Title Town - Boston

It’s funny. You remember very few details about your own life. But as sports fans, you’ll always remember exactly where you were when your team won a championship.

I’ve had the pleasure of viewing a nice video from Mack Media Productions called “Title Town”.  It’s also a very nice refresher from some level-headed people, unlike the fellas over at ESPN who call Valdosta, Georgia as Titletown. We all know who the real title town is. Starting with the Cinderella Patriots in ‘01, reversing the curse with our Lansdowne 9 in ‘04, and culminating with our boys in Green taking down the Lakers in June, Boston IS Title Town.

As Boston sports fans, we’ve hit the jackpot in this decade.  We are on one helluva ride, and we won’t even realize it until its over. Thanks to the guys at Mack Media Productions, I took a couple minutes to smile and remember “damn, we’re lucky”.  Do the people in Valdosta say that?  Probably not.

Thanks again fellas.  Check out this great video….

The Boston Herald announced this morning that guards Eddie House and Tony Allen will re-sign with the Celtics.

The contracts of House and Allen will both be two-year agreements, estimated around $2.5 million per year.

House made a splash off the bench for the NBA champions all year. Even during a stretch in which his playing-time was limited during the playoffs, House provided some much needed energy and quality shooting. Unfortunately, his kid never got whacked in the face by Luke Walton’s knee.

Let’s face the facts, Tony Allen looks putrid on the defensive side of the ball. That’s been the knock on him since the first day he wore a Celtics uniform. If somehow, magically, T. Allen finds a way to improve his defense, we might be able to categorize Tony as an important role player off the bench. Right now, it seems the Celtics are going to give J.R. Giddens a shot as being the main backup guard.

So two bench players are signed, but the Hornets’ signing of James Posey put a damper on what could of been the deepest bench in the NBA. The Celtics lost out on Posey, lost out on Corey Maggette, so what’s next? Maybe a Josh Childress or Josh Smith?

Hey! Ricky Davis is a free agent….

Who will the Celtics sign? Let’s hope Ainge can pull something off, quickly.

*the Ricky Davis thing was just a joke…don’t knock me for it*

All the waiting has finally come to an end as the Boston Herald reports that the New Orleans Hornets signed forward James Posey to a four-year, $25 million dollar deal earlier this afternoon.

About a month ago, Posey was making his presence felt in the playoffs as a Boston Celtic, a real spark plug off the bench for the 2008 NBA Champions. Posey came up with some clutch three-pointers and some stellar defense that certainly helped fortify his future. The Celtics were apprehensive about signing Posey for around 5 million for four years. (They made a big mistake by giving $1 million to Brian Scalibrine).

Posey stated in an interview with Comcast Sportsnet that the free agency negotiations has been “frustrating”. “It is what it is. I’m just taking things one day at a time.” Posey almost sounded like he knew he probably wouldn’t be back. Today proves that statement.

During an interview at the Boston Celtics Championship DVD premier, Posey stated his first choice was to stay with the Celtics. In this interview with Comcast Sportsnet, however, his demeanor makes it seem otherwise…

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J.R. Giddens???Apparently this guy has had some on and off the court problems….we wonder what Danny Ainge was thinking with this one. We’re not the Dallas Cowboys…..Boston is not a city that tolerates players like T.O., Pacman Jones, etc. Giddens was suspended from the New Mexico Lobos last year, which is an obvious case of immaturity (see: Michael Beasley). And why did Giddens leave Kansas to play for New Mexico? We have to wonder about character issues. The Boston Celtics don’t have the drafting ability like a New England Patriots team. Is Ainge trying to take the Belichick approach? Whatever the case, I think Mario Chalmers (the guy who hit the clutch three pointer to tie the NCAA Finals game vs. Memphis) or Chris Douglas-Roberts, a scoring machine, would of been a better choice.

Looks like we have another player drafted to the NBADL (ty for that one, Grubb).

When you think about bad drafts of the past 10 years, two teams come to mind. The Celtics and the Clippers. Now that the Green are basking in all kinds of championship glory and the Clips are back in the lottery, slotted at number 7 of tomorrow’s draft, let’s take a look at how each team could field a team of stiffs over the past 10 to 15 years.

Center: Eric Montross vs. Michael Olowokandi

The Red Flags were up on both of these guys coming into draft night. Montross, a big, plodding white guy came out of UNC with very limited athleticism. Olowokandi was a young man who played against inferior competition at Pacific, and had only played basketball for a few years before he was drafted. The Kandi Man’s 8+ points per game takes it to Montross in this game: Advantage Clippers.

Power Forward: Jerome Moiso vs. Melvin Ely

Pitino loved Moiso’s athletic ability, only problem was that ability blinded the fact that Moiso had no basketball skills or intelligence. Moiso, the 11th pick of the 2000 draft never made a mark on the NBA, finishing his ho-hum career with the Sixers in 2005. Melvin Ely, the 12th pick in 2002, is still a serviceable backup in the league. He has averaged only 6 points and 3 rebounds in a forgettable stint with the Clips, Bobcats, Spurs, and Hornets. Ely would pound Moiso’s fragile frame on the block: Advantage Clippers.

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Well, the magical run is over.  The parade was awesome yesterday, and Banner 17 will be hung from the rafters in early November.  This team was truly remarkable this season, and I’d like to congratulate them on their achievement.  With the pleasure of playing long into June, the Celtics staff, in particular Danny Ainge can now look at what needs to be address this offseason.  Here is what I’ve constructed as the five most important issues this summer.

1.  James Posey.  Big Game James has a player option that will pay him 3.5 million next year.  Almost everyone around the league expects him to decline the option and look for a multi-year deal from a number of teams.  One thing we know about James is, when he’s on the team; that team wins.  He’s been a winner since his days at Xavier and even helped Memphis win 50 games. The problem is when Posey opts out, and the Celtics try to re-sign him, the team is over the cap.  This means that anything they pay him (5 mil for example), will be doubled by luxury tax rules.  Primetime’s Outlook: Posey walks to a borderline team that overpays him (4 year, 30 mil type deal).

2.  Replacing PJ and Sam. With the anticipated retirements of PJ Brown and Sam Cassell, the Celtics will be searching for high intelligence guys to fill the void.  With PJ, Danny Ainge will probably look towards the draft to find a quality, athletic big man.  In Sam’s case, we might see a surprise return to the team, as a player or even as a coach… Doc Rivers has said that he believes Sam could step right in on his staff as an Assistant, guiding the point guards.  Sam to Rajon: “Hey Number 9! You know what you should do?  Post guys up!”… Primetime’s Outlook: PJ retires, Celtics draft DeVon Hardin from Cal, Sam re-signs for Vet’s minimum and splits time with Gabe Pruitt.

3.  Deciding what to do with Tony Allen. This is a no-brainer in my eyes.  You have to let Tony walk if he gets an offer from another team.  Turnover Tony has reached his proverbial ceiling, and we know what he is and what he’s not.  He’s not a sufficient ball handler, but he’s a great perimeter defender.  Unfortunately, a lot of guys (like Matt Barnes from Golden State), can defend and handle the ball.  Primetime’s Outlook: Tony gets an offer from a team like Denver, who is in desperate need of defense off the bench.

4.  Staying Hungry.  The glory of winning a title can last for over a year.  Some teams have a really hard time getting up for games in February when they know it doesn’t mean much.  This team can go two ways.  One, they could feel accomplished with what they’ve done and be happy with themselves.  Or two, they can re-dedicate themselves to the team in October and realize that they are getting older and probably will only make one more run at another title, and 2009 will be the year… Primetime’s Outlook: Kevin Garnett and his overwhelming intensity keep this team hungry through next year; Celts compete for another title.

5.  Developing the young guys.  Rajon, Perk,  Powe, Big Baby, Pruitt, potential draft pick need to keep developing their games.  Rajon has room to work on his jumper and free throws. Perk can work on his footwork and technique on the block (less fouls please).  Powe can work on his defensive awareness, rotation recognition, and mid range jumper.  Big Baby needs to work on his conditioning and post moves.  Pruitt should work on his conditioning, strength, and propensity for turning the ball over.  Personally, I’d like to see the starters make a larger contribution next year, and the bench to work its way into the rotation (Pruitt especially, check out his NBDL stats here: http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/index.jsp?player=gabe_pruitt).  It may be tougher to get these guys some run, since we do not have a Summer League team, but truthfully, they’ve been playing for half the summer already! 

The key to the offseason is rest, rehabilitation (Mr. Pierce), and conditioning.  Take some time to relax and enjoy your families (many of the C’s with newborn children).  Bask in the glory of Banner 17.  Stay out of trouble, the papers, and don’t listen to trade rumors.  Have a great summer, and we’ll see you in October for training camp.

As many of you now know, I am a big fan of guys that play the game the right way. Guys who respect the game. Guys who truly enjoy playing, and would play the game even if they weren’t getting paid. Sure, there are many of these guys in the NBA today, but one guy exemplifies ‘class’ and how the game should be played.

That guy is Walter Ray Allen, you may also know him as Jesus Shuttlesworth.

Of all the people within the Celtics’ organization that I was happy for, I was happiest for Ray Ray. His commitment to this team was unmatched. He sacrificed personal accolades, just as others did, for the good of the team. Once a ruthless jump-shooter, Ray struggled to find his niche in these playoffs. Ray’s struggles were well-chronicled by the National Media, but he just kept doing what has worked for him since he led Hillcrest High School to the South Carolina state title in ’92-93. He’s also one of the most well-spoken, nicest guys you’ll find in the NBA today.

Ray persevered through some very tough times on and off the court this year. On the court, Ray adjusted to his new role as the third option offensively, he took pride in his defense (which was underrated all season), and he found a way to keep getting off those sweet jumpers even though he had both ankles surgically repaired last summer. After over 100 games, Ray saved his best for last. Off the court, Ray had something looming over his head all year. As ESPN’s E:60 had reported in May, Ray’s step-father was nearly murdered earlier in 2007. His family has been doing their best to keep Ray out of the ordeal, but naturally, the defense in the case tried to use Ray’s celebrity status against his family. The mental grind of the season, along with issues like this had to have worn on Ray.

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Banner 17, June 17, with your MVP of the winning squad, Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics! This victory couldn’t get any sweeter as the Boston Celtics proved all nay sayers wrong, even the so-called NBA “experts” who really screwed the pooch with their series predictions.

Did everyone forget that the Celtics were the best defensive team in the league? Defense wins championships and the Celtics have more than excelled at home this year. Add these ingredients together and you have the monster that is the 2008 NBA Champions. It was a fitting end to a spectacular season. The Big 3 came up HUGE for the Celtics tonight. You could see it in the eyes of Kevin Garnett that this team would not let this one get away as they trounced the Lakers in an embarrassing 131-92 win.

The Lakers Achilles heel during the Finals was their defense. What defense? Exactly, the Lakers just did not show up defensively throughout the series. They should have just laid down and flopped because that’s how they played, like they didn’t want it. Each Celtic had more intensity, more heart, and more grit than any Laker on the court. You could see how badly each Celtic wanted it at the end when the celebration commenced. Kevin Garnett, always emotional, changed this franchise around, brought the aspect of a tough defense but most of all, the desire to win the big one. This had to rub off on Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Speaking of Pierce, there is no doubt in my mind we will be seeing his jersey raised to the rafters in Boston after his career is over.

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According to NBADraft.net, Rajon Rondo’s scouting profile included the following statement, “He has a scorers mentality, but also passes the ball well especially on the dribble drive.” The latter has to be an understatement because Rajon Rondo has really developed his drive and dish/kickout facet of the game, and very quickly at that. But what happens when that encapsulates a players game? With Rondo, this idea seems like it’s been more of a reality.

If you’ve been watching the NBA Finals, you’ve seen an instance when Rajon Rondo has passed up an open look or layup. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but if it becomes a habitual thing, then troubles start to occur. I think Mark Jackson is completely correct by mentioning over and over that because of some of the open looks that Rondo is passing up, he’s actually hurting his team. It hasn’t been quite as evident as what took place in last night’s game.

Rondo easily had one of his worst games in the playoffs last night, playing a meaningless 15 minutes with 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists with 2 turnovers. One of those turnovers coming in a six-point swing in which Rondo committed a turnover then failed to swing on defense that resulted in a Vladimir Radmonovic 3-pointer.

His regular season and playoff splits are similar, but the reason I’m calling Rondo Jekyll and Hyde is clear, he is not the same player on the road, and we see this through the Finals. Maybe it’s the ankle injury that has him playing timid, Un-Rondo-like basketball. In any case, Rajon was a zero factor last night and in order for the Celtics to win, he needs to make some sort of impact. I mean, did anyone see the WIDE-open layup he passed up? In instances like that, he needs to be aggressive. That’s the problem we’ve been seeing with Rondo the past few games, he’s not as aggressive as he should and very well can be. It’s come to the point that Kobe has been giving Rondo so much space, it doesn’t even seem like he’s covering the guy. If Rondo’s hurt he should come out and say it. I don’t mind seeing KG/Allen/Pierce/Posey/House in there, that squad led our comeback in game 4.

Rondo, you’re a good player and you can be a great player one day. Show how you can be aggressive, take those open looks, and become a factor tomorrow night(hopefully not Thursday, the series should be over by then). We Boston fans still believe in you, keep your head up.

I’m not going to beat around the bush, I did believe the Celts were down and out after the first quarter.  But then something struck me and I started to have faith…Why? Because we are Boston and we never lose the faith. The Celtics kept chipping away at the lead, cutting it to 13, then down by 20 again, but finally in the 4th quarter with about 8 minutes remaining the Celtics took the lead.

The Los Angeles Lakers had absolutely no idea what hit them, and the Celtics defense stepped in up late in the game, as Boston came back from 24 points down to win the game 97-91. This win was the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history after the 1st quarter.

Once the Celtics cut the lead to 5 it was almost like New England knew they would somehow pull it off. Basically, the win was a foregone conclusion.

This game has set the tone for the rest of the series as the Los Angeles Lakers now have to win the next 3 to secure another championship, two of those games are in Boston.

I’m loving our chances….and big up to every member of the Boston Celtics as everyone did what they had to do to pull this one off. Hats off to the Boston Celtics and coach Doc Rivers who made the right moves in the end.

The sweet smell of banner 17 is in the air..

(did anyone catch Sasha Vujacic crying on the bench or what? I told you he was a Hanson brother)