Columnists
RSS Feed  RSS
Weei » Columnists » Paul Flannery
Archives     Blog: Green Street
About Paul Flannery

Paul Flannery began his journalism career answering phones at the Herald, which led him on a cross-country odyssey that included stops in Oregon, Virginia and Philadelphia, before coming home to Boston where he is now the online editor at Boston magazine.

Share This Page
MOST RECENT COLUMNS
02/08/10 04:05 EST
Before we dive into the Ray Allen trade rumors, let’s start with a premise: The Celtics don’t want to trade him for two reasons. First, they already know that their starting five can win a championship. Yes, things have changed since 2007-08, but there is comfort in that knowledge, and any move involving Allen — no matter how new and shiny the pieces appear to be — will take time for the whole thing to work. Second, if the Celtics don’t trade Allen and if the Celtics begin to gel over the last 33 games of the season they can, at least in theory, work out an extension for Allen. That would, A) save them money in the long run, and B) keep their core intact through 2012, when they can reassess the team after Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace’s contracts expire and a new collective bargaining agreement is in place. Granted, that’s a whole lot of ifs — especially a new CBA, which could become an ugly fight — but there are reasons
02/07/10 07:56 EST
SPONSORED LINKS
A week ago after a nationally televised loss, the Celtics stood up after their latest fourth-quarter collapse against an elite team and accepted collective responsibility for their breakdown. They would get better, they said. Their focus and execution would improve and the breakdowns, both physical and mental, would stop. At least, it sounded convincing. A week later they seemed on the verge of regaining the benefit of the doubt after ripping off three straight wins, even though the opposition could only charitably be described as mediocre. The true test would come with yet another nationally televised showdown, this time against the Magic, and once again they failed. “You know, one of the guys said, ‘We’re better than Orlando,’ ” Doc Rivers said after the latest excruciating meltdown resulted in a 96-89 loss to the Magic. “And I said, ‘No, you’re not.’ That’s a bunch of crap. They beat you three games. Two at your place.
02/04/10 01:49 EST
The way Tony Allen had it figured, he had been going over the pick and roll all night in an effort to force Dwyane Wade from doing what Wade does best: barrel his way to the basket. The problem is that Wade is not one of the best players in the league simply because of his ability to score. Sure, Wade was on his way to a 30-point night, but he had also racked up 13 assists mostly by hitting his big men for jumpers after Allen had gone under the screen to stop him from attacking the basket. So, with a minute left and the Celtics clinging to a fourth-quarter lead — the kind of lead they have let slip away time and again the last month — Tony Allen made an adjustment. “I just went under it the second time, and right when I went under, it split and I was able to get a hand on it,” Allen said. “He’s a hell of a player. I was just fortunate enough to get a stop.” Fortunate indeed, because Allen’s lockdown defense, and clutch free throws, helped
01/31/10 08:33 EST
The tendency right now is to write off the Celtics. For the last month, they have been treading water in a sea of mediocrity — and when they had three games to prove themselves against the best the league has to offer, they came up short in all three games. But maybe this is just what they needed. Perhaps this odd stretch in the middle of the NBA winter is the best thing that could have happened to the Celtics, short of discovering their old magic and winning all three. Consider that before this trio of games the Celtics considered themselves one of the elite teams despite the preponderance of evidence that has been building against them since Christmas. If they needed a jolt, getting unceremoniously swept is about 10,000 volts worth of electricity. Consider also that from the beginning of the second quarter until about the last five minutes of their 90-89 loss to the Lakers Sunday, the Celtics put together their best run of basketball since that Christmas Day game



Audio & Video on Demand

  • -

    Rosevelt, our Indianapolis correspondent, talked about playing with Drew Brees back in their days at Purdue, what he was thinking going into the Super Bowl and what actually surprised him in the game, which player is being singled out as the goat in Indianapolis, where this Colts team ranked with previous seasons, and what's the latest on his many business ventures

    Peter joined the guys to recap Super Bowl XLIV and discussed Sean Payton's decision to start the second half with an onside kick, the evolution of Payton as a coach over the years, what the loss does for the legacy of Peyton Manning, how Bill Polian was taking the Colts loss, what the win means for the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, and the results for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

    Patriots linebacker Adaluis Thomas joins Mustard and Johnson to clarify he's still a Patriot and discusses his relationship with Belichick.

  • -

    Jackie talked about the struggles of the Celtics in the second half of games, that both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett would be better off skipping the All-Star Game, if Ray Allen will be a member of the Celtics at the end of the season, if signing Rasheed Wallace was a mistake, how Rondo has become the most important member of the team in many respects, and dropped a great rap to pay off her Super Bowl bet with Michael

    Eddie talked about if he or Paul Pierce would be participating in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend this year, why his shot hasn't been the same as last year but he is working on the kinks every day, how the guards need to do a better job of rebounding, the team struggling to finish games strong, the leadership of Rajon Rondo, and told us to look up his impression of Ray Allen on YouTube

    Doc joins D&C to talk about the C's struggles, Ray Allen on the trade block and the All Star Game

  • -

    Mike talked about how the Bruins need some help, that they may have overachieved last year but they are better than how they are playing right now, the trade of Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils and who got the best of the deal, what he would have done different in the past offseason, if he is seeing players tuning out Claude Julien, how the Bruins don't have a dynamic player, and why Milan Lucic looks like a different player this year

    Peter talked about the Bruins coming off a disappointing month of January, his thoughts on the Leafs making two big trades over the weekend, if anyone has approached him in making a move, how he is unwilling to trade their first round pick from Toronto, how the team doesn't seem confident right now, if Thomas is still the number 1 goalie, and that he has looked at trade possibilities over the last month but nothing has made sense yet

    The Jacobs talk to Dale and Kevin Paul Dupont about how significant it is for their team to be a part of the NHL's big day, as well as how important the fans are in making this event special. Jeremy and Charlie also discuss how outdoor games could be expanded in the future and what impact the Olympic Games may have on their franchise.

  • -

    Dustin joins Mut and Bradford for his weekly appearance on the Laser Show. Dustin talks to the guys about getting closer to re-joining his teammates at spring training, what he has done to make Marco Scutaro feel comfortable with the Red Sox, and where he would prefer to bat in the lineup.

    Dustin makes his weekly appearance with Mut on the Laser Show. Dustin talks about getting ready to re-join his teammates in Spring Training and continuing his off-season conditioning program. Dustin also talks about returning to his hometown to speak to a group of students, and what his advice is for young ballplayers.

    Mike joined Michael and Lou to talk about his role as narrator of the new film "Touching the Game: Alaska", all the major league players who played in the Alaska Baseball League, what's new in his life after his playing career, going to a major league game as a fan, and if he has closed the door on any possible return to the game

Weei Writers