Celtics teammates accept Posey’s bear hugs
James Posey - 1st off the bench
By Mike Fine
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Apr 18, 2008 @ 12:08 AM
Last update Apr 18, 2008 @ 08:49 AM
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WALTHAM — It’s become a game-night staple, almost like Larry Bird wiping the bottom of his shoes with his bare hands, or M.L. Carr waving a white towel.
James Posey stands along the sidelines, meets a couple of his teammates and clasps them in a great big man … OK, bear hug and whispers a few words of encouragement.
Most of the Boston Celtics have been involved, even coach Doc Rivers. “I have,” Rivers said. “It’s very tight and longer than usual. He threw me off one game.”
“Yeah, you start one thing and it becomes ritual and you can’t change it,” Ray Allen said. “(Wednesday) night he wasn’t there (DNP-CD) and you kind of freeze up a little bit.” Allen said he has his own little rituals, like looking at certain people who are in the crowd every game, but the Posey ritual seems to get his teammates in a positive frame of mind.
“At first it was more a couple of individuals on the team,” said Posey, who first started the practice during his two seasons in Memphis, 2003-05. “It carried on from there.”
It seems to work. Posey feels the practice is useful and appreciated. “Some guys do,” he said. “I think they do. They haven’t turned down my hugs yet.”
Nor have they turned down any of the other positives that Posey has brought to the team, and as the Celtics prepare for the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs Sunday night at the Garden, they know they’re going to need him and his work, both before the game and once he comes into it, usually as the first player off the bench.
Posey this season has been exceptional, parlaying his defensive efficiency with his 3-point shooting abilities (106-for-279, 3.80) into a substantial contribution. He has meshed wonderfully with Eddie House, youngsters Leon Powe and Glen Davis, plus newcomers P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell. While most of the credit for the team’s success has gone to Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, one could arguably make the case that this team would be nowhere without its bench.
“I think early on we started out pretty good and then hit a wall for awhile,” Rivers said of the bench. “Then we got it going again. The one good thing about our bench, besides Posey, is that it’s been pretty much consistent throughout. There’s been different guys on different nights and that’s been good, as well.”
He does agree, though, that Posey has been the solidifying factor. “Yeah, not only to the bench but also to the team. He’s been terrific in so many other ways than just basketball.”
“I’m just being myself for the most part, just treating others as I would like to be treated. That’s all I can say,” said Posey, who said he’d rather avoid the notebooks and cameras and interact with his teammates.
When Posey signed with the Celtics last Aug. 25, he knew that the top three players were already in place, and that Eddie House had signed. But as far as playing on a bench unit of youngsters, many of them completely untested, was concerned, he simply had no idea what to expect.
“Eddie had signed before me so I knew Eddie was here. That was another big reason why I came. I wanted to be part of something special, as well. At that point it was just me and Eddie. You didn’t really know how things were going to turn out, so just come in and work like you do night in and night out and you see what happens.”
He had no clue about the kids, though. “I knew I just controlled my own destiny, so I was coming into training camp and working hard and trying to earn my minutes and playing time. That’s all I’ve ever done. We’ve got a bunch of guys who are competitors. We compete and it’s about winning at the end of the day. We have guys accepting their roles and they’ve done the best they can. It’s no surprise that we have this much to show for the long haul of the season.
“I’ve been trying to tell these young guys that every team is not like this. You don’t have guys that really care about you and want to help you, so they should appreciate it. It could always go the opposite way. You could always be on a team that’s very selfish and is not into winning, not into teaching and not into trying to help the next man get better. That could really be a terrible thing, especially being young.”
See? This is what Posey does. He mentors his teammates. He gives them a shot of confidence, a word of encouragement, even a hug or two.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” he says of his role. “I’m always over to them, asking and talking. I know myself for the most part and it’s the reason I’ve been in this league. I think I have a little wisdom and things to share with some of the younger guys. At the same time I’m still learning things from P.J. and Sam. It’s an ongoing thing, just learning and trying to improve myself as a person and a basketball player.”