Paul Pierce is joining Free Agency Palooza 2010.

According to ESPN.com it looks as though Boston's Paul Pierce will be joining the ranks of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, and Dirk Nowitzki as this offseason's most coveted free-agents. However, I don't really think he'll be going anywhere. He has become one of the best Celtics players in team history and it's just hard to imagine him playing for anyone else. I think he's opting out just for the sake of getting a new contract. By opting out, he can now get a 4 year, $96 million contract from the Celtics or a contract from another team for $3 million less.

But let's just suppose he did leave. Obviously, that would be a BIG problem for Boston. Pierce is their leading and primary scorer and at the moment there is no one on the team who could step up and take his place, unless Tony Allen somehow gets really good over the offseason or Marquis Daniels returns to his early Dallas Mavericks form. As such, I'm pretty confident that GM Danny Ainge would do whatever it took to keep Pierce should he actually decide to leave. Or they could replace him with someone via free-agency or trade, but I'm not sure who at the moment.

But where would he go if he did leave? He's from Los Angeles, so it seems like the Clippers would seem the logical place. I've also seen New Jersey as a possibility (see linked story). Whatever the case, whether it's Pierce or any of the other big names, it's going to get very interesting over the next few weeks.

Q&A: Where will top free agents land?

Also, The Onion has been cracking me up for the past few weeks with its wacky takes on the NBA free-agency hoopla. See:

Speculation About Where LeBron Will Play Could End When He Signs Contract
LeBron James Photoshopped Into Cavaliers Jersey For Some Reason
LeBron's Next Team

NBA Draft tonight!

The NBA has just one more matter of business to attend to before LeBron James can be the sole focus of everyone's attention, and it's tonight's NBA Draft. This has become one of my favorite parts of the NBA season and I wonder what it would be like to be one of the people making the big decisions. It certainly seems like it would be stressful, considering the fact that decisions made tonight could possibly set a franchise back, but it must also be pretty exciting bringing in some new young talent.

So who's going #1? At this point, the general consensus is that John Calipari's latest wunderkind point guard, Kentucky's John Wall, will be taken first overall by the Washington Wizards. If so, what will happen with Gilbert Arenas? Will he move to the shooting guard position or will he be traded? Regardless of that, the Wizards will certainly be getting a good player on which to build their team.

At #2, the Philadelphia 76ers seem ready to take Ohio State's Evan Turner, the Naismith Player of the Year in college basketball last season. I live in SEC territory so I didn't get to see him play a whole lot, so I will instead have to defer to Jay Bilas (ugh), who says that he is a very versatile player. At #3, "sources" are indicating that the New Jersey Nets are taking Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors. Again, didn't get to see him play that much but all indications are that they will be getting a strong post presence on both ends of the floor.

After that, it's anyone's guess how the draft goes. There are several scenarios that could play out depending on who takes who and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Here's how ESPN's Doug Gottlieb thinks the top 14 picks will go (and sadly, this isn't one of those segments where he jabs at the giant touchscreen).



The Boston Celtics sit at the #19 spot in the first round, and are said to be looking to trade the pick. I think I would rather see who I could get with it, because at some point the team needs to start adding players for the future because of the number of old people veterans on the team. And then my San Antonio Spurs have the 20th pick, their highest since they got one Tim Duncan first overall in the 1997 draft. I would like to see them pick up a big man, someone like Kentucky's Patrick Patterson if he were to still be available. Whatever they do, I just hope they don't trade Tony Parker, something they're allegedly looking into.

As usual, it will be interesting to see what goes down with the picks and subsequent trades that are sure to follow. The draft gets underway on ESPN at 7 ET on ESPN.

ESPN NBA Draft home

Really bored?

I was just poking around ESPN's NBA front page and found this, the NBA Free Agent Slot Machine. Normally I don't play their dopey "games," but I find this one oddly entertaining. I've gotten some wacky outcomes, such as LeBron James and Carlos Boozer joining Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat or Chris Bosh leaving Toronto and joining the L.A. Lakers or LeBron signing with the Washington Wizards; Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki typically don't move. And now that I think about it, it might be kind fun if the NBA really did its free-agency with a slot machine; teams throw money in and then Commissioner David Stern throws a switch to determine who goes where. They already use a lottery to determine the draft order of the first fourteen picks, so why not?

Obviously, I jest, though this could lend us a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how ESPN makes their own predictions.

Glen Davis Starting Tonight

My man, Glen Davis, will be a part of the first unit tonight! I'm very excited for tonight's game. Look for a great match-between Davis and Michael Beasley, who is bound to go off at least one game this series. I look for Davis to regain a lot of his confidence tonight, sparking energy in the team and exploiting a lot of the garbage points (back-cuts, offensive rebounds) that are easy to get against Miami if you're good at shaking your defender (which Davis is).

I'm hoping Miami doesn't out-rebound us as badly as they did in the first half of game one. Davis has the energy to use for the whole game that Garnett saved for the second half and single-handedly demolished the Heat on the boards.

I'm also looking forward to a great performance from Rasheed tonight. Wallace, initially the go-to guy when KG was out, is going to look to avenge himself after Doc skipped over his name and called on Glen Davis to replace Garnett in tonight's game.

I'm definitely hoping to see vintage Rasheed Wallace, posting up, wreaking havoc with his bank shot, and punishing smaller defenders with a simple drop-step move.

Go Celtics!

Red's Army Responds to Quentin Richardson, and Dwyer Has An Explanation For The Garnett Hate Parade

Saturday night, Quentin Richardson did something that we didn't like. Later, he said some things we didn't approve of either. And yesterday, we learned that one of, if not the team's core player, Kevin Garnett, wouild be suspended for game 2 mainly because of him. Red's Army let it known that they along with the rest of Celtics Nation were not happy with the ignorant sequence of actions from Richardson by asking those who are heading over to the Garden tomorrow for game two to make that night livid, miserable, and painful for Richardson tomorrow. We want him to play irritated, aggravated; like he's in a downpour or loathsome boos and chants.

Maybe the Loscy picture adjacent to you will give you the general idea.

Bonus article: Ball Don't Lie, Why we don't like Kevin Garnett any more.

Where a Playoff Game Can Turn 40 Seconds Into 10 Minutes in More Ways Than One (Hardwood Paroxysm Style: Or, Where Miami's Bench Just Gave Heat the "One-Up" For Game Two)

For those of you that don't know, the Boston Celtics were down by 14 at one point during Saturday night's Celts-Heat at the playoff-atmosphere Garden. In fact, it was the third quarter, with 19:03 left to play in the game. I, likely not alone, was not happy with how the Celtics were playing.

I'll be honest: I couldn't have expected to go the entire game without seeing the Heat more juiced than the Celtics were. The Celtics played hard. We're finally getting somewhere with this team emotionally-wise. But they didn't have adversity on their side, as I mentioned Saturday, and the Heat did. It fueled Miami, to say the least. Why should they lay down to a team that they only finished three games behind in the regular season? The Heat had been scorching hot for the last two months, and there was no reason to stop dead during the playoffs.

What really caught my attention was that the Heat decided to come out and embarrass the Celtics for 48 minutes. There was no mercy in their play. They were grabbing offensive rebounds, lighting the open court trail on fire, and utilizing every opportunity they had to trump the Celtics on both ends of the floor. They were playing defense. They were playing offense. And it isn't a coincidence which one I mentioned first.

As most of us should have recognized, the Miami Heat were playing like a playoff team. And rightfully so. Sure, Miami was the underdogs. However, they weren't heavily unfavored. Most picked the Celtics, but not by way of a clean sweep. No, the Miami Heat were bound to stick around. Some picked six games. Some picked seven. But those were just the predictions pointing in Boston's direction. Down in South Beach, the Miami journalists had the Heat prevailing. After seeing last night's game, I can see reason to their forecasts.

That is, before the 7:03 mark in last night's third quarter. The Celtics hung around with the young, athletic Heat team. Hung around here, though, sounds like a much more depressing term than it should be here. The Heat were playing the basketball the propelled them to a 47-35 record and a 12-1 season-finish. They ran the fast break game with a beautiful energy, orchestrated a strong defensive effort, and their superstar was given the stretch to release his wrath. All in one bundle. It seemed that the Boston Celtics couldn't handle it. Until Kendrick Perkins made a jump hook, Kevin Garnett swatted away a Jermaine O'Neal shot, and then dropped it in for an easy two. Down 10.

The game was not out of reach. And that's because the Boston Celtics realized that it's better to imposing your will with actions instead of an air of swagger and words.

From then on out, it was the wizardry of Rondo and the ability of Boston to move swiftly, cunningly, and patiently to find open shots and loopholes in the Miami defense. Rondo wasn't on a scoring tear last night. He still wasn't 100% after recuperating from a nasty stomach virus, as noted obviously from many Celtics' fans and analysts. But he was quick and smart with the ball, and found a compassionate Pierce and the energetic trio of Perkins, Garnett, and Davis for easy buckets.

Ensuing all of that came one possession. One possession that from here on out in the series will make this a bloody war. We may or may not see another skirmish like we did last night. But it won't be just a first round playoff series anymore, which holds enough tension in itself. It will be 48 minutes of hell, 48 minutes of players and units seeking ways to avenge their teams'. However, despite the fact that this series will probably be extremely fun to watch, I'm none too pleased about what happened during the confrontation between Boston and Miami, starting with the contact between Paul Pierce and two Miami defenders.

Pierce was trying to cut around Haslem when he obviously banged up his shoulder into Haslem, who was trying to recover defensively and stay in front of Pierce. Then Pierce bumps into a second Miami defender, Richardson, whose feet were also moving. That's two possible foul calls. After that, Pierce stumbles into the crowd in evident pain, and proceeds to lie down on the floor. Now I know that this is just another example of Pierce elaborating a bruise, but there's no doubt that the contact between Pierce and the Miami defenders had an effect on Pierce's route to the basket as well as the fair clarity of his passing lanes. In other words, Pierce drew a foul.

Fine. That's just fine. We don't want to start anything, do we? Of course not.

And then Quentin Richardson moseys over.

Let me just say this: It was complete bullshit to say when first looking at the play that Quentin went over for Pierce. Pierce doesn't like Quentin and vice-versa. Quentin was specifically trying to humiliate Pierce in front of his guys. On the other hand, I don't like Quentin as a basketball player. I don't think many people do. And there's reason for that.

Quentin Richardson went over to start trouble, and then look innocent so he wouldn't have the hammer come down on him. Because you notice the entire time he's over in BOSTON'S circle, he has this pristine, tranquil expression on. Quite the trickster he is. Then Garnett flings back his elbow. Hell, let's pretend we don't know what Richardson said. You can't blame Garnett for that either provocation: one being that Quentin could've been being a complete ass, and the other being that Garnett doesn't like anybody interrupting his little huddles. And anyone and everyone there or watching knew that.

Luckily for us, we can quickly return to reality and check out with really happened. And it involves both provocations:

From CelticsBlog

"I was trying to get over there to take the ball out of bounds and he started to talk to me so I talked back," explained Richardson. "I don't have any business talking to him (Pierce), he was on the ground crying. I don't know what was going on, two actresses over there that's what they are."

"I said to Jermaine (O'Neal), ‘he's ok', because I knew nobody touched him. Is he taking another break like he does so many times? Sometimes he falls like he's about to be out for the season and then he get's right up, that's all I said."

"I don't like them, and they know it," Richardson then said.

I truly don't think I could dislike Quentin Richardson any more. And why both provocations by the way? Because Garnett was quoted later saying that he thought it was a little disrespectful for Quentin to be standing over a hurt guy and talking junk. Garnett didn't want him in that huddle, and he certainly didn't want him over there mouthing off.

Then Big Baby must've heard some words, because he comes over, furrowed-eyebrows and spit-flyin' Glen Davis, trying to defend Kevin Garnett. Garnett and Davis surround the little rat bastard until Haslem steps in and tries to break it up.

Here's where I get legitimately (in this context, meaning that I have reason here even if I wasn't a Celts fan) angry. Even though I'm a Celtics fan, I can't lie to you and say it's all been Miami boiling the pot. But when Jermaine O'Punkface and Jamal "I haven't done anything since I became satisfied after one random 13 ppg season I had" Magloire jump in and pretend they can take everyone there, it's upsetting. Partly because the only reason they looked like they could actually participate in that altercation is because no one was even paying attention to them before they started "taking charge" and ripping Glen Davis by his jersey to the ground. Partly because Kevin Garnett and the Celtics were made to look like the bad guys when all the scrubs off the Miami bench jump up and turn it into a dumb bar scuffle; none of the Celtics except for Garnett (who, once again, we KNEW was going to react like that anyway) tried to escalate the altercation. Not Big Baby, who yes, did step over and have some words with Richardson. But wasn't he trying to tend to Pierce, and then only started talking when Richardson wouldn't shut up and he found himself getting pushed around?

Not only that, by the peak of the altercation, Magloire, O'Neal and whoever was in the middle of that starts bumping Davis around like he's a school girl getting roughed up by a bunch of pedophiles in the back of a schoolyard. It's ridiculous and I personally don't think that the magnificent Miami bad boy duo should've gotten away with it.

Look, I'm a Celtics fan. And I'm sure many Heat fans and anti-Celtics' supporters realize the inadequacy of my perspective. But if you're trying to tell me that Big Baby nor Kevin Garnett deserve a backbone for their case of defense here, then I could just as easily disregard the fact that Haslem was initially trying to separate Garnett and Richardson and point out that he too, was talking and contributed a bit of shoving on his own. I could counter the argument that although Dwyane Wade was just trying to hose the fight down, he too was equally as adamant at handing a few words of his own to Garnett. But it'd be unfair to say that, because anyone in that situation would have assumed the defensive position and started getting some in for their team. Especially in an intense Garden atmosphere like that.

What do I think about it today? I think it painfully overshadowed a good victory from Boston, I think Miami is ecstatic about the decision from Richardson to walk over and start trouble with Garnett, and I think I wasted 10 minutes of my life listening to Hubie Brown break down an NBA fight and watching the replay dozens of times.

Stupid Quentin Richardson...

PS. Chuck McKenney is right once again. There is no conceivable difference between Kobe's elbow to Artest in last year's playoffs and Garnett's to Richardson (other that in this year's case, there were more Celtics' and Heat players around to raise the fight to another level), and Kobe never found himself under suspension. Richardson hustled over to Garnett for the wrong reasons just as Artest did to Kobe, and Garnett/Kobe physically defended themselves and their team. And Artest got ejected!

This is reason number 759 why I wish bloggers ran the NBA.

Why Kevin Durant is my MVP.

The general consensus around the league is that LeBron James is the runaway winner of the NBA's MVP award, which would make it his second straight. LeBron is well deserving of the award but, in my opinion, Kevin Durant has done more for his team and is more deserving of the award. Statistically, the two are virtually interchangeable. LeBron has averages of 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game. Similarly, Durant puts up 30.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1 block per game. Durant is also the youngest player in NBA history to win the league's scoring title. LeBron does have the statistical advantage because he gets 6 more assists per game, but does that make him so much better than Durant? Am I to believe that Durant is less deserving of the award because he only averages 2 assists? I don't think so; the two are just different types of players and LeBron has the better team around him.

What speaks to me more than the stats, though, is how the teams have done this season compared to last season. Last season, LeBron led the Cavaliers to a 66-16 record and the Eastern Conference Finals; this season, the Cavs finished with a 61-21 record. The Thunder, on the other hand, finished last season with a paltry 23-59 record. They were young and had just moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City. The franchise didn't appear to be going anywhere. Then this season they go 50-32 with the same young team and are in the playoffs a lot sooner than anyone would have expected. For me, what it comes down to is that LeBron led his team and they did what they were supposed to do in the regular season. We all expected them to run the Eastern Conference after returning essentially the same team and adding the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker, and Jamario Moon in the off-season and Antawn Jamison at the trade deadline. But with the Thunder, they rely on seven players each night with 3 or less years of experience, including Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, James Harden, and their leader Durant. As such, they were supposed to be in the doldrums again this season continuing to rebuild and their coach, Scott Brooks, wasn't really expected to be around very long. Yet despite all this, they climbed as high as the 6th spot and won 50 games in the ultra-competitive West; they would be tied for 4th with the Boston Celtics if they were in the East. Kevin Durant is the main reason for the team's success and deserves the award more than LeBron James.

You can't go wrong with LeBron, but I'm just really impressed with how well Durant and the Thunder have done.

Heating Up: Which Miami Team Will Boston See?

Here's the first of a slew of articles that will continue throughout the Boston-Miami series giving you a deeper look at the Heat, their players, and the anecdotes that lie within the team. What different looks does this team have? How loyal is their star? Just how tough is the Southeast division? And one unknown, depending on how the series goes...

For a team that only finished three games behind the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat seem to be the clear underdogs here regardless. Maybe those opinions will pan out to be true after the first game or two of the Celts-Heat series in the first round. Maybe they won't.

But one thing is for sure: When adversity isn't placed directly in front of the Boston Celtics, they tend to disappoint. In a way, adversity must be on the Celtics' side to win.

However, it's not just about which Boston Celtics we'll see; the series is equally as dependent on what face of the Miami Heat we'll see. Will Boston find themselves against the defensively-concentrated, more team-oriented Miami Heat team, which Dwyane Wade thrives in even though the game has less possessions and his teammates are more involved; or will the Celtics be challenged with merely Dwyane Wade and Miami's "Let's funnel the ball to Wade, let him barrel towards the bucket and draw fouls, and once Boston collapses on him after a few trips, have him dump it off to the open big man or a good look behind the arc" tactics?

Which one is more difficult to handle, is the question. Let's look at a few numbers/facts.

Wade's Heat have demolished the league in their last two months taking 12 out of their final 13 and finishing the season on a defensive tear. They also lost just three game in the month of March. The Heat have held opponents to 88.7 ppg in their last 13 games and they look to be that team who replaced the Bucks as the very good but not great squad after Andrew Bogut's injury. Michael Beasley finished the season with a 25 point game and many people are expecting him to do more of the same against an older, less mobile Boston front line. Look to see the Celtics mixing things up down low if Beasley frightens them in the first few games.

But that all boils down to how Wade's teammates play. If Haslem is chipping in, Beasley is giving Boston fits, and Q, Daequan Cook, and Chalmers are all hitting their threes, then Boston is in for a tough fight. Sure, Garnett could come out more fired up than we've seen him all season, suffocating Beasley and anchoring Boston's interior D. But that doesn't alter nor fortify his defensive abilities at this age, and Beasley could still beat him if the Heat decide to open up a more athletic style of basketball.

Big Baby couldn't cover him, because although he has more talent than most recognize in the fast break game, Beasley could torch him on the wing. It's not about Davis' quickness, which surprisingly could match Davis if he was playing smart and true to Beasley. It's the fact that Beasley needs but a quarter of a step to utilize his seven-foot-plus wing span and 35 inch max vertical jump (Draft Express). To put this in more picturesque terms, Beasley's draft day vertical leap is only seven and a half inches off Nate Robinson's and he obviously has a greater wing span. And despite originally being listed at 6'10", Beasley is still 6'8" win basketball shoes on, one inch shorter than Glen Davis. But, as put by NBADraft.net put it, Davis doesn't get great lift when he jumps and has a medium wing span. So Davis is a no go.

Shelden Williams is NOT going to see time in the playoffs, Rasheed doesn't have near the mobility to slow him down, and we can't pull Perk off the block even if Miami's best post-up options are Jermaine O'Neal, Joel Anthony, Magloire, and Yakhouba Diawara. So it goes without saying that Beasley could give us more trouble than even a double-covered Wade, who is as good as finding teammates and giving them good looks than anyone in the league. Why do you think a lazy Jermaine O'Neal came close to cracking 14 a game this season, or Quentin Richardson is averaging 10.1 in the last 10 games?

On the other hand, that was the Quentin Richardson that was receiving the ball from a Dwyane Wade that sparked a dominant defensive stretch and a couple of win streaks to close out the season. What does Miami look like when Wade is monopolizing Miami possessions? For lack of a better answer, the Heat simply look beatable. The decision by Spoelstra is influenced by how well Miami as a whole is playing. If they are playing poorly, most of the offensive play sequences are centered around Wade until the defensive adapts and teammates are accumulating multiple open looks each time down the floor. The evidence? Miami has attempted just 12.4 3-pointers per game for the last 13 games (12 of them wins are arguably the Heat at their hottest in terms of the Heat as a unit) as opposed to the season average of 17.4 3-pointers. What does this mean? The Heat have more opportunities to take it down low and get easier points, which is obviously when any team is at their best, even the more potent of shooting squads, as opposed to when it's just Wade either driving and drawing fouls or driving and kicking it out for threes.

So what team do I think we'll see? I think we're going to see the Miami Heat team we've seen for the past two months. And honestly, I'm going to say that if they beat us, I will not be shocked. I don't think they will. I think we can put them away. But I'm not going to call it an upset if the Miami Heat beat us playing their best.

In the end though, it's Boston in six or less. I think we can handle Miami's style of team play if we stick to it and play every possession for 48 minutes hard. If we do, Miami might even change their game style and try to throw a Wade 45-pointer at us. Not that we couldn't handle it.

Go Celtics!

The Edge: March Madness Brings the Best Out of Athletes

There's a fun and competitive debate going on between SB Nation's Andrew Sharp and Hardwood Paroxysm's Matt Moore concerning how most NBA fans might not pay March Madness full respect, and even reasons why that time of college basketball might edge out the best NBA basketball. I thought I would give my own two cents... or three.

For a long time now, people have been debating which is the greatest fluke between the two leagues of the NCAA and the NBA: a horrific march to the Madness where the NCAA teams that eventually head to the tournament terminate boring, just-plain-bad teams, or the overwhelming egos of basketball; leading to ridiculous propositions like Paul Pierce blatantly and confidently remarking that he's the best player after his championship season or Mark Cuban losing his cool in front of Kenyon Martin's mom.

At the same time, there are discussions about what's more exciting at their respective vintage moments: an NCAA tournament where anything can happen at literally any time (HP's Moore: "Comebacks in the NBA inside a minute? Really f’ing hard. Why? Guys know how to get the ball inbounds, and can get it to guys who can hit free throws."), or two QUALITY teams (which is Moore's argument for the NBA) emaciated for an NBA ring, going back and forth the entire game, and in the end delivering a thrilling performance?

Those debates can NEVER, EVER be settled. They just can't. You develop an infatuation for one league and can't ever seem to honestly find flaws in it when you're defending your preferred league against another league or sport. Sure, there's lots of situations where you mature and your opinions begin to vary, and you might even switch over to the other league. But you mature. You change. With exception to technical tweaks, the game of professional basketball has maintained the same general look since it's inception. There was the white, slow era of the '40s, '50s, and part of the '60s, and there was the physical, bangin'/bruisin' era of the '70s and '80s. Even today, the league has become more athletic. But it's still a different species of basketball than the NCAA, and it always has.

Nonetheless, there are debates that, in my mind, that can be settled.

1) The NBA is flat-out a better brand of basketball, from a quality standpoint. It cannot be refuted or argued. It is professional basketball, and college basketball is a step below. That doesn't mean there aren't players in the NCAA that couldn't play (and be distinguished) in the NBA, but that's only the cream of the crop. That's an extremely small slice of players when in correspondence with the entire NCAA.

2) March Madness is a bigger event than the NBA playoffs. It doesn't mean that I personally enjoy it more, it means that from a general fan's perspective, I'm tuning into March Madness over an NBA playoff game (if the two schedules ever crossed paths). The NBA, on the other hand, comes from a much larger audience scale throughout the entire shebang, including preseason, regular season, playoffs, and offseason. But March Madness seems to surround people as a magical, Cinderella Story tournament, which is what people want to watch. Perhaps the only playoff series' that have caught the eye of the general fan over the past five years:

1.Golden State V. Dallas, 2007 playoffs
 2. The entire Boston Celtics campaign, 2008
3. Los Angeles Lakers V. Houston, 2009, and Los Angeles V. Orlando Finals
4. Boston V. Chicago, 2009
5. Cleveland V. Detroit, 2007
6. Miami Heat V. Dallas Mavericks, 2006

The NBA playoffs are great, and sure, that's only a five year span (and this is also considering that it would have to at least draw some attention from most of the non-basketball diehards), but if you count the number of mesmerizing March Madness games that captivated the nation over the last five years... you're going to end up using more than just your fingers.

So what keeps March Madness so exciting? Hell, what keeps March madness even alive? If the NBA is better basketball mechanically, and there isn't a clear edge (that we've mentioned yet), NCAA fans are basically telling themselves I'd rather watch a poorer standard of basketball. And that's fine... except that the ratings of the NCAA should come close to touching the NBA.

Most NBA and NCAA fans have heard that a lot general basketball fans can't deal with the arrogance of professional basketball. They'd rather watch more humble, more committed athletes. And that's cool that a lot of America chooses to believe it and have that as their logic as to why they have the NBA over the NCAA. But it's downright false in every aspect. There is no way for most of the superstars in the NBA to succeed without comforting themselves after beatings from the fans and opponents every single day for 10-15 years. They have to be overly-proud. It's basketball. Players develop that toughness on the way to their objective. That's not any player either. That's a great player. That's an NBA-ready player.

And putting arrogance aside, you cannot tell me that NBA athletes choose to relax when they hit the premier stage of basketball. The ones that we enjoy watching, the ones that thrive in this league put the same amount of work in if not more basketball-wise. It is their life. If you're playing in the Association, unless you're name is Rasheed Wallace, you're routinely in the gym for hours and shooting thousands of shots per day.

Watch Paul Pierce receive his ring after winning the 2008 championship, and you see he's WEEPING. He's overcome. How is that different from a college athlete being overcome? What separates LeBron's incredible and passionate 48-point massacre of the Detroit Pistons, which was derived from his sheer competitive edge and ravenous attitude towards winning, from Northern Iowa's recent defeat of Kansas? Both circumstances are, essentially, David versus Goliath. It was literally LeBron against a highly-regarded, heavily-favored Detroit Pistons team, and it was the number 9., unheard of Northern Iowa against the no.1 ranked Kansas. What puts distance between the constantly-discussed team chemistry of college athletes, how it shows on the court, and how it makes them better, and Leon Powe's inspiring 21-point performance during game 2 of the 2008 Finals? There isn't separation, there isn't distance, there isn't a difference.

Except that college athletes consistently show a spark when the competition narrows down to March Madness. Losing, or not leaving it all on the court, just simply isn't an option. You do not think twice about letting your team down. It is indubitable shame for all the NCAA athletes participating in the Madness to not play their best in that tournament. It just doesn't happen. March Madness brings the best out of athletes. Every. Single. Time. March Madness is magical.

And according to the nation, that's fact.

Boston Starts and Finishes the Weekend With a Loud Win in Texas

Boxscore

Highlight stats: KG with five steals on the night... Pierce, Rondo and Allen combine for 70 tallies... Garnett with a +17 +/- to trump Dirk's lowly -12... Caron Butler held to 3-14 shooting, Brendan Haywood stifled and allowed just three points in 26 minutes.

Gone unseen: Glen Davis continued his statistically unaccounted for play last night, banging up the Dallas interior D and grabbing four rebounds and checking in seven points. Davis outhustled, outsmarted, and plain outplayed the Mavs in another energetic effort that is beginning to infect the entire Celtics team.

Notes: In a good one, perhaps the only two disappointing impressions on the game was Perk's so-so rebounding numbers and the bench's poor efficiency. No bench member had a positive +/- and the unit averaged a +/- 9.4 for the night. Glen Davis is really the only bench member I'll let slide because unless the game style morphs into a garbage time/scavenger/hustle type of play or he notches 20-22+ minutes, his numbers aren't going to show for much of anything anyway. Jason Terry exploded for 18 and we looked to our bench to at least cement a little bit of a counter-attack before our starters came back in and they couldn't do it. Marquis was 0-2, Nate Robinson only played nine minutes and took just three shots, and Rasheed gave us a mere basket with three rebounds in 16 minutes.

But hey, a win is a win... Right?

Celtics Are Shown First-Hand Who the Team to Beat Is

Yesterday, Celtics' fans were buzzing. Today, they're holed up inside their own minds trying to find out how perhaps we could have evaded the last straw of doom for our Boston team. So far, we've come up with answers that aren't going to help the Celtics. Essentially, because they are answers that have been said over and over again, and that the C's have probably already figured out themselves.

Yesterday, though, we caught a glimpse of what the '07-08 Celtics looked like. The Cleveland Cavaliers are on an aggressive mission. They concretely just aren't going to let loopholes, twisted karma, or unpleasant kismet tear them from their path. They absolutely positively control their destiny, and they know that.

The '09-10 Celtics though, aren't in that same mindset. They're frustrated with the fact that drive and initiative can't come with work, discussion, and craft. It's a snowball effect that usually begins with an unfortunate impetus. Whether it happens 10 years before or the day before, it's something that sticks in their head and haunts them until they turn that memory around. Until they resurrect and rectify that horrific mistake/uncalled for blunder/whatever. The Celtics can't get there, because they are satisfied. They content. Or at least, a good chunk of the team is.

(I just wanted to point out that when Jeff Van Gundy was gushing over Andy Varejao, talking about how he's so effective by merely not giving up plays, hustling, and having been a student of the game so long that he picks up things more quickly than others -- OK, I added that last part, even though I loathe Varejao -- ABC immediately shows a pretty much sarcastic close-up of Rasheed Wallace. And then in the next couple of plays, Rasheed simply hacks at the Cavaliers that slice through the lane instead of actually trying to put a body on them or block the shot. Classic. OK, back to the un-comedic pessimism.)

I will never, ever write off the Boston Celtics. Ever. Hell, I'm so optimistic that I thought they had well-constructed teams the year Gary Payton joined the team and the year we won 24 games. Go figure. But just because I won't write them off doesn't mean I can't accept reality, or that I can't take off my green goggles. There just isn't a way that a motivated team with their type of talent couldn't be in the same championship debates with teams like the Cavs, Lakers, Nuggs, and Mavs... or the Hawks and Magic. That doesn't mean they can't turn it around at any time. But right now, they just aren't there.

And I just want to quickly point out to the fans saying that Boston may be running out of time (translation: I'm contradicting the Celticsfanatic of a few days ago) that there is no such thing as time limits for the Celtics. If they get into the playoffs and somehow get hot or regain that drive (unlikely -- considering there have been so many things that usually at least get a team pumped up for a stretch of the season that the Celtics haven't shown affected them on the court -- but still), they can do anything they want in this league. And I mean that.

Look at Ray Allen motivated (torching the league for a substantial number of games to prove the post All-Star bonanza of scoring from him wasn't a fluke). Look at a Paul Pierce motivated (27 points in 26 minutes despite being defended by a tough Stephen Jackson and a proven-defender in Gerald Wallace). Look at Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Kendrick Perkins motivated (Rondo and Perkins dominating in their respective areas, Kevin Garnett scavenging the boards like the glass is a treasure chest). Even our bench is extremely talented when they get going (Glen Davis, Rasheed, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels, and Tony Allen. Wow).

I wanted to point out three things from yesterday's game, and the first is Paul Pierce. I know Pierce was pretty juiced for yesterday's game, so it was a surprise to see that LeBron was flat-out blowing by him late in the game to boost the Cavs and abuse Boston down low. Pierce was one of the few yesterday who tried to single-handedly put away the Cavs with consistent effort but just couldn't do it, so it's no secret that he was trying (for at least most of the game -- and for all of the second half).

But LeBron was using simple crossovers and a quick first step that resembled Pierce in his physical prime to eat up the opposing team's interior D (which could be an over-/understatement depending on how well you remember Pierce's ferocious scoring spurts and ability to take over whenever necessary), and Pierce couldn't do anything about it. So I guess my point here is, yeah, a few of the guys on the team are a step and a half, maybe a step slower than one or two years before. But can they get the job done as a group? Certainly, and it'd be foolish to analyze them any different.

Glen Davis, on the other hand, was our kryptonite to the Cavs and Anderson Varejao, who was beating up the Celtics' paint in every which way by playing scrappy and utilizing all opportunities given to him. He's really just a taller, more offensively gifted Leon Powe, with a bit more athleticism vertically. And those type of players can really shut down the Celtics and set a tone for their team. Glen Davis? He was getting on the floor, playing competitive, and had the same effect. The numbers don't show it, but he was clearly the player on the floor who was bugging Cleveland with his sheer edge and determination.

And lastly, I'd also like to pay tribute to Nate Robinson yesterday. Nate didn't a great shooting day, which has been rare since his arrival in Boston, but he played good defense for about a large stretch of minutes, as one of the ABC broadcasters mentioned. Despite Boston's disappointing play, he's been a glaring bright spot during these past five-10 games or so.

Go Celts.

Ugh.

We're not even four minutes into the Cleveland Cavaliers-Boston Celtics game on ABC and Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson are already freestyling about what LeBron James is the best at. The current topic: passing. Jackson says LeBron is the best passing non-point guard in the history of the league while Van Gundy says he may be the best passer in history. If one didn't know better, you would think that these two had only recently started watching basketball. They sound like elementary school kids at recess talking about their favorite players rather than a former NBA coach (Van Gundy) and the league's third all-time assist leader in assists (Jackson).

A Few Spare Tidbits

On Friday night, the Celtics blew out the Indiana Pacers, avenging themselves after suffering an embarassing loss to the athletic and energetic Memphis Grizzles. Here's the talk from around the Celtics' blogosphere, and more thoughts revolving around the state of the Boston Celtics during this time of the season:

The Boston Herald reports:

Rivers said he’d consider holding his veterans, both of whom are on the mend from injuries, out of games so they’re able to log practice time down the stretch.
"We have to have them playing at their peak (when the playoffs start). Whatever we have to do that, we have to do it," Rivers said before the C’s 122-103 win against the Pacers last night. "If that means working them more in practices and maybe them missing games - whatever it takes, that’s what we have to do and that’s what we’re going to do."

Garnett and Pierce didn’t exactly welcome the idea with open arms.

That's a very interesting take by Doc. Rivers may feel that if they can just hang on to a top four seed and come into the playoffs fresh, competitive, edgy, and with a new look at their goal, Boston can be a much better team, which is an understandable theory.

I said yesterday that the Celtics were saying hello to goodbye (of the championship window) if they couldn't prove to us that they still had that fire that characterizes champions. We all know they have the talent, and even most of the intangibles. So it's not entirely implausible here to think that if we go in with a fourth seed that we can't make a run at the championship. ]In addition, third seed or fourth seed aside, I still think we have enough to get past the first round.

It's a matter of getting past Cleveland though, and if we do, either Orlando or Atlanta (two teams we're 1-7 against during the regular season), that Doc is planning around for. But again, maybe rest is what's in our way of a new life. But I can't help but saying that we need to drive this team into the ground mentally to get them in condition for the big games, the must-win quarters, and the excruciatingly critical play sequences. Sure, fans aren't always able to recognize that their teams may be dog-tired. But it sure seems to me that with the relaxed style of play we've been going about with every night, we should be well-rested.

On the other hand of that argument, you have to keep your players happy. And like the article mentions, I seriously doubt Pierce or Garnett is willing to cap off the regular season and show up to games in suits because it might give them some extra recovery time. They're vets. They know how to battle through injuries. They know the bangs and bruises of a regular season and they understand that the real contenders are those who lead by example. In this case, how are Pierce and Garnett going to show their team the true mold of a contender if the validity of their playoff position is still up in the air and they're voluntarily sitting out? Which leads us to this:

From the Celtics' Twitter:

Pierce and KG say the team had a "heart to heart" and open dialogue this morning. Say that loss to Memphis and boos at home stuck with team.

Via CelticsBlog

(Disclosure -- this was reported yesterday morning before last night's annihilation of the Pacers.) That's a great thing to hear. I don't care if I've been hearing reports of the team recognizing that they all need to sit down and really discuss their objectives all season -- it's about time that it's been taken care of (or at least begun) and that we have evidence that's it's started to work (once again, the annihilation of the Pacers last night). Keep it up, boys.

CelticsBlog has an interesting piece about Glen Davis, preaching something that has kept me a fan of "The Eleventh Hour" since the beginning:

Fortunately, ever since that incident in Detroit on January 20, the artist formerly knows as "Big Baby" has cut out the superfluous junk that has plagued both his game and his reputation, and has seemed to re-focus his everlasting energy strictly on the basketball court. And that energy has in fact highlighted his play of late. He certainly hasn't been a perfect player, but the various flaws that have hindered his game, have so far, for the most part, been overshadowed by the relentless effort he's putting forth these days.

Obviously "hustle" stats are not kept in NBA game logs, but if you've watched this team of late, you'd be hard pressed to argue that the energy isn't there from Davis, which must be a welcome relief for Doc Rivers, because in these troubled times, effort has sometimes been harder to find than Carmen San Diego.

Red's Army reflects on the brilliant performance put on by the blazing hot Nate Robinson during Friday night's Pacers' game. They argue, can this hot streak stay on track? And will Nate make the dire mistake of living and dying by the three from this point on?

Nate is 16-27 from long range in March... a blistering 59.3%. 

It's an impossible pace... and a dangerous one at that.  Nate has fallen in love with the 3. 

At some point, that long-range stroke is going to go cold... which is going to put a serious strain on the second unit.  And it was the second unit last night that made Gino possible. 

All I'm saying is we've got to be realistic about what Nate brings us in the future.  What we see now is not what we're going to get.  No one sustains 59% shooting from 3. 

So the question is... will Nate adjust and get back to attacking when he knows the 3 stroke has gone cold... or will he become a mini-Sheed who continues to shoot from deep without regard for reality?

Slithering in Darkness: Where the Celtics Are Disgracefully Saying Hello to Goodbye

A slightly different take of this fantastic article written by KneeJerkNBA.

By replacing gritty defensive guys like Posey, Brown and Powe with shooters like Lil' Nate and Mike Finley, Ainge further eroded the team's identity. 'Get stops' isn't an option anymore. This team isn't physically able to 'get stops.' And nobody's intimidated by them anymore, either.

Those were the words written by my fellow writer here on Celtics 17, KneeJerkNBA. And while harsh words they may be, Celtics nor any NBA fan can deny the truthfulness that lies beneath them.

As the Boston Celtics fell to the Memphis Grizzles Wednesday night, the depression that hung in the air was something that words couldn't quite describe. Yes, you could mention that the Boston Celtics were disgustingly outrebounded by 19 boards. You could point out that Memphis shot 55% from the field and 56%+ from behind the arc. But there is no way to nail the "The Celtics just didn't have it... again" aspect. There is no impact that rests in those words, or, at least not nearly an impact that measures up to the real thing.

A few years ago, we witnessed that team in the league, a team that emotionally connected with their fans as electricity in the relationship between the two sparked a run that led to a much-longed-for NBA championship. We not only had the pieces on paper, but we had the chemistry. We had the leadership. We had players that knew the right time to dish out an extra pass (the famous split-second swing for a three or open look that was stamped rightfully by the Celts' that season). We also had players that recognized that must-win games sometimes hung on the decision made by players to hoard the ball selfishly for themselves and get the job done (the 41-point Pierce V. the 45-point LeBron game).

But the attitude never changed, no matter what the game style of that night was. I was there at game 7 of the '07-08 Eastern Conference semis, and I can tell you one thing: Paul Pierce was there to score, to dominate, to bloody the Cavs in every way he was capable of doing from the start. But despite his demeanor that in times made him look self-centered with the ball, his teammates were with him from the getgo. And not only was that support playing out just because that player happened to be Paul Pierce, but because it was one of their teammates. Paul Pierce was a Celtic, and so were the rest of those who emerged victorious last night. And that never changed whether it ended up being an evenly spread boxscore or a Paul Pierce/insert any other Celtic here-takeover.

Fast forward to last year. We had a few different players, but the destination, the drive, and the purpose was still there. We scorched the league from the start, racing out to an incredible 27-2 start. That clear sovereignty continued until our precious Kevin Garnett went down immediately after the All-Star break (by the way; although this is obviously easy to say in my position, I can't help but point out that it's ridiculous for Boston to allow the NBA to use our players elected to play in the All-Star game in any way they please with no restrictions. If I'm the Cs, I'm giving the coaches that are handed the reigns of the team limits concerning how much they can toy with our guys on the court during a game that's completely meaningless to every contender in the Association).

But regardless of the hammering injury, we played with a chip on our shoulder, and as always, fighting and eventually prevailing in what is now considered one of the most thrilling playoff series' of all-time (the Boston Chicago series, which involved numerous memorable OTs). We also almost slipped past the eventual Eastern Conference champs, armed with a 3-2 lead after five games but sadly falling in the last two. And this is all without Kevin Garnett.

At last, we arrive to 2009-10. With an improved Rondo and Perkins, a healthy Garnett, and at least a little bit more rested Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, we're a better team automatically than the squad last year that advanced to the second round of the playoffs and seemed to be well on their way to the EC Finals before a heartbreaking final two games. However, that's not all. We added a woefully underrated Marquis Daniels (who has been compared to the likes of Josh Howard and also plays a game style similar to that of Stephen Jackson), a dominant post player (who can cause trouble, but should have been set straight by our vets from the beginning nonetheless) in Rasheed Wallace, and another backup big man in Shelden Williams.

Three quarters of the way through the season, we've now also added Nate Robinson and Michael Finley. Where do we stand? Well let's just say that the team we're looking at on paper doesn't resemble the team we see on the court, nor does our record hint at us having such a great team (stats-/skills-wise at least).

The differences between this team and the past two of the Big Three era? Well, there's many. For one, Boston is a much less docile group than the crews the Celts had on their side in the past. Docile in the sense of all of the players having one goal, whether it's a wild goal or a conservative objective. We were all on the same page, which made it easier to strike points and basically just coach. This team? We're all over the place, I guess, is the best way to put it.

Two years ago and even last year, I remember a team that was fired up for even the most piddling of games. Now? Maybe we just don't have the energy for that anymore, whether we'd like to our not. Maybe we're resting for strategical reasons. But while that theory is understandable in these circumstances, it's been proven to be foolproof when you, well, don't win the ones that you save energy for in the first place.

And the conclusion is evident now: Even if we do manage to find that passion, that fire, it is, in many senses, much too late. Sure, we've saved energy all year long. But to become formidable once again, to gain position against other teams or at least be at the same level they are, we're going to have to rampage the league on a ferocious tear in these next few months. And at the level of stamina this team has shown it has, I'm not sure we can do that and still get up for the playoffs. Or at least, stay up for the duration of the playoffs, which we would need to do if we wanted to attain another ring. December is long gone. Sitting tight waiting for a run in January isn't possible now. Even February has evaded us. We're in March, nervously sweating it out until April.

Hey, miracles can happen. We don't know what's being said in the locker room. We have no clue what's going on in the closed, whispered huddles during practice. But from what I've been seeing lately, I just don't see it happening. It's too bad, going through so much for so little (maybe I'm under-appreciating the glory of one mere ring, but I was hoping to at least be in contention for two). It's even more disappointing that the Celtics essentially just let this happen. They let it slip away. They watched a likely banner slowly (don't think this happened in a flash; we had all the time in the world to turn it around and we couldn't get it done) drive by them, and sooner or later, a Cinderella Story as well (if the C's can't beat out the Hawks for the third seed, then this season, this goal, really ought to be packed away).

Of course, we can't doubt the potentials of a sensational offseason, as this would be the perfect time to do it (although we always have to keep money in mind). Danny might sense that the team as a whole (which includes the ENTIRE organization) didn't feel that the fans got their full due after 16 years of atrocious misfortune after Bird hung up the laces. But these are all possibilities that are battling the odds. And since we've seen that we can't complete the likelihoods that were graciously given to us at the beginning of this season (a refueled, recharged, revamped team that could easily have been included in the top five, maybe even top three teams in the league right now, and close to the end chunk of the season where contenders rest and teams battling for position continue to fight tirelessly), what leads us to believe that we have the proof to doubt the odds?

For one, there's hope. Basketball is a game of breaks. Sometimes, there's opportunities you ride out for much too long than destiny should have allowed you too. And in others (particularly this one), you fall way short of expectations and in all honesty, are stripped of what should have been.

So yeah, there will always be that next year, those next few years, those next 10 years. But the only thing at this point that I can say with all the certainty in my mind, with no counter-arguments available to mention is: Ubuntu might want to get a head start on getting comfort with the dark, dingy cellars of the NBA.

Bird & Magic: To See The Other Sides

Inspired by the passionate thoughts of my friend over at North Station Sports, Nick Gelso.

Even if you knew 99% of what happened in this film, that other 1% is worth your time. -- Red's Army

I saw the Magic-Bird documentary a few nights ago. I saw Earvin and Larry relive their relationship --  even more so their individualized friendship -- and I saw Magic and Bird extoll their storied rivalry of extreme competition and unmatched edginess that was felt between the two of them on the court.

Last night, I saw the many different perceptions of Bird and Magic spawned by reporters of the era, and the difference in opinion between the players, the close friends and family, and those who merely watched greatness from the confines of their television screen. I saw the difference between those interviewed who wanted not just to meet Bird and Magic, but to have friendships with them, who desperately wanted to see them open up about the ups and downs between their lives on, and off, the court. But in addition, I saw something a little bit more specified, that being those who wanted to be the ones to ask them the questions, instead of offering their own opinion during their responses to questions. I also recognized those who realized that after fully being able to see the true Larry's and Bird's, and the true Earvin's and Magic's, they were comfortably admiring them from a distance.

On the other hand, I had my own experience last night. I truly, in their emotional, physical, and tolling state, witnessed the Magic and Bird rivalry. I sat amazed as I looked back at the rebirth of basketball, the importance of paving the way from Elgin, West, Robertson, and Russell; Julius, Kareem, and Walton; Bird and Magic; and THEN Jordan, Isiah (despite playing at the same time), Pippen, Rodman, Barkley, Hakeem, and the greats of the '90s. Magic and Bird artistically carved the true meaning of specifying parts of their game to help their team win on certain nights. They mastered the craft of exerting themselves in narrowed styles, in an effort to push their team over the top in categories that on various nights were essential to win.

They were the pioneers of the '80s, bringing back the teachings and the examples of basketball heroes in the past. Think about it: Bird in Larry were revolutionary players, not just in their position, but how to rise to greatness in the proper way.

Isiah Thomas, for example, went down in history as one of the most talented guards who can dish out assists and get other guys involved. A harrowing performance with him was game 6 of the 1988 Finals, with Thomas being able to rise up in score 43 points in a crucial match, on a badly twisted ankle. It had Bird and Magic all over it. He also went on a 14-point spurt after the Lakes went up by eight in the third (and eventually rampaged the entire Los Angeles team by dropping 25 in the entire third, something that, while you would be shell-shocked nonetheless, over time became something expected of Magic and Bird). Bird and Magic were just unimaginable to watch, precisely the reason I mentioned that game Isiah had. They were always playing with, as Bill Simmons likes to describe it, a "There's no way we're not walking out of here without a win" face on.

Isiah probably had it in him all along. Heck, he ended up being one of those "Just watch me and you'll become better" players anyway. But just the mere presence of Bird, and the excellence they displayed so easily that inspired players to put on such performances is the reason basketball is where it is today (or at least the reason we have basketball greats that are knowledgeable enough to satisfy the fans and their teammates with proper team-oriented and dominant play). There's just no way that Magic's phenomenal inspiration he provided for the league, as well as Bird's, didn't put Isiah or any other star of that generation on the fast-track.

Bird and Magic were measuring sticks. Players didn't want to just be at their level, but they wanted to have the same impact as them. They wanted to literally light a match to the crowd's energy, either positively or negatively, with a simple salvaged loose ball or a precise pass leading to a thunderous dunk or finish that would deflate the opposing team. They yearned for that bone-crunching shot, that heart-stopping finish in the paint, that blood-chilling defensive presence, or that disturbing competitive edge. It was almost unnatural for any other player to have it. Only Bird and Magic could let it flow the way they did. It couldn't be imitated. It wasn't a gimmick. It was just Bird and Magic.

Going back to their inspirational play, let's visit some other greats... maybe that stamped greatness on the records of the '90s with their own Bird and Magic exhibits?

Pippen and Jordan were pissed-off matadors from the beginning, fighting to prove themselves worthy of the status they were building off of those who had watched them. But again, who do you think they looked to for advice, or maybe just example?

Pippen and Jordan played like warriors, bloodied by their critics, by their adversities, and never lost their drive. They never relinquished their aggressiveness along the way to fame, and always kept basketball as their number one priority. Perhaps Pippen and Jordan were the greatest unintentional students of Bird and Magic, meaning that they learned so much, constructed their game styles and demeanors on and off the court when playing with the paradigms attained from Bird and Magic.

Bird and Magic knew how to win in a way only the greatest successors not just in sports, but in life, could comprehend. They performed in ways that words couldn't do justice for. They made everyone seem better, and knew how to balance feeding off of others energy and game techniques and creating for themselves.

And I can say that from the other night's documentary, I was able to wholeheartedly grasp what all the excitement that was hyped around Bird and Magic was. I'll be honest with you, I narrowly missed seeing Bird and Magic grace the court. The only memories I had of them were, sadly, YouTube videos and flashbacks of their battles on CBS and other major networks. But I couldn't quite see for myself where the greatness glowed from them. In my mind, sure, they both played like top 10 players.

But where was that unique personality? The superiority MJ steered the reigns of his team with for so long; the sheer arrogance that for some reason we put up with during the Kobe era because he played so terrifyingly; the humor Shaq and Walton gives/gave us; or even the aura of winning that steams off of Bill Russell and Robert Horry? Well, I found out where it lied last night.

I saw the grit of Bird and the gentleness of Magic. I saw how nothing got to Bird, and how a lot of things could easily affect Magic. I relived the awe-inspiring understanding of the game Bird possessed and the riveting feel of the game that Magic let explode on the court. I finally realized that Larry couldn't have been nearly as good a player as he was if he wasn't such a prick -- and didn't have a black hole inside his heart and mind that could suck up all distracting emotions when he needed to focus -- and I realized that Magic wouldn't have came close to his ceiling as he did in the career we watched him play had he not had an itching for fame.

I couldn't help but admire Bird's passion for work and near-disgust with the spotlight and Magic's hunger for another "front door," as they referred to it in the documentary.

But all in all, I saw the two of them becoming mirror images of each other as they took their places on the floor that was equally as special to them, despite their polar-opposite personas. I saw how amazing it was to see them take form as they transformed from their personalities off the court to fire-breathing dragons on the court -- one graceful and one scrappy. I saw the surreality of the two of their styles that I hadn't nearly captured before. So maybe I didn't see them play. But I saw a documentary that gave me the next best thing.

That's good enough for me.

Welcome Joe Spencer to Celtics 17!

Joe Spencer of Knee Jerk NBA will now be posting columns on his thoughts about the NBA and specifically the Celts here on Celtics 17! You can get familiar with his work on Knee Jerk (linked above) as well as welcome him here on his first post.

Finley Waived, Doc Intrigued

The Herald reports: 

Now that the Celtics have expressed interest in veteran shooter Michael Finley, Doc Rivers can admit to a bias. The Celtics coach and the former Spur, who is expected to clear waivers tomorrow night, are both products of Chicago’s Proviso East High School.

“Every team has some holes, and shooting is something we can’t have enough of,” he said. “You look at some of these other teams, their shooting was ridiculous. We’re looking around. I don’t know if I can even say anything about Michael.

I don’t think a veteran ever hurts. It always helps if it’s the right one.” … Rivers said that Kendrick Perkins, who missed this trip with a case of the flu, is expected to play tomorrow night’s game against Charlotte.

Via Red's Army

Interesting. It couldn't hurt, but it's nothing to get excited about. Here's Finley's statline for this year: 15.8 mpg, 1.5 rpg (0.3 orpg), 0.8 apg (0.5 TOpg), 3.7 ppg, .381 FG %, .317 3-pt. FG. Not too encouraging, nor attractive, but you have to look at him as a character guy at this point. He was on the '06-07 Spurs team which, as Red's Army mentioned, struggled during the meat of the regular season and ended up being the NBA champions come Spring/Summer.

My thoughts? If he's really that committed to winning a ring, there is absolutely no reason not to welcome him. We need another voice in there to rejuice these guys, and not only to give them energy, but get them angry. We need someone other than Garnett (and Pierce -- though we can't say how Pierce has been doing in terms of the clubhouse) to dig into these guys and fire them up. How do you think proud guys like Rasheed or young guys like Perk and Rondo are going to feel when a guy averaging 3.7 ppg is criticizing them?

Rerun: LeBron changing number.

If one didn't know better, Stuart Scott just announced on SportsCenter that LeBron James will be playing in Cleveland next year. Here's why: LeBron has filed the paperwork to change his number from 23 to 6, something that he wouldn't have to do if he were signing with another team. So there you go. You can just stop thinking about LeBron signing with the Knicks/Clippers/Bulls/Heat/Nets this summer.

Ugh. This is the second time this season we've heard about this. In November, LeBron told everyone to stop asking him about who he would be playing with after the summer because he was tired of hearing about next year. Then what does he do? Later that week he announced that he was thinking about changing his number for next year, the same "next year" that he was tired of hearing about. He also wanted the league to retire the #23 for all teams in honor of Michael Jordan. And now, three months later, I'm sure the fact that you only have to fill out paperwork to change a number if you're not changing teams will be sure to quell all the free-agency questions. In fact, we'll probably forget the whole thing and need every other article written about the NBA to include a reminder. Like in this "report" from ESPN:

James will be part of the vaunted 2010 free-agent class that includes Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. While Bulls fans would like to see him try to make No. 6 as legendary as No. 23 in Chicago, New York has also maneuvered to have enough cap space to sign James.

Cleveland can sign James to a longer, more lucrative deal, however.

I really like how they sneak that in, as if they're telling us something we haven't heard before, or more like a thousand times.

But here's a question: didn't he pick #23 to honor Michael Jordan to begin with? Isn't that what everyone who wears that number does? It doesn't make sense, unless he's doing it to gain more attention and jersey sales.

And this is what happens when I blog at one in the morning (CST).

Report: LeBron wants No. 6 (ESPN)

Larry Bird Smiles for the Camera

Looking into writing, reporting, or other forms of sports journalism? Celtics 17 is looking for writers! Check it all out here.

Via North Station Sports 



Catch the documentary on March 6th, a Saturday (debuting times reported in video), for a great look back at possibly the NBA's most definitive rivalry between Larry and Magic Johnson.

Celtics Lose to Nets: Wow

There isn't much to say but... I'm astonished. KG put it perfectly: These guys have make the decision to put at the least the minimum effort in to win THESE type of games. I mean, we could've just completely ignored offensive tactics, just played DEFENSE on the Nets, and probably wont he ballgame. Instead, we gave up 104 points to a now 6-52 team.

I understand that the Celtics are trying to save energy for the important games, for the playoffs, but I can't believe this. I'm not even going to give you the box score because the mere fact that we lost this game is pathetic.

I don't think I've ever been more exasperated writing two paragraphs in my entire stay here at Celtics 17. This is... unimaginable. Unfathomable. KG scores 26 and Rondo dishes out a season-high and we lose? Were we playing D whatsoever? We allowed five Nets to reach double-figures in the eight-point loss.

Here's my thing. We've shown that we had the energy, we've shown that we have the heart, the intelligence, the skills, and the team unity to win (although the last part is becoming an iffy for me, but I think we still have it). We went on a 16-4 run in the fourth, cutting the deficit to six after a red hot slew of buckets and a few defensive stops -- and of course, the Celtics being the Celtics, and Boston fans being Boston fans, we all thought we had this one in the bag, even when we were in improbable circumstances. We'd done this before. We had let the Nets ride with us for three quarters and then dropped them off just a few minutes before their stop.

But oh no. Not this time. The Nets outsmarted us. They outplayed us. They outhustled us. The worst team in basketball had thrashed us deservingly, and it resulted in a well-earned win for one of the worst teams in history, if not THE worst come the end of the season.

I'm fed up to my green goggles with this cocky, "swaggerized" Celtics team. They're not playing basketball. They're playing "Let's be a bunch of punks and see if the other team will let us win." And if the other team doesn't back down, it's over. Forget it. Goodbye. See ya.

And it's not just about making that decision, like Garnett said, to play hard for 48 minutes. It's becoming a situation where they don't even KNOW where and when to pick their games, their offensive spurts, their defensively dominated quarters. The Boston Celtics are lost. They don't understand anymore. It's almost like they can't tell when they can hit cruise control because they're on such a rule, riding such an adrenaline, that they can just play on pure instinct. But now they're not that pure team anymore. They don't have that smooth confidence (NOT cockiness or swagger) anymore.

A few days ago, I mentioned on a piece that an ESPN analyst commented: "the Celtics know what to do to win a title. The Cavs, the Magic, they don't quite know 'where the finish line is,' whereas Boston knows the level of play they have to commit to in order to win." Do they really though?

Do the Boston Celtics know where their map is anymore?

Because I see the Cleveland Cavaliers on a straight path to destiny (you knew they were going to make some sort of a move and take over the league after Boston basically fell apart and Orlando/Los Angeles/the rest of the contenders sat quiet at the deadline), and the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and the Portland Trail Blazers (yes, even after the 20-point shellacking in Portland) all very capable of beating the Boston Celtics when healthy. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs might be able to topple the Celtics if they were on their game as well. And while all of this is taking place, the Celtics continue to struggle. The Celtics continue to comfortably "play their game."

Final thoughts: I honestly don't know what's wrong with this team anymore. I know what the problem is, but I don't know why this wasn't settled a while ago. You have proven leaders in Allen, Pierce, and Garnett. You have assertive young guys like Perk and Rondo who can lead by example. Hell, they even have high-energy guys like Marquis Daniels and Nate Robinson coming off the bench now, and this still doesn't seem to be getting anywhere!

Maybe Donny Marshall's right. Maybe this loss is a good experience for this troubled '09-10 Celtics team. Maybe it was good to look around and see the embarrassment on the faces of teammates, coaches, and fans. Maybe it was good to see a team like the Nets flat-out handling the Boston Celtics, champions just two years ago. Maybe it was motivating to watch as loyal, yet demanding fans begrudgingly drag theirselves out of the arena as their team abysmally watched another loss fly right by their eyes.

But for all I know, we've piled a few too many maybes on the Boston Celtics this season. Can they rise to the occasion?