to some degree. There's no surefire Antonio McDyess coming in to spell the big men, and some say the back up point situation needs to be watched.
A healthy ankle for Scot Pollard would help a bit. Other than that someone needs to emerge as a reliable back-up large guy whether it be Scalabrine, Powe, or the esteemed Mr. Baby.
There are still possibilities for another acquisition at back up point. Rumor has it that Memphis has the potential to be involved here and one look at their roster tells you why: They have Conley, Lowry, Stoudamire, and Navarro all at the position; and it's hard to see them carrying four point guards very far into the season. They may wait to see how their young guys look before dealing Stoudamire, but they'll make a move at some not-too-distant date. Maybe they did bring Navarro in mainly to pal around with Pau, but few clubs carry four points. (Juan Carlos is too short to play much shooting guard, right?)
Likewise Portland has four at the position, not to mention another stashed overseas. Blake and Jack seem like they'll stick with the Blazers. Taurean Green has looked good so far. That leaves flashy Sergio Rodriguez as the possible odd man out. The Celtics might be looking for someone a little more experienced and poised than Rodriguez (they already have their own young developing point in Pruitt).
Personally I think Eddie House will be the back up point and will do just fine. Whatever remaining assets the front office has would be much better spent acquiring an unusually tall person.
Finishing this thing off where it began- Evaluating the new Boston Celtics obviously can't be done based on any team statistics from last season or before. You look at what it takes to win on the basketball floor in every phase of the game (and I mean REALLY win) and all you see are strengths on top of strengths. There remain a few questions of depth, and a lot of unknowns in chemistry and tempo, but overall this is one formidable looking group. No matter what the game situation calls for —defense, rebounding, or an end of game play— the Celtics have the personnel to match it.
I actually was not setting out to statistically prove that last year's team was bad. Everybody's already painfully aware of that. Instead the point is this: The 07-08 Celtics look really good in every aspect of the game. When you do that, you win big.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
10 things after Europe
1) Just a few months ago we were mourning our crummy ping pong karma. We thought we had done everything right: We'd ardently prayed to the Hoop Gods. Many Celtic fans had meticulously faked morally sound behavior in hopes of gaining divine favor. Covering all bases, we even went coldly rational and sacrificed games in order to increase lottery percentages. By season's end plenty of greenophiles cheered hard for tactical losses and mourned unnecessary wins.
When those fickle little white balls were finally counted, it seemed to have all been for nothing. The Celtics ended up with the worst possible 5th pick. Ugh. Man did that ever hurt.
As the draft approached I was wishing for skinny raw Yi. Here it is only four months later and I'm sizing up San Antonio for exploitable matchups. This is beyond amazing. Not to take away from Danny Ainge's skill, but I think that phony morally-upright scheme we had going really helped a lot. The Hoop Gods appreciate all heartfelt efforts, even karmic fakery.
It's beseeching time. Please bow your heads and pray with me now: "Thank you almighty Hoop Gods. Every one of us will be unusually good this season. We will eat our vegetables and turn out the lights when we leave the room. We promise. One more thing: omnipotent Ones, if you must use your terrible swift swords, please continue to smite others and not us. You Guys are the best. Amen."
2) On the subject of luck— winners earn their status but every one of them is also fortunate. Look around the league. This has been THE summer for bad luck and bad news: The ref scandal. The Knicks scandal. Major injuries in LA, Charlotte, and especially Portland. The Blazers were soaring on draft day, supercharged by two years of bold moves and even better good fortune. Now there's nothing but question marks in the great northwest.
The point is, something fundamental seems to have changed. The Celtics have brought in formidable talent but just as importantly they've gotten their enchanted mojo working again for the first time in many years. The bad luck is everywhere but here. Welcome back to the leprechaun! Where the heck have you been for the past two decades, you feisty little emerald slacker?
3) The games in Europe have created an unusual preseason schedule: Two games overseas, then a long break to recuperate. There's a week in between London and the next contest. That's followed by five games in seven nights. (Hah! Nights! In your face Aristotle!)
I believe Sean Grande pointed this out on the last CSL podcast: 5 games in 7 nights means this is when the final roster spots will be won. Pierce, Garnett, and Allen will need rest and the bubble players will get their chance. Everyone knows there are four bubblers battling for two jobs. Big Batista will have to look really bad to not make it. Manuel has practically no shot at staying, so the last spot comes down to Wallace or Jones. I'm a card carrying Wallace guy but may the best man win.
4) The Celtics played really well in Rome. The team turned over 3/5 of their roster, so it was a group of guys playing together for the first time. As the players get more accustomed to one another, they will dramatically improve, and that shouldn't take long. We're not waiting for skill development to see positive change anymore; all that has to happen is veterans getting used to each other.
5) Media coverage of this preseason has been fantastic. Newspaper beat reporters are doing a good job while travelling with the team in Europe. There's extended broadcasts on Comcast on the TV side. On radio WEEI is on board now that they're airing the games. On top of all that, there's been groundbreaking blog coverage with great behind the scenes reports from both Fabio Anderle on Celticsblog and Peter Stringer on his own Euroblog.
This buzz is taking place at the same time the local baseball club is favored to win it all, and the local football team appears invincible.
6) Do you think this season will see the largest cumulative rise ever in wins for the previous year's three worst teams? Milwaukee, Memphis, and Boston look good, good, and damn good respectively.
7) Conversely in the upper left corner, Sacramento, Seattle and Portland look bad, bad, and damn unlucky (all of a sudden). Minnesota's going to struggle too, but I don't feel right saying anything negative about the Wolves.
8) After two preseason games the Udonis Haslem Effect is squarely showing itself in the newly lean and leaping Kendrick Perkins. (The U.H.E.: when a decent player is effective beyond all expectations because the opposition is too busy covering his superstar teammates.) Perk was wide open time and again. He shot perfectly against Toronto and had his own mini dunkathon in London as the Wolves interior defense kept leaving him to double Garnett.
9) As for Mr. Rondo, he led the team in assists for the first two games. That modest accomplishment wouldn't normally be worth mentioning, but a real passing point has not been seen in Boston for many years. Get this: The point guard has been leading the team in passing. The big guys have been leading in rebounding. And the wings have been leading in scoring. Why that's just the way it's supposed to be!
Paul Pierce must be in heaven. He can concentrate his considerable skills towards what is required for each contest. He no longer has to lead the team in everything all the time.
10) Mike Gorman mentioned at the end of the London telecast that he thought Celtics fans could get excited about this club. I think we're already way there. We've all done more than enough waiting. The leprechaun is back. The Hoop Gods are wearing green again. All eyes are focused on the Celtics.
Our time is now.
When those fickle little white balls were finally counted, it seemed to have all been for nothing. The Celtics ended up with the worst possible 5th pick. Ugh. Man did that ever hurt.
As the draft approached I was wishing for skinny raw Yi. Here it is only four months later and I'm sizing up San Antonio for exploitable matchups. This is beyond amazing. Not to take away from Danny Ainge's skill, but I think that phony morally-upright scheme we had going really helped a lot. The Hoop Gods appreciate all heartfelt efforts, even karmic fakery.
It's beseeching time. Please bow your heads and pray with me now: "Thank you almighty Hoop Gods. Every one of us will be unusually good this season. We will eat our vegetables and turn out the lights when we leave the room. We promise. One more thing: omnipotent Ones, if you must use your terrible swift swords, please continue to smite others and not us. You Guys are the best. Amen."
2) On the subject of luck— winners earn their status but every one of them is also fortunate. Look around the league. This has been THE summer for bad luck and bad news: The ref scandal. The Knicks scandal. Major injuries in LA, Charlotte, and especially Portland. The Blazers were soaring on draft day, supercharged by two years of bold moves and even better good fortune. Now there's nothing but question marks in the great northwest.
The point is, something fundamental seems to have changed. The Celtics have brought in formidable talent but just as importantly they've gotten their enchanted mojo working again for the first time in many years. The bad luck is everywhere but here. Welcome back to the leprechaun! Where the heck have you been for the past two decades, you feisty little emerald slacker?
3) The games in Europe have created an unusual preseason schedule: Two games overseas, then a long break to recuperate. There's a week in between London and the next contest. That's followed by five games in seven nights. (Hah! Nights! In your face Aristotle!)
I believe Sean Grande pointed this out on the last CSL podcast: 5 games in 7 nights means this is when the final roster spots will be won. Pierce, Garnett, and Allen will need rest and the bubble players will get their chance. Everyone knows there are four bubblers battling for two jobs. Big Batista will have to look really bad to not make it. Manuel has practically no shot at staying, so the last spot comes down to Wallace or Jones. I'm a card carrying Wallace guy but may the best man win.
4) The Celtics played really well in Rome. The team turned over 3/5 of their roster, so it was a group of guys playing together for the first time. As the players get more accustomed to one another, they will dramatically improve, and that shouldn't take long. We're not waiting for skill development to see positive change anymore; all that has to happen is veterans getting used to each other.
5) Media coverage of this preseason has been fantastic. Newspaper beat reporters are doing a good job while travelling with the team in Europe. There's extended broadcasts on Comcast on the TV side. On radio WEEI is on board now that they're airing the games. On top of all that, there's been groundbreaking blog coverage with great behind the scenes reports from both Fabio Anderle on Celticsblog and Peter Stringer on his own Euroblog.
This buzz is taking place at the same time the local baseball club is favored to win it all, and the local football team appears invincible.
6) Do you think this season will see the largest cumulative rise ever in wins for the previous year's three worst teams? Milwaukee, Memphis, and Boston look good, good, and damn good respectively.
7) Conversely in the upper left corner, Sacramento, Seattle and Portland look bad, bad, and damn unlucky (all of a sudden). Minnesota's going to struggle too, but I don't feel right saying anything negative about the Wolves.
8) After two preseason games the Udonis Haslem Effect is squarely showing itself in the newly lean and leaping Kendrick Perkins. (The U.H.E.: when a decent player is effective beyond all expectations because the opposition is too busy covering his superstar teammates.) Perk was wide open time and again. He shot perfectly against Toronto and had his own mini dunkathon in London as the Wolves interior defense kept leaving him to double Garnett.
9) As for Mr. Rondo, he led the team in assists for the first two games. That modest accomplishment wouldn't normally be worth mentioning, but a real passing point has not been seen in Boston for many years. Get this: The point guard has been leading the team in passing. The big guys have been leading in rebounding. And the wings have been leading in scoring. Why that's just the way it's supposed to be!
Paul Pierce must be in heaven. He can concentrate his considerable skills towards what is required for each contest. He no longer has to lead the team in everything all the time.
10) Mike Gorman mentioned at the end of the London telecast that he thought Celtics fans could get excited about this club. I think we're already way there. We've all done more than enough waiting. The leprechaun is back. The Hoop Gods are wearing green again. All eyes are focused on the Celtics.
Our time is now.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Pitchforks and Point Guards
Pitchforks
As you know, there exists a highly motivated subculture of Celtic diehards who live for one purpose only. They regularly meet in the basements of eerie castles during thunderstorms and practice dark rituals, hoping to bring about Doc Rivers' demise. I've never attended. Have you?
I like Doc. He's a good coach (that statement just made a hundred werewolves howl in unison). Down. Slowly place your pitchfork down on to the floor. Gently, gently; that's it. Please hear me out.
Remember the AntiDanny Battalion and the Wyc Is Cheap Squadron? They've virtually disbanded. Is it possible the Doc Must Go Society is also endangered? At first glance that seems unlikely: Membership is at an all-time high. Torches are lit. Feathers are stored right next to the tar for easy access. The cauldron oil is bubbling.
Everyone has practiced their angry mob expressions until they've gotten them just right: "There he is! Get him! He won't escape us this time! Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité! To the Bastille!"
I would NOT characterize members of the Doc Must Go Society as "seething." Not at all. It's simply that after much calm discussion and thoughtful reflection, they feel replacing the coach would be a beneficial move for the Celtics. Hey, the DMGSers are my fellow greenhearts. We just happen to disagree on this one little detail...
I've been wrong before. In fact if I were to recount all my past wrong assumptions it would use up way too much bandwidth and cause techno-mayhem, so I'll just leave it at that, but I think there's an excellent possibilty that Doc Rivers is going to be this team's biggest positive surprise.
Here's a list of things I like about Doc:
1) He's a truly decent person and is great with the press, which is crucial in sports-crazy Boston.
2) He knows Celtic history, reveres it, uses it, and doesn't run away from the team's illustrious past like a certain former coach Who Shall Not Be Named.
3) He teaches young guys constantly during games, pulling them aside during timeouts, instructing them as to what they did right and wrong.
4) A lot of young players individually have come a long way in a short time under his tutelage, raising their trade value exponentially.
5) He's a plus when it comes to attracting free agents (the team had to become good for this to be evident).
6) Last year he held the most injury riddled team in the league together spiritually. That group stayed uniformly positive, which is remarkable.
7) He risked his own career last season, creatively increasing ping pong probabilities even though it publicly opened him up to ridicule.
8) He's confident, does not cave in to pressure, and never embarrasses the franchise.
9) He keeps all negative stories in house, never making them public.
10) He *bluntly* plays guys he otherwise would not want to in order to showcase them for a trade.
In other words he has sacrificed his own reputation and even his short term win-loss record for the long term good of the team.
I know... Some say he can't manage games, he can't draw up a play, his teams can't defend the pick and roll, he doesn't set a fixed rotation, and he didn't give (insert name here) a chance. I don't believe any of that is true or without reason:
* His teams have often been near the top of the league in scoring out of timeouts.
* He does draw up plays, but young players can't always execute properly.
* Likewise the pick and roll can only be defended by proper personnel. That personnel is here now; it wasn't before. The pick and roll is impossible to defend anyway when it's run perfectly like Stockton and Malone used to. To stop it consistently you need a long agile big man who can cover space quickly, and it helps to have veterans who've seen it countless times.
* Doc could have set a fixed rotation before, but it wouldn't have helped with wins and would have hurt player development and morale. His recent rosters had too many guys of similar skill and not enough surefire top talent. This has been discussed elsewhere: on good teams the starting lineup is mostly obvious. The Celtics of the past few seasons had multiple guys at nearly every position who were dead even in ability.
* As for not giving (insert name here) a chance— every single player under Rivers has gotten a fair chance. If Insert Name Here wanted to stay in the rotation, Insert Name Here should have played better basketball.
Now everything's changed. Now there ARE right answers. The starters are obvious. So are most of the rotation players. As for Insert Name Here—this season he's been to the all star game numerous times.
Maybe I'm mistaken and Doc will flop this season. If he does he'll be gone; the Celtics don't have the luxury to be patient with this group. On the other hand don't be surprised if they look really good and Doc all of a sudden seems to have added dozens of IQ points. Doc will make the same decisions in the same way he always has; only now with better players, those decisions will work.
This year is not last year. Last year's roster found ways to lose. This year's roster will find ways to win.
If I'm right by January hundreds of pitchforks will have been responsibly recycled into pom poms.
Point Guards
I love Rondo and think he's going to have a tremendous year, but a look at the past reveals that a pure point is not necessary to win championships. Peeking back at Celtic champions, only the Cousy teams had a great pure point guard. After Cousy left it was Sam and KC at guard (there used to be two Joneses, now there are two Allens). The 70s champs had Jo Jo White and Don Chaney; the 80's team had Danny Ainge and DJ. They were all formidable players but none was anything close to a pure point guard. EXCEPT FOR TINY ARCHIBALD. NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY FORGET TINY. The same goes for Jordan's Bulls and the successful but decidedly evil recent Laker titleists.
In other words there are lots of ways to win. You can go out there with two plain old talented guards, some really good passers in the frontcourt, and still kick everybody's butts.
One last word: It's OK if the team goes 3-5 in the preseason. The games don't count. (The league office has confirmed this.)
As you know, there exists a highly motivated subculture of Celtic diehards who live for one purpose only. They regularly meet in the basements of eerie castles during thunderstorms and practice dark rituals, hoping to bring about Doc Rivers' demise. I've never attended. Have you?
I like Doc. He's a good coach (that statement just made a hundred werewolves howl in unison). Down. Slowly place your pitchfork down on to the floor. Gently, gently; that's it. Please hear me out.
Remember the AntiDanny Battalion and the Wyc Is Cheap Squadron? They've virtually disbanded. Is it possible the Doc Must Go Society is also endangered? At first glance that seems unlikely: Membership is at an all-time high. Torches are lit. Feathers are stored right next to the tar for easy access. The cauldron oil is bubbling.
Everyone has practiced their angry mob expressions until they've gotten them just right: "There he is! Get him! He won't escape us this time! Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité! To the Bastille!"
I would NOT characterize members of the Doc Must Go Society as "seething." Not at all. It's simply that after much calm discussion and thoughtful reflection, they feel replacing the coach would be a beneficial move for the Celtics. Hey, the DMGSers are my fellow greenhearts. We just happen to disagree on this one little detail...
I've been wrong before. In fact if I were to recount all my past wrong assumptions it would use up way too much bandwidth and cause techno-mayhem, so I'll just leave it at that, but I think there's an excellent possibilty that Doc Rivers is going to be this team's biggest positive surprise.
Here's a list of things I like about Doc:
1) He's a truly decent person and is great with the press, which is crucial in sports-crazy Boston.
2) He knows Celtic history, reveres it, uses it, and doesn't run away from the team's illustrious past like a certain former coach Who Shall Not Be Named.
3) He teaches young guys constantly during games, pulling them aside during timeouts, instructing them as to what they did right and wrong.
4) A lot of young players individually have come a long way in a short time under his tutelage, raising their trade value exponentially.
5) He's a plus when it comes to attracting free agents (the team had to become good for this to be evident).
6) Last year he held the most injury riddled team in the league together spiritually. That group stayed uniformly positive, which is remarkable.
7) He risked his own career last season, creatively increasing ping pong probabilities even though it publicly opened him up to ridicule.
8) He's confident, does not cave in to pressure, and never embarrasses the franchise.
9) He keeps all negative stories in house, never making them public.
10) He *bluntly* plays guys he otherwise would not want to in order to showcase them for a trade.
In other words he has sacrificed his own reputation and even his short term win-loss record for the long term good of the team.
I know... Some say he can't manage games, he can't draw up a play, his teams can't defend the pick and roll, he doesn't set a fixed rotation, and he didn't give (insert name here) a chance. I don't believe any of that is true or without reason:
* His teams have often been near the top of the league in scoring out of timeouts.
* He does draw up plays, but young players can't always execute properly.
* Likewise the pick and roll can only be defended by proper personnel. That personnel is here now; it wasn't before. The pick and roll is impossible to defend anyway when it's run perfectly like Stockton and Malone used to. To stop it consistently you need a long agile big man who can cover space quickly, and it helps to have veterans who've seen it countless times.
* Doc could have set a fixed rotation before, but it wouldn't have helped with wins and would have hurt player development and morale. His recent rosters had too many guys of similar skill and not enough surefire top talent. This has been discussed elsewhere: on good teams the starting lineup is mostly obvious. The Celtics of the past few seasons had multiple guys at nearly every position who were dead even in ability.
* As for not giving (insert name here) a chance— every single player under Rivers has gotten a fair chance. If Insert Name Here wanted to stay in the rotation, Insert Name Here should have played better basketball.
Now everything's changed. Now there ARE right answers. The starters are obvious. So are most of the rotation players. As for Insert Name Here—this season he's been to the all star game numerous times.
Maybe I'm mistaken and Doc will flop this season. If he does he'll be gone; the Celtics don't have the luxury to be patient with this group. On the other hand don't be surprised if they look really good and Doc all of a sudden seems to have added dozens of IQ points. Doc will make the same decisions in the same way he always has; only now with better players, those decisions will work.
This year is not last year. Last year's roster found ways to lose. This year's roster will find ways to win.
If I'm right by January hundreds of pitchforks will have been responsibly recycled into pom poms.
Point Guards
I love Rondo and think he's going to have a tremendous year, but a look at the past reveals that a pure point is not necessary to win championships. Peeking back at Celtic champions, only the Cousy teams had a great pure point guard. After Cousy left it was Sam and KC at guard (there used to be two Joneses, now there are two Allens). The 70s champs had Jo Jo White and Don Chaney; the 80's team had Danny Ainge and DJ. They were all formidable players but none was anything close to a pure point guard. EXCEPT FOR TINY ARCHIBALD. NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY FORGET TINY. The same goes for Jordan's Bulls and the successful but decidedly evil recent Laker titleists.
In other words there are lots of ways to win. You can go out there with two plain old talented guards, some really good passers in the frontcourt, and still kick everybody's butts.
One last word: It's OK if the team goes 3-5 in the preseason. The games don't count. (The league office has confirmed this.)
Monday, October 1, 2007
The Fourth Window
1) Since the Garnett trade, you've heard statements like:
"The Celtics traded away their future."
"The Celtics will be right back where they were in a few years."
"They threw away everything for stars on the downside."
Mmmm. Questionable words, don't you think?
Last week's article was partly about a door; this week's is mostly about windows. I'm here to talk about the ghosts of championship windows past, present and future:
2) The Ghost Of Windows Past:
What we are about to witness is the 4th window of potential Celtic championships.
Window #3 was the Bird era. Perceived window (the number of seasons people thought the Celtics could contend for the title): around 8 years. Actual window (the time between their first and last titles): 1981 through 1986; 6 years.
Window #2 was the Havlicek/Cowens era. Perceived window: around 5 years. Actual window: 1974 through 1976; 3 years.
Window #1— the Crystal Cathedral of NBA championship windows: 13 years. Actual window: 1957 through 1969; also 13. Russell and company won coming in and won going out; none of this "waiting to gel" stuff, and no long painful decline on the back end. Just wall to wall winning. Amazing.
Listen... angels are singing. Can you hear them?
3) The Ghost of Windows Future:
What am I the danged Oracle of freakin' Delphi? How should I know what will happen next? It doesn't matter right now. Que double-sera.
There's a lot more to say on that subject but for the moment let's concentrate on...
4) The Ghost of Windows Present:
The actual window of the first three green empires was 13, 3, and 6 years respectively. I'm talking about real championships with those numbers, not maybe-could've championships. So here we are after being locked in a dark dungeon for two decades with no windows and a busted door. Suddenly we're looking at a team with a chance to win everything again.
5) How Long Will This 4th Window Last?:
No one knows its duration. When this window closes it might turn out to be surprisingly big or might not ever have been there at all, just an illusion of that deranged prisoner in the dungeon. Right now though it looks very real and very wonderful.
To guess its extent let's realize that the 4th window is not being opened by a rookie like Russell's and Bird's were. Instead look at what Bill Walton calls "The MIddle Dynasty," the Tommy Heinsohn coached blazingly-fast champions of the 1970's. They did have great young players but John Havlicek -the cornerstone of that team's success- was of similar vintage to the current Big Three. The 70s team won two titles in three years. Only a Havlicek shoulder injury in the playoffs kept them from hanging a third banner. As windows go it was fairly short.
But TWO titles... What would TWO titles make you feel like right now?
It's very possible the 4th window could become comparable to the 2nd— easily enough time to win long-sought banner #17 and maybe more.
6) Back To The Future:
"The Celtics Traded Away Their Future." You've heard that statement. It came from the same people who repeatedly said the Celtics youth was overrated, not worth anything, and that the team HAD no future. ...Until they were traded; then suddenly the same players somehow become indispensible.
These gloomy analysts were wrong then and they're wrong now. As it turned out the Celtics young guys were worth a lot, and the future is yet to be written. Over time great teams make their own destiny.
7) Look West:
What are the championship prospects of the Dallas Mavericks and of the Phoenix Suns? (Does it even matter?) Those teams have won as many titles as the Celtics in the last two decades: zero. They're touted as great and successful franchises. Everyone said they had huge windows. Well, maybe they'll win something yet...
The reality of their situation is this: To this point their perceived windows have amounted to nothing.
The only thing that matters is actually winning, and this Celtics team has a chance to do just that right now, this very season. They have the every bit the same chance as the Suns or Mavs.
8) In closing the discussion I have one last thought that sums everything up: *It's not the size of your window. It's how you use it.*
--Final notes--
9) Tommy Heinsohn is loved. He's slowing down a little bit physically, and reports have implied that he's been dealing with medical problems within his family. While respecting his privacy, I want to wish Tommy and those close to him all the best through whatever it is that's going on. Tommy Heinsohn has meant so much to so many for so long. He's the one man who deserves to be in all three branches of the hall of fame as a player, a coach, AND a broadcaster. Best wishes Tommy, to you and to yours.
10) Swagger Update (realgmers- sorry for the repost):
A few weeks back I wrote an article about swagger. Mike Gorman brought up the same subject again a few days ago. Here he is quoted in Mike Fine's article in the Patriot Ledger on September 22nd:
‘‘It’s much easier to broadcast a good team than a bad team,’’ Gorman said. ‘‘I’m to the point of my career now where I’m not an objective journalist. I’m the Celtics play-by-play guy. Now to be able to walk into a building and inwardly having a little bit of a swagger, and to go on the air with a little bit of a swagger - I can’t wait.’’
...That goes for all of us.
"The Celtics traded away their future."
"The Celtics will be right back where they were in a few years."
"They threw away everything for stars on the downside."
Mmmm. Questionable words, don't you think?
Last week's article was partly about a door; this week's is mostly about windows. I'm here to talk about the ghosts of championship windows past, present and future:
2) The Ghost Of Windows Past:
What we are about to witness is the 4th window of potential Celtic championships.
Window #3 was the Bird era. Perceived window (the number of seasons people thought the Celtics could contend for the title): around 8 years. Actual window (the time between their first and last titles): 1981 through 1986; 6 years.
Window #2 was the Havlicek/Cowens era. Perceived window: around 5 years. Actual window: 1974 through 1976; 3 years.
Window #1— the Crystal Cathedral of NBA championship windows: 13 years. Actual window: 1957 through 1969; also 13. Russell and company won coming in and won going out; none of this "waiting to gel" stuff, and no long painful decline on the back end. Just wall to wall winning. Amazing.
Listen... angels are singing. Can you hear them?
3) The Ghost of Windows Future:
What am I the danged Oracle of freakin' Delphi? How should I know what will happen next? It doesn't matter right now. Que double-sera.
There's a lot more to say on that subject but for the moment let's concentrate on...
4) The Ghost of Windows Present:
The actual window of the first three green empires was 13, 3, and 6 years respectively. I'm talking about real championships with those numbers, not maybe-could've championships. So here we are after being locked in a dark dungeon for two decades with no windows and a busted door. Suddenly we're looking at a team with a chance to win everything again.
5) How Long Will This 4th Window Last?:
No one knows its duration. When this window closes it might turn out to be surprisingly big or might not ever have been there at all, just an illusion of that deranged prisoner in the dungeon. Right now though it looks very real and very wonderful.
To guess its extent let's realize that the 4th window is not being opened by a rookie like Russell's and Bird's were. Instead look at what Bill Walton calls "The MIddle Dynasty," the Tommy Heinsohn coached blazingly-fast champions of the 1970's. They did have great young players but John Havlicek -the cornerstone of that team's success- was of similar vintage to the current Big Three. The 70s team won two titles in three years. Only a Havlicek shoulder injury in the playoffs kept them from hanging a third banner. As windows go it was fairly short.
But TWO titles... What would TWO titles make you feel like right now?
It's very possible the 4th window could become comparable to the 2nd— easily enough time to win long-sought banner #17 and maybe more.
6) Back To The Future:
"The Celtics Traded Away Their Future." You've heard that statement. It came from the same people who repeatedly said the Celtics youth was overrated, not worth anything, and that the team HAD no future. ...Until they were traded; then suddenly the same players somehow become indispensible.
These gloomy analysts were wrong then and they're wrong now. As it turned out the Celtics young guys were worth a lot, and the future is yet to be written. Over time great teams make their own destiny.
7) Look West:
What are the championship prospects of the Dallas Mavericks and of the Phoenix Suns? (Does it even matter?) Those teams have won as many titles as the Celtics in the last two decades: zero. They're touted as great and successful franchises. Everyone said they had huge windows. Well, maybe they'll win something yet...
The reality of their situation is this: To this point their perceived windows have amounted to nothing.
The only thing that matters is actually winning, and this Celtics team has a chance to do just that right now, this very season. They have the every bit the same chance as the Suns or Mavs.
8) In closing the discussion I have one last thought that sums everything up: *It's not the size of your window. It's how you use it.*
--Final notes--
9) Tommy Heinsohn is loved. He's slowing down a little bit physically, and reports have implied that he's been dealing with medical problems within his family. While respecting his privacy, I want to wish Tommy and those close to him all the best through whatever it is that's going on. Tommy Heinsohn has meant so much to so many for so long. He's the one man who deserves to be in all three branches of the hall of fame as a player, a coach, AND a broadcaster. Best wishes Tommy, to you and to yours.
10) Swagger Update (realgmers- sorry for the repost):
A few weeks back I wrote an article about swagger. Mike Gorman brought up the same subject again a few days ago. Here he is quoted in Mike Fine's article in the Patriot Ledger on September 22nd:
‘‘It’s much easier to broadcast a good team than a bad team,’’ Gorman said. ‘‘I’m to the point of my career now where I’m not an objective journalist. I’m the Celtics play-by-play guy. Now to be able to walk into a building and inwardly having a little bit of a swagger, and to go on the air with a little bit of a swagger - I can’t wait.’’
...That goes for all of us.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Together We Can
1) Architecture:
You might recall a certain former Celtic coach/GM/president/emperor. Then again acute traumatic stress might have mercifully stricken all memories of this individual from your mind. Anyway this person who shall be referred to here as He Who Shall Not Be Named, once spoke about a door.
On March 1, 2000, He Who Shall Not Be Named told us all about a problem we were having with our collective door, saying, "Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door..."
"Oh no!" we thought. "Our precious door is busted!"
It certainly seemed that way as the only players who used the damaged portal during He-Who's time were guys like Chris Mills, Travis Knight, and Vitaly Potapenko. We said, "What a lousy door! How did we get stuck with an entryway that spews out only crappy players?"
Actually the story ends well. Here it is seven years later and as it turns out the problem wasn't with the door at all. Look: James Posey walked through it. Ray Allen walked through it. So did Kevin Garnett.
2) Together We Can:
I'm going off topic. I can't help myself.
When Deval Patrick ran for Governor of Massachusetts, his campaign slogan Together We Can seemed like the first half of a promise yet to be written. It seemed so bright and hopeful. It left everyone wondering— What was the second half of the phrase?
Was it:
"Together We Can build a great state?"
"Together We Can construct a society that is fair, honest and principled?"
Those certainly would have been really good answers, but unfortunately neither is correct.
Mr. Patrick revealed this week that the full sentence actually reads: "Together We Can shoot craps."
3) Another thing about the casino gambling proposal:
How can people be so culturally insensitive? I believe we need to stop and reflect on how this affects the Mashantucket Pequots. This could have negative consequences that will impact their simple time-honored tribal custom of emptying peoples pockets with traditional native American devices such as roulette wheels and slot machines.
4) Confusion:
Remember the bewildering March 13th game in Chicago where the Bulls wore kelly green uniforms and the entire contest seemed completely screwy because of it? Every time the Bulls ran on the break I got excited and then had to immediately reverse my emotions. It got so confusing I think I blacked out twice before halftime.
I expect the game in London against Minnesota will be greatly disorienting too, but for a different reason. One contest in Rome will not be enough to make me forget that Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes aren't Celtics anymore. Hold on, I getting misty here... Feeeelings, Wo Wo Wo... ...sniff sniff... ...you too Delonte out there in Seattle... ...You are the winnnnd beneath my wiiiinnngs... ...sniff.
I'm alright. I'm alright. I'll be ok by opening day.
5) Not Everybody Plays:
There are 15 roster guys. Only 12 at a time are active. Only 9 can get significant, regular minutes. The easiest way to figure who those 9 are is by guessing the bottom 6. Here's a stab at it (I don't expect to be right):
Barring the unexpected, the least experienced players are also least likely to play. That probably eliminates Manuel, Wallace, Pruitt, and Davis. Now we're at 11. (The Celtics first priority this season is something other than developing youth.)
Despite tentatively encouraging news from tonyallenland, I would think he'd be brought along very cautiously. This will change as the year progresses and Tony gains confidence. That makes 10, at least to start the season.
The last rotation spot seems to come down to Powe or Pollard (yes Scalabrine IS in the rotation, more on that next). So here's the projected 9 on opening day: Garnett, Pierce, Ray Allen, Perkins and Rondo start. Then Posey plays a lot, followed in no particular order by House, Scalabrine, and either Pollard or Powe.
Of course all this is based on no more trades or signings, Tony Allen coming along slowly, and no injuries. In other words it won't happen this way.
6) Scalabrine:
He's playing. He is. He did well with a veteran team in New Jersey. He'll do well with a veteran team in Boston.
7) Pick and Roll:
You want to know why the Celtics couldn't defend it before? Because they had the wrong personnel. That's all it was. Nothing more. You need an agile, long big man who can instantly cover a wide amount of space. It also helps to have veterans. Done, double done.
8) Speaking of defense:
I believe this Celtics team will be really good defensively. Every weakness they've had in the past just got fortified. Garnett, Rondo, Posey, Perkins, Tony Allen later- those guys can play guard dog D. Also many will be pleasantly surprised at Pierce's effectiveness on the other end now that he doesn't have to expend all his energy on offense.
9) Rebounding too:
Throw away any Perkins rebounding stats from last season. The foot did him in. With Perkins and Garnett up front, Pierce at the 3 and Rondo at point all garnering above average rebounds for their positions, this will be the best rebounding Celtics team since the guys who-aren't-walking-through-that-door were here.
10) The Udonis Haslem Effect:
Players who do just what they're good at when surrounded by superstars look great and often win titles.
Haslem is ok, but when he's playing with healthy Shaq and Wade he gets left alone, does his thing, and just kills you. Starting in November the Celtics are going to benefit from this same situation.
The list of players looking fabulous next to megastars goes on forever, such as: Happy Hairston and Jim McMillian; Horace Grant and Craig Hodges; Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry; and now just maybe Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo.
All Perkins and Rondo have to do is concentrate on their strengths and people across the nation will say, "Wow how about that? Perkins and Rondo are really good. I was mistaken. I plainly didn't know. Celtic fans said this would happen, and as always those dashing handsome devils were right."
ka thump, Ka Thump, KA THUMP. Two weeks to Rome. The drumbeat of the approaching season is steadily building. Can you hear it?
You might recall a certain former Celtic coach/GM/president/emperor. Then again acute traumatic stress might have mercifully stricken all memories of this individual from your mind. Anyway this person who shall be referred to here as He Who Shall Not Be Named, once spoke about a door.
On March 1, 2000, He Who Shall Not Be Named told us all about a problem we were having with our collective door, saying, "Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door..."
"Oh no!" we thought. "Our precious door is busted!"
It certainly seemed that way as the only players who used the damaged portal during He-Who's time were guys like Chris Mills, Travis Knight, and Vitaly Potapenko. We said, "What a lousy door! How did we get stuck with an entryway that spews out only crappy players?"
Actually the story ends well. Here it is seven years later and as it turns out the problem wasn't with the door at all. Look: James Posey walked through it. Ray Allen walked through it. So did Kevin Garnett.
2) Together We Can:
I'm going off topic. I can't help myself.
When Deval Patrick ran for Governor of Massachusetts, his campaign slogan Together We Can seemed like the first half of a promise yet to be written. It seemed so bright and hopeful. It left everyone wondering— What was the second half of the phrase?
Was it:
"Together We Can build a great state?"
"Together We Can construct a society that is fair, honest and principled?"
Those certainly would have been really good answers, but unfortunately neither is correct.
Mr. Patrick revealed this week that the full sentence actually reads: "Together We Can shoot craps."
3) Another thing about the casino gambling proposal:
How can people be so culturally insensitive? I believe we need to stop and reflect on how this affects the Mashantucket Pequots. This could have negative consequences that will impact their simple time-honored tribal custom of emptying peoples pockets with traditional native American devices such as roulette wheels and slot machines.
4) Confusion:
Remember the bewildering March 13th game in Chicago where the Bulls wore kelly green uniforms and the entire contest seemed completely screwy because of it? Every time the Bulls ran on the break I got excited and then had to immediately reverse my emotions. It got so confusing I think I blacked out twice before halftime.
I expect the game in London against Minnesota will be greatly disorienting too, but for a different reason. One contest in Rome will not be enough to make me forget that Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes aren't Celtics anymore. Hold on, I getting misty here... Feeeelings, Wo Wo Wo... ...sniff sniff... ...you too Delonte out there in Seattle... ...You are the winnnnd beneath my wiiiinnngs... ...sniff.
I'm alright. I'm alright. I'll be ok by opening day.
5) Not Everybody Plays:
There are 15 roster guys. Only 12 at a time are active. Only 9 can get significant, regular minutes. The easiest way to figure who those 9 are is by guessing the bottom 6. Here's a stab at it (I don't expect to be right):
Barring the unexpected, the least experienced players are also least likely to play. That probably eliminates Manuel, Wallace, Pruitt, and Davis. Now we're at 11. (The Celtics first priority this season is something other than developing youth.)
Despite tentatively encouraging news from tonyallenland, I would think he'd be brought along very cautiously. This will change as the year progresses and Tony gains confidence. That makes 10, at least to start the season.
The last rotation spot seems to come down to Powe or Pollard (yes Scalabrine IS in the rotation, more on that next). So here's the projected 9 on opening day: Garnett, Pierce, Ray Allen, Perkins and Rondo start. Then Posey plays a lot, followed in no particular order by House, Scalabrine, and either Pollard or Powe.
Of course all this is based on no more trades or signings, Tony Allen coming along slowly, and no injuries. In other words it won't happen this way.
6) Scalabrine:
He's playing. He is. He did well with a veteran team in New Jersey. He'll do well with a veteran team in Boston.
7) Pick and Roll:
You want to know why the Celtics couldn't defend it before? Because they had the wrong personnel. That's all it was. Nothing more. You need an agile, long big man who can instantly cover a wide amount of space. It also helps to have veterans. Done, double done.
8) Speaking of defense:
I believe this Celtics team will be really good defensively. Every weakness they've had in the past just got fortified. Garnett, Rondo, Posey, Perkins, Tony Allen later- those guys can play guard dog D. Also many will be pleasantly surprised at Pierce's effectiveness on the other end now that he doesn't have to expend all his energy on offense.
9) Rebounding too:
Throw away any Perkins rebounding stats from last season. The foot did him in. With Perkins and Garnett up front, Pierce at the 3 and Rondo at point all garnering above average rebounds for their positions, this will be the best rebounding Celtics team since the guys who-aren't-walking-through-that-door were here.
10) The Udonis Haslem Effect:
Players who do just what they're good at when surrounded by superstars look great and often win titles.
Haslem is ok, but when he's playing with healthy Shaq and Wade he gets left alone, does his thing, and just kills you. Starting in November the Celtics are going to benefit from this same situation.
The list of players looking fabulous next to megastars goes on forever, such as: Happy Hairston and Jim McMillian; Horace Grant and Craig Hodges; Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry; and now just maybe Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo.
All Perkins and Rondo have to do is concentrate on their strengths and people across the nation will say, "Wow how about that? Perkins and Rondo are really good. I was mistaken. I plainly didn't know. Celtic fans said this would happen, and as always those dashing handsome devils were right."
ka thump, Ka Thump, KA THUMP. Two weeks to Rome. The drumbeat of the approaching season is steadily building. Can you hear it?
Monday, September 17, 2007
10 things about why I hate the shape of the Earth
1) In mid September a lot of people say there's not much to talk about. Not true! I have a huge Celtic-related issue to bring up; something that really makes me mad and has not been discussed one bit– It's the physical shape of planet Earth. I REALLY don't like it being spherical.
Here's why: The Boston Celtics open the exhibition season in Rome against Toronto. Everybody reading this is looking forward to that game to get an idea of what the team looks like, how they move together, to see Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in green. This will be as highly anticipated as any regular season contest in recent years. Don't you just want to watch as the starting five walks on the court for the first time? That will be thrilling.
2) Anyway before we get to the big issue, I have a few other items to go over: First, are they sending Mike and Tommy to Europe? Will they be ok? Will big enough air holes be cut in their crate? Will there be soft enough packing material to protect them? Is there a special customs form for shipping broadcasters?
I worry about this stuff. Someone has to.
3) Does anyone know if this game will even be televised? I assume it will but does anyone know?
4) Another side note (nonItalians DO NOT READ): Italian Celtic fans, I'm glad for you. You get to host the first exhibition. Please don't take anything I say as a criticism of the wonderful city of Rome or of your beautiful country.
5) OK let's get down to it: The shape of the Earth has made me mad before, but now I'm furious. This whole spherical-planet-circling-the-sun idea seemed fine when they introduced it centuries ago, but I don't think they had much foresight— because now it's causing a grave problem for all of us, one that cannot be ignored.
6) I know no one else has brought the subject up, not the Boston Herald, not the Globe; not one local newspaper, radio reporter or television broadcaster. I think they've been scared off. Gagged. Muffled. Told in no uncertain terms what talking about this issue will cost them. Well let me say right here and now, I will speak! I will not be silenced!!
7) As everyone knows, a few thousand years ago the Earth was flat. It was perfect. Sun in the sky. Land below. Nobody falling off. Everybody happy. Then Artistotle and his gang of thugs got together and changed everything. When no one was looking, those slimy philosophers made the planet round. The cutthroats! This has created nothing but problems ever since, the greatest of which we face on October 6th 2007, the day of the first exhibition game of the rest of our lives.
In the words of the great Charlton Heston, "You maniacs! Damn you! God...damn you all to hell!"
8) I know what you're thinking: That's not true. Aristotle's a giant. He's one of our finest philosophers.
Is he? Is he really? When you finish the next few paragraphs I'm sure you'll agree with me that he's history's second greatest monster, right behind Kenny G.
9) Why couldn't they have left well enough alone? A flat world would have been ideal in this situation. Instead here's what we Celtic fans face: Due to the nefarious subterfuge of the diabolical Aristotle and his legion of doom, Earth is now a sphere. Because of this fiendish restructuring, there now exist time zones. Are you starting to understand where this is going? Is the hideous truth now dawning on you?
10) Because the Earth is round and the game is being played in Rome, there's a time zone difference. Rome is six hours away! This game -this most precious game- will be played in the mid-afternoon our time! Even if the contest is broadcast, even if Mike Tommy survive their perilous trip in the broadcaster shipping crate, the game will either be done on tape delay or shown in the afternoon. NOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Aristotle, you demon-spawn, what have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???
Here's why: The Boston Celtics open the exhibition season in Rome against Toronto. Everybody reading this is looking forward to that game to get an idea of what the team looks like, how they move together, to see Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in green. This will be as highly anticipated as any regular season contest in recent years. Don't you just want to watch as the starting five walks on the court for the first time? That will be thrilling.
2) Anyway before we get to the big issue, I have a few other items to go over: First, are they sending Mike and Tommy to Europe? Will they be ok? Will big enough air holes be cut in their crate? Will there be soft enough packing material to protect them? Is there a special customs form for shipping broadcasters?
I worry about this stuff. Someone has to.
3) Does anyone know if this game will even be televised? I assume it will but does anyone know?
4) Another side note (nonItalians DO NOT READ): Italian Celtic fans, I'm glad for you. You get to host the first exhibition. Please don't take anything I say as a criticism of the wonderful city of Rome or of your beautiful country.
5) OK let's get down to it: The shape of the Earth has made me mad before, but now I'm furious. This whole spherical-planet-circling-the-sun idea seemed fine when they introduced it centuries ago, but I don't think they had much foresight— because now it's causing a grave problem for all of us, one that cannot be ignored.
6) I know no one else has brought the subject up, not the Boston Herald, not the Globe; not one local newspaper, radio reporter or television broadcaster. I think they've been scared off. Gagged. Muffled. Told in no uncertain terms what talking about this issue will cost them. Well let me say right here and now, I will speak! I will not be silenced!!
7) As everyone knows, a few thousand years ago the Earth was flat. It was perfect. Sun in the sky. Land below. Nobody falling off. Everybody happy. Then Artistotle and his gang of thugs got together and changed everything. When no one was looking, those slimy philosophers made the planet round. The cutthroats! This has created nothing but problems ever since, the greatest of which we face on October 6th 2007, the day of the first exhibition game of the rest of our lives.
In the words of the great Charlton Heston, "You maniacs! Damn you! God...damn you all to hell!"
8) I know what you're thinking: That's not true. Aristotle's a giant. He's one of our finest philosophers.
Is he? Is he really? When you finish the next few paragraphs I'm sure you'll agree with me that he's history's second greatest monster, right behind Kenny G.
9) Why couldn't they have left well enough alone? A flat world would have been ideal in this situation. Instead here's what we Celtic fans face: Due to the nefarious subterfuge of the diabolical Aristotle and his legion of doom, Earth is now a sphere. Because of this fiendish restructuring, there now exist time zones. Are you starting to understand where this is going? Is the hideous truth now dawning on you?
10) Because the Earth is round and the game is being played in Rome, there's a time zone difference. Rome is six hours away! This game -this most precious game- will be played in the mid-afternoon our time! Even if the contest is broadcast, even if Mike Tommy survive their perilous trip in the broadcaster shipping crate, the game will either be done on tape delay or shown in the afternoon. NOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Aristotle, you demon-spawn, what have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Swagger
You know what's the best thing about this offseason? The swagger's back baby! The swagger: that tangible feeling that the Celtics are not like other teams, that the schedule is a list of probable wins, and that the sole purpose of the rest of the league is to provide a blank canvas for Boston Celtic titles. As November draws near, everybody feels some of the electric spark that used to be commonplace in the old days.
Long ago there were only two types of Celtic seasons. There were championship years, and then there were the seasons between championships; the in-between years. This is the way everyone who followed the team in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s always used to think: If the Celtics weren't celebrating, they were preparing. If they didn't win, the next championship squad was being assembled. Everyone had swagger, from Red Auerbach through the whole organization to every last fan. The swagger was infectious. The swagger was everywhere. It was a thundering communal power.
There were in-between years after Bill Russell and Sam Jones retired. They didn't last long; Havlicek, Cowens and company took care of that. When the 70s contenders fell apart, there came a few more in-between years. Then Bird arrived. The point being that even when the team was down everyone knew the next title was always coming. It wasn't just maybe going to come. Sure as sunrise, the next championship was inevitable...
...Everyone is aware of what's happened since then. 21 years have passed since 1986. But you know what these 21 years have been? As it turns out, maybe they've been nothing more than in-between years, just a longer run than usual.
Let me take a short detour:
I have a confession to make: I taped the Kevin Garnett press conference. (I know what you're thinking: Uh oh. That's completely demented. Don't make eye contact.) It's alright. Yes I do realize taping offseason press conferences is a classic danger sign. I fully acknowledge that I might need professional help. They say admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery...
Anyway I'm not in therapy, but recent years of television viewing lead me to imagine that a typical session would go like this:
Me: "Doctor, I saw some ducks and then fainted next to the swimming pool."
Therapist: "That doesn't mean anything."
Me: I'm also given to fits of homicidal rage which are largely work related."
Therapist: "Mmm. Everyone has their quirks. Don't worry about it."
Me: "Well I taped the entire Kevin Garnett press conference including the follow up segment with Gary Tanguay and Donny Marshall."
Therapist : "What? Really!?! God, oh dear God! That's completely freakin' nuts!"
Me: "Thank you Dr. Melfi. Wow, what a breakthrough. That's explains everything! You've helped me immensely. I feel so much better now."
So yeah, I taped the press conference. Hey it was THE transcendent moment when the swagger returned to greenhearts everywhere.
Halfway through the broadcast Ray Allen looked at Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and said, "When I'm on the perimeter and I know I got these guys behind me, my confidence level goes up sky high. My SWAGGER is through the roof."
There was plenty of cheering at that press conference, from hard-bitten press types too. Why were they cheering? They weren't just cheering Garnett, Pierce and Allen. They weren't just cheering because their jobs got easier. They were cheering the return of the swagger.
The swagger is something everybody shares. It's back, it's magical, and we all get a piece of it.
Under previous management, the Celtic organization lost touch with its flame. After Danny Ainge took over, few noticed a rekindling. Suddenly there's a bonfire blazing. This summer has been a revelation. What started as a buzz on draft night has turned to a roar. These are good years coming up. Enjoy them. A lot of people have waited a long time to get this feeling again.
Long ago there were only two types of Celtic seasons. There were championship years, and then there were the seasons between championships; the in-between years. This is the way everyone who followed the team in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s always used to think: If the Celtics weren't celebrating, they were preparing. If they didn't win, the next championship squad was being assembled. Everyone had swagger, from Red Auerbach through the whole organization to every last fan. The swagger was infectious. The swagger was everywhere. It was a thundering communal power.
There were in-between years after Bill Russell and Sam Jones retired. They didn't last long; Havlicek, Cowens and company took care of that. When the 70s contenders fell apart, there came a few more in-between years. Then Bird arrived. The point being that even when the team was down everyone knew the next title was always coming. It wasn't just maybe going to come. Sure as sunrise, the next championship was inevitable...
...Everyone is aware of what's happened since then. 21 years have passed since 1986. But you know what these 21 years have been? As it turns out, maybe they've been nothing more than in-between years, just a longer run than usual.
Let me take a short detour:
I have a confession to make: I taped the Kevin Garnett press conference. (I know what you're thinking: Uh oh. That's completely demented. Don't make eye contact.) It's alright. Yes I do realize taping offseason press conferences is a classic danger sign. I fully acknowledge that I might need professional help. They say admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery...
Anyway I'm not in therapy, but recent years of television viewing lead me to imagine that a typical session would go like this:
Me: "Doctor, I saw some ducks and then fainted next to the swimming pool."
Therapist: "That doesn't mean anything."
Me: I'm also given to fits of homicidal rage which are largely work related."
Therapist: "Mmm. Everyone has their quirks. Don't worry about it."
Me: "Well I taped the entire Kevin Garnett press conference including the follow up segment with Gary Tanguay and Donny Marshall."
Therapist : "What? Really!?! God, oh dear God! That's completely freakin' nuts!"
Me: "Thank you Dr. Melfi. Wow, what a breakthrough. That's explains everything! You've helped me immensely. I feel so much better now."
So yeah, I taped the press conference. Hey it was THE transcendent moment when the swagger returned to greenhearts everywhere.
Halfway through the broadcast Ray Allen looked at Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and said, "When I'm on the perimeter and I know I got these guys behind me, my confidence level goes up sky high. My SWAGGER is through the roof."
There was plenty of cheering at that press conference, from hard-bitten press types too. Why were they cheering? They weren't just cheering Garnett, Pierce and Allen. They weren't just cheering because their jobs got easier. They were cheering the return of the swagger.
The swagger is something everybody shares. It's back, it's magical, and we all get a piece of it.
Under previous management, the Celtic organization lost touch with its flame. After Danny Ainge took over, few noticed a rekindling. Suddenly there's a bonfire blazing. This summer has been a revelation. What started as a buzz on draft night has turned to a roar. These are good years coming up. Enjoy them. A lot of people have waited a long time to get this feeling again.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Announcement
In case anyone is curious, I'm changing the way this site is used. My articles will be posted first on both Celticsblog's main page and on the Realgm Celtics forum. A few days later, after they've run their course, I'll put them here as sort of an archive. Having them posted on Celticsblog makes Only10things fairly redundant.
But if anyone comments here, I'll be happy to respond.
Thanks!
But if anyone comments here, I'll be happy to respond.
Thanks!
A theory on why the Globe hates the Celtics
It's common knowledge that the ownership and management of most New York newspapers are hideous brain-craving zombies. It's not spoken of very often, but pretty much everyone acknowledges that this is true.
Let me take you back several years ...
Long ago the best basketball newspaper anywhere was the Boston Globe. All the writers there loved the Celtics. This angered the zombie-overlords of the New York Times, who, so the story goes, consistently attempted to spread the false notion that Gotham was the basketball capitol of the world. Decent common people across the land would not hear any such thing. They knew perfectly well that Boston with its 16 titles and glowing intrinsic goodness was hoops central.
The enraged news-zombies of New York howled with frustration. What could they do? It was impractical to march stiff-leggedly through Connecticut all the away to Boston and eat the brains of the entire staff of the Globe. Instead they devised an ingenious alternate plan. The zombie moguls assembled their zombie accountants, zombie bankers and zombie lawyers, and while the world slept they silently exercised a corporate takeover of one of Boston's most cherished institutions.
Just like that the New York Times gobbled down the Boston Globe and turned it into a ghoulish subsidiary. Living Dead 1, Human Race 0.
On the following December 13th, the New York Times threw a seemingly innocent Christmas party for their Globe underlings. It was supposed to be like any other newspaper Christmas party (drunken debauchery, pagan worship, ritualistic sacrifice, etc.) but this time there was an unexpected surprise waiting for our heroic Boston Globe basketball staff.
The intrepid Globe writers arrived at the soiree filled with hometown gusto, ready to sing the praises of Boston's basketball superiority, and regale the New Yorkers with tales of championship Celtic lore. What they got was something else entirely.
No one knows what exactly happened that evening, but it was something chilling, something terrible; yes, something EVIL. The basketball writers that emerged from that party seemed completely different from those that arrived. Oh sure outwardly they looked the same, but they had fundamentally changed. Their souls had been taken! Everyone who emerged from that cursed gala despised the Boston Celtics forevermore!
So the next time someone from the Globe makes you mad when they talk about the Celtics, please be understanding. They can't help but feel as they do. The writing undead of the Boston Globe are not in control of themselves. Be kind to them. Remember, those columnists used to be regular folk just like you and me. They didn't ask to be this way.
Perhaps the raising of championship banner #17 will lift their curse and return them to their former Celtic-loving, sunny selves.
...Either that or some deep-pocketed local ownership buying back the newspaper would do it too.
(That must have been a heckuva party though.)
Now all this is just a theory mind you. Some say none of it ever happened; that the ownership of the New York Times loves puppies, looking at shapes in clouds, and picking wildflowers. Then again, how else do you explain the change in the Globe from the 80s to now? Soul snatching by New York zombies seems the simplest, most logical explanation.
Let me take you back several years ...
Long ago the best basketball newspaper anywhere was the Boston Globe. All the writers there loved the Celtics. This angered the zombie-overlords of the New York Times, who, so the story goes, consistently attempted to spread the false notion that Gotham was the basketball capitol of the world. Decent common people across the land would not hear any such thing. They knew perfectly well that Boston with its 16 titles and glowing intrinsic goodness was hoops central.
The enraged news-zombies of New York howled with frustration. What could they do? It was impractical to march stiff-leggedly through Connecticut all the away to Boston and eat the brains of the entire staff of the Globe. Instead they devised an ingenious alternate plan. The zombie moguls assembled their zombie accountants, zombie bankers and zombie lawyers, and while the world slept they silently exercised a corporate takeover of one of Boston's most cherished institutions.
Just like that the New York Times gobbled down the Boston Globe and turned it into a ghoulish subsidiary. Living Dead 1, Human Race 0.
On the following December 13th, the New York Times threw a seemingly innocent Christmas party for their Globe underlings. It was supposed to be like any other newspaper Christmas party (drunken debauchery, pagan worship, ritualistic sacrifice, etc.) but this time there was an unexpected surprise waiting for our heroic Boston Globe basketball staff.
The intrepid Globe writers arrived at the soiree filled with hometown gusto, ready to sing the praises of Boston's basketball superiority, and regale the New Yorkers with tales of championship Celtic lore. What they got was something else entirely.
No one knows what exactly happened that evening, but it was something chilling, something terrible; yes, something EVIL. The basketball writers that emerged from that party seemed completely different from those that arrived. Oh sure outwardly they looked the same, but they had fundamentally changed. Their souls had been taken! Everyone who emerged from that cursed gala despised the Boston Celtics forevermore!
So the next time someone from the Globe makes you mad when they talk about the Celtics, please be understanding. They can't help but feel as they do. The writing undead of the Boston Globe are not in control of themselves. Be kind to them. Remember, those columnists used to be regular folk just like you and me. They didn't ask to be this way.
Perhaps the raising of championship banner #17 will lift their curse and return them to their former Celtic-loving, sunny selves.
...Either that or some deep-pocketed local ownership buying back the newspaper would do it too.
(That must have been a heckuva party though.)
Now all this is just a theory mind you. Some say none of it ever happened; that the ownership of the New York Times loves puppies, looking at shapes in clouds, and picking wildflowers. Then again, how else do you explain the change in the Globe from the 80s to now? Soul snatching by New York zombies seems the simplest, most logical explanation.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
A Primer For Celtic Fans
Due to sweeping changes to the Celtic landscape, there are a few things (10 in fact) that Boston fans need to become acquainted with. (Shhh. They've been kept secret for a very very long time.):
1) After the season ends in April. There is actually a second season. It's a sort of tournament. They call it "The Playoffs." Sound it out with me, "Play-Offs. Playoffs." Got it? Were you able to say the word clearly? Good!
2) Yes it's true, the basketball season does NOT really end in April. They continue to have more games in these so called Play-Offs, where various teams compete for something called the NBA title. (Sound it out.)
3) Older fans may vaguely recall the word "Championship" (Champ-Ion-Ship). Younger ones may have noticed the 16 numbered blankets hanging overhead at the Boston Garden. These blankets or Ban-Ners are really fruits of winning the Champ-Ion-Ship in the Play-Offs.
4) I should also stop to explain the word Winning (Win-Ning). It's been so long... Winning means when your team has a higher score than the other team. If this happens on a regular basis, you are known as a Win-Ner.
Now I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but please stay with me, because here comes the hard part:
5) This is a really difficult concept to grasp for those unfamiliar with Winning, Banners, and Playoffs-- The lottery is actually NOT the most important day in the NBA season. (Gasp!) It's true. As it turns out, these Playoffs are MORE IMPORTANT!
6) When you are a Win-Ner, you receive a draft pick that isn't very good, and you don't get to be in the lottery at all. It's sort of a penalty. How about that!?!?
7) Because your draft pick isn't very good the NBA draft becomes much less important. Your mainstays of the past few decades: Youth, Upside, and Potential, no longer come into play very much. Really. When you are a Winner, you don't care about potential so much as this strange second season after April.
Confusing isn't it? Well don't worry, you'll get it soon enough.
8) Beyond that, the All Star game will have Celtics playing on the main evening, not just performing in the slam dunk contest.
9) During the regular season opposing teams will not laugh when they see you on the schedule. Instead they will display an expression you are not familiar with. This expression will resemble pain. It is known as fear. This means you win so frequently, the opposing team realizes they probably cannot beat you.
(Yes, think about that. You actually have a higher score than the other team so often that they expect you to win regularly. Amazing.)
10) Sometimes, someone besides Mike and Tommy may call the games. They make these particular games available to the entire country at once. They are known as "National Broadcasts," and are usually of very poor quality. It's OK; it's actually sort of a compliment.
Let's review:
Play-Offs.
Win-Ner.
Champ-Ion-Ship.
The lottery and draft are not important.
National Broadcasts.
Strange huh?
1) After the season ends in April. There is actually a second season. It's a sort of tournament. They call it "The Playoffs." Sound it out with me, "Play-Offs. Playoffs." Got it? Were you able to say the word clearly? Good!
2) Yes it's true, the basketball season does NOT really end in April. They continue to have more games in these so called Play-Offs, where various teams compete for something called the NBA title. (Sound it out.)
3) Older fans may vaguely recall the word "Championship" (Champ-Ion-Ship). Younger ones may have noticed the 16 numbered blankets hanging overhead at the Boston Garden. These blankets or Ban-Ners are really fruits of winning the Champ-Ion-Ship in the Play-Offs.
4) I should also stop to explain the word Winning (Win-Ning). It's been so long... Winning means when your team has a higher score than the other team. If this happens on a regular basis, you are known as a Win-Ner.
Now I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but please stay with me, because here comes the hard part:
5) This is a really difficult concept to grasp for those unfamiliar with Winning, Banners, and Playoffs-- The lottery is actually NOT the most important day in the NBA season. (Gasp!) It's true. As it turns out, these Playoffs are MORE IMPORTANT!
6) When you are a Win-Ner, you receive a draft pick that isn't very good, and you don't get to be in the lottery at all. It's sort of a penalty. How about that!?!?
7) Because your draft pick isn't very good the NBA draft becomes much less important. Your mainstays of the past few decades: Youth, Upside, and Potential, no longer come into play very much. Really. When you are a Winner, you don't care about potential so much as this strange second season after April.
Confusing isn't it? Well don't worry, you'll get it soon enough.
8) Beyond that, the All Star game will have Celtics playing on the main evening, not just performing in the slam dunk contest.
9) During the regular season opposing teams will not laugh when they see you on the schedule. Instead they will display an expression you are not familiar with. This expression will resemble pain. It is known as fear. This means you win so frequently, the opposing team realizes they probably cannot beat you.
(Yes, think about that. You actually have a higher score than the other team so often that they expect you to win regularly. Amazing.)
10) Sometimes, someone besides Mike and Tommy may call the games. They make these particular games available to the entire country at once. They are known as "National Broadcasts," and are usually of very poor quality. It's OK; it's actually sort of a compliment.
Let's review:
Play-Offs.
Win-Ner.
Champ-Ion-Ship.
The lottery and draft are not important.
National Broadcasts.
Strange huh?
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Roster turned over by 3/5ths in two months
For those playing along at home, here's a roster update after the Posey signing:
6 returning players (only SIX!):
Pierce
Perkins
Scalabrine
Tony Allen
Rondo
Powe
9 brand new players (NINE!):
Garnett
Ray Allen
Posey
Pollard
House
Brandon Wallace
Jackie Manuel
Pruitt
Mr. Glen Big Baby Davis
That's not just "blowing it up," that's a mushroom cloud.
...and I think there's one more move to come.
This is the most fun you can have in an offseason, isn't it?
6 returning players (only SIX!):
Pierce
Perkins
Scalabrine
Tony Allen
Rondo
Powe
9 brand new players (NINE!):
Garnett
Ray Allen
Posey
Pollard
House
Brandon Wallace
Jackie Manuel
Pruitt
Mr. Glen Big Baby Davis
That's not just "blowing it up," that's a mushroom cloud.
...and I think there's one more move to come.
This is the most fun you can have in an offseason, isn't it?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
What an Amazing Four Months This Has Been
>>>> Spring to Summer:
1) March and April: With a superb draft in sight, the Celtics along with numerous other teams did everything they could to maximize their chances of ping pong nirvana.
They sidelined everyone who either were injured, felt bad, or could play really well-- Mission sort of accomplished as the team "won" the injured-games-lost title.
They used the youngest, least experienced lineups in every fourth quarter.
And they lost. Oh how they lost. Only the Grizzlies were more skilled at the fine art of ping pong acquisition.
2) May 18th, the Lottery: All hope and most life essence was swiftly expelled from every greenblood when the team ended up with a worst possible 5th pick. Suddenly the Celtics were not getting Oden or Durant, but instead Yi or Jeff Green. Panic turned to an extended period of depression.
Slowly the pain faded a bit, as the other young prospects began to seem mildly tantalizing.
3) Late June: Draft night came and the Ray Allen deal was leaked, then verified. There was full blown confusion. The deal made little sense- seemingly pulling the team away from the youth movement without getting enough back to contend.
4) Weeks later: The Kevin Garnett rumors went from background noise to ground shaking reality. Everything changed. Everything was suddenly clear.
What I'm writing here is really about Danny Ainge and the Celtics front office, and what an amazing, practically unprecedented thing they're pulling off:
Ainge has been nearly universally maligned by the national press since his arrival.
His standing with the local press has been only slightly better.
It seemed the majority of fans were pretty negative on #44 too.
>>>> A Few Historical Points on All This:
1) Ainge didn't like the Celtic team he took over. They had peaked, had fading- not particularly talented players, and had few assets to trade.
2) From the first moment he said he was going to acquire trading chips and eventually use them.
3) He didn't use them right away but instead kept accruing more and more youth. When questioned about this, his answer was always the same: Despite trying constantly, he did not expect to be unable to make any major trades for veteran stars. He did not expect to keep all the young guys for so long. He was always working on changing that. He was not going to trade away his top young guys just for the sake of doing it. He was waiting for the right deal.
Most people didn't believe him for some reason.
4) The trade with Minnesota did include two draft picks, but one of them was Minnesota's own first rounder back. That one had protections on it that made it very likely it was going to turn into a second rounder in a few years. The other first rounder is going to be in the mid twenties or worse.
5) As has been pointed out, virtually EVERY SINGLE DEAL Ainge has ever done: the Antoine trade, the LaFrentz/Telfair (Roy) trade, both Szczerbiak trades, the Cleveland deal, the Detroit deal- resulted in assets that were later turned into Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.
6) He apparently targeted Ratliff's expiring contract as it was the biggest in the league heading into a year when many major names were coming on the market. That may have been a coincidence, but probably not.
7) Over the years he drafted very well with mid to late picks and second rounders, selecting: Jefferson, Green, Gomes, and West among others. Those young players plus a few large movable contracts were enough to make what is a franchise transformation of historical proportions.
So... whether this all will end up in a championship or not remains to be seen, but:
Every other contender in the league depends on players the age of Garnett, Pierce and Allen.
The Celtics have given up four fine young players, a few with star potential. They added two bonafide stars and kept Rondo (which was a dealbreaker in both the Minnesota and Seattle trades). Both McHale and Presti pushed hard for Rondo.
Their bench is going to look a lot better on the floor than it does on paper as most of the reserves will spend half their time left alone while the opposition scrambles to double team Pierce, Allen, and Garnett at once. (For example, you think Eddie House can knock down an open 3? Because that's what he's going to be seeing.)
Yes it's risky. But keeping all the young guys would be risky too, and the payoff from doing that would come years down the road, if ever.
>>>> Some Words on The Trade To Set Up The Next Trade:
1) Danny Ainge made the Ray Allen trade to set up the Kevin Garnett deal. That's amazing enough...
2) ...but as RealGM poster CalderCup wrote: "They only signed Pollard in order to woo Miller out of retirement, they're great friends from back in the day. It's all part of Danny's master plan."
I thought about that for a while, and it's probably true. Pollard and Miller are close from their time at Indiana. Danny Ainge used the set up technique twice this offseason. Plus, if you factor in the recent and future free agents that will sign with Boston to join the fun, that's a lot of added value coming out of the lottery malaise and the initial Ray Allen deal.
Whether everyone stays healthy and it all blends into a championship team remains to be seen, but one thing has been established: This is an incredibly creative sequence of moves by the Celtics front office.
ESPN was wrong. The Boston Globe was wrong. This is in fact a very clever front office.
...Now they just need a little luck and health.
1) March and April: With a superb draft in sight, the Celtics along with numerous other teams did everything they could to maximize their chances of ping pong nirvana.
They sidelined everyone who either were injured, felt bad, or could play really well-- Mission sort of accomplished as the team "won" the injured-games-lost title.
They used the youngest, least experienced lineups in every fourth quarter.
And they lost. Oh how they lost. Only the Grizzlies were more skilled at the fine art of ping pong acquisition.
2) May 18th, the Lottery: All hope and most life essence was swiftly expelled from every greenblood when the team ended up with a worst possible 5th pick. Suddenly the Celtics were not getting Oden or Durant, but instead Yi or Jeff Green. Panic turned to an extended period of depression.
Slowly the pain faded a bit, as the other young prospects began to seem mildly tantalizing.
3) Late June: Draft night came and the Ray Allen deal was leaked, then verified. There was full blown confusion. The deal made little sense- seemingly pulling the team away from the youth movement without getting enough back to contend.
4) Weeks later: The Kevin Garnett rumors went from background noise to ground shaking reality. Everything changed. Everything was suddenly clear.
What I'm writing here is really about Danny Ainge and the Celtics front office, and what an amazing, practically unprecedented thing they're pulling off:
Ainge has been nearly universally maligned by the national press since his arrival.
His standing with the local press has been only slightly better.
It seemed the majority of fans were pretty negative on #44 too.
>>>> A Few Historical Points on All This:
1) Ainge didn't like the Celtic team he took over. They had peaked, had fading- not particularly talented players, and had few assets to trade.
2) From the first moment he said he was going to acquire trading chips and eventually use them.
3) He didn't use them right away but instead kept accruing more and more youth. When questioned about this, his answer was always the same: Despite trying constantly, he did not expect to be unable to make any major trades for veteran stars. He did not expect to keep all the young guys for so long. He was always working on changing that. He was not going to trade away his top young guys just for the sake of doing it. He was waiting for the right deal.
Most people didn't believe him for some reason.
4) The trade with Minnesota did include two draft picks, but one of them was Minnesota's own first rounder back. That one had protections on it that made it very likely it was going to turn into a second rounder in a few years. The other first rounder is going to be in the mid twenties or worse.
5) As has been pointed out, virtually EVERY SINGLE DEAL Ainge has ever done: the Antoine trade, the LaFrentz/Telfair (Roy) trade, both Szczerbiak trades, the Cleveland deal, the Detroit deal- resulted in assets that were later turned into Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.
6) He apparently targeted Ratliff's expiring contract as it was the biggest in the league heading into a year when many major names were coming on the market. That may have been a coincidence, but probably not.
7) Over the years he drafted very well with mid to late picks and second rounders, selecting: Jefferson, Green, Gomes, and West among others. Those young players plus a few large movable contracts were enough to make what is a franchise transformation of historical proportions.
So... whether this all will end up in a championship or not remains to be seen, but:
Every other contender in the league depends on players the age of Garnett, Pierce and Allen.
The Celtics have given up four fine young players, a few with star potential. They added two bonafide stars and kept Rondo (which was a dealbreaker in both the Minnesota and Seattle trades). Both McHale and Presti pushed hard for Rondo.
Their bench is going to look a lot better on the floor than it does on paper as most of the reserves will spend half their time left alone while the opposition scrambles to double team Pierce, Allen, and Garnett at once. (For example, you think Eddie House can knock down an open 3? Because that's what he's going to be seeing.)
Yes it's risky. But keeping all the young guys would be risky too, and the payoff from doing that would come years down the road, if ever.
>>>> Some Words on The Trade To Set Up The Next Trade:
1) Danny Ainge made the Ray Allen trade to set up the Kevin Garnett deal. That's amazing enough...
2) ...but as RealGM poster CalderCup wrote: "They only signed Pollard in order to woo Miller out of retirement, they're great friends from back in the day. It's all part of Danny's master plan."
I thought about that for a while, and it's probably true. Pollard and Miller are close from their time at Indiana. Danny Ainge used the set up technique twice this offseason. Plus, if you factor in the recent and future free agents that will sign with Boston to join the fun, that's a lot of added value coming out of the lottery malaise and the initial Ray Allen deal.
Whether everyone stays healthy and it all blends into a championship team remains to be seen, but one thing has been established: This is an incredibly creative sequence of moves by the Celtics front office.
ESPN was wrong. The Boston Globe was wrong. This is in fact a very clever front office.
...Now they just need a little luck and health.
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