Celtics on the Up ...

He's traded away whatever stars he had on the roster. What's left is a bunch of up-and-comers, scrappers, journeymen veterans and undrafted pick-ups. He even hired a coach without any NBA experience.

BUT that coach is proving that he's got some chops, that he's picking up the nuances of the NBA game. That coach has got his team playing hard - even through the seismic roster changes. That coach has got his team on an improbable playoff hunt, just off the playoff spots in a deplorable Eastern conference.

And last night the Boston Celtics beat the Memphis Grizzlies.

Granted, the NBA is a 82-game grind and there are bound to be some shocks purely based on schedule and the volume of games. Still, the Grizzlies have legitimate hopes for the NBA title.

And just like the pre-2008 teams, watching the process (and Danny Ainge at work) is FASCINATING. It's a different feeling from when the Celtics were contending for the NBA title but watching Ainge stockpile draft picks, trade exceptions and free up salary cap space is really rather interesting. I'm in Finance, so sue me.

And convincing Brad Stevens to coach the Celtics through the rebuild ... WoW!
Not as straightforward as it seems since roughly half the successful college coaches couldn't cut it in the NBA...


Tony Allen of the Memphis Grizzlies after the game :
"as far as their future, they’re going to be pretty good, man. Danny Ainge knows what he’s doing. He’s a wizard. He knows what he’s doing."

“Just look back at the 2004 class when he drafted me, Al Jefferson, Justin Reed, Delonte West. He got some good draft picks that year, so I know that’s what he plans on doing. And then before you know it, he’ll make a blockbuster trade. I know it’s in him.”

NBA Draft 2014 - a Celtic perspective

It’s NBA Draft night and hope springs eternal. All Things are Possible and none of the draftees have had time to screw things up yet.

Oops ! My bad. #3 pick Joel Embiid is already injured with a broken foot that will keep him out for the next 4-6 months. This on top of the back injury that kept him out of part of his college year as well. But hey ! He’ll recover and be the next Olajuwon – and we won’t whisper the names of Oden, Bowie and Walton. Even though foot and back injuries have a particularly bad history for 7-foot centers in the NBA.

My personal interest in NBA Draft 2014 is focused on Trader Danny Ainge – the head of the Celtics brain trust. The man who’s done it before and the man entrusted with doing it again – bringing the glory days back to the Celtics. The man who would trade his own grandmother if it could improve the Celtics.

It’s not personal, it’s just business. But Danny will be nice about it. And he may not like trading you – in fact, it may even be breaking his heart. But he’ll put his arm around you and commiserate with you and assure you that it wasn’t personal even as he’s ushering you out the door. But Danny’s a nice guy, really ! And classy too.

Anyways, with picks #6 and #17, the Celtics draft ………… Smart & Young !

this is Smart

One transition season after Danny blew the whole thing up with the Pierce and Garnett trade, Danny cashes in his first chip. Probably after trying his very best to trade away the self same draft picks. But time expired and Danny was still holding his goodie bag, so he drafted Marcus Smart and James Young. And he’ll ask Brad Stevens to develop them and find a way for Smart & Bradley & Rondo to co-exist in the backcourt.

And rumours will abound about Rondo trades now that Danny’s drafted a point guard. Just as rumours about Rondo trades have abounded for the past few years. And Danny will deny it all.

But then again, this is the guy who hired college basketball’s hottest young coach without any reporters suspecting it. Not even a Twit ! In this day and age when everybody’s got a smartphone and camera ..……

It’s NBA Draft night. Hope springs eternal and the Celtics look to Smart & Young.

the Boston Celtics Ad Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett

The final act to mark the end of the second Big Three era.

Pierce will always be remembered as a Celtic. Garnett will be remembered for bringing an NBA title to Boston by holding the team accountable for their play. Pierce is definitely getting his jersey number retired in Boston; as for Garnett, the chances of his number being retired are pretty high. In my opinion, both would be highly deserved.

It's telling that the Boston Celtics management did not take out ads to thank either Ray Allen or Doc Rivers. Both will be remembered for their roles in Banner 17, but their departures from the Celtics were on their terms. Unlike Pierce and Garnett.

They Say it's All Over ......Maybe it Is.

In the end, they just couldn't push through. After matching the Miami Heat for 6 games and 40 minutes of game 7, the Celtics just didn't have any more to give. The injuries took their toll and the aging Celtics couldn't defy Father Time this time around. It's been a glorious five years but this seems to mark the end of that era :



As good as the Celtics have been over the past 5 years, I have to admit that age has caught up and there is no way, KG, Pierce, Ray Allen and Rondo are going to win the NBA title in their current incarnation. Father Time remains unbeaten. So as much as I would like to see the Core Four return for one more title run against all odds, the reality is that KG and Ray Allen would have to take massive pay cuts to allow this to happen. I definitely can't see Danny Ainge making major concessions in that area. Not when the C's need to add at least one major piece to help the Core Four out. In any case, the past five years have been a blast. I've enjoyed the ride. Thanks for the memories, guys ! I hope you all come back, but I'll understand if you don't.

Celtics pull it off once again ...

Following the Celtics this season has been a bittersweet experience. And that's when they win.

When they lose, or lose players to season ending injuries, or heart ailments (2 in the same season !) the Celtics evoke emotions of disappointment, frustration and sometimes futility.

But when they're focused on winning .... what joy they bring ! Sweetness ! And the bitterness part ? That comes from knowing this particular era could end at any time. Contract issues with KG and Ray Allen notwithstanding, injuries could bring the curtain down on the new Big Three at any time - especially when they are 36, 35 and 34 years old now. And what of the little big man, Rajon Rondo ? Well, the torch has been well and truly passed to him this season. As brilliant as he can be in most games, Rondo can also be disengaged in some games. Again bittersweet.

Now that they've pulled it together and are on the edge of confounding all expert opinions by beating the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, I'm left wishing and hoping for the Celtics to once again win it all. And if they did win it all, what will happen to a team where some half of them will be free agents ? Where KG and Ray Ray can walk away as champions as unappetizing as that prospect may appear ?

Like I said - bittersweet.

One Last Run

They're picking up their game at the right time. Roster tweaks have revitalized Kevin Garnett's game, turned Avery Bradley into a starter and made Greg Stiemsma a vital part of the rotation. Rajon Rondo is on an assist streak and Paul Pierce is doing what Paul Pierce does. Doc Rivers is coaching his ass off. They had one of the best records in the NBA after the All Star break.

Their core players are also older than any other team. Pierce is now playing with a slight MCL tear and Ray Allen is hobbling around with bone spurs. While they definitely have a chance in any one series, you do wonder whether they can last the grind of playing through four playoff series.

Still, they've edged the Atlanta Hawks and that's one down, three to go. And while the Philadelphia 76ers won't exactly be easy, they definitely caught a break with Derrick Rose's injury and the subsequent elimination of the Chicago Bulls.

This is a good place to be. Considering that the Celtics have had vital rotation players suffer season ending injuries/heart ailments earlier in the season. Considering that this team might be broken up at the end of the season, with free agents aplenty in the squad. Considering that KG and Ray Ray will be free agents.

Just live in the present. Enjoy the ride as long as it lasts. Bob Ryan described it best - this is Year 5 in a 3 year plan. They got an NBA title in their 1st year, everything else is gravy. They came within an injury and were 5 minutes from a 2nd NBA title. It's been a blast for the past 5 years supporting them considering the seasons before that. So let's see how far the C's can drag this playoff run out. I hope it's all the way.

Dreams Do Come True ...

Fast becoming a Twitter trend : Jeremy Lin, the Harvard graduate who has come out of the blue to become the 1st choice point guard of the New York Knicks. Well, for last week anyway.

Lin had no athletic scholarships out of high school and was undrafted out of college. At 23 years old and with a Harvard degree, you'd think that he would be looking around for opportunities that had nothing at all to do with basketball ...... You'd be wrong.

Having been waived by 2 NBA teams and also spending some time in the in the D-League, Lin was a 3rd choice point guard for the Knicks. Hardly anything to shout about. But injuries to team mates gave him his chance and he's taken it with both hands and is now running into contention to be the 1st choice point guard for the Knicks - having raised eyebrows with some exceptional performances this past week.

So, major props to the guy. Not to mention it , but his cult following of fans (Lin's the only Asian American playing in the NBA!) is jumping out of the roof right now.

Jeremy Lin is proof that persistence can pay off and that dreams do come true.

Less noticed is the confirmation of Greg Stiemsma's contract by the Celtics. All of 26 years old, Stiemsma is pretty old to be making his NBA debut. But he stuck around, played in international leagues some, and is now a bona fide member of the Celtics team this season.

Stiemsma is proof that persistence does pay off, and sometimes the little guy can win. Even if that little guy is all of 6-foot-11 like Stiemsma.

the Prescription

Spent yesterday morning in front of the TV watching the NBA Finals Game 5 : Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat - primarily to see if Dirk Nowitzki (wiki) could take the next step towards winning his first NBA title.

It was worth it. Great passing, Passable defence, Great shooting, Lots of tension, Great game. And a Dallas win. Perfect.

Dirk's come a long way since he joined Dallas in 98. That's a 13 year career which I won't go into since it's so darn long. Wiki gives the facts but doesn't include the analysis, opinions, etc. which sports writers provide. Suffice to say that Dirk has consistently been one of the best NBA players for the past decade and is generally regarded as the best 7-foot shooter in NBA history. That's shooter, not scorer.

But it's been 5 years since his first NBA finals (which Dallas lost) and now, here he stands (or shoots, or rebounds, or drives ...). Again. Just one win away from being an NBA champion. It will be tough to get that one last win but I'm rooting for him all the same. Go Dirk !

NB. The Celtics would have taken him with their 10th pick in the 98 NBA draft. Instead, Dallas got him at the 9th pick. The Celtics picked Paul Pierce instead.

The End of the Road

In the end, it just wasn't meant to be. Age and injuries did the Celtics in - with the biggest question being 'what if Rajon Rondo had been healthy ?' The series was closer than the score of 1-4 would suggest, with the Celtics level or leading into the last 6 minutes of 4 out of the 5 games. As it stands, this looks like the passing of an era in the NBA with all the remaining contenders being young teams. Except for Dallas - who are old, but have lost in the 1st round for the past few years (Go, Dirk!).

Stepping up to the plate will be GM Trader Ainge. Will he keep the core for one last hurrah in 2012, or will he blow it all up to rebuild ? I think that he will go for that one last hurrah but he'll have to be extremely inventive to build a team that's capable of challenging, and beating, the new teams on the block.

Adding another chapter to the legacy ...

Take a good look at this video clip. Or maybe not, if you're squeamish ...



That's a dislocated elbow right there for the Celtic's All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo.

I winced every time I looked at it. Who could imagine that he would be back 10 minuted later to play the last 12 minutes of the game ? With his left arm hanging by his side ? Essentially catching, dribbling and passing the ball with only his right hand ?

It was a must win game in the playoffs. KG and Pierce had the outstanding performances. But this game will be remembered primarily for the toughness Rondo displayed in returning to the game after that injury.

Just another chapter to add to the Celtics folklore .....

the Matchup

From the beginning of the season, this was a series matchup that was waiting to happen - an eventuality.

The Miami Heat were built on the premise of getting 3 stars together in the same team. It also happens to be an exact copy of the blueprint the Boston Celtics drew up in assembling their Big Three of Garnett, Pierce and Allen. The fact that the 3 stars on both teams are an exact match in positions (2, 3 & 4) just makes the similarity more obvious.

The Celtics made a mid-season trade (Green and Krstic for Perkins) specifically to help Pierce and Allen in the post season. And it's pretty obvious that Danny Ainge considered the Miami Heat a big part of the post season.

And guess what ? Here they are. A little earlier than some would have liked, but it's Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat.

Looking forward to it.

Danny Ainge rolls the dice again ...

Well ! Phew ……..

There’s one thing that you can’t accuse Celtics GM Danny Ainge of, and that one thing is that he is afraid to roll the dice.

Trading away the Celtics starting center Kendrick Perkins for OKC Thunder’s Jeff Green is a big gamble. Not that Perkins was the most important member of the Celtics starting five – he was the least important member of that starting five – but he was an essential part of it. Plus the Celtics’ defensive schemes have depended on Perkins guarding the opposing center without any help from his team mates. And as the Cavaliers showed against Dwight Howard’s Magic last season, that’s a game plan for losing if your center cannot handle the job against a very good opposing center. And Perkins was one of the best in the NBA at handling that job on the defensive end.

Also, basketball is such a tactical game that shifting a starter out changes the dynamics of the team. You have to tweak the game plan for the replacement as he brings a different set of strengths and weaknesses onto the court. The replacement has to learn the play book, which for some players and teams can take up to a period of one year, depending on how intricate that play book is. It’s not like football where a new guy can fit in and make adjustments along the way. When a play is called during a basketball game, if one guy runs to the wrong spot, the play breaks down for the entire team. And since basketball has a shot clock, there is little time to make adjustments when a play break down.

Coupled with the fact that Celtics coach Doc Rivers has constantly claimed that “this starting five (of Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rondo and Perkins) has never lost a playoff series while healthy”.

It’s true. They’ve had 3 years together : won an NBA championship, lost in the Eastern Conference Finals and came within 5 minutes of another NBA championship. The past 2 years, one of the starters was injured when they lost that playoff series. I guess Doc Rivers can retire that claim now. That starting five has never lost a playoff series while healthy – and they won’t get another chance to.

Having said that, I won’t say that this is necessarily a bad trade. Ainge has earned the right to roll the dice based on his track record. Coupled with the fact that the Celtics desperately needed a backup small forward since Marquis Daniels got injured last month – and Jeff Green is a higher quality small forward than anybody expected the Celtics to get …….. it’s just that nobody in the NBA saw this coming. Which is pretty much a typical Ainge maneuver.

That trade, coupled with another 2 trades, has opened up 3 roster spots for Ainge to fill. So the full shebang will only be known when Ainge has filled those 3 spots. A few names have already been floated as buyout candidates / free agents that Ainge would be interested in. Plus there’s one retired guy whom I suspect the Big Three will be calling to suit up ….. (Sheed!)

In the meantime, Boston - the quintessential American Irish city – will be calling upon the O’Neal brothers – the quintessential Irish name – to hold the fort.

Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal (clue : it ain't the guy in the middle)

the One Shot that Will Stand Out ...

That's what Ray Allen called it.

He may have made 2,560 3 pointers before this One shot but this is the One that will stand out. This shot being the One that broke the record for most 3 pointers made by a player in NBA history. The One shot that will be played and replayed when any review is made of his career.

It's an achievement which looks even more remarkable when you consider what his college coach, Jim Calhoun, said about his jump shot : "That's the flattest jump shot I've ever seen."

Now, having a flat jump shot doesn't mean that you can't make shots - but it does mean that your percentage of success with jump shots is significantly lower. So, to progress from having a very flat jump shot in college to being frequently described now as having a "perfect stroke, perfect shooting form, pure jump shooter, etc." indicates that a lot of work has been put into that jump shot.

And to break the 3 point record indicates that the hard work has been maintained for many, many years.

So, props to Ray Allen - the NBA's most prolific 3 point shooter.

in the aftermath

In the end, it came down to 2 baskets.

That's how close the Celtics came to winning the NBA title.

After dragging their old bodies through the regular season.

After overcoming the odds in the playoffs to get to the Finals.

After fighting the LA Lakers to a standstill in said Finals.

After all that - it came down to 2 baskets.

So while the team is still in grief having come so very close....... it's time for Danny Ainge, the GM, to get to work. And he has LOTS of work to do.

The coach is going to do his yearly review on whether he'll return to coach the next season. It's not certain that he will.

The associate head coach is expected to take up an offer to be a head coach at another team. Having been the chief architect of the vaunted Celtics defence for the past 3 years, his departure will certainly be felt.

9 of the 15 players on the roster are out of contract - including Ray Allen, one of the new Big Three. How many of them will be back ?

Rasheed Wallace IS under contract but is contemplating retirement. Having seen him struggle to the finish of Game 7 against the Lakers, I think that he will. But fair play to him - having coasted through the regular season, he was ready to play in the post season. Just like he had been saying. If he does retire, I expect that Danny Ainge will have it in mind to approach 'sheed to join the Celtics for the 2nd half of next season. It's been his MO for the past 3 seasons.

The supposed window for the new Big Three has reached it's conclusion. They won 1 NBA Championship and made the Finals of another. And if not for the knee injury to KG in 2009, would have had a very good chance to have added another NBA Championship. As it stands, the objective of winning an NBA Championship was achieved in their first season together. But they're aging and it's beginning to show.

The new face of the Boston Celtics has been established with Rajon Rondo locked into a new 5-year contract. He has gone from being a second tier point guard to being described as the best all around point guard in the NBA today. That's quite an improvement over the space of one season.

With KG, Pierce, Rondo, Perk and Big Baby still around for the next season, there's still a core good enough to make a decent run at success the next season. But with budget considerations coming into the equation, the question is how will Danny Ainge go about filling the rest of the Celtics roster ?

NB. I guess part of the sadness is the realization that this era of the new Big Three may have just come to an end. It may have been brief but it was glorious. And unlike football, you can't really build perennial title-winning teams in the NBA.

NBB. Another thing noted by Doc Rivers : the starting five still hasn't lost a series. Considering that regular center Perk was injured and couldn't play in game 7, and the series was tied 3-3 at that time, I guess that's his qualifier.

This ONE is for All The Marbles

LA Lakers vs Boston Celtics

In LA.

Score tied 3-3 in a best-of-seven games series.

One game to decide it all.

Bring it on !!

Lakers vs Celtics

4 quarters. 48 minutes.

For the Ring. For Glory. For a place in History.

Cue Despair.

Bring It On !!

Lakers vs Celtics

09 NBA Champions vs 08 NBA Champions

Kobe vs the New Big Three. Gasol vs Rondo. The Bench.

For their Legacies.

Bring. It. On. !!!

NB. after this, I can start looking at the World Cup.

a Photo can really be worth a thousand words...

This is going to be one of the iconic images of the 2010 NBA Finals - but only if the Boston Celtics end up being the champions.

It's a photo of Glen 'Big Baby' Davis and Nate 'Krypto-Nate' Robinson celebrating after Davis scored a basket in a crucial fourth quarter run against the LA Lakers. It was a run that is acknowledged as the pivotal moment in the Celtics game 4 win against the Lakers. A run where the Celtics reserves, playing primarily against the Lakers starting five, outscored their adversaries by a total of 10 points over 9 minutes and 9 seconds.

When the reserves started the fourth quarter, the score was 60-62. When they were finally replaced by the Celtics starting five, the score was 85-77. As the Celtics wound up winning by 7 points, it's obvious that this was the turning point of the game.

And that's why the NBA Finals is finely poised with both Celtics and Lakers having won 2 games each. That leaves 3 games to go for the NBA champions to be crowned. Which means that I'm taking leave to watch the last 2-3 games.

And that photo up above ? This is the sequence that led to it :

As much as the photo captures the emotion expressed in Glen Davis screaming and hollering, did you notice the slobbering and drooling (Big Baby, right ?) that was also going on ? Davis admitted as much in the post-game interview.

The press has already picked up on that celebration as evidenced by this interview of the duo :

This interview has been a hit on the internet, where the fans of both Celtics and Lakers (and other teams as well !) have picked up on Nate's imaginative description.

There's Life in the Old Dog yet ...

One season after they failed to defend their title, the Celtics are back in the NBA Finals again.

"Obviously, one (NBA title) is special," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said, acknowledging that it's not enough to rank among the great teams in franchise history. "The other groups (i.e. previous Celtics title-winning teams) have a couple, and we would love to join that club. No one can ever take away that first one, but we want to join the other club, too."

"This starting five has never lost a series, ever," Rivers said, alluding to the injury that kept Kevin Garnett out for the postseason last year and kept the new Big Three from defending its '08 title. "We believed that coming into the season, and we just kept believing."

Fighting words indeed. But he has a point. This particular starting five has won all 7 series that they've played together.

I’m looking forward to the NBA Finals.

Go Celtics !

Play of the NBA season ?

Having been off line for over a week while in England, I was very happy to have internet access at the last hostel we stayed in on our trip. Not that there wasn't access at the other places we stayed in, which all provided wifi, but as I hadn't brought along a laptop, I had been offline for over a week.

And the first chance I had, I checked on the Boston Celtics.

And they're not only still surviving in the NBA playoffs, they're absolutely thriving !

When I checked, the Celtics were 2-0 up in a best of 7 games Eastern Conference Final and had one leg in the NBA Finals and a chance to win it all. When I got off the plane on my return flight to KL, the Celtics had won game #3 and are now in position to win the series against the Orlando Magic in a few hours time.

And one play in particular in game 3 has caught the eye of anybody who follows the NBA :

It's quite an incredible play - to dive onto the floor and grab the basketball right off the opponent's shoe laces - having started off from a few feet behind said opponent.........

And to put it in context : the Celtics were already up 34-17 in this game having won the first 2 games. They were already cruising at this stage.

As KG put it, this was a pure 'I-want-it-more-than-you' play. And Ray Allen had a really good perspective : "It's one thing to have the ball and make something miraculous happen, but not having the ball and making something miraculous happen ?"

Make no mistake. The Celtics are proving that they're still a force to contend with as the Big Three are healthy and playing well in this year's playoffs, but the best player on their team right now, as he has been all season, is one Rajon Rondo.

Another List

Things I'll miss when in England :

* The kitten

currently insists on being carried in this manner as she pretends that she's a dog

* Checking on the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs.

An old team who had problems with injuries and getting motivated during the regular season have suddenly transformed into a serious contender for the NBA title. Currently holding a 3-2 lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team with the best record in the NBA regular season, in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Led by a mercurial young point guard in Rajon Rondo, who is making a case for being the best player on this year's team roster. And the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

Would love to be along for the ride. Hopefully, they'll still be playing when I get back.

* Bayern Munich playing in the final of the Champions League

I'll be in a plane on the return trip so I'll miss the live telecast.

* the Internet

Offline most of the time. I'll survive.


No, I won't miss being at work. Or my family and friends as we've gotten used to being separated for short periods of time. They will survive.

On the bright side, Old Trafford here we come ! :-)

Bliss...

What can happen when I'm not working on a Saturday morning :

Pancakes and OJ and the Boston Celtics live on ESPN

Building blocks

and a house