Ainge is Celtics' real MVP
Argue all you want about the MVP of the Boston Celtics turnaround season and crushing Game 6 over the Los Angles Lakers, 131-92, last night in the NBA championship clincher.
Last night, clearly Kevin Garnett was the biggest of the Celts' Big Three that includes Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Garnett tied Allen with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting an added 14 rebounds. When Boston was running away from the Lakers in the second quarter, he seemed to be the hammer nailing down the title. Pierce, of course, was the Finals MVP averaging 22 points, six assists and 4.5 rebounds.
But I'm going to cast a vote for general manager Danny Ainge as Boston's MVP. Ainge -- the pesky, whiny, seemingly chronically angry point guard who played on the Larry Bird championship teams of 1984 and '86 -- presided over 24 wins last season and then wheeled and dealed (and, truth be told, gambled his team's future) in the off-season to assemble this powerhouse that won 66 regular-season games. And although observers wondered down the stretch whether the veteran Celtics would have enough steam left for the grueling playoffs, Boston proved conclusively it had both the energy enough fill-in pieces to mount a series-altering comeback in Game 4 on the road in L.A. and then last night's demolition at home.
In retrospect, the deals that Ainge worked with Minnesota and Seattle for Garnett and Allen respectively look like no-brainers (meaning that the franchises on the other side of the deal were robbed witless). But at the time, putting together a team whose nucleus would be in its early 30s and chemistry was an unknown was a huge risk -- especially since Ainge had to ship off a boatload of tomorrows in the form of draft picks to get this done. And on the chemistry side, give Boston coach Doc Rivers for getting that talent to blend.
Well, the Big Three played like guys who have a few more miles of tread on them and the chemistry was magical. Even if there are no more championships (and who bet against that?), Ainge's gamble has already brought Boston a jackpot.
Comments
Dear Geraldo look-alike-boy,
For reference: There's only one "n" in whiny.
And while we're at it, I've never once heard Ainge whine. You might be thinking of Tree Rollins, the recovering cannibal of the Atlanta Rollinses, famously remembered in the apocryphal headline "Tree Bites Man".
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Mike,
Thanks for pointing out the typo, I appreciate all the help I can get. And actually, I've been told Carlos Santana but I would take Geraldo's paycheck in a minute.
But, c'mon, I admired Ainge's gutsy play but he was always carping about something or other.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Le Fromage | June 18, 2008 12:10 PM
I agree. It's definitely Geraldo.
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OK, I'll take half his paycheck.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Sean | June 18, 2008 3:51 PM
I agree wholeheartedly, check out the end of my blog post from last night; http://markinchicago.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/06/celtics-embaras.html
Celtics could not have done it with(out) the Ainge touch.
Posted by: Mark Murrell | June 18, 2008 4:57 PM
I agree with you, Bill. There is a credible argument to be made that the Celtic's GM has been their MVP this year -- not to mention that his number should be retired, despite his protestations to the contrary.
Danny Ainge looked so youthful back in the day with Bird, Parrish, McHale, et al. And, with him playing in their shadows, it apparently was too easy for us outside observers to underestimate his own greatness. (With the exception of players like Kareem, Horry, and Malone, I doubt there have been many NBA players who have enjoyed anywhere near his level of success in the playoffs.) But, in hindsight, why couldn't we see it? It has been there staring us in the face all along -- pouting slightly, maybe, but it was there.
Ainge is, after all, the only person in history to be named a high school All American in baseball, football, and basketball. (For mere mortals like the rest of us, that is an almost impossible feat.) Beyond that, all during his college basketball career he was drawing a Major League Baseball salary, playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. (Having played two professional sports at their highest level puts him in rare company with the likes of Bo Jackson, Jim Thorpe, and maybe a handful of others from a era long past.)
And, who can forget his driving the full length of the court in the final seconds of an NCAA Sweet Sixteen matchup to give his BYU squad a one point victory over Notre Dame? That kind of ice-in-the-veins imposing of one's competitive will is rarely displayed, and usually only by men named Michael and Tiger.
Well, after witnessing the Celtics do a complete 180 degree turn around from what they accomplished last year, all because of the gutty work done by their GM, maybe the name Danny will come up every now and then when the great competitors in sports history are named. Because, apparently -- no matter where he's at -- the man usually wins.
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Thanks for the note and reminding us of Ainge's impressive all-around athletic acumen, which is often overlooked.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Alienated Wannabe | June 19, 2008 7:56 PM