The Boston Celtics have reclaimed their rightful throne on top of the Basketball world. Bob Ryan calls it the “First ever six game sweep.” And I’m fully on board with that claim. The Celtics showed themselves to be the dominant team. In only one year things went from being completely hopeless, to being total domination. KG silenced all the doubters, I’m not sure if this was something that he said during his incoherent interview with Michelle Tafoya, but it may well have been. I think he quoted Jimmy Cagney, by accident of course, and then told Michelle she looked good. I give him an out because I believe we were watching pure euphoria. So now Kevin has solidified himself as one of the true elite players of his generation, no more questions like those that haunt Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing to this day. Shouldn’t an elite basketball player win at least one title during his career? One player has such a huge impact on success, is it really too much to expect that a star will lead to at least one title? Good questions, but not for KG to ponder anymore. The next big winner is Paul Pierce. I used to have to debate with friend over whether or not PP was among the top 20 or 25 players in the NBA, they just wouldn’t listen to reason. I always knew Pierce was top 12 if not higher, but those who weren;t watching closely didn’t like his ugly game and didn’t want to let him be called an all-star. It was just two years ago that Reggie Miller wanted to put Tayshaun Prince on the All-Star team over Pierce, a more valid argument would be whether or not Pierce was better than everyone on the Pistons, but Pierce is vindicated, he can now start talking about his place in history, not just whether or not he was an all-star one year. Ray Ray and Doc and Danny all are feeling better, not to mention Rajon and Perk. Everyone had something to prove, perhaps that’s why they won 66 games this year. I don’t think they’ll win that many next year, even if they win the title, the win total will be much lower. Another thing that won’t be happening next year: Steven A Smith won’t be comparing Danny Ainge to Isiah Thomas any time soon. Steven A used to bring up Danny anytime someone wanted Isiah to be fired. Well it turns out that Steven A was stupid and Isiah got what he deserved as well.
Of Course I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up someone else who used to trash Danny Ainge. I refer to none other than (drumroll please) The Bender. I always trashed Danny for his poor trades, but obviously I was wrong, just a year ago I was bemoaning another waste of draft picks. Danny, who always made great picks except for one since becoming GM of Boston, had traded away the C’s pick for Ray Allen, while adding a lot of other assets, and I was fuming. I declared that there was no master plan and Ainge had to go. Well I guess I was very wrong. Danny is the greatest GM EVER.
Speaking of the draft, last year it was all we had. Now it’s almost an afterthought. Well here’s my two cents on this year’s draft beforehand. The Celtics will get another steal this year, as they have with almost all of their picks in the last 5 years. I don’t know who they’ll draft, but I do predict that once they pick him, I will declare it to be a steal, abnd say that he is underrated. Even if it is Roy Hibbert, whom I have trashed in the past, his stock will rise exponentially is the C’s get their hands on him. I will say that I’d take Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley, and after that it’s a crap shoot, some days I think Brook Lopez will be a strong starter, other days I think he shouldn’t be a lotto pick. I was always down on Kevin Love, bnut now I see him as a top five pick. One thing I am confident about is that Danilo Gallinari is not a good pick. I’ve never been more down on the concept of European players than I am right now having watched Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic and Vlad Radmoanovic wilt in the finals. Is this type of pre-judging inappropriate? Perhaps, but I bet a lot of the GMs are on the same page as me. It’s like the backlash against High Schoolers that occurred after Kwame Brown and company were such busts in the 2001 draft. I’m going to enjoy the draft this Thursday, but it won’t be the same as it was for the last fifteen years. The draft has always been about hope for the future and the infinite possibilities that await, but when you’re on top, you don’t need to dream as much as you have to enjoy the moment. I’ll root for The Grizzlies, they’re my second favorite team, because they stink and I like their players, and no matter how many people trash him, I still like Chris Wallace. Wallace makes me think I could be an NBA GM someday.
Anyway, that’s enough for now, maybe be back on /Friday to say who blew it on draft night, and then have to retract it a year from now, til then…
-Bender Out
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