Three is not enough: Other Celtics must contribute

November 2, 2007

Tip-Off on Opening Night

WALTHAM - The ball lands in your hands deep in the post. One easy move and you're on your way to a score and the public address announcer saying your name in front of a packed house. But before you take a shot, you notice that 10-time All-Star Kevin Garnett is open at the free throw line, seven-time All-Star Ray Allen is on one wing behind the 3-point line, and five-time All-Star Paul Pierce is on the other wing with his hands up.

So, do you still shoot it, or do you pass to one of the three stars? Welcome to the world of the "other" Celtics.

"They don't want us to not be aggressive," forward Leon Powe said. "But if Ray has the ball and I'm in the post, I should set a screen for him instead of calling for the ball. [Coach Doc Rivers] says be aggressive, though. You've got to balance it out.

"You'll know if you're wrong if you do a move and then you go down to that bench by Coach. Either you're going to get yanked out or he'll say, 'Good job, good job."'

Tonight, the Celtics and their new star trio open the regular season against the Wizards at TD Banknorth Garden. While they might not get the glory, a lot of shots, the checks with a lot of zeros, the big interview at halftime, or the commercials, there are benefits to being a member of the other part of the squad.

Newcomer James Posey is a quiet guy and doesn't enjoy the spotlight, but he loves to win. Posey was a key member of the 2005-06 champion Miami Heat but didn't have to face the pressure and media scrutiny of superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade. It's been a similar experience with the Celtics.

"I don't have any problem going to Circuit City or to the grocery store," Posey said. "Someone might think to ask if I play basketball. They might even know me. But compared to Paul, Ray Allen, or KG, as soon as they walk in a building their presence is felt. They won't be able to grab that gallon of milk or snacks late at night."

The Celtics took a team picture recently in front of the Colosseum in Rome, and afterward Garnett, Allen, and Pierce were asked to stick around for their own set of photos as the rest of the players waited by the team bus.

While the trio gets the majority of the attention, their teammates never are made to feel beneath them.

"Those guys are very humble guys," guard Rajon Rondo said. "They act like the rest of us. They are not really standoffish, big-headed, or conceited. They're regular guys, so it's easy to play with those guys."

Said Allen: "The better we can make our teammates, the better we become. Trying to demoralize them or make them less of a player is not going to help us out."

When asked recently which member of the Celtics' star trio would take the last shot in a tight game, Garnett said it might be someone from the supporting cast. The way Garnett sees it, it takes a team, and not three players, to win a championship.

"The three of us are going to set an example for everybody else," Garnett said. "But it's going to be James Posey, it's going to be Eddie House, it's going to be Tony Allen, it's going to be Glen Davis, it's going to [Kendrick] Perkins, it's going to be Paul Pierce, it's going to be Kevin Garnett, Brandon Wallace, it's going to be Ray Allen.

"That's what it's going to be. It's not going to be one person that's going to make it."

Even so, Powe said the complementary players know their roles. And in order to win a title, he said the role players need to do everything to help the stars succeed.

"Everybody knows their roles," Powe said. "Occasionally you might see somebody and say, 'That's not what they are supposed ...' They might have got caught up in the moment. But for the most part, everybody knows their roles.

"But [Garnett, Ray Allen, and Pierce], they are going to be the main scorers, lead the game, and lead in scoring every night. We just have to fill the holes that they don't fill."

Tony Allen is the second-most well-known Allen on the Celtics. But there is no jealousy.

"I love being around those guys," Tony Allen said. "What do you think it is like being around Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett? What do you think it would be like? Can you just imagine that? If you can imagine that, you can imagine what it is for me."