12.28.2018

Oh, What a Turnaround

4/17/2008

Oh, What a Turnaround

They lost 56 games in the regular season, and when it was over, they just kept losing. They lost a chance at Greg Oden and lost out on Kevin Durant, and then they lost all hope. Remember it? The end of the 2006-07 season felt like the end of an era for the Boston Celtics, a team that literally could not win for losing.



It had been 20 years since the franchise last reached the NBA Finals, and it looked like it would be at least another 20 before it would even come close. Danny Ainge was on his way out the door, of course, and Doc Rivers wouldn't be far behind. They had gambled on those ping pong balls, and they had lost.

Tanking a season just isn't the kind of thing you bounce back from easily. Nice try, guys. Maybe it's time to give someone else a turn.

We heard rumors about a trade that would bring Kevin Garnett to Boston early last summer, but his agent shot those down. Michael Wilbon, the respected Washington Post columnist and PTI guy, said it was racial, which could be the most laughable thing of all today, but back then, Garnett said he just wanted to win. Phoenix was thought to be his first choice, maybe Los Angeles.

Boston was nowhere. It was nothing. Who would actually WANT to come to Boston? A year ago, it was more likely Paul Pierce would want OUT than Garnett or anyone else would want in. And maybe that's what Ainge was thinking when he jumpstarted the greatest comeback in NBA history: WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO LOSE, OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, OUR JOBS?

Moments after selecting Georgetown's Jeff Green with the No. 5 pick, Ainge packaged him with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak and shipped them to Seattle for seven-time All-Star Ray Allen and Glen (Big Baby) Davis, the Sonics' second-round draft choice. Under normal circumstances, that would be considered a hell of a trade by Ainge, but in this case, it was not so much a trade as the first phase of Operation KG. The idea was to go at Garnett in waves, from Ainge and Doc to Pierce and Allen, and convince the 11-time All-Star to reconsider. Yes, he could win in Boston. THEY could win in Boston.

One month after the Allen deal, two months after the ping pong balls seemed to knock the life right out of the franchise, the Celtics pulled it off. They have accomplished some amazing things in the last eight months, but none as amazing as the thing that started it all: They lured the great Kevin Garnett to Boston and turned him lose. The result was the second-worst team in the NBA becoming the best, and the 66-16 record was only part of the story. They didn't just win, they won the right way: They played defense, they played together, and they played hard every night.

They beat every team in the league. They won on the road (30-10). They rolled through the supposedly superior Western Conference (25-5). They never lost more than three in a row, and they won games even when there was nothing left to play for. And they seemed to do it all with that ``Badfinger'' song playing in the background, like they were following some kind hokey Hollywood script. The team that had done nothing right for two decades suddenly could do nothing wrong.

A bench that had been called the weakest in the NBA was now the strongest. Veterans like P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell begged for a chance to play in Boston. The three superstars not only got along, they brought out the best in one another, ``ubuntu'' and all that. Ainge and Rivers, lame ducks eight months ago, were among the favorites to win awards, which brings us back to Garnett.

His name has been mentioned among a small handful of MVP candidates, which already seems like an insult to the Celtics' star. One question: How could ANYONE be more valuable than Garnett? How is that possible? This was one of the most valuable one-season performances in the history of the sport.

Chris Paul's Hornets went from 39 wins to 56. The Celtics went from 24 to 66, the greatest turnaround ever. Garnett was the best defensive player in the NBA, and he turned the Celtics into the best defensive team. How can any discerning voter even look at points per game when the best part of Garnett's game is unselfishness? He elevates the play of everyone around him, and does it every day. He could score much more. He chooses not to. He prefers to win, and last time we checked that was kind of the point of the game.

Now that Garnett and the Celtics have made regular season history, the bar has been raised, oh, about as high as those 16 championship banners in the Garden rafters. Vegas oddsmakers have them favored to win No. 17, which is another measure of their extreme makeover. This was the worst team in the East a year ago, and the East could not compete with the West. Now it can beat anyone, anywhere. Now anything less than a title will feel like a disappointment.

One year ago this week they were all done. This year they're just getting started. Last year they got lucky and lost the lottery. This year they don't need luck; they've got Kevin Garnett.

No comments: