Ripped from the Headlines

This is going to make an excellent episode of Law & Order.

Earlier this week, Boston's Sebastian Telfair left a preseason game against the Knicks at halftime to speak with police. Telfair reportedly had a $50,000 necklace stolen outside P Diddy's restaurant in Manhattan -- the same place where rapper Fabolous was shot.

Didn't really think anything of it at the time. Gunfights involving rappers aren't that uncommon in the big city.

But today's Daily News casts the whole tale in a more interesting light. According to their sources, here's a more detailed sequence of events:

• A member of Fabolous' posse, the "Street Family" steals Telfair's chain and flees into Justin's.
• Telfair makes a cell phone call.
  
• Twenty minutes later, the gunman is seen on video leaving the scene.

No one's accused anyone of anything... but I've seen enough episodes of CSI to put this one together. Someone thinks 'Bassy called in a favor.

For what it's worth, Telfair is reportedly cooperating with the police and has shared all the numbers he called that night.

Still, this sure doesn't sound good.

First Impressions on the Celtics

Some quick notes on the Celtics, after watching their preseason game at Madison Square Garden last night.

• Granted, I was watching them against the defensively-challenged Knick guards, but Boston's backcourt looked great. Sebastian Telfair was able to get into the lane at will and hit open teammates. Rajon Rondo is a speed demon. And Tony Allen was very solid... and the only one of the bunch who seemed to offer much on defense (though he did make a bonehead play by fouling Jamal Crawford on a three-point attempt). If I'm Delonte West, I'm getting increasingly nervous about missing these preseason games.
• The Celtics are going to score an awful lot of points. Their guards bring the ball up quickly, and with their quickness, they'll get to the line a lot. They posted 108 points last night without leading scorer Paul Pierce, who sat out due to a sore hip.
• The Celtics are going to give up an awful lot of points. Some of this is due to strategy -- they're looking to outgun opponents, not get into defensive battles. And some of this is due to personnel -- Theo Ratliff also missed last night's game. But some of this is due to the fact that they're just atrocious on defense. Michael Olowokandi allowed Eddy Curry (not known for his footspeed) to blow past for a couple of easy layups, and the Celtics front line at one point allowed the 5'9" Nate Robinson to score on a putback.
  
• Player to watch -- Wally Szczerbiak. Opposing defenses will need to key on Paul Pierce, and Boston's points will be able to beat nearly any other backcourt off the dribble. That should open up tons of kick-outs for Szczerbiak, who has more than enough skill to take advantage.
  

Olowokandi Makes Surprise Appearance

Quick poll -- what's the most surprising fact in this story?

a) Michael Olowokandi, the first overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, showed up for camp with the Celtics as the 18th man on a 15-man roster.
b) Michael Olowokandi was the first overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. (How did that happen? Did he have the same agent as Ryan Leaf? We need to get to the bottom of this.)
c) Michael Olowokandi is in camp with the Celtics, and not the Knicks.

Olowokandi makes surprise appearance - The Boston Globe