Boston 112, Miami 107

[recap] [box score]

This was a big game, and hopefully everyone watched it. I'm in DC for a wedding and won't be able to update the blog for a few days. For those readers who didn't see it, the gameflow was rather similar to the teams' first matchup on October 27: Boston jumped out to a big lead; Miami staged a big comeback but couldn't quite make it all the way. The big difference was that, unlike the first game, both offenses were clicking. From a Boston perspective, it was nice to see us answer so many made Miami shots with made shots of our own. Though the Heat made something of a run, they never were really in striking distance until the final minute.

No posts until Monday. The Celtics are in action again on Saturday against Memphis, but it's on League Pass.

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.

Links of the Day (November 9, 2010)

(Programming note: Links posts have already slowed down in frequency, and they will continue to do so and may even die out. This is the busy time of the semester for me, and I'm trying to do more with the blog than I ever have before. The links get the short end of the stick because I want to make sure I'm getting enough of my own content up.)

• It was a great night in the NBA, not that I saw any of it. But my man Paul Millsap dropped 46 on the Heat to lead an improbable Jazz comeback in Miami, and Indiana hung 54 points on Denver in the third quarter, making 20 of 21 shots in the process.
• It looks like the Rockets are re-thinking the limitations they placed (no more than 24 minutes per game, no back-to-backs) on Yao at the beginning of the season. I wonder if Houston's tough start -- a 1-5 record and an injury to point guard Aaron Brooks -- has anything to do with it.
• I can't get enough stories like this one about Al Jefferson. Everything I've ever heard suggests that Big Al J is a great teammate and a real easy guy to coach.
• Lamar Odom is suing the IRS. Without doing any research, it seems to me that he at least has a colorable argument.
• The above paragraph is not legal advice.

Dallas 89, Boston 87

This game bore some resemblance to the Oklahoma City game the night before -- only, unfortunately for the Cs, in reverse.

[recap] [box score]

On Sunday, the Thunder dug themselves an early hole, a hole too deep to climb out of. Worn down after cutting a 21-point deficit to six, they faltered in the fourth quarter. Last night, Boston fell behind by as many as 14 in the first half. Unlike OKC, they did manage to fight all the way back, holding a five-point lead late. But they appeared to run out of gas, going scoreless on their four possessions in the final two minutes, while Dallas scored the game's final seven points to steal a victory.

I haven't had a chance to read what people are saying about Rajon Rondo's decision to take a three-pointer down two points with just a few seconds left. (You can see the play at the end of the video found here.) I imagine, however, that many didn't like the decision, given his struggles with his shot.

I am fine with it. It's obviously not the first option, or one of the handful of top options given normal circumstances. But these didn't appear to be normal circumstances. The Mavs had left Rondo wide open. They had blanketed Ray Allen on the right wing. Paul Pierce was posting up Jason Kidd at the foul line, but Shawn Marion was lurking in the lane -- if Rondo passed to either Allen or Pierce, Marion was going to double whoever got the ball, possibly fouling since Dallas had one to give. Rondo's three, with plenty of time to set his feet, may well have been the best shot Boston was going to get.

Moreover, it sure seemed like Boston was hell-bent on shooting a three-pointer on that possession, the philosophy in that case being that they'd either win or lose on that possession, rather than endure their third overtime period in five days. That doesn't explain Pierce posting at the foul line, but that could have just been a decoy. It's worth noting that Pierce, who has never been shy in those situations, didn't appear to be calling for the ball even with the much smaller Kidd on his back. It also may explain why Allen, after rebounding Rondo's miss, dribbled out to the three-point line instead of shooting a mid-range jumper. (Dallas gave their foul as Allen was trying to get out to the three-point line.)

Additionally, if Rondo makes that shot, it quite possibly opens up the floor for future possessions in similar situations. I have a hunch that had he made it, most coaches would not have left him open the way the Mavs did. I know, I know, one made shot does not turn the kid into a good three-point shooter, but I doubt that most coaches are comfortable with the idea of leaving an NBA player wide open for a game-winning look -- particularly when that same strategy had just backfired.

Rondo didn't make it, though, and now the Boston's faced with the possibility that another team might employ a similar defense the next time the Celtics are in that situation. I personally believe that Rondo has to have the green light to take that shot when it is so obviously available. Most important, however, is that Doc be clear with Rondo regarding whether he has permission to take it. Rondo can't be indecisive if he's in that spot again.

Metal Monday: Mercyful Fate

Last Metal Monday (which you'll recall came on a Sunday), I mentioned Metallica's "Garage Inc." -- a double album full of covers of some of the band's biggest early influences. Track 7 on Disc 1 is called "Mercyful Fate," and it's actually a medley of five songs -- "Satan's Fall," "Curse of the Pharoahs," "A Corpse Without Soul," "Into the Coven," and "Evil" -- from the Danish metal outfit called, believe it or not, "Mercyful Fate."

I've not done much exploring the studio space, as it were, with Mercyful Fate, but I like what I know. Hopefully, so will you. Below are four of the five full tracks that are covered and medley-cized on the 'tallica album (I couldn't find a good version of "A Corpse Without Soul"), plus the medley. Additionally, here's a link to "Welcome Home," a song by King Diamond, which is a band formed by and named after Mercyful Fate frontman King Diamond (embedding was disabled by the record company). Kevin Smith fans will recognize the song from a few scenes in Clerks II (NSFW, of course).

The Next Lamb: The Dallas Mavericks

Game 8: Boston (6-1) at Dallas (3-2)

Monday, November 8

8:30 p.m. (Eastern)

TV: League Pass

Despite a slow start to the season, or perhaps because of it, the Mavericks are going to prove a tough test for the Celtics.

Over the past three seasons, Boston has struggled against Dirk Nowitzki. Though the Celtics have won five of the six matchups between the two teams during those seasons, Nowitzki has averaged nearly 26 points per game. Kevin Garnett didn't play in two of those games, but Action Dirk did have 37 points with KG playing in a Boston win back in February of 2009. Moreover, the current-era Celtics have had trouble with scoring power forwards; the defensive scheme works best when Garnett can play free safety, but he can't really do that against Nowitzki.

Dallas' point guard, Jason Kidd, may also pose some problems. He's got several inches on Rajon Rondo, and he's perhaps the league's best at his position at operating in the post. He's surrounded by shooters, too, so any help the Celtics give Rondo on Kidd may come at a price. An interesting twist is that the much smaller Jason Terry, historically a sixth man, is now a starter. Doc Rivers could conceivably put Ray Allen on Kidd and Rondo on Terry. Kidd will be a tough cover for Allen, but it might eliminate part of Dallas' attack.

Finally, Dallas has a pretty good bench, even with Terry in the starting lineup. In addition to the versatile Shawn Marion, Dallas' second unit includes Brendan Haywood -- the first legitimate center Boston's second unit has faced this year. I've got no indication that Shaquille O'Neal will be back against the Mavs (though he is accompanying the team on the road trip), and I just read that Jermaine O'Neal is questionable for the game, too. Haywood is too big for Glen Davis to handle, which means that Semih Erden will need to step up. He had a terrific game against Oklahoma City, but Haywood is the most physical opponent he's seen in his brief NBA career. Fortunately for Boston, Haywood isn't totally polished offensively and doesn't always assert himself.

The Mavericks have already lost twice at home this year, and I imagine they'll be looking to make it up to the home crowd on Monday. They've also had a day off, whereas the Celtics are on the second night of a back-to-back. Doc kept Paul Pierce's and Garnett's minutes in check against the Thunder, but Rondo played 36 and Allen played 40.

Also, Rondo apparently has a mild case of plantar fascitis. This came to light after the Milwaukee game, and there was talk that Rondo would miss the Chicago game. But Rondo doesn't like sitting out, and he made it clear that he especially doesn't like sitting out against other elite point guards like the Bulls' Derrick Rose. This also likely means that we can't take much from the fact that he suited up against the Thunder -- Westbrook isn't on the same level as Rose and Rondo yet, but he's stolen some headlines this season and I'm sure Rondo wanted the opportunity to compete against him. Kidd's an elite point guard, even though he's lost a couple steps, so I expect to see Rondo in uniform on Monday.

I don't know what to make of Rondo's injury, actually. I think it was last year when Rondo put a scare into everyone by needing to be carried off the floor after a game because his feet were hurting. But it didn't affect his play then, and he hasn't shown any ill effects this season, either. Hopefully it's nothing. If it is a more serious injury, it will pose some major problems for the Celtics -- and not just against Dallas, where Rondo's far superior speed makes him as tough a matchup for Kidd as Kidd is for Rondo on the other end.

Boston 92, Oklahoma City 83

After giving up big advantages before eking out overtime wins in each of the last two games, it's good to win one without blowing a big lead -- without blowing all of a big lead, anyway.

[recap] [box score]

Everyone on the Celtics played pretty well, but the credit goes to the bench in this one. Marquis Daniels, Nate Robinson, and Semih Erden helped Boston out to a nine-point lead after the first possession of the second quarter, a working margin the starters were able to more or less maintain before staging a late second-quarter run put the halftime lead at 21.

That was crucial, because the Thunder made a big run in the latter stages of the third quarter, taking advantage of a Boston cold spell. They did it on the backs of their two studs, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who between the scored all 27 of OKC's points in the third period. James Harden broke that streak with a three-pointer to start the fourth, cutting the Boston advantage to six, but a couple of Glen Davis jumpers from the top of the key restored order, and the Celtics more or less cruised from there -- the Thunder never came within single digits again until their final possession of the game.

Simply put, Oklahoma City ran out of gas. In such a deep hole after the first half, Thunder coach Scott Brooks never had the opportunity to rest Durant and Westbrook, and they just wore down.

The Thunder are an interesting team. I didn't write a "The Next Lamb" about them, because I didn't know what to say, other than "They have Kevin Durant, everyone's favorite opposing player, and they have this guy, Russell Westbrook, who everyone compares to Rajon Rondo." They usually have Jeff Green, but he was out with an ankle injury. Without Green, Oklahoma City really is a two-horse outfit, and the Celtics do well against teams like that, particularly when a guy like Westbrook is more than happy to comply with Boston's invitation to shoot jumpers on every possession.

Indeed, this game went a lot like last year's date in Oklahoma City. In that one, Boston showed up at the tail end of a four-game road trip, after winning in San Antonio the night before. It seemed like a letdown game, but OKC came out a little flat and Boston jumped on them early, then put it away in the third.

I don't know what to make of the Thunder. Like a lot of people, I think I got a little carried away with their performance at the end of last season, and predicted them to finish second in the West. Durant's the best scorer in the game, and Westbrook's off to a great start (though he has a long way to go in terms of his decision-making). But beyond that, they have a bunch of guys with as-yet-unfulfilled potential. They're still a franchise that's in great shape, but it seems the talk of them as a contender is a bit premature.