Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
The mystery for much of this season has been figuring out what they could be when healthy and whole for a sustained period, and the past week has offered a promising glimpse.
Since Isaiah Thomas returned from a groin strain and the Celtics have had their full complement, they have not lost. Their 109-102 win over the Pacers on Thursday capped a perfect three-game road trip and stretched their winning streak to four games, a season high.
“It just shows the team we are,” guard Marcus Smart said. “We had some ups and downs here and there, and guys out. Now we’ve got everybody here, and everybody’s on the same page and playing together and playing well.”
Of the 26 lineups that have played at least 150 minutes this season, Boston’s starting five ranks sixth in the NBA with a net rating of plus-9.5. Horford, sidelined for much of November with a concussion, clearly makes his teammates better when he’s on the floor. Crowder, sidelined by an ankle injury in November, finally seems healthy and on Thursday turned in one of his best efforts of the season, including spearheading a 17-0 run in the second quarter while playing with a reserve lineup.
The Celtics are now 11-3 with a full slate of players. That’s a 65 win clip.
Just going to let that fact sit there.
Because there was a certain ‘buzz’ among, well, the paid agitators in broadcast media and among fans who apparently feel that they can make better decisions about coaching and running a team with two or three (or five or six) beers in them, in their spare time, than people who spend 50+ hours a week doing the same thing….
There’s been talk–a certain belief that there was something ‘wrong’ with the Celtics–that they didn’t have ‘it’. “Don’t talk about injuries! Every team has injuries! (as though losing three starters for over 20 combined games is something any team should be able to get ‘over’)” “Isaiah Thomas couldn’t start on a contender.” And so forth
“You’re just making excuses”
I’m talking to you guys.
I’m not here to tell you the Celtics are something they aren’t. I’m here to tell you they aren’t what you think they are.
The Celtics are good when they’re healthy. As good as they were supposed to be.
Page 2: Ainge almost but not quite talks about DeMarcus Cousins
“I’m not allowed to comment on players from other teams,” said Ainge. “[Not] being there in person, I don’t know what all the details are. It looks like, from a distance, there are issues there. But I don’t know.
“Players get emotional,” he added. “I don’t know the whole story behind DeMarcus, so it’s not fair to comment on that.”
In a week where the LibertyBallers took Bryan Colangelo, the GM of a minor-league affiliate of the Delaware 87ers, to task for basically hiding from the media, Danny Ainge did what he does most Thursdays during the season: He called into a radio talk show and spoke on the record about pretty much anything he was asked.
Of course, Danny does this because he knows that the media can’t get him fired. Seriously. Ainge can play the long game because he’s more or less fireproof. Torch him with the hottest take imaginable and as long as Wyc and co. keep signing the checks, he don’t care.
Ainge also talked about finding ‘big men’:
“I don’t want just a big person. I want basketball players who can shoot, dribble and think – who can help our team,” said Ainge. “It’s not like baseball or football where you can say ‘we need a weak-side cornerback, or we need a second baseman who can hit.’ Basketball is different; you need to be able to do a little bit of everything. It’s hard to just say, ‘we need a rebounder,’ and put a rebounder out there who can’t help our transition defense, doesn’t help our offensive execution or your pick-and-roll defense, but he can rebound. It doesn’t work like that.
And about whether he thinks he ‘overvalues’ his players:
“If you’re talking to another team about a trade, I mean, that’s what we think about them: That they’re overvaluing their players. That’s why trades don’t get done. Maybe we just undervalue the players we’re [supposed to be] getting back in return. In order to find a deal that’s good for your franchise, you need to find a team that values what you have.”
Page 3: Where Amir Johnson is underappreciated?
Johnson’s imprint was felt on hustle plays such as sealing off his man to allow Avery Bradley to swoop in for a rebound, or being a central figure in Memphis’ Marc Gasol needing 22 shots (he made 8) to score 24 points.
Johnson is well aware of his critics who don’t believe he contributes enough to the Celtics’ success. But he knows — and just important, his teammates know — how important Johnson’s job is to the team’s success.
“I’ve been in the league long enough to recognize and know what it is,” Johnson told CSN’s Kyle Draper. “It doesn’t bother me as long as we’re winning games. When we lose, that bothers me. As long as we’re winning, everybody is happy.”
Good bit from Sherrod Blakely here. Amir Johnson is, like a lot of the Celtics rotation guys, someone with obvious flaws that can be identified by every armchair GM and coach out there. What’s less obvious is what he does by, for instance, not trying to bolster his rebound numbers at the expense of Boston’s schemes. Stevens wants his bigs to box out and let the guards and wings rebound. In part this is because Boston doesn’t have bigs that are great at rebounding so the thought is, if they can’t get the rebounds, they need to do their best to make sure the other team’s bigs can’t get them either.
What this means is that the already anemic rebounding numbers of Horford & Johnson are going to look even worse. But here’s the thing: Both Horford and Johnson are not the kind of guys that are going to sulk about that. That’s worth something.
Page 4: Where IT wants to meet Bird
Told that Bird probably didn’t to talk to him after what he’d just done to his Pacers, Thomas said, “He probably don’t, but one day I want to meet him.”
His Larry fascination is strong.
“He was calling out stuff before he did it,” said Thomas. “That’s special. Maybe one day I’ll get to that level, but when you call out the move before you do it and complete it, you’re a bad man.”
“When you call out the move before you do it and complete it, you’re a bad man”
Yep. IT. Bird was a bad, bad man.
Finally: George Karl did something AMAZING!
He made people stick up for Carmelo Anthony.
George Karl, being, I believe, one of three coaches still drawing paychecks from The Sacramento Wasted Lottery Picks (their new name, this due to a settlement of a class action lawsuit from disgruntled season ticket holders, alleging violation of the truth-in-advertising laws)–anyway, George Karl wrote a book. In it he says stuff like this:
“Carmelo was a true conundrum for me in the six years I had him,” Karl wrote. “He was the best offensive player I ever coached. He was also a user of people, addicted to the spotlight and very unhappy when he had to share it.”
George, of course, is well qualified to recognize spotlight hogging users:
If they’re overloading and double-teaming, he’s going to have to sacrifice. So it’s just a process of him understanding my passion to be back in the game. And my passion is to win games.
I know the cloud of him wanting to be on a winner is important to him. And I want him to know that I haven’t had a losing season in 20-some years. I know it’s going to change, or I’m not going to be real happy.
The rest of the links
CSNNE: Fourth quarter is Isaiah Thomas’ time | Stars, Studs and Duds: Thomas is a fourth-quarter assassin
MassLive: Boston Celtics hold off Indiana Pacers: 10 things to like/dislike as Isaiah Thomas closes (again) | Isaiah Thomas dominates fourth quarter again as Boston Celtics topple Indiana Pacers, 109-102
NESN: Celtics Wrap: Isaiah Thomas Takes Over Fourth Quarter To Down Pacers | Remembering Legendary Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics Debut 60 Years Later
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