Stephon Marbury's great opportunity awaits in Boston

ON BASKETBALL

It's not official yet, but anyone who closely follows the NBA knows it will happen.

One of the most league's most despised, selfish, wasted talents on the roster of the league's defending champion — on a team made up of his opposites: "team guys" who would never put themselves before their teammates.

And yet, I have a very good feeling about this. I think it will work (yes, I'm assuming it will happen) — both for the Celtics and Stephon Marbury.

That doesn't mean they'll win the NBA title together or even get past the conference finals, but losses on the court are as bad as things will get.

Marbury, to me, is not a bad person or even a naturally bad teammate. He's not irrevocably damaged. Rather, he is in need of direction. He needs to be a follower before he can become a respected leader.

At each of his NBA stops, he's been asked to run the team, be the starting point guard. Of course, as talented as he is, it made perfect sense. There was no way Mr. Big Time was coming off the bench or following the example of another player.

He was paid too much. His ego was too big.

And he played in a "players league." So as hard as the Don Caseys of the world might have tried to fine-tune Marbury into a winning point guard, he never had to listen, he never had to ride in the backseat.

That will all change in Boston. And that is the reason why this experiment has a great chance of not only landing the Celtics Banner 18, but rejuvenating Marbury's losses-infested career.

As a Celtic, he will ride the bench. It won't matter how well he plays — he's not getting budding starRajon Rondo's spot.

As a Celtic, he will be asked to follow one of the most voluble, intimidating leaders in the league, Kevin Garnett. This will not be like their ill-fated time spent together in Minnesota.

Then, they were both young and unproven. Neither player's career had taken off to the point of making him that much better, that much more proven and trustworthy than the other guy.

So Marbury, immature and full of himself, left Minneapolis as part of a bitter divorce. No one expected he'd ever reunite with K.G.

But now Garnett has all the power over his former teammate. He's the certain Hall-of-Famer. He's the man with the NBA title. He's got the ears of all his teammates.

He'll gain another set of ears as soon as Marbury's plane touches down. Screw up in Garnett's mind, and he'll be done before he can walk the Freedom Trail.

Experiments like this aren't new to New England sports. Not too long ago, the New England Patriots brought in controversial wide receiver Randy Moss. And even before that, they signed much-maligned running back Corey Dillon.

Under the killer eye of Bill Belichick, who doesn't blink when cutting players, Dillon never caused a problem and won a Super Bowl at the end of the 2004 season. Moss, meanwhile, has been nothing short of brilliant — and on his best behavior.

Doc Rivers might not be Belichick, but the makeup of an NBA team is more about the players than the coach. Even Belichick, with his iron fist, couldn't have handled the Knicks of a couple years ago.

The Celtics get it. Everyone, from Garnett to Ray Allen to Finals MVP Paul Pierce to youngsters Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, understands what the team is about and what its ultimate mission is.

There's no way a battered, bruised Stephon Marbury could mess that up even if he tried.

And he won't. Because even if a championship isn't important to him — and I doubt that — he knows that the only way to land a decent contract after the season is by being on his best behavior and doing what the Celtics ask of him.

So whether he plays 30 or 10 minutes a game (and I'm leaning toward the latter), don't expect to see the typical Marbury Pout while he sits on the bench once he moves one big city up the East Coast.

In fact, by learning from some of the game's best — both talent-wise and leadership-wise — he might change. He might become capable of running a winning basketball team next season, of being a winning starter for the first time.

To do something right, you have to see it and observe it first, right?

Marbury just turned 32. Maybe he'll be a late learner. ... Or maybe not.

But the marriage in Boston, even if brief, should be a peaceful one.

Center position is deciding Pistons-Celtics series

ON BASKETBALL

One game, it's Kendrick Perkins.

The next, it's Antonio McDyess and/or Jason Maxiell.

And so forth. If you're looking for simplicity in a dramatic Eastern Conference finals series that has had more twists and turns than a wending mountain road, look no further than the performance of these three players.

Talk all you want about Ray Allen regaining his shooting touch in Boston's 106-102 Game 5 victory Wednesday night, but the Celtics won the game thanks, primarily, to Perkins' dominant play against Detroit's McDyess and Maxiell -- and others.

Perkins set the tone from the outset, going after every rebound like his more renowned teammate, Kevin Garnett, is known for and scoring whenever his teammates passed him the ball. Detroit had a tough enough time stopping the hot-shooting Celtics on a normal possession, but when Perkins created extra scoring opportunities with five offensive rebounds, the Pistons had no chance.

The 6-foot-10, 280-pound center played precociously -- he's only 23 -- in scoring 18 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and making defensive plays with two steals and two blocks.

Shocking.

What was just as surprising was the non-performance by McDyess, who was the key in Detroit's Game 4 win. He was coming off a 21-point, 16-rebound showing in which he simply could not miss a midrange jump shot.

But for some unknown reason, the Pistons didn't even look for McDyess in their half-court offense. He air-balled his first shot, took just one more, battled foul trouble all night -- eventually fouling out -- and finished with a paltry four points, five rebounds and three turnovers in 28 minutes.

In other words, he would have been better off staying in Auburn Hills.

Maxiell, the other key cog in Detroit's 94-75, series-equalizing win Monday night, hardly even saw the court Wednesday. In a mere 11 minutes, he never was able to get revved up and scored six points with a single rebound on the side. It was a far cry from the 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting he put up in Game 4.

The team statistic that stands out from Boston's win: 42-25.

That was the Celtics' rebounding advantage. It was just 38-34 Boston the other night, an advantage that can be expected out of a K.G.-led frontline.

Prior to Game 5, there's no way I anticipated that Perkins would dominate his matchup against McDyess. Then again, that's how this series has gone -- back and forth, based on which starting center plays better.

Game 1 was the exception -- McDyess played better, but Boston still won. Look at the games since then, however:

Game 2: McDyess scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and snatched three steals in 39 minutes. Perkins was a non-factor. Detroit won, 103-97.

Game 3: Perkins had his second-best game of the series with 12 points (on 6-for-7 shooting) and 10 rebounds. McDyess was mediocre (8 points, 8 rebounds) and Maxiell didn't do much in 20 minutes.

And I've mentioned Games 4 and 5.

So as the series shifts back to The Palace, watch McDyess closely to see how he responds to his no-show in Boston. It is clear that of all the Pistons, he is the one itching the most for another shot at a championship. He lacks the title ring his teammates got in 2004, and at 33 years old his time is running out.

The Pistons would be smart to get McDyess involved early in the game, something they completely failed to do Wednesday. If he gets going in the first quarter, he'll likely have a big game.

Additionally, Maxiell -- as is the case with most young players -- tends to play better at home. So Flip Saunders would be well-advised to give him more minutes than offensive liability (not to mention quick-to-foul unnecessarily) Theo Ratliff.

As far as Perkins is concerned, it will be interesting to see how he follows up the game of his life. He'll definitely come out on the court with the same energy, but the key is harnessing it. Otherwise, he might find himself fouling out like he did in Game 4.

"I just played my game, no stress, no pressure," Perkins said of Wednesday's performance.

And now the pressure is squarely on his opponents' shoulders. I'd advise Chauncey Billups n' company to let McDyess share a good portion of the burden.