When the television cameras of his former network, TNT, panned to newly named Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge sitting courtside at the FleetCenter Friday night, he had the presence of mind to smile and wave.

The new Celtics boss, sharing a row with Governor Mitt Romney and Patriots owner Bob Kraft, had a close-up view of the Game 3 debacle, and you had to wonder what was going through his mind as his new team crumbled under the weight of a New Jersey squad that proved vastly superior in almost every category (except free throw shooting). Had Ainge still been working for TNT, we would know what he thought. In that capacity, Ainge was candid about the shortcomings of every team, including the Celtics.

It's always dangerous to be a broadcaster when you have front office aspirations. Your words are public record and could come back to haunt you. Just ask former Denver executive Dan Issel, who was analyzing Nuggets games and calling former No. 5 pick Tony Battie ''el busto'' one night, then stepping in and serving as Battie's general manager the next. (And you wonder why Battie was traded.)