Celtics Central

It Happened Again. Bobcats Take Celtics in OT: 114 -106

Why do so few teams play solid defense? Beause it takes a ton of energy to do it for whole games for whole seasons. Teams that said they were inspired by Celtics example like Denver have backed off. So have the Lakers.

Even the famed Celtic defense can get sloppy from time to time.

The league’s worst offensive team just scored 6 more points than it normally does in regulation time and outscored the Celtics by 17 to 9 in overtime, all while shooting an efficient 48% against the “league’s best defense.”

The Celtics slide is now five losses in seven games. Three of them have been to teams with losing records.

I submit for your approval….
1) Less than a minute into the game, Rajon Rondo throws a soft lob towards KG in the paint. It’s easily intercepted by Boris Diaw and turned into a fast break lay-up for Raymond Felton for the Bobcats first points of the game.

2) Felton drives into the key, draws Kevin Garnett, and throws a pass to Diaw at the left elbow. Ray Allen standing below Diaw and another Bobcat on the weakside, reacts late, as Diaw hits an open jumper.

3) Rajon drives the paint, finding nothing open. Leaping out of bounds, he drops a wild bounce pass backwards trying to reach Perkins who entered the paint. It’s easily intercepted by Gerald Wallace.

4) Bobcat Matt Carroll drives the middle. Perkins comes forward to meet him. Carroll drops a bounce pass to a now completely unguarded Emeka Okafor for an easy lay-up. Rajon was standing down low and should have picked up Okafor, but hardly moved. Perkins turns quickly back to Rondo and says something. That something must have been, “You were supposed to pick him up.” Doc calls a time out.

5) Gerald Wallace has Pierce on the left baseline, all alone on an isolation. Wallace is not a great jump shooter. Pierce makes him go baseline, one of Wallace’s strengths offensively. He is a leaper. He drives straight ahead as Pierce’s feet are planted in cement and he matador’s him. Garnett reacts far too late and Wallace gets an easy reverse lay-up.

Those snapshots are just from the first 5 minutes of the game.

The Celtics have one of the best defenses in the league. But lately, it is these types of plays that are happening more often than we are used to seeing. Or so it seems to me.

We can talk about everything that is going right, the great record, etc. It is all true. The Celtics are still having a tremendous season.

But I looked back at portions of some recent games – wins and losses. I don’t claim to know every blinking thing that the Celtics or any NBA team is supposed to do. But I do see a few troubling things. I’m assuming that this is what Doc Rivers called ‘slippage’ recently.

1) The team as a whole is not very energetic right now. The starters in particular seem a bit fatigued.
2) The defense is erratic.
3) The problem is mostly in (not) ‘helping the helper.’ When a perimeter player penetrates, Perkins or Garnett will step up to meet him, leaving their own man. The closest team mate is supposed to slide over to guard that open big, and so on. Right now, the defensive rotations stop too often after the first help defender commits.

Even in wins, help defense has been erratic. The Celtics beat Utah. But Paul Millsap had a career game (32 points) . In reviewing the tape, Millsap, far too often, was unguarded, or guarded too late when heading through the paint on pick and rolls for some easy mini jump shots and lay-ups.

Garnett or Perkins would come up to the top of the key to help when Rondo would get picked off Deron Williams by Paul Millsap. Millsap would then roll to the hoop for a number of easy buckets. Rondo and either KG or Perk would both end up covering Williams, (or Rondo would be guarding no one) while Millsap slipped free.

One of the Celtics was supposed to recover to stay with Millsap. Your guess is as good as mine as to which one. Often that didn’t happen, nor did someone get over in the paint to stop him. At least one time Pierce, was standing underneath and reacted late. Easy lay up.

Help the helper. Make the rotations. The Celtics seem confused or late just a few too many times for it to be ‘nothing’. In the Atlanta Hawk game, Perkins was upset with Pierce and possibly Garnett for missing assignments. That actually led to my reviewing some recent games.

4) The Celtics continue to turn the ball over too much.

Assisine Passes
Walt Frazier, the current Knick announcer and Hall of Fame guard commented on the sloppy passing of the Celtics after two successive Celtic turnovers. One was a Rondo drive. You couldn’t tell whether he was trying to shoot or pass, and basically handed the ball to the Knick defender.

The following play, Pierce threw a pass right into the hands of a Knick as he began to head up court. ‘Assinine’ passes was what Frazier said and imputed that it hard to believe from a championship team. The Celtics don’t look very sharp. He was right.

We’ve come to accept the high turnover rate. Maybe everyone is a bit too forgiving. Just 2 or 3 less bad passes a game means 2 or 3 more offensive possessions. With a team like the Celtics that could be significant. They take the second least attempts in the league (75.8 att.) coincidentally, just about even with Charlotte (75.7). Besides simply more chances, of course turnovers give the other team life and often lead to easy fastbreak baskets.

All seven of the teams with the league’s lowest turnover rate are play-off bound. The Celtics have the league’s highest turnover rate (15.8) and are one of three teams in the bottom six that will make the play-offs. It generally hasn’t impeded their success, but hasn’t helped either.

5) When Rondo stops, so does the offense.
While accomodating for Rondo’s growth, there was actually more versatility in the offense last season. The Celtics would often run the offense through Pierce or Garnett, before Rondo got his feet under him, and even ran a regular high pick and roll with Garnett as the year wore on.

While Rondo is in the best 6 in the league in turnover to assist ratio, he almost had a dubious double double in this game with 9 turnovers.

Summary
You can dissect this particular game any way you want to. Some wider observations that might explain the recent lull in the team’s performance.

You might say the statisics don’t bear out everything I’ve mentioned. Their defense is solid. I say that the statistics don’t tell you everything. The defense could use a little sharpening. So could the offense.

When the team is going right, they make the other team’s defense react to them and make them pay for whatever doubling formula they use. That isn’t happening as often right now.

Even though Boston scored 52 points in the paint in this game, the middle in the last few games has been guarded fairly well. Garnett and Perkins missed more than a few lay-ups tonight. Primarily, Okafor and Wallace did a good job contesting shots.

Against the Knicks they scored just 32 points in the paint and in Portland they scored a season low 22 points in the paint.

Get the energy back up. Get the offensive and defensive plans down better.

Even the Celtics’ defense can be better from time to time. Why? It takes a ton of energy to play good defense. That is why so few teams do it.

The Numbers
Paul Pierce led all scorers with 28 points on 11 of 19 shooting. Kevin Garnett added 14 points on 7 of 18 shooting, and 13 rebounds. Ray Allen drained 20 points, on 7 of 20 shooting. Rajon Rondo added 16 points o 5 of 11 shooting, and dished out 6 assists, but had 9 turnovers. Kendrick Perkins grabbed 10 rebounds to go with 9 points.

The Bobcats had three players in the 20 point club, led by Raymond Felton with 25, followed by Gerald Wallace with 23 and D.J. Augustin with 20. Emeka Okafor added 13 points and 17 rebounds.

One player talked about the defense…

Energy. We are talking, communicating, guys were all over the place. We were very active, rotating, double teaming. We were doing everything coach wrote on the board.

The coach he was talking about was Mike D’Antoni. The team he was talking about were the Knicks. The player was Al Harrington.

They just held the Celtics to 88 points total, only 35 in the critical second half on 13 of 44 shooting (29%). They did it with smart, aggressive defense.

Role Reversal?
In addition to the defense, the Celtics who normally take a modest amount of threes (16 per)took 25 three pointers, while the league’s top volume 3 point shooting Knicks (29 per) took only 22.

Wilson Chandler dazzled the Celtics with a career high 31 points, while Al Harrington backed him up with 30 more. David Lee had a blue collar double double (14 and 14), playing mostly against Kevin Garnett.

The Celtics had but two players in double figures. Tom Thibodeau who? Defensive genius Mike D’Antoni doesn’t need you apparently.

Paul Pierce was the only real offensive threat for the Cs all night finishing with 31 points, on 10 of 17 shooting with 4 of 6 three pointers. Ray Allen added 16 points on 7 of 18 shooting, but was 0-9 from the arc (2 of 9 overall in the second half).

A constantly double teamed Kevin Garnett made exactly one basket and was 1 for 6 shooting for 6 points with 9 rebounds. Kevin blocked 5 shots to help the largely ineffective Celtic defense. His points, attempts, and makes were all season lows. He was kicked, limping and taken out at one point in the game.

Just when you think you know what to expect in this league, a game like this happens. Things ‘happen” in the NBA just like the commercials say. But this kind of defense by the New York Knicks isn’t one of them.

They did it before their 4th consecutive sell out crowd, and the starving NY fans enjoyed the New Year’s feast. Knick forward/center David Lee said it was the loudest they’ve been all year.

Though it wasn’t until the second half that things really clicked for the Knicks, you could see the impact immediately. Kevin Garnett was double teamed as soon as the ball touched his hands. As Al Harrington stated, rotating help defense abounded by the New York team all night.

In fact, the Knicks defense looked a lot like the Celtics’ does. They doubled and trapped anyone in or near the post and along the blocks. They overloaded the ball side at times, and played with great energy. They usually only left open Celtic non-shooters. Rondo oblidged by shooting 1 for 7, mostly from the outside. Tony Allen was 2 of 9, while Davis actually made 3 of 5 shots.

Brian Scalbrine was 1 of 3 on open looks, but did play with the best energy on a lackluster Celtic team. He defended Harrington well, making him miss three straight times in the 4th quarter.

In an unusual move, in an effort to stop Rajon Rondo from driving and making lay-ups, the Knicks put lean, quick 6′ 11″ Jared Jeffies on Rajon Rondo to start the game. It worked quite well. Rondo played just 25 minutes with 3 points and 3 assists and was hardly a factor all night.

The surprise was that the Celtics didn’t do anything effective in response. Usually when you double Kevin Garnett, the Celtics make you pay with lethal passing. I’d have to go back and look closer, but either they cut off the best passing options or the Knicks forced KG into bad decisions.

The Celtics were outplayed and Doc Rivers was apparently out coached in this one. His line up and strategy responses were unusual. His response to the defensive challenge was to play Rondo, Perkins and Garnett well under 30 minutes each, though Pruitt wasn’t used until garbage time with a minute left.

Perkins was unsually quiet as well with 3 rebounds and 8 points. Perhaps his shoulder was hurting more than he would care to publicize.

Shortly after Glen Davis replaced Garnett in the first quarter, Al Harrington came in and torched Glen for 9 first quarter points (4 of 6 shooting) in just under 6 minutes. No adjustment was made.

Paint By Numbers
The Knicks must be learning their lessons. The Celtics owned the paint the first two games, scoring 50 in the first meeting, then an outrageous 60 points in the last meeting between the two teams. Tonight the Knicks outscored the Celtics 36-32 in the paint

The amazing thing is that they played defense like that at all. They run an ‘offense first’ system. D’Antoni actually left Phoenix because Steve Kerr wanted him to stress defense more.

At one point with about 2:30 left in the game, the Celtics had a small ball line up of Garnett, Pierce, Ray Allen Eddie House and Rajon Rondo on the floor against David Lee, Jared Jeffries, Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler and Chris Duhon.

After Jefferies cut through the middle to take a simple pass from a doubled Al Harrington for an easy basket with Garnett occupied with Lee to lead 95-86. Doc Rivers called a time out and the Knick fans gave their team a standing ovation.

The Celtics came back out with the same unit. Rondo missed a jumper,Ray Allen missed three open jump shots while Eddie House and Rondo grabbed rebounds. Ray fouled Wilson Chandler on a drive and he made the three point play, officially ending the Celtic hopes.

Injuries?
Besides a late New Year’s party, the only thing I can think of is that all three Celtic stars were hurt in this game at one point or another.

Ray Allen was landed on by Glen Davis as they both tried to stop a lay-up and block the shot. Ray winced in pain on the floor. Garnett was kicked in the leg and was limping at one point. Pierce banged knees one time and tripped and fell another time with his nose smacking into Jefferies’ leg.

Slump?
Whatver the problem, the Celtics look tired and out of gas. They are 2-4 over their last 6 games.

Next up: Charlotte Bobcats away on Tuesday.

Just to keep things current….

Stephon Marbury has stated in the New York papers that the Celtics are one of the teams he would consider, but they aren’t the only team.

Also, no offer can be made ‘unless and until’ a buy out is completed from the Knicks. That is not any closer than it was a few weeks ago, it seems.

Playing time is reportedly an issue with Stephon. If that is the case, other pastures may look greener for the narcissistic point guard. He would be strictly a back up to Rajon Rondo if he came here. I can’t see Doc allowing any other scenario to apply, similar to how the law was laid down with Sam Cassell last year.

Though that rule also may be bent a little for a talent like Marbury, in my humble opinion.

In the meantime, the Celtics have 2nd year point guard Gabe Pruitt to take a closer look at. He has shown some promise in spot minutes this season.

The team could use help at the center position with a legit shot blocker-type. 7′ Patrick O’Bryant is the team’s work-in-progress, has that skill, and may get more of an opportunity, IF no other option presents itself through trade or free agency, AND he demonstrates to Coach Rivers that he is making enough progress to merit the team’s time. (I know. That is a long sentence with many conditions.)

Retired Robert Horry is mentioned in some quarters as a viable option for a tall defensive-minded forward who can also stretch the defense with three point shooting range. The hitch here is that Horry and Danny Ainge have had a strained relationship since the days that Ainge coached him. Many remember the ‘accidental’ throwing of a towel in Ainge’s face.

Power forward Joe Smith of the Oklahoma City Thunder is a player of interest for the Celtics, but word has been sent by OKC management that there will be no buy out of his contract, thus his acquisition would require a trade.

If you really want to expand your mind, Antoine Walker would love to comeback to the Celtics.

Latest word is that Miami Heat refugee Mark Blount is not being considered…. at this moment.

Yes, it is an interesting set of players out there.

This was more like it.

Playing the Wizards, the Celts eased on down the road, while the Wiz followed the yellow brick road, falling asleep in the meadow, and making everything else seem hard.

After getting beat in their last game in Portland without Portland’s best player even playing, the Celtics had something to prove. Mistaking the Wizards for the wicked witch of the north, the Celtic house fell on them early and with exactly the same results.

The Munchkin’s coroner didn’t have to declare them dead. It was evident in their moribund play for the rest of the game. Not to be mistaken for the Tin Man who actually did have a heart, the Wizards played without one.

Taking the lead in the middle of the first quarter, the Beantown Ballers never looked back. They led by as many as 33 points. But it’s hard to get a gauge on things when you play a team that is in the straits that the Washington Wizards are.

Winning their 13th straight home game, while moving to 18-1 at the TDBanknorth Garden, the Boston Celtics are now a league leading 29-5, while the Wizards sink to 6-25. Only the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder are worse with 4 wins.

Paul Pierce must have thought he was back in Kansas with Auntie Em. He led the way with 26 points in 26 minutes, on 9 of 10 shooting (5-6 from the arc) that was actually reminiscent of some old uber efficient Larry Bird games. He could have easily scored 40 points, if he so desired.

There was actually one Bird game where he went 11 for 11 and everyone asked him why he didn’t shoot more. He said they didn’t need him to, if I recall correctly. Look it up if you like.

But Rajon Rondo is the conductor of this offense, and conduct he did. Rajon Rondo was both the distributor of 14 assists and the beneficiary of some hot shooting, as the Celtics hit 41 of 74 shots for .554%, including 12-20 from downtown.

Solid Bench Support
It ballooned to 58-34 at the half, with Pierce leading with 17 points. House and Tony Allen had six each by the break. Leon Powe had 6 rebounds in 7 minutes.

Glen Davis played well. He hit a jumper, had a rebound, an assist, a steal and a block. In one of his best performances in a while, Davis finished the night with 3 steals and played solid ball at both ends of the court.

Pierce led six Celtics in double figures and it was almost eight Celtics in double digits, though the next highest scorers had only eleven points. They were Ray Allen and Eddie House. Garnett, Rondo and Tony Allen all had ten points.

Kendrick Perkins was a point short of a double-double with ten rebounds, and three blocks in 27 minutes. Garnett finished with 8 rebounds, 10 points and 3 assists in under 26 minutes.

Washington got Caron Butler back from injury, but he only scored 8 points. Antawn Jamison was 6 of 20 for 14 points, as reserve Nick Young led the Wiz with 15 points.

With the score 86-55 after three periods, and Washington throwing in the towel, both benches were emptied for the entire 4th quarter.

New Year, New Start
Boston looked rejuvenated as they sprang from the gate 28-14, and that was with Caron Butler making a desperation 40 footer at the 1st quarter buzzer. Paul Pierce led the way with 13 points on 5 of 5 shooting, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc. The Green Machine shot a machine-like 12 of 19 for .632%

Washington never did recover. Both teams took it to the rack. In a rarity, and because things were already decided, the Wizards out scored the Cs in the paint 48-44. That is somewhat surprising, because Washington finished shooting just .383% for the night. Accounting for a significant amount of points in the paint, the Wizards did have 18 fastbreak points to the Cs 14.

Tony Allen was 5 for 7 in his usual, relentless hoop attack. But Tony had a solid all around game with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal (2 TOs).

Ray Allen finished with 11 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal and a block (2 TOs), and has made 27 of 28 free throws (1 for 1 in this contest).

Garnett’s Dressing Down Effective?
After getting a chestful of pushing and an earful of face-to-face tough talk from Kevin Garnett in their recent practice, 7′ Patrick O’Bryant played a solid 5:38 to end the game, finishing with 4 points, 3 rebounds, including one right over a Wizard who had better position, and one alert assist.

Whether this is a sign of things to come from the lanky O’Bryant or a blow out aberration, only time, Doc and Patrick can tell.

So, Boston’s cage has been rattled with the recent 1-3 road trip to the west coast. But the players seem intent on correcting things, improving, and moving forward. So far, so good.

Unusual Stats of the Night
Rajon Rondo hit a three point shot.
Every Celtic scored at least two points.
The Wizards had only 8 turnovers.

Next up: Knicks in New York on Sunday. That will have a bit of irony, due to the recent Marbury to the Celtics rumors. I wonder if Marbury will buy a ticket to be in the Garden on that day. Hmm….

Thank you Marc Stein, Stephon Marbury and Danny Ainge for making me face myself in the mirror.

There are situations and events in life to which every person must face a personal examination. Though just a sport, this is one of them. It’s not a final exam, but it is pop quiz on my own idealism.

The first thought that hit me was, “My enemy’s enemy is my friend.”

In many ways, sports is a microcosm of the world. I’ve used war metaphors before. Political ones are no less true.

Stephon Marbury, a player who even calls himself ‘Starbury’, the league’s most controversial and polarizing figure at the moment, is being linked definitively with the Celtics. Rumored for a while, it just hit the gas pedal. Nowhere near the finish line, but it’s gaining speed.

Marc Stein of ESPN blew a hole in the ozone layer this morning with his report of the Celtics being the probable destination for the exiled Stephon Marbury.

Straight journalism will give you the facts with slightly slanted commentary. Bloggers are hybrids who can go in many opinionated directions. I’m telling you, Marbury has been among the top two on my Un-Wanted Poster for quite a while. The other player is Ron Artest. Marbury is being paid $20 million a year NOT to play with the Knicks.

A classic “doesn’t get it” player, he has been unable or unwilling to change throughout a tsunami set of career waves. Still, he stands.

Currently a player without a team (Exile on Main Street), he said recently that “the team I’m going to, a lot of people will be shocked.”

When I read that, I thought immediately it is very possible that it is the Boston Celtics. Danny Ainge just thinks that way. Not that Ainge is that unique. Other teams have said to have inquired about Marbury.

Danny Ainge, like Warren Buffet, is buying, when others are selling. You couldn’t get a better bargain among current available options than what Marbury would have to sign for with the Celtics, around $1-2 mil, I assume.

The Bad
He often makes teams better….. when he leaves them. He needs the ball in his hands a lot. He runs the shot clock down and gets too large a percentage of his assists only when he can’t first make something happen for himself. He’s not a good defender. His game, like Allen Iverson’s, revolves around himself first.

Clutchness? His play-off numbers are significantly lower than his regular season stats, though he has been known to win a game or two along the way. When you have the ball in your hands so much, should that be mention worthy?

The Good
We hear about a requited Stephon, one who is on record as being very willing to come off the bench on a championship team. We did see him attempt to play better defense last season before his Escape From New York. He has the ability to do so.

He wouldn’t start on the Celtics. He would be a viable second unit point guard for a unit that lacks exactly what he brings. That unit struggles to get shots, to get shots off and needs a solid penetrating distributor. Starbury’s strength is his All Star level ability to dissect the middle even against the NBA trees. Perfect.

He would be a starter playing against second unit point guards and second unit defenses. It would be a mismatch every time. He would draw double teams, freeing up our ‘slightly short’ power forward book-ends, Davis and Powe. Unlike Eddie House, he could bring the ball up against pressure defenses. He would be a viable replacement for Rondo should he get injured or be having a bad game.

In the Incredible World of Danny Ainge, sports looks more like life. Many don’t know that ….. while Amnesty International was listing Saddam Hussein among its worst offenders, he was our ally against Iran. You say that’s an extreme example? Perhaps it is.

But….on a team that prides itself on defense and ego-less team play, Danny is about to consider bringing aboard the total antithesis of both. You can say, ‘How could a player that averages 8 assists per game, as Marbury has, be selfish?’

Let’s put it this way, like Detroit’s adding of Allen Iverson, the Celtics would be adding a player who probably can’t change who he is. Unlike Detroit, he wouldn’t be starting. The Celtics could absorb, even embrace Marbury’s strengths as he plays deeper in the rotation. It makes all the difference in the world.

The idea is that, in the Garnett led Celtic locker room, with right hand men Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, even past indiscretions between Garnett and his former team mate would be assuaged in order to bring a second championship home (Marbury’s first). The U.S. became an ally of Russia, in order to defeat Germany. It is reported that Garnett has not vetoed any move to bring Marbury aboard.

It would put Sam Cassell into coach mode for the year, I’m guessing. It would move House to a shooting guard. It would not solve the need for another big. Doc Rivers isn’t giving up on that according to this Boston.com piece.

So, if it happens, it comes down to idealism and relativity. The risk is low, given the situation. If Marbury doesn’t fit in, he would be easy to jettison. That similarly could be said for another polarizing figure out there, one Mr. Antoine Walker.

My initial thoughts?
Though Marbury represents himself in all negotiations and has represented some of the worst traits of basketball over the years, he most likely would be adaptable enough to be of value, perhaps great value, to the Celtics this season.

If this is all real, it would behoove Marbury to compromise with Walsh on the few (2 or3) millions dollars said to be in question and bring his negotiations to completion. If that is all that is stopping this, then get it done. It is time. But Walsh might now play hard ball just to delay things. And Marbury just might be more self serving than even I think him to be.

The sooner he was able to come to the team, the sooner he could learn its system. That was a hindrance last season for Cassell as it is more important for a point guard than a big. Though I’m sure they would find a way to simplify things to make it work.

This is possibly another fortuitous moment in Dany Ainge’s career, as Danny has been striking out, left and right in getting another big to come to the Celtics this season. If the Celtic braintrust has discussed this, and I’m sure they have, internal discussions with the Big Three must have gone well enough to proceed.

If it goes down, I’m willing to give Marbury a fresh start here. Going back to my initial thought….

I asked myself if I would mind or be happy if he went to the Cavaliers, the Lakers, or Orlando.

The final thought is that I would rather have him on the Celtics, as a sub, than on the teams the Celtics would face to get a second title. If he was to be a starter, it would be the other way around. I can’t emphasize enough that subtle but profound difference.

I actually like how he has intentionally produced a very low priced shoe to sell. See, he is a good guy…..right?