It's good to get a tough win like this one on the road after a string of blowout victories.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
The win is going to cost Boston a game without Kendrick Perkins, however. Midway through the fourth with the Celtics up 70-65, Perk was sent to the locker room after committing a flagrant-two on Jason Maxiell. I don't think the big guy's intentions were bad, but as he challenged a shot, he ended up putting Maxiell in something of a headlock and throwing him to the ground. A clear flagrant two, which carries with it an automatic one-game suspension (though I imagine the league would have made Perk sit out a game even if the suspension wasn't automatic.
Maxiell had done his best to spark a Piston comeback to that point, although looking at the play-by-play after the fact, it doesn't appear that his performance had as big an impact as I thought at the time. He had five straight Detroit points and had grabbed three offensive rebounds in the quarter, but he couldn't convert those extra opportunities. Still, at the time, I was reminded of last year's lone regular-season visit to the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Celtics won that one in large part because of a breakout-type game for Glen Davis in his rookie year (I say "breakout-type" because Davis didn't really end up breaking out). Davis had 16 of his career-high 20 points in the fourth-quarter to bring Boston back from a three-point deficit.
Maxiell is more of a known quantity than Davis was at the time, but it sure looked to me like the same kind of thing was happening. But after Ray Allen missed a technical free throw (Maxiell got rung up for pushing Perkins after the play), Maxiell missed two at the line, and Rip Hamilton made a jumper to cut the lead to four, it was Davis who answered, scoring a tough finish over Maxiell on a nice pass from Allen, then grabbing an offensive rebound on the next possession which eventually led to an Eddie House three and a nine-point lead.
(A quick note about the fight: You can't see from the video highlights on ESPN.com (linked above), but it looked to me like Maxiell swung at Rajon Rondo and struck him with an open hand. The officials looked at the replay and determined that no punch was thrown, but I'm not so sure. After Maxiell pushed Perk, Kevin Garnett shoved Maxiell from Maxiell's right side, while Rondo tried to intervene a little more peacefully by reaching out to Maxiell on the left side. Rather than shove Rondo away with his left arm, Maxiell came across his body with his right arm and hit Rondo in the chest. I wouldn't be surprised to see the league dock him a game after reviewing the tape.
Also, the whole incident would have been avoided had the officials called an obvious push in the back by Maxiell on House on the rebound).
Anyway, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't a big deal. It does raise some concerns for our next game, though, when we host Minnesota on Sunday. The Wolves are a pretty miserable 16-29, but as recently as January 26, they were an NBA-best 10-2 in 2009 (they've since dropped two in a row to the Pistons and the Lakers).
What makes the loss of Perkins difficult for this particular game is that Minnesota's main weapon is none other than former Celtic Al Jefferson, who was, you'll recall, the main piece in the trade that brought Garnett to Boston last offseason. Jefferson is a monster, averaging 22.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this year, and he's the main snub on this year's Western Conference All-Star team (I'll have more on the All-Star selections this weekend). At 6'10", he's too tall for either Davis or Leon Powe to guard, and he's stronger than Garnett. And, despite his mild manner, he's not afraid of Garnett, either; he's woofed right back whenever Garnett tried to intimidate him by getting in his face.
Garnett did a nice job on the much stronger Shaquille O'Neal when Perkins was out with the shoulder injury earlier this month, and we'll need the same effort from him against Big Al J Sunday. The other issue is that this leaves our frontcourt rotation very thin, as Brian Scalabrine is still out after suffering two concussions in three days earlier in the week.
It's always fun to play the Wolves, as Jefferson and the Boston fans seem to have a mutual love for each other. Because of the trade, Minnesota also has a couple other former Celtics, including RWH faves Ryan Gomes and Sebastian Telfair, and it's fun to track their progress. Finally, this also marks the return of Celtics legend Kevin McHale to the parquet, as he added interim coach to his GM title in taking over for Randy Wittman 19 games into this season. The Wolves are 12-14 since that time, and there's some basis to think that McHale has something to do with that; this is his second interim stint in Minnesota, and he went 19-12 at the end of the 2004-2005 season.
There's no national TV for this noon Eastern game, so I'll watch on League Pass broadband and try to post some quick thoughts before the Super Bowl that night.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Boston 119, Sacramento 100
Seriously, it's getting difficult to write when every game is a blowout. Not that I'm complaining.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Sluggish start, followed by a 40-19 second quarter that put the game effectively out of reach.
Quick notes:
-Eddie House is shooting the hell out of the basketball right now. In three of his last four games, he has gone over 20 points, doing most of his damage -- as he is wont to do -- from behind the arc. A then-career high seven threes (out of 11 attempts) against Miami on January 21; an identical deep shooting performance against Dallas on Sunday; and then eight-for-nine from downtown last night. Throw in his zero-for-one from Orlando, and over the last four, he's hit 22 of his last 32 triples -- 68.8 percent. I remember hearing (unsubstantiated) rumors a few weeks back that Danny Ainge was after Orlando's J.J. Redick because we needed a shooter off the bench; so much for that. (I can't quite put my finger on it, but the thought of Kevin Garnett
-Leon Powe got some run tonight, but Brian Scalabrine was out after suffering two concussions in three days. He got one against Dallas, apparently, and then was fragged by Patrick O'Bryant during Tuesday's practice. I feel bad for Scal, because they showed an interview with him on last night's broadcast, and he looked really disappointed. I don't blame him; the guy finally gets some real playing time and sheds his victory-cigar role (though the fans still implore him to shoot every time he touches the ball0, and then he gets knocked out of the lineup for a week or 10 days. It's only a few games, but when Doc Rivers is your coach, a lot can happen in those few games. He could lose minutes back to Powe, or Doc could forget his name or that he's on the team, or could decide that Patrick O'Bryant needs more PT, or that Sam Cassell would make a good power forward.
Leon missed two dunks tonight. I told you he was out of rhythm.
-Tony Allen returned to the lineup tonight, and played very well. driving, dishing, playing under control. Tony plays well just often enough that I can't bring myself to say, "Screw it, let's trade this guy for whatever we can get," but is generally so inconsistent and dumb on the court that I can't bring myself to like him, either. In truth, we can't really get rid of him, because he's our main backup on the wing and he's the guy on the second team who can create his own shot (I know, I've said this all a million times), but man, does he drive me crazy. Here's hoping that he wasn't really injured during his 11-game hiatus, but was at some basketball IQ camp with Gerald Green for three weeks, learning how to play the game.
-Paul Pierce picked up three fouls in the first quarter and had a blah scoring night, which is awesome for one of my fantasy teams. I'm playing the best team in the league and should win in rebounds and blocks (I have Shaq and Samuel Dalembert), while he's good in assists and steals (he has Chris Paul, and my guards are of the scoring type). Points will be the deciding category. Pierce's off-night is added to an off-night from Vince Carter to begin the week (though VC bounced back nicely last night) has him slightly off the projected pace, while I'm bolstered by Mo Williams' 43 two nights ago against Sacto. I just might be able to squeeze out a 3-2 win, giving me the all-important psychological edge as we look ahead to the playoffs.
Not that you care.
You might care, though, that the Celtics' next game is Friday night in Detroit, on ESPN at 7 p.m. Eastern. The Pistons seem to really be struggling this year, and have recently moved Rip Hamilton to the bench to make room for Rodney Stuckey in their lineup alongside Allen Iverson. Still should be a good game, as these teams are rivals, it's always fun to watch Iverson, and Stuckey's an intriguing young player. And there's always a strong possibility that Rasheed Wallace will pick up a technical foul -- he leads the league with 12 and is well on his way to the suspension threshhold of 16.
Plus, there's always a chance that Hamilton will kill somebody on the court, then turn to the ref and complain that he was fouled.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Sluggish start, followed by a 40-19 second quarter that put the game effectively out of reach.
Quick notes:
-Eddie House is shooting the hell out of the basketball right now. In three of his last four games, he has gone over 20 points, doing most of his damage -- as he is wont to do -- from behind the arc. A then-career high seven threes (out of 11 attempts) against Miami on January 21; an identical deep shooting performance against Dallas on Sunday; and then eight-for-nine from downtown last night. Throw in his zero-for-one from Orlando, and over the last four, he's hit 22 of his last 32 triples -- 68.8 percent. I remember hearing (unsubstantiated) rumors a few weeks back that Danny Ainge was after Orlando's J.J. Redick because we needed a shooter off the bench; so much for that. (I can't quite put my finger on it, but the thought of Kevin Garnett
-Leon Powe got some run tonight, but Brian Scalabrine was out after suffering two concussions in three days. He got one against Dallas, apparently, and then was fragged by Patrick O'Bryant during Tuesday's practice. I feel bad for Scal, because they showed an interview with him on last night's broadcast, and he looked really disappointed. I don't blame him; the guy finally gets some real playing time and sheds his victory-cigar role (though the fans still implore him to shoot every time he touches the ball0, and then he gets knocked out of the lineup for a week or 10 days. It's only a few games, but when Doc Rivers is your coach, a lot can happen in those few games. He could lose minutes back to Powe, or Doc could forget his name or that he's on the team, or could decide that Patrick O'Bryant needs more PT, or that Sam Cassell would make a good power forward.
Leon missed two dunks tonight. I told you he was out of rhythm.
-Tony Allen returned to the lineup tonight, and played very well. driving, dishing, playing under control. Tony plays well just often enough that I can't bring myself to say, "Screw it, let's trade this guy for whatever we can get," but is generally so inconsistent and dumb on the court that I can't bring myself to like him, either. In truth, we can't really get rid of him, because he's our main backup on the wing and he's the guy on the second team who can create his own shot (I know, I've said this all a million times), but man, does he drive me crazy. Here's hoping that he wasn't really injured during his 11-game hiatus, but was at some basketball IQ camp with Gerald Green for three weeks, learning how to play the game.
-Paul Pierce picked up three fouls in the first quarter and had a blah scoring night, which is awesome for one of my fantasy teams. I'm playing the best team in the league and should win in rebounds and blocks (I have Shaq and Samuel Dalembert), while he's good in assists and steals (he has Chris Paul, and my guards are of the scoring type). Points will be the deciding category. Pierce's off-night is added to an off-night from Vince Carter to begin the week (though VC bounced back nicely last night) has him slightly off the projected pace, while I'm bolstered by Mo Williams' 43 two nights ago against Sacto. I just might be able to squeeze out a 3-2 win, giving me the all-important psychological edge as we look ahead to the playoffs.
Not that you care.
You might care, though, that the Celtics' next game is Friday night in Detroit, on ESPN at 7 p.m. Eastern. The Pistons seem to really be struggling this year, and have recently moved Rip Hamilton to the bench to make room for Rodney Stuckey in their lineup alongside Allen Iverson. Still should be a good game, as these teams are rivals, it's always fun to watch Iverson, and Stuckey's an intriguing young player. And there's always a strong possibility that Rasheed Wallace will pick up a technical foul -- he leads the league with 12 and is well on his way to the suspension threshhold of 16.
Plus, there's always a chance that Hamilton will kill somebody on the court, then turn to the ref and complain that he was fouled.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Boston 124, Dallas 100
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
I've got a lot to do today, so rather than sing everyone's praises individually, I'll just collectively sing the team's praises. La la la la praises. Great effort and performance on both ends in the first half, with a little bit of understandable letup in the second.
I touched on this last time, but for the second straight game, Leon Powe barely played. This time, he was reduced to bomb squad, playing only the last 8:45 despite the fact that Boston had a lead of 20 points or more throughout.
It's only been two games, so it remains to be seen whether this is a permanent thing or just one of Doc's quirky rotations. You'll remember that Leon was buried on the bench during a stretch of the playoffs last year, then responded with 21 points when he was finally rewarded with minutes in Game 2 of the Finals. But Powe looks irritated and out of rhythm out there, and it's understandable, given that he's losing minutes through what appears to be no fault of his own. If Kendrick Perkins doesn't get hurt against Cleveland, then Brian Scalabrine doesn't move into the starting lineup for five games and play well enough to earn regular minutes, and our frontcourt rotation still includes Powe.
We'll see how it plays out, I guess, but I just don't believe that Glen Davis is more effective than Powe.
Light week coming up, with games on Wednesday vs. Sacramento (whom we beat by 45 in December) and Friday at Detroit (on ESPN at 7 p.m. Eastern).
I've got a lot to do today, so rather than sing everyone's praises individually, I'll just collectively sing the team's praises. La la la la praises. Great effort and performance on both ends in the first half, with a little bit of understandable letup in the second.
I touched on this last time, but for the second straight game, Leon Powe barely played. This time, he was reduced to bomb squad, playing only the last 8:45 despite the fact that Boston had a lead of 20 points or more throughout.
It's only been two games, so it remains to be seen whether this is a permanent thing or just one of Doc's quirky rotations. You'll remember that Leon was buried on the bench during a stretch of the playoffs last year, then responded with 21 points when he was finally rewarded with minutes in Game 2 of the Finals. But Powe looks irritated and out of rhythm out there, and it's understandable, given that he's losing minutes through what appears to be no fault of his own. If Kendrick Perkins doesn't get hurt against Cleveland, then Brian Scalabrine doesn't move into the starting lineup for five games and play well enough to earn regular minutes, and our frontcourt rotation still includes Powe.
We'll see how it plays out, I guess, but I just don't believe that Glen Davis is more effective than Powe.
Light week coming up, with games on Wednesday vs. Sacramento (whom we beat by 45 in December) and Friday at Detroit (on ESPN at 7 p.m. Eastern).
Friday, January 23, 2009
Boston 90, Orlando 80
Boston passed an important test tonight.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
It's far too early to call this NBA season a four-horse race, but at this stage, four teams have established themselves as the cream of the crop: Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando in the East, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the West. After an opening-night win against the Cavaliers and a blowout of the Magic that was win number nine of a 19-game winning streak, the Celtics had lost their last two matchups with this crew: a tight one in LA on Christmas Day, and a 15-point debacle in Cleveland two weeks ago. The Cs had ripped off six straight wins since dropping that one to the Cavs, but there was a lot more at stake Thursday night in Orlando.
Boston came away with a relatively comfortable victory, opening up an eight-point halftime lead, and letting the Magic closer than that margin just twice, when Jameer Nelson sandwiched buckets around a Glen Davis jumper to twice cut the lead to seven with fewer than three minutes to play. But it didn't necessarily come easily, as this was one of the ugliest games of the season. Both teams looked disjointed offensively from the get-go; the building was pretty much dead, despite a reported sellout crowd; the officiating was disruptive and inconsistent.
The offense was ugly. It was a lot of Paul Pierce going one-on-one with an overmatched Hedo Turkoglu, with an unexpected contribution from Davis, whose jumper was falling tonight.
Here's how bad the offense was: The Celtics registered nine assists on 35 baskets, a rate of just over 25 percent. Compare that to team averages for the season coming into the game: 22-plus assists per game (4th best in the league); assists on nearly 61 percent of all baskets.
Nine assists is a very low number. I don't have time to check to make sure, but it has to be a season-low. Hell, Rajon Rondo is averaging eight per game, and he has 13 double-digit assist games already this year.
I'm feeling good about the team, but I'd like us to have a more solid idea of our frontcourt rotation. For whatever reason, Doc doesn't like starting Davis or Leon Powe, so when Kendrick Perkins got injured, Brian Scalabrine stepped into the starting lineup. Scal played well enough to prove that he deserves minutes as a passable rotation player, but its come at the expense of Leon Powe, who I think is the most solid of the three backup frontcourt players. When he's playing well, Davis is the more dynamic offensive player, but he's just as capable of hurting the team with a 1-for-12 performance (like he did in a recent win over Toronto) as he is of providing an unexpected spark, like he did tonight; doing a nice job on the three-million-vote man, Dwight Howard (note that Kevin Garnett will join Howard as a frontcourt starter for the East in the All-Star game - the reserves will be named shortly, and I expect Pierce, Ray Allen, and maybe even Rajon Rondo to join KG on the squad); scoring over Howard; hitting midrange jumpers with unusual accuracy. Powe hasn't developed into the versatile player I think he's capable of being, but he's not as much of a liability when he's playing poorly, as he seems more aware of his limitations than Davis is. I'm more of a Powe guy than a Davis guy, but I don't really care as long as a rotation is set and whoever is in it is playing well relatively consistently. What concerns me is that I don't know that Davis is that consistent player, and I worry about Powe's confidence, as he seems to have lost minutes despite not playing that poorly, while Davis has been given minutes without playing so well that Doc can't possibly keep him on the bench. Against Orlando, it wasn't until Perkins and Davis had each picked up three personal fouls checking Howard that Powe entered the game, with 2:22 remaining in the first half. I'm worried that Doc is ruining Leon by yanking him around like this.
Next game is Sunday vs. Dallas, on ABC at 1 p.m. Eastern.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
It's far too early to call this NBA season a four-horse race, but at this stage, four teams have established themselves as the cream of the crop: Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando in the East, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the West. After an opening-night win against the Cavaliers and a blowout of the Magic that was win number nine of a 19-game winning streak, the Celtics had lost their last two matchups with this crew: a tight one in LA on Christmas Day, and a 15-point debacle in Cleveland two weeks ago. The Cs had ripped off six straight wins since dropping that one to the Cavs, but there was a lot more at stake Thursday night in Orlando.
Boston came away with a relatively comfortable victory, opening up an eight-point halftime lead, and letting the Magic closer than that margin just twice, when Jameer Nelson sandwiched buckets around a Glen Davis jumper to twice cut the lead to seven with fewer than three minutes to play. But it didn't necessarily come easily, as this was one of the ugliest games of the season. Both teams looked disjointed offensively from the get-go; the building was pretty much dead, despite a reported sellout crowd; the officiating was disruptive and inconsistent.
The offense was ugly. It was a lot of Paul Pierce going one-on-one with an overmatched Hedo Turkoglu, with an unexpected contribution from Davis, whose jumper was falling tonight.
Here's how bad the offense was: The Celtics registered nine assists on 35 baskets, a rate of just over 25 percent. Compare that to team averages for the season coming into the game: 22-plus assists per game (4th best in the league); assists on nearly 61 percent of all baskets.
Nine assists is a very low number. I don't have time to check to make sure, but it has to be a season-low. Hell, Rajon Rondo is averaging eight per game, and he has 13 double-digit assist games already this year.
I'm feeling good about the team, but I'd like us to have a more solid idea of our frontcourt rotation. For whatever reason, Doc doesn't like starting Davis or Leon Powe, so when Kendrick Perkins got injured, Brian Scalabrine stepped into the starting lineup. Scal played well enough to prove that he deserves minutes as a passable rotation player, but its come at the expense of Leon Powe, who I think is the most solid of the three backup frontcourt players. When he's playing well, Davis is the more dynamic offensive player, but he's just as capable of hurting the team with a 1-for-12 performance (like he did in a recent win over Toronto) as he is of providing an unexpected spark, like he did tonight; doing a nice job on the three-million-vote man, Dwight Howard (note that Kevin Garnett will join Howard as a frontcourt starter for the East in the All-Star game - the reserves will be named shortly, and I expect Pierce, Ray Allen, and maybe even Rajon Rondo to join KG on the squad); scoring over Howard; hitting midrange jumpers with unusual accuracy. Powe hasn't developed into the versatile player I think he's capable of being, but he's not as much of a liability when he's playing poorly, as he seems more aware of his limitations than Davis is. I'm more of a Powe guy than a Davis guy, but I don't really care as long as a rotation is set and whoever is in it is playing well relatively consistently. What concerns me is that I don't know that Davis is that consistent player, and I worry about Powe's confidence, as he seems to have lost minutes despite not playing that poorly, while Davis has been given minutes without playing so well that Doc can't possibly keep him on the bench. Against Orlando, it wasn't until Perkins and Davis had each picked up three personal fouls checking Howard that Powe entered the game, with 2:22 remaining in the first half. I'm worried that Doc is ruining Leon by yanking him around like this.
Next game is Sunday vs. Dallas, on ABC at 1 p.m. Eastern.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Boston 98, Miami 83
Eddie!
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Constitutional Law is, thus far, kicking my ass this semester, so once we looked to have gained control of this one by halftime, I tuned out a bit. I remember Eddie House going for 20 points in the second quarter; I remember the Heat getting to with 11 or 12 or 13 in the fourth; and then the next time I looked up, we were leading by 22. The box score tells the story of this one: House and Ray Allen combining for 18-of-27 from the field, including 12-of-17 three-pointers. Fifteen total triples. Most of the times you shoot over 50 percent from the field, and make 60 percent of that many threes, you are going to win handily, even if you turn it over 21 times.
The defense wasn't superb tonight, at least not in the first quarter. There was a particularly sloppy stretch where Miami missed layups on like three straight possessions, including Shawn Marion clanging a dunk. (Incidentally, Marion is coming off of a groin injury and was limited to eight minutes). We still aren't playing as tight on that end this year as we did last season.
Still, nothing but good things came out of this one, which we need, heading into Thursday night's showdown (VIEWING ALERT: TNT 8 p.m.) with the Orlando Magic, suddenly a real contender not only in the East, but for the title. Perhaps the best thing was that we got Kendrick Perkins back. As well as Brian Scalabrine played in Perk's stead, and as good a job as Kevin Garnett did on Shaquille O'Neal Monday night, Perkins will be key to slowing Orlando's monster center, Dwight Howard. Howard is too strong for Scal and KG doesn't have a quickness advantage over Howard the way he does over Shaq. We need Perk's beef against Howard. Perkins only played 22 minutes tonight, in roughly six minute intervals, which was the plan coming in as he recovers from a tweak to his recurring shoulder injury. I wouldn't expect the plan to be any different against the Magic, so expect another 20 minutes or so from Scalabrine, if he can go that long without fouling out against Howard.
This one is a must-see for Boston fans, and probably for NBA fans, as well.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Constitutional Law is, thus far, kicking my ass this semester, so once we looked to have gained control of this one by halftime, I tuned out a bit. I remember Eddie House going for 20 points in the second quarter; I remember the Heat getting to with 11 or 12 or 13 in the fourth; and then the next time I looked up, we were leading by 22. The box score tells the story of this one: House and Ray Allen combining for 18-of-27 from the field, including 12-of-17 three-pointers. Fifteen total triples. Most of the times you shoot over 50 percent from the field, and make 60 percent of that many threes, you are going to win handily, even if you turn it over 21 times.
The defense wasn't superb tonight, at least not in the first quarter. There was a particularly sloppy stretch where Miami missed layups on like three straight possessions, including Shawn Marion clanging a dunk. (Incidentally, Marion is coming off of a groin injury and was limited to eight minutes). We still aren't playing as tight on that end this year as we did last season.
Still, nothing but good things came out of this one, which we need, heading into Thursday night's showdown (VIEWING ALERT: TNT 8 p.m.) with the Orlando Magic, suddenly a real contender not only in the East, but for the title. Perhaps the best thing was that we got Kendrick Perkins back. As well as Brian Scalabrine played in Perk's stead, and as good a job as Kevin Garnett did on Shaquille O'Neal Monday night, Perkins will be key to slowing Orlando's monster center, Dwight Howard. Howard is too strong for Scal and KG doesn't have a quickness advantage over Howard the way he does over Shaq. We need Perk's beef against Howard. Perkins only played 22 minutes tonight, in roughly six minute intervals, which was the plan coming in as he recovers from a tweak to his recurring shoulder injury. I wouldn't expect the plan to be any different against the Magic, so expect another 20 minutes or so from Scalabrine, if he can go that long without fouling out against Howard.
This one is a must-see for Boston fans, and probably for NBA fans, as well.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Boston 104, Phoenix 87
Shaq played, but it didn't matter. This one wasn't even this close; the second team played the entire fourth quarter, and while they played well earlier in the game, they didn't move the ball well in the last 12 minutes and the Phoenix's reserves cut into what was a 31-point lead after three quarters.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Everyone played well, but special consideration should go to Brian Scalabrine for the way he shut down Suns star power forward Amare Stoudemire. Scal actually outscore Amare 4-3, and consistently pushed Stoudemire away from the block, causing him to post up much farther from the bucket than he would have liked. Stoudemire missed all seven of his shots from the field. Credit to Ray Allen, too, for by and large shutting down Jason Richardson, something he had trouble doing when Richardson played for the Charlotte Bobcats.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a postgame interview with Rajon Rondo, in which TNT sideline reporter Cheryl asked the Celtics point guard about his "impactualness" on the game (she actually said that; I rewound my Tivo to check). That's a new one. And speaking of Miller, does she not have the exact same voice as her brother, former Indiana Pacer star and current TNT analyst Reggie? A little eerie having them on the same broadcast.
This is a good start to a tough week for the Cs, as they take a road trip to Florida. There's no national TV for Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat, but Thursday's showdown against Orlando will be broadcast on TNT at 8 p.m. Eastern.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Everyone played well, but special consideration should go to Brian Scalabrine for the way he shut down Suns star power forward Amare Stoudemire. Scal actually outscore Amare 4-3, and consistently pushed Stoudemire away from the block, causing him to post up much farther from the bucket than he would have liked. Stoudemire missed all seven of his shots from the field. Credit to Ray Allen, too, for by and large shutting down Jason Richardson, something he had trouble doing when Richardson played for the Charlotte Bobcats.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a postgame interview with Rajon Rondo, in which TNT sideline reporter Cheryl asked the Celtics point guard about his "impactualness" on the game (she actually said that; I rewound my Tivo to check). That's a new one. And speaking of Miller, does she not have the exact same voice as her brother, former Indiana Pacer star and current TNT analyst Reggie? A little eerie having them on the same broadcast.
This is a good start to a tough week for the Cs, as they take a road trip to Florida. There's no national TV for Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat, but Thursday's showdown against Orlando will be broadcast on TNT at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Viewing Alert
The Celtics play the Suns tonight on TNT at 8 p.m. Eastern as part of the network's Martin Luther King Jr. Day tripleheader. Phoenix beat the Raptors last night, and Shaquille O'Neal scord 16 points, which means the big fella likely won't play tonight (he's been playing only one leg of back-to-backs this season). His opposite number, Kendrick Perkins, probably won't play, either.
Two nights ago, by the way, Boston beat up on New Jersey for the second time in a row, this time by a 105-85 final. I missed this one, but if you read the recap, you'll see that we jumped out to an 18-2 lead on our way to a 68-39 halftime advantage, and that New Jersey's two best players, Vince Carter and Devin Harris, were benched for the entire second half.
Two nights ago, by the way, Boston beat up on New Jersey for the second time in a row, this time by a 105-85 final. I missed this one, but if you read the recap, you'll see that we jumped out to an 18-2 lead on our way to a 68-39 halftime advantage, and that New Jersey's two best players, Vince Carter and Devin Harris, were benched for the entire second half.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Boston 118, New Jersey 86
Easy win.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Not too much to say here -- the starters sat the entire fourth period -- so I'll explain a couple oddities from the box score.
-Glen Davis went 1-1 from three-point range. The three-pointer, his first, came at the end of the first quarter.
-Bill Walker played 12 minutes and scored six points. Walker -- a second-round pick of the Washington Wizards in last June's draft who Boston bought soon thereafter -- had been playing in the D-League, but injuries to Kendrick Perkins and Tony Allen left us with 11 active players, one shy of the maximum of 12 allowed. So Walker got the call, got in during garbage time, and acquitted himself well. He looks much more comfortable than he did at the beginning of the season (before he got sent down); it seems like he could contribute if pressed into service, and I like his prospects for future years. The end of the highlight reel has him executing a 360 in midair on a Gabe Pruitt alley-oop.
To mark the midway point of the season, Tommy and Mike had Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck on the broadcast during the second quarter for a "State of the Celtics" discussion. The highlight of that came when the Nets' Vince Carter went down with an ankle injury (he later returned). After a few minutes, Grousbeck made a crack about how loud Carter was after he injured himself (mocking him a little bit for acting like the injury was more serious than it was) then threw out this gem: "We had Paul's wheelchair ready for him." That is, of course, a reference to game one of last year's Finals, when Pierce went down with a knee injury, was carried off the court, was seen sitting in a wheelchair in the tunnel, and then came back to hit two huge threes and lead Boston to victory -- something he's taken a bit of flack for since.
Next game is Saturday night in New Jersey against these very same Nets. No national TV.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Not too much to say here -- the starters sat the entire fourth period -- so I'll explain a couple oddities from the box score.
-Glen Davis went 1-1 from three-point range. The three-pointer, his first, came at the end of the first quarter.
-Bill Walker played 12 minutes and scored six points. Walker -- a second-round pick of the Washington Wizards in last June's draft who Boston bought soon thereafter -- had been playing in the D-League, but injuries to Kendrick Perkins and Tony Allen left us with 11 active players, one shy of the maximum of 12 allowed. So Walker got the call, got in during garbage time, and acquitted himself well. He looks much more comfortable than he did at the beginning of the season (before he got sent down); it seems like he could contribute if pressed into service, and I like his prospects for future years. The end of the highlight reel has him executing a 360 in midair on a Gabe Pruitt alley-oop.
To mark the midway point of the season, Tommy and Mike had Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck on the broadcast during the second quarter for a "State of the Celtics" discussion. The highlight of that came when the Nets' Vince Carter went down with an ankle injury (he later returned). After a few minutes, Grousbeck made a crack about how loud Carter was after he injured himself (mocking him a little bit for acting like the injury was more serious than it was) then threw out this gem: "We had Paul's wheelchair ready for him." That is, of course, a reference to game one of last year's Finals, when Pierce went down with a knee injury, was carried off the court, was seen sitting in a wheelchair in the tunnel, and then came back to hit two huge threes and lead Boston to victory -- something he's taken a bit of flack for since.
Next game is Saturday night in New Jersey against these very same Nets. No national TV.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Boston 115, Toronto 109 (OT)
(Don't know what's up with the formatting. Sorry, gang.)
We're still not right. The Raptors were again without Jermaine O'Neal, and didn't have Jose Calderon, either, and we struggled to beat them at home.
I didn't watch this game because it was on NBATV, so I can't say much about it. Paul Pierce led the way with 39 points, and let me turn your attention to the first few paragraphs of the wire story on the game. Kevin Garnett, for at least the second time this season, referred to Pierce as Superman in the post-game press conference. I'm not bringing the following up to drum up controversy (I don't have enough readers for that, anyway). It's just something I've had on my mind for a while.
Almost from the moment Pierce and Garnett joined forces with Ray Allen last year, the biggest concern I've had that it wasn't going to click rest with Allen. Garnett would see plenty of time in the spotlight, as his superstardom was unmatched by the other two; and anyway, he was, by reputation, the most selfless of the three. Pierce and Ray were in similar situations, actually, All-Stars playing on bad teams, but Pierce was the incumbent. Ray was the newcomer. I wondered how he'd deal with being the third banana.
All in all, it's been pretty good. I remember some rumblings this summer about Ray being unhappy -- and rumors of a trade to (I think) Charlotte for (I think) Gerald Wallace. Who knows how credible those rumors were, and if Ray was or is upset, he's kept remarkably quiet.
But I can't help but notice the clear hierarchy among the Big Three. KG famously insisted that Pierce, not he, be introduced last at the start of every home game, which is all well and good, except that Ray's name never really entered the conversation. These are trivial matters, and, after all, not everyone can be introduced last, but we should at least acknowledge that Ray went from a team where he was the unquestionable top dog to the third most recognizable or popular player on his team.
It continued after the championship, too. Pierce naturally got the most press, having played his whole career in Boston, having survived the stabbing and the Pitino Era and losing season after losing season. Garnett's raw emotion and on-camera candidness made him a prime target for footage after the Finals; the NBA player who most wanted a ring finally got his. If Ray were more like KG -- if he were inclined to scream at the top of his lungs on national TV "ANYTHING'S POSSIBBBLLLE!!!!" -- maybe he would have received more press. But he's not KG, personality-wise, not even close.
(You know, I always find the post-Game 6 clip of KG described above strange. A 66-win team led by three stars of their generation hardly seems to be the unlikely event that Garnett's chosen phrase seems to make it out to be.)
The point of all this is that I wonder how Ray feels about it all. KG has gone out of his way to make sure Pierce is comfortable (the aforementioned insistence that Pierce be introduced last; constant reassurances in the press that this is Pierce's team), but you don't hear the same things about Ray. It's a little striking, particularly this year, when you could make a case that Ray has been the best player on the team. Pierce's 39 earned the win tonight, but Ray's 36 saved our asses on Sunday, and he didn't get Garnett comparing him to a superhero.
Like I said, I'm not trying to stir up controversy. Just something I've been tracking a little bit, and chose to write about on a night I couldn't watch the game.
Quick notes on what I can glean from the recap and box score:
-22 points in overtime is a franchise record. It's also more points than we scored in either the first or fourth quarter.
-49 minutes for Pierce, 45 for Ray, 40 apiece for Garnett and Rajon Rondo on the second night of a back-t0-back with another game on Wednesday (vs. New Jersey at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, no national TV). Yuck. Tony Allen's ankle injury hurts us in that he's the primary backup for both Ray and Pierce.
-No Kendrick Perkins again tonight, and a buddy who was listening to the broadcast tonight said that Doc doesn't expect him back til at least after the weekend. Our next two games are both against the Nets, and Jersey's rookie center, Brook Lopez, just went for 31 and 13 Monday night. I've been pretty happy with how Brian Scalabrine has played in Perk's absence (on both ends; he actually had 11 points Monday), but I think Lopez is probably too big for him -- though I think Garnett will handle him fine. The Chairman, Yi Jianlian, didn't play Monday because of a hand injury that will sideline him for a few weeks, and the Nets started rookie Ryan Anderson at power forward. I haven't seen a ton of Anderson (actually, not sure I've seen him at all as a pro, and only fleetingly in college), but my impression is that he's a younger, slimmer, better Scal, perhaps the player Danny Ainge hoped Scalabrine would be when he threw all that money at him a few years ago. Might be fun to see the two of them square off.
Talk to you after the game on Wednesday.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Boston 94, Toronto 88
The Celtics snapped a four-game losing streak in Toronto Sunday, hanging on during a shaky fourth quarter to win.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Ray Allen is the Celtics most responsible for this one, scoring 36 points while making 11 of 14 shots overall, including eight of 10 three-pointers.
This game was pretty odd -- if you look at the score and Allen's shooting line, you'd figure Boston needed every one of those shots. But we were up 20 after three quarters before going cold in the fourth. And it could have been closer, as Toronto missed some open looks from behind the arc in the last few minutes.
I think it was close to exactly the performance the team needed. Our defensive effort was great for most the night, we got Ray going, and while we faltered in the fourth, we made enough plays to win -- which we didn't do the other night in crunch time against Houston. All this despite not having Kendrick Perkins -- out with the shoulder injury he aggravated Friday night against Cleveland -- and Tony Allen. (Toronto was missing starting center Jermaine O'Neal, and their point guard, Jose Calderon, played just 22 minutes as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury).
Noteworthy performances:
-Rajon Rondo was the catalyst for our offense he had been before Christmas, perhaps taking advantage of a slowed Calderon for 14 points and 11 assists.
-Brian Scalabrine got the start in Perkins' place, and while he found foul trouble early and eventually fouled out, he gave us 25 minutes of solid, energetic defense, and he chipped in offensively with seven points. Can't really ask for more than that from the guy at this point.
-Glen Davis was the other big whose playing time benefitted from Perk's absence. While Davis did grab 11 rebounds, he was missed 11 of his 12 shots from the floor, a mix of open jumpers and easy layups. I don't really understand Doc's reasoning here; Davis was struggling offensively and got 30 minutes (a lot for a guy his size), while Leon Powe had five points and three rebounds in just nine minutes. I'm inclined to give Powe most of Baby's playing time anyway (though they are often on the court together), but that is particularly so when Davis struggles like he did today. He was sulking, too, not running back as hard on D as the game wore on and the misses piled up.
-Kevin Garnett also struggled, going just three of 16 from the field. He was just an inch or two off the entire night. I would say the majority of his jumpers missed the exact same way: front rom, backboard, and off. It's good to get a win even on a night where he can't buy one.
-Paul Pierce didn't have a very big game, though he did make a big bucket late. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with a knee injury he suffered in the first quarter; Scalabrine was knocked down and fell into Pierce's knee -- it looked like a little bit of a hyperextension or something. Pierce came back in the second quarter and didn't look to be hobbling around. I'm inclined to think that his lack of shooting (just five of 11) had more to do with how hot Ray was than anything with his knee.
We've got these same Raptors in Boston Monday night (7:30 p.m. Eastern). I don't know if Perkins or Tony Allen or O'Neal or Calderon will be playing. Because it's on NBATV, I won't be able to watch it, but I'll look at the box score and see if I can pick up on anything.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Ray Allen is the Celtics most responsible for this one, scoring 36 points while making 11 of 14 shots overall, including eight of 10 three-pointers.
This game was pretty odd -- if you look at the score and Allen's shooting line, you'd figure Boston needed every one of those shots. But we were up 20 after three quarters before going cold in the fourth. And it could have been closer, as Toronto missed some open looks from behind the arc in the last few minutes.
I think it was close to exactly the performance the team needed. Our defensive effort was great for most the night, we got Ray going, and while we faltered in the fourth, we made enough plays to win -- which we didn't do the other night in crunch time against Houston. All this despite not having Kendrick Perkins -- out with the shoulder injury he aggravated Friday night against Cleveland -- and Tony Allen. (Toronto was missing starting center Jermaine O'Neal, and their point guard, Jose Calderon, played just 22 minutes as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury).
Noteworthy performances:
-Rajon Rondo was the catalyst for our offense he had been before Christmas, perhaps taking advantage of a slowed Calderon for 14 points and 11 assists.
-Brian Scalabrine got the start in Perkins' place, and while he found foul trouble early and eventually fouled out, he gave us 25 minutes of solid, energetic defense, and he chipped in offensively with seven points. Can't really ask for more than that from the guy at this point.
-Glen Davis was the other big whose playing time benefitted from Perk's absence. While Davis did grab 11 rebounds, he was missed 11 of his 12 shots from the floor, a mix of open jumpers and easy layups. I don't really understand Doc's reasoning here; Davis was struggling offensively and got 30 minutes (a lot for a guy his size), while Leon Powe had five points and three rebounds in just nine minutes. I'm inclined to give Powe most of Baby's playing time anyway (though they are often on the court together), but that is particularly so when Davis struggles like he did today. He was sulking, too, not running back as hard on D as the game wore on and the misses piled up.
-Kevin Garnett also struggled, going just three of 16 from the field. He was just an inch or two off the entire night. I would say the majority of his jumpers missed the exact same way: front rom, backboard, and off. It's good to get a win even on a night where he can't buy one.
-Paul Pierce didn't have a very big game, though he did make a big bucket late. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with a knee injury he suffered in the first quarter; Scalabrine was knocked down and fell into Pierce's knee -- it looked like a little bit of a hyperextension or something. Pierce came back in the second quarter and didn't look to be hobbling around. I'm inclined to think that his lack of shooting (just five of 11) had more to do with how hot Ray was than anything with his knee.
We've got these same Raptors in Boston Monday night (7:30 p.m. Eastern). I don't know if Perkins or Tony Allen or O'Neal or Calderon will be playing. Because it's on NBATV, I won't be able to watch it, but I'll look at the box score and see if I can pick up on anything.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Cleveland 98, Boston 83
Hopefully, this is rock-bottom.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]*
The Xs and Os of basketball are what I find most interesting about the game, but the Celtics' recent struggles are as much about what is going on inside their heads as what is happening out on the court. So today, after an embarrassing loss to our chief Eastern Conference rivals dropping us to 2-7 over our last nine games, we're talking about psychology.
Not that I'm terribly qualified to do so. I only know what I know about the psyches of professional athletes from watching and reading about sports. Also, you should know my own mindset. While I've had some hysterical moments during this stretch, the more I think about it, the less concerned I am. If we were favored to win the East or the NBA this year at all, it wasn't by much, and I ultimately don't think that's changed much -- we're certainly not favored now, but I think the true odds really haven't moved, other than Cleveland being a bit better than expected. In other words, I don't think this game has revealed a fatal flaw in the team. We're just not playing well right now.
It is uncontroversial to say that professional athletes are some of the most confident -- and probably over-confident -- people in the world. No one is successful every time out, and athletes' failures are broadcast across the globe, their missteps and disappointments broadcast for millions to see. In order to succeed as a professional athlete, you cannot think you will fail. Every time out, you need to think you'll win.
A natural consequence of this, then, is that it sometimes takes athletes a long time to acknowledge when something is wrong. Because a drop in confidence can be so devastating, pro athletes are often reticent to admit when things aren't going well. On those ubiquitous NBA ads with snippets from many of Kevin Garnett's press conferences last year, you do hear KG talking a lot about the Celtics' imperfections: "We're not a flawless team, we're a team in progress." Easy to say when you're on your way to 66-16 and a championship. It may appear to be a paradox, but you'll hear that sort of self-evaluation from teams far more often when things are going well than when things are going poorly. It's a guard against over-confidence, just as stubbornly pushing aside concerns with "We'll be fine" when the chips are down is a guard against, well, under-confidence.
Keeping that in mind, it's a bit easier to understand the team's recent struggles and not panic. After the Christmas Day loss to the Lakers, I'm sure there were many who thought that the Celtics would come out the next night against Golden State and take their frustrations out on the Warriors. If Boston was a college or high-school team, that might well have been the case; the coach would have lit a fire under the kids on the practice floor the next day, and they would have come out ready to pulverize the other team.
Alas, the Celtics are in the NBA, and in the NBA, you follow up a Christmas Day loss in LA with a short evening flight to Oakland, away from home for the holidays, and you don't get a chance to practice before the next day's game. And maybe you come out and the other team gets hot and you give away a late lead and now, after winning 19 in a row, you've lost two straight.
At that point, you might get concerned, except that you go out two nights later and beat Sacramento by 45 on their home court. Sure, it's Sacramento, but still, it's 45 points. Everything seems back to normal. Sure, it's concerning when you drop the next game at Portland, but another blowout win, this one vs. Washington by 25 points, gets rid of those concerns, at least temporarily.
Losses at the Knicks and Bobcats are puzzling, but those teams are pests, annoyances not worth worrying about. You won't have to worry about them down the road. Besides, none of these losses have come at home.
Then, the very next night, you're out there on your home floor, playing a good Houston team, and you have a lead heading into the fourth quarter, and even though you can't throw it in the ocean during that period, you have a one-point lead and the ball late, but you don't score, and then someone named Von Wafer his a three, and you don't score again, and you lose.
Hmmm.
And then last night. Outworked and outplayed for 48 minutes (save a short stretch at the start of the third quarter) by the team that took you to seven games in last year's Eastern Conference finals and is your likely opponent in that series again this season.
The point I'm trying to make -- and I'm not sure I'm doing it well -- is that while a lot of observers have spotted that something was lacking in the team's effort and intensity earlier (perhaps prematurely), it makes sense that the team might not have recognized it as quickly. It's easy to explain away losses to New York and Charlotte in the middle of an 82-game season; no one is perfect every night, and anyway, the wins over Sacto and Washington prove that everything's fine. It's harder to write off the home loss to Houston and the blowout loss to Cleveland.
To wrap this up, then, perhaps now is the time that the team acknowledges that something's a little bit off. Something clearly is off; we aren't playing with the swagger we used to have, nor the energy and intensity. The swagger probably won't come until the wins come again, which won't come until we get our energy and intensity back (and start making a few shots). Our next game is Sunday, at Toronto, and that the Raptors are playing well, having won four of their last five, is probably a good thing. We'll have to play well to beat them, and we know that. A close, hard-fought win would be better than a blowout win, in my opinion. We need to come out and win a game in the way we should have won against Houston, I think, in order to get back on track.
And now for something completely different...me bitching about one officiating thing (which had no effect on the outcome of the game), because I didn't get it out of my system yesterday:
LeBron James goes 6'8" and a listed 250 pounds (he's probably heavier, and it's all muscle). He moves like a guard. He can put it on the deck, and he can shoot the jumper. He has a combination of power and quickness that is unparalleled, not just in today's NBA, but in league history.
He's as unguardable a guy as I have ever seen or ever anticipate seeing. But he will really be unguardable if officials keep letting him get away with carrying the basketball the way he does.
NBA rules have evolved -- or devolved, as the case may be -- over the years. It's no secret that the traveling rules, for example, aren't enforced nearly as strongly as they are written.
I remember carrying -- or palming -- being controversial back when guys like Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson were young. The way those two violate this rule is different than the way LeBron violates it, though. They use a hesitation dribble -- Marbury's is the best I've ever seen -- and in doing so, they let the ball stop on one hand while they shimmy their bodies to fake out the defender, then explode forward once they have the defender leaning. That's an unfair advantage, but they aren't advancing the ball while they do it.
LeBron, on the other hand, carries the ball on his crossover dribble. The risk of a crossover is, of course, that you have to put the ball out in front of the defender, where he might poke it away. LeBron gets away with not having to do that, putting his hand under the ball and bringing it all the way across his body before dropping it to the floor again. (I'm sure other players do this, too, but they aren't as difficult to guard as LeBron is). I have a friend whose crossover looks like this, and it's a good thing he can't finish, because you can't call palming in a pickup game, but you can't really stop this move, either.
I haven't noticed the hesitation stuff as much lately, which suggests to me that the league has made the necessary moves to eliminate it. This is the next step.
*I've been using ESPN.com links for recaps and boxscores. I've switched to Yahoo!, because ESPN recaps have a highlight reel that 1) may surprise people who are reading Rhymes With Hondo at work with the volume on their computer up and 2) being ESPN, has an advertisement at the beginning. However, the highlight reel has value, so I've decided to make a third link to the ESPN.com game story a regular part of my recap postings from this point forward. If you want the highlights, click that one (you can get to the box score easily from there); if you want to avoid the sound and the ads (or ESPN.com in general on principle, a defensible position), use the other two links.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]*
The Xs and Os of basketball are what I find most interesting about the game, but the Celtics' recent struggles are as much about what is going on inside their heads as what is happening out on the court. So today, after an embarrassing loss to our chief Eastern Conference rivals dropping us to 2-7 over our last nine games, we're talking about psychology.
Not that I'm terribly qualified to do so. I only know what I know about the psyches of professional athletes from watching and reading about sports. Also, you should know my own mindset. While I've had some hysterical moments during this stretch, the more I think about it, the less concerned I am. If we were favored to win the East or the NBA this year at all, it wasn't by much, and I ultimately don't think that's changed much -- we're certainly not favored now, but I think the true odds really haven't moved, other than Cleveland being a bit better than expected. In other words, I don't think this game has revealed a fatal flaw in the team. We're just not playing well right now.
It is uncontroversial to say that professional athletes are some of the most confident -- and probably over-confident -- people in the world. No one is successful every time out, and athletes' failures are broadcast across the globe, their missteps and disappointments broadcast for millions to see. In order to succeed as a professional athlete, you cannot think you will fail. Every time out, you need to think you'll win.
A natural consequence of this, then, is that it sometimes takes athletes a long time to acknowledge when something is wrong. Because a drop in confidence can be so devastating, pro athletes are often reticent to admit when things aren't going well. On those ubiquitous NBA ads with snippets from many of Kevin Garnett's press conferences last year, you do hear KG talking a lot about the Celtics' imperfections: "We're not a flawless team, we're a team in progress." Easy to say when you're on your way to 66-16 and a championship. It may appear to be a paradox, but you'll hear that sort of self-evaluation from teams far more often when things are going well than when things are going poorly. It's a guard against over-confidence, just as stubbornly pushing aside concerns with "We'll be fine" when the chips are down is a guard against, well, under-confidence.
Keeping that in mind, it's a bit easier to understand the team's recent struggles and not panic. After the Christmas Day loss to the Lakers, I'm sure there were many who thought that the Celtics would come out the next night against Golden State and take their frustrations out on the Warriors. If Boston was a college or high-school team, that might well have been the case; the coach would have lit a fire under the kids on the practice floor the next day, and they would have come out ready to pulverize the other team.
Alas, the Celtics are in the NBA, and in the NBA, you follow up a Christmas Day loss in LA with a short evening flight to Oakland, away from home for the holidays, and you don't get a chance to practice before the next day's game. And maybe you come out and the other team gets hot and you give away a late lead and now, after winning 19 in a row, you've lost two straight.
At that point, you might get concerned, except that you go out two nights later and beat Sacramento by 45 on their home court. Sure, it's Sacramento, but still, it's 45 points. Everything seems back to normal. Sure, it's concerning when you drop the next game at Portland, but another blowout win, this one vs. Washington by 25 points, gets rid of those concerns, at least temporarily.
Losses at the Knicks and Bobcats are puzzling, but those teams are pests, annoyances not worth worrying about. You won't have to worry about them down the road. Besides, none of these losses have come at home.
Then, the very next night, you're out there on your home floor, playing a good Houston team, and you have a lead heading into the fourth quarter, and even though you can't throw it in the ocean during that period, you have a one-point lead and the ball late, but you don't score, and then someone named Von Wafer his a three, and you don't score again, and you lose.
Hmmm.
And then last night. Outworked and outplayed for 48 minutes (save a short stretch at the start of the third quarter) by the team that took you to seven games in last year's Eastern Conference finals and is your likely opponent in that series again this season.
The point I'm trying to make -- and I'm not sure I'm doing it well -- is that while a lot of observers have spotted that something was lacking in the team's effort and intensity earlier (perhaps prematurely), it makes sense that the team might not have recognized it as quickly. It's easy to explain away losses to New York and Charlotte in the middle of an 82-game season; no one is perfect every night, and anyway, the wins over Sacto and Washington prove that everything's fine. It's harder to write off the home loss to Houston and the blowout loss to Cleveland.
To wrap this up, then, perhaps now is the time that the team acknowledges that something's a little bit off. Something clearly is off; we aren't playing with the swagger we used to have, nor the energy and intensity. The swagger probably won't come until the wins come again, which won't come until we get our energy and intensity back (and start making a few shots). Our next game is Sunday, at Toronto, and that the Raptors are playing well, having won four of their last five, is probably a good thing. We'll have to play well to beat them, and we know that. A close, hard-fought win would be better than a blowout win, in my opinion. We need to come out and win a game in the way we should have won against Houston, I think, in order to get back on track.
And now for something completely different...me bitching about one officiating thing (which had no effect on the outcome of the game), because I didn't get it out of my system yesterday:
LeBron James goes 6'8" and a listed 250 pounds (he's probably heavier, and it's all muscle). He moves like a guard. He can put it on the deck, and he can shoot the jumper. He has a combination of power and quickness that is unparalleled, not just in today's NBA, but in league history.
He's as unguardable a guy as I have ever seen or ever anticipate seeing. But he will really be unguardable if officials keep letting him get away with carrying the basketball the way he does.
NBA rules have evolved -- or devolved, as the case may be -- over the years. It's no secret that the traveling rules, for example, aren't enforced nearly as strongly as they are written.
I remember carrying -- or palming -- being controversial back when guys like Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson were young. The way those two violate this rule is different than the way LeBron violates it, though. They use a hesitation dribble -- Marbury's is the best I've ever seen -- and in doing so, they let the ball stop on one hand while they shimmy their bodies to fake out the defender, then explode forward once they have the defender leaning. That's an unfair advantage, but they aren't advancing the ball while they do it.
LeBron, on the other hand, carries the ball on his crossover dribble. The risk of a crossover is, of course, that you have to put the ball out in front of the defender, where he might poke it away. LeBron gets away with not having to do that, putting his hand under the ball and bringing it all the way across his body before dropping it to the floor again. (I'm sure other players do this, too, but they aren't as difficult to guard as LeBron is). I have a friend whose crossover looks like this, and it's a good thing he can't finish, because you can't call palming in a pickup game, but you can't really stop this move, either.
I haven't noticed the hesitation stuff as much lately, which suggests to me that the league has made the necessary moves to eliminate it. This is the next step.
*I've been using ESPN.com links for recaps and boxscores. I've switched to Yahoo!, because ESPN recaps have a highlight reel that 1) may surprise people who are reading Rhymes With Hondo at work with the volume on their computer up and 2) being ESPN, has an advertisement at the beginning. However, the highlight reel has value, so I've decided to make a third link to the ESPN.com game story a regular part of my recap postings from this point forward. If you want the highlights, click that one (you can get to the box score easily from there); if you want to avoid the sound and the ads (or ESPN.com in general on principle, a defensible position), use the other two links.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Viewing Alert
Huge game tonight, as Boston travels to Cleveland to take on the East-leading Cavs. It's on ESPN at 8 p.m. Eastern. This has major implications for our mindset, as well as the Eastern Conference in general.
I didn't watch Tuesday's overtime loss at Charlotte. I had been out with some old co-workers and when I got back, I couldn't bear the thought of two-and-a-half hours of us losing to the Bobcats. I did catch Tuesday's 89-85 defeat at home against Tracy McGrady-less Houston.
I'm stumped as to why we're losing suddenly, six of eight after such an incredible start. I haven't been watching as much or as closely over the past few weeks because of all the running around I've done on winter break, but I'm coming up empty trying to think of reasons why we aren't scoring and aren't stopping people. I really thought we had the Rockets after Garnett made that great dish to Rajon Rondo (you can see it at the end of the highlight reel in the game link, above) and then blocked a shot on the other end. But we couldn't take advantage on the other end, and Houston's Von Wafer hit the game-winning three.
I was disappointed in our effort down the stretch in that one, partially because we failed to protect homecourt, and partially because we got outplayed by an inferior team down the stretch (for the last few minutes, the Rockets were without McGrady and Ron Artest, who fouled out). It's especially concerning because the game was an intense one; a couple typically hard Artest fouls on Paul Pierce made sure of that.
I really don't know what to expect tonight out of the Cs. I want to say they'll come out and play a great game, but there's something going on besides mindset. They can't still be in a funk from the loss to the Lakers. They've had plenty of opportunity over these last eight games to rebound, and they haven't done it. It's not a matter of just showing up and willing themselves to play well. It's more than that. And they're going to have to bring their very best tonight if they want to win in Cleveland.
I didn't watch Tuesday's overtime loss at Charlotte. I had been out with some old co-workers and when I got back, I couldn't bear the thought of two-and-a-half hours of us losing to the Bobcats. I did catch Tuesday's 89-85 defeat at home against Tracy McGrady-less Houston.
I'm stumped as to why we're losing suddenly, six of eight after such an incredible start. I haven't been watching as much or as closely over the past few weeks because of all the running around I've done on winter break, but I'm coming up empty trying to think of reasons why we aren't scoring and aren't stopping people. I really thought we had the Rockets after Garnett made that great dish to Rajon Rondo (you can see it at the end of the highlight reel in the game link, above) and then blocked a shot on the other end. But we couldn't take advantage on the other end, and Houston's Von Wafer hit the game-winning three.
I was disappointed in our effort down the stretch in that one, partially because we failed to protect homecourt, and partially because we got outplayed by an inferior team down the stretch (for the last few minutes, the Rockets were without McGrady and Ron Artest, who fouled out). It's especially concerning because the game was an intense one; a couple typically hard Artest fouls on Paul Pierce made sure of that.
I really don't know what to expect tonight out of the Cs. I want to say they'll come out and play a great game, but there's something going on besides mindset. They can't still be in a funk from the loss to the Lakers. They've had plenty of opportunity over these last eight games to rebound, and they haven't done it. It's not a matter of just showing up and willing themselves to play well. It's more than that. And they're going to have to bring their very best tonight if they want to win in Cleveland.
Monday, January 5, 2009
New York 100, Boston 88
I only caught bits and pieces of this one, but I didn't like too much of what I saw.
[recap] [box score]
I didn't like to see Kevin Garnett tweak his calf (although the pass he threw on that play was gorgeous, and I challenge anyone to name another 7-footer in history who throws that pass).
I didn't like to see Ray Allen going 0-for-9 from deep.
I didn't like to see Rajon Rondo playing only 26 minutes. Eddie House came in for Rondo with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter and the Celtics down 70-62; Rondo didn't re-enter the game until 2:54 was left in the game, with Boston down 93-86. I know Rondo wasn't very effective last night, but along with Paul Pierce (who played well), he's the only guy we have who can get the offense going when jumpers aren't falling. Eddie wasn't really hitting last night. It was clear we needed an offensive spark, and when we need an offensive spark, Rondo shouldn't be on the bench. (This is an argument, by the way, for why Stephon Marbury wouldn't be such a bad fit for us. His ability to create for himself and others is unmatched on our second team, with the possible exception of Tony Allen, who I'm trusting less and less these days.)
It wasn't all bad. I thought Scalabrine played as well as he's played this year, though we could have used a couple of the open jumpers he missed (he certainly wasn't alone in missing open jumpers last night, though). He was quite effective defensively.
Really, this one wasn't as bad as it looked. I don't want to make excuses and I'm sick of doing so, but if we hit a couple of jumpers -- open jumpers -- it's a different ballgame. The Knicks didn't play that well defensively -- they played well, for them, but that doesn't mean a whole lot, given that they allow a league-worst 48 percent shooting from opponents. We had open looks, but with the exception of Pierce, simply couldn't get anything to go down. And the Knicks caught a couple of breaks in the fourth quarter, getting easy buckets on possession where we played good D only to have the loose ball fall directly to them.
Cleveland lost to Washington on Sunday, so we're still percentage points ahead of them in the early stages of the race for homecourt advantage (although the five-loss Lakers now have the best record in the NBA). The next couple of weeks are going to be a good test for us, as we have a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back at Charlotte and home vs. Houston ahead of the big matchup in Cleveland on Friday. We have road games at playoff contenders Toronto, New Jersey, Miami, Orlando, and Detroit later this month. I think we'll know the true state of our team much better then.
[recap] [box score]
I didn't like to see Kevin Garnett tweak his calf (although the pass he threw on that play was gorgeous, and I challenge anyone to name another 7-footer in history who throws that pass).
I didn't like to see Ray Allen going 0-for-9 from deep.
I didn't like to see Rajon Rondo playing only 26 minutes. Eddie House came in for Rondo with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter and the Celtics down 70-62; Rondo didn't re-enter the game until 2:54 was left in the game, with Boston down 93-86. I know Rondo wasn't very effective last night, but along with Paul Pierce (who played well), he's the only guy we have who can get the offense going when jumpers aren't falling. Eddie wasn't really hitting last night. It was clear we needed an offensive spark, and when we need an offensive spark, Rondo shouldn't be on the bench. (This is an argument, by the way, for why Stephon Marbury wouldn't be such a bad fit for us. His ability to create for himself and others is unmatched on our second team, with the possible exception of Tony Allen, who I'm trusting less and less these days.)
It wasn't all bad. I thought Scalabrine played as well as he's played this year, though we could have used a couple of the open jumpers he missed (he certainly wasn't alone in missing open jumpers last night, though). He was quite effective defensively.
Really, this one wasn't as bad as it looked. I don't want to make excuses and I'm sick of doing so, but if we hit a couple of jumpers -- open jumpers -- it's a different ballgame. The Knicks didn't play that well defensively -- they played well, for them, but that doesn't mean a whole lot, given that they allow a league-worst 48 percent shooting from opponents. We had open looks, but with the exception of Pierce, simply couldn't get anything to go down. And the Knicks caught a couple of breaks in the fourth quarter, getting easy buckets on possession where we played good D only to have the loose ball fall directly to them.
Cleveland lost to Washington on Sunday, so we're still percentage points ahead of them in the early stages of the race for homecourt advantage (although the five-loss Lakers now have the best record in the NBA). The next couple of weeks are going to be a good test for us, as we have a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back at Charlotte and home vs. Houston ahead of the big matchup in Cleveland on Friday. We have road games at playoff contenders Toronto, New Jersey, Miami, Orlando, and Detroit later this month. I think we'll know the true state of our team much better then.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Boston 108, Washington 83
It's hard to blog about blowouts.
[recap] [box score]
Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo got us going tonight, putting up 13 points and seven assists, respectively, in the first quarter, and the Wizards never challenged us. We shot 55 percent from the field tonight, a number that dropped four or five ticks as the reserves played the entire fourth quarter. We were hot, but Washington is just bad defensively. Pierce and Rondo and Tony Allen were getting to the basket pretty much at will.
Pretty good minutes management from Doc tonight, as Ray Allen led us in minutes with 31, and no other starter played more than 28.
I know I'm not adding anything to the discussion here, but there's really precious little to say about a game like this one. Just keeping everyone informed, I guess.
We've got the Knicks on Sunday on NBATV (6 p.m. Eastern), which means I likely won't be able to watch it. That means my next post will probably come after Tuesday's battle in Charlotte. We're hosting Houston the next night, and then the big game on Friday at Cleveland on ESPN.
[recap] [box score]
Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo got us going tonight, putting up 13 points and seven assists, respectively, in the first quarter, and the Wizards never challenged us. We shot 55 percent from the field tonight, a number that dropped four or five ticks as the reserves played the entire fourth quarter. We were hot, but Washington is just bad defensively. Pierce and Rondo and Tony Allen were getting to the basket pretty much at will.
Pretty good minutes management from Doc tonight, as Ray Allen led us in minutes with 31, and no other starter played more than 28.
I know I'm not adding anything to the discussion here, but there's really precious little to say about a game like this one. Just keeping everyone informed, I guess.
We've got the Knicks on Sunday on NBATV (6 p.m. Eastern), which means I likely won't be able to watch it. That means my next post will probably come after Tuesday's battle in Charlotte. We're hosting Houston the next night, and then the big game on Friday at Cleveland on ESPN.
The Starchild in Boston?
Stepped off the plane from Atlanta today to a report that if embattled New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury can negotiate his release, Boston may be his next team.
Boston's apparent interest in Marbury is not a surprise to me -- I've been thinking for a while now that it makes a lot of sense. Marbury would bring to the table what Sam Cassell was supposed to bring to the table -- a veteran point guard who can provide some scoring off the bench. If the front office felt that we needed someone to play that role when we signed Cassell last year at mid-season (or re-signed him this offseason, for that matter), then Marbury is a clear upgrade.
I think a lot of people think that we need a backup big man more than we need someone in the backcourt. That's probably true, but there isn't, to my knowledge, a backup big man that we can be relatively sure will be available, the way P.J. Brown was available last year. Brown insists he's retired -- and I'm of the opinion that despite a few strong performances last year, we were better off without him. Dikembe Mutombo just re-signed with the Hawks. Antonio McDyess is back with the Pistons. Passing on Marbury in the hopes that a big man, such as Oklahoma City's Joe Smith, becomes available, would be a gamble.
I'm not worried about Marbury's effect on team chemistry, and not just because of the veteran leadership in the locker room. If we sign Steph and he becomes a cancer, we can easily cut him with minimal repercussions - he'll be making the minimum salary.
The only way the potential signing of Marbury would be negative, in my mind, is if he takes minutes away from someone who would be more effective on the floor, the way Cassell too minutes from Eddie House last offseason. Eddie has played better this year and Tony Allen is theoretically fully healthy, but it's undeniable that the second team could use a shot in the arm offensively every once in a while. Marbury isn't exactly known for his defense, but in my mind, this is a gamble worth taking.
More on this if it actually happens, of course.
Boston's apparent interest in Marbury is not a surprise to me -- I've been thinking for a while now that it makes a lot of sense. Marbury would bring to the table what Sam Cassell was supposed to bring to the table -- a veteran point guard who can provide some scoring off the bench. If the front office felt that we needed someone to play that role when we signed Cassell last year at mid-season (or re-signed him this offseason, for that matter), then Marbury is a clear upgrade.
I think a lot of people think that we need a backup big man more than we need someone in the backcourt. That's probably true, but there isn't, to my knowledge, a backup big man that we can be relatively sure will be available, the way P.J. Brown was available last year. Brown insists he's retired -- and I'm of the opinion that despite a few strong performances last year, we were better off without him. Dikembe Mutombo just re-signed with the Hawks. Antonio McDyess is back with the Pistons. Passing on Marbury in the hopes that a big man, such as Oklahoma City's Joe Smith, becomes available, would be a gamble.
I'm not worried about Marbury's effect on team chemistry, and not just because of the veteran leadership in the locker room. If we sign Steph and he becomes a cancer, we can easily cut him with minimal repercussions - he'll be making the minimum salary.
The only way the potential signing of Marbury would be negative, in my mind, is if he takes minutes away from someone who would be more effective on the floor, the way Cassell too minutes from Eddie House last offseason. Eddie has played better this year and Tony Allen is theoretically fully healthy, but it's undeniable that the second team could use a shot in the arm offensively every once in a while. Marbury isn't exactly known for his defense, but in my mind, this is a gamble worth taking.
More on this if it actually happens, of course.
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