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It is said that a true measure of a leader is that he doesn’t mind following. It seems like the Boston Celtics have embraced that measure, with their 6-0 start.
Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce have all felt the heavy yoke of carrying a team. All of them remember the strain of looking up in the standings despite all of their all-star efforts.
They came together and restored a franchise whose courts echoed with the ghosts of championships pass but tainted with sorrow. A string of untimely events cut short the life of two promising players in Len Bais and Reggie Lewis. Bais died from an unfortunate lapse in judgment and Reggie from a heart condition. Those incidents turned the normally vibrant team, into a quagmire of wandering; without leadership.
The Celtic’s have emerged from that exodus with a new shine; it is no longer easy to play the green. Ask who leads and you can say they all do, they are all the sum of their parts.
Their point guard doesn’t have a consistent jump shot but they don’t need him too. Rajon Rondo can control the game like no other, he doesn’t need to score the ball. The NBA has never had a talent like him grace the NBA floor. Consider this, at the tender age of four NBA years, three probable future Hall-of-Famers listen to him on the court without malice. Three leaders who believe Rondo is the linchpin to their championship hopes.
Early in his career, Kendrick Perkins was thought to be a career backup and the Celtics were not going to go far with him in the middle. He looked clumsy and slow not the quite the player he is today. To his credit he continually worked on his game and more importantly was willing to play through injury. He displayed a toughness other centers in the league rarely display. He would fit in nicely in the Mcfilthy and McNasty era.
This season KG’s brother from another mother Rasheed Wallace, joins this rambunctious crew. The Celtic locker room and on court performance simply integrated him; like a borg drone, he has embraced ubuntu’ and comes off the bench.
Marquis Daniels, when he lets his dredlock’s down I think of the alien Predator of movie fame. This is not to shed him in a negative light, hear me out. In the movie the predator was able to adapt to his environment, shrewdly blending in thus surprising his opponent. That is Daniels on the court, he may not demand the ball, but he impacts the game in subtle ways.
His stat line may read one steal or two rebounds with only 4 points, but those numbers may come when the game is in the balance.
Eddie House has bought into the defensive mindset, takes pride slowing his man down and drops threes like rain when his shot is on.The rest of the players fall in line because the stars are willing to keep them involved and engaged on and off the court
Greg Dickerson and Mike Gorman\’s post game report after win 6 against the Timberwolves
They are by no means a docile bunch, they all have the desire and fire that bond them to a greater cause a greater will____ to be engrained not just in Celtic lore, but in the pantheon of NBA History.
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