Like most other teams, the Celtics [team stats] have a policy where they charge extra for individual game tickets when a marquee opponent is in town. The season-ticket prices remain the same, and it doesn’t seem so unreasonable to ask a bit more from the star hunters seeking a look at Kobe or LeBron.
On the other hand, shouldn’t a rebate be in order when people pay to watch a team playing its fourth game in five nights and sixth in nine?
League accountants should wear ski masks when they register the gate from the slumberous Celts’ 96-83 loss to the Bulls last evening. People paid serious money to watch their team perform on a night when it had almost no chance of putting forth a representative effort.
Since last Wednesday, the Celtics have now played in five different cities. This latest homecoming came undone when they parted ways with their pillows yesterday.
Before we get too far down this road, it should be stated strongly that fatigue is not why the Celts lost to Chicago. Nor are the injuries that had them without Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels.
They lost because they stopped passing the ball and decided it was better to go one on whatever and launch contested shots. They lost because they drove into the teeth of the Bulls defense and got their shots blocked 10 times. Yes, they were mentally tired, but they should have been smarter.
Under the circumstances, this should have been an ugly Celtics win. And that still would have been grounds to debate what the NBA allowed on the court. Instead, the latest sellout got to see the C’s mathematically eliminated from a shot at the 1995-96 Bulls record of 72 wins.
But looking at where the Celts have been lately, you really have to wonder if this is the kind of itinerary that’s conducive to serving a proper product to consumers.
“Well, you know how I feel about that,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I’ve always, no would be the answer.
“But the schedule is what it is, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We have 82 games, and the arena’s available when it’s available. And there’s just no way around it. Very few teams don’t go through it. I think some of the teams that own every date in the arena can control dates and space then out a little bit better. We’re not one of those teams, so that’s not going to happen.
“But no, it makes it tough. That’s why you just want to keep adding talent to your team and getting them deeper and deeper, because maybe you can sustain through a stretch. You know, going (through) this stretch with the injuries is like piling on, and that’s what makes it tough.”
Look, unless the NBA spreads the season out over an extra week or three (doubtful) or cuts back on the number of games (fuhgeddaboudit), situations like this will be a fact of life. But when you see the Celts put on a show reminiscent of Jim Morrison mumbling through “Light My Fire” with The Doors, it doesn’t make you feel any better for those who bit the financial bullet to get good seats for their kids.
“I think the league does its best with that,” said Rivers. “Who can sit here and do a schedule? It’s impossible and there’s just going to be quirks in the schedule that you’re going to get.
“It’s funny. (Wednesday) night we had the big win with getting guys a lot of rest, but you still played, you know what I mean?”
Paul Pierce [stats], looking absolutely exhausted, put on a bold front.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Every team in the NBA has to do it. We’re conditioned to play as many games as they put on the schedule, so I don’t know if that’s a factor or not. Hey, 82 games. Everybody’s got to do it.”
Indeed, the schedules are pretty much fair to all the teams. Just not always to the fans.
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