It's Not Easy Being Green
April 13, 2007
As the NBA regular season draws to a close, the Boston Celtics will again be first in line for tee times on the golf courses and on planes to much warmer climates.
The 16-time champions, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2005 and haven’t come close to making a serious run to the finals since 2002, have endured one of their most trying years in team history. Plagued by injuries and a lack of veteran experience, the Celtics currently have the second-worst record in the NBA with just over a week left in the regular season.
Yet there have been some bright spots during the difficult season, including the continuing development of the younger players. Let’s take a look at some of the ups and downs of the 2006-2007 Boston Celtics season:
The Downs
The season reached rock bottom with the 18-game losing streak in January/February. Optimistic Celtics fans will point to the fact that Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak, arguably the teams’ top two scoring options, were out for the majority of this streak, but 18 losses is still 18 losses.
Furthermore, 13 out of the 18 losses came against teams from the Eastern Conference, which (with a few exceptions) is far inferior to the Western Conference.
Losing streaks hurt the team in more than just the standings: it hurts the team’s credibility with fans and drives down ticket sales, it gives a bad impression to potential free agents about the franchise’s commitment to winning, and most importantly it demoralizes the current players to the point where they might question their own abilities and dampen their desire to win. This last point could definitely be a problem on a team of less experienced players.
This brings me to my next point, the inconsistent play throughout the season. Far too often this season the Celtics would stay with their opponents for the beginning of the game, but then would fade away in the second and third quarters when it mattered most. Then, in the fourth quarter, it seemed like a light bulb turned on in their heads and they realized that if they didn’t step up their play big-time, they would lose the game badly. So the C’s would play better for the final quarter (albeit against mostly bench players) and make the final score a respectable loss.
But a two-point loss counts the same as a 20-point loss in the standings. It’s so demoralizing to see the team playing hard when it doesn’t count and playing soft during crunch time.
Getting a team to play hard for the full four quarters is a direct responsibility of the coach and the management team. It is incomprehensible to think that a team that sets the franchise record for consecutive losses would not make a midseason coaching change.
It was obvious watching the games that the players were taking the wrong approach on offense and not playing disciplined defense, two characteristics that can be traced directly back to the coach. Some might say that Danny Ainge didn’t supply Doc Rivers with the talent to score on offense and the size and speed to defend the basket.
This is partially true. Ainge did pass on Brandon Roy (a Rookie of the Year Candidate this year) with the 7th pick in the draft to trade for Sebastian Telfair (I’m pretty sure his picture is under the word “bust” in the dictionary). Ainge justified this transaction by claiming the additional acquisition of Theo Ratliff’s expiring contract would act as a huge chip at the trading deadline.
Yet by not doing anything at the deadline Ainge did nothing to help his team that was absolutely decimated by injuries.
While injuries are most often considered a product of luck, this year the injury bug hit the Celtics hard. With four players out with season-ending injuries and four others out with minor injuries, the Celtics recently played a game with only eight total players dressed for the game, including Kevin Pinkney, a rookie free agent signed to a 10-day contract.
Injuries prevent the coaching staff from setting up a consistent rotation and hurt the chemistry between the younger players who are trying to develop their game. This point will probably be the biggest excuse for the players and management of the Celtics for their dismal season, but when it comes down to it, they just didn’t play well enough.
The ups
On a team with plenty of young players looking to take their games to the next level, the only two to really impress were Al Jefferson and Gerald Green.
Jefferson, drafted right out of high school in 2004, showed glimpses of his raw size and skill the past two seasons. But this season Jefferson has taken his game to a level on par with the best centers in the conference. Averaging a double-double (with 15.8 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game), Jefferson was the go-to guy on the Celtics offense in the absence of Pierce and Szczerbiak, and he responded better than anyone could have predicted.
Green began his coming out party at the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, winning with a dazzling display. With more confidence on offense and hope-inspiring defense, Green showed that he could be a capable sidekick to a healthy Pierce next season.
The biggest benefit for this season was the unintended (or was it intended?) drop into a top five pick in the NBA draft lottery in June. While the actual draft order won’t be determined until the draft lottery on May 22nd, the Celtics have the second best chance of claiming the top pick. And while neither Ohio State’s Greg Oden nor Texas’ Kevin Durant have officially declared for the draft, the two are expected to be the first two picks of this summer’s draft. And the fact that the Celtics could be the owners of either of these two basketball stars has not been lost on Celtics management and fans.
Danny Ainge was seen sitting with Durant’s mother at a college basketball game (and he was subsequently fined). Even casual basketball fans witnessed Durant carry Texas through the season on his way to the Naismith Award as college basketball’s best player.
And throughout Ohio State’s run to the championship of the NCAA tournament, Oden produced a highlight reel of amazing play at both ends of the floor that has scouts comparing him to former Celtics great Bill Russell.
Adding either of these players would not only put more fans in the seats at the TD Banknorth Garden but would also provide an important frontcourt running mate for Al Jefferson and a second scoring option behind Paul Pierce. Landing one of these two top players would inject a much-needed boost of energy and confidence to this young team.
Final Reflection
So maybe the 2006-2007 season wasn’t a complete bust. While it must pain Pierce that the team is going through its growing pains in the midst of its prime, a few off-season acquisitions through the draft and/or free agency should put this team back in the playoff race in the weak Eastern Conference next year. Wait, wasn’t that what Ainge said after last season? Never mind, enjoy the Red Sox season folks.