It might have to be this way moving forward -- I'm just not sure I'm going to have time to write after every game. Boston just wrapped up a stretch of four games in five nights that went thusly: a close win over Utah; a narrow loss in Brooklyn without Rajon Rondo, who sprained his ankle early in the second half of the Jazz game; a rout of Toronto; and then a blowout loss at the Palace at the hands of the woeful Pistons. I'm going to try to not let the fact that I just watched the embarrassment that was the Detroit game color what I'm going to say too much.
Rather than go game by game, I'm just going to throw out some random thoughts here. Like bullet points, only I can't figure out how to do bullet points on the "new" Blogger platform that came about a couple of years ago. Instead, I'll just use bold italics to signal my topic headings. If this technique is effective, then this explanation was completely unnecessary.
Last year, Doc Rivers put Kevin Garnett on the "5/5/5" plan, limiting KG's minutes to the first five of each of the first three quarters. The idea was to keep him fresh for the fourth quarter. Doc didn't really stick to it (Garnett averaged 31 minutes per game), probably in part because of how good Garnett was last year and in part because we didn't have much depth.
This year, it's been shortened to the 4/4/4 plan, and Doc seems to be committed to it, at least for now. With the frontcourt depth we have, he might able to get away with it, if he can keep Kevin on the bench that long. It's a little alarming to me, though, because we're talking about a goal of 25 minutes or so for a guy who, while he is in his 18th NBA season, averaged about 16 points and eight boards last year while anchoring one of the league's best defenses. Especially since Doc hasn't been shy about riding his horses (to his detriment, in my opinion) in previous seasons, it makes me worry that there's some nagging injury that we don't know about.
Jaston Terry hit six of 11 three-point attempts in the Brooklyn and Toronto games, sandwiching those performances between a terrible effort on Sunday and the Jazz game where he only took one shot. He's found his rhythm a bit, which is great. But I wish he was doing this in his customary sixth man role and not as a starter. A game like Sunday, with the first unit struggling, is the kind of game that you really need a scoring punch off the bench, a burst of energy, and Terry wasn't there to provide it. I suppose that Leandro Barbosa can be that guy, but when Barbosa comes in the game, the ball hardly goes to anyone else. Not that Terry is a great table-setter or anything like that, but Barbosa just dominates the rock. That kind of thing is bad for guys like Jeff Green, another guy we're counting on for bench scoring, and a guy whose attention seems to wander if he's not getting the pill.
Speaking of Jeff Green, I think if he were, say, Gerald Green, you'd hear a lot more people complaining about his lack of effort and basketball IQ. But we know that he's thoughtful and a great guy, and because of that, and perhaps because of the heart problem he had last year, he gets a bit of a break from a lot of Celtics fans. But right now, he's demonstrating a disturbing lack of effort and engagement that is a bigger problem than his limited offensive game and suspect defense and rebounding.
Brandon Bass is 10 for 30 over the past three games. He's gotten the same looks at jumpers that we are used to him making with regularity. At this point, some of it is psychological; he's hesitating on a lot of looks he'd normally pop right away. I assume that he'll get his mind right between now and Wednesday, when the Celts take the floor next.
Jared Sullinger keeps reinforcing my belief that we got a steal when we drafted him at 21 in this summer's draft. He had his first career double-double against the Raptors, then set a career-high in scoring with 16 against the Pistons. Most importantly, it wasn't until he took on Detroit's Jason Maxiell that he went up against someone who could push him around underneath -- and by the end of the night, he was moving Maxiell and Andre Drummond around. His strength is a huge asset for a guy his height who plays inside. Offensively, he's shown that he at least has Bass' range, and likely can step out a bit farther. He hit a couple 20-footers late against Detroit to keep Rondo's assist streak going.
Ah, the streak. With ten dimes on Sunday, Rondo now has 34 consecutive games with 10 or more assists. (He had 20 against the Raps, by the way.) That's the third-longest such streak of all time, just a few back of John Stockton's longest streak and a dozen short of Magic Johnson's all-time mark. He had to work to get it today, though, playing to the final seconds despite the game being well out of hand. Doc even called a random timeout under two minutes to set something up.
The streak is fun, and really it shouldn't have been an issue tonight (his teammates missed a bunch of open looks), but I don't love that he and Doc seem to be actively pursuing it. I mean, there's really no harm in going after it once the game is already in hand, but if it's something they're aware of deep in a blowout, how likely is it that it's not on Rondo's mind when the game is still in reach. On Sunday, we certainly could have used more scoring, something we know Rondo is capable of. Did he hold back to try and set up his teammates? It's not a huge problem -- generally, it's a good idea for a point guard to be most concerned with getting his struggling teammates going. But Rondo is already pass-happy to a fault; having the streak in the back of his mind, if he does, could turn his unselfishness into selfishness, actually, and a positive into a negative.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Boston 101, Chicago 95
[recap] [box score]
Been a long time since I last updated -- after starting 0-2, Boston beat Washington twice, lost to Philly, and then beat Milwaukee in a rematch on Saturday night to even their record at 3-3. Tonight against the Bulls was probably the teams best performance of the young season, at least until the fourth quarter.
On a macro level, Doc Rivers seems to have settled on a starting lineup. After experimenting for a few games with Jared Sullinger as our starting four, Brandon Bass has been opening the game up front alongside Kevin Garnett the last two times out. As much as I was lobbying to play the kid with the first team, I agree with this move. Sullinger wasn't getting going with the first unit, and Bass was struggling to find his offense, as well. The other big change has been Jason Terry starting at two over Courtney Lee, which seems to have gotten Terry off the schneid after a slow start to the season. This one may not be permanent -- Terry has a long track record of success in the sixth man role, and while the Celtics might be able to get away with Terry and Rondo in the backcourt against Brandon Jennings/Monta Ellis and Nate Robinson/Rip Hamilton, some bigger guard pairings could make Lee's size and defense important to have in the starting lineup.
One thing everyone has been talking about since the preseason is how Boston wants to run more this year, and indeed, our pace is way above what we're used to. What's interesting about it is that the Celtics are not, at least to my eye, getting a ton of fast break points. What they are doing, however, is getting a lot of early offense. It's a smart move and a welcome change from the bogged down offensive sets we've seen in recent years. I've noticed that it's particularly beneficial to Bass, whose bread-and-butter shot is the mid-range jumper. Instead of beating the ball downcourt, Bass has been trailing the plays a bit as Rondo rushes upcourt. Bass' defender, meanwhile, has to worry about Rondo (a threat to get to the basket at any time) and isn't used to picking up power forwards above the free throw line, so he sets up down low and waits for Bass. All Bass has to do, then, is stop at whatever spot he's most comfortable and await the feed from Rondo for the wide-open jumper. Once teams start to pick Bass up earlier, you can expect to see more layups for Rondo, whose Inspector Gadget arms and crafty finishing have befuddled many a back-pedaling would-be shotblocker.
The Cs were pretty much in control of this one until the fourth quarter, when they went ice-cold from the floor (Kevin Garnett in particular). It also coincided with increased playing time for rookie point guard Marquis Teague and power forward Taj Gibson, who shored up a defense that was surprisingly vulnerable to penetration over the first three quarters given that they are coached by Tom Thibodeau. Ultimately, the Celtics sealed the game with a couple nifty screen-and-roll plays with Rondo and Garnett that led to KG alley-oop dunks (the play involves staggered ball screens on the side, with the first screener, a shooter, flaring to the three-point line and KG, the second screener, rolling to the bucket).
This is a busy week for Boston, which is about to embark on one of those grueling four-games-in-five-nights stretches. We host Utah on Wednesday before playing Brooklyn on Thursday (that one's a national TV game), then play Toronto and at Detroit on the weekend. Those latter two opponents are currently a combined 1-14, but the Jazz and Nets are the team's toughest games since the opener against the Heat. These upcoming games should be a good bellwether for how the team is coming together.
Been a long time since I last updated -- after starting 0-2, Boston beat Washington twice, lost to Philly, and then beat Milwaukee in a rematch on Saturday night to even their record at 3-3. Tonight against the Bulls was probably the teams best performance of the young season, at least until the fourth quarter.
On a macro level, Doc Rivers seems to have settled on a starting lineup. After experimenting for a few games with Jared Sullinger as our starting four, Brandon Bass has been opening the game up front alongside Kevin Garnett the last two times out. As much as I was lobbying to play the kid with the first team, I agree with this move. Sullinger wasn't getting going with the first unit, and Bass was struggling to find his offense, as well. The other big change has been Jason Terry starting at two over Courtney Lee, which seems to have gotten Terry off the schneid after a slow start to the season. This one may not be permanent -- Terry has a long track record of success in the sixth man role, and while the Celtics might be able to get away with Terry and Rondo in the backcourt against Brandon Jennings/Monta Ellis and Nate Robinson/Rip Hamilton, some bigger guard pairings could make Lee's size and defense important to have in the starting lineup.
One thing everyone has been talking about since the preseason is how Boston wants to run more this year, and indeed, our pace is way above what we're used to. What's interesting about it is that the Celtics are not, at least to my eye, getting a ton of fast break points. What they are doing, however, is getting a lot of early offense. It's a smart move and a welcome change from the bogged down offensive sets we've seen in recent years. I've noticed that it's particularly beneficial to Bass, whose bread-and-butter shot is the mid-range jumper. Instead of beating the ball downcourt, Bass has been trailing the plays a bit as Rondo rushes upcourt. Bass' defender, meanwhile, has to worry about Rondo (a threat to get to the basket at any time) and isn't used to picking up power forwards above the free throw line, so he sets up down low and waits for Bass. All Bass has to do, then, is stop at whatever spot he's most comfortable and await the feed from Rondo for the wide-open jumper. Once teams start to pick Bass up earlier, you can expect to see more layups for Rondo, whose Inspector Gadget arms and crafty finishing have befuddled many a back-pedaling would-be shotblocker.
The Cs were pretty much in control of this one until the fourth quarter, when they went ice-cold from the floor (Kevin Garnett in particular). It also coincided with increased playing time for rookie point guard Marquis Teague and power forward Taj Gibson, who shored up a defense that was surprisingly vulnerable to penetration over the first three quarters given that they are coached by Tom Thibodeau. Ultimately, the Celtics sealed the game with a couple nifty screen-and-roll plays with Rondo and Garnett that led to KG alley-oop dunks (the play involves staggered ball screens on the side, with the first screener, a shooter, flaring to the three-point line and KG, the second screener, rolling to the bucket).
This is a busy week for Boston, which is about to embark on one of those grueling four-games-in-five-nights stretches. We host Utah on Wednesday before playing Brooklyn on Thursday (that one's a national TV game), then play Toronto and at Detroit on the weekend. Those latter two opponents are currently a combined 1-14, but the Jazz and Nets are the team's toughest games since the opener against the Heat. These upcoming games should be a good bellwether for how the team is coming together.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Milwaukee 99, Boston 88
[recap] [box score]
Before anyone starts to panic about the Celtics being 0-2, let's take a deep breath. The Lakers, the presumptive Western Conference champions the moment the Oklahoma City Thunder shipped James Harden to the Rockets on the eve of the season, are 0-3 in the Dwight Howard/Steve Nash era. The Heat, the defending champs and odds-on favorites to repeat, got blown out Friday night by the Knicks in New York.
It's a long season. There's no reason to panic.
With that said, this was as bad a performance as we've seen from the Celtics in recent years, and a big step back from the season-opening loss on Tuesday. Against Miami, Boston at least played well offensively. Against Milwaukee, the Celtics limped to just 30 points at halftime, falling behind by double digits in the second quarter and never really challenging thereafter. A flurry of garbage-time points is the only thing that made the score respectable.
Defensively, though, Boston was at least as bad Friday as they were on Tuesday, and probably worse -- the Bucks are nothing close to the offensive outfit that the Heat are. The pick and roll defense was bad, and there were a ton of blown rotations. It's disconcerting to see a Boston team struggle this much on that end of the floor, but you have to think things are going to improve. The Celtics were good defensively last year, and while none of the key guys we added are known as outstanding defenders, none of the guys we lost are, either. Doc mentioned in the pregame interview with Mike Gorman that some of the guys are used to different defensive rotations/responsibilities due to having played in different systems last year, and it's actually something that Hubie Brown mentioned in the Lakers-Clippers telecast tonight with regards to former Celtic (and current Clipper) Ryan Hollins. So hopefully a lot of this stuff will clear itself up.
There isn't a whole lot to talk about for this game: Paul Pierce got into early foul trouble and never found a rhythm; Boston played with zero energy for most of the night (seemingly standard for Friday night games with this team); Kevin Garnett had an encouraging stretch in the third quarter where he was the assertive offense force we saw in the playoffs last year. Overall, on the offensive end, I think a lot of the new guys are trying to fit in too much. Courtney Lee, in particular, needs to be more aggressive offensively.
One thing I'm going to be watching closely is how the frontcourt rotation works itself out. Jeff Green was the first guy off the bench, replacing Garnett, but he struggled again and I thought Jared Sullinger was one of the few bright spots. The rookie struggled with pick and roll defense, which was the knock on him heading into the year, but he plenty of company wearing white uniforms in that regard. But he wasn't completely exposed the times he switched out on to a guard on the perimeter, and he drew two charges on Ersan Ilyasova in the first half -- a sure sign that he's buying into our defensive philosophy and that he's in the right place at least some of the time. He had a very productive first half, but played significantly less in the second.
I get that the team has a lot invested in Green, that Danny and presumably Doc believe in him, and that he's in dire need of some confidence. And I know that Doc is hesitant to give rookies major minutes. But if we're really not going to play any of our centers meaningful minutes -- Darko Milicic got a handful in the first half tonight, and Chris Wilcox came in during garbage time (he may get more time as the season progresses and he plays his way back into shape) -- then I don't think we can afford to play Green alongside Bass too often, particularly against a decent-sized frontline like Milwaukee's. Green is a notoriously poor rebounder for his size, whereas Sullinger has some real potential in that area -- he's already quite advanced at using his considerable width to gain position on the glass. And I would hate to see Sullinger's development delayed unnecessarily. I hope I'm wrong about Green, and obviously the team's not going to give up on him, but I'm thinking that everyone's interests would best be served with the young buck replacing KG first, bringing in Green afterwards to spell either Bass or Pierce.
Back at it Saturday night, 7 Eastern, at Washington.
Before anyone starts to panic about the Celtics being 0-2, let's take a deep breath. The Lakers, the presumptive Western Conference champions the moment the Oklahoma City Thunder shipped James Harden to the Rockets on the eve of the season, are 0-3 in the Dwight Howard/Steve Nash era. The Heat, the defending champs and odds-on favorites to repeat, got blown out Friday night by the Knicks in New York.
It's a long season. There's no reason to panic.
With that said, this was as bad a performance as we've seen from the Celtics in recent years, and a big step back from the season-opening loss on Tuesday. Against Miami, Boston at least played well offensively. Against Milwaukee, the Celtics limped to just 30 points at halftime, falling behind by double digits in the second quarter and never really challenging thereafter. A flurry of garbage-time points is the only thing that made the score respectable.
Defensively, though, Boston was at least as bad Friday as they were on Tuesday, and probably worse -- the Bucks are nothing close to the offensive outfit that the Heat are. The pick and roll defense was bad, and there were a ton of blown rotations. It's disconcerting to see a Boston team struggle this much on that end of the floor, but you have to think things are going to improve. The Celtics were good defensively last year, and while none of the key guys we added are known as outstanding defenders, none of the guys we lost are, either. Doc mentioned in the pregame interview with Mike Gorman that some of the guys are used to different defensive rotations/responsibilities due to having played in different systems last year, and it's actually something that Hubie Brown mentioned in the Lakers-Clippers telecast tonight with regards to former Celtic (and current Clipper) Ryan Hollins. So hopefully a lot of this stuff will clear itself up.
There isn't a whole lot to talk about for this game: Paul Pierce got into early foul trouble and never found a rhythm; Boston played with zero energy for most of the night (seemingly standard for Friday night games with this team); Kevin Garnett had an encouraging stretch in the third quarter where he was the assertive offense force we saw in the playoffs last year. Overall, on the offensive end, I think a lot of the new guys are trying to fit in too much. Courtney Lee, in particular, needs to be more aggressive offensively.
One thing I'm going to be watching closely is how the frontcourt rotation works itself out. Jeff Green was the first guy off the bench, replacing Garnett, but he struggled again and I thought Jared Sullinger was one of the few bright spots. The rookie struggled with pick and roll defense, which was the knock on him heading into the year, but he plenty of company wearing white uniforms in that regard. But he wasn't completely exposed the times he switched out on to a guard on the perimeter, and he drew two charges on Ersan Ilyasova in the first half -- a sure sign that he's buying into our defensive philosophy and that he's in the right place at least some of the time. He had a very productive first half, but played significantly less in the second.
I get that the team has a lot invested in Green, that Danny and presumably Doc believe in him, and that he's in dire need of some confidence. And I know that Doc is hesitant to give rookies major minutes. But if we're really not going to play any of our centers meaningful minutes -- Darko Milicic got a handful in the first half tonight, and Chris Wilcox came in during garbage time (he may get more time as the season progresses and he plays his way back into shape) -- then I don't think we can afford to play Green alongside Bass too often, particularly against a decent-sized frontline like Milwaukee's. Green is a notoriously poor rebounder for his size, whereas Sullinger has some real potential in that area -- he's already quite advanced at using his considerable width to gain position on the glass. And I would hate to see Sullinger's development delayed unnecessarily. I hope I'm wrong about Green, and obviously the team's not going to give up on him, but I'm thinking that everyone's interests would best be served with the young buck replacing KG first, bringing in Green afterwards to spell either Bass or Pierce.
Back at it Saturday night, 7 Eastern, at Washington.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Miami 120, Boston 107
[recap] [box score]
Pretty entertaining season-opener. For posterity's sake, let the record show that Miami broke this game open in the third quarter, leading by as many as 18. But LeBron James had to sit the final nine minutes due to muscle cramps, and Boston was able to cut the lead to four before going scoreless over the final 2:09.
Given the unique composition and playing style of these two teams -- no true center played a single second of this game, for either side -- it's pointless to draw any real conclusions about lineups and how Doc Rivers is planning on using all of his newfound depth. At one point in the fourth quarter, Jeff Green and Paul Pierce were in the frontcourt with Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry, and Leandro Barbosa in the backcourt. I don't expect we'll see much of the three-point guard, two-small forward lineup this year.
The defense was awful, too, as bad as it has been in the last five seasons. For now, I'm going to chalk that up to all the fresh faces, and offseason rust. I'd be surprised if defense was a major problem with this team all season. (With that said, I do wish we'd stop giving up so many easy transition buckets to the Heat, something we could do simply by paying a little more attention as we run back on defense.)
I don't want to get too far ahead of things and read too much about the team into one game. But I do think it's appropriate to give some quick thoughts on how particular players looked in this one.
Courtney Lee, replacing the departed Ray Allen and the injured Avery Bradley in the starting lineup, looked very good guarding Dwyane Wade in the early going. He got into foul trouble, though, for the same reason that Bradley often found himself in trouble with the referees last year: Neither has a good feel for when, on a given play, to dial down the physicality. Bradley is young enough to develop that instinct and to earn some more respect from the officials as his career goes on; Lee's already got several years in the league under his belt, so it's a concern worth keeping an eye on. Offensively, Lee was pretty passive, but did find a couple of open jumpers by running the floor.
Rondo put up another gaudy stat line, picking up where he left off last season. His aggressiveness on offense in looking for his own shot was good to see; he rarely took an ill-advised, and we're so much more effective offensively when the defense has to respect his scoring ability. He was a little sloppier with the ball than I'm comfortable with, but at this point, I think that's just something we'll have to live with.
Leandro Barbosa exploded for all 16 of his points in the fourth quarter, looking like the Brazilian Blur of old. Barbosa clearly can still fill it up off the bench, the kind of player we've been lacking the last several years. Barbosa was basically an afterthought this offseason, signed solely for depth. He showed in his first game in green, however, that he's more than that. He's one of several players we supposedly have who will bring much-needed scoring punch to the second unit.
I say "supposedly" because the other two -- Jason Terry and Jeff Green -- were uniformly awful. Terry's shot was off all night, and when he's not hitting, he's not effective. I'm not worried about him. Green, on the other hand, still worries me. The ball just stops when it gets to him. It's not that he's selfish -- at least, I don't think he is. He honestly looks like he just doesn't know what to do with the ball once he gets it. He's too indecisive, which allows the defense to recover. Even his on-court demeanor is disconcerting -- facially, he looks meek and overwhelmed out there. Given that this is the same stuff I was worried about when I saw him during his first half-season after he came over from Oklahoma City for Kendrick Perkins (he missed all of last year), I'm worried. I'm not hitting the panic button yet, but I'm worried.
Not to alarm anyone, but I didn't think that KG looked right. Nothing noticeable like a limp; it simply looked like that he maybe didn't have his legs under him yet. Hopefully, that's all it is. But he was mostly a non-factor on offense, and he let Chris Bosh beat him for a huge bucket down the stretch after the Celtics had cut the lead to four. Boston would do well to remember how effective Garnett was offensively last year against Miami in the Eastern Conference finals. Even when we're playing small-ball, we shouldn't forget the favorable matchups we might have underneath.
Brandon Bass turned in a typical Brandon Bass game. And that's a good thing.
Pierce had a strong first half but faltered a bit in the second. He looked like a different player than the one who limped to the finish line last year. It sounds like he doesn't have any lingering injuries.
Due to the unique circumstances of the game, rookie Jared Sullinger didn't get a lot of action in his regular season NBA debut. I didn't see much to report on, other than I think he found himself in a switch situation matched up against James, and he actually forced James into a jumper. Given that defense is the biggest concern around Sullinger (well, that and his health), I'd consider this a good sign, too.
Two other quick notes. First, Wade said that Rondo's flagrant foul on him in the waning seconds was a "punk move." That's up for the individual to decide; Rondo did get him around the head and neck area from behind. Either way, though, I find it ironic that Wade would speak out, given that he basically did the same thing to Kobe Bryant last year -- in the All-Star game (breaking Kobe's nose in the process). And isn't it some fundamental principle of basketball that if you take the ball to the basket in the waning seconds of a game you already have in hand, against perhaps your chief rival, you're gonna get hit?
Secondly, damn you, Ray Allen, for making it so hard to quit you. After saying all the wrong things in the weeks leading up to the game, he said all the right things in the post-game interview with Craig Sager. I was all set to write him off, and then he has to go and talk about how much he loves his former teammates and how he's a New Englander for life. I know I' being played for a sucker here, that he's just telling me what I want to hear. But I guess I'm not ready to hate Ray yet. (Although if he consistently plays as well against us as he did on Tuesday, that day will come soon. Also, how jarring is this? Say it ain't so, Flo!)
Don't despair. It's one game out of 82, and we have a lot of new pieces to integrate. Plus, at least we're not the Lakers, who marked the debut of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash with a listless loss to the Dirk Nowitzki-less Dallas Mavericks.
Milwaukee's up next, on Friday, and their deep front line should be an interesting contrast to Miami's small lineup. That should afford us our first extended look at Sullinger, as well as give an idea of how Doc plans to use Darko Milicic and Jason Collins. (I don't think Chris Wilcox will be ready.) Heck, we might even see Darko in the starting lineup. Anyway, NBA League Pass is running its annual free preview week to start the season, so check this one out. And if you're in the Washington Metro area, we're at the Wizards on Saturday.
Pretty entertaining season-opener. For posterity's sake, let the record show that Miami broke this game open in the third quarter, leading by as many as 18. But LeBron James had to sit the final nine minutes due to muscle cramps, and Boston was able to cut the lead to four before going scoreless over the final 2:09.
Given the unique composition and playing style of these two teams -- no true center played a single second of this game, for either side -- it's pointless to draw any real conclusions about lineups and how Doc Rivers is planning on using all of his newfound depth. At one point in the fourth quarter, Jeff Green and Paul Pierce were in the frontcourt with Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry, and Leandro Barbosa in the backcourt. I don't expect we'll see much of the three-point guard, two-small forward lineup this year.
The defense was awful, too, as bad as it has been in the last five seasons. For now, I'm going to chalk that up to all the fresh faces, and offseason rust. I'd be surprised if defense was a major problem with this team all season. (With that said, I do wish we'd stop giving up so many easy transition buckets to the Heat, something we could do simply by paying a little more attention as we run back on defense.)
I don't want to get too far ahead of things and read too much about the team into one game. But I do think it's appropriate to give some quick thoughts on how particular players looked in this one.
Courtney Lee, replacing the departed Ray Allen and the injured Avery Bradley in the starting lineup, looked very good guarding Dwyane Wade in the early going. He got into foul trouble, though, for the same reason that Bradley often found himself in trouble with the referees last year: Neither has a good feel for when, on a given play, to dial down the physicality. Bradley is young enough to develop that instinct and to earn some more respect from the officials as his career goes on; Lee's already got several years in the league under his belt, so it's a concern worth keeping an eye on. Offensively, Lee was pretty passive, but did find a couple of open jumpers by running the floor.
Rondo put up another gaudy stat line, picking up where he left off last season. His aggressiveness on offense in looking for his own shot was good to see; he rarely took an ill-advised, and we're so much more effective offensively when the defense has to respect his scoring ability. He was a little sloppier with the ball than I'm comfortable with, but at this point, I think that's just something we'll have to live with.
Leandro Barbosa exploded for all 16 of his points in the fourth quarter, looking like the Brazilian Blur of old. Barbosa clearly can still fill it up off the bench, the kind of player we've been lacking the last several years. Barbosa was basically an afterthought this offseason, signed solely for depth. He showed in his first game in green, however, that he's more than that. He's one of several players we supposedly have who will bring much-needed scoring punch to the second unit.
I say "supposedly" because the other two -- Jason Terry and Jeff Green -- were uniformly awful. Terry's shot was off all night, and when he's not hitting, he's not effective. I'm not worried about him. Green, on the other hand, still worries me. The ball just stops when it gets to him. It's not that he's selfish -- at least, I don't think he is. He honestly looks like he just doesn't know what to do with the ball once he gets it. He's too indecisive, which allows the defense to recover. Even his on-court demeanor is disconcerting -- facially, he looks meek and overwhelmed out there. Given that this is the same stuff I was worried about when I saw him during his first half-season after he came over from Oklahoma City for Kendrick Perkins (he missed all of last year), I'm worried. I'm not hitting the panic button yet, but I'm worried.
Not to alarm anyone, but I didn't think that KG looked right. Nothing noticeable like a limp; it simply looked like that he maybe didn't have his legs under him yet. Hopefully, that's all it is. But he was mostly a non-factor on offense, and he let Chris Bosh beat him for a huge bucket down the stretch after the Celtics had cut the lead to four. Boston would do well to remember how effective Garnett was offensively last year against Miami in the Eastern Conference finals. Even when we're playing small-ball, we shouldn't forget the favorable matchups we might have underneath.
Brandon Bass turned in a typical Brandon Bass game. And that's a good thing.
Pierce had a strong first half but faltered a bit in the second. He looked like a different player than the one who limped to the finish line last year. It sounds like he doesn't have any lingering injuries.
Due to the unique circumstances of the game, rookie Jared Sullinger didn't get a lot of action in his regular season NBA debut. I didn't see much to report on, other than I think he found himself in a switch situation matched up against James, and he actually forced James into a jumper. Given that defense is the biggest concern around Sullinger (well, that and his health), I'd consider this a good sign, too.
Two other quick notes. First, Wade said that Rondo's flagrant foul on him in the waning seconds was a "punk move." That's up for the individual to decide; Rondo did get him around the head and neck area from behind. Either way, though, I find it ironic that Wade would speak out, given that he basically did the same thing to Kobe Bryant last year -- in the All-Star game (breaking Kobe's nose in the process). And isn't it some fundamental principle of basketball that if you take the ball to the basket in the waning seconds of a game you already have in hand, against perhaps your chief rival, you're gonna get hit?
Secondly, damn you, Ray Allen, for making it so hard to quit you. After saying all the wrong things in the weeks leading up to the game, he said all the right things in the post-game interview with Craig Sager. I was all set to write him off, and then he has to go and talk about how much he loves his former teammates and how he's a New Englander for life. I know I' being played for a sucker here, that he's just telling me what I want to hear. But I guess I'm not ready to hate Ray yet. (Although if he consistently plays as well against us as he did on Tuesday, that day will come soon. Also, how jarring is this? Say it ain't so, Flo!)
Don't despair. It's one game out of 82, and we have a lot of new pieces to integrate. Plus, at least we're not the Lakers, who marked the debut of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash with a listless loss to the Dirk Nowitzki-less Dallas Mavericks.
Milwaukee's up next, on Friday, and their deep front line should be an interesting contrast to Miami's small lineup. That should afford us our first extended look at Sullinger, as well as give an idea of how Doc plans to use Darko Milicic and Jason Collins. (I don't think Chris Wilcox will be ready.) Heck, we might even see Darko in the starting lineup. Anyway, NBA League Pass is running its annual free preview week to start the season, so check this one out. And if you're in the Washington Metro area, we're at the Wizards on Saturday.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Viewing Alert
It's not yet Halloween, but it might as well be Christmas Eve. The long national nightmare is over, and basketball is back. I hardly watched any of the baseball postseason, and my interest in the NFL seems to get weaker every year. These next eight months are what I live for.
Three games on the NBA slate Tuesday night, two on national TV, and one of those includes Boston. I'd like to say it's just another game, Game 1 of 82, but we all know that's not true. It's Boston at Miami on ring ceremony night, when LeBron James and the rest of the Heat receive the treasures the Celtics came within a quarter of denying them last spring. You can bet Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo and especially Kevin Garnett aren't going to like witnessing that.
And, of course, watching right along with them will be Ray Allen -- only he'll be congratulating his new teammates, rather then trying to ruin their night with his old ones. Allen won't start, which means we won't get to see him interact pre-tip -- generally the most cordial moment of an NBA games, when the players get together and bump fists in a mutual show of respect -- with his former brothers, a couple of whom barely will acknowledge his existence. But once he enters the game...well, it's going to be interesting.
There's a basketball game to be played, too, and there are a lot of reasons for Celtics fans to be excited on the eve of the season. Sure, the (new) Big Three era is over, and its memory may be forever tainted for some. But I think we're better this year than we were last year, when we came within just a few minutes of our third, and most surprising, trip to the Finals in the last five years. I haven't been able to make the time to do a full-on season preview, and I'm not going to do that now, but here's a quick viewing guide if you haven't been paying close attention in the offseason.
New faces. Boston's got a lot of these, and the good news is that most of them are passable NBA rotation players. That seems like a small thing, but when you've been reliant on the likes of Keyon Dooling and Marquis Daniels -- both good teammates, to be sure, but of limited effectiveness -- it's a nice luxury to have. Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and Leandro Barbosa will bolster the backcourt, while rookie Jared Sullinger joins journeymen Darko Milicic and Jason Collins as new faces up front. And all eyes will of course be on Jeff Green, who has recovered, thankfully, from the heart problems that kept him out last season. In a vacuum, Green isn't worth what the Celtics are paying him over the next four years, but it's money they couldn't have used elsewhere this season. So as long as Green looks even decent in the early-going (and he was impressive at times in the preseason) that should keep the pressure off of him until Pierce and Garnett leave and the Celtics are trying to building around him and Rondo.
New style? I only watched one preseason game (the blowout of New Jersey) but I was struck by just how fast Boston's pace was. Rondo is always looking to run, but last year in particular, he didn't have anyone to run with him. That'll change this year, at least for as long as he's paired with Lee. (The presumptive starter at shooting guard, Avery Bradley, is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.) Lee likes to get out on the break, and I'd expect a lot of two-on-ones and one-on-zeroes for him -- at least early in the season. Rondo was looking for his own a bit more than usual in the game I saw, to mixed reviews. I like that he's looking for his offense more, but for as long as he's a poor jump shooter, he's always going to have however many open 15-footers he wants. He needs to be discriminating and not take them early in the shot clock with no rebounders.
New rotations. Part of the reason Boston couldn't run that much in the past is that they didn't have the horses -- or even the bodies, really -- to play at that pace and preserve the aging legs of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen (something that may have made the difference in the playoffs). Now we do, but with all that depth comes Doc Rivers' responsibility to define roles and find minutes for everyone. Doc's already announced that he will use three starting lineups, which is a little terrifying given that managing minutes and lineups is his weak suit as a head coach. But there's no denying that the possibilities are exciting, with Doc able to go big or small according to matchups, or to ride the hot hand on offense, or field a lockdown defensive team -- whatever he wants.
8 p.m. Eastern on TNT. The only excuse for missing it is not having power.
Three games on the NBA slate Tuesday night, two on national TV, and one of those includes Boston. I'd like to say it's just another game, Game 1 of 82, but we all know that's not true. It's Boston at Miami on ring ceremony night, when LeBron James and the rest of the Heat receive the treasures the Celtics came within a quarter of denying them last spring. You can bet Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo and especially Kevin Garnett aren't going to like witnessing that.
And, of course, watching right along with them will be Ray Allen -- only he'll be congratulating his new teammates, rather then trying to ruin their night with his old ones. Allen won't start, which means we won't get to see him interact pre-tip -- generally the most cordial moment of an NBA games, when the players get together and bump fists in a mutual show of respect -- with his former brothers, a couple of whom barely will acknowledge his existence. But once he enters the game...well, it's going to be interesting.
There's a basketball game to be played, too, and there are a lot of reasons for Celtics fans to be excited on the eve of the season. Sure, the (new) Big Three era is over, and its memory may be forever tainted for some. But I think we're better this year than we were last year, when we came within just a few minutes of our third, and most surprising, trip to the Finals in the last five years. I haven't been able to make the time to do a full-on season preview, and I'm not going to do that now, but here's a quick viewing guide if you haven't been paying close attention in the offseason.
New faces. Boston's got a lot of these, and the good news is that most of them are passable NBA rotation players. That seems like a small thing, but when you've been reliant on the likes of Keyon Dooling and Marquis Daniels -- both good teammates, to be sure, but of limited effectiveness -- it's a nice luxury to have. Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and Leandro Barbosa will bolster the backcourt, while rookie Jared Sullinger joins journeymen Darko Milicic and Jason Collins as new faces up front. And all eyes will of course be on Jeff Green, who has recovered, thankfully, from the heart problems that kept him out last season. In a vacuum, Green isn't worth what the Celtics are paying him over the next four years, but it's money they couldn't have used elsewhere this season. So as long as Green looks even decent in the early-going (and he was impressive at times in the preseason) that should keep the pressure off of him until Pierce and Garnett leave and the Celtics are trying to building around him and Rondo.
New style? I only watched one preseason game (the blowout of New Jersey) but I was struck by just how fast Boston's pace was. Rondo is always looking to run, but last year in particular, he didn't have anyone to run with him. That'll change this year, at least for as long as he's paired with Lee. (The presumptive starter at shooting guard, Avery Bradley, is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.) Lee likes to get out on the break, and I'd expect a lot of two-on-ones and one-on-zeroes for him -- at least early in the season. Rondo was looking for his own a bit more than usual in the game I saw, to mixed reviews. I like that he's looking for his offense more, but for as long as he's a poor jump shooter, he's always going to have however many open 15-footers he wants. He needs to be discriminating and not take them early in the shot clock with no rebounders.
New rotations. Part of the reason Boston couldn't run that much in the past is that they didn't have the horses -- or even the bodies, really -- to play at that pace and preserve the aging legs of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen (something that may have made the difference in the playoffs). Now we do, but with all that depth comes Doc Rivers' responsibility to define roles and find minutes for everyone. Doc's already announced that he will use three starting lineups, which is a little terrifying given that managing minutes and lineups is his weak suit as a head coach. But there's no denying that the possibilities are exciting, with Doc able to go big or small according to matchups, or to ride the hot hand on offense, or field a lockdown defensive team -- whatever he wants.
8 p.m. Eastern on TNT. The only excuse for missing it is not having power.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Busy Week
I'm back home after a long golf weekend in Louisville and then a quick trip to Vegas to see a good friend and check out some summer league basketball. I am, quite frankly, exhausted, and I'm completely daunted by the idea that in a month, I'll be starting in a new job in a new city. It's going to be an even busier few weeks, and so now is probably my best (only?) opportunity to write a bit about the Celtics' offseason.
Boston has had a pretty busy couple of weeks themselves, actually. They sent their summer league squad to both Orlando and Vegas. And then today, they finalized a sign-and-trade deal for Houston's Courtney Lee.
We'll start with Lee, since that's the big news. The problem is that I haven't paid much attention to him during his NBA career. From what I understand, though, everyone is pretty excited about it. He can shoot -- not as well as Ray Allen, but he can shoot -- and he can defend, which was one of Allen's weak spots. And he's 26. That sounds pretty good for four years and $21.5 million, which is the contract we gave him. He'll likely settle into a backup role in the backcourt alongside the newly-acquired Jason Terry, but if Avery Bradley's shoulders haven't healed, he'll begin the season as our starting two-guard, with Terry remaining in the sixth-man role in which he thrived in Dallas.
Lee, while not a star, is clearly an NBA rotation player, and that's something we sorely needed last year. The money's good, so the signing is good. The only other factor to be considered is what we gave up for him, because it was a sign-and-trade. I don't know all the details, and it sounds like Portland is involved somehow, but the bottom line appears to be that we gave up JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sean Williams, Sasha Pavlovic, and a 2nd-round pick for him.
I don't care about Williams and Pavlovic, two guys who don't fit into anyone's long-term plans. Picks are always nice to have, but what is likely to be a late second-rounder shouldn't at all be a deterrent to add a guy who will be an integral piece to what hopefully is a deep playoff run. That leaves Johnson and Moore, the two kids we took out of Purdue two drafts ago and who played very limited minutes in their first NBA seasons.
The funny thing about this trade from a RwH perspective is that other than Jared Sullinger, the guy I had planned on writing most about based on my observation of one summer league game in Vegas was Moore. I thought Moore was better in the few opportunities he had last season than Johnson was in his, and Moore was clearly the more advanced player against the Bulls in summer league action on Tuesday. Moore was on fire from the outside, but he also did a nice job running the team from the lead guard position. Lee is clearly an upgrade, but I wouldn't have been totally uncomfortable entering the season with Moore as our fourth guard. With that said, the Rockets are reportedly releasing Moore (as a second-round pick in 2011, his contract isn't guaranteed) so I think there's a chance we could eventually get him back, were we so inclined.
As for Johnson, I doubt very much that we'll be regretting this trade a couple of years from now. He's a long, tall kid with good range and athleticism, but he doesn't seem like a guy who is going to develop into a post threat, and as an inconsistent stretch 4 his value is limited. He obviously didn't get much of a chance to make a splash in his one season in green, but there isn't a lot of evidence that he'll be any good down the road.
In other words, I'm pretty happy with this deal. With Lee, Terry, Bradley, and Rajon Rondo, we've got a deep, versatile backcourt that is strong defensively.
Onto the rookies, the only guys now worth talking about at summer league. Kris Joseph didn't do anything to impress, but like most second-rounders, he wasn't likely to be a big part of the team's plans. Fab Melo didn't do anything to alleviate my concerns about him -- he wasn't a disaster, but the only positive thing I can say about him is that he runs the floor better than most guys his size.
That leaves Sullinger. The guy is a load, no question -- he's got a huge lower body. He doesn't necessarily look like an NBA player because his arms aren't defined and he looks a little flabby up top, but you could say the same thing about Charles Barkley and Glen Davis and those guys didn't have any problems from a strength perspective. Sullinger proved all he needed to prove to me with regards to his strength, in fact, by repeatedly holding off Leon Powe in the post and on rebounds. Say what you want about Powe, who was playing for Chicago's summer league squad in an attempt to find an NBA job somewhere, but Celtics fans know how strong he is and how hard he plays. If you are strong enough to handle Powe, you are strong enough to handle just about anyone at the four position.
Offensively, the game I saw was not his best of the summer, but judging his offensive ability on one summer league game would be foolish. Defensively, a big concern with him has been his pick-and-roll defense. I didn't notice him getting exploited, but similarly, defending during summer league and defending a pick-and-roll run by actual NBA players is something else entirely. We'll have to wait-and-see about him, although all the evidence points to him being able to hack it at the NBA level. The other thing that jumped out at me was his second jumpability; he got off the ground a lot more quickly than you'd expect from a guy his size. This had me pretty excited about him being light on his feet, until one of my friends pointed out to me that it's easy to look like you're getting off the ground for your second jump quickly when you don't get up very high on your first jump. I guess we'll have to see about that.
As a quick aside, I did get a chance to watch Royce White, the guy from Iowa State who some Cs fans were excited about before Houston scooped him up. He's a great passer for a guy his size, but nothing else stood out. I was more impressed with Terrence Jones, who the Rockets also took in the first round. Jones is a lot bigger than I thought he was, and he's got very good ball skills for a guy his size. There's still a question about his position, but I have a feeling he's gonna be a nice NBA player for them.
Boston has had a pretty busy couple of weeks themselves, actually. They sent their summer league squad to both Orlando and Vegas. And then today, they finalized a sign-and-trade deal for Houston's Courtney Lee.
We'll start with Lee, since that's the big news. The problem is that I haven't paid much attention to him during his NBA career. From what I understand, though, everyone is pretty excited about it. He can shoot -- not as well as Ray Allen, but he can shoot -- and he can defend, which was one of Allen's weak spots. And he's 26. That sounds pretty good for four years and $21.5 million, which is the contract we gave him. He'll likely settle into a backup role in the backcourt alongside the newly-acquired Jason Terry, but if Avery Bradley's shoulders haven't healed, he'll begin the season as our starting two-guard, with Terry remaining in the sixth-man role in which he thrived in Dallas.
Lee, while not a star, is clearly an NBA rotation player, and that's something we sorely needed last year. The money's good, so the signing is good. The only other factor to be considered is what we gave up for him, because it was a sign-and-trade. I don't know all the details, and it sounds like Portland is involved somehow, but the bottom line appears to be that we gave up JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sean Williams, Sasha Pavlovic, and a 2nd-round pick for him.
I don't care about Williams and Pavlovic, two guys who don't fit into anyone's long-term plans. Picks are always nice to have, but what is likely to be a late second-rounder shouldn't at all be a deterrent to add a guy who will be an integral piece to what hopefully is a deep playoff run. That leaves Johnson and Moore, the two kids we took out of Purdue two drafts ago and who played very limited minutes in their first NBA seasons.
The funny thing about this trade from a RwH perspective is that other than Jared Sullinger, the guy I had planned on writing most about based on my observation of one summer league game in Vegas was Moore. I thought Moore was better in the few opportunities he had last season than Johnson was in his, and Moore was clearly the more advanced player against the Bulls in summer league action on Tuesday. Moore was on fire from the outside, but he also did a nice job running the team from the lead guard position. Lee is clearly an upgrade, but I wouldn't have been totally uncomfortable entering the season with Moore as our fourth guard. With that said, the Rockets are reportedly releasing Moore (as a second-round pick in 2011, his contract isn't guaranteed) so I think there's a chance we could eventually get him back, were we so inclined.
As for Johnson, I doubt very much that we'll be regretting this trade a couple of years from now. He's a long, tall kid with good range and athleticism, but he doesn't seem like a guy who is going to develop into a post threat, and as an inconsistent stretch 4 his value is limited. He obviously didn't get much of a chance to make a splash in his one season in green, but there isn't a lot of evidence that he'll be any good down the road.
In other words, I'm pretty happy with this deal. With Lee, Terry, Bradley, and Rajon Rondo, we've got a deep, versatile backcourt that is strong defensively.
Onto the rookies, the only guys now worth talking about at summer league. Kris Joseph didn't do anything to impress, but like most second-rounders, he wasn't likely to be a big part of the team's plans. Fab Melo didn't do anything to alleviate my concerns about him -- he wasn't a disaster, but the only positive thing I can say about him is that he runs the floor better than most guys his size.
That leaves Sullinger. The guy is a load, no question -- he's got a huge lower body. He doesn't necessarily look like an NBA player because his arms aren't defined and he looks a little flabby up top, but you could say the same thing about Charles Barkley and Glen Davis and those guys didn't have any problems from a strength perspective. Sullinger proved all he needed to prove to me with regards to his strength, in fact, by repeatedly holding off Leon Powe in the post and on rebounds. Say what you want about Powe, who was playing for Chicago's summer league squad in an attempt to find an NBA job somewhere, but Celtics fans know how strong he is and how hard he plays. If you are strong enough to handle Powe, you are strong enough to handle just about anyone at the four position.
Offensively, the game I saw was not his best of the summer, but judging his offensive ability on one summer league game would be foolish. Defensively, a big concern with him has been his pick-and-roll defense. I didn't notice him getting exploited, but similarly, defending during summer league and defending a pick-and-roll run by actual NBA players is something else entirely. We'll have to wait-and-see about him, although all the evidence points to him being able to hack it at the NBA level. The other thing that jumped out at me was his second jumpability; he got off the ground a lot more quickly than you'd expect from a guy his size. This had me pretty excited about him being light on his feet, until one of my friends pointed out to me that it's easy to look like you're getting off the ground for your second jump quickly when you don't get up very high on your first jump. I guess we'll have to see about that.
As a quick aside, I did get a chance to watch Royce White, the guy from Iowa State who some Cs fans were excited about before Houston scooped him up. He's a great passer for a guy his size, but nothing else stood out. I was more impressed with Terrence Jones, who the Rockets also took in the first round. Jones is a lot bigger than I thought he was, and he's got very good ball skills for a guy his size. There's still a question about his position, but I have a feeling he's gonna be a nice NBA player for them.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
End of an Era
Ray Allen is leaving the Celtics.
After meeting with the Miami Heat on Thursday and leaving without making a decision, Allen's agent confirmed on Friday night that the veteran shooting guard had agreed to sign with the defending champions. It won't be official until next week, but Allen is expected to sign a three-year deal for around $9.5 million.
While it's not completely unexpected, it is still in many ways a head-scratching move. In what is likely to be his final NBA contract, Allen is leaving a significant chunk of change on the table -- Boston's offer was reportedly two years, $12 million. He was rumored to be unhappy with losing his starting spot to Avery Bradley, but he's destined for a bench role with the Heat. (And let's face it: At his age, he and his twice-surgically-repaired ankles could use a few extra minutes on the pine). He (understandably) was upset at being at the center of rumors at the most recent trade deadline, but Boston was reportedly ready to give him a no-trade clause or a trade kicker in his new contract if he wanted one. The Heat probably give him a better chance to win another ring, but let's not forget that a very hobbled Boston team came within a quarter of beating Miami this past postseason -- and has added a couple of weapons in the offseason.
No, Allen to Miami just doesn't add up when you take the above into account -- it's less money for a similar situation, only with a tarnished legacy and legions of betrayed-feeling fans in his wake. There simply has to be more to it. Rumor has it that his fractured and deteriorating relationship with Rajon Rondo (which has been hinted at, without being detailed, in various news reports) played a big role in the decision, but I'm not buying that. Unless Rondo was literally beating Allen up and taking his lunch money, then leaving that kind of cash on the table to sign elsewhere doesn't make sense. You don't give up two-and-a-half mil just because you don't like one of your teammates.
As of this writing, Allen himself hadn't commented yet, and we may or may not ever know the real reason or reason that he decided to sign with the Heat. If I had to guess, I would say it's a little bit of ring-chasing and a whole lot of feeling under-appreciated by the organization. Allen has always been the third member of the Big Three, and from the trade rumors to the rise of Bradley to the offseason signing of Dallas' Jason Terry, Allen's role on the team -- and his ego -- undoubtedly has taken a hit over the last few months.
The kicker, though, is this: Allen apparently wanted three years and $27 million from the Celtics, an amount so misaligned with his on-court value to the team that it was either meant to be a non-starter and he was planning on leaving from the beginning, or he was looking for some sort of "hometown bonus." The former seems unlikely because of how long it took him to make the decision. That leaves the latter, that he wanted to be compensated for his service to the team -- a concept that doesn't seem so outrageous outside the context of professional sports.
Basketball-wise, letting Allen go was a no-brainer for the front office, given his demands. He likely isn't worth the contract we offered him -- he certainly isn't worth an additional year and an additional three million per. And while I have no doubt that the Celtics were sincere in wanting Ray to be part of a four-guard rotation with Rondo, Bradley, and Terry, shooting guard is a position of strength for the team even without him. It'd be great to have another guard, but Bradley and Terry -- and maybe even E'Twaun Moore -- have it covered. Allen wasn't the Allen we're used to last season, and at 37 and twice-operated on, there's a pretty good chance he's not getting back to that level. Indeed, the biggest blow to the Celtics in all of this, in terms of personnel, is that due to league salary rules, the team can't use the money it would have used to re-sign Ray to sign someone else. Last year, the Celtics desperately needed legitimate NBA rotation players, and whoever we get for the veteran's minimum or biannual exception isn't going to make the same impact that Allen would have made. Even if that player actually becomes a productive part of the rotation, we'll still likely be a half-player short of where we'd be with Allen.
That's just the basketball side of things, though, and if there's one thing I hope you've learned from reading this blog, it's that basketball means so much more than putting the ball in the hole more times than the other guys. It's about teamwork, pride, brotherhood, loyalty, disappointment, elation, success, failure ... the list goes on -- a metaphor for life. And this where I stop talking about "Allen," and start talking about Ray.
Although all of the Big Three deservedly get credit for subordinating their own offense for the good of the team and the championship cause over the past five seasons, it is Ray who has made the biggest sacrifice. Kevin Garnett's per-game scoring average has taken approximately the same hit Ray's has during their five years in green, but KG's oversized personality and the credit he gets for the team's defensive identity outshine that dip in production. Paul Pierce had to give up a few shots, and his scoring average dropped a couple ticks correspondingly, but as a career Celtic and the team captain, he is the guy who is announced last during pre-game introductions, and he was the guy who everyone was happiest for when we won the title in 2008. And importantly, he is the guy whose number Doc Rivers has most often called in the closing moments of tight games.
These are big sacrifices for a guy like Ray -- whose identity on the court was built solely on his ability to put the ball in the basket -- to make. And yet he made them -- and more, when Rondo emerged to take some of the spotlight, and still more when Bradley seized his starting spot -- largely without complaint, and with the same unwavering workmanlike effort that shaped his jumper into what is probably the prettiest shot any of us will have the pleasure of seeing.
As you might imagine, there's quite a bit of vitriol on the Internet directed by Boston fans at Ray. People are calling him a traitor -- "Judas Shuttlesworth" is my personal favorite -- and even going so far as to wish further bone spurs upon his tender ankles. Lapse of time will probably temper some of those reactions, but it will be interesting to see how the fans react the first time Miami comes into our barn next season. Boston fans -- hell, sports fans in general -- have a history of reacting negatively to this sort of thing, though the fact that Ray left for less money, and not more money as is usually the case, certainly adds a twist.
Me, I'm not mad at Ray. One of my buddies (who isn't a Celtics fan) asked me earlier this week how I'd feel about Ray if he left Boston to go to Miami. My response was that I'd have no hard feelings, that the organization hadn't exactly shown him loyalty recently, and if he wanted to give up a few million bucks for a little stability, that was fine with me. This was before I had heard about the no-trade clause/trade kicker aspect of his offer from the Celtics -- and, if he truly did have such an offer, that makes me feel a little less warm and fuzzy about this whole thing. But Ray was an unrestricted free agent, and as such, he had the freedom to sign anywhere he was wanted. He owed the organization, and the fans, nothing. (Whether he owed his teammates anything is between him and them.) His decision may be puzzling for all the reasons I already outlined, but it was his to make.
I'm just sad. Sad that I have to hope for Ray to fail. Sad that I won't again see Flo, his mother, wearing a bedazzled replica of his number 20 in the stands of the TD Garden, cheering him on. Sad that I'll never again perform my Ray Allen Big Shot Celebration, gliding backward in my office chair as he rises perfectly for his jumper, then thrusting a fist in the air and yelling "Walter Ray!" (his middle name is Ray) as the ball inevitably snaps through the net.
More than anything, I'm sad that the era is over; that this team that got me to fall back in love with the NBA is no more. Sad that it was finished off not by injury or age or the front office, but from within, while the window was somehow still open. Sad that ubuntu and the bonds of brotherhood are only so strong. Sad to be reminded that, as much as I want it to be, Boston no longer is much different from every other NBA franchise, and that even Celtics fans are, in essence, rooting for laundry.
And if we can squeeze another championship out of the final seasons of Pierce and KG? I'll be sad that Ray won't be around to share in it.
After meeting with the Miami Heat on Thursday and leaving without making a decision, Allen's agent confirmed on Friday night that the veteran shooting guard had agreed to sign with the defending champions. It won't be official until next week, but Allen is expected to sign a three-year deal for around $9.5 million.
While it's not completely unexpected, it is still in many ways a head-scratching move. In what is likely to be his final NBA contract, Allen is leaving a significant chunk of change on the table -- Boston's offer was reportedly two years, $12 million. He was rumored to be unhappy with losing his starting spot to Avery Bradley, but he's destined for a bench role with the Heat. (And let's face it: At his age, he and his twice-surgically-repaired ankles could use a few extra minutes on the pine). He (understandably) was upset at being at the center of rumors at the most recent trade deadline, but Boston was reportedly ready to give him a no-trade clause or a trade kicker in his new contract if he wanted one. The Heat probably give him a better chance to win another ring, but let's not forget that a very hobbled Boston team came within a quarter of beating Miami this past postseason -- and has added a couple of weapons in the offseason.
No, Allen to Miami just doesn't add up when you take the above into account -- it's less money for a similar situation, only with a tarnished legacy and legions of betrayed-feeling fans in his wake. There simply has to be more to it. Rumor has it that his fractured and deteriorating relationship with Rajon Rondo (which has been hinted at, without being detailed, in various news reports) played a big role in the decision, but I'm not buying that. Unless Rondo was literally beating Allen up and taking his lunch money, then leaving that kind of cash on the table to sign elsewhere doesn't make sense. You don't give up two-and-a-half mil just because you don't like one of your teammates.
As of this writing, Allen himself hadn't commented yet, and we may or may not ever know the real reason or reason that he decided to sign with the Heat. If I had to guess, I would say it's a little bit of ring-chasing and a whole lot of feeling under-appreciated by the organization. Allen has always been the third member of the Big Three, and from the trade rumors to the rise of Bradley to the offseason signing of Dallas' Jason Terry, Allen's role on the team -- and his ego -- undoubtedly has taken a hit over the last few months.
The kicker, though, is this: Allen apparently wanted three years and $27 million from the Celtics, an amount so misaligned with his on-court value to the team that it was either meant to be a non-starter and he was planning on leaving from the beginning, or he was looking for some sort of "hometown bonus." The former seems unlikely because of how long it took him to make the decision. That leaves the latter, that he wanted to be compensated for his service to the team -- a concept that doesn't seem so outrageous outside the context of professional sports.
Basketball-wise, letting Allen go was a no-brainer for the front office, given his demands. He likely isn't worth the contract we offered him -- he certainly isn't worth an additional year and an additional three million per. And while I have no doubt that the Celtics were sincere in wanting Ray to be part of a four-guard rotation with Rondo, Bradley, and Terry, shooting guard is a position of strength for the team even without him. It'd be great to have another guard, but Bradley and Terry -- and maybe even E'Twaun Moore -- have it covered. Allen wasn't the Allen we're used to last season, and at 37 and twice-operated on, there's a pretty good chance he's not getting back to that level. Indeed, the biggest blow to the Celtics in all of this, in terms of personnel, is that due to league salary rules, the team can't use the money it would have used to re-sign Ray to sign someone else. Last year, the Celtics desperately needed legitimate NBA rotation players, and whoever we get for the veteran's minimum or biannual exception isn't going to make the same impact that Allen would have made. Even if that player actually becomes a productive part of the rotation, we'll still likely be a half-player short of where we'd be with Allen.
That's just the basketball side of things, though, and if there's one thing I hope you've learned from reading this blog, it's that basketball means so much more than putting the ball in the hole more times than the other guys. It's about teamwork, pride, brotherhood, loyalty, disappointment, elation, success, failure ... the list goes on -- a metaphor for life. And this where I stop talking about "Allen," and start talking about Ray.
Although all of the Big Three deservedly get credit for subordinating their own offense for the good of the team and the championship cause over the past five seasons, it is Ray who has made the biggest sacrifice. Kevin Garnett's per-game scoring average has taken approximately the same hit Ray's has during their five years in green, but KG's oversized personality and the credit he gets for the team's defensive identity outshine that dip in production. Paul Pierce had to give up a few shots, and his scoring average dropped a couple ticks correspondingly, but as a career Celtic and the team captain, he is the guy who is announced last during pre-game introductions, and he was the guy who everyone was happiest for when we won the title in 2008. And importantly, he is the guy whose number Doc Rivers has most often called in the closing moments of tight games.
These are big sacrifices for a guy like Ray -- whose identity on the court was built solely on his ability to put the ball in the basket -- to make. And yet he made them -- and more, when Rondo emerged to take some of the spotlight, and still more when Bradley seized his starting spot -- largely without complaint, and with the same unwavering workmanlike effort that shaped his jumper into what is probably the prettiest shot any of us will have the pleasure of seeing.
As you might imagine, there's quite a bit of vitriol on the Internet directed by Boston fans at Ray. People are calling him a traitor -- "Judas Shuttlesworth" is my personal favorite -- and even going so far as to wish further bone spurs upon his tender ankles. Lapse of time will probably temper some of those reactions, but it will be interesting to see how the fans react the first time Miami comes into our barn next season. Boston fans -- hell, sports fans in general -- have a history of reacting negatively to this sort of thing, though the fact that Ray left for less money, and not more money as is usually the case, certainly adds a twist.
Me, I'm not mad at Ray. One of my buddies (who isn't a Celtics fan) asked me earlier this week how I'd feel about Ray if he left Boston to go to Miami. My response was that I'd have no hard feelings, that the organization hadn't exactly shown him loyalty recently, and if he wanted to give up a few million bucks for a little stability, that was fine with me. This was before I had heard about the no-trade clause/trade kicker aspect of his offer from the Celtics -- and, if he truly did have such an offer, that makes me feel a little less warm and fuzzy about this whole thing. But Ray was an unrestricted free agent, and as such, he had the freedom to sign anywhere he was wanted. He owed the organization, and the fans, nothing. (Whether he owed his teammates anything is between him and them.) His decision may be puzzling for all the reasons I already outlined, but it was his to make.
I'm just sad. Sad that I have to hope for Ray to fail. Sad that I won't again see Flo, his mother, wearing a bedazzled replica of his number 20 in the stands of the TD Garden, cheering him on. Sad that I'll never again perform my Ray Allen Big Shot Celebration, gliding backward in my office chair as he rises perfectly for his jumper, then thrusting a fist in the air and yelling "Walter Ray!" (his middle name is Ray) as the ball inevitably snaps through the net.
More than anything, I'm sad that the era is over; that this team that got me to fall back in love with the NBA is no more. Sad that it was finished off not by injury or age or the front office, but from within, while the window was somehow still open. Sad that ubuntu and the bonds of brotherhood are only so strong. Sad to be reminded that, as much as I want it to be, Boston no longer is much different from every other NBA franchise, and that even Celtics fans are, in essence, rooting for laundry.
And if we can squeeze another championship out of the final seasons of Pierce and KG? I'll be sad that Ray won't be around to share in it.
Friday, June 29, 2012
NBA Draft: Lottery Recap
I've written a long post about the lottery picks from Thursday night on my other blog. You can find it here.
Celtics Draft Report Card
Boston added three guys in Thursday night's draft. Let's talk about them.
With the 21st overall pick, the Celtics grabbed Jared Sullinger, the sophomore power forward out of Ohio State. If you read my pre-draft post, you know much I love this pick.
I said it before, but let me reiterate it now: At the time Sullinger announced he was returning to the Buckeyes after his freshman season, he was projected to be the top pick in the 2011 draft. Now, maybe he would have dropped a bit after individual workouts, and maybe the doctors last year would have found the back problems that they discovered this year, which caused him to fall all the way out of the lottery. But taking solely his basketball ability into account, getting Sullinger at 21 is unprecedented value.
The rub, of course, is his health. Boston's saying that they consider him low risk, particularly given the potential reward, but that's precisely what you'd expect a team to say right after they spent a first-round pick on a guy. For me, though, whether that's true or not doesn't really matter. For his potential at that position, I'd be willing to take on quite a bit more risk.
I'm not a doctor, so enough talk about his injury risk. Obviously, if he can't play, then the following is moot, but here's my brief analysis of Sullinger and how I think he fits in.
At just a tick under 6'8" in bare feet (he measured 6'9" in sneaks), Sullinger seems a bit short to be a consistent NBA low-post threat. But an uncomfortably common topic of conversation during Ohio State broadcasts during his two years at the school was Sullinger's rather ample backside. At 268 pounds, the dude is big, even if he's not tall by NBA power forward standards, and he used that size to average more than 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds across two collegiate seasons. He's one of those guys who produces consistently if unspectacularly, the kind of guy about whom people like to say things like "he just knows how to play." In reality, what that means is that he knows how to use his best asset -- his size -- to score around the basket, despite not being blessed with uncommon height or athleticism. I'd feel very comfortable throwing the ball into the post to him right off the bat.
His interior game is where he's most effective, but he showed improved range his sophomore season, hitting 40% from the college three-point line on about one attempt per game. His ability to step out and hit the jumper should come in handy throughout his NBA career, even if his most immediate role in the offense, given current team construction, is in the pivot.
Sullinger's defense isn't terribly noteworthy -- he wasn't a prolific shotblocker in college and won't be in the pros. His size and strength should keep him from getting pushed around on the low block, however, and one of his great strengths is rebounding -- which translates very well, historically, from college to the pro game.
Boston's roster is in so much flux right now that it's hard to predict how Sullinger might fit in on next year's team. Kevin Garnett is mulling retirement and Brandon Bass declined his player option. Other than JaJuan Johnson, who played sparing in his rookie season, we have no bigs currently under contract. Obviously, if we lose Bass and can't find replacement in free agency, Sullinger could slide right into the starting lineup. Assuming we get both KG and Bass back, Sullinger could conceivably start over Bass or play on the second unit alongside Bass if we find a center to start and let Garnett play his preferred power forward position, but Bass probably isn't re-signing in Boston for a backup's pay. For these reasons, and because I'm convinced that Garnett and Bass are coming back, I think the most likely scenario is that Sullinger becomes the first big off the bench to spell KG.
I've been critical of Doc for his development of rookies in the Big Three era, and for Sullinger to contribute in the short term he'll have to buck the trend of young Celtics not getting much burn until their second year. But Sullinger is perhaps the most NBA-ready rookie Doc has had since coming to Boston in 2004, and certainly the most since Rajon Rondo. I expect that Sullinger will have a big role on next year's Celtics team.
I really can't emphasize enough how excited I am about this pick. If things go our way and Sullinger's back holds up and allows him to have a career of any sort of length, it's the kind of pick that can change a franchise's fortunes.
I'm considerably less excited about Fab Melo, the Syracuse sophomore who Boston took immediately after Sullinger with the 22nd pick. Melo, a native Brazilian, was one of the top centers in the high school class of 2010, and was predicted by many to be the Big East newcomer of the year the following season. He was completely overmatched in his first year of college ball, though, playing around 10 minutes per game and averaging 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest. He came back for his sophomore season in much better shape and was something of a revelation for the Orange last year, and he declared for the draft after averaging about eight points and six rebounds on a very deep and balanced Syracuse team.
The justification for this pick really rests on two grounds: the potential that made him so highly-touted coming out of high school; and his one NBA-level skill, his shotblocking. I can't speak to the former because I don't follow prep ball on a national level. As for the latter, his 2.9 blocks per game last year are impressive, particularly considering he only averaged around 25 minutes per night.
I've got my concerns, though. Melo is an obvious project on offense -- while he improved his scoring his sophomore year, everything of his that wasn't a dunk looked awkward, like he was lucky it went in. And while I like his shotblocking, I have no idea what kind of defender he'll be in the NBA because he spent his whole college career playing zone -- and not just any zone, but a zone that encourages the opponent to make paint catches and go up with shots; in other words, a zone that facilitates shotblocking. Will Melo be able to hold his own defending an NBA post-up? I have no idea. I do know that he's prone to foul trouble, which isn't a great sign given that he was playing zone. It's not at all clear to me that Melo is any better than Greg Stiemsma.
Of course, when you evaluate a draft pick, you have to take into account not only the player picked, but the opportunity cost of that player -- the players who could have been chosen instead. Sullinger and Melo came at the end of a big man run in the middle of the first round; John Henson, Royce White, Tyler Zeller, Terrence Jones, and Andrew Nicholson all were taken in the seven picks immediately leading up to 21 and 22. The big-man cupboard was getting bare -- only three were selected in the final eight picks of the first round after Boston made its picks. Of those three, Miles Plumlee was a surprise first-rounder; Festus Ezeli was projected a bit later in the first round; and Arnett Moultrie had some character concerns that had him ping-ponging up and down the mock draft boards all season. If Boston was going to take a big, it's not like there were obvious choices available other than Melo, though in retrospect I probably would have preferred Ezeli.
Center is an obvious need for the Celtics. We've got none under contract, and all the ones we have ties to have age or injury concerns, and/or they are career role players. On the other hand, Melo is highly unlikely to make any sort of positive contribution in his rookie season, and center is hardly the only position of need on the Celtics. There were plenty of shooters available when we took Melo, and at the time, I wanted Jeff Taylor, preferring him over his Vanderbilt teammate John Jenkins (a better shooter) mainly due to his size and defensive reputation. A small part of the reason I liked the Sullinger pick in theory was that we had the second first-rounder as a safety valve, something to help ensure that we didn't come out of this draft empty-handed if Sullinger's health becomes a big issue. Melo is a project, and so that risk is still there.
Finally, at 51, we took Melo's college teammate, Kris Joseph. I like the idea of drafting a wing player -- we had addressed the big man issue earlier in the draft, and there weren't any we left on the board that I had strong positive feelings about. We need wings, too, and with the emergence of Avery Bradley and E'Twaun Moore showing flashes of competence during his rookie season -- not to mention the potential return of Ray Allen -- it seemed like small forward was a bigger need than shooting guard. (That might change if Allen leaves and we sign Jeff Green and Mickael Pietrus.) When Detroit grabbed Kim English at 44, I was relatively indifferent about who we got. Darius Johnson-Odom is an NBA level athlete, but he may be too small to guard shooting guards, never mind power forwards; Kevin Jones' motor and rebounding ability make him a little bit intriguing, but he's undersized (and ultimately went undrafted); and Marcus Denmon is a pure scorer who at 6'3" is probably too small for our needs. I was a little surprised that Ohio State's William Buford went undrafted, but there's nothing wrong with preferring Joseph over him.
Joseph, by the way, played four years at Syracuse. He appears to me to be a strong leader, the kind of guy who leads by example, and he made a lot of big shots for Cuse over the course of his career. He reminds me a little bit of Paul Pierce, actually; a deceptively athletic slasher who can shoot it a little bit, good rebounder, and at least the potential to be a decent defender. Obviously, I don't think his ceiling is nearly as high as Pierce's turned out to be, but with the 51st pick, you're not really worried about the guy failing to pan out and any positive contribution at all is worth it. With Joseph's experience and polish, he's got a good chance of meeting that minimum standard.
This is allegedly a report card, so I guess I should give a grade. I'll give it a B+. Sullinger is an obvous A, while Melo strikes me as a C; the "+" comes in because, as discussed, I don't really think there were any obvious alternatives to Melo.
Free agency starts Sunday, and it's only then that we'll start to get a picture of what the Celtics are going to look like in 2012-13. KG is the first domino to fall, and his decision will likely determine whether Sullinger is a contributor to another run, or a piece around which to rebuild.
With the 21st overall pick, the Celtics grabbed Jared Sullinger, the sophomore power forward out of Ohio State. If you read my pre-draft post, you know much I love this pick.
I said it before, but let me reiterate it now: At the time Sullinger announced he was returning to the Buckeyes after his freshman season, he was projected to be the top pick in the 2011 draft. Now, maybe he would have dropped a bit after individual workouts, and maybe the doctors last year would have found the back problems that they discovered this year, which caused him to fall all the way out of the lottery. But taking solely his basketball ability into account, getting Sullinger at 21 is unprecedented value.
The rub, of course, is his health. Boston's saying that they consider him low risk, particularly given the potential reward, but that's precisely what you'd expect a team to say right after they spent a first-round pick on a guy. For me, though, whether that's true or not doesn't really matter. For his potential at that position, I'd be willing to take on quite a bit more risk.
I'm not a doctor, so enough talk about his injury risk. Obviously, if he can't play, then the following is moot, but here's my brief analysis of Sullinger and how I think he fits in.
At just a tick under 6'8" in bare feet (he measured 6'9" in sneaks), Sullinger seems a bit short to be a consistent NBA low-post threat. But an uncomfortably common topic of conversation during Ohio State broadcasts during his two years at the school was Sullinger's rather ample backside. At 268 pounds, the dude is big, even if he's not tall by NBA power forward standards, and he used that size to average more than 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds across two collegiate seasons. He's one of those guys who produces consistently if unspectacularly, the kind of guy about whom people like to say things like "he just knows how to play." In reality, what that means is that he knows how to use his best asset -- his size -- to score around the basket, despite not being blessed with uncommon height or athleticism. I'd feel very comfortable throwing the ball into the post to him right off the bat.
His interior game is where he's most effective, but he showed improved range his sophomore season, hitting 40% from the college three-point line on about one attempt per game. His ability to step out and hit the jumper should come in handy throughout his NBA career, even if his most immediate role in the offense, given current team construction, is in the pivot.
Sullinger's defense isn't terribly noteworthy -- he wasn't a prolific shotblocker in college and won't be in the pros. His size and strength should keep him from getting pushed around on the low block, however, and one of his great strengths is rebounding -- which translates very well, historically, from college to the pro game.
Boston's roster is in so much flux right now that it's hard to predict how Sullinger might fit in on next year's team. Kevin Garnett is mulling retirement and Brandon Bass declined his player option. Other than JaJuan Johnson, who played sparing in his rookie season, we have no bigs currently under contract. Obviously, if we lose Bass and can't find replacement in free agency, Sullinger could slide right into the starting lineup. Assuming we get both KG and Bass back, Sullinger could conceivably start over Bass or play on the second unit alongside Bass if we find a center to start and let Garnett play his preferred power forward position, but Bass probably isn't re-signing in Boston for a backup's pay. For these reasons, and because I'm convinced that Garnett and Bass are coming back, I think the most likely scenario is that Sullinger becomes the first big off the bench to spell KG.
I've been critical of Doc for his development of rookies in the Big Three era, and for Sullinger to contribute in the short term he'll have to buck the trend of young Celtics not getting much burn until their second year. But Sullinger is perhaps the most NBA-ready rookie Doc has had since coming to Boston in 2004, and certainly the most since Rajon Rondo. I expect that Sullinger will have a big role on next year's Celtics team.
I really can't emphasize enough how excited I am about this pick. If things go our way and Sullinger's back holds up and allows him to have a career of any sort of length, it's the kind of pick that can change a franchise's fortunes.
I'm considerably less excited about Fab Melo, the Syracuse sophomore who Boston took immediately after Sullinger with the 22nd pick. Melo, a native Brazilian, was one of the top centers in the high school class of 2010, and was predicted by many to be the Big East newcomer of the year the following season. He was completely overmatched in his first year of college ball, though, playing around 10 minutes per game and averaging 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest. He came back for his sophomore season in much better shape and was something of a revelation for the Orange last year, and he declared for the draft after averaging about eight points and six rebounds on a very deep and balanced Syracuse team.
The justification for this pick really rests on two grounds: the potential that made him so highly-touted coming out of high school; and his one NBA-level skill, his shotblocking. I can't speak to the former because I don't follow prep ball on a national level. As for the latter, his 2.9 blocks per game last year are impressive, particularly considering he only averaged around 25 minutes per night.
I've got my concerns, though. Melo is an obvious project on offense -- while he improved his scoring his sophomore year, everything of his that wasn't a dunk looked awkward, like he was lucky it went in. And while I like his shotblocking, I have no idea what kind of defender he'll be in the NBA because he spent his whole college career playing zone -- and not just any zone, but a zone that encourages the opponent to make paint catches and go up with shots; in other words, a zone that facilitates shotblocking. Will Melo be able to hold his own defending an NBA post-up? I have no idea. I do know that he's prone to foul trouble, which isn't a great sign given that he was playing zone. It's not at all clear to me that Melo is any better than Greg Stiemsma.
Of course, when you evaluate a draft pick, you have to take into account not only the player picked, but the opportunity cost of that player -- the players who could have been chosen instead. Sullinger and Melo came at the end of a big man run in the middle of the first round; John Henson, Royce White, Tyler Zeller, Terrence Jones, and Andrew Nicholson all were taken in the seven picks immediately leading up to 21 and 22. The big-man cupboard was getting bare -- only three were selected in the final eight picks of the first round after Boston made its picks. Of those three, Miles Plumlee was a surprise first-rounder; Festus Ezeli was projected a bit later in the first round; and Arnett Moultrie had some character concerns that had him ping-ponging up and down the mock draft boards all season. If Boston was going to take a big, it's not like there were obvious choices available other than Melo, though in retrospect I probably would have preferred Ezeli.
Center is an obvious need for the Celtics. We've got none under contract, and all the ones we have ties to have age or injury concerns, and/or they are career role players. On the other hand, Melo is highly unlikely to make any sort of positive contribution in his rookie season, and center is hardly the only position of need on the Celtics. There were plenty of shooters available when we took Melo, and at the time, I wanted Jeff Taylor, preferring him over his Vanderbilt teammate John Jenkins (a better shooter) mainly due to his size and defensive reputation. A small part of the reason I liked the Sullinger pick in theory was that we had the second first-rounder as a safety valve, something to help ensure that we didn't come out of this draft empty-handed if Sullinger's health becomes a big issue. Melo is a project, and so that risk is still there.
Finally, at 51, we took Melo's college teammate, Kris Joseph. I like the idea of drafting a wing player -- we had addressed the big man issue earlier in the draft, and there weren't any we left on the board that I had strong positive feelings about. We need wings, too, and with the emergence of Avery Bradley and E'Twaun Moore showing flashes of competence during his rookie season -- not to mention the potential return of Ray Allen -- it seemed like small forward was a bigger need than shooting guard. (That might change if Allen leaves and we sign Jeff Green and Mickael Pietrus.) When Detroit grabbed Kim English at 44, I was relatively indifferent about who we got. Darius Johnson-Odom is an NBA level athlete, but he may be too small to guard shooting guards, never mind power forwards; Kevin Jones' motor and rebounding ability make him a little bit intriguing, but he's undersized (and ultimately went undrafted); and Marcus Denmon is a pure scorer who at 6'3" is probably too small for our needs. I was a little surprised that Ohio State's William Buford went undrafted, but there's nothing wrong with preferring Joseph over him.
Joseph, by the way, played four years at Syracuse. He appears to me to be a strong leader, the kind of guy who leads by example, and he made a lot of big shots for Cuse over the course of his career. He reminds me a little bit of Paul Pierce, actually; a deceptively athletic slasher who can shoot it a little bit, good rebounder, and at least the potential to be a decent defender. Obviously, I don't think his ceiling is nearly as high as Pierce's turned out to be, but with the 51st pick, you're not really worried about the guy failing to pan out and any positive contribution at all is worth it. With Joseph's experience and polish, he's got a good chance of meeting that minimum standard.
This is allegedly a report card, so I guess I should give a grade. I'll give it a B+. Sullinger is an obvous A, while Melo strikes me as a C; the "+" comes in because, as discussed, I don't really think there were any obvious alternatives to Melo.
Free agency starts Sunday, and it's only then that we'll start to get a picture of what the Celtics are going to look like in 2012-13. KG is the first domino to fall, and his decision will likely determine whether Sullinger is a contributor to another run, or a piece around which to rebuild.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Quick Pre-Draft Thoughts
I love the NBA Draft. It's my third-favorite sports day of the year, behind the Saturday before Selection Sunday and the first day of the NCAA Tournament. Thursday night is like Christmas morning for me.
However, for whatever reason, I find myself less and less interested with the whole mock draft scene. There are too many x-factors -- too many trades, too many surprise picks, too many red herrings in the days leading up -- for it to be a meaningful exercise. (Not, I should point out, that I have anything against meaningless exercises.) A couple of people have built dream careers on the Internet out of draft prognostication, and good on 'em. It's just not for me.
So I'm not going to sit here and speculate on who the Celtics are going to take at 21 and 22. To do so would require me to try and guess who gets taken 1 through 20, and that's just too hard once you get past the lottery and into the teens. I do, however, have a couple of things on my wish list.
1. Whatever we do, I hope that we don't trade our two first-round picks to move up just a couple of spots. There are reports that Danny Ainge asked Iowa State power forward Royce White to shut down his workouts, which is basically a promise that we'll take White if he's available when it's our turn to pick. I never know whether to believe these things -- there are enough false reports in the days leading up to every draft to seriously discount just about everything you hear.
Regardless of whether it's true, I think it'd be a big mistake to put all of our eggs in one basket by exchanging our two picks for one slightly better pick. The Celtics have serious personnel needs in both the frontcourt and the backcourt, and this draft is loaded with value all the way down through the first round. I'm not talking about stars, but solid players with potential for very productive NBA careers. If another team snags White before we get a chance to pick him, there are plenty of consolation prizes: Andrew Nicholson, the center from St. Bonaventure; Arnett Moultrie, the rebounding machine from Mississippi State; Jeff Taylor, the sweet shooting wing from Vanderbilt who is one of the best defenders in the draft; trust me, the list goes on and on.
There's something to be said for getting the guy you really want, but White -- or any other player we're likely to try to trade up a few spots to get -- isn't the kind of sure thing that's worth two picks. The obvious counterargument is Rajon Rondo, who Phoenix drafted at 21 on our behalf in the 2006 draft. Ainge saw his guy in Rondo and made the move to get him, and it's obviously worked out incredibly well for the Celtics. But the price for Rondo was relatively cheap -- we basically just bought the pick from the Suns. Passing up the chance to draft another guy who could have a similar impact to White (or whoever) is just too large of a price.
I'm not totally against the idea of a trade, but if we do it, it has to be for the right reasons. And the right reasons are getting an established veteran and/or freeing up cap room for free agency, not moving up to take a guy who may or may not pan out.
2. If Jared Sullinger is available when we pick, I hope we take him. Sullinger was a potential top overall pick after his freshman year at Ohio State, but he chose to return to school for his sophomore season -- after which his draft stock dropped, in part due to a somewhat lackluster year, comparatively, and in part because this draft is perceived to be deeper than last year's was (although last year's class turned out to be rather underrated). Even so, he was a projected in the top ten this year ... until team doctors started examining him and raised questions about his back. These concerns go well beyond the back spasms that caused him to miss some games this past season; we're talking long-term durability issues, concerns of the same kind that ruined the careers of, for example, Greg Oden and Brandon Roy. Teams are worried enough about his health that the league's intel suggests he's likely to fall out of the lottery entirely, and the NBA therefore elected not to invite him to sit in the Green Room during the draft.
Sullinger may well go before we pick, and if he does, it's a moot point. Even if he is available, he's an obvious risk. But Sullinger is a good kid, a hard worker, and a smart basketball player. He's not a monster athlete, but he knows how to score around the basket, and he's a good rebounder. He has some range, too. Some people look at him and see a little bit of Kevin Love in him -- though Love's blossoming into a legitimate star isn't the kind of thing we should project for anyone. But Sullinger possess the kind of talent that is rarely available in the bottom third of the first round, and particularly with back-to-back picks serving as kind of an insurance policy on Sullinger's health, I think it'd be a mistake not to roll the dice with him if the opportunity is there.
Ainge has some history of taking high-potential guys who, for whatever reason, fall in the draft, with mixed results; Avery Bradley (#19 in 2010) turned out well, while Billy Walker (#47 in 2008) didn't. Those guys fell mostly for performance reasons, though, and health issues are a different ballgame. Still, it's a risk I hope we have the opportunity to take.
However, for whatever reason, I find myself less and less interested with the whole mock draft scene. There are too many x-factors -- too many trades, too many surprise picks, too many red herrings in the days leading up -- for it to be a meaningful exercise. (Not, I should point out, that I have anything against meaningless exercises.) A couple of people have built dream careers on the Internet out of draft prognostication, and good on 'em. It's just not for me.
So I'm not going to sit here and speculate on who the Celtics are going to take at 21 and 22. To do so would require me to try and guess who gets taken 1 through 20, and that's just too hard once you get past the lottery and into the teens. I do, however, have a couple of things on my wish list.
1. Whatever we do, I hope that we don't trade our two first-round picks to move up just a couple of spots. There are reports that Danny Ainge asked Iowa State power forward Royce White to shut down his workouts, which is basically a promise that we'll take White if he's available when it's our turn to pick. I never know whether to believe these things -- there are enough false reports in the days leading up to every draft to seriously discount just about everything you hear.
Regardless of whether it's true, I think it'd be a big mistake to put all of our eggs in one basket by exchanging our two picks for one slightly better pick. The Celtics have serious personnel needs in both the frontcourt and the backcourt, and this draft is loaded with value all the way down through the first round. I'm not talking about stars, but solid players with potential for very productive NBA careers. If another team snags White before we get a chance to pick him, there are plenty of consolation prizes: Andrew Nicholson, the center from St. Bonaventure; Arnett Moultrie, the rebounding machine from Mississippi State; Jeff Taylor, the sweet shooting wing from Vanderbilt who is one of the best defenders in the draft; trust me, the list goes on and on.
There's something to be said for getting the guy you really want, but White -- or any other player we're likely to try to trade up a few spots to get -- isn't the kind of sure thing that's worth two picks. The obvious counterargument is Rajon Rondo, who Phoenix drafted at 21 on our behalf in the 2006 draft. Ainge saw his guy in Rondo and made the move to get him, and it's obviously worked out incredibly well for the Celtics. But the price for Rondo was relatively cheap -- we basically just bought the pick from the Suns. Passing up the chance to draft another guy who could have a similar impact to White (or whoever) is just too large of a price.
I'm not totally against the idea of a trade, but if we do it, it has to be for the right reasons. And the right reasons are getting an established veteran and/or freeing up cap room for free agency, not moving up to take a guy who may or may not pan out.
2. If Jared Sullinger is available when we pick, I hope we take him. Sullinger was a potential top overall pick after his freshman year at Ohio State, but he chose to return to school for his sophomore season -- after which his draft stock dropped, in part due to a somewhat lackluster year, comparatively, and in part because this draft is perceived to be deeper than last year's was (although last year's class turned out to be rather underrated). Even so, he was a projected in the top ten this year ... until team doctors started examining him and raised questions about his back. These concerns go well beyond the back spasms that caused him to miss some games this past season; we're talking long-term durability issues, concerns of the same kind that ruined the careers of, for example, Greg Oden and Brandon Roy. Teams are worried enough about his health that the league's intel suggests he's likely to fall out of the lottery entirely, and the NBA therefore elected not to invite him to sit in the Green Room during the draft.
Sullinger may well go before we pick, and if he does, it's a moot point. Even if he is available, he's an obvious risk. But Sullinger is a good kid, a hard worker, and a smart basketball player. He's not a monster athlete, but he knows how to score around the basket, and he's a good rebounder. He has some range, too. Some people look at him and see a little bit of Kevin Love in him -- though Love's blossoming into a legitimate star isn't the kind of thing we should project for anyone. But Sullinger possess the kind of talent that is rarely available in the bottom third of the first round, and particularly with back-to-back picks serving as kind of an insurance policy on Sullinger's health, I think it'd be a mistake not to roll the dice with him if the opportunity is there.
Ainge has some history of taking high-potential guys who, for whatever reason, fall in the draft, with mixed results; Avery Bradley (#19 in 2010) turned out well, while Billy Walker (#47 in 2008) didn't. Those guys fell mostly for performance reasons, though, and health issues are a different ballgame. Still, it's a risk I hope we have the opportunity to take.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Miami 101, Boston 88
[recap] [box score]
What do you say after your team lays it all on the line in the biggest game of the season, only to come up short? Nothing, it turns out. Instead, you go down to your local Boston bar to have a beer among sympathetic friends and fellow fans.
And what do you say after more than one of those beers and a sack full of fast food? Nothing, it turns out. Instead, you go to sleep, if you can.
And what do you say the morning after? Not much, it turns out.
I owe these Celtics a long post for the glorious, unexpected playoff run they just took us on. I don't seem to have it in me at the moment, though.
I'm disappointed. I wonder what might have happened had Doc switched Brandon Bass off of LeBron James in the fourth quarter. I wonder what might have happened had we made a couple open looks in the second half and Chris Bosh hadn't made three three-pointers and James hadn't thrown in that 30-footer. I wonder what might have happened had Avery Bradley, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce had been healthy.
But then I remember what James did to the Celtics in Game 6 with Pierce on him. I remember that young legs tend to make more shots than older ones, especially as the season nears its end. I remember that had Bosh been healthy for the whole series, there might not have been a Game 7. Hell, if Derrick Rose were healthy, there probably wouldn't have been a Game 1.
I'm disappointed, even though I shouldn't be. Unlike 2010, it doesn't feel like we gave anything away. What's difficult is that an upset of the Heat would have been so satisfying that it was hard not to fall in love with the idea of it. And so, with that result seemingly in reach just a couple of days ago -- or even just a few hours ago -- it's disappointing that we couldn't achieve it.
But I would never ask for more than the effort.
What do you say after your team lays it all on the line in the biggest game of the season, only to come up short? Nothing, it turns out. Instead, you go down to your local Boston bar to have a beer among sympathetic friends and fellow fans.
And what do you say after more than one of those beers and a sack full of fast food? Nothing, it turns out. Instead, you go to sleep, if you can.
And what do you say the morning after? Not much, it turns out.
I owe these Celtics a long post for the glorious, unexpected playoff run they just took us on. I don't seem to have it in me at the moment, though.
I'm disappointed. I wonder what might have happened had Doc switched Brandon Bass off of LeBron James in the fourth quarter. I wonder what might have happened had we made a couple open looks in the second half and Chris Bosh hadn't made three three-pointers and James hadn't thrown in that 30-footer. I wonder what might have happened had Avery Bradley, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce had been healthy.
But then I remember what James did to the Celtics in Game 6 with Pierce on him. I remember that young legs tend to make more shots than older ones, especially as the season nears its end. I remember that had Bosh been healthy for the whole series, there might not have been a Game 7. Hell, if Derrick Rose were healthy, there probably wouldn't have been a Game 1.
I'm disappointed, even though I shouldn't be. Unlike 2010, it doesn't feel like we gave anything away. What's difficult is that an upset of the Heat would have been so satisfying that it was hard not to fall in love with the idea of it. And so, with that result seemingly in reach just a couple of days ago -- or even just a few hours ago -- it's disappointing that we couldn't achieve it.
But I would never ask for more than the effort.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Thoughts in Advance of Game 7
Lately, my recap posts seem to be focusing on the intangibles; the story, rather than the Xs and Os. The Celtics' resilience and LeBron James' ability to rise to the occasion will no doubt play a part in determining who wins Saturday night, but there's actual basketball to be played, too. I want to spend a few minutes talking a little bit about some "basketball things" that I've got my mind on heading into Game 7. They're in no real order.
1. Paul Pierce is due for a big game. We showered him with praise after he that dagger in Game 5, so it's fair to say that he was awful in Game 6. I'm inclined to forgive him more for the defensive end (no one was stopping LeBron in that one) than for the offensive end, where he shot 4 for 18, including missed layups and clanged jumpers. The problem is that Pierce really hasn't been very good all series, with just two games of shooting that could even be considered decent. Given the shots he's getting, and missing, I assume that it's his knee, and I'm not bringing this up to criticize him. Rather, I mention it to say that anyone who expects him to come to our rescue with a huge game akin to Cleveland in 2008 is probably going to be disappointed.
2. With that said, Pierce is still a key component to our offense and one of the game's most clutch performers. To that end, we need to figure out a way to keep him on the floor. He's fouled out twice this series (in addition to getting DQ'd from Game 7 against Philly), and he picked up 3 fouls in the first half of Game 6. He's had success guarding James in the past, and he hasn't gotten any favors from the officials, but I think it's clear that the knee is hampering his performance on that end, as well, just as you'd expect it to. Some of this is on Pierce, who needs to play smart and not take bad fouls, but some of it is also on Doc. If you're willing to let Mickael Pietrus and Marquis Daniels and even Brandon Bass check James when Pierce is out of the game, then you have to be willing to put one of those guys on him to protect Pierce when he's in the game. For example, in Game 6, when Pierce came back into the game in the second quarter with two fouls, he went right back on James, picked up his third foul with like six minutes to go, and had to sit the rest of the half. To start the third, Doc put Bass on James, ostensibly to protect Pierce. But by waiting until Pierce was already in serious foul trouble before making a move, Doc kept Pierce off the court for a big chunk of the second quarter. The key is to start protecting him before it affects his playing time.
3. We only saw a possession or two of zone in Game 6, and absent truly exigent circumstances, I hope that means we've seen the last of it in this series. Miami was reasonably effective scoring against the zone in Game 5; what worked is that Boston was changing defenses and disguising what they were running, and that led to confusion and some wasted possessions when we went back to man-to-man. The element of surprise is gone, however, and Miami not only is ready for the zone, they are ready for us to switch it up. That particular trick isn't going to work anymore, and the zone itself isn't effective enough on its own.
4. Rajon Rondo has to be aggressive. He is charged with a nearly impossible task; he's the only Celtic who is able to consistently get easy baskets for himself, and yet he also has to get the other guys going, too. What Rondo must realize is that his offense opens up the floor for everyone else; when he is penetrating and getting into the lane, shots open up for others, whether it's Kevin Garnett on the pick and roll, Garnett and Bass on the pick-and-pop, or Pierce and Ray Allen spotting up along the perimeter. It's fine to run a few plays for Pierce and Allen early to try and get them a few jumpers, but if that isn't working, Rondo needs to shoulder a heavier scoring load himself, quickly. We can't afford to waste half a quarter trying to get the other guys going. If Rondo's attacking, then the rest of the offense should establish itself.
5. We need something from the bench. While a performance like the one we got from Pietrus in Game 5 would be nice, something to that degree isn't even necessary. I expect Rondo to play the full 48 minutes, and I expect that James will, as well. But Garnett won't, and neither will Pierce and Allen. Pietrus, Daniels, and Keyon Dooling must play their usual strong defense while scoring at least enough to keep us in striking distance.
6. I don't think that home court advantage will affect the players; we've played our two best games of the series in Miami's barn. I do worry that the home crowd will affect the refs. Officiating played a huge role in Boston's Game 2 loss. While I don't know who is assigned to Game 7, I do know that I don't want to see Eddie Malloy or Billy Kennedy, two officials who have shown anti-Boston proclivities and who seem overmatched by big games. And regardless of who is officiating, the players need to put any bad calls behind them quickly.
7. Finally, Boston must be resilient. Miami is a strong defensive team with a couple remarkably talented offensive players. It's nearly impossible to play a game against the Heat without them going on a couple of six- or eight-point runs. The key will be preventing them from turning those spurts into 12- and 14-point surges. Boston can win this game if they are down a few points entering the fourth quarter, but if they're down double-digits after the third, the task may be too hard. The Celtics were resilient in Game 5, and it paid off; Boston stayed in it when things weren't going right in the first half, then made their run when the shots started falling in the third quarter. They were resilient in Game 6, too; the difference is that we couldn't get anything to fall even as we continued to hang around. As long as we stay resilient, then we'll have a great shot at this. Fortunately, staying resilient is one of the things we do best.
Game 7 starts at 8:30 Eastern on ESPN. Let's do this!
1. Paul Pierce is due for a big game. We showered him with praise after he that dagger in Game 5, so it's fair to say that he was awful in Game 6. I'm inclined to forgive him more for the defensive end (no one was stopping LeBron in that one) than for the offensive end, where he shot 4 for 18, including missed layups and clanged jumpers. The problem is that Pierce really hasn't been very good all series, with just two games of shooting that could even be considered decent. Given the shots he's getting, and missing, I assume that it's his knee, and I'm not bringing this up to criticize him. Rather, I mention it to say that anyone who expects him to come to our rescue with a huge game akin to Cleveland in 2008 is probably going to be disappointed.
2. With that said, Pierce is still a key component to our offense and one of the game's most clutch performers. To that end, we need to figure out a way to keep him on the floor. He's fouled out twice this series (in addition to getting DQ'd from Game 7 against Philly), and he picked up 3 fouls in the first half of Game 6. He's had success guarding James in the past, and he hasn't gotten any favors from the officials, but I think it's clear that the knee is hampering his performance on that end, as well, just as you'd expect it to. Some of this is on Pierce, who needs to play smart and not take bad fouls, but some of it is also on Doc. If you're willing to let Mickael Pietrus and Marquis Daniels and even Brandon Bass check James when Pierce is out of the game, then you have to be willing to put one of those guys on him to protect Pierce when he's in the game. For example, in Game 6, when Pierce came back into the game in the second quarter with two fouls, he went right back on James, picked up his third foul with like six minutes to go, and had to sit the rest of the half. To start the third, Doc put Bass on James, ostensibly to protect Pierce. But by waiting until Pierce was already in serious foul trouble before making a move, Doc kept Pierce off the court for a big chunk of the second quarter. The key is to start protecting him before it affects his playing time.
3. We only saw a possession or two of zone in Game 6, and absent truly exigent circumstances, I hope that means we've seen the last of it in this series. Miami was reasonably effective scoring against the zone in Game 5; what worked is that Boston was changing defenses and disguising what they were running, and that led to confusion and some wasted possessions when we went back to man-to-man. The element of surprise is gone, however, and Miami not only is ready for the zone, they are ready for us to switch it up. That particular trick isn't going to work anymore, and the zone itself isn't effective enough on its own.
4. Rajon Rondo has to be aggressive. He is charged with a nearly impossible task; he's the only Celtic who is able to consistently get easy baskets for himself, and yet he also has to get the other guys going, too. What Rondo must realize is that his offense opens up the floor for everyone else; when he is penetrating and getting into the lane, shots open up for others, whether it's Kevin Garnett on the pick and roll, Garnett and Bass on the pick-and-pop, or Pierce and Ray Allen spotting up along the perimeter. It's fine to run a few plays for Pierce and Allen early to try and get them a few jumpers, but if that isn't working, Rondo needs to shoulder a heavier scoring load himself, quickly. We can't afford to waste half a quarter trying to get the other guys going. If Rondo's attacking, then the rest of the offense should establish itself.
5. We need something from the bench. While a performance like the one we got from Pietrus in Game 5 would be nice, something to that degree isn't even necessary. I expect Rondo to play the full 48 minutes, and I expect that James will, as well. But Garnett won't, and neither will Pierce and Allen. Pietrus, Daniels, and Keyon Dooling must play their usual strong defense while scoring at least enough to keep us in striking distance.
6. I don't think that home court advantage will affect the players; we've played our two best games of the series in Miami's barn. I do worry that the home crowd will affect the refs. Officiating played a huge role in Boston's Game 2 loss. While I don't know who is assigned to Game 7, I do know that I don't want to see Eddie Malloy or Billy Kennedy, two officials who have shown anti-Boston proclivities and who seem overmatched by big games. And regardless of who is officiating, the players need to put any bad calls behind them quickly.
7. Finally, Boston must be resilient. Miami is a strong defensive team with a couple remarkably talented offensive players. It's nearly impossible to play a game against the Heat without them going on a couple of six- or eight-point runs. The key will be preventing them from turning those spurts into 12- and 14-point surges. Boston can win this game if they are down a few points entering the fourth quarter, but if they're down double-digits after the third, the task may be too hard. The Celtics were resilient in Game 5, and it paid off; Boston stayed in it when things weren't going right in the first half, then made their run when the shots started falling in the third quarter. They were resilient in Game 6, too; the difference is that we couldn't get anything to fall even as we continued to hang around. As long as we stay resilient, then we'll have a great shot at this. Fortunately, staying resilient is one of the things we do best.
Game 7 starts at 8:30 Eastern on ESPN. Let's do this!
Miami 98, Boston 79
[recap] [box score]
Two stories are dominating the headlines in the aftermath of Game 6. LeBron James' incredible 45-point (deservedly) gets top billing, and Boston's inability to keep the game close in the second half plays second fiddle. Here, I'm going to address them in reverse order.
How to explain the way Boston played tonight? It's a question I've been mulling since the game ended. I'm sure there are no shortage of theories floating around out there among the media and in the blogosphere, but I'm avoiding those outlets for now. I can imagine what they're saying, though:
The Celtics choked. I don't know if anyone is actually saying this. I do know that if, say, Miami had played a closeout game the way Boston did tonight, the talking heads would be all over the Heat (and James) for not coming through in big moments. Mostly by virtue of their title in 2008, this group of Celtics should evade that particular criticism. (It's amazing what a ring will do, isn't it?)
The Celtics didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of the moment. Miami was facing elimination, and teams facing elimination generally take their play to another level (that's why Game 7s are often so intense). Might Boston not have realized this and failed to match Miami's intensity? I suppose it's possible, but again, their playoff experience over the last five years makes this unlikely. The Celtics know exactly what it takes to close out a series. I'd believe that the opposite was true -- that the Cs were overhyped for the game, something that's happened with KG before -- before I believed this.
The Celtics are out of gas. The conference finals started just two days after Boston finished a seven-game series with Philly, and the Celtics expended an extraordinary amount of energy in games 2 through 5, including two overtimes. All this with a short rotation, on old, tired, injured legs.
The Celtics were complacent. The more I think about this one, the more I have to give it at least a little credit. I don't think the players ever thought "this one's in the bag," but after outplaying the Heat for four straight games and hearing two days' worth of stories about the Miami being on the ropes, maybe the mindset wasn't quite right. Professional athletes are always walking a fine line between confidence and over-confidence, between not psyching themselves out and having appropriate respect for the moment. Maybe, for whatever reason, the formula was a little out of whack. It wouldn't be the first time -- look at the Philly series. It was just one of those nights. This, more or less, is what I believe. All the other things may have played smaller roles in the defeat, but there are nights when things just don't go right. Your shots don't fall while the opponent's shots do, the ball bounces the other way a couple times, your timing is just a fraction of a second off. It's not because you aren't prepared or succumb to the moment -- it's just one of those nights.
I thought Boston's effort level, at least up until the early part of the fourth quarter, was good. The Celtics weren't flying around the court or anything, but they were getting back on defense, running when they had the opportunity, hitting the boards, and fighting for loose balls. Everything was just a little off, and as James made tough shot after tough shot, Boston started pressing a little bit. When that happens, unless you start making shots, the game can get out of control in a hurry. In the third quarter, Boston threatened to make it a game, but they never got to the point where they were making shots consistently. Eventually, that was too much to overcome.
In other words, I don't really know what caused Boston to turn in what must be fairly described as a disappointing performance in Game 6. I do know, however, that these guys have earned the benefit of the doubt. So I'm not going to criticize their effort or preparation.
On to James. What a performance! Truly one for the ages. James at least temporarily shut up his critics who say that he doesn't perform in big games. He was a one-man show, no doubt.
That's the thing, though: He was a one-man show. Udonis Haslem was a monster on the boards, a few other guys hit a few shots, but for the most part, this was all LeBron -- scoring machine LeBron, not facilitator LeBron.
Here's the honest truth, though: I don't mind 45 points from LeBron James. If you had shown me only Miami's half of the box score before the game, I would have taken it. LeBron was prolifically, brutally efficient, but his team members weren't involved, and when the other guys aren't involved, they they don't defend as well and miss more often when they are finally called upon. That's not meant as a criticism of James -- I fully recognize how brilliant he was tonight -- it's just a fact. I've said it before and I'll say it again now: One player cannot defeat a great team if that team is playing well. Kobe couldn't do it in Game 5 in 2010. LeBron himself couldn't do it in Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semis.
The difference between Boston wins like those two games an what happened Thursday night is, of course, the Celtics. Against the Lakers in 2010, when Kobe scored 23 straight LA points during one stretch, the Cs scored 33 points, and every Boston player on the court had at least one bucket, and the team had assists on 10 of its 15 baskets. Against the Cavs in 2008, Paul Pierce matched LeBron nearly point for point (41 points to James' 45), and the Celtics supporting cast took care of the rest. Tonight, however, Boston's offense wasn't clicking. Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass did their best to keep the team in it during the first half, but unlike the second half of Game 5, the shots just didn't fall. Boston can beat the Heat even with James playing like a deity, but to do so, they have to put the ball in the basket.
Towards the very end of the game, maybe with two-and-a-half minutes left and the benches emptied, a "Let's go Celtics!" chant slowly emerged from the Boston fans still on hand. As the game dragged on longer than it needed to, the cheer continued, and in fact grew even louder. Quite a few fans had left the Garden early, but by the final buzzer, there wasn't a green-clad fan in the stands who wasn't on his or her feet, yelling and clapping. On the bench, the Celtics' starters -- Pierce and Allen, Rondo and KG -- slowly nodded their heads, their mental preparation for Game 7 already begun.
Game 7 is in Miami on Saturday, and could mean the end of Boston's season, and so the question has to be asked: Were the fans cheering on the Celtics in advance of Game 7, a "we believe in you!" type message? Or were they thanking them for a great run this year -- and, let's face it, for the last five years, since there's a good chance that if Boston loses on Saturday, we won't see at least one key piece of this team in a Celtics uniform again?
We'll never know what the person who started the cheer intended, and the answer to the question will probably be provided by what happens in Game 7. But I ask you to consider Boston's performance following a loss in these playoffs. They are 4-1 in such games this year, including wins without Rondo (Atlanta Game 2) and without Pierce in the final minutes (Philly Game 7). The sole loss, the lone exception, was Game 2 against Miami just days ago -- when Boston played arguably its best game of the playoffs.
I'm not going to go so far to say that Boston has Miami right where they want them. "Right where they want them" is home on their couches in Miami, while we get three days to rest up for Oklahoma City. But every time their backs have been against the wall over the last six weeks or so, the Celtics have responded. They clearly aren't ready to say goodbye. And I'm not ready to say goodbye to them.
Two stories are dominating the headlines in the aftermath of Game 6. LeBron James' incredible 45-point (deservedly) gets top billing, and Boston's inability to keep the game close in the second half plays second fiddle. Here, I'm going to address them in reverse order.
How to explain the way Boston played tonight? It's a question I've been mulling since the game ended. I'm sure there are no shortage of theories floating around out there among the media and in the blogosphere, but I'm avoiding those outlets for now. I can imagine what they're saying, though:
The Celtics choked. I don't know if anyone is actually saying this. I do know that if, say, Miami had played a closeout game the way Boston did tonight, the talking heads would be all over the Heat (and James) for not coming through in big moments. Mostly by virtue of their title in 2008, this group of Celtics should evade that particular criticism. (It's amazing what a ring will do, isn't it?)
The Celtics didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of the moment. Miami was facing elimination, and teams facing elimination generally take their play to another level (that's why Game 7s are often so intense). Might Boston not have realized this and failed to match Miami's intensity? I suppose it's possible, but again, their playoff experience over the last five years makes this unlikely. The Celtics know exactly what it takes to close out a series. I'd believe that the opposite was true -- that the Cs were overhyped for the game, something that's happened with KG before -- before I believed this.
The Celtics are out of gas. The conference finals started just two days after Boston finished a seven-game series with Philly, and the Celtics expended an extraordinary amount of energy in games 2 through 5, including two overtimes. All this with a short rotation, on old, tired, injured legs.
The Celtics were complacent. The more I think about this one, the more I have to give it at least a little credit. I don't think the players ever thought "this one's in the bag," but after outplaying the Heat for four straight games and hearing two days' worth of stories about the Miami being on the ropes, maybe the mindset wasn't quite right. Professional athletes are always walking a fine line between confidence and over-confidence, between not psyching themselves out and having appropriate respect for the moment. Maybe, for whatever reason, the formula was a little out of whack. It wouldn't be the first time -- look at the Philly series. It was just one of those nights. This, more or less, is what I believe. All the other things may have played smaller roles in the defeat, but there are nights when things just don't go right. Your shots don't fall while the opponent's shots do, the ball bounces the other way a couple times, your timing is just a fraction of a second off. It's not because you aren't prepared or succumb to the moment -- it's just one of those nights.
I thought Boston's effort level, at least up until the early part of the fourth quarter, was good. The Celtics weren't flying around the court or anything, but they were getting back on defense, running when they had the opportunity, hitting the boards, and fighting for loose balls. Everything was just a little off, and as James made tough shot after tough shot, Boston started pressing a little bit. When that happens, unless you start making shots, the game can get out of control in a hurry. In the third quarter, Boston threatened to make it a game, but they never got to the point where they were making shots consistently. Eventually, that was too much to overcome.
In other words, I don't really know what caused Boston to turn in what must be fairly described as a disappointing performance in Game 6. I do know, however, that these guys have earned the benefit of the doubt. So I'm not going to criticize their effort or preparation.
On to James. What a performance! Truly one for the ages. James at least temporarily shut up his critics who say that he doesn't perform in big games. He was a one-man show, no doubt.
That's the thing, though: He was a one-man show. Udonis Haslem was a monster on the boards, a few other guys hit a few shots, but for the most part, this was all LeBron -- scoring machine LeBron, not facilitator LeBron.
Here's the honest truth, though: I don't mind 45 points from LeBron James. If you had shown me only Miami's half of the box score before the game, I would have taken it. LeBron was prolifically, brutally efficient, but his team members weren't involved, and when the other guys aren't involved, they they don't defend as well and miss more often when they are finally called upon. That's not meant as a criticism of James -- I fully recognize how brilliant he was tonight -- it's just a fact. I've said it before and I'll say it again now: One player cannot defeat a great team if that team is playing well. Kobe couldn't do it in Game 5 in 2010. LeBron himself couldn't do it in Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semis.
The difference between Boston wins like those two games an what happened Thursday night is, of course, the Celtics. Against the Lakers in 2010, when Kobe scored 23 straight LA points during one stretch, the Cs scored 33 points, and every Boston player on the court had at least one bucket, and the team had assists on 10 of its 15 baskets. Against the Cavs in 2008, Paul Pierce matched LeBron nearly point for point (41 points to James' 45), and the Celtics supporting cast took care of the rest. Tonight, however, Boston's offense wasn't clicking. Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass did their best to keep the team in it during the first half, but unlike the second half of Game 5, the shots just didn't fall. Boston can beat the Heat even with James playing like a deity, but to do so, they have to put the ball in the basket.
Towards the very end of the game, maybe with two-and-a-half minutes left and the benches emptied, a "Let's go Celtics!" chant slowly emerged from the Boston fans still on hand. As the game dragged on longer than it needed to, the cheer continued, and in fact grew even louder. Quite a few fans had left the Garden early, but by the final buzzer, there wasn't a green-clad fan in the stands who wasn't on his or her feet, yelling and clapping. On the bench, the Celtics' starters -- Pierce and Allen, Rondo and KG -- slowly nodded their heads, their mental preparation for Game 7 already begun.
Game 7 is in Miami on Saturday, and could mean the end of Boston's season, and so the question has to be asked: Were the fans cheering on the Celtics in advance of Game 7, a "we believe in you!" type message? Or were they thanking them for a great run this year -- and, let's face it, for the last five years, since there's a good chance that if Boston loses on Saturday, we won't see at least one key piece of this team in a Celtics uniform again?
We'll never know what the person who started the cheer intended, and the answer to the question will probably be provided by what happens in Game 7. But I ask you to consider Boston's performance following a loss in these playoffs. They are 4-1 in such games this year, including wins without Rondo (Atlanta Game 2) and without Pierce in the final minutes (Philly Game 7). The sole loss, the lone exception, was Game 2 against Miami just days ago -- when Boston played arguably its best game of the playoffs.
I'm not going to go so far to say that Boston has Miami right where they want them. "Right where they want them" is home on their couches in Miami, while we get three days to rest up for Oklahoma City. But every time their backs have been against the wall over the last six weeks or so, the Celtics have responded. They clearly aren't ready to say goodbye. And I'm not ready to say goodbye to them.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Boston 94, Miami 90
[recap] [box score]
You want to know when I knew the Celtics were going to win Game 5?
It was well before Kevin Garnett grabbed Dwyane Wade's desperation three-pointer and flung it downcourt as the final seconds ticked off the clock. It was well before Garnett hit a pair of free throws to keep the Boston lead at four points in those final seconds, and before Ray Allen knocked down a pair the possession before. It was even before Paul Pierce, his team clinging to a one-point lead with less than a minute left, shook off a 5-for-18 shooting night, stared down the MVP, and drilled perhaps the Truthiest shot of his career.
It was with 9:37 left in the game. Not a moment you remember? Read on.
With Boston leading 70-67, Garnett picked up his fourth foul on the offensive end, having allegedly thrown Dwyane Wade to the floor while fighting for post possession. KG took a few steps downcourt while cradling the basketball, raised it to his lips for a quick kiss, then flipped it to a referee.
I didn't know at that moment. I didn't know until a couple of seconds later, when they showed the replay, and I saw that Garnett hadn't touched Wade; Wade had gotten his feet tangled up with James as the latter was chasing a Celtic on the perimeter. It was a bad call at a crucial moment -- and Garnett didn't say a word.
"These guys are dialed in," I thought. And that's when I knew.
Really, I should have noticed it earlier. Doc Rivers did; at halftime, he said was proud of his guys for sticking it out in the first half, which was a nightmare of missed layups and clanked jumpers. (Despite shooting just 33% in the opening half, they went into the break down just two.) They survived two early fouls on Rajon Rondo and some quasi-foul trouble on other key players. Garnett had a monster dunk in the third quarter while getting fouled by James Jones, and didn't so much as look at Jones, never mind bark at him or brush shoulders as he walked to the free throw line -- the kind of stuff we've come to expect. There were some lapses -- Rajon Rondo's backcourt violation, Rondo allowing Norris Cole to chase him down from behind on a two-on-one break, Brandon Bass picking up a technical for spiking the ball in frustration -- but for the most part, this was the most focused the Celtics have been in this postseason.
This was in contrast to the Heat. They were once again preoccupied with the officials, though perhaps not as badly as in previous games, had some major lapses in transition defense, and at times seemed afraid to take shots or run any offense whatsoever.
Boston's focus culminated in what seemed like a postseason's worth of loose balls in the fourth quarter. The first, and the one that everyone's talking about, was the Rondo tap-out to Mickael Pietrus after Wade made an incredible block of a Bass dunk. It was an incredible play and gets a lot of attention because of it staved off a major momentum shift in favor of Miami -- the Heat were already up six, and Wade's block was so spectacular it would have taken the roof off the building. But the second Rondo deflection, this time off an Allen miss, was an even more remarkable play. Instead of simply tapping the ball to a nearby teammate, on this play Rondo -- while moving forward and slightly to his right -- essentially threw a tap bounce pass across his body to the left, past a Heat defender and into an open space where Pietrus could retrieve it. MP got the ball to Pierce, who penetrated and kicked to Garnett, whose jumper gave Boston a one-point lead.
The final loose ball that went our way was the luckiest. Pierce threw a bad pass to Allen that was deflected, bounced off a Heat player, then off Allen's leg. Allen dove on it, and from the floor, kicked it out to Pierce, who hit Pietrus in the corner. Pietrus hit his second huge three of the quarter, balancing out a Mario Chalmers three on the previous possession. These were plays that we simply hadn't made earlier in the playoffs.
This was a huge win, but the series isn't over yet, and Boston has to be ready to play a full 48 minutes of focused basketball on Thursday. There's always the chance, I suppose, that the Celtics can deliver an early knockout punch like they did in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals -- these Heat aren't mentally tough the same way those Lakers weren't mentally tough -- but huge games from James and Wade are a more likely scenario. Garnett was huge, again, but he may have his hands a bit more full in Game 6 with Chris Bosh, who inexplicably played just 12 minutes in his return to the corner. Pietrus had his best game of the postseason, on both ends of the court. Other than those two, however, no one could really get going, and the Celtics will have to find a way to get the offense going while being prepared, like they were tonight, for things to get cold again. They must anticipate that James and Wade will get every call in a close-out game, and keep their composure and play through any frustration. They can't count on Miami missing open looks, or being confused by Doc switching defenses the way they were in Game 5.
They can close it out at home, but to do so, they'll have to play their best game yet.
You want to know when I knew the Celtics were going to win Game 5?
It was well before Kevin Garnett grabbed Dwyane Wade's desperation three-pointer and flung it downcourt as the final seconds ticked off the clock. It was well before Garnett hit a pair of free throws to keep the Boston lead at four points in those final seconds, and before Ray Allen knocked down a pair the possession before. It was even before Paul Pierce, his team clinging to a one-point lead with less than a minute left, shook off a 5-for-18 shooting night, stared down the MVP, and drilled perhaps the Truthiest shot of his career.
It was with 9:37 left in the game. Not a moment you remember? Read on.
With Boston leading 70-67, Garnett picked up his fourth foul on the offensive end, having allegedly thrown Dwyane Wade to the floor while fighting for post possession. KG took a few steps downcourt while cradling the basketball, raised it to his lips for a quick kiss, then flipped it to a referee.
I didn't know at that moment. I didn't know until a couple of seconds later, when they showed the replay, and I saw that Garnett hadn't touched Wade; Wade had gotten his feet tangled up with James as the latter was chasing a Celtic on the perimeter. It was a bad call at a crucial moment -- and Garnett didn't say a word.
"These guys are dialed in," I thought. And that's when I knew.
Really, I should have noticed it earlier. Doc Rivers did; at halftime, he said was proud of his guys for sticking it out in the first half, which was a nightmare of missed layups and clanked jumpers. (Despite shooting just 33% in the opening half, they went into the break down just two.) They survived two early fouls on Rajon Rondo and some quasi-foul trouble on other key players. Garnett had a monster dunk in the third quarter while getting fouled by James Jones, and didn't so much as look at Jones, never mind bark at him or brush shoulders as he walked to the free throw line -- the kind of stuff we've come to expect. There were some lapses -- Rajon Rondo's backcourt violation, Rondo allowing Norris Cole to chase him down from behind on a two-on-one break, Brandon Bass picking up a technical for spiking the ball in frustration -- but for the most part, this was the most focused the Celtics have been in this postseason.
This was in contrast to the Heat. They were once again preoccupied with the officials, though perhaps not as badly as in previous games, had some major lapses in transition defense, and at times seemed afraid to take shots or run any offense whatsoever.
Boston's focus culminated in what seemed like a postseason's worth of loose balls in the fourth quarter. The first, and the one that everyone's talking about, was the Rondo tap-out to Mickael Pietrus after Wade made an incredible block of a Bass dunk. It was an incredible play and gets a lot of attention because of it staved off a major momentum shift in favor of Miami -- the Heat were already up six, and Wade's block was so spectacular it would have taken the roof off the building. But the second Rondo deflection, this time off an Allen miss, was an even more remarkable play. Instead of simply tapping the ball to a nearby teammate, on this play Rondo -- while moving forward and slightly to his right -- essentially threw a tap bounce pass across his body to the left, past a Heat defender and into an open space where Pietrus could retrieve it. MP got the ball to Pierce, who penetrated and kicked to Garnett, whose jumper gave Boston a one-point lead.
The final loose ball that went our way was the luckiest. Pierce threw a bad pass to Allen that was deflected, bounced off a Heat player, then off Allen's leg. Allen dove on it, and from the floor, kicked it out to Pierce, who hit Pietrus in the corner. Pietrus hit his second huge three of the quarter, balancing out a Mario Chalmers three on the previous possession. These were plays that we simply hadn't made earlier in the playoffs.
This was a huge win, but the series isn't over yet, and Boston has to be ready to play a full 48 minutes of focused basketball on Thursday. There's always the chance, I suppose, that the Celtics can deliver an early knockout punch like they did in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals -- these Heat aren't mentally tough the same way those Lakers weren't mentally tough -- but huge games from James and Wade are a more likely scenario. Garnett was huge, again, but he may have his hands a bit more full in Game 6 with Chris Bosh, who inexplicably played just 12 minutes in his return to the corner. Pietrus had his best game of the postseason, on both ends of the court. Other than those two, however, no one could really get going, and the Celtics will have to find a way to get the offense going while being prepared, like they were tonight, for things to get cold again. They must anticipate that James and Wade will get every call in a close-out game, and keep their composure and play through any frustration. They can't count on Miami missing open looks, or being confused by Doc switching defenses the way they were in Game 5.
They can close it out at home, but to do so, they'll have to play their best game yet.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Boston 93, Miami 91 (Overtime)
[recap] [box score]
This team really is unlike any other I've ever seen.
When it's clicking, Boston's offense is as pretty as anybody's in the NBA, unselfish, the ball flowing from the hands of a young point guard whose creativity and court vision is unmatched, to one of history's best passing big men, to the franchise's second-leading scorer, to the greatest outside shooter in the history of the game, ending in a jumper so pure you can feel the snap of the net even as you're sitting in your chair. In the same game -- hell, in the same quarter -- that same offense can deteriorate into what ESPN's Bill Simmons calls a clogged toilet, a series of forced isolations that are now in their fifth straight year of accomplishing nothing but letting the opponent back in the game. They've played more playoff games than any other team over the last five years -- more often than not getting the job done -- and yet they have inexplicable trouble closing out a game, or a playoff series. They do nothing easily, and watching them barely scrape by or hang on, you get the feeling that it's going to come back to bite them in the collective ass.
Watching this team, in essence, is an exercise in waiting for the other shoe to drop.
You'll forgive me, then, for thinking that Dwyane Wade -- standing alone, 24 feet from the home goal at the Garden, with Boston up two and the final seconds of overtime ticking away -- was that proverbial other shoe. You'll forgive me for thinking that his three-pointer was going in.
But it didn't. It was short -- just barely, maybe an inch (probably less) -- but short. And so Boston, which had given up all of an 18-point first half lead, was let off the hook. Doc Rivers was let off the hook for mismanaging the end game in regulation (more on this later). Paul Pierce was let off the hook for fouling out for the third time in five games. Kevin Garnett was let off the hook for the late offensive foul that gave Miami a chance to win it in regulation. Mickael Pietrus was leaving LeBron James wide open -- and I mean [i]wide open[/i] for the game-tying three with 37 seconds left. Rajon Rondo was let off the hook for his petulant kick at Shane Battier (and ensuing technical) late in the first half. Marquis Daniels was let off the hook for letting Wade shake him with a pump fake for that final look. I could go on, but I won't.
If you read the above, you're probably under the impression that the Celtics were lucky to win this game and go back to Miami tied 2-2 instead of in a 3-1 hole. And it's true: Boston was fortunate to win, as any team must be when it continually lives so close to the edge. But it's also true that you make your own luck, and for everyone in the above list (and everyone else who played, for that matter), I could point to something they did that was absolutely instrumental in this win, whether it was helping build the big first-half lead or recovering after Miami surged ahead. It was yet another mix of brilliance, horror, and resilience -- and everybody played a part in all of it.
A few scattered thoughts:
1. I mentioned earlier that I thought Doc blew the endgame in regulation. Specifically, when James hit that three to tie it up with 37 seconds left, Boston had two timeouts remaining. This was a perfect two-for-one opportunity; Doc could've called timeout to advance the ball, then drawn up one of his signature out-of-bounds plays for a quick shot, leaving enough time on the clock that they'd get the ball back after a Miami possession (after which they'd once again be able to advance the ball with a timeout). It's basic NBA strategy -- you get two possessions to your opponent's one -- and while I think it can be overused and teams often end up getting two bad shots, there was enough time to get something good on the first possession and still leave enough time for a good look on the second possession. And it would have been particularly appropriate in Sunday's game, when Boston had basically gotten nothing in the flow of the offense in the second half. But, to my shock, Doc let them go, and Garnett was called for a foul for trapping James' arm as a way of preventing him from challenging Rondo's drive. Boston was able to survive Miami's potential game-winning possession due to some strong defense and a really poor play on the part of the Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra, but had they been able to score and win the game there, Doc's error in the fourth would have the lead of this post.
2. Rondo turned in what is becoming a typical Rondo performance: brilliant first half, some dicey moments in the second half, big buckets when the team needed them down the stretch, and the frustrating, if momentary, loss of his cool (the Battier kick). He added something new: unprecedented candor during the halftime interview. After a 61-point outburst over the opening 24 minutes, Doris Burke asked him what holes the Celtics were exploiting. His response: "Them complaining and crying to the referees in transition."
I'm curious what the reaction will be. What he said was true: In what is becoming an annoyingly common occurrence in the NBA, the Heat actually were giving up buckets in transition because they were barking at the officials instead of getting back on D. The Heat players might try to use it as some sort of motivation, though I imagine Spoelstra wouldn't mind someone else pointing out to his guys that all the bitching actually hurts them. I also wonder if it was a calculated move on Rondo's part, or just him being honest. There certainly shouldn't be any fallout with the league -- he wasn't criticizing the officials.
3. I'm beginning to wonder if Boston's habit of slowing the pace down in the second half is an energy-conserving tactic. The Heat have been going to increasingly small lineups, which has shortened Doc's big man rotation (Greg Stiemsma played all of 32 seconds in Game 4 and Ryan Hollins didn't get off the bench). Garnett is playing too many minutes (43 on Sunday) and Pierce and Allen are battling injuries. I don't think we'll find out if that's the case -- it's not the kind of thing you admit during a series. But it's hard to find another rational explanation for why Boston goes to an offensive strategy that almost never works, then goes back to running their normal offense when they absolutely have to.
4. The officiating in the fourth quarter and in overtime was just bizarre. James flopped trying to deny a Garnett post-up, and the official -- Billy Kennedy, I think -- whistled a double foul. Pierce's sixth foul, a late call by Kennedy early in overtime, came on a minor bit of contact between him and Shane Battier, who flopped to the ground on the play. And James was disqualified with his sixth foul later in overtime by Joey Crawford for muscling Pietrus to the floor. I think that it was inconsistent enough that both teams had gripes and that you really couldn't say one team had the advantage over the other, but there were a bunch of weird calls, particularly late, that had me scratching my head once again.
5. Ray Allen looked more like himself on Sunday than he has since he came back. That's a great sign. I've got no doubt he's still hurting, but it's not affecting his shot as much as it was.
I think we should be feeling good heading back to Miami. Boston had some trouble closing out these last two games, but they outplayed Miami for big chunks of Games 2, 3, and 4. The Celtics seem to have figured out how to keep James and Wade out of the lane as much as possible, which is crucial to beating the Heat. Miami has been making big adjustments on what seems to be an almost constant basis -- playing different people at center, going small, trapping the pick-and-roll, switching the pick-and-roll, putting James on Rondo, etc. That makes them a little bit hard to game plan for, but it also suggests to me that we're a bit more comfortable than they are. There's also been some rumbling that Chris Bosh might return for some part of this series, which would be interesting -- I'm honestly not sure whether that'd be bad or good for Boston.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Miami, at 8:30 Eastern on ESPN. We've got the momentum, but it's crucial to remember something that I keep reminding my girlfriend (an avid Spurs fan): Nothing's happened in this series yet. Both teams have held serve at home, and Miami has the advantage of being able to win the series without winning on the road. Boston, on the other hand, has to win at least once on South Beach. No better time than Tuesday -- if that's not too easy.
This team really is unlike any other I've ever seen.
When it's clicking, Boston's offense is as pretty as anybody's in the NBA, unselfish, the ball flowing from the hands of a young point guard whose creativity and court vision is unmatched, to one of history's best passing big men, to the franchise's second-leading scorer, to the greatest outside shooter in the history of the game, ending in a jumper so pure you can feel the snap of the net even as you're sitting in your chair. In the same game -- hell, in the same quarter -- that same offense can deteriorate into what ESPN's Bill Simmons calls a clogged toilet, a series of forced isolations that are now in their fifth straight year of accomplishing nothing but letting the opponent back in the game. They've played more playoff games than any other team over the last five years -- more often than not getting the job done -- and yet they have inexplicable trouble closing out a game, or a playoff series. They do nothing easily, and watching them barely scrape by or hang on, you get the feeling that it's going to come back to bite them in the collective ass.
Watching this team, in essence, is an exercise in waiting for the other shoe to drop.
You'll forgive me, then, for thinking that Dwyane Wade -- standing alone, 24 feet from the home goal at the Garden, with Boston up two and the final seconds of overtime ticking away -- was that proverbial other shoe. You'll forgive me for thinking that his three-pointer was going in.
But it didn't. It was short -- just barely, maybe an inch (probably less) -- but short. And so Boston, which had given up all of an 18-point first half lead, was let off the hook. Doc Rivers was let off the hook for mismanaging the end game in regulation (more on this later). Paul Pierce was let off the hook for fouling out for the third time in five games. Kevin Garnett was let off the hook for the late offensive foul that gave Miami a chance to win it in regulation. Mickael Pietrus was leaving LeBron James wide open -- and I mean [i]wide open[/i] for the game-tying three with 37 seconds left. Rajon Rondo was let off the hook for his petulant kick at Shane Battier (and ensuing technical) late in the first half. Marquis Daniels was let off the hook for letting Wade shake him with a pump fake for that final look. I could go on, but I won't.
If you read the above, you're probably under the impression that the Celtics were lucky to win this game and go back to Miami tied 2-2 instead of in a 3-1 hole. And it's true: Boston was fortunate to win, as any team must be when it continually lives so close to the edge. But it's also true that you make your own luck, and for everyone in the above list (and everyone else who played, for that matter), I could point to something they did that was absolutely instrumental in this win, whether it was helping build the big first-half lead or recovering after Miami surged ahead. It was yet another mix of brilliance, horror, and resilience -- and everybody played a part in all of it.
A few scattered thoughts:
1. I mentioned earlier that I thought Doc blew the endgame in regulation. Specifically, when James hit that three to tie it up with 37 seconds left, Boston had two timeouts remaining. This was a perfect two-for-one opportunity; Doc could've called timeout to advance the ball, then drawn up one of his signature out-of-bounds plays for a quick shot, leaving enough time on the clock that they'd get the ball back after a Miami possession (after which they'd once again be able to advance the ball with a timeout). It's basic NBA strategy -- you get two possessions to your opponent's one -- and while I think it can be overused and teams often end up getting two bad shots, there was enough time to get something good on the first possession and still leave enough time for a good look on the second possession. And it would have been particularly appropriate in Sunday's game, when Boston had basically gotten nothing in the flow of the offense in the second half. But, to my shock, Doc let them go, and Garnett was called for a foul for trapping James' arm as a way of preventing him from challenging Rondo's drive. Boston was able to survive Miami's potential game-winning possession due to some strong defense and a really poor play on the part of the Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra, but had they been able to score and win the game there, Doc's error in the fourth would have the lead of this post.
2. Rondo turned in what is becoming a typical Rondo performance: brilliant first half, some dicey moments in the second half, big buckets when the team needed them down the stretch, and the frustrating, if momentary, loss of his cool (the Battier kick). He added something new: unprecedented candor during the halftime interview. After a 61-point outburst over the opening 24 minutes, Doris Burke asked him what holes the Celtics were exploiting. His response: "Them complaining and crying to the referees in transition."
I'm curious what the reaction will be. What he said was true: In what is becoming an annoyingly common occurrence in the NBA, the Heat actually were giving up buckets in transition because they were barking at the officials instead of getting back on D. The Heat players might try to use it as some sort of motivation, though I imagine Spoelstra wouldn't mind someone else pointing out to his guys that all the bitching actually hurts them. I also wonder if it was a calculated move on Rondo's part, or just him being honest. There certainly shouldn't be any fallout with the league -- he wasn't criticizing the officials.
3. I'm beginning to wonder if Boston's habit of slowing the pace down in the second half is an energy-conserving tactic. The Heat have been going to increasingly small lineups, which has shortened Doc's big man rotation (Greg Stiemsma played all of 32 seconds in Game 4 and Ryan Hollins didn't get off the bench). Garnett is playing too many minutes (43 on Sunday) and Pierce and Allen are battling injuries. I don't think we'll find out if that's the case -- it's not the kind of thing you admit during a series. But it's hard to find another rational explanation for why Boston goes to an offensive strategy that almost never works, then goes back to running their normal offense when they absolutely have to.
4. The officiating in the fourth quarter and in overtime was just bizarre. James flopped trying to deny a Garnett post-up, and the official -- Billy Kennedy, I think -- whistled a double foul. Pierce's sixth foul, a late call by Kennedy early in overtime, came on a minor bit of contact between him and Shane Battier, who flopped to the ground on the play. And James was disqualified with his sixth foul later in overtime by Joey Crawford for muscling Pietrus to the floor. I think that it was inconsistent enough that both teams had gripes and that you really couldn't say one team had the advantage over the other, but there were a bunch of weird calls, particularly late, that had me scratching my head once again.
5. Ray Allen looked more like himself on Sunday than he has since he came back. That's a great sign. I've got no doubt he's still hurting, but it's not affecting his shot as much as it was.
I think we should be feeling good heading back to Miami. Boston had some trouble closing out these last two games, but they outplayed Miami for big chunks of Games 2, 3, and 4. The Celtics seem to have figured out how to keep James and Wade out of the lane as much as possible, which is crucial to beating the Heat. Miami has been making big adjustments on what seems to be an almost constant basis -- playing different people at center, going small, trapping the pick-and-roll, switching the pick-and-roll, putting James on Rondo, etc. That makes them a little bit hard to game plan for, but it also suggests to me that we're a bit more comfortable than they are. There's also been some rumbling that Chris Bosh might return for some part of this series, which would be interesting -- I'm honestly not sure whether that'd be bad or good for Boston.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Miami, at 8:30 Eastern on ESPN. We've got the momentum, but it's crucial to remember something that I keep reminding my girlfriend (an avid Spurs fan): Nothing's happened in this series yet. Both teams have held serve at home, and Miami has the advantage of being able to win the series without winning on the road. Boston, on the other hand, has to win at least once on South Beach. No better time than Tuesday -- if that's not too easy.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Boston 101, Miami 91
[recap] [box score]
Going to do just a few quick points, since I didn't get a chance to post after the game last night:
1. Huge contribution in this one from Marquis Daniels, who basically has been out of the rotation ever since we got Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley stepped up. Daniels was part of the second unit that took control of this game at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, and with Brandon Bass in foul trouble, was on the court for much of the stretch when Boston's lead ballooned as high as 24 in the third quarter. Daniels biggest contribution was probably defensively; LeBron James scored his share of points when Daniels was checking him, but those points did not come easily. Offensively, Daniels doesn't have the range Pietrus supposedly has, but his knack of finding the open spot moving off the ball -- something sorely lacking ever since Bradley was shut down -- was crucial to the Celtics' offensive success. I expect we'll see more of him.
2. Keyon Dooling's ball pressure off the bench during that same first half stretch was crucial. Miami didn't score for like seven minutes while Boston ripped off a 15-0 run, and Dooling's perimeter defense should get a lot of credit for taking the Heat out of an offensive rhythm that had put up 28 points in the first 9 and a half minutes.
3. It's rare that the bench -- particularly one as weak as Boston's -- is the difference in a playoff game, but these are unusual circumstances. With Chris Bosh out, Miami's been going small, and that means Brandon Bass has to chase guys out on the perimeter, which got him into foul trouble. Daniels and Pietrus replaced him, and in effect became "starters." I expect we'll see more of Daniels moving forward.
4. Dooling and Daniels scored some points, but their defense was really the big key. Boston had played fairly terribly on defense in the early minutes, and Dooling's tenacity, especially, changed the defensive tone of the game.
5. Boston went to Kevin Garnett early and often, which was key. And the officials finally recognized that Miami has been holding and grabbing KG as he tries to get position. If that trend continues, KG will be close to unstoppable.
6. Rajon Rondo's numbers aren't nearly as gaudy as they were in Game 2, but he made a number of momentum-shifting plays. I thought his layup in transition in the closing minutes was huge. The Heat had shifted to a super-small lineup with James at the 5, which not only spread the Celtics thin on defense, but also induced them into walking the ball up and trying to exploit size mismatches in the post -- a strategy which, surprise, didn't really work.
7. For the most part, Boston turned James and Dwyane Wade into jump shooters. James was red-hot to start, but even as he was draining jumper after jumper, I was thinking that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing -- that it might induce the Heat to fall in love with the long game and not take advantage of their ability to penetrate and the favorable treatment they get from the officials. We've had success doing this in the past, and it will be crucial to continue to do so moving forward.
8. One thing that needs to be fixed is Boston's transition defense. Miami burned us for easy layups several times in the first quarter, even after Boston hoops, and it's been a problem all series. It's inexcusable for a team that sends as few people to the offensive glass as Boston does. One problem is that as Rondo has become more of a scoring threat, the rest of the team hasn't adjusted to need to balance the floor, but really, just making a concerted effort to not let someone run by you and way downcourt is probably the only fix necessary.
9. Game 4 is Sunday, same bad time, same bad place. Game 3 means nothing if we don't win the next one.
Going to do just a few quick points, since I didn't get a chance to post after the game last night:
1. Huge contribution in this one from Marquis Daniels, who basically has been out of the rotation ever since we got Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley stepped up. Daniels was part of the second unit that took control of this game at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, and with Brandon Bass in foul trouble, was on the court for much of the stretch when Boston's lead ballooned as high as 24 in the third quarter. Daniels biggest contribution was probably defensively; LeBron James scored his share of points when Daniels was checking him, but those points did not come easily. Offensively, Daniels doesn't have the range Pietrus supposedly has, but his knack of finding the open spot moving off the ball -- something sorely lacking ever since Bradley was shut down -- was crucial to the Celtics' offensive success. I expect we'll see more of him.
2. Keyon Dooling's ball pressure off the bench during that same first half stretch was crucial. Miami didn't score for like seven minutes while Boston ripped off a 15-0 run, and Dooling's perimeter defense should get a lot of credit for taking the Heat out of an offensive rhythm that had put up 28 points in the first 9 and a half minutes.
3. It's rare that the bench -- particularly one as weak as Boston's -- is the difference in a playoff game, but these are unusual circumstances. With Chris Bosh out, Miami's been going small, and that means Brandon Bass has to chase guys out on the perimeter, which got him into foul trouble. Daniels and Pietrus replaced him, and in effect became "starters." I expect we'll see more of Daniels moving forward.
4. Dooling and Daniels scored some points, but their defense was really the big key. Boston had played fairly terribly on defense in the early minutes, and Dooling's tenacity, especially, changed the defensive tone of the game.
5. Boston went to Kevin Garnett early and often, which was key. And the officials finally recognized that Miami has been holding and grabbing KG as he tries to get position. If that trend continues, KG will be close to unstoppable.
6. Rajon Rondo's numbers aren't nearly as gaudy as they were in Game 2, but he made a number of momentum-shifting plays. I thought his layup in transition in the closing minutes was huge. The Heat had shifted to a super-small lineup with James at the 5, which not only spread the Celtics thin on defense, but also induced them into walking the ball up and trying to exploit size mismatches in the post -- a strategy which, surprise, didn't really work.
7. For the most part, Boston turned James and Dwyane Wade into jump shooters. James was red-hot to start, but even as he was draining jumper after jumper, I was thinking that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing -- that it might induce the Heat to fall in love with the long game and not take advantage of their ability to penetrate and the favorable treatment they get from the officials. We've had success doing this in the past, and it will be crucial to continue to do so moving forward.
8. One thing that needs to be fixed is Boston's transition defense. Miami burned us for easy layups several times in the first quarter, even after Boston hoops, and it's been a problem all series. It's inexcusable for a team that sends as few people to the offensive glass as Boston does. One problem is that as Rondo has become more of a scoring threat, the rest of the team hasn't adjusted to need to balance the floor, but really, just making a concerted effort to not let someone run by you and way downcourt is probably the only fix necessary.
9. Game 4 is Sunday, same bad time, same bad place. Game 3 means nothing if we don't win the next one.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Miami 115, Boston 111 (Overtime)
[recap] [box score]
I don't believe in moral victories in professional sports, especially in the playoffs. However, as fans, we're allowed -- in special situations -- to appreciate, even in defeat, when a team plays its guts out and leaves everything it has out on the court. And that's what the Celtics did in Game 2 on Wednesday. Boston battled age, injury, adversity, the officials -- and, oh yeah, the Miami Heat -- to come within a possession, or an inch, or a whistle, of winning the game and tying this sucker up at one apiece. As fans, we pick a team to root for, and then we're kind of stuck with whatever we get. Over the years, of course, Celtics supporters have been very fortunate with the hand they've been dealt. But even now, down 2-0, staring elimination and the possible end of an era in the face, there's isn't a franchise I'd rather root for. There's isn't a team I'd trade for the guys who put on the green jerseys Wednesday. That's the honest truth.
Miami put this game away in the final minutes of overtime, but it was lost in regulation. Not during the third quarter, when Boston let the last of a 15-point first-half lead slip away. And not on Miami's last possession of the fourth quarter, when Kevin Garnett couldn't corral a LeBron James miss, costing Boston a chance at a buzzer-beating game-winner. It was lost during the two-minute stretch beginning with 3:13 remaining, when Ray Allen missed an open three-pointer in transition, and ending with Udonis Haslem's baseline jumper with 1:07 to go. During that stretch, Garnett missed a 12-footer in the lane over James and Allen missed another good look coming off a screen, while Shane Battier supplemented four James free throws on the other end with a three-pointer from the right corner. During that stretch, the score went from 94-89 Boston to 98-94 Miami, and though Boston battled back to tie the score on a three from Allen to send it into OT, they had lost their best chance to win it.
That's not meant as a criticism of Allen and Garnett. All three shots were on line and missed by the tiniest of margins: the first was maybe an inch short; the latter two perhaps an inch long. Basketball games are often won and lost by those small margins. Doc likes to say it's a make or miss league, and in the final minutes, the guys named Battier and Haslem made, and the guys named Allen and Garnett missed. It happens. I'd take those guys, those shots, in that situation again in a heartbeat.
If you watched the game, or saw the highlights, or looked at the box score, what I'm about to write is obvious: Rajon Rondo was straight-up unbelievable. He played every second of the game's 53 minutes, obliterated his career high with 44 points, added ten assists and eight rebounds, and tossed in three steals against just three turnovers. Miami had no answer for him, while he was Boston's answer to nearly everything Miami did. In the postgame, Magic Johnson called it one of the best performances he's ever seen in all his years in the game. I lack the writing ability to adequately describe the way Rondo played, and the technical details of just how he turned in his finest performance as a pro wouldn't do justice to the gravity of the moment. I'll say only this: From this moment forward, anyone who questions that kid's heart and his value to this team is wrong. Flat-out wrong.
I hate doing this, but I have to: The officiating was bad again. And unlike Game 1, it likely cost Boston the game. It was bad all night, uneven, overly protective of James and Dwyane Wade, but one call, or no-call, stands out: The reverse layup Rondo missed in the final 90 seconds of overtime with the score tied at 105, when he was raked across the face by Wade. This was an inexcusable miss by the officials, and it had double the consequences. Not only was Boston cheated out of a trip to the line, but -- because Rondo was on the deck, checking to make sure his eyes were still in the right place -- the Heat had a five-on-four going the other way that they quickly turned into a Haslem dunk. It was a huge, momentum-shifting play.
It's frustrating for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that this wasn't an isolated miss, but rather part of a pattern of calls going against the Celtics. But mostly, I'm irritated that this unbelievable performance, by Rondo and by the team, might have been enough if not for a missed call the the officials would have made 100 times out of 100 had it happened on the other end. (Perhaps Rondo should have thrown his arms in the air and kicked his legs out, the way Wade does when anyone breathes on him, in order to draw the foul.) As swollen with pride as my heart is as I type this, it also aches. Not because we lost, not because we're down 2-0, but because, to a man, the Celtics deserved to win this game, and certainly deserved to not have the opportunity taken from them in this fashion.
Game 3 is Friday. It's in Boston, in front of the home crowd, and with any luck, maybe we'll get a few calls. The most concerning thing for me is all the minutes the Celtics played tonight. I already mentioned that Rondo played all 53, but Garnett played 45 and Pierce and Allen played 43 on bad legs. It was necessary, but how these guys will have anything left is beyond me.
Knowing these Celtics, though, I wouldn't bet against them finding something.
I don't believe in moral victories in professional sports, especially in the playoffs. However, as fans, we're allowed -- in special situations -- to appreciate, even in defeat, when a team plays its guts out and leaves everything it has out on the court. And that's what the Celtics did in Game 2 on Wednesday. Boston battled age, injury, adversity, the officials -- and, oh yeah, the Miami Heat -- to come within a possession, or an inch, or a whistle, of winning the game and tying this sucker up at one apiece. As fans, we pick a team to root for, and then we're kind of stuck with whatever we get. Over the years, of course, Celtics supporters have been very fortunate with the hand they've been dealt. But even now, down 2-0, staring elimination and the possible end of an era in the face, there's isn't a franchise I'd rather root for. There's isn't a team I'd trade for the guys who put on the green jerseys Wednesday. That's the honest truth.
Miami put this game away in the final minutes of overtime, but it was lost in regulation. Not during the third quarter, when Boston let the last of a 15-point first-half lead slip away. And not on Miami's last possession of the fourth quarter, when Kevin Garnett couldn't corral a LeBron James miss, costing Boston a chance at a buzzer-beating game-winner. It was lost during the two-minute stretch beginning with 3:13 remaining, when Ray Allen missed an open three-pointer in transition, and ending with Udonis Haslem's baseline jumper with 1:07 to go. During that stretch, Garnett missed a 12-footer in the lane over James and Allen missed another good look coming off a screen, while Shane Battier supplemented four James free throws on the other end with a three-pointer from the right corner. During that stretch, the score went from 94-89 Boston to 98-94 Miami, and though Boston battled back to tie the score on a three from Allen to send it into OT, they had lost their best chance to win it.
That's not meant as a criticism of Allen and Garnett. All three shots were on line and missed by the tiniest of margins: the first was maybe an inch short; the latter two perhaps an inch long. Basketball games are often won and lost by those small margins. Doc likes to say it's a make or miss league, and in the final minutes, the guys named Battier and Haslem made, and the guys named Allen and Garnett missed. It happens. I'd take those guys, those shots, in that situation again in a heartbeat.
If you watched the game, or saw the highlights, or looked at the box score, what I'm about to write is obvious: Rajon Rondo was straight-up unbelievable. He played every second of the game's 53 minutes, obliterated his career high with 44 points, added ten assists and eight rebounds, and tossed in three steals against just three turnovers. Miami had no answer for him, while he was Boston's answer to nearly everything Miami did. In the postgame, Magic Johnson called it one of the best performances he's ever seen in all his years in the game. I lack the writing ability to adequately describe the way Rondo played, and the technical details of just how he turned in his finest performance as a pro wouldn't do justice to the gravity of the moment. I'll say only this: From this moment forward, anyone who questions that kid's heart and his value to this team is wrong. Flat-out wrong.
I hate doing this, but I have to: The officiating was bad again. And unlike Game 1, it likely cost Boston the game. It was bad all night, uneven, overly protective of James and Dwyane Wade, but one call, or no-call, stands out: The reverse layup Rondo missed in the final 90 seconds of overtime with the score tied at 105, when he was raked across the face by Wade. This was an inexcusable miss by the officials, and it had double the consequences. Not only was Boston cheated out of a trip to the line, but -- because Rondo was on the deck, checking to make sure his eyes were still in the right place -- the Heat had a five-on-four going the other way that they quickly turned into a Haslem dunk. It was a huge, momentum-shifting play.
It's frustrating for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that this wasn't an isolated miss, but rather part of a pattern of calls going against the Celtics. But mostly, I'm irritated that this unbelievable performance, by Rondo and by the team, might have been enough if not for a missed call the the officials would have made 100 times out of 100 had it happened on the other end. (Perhaps Rondo should have thrown his arms in the air and kicked his legs out, the way Wade does when anyone breathes on him, in order to draw the foul.) As swollen with pride as my heart is as I type this, it also aches. Not because we lost, not because we're down 2-0, but because, to a man, the Celtics deserved to win this game, and certainly deserved to not have the opportunity taken from them in this fashion.
Game 3 is Friday. It's in Boston, in front of the home crowd, and with any luck, maybe we'll get a few calls. The most concerning thing for me is all the minutes the Celtics played tonight. I already mentioned that Rondo played all 53, but Garnett played 45 and Pierce and Allen played 43 on bad legs. It was necessary, but how these guys will have anything left is beyond me.
Knowing these Celtics, though, I wouldn't bet against them finding something.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Miami 93, Boston 79
[recap] [box score]
I don't want to spend too much time dissecting this one, because it really seemed like a night where almost nothing went right for the Celtics. If Boston is going to win this series, they need to play exceptionally well for at least four games, and they were far, far from that level in Game 1. If you thought Boston could win this series before Monday, I don't think there was anything in the game that should change that feeling. In other words, there wasn't anything that I thought the Celtics would be able to do that Miami took away. If we execute better, we have a shot.
With that said, I think there are two things that need to change:
1. Kevin Garnett was terrific once again, pacing the team with 22 points. Here's the deal, though: He has to be even better. He has to be even more aggressive. Sixteen shots aren't enough. It goes against his nature, the way he's played his entire career, not to mention the principles by which he (and the rest of the Celtics) believe the game of basketball should be played, but he's by far our most effective offensive option. If he shot the ball every time he caught it within, say, 15 feet of the hoop, it probably wouldn't be wrong. That's how big his advantage is, and that's how difficult it is going to continue to be for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to score.
2. We need to do a much, much better on the defensive glass. I'm not talking about the latter half of the fourth quarter, when the Celtics had switched to a zone, but the rest of the game. Excluding that stretch, the Heat still had eight or nine offensive rebounds. That's too many in a series where points are at a premium. The solution to the problem is both simple, and complex. Doc Rivers noted after the game that the Heat beat the Celts to nearly every loose ball -- which he expected, because Miami is generally younger and more athletic. That's not going to change throughout the series. Quite simply, Boston needs to box out. That's the simple part. The complex part is -- Boston needs to box out. Somewhere between college and the NBA, basketball players stop boxing out, for the most part. I don't know why -- they just do. And I'm afraid that I see no other way to solve the rebounding problem.
Other than that, I think this really came done to execution. Doc is fond of saying that the NBA is a make or miss league, and I think we saw that tonight. I was pretty pleased with the shots Boston got, and for the most part, I thought we forced LeBron James and Dwyane Wade into some tough looks (which they happened to make). Pierce and Allen struggled, but given their injuries, that's expected now. The real difference seemed to be that the Heat hit their shots, while Boston didn't have anyone outside of Garnett who could consistently knock down a jumper. Boston went 11-for-21 from the line, too, and some makes there might have made a difference.
Quick note about the officiating: Horrendous in the first half. Eddie Malloy has a history of a quick trigger against the Celtics, and his tech on Doc was an absolute joke, while the one on Rondo was only marginally more warranted. Danny Crawford was too quick with the trigger with Ray Allen's technical as well (and he missed the call that caused Ray's brief reaction), and I can't believe that we had a delay of game tech, too. It didn't cost us the game -- the score was tied after the first half -- but it should be plain embarrassing for the NBA. Malloy, especially, has shown time and again that he's not cut out for big-game officiating. I said back on April 28, after a terribly officiated Miami-New York game, that Malloy should never ref again -- that's hyperbole, but he shouldn't be out there for any more playoff games, if you ask me.
No rest for the weary, as the series continues on Wednesday night. It's not quite must-win, but it'd be nice to have. I think we can get it -- we just need to execute.
I don't want to spend too much time dissecting this one, because it really seemed like a night where almost nothing went right for the Celtics. If Boston is going to win this series, they need to play exceptionally well for at least four games, and they were far, far from that level in Game 1. If you thought Boston could win this series before Monday, I don't think there was anything in the game that should change that feeling. In other words, there wasn't anything that I thought the Celtics would be able to do that Miami took away. If we execute better, we have a shot.
With that said, I think there are two things that need to change:
1. Kevin Garnett was terrific once again, pacing the team with 22 points. Here's the deal, though: He has to be even better. He has to be even more aggressive. Sixteen shots aren't enough. It goes against his nature, the way he's played his entire career, not to mention the principles by which he (and the rest of the Celtics) believe the game of basketball should be played, but he's by far our most effective offensive option. If he shot the ball every time he caught it within, say, 15 feet of the hoop, it probably wouldn't be wrong. That's how big his advantage is, and that's how difficult it is going to continue to be for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to score.
2. We need to do a much, much better on the defensive glass. I'm not talking about the latter half of the fourth quarter, when the Celtics had switched to a zone, but the rest of the game. Excluding that stretch, the Heat still had eight or nine offensive rebounds. That's too many in a series where points are at a premium. The solution to the problem is both simple, and complex. Doc Rivers noted after the game that the Heat beat the Celts to nearly every loose ball -- which he expected, because Miami is generally younger and more athletic. That's not going to change throughout the series. Quite simply, Boston needs to box out. That's the simple part. The complex part is -- Boston needs to box out. Somewhere between college and the NBA, basketball players stop boxing out, for the most part. I don't know why -- they just do. And I'm afraid that I see no other way to solve the rebounding problem.
Other than that, I think this really came done to execution. Doc is fond of saying that the NBA is a make or miss league, and I think we saw that tonight. I was pretty pleased with the shots Boston got, and for the most part, I thought we forced LeBron James and Dwyane Wade into some tough looks (which they happened to make). Pierce and Allen struggled, but given their injuries, that's expected now. The real difference seemed to be that the Heat hit their shots, while Boston didn't have anyone outside of Garnett who could consistently knock down a jumper. Boston went 11-for-21 from the line, too, and some makes there might have made a difference.
Quick note about the officiating: Horrendous in the first half. Eddie Malloy has a history of a quick trigger against the Celtics, and his tech on Doc was an absolute joke, while the one on Rondo was only marginally more warranted. Danny Crawford was too quick with the trigger with Ray Allen's technical as well (and he missed the call that caused Ray's brief reaction), and I can't believe that we had a delay of game tech, too. It didn't cost us the game -- the score was tied after the first half -- but it should be plain embarrassing for the NBA. Malloy, especially, has shown time and again that he's not cut out for big-game officiating. I said back on April 28, after a terribly officiated Miami-New York game, that Malloy should never ref again -- that's hyperbole, but he shouldn't be out there for any more playoff games, if you ask me.
No rest for the weary, as the series continues on Wednesday night. It's not quite must-win, but it'd be nice to have. I think we can get it -- we just need to execute.
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