[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.
Showing posts with label LeBron James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LeBron James. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Thoughts in Advance of Game 7
Lately, my recap posts seem to be focusing on the intangibles; the story, rather than the Xs and Os. The Celtics' resilience and LeBron James' ability to rise to the occasion will no doubt play a part in determining who wins Saturday night, but there's actual basketball to be played, too. I want to spend a few minutes talking a little bit about some "basketball things" that I've got my mind on heading into Game 7. They're in no real order.
1. Paul Pierce is due for a big game. We showered him with praise after he that dagger in Game 5, so it's fair to say that he was awful in Game 6. I'm inclined to forgive him more for the defensive end (no one was stopping LeBron in that one) than for the offensive end, where he shot 4 for 18, including missed layups and clanged jumpers. The problem is that Pierce really hasn't been very good all series, with just two games of shooting that could even be considered decent. Given the shots he's getting, and missing, I assume that it's his knee, and I'm not bringing this up to criticize him. Rather, I mention it to say that anyone who expects him to come to our rescue with a huge game akin to Cleveland in 2008 is probably going to be disappointed.
2. With that said, Pierce is still a key component to our offense and one of the game's most clutch performers. To that end, we need to figure out a way to keep him on the floor. He's fouled out twice this series (in addition to getting DQ'd from Game 7 against Philly), and he picked up 3 fouls in the first half of Game 6. He's had success guarding James in the past, and he hasn't gotten any favors from the officials, but I think it's clear that the knee is hampering his performance on that end, as well, just as you'd expect it to. Some of this is on Pierce, who needs to play smart and not take bad fouls, but some of it is also on Doc. If you're willing to let Mickael Pietrus and Marquis Daniels and even Brandon Bass check James when Pierce is out of the game, then you have to be willing to put one of those guys on him to protect Pierce when he's in the game. For example, in Game 6, when Pierce came back into the game in the second quarter with two fouls, he went right back on James, picked up his third foul with like six minutes to go, and had to sit the rest of the half. To start the third, Doc put Bass on James, ostensibly to protect Pierce. But by waiting until Pierce was already in serious foul trouble before making a move, Doc kept Pierce off the court for a big chunk of the second quarter. The key is to start protecting him before it affects his playing time.
3. We only saw a possession or two of zone in Game 6, and absent truly exigent circumstances, I hope that means we've seen the last of it in this series. Miami was reasonably effective scoring against the zone in Game 5; what worked is that Boston was changing defenses and disguising what they were running, and that led to confusion and some wasted possessions when we went back to man-to-man. The element of surprise is gone, however, and Miami not only is ready for the zone, they are ready for us to switch it up. That particular trick isn't going to work anymore, and the zone itself isn't effective enough on its own.
4. Rajon Rondo has to be aggressive. He is charged with a nearly impossible task; he's the only Celtic who is able to consistently get easy baskets for himself, and yet he also has to get the other guys going, too. What Rondo must realize is that his offense opens up the floor for everyone else; when he is penetrating and getting into the lane, shots open up for others, whether it's Kevin Garnett on the pick and roll, Garnett and Bass on the pick-and-pop, or Pierce and Ray Allen spotting up along the perimeter. It's fine to run a few plays for Pierce and Allen early to try and get them a few jumpers, but if that isn't working, Rondo needs to shoulder a heavier scoring load himself, quickly. We can't afford to waste half a quarter trying to get the other guys going. If Rondo's attacking, then the rest of the offense should establish itself.
5. We need something from the bench. While a performance like the one we got from Pietrus in Game 5 would be nice, something to that degree isn't even necessary. I expect Rondo to play the full 48 minutes, and I expect that James will, as well. But Garnett won't, and neither will Pierce and Allen. Pietrus, Daniels, and Keyon Dooling must play their usual strong defense while scoring at least enough to keep us in striking distance.
6. I don't think that home court advantage will affect the players; we've played our two best games of the series in Miami's barn. I do worry that the home crowd will affect the refs. Officiating played a huge role in Boston's Game 2 loss. While I don't know who is assigned to Game 7, I do know that I don't want to see Eddie Malloy or Billy Kennedy, two officials who have shown anti-Boston proclivities and who seem overmatched by big games. And regardless of who is officiating, the players need to put any bad calls behind them quickly.
7. Finally, Boston must be resilient. Miami is a strong defensive team with a couple remarkably talented offensive players. It's nearly impossible to play a game against the Heat without them going on a couple of six- or eight-point runs. The key will be preventing them from turning those spurts into 12- and 14-point surges. Boston can win this game if they are down a few points entering the fourth quarter, but if they're down double-digits after the third, the task may be too hard. The Celtics were resilient in Game 5, and it paid off; Boston stayed in it when things weren't going right in the first half, then made their run when the shots started falling in the third quarter. They were resilient in Game 6, too; the difference is that we couldn't get anything to fall even as we continued to hang around. As long as we stay resilient, then we'll have a great shot at this. Fortunately, staying resilient is one of the things we do best.
Game 7 starts at 8:30 Eastern on ESPN. Let's do this!
1. Paul Pierce is due for a big game. We showered him with praise after he that dagger in Game 5, so it's fair to say that he was awful in Game 6. I'm inclined to forgive him more for the defensive end (no one was stopping LeBron in that one) than for the offensive end, where he shot 4 for 18, including missed layups and clanged jumpers. The problem is that Pierce really hasn't been very good all series, with just two games of shooting that could even be considered decent. Given the shots he's getting, and missing, I assume that it's his knee, and I'm not bringing this up to criticize him. Rather, I mention it to say that anyone who expects him to come to our rescue with a huge game akin to Cleveland in 2008 is probably going to be disappointed.
2. With that said, Pierce is still a key component to our offense and one of the game's most clutch performers. To that end, we need to figure out a way to keep him on the floor. He's fouled out twice this series (in addition to getting DQ'd from Game 7 against Philly), and he picked up 3 fouls in the first half of Game 6. He's had success guarding James in the past, and he hasn't gotten any favors from the officials, but I think it's clear that the knee is hampering his performance on that end, as well, just as you'd expect it to. Some of this is on Pierce, who needs to play smart and not take bad fouls, but some of it is also on Doc. If you're willing to let Mickael Pietrus and Marquis Daniels and even Brandon Bass check James when Pierce is out of the game, then you have to be willing to put one of those guys on him to protect Pierce when he's in the game. For example, in Game 6, when Pierce came back into the game in the second quarter with two fouls, he went right back on James, picked up his third foul with like six minutes to go, and had to sit the rest of the half. To start the third, Doc put Bass on James, ostensibly to protect Pierce. But by waiting until Pierce was already in serious foul trouble before making a move, Doc kept Pierce off the court for a big chunk of the second quarter. The key is to start protecting him before it affects his playing time.
3. We only saw a possession or two of zone in Game 6, and absent truly exigent circumstances, I hope that means we've seen the last of it in this series. Miami was reasonably effective scoring against the zone in Game 5; what worked is that Boston was changing defenses and disguising what they were running, and that led to confusion and some wasted possessions when we went back to man-to-man. The element of surprise is gone, however, and Miami not only is ready for the zone, they are ready for us to switch it up. That particular trick isn't going to work anymore, and the zone itself isn't effective enough on its own.
4. Rajon Rondo has to be aggressive. He is charged with a nearly impossible task; he's the only Celtic who is able to consistently get easy baskets for himself, and yet he also has to get the other guys going, too. What Rondo must realize is that his offense opens up the floor for everyone else; when he is penetrating and getting into the lane, shots open up for others, whether it's Kevin Garnett on the pick and roll, Garnett and Bass on the pick-and-pop, or Pierce and Ray Allen spotting up along the perimeter. It's fine to run a few plays for Pierce and Allen early to try and get them a few jumpers, but if that isn't working, Rondo needs to shoulder a heavier scoring load himself, quickly. We can't afford to waste half a quarter trying to get the other guys going. If Rondo's attacking, then the rest of the offense should establish itself.
5. We need something from the bench. While a performance like the one we got from Pietrus in Game 5 would be nice, something to that degree isn't even necessary. I expect Rondo to play the full 48 minutes, and I expect that James will, as well. But Garnett won't, and neither will Pierce and Allen. Pietrus, Daniels, and Keyon Dooling must play their usual strong defense while scoring at least enough to keep us in striking distance.
6. I don't think that home court advantage will affect the players; we've played our two best games of the series in Miami's barn. I do worry that the home crowd will affect the refs. Officiating played a huge role in Boston's Game 2 loss. While I don't know who is assigned to Game 7, I do know that I don't want to see Eddie Malloy or Billy Kennedy, two officials who have shown anti-Boston proclivities and who seem overmatched by big games. And regardless of who is officiating, the players need to put any bad calls behind them quickly.
7. Finally, Boston must be resilient. Miami is a strong defensive team with a couple remarkably talented offensive players. It's nearly impossible to play a game against the Heat without them going on a couple of six- or eight-point runs. The key will be preventing them from turning those spurts into 12- and 14-point surges. Boston can win this game if they are down a few points entering the fourth quarter, but if they're down double-digits after the third, the task may be too hard. The Celtics were resilient in Game 5, and it paid off; Boston stayed in it when things weren't going right in the first half, then made their run when the shots started falling in the third quarter. They were resilient in Game 6, too; the difference is that we couldn't get anything to fall even as we continued to hang around. As long as we stay resilient, then we'll have a great shot at this. Fortunately, staying resilient is one of the things we do best.
Game 7 starts at 8:30 Eastern on ESPN. Let's do this!
Miami 98, Boston 79
[recap] [box score]
Two stories are dominating the headlines in the aftermath of Game 6. LeBron James' incredible 45-point (deservedly) gets top billing, and Boston's inability to keep the game close in the second half plays second fiddle. Here, I'm going to address them in reverse order.
How to explain the way Boston played tonight? It's a question I've been mulling since the game ended. I'm sure there are no shortage of theories floating around out there among the media and in the blogosphere, but I'm avoiding those outlets for now. I can imagine what they're saying, though:
The Celtics choked. I don't know if anyone is actually saying this. I do know that if, say, Miami had played a closeout game the way Boston did tonight, the talking heads would be all over the Heat (and James) for not coming through in big moments. Mostly by virtue of their title in 2008, this group of Celtics should evade that particular criticism. (It's amazing what a ring will do, isn't it?)
The Celtics didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of the moment. Miami was facing elimination, and teams facing elimination generally take their play to another level (that's why Game 7s are often so intense). Might Boston not have realized this and failed to match Miami's intensity? I suppose it's possible, but again, their playoff experience over the last five years makes this unlikely. The Celtics know exactly what it takes to close out a series. I'd believe that the opposite was true -- that the Cs were overhyped for the game, something that's happened with KG before -- before I believed this.
The Celtics are out of gas. The conference finals started just two days after Boston finished a seven-game series with Philly, and the Celtics expended an extraordinary amount of energy in games 2 through 5, including two overtimes. All this with a short rotation, on old, tired, injured legs.
The Celtics were complacent. The more I think about this one, the more I have to give it at least a little credit. I don't think the players ever thought "this one's in the bag," but after outplaying the Heat for four straight games and hearing two days' worth of stories about the Miami being on the ropes, maybe the mindset wasn't quite right. Professional athletes are always walking a fine line between confidence and over-confidence, between not psyching themselves out and having appropriate respect for the moment. Maybe, for whatever reason, the formula was a little out of whack. It wouldn't be the first time -- look at the Philly series. It was just one of those nights. This, more or less, is what I believe. All the other things may have played smaller roles in the defeat, but there are nights when things just don't go right. Your shots don't fall while the opponent's shots do, the ball bounces the other way a couple times, your timing is just a fraction of a second off. It's not because you aren't prepared or succumb to the moment -- it's just one of those nights.
I thought Boston's effort level, at least up until the early part of the fourth quarter, was good. The Celtics weren't flying around the court or anything, but they were getting back on defense, running when they had the opportunity, hitting the boards, and fighting for loose balls. Everything was just a little off, and as James made tough shot after tough shot, Boston started pressing a little bit. When that happens, unless you start making shots, the game can get out of control in a hurry. In the third quarter, Boston threatened to make it a game, but they never got to the point where they were making shots consistently. Eventually, that was too much to overcome.
In other words, I don't really know what caused Boston to turn in what must be fairly described as a disappointing performance in Game 6. I do know, however, that these guys have earned the benefit of the doubt. So I'm not going to criticize their effort or preparation.
On to James. What a performance! Truly one for the ages. James at least temporarily shut up his critics who say that he doesn't perform in big games. He was a one-man show, no doubt.
That's the thing, though: He was a one-man show. Udonis Haslem was a monster on the boards, a few other guys hit a few shots, but for the most part, this was all LeBron -- scoring machine LeBron, not facilitator LeBron.
Here's the honest truth, though: I don't mind 45 points from LeBron James. If you had shown me only Miami's half of the box score before the game, I would have taken it. LeBron was prolifically, brutally efficient, but his team members weren't involved, and when the other guys aren't involved, they they don't defend as well and miss more often when they are finally called upon. That's not meant as a criticism of James -- I fully recognize how brilliant he was tonight -- it's just a fact. I've said it before and I'll say it again now: One player cannot defeat a great team if that team is playing well. Kobe couldn't do it in Game 5 in 2010. LeBron himself couldn't do it in Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semis.
The difference between Boston wins like those two games an what happened Thursday night is, of course, the Celtics. Against the Lakers in 2010, when Kobe scored 23 straight LA points during one stretch, the Cs scored 33 points, and every Boston player on the court had at least one bucket, and the team had assists on 10 of its 15 baskets. Against the Cavs in 2008, Paul Pierce matched LeBron nearly point for point (41 points to James' 45), and the Celtics supporting cast took care of the rest. Tonight, however, Boston's offense wasn't clicking. Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass did their best to keep the team in it during the first half, but unlike the second half of Game 5, the shots just didn't fall. Boston can beat the Heat even with James playing like a deity, but to do so, they have to put the ball in the basket.
Towards the very end of the game, maybe with two-and-a-half minutes left and the benches emptied, a "Let's go Celtics!" chant slowly emerged from the Boston fans still on hand. As the game dragged on longer than it needed to, the cheer continued, and in fact grew even louder. Quite a few fans had left the Garden early, but by the final buzzer, there wasn't a green-clad fan in the stands who wasn't on his or her feet, yelling and clapping. On the bench, the Celtics' starters -- Pierce and Allen, Rondo and KG -- slowly nodded their heads, their mental preparation for Game 7 already begun.
Game 7 is in Miami on Saturday, and could mean the end of Boston's season, and so the question has to be asked: Were the fans cheering on the Celtics in advance of Game 7, a "we believe in you!" type message? Or were they thanking them for a great run this year -- and, let's face it, for the last five years, since there's a good chance that if Boston loses on Saturday, we won't see at least one key piece of this team in a Celtics uniform again?
We'll never know what the person who started the cheer intended, and the answer to the question will probably be provided by what happens in Game 7. But I ask you to consider Boston's performance following a loss in these playoffs. They are 4-1 in such games this year, including wins without Rondo (Atlanta Game 2) and without Pierce in the final minutes (Philly Game 7). The sole loss, the lone exception, was Game 2 against Miami just days ago -- when Boston played arguably its best game of the playoffs.
I'm not going to go so far to say that Boston has Miami right where they want them. "Right where they want them" is home on their couches in Miami, while we get three days to rest up for Oklahoma City. But every time their backs have been against the wall over the last six weeks or so, the Celtics have responded. They clearly aren't ready to say goodbye. And I'm not ready to say goodbye to them.
Two stories are dominating the headlines in the aftermath of Game 6. LeBron James' incredible 45-point (deservedly) gets top billing, and Boston's inability to keep the game close in the second half plays second fiddle. Here, I'm going to address them in reverse order.
How to explain the way Boston played tonight? It's a question I've been mulling since the game ended. I'm sure there are no shortage of theories floating around out there among the media and in the blogosphere, but I'm avoiding those outlets for now. I can imagine what they're saying, though:
The Celtics choked. I don't know if anyone is actually saying this. I do know that if, say, Miami had played a closeout game the way Boston did tonight, the talking heads would be all over the Heat (and James) for not coming through in big moments. Mostly by virtue of their title in 2008, this group of Celtics should evade that particular criticism. (It's amazing what a ring will do, isn't it?)
The Celtics didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of the moment. Miami was facing elimination, and teams facing elimination generally take their play to another level (that's why Game 7s are often so intense). Might Boston not have realized this and failed to match Miami's intensity? I suppose it's possible, but again, their playoff experience over the last five years makes this unlikely. The Celtics know exactly what it takes to close out a series. I'd believe that the opposite was true -- that the Cs were overhyped for the game, something that's happened with KG before -- before I believed this.
The Celtics are out of gas. The conference finals started just two days after Boston finished a seven-game series with Philly, and the Celtics expended an extraordinary amount of energy in games 2 through 5, including two overtimes. All this with a short rotation, on old, tired, injured legs.
The Celtics were complacent. The more I think about this one, the more I have to give it at least a little credit. I don't think the players ever thought "this one's in the bag," but after outplaying the Heat for four straight games and hearing two days' worth of stories about the Miami being on the ropes, maybe the mindset wasn't quite right. Professional athletes are always walking a fine line between confidence and over-confidence, between not psyching themselves out and having appropriate respect for the moment. Maybe, for whatever reason, the formula was a little out of whack. It wouldn't be the first time -- look at the Philly series. It was just one of those nights. This, more or less, is what I believe. All the other things may have played smaller roles in the defeat, but there are nights when things just don't go right. Your shots don't fall while the opponent's shots do, the ball bounces the other way a couple times, your timing is just a fraction of a second off. It's not because you aren't prepared or succumb to the moment -- it's just one of those nights.
I thought Boston's effort level, at least up until the early part of the fourth quarter, was good. The Celtics weren't flying around the court or anything, but they were getting back on defense, running when they had the opportunity, hitting the boards, and fighting for loose balls. Everything was just a little off, and as James made tough shot after tough shot, Boston started pressing a little bit. When that happens, unless you start making shots, the game can get out of control in a hurry. In the third quarter, Boston threatened to make it a game, but they never got to the point where they were making shots consistently. Eventually, that was too much to overcome.
In other words, I don't really know what caused Boston to turn in what must be fairly described as a disappointing performance in Game 6. I do know, however, that these guys have earned the benefit of the doubt. So I'm not going to criticize their effort or preparation.
On to James. What a performance! Truly one for the ages. James at least temporarily shut up his critics who say that he doesn't perform in big games. He was a one-man show, no doubt.
That's the thing, though: He was a one-man show. Udonis Haslem was a monster on the boards, a few other guys hit a few shots, but for the most part, this was all LeBron -- scoring machine LeBron, not facilitator LeBron.
Here's the honest truth, though: I don't mind 45 points from LeBron James. If you had shown me only Miami's half of the box score before the game, I would have taken it. LeBron was prolifically, brutally efficient, but his team members weren't involved, and when the other guys aren't involved, they they don't defend as well and miss more often when they are finally called upon. That's not meant as a criticism of James -- I fully recognize how brilliant he was tonight -- it's just a fact. I've said it before and I'll say it again now: One player cannot defeat a great team if that team is playing well. Kobe couldn't do it in Game 5 in 2010. LeBron himself couldn't do it in Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semis.
The difference between Boston wins like those two games an what happened Thursday night is, of course, the Celtics. Against the Lakers in 2010, when Kobe scored 23 straight LA points during one stretch, the Cs scored 33 points, and every Boston player on the court had at least one bucket, and the team had assists on 10 of its 15 baskets. Against the Cavs in 2008, Paul Pierce matched LeBron nearly point for point (41 points to James' 45), and the Celtics supporting cast took care of the rest. Tonight, however, Boston's offense wasn't clicking. Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass did their best to keep the team in it during the first half, but unlike the second half of Game 5, the shots just didn't fall. Boston can beat the Heat even with James playing like a deity, but to do so, they have to put the ball in the basket.
Towards the very end of the game, maybe with two-and-a-half minutes left and the benches emptied, a "Let's go Celtics!" chant slowly emerged from the Boston fans still on hand. As the game dragged on longer than it needed to, the cheer continued, and in fact grew even louder. Quite a few fans had left the Garden early, but by the final buzzer, there wasn't a green-clad fan in the stands who wasn't on his or her feet, yelling and clapping. On the bench, the Celtics' starters -- Pierce and Allen, Rondo and KG -- slowly nodded their heads, their mental preparation for Game 7 already begun.
Game 7 is in Miami on Saturday, and could mean the end of Boston's season, and so the question has to be asked: Were the fans cheering on the Celtics in advance of Game 7, a "we believe in you!" type message? Or were they thanking them for a great run this year -- and, let's face it, for the last five years, since there's a good chance that if Boston loses on Saturday, we won't see at least one key piece of this team in a Celtics uniform again?
We'll never know what the person who started the cheer intended, and the answer to the question will probably be provided by what happens in Game 7. But I ask you to consider Boston's performance following a loss in these playoffs. They are 4-1 in such games this year, including wins without Rondo (Atlanta Game 2) and without Pierce in the final minutes (Philly Game 7). The sole loss, the lone exception, was Game 2 against Miami just days ago -- when Boston played arguably its best game of the playoffs.
I'm not going to go so far to say that Boston has Miami right where they want them. "Right where they want them" is home on their couches in Miami, while we get three days to rest up for Oklahoma City. But every time their backs have been against the wall over the last six weeks or so, the Celtics have responded. They clearly aren't ready to say goodbye. And I'm not ready to say goodbye to them.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Boston 94, Miami 90
[recap] [box score]
You want to know when I knew the Celtics were going to win Game 5?
It was well before Kevin Garnett grabbed Dwyane Wade's desperation three-pointer and flung it downcourt as the final seconds ticked off the clock. It was well before Garnett hit a pair of free throws to keep the Boston lead at four points in those final seconds, and before Ray Allen knocked down a pair the possession before. It was even before Paul Pierce, his team clinging to a one-point lead with less than a minute left, shook off a 5-for-18 shooting night, stared down the MVP, and drilled perhaps the Truthiest shot of his career.
It was with 9:37 left in the game. Not a moment you remember? Read on.
With Boston leading 70-67, Garnett picked up his fourth foul on the offensive end, having allegedly thrown Dwyane Wade to the floor while fighting for post possession. KG took a few steps downcourt while cradling the basketball, raised it to his lips for a quick kiss, then flipped it to a referee.
I didn't know at that moment. I didn't know until a couple of seconds later, when they showed the replay, and I saw that Garnett hadn't touched Wade; Wade had gotten his feet tangled up with James as the latter was chasing a Celtic on the perimeter. It was a bad call at a crucial moment -- and Garnett didn't say a word.
"These guys are dialed in," I thought. And that's when I knew.
Really, I should have noticed it earlier. Doc Rivers did; at halftime, he said was proud of his guys for sticking it out in the first half, which was a nightmare of missed layups and clanked jumpers. (Despite shooting just 33% in the opening half, they went into the break down just two.) They survived two early fouls on Rajon Rondo and some quasi-foul trouble on other key players. Garnett had a monster dunk in the third quarter while getting fouled by James Jones, and didn't so much as look at Jones, never mind bark at him or brush shoulders as he walked to the free throw line -- the kind of stuff we've come to expect. There were some lapses -- Rajon Rondo's backcourt violation, Rondo allowing Norris Cole to chase him down from behind on a two-on-one break, Brandon Bass picking up a technical for spiking the ball in frustration -- but for the most part, this was the most focused the Celtics have been in this postseason.
This was in contrast to the Heat. They were once again preoccupied with the officials, though perhaps not as badly as in previous games, had some major lapses in transition defense, and at times seemed afraid to take shots or run any offense whatsoever.
Boston's focus culminated in what seemed like a postseason's worth of loose balls in the fourth quarter. The first, and the one that everyone's talking about, was the Rondo tap-out to Mickael Pietrus after Wade made an incredible block of a Bass dunk. It was an incredible play and gets a lot of attention because of it staved off a major momentum shift in favor of Miami -- the Heat were already up six, and Wade's block was so spectacular it would have taken the roof off the building. But the second Rondo deflection, this time off an Allen miss, was an even more remarkable play. Instead of simply tapping the ball to a nearby teammate, on this play Rondo -- while moving forward and slightly to his right -- essentially threw a tap bounce pass across his body to the left, past a Heat defender and into an open space where Pietrus could retrieve it. MP got the ball to Pierce, who penetrated and kicked to Garnett, whose jumper gave Boston a one-point lead.
The final loose ball that went our way was the luckiest. Pierce threw a bad pass to Allen that was deflected, bounced off a Heat player, then off Allen's leg. Allen dove on it, and from the floor, kicked it out to Pierce, who hit Pietrus in the corner. Pietrus hit his second huge three of the quarter, balancing out a Mario Chalmers three on the previous possession. These were plays that we simply hadn't made earlier in the playoffs.
This was a huge win, but the series isn't over yet, and Boston has to be ready to play a full 48 minutes of focused basketball on Thursday. There's always the chance, I suppose, that the Celtics can deliver an early knockout punch like they did in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals -- these Heat aren't mentally tough the same way those Lakers weren't mentally tough -- but huge games from James and Wade are a more likely scenario. Garnett was huge, again, but he may have his hands a bit more full in Game 6 with Chris Bosh, who inexplicably played just 12 minutes in his return to the corner. Pietrus had his best game of the postseason, on both ends of the court. Other than those two, however, no one could really get going, and the Celtics will have to find a way to get the offense going while being prepared, like they were tonight, for things to get cold again. They must anticipate that James and Wade will get every call in a close-out game, and keep their composure and play through any frustration. They can't count on Miami missing open looks, or being confused by Doc switching defenses the way they were in Game 5.
They can close it out at home, but to do so, they'll have to play their best game yet.
You want to know when I knew the Celtics were going to win Game 5?
It was well before Kevin Garnett grabbed Dwyane Wade's desperation three-pointer and flung it downcourt as the final seconds ticked off the clock. It was well before Garnett hit a pair of free throws to keep the Boston lead at four points in those final seconds, and before Ray Allen knocked down a pair the possession before. It was even before Paul Pierce, his team clinging to a one-point lead with less than a minute left, shook off a 5-for-18 shooting night, stared down the MVP, and drilled perhaps the Truthiest shot of his career.
It was with 9:37 left in the game. Not a moment you remember? Read on.
With Boston leading 70-67, Garnett picked up his fourth foul on the offensive end, having allegedly thrown Dwyane Wade to the floor while fighting for post possession. KG took a few steps downcourt while cradling the basketball, raised it to his lips for a quick kiss, then flipped it to a referee.
I didn't know at that moment. I didn't know until a couple of seconds later, when they showed the replay, and I saw that Garnett hadn't touched Wade; Wade had gotten his feet tangled up with James as the latter was chasing a Celtic on the perimeter. It was a bad call at a crucial moment -- and Garnett didn't say a word.
"These guys are dialed in," I thought. And that's when I knew.
Really, I should have noticed it earlier. Doc Rivers did; at halftime, he said was proud of his guys for sticking it out in the first half, which was a nightmare of missed layups and clanked jumpers. (Despite shooting just 33% in the opening half, they went into the break down just two.) They survived two early fouls on Rajon Rondo and some quasi-foul trouble on other key players. Garnett had a monster dunk in the third quarter while getting fouled by James Jones, and didn't so much as look at Jones, never mind bark at him or brush shoulders as he walked to the free throw line -- the kind of stuff we've come to expect. There were some lapses -- Rajon Rondo's backcourt violation, Rondo allowing Norris Cole to chase him down from behind on a two-on-one break, Brandon Bass picking up a technical for spiking the ball in frustration -- but for the most part, this was the most focused the Celtics have been in this postseason.
This was in contrast to the Heat. They were once again preoccupied with the officials, though perhaps not as badly as in previous games, had some major lapses in transition defense, and at times seemed afraid to take shots or run any offense whatsoever.
Boston's focus culminated in what seemed like a postseason's worth of loose balls in the fourth quarter. The first, and the one that everyone's talking about, was the Rondo tap-out to Mickael Pietrus after Wade made an incredible block of a Bass dunk. It was an incredible play and gets a lot of attention because of it staved off a major momentum shift in favor of Miami -- the Heat were already up six, and Wade's block was so spectacular it would have taken the roof off the building. But the second Rondo deflection, this time off an Allen miss, was an even more remarkable play. Instead of simply tapping the ball to a nearby teammate, on this play Rondo -- while moving forward and slightly to his right -- essentially threw a tap bounce pass across his body to the left, past a Heat defender and into an open space where Pietrus could retrieve it. MP got the ball to Pierce, who penetrated and kicked to Garnett, whose jumper gave Boston a one-point lead.
The final loose ball that went our way was the luckiest. Pierce threw a bad pass to Allen that was deflected, bounced off a Heat player, then off Allen's leg. Allen dove on it, and from the floor, kicked it out to Pierce, who hit Pietrus in the corner. Pietrus hit his second huge three of the quarter, balancing out a Mario Chalmers three on the previous possession. These were plays that we simply hadn't made earlier in the playoffs.
This was a huge win, but the series isn't over yet, and Boston has to be ready to play a full 48 minutes of focused basketball on Thursday. There's always the chance, I suppose, that the Celtics can deliver an early knockout punch like they did in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals -- these Heat aren't mentally tough the same way those Lakers weren't mentally tough -- but huge games from James and Wade are a more likely scenario. Garnett was huge, again, but he may have his hands a bit more full in Game 6 with Chris Bosh, who inexplicably played just 12 minutes in his return to the corner. Pietrus had his best game of the postseason, on both ends of the court. Other than those two, however, no one could really get going, and the Celtics will have to find a way to get the offense going while being prepared, like they were tonight, for things to get cold again. They must anticipate that James and Wade will get every call in a close-out game, and keep their composure and play through any frustration. They can't count on Miami missing open looks, or being confused by Doc switching defenses the way they were in Game 5.
They can close it out at home, but to do so, they'll have to play their best game yet.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Boston 93, Miami 91 (Overtime)
[recap] [box score]
This team really is unlike any other I've ever seen.
When it's clicking, Boston's offense is as pretty as anybody's in the NBA, unselfish, the ball flowing from the hands of a young point guard whose creativity and court vision is unmatched, to one of history's best passing big men, to the franchise's second-leading scorer, to the greatest outside shooter in the history of the game, ending in a jumper so pure you can feel the snap of the net even as you're sitting in your chair. In the same game -- hell, in the same quarter -- that same offense can deteriorate into what ESPN's Bill Simmons calls a clogged toilet, a series of forced isolations that are now in their fifth straight year of accomplishing nothing but letting the opponent back in the game. They've played more playoff games than any other team over the last five years -- more often than not getting the job done -- and yet they have inexplicable trouble closing out a game, or a playoff series. They do nothing easily, and watching them barely scrape by or hang on, you get the feeling that it's going to come back to bite them in the collective ass.
Watching this team, in essence, is an exercise in waiting for the other shoe to drop.
You'll forgive me, then, for thinking that Dwyane Wade -- standing alone, 24 feet from the home goal at the Garden, with Boston up two and the final seconds of overtime ticking away -- was that proverbial other shoe. You'll forgive me for thinking that his three-pointer was going in.
But it didn't. It was short -- just barely, maybe an inch (probably less) -- but short. And so Boston, which had given up all of an 18-point first half lead, was let off the hook. Doc Rivers was let off the hook for mismanaging the end game in regulation (more on this later). Paul Pierce was let off the hook for fouling out for the third time in five games. Kevin Garnett was let off the hook for the late offensive foul that gave Miami a chance to win it in regulation. Mickael Pietrus was leaving LeBron James wide open -- and I mean [i]wide open[/i] for the game-tying three with 37 seconds left. Rajon Rondo was let off the hook for his petulant kick at Shane Battier (and ensuing technical) late in the first half. Marquis Daniels was let off the hook for letting Wade shake him with a pump fake for that final look. I could go on, but I won't.
If you read the above, you're probably under the impression that the Celtics were lucky to win this game and go back to Miami tied 2-2 instead of in a 3-1 hole. And it's true: Boston was fortunate to win, as any team must be when it continually lives so close to the edge. But it's also true that you make your own luck, and for everyone in the above list (and everyone else who played, for that matter), I could point to something they did that was absolutely instrumental in this win, whether it was helping build the big first-half lead or recovering after Miami surged ahead. It was yet another mix of brilliance, horror, and resilience -- and everybody played a part in all of it.
A few scattered thoughts:
1. I mentioned earlier that I thought Doc blew the endgame in regulation. Specifically, when James hit that three to tie it up with 37 seconds left, Boston had two timeouts remaining. This was a perfect two-for-one opportunity; Doc could've called timeout to advance the ball, then drawn up one of his signature out-of-bounds plays for a quick shot, leaving enough time on the clock that they'd get the ball back after a Miami possession (after which they'd once again be able to advance the ball with a timeout). It's basic NBA strategy -- you get two possessions to your opponent's one -- and while I think it can be overused and teams often end up getting two bad shots, there was enough time to get something good on the first possession and still leave enough time for a good look on the second possession. And it would have been particularly appropriate in Sunday's game, when Boston had basically gotten nothing in the flow of the offense in the second half. But, to my shock, Doc let them go, and Garnett was called for a foul for trapping James' arm as a way of preventing him from challenging Rondo's drive. Boston was able to survive Miami's potential game-winning possession due to some strong defense and a really poor play on the part of the Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra, but had they been able to score and win the game there, Doc's error in the fourth would have the lead of this post.
2. Rondo turned in what is becoming a typical Rondo performance: brilliant first half, some dicey moments in the second half, big buckets when the team needed them down the stretch, and the frustrating, if momentary, loss of his cool (the Battier kick). He added something new: unprecedented candor during the halftime interview. After a 61-point outburst over the opening 24 minutes, Doris Burke asked him what holes the Celtics were exploiting. His response: "Them complaining and crying to the referees in transition."
I'm curious what the reaction will be. What he said was true: In what is becoming an annoyingly common occurrence in the NBA, the Heat actually were giving up buckets in transition because they were barking at the officials instead of getting back on D. The Heat players might try to use it as some sort of motivation, though I imagine Spoelstra wouldn't mind someone else pointing out to his guys that all the bitching actually hurts them. I also wonder if it was a calculated move on Rondo's part, or just him being honest. There certainly shouldn't be any fallout with the league -- he wasn't criticizing the officials.
3. I'm beginning to wonder if Boston's habit of slowing the pace down in the second half is an energy-conserving tactic. The Heat have been going to increasingly small lineups, which has shortened Doc's big man rotation (Greg Stiemsma played all of 32 seconds in Game 4 and Ryan Hollins didn't get off the bench). Garnett is playing too many minutes (43 on Sunday) and Pierce and Allen are battling injuries. I don't think we'll find out if that's the case -- it's not the kind of thing you admit during a series. But it's hard to find another rational explanation for why Boston goes to an offensive strategy that almost never works, then goes back to running their normal offense when they absolutely have to.
4. The officiating in the fourth quarter and in overtime was just bizarre. James flopped trying to deny a Garnett post-up, and the official -- Billy Kennedy, I think -- whistled a double foul. Pierce's sixth foul, a late call by Kennedy early in overtime, came on a minor bit of contact between him and Shane Battier, who flopped to the ground on the play. And James was disqualified with his sixth foul later in overtime by Joey Crawford for muscling Pietrus to the floor. I think that it was inconsistent enough that both teams had gripes and that you really couldn't say one team had the advantage over the other, but there were a bunch of weird calls, particularly late, that had me scratching my head once again.
5. Ray Allen looked more like himself on Sunday than he has since he came back. That's a great sign. I've got no doubt he's still hurting, but it's not affecting his shot as much as it was.
I think we should be feeling good heading back to Miami. Boston had some trouble closing out these last two games, but they outplayed Miami for big chunks of Games 2, 3, and 4. The Celtics seem to have figured out how to keep James and Wade out of the lane as much as possible, which is crucial to beating the Heat. Miami has been making big adjustments on what seems to be an almost constant basis -- playing different people at center, going small, trapping the pick-and-roll, switching the pick-and-roll, putting James on Rondo, etc. That makes them a little bit hard to game plan for, but it also suggests to me that we're a bit more comfortable than they are. There's also been some rumbling that Chris Bosh might return for some part of this series, which would be interesting -- I'm honestly not sure whether that'd be bad or good for Boston.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Miami, at 8:30 Eastern on ESPN. We've got the momentum, but it's crucial to remember something that I keep reminding my girlfriend (an avid Spurs fan): Nothing's happened in this series yet. Both teams have held serve at home, and Miami has the advantage of being able to win the series without winning on the road. Boston, on the other hand, has to win at least once on South Beach. No better time than Tuesday -- if that's not too easy.
This team really is unlike any other I've ever seen.
When it's clicking, Boston's offense is as pretty as anybody's in the NBA, unselfish, the ball flowing from the hands of a young point guard whose creativity and court vision is unmatched, to one of history's best passing big men, to the franchise's second-leading scorer, to the greatest outside shooter in the history of the game, ending in a jumper so pure you can feel the snap of the net even as you're sitting in your chair. In the same game -- hell, in the same quarter -- that same offense can deteriorate into what ESPN's Bill Simmons calls a clogged toilet, a series of forced isolations that are now in their fifth straight year of accomplishing nothing but letting the opponent back in the game. They've played more playoff games than any other team over the last five years -- more often than not getting the job done -- and yet they have inexplicable trouble closing out a game, or a playoff series. They do nothing easily, and watching them barely scrape by or hang on, you get the feeling that it's going to come back to bite them in the collective ass.
Watching this team, in essence, is an exercise in waiting for the other shoe to drop.
You'll forgive me, then, for thinking that Dwyane Wade -- standing alone, 24 feet from the home goal at the Garden, with Boston up two and the final seconds of overtime ticking away -- was that proverbial other shoe. You'll forgive me for thinking that his three-pointer was going in.
But it didn't. It was short -- just barely, maybe an inch (probably less) -- but short. And so Boston, which had given up all of an 18-point first half lead, was let off the hook. Doc Rivers was let off the hook for mismanaging the end game in regulation (more on this later). Paul Pierce was let off the hook for fouling out for the third time in five games. Kevin Garnett was let off the hook for the late offensive foul that gave Miami a chance to win it in regulation. Mickael Pietrus was leaving LeBron James wide open -- and I mean [i]wide open[/i] for the game-tying three with 37 seconds left. Rajon Rondo was let off the hook for his petulant kick at Shane Battier (and ensuing technical) late in the first half. Marquis Daniels was let off the hook for letting Wade shake him with a pump fake for that final look. I could go on, but I won't.
If you read the above, you're probably under the impression that the Celtics were lucky to win this game and go back to Miami tied 2-2 instead of in a 3-1 hole. And it's true: Boston was fortunate to win, as any team must be when it continually lives so close to the edge. But it's also true that you make your own luck, and for everyone in the above list (and everyone else who played, for that matter), I could point to something they did that was absolutely instrumental in this win, whether it was helping build the big first-half lead or recovering after Miami surged ahead. It was yet another mix of brilliance, horror, and resilience -- and everybody played a part in all of it.
A few scattered thoughts:
1. I mentioned earlier that I thought Doc blew the endgame in regulation. Specifically, when James hit that three to tie it up with 37 seconds left, Boston had two timeouts remaining. This was a perfect two-for-one opportunity; Doc could've called timeout to advance the ball, then drawn up one of his signature out-of-bounds plays for a quick shot, leaving enough time on the clock that they'd get the ball back after a Miami possession (after which they'd once again be able to advance the ball with a timeout). It's basic NBA strategy -- you get two possessions to your opponent's one -- and while I think it can be overused and teams often end up getting two bad shots, there was enough time to get something good on the first possession and still leave enough time for a good look on the second possession. And it would have been particularly appropriate in Sunday's game, when Boston had basically gotten nothing in the flow of the offense in the second half. But, to my shock, Doc let them go, and Garnett was called for a foul for trapping James' arm as a way of preventing him from challenging Rondo's drive. Boston was able to survive Miami's potential game-winning possession due to some strong defense and a really poor play on the part of the Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra, but had they been able to score and win the game there, Doc's error in the fourth would have the lead of this post.
2. Rondo turned in what is becoming a typical Rondo performance: brilliant first half, some dicey moments in the second half, big buckets when the team needed them down the stretch, and the frustrating, if momentary, loss of his cool (the Battier kick). He added something new: unprecedented candor during the halftime interview. After a 61-point outburst over the opening 24 minutes, Doris Burke asked him what holes the Celtics were exploiting. His response: "Them complaining and crying to the referees in transition."
I'm curious what the reaction will be. What he said was true: In what is becoming an annoyingly common occurrence in the NBA, the Heat actually were giving up buckets in transition because they were barking at the officials instead of getting back on D. The Heat players might try to use it as some sort of motivation, though I imagine Spoelstra wouldn't mind someone else pointing out to his guys that all the bitching actually hurts them. I also wonder if it was a calculated move on Rondo's part, or just him being honest. There certainly shouldn't be any fallout with the league -- he wasn't criticizing the officials.
3. I'm beginning to wonder if Boston's habit of slowing the pace down in the second half is an energy-conserving tactic. The Heat have been going to increasingly small lineups, which has shortened Doc's big man rotation (Greg Stiemsma played all of 32 seconds in Game 4 and Ryan Hollins didn't get off the bench). Garnett is playing too many minutes (43 on Sunday) and Pierce and Allen are battling injuries. I don't think we'll find out if that's the case -- it's not the kind of thing you admit during a series. But it's hard to find another rational explanation for why Boston goes to an offensive strategy that almost never works, then goes back to running their normal offense when they absolutely have to.
4. The officiating in the fourth quarter and in overtime was just bizarre. James flopped trying to deny a Garnett post-up, and the official -- Billy Kennedy, I think -- whistled a double foul. Pierce's sixth foul, a late call by Kennedy early in overtime, came on a minor bit of contact between him and Shane Battier, who flopped to the ground on the play. And James was disqualified with his sixth foul later in overtime by Joey Crawford for muscling Pietrus to the floor. I think that it was inconsistent enough that both teams had gripes and that you really couldn't say one team had the advantage over the other, but there were a bunch of weird calls, particularly late, that had me scratching my head once again.
5. Ray Allen looked more like himself on Sunday than he has since he came back. That's a great sign. I've got no doubt he's still hurting, but it's not affecting his shot as much as it was.
I think we should be feeling good heading back to Miami. Boston had some trouble closing out these last two games, but they outplayed Miami for big chunks of Games 2, 3, and 4. The Celtics seem to have figured out how to keep James and Wade out of the lane as much as possible, which is crucial to beating the Heat. Miami has been making big adjustments on what seems to be an almost constant basis -- playing different people at center, going small, trapping the pick-and-roll, switching the pick-and-roll, putting James on Rondo, etc. That makes them a little bit hard to game plan for, but it also suggests to me that we're a bit more comfortable than they are. There's also been some rumbling that Chris Bosh might return for some part of this series, which would be interesting -- I'm honestly not sure whether that'd be bad or good for Boston.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Miami, at 8:30 Eastern on ESPN. We've got the momentum, but it's crucial to remember something that I keep reminding my girlfriend (an avid Spurs fan): Nothing's happened in this series yet. Both teams have held serve at home, and Miami has the advantage of being able to win the series without winning on the road. Boston, on the other hand, has to win at least once on South Beach. No better time than Tuesday -- if that's not too easy.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Boston 101, Miami 91
[recap] [box score]
Going to do just a few quick points, since I didn't get a chance to post after the game last night:
1. Huge contribution in this one from Marquis Daniels, who basically has been out of the rotation ever since we got Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley stepped up. Daniels was part of the second unit that took control of this game at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, and with Brandon Bass in foul trouble, was on the court for much of the stretch when Boston's lead ballooned as high as 24 in the third quarter. Daniels biggest contribution was probably defensively; LeBron James scored his share of points when Daniels was checking him, but those points did not come easily. Offensively, Daniels doesn't have the range Pietrus supposedly has, but his knack of finding the open spot moving off the ball -- something sorely lacking ever since Bradley was shut down -- was crucial to the Celtics' offensive success. I expect we'll see more of him.
2. Keyon Dooling's ball pressure off the bench during that same first half stretch was crucial. Miami didn't score for like seven minutes while Boston ripped off a 15-0 run, and Dooling's perimeter defense should get a lot of credit for taking the Heat out of an offensive rhythm that had put up 28 points in the first 9 and a half minutes.
3. It's rare that the bench -- particularly one as weak as Boston's -- is the difference in a playoff game, but these are unusual circumstances. With Chris Bosh out, Miami's been going small, and that means Brandon Bass has to chase guys out on the perimeter, which got him into foul trouble. Daniels and Pietrus replaced him, and in effect became "starters." I expect we'll see more of Daniels moving forward.
4. Dooling and Daniels scored some points, but their defense was really the big key. Boston had played fairly terribly on defense in the early minutes, and Dooling's tenacity, especially, changed the defensive tone of the game.
5. Boston went to Kevin Garnett early and often, which was key. And the officials finally recognized that Miami has been holding and grabbing KG as he tries to get position. If that trend continues, KG will be close to unstoppable.
6. Rajon Rondo's numbers aren't nearly as gaudy as they were in Game 2, but he made a number of momentum-shifting plays. I thought his layup in transition in the closing minutes was huge. The Heat had shifted to a super-small lineup with James at the 5, which not only spread the Celtics thin on defense, but also induced them into walking the ball up and trying to exploit size mismatches in the post -- a strategy which, surprise, didn't really work.
7. For the most part, Boston turned James and Dwyane Wade into jump shooters. James was red-hot to start, but even as he was draining jumper after jumper, I was thinking that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing -- that it might induce the Heat to fall in love with the long game and not take advantage of their ability to penetrate and the favorable treatment they get from the officials. We've had success doing this in the past, and it will be crucial to continue to do so moving forward.
8. One thing that needs to be fixed is Boston's transition defense. Miami burned us for easy layups several times in the first quarter, even after Boston hoops, and it's been a problem all series. It's inexcusable for a team that sends as few people to the offensive glass as Boston does. One problem is that as Rondo has become more of a scoring threat, the rest of the team hasn't adjusted to need to balance the floor, but really, just making a concerted effort to not let someone run by you and way downcourt is probably the only fix necessary.
9. Game 4 is Sunday, same bad time, same bad place. Game 3 means nothing if we don't win the next one.
Going to do just a few quick points, since I didn't get a chance to post after the game last night:
1. Huge contribution in this one from Marquis Daniels, who basically has been out of the rotation ever since we got Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley stepped up. Daniels was part of the second unit that took control of this game at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, and with Brandon Bass in foul trouble, was on the court for much of the stretch when Boston's lead ballooned as high as 24 in the third quarter. Daniels biggest contribution was probably defensively; LeBron James scored his share of points when Daniels was checking him, but those points did not come easily. Offensively, Daniels doesn't have the range Pietrus supposedly has, but his knack of finding the open spot moving off the ball -- something sorely lacking ever since Bradley was shut down -- was crucial to the Celtics' offensive success. I expect we'll see more of him.
2. Keyon Dooling's ball pressure off the bench during that same first half stretch was crucial. Miami didn't score for like seven minutes while Boston ripped off a 15-0 run, and Dooling's perimeter defense should get a lot of credit for taking the Heat out of an offensive rhythm that had put up 28 points in the first 9 and a half minutes.
3. It's rare that the bench -- particularly one as weak as Boston's -- is the difference in a playoff game, but these are unusual circumstances. With Chris Bosh out, Miami's been going small, and that means Brandon Bass has to chase guys out on the perimeter, which got him into foul trouble. Daniels and Pietrus replaced him, and in effect became "starters." I expect we'll see more of Daniels moving forward.
4. Dooling and Daniels scored some points, but their defense was really the big key. Boston had played fairly terribly on defense in the early minutes, and Dooling's tenacity, especially, changed the defensive tone of the game.
5. Boston went to Kevin Garnett early and often, which was key. And the officials finally recognized that Miami has been holding and grabbing KG as he tries to get position. If that trend continues, KG will be close to unstoppable.
6. Rajon Rondo's numbers aren't nearly as gaudy as they were in Game 2, but he made a number of momentum-shifting plays. I thought his layup in transition in the closing minutes was huge. The Heat had shifted to a super-small lineup with James at the 5, which not only spread the Celtics thin on defense, but also induced them into walking the ball up and trying to exploit size mismatches in the post -- a strategy which, surprise, didn't really work.
7. For the most part, Boston turned James and Dwyane Wade into jump shooters. James was red-hot to start, but even as he was draining jumper after jumper, I was thinking that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing -- that it might induce the Heat to fall in love with the long game and not take advantage of their ability to penetrate and the favorable treatment they get from the officials. We've had success doing this in the past, and it will be crucial to continue to do so moving forward.
8. One thing that needs to be fixed is Boston's transition defense. Miami burned us for easy layups several times in the first quarter, even after Boston hoops, and it's been a problem all series. It's inexcusable for a team that sends as few people to the offensive glass as Boston does. One problem is that as Rondo has become more of a scoring threat, the rest of the team hasn't adjusted to need to balance the floor, but really, just making a concerted effort to not let someone run by you and way downcourt is probably the only fix necessary.
9. Game 4 is Sunday, same bad time, same bad place. Game 3 means nothing if we don't win the next one.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Miami 115, Boston 111 (Overtime)
[recap] [box score]
I don't believe in moral victories in professional sports, especially in the playoffs. However, as fans, we're allowed -- in special situations -- to appreciate, even in defeat, when a team plays its guts out and leaves everything it has out on the court. And that's what the Celtics did in Game 2 on Wednesday. Boston battled age, injury, adversity, the officials -- and, oh yeah, the Miami Heat -- to come within a possession, or an inch, or a whistle, of winning the game and tying this sucker up at one apiece. As fans, we pick a team to root for, and then we're kind of stuck with whatever we get. Over the years, of course, Celtics supporters have been very fortunate with the hand they've been dealt. But even now, down 2-0, staring elimination and the possible end of an era in the face, there's isn't a franchise I'd rather root for. There's isn't a team I'd trade for the guys who put on the green jerseys Wednesday. That's the honest truth.
Miami put this game away in the final minutes of overtime, but it was lost in regulation. Not during the third quarter, when Boston let the last of a 15-point first-half lead slip away. And not on Miami's last possession of the fourth quarter, when Kevin Garnett couldn't corral a LeBron James miss, costing Boston a chance at a buzzer-beating game-winner. It was lost during the two-minute stretch beginning with 3:13 remaining, when Ray Allen missed an open three-pointer in transition, and ending with Udonis Haslem's baseline jumper with 1:07 to go. During that stretch, Garnett missed a 12-footer in the lane over James and Allen missed another good look coming off a screen, while Shane Battier supplemented four James free throws on the other end with a three-pointer from the right corner. During that stretch, the score went from 94-89 Boston to 98-94 Miami, and though Boston battled back to tie the score on a three from Allen to send it into OT, they had lost their best chance to win it.
That's not meant as a criticism of Allen and Garnett. All three shots were on line and missed by the tiniest of margins: the first was maybe an inch short; the latter two perhaps an inch long. Basketball games are often won and lost by those small margins. Doc likes to say it's a make or miss league, and in the final minutes, the guys named Battier and Haslem made, and the guys named Allen and Garnett missed. It happens. I'd take those guys, those shots, in that situation again in a heartbeat.
If you watched the game, or saw the highlights, or looked at the box score, what I'm about to write is obvious: Rajon Rondo was straight-up unbelievable. He played every second of the game's 53 minutes, obliterated his career high with 44 points, added ten assists and eight rebounds, and tossed in three steals against just three turnovers. Miami had no answer for him, while he was Boston's answer to nearly everything Miami did. In the postgame, Magic Johnson called it one of the best performances he's ever seen in all his years in the game. I lack the writing ability to adequately describe the way Rondo played, and the technical details of just how he turned in his finest performance as a pro wouldn't do justice to the gravity of the moment. I'll say only this: From this moment forward, anyone who questions that kid's heart and his value to this team is wrong. Flat-out wrong.
I hate doing this, but I have to: The officiating was bad again. And unlike Game 1, it likely cost Boston the game. It was bad all night, uneven, overly protective of James and Dwyane Wade, but one call, or no-call, stands out: The reverse layup Rondo missed in the final 90 seconds of overtime with the score tied at 105, when he was raked across the face by Wade. This was an inexcusable miss by the officials, and it had double the consequences. Not only was Boston cheated out of a trip to the line, but -- because Rondo was on the deck, checking to make sure his eyes were still in the right place -- the Heat had a five-on-four going the other way that they quickly turned into a Haslem dunk. It was a huge, momentum-shifting play.
It's frustrating for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that this wasn't an isolated miss, but rather part of a pattern of calls going against the Celtics. But mostly, I'm irritated that this unbelievable performance, by Rondo and by the team, might have been enough if not for a missed call the the officials would have made 100 times out of 100 had it happened on the other end. (Perhaps Rondo should have thrown his arms in the air and kicked his legs out, the way Wade does when anyone breathes on him, in order to draw the foul.) As swollen with pride as my heart is as I type this, it also aches. Not because we lost, not because we're down 2-0, but because, to a man, the Celtics deserved to win this game, and certainly deserved to not have the opportunity taken from them in this fashion.
Game 3 is Friday. It's in Boston, in front of the home crowd, and with any luck, maybe we'll get a few calls. The most concerning thing for me is all the minutes the Celtics played tonight. I already mentioned that Rondo played all 53, but Garnett played 45 and Pierce and Allen played 43 on bad legs. It was necessary, but how these guys will have anything left is beyond me.
Knowing these Celtics, though, I wouldn't bet against them finding something.
I don't believe in moral victories in professional sports, especially in the playoffs. However, as fans, we're allowed -- in special situations -- to appreciate, even in defeat, when a team plays its guts out and leaves everything it has out on the court. And that's what the Celtics did in Game 2 on Wednesday. Boston battled age, injury, adversity, the officials -- and, oh yeah, the Miami Heat -- to come within a possession, or an inch, or a whistle, of winning the game and tying this sucker up at one apiece. As fans, we pick a team to root for, and then we're kind of stuck with whatever we get. Over the years, of course, Celtics supporters have been very fortunate with the hand they've been dealt. But even now, down 2-0, staring elimination and the possible end of an era in the face, there's isn't a franchise I'd rather root for. There's isn't a team I'd trade for the guys who put on the green jerseys Wednesday. That's the honest truth.
Miami put this game away in the final minutes of overtime, but it was lost in regulation. Not during the third quarter, when Boston let the last of a 15-point first-half lead slip away. And not on Miami's last possession of the fourth quarter, when Kevin Garnett couldn't corral a LeBron James miss, costing Boston a chance at a buzzer-beating game-winner. It was lost during the two-minute stretch beginning with 3:13 remaining, when Ray Allen missed an open three-pointer in transition, and ending with Udonis Haslem's baseline jumper with 1:07 to go. During that stretch, Garnett missed a 12-footer in the lane over James and Allen missed another good look coming off a screen, while Shane Battier supplemented four James free throws on the other end with a three-pointer from the right corner. During that stretch, the score went from 94-89 Boston to 98-94 Miami, and though Boston battled back to tie the score on a three from Allen to send it into OT, they had lost their best chance to win it.
That's not meant as a criticism of Allen and Garnett. All three shots were on line and missed by the tiniest of margins: the first was maybe an inch short; the latter two perhaps an inch long. Basketball games are often won and lost by those small margins. Doc likes to say it's a make or miss league, and in the final minutes, the guys named Battier and Haslem made, and the guys named Allen and Garnett missed. It happens. I'd take those guys, those shots, in that situation again in a heartbeat.
If you watched the game, or saw the highlights, or looked at the box score, what I'm about to write is obvious: Rajon Rondo was straight-up unbelievable. He played every second of the game's 53 minutes, obliterated his career high with 44 points, added ten assists and eight rebounds, and tossed in three steals against just three turnovers. Miami had no answer for him, while he was Boston's answer to nearly everything Miami did. In the postgame, Magic Johnson called it one of the best performances he's ever seen in all his years in the game. I lack the writing ability to adequately describe the way Rondo played, and the technical details of just how he turned in his finest performance as a pro wouldn't do justice to the gravity of the moment. I'll say only this: From this moment forward, anyone who questions that kid's heart and his value to this team is wrong. Flat-out wrong.
I hate doing this, but I have to: The officiating was bad again. And unlike Game 1, it likely cost Boston the game. It was bad all night, uneven, overly protective of James and Dwyane Wade, but one call, or no-call, stands out: The reverse layup Rondo missed in the final 90 seconds of overtime with the score tied at 105, when he was raked across the face by Wade. This was an inexcusable miss by the officials, and it had double the consequences. Not only was Boston cheated out of a trip to the line, but -- because Rondo was on the deck, checking to make sure his eyes were still in the right place -- the Heat had a five-on-four going the other way that they quickly turned into a Haslem dunk. It was a huge, momentum-shifting play.
It's frustrating for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that this wasn't an isolated miss, but rather part of a pattern of calls going against the Celtics. But mostly, I'm irritated that this unbelievable performance, by Rondo and by the team, might have been enough if not for a missed call the the officials would have made 100 times out of 100 had it happened on the other end. (Perhaps Rondo should have thrown his arms in the air and kicked his legs out, the way Wade does when anyone breathes on him, in order to draw the foul.) As swollen with pride as my heart is as I type this, it also aches. Not because we lost, not because we're down 2-0, but because, to a man, the Celtics deserved to win this game, and certainly deserved to not have the opportunity taken from them in this fashion.
Game 3 is Friday. It's in Boston, in front of the home crowd, and with any luck, maybe we'll get a few calls. The most concerning thing for me is all the minutes the Celtics played tonight. I already mentioned that Rondo played all 53, but Garnett played 45 and Pierce and Allen played 43 on bad legs. It was necessary, but how these guys will have anything left is beyond me.
Knowing these Celtics, though, I wouldn't bet against them finding something.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
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.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Thoughts in Between the Lakers and the Heat
First of all, congratulations to Ray Allen on becoming the all-time three-point king. Prior to his arrival in Boston, my exposure to Ray was more or less limited to his days at UConn. It wasn't until he came over from Seattle in 2007-08 that I truly appreciated what a beautiful shooter he is. Despite that, I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little emotional watching the Boston crowd salute him during the break after the first quarter. He helped us win at least one championship. He's one of us now.
Anyway, moving on, the Celtics lost to the Lakers on Thursday. Give credit to LA for playing a smart game, especially Kobe Bryant. In essence, they played the way I and so many others have repeatedly said they need to play in order to beat the Celtics: focus on their advantage in the post. What was especially impressive was how patient the Lakers were, not panicking as Boston built a 15-point lead. Bryant didn't try to do too much; he had faith in his teammates as they closed to within striking distance at halftime. Kobe came alive in the third quarter as the Lakers took the lead (and retook it after Boston briefly surged back ahead). But LA was able to extend the lead in the fourth quarter even with Kobe on the bench.
More than anything, I see Thursday's loss as making Danny Ainge think even harder about going out and getting another small forward before the trade deadline, with Marquis Daniels' return this season uncertain. Scott Foster hit Allen with his fourth foul on a dubious call midway through the third, and Doc Rivers' only real option on the bench was Von Wafer. Wafer's offense has really come around lately and he's worked harder on defense than I previously thought him capable of, but he's not going to be able to hang with Kobe. And while Delonte West may be able to help with that specific matchup, he won't be able to help with, say, LeBron James. And someone other than Paul Pierce is going to have to guard James for stretches should the Celtics meet the Heat in the playoffs.
What that move might be, I don't know. I don't know who's available, and I don't know what we're willing to offer. We don't have many attractive expiring contracts, and our rookies don't make enough money to bring in any significant salary. But both Doc and Danny suggested in the days after Daniels' injury that a move might need to be made, and Thursday night couldn't have done anything but strengthen that opinion.
The temptation, by the way, is to blame injuries on Thursday's loss. Boston started the game with just ten men in uniform, and in the second quarter, Nate Robinson joined West, Daniels, Jermaine O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal, and Semih Erden on the list of unavailable players, victim of a bruised knee. But as a Celtics fan pointed out on a Laker message board after the game, Boston's starters played plenty of minutes, substantially the amount of minutes you might expect with a full complement of bench players. And the second unit actually did alright -- the game was lost with our starters on the floor.
I do think that simplifies things a bit, and not having a real backup for Allen is a problem that would be solved in this instance if either Daniels or West was healthy. But Boston's starters didn't play well enough for fans to complain that a healthy bench would have made a difference. It might on any one particular night, but it won't for a whole playoff series. If I was going to make an excuse, I'd point to the illness that kept Pierce out of practice on Wednesday. He didn't look to be close to 100% in the game.
As Sports Illustrated's Zach Lowe (a former Celtics Hub writer) pointed out, the Lakers were successful defensively by sagging Kobe off of Rajon Rondo, daring Rondo to beat them with jumpers while Kobe disrupted passing and driving lanes. (Read that Lowe article if you're interested in the Xs and Os.) LA has defended Boston like this for several years now, with varying degrees of success. (A flashback to the 07-08 Finals provides a good example. The Lakers used it to jump out to their huge lead in Game 4; Boston's historic comeback came with Eddie House on the floor. Rondo was similarly in effective in Boston's Game 5 loss, playing just 14:32, but was masterful in the Game 6 clincher in Boston.)
Clearly, there are offensive adjustments that can be made (and have been made in the past). For starters, Rondo can be more aggressive. Boston can bring its offense out higher, leaving more room underneath for Rondo to maneuver on penetration. Rondo can attack the defense from somewhere other than the top of the key, forcing the Lakers to pay more attention to him (if, say, he starts closer to the basket). And I'm sure Doc has plenty of other ideas.
But I'm not sure we'll see such adjustments any time soon, even if another team picks up this strategy. The lack of adjustment in the Lakers game suggests to me that perhaps Doc doesn't want to tip his hand. The Lakers' defensive strategy isn't new. Surely, he has a plan for it. But I can see how he wouldn't want to reveal that plan until necessary -- until the games count, in May and June.
Lowe also mentions the possibility that Miami, Boston's opponent on Sunday, also has the personnel to employ such a strategy, while a team like Orlando does not. Thinking about the Heat though, I'm not so sure. Matching up position-by-position across the perimeter, it would be Rondo-Mario Chalmers, Allen-Dwyane Wade, Pierce-James. Los Angeles executes the strategy by switching Derek Fisher -- a strong, crafty veteran -- on Allen, with Kobe playing free agent. While I think Wade can be effective in the Kobe role, I'm skeptical that Chalmers (or Carlos Arroyo) can handle Ray the way Fisher can.
The other option, and the think the one Lowe had in mind, is to have James sag off Rondo with Mike Miller checking Pierce (and Wade staying on Allen). Miller was unavailable during the teams' first two meetings, but with James and Wade, the Heat don't need a true point guard. I'm honestly not sure of Miller's defensive abilities, but thing that weighs in Boston's favor here is that unlike Allen, whose game is largely based on running off a maze of screens, Pierce is plenty comfortable with the ball in his hands. Therefore, Boston could iso Pierce on any part of the floor that it wanted, keeping the extra defender as far away from him as possible. Pierce excels at the pull-up jumper, too, which is perfect for this kind of situation, because he can get off a good shot before the help gets there. The one thing he needs to be careful of is his tendency to turn his back; that's just asking for James to swoop in for a steal and dunk.
Something to watch for, anyway. And you better be watching. Sunday, 1 p.m. Eastern, ABC. First place in the East is on the line.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Muy Beno: A Lesson in Karma
Two nights ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers put together one of the sorriest performances in NBA history against the Lakers, losing 112-57 in LA. Afterward, the following message apparently appeared on LeBron James' Twitter account: "Crazy. Karma is a b****. Gets you every time. It's not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"
"Every" it turns out, actually does mean "every." So when you twist the knife into an already suffering group of ex-teammates, invoking karma all the while, don't be surprised if your team goes out the next night and gives up 44 first-quarter points to the 12-24 Los Angeles Clippers. Don't be surprised if your team eventually loses that game. And don't be surprised if you sprain your ankle in the process.
(Not that I'm wishing bad on James or reveling in his loss and/or injury, 24 hours before I myself step on a plane. Just clearing karma's good name.)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Next Lamb: The Miami Heat
Game 9: Boston (6-2) at Miami (5-3)
Thursday, November 11
8 p.m. Eastern
TNT
Last meeting: @Boston 88, Miami 80 (10/27/10)
A couple of weeks after Boston spoiled the debut of Pat Riley's super-team, not much has changed with the Miami Heat. Sure, they blew out the Orlando Magic later that week, but that's been the high point during this young season. More recently, the Heat have sandwiched a win over the New Jersey Nets with losses at New Orleans and at home to Utah -- the latter a stunning second-half collapse on Tuesday night.
Up until the second half of the Jazz game, the one consistent aspect of Miami's play this season was its defense. The Heat gave up 96 points in the loss to the Hornets; the only other time an opponent broke 90 was Election Day against the Timberwolves, a game Miami won by 32. That consistent defense was buying the Heat wins while the team comes together offensively and coach Erik Spoelstra figures out his rotations.
After being especially stingy in the first 24 minutes against the Jazz and taking a 51-32 lead into halftime, the Heat surrendered 72 second-half points -- more than they gave up in the entire game against the Magic. Utah needed every one of those 72 points to force overtime, and in the extra period, despite playing without Deron Williams (fouled out) and Al Jefferson (temporarily benched for ineffectiveness), the Jazz held on for the win.
My schedule has been such that I haven't had time to watch much of the Heat other than that first game against the Celtics. The Utah game is sitting on my DVR, but I'm not going to get a chance to get to it before I fly to DC Thursday morning. There's been no shortage of stuff written and said about the Heat, but a great majority of it seems to be centering around how the team is very much a work in progress. As a result, I don't really have any great insights on what to expect from these guys the second time around.
It does appear that Dwyane Wade has remained Miami's first offensive option despite the presence of James. He leads the team in scoring at 26 per (compared to 20.6 for James) and is taking two more shots per game than James. LeBron took over in the second half in the opener against the Celtics, but Wade has led the team in scoring in every other game but one.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Prior to the start of the season, I opined offline that Wade could go crazy this year if Lebron let him. By that I meant that opposing defenses would be so focused on LeBron that Wade would get disproportionately little attention relative to his considerable skill. More specifically, James is better at setting the table for his teammates than Wade is, so more of his value is preserved when he's not in the primary scoring role. (Put another way, Wade, when he's not scoring, is less valuable than LeBron when he's not scoring.)
However, James is a formidable scorer, a nearly unstoppable force when he decides that he's going to the basket. I heard on The Basketball Jones this morning that on his way to shooting 5-for-18 against the Jazz, James took a number of bad outside shots -- the same kind he used to take in Cleveland. With such limited depth, Miami needs to get both Wade and James playing dynamically to compete with the elite teams in the league.
Part of the reason that James isn't yet playing the way some had hoped is that he's basically playing point guard. That's not a new role for James, but what is new is that he now has teammates who deserve shots, and he'll be rightly criticized for overshooting with Wade and Bosh on his side. But his own offense can't be an afterthought, at least to the extent that it consists of shooting jumpers to keep the defense honest or to beat the shotclock. Eddie House and James Jones are alternating doing a good job of teaming up with Udonis Haslem to form a decent quintet on the floor, but James would benefit from some sort of contribution from Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers -- something that doesn't seem to be in the offing any time soon.
Miami's frontcourt has been disappointing. Haslem is the only guy who is playing up to his (modest) expectations -- Ilgauskas is, too, I suppose, but expectations for him are too modest to consider. Bosh's shooting percentages are down significantly from when he was in Toronto -- a trend which, if it continues, makes no sense -- and he's not rebounding, which isn't a surprise. He also got torched by Paul Millsap against the Jazz. Miami's starting center, Joel Anthony, is still a complete non-factor offensively, and isn't good enough on the boards to just be a shotblocking specialist. A healthy Boston team could really exploit Miami in the post, but the health statuses of both O'Neals remain in question. Still, Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis could do some serious damage.
Comments are always encouraged on RwH, but especially so today. Miami's on TV all the damn time, and there's a good chance that some of you have seen the Heat more than I have. I feel like my preview here has been a little inadequate, so please chime in with your thoughts on Miami and the big game. Comments after the game are welcome, too; I'm not going to be able to devote full attention to it live.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Links of the Day (October 29, 2010)
- The Celtics aren't cutting Delonte West. If you're at all interested in the Von Wafer-West stuff, read this excellent post from Jay King at Celtics Town. I agree with just about everything in there, and would also have no problem if the Cs decided to get rid of Wafer instead.
- I only caught a few moments of Miami's big win over Orlando tonight, but it was enough to notice that there was something funky going on with LeBron James' mouthguard. I couldn't quite tell at the time, but it appears that James was simply getting into the Halloween, uh, spirit.
- Speaking of the Magic and the Heat, something of a statement by Miami, no? I'm not surprised they won, even as well as Orlando had played in the preseason, because the Magic were on the second game of a back-to-back, having destroyed Washington in the season-opener the night before. But win by 26 while holding Orlando to just 70 points? Can't say I expected that. I'm not ready to say it tells us anything new about either team, though. This was a close game at halftime, with Miami up just six points. That changed quickly in the third quarter, during which period Orlando made two of 20 shots. We knew that Miami was a good defensive team, but no defense is ever completely responsible for 2-for-20 in the NBA. Part of this was Orlando having one of the games they have occasionally had over the last few seasons, where they can't throw it into the ocean. That's a risk you run as a jumpshooting team.
- I don't know if the game eventually sold out, but the morning of the Heat's home opener (against in-state rival and co-title contender Orlando), tickets were still available. More fuel for the argument that the Miami fans don't deserve the caliber of team they've been given. Laker fans might show up to games late, but at least they sell out their games.
- Free agent center Erick Dampier has chosen to sign a one-year deal with the Rockets. Houston already has Yao Ming, Brad Miller, and Chuck Hayes at center. Yao's limited to 24 minutes per game, and he's not playing back-to-backs this year, so they certainly can use the depth. The Celtics were never in the conversation for Dampier's services as far as I know, but the Houston situation is a good illustration of the value of frontcourt depth. When Boston signed Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal this offseason, there was a lot of talk about how deep they had gotten in the post. But with Kendrick Perkins out for several months and both O'Neals already hampered by nagging injuries, we're reminded how easily a point of strength can become a point of weakness.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Next Lamb: The Cleveland Cavaliers
Date: October 27, 2010
7 p.m. Eastern
TV: NBA League Pass (free preview going on this week!)
Many believe that LeBron's inability to win a championship in Cleveland was not his fault, but was a byproduct of the players around him simply not being good enough. Whether or not you subscribe to that particular theory, you have to admit that a team built around LeBron's former "help" -- Mo Williams, 34-year-old Antawn Jamison, J.J. Hickson, and Anderson Varejao -- promises to be a pretty sorry outfit.
We really have little indication as to how the Cavs are going to play. Like most NBA teams, they were idle Tuesday night, so Wednesday night's game is their opener. Additionally, Byron Scott takes over this season as head coach, and it remains to be seen what changes he'll make from Mike Brown's tenure. Williams was a scoring point guard in Milwaukee during the early part of his career, and I suspect we'll see him back in that role this year, though he should pile up a fair number of assists simply by virture of being the one who initiates the offense, as he did with the Bucks. Hickson is a promising young power forward, and Jamison may play a lot of three to make room for Hickson at the four. Beyond that, there's very little to talk about re: the Cavs, at least until we see them play a few games.
Celtics-Cavs was very recently a marquee matchup, the opening game of the NBA season each of the last two seasons. With James' departure, it's now nothing more than a trap game for a contender, coming on the road the night after an adrenaline-sapping win over, of all teams, James' new squad. For the the Cavs and the city of Cleveland, it's the chance to show LeBron -- and the rest of the basketball world, but mainly LeBron -- that life goes on without him, at least for a night. There will be nights this season that a half-assed effort will beat the Cavs. Tonight is not likely to be one of them.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Boston 88, Miami 80
What did we learn about the Miami Heat last night? Absolutely nothing.
In fact, the only thing we really learned is that anyone who thought that a team of three All-Stars could join up with a group of more or less replacement-level players and turn into a historically good team -- one capable of winning 73 games and beating the defending Eastern Conference champs on the road -- overnight doesn't understand, or temporarily forgot, how basketball works. Sure, injuries played a role -- Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers missed the game due to them, and Dwyane Wade's leg injury stole away most of his preseason and thus the chance to mesh with his new teammates. But so did the fact that the Heat starters basically had to play 3-on-5 on offense, and so did the fact that LeBron James and Wade have played such similar roles over their careers that a period of adjustment was inevitable, and so did the fact that Chris Bosh's perimeter-oriented game isn't necessarily the best complement to James and Wade.
Even when the Heat cut an 18-point third-quarter deficit to six by the end of the period (and eventually shaved it to three) we weren't witnessing a glimpse of the Heat's potential. We were witnessing something we've seen so many times before; James taking over a game. We've seen him do this before, with Cleveland, and it didn't work then, and it won't work now. Wade and Bosh were horrible tonight and played well below what is expected of them, but them playing at their best wouldn't have improved the team's production during that particular stretch. When you score on nearly every possession, there's little room for improvement.
Look, Miami was bad tonight. It was mentioned during the telecast that the Heat's nine-point first quarter and 30-point first half were worse than any quarter or half the team played last year (pre-James/Bosh). They'll get better. But they are not going to be as good as quickly as so many expected them to be.
Enough about the Heat. What did we learn about the Celtics?
Well, first, we learned that a lot of things haven't changed. We still lose focus once we get out to what appears to be a comfortable lead. We're still dependent on Rajon Rondo to create the majority of our offense. We're still an elite defensive team. Doc still only has the one in-game huddle speech ("If you trust each other, we'll win").
But we also learned -- or had confirmed for us -- a few new things.
First, Kevin Garnett's healthier than he was last year. He struggled in the opener, committing seven turnovers, but to me, it looked like he was just jittery -- not unusual for KG.
Second, we learned that Glen Davis might be ready to be a big contributor off the bench. This one comes with a caveat, because Davis historically puts on his best performances when the cameras are shining brightest. But beyond his performance on the offensive end (where he had 13 points), Davis turned in a really good defensive effort. He drew a couple of charges, which is fairly standard for him. But he also played some terrific on-ball, one-on-one defense against Bosh in the second quarter.
Third, our bench is going to be a major asset this season. In addition to Davis, I thought Marquis Daniels had a great game, looking aggressive on offense and nothing like the player he was at the end of last year. I'm a little worried that Nate Robinson still hasn't found a comfortable role in the offense, but hopeful that Delonte West's return will help with that. And while Jermaine O'Neal looked really rusty after an injury-plagued preseason, he had a couple blocked shots tonight and I think he'll be a perfectly serviceable player (either off the bench or with the starting unit.
Some bullets:
- I thought Shaquille O'Neal had a strong debut, even after missing two easy layups at the start of the game. The jury's still out on his defense, because the Heat decided not to attack him on the screen and roll with Joel Anthony. But he's still something of a force to be reckoned with on offense and on the glass, and he'll draw his fair share of fouls. That has value, even if he doesn't convert at the line.
- With that said, I thought Shaq didn't get rid of the ball quickly enough on a couple of occasions after grabbing a defensive rebound. We're a lot better in transition and on the secondary break than we are in the halfcourt, and Shaq will need to do a better job of getting the rock to Rondo quickly.
- Although the Celtics ultimately had a rebounding edge, they gave up a bunch of offensive rebounds in the first half. We weren't a great rebounding team with Kendrick Perkins; without him, we'll need to do a better job of finding bodies first, then going and getting the ball.
- Until West gets back, we'll probably see one of the starters playing with the second team. Last year, that guy was often Ray Allen. Tonight, it was Paul Pierce at first, and later, Rajon Rondo. Rondo makes sense in that it allows Robinson to play off the ball (the way he would when West is in the game), but I was surprised to see Pierce out there, mainly because he and Daniels are our only small forwards. It worked, though; Boston broke the game open in the second.
Win one is in the books, and with it, perhaps a small statement to the Heat and the rest of the Eastern Conference. There's a long way to go, of course, and I, for one, am glad to start the journey.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The First Lamb: The Miami Heat
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Time: 7:30 pm (Eastern)
TV: TNT
(Editor's Note: Historically, I haven't talked very much on RwH about upcoming opponents. This season, it's my intention to change that, and to try to preview each game, not in the sense of making predictions or anything like that, but to give more casual fans some idea of what to expect from the opposition. Future editions of "The Next Lamb" will be a lot shorter and may be in a "data dump" sort of format. However, given that Miami was the story of the offseason and I haven't given my thoughts on the new-look Heat yet, I figured I'd take this opportunity to do so.)
The last time we saw the Heat, the Celtics were shrugging off upset talk in dispatching Miami in five relatively easy games in the first round of last year's playoffs. Of course, this year's Heat bear little resemblance to last year's Heat; the team gutted its roster in the offseason, brought in Lebron James and Chris Bosh to play alongside Dwyane Wade, then supplemented its new "Big Three" by signing role players to small contracts.
On the one hand, this development disappointed me. Surveying the landscape of the league, it appeared we were headed for widespread parity. Sure, the Lakers are the two-time defending champs, but the Celtics showed that they were title contenders for at least another year, and Orlando won 59 games a year after reaching the Finals. We also had Kevin Durant leading the young Oklahoma City Thunder, Carmelo Anthony on the Nuggets, Amare' Stoudemire making the Knicks relevant again, and the cagey Spurs still lurking. If James stayed in Cleveland (or went to Chicago, or New York) and Bosh joined Wade in Miami, the league would have been in great shape for years to come.
Instead, we're looking at a league where the talent looks like it may be concentrated in just a few cities for the foreseeable future. If the Miami experiment works, other superstars will try to join forces the way James and Wade and Bosh did, figuring it would be their only shot at a ring as long as the Miami Big Three were around. (You may recall that soon after LeBron and Bosh announced they'd be joining Wade in South Beach, there was talk about Anthony and Chris Paul joining Stoudemire in New York after the season -- and now Anthony seems sure to leave Denver, either via trade or free agency). As much fun as it is to watch a really talented basketball team -- and the Heat are certainly that, at least at the very top end -- I'd rather watch teams fight for home court advantage than see one or two trying to steamroll its way to the league record for most wins in a season. (For the record, I don't think this year's Heat are going to be a serious threat to the Bulls' mark of 72-10.)
It occurred to me, as I was contemplating writing this, that it may appear a bit hypocritical of me to feel this way. After all, the Celtics arguably started this trend by bringing in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join Paul Pierce prior to the 2007-08 season. The difference, I think, is that Boston's front office orchestrated that team via trade, whereas the Heat came together on the impetus of the players. It almost feels like an antitrust violation, like the Heat shouldn't be able to have a monopoly on all the good free agents.
On the other hand, while the Heat have me worried about the long-term future of the league, the short-term is extremely enticing. We've never really seen anything like this, and I'll admit that I'm fascinated to see how it turns out. Will James defer to Wade since Miami has always been Wade's city, or will Wade defer to Lebron because, well, because he's Lebron? Will the moody Bosh really be cool with being the third option -- and if he's not, how far will James and Wade go to placate him? How good can a team really be with two dead spots in the starting lineup? How many games can a team win without much of a bench? How will the role players react to all the attention showered on their far more famous teammates? Really, the questions go on and on and on.
We got answers to precious few of those questions in the preseason. Wade hurt a leg muscle within the first three minutes of the first preseason game, and hasn't played in a game since. He'll be back for Tuesday's opener, but he hasn't had much chance to gel with James and Wade, and we haven't been able to see any progress they may have made since Wade returned to practice.
Additionally, Mike Miller -- a sharpshooting wing who does everything that you'd want from a bench player -- broke his thumb in practice last week and won't be available for the next couple of months. Many think that Wade-James-Bosh-Miller-Udonis Haslem is Miami's best unit, and would be the Heat's crunch-time lineup in many circumstances. James Jones, Eddie House, and the newly-signed Jerry Stackhouse will cover Miller's minutes, but with Miller out until January, we won't know what the Heat are capable of until at least then.
With that said, there are still several storylines I'm very interested in tracking during the opening weeks of the regular season, some of which are more applicable to Tuesday night against Boston than others:
- Chemistry. Boston's "Big Three" gelled extremely quickly, at least in part because Pierce, Allen, and Garnett each played different positions. While Wade is technically a shooting guard and James is technically a small forward, both have always been responsible for generating the bulk of their teams' offenses. They are both ball-dominating wings who historically have initiated the offense and set up their teammates, in addition to looking for their own shot. Whether one emerges as the leader or they alternate depending on how the opposition defends them, at least one of them -- and most likely both -- will have to make some pretty major adjustments.
- Point guard. On paper at least, third-year point Mario Chalmers is the perfect complement to Wade/James/Bosh; he's a good three-point shooter with a reputation as a great defender. However, he's been something of a disappointment in his first two seasons in the league. The other option, Carlos Arroyo, is more accomplished as a floor general, but his skill set isn't necessarily a great fit; with defenses keying so heavily on Wade and James (and to a lesser extent, Bosh), the other players will need to be able to knock down shots form the outside, which isn't Arroyo's strong suit. Regardless, the Heat will need to get something out of the point guard position. Boston wouldn't have had the success it has had over the last few seasons without the development of Rajon Rondo, and while Wade/James/Bosh trump Pierce/Allen/Garnett given that the latter trio is so far along in their careers, three guys cannot win a championship on their own.
- Bosh. It's easy to forget about this guy, since he's overshadowed by his two superstar teammates. But Bosh is a very effective player in his own right, a decent rebounder with a deadly mid-range jumper. Defenses will likely focus on Bosh and Wade, which means that their will be opportunities for Bosh. However, he doesn't seem to like playing in the post, which is where he seems to "fit" best with this team, especially since his running mates up front either are non-factors offensively (Anthony) or thrive on high-post play (Haslem and Zydrunas Ilgauskas). Bosh also is a bit of a headcase who has always been "the man," and while he surely knew what he was signing up for, he could bristle at being the third offensive option.
- Center. In 95 minutes over six preseason games, Joel Anthony grabbed just 16 rebounds. Anthony is not an offensive threat and is best described as a shotblocking specialist, so expectations are low for him. And while Wade and James both rebound well for their positions, Anthony will need to clear the glass better than he did in preseason to make his presence on the court anything more than a liability.
- Defense. Like most superstars, Wade and James are most effective playing a "free safety" role on defense. Their athleticism and understanding of basketball allow them to disrupt the other team's offense by leaving their man and roaming around on D. Moreover, not having big on-ball defensive responsibilities allows them to conserve energy for the offensive end. However, I'm not sure the Heat can beat good teams with both wings ignoring their man-to-man responsibilities. I watched a few minutes of the Heat's preseason opener against the Pistons, and saw James lose track of his man twice on defense, resulting in easy baskets.
- Rotations. To me, Miami's bench is so weak, and James and Wade are so duplicative of each other, that it makes sense to split them up a bit more than you typically would split up a starting lineup. I'm not suggesting that coach Erik Spoelstra do something radical like bring James or Wade off the bench. But I do think he should give serious thought to sitting one of them after about six minutes, and having that guy start the second quarter with the second unit while the other rests. Otherwise, I think the Heat will spend a ton of time playing from behind, especially at the beginning of the season, and that's going to wear on them over the course of 82 games.
- Officiating. One thing that really worries me, looking forward to a potential matchup with the Heat in the playoffs, is that Miami now has two guys who are among the officials' favorites. James shot ten free throws per game last year, Wade nine, and Bosh more than eight. While those individual numbers might go down a touch simply because the ball will be spread around a bit more, there's a real danger that they'll win games -- and possibly entire playoff series' -- because of the protection they get from the officials. Additionally, I'm not terribly excited at the prospect of watching a team shoot 40 free throws a game.
- Chasing history. There's been a ton of talk about this team possibly being the greatest in NBA history. As I've said, I think this talk is premature. However, there's no denying that the Heat are capable of winning a ton of games. To do so, however, Wade, James, and Bosh are going to have to play a ton of minutes. If Spoelstra decides to go after the record, those guys will have a lot of mileage on them by the time the playoffs roll around. With that said, the Heat have not only Boston, but also Orlando, on their schedule during the seasons first week. I'm sure they don't want to start the season with losses to both of their main competitors for the East crown, so we may see more minutes from the stars this week than we will later in the season.
And a few quick notes on the Celtics:
- Shaq's the starting center, at least for now. I've said before that I'd prefer Jermaine, but he's been banged up this preseason and I guess he hasn't had enough reps yet. As mentioned above, Anthony isn't someone to worry about on offense, but I imagine the Heat will try to use him as a screener and attack Shaq via the pick and roll. The only other thing that bothers me about this is that it means Garnett has to play Bosh, whereas Jermaine probably could have handled that assignment if Doc had so chosen, allowing KG to anchor the defense.
- As a reminder, Delonte West is not available for this game -- nor the next nine after that -- due to the suspension he's serving for the gun possession incident last year. Apparently, the Celtics must keep him on their active roster -- effectively giving us 11 active guys for the first few weeks of the season.
- In addition to Delonte, Avery Bradley and Kendrick Perkins are unavailable, due to injury. Rumor is that Semih Erden has a sore shoulder and may be inactive; if he can go, the other guy in street clothes will almost certainly be Luke Harangody.
I've been waiting for this day for months. Here's to a great NBA season, and hopefully championship banner number 18 at the end.
Monday, May 3, 2010
ESPN steals my idea (plus Game 2 tonight)
Loaded up ESPN this morning, and this is what I see. (I am not at all photo-savvy, so apologies for the tiny picture and the MSPaint-ness of it.) If you can't quite tell what's going on, it's a picture of LeBron James above the headline "Rhymes With Royalty." The story's about James gushing about Akron and the increasingly overwhelming probability that he'll remain a Cav this offseason.Whatever. C'mon, ESPN; not even a hat tip?
Game 2 is tonight in Cleveland (8 p.m. Eastern, TNT). I don't have time to really talk about Game 1, but my thoughts can be summed up in two points. First, the closeness of the game suggests to me that we have a chance in this series. Second, the fact that we have a chance in this series means that letting this one slip through our fingers hurts that much more.
Let's keep the goal in mind, though. The mission is to win the series. To win the series, we need to do two things: Win three games at home, and win one in Cleveland. The former is hardly a given, particularly the way we've played in Boston this year, but if we can't hold serve at TD Garden, then how we play in Cleveland is immaterial. We've got up to three more chances to win on the road in this series. Tonight's one of them. I'd like to get this one, but I won't panic if we don't.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Boston 105, Cleveland 94
Best win of the year.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
In a game that Boston essentially needed to win to stay alive for home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, they could not have played much better on either end of the floor.
Defensively, they frustrated LeBron James, holding him to 5-for-15 shooting and forcing him into four turnovers. Beyond those numbers, though, James looked uncomfortable the entire evening, unassertive. It was the same defensive scheme more or less contained James during much of last year's epic Eastern Conference finals. I can't remember watching a game where James played this ineffectively.
Offensively, they shot better than 54 percent against what was the league's stingiest field goal percentage defense (Boston is now a tenth of a percentage point better in that category), and assisted on 31 of 45 baskets. Paul Pierce led the way with 29 points and nine assists, but it was Leon Powe's best game of the year -- 20 points, 11 rebounds off the bench -- that keyed the victory.
Powe, along with Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis, just played harder and tougher than Cleveland's frontline the entire evening. It was the same kind of thing we saw against the Lakers in last year's Finals. The difference, however, is that guys like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, while highly skilled, have something of a "soft" reputation. Cleveland's frontline, especially Anderson Varejao and the newly-reacquired Joe Smith, is a physical group that doesn't get outworked very often. Yes, the Cavs were without a key piece of that frontline, Ben Wallace, but his absence is more than balanced -- much more than balanced -- by the fact that his opposite number, Kevin Garnett, was missing from the Celtics' lineup.
No Garnett. His replacement (Davis) ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant-two on Varejao. A Rajon Rondo slowed by an ankle injury suffered early in the game. Twelve free throw attempts to Cleveland's 38.
And a relatively comfortable 11-point victory.
Boston's next game is another big test with playoff implications, a home date with Orlando on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern (no national TV).
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
In a game that Boston essentially needed to win to stay alive for home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, they could not have played much better on either end of the floor.
Defensively, they frustrated LeBron James, holding him to 5-for-15 shooting and forcing him into four turnovers. Beyond those numbers, though, James looked uncomfortable the entire evening, unassertive. It was the same defensive scheme more or less contained James during much of last year's epic Eastern Conference finals. I can't remember watching a game where James played this ineffectively.
Offensively, they shot better than 54 percent against what was the league's stingiest field goal percentage defense (Boston is now a tenth of a percentage point better in that category), and assisted on 31 of 45 baskets. Paul Pierce led the way with 29 points and nine assists, but it was Leon Powe's best game of the year -- 20 points, 11 rebounds off the bench -- that keyed the victory.
Powe, along with Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis, just played harder and tougher than Cleveland's frontline the entire evening. It was the same kind of thing we saw against the Lakers in last year's Finals. The difference, however, is that guys like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, while highly skilled, have something of a "soft" reputation. Cleveland's frontline, especially Anderson Varejao and the newly-reacquired Joe Smith, is a physical group that doesn't get outworked very often. Yes, the Cavs were without a key piece of that frontline, Ben Wallace, but his absence is more than balanced -- much more than balanced -- by the fact that his opposite number, Kevin Garnett, was missing from the Celtics' lineup.
No Garnett. His replacement (Davis) ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant-two on Varejao. A Rajon Rondo slowed by an ankle injury suffered early in the game. Twelve free throw attempts to Cleveland's 38.
And a relatively comfortable 11-point victory.
Boston's next game is another big test with playoff implications, a home date with Orlando on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern (no national TV).
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Cleveland 98, Boston 83
Hopefully, this is rock-bottom.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]*
The Xs and Os of basketball are what I find most interesting about the game, but the Celtics' recent struggles are as much about what is going on inside their heads as what is happening out on the court. So today, after an embarrassing loss to our chief Eastern Conference rivals dropping us to 2-7 over our last nine games, we're talking about psychology.
Not that I'm terribly qualified to do so. I only know what I know about the psyches of professional athletes from watching and reading about sports. Also, you should know my own mindset. While I've had some hysterical moments during this stretch, the more I think about it, the less concerned I am. If we were favored to win the East or the NBA this year at all, it wasn't by much, and I ultimately don't think that's changed much -- we're certainly not favored now, but I think the true odds really haven't moved, other than Cleveland being a bit better than expected. In other words, I don't think this game has revealed a fatal flaw in the team. We're just not playing well right now.
It is uncontroversial to say that professional athletes are some of the most confident -- and probably over-confident -- people in the world. No one is successful every time out, and athletes' failures are broadcast across the globe, their missteps and disappointments broadcast for millions to see. In order to succeed as a professional athlete, you cannot think you will fail. Every time out, you need to think you'll win.
A natural consequence of this, then, is that it sometimes takes athletes a long time to acknowledge when something is wrong. Because a drop in confidence can be so devastating, pro athletes are often reticent to admit when things aren't going well. On those ubiquitous NBA ads with snippets from many of Kevin Garnett's press conferences last year, you do hear KG talking a lot about the Celtics' imperfections: "We're not a flawless team, we're a team in progress." Easy to say when you're on your way to 66-16 and a championship. It may appear to be a paradox, but you'll hear that sort of self-evaluation from teams far more often when things are going well than when things are going poorly. It's a guard against over-confidence, just as stubbornly pushing aside concerns with "We'll be fine" when the chips are down is a guard against, well, under-confidence.
Keeping that in mind, it's a bit easier to understand the team's recent struggles and not panic. After the Christmas Day loss to the Lakers, I'm sure there were many who thought that the Celtics would come out the next night against Golden State and take their frustrations out on the Warriors. If Boston was a college or high-school team, that might well have been the case; the coach would have lit a fire under the kids on the practice floor the next day, and they would have come out ready to pulverize the other team.
Alas, the Celtics are in the NBA, and in the NBA, you follow up a Christmas Day loss in LA with a short evening flight to Oakland, away from home for the holidays, and you don't get a chance to practice before the next day's game. And maybe you come out and the other team gets hot and you give away a late lead and now, after winning 19 in a row, you've lost two straight.
At that point, you might get concerned, except that you go out two nights later and beat Sacramento by 45 on their home court. Sure, it's Sacramento, but still, it's 45 points. Everything seems back to normal. Sure, it's concerning when you drop the next game at Portland, but another blowout win, this one vs. Washington by 25 points, gets rid of those concerns, at least temporarily.
Losses at the Knicks and Bobcats are puzzling, but those teams are pests, annoyances not worth worrying about. You won't have to worry about them down the road. Besides, none of these losses have come at home.
Then, the very next night, you're out there on your home floor, playing a good Houston team, and you have a lead heading into the fourth quarter, and even though you can't throw it in the ocean during that period, you have a one-point lead and the ball late, but you don't score, and then someone named Von Wafer his a three, and you don't score again, and you lose.
Hmmm.
And then last night. Outworked and outplayed for 48 minutes (save a short stretch at the start of the third quarter) by the team that took you to seven games in last year's Eastern Conference finals and is your likely opponent in that series again this season.
The point I'm trying to make -- and I'm not sure I'm doing it well -- is that while a lot of observers have spotted that something was lacking in the team's effort and intensity earlier (perhaps prematurely), it makes sense that the team might not have recognized it as quickly. It's easy to explain away losses to New York and Charlotte in the middle of an 82-game season; no one is perfect every night, and anyway, the wins over Sacto and Washington prove that everything's fine. It's harder to write off the home loss to Houston and the blowout loss to Cleveland.
To wrap this up, then, perhaps now is the time that the team acknowledges that something's a little bit off. Something clearly is off; we aren't playing with the swagger we used to have, nor the energy and intensity. The swagger probably won't come until the wins come again, which won't come until we get our energy and intensity back (and start making a few shots). Our next game is Sunday, at Toronto, and that the Raptors are playing well, having won four of their last five, is probably a good thing. We'll have to play well to beat them, and we know that. A close, hard-fought win would be better than a blowout win, in my opinion. We need to come out and win a game in the way we should have won against Houston, I think, in order to get back on track.
And now for something completely different...me bitching about one officiating thing (which had no effect on the outcome of the game), because I didn't get it out of my system yesterday:
LeBron James goes 6'8" and a listed 250 pounds (he's probably heavier, and it's all muscle). He moves like a guard. He can put it on the deck, and he can shoot the jumper. He has a combination of power and quickness that is unparalleled, not just in today's NBA, but in league history.
He's as unguardable a guy as I have ever seen or ever anticipate seeing. But he will really be unguardable if officials keep letting him get away with carrying the basketball the way he does.
NBA rules have evolved -- or devolved, as the case may be -- over the years. It's no secret that the traveling rules, for example, aren't enforced nearly as strongly as they are written.
I remember carrying -- or palming -- being controversial back when guys like Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson were young. The way those two violate this rule is different than the way LeBron violates it, though. They use a hesitation dribble -- Marbury's is the best I've ever seen -- and in doing so, they let the ball stop on one hand while they shimmy their bodies to fake out the defender, then explode forward once they have the defender leaning. That's an unfair advantage, but they aren't advancing the ball while they do it.
LeBron, on the other hand, carries the ball on his crossover dribble. The risk of a crossover is, of course, that you have to put the ball out in front of the defender, where he might poke it away. LeBron gets away with not having to do that, putting his hand under the ball and bringing it all the way across his body before dropping it to the floor again. (I'm sure other players do this, too, but they aren't as difficult to guard as LeBron is). I have a friend whose crossover looks like this, and it's a good thing he can't finish, because you can't call palming in a pickup game, but you can't really stop this move, either.
I haven't noticed the hesitation stuff as much lately, which suggests to me that the league has made the necessary moves to eliminate it. This is the next step.
*I've been using ESPN.com links for recaps and boxscores. I've switched to Yahoo!, because ESPN recaps have a highlight reel that 1) may surprise people who are reading Rhymes With Hondo at work with the volume on their computer up and 2) being ESPN, has an advertisement at the beginning. However, the highlight reel has value, so I've decided to make a third link to the ESPN.com game story a regular part of my recap postings from this point forward. If you want the highlights, click that one (you can get to the box score easily from there); if you want to avoid the sound and the ads (or ESPN.com in general on principle, a defensible position), use the other two links.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]*
The Xs and Os of basketball are what I find most interesting about the game, but the Celtics' recent struggles are as much about what is going on inside their heads as what is happening out on the court. So today, after an embarrassing loss to our chief Eastern Conference rivals dropping us to 2-7 over our last nine games, we're talking about psychology.
Not that I'm terribly qualified to do so. I only know what I know about the psyches of professional athletes from watching and reading about sports. Also, you should know my own mindset. While I've had some hysterical moments during this stretch, the more I think about it, the less concerned I am. If we were favored to win the East or the NBA this year at all, it wasn't by much, and I ultimately don't think that's changed much -- we're certainly not favored now, but I think the true odds really haven't moved, other than Cleveland being a bit better than expected. In other words, I don't think this game has revealed a fatal flaw in the team. We're just not playing well right now.
It is uncontroversial to say that professional athletes are some of the most confident -- and probably over-confident -- people in the world. No one is successful every time out, and athletes' failures are broadcast across the globe, their missteps and disappointments broadcast for millions to see. In order to succeed as a professional athlete, you cannot think you will fail. Every time out, you need to think you'll win.
A natural consequence of this, then, is that it sometimes takes athletes a long time to acknowledge when something is wrong. Because a drop in confidence can be so devastating, pro athletes are often reticent to admit when things aren't going well. On those ubiquitous NBA ads with snippets from many of Kevin Garnett's press conferences last year, you do hear KG talking a lot about the Celtics' imperfections: "We're not a flawless team, we're a team in progress." Easy to say when you're on your way to 66-16 and a championship. It may appear to be a paradox, but you'll hear that sort of self-evaluation from teams far more often when things are going well than when things are going poorly. It's a guard against over-confidence, just as stubbornly pushing aside concerns with "We'll be fine" when the chips are down is a guard against, well, under-confidence.
Keeping that in mind, it's a bit easier to understand the team's recent struggles and not panic. After the Christmas Day loss to the Lakers, I'm sure there were many who thought that the Celtics would come out the next night against Golden State and take their frustrations out on the Warriors. If Boston was a college or high-school team, that might well have been the case; the coach would have lit a fire under the kids on the practice floor the next day, and they would have come out ready to pulverize the other team.
Alas, the Celtics are in the NBA, and in the NBA, you follow up a Christmas Day loss in LA with a short evening flight to Oakland, away from home for the holidays, and you don't get a chance to practice before the next day's game. And maybe you come out and the other team gets hot and you give away a late lead and now, after winning 19 in a row, you've lost two straight.
At that point, you might get concerned, except that you go out two nights later and beat Sacramento by 45 on their home court. Sure, it's Sacramento, but still, it's 45 points. Everything seems back to normal. Sure, it's concerning when you drop the next game at Portland, but another blowout win, this one vs. Washington by 25 points, gets rid of those concerns, at least temporarily.
Losses at the Knicks and Bobcats are puzzling, but those teams are pests, annoyances not worth worrying about. You won't have to worry about them down the road. Besides, none of these losses have come at home.
Then, the very next night, you're out there on your home floor, playing a good Houston team, and you have a lead heading into the fourth quarter, and even though you can't throw it in the ocean during that period, you have a one-point lead and the ball late, but you don't score, and then someone named Von Wafer his a three, and you don't score again, and you lose.
Hmmm.
And then last night. Outworked and outplayed for 48 minutes (save a short stretch at the start of the third quarter) by the team that took you to seven games in last year's Eastern Conference finals and is your likely opponent in that series again this season.
The point I'm trying to make -- and I'm not sure I'm doing it well -- is that while a lot of observers have spotted that something was lacking in the team's effort and intensity earlier (perhaps prematurely), it makes sense that the team might not have recognized it as quickly. It's easy to explain away losses to New York and Charlotte in the middle of an 82-game season; no one is perfect every night, and anyway, the wins over Sacto and Washington prove that everything's fine. It's harder to write off the home loss to Houston and the blowout loss to Cleveland.
To wrap this up, then, perhaps now is the time that the team acknowledges that something's a little bit off. Something clearly is off; we aren't playing with the swagger we used to have, nor the energy and intensity. The swagger probably won't come until the wins come again, which won't come until we get our energy and intensity back (and start making a few shots). Our next game is Sunday, at Toronto, and that the Raptors are playing well, having won four of their last five, is probably a good thing. We'll have to play well to beat them, and we know that. A close, hard-fought win would be better than a blowout win, in my opinion. We need to come out and win a game in the way we should have won against Houston, I think, in order to get back on track.
And now for something completely different...me bitching about one officiating thing (which had no effect on the outcome of the game), because I didn't get it out of my system yesterday:
LeBron James goes 6'8" and a listed 250 pounds (he's probably heavier, and it's all muscle). He moves like a guard. He can put it on the deck, and he can shoot the jumper. He has a combination of power and quickness that is unparalleled, not just in today's NBA, but in league history.
He's as unguardable a guy as I have ever seen or ever anticipate seeing. But he will really be unguardable if officials keep letting him get away with carrying the basketball the way he does.
NBA rules have evolved -- or devolved, as the case may be -- over the years. It's no secret that the traveling rules, for example, aren't enforced nearly as strongly as they are written.
I remember carrying -- or palming -- being controversial back when guys like Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson were young. The way those two violate this rule is different than the way LeBron violates it, though. They use a hesitation dribble -- Marbury's is the best I've ever seen -- and in doing so, they let the ball stop on one hand while they shimmy their bodies to fake out the defender, then explode forward once they have the defender leaning. That's an unfair advantage, but they aren't advancing the ball while they do it.
LeBron, on the other hand, carries the ball on his crossover dribble. The risk of a crossover is, of course, that you have to put the ball out in front of the defender, where he might poke it away. LeBron gets away with not having to do that, putting his hand under the ball and bringing it all the way across his body before dropping it to the floor again. (I'm sure other players do this, too, but they aren't as difficult to guard as LeBron is). I have a friend whose crossover looks like this, and it's a good thing he can't finish, because you can't call palming in a pickup game, but you can't really stop this move, either.
I haven't noticed the hesitation stuff as much lately, which suggests to me that the league has made the necessary moves to eliminate it. This is the next step.
*I've been using ESPN.com links for recaps and boxscores. I've switched to Yahoo!, because ESPN recaps have a highlight reel that 1) may surprise people who are reading Rhymes With Hondo at work with the volume on their computer up and 2) being ESPN, has an advertisement at the beginning. However, the highlight reel has value, so I've decided to make a third link to the ESPN.com game story a regular part of my recap postings from this point forward. If you want the highlights, click that one (you can get to the box score easily from there); if you want to avoid the sound and the ads (or ESPN.com in general on principle, a defensible position), use the other two links.
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