Skip to main content

Danny Ainge knew Kevin Garnett was The Ticket to a Title

Image
By
Danny Ainge came to the Boston Celtics in 2003 as Executive of Basketball Operations, and by 2007 his hunger for an NBA Title as a member of the front office had peaked. Even with Paul Pierce on the roster, a Championship was not going to happen any time soon, so Ainge saw his Ticket-out-of-Mediocrity in the guise of Minnesota superstar, Kevin Garnett.


But Kevin wasn't going to leave Minnesota for just any destination. He wanted a Title as much as Ainge, but Garnett knew that Pierce's entourage was insufficient to get that done. Well, along came sharpshooting guard, Ray Allen, via trade, and the stage was set for The Big Ticket to come aboard.

Kevin didn't come cheap. Rising star, Al Jefferson, and youngsters Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green - in addition to Theo Ratliff - were sent to Minnesota - leaving the Celtics roster wealthy in talent but sparse in numbers. Retired star, Reggie Miller was close to being talked out of his life of leisure to join the ranks but ultimately decided against it. But Ainge did succeed in bringing Eddie House, P. J. Brown, Sam Cassell and James Posey into the mix, and The Green were off and running.

Pierce usually led the offensive attack, hitting from deep and driving into the fray - something he had done since coming into the League. Garnett did a lot of everything, but one of his main functions was to direct the defense - and he did it with the same incendiary intensity that never wavered. Ray Allen's marksmanship kept opposing defenses honest and allowed both The Captain and the Big Ticket to operate inside.

Center Kendrick Perkins was now on a perfect team for what he brought to the group. He rebounded the ball and provided inside defense and toughness, while not needing to put up a lot of points. Second-year-man, Rajon Rondo, with Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West gone via trades, took over the starting gig at point guard and did very well.

The Celtics finished the regular season with a 66-16 record and eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to take home their first Championship in 22 years. There may never have been an NBA player that consistently played with the same level of intensity displayed by The Big Ticket - although Marcus Smart does come to mind.


Kevin's number-5 jersey will be retired by the Celtics next season and be displayed next to Paul Pierce's number-34. The Captain and The Big Ticket together once again. You can almost hear Garnett's cry to Pierce, "O Captain, My Captain --- the prize we sought is won".

Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel, @CausewayStreet and Facebook








Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

By
 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...
23 comments
Read more

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

By
  Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my   family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...
15 comments
Read more

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

By
 We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely.  I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby:  25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players.  and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...
1 comment
Read more