Brian Scalabrine is not an NBA star. He has the sixth-highest salary on the Celtics [team stats] and he is not their sixth-best player. When he was signed as a free agent, it was written here that rookie Ryan Gomes would give the C’s more for half the money.
And the fact that Scalabrine is truly a “nice guy” has no bearing in any discussion of his ability to contribute. But you should know there were a lot of happy people in green-and-white sneakers Monday when Scalabrine spotted up on the right side and stuck a 3-pointer 2:24 into the game against Atlanta.
Scalabrine hadn’t been able to open the gift wrapping above the rim since Christmas Day in Orlando. His scoreless streak encompassed some 72 minutes over the ensuing seven games. After connecting on a trey with 7:23 left in the third quarter against the Magic, Scalabrine missed his last two shots that day and all seven since. Six of the nine were from beyond the arc, which is pretty much the shot the Celts want him taking to spread the floor.
“That was great,” Paul Pierce [stats] said. “That was great to see. Scal just works so hard.”
Pierce is the same guy who watched Scalabrine going through extra drills after the shootaround in Memphis last month and said, “I love Brian Scalabrine. Look at him out there sweating. Young guys need to see what he’s doing and learn from that.”
Because Scalabrine shoots so rarely (nine shots is a quarter for Lakers star Kobe Bryant), coach Doc Rivers wasn’t bothered for the team by the recent drought. But he was concerned for Scalabrine.
“One of the reasons I started him was because he could get into the game right away and just play,” Rivers said. “I thought that allowed him to stay relaxed and calm. I thought that was important for him.”
Scalabrine’s importance to the Celtics is doubted by many, but Rivers is quick with a rebuttal.
“He does so many things,” Rivers said. “There was a fast break that he had nothing to do with, but he saw our big was beat and he moved in the way of one of their guys and blew up the whole play. People just don’t see what he does.”
For his part, Scalabrine harbors no illusions.
“I know I’m not a starter on a championship team,” he said.
And even though he realizes scoring is perhaps fourth or fifth on his to-do list, the recent hoopless streak had to wear on him.
“It doesn’t enter my head as a negative thing, but making shots is what helps you win games,” Scalabrine said. “Missing shots doesn’t help you at all, so you want to make shots and help your team win. You want to play well. But I’m not out there thinking, man, I haven’t made a shot since Christmas. I don’t think about that every time I’m about to shoot. I just think, well, I’ve got to do more. I’ve got to improve today. That’s my mindset going in.
“The biggest thing I can do on the offensive end is just be a threat,” added Scalabrine, who made all three of his treys Monday. “Until they start leaving me wide open, I’m at least helping to space the floor for other people. If they start leaving me, then that becomes a real problem. But they’re guarding me, and that helps other people.”
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