Jared Sullinger, the rookie power forward who had forced his way into the starting lineup with his work on the glass, had apparently successful lumbar disc surgery on Friday. He's out for the year.
I'll get to the impact on this season in a minute, but the truth is, with Rajon Rondo going down with his torn ACL this week, this season is close to a lost cause. The biggest concern raised by this news is whether this surgery is the kind of thing that had doctors advising their teams to stay away from Sullinger in last summer's NBA Draft, a big part of the reason why the Ohio State sophomore fell from being a potential top overall pick and sure lottery selection all the way to Boston at 21.
Team doctors are saying that this is good for Sullinger, the idea being, I guess, that the surgery would relieve some pain or discomfort he'd been playing with for a while. That's encouraging, though I'm not sure I'd expect the team doctors to say anything different. During last night's broadcast, I also heard someone -- I think it was Doc -- say that they knew Sullinger would need the surgery, they had just hoped that it could wait until after the year.
It's not clear to me whether they knew that when they drafted him, or if that became apparent sometime during the summer, or training camp, or the season. Either way, we knew picking Sullinger was a risk, and I endorse the pick with the full understanding that his career could be over due to injuries before he could make any meaningful contribution to the team. Hopefully, we're not at that point already.
What concerns me most is that Sullinger already has what people sometimes call "old man game." The kid can barely jump, playing completely below the rim, relying completely on strength, guile, and his ample girth to hold off opponents for rebounds and score from strange angles. This could be considered a good thing, insofar as whatever athleticism this surgery may rob from him wasn't something he relied on to be effective. But looking down the road, what happens when he starts to get older and experience the natural deterioration that all players show? If he plays like he's 30 when he's 20, will he play like he's 35 when he's 25? This was a concern before the back surgery -- whether the procedure exacerbates it remains to be seen. But it was definitely the first thing that popped into my mind when I heard the news yesterday.
As for the rest of this season, the hits just keep on coming, I guess. Without Rondo, we were, at best, slight favorites to hang on to the eighth seed in the East, depending on whether Andrew Bynum comes back healthy for Philly. I honestly am not sure how much of an effect Sullinger's absence will have on Boston's postseason chances. Brandon Bass proved he could be a starting-caliber power forward year; his dropoff this season has been one of the bigger disappointments in a season that has been full of them. Bass isn't the rebounder Sullinger is, but he's adept at stepping in and taking the charge and in theory, anyway, his jumper is more consistent than the rookie's. (Though he hasn't been hitting it this year at all.) It means one fewer big body at Doc's disposal, which in turn means more "smallball" lineups with Paul Pierce, Jeff Green, and Kevin Garnett across the frontcourt. As someone who isn't a big believer in Green, that certainly concerns me, but to be fair, it's a lineup that Doc was likely committed to using more (especially in crunch-time) once Rondo went down.
What seems apparently early on here, though, is that Boston may already be in back-against-the-wall, play-as-though-your-season-depended-on-it mode. In previous seasons, Boston has sleepwalked through portions of the regular season schedule, the apparent attitude being that they'd wait until the playoffs, when the games really count, to exert themselves fully. With the current injuries putting the playoffs in doubt, that time is now. The Celtics have now won three straight without Rondo, beginning with the double overtime victory over the Heat last Sunday. True, their two most recent triumphs, Sacramento and Orlando, are bottom of the barrel squads this year, but these are the types of games that the Celtics, maddeningly, would drop all too often in recent seasons. (Heck, the Kings blew us out in Sacramento right after Christmas, a game I witnessed in person and wish I could unsee.) The last two times out, however, Boston has taken care of business, winning comfortably. The Celtics are dialed in a bit earlier this year, which means that the product is worth watching, even if the goals for the season have changed.
Showing posts with label Brandon Bass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Bass. Show all posts
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Boston 100, Charlotte 89
Six in a row now for the Celtics, who never trailed in this one. It was a bit closer than one would have liked, as Boston coughed up all of an 18-point lead before pulling away again in the second half. Still, considering Paul Pierce was 6 for 16 (including 2 of 8 from downtown) and Kevin Garnett was 2 for 11, this was a good win.
Rajon Rondo led the way with his third triple double of the year, a 17-point, 10-rebound, 12-assist effort that is actually relatively modest given the way he started: he amassed nine points, six boards, and five assists in the first quarter as he scored or assisted on each of Boston's first 19 point. For what I believe is the fourth straight game, at least, the Celtic bench had a major hand in this one. Jeff Green led the reserves with 11 points, most of them coming in the second quarter; Courtney Lee had nine points and Jared Sullinger eight. Jason Collins played well in a first-half stretch after both Brandon Bass and Sullinger went to the bench with foul trouble.
This marks Boston's longest winning streak in a couple of years, and there's reason to believe it can continue. The Cs host New Orleans on Wednesday and Chicago on Friday, before traveling to Detroit on Sunday and Cleveland on Tuesday. The Bulls are the toughest opponent in that stretch, but the Celtics could easily be riding a 10-game winning streak heading into a tough three-games-in-four-nights stretch towards the end of next week that sees them hosting the Knicks, traveling to Atlanta to face the Hawks, then returning to Boston for their first showdown with the Heat since opening night.
Rajon Rondo led the way with his third triple double of the year, a 17-point, 10-rebound, 12-assist effort that is actually relatively modest given the way he started: he amassed nine points, six boards, and five assists in the first quarter as he scored or assisted on each of Boston's first 19 point. For what I believe is the fourth straight game, at least, the Celtic bench had a major hand in this one. Jeff Green led the reserves with 11 points, most of them coming in the second quarter; Courtney Lee had nine points and Jared Sullinger eight. Jason Collins played well in a first-half stretch after both Brandon Bass and Sullinger went to the bench with foul trouble.
This marks Boston's longest winning streak in a couple of years, and there's reason to believe it can continue. The Cs host New Orleans on Wednesday and Chicago on Friday, before traveling to Detroit on Sunday and Cleveland on Tuesday. The Bulls are the toughest opponent in that stretch, but the Celtics could easily be riding a 10-game winning streak heading into a tough three-games-in-four-nights stretch towards the end of next week that sees them hosting the Knicks, traveling to Atlanta to face the Hawks, then returning to Boston for their first showdown with the Heat since opening night.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Boston 87, Phoenix 79
This is probably what Danny Ainge had in mind this offseason, when he assembled his deepest Celtics team as a GM. After a sluggish first period that ended with the visiting Suns up one, Boston built a 12-point lead by halftime, largely on the back of reserves. (Paul Pierce left the game for Jeff Green with 1:53 remaining in the first quarter and didn't re-enter until there was 1:16 left in the second.) Then, after the first unit surrendered a 17-2 run to start the third, the bench was again there to rescue them. Jason Terry and Jared Sullinger more or less finished the game alongside Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnet, making many of the key plays down the stretch.
The star of the night in my eyes was Sullinger, who played 34 minutes and recorded 12 points and 16 rebounds. Green led a balanced attack with 14 points, most of the in the second quarter, marking the one-year anniversary of his heart surgery with three powerful dunks: a one-dribble drive around Michael Beasley followed by a monster one-handed stuff over a late-arriving Jermaine O'Neal; a two-handed rim-rocker off of a lob from Avery Bradley on the fast break; and another two-hander, in the second half, off of a backdoor cut, thanks to a nifty feed from Garnett out at the top of the key. Terry had 13 points (to go along with five rebounds and five assists) and was the first bench guy to get his offense going on the night.
That means, of course, that it was a quiet night for the starters, only one of whom -- Garnett -- finished in double figures. Other than KG, the first unit really struggled. Pierce was unusually quiet, finishing with seven points (on ten shots) in just 24 minuts, though he did have a big bucket to stem the third-quarter tide, as well as a key assist to Sullinger as Phoenix appeared to be closing in on the Cs late. Bradley started the game well, but fizzled out a bit and Doc limited him to just 18 minutes. Brandon Bass went 2-for-8 and saw much of his playing time fall to Sullinger.
Rajon Rondo finished with eight points and eight assists -- including a long one to a streaking Jason Terry late that left me marveling, again, at is court vision and feel for the game -- but it was a fairly uninspiring performance from him. He had four turnovers and never really got the starting unit going. What I loved, though, was that at the end of the third quarter (or perhaps the start of the fourth quarter), Rondo was standing up on the bench, coaching the defense -- on the broadcast, you could specifically hear him talking to Terry. That's the kind of leadership you want to see from your point guard, but Rondo hasn't always shown it, particularly on nights when he's not as involved in the game on the court. (Rondo also picked up a technical during that stretch for exchanging words with P.J. Tucker, who had some words for him after scoring on a drive early in the fourth.)
Boston's now on a four-game winning streak and sits at 18-17, with the majority of a five-game homestand still in front of it. The Rockets, coached by Kevin McHale, visit on Friday.
The star of the night in my eyes was Sullinger, who played 34 minutes and recorded 12 points and 16 rebounds. Green led a balanced attack with 14 points, most of the in the second quarter, marking the one-year anniversary of his heart surgery with three powerful dunks: a one-dribble drive around Michael Beasley followed by a monster one-handed stuff over a late-arriving Jermaine O'Neal; a two-handed rim-rocker off of a lob from Avery Bradley on the fast break; and another two-hander, in the second half, off of a backdoor cut, thanks to a nifty feed from Garnett out at the top of the key. Terry had 13 points (to go along with five rebounds and five assists) and was the first bench guy to get his offense going on the night.
That means, of course, that it was a quiet night for the starters, only one of whom -- Garnett -- finished in double figures. Other than KG, the first unit really struggled. Pierce was unusually quiet, finishing with seven points (on ten shots) in just 24 minuts, though he did have a big bucket to stem the third-quarter tide, as well as a key assist to Sullinger as Phoenix appeared to be closing in on the Cs late. Bradley started the game well, but fizzled out a bit and Doc limited him to just 18 minutes. Brandon Bass went 2-for-8 and saw much of his playing time fall to Sullinger.
Rajon Rondo finished with eight points and eight assists -- including a long one to a streaking Jason Terry late that left me marveling, again, at is court vision and feel for the game -- but it was a fairly uninspiring performance from him. He had four turnovers and never really got the starting unit going. What I loved, though, was that at the end of the third quarter (or perhaps the start of the fourth quarter), Rondo was standing up on the bench, coaching the defense -- on the broadcast, you could specifically hear him talking to Terry. That's the kind of leadership you want to see from your point guard, but Rondo hasn't always shown it, particularly on nights when he's not as involved in the game on the court. (Rondo also picked up a technical during that stretch for exchanging words with P.J. Tucker, who had some words for him after scoring on a drive early in the fourth.)
Boston's now on a four-game winning streak and sits at 18-17, with the majority of a five-game homestand still in front of it. The Rockets, coached by Kevin McHale, visit on Friday.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Celtics Split Four in Five Days
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Boston 101, Philadelphia 85
[recap] [box score]
This was not your typical 16-point blowout.
I think most people expected the veteran Celtics to come out strong at home in Game 5 against Philadelphia, taking back the control they gave up in blowing a big second-half lead on Friday. But it was the Sixers who seemed to dominate the first 24 minutes, making shot after shot and being opportunistic in transition. Boston didn't play poorly in the first half, but with the halftime score 50-47 in favor of the visitors, it certainly felt like the Celtics were the ones hanging on for dear life. (Looking back, there was reason to believe that things would swing toward Boston in the second half. Philly was scoring mainly on jump shots -- leading to a big free throw advantage for Boston that helped us stay close -- and they were hitting some tough looks. Boston was often getting better shots, but they simply weren't dropping.)
And it got worse before it got better. Trailing by six early in the third quarter, Kevin Garnett threw an uncertain pass out front that Andre Iguodala stole. Trying to prevent an easy dunk, Paul Pierce reached out and grabbed the Sixers forward. It was a good thought and a defensible reaction, but the result was a clear path foul, two shots and the ball -- potentially a four- or five-point possession, one of the biggest momentum-grabbing moments that can happen in a professional basketball game. But Iguodala missed both free throws, and Philly turned it over on the ensuing possession. And then, as Philly coach Doug Collins pointed out, the game turned, irreversibly, in favor of Boston.
That was when Brandon Bass, of all people, took over. He scored 18 points in the third quarter alone, two more than the entire Philly team combined. He did it first inside, with a handful of explosive dunks in traffic, precisely the kind of finish we never got from Glen Davis. He then moved out to more familiar territory, drilling a number of the midrange jumpers that have been his staple all season. Bass, who had been solid but not spectacular in the Philly series after having a tough time against Atlanta, had a game-high 27 points, and tied for the team lead with six rebounds.
If Bass gets the game ball, he owes an assist to Rajon Rondo (which he gave, by the way, in his post-game comments to David Aldrich). Rondo was, of course, the catalyst for many of Bass' buckets. But while his primary role was distributor, particularly in the third quarter, he provided much needed scoring at crucial moments -- initially in the first quarter to keep the game close; most crucially in the fourth quarter, after Boston had extended its lead out to double digits, when the offense has historically bogged down.
Honorable mention to Greg Stiemsma, who had eight of his ten points in the first quarter and blocked three shots in just 14 minutes of game action. Stiemsma has played sparingly this series and didn't see the court in Game 4, which is an indictment of Doc, really, now that we know that the rookie's foot injury isn't what kept him out of action. He was a little late closing out on a couple of Lavoy Allen foul line jumpers, but his first-quarter offense was crucial and on one second-half possession, he made a great catch on a tough pass from Ray Allen, then made a pretty left-handed dish that resulted in a couple of Bass free throws. His health permitting, Stiemsma needs to be the first big man off the bench moving forward, not Ryan Hollins.
Speaking of Ray Allen, since I gave him a hard time for his defense in Game 4, I should wrap up this post by acknowledging his play on that end of the court in Game 5. Retaking his place in the starting lineup from Avery Bradley, whose bum shoulders kept him out of this game, Allen contributed little offensively, canning one three-pointer early but making just one other shot the rest of the way. But Allen was more or less as effective as he's ever been for Boston on defense, fighting through the pain of bone spurs in his ankles to stay in the faces of Philly's younger, quicker shooters. Boston's entire defense was really good in the second half, and it feels wrong to single out just one guy. But Ray deserves special mention because of everything he's going through.
Garnett and Pierce were their usual excellent selves. Garnett against Philly's bigs is a better matchup than Pierce (with the sprained knee) versus Iguodala, and so KG is carrying a bigger offensive load than we've come to expect. Garnett overcame a slow start to score 20 points on 8-for-17, while Pierce scored 16 points, going a perfect nine for nine from the free throw line.
Back to Philly for Game 6 on Wednesday (8 p.m. Eastern, ESPN). Twice before, Boston has seized the momentum in this back-and-forth series, and twice, Philly has answered -- though to be completely honest, Boston has been complicit both times. With all the injuries, avoiding Game 7 would be huge. Boston is fully capable of winning Game 6 -- Boston has fairly dominated three of the four halves of basketball played in Philly thus far in the series -- but it's not going to be easy. It'll take the same kind of effort, only better, with one less day of rest than we had between games 4 and 5. And I expect we'll have to do it without Bradley again; Doc's pre-game comments on Monday seemed to suggest that he may be only sporadically available the rest of the way. Things aren't getting any easier, but that seems to be when these Celtics play their best.
This was not your typical 16-point blowout.
I think most people expected the veteran Celtics to come out strong at home in Game 5 against Philadelphia, taking back the control they gave up in blowing a big second-half lead on Friday. But it was the Sixers who seemed to dominate the first 24 minutes, making shot after shot and being opportunistic in transition. Boston didn't play poorly in the first half, but with the halftime score 50-47 in favor of the visitors, it certainly felt like the Celtics were the ones hanging on for dear life. (Looking back, there was reason to believe that things would swing toward Boston in the second half. Philly was scoring mainly on jump shots -- leading to a big free throw advantage for Boston that helped us stay close -- and they were hitting some tough looks. Boston was often getting better shots, but they simply weren't dropping.)
And it got worse before it got better. Trailing by six early in the third quarter, Kevin Garnett threw an uncertain pass out front that Andre Iguodala stole. Trying to prevent an easy dunk, Paul Pierce reached out and grabbed the Sixers forward. It was a good thought and a defensible reaction, but the result was a clear path foul, two shots and the ball -- potentially a four- or five-point possession, one of the biggest momentum-grabbing moments that can happen in a professional basketball game. But Iguodala missed both free throws, and Philly turned it over on the ensuing possession. And then, as Philly coach Doug Collins pointed out, the game turned, irreversibly, in favor of Boston.
That was when Brandon Bass, of all people, took over. He scored 18 points in the third quarter alone, two more than the entire Philly team combined. He did it first inside, with a handful of explosive dunks in traffic, precisely the kind of finish we never got from Glen Davis. He then moved out to more familiar territory, drilling a number of the midrange jumpers that have been his staple all season. Bass, who had been solid but not spectacular in the Philly series after having a tough time against Atlanta, had a game-high 27 points, and tied for the team lead with six rebounds.
If Bass gets the game ball, he owes an assist to Rajon Rondo (which he gave, by the way, in his post-game comments to David Aldrich). Rondo was, of course, the catalyst for many of Bass' buckets. But while his primary role was distributor, particularly in the third quarter, he provided much needed scoring at crucial moments -- initially in the first quarter to keep the game close; most crucially in the fourth quarter, after Boston had extended its lead out to double digits, when the offense has historically bogged down.
Honorable mention to Greg Stiemsma, who had eight of his ten points in the first quarter and blocked three shots in just 14 minutes of game action. Stiemsma has played sparingly this series and didn't see the court in Game 4, which is an indictment of Doc, really, now that we know that the rookie's foot injury isn't what kept him out of action. He was a little late closing out on a couple of Lavoy Allen foul line jumpers, but his first-quarter offense was crucial and on one second-half possession, he made a great catch on a tough pass from Ray Allen, then made a pretty left-handed dish that resulted in a couple of Bass free throws. His health permitting, Stiemsma needs to be the first big man off the bench moving forward, not Ryan Hollins.
Speaking of Ray Allen, since I gave him a hard time for his defense in Game 4, I should wrap up this post by acknowledging his play on that end of the court in Game 5. Retaking his place in the starting lineup from Avery Bradley, whose bum shoulders kept him out of this game, Allen contributed little offensively, canning one three-pointer early but making just one other shot the rest of the way. But Allen was more or less as effective as he's ever been for Boston on defense, fighting through the pain of bone spurs in his ankles to stay in the faces of Philly's younger, quicker shooters. Boston's entire defense was really good in the second half, and it feels wrong to single out just one guy. But Ray deserves special mention because of everything he's going through.
Garnett and Pierce were their usual excellent selves. Garnett against Philly's bigs is a better matchup than Pierce (with the sprained knee) versus Iguodala, and so KG is carrying a bigger offensive load than we've come to expect. Garnett overcame a slow start to score 20 points on 8-for-17, while Pierce scored 16 points, going a perfect nine for nine from the free throw line.
Back to Philly for Game 6 on Wednesday (8 p.m. Eastern, ESPN). Twice before, Boston has seized the momentum in this back-and-forth series, and twice, Philly has answered -- though to be completely honest, Boston has been complicit both times. With all the injuries, avoiding Game 7 would be huge. Boston is fully capable of winning Game 6 -- Boston has fairly dominated three of the four halves of basketball played in Philly thus far in the series -- but it's not going to be easy. It'll take the same kind of effort, only better, with one less day of rest than we had between games 4 and 5. And I expect we'll have to do it without Bradley again; Doc's pre-game comments on Monday seemed to suggest that he may be only sporadically available the rest of the way. Things aren't getting any easier, but that seems to be when these Celtics play their best.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Philadelphia 92, Boston 83
[recap] [box score]
I don't want to write about this game any more than you want to read about it, so this will be uncharacteristically brief. If you hadn't heard, Boston went up 14-0, had an 18-point lead in the third quarter, and lost.
Philly's execution was much better than Boston's in the fourth quarter, but this game was really lost in the third. Boston went cold, stopped going to Kevin Garnett in the post, and started forcing passes and turning the ball over. Meanwhile, some questionable calls against the Celtics allowed Philly's free throw advantage to balloon to something like 30 to 12, and Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Brandon Bass all picked up their fourth fouls. With our short bench, and the fact that Bass was having his first good game in a while, having those guys sitting really hurt -- Garnett couldn't take his normal rest (which hurt in the fourth) and the offensive sparkplugs we so desperately needed were on the sidelines.
I thought Doc made some tactical errors in the fourth, too. Most importantly, I thought it was a big mistake to counter Philly's small lineup of Jrue Holiday-Louis Williams-Andre Iguodala-Thaddeus Young-Lavoy Allen with Rondo-Bradley-Ray Allen-Pierce-Garnett. Specifically, Allen instead of Bass or Mickael Pietrus made little sense to me. Allen is not a good defender, and this lineup has him trying to guard bigger men -- Iguodala or Young -- while dealing with bone spurs in his ankle that make it impossible for him to establish a strong, solid base.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be so bad, because Allen, when healthy, poses obvious matchup problems on the other end. But Allen isn't healthy, and whether it's because he's out of game shape or because his ankles are really bothering him, he's been almost a complete non-factor in this series. Because he's not able to free himself up on offense, he doesn't balance out the liability on the other end of the court.
I get that Doc trusts Ray, and that Young, a combo forward, poses a tough matchup for Bass, as well. But if you have to live with a mismatch on the defensive end, you need to be able to balance it on the offensive end, and Bass does that better than Allen in Allen's current condition. And if not Bass, then how about Pietrus, who was a non-factor on offense but who at least has a chance of guarding someone.
The other mistake, I thought, was putting Rondo on Williams and Bradley on Holiday. The Sixers were playing through Williams, who came up with some big buckets. Rondo is no slouch defensively, but Bradley's supposed to be our lockdown guy, and Rondo was having problems with Williams.
We've got an extra day of rest before Game 5 on Monday, and it's one we need. Garnett played 40 minutes tonight, and this should give us some time to get Allen and Pierce (whose knee, for the second straight game, didn't appear to hamper him much) a little healthier. It does mean an extra day to stew while the Sixers have an extra day for their confidence to grow, something that could be a concern under certain circumstances. But the Celtics are veterans, familiar with this process, and used to not having things come easily. I expect they'll answer the bell yet again and win Game 5, and eventually, the series. But games like this, in addition to being frustrating to watch, may come back to haunt the team -- if not this series, then the next one.
I don't want to write about this game any more than you want to read about it, so this will be uncharacteristically brief. If you hadn't heard, Boston went up 14-0, had an 18-point lead in the third quarter, and lost.
Philly's execution was much better than Boston's in the fourth quarter, but this game was really lost in the third. Boston went cold, stopped going to Kevin Garnett in the post, and started forcing passes and turning the ball over. Meanwhile, some questionable calls against the Celtics allowed Philly's free throw advantage to balloon to something like 30 to 12, and Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Brandon Bass all picked up their fourth fouls. With our short bench, and the fact that Bass was having his first good game in a while, having those guys sitting really hurt -- Garnett couldn't take his normal rest (which hurt in the fourth) and the offensive sparkplugs we so desperately needed were on the sidelines.
I thought Doc made some tactical errors in the fourth, too. Most importantly, I thought it was a big mistake to counter Philly's small lineup of Jrue Holiday-Louis Williams-Andre Iguodala-Thaddeus Young-Lavoy Allen with Rondo-Bradley-Ray Allen-Pierce-Garnett. Specifically, Allen instead of Bass or Mickael Pietrus made little sense to me. Allen is not a good defender, and this lineup has him trying to guard bigger men -- Iguodala or Young -- while dealing with bone spurs in his ankle that make it impossible for him to establish a strong, solid base.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be so bad, because Allen, when healthy, poses obvious matchup problems on the other end. But Allen isn't healthy, and whether it's because he's out of game shape or because his ankles are really bothering him, he's been almost a complete non-factor in this series. Because he's not able to free himself up on offense, he doesn't balance out the liability on the other end of the court.
I get that Doc trusts Ray, and that Young, a combo forward, poses a tough matchup for Bass, as well. But if you have to live with a mismatch on the defensive end, you need to be able to balance it on the offensive end, and Bass does that better than Allen in Allen's current condition. And if not Bass, then how about Pietrus, who was a non-factor on offense but who at least has a chance of guarding someone.
The other mistake, I thought, was putting Rondo on Williams and Bradley on Holiday. The Sixers were playing through Williams, who came up with some big buckets. Rondo is no slouch defensively, but Bradley's supposed to be our lockdown guy, and Rondo was having problems with Williams.
We've got an extra day of rest before Game 5 on Monday, and it's one we need. Garnett played 40 minutes tonight, and this should give us some time to get Allen and Pierce (whose knee, for the second straight game, didn't appear to hamper him much) a little healthier. It does mean an extra day to stew while the Sixers have an extra day for their confidence to grow, something that could be a concern under certain circumstances. But the Celtics are veterans, familiar with this process, and used to not having things come easily. I expect they'll answer the bell yet again and win Game 5, and eventually, the series. But games like this, in addition to being frustrating to watch, may come back to haunt the team -- if not this series, then the next one.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Philadelphia 82, Boston 81
[recap] [box score]
I'm going to get to the officiating in a second, but I want to be clear about one thing: It didn't cost us the game. The Celtics take sole responsibility for this loss. They came out with good energy and a good pace, scored the first nine points of the game, and then decided that -- just like in Game 1 -- they didn't need to show up again on the offensive end until the fourth quarter. Boston played with fire, and got burned when the Sixers hit a couple of big, tough shots.
Now, the officiating. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Kevin Garnett sets more moving screens than anyone in the league, that he had been setting them all night, and that the screen he set on Andre Iguodala to free up Paul Pierce on Boston's final meaningful possession was, in fact, a bad one. You still can't suddenly start calling moving screens in the final seconds of a game like that. You want to call moving screens? Fine: Do it early, make it clear that you're not putting up with it tonight. But you can't let a guy screen one way all night and then ding him for it on the game's most crucial possession.
The really frustrating thing for me is that I don't think it was a bad screen at all. The initial contact was fine, and then you can see KG leaning towards Iguodala ... but he never actually touches him. I suppose I can see why the ref called it, but he was standing right there and looking right at it. And I'm doubly frustrated because KG had been getting mauled all night inside without getting anything from the officials. It's annoying that the guy who was fouled all game is the one hit with the ticky-tack foul in the crucial moment.
But, again, the bad call didn't cost Boston the game, and as Charles Barkley said afterwards, that's why you don't screw around in the playoffs. Boston didn't put forth a maximum effort, and as a result, they lost. A bunch of weird stuff unlikely to repeat itself had to happen in order for them to lose, but Boston deserves the blame for letting themselves get into a position where that stuff could beat them.
A few additional comments:
1. Pierce was moving better to start this game, but he looked out of synch all night and was totally ineffective on offense. Down the stretch, you could see Rondo was hesitant to go to him, looking him off in the marginal situations in which he used to force the ball to him. The knee has to be bothering Pierce more than he wants us to believe.
2. In the first half we gave Philly a heavy dose of Brandon Bass pick-and-pop, but it was all baseline, and not at his preferred spot, the elbow. I'm not sure if the Sixers were forcing us into that or what, but Bass has been struggling in the playoffs and a good way to get him going would be to start giving him the ball in the spots in which he's comfortable.
3. The role players were really good tonight. Ryan Hollins and Greg Stiemsma brought a lot of energy, as did Keyon Dooling, and Mickael Pietrus nailed a couple huge three-pointers in the fourth quarter. They gave the starters more than they should need to win.
Back to Philly for Game 3 on Wednesday. If this is the Sixers' best shot, and I think it might be, then we should win the series without too much trouble.
As long as we show up, that is.
I'm going to get to the officiating in a second, but I want to be clear about one thing: It didn't cost us the game. The Celtics take sole responsibility for this loss. They came out with good energy and a good pace, scored the first nine points of the game, and then decided that -- just like in Game 1 -- they didn't need to show up again on the offensive end until the fourth quarter. Boston played with fire, and got burned when the Sixers hit a couple of big, tough shots.
Now, the officiating. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Kevin Garnett sets more moving screens than anyone in the league, that he had been setting them all night, and that the screen he set on Andre Iguodala to free up Paul Pierce on Boston's final meaningful possession was, in fact, a bad one. You still can't suddenly start calling moving screens in the final seconds of a game like that. You want to call moving screens? Fine: Do it early, make it clear that you're not putting up with it tonight. But you can't let a guy screen one way all night and then ding him for it on the game's most crucial possession.
The really frustrating thing for me is that I don't think it was a bad screen at all. The initial contact was fine, and then you can see KG leaning towards Iguodala ... but he never actually touches him. I suppose I can see why the ref called it, but he was standing right there and looking right at it. And I'm doubly frustrated because KG had been getting mauled all night inside without getting anything from the officials. It's annoying that the guy who was fouled all game is the one hit with the ticky-tack foul in the crucial moment.
But, again, the bad call didn't cost Boston the game, and as Charles Barkley said afterwards, that's why you don't screw around in the playoffs. Boston didn't put forth a maximum effort, and as a result, they lost. A bunch of weird stuff unlikely to repeat itself had to happen in order for them to lose, but Boston deserves the blame for letting themselves get into a position where that stuff could beat them.
A few additional comments:
1. Pierce was moving better to start this game, but he looked out of synch all night and was totally ineffective on offense. Down the stretch, you could see Rondo was hesitant to go to him, looking him off in the marginal situations in which he used to force the ball to him. The knee has to be bothering Pierce more than he wants us to believe.
2. In the first half we gave Philly a heavy dose of Brandon Bass pick-and-pop, but it was all baseline, and not at his preferred spot, the elbow. I'm not sure if the Sixers were forcing us into that or what, but Bass has been struggling in the playoffs and a good way to get him going would be to start giving him the ball in the spots in which he's comfortable.
3. The role players were really good tonight. Ryan Hollins and Greg Stiemsma brought a lot of energy, as did Keyon Dooling, and Mickael Pietrus nailed a couple huge three-pointers in the fourth quarter. They gave the starters more than they should need to win.
Back to Philly for Game 3 on Wednesday. If this is the Sixers' best shot, and I think it might be, then we should win the series without too much trouble.
As long as we show up, that is.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Boston 87, Atlanta 80
[recap] [box score]
I gotta admit it, I wasn't terribly confident heading into Game 2. Already without Ray Allen and now down Rajon R-ndo, our best player in Game 1, I figured Tuesday night was probably a lost cause. I was still pretty sure we'd win the series, but I was thinking we'd more than likely be heading back to Boston down 0-2.
But from the very moment that Paul Pierce stole the opening tip and powered past one defender, spun around another, and laid the ball in, I started to get a feeling that all was not lost, and that we were about to see a vintage Pierce performance. That feeling grew over the next few minutes, as Pierce scored Boston's next seven points, as well: a pull-up jumper; a skip between two Atlanta defenders for a running banker and the foul; another jumper. Largely due to his efforts, the first quarter ended with the score tied at 24.
Truthfully(!), I expected nothing less from the Captain. He was outstanding in the point forward role when R-ndo was out earlier in the year, and after a 12-point performance in Game 1, you just knew he would come up with a big-time performance in this one. The question, though, was whether it would be enough. At his age, in this season, there was no way he could carry us for the whole game. And he didn't. Instead, he paced himself after a 13-point first, coasting through quarters two and three with ten points, before exploding for another 13 in the fourth. All told, he racked up 36 points in 44 minutes, added four assists, and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for good measure.
Pierce was far from perfect in this game. He shot 12-for-26, which is good, not great. He made a couple of really strange, lazy passes early in the third quarter, and made a few crucial errors in the fourth quarter. Yet he made up the mistakes with more than enough huge plays. To wit: After Boston climbed back from down 11 to finally take the lead, Pierce tried an ill-advised spin move around Kirk Hinrich that Hinrich snuffed out; Pierce was called for a loose-ball foul trying to recover the ball. A few possessions later, however, Pierce got a dunk on the break, then hit an assassin-like three in transition to push the lead to seven. On Atlanta's next possession, Avery Bradley stripped Ivan Johnson, but Pierce double-dribbled in transition. To make matters worse, he bought Johnson's pump-fake on the ensuing play, and fouled the Atlanta rookie as he was draining a long jumper, resulting in an improbable three-point play that left the game in jeopardy. But on the very next trip, Pierce hit a tough pull-up, restoring order with 2:30 to go.
He wasn't perfect, but he didn't have to be. He was Paul Pierce. And Paul Pierce, when he's playing like Paul Pierce, is spectacular, flaws and all.
Pierce wasn't alone. Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Avery Bradley looked much more comfortable than he did in Game 1 and provided some much needed offense and his usual strong D. Brandon Bass was quiet again, but better. No one off the bench really had a huge impact, but they all managed to play minutes without giving up too much.
A few words about the Hawks: Boston's defense was great tonight, along the lines of what it was in the final three quarters of Game 1, but the Hawks were positively puzzling on offense over the final 15 minutes or so, once they had stretched their lead to double digits. To say even that they have terrible shot selection is probably too generous, since it at least implies that they are being somewhat selective in the shots they take. Jeff Teague dazzled for much of the game, then failed to adjust when Boston clogged the lane against him and forced some tough shots. Joe Johnson was uncharacteristically unassertive for most of the night, then rocketed a crazy 26-footer off the backboard down five with 12 on the shot clock and 1:15 on the game, which effectively sealed Atlanta's fate. Ivan Johnson tried several times to create his own offense down the stretch, which is the last thing the Hawks want. It's hard to blame him, though; he's probably learned from Josh Smith, the classic "remembers-his-makes, forgets-his-misses" guy whose refusal to stay off the perimeter has put a ceiling on both his personal development and the development of his team.
Even worse for the Hawks, Smith hurt his knee while battling for rebounding position with Garnett, and missed the final 4:30 or so. (Incidentally, a lot of people will want to say that Smith's departure cost the Hawks the game, but Boston had taken the lead by then and Atlanta had been lost offensively for several minutes by that point.) There's no word, as of this writing, the extent of Smith's injury or whether he'll miss any time. As confounding as Smith can be at times, he's one of their catalysts on offense and is a huge presence on the boards and on the defensive end. He'd be sorely missed, particularly given that Atlanta is already down a couple of bigs.
Game 3 is Friday night in Boston, at 7;30 on ESPN. The Celtics need to win the next two to keep this momentum going. Boston started the year with one of the worst benches in the league; due to injuries and the suspension, 60% of our starting lineup was filled with guys who were slotted for reserve roles when the season began just four months ago. There's an understanding among NBA types that the bench only matters in the regular season, that starters win playoff games, but that presupposes that the second unit consists of guys who, at a minimum, are competent replacement-level NBA players. Not many guys on Boston's revamped second unit fit that category.
I gotta admit it, I wasn't terribly confident heading into Game 2. Already without Ray Allen and now down Rajon R-ndo, our best player in Game 1, I figured Tuesday night was probably a lost cause. I was still pretty sure we'd win the series, but I was thinking we'd more than likely be heading back to Boston down 0-2.
But from the very moment that Paul Pierce stole the opening tip and powered past one defender, spun around another, and laid the ball in, I started to get a feeling that all was not lost, and that we were about to see a vintage Pierce performance. That feeling grew over the next few minutes, as Pierce scored Boston's next seven points, as well: a pull-up jumper; a skip between two Atlanta defenders for a running banker and the foul; another jumper. Largely due to his efforts, the first quarter ended with the score tied at 24.
Truthfully(!), I expected nothing less from the Captain. He was outstanding in the point forward role when R-ndo was out earlier in the year, and after a 12-point performance in Game 1, you just knew he would come up with a big-time performance in this one. The question, though, was whether it would be enough. At his age, in this season, there was no way he could carry us for the whole game. And he didn't. Instead, he paced himself after a 13-point first, coasting through quarters two and three with ten points, before exploding for another 13 in the fourth. All told, he racked up 36 points in 44 minutes, added four assists, and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for good measure.
Pierce was far from perfect in this game. He shot 12-for-26, which is good, not great. He made a couple of really strange, lazy passes early in the third quarter, and made a few crucial errors in the fourth quarter. Yet he made up the mistakes with more than enough huge plays. To wit: After Boston climbed back from down 11 to finally take the lead, Pierce tried an ill-advised spin move around Kirk Hinrich that Hinrich snuffed out; Pierce was called for a loose-ball foul trying to recover the ball. A few possessions later, however, Pierce got a dunk on the break, then hit an assassin-like three in transition to push the lead to seven. On Atlanta's next possession, Avery Bradley stripped Ivan Johnson, but Pierce double-dribbled in transition. To make matters worse, he bought Johnson's pump-fake on the ensuing play, and fouled the Atlanta rookie as he was draining a long jumper, resulting in an improbable three-point play that left the game in jeopardy. But on the very next trip, Pierce hit a tough pull-up, restoring order with 2:30 to go.
He wasn't perfect, but he didn't have to be. He was Paul Pierce. And Paul Pierce, when he's playing like Paul Pierce, is spectacular, flaws and all.
Pierce wasn't alone. Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Avery Bradley looked much more comfortable than he did in Game 1 and provided some much needed offense and his usual strong D. Brandon Bass was quiet again, but better. No one off the bench really had a huge impact, but they all managed to play minutes without giving up too much.
A few words about the Hawks: Boston's defense was great tonight, along the lines of what it was in the final three quarters of Game 1, but the Hawks were positively puzzling on offense over the final 15 minutes or so, once they had stretched their lead to double digits. To say even that they have terrible shot selection is probably too generous, since it at least implies that they are being somewhat selective in the shots they take. Jeff Teague dazzled for much of the game, then failed to adjust when Boston clogged the lane against him and forced some tough shots. Joe Johnson was uncharacteristically unassertive for most of the night, then rocketed a crazy 26-footer off the backboard down five with 12 on the shot clock and 1:15 on the game, which effectively sealed Atlanta's fate. Ivan Johnson tried several times to create his own offense down the stretch, which is the last thing the Hawks want. It's hard to blame him, though; he's probably learned from Josh Smith, the classic "remembers-his-makes, forgets-his-misses" guy whose refusal to stay off the perimeter has put a ceiling on both his personal development and the development of his team.
Even worse for the Hawks, Smith hurt his knee while battling for rebounding position with Garnett, and missed the final 4:30 or so. (Incidentally, a lot of people will want to say that Smith's departure cost the Hawks the game, but Boston had taken the lead by then and Atlanta had been lost offensively for several minutes by that point.) There's no word, as of this writing, the extent of Smith's injury or whether he'll miss any time. As confounding as Smith can be at times, he's one of their catalysts on offense and is a huge presence on the boards and on the defensive end. He'd be sorely missed, particularly given that Atlanta is already down a couple of bigs.
Game 3 is Friday night in Boston, at 7;30 on ESPN. The Celtics need to win the next two to keep this momentum going. Boston started the year with one of the worst benches in the league; due to injuries and the suspension, 60% of our starting lineup was filled with guys who were slotted for reserve roles when the season began just four months ago. There's an understanding among NBA types that the bench only matters in the regular season, that starters win playoff games, but that presupposes that the second unit consists of guys who, at a minimum, are competent replacement-level NBA players. Not many guys on Boston's revamped second unit fit that category.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Atlanta 83, Boston 74
[recap] [box score]
Rajon R-ndo did a very bad thing tonight.
Here's the video, in case you weren't watching the game. Basically, with the Celtics down four and about 40 seconds to go, Brandon Bass was called for a loose-ball foul by official Mark Davis after a wild scramble. R-ndo didn't like the call and got in Davis' face; Davis turned to the scorer's table to ring him up; R-ndo took a step forward, tripped slightly, and then quite deliberately bumped Davis in the back with his chest. Davis rightly tossed him; Atlanta made three of the four ensuing free throws, and that was that.
I want to address a few of the talking points surrounding the incident before getting on with analyzing the basketball game (though the Celtics played so badly that there's little to talk about in that regard).
1. It was a foul on Bass. People like to get upset at officials for calling fouls on these types of plays, but I thought Davis handled this one perfectly. He let Bass and Josh Smith scramble for the ball, and once Smith had it, Bass ended up with his arm across Smith's face and neck. The ball was no longer loose at that point. Not that it being a bad call would excuse what happened after that, but anyone using the classic "if the refs called the game right, the players wouldn't get upset" argument is even more wrong than usual. It was a clear foul.
2. R-ndo definitely tripped when he took that step towards Davis. He did not, contrary to his claim after the game, trip into Davis. He inadvertently stepped on Davis' foot and that caused him to stumble towards the official, but R-ndo quite deliberately closed the gap between the two.
3. My prediction is that R-ndo will get a one-game suspension. From what I understand, one game is the minimum required by NBA rules. There are arguments, I think, for giving him more, including his two-game ban earlier this year for tossing the ball at an official. But I think public opinion is a big factor in deciding the length of these suspensions that the NBA hands down, and the majority of the talking heads seem to be saying that they don't think R-ndo should be suspended. That's obviously not happening; there's no chance he gets off scot-free. But since the general sentiment seems to be that his punishment should be minimal, a suspension that lasts for multiple games won't play well. (And I think that's particularly true in light of some overly paternalistic officiating in the Heat-Knicks game and the absences of Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose from these playoffs due to injuries.)
4. There probably are few, if any, bigger R-ndo fans-slant-apologists than I, but there's no excusing what he did. He lost his cool, and it cost his team a chance at the game -- and put them in a hole for at least the next game, as well. I don't love him any less for it, but he messed up and he deserves the criticism that's coming his way.
Back to the Xs and Os. It's really a shame that R-ndo's night ended the way it did, because he was really the only Celtic who was consistent throughout the game. After subordinating his own scoring for most of the second half of the season, R-ndo recognized that the usual suspects weren't off to a great start and kept the Cs remotely close during a torrid first quarter from the Hawks. He finished with 20 points and 11 assists on 10-for-18 from the floor, the most shots he's taken since March 4.
Other than that, it was a very uneven performance for the Celtics. They were terribly defensively at the start, though it was exacerbated by some really good Hawks shooting, but turned up the pressure considerably in the second half. Kevin Garnett was awful to start, opening 1-for-9, but made seven of his last ten and finished with 20 points and 12 boards. Paul Pierce never really got going, though, to his credit, he did about as good a job on Joe Johnson defensively as Johnson did on him. I thought Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass were non-existent all night. Greg Stiemsma had nine rebounds, but other than that, the bench didn't contribute anything.
Assuming R-ndo only misses a game, and even assuming that Atlanta wins that game, I don't think Sunday's game changes much regarding the outcome of the series. Boston came out incredibly flat, something I don't think you'll see again now that the Hawks have their full attention. Garnett and Bradley got plenty of the open jump shots they've been making recently; they just missed them. I do think Bass is going to have a tough time scoring against Smith, but I expect to see some of these shots go down and I think we'll see a different Paul Pierce in from here on out.
Defensively, we showed what we were capable of in the second half. The effort wasn't there in the first, but it's worth noting that the Hawks came out on fire. Smith was excellent all night, but he hit a number of tough jumpers that I'm sure we're comfortable with him taking the rest of the series. Kirk Hinrich was key, as well; he hit a couple of threes early and then made some tough shots in the third quarter when Boston seemed on the verge of making a run.
Game 2 is Tuesday night on NBA TV. I'll have an update with the length of Rondo's suspension once it's announced.
Rajon R-ndo did a very bad thing tonight.
Here's the video, in case you weren't watching the game. Basically, with the Celtics down four and about 40 seconds to go, Brandon Bass was called for a loose-ball foul by official Mark Davis after a wild scramble. R-ndo didn't like the call and got in Davis' face; Davis turned to the scorer's table to ring him up; R-ndo took a step forward, tripped slightly, and then quite deliberately bumped Davis in the back with his chest. Davis rightly tossed him; Atlanta made three of the four ensuing free throws, and that was that.
I want to address a few of the talking points surrounding the incident before getting on with analyzing the basketball game (though the Celtics played so badly that there's little to talk about in that regard).
1. It was a foul on Bass. People like to get upset at officials for calling fouls on these types of plays, but I thought Davis handled this one perfectly. He let Bass and Josh Smith scramble for the ball, and once Smith had it, Bass ended up with his arm across Smith's face and neck. The ball was no longer loose at that point. Not that it being a bad call would excuse what happened after that, but anyone using the classic "if the refs called the game right, the players wouldn't get upset" argument is even more wrong than usual. It was a clear foul.
2. R-ndo definitely tripped when he took that step towards Davis. He did not, contrary to his claim after the game, trip into Davis. He inadvertently stepped on Davis' foot and that caused him to stumble towards the official, but R-ndo quite deliberately closed the gap between the two.
3. My prediction is that R-ndo will get a one-game suspension. From what I understand, one game is the minimum required by NBA rules. There are arguments, I think, for giving him more, including his two-game ban earlier this year for tossing the ball at an official. But I think public opinion is a big factor in deciding the length of these suspensions that the NBA hands down, and the majority of the talking heads seem to be saying that they don't think R-ndo should be suspended. That's obviously not happening; there's no chance he gets off scot-free. But since the general sentiment seems to be that his punishment should be minimal, a suspension that lasts for multiple games won't play well. (And I think that's particularly true in light of some overly paternalistic officiating in the Heat-Knicks game and the absences of Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose from these playoffs due to injuries.)
4. There probably are few, if any, bigger R-ndo fans-slant-apologists than I, but there's no excusing what he did. He lost his cool, and it cost his team a chance at the game -- and put them in a hole for at least the next game, as well. I don't love him any less for it, but he messed up and he deserves the criticism that's coming his way.
Back to the Xs and Os. It's really a shame that R-ndo's night ended the way it did, because he was really the only Celtic who was consistent throughout the game. After subordinating his own scoring for most of the second half of the season, R-ndo recognized that the usual suspects weren't off to a great start and kept the Cs remotely close during a torrid first quarter from the Hawks. He finished with 20 points and 11 assists on 10-for-18 from the floor, the most shots he's taken since March 4.
Other than that, it was a very uneven performance for the Celtics. They were terribly defensively at the start, though it was exacerbated by some really good Hawks shooting, but turned up the pressure considerably in the second half. Kevin Garnett was awful to start, opening 1-for-9, but made seven of his last ten and finished with 20 points and 12 boards. Paul Pierce never really got going, though, to his credit, he did about as good a job on Joe Johnson defensively as Johnson did on him. I thought Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass were non-existent all night. Greg Stiemsma had nine rebounds, but other than that, the bench didn't contribute anything.
Assuming R-ndo only misses a game, and even assuming that Atlanta wins that game, I don't think Sunday's game changes much regarding the outcome of the series. Boston came out incredibly flat, something I don't think you'll see again now that the Hawks have their full attention. Garnett and Bradley got plenty of the open jump shots they've been making recently; they just missed them. I do think Bass is going to have a tough time scoring against Smith, but I expect to see some of these shots go down and I think we'll see a different Paul Pierce in from here on out.
Defensively, we showed what we were capable of in the second half. The effort wasn't there in the first, but it's worth noting that the Hawks came out on fire. Smith was excellent all night, but he hit a number of tough jumpers that I'm sure we're comfortable with him taking the rest of the series. Kirk Hinrich was key, as well; he hit a couple of threes early and then made some tough shots in the third quarter when Boston seemed on the verge of making a run.
Game 2 is Tuesday night on NBA TV. I'll have an update with the length of Rondo's suspension once it's announced.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Atlanta 97, Boston 92
[recap] [box score]
Remember when I said that with Rajon R-ndo, Ray Allen, and Mickael Pietrus out, Doc Rivers had no choice but to play Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett Friday night against the Hawks? Yeah, I was wrong about that. Doc elected to sit the veterans and take on Atlanta with the following active roster:
Starters: Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling, Sasha Pavlovic, Brandon Bass, Greg Stiemsma
Bench: Marquis Daniels, Ryan Hollis, E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson
Hey, it's not really any worse than the roster Toronto beat us with a few weeks ago.
Anyway, the fun thing is that we nearly pulled it off. The Celtics JV team hung around most of the game, never staying down by double-digits for very long, then surged to within one point in the fourth quarter. Boston had three, maybe four possessions to take the lead, too, but couldn't convert. Atlanta got some timely jumpers from Willie Green to hold us off, and then Joe Johnson applied the kill strike, an and-one off of a drive past Daniels with under two minutes to go that put the Hawks up four. He added two free throws on the next possession after Boston couldn't answer, and after that, the Cs just couldn't quite catch up.
As surprising as the outcome was given the players involved, I actually had a hunch it might be a close game when I heard the ESPN broadcast team quote Josh Smith as saying that the Hawks wanted to blow the Celtics out. Smith should get a lot of credit for getting his act together somewhat and really trying to become a leader, but he's still a headcase, and I knew that putting that kind of pressure on himself was going to have negative consequences. Indeed, though Smith added three blocks and three steals to 19 points and 12 rebounds, he committed seven turnovers, many of which were on bizarre passes that stunk of trying to do too much. And while he's largely moved inside the three-point line this year, he still can't seem to quit the long jumpers that have prevented him from becoming a truly elite weapon.
The funny thing is that it's not like Boston played out of its mind, either. Bradley was sensational; I'd figured that his recent effectiveness was due in part to getting good looks by virtue of the defense concentrating mostly on his teammates, but he was option 1 Friday night and the Hawks knew it, and he still managed a career-high 28 points on 12-for-22 from the field. Daniels, Dooling, and Hollins were better than they have been in quite a long time, but Bass really struggled with Smith's length on his way to 4-for-15, Stiemsma only played 9:35 before sitting due to the plantar fascitis that has prevented him from practicing for much of the second half of the season, and JJJ badly missed a couple of wide-open jumpers on those possessions where we could have taken the lead. (To be fair, he hasn't gotten significant playing time in quite a while.) We really were close to winning this game.
Close, of course, only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The announcers were trying to say that the win would be psychologically damaging to Atlanta because they had to gut it out against Boston's bomb squad, but, with the possible exception of Smith, I don't think NBA players think that way. The Hawks must have relaxed when they learned that all those guys for Boston would be out; they got the win, so who cares? Next game.
One last thing: I didn't think to mention this in Thursday's post because I was convinced that Pierce and Garnett would play due to sheer necessity, but Boston has three days off between now and and its next game. That's a lot of time to rest. I don't know how much Pierce and KG are hurting, and we had played 11 of the 15 previous nights, short-handed for many of them. So I'm going to give Doc the benefit of the doubt, particularly because we'd be playing for home-court in the first round only. The only way we'll feel the pain of this loss is if we end up losing Game 7 in Atlanta in the first round. But it's worth mentioning. As is this.
Have a good weekend, all. Tuesday night against the Heat on TNT at 8 Eastern, though who knows who will suit up.
Remember when I said that with Rajon R-ndo, Ray Allen, and Mickael Pietrus out, Doc Rivers had no choice but to play Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett Friday night against the Hawks? Yeah, I was wrong about that. Doc elected to sit the veterans and take on Atlanta with the following active roster:
Starters: Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling, Sasha Pavlovic, Brandon Bass, Greg Stiemsma
Bench: Marquis Daniels, Ryan Hollis, E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson
Hey, it's not really any worse than the roster Toronto beat us with a few weeks ago.
Anyway, the fun thing is that we nearly pulled it off. The Celtics JV team hung around most of the game, never staying down by double-digits for very long, then surged to within one point in the fourth quarter. Boston had three, maybe four possessions to take the lead, too, but couldn't convert. Atlanta got some timely jumpers from Willie Green to hold us off, and then Joe Johnson applied the kill strike, an and-one off of a drive past Daniels with under two minutes to go that put the Hawks up four. He added two free throws on the next possession after Boston couldn't answer, and after that, the Cs just couldn't quite catch up.
As surprising as the outcome was given the players involved, I actually had a hunch it might be a close game when I heard the ESPN broadcast team quote Josh Smith as saying that the Hawks wanted to blow the Celtics out. Smith should get a lot of credit for getting his act together somewhat and really trying to become a leader, but he's still a headcase, and I knew that putting that kind of pressure on himself was going to have negative consequences. Indeed, though Smith added three blocks and three steals to 19 points and 12 rebounds, he committed seven turnovers, many of which were on bizarre passes that stunk of trying to do too much. And while he's largely moved inside the three-point line this year, he still can't seem to quit the long jumpers that have prevented him from becoming a truly elite weapon.
The funny thing is that it's not like Boston played out of its mind, either. Bradley was sensational; I'd figured that his recent effectiveness was due in part to getting good looks by virtue of the defense concentrating mostly on his teammates, but he was option 1 Friday night and the Hawks knew it, and he still managed a career-high 28 points on 12-for-22 from the field. Daniels, Dooling, and Hollins were better than they have been in quite a long time, but Bass really struggled with Smith's length on his way to 4-for-15, Stiemsma only played 9:35 before sitting due to the plantar fascitis that has prevented him from practicing for much of the second half of the season, and JJJ badly missed a couple of wide-open jumpers on those possessions where we could have taken the lead. (To be fair, he hasn't gotten significant playing time in quite a while.) We really were close to winning this game.
Close, of course, only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The announcers were trying to say that the win would be psychologically damaging to Atlanta because they had to gut it out against Boston's bomb squad, but, with the possible exception of Smith, I don't think NBA players think that way. The Hawks must have relaxed when they learned that all those guys for Boston would be out; they got the win, so who cares? Next game.
One last thing: I didn't think to mention this in Thursday's post because I was convinced that Pierce and Garnett would play due to sheer necessity, but Boston has three days off between now and and its next game. That's a lot of time to rest. I don't know how much Pierce and KG are hurting, and we had played 11 of the 15 previous nights, short-handed for many of them. So I'm going to give Doc the benefit of the doubt, particularly because we'd be playing for home-court in the first round only. The only way we'll feel the pain of this loss is if we end up losing Game 7 in Atlanta in the first round. But it's worth mentioning. As is this.
Have a good weekend, all. Tuesday night against the Heat on TNT at 8 Eastern, though who knows who will suit up.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Boston 88, Atlanta 86 (Overtime)
[recap] [box score]
Tuesday night's win in Miami told us something about this Celtics team's confidence and ability to play at a high level. Wednesday night's triumph over Atlanta back in Boston told us something about this Celtics team's guts.
After that incredible offensive display on South Beach, after all those minutes in a highly intense game, most people would have given the Cs a free pass tonight against the Hawks. But I liked something that Tommy Heinsohn said during the broadcast -- that if you lose this one, you undo all the good work you did the night before. So the Celtics, instead of resting their legs or resting on their laurels or both, came out and fought for this win every bit as hard as they had fought for the one the night before.
It wasn't pretty. The whole night, Boston seemed a half-step behind, physically or mentally. They committed 19 turnovers, a full handful of which were caused by a simple lack of concentration. Particularly in the second half, you could see our legs getting tired, and the results: a slower pace, and flat jump shots left short. But Boston dug deep and never gave up on the defensive end, getting just enough stops to pull out a big win.
Some notes:
* Ray Allen sat out with soreness in his ankle, the same one that kept him out earlier. I think the idea here is that Doc wants to make sure that Ray's healthy for the playoffs, and not that Ray suffered some kind of setback, but it's a little disconcerting that he apparently hasn't fully healed.
* The Celtics controlled the glass, outrebounding the Hawks 56-39 and grabbing 15 offensive boards. I always thought of the Hawks as a tough team to keep off the glass, but with Al Horford out, they really don't go to the boards that well. The Boston bigs rebounded well, but I thought a big key was the small guys rebounding down on the defensive glass. Rajon R-ndo had ten boards, Mickael Pietrus had six, and Paul Pierce had five.
* Speaking of Pietrus, this was his first game since his concussion on March 23. He looked pretty good, knocking down a couple long jumpers and playing some solid defense. His return is welcome, especially if Allen is going to miss a bunch of time.
* Despite shooting just 3-for-16, R-ndo was brilliant, again. His stats were gaudy; 10 points, 10 boards, 20 assists -- his sixth triple-double of the season (a league high) -- but I thought the big key was his energy. Boston's lost a lot of close games over the last several year's due to slowing the pace way down on offense, and R-ndo, after playing more than 40 minutes the night before, took each and every outlet pass and raced up floor, forcing his teammates to at least get into their stuff at a reasonable pace if not attack on the fast break. The kid played 47 minutes tonight and looked just as fresh at the end as he did at the beginning. Words cannot describe how much I love watching him play.
* Boston did a nice job shutting down Atlanta's attempt at a game-winner at the end of regulation. Jannero Pargo was inbounding the ball on the far side without about six seconds to go, and he tossed the ball to Joe Johnson. As Johnson caught it, Pargo started to cut across the floor to the opposite wing, and R-ndo left him to double. Pargo took a little while to figure out that he was open and that he should get to some place he could shoot from, and he ended up with a rushed three at the horn that missed. I'm not sure if R-ndo or Doc gets the credit for that decision, but it really caught the Hawks by surprise and might have saved the game.
* Scary moment near the end of the game when Brandon Bass came down awkwardly and spent several moments on the ground, holding his knee. He stayed in the game, however, and it looks like Boston dodged a bullet there.
* The officials made two of the worst calls I've ever seen in overtime, both resulting in Boston turnovers. I haven't been able to find a video of them, but I'll post one if I can later. Just another thing the Celtics had to overcome.
So, here's the deal. We've mercifully got a day off before embarking on our road back-to-back-to-back in Toronto, New Jersey, and Charlotte. We've got a three-game cushion on Philly for the Atlantic crown, which would mean dodging Chicago and Miami in the first round. The final five games of the season are tough: at New York, home to Orlando, at Atlanta, home to Miami and Milwaukee. A sweep of these three upcoming games would probably give Doc the luxury of resting a few guys before the playoffs.
A sweep is a big ask at the end of what will end up being a very long week. But at this point, I'm not saying anything's out of the realm of possibility.
Tuesday night's win in Miami told us something about this Celtics team's confidence and ability to play at a high level. Wednesday night's triumph over Atlanta back in Boston told us something about this Celtics team's guts.
After that incredible offensive display on South Beach, after all those minutes in a highly intense game, most people would have given the Cs a free pass tonight against the Hawks. But I liked something that Tommy Heinsohn said during the broadcast -- that if you lose this one, you undo all the good work you did the night before. So the Celtics, instead of resting their legs or resting on their laurels or both, came out and fought for this win every bit as hard as they had fought for the one the night before.
It wasn't pretty. The whole night, Boston seemed a half-step behind, physically or mentally. They committed 19 turnovers, a full handful of which were caused by a simple lack of concentration. Particularly in the second half, you could see our legs getting tired, and the results: a slower pace, and flat jump shots left short. But Boston dug deep and never gave up on the defensive end, getting just enough stops to pull out a big win.
Some notes:
* Ray Allen sat out with soreness in his ankle, the same one that kept him out earlier. I think the idea here is that Doc wants to make sure that Ray's healthy for the playoffs, and not that Ray suffered some kind of setback, but it's a little disconcerting that he apparently hasn't fully healed.
* The Celtics controlled the glass, outrebounding the Hawks 56-39 and grabbing 15 offensive boards. I always thought of the Hawks as a tough team to keep off the glass, but with Al Horford out, they really don't go to the boards that well. The Boston bigs rebounded well, but I thought a big key was the small guys rebounding down on the defensive glass. Rajon R-ndo had ten boards, Mickael Pietrus had six, and Paul Pierce had five.
* Speaking of Pietrus, this was his first game since his concussion on March 23. He looked pretty good, knocking down a couple long jumpers and playing some solid defense. His return is welcome, especially if Allen is going to miss a bunch of time.
* Despite shooting just 3-for-16, R-ndo was brilliant, again. His stats were gaudy; 10 points, 10 boards, 20 assists -- his sixth triple-double of the season (a league high) -- but I thought the big key was his energy. Boston's lost a lot of close games over the last several year's due to slowing the pace way down on offense, and R-ndo, after playing more than 40 minutes the night before, took each and every outlet pass and raced up floor, forcing his teammates to at least get into their stuff at a reasonable pace if not attack on the fast break. The kid played 47 minutes tonight and looked just as fresh at the end as he did at the beginning. Words cannot describe how much I love watching him play.
* Boston did a nice job shutting down Atlanta's attempt at a game-winner at the end of regulation. Jannero Pargo was inbounding the ball on the far side without about six seconds to go, and he tossed the ball to Joe Johnson. As Johnson caught it, Pargo started to cut across the floor to the opposite wing, and R-ndo left him to double. Pargo took a little while to figure out that he was open and that he should get to some place he could shoot from, and he ended up with a rushed three at the horn that missed. I'm not sure if R-ndo or Doc gets the credit for that decision, but it really caught the Hawks by surprise and might have saved the game.
* Scary moment near the end of the game when Brandon Bass came down awkwardly and spent several moments on the ground, holding his knee. He stayed in the game, however, and it looks like Boston dodged a bullet there.
* The officials made two of the worst calls I've ever seen in overtime, both resulting in Boston turnovers. I haven't been able to find a video of them, but I'll post one if I can later. Just another thing the Celtics had to overcome.
So, here's the deal. We've mercifully got a day off before embarking on our road back-to-back-to-back in Toronto, New Jersey, and Charlotte. We've got a three-game cushion on Philly for the Atlantic crown, which would mean dodging Chicago and Miami in the first round. The final five games of the season are tough: at New York, home to Orlando, at Atlanta, home to Miami and Milwaukee. A sweep of these three upcoming games would probably give Doc the luxury of resting a few guys before the playoffs.
A sweep is a big ask at the end of what will end up being a very long week. But at this point, I'm not saying anything's out of the realm of possibility.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Ray A Sixth Man?
I should preface by saying that I've been busy and out of town and haven't had much chance to watch the Celtics or even read about them since Ray came back after missing six games with a bad ankle. So I'm basing this whole post on what I saw against Miami Tuesday night, what I can glean from the box scores of previous games, and from the pre-game interview Doc gave prior to the Miami game.
When I first heard that Allen was coming off the bench, I was concerned about the effect of the move on Ray. Not because I thought he'd sulk the way you'd worry about with some guys; he's too much of a professional for that. But even in a profession where routine is such a big part of success for so many, Ray is extraordinarily regimented: eating the same pre-game meal; arriving at the arena hours early; getting up a certain number of shots before tip. Before last week, Allen had come off the bench four times in his NBA career, the last time being in November of 2002, early in his final season in Milwaukee (he would be traded to Seattle later that season). How, I wondered, would a mid-season change in routine affect his performance on the court? At the very least, it seemed like the uncertainty would shake his confidence a little bit. Ray knows that his routine works; no matter how confident he is in his abilities, he has no point of reference as to how he'd play in a bench role.
Doc's pre-game interview on Tuesday assuaged some of those fears. According to Doc, while he had broached the topic with Allen earlier in the year, it was Ray's own suggestion that set the change in motion. So any discomfort Allen might feel from the unfamiliar situation seems to be minimized.
The effect on the team's play as a whole remains to be seen, though it's hard to argue with the early results. Avery Bradley was outstanding in the starting shooting guard slot while Allen was out (the team won five of six during that stretch) and after losing to Chicago last Thursday in Allen's first game off the bench, the Celtics have now won three in a row. Bradley gives Boston a different look on offense, a player who looks to attack without the basketball, in many ways a more suitable running mate for Rajon R-ndo. And, of course, Bradley's tenacious defense is an upgrade on that end of the floor.
In addition, Allen's move to the bench gives the second unit some real scoring punch, which has been sorely needed ever since Brandon Bass moved into the starting lineup after injuries ended the seasons of Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox. Doc's monitoring of Kevin Garnett's minutes (limiting him to five- or six-minute stretches until the fourth quarter) means that KG has been spending more time with the second unit, and suddenly he and Ray give that lineup some real weapons.
On the other hand, Allen is the greatest three-point shooter of all-time, and he's still one the game's premier weapons from downtown. Employing him in a Kyle Korver-type role seems like a waste. He only took seven shots against Miami on Tuesday, and two of them were end-of-the-shot-clock jobs -- contested, off-balance looks that he was forced into. The problem, at least against the Heat, seemed to me to be that he wasn't getting the ball in the exact right spot at the exact right time. Allen's offense with the Celtics has been based on precision, running through a series of screens that are designed to lose his defender for a fraction of a second, just enough time for him to catch and release. If the timing is off, the moment is gone, and Bradley hasn't yet developed the chops to deliver the ball on time, every time. Keyon Dooling didn't play against the Heat for some reason, but I haven't seen much during this season or Dooling's career that suggests that he's the solution. That means to be effective, Allen is still going to have play a lot of minutes with R-ndo, which either means even more minutes for R-ndo or limited minutes for Bradley, whose minutes this whole thing is supposed to maximize.
Then again, it could just be me over-reacting to one game. Ray did take nine and ten shots, respectively, against Philadelphia and Chicago, just a couple below his season average, and he took 18 shots against Indiana. And he's shown throughout his career that he can come into a game cold or out of rhythm and still hit a big shot (he proved it yet again just last week, burying a late three against the Spurs that gave us a shot at the win).
The results so far have been great. But it's a risk. In order to make a deep playoff run, we're going to need Ray Allen making big shots in the fourth quarter. We know we can get those shots out of starter-Ray. We don't yet know if we can get them out of sixth man-Ray.
When I first heard that Allen was coming off the bench, I was concerned about the effect of the move on Ray. Not because I thought he'd sulk the way you'd worry about with some guys; he's too much of a professional for that. But even in a profession where routine is such a big part of success for so many, Ray is extraordinarily regimented: eating the same pre-game meal; arriving at the arena hours early; getting up a certain number of shots before tip. Before last week, Allen had come off the bench four times in his NBA career, the last time being in November of 2002, early in his final season in Milwaukee (he would be traded to Seattle later that season). How, I wondered, would a mid-season change in routine affect his performance on the court? At the very least, it seemed like the uncertainty would shake his confidence a little bit. Ray knows that his routine works; no matter how confident he is in his abilities, he has no point of reference as to how he'd play in a bench role.
Doc's pre-game interview on Tuesday assuaged some of those fears. According to Doc, while he had broached the topic with Allen earlier in the year, it was Ray's own suggestion that set the change in motion. So any discomfort Allen might feel from the unfamiliar situation seems to be minimized.
The effect on the team's play as a whole remains to be seen, though it's hard to argue with the early results. Avery Bradley was outstanding in the starting shooting guard slot while Allen was out (the team won five of six during that stretch) and after losing to Chicago last Thursday in Allen's first game off the bench, the Celtics have now won three in a row. Bradley gives Boston a different look on offense, a player who looks to attack without the basketball, in many ways a more suitable running mate for Rajon R-ndo. And, of course, Bradley's tenacious defense is an upgrade on that end of the floor.
In addition, Allen's move to the bench gives the second unit some real scoring punch, which has been sorely needed ever since Brandon Bass moved into the starting lineup after injuries ended the seasons of Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox. Doc's monitoring of Kevin Garnett's minutes (limiting him to five- or six-minute stretches until the fourth quarter) means that KG has been spending more time with the second unit, and suddenly he and Ray give that lineup some real weapons.
On the other hand, Allen is the greatest three-point shooter of all-time, and he's still one the game's premier weapons from downtown. Employing him in a Kyle Korver-type role seems like a waste. He only took seven shots against Miami on Tuesday, and two of them were end-of-the-shot-clock jobs -- contested, off-balance looks that he was forced into. The problem, at least against the Heat, seemed to me to be that he wasn't getting the ball in the exact right spot at the exact right time. Allen's offense with the Celtics has been based on precision, running through a series of screens that are designed to lose his defender for a fraction of a second, just enough time for him to catch and release. If the timing is off, the moment is gone, and Bradley hasn't yet developed the chops to deliver the ball on time, every time. Keyon Dooling didn't play against the Heat for some reason, but I haven't seen much during this season or Dooling's career that suggests that he's the solution. That means to be effective, Allen is still going to have play a lot of minutes with R-ndo, which either means even more minutes for R-ndo or limited minutes for Bradley, whose minutes this whole thing is supposed to maximize.
Then again, it could just be me over-reacting to one game. Ray did take nine and ten shots, respectively, against Philadelphia and Chicago, just a couple below his season average, and he took 18 shots against Indiana. And he's shown throughout his career that he can come into a game cold or out of rhythm and still hit a big shot (he proved it yet again just last week, burying a late three against the Spurs that gave us a shot at the win).
The results so far have been great. But it's a risk. In order to make a deep playoff run, we're going to need Ray Allen making big shots in the fourth quarter. We know we can get those shots out of starter-Ray. We don't yet know if we can get them out of sixth man-Ray.
Boston 115, Miami 107
[recap] [box score]
This win's even better than the one back in Boston ten days ago. Any good team, like the Heat, can have an off night on the road, especially at the end of a long trip away from home. Any good team, like the Celtics, can put together a dominant performance in its own barn and wax a good opponent. Beating that same opponent on their floor in a payback game less than two weeks later, however, is not something every team can do.
I hope you watched this one, because it was an entertaining basketball game, but if you didn't, here's how it went: Miami predictably jumped out to a hot start, but Boston kept it close; Boston went on a big run to end the first quarter and led by double digits for most of the rest of the half; Miami kept chipping away in the third quarter to stay within striking distance; Boston lost their composure on a couple of early possessions and the Heat cut the lead to one point; Doc Rivers brought Rajon R-ndo and Kevin Garnett back a bit earlier than usual and, with the building going crazy and the game seemingly slipping from their grasp, they (along with Paul Pierce) calmly put the game away.
Those are the broad strokes, but there are some interesting details, and the most interesting is Boston's shooting a percentage: a torrid 60.6% for the game. Some will no doubt point out that the fact that the Celtics shot better than 60%, made 9 of 14 three-pointers and 20 of 25 free throws, and still only won by eight, is worrisome. There's some truth to that; Boston had to make a ton of plays to win this game, and they played exceptionally well -- a few more empty possessions at the wrong time could have brought a different result. But there are a couple counter-points to that.
First, while it's true that by the end of the game, Garnett and Pierce had to make some really tough shots, the whole game wasn't like that. Boston got pretty much anything it wanted in the first half, in which they scored 65 points, the most by a Heat opponent this season.
Second, the Heat had to make a bunch of tough shots, too, just to stay in it. And yeah, maybe Miami is more capable of making tough shots on a consistent basis because they have superior one-on-one players who don't rely as much on the jumper as the Cs do, but Boston has always been comfortable with letting individuals do their own thing against them. James had his usual game against Boston: huge numbers (36 points, even boards, seven assists) and a loss. Dwyane Wade was assertive in stretches (the second and fourth quarters), but when they play Boston, the two Heat superstars still take turns more than they seem to play together. Chris Bosh was once again a non-factor for much of the game, and once you get past him, you simply have to hope that the rest of Miami's unspectacular supporting cast doesn't have a big night. Those are chances I'm willing to take.
The big downside to this win was the minutes: 40-plus for R-ndo and Pierce; 39 for Brandon Bass; 33 for Garnett. (It's hard not to contrast Doc Rivers with San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, who left Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili at home on Monday night for a road game in Utah, even though the Spurs were tied atop the Western Conference at the time and fighting with Oklahoma City for home-court advantage.) The big concern with the minutes is the schedule; Boston heads back home on Wednesday to play the Hawks, then get one day off before a back-to-back-to-back in Toronto, New Jersey, and Charlotte. That many minutes, and that short of a rotation (Doc only played eight guys) could really come back to hurt the team.
Only eight guys played, but all played well. Garnett was the star, shooting 11-for-14 and finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds, but Pierce led the team in scoring with 27 points. R-ndo had 18 points and 15 assists (the 18th straight game he's had double-digit dimes), and Bass also notched a double-double with 12 points and ten boards. Avery Bradley had five early points, keeping the Heat from getting going, and finished with 11. Off the bench, Greg Stiemsma (eight points, seven boards) and Sasha Pavlovic (2-for-2 from deep) did most of their damage in the first half. Ironically, Ray Allen, who was 3-for-7 on the night, was the only Celtic who didn't make at least half his shots from the field.
Speaking of Ray, he came off the bench for the fourth straight game. I've gotta post about this...
This win's even better than the one back in Boston ten days ago. Any good team, like the Heat, can have an off night on the road, especially at the end of a long trip away from home. Any good team, like the Celtics, can put together a dominant performance in its own barn and wax a good opponent. Beating that same opponent on their floor in a payback game less than two weeks later, however, is not something every team can do.
I hope you watched this one, because it was an entertaining basketball game, but if you didn't, here's how it went: Miami predictably jumped out to a hot start, but Boston kept it close; Boston went on a big run to end the first quarter and led by double digits for most of the rest of the half; Miami kept chipping away in the third quarter to stay within striking distance; Boston lost their composure on a couple of early possessions and the Heat cut the lead to one point; Doc Rivers brought Rajon R-ndo and Kevin Garnett back a bit earlier than usual and, with the building going crazy and the game seemingly slipping from their grasp, they (along with Paul Pierce) calmly put the game away.
Those are the broad strokes, but there are some interesting details, and the most interesting is Boston's shooting a percentage: a torrid 60.6% for the game. Some will no doubt point out that the fact that the Celtics shot better than 60%, made 9 of 14 three-pointers and 20 of 25 free throws, and still only won by eight, is worrisome. There's some truth to that; Boston had to make a ton of plays to win this game, and they played exceptionally well -- a few more empty possessions at the wrong time could have brought a different result. But there are a couple counter-points to that.
First, while it's true that by the end of the game, Garnett and Pierce had to make some really tough shots, the whole game wasn't like that. Boston got pretty much anything it wanted in the first half, in which they scored 65 points, the most by a Heat opponent this season.
Second, the Heat had to make a bunch of tough shots, too, just to stay in it. And yeah, maybe Miami is more capable of making tough shots on a consistent basis because they have superior one-on-one players who don't rely as much on the jumper as the Cs do, but Boston has always been comfortable with letting individuals do their own thing against them. James had his usual game against Boston: huge numbers (36 points, even boards, seven assists) and a loss. Dwyane Wade was assertive in stretches (the second and fourth quarters), but when they play Boston, the two Heat superstars still take turns more than they seem to play together. Chris Bosh was once again a non-factor for much of the game, and once you get past him, you simply have to hope that the rest of Miami's unspectacular supporting cast doesn't have a big night. Those are chances I'm willing to take.
The big downside to this win was the minutes: 40-plus for R-ndo and Pierce; 39 for Brandon Bass; 33 for Garnett. (It's hard not to contrast Doc Rivers with San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, who left Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili at home on Monday night for a road game in Utah, even though the Spurs were tied atop the Western Conference at the time and fighting with Oklahoma City for home-court advantage.) The big concern with the minutes is the schedule; Boston heads back home on Wednesday to play the Hawks, then get one day off before a back-to-back-to-back in Toronto, New Jersey, and Charlotte. That many minutes, and that short of a rotation (Doc only played eight guys) could really come back to hurt the team.
Only eight guys played, but all played well. Garnett was the star, shooting 11-for-14 and finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds, but Pierce led the team in scoring with 27 points. R-ndo had 18 points and 15 assists (the 18th straight game he's had double-digit dimes), and Bass also notched a double-double with 12 points and ten boards. Avery Bradley had five early points, keeping the Heat from getting going, and finished with 11. Off the bench, Greg Stiemsma (eight points, seven boards) and Sasha Pavlovic (2-for-2 from deep) did most of their damage in the first half. Ironically, Ray Allen, who was 3-for-7 on the night, was the only Celtic who didn't make at least half his shots from the field.
Speaking of Ray, he came off the bench for the fourth straight game. I've gotta post about this...
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Boston 91, Miami 72
[recap] [box score]
One of my friends texted me after the final buzzer and asked me if this was a "statement win" for the Celtics. I didn't respond, in part because I hate communicating via text, in part because I'm not sure I believe that such games exist in today's NBA, and in part because I didn't really know how to answer. Let me take a moment now to address it.
What statement might Boston have made? A statement to the Heat that they wouldn't be a pushover in the playoffs? That's hardly a statement that needed to be made; anyone who thought that this group of aging but competitive veterans would simply roll over in May and June hasn't been paying attention. A statement to the rest of the league that they're a contender? Not with the game at home and the Heat so obviously disinterested, and playing their third game in four days.
In today's NBA, there are simply too many games and too many variables for any single regular-season game to have much meaning beyond its effect on the standings. It was a big game for Boston in the sense that the Celtics had to have it to stay a game ahead of Philly in the standings, and the Celtics played like it. It was a big game for Miami, too, as Chicago's loss to Oklahoma City gave the Heat an opportunity to close the gap between them and the Bulls for the East's top seed and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. But the Heat didn't play it was a big game, and it would be folly to judge them too harshly by it. (More on this later, though.)
Honestly, the fact of the matter is that Boston is probably still a dog to win the Atlantic, which likely means the seven seed, and it seems a bit silly to talk about statement wins when you're the seven seed. Moreover, the Celtics and Heat clash two more times before the regular season runs out, and Sunday's win really will only be a small part of the conversation should these two teams end up linking up in the playoffs.
So I guess my answer is no, I don't consider this a statement win, and I am skeptical that any such thing exists.
With that said, this was a fun game to watch from a Boston perspective and it does give us fans some hope that our team can make a bit of noise in the playoffs. Rajon R-ndo was spectacular, establishing himself early by going hard to the basket for seven of Boston's first nine points, then spending most of the rest of the game setting the table for his teammates. His final statline included 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists, yet another triple double (he's the league leader in that category, by the way). R-ndo has been extremely passive offensively the last several games, but he was aggressive from the beginning and pushed the tempo throughout; on one second half play, you could see him gesturing at his teammates to run the floor with him. We're a different team (in a good way) when he's aggressive on offense and we're a different team (in a bad way) when we slow the pace down. If anything, hopefully this game gives Doc something to remind the guys about later in the year when we inevitably start trying to ice games with isolations late in the shotclock.
R-ndo was spectacular; everyone else wearing white was somewhere between solid and very, very good. Avery Bradley continues to play extremely well in Ray Allen's absence -- it's the same old song with him, really; a tenacious on-the-ball defender who bails his teammates out a couple of times a game on offense with timely cuts to the basket. Paul Pierce led the way with 23 points; Brandon Bass had a double-double, making all ten of his free throws; and Kevin Garnett chipped in with 10 points, eight rebounds, and his usual terrific defense that shut Chris Bosh completely down. Greg Stiemsma and Keyon Dooling did a nice job off the bench for a second unit that has seen a couple of its members promoted to the A-team due to injuries to the regular starters.
As for Miami, there's really nothing good to say here. Aside from the second quarter, when Dwyane Wade put the team on his shoulders for a bit, the Heat didn't look engaged at all. LeBron James was unassertive, Wade seemed distracted, and Bosh was a total non-factor (I think he had their first four points, then didn't score again). No one came in and sparked them. I kept waiting for a hard foul or some jawing to wake them up a bit, but no one -- not even newly acquired Ronny Turiaf -- could muster even that.
The buzz around the NBA is that the Heat have been wretched, by their standards, on the road since the All-Star break, and it's for that reason that I don't want to read too much into this game. For it to be a big game, both teams have to be aware of the importance of it, and nothing Miami did on the court on Sunday suggested that they were. My hunch is that it'll be a different story down in South Beach next Tuesday, that the Heat will regain their motivation during their upcoming five-game homestand, and that the postseason questions surrounding them will once again be not whether they'll feel the urgency of the situation, but whether they'll wilt under the pressure of it.
One of my friends texted me after the final buzzer and asked me if this was a "statement win" for the Celtics. I didn't respond, in part because I hate communicating via text, in part because I'm not sure I believe that such games exist in today's NBA, and in part because I didn't really know how to answer. Let me take a moment now to address it.
What statement might Boston have made? A statement to the Heat that they wouldn't be a pushover in the playoffs? That's hardly a statement that needed to be made; anyone who thought that this group of aging but competitive veterans would simply roll over in May and June hasn't been paying attention. A statement to the rest of the league that they're a contender? Not with the game at home and the Heat so obviously disinterested, and playing their third game in four days.
In today's NBA, there are simply too many games and too many variables for any single regular-season game to have much meaning beyond its effect on the standings. It was a big game for Boston in the sense that the Celtics had to have it to stay a game ahead of Philly in the standings, and the Celtics played like it. It was a big game for Miami, too, as Chicago's loss to Oklahoma City gave the Heat an opportunity to close the gap between them and the Bulls for the East's top seed and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. But the Heat didn't play it was a big game, and it would be folly to judge them too harshly by it. (More on this later, though.)
Honestly, the fact of the matter is that Boston is probably still a dog to win the Atlantic, which likely means the seven seed, and it seems a bit silly to talk about statement wins when you're the seven seed. Moreover, the Celtics and Heat clash two more times before the regular season runs out, and Sunday's win really will only be a small part of the conversation should these two teams end up linking up in the playoffs.
So I guess my answer is no, I don't consider this a statement win, and I am skeptical that any such thing exists.
With that said, this was a fun game to watch from a Boston perspective and it does give us fans some hope that our team can make a bit of noise in the playoffs. Rajon R-ndo was spectacular, establishing himself early by going hard to the basket for seven of Boston's first nine points, then spending most of the rest of the game setting the table for his teammates. His final statline included 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists, yet another triple double (he's the league leader in that category, by the way). R-ndo has been extremely passive offensively the last several games, but he was aggressive from the beginning and pushed the tempo throughout; on one second half play, you could see him gesturing at his teammates to run the floor with him. We're a different team (in a good way) when he's aggressive on offense and we're a different team (in a bad way) when we slow the pace down. If anything, hopefully this game gives Doc something to remind the guys about later in the year when we inevitably start trying to ice games with isolations late in the shotclock.
R-ndo was spectacular; everyone else wearing white was somewhere between solid and very, very good. Avery Bradley continues to play extremely well in Ray Allen's absence -- it's the same old song with him, really; a tenacious on-the-ball defender who bails his teammates out a couple of times a game on offense with timely cuts to the basket. Paul Pierce led the way with 23 points; Brandon Bass had a double-double, making all ten of his free throws; and Kevin Garnett chipped in with 10 points, eight rebounds, and his usual terrific defense that shut Chris Bosh completely down. Greg Stiemsma and Keyon Dooling did a nice job off the bench for a second unit that has seen a couple of its members promoted to the A-team due to injuries to the regular starters.
As for Miami, there's really nothing good to say here. Aside from the second quarter, when Dwyane Wade put the team on his shoulders for a bit, the Heat didn't look engaged at all. LeBron James was unassertive, Wade seemed distracted, and Bosh was a total non-factor (I think he had their first four points, then didn't score again). No one came in and sparked them. I kept waiting for a hard foul or some jawing to wake them up a bit, but no one -- not even newly acquired Ronny Turiaf -- could muster even that.
The buzz around the NBA is that the Heat have been wretched, by their standards, on the road since the All-Star break, and it's for that reason that I don't want to read too much into this game. For it to be a big game, both teams have to be aware of the importance of it, and nothing Miami did on the court on Sunday suggested that they were. My hunch is that it'll be a different story down in South Beach next Tuesday, that the Heat will regain their motivation during their upcoming five-game homestand, and that the postseason questions surrounding them will once again be not whether they'll feel the urgency of the situation, but whether they'll wilt under the pressure of it.
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.
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