Celtics show, again, the importance of experience

ON BASKETBALL

So the Boston Celtics are down, once again, 1-0 in a best-of-7 series.

So they lost the first game on their home floor.

So what?

The Celtics might be down, but they aren't panicking. And something tells me they'll find a way to fight back and oust the Orlando Magic from the playoffs with or without Kevin Garnett.

That "something" is experience.

Each postseason, every NBA analyst gesticulating on your TV screen mentions it, says how "important experience is this time of year." And most of the time an "intangible" gets so much attention, it's overrated -- just something for all the talking heads to blabber about.

But in the NBA playoffs, as the Celtics have proved in the past two postseasons, experience really can make a difference. It can separate a great team like the Celtics from a young, talented team like the Bulls. Or an untested playoff team such as the Magic.

Just take Game 7 of their epic series against the Bulls, a series that has to go down as one of the greatest of all time even if Boston is quickly dismissed from the postseason.

In that game, the Bulls' most talented player was rookie Derrick Rose. And while he was good at times -- especially in the third quarter -- he committed a trio of key turnovers and didn't control the game the way a veteran point guard would.

Boston's Rajon Rondo wasn't any better, but that wasn't too surprising considering he's the Celtic's youngest main-rotation player.

The guys who knew what they were doing, who knew how to handle a Game 7, were the veterans.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen found ways to get to the free-throw line in crunch time and then calmly sank the freebies. They made 16 of 17 free throws and the Celtics converted 30 of 39.

And then there was Eddie House, the sharp-shooter off the bench. He'd been a no-show for much of the series, but in the deciding game he continued to do what the team asked of him -- shoot 3-pointers.

And they went in ...all four of them. Take away House's 16 points, and we're talking about a Bulls-Magic series right now. House has been in the league for eight years and has played in his share of playoff series. He knew exactly what his role was.

Ben Gordon tried in vain to be the strong veteran presence for the Bulls, playing poorly on a bad hamstring in the second half after a quick start. Without an A-plus game from him, Chicago was left to rely on a group of very capable but inexperienced players.

Another Bulls veteran, Kirk Hinrich, came off the bench and played brilliantly. It might have seemed a surprise to the casual viewer, but he understood how to play in such a situation.

Still, the Celtics' veterans -- let's not forget the eight points and three rebounds Brian Scalabrine contributed -- were too much to overcome even minus K.G.

Now, after a loss to the Magic, the masses are out saying that Boston desperately needs Garnett to combat the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. He'd certainly help (obvious statement of the column). But Boston may also win this series without him.

Orlando is on the cusp of greatness. It has a reliable corps in Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu plus the injured Jameer Nelson. But they're still inexperienced compared to the Celtics, and I expect that to shine through at some crucial point in the series.

Let's not forget -- Boston had to survive two Game 7s and win a Game 6 in Detroit to get to the Finals a season ago. Nothing ever comes easy for the Celtics, and it certainly won't happen that way in these playoffs.

They may be exposed as thin inside sans Garnett. Their bench may have off games, as was the case, really, until Game 7 of the first round.

But these Celtics won't get beat mentally, won't let a dire situation negatively affect them.

And that can be attributed, in large part, to that word all the former-players-turned-analysts make sure to mention during each 30-second sound bite.

Experience.

The national-title game effect

ON BASKETBALL

Lost among the story of a record 10 freshmen getting taken in the first round of Thursday’s NBA draft was a story line that could be spun as a positive for college basketball.

I’ll call it the national-title game effect.

One by one, players from Kansas and Memphis either took the stage in New York or heard their names called from a television somewhere in the country. And by the end of the night, a team-record five Jayhawks had been selected as well as three Tigers.

That’s eight players out of 60 or 13.3 percent of the NBA’s newest employees. In one word, impressive.

Of course, several of the players would have been drafted regardless of what happened to their team during the season and the NCAA Tournament — Kansas’ Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur and Memphis’ Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts were basically sure things.

But for the other players, their teams’ deep runs into March — and then April — had to play a huge role in what transpired Thursday night. And even for a pair of the sure-thing draftees, their stock had to have been helped by their play in the Big Dance.

Before the tournament, not a soul considered Rose the No. 1 pick in June’s draft. He wasn’t even thought of as the best player on his team. But he played precociously when it mattered most on the big stage, showing off his great talent to the minions of people who hadn’t watched his Conference USA games during the regular season.

Rush, meanwhile, cemented the fact during March that he was fully recovered from the ACL tear that had forced him to pull his name from the draft the previous year (a huge blessing in disguise). And even though he didn’t have the best tournament, his stock continued to rise, eventually resulting in him becoming a lottery pick at No. 13.

The stories of the other players are even better. While CDR and Arthur were expected to be NBA players throughout the college season — and actually were chosen lower than expected — answer this:

In February, did anyone project Kansas’ Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson, a pair of down-low bangers, to make the most competitive league in the world? Yeah, when George Bush gets a good approval rating.

And did anyone think that little, 6-foot-1 Mario Chalmers, just another of Kansas’ throng of guards, could leave school a year early and safely make the association? That’s another no (and I’ll skip the sarcasm this time).

Even Memphis’ Joey Dorsey, who is described as a football player, wasn’t a sure thing to get drafted. He couldn’t shoot free throws — something he still can’t do — and was known to pull disappearing acts in big games by getting into foul trouble. But Dorsey matured in March and April and, like Chalmers, was an early-second round pick Thursday.

Chalmers, of course, proved his worth as a player with arguably the most clutch shot in college-basketball history.

As for Kaun and Jackson, inspiring performances in Kansas’ wins on the march to the national title had to sit well with NBA teams who were simply looking to find winners with their second-round choices. Because there’s no way the two seniors were the most talented players left on the “board” when selected.

(Even though Kaun will play overseas for the time being, getting drafted has to be a huge confidence booster as he begins his professional career.)

But teams must have figured, “Hey, we don’t have to give them guaranteed contracts. We can see if they make the team, and if they do, they might provide valuable minutes off the bench.” That’s all either guy could ask for. And whatever happens in the coming months, I’m sure they’ll both give great effort during their tryouts.

Don’t forget that it was Kaun who basically rescued a nervous Kansas team in the regional finals against Davidson. And both players made an impact for the Jayhawks in their final two victories in San Antonio.

It was refreshing to see, after watching freshman after freshman from mediocre team take the podium, that winning in college basketball still means something to a player’s future. Maybe not to a Michael Beasley-type player, but to guys who go to college without knowing for sure that they’ll end up with an NBA career, a mansion and six cars.

Now if only the NBA would allow high-school players to once again enter the draft — and make it so college players have to stay at least three years — the Mario Chalmers and Darnell Jacksons of the world would get the proper spotlight they deserve during the college season.

While the Beasleys and O.J. Mayos of the world wouldn’t have to fool around on campus for a year for going-nowhere teams.

Heat would be foolish not to pick Beasley

ON BASKETBALL

"Character issues."

It's one of those phrases ESPN analysts -- and the other 43,296 sports "experts" in this country alone -- love to throw out when discussing that player who is extremely talented but, alas, messes up once in awhile.

It doesn't have an explicit definition, but it can refer to a player who's been arrested six times, a player who rains money in strip clubs that leads to innocents getting shot, and other kinds of scenarios -- including a player who, I dare say, lets his mother feed him a chicken wing.

So let me ask this question: Which of the CIs listed below do you believe is more serious? And which CI would you be more concerned about if you were interested in employing the man with the CI for a yacht-load of money?

1. A player who is known for being a prankster, including writing his name all over one of the many high schools he attended -- the key words being "high schools."

2. A player whom an extremely detailed report identified as taking gifts from a booster-type figure. A player who despite the evidence continues to deny everything. In my book, almost certain a liar.

If you're an NBA fan, you know whom I am referring to. The first player is Michael Beasley, whom most experts consider the most talented player in Thursday's draft. He also happens to enter the event with the best college numbers despite playing in the super-competitive Big 12.

The second player is also very capable. No one will deny that about O.J. Mayo. But he's not better than Beasley, no matter what his new boyDwyane Wade thinks and tells the Miami Heat's decision-makers.

More than a month ago, prior to the draft lottery, Beasley was touted as a sure thing to go either No. 1 or No. 2 in the draft along with Memphis point guard Derrick Rose. Now, reportedly, the Heat are having serious doubts and are leaning toward either trading the pick and getting Mayo or Arizona point guard Jarryd Bayless, or simply taking Mayo.

Would the decision come back to haunt them? I'm not going to make that stretch -- Mayo will be far from an NBA scrub. But it would still be a mistake, just not a Sam Bowie-caliber gaffe.

As any expert -- and Beasley's barber -- will tell you, Beasley is a "can't-miss" prospect. Let me translate: He'll be a productive NBA starter for several years to come. In Miami, he could be D-Wade's sidekick, posting up when Wade's outside-penetration game isn't working and also stepping out to shoot the long bombs.

I harbor no doubts that Beasley will be an All-Star at some point for whichever teams drafts him. And he could fit in Miami with Shawn Marion, who is more of a wing player. His rebounding shouldn't be ignored either, as the barber said when he predicted the kid becoming a top-10 guy in that category in all of the league.

Beasley has all the tools to help the Heat quickly place last season's disaster in quick sand. Yet the good old CIs might just get in the way of him ending up in South Beach.

That's sad.

Beasley, no doubt, loves to have a good time. He jokes around, even saying he'll pull a fake handshake on commissioner David Stern Thursday night (I don't think he has the guts for that). He probably goes out and mixes it up with the ladies.

But does he hurt anyone? Has he ever been arrested? And, importantly, did any of these CIs affect him during his stellar season in Manhattan, Kan?

No, no and no.

Beasley has a checkered past, and his comical style might rub some the wrong way, but overall he's innocuous. Just a kid -- who happens to be very good, not to mention hardworking, at basketball -- having fun.

Mayo, on the other hand, has some issues that could affect his pro career -- note the word "could." He, like Beasley, attended several high schools. And he, like Beasley, got into some trouble during his adolescent years, including an incident with a referee that got him ejected from a game, although the ref might have done some acting.

Unlike Beasley, however, Mayo's one-year-and-"see ya" college career is publicly tarnished. A very extensive ESPN investigation revealed that he took about $30,000 in cash and gifts from a sketchy friend during his bike-riding days at USC.

Of course the ongoing investigation can't affect Mayo now, as he will, I'm sure, upgrade from his Huffy to an Escalade in a matter of minutes. But the most troubling aspect of the case is that Mayo has played dumb, repeatedly denying that he did anything wrong when it's pretty clear that he did.

If an NBA organization is ready to take a player with the No. 2 pick in the draft, it should be able to trust that man. Mayo, at least to me -- an outsider who has never stepped within 100 miles of him -- doesn't seem like an honest person.

But on the eve of the draft, it's Beasley's character issues that might drop him a slot. Of course, Minnesota would love to have him, and it would be much easier to stay out of trouble in the chilly Twin Cities.

But Miami, devoid of a front-court star, would miss him in a big way.