Celtics Four-Point Play: New Year’s Edition (1-2)

Here’s the first Celtics Four-Point Play of 2008 to appear every Wednesday on Sports of Boston. This is where I will compile four (4) small and related Celtics facts and offer my own spin on a variety of Celtics news stories. The general format will be a short blurb about the story first, then my reaction tabbed underneath it. Today, in honor of the New Year, I will look back at the four biggest stories for the Celtics in 2007.

1. Happy New Year! Allow me to take this column to remember the year that was in Celtics basketball, beginning Jan. 1, 2007. First, let us try to remember where the Celtics started off 2007: about to enter a franchise-record 18-game losing streak.

• All that was on the Celtics fans’ minds in the beginning of the year 2007 was losing. We wanted the Celtics to continue to lose at a record pace to increase our team’s chances of landing either Ohio State center Greg Oden or Texas phenom Kevin Durant. The C’s were well on their way to having a choice of either player, because in January and February 2007, the Celtics went 5-23 including a franchise-worst 18-game losing streak from Jan. 7 - Feb. 11.
• During the streak, the Celtics were without the injured Paul Pierce and Tony Allen, probably their two best scorers. There were only two good things about the streak: it allowed Al Jefferson to blossom into a star power forward/center, and Celtics were closer and closer to the No. 1 or No. 2 pick.

2. Fast forward to May 22, 2007. The Celtics are fresh off one of the worst seasons in team history, finishing with at 24-58 (the second-worst record in the NBA). Thus, they have the second-best shot at winning the NBA Draft Lottery and the rights to Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

• This, I initially thought, was one of the worst days of my life. All the buildup of a horrible season to see which pick the Celtics would get. 10 years earlier, the C’s were shafted and did not win the rights to Tim Duncan, who was supposed to be the face of the franchise. Would the luck of the Irish help save the Celtics this time?
• No, well kind of. At first, the lottery completely destroyed any hope of future success when the worst-possible scenario happened: Boston ended up with the No. 5 selection. No. 5 meant either Yi Jianlian of China, Jeff Green of Georgetown, or a number of prospects.

3. On draft night, the Celtics did not use their selection, and instead traded the No. 5 pick along with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for Seattle’s Ray Allen and their 2nd round pick (Glen “Big Baby” Davis). Later in the summer, the C’s traded most of the rest of their future for Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett. What a wild offseason.

• Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Fans’ hope built up before the lottery, then was completely dashed before the NBA Draft. Then, fans were initially confused about the trade for Ray Allen. Then, everything came together with the trade for 10-time all star Kevin Garnett.
• So, in 2007, the Celtics lost the No. 5 pick (Jeff Green), Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, and Al Jefferson from the 2006-07 sqaud. The C’s added Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Eddie House, Scot Pollard, James Posey, and Gabe Pruitt. Wow.

4. The new version of the Celtics is WAY better than the old one. In the 2007-2008 season, the Celtics already have more victories (26), than they did all last season (24). At 26-3, the Celtics have the NBA’s best record and a 10.5 game lead in the Atlantic Division. Doc Rivers was named Eastern Conf. Coach of the Month for November, Kevin Garnett won a Eastern Conf. Player of the Week early in the season, and Paul Pierce has accumulated two Player of the Week awards.

• This has definitely been a season for the ages so far. Important moments include opening night against the Wizards, in which Kevin Garnett debuted with a double-double. A 45-point win against the Knicks, two last-second winning shots by Ray Allen, the dominance of the West Coast road trip, and dominance against the rest of the Atlantic highlighted the first 29 games of the season. (If I’m missing any other ones, please do share your thoughts!)
• The Celtics need just 24 more wins to reach the 50-win plateau for the first time since the days of the original Big Three. We can only hope that the Celtics change course and start 2008 on a much better note than they did in 2007. Again, Happy New Year!

Tags: Celtics, Four-Point Play, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen

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