I am still buzzing from the high of watching the Boston Celtics, yes the Boston Celtics who lost 18 straight games at one point last season, advancing past the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Lakers in the NBA Finals. So much for that damned "can't win on the road" crap, as the Celtics won two games in Detroit. The Finals are rarified air for the Celtics, as it has been an incredible 22 years since they last reached this point.
For all these years the faithful have suffered--heck, I have suffered through the "chumps of no promise" such as Delonte West, Ricky Davis, Raef LaFrentz, Dan Dickau, Orien Greene, Jiri Welsch, Justin Reed, Mike James, Vin Baker, Brandon Hunter, Tony Battie, Tony Delk, Shammond Williams, Bruno Sundov, J.R. Bremer, Erick Strickland, Milt Palacio, Joe Forte, Bryant Stith, Vitaly Potapenko, Randy Brown, Chris Carr, Walter McCarty, Adrian Griffin, Jerome Moiso, Calbert Cheaney, Danny Fortson, Doug Overton, Pervis Ellison, Greg Minor, Eric Riley, Damon Jones, Andrew DeClercq, Travis Knight, Tyus Edney, John Thomas, Zan Tabak, David Wesley, Todd Day, Marty Conlon, Dino Radja, Brett Szabo, Alton Lister, Frank Brickowski, Michael Hawkins, Steve Hamer, Nate Driggers, and Stacey King (and that is just since the beginning of the Antoine Walker era).
Heck, just think of the roster last year versus this team:
2006-7:
SF: Paul Pierce
SG: Wally Szczerbiak
PG: Delonte West
PF: Al Jefferson
C: Kendrick Perkins
Bench:
PG: Sebastian Telfair
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Tony Allen
SG: Allen Ray
C: Theo Ratliff
SG: Gerald Green
PF: Ryan Gomes
C: Michael Olowokandi
PF: Leon Powe
PF: Brian Scalabrine
2007-8 (Holdovers in BOLD):
SF: Paul Pierce
SG: Ray Allen
PG: Rajon Rondo
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Kendrick Perkins
Bench:
PG: Eddie House
PG: Sam Cassell
SG: Tony Allen
PG: Gabe Pruitt
C: P.J. Brown
SF: James Posey
PF: Glenn Davis
C: Scott Pollard
PF: Leon Powe
PF: Brian Scalabrine
OK, first, is Scalabrine really still on the roster? Really? Wow. I am speechless.
Second, I love Al Jefferson, but Big Al just had no clue on the defensive end of the floor. Great offensive talent, but clueless on defense.
Third, with Delonte West, it was simply addition by subtraction (sorry, had to throw that in there).
Almost time to break down the big match-up with L.A., but for today I just need to savor the victory and keep trying to forget that I once said: "Yeah, but the real steal for the Celtics was getting Steve Hamer."
For all these years the faithful have suffered--heck, I have suffered through the "chumps of no promise" such as Delonte West, Ricky Davis, Raef LaFrentz, Dan Dickau, Orien Greene, Jiri Welsch, Justin Reed, Mike James, Vin Baker, Brandon Hunter, Tony Battie, Tony Delk, Shammond Williams, Bruno Sundov, J.R. Bremer, Erick Strickland, Milt Palacio, Joe Forte, Bryant Stith, Vitaly Potapenko, Randy Brown, Chris Carr, Walter McCarty, Adrian Griffin, Jerome Moiso, Calbert Cheaney, Danny Fortson, Doug Overton, Pervis Ellison, Greg Minor, Eric Riley, Damon Jones, Andrew DeClercq, Travis Knight, Tyus Edney, John Thomas, Zan Tabak, David Wesley, Todd Day, Marty Conlon, Dino Radja, Brett Szabo, Alton Lister, Frank Brickowski, Michael Hawkins, Steve Hamer, Nate Driggers, and Stacey King (and that is just since the beginning of the Antoine Walker era).
Heck, just think of the roster last year versus this team:
2006-7:
SF: Paul Pierce
SG: Wally Szczerbiak
PG: Delonte West
PF: Al Jefferson
C: Kendrick Perkins
Bench:
PG: Sebastian Telfair
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Tony Allen
SG: Allen Ray
C: Theo Ratliff
SG: Gerald Green
PF: Ryan Gomes
C: Michael Olowokandi
PF: Leon Powe
PF: Brian Scalabrine
2007-8 (Holdovers in BOLD):
SF: Paul Pierce
SG: Ray Allen
PG: Rajon Rondo
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Kendrick Perkins
Bench:
PG: Eddie House
PG: Sam Cassell
SG: Tony Allen
PG: Gabe Pruitt
C: P.J. Brown
SF: James Posey
PF: Glenn Davis
C: Scott Pollard
PF: Leon Powe
PF: Brian Scalabrine
OK, first, is Scalabrine really still on the roster? Really? Wow. I am speechless.
Second, I love Al Jefferson, but Big Al just had no clue on the defensive end of the floor. Great offensive talent, but clueless on defense.
Third, with Delonte West, it was simply addition by subtraction (sorry, had to throw that in there).
Almost time to break down the big match-up with L.A., but for today I just need to savor the victory and keep trying to forget that I once said: "Yeah, but the real steal for the Celtics was getting Steve Hamer."
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