Connecticut Celtics fans rejoice! Your beloved team is returning to Hartford for the first time in nearly 14 years. Tickets went on sale Monday for a preseason game with the Toronto Raptors, which will be held at the XL Center on Oct. 14.
Former UConn star Ray Allen will come back home to lead his team along with Celtics megastars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The team has also recently signed NBA powerhouse Rasheed Wallace. The game will be the first in Hartford for the Celtics since a preseason game vs. the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 18, 1995.
Tickets are priced from $15 to $75, and can be purchased at the XL Center box office or through Ticketmaster.
LINK
14 years, huh?
It seems more like 20 years.
8.31.2009
McHale Drama Continues
July 1983
The quotes have been nice and the smiles have been wide, but the Celtics didn't completely achieve their objective in their War of the Greenbacks with the Knicks. New York fouled the master plan by matching Boston's offers to Rory Sparrow, Marvin Webster and Sly Williams.
Once the Knicks went after Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach and Harry Mangurian went after the Knicks. The Celtics' master plan, a tad Machiavellian, was as follows:
- Match any offer for McHale and keep him in Boston.
- Sign Sparrow, Williams and Webster.
- Keep Sparrow and deal Williams and Webster for draft choices. The Celtics reportedly had those deals set to go.
If that had happened, Boston would have picked up Sparrow, still would have had McHale and also would have obtained the draft choices (from the Williams-Webster trades).
New York, meanwhile, would have been decimated by not signing McHale, losing Sparrow, Webster and Williams, and having already allowed Paul Westphal to depart so that McHale could be signed. The Knicks then would be out four players from their rapidly improving '82-83 team for going after McHale. A heavy punishment, indeed, for attempting to snatch McHale.
But the Knicks counterpunched by matching Boston's offers for Sparrow, Webster and Williams. Still and all, Mangurian and Auerbach fared well and both the Knicks and McHale may be twisting in a warm wind this weekend.
What has soured the Celtics with McHale is that Mangurian and Auerbach thought they twice had agreements. In the famous "reneging" in Philadelphia, Mangurian shook hands with McHale on a deal only to learn the next morning that McHale now wanted a $1 million guarantee if he were traded. Mangurian supposedly told him that was a new condition and the deal, which Mangurian thought he had, was off.
Then, last week, the Celtics were told by John Sandquist, McHale's agent, that McHale likely would stay in Boston if they would extend their three-year, $1 million-a-year offer by another year. Auerbach and Mangurian reportedly thrashed it out and finally decided to do it, but when they called Sandquist to tell him they had a deal, Sandquist reportedly said that deal was off.
So here's the NBA scoreboard for the Fourth of July weekend: The Knicks are out Paul Westphal, stuck with Marvin Webster and have come out the worst in the journeymen Rudy Macklin-for-Sly Williams trade (besides, New York will be paying a healthy chunk of Williams' Atlanta salary) and both New York and Boston are unhappy with McHale.
And the Celtics are waiting for McHale to come home to roost.
Mangurian Finds Buyer for Celtics
July 1983
The next owner of the Celtics, barring any last-minute snags, will be Boston businessman Steve Belkin. Belkin already has the stamp of approval from current owner Harry Mangurian, who announced his plans to sell the team at a May 24 press conference at Boston Garden. "The sale is almost finished," Mangurian said last night from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Unless something unexpected comes up, the team will be sold within the next few days. We just have some minor details to work out."
The sale price is reportedly in the $12 million-to-$15 million range. Belkin spent the past five days conferring with Mangurian in Fort Lauderdale, and he must have made a good impression. "I think he'll be a perfect owner for the club," said Mangurian. "I was really impressed with him. He has substantial money, enough to own the team. He told me he's a longtime Celtics fan who really has been interested in the team."
The next owner of the Celtics, barring any last-minute snags, will be Boston businessman Steve Belkin. Belkin already has the stamp of approval from current owner Harry Mangurian, who announced his plans to sell the team at a May 24 press conference at Boston Garden. "The sale is almost finished," Mangurian said last night from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Unless something unexpected comes up, the team will be sold within the next few days. We just have some minor details to work out."
The sale price is reportedly in the $12 million-to-$15 million range. Belkin spent the past five days conferring with Mangurian in Fort Lauderdale, and he must have made a good impression. "I think he'll be a perfect owner for the club," said Mangurian. "I was really impressed with him. He has substantial money, enough to own the team. He told me he's a longtime Celtics fan who really has been interested in the team."
Not Too Many Things in this World
get me cranked up like the C's. But this just might be one of them.
Jo Jo's Number Hoisted
Two championship rings . . . a lifetime 21 points a game playoff scorer, four points a game higher than his regular-season average . . . sixth all-time Celtics' scorer . . . fourth all-time Celtics' assist man . . . And now, the 14th Celtics' player to have his number retired. Meet Jo Jo White.
Jo Jo's No. 10 went up to Rafter Heaven in a nice ceremony prior to last night's pennant-clinching game with the Nets. Present for the occasion were his wife, two children and parents, as well as his Celtics coach, Tom Heinsohn, and teammates Dave Cowens (a one-time roommate), Satch Sanders and Hank Finkel. Jo Jo, now an assistant basketball coach at the University of Kansas, his alma mater, played nine-plus seasons for the Celtics, participating in 717 of his 824 NBA games, but the one for which he will always be rightfully remembered was on June 4, 1976, the famed triple overtime playoff conquest of Phoenix. White was the only Celtic player to maintain a shooting touch throughout the grueling affair, canning seven of his final eight shots while scoring 15 of his 33 points in the overtimes.
The Celtics went into the game needing either a victory or a 76er loss last night in order to clinch their third straight Atlantic Division title, since in the event the Rte. 95 rivals had both done the same thing, the Celtics would have been guaranteed an edge in tie-breakers . . . The only other team in NBA history to win 60 games three years in a row was the Milwaukee Bucks of 1970-73 . . . Robert Parish's 36 points tied a personal season high . . . He had 16 points in the first period, which was a comedown from his last first period against the Nets. He had 18 points against them in the first period back on March 12. That night he had 26 by the half; last night he had 24.
After a glorious 15-game run, Larry Bird has ceased being Mr. Automatic from the outside. His 7-for-17 showing last night made him 18 for 50 in his last three games . . . M.L. Carr. a dandy 2-for-19 shooter in his two previous games, hit his first two shots quickly en route to an 11-point evening.
Olajuwon (college) Beats Bird (pros)
July 10, 1983
RENSSELAER, Ind.
Larry Bird went one-on-one against the University of Houston's Akeem Abdul Olajuwon yesterday and was outscored, 4-0. "I couldn't score on him today," Bird said after the short contest in the St. Joseph's College gymnasium. "But I'll guarantee you I'll score on him someday (in the NBA)."
The unexpected duel between the Celtics star and the 7-foot Olajuwon, who rejected a chance to turn pro and will to return to school in the fall, came at the B-C All-Star Basketball Camp.
Bird, a native of Indiana, was putting on a demonstration for about 400 high school players and 200 or so coaches in the gym. Suddenly, he turned to the seats and shouted, "Akeem, get down here. I want to use you a little bit."
Olajuwon came down to the floor and engaged Bird in a slam dunk contest. Then they went one-on-one, and Bird missed each of the half-dozen shots he attempted.
RENSSELAER, Ind.
Larry Bird went one-on-one against the University of Houston's Akeem Abdul Olajuwon yesterday and was outscored, 4-0. "I couldn't score on him today," Bird said after the short contest in the St. Joseph's College gymnasium. "But I'll guarantee you I'll score on him someday (in the NBA)."
The unexpected duel between the Celtics star and the 7-foot Olajuwon, who rejected a chance to turn pro and will to return to school in the fall, came at the B-C All-Star Basketball Camp.
Bird, a native of Indiana, was putting on a demonstration for about 400 high school players and 200 or so coaches in the gym. Suddenly, he turned to the seats and shouted, "Akeem, get down here. I want to use you a little bit."
Olajuwon came down to the floor and engaged Bird in a slam dunk contest. Then they went one-on-one, and Bird missed each of the half-dozen shots he attempted.
8.30.2009
8.29.2009
The Cowens-Era Celtics Deserve More Respect
The 1974 and the 1976 Celtics were my teams. I became a Celtics' fan on day one of the 1974 Finals. Cowens v. Jabbar. Celtics v. Bucks. The Bucks were the prohibitive favorites. The Celtics didn't stand a chance. That was enough for me. I'm rooting for the Celtics. The memories are so vivid that I even remember the pair of shoes my parents bought for me when we went out for dinner before game 1 started.
Until the 1985-86 season, the two best Celtics teams I ever saw were the 1974 and 1976 teams. The 1981 team was good, but didn't play basketball at a consistently high level. The 1984 team was fortunate to walk away with a banner. You could say the same thing about the 1974 Celtics, who won the championship only after going the full seven games, or the 1976 Celtics, who lost two in a row in Phoenix, and required three overtimes to keep them from going down 3-2, heading back to Phoenix. Still, the 1970s Celtics champions exuded excellence and superiority, and you expected them to win.
Case in point.
Watching game 5 last night, the first quarter began with a Celtics steamrolling their way to a 20-4 lead. Paul Silas, of all people, was leading the way. Fifteen footers, seventeen footers, driving layups. Silas was a man possessed. "Phoenix Suns coach John McCleod may have to reconsider his game plan if Paul Silas continues to assert himself offensively," said Rick Barry, who was providing color for the game. You can almost hear Mark Jackson echo those sentiments about Leon Powe during game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals.
Just when you figured the Celtics' run would stop, it continued. The Celtics began zipping passes around the horn, running give-and-goes, and pick-and-rolls, all the while Dave Cowens is dominating the glass on both ends. 36-18 at the end of one. One of the best exhibitions of pure basketball that I have ever seen, including the infamous 36-6 quarter against the Hawks in the 1986 Eastern Conference Semis. The 1970s Celtics' championship teams could hang with any Celtics' team in history.
Which is why it surprises me that neither the 1974 nor the 1976 team makes Bob Ryan's list of best Celtics' teams. Yes, the 1972-73 Celtics make the list. But, Bob, they didn't win the title! How do they make the list and neither the 1974 or 1976 teams do? Ditto for the 1985 and 1987 teams. I mean, come on.
Back to the Celtics-Suns game.
Midway through the second quarter, we see back-up center Jim Ard dipsy-doo his way through the paint for a finger roll. Someone tell me the name of a back-up center on the 1985 or 1987 squads who could do that (and don't say Bill Walton, cuz he was useless in 1987). A couple minutes later Glenn McDonald drains an 18-footer, nothing but net. But for McDonald's heroics in OT (he scored 6 points in the final two minutes of the third overtime. He also grabbed a defensive rebound, drew a foul, and sank to free throws to clinch the 128-126 victory) , the Celtics probably don't win the game. Using McDonald at the three allows Hondo to move to the back court. Hmmm. A 6-7 off guard with off-the-chart skills and a championship pedigree. I don't think the 1985 or 1987 teams had anything like that.
One of these two 1970s championship teams deserves a top-five mention in Celtics' lore. I don't care which one. But one of them deserves some love.
The KG Huddle Pic
The one thing that always struck me about this picture, and ones like it, is how much KG towers over all of the other Celtics. This year there will be another hand at the top, along with KG's, looming over the rest.
More on Red, McHale, and the Knicks
June 1983
1983-84 Boston Celtics
The quotes have been nice and the smiles have been wide, but the Celtics didn't completely achieve their objective in their War of the Greenbacks with the Knicks. New York fouled the master plan by matching Boston's offers to Rory Sparrow, Marvin Webster and Sly Williams.
Once the Knicks went after Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach and Harry Mangurian went after the Knicks. The Celtics' master plan, a tad Machiavellian, was as follows:
- Match any offer for McHale and keep him in Boston.
- Sign Sparrow, Williams and Webster.
- Keep Sparrow and deal Williams and Webster for draft choices. The Celtics reportedly had those deals set to go.
If that had happened, Boston would have picked up Sparrow, still would have had McHale and also would have obtained the draft choices (from the Williams-Webster trades).
New York, meanwhile, would have been decimated by signing McHale, losing Sparrow, Webster and Williams, and having already allowed Paul Westphal to depart so that McHale could be signed. The Knicks then would be out four players from their rapidly improving '82-83 team bu going after McHale. A heavy punishment, indeed, for attempting to snatch McHale.
1983-84 Boston Celtics
The quotes have been nice and the smiles have been wide, but the Celtics didn't completely achieve their objective in their War of the Greenbacks with the Knicks. New York fouled the master plan by matching Boston's offers to Rory Sparrow, Marvin Webster and Sly Williams.
Once the Knicks went after Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach and Harry Mangurian went after the Knicks. The Celtics' master plan, a tad Machiavellian, was as follows:
- Match any offer for McHale and keep him in Boston.
- Sign Sparrow, Williams and Webster.
- Keep Sparrow and deal Williams and Webster for draft choices. The Celtics reportedly had those deals set to go.
If that had happened, Boston would have picked up Sparrow, still would have had McHale and also would have obtained the draft choices (from the Williams-Webster trades).
New York, meanwhile, would have been decimated by signing McHale, losing Sparrow, Webster and Williams, and having already allowed Paul Westphal to depart so that McHale could be signed. The Knicks then would be out four players from their rapidly improving '82-83 team bu going after McHale. A heavy punishment, indeed, for attempting to snatch McHale.
8.28.2009
#30
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Cedric Maxwell changed to No. 31 in 1979-80 after wearing No. 30 two seasons. That's the number M.L. Carr wanted when he joined the Celtics - not only having worn No. 30 with the Detroit Pistons, but having jewelry and other mementos inscribed with it. "We negotiated a little," the happy Carr explained after prying Jersey 30 from Maxwell.
Red Outfoxes Knicks on McHale
June 1983
1983-84 Boston Celtics
It would appear that the Celtics have succeeded in their effort to prevent the New York Knicks from signing free agent Kevin McHale to a multimillion- dollar offer sheet.
The Knicks yesterday matched Boston's offers to forward Sly Williams and backup center Marvin Webster and appear to have bowed out of the McHale sweepstakes for now.
New York dealt Williams and his annual $450,000 salary to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard Rudy Macklin ($100,000 salary), but the Knicks have been unable to swap Webster and until they do, they're stuck with his $450,000, three-year contract.
"That knocks 'em out of the box," said a chuckling Red Auerbach. "We would have taken the players, but we knew they were gonna match, and if they keep one guy, they're out of the box. They can't even bid on him (McHale) at all, which is OK."
According to terms of the current collective bargaining agreement, the Knicks must stay within a $4.6-million salary cap this season. Two weeks ago, the Celtics acted to inflate New York's payroll by signing Knick free agents Rory Sparrow, Williams and Webster to whopping offer sheets. The Knicks ended up matching all three offers and are saddled with an extra $950,000 in salaries to Sparrow and Webster.
"No one's laughing at us now," said Auerbach.
John Sandquist, McHale's agent, said, "If they keep Webster, I would think that would make it different. I'm still waiting to talk to the Knicks. I haven't talked to them since last week. But I'm not worried . . ."
Three days ago, Sandquist said he was coming to New York this week and "either we'll do it or we won't."
"We aren't actively pursuing him anymore," said a Knick official. "I don't think we can make an offer with the cap being what it is. Hey, they were waiting around and we had to move forward. There is such a thing as painting yourself into a corner."
Sandquist's last contact with the Celtics was Sunday, when he rejected Boston's new offer. Auerbach blasted Sandquist Monday, saying, "We've been used." He added that any further negotiations will have to be initiated by Sandquist.
Sandquist said he has no plans to go back to the Celtics. "We know their plans," he said. "If the Knicks are no longer interested, we'll have to find out who has any interest."
The Celtics have offered McHale close to $1 million per year, but hewants a no-trade clause and the Celtics have thus far been unwilling to include such a provision.
"Money has never been the issue with Boston," said Sandquist. "The whole problem with the Celtics is that they've never assured us that Kevin would not be traded. They've not even come close to satisfying us on that."
Would the Celtics be willing to offer McHale a no-trade pact?
"I can't discuss that," said Auerbach. "It's a good question, but I can't discuss it."
1983-84 Boston Celtics
It would appear that the Celtics have succeeded in their effort to prevent the New York Knicks from signing free agent Kevin McHale to a multimillion- dollar offer sheet.
The Knicks yesterday matched Boston's offers to forward Sly Williams and backup center Marvin Webster and appear to have bowed out of the McHale sweepstakes for now.
New York dealt Williams and his annual $450,000 salary to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard Rudy Macklin ($100,000 salary), but the Knicks have been unable to swap Webster and until they do, they're stuck with his $450,000, three-year contract.
"That knocks 'em out of the box," said a chuckling Red Auerbach. "We would have taken the players, but we knew they were gonna match, and if they keep one guy, they're out of the box. They can't even bid on him (McHale) at all, which is OK."
According to terms of the current collective bargaining agreement, the Knicks must stay within a $4.6-million salary cap this season. Two weeks ago, the Celtics acted to inflate New York's payroll by signing Knick free agents Rory Sparrow, Williams and Webster to whopping offer sheets. The Knicks ended up matching all three offers and are saddled with an extra $950,000 in salaries to Sparrow and Webster.
"No one's laughing at us now," said Auerbach.
John Sandquist, McHale's agent, said, "If they keep Webster, I would think that would make it different. I'm still waiting to talk to the Knicks. I haven't talked to them since last week. But I'm not worried . . ."
Three days ago, Sandquist said he was coming to New York this week and "either we'll do it or we won't."
"We aren't actively pursuing him anymore," said a Knick official. "I don't think we can make an offer with the cap being what it is. Hey, they were waiting around and we had to move forward. There is such a thing as painting yourself into a corner."
Sandquist's last contact with the Celtics was Sunday, when he rejected Boston's new offer. Auerbach blasted Sandquist Monday, saying, "We've been used." He added that any further negotiations will have to be initiated by Sandquist.
Sandquist said he has no plans to go back to the Celtics. "We know their plans," he said. "If the Knicks are no longer interested, we'll have to find out who has any interest."
The Celtics have offered McHale close to $1 million per year, but hewants a no-trade clause and the Celtics have thus far been unwilling to include such a provision.
"Money has never been the issue with Boston," said Sandquist. "The whole problem with the Celtics is that they've never assured us that Kevin would not be traded. They've not even come close to satisfying us on that."
Would the Celtics be willing to offer McHale a no-trade pact?
"I can't discuss that," said Auerbach. "It's a good question, but I can't discuss it."
Rondo is Not an Elite Point Guard
LINK
After the first round of the playoffs last year, I thought the pundits universally preferred Rajon Rondo to Derrick Rose. Apparently, I was smoking something, because the above link says otherwise. Yes, Devin Harris made the All-Star team last year. Would I take him over Rondo? Sure, if Rondo were out with an ankle injury. Steve Nash? Come on. I mean, all you would have to do is watch one Celtics-Suns game from the last couple of years and its clear that Nash and Rondo aren't even in the same league. Nash is repeatedly embarrassed on defense and often ineffectual on offense.
Give me a fewking break.
One thing I do agree with:
Derek Fisher didn't break the top 20. Since he's not as good as Eddie House, Rondo's back-up, he doesn't belong in the top 20.
After the first round of the playoffs last year, I thought the pundits universally preferred Rajon Rondo to Derrick Rose. Apparently, I was smoking something, because the above link says otherwise. Yes, Devin Harris made the All-Star team last year. Would I take him over Rondo? Sure, if Rondo were out with an ankle injury. Steve Nash? Come on. I mean, all you would have to do is watch one Celtics-Suns game from the last couple of years and its clear that Nash and Rondo aren't even in the same league. Nash is repeatedly embarrassed on defense and often ineffectual on offense.
Give me a fewking break.
One thing I do agree with:
Derek Fisher didn't break the top 20. Since he's not as good as Eddie House, Rondo's back-up, he doesn't belong in the top 20.
1972-73 Player Stats
Name G Min Pts PPG FGM FGA FGP FTM FTA FTP RPG APG
John Havlicek 80 3367 1902 23.8 766 1,704 .45 370 431 .858 7.1 6.6
Dave Cowens 82 3425 1684 20.5 740 1,637 .452 204 262 .779 16.2 4.1
Jojo White 82 3250 1612 19.7 717 1,665 .431 178 228 .781 5.0 6.1
Paul Silas 80 2618 1066 13.3 400 851 .47 266 380 .710 13.0 3.1
Don Chaney 79 2488 1038 13.1 414 859 .482 210 267 .787 5.7 2.8
Don Nelson 72 1425 777 10.8 309 649 .476 159 188 .846 4.4 1.4
Steve Kuberski 78 762 345 4.4 140 347 .403 65 84 .774 2.5 0.3
Paul Westphal 60 482 245 4.1 89 212 .42 67 86 .779 1.1 1.2
Art Williams 81 974 263 3.2 110 261 .421 43 56 .768 2.2 2.9
Hank Finkel 76 496 184 2.4 78 173 .451 28 52 .538 2.0 0.3
Thomas Sanders 59 423 117 2.0 47 149 .315 23 35 .657 1.5 0.5
Mark Minor 4 20 5 1.3 1 4 .25 3 4 .75 1.0 0.5
I Apologize, Dave Cowens
Six jerseys hang on the wall in my basement, only one of which is from the 1970s Celtics. It belongs to John Havlicek. This is strange, because when I started playing basketball, I patterned my game after Dave Cowens. The first sports book I bought was a biography of Dave Cowens. If a magazine had Cowens on the cover, I bought it. So it is strange that in my older age, I no longer view Cowens with as much esteem.
After watching the first quarter of game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals, I remembered what happened. Five months after winning the NBA title against the Phoenix Suns, Cowens took a "Leave of Absence," turning his back on my beloved Boston Celtics.During the 1978-79 season, Cowens coached the Celtics, and then quit that job, too, after posting a 27-41 record. Before the 1980-81 season began, Cowens announced his retirement, turning his back on a team that this time was on the cusp of a championship. Finally, when Cowens decided to come out of retirement, he chose to play for the Milwaukee Bucks instead of the Celtics.
As it turns out, Cowens' had reasons to do what he did, good reasons. But as a kid, I didn't care about those reasons, all I cared about was the fact that he quit. No hero of mine was a quitter or a flake.Reflecting on his reasons for quitting today, I can hardly blame him. When the 1976-77 season began, his partner in the pivot, Paul Silas, had been replaced by yahoos Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe. When Cowens retired as a coach, he just couldn't take losing with such a sorry bunch of players on the roster. When he retired as a player the first time, he only had one good leg. And when he came out of retirement, after his injured leg started feeling better, the Celtics needed someone to guard Andrew Toney, and Quinn Buckner was the guy. As a result, Red Auerbach convinced Dave he'd be better off playing for Nellie in Wisconsin.
So, Dave Cowens, I apologize for holding a grudge against you over the last 30 years.
My bad.
What you did makes sense to grown-ups confronted by grown-up problems.
It just didn't make sense to a kid in his early teens.
8.27.2009
Does the Truth have an Understudy not Named Marquis?
Y'all are gonna start thinkin' I'm gettin' kickbacks from The Army (two hat tips in one day), but tonight The Army cites a source (Hollinger) who is of the opinion that Marquis Daniels is our back-up point guard and E.House our back-up 2. On defense, they'll switch assignments. I can live with this. I was watching some of game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals, and no matter how long I watched, I wasn't sure who was playing point, Jo Jo White or Charlie Scott. When they came out, Hondo moved back to the 2, and did most of the ball handling.
So it seems the Celtics have won LOTS-0-BANNERS with no conventional point guards on the roster (Did we have one in the 1960s after the Cooz retired?).
But the real news as far as I'm concerned is Hollinger's hint that Billy Boy Walker might get the nod at the back-up 3. Yeah, I'd like to see Giddens get a chance, but what I really want is an impact player. Hell, I'd even settle for TA, if somehow this happened to be the one year in his NBA career we could rely on him.
Since that won't happen, here's some love for Sky:
So it seems the Celtics have won LOTS-0-BANNERS with no conventional point guards on the roster (Did we have one in the 1960s after the Cooz retired?).
But the real news as far as I'm concerned is Hollinger's hint that Billy Boy Walker might get the nod at the back-up 3. Yeah, I'd like to see Giddens get a chance, but what I really want is an impact player. Hell, I'd even settle for TA, if somehow this happened to be the one year in his NBA career we could rely on him.
Since that won't happen, here's some love for Sky:
Why Didn't Doc use Ray Allen at the Point in the 2008 Playoffs?
On the few occasions when the Boston Celtics got down big during the 2007-08 NBA season, Doc Rivers deployed what I like to call the KG and the Four Guns lineup. It consisted of KG at the 5, James Posey at the 4, Pierce at the 3, Jesus at the 2, and E.House at the point. That lineup rescued us from a couple of memorable deficits, one of them being against the Lakers in game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals.
This year I'm excited to see whether Doc uses a modified version of this lineup, with Rasheed Wallace replacing James Posey at the 4. As I peruse Celtics' message boards, I see a few fans are anticipating a slightly different variation, with Perk at the 5, Sheed at the 4, KG at the 3, Pierce at the 2, and Ray Allen at the point. This is an interesting idea, and one I really like in certain situations (when we're down big or in a dog fight at the end of a game).
But if this is such a great idea, one might ask, why didn't Doc use Ray Allen at the point during the championship season?
It is a fair question, because like the championship season, the Celtics still only have five dependable jump shooters: Pierce, Jesus, KG, Sheed, and E.House. The reason that deploying a back court of Pierce and Allen this year might be more tempting is because Perk has established himself as one of the premier post defenders in the NBA, whereas in 2008 he was still a question mark. When a game is on the line, getting stops is no less important than scoring the ball. In fact, it might be more important in terms of grabbing control of the final minutes.
So keeping Perk in despite not being a jump shooter has its merits.
One objection is that you don't have the destructive one on the floor, Rajon Rondo. I agree that this is a problem. But if his jumper is still iffy this year, I'm not sure we can risk having him get the ball at the end of the game and being forced to shoot it because his defender is doubling someone else. Another objection is that Ray Allen isn't a point guard. No, he is not. But is he any worse a point guard than Danny, DJ, and Jerry Sichting in 1986? Is he a worse ball handler than Derek Fisher?
Bottom line is that this lineup will be a lineup Doc is tempted to use, and here's to hoping he succumbs to the temptation a few times.
This year I'm excited to see whether Doc uses a modified version of this lineup, with Rasheed Wallace replacing James Posey at the 4. As I peruse Celtics' message boards, I see a few fans are anticipating a slightly different variation, with Perk at the 5, Sheed at the 4, KG at the 3, Pierce at the 2, and Ray Allen at the point. This is an interesting idea, and one I really like in certain situations (when we're down big or in a dog fight at the end of a game).
But if this is such a great idea, one might ask, why didn't Doc use Ray Allen at the point during the championship season?
It is a fair question, because like the championship season, the Celtics still only have five dependable jump shooters: Pierce, Jesus, KG, Sheed, and E.House. The reason that deploying a back court of Pierce and Allen this year might be more tempting is because Perk has established himself as one of the premier post defenders in the NBA, whereas in 2008 he was still a question mark. When a game is on the line, getting stops is no less important than scoring the ball. In fact, it might be more important in terms of grabbing control of the final minutes.
So keeping Perk in despite not being a jump shooter has its merits.
One objection is that you don't have the destructive one on the floor, Rajon Rondo. I agree that this is a problem. But if his jumper is still iffy this year, I'm not sure we can risk having him get the ball at the end of the game and being forced to shoot it because his defender is doubling someone else. Another objection is that Ray Allen isn't a point guard. No, he is not. But is he any worse a point guard than Danny, DJ, and Jerry Sichting in 1986? Is he a worse ball handler than Derek Fisher?
Bottom line is that this lineup will be a lineup Doc is tempted to use, and here's to hoping he succumbs to the temptation a few times.
Best Series Ever? Puhleeease
Game 7. Eastern Conference Finals. 5:23 left in the game. A majority of the starters on both teams have been on the bench for the last three minutes. . . resting . . . knowing they'd need it cuz the last five minutes were gonna be like the rest of the series--hellacious. The two teams have been going hammer and tong all season long. They split the regular season series, 3-3. Now they are knotted at 3-3 in the playoffs.
The winner gets an invitation to the 1981 NBA Finals, and will be the prohibitive favorite against the surprising Houston Rockets. The Celtics trailed most of this game by a margin of 5-11 points, and currently trail by 7, 89-82. The starters return for both teams. Every possession the rest of the way is like a round of a heavyweight bout, Ali-Norton. The Celtics' offense scores 9 of the games' final 10 points, the defense preventing the opponent from scoring a single field goal in more than five minutes of play. The green goes on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 3, after once trailing in the series 3-1. Boston then plunders Houston in 6 games, hoisting banner 14 in the process.
There you have it. My submission for the best series ever. We won't even talk about the 1982 ECFs, where the Celtics again returned from the dead to tie a series at 3-3 after trailing 3-1, only to lose the 7th game at home. Nor will we talk about the 1974 NBA Finals, where the road team won five of the seven games, including the last four in a row. And of course we won't talk about any series not involving Boston.
Bob Ryan had this to say the 1981 ECFs:
As has been written approximately 173,464 times in the past week, only three other teams in NBA history had successfully extricated themselves from a 1-3 hole in a seven-game series. But in none of the other cases did the comebacking team win the three games it needed by margins of two, two and one points. In none of the other cases did the comebacking team continually rebound from serious deficits the way this Celtic team did in the past three games. It is neither a hyperbolic, nor an ethnocentric statement to contend that this was, without question, the gutsiest series comeback in the 35-year history of the world's foremost basketball league.
Now let's talk Bulls-Celtics. First round of the 2009 NBA playoffs. The winner goes on to lose in the very next round. The regular season Celtics-Bulls contests were a bunch of forgettable ho-hummers. The Celtics were playing the series without two of their top eight rotational players. And people thought this was the best series ever?
I just don't see it.
UPDATE
So that's where this post originally ended.
Now dig this:
The losing team won three games by two points.
One of the greatest players in the history of basketball shot a 14-foot free throw in the clutch.
A brash rookie waltzed in and took over the series.
An even brasher coach slugged the owner of the other team prior to one game.
A seven-game series came down to the final second of the second overtime when one of the most inventive and daring plays ever conceived failed because the best player on the team missed a shot he had made, and would subsequently make, umpty-ump zillion times in his career.
Welcome to the 1957 NBA finals, better known in Boston as World Championship No. 1.
We'll talk more about the 1957 Finals tomorrow.
The winner gets an invitation to the 1981 NBA Finals, and will be the prohibitive favorite against the surprising Houston Rockets. The Celtics trailed most of this game by a margin of 5-11 points, and currently trail by 7, 89-82. The starters return for both teams. Every possession the rest of the way is like a round of a heavyweight bout, Ali-Norton. The Celtics' offense scores 9 of the games' final 10 points, the defense preventing the opponent from scoring a single field goal in more than five minutes of play. The green goes on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 3, after once trailing in the series 3-1. Boston then plunders Houston in 6 games, hoisting banner 14 in the process.
There you have it. My submission for the best series ever. We won't even talk about the 1982 ECFs, where the Celtics again returned from the dead to tie a series at 3-3 after trailing 3-1, only to lose the 7th game at home. Nor will we talk about the 1974 NBA Finals, where the road team won five of the seven games, including the last four in a row. And of course we won't talk about any series not involving Boston.
Bob Ryan had this to say the 1981 ECFs:
As has been written approximately 173,464 times in the past week, only three other teams in NBA history had successfully extricated themselves from a 1-3 hole in a seven-game series. But in none of the other cases did the comebacking team win the three games it needed by margins of two, two and one points. In none of the other cases did the comebacking team continually rebound from serious deficits the way this Celtic team did in the past three games. It is neither a hyperbolic, nor an ethnocentric statement to contend that this was, without question, the gutsiest series comeback in the 35-year history of the world's foremost basketball league.
Now let's talk Bulls-Celtics. First round of the 2009 NBA playoffs. The winner goes on to lose in the very next round. The regular season Celtics-Bulls contests were a bunch of forgettable ho-hummers. The Celtics were playing the series without two of their top eight rotational players. And people thought this was the best series ever?
I just don't see it.
UPDATE
So that's where this post originally ended.
Now dig this:
The losing team won three games by two points.
One of the greatest players in the history of basketball shot a 14-foot free throw in the clutch.
A brash rookie waltzed in and took over the series.
An even brasher coach slugged the owner of the other team prior to one game.
A seven-game series came down to the final second of the second overtime when one of the most inventive and daring plays ever conceived failed because the best player on the team missed a shot he had made, and would subsequently make, umpty-ump zillion times in his career.
Welcome to the 1957 NBA finals, better known in Boston as World Championship No. 1.
We'll talk more about the 1957 Finals tomorrow.
Sheed as Older Wilt
With apologies to L.A., Cleveland and Orlando, the Boston Celtics improved the most over the off-season by signing Rasheed Wallace away from the Detroit Pistons. ‘Sheed, a primarily defensive player, joins a primarily defensive team.
--D.S. Williamson via Red's Army
It really is tough not to picture these two beasts--Sheed and the Ticket--underneath, working together, swatting balls out of the paint. Having familiarized myself with the 1971-72 Lakers, I was struck by the fact that one reason they were so good was that Wilt converted himself into a defense-first post player, a la Bill Russell. As much as we like to picture Sheed hoisting up three-balls late in the fourth quarter against the Ls, there won't be any need for him to do that if the Ls can't get past him, KG, and Perk during the first three quarters.
We don't need Sheed to score more than 6-14 points a game for us. We do need him to assert himself on D. From what I understand, he's been looking for a team to utilize him in this manner since he came into the league. Apparently, Sheed never wanted to be "the man" on offense. But he's always enjoyed playing D.
He's also starting to sound a little bit like a 7-foot James Posey.
--D.S. Williamson via Red's Army
It really is tough not to picture these two beasts--Sheed and the Ticket--underneath, working together, swatting balls out of the paint. Having familiarized myself with the 1971-72 Lakers, I was struck by the fact that one reason they were so good was that Wilt converted himself into a defense-first post player, a la Bill Russell. As much as we like to picture Sheed hoisting up three-balls late in the fourth quarter against the Ls, there won't be any need for him to do that if the Ls can't get past him, KG, and Perk during the first three quarters.
We don't need Sheed to score more than 6-14 points a game for us. We do need him to assert himself on D. From what I understand, he's been looking for a team to utilize him in this manner since he came into the league. Apparently, Sheed never wanted to be "the man" on offense. But he's always enjoyed playing D.
He's also starting to sound a little bit like a 7-foot James Posey.
Three More Titles before Kobe Retires: Really?
When you dedicate a six-part series to telling a group of fans that their team's most storied season wouldn't have happened but for the role of two players from their hated nemesis, you're bound to get a few responses, none of them kind. And so it was with my series entitled "It Took Two Celtics for the Lakers to Win Their First Title in LA." Lakers' fans really enjoyed me telling them that their team's hallowed 33-game win streak actually ended at 30 with a loss to the Celtics, except for the fact that the NBA needed to keep the streak alive for the Lakers' rematch with the defending champions, Milwaukee Bucks.
The real point of this post, however, is to focus on a particular claim made by Lakers' fans in response to the series. Very few even chose to comment about the 1971-72 Lakers' season. Instead, most comments took a pseudo-psychological angle, arguing that my series was motivated out of fear that the Lakers would soon reach 18 NBA championships (one more than the Celtics), perhaps more, before Kobe retires.
Really?
That's a lot of titles.
It took all the luck in the world for the Lakers to win three in a row early in the 2000s, and that was with the best big man in the league on their team. The first win over the Kings in the WCFs could easily have been an L. They won the title last year, but one of the series went to 7 games, and another required two OT victories by the purple. That doesn't sound like a team that has so far separated itself from the pack that it can start banking on more titles in the immediate future.
This year all of their rivals have gotten stronger, and Kobe's not getting any younger. Meanwhile, their own fans have spent the summer making fun of a bench that consists of Adam Morrison, Sashy Vigatooth, and Luke Walton. Even Andrew Bynum, once thought by Laker Nation to be a combination of Wilt, Shaq, and Kareem, has been criticized by Laker fans as overrated and mediocre. Lamar Odom did return. But is he really that much more consistent and reliable than the player Phil Jackson described as "lost and confused" during the 2008 NBA Finals?
Yes, the Lakers are the favorites to win. But the Boston Celtics were favored to repeat last year. Come to think of it, the Lakers were favored to win the 2008 NBA Finals. Funny how often the pundits and oddsmakers get that Celtics-Lakers thing wrong, huh?
The real point of this post, however, is to focus on a particular claim made by Lakers' fans in response to the series. Very few even chose to comment about the 1971-72 Lakers' season. Instead, most comments took a pseudo-psychological angle, arguing that my series was motivated out of fear that the Lakers would soon reach 18 NBA championships (one more than the Celtics), perhaps more, before Kobe retires.
Really?
That's a lot of titles.
It took all the luck in the world for the Lakers to win three in a row early in the 2000s, and that was with the best big man in the league on their team. The first win over the Kings in the WCFs could easily have been an L. They won the title last year, but one of the series went to 7 games, and another required two OT victories by the purple. That doesn't sound like a team that has so far separated itself from the pack that it can start banking on more titles in the immediate future.
This year all of their rivals have gotten stronger, and Kobe's not getting any younger. Meanwhile, their own fans have spent the summer making fun of a bench that consists of Adam Morrison, Sashy Vigatooth, and Luke Walton. Even Andrew Bynum, once thought by Laker Nation to be a combination of Wilt, Shaq, and Kareem, has been criticized by Laker fans as overrated and mediocre. Lamar Odom did return. But is he really that much more consistent and reliable than the player Phil Jackson described as "lost and confused" during the 2008 NBA Finals?
Yes, the Lakers are the favorites to win. But the Boston Celtics were favored to repeat last year. Come to think of it, the Lakers were favored to win the 2008 NBA Finals. Funny how often the pundits and oddsmakers get that Celtics-Lakers thing wrong, huh?
8.26.2009
Dangling Z's Expiring Contract as Trade Bait
If Danny Ferry has any hesitation about including Z and his expiring contract in a deal that addresses a long-term need for a the Cavs -- oh, like say a scoring power forward under the age of 30, exactly like the one in Indiana for example -- then this guy should be fired on the spot. Not only that, but he should be stoned in Public Square for ruining the franchise both as a player and as an executive.
--LINK
Hmm. This tends to concern me that the Cavs have such a big chip. You combine this with the number of teams trying to shed salary before the trade deadline, and it's almost scary.
--LINK
Hmm. This tends to concern me that the Cavs have such a big chip. You combine this with the number of teams trying to shed salary before the trade deadline, and it's almost scary.
A Few Minutes with KG
Rotation with MinutesAverage Minutes Per Game
Rasheed Wallace 14 Kevin Garnett 18 Baby 16
Kendrick Perkins 28 Rasheed Wallace 14 Baby 6
Paul Pierce 32 Marquis Daniels 10 BW/TA/Baby 6
Ray Allen 30 Marquis Daniels 12 Eddie House 6
Rajon Rondo 36 Eddie House 12
KG 18
Perk 28
Paul 32
Ray 30
Rondo 36
Sheed 28
Baby 24
Marquis 22
E.House 18
One response to my sky-is-falling series on KG yesterday was to suggest a scenario in which KG is healthy enough to play, but not healthy enough to play big minutes. So Doc brings him off the bench to play Walton-type minutes, 18-20.
Interesting idea.
The above chart indicates it could be done.
KG would come off the bench somewhere around the eight-minute mark of the first quarter and stay on the court for eight minutes. He'd play four more minutes in the third quarter, and then finish the game on the court, playing the last six minutes or so. The above chart also suggests Doc could go conservative with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace . . . if he was so inclined.
The other day Tanguay interviewed Sheed, and Sheed said that one reason he chose Boston is because Doc doesn't run his players into the ground. This year Doc needs to listen to his own sound bites. Not only would the health of our stars be better maintained by low minutes, but our chances for longer-term success next May and June would increase.
Now what are the chances that Doc pursues a plan of action anything like the above once the season starts? Personally, I think there is a chance KG comes off the bench even if he's healthy. There's nothing quite as deflating as watching your opponent's sixth man stroll over to the scorer's table knowing that he's better than anyone you have in your own starting lineup. On the other hand, if Doc preaches HOME COURT ADVANTAGE, and the importance of winning games to achieve it, well, I don't see him playing the stars conservative minutes and we're back to the 1980s, where KC Jones treated every regular season game like he was under siege at Vicksburg.
Talkin' Bout Practice
The date for Garnett's return to the practice floor is a tad hazier. "I don't have that date,'' said Ainge, the Celtics general manager. "I'm actually meeting with my medical staff (today) to get some updates. But the last (update) I got before the weekend was that he's doing great."
--SLAM
June 24, 2009
Ok. So that was over two months ago. Can we get an update?
--SLAM
June 24, 2009
Ok. So that was over two months ago. Can we get an update?
1972-73 Team Splits
Home/Road
Split W L PF PA PCT
Home 35 6 4695 4262 .854
Away 33 8 4543 4304 .805
By Month
Split W L PF PA PCT
OCT 9 0 1011 913 1.000
NOV 9 3 1342 1237 .750
DEC 11 3 1567 1434 .786
JAN 12 3 1741 1574 .800
FEB 12 4 1717 1678 .750
MAR 15 1 1860 1730 .938
APR 0 0 0 0 .000
By Opponent
Split W L PF PA PCT
ATL 5 1 718 650 .833
BAL 5 1 657 606 .833
BUF 7 0 799 743 1.000
CHI 3 1 406 400 .750
CLE 5 1 646 563 .833
DET 3 1 452 431 .750
GSW 3 1 468 443 .750
HOU 5 1 728 676 .833
KCK 3 1 438 414 .750
LAL 4 0 446 425 1.000
MIL 2 2 422 397 .500
NYK 4 4 845 840 .500
PHI 7 0 796 721 1.000
PHO 4 0 466 425 1.000
POR 4 0 478 427 1.000
SEA 4 0 473 405 1.000
Close(<4)>11 points)
Split W L PF PA PCT
Close Games 7 5 1266 1265 .583
One Sided 30 1 3712 3180 .968
8.25.2009
McHale's Agent Meets with Knicks
June 1983
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Kevin McHale's agent, John Sandquist, met with Knicks officials in New York late last night.
The Knicks are expected to offer McHale a four-year pact worth $150,000 a year with a $3-million signing bonus, but as of yesterday afternoon no offer sheet had been drawn up. Both Sandquist and McHale said they expect to get figures from the Knicks this week.
Yesterday's meeting, which originally was scheduled for late afternoon, was changed to 11 p.m. when Knicks officials were detained elsewhere.
McHale has indicated that he will present New York's offer to the Celtics before signing an offer sheet, and Sandquist is expected to talk with Boston general manager Red Auerbach after the meeting. McHale must sign any offer sheet in person, and is presently driving to Minnesota, where he will spend the summer.
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Kevin McHale's agent, John Sandquist, met with Knicks officials in New York late last night.
The Knicks are expected to offer McHale a four-year pact worth $150,000 a year with a $3-million signing bonus, but as of yesterday afternoon no offer sheet had been drawn up. Both Sandquist and McHale said they expect to get figures from the Knicks this week.
Yesterday's meeting, which originally was scheduled for late afternoon, was changed to 11 p.m. when Knicks officials were detained elsewhere.
McHale has indicated that he will present New York's offer to the Celtics before signing an offer sheet, and Sandquist is expected to talk with Boston general manager Red Auerbach after the meeting. McHale must sign any offer sheet in person, and is presently driving to Minnesota, where he will spend the summer.
Can the C's Win Banner 18 Next June with Rasheed but No KG?
Yesterday I poked fun at the Lakers' bench. Well, let's be honest. I poked fun at everyone on the Lakers except Kobe and Gasoft. Little did I know that Sashy Vigatooth had been cut from the Slovenian National Team. Yikes. Now that's the Vigatooth I know and love. The guy who showed up in the second half of game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals? Never saw him before, haven't seen him since. Good luck trading him, Adam Morrison, or Luke Walton. Then again, Chris Wallace still manages an NBA team, right?
If the Lakers' won the 2009 championship with that bench, and that bench really hasn't improved one iota, the question becomes whether the Celtics could have won the championship last year with Rasheed Wallace on their playoff roster (caught you, you thought I was going to ask whether they could have won it with a healthy KG, but noooooooooooo!!!!). This seems like a timely question, because today is Kevin-Garnett-Knee Day on my blog, a day that will probably be repeated, at least spiritually, until I get proof his knee is indeed 100%.
I don't know the answer to my question, but we may find out the answer this year. Suppose KG isn't healthy or doesn't stay healthy and is unavailable (God forbid) for the 2009-10 NBA Playoffs. Further suppose that everyone else on the Celtics' roster is healthy for the playoffs. Do the Celtics have a chance to win it all? Well, the Cavs and the Magic have gotten stronger, while the Spurs may or may not have gotten strong enough to supplant the Fakers. My first thought would be, no, the Celtics couldn't beat the Magic or the Cavs in a 7-game series. But wait a second.
The Celtics took the Magic to 7 games last spring without KG, and now we're talking about adding Rasheed Wallace. We've also added Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams. These guys were meant to replace Tony Allen and Mikki Moore, two non-contributors from the playoffs last year. The Magic meanwhile lost Hedo Turkoglu, replacing him with the unpredictable Vince Carter. They also made some other additions. I might give the Magic an edge, but then again, I might not. We'd need to see how things played out. The Cavs also appeared to improve on paper. We never win in Cleveland. So the edge here would go to Cleveland, but still a slight edge and not one we can fully evaluate until we see how the two teams match up.
Here's the kicker:
Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, Shelden Williams, and Eddie House are on the last year of their contracts. Bill Walker and JR Giddens have team options for next year. Glen Davis is signed for reasonable money over two years. That sounds like a package of contracts we could deal for an impact player in the event KG isn't healthy. Plus, the Celtics have next year's first rounder to deal.
So while I count myself as a worshipper at the House of Garnett, and will remain optimistic about his health until the evidence proves otherwise, I'm not going equate our title hopes with Garnett's health or close the door on banner 18 because Garnett's health is iffy.
Most of you won't agree. But my equilibrium will be steadier if I take this approach.
If the Lakers' won the 2009 championship with that bench, and that bench really hasn't improved one iota, the question becomes whether the Celtics could have won the championship last year with Rasheed Wallace on their playoff roster (caught you, you thought I was going to ask whether they could have won it with a healthy KG, but noooooooooooo!!!!). This seems like a timely question, because today is Kevin-Garnett-Knee Day on my blog, a day that will probably be repeated, at least spiritually, until I get proof his knee is indeed 100%.
I don't know the answer to my question, but we may find out the answer this year. Suppose KG isn't healthy or doesn't stay healthy and is unavailable (God forbid) for the 2009-10 NBA Playoffs. Further suppose that everyone else on the Celtics' roster is healthy for the playoffs. Do the Celtics have a chance to win it all? Well, the Cavs and the Magic have gotten stronger, while the Spurs may or may not have gotten strong enough to supplant the Fakers. My first thought would be, no, the Celtics couldn't beat the Magic or the Cavs in a 7-game series. But wait a second.
The Celtics took the Magic to 7 games last spring without KG, and now we're talking about adding Rasheed Wallace. We've also added Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams. These guys were meant to replace Tony Allen and Mikki Moore, two non-contributors from the playoffs last year. The Magic meanwhile lost Hedo Turkoglu, replacing him with the unpredictable Vince Carter. They also made some other additions. I might give the Magic an edge, but then again, I might not. We'd need to see how things played out. The Cavs also appeared to improve on paper. We never win in Cleveland. So the edge here would go to Cleveland, but still a slight edge and not one we can fully evaluate until we see how the two teams match up.
Here's the kicker:
Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, Shelden Williams, and Eddie House are on the last year of their contracts. Bill Walker and JR Giddens have team options for next year. Glen Davis is signed for reasonable money over two years. That sounds like a package of contracts we could deal for an impact player in the event KG isn't healthy. Plus, the Celtics have next year's first rounder to deal.
So while I count myself as a worshipper at the House of Garnett, and will remain optimistic about his health until the evidence proves otherwise, I'm not going equate our title hopes with Garnett's health or close the door on banner 18 because Garnett's health is iffy.
Most of you won't agree. But my equilibrium will be steadier if I take this approach.
KG's Knee: One Injury or Two?
It is important to note that this surgery was not intended to correct the problem that sidelined him for all but four games from the end of February to the playoffs. The tendon issue requires rest and rehab, while the bone spurs were - according to Rivers - a lingering issue from the start of the season that needed to be taken care of eventually.
May 26, 2009
--Scott Souza
KG very well could have played the entire season with bone spurs. The spurs cause pain, but players play through them all the time. It was the strained popliteus tendon in KG’s knee on top of the spurs that hiked the pain up to a level at which KG could no longer play effectively.
May 28th, 2009
--CelticsHub
The truth, according to Grousbeck, is the team's medical staff knew exactly what it would find during the operation on Garnett's knee last week. Though Danny Ainge, the executive director of basketball operations, said last week that surgeons ``did not have to touch'' the tendon during arthroscopic surgery, the inflamed muscle indeed was caused by the bone spur, according to Grousbeck.Though everyone from Ainge to Doc Rivers intimated during the playoffs that the two knee issues may not be related - that the inflamed tendon somehow was independent of the bone spur - the Celtics managing partner said everyone knew the truth.``There was no mystery about the problem,'' he said. ``The only mystery was how (Garnett) was going to be able to do something on it. We just didn't feel like sharing that with the media at the time.
May 31, 2009
--Boston Herald
We missed Kevin Garnett's leadership on the court," Ainge said. "I don't think (his knee) was real serious. I think it was painful, but I don't think it was real serious. There's nothing structurally wrong. He just had a pretty-good sized bone chip removed from the back of his knee. He's already feeling better, and we expect him to be back to 100 percent within the next couple of months.
June 11, 2009
--Sid Hartman
I guess the good news in all this is that KG's tendon problem was caused by the bone spurs that are now gone and he should be able to heal now and be healthy for next season. That is, of course, if Wyc is telling us the truth now. That's one thing about the organization that cries wolf. You don't know what to believe any more.
--Florida Celts Fan
The 2008-09 NBA season is over. The 2009-10 season began the day KG had surgery to remove the bone spurs. For some members of the Celtics' organization, being "Belichickian" about the nature of the Ticket's knee injury served a purpose. I'm not sure what it was, and I no longer care. With the first day of training camp just around the corner, it would be nice if some member of the news media--you know, those guys paid to be investigative journalists--might supply the fans with some long needed information & clarification about the state of the Franchise--Kevin Garnett. We're the ones who pay the salaries and keep the electricity running on Causeway Street. Remember?
Enough with the meaningless generalities. We want timelines, progress reports, future milestones, and potential road hazards and obstacles. Give us something substantive.
May 26, 2009
--Scott Souza
KG very well could have played the entire season with bone spurs. The spurs cause pain, but players play through them all the time. It was the strained popliteus tendon in KG’s knee on top of the spurs that hiked the pain up to a level at which KG could no longer play effectively.
May 28th, 2009
--CelticsHub
The truth, according to Grousbeck, is the team's medical staff knew exactly what it would find during the operation on Garnett's knee last week. Though Danny Ainge, the executive director of basketball operations, said last week that surgeons ``did not have to touch'' the tendon during arthroscopic surgery, the inflamed muscle indeed was caused by the bone spur, according to Grousbeck.Though everyone from Ainge to Doc Rivers intimated during the playoffs that the two knee issues may not be related - that the inflamed tendon somehow was independent of the bone spur - the Celtics managing partner said everyone knew the truth.``There was no mystery about the problem,'' he said. ``The only mystery was how (Garnett) was going to be able to do something on it. We just didn't feel like sharing that with the media at the time.
May 31, 2009
--Boston Herald
We missed Kevin Garnett's leadership on the court," Ainge said. "I don't think (his knee) was real serious. I think it was painful, but I don't think it was real serious. There's nothing structurally wrong. He just had a pretty-good sized bone chip removed from the back of his knee. He's already feeling better, and we expect him to be back to 100 percent within the next couple of months.
June 11, 2009
--Sid Hartman
I guess the good news in all this is that KG's tendon problem was caused by the bone spurs that are now gone and he should be able to heal now and be healthy for next season. That is, of course, if Wyc is telling us the truth now. That's one thing about the organization that cries wolf. You don't know what to believe any more.
--Florida Celts Fan
The 2008-09 NBA season is over. The 2009-10 season began the day KG had surgery to remove the bone spurs. For some members of the Celtics' organization, being "Belichickian" about the nature of the Ticket's knee injury served a purpose. I'm not sure what it was, and I no longer care. With the first day of training camp just around the corner, it would be nice if some member of the news media--you know, those guys paid to be investigative journalists--might supply the fans with some long needed information & clarification about the state of the Franchise--Kevin Garnett. We're the ones who pay the salaries and keep the electricity running on Causeway Street. Remember?
Enough with the meaningless generalities. We want timelines, progress reports, future milestones, and potential road hazards and obstacles. Give us something substantive.
1972-73 Game Log
Date Team Opponent Score W-L
10/11/1972 BOS at Detroit Pistons 121 - 108 1 - 0
10/13/1972 BOS Los Angeles Lakers 112 - 104 2 - 0
10/14/1972 BOS at Chicago Bulls 96 - 88 3 - 0
10/17/1972 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 119 - 115 4 - 0
10/20/1972 BOS Buffalo Braves 126 - 118 5 - 0
10/21/1972 BOS at Baltimore Bullets 104 - 101 6 - 0
10/23/1972 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 105 - 85 7 - 0
10/24/1972 BOS at Buffalo Braves 105 - 97 8 - 0
10/27/1972 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 123 - 97 9 - 0
11/3/1972 BOS Baltimore Bullets 109 - 96 10 - 0
11/4/1972 BOS Kansas City Kings 107 - 118 10 - 1
11/8/1972 BOS Golden State Warriors 128 - 111 11 - 1
11/10/1972 BOS at Buffalo Braves 106 - 104 12 - 1
11/11/1972 BOS Detroit Pistons 121 - 118 13 - 1
11/15/1972 BOS Phoenix Suns 113 - 94 14 - 1
11/17/1972 BOS Milwaukee Bucks 88 - 95 14 - 2
11/21/1972 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 116 - 102 15 - 2
11/22/1972 BOS Portland Trailblazers 126 - 107 16 - 2
11/24/1972 BOS New York Knicks 114 - 97 17 - 2
11/25/1972 BOS at New York Knicks 94 - 97 17 - 3
11/29/1972 BOS Seattle Supersonics 120 - 98 18 - 3
12/1/1972 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 105 - 99 19 - 3
12/2/1972 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 131 - 120 20 - 3
12/8/1972 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 96 - 87 21 - 3
12/9/1972 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 123 - 88 22 - 3
12/13/1972 BOS at Phoenix Suns 105 - 100 23 - 3
12/15/1972 BOS at Los Angeles Lakers 102 - 98 24 - 3
12/16/1972 BOS at Portland Trailblaze 123 - 116 25 - 3
12/17/1972 BOS at Seattle Supersonics 123 - 98 26 - 3
12/19/1972 BOS at Golden State Warrio 112 - 115 26 - 4
12/22/1972 BOS at Kansas City Kings 118 - 90 27 - 4
12/23/1972 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 98 - 104 27 - 5
12/26/1972 BOS New York Knicks 115 - 106 28 - 5
12/29/1972 BOS Chicago Bulls 99 - 106 28 - 6
12/30/1972 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 117 - 107 29 - 6
1/2/1973 BOS at Houston Rockets 130 - 110 30 - 6
1/3/1973 BOS at Houston Rockets 112 - 123 30 - 7
1/5/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 126 - 108 31 - 7
1/7/1973 BOS at Baltimore Bullets 116 - 98 32 - 7
1/10/1973 BOS Houston Rockets 128 - 107 33 - 7
1/12/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 133 - 109 34 - 7
1/13/1973 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 111 - 95 35 - 7
1/16/1973 BOS at Buffalo Braves 106 - 102 36 - 7
1/17/1973 BOS Portland Trailblazers 117 - 99 37 - 7
1/19/1973 BOS Seattle Supersonics 124 - 104 38 - 7
1/21/1973 BOS Buffalo Braves 104 - 97 39 - 7
1/26/1973 BOS Houston Rockets 139 - 126 40 - 7
1/27/1973 BOS at New York Knicks 108 - 111 40 - 8
1/28/1973 BOS New York Knicks 93 - 96 40 - 9
1/31/1973 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 94 - 89 41 - 9
2/2/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 99 - 100 41 - 10
2/3/1973 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 104 - 100 42 - 10
2/4/1973 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 123 - 115 43 - 10
2/6/1973 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 105 - 110 43 - 11
2/7/1973 BOS Los Angeles Lakers 113 - 112 44 - 11
2/9/1973 BOS Detroit Pistons 95 - 104 44 - 12
2/11/1973 BOS Milwaukee Bucks 120 - 96 45 - 12
2/13/1973 BOS at Chicago Bulls 105 - 101 46 - 12
2/14/1973 BOS at Kansas City Kings 104 - 101 47 - 12
2/16/1973 BOS at Portland Trailblaze 112 - 105 48 - 12
2/17/1973 BOS at Golden State Warrio 110 - 106 49 - 12
2/18/1973 BOS at Seattle Supersonics 106 - 105 50 - 12
2/20/1973 BOS Phoenix Suns 107 - 97 51 - 12
2/25/1973 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 105 - 92 52 - 12
2/27/1973 BOS at New York Knicks 91 - 123 52 - 13
2/28/1973 BOS Golden State Warriors 118 - 111 53 - 13
3/2/1973 BOS at Detroit Pistons 115 - 101 54 - 13
3/4/1973 BOS Buffalo Braves 125 - 113 55 - 13
3/6/1973 BOS at Buffalo Braves 127 - 112 56 - 13
3/8/1973 BOS at Phoenix Suns 141 - 134 57 - 13
3/9/1973 BOS at Los Angeles Lakers 119 - 111 58 - 13
3/11/1973 BOS New York Knicks 122 - 107 59 - 13
3/14/1973 BOS Baltimore Bullets 111 - 107 60 - 13
3/16/1973 BOS at Baltimore Bullets 97 - 103 60 - 14
3/18/1973 BOS Kansas City Kings 109 - 105 61 - 14
3/20/1973 BOS Houston Rockets 94 - 89 62 - 14
3/21/1973 BOS Chicago Bulls 106 - 105 63 - 14
3/23/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 124 - 108 64 - 14
3/24/1973 BOS at New York Knicks 108 - 103 65 - 14
3/25/1973 BOS at Houston Rockets 125 - 121 66 - 14
3/27/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 117 - 110 67 - 14
3/28/1973 BOS Baltimore Bullets 120 - 101 68 - 14
1973 Playoffs
Date Team Opponent Score W-L
Eastern Semifinals
4/1/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 134 - 109 1 - 0
4/4/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 126 - 113 2 - 0
4/6/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 105 - 118 2 - 1
4/8/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 94 - 97 2 - 2
4/11/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 108 - 101 3 - 2
4/13/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 121 - 103 4 - 2
Eastern Finals
4/15/1973 BOS New York Knicks 134 - 108 1 - 0
4/18/1973 BOS at New York Knicks 96 - 129 1 - 1
4/20/1973 BOS New York Knicks 91 - 98 1 - 2
4/22/1973 BOS at New York Knicks 110 - 117 1 - 3
4/25/1973 BOS New York Knicks 98 - 97 2 - 3
4/27/1973 BOS at New York Knicks 110 - 100 3 - 3
4/29/1973 BOS New York Knicks 78 - 94 3 - 4
8.24.2009
The Bill Walton Watch Revisited with KG?
I did my best to chronicle the long, strange end to Bill Walton's career as a Celtic and NBA player. Long story short, Celtic Nation was on pins and needles from August 1986, when Walton hurt himself riding an exercise bike, until the end of the 1988 season, when his long anticipated comeback never came to pass. In the middle, we all waited with baited breath for any news about Bill Walton. Someone saw him walking around at a mall? OMG. He's gonna be practicing any day now! KC Jones said Walton unexpectedly showed up at practice and participated for 20 minutes? It's over. Hoist up banner 17!
Over the last several months, we've heard a few different things about KG and his knee. I'll talk about that in the next post. Until then, we know Danny said KG would be 100% come training camp, KG said his recovery was ahead of schedule, and the Ticket is predicting back-to-back championships over the next two years, and that was before we acquired Sheed. The problem is all of this is just a bunch of hot air, and quickly can be changed by a simple declarative sentence uttered by Doc:
I don't like his gait.
At which point, the Bill Walton Watch returns to Beantown.
Before that happens, I have a few questions:
1. If we know now that KG will be 100% when camp opens in October, then when is he scheduled to start practicing?
2. Once he starts practicing, when will he be able to start scrimmaging?
3. After the scrimmages begin, at what point is he expected to hit full speed?
Again, we know (reportedly) that KG will be 100% when camp starts in October. So there is a timeline. There must be a timeline. Why hasn't anyone in the media determined what it is?
Over the last several months, we've heard a few different things about KG and his knee. I'll talk about that in the next post. Until then, we know Danny said KG would be 100% come training camp, KG said his recovery was ahead of schedule, and the Ticket is predicting back-to-back championships over the next two years, and that was before we acquired Sheed. The problem is all of this is just a bunch of hot air, and quickly can be changed by a simple declarative sentence uttered by Doc:
I don't like his gait.
At which point, the Bill Walton Watch returns to Beantown.
Before that happens, I have a few questions:
1. If we know now that KG will be 100% when camp opens in October, then when is he scheduled to start practicing?
2. Once he starts practicing, when will he be able to start scrimmaging?
3. After the scrimmages begin, at what point is he expected to hit full speed?
Again, we know (reportedly) that KG will be 100% when camp starts in October. So there is a timeline. There must be a timeline. Why hasn't anyone in the media determined what it is?
Knicks Prepared to Make McHale Big Offer
June 1983
1983-84 Boston Celtics
The New York Knicks are prepared to sign Celtic free agent forward Kevin McHale to an "unmatchable" offer sheet tomorrow.
McHale's agent, John Sandquist, will meet with Knicks officials here tomorrow, and it's expected McHale will sign an offer sheet with New York before the end of the week.
Celtics owner Harry Mangurian, who signed three Knicks to offer sheets last week in an obvious attempt to block New York, has maintained that he will match any offer sheet McHale signs, but the Knicks think they have one that Mangurian will be unable to swallow.
According to sources in New York and Boston, McHale will be offered a four-year, $3.6-million pact calling for an immediate bonus of $3 million in cash, plus an annual salary of $150,000 for each of the next four years. In order to match the offer, Mangurian would have to give McHale $3 million in cash immediately. The Knicks don't think Mangurian has the money to match the offer, and it's obvious that it would be difficult to recover the cash if Mangurian tried to trade McHale after matching such an offer.
Alluding to the vast resources of Gulf & Western, the parent company of the Knicks, one New York team official said, "We have the cash, and that's a big advantage. Boston won't be able to match it, and, even if they could, McHale would be untradeable."
Mangurian, reached at his home in Florida, said, "They are predators that have an utter disregard for money. They are such a giant conglomerate, and everything they've done they've lost money on. They just do it to entertain guests from Gulf & Western. It's very discouraging."
Spread over four years, the Knicks would be paying McHale an average of $900,000 per season, which will keep them within the bounds of their $4.6- million salary cap for 1983-84.
However, New York's offer sheet may be in violation of the new collective- bargaining agreement. Asked about the legality of what New York will propose, Russ Granik, general counsel of the NBA, said, "If the bonus were so out of line with normal practices relating to bonuses, the league would take the position that it is an attempt to circumvent the salary cap . . . If it is so extreme, and a team is calling it a bonus rather than salary for the purpose of circumventing the cap, I think it would not be permitted."
McHale and Sandquist insist that the Knicks have yet to make an offer. But Sandquist, a Seattle native, is making his second coast-to-coast trip and it's unlikely he'll leave New York without an offer this time.
"The Knicks are the ones we've been talking to the most," Sandquist said yesterday. "This is going to be a working session, and I assume we'll be talking about numbers."
McHale will not be in New York. He's driving to Minnesota, where he plans to spend the rest of the summer. He admits that it's unlikely he'll return to Boston in the fall.
"I wanted to stay in Boston somehow, but now I'm not sure that's possible," McHale said. "It looks like I've got to go out and solicit an offer from someone else. By the end of the week, we'll really know how interested the Knicks are. The Knicks are the only team that has expressed interest in getting an offer signed. I think the other teams are a little wary of Harry and Red."
Meanwhile, the Knicks still have until June 30 to match Boston's three- year, $450,000-per-year offers to center Marvin Webster and forward Sly Williams. New York matched Boston's four-year, $2-million offer to guard Rory Sparrow last Friday.
Mangurian said, "I've said all along we're going to keep Kevin Mchale and I'll probably still try, but this is ridiculous. It (the $3-million bonus) is more than some teams take in in a year."
1983-84 Boston Celtics
The New York Knicks are prepared to sign Celtic free agent forward Kevin McHale to an "unmatchable" offer sheet tomorrow.
McHale's agent, John Sandquist, will meet with Knicks officials here tomorrow, and it's expected McHale will sign an offer sheet with New York before the end of the week.
Celtics owner Harry Mangurian, who signed three Knicks to offer sheets last week in an obvious attempt to block New York, has maintained that he will match any offer sheet McHale signs, but the Knicks think they have one that Mangurian will be unable to swallow.
According to sources in New York and Boston, McHale will be offered a four-year, $3.6-million pact calling for an immediate bonus of $3 million in cash, plus an annual salary of $150,000 for each of the next four years. In order to match the offer, Mangurian would have to give McHale $3 million in cash immediately. The Knicks don't think Mangurian has the money to match the offer, and it's obvious that it would be difficult to recover the cash if Mangurian tried to trade McHale after matching such an offer.
Alluding to the vast resources of Gulf & Western, the parent company of the Knicks, one New York team official said, "We have the cash, and that's a big advantage. Boston won't be able to match it, and, even if they could, McHale would be untradeable."
Mangurian, reached at his home in Florida, said, "They are predators that have an utter disregard for money. They are such a giant conglomerate, and everything they've done they've lost money on. They just do it to entertain guests from Gulf & Western. It's very discouraging."
Spread over four years, the Knicks would be paying McHale an average of $900,000 per season, which will keep them within the bounds of their $4.6- million salary cap for 1983-84.
However, New York's offer sheet may be in violation of the new collective- bargaining agreement. Asked about the legality of what New York will propose, Russ Granik, general counsel of the NBA, said, "If the bonus were so out of line with normal practices relating to bonuses, the league would take the position that it is an attempt to circumvent the salary cap . . . If it is so extreme, and a team is calling it a bonus rather than salary for the purpose of circumventing the cap, I think it would not be permitted."
McHale and Sandquist insist that the Knicks have yet to make an offer. But Sandquist, a Seattle native, is making his second coast-to-coast trip and it's unlikely he'll leave New York without an offer this time.
"The Knicks are the ones we've been talking to the most," Sandquist said yesterday. "This is going to be a working session, and I assume we'll be talking about numbers."
McHale will not be in New York. He's driving to Minnesota, where he plans to spend the rest of the summer. He admits that it's unlikely he'll return to Boston in the fall.
"I wanted to stay in Boston somehow, but now I'm not sure that's possible," McHale said. "It looks like I've got to go out and solicit an offer from someone else. By the end of the week, we'll really know how interested the Knicks are. The Knicks are the only team that has expressed interest in getting an offer signed. I think the other teams are a little wary of Harry and Red."
Meanwhile, the Knicks still have until June 30 to match Boston's three- year, $450,000-per-year offers to center Marvin Webster and forward Sly Williams. New York matched Boston's four-year, $2-million offer to guard Rory Sparrow last Friday.
Mangurian said, "I've said all along we're going to keep Kevin Mchale and I'll probably still try, but this is ridiculous. It (the $3-million bonus) is more than some teams take in in a year."
Nelli Bio
Born May 15, 1940, in Muskegon, Michigan, Don Nelson personifies the hard-working, blue-collar roots of the Midwest where he was raised. Whether he was playing on the hardwood or coaching from its sidelines, Nelson, or "Nellie" as he is often referred to, has carved himself a place in NBA history as one of league's toughest competitors.
Standing an imposing six-feet, six-inches, Nelson followed an All-State high school career in Illinois with a stellar four-year Big Ten stint at the University of Iowa, where he traded baskets with the likes of Ohio State's Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek, who were playing for the Buckeyes.
Nelson was selected in the third round (19th overall) of the 1962 NBA Draft by the Chicago Zephyrs and began what proved to be an illustrious 14-year NBA playing career that included five championships. After the Zephyrs' franchise was moved from Chicago to Baltimore and renamed the Bullets prior to the 1963-64 season, the club sold Nelson's contract to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would spend two years before being released in 1965.
The Lakers loss proved to be the Celtics gain as Nellie posted his best NBA numbers (10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds) in his still-young NBA career as a member of the green and white in 1965-66. Boston was crowned the NBA Champions in Nelson's first season. Nelson would go on to win four more rings, culminating with his last in 1976, also his last year as an NBA player.
Nelson spent 11 seasons in Boston, preparing himself for a NBA coaching career by playing with and learning from the best. Battling on a front line with the likes of Bill Russell and former college nemesis Havlicek, Nelson was like a sponge - absorbing basketball know-how from Celtics patriarch, Red Auerbach.
"When I was playing," Nelson said, "I always came early an talked philosophies and game situations with Red. I don't even know if he was aware of what he was doing for me. But I probably picked up more things from him than anybody else during my 14 years in the league."
He was rewarded for those years of hard work when his number 19 was raised to the Boston Garden rafters in 1978, honoring his career as one of the game's greatest sixth men.
In 1976-77 season he continued to do what he did best, provide leadership off the bench, by assuming an Assistant Coach role with the Milwaukee Bucks.
His first head coaching position quickly followed just months into the season, as he replaced Larry Costello in November of 1976. A playoff appearance a year later launched Nelson's coaching career that would place him among one of the league's premier head coaches. He led the Bucks to the postseason in nine out of his 11 seasons at the controls.
Nelson headed West in 1988 where guided the Golden State Warriors for seven seasons (1988-95) before taking over the New York Knicks for a season in 1995-96. Throw-in NBA Coach of the Year honors three times (1983, 1985, 1992) and an 8-0 mark as Head Coach of Team USA's entry in the 1998 Basketball World Championships, and it is safe to say Nelson has continued to do what he has always done...work hard and win.
His golden mop of hair has gently faded to gray, but his passion and competitive fire burns brighter than ever. Nelson took over the Dallas Mavericks in 1997 and has revitalized the organization and city with a 2001 playoff appearance, the team's first since 1990.
Today Nelson stands as the pillar of the Mavericks organization with the foundation of a 979-781 (.556) head coaching record. Only Lenny Wilkins of the Toronto Raptors has more combined games as a player or a coach. Nellie also has 22 years of service as a NBA general manager.
A solid career posted by a rugged Midwest man.
1958-62 | Played at University of Iowa. Chosen in third round of the 1962 NBA Draft by the Chicago Zephyrs.
1962-63 | Played for Zephyrs.
1963-65 | Played for Los Angeles Lakers.
1965-76 | Played for Boston Celtics. Member of four championship teams. Scored what turned out to be the winning basket in Game 7 of the 1968-69 NBA Finals against the Lakers in a 108-106 victory, which was the final game for Bill Russell. Nelson's jersey No. 19 was retired by the Celtics.
1970 | Completes his best season in the NBA, averaging 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.
1976 | Retires as a player at the end of the season, after Celtics win 13th championship.
1977 | Beginning a trend he's carried throughout his general manager career, Nelson trades Swen Nater to Buffalo and turns the draft pick into Marques Johnson, who has a solid career for the Bucks.
1978 | His jersey No. 19 is raised to the Boston Garden rafters in 1978, honoring his career as one of the game's best sixth men.
1978 | Completes first full season as a head coach, directing the Bucks to a 44-38 record.
1981 | Leads Milwaukee to a 60-22 regular-season record, best in team history.
1983 | Named NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Bucks to a 51-31 record.
1985 | Named NBA Coach of the Year after leading Milwaukee to a 59-23 record.
1987 | Leaves the Bucks after compiling a 50-32 record. Wins at least 50 games in each of his last seven seasons in Milwaukee, but doesn't win an NBA title.
1988 | Becomes coach and executive vice president of the Golden State Warriors and leads them to a winning record (43-39) in his first season.
1988 | Becomes general manager of the Warriors.
1992 | Named NBA Coach of the Year after leading Golden State to a 55-27 record.
1994 | Coaches Dream Team II to a gold medal at the World Championships in Toronto.
1995 | Fired by Golden State in February after a 14-31 start and a feud with star player Chris Webber. The Warriors have not been back to the playoffs.
1995 | Takes over as coach of the New York Knicks in July.
1996 | Fired as coach of the Knicks in March after problems with some of the players. The team's record was 34-25.
1997 | Replaces Jim Cleamons as coach of the Mavericks and is later named the team's general manager.
1998 | Makes one of his best moves as Mavericks GM by dealing the draft rights to Robert Traylor to Milwaukee for the rights to Dirk Nowitzki and Pat Garrity.
2001 | Coaches the Mavericks to the third 50-win season in franchise history and their first playoff appearance in 11 years. It also is the Mavs' first winning season in 11 years.
2002 | Directs the Mavericks to a first-round playoff victory over Utah as they rally from a 2-0 deficit to win the five-game series.
2003 | Coaches the Mavericks to a franchise-record 60 victories in the regular season and helps them reach the Western Conference Finals, where they fall to eventual champion San Antonio.
2005 | Steps down as coach and general manager of the Mavericks.
2006 | Returns to Golden State as Coach
Bill Russell Night 1999
Ask him about Game 7 in 1969.
"Oh, you mean the balloon game?" he cackles, as only Bill Russell can.
"I knew they couldn't win it," he says. "I just knew it. At the beginning of the game, I told Bailey Howell it was literally impossible for them to beat us. It was just not possible for them to beat us."
Final score, in case you're a bit late to this saga: Boston 108, Los Angeles 106.
For two years as a collegian and 13 years as a professional, it very often was impossible for opponents to defeat a team anchored by the 6-foot-9-inch Bill Russell in any game that really mattered. In those 15 years, his teams won 13 championships. Toss in an Olympic gold medal in 1956, and an unshakable case can be made that William Felton Russell is the greatest team-sport athlete this country has ever known. That he is also one of the most independent thinkers and magnetic personalities in the history of American athletics thickens the plot immeasurably.
The man whose shamefully belated tribute will take place at the FleetCenter this evening is now 65 years old. He played his final game -- yes, the "balloon" game -- on May 5, 1969. In the interim, the NBA he left behind has grown from a mom-and-pop operation into a worldwide conglomerate with offices in Paris, London, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, Melbourne, and Mexico City. In the interim, we have seen Kareem, Dr. J, Magic, Larry, and Michael, not to mention Sir Charles and Shaq. What we have not seen is another Bill Russell.
Before Bill Russell came along, basketball was essentially a horizontal game played by landlocked Caucasians. And then . . .
"I could kick the net and jump up and touch the top of the backboard," he points out. "I introduced the vertical game to basketball."
There. He said it. I introduced the vertical game to basketball. It's not a boast. It's simply the truth. Russell brought an entirely new element to the game.
He's proud of that, and who wouldn't be? It must be a silent kick for this man to fire up his dish out there in his Mercer Island home to watch one of the many games he views each week and see all those pups playing in the manner of Russell, not that any of them can play with the effect of Russell. He knows they are playing his game, not George Mikan's game.
Offensive catalyst, too
You honor Russell when you tell him you appreciate how much he changed the game, but it is also very easy to anger him. That is done by writing the following sentence: Bill Russell was a great defensive basketball player.
"I know I was a great player," he points out, "but I was not a great player on just one half of the court. Maybe my view is wrong, but I feel very strongly that to say I was a great defensive player diminishes my achievement. They say, `Oh, he was a great shot blocker,' but, in reality, I was as good, if not better, offensively. I had a complete game."
Stand back, here come the critics. What's he talking about? He never even scored 20 points a game for a full NBA season. How many times did the Celtics go to Russell when they needed a basket? Didn't his jersey number (6) pretty much equate to his range?
"Teams used to take 100 shots a game," he explains. "Let's say each team now takes 80. How long does it take to get off a shot? You take each man's time with the ball in his hands, whether it's dribbling, shooting, passing, or rebounding. What does it add up to? Four or five minutes? That leaves 43 or 44 minutes. Now, of those 43 or 44 minutes, what else is going on, and what can I do to affect the outcome of the game? Those are what I call the `subtle skills,' and they are very important.
"People talk about my scoring. I could have scored more. Say I averaged 16 points a game in an average year. If I wanted to go to 19 or 21 a game, I'd have to take four or five more shots. That would have disrupted the offensive continuity of our team. My idea always was for the energy to flow from me to them. There was a period of time when we had seven double-figure scorers on our club. For me to score more would have required energy that I thought could have been better used elsewhere."
Players came and players went during Russell's 13 years as a Celtic, but there was always one constant: The offense, as well as the defense, revolved around him. He was a focal part of all the set plays, as a passer, pick-setter, or shooter. As much as Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, or Larry Bird, he had the wondrous capacity to take a quick mental snapshot and know where each of the other nine men on the floor were at any given time. And there was something else, too.
"The first year after I retired," Russell continues, "John said he missed me more on offense than defense, and that was very gratifying. I could have run any of our plays from any spot on the floor. That was very important to me, and it came in very handy when I coached, because if one of the guys were having difficulty I could understand the problem. Also, if I knew all the plays from any spot on the floor, the coordination had to be better."
Psychological edge
He is not into the business of rating players. If you think Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA player, Russell says you are entitled to your opinion. However . . .
"I never say any one player is, or was, the best player," he declares. "Everyone now says Michael Jordan is the best player. Michael Jordan is a friend of mine. I don't think I've ever seen anyone better. But there were other great players. Before him there was Oscar, Pettit, Baylor, Wilt, Bird, and Magic. Times change. I say you can be as good as those guys, but not better."
As for Bill Russell's place on that list?
"I had some skills that were obvious and some skills that were not so obvious," he says. "I think I had the best set of total skills."
By that he means he believes he had the best combination of physical, mental, and emotional development. The physical part was self-evident. The competitiveness, likewise. But what set this man apart was the brain power. No one of even remotely comparable skill has ever approached the game with more mental agility and psychological shrewdness. He always knew what had to be done, and how to do it.
"One year (1969) we were playing Philly in the first round," he recalls. "I blocked the first seven shots Luke Jackson took. My object was to take him out of the series, so they'd have to play another center who was far less efficient, and they would not be able to utilize one of their strengths.
"In the next series we played New York. They had beaten us something like six or seven times that year, and when I looked at the stats I saw that I had only averaged 7 points a game. In the first game of the series I took 23 shots, or something like that. What I had set out to do was disrupt the flow of their defense. Willis Reed loved to roam and help out, and during the season that's exactly what he did. I had to let him know that in this series he would have to worry about me."
He was then in his third, and final, season as a player-coach. It is a source of at least minor irritation to him that people tend to dismiss his coaching role during championship years 11 and 12. It is a further source of irritation that people have not given him proper credit for the job he did in Seattle during the early '70s. "I helped save that franchise," he says matter-of-factly.
The truth is he is as proud of having coached the Celtics to the 1968 and 1969 championships as anything he has ever done. People seem to think that either Red Auerbach was some kind of silent Gepetto, or that the team somehow operated on automatic pilot. The Celtics had a coach, all right. He just happened to be their best player.
It is certainly true that the Celtics of the time were a veteran team that hardly needed a heaping dosage of X's and O's. They knew how to play the game. But someone had to select a final roster. Someone had to say what time the bus left. Someone had to make decisions on who played, and how much. Someone, in short, had to be in charge. Russell was very comfortable in that capacity.
"Every time we went to Cincinnati people wanted John to do this and do that, and he always tried to accommodate everybody," says Russell. "The demands on him were unbelievable. He finally came to me and said, `Russ, what am I going to do? I can't say no.' I said, `Here's what we're going to do. If there's something you really want to do, do it. If it's something borderline, or something you'd rather not do, you come to me in front of the whole team and ask me for permission in front of the guys. I'll say no. I'll be the heavy.' "
Russell tried to accept individual player idiosyncracies -- to a point.
"If you do something for someone once, they appreciate it," Russell maintains. "Do it four or five times, and they come to expect it. Do it more than that, and they start to demand it. I tried to respond to requests just enough to keep the team functioning smoothly."
He had, after all, studied at the foot of the master.
Friends and rivals
Russell has long been on record as saying that he never could have become the complete NBA force he was playing for any other coach. From the beginning, he understood Red and Red understood him.
"I had complete trust in Red," Russell salutes. "It was off the scale. And the reason I had such trust was that whatever Red did was geared toward one thing: winning."
He is equally grateful to a pair of early teammates for getting him acclimated properly to the NBA.
"After about 15 games I could get off any shot I wanted," he says. "That's because Bob Cousy and I were so coordinated. I will always be thankful to him for that. He was the first one to figure me out and understand how best to play with me."
The true one-on-one mentor, meanwhile, was Arnie Risen, then in the 12th year of what would turn out to be a Hall of Fame career.
"No one could have been nicer or more helpful to someone who was there to take his job," marvels Russell. "He said to me, `I'm going to be in your ear durng every timeout. I'll tell you how I would handle a situation. You may or may not want to do it that way. That will be up to you.' "
There is a belief that all great sports figures are defined by their chief rivals. Ruth had Cobb. Ali had Frazier. And Russell had Chamberlain.
It was the greatest subplot in the history of American team sport. For 10 years Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain waged war for both individual and team supremacy. Absent the other, either man would have had a far easier professional life, but neither would be as remotely fulfilled today.
"People say it was the greatest individual rivalry they've ever seen," Russell says, "and I agree with that. I have to laugh today. I'll turn on the TV and see the Knicks play the Lakers, and half the time Patrick isn't even guarding Shaq, and vice versa. Let me assure you that if either Wilt or Russ's coach had ever told one of them he couldn't guard the other guy, he would have lost that player forever!"
The challenge was greater for Russell.
"After I played him for the first time," Russell recalls, "I said, `Let's see. He's 4 or 5 inches taller. He's 40 or 50 pounds heavier. His vertical leap is at least as good as mine. He can get up and down the floor as well as I can. And he's smart. The real problem with all this is that I have to show up!" (Lots of cackling.)
"But I did have something going for me," he continues. "I was quicker -- not faster -- and I was much better laterally. So I realized that what I had to do in order to compete with this man was to make him move laterally as much as possible. I had to make him work for his points. There are `hard' points and there are `soft' points. Sometimes a guy can get 25 or 30 points and not hurt the other team. Another guy can get 10 points and kill you. I tried to make Wilt get `soft' points."
Two sides to Boston
He live two lives during those 13 years in Boston. His Celtics life was idyllic. He enjoyed playing basketball in general, and he truly enjoyed playing with those particular people for that particular coach. This is one reason he is willing to have his number formally re-retired.
"I am so proud to have my number up there with those great players," he explains, "and I want everyone to know that. We are all friends for life."
The time spent outside the Celtics' cocoon wasn't always so pleasant. He was -- horrors! -- a strident Negro in a city where deference was expected of its minority citizens, superstar athletes included. He chose not to sign autographs. He said more than once that all he owed the public was a great performance. He was dignified and aloof. He bought a house he liked in a town (Reading) where, as it turned out, he wasn't wanted, and it was vandalized. He says he'd do it all again.
"I didn't really care what they thought," he insists. "I saw a house. I liked it. I bought it. I was the one making the mortgage payments. It didn't matter to me what anyone thought."
It still doesn't.
"My citizenship," he points out, "isn't a gift. It's a birthright."
To some, he will always remain inscrutable. Why wouldn't he allow the Celtics to retire his number properly 27 years ago? Why has he never set foot in the Hall of Fame? Why has he spent the past decade and a half refusing most interviews? Why is he consenting to this tribute, 30 years after his last game?
The last question is easiest to answer. The proceeds will go to the National Mentoring Partnership.
"There are no `other' people's kids in this country," he says. "They're the children of the nation, and I refuse to be at war with them. I'll always do anything I can to make life better for a kid."
Beyond that, he is mellowing, at least temporarily, although he'll never use that word. There's no statue, no plaque, no nothing to celebrate him in this town, and that's just plain ridiculous. We've had far more than our share of athletic demigods in Boston, but none who ever accomplished more than Bill Russell.
And just to make sure you don't think he's gone completely soft, he makes it clear that he is all interviewed out. He has said what he has to say.
"This," he cackles, "is a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Bill Russell is a once-in-a-lifetime man. And while he may reside in Seattle these days, he will, in truth, be coming home tonight. Why, just a couple of weeks ago, Russell was a guest on NBC when the following exchange took place.
Hannah Storm: "We have with us Hall of Famer Bill Russell."
Bill Russell: "No, Hannah, make that Boston Celtic Bill Russell."
Thanks, Bill, we needed that.
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