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.

Understand, P.J. Brown is not a member of the Big Three or even the starting five but he is an important piece of the puzzle nonetheless. When the PGA (short for Pierce-Garnett-Allen if you’re new to the CelticsStuffLive podcasts) made their pitch to lure the journeyman big out of retirement during All-Star weekend festivities in New Orleans last February, they told Mr. Brown that they “needed” him. As things turned out, the triumphant trio proved to be prophetic because they did indeed need P.J. Brown to win their title a mere four months later. In case you have a short memory of how things played out last spring, I’ve taken the liberty of checking back on the archives of my own coverage of the 2008 playoffs (which is when P.J. Brown truly came to life for the Celtics). Here’s a summary of what I found:

During the grueling Atlanta series, Brown was essentially glued to the bench by Doc Rivers and was thus a non-factor. However, in Game 4 of the even more grueling series in the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, P.J. Brown arrived on the scene. In that game, Kendrick Perkins got into deep foul trouble early, which prompted Rivers to experiment with Brown as a replacement. Brown responded with a very strong performance, accruing 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 22 minutes. He remained equally solid over the next two games but then cemented his status as an official difference-maker in the crucial barnburner Game 7 in Boston.

Although history rightfully credits Paul Pierce as the primary driver in the Game 7 win, it should also be known that Boston doesn’t win that game, and thus the series against Cleveland and thus Banner 17, without the heroic efforts of one P.J. Brown. For the full level of historic detail, here’s what I wrote after the game:

“If you consider the gun-slinger’s duel between Pierce and James to have been a draw, then the difference in the game could otherwise be attributed to the performance of an unlikely hero. P.J. Brown scored 10 points on 4-4 shooting and also collected 6 rebounds and a steal in twenty minutes of immense play. In fourth quarter crunch time, he successfully kept several loose balls alive, waged war on the glass and knocked down key jumpers and put-backs. Also, in one of the crucial defensive plays of the contest, it was Brown who prevented LeBron James from converting on a drive that would have brought Cleveland within 1 point with 25 seconds remaining in the game. After Boston collected the rebound from the James miss, Cleveland was forced to foul and the remainder of the game essentially became a formality.”

In Game 1 of the Finals, Brown was again a big factor because of a recurrence of early foul trouble for Perkins, who was also later sidelined with a minor ankle injury in the second half. No matter because combined with Kevin Garnett, Brown helped to shut down the paint with terrific man and help defense, which essentially set the tone of Boston’s mental toughness for the series. From that point forward, with the exception of Game 3 (after which I claimed that Brown played like a man nursing a 17 beer hangover), he was Steady Eddie down low, blocking shots, prowling the paint and hitting key shots when necessary. He was also a rock of stability out there, a complimentary version of James Posey in that sense, especially when the chips were down. All teams, even the great ones, need that kind of intestinal fortitude from which to draw strength.

Let me wrap it all neat in a bow for you. There’s been recent talk of the Celtics adding a 57 year old (admittedly unverified, just like his “official” age) man named Dikembe Mutombo to the roster. While having another shot blocker and rebounder such as this old man would represent an upgrade over Patrick O’Bryant, who gets pushed around like a wet sled down low, I would still strongly prefer the use of that roster spot on Brown instead. We know P.J. Brown. We know his game. We know what he adds, which is poise, stability and ability to the roster that is in desperate need of more size, length and reliability in the front court.|

One last thing. I don’t want to hear any of this “Why does a team that’s 26-2 and on an 18 game winning streak need anything?” nonsense. This is ridiculous. Did we learn nothing last year when the team won 66 games and then was taken to the limit in their first two series against inferior opponents? Certainly if the Celtics keep up the present pace, they will earn home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and the importance of that cannot be overstated. However, beyond that, the accomplishments of the regular season mean absolutely nothing once the true second season begins in April. Then everything changes. Everything. Weaknesses (like lack of depth) are exposed and seemingly solid regular season players (for example, Lamar Odom) fold like a house of wet toilet paper. Also, young players generally become more inconsistent and unreliable in the face of enormous playoff pressure, which is why the teams with the seasoned vets win over raw talent almost without exception.

Obviously, the starting five for the Celtics are beyond reproach. They are the best in the league, which is why they keep beating everyone in sight. Even so, the team will still need to rely heavily on their bench to help them defend their title, especially up front. Kendrick Perkins is undoubtedly having a terrific year but experience also tells us that he’s always one strained foot or dislocated shoulder away from missing significant time on the floor. This doesn’t even touch upon the potential for foul trouble or missed time due to compiled technicals. Leon Powe and Glen Davis are nice players but they are not yet experienced enough, good enough, big enough and/or reliable enough to get you through the wars. This was proven last year and I contend it will be proven again come spring 2009, one way or another.

Merry Christmas, big guy. Enjoy the cookies and thanks in advance for bringing back #93. And on behalf of all Celtics fans, thanks again for that shiny new banner at the expense of the Lakers. Take care.