Thursday, December 25, 2008

10 new board suggestions for RealGM

Merry Christmas everyone. Blessings on the day. Especially you Tiny Tim.

RealGM has about 50 basketball discussion boards, but judging by the amount of times the following subjects come up, they could use a few more. Here's some suggestions:


1) The Tommy Board

Yes we know. You hate Tommy. You say he's a homer and that he's the worst announcer in the game. Yet you keep tuning in. Do you turn the sound down and play Vivaldi? No, you just keep listening then get on the internet and gripe about it.

Tough tinsel, Tommy whiners. He was a great player, a brilliant coach, and still knows way more about this game than anyone in your struggling franchise. We love him and he's not going anywhere.

(This would be the most frequented board on that entire website.)


2) The Paul Pierce Fakes Injuries Board

All I have to say is: What pray tell did he gain from this Machiaveliian ploy ?


3) The Paul Pierce Was Nothing Before KG and Ray Allen Arrived Board

This is the first of many discussion groups dedicated to saying each of the Celtics are really not very good because they never won a championship before last year. So if you bring up Paul Pierce, he isn't very good...


4) The Garnett Was Nothing Before Joining Pierce and Ray Allen Board

...they also say Garnett is really not that great because he also never won a title with bad teammates. (Who in the name of James Naismath ever has?)

So every time a Celtics player is discussed, each according to these self proclaimed experts is really not good. Their past proves it.


How come then, basketball-back-of-the-classers, are the Celtics playing like one of the all time great teams if each of their players is so untalented?


5) The Doc Rivers Was A Terrible Coach Before He Got Great Players Board

This is always from the very same people who say Pierce, Allen, and Garnett are all no good when the topic is solely about them.

Doc is coaching the same way he always has. Of course he couldn't win with Allan Ray and Gerald Green starting!


Earth to whiners, name me a a Phil Jackson team filled with bad players? How would he do if he didn't parachute in to a stacked roster?


6) The I Really Used To Like Kevin Garnett But Now I Hate Him Board

Garnett hasn't changed one bit. You used to like him because he used to lose. You hate him because now he's burying your favorite team (and loving every minute of it).


7) The I Hate Every Player On The Celtics Aside From Ray Allen (Except in LA where they hate Ray Allen too) Board

You hate the Celtics? Like we care.


8) The Perkins Is A Scrub Board

A "scrub" to these nice folks is apparently someone who has not made the all star game.

A guy who plays to his strengths, makes few mistakes, shoots a high percentage, controls the middle, is a great teammate and a furiously hard worker is no scrub!


9) The Rondo Is A Scrub Board

Heh heh. Heh heh heh. Ha. Ha ha ha. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAHA HA!!!! ...sniffle.

Seriously stop. Of all the dumb dumbness out there, I think this is the absolute dumbest.


10) The Celtics Are Not Going To Win The Title Again Board.

Yes they are.



(Merry Christmas to all you visiting Celtic loathers too. May all your nonbasketball wishes come true.)

Sunday, December 14, 2008

10 Sunday things

1) First Round Opponent

In the first round of the playoffs it's very clear that the Celtics will face either: Detroit, Miami, New Jersey, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, or Indiana.


2) Mutombo

He's coming here. it makes too much sense for him not to. He will win a title here. His renowned charity work would burgeon in Boston. (The only other destination that makes any sense at all is San Antonio.)


3) When Dikembe Arrives

Probably Cassell will just move to offical assistant coach status from his current unoffical assistant coach position.


4) When Dikembe Arrives #2

It won't bury Big Baby. Somehow, some way, Baby will still play. He's got a great attitude. He's young. Cripes, he's just a kid. Wait until he fills out.


5) Utah

Next stop Jazz. (Utah ...Jazz... that still gets me. What an oxymoron.) Is Deron Williams still hobbled? He gave Rondo fits last year, but if he's not healthy and thriving the Wasatch StanGetz's will be going down!


6) Utah #2

Remember last year the Jazz walloped the Celtics in Boston? I think they were the only West team to win in ye olde TD Bankitybank Center last season. The Celtics surely recall this and will parcel out some vengeance tomorrow night.


7) Cavs

They're good. They're very good. But they're not as magnificent as your Hollingery types are leading you to believe. They are 3-3 vs. top teams. That's .500 and not so impressive.


8) Atlanta

Speaking of the Cavs, they just lost to the Hawks. The Atlanta game on Wednesday scares me a little bit. If the Celtics can win down in GA they have an excellent chance of setting both an all-time franchise winning streak and a new mark for best start to a season by anyone ever.


9) Comcast

How come Cousy isn't welcome any more but nonCeltic Donny Marshall is? Donny's decent. There's nothing wrong with him. He works hard at the job.

The only thing that bothers me is this: Donny if you're listening I don't care about any of the following things: shoes, neckties, shirts, suits, golf and UCONN. I care about the Celtics.


10) Posey

That sneaky SOB! Man was he great to watch. He was grabbing, tugging, slapping and hounding on every play and getting away with it. What a smart devious veteran... and I say that with the utmost love and respect.


Bonus thing)

Antoine? Noooooohhhhhhhh!!!! Bill Walker fills the Walker quota for this franchise.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

10 quick things

1) Ubuntu

How do you say, "The bench sucks," in Swahili? I mean they don't (at all) but after the KG/Baby incident I'm just asking.


2) Rondo

I confess. On RealGM, I've been Rondobaiting. Is that immoral? It sort of sounds like it is.

I've been going to other boards and politely telling them Rondo's better than their guy. I know it's wrong, but Lord help me, I can't stop.


3) To the people who made fun of Mr. Davis:

I wrote this elsewhere (I'm trying to get up to 10 things quickly because I've got to go to work.):

"Yeah, real men don't show emotion! Real men go on RealGM and whine incessantly about the refs and Kevin Garnett's personality...

(That's why they call it "Real"GM.)"


4) Vecsey

Great line from Peter Vecsey in today's NY Post:

"AFTER visiting the Jose Conseco Fieldhouse tomorrow, the 19-2 Celtics invade our nation's capital Thursday. Given the way they're playing, David Stern has canceled the remainder of the season, called off the playoffs and ordered them to go straight to the White House."


5) Giddens and Walker:

Are playing better in the D-league than Gabe Pruitt ever did. Bill Walker could be contributing to the big squad now if there were adequate minutes for him.


6) Techs

I just read in the papers today that the Celtics lead the league by far in technical fouls. So let me ask you this whiny fans of other teams: If the refs are favoring the Celtics how come they keep T-ing the green guys up?

If anything the refs are mad at the Celtics.


7) Evening Out

Ray's improved because of health and Rondo. Rondo's improved dramatically. Perkins has improved. Garnett and Pierce have gotten some of the load taken off their shoulders. This is a five pronged trouble machine for other teams. The Celtics are really formidable now- even moreso than last year.


8) Big 4

Who's been not only the best point guard in the East but the best player on the Celtics the past few weeks? It's Rondo! Rondo has actually been more important to this team recently than Garnett, Pierce or Allen!!

If he maintains or improves on this level of play, it's the Quality Quartet, the Terrifying Tetrad, yes... The BIG FOUR.


9) O'Bryant

I'm very very patient in making judgements about young big men, but Patrick's not giving me anything to be positive about yet. I'm not giving up hope, but I'm looking for a reason here.


10) Streak

11 in a row. It must be frustrating for Cleveland and LA to win 9 out of 10 and lose ground.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

10 things after 9 straight

1) Pause to Reflect

Are you a little worried about the back up center spot, or back up point, or allocation of minutes to some young guy who you just know would help the team? You think Garnett should be shooting more? You wonder about Rondo's free throw shooting?

Stop. Give it up. Quit worrying. This, right now, is as good as it gets. This as good as you will ever have it.

The Boston Celtics are on a 9 game winning streak. They are defending champions. They are 17-2 and visibly gaining momentum.

You'll never have a more comfortable hoops moment than now. Please pause to enjoy it.


2) Rondo

He of the gargantuan hands has taken a LEAP. He has become an elite passing point guard. You can combine that with his lofty FG%, position leading blocks, numerous steals, shutdown D, mesmerizing speed, and defense shredding driving ability.

For the legion of nonCeltic affiliated Rondo-doubters out there all I have to say is this: If Rajon Rondo was on a mediocre team where he had to shoot a lot instead of on a GREAT team where he wisely makes his teammates better, he'd be scoring 20 a game.


3) Tommy Bashers

Fans of other teams: You don't like Tommy? We don't care. He's our guy. We love the Celtics and Tommy IS the Celtics. I've said this before: If you're hearing Tommy somewhere else in the country you're eavesdropping. The broadcast isn't meant for you!

You criticize him because he's a homer? Well, being a homer is okay with me. Tommy Heinsohn is a homer in the splendid tradition of the great Johnny Most. He's a regional treasure...


4) Refs

...and he gets to complain about the refs. Why? Because of legal precendent from his ref-warring days when he was the best coach in the game. The rest of you- I'm talking to you fans of other teams: When the Celtics kick your favorite franchise's posterior back to the D-league, it's because the Green is BETTER than your squad...

That's it. David Stern didn't do it. The refs certainly didn't do it. Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rondo, Perkins and the Celtics bench did it.


5) Other Coaches.

And another thing for you opposing fans: Get off your coach's back. What's Sam Mitchell supposed to do with the talent he has and Jermaine O'Neal hobbled? How about Mo Cheeks getting a lumbering Elton Brand to squeeze in with his non-shooting racehorses? Or Don Nelson with his best players injured, young, or gone?

I'll tell you: They're gonna lose some games, maybe a lot of games. These guys are good coaches but just like Doc Rivers when he didn't have the players, they are not going to win big.


6) Summary To This Point For Fans Of Other Teams

Quit complaining about the following: Tommy, refs, David Stern, your own coach, losing to a team with three hall of famers, and quit underestimating Rondo. Please retain some dignity.


7) Great Starts

The Celtics, Cavs and Lakers are off to really impressive starts. But do not discount the emergence of other teams by playoff time. If anyone thinks the Spurs (when healthy) can't play with the best in the game they have short memories and have forgotten San Antonio's every-other-year thing.


8) Devin Harris

Whoa! It's very impressive what the young man is doing. Dallas must be sick over this. Fortunately for Boston, Rondo matches up very well with Harris.


9) Spring Roster

Is the current roster the playoff roster? Last year at this time therre was no PJ Brown. There are rumors the Celtics might pick a player up by midseason: Horry (huh?) Marbury (double huh?) Joe Smith, or maybe even PJ Brown himself.


10) Sam

As far as that goes, Sam Cassell seems very comfortable with his quasi-assistant coach role. He doesn't appear to care about minutes, or even giving up his uniform to bring in someone else. But he got two techs and an ejection last night! I wonder what he said from the bench.

I can see why they kept him around. He's smart and a great team guy.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

10 Things: Champions

1) At Last

What an amazing turnaround. What a season. What a story.

After 22 years the skies have cleared and the sun shines through. In the heavens above the stars are once again in proper alignment. It's been rags to riches and worst to first. It's the type of tale that Hollywood could make into an all-time epic film... that is if Hollywood wasn't so busy licking their wounds from getting steamrolled by the incredible resurgence of the Boston Celtics.

Without reason the Lakers came into the Finals as presumptive favorites. That did not hold. The Western Conference representatives were drowned in a great green tidal wave. In the end it was the Celtics easiest series of the playoffs. This was a thunder clap announcing the return of the Boston Celtics to the place where they once regularly resided- once again on top of the world. Once again champions.


2) The Finals

The Finals themselves were thrilling. Every Celtic win brought with it a very special storyline:

Win #1: The image of Paul Pierce in a wheelchair. The series seemed like it was over before it really even began. The sound bite of Doc in the huddle rallying his players, saying we're the better team, we don't stop playing. Then unexpectedly Pierce bounded out of the tunnel. The crowd erupted like a volcano. You could see Banner 17 in the distance.

Win #2: Leon Powe rebounding, scoring, and just bullying the weaker Laker frontline. LA only added to the drama with a furious 4th quarter comeback. But it fell short. Banner 17 moved closer.

Win #3: After a grinding loss in Los Angeles, the Celtics came out flat while the Lakers blazed. Boston fell 24 points back. It seemed sure that the series would be tied. But Doc Rivers and his players stayed positive and mounted the greatest comeback in Finals history. Essentially the title was decided right there.

Win #4: Adding to their record setting season, Boston just shattered their opponents in the greatest blowout ever in a deciding game.

One or two of those tales would have made for a normal finals. Four makes it an instant legend that will be remembered forever.


3) Doc

In the last few days some stories have come out about Doc Rivers and the little things he's done to motivate his team through the season: You might have watched the Duck Boat parade Thursday. Well apparently early on, Doc rented a Duck boat and took Pierce, Allen and Garnett for a ride, telling them this is what they do for you after you win a title in Boston.

The championship banners you see in the Boston Garden are duplicates. The real ones hang in the Celtics practice facility. Apparently there was an empty space among those banners. Doc Rivers had a spotlight mounted to highlight that void. Then he had the light taped so no one could turn it off and said the light would remain on until a new banner hung there. Day after day, month after month, the light shone on the empty space. Now the banner has been won. The light can be turned off.

Early in preseason Doc introduced the word "ubuntu" to his players. In short: All for one and one for all. They took it to heart. Every man blended into the team.

Doc wouldn't touch the trophy until the Celtics won it.

All these little things added up and ultimately paid off.


(By the way, how much do you think Doc could get for the Gatorade shirt on Ebay?)


4) Regular Season

I've heard more than a few people say regular season games don't mean anything (most of that was from fans of the opposing team trying to convince themselves they could beat the Celtics in the postseason). As it turned out regular season games meant everything, especially in the early rounds of the playoffs.

Here are a few of my favorite regular season moments. They needed every one to earn what turned out to be a precious home court advantage:

Ray Allen's buzzer beater in Toronto, and his even more incredible buzzer beater after a steal in Charlotte.

Rondo dunking over Maxiell in the third regular season Detroit game.

Sweeping the first west coast trip.

Taking the Texas triangle.

Beating San Antonio and Dallas without Kevin Garnett.

But my favorite regular season moment of all was the second Detroit game when Big Baby on the court with seven all stars, took over the game. That knocked the Pistons back. Never again was Boston threatened for best overall record.


5) Never Been Done (or almost never)

24 wins to 66.

Adding players like PJ Brown and Sam Cassell so late in the season and blending them in.

Not having a fixed rotation. This one I love. Everyone has always said you need a fixed rotation, but it was a myth. The Celtics never had one. They really only had six guys -the starters and Posey- who had fixed roles. The rest of the roster was utterly fluid. Doc always said all 12 of his guys could play and all 12 of his guys were always ready, and -hey- he meant it. Guys sat for a week or two, even in the playoffs, then would bounce up rust-free and make a huge shot or grab a crucial rebound.
This alone was an eye opener.

Small ball. Criticized at every turn, a small ball lineup prevailed in the 24 point comeback.



6) Danny

Danny Ainge- unfairly maligned as one of the worst execs in the game for so long, orchestrated this turnaround and this championship. The funny thing is, much of the national media and basketball viewing public still can't see how he did it. They still say he was no good until this past year, not understanding he was slowly and methodically accumulating assets, positioning himself to take advantage of any opportunity that would arise.

And whoa, how he took advantage. In moves that were first bewildering and then quickly breathtaking, Ainge acquired two perfect-fit all stars, followed by just the right role players. The Celtics were transformed from lottery losers to contenders in a matter of weeks.


7) Ownership

Wyc Grousbeck, Steve Pagliuca and the rest of the ownership group were smart, patient, and above all committed. They did what owners have to do: let the basketball guys run the show and fork over the dough. All I can say is thank you. Or actually, THANK YOU! Terrific job.

(You can go out there and proudly tell fans of other franchises: Our rich guys are better than your rich guys.)


8) 22 Years

So long in the wilderness. So much bad luck. So many bad decisions. So much tragedy. We lived in a darkened world as Darren Daye turned to Travis Knight. Larry, Kevin, and Robert retired. Reggie died. Gaston, Pitino and Wallace tried to devour the last of our pride. The team could gain no traction. Tanking proved fruitless as ping pong balls bounced the wrong way. There were small teams, slow teams, young teams, but never great teams.

Until now. Now that's all behind us. The Green is back on top.


9) Legends

In the Finals in Boston when we scanned the sidelines there were virtually no entertainment stars. Real stars were shown: Bill Russell returned and picked up Red Auerbach's mantle as patriarch of the franchise. Of course Tommy was there, and Jo Jo and Hondo and Walton and Max and more. Out there somewhere Cousy was watching, and I'm sure Bird, McHale, Parish, Cowens, Silas, Sam, KC and so many others were too. The living history of the Boston Celtics saw the rebirth; they saw the great and glorious green flame rekindled.


10) Banner 17

I write this last segment with moist eyes. We have all waited so long. The young ones among us have never felt this before. The Boston Celtics are back. They are champions once again.

Next year hungry teams like Los Angeles, Portland, New Orleans, Orlando and Utah will want the title. So will San Antonio, Cleveland, and Detroit. I say to them, you want the title? You know where it is. If you think you can take it, come and try.

The NBA Championship is in Boston, where it belongs.

Monday, June 9, 2008

10 Things After Game 2

1) Trick or Treat?

Sunday June 8th, 2008: the scariest Halloween ever. The Lakers made a frightening attempt at egging the TD Banknorth Garden before falling just short of an incredible fourth quarter comeback.

This is what LA does. Remember game 1 of the Western Conference finals? It was similar with the Spurs holding a 20 point lead when Los Angeles took advantage of a suddenly lackadaisical defense and steamed to an enormous triumph.

This time the lead was bigger and later. The Lakers ran out of time. Unlike the Spurs the Celtics held on.

...and the answer is: Treat! (phew)


2) Kareem

Former Milwaukee Buck great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was interviewed on the postgame by Mike Gorman. His take on the LA comeback- It was all about the Celtics. It was not what the Lakers did; it was the Celtics letting up and getting complacent.

Kareem is really smart and right on the mark: The Celtics determined what took place. (LA's offense is too potent to relax. See San Antonio above.)

This is good though. It means the Celtics are in control. If they play their defense it's their series...


3) Lessons

...That is lesson number one.

Lesson number two, learned in the first two rounds: Don't let up on the road.


4) The Best Two Teams

I mentioned this last time- The best two teams in the NBA played in the Eastern Conference finals when Boston faced Detroit. In that series the Celtics regained their awesome road prowess. They went into Motown and took two out of three. So now everybody moves to the west coast.


5) Comfort

It's not Atlanta. It's not Cleveland. It's not Detroit. It's LA, our comfy home away from home! Paul Pierce grew up there. Scalabrine and Pruitt played nearby. Leon Powe is from California. Sam Cassell is a liberated Clipper. Kevin Garnett owns a house in Malibu. The Celtics play very well in the land of tinsel. They're relaxed. It's not foreign territory; the Celtics have familiar couches in that town. They eat home cooked meals. They have old friends and favorite spots. For the purposes of home-versus-road Los Angeles is practically a Boston suburb, the last stop on the green line.


6) Leon

One Golden State Celtic looked particularly fantastic last night. My oh my. What a show by Mr. Powe. His efficiency per minute in Game 2 was probably enough to send John Hollinger into spasms. Absolutely magnificent.


7) 2006 Draft

Were you mad when Danny Ainge traded the 7th pick in the 2006 draft for Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff? I was. As it turns out, I know nothing. Not only did the trade ultimately end up netting Kevin Garnett, look what Danny got in that draft: Rajon Rondo and Leon Powe: 16 assists and the Game 2 hero. That's the 21st and 49th picks.

We all expect Brandon Roy to have a fine career, and thanks to the young man's ping pong acumen the Blazers may stop this budding Lakers-dynasty-on-paper before it starts; but I believe we can safely say this turned out to be a good trade for both teams...

...and 2006 was a very good draft for both teams too.


8) Marcus versus Delonte

Speaking of 16 assists, do you recall the long and intense Marcus Banks vs. Delonte West debate? Well that debate is over. The winner is Rajon Rondo.


9) The Opposite of Ubuntu

Did you see Mr. Bryant scowling at his teammates when they didn't get him the ball in the final critical possession? He should have been mad, but his chronic undercutting of the other Lakers is unhealthy. The same guy who demanded a trade in the off-season just does not seem to support his teammates well when the going gets rocky. He's the antiubuntu.

All for one, as long as the one is him.


10) Game 3

The Celtics did what they had to do.

Game 1 was the epic phoenix flight of Paul Pierce. Celtics win.

Game 2 was the comeback from hell that fell just short. Celtics win.


Now Game 3: Celtics win again.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

10 Things, Finals Preview

1) LA's Run

Chances are you've heard of the Lakers 12-3 record in the playoffs. No doubt you've also heard that the Celtics went 12-8. Trouble for Boston? Nope.

Atlanta was not the worst team in the playoffs. Denver was, and by far. Whereas the Hawks play furiously on both ends, the Nuggets are the most obscenely indifferent defensive team the NBA has seen since Paul Westhead's one-way-only Nuggets of 90-91. Yes the current Nugs had that fine regular season record, but faced with intense playoff basketball they were pure lottery.

Utah was great this year but any Jazz fan will tell you the Lakers were the one match up they simply could not handle. The Jazz needed to be in the opposite bracket from LA. They could have taken anyone else in the West. Not Los Angeles. The first two rounds were gifts for the SoCal team.

The five game victory over the defending champs was more impressive. Yes the Lakers caught a late game break from the refs. Still, they came back from some huge deficits to arrive at the Finals. It was a very strong showing for them.


2) West

Everyone knows as a whole the West is better than the East. In some corners people are taking the depth of the Western Conference as proof the Lakers just ran off some sort of historical feat. Not true. Do not confuse overall depth with the strength of the top teams. There were seven good teams in the Western playoffs; not one is a top two team on this side of the big river.

For the purposes of degree-of-difficulty, reaching the finals from the East is a greater accomplishment. Why? Because the two best teams in basketball just played and Boston beat Detroit 4-2. The Pistons are better than San Antonio.


3) Level Of Play

Look, the Celtics ran away with the conference. They coasted in, giving lots of play to their bench. By the time the playoffs arrived they had lost a bit of their edge. They beat the Hawks despite playing poorly. They beat the Cavs despite playing only decently. They got their groove back a few games into the Detroit series, and that was that.


4) New Guys

There's another thing: It took some time for PJ Brown to reclaim his legs and game again. PJ seems to be fine now.

On the downside, Sam Cassell still hasn't made the adjustment. We'll see if that costs Boston.


5) Bench

I keep hearing about how great the LA bench is. Really? When did Luke become his Dad and Turiaf become Rodman? I mean they're good but not nearly great. The bench vs bench battle is up for grabs.


6) What Will Win It

Chances are this series comes down to one factor: Can the Lakers shred the best defense in the league the way they did the best defenses in the West? If they can, hats off, they win. But if the Celtics do to Los Angeles what they did to Detroit in the fourth quarter of game 6, what they did to LeBron for much of the Cleveland series, and frankly what they've done to everybody since Estaban Batista was yelling out "ubuntu" in Rome -which is SHUT PEOPLE DOWN- then Boston raises the banner.


7) Heard It Before

Since that game in Rome, through the preseason, before the first game against Washington, and through the whole season, all we've heard is how the Celtics can't win the next one.

They won't be able to play together.
They can't play defense (sheesh).
They haven't won on the road, against this team or that team, faced pressure; advanced in the past, with this coach, with these players; and on and on and on. It's a numbing buzz of nonsense that has not once let up.

Well let me tell you world, and let me tell you LA: THE CELTICS ARE HERE. They're here because they keep winning. They've overcome every obstacle. They've beaten every team. They have the best defense in the game. The Celtics are alive. They're dangerous. They're ready.


8) Frontcourt

Wherever you look, there's an interesting match up in this series. Perkins is playing fantastic ball recently. He's a wildcard.

I imagine defensive assignments will change but if Gasol and KG cover one another, that means Perkins and Odom face off. That prospect is very intriguing. Power vs. finesse. It's a mini contest between two players who've been prone to mistakes in the past. Who imposes their will in this one?


9) Points

In looking at the point guards you only get more questions. Experience against havoc. If Rondo pushes the jets all series long, this will be trouble for Los Angeles.


10) Stars

No need for me to comment much on the marquis guys. There's some great players for both sides in this series. No doubt you've already thought and read more than enough about them.

It's time. Good luck to one side. May the Celtics win.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

10 ECF Things

1) Good Start

It was a fine win in game one. But only Celtics fans with serious short term memory loss will find the victory excessively gloat-worthy.

We've been here before against the Hawks and Cavs and the Pistons are better than either of those teams. Though there was a lot to love about Game 1, it was only 1 Game.


2) Chauncey

There are some encouraging signs though. The first and biggest is, whether due to rust or the leg strain Chauncey was off. Shockingly Detroit looked great against Orlando without Mr. Billups. Stuckey filled in admirably and the Pistons rolled.

The Celtics are not Orlando. They are much better defensively and Stuckey (though he is very talented) is a bit inexperienced to handle lead guard under that sort of pressure.

At the beginning of the game when Flip put Rip on Rondo you knew something was not right. If Chauncey remains hampered, Detroit is in for some pain. Rondo's speed becomes devastating if you're limping.


3) Comcast

Hats off to the TV guys at Comcast New England. Their coverage has been nothing short of magnificent. Only a few years ago they used to spend Celtic halftimes talking about the Red Sox and Patriots. Now their pre and postgame shows are wall to wall interviews, press conferences, and insight. Excellent job. I can't compliment them enough.

(By the way I always get a kick out of hearing Celticblog's Justin Poulin ask a postgame question to Doc, Pierce or Garnett. That's so cool.)


4) No Freakin' Freaks

The Cavs are not as good as Detroit but Cleveland does have something the Pistons lack: impossible individual match ups. No matter who you have on your squad, LeBron is an enormous problem and Zydrunas Ilgauskas is just too tall. Detroit clobbers their opponents with poise, precision and a starting five with stingers at every position. They lack impossible people though.


5) Click Your Heels Judy Garland

"There's no place like home." 9-0 now. 0-6 on the road. This oddity ends soon (I think). In Game 1 Boston played like the regular season Celtics for the first time in weeks. With Eddie House in the rotation instead of Sam Cassell the team that had the best road record during the first 82 might just be back.

Let's hope so. No doubt many of us can't keep doing these locked-up Game 5's and 7's without health risks.


6) Sometimes teams win

The internet can be a disturbingly negative place can't it? In many darkened sectors of the virtual world no one ever actually WINS a game. Every loss happens because someone did something wrong. I mean, if everyone plays well and both coaches are brilliant, someone is still going to lose.


7) Along Those Lines

Doc is not alternately brilliant and dumb. He's coaching the same way every game. Sometimes he finds a guy isn't producing and switches to another option. That's the nature of a club with such a deep bench.


8) SA/LA

The West finals are something too. The Duncan swipers vs. the pernicious forces of the netherworld. I know many want a Boston/LA finals. Not me. I want a Boston/Anybody final, but would prefer San Antonio. I just feel unclean watching the Lakers. Plus capturing the holy grail of the 17th banner against Duncan just seems like it was meant to be.


9) How 'Bout Them Bulls?

Wasn't it great not caring about the lottery? After recent years many of us never want to see another ping pong ball as long as we live.

Funny how the conspiracy devotees had every scenario mapped out except Chicago.


10) Game 2

The Pistons are dangerous. They bounced back twice against Philly, but the Sixers won their game with overwhelming intensity, which Detroit then matched.

It might be different this time. The Celtics won the first contest on talent. Detroit can raise their fervor but not their talent level. The Garnett and Pierce match ups will continue to give them serious trouble (and maybe Rondo too). If Ray Allen finds his stroke this series might just be over quickly.

We can only hope.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

10 Things About Road Losses

Frustrating isn't it? The Celtics are 0-5 away from Boston in the playoffs. I have ten theories about why they cannot win a single game on the road.

From least plausible to most plausible:


1) Malevolent Force

Since the 80's there is a great body of evidence supporting the malevolent force theory. The Celtics have been derailed by incompetence, hideous luck, ping pong pox, and tragedy. It's happened so frequently that one can only assume a huge unseen force really has it in for the team.


2) You Did It

You didn't sit in your lucky chair, or wear your sure-win hat, or cross your legs the right way, or your Celtics victory-dog was sleeping the wrong room. You yelled too loud, or not loudly enough. Your friend or co-worker or brother-in-law jinxed them.

Whatever you did, stop doing it. Whatever you didn't do, do it Wednesday night.


3) Karmic Retribution

I wrote a lot about Karma the last few years. (Admittedly I was grasping at straws during some dreadful seasons.)
Anyway the cumulative karma of Celtic-nation must have ebbed below minimally acceptable standards thereby by bringing on terrible vengeance from an unseen yet resplendent host...


4) Hoop Gods

...of hoop gods. Everyone knows the basketball universe is ruled by many gods. Ours is not a monotheistic cosmos.

The hoops gods are notoriously fickle. They greatly appreciate such offerings as making one last lay-up before you leave the court, no-peek free throws, and lofting one through the rim from behind the back-board. Yet even these regular rituals cannot always placate a warring host of hoop lords.

Sometimes they just like smiting things and right now they're smiting the Celtics.


5) Overwhelmed By Dark Forces

Staying on the metaphysical path... Everyone besides us hates the Celtics. They hate us because of the 16 banners. They hate us because of the 66 wins. They hate us because we're so astonishingly dazzingly beautiful. No one hates the Jazz or the Hornets. I think maybe the cosmic ether has been poisoned by all this negative thought.


6) Tony Allen Isn't Playing

He plays hard- often out of control but always hard. The Celtics have been too passive without him.


7) Eddie House Isn't Playing

Eddie has his weaknesses, but the second unit offense did flow a little better when he was in there. Plus he spreads the floor. That might allow a lane for Pierce to drive more.


8) Brian Scalabrine Isn't Playing

If he was, the team would be buoyed by a rising sea of intangibles.


9) The Playoffs Really Are Different

It is not good when all these veteran players are affected by hooting Georgians and Buckeyes. I mean, they had the best road record in the league during the regular season. Now- nothing. Ugh. This is a bad sign for future rounds (should they get past the Cavs).


10) Tight Tight Tight

They're not playing their game. The body language is bad. Garnett isn't acting crazy enough; he's too subdued now. They're all thinking too much as if they're playing together for the first time. No one has taken the climb-on-my-back Cedric Maxwell role. Instead of pushing the ball for easy opportunities, they keep walking it up and letting the defense get set. They keep settling for jumpers instead of slashing and burning inside. Loosen up and play free guys.



In closing let me remind everyone that though the Celtics are 0-5 on the road during these playoffs, they are 6-0 at home. They have homecourt advantage throughout. No one's beaten them yet in Boston, and that's where game 5 will be played.

Friday, May 9, 2008

10 Second Round Things

1) Cassell

Sam did good last night. In fact Sam did good in the first Cleveland game as well.

Still, on the subject of the point guard rotation that did not stop panic and wild accusations from many corners of the great green nation: "Why isn't Eddie House playing!?" "Rondo should play 43 minutes!" "I tell you there's no reason for Sam Cassell to be playing extended minutes!"

From a little nugget of truth --The-offense-is-sometimes-slower-when-Sam-runs-the-show-- came a tsunami of silliness.

Down 10, Mr. Sam with his close personal associates Leon Powe and James Posey, flat out won that game last night. Rondo uncharacteristically struggled early with two turnovers, two shots blocked, and a few missteps on defense.

Cassell entered and saved the day. No Sam, maybe no win.


2) House

Yes it would be pleasant if somehow Eddie House got some time too. The team does maintain the pace more consistently when House is in there. But there are 12 guys who could play and cold numbers determine that some remain seated. Right now those three are House, Big Baby and Tony Allen. Meanwhile Sam Cassell seems to have passed some critical point of cumulative court time where now he's playing on instinct with his new club instead of thinking. Whatever it is the Celtics are up 2-0 and Sam's a big part of it.

Still, Eddie House may yet play a key role in this championship run.


3) 2-0

As far as being up 2-0, haven't we been here before (like last week)? And didn't Detroit lead Cleveland 2-0 last year in the East finals? In other words, game 3 is obviously BIG. I do like the overall match up though. With only one athletic slasher as opposed to the Hawks' 3 or 4, Cleveland could well remain stymied for two more contests.


4) Bulpett

I love Steve Bulpett. He's my favorite Celtics scribe. He writes very well, is funny and has an easy-going personality. When he was interviewed on the postgame last night, I also noticed he slightly resembles Will Farrell. I think Steve could adequately fill in for Will should the comedian ever need an emergency understudy. Hollywood beckons Steve!


5) Ingrained

Every time West and Wally scored last night, I had a weird sensation. I automatically felt like two points should have gone on the board for Boston. Then reality snapped in. Oh yeah they got traded. Last year's team despite the horrific record was very likable.

But I'm sure everyone agrees: this year's team is just slightly preferable.


6) Posey

Whoa. What defense by this man. Key threes. Infectious energy. Posey's been great. I got a nickname for him: How about King James? It hasn't been used anywhere before has it?


7) Chauncey?

Billups tender hammy will spell doom for Detroit if he can't come back. The Pistons win that series with Billups healthy because he just destroys Jameer Nelson. But no Chauncey- no chancy. Nelson comes alive with Billups out. So...


8) Looking Ahead Before I Should

As much as I love the team-wide match up vs. the Cavs, I do not like the same thing (potentially) against Orlando. The Magic have two very tall mobile forwards who are dead-eye from long range. They also have Big Scary Dwight down low. Turkoglu and Lewis take the Celtics forwards way outside. This allows Howard to work alone against Perkins. The whole thing stretches the Celtics too far apart- kind of like tearing fabric. If the Celtics can put away Cleveland and Billups doesn't recover, a Boston/Orlando series will be difficult.

Imagine the new wave of silly-talk that will be generated if Orlando's hitting from outside. it will make the Sam Cassell thing look like nothing.

Regardless, should the Celtics prevail against the Cavs, either Orlando or Detroit will be very tough.


9) Mike and Tommy

Only one more Mike and Tommy game? And only if this series goes to 6 games? Noooooooooo!


10) Road

Lest we forget the Celtics had the best road record in the NBA this season. They faltered in Atlanta. I'm sure they're more aware of that than any of us.

Take game three fellas. Take game three.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

10 Playoff Things

Have you gotten mad at your television set recently? Have you raised your voice to it? Swore at it? Shut it off and left the room only to return moments later to turn it back on and yell at it again?

Did you momentarily (or even permanently) lose your faith in this team's ability to win?

Are you hoarse? Furious? Relieved? Confused? Do you love/hate/love/hate/love what's going on? Did the coach do a great job, then a horrible job, then a great job?

Are you having fun?

Welcome to playoff basketball. It's only the first round.



2) Alphabet Plan

Theoretically this is the optimal way things should go:

A) Atlanta loses to

B) Boston. Who then beats

C) Cleveland and

D) Detroit. Making the Celtics

E) East champions, and taking them to the

F) Finals, which of course they also win.

G) Good, huh?


3) V Is For

Taking a momentary detour: did you know the Hawks Salim Stoudamire is a vegetarian? True.

As it turns out, it's not only for slender bench riding guards. All time NBA first team badass Maurice Lucas was also a vegetarian. (His teammate big Bill Walton was another.) For those too young to remember the champion Blazers of the late 70's, Mr. Lucas was a very scary man.

The following is from Henry Abbot's Truehoop blog on ESPN.com:

"Red Hot and Rollin', that book about the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers, has gotten a lot of play on ESPN.com -- and deservedly so. But there's one great little detail that I just have to add to the mix. It comes from a conversation the book's editor, Matt Love, had with Maurice Lucas: Lucas: I was a vegetarian for my whole career in professional basketball. ... I read a couple really nice books on proper nutrition, eating the proper things, meditation. I was doing a lot of transcendental meditation, and so with that and the food, it all came together and worked. Of course, my mom thought I was crazy, that I had lost my mind.

Love: What did the other guys in the league think about your vegetarianism? That is unheard of today.

Lucas: Well, when I beat them all up they wouldn't say jack."


4) Playoff Realignment?

Nuh-uh.

Remember the good old days when the western part of the United States was filled with rugged self-reliant types like mountain men and range riders? No more. Now whining is the favorite past-time of the formerly great West.

Golden State had a better record than Atlanta. Boo freakin' hoo. In the words of the great Julie London, "Cry me a river."

There cannot be a playoff realignment that breaks up the regional conference apparatus and replaces it with a national 1-16 system.

Why? WHY? You want to know why? I'll tell you why: Let's say hypothetically that New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, and Portland are all in the playoffs. In the first round Portland plays New Jersey, and New York plays Philly. Both series go seven games. New Jersey and New York both win and meet in the second round...

You want unfair? That's unfair. The Knicks are rested because their travel time between cities was meaningless, while the Nets had to fly cross-country at least four times and are completely exhausted.

My solution: Keep the current system and deport all whiners west of the Mississippi to Los Angeles. They weren't exactly bringing this issue up in the 80's when it worked in their favor, were they?



5) Who Shot the Clock?

Back to the Hawks: Did you become despondent after game three when Atlanta gutted out a win? It's ok. The end result of the series will be the same. Now the Hawks can go home and have a happy restful summer.

You know who else could use some rest? The Atlanta technical staff.



6) Here's What Caused The Problems

The Hawks played with surprising poise and fury, but the cause of the two road losses was that the Celtics lapsed on D. What got them 66 wins and the best record in basketball was their smothering defense. In games 3 and 4 they forgot it. Yes the offense sputtered, but offense always comes and goes. The defense was shockingly bad for the two road games. That in turn was the cause of the spotty offense.


7) Is it Over?

I mean the road maladies and shoddy D. Yes. Of course. At least I believe so. I think they'll come out and win game 6.

...but you never know.


8) How To React If Game 6 Unfolds Like Games 3 and 4

Start by gesturing at your television set. You may sputter something incoherent at first. Next form those indecipherable sounds into real words. Finally, yell very loudly at your television set just like in the other two road games. It will help. You'll feel better and your TV won't care.

Also if recordings of all of us yelling at our TVs could be put together I think it would make a great DVD. Think of it: Hundreds of people one after another, yelling at the refs, the coach, the players, the other players, the scorekeeper, David Stern, the TNT announcers, etc. We could call it Green Rage. It would gross dozens of dollars.


9) Or Else

The Celtics could just go back to winning. Then we could just make believe none of this ever happened. If the Celtics win game 6, I think we should all agree never to speak of this series again.


10) In Closing

My fellow greenhearts, I hope Friday night is a serene and celebratory evening for all of us. I hope you sleep restfully and wake up happy Saturday morning thinking of round 2 match ups.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

10 things after game 2 (Atlanta series)

1) Flagrant Foul

Throwing a fist in an NBA game is a surefire automatic suspension, or so we thought. In game 1 of the Atlanta series Leon Powe threw down that Godzilla dunk and was then repeatedly and enthusiastically pummeled by Kevin Garnett. As it turns out the ban on fisticuffs only applies to members of the OTHER team. Fortunately for the Celtics you are allowed punch out your own teammate all you want. It's just never come up before.

When Leon finally did manage to get up, he walked back to the bench with KG ferociously yelling into his ear the entire time. The look on the young man's face was a strange mix of joy and fear. The whole thing was pretty funny.

Most people would have been hospitalized by that degree of affection.


2) Serenity

Historically I get pretty worked up about the playoffs, so these first two Atlanta games have been a calming way to start things off. It's been a perfect introduction to the playoffs for this Celtic team- facing a club that is young, athletic and physical, but completely overmatched. Boston gets to ease into top playoff form for the second round. Very calming.


3) Minutes

Remember last fall when there was so much fretting about the excessive minutes of They That Could Not Yet Be Called The Big Three? It's all worked out very well hasn't it? Here it is springtime. Flowers are blooming. The Marathon's been run. The playoffs are underway. And hey, the Big Three's minutes were doled out to perfection!


4) Sponsorship

I have a few gripes about the overcommercialization of our beloved Celtic broadcasts. I realize that money needs to be accumulated in mountainous piles in order to maintain a winning team, but...

...the chronic in-game sales pitches have reached a point of obscenity. All we want is basketball. We already get TV timeouts. We already get that center court rotating advertisement table-thingy. I draw the line of acceptable behavior with the chronic commercial pollution of the broadcast itself.

Here's a very abbreviated list- just a fraction of what you put up with every game (though you may have become so numbed to it you no longer notice). Just off the top of my head:

The Southwest Airlines starting lineup.
The DCU sideline reporter.
The Honey Dew list.
The Subaru key match up.
The Legal Seafoods fish swimming across the bottom of the screen.
The Identity Truth bonus code.
The McDonald's halftime.
The Foxwoods Take a Shot,
The Gatorade heard around the cooler.
The Toyota player of the game.
The Supercuts super cut of the game.
The Identity Truth steal of the game.
The SpeeDee Oil change of the game.

That's probably only half of it. There's sooo many more...

I'm all for capitalism. I mean who out there doesn't enjoy watching giant corporations get bigger and bigger? I love 'em! But please stop during the games. Give it a rest. We just want to watch basketball.

(We'll make an exception for the Legal Seafoods trivia question. That's cool.)


5) Why I stopped writing for a while

I'm sure no one cares but here's why: I started writing these pieces because I could not stand the way the Celtics were being covered. No one in the regular media seemed to recognize that Danny Ainge was accumulating assets and was on the right track even though it was not reflected in the teams' record. Everything was so negative (and I thought, so wrong). I began writing because I couldn't help myself. I'm sure a lot of other green people started blogging for the same reason.

Now though, everybody's writing articles that accurately reflect what's going on. 66 wins does make the positive direction of the franchise very clear.


6) One other reason

This one REALLY no one cares: I live on a dirt driveway about 4/10ths of a mile long. After a rough winter it had hundreds of deep potholes. Over the last month I brought in about 9 tons of stone and filled every single pothole by hand. Just broken-down me with a shovel, three buckets and my Subaru (I couldn't have done it without the inspiration from the Subaru key match up.)

That took all my free time. The good news: I'm done. The road is smooth and beautiful. I am now momentarily strong enough to withstand being briefly pummeled by Kevin Garnett should I ever find myself lying on the floor after throwing down a power dunk on the Atlanta Hawks (though I have not worked out how that might ever happen).


7) Rondo

Where are we? Oh yeah, basketball. Rondo... Whoa. Mr. Rondo is a bit ahead of schedule. The Bibby/Rondo match up was the only thing the Hawks could point to as to why they had the barest chance of getting a win or two. It was a mismatch alright, but the other way. Rajon Rondo has been brilliant. Remember those weinerly national media naysayers who pointed to Rondo as the weak link? Ha! Well how do you like Rondo now, you bunch of specious reasoners you?


8) Depth

Here's another look back: Remember the No Depth talk? Are you kidding? Last night Tony Allen and Eddie House barely played. This Celtics team is so deep, Jacques Cousteau couldn't get a view all the way down to the bottom of the bench. Perk gets into foul trouble? No problem, put in Leon. Leon gets into foul trouble too? No problem, put in PJ and Mr. Baby.


9) Sam

Sam Cassell is back to being his old pain-in-the-butt-if-he-doesn't-play-for-you self. Sam's one of those guys like Jerry West (I forgive Jerry West for being a Laker) who can just get a good shot off at any time no matter what. He comes in, there's no spacing on the floor, his man looks like he's all over him -floop- Sam does that little step back move, giving himself just enough space to rainbow the ball through the net. Just like he did in about ten other uniforms over the last half century, Sam just scores with ease.

Before the playoffs are over that will be the difference between a title or no title.


10) It's Not Going To Stay This Easy

Right? I mean I hope it does, but it will probably be Lebron in round 2, the Pistons or Orlando in round 3, and the lone survivor of the Western free-for-all in the Finals. There will be many formidable challenges coming.

My, my, my, this Celtics team is good though. Maybe just maybe this Celtics team is great, even historically great. This is our time. Many of us have waited 22 years. Some have waited their whole lives. Enjoy it my fellow greeniacs. Cherish these moments. As we have learned, times like these are precious.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

10 things: The Crepes of Wrath

1) The Crepes of Wrath

The Celtics are performing like they did at the beginning of the year. Efficient. Angry. Flattening opponents to pancakes. Philly came into the Monday night game playing extremely well and intent on using the Celtics as a "measuring stick." It didn't matter. For Boston their high level of play has returned at the best possible time; just as the Texas road trip of doom approacheth. (Huh. I seem to have developed a temporary keyboard lisp.)


2) Speaking of That

The coming five game junket was supposed to have San Antonio, Dallas and New Orleans on top of the marquee. A funny thing happened along the way: Now the road trip brochure reads, "Five Fabulous Games in Eight Nights, Featuring the Awesome Houston Rockets!" The Rockets have shockingly strung together 19 straight victories. One more and they tie the 70-71 Bucks with the second longest winning streak in NBA history. I don't care what their schedule's been, that's really impressive. Plus they've recently been doing it without Yao Ming (and without Gerald Green).


3) Showdown

Meanwhile the Celtics have completely extinguished their only three game losing streak by running off 9 straight wins themselves. So here's where we are: Houston plays three more times before the teams meet up; at Atlanta, then hosting Charlotte and the evil Lakers. The Celtics have Seattle and Utah at home, followed by Milwaukee and San Antonio on the road. In the event that both clubs win out, the two teams will meet in Houston on March 18th with the Rockets on an incredible 22 game streak and the Celtics on their own 13 game run.


4) Arrogant

Now that every excuse from opposing fans about the Celtics success has been utterly debunked, they've retreated to the last barricade: They call us arrogant. Such as, "I would really like the Celtics except their fans are so arrogant."
Us? Arrogant? Please. They could not be more mistaken. It's simply that they do not recognize the obvious truth that of all the people on Earth we have been chosen by the Almighty Hoop Gods for a noble destiny that they can't possibly share. There's nothing arrogant about that is there?


5) Rondo's three

It wasn't exactly Danny Ainge dribbling through the entire Notre Dame team, or even Ray Allen's game winner against Charlotte, but it was pretty cool: Rajon Rondo's three at the end of the half in Memphis was my favorite early-in-the-game play of the season. With about 5 seconds on the clock and Rondo on the bench in foul trouble, Doc Rivers inserted the young point guard into the game. Rondo responded by dribbling the length of the court through traffic, squaring up, and draining the three. No one else on the roster was both fast and nifty enough to make that play. It was a great substitution by the coach and even better execution by Mr. Rondo.


6) 50

50 wins that is. It's great that Doc Rivers and the team don't care and don't even seem to know the number of wins they have. But for the rest of us those numbers are a fine indicator of how far the club has travelled in one year.
Let's flashback. One year ago on March 11, 2007 the Celtics lost to the Chicago Bulls 94-78. Boston's leading scorer was Gerald Green with 15 points. That game made their record 18-44.

(By the way I want to point that out that my own preseason prediction of 50 total wins has already been met and I'm ecstatic to be so ridiculously far off.)



7) 61

I wrote about this in the fall. The Celtics have to get to 61 wins to surpass the 97-98 Duncan Swipers for the greatest season to season gain-in-wins total in league history. The way they're going the team might get comfortably above that mark. It could be a record that stands for many decades.


8) Irony

Sam Cassell was once Rondo. In 1994 and 1995 it was Cassell who was the young point responsible for leading a team of veterans to the NBA crown. Yes he had Kenny Smith by his side, but his situation fourteen years ago was very similar to what Rondo faces today: a highly talented team laced with all stars such as Olajuwon and Drexler, aching for a title, dependent on the poise of an inexperienced but talented guard running the club's offense. This is obviously history repeating itself.


9) Ray and Eddie

Funny thing. Ray Allen's got his stroke back and Eddie House has lost his. Before Eddie was taking his time shooting, which was good. Now he's rushing, which is bad. Conversely, before Ray was taking his time shooting, which was bad. Now he's rushing, which is good. Does that make sense?
Unlike most guys including Eddie House, Ray just does better when he quick releases.


10) Purity

It's been many many awful, miserable, unsufferable bad-drafting bad-trading years. That's all behind us now. The first 3/4 of the season have been a beautiful experience. A lot of us had to shake the losing, lottery-bound thoughts from our heads. We've undergone a healthy catharsis, ridding ourselves of ping-pong poisoning and spiritually purifying ourselves for the coming post-season. Now we're ready to head down the stretch. Bring on Texas. Bring on April. Bring on the playoffs.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

10 things

1) Seeds Of Springtime

Beyond the sweet sensation of Piston pummeling, the result of last night's contest put the teams on new paths. Had Detroit won, the rest of the season would have been a steel cage Hillary/Obama fight to the end; but that didn't happen. With only 23 Celtic games left the Pistons are now 5 back in the loss column and also lose the head to head tiebreaker.

The race is not over but the big lead will surely change philosophies for both clubs the rest of the way: Detroit won't kill themselves on the now longshot cause of gaining the top seed. They will prepare their squad for the playoffs, continue to play their bench and make certain their starters are healthy even if it costs them a few games. This allows Boston to do the same.


2) Furthermore

Other than that homecourt advantage in the conference finals, there's no reason for Detroit to attempt a late season sprint. Looking ahead to potential playoff matchups, I don't think the Celtics have all that much preference about who they play in the second round, whereas the Pistons probably do: They want to avoid Cleveland. The Cavs beat them last year and wore them down the year before. Detroit can out-poise Toronto or Orlando, but they have no magic wand to use on the Cavaliers. So they're probably just as happy to sit in the #2 spot and deal with the Magic, rather than fight like hell when the reward is a rematch with LeBron James.


3) As For Boston

I mentioned before on RealGm that the Cavs recent trade helps Boston in a potential showdown. Specifically Drew Gooden could go outside defensively against KG and take him outside on the other end. Ben Wallace is still too short and now too slow to deal with Garnett.

You can't discount LeBron. He can beat anyone himself, but Cleveland is a little less scary to Boston now.

There's a long way to go before the playoffs but odds are in the second round Detroit will take on Orlando and the Celtics will face the survivor of Toronto/Cleveland.


4) Bob

Bob came over and watched the game last night. This is not new. For decades Bob's come over and watched Celtic games. You know what was really nice? Bob and I haven't seen a game in March that had any sort of remote championship implications for two decades. Of course we're not alone. None of the great green nation has. But last night me and old Bob sat there and thoroughly enjoyed the Celtics putting a headlock on the league's best record. We talked about bygone days and watched Rondo slam it through. We remembered Bird and Hondo as Perkins grabbed his 20th board. While KG racked up his Celtic high in points we gleefully speculated about May and June.

May and June. They play basketball in May and June— REAL PLAYOFF BASKETBALL. Championship ramifications. The long sought holy grail of the 17th banner is there in the distance. Me and Bob? We were happy. I bet the rest of you are feeling a lot of joy now too.


5) That March Schedule

Back in November and December Celtic critics claimed the 29-3 record was an illusion. "Wait until March," they said. "The Celtics will get theirs in March." These ill-informed miscreants were referring to the stretch of games from March 14th to 22nd. Six games in nine days featuring Utah at home and a brutal road swing against San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and New Orleans...


6) Health and Depth

...A funny thing has happened since November though. The Celtics have gotten deeper and better. Powe and Baby have emerged as a dangerous energetic tandem off the bench. Rondo can now cancel out a player the caliber of Chauncey Billups. Perkins can outplay McDyess. The Celtics will soon incorporate Sam Cassell and PJ Brown. Ray Allen has found his stroke. Garnett is healthy. Pierce is passing. The team is deep and it's hungry.

I look at the upcoming schedule and all I can think is, "Wow, it's gonna be tough for those other teams."


7) Doc

I keep bringing up Doc. He's coaching. I mean REALLY coaching. He's managing all these powerful personalities, adding another in Cassell, and the team just keeps getting stronger. The young guys are all markedly better players than they were four months ago. Everyone's on the same page. This team is beautiful to watch, and Doc deserves as much credit now as he got blame the last few seasons.


8) Cous and Pete

Which brings me to this: Earlier in the year the formerly and justifiably cantakerous Bob Cousy was rhapsodic in discussing the merits of these Celtics. Recently even Peter May has joined the ranks of the converted. He wrote a KG for MVP column and just seems giddy about this team. It's almost surreal.


9) Sing a Song For Those Owners

Wyc, Steve, and the rest of the ownership really deserve some congratulations. They always said they'd fork over the dough when it mattered, and they have. They paid for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, for House and Posey, and now they've brought in Cassell and Brown. It turns out they're anti-Paul Gastons. The team has come first. None of this could have happened if they heisleyed around at this critical moment. After all those cheap years in the 90's all I can say is, "Thanks guys."


10) Eye Of The Needle

Only one western team can fit through that tiny opening that leads to the NBA finals. I have no idea which one it will be. San Antonio and the Chris Wallace fortified Lakers look the most formidable right now, but I wouldn't fully discount Phoenix, Utah, Dallas and New Orleans. There's a lot of time between March and June. The beautiful thing is, the Celtics will be favored in the second round. Then if they take care of business only Detroit and the one team from the west will remain. It will not be easy but the Celtics are very capable of winning those two series, and if they do banner number 17 will finally rise.

Monday, February 11, 2008

10 things

1) Chris Wallace

What's the worst transaction of Chris Wallace's career? There's no quick answer to that one is there? You have to think about it.

Here's some of his more colorful Rolaids moments (via Hoopshype.com):

"Traded guards Kenny Anderson and Joseph Forte and center Vitaly Potapenko to the Seattle SuperSonics for forward Vin Baker and guard Shammond Williams.

Traded guards Randy Brown, Joe Johnson, Milt Palacio and a first-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns for guard Tony Delk and forward Rodney Rogers.

Selected guard Joe Johnson (10th overall pick), forward Kedrick Brown (11th overall pick) and guard Joseph Forte (21st overall pick).

Traded center Andrew DeClercq and a 1999 first-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for center Vitaly Potapenko." (The pick would have been used on Shawn Marion.)

"Traded guards Chauncey Billups and Dee Brown and forwards John Thomas and Roy Rogers to the Toronto Raptors for guard Kenny Anderson, forward Popeye Jones and center Zan Tabak."

...and then there's my personal favorite: "Announced they will exercise the option on the Denver Nuggets' first-round pick, 11th overall, in the 2001 draft."
ARRRGH! All he had to do was be patient that year! Denver stunk. The Celtics were already bringing in two first rounders. If they just rolled that pick over a few seasons Boston could have ended up with Amare Stoudemire. Ugh.

Mr. Wallace has on moved to Memphis and look: "Traded forward Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers for guards Aaron McKie and Javaris Crittenton, forward Kwame Brown, the draft rights to center Marc Gasol and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010 to the Memphis Grizzlies for forward Pau Gasol." Wow.

Ok, so mean old Rick Pitino made him do some of those bad things, and miserly Paul Gaston made him do others, and now Michael Heisley the 380th richest American, is taking some credit for the latest debacle. I have ask though, if you know anything about this game wouldn't you make at least an occasional good trade? Wouldn't you draft well once in a while? And most recently wouldn't you call around the league to force higher offers after talking to the Lakers? Wouldn't you? I need to know. I'm asking here. I'm desperate. This really bothers me.

All I can say is, thank each and every angel in heaven that Chris Wallace runs a different franchise now.


2) Underestimated

I have three favorite games so far this season: The game in Detroit, the Dallas game, and now the Spurs game. Oddly it's been just as exciting winning without Garnett than it was winning with him. I didn't think the Celtics could play nearly this well without their best player.


3) Big Game? Big Baby!

...Two of those three games were Glen Davis' finest performances of the year. In Detroit he outscored all seven all stars in the fourth quarter while virtually shutting down Rasheed Wallace. Then yesterday he played Tim Duncan better than anyone could have guessed. You couple his performance with the outstanding contributions of Leon Powe and you just shake your head.

I mean, I made some crazy preseason predictions, some that actually came true, but Glen Davis stymieing Tim Duncan and leading the team to victory was not among them.


4) The Streak

...which leads to this: It's been building day after day, week after week, month after month. For some reason San Antonio simply cannot beat the Boston Celtics. It's the St. Patrick's Day curse. For those counting, the long losing streak is now up to two games. When will it end? No one knows. The pressure continues to build on the Spurs.


5) 16-0

Among all the amazing things that have happened so far this season, none is more amazing than the fact that the Celtics are 16-0 against the mighty Western Conference. What the hey? Boston has beaten the Spurs and Mavs without Kevin Garnett, handily dispatched the Lakers, humiliated Denver and Golden State, beat Houston and Utah, and toyed with most of the rest. The western team that gave them the most trouble was Minnesota, twice.


6) Doc

Can't coach? CAN'T COACH? Are you kidding me? What you have witnessed in the past few weeks is the best Celtics coaching performance since Tommy Heinsohn patrolled the bench with long sideburns and a plaid jacket. The Celtics are 5-2 without Kevin Garnett. They outfought the defending champions. They lost every tall person on the roster. Doc Rivers is not doing a good job this season; he is doing a GREAT job!


7) No Doubt

The doubters have been silenced. The Spurs game muted the last of them. I read some of the recent comments on some large Western Conference fan forums like dallas-mavs.com and spurstalk and no one's questioning the Celtics anymore. They are bickering among themselves a lot which is always entertaining, but no one is saying the Celtics cannot win the title.


8) East

Unlike the 80's it's nice to be in the East. Back then scary teams like Philly, Milwaukee, and Doc Rivers' Hawks roamed the Earth. Now though it's the West that's brutally competitive. As of this writing, Houston and Golden State are both 30-20, and one of them wouldn't even make the playoffs. In the East they'd be seeded fourth.

Still, it will not be an easy road for the Celtics to reach the Finals. 16-0 against the West means all nine losses have come in the East. Boston will need to be healthy to get past Cleveland and Detroit. That's why it's critical to rest Garnett and Perkins now. Get them healthy, even if they miss the entire west coast trip after the all star game, and even if it costs the team some wins. It's the playoffs that matter.


9) Rondo

I love Rondo. I think he's my favorite player since Havlicek. I would not be surprised if Rondo makes the whole silly "big three" controversy completely obsolete, because soon there will not be a big three; there will be a big four.


10) Davis on Duncan

I don't know if you saw it on the postgame show, but Greg Dickerson interviewed Baby right after the game and asked him if all that jabbering he and Duncan were doing was trashtalk. Big Baby said (paraphrasing), "Oh no. That was Tim Duncan! He's like Kevin Garnett! I was just soaking up the immortality."

Thursday, January 31, 2008

10 things

1) Miami Game

First off, Who kidnapped Bob Cousy and replaced him with Barney? "I love you. You love me. We're a happ-ee fam-a-lee." What happened to the acid spitting Cous whose disposition resembled the monster from Alien? Winning changes everything.


2) Miami Game Again

It was nice to see Mark Blount giving his all for another team in a 30 point loss. Let's face it: You can't stop Mark Blount. You can only hope to trade him.

Speaking of Mr. Blount, my brilliant and beautiful wife made the following observation: She pointed out that after scoring Blount goes completely rigid when he runs to the other end, whereas Tony Allen does just the opposite; after he scores he goes totally loose and floppy as he moves the other way. I don't think it means anything, but it's funny.


3) Rondo

Give me a break you Rondo critics. Repeat after me: "Rajon Rondo is the man." Did you say it? Good.

He's young and extremely talented. The team suffers more when he's sidelined than anyone besides Garnett and Pierce. He's the single most important key to maintaining the tempo. He's a vital contributor to the team's early season awesomeness. Recently he missed a few games and is currently playing HURT. Keep developing him. Tough games now will be paid back later with playoff wins.

The kid's a future all star. The man I tell you! The man!


4) Damon and Sam

I'm not a big Damon Stoudamire guy. He's less selfish on the floor than he used to be, but is still a Damon-first point guard . He's also got Telfair disease on defense- too small and does not have Rondo arms to make up for it. I warned you about Telfair after the Portland trade. Well I'm warning you again. Overall, Damon probably won't give you more than Eddie House as a point.


5) Tony Allen

Also, floppy Tony Allen is just starting to come into his own, right on schedule. Recovery from knee surgery actually does take some time. Really. I don't know why anyone expected Tony to come out of training camp in top form. I also don't know why anyone thought he wouldn't improve (and will continue to improve) as the season goes on.

In other words Danny Ainge is doing the right thing by holding out for Sam Cassell or some other agreeable point guard. Sam's big, so he doesn't give away the farm against Billups. Sam's poised, so he'll keep his head in big games. Sam's a good guy too; he won't screw up the boulliabase.


5) Midseason blues

Are you feeling down because the Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10? Chin up there fella. Everything's fine. The Celtics are in a dip for temporary health reasons. Ray Allen is worn down. Keving Garnett is out. Posey missed some games. And Rondo who supercharges the whole team— we've already covered him. They'll all get better.

When they do, the Celtics will go back to obliterating people again and everyone will be as jovial as Bob Cousy.


6) Dallas

I've been looking forward to this next game since about Halloween. Nowitzki has been the bane of my brain since the Celtics barely missed out on him in the 1998 draft. Don't get me wrong— Paul Pierce is not exactly what you'd call a consolation prize, but big bad Dirk is someone the Celtics have never come close to matching up with...

...until now. Garnett easily cancels Dirk out, and maybe is a bit better. KG is a rare player that can challenge Dirk defensively. So here's hoping for some serious abdominal healing, because without Mr. Garnett the Celtics are in for a rough night, and with him it's probably the other way around.


7) Leon Powe and Glen Davis

If my calculations are correct, that makes three contributing undersized second-round widebody frontcourters for Danny Ainge in the past three years. It's great to see Davis and Powe tenderize the opposition at the same time. One grown man. One big baby. That's a lot of results no matter what age they might appear to be.

Throw in the fact that Perkins is starting to break himself of the bad habit of bringing the ball down before he shoots, and the Celtics are getting a lot of unexpected production from the three toros.


8) The Gerald Henderson Effect

The Gerald Henderson Effect is a simple thing. It goes like this: When you have a great team the trade value of marginal players skyrockets.

Back in the 80s Henderson was a pretty decent guard. But since he played with Bird, McHale, Parish, etc., he was perceived to be far better than he actually was. Red Auerbach took advantage of this and traded Gerald to Seattle for the second pick in the entire draft.

The same thing happened to Rick Robey. Robey wasn't very good, not to mention he kept Bird out in the bars all night; but because he played on such a great team his trade value was very high. He landed Dennis Johnson for the Celtics.

Keep this in mind over the next year or two, because guys who are currently 7 to 13 on the depth chart might eventually land amazing returns in a lopsided trade a la Mr. Henderson and Mr. Robey.

(Winning the title would greatly magnify the effect.)


9) Havlicek

Seeing John Havlicek in the stands of the Miami game gave me goosebumps. I wonder, did the people sitting around him even know who he was? That man was utterly unique in the history of this sport, and Hollinger-type robotic number crunching does not tell the tale of this terrific player. Havlicek was a great scorer and he was a great defender, but the best thing he did— the thing he did as well as anyone who has ever played, is control tempo and wear the opposition down. He sprinted non-stop. His whole game was aimed at making the other guy too tired to be effective in the 4th quarter, and WOW was he good at it. Ask former Senator Bradley.


10) Playoffs

Are you starting to peek at the standings with an eye toward playoff seeds yet? It's my firm belief that the Celtics will maintain their top position in the East. I also think Detroit will be second and Cleveland third, putting those two dangerous teams in the opposite bracket. The big question then is, who will be the 4-5 seeds? Right now it looks like some combination of Orlando, Washington and Toronto. However it goes, that will make for a high energy second round series between the Celtics and the survivor of that group.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Grenvy

1) Big Baby

An NBA record was set Saturday night: Never before have so many people simultaneously pointed at their TVs and screamed the word "Baby!"

Taking a page from the Kendrick Perkins We-Shall-Not-Be-Moved school of defense, Glen Davis stymied Rasheed Wallace on one end of the floor while decimating the Pistons on the offensive side. With seven all stars sharing the court it was rookie Davis who stole the evening. His fast feet (also known as baby steps), superb hands and great use of bulk stunned the Pistons.

Time and again Paul Pierce drove the lane and dished to the rookie. Detroit, not believing what they were seeing, made no adjustments, continuing to over-cover the big three while leaving Glen Davis free to position himself under the basket.

The beautiful thing is: let the Pistons adjust. Next time the teams play they'll pay full attention to Big Baby, and when they do Garnett or Pierce or Allen will be left in single coverage.

Now it's Detroit that's uncertain.


2) Best Western

Which leads to this: I'm getting weary of hearing about how the Celtics haven't played the Suns, Mavs or Spurs. The Celtics are playing basketball on a level seen once every hoops epoch. The Spurs are a four time champion. They've earned the respect of being considered the ultimate test— but the Mavs and Suns? Those two franchises have as many rings as the Bobcats.

IMSO (In my swaggerly opinion) the Celtics are the best team in basketball. It's Dallas and Phoenix that have to prove themselves against Boston, NOT the other way around.


3) Grenvy

Around the nation and the world, followers of other teams have become increasingly bitter. They jealously claim Ainge was "handed" this team, or that the Celtics have had an easy schedule (see above), or blindly say that it won't last.

I have a word for this: Grenvy. It's what you get when you blend "Green" and "Envy." So next time you read someone sourly discounting the jaw-dropping resurgence of basketball's preeminent franchise, you don't have to respond. They're just grenvious.


4) Consider this:

I don't think there have been more than two games all year where all three of the trio grande have had great shooting nights on the same evening. Part of the reason is that Ray Allen still hasn't gotten his shot locked down yet, which is not to say Ray hasn't contributed to every win he's played in. (The Celtics beat Toronto and Milwaukee with one Allen tied behind their back.) Ray's defense has been FAR better than advertised. His savvy positioning on the court has played havoc with the opposition. They cannot lay off him.

I think his out of sync shooting is largely caused by the off-season surgery. When your ankles feel different it takes some time to adjust. That will happen— probably sooner rather than later. You can see how near he is to getting the stroke back. He's very close. It's just a matter of time.

Regardless, Ray Allen was a great throw-in in the Glen Davis trade.


5) Allen part deux

Tony Allen is coming around too. He's really been contributing recently.

The funny thing about Tony is he scares the hell out of fans of BOTH teams every time he has the ball. He's constantly swaying and jerking back and forth. You just can't predict whose heart he's going to break with his next movement. He's like that even in postgame interviews— swaying back and forth while answering questions. I keep reflexively reaching out toward the television to catch him.

Anyway, Tony Allen is the big wild card. If he keeps growing like this, he makes life a grenvious hell for other teams.


6) Why this will continue

The reason the record is no illusion is because it's based on defense. Offense comes and goes, but the D has been rock solid every game not played in Salt Lake City.

I'm not saying I expect the Celtics to maintain this other-worldly pace of winning. That would be close to impossible. But I expect their high level of energy and defense to continue. That should be enough to raise a tall crop of Ws by harvest time in April.


7) Open roster spots

We know the following:
*There are two open roster spots
*Brandon Wallace was let go because he couldn't help now.
*Though he's showed promise, Gabe Pruitt doesn't seem to be in the plans for this year.
*The Celtics could use a nifty back up point guard.
*Most importantly, there are plenty of disgruntled vets and cheap owners out there. The best combo that comes to mind is Donald Sterling and Sam Cassell. Sam is a buddy of Garnett, a good guy to have on any team, and wants out of the not-evil LA franchise.

Wouldn't it be nice if Reggie Lewis' old Baltimore protege ended up here?


7) Danny

Talk about doing no wrong... Every guy Danny Ainge brought in this off-season has contributed on a level ranging from pleasant surprise to league MVP. Pruitt, Davis, Pollard, House, Posey, Allen, Garnett. Not a dud in the bunch.


8) Tommy

Notice how the fomenting grenvy across America is so often vented at the greatest basketball broadcaster in the land? Thanks to League Pass, I never read comments on a Celtic game from opposing fans that don't include some anti-Tommy raving.

Don't these nice folks realize that the broadcasts are meant for us, and that they're just eavesdropping?


9) Speaking of which

It's great for all the Celtics broadcasters and long-time beat writers to get to cover this team after so many down years. Their lives must be more pleasant now. Of course in wishing the local press well I do not necessarily include every columnist from the Boston Globe, the last of whom finally acknowledged the true prominence of this team only after the recent west coast sweep.

Their opinions on Danny Ainge the last few years speak for themselves. Sometimes smart people can be so dumb.


10) Changing times

All this winning has led to steady Celtics talk during the heart of the Patriots run for undefeated immortality. You'd think there would be a green blackout until after the Uberbowl. But no. The Celtics are back, the buzz keeps building, and the new era has only just begun.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

The Answer Is Yes

1) The Answer

Up until now there have been lingering doubts. Around the country people were skeptical. They kept questioning different aspects of the new Celtics: The defense, the bench, Perkins and Rondo, chemistry, willingness to share the ball, the coaching, and lastly the schedule. One by one those questions have been dispensed with as resoundingly as the hapless Lakers.

Even within the great green nation people doubted, and why not? No one had seen this team before. No one was prepared for what would happen. No one, not even the most optimistic voices could have foreseen just how quickly and powerfully this team would come together.

This west coast sweep has done it. For the first time since the legendary squad of 1986, the Celtics returned from a west coast swing undefeated. Four games in five nights. They were pounded on, scratched, worn down, even tackled; but they passed every test.

The question is: "Is this a bonafide championship contender?"

The answer is yes.


2) Speaking of Coaching

Doc Rivers deserves enormous credit for these four wins. Going into the trip he decided not to uptempo, knowing that it would sap the team's energy and they wouldn't have enough juice to win the latter games. Instead they played deliberately on the offensive end, suffocated everyone but Utah and Delonte West with their defense, and just looked awesome. Kudos to Doc. (How come kudos always come in bunches? You never hear of someone getting only one kudo.)

Furthermore, in the final game the Los Angeles coach made what I thought was an obvious error. When Rondo went down I guessed Boston would lose (the first time I've thought that all year). It seemed so obvious that the Lakers would press the hell out of Tony Allen and Eddie House to keep the Celtics from maintaining any offensive flow. The Lakers never did it. They never used the press.



3) Detroit

With San Antonio banged up, right now the two best teams in basketball play in the East. That's correct.

The Pistons are very impressive. They are #1 in the league in scoring and #2 in limiting opponent's scoring— an amazing combination. (The Celtics are #6 and #1.) As of this moment, the Pistons point differential is 10.6, second only to the Celtics incredible 13.8. 12.3 is the all time record!

I can't help but look past Houston and Memphis to Saturday's rematch in Detroit. Regardless of the outcome of that game, these two teams will be angling for position all season. They appear to be relentlessly heading toward a collision in late May and only one thing can stop that from happening...


4) Cleveland

There is a third team that could challenge in the East. The Cavaliers have finally gotten their roster together and are just starting to search under the couch cushions for their mojo. After what they did last season Cleveland cannot be overlooked. A hot streak from LeBron can sink anyone.

Here's the important thing: The Celtics have a lead on Detroit right now but it's by no means insurmountable. Boston must maintain their #1 seeding. That could force the Cavs and Pistons to wear each other down in the Eastern semis. It's a huge advantage for any of these three teams to face only one of the other contenders instead of both. (I do expect the Cavs will finish with the third best record.)

A side note: I respect Orlando but think they're not ready yet.


5) Ray Allen

A beautiful thing has happened since Ray Allen rested. He's getting his stroke back. Oh my. Do people around the league realize that the Celtics are starting to play BETTER? With Ray Allen shooting like Ray Allen it's not even fair.


6) Paul Pierce

The contest in LA was one of the better two way games Pierce has ever played. He hit a bunch of big shots and channeled Walt Frazier on defense at the end of the third quarter. He's been amazing on defense all season. The great thing is that even after numerous all star appearances, you can see how much he's learning playing on this team. Kevin Garnett has been a gift from heaven (or Minnesota, I forget which) but Paul Pierce is the guy who has made big strides in his game.


7) Improvement

Between now and the playoffs I expect to see further improvement. Since the team's chemistry was so great out of the box, you might figure that was it. Nuh uh. The Celtics are continually improving. Roles are becoming more defined, Rondo is on a rapid learning curve (via Mark Murphy in the Herald: ZERO turnovers on the west coast for Rajon!) and the team is just maintaining a remarkable level of dedication. They NEVER take a game off.

I'm biased, but feel that in springtime if both the Celtics and Pistons are playing their best, the Celtics take them.


8) But...

Tommy Heinsohn also said on the postgame after the win in LA, that this Celtic team is still learning: They still have not seen all the critical situations that must be mastered to win a title. (Yes I love this team so much I stayed up to 1:30 AM to hear every word of the postgame show.) Tommy's right. There are obstacles along the way. But every time you hear any member of the Celtics speak, whether it be KG, Pierce, or Doc, they always have exactly the right attitude: "We haven't done anything yet." "We're taking one game at a time." "We're just working on getting better."

It's so beautiful, I think I've passed on to some other-worldly realm...


9) New Era

...I mean here it is New Year's Day— Happy New Year everyone! —and the Celtics have two more wins than they had all of last season. I still cannot completely figure out how this was pulled off. Do you notice Danny Ainge is hardly ever seen or heard from this year? No one's talking much about him. I guess GMs are like refs: you know they're doing a great job when they're not the topic of conversation.


10) That Record

According to my calculations, 35-18 the rest of the way breaks that all time year to year win improvement mark.