The Celts could roam in Rome

June 2008

The Celts could roam in Rome

``We just hung out at the Spanish Steps, just sitting on the steps like everybody else, like regular people,'' Pierce said.



As for the reaction of those around them, Pierce laughed and said, ``There's not a lot of black people out here in Rome, so they figure it must be a basketball team. A couple of people came up to us, recognized us, wanted to take pictures, but it wasn't like we were in America and the whole team went out somewhere. They kept their distance for the most part, but it was good for us to just get out and be around each other off the court.

``We talked about when was the last time we've done something like this (without creating a scene). We all said probably in college when we hung out with the team at the (student) union.''

Next question, please

The daylight hours were a mad mosaic of intense conditioning and instruction punctuated by odd moments. The gym on the outskirts of town had none of the amenities of the Celtics' home facility in Waltham, so in many ways it was a return to the players' early days of sweating it out in dimly lit joints as they began their climb to the NBA.

The difference came when they finished icing down and then had to answer questions from a media maw with multiple accents. Some days there would be local dignitaries on hand. One day they met with a soccer great.

After finishing a morning session, the Celtics got a taste of what the rest of the world considers sporting greatness when Alessandro Del Piero, captain of Juventus and seven-time Italian League champion, stopped by.

Allen showed some skill with the soccer ball, using his foot and thigh to keep it alive. Del Piero did even better before passing to Pierce in a fairly tight circle. The captain was a little off balance as he booted the ball hard and caught Garnett in the body. It was a little too close for comfort, if you get the drift.

After several on hand laughed and yelled, ``Goooooooooal,'' Pierce shrugged off his foot-pas by saying, ``That's why I don't play soccer.''

A call for support

One of the better moves was made off the court.

After trading for Garnett and Allen to go with Pierce, it was a fait accompli that the New Three would be the main focus on the Celtics. Newspapers throughout the world were filled with stories on the trio, and the Internet buzzed with reports on their every move.

But on the inside, the Celtics had to be more than that. They knew they weren't going anywhere if point guard Rajon Rondo didn't take a giant step in his second season and if center Kendrick Perkins didn't provide the needed complement of toughness for Garnett on the inside. They knew at some point, too, they would need contributions from big men Leon Powe and Davis.

So while everyone else looked at the Celts as three stars and a cloud of dust, the big names practiced the politics of inclusion.


``First, I want to tell you about Kevin Garnett,'' Davis wrote in his trip diary in the Herald. ``I think you might have heard that he took us rookies out and bought us suits, and I just want to say how unbelievable that felt.

``That just shows what kind of guy he is. He's taking the rookies under his wing and basically showing us and telling us how to be professional. Him going out of his way to get us some suits is unbelievable. He got us three suits apiece, so we have no excuse to dress bad now. And they're tailored suits, which is important. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little hard to fit if I just go into a store and try to buy the clothes that are already there.''

Some fightin' words

More than eight months after touching down in Rome, the Celtics have landed in The Finals. The trip wasn't always so smooth of late, with some mind-bending mental lapses in losses to Atlanta and Cleveland and a tough six-game go with Detroit. But in three critical Game 5's and two must-win Game 7's, the Celtics seemed to know they could count on each other -- or at least count on Pierce going off.

Before playing in one of Rome's newest arenas, the Celts visited the oldest. After taking some photos outside the Colosseum, the team took a tour of the ancient facility.

On the way in, Pierce borrowed a helmet and sword from some faux gladiators and engaged in a mock battle on a small stage. After shouting, ``Hurrah!'' several times to his teammates and getting the same response from the C's, he turned to the ancient fighters.

``This is my crew,'' he said. ``How many did y'all bring?''

His crew is now faced with some lions from Los Angeles. Do you think he kept the sword?