The Truth Conspicuously Quiet During Crunch Time in OT Loss at Cleveland

Paul Pierce played 45 minutes in the overtime loss at Cleveland, scoring 16 points, grabbing 6 boards, dishing 5 assists, and making one steal.

The next day the papers talked about how the battle between the Truth and the King was, in part, a battle of one-upsmanship. Knowing our dog as we do, I do not find this assertion to be particularly surprising--as a general proposition.

However, I do have some difficulty squaring that characterization with what occurred on court during the last three quarters of the game.

Cleveland won quarter number 3 by a margin of 28-23. Pierce took three shots, made two. James had 7 points and three assists.

Boston narrowly outscored Cleveland in quarter 4, 20-18. James scored 8 points, and was beginning to assert himself. Pierce took three shots, missed two, and was fouled on the other (and then hit two free throws for his only points of the period).

In OT, you'll remember, James took over.

Pierce?

Took three shots, made one.

Now I'm not here to debate which player is better or even which player had the better game.

I do find it odd that, given what the papers said about the Pierce-James battle being personal, and knowing what we know about how our dog performs when things get personal, that Pierce failed to even try to impose his will at any point during the last three quarters of the game. Where was the chest-thumping, fist-pumping, "I'm-the-man-and-I'm-gonna-show-you-who owns-crunch-time" scowl and intensity we have come to know so well from #34?

Perhaps he was sick.

Perhaps he wasn't feeling it.

Maybe the defense took away his scoring options.

Whatever the case, I say this won't happen next time we play the Cavs, if the game is close going down the stretch, and next time just so happens to be on Sunday, in da Gahden, also known as THE HOUSE OF PAIN for Celtics opponents this year.

Thus, the game may not be close enough going for Pierce to strut his stuff in crunch time.

13-2

CELTICS HOLD OFF HEAT DESPITE PIERCE AND ALLEN MISSING 20 STRAIGHT SHOTS IN THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTERS

Cs shoot only 39%
Heat shoot 45%
Cs tally only 17 assists
Cs commit 17 TOs

Rondo has 5 steals, dishes 6 assists, and grabs 4 boards
Jesus goes 3-17 from the field


box score

1986 Cs Move to 13-2 with Win over Pistons

Bird Goes for 47, while the Black Hole Chips in 20 & 10

Does Chuck Daly know his team, or what? It was pointed out to him before last night's game that Larry Bird was shooting like the second coming of Tom Henderson over the previous four games, to which the Detroit coach replied, "We have a way of always curing those ills when we come to town."

Bird, of course, responded with a season-high 47 points in the Celtics ' 132-124 victory.

Guess who was the first guard off the Celtics' bench. Sam Vincent, that's who. The Rook played 17 meaningful minutes, registering eight points and four assists, and he was on the floor during the best Boston spurt of the night, a 12-2 run that rescued the club from its biggest deficit, a 33-27 first-quarter state of affairs. "Sam showed well," appraised K.C. Jones. "He pushed the ball up the floor, ran the break well and he powered the pill (translation: he shot the ball) as if he were in the league four or five years." . . . One fallout of Vincent's time was that Jerry Sichting played a season-low nine minutes.

Isiah Thomas on the collision with Sichting that sent him out with 6:50 remaining in the first half, never to return: "I got tangled up with him and I bent my leg backwards." Asked if he were scared, he replied, "Yes. Very." . . . For the record, 12 of Bird's 17 field goals were jump shots of one kind or another. But there was only one real ICBM, a la '84-85.

The difference in game plans can be seen in the shot distribution. The Celtics' starting frontcourt took 46 of Boston's 87 shots, while Vinnie Johnson and John Long took 42 of Detroit's 96 . . . The Pistons have picked up ex-Boston College backup center Ron Crevier on waivers from Golden State, but he saw no action . . . Bill Walton had another good evening, scoring 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting.

Whither Sly Williams? Said general manager Jan Volk, "When the procedure was initially done (on his hemorrhoids), they were talking five to seven days. The seven days are up, and he hasn't yet progressed to the point where he can play." The club will wait a little longer before deciding about a roster change, but if you're making book, assume that Sly is an unlikely candidate to spend Christmas as a Celtic.

The New York Mets have had, what, about 116 third basemen over the years? Now here come the Pistons with their own tale of woe. Oh, their kingdom for a power forward.

"We can't handle (Kevin) McHale and the other big forwards in the league," said Daly before last night's game. "Other teams get it inside and force us to double down. Then they swing it to the open man outside for a jump shot. But when we get the ball, we don't have that kind of post play."

It has been a Detroit problem for years. The club believed it had an answer last year when it acquired Dan Roundfield from Atlanta for Cliff Levingston and the rights to Antoine Carr. But Roundfield went south on them when he was needed most.

They tried again this past summer by obtaining legendary elbow-tosser Ricky Mahorn from Washington in exchange for Roundfield. But Mahorn has proven himself unable to hold the starting job. Daly next turned to Earl Cureton, but after an early glimmer or two in the pan, he, too, turned out to be a case of Fool's Gold. So what did Daly do? What else? He turned to Kent Benson.

And guess what? Since Benson has started, the Pistons are 4-1. "We did the same thing two years ago and we went off on a nice streak," recalled Daly. "One thing about Benson: He may not be spectacular, but he's stable."

Daly was hoping the sight of Benson wouldn't get McHale too aroused. It was Benson whom McHale tormented for more than 30 of his 56 points in that memorable performance last March. "McHale starting is a problem," Daly said.

McHale wound up with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston Celtics 1985-86 Game Logs

1985-86 Regular Season

10/25/1985 BOS at New Jersey Nets 109 - 113 0 - 1
10/26/1985 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 105 - 100 1 - 1
10/30/1985 BOS Milwaukee Bucks 117 - 106 2 - 1
11/1/1985 BOS Atlanta Hawks 109 - 105 3 - 1
11/2/1985 BOS at Washington Bullets 88 - 73 4 - 1
11/8/1985 BOS Phoenix Suns 125 - 101 5 - 1
11/9/1985 BOS at Detroit Pistons 124 - 105 6 - 1
11/13/1985 BOS Indiana Pacers 118 - 114 7 - 1
11/15/1985 BOS Washington Bullets 118 - 114 8 - 1
11/16/1985 BOS at Indiana Pacers 109 - 111 8 - 2
11/20/1985 BOS Utah Jazz 115 - 106 9 - 2
11/22/1985 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 110 - 103 10 - 2
11/23/1985 BOS at New York Knicks 113 - 104 11 - 2
11/26/1985 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 98 - 91 12 - 2
11/27/1985 BOS Detroit Pistons 132 - 124 13 - 2
11/29/1985 BOS New York Knicks 94 - 88 14 - 2
11/30/1985 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 102 - 97 15 - 2
12/3/1985 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 112 - 109 16 - 2
12/4/1985 BOS at New Jersey Nets 130 - 111 17 - 2
12/6/1985 BOS Portland Trailblazers 103 - 121 17 - 3
12/10/1985 BOS Atlanta Hawks 114 - 110 18 - 3
12/11/1985 BOS Sacramento Kings 118 - 101 19 - 3
12/14/1985 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 99 - 109 19 - 4
12/15/1985 BOS Chicago Bulls 109 - 104 20 - 4
12/17/1985 BOS at Chicago Bulls 108 - 116 20 - 5
12/18/1985 BOS Dallas Mavericks 137 - 117 21 - 5
12/21/1985 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 102 - 108 21 - 6
12/25/1985 BOS at New York Knicks 104 - 113 21 - 7
12/28/1985 BOS at Utah Jazz 110 - 108 22 - 7
12/30/1985 BOS at Los Angeles Clippers 125 - 103 23 - 7
1/2/1986 BOS at Indiana Pacers 122 - 104 24 - 7
1/3/1986 BOS New Jersey Nets 129 - 117 25 - 7
1/7/1986 BOS at Detroit Pistons 109 - 113 25 - 8
1/8/1986 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 126 - 95 26 - 8
1/10/1986 BOS Atlanta Hawks 115 - 108 27 - 8
1/15/1986 BOS Denver Nuggets 123 - 100 28 - 8
1/17/1986 BOS at Indiana Pacers 123 - 105 29 - 8
1/18/1986 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 125 - 122 30 - 8
1/22/1986 BOS Los Angeles Lakers 110 - 95 31 - 8
1/24/1986 BOS Golden State Warriors 135 - 114 32 - 8
1/26/1986 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 105 - 103 33 - 8
1/30/1986 BOS at Chicago Bulls 101 - 91 34 - 8 o
1/31/1986 BOS at Washington Bullets 97 - 88 35 - 8
2/2/1986 BOS Seattle Supersonics 114 - 101 36 - 8
2/4/1986 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 112 - 93 37 - 8
2/5/1986 BOS Washington Bullets 103 - 88 38 - 8
2/11/1986 BOS at Sacramento Kings 100 - 105 38 - 9
2/13/1986 BOS at Seattle Supersonics 107 - 98 39 - 9
2/14/1986 BOS at Portland Trailblazers 120 - 119 40 - 9
2/16/1986 BOS at Los Angeles Lakers 105 - 99 41 - 9
2/17/1986 BOS at Phoenix Suns 101 - 108 41 - 10
2/19/1986 BOS at Golden State Warriors 115 - 100 42 - 10
2/20/1986 BOS at Denver Nuggets 100 - 102 42 - 11
2/23/1986 BOS Indiana Pacers 113 - 98 43 - 11
2/25/1986 BOS at New York Knicks 91 - 74 44 - 11
2/26/1986 BOS San Antonio Spurs 120 - 100 45 - 11
2/28/1986 BOS Los Angeles Clippers 124 - 108 46 - 11
3/2/1986 BOS Detroit Pistons 129 - 109 47 - 11
3/4/1986 BOS at Chicago Bulls 106 - 94 48 - 11
3/5/1986 BOS Chicago Bulls 108 - 97 49 - 11
3/7/1986 BOS New York Knicks 115 - 108 50 - 11
3/8/1986 BOS at Washington Bullets 108 - 110 50 - 12
3/10/1986 BOS at Dallas Mavericks 115 - 116 50 - 13
3/11/1986 BOS at Houston Rockets 116 - 104 51 - 13
3/13/1986 BOS at San Antonio Spurs 135 - 119 52 - 13
3/14/1986 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 121 - 114 53 - 13
3/16/1986 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 118 - 101 54 - 13
3/18/1986 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 126 - 96 55 - 13
3/19/1986 BOS Indiana Pacers 127 - 108 56 - 13
3/21/1986 BOS Chicago Bulls 126 - 105 57 - 13
3/24/1986 BOS Houston Rockets 114 - 107 58 - 13
3/26/1986 BOS Milwaukee Bucks 121 - 115 59 - 13
3/28/1986 BOS Washington Bullets 116 - 97 60 - 13
3/30/1986 BOS New Jersey Nets 122 - 117 61 - 13
4/1/1986 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 123 - 105 62 - 13
4/2/1986 BOS Detroit Pistons 122 - 106 63 - 13
4/4/1986 BOS New York Knicks 119 - 98 64 - 13
4/6/1986 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 94 - 95 64 - 14
4/8/1986 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 126 - 114 65 - 14
4/9/1986 BOS at New Jersey Nets 98 - 108 65 - 15
4/11/1986 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 117 - 104 66 - 15
4/13/1986 BOS New Jersey Nets 135 - 107 67 - 15

1986 Playoffs

Eastern 1st Round
4/17/1986 BOS Chicago Bulls 123 - 104 1 - 0
4/20/1986 BOS Chicago Bulls 135 - 131 2 - 0
4/22/1986 BOS at Chicago Bulls 122 - 104 3 - 0
Eastern Semifinals
4/27/1986 BOS Atlanta Hawks 103 - 91 1 - 0
4/29/1986 BOS Atlanta Hawks 119 - 108 2 - 0
5/2/1986 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 111 - 107 3 - 0
5/4/1986 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 94 - 106 3 - 1
5/6/1986 BOS Atlanta Hawks 132 - 99 4 - 1
Eastern Finals
5/13/1986 BOS Milwaukee Bucks 128 - 96 1 - 0
5/15/1986 BOS Milwaukee Bucks 122 - 111 2 - 0
5/17/1986 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 111 - 107 3 - 0
5/18/1986 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 111 - 98 4 - 0
NBA Finals
5/26/1986 BOS Houston Rockets 112 - 100 1 - 0
5/29/1986 BOS Houston Rockets 117 - 95 2 - 0
6/1/1986 BOS at Houston Rockets 104 - 106 2 - 1
6/3/1986 BOS at Houston Rockets 106 - 103 3 - 1
6/5/1986 BOS at Houston Rockets 96 - 111 3 - 2
6/8/1986 BOS Houston Rockets 114 - 97 4 - 2

Was Jesus Really in a Slump?

Ray Allen probably leads the league in walk-off home runs, and the Celtics are 12-2.

So one might ask, what's the big deal if he's had a few off games?

And since Allen is only shooting .446 from the field over his career, it might be worth asking whether Jesus was really in a slump at all?

Before last night's 8-14 effort (yay!!! a game where he made more shots than he missed), Jesus was shooting .425, or two made field goals worse out of every hundred shots than his career average.

And for this I've been droning on and on about a slump?

Keep in mind that Shuttlesworth was shooting .575 after 5 games. Also keep in mind that during the eight games that followed, Jesus shot 35%. This is when I became concerned.

During the summer of 1985, the Celtics acquired little known Jerry Sichting for a bottle of pop and a bag of chips.

How did he do?

Well, let's just say, not too bad.

In a little under twenty minutes a night, Sichting scored 6.5 points per game on a guady .570 from the field and .924 from the line. So when Ray Allen started knocking down jumpers at a similar clip in the first 5 games of this season, most of us felt it was reasonable to expect such proficiency to continue.

Yet, as we all know, Jesus' touch went in the tank.

The numbers from the 8-game drought were Bird-like, that is, the Larry Bird playing with a back so sore he could barely stand-up straight:

10-25
4-15
5-15
7-18
5-15
4-14
6-18
7-17

Moreover, the slump started in game 5, when Doc played him the entire 48 minutes. For the season, the 32-year-old Allen is averaging around 40 minutes per game. As a Celtics fan and blogger I think we owe it to ourselves to ask whether there is a connection between declining performance and increasing minutes.

Ray Allen is a key piece to the championship hopes of the Boston Celtics. In fact, I would contend he is the key piece.

A hot and healthy Jesus can take over games when Paul Pierce is either having an off night or drawing double teams that include the opponent's best defender. Sure, Jesus can fill up a box score in other ways when he's having an off night. This is part of what makes him so valuable.

But the Cs are a different team when he's firing from both holsters, and the difference is between grinding out wins where the big three play significant minutes and winning more comfortably, where the big three end the game on the bench, resting for their next encounter.

So let's keep an eye on old #20, and hope that we see more hot streaks than cold ones.

1986 Cs Dump Philly, Move to 12-2

McHale Continues to Dominate in Starting Role

PHILADELPHIA This was a night when the Celtics finally missed M.L. Carr and Cedric Maxwell. After they toyed with the once-great Philadelphia 76ers for 48 minutes, there was no one around to admit the embarrassing ease with which this game was won.

The gracious Celtics said all of the polite, cautious things after beating the Sixers, 98-91, in the Spectrum. But the silent sellout and thousands of couch potatoes watching at home know that the Sixers never had a chance. The Celts have an unthinkable six-game lead on the Sixers before 1985's first turkey has been carved.

The bored Bostonians let Philly back in this game three times, and trailed by eight with 10 minutes left before pushing the red button and vaporizing the Sixers down the stretch. The Celts outrebounded Philly, 19-8, and held the home team to 15 points in the final period. The result was a lengthy, postgame, closed-door meeting in the Philadelphia locker room. The Sixers are 6-8 going into tonight's game at New Jersey.

Maybe things will change when Andrew Toney (broken foot) comes back. Maybe the Sixers can turn it around with a few more team meetings. Maybe Julius Erving and Bobby Jones will find a Coccoon pool to swim in. Maybe owner Harold Katz will fire coach Matt Guokas and hire Billy Martin. Something must happen before Boston-Philadelphia games are again played with "tastes great" vs. "less filling" intensity.

After 38 minutes of sleepy hollow, the Celts finally went to work early in the final quarter. Sloppy play (24 Boston turnoers) and a failed attempt to use five subs simultaneously had the Celts in an eight-point hole (84-76) with 10 minutes left.

Boston went to work with a methodical 12-0 run. Kevin McHale (20 points, 13 rebounds) started the drive with two straight hoops. McHale blocked a shot by Charles (The Fridge) Barkley, then scored two more after a basket by Scott Wedman. Then Larry Bird rebounded a Sedale Threatt miss, and Wedman (playing guard) put the Celts ahead with a jumper. A basket by Bird completed the dirty dozen and made it 88-84 with 5:32 left.

Philly cut it to one twice, but the Sixers' heart and soul (Barkley) was on the bench so that 6-foot-8-inch Terry Catledge could guard one of Boston's big men. The Sixers missed him.

Four free throws by Bird and Robert Parish gave the Celts a 94-89 lead with two minutes left. When Danny Ainge pulled down a Maurice Cheeks miss, Boston called time. A 94-89 lead, plus possession of the ball with 1:35 left, should have been safe.

Erving cut it to three after Cheeks blocked a Dennis Johnson shot, but McHale came back and drove left past a flatfooted Moses Malone to make it 96-91 with 58 seconds left. Philly called time once more, but the sold-out Spectrum was already emptying.

Guokas decided to try Malone on McHale at the start - but that left the 6-6 Barkley looking up at 7-foot Parish. McHale still scored eight points in the first quarter.

The initial period was sloppy. Boston committed eight turnovers, Philadelphia nine. It was 10-10 after 4 1/2 minutes. Then the Celtics broke it open with six-minute, 18-6 run which featured some sparkling two-way play by Ainge, and the usual inside dominance of McHale and Parish. Meanwhile, the Sixers were bumping into each other on offense, and Boston led, 28-16, with 1:24 left in the quarter. Sixer fans were giving some thought to moves the Phillies might be making at the baseball winter meetings.

A cocky K.C. Jones started Rick Carlisle, Jerry Sichting, Wedman, Greg Kite and Bill Walton at the start of the second. The Celts call this "the green team" because they wear green jerseys in practice. It took three minutes for the Sixers to cut Boston's lead to four points. Jones summoned all five subs to the bench and went with four starters, plus Sam Vincent.

Bird warmed up from the perimeteter, Vincent pushed the ball up the floor, and the Celts were soon ahead by 10 again. However, in the final four minutes of the half, the low-intensity Celts watched Erving and Co. fight back into the game again. Long jumpers by Doc and Sedale Threatt made it 50-50 at intermission. A severe tongue-lashing was due in the Celtic locker room.

Jones must have told the troops to get the ball to Parish. The Chief went to work on Barkley early in the third, scoring eight points in 4:15. DJ also came out on target, but it wasn't enough to put the Celts back in the comfort zone.

Barkley started going to the basket, and soon the Sixers had their first lead (57-56) since 6-4.

The Celts regained the lead on four points by Parish. After Cheeks cut it to 62-61, Boston ran off eight straight: a jumper by DJ, an inside job by Parish and a transition jumper by Bird, and a Parish dunk over Barkley after a Philadelphia timeout. Boston led, 70-61, with 4:35 left in the third.

The Celts should have been en route to an easy win, but Boston's generosity was boundless. Jones went back to his second unit, and the green team was bounced around by Barkley and Philly's other four starters in a quarter- closing 15-4 run which gave Philadelphia a 76-74 lead at the end of three.

From Russell to Garnett: KG Brings us Full Circle

Ever since the Detroit Pistons stopped the Lakers from winning three in a row in 1989, I’ve felt a debt of gratitude toward Isiah Thomas. The first year the Pistons overcame the Cs in the ECFs, I vividly remember Zeke and McHale meeting at mid-court after the final game.

McHale told Zeke that, having beaten the Celtics, the Pistons didn’t just represent Detroit, they now represented the entire Eastern Conference, and it was their job to go do a number on the purple. This clearly fired up Zeke, and added one more chapter to the Pistons-Celtics rivalry.

As the Isiah-Thomas led New York Knicks come to town, Zeke once again proved he “gets it.” He understands the Boston Celtics organization.

The thing that I’m probably the most surprised about, and it’s a pleasant surprise, is that now that I see Garnett in a Celtic uniform, I can’t imagine him being any place else. He seems to be a Celtic more so than a Timberwolf or anything else that he was in this league. I don’t think there’s another place that he could’ve went to that once he put on the Celtic green, he just looks like he fits and he really belongs. He embodies all the things that you think about in terms of Celtic tradition. It’s a perfect fit and I think most people, even myself looking at it at first blush, just never imagined him as a Celtic. But once he put on the uniform and you see him in the Celtic green and how intense and everything he is, he’s a Celtic. --LINK

As I wrote elsewhere, until KG joined the GREEN, the Lakers were widely considered to have the best legacy of big men in NBA history. That legacy, however, is strictly a legacy of centers, Mikan, Chamberlain, Kareem, and Shaq.

The Celtics had their own legacy of great centers, starting with Russell, continuing with Cowens, and ending with Parish and Walton. This legacy is pretty impressive, too. But it was always marked by whispered qualifications. Walton only played one full season for the Celtics, and that was as a sixth man. Parish was never MVP material. Russell and Cowens, while dominating, MVP types of players, were both under 6’10”, and thus not really true centers, whatever that means.

The acquisition of KG changes the entire discussion, because at 7’1” (his actual height), he plays at times like Russell on defense, at other times like Bird on offense, and at all times with a Cowens-like ferocity. KG’s turn-around, fade-away is not unlike the one used by the player who traded him from the Wolves to the Celtics. And, of course, KG wears number 5, the number worn by Bill Walton.

KG thus not only ties together the disparate eras in Celtics history, his presence forces us to rethink the Celtics legacy of big men as a legacy of not just centers, but as a legacy of great big men. Russell, Cowens, Bird, McHale, Parish, and Walton. Add KG to the mix and that gives us 7 Hall of Fame big men, almost double the number donning the purple in Springfield.

KG is not only a true Celtic, he is the one who brings the entire Celtics family full circle.

12-2

Celtics Crush Team Calling themselves the Knicks

Game Over at Half

Extended Garbage Time for All

box score

Cowens Dealt for Buckner

September 11, 1982

Chalk up another stunning coup for Celtics general manager Red Auerbach, the sly old fox who still knows how to pick the pockets of such willing victims as the Milwaukee Bucks.

This time around Auerbach skillfully orchestrated a deal that yesterday resulted in the Celtics acquiring six-year veteran guard Quinn Buckner from the Bucks in exchange for a 33-year-old physically worn Dave Cowens, who at best in the admitted view of his new team is a short term gamble. Cowens, who has decided to come out of his self-imposed retirement, hasn't played in an NBA game since Sept. 30, 1980. The Bucks reluctantly agreed to give up Buckner to the Celtics in exchange for the rights to Cowens.

The Bucks wasted little time showcasing Cowens at an afternoon press conference in Milwaukee after the former Celtics center signed a two-year contract calling for a reported $400,000 to $500,000 per season. The Celtics, on the other hand, have yet to talk to Buckner, who has temporarily gone into hiding from the media. He was quoted by Milwaukee public relations director Bill King as saying that he will duck all interviews until he has had the opportunity to meet with Celtics management sometime in the near future.

Celtics coach Bill Fitch said he hasn't talked to his new acquisition since the transaction became official, but he added that he can understand why Buckner refuses to communicate with the press at this time.

"He (Buckner) just bought a new home, and this came as a shock to him," explained Fitch. "He's a helluva person, and a grand addition to the Celtics organization. His style of play won't be that different. It should be easy for him to adjust."

Fitch said he doesn't feel any problems have been solved by acquiring Buckner, noting that he had a number of capable guards to choose from in the team's pre-season camp. But there's little doubt that the addition of Buckner, who has developed into a fine jump shooter with a 12-13 points-per-game average to go along with his defensive skills, reduces the concern there was over the team's backcourt situation.

Cowens on the other hand was quite candid during his introduction to the Milwaukee media. At his side was his new coach, Don Nelson. They were together again after having played together for several years with the Celtics.

Asked why he decided to leave Boston, Cowens replied, "The Celtics didn't want me because I don't think they needed me. They have a deep front line, and they didn't want to pay me what I wanted."

Cowens brushed off a suggestion that he and Fitch didn't get along too well with the observation that "he (Fitch) was the coach, I was the player."

Cowens expresed the opinion that he could make a valuable contribution to the Milwaukee team. "I've lost the practical skills because I haven't done them day in and day out, but I've gained something from the physical side," he said. After being worn down and beaten up during a rugged NBA career, Cowens said he feels that his body has been "refreshened" after sitting out two NBA campaigns.

Nelson said he felt like he was wearing two faces. "One is happy because we ve acquired Cowens, and improved our team," he explained. "The other is very sad because I lost another good friend (Buckner), and a man who has been with me for six years. But we've improved ourselves at a weakness where we always seem to get worn down against the bigger teams.

"We're ready to make a legitimate run with Bob Lanier near retirement, and the time has come," added a confident Nelson. "I know we're taking a risk, a calculated risk." He said either Sidney Moncrief or Brian Winters would have to fill the vacancy left by the loss of Buckner.

Nelson conceded that from the Celtics' viewpoint, they got something for nothing because Cowens wasn't going to return to the Celtics under any circumstances.

Though Cowens has been working out daily since last April to get himself back into playing condition, it remains to be seen if he can make it all the way back and avoid being plagued by back and foot ailments that eventually forced him to call it quits a couple of years ago.

Winning isn't All that It's Cracked up to be

Fast starts are fun.

I remember when the 1985-86 Celtics, after losing the first game of the season against the lowly New Jersey Nets, worked their way up to a 17-2 record. One more game to .900! Reaching .900 was just so important to me. We only had to beat Portland, one of the worst teams in the league that year, and the game was at home.

Money in the bank, right?

Not so much.

The Cs lost that game in early December, followed it up with a humiliating loss against the New York Knicks on Christmas Day, and, all in all, lost 5 out of 9 for the month.

Of course, our boys gave up beer drinking after New Years Eve, and went on a run in January and February that laid the foundations for a dominating 15-3 playoff performance and championship.

Which brings me to the topic of today’s blog.

Fast starts and gaudy regular season win totals aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

The 1987-88 Celtics began the season 6-0, but ended it with the starting 5 run into the ground. KC Jones had played the starters ridiculous minutes, and they had nothing left in the tank come April and May. The bench hadn’t played enough regular season PT to contribute when the Pistons rolled over the Cs in the ECFs.

The 1984-85 Celtics started 15-1. They didn’t win a championship.

The 1972-73 Celtics started 10-0. They didn’t win a championship.

Bill Walton’s Portland Trailblazers started 50-10, and they didn’t even win a championship.

More recently, the Fab Four of Mailman, the Glove, Kobe, and Shaq started 16-3, but came up blingless when the season ended. Mark Cuban’s Mavs took the league by storm during the regular season last year, only to be unceremoniously sent packing by the Warriors in the first round.

Not surprisingly, my feelings about the regular season have evolved since the GREEN last won a championship. Teams in the hunt for a championship should be trying to win, of course, trying to build chemistry and figuring out what works and what wins games.

But no less important is for contenders to find out what doesn’t work, to identify weaknesses and holes in the roster. Doc continues to rely heavily on the Big Three playing 38+ minutes in close games, but at the same time he does seem to be giving bench players more opportunities.

Posey and House are consistently playing 20 minutes a game, with Scalabrine playing about 12. Pollard’s role is increasing, and he is responding with increased productivity. Big Baby scored 8 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in 6 minutes against Cleveland in a close game. I expect Gabe Pruitt to get some run before too long.

By the All-Star break, and perhaps before then, Doc and Danny should have a pretty good idea where this team is at. In particular, they should know whether they need to add another big man to the mix or another point guard. Since the Cs assist-to-basket ratio is among the league leaders, I am not anticipating the need to add a point guard.

But our rebounding prowess seems to be on the decline, as we’ve been outrebounded in two out of the last three games. Banner 17 won’t be won until the Cs are controlling the glass 5 out of every six games.

Memo to Doc and Danny:

Keep PJ Brown’s number on your speed dial.

The Intersecting Fates of Tony Allen and Gabe Pruitt

When Brian Scalabrine and James Posey went down with injuries earlier in the season, I wrote that the Atlanta and New Jersey games represented the official beginning of Tony Allen's season. If TA wanted to make a case for a new contract next summer, his time to do so would start then.

It might not be fair to describe Tony Allen’s theme song this year as the Sounds of Silence, but he certainly has a long way to go before he can declare himself fully recovered.

In the meantime, Gabe Pruitt has been biding his time, first at the end of the Celtics bench and then in the NBDL, where he played two solid games, including one game where he scored 31 points, dished 8 assists, and hit the game winner as the buzzer sounded.

Most Celtics fans are waiting to see if Gabe Pruitt has any point guard skills. While the 8 assists might suggest that he does, today I am more interested in the overall skill set of the two players.

Pruitt and Allen are roughly the same height, only Pruitt can shoot better, and, given Allen's ongoing struggle to regain his old form, probably can play better defense. Allen does weigh more than Pruitt, and thus in theory does offer the potential to guard more physical wings, if and when he ever finds his mobility.

At the current time, Posey and Scalabrine are clearly ahead of Tony Allen on the depth chart. So is Eddie House.

Now Tony Allen is injured again.

This gives Doc the perfect excuse to take Old Gabe for a test run against the Cavs.

A little second quarter action never hurt anyone.

If he does well there, my only question is will Doc move him up in the rotation on a semi-regular basis, or use him situationally and inconsistently like he does with Big Baby?

For now, my hope is Doc plays Gabe 10 or more minutes tonight.

The Game Bill Walton Played for the Yugoslavian National Team

After Bill Walton played his last game for Helix High School in San Diego, the coach for the AAU Armed Forces team asked Walton if he wanted to play in the 1970 World Championship Games held in Yugoslavia. Walton agreed.

The tryout took place in a military installation at Fort Hamilton, New York. Walton was the only invitee who wasn't in the Army. The coach, whom Walton refused to name, threw more F-bombs per sentence than Walton had ever heard. During a three minute span, Walton counted 102 F-Bombs, or slightly more than one every two seconds. He was using them as nouns, verbs, adjectives, articles, and prepositions.

At 6'10" and 190 pounds, Walton still had a ways to go before growing into the taller, heavier build the nation became familiar with during his sophomore year at UCLA. Nonetheless, Walton was the best player on the practice floor, and made the team easily. He dominated every practice he participated in.

But once the games started, the coach never played him, and never told him why (Walton wondered whether it was because he lacked a military pedigree).

Once the team arrived in Europe and it became clear that Walton wasn't playing, the coach began receiving calls from the various colleges who were recruiting Walton. They all wanted to see how Big Red would do against some international competition. But the AAU coach refused.

The pressure to play Walton continued, until finally the AAU coach had an idea. He called Walton to a meeting and told him that the Yugoslavian national team was short on players, and had asked the Americans to help fill out their roster.

Would Walton suit up for them?

"Without a doubt," Walton told his coach. "I didn't come to Yugoslavia to be a tourist or a spectator."

The AAU coach gave him a ragged, moth-eaten uniform that was too small for the red head. Walton didn't care. Nor did it matter to Walton that he didn't speak a word of Yugoslavian or his new teammates a word of English.

The Walton-lead Yugoslavia national team went out and established a huge lead over the American team, with Mountain Man scoring just about every point and grabbing just about every rebound. Soon, however, the Americans mounted a comeback. But as the game drew even, the local referees started making every call in favor of the Yugoslavian team.

Once Walton realized the refs were on his side, he began employing every dirty trick he knew. As the lead went back and forth, the stadium started chanting his name: "Wal-ton. Wal-ton." The Americans eventually won by three, but Yugoslavian fans stormed the court, and carried off their new hero on their shoulders, continuing to chant his name for the next 20 minutes.

When the celebration ended, Walton returned to the Americans locker room, and the coach never spoke to him again and never played him again.

The experience was so bad for the future Celtic that it tainted his view of international competition when the 1972 Olympic Committee came knocking at his door.

Maybe it's a Good Thing We Lost to Orlando

Fast Starts are No Guarantee for Success

Only a dozen teams in NBA history have started a season with at least 10 straight victories.

1948-49 Washington Capitols (15-0)
1993-94 Houston Rockets (15-0)
1957-58 Boston Celtics (14-0)
1996-97 Chicago Bulls (12-0)
1982-83 Seattle Supersonics (12-0)
1997-98 Atlanta Hawks (11-0)
1964-65 Boston Celtics (11-0)
1997-98 La Lakers (11-0)
1990-91 Portland Trail Blazers (11-0)
1972-73 Boston Celtics (10-0)
1993-94 Seattle SuperSonics (10-0)
2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers (10-0)

Of the 12 clubs with 10 consecutive wins or more at season's start, only the 1993-94 Rockets (4-3 over New York in the NBA Finals), the 1996-97 Bulls (4-2 over Utah) and the 1964-65 Celtics (4-1 over the Lakers) went on to snare the NBA title.

11-2

Missed free throws down the stretch by Allen and Perkins doom Cs on road against Cavs.

box score

A Second Look at the One-Point Home Win Over Miami

At the initial Big Three Press Conference, Ray Allen was asked to articulate his goals for the upcoming season.

Make our home court a House of Pain for opponents, like it was in the 1980s, Allen said.

True to his word, the 2007-08 Boston Celtics have inflicted misery on visitors in six of their first seven home tilts, with an average margin of victory close to 20 points per contest. If you remove the one-point win over Miami, then the …

Wait a second.

Did I write that correctly?

A one-point win?

At home?

What the heck happened?

With every home dusting the Cs administer to opponents, the one-point win over the Heat sticks out more and more, and with the Heat on tap for an away game later this week, revisiting the one-point home win might prove educational for a couple of reasons.

The Celtics were up by 15 with 8:12 left in the 4th, a comfortable lead that was ripe to be made larger if the home team had played their cards right.

Instead, the Cs failed to score a point over the next five-plus minutes.

I’d like to tell you that the problem was singular in nature. But, in reality, several factors conspired against GREEN.

First, the Big Three started throwing the ball away. Three of the next 10 possessions ended when Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, or Paul Pierce made an ill-advised pass. Second, Posey and Allen settled for treys on three possessions, throwing up 25-footers and missing them all. Third, two of the Big Three were missing their shots horribly. Jesus missed a four-footer, while the Truth missed everything with an air-ball.

Finally, Rajon Rondo committed an offensive foul, and Kendrick Perkins interfered with a teammate’s shot for a goaltending call.

On the Miami’s side of the ledger, Dwayne Wade and Ricky Davis started heating up. Shaq and Alonzo, now guarded by KG instead of Perk, who was on the bench, used their strength to score easy baskets inside.

Miami scored on eight straight possessions until the bloodletting ended at the 2:24 marker with two Ray Allen free throws, followed by a Rondo jumper, and the game winner by Pierce. Posey’s defense on Flash closed out the victory.

A number of excuses could be offered up.

Paul Pierce was playing with a strained back.

Eddie House was coming of an ankle sprain.

Ray Allen (5-15) was in game 2 of the Shuttlesworth Slump.

But I don’t buy any of these excuses.

The Heat are a veteran team that turned it up a notch coming down the stretch of a game with a conference rival. Thankfully, Ray Allen was smart enough to drive to the hoop and draw a shooting foul on Shaq, which netted us two points at the stripe and stopped their momentum.

To be sure, the game against the Heat was only the Celtics seventh of the season, but the Cs are still playing sloppy at times, prone to turning the ball over more than they should and settling for easy shots when getting to the paint would be wiser.

Oh, and Ray Allen is still mired in a slump.

So to make a long story short, it is hard to say how often the Miami game will repeat itself at home this year, or whether that game will be this year’s version of the Portland Trailblazer debacle that stained the Cs otherwise perfect record in 1986.

In any event, the Cs will inevitably hit rough patches along the way, and the chances that those rough patches will start producing losses may depend in large part on taking better care of the basketball and on Ray Allen getting his eye back.

1986 Cs Move to 11-2 with Win Over Knicks

Big Three Tally 70 Points, 29 Rebounds, 14 Assists, Three Blocks

Kevin McHale says the Boston Celtics have been together so long that they take their skills for granted. It took Bill Walton, one of the newest members of the team, to make him understand just how difficult it was to play against the towering Celtic front line.

"He told me that just when you get by one guy, there's another one there to block your shot," McHale said. "And when you think you've got position for a rebound, someone else reaches over you. It's tough. But it takes someone from the outside to come in and tell you before you realize it."

Patrick Ewing, who grew up across the Charles River from Boston in Cambridge, Mass., certainly realizes it now. He and the Knicks faced the Celtics for the first time this season last night at Madison Square Garden and lost, 113-104. Although the presence of the Celtics seemed to inspire the Knicks to some of their best basketball so far in this lackluster season, Ewing and his teammates eventually succumbed to the taller, stronger, and more talented Celtics.

Ewing, the Knicks' rookie, who was returning from a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss two games, struggled against a front line that not only included the 6-foot-11-inch McHale, the 7-foot center Robert Parish and the 6-9 Larry Bird, but also was fortified by the addition of Walton, the 6-11 veteran of 11 pro seasons.

Ewing missed six of his first seven shots, grabbed only four rebounds in the first half and was not the intimidating player who had run roughshod over opponents such as Atlanta, Phoenix and Seattle. Indeed for much of the game, he appeared dejected -an emotion that he had not shown before.

Wasn't Playing Well

"It wasn't just because my shots weren't falling," Ewing said after the game. "I wasn't playing as well as I would have liked to have been."

Ewing finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. The forward Pat Cummings, coming off his best performance of the season Friday night in Washington against the Bullets, added 20 points.

But their efforts paled in comparison to Parish, McHale and Bird, who is struggling with his shooting this season. The three combined for 70 points and 29 rebounds - 14 offensive - as well as 10 assists by Bird and four by McHale, who also blocked three shots.

"They just beat you to death," said Hubie Brown, the Knick coach.

The Knicks' primary strength in this game came from the backcourt, where Rory Sparrow exceled as a playmaker. He hit 12 of 14 field goals to score a season-high 27 points, which, when combined with his 13 assists and only one turnover in 39 minutes, proved to be his best performance of the season.

A fastbreak lay-in by Sparrow and a fadeaway 18-footer by Ewing tied that game at 76-76 midway though the third period. But over the next 2 minutes 38 seconds, the Celtics pulled away with a 12-2 surge - fueled by three turnovers and three missed shots in four attempts by the Knicks.Later Brown said those missed shots and turnovers "killed" his team.

The Knicks rallied once again in the final period, slicing a 12-point deficit to 102-96 on an offensive rebound dunk by Ewing with 5:18 left. But Ewing missed on his next two attempts and baskets by McHale and the guard Danny Ainge helped Boston increase its margin to 10, which proved insurmountable.

How Many Titles did Russell Win?

In "Russell Rules," Bill Russell writes:

I played basketball for twenty-one years. The teams I played for won 18 championships. From the day I began as a junior varsity player at McClymond's High School in Oakland to my last day as a player-coach for the Boston Celtics, winning was a way of life for me.

I've given this some thought. Others have given this some thought. As a group, we've all given this some thought.

It might be time to declare ourselves stumped.

The math necessary to get us to 14 is easy.

United States National Basketball Team, Gold Medalist
University of San Francisco 2 Titles
Boston Celtics 11 Titles

Then things get a little fuzzy.

The Boston Celtics web site indicates that Russell's High School team, McClymonds High School in Oakland, won three championships during his tenure.

What role did he play?

Well, NBA.com writes that Russell "was an awkward, unremarkable center on McClymonds' basketball team" who didn't become a starter until his senior year.

Ok, so he didn't play a huge role on his high school's three championship teams.

No biggie, right?

Still there is the matter of that 18th championship.

I'm only counting 17.

Someone postulated that his junior varsity team won a title, after which Russell was added to the varsity squad, and, thus, Russell in effect won two titles in one high school season.


Possible.


But check out this ESPN article noting that Russell was cut from his JV team during his junior year.

Do the Celtics Need More Punch off the Bench?

As I was channel surfing the other night, I stumbled across a Minnesota Timberwolves game. You Know Who was on the court. After about four minutes, Randy Whittman sent Al Jefferson back into the game.

Until Whittman made that move, I had forgotten Big Al was even on the Timberwolves roster.

Why?

Former employee #8 was dominating the game, rebounding, passing, scoring from the paint, shooting and making treys.

It was quite impressive.

His final numbers for the night were


42 9-17 2-2 4-8 2 3 5 3 0 1 24

He then followed up with a less impressive, but still noteworthy performance.

29 5-8 0-2 2-4 0 2 2 1 1 2 12

Clearly, Antoine Walker is motivated.

But motivated for what?

To get out of Minnesota, I suppose.

The Timberwolves are 1-10, and no number of Antoine Walker noteworthy games will change their final record much at all.

So who might he be auditioning for?

I'm sure he'd love to return to Boston for a shot at a ring he wanted to win while he was playing there.

Would Doc and Danny be interested?

My first question is would there be a need?

Let me answer in the form of a question:

Who is our first power forward off the bench?

If the answer is Brian Scalabrine, then you need to realize Doc just isn't giving him any PT. Last night he played 6 minutes against the Bobcats, in a game where the Cs could have benefited from a more productive bench. The night before Scalabrine played 11 minutes in a comfortable victory against the Lakers.

If the answer is James Posey, my question is Posey really an answer at the back-up 4? Last night he had 1 rebound in 24 minutes. Against the Lakers he had 5 rebounds. Could Mr. Wiggle do better? Maybe, maybe not.

But the Celtics sure looked flat last night, and Walker has been getting the Wolves second unit to play together with a little more spunk. Walker also has passing skills not possessed by Posey, meaning if Walker played intelligently he could be a threat to score or get easy baskets for his teammates. Even last night, with 22 team assists, the Cs could have used a little more ball movement.

The possibility of the Celtics re-acquiring Antoine Walker for a third time is at least intriguing.

Of course, there will be the inevitable questions: 1. How would he impact the team chemistry? 2. What would the Cs have to give up to get him, and, if nothing is the answer, would he agree to play for only one year? 4. Would we consistently get Antoine's A-game, like we did in the 2002 playoffs against Philadelphia? 5. Once the "Bad Antoine" reared his head, how long would he stay?

And then there is one final question:

If McHale bought out Antoine so he could resign with the Celtics, and this move put the Cs over the top, how long would it take before we heard louder whispers of conspiracy between McHale's old team and his not-so-new one?

1986 Cs Move to 10-2 with Win Over Sixers

McHale Leads Way


Sixers owner Harold Katz sounds like Boss Steinbrenner, Andrew Toney is in a cast, and we're told that Julius Erving and Bobby Jones have reserved a summer place on Golden Pond.

There is no season-long first-place chase, and tickets for Celtics -Sixers games don't command three-digit sums on the street anymore. The Philadelphia 76ers are just another .500 ball club this morning and have a worse record than the Atlanta Hawks.

Let's face it: It's still never easy for the Celts when the Sixers come to town, but some of the thrill is gone. Boston beat Philadelphia, 110-103, last night, but a once-cherished victory over the Sixers is now little different than a win over the Pistons or Bucks.

Kevin McHale (32 points, 11 rebounds), who was taught to respect his elders, said, "Probably people have better talent than them now, because of their age and injuries . . . but they still know how to win."

The good Doctor (21 points) exhibited his usual dignity, saying, "This is not a feeling I am used to or would like to get used to . . . But we'll eventually turn a corner. We are not a laughingstock team. You could see respect in their eyes. They know they have to play hard against us or they're gonna get beat."

Boston beat the Sixers without help from Dennis Johnson (attending his grandmother's funeral), and on a night when Larry Bird could only muster 11 points. Bird (5 for 16 from the floor) was on the bench for almost nine consecutive minutes when the Celts took the lead for keeps.

McHale (32 points) and Robert Parish (20 points, 12 rebounds) made up for the missing persons. McHale took Charles (Refrigerator) Barkley and the rest of Philly's little big men into the torture chamber, while the Chief (seven offensive rebounds) beat Moses Malone on the boards. Meanwhile, whiz kids Rick Carlisle and Sam Vincent gave a pleasant glimpse of Backcourt Future.

There was never a threat of a blowout. The Celts trailed for a good part of the evening, and it was 87-87 with seven minutes left when Boston took control with a 10-0 run.

Danny Ainge (18) started it with a shot-clock-beating backboard rattler from out top. Then McHale stole a Maurice Cheeks pass and Parish hit a pair of free throws. After Cheeks missed a free throw (awarded for an illegal defense on the Celts) and a jumper, Parish rebounded and Ainge hit a bomb at the other end. Doc picked up a rebounding foul after a Sedale Threatt miss, and Bird set up Parish for two more free throws. Jerry Sichting rebounded a Barkley (1 for 7) miss, and Bird scored on a baseline drive to make it 97-87 with 4:43 left. The Sixers called time.

Threatt cut it to six with a pair of jumpers, but McHale turned an offensive rebound into two free throws, and Boston led, 99-91, with 3:16 left.

Cheeks scored six straight for the Sixers, cutting Boston's lead to four (103-99). K.C. Jones called time with 1:20 left.

After the pause, McHale put a Bird miss back in, then blocked a shot by Cheeks. Bird rebounded and threw a touchdown bomb to Ainge to make it 107-99 with 57 seconds left. Ball game.

There was nothing especially clinical about the first 43 minutes. Proving that it's far easier to make layups than 18-foot jumpers, the Celts raced to a 10-2 lead. McHale torched Barkley, while Parish repeatedly went over flatfooted Moses for easy follow-ups. Boston had seven offensive rebounds (five by Parish) in the first five minutes. If the Celts hadn't started out shooting 5 for 16, they could have opened up a huge first-quarter lead.

Then the Celts went cold and the opportunistic Sixers fought back. Malone (21 points) went to the boards and Erving drove to the basket. Ainge missed three jumpers and one layup, Bird couldn't hit the ocean (those two were 0 for 9 in the quarter), and Sichting wiped out a row of photographers with an errant fast-break pass. The Celts seemed lost without DJ, scoring only one non-layup in the quarter. Vincent rescued Ainge with 1:04 left in the first. It was easily Sam's earliest appearance of the season.

Carlisle joined Vincent in the backcourt for the start of the second. They would be on the court again when the Celts turned the corner in the second half.

Cheeks and Malone led the Sixers to a seven-point lead (50-43), and Philadelphia settled for 56-51 at the half. Bird, Sichting and Ainge made three of 18 shots in the first two periods.

Ainge recovered with three buckets to start the third period. The Celts clawed back and regained the lead with a 7-0 drive - capped when Carlisle stole an offensive rebound and fed to Scott Wedman (12 points) for a second- chance jumper. Boston led, 82-78, at the end of three.

Bird and Parish were on the pine at the start of the fourth when Vincent and Carlisle teamed to run Boston's lead to 86-78, forcing a Philadelphia timeout.

After Bird finally reappeared, Philly fought back into it and tied the game on a line-drive jumper by Malone with 7:10 left. Then came the game-breaking Boston run.

Already Playing for Home Court Advantage

As I stroll down memory lane reading a series of books on the vaunted GREEN, I am reminded why the Celtics had so many 60-win seasons in the 1980s.

First, they were good.

Second, they had to.

To have a shot at home court throughout the playoffs, the 1980s Celtics teams had to shoot for 60 or more wins because the Lakers were a threat to win just as many, and even teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks had 60 win seasons.

It might seem a bit early to get caught up in who has the best record in the NBA, but before you poo-poo the idea too much, you might want to contrast the ease in which the Celtics win home games with the margin of victory in road games.

The Celtics are winning their home games by an average of 19.7 points, while their margin of victory on the road is less than 7.

Easy home games translate into fresher legs come playoff time. Teams forced to grind out every win in closely contested games will run out of gas more quickly, especially against foes who make short work of their opponents before playing the Celtics.

So if you are looking for something to worry about this early in the season, worry about home court advantage in the playoffs.

We have only a two-game, loss-column edge over Orlando in the East and one-game, loss-column lead over San Antonio and Phoenix in the West.

11-1

Cs Defeat Bobcats 96-95

KG goes for 23 pts, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks

Ray Allen closes the game out with a trey at the buzzer

The Shuttlesworth Shooting Slump

On November 12, 2007, Ray Allen had played five games and was shooting .575. After last night's 4-15 effort, Shuttlesworth is now shooting 42%.

In his last seven games, Jesus is shooting 38-112, or 33%. Below are his last seven games, most recent to oldest

4-15
5-15
7-18
5-15
4-14
6-18
7-17

The slump actually started in game 5, when Doc played him the entire 48 minutes. For the season, the 32-year-old Allen is averaging almost 40 minutes per game. Against the Bobcats, Doc played him 41 minutes.

Celtics-Bobcats

Jesus Needs to Break Out of His Slump



Doc Needs to Give the Bench some PT



Pollard Needs to Beat Up on Okafor



Jesus is shooting .443 on the year, after shooting over 57% in his first five games. He needs a break out game where he hits seventy-five percent of his shots on the night or better. The Bobcats top three scorers are two wings and a point guard. I say throw James Posey, Tony Allen, and Eddie House at them for extended minutes. Let's see what the bench can do.



The Bobcats only have one--count'em one--player averaging more than six rebounds a game. Let's throw Scot Pollard at him, wear him down, and destroy the Bobcats on the boards. Who knows, maybe even give Big Baby an opportunity to administer some abuse.



Doc, you're my early candidate for Coach of the Year.



But you need to trust the bench a bit more, and give the starters some blow.

Doc Steals a Play from General Patton

On December 16, 1944, the German army amassed 29 divisions along the Ardennes forest in Bastogne, Belgium. The goal was to impede American liberation efforts in Europe. The German offensive was initially successful, creating a large "bulge" in the Allied front (the battle was henceforth called the "Battle of the Bulge").

The Allies responded by ordering General George Patton to attack the Wehrmact, which had encircled the 101st Airborne Division.

How will you orchestrate the counteroffensive, General? Patton was asked.

"My strategy will be the same as always: kick the Huns back to Berlin."

And so he did.

Doc Rivers first test as a Celtics coach this season came at halftime of the game against Orlando, when the Magic's lead had "bulged" to 17.

As he entered the locker room, the players were already talking about making changes for the second half.

Doc cut them off.

"We are making zero adjustments. We’re just going to do our [original game plan] better and harder.” he said.

The Celtics then proceeded to outscore Doc's former team 61-46 in the second half.

True, the Celtics came up short. But the point of the exercise was that, for the most part, great teams need to play their game and let the other teams adjust. The Celtics didn't play their game in the first half, and before Doc was willing to make any adjustments, he wanted the players to demonstrate to themselves and everyone else that as long as they brought their 'A' game, the rest would fall into place.

The game did change. But the Cs had just dug themselves too big of a hole to escape from.

It remains to be seen whether the Cs are in fact a great team.

But in the spirit of General Patton, Doc knows the best way to find out.

An NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, and there will be time for plenty of adjustments later, including personnel moves, if necessary.

For now, let's see what we have.

Down Goes Kobe!! Down Goes Kobe!!

It's been so long since the Celtics have won a meaningful game against the purple, I decided we needed to honor the moment by going Old Skool.

Enjoy the video.

The Shuttlesworth Shooting Slump

On November 12, 2007, Ray Allen had played five games and was shooting .575. After last night's 5-15 effort, Shuttlesworth is now shooting .443.

In his last six games, Jesus is shooting 35%. Below are his last 6 games, most recent to oldest

5-15
7-18
5-15
4-14
6-18
7-17

The slump actually started in game 5, when Doc played him the entire 48 minutes. For the season, the 32-year-old Allen is averaging 39.3 minutes per game.

KENDRICK PERKINS: DA BEAST, DA MAN!!!

34 minutes

8-10 from the floor

5-6 from the line

9 boards

1 assist

1 steal

21 points

(Andrew Bynum? 4 points in 27 minutes)

Can You Imagine?

10-1

Cs Down Ls 107-94

Short of winning a championship, the only thing sweeter than beating the Lakers on our home court is beating them on their home court.

We'll have to wait for that pleasure until later in the year.

GAME NOTES:

Cs shoot 50.6%
Ls shoot 42.2%
Cs tally 31 assists
Cs commit only 12 TOs, force 15

box score

Dear KG and Jesus, about our rivalry with the Lakers…

I understand each of you probably joined our franchise with some of your own personal history with the purple. This is good. It will help get you in tune with the depth of our emotions.

My guess is that you also are familiar with the Celtics-Lakers rivalry of the 1980s. At different times, both of you have expressed a desire to make the new Garden a house of pain to opponents like the old Garden was in the past. This is good, too. It suggests that you understand the history underlying the franchise, and the Celtics franchise is nothing if not historical.

But please allow me to elaborate.

Let me begin with a brief overview.

Celtics fans hate the Lakers.

Pure and simple.

Every time the two teams play, the game represents a Battle for the Ages.

It started in 1960s when the Celtics played the Lakers for an NBA championship six times in eight years. Each time, the Celtics walked away with the bling. The Celtic family was proud of it's dominance, and the Lakers developed self-esteem issues, including an inferiority complex.

In short, we got in their heads.

In the 1980s the Celtics and Lakers renewed the rivalry, with the 1984 Finals presenting the battleground.

The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at the Boston Garden. In Game 2, the Lakers led 115-113 with 18 seconds left when Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass to score a game tying layup. The Celtics went on to prevail in overtime, 124-121. In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists.

After the game, Larry Bird said the Celtics played like "sissies," a clear attempt to light a fire under his teammates. Kevin McHale responded by clotheslining Kurt Rambis in Game 4, which the Celtics won in overtime. Before the game ended, James Worthy missed a key free throw that would have tied the game. Cornbread Maxwell got Worthy’s attention after the miss, and clutched his throat telling Worthy the Lakers were choking again.

The Celtics eventually won the championship, capturing games 5 and 7 at the fabled Boston Garden, which had no air-conditioning.

Pat Riley later blamed the series loss on the lack of air-conditioning, even though neither the Home nor Vistors locker room was so equipped.

In 1985 the Lakers finally managed to exorcise the ghosts that had been haunting them, winning the championship game on the parquet floor in Boston, 4 games to 2.

The first words spoken by Pat Riley after the win were “now they can’t mock us anymore.”

No one asked who "they" were.

The 1985 offseason began when Bill Walton called Jerry West, telling him that he wanted to play for the Lakers. “No thanks, Bill, I’ve seen your X-rays,” West said, referring to the 21 foot and ankle operations Mountain Man had undergone over the last 10 years.

Walton next called Red Auerbach, who, after consulting with Bird, brought Walton on board for the following season. The 1985-86 Celtics team is still considered by many observers to be the greatest basketball team of all time. On their way to 67 regular season wins, the Celtics crushed the Lakers twice, Walton playing a definitive role in both games.

The Lakers lost in 5 games to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, depriving the Celtics of the pleasure of beating the purple to win their 16th championship. At the time, several pundits opined that the Lakers had not given their best effort against the Rockets, knowing that humiliation at the hands of the Celtics awaited them in the Finals.

The 1986 offseason opened with a war of words. Walton reminded everyone that he gave the Lakers the first chance at signing him, while Laker guard Byron Scott responded by saying “Dr. Scholl (Walton) needs to spend more time worrying about his feet and less time worrying about the Lakers.”

As it turned out, Walton injured his foot while riding a stationary bike in August, which began a series of foot and ankle injuries that ended his career. Meanwhile, the Lakers acquired Mychal Thompson for basically nothing, and with the added depth the purple went on to win two more titles, but not before Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, and Robert Parish attempted to defend their 1986 championship, each one playing with a serious injury, McHale with a broken foot.

But this was not the end of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, nor the end of McHale’s role in it.

The Lakers spent most of the last 4 years offering just about anything and everything trying to and Kevin Garnett. This last summer Magic Johnson conceded that he thought they had "nabbed" The Ticket on two different occasions. When McHale traded him to Boston, Celtic fans were immediately reminded of what McHale said when he earlier had refused to trade Gugliotta to the Lakers.

“Believe it or not,” McHale said, “my job is not to hang more banners in Los Angeles.”

And this gets to the heart of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry.

The score right now is 16-14, Celtics.

After the Celtics last championship, the score was 16-9. Needless to say, the last five Laker championships have made us a little uncomfortable.

So we need you to treat tonight's game the same way the Celtics did during the 1985-86 season:

As the best vehicle for sending a message on the state of the health of the franchise.

We trust you'll do just that.

Are Celtics Fans this Obsessed?

All die hard Boston Celtics fans have taken their passion to extremes at one point or another. No doubt relatives have suggested that the all-consuming experience we call Celtic Nation is not healthy.

Well, I couldn't help but see a parallel in this story about the passion of a Beatles fan. And since KG has taken to calling his team "the Ceatles," I thought I'd share this column with you.

IF I hadn't called my ex-husband the last time a Beatle died, I wouldn't have had to do anything.

But I did track him down after George Harrison died in November 2001, which is when he learned that I was living in New York, which is when he asked me to take a letter to Strawberry Fields in Central Park and place it there with a single candle.

"How am I going to get the letter?" I asked."I'll e-mail it to you," he responded.I could have taken the letter to Central Park that day; the park was within walking distance of my office. Instead, I carried it in and out of the subway for days, wondering how on earth I was actually going to do what my ex-husband had asked me to do.

It's not because he loved the Beatles that I had loved him and thought I could spend the rest of my life with him. It's not that he was a track star or that he had blue eyes or that he was handsome and sweet-looking. It's not that his parents were the only people I knew who were still married. It's not that it was hard to fall in love with the gentlest boy I had ever known.It was because he was a special kind of different, not the kind who congregated with his friends in hallways and parking lots discussing the feebleness of others.

That was part of why I thought I could spend the rest of my life with him, the boy who became my best friend, the boy from a family where nobody gets divorced. I even thought I could spend the rest of my life with someone who listened to the Beatles too much.I tried to grow to love them, I honestly did, but it never really happened. In those years, the late 70's, there was plenty of other music around: Peter Frampton, the Commodores, the soundtrack to "Mahogany." But my husband didn't listen to my songs; instead, I listened to his -- every Beatles album over and over.

I figured that's what true love was, when you loved someone even when he played too many Beatles records too many times.When we heard the Beatles on the radio, I asked him why we bothered listening to them on the radio when we listened to their albums all the time. He said it was so we could hear them at the same time other people were hearing them.

Even when we moved from Kansas to California in a U-haul, it was one Beatles track after the other. If it wasn't "Abbey Road," it was the White Album, and if it wasn't the White Album it was "Revolver." The volume kept going up and up every time the radio played one of his favorite Beatles songs, which were pretty much all of them.I knew that I loved this man and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

What I didn't know was that most things change after you marry your high school sweetheart. And for us, just about everything changed: our jobs or lack thereof, our apartments, our cars, our wall hangings, our haircuts, our arguments, our love. But my husband's love for the Beatles never changed.A few days after George Harrison died, I said yes when a friend invited me upstate to her country house for the weekend.

The guests would include a French friend we knew from the time we all lived in Paris. As we drove north to the Catskills, I said nothing about the letter tucked away in my backpack.The last time the three of us had been together was in Paris, where our French friend still lived. He still had good looks and his sense of humor, he still talked with French seriousness, and he still called what he had H.I.V., although his legs called it AIDS.

He walked as if he had no trouble putting one foot in front of the other, and when he fell, he stood up quickly, even when his legs begged him not to.It was already another flawless weekend in the country. The first snow began to fall when the apples were still on their trees.For 36 hours inside and outside the farmhouse, we talked about everything under stars that could actually be seen.

I succeeded in keeping my Strawberry Fields dilemma to myself until we found ourselves in Black Horse Farms, a store in the town of Athens, which is where my friends found me in the candle section, which is where they asked me why I was buying a single candle.I finally told them about my ex-husband's letter and what he had asked me to do with it. I knew both of them well, and I figured I knew what their reaction would be, but I was wrong.

They wanted to go with me. And so it was arranged that the three of us would stop at Central Park on the way back to the city.AS we drove south, we watched the sun go down. Then there was fog, then the park. When we arrived, I suggested that my friends wait in the car. But all our car doors opened as the mist was coming down. It was not quite nighttime, although the sun had set long before. Instead, there was a glow, a Central Park glow. I was a little nervous.

But there I was entering Central Park on behalf of my former family, my husband of 20 years ago, the sweet boy with whom I had planned my entire life, and there I was with two unlikely members of the unlikely family I had never thought about planning.We continued forward, but because none of us had been there before, we didn't know what we were looking for.

Finally we saw a few people, quiet souls, along with other letters and other candles that had been deposited in a place called Strawberry Fields, in the gray mosaic circle called Imagine.The three of us walked around the circle together, wondering where the best place would be for my ex-husband's letter. Then they stepped back as I laid the letter on the circle of stones.

We lighted the candle, stayed a moment or two, then turned to leave. To say we all said some kind of prayer might be an exaggeration, but there were thoughts. "My Sweet Lord" kind of thoughts.As we left the park, above the light and the trees, we saw the same building in the same moment. The Dakota. The three of us continued walking, and the mist continued misting.

On our way home, we stopped at Times Square to buy some CD's. That night, we didn't talk as much as we listened. Other people listened with us too, and although I had listened to "Strawberry Fields" over and over before as an inexperienced lover, I must have heard it for the first time that night.

A few days later, I heard "Strawberry Fields" again on the radio. My ex-husband was right. It's better to hear something you love on the radio, because when you're listening, other people are listening too.