I know a lot of people aren’t feeling it, but this year’s Celtics are writing a very interesting story. We are all pretty sure we know how it is going to end.

Usually the best stories aren’t about a perfect entity achieving perfection. It is much more intriguing when the imperfect overcome serious odds and achieves perfection.

It is even more compelling to follow a story of someone trying to accomplish the impossible or the near impossible and giving it everything they have….in spite of knowing the seriousness of the odds against them. Magnificent failure can be a beautiful thing.

If this is the Alamo, then Danny Ainge is Sam Houston and has told Doc and the team there aren’t going to be any major reinforcements coming. There will be a few new bigs added by Friday, we are told. But no heavy artillery is headed this way. The Greater Celtic Cause needs to build up its strength to fight another day in another year.

So, in my mind anyway, this year’s version of the always tough Celtics are likened to the fabled, even mythical stories against incredible odds from our ‘western’ past…like The Alamo. Two classic westerns from film history come to mind as well. Butch Cassidy and High Noon. Granted, it is only life and death in a sports minded way. But this year has all the feel of a sort of permanent ending for the Celtics, the Core Four, and the Kevin Garnett Era.

This year, far more than last year, feels like 1969. Except, with apologies to Kevin Garnett, there ain’t no Bill Russell here to save the day.

Can failure really make a better story?

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Adrian Wojnaroski of Yahoo Sports has this.

Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown has an interest in joining Doc Rivers’ Boston Celtics staff as an assistant coach, assuming Lawrence Frank accepts the Detroit Pistons’ head coaching job, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Frank and the Pistons are discussing terms of a deal over the weekend, league sources said, but there is still no agreement in place. However, the Pistons and Frank are both anxious to forge a partnership.

Despite Brown’s credentials and good relationship with Rivers, the Celtics coach is inclined to promote a well-regarded young assistant on his staff – Mike Longabardi – sources said. Nevertheless, Rivers hasn’t ruled out the idea of further discussing a spot for Brown on his bench next season.

So Mike Longabardi has the inside track, it appears, to be moved up to Asst. Coach. It also says that LB would come here for "less than the going rate."

Interesting, but a bit curious, in my opinion.

(more thoughts after the jump)

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In the words of Sister Rosetta Tharp, this year there have been strange things happening everyday.

I’ve started (and stopped) a number of articles to end the regular season with. They end up too long. This season has had a number of twists and turns. It can be diced and sliced 1,000 ways.

You can go all the way back to the off season moves and…moves not made. Free agents not signed. Trades not made at that time. In reality, we don’t know what we don’t know.

For one, I would love to know who the players were in the Perkins trade that Doc Rivers vetoed. In that respect, we can go all down the wild and rampant Speculation Road. I won’t do that here.

But here are a few thoughts going forward into the playoffs.

1) If Rondo and Glen Davis are taking as many jump shots as Ray, Paul and KG, something is wrong.

2) It would be nice to see Nenad Krstic use his hands more on defense. It seems to me that he rarely ever strips the shooter, blocks the shot or interferes with the shot or a pass in any way.

3) The defense will cause Davis to be left open and the ball will end up in his hands a lot. It seems like it would be a good idea to run some motion around him as he makes his move towards the basket, instead of having everyone just stand around and watch him go iso. Create passing options and turn Glen into more of a facilitator. It not only helps open things up for Glen on future moves, it puts more pressure on the defense and creates open shots for others. Just as important, Davis has to reek some havoc defensively (charges, steals, deflections) and rebound, rebound, rebound.

more after the break....

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Let me start by saying that Danny Ainge has big ones. Ideas, that is. He crafted a perennial championship contender from a rebuilding squad, and did it largely through draft picks. His trading record is more spotty, but don't forget. It was his trades that got them title 17.

Now he does what some consider a gutty move (others call it something else) by breaking up the starting 5 for the past three years and trades one of the most popular Celtics on the team.

Breaking it Down

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The Celtics sport green as the team color, and it was said that long ago there were witches nearby in Salem, but does that make Boston the Emerald City?

One thing is for sure. There is no wizard hiding behind a curtain coming to save the Celtics and bring them safely home this season, or so says Doc Rivers. According Glen Davis, that was Doc Rivers' message to the team before their game with the humming Miami Heat.

Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, three of the game's top stars, an 8 game Heat winning streak and a healthy roster (save Udonis Haslem) were invading TDGarden. The Celtics had already recently lost to Dallas and L.A. in this building. They were on a 2 game losing streak and had lost 3 of 4.

The barbarians were at the gate. These barbarians were cutting a 30-7 path of destruction through the league since a November 27th loss to Dallas had rendered the Heat a very unscary 9-8 to start their season. Heat? The Miami Room Temperatures were more like it.

Things changed big time once coach Spoelstra unleashed the dogs. The difference and the deal for Miami? They could free lance and run more if they played lock down D at the other end. It worked and the Heat began to grow into the team many thought they would be. They have the lowest percentage shooting defense in the NBA. Furthermore, they had 2 straight losses to avenge against the bent and bruised home team.

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I have been wanting to make some observations around the league for a while. Lots of stuff has been going on the past 8 months. Heck, there is always some kind of stuff happening. And of course, if not, we, the media, invent it.

Like…take Kobe’s visit on the Conan O’Brien Show last night. L.A. papers and others making it bigger than it was.

Here is the clip.

Everywhere today it is being offered as Kobe dissing or taking a shot at Shaq. Really? Saying you ‘wouldn’t understand him’ if he (hypothetically) talked trash to him hardly qualifies as a diss. Maybe a polite dismissal, but little more.

Of more interest to me, but receiving no media attention whatsoever, was Kobe’s score and foul on a drive past Shaq in the recent Celtics/Lakers game on Sunday. Kobe immediately got up and assumed a ‘do you like that?’ stance by the baseline under the hoop as Shaq turned away ignoring Kobe completely. It was Shaq’s version of ‘not understanding him’.

It is too bad that that is the state of relations between two of the games biggest stars…ever. It mimics and has assumed Lennon and McCartney proportions.

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On to the Western Conference. The Lakers remain the cream of the crop out west. Who could knock them off? Don't know that anyone can. But the Thunder have the best shot, in my opinion. Portland, and Dallas should give a good account of themselves. Like the Celtics, San Antonio spends to keep its core together and add Splitter and James Anderson.

So check them out. Right or wrong, let me know. I promise I won't tweet whatever you say about my picks.

Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks – 52-30

The biggest change is having a solid defensive tandem in the middle for a full year now with Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood. Caron Butler (30 yrs old) should have been an impact player. He will have to brush up on his driving game and clutch shooting for all this to work better. Kidd (37), Terry (33), Marion (32), Nowitzki (32) are all one year older. (Amazing how I knew that.) Beaubois, their most intriguing player, is out indefinitely after foot surgery. Three first round playoff exits in 4 years. Does this change this year? Doubtful. 

San Antonio Spurs – 49-33

Age remains an increasing factor for this team also. Tiago Splitter finally comes to the NBA, and will help. Parker just re-signed and that means he, Ginobili, and Jefferson will be around for a while. With Duncan, a tight and dangerous team that will still bite. Health an issue for Parker and Ginobili. They won’t go far unless George Hill, James Anderson, Dejuan Blair and/or Tiago Splitter provide something unusual in the playoffs.

New Orleans Hornets 44-38

Chris Paul makes players on any team better. Trying to go more uptempo, they brought in Ariza. New coach Williams is stressing defense more, even with Bellinelli starting. Marcus Thornton is interesting and a solid scoring threat. Collison can’t be replaced, but even losing Posey, may be a bit deeper this season with Bayless and Smith.

Memphis Grizzlies 42-40

Everyone underestimated this team last year except one pundit (not me). Still they were just 40-42 with a decent amount of talent. Gay and Mayo are learning to share the ball and Zach Randolph had a bigger impact than I expected. Give Lionel Hollins credit for helping stabilize this team and play better ball. Mike Conley was Hollins biggest project and he just signed a questionable big new pact. So far he is playing solid ball. I say they continue to improve.

Houston Rockets – 37-45

What makes this team not be terrible? I underestimated this team by 5 wins last season. I couldn’t see a team with no true go-to guy being a .500 team in the NBA. Rick Adelman proved the team concept still works and me wrong. The biggest question this year is ‘What do they get from Yao Ming?’ I see another overachieving team this time with Kevin Martin as the main option now. I think I underestimate Aaron Brooks. With a fairly healthy Ming, add 8 more wins.

The rest after the jump....

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Here are my annual pre-season predictions - a little late again. To repeat, the win/loss total equal 1230, just like the real season. I am almost always more optimistic about teams to start and always have to take wins away after my initial predictions. This time I had to whittle over 45 wins off before I got to the final predictions - which start below.

Like every year, most are in line with conventional wisdom, but I have a few that depart from that each year as well. See if you can find which teams I depart from the general consensus. As always, feel free to disagree with my choices and let us know why you do.

Atlantic Division

Celtics – 58-24

While I have most of my predictions set before the season starts, 63-19 for the Cs, the 1-1 start made me take away 5 wins, still a solid record. They will play harder for some HC advantage and will be deeper than last season at center and PG. The Celtic train might rattle a bit but it will be pushing ahead at full speed this year. The O’Neals will have bumps and aches along the way, but they will give the bruises to the other teams.

Knicks 37-45

Amare, Raymond Felton and Anthony Randolph added. David Lee and Chris Duhon removed. That is a net plus, right? I like Landry Fields so far. They will play more defense this season. Turiaf and Mosgov will man the middle, allowing Stoudamire to play the 4, his natural position.

This is the season where D’Antoni can no longer be said to not have the players though Raymond Felton is a solid player but not a great point guard. Danilo Gallinari must expand his game, Anthony Randolph must figure just what his game is, and versatile Wilson Chandler can play much better defense than he has been asked to. These are all part of D’Antoni’s responsibilities.

Nets – 34-48

The Nets added talent with Troy Murphy, Derrick Favors, Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow, and Jordan Farmar. Coupled with a solid core of Devan Harris, Brook Lopez, up and coming Terrance Williams and Avery Johnson a coach known for his ability to motivate I look for a big move forward this season from the underachieving 12 wins of last season. If Carmelo Anthony ends up here, and he might, this franchise moves right into the playoffs

76ers - 33-49

Really can’t figure this team out. There are young and talented players here. Jrue Holiday, Louis Williams, Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights and rookie phenom Evan Turner all can play. Iguodala is a 2nd tier star. They haven’t played very well since the Larry Brown/Allen Iverson years. Apparently no one wants to guard the perimeter. Philly 3 FG% defense was league worst at 39.3%.

Incorporating Elton Brand has been a bust. They went from a fast break team with some success 2 seasons ago to a complete mess last season. Now new coach Doug Collins is a bit perplexed as to how to fit the parts together. Finding chemistry and the right mix is an unsolved puzzle right now.

Raptors – 17-65

This team takes a hard fall without Bosh and Turkoglu, the team’s most talented players last year. 25 year old Bargnani doesn’t appear to have enough talent or toughness to really soften the defections. Rookie Ed Davis is out indefinitely so team ball and hustle will be necessary for this mediocre roster to scrap for wins. It has been written that Jay Triano gets a chance to really coach this season. I thought that was what he was supposed to be doing last year. A defensive culture has never been instilled in this team since Sam Mitchell was let go. Does Triano make it through the year?

See the rest after the jump.

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Call this: Other Sights and Sounds From Game One

Because Jeff, Greg and Jimmy do such a solid job of game breakdown and analysis, I know you don’t want me to tell you…yet again… how great Ray, Rondo and Paul were last night.

So I’ll be like the guy who stands behind the TV announcers when they are pontificating, making faces, waving or holding up a sign that says Joe’s Plumbing or I heart Kenny Smith or something.

Hopefully, I won’t be as annoying. But I’ll try to give you some quotes I’m not sure made it into anyone’s article and one piece I thought you would enjoy.

I’ll start with the article from Ben Collins of Ball Don’t Lie. I guess he is taking over some of the writing now that Kelly Dwyer has become the BDL editor.

"In the Miami Heat locker room before their 88-80 loss to the Boston Celtics last night, there were two enormous easels (in my notebook it reads, "CHECK OUT THESE **** ELABORATE EASELS") with sixteen plays on them.

This is not common. Sometimes there are whiteboards with two or three plays on them alongside rudimentary defensive suggestions in all-caps, like "TRY TO MAKE THE BALL NOT GO IN THE HOOP WHEN THE OTHER TEAM MAKE SHOOT-SHOOT," and quotes from the Bible that could be misconstrued to double as sports references. ("Then Joseph said, 'Dude, you've got to stay in front of Ricky Davis(notes). He's not that good.'")

But never sixteen plays."

Click and read the rest. Funny stuff.

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"You guys don’t really know what he’s capable of. We see him everyday in practice, but you guys (just) see flashes of it in a game."

Paul Pierce on Semih Erden

What a difference a few months make. Make that a few years and a few months.

Semih Erden could be the second biggest surprise addition for the Celtics this off season. With Shaq getting all the ink and Jermaine expected to start, Erden was initially viewed as little more than an after thought. Practice fodder. Make no mistake, that he is. But there are a few surprises occurring here.

No one knew what to expect and no one expected much. Even teammates like Paul Pierce admitted that he did not know how skilled he already is.

"Yeah, everything he’s done is a surprise because I really didn’t know what to expect from him. I watched him in the (Euro Worlds) Championship gold medal game and that is all I had seen. But watching just that one game I knew he had a high basketball IQ. I actually didn’t know his skill level, but he’s shown me a lot."

Danny Ainge chose 6’ 11", 240 lb. Semih Erden with the very last pick (60th) of the 2008 draft. He did it with the intention (and hope) to stash him away in Europe and…let him continue to develop there and then bring him here to the Celtics a few years later. It is now a few years later. But has Erden developed enough to truly be useful to the Celtics this season?

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"The bigger the opportunity the better I’ll play because I just love pressure. Under pressure…that’s when I’m at my best."

So says Celtic new comer Von Wafer. That’s not just talk. He has some stats to prove it.

Decision time will be coming soon for the Celtics’ final roster spot. One of three players: Von Wafer, the offense minded guard, Stephane Lasme the defensive forward, or Mario West, the defensive swingman will get an opportunity to play for the Celtics this season, a team that has its eyes set on another championship run.

Von Wafer has the best NBA resume, brief as it’s been. Von has climbed a crooked ladder, working his way up from playing in summer leagues, on 10 day contracts, and short and uneventful stays with other teams. He was one of those guys who lit it up in the summer leagues and pre-season camps only to get cut, only to get picked up somewhere else. Von has done 2 stints in the D-league, with the Fort Worth Flyers, and with the Colorado 14ers (21 points per in 42 games and .453% from downtown, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32 minutes).

 He played for the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, and Blazers, before getting his big break with the Houston Rockets in 2008-9. Von Wafer even signed a 10 day contract with the Mavericks last February 24th but didn’t play.

Von Wafer's Day in the Sun

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While the rest of the Celtics practice, scrimmage and play pre-season games, rookie 1st round draft pick Avery Bradley largely remains a spectator.

Call it a mini status report and a head check for an injured but recovering NBA rookie on one of the most intriguing and talented teams in the NBA.

The 6’2" guard was once the nationally top rated player coming out of high school (by at least one service). What are your early impressions of the NBA and the Celtics?

"Well first, I just can’t wait until I get a chance to play. I mean, I’m still not 100% right now so I don’t want to go out there and take any chances and hurt myself again so…right now right I’m just taking it day by day.

Trying to get back but….like I said, I just can’t wait until I get a chance to back out there on the floor."

What do you think about a game like tonight?

"Exciting! I mean it just shows, I mean… it feels like a dream’s coming true cause I always wanted to be in the NBA. Games like this, coming down to the last shots…it’s always good to see games like that on TV. Now I’m sitting here on the front row on the bench on the team that’s playing the game so….it’s really exciting. I just feel blessed and I’m happy that I get a chance to play on the Celtics and be part of this team and this organization."

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Delonte West on Rondo…

"He’s the best point guard in the world right now."

On the second unit…

"We’ll be a force to deal with."
 
Forgive Delonte West if he might be seeing things through rose colored glasses. His nickname is Redz. He’s part African-American and part Piscataway Indian. He is wearing green again and his personality has a color all its own. There are a lot of colors to Delonte West. He also has a negative to put far into the rear view mirror.

But don’t color him anything but positive. And after seeing him distribute the ball one night and hitting big shots the next you can call him ‘Jack’…

"Yeah, yeah. Like I said before…I’m a jack of all trades. I’m not great at any one thing but I’m good at a lot of things.

Tonight I saw the sets. I’m coming off the bench and able to observe the game and see how I can help the game and…yesterday being up 30 points (it was) more important to get a flowing second unit and get our chemistry going. I got guys involved more. So they see that I’m an unselfish player and I create for guys and tonight it was more that we needed points on the board, so I starting attacking offensively."

Attack he did. West scored 12 points in the second quarter on 5 of 6 shooting to turn a 9 point first quarter deficit into a 2 point half time lead. He also ‘jacked’ the Nets around for 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the quarter. After playing 18 minutes, but only 3:17 in the second half, West’s back spasms acted up and he played no more.

 Celticsblog spent a few moments with D. West after the Net game.  

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A few quick hits from the game last night. I went and will have something up later today.

• Doc loves D.West and Nate together. They are really gelling and it showed tonight.
• He said Erden needs lots of minutes, but he plans on giving him PT as much as he can. He likes his toughness and his teammates see it in him and appreciate that aspect of him. Erden tough. Who would have thought? He has to play against Shaq in practice, no fouls are called and he does not complain.
• Doc has no problem with Davis shooting like he did tonight because it came in the flow of the offense. If he does that all the time, he has no issue with him scoring like that. He also credited Glen's defense. 
• Techs – there will be articles I’m sure. The NBA is cracking down big time and they are making their case team by team. It will not be called like it has been the last few years. Much, much tighter. And no – it is not called the Rasheed Wallace Rule. They have tons of examples of reactionary behavior by myriad players they would like to eliminate (the behavior that is, not the players). 
• The idea is to respect the refs and the game. The far too constant dramatics, disrespectful actions and words bring the game down in the league’s opinion. BTW…I don’t disagree. 
• Needless to say, Doc and some of the players are a bit frustrated and perplexed by all the techs. 

Here are some thoughts on this year’s Celtics. They are enhanced by some observations by another NBA team’s (anonymous) official. I wanted to see how other teams viewed the Celtics offense and certain players. Remember this is primarily looking at how other teams see weak spots to exploit in our Men in Green.

Initially, I was going to do separate articles built around each observation. But free time has been rare for me and the new season kicks off today with Media Day. So it might be good timing to just lay the comments out there with a comment or two of my own. You guys can take it from there.

There are a few interesting observations and a number of others that really reinforce what is already established. What frequently comes out is that the concept of ‘spacing’ at both ends of the floor is paramount on coaches' minds.

First – The Celtic offense generally. The team official’s comments are first and in italics.

Scout: As is well known, you make the other team’s poorer shooters beat you so we let Rondo have that jump shot and sag the middle.

Ok. No news flash there. Call it Rondo’s burden. Though it hasn’t always shown up in the stats, we have seen improvement in Rondo’s jumper each year. And he has shown a knack for making some big ones at the end of a shot clock.

More on Rondo –

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As one unnamed opposing NBA team ‘scout’ told Celticsblog…"We’ll find out if there really is more to Glen Davis this season."

I wanted to call this article: Why I Like Glen Davis. But the more I thought about it, I realized the title I chose is more apt. As the quote implies, Davis has his doubters.

Anybody who reads me knows I have been a defender of Glen Davis since his rookie year.

But I have often felt that I was defending Glen to, and against the opinions of, what I felt were the basketball cool guys. You know who I mean. The guys that, in my opinion, were generally pretty wise about the game. I respected their opinion, and often saw things their way. Even when I didn’t agree, I understood their position.

But some players divide the world into 2 camps. Glen is one of them. There are those who love Glen Davis and those who don’t.

Even many fans who think Danny Ainge walks on water, believe Danny got it wrong on this one. Yet, the contingent of Glen Davis fans has been growing. As expected, there are reasons for both.

It is clear that Davis is fooling someone. And that leads to why I like Glen Davis.

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The Boston Celtics have prided themselves on defense.  But a funny thing happened on their way to a second NBA title in three years. Their offense let them down.

I’ve been thinking about the Celtics offense for a long time and it is leading me to some conclusions. But first a few unavoidable observations.

No One Talks About Game 6

Game 7 (4th quarter) has been looked at like an accident ‘drive by’. You don’t want to look, but you have to. Painful. Ugly. Somewhat inspirational, but head shaking. But you’ve looked. Don’t tell you me didn’t. Game 6? Almost like it didn’t happen. Or that the Green gets a pass for a golden opportunity…that went poof.

Up 3 games to 2 with NBA Title 18 so close you could touch it, and the Lakers’ back against the wall, the Boston Celtics went out and scored exactly…. 67 points. The team played a stinker, and it turned into the only blow out game in the series.

I would like to say that they learned their lesson, righted the ship, and followed that up with triple digit scoring, game winning effort. Ok, that didn’t happen. How about at least 90 something points in a hard fought win. Hard fought - yes. Win? No again? Okay. Care to try for 80 something points? Wrong again.

They followed that up another point thirsty 79 point game. They fought, they clawed, and they again… had the lead. Then they gave it up. In the lingua franca of the day, it was a point recession and heading into a point depression. I guess you can say that the Celtics offense needs a stimulus package. Jobs and NBA titles are on the line.

It is easy to just say they were so close to winning game 7 that little needs to change. But that is a bit deceiving, I think.

A constant, the Celtic defense, was very good in both games, holding L.A. to under 90 points both times. So let’s propose a few theories.

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Whew. Now that we don't have to hold our breath anymore worrying about Rondo injuring himself overseas....

After taking most of the summer off, it is time for me to rejoin the land of NBA basketball and the Celtics in particular.
 
Let’s start with the reloaded Celtics.

No. Let’s go before even that.

The Celtics recent history reads: NBA Champions, lost in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, lost in NBA Finals.  
 
That is pretty heady stuff for a team that fans thought getting an aging Gary Payton was a big deal about 6 years ago. Hey, I was one of those who thought so. How far this team has come.

Welcome to the big time. And, make no doubt, it has been fun. Excellent basketball, unique, strong personalities wandering in (and out), nationally televised games, and deep playoff runs.

From a team you couldn’t bribe a legit star to come to, to a team where Shaq, one of the game’s biggest names ever, signs to play for the minimum. Why? To play with the league’s toughest, orneriest mix of basketball players the league has seen play in a long while. Pit bulls in green jerseys.

Jermaine O’Neal chooses the cold confines of New England to play with this Big Three Plus One instead of joining the newly formed Big Three on the team he left on sunny, glittery South Beach.

If you don’t love rooting for them, you absolutely love hating them. Adding Rasheed gave them an overdose of verbalocity with the refs last season. Shaq and Jermaine will save most of their comments for the opposing team. A defiant, us-against-them attitude has run through this team from its inception. At times, it probably seeks inward targets. Ubuntu has been stretched at the seams along the journey. So was the team’s relationship with its own fans.

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According to A. Sherrod Blakely and a number of other sources, Shaquille O'Neal will sign with the Boston Celtics for the league minimum for a chance to win title number 5 and possibly face the Lakers and Kobe Bryant in the Finals.

From A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE:

Shaquille O'Neal has agreed to become a Boston Celtic, which would give the C's one of the most star-studded, Hall of Fame-bound lineups in recent memory.

Although O'Neal has said he wants to play at least two more seasons, his contract will be a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum.

For me, that is a real surprise. Not the signing (though that is a bit of a shock), but that Shaq is accepting the league minimum to play… anywhere.

A huge player with a huge ego has come to grips with reality and age. As the saying goes, he ain’t what he used to be.

But for a perennial league star and one of the world’s most visible athletes, make that 'most visible personalities' (TV shows, movies, cds, etc.) to go from $20 million to something slightly over $1 million per year says something about Shaq's desire to play with a contender, instead of just fading away - 'graciously' - as he puts it himself.

And 'gracious' certainly isn't the way Shaqzilla plays. His elbows are lethal weapons.

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by Tom Halzack

Update from Jason Quick's Twitter: Rudy trade talks likely on back burner until Sunday. GM Cho tells agent Andy Miller he will meet w/coach McMillan in Vegas on Sun to discuss

The Boston Celtics are currently in the ‘lead position’ in negotiations with the Portland Trailblazers for Rudy Fernandez, according to a source. They have been in serious discussions since yesterday.
 
Other teams interested include New York and Chicago, but the Celtics are apparently getting the first shot, thus allowing one to assume they are a preferred destination, either in terms of desirability for Rudy or trading pieces for the Blazers.

Because of that information, I contacted Jason Quick, beat writer for the Oregonian (entering his 10th year), who was kind enough to offer an everyday observer and accomplished writer’s view of Rudy Fernandez.

From that conversation…

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It is game 7. All out. All game. 48 minutes at full bore.

I guess I, more than anyone, should have understood this season. Be careful what you wish for.

My very first article on Celtics blog dealt with the idea of pacing and peaking. To wit – did the Celtics run too hard last year and peak too soon? Most of the time, I wasn’t sure I believed it. But on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it looked like they did to me. I knew it would draw fire. It did.

Other Celtic writers had intimated that possibility as well. In pre-season, Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett all stepped on that idea like they were extinguishing a cigarette with their foot. They reacted as if that idea came from Mars. This team does not pace itself. Period.

Lo and behold…the 2009-10 season saw a changed approach by the players and Doc Rivers admitted later in the season, that it was necessary to get this team healthy in time for when it counts. It turned out to be a good thing that it did. I guess I asked for it. The playoffs saw the payoffs.

But don’t ask me if I enjoyed seeing that happen. Painful, frustrating, and bewildering at times. And understand… by pacing, I don’t mean that they didn’t play hard. They did, most of them…most of the time, anyway.

Arriving on Destiny’s Doorstep
The Celtics are playing game 7 in the Finals this evening after saving their energy this season in order to destroy the cream of the league on their way to this very game. What a shockingly good thought. I let that roll around and fire up a few neurological synapses in my cranium for a while. Just incredible…really.

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Boston and L.A. find themselves tied at 2-2 with game 5 today in Boston for the Celtics’ 3rd straight home game. Boston needs to win it… and they should.

The Celtics have too many answers for the Lakers. Or should I say – They should have too many answers for the Lakers.

No. they don’t have Kobe Bryant. Bryant is expected to win that match up almost every game. But the Celtics shouldn’t expect that and they can prevent it. Every great player can be stopped. The question is – at what expense?

There are so many factors in play in this (or any) series. When the talent level is this close, it is almost impossible to pick a single factor and say that is the difference. There can be a lot of differences. This series has proved that.

Kobe Bryant has not been stopped. But he has been slowed down a bit. There is no reason that the Celtics can’t keep doing that. Just as they did to Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, and Lebron James.

If Kobe is working so hard to score and making such an effort it can actually throw off the Laker offense, even if he is scoring. The Celtics must keep the rest of the Lakers in check, while making hard for Kobe. It requires great effort on defense to do that, but it is big key for the series.

The Bynum Factor
A bigger issue is Andrew Bynum’s knee and his playing time. Bynum completes the Lakers’ defense. That defense has been rock solid for large segments of each game. That shouldn’t stop the Celtics either. They have Rajon Rondo and the manpower to overcome even that with the right strategies.

As impressive as the Laker D has been, they have had their slumps in each game, too. There are very specific reasons. Those reasons are all of the answers that the Celtics team can offer. There are 3 players on the Celtics that are first options on any team. They have 2 players (Rondo and Rasheed) that are second options on any team. And now the Celtic bench is getting more dangerous.  

Doc has as much as conceded that if L.A. gets into their half court D, the Celtics are in trouble. That has been true. The big difference is the active length of Bynum and Gasol. They are tall. At least one is mobile. The Celtics have to figure out how to divide and conquer.

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They were Plan B when there isn't always a Plan B. They were supposed to play only about a minute. Then a minute more, then a minute more according to Paul Pierce. With 2:51 left in the game, the A-team finally went back in with an 8 point lead neatly gift wrapped for them.

The B Team did more than their job and Glen Davis led the way with his scoring and energy. Nate Robinson played a big part, too. So did Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, and Ray Allen. But it was a coming out party of sorts for Glen Davis.

I’ve been waiting a long time to write this story. I knew it would come. I just didn’t know when. I was sure it would be too much to hope for in this year’s Finals. Just as many people have been wrong about Glen Davis, I underestimated him. He even surprised me.

Glen Davis just led the Celtics to a critical NBA Finals win to tie the series at 2 games apiece. He scored 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting, 4 of 4 from the foul line, ripped down 5 rebounds (4 offensive) and added 2 key steals. Dominating is not a word you normally use to describe Glen Davis’ game. But he was close to dominating in the doing of it all. ‘Impactful’ would be an understatement.

With Andrew Bynum out with a troubled knee and Rasheed Wallace occupying Pau Gasol’s attention, Glen Davis made the most of it and there wasn’t much Lamar Odom could do about it.

Glen didn’t get his shot blocked once and he did most of his damage around the rim. He led the second unit’s surge of scoring with 9 game breaking points on 4 of 5 shooting in the 4th quarter. And he generally played solid defense along the way. All that in 22 and a half minutes.

By the time Davis scored his 17 and 18th points on free throws with 3:57 left in the game the ‘B’ Cs, plus Ray Allen, had outscored the Lakers by 25-12 to lead 85-74. The Celtics had breathing room after struggling for air the whole game.

That charge by the second unit brought life to a Celtic team that was struggling to score and was down by 2 heading into the 4th quarter. When the starters returned the Celtics were up 7 points and had been up as much as 11 points in that quarter. They not only gave the starters some much needed rest, their young legs held the Lakers in check while they outscored them with big shot after big shot.  

How effective was Glen Davis and the Cs B-team? Just ask Lamar Odom (from the Orange County Register Blog)…

"Very effective, especially Glen Davis. He found open spots. He doesn’t just do it half court, he beats you off the ball, second effort, off the pick-and-roll, they do a great job of finding him."

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Celtics Associate Head Coach and now legendary defensive guru Tom Thibodeau is being strongly considered for the open New Orleans Hornets head coach position according to NOLA.com and other sources. 

Update: Marc Stein reports that a formal offer has been made.

Rumors also place New Jersey and Chicago as very interested in talking with him for their openings. Could this finally be Tom’s year to move on? His resume makes him an intriguing option.

I believe he is an anomaly as the only Associate Head Coach in the NBA. Celtic management, players and fans may soon be debating what life will be like around here without him.  While the Celtic players and coaches are focused on getting back the NBA title, they are aware of Thibodeau’s possible departure when the season ends.

Can you envision this team without Tom Thibodeau?

Ray Allen…

" No, I can’t. No, I can’t. But at the same time, he as a coach, as a person that has competed his whole life to get to the level he’s at. You know at some point he deserves taking over the helm somewhere else, too.  So it’s almost like…Tom, go get that job. You deserve it."

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Tony Allen now realizes that he is not Paul Pierce.

More important, because the team already has Paul Pierce…Ray Allen….and Kevin  Garnett….Tony understands the team needs him to do other things, let those guys be who they are, and work through them.

It is a beautiful and productive arrangement. It makes the Celtics that much more dangerous and difficult to deal with. The team could use the athleticism that Tony Allen brings.

Tony Producing

In just under 18 minutes a game in the playoffs, Tony Allen is second on the team only to theft king Rajon Rondo in steals (18), and one block shy of tying Kevin Garnett for second in blocked shots(9).

He has matured as a player and brings a much more consistent effort and contribution night in and night out. Much of his leaping ability is back. I believe that he is one of best the ‘finishers’ in the league.

He gives the aging core of this team much needed athleticism. More important, he has honed his abilities as a tremendous man-to-man defender. His help defense is much improved.

Tony Allen is in the Final year of his $2.5 mil Contract

Call it a message to Celtics management and perhaps his team mates. Tony Allen is a Celtic and wants to continue to be one. Maybe it is just Tony being happy that he had adjusted to a role that he is doing well at and the team desperately needs. Yet he feels he can get even better.

"I’m still a work-in-progress. Still a lot of work to be done. I won’t never, ever, ever, ever get complacent.

I am a Celtic. I’m going to give this organization as much as I have to give. (There is) still more work to be done."

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Call it confidence. Call it false bravado. But Dwight is saying big things and trying to rally his troops against a 3-0 deficit that means certain elimination in the NBA. The Celtics have put a vice grip on the Magic and everyone wonders if they will survive the night.

Dwight Howard isn't one of them.

It was just a few minutes before the locker rooms were closed to the press. I went into the Magic locker room for the first time to get a feel for the mood there.

Dwight Howard was there without a large media contingent around him (rare for playoffs) and a few other Magic players were sitting around. The media blitz had moved on. Mickael Pietrus, Anthony Johnson, and Jason Williams and maybe one other were there.
 
The interaction was understandably a bit strained, but worth sharing on the blog.

What is the feeling in this locker room right now?

DH: Ready to hear this quote?

TT: I’m ready……silence as Dwight thinks about what he might say.

DH: Who is this for?

TT: This is for Celticsblog.

DH: Celticsblog?

TT: Yeah

DH: Laughter. I don’t think you want to hear this quote. Nevermind.

TT: You guys are in a tough spot obviously. What is the feeling in the locker room at this point? If you were to describe it quickly….

DH: Oh we’re feeling good. We’re ready to go. We still believe we’re going to win this series. Ain’t no doubt in our minds.

TT: Then tonight’s got to be the beginning. What do you guys need to do better?

DH: Have a better first quarter.

Have a great first quarter and the rest will take care of itself.

And the big man gotta dominate.

(End of conversation.)

And for those a bit slow on the uptake…that is Dwight talking about himself.

So there you have it. We will see how things shake out shortly.

I know this is a bit late. I had a request to put it up anyway. It is my pre-season predictions (Eastern Conference) including the original comments – with the final won/loss records and brand new thoughts in italics right after each team. Some hits. Some big misses. Go ahead and laugh. I did. It was an interesting (good and bad) season for many teams. Here they are….

Atlantic Division
1) Boston 63-19  - The Celtics’ adrenaline is up. Can they sustain it? The answer is yes, but… I expect the team to add to the roster again this season. Tyronn Lue is the obvious choice, but some teams may offer up good players by the half way point, and Danny will be watching.

Final: 50-32 Well, we all know now they couldn’t/didn’t sustain it. Lue is truly just a coach, but they did add Michael Finley and Nate Robinson, so I got that right. We were all told and were expecting KG to be ‘back’, but ‘back’ meant at about 80% for most of the year – and that meant less wins…50 to be exact, even with injuries and a surprisingly indolent Wallace. Thankfully, the team is looking better now.

2) Philadelphia 41-41 – Eddie Jordan has the same problem that DiLeo did – incorporating Elton Brand. But Jordan can offer his version of the Princeton offense as a remedy. The team is capable of better outside shooting than it has shown. Without an established point guard, Iguodala and Brand can be facilitators in the Princeton O. Jordan, not known for defense, must establish more team discipline than DiLeo did.

Final: 27-55 Ouch. I have to say that the past two seasons feed my suspicion that Eddie Jordan isn’t as good a coach as his reputation suggests. Brand’s career is in decline. Andre Miller was more important to their success than they realized. They never really incorporated Eddie’s version of the Princeton offense. I still believe that with the right coach, system and attitude this is a .500 ball club. A team with a number of talented young players in search of an identity.

3) Toronto 35-47 – re-made roster. very skilled team. Let up on them and they will hurt you. Team reflects Chris Bosh. Strong wing and outside play without much inside. Bosh has bulked up to help out more in the post. Hedo helps. Bargnani continues to improve. DeRozen is a player to watch. Calderon is healthy and Jarrett Jack is a solid back up. Rasho is better than you think in this system. Lacking in toughness and defense, especially inside.

Final: 40-42 Solid offensively, poor defensively. Even with a disappointing Hedo Turkoglu, the Raptors generated 5 more wins that than I thought they would. Bosh’s offense was 10% more inside (46% vs 36% LY). He had a career year in scoring, FG%, and rebounding. It couldn’t offset a basically soft, but talented team. Calderon didn’t have the year some thought he would and he didn’t stay healthy. Rasho rarely played. With Bosh possibly leaving, an ever improving Andre Bargnani says he is ready to assume the role of franchise player. Hmmm…

More after the break....

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Jerry Stackhouse is well. But he is not done.

I was just thinking, when he does retire, he’s a natural for a steakhouse or a pancake house.

I guess I’m providing the ‘change of pace’ articles to intersperse with Celtic playoff stuff for the next day or so.

Here is a piece where Jerry Stackhouse talked with Celticsblog.

It includes his take on the current Bucks and why he believes they are successful. Hint: it is not just Scott Skiles. In fact, he disagrees that Skiles gets team to overachieve. But he believes former players (like Skiles) make better coaches than non-players. He also mentions a few coaches and why they are good, in his opinion.

A quote or two have been used in the previous Scott Skiles piece and are repeated here for continuity and flow.

Recent History
Stackhouse played just 10 games for Dallas last season, due to foot and knee injuries, and was traded to Memphis in the off season. He was a part of the 4 team trade that revolved around the Dallas acquisition of Shawn Marion and the Hedo Turkoglu sign-and-trade to Toronto.

Perhaps surprisingly, Jerry Stackhouse did not make being on a title contending team his priority as he makes the slow treck to NBA’s elephant burial grounds for older players. (No, not in Boston, but I heard you thinking it.)

In fact, with all the off season rest, he said he was feeling ‘fresh legs’ and was still able to help a team in a meaningful way. It appears he wanted more than a ceremonial seat on the bench on a top team. His role was more important. (See Michael Finley)

Jerry Stackhouse -Not Obsessing for a Ring

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Scott Skiles has been called a hot head and a tough guy.

He is one of the more intriguing NBA personalities to me. Some consider him among the very best coaches in the league.

Now he is in the conversation for Coach of the Year.

The observation by many has been that he can really coach…but there’s a shelf life, due to his style.

Coaching styles, personalities and results always intrigue me. So, when I had the chance to interview him (and some of his players) at the last regular season game, I decided to avail myself of the opportunity to delve into the mind of the Bucks' head coach and his team.

Some responses from the coach and the players won’t surprise you. Some may.

Setting the Picture

His Milwaukee Buck team ‘overachieved’ (more on that later) to the tune of 46 wins in a season that most prognosticators had them around the 30 win mark.

It is the most wins for this recently down trodden franchise since the 2000-01,George Karl, 52 win team. They were packing Ray Allen, Glen Robinson, Sam Cassell, Tim Thomas, and Lindsay Hunter. The Bucks haven’t been over .500 for the previous 7 years.

After a disastrous misadventure with Larry Krystowiak, order needed to be restored. Skiles, though coming off a crash in Chicago, fired on Christmas Eve 2007, looked like a good choice.

The team added 8 wins last year and 12 more this season. Andrew Bogut has played better than he ever has and is now a true impact big man. Brandon Jennings, a talented but skinny 20 year old rookie is developing into a top NBA point guard who also plays defense.

In fact, this Bucks team is built around defense. They are 6th in the league in points allowed and 2nd in the NBA in defensive rating by points allowed per 100 possessions. They are 4th in points allowed in the paint. The Celtics are 5th.

The Celtics have Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace. The Bucks had Andrew Bogut, Mbah A Moute, and Kurt Thomas. I can understand the Celtics being up there. Who would have thought those three would be among the leaders?

Skiles’ image to me was this: tough guy coach. A characture. Simplified and exaggerated.

What I discovered…

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Staying together presents its own problems, too.

Ok. So this hasn’t gone as we hoped it would.

It might not be the Celtics last will and testament, but it certainly is about the Celtics’ lost will and testament… to the value of chemistry.

Those who said this assemblage of the Big Three was a one shot group in the same vein of the Miami Heat a few years ago are looking prophetic.
 
It now seems like such a long time ago that this new team of stars went to Rome to bond and build that oh so important chemistry. While there, Kevin Garnett called the new big three the Ceatles…and he was Paul.

The Beatles had a tremendous run over about eight years.

Many saw this team as having a three year window to ransack and pillage the league. Was that optimistic?

The league was in awe. The new Boston Celtics had the NBA’s attention. But who thought that the new kids on the block be more like….The New Kids On the Block?

Some outside of Boston thought so then. I didn’t.

One Hit Wonder?
This powerful Celtic team ‘Gino danced’ to the championship in 2008. Will that title dance become a one hit wonder like… the Macarena?  

Have individual agendas made the Celtics….Too Sexy For Their Shirts?  

Right Said Fred.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Said Einstein.

So just how complicated is this?

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