[recap] [box score]
I haven't attended all that many NBA games in person. One when I was in high school -- I remember that Grant Hill had a 15/10/10 triple double, but I don't remember who won -- a couple when I was in college, and then a couple or a handful per year since I graduated, in D.C., and Boston, and L.A.
I've had some great times at those games. I saw Ryan Gomes, one of my favorite players since he was a freshman at Providence, score 21 of his then-career-high 27 points in the first half of the same game that Paul Pierce nailed the overtime game-winner over three Wizards at the horn. I've sat behind Delonte West's mother and had her show me and a buddy pictures of Delonte when he was in high school -- prom, graduation, etc. I've gone to several games in Boston over the last several years, connecting with friends in the city on an annual trip that fell victim to the lockout this season.
But as far as regular season games go (Game 1 of the 2008 Finals is on a whole other level), I haven't been to one where a win was more satisfying than it was tonight. And, probably as a result, I haven't had more fun at one either.
It didn't start out that way. Before tip-off, I wasn't feeling great about the game, a combination of the tough loss to the Lakers the night before, the absence of our top two centers against an already overwhelming front line, and the fact that the Clips would be pissed after losing at home to the Warriors the night before.
Things started out okay, but it started to get chippy really fast. Greg Stiemsma flopped on a Blake Griffin drive in the first quarter, and Griffin, after scoring and drawing a foul on Brandon Bass, showed his displeasure with the acting job by handing the ball to Stiemsma. The Boston rookie casually flipped it at Griffin's back as the latter walked to the free throw line, resulting in double technicals. Double techs were also the result of a bizarre sequence in which, several beats after a whistle, Kevin Garnett "drove" the lane for a meaningless dead-ball layin and was met aggressively at the rim for DeAndre Jordan. Doc Rivers got hit with a technical in the second quarter, as well, and as physical as the game was, I figured it was even money that either he or Garnett wouldn't last the evening.
Honestly, in the first half, it felt to me like a dangerous atmosphere. I had noted to my girlfriend early in the first quarter that the defensive intensity was unusually high for the first few minutes of a regular season game. By the middle of the second quarter, the atmosphere seemed dangerous, like something big was going to erupt.
It sounds awfully dramatic, but reading some commentary on the Internet and catching a little bit of the replay on ESPN2 as I write this, it sure seems like I wasn't the only person in attendance who felt that way.
It made sense, really. The Clippers are up-and-coming, trying to climb to a place among the league's elite teams. On their way up, they are passing, or have passed, the Celtics, on Boston's way down that same mountain. The Clips play physically, and all this "Lob City" stuff has them playing with an obnoxious amount of swagger (more on this later), which adds to the testosterone on the floor. Add to the mix the fact that L.A. fans, no matter what flavor, hate Boston fans, and it just seemed like a powderkeg.
Thankfully, nothing happened. The players more or less calmed down, for whatever reason, and the officials opened the third quarter by calling the game a bit tighter. I'm normally a pretty calm guy at live sporting events, preferring to save the manifestation of emotions for games I watch in the privacy of my apartment. But the intensity and physicality of the first half got my adrenaline going, and I found myself on my feet for several big moments in the second half.
Enough color. Time for some Xs and Os.
* Boston's pick-and-roll defense was excellent all night. The Clips run a ton of high pick-and-roll with Chris Paul and Griffin, and the strategy for Boston was to clog the lane for Paul, let Griffin pop for 17-footers, but take the lane away for Griffin rolling, too. It by and large worked: Paul was held to 14 points and five assists, with the bulk of his scoring coming in the fourth quarter, and while Griffin had a big first half including hitting a couple of jump shots, he didn't do much in the second half. The focus on Paul and Griffin did lead to some open jumpers for the Clippers wing players, but forcing your opponent to their third offensive option is usually a pretty good thing.
* Pierce got off to a good start, but picked up three fouls in the first half. He stayed out of foul trouble in the second half and closed the game out well from the free throw line. He also hit a huge three-pointer with under three minutes left that got me out of my seat.
* Ray Allen had a very quiet first half, but came alive in the second. Despite having a big size advantage, the Clips played a small lineup for a large portion of the second half. That small lineup gave Allen a size mismatch over Mo Williams in the post, and Boston went to an interesting triangle set that sometimes saw Rajon R-ndo posting up at the foul line, with Allen and Pierce screeing for each other along the baseline. As is their wont, they went to the well a few too many times with that set, but it was effective for a pretty good stretch.
* Watching on TV never does justice to just how physical the NBA game is. The seats we had gave us a great angle on a lot of post ups, and the amount of strength it takes to simply catch the ball in the post in this league, much less be able to keep your balance, make a move, and take a shot, is remarkable. Garnett had Caron Butler all over him when he hit the game-sealing 20-footer.
* Rebounding was once again a huge problem (the Clips outrebounded the Celts 45-31 for the game and had a 20-6 advantage on the offensive glass), but let me just throw out there that I don't think I've seen a team get away with more pushing on the rebounding action than the Clippers do. Griffin, Jordan, even Reggie Evans to a lesser extent, all use their hands and arms a ton when trying to get rebounding position.
* OK, here comes my dressing-down of the Clippers: You guys are blowing it. You have an all-world point guard and incredible athletes at the four and five positions. You have Lob City. You have the long-time underdog angle going. You have the chance to win over the younger generations of basketball fans in Los Angeles.
But you're blowing it, by becoming one of the most unlikable teams in the league. You haven't even made the playoffs yet. And yet the sense of entitlement that is so obnoxious to behold in even those who are entitled is already creeping in.
Griffin is the worst. He plays extremely physically but flops like crazy, throwing his arms in the air at the slightest touch. He loves to show up officials by grabbing the sides of his head in disbelief, or by sitting on the ground and staring at them after a no-call. At one point, he seemed offended that R-ndo dare challenge him for a rebound, jawing at the Boston point guard after R-ndo was called for a harmless foul on the play.
It's frustrating, because I really want to like the Clippers. Everyone likes an underdog, and selfishly, I'd love to see the Lakers playing second fiddle in their own city. But in less than two years, Griffin has already developed the habits that cause me to loathe superstars like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. It's a shame, but at this point, it seems that I am doomed, from a basketball standpoint at least, to hate LA forever.
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Clippers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Clippers. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Week in Review
First order of business is to explain the radio silence over the past week. Mostly, it's due to the fact that Championship Week is my favorite time of year, and I've been obsessed with college ball for the last six days or so. It'll continue through the NCAA Tournament -- and I'll probably post some tourney thoughts throughout on my basically-idle college hoops blog -- but I do pledge to pay the Celtics a little bit more attention here.
Since the last time I posted, after the Golden State win, Boston has gone 1-2, with losses to the Clippers on Wednesday and the Sixers on Friday, and a win over the Bucks on Sunday afternoon.
I never enjoy watching a Celtics loss, but dropping the game in Philly wasn't too upsetting -- nor surprising. Doug Collins has those guys playing really well after a tough start to his first season on the sidelines. Philly had played us very tough twice in December, the first matchup coming down to a Paul Pierce buzzer-beater. Collins also seems to have a particular reverence for the Boston organization and Doc Rivers, and I figured he'd get his team to play hard for him, which they did. (That they came out flat the next night against Milwaukee in a 102-74 loss to the same Bucks team that Boston held to 56 points on Sunday is perhaps the best evidence of that.) Boston hung tough, but couldn't break through and Andre Iguodala put the game away with a very difficult drive that was reminiscent of the shot that appeared to have won the game for Philly back in December (which Pierce ended up winning for the Celtics).
The Philly loss was only annoying because it came on the heels of an awful performance against the Clips at home, a game in which Boston dug itself an early hole that it couldn't quite climb out of. DeAndre Jordan had an unusually good game inside for LA, and they hit like half their three-point attempts, many by Mo Williams.
Those losses really only matter because the top seed in the East is still very much an open question. We're just one game ahead of surprising Chicago, with Miami lingering very much in striking distance. Moreover, Boston's in the midst of a stretch of winnable games, before finishing with some tougher teams and quite a few games on the road. Therefore, any loss, but particularly one at home to a sub-.500 club, matters. Boston showed last year that you don't necessarily need home court advantage to be successful, but from where I'm sitting, a path to the Finals that goes through Orlando and either Chicago or Miami looks a lot better than one that has both the Bulls and Heat as opponents.
Sunday's game against Milwaukee was something of a joke, with the tired Bucks managing just nine first-quarter points before getting only marginally better after that. Keyon Dooling's two missed free throws in the final seconds ensured that this would be a historic evening for the Celtics: a franchise low for points allowed in the shot clock era. The total would have been even lower if not for Earl Barron, a journeyman center who is on his second ten-day contract with the Bucks. Barron, playing hard in the fourth quarter to try and earn a spot on Milwaukee's roster for the rest of the season (believe it or not, despite a 26-39 record, the Bucks are only a couple of games out of the East's final playoff spot), scored ten points, the only Buck to score in double figures.
It was far from a cohesive performance offensively, however, and with three consecutive such performances under the team's belt, fans can only hope that the switch turns back on quickly. Boston is back in action Monday against New Jersey.
Quick bullets about some personnel:
- If you don't follow the team too closely, but peruse the box scores, you may have noticed a new name: Carlos Arroyo. Arroyo started the season as Miami's starting point guard, but subsequently lost that job to Mario Chalmers and was released by the Heat when they signed Mike Bibby. For the first time in this era, Boston has a true, somewhat reliable point guard behind Rajon Rondo. Arroyo's nothing special, but he's not erratic (like Sam Cassell, Stephon Marbury, and Nate Robinson) nor inexperienced (like Gabe Pruitt, Lester Hudson, and Avery Bradley). He's solid with the ball and can make the occasional jumpshot. He's good insurance if the oft-injured Delonte West can't stay healthy, and could see the court alongside West depending on Von Wafer's play and recovery from injury.
- Nenad Krstic has continued to surprise. He posted two double-doubles this week, averaging nearly 16 points and 13 rebounds in the three games. When he traded Kendrick Perkins, Danny Ainge made the point that Boston had gotten off to its fast start and beaten good teams with Shaquille O'Neal starting in the middle while Perk was out. Presumably, this meant that when Shaq came back, he'd take his starting job back. It will be interesting to see which way Doc decides to go when the Big Shamrock does get healthy.
- Glen Davis returned after ten or so days off while he rehabbed a sprained tendon in his knee. He looked good. When he went down with the injury, I remember reading something that indicated he'd been hurting all season. On Sunday, he moved around the court better than he had all year. Perhaps the time off did him some good.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Boston 99, Los Angeles Clippers 92
[recap] [box score]
Boston won in LA against the Clippers for the first time in three seasons, in large part due to a terrific defensive effort in the second half. Of course, that's not something to crow too much about, given that the Clippers are a) the Clippers, and b) without either part of their starting backcourt. So I'm going to limit my discussion of this game to the first impression of the new guys.
I should stress first impression, because it'd be unfair to judge them based on one game 48 hours after being traded.
Jeff Green looked lost, which is understandable, given the circumstances. Most of his touches on offense came in the post, as Doc tried to get him comfortable despite his unfamiliarity with Boston's sets. He didn't do too much to impress me down there, but again, it's one game. His ability to operate down there will come in handy, and it's better than him shooting threes at a 30 percent clip, but it's imperative that he get integrated into the offense quickly. Between him and Glen Davis, the ball stopped an awful lot. Green's effectiveness for the rest of the year will depend on how quickly he can get comfortable, so that Boston doesn't have to run specific plays for him.
Nenad Krstic made the bigger impression. He had nine points and six rebounds, with all of his boards coming on the offensive end. He was much more active and agile then I thought he'd be, and though he did all of his scoring around the rim, I know he's got range out to 15 feet or so. He had a nice-looking turnaround J from the baseline from about ten feet that didn't drop, but it's a shot I'm comfortable with him taking.
I remember liking Krstic early in his career, when he averaged 10 points and 5.4 boards per game as a rookie in New Jersey, then 13.5 and 6.4 in his sophomore campaign. His third year got off to a great start; he scored in double figures in all but three of the Nets' first 26 games in 2006-07, averaging better than 16 points along the way. But he tore his ACL against the Lakers that year, and he only played a combined 91 games the next two seasons. He did get manage 76 games last season with the Thunder, posting averages of 8.4 points and five rebounds per game.
The point is, maybe Krstic isn't just a throw-in. He's still youngish (he's had that same thinning hair since he's been in the league), his injury problems may be behind him, and he's much more skilled offensively than Kendrick Perkins was. His rebounding and especially his defense are going to be an issue, particularly against teams like Orlando and Chicago and the Lakers, but he's an offensive upgrade. So, while the expected payoff of the trade was that the Celtics could go small at crunch time, Krstic's presence means that they can go big, too, without having to worry about Shaquille O'Neal's free throw shooting.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Catching Up
It's been...two weeks since you heard from me.
(Did I really just mark my return by paraphrasing a Barenaked Ladies song?)
Yes, two weeks without a post, part of which time coincided with a stretch where I was actually too busy to watch basketball, a concept I heretofore didn't think was possible (which may explain my poor GPA from the previous year). We've gone 4-2 in my blogging hiatus:
Boston 110, Memphis 105 (12/14) - Paul Pierce's 19 points led six Celtics who scored at least 13 in what I was told was a very entertaining game with a Grizzlies squad that is on the rise.
Philadelphia 98, Boston 97 (12/18) - The final two of Elton Brand's 23 points off the bench came on a tip-in with 7.7 seconds left, snapping Boston's 11-game win streak. I didn't get a chance to watch this one, either, but we had a 15-point lead in the third quarter, not the kind of margin we typically blow at home. Also, Rasheed Wallace was ejected for the first time this season.
Boston 122, Minnesota 104 (12/20) - I was supposed to watch this one in person but, as the folks at Delta/Northwest are about to find out, I missed it due to some serious ineffeciencies and incompetencies in their systems. Pierce had 29 points to lead seven Celtics in double figures, and made all six of his three-point attempts. Minnesota's leading scorer on the night? Jonny Flynn, with 21 points.
Boston 103, Indiana 94 (12/22) - I was able to get to Beantown in time for this game, and for a while, it hardly seemed worth my effort: The Cs trailed by 15 at the break. Despite playing without Kevin Garnett, who suffered a thigh bruise in the Minnesota game and was a late scratch, Boston need just more than seven minutes to erase that entire deficit, then put the game away in the fourth. It was a truly dominant second half, as Indiana scored just 37 points in the final 24 minutes. (This was one of those games were Indy was throwing in everything for the first half, then got cold in the second.) Ray Allen led Boston with 23 points, and Pierce scored 21 despite missing his first ten field goals.
Boston 86, Orlando 77 (12/25) - Christmas Day 2009 was better than the 2008 version (when the Celtics lost to the Lakers). Boston avenged an early-season home loss to the Magic with this road win. Offensively, Orlando was about as bad as you'll ever see a legitimate title contender be, scoring just eight second-quarter points. Boston was only marginally better, grabbing a 38-27 lead, but it was enough to hold on when things returned more to "normal" in the second half.
A little bit of good news/bad news for Boston. The good news was that they won this game without Paul Pierce; the bad news was that they won this game without Paul Pierce. The Celtics captain has a knee infection and is supposed to miss a couple of weeks. That we won such a big game without Pierce is encouraging, but we missed him two days later (see below) and it's a little unfortunate that we go into one of our big West Coast trips without our closer.
This was the second straight game with the Magic that could be called an abomination offensively for both teams (or, more charitably, a masterpiece defensively for both teams), which stands in sharp contrast to games 6 and 7 of last year's Eastern Conference semifinals, when Orlando made just about everything they put up on their way to stealing the series. I don't have an explanation for it, other than that these are the two best defensive teams in the East.
This game was huge, though, in terms of home court advantage (never too early to start thinking about that).
Los Angeles Clippers 92, Boston 90 (12/27) - A frustrating, annoying loss, sure, but one that probably doesn't matter. For the second straight year, Boston lost to the other team from L.A. in an eminently winnable game. (Walking out of the Staples Center last year while being taunted by Clippers fans is a low point in my life.)
Rajon Rondo will end up shouldering most of the blame here: Tied at 90 with 1.5 seconds to go, he missed two free throws, then allowed Baron Davis to catch the ball too easily on LA's ensuing inbounds play (though Baron still made a very difficult fallaway for the win).
Offensively, I'm still deciding whether I liked the call on our final possession, an isolation for Rondo at the top of the key with the shot clock off. The issue wasn't whether he was going to beat Davis off the dribble; he had been doing it all night. The issue is what happens once he does.
What happened on this occasion was that Rondo found himself in the clear, the Clippers' help arriving late. As he went to the bucket, Davis reached back and grabbed his right arm, smartly preferring to send the 53% free throw shooter to the line than give him a relatively uncontested layup.
What might have happened is that Rondo, after beating Davis, encounters one or more Clipper defenders, and kicks to an open teammate on the perimeter (Boston had four decent-to-excellent options from outside on the floor at the time: Garnett, Wallace, Eddie House, and Ray Allen).
The problem with what did happen is that Rondo is a 53% free throw shooter and has not, to my recollection, ever found himself in a spot where he was shooting potentially game-winning free throws. The problem with what might have happened is that NBA players tend to waste too much of the clock before making their move in these situations, and NBA defenses are usually pretty good about rotating to the first open man (it's the second pass that usually gets them). So Rondo, having started his move late, might have found a temporarily open teammate, but their shot might not have been a good one, and they wouldn't have had time to make the second pass to someone who was wide open. A high pick-and-pop with Garnett or something for Ray Allen coming off screens is SOP for us here, without Pierce.
On the other hand, Rondo is our point guard and our future, and at some point, he'll have the ball in his hands more often than not in these spots. On the road against the Clippers in mid-December, with no Pierce and the score tied, isn't a bad time to start breaking him in.
It's a shame that Rondo missed those free throws, because he had played a very strong game to that point, and it came on the heels of a 17/13/8 performance against the Magic (he had points/assists double-doubles against Philly and Minnesota, his fifth and sixth in the first nine games in December). He's playing more consistently aggressively than we've ever seen him, and I hope this isn't a setback in his mindset.
A couple of notes on other players:
Tony Allen has now played nine games on the season, starting each of the last two with Pierce and Marquis Daniels out. While he still has caused me to roll my eyes at times -- he's almost always in the wrong place on offense, and left two midrange jumpers against Orlando short before rocketing a third off the backboard -- he's acquitted himself pretty well, averaging eight points and four rebounds, and hitting double figures four times. Last night against the Clippers was his best game back: 10 points and 10 rebounds in nearly 40 minutes, with four steals, including two late in the fourth quarter that really should have saved the game for us. I still think we're betting off trading him once Daniels is close to coming back (Pierce should be back by then), but I need to give him his due when he deserves it.
Glen Davis made his return to the lineup against Orlando, prompting my buddy Joel to send this sarcastic text message (I'm paraphrasing): "Glad Big Baby has stayed in shape while he was out. He looks like he ate Eddie House." Davis did nothing noteworthy against the Magic, but had eight points and six boards -- five on the offensive glass -- against the Clippers. He also threw in a running left-handed hook which, it goes without saying, is not what I expected.
In a related story, Shelden Williams got the DNP-CD against the Clips, his second in three games, which means it looks like his run as a rotation player may be coming to an end. He's still around to help out in case of foul trouble/injury/Wallace suspension, but with Davis likely to get more minutes and he gets back into playing shape (has Big Baby ever been in playing shape?), I wouldn't expect to see Williams take his warmups off before garbage time too often.
TMJF:
The Wolves have played seven times since the last time I blogged, and have gone 4-3 in those games. They're also on a two-game winning streak, their first of the year. I haven't had a chance to see any of it, except the 110-108 win at Utah in which Jonny Flynn wasted Deron Williams on Minny's final posssession for the game-winning bucket.
Stat lines from the seven games are below:
Wolves 110, Jazz 108: 29 minutes, 11-19 FG, 4-6 3FG, 2-3 FT, 28 pts, 1 reb, 5 assts. 1 stl, 4 TOs
Clippers 120, Wolves 95: 30 minutes, 3-12 FG, 0-3 3FG, 3-4 FT, 9 pts, 3 rebs, 3 assts, 3 TOs
Wolves 112, Kings 96: 26 minutes, 5-8 FG, 2-2 FT, 12 pts, 1 reb, 5 assts, 1 stl, 2 TOs
Celtics 122, Wolves 104: 31 minutes, 8-15 FG, 1-3 3FG, 4-4 FT, 21 pts, 2 rebs, 2 assts, 1 stl, 4 TOs
Hawks 112, Wolves 87: 27 minutes, 5-13 FG, 1-2 3FG, 5-6 FT, 16 pts, 1 reb, 2 assts, 1 stl, 4 TOs
Wolves 103, Nets 99: 37 minutes, 9-19 FG, 1-5 3FG, 3-4 FT, 22 pts, 1 reb, 5 assts, 4 stls, 3 TOs
Wolves 101, Wizards 89: 25 minutes, 2-12 FG, 1-2 3FG, 3-4 FT, 8 pts, 3 rebs, 6 assts.
(Did I really just mark my return by paraphrasing a Barenaked Ladies song?)
Yes, two weeks without a post, part of which time coincided with a stretch where I was actually too busy to watch basketball, a concept I heretofore didn't think was possible (which may explain my poor GPA from the previous year). We've gone 4-2 in my blogging hiatus:
Boston 110, Memphis 105 (12/14) - Paul Pierce's 19 points led six Celtics who scored at least 13 in what I was told was a very entertaining game with a Grizzlies squad that is on the rise.
Philadelphia 98, Boston 97 (12/18) - The final two of Elton Brand's 23 points off the bench came on a tip-in with 7.7 seconds left, snapping Boston's 11-game win streak. I didn't get a chance to watch this one, either, but we had a 15-point lead in the third quarter, not the kind of margin we typically blow at home. Also, Rasheed Wallace was ejected for the first time this season.
Boston 122, Minnesota 104 (12/20) - I was supposed to watch this one in person but, as the folks at Delta/Northwest are about to find out, I missed it due to some serious ineffeciencies and incompetencies in their systems. Pierce had 29 points to lead seven Celtics in double figures, and made all six of his three-point attempts. Minnesota's leading scorer on the night? Jonny Flynn, with 21 points.
Boston 103, Indiana 94 (12/22) - I was able to get to Beantown in time for this game, and for a while, it hardly seemed worth my effort: The Cs trailed by 15 at the break. Despite playing without Kevin Garnett, who suffered a thigh bruise in the Minnesota game and was a late scratch, Boston need just more than seven minutes to erase that entire deficit, then put the game away in the fourth. It was a truly dominant second half, as Indiana scored just 37 points in the final 24 minutes. (This was one of those games were Indy was throwing in everything for the first half, then got cold in the second.) Ray Allen led Boston with 23 points, and Pierce scored 21 despite missing his first ten field goals.
Boston 86, Orlando 77 (12/25) - Christmas Day 2009 was better than the 2008 version (when the Celtics lost to the Lakers). Boston avenged an early-season home loss to the Magic with this road win. Offensively, Orlando was about as bad as you'll ever see a legitimate title contender be, scoring just eight second-quarter points. Boston was only marginally better, grabbing a 38-27 lead, but it was enough to hold on when things returned more to "normal" in the second half.
A little bit of good news/bad news for Boston. The good news was that they won this game without Paul Pierce; the bad news was that they won this game without Paul Pierce. The Celtics captain has a knee infection and is supposed to miss a couple of weeks. That we won such a big game without Pierce is encouraging, but we missed him two days later (see below) and it's a little unfortunate that we go into one of our big West Coast trips without our closer.
This was the second straight game with the Magic that could be called an abomination offensively for both teams (or, more charitably, a masterpiece defensively for both teams), which stands in sharp contrast to games 6 and 7 of last year's Eastern Conference semifinals, when Orlando made just about everything they put up on their way to stealing the series. I don't have an explanation for it, other than that these are the two best defensive teams in the East.
This game was huge, though, in terms of home court advantage (never too early to start thinking about that).
Los Angeles Clippers 92, Boston 90 (12/27) - A frustrating, annoying loss, sure, but one that probably doesn't matter. For the second straight year, Boston lost to the other team from L.A. in an eminently winnable game. (Walking out of the Staples Center last year while being taunted by Clippers fans is a low point in my life.)
Rajon Rondo will end up shouldering most of the blame here: Tied at 90 with 1.5 seconds to go, he missed two free throws, then allowed Baron Davis to catch the ball too easily on LA's ensuing inbounds play (though Baron still made a very difficult fallaway for the win).
Offensively, I'm still deciding whether I liked the call on our final possession, an isolation for Rondo at the top of the key with the shot clock off. The issue wasn't whether he was going to beat Davis off the dribble; he had been doing it all night. The issue is what happens once he does.
What happened on this occasion was that Rondo found himself in the clear, the Clippers' help arriving late. As he went to the bucket, Davis reached back and grabbed his right arm, smartly preferring to send the 53% free throw shooter to the line than give him a relatively uncontested layup.
What might have happened is that Rondo, after beating Davis, encounters one or more Clipper defenders, and kicks to an open teammate on the perimeter (Boston had four decent-to-excellent options from outside on the floor at the time: Garnett, Wallace, Eddie House, and Ray Allen).
The problem with what did happen is that Rondo is a 53% free throw shooter and has not, to my recollection, ever found himself in a spot where he was shooting potentially game-winning free throws. The problem with what might have happened is that NBA players tend to waste too much of the clock before making their move in these situations, and NBA defenses are usually pretty good about rotating to the first open man (it's the second pass that usually gets them). So Rondo, having started his move late, might have found a temporarily open teammate, but their shot might not have been a good one, and they wouldn't have had time to make the second pass to someone who was wide open. A high pick-and-pop with Garnett or something for Ray Allen coming off screens is SOP for us here, without Pierce.
On the other hand, Rondo is our point guard and our future, and at some point, he'll have the ball in his hands more often than not in these spots. On the road against the Clippers in mid-December, with no Pierce and the score tied, isn't a bad time to start breaking him in.
It's a shame that Rondo missed those free throws, because he had played a very strong game to that point, and it came on the heels of a 17/13/8 performance against the Magic (he had points/assists double-doubles against Philly and Minnesota, his fifth and sixth in the first nine games in December). He's playing more consistently aggressively than we've ever seen him, and I hope this isn't a setback in his mindset.
A couple of notes on other players:
Tony Allen has now played nine games on the season, starting each of the last two with Pierce and Marquis Daniels out. While he still has caused me to roll my eyes at times -- he's almost always in the wrong place on offense, and left two midrange jumpers against Orlando short before rocketing a third off the backboard -- he's acquitted himself pretty well, averaging eight points and four rebounds, and hitting double figures four times. Last night against the Clippers was his best game back: 10 points and 10 rebounds in nearly 40 minutes, with four steals, including two late in the fourth quarter that really should have saved the game for us. I still think we're betting off trading him once Daniels is close to coming back (Pierce should be back by then), but I need to give him his due when he deserves it.
Glen Davis made his return to the lineup against Orlando, prompting my buddy Joel to send this sarcastic text message (I'm paraphrasing): "Glad Big Baby has stayed in shape while he was out. He looks like he ate Eddie House." Davis did nothing noteworthy against the Magic, but had eight points and six boards -- five on the offensive glass -- against the Clippers. He also threw in a running left-handed hook which, it goes without saying, is not what I expected.
In a related story, Shelden Williams got the DNP-CD against the Clips, his second in three games, which means it looks like his run as a rotation player may be coming to an end. He's still around to help out in case of foul trouble/injury/Wallace suspension, but with Davis likely to get more minutes and he gets back into playing shape (has Big Baby ever been in playing shape?), I wouldn't expect to see Williams take his warmups off before garbage time too often.
TMJF:
The Wolves have played seven times since the last time I blogged, and have gone 4-3 in those games. They're also on a two-game winning streak, their first of the year. I haven't had a chance to see any of it, except the 110-108 win at Utah in which Jonny Flynn wasted Deron Williams on Minny's final posssession for the game-winning bucket.
Stat lines from the seven games are below:
Wolves 110, Jazz 108: 29 minutes, 11-19 FG, 4-6 3FG, 2-3 FT, 28 pts, 1 reb, 5 assts. 1 stl, 4 TOs
Clippers 120, Wolves 95: 30 minutes, 3-12 FG, 0-3 3FG, 3-4 FT, 9 pts, 3 rebs, 3 assts, 3 TOs
Wolves 112, Kings 96: 26 minutes, 5-8 FG, 2-2 FT, 12 pts, 1 reb, 5 assts, 1 stl, 2 TOs
Celtics 122, Wolves 104: 31 minutes, 8-15 FG, 1-3 3FG, 4-4 FT, 21 pts, 2 rebs, 2 assts, 1 stl, 4 TOs
Hawks 112, Wolves 87: 27 minutes, 5-13 FG, 1-2 3FG, 5-6 FT, 16 pts, 1 reb, 2 assts, 1 stl, 4 TOs
Wolves 103, Nets 99: 37 minutes, 9-19 FG, 1-5 3FG, 3-4 FT, 22 pts, 1 reb, 5 assts, 4 stls, 3 TOs
Wolves 101, Wizards 89: 25 minutes, 2-12 FG, 1-2 3FG, 3-4 FT, 8 pts, 3 rebs, 6 assts.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
RwH Wednesday Night Mashup
Apologies for posting this a day late. I had a ton of basketball on my plate last night and didn't get all the away through it. I don't know how Kelly Dwyer does it. It was a bit like being drunk: I don't remember parts of the evening; I fell asleep in my chair; at one point, I made a sandwich but didn't bother using a plate, resting it on my chest in between bites.
This afternoon, though, I caught up. Brief thoughts on everything I watched.
Boston 105, Utah 86 [recap] [box score]
I DVRed this game and watched it after getting home from Clips-Thunder (see below). It seems like it was one of these games where no one and nothing in particular stands out, except for the fact that one team seems overmatched. I supposed Rajon Rondo's night stands out, statistically, but it wasn't one of those games that he just controls; his 14 points and 11 assists came rather quietly. In all, Boston had seven guys in double figures, led by Kevin Garnett's 18. The Jazz, now 3-5, certainly don't look like a playoff team right now.
TMJF: Blazers 107, Wolves 84
Stat Line: 25 minutes, 5-11 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-4 FT, 15 pts, 6 rebs, 1 asst, 2 TOs.
I sorta zoomed through this one this afternoon because I already knew the score (it turns out that trying to avoid learning the score of three NBA games while attending another NBA game is a fairly pointless exercise). Jonny Flynn had what is becoming his usual game, playing solidly until he felt the game slipping away, then trying to force the action a little too much. Coach Kurt Rambis gave him an early hook after a few poor trips before the half and to start the third quarter. Flynn's replacement, Ramon Sessions, had his best game of the year (1o points, 5 assists), and I guess we'll soon see how steep Rambis expects Flynn's learning curve to be.
Muy Beno: Oklahoma City 83, Los Angeles Clippers 79
Wow, this was an ugly game. The Thunder seemed content to shoot jumpers all night, missing most of them, while LA's Chris Kaman, perhaps upset by being left off the All-Star ballot despite being the reigning Western Conference player of the week, missed a variety of bunnies on his way to a nice little 9-for-26.
At this point, you're probably wondering, "What did you expect?" And it's fair to wonder why I'd even bother going to a Thunder-Clips game. The answer, of course, is Kevin Durant. KD is liable to put on a show every time he steps on the hardwood, and so when he comes to town, you go see him, particularly if you can get tickets for $2.99 on Ticket Exchange.
Durant had a relatively quiet 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, but it's really jarring to see this guy in person. He's a peculiar mix of tall, long, and thin, a unique combo of lanky and gangly and athletic and smooth. Of course, you know this from his reputation and from watching him on TV. But until you see him live, you can't appreciate just how odd it is to see a guy built like him operate the way he does, draining long jumpers, gliding in for dunks, putting the ball on the deck, pulling up, and shooting in what seems like one continuous motion, the ball at the bottom of the net before you even realize it's left his hand. He's still one-dimensional, all offense, but what a spectacular dimension it is.
I love his nickname -- The Durantula -- but while his phsyique is vaguely insectual (!), his long, thin body and vast wingspan does nothing to recall the meaty, plodding arachnid from which the moniker is derived. It's a great nickname, but it's so inapt. Think I can drum up any public support for calling him The Praying Durantis?
Muy Beno: Cleveland 102, Orlando 93
This was by far the best performance of the season by a Cavs team that has struggled in the early going. The difference between this game and last season's Eastern Conference finals is that last night, Lebron James had some help from his teammates. Heading into last year's playoffs, all the talk was that James finally had the supporting cast he needed to win a title. But that cast, after playing so well all year as Cleveland amassed the league's best record, turned into a bouquet of shrinking violets in losing four out of six to the Magic last summer. Quite frankly, the rest of the Cavs looked afraid to create anything for themselves during that series, as though they feared that if they shot and missed, they'd be criticized for not getting the ball to the league's most dominant force.
Last night, the Cavs went to new acquisition Shaquille O'Neal early and often, drawing two quick fouls on Dwight Howard. Mo Williams, whose disappearance in the Eastern Conference finals was probably most notable because of how effective he had been during the regular season, was assertive from the outset. His confidence was no doubt buoyed by the fact that he was white-hot, hitting his first nine shots. Cleveland shot absurdly well for the stretch of the game that mattered, settling in at 48 percent for the night only after cooling off considerably in the last half of the third quarter and all of the fourth (with the game well in hand).
This wasn't on display last night, but it's been clear through the season's first couple of weeks that Cleveland and Orlando are both struggling to consistently incorporate new players into their attacks, though injuries and suspensions and other absences have no doubt contributed. That had to be expected, though, and it's worth noting in these pages only because it's in contrast to the entire KG-Ray Allen era in Boston. Two seasons ago, everyone expected the new-look Celtics to take some time to gel, but they hit the ground running on the way to league's best record and the franchise's 17th championship.
This year, a completely revamped second unit has meshed extremely well, despite losing a key component (Glen Davis) to injury on the eve of the season. Eddie House is still a chucker, and no one (including me) has a problem with it. Not even Rasheed Wallace, a guy who -- while he's never had an alpha dog complex -- is something of a volume shooter himself. No one seems to care that Wallace spends most of his time hoisting threes on the perimeter. Marquis Daniels has subordinated his playing time and statistics (he was a starter in Indiana, remember), gladly playing the role of facilitator for the bench guys. As a unit, they seem to have the same sort of chemistry that the starting group has.
Credit the coaching staff, I guess, as well as the leadership of the veterans that set the tone for the team. In a year where the race for best record in the East promises to be tight and homecourt advantage just might tip the scales in the playoffs, little things like a fast or slow start to the season just might make the difference.
Housekeeping: Please see the important update to Tuesday night's post on timing issues in the Denver-Chicago game.
This afternoon, though, I caught up. Brief thoughts on everything I watched.
Boston 105, Utah 86 [recap] [box score]
I DVRed this game and watched it after getting home from Clips-Thunder (see below). It seems like it was one of these games where no one and nothing in particular stands out, except for the fact that one team seems overmatched. I supposed Rajon Rondo's night stands out, statistically, but it wasn't one of those games that he just controls; his 14 points and 11 assists came rather quietly. In all, Boston had seven guys in double figures, led by Kevin Garnett's 18. The Jazz, now 3-5, certainly don't look like a playoff team right now.
TMJF: Blazers 107, Wolves 84
Stat Line: 25 minutes, 5-11 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-4 FT, 15 pts, 6 rebs, 1 asst, 2 TOs.
I sorta zoomed through this one this afternoon because I already knew the score (it turns out that trying to avoid learning the score of three NBA games while attending another NBA game is a fairly pointless exercise). Jonny Flynn had what is becoming his usual game, playing solidly until he felt the game slipping away, then trying to force the action a little too much. Coach Kurt Rambis gave him an early hook after a few poor trips before the half and to start the third quarter. Flynn's replacement, Ramon Sessions, had his best game of the year (1o points, 5 assists), and I guess we'll soon see how steep Rambis expects Flynn's learning curve to be.
Muy Beno: Oklahoma City 83, Los Angeles Clippers 79
Wow, this was an ugly game. The Thunder seemed content to shoot jumpers all night, missing most of them, while LA's Chris Kaman, perhaps upset by being left off the All-Star ballot despite being the reigning Western Conference player of the week, missed a variety of bunnies on his way to a nice little 9-for-26.
At this point, you're probably wondering, "What did you expect?" And it's fair to wonder why I'd even bother going to a Thunder-Clips game. The answer, of course, is Kevin Durant. KD is liable to put on a show every time he steps on the hardwood, and so when he comes to town, you go see him, particularly if you can get tickets for $2.99 on Ticket Exchange.
Durant had a relatively quiet 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, but it's really jarring to see this guy in person. He's a peculiar mix of tall, long, and thin, a unique combo of lanky and gangly and athletic and smooth. Of course, you know this from his reputation and from watching him on TV. But until you see him live, you can't appreciate just how odd it is to see a guy built like him operate the way he does, draining long jumpers, gliding in for dunks, putting the ball on the deck, pulling up, and shooting in what seems like one continuous motion, the ball at the bottom of the net before you even realize it's left his hand. He's still one-dimensional, all offense, but what a spectacular dimension it is.
I love his nickname -- The Durantula -- but while his phsyique is vaguely insectual (!), his long, thin body and vast wingspan does nothing to recall the meaty, plodding arachnid from which the moniker is derived. It's a great nickname, but it's so inapt. Think I can drum up any public support for calling him The Praying Durantis?
Muy Beno: Cleveland 102, Orlando 93
This was by far the best performance of the season by a Cavs team that has struggled in the early going. The difference between this game and last season's Eastern Conference finals is that last night, Lebron James had some help from his teammates. Heading into last year's playoffs, all the talk was that James finally had the supporting cast he needed to win a title. But that cast, after playing so well all year as Cleveland amassed the league's best record, turned into a bouquet of shrinking violets in losing four out of six to the Magic last summer. Quite frankly, the rest of the Cavs looked afraid to create anything for themselves during that series, as though they feared that if they shot and missed, they'd be criticized for not getting the ball to the league's most dominant force.
Last night, the Cavs went to new acquisition Shaquille O'Neal early and often, drawing two quick fouls on Dwight Howard. Mo Williams, whose disappearance in the Eastern Conference finals was probably most notable because of how effective he had been during the regular season, was assertive from the outset. His confidence was no doubt buoyed by the fact that he was white-hot, hitting his first nine shots. Cleveland shot absurdly well for the stretch of the game that mattered, settling in at 48 percent for the night only after cooling off considerably in the last half of the third quarter and all of the fourth (with the game well in hand).
This wasn't on display last night, but it's been clear through the season's first couple of weeks that Cleveland and Orlando are both struggling to consistently incorporate new players into their attacks, though injuries and suspensions and other absences have no doubt contributed. That had to be expected, though, and it's worth noting in these pages only because it's in contrast to the entire KG-Ray Allen era in Boston. Two seasons ago, everyone expected the new-look Celtics to take some time to gel, but they hit the ground running on the way to league's best record and the franchise's 17th championship.
This year, a completely revamped second unit has meshed extremely well, despite losing a key component (Glen Davis) to injury on the eve of the season. Eddie House is still a chucker, and no one (including me) has a problem with it. Not even Rasheed Wallace, a guy who -- while he's never had an alpha dog complex -- is something of a volume shooter himself. No one seems to care that Wallace spends most of his time hoisting threes on the perimeter. Marquis Daniels has subordinated his playing time and statistics (he was a starter in Indiana, remember), gladly playing the role of facilitator for the bench guys. As a unit, they seem to have the same sort of chemistry that the starting group has.
Credit the coaching staff, I guess, as well as the leadership of the veterans that set the tone for the team. In a year where the race for best record in the East promises to be tight and homecourt advantage just might tip the scales in the playoffs, little things like a fast or slow start to the season just might make the difference.
Housekeeping: Please see the important update to Tuesday night's post on timing issues in the Denver-Chicago game.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Celtics Win Fourth Straight
Things are looking up since the last time I posted, though I haven't seen much of the team lately.
It didn't start that way. Tuesday night, we apparently played a terrible defensive game and gave up 127 points to Chicago. (I missed this one, as I was enjoying sublime food and company at Delmonico steakhouse in the Venetian -- highly recommended, and if you don't get the banana cream pie for dessert, you are cheating yourself.)
On Wednesday, we needed overtime to beat the Heat without Dwyane Wade - but we were still missing Kevin Garnett, as well as Ray Allen (who missed only that game with a hyperextended elbow suffered the previous night against Chicago) and Leon Powe (who will miss a couple of weeks due to a knee injury also suffered against the Bulls), as well as Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine (out indefinitely with a thumb injury and post-concussion syndrom, respectively). I caught only the fourth quarter and overtime of this one, at a bar at Treasure Island.
On Friday, we stole one from San Antonio, the second-best team in the Western Conference at the time, when the Spurs choked from the free throw line down the stretch. I didn't see this one, as it was on NBATV.
Saturday night, we beat the hapless Memphis Grizzlies behind a career-high 24 points from Glen Davis, standing in for Powe. Ironically, it was just a couple of weeks ago that Powe, his minutes increased due to injuries to Garnett and Davis, notched a career-high 30 points against the same Memphis squad. This one was also on NBATV.
And Monday night, we avenged an embarassing loss last month by pasting the Los Angeles Clippers. I caught this one on TV. The Clippers are terrible, and so are their announcers.
The four-game winning streak is important, as it has kept the Celtics a game ahead of the Orlando Magic for the second spot in the East, with an all-important showdown between the two teams coming up on Wednesday night in Florida (VIEWING ALERT: 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN). Thanks to our injuries, which begat our losing at the beginning of the month, and Cleveland's strong play, we're four games out of first in the East and the race for home court advantage is for all practical purposes over.
What's important is that we're getting healthy. Garnett has been back for three games and has, by design, averaged about 17 minutes per night in those outings. He says he's ready to play more, but Doc is (rightfully) being careful with him. That Garnett has missed a month isn't really a bad thing; he has plenty of time to round back into playing shape before the playoffs and he should be comparatively well-rested for the post-season.
Having Garnett back is very reassuring, however, particularly on the defensive end, where we'd struggled in his absence. Despite his limited minutes, Boston's opponents in the three games he's been back have averaged 80 points per game. Granted, no one is going to confuse the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Clippers with, say, the New York Knicks or Golden State Warriors, but it's nice to see that the C's still have it on that end.
One concern I do have, however, is the wear on Paul Pierce's tires. In the 13 games Garnett missed, Pierce averaged right around 40 minutes per game, two minutes more than his season average and four minutes more than he averaged last year. Injuries are to blame and you can't fault Doc for it, but it would be nice to find a way to rest him a little bit down the stretch.
A win on Wednesday would go a long way toward making that happen. Beating the Magic would effectively put us three games up on them; two in the standings, and another because we'd have the tiebreaker by virtue of a 3-1 head-to-head record. That'd probably be enough of a cushion, given our relatively favorable remaining schedule, to rest the big guns at times over the last few weeks of the regular season.
It didn't start that way. Tuesday night, we apparently played a terrible defensive game and gave up 127 points to Chicago. (I missed this one, as I was enjoying sublime food and company at Delmonico steakhouse in the Venetian -- highly recommended, and if you don't get the banana cream pie for dessert, you are cheating yourself.)
On Wednesday, we needed overtime to beat the Heat without Dwyane Wade - but we were still missing Kevin Garnett, as well as Ray Allen (who missed only that game with a hyperextended elbow suffered the previous night against Chicago) and Leon Powe (who will miss a couple of weeks due to a knee injury also suffered against the Bulls), as well as Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine (out indefinitely with a thumb injury and post-concussion syndrom, respectively). I caught only the fourth quarter and overtime of this one, at a bar at Treasure Island.
On Friday, we stole one from San Antonio, the second-best team in the Western Conference at the time, when the Spurs choked from the free throw line down the stretch. I didn't see this one, as it was on NBATV.
Saturday night, we beat the hapless Memphis Grizzlies behind a career-high 24 points from Glen Davis, standing in for Powe. Ironically, it was just a couple of weeks ago that Powe, his minutes increased due to injuries to Garnett and Davis, notched a career-high 30 points against the same Memphis squad. This one was also on NBATV.
And Monday night, we avenged an embarassing loss last month by pasting the Los Angeles Clippers. I caught this one on TV. The Clippers are terrible, and so are their announcers.
The four-game winning streak is important, as it has kept the Celtics a game ahead of the Orlando Magic for the second spot in the East, with an all-important showdown between the two teams coming up on Wednesday night in Florida (VIEWING ALERT: 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN). Thanks to our injuries, which begat our losing at the beginning of the month, and Cleveland's strong play, we're four games out of first in the East and the race for home court advantage is for all practical purposes over.
What's important is that we're getting healthy. Garnett has been back for three games and has, by design, averaged about 17 minutes per night in those outings. He says he's ready to play more, but Doc is (rightfully) being careful with him. That Garnett has missed a month isn't really a bad thing; he has plenty of time to round back into playing shape before the playoffs and he should be comparatively well-rested for the post-season.
Having Garnett back is very reassuring, however, particularly on the defensive end, where we'd struggled in his absence. Despite his limited minutes, Boston's opponents in the three games he's been back have averaged 80 points per game. Granted, no one is going to confuse the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Clippers with, say, the New York Knicks or Golden State Warriors, but it's nice to see that the C's still have it on that end.
One concern I do have, however, is the wear on Paul Pierce's tires. In the 13 games Garnett missed, Pierce averaged right around 40 minutes per game, two minutes more than his season average and four minutes more than he averaged last year. Injuries are to blame and you can't fault Doc for it, but it would be nice to find a way to rest him a little bit down the stretch.
A win on Wednesday would go a long way toward making that happen. Beating the Magic would effectively put us three games up on them; two in the standings, and another because we'd have the tiebreaker by virtue of a 3-1 head-to-head record. That'd probably be enough of a cushion, given our relatively favorable remaining schedule, to rest the big guns at times over the last few weeks of the regular season.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Playing Catch Up
Quite a lot has happened since my last post. Basketball first: We crushed Phoenix. We blew out Denver. And we lost to the Clippers.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Very frustrating loss, and not just because of the terrible call at the end of the game. It's not the sole reason we lost, but now that I've mentioned it, I might as well bring it up now and get it over with. Score tied at 90 with 34 seconds left, Rajon Rondo goes to the line for two free throws. He hits the first, misses the second, and Glen Davis chases after the rebound with the Clippers' Mardy Collins. I was at the game in the 300 level and this happened in the completely opposite corner of the arena, but Davis came up with the ball as the whistle blew.
Rhymes With Hondo: "Hmm. Didn't look like a foul."
PA announcer: "Timeout, Clippers."
How'd the Clips call timeout when we had the ball??? There was no mention of a foul call, but that had to be it. Unless ... no, that couldn't be it. But Baby still has four fouls. Really? My theory was confirmed when I returned home. This from a buddy who watched the game on TV:"I think the Clips announcers summed it up where it was one of those plays where [Clippers coach Mike] Dunleavy said 'we're calling a TO on the rebound' and the ref just jumped the gun."
As best as I can tell, and I haven't seen a replay, Collins may have reached for the ball before Davis, and the ref gave the timeout too early. There was more than a shotclock left and we still would have had to do some work, but that offensive rebound was huge.
Still, we did a ton of stuff wrong all game long. Here's what Doc had to say, from the Boston Herald via CelticsBlog:
"We were awful. We absolutely did not deserve to win that game. I thought we played slow all night. We pouted all night. We just thought we could show up and win a game, and we didn’t."
And then:
"We didn’t make the extra pass all night. We walked the ball up the floor all night. There were so many things we did poor. The fact that we actually had a chance to win is amazing."
He's right, but he deserves some of the blame.
Two major errors in this game.The first is familar to regular readers. We went to isolating Pierce at the foul line way too early, with maybe five minutes to go in the game. Once we did that, I turned to my friend and said "If we run this play the rest of the way, we're going to lose." And we did, and we did.
A couple factors contributed to this failure. For one, Pierce looked completely disinterested in this game from the getgo. Two, he wasn't hitting his shot, although he showed some signs of both in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Three, he had twice disclocated the thumb on his shooting hand in the third quarter (X-rays are negative, by the way). Also, unlike Dallas, against whom this play worked so well, the Clippers were doubling Pierce, which they can do off of Rajon Rondo. Pierce doesn't pass so well out of the double team, in part because he has a pretty sloppy handle. It bogged our offense way down, and resulted in at least one turnover and too many other empty possessions. I just don't get why we don't look for Ray Allen more often in those spots.
The second major error Doc made came when the Clippers took a 92-91 lead on the possession immediately following the phantom timeout call. Though there were 19 seconds left, Doc called our final timeout. There are three reasons to call a timeout in a final possession situation like this:
1)Advance the ball to half court
2) Set up a play
3) Get the right personnel on the floor
The first two simply do not apply in this particular case. Nineteen seconds is plenty of time to get the ball upcourt and into a set. And the set we ran is the same set we had been running for the last several possessions. I see no reason to call a timeout to make sure we knew to get the ball to Pierce.
The third reason, personnel, may apply here, as Eddie House subbed in for Rondo after the timeout. It's true that the pick and pop works better with House than it does with Rondo since the defense actually has to worry about Eddie, so I suppose this substitution made sense. But I don't think that this play is so much better than our others that we need to call our last timeout there.
Why does it matter? Because after Pierce missed and Zach Randolph hit the second of two free throws on the other end, we had 5.2 seconds left ... and no timeout to advance the ball. Just another one of the little things that I don't think Doc does very well.
Okay, on to the other stuff.
Gabe Pruitt was cited for DUI in the wee hours after the game. Not really big news, but I suppose it's possible some sort of disciplinary action is forthcoming, either from the league or the team.
The Clippers game was the first for our brand new backuip power forward/center, Mikki Moore, who we signed earlier in the week. I like the signing, although I would have liked Joe Smith more (though Smith has not yet been bought out by Oklahoma City). Moore, who pronounces his first name "Mikey," is by all accounts a good teammate and locker room guy, and he brings size and a strong work rate defensively and on the glass. His weak spot is his offense and for that reason some are worried about his suitability for the role P.J. Brown played last year. But I'm of the opinion that Brown wasn't nearly as valuable as he was made out to be last year. If you want to argue that we need a better offensive player than Moore or Brown this year because we don't have James Posey, well, I'm listening. But I'm not worried that Moore isn't going to give us what we need.
Moore hit a couple of jumpers in his debut, but was generally pretty slow on some defensive rotations, a combination, I'm sure, of him not even practicing with the team before stepping on the court and having played all of six minutes in two weeks. I'm sure he'll shake the rust off.
Also, in case you haven't heard, we're almost certain to sign Stephon Marbury tomorrow. I'll let you go to Google and read whichever report(s) you like most, and I'll have more on this when (if) it happens. This post is long enough already.
Next game is Friday night, at home vs. Indiana. No national TV, though we do get the Pistons at home at 1 p.m. Sunday on ABC.
[recap] [box score] [highlights]
Very frustrating loss, and not just because of the terrible call at the end of the game. It's not the sole reason we lost, but now that I've mentioned it, I might as well bring it up now and get it over with. Score tied at 90 with 34 seconds left, Rajon Rondo goes to the line for two free throws. He hits the first, misses the second, and Glen Davis chases after the rebound with the Clippers' Mardy Collins. I was at the game in the 300 level and this happened in the completely opposite corner of the arena, but Davis came up with the ball as the whistle blew.
Rhymes With Hondo: "Hmm. Didn't look like a foul."
PA announcer: "Timeout, Clippers."
How'd the Clips call timeout when we had the ball??? There was no mention of a foul call, but that had to be it. Unless ... no, that couldn't be it. But Baby still has four fouls. Really? My theory was confirmed when I returned home. This from a buddy who watched the game on TV:"I think the Clips announcers summed it up where it was one of those plays where [Clippers coach Mike] Dunleavy said 'we're calling a TO on the rebound' and the ref just jumped the gun."
As best as I can tell, and I haven't seen a replay, Collins may have reached for the ball before Davis, and the ref gave the timeout too early. There was more than a shotclock left and we still would have had to do some work, but that offensive rebound was huge.
Still, we did a ton of stuff wrong all game long. Here's what Doc had to say, from the Boston Herald via CelticsBlog:
"We were awful. We absolutely did not deserve to win that game. I thought we played slow all night. We pouted all night. We just thought we could show up and win a game, and we didn’t."
And then:
"We didn’t make the extra pass all night. We walked the ball up the floor all night. There were so many things we did poor. The fact that we actually had a chance to win is amazing."
He's right, but he deserves some of the blame.
Two major errors in this game.The first is familar to regular readers. We went to isolating Pierce at the foul line way too early, with maybe five minutes to go in the game. Once we did that, I turned to my friend and said "If we run this play the rest of the way, we're going to lose." And we did, and we did.
A couple factors contributed to this failure. For one, Pierce looked completely disinterested in this game from the getgo. Two, he wasn't hitting his shot, although he showed some signs of both in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Three, he had twice disclocated the thumb on his shooting hand in the third quarter (X-rays are negative, by the way). Also, unlike Dallas, against whom this play worked so well, the Clippers were doubling Pierce, which they can do off of Rajon Rondo. Pierce doesn't pass so well out of the double team, in part because he has a pretty sloppy handle. It bogged our offense way down, and resulted in at least one turnover and too many other empty possessions. I just don't get why we don't look for Ray Allen more often in those spots.
The second major error Doc made came when the Clippers took a 92-91 lead on the possession immediately following the phantom timeout call. Though there were 19 seconds left, Doc called our final timeout. There are three reasons to call a timeout in a final possession situation like this:
1)Advance the ball to half court
2) Set up a play
3) Get the right personnel on the floor
The first two simply do not apply in this particular case. Nineteen seconds is plenty of time to get the ball upcourt and into a set. And the set we ran is the same set we had been running for the last several possessions. I see no reason to call a timeout to make sure we knew to get the ball to Pierce.
The third reason, personnel, may apply here, as Eddie House subbed in for Rondo after the timeout. It's true that the pick and pop works better with House than it does with Rondo since the defense actually has to worry about Eddie, so I suppose this substitution made sense. But I don't think that this play is so much better than our others that we need to call our last timeout there.
Why does it matter? Because after Pierce missed and Zach Randolph hit the second of two free throws on the other end, we had 5.2 seconds left ... and no timeout to advance the ball. Just another one of the little things that I don't think Doc does very well.
Okay, on to the other stuff.
Gabe Pruitt was cited for DUI in the wee hours after the game. Not really big news, but I suppose it's possible some sort of disciplinary action is forthcoming, either from the league or the team.
The Clippers game was the first for our brand new backuip power forward/center, Mikki Moore, who we signed earlier in the week. I like the signing, although I would have liked Joe Smith more (though Smith has not yet been bought out by Oklahoma City). Moore, who pronounces his first name "Mikey," is by all accounts a good teammate and locker room guy, and he brings size and a strong work rate defensively and on the glass. His weak spot is his offense and for that reason some are worried about his suitability for the role P.J. Brown played last year. But I'm of the opinion that Brown wasn't nearly as valuable as he was made out to be last year. If you want to argue that we need a better offensive player than Moore or Brown this year because we don't have James Posey, well, I'm listening. But I'm not worried that Moore isn't going to give us what we need.
Moore hit a couple of jumpers in his debut, but was generally pretty slow on some defensive rotations, a combination, I'm sure, of him not even practicing with the team before stepping on the court and having played all of six minutes in two weeks. I'm sure he'll shake the rust off.
Also, in case you haven't heard, we're almost certain to sign Stephon Marbury tomorrow. I'll let you go to Google and read whichever report(s) you like most, and I'll have more on this when (if) it happens. This post is long enough already.
Next game is Friday night, at home vs. Indiana. No national TV, though we do get the Pistons at home at 1 p.m. Sunday on ABC.
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