By Kevin Henkin

I was trying to identify a respectable storyline to accompany coverage of the game on Sunday between the Celtics and the Miami Heat but absolutely nothing came to mind. After all, Dwayne Wade is gone for the season and Shaquille O’Neal is off to far greener pastures. Even Shawn Marion is out with a back injury. What was left to talk about? Another sort of homecoming for unpopular former Celtics Ricky Davis and Mark Blount? The beaming smiles of former Heat players James Posey and P.J. Brown? Clearly, what was left to do was run another set of stream of consciousness observations over the course of the game, which went as follows:

Pre-Game

I flip through the Miami Heat Media Guide before the game. For the purposes of tonight’s game, it’s about as useful as a Rachel Ray cookbook, considering all of the roster moves and the rash of injuries that have occurred since the book was put together. The only information of value that I glean from the guide is the fact that Julio Iglesias is listed as a limited partner of the team. For some reason, the idea of Julio Iglesias introducing himself to Ricky Davis is hilarious to me.

By Kevin Henkin

Some of the knocks on Glen Davis entering the draft last summer included his lack of height and wingspan for his position and his extra body weight that made conditioning a legitimate concern. His commitment to defense was also questioned. As a result, he fell further in the draft than expected and landed squarely in the laps of the Boston Celtics. Davis won’t win the Rookie of the Year award and he wasn’t selected to partake in the Rookie Challenge during the All-Star weekend but he just might be the only first year player in the league to help his team win an NBA title.

Coming into the season, it was unclear what role Davis would serve on a team full of savvy veterans, if any at all. He also appeared to be somewhat redundant with Leon Powe as a slightly undersized big man who made up for his lack of size with his energy, body strength and good hands. Early in the season, those two competed for minutes and rumor had it that they had some heated exchanges during practices. However, to the credit of the coach, Doc Rivers discovered success in playing the two as a tandem that crash the boards on both ends and move players around like wet sleds in the offensive paint. It has become a decidedly frisky lineup with the two of them in the game together. As much of a joy as he is to watch on the court, however, Davis is just as compelling off of it. He also has a considerable back-story that is worthy of mention.

Consider, for example, why he chose to wear the number zero in college. “It’s a symbol, of my whole life,” he told The New York Times in a 2006 interview (during LSU’s Final Four appearance). “I started with nothing, with zero. But I really wasn’t any different than I am now. I always try to love it up. This is me, regardless of the situation. You get it all the time.”

I long ago gave up on the notion that professional athletes should also have to be special, likeable people in order to root for them. Sports teams are not unlike any other group. They are populated with their fair share of jerks, brats and prima donnas. That said, it’s always a thrill to come across a guy that is someone who is worthy of looking up to, even beyond his lofty accomplishments on the court or field of play. Davis is one of those guys.

The “nothing” that Davis referred to in The Times interview was his childhood, during which he had a mother that was addicted to drugs and an absent unknown father. As a result of those circumstances, he was forced to grow up in various shelters and foster homes and sometimes had to steal food to eat. Davis was undeniably handed a tough hand of cards, at least until his genes went to work in developing him into a mountain of a man. Regardless, size isn’t enough to make one a star on a basketball court. Just ask former Celtic Thomas Hamilton, another huge specimen who battled weight issues. Instead of caving into those issues, however, Davis rose above them and has maintained a positive and sensitive perspective throughout. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Davis reportedly held IV’s for the victims who sought refuge on his home court at LSU and cried as a result of their suffering.

Davis also could have strongly resented the other twenty-nine teams who took a pass on him in the draft, not unlike another famed second round draft choice in Washington who chose to wear the number zero. Instead, he has maintained that “just happy to be here” response and attitude all season long. It’s not an act. During the preseason, Davis reportedly couldn’t stop looking at himself in the mirror at the Celtics’ practice facility. “It’s just the Celtics jersey,” he said at the time. “I like seeing it and seeing me in it. I did the same thing when we had the press conference. I kept looking at the Celtics jersey.”

There are those who fall into good fortune and those who make it for themselves. Davis’s story this season includes a little bit of both of those fates. After his later-than-expected draft selection by the Celtics, the team acquired Kevin Garnett, drew other key role players of value then busted out of the gate at the beginning of the season and never looked back. Davis kept his part of the pact by working hard, keeping his weight at an acceptable level and absorbing lessons like a sponge from his multiple mentors that include Rivers, big man coach Clifford Ray and the Big Three.

In an interview earlier this week with Hornets.com, describing the influence of his three All-Star teammates, Davis said, “They have helped me learn how to play the game. How to go hard every day. Making sure I go as hard as I can every day is the most important thing I have learned.”

Reflecting on the season thus far, he added, “It’s just unbelievable man, more than I ever could have expected.”

By Kevin Henkin

I once had a marketing class where we discussed a case study. The case study was a moral dilemma for the executives of a large pharmaceutical corporation that manufactured a drug with potentially hazardous and fatal side effects on a small sample of the customers. After reading the case study, the students were sent off into groups to discuss best actions and possible solutions. Upon reconvening, many of the students discussed the complexities of the situation that faced the executives in terms of how to best protect shareholders and the company in general. As this discussion progressed, the professor grew increasingly agitated until he finally threw up his hands and said, “Look, people, this should have been a very short discussion. You don’t kill your customers. Ever. That’s the point of this exercise.”  

I’ve never forgotten this seemingly obvious lesson. Then again, I do forget to apply the logic of it sometimes on actions of lesser consequence. Take, for example, a column I wrote a few days ago where I condemned people who have returned from exile to root for the Celtics as inferior fans to those who have stubbornly stuck with the team through the lean years. I suppose the more sensible position to take would have been to express admiration for those that did remain interested in the team despite some pretty trying times but instead I went for the jugular with a harshness and a decided lack of humor. For that, for those who may have been offended by my sanctimonious and self-superior attitude, I apologize. After all, it is the readers that make this place work and it’s likely that many of those readers were the very people I was attacking. In a way of minor explanation, I’ve been a bit stretched for ideas lately because there are only so many ways that you can say the Celtics are good and here’s why. It’s at that late point in the regular season when pretty much everything meaningful that can be said about the team has been said already, here and elsewhere. Therefore, when the idea sprang into my head about analyzing the phenomenon of returning fans to a successful team, I found it to be an interesting concept and just ran with it without considering the wisdom of such a smug and unforgiving stance.

The other obvious point that I blatantly ignored was that whether people have followed the team as die-hards or are new to the experience of enjoying Celtics basketball, it’s undeniable that the more people who are on-board, the more fun it is for everyone involved. It’s been a lonely stretch of years for Celtics fans as they’ve watched other teams in town enjoy unprecedented levels of success and attention. Now that such success and attention are back with the men in green, it seems like all is right again to those of us who grew up in world where the Celtics ruled this sports town. Regardless of what I ignored or didn’t ignore, I should have applied the golden rule of those who provide services and goods: You don’t kill your customers. Unfortunately, I’ve had to be reminded of that old lesson again. Sorry for the momentary navel-gazing but I just wanted to get that message of apology out there and to thank you for reading regardless of your position on the issue. Now we can all get back to focusing a what should be a fun game tonight against a fun team at the tail end of a fun season, for everyone who cares enough to enjoy it.

By Kevin Henkin

Honestly, I almost forget what it feels like to consider regular season games borderline meaningless, but in the good sense. The Celtics have twelve games remaining (which are mostly against teams that, um, aren’t very good) before their second season begins. Those twelve games will be used primarily as a tune-up, a stretch to find the balance between rest and continued flow for its key players and to further establish the newcomers into the rotation. It’s a strange feeling to be able to sit back and focus less on the whether the team will win the game and more on the nuances that may affect the longer-term as the Celtics prepare for the more important games to come.

Yesterday, I scoffed at the use of the twenty year timeframe in citing how long it’s been since the Celtics were good. Upon further reflection, there is some truth to the claim if you consider the length of time that has passed since Celtics fans truly had a comfort level with the team’s chances of legitimately challenging for the title. 1987 was the wake-up call. I still remember feeling stunned at how badly the Celtics were outplayed by the Lakers in the Finals that year. Most of us were expecting a repeat of prior series against the Lakers in terms of fierce competitiveness but it just wasn’t there. The hobbling Celtics were simply over-matched a mere year after fielding one of the best teams ever to take the court. There were times, sure, that the team was very good after 1987 but the swagger of the fans was gone, especially when they realized how good the Detroit Pistons had become while the Celtics had aged and become fragile. Bearing this in mind, it really has been twenty years since the fans could truly sit back and relax as the regular season played out, pausing to smell the roses and comfortably waiting for the meaningful games to begin again.

* * * 

The Philly game was interesting to watch because of the possibility of a face off against them in the playoffs. Doc Rivers obviously tailors his rotation game-by-game based on the individual match-ups, especially with the use of guys like P.J. Brown, Glen Davis and Leon Powe as well as Tony Allen, Sam Cassell and Eddie House. Other remaining games with similar possibilities of playoff match-ups are the games against Washington, Atlanta, New Jersey and Chicago. Beyond the next game against Phoenix on Wednesday, those are the remaining calendar-circlers.

* * * 

The second-to-last game of the season is on the road against the New York Knicks. It may be the last opportunity for Celtics fans to watch Isiah Thomas work his anti-Midas touch on an NBA franchise. Look up Schadenfreude in the official Celtics fans dictionary and you’ll a picture of the bizarre frozen grimace of Isiah Thomas sitting on the sideline as he and his players mutually ignore each other.

* * * 

Thought of the day from Al Jefferson:

“When we played Boston, Doc Rivers, he had them double-team me every time I touched the ball. Then I watch their game against San Antonio and they didn’t trap Duncan like that. Why? Because he’s too good a passer, so I figured then, I had to get better at that. I had to see the open guys, I had to get guys easy layups. That way, eventually, they’ll stop doubling me so much.”

By Kevin Henkin

The Celtics are a hot topic these days on local sports talk radio. I’m finally beginning to get used to it. After all, up until the exceeding-beyond-all expectations success of the team this season, the Celtics were generally considered to be a punch-line topic on the airwaves. You mean you actually want to talk about the Celtics??!? BWA HA HA HA!! They lost 18 in a row! They’re losers! Those days, of course, are long gone. Now seemingly everyone under the sun wants to share their keen insights on their new favorite team. I suppose I would enjoy the fresh spotlight on the team just a bit more if so many of the calls weren’t coming from this new breed of rabid Celtics fans. How can you spot them? Here are a few of the tell-tale signs:

They typically start out by scoffing at how badly the team stunk last year

Where to begin? Okay, based on the wins and losses and the infamous losing streak, I suppose the claim is technically accurate. It’s also a shortcut to thinking. Did the team have a lousy record? Yes. Was the record significantly affected by the long-term absence of team’s best player and sole veteran of impact in Paul Pierce and then the subsequent loss of Tony Allen? Clearly. Was the team bereft of talent? Not by a long-shot. The issue of losing was far more related to the excess of youth and inexperience than to the absence of talent. Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, all of which are considered key components of this year’s title-contending squad, were also included among the hopeless band of losers from last year’s team. So too were Al Jefferson, Delonte West and Ryan Gomes, all of whom offer increasingly valuable skills and talents. The point is, you can’t simply claim that the team was terrible last year as a stand-alone statement. If you do, it reveals your ignorance regarding the complexities that undercut the team’s limited chances of success and indicates that you only began paying attention recently.

They remark that the team hasn’t been good for the past 20 years  

Yes, it’s a minor inaccuracy but it still bugs me. If the timeline is based solely on the title drought, then the statement is technically accurate. Otherwise, it’s false. Many will claim with the benefit of hindsight that the Big Three’s reign of greatness ended in 1987 with Kevin McHale’s broken foot and Larry Bird’s subsequent back woes. However, even after then, when those two were healthy the team remained dangerous and certainly relevant into the early 1990’s. Recall in 1991 when Bird smashed his face against the parquet floor in the playoffs before returning to scare the daylights out of an emotionally overmatched Indiana Pacers team. Bird’s dramatic return to the court in that game remains one of the signature moments of his career and of the Big Three Era overall. But, according to these new historians, the team had already faded well into oblivion by then. Then, after a number of ugly years, there was the briefly exhilarating playoff run in 2002. Okay, so it wasn’t on par with the glory days of the 1980’s but you can’t ignore the fact that the team was two games away from the NBA Finals. I’m just saying that it’s not like we’ve been suffering twenty straight years of last place finishes here. There were teams and moments during that span that were worthy of the attention. At least get that part of the story straight.

They express profound disbelief at how much they enjoy basketball again

This joyous disbelief is typically followed up with the offering of a few blatantly obvious points about this year’s squad (“These guys play defense, Kevin Garnett is intense, They have a deep roster, blah, blah, blah”). These folks generally fall into two age groups: The older types who haven’t paid attention to the team since roughly the end of the prior Bush administration, and the youngsters who had previously channeled all of their rooting energy into the Red Sox and Patriots up until they “discovered” the Celtics this season. Amazingly, both groups seem to wear their prior apathy towards the team as a badge of honor, as if they needed to be courted and wooed into enjoying the sport of basketball at its highest level. They are front-runners, and nothing besides.

Look, it’s a free country and people should be able to root for whoever they choose without too much harrassment. I also get the fact that it’s an exciting time to be a Celtics fan. The team is deep and full of soul and character and, oh yeah, also happens to posses the best record in the NBA. I understand why people would be naturally drawn back into the fold. All of that said, this newfound passion for all things Celtics goes down wrong to those of us who watched every game of that aforementioned losing streak, desperately searching for any glimpse of hope to arise from it. For those that took a pass on the team for all those down years but are now back to yell and scream and gobble up all the playoff tickets, if there was any justice, their newfound passion would be stamped with an appropriate front-runner disclaimer. It would separate them from the pack of loyalists who followed along with the fates of the team through both the good and the bad.

By Kevin Henkin

 Since the current group of writers for the FCP joined the site last summer, we’ve accumulated a few reader questions over that seemingly short period of time (slow down, people!). Therefore, it’s time to open up the first installment of the FCP Bag O’ Mail. (As a disclaimer, any resemblance to other Gen X Boston-themed sports writers in the content below is purely coincidental and should in no way be construed to be a mockery of such writers, if that sort of thing were to ever cause any legal problems). Onto the mail….

Q: Kevin, I’m very interested to know what was your favorite NBA Finals series?

– Guy, Northboro

A: Hmmm. Very tough question. I’ve given this a lot of thought and I have to say it’s the 1969 Finals between the Lakers and the Celtics. Although I was only a five month fetus at the time, I still remember the series very clearly because my Dad and I watched every game together. My favorite moment was when they showed an interview with Wilt Chamberlain and my Dad said, “Hey, that nehru jacket has no buttons!” I cracked up so much that I made bubbles in the amniotic fluid that gave my mother gas for a week. Anyway, I knew after Havlicek got poked in the eye in Game 3 that the Celtics would take the series in seven. I was right, as usual.

Q: Kevin, I watch every single second of Celtics coverage and I wait with bated breath for Greg Dickerson to give us the latest updates with his piercing, hypnotic stare. What is your favorite part of the pre-game coverage?

– Jen, Holliston

A: I’d have to say it’s the Mike Gorman interview with Doc Rivers. I had a teacher in college who wore the same pair of charcoal slacks and blue blazer combo to every single class. We students called it “The Streak” and made another line on the chalkboard to document the number of classes in a row that he wore the same outfit. Similarly, my buddies and I now document how many times in a row that Doc has showed up to the Mike Gorman interview in a plain white dress shirt, unbuttoned at the top and without a tie. The Streak is now at 107, beginning right after the last time Rivers wore one of those Steve Jobs mock turtlenecks. The absence of the tie has become a hot topic for debate and the questions persist. Is Doc trying to align himself with the working man and distance himself from “The Suits”? Does he have a chronic skin condition caused by tight dress collars? Does he simply hate ties and thus only slips them on at the last possible second? We demand some answers here, Mike.

Q: Kevin, have you ever considered the ramifications of drafting Acie Earl with the 19^th overall pick in the 1993 draft?

– Matt, Portland, Maine

A: Have I ever considered it? Let me put it this way. This very question haunts me every night as I lay awake thinking of old 90210 episodes (my back is particularly painful at night). Here’s what should have happened: The Celtics should have used the pick to take Sam Cassell (he fell five picks down to the Rockets). I even wrote this at the time. I didn’t have a website back then but I wrote all of my important opinions in a notebook as proof of how right I would turn out to be in the future. Anyway, the Cassell pick would have made Dee Brown (who was in his 15 ppg prime) expendable. At the end of that season, Boston could have traded Brown and Dino Radja (whose trade value was never higher as an All-Rookie Second Team selection) to Atlanta for Kevin Willis, who rumor had it was sick of bickering with Dominique Wilkins. This would have shifted the subsequent Boston draft pick away from Eric Montross and to Jalen Rose instead and would have also avoided the ill-fated Wilkins signing. For the 1995 draft, Boston would have sent David Wesley (who GM Kevin McHale reportedly envisioned as his franchise player) and their own 14^th overall pick to move up nine spots to grab Kevin Garnett. As a result of the enhanced lineup, Horace Grant would have also signed as a free agent that off-season, thus resulting in a core lineup of Cassell, Rose, Garnett, Grant and Willis. All of this definitely would have happened if only the Celtics had skipped over Acie Earl in the draft. I will now burn myself with a Red Auerbach lit cigar.

Q: Kevin, if you were sitting in a poker game with Doc Rivers, Jim O’Brien, John Carroll and Rick Pitino, who would win?

– Joey in Albany, New York

A: I’m glad you asked this question because as much as I know about basketball, boxing, football, baseball and the career of Billy Zabka, I know even more about gambling. How good am I, you ask? Hmm. Well, have you ever heard of Amarillo Slim, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson? Yes? Morons. Anyway, the short answer to your question is that I would win, me being such an expert gambler and all (By the way, my next 10,000 word running diary of my latest trip to Vegas with my entourage of cleverly nicknamed buddies will be forthcoming shortly). As for the rest of the table, it would go something like this: Rick Pitino would insist on changing all of his cards as often as possible to no avail, Jim O’Brien would stand pat, sticking with all of his “veteran cards” instead, and Doc Rivers would claim that the seven and eight cards were in fact just as suitably used as jacks and queens and therefore incorrectly claim to have a royal straight flush. I choose not to acknowledge John Carroll’s presence at the table, which is my prerogative.

Q: Kevin, me and my 19 year old buddies read every single word that you write and take it all as the gospel truth. Therefore, we need you to resolve something for us. Specifically, if one train leaves Providence northbound at 6:00 p.m. and another train leaves Boston southbound at 6:15 p.m., would Doc Rivers still be the worst coach ever to walk the face of the earth? By the way, if you include this letter in your mailbag, it will represent the crowning achievement of my entire life and my buddies will owe me five bucks on a bet so please take this into consideration. Faithfully yours.

–Mikey C. in Andover

A: Um, the answer to your math questions is yes. Otherwise, keep a look out for my new book, which is a reprint of stale and obsolete opinion columns updated with hip scribbles in the margins. It’s called “I Am a Bigger and More Knowledgeable Sports Fan Than You Are” and it’s available wherever double tall half-caf lattes are sold.

Check back again for the second part of the FCP Mailbag where some of the other writers for the site answer a few more timely and important questions.

By Shirley Coshatt

Have you noticed the ever-increasing use of the term Celtic Pride by both Celtics fans and the media lately? The term itself in fact has a long and notable track record. Let’s examine its use across various mediums over the years and where The Pride stands today.

The Written and Spoken Word

Celtic Pride was the name of a periodical I subscribed to back in the halcyon days of the 1980’s. It was a magazine-style monthly publication that included some nifty stories from behind the scenes. But, along with the glory years, that publication went by the wayside. Several current blogs named Celtics Pride have since replaced that bygone publication in both name and spirit. Celtics Pride is also the name of a radio post-game show on ESPN Radio. On this show, they break down Boston Celtics home games, analyze all the latest moves and events and interview special guests. Listeners can call in and voice their opinions and ask questions as well. Lastly, Celtics Pride is also a book by Bob Ryan that details the team’s rebuilding process in the 70’s to get back to a championship-caliber level of play.

Hollywood

Celtic Pride is also the name of a movie starring Dan Akroyd and Daniel Stern as two rabid fans of the Boston Celtics. Mike O’Hara (Stern) and Jimmy Flaherty (Aykroyd) are die-hards in the truest sense of the word. They’re the type of season ticket holders who go to every game wearing green and they eat, drink, and breathe the Celtics. In the movie, the Celtics have reached the NBA finals, and the series is knotted at 3-3. Looking for an advantage for their beloved Celtics, Mike and Jimmy decide to meet the star opposing player, Utah Jazz bad boy Lewis Scott (played by Damon Wayans), at a bar, get him drunk, then kidnap him while he’s out cold. In the end, the die-hard Celtic fans have to cheer for the Jazz in order to avoid being charged with kidnapping. I may be the only person on the face of the earth who actually enjoyed this movie. I even own the DVD.

The Birth and Evolution of The Pride

The following statement from John Havlicek’s biography has always stuck in my mind.

“He also had the inner drive that characterized “Celtics pride.” After his first year Havlicek went home and worked hard to improve both his outside shooting and his dribbling. The next season he led the team in scoring.”

The inner drive that characterized Celtics pride. That particular phrase seems to indicate that Celtics Pride is something tangible that exists inside the players to make them want to be better, an internal driver that makes them work harder simply because they are Celtics. It infers that there is a respect for the past that motivates players wearing a Celtics uniform towards a return to that former excellence. That sense of pride seemed to disappear during the dark ages known as the ’90s, then recovered briefly during the playoff run during 2002.

Consider this excerpt from an issue of The Sporting News that details that recovered during the 2002 run:

On April 21, the simple act of a leisurely stroll by five white-haired gentlemen, along with a few bars of Bruce Springsteen background music, suddenly awoke Celtic Pride.

Moments before the Celtics faced the 76ers in the first game of the teams’ Eastern Conference opening-round playoff series, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, Bob Cousy, Bill Russell and even Red Auerbach supplied the home fans with an impromptu spine-tingler.

The quintet of Boston icons decided among themselves to walk side by side, in front of the Philly bench, across the parquet floor and to their seats in Section 12. For good measure, the Celtics blasted The Boss’ “Glory Days” over the FleetCenter’s usually unnoticed loud speakers.

The legends were back, and so were the Celtics. “That gave me chills,” says Boston general manager Chris Wallace. “You’re around this stuff all the time, but that really probably brought it home maybe more than any event I’ve been through in the five years I’ve been with this team. When those guys walked across the court, that showed that we’re not another sports franchise.”

That return of the legendary pride was in retrospect all too brief. Some depressingly down years (call them the Ricky Davis Years, if you will) followed but then The Pride returned in full effect on the day that Kevin Garnett came to town. With his arrival, the Celtics collectively regained their pride and swagger back. It’s because he is more than a superstar. He is one of those rare players who truly knows what it means to compete, and that attitude is always contagious. He is fierce, and he hates to lose. He has the ability to make all those around him better. He is a multi-talented threat that is equal parts scoring, rebounding, and passing. Those are the qualities that made Larry Bird a legend in Boston. Can those shared qualities allow Garnett to replicate Bird’s title successes? Bill Russell seems to think so, recently stating that he believes that Garnett will bring another 2-3 championships to Boston. In spite of being a superstar, Garnett is often reportedly the first to arrive for practice and the last to leave. When he is on the bench, he never takes time off and can be seen standing and shouting instructions and encouragement to his teammates. Kevin Garnett has the inner drive that characterizes Celtics Pride. However, he’s not the only one.

Three weeks before training camp even began last fall, all of the players, including the team’s three stars, were in Boston and working out. It was that famed Pride at work. The Pride that kept Kendrick Perkins in Boston all summer working out long hours and pushing himself hour after hour and wanting to be pushed even more. The Pride that kept Leon Powe focused through a lengthy stretch of early DNP’s so that he was ready and able to step up and contribute when his team needed him. The Pride that brings Rajon Rondo to the gym early in the morning or gets him out on the court three hours before a game (as the ESPN announcers noted last Friday) to work on his shot. The Pride that brings Ray Allen to the gym at sunrise to join Rondo and help him improve his shooting form. It is what makes Allen sacrifice his game for the good of the team and not worry about stats or attention. In spite of being one of the best shooters in the league, he still spends long hours before and after practice working on his skills. It is The Pride that caused Paul Pierce to lose weight down to his college playing weight this season and what makes him gladly accept two other stars on the team without a hint of ego. It is what keeps all three stars in the gym for long hours working with the younger players and building chemistry faster than anyone ever could have expected.

The end of the regular season is less than five short weeks away. After that, these Celtics have a tough road to travel, paved in gold by their legendary predecessors whose many accomplishments hang from the rafters of the Garden. It remains to be seen if they can live up to those high standards. One thing, however, is known already. If they fall short, if won’t be for lack of The Pride.

By Kevin Henkin

You don’t meet a lot of people who are equally die-hard fans of both the Celtics and the Bruins. When it comes to these two sports, people tend to pick one or the other as a decided preference.  As a writer for a Celtics blog, I obviously fall into the category of someone who prefers basketball. I’ve been to countless Celtics games over the last several years but cannot honestly remember my last attendance at a Bruins tilt. Considering my long absence from the game of hockey, I couldn’t refuse the offer when a free ticket for this past Saturday’s Bruins game fell into my lap. I also thought it might be useful to jot some thoughts down in terms of witnessing a Bruins game through the eyes of a devoted long-term Celtics fan. Here are the results:

First Period

We arrive at the highest level of the Garden to find our balcony seats. If we were seated any higher, we’d need oxygen, tents and Sherpas. We sit down just in time for the opening face-off. Five seconds in, the first fight takes place. The players do the usual “one hand grabs the opponent’s jersey while the other hand flails wildly at the guy’s head” dance. This goes on for a while until even the referees get bored and break it up.

Play resumes and a whole nine seconds later a second fight commences. It’s a pretty good fight but for my money, nothing quite lives up to watching Robert Parish deck Bill Laimbeer.

A couple minutes of actual hockey takes place before one of the opposing players somehow loses his stick over the ten foot high plexiglass and into the crowd. Play stops while an usher retrieves the stick from the unlucky fan and returns it over the boards. Loud booing ensues. It becomes evident that the finder-keepers rule doesn’t apply to anything but the puck when it comes to random pieces of equipment flying into the stands.

There are a large number of fans wearing Bruins uniform sweaters in the crowd. Many of the jerseys are adorned with the names of players who are either retired or playing elsewhere, like Bourque, Neely and Thornton. I theorize that there is a direct correlation between the percentage of player jerseys from previous eras and the success of the current team. In other words, the higher the percentage of old player jerseys, the greater likelihood that the present team stinks. Last year at Celtics games, there were a fair amount of Bird and even a few Antoine Walker jerseys. This year? A sea of Garnetts, Pierces and Allens. I rest my case, your honor.

At 13:43, the other team scores. The fans surrounding us are very discouraged by this sudden one goal deficit. One of the guys sitting behind me says, “There’s going to be some fights, some dropping of the gloves. I guarantee it.” This seems to make him feel better, the thought that if his team is going to lose, at least the other guys will get punched a few times in the face on their way to victory.

For the next several minutes, the Bruins and the Capitals take turns shooting the puck into the corner and around the boards behind the goalie until the other team recovers the puck, skates up to the other side of the rink and does the same exact thing. At this point, I switch from beer to strong coffee.

Second Period

I won’t get into Bill Simmons-type details about my personal circumstances here but to make a long story short, my buddy and I who were sitting in the nosebleeds suddenly get invited to upgrade into one of the luxury boxes. Coming out of the elevator, the people in front of me fawn all over an older gentleman standing in front of us. I have no idea who he is until my buddy tells me it’s Johnny Bucyk. To translate this to Celtics fans, this would be like suddenly meeting Bob Cousy or John Havlicek. Even a non-hockey fan has to appreciate that.

Just before play resumes, a modified version of the T-shirt Patrol appears along the top rim of the lower bowl. All of the t-shirt throwers are attractive young women wearing tight Bruins t-shirts that are tied in a knot well above their navels. One of them even swaggers around with Lucky the Leprachaun’s massive t-shirt cannon, which just seems wrong to me. During this crowd-pleasing segment, “Girls” by the Beastie Boys blares from the P.A. system, which only heightens the cheese factor. I conclude it’s only a matter of time before Kate Darnton pens an indignant editorial piece for the Boston Globe and compares the buxom lady t-shirt tossers to hookers.

Play resumes. At one point, the Bruins have a 2-on-1 breakaway. The two Bruins deftly pass the puck back and forth in a way that eerily reminiscent of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen in transition. It’s a thing of beauty until the shot hits the post and the teams go back to taking turns clearing the puck into opposite ends of the rink again.

While I’m shooting the breeze with someone in the box, I hear a loud reaction from the crowd. I ask what the big deal was. It turns out that one of the Bruins had laid a heavy hit on one of the opposing players into the boards. Five seconds later, however, the other team still has the puck and yet the crowd is still reveling in the hit. This is one of the issues I have with hockey, which is to say that much of what is most appreciated by the fans seems to have more to do with gratuitous emotion and less to do with the winning of the game. Compare this to the hard foul by Jason Maxiell on Rajon Rondo last week in the Detroit game. Maxiell laid a vicious forearm to Rondo’s head while he was in mid-air during a dunk, thus causing the guard to crumple to the floor in a heap with small birds circling his head. Based on pure human emotion, Rondo and his teammates had every right to gang tackle Maxiell and beat him to a bloody pulp. But they didn’t. They kept their heads in check despite the unfairness of the play and the needless potential of serious injury because winning the game was more important to them than retaliating.

Third Period

The guy sitting next to me asks me a question about a play that had just occurred. Before I can fumble with an attempted response, an eight-year old kid two seats down gives an elaborate and seemingly correct explanation, thus confirming that eight-year old children know more about hockey than I do.

Not much happens until the Bruins get handed a 5-on-3 advantage with just under six minutes to play in the game. Based on what I’ve seen of the Bruins power play thus far, this is like handing Heathcliff Slocumb the ball with a two run lead. In other words, it will most likely be a wasted opportunity (It’s called Bruins).

I am proven ignorant of hockey yet again when the Bruins convert the power play into a game-tying goal. After play resumes, the P.A. guy announces the details of the score followed by a big “Woo!” The crowd responds with its own “Woo!” I have to admit, this is a cool sequence, this whole “Woo!” thing. I’m thinking maybe the Celtics can somehow incorporate the P.A. Guy “Woo!” into games, but only on rare occasions, like maybe whenever Brian Scalabrine scores or something.

With the game tied and time running down, the crowd is beyond energetic. The whole game has built up to these last four minutes. At 2:16, the Bruins score the go-ahead goal and the building erupts into sheer pandemonium. A long stretch of wild celebration. Scoring details on the P.A. Woo! Another Woo! Even I have to admit that basketball rarely has a moment in the game that can match up to the money shot feeling of a go-ahead goal late in the third period. Ray Allen’s daggers against Toronto and Charlotte obviously hold up but those are events that are more rare in frequency. It is a game like this that helps a philistine like me understand why someone might be passionate about hockey.

I walk away from the Bruins game happy for having been there, although I realize it is mostly because my team from Boston won the game in a compelling and emotionally gratifying fashion. As we exit the Garden heading into evening, I remember that the Celtics have a game that night. It is a humdrum largely meaningless road game against a terrible Memphis Grizzlies team and yet I still eagerly await it. And therein lies the difference when it comes to the levels of love for a sport.

By Tom Lambert

Wednesday night was one of the few times that a calendar-circling game actually lived up to its hype. It was a very competitive game that revealed the good, bad and the ugly for the Celtics, their opponent and the officiating as well. What? Oh, excuse me, I’ve just been notified that I’ve received a defensive three second violation for typing that last sentence.

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to have tickets for this tilt, during which I collected 10 things to share with you what I learned. I strongly urge you, however, not to confuse this collection with one of those other “10 Things We Learned” columns that are the rage on other media outlets. Basically, I don’t want the responsibility that goes with boasting I have 10 thoughts that educate anyone beyond myself.

Onto the ten things I learned after attending the Celtics-Pistons game on Wednesday night:

1. The pre-game rituals have changed.

Normally, I am not in my seat until right before tip off. As a result, I have not seen the pre-game introductions in a couple of years. The “old” intro’s had clips from past years mixed in with new ones. It was certainly the only time one would ever see Larry Bird and Tony Battie in the same highlight film. Now that the team has improved, however, there are enough current highlights to fill out the entire montage. Strangely, I found myself nostalgic for the old intro. I also found that I’m slowly morphing into an old man because I hated the pyrotechnics show put on before the Celtics players were introduced. I’d love to know where to find the suit, or scarf, who thought “Hey, let’s copy every other NBA team and have a light show.”

2. Rene Rancourt is a sight to be seen.

It is truly amazing to me that this guy is still rolling along. You can see the passion is still there with every note that he belts out. I couldn’t help but notice, though, that he now moves like he has a bath towel stuck around his waist: Stiff upper torso, slight leg bend with his head tilted forward. It makes me wonder if he’s ever left the dressing room without pants. Maybe there is someone on the Garden payroll that is responsible for making sure that Rancourt takes his bath towel off at the appropriate time. Probably the reason why they were forced to walk away from Dmitri Kristich a few years back.

3. Watching Drama Queen Hamilton move without the ball is a game within a game.

This isn’t exactly a news flash but it is still worth noting. I found myself focused on him two series before and then up until Ray Allen used a butt end of a shotgun to slow him down. At least, that was how Hamilton reacted. The whole scene reminded me of that Time Life Mysteries of the Unknown show where the woman burns her hand and her mother feels it 1,500 miles away (Ow!). I was convinced that somewhere, Manu Ginobli’s elbows started burning.

4. There was no way in hell the Celtics were getting past the Pistons in the playoffs with Eddie House as the back up point guard.

It’s a shame because I think I would pay $10 to watch him shoot jumpers in an empty gym. Unfortunately, this is Eddie’s only real skill. He is a below-average penetrator, passer and defender. It’s also been painfully evident over the past few games that the Celtics second unit has stalled. Regardless, I still see a Bobby Kielty-like role for House in the playoffs because of his ability to hit the open shot.

5. Trying to use the restroom during halftime is a bad idea.

The double lines that were once the norm during the Harrington-era Red Sox have now shifted to the Garden. Maybe the whole situation could be facilitated somehow but unfortunately, the Garden’s payroll is otherwise distracted with the RPM (Rancourt Pants Monitoring) initiative.

6. They could take Bird’s mustache clippings, place them in an empty pizza box and someone would bid $600 for them.

The flip side of this has been the tumbleweeds that have accumulated next to 2007 Patriots memorabilia this winter. Perhaps the only bright side of the Super Bowl loss is the fact that the memorabilia crooks that are taking a bath as a result.

7. Ray Allen had one of the most productive 1-9 shooting nights you will ever see.

8 rebounds, 5 assists and no turnovers. That’s 6 games this year where he has played at least 30 minutes and has not turned the ball over. Here’s another interesting stat. The Celtics are 16-4 in the 20 games that Allen has shot under 40%.

8. There is a fire lit under Rajon Rondo’s butt.

Even before the dunk, Rondo was amped up for this game. At one point he stared down Billups, which I thought at the time was a bit much. I like the fact that the dunk happened after this and after Wallace’s cheap moving pick.

9. You could say the same for Perk, but I won’t.

It’s nice to see Perkins string together a couple of good games. Unfortunately, there is a track record in place that tells us that he will play well for a few games and then revert back to his inconsistent self. If there has been one thing he has been consistent about, it’s been this. It should be noted the difference this time around is the competition. In the past, Perk’s great games have been against the Philly’s and Memphis’s of the world.

10. Be ready for when Opportunity comes knocking.

This applies to Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown or any individual Celtic. It also applies to me. While waiting for my train last night, I was approached by a homeless man. The following is an actual transcript of our discussion:

Man: “Do you have a cigarette?”

Me: “Umm, no I don’t smoke”.

Man: <long stare> “You are (age guessed) years old”.

Me: “Wow, that’s amazing. I am this age. I would give you my whole pack right now if I smoked.”

Man: <shorter stare> “It’s a good age….” <walks away>

Me: <dumbfounded>

Upon further reflection, why didn’t I ask this homeless Oracle how Cassell and Brown would mesh? Or how it would affect Perk and Rondo? Or Doc? Why didn’t I ask him what he knew about Rancourt? Of course, all these things came to mind mere minutes after our encounter. Clearly, this was a golden opportunity missed and one that probably won’t pass my way again. Hopefully, the same thing won’t be said about the 2007-08 Celtics.

By Matt Richardson

If the Celtics don’t compete for a championship, it’s going to be because they are weak at point guard. So goes the conventional wisdom, and hence the acquisition of Sam Cassell. And how could you watch the third quarter of last night’s game and not agree? You had an absolute pro going up against a pup, and frankly it looked like a mismatch. In Chauncey Billups, you have a guy whose physical skills and game savvy are meshing perfectly at this point in his career. A guy who knows exactly what to do and exactly when to do it, with a purpose behind every step he takes. How many trips to the line did he take in the third? 39? Detroit also showed their veteran savvy as a team, changing the defensive assignments between Rip Hamilton and Billups to create mismatches for them, and of course it worked. But we’re all thinking, if there are mismatches for Detroit , there must be mismatches for us, right? How come they are figuring it out and we’re not? Tommy Heinsohn is apoplectic on the sideline, begging for Rondo not to settle for jumpers, to take it to the hoop against Rip…. and then he did. In the absolute signature play of the game, Rondo exploited his speed mismatch against Rip and threw down a dunk, taking a hard foul from Maxiell in the process. The play completely fired up the team and sent the crowd into a frenzy. I thought it was a big time play by a young player under the bright lights, and showed the grasp of the game that is so critical in turning a young athlete into a Chauncey Billups.

Over the years, how often have we listened to Tommy yell out instructions to the team as they are melting down, and the instructions make perfect sense, and it’s all the more frustrating because the team never seemed to follow them? Last night was a great example of the team following them. Rondo’s aforementioned dunk, where after settling for a jumper when Rip played off him (baiting him into it), he figured out the thing to do was to blow by Rip and get to the hole. Another instance was either late in the third or in the fourth when Garnett had the ball against ‘Sheed and ‘Sheed fouled him, giving the Pistons 4 team fouls. Tommy immediately exhorted the C’s to take the ball to the hoop to draw that 5^th team foul, and presto, Garnett was backing down ‘Sheed and drawing that foul. This speaks to veteran basketball players knowing what they are doing given the game situation, but it also speaks to good coaching, and no doubt keeps Tommy’s blood pressure out of the danger zone.

One other play I want to mention: mid-fourth, Pierce has the ball at the top of the key and drives into the lane, basically getting the whole defense to collapse on him, and then he fires the ball out to a wide open Garnett, who was oh-by-the-way the hot hand and leading scorer, for a wide open 18 footer that Garnett buried. It was a mature, under-control play by Pierce, who seemed to know exactly where he was going with the ball if the defense did commit to him, exactly the kind of play I want my Captain making.

The danger in posting thoughts before the euphoria of a big win has worn off is that you’ll overreact, yet I can’t quite shake this feeling: the Pistons are a very good, but not great team. They will not beat themselves because they have smart veteran players who know what they are doing (like getting 57,000 free throws in the third quarter, many of them as a result of savvy flops) and yet they can be beat. The Celtics are a very good team that has greatness in them. None of us have a crystal ball so we’re not sure how far they can go. They still have room to improve (Rondo’s ongoing maturation; Kendrick Perkins: 20 rebounds last night yet outrebounded by everyone else who played a week ago). We don’t know what Cassell or P.J. Brown will bring to the table or how that will affect chemistry (or how Doc will juggle the rotation)… but they have a chance to be great, which is more than you can say for Detroit. Given good health (knocking on wood, looking for even more wood, knocking on that), it’s hard to imagine them not coming out of the East. Lakers, anyone?