"Luke, I am your father. It's nice to meet you."

The New York Times has a piece about Bill Walton’s recovery from back surgery.  Walton’s back pain had gotten so bad that he pondered suicide, and is just now starting to “climb back into the game of life.”

Walton climbing back into the game of life means that he’s back to kicking knowledge — and hyperbole — about basketball.  He shows that he still knows his stuff… well, kinda.

When the subject was his health, Walton was generally solemn and measured. When the conversation turned to basketball, he was as energetic and opinionated as ever.

Walton predicted that the Boston Celtics would beat Cleveland and Orlando to make the finals. He called the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo the best point guard in the East, and said the Lakers’ Pau Gasol was “the best big man in basketball today.” He said LeBron James should play for free, to allow his team to surround him with better talent.

So, how right was Walton?

Rajon Rondo the best point guard in the East:

Check.  I don’t think this can even be argued at this point.  How could you, when Rondo can be utterly dominant offensively (especially in the playoffs) and is also on the NBA’s First Team All-Defense? Some nitwits might say Derrick Rose, but Rose can’t hold a candle to Rondo’s impact on the defensive end.

The Boston Celtics will beat Cleveland and Orlando to make the finals:

I hope.  During the regular season, you would have had to be mentally deficient to make this argument.  But now, as the Celtics turn on the after-burners in the playoffs, it is seeming more and more like a legitimate possibility.

Pau Gasol is “the best big man in basketball today”:

Well yeah, he’s the best big man in basketball… if you don’t consider Dwight Howard to be a big man.  Additionally, one could make the argument that Pau isn’t as good as Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire, or Brian Scalabrine (just kidding with Scal.)  Dirk Nowitzki, either, if you consider him a big man.  And Chris Bosh is no slouch.  Even if you think Gasol is better than all those other guys (and he might be — he’s damn good), no way he can touch Howard.  Howard is too dominant defensively.

Lebron James should play for free:

In a perfect world, you’d like to think superstars making in excess of $90 million in endorsements alone should think about playing for free — or at least less than the max — to help their teams build around them.  Of course, it will never happen.  Not in a million years.  I’m not saying it should happen, either: It’s tough to leave $20 million or so per year on the table.

As for the rest of the NY Times piece about Walton, continue reading at your own risk.  If you keep reading the rest, you might actually start to like Luke Walton, and  I know none of you want that.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Powe's return has been an early Christmas present for Cleveland.

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “In four of the last seven seasons, Wallace has taken fewer 3-point attempts per game in March and April, than he took for the season as a whole. But his drop-off this month has been the steepest 3-point shooting dip of his career. Although he’s averaging 3.97 3-point attempts this season, he’s only taking 1.83 per game this month. Wallace said his 3-point shooting isn’t something he’s consciously trying to cut back on. ‘It’s just happening,’ Wallace said. ‘Just playing.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “His scoring is down from 7.0 points per game a year ago to 6.2, but since the Celtics brought in Nate Robinson, [Glen] Davis has been his on-court bodyguard, setting screens and running interference. If there’s been a consistent element off the bench in recent weeks, it’s been Davis’s energy. ‘Over the last two weeks he’s been very consistent, and that’s who we need him to be,’ said coach Doc Rivers. ‘It’s important that he does that. That’s who he actually has to be in order to be a good player. You can’t be a finesse player. That’s not who he is. When he tries to do that, when he goes in the game with preconceived ideas of scoring or whatever, he’s not as good. But when he goes in the game and says, ‘I’m just going to play as hard as I can and see what happens,’ then he’s a good player for us.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘I have to bring energy, play defense, take what the defense is giving me, do my role and set picks,’ [Glen Davis] said. ‘I have a knack for the ball, being there the right time at the right time, reacting to the ball. Some people just have the ability to do that. My strong point is offensive rebounding. Go back up, try to get a foul, try to get an and-one.’ The key, though is not to think about any of this too much. ‘I don’t really pay attention – I just know what I have to do to play on this team in order for us to be successful,’ he said. ‘When I go onto the floor now, I just think that I don’t have a long time. Try to affect the game in any way possible – offense, defense, take a charge. That’s how I take care of things.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “‘Paul [Pierce] kept his hands up, he was active, and [Rajon] Rondo had some great deflections,’ said Rivers. ‘Our deflections were way up [against Dallas]. We chart them, and they were way up. Even when they were scoring in that one stretch, we kept getting our hands on the ball, and they kept getting it back and scoring. But, you just think, at the end of the day, if you keep getting enough deflections, one of them will bounce your way and it will break the game open.’ And that’s what happened Saturday. With Boston clinging to a four-point lead with 90 seconds to play, Dirk Nowitzki lost control of the ball beyond the arc and while scrambling to pass it off to the wing, Paul Pierce deflected the pass. Pierce quickly chased the ball down and fed Rondo up ahead for a breakaway layup and a six-point cushion with 1:18 to play, essentially sealing the victory.”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “So . . . this is the team we have longed to see. The Celtics who are the aggressors, who don’t blame fatigue and injury, and who relish the tougher parts of their schedule. Consecutive games at Houston and Dallas are a difficult stretch for any NBA team but the Celtics spent the past two nights sending a clear message to the rest of the league. They have a lot of basketball left and there are 13 games before the playoffs to tighten up the weaknesses.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Not only did the Celtics top a Mavericks team that had won nine of its last 10 overall while surging toward the top of the West standings, but they did it on the second night of a back-to-back, mustering the energy and swagger that’s been missing for much of this calendar year. ‘It’s a good win,’ admitted Celtics coach Doc Rivers. ‘Number one, [Dallas is] playing so well. They’ve had [two] days off, had prep time for us, [while] we played last night, and, to come in and come back at the end and take the game away from them was huge for us. Our starters were the key today. They played terrific. Our execution down the stretch the last three or four games has been unbelievable. So, yeah, this was a good win for us. Big win? Yeah, I guess. But it’s just a good win for us.’”

Tim McMahon, ESPNDallas – “The Mavs, who led by seven points early in the fourth quarter, failed to get a field goal in the final 3:04. The Celtics completely shut down Dallas’ go-to plays with the game on the line. The Mavs’ most important possession of the game was a miserable display, with Boston throwing it out of whack by fronting Dirk Nowitzki at the 3-point line, causing a poor pass from Jason Terry that led to a Nowitzki turnover … and a door-slamming layup at the other end by Rajon Rondo. That layup with 1:18 remaining, which stretched the Celtics’ lead to six, was Boston’s eighth bucket in nine possessions. ‘At the end there, we couldn’t hit a shot, nor could we get a stop,’ Jason Kidd said.”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘We’re on the road and it was tough atmosphere and yes it was probably one of our better games,’ Rondo said. ‘We’re getting closer, but we’re nowhere near there. We’re OK, but I wouldn’t be too excited yet. We just have to keep playing like this.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Celtics coach Doc Rivers has wanted to re-establish Paul Pierce as the team’s go-to scoring option late in recent games. With 10 games scoring in double figures out of 12 appearances this month, Pierce seems to be heating up, particularly after topping 26 points or more over the past three games. Even still, Rivers wants to see him more selfish at times. ‘[Pierce is] starting to get his confidence,’ said Rivers. ‘Right now he’s still searching a little bit. You can see it during the middle of games more. I got on him in a time-out because I thought he was looking to pass too much, which I don’t think I’ve ever had to say that to Paul, and told him to just be aggressive. ‘Just be who you are,’ and he was that. I thought Rondo was sensational as well in the pick-and-roll package down stretch.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Rivers put his second unit on the floor to start the fourth quarter, even though the Mavericks had all the momentum after Jason Kidd hit a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 70-69 lead with 1:13 left in the third. Nowitzki then hit a turnaround fadeaway from 15 feet that put the Mavericks up, 72-71, to end the quarter. ‘I said, OK, if we get down by 6 then I have to sub,’ Rivers said. When his starting five was on the floor, Dallas had no answer. But he didn’t want to burn them out. ‘I told our staff we have to buy minutes for these guys,’ Rivers said. ‘I was literally subbing on the clock. I just kept looking at the clock and even though they [the second unit] were not scoring at all, they weren’t running away from us.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Although he only had eight points on Saturday, he grabbed nine rebounds and tallied five steals. ‘Perk and I were playing defense,’ Garnett said. ‘If we had a chance to score, then score. But other than that, our focus was playing defense and I thought we did a good job collectively.’ Indeed, Boston’s win on Saturday was nothing close to a one-man operation. It serves as an example of what can happen when the C’s play at a high level, which they will surely have to do if they are to have any shot at being one of the last teams standing. ‘One day you have a great game, the next day it changes based on who you play,’ said Celtic guard Ray Allen. ‘We’re always encouraged, even when we lost a couple here and there. Yeah, we were disappointed and trying to figure out what to do, but confidence-wise, we just have to keep looking forward.’”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

Dirk played well, but the Celtics got retribution. (Photo by Matthew Emmons/US Presswire)

I used to call balls Sam Cassells. You know, like, “Damn, that shot was clutch. He really showed some Sam Cassells on that one.” But after Ali Farokhmanesh drained a pullup three with almost a full shot clock and only 35 seconds standing between his Northern Iowa team and an upset of the number one-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, I will now call balls Farokhmaneshes.

Tonight, the Celtics showed a huge pair of Farokhmaneshes that they’ve been lacking all season long, overcoming a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to run their winning streak to four games. For the Celtics, the winning formula was very familiar: Timely defense spearheaded by Kevin Garnett, scoring from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, and an elite floor game from Rajon Rondo.

It was the starting five that won this game for Boston. Pierce had the lowest +/- of any Celtic starter, and he ended up with 29 points, 5 assists, 3 boards, and 2 steals. Oh, and that “lowest +/-” he registered? It was +16. Pierce was phenomenal on both ends of the court, showcasing his improved health with an array of drives to the hoop, creating easy buckets and earning 10 trips to the charity stripe.

But Pierce wasn’t the only starter inflicting damage on the Mavericks. Ray Allen scored 21 points, hitting a number of momentum-turning shots. Rondo was aggressive early and often, scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds. Kendrick Perkins got the better of Brendan Haywood, finishing with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Even Garnett, limited to a paltry 8 points and 9 rebounds, was as active defensively as Tiger Woods is when he’s off the golf course. Garnett seemed to get his hands on every loose ball, deflecting passes and snuffing fast break opportunities. The starters played as good a game as they have all season long, and — against a very good Dallas team — it was a damn good thing.

Don’t get it twisted, either. The Dallas team Boston beat tonight is a title contender. When you combine the way Jason Kidd instinctively passes the ball upcourt, pushing the tempo and allowing his teammates to create plays, with the amount of weapons the Mavericks have, you wind up with a dangerous concoction. Top it off with Dirk Nowitzki playing perhaps the best basketball of his career, and these Mavericks are a damn good team capable of beating any opponent in a 7-game series.

They just couldn’t get it done against Boston tonight. Not with Paul Pierce attacking the hoop and doing the things that have made him so successful. Not with the Celtics playing like, well, the Celtics. Wins like this were the calling card of the Celtics of old. They kept the game close, manufactured stops when they needed them, and called on Pierce and Allen whenever a bucket was necessary. Tonight was a return to that, and it was oh so satisfying.

After the game, Pierce said, “We’re trying to gather momentum for the playoffs. I’m healthy, Kevin’s healthy, and we’re ready to roll.”

It’s sure starting to seem like he’s right.

Watch out, Dirk. Sheed's looking for a little retribution.

Back in January, when the Mavericks and Celtics met for the first time — a game that ended with a 99-90 Mavericks win — Dirk Nowitzki scored 37 points and Rasheed Wallace picked up a bunch of ticky-tack fouls trying — unsuccessfully — to defend him. (Kevin Garnett missed the game due to injury.)

Wallace said there would be retribution when the two teams met again.  (Dallas News)

The referees “don’t like no tough defense on [Nowitzki],” Wallace said that night. “So of course I get a lot of [expletive] calls, but that’s how the story goes.

“I ain’t worried about it. We’ll see them again. There will be retribution.”

Tonight is the night for retribution, the teams’ first meeting since that January game.  So how will Rasheed’s retribution come?  Hopefully with a win over the surging Mavericks.  Hopefully NOT by Sheed trying to match Dirk shot for shot.

(Note: There was another quote from the Dallas News Article, spoken by Jason Terry, that had me dying laughing:  ”Rasheed’s playing well this year.”)

I wrote my picks for Eastern Conference All-Star reserves yesterday. Today, I give my choices for the West. Read more »