The Boston Celtics clinched the franchise's 17th championship Tuesday night and it was hard not to picture another dynasty from South Texas that served as a fine blueprint.
The Celtics reversed an embarrassing 24-win season with a whirlwind summer. I will admit that I had no idea what Danny Ainge was doing when he traded Jeff Green and other picks to Seattle for Ray Allen.
Why trade a promising, athletic forward for an injury-prone 30-something shooter to join another near-30 franchise player with no championship ring?
Then I browsed the Internet in late July and read: 'Timberwolves send Garnett to Celtics in historic 7-for-1 deal.' When Kevin Garnett headed to Beantown, it all made sense. Then, Ainge lured free agents Eddie House and James Posey, two invaluable role players.
House's knock down shooting spread out the Lakers' defense when he was on the floor. Posey used his championship smarts, defense and three point accuracy to be the Celtics' finest support player.
Then, coach Doc Rivers asked his superstar trio to believe in youngsters Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe. They did from the season's opening tip.
Then, Garnett and assistant coach Tom Thibodeau made sure the Celtics played defense first and did so as a team.
Maybe that's why the Lakers, who boast great individual defenders in Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, looked like plastic cones in a parking lot in Game 6. The Lakers as champs? More like chumps.
Many people said at this series' apex that the next five titles belonged to the LA Lakers. Not this one, and if the Spurs and Celtics continue playing championship-level defense, not next year either.
Old guys do it again
P.J. Brown had a better chance of winning a senior citizens' Bingo championship than an NBA championship when Ainge asked him to join the team midseason. In an enduring image of this Finals, the 38-year-old Brown stole a key offensive rebound from two Lakers big men in Game 1.
Sam Cassell may not be a story of great shot selection but his few buckets helped fuel the Celtics' six game series win that was more lopsided than the contest total indicates.
And who can say enough about Posey's enormous contributions? His 18-point game two was a snapshot of what he meant to the team as a commited defender.
Posey and House mounted an 11-0 run in the second quarter that sent the crowd into a roaring frenzy.
After the excessive talk about youth serving age, the NBA's most storied franchise did it the other way around. The Celtics won another championship with "boring" and "old" basketball.
Substance wins over style, or does it?
Another year, another defense-first team grabs the Larry O' Brien trophy. Those who embrace the NBA's false fun-and-gun direction will say that Boston's substance won over LA's style.
I would argue that substance is style. The Celtics commit to playing defense, from the star trio to the end of the bench, but that does not mean they do not run the floor.
The Celtics won it much the same way the Spurs have four times in the last 10 years. They scored on the break after securing stops instead of trying to stop teams with scoring.
"We can't expect to win a championship by focusing on the offensive end," Bryant said in his postgame comments.
5 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Kelly Bundle about 1 year ago
I' not sure if the Spurs teams you reference deserve mention with this teams. It's so hard to compare the two club due to millions of different factors. Certainly Danny Ainge didn't say, "Hey I'm going to build a defensive team like those Spurs did and win it all". And most certainly, The Celtics with 17 championship banners, will never have to look to Texas for inspiration.
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Robert Kleeman about 1 year ago
Maybe Ainge didn't say that directly but he had to think it. What better way to become a champion than to put together a team that mirrors the one that just won it all.
The Celtics won no. 16 in 1986 and that team has nothing to do with this one. People need to stop seeing the Celtics as one fluid dynasty.
The Spurs have won four in the last 10 with the same franchise player--more than any other pro sports team. If you want to win, or compete for a title every year, looking to Texas for inspiration is a must. You certainly didn't look at last year's 24-58 Celtics for inspiration.
The Spurs deserve mention with any team, at least in today's NBA, and that the Celtics won with a similar blueprint, says that both teams will be back next year.
If you look at how both teams are constructed, building around a three star core, the comparison is an easy one to make.
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Eric Pena about 1 year ago
Robert, couldn't agree with you more. The Spurs have been a legitimate contender year after year. For an NBA executive to not try and emulate them in some way would be foolish. They've proven that TEAM defense wins championships and the Celtics just proved it again.
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Andrew Kneeland about 1 year ago
You are right. I wouldn't be surprised with this same outcome next year.
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Erick Blasco about 1 year ago
Defense-first, power basketball, with a creative scoring wing is a formula that has succeeded in the NBA for generations. Every team this decade has won using that mold, and every team since the 80's has used that method, except maybe the mid-90's Rockets.
Sure, just basing success on a formula is simplistic and each and every series has its specific nuances affecting its outcome. For example, San Antonio's outside shooters just couldn't make outside shots for the life of them, the Lakers were faster, quicker, longer, and players like Radmanovic were able to hit their open shots in defeating the Spurs.
But more often than not, the formula works.
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