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Pierce added, “It left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth, no doubt. But at some point, you have to grow out of it. We’re out of the game now as far as me and Kevin [Garnett] and Ray. I’m over it. It happened then. It was a long time ago. But at the end of the day you have to realize, Ray helped this become what it was when we were here.”
The trio led one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history, leading Boston to its 17th NBA title and a 66-16 regular season record after the Celtics won just 24 games the season prior.
Pierce hasn’t had a chance to talk with Garnett and Rajon Rondo yet about burying the hatchet with Allen, but he’s confident they’ll warm up to the idea.
“Eventually we get over things and move on, just like in relationships, good and bad relationships do,” Pierce said. “We hugged, talked about it and it’s over with.”
I once heard someone say that holding onto a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person gets sick.
Pierce is right, at some point it’s best to just let things like this go. The stuff that seems important when you’re 18 doesn’t seem that important when you’re thirty, and when your forty, the stuff that seemed important when you were thirty loses some of its shine too. When you’re playing the game, you need that edge; you need to take things personally because it makes you better at your job. But once you’ve hung up the sneakers, it’s time to let all that go. Heck, Bill Russell knew it was time to quit when he couldn’t take it personally anymore.
So anyway, good job, Captain.
Page 2: Where it’s back to Newport
With only four returning players this year, the Celtics could potentially benefit from a short trip to open their practice schedule. Especially after the NBA turned to a shorter, four-game preseason and an earlier start date to the regular season, this year’s team will need to grow familiarity quickly to reach high expectations. Stevens will need to acclimate two new All-Stars, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, as well as five rookies.
After three misses, the Only In Rhode Island gift basket Mike Dynon sends to Brad Stevens every summer finally paid off. The Celtics are starting training camp in Newport in the basketball court the Rockefellers installed in the basement of the Breakers gym at Salve Regina University.
Actually, Jay probably hit the real reason on the nose. The Celtics have an overhauled roster, a ton of talent, and a lot of expectations. They could definitely use a team-building retreat before the preseason starts.
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