Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V5 #150

[Mike Dynon <mdynon@ix.netcom.com>]

If there is a Hall of Fame for postings, this one deserves enshrinement!

Patrick Goggin wrote:
> 
>         There's been a lot of talk about Antoine lately and I just wanted
> to put in my 2 cents worth.  We all know all about his many strengths and
> his much publicized weaknesses so I won't rehash all of that and will state
> up front that we absolutely have to sign him long-term this off-season in
> my opinion.  But let's talk a little about his boorishness for a minute.
>         Mike mentioned the incessant talk on this list of Celtic Tradition
> and Celtic Pride and wisely reminded us that The Garden, the 98 degree CBS
> games, Larry and DJ, KC and Most are gone forever.  This does not mean that
> Tradition and Pride are gone with them but Mike is right--it will never be
> like it was again.  The "Tradition" that is often cited on this list seems
> more to me like self-righteousness at times.  We all want Walker to be like
> Larry or Kevin.  I've got news for you--he is more like the old Celtics
> than we realize.  You think the 80's Celtics would have given 2 shits if
> they pissed off the Detroit fans or players, Hah!  You think they cared
> what the other NBA players thought about them?  We've all heard how Kevin
> knew it was "us against the world" in the early days and how it always
> pissed him off to see Shaw and Dee shmoozing with players on the other
> teams before games in the later years.  Larry, Kevin, and Danny weren't
> well liked around the league and they DIDN"T WANT TO BE.  Dust off some old
> tapes of Kevin--you may notice that the greatest low-post player ever was
> also one of the game's biggest whiners (forgive me).  He disputed EVERY
> SINGLE CALL that didn't go his way.  The difference--he was white, he
> didn't wiggle, and we were all ten years less stodgy.
>         The old Celtics were Boorish!  Look back on your tapes of the '84
> Series or watch "Pride and Passion" closely.  During timeouts, ML would
> rush to the laker's bench  to taunt them.  After winning the all-important
> game 4 to pull even, ML rushed and got in the face of the CAMERAMAN!?  He
> screamed, "That's right!  We're coming back!  We're coming back!"  ML was
> the defintion of boorish and was hated around the league and we loved him
> for it and IT SERVED A PURPOSE.  Antoine shows many of the same
> qualities--undying confidence, uncontrolled exhuberance.
>         Remember before the '84 playoffs how that one writer (I forget who)
> wrote the piece about how DJ was not "Celtic-Material."  Can you think of a
> sillier statement in retrospect?  In years to come I feel we'll look back
> on our recent discussions of Antione in the same light.  Early in his
> career, DJ was seen as a ME guy, immature, with an eye on the stats.  He
> was called a "cancer" and run out of two towns.  Imagine what the
> forgettable Seattle and Phoenix teams of the 80's were thinking of seeing
> Dennis win 2 rings in Boston and then try to imagine what we would be
> feeling 2 years from now with Antoine in a champagne-drenched bulls'
> uniform.
>         The idea of losing Walker would set this team back further than the
> death of Bias--we're talking about another 10 years of misery.  In closing,
> I agree with Paul M.--we all need to take a step back and get off Antoine's
> case--either that or we should see how our old heroes would stand up
> against our new set of values.  Sorry I took up so much of your time.
> 
> Goggin in Cincinnati