Bullied: The 2010-2011 Boston Celtics Eulogy

At least it ended in a good way. LeBron went off, dropped the dagger, beat his chest, and acted like he had gotten further than the Eastern Conference Finals and like Dwayne Wade wasn’t the main reason for it. Wait, this isn’t a particularly good end. But it’s better than what I had envisioned, which was a game 7 loss, perhaps in overtime, as Lebron or Wade drove to the lane possession after possession, consistently drawing fouls while similar play on the other end went unrewarded. Or one of the Heat stars accidentally-on-purpose knocking a Celtic down and injuring him. Or maybe the refs overstepping their bounds and throwing a Celtic out of a crucial game for using bad language, which is technically in the rulebook but if applied fairly would mean nearly every player (except maybe Ray Allen and A.C. Green) would get tossed from every game.

With the way games one through three went, these scenarios weren’t even a fantasy. They actually happened. Now, no one wants to be the one who complains about the refs. “Only losers whine about that.” And yes, that’s true, and it’s unbecoming, but it also assumes a base level of competence from the officials. When the officials are decent and a losing fan complains about a borderline call, that’s whining. But in a series reffed the way this one was, it’s simply being realistic to discuss the effect the officiating had on the series. Consider:

In five games, Miami attempted 47 more free throws than Boston. So nearly ten per game. It’s generally accepted that the Celtics are more of a jump-shooting team, while the Heat like to go hard to the basket, so maybe this disparity isn’t surprising. But adding up the totals by shot type (according to CBS Sports), the Celtics actually attempted 108 layups and 18 dunks, while Miami only attempted 95 layups and 16 dunks. I’m willing to buy that Miami’s drives to the hoop were more likely to draw a foul, given James’ and Wade’s playing styles, but not so much more likely as to warrant such a disparity.

I was also pretty unhappy about Dwayne Wade pulling Rajon Rondo down and injuring his elbow, rendering him pretty ineffective for the next two games. Rondo is of course the Celtics’ biggest offensive weapon, and as we saw in previous playoffs, he has a tendency to turn up his game when the team needs him most. But on a play when the ball was far away, Wade hooked his leg around Rondo and knocked him over awkwardly. While he was ostensibly protecting Rondo from chasing the ball, I thought it was an unnecessary non-basketball play and should have been called a flagrant foul. But it fit right in with the Heat’s pattern of physical, bullying play that bruised Ray Allen’s chest, knocked Rondo down repeatedly, and got the Celtics into foul trouble (along with a couple phantom technicals*) and was generally ignored by the officials.

*Is it weird to anyone else how little was mentioned about the flagrant foul on Jermaine O’Neal and technical on Pierce in game one that caused a five-point swing in the former case and an ejection in the latter, both of which were later rescinded by the league? I know the refs can’t be perfect, but something is wrong when two calls that have such an obvious effect on the outcome of the game are later admitted by the NBA to be wrong.

Some more thoughts on the series:

-I’m unlikely to watch the rest of the playoffs at this point. It’s a shame, because basketball is a great game, but it’s really being ruined for me by poor officiating and boring play from the Heat. I much prefer teams that run offenses, setting screens and making the extra pass, than teams who put it in one of two players’ hands and either jab-step and shoot a jumper or drive and expect a foul at worst.

-Where do the Celtics go from here? There’s lots of talk about “blowing up the core,” but this doesn’t make any sense to me. The Big Four are all signed at least through next year (when Garnett’s contract expires) so it makes sense to me to bring them back, see what Jermaine and Shaq O’Neal can offer, see what an offseason can do for Jeff Green’s teamwork and basketball IQ (and for the Big Three’s legs and other nagging injuries) and see what happens. At the end of the year, Garnett and Allen’s contracts expire, so GM Danny Ainge needs to again take a look at the team at the trading deadline and, if things don’t look promising, deal those expiring contracts for future pieces. I don’t have any delusions about the Celtics’ chances next year, but if enough things go right (Green matures, good health, some good bench additions through free agency or even the draft) they have as much shot as anyone.

Hey, at least they didn’t go down like the Lakers!

Book Review: Play Their Hearts Out

As the book’s subtitle says, Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine sheds a necessary light on the machine of grassroots basketball that extends from the youth levels into high school, college, and even the NBA. The story’s main players here are a coach, Joe Keller, and his player, Demetrius Walker. Author George Dohrmann follows them on their quests for two very different American dreams. Keller’s dream is simple: he wants to be a millionaire, and his dream can be achieved by convincing the ten-year-old Demetrius that he will help the boy achieve his own dream of reaching the NBA. There are other players involved, including a number of athletes, parents, and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coaches, and the major shoe companies—Adidas, Nike, and Reebok—always loom large in the background.  

After meeting in 2000, Keller agrees to let Dohrmann follow him because, as Keller says, “Having a guy from Sports Illustrated affiliated with my program will help with recruiting.” From the outset, Keller knows Demetrius’s talent is the golden ticket he’s been looking for. Throughout the book, Keller uses Demetrius to pop on to the AAU radar and, consequently, nab a boatload of money from Adidas before disappearing from Demetrius’s life. 

Dohrmann follows Demetrius through high school and into college. This makes Demetrius the lens through which we view the corruption of the grassroots basketball world. We see teammates, parents, and coaches move in and out of his life during his formative years, and each time, the aftermath is heartbreaking. Through his reporting, Dorhmann can see all the forces working for and against Demetrius, even when Demetrius is blind to them. The true beauty of the book is how Dohrmann exposes the way the grassroots system influences every level of basketball without overshadowing Demetrius’s personal journey. Each chapter opens with a photo—some provided by players’ parents—that, along with the narrative Dorhmann creates, leaves readers with the feeling of growing up alongside Demetrius.

Unofficial Video Companion: There’s a neat, 21st century feel to this book as well. Basketball fans will love looking up PTHO’s athletes on YouTube to watch their highlight reels. Dohrmann’s basketball scenes are already lively, but the videos bring to life the nuances in each player’s style and movement. Of course, many of those highlights are provided by the same hype machine Dorhmann writes about in the book, making them another reminder of how players are built up from such an early age.

Further Viewing: PBS’s Frontline documentary series will be airing “Money and March Madness” on March 29, featuring Sonny Vaccaro. Vaccaro, who appears in PTHO numerous times, has worked for all three major shoe companies and helped create the grassroots moneymaking system.

Further Reading: Dohrmann agreed not to publish his book until all the kids reached college. Now that they have, Dorhmann continues to have contact with most of PTHO’s players. He posts updates on his personal blog.

October Madness II in Review

Any fool can come close to predicting the NCAA field on Selection Sunday. This fool, however, tried to do so back in October when the season was just getting under way. Last season, I accurately predicted 32 of the 65 teams. This season, my goal was to guess 40 of the 68 teams and get 10 of the exact seeds. I dubbed it the 40-10 challenge.

Well the field was released this weekend, and the results for me were a mixed bag. I easily surpassed the 40 team test, getting 46 of the entries in the field—a 14 team improvement from last season—but I fell just shy of getting 10 seeds, accurately guessing 7 seeds and missing 12 of them by just one spot.

The best calls:

- Dear Duke, Tennessee, Wofford, Temple, UC Santa Barbara, Kansas, and Xavier: I’m not sure why you bothered playing those 30+ games when I could’ve told you on Halloween exactly where you’d end up. Some people just don’t listen.

- I predicted St.John’s would return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in ten years, and despite playing the toughest schedule in the country, they surpassed even my prediction of an 11 seed by snatching up the 6 in the Southeast Region.

- I also said Texas A&M would make the tourney behind Khris Middleton, something many other prognosticators deemed too difficult. Alas, I was only off by one regarding their seed.

- Having gone to Hofstra, I am very familiar with the Colonial and knew that they were potentially a multi-bid conference this year with George Mason and Old Dominion leading the way (although I too was surprised by VCU’s at-large bid.)

- I had Saint Mary’s as one of my first four out, and sure enough, that’s right where they ended up. Sorry, Gaels.

- Interestingly enough, 4 of the 5 guys on my “All Not Making The Tourney” Team ended up leading their teams into the tourney. At least I believed in the individuals even if I didn’t believe in their team.

More fun, what I screwed up:

- While I accurately called Kansas and Duke getting 1 seeds, my other top seeds didn’t work out quite as well. Michigan State never gelled on their way to getting a generous 10 seed, and Villanova, who looked like a legitimate title contender in early January, dropped 10 of their last 15 on their way to a 9 seed. Another gaffe was getting overzealous about a Memphis revival. I had them as a 3, but they just barely made it as a 12.

- I was right on saying the Big East was wide open (I predicted a record 9 teams would get a tourney bid), but I definitely whiffed when I said it was a down year as far as top talent, saying that the ACC was “tougher top to bottom.” Total NCAA entrants: ACC: 4 Big East: 11. Oops.

- Some teams I ranked highly didn’t even make the tournament. I had NC State and Minnesota as 5 seeds, though I also pointed out that the Gophers would “go as far as (point guard) Al Nolen would take them.” Lo and behold, Nolen was lost for the season in January and things went down hill from there. Last year I said Seton Hall would make it; they did not. This year I said I would not be wrong about them again, and, well, I was. Hey, not everyone from the Big East could make it. Same with Mississippi State, though I gave them a more-than-egregious 4 seed.

- I also was pleasantly surprised when my beloved Penn State Nittany Lions made the field for the first time since I was in high school thanks to a run to the Big Ten Tournament finals. Boston College also made it and Hofstra had a decent year, so in the future I may just keep not being a homer so that I don’t jinx them.

- Worst records by teams I predicted to make it in: NC State 15-16 Seton Hall 13-18 Indiana 12-20 (yuck)

If you’d like some predictions regarding the actual tournament, here are a few thoughts:

- First Round Upsets: Richmond over Vandy, Wofford over BYU, Oakland over Texas (and then to the Sweet 16), Missouri over Cincy

- My Final Four: Ohio State, Duke, Purdue, and St.John’s. Yep, you heard me. I believe in the battle tested Red Storm.

Best of luck to everyone filling out their brackets. Enjoy the tourney.

Help a Sportswriter Choose an NBA Team!

When Walt “Crimedog” McGough joined us here at There’s No “I” in Blog, I knew he’d bring along his acute insights and wonderful wordsmithery. I also knew we’d have to do something about his one moral defect: he’s never watched a complete game of basketball. (Before you all crucify him, trust me. He’s a really good guy. He even keeps a nerf gun on hand at parties just in case some idiot starts acting a fool and needs a child-safe cap busted in his hind parts.) In order to help him jump into the world of basketball, Walt’s also agreed to let us help him find an NBA team to follow. We actually talked about this a while ago, but I waited to get going until after the NBA trade deadline because—as we found out yesterday—no one really knew what the teams would look like after the trades.

Walt’s from Pittsburgh, so he’s got the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates but no NBA team. This means Walt has the opportunity to make his own decision on which team to follow, a chance most people (aside from fairweather fans) don’t often get. The goal here is to find a team that will both showcase the beautiful spectacle of basketball and foster a long-term interest in the game. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the post comments.

There are a few teams I feel should be OFF LIMITS:

- Los Angeles Clippers: This sucks. The Clippers were actually on the list of teams I’d suggest to Walt, but then Donald Sterling had to trade Baron Davis’s awesome beard to Cleveland, reminding everyone that he (Sterling, I mean) is a terrible owner. Sure, they still have Blake Griffin to throw down some killer dunks, but I wouldn’t encourage any friend of mine to root for a team whose owner heckles his own players and MAY HAVE done some crazy racist nonsense in his team’s locker room.

- Cleveland Cavaliers: Walt already roots for the Pirates, so we don’t want to inflict any more of this kind of damage to him (sorry, Cleveland).

THE FRONT RUNNERS:

- Chicago Bulls: Not only do they have Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah (and Noah’s awesome hair and Le Coq Sportif shoes), but Walt has some Chicago connections, having co-founded the Sideshow Theatre Company in the city.

- Oklahoma City Thunder: As Shoals pointed out in his GQ article, the Thunder are the perfect bandwagon team. Awesome atmosphere, well run organization, and two superstar players in Westbrook and Durant. Picking up Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed to play alongside Ibaka also gives them the size to be a legit title contender.

- Boston Celtics: Ray Allen. Kevin Garnett. Paul Pierce. Rajon Rondo. It’s beautiful basketball on both ends of the floor.

- Los Angeles Lakers: Just because he lives in Boston doesn’t mean we should rule out rooting for the enemy.

- Portland Trail Blazers: Why wouldn’t a dramatist who also loved the Pittsburgh Pirates be interested in what could be the most cursed NBA franchise (all those broken knees!)? Plus, LaMarcus Aldridge has turned into a crazy beast.

All other teams are on the table as well. Let us know your suggestions and reasons in the comments. The other option is we could force Walt to sit through a League Pass marathon A Clockwork Orange-style and let him make his decision then.

(Source: Flickr / keithallison)