Dennis Rodman has played a lot of roles in his lifetime. He has twice been an NBA All-Star and defensive player of the year. He has also been a bridegroom and a bride, a father and a surrogate son. He has been an author, an actor, a corporate spokesman and a full-time enigma.
Rodman, 45, who won five championships during a tumultuous 14-year NBA career filled with as much controversy as glory, would like to add another title to his lengthy resume: Hall of Famer.
"Getting into the Hall of Fame would be something very special," Rodman said recently over lunch in Times Square. "I don't think it would mean as much to me as it would to all the people who brought me up, like my mother, my college coaches and Chuck Daly and Phil Jackson, who were both like a father to me. It would also mean the world to my wife and children."
He won five NBA titles
One of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, Rodman retired after playing 12 games for the Dallas Mavericks in the 1999-2000 season. In his prime, he won two championships with Daly's Detroit Pistons (1989 and '90) and three more with Jackson's Chicago Bulls (1996-98).
But what Rodman accomplished on the court, including his seven rebounding titles and his seven-time selection as an NBA all-defensive first-team player, was often overshadowed by his antics. The 6-foot-7-inch, 228-pound Rodman had a nose ring for the ball, a pierced navel and a bleached head that was not always in the game.
The list of Rodman's disciplinary problems is almost as long as the wingspan that helped him soar for 11,954 regular-season rebounds. As a result, Rodman and his marketing agent, Darren Prince, say that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is keeping its distance.
"Dennis has been out of the NBA for at least five years, and yet the Hall of Fame has not contacted him about being nominated," said Prince, who is based in West Orange, N.J. "Dennis should be eligible this year."
A question of eligibility
In lobbying for Rodman, Prince contacted John Doleva, the president and chief executive of the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
In a letter to Prince, Doleva said that Rodman was not eligible to be nominated because he had played professionally since retiring from the NBA. In the past six years, Rodman, still muscular, still covered in piercings and tattoos, played in the new American Basketball Association, the International Basketball League, Finland, Britain and Mexico.
Doleva wrote to Prince, "The clock really has not 'started ticking' towards his five-year retirement eligibility requirement and cannot until he is fully finished with professional paid basketball."
Doleva added that "the clock had to be reset when both Earvin Johnson and Michael Jordan returned to the court professionally" after they retired.
No such clock exists for coaches.
Prince asked why the Hall was holding the ABA and leagues abroad against Rodman.
Doleva replied, "Professional basketball is not defined specifically as the NBA."
Though Rodman will eventually be nominated to the Hall of Fame, he is not sure if he will be elected. His lifestyle aside, there is another obstacle for him to clear on the path to Springfield. A power forward whose strength was defense, he averaged only 7.3 points a game.
"Was Bill Russell too one-dimensional?" Rodman said. "Russell wasn't a scorer, but he won 11 championships with Boston and led those teams by averaging over 20 rebounds a game, which is unheard of." (For the record, Russell averaged 15.1 points in his 13-year NBA career.)
LINK to rest of article.
Showing posts with label Detroit Pistons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Detroit Pistons. Show all posts
3.30.2010
3.16.2010
Don't Get Too Excited about the Celtics
Some Celtics fans, no doubt, will take some comfort in last night's win over the 23-44 Deeeetroit Pistons. If you are wondering whether you should be one of them, a couple words of wisdom.
First, let's talk expansion teams. Minnesota Timberwolves. Charlotte Hornets. Miami Heat. Orlando Magic. We owned them when they first joined the NBA. Initially, we never lost to them at home or away, and later we tried hard to keep the undefeated streak alive at home. Those wins meant nothing to how well Larry Bird's teams did during the playoffs in the early 1990s. Treat last night's win like a win over an expansion team.
Second, let's talk 1988. In April of 1988, the Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons by the score of 121-110 on no less than two occasions. Celtics fans ran around town like they were on Cloud 9, interpreting the wins as proof we were improving. Indeed, many fans believed that the acquisitions of Jim Paxson and Artis Gilmore made us favorites to win it all, regardless of whether Bill Walton returned. Of course, the Pistons beat us when it counted, 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
So before you start getting geared up with talk of "turning the corner" and "coming around", it might be worth digesting the above pieces of Celtics history.
First, let's talk expansion teams. Minnesota Timberwolves. Charlotte Hornets. Miami Heat. Orlando Magic. We owned them when they first joined the NBA. Initially, we never lost to them at home or away, and later we tried hard to keep the undefeated streak alive at home. Those wins meant nothing to how well Larry Bird's teams did during the playoffs in the early 1990s. Treat last night's win like a win over an expansion team.
Second, let's talk 1988. In April of 1988, the Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons by the score of 121-110 on no less than two occasions. Celtics fans ran around town like they were on Cloud 9, interpreting the wins as proof we were improving. Indeed, many fans believed that the acquisitions of Jim Paxson and Artis Gilmore made us favorites to win it all, regardless of whether Bill Walton returned. Of course, the Pistons beat us when it counted, 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
So before you start getting geared up with talk of "turning the corner" and "coming around", it might be worth digesting the above pieces of Celtics history.
3.06.2010
Was Dennis Rodman a Better Rebounder than Bill Russell?
Class is in session in the visitors' locker room of the Miami Arena, and the instructor is a tall, tattooed gentleman with a nose ring, hair dyed a shade of brownish yellow not found in nature and a T-shirt that reads, I DON'T MIND STRAIGHT PEOPLE, AS LONG AS THEY ACT GAY IN PUBLIC. Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman may not look like a teacher, but he is nothing less than a professor of rebounding, and before a game last Friday against the Miami Heat he is holding an impromptu seminar.
Rodman is the only Bull studying the tape of Chicago's game against the Atlanta Hawks the previous night. "Anytime I see Scottie or Michael shoot from the top of the key, I know the ball will come off the rim to the right," he says, referring to teammates Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. "Watch this." He fast-forwards the tape until Pippen appears on the big-screen TV, shooting a three-pointer from the top of the key. While the shot is in the air, other players wrestle for position under the basket as Rodman slides into an open space to the right of the hoop. The shot caroms hard toward the right corner, just as he anticipated, and he is the only one in position to chase the ball down. He fast-forwards again, first to another Pippen miss from the top of the key and then to a Jordan miss from the same spot. Both times the ball bounces off to the right, and both times Rodman--who has spent hours observing the arc of their shots--is in position for an uncontested rebound. He looks away from the television, raises his eyebrows and says, "See?"
It was not by accident that through Sunday Rodman led the NBA in rebounding, with an average of 15.4 per game, and that if he maintains his lead, he will become only the second player (the first was Moses Malone) to win five consecutive rebounding titles. As he showed when he had a game-high 17 rebounds in the Bulls' 111-91 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday, he rules the backboards because he is relentless, superbly conditioned, a trifle dirty when he needs to be and, perhaps most important, surprisingly analytical. "He compares himself to a computer sometimes," says teammate Jack Haley. "The hardware is his body, which he keeps in peak physical shape, and the software is his knowledge, what he knows about different shooters' tendencies and how shots from certain spots on the floor tend to come off the rim. And dirty? Well, let's just say I have the bite marks and scratches from going up against him in practice."
At the very least Rodman, who has averaged 18.7, 18.3, 17.3 and 16.8 rebounds the last four seasons, deserves a place next to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as one of the greatest rebounders of all time. An informal SI poll of NBA players, coaches, executives and broadcasters placed Chamberlain at No. 1, Rodman No. 2 and Russell No. 3--with esteemed board men Malone, Paul Silas, Wes Unseld, Charles Barkley, Nate Thurmond, Bob Pettit and Jerry Lucas rounding out the alltime Top 10. An argument over whether Rodman is a better rebounder than Chamberlain or Russell could go on for ages. Chamberlain's career rebounding average was 22.9 and Russell's was 22.5, compared with Rodman's 12.5 entering this season. But Chamberlain and Russell, both centers, played in an era when more shots were taken per game and shooting percentages were lower, and thus there were more rebounds to be had.
However, Rodman's dominance of the backboards is even more remarkable than that of either Hall of Fame pivotman because at 6'8" and 215 pounds he overcomes a size disadvantage faced in their era by neither Chamberlain, who was 7'1" and 275, nor Russell, 6'10" and 225 (and also blessed, as Rodman is, with disproportionately long arms). Thus it is fair to say that, inch-for-inch and pound-for-pound, Rodman is the best rebounder in NBA history. "Wilt was just bigger and stronger than everyone," says TNT analyst Chuck Daly, who coached Rodman when they both were with the Detroit Pistons. "Russell was built more along the lines of Dennis, but he didn't have to go up against power forwards and centers as big as the ones Dennis has to face night after night. When you factor size into the equation, I don't know how you could say there's ever been a better rebounder."
Rodman is the only Bull studying the tape of Chicago's game against the Atlanta Hawks the previous night. "Anytime I see Scottie or Michael shoot from the top of the key, I know the ball will come off the rim to the right," he says, referring to teammates Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. "Watch this." He fast-forwards the tape until Pippen appears on the big-screen TV, shooting a three-pointer from the top of the key. While the shot is in the air, other players wrestle for position under the basket as Rodman slides into an open space to the right of the hoop. The shot caroms hard toward the right corner, just as he anticipated, and he is the only one in position to chase the ball down. He fast-forwards again, first to another Pippen miss from the top of the key and then to a Jordan miss from the same spot. Both times the ball bounces off to the right, and both times Rodman--who has spent hours observing the arc of their shots--is in position for an uncontested rebound. He looks away from the television, raises his eyebrows and says, "See?"
It was not by accident that through Sunday Rodman led the NBA in rebounding, with an average of 15.4 per game, and that if he maintains his lead, he will become only the second player (the first was Moses Malone) to win five consecutive rebounding titles. As he showed when he had a game-high 17 rebounds in the Bulls' 111-91 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday, he rules the backboards because he is relentless, superbly conditioned, a trifle dirty when he needs to be and, perhaps most important, surprisingly analytical. "He compares himself to a computer sometimes," says teammate Jack Haley. "The hardware is his body, which he keeps in peak physical shape, and the software is his knowledge, what he knows about different shooters' tendencies and how shots from certain spots on the floor tend to come off the rim. And dirty? Well, let's just say I have the bite marks and scratches from going up against him in practice."
At the very least Rodman, who has averaged 18.7, 18.3, 17.3 and 16.8 rebounds the last four seasons, deserves a place next to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as one of the greatest rebounders of all time. An informal SI poll of NBA players, coaches, executives and broadcasters placed Chamberlain at No. 1, Rodman No. 2 and Russell No. 3--with esteemed board men Malone, Paul Silas, Wes Unseld, Charles Barkley, Nate Thurmond, Bob Pettit and Jerry Lucas rounding out the alltime Top 10. An argument over whether Rodman is a better rebounder than Chamberlain or Russell could go on for ages. Chamberlain's career rebounding average was 22.9 and Russell's was 22.5, compared with Rodman's 12.5 entering this season. But Chamberlain and Russell, both centers, played in an era when more shots were taken per game and shooting percentages were lower, and thus there were more rebounds to be had.
However, Rodman's dominance of the backboards is even more remarkable than that of either Hall of Fame pivotman because at 6'8" and 215 pounds he overcomes a size disadvantage faced in their era by neither Chamberlain, who was 7'1" and 275, nor Russell, 6'10" and 225 (and also blessed, as Rodman is, with disproportionately long arms). Thus it is fair to say that, inch-for-inch and pound-for-pound, Rodman is the best rebounder in NBA history. "Wilt was just bigger and stronger than everyone," says TNT analyst Chuck Daly, who coached Rodman when they both were with the Detroit Pistons. "Russell was built more along the lines of Dennis, but he didn't have to go up against power forwards and centers as big as the ones Dennis has to face night after night. When you factor size into the equation, I don't know how you could say there's ever been a better rebounder."
7.22.2009
Davis and Maxiell: A Quick Statistical Comparison
GLEN DAVIS
JASON MAXIELL
| Season | Team | G | GS | MPG | FG% | 3p% | FT% | OFF | DEF | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PF | PPG |
| 08-09 | BOS | 76 | 16 | 21.5 | 0.442 | 0.400 | 0.730 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.93 | 3.00 | 7.0 |
JASON MAXIELL
| Season | Team | G | GS | MPG | FG% | 3p% | FT% | OFF | DEF | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PF | PPG |
| 08-09 | DET | 78 | 4 | 18.1 | 0.575 | 0.000 | 0.532 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.58 | 2.00 | 5.8 |
7.15.2009
Detroit & Baby
As has been widely reported, the Pistons are also interested in Glen Davis, but can only offer somewhere between $3.2m and $4.8m (depending on whom you believe). More problematic to Joe Dumars is the fact that (1) Boston has the right to match and has insisted it will match any offer less than $5.6m; (2) Dumars doesn't want to tie-up cash for 7-days while Boston decides whether to match, and (3) Dumars apparently isn't hip on a sign-and-trade at the moment (you know, like one where we'd get Tayshaun Prince in return and they'd get a bunch of flotsam from our bench).
So let's see if I have this straight: There are at least three Baby suitors: Utah, New Orleans, and Detroit, and each one of them has a tall and lanky wing the Celtics might get in return. In addition, if no one ponies up the dough for Baby, Danny is working on some side deals for players like Jamario Moon.
Like I was saying yesterday, Danny has positioned himself in a place where he seemingly can't lose. Let's just hope we're still not talking about replacing James Posey in October. One year and one month is more than enough.
So let's see if I have this straight: There are at least three Baby suitors: Utah, New Orleans, and Detroit, and each one of them has a tall and lanky wing the Celtics might get in return. In addition, if no one ponies up the dough for Baby, Danny is working on some side deals for players like Jamario Moon.
Like I was saying yesterday, Danny has positioned himself in a place where he seemingly can't lose. Let's just hope we're still not talking about replacing James Posey in October. One year and one month is more than enough.
3.12.2008
Go LA? Go LA?
May 28, 1991
AUBURN HILLS, Mich.
The chant started late in the game, when the outcome was not in doubt.
"Go LA! Go LA!" the Pistons fans said as their team was going up in flames, dropping its fourth straight to Chicago, 115-94. The Bulls heard it and didn't appreciate it.
You know the history. In 1982, when the Sixers pulled off an improbable win in Game 7 against the Celtics, the Garden fans chanted, "Beat LA! Beat LA!" The Sixers didn't, but they said they appreciated the gesture.
Yesterday, Chicago coach Phil Jackson said, "It was quite a switch. I was disappointed in the Detroit fans because of that."
Michael Jordan, who has been critical of the Pistons' style of play, added, "It's very typical." Jordan hadn't won any fans in Detroit by saying the league would be better off and basketball better served if the Pistons were dethroned.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich.
The chant started late in the game, when the outcome was not in doubt.
"Go LA! Go LA!" the Pistons fans said as their team was going up in flames, dropping its fourth straight to Chicago, 115-94. The Bulls heard it and didn't appreciate it.
You know the history. In 1982, when the Sixers pulled off an improbable win in Game 7 against the Celtics, the Garden fans chanted, "Beat LA! Beat LA!" The Sixers didn't, but they said they appreciated the gesture.
Yesterday, Chicago coach Phil Jackson said, "It was quite a switch. I was disappointed in the Detroit fans because of that."
Michael Jordan, who has been critical of the Pistons' style of play, added, "It's very typical." Jordan hadn't won any fans in Detroit by saying the league would be better off and basketball better served if the Pistons were dethroned.
3.07.2008
1986 Cs Trounce Pistons, Move to 47-11
All ye Celtic faithful ticket buyers, televiewers and newspaper readers alike -- had better appreciate who you've got, because, as the beer commercial says, "It doesn't get any better than this."
While fans in other locales must settle for, at best, well-played basketball, you people are blessed with a team to root for that currently possesses every technical and spiritual quality known to the sport. You back a quality team good enough to withstand an opponent shooting 70 percent (30 for 43) in the first half. You back a team with unmatched offensive balance, a team that is now homocidal from inside or outside. You back a team with enough quick-strike capability to come from 83-77 down against a club riding a 10- game winning streak to respond with a spectacular 49-18 run in the next 16 minutes. You back a Celtics ' team that crafted a 129-109 destruction of a Detroit Pistons' array that, according to its own testimony, played a better game than in any of its 10 consecutive victories.
Until the Celtics demanded control of this game midway through the third period, the spectators had every reason to believe they were witnessing a potential epic. The Pistons are a known offensive quantity, but in the first half they exceeded even their own lofty standards by shooting 70 percent from the floor en route to a 65-62 halftime lead. They exploited Boston's doubling- up strategy with alert round-the-horn passing, the prime beneficiary being Kelly Tripucka, who banged home 7 of 9 from the floor. Throw in excellent transition shooting (25 fast-break points in the half to Boston's 6) and the usual Isiah Thomas show window creations, and the Pistons were putting on a classic offensive display.
But Boston remained unfazed. The teams swapped leads 23 times in the half, including one dazzling stretch of 13 consecutive second-quarter exchanges before a Tripucka sneakaway following a steal put Detroit up, 63-60.
The Pistons remained the aggressors, until, with 6:20 to play in the period, and an 80-77 lead, they took off on a fateful fast break. The ball wound up in the hands of Kent Benson, who demonstrated his best "Saturday Night Fever" dance step before dunking the basketball. Amazingly, no travel was called. Not so amazingly, coach K.C. Jones protested to Darell Garretson, who responded by nailing K.C. with a technical that was sunk by Tripucka. The Pistons would have fared better had Garretson made the call on Benson, because now the Celtics were angry and the crowd was really in the game.
It's melodramatic, perhaps, but true. That incident turned the game around. Because here was Larry Bird (35 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) powering inside for a moose of a layup. And here was Danny Ainge (a career-high 27) taking an inside-out feed from Bird and scoring two. Here was Dennis Johnson blasting inside for two. Here was Kevin (Mr. Awesome) McHale spinning inside for two of his casual 25. Finally, here was Bird swishing two free throws for a non-refundable 85-83 lead.
The final tie (87-87) was broken by Greg Kite on a follow-up inside power move, a bucket that initiated a great 11-2 run in the final 2:40 of the period. By this time the Pistons had exhausted their quota of jump shots, and the Celtics were on a psychic high, thanks to a play-off-style crowd response. With only a Bill Laimbeer jumper interrupting the flow, the Celtics rode McHale's unstoppable post-up moves (Hey, he even threw in a facing jumper), an Ainge jumper and a technical foul shot (on Laimbeer) to a comfortable 98-89 three-quarter lead. That made it 21-6 following Benson's Travolta imitation.
On the first anniversary of his 56-point game against this same Detroit team, McHale proved to be a major menace again, shooting 10-for-10 from the floor. "The answer is to draft some 6-11 guy of your own," said Detroit coach Chuck Daly. "An ordinary defense won't do."
And while Detroit could offer only that one-dimensional jump-shooting halfcourt offense, the Celtics were tormenting the Pistons with everything from McHale post-ups to Ainge mortars (2 for 2 from Birdland) to Johnson's power drives to Bird's assortment of offensive tricks. La Difference in this one was Ainge, who shot 11-for-18. "You've got to give something against them," shrugged Daly.
The rampage continued for 10 minutes of the fourth period, until, with 2:14 left, a Sam Vincent driving fast-break three-pointer gave Boston its peak lead, 126-101. The Celtics had changed a potential thriller into one more stat-fattener.
But remember this: "I think we played our best game in this stretch," said Vinnie Johnson. And this: "We probably played better than in the last 10 games," confirmed Tripucka. "And this: "We played as well as we can," said Daly.
While fans in other locales must settle for, at best, well-played basketball, you people are blessed with a team to root for that currently possesses every technical and spiritual quality known to the sport. You back a quality team good enough to withstand an opponent shooting 70 percent (30 for 43) in the first half. You back a team with unmatched offensive balance, a team that is now homocidal from inside or outside. You back a team with enough quick-strike capability to come from 83-77 down against a club riding a 10- game winning streak to respond with a spectacular 49-18 run in the next 16 minutes. You back a Celtics ' team that crafted a 129-109 destruction of a Detroit Pistons' array that, according to its own testimony, played a better game than in any of its 10 consecutive victories.
Until the Celtics demanded control of this game midway through the third period, the spectators had every reason to believe they were witnessing a potential epic. The Pistons are a known offensive quantity, but in the first half they exceeded even their own lofty standards by shooting 70 percent from the floor en route to a 65-62 halftime lead. They exploited Boston's doubling- up strategy with alert round-the-horn passing, the prime beneficiary being Kelly Tripucka, who banged home 7 of 9 from the floor. Throw in excellent transition shooting (25 fast-break points in the half to Boston's 6) and the usual Isiah Thomas show window creations, and the Pistons were putting on a classic offensive display.
But Boston remained unfazed. The teams swapped leads 23 times in the half, including one dazzling stretch of 13 consecutive second-quarter exchanges before a Tripucka sneakaway following a steal put Detroit up, 63-60.
The Pistons remained the aggressors, until, with 6:20 to play in the period, and an 80-77 lead, they took off on a fateful fast break. The ball wound up in the hands of Kent Benson, who demonstrated his best "Saturday Night Fever" dance step before dunking the basketball. Amazingly, no travel was called. Not so amazingly, coach K.C. Jones protested to Darell Garretson, who responded by nailing K.C. with a technical that was sunk by Tripucka. The Pistons would have fared better had Garretson made the call on Benson, because now the Celtics were angry and the crowd was really in the game.
It's melodramatic, perhaps, but true. That incident turned the game around. Because here was Larry Bird (35 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) powering inside for a moose of a layup. And here was Danny Ainge (a career-high 27) taking an inside-out feed from Bird and scoring two. Here was Dennis Johnson blasting inside for two. Here was Kevin (Mr. Awesome) McHale spinning inside for two of his casual 25. Finally, here was Bird swishing two free throws for a non-refundable 85-83 lead.
The final tie (87-87) was broken by Greg Kite on a follow-up inside power move, a bucket that initiated a great 11-2 run in the final 2:40 of the period. By this time the Pistons had exhausted their quota of jump shots, and the Celtics were on a psychic high, thanks to a play-off-style crowd response. With only a Bill Laimbeer jumper interrupting the flow, the Celtics rode McHale's unstoppable post-up moves (Hey, he even threw in a facing jumper), an Ainge jumper and a technical foul shot (on Laimbeer) to a comfortable 98-89 three-quarter lead. That made it 21-6 following Benson's Travolta imitation.
On the first anniversary of his 56-point game against this same Detroit team, McHale proved to be a major menace again, shooting 10-for-10 from the floor. "The answer is to draft some 6-11 guy of your own," said Detroit coach Chuck Daly. "An ordinary defense won't do."
And while Detroit could offer only that one-dimensional jump-shooting halfcourt offense, the Celtics were tormenting the Pistons with everything from McHale post-ups to Ainge mortars (2 for 2 from Birdland) to Johnson's power drives to Bird's assortment of offensive tricks. La Difference in this one was Ainge, who shot 11-for-18. "You've got to give something against them," shrugged Daly.
The rampage continued for 10 minutes of the fourth period, until, with 2:14 left, a Sam Vincent driving fast-break three-pointer gave Boston its peak lead, 126-101. The Celtics had changed a potential thriller into one more stat-fattener.
But remember this: "I think we played our best game in this stretch," said Vinnie Johnson. And this: "We probably played better than in the last 10 games," confirmed Tripucka. "And this: "We played as well as we can," said Daly.
3.04.2008
2.26.2008
Pistons to Sign Dale Davis or Magliore
The Detroit Pistons will sign either Dale Davis or Jamaal Magloire in the next day or so. Magloire, who was released by the Nets, doesn't clear waivers until 6 p.m. Tuesday. Whichever one signs will just be an insurance policy. Neither is going to take Amir Johnson's minutes right now.
-- The Detroit News
-- The Detroit News
2.25.2008
Billups: Suns Game was Big Win for Us
Let's see here.
The Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons at Auburn Hills in January, and proceed to celebrate the win, declaring it a milestone.
Chauncey Billups responds to the Celtics celebration in a more nonchalant fashion.
"Like, yeah, they were a little more excited than us. You know, it's like January, man. The playoffs don't start for three months. "
A month later Billups declares a win over the Suns as a "big one" for the Pistons.
I guess it's all relative.
If you lose, the game doesn't mean much.
If you win, it does.
Pathetic.
The Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons at Auburn Hills in January, and proceed to celebrate the win, declaring it a milestone.
Chauncey Billups responds to the Celtics celebration in a more nonchalant fashion.
"Like, yeah, they were a little more excited than us. You know, it's like January, man. The playoffs don't start for three months. "
A month later Billups declares a win over the Suns as a "big one" for the Pistons.
I guess it's all relative.
If you lose, the game doesn't mean much.
If you win, it does.
Pathetic.
2.22.2008
Pistons Add Scorer Dixon, Dale Davis Next
Here's why the Detroit Pistons, a team thought to be seeking frontcourt depth, traded center Primoz Brezec to the Toronto Raptors for sixth-year guard Juan Dixon: The Pistons needed another scoring option off the bench.
Dixon, 29, has averaged 9.0 points over his career. He averaged 12.3 points in 2005-06 for Portland.
With Jarvis Hayes, Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and Arron Afflalo, the Pistons' bench scoring has been erratic all season. Wednesday in Milwaukee, for example, the bench was outscored 20-3 in the second quarter. The move does leave the Pistons with a glut of guards. Flip Murray will most likely be bought out (the prorated portion of his $1.89 million salary) to alleviate some of that.
Joe Dumars is now reported to be looking at Dale Davis to throw in to the mix at the pivot.
Source: Detroit News
Dixon, 29, has averaged 9.0 points over his career. He averaged 12.3 points in 2005-06 for Portland.
With Jarvis Hayes, Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and Arron Afflalo, the Pistons' bench scoring has been erratic all season. Wednesday in Milwaukee, for example, the bench was outscored 20-3 in the second quarter. The move does leave the Pistons with a glut of guards. Flip Murray will most likely be bought out (the prorated portion of his $1.89 million salary) to alleviate some of that.
Joe Dumars is now reported to be looking at Dale Davis to throw in to the mix at the pivot.
Source: Detroit News
1.14.2008
1.07.2008
1986 Cs Fall to 25-8
The Celtics hate losing to the Pistons because they think Bill Laimbeer's mother wears army boots, that Kelly Tripucka is a wimp and that new Piston Rick Mahorn is a no-talent thug. That's why last night's 113-109 Piston victory featured more yapping than your average junior high study hall period.
The Celtics lost their center, one front tooth, the battle of the boards, the final argument and the ball game at the Silverdome.
There were some fascinating postgame confessions after Detroit snapped its six-game losing streak. It was like listening to a courtroom divorce proceeding. Two parties who'd spent considerable time under the same roof offered completely opposite views of what had transpired.
Let's start with a controversial offensive foul which was called on Kevin McHale with four seconds left. Larry Bird had just hit a rainbow from the left corner which would have tied the game, but Jess Thompson was blowing his whistle. Thompson called an offensive foul on McHale, who appeared to have flattened Tripucka while making room for Bird. The hoop was nullified, and the Celts were forced to foul. Instead of a 111-111 tie with four seconds left, the Celts were four-point losers.
K.C. Jones: "I thought the call was totally horsebleep. It was a perfectly good pick, and a 260-pound guy (Tripucka weighs 225) falls down. They made moving picks all night, and he never called one. The rule about a guy flopping on the floor is that you don't call it."
Tripucka: "I have no idea who hit me. I thought it was a truck. Larry dribbled hard to the left corner, and I took off. The next thing I know, I'm on my back. It was a hell of a flop if that's what they're calling it. I didn't see anybody. It was the old Pearl Harbor play. It was a sneak attack."
McHale (29 points): "What I think doesn't make much difference. It must have been a foul if the guy called it."
There was also plenty of disagreement over a first-half incident which resulted in the ejection of Robert Parish.
After a jam at the Celtic end, Parish took a swing at Laimbeer. He missed and has yet to show us any of the karate he learned last summer, but the whiff was enough to get him thrown out. Strangely enough, Dennis Johnson was also ejected for fighting with Laimbeer in November.
Parish was not around to comment on his brief bout, but Bird (26 points, 12 rebounds) said, "That's the way he (Laimbeer) plays. It was a typical night for him. He got somebody thrown out of the game. We either have to retaliate harder or don't do it at all."
Jones added, "What the official didn't see was Laimbeer elbowing Robert in the throat. That's not basketball. Any player who uses that kind of stuff I don't think much of as a player or as a person."
Laimbeer (14 rebounds) said, "We were running down the court, pushing off each other, and all of the sudden, he throws a punch. If he's stupid enough to swing at me, he deserves to get thrown out."
Laimbeer was also in the middle of the action when Bill Walton had his crown knocked out (for the second time in a week) in the first period. Walton spent the rest of the half in the locker room but replaced Parish on the floor for the final two periods.
But The Call, The Punch and The Tooth weren't the only elements that contributed to this Boston defeat. The Celts were simply unable to stop Isiah Thomas (39 points, 13 assists), and were outrebounded, 54-36. The Celtics blew a nine-point third-quarter lead and made only four of 20 shots in the final period.
Parish got tossed with 3:15 left in the first half. The incident started after Detroit rebounded a Celtic miss and ran upcourt. Parish and Laimbeer got into a jam near the foul line at the Celtic end. Parish threw a punch at Laimbeer, and Thomas fired the ball at Parish. Mahorn rushed to the scene, and Bird started jawing with Laimbeer (whom he loathes).
After an official timeout, Parish was ejected (for punching), and Isiah was tagged with a technical for throwing the ball at the Chief. The Celtics have had two player ejections for fighting this season, and both were in Pontiac against Laimbeer.
Danny Ainge was back in the Celts' starting lineup, but played only 17 minutes due to a sore left ankle. Bird led an 11-2 run, and Boston led, 25-20, before Isiah made it 26-26 at the end of the first.
With two centers in the locker room, the Celts finished the first half with Greg Kite in the middle and trailed, 65-59, at intermission.
Trailing, 78-76, the Celts scored 11 straight and took an 87-78 lead in the third. But Isiah enabled the Pistons to claw to within six at the end of three.
The Celtics lost their center, one front tooth, the battle of the boards, the final argument and the ball game at the Silverdome.
There were some fascinating postgame confessions after Detroit snapped its six-game losing streak. It was like listening to a courtroom divorce proceeding. Two parties who'd spent considerable time under the same roof offered completely opposite views of what had transpired.
Let's start with a controversial offensive foul which was called on Kevin McHale with four seconds left. Larry Bird had just hit a rainbow from the left corner which would have tied the game, but Jess Thompson was blowing his whistle. Thompson called an offensive foul on McHale, who appeared to have flattened Tripucka while making room for Bird. The hoop was nullified, and the Celts were forced to foul. Instead of a 111-111 tie with four seconds left, the Celts were four-point losers.
K.C. Jones: "I thought the call was totally horsebleep. It was a perfectly good pick, and a 260-pound guy (Tripucka weighs 225) falls down. They made moving picks all night, and he never called one. The rule about a guy flopping on the floor is that you don't call it."
Tripucka: "I have no idea who hit me. I thought it was a truck. Larry dribbled hard to the left corner, and I took off. The next thing I know, I'm on my back. It was a hell of a flop if that's what they're calling it. I didn't see anybody. It was the old Pearl Harbor play. It was a sneak attack."
McHale (29 points): "What I think doesn't make much difference. It must have been a foul if the guy called it."
There was also plenty of disagreement over a first-half incident which resulted in the ejection of Robert Parish.
After a jam at the Celtic end, Parish took a swing at Laimbeer. He missed and has yet to show us any of the karate he learned last summer, but the whiff was enough to get him thrown out. Strangely enough, Dennis Johnson was also ejected for fighting with Laimbeer in November.
Parish was not around to comment on his brief bout, but Bird (26 points, 12 rebounds) said, "That's the way he (Laimbeer) plays. It was a typical night for him. He got somebody thrown out of the game. We either have to retaliate harder or don't do it at all."
Jones added, "What the official didn't see was Laimbeer elbowing Robert in the throat. That's not basketball. Any player who uses that kind of stuff I don't think much of as a player or as a person."
Laimbeer (14 rebounds) said, "We were running down the court, pushing off each other, and all of the sudden, he throws a punch. If he's stupid enough to swing at me, he deserves to get thrown out."
Laimbeer was also in the middle of the action when Bill Walton had his crown knocked out (for the second time in a week) in the first period. Walton spent the rest of the half in the locker room but replaced Parish on the floor for the final two periods.
But The Call, The Punch and The Tooth weren't the only elements that contributed to this Boston defeat. The Celts were simply unable to stop Isiah Thomas (39 points, 13 assists), and were outrebounded, 54-36. The Celtics blew a nine-point third-quarter lead and made only four of 20 shots in the final period.
Parish got tossed with 3:15 left in the first half. The incident started after Detroit rebounded a Celtic miss and ran upcourt. Parish and Laimbeer got into a jam near the foul line at the Celtic end. Parish threw a punch at Laimbeer, and Thomas fired the ball at Parish. Mahorn rushed to the scene, and Bird started jawing with Laimbeer (whom he loathes).
After an official timeout, Parish was ejected (for punching), and Isiah was tagged with a technical for throwing the ball at the Chief. The Celtics have had two player ejections for fighting this season, and both were in Pontiac against Laimbeer.
Danny Ainge was back in the Celts' starting lineup, but played only 17 minutes due to a sore left ankle. Bird led an 11-2 run, and Boston led, 25-20, before Isiah made it 26-26 at the end of the first.
With two centers in the locker room, the Celts finished the first half with Greg Kite in the middle and trailed, 65-59, at intermission.
Trailing, 78-76, the Celts scored 11 straight and took an 87-78 lead in the third. But Isiah enabled the Pistons to claw to within six at the end of three.
1.05.2008
Boston up 1, 2:36 to Go
Who wants it more?
Who will rise to the occasion?
Who will fall?
Glen Davis, on the floor in crunch time, converts a three point play. Boston builds a six point lead, only to have Detroit close the gap to two. Davis hits yet another bucket down the stretch.
Cs up four.
.47 to go.
Billups misses second free throw, gets own board, but misses three pointer.
Celtics ball.
.32 to go.
Glen Davis takin' it to da hoop, scores again.
Del Fuego, brutha!
Cs up 5.
.08 to go.
Quick, someone delete my post arguing that BBD is no Jason Maxiell!!!
Billups misses another 3-pointer, TA gets the board.
Foul on McDyess.
TA hits the free throws.
Game over.
Cs win in Motown!!!
Who will rise to the occasion?
Who will fall?
Glen Davis, on the floor in crunch time, converts a three point play. Boston builds a six point lead, only to have Detroit close the gap to two. Davis hits yet another bucket down the stretch.
Cs up four.
.47 to go.
Billups misses second free throw, gets own board, but misses three pointer.
Celtics ball.
.32 to go.
Glen Davis takin' it to da hoop, scores again.
Del Fuego, brutha!
Cs up 5.
.08 to go.
Quick, someone delete my post arguing that BBD is no Jason Maxiell!!!
Billups misses another 3-pointer, TA gets the board.
Foul on McDyess.
TA hits the free throws.
Game over.
Cs win in Motown!!!
12.18.2007
Ali-Frazier I
Doc, KG, and the boys are gonna be chompin' at the bit to play the Detroit Pistons tonight, and da Gah-den will be rockin'. The Celtics will rightly see this game as their first genuine test of what they have put together thus far.
I expect the league's best defense to kick it up a notch.
I expect Ray Allen to return with Guns a Blazin'.
I expect the Celtics' focus and intensity to peak.
In a two-day span earlier this month, the Chicago Bulls beat the Pistons in Detroit and then our boys humbled the Bulls the next night on their home court.
So, in short:
We're at home.
We're rested.
We've motivated.
Sounds like win number 21 to me.
++++
A few of my favorite quotes from the last week:
The day assistant Tom Thibodeau walked into the gym was the day the Celtics got serious about winning. Thibodeau is perhaps the premier defensive coach in the NBA. He has coached defenses for 17 seasons, 14 for teams that finished among the 10 stingiest in the league.
Garnett hasn't had numbers this low (18.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 3.6 apg) since before the lockout. But he is in the process of spit-polishing his legacy as a leader and defensive anchor, and he has never been better.
Ray Allen, who is dealing with an ankle injury, hasn't even started shooting well yet (.408), and the Celtics are are 20-2 and third in the entire NBA in field-goal percentage.
The Celtics are No. 1 in five defensive categories, points allowed, shooting percentage allowed, three-point shooting percentage allowed, assists allowed, and does the fifth category even matter?
There's not another team in the league with two great, long-armed defenders at the point-guard and post positions.
During the 14-minute delay to start the second half against the Raptors, KG didn't smile once. He just kept on going through the layup line with his teammates until the hardwood was ready.
I expect the league's best defense to kick it up a notch.
I expect Ray Allen to return with Guns a Blazin'.
I expect the Celtics' focus and intensity to peak.
In a two-day span earlier this month, the Chicago Bulls beat the Pistons in Detroit and then our boys humbled the Bulls the next night on their home court.
So, in short:
We're at home.
We're rested.
We've motivated.
Sounds like win number 21 to me.
++++
A few of my favorite quotes from the last week:
The day assistant Tom Thibodeau walked into the gym was the day the Celtics got serious about winning. Thibodeau is perhaps the premier defensive coach in the NBA. He has coached defenses for 17 seasons, 14 for teams that finished among the 10 stingiest in the league.
Garnett hasn't had numbers this low (18.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 3.6 apg) since before the lockout. But he is in the process of spit-polishing his legacy as a leader and defensive anchor, and he has never been better.
Ray Allen, who is dealing with an ankle injury, hasn't even started shooting well yet (.408), and the Celtics are are 20-2 and third in the entire NBA in field-goal percentage.
The Celtics are No. 1 in five defensive categories, points allowed, shooting percentage allowed, three-point shooting percentage allowed, assists allowed, and does the fifth category even matter?
There's not another team in the league with two great, long-armed defenders at the point-guard and post positions.
During the 14-minute delay to start the second half against the Raptors, KG didn't smile once. He just kept on going through the layup line with his teammates until the hardwood was ready.
11.30.2007
1986 Cs Move to 13-2 with Win over Pistons
Bird Goes for 47, while the Black Hole Chips in 20 & 10
Does Chuck Daly know his team, or what? It was pointed out to him before last night's game that Larry Bird was shooting like the second coming of Tom Henderson over the previous four games, to which the Detroit coach replied, "We have a way of always curing those ills when we come to town."
Bird, of course, responded with a season-high 47 points in the Celtics ' 132-124 victory.
Guess who was the first guard off the Celtics' bench. Sam Vincent, that's who. The Rook played 17 meaningful minutes, registering eight points and four assists, and he was on the floor during the best Boston spurt of the night, a 12-2 run that rescued the club from its biggest deficit, a 33-27 first-quarter state of affairs. "Sam showed well," appraised K.C. Jones. "He pushed the ball up the floor, ran the break well and he powered the pill (translation: he shot the ball) as if he were in the league four or five years." . . . One fallout of Vincent's time was that Jerry Sichting played a season-low nine minutes.
Isiah Thomas on the collision with Sichting that sent him out with 6:50 remaining in the first half, never to return: "I got tangled up with him and I bent my leg backwards." Asked if he were scared, he replied, "Yes. Very." . . . For the record, 12 of Bird's 17 field goals were jump shots of one kind or another. But there was only one real ICBM, a la '84-85.
The difference in game plans can be seen in the shot distribution. The Celtics' starting frontcourt took 46 of Boston's 87 shots, while Vinnie Johnson and John Long took 42 of Detroit's 96 . . . The Pistons have picked up ex-Boston College backup center Ron Crevier on waivers from Golden State, but he saw no action . . . Bill Walton had another good evening, scoring 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Whither Sly Williams? Said general manager Jan Volk, "When the procedure was initially done (on his hemorrhoids), they were talking five to seven days. The seven days are up, and he hasn't yet progressed to the point where he can play." The club will wait a little longer before deciding about a roster change, but if you're making book, assume that Sly is an unlikely candidate to spend Christmas as a Celtic.
The New York Mets have had, what, about 116 third basemen over the years? Now here come the Pistons with their own tale of woe. Oh, their kingdom for a power forward.
"We can't handle (Kevin) McHale and the other big forwards in the league," said Daly before last night's game. "Other teams get it inside and force us to double down. Then they swing it to the open man outside for a jump shot. But when we get the ball, we don't have that kind of post play."
It has been a Detroit problem for years. The club believed it had an answer last year when it acquired Dan Roundfield from Atlanta for Cliff Levingston and the rights to Antoine Carr. But Roundfield went south on them when he was needed most.
They tried again this past summer by obtaining legendary elbow-tosser Ricky Mahorn from Washington in exchange for Roundfield. But Mahorn has proven himself unable to hold the starting job. Daly next turned to Earl Cureton, but after an early glimmer or two in the pan, he, too, turned out to be a case of Fool's Gold. So what did Daly do? What else? He turned to Kent Benson.
And guess what? Since Benson has started, the Pistons are 4-1. "We did the same thing two years ago and we went off on a nice streak," recalled Daly. "One thing about Benson: He may not be spectacular, but he's stable."
Daly was hoping the sight of Benson wouldn't get McHale too aroused. It was Benson whom McHale tormented for more than 30 of his 56 points in that memorable performance last March. "McHale starting is a problem," Daly said.
McHale wound up with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Does Chuck Daly know his team, or what? It was pointed out to him before last night's game that Larry Bird was shooting like the second coming of Tom Henderson over the previous four games, to which the Detroit coach replied, "We have a way of always curing those ills when we come to town."
Bird, of course, responded with a season-high 47 points in the Celtics ' 132-124 victory.
Guess who was the first guard off the Celtics' bench. Sam Vincent, that's who. The Rook played 17 meaningful minutes, registering eight points and four assists, and he was on the floor during the best Boston spurt of the night, a 12-2 run that rescued the club from its biggest deficit, a 33-27 first-quarter state of affairs. "Sam showed well," appraised K.C. Jones. "He pushed the ball up the floor, ran the break well and he powered the pill (translation: he shot the ball) as if he were in the league four or five years." . . . One fallout of Vincent's time was that Jerry Sichting played a season-low nine minutes.
Isiah Thomas on the collision with Sichting that sent him out with 6:50 remaining in the first half, never to return: "I got tangled up with him and I bent my leg backwards." Asked if he were scared, he replied, "Yes. Very." . . . For the record, 12 of Bird's 17 field goals were jump shots of one kind or another. But there was only one real ICBM, a la '84-85.
The difference in game plans can be seen in the shot distribution. The Celtics' starting frontcourt took 46 of Boston's 87 shots, while Vinnie Johnson and John Long took 42 of Detroit's 96 . . . The Pistons have picked up ex-Boston College backup center Ron Crevier on waivers from Golden State, but he saw no action . . . Bill Walton had another good evening, scoring 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Whither Sly Williams? Said general manager Jan Volk, "When the procedure was initially done (on his hemorrhoids), they were talking five to seven days. The seven days are up, and he hasn't yet progressed to the point where he can play." The club will wait a little longer before deciding about a roster change, but if you're making book, assume that Sly is an unlikely candidate to spend Christmas as a Celtic.
The New York Mets have had, what, about 116 third basemen over the years? Now here come the Pistons with their own tale of woe. Oh, their kingdom for a power forward.
"We can't handle (Kevin) McHale and the other big forwards in the league," said Daly before last night's game. "Other teams get it inside and force us to double down. Then they swing it to the open man outside for a jump shot. But when we get the ball, we don't have that kind of post play."
It has been a Detroit problem for years. The club believed it had an answer last year when it acquired Dan Roundfield from Atlanta for Cliff Levingston and the rights to Antoine Carr. But Roundfield went south on them when he was needed most.
They tried again this past summer by obtaining legendary elbow-tosser Ricky Mahorn from Washington in exchange for Roundfield. But Mahorn has proven himself unable to hold the starting job. Daly next turned to Earl Cureton, but after an early glimmer or two in the pan, he, too, turned out to be a case of Fool's Gold. So what did Daly do? What else? He turned to Kent Benson.
And guess what? Since Benson has started, the Pistons are 4-1. "We did the same thing two years ago and we went off on a nice streak," recalled Daly. "One thing about Benson: He may not be spectacular, but he's stable."
Daly was hoping the sight of Benson wouldn't get McHale too aroused. It was Benson whom McHale tormented for more than 30 of his 56 points in that memorable performance last March. "McHale starting is a problem," Daly said.
McHale wound up with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
11.15.2007
1986 Cs Move to 6-1
CELTICS POUND PISTONS 124-105
The Celtics are on a roll. They've won six straight and there's no end in sight - Boston plays host to the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night.
"I like the way we're playing," coach K.C. Jones said after Saturday night's impressive 124-105 triumph over the Detroit Pistons in the Pontiac Silverdome. "We're getting right into our full assignments at the offensive end.
We let Detroit cut our lead to nine by playing helter-skelter, one-on-one basketball, but then we started moving the ball and calling out assignments and moving bodies around. That is something we have not done consistently, and now that we see it working, it'll reinforce itself."
The Celtics were almost flawless in their 72-point first half against Detroit. They controlled the defensive boards, pushed the ball up the floor, exploited mismatches underneath (Earl Cureton was trying to guard Kevin McHale), and pitched it outside for easy perimeter jumpers when the middle clogged. It was textbook offense.
The K.C. AC has won its last three games by 15, 24 and 19 points. They're beating teams to death with frontcourt power and newfound depth (Jerry Sichting was 6 for 6 from the floor vs. Detroit).
One begins to wonder where the competition is going to come from over the next 75 regular-season games. There seems to be an extraordinary number of pushover teams, and Boston only plays the Lakers twice during the regular season.
Detroit was supposed to be a big test, but Boston vaporized the Pistons. McHale & Co. led by 24 before halftime. The Celtics find it easy to motivate themselves against the Pistons. "We don't like them and they don't like us," admitted McHale (28 points). McHale got into a small shoving match with the frustrated Cureton after halftime. There was also a mini-altercation between Danny Ainge and John Long and a brief fight between Dennis Johnson and Bill Laimbeer. DJ and Laimbeer were ejected.
Emotion and incentive are needed if the Celtics are to avert letdowns against a long string of overmatched opponents the rest of the way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)