Dee Brown proud to be a Celtic

ROCKPORT – It’s in the history. It’s in the green and white uniform and the storied, antiquated building called the Boston Garden. And now, it’s inside of Dee Brown.

It is Celtic pride and Brown, the impressive 6-foot-1 jumping-jack point guard of the Boston Celtics, is wearing it proudly.

“It’s great playing for the Celtics,” Brown said at the Samoset Resort here Thursday. “I hope I’m there for a while.”

Brown came to Maine on Thursday to appear at a number of basketball camps around the state. His trip winds up Friday with an appearance at Camden-Rockport High School’s Jammer Hoop Camp in the afternoon and a dunking exhibition at the school on Friday night.

On Thursday, however, Brown was talking about going from a little-known guard from Jacksonville University to a starting guard on one of the NBA’s most tradition-laden teams.

“You know when you put on that uniform, everybody is shooting for you,” Brown said. “Every time you step on the court, you play your hardest and play your best for the team. You’ve got to take pride in your game to keep that Celtic tradition going.”

Brown pointed to teammate Larry Bird as a perfect example of what being a Boston Celtic means.

“It’s like what Larry did in game five against Indiana,” Brown said, recalling how Bird bounced back from a sore back and first-half injury to return to the game in the second half. “That was for the team, not his personal goals. He’s done everything a player can do in the NBA. He’s won all the individual awards; he’s got the championships; he’s done this and that.

“It was a team thing. It’s pride.”

It was also typical of Bird, Brown added.

“There’s never going to be another Larry Bird,” he said. “He’s a unique player, a unique person. It’s like Magic (Johnson) and (Michael) Jordan. Those players are unique.”

Brown also said he could see Bird staying close to the game after he retired.

“I can’t see Larry coaching, but I can see him owning a team,” Brown said. “Superstar players like that can’t be coaches because the things they would expect from their players, the players couldn’t give them.”

Brown started the year as a backup point guard getting used to the rigors of the NBA’s 82-game, regular-season schedule.

It was midway through the season, during the All-Star weekend, when Brown made the rest of the NBA literally look up and take notice.

Moments after pumping up a pair of his Reebok Pump sneakers, Brown etched his name into many fans’ heads with an array of impressive dunks. In the end, Brown, a 200-to-1 shot in Las Vegas, was crowned the NBA’s Slam Dunk king.

“I did surprise a lot of people and winning the slam dunk title helped me with my publicity,” Brown said. “Right after the All-Star break, though, I caught my second wind. I made some adjustments in my game and we went on a West Coast road trip where we won five of six games and I played well. That built my confidence.”

With his confidence at a high, Brown unseated his friend Brian Shaw as the team’s starting point guard and helped lead the Celtics to the second round of the NBA playoffs. The team lost to the defending NBA champ Detroit Pistons in that series.

Rumors of Shaw’s departure via a trade are bothering Brown. But at the same time, he realizes the business aspect of being an professional basketball player.

“I’m sure it’s tough on Brian and it’s upsetting to me,” Brown said. “He’s my friend. But I don’t think it is a major concern. If it doesn’t happen, nobody is going to be upset. Brian’s still a good young player. But whatever they do, I think it will be the best thing for the Celtics.”

Brown also feels that next year’s Boston Celtics team could make a run to dethrone the NBA champion Chicago Bulls.

“Early in the year, we were running over people,” Brown said. “But Larry went down, Kevin (McHale) went down, Chief (Robert Parish) got some nagging injuries. The injuries really beat us down the stretch.

“But if we can stay healthy with the players returning, we should be in contention,” added Brown, a player who has learned that Celtic pride will help lead the way.