The Next Lamb: The Portland Trailblazers

Game 17: Portland (8-9) at Boston (13-4)

December 1, 2010

7:30 p. m. Eastern

TV: NBA TV

You really can't talk about Portland without talking about injuries. Greg Oden is the most well-publicized absent Blazer, done for the year with yet another knee problem. But he's not the only one. Joel Przybilla is also out and the team had to cut promising young big Jeff Pendergraph in the preseason because of injuries, so the team is really thin up front. (Of course, the Celtics have their own frontcourt problems, being -- as they are -- without Kendrick Perkins and Jermaine O'Neal). The bigs left standing are Marcus Camby and LaMarcus Aldridge. At 36, Camby is still an elite shotblocker and rebounder, but he's no longer much of an offensive threat. At the same time, he has the capability to hit jumpers if he's given the opportunity. If he's going to do any damage offensively, then, it will either be on the glass or in the pick and pop. Aldridge is a versatile big who has more or less consistently had his average game in six meetings with Boston over the past three seasons.

The other big injury to Portland is to Brandon Roy, who has now played the last three games after missing the previous three. He returned with two strong games against the Hornets and Nets (both losses), but was rather quiet in Tuesday night's defeat in Philadelphia. As he's struggled, second-year player Wes Matthews has emerged as a legitimate scorer on the wing. Matthews -- who went undrafted out of Marquette but started 48 games as a rookie in Utah before coming to Portland in the offseason -- is going to give Ray Allen a bit of trouble on both ends of the floor. Allen will need to show up ready to work, which isn't usually a problem for him.

Portland is really struggling, having lost four in a row now, including most recently to lowly New Jersey and Philadelphia. Boston will be the third game of a four-game road trip, and on the second night of a back-to-back, with a presumably easier task ahead of them on Friday at Washington, some teams might be tempted to take the night off, especially if things don't go their way early. I wouldn't expect that out of the Blazers, but I do think Boston are heavy favorites.

Boston 106, Cleveland 87

[recap] [box score]

I didn't get a chance to watch this game because I was at school and forgot to tape it, and it was on NBATV, so I couldn't watch it via League Pass Broadband. It looked from the gamecast that after a slow start, we got rolling in the second quarter, then put it away in the third. Rajon Rondo had a bunch of his points in the first, and it looked like he took over the game for a stretch in the third, as well, driving for a couple layups before assisting on three straight baskets.

Those of you looking at the box score may be a bit alarmed by Paul Pierce's lack of minutes, but fear not: It was due to early foul trouble and the fact that he wasn't needed in the fourth quarter. He did play and contribute in the key stretches in the second and third quarters.

It also looked like we got some good performances in extended minutes from the bench. Nice to see that.

Portland tomorrow night. I'm going to try to watch that one, so I'll have a little more substance.

The Next Lamb: The Cleveland Cavalieres

Game 17: Boston (12-4) at Cleveland (7-9)

Tuesday, November 30

7 p.m. Eastern

NBATV

Last meeting: @Cleveland 95, Boston 87 (10/27/10)

The last time the Celtics faced the Cavs, it was the night after the big opening win over Miami -- looking back, it doesn't seem so big, does it? -- and after Boston blew a double-digit second half lead, everyone was quick to blame the hangover from the night before.

Since that time, however, the Cavs have played a bit better than nearly everyone expected they would, emerging as a contender for a low playoff seed in the East. They play hard and are well-coached, and teams with those characteristics are tough to beat.

J.J. Hickson did the most damage to the Celtics in the earlier meeting, and he's again the guy to watch -- he's mobile, active, and has a good jumper. I mentioned last time that offensively, he reminded me a bit of Kevin Garnett, and that's the kind of player that can give Boston trouble if Garnett doesn't stay at home.

The ever-pesky Anderson Varejao mans the middle for the Cavs, and his mobility could give Shaquille O'Neal trouble. Varejao is the kind of player whose value you don't recognize until he goes off the floor and you realize how much easier everything is without him on it. As such, I'd like to see Boston try to ride Shaq's recent hot hand in the early going and maybe get Varejao in foul trouble.

Mo Williams is the starter at point guard. He didn't play in the first Boston game, and while he adds some scoring punch, he's missed five games this year and it's not at all clear that Cleveland suffers too much with him in street clothes. The other change in the lineup is that Joey Graham has recently replaced Jamario Moon in the starting lineup, which really matters very little in the grand scheme of things.

Cleveland's bench had a nice game the last time we played them. They've got some pretty good second-unit weapons, as second-unit weapons go. The most obvious is former All-Star Antawn Jamison, a versatile forward who we can hope decides to content himself with launching perimeter shots. Daniel Gibson is legitimate three-point sniper. I'm not a Ramon Sessions fan, but he has his moments; a big key to defending him is letting him take all the crazy shots he seems willing to take, rather than over-reacting to his penetration and leaving someone else open or by bailing him out with a foul call. None of those guys has a reputation for defense, however, and while the other two bench guys -- Ryan Hollins and Moon -- are decent on D, I think the Celtics bench could do some damage.

It's a game Boston should win, but to reiterate, they'll have to do more than just show up.

Metal Monday: Faith No More

Not quite metal, but heavy nonetheless. Faith No More broke up in 1998, but have recently reunited for shows here and there -- including two at the Hollywood Palladium this Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately for me, school is preventing me from attending either show -- a decision I struggled mightily with, especially because I skipped Metallica two years ago to study for my Civil Procedure exam and did terribly on it.

You probably know Faith No More from "Epic," the most popular track off of 1989's "The Real Thing." ("Epic" may be responsible for the majority of rap-metal out there, something I, at least, am willing to forgive the band for.")

"The Real Thing" is one of the albums I remember the most from my adolescence. I had the cassette, and I remember I made a mixed tape consisting solely of songs from it, Peal Jam's "Vitalogy," Soundgarden's "Superunknown," and Stone Temple Pilots' "Purple." All of the Faith No More songs I put on that tape were from Side A of that album. It was months, at least, before I bothered listening to Side B -- and when I did, it was like a whole different album. Contrast "Falling to Pieces" (Side A) with "The Real Thing" (Side B), below, and I think you'll see what I'm talking about.

Focusing only on one album doesn't do the band justice, because experimentation and variety are what Faith No More is known for. But it's the album I know best, and it's the one that fits best here. In addition to the two songs mentioned above, I've also included a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" (which also can be found on that album), as well as a collaboration with the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. from the Judgment Night soundtrack, a great soundtrack that pairs up alternative bands with rap groups (if you like this sort of thing, check the album out).

Boston 110, Toronto 101

Maybe I'm just being ornery, but I would've liked to have seen a bit more out of the Celtics on Friday night.

[recap] [box score]

Early on, Boston sure looked like it was out to avenge Sunday's 102-101 loss to the Raptors in Toronto. Rajon Rondo, who didn't play in that game or the two games immediately following it, dished out eight assists, Ray Allen hit a trio of three-pointers, and the team barely missed on the way to a 31-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the bench let the Raptors back into it in the second quarter -- then let the Raps back into it again in the fourth after Boston led by 19 at the end of three.

I know the second unit is missing two key pieces in Jermaine O'Neal and Delonte West, but that can't become an excuse all season long. West is going is going to be out a while, and even when Jermaine gets back from whatever knee problem that's currently bugging him, he'll still probably going to be game-to-game with the nagging injuries that have plagued his whole career. Semih Erden had one of his better games, but he's still a project at this point, and other than Glen Davis -- who plays a big chunk of his minutes with the first unit -- no one else made any sort of contribution off the bench. Nate Robinson and Marquis Daniels are capable of much more than they showed tonight, and more than they've showed consistently this season.

Kevin Garnett was simply superb Friday night, connecting with Rondo on a number of those 35-foot alley-oops that seem to be the pair's signature hookup. Shaquille O'Neal also had a big game, as he should whenever he spends part of the evening being guarded by Andrea Bargnani. Paul Pierce was pretty quiet for most of the game, but did a nice job stopping the bleeding in the fourth quarter. Allen went quiet after his hot start, and Rondo started well but then got a bit careless with the ball (the man is entitled to need a game to find his rhythm).

The Celtics are off until Tuesday, when they'll have an opportunity to properly avenge the first loss of the season, in Cleveland.

Boston 89, New Jersey 83 - Delonte Breaks Wrist

[recap] [box score]

Sad news tonight for the Celtics despite the win, as Delonte West broke his right wrist in the second quarter trying to brace himself. As of this writing, I don't know of a timetable for his return. However, the wire story has Doc Rivers saying it's a compound fracture. I'm not a doctor, but I think that means that Delonte's bone broke through his skin. (If you're at all squeamish, do not Google "compound fracture.") Sports announcers always say they hate to speculate, but I, as a blogger, love to speculate -- it's part of why I blog -- and I'm speculating that Delonte's season could be over. Even if it isn't, it'll be a long while before we see him in uniform again.

It's difficult to say what the effect of losing Delonte for the foreseeable future will be, given that he'd only played a few games this season and hadn't had a chance to really gel yet with the second unit. I, and everyone else, hoped that he'd become our most valuable bench player, someone to come in and organize the offense, letting Nate Robinson play off the ball while our starting backcourt sat. I hoped he'd come in and be able to defend both guard positions and knock down the three when the defense left him open. Delonte West is capable of doing all of these things. Whether or not he actually was going to do them, of course, remains an open question, but it's safe to say that this is no minor loss.

Short term, things appear bleaker than they actually are, because Rajon Rondo missed his third straight game with a hamstring injury. That leaves Robinson and rookie Avery Bradley as our only healthy point guards, though Rondo's expected back soon. Even when he does return, however, West's absence will likely mean increased minutes for our starting perimeter guys as they take turns running with the second unit -- unless Doc has unreasonable confidence in Von Wafer or uncharacteristic confidence in Bradley. The other option would be to go out and get someone, but I don't know who that someone would be.

So sad. Delonte seemed on the verge of rejuvenating his career, then breaks his wrist four and a half games into his season. (Recall that he sat out the first ten games on a suspension.) There is, of course, a big elephant in the room that I feel neither comfortable nor qualified to address -- let's just say that I hope that whatever physical therapy program awaits him, it keeps him busy. Time for the Celtics family to look after one of its own.

Touching ever-so-briefly on the game itself, Shaquille O'Neal was a monster tonight, playing better than I've seen him play in years and much better than I ever thought I'd see him play in a Celtics uniform. I'm still worried a bit about his defense, but he's really throwing his weight around on offense and his teammates have been great at finding him.

The other player who merits attention for his performance Wednesday night is Marquis Daniels. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen put this game away down the stretch -- with a surprising assist from Shaq at the free throw line -- but Daniels, pressed into extra duty due to the West and Rondo injuries and the fact that Robinson was in foul trouble, had a strong game. His stat line was modest, but he did a lot of the little things on a night where Boston couldn't find a rhythm. If he can consistently play well, it will go a long way toward easing the sting from the loss of Delonte.

The Next Lamb: The New Jersey Nets

Game 15: New Jersey (5-9) at Boston (10-4)

Wednesday, November 24

7:30 pm Eastern

TV: NBA League Pass

It wasn't until writing this post that I remembered that we lost to the Nets last season. The 12-70 Nets. The freaking Nets.

I went back and looked at the RwH archives, and it turns out I didn't watch that game -- which was the last matchup between these two teams. It turns out that the game was decided at the free throw line: New Jersey shot 41 free throws to Boston's 11, holding a 22-point edge from the stripe.

In my own little universe, then, it's particularly appropriate that we face the Nets for the first time since then at a time when I think the biggest problem with our team, currently, is that it has trouble playing defense without fouling. (Unless, of course, the other team simply chooses not to show up, as Atlanta did on Monday.)

Speaking of Atlanta, the Nets beat them in overtime in New Jersey Tuesday night, a win that would ordinarily be impressive -- except that the Hawks dug themselves an early hole by playing only slightly better in the first quarter than they did the night before against the Celtics. Still, give credit to New Jersey for closing out the game in overtime. In some regards, their record is deceiving because they've played some good teams very close -- but on the other hand, Atlanta's really the only decent team they've beaten.

There are two main players for Boston to worry about: center Brook Lopez and point guard Devin Harris. The former has had a bunch of good games against Boston in the last couple of seasons, and its hard to imagine him playing materially worse against Shaquille O'Neal than he did against Kendrick Perkins. Harris, on the other hand, has traditionally struggled against Boston, putting up some ugly shooting lines (though his ability to get to the free throw line makes his point totals against the Celtics respectable). Of course, if Rajon Rondo can't go, Nate Robinson will be tasked with checking the 6-3 Harris. If it becomes an issue, I wouldn't be surprised to see Doc not hesitate to bring in Delonte West.

Joining those two guys in the starting lineup these days are Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow, and Kris Humphries. Outlaw is a relatively unexceptional small forward, and Morrow -- one of the top three-point shooters, percentage-wise, ever -- hasn't yet found his rhythm and doesn't seem to be being used in a way that best maximizes his lone NBA skill.

Humphries is an interesting case. Troy Murphy is supposed to be playing power forward for the Nets, but he hurt his back in the preseason and when he came back, he was ineffective -- so ineffective that coach Avery Johnson has kept him inactive -- not benched him; kept him in street clothes -- for several games now. Humphries is an early entry journeyman, a strong rebounder with something of a hard edge. His major contribution comes on the glass, a la Reggie Evans -- who had 16 rebounds against Boston on Sunday -- but he notched his fourth double-double of the season against Atlanta, so he's a little bit more of an offensive threat. Particularly if Boston has trouble containing Lopez and Harris, Humphries is exactly the kind of player who can really hurt the Celtics. Kevin Garnett loves to roam and help, and Humphries has made a modest career of punishing -- with dunks and offensive rebounds and putbacks -- teams that ignore him.

Metal Monday: Giving Thanks

What's a Monday without metal? I hope something good, because most of my readers, being located on the East Coast, won't read this until Tuesday morning. (This assumes, of course, that I have readers other than my father and sister, who both have informed me that Metal Monday is "not my favorite feature of your blog." Philistines.)

I wanted to do a Thanksgiving theme, because it's timely and a good way to appear clever without putting in much effort. (I'm awfully busy these days.) I considered doing a tribute to Metallica, the band that got me interested in this genre of music so many years ago, but those guys are the godfathers and deserve a much more thoughtful treatment than I have time to give them at the moment.

So I decided to keep it simple. What am I thankful for? Metal, among other things. And with that, I give you "The Metal" by Tenacious D (Jack Black's band).

Fine. I'll admit it. This song was at the forefront of my brain because I watched "School of Rock" last night.

Despite being a not-so-serious song by a not-so-serious band, it actually has a quite a few elements of great metal songs: the opening riff, the spoken part at the beginning, the "machine gun" guitars toward the end (when Black is yelling names of bands), and the high-pitched vocals interspersed throughout (a feature of death metal that careful readers may recognize from the Mercyful Fate post). Black's a pretty good frontman, too.

Enjoy.

Boston 99, Atlanta 76

Did I say that the last team I wanted to see Monday night was the Atlanta Hawks? Was that me?

[recap] [box score]

I have no real explanation for why the Celtics came out as focused and energetic as they did Monday night, but the result was the flex of some serious muscle over a team that's been a thorn in Boston's side over the last couple of years. Boston led wire-to-wire, roaring to a 39-13 lead after the first period, making 18 of 25 shots in the quarter and out-rebounding the Hawks 16-3. They didn't slow down much in the second quarter: at halftime, Boston led 64-42, was shooting better than 62 percent from the floor, and held a 26-10 rebounding edge. (Though to be fair, a big rebounding disparity is bound to happen when you're making nearly everything you put up and the other team isn't).

The final numbers aren't as impressive, but that's because the second- and third-string got extended run in the fourth quarter and cooled off a bit. Speaking of the third string, rookie Avery Bradley got his first six minutes and eleven seconds of NBA playing time, immediately making his presence felt upon entering the game by grabbing a rebound, drawing a foul, and hitting two free throws. (Ok, so the shot he rebounded was taken by Jamal Crawford, the guy Bradley was supposed to be guarding.) Bradley had an up and down game, with a nice assist to Luke Harangody on the pick and pop and a great steal. He followed that steal up by traveling while airballing a pullup jumper on the ensuing fast break, however, so it wasn't all good. Still, Bradley looked composed and not overwhelmed by the NBA game in his first action, which is not something you can say for all rookie point guards.

Really, everyone did something well tonight. Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O'Neal each had points-rebounds double-doubles in limited minutes. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined to make 14 of 21 shots from the field. Nate Robinson hit four three-pointers and handed out ten assists, which proves only that you or I could get ten assists in the NBA if our teammates were hitting shots. Harangody made a shot. Von Wafer actually looked like someone capable of putting the ball in the basket, and finished with six points. Glen Davis did some Glen Davis things, which unfortunately is starting to include missing a bunch of jumpers, but also includes getting rebounds and playing good defense. Rajon Rondo, out for a second straight game with a mild hamstring injury, wore a very dapper suit, and wore it well. Semih Erden caught the ball with two hands on at least one occasion. And Delonte West and Marquis Daniels each had a vicious block on Zaza Pachulia, which is great, because everyone hates Zaza. (West and Daniels actually combined for five blocked shots between them, one of the stranger statistical anomalies I've seen in this young season.)

Looking over that last paragraph, I think bullets would have been a better formatting choice.

So, yeah, great overall effort all around. Atlanta was certainly complicit, failing to challenge shots on defense and run patient offense from the get-go. After they got into a big hole, they showed little interest in digging out of it. But make no mistake -- it was Boston's effort, intensity, and execution that put this one away early.

The Next Lamb: The Atlanta Hawks

Game 14: Boston (9-4) at Atlanta (8-5)

Monday, November 22

7 p.m. Eastern

TV: NBA League Pass

I cannot think of a team I'd like to see less Monday night than the Atlanta Hawks.

Sure, the Hawks are erratic. I can't remember where I saw it, but I read somewhere that Atlanta is the only franchise in NBA history to start a season winning its first six games before losing its next four -- and they've done it two out of the last three years. But ever since they unexpectedly took us to seven games in the first round of the playoffs during the championship year, they more or less always bring it against Boston. It doesn't matter how they're playing at the time; we're always going to take their best shot. Last year, their best shot was good enough to sweep the season series.

In addition, Boston will likely again be without Rajon Rondo, who missed the Toronto game with the hamstring injury he suffered against Oklahoma City. Rondo against the much older and much slower Mike Bibby is a matchup that would certainly favor the Celtics. Nate Robinson's move to the starting lineup also robs the second unit of some of the firepower it needs to match buckets with Atlanta's explosive sixth man, Jamal Crawford.

Up front, the mobile Al Horford is likely to really give Shaq problems, and Josh Smith is a difference-maker on both ends of the floor. And former Celtic Joe Johnson always seems to light Ray Allen up.

I don't mean to seem too pessimistic -- we can still win the game. But the stars seem aligned against us. Little injuries, second night of a back-to-back, reeling after a couple of frustrating losses -- all of these things seem to be conspiring against us, and we're playing a team that always gives us trouble.

Toronto 102, Boston 101

Ugh.

[recap] [box score]

Normally, I wouldn't be too upset losing a game on the kind of freak play the Celtics lost this one on. Up three with 21 seconds left is a pretty good spot to be in, even when the other team has the ball. Toronto's Sonny Weems drove for a quick two, but Boston quickly inbounded the ball to Ray Allen, who is as automatic as it gets from the free throw line. So far, so good.

But Toronto didn't foul right away, and Allen -- a shaky ballhander in the open court -- evaded Leandro Barbosa and headed up court. Barbosa reached around from behind and either flicked the ball away or flicked Allen's arm -- I couldn't tell. No whistle, though, and the ball came loose and bounded to one of the Raptors. Paul Pierce blocked Barbosa at the rim, but the Celtics were in scramble mode, and the ball found its way to Amir Johnson, who was fouled with 2.7 seconds left. Johnson, a career 68.5 percent free throw shooter who is somehow shooting 87.5 percent from the line this season, hit both freebies (he was 9-for-9 from the charity stripe on the day) to put the Raptors up one. Pierce had a great look at the game-winner -- a 15-footer fading to his right that we've seen him hit time after time in his career -- but couldn't get it to go down.

So, yeah, we're not going to lose too many games that way.

But the truth is, Boston didn't deserve to win this game. Playing without Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal, the Celtics waited until the fourth quarter to turn on its defensive intensity. It looked like that would be enough as they turned a 90-79 deficit into a 97-94 lead, but you can't throw up your hands and curse your bad luck or look to the officials for a foul call when you don't show up to play for most of the game.

The game perhaps underscored the importance of Rondo -- though Nate Robinson had a huge first quarter and led the team with 22 points in Rondo's absence -- but it definitely solidified Boston's need for another big man. Shaquille O'Neal struggled offensively, but it was his defense that really killed us. It's not just that Shaq doesn't block shots anymore and can't move quickly enough to get into proper defensive position when the opposition drives. Guys aren't blowing by Shaq, but he continues to bail them out with fouls. Instead of forcing them to make a very diffcult shot over him on the move, he just hammers them and sends them to the line. He fouled out in 20 minutes today, and was part of a defense that took entirely too many fouls. Toronto, a good offensive team but one that nonetheless doesn't attack the basket all that much, shot 39 free throws -- and I don't remember thinking we got the short end of the stick from the officials very often. (Indeed, Boston shot 38 free throws and I think there were more questionable calls on them than on us.)

Semih Erden, after a promising start to the season, lately seems similarly incapable of staying out the court -- I believe this was the second straight game in which he picked up four fouls in the first half. If Jermaine O'Neal is going to miss a bunch of time with his balky knees, then the Celtics need to look for a solution on the interior or teams are going to continue the parade to the free throw line against us. As I've said previously, I'm not sure what, if any, solutions are out there, but Boston needs to be looking for them.

Oklahoma City 89, Boston 84

The game was on ESPN, but for those of you who missed it, you missed perhaps the worst fourth quarter in NBA history.

[recap] [box score]

The statistics are almost too graphic to post: by my count, according to the ESPN.com play-by-play, the teams combined to miss their last 22 shots from the floor -- 13 for Oklahoma City, nine for Boston. No one on either side made a basket during the final 9:27. The Thunder spent the final 12 minutes watching Russell Westbrook pound the ball and launch contested, ill-conceived jump shots. Boston was hardly much better, taking turns clanging shots, missing free throws, and turning the ball over.

For what it's worth, I thought Boston's defense was good enough to win -- not just in the fourth quarter, but for the whole game. Sure, the Thunder shot 57 percent from the field, but many of those makes were exactly the kind of shots the Celtics were inviting them to take: lightly-contested jumpshots. With Kevin Durant a late scratch due to an ankle injury, Boston perhaps didn't need to pack it in quite as much as they did, but credit Oklahoma City for making shots they don't usually make. Boston forced some turnovers -- and, after all, conceded only 49 points in the half.

In the third quarter, the Thunder extended its lead -- but mainly due to over-aggressive defense, not necessarily bad defense. Oklahoma City was shooting the penalty with over eight minutes to go in the period, and made 12 of 16 free throws. Boston should have eased up on the pressure a bit once they started the quarter committing so many fouls, but they weren't taking a bunch of stupid fouls or getting beat off the dribble all the time. OKC's shooting started to cool down, though they did make all three three-pointers they took in the period: two by Westbrook with Rajon Rondo's hand right in his face (keep in mind that Westbrook was 2-for-14 behind the arc on the season heading into this game), and a late-in-shot-clock heave by Royal Ivey that went in off the glass after the ball squirted to him when Rondo picked Westbrook twice as Westbrook was trying to drive.

This one, in my view, was lost on offense, and there were a ton of things the Celtics could have done differently to win this game on that end. They started the game out of synch for no particular reason, and never seemed to find any sort of flow. Shaquille O'Neal was a perfect five-for-five when he left the floor with 1:07 remaining in the first; he didn't get another opportunity in the post until 5:18 of the fourth -- a span that included 15 minutes of court time for Shaq, and this despite the fact that no Celtic was having a great game offensively. Ray Allen never got involved, and Glen Davis was so bad that we would have been better off if he hadn't gotten involved. Davis missed three free throws late in the fourth quarter (he was 2-of-6 for the game) and was the major part of a bench unit that was 1-for-10 from the line before making its final three attempts).

Even with all that, Boston still had chances. Allen had a good look at the go-ahead bucket with 30 seconds to go, but it was just a hair short. Delonte West got a great look at the game-tying three from the right corner on Boston's final possession, but couldn't knock it down. It was just one of those nights.

That's what it was, actually: just one of those nights. No lessons to be learned. No shame in losing to a Durant-less Thunder team. Just one of those nights.

Accordingly, here are just some of those bullets with a few discussion points that may be of interest:

• The Thunder opened the game with Westbrook playing several feet off Rondo. This defense is designed to keep Rondo out of the lane and to make it harder for him to get the ball to guys like Allen coming off screens. I think it's silly, but we've seen it before. What we haven't seen before, and what is totally inexplicable in my view, is Westbrook switching off of Rondo when Boston ran its 1-3 pick-and-roll to post Paul Pierce at the free throw line. If you're so unconcerned with Rondo's jumper, then just go behind the screen, hold Pierce up for a count so his man can get back to him, and go back to just chilling out ten feet off of Rondo. This play resulted in at least one ridiculous sequence which culminated in a Rondo layup after James Harden left him completely alone under the basket (presumably to double team, though Harden was basically standing in the middle of the lane, equi-distant from Rondo at the rim and Pierce at the line), and could have resulted in several more baskets on a night that Pierce had it going (he hits that 15-foot jumper over opposing point guards with regularity).
• I think the days of team's leaving Rondo that wide open may be numbered, however. He's been looking for his jumper more this season, taking it with confidence, and making it at what seems like an acceptable rate. My favorite play of this game came late in the second quarter, after Westbrook had just hit a pull-up jumper on Rondo at the other end. Rondo came down and came off a Kevin Garnett screen on the right side of the floor. KG popped to the opposite elbow, which is where he always goes on this play, and Rondo almost always passes him the ball. KG was open, but Rondo stopped and drilled the J. (In real time, I could've sworn that Rondo came off the screen, turned his head and look at a wide-open KG, then turned back and nailed the jumper -- take that, Russell! After rewinding and watching it again, I wasn't so sure that Rondo actually demonstratively looked in KG's direction, but make no mistake -- Rondo knew KG was open. It's not often that I'll praise a point guard for taking a shot when a teammate has a good look, but I loved the moxie and Rondo does need to punish teams for leaving him open.)
• Boston had a few minor injuries. Garnett took an elbow to the head on Boston's first possession, stayed on the floor after a quick 20-second timeout, came out after about three minutes, and then returned to the floor with a cartoon-like lump on the back of his noggin. Pierce left the floor briefly in the third quarter with some sort of leg problem, and could be seen limping in the waning minutes. And Rondo sat out most of the final six minutes after suffering some sort of leg injury in a collision with Ivey. Hopefully, none of these injuries are serious and the affected players won't miss any time.
• Officiating question: In the second quarter, Nick Collison drove to the bucket, drew contact from Semih Erden as he was going up for a shot, then clearly discarded Kevin Garnett with his off arm while laying the ball in. Does anyone know if the refs can wave the basket off in that spot, awarding Collison two shots (since Erden got him in the act of shooting) but not giving him the bucket that he got by virtue of committing an offensive foul? I'm not saying Collison should have been called for a foul -- but you can't just do whatever you want after you've been fouled and still get the continuation, can you?
• Westbrook was more or less a one-man band tonight. As such, he'll get all the credit for the win. Maybe I'm being too hard on the kid given that he didn't have Durant tonight or Jeff Green in either game against the Celtics, but I'm glad he's not on my team -- at least right now. He's a great defender and terrific athlete, and he can score some, but all I've seen him do in two games is pound the ball, take terrible shots, and turn the ball over at a prolific rate. In the eyes of many observers, he's already made a big leap this year, but he won't be elite in my eyes until he learns he has limitations and plays within himself.
• Then again, his teammates (those who played tonight, anyway) should be ashamed of themselves for being the biggest bunch of shrinking violets I've ever seen in the fourth quarter Friday night. You guys are NBA players, for chrissakes. Do something.

The Next Lamb: The Oklahoma City Thunder

Game 12: Oklahoma City (7-4) at Boston (9-2)

Friday, November 19

7 p.m. Eastern

ESPN

Last meeting: Boston 92, @Oklahoma City 83 (11/7/2010)

The Thunder have started to rumble a bit since the Celtics last saw them. The loss to Boston on the 7th was their third defeat in the season's first six games; they're 4-1 since (including a win in Utah), their lone loss in that period coming at the hands of the 9-1 San Antonio Spurs.

It's not clear to me what, if anything, is substantively different about the Thunder now and the Thunder two weeks ago. Kevin Durant is still a magnificent scorer. Russell Westbrook is breaking out -- his stats compare favorably with LeBron James' thus far this season -- but he still settles for jumpers too often and turns the ball over too much. They still don't have Jeff Green back from an ankle injury, which means that Serge Ibaka's 22-point outing on Monday against the Jazz is the only time this season that someone (other than Durant and Westbrook) in uniform for the Thunder on Friday has broken the 20-point barrier.

Twenty is an arbitrary number, but I think that last item is key. Last time these two teams met, Boston was pretty comfortable letting Durant and especially Westbrook take a bunch of jumpers, confident they'd miss enough. They missed a bunch early as Boston took a big lead, made a bunch in the third quarter as they launched a third-quarter comeback, then ran out of gas against the Celtics' second string. The Thunder have a deep bench with a bunch of guys who can put the ball in the basket on occasion, but the lack of a true third scoring option hurts them.

Or at least it did against Boston. The Thunder are actually the seventh-highest scoring team in the league, having breached the century mark in all but three games thus far. So it's probably not fair to say that it unilaterally hurts them.

What's the explanation, then, for OKC's struggles in the last couple meetings with Boston? One possibility is sample size. If I must go beyond that, I'll say that every time I watch the Thunder -- which mostly comes against Boston, but also in person against the Clippers and a few other random times on TV -- they spend an awful lot of time standing around and throwing up jump shots. Durant and Westbrook will go one-on-one plenty, but that's the only way they get stuff going to the basket. And Boston has been particularly good at guarding this sort of thing, especially against teams without good three-point shooters. Oklahoma City is currently the worst in the league from behind the arc.

They're tops in the NBA in FT% at nearly 88 percent, far ahead of the Lakers, who are number two. Durant takes more than nine per game and hits them at 95%; Westbrook takes eight and makes 90%. If those guys are settling for jumpers, they aren't going to the line -- and the team's offense is therefore far less potent. Boston limited the Thunder to something like 17 free throw attempts in the first meeting, and they'll look to do something similar.

Boston 114, Washington 83

Just a few bullets on a night the Celtics made two-thirds of their shots and the opposition was without its best player.

[recap] [box score]

• Shaquille O'Neal, who had 16 points and six rebounds on Saturday against Memphis, had a second straight strong game, slapping up 13 and 6 in 22 minutes. As much trouble as he gave the undersized JaVale McGee on the offensive end, however, he gave up a number of offensive rebounds to McGee on the other end, especially in the first quarter. He did seem to be making a better effort to box out later in the game, however, so perhaps he simply didn't want to expend the effort early on.
• Delonte West saw his first action of the season and didn't look he missed a beat. The second team didn't play that well during its first stretch on the court, however, coming together only after the starters had put the game out of reach. Nate Robinson was still running the point the majority of the time, something that surprised me and that I hope will change. Robinson's few high points Wednesday night came when West and Marquis Daniels initiated the offense.
• Semih Erden played well, but he needs to do a better job of going and getting the ball with two hands, especially on rebounds. He's been wearing a brace on his left shoulder for the last several games, and I thought that perhaps the injury was causing the problem. But he took two lefty hooks in the second half, and I remember him fumbling a few one-armed rebounds in his first action this season (before he started sporting the brace), so I don't think that's it.
• Glen Davis had eight rebounds, added to his league-leading total of charges drawn (16 now), and had a couple of great assists, but he did way more facing up and driving than I'm comfortable with.
• Rajon Rondo had another 13 assists. The guy always puts the ball exactly where it needs to be. Always.
• 30 minutes for Rondo, 27 for Ray Allen, 27 for Paul Pierce, 23 for Kevin Garnett, and 22 for Shaq. That's more like it.
• Washington isn't very good with John Wall, and without him, they're terrible. I have no idea how they beat Toronto by 15 the night before. Gilbert Arenas seems content to drift around the perimeter launching three-pointers, and their bigs are erratic, to put it kindly. They have some one-dimensional scorers like Nick Young and Al Thornton -- and those guys are surely more effective with a playmaker like Wall in the lineup, but there just aren't that many good basketball players there.
• I do like the way Washington coach Flip Saunders seems to be holding everyone accountable and won't let the team get away with uninspired play. He kicked the whole team out of practice some days ago, and tonight, he called a timeout two minutes and 15 seconds into the third quarter after a defensive lapse by his team -- then called another 34 seconds later after another defensive lapse on the Celtics' next possession.

Links: Entertaining NBA-related videos

• David Stern's rather dry sense of humor makes this interview with Stephen Colbert.
• Here is a video that pokes some fun at Wolves rookie Wesley Johnson.
• Here is another.
• Jimmy Kimmel had a thing during the NBA playoffs where he had some dude beat NBA stars at Pop-A-Shot. This woman is pretty remarkable.

The Next Lamb: The Washington Wizards

Game 11: Washington (3-6) at Boston (8-2)

Wednesday, November 17

7:30 pm Eastern

TV: NBA League Pass (but note, Washington, DC, readers, that it should be on a local station!)

The Washington Wizards are 2-6 when John Wall plays, and 1-0 when he doesn't. Told you that guy wasn't that good.

OK, so I was mostly wrong about Wall. Sure, he's leading the league in turnovers, like I predicted he would, but it was an easy prediction to make, him being a rookie point guard and all. Other than that statistic -- which is really not a big deal; you have to go pretty far down the list of the league leaders in turnovers to find a guy you don't want on your team -- Wall's been pretty spectacular. His jumper, a presumed area of weakness, has been fine; he's obviously capable of getting to the rim and scoring; he's finding his teammates; and he's wreaking havoc on defense (he also leads the league in steals).

He's also hurt. He sprained his foot on Saturday against Chicago, came back to finish that game, then showed up in a walking boot afterwards. He was in the Verizon Center Tuesday night as the Wizards hammered the Raptors, but he was wearing street clothes and using crutches. While Washington hasn't yet ruled Wall out for Wednesday against Boston, I'd be very surprised if the young buck suits up for what in theory is an electrifying point guard matchup between him and Rajon Rondo.

The Wizards have a decent replacement for Wall in Gilbert Arenas, though Arenas of course is hardly the player he once was. With Wall and Kirk Hinrich around, Arenas -- always a shoot-first player at the point -- can play off-guard, where his gunning is a less-bitter pill to swallow. Arenas' recent history of leg injuries might suggest that he'd struggle on the second night of a back-to-back, especially early in the season, but he did drop 30 points on the Bulls on Saturday the night after playing 32 minutes against Charlotte, so maybe not.

Without Wall, there isn't too much about Washington to talk about. Andray Blatche had a couple of big games against Boston last year, and if I recall correctly, always plays with a certain swagger against the Celtics -- going up against Kevin Garnett seems to bring that out of him. Hinrich, when he was with Chicago, always did a nice job guarding Pierce despite giving up four inches and 45 pounds. But without Wall, Hinrich will almost certainly be tasked with trying to stop Rajon Rondo. The Wizards also have JaVale McGee, a RwH favorite since his days at Nevada.

This should be an easy win for the Celtics. But followers of the team the last couple of seasons know that Boston doesn't always win the easy ones. Blowing out bad teams may be a key to post-season success, however, so Boston would do well to take the Wizards -- who definitely qualify as a bad team, even with Wall -- seriously.

The Celtics Should Be Talking to Erick Dampier

There's been an interesting discussion over at Celtics Hub regarding whether the Celtics should release Von Wafer (who has done nothing so far and is unlikey to do anything moving forward) and sign another big. The pros for such a move are summed up here; the cons are here.

I have no idea if the team has reached out to Erick Dampier, nor do I know if Dampier is even remotely interested in joining the team as an insurance policy. And make no mistake, that's all Dampier would be -- an insurance policy. The offseason signings of Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal were supposed to make center a position of strength for the Celtics, especially when Kendrick Perkins returns from ACL surgery, which presumably will be some time in February. If any two of those three guys are healthy, whatever big the Celtics may add is superfluous and won't see the floor much.

But Shaq has already missed six of the team's first ten games, and Jermaine is having some problems with his knees and may miss the next few weeks. It's irrational to think that the O'Neals' nagging injuries will just disappear as the season goes on. Plus, even when Perk gets back, it's not like he'll be his old self right away.

Dampier, the 14-year veteran who was cut by the Bobcats after going to Charlotte from Dallas in the Tyson Chandler trade, is the option that makes the most sense.

One option that has been suggested is that Boston bring back Stephane Lasme, the journeyman who came oh-so-close to making the team out of training camp. But at 6-8, Lasme isn't big enough to play center. While big minutes for Kevin Garnett (35 mpg) and Glen Davis (31 mpg) are an ancillary concern about the lack of center depth, Davis also isn't big enough to play center. Signing Lasme would thus only cut into Davis' minutes, and Davis is both young enough to handle his increased workload and effective enough that his being on the court a lot is not a major problem. With Lasme, KG would still have to play big minutes, and would still have to play out of position at center.

Adding a guy like Magnum Rolle isn't an attractive option because he's a rookie and lacks the experience to be a major contributor, even if Doc trusts him with substantial playing time, which he won't. The other D-League possibility being bandied about, Tiny Gallon, is both too small to play center (like Lasme) and too raw to be a contributor (like Rolle). The Celtics already have a young big man on their roster, Semih Erden. While Erden hasn't been spectacular, he's shown that he's capable enough to play an emergency role, and he has the size to play center. It's unreasonable to expect that Rolle or Lasme or Gallon would be even as effective as Erden has been in the early going.

I don't think rookie Luke Harangody, already on the Celtics roster, is the answer, either. He suffers from the same inexperience and size issues that the young guys listed above have. While he was something of a rebounding machine in college, he's shown a preference for playing the wing -- though perhaps that's in part because it looked like he might need to be able to play small forward in order to get minutes with the team.

To be sure, Dampier has his limitations. He's close to a non-factor offensively and turns the ball over a lot for a player with those limitations. But he's a decent defender, and has NBA size and experience. If the Celtics are going to cut Wafer (their last non-guaranteed contract) and thus hamper their roster flexibility, then Dampier is the only guy who makes sense.

And time is of the essence. Dampier's situation is kind of curious; he was rumored to be signing with the Rockets, but didn't, and it's unclear to me why he hasn't hooked up with Miami, where he'd be an obvious improvement over Joel Anthony. As the Heat continue to struggle on the interior, I imagine they'll make another, stronger push for Dampier, and I don't expect that Dampier will be on the market too much longer.

As far as roster flexibility goes, while it's true that Danny and Doc would be hamstrung by cutting Wafer and giving Dampier a guaranteed contract, I'm not sure for what the team would need that roster flexibility, other than another big. Delonte West's return gives the Celtics three solid backup wing players (West, Marquis Daniels, and Nate Robinson), and rookie Avery Bradley, if forced into duty due to injury, would probably be at least as effective as the young project bigs mentioned earlier. And I haven't heard of any veteran centers that are likely to become available via trade later in the season -- at least not any that could be had for Wafer's modest contract.

A bigger concern for me, if the Celtics signed Dampier, would be what happens if the O'Neals and Perkins do stay (read: get) healthy late into the season. Then they'd have a situation where they'd have four veteran centers and not nearly enough minutes to go around. For that reason, as mentioned above, I'm not sure Dampier is interested in signing with Boston. But it's a conversation worth having. It appears that center is a position that needs to be addressed, and the time for addressing it is now.

Metal Monday: Bad Habit

I'm afraid I'm taking the easy route, because I'm tired from my trip and I have a lot to do. Here's Bad Habit covering Boston's "More Than A Feeling."

Bad Habit is arena rock, but they are Swedish, which automatically makes them more metal than Boston. And Boston has heavy metal elements and influences. I know this, because it says so on Wikipedia.

As some readers know, I was at a wedding this past weekend, and this song seems to have special meaning with that group of friends. And by special meaning, I mean it's the song to which we all play air guitar at the end of the night.

Congratulations, Sevan and Julie.

Boston 112, Miami 107

[recap] [box score]

This was a big game, and hopefully everyone watched it. I'm in DC for a wedding and won't be able to update the blog for a few days. For those readers who didn't see it, the gameflow was rather similar to the teams' first matchup on October 27: Boston jumped out to a big lead; Miami staged a big comeback but couldn't quite make it all the way. The big difference was that, unlike the first game, both offenses were clicking. From a Boston perspective, it was nice to see us answer so many made Miami shots with made shots of our own. Though the Heat made something of a run, they never were really in striking distance until the final minute.

No posts until Monday. The Celtics are in action again on Saturday against Memphis, but it's on League Pass.

The Next Lamb: The Miami Heat

Game 9: Boston (6-2) at Miami (5-3)

Thursday, November 11

8 p.m. Eastern

TNT

Last meeting: @Boston 88, Miami 80 (10/27/10)

A couple of weeks after Boston spoiled the debut of Pat Riley's super-team, not much has changed with the Miami Heat. Sure, they blew out the Orlando Magic later that week, but that's been the high point during this young season. More recently, the Heat have sandwiched a win over the New Jersey Nets with losses at New Orleans and at home to Utah -- the latter a stunning second-half collapse on Tuesday night.

Up until the second half of the Jazz game, the one consistent aspect of Miami's play this season was its defense. The Heat gave up 96 points in the loss to the Hornets; the only other time an opponent broke 90 was Election Day against the Timberwolves, a game Miami won by 32. That consistent defense was buying the Heat wins while the team comes together offensively and coach Erik Spoelstra figures out his rotations.

After being especially stingy in the first 24 minutes against the Jazz and taking a 51-32 lead into halftime, the Heat surrendered 72 second-half points -- more than they gave up in the entire game against the Magic. Utah needed every one of those 72 points to force overtime, and in the extra period, despite playing without Deron Williams (fouled out) and Al Jefferson (temporarily benched for ineffectiveness), the Jazz held on for the win.

My schedule has been such that I haven't had time to watch much of the Heat other than that first game against the Celtics. The Utah game is sitting on my DVR, but I'm not going to get a chance to get to it before I fly to DC Thursday morning. There's been no shortage of stuff written and said about the Heat, but a great majority of it seems to be centering around how the team is very much a work in progress. As a result, I don't really have any great insights on what to expect from these guys the second time around.

It does appear that Dwyane Wade has remained Miami's first offensive option despite the presence of James. He leads the team in scoring at 26 per (compared to 20.6 for James) and is taking two more shots per game than James. LeBron took over in the second half in the opener against the Celtics, but Wade has led the team in scoring in every other game but one.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Prior to the start of the season, I opined offline that Wade could go crazy this year if Lebron let him. By that I meant that opposing defenses would be so focused on LeBron that Wade would get disproportionately little attention relative to his considerable skill. More specifically, James is better at setting the table for his teammates than Wade is, so more of his value is preserved when he's not in the primary scoring role. (Put another way, Wade, when he's not scoring, is less valuable than LeBron when he's not scoring.)

However, James is a formidable scorer, a nearly unstoppable force when he decides that he's going to the basket. I heard on The Basketball Jones this morning that on his way to shooting 5-for-18 against the Jazz, James took a number of bad outside shots -- the same kind he used to take in Cleveland. With such limited depth, Miami needs to get both Wade and James playing dynamically to compete with the elite teams in the league.

Part of the reason that James isn't yet playing the way some had hoped is that he's basically playing point guard. That's not a new role for James, but what is new is that he now has teammates who deserve shots, and he'll be rightly criticized for overshooting with Wade and Bosh on his side. But his own offense can't be an afterthought, at least to the extent that it consists of shooting jumpers to keep the defense honest or to beat the shotclock. Eddie House and James Jones are alternating doing a good job of teaming up with Udonis Haslem to form a decent quintet on the floor, but James would benefit from some sort of contribution from Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers -- something that doesn't seem to be in the offing any time soon.

Miami's frontcourt has been disappointing. Haslem is the only guy who is playing up to his (modest) expectations -- Ilgauskas is, too, I suppose, but expectations for him are too modest to consider. Bosh's shooting percentages are down significantly from when he was in Toronto -- a trend which, if it continues, makes no sense -- and he's not rebounding, which isn't a surprise. He also got torched by Paul Millsap against the Jazz. Miami's starting center, Joel Anthony, is still a complete non-factor offensively, and isn't good enough on the boards to just be a shotblocking specialist. A healthy Boston team could really exploit Miami in the post, but the health statuses of both O'Neals remain in question. Still, Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis could do some serious damage.

Comments are always encouraged on RwH, but especially so today. Miami's on TV all the damn time, and there's a good chance that some of you have seen the Heat more than I have. I feel like my preview here has been a little inadequate, so please chime in with your thoughts on Miami and the big game. Comments after the game are welcome, too; I'm not going to be able to devote full attention to it live.

Links of the Day (November 9, 2010)

(Programming note: Links posts have already slowed down in frequency, and they will continue to do so and may even die out. This is the busy time of the semester for me, and I'm trying to do more with the blog than I ever have before. The links get the short end of the stick because I want to make sure I'm getting enough of my own content up.)

• It was a great night in the NBA, not that I saw any of it. But my man Paul Millsap dropped 46 on the Heat to lead an improbable Jazz comeback in Miami, and Indiana hung 54 points on Denver in the third quarter, making 20 of 21 shots in the process.
• It looks like the Rockets are re-thinking the limitations they placed (no more than 24 minutes per game, no back-to-backs) on Yao at the beginning of the season. I wonder if Houston's tough start -- a 1-5 record and an injury to point guard Aaron Brooks -- has anything to do with it.
• I can't get enough stories like this one about Al Jefferson. Everything I've ever heard suggests that Big Al J is a great teammate and a real easy guy to coach.
• Lamar Odom is suing the IRS. Without doing any research, it seems to me that he at least has a colorable argument.
• The above paragraph is not legal advice.

Dallas 89, Boston 87

This game bore some resemblance to the Oklahoma City game the night before -- only, unfortunately for the Cs, in reverse.

[recap] [box score]

On Sunday, the Thunder dug themselves an early hole, a hole too deep to climb out of. Worn down after cutting a 21-point deficit to six, they faltered in the fourth quarter. Last night, Boston fell behind by as many as 14 in the first half. Unlike OKC, they did manage to fight all the way back, holding a five-point lead late. But they appeared to run out of gas, going scoreless on their four possessions in the final two minutes, while Dallas scored the game's final seven points to steal a victory.

I haven't had a chance to read what people are saying about Rajon Rondo's decision to take a three-pointer down two points with just a few seconds left. (You can see the play at the end of the video found here.) I imagine, however, that many didn't like the decision, given his struggles with his shot.

I am fine with it. It's obviously not the first option, or one of the handful of top options given normal circumstances. But these didn't appear to be normal circumstances. The Mavs had left Rondo wide open. They had blanketed Ray Allen on the right wing. Paul Pierce was posting up Jason Kidd at the foul line, but Shawn Marion was lurking in the lane -- if Rondo passed to either Allen or Pierce, Marion was going to double whoever got the ball, possibly fouling since Dallas had one to give. Rondo's three, with plenty of time to set his feet, may well have been the best shot Boston was going to get.

Moreover, it sure seemed like Boston was hell-bent on shooting a three-pointer on that possession, the philosophy in that case being that they'd either win or lose on that possession, rather than endure their third overtime period in five days. That doesn't explain Pierce posting at the foul line, but that could have just been a decoy. It's worth noting that Pierce, who has never been shy in those situations, didn't appear to be calling for the ball even with the much smaller Kidd on his back. It also may explain why Allen, after rebounding Rondo's miss, dribbled out to the three-point line instead of shooting a mid-range jumper. (Dallas gave their foul as Allen was trying to get out to the three-point line.)

Additionally, if Rondo makes that shot, it quite possibly opens up the floor for future possessions in similar situations. I have a hunch that had he made it, most coaches would not have left him open the way the Mavs did. I know, I know, one made shot does not turn the kid into a good three-point shooter, but I doubt that most coaches are comfortable with the idea of leaving an NBA player wide open for a game-winning look -- particularly when that same strategy had just backfired.

Rondo didn't make it, though, and now the Boston's faced with the possibility that another team might employ a similar defense the next time the Celtics are in that situation. I personally believe that Rondo has to have the green light to take that shot when it is so obviously available. Most important, however, is that Doc be clear with Rondo regarding whether he has permission to take it. Rondo can't be indecisive if he's in that spot again.

Metal Monday: Mercyful Fate

Last Metal Monday (which you'll recall came on a Sunday), I mentioned Metallica's "Garage Inc." -- a double album full of covers of some of the band's biggest early influences. Track 7 on Disc 1 is called "Mercyful Fate," and it's actually a medley of five songs -- "Satan's Fall," "Curse of the Pharoahs," "A Corpse Without Soul," "Into the Coven," and "Evil" -- from the Danish metal outfit called, believe it or not, "Mercyful Fate."

I've not done much exploring the studio space, as it were, with Mercyful Fate, but I like what I know. Hopefully, so will you. Below are four of the five full tracks that are covered and medley-cized on the 'tallica album (I couldn't find a good version of "A Corpse Without Soul"), plus the medley. Additionally, here's a link to "Welcome Home," a song by King Diamond, which is a band formed by and named after Mercyful Fate frontman King Diamond (embedding was disabled by the record company). Kevin Smith fans will recognize the song from a few scenes in Clerks II (NSFW, of course).

The Next Lamb: The Dallas Mavericks

Game 8: Boston (6-1) at Dallas (3-2)

Monday, November 8

8:30 p.m. (Eastern)

TV: League Pass

Despite a slow start to the season, or perhaps because of it, the Mavericks are going to prove a tough test for the Celtics.

Over the past three seasons, Boston has struggled against Dirk Nowitzki. Though the Celtics have won five of the six matchups between the two teams during those seasons, Nowitzki has averaged nearly 26 points per game. Kevin Garnett didn't play in two of those games, but Action Dirk did have 37 points with KG playing in a Boston win back in February of 2009. Moreover, the current-era Celtics have had trouble with scoring power forwards; the defensive scheme works best when Garnett can play free safety, but he can't really do that against Nowitzki.

Dallas' point guard, Jason Kidd, may also pose some problems. He's got several inches on Rajon Rondo, and he's perhaps the league's best at his position at operating in the post. He's surrounded by shooters, too, so any help the Celtics give Rondo on Kidd may come at a price. An interesting twist is that the much smaller Jason Terry, historically a sixth man, is now a starter. Doc Rivers could conceivably put Ray Allen on Kidd and Rondo on Terry. Kidd will be a tough cover for Allen, but it might eliminate part of Dallas' attack.

Finally, Dallas has a pretty good bench, even with Terry in the starting lineup. In addition to the versatile Shawn Marion, Dallas' second unit includes Brendan Haywood -- the first legitimate center Boston's second unit has faced this year. I've got no indication that Shaquille O'Neal will be back against the Mavs (though he is accompanying the team on the road trip), and I just read that Jermaine O'Neal is questionable for the game, too. Haywood is too big for Glen Davis to handle, which means that Semih Erden will need to step up. He had a terrific game against Oklahoma City, but Haywood is the most physical opponent he's seen in his brief NBA career. Fortunately for Boston, Haywood isn't totally polished offensively and doesn't always assert himself.

The Mavericks have already lost twice at home this year, and I imagine they'll be looking to make it up to the home crowd on Monday. They've also had a day off, whereas the Celtics are on the second night of a back-to-back. Doc kept Paul Pierce's and Garnett's minutes in check against the Thunder, but Rondo played 36 and Allen played 40.

Also, Rondo apparently has a mild case of plantar fascitis. This came to light after the Milwaukee game, and there was talk that Rondo would miss the Chicago game. But Rondo doesn't like sitting out, and he made it clear that he especially doesn't like sitting out against other elite point guards like the Bulls' Derrick Rose. This also likely means that we can't take much from the fact that he suited up against the Thunder -- Westbrook isn't on the same level as Rose and Rondo yet, but he's stolen some headlines this season and I'm sure Rondo wanted the opportunity to compete against him. Kidd's an elite point guard, even though he's lost a couple steps, so I expect to see Rondo in uniform on Monday.

I don't know what to make of Rondo's injury, actually. I think it was last year when Rondo put a scare into everyone by needing to be carried off the floor after a game because his feet were hurting. But it didn't affect his play then, and he hasn't shown any ill effects this season, either. Hopefully it's nothing. If it is a more serious injury, it will pose some major problems for the Celtics -- and not just against Dallas, where Rondo's far superior speed makes him as tough a matchup for Kidd as Kidd is for Rondo on the other end.

Boston 92, Oklahoma City 83

After giving up big advantages before eking out overtime wins in each of the last two games, it's good to win one without blowing a big lead -- without blowing all of a big lead, anyway.

[recap] [box score]

Everyone on the Celtics played pretty well, but the credit goes to the bench in this one. Marquis Daniels, Nate Robinson, and Semih Erden helped Boston out to a nine-point lead after the first possession of the second quarter, a working margin the starters were able to more or less maintain before staging a late second-quarter run put the halftime lead at 21.

That was crucial, because the Thunder made a big run in the latter stages of the third quarter, taking advantage of a Boston cold spell. They did it on the backs of their two studs, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who between the scored all 27 of OKC's points in the third period. James Harden broke that streak with a three-pointer to start the fourth, cutting the Boston advantage to six, but a couple of Glen Davis jumpers from the top of the key restored order, and the Celtics more or less cruised from there -- the Thunder never came within single digits again until their final possession of the game.

Simply put, Oklahoma City ran out of gas. In such a deep hole after the first half, Thunder coach Scott Brooks never had the opportunity to rest Durant and Westbrook, and they just wore down.

The Thunder are an interesting team. I didn't write a "The Next Lamb" about them, because I didn't know what to say, other than "They have Kevin Durant, everyone's favorite opposing player, and they have this guy, Russell Westbrook, who everyone compares to Rajon Rondo." They usually have Jeff Green, but he was out with an ankle injury. Without Green, Oklahoma City really is a two-horse outfit, and the Celtics do well against teams like that, particularly when a guy like Westbrook is more than happy to comply with Boston's invitation to shoot jumpers on every possession.

Indeed, this game went a lot like last year's date in Oklahoma City. In that one, Boston showed up at the tail end of a four-game road trip, after winning in San Antonio the night before. It seemed like a letdown game, but OKC came out a little flat and Boston jumped on them early, then put it away in the third.

I don't know what to make of the Thunder. Like a lot of people, I think I got a little carried away with their performance at the end of last season, and predicted them to finish second in the West. Durant's the best scorer in the game, and Westbrook's off to a great start (though he has a long way to go in terms of his decision-making). But beyond that, they have a bunch of guys with as-yet-unfulfilled potential. They're still a franchise that's in great shape, but it seems the talk of them as a contender is a bit premature.

Boston 110, Chicago 105 (Overtime)

For the second consecutive game, the Boston Celtics were taken to overtime, at home, by a struggling, but up and coming, second-tier Eastern Conference foe.

[recap] [box score]

Fortunately, for the second consecutive game, Boston came away with a win, emerging victorious after excellent execution on both ends of the floor in the extra period. But this cannot become a pattern. It makes for a dramatic, entertaining regular season, to be sure. But if the goal is an NBA championship, then we can't have our stars playing 40 minutes per game every night.

Bullets:

• Boston once again botched a potential game-clinching possession at the end of the fourth quarter. This one could have cost the game; Rajon Rondo's errant pass to Ray Allen came with fewer than 24 seconds left on the game clock and the score tied, so the Bulls were able to hold for the game's last shot. Dodging bullets, we are.
• Rondo made up for it, of course, by knocking the ball away from Derrick Rose on that ensuing possession. I have no idea how Rondo gets away with reaching across his body to knock the ball away from his man without getting called for a foul, but that's at least the third time he's done it this year, so he must be doing something right.
• Marquis Daniels had a really good game. Daniels started the season looking like he could fill a "go-to " role offensively, to the extent such a role exists on the second team. He struggled in the intervening games, but came up big on Friday night, especially in the first half. On the nights he's been on, which is three of six so far, he's displayed a versatility that we didn't see last season. Of course, that leaves three of six nights that he hasn't been on, and that's why I don't yet totally feel comfortable when he has the ball. It's similar to what I went through with Tony Allen last year, only 100 times less intense.
• Glen Davis had what is a below-average game for him offensively this year. Mainly, he really had a hard time catching the ball. Great defense again, though.
• Kevin Garnett had a couple of big dunks in this one. This excites me, because it means his knee is feeling relatively good. In some ways, he seems more aggressive than he was before the injury. This is not a great week for a Celtics fan to be questioning KG's intensity, but one of the things about Garnett that has frustrated me is that he so often refuses to use his height and athleticism to overpower people. He has remarkable finesse for a man his size -- unprecedented finesse, in some respects -- and it's almost as though he feels obligated to use these substantial gifts. And as fun as it is to watch a seven-footer hit crazy turnarounds and throw the kinds of passes he throws, it can be frustrating to watch that same seven-footer lay the ball in from above the rim, rather than hammer it home. So this is a development I'm glad to see, in many respects.
• Give the young Bulls a lot of credit for coming all the way back from 16 down, especially given the circumstances -- on the road against the defending Eastern Conference champs on the second night of a back-to-back. Give special credit to Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, who responded to Boston's strategy of ignoring them on offense by draining jumper after jumper.
• And yet, Chicago must feel like it gave the game away. Twice in the fourth quarter, the Bulls turned the ball over an inbounds pass. And Boston sealed the game when Noah tried to lead a fast break late, rather than get the ball to a guard. Garnett caught Noah and knocked the ball away, and Boston put it away at the line.

The Next Lamb: The Chicago Bulls

Game 6: Chicago (2-2) at Boston (4-1)

Friday, November 5

8 p.m. (Eastern)

ESPN

The Bulls have had an up-and-down start to the season. Indeed, in just four games, they've been down, then up, then down again. It started with a loss to Oklahoma City in the opener, no shame there, but continued well into the next game against Detroit. Chicago gave up 63 first-half points in that game, before turning things around with 34-9 fourth quarter that resulted in a ten-point win. That strong play carried over into their third game, a convincing home win against Portland.

Then came their fourth game, Thursday night in Chicago against the Knicks. Like they did against the Pistons, the Bulls had a terrible first half, allowing 70 points. This time around, however, they didn't improve enough in the second half to overcome the bad start, losing 120-112. The Bulls were down quite a bit more than that, and star point guard Derrick Rose sat the final 9:30 for what his coach said were performance-based reasons.

So, yeah, it's a little hard to tell what we're going to get out of Chicago. However, we do know that there are players to watch and storylines to follow that go beyond Brian Scalabrine's return to the TD Banknorth Garden:

Derrick Rose - Rose's short career has fascinated me. He had a solid, though unspectacular rookie season -- until the playoffs, when he scored 36 points in his postseason debut. He didn't quite keep up that pace during a truly epic seven-game series, but he did boost his scoring average by about three points from the regular season. It appeared that he had done what he did in his lone year in college, at Memphis: Defer to his teammates during the regular season, then turn it on during the postseason.

I expected a huge season from him in 2009-10, and I wasn't alone. My reasoning was that the departure of Ben Gordon would force Rose to take on a more assertive role on offense. "Once Rose figures out how good he is, he'll be unstoppable" I could be heard to say.

Rose did make a statistical jump last year, averaging four more points than he did in his rookie season (not surprising, given Gordon's absence) while improving his shooting percentage (which was already very good for a point guard who takes as many shots as he does). But that jump wasn't the leap I wasn't expecting, and the Bulls -- while they won 41 games and made the playoffs -- were something of a disappointment.

Perhaps this is the year that Rose learns just how good he is, and makes that leap. Through four games, he's averaging 26.8 points, four rebounds, and ten assists. What's particularly interesting is how quickly Rose has adapted to new coach Tom Thibodeau's offense. Rose came out of the starting blocks firing, putting up 31 shots against Oklahoma City in the opener and 27 against Detroit the next time out. He wasn't necessarily playing selfishly -- he had 13 total assists in the two contests -- but it's been suggested that the shots he took in those games were simply the shots that presented themselves. Rose's shot totals have gone down in the last two games, however, and he's set career highs in assists in consecutive games.

Boston will definitely have its hands full with Rose, but Rose will also have to deal with Rajon Rondo -- a matchup that has often gone in Boston's favor. Rondo actually outplayed Rose during the latter's breakout postseason, posting the following lines over the seven games of the series: 29/9/7, 19/12/16, 20/11/6, 25/11/11, 28/8/11, 8/9/19, and 7/5/11. That was all Tom Thibodeau -- Boston's defensive guru in previous seasons -- took over in Chicago, though the Bulls have struggled defensively this year, often with point guards. (More on Thibs below.)

Luol Deng: I've never been much of a Deng fan, but when a guy scores 40 points in a game, as Deng did last Saturday against the Blazers, you have to mention him. Deng's rarely been successful against the Celtics over the last couple of seasons, because he's been exactly the type of player the Boston defense is geared to stop: A slasher, without a great three-point shot, who is willing to take mid-range jumpers (which he hits at about a league-average rate). The Celtics thrive on letting these guys settle for jumpers, confident that they'll eventually miss enough of them to give Boston the game.

Deng's three-point range appears to be improving, however, and this may be the year we really see the fruits of that. In his first two years, Deng shot a bunch of threes and made them at a horrific rate. Over the next three years, Deng all but eliminated the three-point shot from his arsenal, attempting one every four games or so, on average. Last season, however, Deng shot 83 triples in 70 games, making 32 -- one more make than his rookie year, on 34 fewer attempts.

This year, Deng is 7-for-14 from behind the arc. The makes suggest his stroke has improved, but the attempts suggest a change in philosophy, one that can probably be attributed in part to Thibodeau.

Tom Thibodeau: Speaking of Thibodeau, it's going to be very interesting to see him coach against the team he was so intimately involved with over three great seasons. His new team is clearly having problems defensively, and I haven't watched the Bulls, so I can't say whether it's due to his players not having grasped the system, or them simply not being good enough. But Thibodeau knows the Celtics' offensive tendencies as well as anyone, and as far as the Bulls offense goes, he'll esesentially be scheming against himself. Should be interesting to watch.

The KG-Villanueva Flap

In lieu of links tonight, I'm going to talk about a topic that dominated NBA headlines for most of the day. It was also touched on briefly during the telecast. I'm talking, of course, about Charlie Villanueva's claim that Kevin Garnett called him a "cancer patient" in Tuesday's game.

In the wee hours after Boston beat Detroit, Villanueva -- who argued with Garnett late in the game, resulting in a technical foul for both players --tweeted that "KG talks a lot of crap, he's prob never been in a fight, I would love to to get in a ring with him, I will expose him"

A bit later, through two more tweets, Villanueva apparently revealed the reason for his initial message. He wrote: "KG called me a cancer patient, I'm pissed because, u know how many people died from cancer, and he's tossing it like it's a joke." And then: "I wouldn't even trip about that, but a cancer patient, I know way 2 many people who passed away from it, and I have a special place 4 those"

This became a pretty big story, with a lot of people weighing in and passing judgment on KG (tossing journalism ethics out the window in the process). Hours later, KG released a statement calling the whole thing a misunderstanding and asserting that what he actually said to Villanueva was "You are cancerous to your team and our league."

This struck me, and I assume many others, as pretty dubious. One, it seems like an odd piece of trash talk. Two, I can't think of anything that Charlie V has done to give the league a black eye. Three, Villanueva's completely hairless appearance (right down to missing eyebrows and eyelashes) could call to mind someone who is undergoing chemotherapy. (The real explanation is that Villanueva suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes such hair loss.)

I assumed KG's statement was just damage control, but then I heard that Doc Rivers corroborated KG's account. While Garnett might lie to protect himself, there's no way Rivers sticks his neck out by affirmatively confirming KG's story. If KG had called Villanueva a cancer patient and Rivers heard it (and wanted to protect his player), he would have denied hearing anything. It's possible, of course, that Doc misheard it, but it seems unlikely that he would have misheard it exactly the way KG later lied about it.

For this reason, I'm firmly in the camp that KG was telling the truth. But let's assume for the sake of argument that KG did say what Villanueva claims he said:

1) I'm certain that it wouldn't be anything close to the worst thing one professional basketball player has said to another during a game. The difference is that Villanueva publicized the (alleged) remark, and to a general public that has nothing to which to compare it, it sounds worse than it is.

2) Villanueva's comments don't make a lot of sense to me. His second and third tweets indicate that he's upset that Garnett would treat something as serious as cancer so lightly. But there was no mention of that in the first tweet. Moreover, in this column, Henry Abbott of TrueHoop has a statement from Villanueva's brother that indicates that Charlie was more upset at the bullying regarding his skin condition.

3) I don't mean to suggest that Villanueva's the bad guy here. I think Villanueva legitimately thought he heard KG call him a cancer patient. After the game, understandably frustrated with both the loss and the juvenile insult he thought was hurled his way (an insult he's heard his whole life), he hastily tweeted that he wanted to fight KG. Once people read that, he had little choice but to explain himself -- only he wouldn't want to admit that Garnett had gotten under his skin.

4) Adrian Wojnarowski, who seemingly never misses an opportunity to blow something out of proportion, wrote that KG is a bully: "For years, he's gone after smaller, younger players. He never goes after tough guys. Never. " Well, so what? Basketball's a competitive game, and players like KG employ trash talk and intimidation techniques in order to gain a competitive advantage. Going after "tough guys" wouldn't make sense; these techniques would have no effect.

I've got no real conclusion here. Just offering my thoughts on a the hot issue of the day.

Boston 105, Milwaukee 102 (Overtime)

Last season, we lose this game.

[recap] [box score]

Second night of a back-to-back; a stubborn, hard-nosed defensive opponent that won't give up; an offense that wasn't clicking all evening; some questionable calls down the stretch -- all of these factors would have caused Boston to pack it in for the night. But this Celtic team is supposed to be different than the one that held back during the last regular season and waited for the playoffs to give a full effort. And so, down six with three minutes to go, a Glen Davis offensive rebound led to a three-pointer from Ray Allen. A Kevin Garnett dunk over Andrew Bogut was punctuated by a forearm to the big Aussie's chest, resulting not just in a double technical foul, but a reinvigorated crowd and team. A Paul Pierce three-point play gave Boston the lead, and another three-point play by Garnett got it back after a Milwaukee basket. A Rajon Rondo steal led to another Pierce layup, and a Glen Davis steal on the subsequent Buck possession resulted in a pair of made free throws. In just 100 seconds, Boston had gone from down six to up six, completely turning the evening around in just a few possessions.

They didn't close the game smoothly, coughing up that six-point lead in regulation thanks to a turnover, a missed free throw, and a blown defensive possession. But they regrouped in overtime and came away with the victory. If you were looking for proof that this year's regular season would be different than the last, this was a good first step.

Bullets:

• Boston's defensive effort was strong throughout most of the evening. But they got killed on the offensive glass, giving up 13 offensive rebounds, including six by Bogut. Many of the offensive boards were tap-ins or tap-backs, the latter perhaps a reflection of Bogut's size relative to Jermaine O'Neal and Glen Davis. The team didn't do a bad job on the boards, especially when you consider that Shaq was out, but this game would have been in the bag had Milwaukee not had so many second chances.
• The offense looked stagnant for most of the evening. Gone was the pace and flow from the night before against the Pistons. Give the Bucks credit; they're a strong defensive team. But the Cs allowed themselves to be slowed down. They lacked purpose, even in the way they ran upcourt.
• WIth some free throws in overtime, Pierce passed 20,000 points for his career -- every minute of which has been spent in Celtic green.
• Rondo had 15 assists, giving him the most in NBA history through five games. (He also has the record through four games). He also had six turnovers, though a big chunk of those came early in the game. Most importantly, he showed that he can score when the situation warrants it, with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The baskets came at particularly opportune times, too. Twice in the fourth quarter, with Milwaukee looking like it might pull away, Rondo came up with a deuce to keep his team within striking distance.
• Jermaine blocked three shots, all in the first half (I think).
• Doc played Davis down the stretch alongside KG (until Davis fouled out).
• The bench (save Davis) was pretty bad tonight, for the second straight game.
• Semih Erden was the only Celtics big I saw boxing out consistently.
• In terms of end of quarter plays, Pierce ran a nice pick-and-pop with Nate Robinson that resulted in a corner three for Allen. The nice thing about the play is that the team initiated it with enough time to go to the second or third option off the play, a big improvement over last year. Boston also had the ball at the end of the third quarter, but some good full-court pressure from Milwaukee prevented them from getting a good look.
• Bogut had a strong game for Milwaukee, but really seemed to be coddling his injured right arm.

The Celtics are back on TV Friday night against the Bulls.

The Next Lamb: The Milwaukee Bucks

Game 5: Milwaukee (1-3) at Boston (3-1)

Date: Wednesday, November 3

Time: 8 p.m. (Eastern)

TV: ESPN

I haven't had much of an opportunity to watch the Bucks this year. As I'm writing this, I'm keeping an eye on a replay of their 90-76 home loss to Portland last night. As I type this sentence, in fact, they're up 23-13, and they look good on both ends of the floor. The box score says they scored 27 points in the first period, which means they got just 49 the rest of the way. I have no idea what happened after such a promising start.

My only other look at Milwaukee this season was a few minutes of their 96-85 loss to Minnesota. I tuned in towards the end of that one, and most of what I saw was Brandon Jennings forcing the action and turning the ball over. That was the tail end of a nice in which the Bucks hit just over a third of their shots, however, so perhaps frustration was settling in.

Jennings, the second-year point guard, is an interesting player for me. I saw him at Summer League before his rookie season and was pretty unimpressed. He got everybody's attention by scoring 55 points on the Warriors early last year, and I personally think that one game colored everyone's opinion of him. Perhaps it's the stubborn Jonny Flynn fan in me; Jennings was a Rookie of the Year candidate, Flynn was widely panned as one of the worst starting point guards in the league. But statistically the players were pretty similar. (I'll have more on this once Flynn gets back and I write my defense of him.)

Anyway, Jennings vs. Rajon Rondo is a matchup of the only two players who have recorded triple-doubles this season (Jennings dropped 20/10/10 on Charlotte last week). Boston has the clear advantage in that matchup. A big key will be limiting Jennings' options; he's not the most patient point guard, and he'll force the action if he can't get what he's looking for right away.

Milwaukee's other big name is center Andrew Bogut. The big Aussie isn't 100% after a nasty arm injury suffered at the end of last season, but he's the first good post player the Celtics have faced this season. I don't know if Shaq is playing tonight, but Bogut isn't overly physical, so hopefully Jermaine O'Neal will be able to handle him. He's got a nice little lefty hook that he loves to use, and word is that his shooting stroke -- not great to begin with -- isn't what it was before the injury. Bogut is one of the best shotblockers in the NBA, so Boston will need to be wary of his presence on drives to the hoop. On the flip side, whoever Bogut is guarding should be open for dishoffs and offensive rebounds.

The Bucks have a bunch of wing players who do a variety of things well. John Salmons is good scorer, Carlos Delfino is having a great year shooting the three, and newly-acquired Corey Maggette excels at getting to the foul line (where he converts at a terrific rate). Reserve power forward Ersan Ilyasova is a good three-point shooter, and the starter at the four, Drew Gooden, gave KG a lot of trouble when he was with Cleveland a few years ago.

Milwaukee was tabbed by most as an up-and-coming team in the East after they took the Hawks to seven games last season (without Bogut). They haven't come together yet this year, but they have been playing very good defense. Boston pushed the pace against Detroit last night and would do well to use a similar strategy against the Bucks. Doing so would keep Milwaukee from setting its defense and force the excitable Jennings into turnovers.