Swagger 101

KG has it, you should too.

“Swagger”. What is it? (Here’s a hint, it’s not deodorant) The word seems to pop up everywhere nowadays. If it’s not Old Spice commercials it’s rap songs, it’s something that everyone seems to want but not everyone has. The Urban Dictionary defines “swagger” as “How one presents him or her self to the world. Swagger is shown from how a person handles a situation. It can also be shown in the persons walk.” So the question has to be asked “how do you acquire said “swagger”?” Are you born with it, is it something that comes to you naturally over time? The answer is less clear cut than you might first think, but for the sake of time and space we’ll stick to it’s application with regards to the Boston Celtics.

As of yesterday the Boston Celtics improve to a league best 16-2 record winning their last 8 straight games. A great aspect of the sport is the chemistry between players on a team. It is certainly no stretch of the imagination to see exactly how efficient a given unit works together night in and night out. The C’s are certainly coming together in fine fashion. Everyone has a niche, a role that is fundamentally important to the success of the whole. On November 18th we beat up the New York Knicks to the tune of 110-101. Rajon Rondo scored 15 points that game, and it was immediately evident that if this kid can run the offense and continue to use his speed as his best attribute it will be much easier for everyone on the team to get into the flow of the game.

Players confused as to why their "Swagg" factor is low against C's.

Apparently I’m not the only one to notice this because the next game he (Rondo) goes off for 18 points. In fact since that game against the Knicks, Rondo has scored in double digits every game save for the last two but had 12 assists and 9 assists respectively. You can almost hear KG yelling at him to play like that every night. With each improving game, barring fatigue if he continues to run circles around opponents (literally) the team can only flourish. Ray Allen gets involved earlier, big Kendrik Perkins offense goes up (not to mention he’s able to keep the ball above his ankles) instead of just taking up space and the second team doesn’t have to play catch-up.

This is what low "Swagger" looks like against C's defense.

I think we can all agree that the Celtics while not only building momentum are increasing their “swagger” factor as well. With each victory comes the understanding of how they as a team win together. While not boring by any means the Celtics are certainly not the flashiest team, but that’s the beauty of fundamentally sound basketball. It doesn’t have to look pretty as long as where converting when opportunities present themselves, making stops and causing turnovers, doing the little things that matter. So when there’s less than a minute left to play we’ll always be in a position to strike or to put away, and nobody will have regrets about a lackluster effort.

There will always be things in the midst of games that can be tweaked but when you have a group of guys that are of a singular mindset, (namely the pursuit of winning one game at at time) who are unselfish and care about the quality of their play, you have a recipe for success. Times are good Boston, I mean even the Bruins are back on top (and fun to watch to boot). Boston’s sports teams are carrying themselves with the confidence it takes to win, that little bit of cocky attitude that makes opposing teams think twice when they see us on their schedule. Swagger can be a trickle-down effect in the sense that in turn we as fans can walk with our heads high and have that cocky sense of pride we feel when we’re at the proverbial water cooler. That my friends is “swagger”, defined.

Peace

AngryBlackAle