The bus is your standard Greyhound charter style. Plush seats wrapped in patterns you see on airport carpets stacked side by side 13 rows deep. This touring behemoth isn’t carrying field trippers or a Triple-A ball club, this vehicle’s contents are the sacred group of all time great Boston Celtics, and an unlikely runt is pushing his way to the front of the line at the next stop.
While the list of great Boston Celtics is a long and storied one, those who occupy first class in this bus are crowded due to the power surges of the late 50-60’s then again in the 70’s & 80’s. It is nearly impossible to argue against the usual suspects; Russell, Cousy, Havlicek, DJ, Bird, Mchale, Parish as ticket holders. In short, New England was spoiled, showered with superstars and assumed clear pastures for all of basketball eternity, but like most myopic fanbases, they were wrong. As abruptly as the Garden imploded, tragedy struck, they spiraled towards a 67 loss season and we were left looking to our peers like HBOers after the Sopranos finale.
Experts claim the U.S. economy is cyclical, whereas basketball guru’s could argue the same for the league’s elite franchises. The rebuilding spark for this cycle could be accredited to several players and atmospheric changes. The short list being; drafting of Pierce (1998), Pitino resigning and Jim O’Brien stepping in along with new ownership. Soon after, we went through a comical, although somewhat successful run with pseudo-star Antoine Walker.
Throughout 1997 to 2007 Boston fans were given years of mediocrity, lifelessness and saw Dunkin Donuts using the tickets as promotional incentives. We eked into the playoffs in a weaker Eastern conference, had a few exciting moments which provided flare, simply put, this was not Celtics basketball. Boston fans, local media and the organization were desperate for salvation as they have seen too many 10/5/5 guys come and go at a rate that rivals Applebee’s bus boys. Who could bring the mighty Green back to relevancy?
How does one sum Rajon Rondo up in a reasonable number of characters?
From his early-on sophomoric immaturities with coaches decisions, ability to listen and apply and then the contract dispute that nearly sent him packing, he is still a tad mysterious.
Rajon is a self proclaimed roller skating maestro. Some could correlate his abilities to weave in the rink to his brilliance on the parquet. His hardnosed play, chippy attitude and non-flashy style fits the New England persona and is being adored as if Belichick counseled him. Yeah, when Rondo squares up for a jumpshot coaches and fans cringe like a reaction video to Two Girls One Cup but his defensive prowess and rebounding ability has been shaping him into an old school, multi-tool guard, something that had become somewhat of a commodity.
Not many outside of NBA scouts or the diehard SEC followers had raised an eyebrow when 2 year Kentucky guard Rajon Rondo fell to the 21st pick (hell we’ve seen superstars plucked out of the third round). So when Boston traded with Phoenix for his rights, not many C’s fans saw the franchise and all 16 of its banners being balanced on the wide shoulders of a six-footer weighing 165 pounds (soaking wet, possibly carrying medicine ball). Again, they were wrong, albeit not immediately, but they would eventually be very incorrect.
Many saw this as another gritty SEC guard, the Celtics’ front office saw their future. Those who are in positions to make calls saw huge potential, but would this budding star be a second coming of Dennis Johnson or would he be traded away too soon like the highly touted Chauncey Billups? Either way, they refused to entertain offers during the historic 07’ overhaul. Knowledgeable fans of the game nodded in agreement, the harsh Boston media threw their arms in the air like a futboler looking for a call with his act. Tension grew, the city that is always overwhelmingly in agreement with each other was developing a partisanship on this roster and direction of the club. In came Allen, then Garnett and out went Jefferson and a handful of young bucks. The region was ecstatic, “The Big Three” mania engulfed every facet of sports talk, but lurching in the dust was the question, “who is going to run this offense?”
His 2007 season can be summed up as a first year starter mastering Doc’s half court offense, learning the game from his experienced locker room and then shaping the mound of knowledge and spinning it into his own art. Rondo could be seen crashing the boards harder on the defensive end and sparking fast breaks. A second trick, allowing ballhandlers to breeze by only to tap the ball out of the unknowing driver, sparking a break for himself. This fast-paced style was electric, and the logic behind Phoenix’s draft was very apparent now. Most importantly this 23 year old was showing glimpses of taking control, a role that has been Pierce’s for 9 years.
While it is impossible to know if Rondo would be a triple double machine and in the All-NBA conversation had he landed in a different system. Some compare the treacherous Northeast sports society to the Bermuda Triangle, many enter, some come out stronger while others sink never to be heard of again. In short, does the franchise shape the player or do the players create the team’s mold? In this case, we believe the player is taking the form of past legends and the Garden is now alive again.
What makes Rondo a possible nominee for Celtic great you ask?
– Steady increase in each category every year with only a slight dip in rebounding
– Tied for 5th for double doubles in 10’ (only one other PG in the group) top 50 in 09’* [NBA.com]
– Had a Rasheed Wallace-esque headband dispute with David Stern
– Most heard him speak for the first time on MTV’s Cribs
– Clotheslined Brad Miller
– Tell me we won’t see the diving steal and score between Jason Williams’ legs for years to come?
– If you didn’t see what happened to the flow of the game while he was out for a week in 2009, please try and dig up the tapes. Anemic.
However this 2010 story plays out, many are predicting this gathering of the O’Neals a final push for one more run at # 18, Rondo is the clear future. What isn’t there to love about this kid? He has the acumen to lead a dominate starting five as well as a deep bench. Teams are now developing game plans around him. Fantasy stud, and most importantly he is everything that personifies a Boston Celtic. His style of play is malleable and would work with any of Boston’s championship runs. Granted, he is still a few people deep in the bus line, pushing back the bankrupt Walker, catching up to Mr. Brown and still staring at the scarred back of the beloved #34. You bet those who paved the road for this rising star to shine in Beantown are waving their long arms out their half-down safety windows begging him to share the isle seat. This way they can pick his brain and try to understand what we have all grown to adore. Rajon, one day you will step into that bus of paper airplanes and practical jokes, engraining your hardwork and magical play into blue collar New England’s memories, just be sure to say thank you to the driver.
They call him Red.
