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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
C's Clinch #2, Lose To Bucks 104-102
Saturday, April 14, 2007
by Loyalist 12:21 PM
The Celtics clinched the second most ping pong balls with their 104-102 loss to the Bucks. Before the game, Al Jefferson was presented with the 2nd Auerbach award that goes to the Celtic who most exemplifies Celtics Pride. Pierce won the first one and was presented the award by Red himself. At half time, they honored the members of the Celtics first championship team, 50 years ago today.
The Celtics trailed the entire game but made a couple of runs to keep the game within reach. The Celtics won the battle of the boards 41-33 but couldn't get stops when they needed them, allowing the Bucks to shoot 53% for the game while shooting 46% themselves. During the game, for long stretches, Tommy, Mike and Cousy all were chatting about the first championship team and were talking with other members of the '57 team while the action was going on. The game obviously wasn't their top priority tonight.
Leon Powe was the player of the game, coming up big down the stretch to make the game as close as it was. He finished with 18 points,8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. I love his intensity and work ethic. West had this to say about Powe: “He’s a beast. He’s man-child. He’s going to be a great player in this league. He can rebound the ball. He has a nose for the ball. He’s always getting the and-one’s, and he’s causing havoc down in the paint. That’s the type of player you need to build championship-type teams. You need guys like that.” Tanguay said on the post game show that he felt that Powe clearly earned a chance to be back next season. I hope so. Perk looked for his offense more than usual and finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists but also had 6 turnovers. Pinkney played well and finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Delonte West returned to the starting lineup, replacing Ray at the 2, and finished with 13 points on 5 of 12 shooting to go with 4 assists and 1 block in 33 minutes. Rondo played only 26 minutes and finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. Telfair played most of the 4th quarter and finished with 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 21 minutes.
Green had a good game finishing with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals, but got down on himself for missing a 3 late in the game and didn't touch the ball on the last play when they needed a 3 to win. Gomes had another solid game with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. Ray played the point down the stretch and finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist.
Now we have the second worst record for sure with this loss and I keep thinking how terrible I will feel if the Bucks, with the 3rd worst record wins the lottery. It is such an inexact science. I guess we can only hope that finally after 20 years of terrible luck and tragedy, the lottery will go our way.
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Tommy Point
Friday, April 13, 2007
by Loyalist 8:42 PM
Wyc just announced on the pregame show that Tommy Heinsohn and the "Redhead from Needham" will be representing the Celtics at the lottery this year. If anyone can bring this franchise luck, it has to be Tommy. He has given his heart and soul to the Celtics for 50 years and it was a good choice to choose him to represent the team as they get their first #1 pick since 1951.
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Simmons On "Celtics Shame"
by Loyalist 4:12 PM
Bill Simmons has a great new article posted on ESPN.com that essentially appeals to Wyc and company not to give Doc the extension. He details Doc's failings and refutes the fact that he has developed our youth.
Over the past few weeks, Rivers routinely played his worst defensive players (Sebastian Telfair, Allan Ray and Gerald Green) any time we needed the opposing team to make a run. In fact, I insist that Telfair and Ray are invited when we retire the jerseys of Oden or Durant in 20 years. We couldn't have done it without them.
He gives a list of the top 10 reasons we are extending Doc and why none of them are actually valid. My favorite is Reason No. 4: Doc gets credit for keeping a young team playing hard after Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak went down. You know, because it's so hard to convince a team of ALL GOOD GUYS to keep playing hard every night. That's a chore. There isn't a bad apple on this team. We don't know how he did it.
(Note: Last year's excuse was that Marcus Banks and Mark Blount infected the locker room and screwed up team chemistry, so we traded those cancerous bums for Wally, a better guy who makes $12 million a year and walks with a limp. This year, the excuse was that we were "destroyed by injuries," even though we were 5-13 on Dec. 8 with a relatively healthy team that had just finished the easiest stretch of its schedule. No Boston media members mention this crap because the beat writers love Rivers for making their day-to-day jobs easier, and the mainstream columnists are too busy filming segments for TV shows, playing golf and calling in to radio shows. Besides, all anyone in Boston cares about are the Sox and Pats. So what's the point?) We do have ALL GOOD GUYS! I would love to keep this group together and add that top draft pick and a new coach and guaranteed, we will go deep into the playoffs.
In Reason #9, Simmons discusses Doc's three weaknesses as a coach: He blows too many close games, he can't juggle a rotation and his teams can't defend a high screen to save their lives. See, we just spent the past 50 games reaping the benefits of these three things. To anyone who has watched Doc coach, you have to realize that Simmons hit it on the head with this one. Our defense will never be good with Doc as a coach. I have said it many times, but when Doc mentioned last season that he works on offense in practice because that is the hardest to get and the defense will come along because after all, while they practice the offense, half the team has to play defense, I knew then that Doc would never get a team to a championship. Offense may win games here and there, but it is defense that wins championships.
Simmons also has a sidebar detailing the youth that Doc has "developed" this season. Al has taken a huge leap in his development this season but I would lay that at the feet of Clifford Ray and not Doc. Doc still doesn't know how to use his bigs effectively. We have seen development in several other young players, but the key is that we haven't seen enough development in the team as a whole. Granted we have had a lot of injuries, but still, even with the great chemistry on this team and the individual improvement, we don't see team improvement in the important areas of defense and execution down the stretch. Doc just doesn't use a player's strengths and often tries to fit round players into square slots. For anyone still on the fence about Doc's extension, read this article with an open mind. He makes some good points.
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What Might Have Been......
by Loyalist 2:55 PM
Tonight's game against Milwaukee could be ugly. Both teams are shorthanded after shutting down half the team for the season and neither team particularly wants to win. But here is a thought to mull over...The team with the 3rd worst record has won the lottery more times in the last 15 years than the team with the third worst record has won the lottery more times than the team with the worst record. How would we feel if after tanking to get the second worst record, Milwaukee with the 3rd worst record won the lottery? Just something to think about.
Meanwhile, as we await the battle of the titans tonight, here are some thoughts from Derrenmatts from Celtics Green.
Just looking back at our last two drafts, thinking about what might have been.
What might have been if ......
...we were to have lost one more game last season? Well, we would have had Randy Foye on our team because we'd be picking ahead of Minnesota. Last season, we finished with a tie, and since they had the upperhand in head to head matches, they won the 6th pick. If we had the 6th pick, Ainge gets Randy Foye and we don't make the trade with Portland to acquire Sebastian Telfair (though I'm sure Ainge would have still made the trade for Rajon, because in the private workouts, I think he was equally impressed with Rajon as he was with Foye). I like Bassy, and I'm pulling for him to make a good career here, but I think Foye would have been the ideal player in Doc's system where a true PG isn't really needed. Foye would have been a terrific scoring option from the PG spot, and before you start saying that we already have too many scorers, in our system, where ball movement is mandatory from every single player on the court, having guys who can score and move the ball makes us a better team. That's why Telfair needs to knock down his open shots whenever he comes off of picks, and that's why Rajon needs to find his jumper. Foye, being a combo guard, does both fairly well.
What might have been ......... if Pierce didn't veto the trade to Portland? Well, we would have been having a blast watching Chris Paul carve out defenses every night while making Jefferson, Wally and Tony Allen look like future Hall of Famers (that's what he's doing for David West and Desmond Mason down in New Orleans). Seriously, we would have been a totally different team right now, probably in the playoff hunt as we speak. A big time PG like Paul goes a long way in reshaping the structure of a team.
If we can land Oden this June, all will be forgotten, as we look forward to hoisting up new championship banners in the rafters.
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Danny Pushing For Doc's Extension
Thursday, April 12, 2007
by Loyalist 1:06 PM
In Jackie MacMullin's article yesterday, there was this little tidbit buried amidst the discussion on Big Al:
Rivers, who next season will be in the final year of a contract that pays him $4 million annually, has lobbied publicly for an extension. Grousbeck said that determination won't be made until the end of the season, and when it is, it will be Ainge's call. Team and league sources said if Rivers persists in pursuing the extension, it could cost him his job. Now, that sounds to me as though Doc is pushing pretty hard to get an extension done. Previously, Wyc and Danny have steadfastly said that they won't discuss an extension or Doc's status until after the season.
Todsy's Globe has this little gem buried at the bottom of the Celtics Notebook:
Ainge also said he would make the pitch to ownership that it give Rivers a contract extension. "Yes. We want to keep him here and he wants to stay," Ainge said. Ainge said the matter will be taken up at the end of the season, although Rivers's agent, Lonnie Cooper, already has made contact with the club seeking an extension.
We are getting so much conflicting information about Doc's status. One day the Herald says that he is on the verge of an extension and the next day the Globe says that there is nothing in the works and they won't even discuss it until the season is over. Team and league sources say that if Doc pushes for an extension it could cost him his job but yet, the Globe quotes Danny saying he is going to pitch to the owners to give him one. Are we getting a smoke screen here by the team so that no one knows what they really are going to do? Are they really going to give Doc an extension or are they going to bring in someone else and just don't want him to know it yet and hence the smoke screen. Only time will tell, because the newspapers and reporters sure aren't.
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Celtics Nixed By Sixers 102 - 94
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
by Loyalist 11:25 PM
The Celtics finished the game with 7 players after Telfair sprained his ankle early in the 4th quarter and went to the locker room. We also had 3 players with 5 fouls at the end of the game and just didn't have enough left to close out the game. The Celtics fell behind early in the first quarter but quickly pulled ahead and by the half were up by 11. But they just ran out of gas and let the Sixers pull ahead in the 4th.
Rondo continues to fill up the stat sheet and finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. In a scary moment, he came down hard after leaping for a rebound but got up and seemed to be ok afterwards. Telfair had 6 points on 2-7 shooting to go with 1 rebound, 6 assists and 1 steal in 26 minutes
Allan Ray scored 15 points on 6-12 shooting and had 3 assists and Doc went with Ray at the point for a long period in the 4th quarter with Rondo on the bench and Telfair in the locker room. Green followed up his 33 point game last night with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals tonight. Gomes had a good game and seems recovered from his back injury scoring 26 points to go with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. He was awarded the Tommy Award for his solid play.
Perk had 5 points and 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. He is too hesitant on offense, and often passes up open shots. As much as I love Perk, he has to take the shots when they are there. Powe played a solid 20 minutes and finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block and once again gave us a presence in the paint. Pinkney played only 11 minutes and hasn't seen the success he saw in the first game, finishing with 2 points and 1 block.
I know the Sixers board was buzzing with talk about the Celtics tanking but from my viewpoint, they played hard but with the team as depleted as it is, they just don't have enough left to finish out the game. On another subject, the Bucks also lost tonight so our magic number to clinch the second worst record is down 2 to. Any combination of Celtics losses or Bucks wins and we clinch the second most ping pong balls.
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Pierce Done For The Season
by Loyalist 9:56 PM
The Celtics have been shying away from saying that Pierce is done for the season but the Herald Insider reports that he has likely played his last game for this season.
Rivers said he met with Pierce and Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge shortly before his pregame meeting with the media and it was determined that Pierce was probably done.
“I think we’re going to shut Paul down the rest of the year,” he said.
Yesterday it was announced that Scalabrine wouldn't be back. Al and West are still day to day but with no practices and both still hurting, it seems less and less likely that either will be back. Although, it should come as no surprise that West is saying he is still hoping for a return.
source: Herald Insider
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Jefferson: "I can get us there..."
by Loyalist 4:05 PM
Al is asking for the chance to help the Celtics win their next championship. In a great article on Al by Jackie MacMullin on ESPN, Al has this to say: "We don't need a big man. We already have one. I just hope and pray Danny believes that me and Paul are the ones who can get us to the playoffs."
The article discusses the moment Al realized that he had Pierce's respect:
The Celtics were down two points to the Knicks and five-time All-Star Paul Pierce, who has been the go-to guy in these situations for the past eight years, was maneuvering toward the basket with the rock in his hands.
Jefferson was mildly surprised when Pierce threw it to him in the post. As the double team converged, a common strategy since Jefferson began racking up double-doubles (he had 30 in the team's first 52 games), Jefferson did what he thought Pierce wanted him to do.
He passed it back.
"Next thing I know, Paul is yelling at me,'' Jefferson said. "He's screaming, 'C'mon man, keep it!' That's when I realized, 'Wow, I guess I really do finally have his respect.'"
But does Al really have Pierce's respect for the future. He has mentioned that we have to trade some of the young players to get more veteran help and the only player so far who has been garnering attention in trade talks is Al Jefferson.
Last season when Al was struggling with injuries, Ainge continued to believe in Al and his play this season has rewarded that belief. But will Danny give up a player who is just coming into his own and who may be eventually better than any of the veterans he brings in, who may be heading to the down side of their careers?
Jefferson said he believes Ainge will hang onto him and allow him to be part of the nucleus that brings the Celtics back to respectability, something Jefferson promises will happen as soon as next season.
"I just feel like we've got something going here," Jefferson said. "But I understand it's a business. I don't want to go anywhere. But getting traded for Kevin Garnett? Hey, that would be big."
"It would be really, really hard to trade Al,'' Ainge said. "I say that because of what I see, what he can be, and who he is right now. It's always hard to trade players you like, but I would do it if it made the team better.
"But what I'd say right now is not only would it be hard, it would be unlikely, too.''
Personally, I wouldn't want to trade Jefferson for Garnett. Al has his whole career ahead of him while Garnett is heading for the down side of his. He is a great player but Al is becoming a great player and will be around to being many more championships to Boston. I agree that because of what Al can be and who he is, we need to hang onto him and build around him. I would rather trade Pierce than Al.
The article finishes with this from Al:
"I can get us there,'' said Al Jefferson. "Me and Paul. Just give us the chance." And I am all for giving Al the chance to bring a championship to Boston. We have stayed with our young core this long and have seen them all grow in leaps and bounds this season. I say keep them together and with what we get from the draft this season, give them a chance to go for it.
source: ESPN
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Doc Re-sign Untrue?
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
by Loyalist 1:15 PM
According to the Globe today, team sources say that the article on Doc's extension has no basis in fact.
 Rivers, who has one year remaining on his deal, recently campaigned for a contract extension. According to a story in yesterday's Herald, he's going to get one. The story said the team was ready to offer Rivers an extension following the season, but according to a team source, no such decision has been reached, nor will one be until Ainge and Rivers have a chance to sit down after the season. When asked about the story, Rivers said, "I'm not going to say anything about it. I don't want to. This situation will take care of itself. We have a great GM and great ownership. I'm not concerned."
Could be a reporter trying to stir things up or just team politics but an interesting development to say the least.
source: Boston Globe
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Are the Celtics Tanking?
by Loyalist 1:10 PM
(This one is actually by one of members, Eja117)
Do you know why it’s so obvious we’re winning the war in Iraq? Cause Bush says so.
Do you know why it’s so obvious we’re losing the war in Iraq? Cause the Democrats say so.
Do you know why it’s so obvious the Celtics are tanking this season? Cause a whole lot of fans and sports writers (many of whom come from towns like Charlotte, Milwaukee, Philly, and Memphis and are completely unbiased) say so.
Do you know why it’s so obvious the Celtics aren’t tanking this season? Cause I am a completely biased Celtics fan and I say so.
Let’s examine the “evidence” the Celtics are tanking the season.
Exhibit A: Paul Pierce is out indefinitely. We all saw Paul Pierce play lately. He was jumping through the roof and running faster than Carl Lewis on speed wasn’t he? Picture of health. I mean the guy survived 97 stab wounds to the heart, liver and kidney, last year, and he never got hurt before in his hundred year career, so he’s not allowed to get hurt this year, right? If he does he’s tanking. Mike Miller out indefinitely? Completely different. Ray Allen? Andrew Bogut? Charlie Villaneuva? Sean May having weight problems and the newest member of the witness protection program? Alridge, Randolph, and even Pyrzbilla out? All totally legit.
But Paul Pierce? Tanking. And you know why? Cause some covetous sports hacks say so.
Exhibits B and C: Tony Allen and Wally Szczerbiack are out too. It must be part of a master plan. Yep. Losing these guys didn’t cause the Celtics to lose any extra games. The Celts clearly decided it was in their best interests to have a guy with a large, nearly untradeable longterm contract bend his ankle the wrong way a half dozen times. They also thought that having one of the games’ best young players finally emerge was a real danger to the long term plan. What nobody knows about Tony Allen’s stupid celebratory dunk was that for like a week before that happened Doc and Danny Ainge kept telling him “You know Tony, everyone loves a showoff. Why don’t you try a few dunks that don’t matter.” The moment he snapped his ACL Doc was heard to say “Eeexxxxcellent”, and what nobody knows, except all those honorable and objective sports writers, is that when Gerald Green failed to snap his ACL at the slam dunk contest Danny Ainge was heard to say “D’oh”! Seriously we have a video tape of this. It’s in Lucky’s locker next to the proof of Nicole’s real killer and the identity of the 2nd gun man from the grassy knoll. In fact Doc and Danny were hoping every single Celtic would get injured this year so that we could have an All-NBDL team. I’m telling you, Allen Ray and Pinkney are just the first steps.
Exhibit D: Losses to Charlotte and Milwaukee are proof of strategic tanking. How do we know? Because they also had a couple game win streaks and young teams are notorious for playing consistent basketball throughout a season.
Ah yes. The old reverse psychology anti-tank tank. The Celtics were trying so hard to tank, that they won three games in a row in an attempt to prove they weren’t tanking, then figured they were safe and proceeded to tank properly in a traditional fashion.
Now when teams were more than happy to beat up on the Celtics during that 18 game losing streak that was one thing. When Charlotte was happy to beat the Celts early in the year that was another. But if the Celts lose now? Tanking. In fact several sports writers have sent letters to their favorite rent-a-congressman asking that tanking be defined as “Any team which has been losing for nearly the entire season, called the Boston Celtics, must start playing .500 ball or better in the last month, or else it will be considered tanking. They will automatically forfeit the rights to as many elite players as there are in the NBA lottery (which in the case of 2007 entitles them to no better than the 3rd pick, unless somehow amazingly Michael Beasly is allowed to enter the draft because of how he was screwed by Bob Huggins and Kansas State, in which case they get the fourth pick).
Exhibit E: Boston is the only NBA team in the history of the world that ever tanked. That’s why the concept was invented years ago. It was ok when teams not named the Celtics were doing it, because that was the past and we’re not here to talk about the past, only the future. We can’t mention names or actions. We only know that Boston must be punished.
Exhibit F: Boston is the team with the 2nd best chance of winning the lottery. They’re tanking and Memphis isn’t. Therefore, Boston is double backwards, no backsies tanking. Clearly Boston is pulling the most genius and diabolical job of tanking the world has ever seen. Since they know that the lottery is a lottery and often results in the worst team only having about a 25% chance of winning the lottery, they have planned to be the SECOND worst team in an attempt to INCREASE their chances! When did they hatch this genius plan? In 1996, when they noticed that despite having by far the most lottery balls they didn’t even get the 2nd pick. The moment the Spurs won the rights to Duncan and Philly won the rights to Keith Van Horn after winning the rights to Allen Iverson the year before, (which wasn’t suspicious on any level at all, and certainly not as suspicious as when the Magic won Shaq and then Webber despite miniscule odds, and not as suspicious as when the Hornets won Larry Johnson and then Zo) the head of the Celtics was heard saying “Note to self. Eleven years from now when I’m not here any more aim for the 2nd worst record. Having the worst record doesn’t work”.
Exhibit G: It is 100% guaranteed that both Oden and Durant will both come out this year, and because it is a weighted lottery there is a 100% chance the Celtics will receive one or both of these players, and therefore have tremendous incentive to lose every single possible game, cause they wouldn’t want to teach their young guys how to win or anything.
The boys at Cambridge and MIT are still analyzing this theory and have yet to publish their findings. They might even bring in the business analysts on Chestnut Hill to work on this one, and if all else fails they’ll outsource the work to a Japanese or Indian firm. It seems that for now the boys at Memphis University, UNC, Duke, and UW-Milwaukee know something the Bostonians don’t. Steve Hawking has apparently channeled the ghost of Einstein to prove this theory and are working for the other teams under the table.
Hawking says
“YOU STEW-PID IDO-OUGHT. IT-IS-SO OB-VY-OUS. NOW I MUST GO. I HAVE AN APPOINT-TA-MENT TO DO A VOICE OVER FOR THE SIMP-SONS”
Exhibit H:
H as in Houston. When the Rockets won the lottery and picked Yao it was ok. If the Celts get Oden or Durant it won’t be. Why is this true? Cause Jeff Van Gundy says so. He has so much integrity he would say it in a box. He would say it with a fox. He would say it here or there. He would say it anywhere. And he would say it as coach of Houston and he would say it as coach of Boston. He would say it as coach of Milwaukee. He is so good so good you see.
The Celtics aren’t tanking the season. Not worse than any other team.
You know why? Cause I say so.
You know what else I say, which is totally overdue to all those hypocritical opportunistic wannabe sports writers, fans, and Jeff Van Gundy? F U (and that doesn’t mean Florida University). Get off our backs. In the not too distant future we’re gonna probably have Oden or Durant and even if we don’t we’re gonna hang up championship banner #17 and there’s nothing you can do about it except cry like a little baby. When the time comes you’ll be good at crying cause you’ve been doing that all season already.
Tommy Point! But not for you.
source: Celtics Green
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Doc to Get an Extension
Monday, April 9, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 8:07 AM
According to The Herald, the Celtics are preparing to give Doc an extension this summer.
There were reports earlier in the year that some in the highest reaches of the organization were very open to a coaching change, but Rivers’ efforts in improving some of the young talent and keeping the team playing hard through a trying time have apparently altered that stance.
Danny had this to say:
“A coach has to do what’s best for the team, and what Doc has done has made our players better,” he said. “But we all still have a lot of work to do.” I personally think that the hard work of these kids has made our players better. Perk, Al, Gomes, Powe all working with Clifford Ray for hours outside of practice. All of our players working before and after practice on their games has made our players better. The key here is that our players are developing and all getting better but they aren't coming together and improving as a team. Doc's system isn't making them a better team, even though they have all been improving greatly on an individual basis.
In spite of Doc's failure to develop a solid defensive scheme, and in spite of his in game coaching errors and substitutions, and in spite of his micromanaging the offense and not allowing the point guards to play to their strengths, it looks as though we will be seeing more of the same next year.
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source: Boston Herald
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Don't Come Around Here No More!
by Loyalist 4:31 AM
 By show of hands, how many people think Payton and Walker will ever make a road trip with the Heat to Boston ever again? Okay, looks like most of you. Now, how many think they'll get out of here without being boo-ed to death? Woah! Just as I thought, no one! I know I've de-gloved The Glove and lipo-ed the Wiggle in my head a few times, but here's some reality to soften the sting...
"It's unlikely either are going to become NBA general managers someday, but that didn't stop them from assessing Boston's needs."
 "Well, it took Payton two go-arounds with Shaq to finally win his first championship, as part of his "Quest for a Title World Tour" the past few years. And Walker certainly had plenty of disdain for the Celtics in his time away from Boston. Now, they're simply role players for a team that stars O'Neal and Dwyane Wade. Their opinions on what makes a championship team are a little blinded by the bling on their rings."
I'll spare everyone with any further quotes by the Mitt and the Jiggle, but here's why these two hasbeens said what they said...
"That 2004-05 Celtics team did, indeed, have a number of veterans throughout the course of the season: Pierce, Walker, Payton, Ricky Davis, Raef LaFrentz, Walter McCarty, Mark Blount, Jiri Welsch and Tom Gugliotta. They entered the playoffs after leading the Atlantic Division all season, and lost in seven games to the Indiana Pacers in the first round."
This doesn't justify Gary's statement. We've actually had two close contests against Miami this year, especially this last meeting where our bunch of youngin's almost put Superman and Co. away.
"How can Payton and Walker accurately assess the Celtics, anyway? They haven't seen a full-strength Shamrock squad yet this season, and it's unlikely they've been TiVo-ing their games on the Direct TV package. The Pierce-less Celtics gave the Heat a scare back on Feb. 7 before losing the game in the second half, and they played them into the final moments of Friday night's loss without Al Jefferson, Pierce and Delonte West (and, to be fair, without Wade for Miami)."
Though some decent Vets would be beneficial to the development of our young guys, who are actually Vets themselves by this point. However, not having Vets was not the only reason for the dismal season, as we know. And it will also not be the cure all Gary believes. These pieces highlight these other factors that Gary's shortsightedness missed...
"Even if Oden does have some struggles adjusting to the NBA game, a Celtics team with Pierce, Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Wally Szczerbiak and Tony Allen all healthy, as well as more seasoning for Rajon Rondo, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes, will be a vast improvement over what's on the court right now."
"And at what point do we stop considering players like Perkins (who enters his fifth year next season), Jefferson, Allen and West (each entering their fourth) as "young players" and start thinking of them as veterans?"
So, there you have it. Now, we have to prove them wrong. I am feeling a deep rivalry brewing next season. I look for us to send a message to those two Bench Inspectors. That's if Gary is still in the L and Walker hasn't eaten the whole Miami team, including himself.
source: South Coast Today
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C's Insist It's Not A Sure Thing
Sunday, April 8, 2007
by Loyalist 6:58 AM
 As I continue to look at the various posts around the Celtics Community, there is still an abundance of TnT (Tank'n'Talk). With the two previous lost battles we've had with Playoff caliber teams Miami and Indy (Indy not so much), the frantic Lottery hype network is doing their best to guarantee post views with sensational subjects like "Good Loss in Indy" or messages like "Only 7 more games to go" etc. So, here is a wake up call for all of you Tank-fiends...
The Celtics keep insisting it’s not a sure thing that the team with the worst record will win the NBA Lottery. Unfortunately, they’re right. Judging by history, even if Greg Oden and Kevin Durant declare for the draft, neither will likely suit up next season for Boston.
 What hinders more than helps is the news out of draftexpress that Durant is declaring. Which sets off a forum tsunami that stretches across the whole NBA blogosphere. Unfortunately, my tall cold glass of iced-green Koolaid, with one of those cool umbrellas I saw in a magazine, is empty. What? I was thirsty!
The lottery is weighed in favor of the worst teams, but not to the point where losing automatically pays off.
I was quite aware of our chances despite our position in the standings as of today. However, instead of doing the research myself and providing you with the Lottery history, our teams specifically. I have found a source that gathered the stats for me. Why? I don't find satisfaction in being the "stat guy" and I frankly have better things to do. So, here is the work without the effort...
From 1966-1984, the teams with the worst records in each conference flipped a coin to determine which one would draft first, then draft continued by inverse order of record. The lottery was first held in 1985, then restructured in 1990 to improve the chances of teams with the worst records.  Orlando won the 1993 lottery with the 11th and best record of any lottery team, so the lottery was readjusted in 1994. Since then, the top pick has still gone to the team with the best chance of winning only three of 13 times and to the team with the second-best chance just once. Last year, Toronto won the lottery with the fifth-worst record and only an 8.8 percent shot of winning. The year before, Milwaukee won with the sixth-worst record and just a 6.3 percent chance.
If the Celtics enter the May 22 lottery with the NBA’s second-worst record, a position they currently hold, they would have a 19.9 percent chance of winning and an 18.8 percent chance of remaining second. The team with the second-worst record has finished second in the lottery only once. Usually, the second-worst team drops to third or further. The most spots a team can fall in the lottery is three. The lottery determines the top three spots, then teams are placed in order by record.
History indicates the Celtics would be better off dropping to the third-worst record because teams with the third-worst records have won the lottery four times, the most of any position. No team with the fourth-worst record has won the lottery, but teams with the fifth-worst records have won three times.
 Ten years ago, the Celtics had by far the best chance to win the lottery after finishing with the NBA’s second-worst record. Vancouver owned the worst record, but wasn’t eligible to win the lottery in either of its first two NBA seasons per order of its expansion agreement. The Celtics had also acquired the first-round pick of Dallas, which finished with the sixth-worst record. So the Celtics enjoyed a 36.31 percent chance of winning the lottery — nearly twice what the team with the second-worst record will have this year. But San Antonio, with a 21.60 percent chance, won the lottery and drafted Tim Duncan. Philadelphia, with only a 12.24 percent chance, finished second and took Keith Van Horn. The Celtics ended up with only the third and sixth picks and selected Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer. They made things worse by trading Billups midway through his rookie season. Mercer never did much.
 The 1997 NBA Draft was not an especially productive one. Only Duncan, Billups and Tracy McGrady have made All-NBA first, second or third team. Too bad the Celtics didn’t keep Billups and draft McGrady instead of Mercer.
Well, now, hopefully, some of us can take a rest and keep things in perspective. Then maybe, just maybe, we might not curse ourselves yet again! On a more personal note, as much as I love ML Carr, his attempt to set the C's and himself/Pitino up with the 1997 Duncan Lottery pick, bares some responsibility with this cursed limp to 17, IMHO. More information about this subject can be found here on this great site Sports Law Blog.
Hey FL, give me a refill, won't you!?
source: Worcester Telegram
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Top Ten Reasons I Love Tommy!
by Loyalist 2:04 AM
The Tommy Haters
Okay, so I was on Google Groups posting about our blog and I ran into a "skeptic" who had some bad words for my main man Tommy "The Homer" Heinsohn.  Now, he didn't really say anything too egregious, but he did say Tommy should step down from any Commentating jobs. This effectively pissed me off, because I could not imagine a game without Tommy, even without Gorman, for that matter. I know, I know, it will have to happen someday, but not for the reason this person wants him to.
So, as I am waiting for repsonses, I came up with a top ten list.
And now, without further ado!
The Top Ten Reasons I Love Tommy!
10. He's a homer! It's no use rooting for the home team if you don't actually believe in the home team unconditionally.
9. Hypes the worst C's players with claims of, "One day that kid will be an All-Stah!" one play is enough for someone to be the next Cousy or Russell.
8. He's able to bring true fans together one Tommy-ism at a time! Loyal fans love him, bandwagoners want him fired. "Bing Bang Boom Baby!"
7. He's the Ying to Mike Gormans Yang. C'mon, they're like Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, Laurel and Hardy, Regis and Kelly...umm, I'll stop now.
6. Always makes the exact opposite call of the Refs and then blindly flies into a rage attempting to prove the replays wrong.
5. Sometimes, even Mike Gorman has no idea what he is talking about.
4. Has given out more Tommy Points than the C's have won games this year.
3. Sometimes, even Tommy has no idea what he is talking about.
2. Was born in New Jersey....oh wait that's a reason I DON'T like Tommy. Oh well! Sorry Jerseyites (coincidentally, Bud Abbott was from NJ).
And the number one reason I love Tommy....1. He knows the only way to add Color to Commentary is to add beer! That's not Green Koolaid folks!
source: Google Groups..er...I mean Usenet |
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