When your team manages to construct the best roster in a particular pro sport, they may not need the MVP. If your team plays tightly together, with the pivotal pieces interchangeable, they don´t need the same high scorer or rebounder night in and night out. And even when they lose the previous season´s ´Sixth Man of The Year,´ it may not matter, because the collective is what counts. The ´17th Man´ thus becomes more critical.
Was Brad a Bad Coach?
In the current case of the high-flying Boston Celtics, they happen to boast the so-called ´17th Man´ (hey, I just made that up!) in the form of the NBA´s Executive of the Year, Brad Stevens. Despite his experience, pedigree, and winning ways, he never seemed quite agitated enough when he paced the TD Garden sidelines before as head coach. Nor did he have the same gruff growl as Doc Rivers, who last led the Cs to an NBA title in 2008.
Stevens wasn´t anywhere close to the cigar-chomping machine known as Red Auerbach who ranted the Celts to 11 championships in 13 tries in the heyday of Bill Russell and Bob Cousy. Now Boston marches to the beat of a headman called Joe Mazzulla. He doesn´t often crack a smile (even when his Cs hit six 3s in a row, and lead by 20 in the fourth), and has a peculiar way of sternly speaking to insistent interviewers and his players.
On the other hand, the 17th Man always seems to have a sly smile on his mug. Maybe his failing as a coach was that he just seemed too nice. Stevens couldn´t quite bring himself to gesticulate wildly while getting in refs´ faces. It didn´t help that he couldn´t cultivate much of a five-o´clock shadow either.
What Do I Do to Become The 17th Man?
The 17th Man refers to a pro squad of 15 hoopsters, plus the head coach. (For now, we´re not going to give the assistant coaches any mention.) Then, bringing up the rear, comes the 17th Man who sits high in his ivory tower as he pulls the strings on draft day, and tries to ink vital position players on the move. He watches game after game from his cozy luxury box. But if he and his team come up empty at the end of the season (as indeed the Celts have so far in their seven-year run with Jayson and Jaylen as their go-to gunners), he can quickly become the fall guy.
Danny Ainge mustered a miracle or two as a player. He did it first for BYU when his full-court dash with seconds remaining in the March Madness mayhem of 1981 sunk the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Later Danny was a cog in the Celtics machine that ploughed its way to three championships in the ´80s behind Bird, Parish, and McHale (with DJ Dennis Johnson thrown in for kicks). That Boston team also participated in one of the greatest East Coast-West Coast NBA rivalries of all time, butting heads repeatedly with the Showtime Lakers run by Magic Johnson, with Kareem, James Worthy, and Michael Cooper amply filling the cup.
When he became the Celts´ 17th Man in 2003 (he stayed in the post 18 years), Ainge was both revered and criticized as an exec. He traded away popular Cs like Antoine Walker, and battled with former coach Jim O´Brien. Ainge managed like he played: brashly. But he brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston, and together with Paul Pierce, they made the greatest one-season turnaround in NBA history in 2007-08.
So Thankful to Work for The Celtics!
Now, Stevens and his squad are on a real roll. Yet, the dominant Celtics, who racked up 64 wins in the regular season (fourth best in franchise history), just conspired to lose Gm. 2 of their second round series at home to a middling Cavs team. Of course, the 17th Man is quick to change the focus. Brad Stevens, the ultimate 17th Man, exclaimed in a statement:
I am so thankful to work for the Celtics. Our ownership group has given us the support and resources to build this team. The players, coaches, front office, and support staff are amazing—superstars in their jobs across the board. This recognition has everything to do with the team, and nothing to do with any one individual. Great teams require that everyone in the building is fully committed to each other and moving in one direction.
Whatever it takes to leave the Lakers behind, languishing on the beach till next year.
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Wily hoops and soccer writer Will Beebe has been a Boston fan since he was a kid, for better or worse. His recent book, Soccer Giants of Brazil: One American´s Take on Samba Soccer Culture, is now on Amazon. www.soccergaintsofbrazil.com | Connect with Will on X: @WABeebe11.
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