The Celtics rolled into Milwaukee tonight to face a Bucks team that was seemingly hitting its stride. The Monte Ellis addition to the herd of Bucks seemed like a great reason to keep the trend going for their seventh win in a row. However the Celtic crafty Leprechauns Bucked the Trend and handled the young Milwaukee Bucks from start to finish,

• Paul PIerce looked solid tonight and his shots look crisp and his legs looked fresh.
• Rondo was a playmaker tonight and looked in control throughout the game.
• KG seemed fresh as well and hit shots both inside and out tonight.
• Bass, who I thought was going to pull up lame in the second quarter, also played a rock steady game of boards and key shots.
• Steamer played a good game, hit a few shots, blocked two shots that I saw, but zero respect from the refs. There were some terrible calls made on Steamer.
• Ray Allen was way off tonight but it mattered not as the Celtics "Bucked the Trend" and played a nice solid well executed game tonight. Heck...even Dooling looked decent. I also thought Bradley played very well as usual on defense and disrupted the Bucks offense.

Ready to beat the Sixers? I am!!! Go Celtics!!!!

More Road Trip anyone? Aren't we just getting started? We need more way more horsepower as we have too much bad junk in our trunk.

Detroit has more defensive energy and speed than a California Tesla Roadster. The Celtics, on the other hand look like a defective, slow moving Chevy Volt.

• Offensive Rebounds in the fist half? 11-3 Detroit. Celtics down 13 points at halftime.
• Turnovers for the Celtics? 24!!!!!! Can we have some more?
• Three more offensive rebounds in the 3rd Quarter for Detroit. The Celtics found themselves down 14 at the end of 3rd Qtr. after getting as close as 5 points on a resurgent shooting Ray Allen. More offensive rebounds in the 4th Quarter. We are slow learners.
• A bad no-call on Detroit fouling Rajon Rondo in the third period caused Rondo's radiator to boil over. He tossed the ball at the referee, and was summarily tossed himself after two quick technicals.
• Paul Pierce - once again was basically ineffective and still looking pretty tired and uninspired.
• Jermaine O'Neal - Some really nice blocks, hit a few shots early and then foul trouble....best I have ever seen by an injured Zombie (sorry I had to say it).
• Wilcox - decent game but nothing outstanding. He looked good because the rest of the Celtics looked so bad.
• KG - not with the team due to family matters.
• Celtics Bench?........PATHETIC. "Antoine Walker" Pietrus? Nothing but threes.
• JuJuan Johnson not much besides quick fouls.
• Dooling? One three pointer I think and no slashing to the basket.
• Steamer? He was running on steam while Detroit running on jet fuel. He keeps getting worse.
• Avery Bradley? He could help build Detroit by supplying a steady supply of bricks.
• Marquis Daniels? It's alive!!!!!! well sort of.....he did get to play.

Well.....the second half of the third quarter of this game turned out to be sort of exciting - for a monent. The Celtics however lost focus in certain parts of this game (especially the 4th Qtr) and in the end this lack of focus sealed their fate. The final score of 89-80 doesn't really seem correct (it feels like it should more of a point spread) as we simply faded away in the 4th Quarter with bad shots, lack of mental toughness, and unable to control the Bulls on the glass.

• The Celtics come roaring back on a 22-3 run to close out the third quarter to bring them with one point of the Bulls after being down 16 points early in the third quarter.
• The Zone helped the Celtics get back in the game but that was trumped by too many turnovers and giving up too many offensive rebounds.
• Ray Allen came alive in the second half with some key threes point shots but we needed more.
• Rondo played a solid game, and continues to post up in the paint, as well as continue to shoot the jumper very well.
• Wilcox played well again with Rondo feeding him for some nice dunks.
• JO continues to be a slow moving foul machine who can't hit a shot, can't stay focused and looks completely out of gas. He can draw offensive fouls burt mainly he is just offensive.
• Paul Pierce looked sluggish and did not take the ball to the rim like he should be doing. He just seems tired and uninspired.
• Ex Celtic Mike "Big Game" James had a nice game for the Bulls.
• Dang! that Deng! Solid play by the first-time All Star. He hit some big threes.
• Pietrus did a nice impression of Antoine Walker jacking up threes most every time he touched the ball.
• Noah was....Noah....hate him but he is good.

But make no mistake - this was a TEAM LOSS. We lost focus, we lost too many loose balls, we lost on both ends of the floor and we lost road game #1 on this new journey away from home.

First things first........ Paul Pierce = All-Star ...give him the nod coaches! Oh Captain my Captain.....

Let me say the Knicks played a very good game and we did not. Well, we did not until the last three minutes of the 3rd Qtr and the 4th Qtr. Even then we still had no real flow to our offensive but hustle, defense and Paul Pierce kicked in and we gutted this thing out. Oh yeah!

• Paul Pierce was again - The Captain! He was more than solid on both ends of the court. He dropped some big three's to keep us close in the first half. In the second half he was rebounding, he was defending, he was taking the ball right to the rack drawing fouls. Clutch
• Rondo did not score his first basket until the about the 8:00 minute mark of the 3rd Quarter. I was however pretty impressed by his effort in this first game back while playing with a wrist you could tell was still sore. He showed moxy and made some great defensive efforts.
• Avery Bradley didn't play much, but when he did, he gave a good measure of his signature defense. Had a nice steal and basket in the first half but a bad turnover in the 4th Qtr.
• Bass and Wilcox were both good and bad. I thought Wilcox played lazy for a long stretch, and then he finally woke up and made few good hustle plays. Bass hustled, but played stupid with a technical and some dumb fouls.
• JO invisible ....not much there tonight. Sigh...
• Ray Allen heated up to make some big big threes in the final minutes.
• KG 10,000 career defensive rebounds - congrats.
• No Moore, No JJJ, No Marquis, No Steamer.....No problem
• Nerve wracking instant replay

Celtics win! Celtics win! Celtics win!!!!!

Happy Weekend

---

• Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics are looking like a team.
• They are beginning to look like a team who can compete.
• They are beginning to look like a team with a solid bench.
• Celtics had 48 points in the paint
• Celtics limited the Pacers to 6 offensive rebounds
• Celtics attacked the basket all game long
• Celtics actually had energy that I thought they would never have after the game last night, Excellent effort.
• KG with more great energy and defense effort - especially for a guy pronounced DOA two weeks ago..
• I am amazed how we seem to have to turned the corner. Ye of little faith!
• Bill Kennedy couldn't resist a poor call against the Celtics in the closing minutes. He needs to be fined again by Stern.
• Finally......Paul Pierce should be the NBA Player of the Week. The Captain was amazing! 28 Points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals

Enjoy the ride! Enjoy the Pride!

Wow! Just as I was writing my post game story at halftime because I thought it was already over, the Celtics begin to do something Magical. What was magical? A 30 point turnaround and one heckuva of comeback!!!!

Magical 2nd Half Defense!!!!!

Magical Moore! Hitting 4 "Moore" Threes!!!!!

Magical Captain! ...feeding Bass some behind the back key passes and making enough free throws

Magical KG! and the D on Dwight

Magical Bench!!!!

Magical Mental Effort!!!!

Enjoy Celtic Fans!!!!!!!! We have our Magic Back!!!!

Why write about this disaster? I am not sure. The cruise ship near Italy isn't the only thing partially sunk and sinking.

Perk returned, the Thunder rolled, and the Celtics stumbled and fumbled. A sign of how bad this is getting for me personally is that I was actually cheering Petrius for shooting threes at the end. and I hate threes. OKC has the best record in basketball as of tonight, and we look like a 2007 Carnival Disney Cruise taking on water with a big hole in our Mickey Mouse boat.

1.) Pierce lots more energy and lots of turnovers.

2.) Rondo was ...well...Rondo

3.) Ray Allen....very few shots but played hard

4. ) We missed more bunnies than Elmer Fudd in the dark

5.) So much for home court advantage.

6.) KG ...I love you but your old.

7.) Perk....you're in a good place....don't look back

I will add that I saw a glimmer of hope in the energy level tonight overall and to mount a comeback against a good young confident team like OKC was nice, but in the end ...you have to win - especially at home.

Rebounds? No! Offense Ball Movement? No! Good Shooting? No, No No! Good Referee's? No! Streak Over? Yes!

It was ugly. It was painful. But it happens. Let's move on.

The Celtics and Pacers came out running from the opening bell and seemed to have a fairly steady PACE of pushing the ball up the court but certainly not scoring! Just Wow.......horrible. The first half shooting performance was like watching two guns, both loaded with blanks, shooting aimlessly at nothing. The Celtics, in the end, were not able to push their win streak to 5, and thus not taking full advantage of their home court stand this past week.

The 1st quarter ended up in a very low 14-14 tie, with the Pacers missing their last 14 shots of the 1st Quarter. The Celtics were not much better. The second quarter was more of the same - only worse!. It was a bricklaying contest interspersed with fouls, turnovers and the feel of a bad YMCA pick-up game. The Pacers went on a late 8-0 run to close out the second quarter to be up by 8 points at the half. The Celtics scored only 11 points in the second quarter to finish with ONLY 25 POINTS? A season low and a tie for a Franchise low.

First Half Highlights: NONE, ZERO, NADA, NOTHING!!!

Second Half and Overall Highlights and Lowlights:

- Rondo stayed aggressive but to no avail. He was sloppy at times but stayed aggressive.

- Ray was back in the lineup and steady - but not enough tonight.

- Steimsma didn't choke "Weekend at Bernie's" Referee after three terrible calls in the 3rd Quarter. (Great block by the way by Steamer). I should complain about the referees.....but I won't.

- Jermaine not seriously injured and hopefully not a nagging rib injury.

- Pierce 3-16 shooting - just an off off off night....he was overdue. It happens, but it was painful.

-Ancient Jeff Foster continues his rebounding prowess against the Celtics - I have always disliked him but he does his job.

My advice for the next 4 days:

Rebound Drills! (per Tommy)

Rest and watch film (when not in rebounding drills)

Try to forget this game.....it was ugly, painful and hopefully not repeatable.

.....Enjoy the weekend Celtic fans...Peace from Po

If current NBA fans could step back in time about 65 years ago, they could watch the infancy of an East Coast rivalry that will once again be renewed today. How fitting it is that on this strange and shortened NBA season, these two old-school teams will meet once again on Christmas Day to start a brand new season and thus continue their fight that began so very long ago.

In the 1946-47 season the Celtics went 22-38 in the 60 game regular season, and did not qualify for the playoffs. The Knicks went 33-27. The Celtics leading scorer for the year was a guy named Connie Simmons who barely scored in double figures. The Celtics coach was the future Hall of Fame coach John Russell (I like the Russell part anyway). Let us hope that 65 years later this shortened season of the 66 games yields at least 18 more victories, and produces a playoff berth that brings the 18th banner to Boston. Tough but not impossible.

It was 26 years ago on Christmas Day that McHale, Parrish and Bird met the Knicks in New York, with the Knicks riding the 4th quarter Christmas coattails of a young Patrick Ewing to beat the legendary Big Three in overtime 113-104. Bah Humbug!!! I say to that day as I watched that meltdown in the 4th quarter kill my spirits.

So here we all are, once again at the beginning of a season, so full of hope, nerves, pride, and gratefulness. This big busload of anticipation we have drove around with these past months has finally pulled up right in front of the Garden. It’s the wrong Garden of course, but it has pulled up to the curb and parked just the same. It’s time to unload the bus, get into Madison Square Garden and wipe the goofy smile right off Spike Lee’s face. No more waiting.

Let’s get right to it and talk match-ups!

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'Twas the night before Christmas,
when all through the team plane
Not a Celtic was stirring,
not even Danny Ainge;

Their green uniforms were packed with such care,


In hopes that victory # 1 would soon be theirs;


The player were nestled all snug in their seats,


While chatty Paul Pierce kicked out some tweets ;

And Doc in his suit, and Danny in a cap,


Had just settled down for a short little nap,


When out on the wing there arose such a clatter,
KG sprang from his seat to see what was the matter.

Away to the window he flew like a flash,


Tore open the shutter and scared big Brandon Bass.


The engine on the wing had a bright green glow
It gave a Celtic luster to objects down below,

When, what to KG’s wondering eyes should he see,


But a tiny Leprechaun, and eight Irish reindeer,


With this little old driver, so lively and plucky,
I knew in a moment it must be the old Lucky.

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... A small rant by Master Po

Ok, I know, I know, I know, this story has nothing to do with the lockout that never ends, or the ranking of former Celtic great players, or even the golf scores of Doc and Danny as they suffer through another sunny day of doing nothing but drinking vodka smoothies in a posh golf cart with fudged scorecards. It’s about something far more serious ...It’s about the troubling "World" situation!!! That’s right... the World situation of the NBA Solar System.

 

This is a story being ignored by Main Street media, and I am just the guy to butt in to tell you about it like a poorly behaved Rick Sanatorium. You can have one World in the NBA solar system but not two Worlds. Two big old Worlds orbiting in one screwed-up league is gonna mess up the whole Mayan Calendar December 2012 end of the world thing, and that my friends may extend the lockout period beyond my life span. (hey, I did actually mention lockout..ding ding ding...we have a winner).

 

For you blogging pubescent whippersnappers who don’t know who the great World B Free is, let me refresh your memory. I’ll use a direct quote from your trusted source of Wikipedia. I thought this rock solid source might add some "street cred" for you young guys who think researching a subject has no need to reach beyond CliffNotes and Answer.com.

 

World B Free:

"He played for the San Diego Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association. He got his name from his days in Brooklyn, where a friend nicknamed him "World" because of his 44-inch vertical leaps and 360-degree dunks. He was known for taking high-risk shots and playing flamboyantly.

 For both the 1978–79 and 1979–80 campaigns, George Gervin and Free were number 1 and 2 in the league in scoring. Free averaged 20.3 points per game over 13 seasons in the NBA. His best season was 1979–80 with the Clippers, averaging 30.2 points per game, as well as 4.2 assists per game and 3.5 rebounds per game in 68 games. He was an All-Star that season as well."

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Oh my God....another setback....Noooooooooooooo.............
After the first few minutes of the second quarter, I didn't really care what happened the rest of the way. Shaq hobbled off the court and my mind went black....lights out, depressing, mindless black. I only began to hear sounds when Greg Dickerson said "it was not his Achilles, but a strained right calf....only then could I see some light and hear bits of sound came back. I suddenly thought further about those three words that have come to haunt us already this season (and more than once): "strained right calf" Wait!!!!....the healing process can be an eternity, especially for a 39 year old nursing a tender Achilles heel. We don't have an eternity!!! We have 6 games left - which is a few games short of an eternity in any universe. Arghhhhh...

Ok back to the game recap...I can't think 

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1st and 2nd Quarter Debacle

Well......Krstic started the first minute of his first Celtic game strong by crashing the offensive boards. Blake Griffin started much stronger however, and had a massive one-handed dunk plus some nice passes early. Chris "so easy a" Kaman "can do it", also started strong. This was a tough 1st Quarter for the Celtics, and we were quickly down a nasty feeling 8 points at the end of the 12 minute buzzer. By mid way thru the second quarter we were down 13 with our bench looking like......well.... old school Clippers - completely adrift.

A third foul by Krstic in the 2nd Quarter at the 5:26 mark makes me wince, but he manages to first pick up his third offensive board and a put-back basket before sitting down. Celtic starters back in just a few seconds before the Krstic 3rd foul, and the D picks up a bit. KG did a a very job on Griffin in the 2nd Quarter but he still scored and rebounded. The Clippers also demonstrating solid defense and great hustle on the offensive boards.

End of the 1st Half of Confused Chaos

Clippers up 47-40. I am feeing a strange combo of angry, tired and wishing I could turn back the clock.  The Clippers up 26-16 regarding points in the paint for the 1st half.

Third Quarter Celtic Rally

A vicious determined group of Celtic starters were able to completely erase a halftime deficit of 7 points at the 7:37 mark of the 3rd Quarter off an 18 ft jumper by Krstic. The fast pace of the of the 3rd quarter was dictated by the Celtics not the Clippers. Paul Pierce was very aggressive in going towards the basket every time he touched the ball. Krstic was quite active on the boards before sitting down about mid-way thru the quarter. Celtics owned this quarter by a turnaround of 13 points from the half. The big 4 on the C's were active, determined and all were wearing Perkin-like scowls. 74-68 in favor of the Celtics at the end of the quarter

4th Quarter West Coast Celtic Choppers....

At the 7:47 mark the Celtics still up 6 when Griffin re-enters the game. Delonte West played a solid game hitting some key shots, nice passing and giving Rajon a good long rest that was never afforded to him by Nate. Celtics increase their lead to a dozen at about the 6 minute mark. Foye gets his 29th point for the Clippers at the three minute mark and our lead is cut to 8 points. A squandered offensive set by the Celtics (read Big Baby Davis) gives the Clippers the ball back with 2:30 left. Foye hits yet another three and the lead is down to five with 1:38 left to play. I really have to go to the bathroom at this point but there is none of that in the 4th quarter - it's a rule to live by. With 34 seconds left we turn the ball over with a seven point lead and I feel a twinge of fear. But the mighty starting 5 hold on for a needed win.

The day is over and I can sleep well. Peace and good night - Talk amongst yourselves!!!! Go Celtics!

Like an Oklahoma tornado mixed with some lightning and "distant Thunder", the highly touted, and revamped Boston Celtics will spin into the Staples Center tonight. They will try and rip a bigger hole in the severely damaged sails of the LA Clippers before heading to Utah and then back home to the Boston Harbor. You must like these opening sentences as I worked hard on them.

Apparently the two most excited people in the arena tonight will be the newly acquired Jamario Moon and Mo Williams for the Clippers. Both players have expressed excitement in being jetted out of Cleveland and landing in LA Clipper land. Wow.....now this ought to be an one exciting game when you have two players jumping with joy to be on the Clippers. Blake Griffin is so excited over the addition of his new teammates that he will attempt to jump over the top of Kristic at halftime, comb Krisitic's hair(s) while in mid air and then dunk. 

Of course the big story in this game for Boston fans is not the game itself, but rather getting a peak at our new players: Nenad Kristic and Jeff Green!!!! There I said it. I even sounded excited, and I feel all the more nauseated for it. I am so excited about watching these two new guys in Celtic green that I almost feel like I was just traded to the Clippers blog in exchange for a tall blonde intern for Jeff Clark in 2012.

"So now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country"....errr....I mean their team. Really? I still don't feel like it, but I have no choice as I signed up for this pre-game gig.  I started off this morning by looking at the stats of Nenad and Jeff Green the last time they played the Clippers. Nenad Kristic played 21 minutes, shot 20% from the field (1-5), had one rebound, 3 fouls and 5 points. Don't ask me how long ago that happened, or who he played against - I don't care.

Jeff Green on the other hand finished with 22 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 4 rebounds and 1-4 from downtown last time he played the Clippers. Hmm...OK. Let me pause here while I chew on a few more Tums and sip warm milk.

The Clippers are 2-8 in their last 10 games. They are 27.5 games back of the Spurs and have high hopes to catch the Spurs with 23 games remaining. Surely you jest Po? They were beaten last night by the LA Lakers at the Staples Center with Griffin and Foye leading the glorious way to yet another loss. The Clippers have however won 9 of their last 10 home games, and Boston has lost their last two games against the Clippers in LA.

Boston is 6-4 in our last 10 games and we are coming off a Denver loss in which we played hard, ran fast and fell apart with a broken heart. I am absolutely certain "Team Celtics" are ready to be back home, but next up are the revamped Jazz on Sunday in which Jerry Sloan will make his return debut!!! .....wait for it........................kidding!!

I am assuming Big Baby Davis will start at the 5 spot and Kevin Garnett can hopefully get fired up to try and contain Blake "Superboy" Griffin. Of course Kristic Combover could start, however I am guessing he might be late coming out of the locker room as he still may be reading up on the meaning of Celtic defense.

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Boston Celtics (35-11, 13-8 away) @ LA Lakers (33-14, 18-6 home)
Time: 3:30 OM EST Venue: Staples Center
Officials: Joe Crawford, Marat Kogut, Tom Washington
TV: ABC Radio: WEEI, ESPN
The Line: Both the Celtics and Lakers are 2-2 over their last 4, this will be the first meeting since the refs Lakers beat the Celtics in game 7 of the NBA finals last summer.

GAME THREAD | WAR ROOM

I wanted to call this pre-game article "Lord(s) of the Rings in reference to LA and Boston fighting over championship rings, but after Friday night's loss to the Suns I felt like we needed an article with a title that has the flavor of "rebirth". Just like the mythical bird called The Phoenix, I want us to rise from the ashes of Friday night's defeat and turn those burnt remains into a powerful vengeful bird (Larry Bird if you so choose). A bird to swoop into Fakerville and deposit (Larry) Bird droppings on the putrid Purple and Gold one more time.

 

As many of you know, the all-time regular season record of the Lakers vs Celtics currently stands at 152-120 in favor of the Celtics. Sure it feels to good to know that bit of trivia, and I will get a kick out of KG's new "152-120" shoes for the game, but in all reality it matters not where the all-time regular season record stands today.  I just want to BEAT LA each and every time we face them, and ultimately I want the BIG trophy back!

Last time we came to Fakerville, the NBA Championship trophy would not not bound for the East Coast, Banner 18 would not be raised in the Garden, and sadly, both Perk and our Celtic Pride left the city of fools gold badly wounded. But the war isn't over, it's never over, and I still want revenge. Unfortunately, you can't get true revenge in late January in downtown LA - at any price. You can get Clippers tickets cheap in January, but not real Laker revenge.

Some will say this is a game that the Celtics could send a message to the Lakers that if we meet once again in the NBA Finals we will not fail this time to grab the ring and crush them with yet another trophy. I say this is not a 'send a message" type game. This is simply a road game in a tough place to play, and I just want to win and then silently leave.

I guess we could go ahead and tell the Lakers right now that we have secretly purchased Ron Artest's Championship gold ring and Frodo Rondo is fully prepared to throw it back into the fires of LA Mordor should we meet again in the Battle of the NBA Finals, unless of course Joey "Gollum" Crawford would steal it from us again. (see I knew I could work in a Lord of the Rings reference). I say "No" to that disclosure as well. We should just be silent and concentrate on simply winning this afternoon.  We have too much work to do back East with Miami, Chicago and Orlando before we try to send a message to anyone, especially while hanging out in Wild West in late January. 

I don't want drama for this game. I don't want chest pounding. I don't want flagrant fouls, or our team complaining too much. I certainly don't want a Kurt Rambis clothesline play to show our toughness (fake or real). I don't want the referees controlling this game (yeah I know I want a lot). I just want to thoroughly beat the Fakers in every aspect of the game at both ends of the court today. Simply put:  BEAT LA, slap Jack Nicholson and Dyan "Orc" Cannon in the face a few times and let us fly out of Mordor on the wings of a solid victory.

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No Bull!!!.....we are 5-1!!!! and we put a saddle on some tough Bulls tonight, finally branded them in OT and then rode them outta town . While we have one tough road ahead for the next few weeks, we are currently riding high for the moment, and tonight, sitting atop a herd of beaten Bulls,  freshly branded with a green Shamrock tattooed on their back left buttocks it feels pretty good. The green shamrock seared into the fur of Noah is the best looking thing he has got going on for his looks (Don't tweet me Noah).

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And so it begins…… Finally, it’s time to play some real ball – Celtic Ball

A Bit of History

By the time the Celtics finish this new season next June, The greatest and most winning franchise in NBA history will be entering its’ 65th season.  This one-of-a-kind organization could be winning a record-breaking 18^th championship banner early next summer. As a side note, I am currently taking all bets that no banner will be raised in Miami next summer except maybe a small banner that says "Closed for the Summer due to Excess Hype", or as they say in Texas, "Big Hat No Cattle".

When I think of Celtics and this new season standing before us, I think of Red Auerbach. I think of his coaching style: team play, hard work and above all - winning.  Well, 64 years later this "team", is still winning, is still filling the stands with green jerseys, and still bringing a constant flow of new, ever-faithful young smiling shamrock painted faces filled with Celtic pride.

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The Wild Wild West

Delonte West....  Red Headed Gun Toting Leprechaun....hmmmm.......... Images and tales of crazy stuff immediately come to mind for all of us familiar with this dude from DC. One could write a book about this guy. I spent so much time reading about The Wild West World of Delonte in the past few days I began to lose sight of his basketball skills, or lack thereof, in some people’s mind.

I became intrigued of what makes this guy tick and slightly re-mesmerized by his funny way of speaking and his cartoonish slant on the world around him. I spent too much time trying to choose a great title and pictures for this article that I missed my deadline. Ok ok ok ..my typing is a bit slow as well.  By the way has somebody written a book about Delonte yet? I looked but couldn’t find one but one has to be in the works. 

Our fearless leader, Jeff Clark, throws out an idea to write an article about a former Celtic player who is/was our “guilty pleasure”, then he quickly departs to Mexico on the last train south to find his own guilty pleasure I guess south-of-the-border style.

 

As some of your may remember I was a HUGE Delonte West fan (much bigger fan than my amigo Edgar) clear back in the day... 2004. I never felt guilty about it - I reveled in unabashedly loving this guy. He gave me hope for the C’s when I needed it most. The instant I saw this odd looking little tattooed ginger of a guy in a Celtic uniform I was smitten. Smitten in a manly sort of way of course. Don’t go thinking for my real identity might be Gloria “Cradle Robber” James - just don’t go there with me. 

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Banner #18 !!! The Drive to a Championship has begun once again.

To quote from one of my favorite movies: I love the smell of Napalm in the morning.....it smells like....VICTORY!

Well I love the smell of those losing fumes of the Cleveland Cavs fans left steaming tonight after we came and took opening night away from them. We took it like Sweetney takes a second helping at dinner. 

Below is my initial rundown and thoughts of the Game 1 VICTORY

• We started out slow and I soon needed extra medication when the early score reached 13-2 with Cleveland hitting their first 6 shots.
• No Penetration No Ball Movement soon turned into just the opposite for the C's and by the end of the 1st Quarter we had clawed back in within 7 (28-21 Cavs)
• Sheed, as expected was the first off the bench and provided an immediate spark with a 3 pointer while sporting a Combo Fro (combo of Don King and Eddie Murphy's Buckwheat)
• Unbelievable block by LBJ on Rondo breakaway layup. I hate him but an impressive block. Second half block on Ray  Allen breakaway just as impressive - I still hate him.
• Shelden "Sherwin" Williams' first stint off the bench was very nice. He seemed comfortable, played his role well, hit the boards and did not seem lost or slow. In the second half he suddenly developed Mark Blunt hands and bobbled a couple of nice passes that could have resulted in two scores. Hands like two dried paint brushes in the second half.
• Perk with no boards in the first half???  And only 2 points. (The Least Interesting Man n the Game/World this night) Shaq moved him the paint with little problem in the 1st half.  2nd Half Perk came out and hit the first two shots of the second half for the C's but soon faded back into the wallpaper. He did have a nice block on Shaq.
• Solid solid effort by the 2 Unit in the second quarter (House, Sheed, Queasy, Sherwin and Ray Allen started the 2nd Quarter and essentially played as a unit until the halfway point of the second quarter. Score at that point? 36-34 Cavs.

2nd half and game summary follow after the jump

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Editors Note:  We decided to re-run the recap of the very first game of the 2007-2008 season, the start of the march towards the 17th banner.   Hopefully  you'll enjoy this quick trip down memory lane and this serves as just one more impetus to get everyone fired up for Tuesday night, which hopefully will be the start of the march to the 18th banner.  For good luck, Master Po will be writing the recap from Game 1 of this year.  -Green17

Out of the woods ….and into a field of Green Clovers 

Too many happy emotions, too much hope, too many words, and too many smiles to express in a simple game recap. It feels too good to be true.  

"I walked out of the dark woods and into a field of green. I lie down and rest my weary bones. Suddenly I feel alive and I know a new journey has begun. I pick a clover and stick it in my back pocket. I whistle a happy tune and begin anew."

On the 61st anniversary of Red’s 1st coaching victory, the Celtics re-named the parquet floor of the Boston Garden in his honor. This was more than appropriate and perfect timing.  

This new team of hope/pride/talent then proceeded to put a smile on Red’s face by trouncing the Washington Wizards. Trouncing them in a way that put a smile on the face of all Celtic fans across the globe. Ahhhhh….Celtic Pride has returned. 

A detailed game recap? That is what I signed up to do, but why did I? I don’t want to talk about specifics. I want to talk in extreme hyperbole. I want to relish this first game as if we won #17 tonight. Ok here we go……here is my game recap. 

We won, Gilbert Arenas is dismantling his blog as we speak, and we are flippin unstoppable. Good enough?

What? You need more details? Hmmmmmm……. Ok.   Read More...

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What!!!!!!!!! We are halfway through the season. Seems a bit fast doesn’t it? I must have nodded off for a bit. I have felt only a little pain this year. I have only woke up seven times this season feeling poorly (from the game anyway) Only seven times that I did not want to read this blog, read the morning paper, or my buddy’s email, who after every loss emails me saying "what happened to your great Celtics?". Anybody wanna guess my response? 

Every sportswriter East of LA will write about the first half of the successful Celtic season. They will be using plenty of KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen "Big Three" analysis. They will be writing stories chocked full of great Celtic tidbits flowing like enchanted bread crumbs in Scott Pollards beard. But not me!!!!! Oh no not me. I am not a sportswriter (hard to get your head around that thought isn’t it?). Instead, I am using this half-way point of the season to write about the Celtic bench baby? That’s right ….the Celtic bench. You have to write about what you know, and I know "the pine" like Ricky Davis knows about being in last place.  

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'Twas the night before a West Coast Road trip', when all through Eddie's House, 
Not a creature was stirring, not even Gino the disco mouse; 
KG's 40 piece designer luggage was packed with great care, 
In hopes that the Celtic Airport Limo soon would be there; 

The bench players were nestled all snug in their beds, 
While visions of more minutes danced in their heads; 
And Doc with his clipboard, and Tibedeau is his "D" cap,  
Had just settled down for a short little nap, 
 
When out on the backyard basketball court there arose such a clatter, 
I sprang into action to see what was the matter. 
Away to the backdoor I flew like a flash,  
Weaved through the tall hedges just like Steve Nash. 
 

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• Didn’t We Win?
• Don’t We Lose?
• Do we feel Lucky? 
  

Maybe you can count the times in this article I say: "Didn’t", "Don’t" or "Do". Maybe you can count them like some people like to count the times Allen Iverson says the word "practice" in his famous rant, or the number of times Cousy says "The C’s" during a game. I am just in the mood to use these words to say what I saw at the Gah-den.  

I watched the game twice. The first time was live TV and the second time on tape. I didn’t mind the outcome on either version. We won both times. 

1st Quarter – I don’t think it was a bad quarter, especially the second half of it. I saw a great rebound by Rondo. I saw a great pass from Ray Allen to Perk. I saw the starters start to come out of the game at about the right time near the end of the first quarter with Posey being the first off the bench. I saw a Miami team that looked much better than their record indicates, especially with Wade back in the lineup. I saw 37 year old Alonzo Mourning (who is the only Miami guy I really like) still bring something to the game of basketball with two great blocks in this quarter. I saw a Celtics team, while a work in progress, that still gets me pretty excited at what we have. But the score was tied at the end of the first quarter 24 to 24 so I guess I really DIDN’T need to see it at all. I didn’t see us play a bad quarter, but I don’t think we looked crisp and clean either.  

Qtrs 2 - 4...

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While I am beyond giddy about the season opener against the Wizards and Agent Zero, I have still not found my comfortably numb spot of inner Zen victory peace just yet. I worry about what I don't want to see. I worry that my premature giddiness may quickly transform into a screaming hissy fit in full blown High Definition broadcast rage. For the love of all that is Celtic holy, please let me now Say NO to the following 10 things and maybe they won't happen:

NO last second cheap phantom foul on Agent Zero and subsequent fouls shots that rip my old heart out. Remember this ?

NO last second Paul Pierce ISO shot trying to pull yet another rabbit out of his hat. Paul we have other magicians this year. Hopefully our new magicians will have made the Wizards disappear long before the 4th quarter rolls around. Regardless - NO ISO's Paul Pierce.

NO attempt by Doc to play musical chairs with all 12 players. Find a steady dance card Doc of about 8 players, and dance with those players to establish a rhythm for the season. A winning rhythm of the right 8 players would be nice.

NO walking the ball up the court. We have shown great signs of pushing the ball up the court in preseason. Perk's outlet passes are great, Rondo's legs are fresh, and Paul Pierce has some new running mates. In the words of a sober Tommy Heinson - RUN!

NO waiting to use timeouts until AFTER your lead has all but disappeared. Hopefully Doc has watched old tapes of the former Celtics Rick Carlisle on how to use timeouts, or G. Poppovich of the Spurs. Perhaps he can just fast forward on the "Coach Better Basketball" DVD to the Proper Timeout Management section and watch it in slow motion.

NO drawing smiley faces on the dry eraser board when you do call a timeout Doc. Instead, consider actually drawing up some specifically designed plays for easy buckets coming out of the huddle. Did we see any of that last year? I didn't. Hopefully Doc watched some tape on this as well from teams like the Pistons.

NO Antoine Walker type whining after badly called fouls no matter how much the ref has riding on the game (did I just say that?). Just win baby, and no crying, no technical fouls and please...... in the words of David Letterman..... No wagering please.

NO immediate love affair with 3-ball unless your name is Ray Allen. Take it to the hole on fastbreaks, and for the love of the Leprechaun don't stop 35 feet from the basket and launch a three while having a wide open lane to the basket and a chance for an old fashion three point play. We have such an opportunity to swing the ball this year, punch it inside to KG or Perk that we cannot squander it. Occasionally take the three on a kick-out but do not settle for 3 point baskets because we did not swing the ball.

NO leaving "GPA" in the game if we have the game won and under control. It's a long long season. Garbage time is no time for an injury and I have less hair on my head every day - don't make me pull it out before it falls.

NO Chicken Little syndrome by anyone if we lose Game #1 as there are 81 games to go. But we won't lose game #1. Will we? NO NO NO NO NO....................

A Celticsblog.com exclusive Interview
Part II
By Mitch Hylton (aka Master Po)

see Part 1 here 

MCB - I know that I have read somewhere (and I don’t know if it is true or not) that you spend some time mentoring some of the young Celtics. Is that true? How much time do you spend around the Celtics? Do you really get involved to that degree, and do you have any desire to get back into coaching in some form?

BR - I know all the kids and they are a great bunch of kids but I have no desire whatsoever to coach.

MCB – There were time last year when I wish that you did (nervous soft laugh by me).

BR – That is never something I wanted to do. I have had opportunities to, but that’s not what I wanted. In fact, when I coached the Celtics it took too many conversations to get me to do that. Red and I had twenty or more conversations about him wanting me to take it – to coach. And it was not something that I jumped at. It was almost like a last resort.

MCB – Well I would say that was a last resort that paid off. I am glad he convinced you to do it.

BR – (chuckles a bit) Well Red and I were soul mates.

MCB – Yes, I really can see that in many of the things you have said and written.

BR – Yes. In fact before I took the job, he made up a list, and I made up a list, and he told me that he was NOT hiring his replacement unless I gave him 100% approval. Which is kind of unusual I think? (I agreed with Mr. Russell) And what he said to me was that I had played too hard, and meant too much to this franchise to hire someone that would come in and start messing with you. A lot of coaches would have came in and said: "I am not Red Auerbach and this is the way we are going to do it" Well, we weren’t going to let that happen. Of course Red and I had a bunch of negotiated agreements of when and how many minutes I would play and everything. Things related to practice, travel, hotel and all kinds of things. So, most coaches would have considered some of those things a "challenge" (emphasis on challenge). Red and I said these were not challenges but rather just negotiated settlements so to speak, because Red had an enormous amount of integrity. One of the parts of his integrity was that he recognized that other people can have integrity also, and you must respect that. If you want someone to respect your integrity, you have to respect their integrity. So Red and I got along from the very first day.

(Comment: This part of the conversation confused me at first, as I thought for a moment that Bill Russell was talking about agreement(s) he and Red had while Red was coaching Bill, but I soon figured out he was referring to the agreements that would be required of a new coach, had Bill Russell not ended up coaching the Celtics himself, (i.e. the lists he referred to that he and Red drew up). The new coach would have to agree to things before he could become the coach of the Celtics. I am glad that bridge was never crossed, as I am sure all Celtic fans are glad as well)

MCB – Just as an outside observer in all the things I have read, all that love, and all that friendship, certainly shows through in all the pictures and all the film clips and every article. I would imagine that friendship was a wonderful gift to have.

(Bill had no response to this last comment of mine, and I suddenly felt like my comment was maybe a bit too personal, or maybe he suddenly felt uncomfortable by talking about Red, and his  close relationship with Red, with a stranger, so I quickly moved on. Hey, what can I say? I got caught up in the surreal moment of talking to the great Bill Russell talking intimately about the Legendary Red Auerbach. I hopefully did not cross any line here, but it was surreal)

MCB – Mr. Russell I hope you have time for a few more questions. Speaking of the days of old, my next question is related to the list of the Legends you have at this camp. When I look back at all these Legend players, and how they were good stewards and protectors of the game of basketball,

BR (interjects) – that is absolutely true

MCB (continuing the question) I was just wondering if you think today’s players are taking care of the NBA in the way you think they should to preserve the game for generations to come?

BR – Well I’ll tell you I have enormous respect and affection for the players of today. I have made it a point to get to know them. They are a bunch of young guys that we can be very proud of. For example I don’t know if you know this but almost every player has a Foundation, at least all the high profile players, have Foundations that helps kids. They don’t publicize that much, and the NBA does not publicize that much. Also, we, as the NBA, do a tremendous amount of community service. Most of the players are dedicated professionals and respectful young men- almost model citizens. Now I will say that none of them aspires to sainthood (we both laugh). But they are young men that we can be proud of and to be associated with. They work as hard as players have ever worked.

Every year I go to the rookie orientation and I do not know anywhere where I have met a nicer bunch of young men. They keep coming to the NBA

MCB – It seems like even the young players such as Ryan Gomes, whom I just hated to see go, are going to be good stewards for the game.

BR – Yes, you take the class with Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade, well those three kids came in and they are the wave of the future and we can all be glad that they are young men who can be upfront and out front.

MCB – Speaking of young players what are you thoughts on Al Jefferson and his future in the NBA?

BR – Well, you know I never do that. I am one of the guys that I don’t think you have ever heard me make a prediction

MCB – No, not that I recall, no sir.

BR – I don’t do that because I am one of the old old old people and I can wait for them to play the games.

MCB – (laughing out loud) I love that answer, that’s very good (Bill chuckles in the background) That’s a nice answer. I just don’t think when Al Jefferson plays the games this year, I will not be watch his box scores if does well, as I really enjoyed watching him play as a Celtic.
 
BR – Oh good (he sounded genuinely happy that some Celtic fan enjoyed watching young players. That is how I took the comment anyway – but that was all he said about Al Jefferson.)

MCB – Have you had a chance to talk with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett yet?

BR – No I haven’t, but I know both of them fairly well. I make sure I get a chance to meet all the young players and most of these guys are basically friends of mine. I go out of my way to get know all of them that I can from all the teams and not just the Celtics, because my approach to NBA basketball is that I want as many players (I don’t care what team they are on) playing their best. So, when we go to an NBA game we can be sure that we are seeing the best players in the world on a regular basis. I am always concerned about the quality of the game and that’s kind of important to me.

MCB – Again, you did a good job of leading me into my next question. I have a hypothetical question, and maybe you won’t answer this but I’ll ask it anyway. If David Stern, the NBA Commisioner were to call you tomorrow give you an opportunity to change one thing about the NBA game to improve the game what would it be?

BR – (about 10 seconds of silence) – Probably the size of the schedule.

MCB – To adjust the schedule?

BR – Yes, the reason I would do that is because I think the guys play too much.

MCB – 82 games plus the playoffs?

BR – Yes, and some of the kids from the other countries play in the off-season. I think that is one the reasons we have the amount of injuries we have.

MCB - As a selfish Celtic fan I always worry when I hear about Celtic player playing in a summer type-game situations and I want to say "can you save that for the season as I don’t want anybody to get hurt".

BR – Yeah, that is just what I am talking about.

MCB – In the last season with us only winning 23 games, in just terms of winning and losing (and not meaning the death of players or anything like that), was that one of the more difficult years for you to watch as a Celtic?

BR – No, not really, you I live my life almost according to the Alcoholics creed: One day at a time. Some days are tough, and some days are OK, so you take them as they come, and always ALWAYS do the best you can.

MCB – I appreciate that answer. It sounds like something my late father would say so I do appreciate that answer.

I have lots more questions as I could talk about the Celtics all day with you but I do not want to be disrespectful of your time. I am however trying to convince my wife to give me permission to come out to your camp but that is a tough chore.

BR – (chuckles) I’d love to see you.

(Comment: At this point I then shared a story with Mr. Russell regarding a conversation that I had with my wife about me attending this Legends camp. This in turn elicited a very nice hard laugh and appreciation from Mr. Russell. I want to keep that part to myself for my own private memory, but I have it on tape and it is something I will always treasure (thanks Jeff Clark!))

I told Mr. Russell once again how appreciative I was of him taking the time to answer questions, and how honored I was to speak with him. I told him that I wished we could talk Celtic basketball again, because in Kansas there are not many people to talk with about Celtic basketball (he again laughed). He proceeded to tell me that he has some Celtic friends/fans in a small Kansas town (which I won’t mention). I asked him if he ever came to Wichita, Kansas and this was his great answer which shows how much he loved winning:

BR – You know the first basketball tournament we ever one at San Francisco we played Wichita State

MCB (silly me) – Back when Wichita State actually had a good team?

BR - (laughs a little) Well, uh yeah – we had a lot of fun with them (we both laugh).

MCB – In other words, I don’t think you lost?

BR – (laughs again) – Uh, no that wasn’t the situation (laughs).

MCB (Speaking of Kansas) Do you think JoJo White is in game-shape to play back up PG for the Celtics this season?

BR – Uh no, I see JoJo quite often, in fact I see a lot of the Celtics quite often, and JoJo, like the rest of us may look like his in shape but……..

I asked Mr. Russell (in a very awkward, somewhat embarrassing and nervous manner which I will not disclose to you guys) that if the Celtics were leading the Atlantic division at the All-Star break if he and I could talk again. He graciously agreed. I will not hold him to it, as I think that would be imposing too much on this fine man’s time, but it was very nice of him to agree. I told him I was nervous and he said "Don’t worry about it" He said:  "I’ll make you deal, you don’t be nervous and I won’t be nervous" I said you have no reason to be nervous. We both laughed. I was completely in awe of this person and he just made me laugh about being nervous and showed what a gracious person he is. 

We said goodbye and my dream conversation was over. Just like that……just like that.

I just want to say in summary four final things about this story and interview.

1.) I have no follow-up act to this!! And even if I did, how could I top Bill Russell anyway. Thanks Jeff Clark for the space to write this and for your help.

2.) Bill Russell re-energized me about the Celtics this year, and in just being a lifelong Celtic fan – Thanks Mr. Russell.

3.) If you have ANY inkling that you might want to attend an adult fantasy camp then I encourage you to go check out Mr Russell’s Legend camp. I want to go so bad, but I cannot it appears.  I hope some of you can go:  http://www.friendsofbillrussell.com

4.) Long live the Boston Celtics and long live Mr. Bill Russell.

Peace

A CelticsBlog.com Exclusive Interview
Part I
By Mitch Hylton (aka Master Po)

I have always had a tiny hidden desire to have an opportunity to share a few words or moments with a handful of famous people I admire. To name a few: Bob Dylan, Mohammed Ali, Bob Marley, Willie Nelson, and of course Bill Russell. These are people who I saw as remaining true to their own inner voice, while being under the outside pressures that many of us would crumble under if we were thrust into a position of fame. Somehow they stayed true to their beliefs it seems, and at the same time, changed the world around them in a positive and lasting way.  

Now don’t get me wrong here. I don’t mean a weird burning passion, desire or insane quest to track famous people down, and force myself into their private sphere for a minute, while waving a piece of paper, microphone or camera  in their face. I did not do that to Mr. Russell! I simply mean a small hidden fantasy that someday I might cross paths and talk with someone whom I have admired from afar. To have a chance to let them know that I have admired what they have accomplished, and what they represent to me and many others. To be able to ask this legendary person a few questions and have him talk to me for a few private moments is quite a rare opportunity that I never anticipated.

Well sometimes the winds of fate and synchronicity kindly blow your way and take you on a brief ride of good fortune. I had such a brief ride of very nervous pleasure last Thursday when I spoke with Mr. Bill Russell on the phone for 40 wonderful minutes. Shortly thereafter I had a mini-stroke and threw up.

Without boring you with the details of how exactly this interview came to be, or without describing to you in detail how a 49 year old man was almost too giddy to talk once he had "his big interview moment", let me say the following about this specific CelticsBlog article and the following Bill Russell interview:

1.) Jeff Clark – thanks again for letting me be a part of this blog site all these years and writing articles about my real passion – the Boston Celtics. Without this forum I would have not spoken to Bill Russell, and thus not had a permanent twinkle of real satisfaction dancing in my Celtic green tinted eyes.

2.) This whole interview/fate "thing" started when I was investigating something on the internet that all of you should take a look at as well. Bill Russell is conducting an adult fantasy camp for basketball fans in October in Las Vegas in which spots are still available! (http://friendsofbillrussell.com). When you go to the web site and look at the legends of the NBA that will be at this camp (unprecedented it seems), and when you read below in my interview about what Mr. Russell hopes this camp provides for the lucky participants, I think you will begin (like me) to try and desperately find way to pull the money together and get to Las Vegas. I am still trying!

I hope all of you CelticBlog members enjoy reading the following interview at least a fraction as much as I enjoyed conducting it. Mr. Russell talks about the Celtics and this upcoming season expectations. He talks about the big trades to bring in KG and Ray Allen, and was it the right thing to do. He talked about his best friend, Mr. Red Auerbach, which I found to be a wonderful portion of the conversation. I learned things I had not read before during this portion of the interview. He discussed the current status of the NBA, what he would change in the NBA if he could, and many other things. Again, I hope you enjoy reading it.

Hopefully, I convey to you as an amateur writer what clearly came across to me over the phone: Mr. Russell is as passionate, kind, straightforward, sincere and funny as you know him to be in public. He treated this very nervous professional Celtic fan living in Kansas (posing as a seasoned sportswriter) with patience and humor as I tried to ask him a myriad of questions. The world could use more Bill Russell’s, but I am grateful for the one we all still have, and for the moments I spoke with him.

The Interview:

I started off by thanking Mr. Russell for taking the time to answer a few questions and letting him know of course how I was a huge fan. I am sure I sounded a bit like Chris Farley interviewing Paul McCartney on a Saturday Night Live skit a few years ago.

Mitch/CelticsBlog (MCB) – Let’s first start with your current focus which is the: "Bill Russell and His Legendary Friends Adult Basketball Camp" being held October 17th-20th in Las Vegas at the Wynn Hotel. What is the main inspiration for you behind this camp?

Bill Russell (BR) – I just want to have some fun. I went to a camp last year and I had a good time, so I asked myself: if I were to have a fantasy camp what would be a real fantasy camp for me. And so, I called all these guys who are friends of mine and all of them said "when do you want me there?"

MCB -  The list of Legends at this camp is quite amazing – Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Julius Irving, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and  others. Have "Legends" of this Hall of Fame stature ever been gathered at one basketball camp prior to this event? It seems unprecedented to have this "Legends" lineup for a group of Adult fans to be a part of. How did this all come together?

BR – Well like I said, I went about this with ones I would like to see, so I called these guys and they all said "when do you want me there" and that was their immediate response. So we said:  "let’s do it".

MCB – Well I can’t imagine a bigger list of NBA legends being assembled at one camp. I do want you to notice that as a die hard Celtics fan, as I read the list, I read off the Celtics names first.

BR – (Laughs the famous Bill Russell laugh) All of these guys are friends of mine and we have developed a friendship over the years. For example Larry Bird and Jerry West had the exact same response when I said what would you think about doing this. They said: "I’ll do that" (laughs again)

MCB – This sounds like an opportunity that adult basketball fans may only get once in a lifetime. Can you give me a quick rundown on what the lucky participants at this camp can look forward to during this three day event?

BR – Well, first of all we have this set up like a league and all these guys will be playing basketball, and at the same time giving out pointers. It is in Las Vegas at the Wynn Hotel. All these guys will be right there answering questions, giving pointers and the guys can ask them why they were so successful with their specialties and how this can relate to basketball players of all levels and not just superstars. The participants will get a chance to hear from these guys and know them on a first name basis and play some good basketball with them. Most of are kind of old though (laughs). The most important thing (as it is in most of my life) is to have fun.

MCB – I understand at the very end of the camp there is an opportunity for the participants to play golf with some of the Legends. I was wondering if Charles Barkley will be allowed to play golf, and will helmets be provided?

BR (again the BR laugh) – Charles and I have played together a few times and he always tells me "he wants me, he wants me" and I always say "bring it on" (laughs)

MCB – It’s quite a golf swing Charles has.

BR – It’s what we call… different.

MCB – I notice at this event that the camp allows the participants to bring along one additional guest to be a part of the evening dinners and events as an added bonus.

BR – yes, we are talking about fun-filled evenings. It’s one of the reasons we chose Las Vegas, as that is a place known for having fun, so I think we will have some fun.

(Again I strongly encourage any of you interested in attending an adult basketball fantasy camp to please go check this camp at the website for full details. Please be aware donations to my own Bill Russell Legends camp attendance fund are very welcome)

MCB – I want to switch gears a little bit with you and begin to ask you some questions about the Celtics.

As the Boston Celtics enter their 62nd Season in the NBA, and they now move forward without the great living presence of Red Auerbach, do you see yourself as the inspirational patriarch of the Boston Celtics?
 
I certainly know the Celtic fans see it from that perspective, and it seems obvious, at least from a fans vantage point, that the torch has been passed to you by Red? How do you feel in this regard and your role as Celtic leader?

BR – I would never consider myself the Celtic leader. I am just guy who played there and enjoyed it. I am a fan of course, but I would never consider myself in that role.

MCB – Let me put another way, I think when most people of the Boston Celtics the first person they think of is Red Auerbach and the second person that comes to their mind is Bill Russell.

BR – Only because I am the oldest (followed by the Bill Russell laugh)

MCB – No I don’t think that’s the only reason sir.

BR – I am just the oldest ex-Celtic (emphasis) – if you want to call it that. (he was just too humble to answer this question which I expected and respected his brief answer).

MCB – You’re too humble. It’s been almost 21 years since the Celtics raised a banner and yet last year, even though it was a tough season, the fans at the new Garden were still there, and despite this 21 year drought, the Celtics fan spirit still seems to be alive and well. What is your thought on Celtic fans over this long dry spell?

BR – The Celtics never give up for one thing (emphasis on "never give up" in his voice) and with the addition of the new teams and the way the draft is set up it is more difficult for a quick turnaround. It now seems we have made a major jump in getting that turnaround.

MCB – That leads to my next question as I am very curious as to your opinion on this subject. After waiting 21 years for a new banner to be raised do you view this new team now assembled by Danny Ainge, as having all the right physical pieces, and the only things missing perhaps is chemistry and time to gel with each other.

BR – Yep….I think this is going to be a fantastic opportunity….but I don’t think the fans should expect the team to jump out of the gate and win the first 5 games, or the first 10 games, or anything like that. It’s going to be a process where these guys learn how to play with each other. You see it’s very difficult to play with stars because you do not know how you should react when one star starts "doing his thing" (as we call it). So you we have three stars, who have been stars for many years, so we don’t know how they are going to react to each other. So that is a whole process in itself and it has to be a learned process.

MCB – Was it the time right in your mind to switch from a Celtic "youth movement" i.e. cash in most of your young talented and valuable player chips and go for an opportunity to win it all in the next 36 months. Was it really the right time to do that?

BR – Oh yes, when an opportunity like this presents itself you cannot hesitate. You must seize the moment so to speak and it was definitely the right moment and the right thing to do.

MCB – I have been reading a lot about the Celtics since the big KG trade on various NBA news sites and Celtic blog sites. I have ran across this underlying feeling by some fans that in the NBA today there is sense that you simply "buy teams" to quickly win more than you "grow teams" to win. How do you feel about that?

BR – It may seem that way but it is not accurate. When you buy stuff you first have to shop. You must first determine what is out there than can really help you. You just can’t buy players willy-nilly that may never help you. With the Celtics when you get a chance to get the guys they just got, well, you can’t miss that opportunity.  

There is more to come in the interview I wanted to break into parts. Why? Because I am slow and very poor at typing accurately, especially transcribing an interview off of a digital tape recorder. Bill Russell Part II – The Legend Continues is coming soon to a theatre near you.

A few days ago, Jeff wanted to help entertain us while the losing has stopped. He said maybe we could dust off our old VHS tapes, and watch the Celtic glory years in these sweaty days of July and August. You all know the "glory years" don’t you? When Toine 3-ball Walker wiggled and fiddled (without being held at gunpoint) and taught Paul Pierce the art of shooting ill-timed 3 pointers from 45 feet and how to whine at the referees for 48 continual minutes.

Jeff also suggested we might want read the Dilbert Comic strip and thus forget about basketball for awhile. Are you kidding? Forget the pain? Forget the agony of da-feet? He even went so far as to suggest that we research other NBA teams? Why dear Lord would we do that? To see what winning feels like? I am getting used to this losing thing, baby! It’s my new "comfortably numb losing feeling". It keeps me grounded……well below ground actually, during the heat of summer. I like living in the cool dark loser’s basement during the hot dry summer of my own 21 year discontent.

Wanting to immerse myself deeper in the misery of the further anticipated losing in the 2007-08 season, I went to work these past few days on inventing some new Celtic Board games and toys to use for the remainder of the summer. I think these games and toys would be great to play and share with young Celtic fans everywhere to get them started off on the wrong foot of losing the "Celtic way". On Sale Now – call 1-800-Shop PO!!!

see product detials after the jump

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Top 10 Things on Danny Ainge “To Do List” if Ping Pong Balls fall wrong:

10.) Call Bill Russell and say â€" “you available next year for the Lottery â€" that unlucky stinking Tommy blew it!”

9.) Check out available seats on the next flight to China.

8.) Refine spin speech about how deep this draft really is this year.

7.) Send a book to Wyc entitled “Conspiracies in the NBA”

6.) Ask Perk if he has ever seen the movie “The Godfather” and does he know where David Stern lives

5.) Order Doc the complete set of “Coach Better Basketball” DVD’s.

4.) Call Season Ticket Holders and tell them you are personally available for Lawn Mowing and other home projects â€" just call 1-800-Save-Danny

3.) Call Paul Pierce and tell him Antoine Walker may be available and they can shoot all the three’s they want next season.

2.)   Ask Scali if the baby needs him home next season and that you will grant him permission to take as long as he needs to stay home and nurse.

And the number one thing on Danny’s list if the ball bounce wrong!!!!!

1.)   Call Kevin, Larry or John Mellenkamp and ask about the cost of splitting a big bag of weed.

NBA Rule #27 â€" You don’t always get what you pay for in this league. - by Master Po

Now that the dust (mud, slime, etc…) has settled on this miserable season, and the barely audible melancholy chants of “next season” have already begun, I want to take a somewhat quirky look at what Wyc and Co. paid for this last season. Did they get their money’s worth (of course not). Value is the operative word here. Where is the value and who brought it? I wanted to start out in this first segment with a few players that easily validate the little known NBA Rule #27.  (read more after the jump)

Continue reading this post »

Scene #1

An old man in a hospital gown slowly pushing his walker down a lonely hospital hallway.

Scene #2

Danny Ainge sitting behind a desk in the Celtic front offices hurriedly typing out an offer letter.

Scene # 3

A voice reads the words below as they are flashed out on the TV screen...

"………….Reading Glasses, Digital Hearing aids and the latest attachments to your walker - $2,950."

"……………An MRI, numerous spinal injections, and eventual back surgery - $24,000."

"Being old, broken down, and just plain worthless enough to receive the 2007-2008 Mid Level Exception (MLE) offer from Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics ………………………….Priceless!"

Thanks to each of you for your well wishes. While I was a bit embarrassed to see my medical condition being headlined on the blog, it did feel very good to read all the comments wishing me well. They did make me feel better - thank you. I am hoping some spinal injections today ease the pain and prevent back surgery. Until then I need to focus on the positive - like tanking and yet never getting a smell of the number one pick.

"Is not the spider also trapped in its own web? Which is truly the prisoner? The fly, which moving freely enters unknown danger? Or the spider, which having spun its web, remains, never knowing the pleasure or the danger of the fly?" - Master Po

Peace and thanks again!