The adage is simple: you let a team as crafty and veteran as the Boston Celtics lay around they will find a way to beat you. And that’s what happened last night. With every single minute passing and Miami unable to pull away on one of its patented runs that usually destroy lesser teams, the Celtics looked up at the scoreboard. Never panicked. And then put a few baskets together and cut the lead. Again and again, everytime the Heat tried to pull away the Celtics reeled them back in and it was almost amusing at times to watch.
The Miami crowd, if that is even a real thing, was shocked at the end of the game and rightfully so. They are not a basketball crowd. They are a bunch of stray cats that had nothing better to do than be lured into a big arena. They were given free t-shirts and told to make noise when given cue. They were told by several green shirts peppered into the crowd that those guys with the jersey number six and 3 were good and that number 1 hadn’t played in about two weeks because of an abdominal strain. They were given this information under the premise that they should cheer the boys in white and boo the men in green.
But last night’s game wasn’t simplistic enough for the novice to understand fully. To appreciate what had just occurred. The Boston Celtics have been the better team since they first left Miami. They have played harder. They have played tougher. And they have controlled the tempo. One of, if not THE BEST, players in this series is a man going on 37 who everyone forgets had a reputation for not being clutch. Don’t act like everyone forgets the Minnesota years. And it wouldn’t be ridiculous for one to ask: how is that possible?
Every single announcer made it sound as if the Celtics had zero chance of beating the Heat. Everyone figured five games would be enough for the Heat to vanquish the Celtics. Its not their fault. Supernatural talent makes people forget logic. Dwayne Wade and Lebron James’ performance against the Indiana Pacers had us all convinced that the Heat were going to steamroll their way into the Finals and the inevitable matchup against the Spurs- who they themselves have fallen on hard times. Lebron is the best player on the planet. Dwayne Wade, aka Prince Charming, is one of the five best players in basketball and they both play for the same team. This is a star heavy league and teams with superstars win championships. One can argue that with two superstars of almost equal talent (if this series has proven anything- that’s not even true, Lebron is far away a better player than Wade), they should be better than an old, aging group of veterans.
But the blinding light of talent has clouded our judgement about the fundamental premise of a team game. Its a team game. Its five players playing as one. Knick fans that grew up in the late sixties and seventies will NEVER EVER forget those Knick teams because they were the embodiment of team. No superstars. No one hogging the ball or wanting more attention. Just a collection of very skilled basketball players who understood that in order to beat the mighty Lakers or Celtics or anybody you had to play for each other and as one. That there couldn’t be star gazing or standing around. Everyone had a role and last night, Doc Rivers crystallized that when he declared Rajon Rondo as the leader of the Boston Celtics and gave us one of the best quotes that symbolize the difference between a good coach and a great coach.
“I think they kind of understand that Rondo’s the leader everybody else plays with Rondo. Kevin is still a great player, and Paul is still our best scorer. But they’ve gotten out of each other’s way with roles. I think all the new guys have added a great competitive energy to our basketball team. So, early on when we were losing, I kept saying people were getting conditioning messed up with age. They kept looking at our team and saying, ‘We’re too old.’ I kept saying, ‘No, we’re out of shape and let’s find out how good we are later.’ Sometimes, as a coach, you have a feel about a team. I don’t know how good this team is. I’ve said that, but I know it’s a team. We can play with anybody.”
So Rondo is our leader. Kevin is a great player and Paul is still our best scorer. The three best players on the Celtics and all have clear distinctive roles on the team. Rondo leads. Pierce scores. And Garnett is just great. All different in their own ways but all come together to form a great team. Yes, Paul Pierce hit the dagger three pointer- because that’s what he does. Right in Lebron’s face even. Yes, everyone will talk about Chris Bosh’s four minutes of game time in the second half despite playing decently for a guy who missed the last eight games. But it was Mikael Pietrus who hit critical threes. It was Rondo who continuously tapped the ball into the waiting hands of green jerseys. It was KG who enforced the middle as a no fly zone for Miami’s gifted scorers. It was KG who kept his defender honest by knocking down 20 footers with consistency. All three with great performances individually but under the umbrella of their role.
That is the definition of team. A group of players playing with a common purpose. A control of all things even as the game gets late and the situation gets tense. Its not that they have been here before literally. Yes, they have been together as a group playing under this kind of pressure but never in this specific situation. But great teams ultimately control their circumstances. Great teams forgo the individual pressure that they carry and know when to strike. They know that the situation calls for someone to step up and they all know who it is without even talking about it.
I had a discussion on Facebook a few weeks back when Lebron James passed a three pointer over to Mario Chalmers who had a decent look and we debated the decision of Erik Spolestra to use Wade and Lebron as expensive props for Mario Chalmers to get a chance at a three pointer. Most believed that it was the right play. And yes, the computer will spit out that in that specific context giving the ball to your best 3 point shooter is in fact the right call. But my common sense couldn’t help but think to ask this simple question: if Lebron James and Dwayne Wade are your best players and you have lavished upon them boat loads of money based on that logic, how then can you possibly NOT include them in the final seconds of a game where it means win or loss. Those are the players you want deciding the game. Mario Chalmers missing IS NOT the point. I’m not insinuating that Lebron or Wade would’ve definitely made that shot because we can’t possibly know that. But what I can know is that you have entrusted them with this belief that they are the best players on the team, how then can you possibly leave the outcome of the game to your fifth, sixth or seventh best player?
The name of the game is team. A team who understands each player’s role within the context of the situation and the moment. Its ok if this were game 23 in the middle of the season but the Heat lost a playoff game because Mario Chalmers missed a three pointer at the end of regulation. That could’ve been disastrous. That’s what I want people to understand. How can you possibly say that this team knows itself when they don’t know what to do at the end of a game? Poor execution because they are defended well is one thing, but poor execution because the play selection was terrible and the play was stupid is something else entirely.
The Celtics don’t need to be reminded. That quote personified what they are. They have been honest with themselves this entire season. Doc Rivers has a feel for this team because he’s locked in just like every player is right now. Ray Allen didn’t moan or piss about Avery Bradley being the starter when he returned, it was all part of the bigger plan. Rivers doesn’t have to mind his words or hope that what he says won’t destroy the confidence of his players. He says what he wants because it needs to be said. He lashes out because things need to be lashed at. Because the Celtics are a team, not a collection of individuals. The best quote on twitter, often a forum for great creative one liners, was that last night an NBA team beat an AAU team.
The Heat can still win this series. But they have to figure out what they are exactly. They have to get the ball into the hands of their best players at the end of games. Even the young OKC Thunder figured that out. Kevin Durant scored 16 in a row at one point during OKC’s victory in game 4 because they understood that he’s their best player and when he’s starting to hit circus shots that you MUST feed him the ball and get him as many touches as possible. The hierarchy must be present.
For the Heat to be successful now, everyone must fall into line. Lebron must realize he’s the top dog and make sure that everyone follows him. The Heat will go only as far as Lebron will take them, but not when everyone, including themselves are unsure if its he or Wade doing the leading.
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The Lazy Eye of Sports 