Celtics Mystique Gone Up Sh!t Creek

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

LA Times 
March 11, 2004   
 Mark Heisler:
The NBA
Celtic Mystique Has Become Celtic Mistake

 
BOSTON  Return with us to those thrilling days of yesteryear when the Lakers arrived in town to play the red-hot Celtics. 

Or not.

Officially, the Celtics had a six-game winning streak, although it's hard to imagine there are six teams they could have beaten in succession. In any case, Wednesday's game had as much to do with those thrilling days of yesteryear as these Celtics have to do with those Celtics.

Remember the Celtics?

It's getting harder every year.

"Our present coaching staff, when we were out in Sacramento, they went and talked to Pete Carril [the Kings' assistant who developed the Princeton offense]," said Tom Heinsohn, local keeper of the flame as color commentator on their broadcasts.

"They asked him, 'What did you do to get this situation turned around?'

"He said, 'What are you kidding? Do you guys ever go back and watch your old films?' "

Here are some of the things that were missing Wednesday night:

  Boston Garden. Instead of the old house of horrors, they're in the cavernous, generic FleetCenter.

  Red Auerbach. He's retired, back in Washington and only around once in a while.

  The parquet. This floor looks like that floor but the original was taken apart and auctioned off, bad bounce by bad bounce.

  The sneakers. In their greatest tradition, except for Red's firing up his cigars on the bench, they wore black ones. This season, they're wearing white ones at home. (Coincidentally or not, they're 14-19 at home.)

  All the old Celtics. The greatness that was them still exists, it's just off helping other teams. Larry Bird runs Indiana. Kevin McHale runs Minnesota. Don Nelson coaches Dallas. Paul Silas coaches the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Coincidentally or not, all have better records than the Celtics, even the young Cavaliers.)

In the old days, the Celtics used to be purists. No dancers, mascots, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC or contests during timeouts.

Now they have everything but the dancers. They even have two leprechaun mascots. In the old days, they talked about their leprechaun but you never saw it, just like in real life.

Now, at least, they have a Celtic  Danny Ainge  running the team but Ainge is having all sorts of problems trying to make it the way it was.

Everyone got upset when he traded Antoine Walker, but Walker's awful shot selection and his shimmy made him an awkward fit here, or anywhere. Unfortunately Ainge brought in Ricky Davis, the well-known hot dog.

"I think Red has confidence in Danny Ainge," said long-time Celtic fan Alan Dershowitz, the famous lawyer, sitting in the stands with his teenage daughter.

"Maybe we're spoiled but we look up at those banners and we say, this is only another dry spell. 

"It's a different experience for my daughter. She never experienced the great years. She didn't start coming until after Bird and McHale and [Robert] Parish, so she's not used to regularly winning. To her, the banners don't mean as much but before she goes to college, we're going to have another championship."

(For the record, the Celtics had three tough years between their 1976 title and Bird's arrival in 1979 but won a title in 1981. These Celtics haven't been in the finals since 1987.)

Minutes later, Davis, going in for a solo dunk, tried a highlight-reel number, going through his legs first. He lost the ball but recovered it and windmilled a dunk through.

On the air, Heinsohn growled, "I'd take you right outta the game right now for doing that!" He sounded as though he would rather waive Ricky on the spot for doing that. 

"It's always difficult, man when you try to adjust to a different team, new coach," said Paul Pierce after the Lakers' 117-109 victory. "It's frustrating, especially when you've been a playoff team the last couple years and then you just turn things right around. 

"You just make the most of your opportunities while you're here and you understand it's a business and if it's your time to go, it's your time to go. I really don't think about that. I just try to go out and play as hard as I can every night."

Pierce, the Inglewood High alumnus, is also the first Celtic star to ever come to games wearing a Dodger cap. In a concession to local sensibilities, he doesn't wear Laker stuff, even if he grew up rooting for them.

Unfortunately for him, it's not his time to go. They have to start somewhere and he's it.

Dershowitz's daughter is in eighth grade, so good luck.