I went to the United States Naval Academy yesterday. The campus was absolutely breath-taking. Every building was beautiful, it was right on the water and if I could have somehow gotten out of all the school’s strict rules I would have sought out a time machine and re-did my college years there. But do you want to know what’s sad? A true sign of my overzealous fandom? The whole time I was there, even in the middle of all that beauty, I kept thinking to myself, “I wonder where David Robinson lived. I wonder whether the Admiral ever comes back here.” David Robinson this, the Admiral that. I’m insane. It’s official. I am completely owned by the game of basketball.

"Otis Smith, you son of a bitch, you can't let me play in Boston? But I want to play for a championship, damn it!"

Two players who had once been targeted by the Boston Celtics are likely headed elsewhere.

Shaq is highly interested in joining the San Antonio Spurs or Atlanta Hawks and acknowledges the Celtics have little interest in him. And it is highly probable J.J. Redick will stay in Orlando.

Shaquille O’Neal’s first choice is to join the San Antonio Spurs for one final run at a fifth NBA title, and he wants to play two more seasons before retiring, a source told FanHouse on Wednesday.

The source spent time Wednesday with O’Neal in the Orlando area, where the legendary free-agent center makes his offseason home.

The source said O’Neal said the Spurs and Atlanta are at the top of his list since there is interest with those teams on both sides. FanHouse’s Tim Povtak reported Monday the link between O’Neal and the Hawks, and there were indications from San Antonio on Wednesday that the Spurs do indeed have interest.

O’Neal also is interested in Boston but the source said he realizes the Celtics don’t have much interest in him.

Right now, the Magic seem inclined to bring back Redick even though it would plunge the team further into the luxury tax. 

“I’m not worried about what J.J. might get from somebody,” Van Gundy said Wednesday between games of the AirTran Airways Pro Summer League at RDV Sportsplex. “That would simply leave us with a decision, but the ball rests in our court. We’ll just have to make the decision when the time comes. Our intention is — and I know that from talking to [General Manager] Otis [Smith] — our intention is to match. 

“Now, if he gets a max offer — $17 million a year — I don’t know,” Van Gundy added, a smile on his face. “If somebody gives him, you know, $1.8 million, he won’t take it. So, somewhere in-between there is the number. But we go in with the intention that we’re going to match.”

I was fairly certain the Magic would never let Redick leave and,when it comes to O’Neals, I like Jermaine far better than Shaq. So consider me completely unsurprised by these reports.

(Rule number one of the road: Get off the tracks when the train is coming through.)

There’s stupid, there’s REALLY, REALLY STUPID, and then there’s Richard Jefferson opting out of a guaranteed $15 million next season.

Here are a few things Jefferson could have done that would have been smarter than opting out:

1. Fight DJ Mbenga in the Octagon.
2. Invest in BP… after pledging to spend three hours swimming in the oil spill.
3. Tell David Stern his mother looks like a heifer.
4. Start a male modeling agency… and then hire Sam Cassell as its star.
5. Challenge James White to a dunk contest… for $20 million.
6. Kidnap Jack Bauer.
7. Invest the entirety of his NBA career earnings… with Bernard Madoff.
8. Marry Khloe Kardashian. Wait, she’s taken?
9. Hire Antoine Walker as a financial advisor.
10. Try to go to sleep while Stephen A. Smith is “talking” in the same room.

Anything else I’m missing that would have been smarter for Jefferson than opting out?

P.S. – As I wrote this post, Richard Jefferson just opted out of a free lap dance from Jessica Biel.

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.

Up and down, and down and up. Aren't roller coasters supposed to be fun?

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Doc Rivers talks of his team’s inability to sustain itself, and every week he’s proved correct. Unlike the 2008 NBA championship team, this Celtics unit is woefully impatient. ‘Sometimes we fight through it, and when it doesn’t work, we all try to go somewhere else,’ said Allen. ‘But it’s all cyclical in this league. The biggest thing is that we have to protect the home court. But we’ve been on a roller coaster ride all year,’ he said. ‘We just keep plugging. The bad games just crystallize what you want to do even more. It makes us work harder.’ But with only nine regular-season games left, even hard work may have a limit. The Celtics [team stats] still are attempting to make adjustments that some teams completed a month ago. ‘It’s actually a lot of time,’ said Michael Finley, the former Spur who has been down this path many times. ‘It seems like a short period of time, but it’s a chance to come closer and to get our confidence in the right state of mind. You learn from both wins and losses,’ he said. ‘But I think you learn more from losses, and (the San Antonio game) was no different.”

NESN – “‘[Rasheed Wallace] checks in and checks out again,’ Benbow told anchor Jade McCarthy. Benbow went on to say that Wallace is well aware of the whispers surrounding his shortcomings, offering a recent criticism that Wallace only gets one rebound per night. ‘Then he comes out and pulls down five or six the first quarter [the next game], then you don’t hear from him the rest of the night,’ Benbow said. ‘He knows there is pressure on him to perform.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “A couple of noteworthy stats from our ESPN Stats and Information folks that showcased why Boston struggled so badly in Sunday’s loss to the Spurs: 1) The Celtics finished with their lowest point total since the Big Three united, highlighted by an inability to hit shots beyond the paint. Boston shot 37 percent overall (its second worst performance this season) and scored 30 second-half points, matching a season low. A big part of those troubles stemmed from an inability to score on jump shots. The Celtics were a cringe-worthy 7 of 40 overall (17.5 percent) on jump shots for the game. Rasheed Wallace hit the team’s only 3-pointer of the night in the first half, and Boston finished 1 of 14 from beyond the arc overall (missing all five trifectas it took in the second half).”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “The Celtics have nine games remaining and in addition to trying to claim the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, coach Doc Rivers has promised to tighten his playing rotations. It’s uncertain who will play on a given night. A left knee injury to Kendrick Perkins allowed Brian Scalabrine to get some action after he was on the inactive list for 10 games. Tony Allen had his playing time drastically cut with the arrival of Michael Finley, but has played 41 minutes over the past three games. The consensus is Rivers can’t stick with a 10- or 11-man rotation during the playoffs. There needs to be consistent minutes for his primary rotation so they can prepare for their postseason roles. [...] ‘Obviously I don’t think we can go with 10 or 11,’ Rondo said. ‘He’s done a good job every year. I think he knows his playoff rotation. I think maybe he’s trying to find one or two more guys that he wants to go with.’”

Zach Lowe, Celtics Hub – “For all the many advancements Rajon Rondo has made this season, he hasn’t made the one improvement we’ve been wishing for the most: He still can’t shoot jumpers. He’s improved his shooting from 15 feet and in, and he’s shown flashes of a quality jump shot from outside of 15 feet. But the last two months or so have shown the long jumper just isn’t going to be a reliable part of Rajon’s arsenal this season. And you feel the impact of that reality when the C’s face a team (like the Spurs) that packs the paint on defense and doesn’t turn the ball over and allow Boston to get into transition. Over Boston’s last 20 games, Rajon Rondo is 13-of-55 (24 percent) on shots from outside 15 feet, according to box scores on Hoopdata.”

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

If Manu was as old as someone with his immense bald spot should be, the Celtics might have won tonight. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Trailing by 17 points early in the fourth quarter, the Boston Celtics needed every stop they could get. Just as the doctor ordered, the San Antonio Spurs went cold, tallying five successive missed field goals. The only problem? They snatched their own rebound on every single miss.

The parade of San Antonio offensive rebounds was one of the many warning signs that flashed like a neon light in a midnight sky: the Celtics weren’t playing their hardest.

To be fair to San Antonio, the Celtics started the game with great purpose and energy. Manu Ginobili and the rest of the Spurs simply beat it out of them, one well-executed possession at a time. Ginobili was nothing short of magical. He seems to have regained the bravado, creativity, and explosiveness that make him one of the league’s most-feared crunch-time killers, and nobody the Celtics put in his way could stop him, or even slow him down. He finished with 28 points and 7 assists, but not even those gaudy stats could describe his impact on the game. Were it not for a few rare misses of wide open three-pointers, Ginobili might have gone for 35 or 36. He did what he pleased, when he pleased, and banked home a 27-foot, running, one-handed floater to beat the third quarter buzzer and firmly secure the final nail in the Celtics’ coffin.

Ginobili’s exploits helped to slow down a Celtics attack that, for the game’s opening minutes, looked poised for another respectable win. Paul Pierce was attacking the rim, Kevin Garnett was active, and the ball was hopping from one Celtic to another like a hot potato. But a troublesome second quarter left Boston down one point heading into the halftime breather, and the third quarter would get no better. Actually, it would get far worse. By the time Ginobili pumped his fist in celebration of his banked runner, the Spurs led by 17 and the Celtics might as well have headed home.

Even from the shoddy defeat, the Celtics could take a few positives. Captain Paul Pierce led the way with 18 points, and a quick scare — by what ESPN announcers deemed a stinger to a nerve somewhere between his neck and right shoulder — did not stop Pierce from being aggressive in getting to the rim, early and often. He seems to have fully regained his confidence and explosion, and looks ready to be the C’s go-to guy for the remainder of the season. Kevin Garnett had his third straight double-double, notching 12 points and 10 rebounds. Shelden Williams played his best minutes in months, finishing with 11 points and an unofficial count of 137 compliments from ESPN announcer Hubie Brown.

But, for the Celtics, there was a lot more to frown upon than there was to be proud of. Not to name names, but Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Glen Davis, Michael Finley, and Nate Robinson a few Celtics might as well have stayed home. The game served as a reminder that, while the C’s have come a long way from the team that struggled to a 18-19 record during a 37-game midseason stretch, they still have a ways to go until they are capable of raising another banner.

*****

Game Notes:

• George Hill has quickly become far better than I ever thought he’d be.  He possesses an impressive blend of length, athleticism, and skill, and is certainly a player to watch in the coming years.  He still needs to learn not to send nude pics to any girlfriends.
• Can the Celtics travel back in time and sign Antonio McDyess instead of Rasheed Wallace?
• Tim Duncan didn’t do much, but he’s such a team-oriented player that he hardly cared.  As much as he and Garnett are polar opposites, they’re very similar in the way they would sacrifice every single statistic for a win.
• Finley didn’t do much to prove Gregg Popovich wrong.
• Can someone amputate my ACL’s so I can become an unbelievable offensive rebounder?
• Kendrick Perkins, nursing a sore left knee due to tendinitis, did not play.  Doc Rivers said he is likely for Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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.

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “The Celtics are about to experience something completely different – a six-games-in-12-days homestand. ‘I don’t think any of us knows what that feels like,’ Ray Allen said of a stretch that begins tonight against Denver at the Garden. ‘We haven’t been home that long all year. Hopefully I can get my bags unpacked.’ Perhaps they can unpack some of what worked on their 2-1 road swing through Texas and Utah. The second half of Monday night’s frustrating loss to the Jazz aside, the Celtics showed some of the most promising signs yet that they are ready for a stretch run.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “So there is much at stake in this six-game stretch, with four opponents heading to the playoffs (Denver, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland) in addition to a difficult game against Houston and a tricky matchup with the young Kings. ‘It’s tough, but it’s at home,’ said coach Doc Rivers. ‘It would be a nice chance to reestablish us at home. We haven’t done that this year yet. We haven’t had a lot of rhythm at home, so we have a chance right now.’ The numbers at home are quite similar to the road numbers, hence the nearly identical records. The Celtics score almost 3 more points per game at TD Garden and allow opponents just 1.6 more points.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “The Celtics’ play of late has squashed a number of the questions and concerns about them being too old to compete with the top teams. ‘Maybe for 82 games, people can say that … the Celtics are too old,’ Dallas guard Jason Kidd told CSNNE.com recently. ‘But when it comes down to it, they keep on winning. Come playoff time, you don’t look at age. You look at experience and understanding the situation.’ The Celtics’ situation is pretty clear – keep on winning. ‘We want to be greedy, especially this time of year,’ Pierce said. ‘Our goal is to win every game.’”

Peter May, ESPNBoston – “The Celtics looked tired against the Jazz. It was their third game in four days, and they had no response to the Jazz in the second half. The season-long bugaboos — turnovers, rebounding — surfaced again. The C’s lost to a very good team on the road. It happens. Only one Eastern Conference team — Atlanta — has won in Salt Lake City. So what does it all mean going forward? The mission statement continues to be ‘We just want to get better.’ Doc Rivers admits it sounds corny and that most people probably don’t believe him. Rivers still hopes that the team he had in November and December, the one before the injuries hit, can re-emerge.”

Greg Payne, CelticsBlog – “And now, as the C’s continue to gear up for the postseason, they are about to welcome in the Denver Nuggets, the Sacramento Kings, the San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hopefully the Celtics will welcome these clubs in with nothing short of a sincere sense of utter hostility. For, with the playoffs looming, it would be nice to see this club continue to fine tune its game, re-establish the roles of its essential players, and play with the same sense of bravado that they’ve displayed several times on the road this season. We applauded their efforts against the Rockets and Mavericks. That aggression, that intensity (particularly on the defensive end), and that sense of calm amidst their opponents’ respective runs – we all want to see more of it, for its what we expected to see all along.”

Jessica Camerato, WEEI – [Nate Robinson said,] “I remember one time I was like 15 or 16 and I was in Oakland, California. There was this park where I grew up called Bushrod, it’s in north Oakland, me and my family took a little trip up to another park called Mosswood. It’s like rival parks and my family went up there and we played against another family. I remember we put the money in a hat, everybody put in five dollars. … We played for hat, played for the money. I remember this one big dude, my cousin threw me an alley-oop and I caught it and I dunked on him. I was screaming and yelling. He was like, ‘If you do that again, I’m doing to kick your butt.’ I was like, ‘Oh man.’ So I’m going through the game, I was scoring, and it was game point. My cousin who was on fast break, she threw another lob and dude goes up and I was like, ‘A. Do I catch it and dunk on him? B. Do I let the ball go out of bounds and I lose and my family beats me up?’ (laughs) I didn’t know what to do. So I just went with my first instinct, caught it, and I dunked on him again. We got the money and we ran home. They were chasing us (laughs), they were mad.’”

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