Wow. It was only a couple weeks ago that I was making jokes about looking like a namby-pamby nitpicker if you had the nerve to criticize this team. 19 game winning streaks will prompt that sort of commentary. Then the team inexplicably devolved into a bizarro version of “the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs” and there are suddenly more flaws in evidence than a pawn shop diamond. Seriously, what happened? These are the defending world champions and yet over the past two weeks, with the exception of blowouts against the lowly Kings and Wizards, the team has gone down to the wire in five games and lost each and every one of them. If that isn’t a reflection of mental toughness, or a sudden lack thereof, and an absence of team chemistry, then I’m a Chinese fighter pilot. 
My esteemed colleague Thomas Halzack just laid down some compelling evidence that served to outline much of what has been wrong with the team during this recent stretch of futility. Now, I’m generally not a fan of A) over-reacting, or B) piling on, but this play of late by the Celtics simply does not and cannot warrant a free pass. There have just been too many instances of “Wow, they just got out hustled again” and “Now, what exactly is the game plan here?” and “Boy, they just wilted down the stretch” lately. Therefore, as a companion piece to Tom’s, I provide a fresh serving of blame pie, with an abundance of slices to go around the table.
Seemingly on the turn of a dime, euphoria has given way to angst, panic and paranoia. In matter of days, when it comes to public perception, the Celtics have morphed from invincible world-beaters to a deeply flawed squad anchored by a trio of geezers on the downside of their careers.
Dear Santa,
I’ve been a good Celtics fan this year. I’ve watched all the games and faithfully supported the team to the best of my abilities. Heck, I faithfully supported the team even when they were losing rather than winning 18 games in a row, even after Paul Pierce and Tony Allen got hurt and the ping pong balls fell horribly wrong and it all just looked so hopeless. Over the years, I’ve even gone so far as to root hard for guys like Mark Blount, Ricky Davis and Sebastian Telfair, men who represent all that is evil and wicked in modern basketball, simply because they wore the green and white uniform.
Bearing all of the above in mind, I have but one item on my Christmas list this year. It’s called a P.J. Brown, which is a 39 year old basketball player currently resting in comfortable retirement. I’d like him back on the Celtics roster, not necessarily by Christmas but I’d certainly like to see him practicing with the team again by February at the latest. In the scheme of things, this may seem like a modest request but, you see, the Celtics need Mr. Brown’s services again this year to successfully defend their miraculous title.
It was 11 years ago today that the Seinfeld episode of “The Strike” first aired and thus unveiled to us the wonderful world of Festivus. We here at Celtics Stuff Live choose to commemorate that event by rolling out the now time-honored holiday tradition known simply as the Airing of Grievances. For those unaware, the Airing of Grievances gives all of us our due time to celebrate the season by heightening our complaining to new and deeply unreasonable levels. Here in Boston, this sort of thing fits right into our wheelhouse. Therefore, without further ado, as specific to all things Celtics, here is my airing of grievances for 2008:
Gary Payton’s Blatant Ignorance
With much fanfare, Gary Payton recently hated on Rajon Rondo, claiming that our little floor general rode the coattails of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and ray Allen to a championship ring. Nonsense! At first, I have to admit, I was tempted to give credence to Payton’s claim. After all, who knows more than Payton about latching on like a crusty barnacle to good teams at the end of his career (which lasted at least two years too long and would have lasted even longer had the Celtics responded to his sorry pleas to gratuitously join the team last spring)? Then I realized that it was technically impossible for Payton to even watch Rajon Rondo play because that would have required The Glove to actually stop talking for entire seconds at a time, which I think we all know by now is physically impossible for this glorified set of flapping lips. Much like tinsel, I find Gary Payton to be very distracting.
Before Kendrick Perkins was even born, there was a player named Jeff Ruland. And let me tell something, folks: He was a beast. Those who watched Ruland play in the early 80’s recall a dominant rebounder could score both down on the blocks and out on the perimeter and who could also cut opposing defenses to ribbons with his deft passing. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, you may instead recognize him as half of the infamous tandem “McFilthy and McNasty”, as so named by famed Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most (Rick Mahorn was the other half, of course). Most coined the insulting joint monikers during heated playoff battles between the Celtics and the then-named Washington Bullets in 1982 and 1984. Even though the Celtics prevailed in both playoff series, the tone of those games became downright chippy and it should be noted that those victories came despite the superior play of Ruland. In the 1984 series, Ruland averaged 24 points, 13 boards and 8 assists (like I said, the man could seriously play). He was eventually traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that involved Moses Malone but soon after he arrived there, his career was derailed by foot injuries.
When Tony Allen twisted his ankle the other night against Orlando, it was enough to make any devoted Celtics fan cringe. While Allen isn’t a member of the vaunted Big Three or even a starter, he has nonetheless established himself as a key member of the ten man rotation.
If you’ve been paying attention, you know that Allen has shown a significant improvement in his play thus far this season. What you may not know, however, is that Allen also happens to lead the league right now in one particular category worth noting: converted three point plays (otherwise known as “and ones”) per field goal. According to 82games.com, Allen is presently tied for sixth place in overall three point plays converted with 14 thus far this season. Of note, those ahead of him essentially represent an All-NBA list that includes such high profile and referee favored players as Dwight Howard (the current leader at 29 And 1s), Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Tim Duncan. Allen is certainly the only bench player among the top 20 and when you sift the numbers of And1s in relation to overall shots made, Allen shoots straight to the top of the NBA with a startling 22.6% of his field goals resulting in a three point play. No other player even comes close (which is to say above 15%).
When it comes to covering the Celtics, I think we can all agree that there’s only so many creative ways to say, “Boy, these guys are pretty darned good” before it all begins to sound a bit stale. Therefore, I say it’s time to adjust the standards of criticism so we can begin to righteously complain about things again. From this point forward, no infraction or failure will be considered too trivial for commentary. Bearing these new unreasonable standards in mind, I’ve got some serious bones to pick with this current Celtics organization. Here are just a few of the things that are really bugging me these days…
A couple weeks back, there was a good-natured debate on CSNĘĽs Celtics Now between Mike Gorman and Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports. The topic was Ray Allen and the debate centered around whether Allen was still worthy of inclusion in The Big Three with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Gorman believed that Allen belonged whereas Goodman did not. Gorman then made a bet with Goodman that Allen would finish up with better numbers at the end of this season as compared to last. It was a lively discussion and one that I thought deserved a bit more statistical scrutiny so I jumped on the case.
Before I get into the numbers, let me first acknowledge what I see as the limitations of statistics when it comes to basketball. The ball may not lie but basketball statistics sometimes do. For example, if you were to look solely at the numbers last season for Al Jefferson and Kevin Garnett respectively, youĘĽd come away with the impression that the Timberwolves gained the upper hand in that trade. Specifically, Jefferson posted season averages per game of 21.0 points, 11.1 rebounds 1.5 blocks versus GarnettĘĽs 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. ItĘĽs an impressive difference until you consider the fact that Jefferson was featured in MinnesotaĘĽs offense whereas Garnett had to share the ball with players like Pierce and Allen. The numbers also fail to capture the important but non-quantifiable aspects of GarnettĘĽs game, such as his leadership, defense and team-centered attitude.
Today, I introduce a new feature that I intend to offer regularly to the readers of Celtics Stuff Live. Basically, the concept is to summarize the answers to three (or so) questions posed to three players on issues that I’ve been pondered specifically as I’ve watched them play this season. The intention is to try to cover some new ground and offer a fresh perspective from those who know the most about the team, namely those players who wear the green and white.
The play and speculated potential of Tony Allen have caused some of the most spirited debates among Celtics fans in recent years. He tantalized us with his heightened play during the early part of the 2006-07 season before falling victim to a terrible ACL injury to his right knee. The injury was especially disconcerting to a player who thrives and depends upon his athleticism and explosiveness. In the wake of the injury, team doctor Brian McKeon stressed that the long recovery for Allen would be as much mental as it would be physical. On whether he still worries about re-injuring the knee during games, Allen said, “I think about it sometimes, you know, but for the most part I’m getting through it, I’m fighting through that.”
Since his return, the Celtics organization and fan base have been waiting for that best incarnation of Tony Allen to reappear. After what most would consider a mixed bag of a year last season, Allen has returned healthier and into a more prominent role following the loss of James Posey during the off-season. Many consider Allen to be the key to the effectiveness of the bench and a much needed perimeter defender in Posey’s absence. Thus far this season, Allen’s play has been up and down. Some (including me) have wondered aloud whether Allen’s inconsistency is at least partially driven by confidence issues. When I posed the question, Allen quickly dismissed it. “I never get down on myself,” he said. “I get frustrated more than down but my confidence is always high.”
For those of you concerned about weaknesses in the Celtics’ recent play, have no fear. Henry Paulson is on the case and he brings buckets full of money with him to solve the problem. Because Paulson has abandoned his original plan to purchase bad investments from banks, he now has a few hundred billion extra dollars in bailout money to spend elsewhere.
Rumor has it that Paulson developed a special place in his heart for the Celtics during his undergraduate days at Dartmouth and has now allocated funds to help the men in green in their hour of need. Although the details are still murky, here are just of few of the outlined proposals from the Treasury Department that are intended to cure the recent ails of the Boston Celtics:
$5,000 Specialty Glasses for Doc Rivers
These cutting edge technology glasses will enable the coach to see all the way down to the end of his bench. There he will catch sight of Gabe Pruitt, who is in fact activated, dressed and available to play in games whenever Rajon Rondo falters and/or Eddie House fails to drain his jumpers. The fancy spectacles will also allow Doc to see the scoreboard high above the court, which frequently reflects noteworthy developments during games, such as 19-2 unimpeded runs by the opposing team. Recognition of such developments may prompt Rivers to utilize available timeouts to regroup and coach his team. The government expects a very favorable return to taxpayers on this modest investment.
Dear Antonio,
First of all, let’s get the obvious out of the way: Your addition to the Celtics roster would make the team better. It’s that simple. Sure, Leon Powe and Glen Davis have both played well thus far this season but come playoff time, the Celtics’ brass would still feel far more confident with your size, poise and experience coming off the bench for them first. Sam Mitchell reflected the other day on the possibility of your joining the Celtics that it would be a case of the rich just getting richer. Boo hoo, Sam. Because isn’t getting richer (read: better) the point of it all?
As for you personally, joining the Celtics would likewise represent a best-possible-case scenario. After all, you’re still missing that coveted ring on your finger. You came to Detroit to get that jewelry but in your four full seasons there, you came up short. It happens. But you are now 34 years old now. As we speak, your physical abilities continue to slip incrementally and will eventually fall to a point where retirement is no longer voluntary. The clock ticks onward whatever your intentions. Meanwhile, Detroit appears to be a team in steady decline whereas Boston sits squarely atop of the apex of the basketball world. Bearing all of the above in mind, it makes all the sense in the world for you to sign with the Celtics. It’s the ultimate no-brainer. It’s an unquestionable move.
As you may have heard, earlier this week Popovich vented to the Dallas Morning News with the following tirade: “In the middle of the Celtics’ [banner] it says ‘World Champions’ in giant letters and ‘Boston Celtics’. In the middle, in little teeny letters, ‘NBA’. In brackets. What is that? Ashamed to be in the NBA? Or, I know it’s really the NBA championship, but I’m going to go ahead and say world championship, anyway. I don’t understand it.”
Popovich is spot on here. If you recall, after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games last June, the Celtics then headed home for an easy summer of golf and sangrias instead of inviting on all other global title winners, such as Italian champion Montepaschi Siena or Polish champion Asseco Prokom Sopot. Honestly, how can you claim to be “World Champions” on your big fancy banners without first beating the pants off teams like the Prokom Sopots? Clearly, this “World Champions” business is a blatant slap in the face to Polish basketball fans everywhere.
Can you feel the love tonight? It is where we aaaaare. It’s enough for this wide-eyed wanderer that we got this far…
Honestly, I wanted to skip this column. I really did. But then Elton John persisted, crooning in my head his dreamy little tune about cartoon lions, a tune that seems more fitting these days for the national adoration showered upon the Los Angeles Lakers as title favorites.
Despite the fresh crisp white and green banner that hangs above their parquet floor, the Boston Celtics are seemingly pretenders to the throne. At least, according to many NBA general managers and ESPN basketball pundits, they are.
In general, the reasoning goes a little something like this: Legend-in-waiting Andrew Bynum is back and healthy whereas Big Game James Posey is gone. Pau Gasol will have a full season to integrate into the Phil Jackson system. The magnificent will of Kobe Bryant will not be denied. Etcetera, etcetera.
I will concede that Bynum’s return and Posey’s departure do indeed seem to tip the scales a bit more to LA’s benefit. Otherwise, there is no apparent deeper thinking involved if those are the only legitimate points of reasoning. The rest of it is unsubstantiated fluff or baseless speculation. But that’s ESPN’s New World Order for you. Instead of actual analysis, you get one-sentence justifications, such as this singular little gem from Jackie MacMullen that apparently serves to explain why she thinks the Lakers will prevail:
