Boston 122, Toronto 102

Friday night was about as easy a win as you'll get in the NBA.

[recap] [box score]

The Celtics had a torrid first half, scoring 67 points, and appeared capable of scoring at will against the overmatched and depleted Raptors. Doc Rivers seemed to know it, too, pulling Rajon Rondo with Boston up 76-55 three minutes into the third quarter. The League Pass broadcast was the Toronto broadcast and their guys didn't seem to notice, but I worried that perhaps Rondo was hurt. Fortunately, it appeared that Doc was just hoping to get Rondo some rest (and perhaps boost the confidence of the struggling Nate Robinson, who came in for Rondo) -- Rondo returned later in the game. All in all, Glen Davis was the only started who played more than 30 minutes, a key statistic with the Celtics in the midst of a busy stretch and a game in Chicago on Saturday night.

The blowout gave some extended playing time to the bench. Rookie Luke Harangody took the most advantage, notching his first career double-double. Harangody actually got going in the first quarter and never really stopped on his way to 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Not too much to say, really. The defense could have been better -- the Raps made more than half their shots -- but the guys can be forgiven for letting up a little bit on that end in a blowout at this stage.

No "Next Lamb" posts for a bit as my computer usage is limited due to a hard drive crash, but briefly, the game on Saturday should be a good test. Boston has beaten the Bulls twice already this season, but the first win came with Carlos Boozer out of the Bulls lineup and the second was Boozer's second back from a preseason hand injury. He's averaged a 20/10 since returning December 1st, and will be a handful for Boston without Kevin Garnett. The Bulls will be hungry, too, having lost its last two games, to 10-26 New Jersey and 15-21 Philadelphia.

Boston 105, San Antonio 103

Even without the dramatic ending, this would have been a pretty good basketball game.

[recap] [box score]


If you didn't watch it -- and many couldn't, since it wasn't on national TV despite the fact that ESPN didn't have an early game in its early Wednesday night slot -- the end was bizarre, almost surreal. Up nine with 56 seconds left, the Celtics first allowed a tough three-pointer to Manu Ginobili. After Ray Allen was fouled (the Spurs weren't in the penalty), Paul Pierce was mugged on the sideline as he brought the ball up. No call, and Tony Parker drove for an easy layup to the cut the lead to four. After a Boston timeout, Nate Robinson subbed in and caught the inbounds pass in the backcourt, dribbled around a bit too nonchalantly, then threw a weak bounce pass to Rajon Rondo that Ginobili intercepted while knocking Rondo over. Richard Jefferson was fouled at the rim, and knocked down both free throws. Just like that, it was a two-point game, and Boston had to shoot, rather than wait to get fouled (not that the officials were going to call it). Pierce ran the screen and roll with Allen at the end of the shot clock, missed, but the rebound bounced to Robinson, who handed it to Ray, Mr. Automatic, who has promptly fouled. But Ray missed both free throws, and it wasn't until Pierce snuffed out a Ginobili three-point attempt that would have given San Antonio the game that the win was solidified.

In the end, though, the final score was probably right. Boston was just a couple of points better than San Antonio on this night. It was nip and tuck most of the way, and then the Spurs kind of ran out of steam, until the final minute, when the unexplainable began to happen. (The first play was an obvious foul; the second was closer, but still probably a foul; and how often does Allen miss two free throws?)

I have to be on a plane back to LA in a few hours, and I'm without my usual computer, so I'll be quick. Rondo was brilliant, dishing the majority of his 22 assists in the first three quarters, then scoring eight of his 12 points in the fourth period. He added ten rebounds for a triple double and also had six steals. Allen's shot was falling from the beginning; he finished with 31 points on 13 of 16 from the field. Glen Davis made 10 of 18 shots for 23 points, and Pierce fought through some, um, physical defense from the Spurs to finish with 18 points on seven for ten shooting.

Give credit to the Spurs, too, who played a hell of a game the night after a track meet with the Knicks. You have to assume that the Lakers will come around sooner or later, but even if they do, the Spurs are going to be a real threat to them in the West.

The Next Lamb: The San Antonio Spurs

Game 34: San Antonio (29-5) at Boston (26-7)

Wednesday, January 5

7:30 p.m. Eastern

NBA League Pass

At the end of last season (prior to Boston's run to the Finals, anyway) a lot of NBA people were saying the same thing about the Spurs as they were about the Celtics; namely, that these were two former heavyweights whose championship windows had closed. Now, with the halfway point of the 2010-11 season approaching, the Spurs have the league's best record and have been the surprise team thus far.

What's so fascinating about San Antonio is that they've resurrected themselves among the NBA's elite by completely changing their style of play. For years, the Spurs have been associated with slow-paced, defense-oriented, and (to some) boring basketball. This offseason, however, the coaching staff decided to change to a more up-tempo attack -- and with Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker healthy, the team has flourished. The 72 points the Spurs gave up to the Knicks in the first half on Tuesday night aren't exactly par for the course, but it isn't going to give Gregg Popovich a heart attack the way it might have in recent years. (The fact that San Antonio scored 69 points themselves in the first half helps.)

What this means is less reliance on Tim Duncan, arguably the best power forward ever to play in the NBA. Statistically speaking, the 34-year-old Duncan is having the worst season of his 14-year career, with his stats -- including his minutes -- at career lows almost across the board. But he's by no means been put out to pasture, and with Kevin Garnett out of Boston's lineup, it wouldn't surprise me to see a heavy dose of Duncan on Wednesday.

Parker is the point guard, but in my mind it's Ginobili who is the true key to San Antonio's success. The improvisational Argentine has often drawn the ire of Popovich with his freelancing ways, but he has more freedom in this system and his ability to score and to create for others isn't matched by too many players currently in the league.

Another key to the Spurs' winning ways has been the re-emergence of Richard Jefferson, one of the front-runners for Comeback Player of the Year. He signed a pretty big free agent contract with San Antonio two offseasons ago, then drew the ire of many Spurs fans with a poor performance. He got some personal instruction from Popovich this offseason, and has been much more effective this year. His statistics look almost exactly the same, except for one key area: three-point shooting. Last season, he shot 31.6 percent on 2.3 attempts per game; this season, he's at 43.2 percent on more than four attempts per game.

The long ball is a big part of the Spurs' attack. They were 11th in the league in attempts last season, but that's moved up to fifth this season, and they are near the top of the league in percentage from behind the arc. It a major component of Ginobili's arsenal, and perhaps the only weapon of note for backup center Matt Bonner and rookie reserve guard Gary Neal. Boston is among the best teams in the league at guarding the three-point shot, so that will be a big key.

Inside, in addition to Duncan, the Spurs start second-year player DeJuan Blair, who is very short for the center position but is active, skilled, and strong as an ox. He struggled to start the year but put together a very nice December. Given Shaquille O'Neal's recent struggles, Blair is a guy to worry about, especially on the offensive glass.

San Antonio started with a very easy schedule, and most people assumed they'd come back down to earth a bit during this difficult stretch of games. Although they did suffer a loss to Orlando on December 23 (foreseeable, on the second night of a back-to-back), they won five in a row before losing to the Knicks, including big-time blowout wins over the Lakers and Thunder, and a tight win in Dallas over the Dirk Nowitzki-less Mavs. Wednesday's game in Boston, on the second night of a road back-to-back, is another potential measuring stick for the Spurs. But Popovich has always played the regular season with an eye toward the playoffs, so there's a chance this marquee matchup could turn into a dud. Otherwise, it should be a good game.

Also, my beautiful girlfriend (who celebrated a birthday today) wants me to mention that she's a Spurs fan. A big Spurs fan. A scream-at-the-TV-even-though-it's-the-first-quarter-of-a-regular-season-game, will-forever-carry-a-grudge-against-Roger-Mason-Jr., forgives-Tony-Parker-even-though-she-loves-Eva-Longoria Spurs fan. I know what you're thinking, and yes, it's tough to take, especially given the fact that we were the ones supposed to get Duncan all those years back (which would have made her a Celtics fan; her allegiance to San Antonio comes from liking Duncan in college). But given that I met her in Los Angeles, it could be a lot worse, no?

Boston 96, Minnesota 93

[recap] [box score]

I caught this one with my cousin and a good friend at the Dominion Brew Pub in DC, over many Oak Barrel Stouts. I was watching the game, but also talking and eating and drinking, so I have only a few thoughts:

• As expected, Kevin Love was a handful, scoring 12 points to go with 24 rebounds. I couldn't hear the sound at the bar, but I checked the stats on my phone at halftime and at the break, Love had 15 rebounds. Boston as a team had 14.
• Rajon Rondo had 16 assists against just three turnovers, but even bigger was the 14-foot jumper he hit to put the Celtics by three with 44 seconds left. It's not a shot we want him taking all the time (indeed, he missed a 17-footer with 11 ticks left on the next possession after Michael Beasley had cut it to one), but I do like to see him growing more and more confident with the jumper.
• Von Wafer played really well, scoring ten points and tying for the team lead in boards (with Paul Pierce) with six. I still don't see where he fits into the healthy rotation, but the least I can do is give the man his due when he comes up big in the interim. With Delonte West out and Nate Robinson continuing to struggle, Wafer's contributions on Monday were invaluable.
• Shaquille O'Neal scored nine points in 30 minutes, but also grabbed just two rebounds (though to be fair, Love made it so that no Celtic's rebounding numbers were impressive). Jermaine O'Neal looked decent off the bench and blocked four shots. So far, it seems clear that he's better at protecting the rim than Shaq, when healthy.
• Glen Davis continued to emerge from a shooting slump, making seven of 15 shots. A little more consistency would be nice, but at least he's got a somewhat reliable offensive weapon in his arsenal now.

The Next Lamb: The Minnesota Timberwolves

Game 33: Minnesota (9-25) at Boston (25-7)
Monday, January 3
7:30 p.m. Eastern
NBA League Pass

You may remember that last year, I wrote a lot about the T-Wolves, and in particular their rookie point guard Jonny Flynn, one of my favorite college players ever and a guy I was convinced could be a terrific NBA player (I still am convinced, by the way). You may also have noticed that I've not written a single thing about Minnesota this season.

Part of it is that Flynn was hurt for the first month-plus, having aggravated over the summer a hip injury that cost him the final game of his rooke campaign. I have very little interest in the Wolves aside from Flynn, particularly with their front office having its collective head up its collective you-know-what and Kurt Rambis, the worst head coach in the NBA, at the helm. I appreciate super-rebounder Kevin Love, I'm interested in seeing what rookie Wesley Johnson has to offer, and Michael Beasley is on my fantasy team, but these are just secondary interests; my real focus is on Flynn.

But TMJF (The Marvelous Jonny Flynn, for those who don't remember) hasn't gotten much burn since he's been back in uniform, relegated to a backup role in favor of offseason acquisition Luke Ridnour. And without Flynn on the court, I just can't get myself to spend two-and-a-half hours three or so times per week watching the Wolves. There's too much good basketball to waste time watching bad basketball. (Though I'd still rather watch bad basketball than football or hockey.)

And yes, the Wolves are bad. Their record speaks for itself, but that 9-25 mark includes wins in three of their last four games. Whether this marks a real improvement in the team or is merely a momentary blip remains to be seen, though my hunch is that it's the latter.

I had planned to write, at some point this season, a post defending Flynn, talking about how he would have averaged a couple more assists per game last season if he had decent teammates on the wing; how Rambis' offense didn't take advantage of Flynn's abilities (or the abilities of any of their best players, for that matter); and how can make a pretty good case that Flynn was just as effective as Brandon Jennings, everyone's favorite rooking point guard, last season. I may still do that; I may not. But the writing seems to be on the wall for Flynn as far as Minnesota goes. Ridnour is ensconced as the starter (though I'd point out that the team is still 9-25) and the Spanish phenom Ricky Rubio is supposedly coming over after the lockout. Flynn's name often pops up in trade rumors, and I expect he'll be moved sooner or later -- though not if Minnesota doesn't give him some run to showcase him and increase his value (again, you're 9-25; what exactly do you have to lose?) When -- and if -- that happens, I'll start writing about Minnesota again regularly.

Anyway, on to the Wolves (who may be without Flynn on Monday, anyway; he missed Saturday's win over the Nets with a sprained ankle). Love is leading the league in rebounding at like 15 per game, including a ridiculous 31/31 game back in November. He's also averaging around 21 points per night, though on offense he's not what you expect from that kind of rebounder. He does his share of scoring inside, but he also hits three-pointers at around 44 percent. He's going to be a very tough cover for Glen Davis, and as will be the case with Boston's next opponent (San Antonio), the Celtics will miss Kevin Garnett quite a bit on Monday night.

Beasley was the biggest offseason addition. He went on a scoring binge earlier in the season and is probably the most dangerous Wolf (that looks and sounds funny, doesn't it?) with the ball in his hands. He still settles for too many long jumpers, and I suspect Boston will be perfectly happy to see him launch to his heart's content.

The infamous Darko Milicic has actually resurrected his career somewhat in Minnesota, though the thing he's really lacked is consistency. His shooting percentage is terrible for a big guy, but he's put up some big games. He's played poorly of late, and it seems like foul trouble has been a big problem. One area he has been fairly consistent in is shot-blocking; he's erased 2.4 shots per game this season, so Boston will want to be aware of that when going to the hole when he's in the game.

As for Ridnour, he's a good shooter and playmaker, a veteran who knows how to run an offense. On the defensive end, to my knowledge, he hasn't improved much since the day he was drafted in 2003, when Jay Bilas said that Ridnour couldn't guard the chair he (Bilas) was sitting on. Hopefully, Rajon Rondo shook off some rust Sunday in his first game back and can be an offensive weapon for the Cs on Monday night.

Boston 93, Toronto 79

[recap] [box score]

Bullets tonight (and lots of 'em):

• Rajon Rondo returned from his ankle injury. He picked up two fouls in the first six minutes, and didn't really have too big of a direct impact on the game. Jose Calderon got the better of him on both ends of the court, but it was good to see number 9 back in action.
• Rondo's return freed Paul Pierce to move out of the facilitator role he's been playing the last several games and into the cold-blooded assassin role he's more accustomed to on offense. Pierce led the way with 30 points, including 20 in a first half in which all of his fellow starters struggled. His second-half buckets included a ferocious dunk on the entire Raptors frontcourt and a breakaway jam inside the final two minutes in which he appeared to tweak his ankle when he landed. We can't afford an injury to another starter, even with Rondo back, so hopefully it's not serious and The Truth will be in uniform Monday night against Minnesota.
• Glen Davis had a fairly miserable first half shooting the ball, which is in line with his last several games, in which (it goes without saying) he's been fairly miserable shooting the ball. He picked it up in the second half, however, and was just two assists shy of logging one of the more unlikely triple doubles in NBA history.
• Shaquille O'Neal had a subpar game, two days after a subpar game against New Orleans, four days after a subpar game against Detroit, five days after a subpar game against Indiana, and eight days after a subpar game against Orlando. Actually, compared to the previous four, Sunday was a pretty good game for Shaq: he had six rebounds, compared to five combined against the Magic, Pacers, Pistons, and Hornets. And yet Joey Dorsey kicked his butt most of the game. I thought at first that O'Neal might have been dogging it, but he challenged shots when they were in his area and even dove for a loose ball at one point. Dorsey is young, athletic, and energetic, the kind of guy who is going to make Shaq look bad, but I wonder if Shaq isn't completely healthy.
• Fortunately, Jermaine O'Neal looks healthy enough to fill in, should he need to. This was Jermaine's fifth game back. He didn't do much against Orlando and I hadn't seen any of the three games previous to Sunday's, but I was encouraged by the way he moved around. I hope he gets a bit stronger on the boards and finishes better on offense as the season progresses, but the good sign is that he's not moving cautiously or with an obvious limp.
• Marquis Daniels was basically a complete no-show, which I could have predicted because he'd had a couple of good games in a row. If Daniels could be consistent, he'd be such a valuable player, but right now, I just don't trust him as much as I would like.
• Von Wafer actually did a couple of nice things in 14 minutes of action. What I liked most was that both of his shot attempts were at the rim, and I remember at least one nice wraparound pass on another drive that I think led to a foul. He's a good three-point shooter and I don't mind it if he takes those shots when he's in the game, but it's good to see flashes of a more complete player. He'll hopefully be mostly irrelevant when Delonte West gets back, but as an insurance policy, any development is good.
• Luke Harangody works hard, hustles, and isn't afraid to bang, but he is just overmatched against other NBA post players right now. Even fellow rookie Ed Davis, who has gotten burn of late with the Raps' frontcourt injuries and is thus slightly less green than Harangody, pushed him around quite a bit. When he was drafted, everyone thought that Harangody, a power forward in college, would need to become a small forward to crack the rotation this year, because Boston had so much depth in the pivot. Now, it seems that he may need to play the wing because he's not big or strong enough to play inside. It will be interesting to see which way his career goes.
• DeMar DeRozan again led the Raptors, this time with 27 points. His explosion (recall that he had 37 Friday night against the Rockets) coincides with Andrea Bargnani's absence from the lineup, and can be attributed to the offense now running through him, and not Il Mago. I assume this is a temporary state of affairs, and things will go back to the way they were when Bargs gets healthy, but DeRozan is showing that he is capable of carrying more of a load offensively. This development surprises me: I saw DeRozan in person a couple of times when he was at USC, and have followed his brief career somewhat closely, and while he's always good for a couple drives and/or jumpers per game, he lacked the aggressive disposition and consistency you need to be a real scorer at this level. Frankly, he just didn't seem good enough to get "hot" and take over a game the way he took over in the second half against Houston and for stretches against Boston. But he apparently is. What's interesting about DeRozan is that he's the rare NBA shooting guard for whom the three-pointer isn't really a weapon; he does almost all of his scoring at the rim, at the line, and with the mid-range jumper. Fortunately, he hits that mid-range J at a good enough rate that his efficiency isn't terrible, and he knows the limit of his range (that is, he doesn't take a bunch of threes even though he can't hit them). Anyway, it will be interesting to keep an eye on DeRozan when Bargnani returns. Can he emerge as a consistent second banana, or is he an all-or-nothing guy who needs to be the first option?

The Next Lamb: The Toronto Raptors

Game 32: Boston (24-7) at Toronto (11-21)
Sunday, January 2
6 p.m. Eastern
NBA League Pass
Last meeting: @Boston 110, Toronto 101 (11/26/2010)

Happy New Year, all. I apologize for not keeping up with the team for the last week; my hard drive crashed and it's been a bit difficult to watch games or blog.

Since the Christmas Day loss to Orlando, the Celtics have played three games, beating Indiana before losing to Detroit and then New Orleans. I was unable to watch any of those games, but it appears the team played pretty poorly in each. Even the win over the Pacers required a big fourth quarter surge. (The bench gave a similar surge in the fourth against the Hornets, going on a 16-0 run to turn a nine-point deficit into a seven-point lead, but the team couldn't hang on.)

The big story coming out of Boston this week is that Kevin Garnett left in the first quarter of the game against the Pistons with what the team is calling a strained right calf. He's expected to miss a couple of weeks, and with Rajon Rondo still nursing his sore ankle (among other assorted injuries), the story heading into Sunday's game with Toronto may be just as much about who isn't playing as who is.

Fortunately for Boston, the Raps have some serious injury issues of their own. Their starting center and best player, Andrea Bargnani, has missed the last three games with a calf injury of his own and won't play on Sunday. Small forward Sonny Weems, who was enjoying something of a breakout year after moving into the starting lineup, hasn't played in six games and remains day-to-day with a back injury. Jose Calderon -- the undisputed starter at point guard now that Jarrett Jack has been traded to New Orelans -- missed Saturday's practice with a foot injury, and his understudy, Jerryd Bayless (acquired from the Hornets in the Jack trade) has an ankle injury that limited him to eight minutes on Friday against the Rockets. Amir Johnson, starting at power forward in place of Reggie Evans, who broke his foot in the last meeting of the Celtics, is also nursing an injury, though he and Calderon probably will play. The point is, though Boston is banged up, there will be no excuses if they lose to a depleted Toronto team that is mediocre, at best, when healthy.

One Raptor who is healthy is DeMar DeRozan, who scored a career-high 37 points against Houston on New Year's Eve. DeRozan is an athletic young shooting guard in his second year out of USC, and does most of his damage going to the basket. He's not a threat from behind the arc, but he loves to put the ball on the floor and spin to the hoop. He's been getting to the line a bunch lately, which has contributed to his improved scoring of late.

Given all the injuries, the most dangerous Raptor, from an offensive standpoint, is probably sixth man Leandro Barbosa. Despite the fact that he plays the same position as DeRozan, he managed 17 points against the Rockets (it appears from the box score that the Raptors went small for much of that game). Controlling those guys should be a priority.

The Raptors are not particularly good defensively or on the glass, and it would be nice to see Boston try to take advantage of their depleted frontcourt by going inside and getting Shaquille O'Neal and Glen Davis involved early. Johnson is foul-prone, and so is Joey Dorsey, the guy starting in Bargnani's place. After those two, the bigs are a couple of rookies: Ed Davis (who has showed flashes in limited minutes this year) and Solomon Alabi, who has played something like ten minutes and three seconds over the course of three appearances this season. Particularly since Rondo's absence has made offense a bit of a chore at times for the Celtics, taking advantage of our size should be a priority.