SB Nation User Blog: Jim Weeks

Celtics Face off Against New Look Rockets

Jim Weeks — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:42:14 -0000

Next Game

Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008, 8:30 PM EST
Toyota Center

Boston Celtics (2-1) at Houston Rockets (3-0)
Tuesday November 4th, 8:30 PM ET
Season Game #4, Road Game #2
TV: Comcast SportsNet, NBA TV
Radio: WEEI
Toyota Center

Rockets Blog: The Dream Shake

Probable Starting Lineups

Rajon Rondo vs. Rafer Alston
Ray Allen vs. Tracy McGrady
Paul Pierce vs. Ron Artest
Kevin Garnett vs. Luis Scola
Kendrick Perkins vs. Yao Ming

Scheduling Note

Both the Celtics and Rockets last played on Saturday. Boston lost on the road to Indiana and Houston knocked off the Thunder in the Toyota Center. Advantage Houston.

Injury Report: Boston - No Injuries Reported, Houston - Shane Battier, Questionable (ankle).

Players to Watch

Leon Powe and Carl Landry. According to their NBA.com profiles Landry has an inch and 9 pounds on Powe. And while their games are not exact replicas, there are similarities. Hollinger's PER loves them and they both benefited from the rise of the undersized power forward over the last several seasons. Finally, they're both bidding their time and improving before they sign nice contracts.

Key Match Up

Given how Rondo and Alston faced off the last two time these teams met, it would be easy to go with the point guard match up. However, that's clearly the under card to Pierce/Artest. As a Celtics blogger I'm legally obligated to link to the infamous shorts incident. Having gotten that out of the way I have one question: Is Artest playing consistent, hard defense again? I have not seen him in Houston yet and that definitely could be the case. However, over the last few seasons Artest was picking his spots. He still had the reputation as a stellar defender, but I felt he did not work as hard on the perimeter. Perhaps I'm wrong. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how he plays with his new team.

Meanwhile, I love where Pierce's game is right now. He used to make me a little nervous at times and I would worry about someone like Artest getting inside The Truth's head. It was just last season that Pierce was ejected on MLK Day. Still, Pierce's physical and mental game have both come a long way. I'm looking for Pierce to bring his A game. By the way, if you click on that ejection clip you'll see how much weight Pierce has dropped since last season. It's noticeable.

YouTube Magic

Rockets imitate Deke! (via Odenized)

In case you were wondering, here's how I'd rank the top 3 Dikembe Impersonators:

#3 Steve Novak
#2 Aaron Brooks
#1 Shane Battier

Closing Thought

You could make the case that the Rockets are this year's Celtics. Granted it's not a perfect analogy, as McGrady and Yao were in Houston together previously. But Artest's arrival led to lofty expectations. And the Rockets are off to a great start. Meanwhile, after a dismal showing in Indiana, I'd love to see the Celtics rebound and send an message.

Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls

Jim Weeks — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:20:00 -0000

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Chicago Bulls (1-0) at Boston Celtics (1-0) Friday, October 31st
8:00 PM ET
Season Game #2, Home Game #2
TV: Comcast SportsNet, ESPN
Radio: WEEI
TD Banknorth Garden

Bulls Blogs: Blog-a-Bull, Thank You Isiah, The Bulls Beat (podcast)

Probable Starting Lineups

Rajon Rondo vs. Derrick Rose
Ray Allen vs. Thabo Sefolosha
Paul Pierce vs. Luol Deng
Kevin Garnett vs. Tyrus Thomas
Kendrick Perkins vs. Drew Gooden

Lineup Notes

The Bulls don't start a true center and Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon both come off the bench. Odd.

Scheduling Note

Both the Celtics and Bulls have been off since opening their seasons on Tuesday. With the Celtics at home, advantage Boston.

Players to Watch

Luol Deng – It wasn’t that long ago that Deng was billed as one of the NBA's fastest rising stars. If I recall correctly the Bulls labeled him untouchable. In fact, two seasons ago he defended Paul Pierce as well as anyone. Of course the 2007 Celtics didn’t give The Truth a ton of help on the offensive end and the Bulls used to play tremendous team defense. It’s funny now, but there were people who thought the 2008 Celtics would have to go through the 2008 Bulls. Few, if any, believed Chicago would miss the playoffs. Still, Deng can play. His long arms immediately jump out as an incredible advantage. And I’m intrigued to see where his game eventually peaks. Is he a dominant franchise player or just a really good player? I’m leaning towards the latter, but there is still time.

Tony Allen – Back on December 4, 2006 Allen put up the following stat line in Chicago: 20 points (on 5-8 from the field and 10-13 from the line), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal and one turnover. Though I was skeptical at the time, it was the start of a phenomenal stretch of basketball for Allen that lasted until he went for a dunk after the whistle. It’s been a long road for Allen since then. Yet two of his better games last season came against his hometown Bulls. Ultimately, whenever Allen travels to Chicago I hope he plays well and stays in his hotel room.

Key Match Up

Rondo vs. Rose - The aforementioned Pierce/Deng match up is always a good one. And I could have chosen KG and Thomas. But I decided to look at the point guards. All of the sudden Rondo is a starting point guard with two seasons under his belt and a championship ring. He's come a long way from a highly criticized 21st draft pick in 2006. And he'll go head-to-head with Rose, the golden boy of the 2008 draft. That's two guys who can get up and down the court.

Closing Thought

The Bulls have to be one of the biggest mysteries in all of the NBA this season. Steve Weinman nailed it in his Eastern Conference preview,

"What happens: Who knows? The questions extend well beyond the backcourt. What does this team actually have in Tyrus Thomas? How will Hinrich and Deng bounce back this season? How far will Jo Noah progress this year? How much is it fair to expect from Rose as a rookie? As I said during my chat with Sopan Deb on WTBU's "Friday Night Sports Block" last week, I wouldn't be shocked to see this team finish 10th or 11th in the East, and I wouldn't be shocked to see it finish fifth or sixth. For now, the guess will be that there are too many new adjustments that need to be made and bounce-back seasons that need to be had, and while this team develops throughout the season, it won't be ready to make a real statement in the East." - Steve Weinman.

On top of all that I'm not sold on Vinny Del Negro as a coach and you could make the case that the Bulls refuse to play their best players maximum minutes. It must be absolutely bewildering to be a fan of Chicago.

Poll

Which team will remain undefeated on the young season?

Boston

341 votes

Chicago

12 votes

353 votes | Poll has closed

Celtics on NBA TV

Jim Weeks — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:13:01 -0000

Celtics on NBA TV

If you get NBA TV, head over there for Legends Night. On tap for tonight:

8:00 PM: Basketballography - Bill Russell

8:30 PM: NBA Special - Red and Me

9:00 PM: A Game to Remember: 1966 NBA Finals, Game 7

10:00 PM: Hardwood Classics - Celtics at Rockets, 1986 NBA Finals - Game 4

12:00 AM: NBA Special - Larry Bird's 50 Greatest Moments

1:00 AM: NBA Special - Boston Celtics 2007-08 NBA Champions

Ranking Every Team's Marketing Campaign

Jim Weeks — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:25:06 -0000

Earlier in the week Steve Weinman unleashed Part 1 and II of his of his NBA Preview. On the heels of that I'm ranking the marketing campaigns of all 30 NBA teams. In doing so I went to each team's website and asked three questions:

- Does the team have a campaign or slogan?
- Is it easy to find?
- Is it the same as last year?

From there I let my my personal bias run wild.

No clear marketing campaign

30. Golden State - Arguably the most disappointing. And I say that because Golden State of Mind proves how dynamic that community is. Furthermore, the Warriors were one of the most entertaining teams of the last season and a half.

29. Bobcats, Grizzlies, Thunder, Timberwolves

- Historically, bad teams have some of the most enjoyable marketing campaigns. And that's solely due to the fact that it's harder to sell a losing team. Hence more creativity and at times a certain amount of comedy. Think Indiana's "Buckle Up Baby" from 2008. Buckle up for what? There's a nightlife joke in there just dying to be made.

25. Suns, Trailblazers - Disappointing because I expected something cool. With Portland it's downright inexcusable. That roster is a gold mine for a fantastic slogan.

23. Spurs - I never expected San Antonio to even pretend to be clever. So I'm okay with it.

I Don't Think There's a Marketing Campaign

22. Pistons - Detroit appears to be taking this year off after the 50th Anniversary/True Blue campaign of the 2008 season. Still, the "We're About Business" quote on the front page of Detroit's website at least looked like an ad campaign.

Wait, isn't that last year's ad campaign?

21. Bulls - Chicago should try anything it can to break out of last season's malaise. And there are some young, exciting players to promote, including a hometown #1 pick. I don't get it.

20. Raptors - When I hear "Canada's Team" I do not think of the Raptors.

19. Cavaliers - I'm not crazy about plagiarizing the Three Musketeers two years in a row.

18. Hawks - The "Highlight Factory" lost some luster after a full year in existence. But I like Josh Smith and company. And Smith is a one man highlight factory. True story.

17. Lakers - I don't like saying anything nice about the Lakers. But I respect their 60-year history. And for the record, if this were their 60th season, the Lakers would have finished 3rd.

Not Trying All That Hard

16. Kings - Sometimes it's best for an organization to accept that it is in a rebuilding phase and not pretend otherwise. That appears to be the case with Sacramento, which is essentially just asking for its fans to buy tickets. Although to be fair, that's part of Kevin Martin's arm in the lower right hand corner. As expected he's all over Sacramento's website.

15. Mavericks - I would be happier if they slipped an "away" between "Go" and "Mavs" and then replaced "Mavs" with "Jason Kidd". Still, at least Dallas recognizes its best player.

14. Hornets - It's hard to kill the Hornets for not having an over the top marketing campaign. And that's due to the fact that they've made a concerted effort to promote New Orleans or "Nola". Also, we're officially in Blue Week.

[Update: New Orleans' slogan is actually "Passion, Purpose, Pride". My mistake. And that's on top of that I did not give the Hornets enough credit for their continued work with New Orleans since the devastation caused by Katrina. I'm definitely guilty of underestimating what a hard road it has been for both the community and the organization since 2005. And it's admirable how much the latter has worked to help the former.]

Most Likely to Provoke a Communism Reference

13. Rockets - First there was the massive government bailout plan. Then stories swirled about the government taking an ownership stake in banks. And now the Rockets are unleashing a "Get Red" ad campaign upon us. For someone who grew up terrified of the Soviet Union and communism this is difficult to process. And yes that hurt Houston's place in the rankings.

Pass the Blah

12. Wizards - Washington has one of the most entertaining rosters in all of professional sports. Perhaps too entertaining at times. So I can see why the organization wanted to tone it down. "Character, Commitment, Connection" might be toned down too far.

11. Heat - I'm in the "Michael Beasley will be fine as a pro" camp. That means I'm not concerned about his extracurricular activities in Miami and NBA cities across the nation. However, if Beasley and Mario Chalmers go astray, like they did at the rookie symposium, bloggers could have a field day with "The Heat Experience".

10. Jazz - To be honest I expected them to be like the Spurs and ignore the ad campaign altogether. Not the case. Although it looks like they hired a caveman to come up with the slogan.

I Don't Believe You

9. Magic - One question looms over Orlando's campaign. Has the organization had 20 FANtastic Seasons? I enjoyed the brief Penny/Shaq era. Grant Hill's time there was maddening. Tracy McGrady's tenure was a roller coaster. However, you feel it's hard to ignore the fact that the most prominent Magic blog is named "Third Quarter Collapse". That has to say something. In the end Orlando loses a few spots for forgetting about Darrell Armstrong (Hat tip Ball Don't Lie).

8. Bucks - The sheer number of terrible games the Celtics and Bucks played against each other over the last two seasons was one of the underrated stories of that time period. In fact I was excited to learn that their last meeting this year will fall on March 15th. That's good news, as they're April encounters tend to be nightmarish. Anyways I'm not entirely sure what is going on in Milwaukee. And even with the new faces, they don't appear "Ready to Rise".

7. Clippers - The 2009 edition of the LA Clippers has the potential to implode. Baron Davis and Marcus Camby are already dinged up and they could definitely miss some time. Yet I like Chris Kaman and Al Thornton and Eric Gordon intrigues me. Ultimately LA lost a few slots because the Clippers and their fans could end up hating the game.

6. Nuggets - Can you feel it? No. I also got a kick out of the fact that Denver is currently promoting the draw of the Lakers only slightly less than it is pushing Allen Iverson. As a side note, it's fun to see how many teams are banking on big crowds for games against Boston. It's one of the joys of following a winning team.

I Respect the Effort

5. Pacers - Indiana does not get enough credit for its proud tradition. So I understand what the organization is attempting to do. Unfortunately the Pacers don't have the talent. And even though the players' images cycle through the current ad campaign, I question Josh McRoberts' role in that rotation.

4. Knicks - Much like the Pacers, the Knicks are trying to win back fans. When it came down to it, I thought New York's slogan came off better.

I Might Be the Only One, But I Loved It

3. Nets - New Jersey's campaign is clearly aimed at driving attendance for a rebuilding team that is lame duck in New Jersey. And since "Seriously we're going to make a run at LeBron in 2010" was viewed as tampering, the organization went to Plan B - "It's about...":

"…The Season Premier"
"…A Night Out With the Nets & Bud Light"
"…Networking"
"…The Battle of the Bands

And wait for it, wait for it...BIRTHDAYS PARTIES!

The Elite

2. 76ers - Philly got bonus points for the throwback look and the over the top intro on its website. Furthermore, the slogan actually makes sense. The 76ers will most definitely run at times.

1. Celtics - You had to know this was coming from me. In my defense what else is there to say? Winning makes everything easier.

Q & A With Fear the Sword

Jim Weeks — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:38:31 -0000

Over the weekend I caught up with FTS from Fear the Sword in anticipation of tonight's match up with Cleveland. Obviously I had to ask about Delonte West. Check out his answers below, vote in the poll, and go to Fear the Sword for my answers to his questions.

Celtics Blog: When Boston and Cleveland met in their first preseason game the Cavs aggressively pushed the ball on several early possessions. On one in particular, Mo Williams zoomed past mid court while a shell-shocked Zydrunas Ilgauskas slowly followed. Do you envision the offense moving beyond the "wait for LeBron to make something happen" stage and will Big Z have a place in it?

Fear the Sword: That is going to be something to watch all season. It is true that the Cavs, with James, Williams and West, will want to push the ball at every opportunity, but I also think it will be “fire with focus”. Mike Brown has sold this team on the fact that defense is what is going to ultimately win in the playoffs. I think the Celtics proved that as well, being one of the League’s top defensive teams last year, even with “the Big 3”. What the Cavaliers will need to avoid is being a running team one night, then a defensive team another. Defense is their identity, and while the running game should benefit them more on certain nights, against certain teams, in order for the Cavaliers to get a high seed in the Eastern Conference they are going to have to commit to defense for 82 games.

Celtics Blog: From a distance it never seemed like Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao got up to speed last season. Was that the case? Do you expect them to make a big difference this season?

Fear the Sword: The hold out that lasted all summer and in to Training Camp really hurt their progress as players. Both came into camp in 2007 out of shape and way behind the rest of the team. From a mental standpoint, a lot of things were said on both sides and I think both players needed some time to “forgive and forget”. Then, just as both players were getting back into a groove, they both missed significant amounts of time due to injury. Both Sasha and Andy were huge parts of the Cavs rotation, and with both off the floor the Cavs bench really struggled. The Cavs could have had a similar situation this season with Boobie Gibson and Delonte West but were able to take care of their contracts before the start of camp. There is a completely different feel to this team heading into 2008 than there was in 2007, even after playing in the Finals.

Celtics Blog: Does Ben Wallace have anything left?

Fear the Sword: Yes, I really think he does, if he is used correctly. He is not going to be the DPOY again, but I don’t think the Cavs need him to be. They want him to be an enforcer, make things difficult for opposing players driving the lane, get rebounds and play with a lot of energy for as long as he can. If the Cavs can get a solid 25-30 minutes out of Ben every night I think they will be thrilled and, from what I have seen of Ben during the pre-season, he can do that. There are certainly concerns about his back, and that is something the Cavs are going to have to watch carefully as the season rolls on. But Ben has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, especially since he feels he let the team down in the Boston series. I think Ben will have a solid season.

Celtics Blog: Delonte West still has plenty of fans from his Boston days and a lot of us were happy to see him rejoin the Cavs. Is he ready to be in the rotation and do Cavs fans realize he's one of the funniest guys in the league?

Fear the Sword: We have really learned to like and appreciate Delonte and know he is exactly the type of player every team should have in their locker room. He can do it all on the floor, whatever it takes, and is a team guy, not concerned with his own numbers or success. The sincerity in his voice when the Cavs signed him to the new deal, talking about “being wanted”, it really meant something to him. He probably could have fought for more money, or additional years, but he knows what the Cavaliers are trying to do and he has bought in to the program. Then, when he came out and talked about battling depression, again, very sincere in his gratefulness to the Cavaliers for their support. It showed me just how tough a man Delonte is. Since coming back he has been a man possessed and has won the starting spot at the 2.

Poll

How far will Cleveland go in 2009?

Miss the Playoffs

11 votes

First Round

20 votes

Eastern Conference Semifinals

138 votes

Eastern Conference Finals

205 votes

NBA Finals

18 votes

392 votes | Poll has closed

Cousy: His Life, Career, and the Birth of Big-Time Basketball

Jim Weeks — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:13:34 -0000

About 2 weeks ago Comcast announced Bob Cousy would not be involved in its Celtics broadcasts during the 2009 season. The Cooz did not agree with the decision:

"I would have liked to have continued. I'm only involved in 10 games a season, so it's not that big a deal. But I would have liked to have been allowed to keep my hand in, especially after 22 years of [Celtics] mediocrity - last year was kind of fun, frankly, and I was looking forward to doing it again. Comcast can choose to do the hiring and firing, but if it's a financial situation, I'm not being overpaid. What they pay me is what they spend monthly for office supplies." - Bob Cousy

The "22 years of [Celtics] mediocrity" gets to a crucial point about Cousy's tenure. He was not one to sugarcoat his feelings and pretend that a fundamentally flawed basketball team had a bright future. Unfortunately his pessimism was a downer at times. Still, the fact that he enjoyed last season was one of the underrated developments of Boston's return to glory. While you may not have cared for Cousy's presence as much as I did, there is no denying he is one of the strongest links to Red Auerbach. Consider parts one, two and three of this tribute to Red. That, coupled with the fact that Cousy turned 80 this past August, motivated me to look at Bill Reynolds' Cousy: His Life, Career, and the Birth of Big-Time Basketball.

The book opens on March 17, 1963 (St. Patrick’s Day), Cousy’s last game in the Boston Garden. Five aspects stood out from the first chapter.

1. Author Bill Reynolds noted that John F. Kennedy was President, Martin Luther King Jr. was five months away from his "I Have A Dream Speech" and a wool suit with two pairs of trousers cost $49. And yes people said trousers. But I was more struck by an excerpt from the New Yorker, which described the gradual acceptance of basketball,

"spectacle of ten, tall, skinny young men running around in midwinter in costumes that look very much like summer underwear no longer appears as bizarre as it once did." – Rober Rice (Reynolds 12).

2. Cousy retired at age 34 even though he could still get it done, albeit playing fewer minutes. Yet he chose to leave for a number of reasons:

- He did not want to tarnish his image. Fair enough. Think Michael Jordan if he really walked away in 1998. Actually that analogy is decent since the Cooz made somewhat of a comeback (7 games) seven years later.

- It was no longer fun for Cousy. Instead the game haunted him. Nightmares, fear, hatred and seclusion.

- Cousy was genuinely concerned about making a living once he retired and figured he should focus on profiting from his image, which he was absolutely terrified of tarnishing. Even though he may have saved the NBA and was one of its brightest early stars, he faced financial insecurity heading into retirement. And not in a Jason Caffey sense. It was an entirely different league back then. As I typed that I thought of Carmelo Anthony and his fall from grace last spring. If the former Syracuse standout cared for his image as much as Cousy did, he would be a lot better off. And this commercial would not be so appropriate after the fact.

3. Cousy was a really, really big deal. He was the “Houdini of the Hardwood”, a magician with the ball, the first little guy to star in a big man’s league, a player people knew even when they did not know the NBA, the Babe Ruth of the NBA, and on and on. And yet where does he fit in a discussion of the best Celtics of all time? I bet most people would immediately mention Bill Russell, Larry Bird, John Havlicek and now Kevin Garnett. Paul Pierce, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish would probably get mentioned before Cousy too. But make no mistake, the Cooz could flat out play.

4. Tommy Heinsohn recalled that everyone on the Celtics wanted to win. However, Red Auerbach, Cousy and Russell had to win for their emotional and physical well-being. Reynolds described them as

“the point guard who had grown up the only son of French immigrants, the black center who had spent his early years in segregated Louisiana, and the Jewish coach who had hustled his way out of a Brooklyn ghetto.” (Reynolds 16)

Yet the three dominant personalities on the Celtics were more alike than they were different. Their need to win was a borderline sickness.

5. Cousy often found the open man instead of shooting and asked for advice on how to get better. Yet he would also “throw the ball at the back of a teammate’s head” if said player was not performing as Cousy wanted. It was the demanding, perfectionist in him. As a side note, I immediately thought of Michael Jordan intentionally throwing difficult, bad passes to Bill Cartwright after reading that. Realistically the great ones seem to choose fear over love.

Cousy’s Youth

Cousy was no stranger to poverty and family dysfunction. He lived in an apartment that lacked running water and was eventually condemned. However, the awkward silences that dominated his home life may have had an even bigger impact on him. I won’t go to into detail, as ultimately I want you to read it. But I was struck by two thoughts:

- My great grandmother and her brother reused paper towels over and over again. It was a product of the Great Depression. And even though Cousy was born 20+ years after them, he had the same mentality. It was the reason why he continued to do speaking appearances, which he despised, well after his accountant told him they were unnecessary.

- You could make the argument that Cousy escaping the streets of New York and making it in the NBA was as much of a long shot as Stephon Marbury doing it 45 years later. On the one hand Marbury overcame an environment far more loaded with violence and drugs. Meanwhile, Cousy made it out when scouting for college was almost non-existent and the NBA was a far cry from the marketing behemoth that exists today. Also Cousy’s family eventually bought a house and then rented out two thirds of it to pay the mortgage. Still, Marbury fits the stereotype of the ghetto. Cousy does not.

Basketball in His Formative Years

- There is a tendency to assume that smaller players have to work a lot harder than bigger players to get to the NBA. And to a certain extent that’s fair. Tall people are encouraged to play basketball, even if height is their only basketball attribute. That was the case with Robert Parish. He developed skills over time. After a certain height someone will always take a flier and hope everything else falls into place like it did with the Chief. Unfortunately that line of thinking ignores the skills and talents of smaller players. Yes Cousy was lucky that playground director Morty Arkin taught him how to shoot and insisted that Cooz develop a left hand. Also the fact that Cousy’s high school did not have football made basketball the focus of every male that wanted to play sports. Finally Cousy benefited from the play or go home, kill or be killed, and learn to innovate while doing so mentality that permeated New York City basketball. All of that mattered. However, Cousy, Isiah Thomas, Chris Paul and every other smaller player did not make it on hard work and toughness alone. They’re gifted athletes with physical attributes that helped propel them to extraordinary levels. Rant over. Oh, and for the record Cousy had large hands, which enabled him to do some pretty remarkable things with the ball. Remind you of anyone? Hint: his first name is Rajon.

- Having finished with that over the top rant I can now say that Cousy’s rise as a basketball player was still remarkable. He was cut from the varsity his freshman year after essentially going through a lay up line with 250 other kids. It was one of those times being 6-5 would have helped. But he was persistent and fortunate enough to join a city league. Through that league he eventually caught the eye of the varsity coach, due to his ability to play with both hands, and landed a spot on the JV team during his sophomore year. Ironically Cousy’s ascension to the varsity was delayed for a semester the following year when he failed citizenship for talking too much in home room. Still, it was only a brief speed bump and Cousy established himself as a high school basketball star.

The Catskills

Back before gambling almost destroyed college basketball with the CCNY scandal, amongst others, gamblers had tremendous access to some of the best basketball players in the country – George Mikan, Dolph Schayes, Ed Macauley, Cousy and many more – due to the hotels of the Catskills. That’s not to say that everyone got in with gamblers. But the fact remains that talented high school graduates and college players were hired by the hotels and given a variety of responsibilities, including two games a week against teams from rival hotels. Cousy was introduced to that world during the summer before his freshman year of college. He was away from home for the first time, played against intense competition and saved $1,200. Needless to say he loved it.

Holy Cross

Having grown up in Worcester I’m fully aware of the fact that Cousy is one of Holy Cross’ most famous graduates. However, had Boston College not been a commuter school he most likely would have been an Eagle instead of a Crusader. Furthermore, Cousy landed on a team loaded with talent and New York natives. And while he was the team’s third leading scorer, the future Celtics star was more of a role player. He did not enjoy coming off the bench and was actually quite miserable. Reynolds captured the frustration from that first season:

“He felt he was being snubbed. When practice started and he was not on the first team he often sulked. He was upset and made no attempt to disguise it (Reynolds 57.)

Despite Cousy’s unhappiness Holy Cross had an impressive run in the regular season that culminated in an appearance in the NCAA tournament. You have to read the book to get a better idea of how that team was assembled and truly understand what an accomplishment it was for them to defeat Navy, CCNY and Oklahoma to win it all. And it was a huge deal in Worcester, which Reynolds described so well,

“Worcester was home of the national basketball champions, and who could have ever believed that could happen to Worcester, the gritty mill town in Central Massachusetts, the place you went through on the way to someplace else? (Reynolds 63).

Ouch.

But back to Cousy. He was so unimpressed with is playing time under coach Doggie Julian that he tried unsuccessfully to transfer to St. John’s. As a result he returned for a rocky sophomore campaign, which was highlighted by a complete breakdown in his relationship with Julian. The season also ended on a sour note when Kentucky bounced the Crusaders in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament, a game in which the Cooz was awful from the field. Just when it seemed like it could not get any worse Julian left to coach of all teams the Celtics and Cousy became a star. Magazine stories, praise from opponents and limited team success (unfortunately) followed. Of course that raises a fantastic question. Was Bob Cousy happier as a star on an average team than he was as a role player on a winning team in college? Tough to say. However, that’s the kind of mentality that NBA fans, writers, and bloggers would jump all over a modern day player for.

Almost Not a Celtic

Cousy was originally drafted by Tri-Cities after Red Auerbach passed on the Holy Cross stand out because he was not out to “please the local yokels.” But Cousy had no intention of calling Moline, Rock Island or Davenport home. Even a trade to Chicago did not entice him. Ultimately Chicago folded and Cousy ended up in Boston. Based upon Auerach’s draft decision the player/coach relationship did not get off to a great start. And even after Cousy landed in Boston the legendary coach worried about controlling the hotshot talent. Of course after peaking as slightly less than a champion in all of Cousy’s early years Red Auerbach brought Bill Russell to Boston, the organization dominated professional basketball as never before, and Cousy and “Arnold” went on to have a close, albeit at times complicated, relationship.

Ultimately I encourage you to buy the book and brush up on the rest of Cousy’s career and life. For example he was instrumental in the creation of the players' union. Meanwhile, I understand the Boston Celtics do not run Comcast. Rather the company is going to make its own decisions. However, one of the great aspects of being a Celtics fan is the feeling that the organization is different than the other 29. And it’s not just the 17 titles, the parquet, all the great moments, the numerous living legends that made a name for themselves in Boston, or the fact that the franchise held off on adding a dance team until 2007. It’s also the Celtics Mystique or Celtics Pride, which even K.C. Jones admits sounds corny on the surface. Yet Cousy is one of those guys that made it real. I wish he could have gone out on his own terms.

Green Bandwagon Joins CelticsBlog

Jim Weeks — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:39:28 -0000

I had no idea what I was doing when I created Celtics Bandwagon in the fall of 2006. Thankfully SB Nation saw something and brought me aboard. That coupled with my bold strategy to trick environmentalists into becoming Celtics fans led to the creation of Green Bandwagon in March of '07. In my over year and a half here I've seen the C's hit rock bottom (the 5th pick!) and then inexplicably climb to the top of the mountain. It's been a fun ride. And now CelticsBlog is joining the aforementioned SB Nation. Obviously this is big news. CelticsBlog is a giant in the NBA blogosphere. But what does it mean moving forward? A lot:

- Starting this Friday (October 24th) Green Bandwagon will no longer be SB Nation's Boston Celtics themed blog. However, it will live on in an archive section on CelticsBlog.

- All Green Bandwagon members will become CelticsBlog members.

- I will write for CelticsBlog, which is something I did in the past. Who can forget my epic Leon Powe/Bill Laimbeer post? Ideally the move will expose my work to a much bigger audience and free me up to write posts about what really interests me.

- You can still reach me at greenbandwagon@gmail.com.

At the risk of leaving someone out I want to thank all of the readers and bloggers that helped me along the way at various points. Off the top of my head that includes Steve Weinman, esp4p3, njnick, Michael18, Georgia, Hossy, NHRoyal, PNH91, and Rondo. Also Blez from Athletics Nation, your friendly Bulls Blogger from Blog-a-Bull, LaRocque from ROOMOFZEN, FLCeltsFan from Loy's Place, Fooch from Niners Nation, atthehive from At The Hive, Cornrows from Indy Cornrows, Seth from Posting and Toasting (incidentally one of my favorite blog names), Dave from Blazers Edge, and Pradamaster from Bullets Forever. I'm sure there's many more. In closing I've already got some good posts planned for CelticsBlog. So I'm going to take a few days off and end this with a picture I've run to start and finish my blogs (all 2 of them):

Catch you on the flip side.

Chris Gatling played in an All-Star game?! True story. That was the year Glen Rice broke Wilt...

Jim Weeks — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:55:44 -0000

Chris Gatling played in an All-Star game?! True story. That was the year Glen Rice broke Wilt Chamberlain's record for points in a half. Wilt was actually in the house. And in the waning moments a young KG shadowed Rice to try and prevent it from happening. MJ threw up a triple double. I love NBA TV.

Preseason Game 6: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks Recap

Jim Weeks — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 11:44:31 -0000

- Anytime Rajon Rondo starts to limp around I get concerned. And even though initial reports are good I'm taking the wait and see approach. I've had numerous fantasy baseball and basketball teams felled by guys who were initially day-to-day and then didn't play for weeks on end. As a side note, every now and then it's fun to be alarmist.

- It's a blast when Eddie House gets hot from deep.

- Where is Boston's defense?

- The newer, lighter Stephon Marbury is a hell of a lot quicker than he used to be. He always could get to the rim. I can't imagine too many second team players can hang with him. And not many starters for that matter.

- The Knicks have an entirely new attitude. There will be some bumps in the road, but it looks like their laughingstock status has come to an end. Not sure how I feel about that.

- Look for the C's to attack David Lee on offense when these two teams meet in the regular season.

- It's always hard to make sense of a preseason game. Still, give the Knicks credit. They got after it.

- New York did a much better job of getting to the line (34-43) than Boston did (12-19). Believe it or not Tommy Heinsohn thought there was something rotten about it.

- That's it for now. Unless someone gets cut I'm taking the weekend off in preparation for the real season.

Central Division Blogger Previews

Jim Weeks — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:01:30 -0000

The latest installment, courtesy of Celtics Blog. Enjoy.

Chicago Bulls
Nels: Give Me The Rock
Matt: Blog-a-Bull

Cleveland Cavaliers
Rock: Waiting For Next Year
FTS: Fear The Sword
David Friedman: 20 Second Timeout
Amar Panchmatia: Cavalier Attitude

Detroit Pistons
Brian Spencer: Empty the Bench
Natalie Sitto: Need4Sheed.com
Matt Watson: Detroit Bad Boys

Indiana Pacers
Tom: Indy Cornrows

Milwaukee Bucks
Jeramey Jannene: The Bratwurst
Frank Madden: BrewHoop