Boston won in LA against the Clippers for the first time in three seasons, in large part due to a terrific defensive effort in the second half. Of course, that's not something to crow too much about, given that the Clippers are a) the Clippers, and b) without either part of their starting backcourt. So I'm going to limit my discussion of this game to the first impression of the new guys.
I should stress first impression, because it'd be unfair to judge them based on one game 48 hours after being traded.
Jeff Green looked lost, which is understandable, given the circumstances. Most of his touches on offense came in the post, as Doc tried to get him comfortable despite his unfamiliarity with Boston's sets. He didn't do too much to impress me down there, but again, it's one game. His ability to operate down there will come in handy, and it's better than him shooting threes at a 30 percent clip, but it's imperative that he get integrated into the offense quickly. Between him and Glen Davis, the ball stopped an awful lot. Green's effectiveness for the rest of the year will depend on how quickly he can get comfortable, so that Boston doesn't have to run specific plays for him.
Nenad Krstic made the bigger impression. He had nine points and six rebounds, with all of his boards coming on the offensive end. He was much more active and agile then I thought he'd be, and though he did all of his scoring around the rim, I know he's got range out to 15 feet or so. He had a nice-looking turnaround J from the baseline from about ten feet that didn't drop, but it's a shot I'm comfortable with him taking.
I remember liking Krstic early in his career, when he averaged 10 points and 5.4 boards per game as a rookie in New Jersey, then 13.5 and 6.4 in his sophomore campaign. His third year got off to a great start; he scored in double figures in all but three of the Nets' first 26 games in 2006-07, averaging better than 16 points along the way. But he tore his ACL against the Lakers that year, and he only played a combined 91 games the next two seasons. He did get manage 76 games last season with the Thunder, posting averages of 8.4 points and five rebounds per game.
The point is, maybe Krstic isn't just a throw-in. He's still youngish (he's had that same thinning hair since he's been in the league), his injury problems may be behind him, and he's much more skilled offensively than Kendrick Perkins was. His rebounding and especially his defense are going to be an issue, particularly against teams like Orlando and Chicago and the Lakers, but he's an offensive upgrade. So, while the expected payoff of the trade was that the Celtics could go small at crunch time, Krstic's presence means that they can go big, too, without having to worry about Shaquille O'Neal's free throw shooting.
2 comments:
Jeff Green 100% blows.
Haha. Glad you're still reading.
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