THE EAST NEEDS A BEAST

Just like the last few years, the East looks to be a wide-open gritty scrap-fest that any team can win if they want it enough. Lots of folks are saying the Pistons are going to represent the East once again in the Finals, but I don’t believe that for one second. Anyone with any sort of basketball insight knows that the Pistons aren’t all that good. They’re the perfect example of a team being put together from a bunch of scrap parts that aren’t worth a lot by themselves.

Look at their starting five. Ben Wallace was a no-talent stiff before he started applying himself. Rasheed’s got talent to spare, but he’s a total headcase – look at all those tattoos! And what happened to Sheed’s game? He used to be a force in Portland, a threat from anywhere on the floor (and sometimes off it). Now, it’s like he’s invisible. If the Pistons want to go anywhere, they have to get him off the leash and let him play his game, even if it means he gets T’d up 5 times a night. Ben Wallace scoring more than Rasheed is a disgrace to the game, and it’s only going to hurt the Pistons in the long run.

Chauncey Billups took years (and lots of Celtic green) to develop – it’s a good thing he got out of Boston, because he clearly couldn’t take the pressure of playing in a big city like this for the big bucks. He needed to run to Detroit to hide from all the spotlights and press, tanking it for millions while making Rick Pitino look like a Grade A moron. Not that he’s the only player to do that – Travis Knight, I’m looking right at your flat-footed self, buddy! Watch out! Rip Hamilton brings some of that necessary old school grit & hustle to today’s thugged-out bling-bling, but he’s about as big as LeBron’s left calf. And who the hell is Tayshaun Prince? He’s like a big praying mantis – someone like Shaq or the Mailman or especially WALTAH could break him with one good elbow.

McDyess is a decent body up front (if you don’t mind his lack of game), but after that, you have that headcase Carlos Arroyo as your back-up point – ease up on the hot sauce, Chico! – and that kid Darko making millions of dollars to learn how to speak English! Yeah, who needs Carmelo Anthony when you can get the next Frederic Weis? Anyway, with the Pistons looking so weak, and teams like Miami, Indiana, New Jersey, and Cleveland looking so confused and banged-up – more on them in future TPs, count on it – this conference is wide open, and a young, athletic, gutty team like the Celts can do some damage. If they keep playing like they’ve been, they’re gonna surprise a lot of people. And I don’t just mean winning the East – I mean winning it all! The Tommy Points are there for the taking, fellahs!

GO, WEST, YOUNG MAN!

One of the biggest surprises so far is young Delonte West. Whoever followed Gary Payton in the point was gonna find themselves behind the 8-ball. After Ainge traded for Dan Dickau, it looked like the job was his to lose. When Dickau was schooled by folks like the Bulls’ Kirk Heinrich and Mike James of Toronto, he lost his job to the hometown favorite, and Delonte hasn’t disappointed. You see those blocks he had against big men like Eddy Curry and Ben Wallace? That takes some guts, or cojones, if you’re Spanish. He does WALTAH proud!

His Opening Day line against the new & improved Knicks (14 points, 9 assists, 4 blocks, 3 steals, and 20 Tommy Points) wasn’t a suprise to those of us that had faith in the kid. He’s a scrappy go-getter with great court vision, and he makes the other players around him better. Just look at Paul Pierce’s stats so far – he’s averaging 30 ppg, which would be a career high! If Ricky Davis keeps it up, he’ll have his best season since he was a no-good show-off glass-cleaning stat-loving hot dog back in the pre-King James days of the Cleveland Cavs.

Delonte’s even lit a fire under would-be superstar Mark Blount, getting the big man to run up and down the court to the tune of 14 ppg. I’ve been saying this for years – if he runs, he’ll get rewarded with garbage buckets and lots of bunnies. Thanks for finally listening to me, Mark! If this keeps up, folks won’t be talking about Shaq and Wade or Stephon and EC – they’ll be talking about Blount and West. PUSH THAT BALL, DELO!

CLOSE GAMES ARE GOOD GAMES

After a great Opening Day win, the Celts took it on the chin against two tough teams, the defending Eastern Conference Champion Pistons and the up-and-coming Charlotte Bobcats. The Celts lost both games by a bucket – the Bobcats took the Celts to OT and squeaked out a win, while Rip Hamilton nailed a last-second shot to snatch victory away from the Celts. I didn’t want to say this during the broadcast, but I can say it here – if the Celts still had my man WALTAH on the roster, I have no doubt they would’ve won. WALTAH has the veteran presence and defensive tenacity that a young scrappy bunch like this year’s Celts need to pull out close games.

I know I’m famous for letting the refs hear it when they make a bad call, but I’m not going to say anything here. Sure, maybe a few calls were blown or missed, and those calls probably cost the Celts some wins. But the refs are human, after all, and like any human, they’re bound to make mistakes. Even if they make more mistakes in one quarter of basketball than a Dunkin’ Donuts trainee makes in a full month, folks have to understand that it’s tough to be a basketball ref. You have to have both eyes on the ball at all time. That’s tough to do when you’re 75 or cross-eyed or forgot your glasses or are on the rag. Every ounce of respect I can muster for those folks goes out to them. Keep up the great work!

My love for WALTAH aside (and do not doubt that I STILL LOVE WALTAH!), there’s plenty to be happy about in Boston. The team’s running up and down the court with a renewed sense of purpose, thanks to great personnel moves by Danny Ainge and great coaching by Doc Rivers. Pierce is rising to the occasion, continuing to cement his reputation as the least heralded superstar in the NBA. You can keep your McGradys and Duncans and Bron-Brons – I’ll take the Truth any day of the week, and twice down the stretch. Al Jefferson, after exploding on the scene last year, is looking like a keeper and is ready to be measured for a set of rings. And the Celt bench is the deepest it’s been since the days of Joe Kleine, Sherman Douglas, and Alaa Abdelnaby. There’s lots of ball left to be played, but the way things are looking right now, the Celts will be playing ball well into 2006. It’s only a matter of time before they put it all together. TAKE IT STRONG TO THE HOLE!

Hall of Famer Tom Heinsohn is entering his 25th year announcing Celtics games with play-by-play partner Mike Gorman.