Friday night, the Boston Celtics opened their season with a dominating win over the Washington Wizards. The new "Big Three" of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen lived up to expectations, and from what I could tell by watching on TV, the Garden was rocking like it hadn't since the late 1980s.
For those fans who follow the Cs less than avidly, they might have been a little confused when one of the biggest ovations of the night didn't come after a thunderous KG dunk, a Ray Allen three-pointer or an and-one drive to the hoop by Pierce, but rather after an awkward dribble-drive by a chubby, red-headed white guy.
I'm speaking, of course, of Brian Scalabrine.
Scal's final stat line read something like this: nine points, three rebounds, three assists, 1-for-7 from the three-point line. But those stats (well above Scal's season or career averages, I might add) don't even come close to measuring the 6'9" Irishman's contributions to his team. Scalabrine, once dubbed "Veal" by his New Jersey Nets teammates, is the first guy off the bench after a timeout, often taking some of his valuable time to give Pierce or Allen some quick coaching before they go back in the game.
He's a great defensive communicator who's even able to redirect all of his teammates into proper positioning while they're focusing on their respective defensive assignments. So what if his own man beats him backdoor for a layup? Scal's a coach out there. Fans can also count on Scal to provide some entertainment before the game. To date, I have seen him hit exactly five shots during pre-game warmups.
By now I'm sure that you've detected just a trace of sarcasm in my voice. But don't get me wrong - I like Scal. It's just that ever since Celtics executive Danny Ainge signed him to a five-year, $15 million contract following the 2005 season, Celtics fans have had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Veal.
Why the love? Frankly, I think it has something to do with the fact that Scal looks like he's in roughly the same shape as pre-Subway diet Jared Fogle. You could easily see him playing for your local beer-league softball team. It's tough to imagine the Big Ticket doing that. While some NBA players are still in the gym working on their 18-foot jump shot, I like to think that Scal is lying on his couch with a beer and some leftover KFC. It allows me to maintain the delusion that I'm only one good tryout away from an NBA lineup.
Why the hate? It's a little less abstract. A lot of it has to do with the fact that we're paying a guy 15 million bucks to serve as a glorified cheerleader. Scal prides himself on being a defensive "stopper," but I have yet to see him stop anything but his own team's momentum.
Am I being too hard on the guy? Absolutely. Truth be told, every team needs its hustle players. Scal energizes the team with his play, but more importantly with his enthusiasm. And as much as the Garden loves to boo Scal when he's off, the fans can't resist him when he does something right.
So the next time you're at a Celtics game, take a second to watch the only guy on the court who looks like Ron Weasley with a beer gut. I guarantee it'll make your night just a bit more fun.
Will Herberich is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at William.Herberich@tufts.edu.
