“I'm more struck at the fact that Leon (Pow) gets more foul shots than our whole team does in 14 minutes of play. That's ridiculous. I have no question about the fact that my players got fouled but didn't get to the line. It's the illusion that's created. The referees referee an illusion." Lakers coach Phil Jackson after Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

“I wasn’t tripping off that. I let that go. My teachers used to call me Pow. It’s no big deal. As long as I do my job, it’s cool,” Leon Powe (pronounced ‘Po’) after the Celtics win over Milwaukee 11/7.

It’s no surprise that Phil Jackson’s comments had no real effect on Leon Powe. The backup big man is one of the most even-keeled members of the Celtics, and one of the genuinely nice people in the game. But an illusion? Tell it to the unfortunate defender who bounces off the 6-foot-8, 240-pounder.

Powe operates in the low block the way Charles Oakley used to operate, which is to say the third-year man is physical. As a freshman at Cal-Berkley, Powe led the Pac-10 in rebounding, and as a junior he averaged 20 and 10 for the Bears. With a pedigree like that Powe should have been a household name by now, but a knee injury wiped out his sophomore year, and he slid down to the second round of the draft, where the Celtics acquired him in a draft-day trade with Denver.

(By the way, the list of second-round picks unearthed during the Danny Ainge era includes: Ryan Gomes, Powe, Glen Davis, Gabe Pruitt and Bill Walker, not to mention Orien Greene and Justin Reed who have at least had careers. That’s a pretty remarkable run of late drafting.) 

Powe’s career had been one of fits and starts. He had a promising, albeit limited, rookie campaign and then was saved from the trading purge that brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. As a second-year player he didn’t crack the rotation until late January, but now in his third year, Powe is a big part of a revamped bench that is the big story of the Celtics early success.

Devotees of the Cult of James Posey may not want to hear it, but the C’s second unit has been even better than last season and Powe is the primary reason. His numbers, 9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game through Sunday are nice, but a closer look reveals Powe’s impact.

One of the key factors in using statistics in the NBA is minutes played, and if you put Powe on a 36-minute scale, he and Tony Allen are both averaging 18.6 points, tops on the team. Powe’s Offensive Rating (points scored per 100 possessions) is 120, also best on the team. In other words, he is a very productive player who makes the most of his time on the floor.

Doc Rivers has been playing the second unit, which consists of Eddie House, Tony Allen, Powe and Glen Davis together (with either Paul Pierce or Ray Allen) and they are forging an identity quickly. The Celtics odd habit of getting off to slow starts has been negated by halftime, thanks to the play of the second unit. “Our job,” Powe said, “is to come off the bench and change the tempo.”

The Celtics built their reputation on defense and selfless play on the offensive end and those characteristics have transferred seamlessly to the bench. While Powe is a highly-efficient scorer, he looks at that as just one aspect of his job. “I do anything to help our team win,” Powe said. “It’s not necessarily scoring. I set some picks, run the floor, anything to help my teammates get open.”

According to the sabermetric website, 82games.com, the Celtics best unit, by far, has been House, Tony Allen, Pierce, Powe and Davis, and Powe has the best adjusted plus/minus rating on the team. 

Which brings us back to Phil Jackson.

Powe’s offensive game is a series of spins, crashes and aggressive moves to the basket. That inevitably leads to a lot of contact and he gets to the line at a higher rate than anyone else on the team (10.9 times per 36 minutes, more than double the next Celtic, Tony Allen at 5.2). Earlier in his career, Powe would make that strong move and not get the benefit of the whistle.

“I’m getting a little more respect,” Powe said. “The officials know my game now. You just have to be consistent.”

Of course, it can also be said that his profile was aided by an intentional slip of the tongue from the Zen Master. But, then, Jackson more than anyone, ought to know what they say about karma. 

Paul Flannery covers the Celtics for WEEI.com.