Boston
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The mystery of Al Jefferson's activation for the Memphis game two days ago in which he played just three minutes has been solved: that little demonstration was enough to convince the league that Big Al was healthy enough to take the place of injured Emeka Okafor in the Rookie-Sophomore game. Big Al joins Tony Allen in the challenge, the third such dynamic Celtics duo to represent at that game, and they will chill with buddy Paul Pierce during the weekend as Pierce heads for his fourth-straight All-Star game.
It's kind of funny how it worked out. It could be argued that Jefferson should have been on the Rookie squad all along but he wasn't chosen by the coaches stuffing the ballots, even though he wasn't injured at the time. It's almost as if the voters didn't really look much past the minutes-played stat to decide who is deserving.
In any event, it looks like the two big men in the middle for the rookies will be Big Al and Dwight Howard. They really have no other people who could play center or power forward. Luol Deng is long but he typically plays the small forward spot. Meanwhile, they'll be going up against sophomores Amare Stoudemire, Udonis Haslem, and Chris Bosh.
It will be Tony Allen's job to shut down either LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony. He may just be the only player to ever play defense in the Rookie challenge in the history of the event. It'll be fun to see the reaction of the sophomores to this pesky defender and high-flying finisher.
NEXT GAME
Paul Pierce will be in the All-Star game and Tony Allen will play alongside other star rookies but the next time the whole team is together to take on a common foe will be next week as the men in green start take all next week to go Lewis & Clark on the NBA, visiting four Western Conference teams in five days. First up, right after the break, the Celtics (27-26, first in the Atlantic) visit long-time nemesis the LA Lakers (26-24, third in the Pacific). It's no Bird vs. Magic but Pierce vs. Kobe should be a good show as the two teams have similar records and styles and there will probably be lingering wounds from the All-Star game. The game is Tuesday, February 22nd. It starts at 10:30pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Fox Sports New England as Tommy Heinsohn is still looking for someone to love (he is rebounding from his relationship with Walter McCarty) and NBA TV in High Definition.
TEAM NOTES
The FleetCenter, excuse me, the JoeyColinAbbyCenter for now, will be renamed every day until March 1. For about $3,000, you can have it named after you. All of the auctions have ended except for March 1, which is currently showing a high bid of around $1,500. Check outwww.fleetcenter.com for links to the auction site. This auction expires in 5 days.
INJURY UPDATE
Justin Reed("knee" injury, yeah right) andMichael "Yogi" Stewart (another "knee" injury) are on the "injured" list. That's a lot of quotes all of which are intended to suggest that the list deserves a new name. C'mon, Commissioner Stern: rename it the Inactive Reserve List and do away with the phony health inspection.
Shira Springer ofThe Boston Globewrites: Al Jefferson flew home yesterday morning prepared for a relatively quiet weekend in Prentiss, Miss. He planned to watch the All-Star Game on television and have his high school number retired in a small ceremony. But by yesterday afternoon, Jefferson was booking travel arrangements to Denver so he could participate in tonight's Rookie Challenge at the Pepsi Center as a replacement for Charlotte forward Emeka Okafor (left ankle sprain).
Shira Springer ofThe Boston Globewrites: Conversations with rookie Tony Allen should come with a proceed-at-your-own-risk warning. He talks about improving his midrange jumper and shoots imaginary 15-footers. With each flick of the wrist miming a perfect follow-through, he shouts, "Wet," preferring the playground slang for a basket. Asked how the word "wet" came into use, Allen shrugs and looks off into the distance. His mind wanders between his past growing up on the west side of Chicago, where he first learned the game, and the future he envisions at the FleetCenter with a perfected jump shot. "I'm coming off screens and it's wet," said Allen. "Pull up, `Wet. Wet. Wet. Wet.' Once I get that J down, I think I'm going to be an All-Star, a real All-Star."
Mark Murphy ofThe Boston Heraldwrites: Progress is coming in tiny, tiny steps. The Celtics went 5-8 in November, 8-8 in December, 8-8 in January, and now, heading into the All-Star break, 6-2 in February. They have been as perplexing on the road (8-17) as they have been strong at home (19-9). They are, in other words, the definition of a mediocre NBA team, with one intriguing side note.They also move into the last third of the season with a one-game lead in the worst division in basketball - the late, great Atlantic.
Chris Tomasson ofThe Rocky Mountain Newswrites: It was a half-hour before tip-off and the players weren't budging. The NBA All-Star Game was in jeopardy of not being played. NBA commissioner Walter Kennedy was beside himself. He finally had gotten a contract for the 1964 game to be televised, and the players had voted 18-2 to possibly strike. Led by president Tom Heinsohn, a Boston forward, the players union insisted on being recognized by the league.It wanted a pension plan and a number of other improvements. Finally, with the minutes ticking away and fans and television executives getting restless, the league gave in to the demands. The game at the Boston Garden went on, although it was delayed 20 minutes.