Before there was Rasheed Wallace, there was Michael Jordan. Before him there was Joe Namath and before him there was Muhammad Ali. It’s easy to get caught up making statements you don’t necessarily mean, especially in sports where everyone expects you to believe you’ll win every game you play. But sometimes guys go out of their way to puff out their chests, and then put it all on the line with a guarantee. Some players need it to motivate themselves; others just can’t shut up. The latest NBA player to go all in is the new Celtic: Jason Terry.
Terry isn’t new to this game either. Twice, he’s tattooed the Larry O’Brien trophy on his body. The first time in Dallas, the team delivered a ring the following summer. Now, after signing with the Celtics this offseason, his swagger is all the way turned up. Recently, he inked Lucky the Leprechaun spinning the championship trophy on his arm, and now, he’s also saying all types of outlandish things.
One of those instances was when Terry recently told WBZ-TV in Boston:
“He’s spinning the Larry O’Brien trophy, that we will win,” Terry said.
“Similar situation, same type of feeling,” he said of the championship Mavs and 2012 Celtics. “Going into training camp right now looking at our roster and what Danny has put together – we have a good team. A solid core of veteran guys, two Hall of Famers, one of the best point guards in the league – the best if you ask me in Rajon Rondo – and a good nucleus of young guys that are going to have to play and help us out.”
So it’s like that, Jason? He’s confident about his move to Boston, even after leaving Dallas on somewhat of a sour note. It’s hard to completely dismiss him.
Boston is good, really good, and if you had told me they’d still be here five years after initially trading for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, I would’ve laughed. Yet somehow they’ve done it, and were one of the winners of the NBA’s offseason. They stole Jared Sullinger in the draft, robbed Courtney Lee from Houston, got Jeff Green back, secured Kevin Garnett for three more years, and of course, enticed the JET to come north. People forget this team causes more problems for Miami than anyone, and were actually up 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. No, they didn’t have an answer for LeBron, and won’t next year either. But the community and family structure put in place by Garnett and Doc Rivers can perhaps overcome that.
Because of injuries (Derrick Rose) and trades (Dwight Howard), the East is a wasteland outside of Miami and Boston. Unless the guys from Celtic Pride return to kidnap Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce, one of those teams is going to win the Eastern Conference (the Bulls might have a shot depending on how Rose looks when he returns). Terry’s banking on the Celtics winning both the conference finals and NBA Finals without the benefits of homecourt advantage (probably), and without the best player in either series (definitely). That’s almost impossible to do. But the last time he guaranteed a title, I picked the Heat and laughed at him, so what do I know?
How good are their chances?
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