Hornets.com’s 1-on-1: Boston’s Gerald Green, Tom Heinsohn

March 19, 2007

Hornets.com’s Jim Eichenhofer interviewed Boston guard/forward Gerald Green and Boston television analyst Tom Heinsohn during the Celtics’ visit to the Ford Center on Monday.

Green is a second-year player who won the NBA dunk contest at the 2007 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. After an up-and-down rookie season, Green has been vastly improved and is considered one of the key members of the Celtics’ rebuilding plans.

Heinsohn has served as a TV analyst for the Celtics for 26 years. Heinsohn is also a Basketball Hall of Famer who had his No. 15 jersey retired by the Celtics in 1966.

Green

Boston guard/forward Gerald Green
Q: You spent time in the D-League as a rookie. How much did that experience help you?
A: It was good for me. It got my confidence up, to play against a lot of good competition. It’s a good thing for somebody who isn’t really getting a lot of playing time (with their NBA team).

Q: You’ve kept a periodic diary that has appeared in Sports Illustrated since your rookie season. Who came up with the idea to do that?
A: They asked me to do it, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I will.’ I’ve always been a big fan of Sports Illustrated, so when they asked me to do it, I was pleased to do it. I was thrilled.

Q: You won the dunk contest in February. Who came up with the idea for a teammate, Paul Pierce, to bounce the ball off side of the backboard, to set up your dunk? Had you ever seen that attempted before?
A: I came up with that idea myself. I hadn’t seen anyone else try it. I think I just kind of dreamed about it, then went out and did it. We practiced it a few times. It wasn’t like we practiced it every day or anything, but the last few practices before the All-Star break, we did. That was about it.

Q: One the most memorable moments from the contest occurred when you jumped over 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson for a dunk. Were you worried at all about what would happen if you didn’t clear Nate Robinson? He definitely seemed like HE was.
A: [laughs] He was a lot more worried than I was. I knew I was going to clear him. I’ve jumped over a lot of things that are way higher than Nate, so I wasn’t really worried about clearing him. The only thing I was worried about was hitting my face on the side of the backboard. That’s why I peeked a little bit at the end [Green replicated former Celtics guard Dee Brown’s famous no-look slam while leaping over Robinson].

Heinsohn

Boston broadcaster Tom Heinsohn
Q: The Celtics were 2-22 when Paul Pierce was sidelined with a foot injury. Do you wonder where Boston would be in the East standings right now if not for that injury?
A: It’s really hard to know what would have happened. But the thing was, it was more than just Paul Pierce being out; it was also Wally Szczerbiak and Theo Ratliff, who we only got two games out of. Kendrick Perkins was also out. There were a lot of problems.
But the good side of that was that they had to throw all of these young players into the pool to see if they could swim, and they swam. They got a lot of experience. We’re further along (in terms of the team’s future) because of what happened than we would’ve been. But we may have made the playoffs if everyone was healthy.

Q: Who are the guys who’ve benefited the most from playing many more minutes than expected this season?
A: Al Jefferson became a top-level player, probably the most improved player in the league, and he’s been averaging a double-double since he’s been starting. He is really going to be a terrific player. He benefited the most because they developed the inside game around him.
The other guy was (Rajon) Rondo. He’s come in, done a nice job, and we’re playing a more aggressive style now. We have the guys to play that way, including Paul Pierce. For years, Pierce would (trail) plays, let everyone else run up the floor and shoot threes. Now he’s getting out in front of the break. The game is a lot easier for him now and I think he saw that.

Q: You hand out a ‘Tommy Point’ on the air whenever a Celtic makes a great hustle play. Where did that idea come from?
A: As a former coach, when they asked me to come up with something a little different for the broadcasts, something with a little pizzazz, I thought about it and remembered that all of the press goes to the players who score a lot of points, get the most rebounds or get the most assists. When the writers sitting down to write their articles, that is also what is focused on. As a coach, I would always talk about the other things that guys gave us that no one talked about.

Q: Which Hornets player do you think would be the most frequent recipient of a Tommy Point if they were playing for the Celtics?
A: Who’s the guy who dives on the floor the most? It’s the guy who does it with extra effort and willpower. Not necessarily the high scorer of the game.

Q: Did you know that someone set up a website (tommypoints.com) exclusively devoted to Tommy Points?
A: [laughs] What will they think of next?

Q: How well are those green and white T-shirts that have ‘I Got a Tommy Point’ printed on the front selling?
A: I don’t know for sure. They’ve actually got those bobblehead dolls (of Heinsohn) out there. You see those a lot more (than the shirts).