Here's Leon and Perk at the DVD signing I attended in Boston. Just thought I'd throw that picture up as I delve into the Bonus Features. (Leon arrived in a white limo btw.)Kevin Garnett - First All-Star Game: This was a great look back to 1997. There's footage of a wide-eyed KG watching the dunk contest and the three point shootout. You can tell he's so happy to be there as it was just his second year in the league. And for those of you who were wondering, Glen Rice was the MVP that year. Fun fact!
Paul Pierce Helicopter Ride: Sounds kinda weird right? This is literally Paul Pierce riding in a helicopter over Los Angeles. He points out where his high school was and talks about a date gone wrong. Fun stuff that they had in the can somewhere from 2002. Pierce really comes off as a likeable dude. Of course, I don't think Laker fans (and I guess every other team's fans) are thinking the same thing after Pierce recently claimed that he's the best player in the league because he won the Finals MVP.
Robert Parish on the new Big 3: Insightful look into the views of a former Celtic great. Comparing himself, Bird and McHale to what the new guys need to do, Parish said, "Nobody allowed egos or personal goals to get in the way." He also said that the new Big 3, "wouldn't have worked early on in their careers." which again reinforces the point that this truly was a special team because of the timing. Bird and McHale probably didn't want to be interviewed since they are working for other teams currently (even though Kevin had a HUGE hand in this roster forming). Always good to hear from The Chief though. Now I just need to get those images of him in a Hornets and a Bulls jersey out of my head.
I am a Celtic: Best feature on the DVD. John Havlicek, Sam Jones and Bob Cousy basically teach a history class about the franchise. We're talking the good (basically everything from the fifties to 1986) the bad (the Len Bias and Reggie Lewis tragedies even though they didn't mention Lewis by name which was weird) and the ugly (not getting the number one pick in the lottery which was turned into Tim Duncan and years of mediocrity). The Big 3 press conference is shown and the three legends talk about how the current team has the right balance of talent, youth and experience to succeed. Some great stuff but it could have been longer. This is where Tommy Heinsohn's presence was sorely missed. They also re-used some footage from the main feature which was kind of lame. There was a great bit where at a practice from this past season where the team is running sprints. Doc runs with them and says he won't finish in last. He does the Gordy Lechance fake out/head start deal and I'm pretty sure he beats Scot Pollard. Good stuff.
Bill Russell/Kevin Garnett conversation: This was shown during the playoffs. It struck me as odd how close Russell seemed to feel to Garnett comparing him to his kids and whatnot. He just joined the team this year. Maybe they had meetings in the past but it was clear that Russell had been following KG's career from afar and was stoked that Garnett was finally wearing the white and green. You don't see stuff like this too often.
Inside the mind of Kevin Garnett: Let's get one thing straight. This dude is crazy. I kind of already knew that from watching him play but this is some next level stuff. The segment is only a couple of minutes long (if that) and it's basically him talking about how he feels when he is on the court. He talks about grass and water and other freaky imagery. I don't ever want to be inside his mind or anywhere in the vicinity. Let's move on...
Danny Ainge - Building a Championship: The Sonics franchise knew they were moving and didn't want to pay Ray Allen and Kevin McHale is a dope of a GM. Then other dudes wanted to play on a team with Pierce, Jesus and KG. That's how he did it. There is a small Tommy clip in this piece. Ainge also talks about how great Wyc Grosbeck and the other owners are and how supportive they've been.
Ray Allen - NBA Cares: When I saw this on the back of the DVD case I figured it would show Allen going to the school and reading to the little kids that you saw in all the commercials. Well guess what. It was JUST THE DAMN COMMERCIAL! What the hell is the point of putting that on? I actually laughed. But after watching the feature and watching all the bonus features, one thing was readily apparent:
The NBA was going to make a Celtics DVD regardless if they won the Finals or not. All of the interviews and all the footage was filmed during the season. The I am a Celtic feature particularly pointed this out because Cousy and Co. kept talking about how it would be great if this years team won it all. The Garnett first All Star game and the Pierce helicopter ride had been in the can for years. This is what I was talking about in the first post. There is definitely some quality stuff here but it was evident that the NBA didn't go the extra mile. Hell, they didn't even go the extra foot. There was also another glaring omission and it was something that they could have filmed during the year. Who else wasn't on the DVD?
This guy! A two minute piece is honestly all it would have taken. If you don't know who this is, go to youtube right now. C'mon NBA!
The entire fourth quarter of Game 7 vs. Cleveland and the entire fourth quarter of Game 6 vs. Detroit round out the bonus features. You know what it's like watching a tv show like Lost or 24 live, then later watching them without any commercials? Yeah, imagine that but a basketball game. Do you know how many damn time outs and stoppages of play there are in an average fourth quarter of an NBA game, nevermind the playoffs? Already knowing the outcome sort of diminishes the overall impact but it was still damn fun to watch, especially the Pierce/Lebron showdown.
So again, there's good stuff on here but that's only because it was such a great story and the franchise has so much history. The NBA dropped the ball on this but it's still worth watching/owning. And for now, it will have to hold me over along with the Olympics until the regular season starts.
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