It's Spring

I got a text from LaRocque today that simply said, "It's a perfect day to take down a D'angelo's number nine for lunch." Three thoughts:

1. He's right.

2. The expression "take down" doesn't get enough play. Yes I'm the same guy that tried to get people to transition away from "spread like wildfire" to "spread like herpes". But in this case there really is a ton of untapped potential with "take down".

3. The text motivated me to write the following post, which has been in the back of my mind for a week or so.

Last Wednesday I walked out my front door to make the short walk to work and it hit me - it was nice outside. I should preface this by saying I live in New Hampshire and the last couple of winters have been abysmal. Maybe it's because I don't like outdoor winter sports. Maybe I'm just getting older. Whatever the reason San Diego or any other place that's warm and has reliable water is looking more and more appealing. However, back to last week. For the first time it was warm and there was not a doubt in my mind what I would be doing that night - grilling steak. It was noticeably more upbeat at work, the day went quicker and I can't adequately describe how awesome it was to break out the grill for the first time all season.

Not to go all Hallmark here but the coming of spring made me think about the Boston Celtics. Stay with me on this one. I loved everything about the 2008 Celtics squad and a lot of other people did too. Yet I'd argue that banner 17 meant a lot more to people who watched large chunks of the 2007 Celtics, got excited by the 1998 season opener and have opinions on Orien Greene, or anybody else who walked through the door since Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish stopped doing so. I beg you to look at those previous two links. The former is downright comical at this point. The latter sums up the Orien Greene era better than I ever could. Regardless I'm convinced that people who stopped watching the C's sometime in the early 90s simply didn't enjoy last season as much as I did.

And that brings me to the point of this post. I don't care what happens from this point forward. Even if Kevin Garnett is forced to retire and the Celtics fall into mediocrity I will never say a bad thing about the KG trade. It was fantastic to watch Paul Pierce change his entire legacy with a Finals MVP performance. It's impossible to judge how much playing for a winning, defensive juggernaut did for Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo, and to a lesser extent Glen Davis and Leon Powe. Bottom line Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, and whoever else was not winning a title.

Why You Shouldn't Hate the Celtics

Over the course of this season we've seen a tremendous amount of negative sentiment towards the Boston Celtics to the point that they may be the most disliked champion in quite some time. Criticism seems to focus on the following points:

1. They're dirty. LaRocque touched on this in a couple of posts not to long ago. Read them here and here. I'll hold off on my take on this for now and just say that I agree with LaRocque's line of thinking on Trevor Ariza's flagrant foul on Rudy Fernandez. Ariza definitely looked like a guy trying to make a basketball play.

2. They talk way too much. LeBron, Quentin Richardson and other have led the charge on this at times.

3. Some of the C's are arrogant in a way that is not in line with their abilities. Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe often come up in these discussions. People around the league hate the perceived sense of entitlement.

4. They're fake tough. Ric Bucher frequently references D.J. Augustine's take on the Celtics' tendency to punk their opponents and fold if they meet resistance.

Clearly I'm here to argue on behalf of the Celtics. In the words of Adam Carolla, "let's get it on" one point at a time:

1. By the 2009 NBA standards the Celtics definitely walk the line between physical and dirty. In the process they cross over to the dirty at times, based again on those aforementioned standards. I'd argue that the Celtics' dirty plays often stem from their tremendous effort on D and dedication to contest everything. I also don't believe they ever play with an intent to injure. Ultimately I hope this doesn't take away from the fact that the 2008 Celtics were a truly special defensive team. And though the 2009 edition is a notch below that, the players still care. In a league where people are often suspect of whether or not certain players or teams do in fact care, it should be refreshing to witness a team that does.

2. Keeping in mind the fact that I'm incredibly biased, I'd aruge that the C's never ending talk is a part of their desire to win another title. Would it be better if the C's completely folded like the Heat did after 2006? What if Boston rested on its laurels like the Detroit Pistons did at times? To be fair the C's have much to accomplish if they want to match Detroit's run. But I'm not the only one that thinks Detroit may have left a title on the table. Whether the C's get there again or not, and given injury and depth concerns it's going to be a struggle, the C's will give it their all and go down fighting. That's all a fan can ask. Furthermore, the league should be excited about a team that values its title and desperately wants to repeat.

3. Leon Powe, despite his one big game in the Finals, still has a lot to prove. So the fact that he's adopted KG's persona at times may be a bit much. I've been on the Powe bandwagon for three years and even I can accept that. Although it has to be mentioned that he's also out there fighting for every minute. People are kidding if they say they wouldn't want him on their teams. Now on to Kendrick Perkins. He does have his limitations as a player. His offensive repertoire is basic, he's not great against the pick and roll and his constant scowling rubs people the wrong way. But he's a much better passer than he gets credit for, positions himself well on offense and defends the basket with a vengeance. Yes KG makes Perk better. That's what great players do. Perk needs KG. And KG needs Perk, albeit to a lesser degree. I bet KG would have taken Perk on those Minnesota teams. Bottom line Perk has worked tirelessly to be a starter. He was an instrumental part of a title team and just happens to be a bad ass. I don't think he should apologize for that.

4. Let the record show that the Celtics make everyone else bring it. The 2008 squad was impossible to blow out and the 2oo9 team fights as well. Maybe it was a poor decision to come out of the gates so hot. Yet as you've probably figured out at this point, I'm okay with that a flaw. How a team that fought its way through 108 games for a title could be fake tough is beyond me. I'll close with a brief recap of the recent win over Charlotte.

Wednesday night the C's went to double OT at home against a Charlotte team that was playing its second game of the dreaded back-to-back. The Bobcats are 34-41. You can easily make the case that despite its injuries Boston should have taken care of business in regulation. I understand all of that. However, it's really a testament to what the C's have established over the last few seasons. They could have accepted the fact that they're banged up and it just wasn't their night. They've fallen short in other games, such as that trip to Chicago a while back. In a league that gets it's fair share of criticism the Celtics embody a lot of the traits that are supposed to be non-existent. And as a fan of the Celtics it makes me look forward to watching them every chance I get. Bring on the Hawks...

Random Aside - DeSagna Diop is AWFUL from the line. Just throwing that out there.

Chad Ford Breaks Down This Summer's Free Agents

Chad Ford breaks down the 2009 free agent class that has been flying under the radar with 2010 being the summer of LeBron. The Pistons will be about 40 million under the cap this summer and it will be interesting to see how much they're willing to spend. There are certainly some guys that could help them on this list, but I'd have to believe all teams that are in a position to spend big may want to play it conservative so as to give themselves a chance at the King.......sucks to be a free agent in 09.

Anyways, he breaks it down by unrestricted, restricted, and early termination/player option (but in reverse order).

Some names that stick out:

Chris Wilcox: Has been grinding away in relative anonymity, but impresses me every time I see him. Super athletic and effective both ends.

Ben Gordon: Would probably like to go to a team that allows it's leading scorers to start games.

Lamar Odom: Is just to good to be riding the pine for the Lakers. I'm not taking issue with Phil Jackson, but there are a lot of teams out there that would love to have this guy in their starting rotation. Obviously inconsistency and being sent to the bench in a contract year will cost him a lot of money.

Ron Artest: I would love it if the Pistons signed him. That would be the greatest storyline of the year. Not only would his style of play fit that city to a tee, but him playing 41 games a night in the Palace of Auburn Hills would be priceless. This has to happen.

Shawn Marion: It's unfortunate that injuries, questions about his motivation, and concerns about the fact that team success does not appear to be a high priority for him have all overshadowed his versatility and defensive brilliance over the past few seasons. Nevertheless, he will get paid. This is the kind of player teams want.

Sheed: As Chad said, it's unlikely that Sheed will be seeing top tier money. However, don't underestimate the impact he could have with a fresh start.

The Answer: AI can still put up points and assists with the best of them (see last night against the Warriors). But, the explosion that he has lost through the years makes it harder to look past his turnovers, low field goal percentage, and defensive shortcomings. He's still exciting, but the days of him taking the 76ers on his back and willing them to victory seem like a distant memory at this point.

Leon Powe and Glen Davis: Both are restricted, and I hope that both stay in green. Powe's not going anywhere. I can't imagine Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers would let Leon get away. I hope Big Baby will stay, but it's hard to know. If he keeps playing at a high level this season, somebody might be willing to overpay, and I can't imagine the Celtics would match if it's too much.

Charlie Villanueva: I am a UCONN fan, and I still don't know what the hype is all about. I've been hearing great things for almost a decade. All I see a guy that plays flat every night, is lazy on defense, and has no eyebrows. But, somebody will make him a big offer I'm sure.

The most intriguing names come from the list of players who have early termination options. That is where you can find Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Hedo Turkoglu, Eddy Curry, Al Harrington, and Jermaine O'Neal. Obviously, the plausibility of these guys leaving varies greatly. Kobe's not going anywhere (what a difference a year makes), Eddy Curry is almost certainly gone, Jamal Crawford has big money in New York but is playing well enough to possibly land in a more stable environment, and we'll have to wait and see with the rest.

Foil in the Oven: You're Being Very Undude

I'm sorry there aren't many pictures. Blogger has been very tempermental today. I didn't even think I was going to be able to get this thing posted.


I'll be honest; I wanted the Celtics to stick it to Phil Jackson in a big way last night. I understand that the greatest timeout caller of all time is well known for making very directed comments (which have often been referred to by media people as "Jedi mind tricks") post-game comments with the intention of sending a message, but his comments about Paul Pierce after game 1 were out of line. Now, I completely understand that the Willis Reed comments were wearing thin on Jackson, and I can't blame him. But, with his comments about Oral Roberts being in the Celtics locker room, he was clearly insinuating that Paul Pierce was faking being hurt.

Clearly, Phil has earned the right to speak his mind on all NBA-related matters, but that's not what he was doing. This was a blatant shot at Pierce, and in my mind this was just the kind of comment that players and coaches should avoid. Today's sports media will take any angle necessary to make a story, and in this case that meant attempting to legitimize the idea that Paul Pierce faked his knee injury so that he could go into the locker room and then return to give his team a momentum boost. As Bobby Knight once said, journalism is "one or two steps above prostitution." Jackson knows what kind of player Pierce is. He knows that Pierce had been on fire in the second half, and the Celtics had the momentum at the time of the injury. So, it wouldn't have made sense for Pierce to pull a stunt like this. He knows that after returning, Pierce did all of his damage shooting from the outside rather than driving to the hoop as he normally would have. I just don't see how you can doubt that Pierce was in real pain when you look at him down on the court grabbing his knee.

Knee injuries can be devastating, and they are always handled very cautiously. Luckily in this case, it was not as bad as we all may have feared. But, the notion that Pierce staged this is absurd, and I'm sick of hearing about it. The people making this argument know nothing about basketball, which is why I know Jackson doesn't believe it. Perhaps we give him a pass on these comments because we know this is what he does, but I was furious and I'm sure these comments did not sit well in the Celtics locker room.


Here's Jeanie Buss (girlfriend of Phil, daughter of Jerry) lying naked with basketballs on her chest for all of you to enjoy.

Next, let's move to Jackson's post-game 2 press conference, in which he mispronounced Leon Powe's last name and laid blame on the officials for the loss. I'm not upset that he mispronounced Powe's name (although you'd think he'd have it down after hearing it so many times over the Garden PA system last night). In fact, in a way his doing so symbolizes to me the fact that the experts everywhere (Phil included) were really sleeping on this Celtics bench. Depth has been one of the Celtics' strengths all year long, and I haven't been able to figure out why everyone was so convinced that the Lakers' bench had the edge in this matchup. Perhaps it's because the Celtics have had great depth all year, and the Lakers' bench really asserted themselves more in the post-season.

What does bother me is the fact that Jackson wasted no time pointing to the free throw discrepancy. Again, not explicitly stating that the officials cost his team the game, but again clearly insinuating it. Look, 38-10 is a lopsided margin, no question. But, given the way each team played, it should have been lopsided. The Celtics were extremely aggressive on offense. They attacked the rim all night long, which is why they got to the line. The Lakers settled for jumpers during the first three quarters of the game. When you settle for jumpers, you don't get to the line. You have to earn your free throws. Let's think back to game 6 against the Cavaliers. On offense, the Celtics looked like the Lakers did last night. They weren't being aggressive, and they shot jumpers for the entire game. Here is the boxscore from that game 6, and you can see that LeBron James shot more free throws than the entire Celtics team.

I'm not saying the game was well officiated. Very few have been during this post-season. And, certainly Kobe's early foul trouble reminded me of Ray Allen's early foul trouble in Game 2 of the Detroit series. Two of the fouls called against Kobe in the first half were very weak. But, Phil knows the game. When you shoot jumpers for the first three quarters, and the other team is playing its most aggressive offensive basketball of the entire post-season, the free-throw count is going to be lopsided. A call here or there, sure. But, the free throws should not have been anywhere near even.

And, in response to Phil, I'd like to make my own complaint about the officiating. This video clearly shows Vladimir Radmanovich making a great steal, stopping his dribble before he gets to the free throw line, taking 78 steps with the ball in his hands, and then dunking. This was also a big no-call, as it brought the Lakers to within 4 with one minute left.



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I don't really want to talk about the fourth quarter, because it's like beating a dead horse. The Celtics never make things easy on themselves. We talked about it after game 5 of the Cleveland series, and games 5 of the Detroit series, and last night was the best (or worst) example of it yet. After the game, on ABC, Dana Barros and Mike Dowling were discussing how the near-Lakers comeback might affect the series from here on out. Mike Dowling said that he thought it would be a good change because it would keep the Celtics focused as they head to LA. This may be true, but I can't help but feel like it is just trying to make light of a bad situation. A win is a win, and I don't expect the Lakers to carry any momentum from that near-comeback with them to game 3. But, you have to remember what could have happened. If the Celtics had blown their 24 point lead at home in the fourth quarter, the momentum shift might have been too great to overcome. Really, think about how deflating that would have been. This series may not have made it back to Boston. Now, it didn't happen, and in the big picture this all means nothing. But, if they had simply not gone totally anemic in the last 6-7 minutes, they could have cruised comfortably to the finish. Kobe is capable of bringing his team back to win in these situations. We saw it in game 1 against the Spurs. The Celtics need to stay hungry until the clock reads zeros.

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That being said, the first three quarters of this game were the best basketball that the Celtics have played throughout the entire playoffs. Obviously we all know about Rondo's 16 assists. His performance was phenomenal. He pushed the pace, and facilitated a quick-hitting offense that had the Lakers totally dumbfounded. Rondo penetrating is the key to this offense clicking. When he is kept on the fringe, this team can't be aggressive. He had his way with the Lakers last night, and that was the biggest reason for the Celtics' dominance. All of that being said, 33 percent from the line is rough.

We've said all along that this is going to be Paul Pierce's series. Again last night, we saw that the Lakers have no answer for him. He had everything working last night, and it was great to see that he was still able to defend well despite that knee injury. Pierce is an LA guy, and he has always played well there. Aside from a possible cold streak, I don't see any way that the Lakers can keep him from getting big numbers in this series.

I've tried hard all along not to say that Gasol and Odom are soft. It seems like sort of a stupid "mail it in" kind of comment with no thought behind it. And, how many times have you heard it from the media since Saturday? But, how could I more accurately describe them last night? Up until this point, nobody on this Lakers team has shown me anything to lead me to believe that they can handle the Celtics physical game in the paint.

Perk has to keep out of foul trouble. How many times on here have we talked about the two different types of Perk games? Type A: Perk stays disciplined and makes a huge impact on the game. Type B: Perk gets two fouls in the first five minutes and leaves us high and dry. Now, PJ Brown was great last night. Really, he impresses me more every night. But, we need Perk. Jim at Green Bandwagon states it well when he says "I definitely noticed that it was a lot easier for the Lakers in general (think Ronny Turiaf on lobs) and Kobe Bryant in particular to get to the rim when Perkins is on the bench. As much as I like Powe, Perkins' health is important to Boston's defensive efforts."

Finally, let's hit on Leon. There are so many feel-good stories on this Celtics team, but Leon has to be near the top. And, I'm not even talking about the homeless and hungry in Oakland story that you heard last night (although that is very moving). Any Celtics fan will tell you that last April, in the midst of Tank-a-palooza, there was one Celtic who was really impressing during his increased minutes. This was Leon. Despite the fact that this team sucked, and despite the fact that we "weren't" losing on purpose (not that we needed to try very hard), Leon was an animal on the court. Coming down with tough offensive rebounds, and diving all over the court for loose balls, I think we all thought that great things were going to come from Leon. I was really genuinely disappointed during the first half of the season when it seemed like he was the odd man out. To see him emerge as such a major role player on this team has been great.

Agent Zero Leads Celts to 66th Win

Leon Powe looked Arenas-like last night as he scored a career high 27 points 11 rebounds to lead the Celtics past the Nets in the season finale. My girlfriend and I had the good fortune of attending last night's victory, which was a great way for us to celebrate my birthday. Now, certainly I could turn this in to a long column about the game. It gave me a great opportunity to rant loudly about how Devin Harris was a good player and I still can't get over how stupid the Mavericks are. It also gave me a good chance to yell about how Marcus Williams should have stayed at UCONN for at least one more year (especially after he made them look bad with that whole computer theft thing). And, most importantly, it gave me a chance to really reflect on how great this Celtics team is, and to see our bench guys do their thing, which gives me a great deal of confidence. I will note that Glen Davis had the best game he's had in a while, which was great to see. We also got a pretty good look at Gabe Pruitt, who made some nice plays. But, as great as last night was, there is one incident that I'd like to discuss:

Last night was Fan Appreciation Night, so there were a lot of great prizes being given away. There were two big t-shirt tosses instead of one (just like every time, those shirts don't reach the balcony), there were lots of small gift give-aways, and one guy even won a trip to Atlanta and tickets to the away playoff games against the Hawks. That was given to him at his seat as we watched on the Jumbotron. I was very jealous obviously. Then, they brought 4 contestants out on the Garden Floor and announced that "now we will be giving out one of the biggest prizes of the night.".......... Some excitement began to build.

The contest taking place down on the court was a dance-off. Four fans all dancing for the chance to win whatever "one of the biggest prizes of the night" was. I wanted to be down there so badly. I don't dance, but I sure as hell would if the prizes were going to continue getting better. It had to be season tickets for next year, or tickets to all the playoff games, or SOMETHING that is just fucking awesome.

The man that won, much like me, looked like dancing in public had traditionally felt like punishment to him. He was husky in build, and wore faded jeans and an old grey Celtics t-shirt (looked to be vintage 1993 Celtics wear.) He was middle-aged. But, you could see in his eyes that he was not going to be outdone by his younger and more rhythmic competitors. He would be willing to walk on hot coals for the chance to have season tickets, or the opportunity to attend even just one Celtics playoff game. So, the man danced furiously, like a bull with his nuts tied together trying to shake a cowboy at the rodeo. At the end, the man was clearly exhausted. Ordinarily, making a spectacle like this might have wounded his pride, but his demonstrative eyes told us all that he was not concerned. Any of us would have done the same, and he was right. The crowd rewarded his effort with a thunderous applause that lifted him easily over his competitors. The man raised his hands gloriously, and shook hands with the losers. Then, he was given his envelope. I felt extremely anxious watching him open it. Out loud I pondered "do you think it's season tickets for next year or playoff tickets? Which would be better? I can't even decide." The victorious warrior opened the envelope and pulled out the prize, and the announcement came over the loudspeaker................................................

"You've won 2 tickets to a Celine Dion concert!"




What the hell! It sounds like a fucking joke but I'm not kidding. That poor bastard danced so hard because he loves the Celtics so much and he was willing to make a fool of himself to win some tickets. And this is how they reward him. The man was gracious, but his face told the story of his feelings. Defeat, disappointment, horror. He'll never be the same. This isn't something that you just get over. I didn't think a middle-aged man could lose his innocence, but it happened last night. I love the Celtics, but I don't know how this was allowed to happen. It makes me sick. Easily the worst prize to have ever been given at a sporting event in the TD Banknorth Garden.

Nevertheless, the night was great overall, and I am pumped for the post-season. We'll have all the action for you here on roomofzen.

Sweet Surprise

Everytime I find myself staying outside of New England on business I always seem to forget that I won't be able to watch a majority of my favorite teams' games. So, I wasn't surprised to find the Wizards pregame show while flipping through the channels and cooking dinner. Naturally, I kept flipping hoping to be saved by a Law and Order rerun or a Family Guy mini marathon, but to my surprise...The Celtics-Pacers game is being televised nationally on ESPN.

Now, you can't compare Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn's broadcast of Celts games with any other broadcast duo out there. Sure I am victim of some Homerism, but I just love those guys. I don't even care who is doing the broadcast tonight, in fact I could barely here them over the fan I was using to ventilitate my burnt-bacon smoke and I could care less. It s just a little taste of home and it is outstanding.

A couple of thoughts on the Celtics as we near the playoff run:

-When all the trades were made this past offseason it seemed, for the most part that the Celtics were "giving up the future" by unloading a lot of young players. But now, if you look at the way that Perkins, Powe, Rondo, Davis, and Allen (Tony) have developed over this season under the wings of those great veterans, I dont think that claim holds water. The young guys on the roster now are not only learing to play the game from some of the NBAs best players (arguably three of the best in the last 15 years in Pierce, Garnett, and Allen), they are learing to win, and doing it all in an environment where they do not bear the brunt of the pressure night in and night out. When you throw in the way that Ainge arranged the contract exirations of the big three (staggered to expire in 3 different seasons) these guys will be able to step up and fill in OR they will be well enough developed to be good trade material. Just as importantly to their value on the open market is that they will not have been "exposed" due to their mainly secondary roles on the team.

-I like the Glen Davis mohawk, I think KG would be really badass with a mohawk, and hope to see him come out with one for the playoffs.

-Am I the only one to not notice that PJ Brown is wearing number 93? Very peculiar...but hey, the guy is playing great for us.

-Jim O'Brien looks so much like a leprachaun, I can't get over it.

Push by The Cure...Sick.