Boston Sports Then and Now

Doc Rivers had a long and exhausting season on the Boston Celtics’ sideline this year.

The Boston Celtics’ season came to a crushing end nearly three weeks ago when the Celtics fell in Game 6 to the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Doc Rivers made comments after the game that left open the possibility that he might not be back on the Celtics’ sideline next year.

Rivers said, “You know, it’s not anything, I’m not leaning that way of not coming back. If I told you right now, I’m coming back. But like I just said, I immerse myself and I need to detox and we’ll find that out.”

Rivers clearly makes the point that he will be back next year, but he also claims the potential of sitting back and realizing that life may not be so great as the Celtics head coach next year. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have been very loyal to Rivers and they could be leaving Boston this summer. Pierce has a team option that is guaranteed for $15 million if the Celtics’ front office decides to activate the deal by June 30th. If the Celtics choose not to exercise the option, they will buy out Pierce for $5 million. Garnett made the point that his future in a Celtics uniform is tied to Pierce after the Celtics’ loss in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals even though Garnett is signed for two more years.

The other option is that all three are back next year. Rivers used those comments as a way to deflect attention away from Pierce and Garnett. He could have just been loyal to his aging veterans. Rivers and Garnett have enjoyed such a great relationship since Garnett was acquired by the Celtics on July 31st, 2007. When Rivers took Garnett out with a minute left in Game 6, Garnett asked Rivers how he was doing.

“Doc is coaching next year,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Boston Herald at the NBA Draft Combine last week. “As far as everything I know, he’s going to be our coach.”

If you read into those comments, you can speculate that Ainge might not be sure if Rivers will be back with the Celtics because he uses the phrase “as far as everything I know.” Ainge is allowing Rivers time to relax while Ainge continues to rebuild the Celtics into a championship contender. The Celtics still need more pieces, but they are over the salary cap.

Rivers is signed for three more years after he signed a five-year extension in May 2011. Like his players, Rivers is a loyal man. He agreed to that extension with the understanding that he would not be coaching Pierce or Garnett for much longer. He also does not want to be known as another Larry Brown (a mercenary who does not stay with a franchise for long) unless his family wanted him to be closer to their home in Florida.

In the words of Ainge, Rivers will be back next year because he ultimately loves coaching and he loves Boston.

Boston Celtics guard Terrence Williams showed Carmelo Anthony flashes of his skills.

When Terrence Williams signed a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics on February 18^th, he was seen as just a warm body off the bench for the injury-ravaged Celtics. The Celtics were depleted by injuries without their All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, rookie forward Jared Sullinger, and reserve guard Leandro Barbosa. With no clear backup for Rondo, the Celtics believed Williams could fit the bill.

Williams displayed an array of skills while he was at the University of Louisville. The 6-foot-6-inch, 220-pound swingman could set up shots for his teammates as well as himself. He showed strength inside with his size and speed. Head coach Rick Pitino called him “a freakish athlete.” This led to the then-New Jersey Nets using their 11^th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft on Williams.

Since Williams has entered the league, he has been unable to showcase the skills that led him to the NBA because of his immaturity. He had bouts with former Nets head coach Avery Johnson that led to him being sent down to the NBA Development League in 2010. He was eventually released by the Nets. The four-year veteran bounced around the league with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings before he was cut by the Detroit Pistons last summer.

In the 2012-’13 season, Williams played overseas in China. He averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association. Williams was on the court for 29 games for the Tigers before he was replaced by Donald Sloan in the final two games of the regular season.

His performance in the CBA and the Celtics’ need for a reserve guard led him back to the NBA. Despite the limited time he spent on the court, the Celtics liked his potential to sign him to a multi-year contract in March. Williams played in 24 games in the regular season  with the Celtics and he shot 49.5% from the floor. In the Celtics’ first round loss to the New York Knicks, Doc Rivers gave Williams a few critical minutes in the fourth quarter of Game 5 when Williams replaced Kevin Garnett. He was able to allow the Celtics to regain a double-digit advantage at 80-67. Williams scored four points, collected four rebounds, and dished out two assists in less than 17 minutes of action.

After the Celtics season ended, the future of the team is up in the air whether the Celtics will keep Paul Pierce and Garnett or if they will rebuild. Williams has shown he is capable of producing on the biggest stage and the Celtics hope to see more of Williams’ instincts when training camp arrives in the fall.

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.

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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.

86 years of the Curse.
39 years without The Cup.
41 years before a Superbowl victory
22 years without hanging a banner.

It occurred to me the other day that we are raising a generation of Boston sports fans that have no idea what these struggles are all about. My son (who happens to be 14) does not know the anguish of losing seasons, the pain of seeing Ray Borque traded away so that he could drink from the Stanley Cup. He does not understand the empty feeling in the heart of the late Ted Williams or The late Johnny Pesky. At least Johnny got to see and be part of the end of the curse. John Hannah, Andre Tippet and Steve Grogan, great Patriots who came so close in 1985. Cam Neely did not sip champagne as a player.

I know from which I speak, you see I was part of the last spoiled generation of Boston sports fans. I grew up just north of Boston in the 1980′s. In 1981, at the age of 12, I watched with my father as the Boston Celtics, lead by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish beat the Houston Rockets in six games. We hugged, drank soda, and a fanatic was born. 1984 was magical and the 1986 Celtics were unbeatable! To top it all off, in the calendar year 1986 all four of my pro sports teams made the playoffs.

As a Boston sports fan I lived and died with the teams, sure the Celtics were great in the 1980′s The Pats, Bruins, and Red Sox came close. (I just saw the Buckner play when I blinked my eyes). I just knew that Boston teams would contend every year right? The Patriots would get to another Superbowl and avenge their 46 – 10 loss to the Bears. The Bruins would beat those darn Oilers and bring a cup to Boston, And a World Series victory was close at hand.

The late 80′s saw an end to the big three, the tragic deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis signaled tough times ahead. I watched Cam Neely’s knees go bad and Bourque raise a cup in Denver. The Red Sox would go the next eighteen years before getting to the World Series in 2004. The Patriots went eight years between playoff appearances, until they got bad enough to draft Drew Bledsoe with the number one pick in the 1993 draft. Don’t even get me started on Rod Rust, Victor Kiam or Zeke Mowatt. Then came the long wait for my teams to be good again, for a sixth round draft pick to become Tom Brady, for Pedro and Schilling to excise the ghosts of the past. KG and Paul Pierce have restored Celtic Pride, and Tim Thomas, Mark Recchi and Zdeno Chara brought us the cup.

SEVEN Championships in ten years….. Domination for the Boston Sports market.

A word to the wise of the next generation, It won’t always be this good. There will be years when you team won’t be a contender.

When you baseball season is all but over before Labor day.

When you are watching ping pong balls for your teams spot in the lottery.

When your not wondering how your football team will do in the playoffs before the season even starts.

Your favorite quarterback, small forward, centerfielder, and goaltender will not play forever, your teams will fall to the bottom of the standings for a few long, painful years.

Pro sports are built to be cyclical.

You will watch your teams rebuild, and at times it will seem like they will be bad forever, but when they rebuild and win.

It will taste even sweeter.

I can’t even describe how PROUD I am to be a Bostonian, an American.

The way this city, this state, this country came to together is simply AMAZING.

Will they open their eyes
And realize we are one
On and on we stand alone
Until our day has come
When they open their eyes
And realize we are one

This is my tribute to all the victims, their familes, first responders, law enforcement & the city of Boston.

God Bless all those affected by the Boston Marathon Tragedy.

We Are Boston Strong….