CelticsCentral http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/ en Copyright 2008 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:48:48 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Play-off Rewind: A Moment with Josh Smith I was going back over my interview tapes from the past season and thought NBA fans might like to hear Josh Smith's thoughts on a few topics - in light of his recent re-signing with Atlanta. I asked him if he wanted Mike Woodson to return. His answer was fairly neutral. It could be read either way. He didn't outright endorse Woodson's return, which could be construed by some as, de facto, not supportive. But his answer was somewhat positive about Woodson as well. The ambivalence may typify the reality of the situation. But then he mentions the day Coach Woodson got his NBA Championship Ring (with the Pistons), playing against the Pistons as the day he knew he belonged in the NBA. It would be hard not to see at least a little fondness for his coach in that recollection. Anyway, here it is. The conversation was from pre-game 5 in Boston. You went to Rajon Rondo's house for dinner? Josh Smith: "Yeah, I did." You blocked a few of his shots later. Has he said anything to you? "No, he hasn't said anything yet. But we talk a little trash, so it's still fun." You've come a long way since you started in the league. Do you think it is harder coming from high school or easier by not doing the college thing? 'I don't think [it's harder]. Whether you come from college or high school, umm... you're still not going to be prepared for what the NBA is going to throw at you. People have different perceptions of what it is. But when I first came in, I didn't get playing time. But when I started to get the playing time, I made an immediate impact." Some players say there was a moment when they knew they 'belonged'. Is there a moment that sticks out that you remember, that you knew you belonged in the league? "I don't know. I forget the first time I scored 20 points. It had to be that day. Just scoring the most points against a good team. It feels great. Wait. Matter of fact...my first moment when I knew I belonged....I started my first game in Detroit. I was a rookie and I think it was ring ceremonies for Coach that day. When he won the ring (as an asst. coach with the Pistons the year before)...with the ring presentation and we actually won the game and I played well. That probably has to stand out more than anything." Coach Woodson has cited your development and how key you are with this team going forward. But there are pieces the team needs, if he's here next year. Do you want the coach to return next year? 'That's not up to me. You gotta ask the guys that make that decision. But wherever he goes, whether he is here or not here, he's going to do pretty good wherever he goes." Do you think this team needs a few pieces? "That's not up to me. But this year we played as well as anybody. Even though we're up and down, I have to say, just because we might be a little younger than people want, but if we keep the same guys together, we'll be okay because we've been together a couple years and each knows what we like to do. That's up to the GM and the owners." . How about your own game? What do you think is an area you need to work on next year? "Just be more consistent on the jumpshot. Being a leader on the court and assessing my role as a player." Shot selection? When to take it, when not to? "Maybe so. Maybe so. I might need to work on that a little bit. But I think I'm doing a good job. Im satisfied with my progress right now, but I'm not satisfied with my progress from the stand point that I (know) I need to get better." A lot of your game is about your defense. Seeing KG and what he's done. Is that something you'd like as a goal? "Definitely. I definitely want to be on the (All- NBA) Defensive Team. Preferably the 1st Defensive Team because that would be a great accomplishment. Most players strive for offensive accolades, but I think that the game is won on the defensive end." Coach Woodson said that you guys came together over the last 22 games. But the you lost the first 2 games and came back to win the next two. What happened? "From a confidence standpoint, our confidence rose." Why would it rise? "Well, because we lost those first two games, I believe we started to question ourselves. Then after shootaround the day of game 3, Al (Horford) brought a tape around that meant a lot to us. Muhammed Ali (Rumble in the Jungle) against George Foreman. It lifted us back up. It lifted our spirits back up and it brought excitement back to us and just being to see the atmosphere our arena had given us during the play-offs was big momentum for us." Part of that was the "Rope a Dope". Did you guys feel that way, that you had to stand up to the bully? (Laughing) 'Nah, I don't think so. Not for us. But game 4 they threw their best stuff at us and we had a counter punch for it. I think we can play with them at their highest level. We've shown it in game 4." What's going to happen tonight? "I think if we play together, the way we played games 3 and 4, we can win the game." Thanks, Josh. "Okay." Well....we all know how that story turned out. Hopes springs eternal. The defection of Josh Childress had put the team in a tough place, but they refused to up the ante for Josh Smith until he got a solid tender from a competitor. When J-Smoove got the offer from Memphis, they immediately matched, so as to show Smith they do indeed want him. Some will say they paid too much. Others say it was smart. All in all, I sense a maturing of Josh Smith that will serve him well as he tries to take his game and floor impact to the next level. If Atlanta didn't match, it would have been foolish indeed. If things don't work out, a talent like Josh Smith is tradeable. With a core of Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, and Marvin Williams, they are exciting to watch, but not contending material. While a better shooter and solid defender, Maurice Evans doesn't bring the things that Josh Childress did off the bench. With Horford looking like a special player and Smith continuing to improve, the team's movement should be forward this season, but incrementally so. http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/08/playoff_rewind_talking_with_jo.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/08/playoff_rewind_talking_with_jo.html Atlanta Hawks Boston Celtics Celtics Hawks J-Smoove Josh Smith Tom Halzack Woodson Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:48:48 -0500 Perkins' Props: Punched Pistons Think back to the Boston series. The Pistons, focused on stopping Kevin Garnett, wound up getting punched in the gut by Kendrick Perkins. Neither Rasheed Wallace nor Antonio McDyess could handle his athleticism, and Jason Maxiell, at 6-7, couldn't handle his size. Kendrick Perkins, known for the silent, but smothering defensive presence working in tandem with Kevin Garnett, just received props for his....offense. Size, yes. But he said athleticism. I heard him. That is a adjective usually used for other players who soar through the air and make big money. Nice to see someone appreciate the dismantling that Kendrick did to his assigned defenders. KP did indeed punch the Pistons in the gut offensively - multiple times. Usually, Kendrick won't try to make moves if he is covered. Not so in a three game stretch in the biggest games of his career at that point. He shaked and baked his way to shooting a 6 for 7, 4 for 6 and finished with an 8 for 11 demolition in the critical game 5 win with the series tied at 2. The scribe was talking about why the Pistons needed to sign Kwame Brown. They need someone to defend Perkins. As witnessed by all, but mentioned by none, they had no one who could handle him one on one. He aptly described how Kendrick went off for some very painful points against an exposed interior defense of one of the top 2-3 defensive teams in the league. Garnett and Perkins worked wonderful defensive magic in keeping all comers out of the middle through the year and most of 26 additional play-off games on their way to the NBA title. The Celtic perimeter players job was to stop the shot from the arc and to funnel all drives towards the center of the paint, where KG or KP would take over. Cut off baseline. Make them go middle. Perkins will be there. He was there enough to be a vital cog in the league's best defense. Anything he did at the other end of the court was largely an afterthought, and/or early in the game. His offense has largely gone unnoticed. Early in the year, it was often hard to find. When you found it, it wasn't always pretty. But darned if he didn't quietly improve throughout the year. It culminated in a 'shut my mouth' 16 rebound 18 point effort against the Pistons that was nothing short of spectacular. Perkins was huge that game. Actually KP had 3 straight games of double digit scoring, which by itself is worth commenting on. the 18 points were preceded by 10 and 12. He had 2 double-doubles in the important three game spurt. I must not fail to mention a jaw dropping, turn around fadeaway he delivered as a body punch to further soften the Pistons up. Hit them in the body and the legs get weak. If you talk to Kendrick he'll talk about knowing his role and doing the best he can. His role is defense. But think what a center on the Celtics could do if he developed some offensive go-to moves. Kendrick opened eyes in that Detroit game. Let it be known that Kendrick played 41 plus minutes in the all important game 6 of the Conference Finals. That was his high for the play-offs and the year - by far. Early in the year, if fouls didn't dictate his minutes, his conditioning and perhaps poor foul shooting did, resulting in fewer minutes as Doc played small ball in the 4th quarter. He is young. You have to remember with 'high school to pros' players, he is still developing, in spite of playing for 4 years. He hardly played at all his first year. Now that he's getting the defense down, could we possibly see a bit more from Perkins when the Celtics have the ball? It will depend on game strategies and individual match ups. Tall, strong defenders like Ilguaskas will give him trouble. Perkins finished game 7 of the Hawks series with a double double (10/10 with 5 blocks), shooting 4-8, and was a crisp 5-5 with 14 points the game before. At that point, KP had made at least 12 straight foul shots. His nickname may never be K-Smoove, but Kendrick is still reaching his potential. If Kendrick will develop a few sneaky 'go to' moves around the hoop, things he can use with a man on him, and perhaps a reliable mid range open jumper, it will do wonders for the sometimes struggling offense, when teams collapse on those other three guys. It has now been written that one of the top teams in the league just signed a guy to stop Perkins. I'm not sure anyone would have believed they would be reading that, earlier in the season. Guard your gut. Perkins is in action and he is proving there are times when he can deliver the punch. ]]> http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/08/perkins_gets_props_punched_pis.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/08/perkins_gets_props_punched_pis.html Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons Kendrick Perkins NBA NBA Play-offs Pistons Rasheed Wallace Tom Halzack Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:27:48 -0500 Signings..... and Waiting before Josh Childress decided to go international. I had thought I'd drop a line or two about recent signings and non-signings involving a few former Celtics and some other well known players. A part of the slant was about how certain players turning down reasonable to downright solid offers from their teams a year ago is coming back to bite them in the butt now. But first... The Timberwolves are re-signing Sebastian Telfair to an undisclosed (as of yet) multi-year contract after not making him the one year qualifying offer of $3.5 mil. I'd guess it starts out less than that and builds. Sebastian will give them one true point guard to go with Randy Foye who has also been used at the point a lot. Telfair seems to have settled down and is settling in as a distributing PG for the young Wolves from what I read. With Al Jefferson, Mike Miller, Kevin Love, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Craig Smith et al. they are starting to look more like an NBA Basketball team. One big problem? The question is the answer. They only have one big. Problem. The Bulls are in a bit of a bind with some players that think perhaps a bit too highly of themselves. Both Ben Gordon (5 year $50 mil/ly) and Luol Deng (5 year $57 mil/ly) turned down very fair (in most people's opinions) long term deals before the start of last year's team meltdown. Now both may play out their last season and look for better deals according to K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Both have been rumored to have been offered less than what they were offered the year before. To me, the Bulls thinking sounds fair. Shouldn't winning have something to do with your value? Honestly, I thought both should have taken the deals offered last season. Does anyone smell a trade coming? To be sure, of all the visitor locker rooms I was in last season, the Bulls seemed the most poisoned. The few players that were there just glared at you in an almost defiant way. The anger in the room was palpable. Now I may have entered after something happened. It might have been that new coach Jim Boylan wasn't their cup of tea. Maybe I'm just that ugly. But it wasn't fun being there. Mr. Johnson reports that Deng likes new coach Del Negro. But I would say that Vinny Del Negro has his work cut out. It is a good thing he is surrounding himself with 2 extremely experienced assistant coaches Speaking about possibly overvaluing yourself...Emeka Okafor did much the same thing as his former UConn team mate, Ben Gordon and turned down a very fair multi year offer from the Bobcats last season. This year's Bobcat offer is rumored to be slightly less. He too, is now reported to be wanting a trade or will wait things out this season and seek another team next season. Emeka is another UConn guy I like quite a bit. Graduated in three years and his game grew every year. But I would think that Emeka might want to take just a little bit of responsibility for the Bobcat's constant below average performances every year. By my way of thinking, Emeka should be a difference maker for that team. Apparently he isn't, and 10-12 million a year would appear to be enough for a solid player with Emeka's stats and overall game. Warrior that he is, his game hasn't seemed to have advanced in recent years. Defensively he seems fine. Offensively, I never expected him to become Rasheed, but I thought he might possibly develop a few more reliable weapons at that end of the floor. But even saying that, Emeka would be a great addition to the right team as the 3rd or 4th piece to the puzzle. One thing that comes into play here is wins and losses. If a team is winning, everyone is likely to value that team's key players higher from a financial point of view (see James Posey) . The problem is all three of these players, (Gordon, Deng, and Okafor) are trying to get more when their teams have either taken 2 steps backward (Bulls) or haven't advanced (Bobcats). But the Josh Childress jump across the pond could actually skew player values a bit more in the other direction as time goes on. It is simply the supply and demand principle at work. Much like oil, the oil producing countries have found demand growing in a new market - China. Even if the U.S. and Europe cut back 10-15%, which would be a huge cut back, China will drink that right up without even burping. Maybe the above mentioned guys will get the money they think they deserve afterall. On another note, it was good to see diminutive Georgia Tech's Will Bynum finally get a real NBA contract. I saw him his first year out of college trying to make the Celtics. It was the same season that the Celtics drafted Orien Greene. 6' 0" Bynum actually played very well in the pre-season minutes he was given. He attacks the basket well. He played a few years in Israel and proved to be a solid baller. Welcome back, Will. Oh yeah, he signed with Detroit, so we will be seeing him a few times this season. Will signed for $700,000 (guaranteed) with a team option on the 2nd year. Now the question is.... Did Will turn down more money from his team in Israel, to sign with Detroit? Hmm.....it still means something to most players to play in the NBA.]]> http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/former_celtics_and_more.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/former_celtics_and_more.html Ben Gordon Boston Celtics Bulls Celtics Chicago Bulls Ekeka Okafor NBA Sebastian Telfair Timberwolves Tom Halzack Will Bynum Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:16:58 -0500 Can Pruitt Do it? ...and other thoughts "I'm not chasing anybody down. I feel we have a solid team now and I'm going to take some time off." The signing of Eddie House gives them at least the stability of last season at the point guard position. It seems to open up an opportunity for Gabe Pruitt to earn a few minutes a game as well. Can Pruitt play well enough to earn regular, albeit short minutes at the point? At the moment, Danny and Doc seem high enough on the 2nd rounder from USC, 6'4", 22 year old Gabe Pruitt, to possibly give him that opportunity. Though this is his 2nd year, he played so little last season (15 games and 95 minutes total), it will be like a rookie season in terms of a learning curve. Still, we had some positive comments coming from Danny about his progress in the off season work outs and practices. It seems as if the House signing means that the Celtics will at least give Gabe a chance to earn some playing time this season. Gabe will have to play competent NBA defense, learn how to run the Celtic offense and hit some open jumpers along the way. As with all new players, Gabe's toughness will be tested... often. And that's an unknown area with Gabe. If I've said that the Celtics have some great locker room guys once I've said it....many times. But they all can get the game face on and stand firm when push comes to shove. House, T. Allen, Powe, Davis, Rondo, Perkins, and even ultimate nice guy Scalabrine all fit that definition. Gabe is a basketball player with some great skills. He is also another nice guy in the locker room. I'd like to think that that's enough to succeed. How well he can drive and score and drive and distribute is still up in the air. He showed a bit of ability in those areas in short minutes last season. Honestly, I'm probably getting way ahead of what will be asked of Gabe. Doc will only need him to bring the ball up, hit the open jumper or re-distribute on a kick-out and to defend, in short minutes. Like last season, his defense will probably tell whether he stays in the game or gets pulled for letting his man get away. If he falters, they still have Eddie House there to do what Eddie did last year. Ray Allen often brought the ball up as can Paul Pierce. If Pruitt disappoints, or proves to need longer development, Sam Cassell might be waiting in the wings. Jason Williams has been mentioned elsewhere as a possibility and did help win a championship in Miami. Not a terrible idea either. Off the wall idea - The Nets might look to move former UConn star PG Marcus Williams, now that they have signed Keyon Dooling. Danny seems to be willing to attempt talented bad boy reclamation projects - especially with the locked in core he has now. Marcus has talent, but has been injured and hasn't been able to get it going in the pros. The Celtics were interested enough in Williams to work out Marcus before he was drafted a few years ago. They were also willing to pass on him at that time. He is only making $1.2 mil this season, team option for $2 mil next season. Hmmm... That last idea doesn't even qualify as a wild a** guess. It is just a thought along the lines that Danny sometimes thinks. Okay. You got me. Marcus is a former UConn player I think has some talent. Edit Update: Fred Kerber of the New York Post has just reported that Marcus was traded to Golden State for a lottery protected 1st rounder in 2011. Hey it shows someone likes him and he was worth a 1st rounder still. We'll have to see how all that turns out. If they add another player.... will it be a long 3 or a more proven center? For any Ryan Gomes fans (like me), he won't be a consideration. According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune....
Gomes’ agent continues to seek from other teams an offer sheet that the Wolves would be hard pressed to match. He reportedly has sought the full mid-level salary exception — $5.6 million next season — and Gomes said Tuesday it’s possible he will sign a two-year deal if the team willing to make the best offer also wants to keep its salary-cap flexibility for 2010, when a big crop of free agents, including LeBron James, becomes available.
Even if Ryan signs for something less, he won't be signing for the 2.7 mil Danny has left. Will Brian Scalabrine get another chance to earn minutes? Devean George is mentioned as a possibility. But Danny's comment at the beginning of the article sounds like he will play hard ball and keep the half of the MLE remaining open for now. Would that mean Devean would have to accept the veteran minimum to get Danny's attention? As Danny said in that recent Gary Tanguay interview, come play in Boston, (make your reputation) and get your money later. Tune in next week for the next edition of "Going for Another Championship on only $77 million a year." ]]> http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/umbrellas_roles_and_iron_curta.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/umbrellas_roles_and_iron_curta.html Boston Celtics Celtics Danny Ainge Devean George Eddie House Gabe Pruitt Jason Williams Marcus Williams NBA Tom Halzack Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:00:00 -0500 Tony Allen and Eddie House Re-Sign! Celtics Rent a House for 2 more Years 6' 1", 30 year old, combo guard Eddie House is known for one of the deadliest quick releases in the league. What has been a bonus is his development as an all around player this past season. He is a pest on defense and can really get after it. Who can forget the play where he ran pell mell, dove, slid a mile and tipped a loose ball to save it to James Posey before sliding out of bounds? It is not unusual to see Eddie get a steal here and there at important times in games. While Eddie's distribution and ball handling skills are open to debate, they are often offset with the other things he does. Of course, his main value is his long time ability to hit the open three to keep teams from collapsing the middle. He is another guy who doesn't make waves and appreciates the chance to play for a team like the Celtics. Both Eddie and Tony have a mental toughness to their games that fits well with the Celtics. This brings the signings to 12. If 2nd round draftees Giddens and Walker are expected to sign, that leaves one spot open. If 2nd year man Gabe Pruitt is expected to fill the other back-up point guard spot, they will most likely look for another big or a long small forward to complete the roster. ]]> http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/tony_allen_and_eddie_house_res.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/tony_allen_and_eddie_house_res.html Boston Celtics Celtics Eddie House free agent signings NBA Tom Halzack Tony Allen Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:22:53 -0500 Doc Rivers' Family Values Approach to Coaching This is a tribute to Glenn Rivers, the new World Champion Coach of the Celtics. There are always good guys and bad guys. In the NBA Finals it was no different. There was a good guy to root for and a bad guy to root against. This time the good guy won. Coaching in the NBA is a very difficult job. Whenever half of your players and most of the important ones make much more money than you do, managing them becomes that much more difficult. If you have ever been a sales manager who has managed superstar salespeople, the rainmakers, you probably understanding what I'm talking about. The NBA is all that and more so. It is a players league. Dictator type coaches usually have a short though sometimes prosperous reign. Ask Scott Skiles, Paul Silas, Larry Brown, John Calipari, Quinn Buckner, and yes, Rick Pitino. Some were successful to a degree.... for a while.....some were not. Many fans love the dictators, the drill sargeants, the "boot-you-in-the-butt" type of leaders. I'm not one of those fans. I'm big on respect, dignity, and words like those. I think it is a much harder way to coach. But it is worth it. Of course, some dictators last much longer. Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich and Jerry Sloan come to mind. You do it their way or there's the highway. You can add Phil Jackson to that group, I guess. He thinks Tex Winter's triangle offense is something special. If you play for Phil, you better think so, too. When the triangle stops working, it becomes the Kobe offense as it became the Michael Jordan offense before him. It's nice to have a super-superstar to bail you out when the plan stops working. Phil Jackson and Pat Riley actually supercede most of their players in notoriety. Coaching superstars, if you will. They come complete with media groupies. I learned that when their teams came to Boston and there was a media horde around them in the hall as they made sage and regal pre-game pronouncements that us media troglodytes carved into stone as wisdom from above. Manna from heaven. Oh manna....I kid you not. There are a few different coaching 'types' that we label coaches with. Nate McMillan, Maurice Cheeks and Glenn Rivers fall under the 'players' coach' label. That is often a euphemism for 'weak'. Yes, many players coaches don't last long either. You can operate from fear or you can operate from respect. I have seen both work. I have seen both fail. Give me the respectful approach. Not that respectful coaches don't yell a bit and get angry. They do. Some are just not equipped to manage NBA players. Mike Montgomery came from the college ranks to run the Golden State Warriors for 2 lackluster years that got worse and worse before Chris Mullin said he had seen enough. Chris needed a coach with a strong personality and the gravitas to manage difficult stars. In the end, it was said that Montgomery couldn't control the team and Baron Davis in particular did whatever he wanted. Enter Don Nelson. Rules and attitudes changes immediately. The first player Don confronted and challenged was Baron Davis. Don knew where the team's axis was. Going against Don Nelson would have been quite a different thing. Baron accepted the challenge and bought in. The change was immediate and substantial. As solid of a coach as Don Nelson is, I thought it might be smoke and mirrors at first. It wasn't. During the post game celebration of winning the world championship Doc Rivers said he was worried about managing his three stars...until his first meeting with all three stars. After that very first meeting, he knew they would do what was necessary, Doc's idea of what was necessary, to make a solid run at a championship. They would buy in and he would captain the ship through the long and winding 82 game season, replete with still untold stories of ego management, refocus, and reminders of what the plan was and what the goal was. On top of that, Doc brought an ebullient, unflappable rookie 2nd rounder named Glen Davis into the mix earlier than many thought he would. Like many rookies, Big Baby had hopes of making an immediate impact and displaying his talents. Doc wanted him to set picks, learn where to go on defense and rebound. It was a learning experience for LSU's former star. To the surprise of some (read that: me), Glen actually played before Leon Powe did this season. In the end, they both became solid contributors, but not usually in the same game. Mike Gorman came to call the two of them 'Leon Davis'. Doc Rivers called it 'power forward by committee'. I call it a great one-two combo. Doc worked in and around a raw young talent at point guard named Rajon Rondo. They had their moments. Rajon is strong headed and sometimes thought he knew better than the coach and even had his moments with some of the anointed three. From where I sat, this was one of the greatest successes of Doc's coaching this season. Rajon is Celtic Nation's darling. You can criticize anyone, but don't criticize Johnny Rondo. Even when he does wrong, he does no wrong. Rondo is as close to teflon coated among the Celtic faithful as you can get. Youth will be served. His talent is obvious. But so were his shortcomings. Doc's insinuation of Rondo into a structured offense with three of the league's best players was a gradual one and not without planning. By the end of the year, he ran the offense well, and at times, was brilliant. But to be truthful, Rondo still played with highs and lows. To Rondo's credit, he learned to play a paced half court game when the open court is his natural strength. Leon's Powe's vertical game added some horizontal development. The wildly versatile use of Posey, the well defined role of Kendrick Perkins, the ability to get Ray Allen to increase his effectiveness defensively as the year wore on, the balanced minutes and shot attempts of the stars were planned by the maestro Doc Rivers. His high maintenance stars gave him the respect necessary to make it all work. Sam Cassell said one of Rivers strengths is - managing NBA sized egos. James Posey loved playing for a coach who recognized that family issues were important in a high pressure, business oriented league. Every Celtic player who had a family event like a new baby was given the time they wanted to be there for the birth or to take time for personal matters. Players appreciated the humanity of the man. It makes a long grinding season just a little better. In a year where a team wins the championship, the coach gets a little teflon coating. Not all things were beyond second guessing, such as using Posey as a power forward far too much for most of the year. But like the key players of a title winning team, the coach gets a pass for those things that didn't appear to always work out. They worked out enough to be the best team in the NBA, when all was said and done. And there maybe other reasons why he played Posey at the 4 a lot. I believe it was no accident that Tony Allen was given one big moment of playing time as was Glen Davis in the Finals series. Neither were really part of the game plan against the Lakers. Yet, both played a solid set of minutes - once. I believe that Doc wanted to give every player a chance to play substantial minutes in at least one game in the championship series. He had that kind of respect and consideration for those who helped the team get there. Tony and Glen will always have those minutes as memories, no matter what else happens in their careers. It's been said ad infinitum that Doc gets his family values from his mom and dad. Mom and dad raised him well. It is a bit ironic that Doc's dad died at the beginning of the season. In a league of testosterone laced toughness, constant teasing, occasional typical male confrontations, verbal and otherwise, James Posey would hug his mates before each game and Doc Rivers would get emotional when talking about his dad. Even 2 seasons ago, Doc's young, inept Celtic team did not meltdown. They played hard, if not well, though they knew the outcome of most games ahead of time. This season his team appreciated his, at times strict, but fatherly approach so much they went out and won the championship. Sometimes the good guys do win. The three stars didn't do it without Doc. They did it through Doc. Here is to Doc Rivers, dignity, respect, and 'family' values. I better go find my wife. I feel a hug coming on. Then again, she might just look at me and start worrying what is wrong with me. I was just thinking about the Celtics, honey, that's all. http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/doc_rivers_family_values_appro.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/doc_rivers_family_values_appro.html Boston Celtics Celtics Doc Rivers NBA Tom Halzack Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:53:18 -0500 Posey Embraces New Orleans “It was a really tough decision for him,” Bartelstein said. “Boston was an incredible experience for him every way you look at it. If he was going to leave Boston, he wanted to make sure it was for a team that would compete for a championship immediately and the Hornets certainly are in that world.” The hardest thing to determine on a team like the Celtics is how much the three stars helped the other players, including James, versus the other way around. We will answer that question this season. This means the Celtics have the MLE to offer someone (or two) else. Ryan Gomes and Josh Childress are 2 versatile forwards who are still on the market who could come in and help right away. Both are restricted free agents which means that Minnesota and Atlanta could match any offers. Golden State's Matt Barnes is still out there. Posey can't be duplicated but he will be replaced. It is also possible that Danny and Doc will give Glen Davis and Leon Powe more playing time this season. Glen is just beginning to tap his potential and has been staying in Boston in the off season to get in the best shape of his career. Leon is a bear around the hoop, takes charges as well as Posey did, and his defense and passing should improve. So, the Celtics will look a little different next season. 'Going small' won't mean quite the same thing it did with Posey at the 4. He could hit that three. Neither Davis nor Powe can. It is not assured that Eddie House will return either. The ball is in Danny's court. Things get interesting now. Let's see what he serves up. ]]> http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/celtics_lose_posey_to_new_orle.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/07/celtics_lose_posey_to_new_orle.html Boston Celtics Celtics James Posey NBA Tom Halzack Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:15:13 -0500 Gone Fishing Well not really. Though I did do some stream fishing in April and May. But I'm taking some 'downtime' and might not post for a week or two. If I get any earthshaking news or ideas, I'll put it here. Otherwise, I will see you all after I catch a couple of weeks of R&R. The Celtics' 17th championship has finally set in. In fact, it is has finally set in that Kevin Garnett is a Celtic. I'm going green in 2 ways - as a Celtic fan and in saving my words for when they might mean a little more. Talk to you all in 2 weeks or so. It goes quicker than you think. Thanks for reading! T http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/gone_fishing.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/gone_fishing.html Tom Halzack Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:30:42 -0500 Can I say the "I" word now? No one mentioned it. I think writers were afraid they would jinx things. Not just players are superstitious. I'm talking about Injuries with a capital I. The Celtics won because of every reason that has been mentioned....and one more. They stayed healthy enough to keep the team in tact for the duration. I wanted to say something about that all year long. But I thought that as soon as I do......you know. I didn't want to get blamed. Neither did any Celtic beat writer it seems. So let me finally say it. The Celtics avoided any major injuries to key players for the year. There were some swerves, some speed bumps, a few traffic slowdowns, minor detours and a couple of rest stops on the Celtic road to success. But there wasn't a major player 'gone down' for much of the season. Remember last season? The Celtics amassed 311 games missed due to injury in their version version of the Young and the Defenseless. Led by Wally Szczerbiak's 52 games in Wallyworld's version of As the Ankle Turns, followed by Tony Allen's 48 games out of commission for the show called 'Was That Dunk Really Necessary?', and the piece d'resistance, Paul Pierce's Stress Reactions of the Rich and Famous, Delonte West looked downright healthy with only 12 games missed due to injury. This season, when it mattered so much more, the Celtics managed only 86 games missed due to injury. 33 of those were attributed to Scot Pollard. That is a very good number for an 82 game season. Now, that's not saying that players weren't playing hurt this season. They most certainly were. There was one very good reason why. Championship aspirations will do that to a player. Doc and Kevin Garnett have both alluded to the fact that not all injuries were made public. More impressive, even the injuries they did have did not stop the Celtics train. Most amazing was the team's 7-2 record with Kevin Garnett out with an abdominal strain. The sound you hear was another criticism crashing to the floor. They could even win without team anchor Kevin Garnett. Ray Allen missed exactly 5 games due to ankle injuries, though he had ankle surgery in the off season. Of note, Paul Pierce did not miss a single game due to injury. He missed one game for 'personal reasons'. That is amazing because we all know that Paul took a pounding this year and more so in the play-offs between injuring his ankle and his knee. One thought...how would you have liked to have been the Celtics trainer who checked Pierce out in the locker room of the game that Paul was wheeled out of? You have to make a snap judgement on how hurt he is and how much more he could hurt the knee by playing. The wrong decision could affect a career of one the game's biggest stars. I'm absolutely sure Head Trainer Ed Lacerte knows exactly what he is doing. Still....those must have been anxious moments for Mr. Lacerte and anyone else who was involved in the decision. If you could get a glimpse of the training, massage, and therapy room before and after each game, you would get just an inkling of how much stress and punishment these players put their bodies through to entertain us for 48 minutes and to earn their money. Some reading this may laugh at that notion. But make no mistake. Something called 'NBA shape' is a real concept. Young players, semi-retired players, off season players will all use that term. It is not to be taken lightly. These players are, for the most part, in fantastic shape. As the year wore on, there were post games in the locker room that James Posey looked like he had come through a war as he sat there and gathered his thoughts and rested his body before showering. He missed only 6 games all year, 3 due to sprained finger and 2 because of back spasms. The way James throws his body around the court you would expect far worse. James Posey is a gamer. It took PJ Brown nearly a month to get in NBA shape, and the progress was subtle. Though his timing was off, he looked pretty good from the start. Big Baby had to work up to it. Pollard never quite got back to it. Doc kept the three stars relatively healthy by getting each of them some rest and watching minutes carefully all year long. Still, any NBA team is one twisted knee or ankle away from finding out how good #2 on the depth chart really is. It is hard to prevent those things from happening. The biggest off season story influenced by injury is Tony Allen. He himself will admit the psychological aspect of recovery is just as important as the physical. The thought of re-injuring his knee played a part in his ability to recover from it. Tony looked healed and ready to move forward in his brief appearances in the play-offs. Still, we haven't seen the Tony that existed before the dunk that sideswiped down his promising career. Next year, may we hope that the Celtic team stays as healthy as this years'. It is almost a requirement to win a championship...like defense and team oriented play. So let this be the article that is 'Banned in Boston' again next season. Page 32, paragraph 3, line 7 says 'off season articles don't count' when it comes to jinx talk. A healthy Celtic team will be even more dangerous next year with a season under their belt. http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/can_i_say_the_i_word_now.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/can_i_say_the_i_word_now.html Boston Celtics Celtics NBA injuries sports injuries Tom Halzack Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:51:14 -0500 test test http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/test.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/test.html Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:57:04 -0500 Celtics Central Thanks the CT Post Please know that I'm not done writing about the Celtics this season. But I wanted to thank Gary Rogo, Sport Editor, and the Connecticut Post for allowing me to bring news of the Boston Celtics to the fans in southwestern Connecticut by way of the Celtics Central blog on the Connpost.com website this season. What a season it was. I knew it would be a special ride. I never allowed myself to think it would end the way it did. Just too perfect. I hope you have enjoyed the ride as much as I have. The Boston Celtics gave us plenty of entertainment on their magical march to a national championship. The way it was done would make Red Auerbach and Bill Russell proud. Three tremendous talents, team first, and defense always. I tried a few different styles of writing here before settling on a combination of exposition, analysis and opinion. Different articles emphasized degrees of each. It's been a blast. The internet is a growing medium. One day it may supplant print entirely. That day may appear before I move on to the next world. Web content will at least become as important as the printed page in the not too distant future. My generation still reads newspapers. I just turned 55. Those 20 years younger probably do not read newspapers regularly. Each generation after them will be more like them than they will be like me. They will get their news from TV satirical talk shows and the internet for the most part. It is an electronic generation far more than any one before them. I feel that I am in some small way, a part of that movement. I hope you have bookmarked this page and made it one of your regular stops each day. I tried to offer something fresh on most days. I've learned how hard that is to do. I hope I have succeeded more than I have failed. I don't expect everyone (or anyone) to agree with everything I write. They are my thoughts alone. I did get much more serious about how I watched a game this season. The tendency of most fans is to follow the ball and pay attention to the offensive side of things. Much of what happens in a game happens away from the ball. Much of the story is what happens on the defensive end. I've made a real effort to see the whole play at each end of the court. I watch games so much differently now. There were times I was so intent on 'off the ball' play, I had to ask someone else who just scored the basket. That's what happens when you are keying in on a match up or two. Player rotation and ball movement are just two of many different things you look for. I was much more aware of both. There is an ongoing argument over whether basketball is complicated or simple. The simple answer is it is both. The complicated answer is, it depends on what you are talking about. The best answer is that informed experts can be wrong, uninformed fans can be right...and vice a versa. Everyone has an opinion in the sports world. Step up and make your case. That is what it is all about. I tried to be as informed as I could and I tried to 'get it right' as much as I possibly could. I hope I presented my thoughts in an informative and entertaining way. I hope I did a good enough job for you to want to see what I had to say on a regular basis. This season is winding down. The 2008 NBA Draft will take the spotlight soon. Off season rumors of moves and actual moves will come to pass. The Celtics will have decisions to make and so will some players. I will keep you abreast of it all as much I can. So...thanks to Doc Rivers and the Celtics for bringing back the Title. Thanks to the Connecticut Post and Gary Rogo for bringing detailed Celtic analysis to its readers on an almost daily basis. Let's do it all again next season! http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/celtics_central_thanks_the_ct.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/celtics_central_thanks_the_ct.html Boston Celtics Celtics Central Connecticut Post Connpost.com Gary Rogo Tom Halzack Sat, 21 Jun 2008 22:20:26 -0500 Boston Celtics: Lottery Lost = Paradise Found (this was written right after the clinching 6th game) Talk about turning around misfortune. The Boston Celtics just erased any doubts about which team is the very best in the NBA. It wasn’t even close. They inflicted their purposeful vengeance upon the heavily favored and long time rival Los Angeles Lakers in a play-off game clinching record 39 points. The final score: 131 to 92. In a single year, make that a year and a single month’s trades, they went from the depths of despair after drawing only the 5th best pick in the NBA draft after finishing with the 2nd worst record in the NBA. Drafting 1st or 2nd meant a potential franchise player in Greg Odom or Kevin Durant. Anything after that meant more development time. Time was not something Celtic team star Paul Pierce, nor Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge had a lot of. Danny was named to his position on May 9, 2003. The team was moving backwards and getting younger every year. People scratched their heads. Vision? How about derision? Danny knew it takes time to turn a ship around, but he was running out of time. 29 year old Paul Pierce’s patience with Danny’s rebuilding and ‘asset accumulation’ was wearing out and he knew his window of opportunity to win an NBA championship was starting to narrow. Danny did as well. Get me help or trade me, was Paul’s message. It was a moment of truth for The Truth and Danny. Two godawful seasons of 24 wins after 33 wins, was preceded by 19 years of championship drought. Winning a league champion is an enormously difficult task. But we are talking about the Celtics. Think New York Yankees when you think Boston Celtics. It is just not supposed to happen that way to the league’s legendary franchise. This is the league that Bill Russell and Red Auerbach built. Ainge opted to try to trade for another star or two to support Pierce, instead of trading him away and go for a full blown youth movement. That decision was monumental and course changing for the Celtic franchise. Amazingly, it would lead to the construction of a team that would fashion together this storybook season culminating in the franchise’s 17th NBA title one year later. Two decisive trades and the franchise’s reversal of fortune was in motion. 1) On draft night June 28th he traded the 5th pick, oft injured sharp shooter Wally Szczerbiak, and fan favorite guard Delonte West to the Seattle Supersonics for Ray Allen, one of the league’s top offensive players and their 2nd round pick, power forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis. 2) On July 31st, he made “the trade” that made the NBA earth stand still. Sending 5 players and 2 number one draft choices to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the largest single player trade in NBA history, he acquired league jewel Kevin Garnett. The Big Ticket was the most athletically gifted player the league has ever seen at 7’ feet tall. They bought the Ticket to ride. Ride him they did. Garnett was the player that would be the cornerstone of a new destiny for the franchise. Ironically, the ever loyal Garnett had rebuffed a Celtic trade in the previous month. The addition of Ray Allen and the knowledge that Wolves’ owner Glen Taylor wanted to rebuild, moved Kevin Garnett to reconsider. He called Danny to tell him he now wanted to come to the Celtics. He realized this team, with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, would provide the best possibility for him to try to win an NBA title. None of them had won a ring in their careers. That common motivation and singular goal would mean everything. Call it a Sequence of Fortunate Events. But you could see the plan. The funny thing is that right away Boston became a magnet for other players. Danny’s follow up sequence of moves put the rest of the cast in place. The choice of role players was critical. They would ultimately play large roles in making it all happen. Outside shooting specialist Eddie House was added on August 9th. Forward, defensive specialist, three point shooter and NBA title veteran James Posey was added on August 27th. Then there were the late acquisitions. Veteran point guard Sam Cassell and semi-retired forward/center PJ Brown were added. Both proved to be pivotal acquisitions. We witnessed a relentless march through the NBA. We were witness to the single biggest turnaround in NBA history. The team's early commitment to defense was surprising and the singular difference between this team and all others. It was the way to attain an NBA Championship ring. Corny things like 'team first', losing egos, and new words like ubuntu were sprouting. NBA players and coaches talk about those things all of the time. Few ever mean it. Kevin, Paul and Ray’s embrace of each other, when removed from the final game at the 4:01 mark was the moment they played 108 grueling games this year for. Mission accomplished. My only question is how anyone could have favored the Lakers at all, let alone heavily? The Celtics' difficult march through inferior teams in the east was enough to convince the experts that they couldn’t beat the potent Lakers. The Lakers sliced through the west in a conference considered far superior. Golden State, a 50 win team was unable to even crack the play-offs. Three individual legacies were on the line. Yet, outside of Boston, there were more believers at an athiests' convention than there were in sports circles about the Celtics chances. It all changed in 3 hours and exactly 48 game minutes later on Tuesday evening. Fittingly, Boston won their 17th World Championship at home after blowing a chance to win on the Lakers’ floor on Sunday night. Three Celtic players, two of them new this season, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen cemented their Hall of Fame credentials and their legacies forever in a single game. They dispelled a mountain of questions, criticisms, and doubts about how good each of them were. All three performed magnificently throughout the play-offs, with Paul Pierce’s anchoring performance at both ends of the floor earning him the Finals MVP Award. He now joins other Celtic greats and can stand shoulder to shoulder with them knowing he helped put another banner up in the rafters. “These are the guys, the (John) Havliceks, Bill Russells, the (Bob) Cousys,” Pierce said. “These guys started what’s going on today with those banners. They don’t hang up any banners but championship ones, and now I’m a part of it. And just all the years talking to Bill and John and Cousy, finally I just feel like we’ve come out of that shadow and created our own. Now we can stand up and look at them eye-to-eye and say, ‘Hey, we accomplished it, too.’ ” Well said and well done by the captain of the 2008 NBA World Champion Boston Celtics. A lost lottery turned into paradise found for the Celtic organization. I'm glad we could share the journey together, fellow believers. The very fact that it was done at Phil Jackson's and Kobe Bryant's expense made it all that much sweeter. Soak up the moment. http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/boston_celtics_lottery_lost_pa.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/boston_celtics_lottery_lost_pa.html Boston Celtics Celtics Lakers Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals Tom Halzack Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:05:33 -0500 Can I say the "I" Word now?.......Whew! No one mentioned it. I think writers were afraid they would jinx things. Not just players are superstitious. I'm talking about Injuries with a capital I. The Celtics won because of every reason that has been mentioned....and one more. They stayed healthy enough to keep the team in tact for the duration. I wanted to say something about that all year long. But I thought that as soon as I do......you know. I didn't want to get blamed. Neither did any Celtic beat writer it seems. So let me finally say it. The Celtics avoided any major injuries to key players for the year. There were some swerves, some speed bumps, a few traffic slowdowns, minor detours and a couple of rest stops on the Celtic road to success. But there wasn't a major player gone down for much of the season. Remember last season? The Celtics amassed 311 games missed due to injury in their version version of the Young and the Defenseless. Led by Wally Szczerbiak's 52 games in Wallyworld's version of As the Ankle Turns, followed by Tony Allen's 48 games out of commission for the show called 'Was That Dunk Really Necessary?', and the piece d'resistance, Paul Pierce's Stress Fractures of the Rich and Famous, Delonte West looked downright healthy with only 12 games missed due to injury. This season, when it mattered so much more, the Celtics managed only 86 games missed due to injury. 33 of those were attributed to Scot Pollard. That is a very good number for an 82 game season. Now, that's not saying that players weren't playing hurt this season. They most certainly were. There was one very good reason why. Championship aspirations will do that to a player. Doc and Garnett have both alluded to the fact that not all injuries were made public. And more impressive, even the injuries they did have did not stop the Celtics train. Most amazing was the team's 7-2 record with Kevin Garnett out with an abdominal strain. You sound you hear was another criticism crashing to the floor. They could even win without team anchor Kevin Garnett. Ray Allen missed exactly 5 games due to ankle injuries, though he had ankle surgery in the off season. Of note, Paul Pierce did not miss a single game due to injury. He missed one game for 'personal reasons'. That is amazing because we all know that Paul took a pounding this year and more so in the play-offs between injuring his ankle and his knee. One thought...how would you have liked to have been the Celtics trainer who checked Pierce out in the locker room of the game that Paul was wheeled out of? You have to make a snap judgement on how hurt he is and how much more he could hurt the knee by playing. The wrong decision could affect a career of one the game's biggest stars. I'm absolutely sure Head Trainer Ed Lacerte knows exactly what he is doing. Still....those must have been anxious moments for Mr. Lacerte and anyone else who was involved in the decision. If you could get a glimpse of the training, massage, and therapy room before and after each game, you would get just an inkling of how much stress and punishment these players put their bodies through to entertain us for 48 minutes and to earn their money. Some reading this may laugh at that notion. But make no mistake. Something called 'NBA shape' is a real concept. Young players, semi-retired players, off season players will all use that term. It is not to be taken lightly. These players are, for the most part, in fantastic shape. As the year wore on, there were post games in the locker room that James Posey looked like he had come through a war as he sat there and gathered his thoughts and rested his body before showering. He missed only 6 games all year, 3 due to sprained finger and 2 because of back spasms. The way James throws his body around the court you would expect far worse. James Posey is a gamer. It took PJ Brown nearly a month to get in NBA shape, though the progress was subtle. Though his timing was off, he looked pretty good from the start. Big Baby had to work up to it. Pollard never quite got back to it. Doc kept the three stars relatively healthy by getting each of them some rest and watching minutes carefully all year long. Still, any NBA team is one twisted knee or ankle away from finding out how good #2 on the depth chart really is. It is hard to prevent those from happening. The biggest off season story influenced by injury is Tony Allen. He himself will admit the psychological aspect of recovery is just as important as the physical. The thought of re-injuring his knee played a part in his ability to recover from it. Tony looked healed and ready to move forward in his brief appearances in the play-offs. Still, we haven't seen the Tony that existed before the dunk that brought down his promising career. Next year, may we hope that the Celtic team stays as healthy as this years'. It is almost a requirement to win a championship...like defense and team oriented play. So let this be the article that is 'Banned in Boston' again next season. Page 32, paragraph 3, line 7 says 'off season articles don't count' when it comes to jinx talk. A healthy Celtic team will be even more dangerous with a season under their belt. http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/can_i_say_the_i_word_nowwhew.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/can_i_say_the_i_word_nowwhew.html Boston Celtics Celtics injuries injuries in sport NBA injuries Tom Halzack Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:26:44 -0500 Celtics: The Better Team - Our Enemy - Ourselves being the Lakers, instead of beating the Lakers. We all know the good guys finally put a stop to it and pulled out a win in a game that had no business whatsoever being that close. But that game was not forgotten. Neither was the idea that a game 7 with Kobe Bryant would not be a given win for this Green Juggernaut. No one wanted it. As Cassius said, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." Or in this case, our stars' selves. “We’re happy because we won, but we definitely learned a lesson,” Pierce said after game two. Still one might wonder if they truly did. They've given up other leads this post season. It is not like this was the first time. A careless Rondo or Pierce showboat pass that gets picked off. Defenders not getting out to the guard 3 point shooters as quickly. Hasty Celtic perimeter shots that don't go in. Suddenly, a beaten team gets life. Here are my thoughts on both situations: 1) If the Celtics lost game 2 after being up by 24 - would they have lost the series? Would their collective confidence have disappeared into the Bermuda (Laker) triangle of that devastating letdown? My answer is not yes, but isn't a definite no either. It seems that this team is it's own worst enemy at times. Too cocky with a lead. They seemed to get better and better against the odds as the play-offs wore on. But they almost needed to know that every basket counted for them to perform at the top of their abilities. 2) What if they sent it the reserves earlier in game 6? Would the Lakers have made a run and a game out of it?. Probably. That's how it has gone in this series. Paul Pierce said at half time that the Celtics would not let the lead disappear in the 2nd half. They would come out with even more energy than the first half. They did this time. The Green Machine opened up the throttle and ran right over the Lakers. The Kobes wilted quickly. The Celtic starters and bench were not to be denied on this night. But I couldn't help but think how large of a lead would be 'safe' for far too long into the final game. You see, there was a tipping point in game 2 when the Celtics were a basket away from approaching the rest of the series in a completely different light. They could have been even at 1-1 going into LA. If you think I'm now going to say that would changed who the winner was - I'm not. I don't even think that the Celtics would have lost this series if that game 2 meltdown occurred. This Celtic team is that good. I think they would have probably won the first game in LA, to be honest. They would have regained their home court advantage. This team is that good when it is focused. But boy, there were times that they didn't make it easy on us watching those games, did they? Thanks for the thrills, but thanks for the final convincing win even more. We fans needed that. And oh yeah...I would have been fine with a game 7, too. The Celtics would never lose that many times to this Laker team. Never. The only thing that could beat this team was Celtic injuries. But there were more than a few others at that game who weren't so sure. Game 6 - Game 7, this Celtic team would be Champs. It was only a matter of which game. Thanks for one less late night. Thanks for finally playing well for 48 minutes. No other team can compete with you when you do - contrary to what the experts thought. This team was its biggest adversary at times. No other team can stop them when they are right. If you haven't seen this, Brian Scalabrine has some questions of his own for the experts. Enjoy.... http://mvn.com/nba-celtics/2008/06/18/espn-not-so-expert-after-all/ ]]> http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/celtics_the_better_team_but_th.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/celtics_the_better_team_but_th.html Boston Celtics Celtics Lakers Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals Tom Halzack Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:32:31 -0500 Cool Calm P.J. Brown- Undecided about coming back Long Road for P.J. to a Title 6' 11" 225 lbs, forward/center P.J. Brown began his NBA career in 1993 as a 2nd round pick of the New Jersey Nets. He played for the Nets for the first three years of his career. He moved on to Miami for 4 years, then the Hornets for 7 years, before retiring from the Bulls after a less than happy season last year. For a player who has averaged 10.5 points over his career to have earned $70 million dollars over his career, he must be doing something very right. His bread and butter is defense, rebounding, including hitting the offensive boards (he is 3rd for career in the NBA among active players and 21st all time), and still has a reliable mid range jumper as Celtic fans found out. He hit it with pressure in the play-offs. P.J. Brown was tailor made to play on a team like the 2008 Celtics. There was a job opening for back-up center once Scot Pollard was put on the shelf. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were the human resource department persuading him to apply within. The 15 year veteran, 3 time All Defensive 2nd Teamer signed with the Celtics for a bargain basement $474, 285 in order to have a chance to play for a championship ring. Talked out of retirement by Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, for one more chance to play for the elusive NBA ring, P.J. ended up making the right decision and entered into NBA history by earning its highest honor - World Champion. He was more and more instrumental in Celtic victories as the play-offs wore on and Kendrick Perkins began nursing a few injuries. His defense, occasional offense, and calm on-court demeanor proved invaluable, especially in the early rounds for the younger Celtic players.
I've been through it all. I thought my composure would be big for this team. I just go out there and be P.J. you know what I mean? I come out with my game and just try and do the best that I can.
P.J. has now played in 107 play-off games in his career. Fully 26 of them, almost a quarter of his entire career's totals, were from this post season with the Celtics. Coming in with 81 games experience in the post season would count for a lot, as we would find out. Thoughts on this final game?
It started out rough at first. But then it seemed like our defensive intensity got higher and higher. We made everything tough on them. Every shot they took, we made it hard. Everything Kobe took, wasn't easy.
At one point, Kobe came down and made an aggressive spin move on you. You made a great recovery with that block. Tell us about that.
He was determined to put that shot in my face. I guess Kobe was saying you're old and you can't jump no more. But I still have length. I've got long arms, so I just tried to stay in front of him, use my defensive principles and stay between him and the basket. When he went up, it was good timing, and it was a good play for us.
P.J. is 3rd among active players in fouls and that also was part of his job this post season as well. Many were the time, when the Celtics needed to lay a hard one on someone. It was Brown doing the deed. After being congratulated on winning his first Championship PJ was asked if, a year ago, he ever expected to be standing here now as part of a world champion team...
Not in a million years. I would say my career was about as close to being over as it could possibly be. And (if) it wasn't for the chance meeting with Paul and Ray in New Orleans, I wouldn't be standing in front of you. When I made the decision to come, there were no guarantees. Nobody said the Boston Celtics would end up being world champions. There were a whole bunch of other great teams out there. Going along this path, it's been a roller coaster this whole post season. It's been awesome man. I just feel grateful, man, and I'm just blessed to be here tonight.
Do you plan on coming back here to this team?
I have no idea. If it comes to that, and I decide to came back, this is option A. I would look no other place but here first. I prefer to leave it at that for right now.
So, PJ is just going to enjoy the moment and the milestone he has finally reached as a 38 year old player. Obviously, if P.J. decides to send feelers out to the Celtics, he would want to earn a bit more than the bargain basement money he signed for this year. How and where Wyc and Danny decide to spend their money for next season's team will involve some tough decisions and maybe a little more out of pocket money. The returns generated from this year's luxury tax penalty team couldn't have been better. Or maybe they will be. The TV ratings were up about 50% percent over last year and the final game earned a 10.7 share, the highest since 2000. A portion of any and all monies earned are distributed back to teams in the revenue sharing agreement. The Celtics say they will sell about about 1,000 more season tickets next year than they made available this year. Kevin Garnett's jersey is the NBA's number one selling item. Celtics gear sales generally, will only increase. It's a good time economically for the league and the Celtics in particular. Perhaps there are a few sheckles more for a player like P.J. Brown]]> http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/cool_calm_pj_brown_undecided_a.html http://forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/06/cool_calm_pj_brown_undecided_a.html Boston Celtics Celtics Lakers Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals NBA Play-offs P.J. Brown Tom Halzack Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:38:18 -0500