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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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.

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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.

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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.