CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: The Boston Media is Spinning

October 18, 2006

The Boston papers are apparently spinning a web around the truth again. After leading the Celtics in scoring and getting off to his best start yet as a Celtic, Sebastian Telfair disappeared and didn't play the second half. The Knicks announcers mentioned that he wasn't on the bench and then that he wasn't feeling well.

The Globe had this to say about Bassy's absence last night:

Telfair became sick with a stomach ailment during halftime of the exhibition game and did not return, finishing with 14 points in 17 minutes. It was easily the best stretch of basketball in a Boston uniform for Telfair. He's probable for tonight's game against New Jersey at TD BankNorth Garden.

Then, I read in the NY Post this account of his absence:

Balkman finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes as the Knicks continued to get breaks that included not having to face Boston point guard Sebastian Telfair after halftime for the most bizarre of reasons. Telfair was said to be heading to a Manhattan police station to look at lineups stemming from a shooting Monday night of a rapper, Fabolous.
Telfair torched the Knicks in the opening minutes, scoring Boston's first nine points and getting 14 by halftime. Celts officials said Telfair didn't play because he "didn't feel well."

It really makes you wonder about the validity of the Boston Media. Obviously the NY Post had information contrary to what the Globe and the Herald reported. ESPN had this report this morning:

On Tuesday night, Telfair looked at four separate lineups, each including one of the four men arrested on the weapons charges, including Fabolous, but did not identify any of the men as the person who stole his chain.

So it seems that once again the Boston papers are reporting things the way they want to and not the way it actually happened. Bassy had been robbed on Monday night, not long before Fabolous was shot and he looked at the lineup on Tuesday evening, apparently during the second half of the game.

This article came out later in the day from Shira:

According to reports out of New York City, Telfair looked at the lineup during the second half of last night's game between the Celtics and Knicks at Madison Square Garden, though coach Doc Rivers told reporters the point guard missed the second half due to a stomach ailment. Judging from the comments made by the players after the game, they were unaware of the circumstances surrounding Telfair's second-half absence.

Once the truth comes out they have to come up with some reason for their original story. Both the Globe and the Herald originally reported that it was a stomach ailment and now, after the fact, Shira is trying to do some damage control.

It reminds me of the Al Jefferson reports when they first came out. The Boston papers reported that Al had minor surgery and that nothing was found and that it was mostly exploratory. It wasn't until after the fact when Al finally spoke up that we learned the truth about his bone chips.

Even the little things like Peter May not realizing that Pierce's last year was a player option year. Or Shira this morning saying that the injuries gave Doc a chance to look at Powe(DNP), Akingbala(17 sec), and Pittsnogle (54 sec) last night. I wonder if the media is doing this themselves, or if they are just reporting what the Celtics organization tells them and then they end up with pie on their faces. Either way, it doesn't do much to give the Boston papers credibility.
[More]

Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

Post a Comment