Boston Sports Then and Now

Tony Parker led the San Antonio Spurs back to the NBA Finals this year.

The Boston Celtics will be facing the challenge of rebuilding their roster into a championship contender this summer.

There are mixed reports of Paul Pierce being either bought out for $5 million or traded because he has an expiring contract with a buy-out clause. The more likely scenario is the Celtics will trade the 15-year veteran. This will force them to remake their roster, but the challenge will not be as daunting because they still have point guard Rajon Rondo and head coach Doc Rivers.

Two of the remaining three teams in the NBA playoffs are examples for the Celtics to look toward in restocking their talent.

The San Antonio Spurs much like the Celtics had an aging 7-footer in David Robinson in 1997. The Spurs were fortunate to land the top pick in that draft as they won the Tim Duncan Sweepstakes. In the next six seasons, the Spurs had one of the best frontcourts in the game with Robinson and Duncan.  They won a championship in the lockout-shortened 1998-’99 season over the New York Knicks. When Robinson retired, the Spurs were forced to find a new avenue to build their team. Tony Parker fell to the Spurs in the 2001 NBA Draft as the 28^th overall selection. Parker came from playing in France and was an unknown prospect compared to other point guards like Joseph Forte (University of North Carolina) and Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State) who played in the United States. Forte was selected with the 21^st overall pick by the Celtics and he played a total of 25 games in the NBA with just eight for the Celtics in 2001-’02. Tinsley was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, but he was traded to the Indiana Pacers on draft night. Parker has become one of the best point guards in the league as he has helped the Spurs win two championships (2004-’05 and 2006-’07). Manu Ginobili was taken by the Spurs in the second round in 1999 in the second round with the 57^th pick, but the crafty Argentinan played overseas until the 2002-’03 season when he began his career with the Spurs. Ginobili has become one of the best scorers off the bench. Another foreign player that the Spurs plucked in the NBA Draft is contributing to the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals in Tiago Splitter. Like Ginobili, the 6-11 center from Brazil was drafted in 2007, but he played in international competition until he joined the Spurs in 2010-’11. The two constants have been Duncan and head coach Gregg Popovich.

Read the rest of this entry →

Paul Pierce (left) and Kevin Garnett (right) may have played their last game in a Celtics uniform.

As the Boston Celtics head into the off-season, they have many questions to answer. The first is whether they should retain captain Paul Pierce?

Pierce could make $15.3 million this season unless the Celtics buy out Pierce for $5 million. If the Celtics choose to buy out Pierce, they will have to do it by June 30th. The issue is that the Celtics are already committed to $76 million for next season. If they buy out Pierce, they still do not have a lot of money to spend since they save just $10 million and they are already over the salary cap (likely to be in the neighborhood of $59 million). If the Celtics do cut ties with their franchise cornerstone, this could lead to Kevin Garnett also leaving the franchise. Garnett said after the Game 6 loss to the New York Knicks that his future is tied with Pierce. Head coach Doc Rivers left the door open  to the possibility of leaving the Celtics in his postgame press conference on Friday.

The free agent and draft class is very weak this summer so it will be tough to rebuild this off-season. This leaves trades as the only potential avenue to upgrade the 2013-’14 roster. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge was unable to ship Pierce or Garnett off at the trade deadline because he was asking for a significant return.

Read the rest of this entry →

Kevin Garnett buried the New York Knicks in Game 5 with this 15-footer over the outstretched arm of Tyson Chandler.

The Boston Celtics are still alive in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series as they beat the New York Knicks in Game 5 to send the teams back to Boston for Game 6.

After the Knicks won Game 3 in convincing fashion, the sentiment was that the Celtics were done and the Knicks could have a week to rest for their next opponent (either the Indiana Pacers or the Atlanta Hawks). The Knicks have been acting with bravado by dressing in all black clothes when they arrived at Madison Square Garden for the Celtics’ “funeral” last night.

With battle-tested veterans like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are not ready to enter the off-season filled with questions about their future. Pierce has a team option for $15.3 million and he told reporters that he plans on playing for at least one more year. Garnett has been dealing with inflammation in his left ankle and a hip injury. Garnett also will be 37 years old on May 19^th. Even though he is under contract for two more years, Garnett could decide to retire.

Garnett had 18 rebounds to go with 16 points, including knocking down a clutch jumper to give the Celtics a 90-83 lead out of a timeout with less than a minute remaining in the game. Pierce had another frustrating night with five turnovers and he was just 6-of-19 from the field. He was also 4-of-8 on three-pointers.

The Celtics had 20 assists as a team. They shot 50% from behind the three-point line (11-22) and they made all 17 of their free throws. The Celtics had balanced scoring with five players in double figures led by Jeff Green’s 18 points. Green was 1-of-3 at halftime, but he was 4-for-5 from the field in the second half. Green made two critical three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Early in the game, the Celtics looked like the inferior team that they have been throughout the series. The Celtics fell behind by 11 points (11-0). They missed their first five shots with three turnovers. Brandon Bass nailed two free throws to get the Celtics on the scoreboard and then he scored in transition off a steal. Bass scored nine of the team’s initial 11 points and the Celtics closed the double-digit deficit to just one possession at the end of the first quarter at 22-20.

Another amazing statistic is the Celtics’ bench outscored the Knicks’ reserves (21-20) despite having just two players. The Knicks had three players who played significant minutes off their bench, including NBA Sixth Man of the Year in J.R. Smith. Smith shot 3-of-14 from the field, but he missed his first 10 shots. Smith did not make a shot until late in the game when the Knicks trailed 88-76. After the game Smith blamed himself for both losses in Games 4 and 5 because he was suspended for Game 4 after he elbowed Jason Terry in Game 3. Terry and Terrence Williams played critical minutes and even though Terry missed many shots, he was able to hit five three-pointers that helped the Celtics stretch their advantage into double figures in the fourth quarter. Terry also hit a shot from beyond the arc late in the third quarter to provide the Celtics with a 69-60 lead going into the final frame. Williams substituted for Garnett midway through the fourth quarter and he helped the Celtics regain a 13-point gap at 80-67.

Despite the Knicks’ desperate attempt to get back in the game, the Celtics had an answer unlike the previous four games when the Celtics failed to show up in the second half and respond to the Knicks defensive pressure.

Carmelo Anthony is 18-of-59 from the field in Games 4 and 5. The whispers will continue to get louder for Anthony if the Knicks come back to New York for a Game 7 on Sunday. Anthony has only got past the first round on one occasion in his 10-year career. He has always been known as a perennial scorer, yet he is not a team player.

The Celtics still committed 15 turnovers. Avery Bradley continues to allow Raymond Felton to roam to the basket with dribble penetration in the paint.

Throughout this series, the Knicks have been chirping about how they are the better team. In the first three games, the Knicks were the better team over an injury-riddled Celtics team who looked old and slow. Yet, the Knicks have been unable to secure that all-important fourth victory.

For Anthony and his mates, the questions will linger whether this year’s Knicks team can win a playoff series for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

Meanwhile, the Celtics were finally able to shoot the ball well and silence both the Knicks and the thousands of New Yorkers in the crowd. The Celtics will have to follow this formula in Game 6 to continue their season and extend this series to a winner-take-all Game 7.

Celtics forward Jeff Green has been unable to get past Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.

Is the debate about the Boston Celtics being better without Rajon Rondo this year over? Whether or not the Celtics are a different team for better or worse without Rondo is irrelevant because the Celtics have played like a mediocre team throughout the 2012-’13 season. They have been particularly poor on the road.

Bill Parcells used a line that fits the predicament well, “You are what your record says you are.” The Celtics finished the season just one game above .500, which means they are capable of playing well, but they are not a championship-caliber unit. They finished with the worst road record of all the teams who reached the postseason with a record of 14-27.

In the first two postseason games at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, the Celtics’ holes have emerged. They have scored a combined 48 points in the second half of Games 1 and 2 because they rely too much on Paul Pierce to break down the defense to create his own shot. Even when they were 14-4 in the first 18 games without Rondo, the Celtics would give up big leads in the fourth quarter because they would just believe Pierce would save them on offense. The Celtics are shooting jumpers, turning the ball over, and suffering defensive breakdowns.

Read the rest of this entry →

The Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett (left) and the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony (right) will build on the physicality from their first meeting this year.

The Boston Celtics have overcome adversity this year to find themselves in the NBA postseason for the sixth consecutive season. The Celtics lost their All-Star point guard, Rajon Rondo, to a season-ending torn right ACL in a January 25^th double overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Rookie forward Jared Sullinger was forced to undergo surgery on his back in February that ended his season. Reserve guard Leandro Barbosa suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the third quarter of the 94-91 loss against the Charlotte Bobcats on February 11^th. In a matter 17 days, the Celtics lost three key players in their rotation.

This season has been split into the team with Rondo and the team without Rondo. Prior to Rondo’s injury, the Celtics were 20-23 and they had lost six consecutive games. Then the team improved their play and appeared to rally around people calling for their demise. They won their next seven contests, including a 100-98 overtime victory over the top team in the NBA, the Miami Heat, and were 14-4 in their initial 18 games without their floor leader. The team played well defensively and they spread the ball around. Jeff Green became the player that Danny Ainge hoped he was getting when he sent Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011. Green was more aggressive on the offensive end and his speed and length provided fits for the opposition. At one point the team was down to nine active players because of all the injuries. Ainge traded Jason Collins to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Crawford before the trade deadline ended on February 21^st. He signed TerrPence Williams, Shavlik Randolph, and D.J. White. All three of these players came from the Chinese Basketball Association and had been unable to stick with a team in the NBA.

Read the rest of this entry →

With the return of Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass could get more opportunities to drive toward the basket.

Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass has improved his play since Doc Rivers inserted Chris Wilcox in the starting lineup for the 93-92 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 27^th.

Over the last eight games, Bass has scored in double figures in seven of those contests. The 108-89 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 31^st was the only game where Bass scored just 2 points. During this span, Bass has been more aggressive in taking the ball to the basket when the lane is open. He is knocking down his mid-range jumper consistently.

The most impressive part about Bass’ recent play has been the fact that the team is not calling plays for him. He is scoring with hustle and energy.

During this stretch, Bass has shot 46-of-83 from the floor and is averaging 13.9 points per game with five rebounds.

When Danny Ainge announced that Kevin Garnett would be out for a couple of weeks with inflammation in his ankle, Rivers continued to use a small lineup with Bass as the center. The Celtics got out-worked at home by the Knicks, who employed an equally small lineup with Kenyon Martin as the center. The Knicks had 15 offensive rebounds which led to 29 second chance points that night. On the following night Rivers put in Wilcox with Paul Pierce at the other guard spot alongside Avery Bradley. Jeff Green was used on the wing. Bass poured in 22 points against the Cavaliers.

When Bass hasn’t been shooting well, his game suffers on both ends of the court because he has trouble defending bigger guys in the paint. He became more communicative in the absence of Garnett on the defensive end. The Celtics continued to allow opponents to dominate the paint without Garnett, but Bass had been reluctant to even talk on the defensive side of the floor in the past.

While Bass had shown glimpses such as the 91-79 defeat in Oklahoma City against the Thunder in which he compiled 13 rebounds (including five offensive rebounds). Bass  had yet to maintain consistent efforts until recently.

Since Garnett returned on Sunday against the Washington Wizards, the Celtics starting unit has become even more dangerous. Bradley, Green, Pierce, and Bass were already playing well with the offensively-challenged Wilcox on the floor. With Garnett back, the lane could be open more frequently with Garnett setting up in the high post or taking the other team’s center out of the paint to defend his jump shot. Defensively, the Celtics have their leader back on the floor and they will not allow teams to get as many second and third chances against them. Garnett frees up the other players to get rebounds by just being active on the glass.

If the Celtics are to make a deep run in the postseason, they will need Bass to provide energy on both ends of the court.