Boston 110, Toronto 101

Maybe I'm just being ornery, but I would've liked to have seen a bit more out of the Celtics on Friday night.

[recap] [box score]

Early on, Boston sure looked like it was out to avenge Sunday's 102-101 loss to the Raptors in Toronto. Rajon Rondo, who didn't play in that game or the two games immediately following it, dished out eight assists, Ray Allen hit a trio of three-pointers, and the team barely missed on the way to a 31-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the bench let the Raptors back into it in the second quarter -- then let the Raps back into it again in the fourth after Boston led by 19 at the end of three.

I know the second unit is missing two key pieces in Jermaine O'Neal and Delonte West, but that can't become an excuse all season long. West is going is going to be out a while, and even when Jermaine gets back from whatever knee problem that's currently bugging him, he'll still probably going to be game-to-game with the nagging injuries that have plagued his whole career. Semih Erden had one of his better games, but he's still a project at this point, and other than Glen Davis -- who plays a big chunk of his minutes with the first unit -- no one else made any sort of contribution off the bench. Nate Robinson and Marquis Daniels are capable of much more than they showed tonight, and more than they've showed consistently this season.

Kevin Garnett was simply superb Friday night, connecting with Rondo on a number of those 35-foot alley-oops that seem to be the pair's signature hookup. Shaquille O'Neal also had a big game, as he should whenever he spends part of the evening being guarded by Andrea Bargnani. Paul Pierce was pretty quiet for most of the game, but did a nice job stopping the bleeding in the fourth quarter. Allen went quiet after his hot start, and Rondo started well but then got a bit careless with the ball (the man is entitled to need a game to find his rhythm).

The Celtics are off until Tuesday, when they'll have an opportunity to properly avenge the first loss of the season, in Cleveland.

Boston 89, New Jersey 83 - Delonte Breaks Wrist

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Sad news tonight for the Celtics despite the win, as Delonte West broke his right wrist in the second quarter trying to brace himself. As of this writing, I don't know of a timetable for his return. However, the wire story has Doc Rivers saying it's a compound fracture. I'm not a doctor, but I think that means that Delonte's bone broke through his skin. (If you're at all squeamish, do not Google "compound fracture.") Sports announcers always say they hate to speculate, but I, as a blogger, love to speculate -- it's part of why I blog -- and I'm speculating that Delonte's season could be over. Even if it isn't, it'll be a long while before we see him in uniform again.

It's difficult to say what the effect of losing Delonte for the foreseeable future will be, given that he'd only played a few games this season and hadn't had a chance to really gel yet with the second unit. I, and everyone else, hoped that he'd become our most valuable bench player, someone to come in and organize the offense, letting Nate Robinson play off the ball while our starting backcourt sat. I hoped he'd come in and be able to defend both guard positions and knock down the three when the defense left him open. Delonte West is capable of doing all of these things. Whether or not he actually was going to do them, of course, remains an open question, but it's safe to say that this is no minor loss.

Short term, things appear bleaker than they actually are, because Rajon Rondo missed his third straight game with a hamstring injury. That leaves Robinson and rookie Avery Bradley as our only healthy point guards, though Rondo's expected back soon. Even when he does return, however, West's absence will likely mean increased minutes for our starting perimeter guys as they take turns running with the second unit -- unless Doc has unreasonable confidence in Von Wafer or uncharacteristic confidence in Bradley. The other option would be to go out and get someone, but I don't know who that someone would be.

So sad. Delonte seemed on the verge of rejuvenating his career, then breaks his wrist four and a half games into his season. (Recall that he sat out the first ten games on a suspension.) There is, of course, a big elephant in the room that I feel neither comfortable nor qualified to address -- let's just say that I hope that whatever physical therapy program awaits him, it keeps him busy. Time for the Celtics family to look after one of its own.

Touching ever-so-briefly on the game itself, Shaquille O'Neal was a monster tonight, playing better than I've seen him play in years and much better than I ever thought I'd see him play in a Celtics uniform. I'm still worried a bit about his defense, but he's really throwing his weight around on offense and his teammates have been great at finding him.

The other player who merits attention for his performance Wednesday night is Marquis Daniels. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen put this game away down the stretch -- with a surprising assist from Shaq at the free throw line -- but Daniels, pressed into extra duty due to the West and Rondo injuries and the fact that Robinson was in foul trouble, had a strong game. His stat line was modest, but he did a lot of the little things on a night where Boston couldn't find a rhythm. If he can consistently play well, it will go a long way toward easing the sting from the loss of Delonte.

The Next Lamb: The New Jersey Nets

Game 15: New Jersey (5-9) at Boston (10-4)

Wednesday, November 24

7:30 pm Eastern

TV: NBA League Pass

It wasn't until writing this post that I remembered that we lost to the Nets last season. The 12-70 Nets. The freaking Nets.

I went back and looked at the RwH archives, and it turns out I didn't watch that game -- which was the last matchup between these two teams. It turns out that the game was decided at the free throw line: New Jersey shot 41 free throws to Boston's 11, holding a 22-point edge from the stripe.

In my own little universe, then, it's particularly appropriate that we face the Nets for the first time since then at a time when I think the biggest problem with our team, currently, is that it has trouble playing defense without fouling. (Unless, of course, the other team simply chooses not to show up, as Atlanta did on Monday.)

Speaking of Atlanta, the Nets beat them in overtime in New Jersey Tuesday night, a win that would ordinarily be impressive -- except that the Hawks dug themselves an early hole by playing only slightly better in the first quarter than they did the night before against the Celtics. Still, give credit to New Jersey for closing out the game in overtime. In some regards, their record is deceiving because they've played some good teams very close -- but on the other hand, Atlanta's really the only decent team they've beaten.

There are two main players for Boston to worry about: center Brook Lopez and point guard Devin Harris. The former has had a bunch of good games against Boston in the last couple of seasons, and its hard to imagine him playing materially worse against Shaquille O'Neal than he did against Kendrick Perkins. Harris, on the other hand, has traditionally struggled against Boston, putting up some ugly shooting lines (though his ability to get to the free throw line makes his point totals against the Celtics respectable). Of course, if Rajon Rondo can't go, Nate Robinson will be tasked with checking the 6-3 Harris. If it becomes an issue, I wouldn't be surprised to see Doc not hesitate to bring in Delonte West.

Joining those two guys in the starting lineup these days are Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow, and Kris Humphries. Outlaw is a relatively unexceptional small forward, and Morrow -- one of the top three-point shooters, percentage-wise, ever -- hasn't yet found his rhythm and doesn't seem to be being used in a way that best maximizes his lone NBA skill.

Humphries is an interesting case. Troy Murphy is supposed to be playing power forward for the Nets, but he hurt his back in the preseason and when he came back, he was ineffective -- so ineffective that coach Avery Johnson has kept him inactive -- not benched him; kept him in street clothes -- for several games now. Humphries is an early entry journeyman, a strong rebounder with something of a hard edge. His major contribution comes on the glass, a la Reggie Evans -- who had 16 rebounds against Boston on Sunday -- but he notched his fourth double-double of the season against Atlanta, so he's a little bit more of an offensive threat. Particularly if Boston has trouble containing Lopez and Harris, Humphries is exactly the kind of player who can really hurt the Celtics. Kevin Garnett loves to roam and help, and Humphries has made a modest career of punishing -- with dunks and offensive rebounds and putbacks -- teams that ignore him.

Metal Monday: Giving Thanks

What's a Monday without metal? I hope something good, because most of my readers, being located on the East Coast, won't read this until Tuesday morning. (This assumes, of course, that I have readers other than my father and sister, who both have informed me that Metal Monday is "not my favorite feature of your blog." Philistines.)

I wanted to do a Thanksgiving theme, because it's timely and a good way to appear clever without putting in much effort. (I'm awfully busy these days.) I considered doing a tribute to Metallica, the band that got me interested in this genre of music so many years ago, but those guys are the godfathers and deserve a much more thoughtful treatment than I have time to give them at the moment.

So I decided to keep it simple. What am I thankful for? Metal, among other things. And with that, I give you "The Metal" by Tenacious D (Jack Black's band).

Fine. I'll admit it. This song was at the forefront of my brain because I watched "School of Rock" last night.

Despite being a not-so-serious song by a not-so-serious band, it actually has a quite a few elements of great metal songs: the opening riff, the spoken part at the beginning, the "machine gun" guitars toward the end (when Black is yelling names of bands), and the high-pitched vocals interspersed throughout (a feature of death metal that careful readers may recognize from the Mercyful Fate post). Black's a pretty good frontman, too.

Enjoy.

Boston 99, Atlanta 76

Did I say that the last team I wanted to see Monday night was the Atlanta Hawks? Was that me?

[recap] [box score]

I have no real explanation for why the Celtics came out as focused and energetic as they did Monday night, but the result was the flex of some serious muscle over a team that's been a thorn in Boston's side over the last couple of years. Boston led wire-to-wire, roaring to a 39-13 lead after the first period, making 18 of 25 shots in the quarter and out-rebounding the Hawks 16-3. They didn't slow down much in the second quarter: at halftime, Boston led 64-42, was shooting better than 62 percent from the floor, and held a 26-10 rebounding edge. (Though to be fair, a big rebounding disparity is bound to happen when you're making nearly everything you put up and the other team isn't).

The final numbers aren't as impressive, but that's because the second- and third-string got extended run in the fourth quarter and cooled off a bit. Speaking of the third string, rookie Avery Bradley got his first six minutes and eleven seconds of NBA playing time, immediately making his presence felt upon entering the game by grabbing a rebound, drawing a foul, and hitting two free throws. (Ok, so the shot he rebounded was taken by Jamal Crawford, the guy Bradley was supposed to be guarding.) Bradley had an up and down game, with a nice assist to Luke Harangody on the pick and pop and a great steal. He followed that steal up by traveling while airballing a pullup jumper on the ensuing fast break, however, so it wasn't all good. Still, Bradley looked composed and not overwhelmed by the NBA game in his first action, which is not something you can say for all rookie point guards.

Really, everyone did something well tonight. Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O'Neal each had points-rebounds double-doubles in limited minutes. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined to make 14 of 21 shots from the field. Nate Robinson hit four three-pointers and handed out ten assists, which proves only that you or I could get ten assists in the NBA if our teammates were hitting shots. Harangody made a shot. Von Wafer actually looked like someone capable of putting the ball in the basket, and finished with six points. Glen Davis did some Glen Davis things, which unfortunately is starting to include missing a bunch of jumpers, but also includes getting rebounds and playing good defense. Rajon Rondo, out for a second straight game with a mild hamstring injury, wore a very dapper suit, and wore it well. Semih Erden caught the ball with two hands on at least one occasion. And Delonte West and Marquis Daniels each had a vicious block on Zaza Pachulia, which is great, because everyone hates Zaza. (West and Daniels actually combined for five blocked shots between them, one of the stranger statistical anomalies I've seen in this young season.)

Looking over that last paragraph, I think bullets would have been a better formatting choice.

So, yeah, great overall effort all around. Atlanta was certainly complicit, failing to challenge shots on defense and run patient offense from the get-go. After they got into a big hole, they showed little interest in digging out of it. But make no mistake -- it was Boston's effort, intensity, and execution that put this one away early.

The Next Lamb: The Atlanta Hawks

Game 14: Boston (9-4) at Atlanta (8-5)

Monday, November 22

7 p.m. Eastern

TV: NBA League Pass

I cannot think of a team I'd like to see less Monday night than the Atlanta Hawks.

Sure, the Hawks are erratic. I can't remember where I saw it, but I read somewhere that Atlanta is the only franchise in NBA history to start a season winning its first six games before losing its next four -- and they've done it two out of the last three years. But ever since they unexpectedly took us to seven games in the first round of the playoffs during the championship year, they more or less always bring it against Boston. It doesn't matter how they're playing at the time; we're always going to take their best shot. Last year, their best shot was good enough to sweep the season series.

In addition, Boston will likely again be without Rajon Rondo, who missed the Toronto game with the hamstring injury he suffered against Oklahoma City. Rondo against the much older and much slower Mike Bibby is a matchup that would certainly favor the Celtics. Nate Robinson's move to the starting lineup also robs the second unit of some of the firepower it needs to match buckets with Atlanta's explosive sixth man, Jamal Crawford.

Up front, the mobile Al Horford is likely to really give Shaq problems, and Josh Smith is a difference-maker on both ends of the floor. And former Celtic Joe Johnson always seems to light Ray Allen up.

I don't mean to seem too pessimistic -- we can still win the game. But the stars seem aligned against us. Little injuries, second night of a back-to-back, reeling after a couple of frustrating losses -- all of these things seem to be conspiring against us, and we're playing a team that always gives us trouble.

Toronto 102, Boston 101

Ugh.

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Normally, I wouldn't be too upset losing a game on the kind of freak play the Celtics lost this one on. Up three with 21 seconds left is a pretty good spot to be in, even when the other team has the ball. Toronto's Sonny Weems drove for a quick two, but Boston quickly inbounded the ball to Ray Allen, who is as automatic as it gets from the free throw line. So far, so good.

But Toronto didn't foul right away, and Allen -- a shaky ballhander in the open court -- evaded Leandro Barbosa and headed up court. Barbosa reached around from behind and either flicked the ball away or flicked Allen's arm -- I couldn't tell. No whistle, though, and the ball came loose and bounded to one of the Raptors. Paul Pierce blocked Barbosa at the rim, but the Celtics were in scramble mode, and the ball found its way to Amir Johnson, who was fouled with 2.7 seconds left. Johnson, a career 68.5 percent free throw shooter who is somehow shooting 87.5 percent from the line this season, hit both freebies (he was 9-for-9 from the charity stripe on the day) to put the Raptors up one. Pierce had a great look at the game-winner -- a 15-footer fading to his right that we've seen him hit time after time in his career -- but couldn't get it to go down.

So, yeah, we're not going to lose too many games that way.

But the truth is, Boston didn't deserve to win this game. Playing without Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal, the Celtics waited until the fourth quarter to turn on its defensive intensity. It looked like that would be enough as they turned a 90-79 deficit into a 97-94 lead, but you can't throw up your hands and curse your bad luck or look to the officials for a foul call when you don't show up to play for most of the game.

The game perhaps underscored the importance of Rondo -- though Nate Robinson had a huge first quarter and led the team with 22 points in Rondo's absence -- but it definitely solidified Boston's need for another big man. Shaquille O'Neal struggled offensively, but it was his defense that really killed us. It's not just that Shaq doesn't block shots anymore and can't move quickly enough to get into proper defensive position when the opposition drives. Guys aren't blowing by Shaq, but he continues to bail them out with fouls. Instead of forcing them to make a very diffcult shot over him on the move, he just hammers them and sends them to the line. He fouled out in 20 minutes today, and was part of a defense that took entirely too many fouls. Toronto, a good offensive team but one that nonetheless doesn't attack the basket all that much, shot 39 free throws -- and I don't remember thinking we got the short end of the stick from the officials very often. (Indeed, Boston shot 38 free throws and I think there were more questionable calls on them than on us.)

Semih Erden, after a promising start to the season, lately seems similarly incapable of staying out the court -- I believe this was the second straight game in which he picked up four fouls in the first half. If Jermaine O'Neal is going to miss a bunch of time with his balky knees, then the Celtics need to look for a solution on the interior or teams are going to continue the parade to the free throw line against us. As I've said previously, I'm not sure what, if any, solutions are out there, but Boston needs to be looking for them.