On a cold, snowy night in Boston a new folk-hero was born. Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to tell you of the tale of Luke Harangody.
It’s not that the rookie from Notre Dame was much of a secret. He scored over 2,400 points and grabbed over 1,200 rebounds for one of the most recognizable programs in college basketball. But, the question remained, could the generously-listed 6-foot-8 Harangody see his skills translate in the NBA? There’s a reason he was available with the 52nd pick in the draft.
But as he said last week, he’s been undersized his whole career and it’s not like anyone in the Big East could stop him. Plus, the one thing that no amount of size or speed can take away from him is the thing that caught everyone’s attention on this notoriously tough to impress team.
“He’s going to fight,” Doc Rivers said. “He’s going to do whatever he needs to do for you. The guys appreciate that. They love effort. When you get guys that come off the bench and play with the energy and intensity that he plays with, I really think the starters love that. That’s what gets them up and cheering. That’s why they like him so much because they see his effort every day.”
The effort got him noticed. It earned him some minutes playing behind Glen Davis with Kevin Garnett sidelined with a strained calf muscle. But effort alone can’t do what Harangody did Friday night against the Raptors when scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 122-102 victory (click here for a full recap).
Harangody checked in at the 3:58 mark of the first quarter and by the 3:49 mark, he was on the scoreboard. “The one thing he’s not is shy,” Rivers said. “I think he was in all of a half-second and he took a shot. The whole bench started laughing because that’s who he is and we want him to stay that way.”
He made three more shots, then he drained a 3-pointer and suddenly the “Luuuuke” chants that had greeted him didn’t seem so ironic. (As an aside, there was a half-hearted attempt at a Har-An-Gody chant in the second half. Please put that one in your back pocket, Garden faithful).
“I did that in four years in Notre Dame,” Harangody said. “If I’m open, I’ll take the shot.”
He appreciates the trust the coaching staff and players have in him in regards to his shot, which isn’t exactly Ray Allen-perfect from an aesthetic standpoint. But it works for him and those points didn’t score themselves at Notre Dame. “That’s the great thing about playing for Doc,” Harangody said. “A lot of other teams, you don’t get that as a rookie.”
Harangody learns fast, which is another reason his teammates like him. He understands the position he’s in on the Celtics. “On this team, you got to look around the locker room and realize who’s around,” he said. “This is just one game. Nothing’s changed. My role is always defense and go out there and rebound and bring some energy.”   
The scoring didn’t hurt either. His 17 points were just five fewer than he’s scored in his career to this point. “Every time he makes a shot the legend of Luke grows,” Rivers said. “We laugh, but it does. The next game, you’ll hear the other team yelling get back out to him and that creates space for [Rajon] Rondo and everybody else.”
Here are three more things from a night when Luke Harangody became a trending Twitter topic in Boston.
GOOD NEWS ON THE INJURY FRONT
Almost as an aside Rivers mentioned that Garnett was ready to return to action next week, possibly as early as Monday. Beyond the obvious importance of Garnett’s return to the lineup, that indicates that the calf injury he suffered against Detroit truly wasn’t serious.
But that wasn’t the only bit of good news the Celtics shared before the game. Kendrick Perkins announced that he was ready to return to practice next week – assuming there is one – and that he was three weeks away from returning to the court for games.
Perkins also said that he expected to reclaim his starting spot after a game or two, which will be one of the subplots worth watching as the season heads into the second half.
The Celtics have maintained that everything will work itself out in due time and there’s good reason to believe that. Jermaine O’Neal, for example, didn’t play in the second half because of soreness in his knee. “I think his knee is going to be sore for the rest of his life, but there’s going to be different degrees of pain,” Rivers said.
Then there is Shaquille O’Neal who has dealt with his own injuries. Shaq has given the Celtics 20 minutes a night, but he has slowed noticeably over the last few weeks. His 12 points and six rebounds were the most he’s had since Dec. 22 against the 76ers.
The Celtics have options and Perkins adds another layer to a position that has been woefully understaffed in recent years. (Mikki Moore, anyone?)
This has been the plan all along and once Perkins returns, the question of who starts will get sorted out by a process of elimination. The Celtics will need at least two of the three if they are going to get to the finish line and if all three are healthy at the same time that’s a problem they will gladly try to solve.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DELONTE WEST
Delonte West had his cast removed this week and he’s looking at two weeks of rehabilitation on his broken wrist before he can resume basketball activities. Even more than Perkins, the Celtics are anxiously awaiting his return because they have decided once and for all that Nate Robinson is simply not a point guard.
“I think it will mean a lot more for Nate and the second unit,” Rivers said. “It felt like he was just starting to get our stuff again and then bam he’s out. The sooner we can get him back, maybe even more important than Perk in some ways.
“The one thing we know that doesn’t work, it did record-wise, but it didn’t work I can guarantee you that, was the combination of [West] and Rondo out at the same time. It was not a good recipe for us, even though we won games, we can’t live that way long.”
West is the linchpin for Rivers’ plan for the bench because he not only feels that he can backup Rondo, but he would also be a much better fit in their smaller lineups with Rondo and Allen because of his defensive abilities. So where does this leave Robinson? In the same role he was meant to play on this team: instant energy and scoring.
West’s absence has had a domino effect on everything the second unit does, and it’s no secret that this has been one of the Celtics biggest weaknesses this season. His return won’t fix everything, but it will solve a lot of problems.
REST FOR THE WEARY
On a night when the Celtics shot 58 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range, the biggest number was 30, as in minutes played by Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. None of the three broke that barrier and with a game against the Bulls Saturday night, this blowout couldn’t have come at a better time.
Rondo played 43 minutes against the Spurs and was due for a little break, but the blowout also allowed Rivers the luxury of experimentation. He made the decision at halftime to sub Rondo out early in the third quarter to give Robinson time with the starters and the second unit a chance to play with Rondo.
It almost backfired as the Raptors cut the lead to a manageable 14 points, but then Rondo checked in and hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down, effectively ending any Toronto hopes for a comeback.
Not that they had much of a chance with Luke Harangody on the other side. “It was great,” Rivers said. “He was phenomenal.”