Sunday, April 1, 3:30 p.m. Eastern, Miami at Boston, ABC.
This is the first of three meetings in April between these two teams (you might recall that the Heat won down in Miami on December 27 in the season's second game). It's at home, and LeBron James is nursing a sore finger, so this game is probably the best opportunity for a win against the Heat here down the stretch. Not that we can't beat them in Miami or when they're full strength; it just seems like Sunday is a good time to take advantage of some favorable circumstances.
Philly came back to beat Atlanta tonight, so we need this one to stay a game up in the Atlantic.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Boston 100, Minnesota 79
[recap] [box score]
On Wednesday night, the Celtics beat a Utah team featuring Al Jefferson, the promising young center who was the major sacrifice of the deal that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston. After three years in Minnesota, Jefferson was traded to the Jazz before last season. Through nearly five seasons with two different clubs, however, Jefferson is still searching for his first win against his old team.
On Friday, the Celtics traveled to Minnesota and beat Kevin Garnett's old team, the team with which the franchise-altering trade was made in the 2007 offseason. Like Jefferson, the Timberwolves were looking for their first-even win over a Celtics team featuring KG, and like Jefferson, they didn't get it.
I didn't watch the whole game, but did catch the better part of the first three quarters, during which Boston led comfortably most of the way. KG was predictably over-hyped playing in Minnesota, but once he settled down a bit, the offense pretty much clicked on all cylinders the whole way. Boston shot about 49 percent from the field for the game, but if you remove Sasha Pavlovic's 0-for-5 (he was way off all game), the Celtics' percentage jumps to over 51 percent.
Avery Bradley, playing in place of the injured Ray Allen, was once again excellent, making six of nine shots from the field and five of six attempts from the line. I'm amazed at his offensive development; he's become a viable option off the ball, though he certainly benefits from being a secondary option. Rajon R-ndo controlled the tempo from the getgo, picking up a dozen of his 17 assists in the first half. KG (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Paul Pierce (21 and 9) did much of the heavy lifting. The Celtics got 20 bench points, though Keyon Dooling and Greg Stiemsma contributed 10 of their combined 16 in a 31-point first quarter.
For Minnesota's part, it's a bit unfair to judge evaluate them with their current injuries. Rookie point guard sensation Ricky Rubio (aka The Other Woman) is done for the year with a torn ACL; young big man Nikola Pekovic, who exploded on to the scene in February and averaged close to a double-double that month, has been limited by bone spurs in March and has missed the last six games; sixth man Michael Beasley has been limited by a toe injury that is submarining one of my fantasy basketball playoff runs; and backup point guard J.J. Barea, who has battled injuries all season after coming over from Dallas as a free agent, suffered a thigh bruise while amassing a triple-double against Oklahoma City on March 23 and hasn't played since. All of this leaves precious little around power forward Kevin Love, a budding star.
For those unfamiliar, in his fourth season, Love has become one of the league's best players, a tenacious rebounder with legitimate three-point range. As far as I can tell, he's more effective facing up than with his back to the basket, which may be why he struggled so much against the Celtics. Love seemed to struggle with both with KG's length and KG's comfort level on the perimeter. He was simply off all game, and his 5-for-18 performance left him nine points short of having the most prolific month, in terms of combined points and rebounds, in NBA history.
With all the injuries, the only other T-Wolf of note was rookie Derrick Williams, the second overall pick in last summer's draft. With Pekovic out and Love playing the five, Williams has been playing the four, but he's more comfortable on the perimeter and is probably better suited to the three. He's had a difficult week, but he did have a decent game against the Celtics. What surprised me, however, is how poorly he finishes in traffic. Confronted with a Celtic defender on several drives to the rim, he neither assertively changed course to get to the basket nor tried to draw the foul by finishing through the defender. Instead, he wildly altered his shot, missing more often than not. Hopefully that part of his game will develop.
And now, the best news. Boston won, and Philadelphia suffered a stunning 21-point loss in Washington to the Wizards, the second-worst team in the NBA. As I detailed in an earlier post, the Celtics faced an uphill battle against the Sixers for the Atlantic division crown and the spoils that come with it: the fourth seed in the East and a playoff series against a team like Indiana instead of a team like Chicago or Miami. We now hold a one-game lead in the division, and the unexpected loss by Philly chips a way a bit at the schedule advantage they hold over the season's final month.
The Celtics are back in action Sunday at 3:30 Eastern, on ABC -- against Miami.
On Wednesday night, the Celtics beat a Utah team featuring Al Jefferson, the promising young center who was the major sacrifice of the deal that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston. After three years in Minnesota, Jefferson was traded to the Jazz before last season. Through nearly five seasons with two different clubs, however, Jefferson is still searching for his first win against his old team.
On Friday, the Celtics traveled to Minnesota and beat Kevin Garnett's old team, the team with which the franchise-altering trade was made in the 2007 offseason. Like Jefferson, the Timberwolves were looking for their first-even win over a Celtics team featuring KG, and like Jefferson, they didn't get it.
I didn't watch the whole game, but did catch the better part of the first three quarters, during which Boston led comfortably most of the way. KG was predictably over-hyped playing in Minnesota, but once he settled down a bit, the offense pretty much clicked on all cylinders the whole way. Boston shot about 49 percent from the field for the game, but if you remove Sasha Pavlovic's 0-for-5 (he was way off all game), the Celtics' percentage jumps to over 51 percent.
Avery Bradley, playing in place of the injured Ray Allen, was once again excellent, making six of nine shots from the field and five of six attempts from the line. I'm amazed at his offensive development; he's become a viable option off the ball, though he certainly benefits from being a secondary option. Rajon R-ndo controlled the tempo from the getgo, picking up a dozen of his 17 assists in the first half. KG (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Paul Pierce (21 and 9) did much of the heavy lifting. The Celtics got 20 bench points, though Keyon Dooling and Greg Stiemsma contributed 10 of their combined 16 in a 31-point first quarter.
For Minnesota's part, it's a bit unfair to judge evaluate them with their current injuries. Rookie point guard sensation Ricky Rubio (aka The Other Woman) is done for the year with a torn ACL; young big man Nikola Pekovic, who exploded on to the scene in February and averaged close to a double-double that month, has been limited by bone spurs in March and has missed the last six games; sixth man Michael Beasley has been limited by a toe injury that is submarining one of my fantasy basketball playoff runs; and backup point guard J.J. Barea, who has battled injuries all season after coming over from Dallas as a free agent, suffered a thigh bruise while amassing a triple-double against Oklahoma City on March 23 and hasn't played since. All of this leaves precious little around power forward Kevin Love, a budding star.
For those unfamiliar, in his fourth season, Love has become one of the league's best players, a tenacious rebounder with legitimate three-point range. As far as I can tell, he's more effective facing up than with his back to the basket, which may be why he struggled so much against the Celtics. Love seemed to struggle with both with KG's length and KG's comfort level on the perimeter. He was simply off all game, and his 5-for-18 performance left him nine points short of having the most prolific month, in terms of combined points and rebounds, in NBA history.
With all the injuries, the only other T-Wolf of note was rookie Derrick Williams, the second overall pick in last summer's draft. With Pekovic out and Love playing the five, Williams has been playing the four, but he's more comfortable on the perimeter and is probably better suited to the three. He's had a difficult week, but he did have a decent game against the Celtics. What surprised me, however, is how poorly he finishes in traffic. Confronted with a Celtic defender on several drives to the rim, he neither assertively changed course to get to the basket nor tried to draw the foul by finishing through the defender. Instead, he wildly altered his shot, missing more often than not. Hopefully that part of his game will develop.
And now, the best news. Boston won, and Philadelphia suffered a stunning 21-point loss in Washington to the Wizards, the second-worst team in the NBA. As I detailed in an earlier post, the Celtics faced an uphill battle against the Sixers for the Atlantic division crown and the spoils that come with it: the fourth seed in the East and a playoff series against a team like Indiana instead of a team like Chicago or Miami. We now hold a one-game lead in the division, and the unexpected loss by Philly chips a way a bit at the schedule advantage they hold over the season's final month.
The Celtics are back in action Sunday at 3:30 Eastern, on ABC -- against Miami.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Boston 94, Utah 82
[recap] [box score]
I don't know if I'm in a writing funk or what, but I've had a really hard time coming up with things to say about the Celtics lately. And the ironic part is that, if we're not playing our best basketball of the season right now, we've at least gotten great results. On Tuesday night, Boston beat a hot but tired Utah team. That gives the Cs a 13-5 record since the All-Star break, which -- if I heard Mike Gorman correctly on tonight's broadcast -- is good for third-best in the whole league.
The Celtics are doing it with defense, at least in stretches: In each of the last three wins, Boston's opponent has gone through extended periods of offensive futility. The effort hasn't been consistent, however, and all three opponents have gotten back into the game -- often fueled in part, as the Jazz were, by Boston's own stagnant offense. The defensive glass also remains a consistent problem. The obvious explanation for the strong defense of late is Ray Allen's absence: His replacement, Avery Bradley, is a lockdown defender, so it'll be interesting to see if anything changes once Allen gets back. However, Greg Stiemsma, who has proven to be a fearsome shotblocker in his rookie season, figures to have cemented a spot in the rotation for the rest of the season.
A day off, and then the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Friday. Kevin Love has been an absolute monster for them, and keeping him away from the offensive glass will be top priority. They've had some injuries to other key pieces, and this is a very winnable game. Philly beat Cleveland on Tuesday, so we're currently tied atop the Atlantic with them, but they're in Washington on Friday night to face the 11-38 Wizards. Therefore, a win over the Wolves is probably necessary to keep pace.
I don't know if I'm in a writing funk or what, but I've had a really hard time coming up with things to say about the Celtics lately. And the ironic part is that, if we're not playing our best basketball of the season right now, we've at least gotten great results. On Tuesday night, Boston beat a hot but tired Utah team. That gives the Cs a 13-5 record since the All-Star break, which -- if I heard Mike Gorman correctly on tonight's broadcast -- is good for third-best in the whole league.
The Celtics are doing it with defense, at least in stretches: In each of the last three wins, Boston's opponent has gone through extended periods of offensive futility. The effort hasn't been consistent, however, and all three opponents have gotten back into the game -- often fueled in part, as the Jazz were, by Boston's own stagnant offense. The defensive glass also remains a consistent problem. The obvious explanation for the strong defense of late is Ray Allen's absence: His replacement, Avery Bradley, is a lockdown defender, so it'll be interesting to see if anything changes once Allen gets back. However, Greg Stiemsma, who has proven to be a fearsome shotblocker in his rookie season, figures to have cemented a spot in the rotation for the rest of the season.
A day off, and then the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Friday. Kevin Love has been an absolute monster for them, and keeping him away from the offensive glass will be top priority. They've had some injuries to other key pieces, and this is a very winnable game. Philly beat Cleveland on Tuesday, so we're currently tied atop the Atlantic with them, but they're in Washington on Friday night to face the 11-38 Wizards. Therefore, a win over the Wolves is probably necessary to keep pace.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Celts Tie Sixers Atop the Atlantic
Since I last posted:
Philadelphia 99, Boston 86
Boston 88, Washington 76
Boston 102, Charlotte 95
A lot's happened in those three games, but what's most important is really what hasn't happened: Ray Allen hasn't played. The veteran shooting guard has a sore right ankle, which he reportedly injured back on March 12, even though he didn't sit out til last Friday. I haven't seen any sort of timetable for Allen's return, but I take the fact that he was able to play with the injury for a while as a good sign, though there is of course the chance that in doing so, he injured it more seriously. Hopefully, the team and Allen are just being cautious.
Allen's absence from the lineup got even more serious in the second quarter of the Philly game, as his replacement, Mickael Pietrus, took a nasty spill and banged his head on the court, eventually being carried off on a stretcher as a precaution. (Side note: I was watching the NCAAs at the time and flipped over to ESPN to check on the Celtics game at pretty much the exact second that ESPN went to commercial. Because the medical personnel tending to Pietrus blocked much of the view, all I saw before the cameras cut away was an unidentifiable Celtic wearing a jersey with a last name that started "P-I-E". I'll cop to being a bit relieved when I found out that it was Pietrus, not Paul Pierce -- and then guilty, and then relieved -- both for Pietrus and for myself, for karma purposes -- when I learned that Pietrus had escaped serious injury and should return to action soon.)
All of this sets the stage as to why Avery Bradley has been in the starting lineup the last two games, playing 40 minutes a night. The second-year guard announced his presence in a big way against the Wizards, hitting his first seven shots on the way to a career-high 23 points. (Weird fact: the Celtics were up 19 at halftime against the Wizards, and Bradley and Greg Stiemsma were the team's leading scorers.) Bradley added 11 points against the Bobcats on Monday, and he's developed into a decent rotation player. His jumper still needs a lot of work, but one thing he's done well all year is move well without the basketball. I first noticed it when played in place of Rajon R-ndo for a few games in late January, and Pierce seemed to find him a lot on cuts to the basket. Bradley knocked down a couple of jumpers against the Wizards, but a lot of his points in the last couple of games have come on layups.
What else? Center Ryan Hollins made his Celtics debut in one of the weirdest ways I can imagine: as the bench player elected by Philly coach Doug Collins to take the free throws in place of Pietrus, who was fouled on the play he was injured. (Hollins missed the first and made the second.) The long, athletic Hollins hasn't contributed much in limited court time over his first three games, but while Stiemsma has been playing his best ball of the season of late, I expect he'll have a larger role as the season wears on, now that Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox are both done for the season.
Finally, Monday in Charlotte, Pierce put the team on his back, leading all scorers with 36 points and helping the Cs hold off the Bobcats after blowing most of yet another big first-quarter lead. The Captain is now averaging 25.5 ppg and nine boards over the last four games.
Thanks to Philly's loss to Tim Duncan-less San Antonio on Sunday, Monday's win over Charlotte puts Boston into a tie atop the Atlantic Division. Whichever team can break the tie will be rewarded with the fourth seed in the East and a likely playoff matchup with Indiana or Atlanta, rather than the seventh and a first-round battle with Miami or Chicago. While it's true that the path to the Finals will probably run through the Heat or Bulls anyway, you never know when a big upset or an untimely injury might change the playoff landscape. (Last year, for instance, #8 Memphis beat #1 San Antonio in the first round of the West playoffs.) So Boston would like to earn the Atlantic title, if possible.
So how likely is it that the Celtics can capture their fifth straight division crown? I wish I had some scientific, math-based approach that could spit out a probability, but I don't. But as the brief analysis below shows, the reality is that Boston probably is an underdog, at this point, to beat out Philadelphia.
Let's start, though, with the things that do line up in Boston's favor. First, the game on April 8th between the two teams (the third and final meeting of the season), will be played in Boston. Philly won the first two matchups, which gives them the tiebreaker, so this opportunity to pick up a full game on them will be very important. Second, while both teams have 17 games remaining, Philly has just six home games, while Boston has eight. And the Sixers (10-12 away from home so far this season), like the Celts (10-14), haven't been that great on the road.
When you dig a little deeper, though, you find things starting to swing in Philly's favor. Both teams have four back-to-backs as well as one back-to-back-to-back. Each team will be on the second night of a back-to-back when they play each other on the 8th, so advantage Boston there. But the Celtics have three tough games on the second night of their other back-to-backs -- at Chicago, vs. Atlanta, and vs. Orlando. The Sixers get Atlanta in Philly and then Toronto twice (one home, one road) on the second night of their other back-to-backs, a significantly easier configuration than Boston's. And the Cs' back-to-back-to-back also puts them at a disadvantage, I think, even though traveling to Toronto, New Jersey, and Charlotte is less daunting than at Orlando, vs. Indiana, then at Cleveland; having three of your most winnable games in a back-to-back-to-back increases the probability of a "bad" loss, something the Celtics can't afford.
The teams have six games in common: they both host Atlanta and Orlando and travel to Indiana, Miami, Toronto, and New Jersey. The teams share a seventh common opponent, Milwaukee, though Boston gets the Bucks at home and Philly has them on the road. Subtract those seven games and the one between Boston and Philadelphia, and you have nine remaining games.
Boston: Home against Utah, Miami (twice), and San Antonio; at Minnesota, Chicago, Charlotte, New York, and Atlanta.
Philadelphia: Home against Cleveland, Toronto, New Jersey, and Indiana; at Washington, Orlando, Cleveland, New Jersey, and Detroit.
To put a point on it, the combined win-loss record of the nine teams in Boston's list is currently 256-185, a winning percentage of .580. Philly's list is a combined 171-269, a winning percentage of .389. Two of the Sixers' nine opponents have a winning record; two of Boston's have a losing record.
Finally, these two teams are about to play 17 basketball games in 31 days, one final push at the end of an already grueling season. Deep and youthful, less injury prone and more able to survive injuries, Philadelphia is built far better than Boston for a a run like the one that's upcoming. Indeed, should the teams remain close, Doc Rivers may have to decide between going all-out for the division and resting the veterans, with the second alternative quite possibly being the correct one. The Celtics are still in the running, but it's going to take something remarkable -- a remarkable stretch of basketball for Boston, or a remarkable choke job by Philly -- for it to happen.
Philadelphia 99, Boston 86
Boston 88, Washington 76
Boston 102, Charlotte 95
A lot's happened in those three games, but what's most important is really what hasn't happened: Ray Allen hasn't played. The veteran shooting guard has a sore right ankle, which he reportedly injured back on March 12, even though he didn't sit out til last Friday. I haven't seen any sort of timetable for Allen's return, but I take the fact that he was able to play with the injury for a while as a good sign, though there is of course the chance that in doing so, he injured it more seriously. Hopefully, the team and Allen are just being cautious.
Allen's absence from the lineup got even more serious in the second quarter of the Philly game, as his replacement, Mickael Pietrus, took a nasty spill and banged his head on the court, eventually being carried off on a stretcher as a precaution. (Side note: I was watching the NCAAs at the time and flipped over to ESPN to check on the Celtics game at pretty much the exact second that ESPN went to commercial. Because the medical personnel tending to Pietrus blocked much of the view, all I saw before the cameras cut away was an unidentifiable Celtic wearing a jersey with a last name that started "P-I-E". I'll cop to being a bit relieved when I found out that it was Pietrus, not Paul Pierce -- and then guilty, and then relieved -- both for Pietrus and for myself, for karma purposes -- when I learned that Pietrus had escaped serious injury and should return to action soon.)
All of this sets the stage as to why Avery Bradley has been in the starting lineup the last two games, playing 40 minutes a night. The second-year guard announced his presence in a big way against the Wizards, hitting his first seven shots on the way to a career-high 23 points. (Weird fact: the Celtics were up 19 at halftime against the Wizards, and Bradley and Greg Stiemsma were the team's leading scorers.) Bradley added 11 points against the Bobcats on Monday, and he's developed into a decent rotation player. His jumper still needs a lot of work, but one thing he's done well all year is move well without the basketball. I first noticed it when played in place of Rajon R-ndo for a few games in late January, and Pierce seemed to find him a lot on cuts to the basket. Bradley knocked down a couple of jumpers against the Wizards, but a lot of his points in the last couple of games have come on layups.
What else? Center Ryan Hollins made his Celtics debut in one of the weirdest ways I can imagine: as the bench player elected by Philly coach Doug Collins to take the free throws in place of Pietrus, who was fouled on the play he was injured. (Hollins missed the first and made the second.) The long, athletic Hollins hasn't contributed much in limited court time over his first three games, but while Stiemsma has been playing his best ball of the season of late, I expect he'll have a larger role as the season wears on, now that Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox are both done for the season.
Finally, Monday in Charlotte, Pierce put the team on his back, leading all scorers with 36 points and helping the Cs hold off the Bobcats after blowing most of yet another big first-quarter lead. The Captain is now averaging 25.5 ppg and nine boards over the last four games.
Thanks to Philly's loss to Tim Duncan-less San Antonio on Sunday, Monday's win over Charlotte puts Boston into a tie atop the Atlantic Division. Whichever team can break the tie will be rewarded with the fourth seed in the East and a likely playoff matchup with Indiana or Atlanta, rather than the seventh and a first-round battle with Miami or Chicago. While it's true that the path to the Finals will probably run through the Heat or Bulls anyway, you never know when a big upset or an untimely injury might change the playoff landscape. (Last year, for instance, #8 Memphis beat #1 San Antonio in the first round of the West playoffs.) So Boston would like to earn the Atlantic title, if possible.
So how likely is it that the Celtics can capture their fifth straight division crown? I wish I had some scientific, math-based approach that could spit out a probability, but I don't. But as the brief analysis below shows, the reality is that Boston probably is an underdog, at this point, to beat out Philadelphia.
Let's start, though, with the things that do line up in Boston's favor. First, the game on April 8th between the two teams (the third and final meeting of the season), will be played in Boston. Philly won the first two matchups, which gives them the tiebreaker, so this opportunity to pick up a full game on them will be very important. Second, while both teams have 17 games remaining, Philly has just six home games, while Boston has eight. And the Sixers (10-12 away from home so far this season), like the Celts (10-14), haven't been that great on the road.
When you dig a little deeper, though, you find things starting to swing in Philly's favor. Both teams have four back-to-backs as well as one back-to-back-to-back. Each team will be on the second night of a back-to-back when they play each other on the 8th, so advantage Boston there. But the Celtics have three tough games on the second night of their other back-to-backs -- at Chicago, vs. Atlanta, and vs. Orlando. The Sixers get Atlanta in Philly and then Toronto twice (one home, one road) on the second night of their other back-to-backs, a significantly easier configuration than Boston's. And the Cs' back-to-back-to-back also puts them at a disadvantage, I think, even though traveling to Toronto, New Jersey, and Charlotte is less daunting than at Orlando, vs. Indiana, then at Cleveland; having three of your most winnable games in a back-to-back-to-back increases the probability of a "bad" loss, something the Celtics can't afford.
The teams have six games in common: they both host Atlanta and Orlando and travel to Indiana, Miami, Toronto, and New Jersey. The teams share a seventh common opponent, Milwaukee, though Boston gets the Bucks at home and Philly has them on the road. Subtract those seven games and the one between Boston and Philadelphia, and you have nine remaining games.
Boston: Home against Utah, Miami (twice), and San Antonio; at Minnesota, Chicago, Charlotte, New York, and Atlanta.
Philadelphia: Home against Cleveland, Toronto, New Jersey, and Indiana; at Washington, Orlando, Cleveland, New Jersey, and Detroit.
To put a point on it, the combined win-loss record of the nine teams in Boston's list is currently 256-185, a winning percentage of .580. Philly's list is a combined 171-269, a winning percentage of .389. Two of the Sixers' nine opponents have a winning record; two of Boston's have a losing record.
Finally, these two teams are about to play 17 basketball games in 31 days, one final push at the end of an already grueling season. Deep and youthful, less injury prone and more able to survive injuries, Philadelphia is built far better than Boston for a a run like the one that's upcoming. Indeed, should the teams remain close, Doc Rivers may have to decide between going all-out for the division and resting the veterans, with the second alternative quite possibly being the correct one. The Celtics are still in the running, but it's going to take something remarkable -- a remarkable stretch of basketball for Boston, or a remarkable choke job by Philly -- for it to happen.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Boston 100, Milwaukee 91
[recap] [box score]
The NCAA Tournament precludes the NBA regular season for me, so I didn't watch more than a few minutes of this game. It's really a huge win, though. The Bucks had a six-game winning streak going and a new weapon in Monta Ellis, acquired from Golden State for the injured Andrew Bogut. And the Celtics were in the seventh game of an eight-game road trip. Boston is now four games clear of Milwaukee for the playoffs.
Even more importantly, thanks to Philly's home loss to the Knicks on Wednesday, the Cs are just half a game back of the Sixers for the Atlantic lead (and the #4 seed in the playoffs that would come with it). So a win in Philadelphia on Friday would put Boston in the division lead. Our schedule down the stretch is quite a bit tougher than Philly's, and so there's no guarantee that we'd hang on to the lead. But a win Friday would be huge -- it might even rattle the young Sixers, which could give us an edge down the stretch. You can watch the game on ESPN at 8 p.m. Eastern.
One personnel note: We're reportedly on the verge of signing Ryan Hollins, recently waived by Cleveland, to replace Chris Wilcox on our roster. Wilcox is out for the year with a heart ailment -- yes, another heart problem -- and with Jermaine O'Neal also done for the year, Boston's been using Kevin Garnett as the starting center with Brandon Bass at power forward, with Greg Stiemsma really the only available big off the bench. (Stiemsma had a great game Thursday in his return to his native Wisconsin, where he also played college ball, doing a little bit of everything with six points, four rebounds, three assists, and -- here's where it gets good -- five blocks and four steals.)
KG and Bass have thrived in the roles, and Doc Rivers has said that he intends to keep the starting lineup the same. No longer having Bass has made the second unit significantly less effective on offense, but playing Garnett has been getting more time with the second unit this season, thanks to Doc's plan to only play him for five minutes at a time until the fourth quarter. Hollins is long and athletic, though maybe a little too lean, but in that respect he's kind of a good replacement for Wilcox; Doc had said that he planned on playing Wilcox in uptempo games and Stiemsma in slower-paced games, and Hollins certainly can get up and down. I'm not sure he's got much of a shot, but Hollins is also a pretty good shotblocker. Word is we're after one more big, though a lot of the buyout guys have been snapped up already and I'm not sure who is left.
The NCAA Tournament precludes the NBA regular season for me, so I didn't watch more than a few minutes of this game. It's really a huge win, though. The Bucks had a six-game winning streak going and a new weapon in Monta Ellis, acquired from Golden State for the injured Andrew Bogut. And the Celtics were in the seventh game of an eight-game road trip. Boston is now four games clear of Milwaukee for the playoffs.
Even more importantly, thanks to Philly's home loss to the Knicks on Wednesday, the Cs are just half a game back of the Sixers for the Atlantic lead (and the #4 seed in the playoffs that would come with it). So a win in Philadelphia on Friday would put Boston in the division lead. Our schedule down the stretch is quite a bit tougher than Philly's, and so there's no guarantee that we'd hang on to the lead. But a win Friday would be huge -- it might even rattle the young Sixers, which could give us an edge down the stretch. You can watch the game on ESPN at 8 p.m. Eastern.
One personnel note: We're reportedly on the verge of signing Ryan Hollins, recently waived by Cleveland, to replace Chris Wilcox on our roster. Wilcox is out for the year with a heart ailment -- yes, another heart problem -- and with Jermaine O'Neal also done for the year, Boston's been using Kevin Garnett as the starting center with Brandon Bass at power forward, with Greg Stiemsma really the only available big off the bench. (Stiemsma had a great game Thursday in his return to his native Wisconsin, where he also played college ball, doing a little bit of everything with six points, four rebounds, three assists, and -- here's where it gets good -- five blocks and four steals.)
KG and Bass have thrived in the roles, and Doc Rivers has said that he intends to keep the starting lineup the same. No longer having Bass has made the second unit significantly less effective on offense, but playing Garnett has been getting more time with the second unit this season, thanks to Doc's plan to only play him for five minutes at a time until the fourth quarter. Hollins is long and athletic, though maybe a little too lean, but in that respect he's kind of a good replacement for Wilcox; Doc had said that he planned on playing Wilcox in uptempo games and Stiemsma in slower-paced games, and Hollins certainly can get up and down. I'm not sure he's got much of a shot, but Hollins is also a pretty good shotblocker. Word is we're after one more big, though a lot of the buyout guys have been snapped up already and I'm not sure who is left.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Boston 79, Atlanta 76
[recap] [box score]
The Celtics were bad tonight. The Hawks were worse. The officials were atrocious. No one who had anything to do with this game should be satisfied with their performance. And yet the Celtics walked out of Philips Arena with a win, and an end, albeit an ugly one, to an even uglier two-game losing streak.
Almost from the beginning, you could tell it was going to be a low-level game. The Celtics' legs seemed understandably road-weary. Rajon R-ndo made quick work of Jeff Teague on a few early drives and cuts to the basket, but missed the layups. Paul Pierce left his early jumpers well short off the front rim. Kevin Garnett couldn't seem to get his feet underneath him operating in the post.
Fortunately, the Hawks didn't look any better, perhaps tired from the previous night's win over Cleveland. In addition to looking flat-footed on defense, Teague -- who has enjoyed something of a breakout year as Atlanta's starting point guard -- showed no interest in penetrating the Boston D. Former Celtic Joe Johnson, the team's best offensive player, was so quiet that I was surprised to look up at the start of the fourth quarter and see that he had scored even 11 points. The only Hawk interested in doing anything seemed to be Josh Smith, who hit three long jumpers in the game's opening minutes. That turned out to be a bad thing for Atlanta, as Smith fell in love with the jumper, which has been a valid criticism of his game for years now. Smith started the game 3-for-4 from the field; he finished it 5-for-20.
Atlanta is one of those teams that reacts to Boston's bullying in kind, and Zaza Pachulia is a known agitator who really seems to get under Garnett's skin, in particular. So I was expecting a chippy game. The pace was so slow in the first half, though, the intensity level so low, that it looked like it might not materialize. But a hard foul -- nothing dirty, but a clear flagrant 1 -- by Brandon Bass on Pachulia early in the third quarter seemed to get the blood boiling a bit, and the rest of the game was dotted with cheap fouls and quick whistles.
Midway through the third, Teague dunked on the break to give Atlanta a 47-39 lead, and had words for Ray Allen. That earned him a technical foul, but even after Allen nailed the free throw, the Hawks had a chance to blow the game open. In the last few weeks, Boston opponents had taken control of close games in the third quarter, and the Celtics seemed ripe for it to happen once again: Boston was really struggling offensively and Paul Pierce was on the bench with foul trouble. But given three opportunities to extend the lead, the Hawks came up empty, with two turnovers and an empty trip to the free throw line.
Fully two minutes after the Teague tech, Allen drilled a three-pointer to keep Boston in striking distance. He hit another at the end of the quarter, on a nifty inbounds pass from Rondo; there was but a second left on the clock, and Rondo faked as though he was going to throw a lob to Garnett. Allen's defender reacted to the fake, and Ray's lightning quick release got the shot off in plenty of time. Boston trailed 51-50 after three quarters (if not for Orlando's 59-point performance tonight against Derrick Rose-less Chicago, Boston and Atlanta's offensive futility would be a big talking point among NBA types today).
The Celtics scored six straight points to start the fourth, but Atlanta got five on consecutive possession to tie the score at 76. And then, for whatever reason, Boston got hot. A 17-2 run, including 13 in a row at the end, the last nine coming on two three-pointers by Allen (one from like 26 feet at the top of the key, moving noticeably left, with Kirk Hinrich's hand right in his face) and one from Mickael Pietrus.
If you're paying attention, you know that Boston scored only six points over the final 4:30. The culprit was the usual; the Celtics stopped running their stuff, took the air out of the ball, and settled for contested jumpers at the end of the shot clock. Atlanta finally woke up, and Johnson's second three-pointer of the final minutes cut the Boston lead to 75-71 with a minute left. The Celtics got nothing on the ensuing possession and it really looked they might let this one slip away.
Enter Josh Smith, who found himself with the ball on the wing, with no Celtics defender nearby. Apparently not realizing that there was a reason he was left open, Smith launched his third and final three-pointer of the game. Like the other two, it missed, and a golden opportunity was wasted. A missed free throw by Pierce and another Johnson three gave the Hawks a chance to tie it up. Doc Rivers made a mistake, I thought, by ordering a little full-court pressure with 10 seconds left. The pressure left Teague wide open in transition for the potential game-tying three-pointer, but the young fella pulled it left and didn't even catch the rim.
The Hawks, at least without Al Horford (who's been out for months with a torn pectoral muscle), are actually a decent matchup for Boston, as long as Smith decides to stay outside (something he's generally been a lot better about during the last two seasons). Pachulia is a nuisance and with 16 points and 13 rebounds he was probably the only Hawk who played a good full game, but he had no real help on the offensive glass, where Boston opponents have been exploiting the Cs lately. And the bench -- another vulnerable area for Boston now that Brandon Bass has moved into the starting lineup for Jermaine O'Neal (whose season is over, it was confirmed today) -- features Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse -- a formidable duo a decade ago, maybe, but not now.
Anyway, good matchup or not, Boston got a huge win. They kept pace with the Sixers, who win Charlotte; they gained a full game on the Hawks for the six-seed; and they put the pressure on the Knicks and Bucks. As importantly, they rid themselves of some of the disappointment of the losses in Sacramento and Denver. The road trip can still be a success.
The Celtics were bad tonight. The Hawks were worse. The officials were atrocious. No one who had anything to do with this game should be satisfied with their performance. And yet the Celtics walked out of Philips Arena with a win, and an end, albeit an ugly one, to an even uglier two-game losing streak.
Almost from the beginning, you could tell it was going to be a low-level game. The Celtics' legs seemed understandably road-weary. Rajon R-ndo made quick work of Jeff Teague on a few early drives and cuts to the basket, but missed the layups. Paul Pierce left his early jumpers well short off the front rim. Kevin Garnett couldn't seem to get his feet underneath him operating in the post.
Fortunately, the Hawks didn't look any better, perhaps tired from the previous night's win over Cleveland. In addition to looking flat-footed on defense, Teague -- who has enjoyed something of a breakout year as Atlanta's starting point guard -- showed no interest in penetrating the Boston D. Former Celtic Joe Johnson, the team's best offensive player, was so quiet that I was surprised to look up at the start of the fourth quarter and see that he had scored even 11 points. The only Hawk interested in doing anything seemed to be Josh Smith, who hit three long jumpers in the game's opening minutes. That turned out to be a bad thing for Atlanta, as Smith fell in love with the jumper, which has been a valid criticism of his game for years now. Smith started the game 3-for-4 from the field; he finished it 5-for-20.
Atlanta is one of those teams that reacts to Boston's bullying in kind, and Zaza Pachulia is a known agitator who really seems to get under Garnett's skin, in particular. So I was expecting a chippy game. The pace was so slow in the first half, though, the intensity level so low, that it looked like it might not materialize. But a hard foul -- nothing dirty, but a clear flagrant 1 -- by Brandon Bass on Pachulia early in the third quarter seemed to get the blood boiling a bit, and the rest of the game was dotted with cheap fouls and quick whistles.
Midway through the third, Teague dunked on the break to give Atlanta a 47-39 lead, and had words for Ray Allen. That earned him a technical foul, but even after Allen nailed the free throw, the Hawks had a chance to blow the game open. In the last few weeks, Boston opponents had taken control of close games in the third quarter, and the Celtics seemed ripe for it to happen once again: Boston was really struggling offensively and Paul Pierce was on the bench with foul trouble. But given three opportunities to extend the lead, the Hawks came up empty, with two turnovers and an empty trip to the free throw line.
Fully two minutes after the Teague tech, Allen drilled a three-pointer to keep Boston in striking distance. He hit another at the end of the quarter, on a nifty inbounds pass from Rondo; there was but a second left on the clock, and Rondo faked as though he was going to throw a lob to Garnett. Allen's defender reacted to the fake, and Ray's lightning quick release got the shot off in plenty of time. Boston trailed 51-50 after three quarters (if not for Orlando's 59-point performance tonight against Derrick Rose-less Chicago, Boston and Atlanta's offensive futility would be a big talking point among NBA types today).
The Celtics scored six straight points to start the fourth, but Atlanta got five on consecutive possession to tie the score at 76. And then, for whatever reason, Boston got hot. A 17-2 run, including 13 in a row at the end, the last nine coming on two three-pointers by Allen (one from like 26 feet at the top of the key, moving noticeably left, with Kirk Hinrich's hand right in his face) and one from Mickael Pietrus.
If you're paying attention, you know that Boston scored only six points over the final 4:30. The culprit was the usual; the Celtics stopped running their stuff, took the air out of the ball, and settled for contested jumpers at the end of the shot clock. Atlanta finally woke up, and Johnson's second three-pointer of the final minutes cut the Boston lead to 75-71 with a minute left. The Celtics got nothing on the ensuing possession and it really looked they might let this one slip away.
Enter Josh Smith, who found himself with the ball on the wing, with no Celtics defender nearby. Apparently not realizing that there was a reason he was left open, Smith launched his third and final three-pointer of the game. Like the other two, it missed, and a golden opportunity was wasted. A missed free throw by Pierce and another Johnson three gave the Hawks a chance to tie it up. Doc Rivers made a mistake, I thought, by ordering a little full-court pressure with 10 seconds left. The pressure left Teague wide open in transition for the potential game-tying three-pointer, but the young fella pulled it left and didn't even catch the rim.
The Hawks, at least without Al Horford (who's been out for months with a torn pectoral muscle), are actually a decent matchup for Boston, as long as Smith decides to stay outside (something he's generally been a lot better about during the last two seasons). Pachulia is a nuisance and with 16 points and 13 rebounds he was probably the only Hawk who played a good full game, but he had no real help on the offensive glass, where Boston opponents have been exploiting the Cs lately. And the bench -- another vulnerable area for Boston now that Brandon Bass has moved into the starting lineup for Jermaine O'Neal (whose season is over, it was confirmed today) -- features Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse -- a formidable duo a decade ago, maybe, but not now.
Anyway, good matchup or not, Boston got a huge win. They kept pace with the Sixers, who win Charlotte; they gained a full game on the Hawks for the six-seed; and they put the pressure on the Knicks and Bucks. As importantly, they rid themselves of some of the disappointment of the losses in Sacramento and Denver. The road trip can still be a success.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Celtics Drop Back-to-Back Road Games
Friday: Kings 120, Celtics 95
Saturday: Nuggets 98, Celtics 91
I didn't watch either of these games because of the NCAA tournament, but I was sort of following the Gamecasts.
In Sacramento, the Kings blew open a one-point game at halftime by scoring something like the first 15 points of the third quarter. Marcus Thornton got hot in the third and spent much of the fourth padding his stats against the Boston bench, finishing with 36 points. Ray Allen and Brandon Bass shot well for the Celtics, but giving up 41 points in the third quarter means that it wasn't a good night for everybody.
In Denver, the Nuggets got out to a double-digit lead in the second quarter and maintained it through much of the third. It appeared that Boston made a run in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to two at one point. But they couldn't get over the hump, seemingly due to some untimely turnovers. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce paced the Celtics with 22 points each, and Rajon R-ndo had 12 to go with 16 assists -- but also six turnovers, at least a couple of which I seem to recall were of the momentum-killing variety.
The loss to Sacramento put the success of the road trip in jeopardy. The Celtics are now 2-3 on the eight-game trip, with games in Atlanta on Monday, Milwaukee on Thursday, and Philadelphia on Friday. All three of these remaining games are huge: Boston is just two games back of Atlanta for the six seed in the East, a coveted spot this year because it means avoiding Chicago or Miami in the first round. At the same time, the Cs are just two and a half games clear of the eighth-place Knicks and the Bucks loom just a half-game back of again resurgent New York. On the bright side, Boston is only a game and a half behind Philly for the Atlantic title, which would give us the four.
If we can get hot, then, we can make some real progress this week. Anything less than two wins, though, and the road trip is a failure.
Saturday: Nuggets 98, Celtics 91
I didn't watch either of these games because of the NCAA tournament, but I was sort of following the Gamecasts.
In Sacramento, the Kings blew open a one-point game at halftime by scoring something like the first 15 points of the third quarter. Marcus Thornton got hot in the third and spent much of the fourth padding his stats against the Boston bench, finishing with 36 points. Ray Allen and Brandon Bass shot well for the Celtics, but giving up 41 points in the third quarter means that it wasn't a good night for everybody.
In Denver, the Nuggets got out to a double-digit lead in the second quarter and maintained it through much of the third. It appeared that Boston made a run in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to two at one point. But they couldn't get over the hump, seemingly due to some untimely turnovers. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce paced the Celtics with 22 points each, and Rajon R-ndo had 12 to go with 16 assists -- but also six turnovers, at least a couple of which I seem to recall were of the momentum-killing variety.
The loss to Sacramento put the success of the road trip in jeopardy. The Celtics are now 2-3 on the eight-game trip, with games in Atlanta on Monday, Milwaukee on Thursday, and Philadelphia on Friday. All three of these remaining games are huge: Boston is just two games back of Atlanta for the six seed in the East, a coveted spot this year because it means avoiding Chicago or Miami in the first round. At the same time, the Cs are just two and a half games clear of the eighth-place Knicks and the Bucks loom just a half-game back of again resurgent New York. On the bright side, Boston is only a game and a half behind Philly for the Atlantic title, which would give us the four.
If we can get hot, then, we can make some real progress this week. Anything less than two wins, though, and the road trip is a failure.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Boston 105, Golden State 103
[recap] [box score]
I only caught the last nine minutes or so, but it seemed typical of a Celtics-Warriors matchup -- we had trouble defending them but got just about anything we wanted on our end. Kevin Garnett had a great game and a great fourth quarter, hitting the go-ahead 20-footer with five seconds left on a smart feed from Paul Pierce. That basket followed an ugly defensive possession where Brandon Bass and Rajon R-ndo miscommunicated on a high screen, allowing old friend Nate Robinson to drive for the tying layup. Robinson took an off-balance three-pointer on the possession following Garnett's clutch shot -- that sure seemed familiar -- and when it missed badly off the iron, short and left, Boston had a big win.
A big win, you say? A BIG win? Against Golden State? Without Monta Ellis (traded on Tuesday to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut) or Stephen Curry (all sorts of random foot injuries that may lead the team to shut him down for the year)? Well, yeah.
First of all, it's the third game of an eight-game roadie, a trip on which we are currently 2-1. With roughly two-thirds of our remaining games on the road, we can't afford to drop games we should win, no matter where they're played. Secondly, I think it was important to carry over the momentum from Monday's hard-fought, emotional win over the Clippers. Finally, we've had a lot of problems in Golden State in recent years; last season's comfortable victory snapped a six-game losing streak in Oakland. So I wasn't taking this one for granted, even with the Warriors so shorthanded (though they did beat Sacramento by 26 Tuesday night with the same depleted lineup).
Speaking of Sacramento, they're next up, on Friday. With Denver looming on Saturday, the Kings game is a great opportunity to ensure a winning record on the West Coast portion of the trip (we head to Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Philly next week).
I'll be focusing on the NCAA tournament over the weekend, but will update with scores, at least.
I only caught the last nine minutes or so, but it seemed typical of a Celtics-Warriors matchup -- we had trouble defending them but got just about anything we wanted on our end. Kevin Garnett had a great game and a great fourth quarter, hitting the go-ahead 20-footer with five seconds left on a smart feed from Paul Pierce. That basket followed an ugly defensive possession where Brandon Bass and Rajon R-ndo miscommunicated on a high screen, allowing old friend Nate Robinson to drive for the tying layup. Robinson took an off-balance three-pointer on the possession following Garnett's clutch shot -- that sure seemed familiar -- and when it missed badly off the iron, short and left, Boston had a big win.
A big win, you say? A BIG win? Against Golden State? Without Monta Ellis (traded on Tuesday to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut) or Stephen Curry (all sorts of random foot injuries that may lead the team to shut him down for the year)? Well, yeah.
First of all, it's the third game of an eight-game roadie, a trip on which we are currently 2-1. With roughly two-thirds of our remaining games on the road, we can't afford to drop games we should win, no matter where they're played. Secondly, I think it was important to carry over the momentum from Monday's hard-fought, emotional win over the Clippers. Finally, we've had a lot of problems in Golden State in recent years; last season's comfortable victory snapped a six-game losing streak in Oakland. So I wasn't taking this one for granted, even with the Warriors so shorthanded (though they did beat Sacramento by 26 Tuesday night with the same depleted lineup).
Speaking of Sacramento, they're next up, on Friday. With Denver looming on Saturday, the Kings game is a great opportunity to ensure a winning record on the West Coast portion of the trip (we head to Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Philly next week).
I'll be focusing on the NCAA tournament over the weekend, but will update with scores, at least.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Boston 94, Los Angeles Clippers 85
[recap] [box score]
I haven't attended all that many NBA games in person. One when I was in high school -- I remember that Grant Hill had a 15/10/10 triple double, but I don't remember who won -- a couple when I was in college, and then a couple or a handful per year since I graduated, in D.C., and Boston, and L.A.
I've had some great times at those games. I saw Ryan Gomes, one of my favorite players since he was a freshman at Providence, score 21 of his then-career-high 27 points in the first half of the same game that Paul Pierce nailed the overtime game-winner over three Wizards at the horn. I've sat behind Delonte West's mother and had her show me and a buddy pictures of Delonte when he was in high school -- prom, graduation, etc. I've gone to several games in Boston over the last several years, connecting with friends in the city on an annual trip that fell victim to the lockout this season.
But as far as regular season games go (Game 1 of the 2008 Finals is on a whole other level), I haven't been to one where a win was more satisfying than it was tonight. And, probably as a result, I haven't had more fun at one either.
It didn't start out that way. Before tip-off, I wasn't feeling great about the game, a combination of the tough loss to the Lakers the night before, the absence of our top two centers against an already overwhelming front line, and the fact that the Clips would be pissed after losing at home to the Warriors the night before.
Things started out okay, but it started to get chippy really fast. Greg Stiemsma flopped on a Blake Griffin drive in the first quarter, and Griffin, after scoring and drawing a foul on Brandon Bass, showed his displeasure with the acting job by handing the ball to Stiemsma. The Boston rookie casually flipped it at Griffin's back as the latter walked to the free throw line, resulting in double technicals. Double techs were also the result of a bizarre sequence in which, several beats after a whistle, Kevin Garnett "drove" the lane for a meaningless dead-ball layin and was met aggressively at the rim for DeAndre Jordan. Doc Rivers got hit with a technical in the second quarter, as well, and as physical as the game was, I figured it was even money that either he or Garnett wouldn't last the evening.
Honestly, in the first half, it felt to me like a dangerous atmosphere. I had noted to my girlfriend early in the first quarter that the defensive intensity was unusually high for the first few minutes of a regular season game. By the middle of the second quarter, the atmosphere seemed dangerous, like something big was going to erupt.
It sounds awfully dramatic, but reading some commentary on the Internet and catching a little bit of the replay on ESPN2 as I write this, it sure seems like I wasn't the only person in attendance who felt that way.
It made sense, really. The Clippers are up-and-coming, trying to climb to a place among the league's elite teams. On their way up, they are passing, or have passed, the Celtics, on Boston's way down that same mountain. The Clips play physically, and all this "Lob City" stuff has them playing with an obnoxious amount of swagger (more on this later), which adds to the testosterone on the floor. Add to the mix the fact that L.A. fans, no matter what flavor, hate Boston fans, and it just seemed like a powderkeg.
Thankfully, nothing happened. The players more or less calmed down, for whatever reason, and the officials opened the third quarter by calling the game a bit tighter. I'm normally a pretty calm guy at live sporting events, preferring to save the manifestation of emotions for games I watch in the privacy of my apartment. But the intensity and physicality of the first half got my adrenaline going, and I found myself on my feet for several big moments in the second half.
Enough color. Time for some Xs and Os.
* Boston's pick-and-roll defense was excellent all night. The Clips run a ton of high pick-and-roll with Chris Paul and Griffin, and the strategy for Boston was to clog the lane for Paul, let Griffin pop for 17-footers, but take the lane away for Griffin rolling, too. It by and large worked: Paul was held to 14 points and five assists, with the bulk of his scoring coming in the fourth quarter, and while Griffin had a big first half including hitting a couple of jump shots, he didn't do much in the second half. The focus on Paul and Griffin did lead to some open jumpers for the Clippers wing players, but forcing your opponent to their third offensive option is usually a pretty good thing.
* Pierce got off to a good start, but picked up three fouls in the first half. He stayed out of foul trouble in the second half and closed the game out well from the free throw line. He also hit a huge three-pointer with under three minutes left that got me out of my seat.
* Ray Allen had a very quiet first half, but came alive in the second. Despite having a big size advantage, the Clips played a small lineup for a large portion of the second half. That small lineup gave Allen a size mismatch over Mo Williams in the post, and Boston went to an interesting triangle set that sometimes saw Rajon R-ndo posting up at the foul line, with Allen and Pierce screeing for each other along the baseline. As is their wont, they went to the well a few too many times with that set, but it was effective for a pretty good stretch.
* Watching on TV never does justice to just how physical the NBA game is. The seats we had gave us a great angle on a lot of post ups, and the amount of strength it takes to simply catch the ball in the post in this league, much less be able to keep your balance, make a move, and take a shot, is remarkable. Garnett had Caron Butler all over him when he hit the game-sealing 20-footer.
* Rebounding was once again a huge problem (the Clips outrebounded the Celts 45-31 for the game and had a 20-6 advantage on the offensive glass), but let me just throw out there that I don't think I've seen a team get away with more pushing on the rebounding action than the Clippers do. Griffin, Jordan, even Reggie Evans to a lesser extent, all use their hands and arms a ton when trying to get rebounding position.
* OK, here comes my dressing-down of the Clippers: You guys are blowing it. You have an all-world point guard and incredible athletes at the four and five positions. You have Lob City. You have the long-time underdog angle going. You have the chance to win over the younger generations of basketball fans in Los Angeles.
But you're blowing it, by becoming one of the most unlikable teams in the league. You haven't even made the playoffs yet. And yet the sense of entitlement that is so obnoxious to behold in even those who are entitled is already creeping in.
Griffin is the worst. He plays extremely physically but flops like crazy, throwing his arms in the air at the slightest touch. He loves to show up officials by grabbing the sides of his head in disbelief, or by sitting on the ground and staring at them after a no-call. At one point, he seemed offended that R-ndo dare challenge him for a rebound, jawing at the Boston point guard after R-ndo was called for a harmless foul on the play.
It's frustrating, because I really want to like the Clippers. Everyone likes an underdog, and selfishly, I'd love to see the Lakers playing second fiddle in their own city. But in less than two years, Griffin has already developed the habits that cause me to loathe superstars like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. It's a shame, but at this point, it seems that I am doomed, from a basketball standpoint at least, to hate LA forever.
I haven't attended all that many NBA games in person. One when I was in high school -- I remember that Grant Hill had a 15/10/10 triple double, but I don't remember who won -- a couple when I was in college, and then a couple or a handful per year since I graduated, in D.C., and Boston, and L.A.
I've had some great times at those games. I saw Ryan Gomes, one of my favorite players since he was a freshman at Providence, score 21 of his then-career-high 27 points in the first half of the same game that Paul Pierce nailed the overtime game-winner over three Wizards at the horn. I've sat behind Delonte West's mother and had her show me and a buddy pictures of Delonte when he was in high school -- prom, graduation, etc. I've gone to several games in Boston over the last several years, connecting with friends in the city on an annual trip that fell victim to the lockout this season.
But as far as regular season games go (Game 1 of the 2008 Finals is on a whole other level), I haven't been to one where a win was more satisfying than it was tonight. And, probably as a result, I haven't had more fun at one either.
It didn't start out that way. Before tip-off, I wasn't feeling great about the game, a combination of the tough loss to the Lakers the night before, the absence of our top two centers against an already overwhelming front line, and the fact that the Clips would be pissed after losing at home to the Warriors the night before.
Things started out okay, but it started to get chippy really fast. Greg Stiemsma flopped on a Blake Griffin drive in the first quarter, and Griffin, after scoring and drawing a foul on Brandon Bass, showed his displeasure with the acting job by handing the ball to Stiemsma. The Boston rookie casually flipped it at Griffin's back as the latter walked to the free throw line, resulting in double technicals. Double techs were also the result of a bizarre sequence in which, several beats after a whistle, Kevin Garnett "drove" the lane for a meaningless dead-ball layin and was met aggressively at the rim for DeAndre Jordan. Doc Rivers got hit with a technical in the second quarter, as well, and as physical as the game was, I figured it was even money that either he or Garnett wouldn't last the evening.
Honestly, in the first half, it felt to me like a dangerous atmosphere. I had noted to my girlfriend early in the first quarter that the defensive intensity was unusually high for the first few minutes of a regular season game. By the middle of the second quarter, the atmosphere seemed dangerous, like something big was going to erupt.
It sounds awfully dramatic, but reading some commentary on the Internet and catching a little bit of the replay on ESPN2 as I write this, it sure seems like I wasn't the only person in attendance who felt that way.
It made sense, really. The Clippers are up-and-coming, trying to climb to a place among the league's elite teams. On their way up, they are passing, or have passed, the Celtics, on Boston's way down that same mountain. The Clips play physically, and all this "Lob City" stuff has them playing with an obnoxious amount of swagger (more on this later), which adds to the testosterone on the floor. Add to the mix the fact that L.A. fans, no matter what flavor, hate Boston fans, and it just seemed like a powderkeg.
Thankfully, nothing happened. The players more or less calmed down, for whatever reason, and the officials opened the third quarter by calling the game a bit tighter. I'm normally a pretty calm guy at live sporting events, preferring to save the manifestation of emotions for games I watch in the privacy of my apartment. But the intensity and physicality of the first half got my adrenaline going, and I found myself on my feet for several big moments in the second half.
Enough color. Time for some Xs and Os.
* Boston's pick-and-roll defense was excellent all night. The Clips run a ton of high pick-and-roll with Chris Paul and Griffin, and the strategy for Boston was to clog the lane for Paul, let Griffin pop for 17-footers, but take the lane away for Griffin rolling, too. It by and large worked: Paul was held to 14 points and five assists, with the bulk of his scoring coming in the fourth quarter, and while Griffin had a big first half including hitting a couple of jump shots, he didn't do much in the second half. The focus on Paul and Griffin did lead to some open jumpers for the Clippers wing players, but forcing your opponent to their third offensive option is usually a pretty good thing.
* Pierce got off to a good start, but picked up three fouls in the first half. He stayed out of foul trouble in the second half and closed the game out well from the free throw line. He also hit a huge three-pointer with under three minutes left that got me out of my seat.
* Ray Allen had a very quiet first half, but came alive in the second. Despite having a big size advantage, the Clips played a small lineup for a large portion of the second half. That small lineup gave Allen a size mismatch over Mo Williams in the post, and Boston went to an interesting triangle set that sometimes saw Rajon R-ndo posting up at the foul line, with Allen and Pierce screeing for each other along the baseline. As is their wont, they went to the well a few too many times with that set, but it was effective for a pretty good stretch.
* Watching on TV never does justice to just how physical the NBA game is. The seats we had gave us a great angle on a lot of post ups, and the amount of strength it takes to simply catch the ball in the post in this league, much less be able to keep your balance, make a move, and take a shot, is remarkable. Garnett had Caron Butler all over him when he hit the game-sealing 20-footer.
* Rebounding was once again a huge problem (the Clips outrebounded the Celts 45-31 for the game and had a 20-6 advantage on the offensive glass), but let me just throw out there that I don't think I've seen a team get away with more pushing on the rebounding action than the Clippers do. Griffin, Jordan, even Reggie Evans to a lesser extent, all use their hands and arms a ton when trying to get rebounding position.
* OK, here comes my dressing-down of the Clippers: You guys are blowing it. You have an all-world point guard and incredible athletes at the four and five positions. You have Lob City. You have the long-time underdog angle going. You have the chance to win over the younger generations of basketball fans in Los Angeles.
But you're blowing it, by becoming one of the most unlikable teams in the league. You haven't even made the playoffs yet. And yet the sense of entitlement that is so obnoxious to behold in even those who are entitled is already creeping in.
Griffin is the worst. He plays extremely physically but flops like crazy, throwing his arms in the air at the slightest touch. He loves to show up officials by grabbing the sides of his head in disbelief, or by sitting on the ground and staring at them after a no-call. At one point, he seemed offended that R-ndo dare challenge him for a rebound, jawing at the Boston point guard after R-ndo was called for a harmless foul on the play.
It's frustrating, because I really want to like the Clippers. Everyone likes an underdog, and selfishly, I'd love to see the Lakers playing second fiddle in their own city. But in less than two years, Griffin has already developed the habits that cause me to loathe superstars like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. It's a shame, but at this point, it seems that I am doomed, from a basketball standpoint at least, to hate LA forever.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Los Angeles Lakers 97, Boston 94
[recap] [box score]
There were some good things to take from Sunday's game, and some bad things. All in all, this narrow loss to the Lakers emphasized the weaknesses of these Celtics: poor rebounding; an ineffective bench; and an over-reliance on jump shots.
Despite those weaknesses -- and a terrible first quarter, and a lethargic afternoon from Paul Pierce, and injuries to our top two centers -- we had a chance to win this game. Brandon Bass missed a wide-open 15-footer with less than a minute to go that would have put us up. He had hit a handful of similar, more difficult shots in the game, but this one just missed. The Lakers got the ball to Andrew Bynum deep in the post on the ensuing possession, and the young fella dropped in a six-foot hook over Kevin Garnett to put the Lakers up three. Boston got a couple of difficult looks at a game-tying three, but they went begging.
Headed to the Staples Center tomorrow night for the game against the Clippers (thanks Liz!). I'll have a more in-depth discussion of the team after that one, I think -- I've got some NCAA blogging to do tonight.
There were some good things to take from Sunday's game, and some bad things. All in all, this narrow loss to the Lakers emphasized the weaknesses of these Celtics: poor rebounding; an ineffective bench; and an over-reliance on jump shots.
Despite those weaknesses -- and a terrible first quarter, and a lethargic afternoon from Paul Pierce, and injuries to our top two centers -- we had a chance to win this game. Brandon Bass missed a wide-open 15-footer with less than a minute to go that would have put us up. He had hit a handful of similar, more difficult shots in the game, but this one just missed. The Lakers got the ball to Andrew Bynum deep in the post on the ensuing possession, and the young fella dropped in a six-foot hook over Kevin Garnett to put the Lakers up three. Boston got a couple of difficult looks at a game-tying three, but they went begging.
Headed to the Staples Center tomorrow night for the game against the Clippers (thanks Liz!). I'll have a more in-depth discussion of the team after that one, I think -- I've got some NCAA blogging to do tonight.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Viewing Alert
Celtics at Lakers, 3:30 p.m. Eastern, on ABC.
Haven't posted in nearly a month, a combination of the Nevada bar exam and the amount of college ball I've been watching during Championship Week. The Celtics limped into the All-Star break with five straight losses, then came out of the break with five straight wins. Then came a 32-point drubbing in Philly on Wednesday, followed by an embarassment of the Blazers in Boston on Friday (the Celtics led by 35 at halftime). That's lockout basketball for you.
We've got 3 1/2 games on the suddenly struggling Knicks for the seven seed, and the Bucks would have to make up 5 1/2 games on us to knock us out of the playoffs. It would great if we could catch Atlanta for the six (1 1/2 games) or even Philly for the Atlantic lead and no worse than the four (2 games), but the schedule starts to get really hard right about now. Eighteen of our final 27 games (that's two-thirds!) are on the road, including the next eight. And our road back-to-back-to-back looms in April, part of a stretch of 12 games in 17 days as the regular season winds down. So although I feel better about the playoffs than I did last month, they are by no means assured.
This road trip is a tough one. We play the Lakers and Clippers back-to-back, have the Warriors on Wednesday (we NEVER play well at Golden State), then are in Sacramento and Denver on Friday and Saturday. After that, it's back east for the Hawks on Monday, the Bucks on Thursday, and the Sixers on Friday. We should beat the Kings and Bucks, but we're not clearly better than any of the other teams. The Lakers haven't played well recently, and they're the first game on the trip. All this makes them maybe our best shot at a win on the trip other than Sacto and Milwaukee. So while beating L.A. is always nice, it carries some extra importance this time around.
BONUS VIEWING ALERT: ESPN is airing a documentary about Magic Johnson's HIV announcement at 9 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. I, like many others, remember quite a bit about November 7, 1991 -- it was the first time, of what turned out to be many, that life and basketball intersected for me. ESPN has done a great job with most of these films, which started as a series for the network's 30th anniversary, and I expect this one to be particularly compelling. So after digesting all the college basketball brackets, "The Announcement" might be a good way to end your night.
Haven't posted in nearly a month, a combination of the Nevada bar exam and the amount of college ball I've been watching during Championship Week. The Celtics limped into the All-Star break with five straight losses, then came out of the break with five straight wins. Then came a 32-point drubbing in Philly on Wednesday, followed by an embarassment of the Blazers in Boston on Friday (the Celtics led by 35 at halftime). That's lockout basketball for you.
We've got 3 1/2 games on the suddenly struggling Knicks for the seven seed, and the Bucks would have to make up 5 1/2 games on us to knock us out of the playoffs. It would great if we could catch Atlanta for the six (1 1/2 games) or even Philly for the Atlantic lead and no worse than the four (2 games), but the schedule starts to get really hard right about now. Eighteen of our final 27 games (that's two-thirds!) are on the road, including the next eight. And our road back-to-back-to-back looms in April, part of a stretch of 12 games in 17 days as the regular season winds down. So although I feel better about the playoffs than I did last month, they are by no means assured.
This road trip is a tough one. We play the Lakers and Clippers back-to-back, have the Warriors on Wednesday (we NEVER play well at Golden State), then are in Sacramento and Denver on Friday and Saturday. After that, it's back east for the Hawks on Monday, the Bucks on Thursday, and the Sixers on Friday. We should beat the Kings and Bucks, but we're not clearly better than any of the other teams. The Lakers haven't played well recently, and they're the first game on the trip. All this makes them maybe our best shot at a win on the trip other than Sacto and Milwaukee. So while beating L.A. is always nice, it carries some extra importance this time around.
BONUS VIEWING ALERT: ESPN is airing a documentary about Magic Johnson's HIV announcement at 9 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. I, like many others, remember quite a bit about November 7, 1991 -- it was the first time, of what turned out to be many, that life and basketball intersected for me. ESPN has done a great job with most of these films, which started as a series for the network's 30th anniversary, and I expect this one to be particularly compelling. So after digesting all the college basketball brackets, "The Announcement" might be a good way to end your night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
