Thoughts from the annual most boring week in the world of sports…

Swept Under the Rug Story of the Week: Donaghy’s Fave Five

How is Tim Donaghy’s cell phone relationship with fellow ref Scott Foster not a bigger story? Why is the link already lost in the archives of almost every relevant Web site? Is there something more going on? Has David Stern gained control of the media? Are we entering some Fight Club reality where Stern has brain washed all of society to work as one in the name of preserving the league?

I know we have to presume that Foster is innocent until something is proven, but goddamn, Scott!

Here are the facts from the Fox News article (I know, the words "facts" and "Fox News" have no business being together) on the latest findings:

"The records show Donaghy placed 134 calls to referee Scott Foster — more than the 126 calls Donaghy made to his bookie — between October 2006 and April 2007, the period during which he has confessed to either betting on games or passing on game information to gamblers. The majority of the phone calls lasted no more than two minutes and occurred prior to and after games Donaghy officiated and on which he admits wagering.

With the exception of 150 calls Donaghy placed to Thomas Martino, to whom he says he provided "picks" to win games and who was the middleman between the disgraced referee and a bookie named James Battista, the ex-ref phoned no one more than he called Foster. During this period, the most calls Donaghy made to any other referee were 13."

Back to me: Since day one, David Stern has called this guy a "rogue, isolated criminal." But now, records show that during the very time this "rogue, isolated criminal" was allegedly fixing the NBA, he was also calling another ref before and after all the games like he was his fifth grade girlfriend. And no one’s making a big deal? The NBA can just say, "We’ve investigated this and Scott Foster wasn’t involved," and we all just sit back and say, "Oh, well, OK. Forget it then"?

Like I said, we can’t assume anything. And maybe time will prove me a complete asshole for writing this item. But if Donaghy’s assertions that there were other refs (maybe Foster) involved are correct, then it crushes the NBA. Especially in light of Stern’s 100% promise that Donaghy was a lone rebel and that there was absolutely no chance there were any other issues. If Foster is found guilty, David Stern becomes Roger Clemens. Again, there are a lot of “ifs” in here, but I at least wanted someone to be talking about it.

Note: I don’t normally read Fox News, they just happen to be the ones who broke the story and it came up first on the google search I had to do because the STORY WAS ALREADY ARCHIVED ON THE OTHER SITES!

Loser of the Week: Alex Rodriguez

Yeah, it was fun reading about how no one showed up to A-Rod little All Star Game bash, but more important than that, think about this for second:

Imagine if someone told you today that five years from now Peyton Manning would be one of your favorite QBs in the league, Tony Romo would be NFL Public Enemy #1 and Tom Brady would not only be playing for the Raiders but you also wouldn’t give a crap about anything he was doing.

Not buying it, right?

OK, now let’s imagine we’re back in the summer of ’99; fully immersed in the debate over who’s the best shortstop in the majors.

In Boston, we have Nomar, his popularity is hovering right around Brady’s current level. He’s making a run at .400 every year and we’re all pretty much convinced he’ll finish his career as the greatest hitter who ever lived.

In New York, there’s Derek Jeter. We hate Jeter. He’s already won two World Series, broken our heart every chance he’s had and can makes us cringe with even the stupidest little smirk.

Lastly, there’s A-Rod: An up-and-coming megastar who also happens to be one of the more likable guys in the league.

So you’re walking around one day in 1999, listening to No Scrubs on your Discman and some ghost from the future (for fun let’s pretend it looks like Paul Giamatti but talks like Dikembe Mutombo) appears in front of you:

"Riiich… Riiiiiiiiich!! In 2008, all three of these great shortstops will still be active, but it’s not as you thiiiiiiiink. You will have more respect for Derek Jeter than almost any other player in the league. A-Rod will be the most hated man in the majors. And even though Nomar still plays, you won’t care about him at all. In fact, you won’t even what position he’s playing this year.”

I would have never believed it. Of course, in this scenario, Dikembe Giamatti was talking specifically to me. Maybe there are Bostonians out there who hate Jeter just as much as they did in 1999 or have followed Nomar’s career more closely since he went out west. But you have to admit that the public image of these guys has transformed more over the last 10 years than you ever could have imagined.

In conclusion, A-Rod is a loser.

Note: I used five years for the NFL analogy because football players have shorter life spans.

Note 2: My personal favorite memory of the shortstop debate of the late 90s came during the Home Run Derby of either the 1998 or 2000 All-Star Game. A-Rod was in the booth and when asked his opinion, said something like this:

“Well, the way I look at it. I’m the youngest, Derek’s the richest and Nomar’s the best.”

I remember thinking that was the coolest thing in the world. I would have died for Nomar back then. that one sentence might have made my summer. Then again, I was (am?) a huge loser.

WTF of the Week: Greg Norman is in the lead after two rounds at the British Open

The Shark! If Norman somehow managed to pull this one out, it would be one of the best stories of the year. They’d have to re-tape the ESPYs. Could anything compare to the sport’s premiere choke artist rising from the dead at 53-years-old and taking a major? It would be like The Rookie, Hoosiers, Tin Cup, and the priest’s final round from Caddy Shack all combined into one.

It was always really easy to root for the Shark. Not only did you want him to finally get over the hump, but he just seemed like a real chill. likable guy. I always got the impression that he’d be a great drinking buddy. Even after he choked away the 1996 Masters, I imagine he went back to the hotel bar, got wasted and finished off the night singing Midnight Train on karaoke. So for that reason (and all the other obvious ones), Let’s go, Shark!

Note: I didn’t know that it was the 1996 Masters off the top of my head. I don’t want to give off the impression that I know more about golf than I do.

Winner of the Week: James Posey

When I heard about Posey’s new contract in New Orleans, I wanted to give him a standing ovation (you know, one of those slow, “Sir, you have outdone yourself!” claps that the villains give after the hero figures out how they pulled off the heist). The man wanted four years. I didn’t think anyone in their right mind would give it to him (at the price he was asking). But he got it. He parlayed two months of stellar playoff hoops into a guaranteed $25M from now until 2012. You can’t help but be happy for the guy.

Now let me say this: I love Posey. I wore a Posey t-shirt for almost every game this season. But there is no way in hell I would have been OK with the Celtics giving him a 4 year/$25M deal. It would have been a mistake.

With the PGA Tour taking up a bulk of the cap for the next few years, flexibility is the key. Ainge needs to be able to mix and match. He’s got to find a bunch of parts that maker a better whole and under that philosophy, you can’t ever overpay for a role player. Four years, at that price just didn’t make sense. Not if we’re trying to build a consistent winner. Sure they could have brought Posey back and mortgaged the future in an effort to win it next year, or the year after that, but I’m not down with that. I’ve lived through enough years of the Celtics being a joke. I’m not satisfied with four years of success followed by a trip back to the basement because our cap is all messed up. It’s time to Belichick this team. Everything we do, we do for the purpose of sustaining our dominance. It’s got to be a business. You don’t act on emotion. You don’t break from what you know is right, regardless of how it might be perceived by the fans, or the players.

What makes me feel best about everything I just wrote is that I know Danny Ainge is on the same page. During his one-on-one with Gary Tanguay the other day, Ainge admitted that they didn’t even want to give Posey a third year, never mind a fourth. He knows what’s in front of him. Rajon Rondo’s contract. Perk’s contract. An even more impressive crop of free agents. Danny’s not building a three year wonder. He’s trying to build a dynasty.

Link of the Week:

For a report on Hideo Nomo’s high profile retirement from Major League Baseball, we go to Wicked Weekly’s newest correspondent… this kid. He tells it how it is. He kicks asses and takes names later. Kid, the stage is yours.

Note: During the first half of the 2001 baseball season, I had to follow the Red Sox from Europe—where I was studying for the semester. It was a frustrating yet pretty cool experience, and definitely took the level of my Red Sox obsession up a couple notches. I say this because my No. 1 memory from that time period was Nomo’s no-hitter. I was at an Internet Cafe in Amsterdam, and once I read the back of the packaging to make sure "random Asian pitchers throwing no hitters" wasn’t one of the side effects of the mushrooms, I celebrated like the Sox just won the World Series. I rattled off like 15 different emails to friends at home asking for a better break down of the events. So even if Nomo was a huge bust in Boston, at least he us that.

Prediction for Next Week of the Week: Sox drop four of their next six games.

Kind of interesting that the Red Sox will start the second half of the season in almost identical fashion to the Celtics.

Back in February, the Celtics traveled out West for five games after the break. They started out losing three straight (their first and only three game losing streak of the season) before salvaging the trip with two straight wins against the Clippers and Trailblazers.

The Sox kick off the stretch run with six at the Angels and Mariners. I say they lose four of them.

See You Next Week

Rich Levine is a contributor to Wicked Good Sports with his “Wicked Weekly” column and podcast, “The Dino Radja Experience”. Rich is also a columnist for The Improper Bostonian.

Thoughts while counting down the hours until the 2008 MLB All-Star Game!!!!…

Conversation of the Week:

(Ring…Ring…)

RL: Hey, this is Rich.

MR: (Singing) Rollin’ down the street smokin endo, sippin’ on gin and juice! Ahhhhh!! Bahahahaha!!!

RL: Huh? Manny? What the eff are you doing?

MR: It’s the sixth inning, mang! I’’m on my phone!

RL: That doesn’t answer my question. And why are singing Gin and Juice?

MR: I keep my phone here now!

RL: You don’t see why there’d maybe a problem with you talking on it during a game?

MR: Waitta second. I thought Javy Lopez retired. And since when does he pitch? Isn’t he a catcher?

RL: Dude, the game’s back. Get on the field.

MR: K! We still on for the X Files movie on Friday?

RL: Yup.

MR: Pinky swear?

RL: I’ll talk to you later

(Sarcastic) Logical Move of the Week:

You wonder why some organizations hit rock bottom and build themselves back up, while others remain entrenched in the asbestos filled basement of their respective league. Earlier this week, Elton Brand signed with Philly for 5 years and $80M. Sure, he’s coming off major surgery, but this isn’t 1985 when a torn ACL could derail a guy’s career. It’ll probably take Brand a year to get back to full form, but once he’s healthy, the Sixers will have four year’s worth of one of the top five power forwards in the league. Brand’s averaged 20 and 10 (not to mention more than two blocks) for his career. He’s 29, and unless injuries become an issue, will be giving the Celtics headaches until 2013. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out this week’s podcast as I discuss the C’s post-championship off-season with Nick Altschuller . If you have a question for "The Dino Radja Experience", email us at dinoradjaexperience@gmail.com.

Thoughts from a week that brought us the birth of a baseball dynasty—or at least a team that will challenge in the AL East for the next month or so before sputtering out and finishing the season 10 games behind the Red Sox and Yankees…

"One Positive Thing About Baseball" of the Week: DVR Made Easy

So let’s say you’re watching a Celtics game, and you realize you forgot something at the store, or maybe you have to go pick up your dinner, switch your laundry, take the dog for a walk. You pause the TV, leave the house and try and get back as soon as possible, and when you do, you’ve got your work cut out for you. You’ve missed about 20 minutes of time, which in basketball means multiple possessions, a lot of hoops and potentially a huge swing in momentum. You have the conversation with yourself:

OK, should I try and catch up?… No, it’s cool, I’ll just fast-forward through commercials… but what if someone calls or texts you from the TV future and spoils a big play that you’d rather see live?… OK, I just won’t answer my phone… that’s stupid, what if you fast forward through foul shots as well. That’ll make up some time… all right, that sounds good… but wait, I kind of like the stats they show during foul shots…

You know how it goes. It’s a mess and brings far too much stress than you need when you’re already watching a stressful game. Anyway, with baseball—and especially the Red Sox this season—you go to the store, and 20 minutes later you’ve missed like six pitches. There’s so much painful downtime, you hardly need to pause it at all.

Note: And yeah, I’m desperately trying to find ways to be positive about the Celtics not playing another meaningful game for four months.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts while uncomfortably waiting for Darrell Arthur to be drafted…

Three Random Draft Observations of the Week

*Worst comment of the entire night (paraphrased here):

"Hey, guys, did you hear that Doc Rivers Gatorade shirt went up on EBay this week and someone bought it for $50,000? I mean that’s great, but get a life!" –Stuart Scott

Stu, you are soooo right. I’ve always considered rapists, pick pockets, ambulance chasers and people who donate 50K to benefit children’s charities to be society’s biggest bottom feeders.

*Eric Gordon looks like a combination of Jay Williams and Steve Erkel if said Jay Williams/Steve Erkel combo constantly looked constipated.

*When you hate someone for as long as I’ve hated Stephen A. Smith, you surrender all hope that you’ll ever enjoy his presence on any given broadcast. But as weird and wrong as this feels to say, I enjoyed Stephen A. Smith last night.

He asks real questions, sugar coats nothing, and for some reason, players are comfortable enough with him to actually answer. Those post-pick interviews could have easily been as cookie cutter as a third grade report card, but SAS kept it pretty legit. From asking DJ Augustine about Raymond Felton, Gallinari about getting booed and Russell Westbrook about the knocks on his ability to run the point, I thought he did a surprisingly decent job.

And on that note…

The Three Best (hilarious) SAS interviews of the night:

1. Joe Alexander: Only because his awkward intensity sounded exactly like Joe from Family Guy.

2. Brooke Lopez: Only because his clothes and grace were reminiscent of the giant from Big Fish while his voice was Mr. Larson from Happy Gilmore.

3. Darrell Arthur: Only because at one point SAS said this sentence on national TV: "Darrell, now we goin’ to Doris, who’s down there wit yo mama!"

Note 1: When Brook and Robin Lopez’s were choosing a college, do you think they took into consideration the fact that Stanford had already sent a pair of identical twin seven-footers—Jason and Jarron Collins—to the league? It can’t just be a coincidence that the NBA’s only two sets of freak twins of the last 20 (or more) years went to the same school, right? Maybe Stanford has scientists engineering these dudes the same way the Chinese government created Yao.

Note on a Note: Here’s something weird about Jason and Jarron Collins. Not only are they identical twins, but over the course of their seven year careers they’ve averaged an almost identical 4.4 and 4.3 points per game. Granted, Jason’s played about 100 more games and made two appearances in the Finals but still, for their numbers to be so similar is kind of eerie.

Note to the Third: I usually like quirky athletes—I enjoyed watching Ricky Williams give interviews with his helmet on, love Jesper Parnevik’s pants and used to laugh at Jonathan Silverman’s character in Little Big League—but the Lopez brothers are the exception to the rule. There’s something about them that I absolutely hate and I can’t imagine how awful it must have been for the other Stanford guys to put up with Brook and Robin over the last two years. I think the fact that they won’t be together anymore is the best possible scenario for any team that has to put up with their weird BS, but I still don’t foresee them becoming anything more than gigantic—literally and figuratively—and freaky pains in the ass.

Check out this story for confirmation

I’d love to see Brook plop himself down next to Vince Carter on the team plain and strike up a conversation about the time Peter Pan saved the Lost Boys.

Segue.

"Random List of the Week"

I was relatively indifferent on the Yi for Richard Jefferson trade. First, there’s not a team in the league I care less about than the Bucks, and second, in the last year the Nets have become more irrelevant than the latest hard copy edition of Encyclopedia Britannica.

Anyway, here’s the one thought I had: I’m happy Vince Carter is getting what he deserves again—the leading role on a garbage, going no where team.

It’s funny to say this now, because Vince was one of the most entertaining and likable guys in the league when he first started. He was on everybody’s short list of favorite players. Now he’s a disgrace. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s all been said at this point. The Celtics won. We all laughed. We all cried. We are the Champions. And to bridge the gap between the most memorable Celtics season of the last 20 years and the start of the 2008-09 repeat campaign, here’s one question (and answer) to think about for every player who help bring home Banner 17.

What will Kevin Garnett do with his life now?

Is there anyway KG can remain as intense and focused next season when the very thing he was so focused on (for so long) is now neatly wrapped around his finger? I say no. That’s not to say his effort will be compromised in 2009, I just don’t see how he can be as obsessed. It’s human nature. It’s the Zelda Corollary.

Remember when you first got Zelda? Not that we had anything beter to do with our lives back in the late 80s, but the day you got Zelda, Zelda became your life. And you wouldn’t rest until Gannon was hunched over in a bloody heap on your black and white VHF/UHF TV. You spent months living and breathing that effing game; it’s all you thought about. And then—months later–when you finally beat it, it was like, "Um… so what do I do now?" You played again, and you still got excitement for going through and winning it all, but it was never the same. Not without curiosity over what it would be like to scale the mountain; or the taunting from your friends who had already sealed the deal. You kept beating Zelda but you could never recreated the drive and intensity of doing it the first time.

Is there a chance that KG is immune to the Zelda Corollary? Sure, the guy is barely human. But even if he does fall victim a little bit, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. At the very least, KG might start to enjoy himself a little more out there. That doesn’t mean he’ll become complacent, but now that the 500-pound monkey is off his back, he can get back to playing like he did when he first came into the league. Before all anyone ever talked about was that he hadn’t won a title.

How much can Ray take?

Ray Allen’s the kind of dude who bluffs you into folding a pair of 10s when all he’s got is 2-3 off-suited. Think about all he went through this year: There was the added pressure and expectations of teaming up with KG and the Truth; there were the sore ankles; there was the ongoing attempted murder trial with his mom and step dad in South Carolina; there was the unconditional worst shooting slump of his career during the most important postseason of his career; there was his son’s mysterious illness that resulted in a trip to the emergency room after Game 5 of the Finals. And those are only the things that we know about. But through it all, Ray was a rock. His face never changed; his game never pressed; his leadership never lacked. There are about five or six guys on the 2008 Celtics who you could say this about—which is likely one of the reasons they won the title—but Allen is a pro’s pro.

Is there anyone more deserving that the Truth?

We’ve now had six World Championships in Boston since 2002, and I’m having trouble coming up with one guy on any of those teams more deserving—from a Boston fan’s perspective—than Paul Pierce. Maybe Bruce Armstrong would be in the conversation had he not retired a year early or Drew Bledsoe had he started all season in 2001 or Nomar had he not been traded, but in reality, no one on any of the title teams went through more up and downs with the city of Boston than Pierce. And the way he won the title (literally putting the team on his back for extended periods of the playoffs and taking home the Finals MVP) was just icing. It’s going to be weird no longer having to defend Paul Pierce’s worth to people outside Boston, but I couldn’t be happier that the case is closed. Paul’s a champ and no one can take that away.

He’s really only 22?

Rajon Rondo is the same age as the Olsen Twins. For some reason this comparison always gets me. Not only because he’s so fricking young, but because I can remember watching Full House back on TGIF when I was growing up, and can’t imagine my reaction if someone had said to me then, "Hey the next time the Celtics win a title, their starting point guard will have been born the same year as that annoying baby." But weird and awkward analogies aside, I couldn’t be more excited for the Rajon Rondo era. Him and Jacoby Ellsbury are the next generation of Boston megastars.

Has Perk finally found his niche?

This is coming from the guy who crapped on Perk more than anyone else I know: Perk is a certified NBA center. I had my doubts. We all had our doubts. But over the last two months, all that was erased. I’m not saying he comes into next season the next Robert Parish. But I do believe that he’s sorted a lot out in his head. I think he has a better understanding of what he can do, what he can’t do and, most importantly, what he has the potential to do in this league. On top of that, you can’t teach the kind of toughness he showed in these playoffs.

How will Posey be remembered?

I wrote in my magazine column this week that James Posey is like the Internet. Life was OK before it arrived, but now that we got a taste, there’s not way to live without it. But let’s say the worst happens and Posey takes a big money, longer term deal with the Lakers or the Cavs or any of the other contenders that will be throwing big bucks at him over the next couple of months. What will Posey’s legacy be in the landscape of local sports? Will he be Keith Foulke? David Patten? It’s hard to take an unbiased stance on it right now; it’s way too fresh. But I know for sure that even though Posey will forever be overshadowed by the PGA Tour when people look back on the 2008 title, I’ll always remember him as one of the more enjoyable and likable Celtics of my lifetime.

What’s Leon ’s Ceiling?

It’s easy to get carried away with Leon Powe’s potential because he’s such a likable player/person. But if we’re being real, what’s the best-case scenario for Powe? On our podcast this week, Nick projected a poor man’s Charles Oakley, but then again Nick would have Leon ’s child if it were biologically possible. How about Antonio Davis? I’d take that

Has Eddie earned a contract?

What’s more improbable: the Celtics going worse to first, or the prospect of Eddie House actually playing on the same two years in a row? Um, yeah, still probably the Celtics, but you’ve got to think—or maybe just hope—that the team doesn’t forget all that Eddie can do, Eddie doesn’t forget all he can’t do and a deal will be worked out to bring House (and hell, give his little kid a ball boy contract if it sweetens the deal) back to Boston. Is finding another back up point guard still a priority? Without a doubt. They still need a guy who can bring the ball up when Rondo’s on the bench. But on a championship team, there’s room for a backup PG and an Eddie House. His intangibles are off the charts, and after watching the way he gracefully handled be screwed over by Doc in the Playoffs and then seamlessly adjusted back into the lineup when his number was called, you know he can handle anything. He’s a guy you need on a title team.

Really, Glen?

I’m not ready to talk about Big Baby yet. How can you do justice to his post-title transformation from lovable, goofball to borderline mental patient in one paragraph? Let this photo fill the void until the time is right.

Can we start giving Sam a little credit?

It’s impossible to get worked up Sam Cassell now that the Celtics won—even though it appeared at times like the Alien was doing his best to make sure Banner No. 17 never got raised. But now that it’s in the books, maybe we can start to appreciate all that Sam brought to the team off the court—when he wasn’t forcing fade away jumpers over 7-footers.

My favorite Cassell story came from the Atlanta series. During a timeout in Game 2—and from my seats about 12 rows back behind the Celtics bench—I saw Cassell hovering over one of his teammates and absolutely taking him to task for something that he’d done on a previous possession. I couldn’t make out who the other guy was, but he was nodding his head and looked completely entranced by what Cassell had to see—like the kid from Rookie of the Year (but in American Pie) when Casey Affleck introduces him to the secret book. I assumed that it was Rondo, maybe Perk or Leon Powe, but when the mystery teammate stood up, it was Paul Pierce. That image always stuck with me. There was no one too good or too big to learn from Sam I Am, and that, at the very least, had a marginal effect on the Celtics ability to bring home the title.

Will we ever hear from PJ Brown again?

PJ Brown came into our lives out of nowhere. And I have a feeling he might disappear just as quickly. Cassell is going to be around the NBA for the rest of his life, and guys that leave the team this offseason—whether its Posey, Allen or House—will move on with other teams and come back to Boston a few times a year. But other than the ring ceremony on opening night, we might never see PJ Brown again. Nice knowing you, PJ. Thanks for everything.

Is it time for Tony to move on?

When the season started, the Globe’s Marc Spears did a story—albeit a slightly humorous one—about the Tony Allen becoming part of Boston ’s Big Four. All Tony really became was Black Jack Haley, but he couldn’t have had more fun doing it. I’m guessing Allen moves elsewhere next season, but I definitely have faith in his game. If he can stay healthy, and ends up on a crappy team like the Bucks or the T-Wolves, I bet he could average 15 points a game. And let’s never forget that reverse alley-oop he threw done in garbage time of Game 6. At the time I didn’t think I could get any happier but watching this work of art go down took me to an entirely different level. Whenever Tony Allen is catching reverse alley-oop from Eddie House, you know the game is over, and this time it signified the official start of the Celtics NBA title celebration.

So we really have to keep paying Scal?

Now that it’s official that Brian Scalabrine is far more Celtic team mascot than NBA player (no offense, Scal. I still love you, it’s just the truth) can we remember for a second how mind-blowing his contract is? Scal is on the books for the next two season for an average of $3,310,345 a year. James Posey’s player option for next season was supposed to be $3,462,480. Need any more explanation for why Big Game James is opting out?

What did we expect from Scot Pollard?

The funniest thing about the way Pollard’s season played out is that if you had asked me back in October how I thought he would do, I’m almost positive I would have said,

"Yeah, he’ll be OK for a little, but will probably end up getting hurt and hosting his own show on Comcast or something."

Scot Pollard was exactly what we thought he was!! Woah, sorry. But really, he’s everything we expected, which in my book is awesome. I don’t think you can underestimate the importance of having a laid-back, fun-loving, unselfish guy like Pollard around the team—regardless of how much he plays.

So that’s a wrap. Terrific season. Unbelievable memories. And even though I’m not sure it can get any better going forward, it’s sure going to be fun.

See You Next Week

Rich Levine is a contributor to Wicked Good Sports with his “Wicked Weekly” column and podcast, “The Dino Radja Experience”. Rich is also a columnist for The Improper Bostonian.

Check out the newest podcast from Rich Levine as Banner 17 is celebrated. Rich is once again joined by Nick Altschuler from the Improper Bostonian, and Celtics Sideline Reporter Greg Dickerson. If you have a question for "The Dino Radja Experience", email us at dinoradjaexperience@gmail.com.

Thoughts from a week that brought us one of the greatest games in Boston sports history—and a game that will be the sole focus of this column

“Defining Moment” of the Week

Ray Allen’s “give me the ball and get out of the way, there is no effing chance a guy named Sasha is stopping me” move on Sasha Vujacic at the end of Game 4 was the definition of what we’ve been looking for from the PGA Tour these entire playoffs.

The game was on the line, and Ray assumed total responsibility. He put the team on his back and said, “this is my game, and I’m finishing it right now.” If the Celtics end up winning the championship, this shot will not only be looked back on as the defining moment of the series, but potentially the defining moment of Ray Allen’s Hall of Fame (maybe) career.

There was nothing getting in the way of his will to score that hoop—not the fatigue, not the refs and certainly not Vujacic. And the way in which he finished it off was vintage Ray. It was everything I’ve grown to love about his game since last November, when I realized that he was far more than just a glorified spot up shooter.

Note: In Pierce’s interview with Michelle Tafoya after the game, he was talking about Ray’s basket and alluded to KG setting a big screen. Maybe Paul forgot which play he was talking about…

Note 2: I was talking to my buddy Jay after the game and he brought up an interesting debate:

Jordan’s down-the-lane-mid-air-hand-switching-lay-up

vs.

Ray’s baseline-double-pump-reverse-but-there’s-one-catch-I’m-not-even-going-to-look-at-the-hoop-
when-I-shoot-lay-up

Should Ray’s move be considered in the same category as Jordan’s?

At first I blew it off as crazy. Jordan’s was in a class of it’s own. But I take it back now.

As I see it, the Jordan move has three things going for it:

1. It’s Jordan—it’s probably the most memorable moment (or second to the last shot in Utah) of the most memorable career in NBA history.

2. The camera angle is absolutely perfect.

3. It signified a huge moment for the league, with Michael officially taking the torch from Magic and the Bulls officially ending the Lakers Dynasty (although HIV would have a pretty strong effect on that too.)

But if we’re being real—and take out the Jordan factor for a second—I think Allen’s reverse gets the nod.

First and foremost, because of its place within the context of the greatest comeback in Finals history, and second, because it was probably the most athletic, creative and down right filthy move of the entire season. I not only watched it in ABC’s super slo-mo, but I actually slo moed the slo mo and watched it frame by frame five times. I’m still not sure how he pulled it off.

So I’m going to say that Ray’s is better and should probably garner as much attention, but sadly, it won’t.

“Random Stat” of the Week: During this post season, the Celtics are 1-4 when Ray Allen scores 20 or more points, 4-1 and when he drops fewer than 10 points and 7-0 when he finishes anywhere between 16 and 19.

I’ve got to confess that I have absolutely no idea what to make of these numbers, and if the Celtics can win one more game I’ll never think about them again. I just found it slightly strange and interesting, and wanted to share the wealth.

Your Weekly Reminder of the Irrelevance of Traditional Media: Rondo’s Blog

This photo cracks me up. You’ve got all your beat guys, all your columnists and all your TV reporters crowding Rondo like a pack of bugs at a light bulb. They’re all passive-aggressively leaning in—maybe shoving each other a little—in an attempt to get closer and find the perfect time to ask an unoriginal, robotic question (How’s your ankle? How would you say your ankle is? If you were to describe to me the status of your ankle, how would you describe it?).

They have their recorders extended out with their off hands, while the dominant hand scribbles down every thing Rondo has to say. All so they can go back to their laptops and write the same story as everyone else, using the exact same bland, clichéd quotes that Rondo gave because there’s nothing in the world he wants to be do less than speak with the media about his ankle.

So now the interview’s over, and everyone runs off to be the one who posts the same story first (“Rondo says, ‘It’s not that bad!!!! I will play!!!!’”), but there’s one problem: While all these guys are editing their words and videos, Rondo heads up to his hotel room and posts this:

If you were watching the game you know that I injured my ankle in the third quarter. It happened on a fast break and I rolled it. I think I may have stepped on someone’s foot, but I still haven’t seen the play. It’s a different feeling than I’ve ever had. I’ve injured my ankle before but this one is unlike the others. The pain is on the inside of my foot. All the other ankle sprains have been on the outside. I will be getting a lot of treatment tonight, tomorrow, Thursday to try to get it ready to go for game 4. I did try to go again in the fourth quarter, but I really couldn’t make any hard cuts. No one is 100% at this point, but I was probably 50%. Coach made the right decision taking me out because I didn’t have my quickness. E House did a great job filling in. When his name was called he was ready to play and that’s big for us.

There’s no question this one is disappointing. We feel like we had a chance to really put them away and go up 3-0. Paul never had a chance to get in a rhythm because of foul trouble and we just struggled on offense. Even though we played very bad we still had a chance in the end. We just didn’t get the stops down the stretch when we needed it. They were very aggressive tonight similar to the way we were in game 2. But in the end we still had a chance but let it get away.

Heading back to the hotel and will keep working on my ankle. Lots of ice and I’ll keep it elevated. I’ll have more later. Until then I’ll holla.

There it is. All you’d ever want or need to know about Rondo’s ankle and status for Game 4, and it’s even in Rondo’s words. Rondo’s real human words!

It’s a sad fact of the Internet age—well, not for us, but for fossils like Buzz Bissinger and Dan Shaugnessy—but that 200-word blog post is more interesting (from a fan perspective) than anything any journalist could come up with, given the access they have to players in this day and age. And it’s only going to move farther in that direction.

Note: Given what we saw with Rondo last night, are we at the point where we can stop assuming that coaches and players will ever be forthright about the severity of an injury?

In between Games 1 and 2, there was endless speculation—and for good reason—over Paul Pierce’s knee.

People saw him limping around everywhere like Leapin’ Larry from Seinfeld; we heard that he would "try and play" but the general consensus was that even if he did, it wouldn’t be the same Paul Pierce. This turned out to be ridiculous, because—and I’m not saying that Pierce isn’t playing through a bunch a pain—despite the injury, the Truth has hardly been slowed by his knee.

Then there’s Rondo between Games 3 and 4. Everyone thought he would play, and play a lot—actually, respect to Marc Spears, who’s the only guy I saw who speculate that the injury was more serious. Even Rondo was on camera before the game saying that he felt like 88% and would be ready to go.

He clearly wasn’t.

For the most part, Rondo did a decent job of disguising the injury, but there were two plays where it was painfully (for us and I’m sure for him) obvious that he shouldn’t be on the court.

1. In the first quarter, when he had the ball on the break but was going so slow, I think Sam Cassell would have outran him—that is if Sam wasn’t on the sideline devising a plan to sabotage the game from the bench.

2. Late in the third (or early in the fourth) when he was streaking with the ball again and had only a standing-under-the-basket Lamar Odom in between him and a hoop. A healthy Rondo goes at Odom and tries to bring the rim down, but on this night No. 9 slowed down, took two frightened dribble towards the goal and then looped around to reset the offense.

So yeah, maybe we shouldn’t believe everything these guys say. It only makes it more confusing and we never get the whole story.

Déjà vu of the Week: Super XLII vs. the first half of Game 4

Before the first half of last’s night game, the last time I’d felt so awful watching a sporting event was in Arizona at Super Bowl XLI (the fact that I even mentioned that game in print is a huge step for me in the road to recovery).

From KG’s foul trouble and Rondo’s stiffness to Perk assuming the role of point guard and Odom assuming the role of God, it hurt all over. It was one of those horrible moments in sports fandom where everything spins wildly out of control and you know your team is absolutely screwed. Farmar’s bank three at the end of the second was the poison icing on the cake. When guy’s start pulling shots like that out of their asses, your team never wins; you chalk it up as “one of those games”… that is, until last night.

That comeback defied the rules and logic of just about every NBA game I’ve ever seen. We’re all better sports fans for having been a part of it.

“Most Uncomfortable Quote” of the Week: "Ah yes, momentum is a strange girl. We’re hoping she’ll come back towards our side of the ship…"

– Phil Jackson to Michelle Tafoya at the end of the third quarter

Everyone talks about the effects that this championship series will have on the legacies of the different players involved—mainly Kobe and the PGA Tour. But how about Phil Jackson? Could this guy be mailing in the Finals any harder?

Not only has his team seemed completely unprepared and unfocused during this series, but there’s no way that even he can believe the crap that comes out of his mouth anymore!

Momentum is a strange girl? Really, Phil?

The Zen Master sounds more and more like a porn director than a basketball coach with every passing year. Is he really the greatest coaches of our lifetime? The rings say yes, but anyone who’s watched this series has to question that title a little.

“One More Reason to Love James Posey” of the Week

There were about 15 different times during this game where I felt the need to declare to no one in particular that I loved James Posey, but the number one moment came on a Lakers’ possession down the stretch.

Odom had the ball in the post and was trying to bang it down low against Big Game James. He took two hard dribbles toward the hoop, but as he went for a third and looked to initiate contact with Posey, No. 41 wasn’t there. He’d pulled the oldest trick in the book—the old Charles Barkley step away. Odom was caught completely off guard (and off balance) and frantically fired the ball off the backboard. The C’s grabbed the rebound and headed down to ram the stake a little farther into Kobe and the Zen Master’s collective ass (which Kobe then proceeded to rape).

Plays like that are the reason everyone speculated back in October that the James Posey signing might be the one that eventually put the Celtics over the top.

“Most Ridiculous, Unforgivable, Makes-Me-Want-To-Tear-My-Eyes-Out-TV-Trend” of the Week: Lotto Time!!

Now that TNT doesn’t have any broadcast rights and can’t murder us with House of Payne and Bill Engvall commercials—I’ve never rooted harder against two shows in my life, by the way—ABC is doing their best to keep America pissed off.

Where do they get off flashing the winning lottery numbers over the score overlay during crunch time for every single game? Can’t they wait 15 minutes? Are the kind of people who by lottery tickets every night even up at 11:30 on a weeknight?

“Prediction for Next Week” of the Week: Celtics in 6! Ray Allen MVP!

OK, that’s it for now. The Celtics are one win away from an NBA championship and I’m headed to LA tomorrow morning. I’m sitting in the front row of the balcony, so if you see a guy in a James Posey jersey get thrown to his death at some point during Game 5, please wave to me on the way down.

See You Next Week and Ubuntu!

Rich Levine is a contributor to Wicked Good Sports with his “Wicked Weekly” column and podcast, “The Dino Radja Experience”. Rich is also a columnist for The Improper Bostonian.

Check out the newest podcast from Rich Levine as we all await Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Rich is once again joined by Nick Altschuler from the Improper Bostonian. If you have a question for "The Dino Radja Experience", email us at dinoradjaexperience@gmail.com.

You may not know it, but that Celtics jersey you wore to the game last night, or that you’ll wear to the bar tomorrow night says a lot about who you are. It says a lot about your lifestyle. A lot about what makes you tick.

What follows is a breakdown of Celtics fans by their jersey of choice. It’s important to note that not every fan has every characteristic. It’s just that if you own said jersey, there’s a good chance you fall into one of the categories below it.

As always, players are listed alphabetical by first name:

Brian Scalabrine
*You’re white
*You played JV basketball your junior year of high school
*You miss important plays because you are turned around yelling at the people behind you to up stand and clap.
*You lose your voice on weekends
*You wouldn’t be caught dead with a mixed drink

Eddie House
*You’re under 6-feet-tall
*When you’re playing pick up games you never set foot inside the three-point circle unless you’ve been cherry picking and get an uncontested fast break lay up.
*The Entourage character you best relate to is Turtle
*You have at least one older brother
*At some point in your life, you’ve been prescribed ritalin

Glen “Big Baby” Davis
*You weigh more than 220 pounds are fewer than 150.
*If all your friends voted, you’d win the superlative for “Guy Most Likely to Take His Shirt Off When He’s Drunk”
*You’ve been booed off of a karaoke stage
*You drink a lot of Diet Coke
*You tailgate for every Patriots game, regardless of whether you’re going.

James Posey
*Your favorite Red Sox player is Mike Lowell
*You either coach a basketball team or have played on a relatively high level
*You can open a beer bottle with a lighter
*You’re favorite South Park character is Randy Marsh and your favorite Simpsons character is Milhouse

Kendrick Perkins
*You’re taller than 6-foot-3
*You have Bruce Springstein’s Greatest Hits on your iPod
*You still watch the WWE
*You own more than one pair of construction boots
*You’re the pitcher on your softball team

Kevin Garnett
*You’re younger than 16
*You own a David Ortiz or Randy Moss jersey
*July 31, 2007 is the second greatest day of your life—right after the birth of your first child and right before your wedding day,
*You work out (with weights, not on the elliptical) at least four times a week.
*You’ve been told to “chill out” on multiple occasions

Paul Pierce
*You own a Troy Brown jersey
*Dr. Dre is one of your three favorite rappers
*You own or have own a car with more than 150,000 miles on it
*You had season tickets last year
*You know exactly where you were when the Celtics came back from 21-points in the fourth quarter against the Nets in 2002.

Rajon Rondo
*You don’t think Kenny Anderson got enough credit for the Celtics run in 2002.
*You think Bob Cousy is an overly critical announcer.
*In your prime, you could run a mile in under six minutes.
*You’re a big Paul Rudd fan
*You’re a rollerskating enthusiast

Ray Allen
*You own multiple sweater vests
*You own at least one two John Legend Cds
*You went to UConn or grew up in Connecticut
*You are a Female
*You were too cheap to buy a new shirt and instead brought your Sherman Douglas jersey to the tailor to get re-embroidered.

EXTRAS:

Gabe Pruitt
*You are a member of Gabe Pruitt’s immediate family

Garnett Minnesota Timberwolves Jersey
*You’ve recently been laid off

A throwback Pierce, Garnett or anyone high school jersey
*Your ringtone is Make It Rain by Fat Joe
*You could definitely kick my ass
*You have a vine armband tattoo

A Celtics Jersey With Your Own Name On The Back
*You’re not my friend
*You need to be slapped
*You are wearing it ironically, which is kind of funny, but still not really
*You look at the program and say things like, “Hey! When did the C’s trade Walter McCarty?”