Celtics Magnificent Seven fighting hard for the village of Boston
The original movie is a classic western and the musical score is one of the most rousing ever heard in a movie theater. The plot centering on seven gunfighters saving a village from a plundering hoard of bandits seems to be playing out by our Celtics right now.
The untested youngster, Chico, is played by Horst Buchholz, who turns out to be invaluable to the cause of saving the village. That would be Jayson Tatum. Rounding out the seven for the Celtics would be Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Aron Baynes and Semi Ojeleye.
Al never gets the respect he deserves, and part of that is his unselfishness and quiet demeanor. But this man can flat-out play. Fifteen players were taken in the 2015 NBA draft before Boston picked Terry at the 16th spot. T-Ro worked hard this summer on his game, and it shows. He is playing like a high-lottery pick.
Jayson was still around at the third spot in the 2017 draft and looking now like we were lucky he was still there. He is getting accolades from many rival coaches and GM's. Semi was left on the board in the same draft until Boston eagerly grabbed him at #37. He knows his role in the lineup and plays it to perfection. As an aside, the TV series Cheers takes place in Boston and current TV analyst and former Celtic Kevin McHale appeared on the show. Here is the Cheers gang singing the Magnificent Seven theme. Kevin's appearance can be seen via the following link: https://youtu.be/H3ZsfdovGzw
Aron Baynes will never be a star in this League, but like Semi, he knows his role and just wants to win. He is a great defender - rebounds well - and plays his heart out. Every team needs a guy like him, and that is why Danny Ainge signed him. Marcus Smart may never be a spot-on shooter, but he does everything else well, and he does it with a level of determination and ferocity that is rare in the NBA. He was wounded in one of his many battles, but he fights on.
Rounding out the Seven is Jaylen Brown, another Celtic currently with battle scars. He has improved tremendously from his first season with Boston, and he keeps working on his game. He has improved his shooting and is a true two-way player with the length and athleticism to play three positions on the court. My apologies to Marcus Morris, Shane Larkin, Greg Monroe and the rest of the Celtics crew, but I look at these Seven as vital to the cause. Below is a trailer from the original movie and the Elmer Bernstein score, which by the way, would make for one hell of a rousing score during the playoffs.
This is the group that every NBA rival team wanted to take on. Decimated by injuries, this is what remains of the team that is the talk of the NBA. The Celtics took out the Milwaukee Bucks and have won the first game versus the 76'ers. Teams may not be quite so eager to take on the Magnificent Seven and their back-ups now.
In the movie, the bandits were robbing the village of its corn, thus the hire of the gunfighters. So, to paraphrase Chris (Brynner), if the eager rival teams seek to take out the supposedly-weakened Celtics, "With no idea of the reception we've prepared for them, I promise you we'll all teach them something about the price of corn!"
Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC
Photo via Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America
Movie trailer via HD Film Tributes
Cheers score video via chapdyk
McHale sequence video via Myyyclips
