More important, the Boston Celtics were just swept in their season series with division rival Atlanta Hawks 4-0.
Boston started strong, lost an early lead, got down around 10 points, came back to within one point and faded….and lost….again, 100-91.
Jamal Crawford has become the new Celtic killer, scoring 28 points in 39 minutes off the bench. With Crawford averaging 20 points against them this year, it appears that the Celtics haven’t figured out a way to guard him.
Joe Johnson saved the best for last, scoring 16 of his 27 points in the decisive 4th quarter as the Hawks overcame a pretty good Celtic defense to pull away for the win.
There are all kinds of reasons why it happened and most of them are valid. But it is getting to be an old story at this point.
Multiple Choice
The reason(s) the big Green Machine is sputtering this year and even when healthy, are that they are:
1) maddeningly inconsistent.
2) too full of themselves
3) too confident in relation to their abilities
4) too injured to tell anything real
5) infected with Detroit-itis.
6) All of the above
But they haven’t been healthy for very long this season. The question is…When will they be? Kevin Garnett is putting on a bold front and had a healthy line score tonight. He is active on the court and makes the Celtics a better team. But he is not whole. He can’t play 40 plus minutes anyway.
Before anyone gets too riled up, the Celtics starters out scored the young athletic Hawk starters, and they outscored them by 10 points when Garnett was on the floor. Let that set in before you declare wholesale changes are in order. On the other hand…
Boston…We Have a Problem
Games like these can actually be a good thing.
It lets you know a few things much more clearly. Does this sweep mean anything come playoff time?
Contrary to what the Celtic players will tell you, it can and most likely will…at least to the Hawks. Making whatever excuse you want about the first three games this year, winning 4 in a row against a feisty Celtic team and controlling the game as well as they did in this contest means something.
I won’t call Jamal Crawford the new Andrew Toney or Vinnie Johnson,…yet. But he has become something of a modern Celtic killer. If you think his game is one dimensional, as it can be at times, try 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and yes, I think I also caught him playing some defense out there. We have the tape to prove it.
The Hawks were a ridiculous +20 during Jamal’s 39 minutes in the game. He not only scored against the Celtics’ futile bench in this contest, he scored plenty against the starters as well.
Crawford has scored 18, 17 18 and 28 against the Celtics. If you are wondering what would happen if Marquis Daniels were here, Daniels played in the first game when Crawford scored 18.
Still, I’d like to see what happens with a healthy Marquis Daniels back.
When in Rome
Taking a page out of Mike Woodson’s book, Doc went exclusively to Paul Pierce early in the 3rd period. As in the old days, (like last year even) Pierce went to work one on one to great effectiveness. He finished with a season high 35 points on 11 of 15 shooting, 1 of 1 three pointers, and paraded to the line like the old days, making 12 of 13 free throws.
Paul scored 14 3rd quarter points for 28 total points heading into the 4th quarter.
But only Garnett supported in double figures with 15 points. KG added 7 rebounds, a block and a steal. His defense was active, if not always quick. Getting better, but still not what he assume to get from Garnett.
The Hawks ran often in the first half scoring 22 points on breaks. They finished with 29 to the Celtics 8 on the run.
The other big discrepency was in points off turnovers. The Hawks had 24 points (off 16 TOs) to the Celtics 10 (off 14 TOs).
The Celtics shot just .419 on the evening to the Hawks .474. Free throws are about even (Celtics advantage, 30-27) as were rebounds (Hawks advantage, 39-35)
Kendrick Perkins had 12 rebounds and 8 points in 24 minutes.
Ray Allen was just 4 for 13 for 9 points in 36 minutes with a rebound, 2 assists, a steal and two blocked shots.
Rajon Rondo did not attack the middle for extended portions of the game, probably because of 3 of 13 shooting, but handed off or passed off after crossing half court. He finished with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and 4 turnovers. He did not get to the line and had 4 turnovers on the evening.
Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, Eddie House and Glen Davis were on the floor for much of the Hawks damage. Center Zaza Pachulia gave the Hawks a big lift as well with 9 points on 4 of 5 shooting, and some physical play inside, while grabbing 6 rebounds.
Mike Bibby was on the floor for just 8 plus minutes with 4 fouls, zero assists and 2 points.
Josh Smith and Al Horford were solid at the defensive end and Smith had 4 blocks, in addition to solid defense in the middle.
It is beginning to smell like a rivalry to me.
It was a testy game with a number of hard fouls, some woofing on both sides, and 3 technicals called.
Things can change quickly in this league and often do. But it looks more and more like this team needs something to change the continuing losses to teams that they could be beating.
That is not to take anything away from the Hawks. They are looking better and better. But the Celtics bench could use some reinforcement, or at least some improvement in order for this team to be able to confidently compete for a title this season.
Rasheed is up and down. Davis isn’t playing very well yet. Eddie is up and down. Only Tony Allen has surprised in a pleasant way.
Their next game is Sunday afternoon against the Lakers in Boston. Even more will be learned in that game.
In an exciting, defensive oriented playoff intensity basketball game, the Magic ended a mini 2 game Celtic winning streak that began once Kevin Garnett returned to the Boston line up.
That the winning basket was scored when Rashard Lewis made a drive past KG with 1.3 seconds left, lets us know that KG is still not completely healed. A healthy Garnett would never have let that happen.
KG finished with just 6 points on 2 of 8 shooting, 7 rebounds, and two steals. Sporting a slight limp, it appears that it will take a while for KG to get back to normal.
‘T’ Party
There were some early fireworks, as Matt Barnes and Paul Pierce went head to head, literally, after Pierce put a bear hug on Dwight Howard underneath the hoop in the first quarter to stop a dunk. After a few nose-to-nose words were exchanged, Pierce pushed Barnes away with his hand to Barnes face. Both received technical fouls, but the game’s intensity amped up after that.
Shortly after, Kendrick Perkins was about get verbal with the refs about something, and Kevin Garnett gathered Perkins and the rest of his teammates together on the floor to get everyone to calm down and stay focused.
It worked for three quarters. In spite of a 31 to 11 free throw attempt deficit, due largely to Howard getting the Celtics’ bigs in foul trouble, the Beantown Ballers led the entire time. Rasheed Wallace was playing a solid game and his shot was clicking. Sheed went 3 of 5 from downtown, but had some ‘post up’ points as well.
Wallace finished second in scoring with 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting, and had 3 steals, and a blocked shot, but just 2 rebounds. He received a technical foul for saying “And one” after making a basket because he felt he was fouled on the shot.
Paul Channels Ray?
Paul Pierce found it hard going with three of his shots getting blocked. Reminiscent of Ray Allen, Pierce was off with his shot all night, going just 2 of 11 shooting before hitting a huge clutch three pointer to recapture a 92-91 lead with just 1:21 left. Paul was 5 of 5 from the line, had 4 assists. But he also had 4 turnovers.
Then Sheed made a great play as he blocked Vince Carter on a drive. Shortly after, Rasheed knocks the ball loose from Vince and Rondo dove to recover it while calling time out.
Then Rajon Rondo made it 94-91 blowing by J.J. Redick on a hard drive and banking in a lay up. Redick actually played fairly good defense for much of the night, but can’t handle Rondo.
Redick returned the favor with a deep three pointer to tie the game at 94 and 41.4 seconds left. Ray got lost covering Redick, and KG jumped out but was too late as the shot drained.
In a tightly defended sequence, Redick wanted to get the ball to Vince Carter who was had Paul Pierce draped all over him. All other options were defensed well until Lewis lost Ray Allen and came up to the circle to receive the pass. Garnett stayed with him until he finally cut a corner made the lay up to win. Wallace was a bit late coming over to help defend the paint.
With 1.3 seconds left, Wallace air balled a three pointer from the top as time expired.
Twin Towers – Magic Style
Orlando, in a surprise move, played their twin towers, Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat together in the 4th quarter. It worked far too well, as the Magic came alive in a game that, up until then, was controlled by the Celtics.
Gortat guarded Garnett mostly and Howard had Perkins and then Sheed. They both caused much havoc for the Celtics, as the Cs had only 24 points in the paint for the contest.
Kendrick Perkins got in foul trouble in the first quarter and never got out, finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds in just 15 plus minutes.
Orlando came back from a 12 point, 3rd quarter deficit (73-61) to outscore the Celtics 35-22 to win the game.
Van Gundy also replaced starting point guard Jameer Nelson with Jason Williams for the entire 4th quarter and J.J. Redick replaced an ineffective Vince Carter.
Ray Allen led the Celtics in scoring with 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting, making 4 of 8 three pointers, but took only one shot in ten minutes, without scoring, in the 4th quarter.
Boston applied a Celtic-like defense to the Magic for three quarters, holding them to 2 of 15 from the three point arc, while limiting Dwight Howard and the rest of the Magic inside. Dwight Howard was limited to 6 shot attempts, while going 2 of 8 on free throws for 8 total points through three quarters.
Were those ‘Go To’ Moves I Saw?
But it was something of an eye opening game. If I’m not mistaken, I think we were watching the birth of Dwight Howard’s first ‘go to’ moves…ever. After getting shut down by Perkins in last years’ playoffs, he vowed to improve his offense. He has been developing his moves as the season has worn on. It seems to finally be paying off.
He scored on Kendrick Perkins. He scored on Rasheed Wallace. He scored when the Magic badly needed someone to score. The Celtics’ defense had been superb for 3 quarters, holding Orlando to 61 points and an anemic .351 shooting.
Dwight Howard was their 4th quarter ‘go to’ guy and dropped in 11 of his 19 points them including a variety of moving hooks, with and without spin moves, over both Perk and later Sheed.
The other Magic player that heated up was Rashard Lewis. He scored 23 points to lead all scorers and had 16 points in the second half.
Orlando Magic survived a one assist first half (Orlando record) and came from 16 down to beat the Celtics.
Rajon Rondo had another solid game with 11 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Glen Davis also had three shots blocked as Gortat and Howard combined for 7 total blocks. Glen finished with 5 boards and 6 points.
So Boston was squeezed by Orlando’s big men in the 4th and couldn’t maintain the game long lead.
They are now 29-14, while their conference rival, the Magic are 30-16.
The Los Angeles Clippers tried an interesting strategy to start the game. Baron Davis posted up Rajon Rondo multiple times in hopes of putting him on the bench with early foul trouble. It didn’t work, but more on that in a minute.
The big news is that Kevin Garnett is back and so are the missing 48 minutes of Celtic defense. They held the Clips to 89 points and .388 shooting on the night. And that is after holding Portland to .382 shooting in KG’s first game back.
This is the first time this season they have held their opponents under 40% shooting for two straight games. That is the difference having a healthy Kevin Garnett makes.
Except for three straight three point desperation bombs in the last 31 seconds of the game that kept the Clippers hopes alive, the Clips would have barely scored 80 points in the game. That would have been 16 below their average.
Boston repaid the Clippers for Baron Davis’ buzzer beating, step back jumper that stole a win away the last time these two teams met. Buzzer beater not needed this time.
The Celtics gained a lead they stretched to 8 points in the third quarter and held on the rest of the way.
Paul Pierce led all scorers with 22 points, on 5 of 10 shooting and a perfect 11 for 11 from the three throw line. He added 5 boards, 2 assists, and 5 TOs. Paul had a big three pointer on a save and a pass from Ray Allen to make it 80-73.
There were a number of times in the game where the Celtics displayed tremendous and unselfish passing.
Not Hack-a-Rondo – Attack-a-Rondo
Rajon Rondo has been a Celtic workhorse and the Celtics second leading scorer over the last nine games at 17.4 points, while averaging 41.2 minutes. Rajon scored 16 points, dished 12 assists and grabbed 7 rebounds, logging 42:19 in this one.
Without anyone remotely close to Rajon’s skill at distributing the ball when he sits, the Celtics are a different team with Rondo off the floor. With Garnett out, Rivers relied on Rondo even more than usual. The Clippers tried going at Rondo in the first quarter with the bigger and stronger Davis posting Rondo in hopes of drawing a couple of fouls that would send Rondo to the bench.
Rondo ended the quarter with no fouls while Baron Davis went 2-5 and 7 points. Paul Pierce got the Celtics started with 8 first quarter points. Both teams turned the ball over and shot poorly to begin the game with the score just 19-17 Clippers and both team shooting under 40% as the quarter ended.
Celtics Start Out Defensive
The Celtics set a strong defensive tone with Kendrick Perkins and Garnett patrolling the paint. They held the Clips to 32 points in the paint, while scoring 42 of their own. The Clippers are the second best shot blocking team in the league (6.2) but got only two this game.
Perkins Out Plays Kaman in Rematch
Perkins made sure Chris Kaman didn’t have another game like last time when he scored 27 points on him and grabbed 12 boards. This time he held Kaman to 10 points on 5 of 19 shooting with 9 boards. Kendrick was a bear on the boards himself with 15 in this contest, while blocking 2 shots and scoring 9 points.
Clippers Break Away, then Celts Run Back
The Clippers broke open a tight game with a 7-0 run to start the second quarter against Boston’s second unit. Bill Walker got some early playing time, but fouled Rasual Butler on a three point attempt. Baron Davis made a jump shot while Mardy Collins made a driving dunk to go up 26-17 in the first 2 minutes of the quarter.
6’ 6” Mardy Collins was in opposite 6’ 0” Eddie House and the Clippers held a 7-9 point lead until about the 4 minute mark of the second quarter.
Behind Rondo, Cs Kick It to Finish Strong
With the score 38-29, the Celtics went on a 14-4 run to go ahead. They finished the second quarter on a Rondo flurry, as he stole the ball twice and finished once with a driving left handed lay up that started way down at his hip, to take the lead at 43-42. Kaman closed the half with a jumper, to temporarily retake the lead, 44-43. Rondo hit what would have been a three point shot right after the buzzer sounded to end the half.
Ray Allen hit his two three pointers and Ray and Paul were the leading scorers at the half with ten each.
Strong Third Quarter
Unlike their pattern with KG out, the Celtics came out strong in the third quarter, scoring 6 straight points on an 8-2 run, to go up 51-46. The Celtics outscored the Clippers 21 to 15 with Rondo getting three lay ups including a classic ‘give and go’ with Baron Davis guarding him on the right side. KG took the pass and picked Davis off after he gave it back to Rondo for an easy two.
“Did That Just Happen?”
Ray Allen did a 360 degree spin move as he went to the hoop for a lay up early in the third to put Boston up 47-44. Kevin Garnett up faked Camby out of the gym and drew the foul on a dunk as Camby tried to recover to make the score 53-48.
Rondo Growing Stronger Every Game
Rondo continues to grow his game and his impact on the court as he outplayed the wily vet Baron Davis. Rondo’s effectiveness in running a team and his own scoring ability just solidifies more each game. His chemistry with Kevin Garnett on fast breaks is outstanding and he works to look inside for a cutting Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins on a regular basis.
Rajon still favors driving and kicking it out to Ray and Paul for the three pointers or drawing the defense to free them up to operate as they see fit. Occasionally, Rondo passes up a lay up he should just take, as his pass ends up as a turnover or a more difficult shot for someone else. Mostly, he is right on with his decision making.
Rajon missed two foul shots, but hit two clutch ones the Celtics needed at the end, when the Clips were trying to close the gap and finished 4 for 6 at the line. Rondo was 6 of 8 from the field with what is getting to be a normal assortment of difficult lay ups that he seems to make on a regular basis.
He and Perkins shut down Baron Davis and Chris Kaman, after both players had big games the last time the two teams met.
“Perkins and I were laughing before, for some reason our two guys got off last game, and we knew that we had to step up and take the challenge,” Rondo said. “At the end of the day we had to man up and try and get stops. Perk and I were talking and we pride ourselves on defense.”
Garnett Getting There
Kevin Garnett looked good and fluid on the court. There were no signs of lingering effects from his hyperextended knee. He played 30 plus minutes, shooting 7 of 12 for 17 points in support of Pierce. Garnett only grabbed 2 rebounds and had 2 assists, as the Clippers out rebounded the Celtics 48-43. But the Cs were virtually even with the Clippers in rebounding after the first quarter.
And the Celtics did not let the long frontline of the Clippers get anything easy. Camby (1 for 7) and Kaman combined to shoot 6 for 26. That is due to Garnett being back. He just competes on every play. His intensity is crazy. I don’t know of another player today like him. Together, Perkins and he are a force.
Boston Thievery
The Celtics had 10 thefts total and are second in the league in steals (8.8), led by league leader Rondo, who added 4 more last night, while Ray Allen added 3, and Tony Allen had 2 more.
Bench Falters, Recovers
After that early second quarter let down, the Celtics bench players held their own the rest of the way. After being unable to generate a cohesive, purposeful offense initially, Doc called a time out and ran a play to free Eddie House for a jump shot. That got the unit going better.
Rasheed Wallace played tight defense on Kaman and Camby and he hit a three pointer to open the 4th quarter. Wallace had just 5 points and 4 rebounds in 17 plus minutes.
Glen Davis continues to find it difficult to rebound, finishing with 2 and 2 points in 15 minutes. His defense was excellent.
Ray Allen finished with 15 points on 5 of 14, but just 2 of 7 from the three point line. Ray added 6 rebounds, 4 assists, to go with his three steals in 39 plus minutes.
Tony Allen had 5 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, to go with his two steals in just 10 plus minutes.
The Clippers have given the Celtics trouble. They are becoming a better team and this win shouldn’t be taken lightly in light of the Celtics recent troubles. But bigger fish are just around the corner.
Three Davis’ in this game
Besides Baron and Glen, Ricky Davis played and scored12 points off the bench. Craig Smith had 13 points and ten straight for the Clippers at one point.
Big Week Ahead
That the Celtics don’t play very well without Garnett is disappointing. That they look so good so soon with him is heartening.
They have a number of big games coming up with the Magic and the Hawks away, before returning home for their biggest game of the season against the Lakers on Sunday at 3:30 on national TV.
It seemed like old times…like last year, or even the Championship year.
Kevin Garnett played for the first time in 10 games and the Celtics walked off their home court with an overtime win over the Portland Trailblazers, 98-95.
Cold Ray Heats Up.
Ray is off…until he is on. Ray Allen was back to his fearsome clutch shooting as he drained the game winning three pointer after going just 2 for 13 until that shot. How many times has he done just that? Shot terribly all night, but hit the big one to win the game?
Ray finished with just 9 points, and was out of sync all game with his shot. He even missed two fouls, clanging a technical free throw badly earlier in the OT. It didn’t look like Ray out there, until he shot the ball with 40 seconds left and the Celtics down 95-93.
Ray circled all the way around the court to take a pass at the top right side from Rajon Rondo, and squared up the winner. He got wide open by losing Rudy Fernandez underneath the rim and then Garnett picked Rudy off as he tried to recover. Ray couldn’t throw it in the ocean until that shot. He missed some lay-ups, wide open mid range jumpers and 4 previous three pointers in the contest.
Paul Pierce led the team with 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting, but had already fouled out with 1 second left in regulation on a charge against Andre Miller, while attempting to drive for the winning shot. That is a big strength of this team. The Celtics have two or three guys who can make that kind of shot under pressure. Pierce goes out, chalk up clutch shooter number two.
Happy Ending
It ended happily and the Celtics played better over the entire game than they have in most of the previous 12 games, where they went 4-8, including 3 straight home losses. This game wasn’t easy by any stretch, but they broke the home court slide. They hadn’t lost 3 straight at home since 2007.
Work to Do
When all is said and done though, I felt like I was watching a team that has a lot of work to do to get back to top form. They opened up an 11 point lead in the first half at 42-31 on Ray Allen drive with 7:54 left and still led 47-36 on another Ray Allen lay up.
At that point, the Blazers went on an 11-2 run to close within 48-50 with 1:17 left in the half. Paul Pierce responded with a driving lay up, and then made a great play.
Heads Up Plays by Ray and Paul
Ray Allen tied up Rudy Fernandez in the key for a jump ball. Ray won the jump sending the ball to Pierce. Paul immediately threw it down court to a streaking Rondo for a lay up ‘and one’… thank you very much.
LeMarcus Aldridge made a hook shot to reduce the Celtics lead to 55-50 at half time. Aldridge finished with 19 points and ten boards.
Fighting Foul Trouble Kendrick Perkins got into early foul with Perkins having to sit down with just over 4 minutes gone with his second foul. He came back for only a few minutes in the second quarter before picking up his 3rd foul and sitting back down.
Kevin Garnett also had 3 fouls in the first half, all of them in the last 3 minutes of the half. KG finished with 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots in 30 plus minutes.
Not a Title Contending Team Right Now
The team clearly played a more consistent game with him there, but still were just barely able to eke out a win. I got the feeling that they are still figuring things out. I saw a team not playing with anywhere near the sharpness nor killer instinct of the last two years.
Portland – The Most Injured NBA Team
The Portland squad is playing with far more of their team on the shelf. They are down their best player in Brandon Roy, are missing their two best big men in Greg Oden and Joel Pyrzbilla (both out for year with injuries). Sharp shooting Travis Outlaw is out with foot surgery. Solid defender Nicholas Batum is out after shoulder surgery.
The Blazers lost Jerryd Bayless after 20 minutes to a turned ankle. Still they gave the Celtics everything they could handle. The Celtics look far from a title contending team right now.
Andre Miller Steps Up
Andre Miller had his best game of the season, scoring at will it seemed. No one could contain his drives and he was hitting his short jumper at times. Andre came close to a triple double as he led Portland with 28 points, and had 8 rebounds and 8 assists. He also two steals and 6 turnovers.
There was a time, pre Kevin Garnett, that the Celtics almost traded for Miller from the Denver Nuggets a few years ago, but changed their mind at the last minute, leaving the Nuggets with Earl Watson, who they just acquired and really didn’t need once the trade fell through.
Miller was also instrumental in the 76ers success of the past few years. Yet, he has only won the starting point guard job from Steve Blake in Portland just recently. He was clearly Portland’s best player on the court in this game.
Rondo, Rondo, Rondo
Rajon Rondo had another strong game with 19 points on 9 of 14 shooting, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Rajon also had another game with too many turnovers, which is generally unlike him. He finished with 6, including a few more where he leads the interior cutter too much. He did that with Perkins and Pierce on two straight plays. Overall, he has an excellent assists-to-turnover ratio (3.7-1).
Rondo/KG Chemistry Still There
Rondo lost no time in rediscovering chemistry with Kevin Garnett. Rondo kept feeding a running Kevin Garnett with some picture perfect passes for dunks in transition. KG returned the favor after getting a pass from Pierce on the left side of the paint. He spun to the middle, drawing a double team from Rondo’s defender and laid it off to a cutting Rondo for an easy two, making the score 89-81 at the time.
Rondo also had a sensational steal on a tipped back rebound that he immediately had to go behind the back as he split two Blazers and continued up court for a fast break lay up to go up 91-86.
He almost had the rebound of the night after chasing the ball down after Pierce missed a jumper with 18 seconds left in regulation. Unfortunately, the Celtics were unable to convert when Pierce had the offensive foul with one second left.
Wait. There’s more. Overtime Thrills
Both teams were missing shots to start the OT. Rajon hit the first points on overtime with a little jumper making the score 93-91 with two minutes gone.
Then 36 year old Juwan Howard, now the Blazers starting center, tipped in a Miller miss to tie, and Miller made a lay up to give Portland their last lead at 95-93 setting up Ray Allen’s dramatic three pointer.
The Celtics closed things out when Tony Allen harassed Aldridge into saving a loose ball to Ray Allen who passed it ahead to a motoring Tony Allen for a dunk to end the scoring.
Deju Vu….Perkins says….Not.
The Blazers were facing a similar situation to the Celtics when they alley ooped the ball to Rondo with .6 seconds left for a miraculous Celtic win previously.
In Blazer attempt to run the same play, Kendrick Perkins was alert and made a great play to stop the pass to LeMarcus Aldridge at the rim sending the game to over time.
Kendrick was his usual grimacing self with 5 fouls overall, but had 11 rebounds, 4 points on only two shots in 28 minutes, with two blocked shots, a steal, and managed to keep it down to one turnover.
Celtics Bench Outscores Blazers 29-11
With all the foul trouble in big man land, Rasheed Wallace played 29 plus minutes, scoring 14 points on 6 of 13 shooting, but just 2 of 7 from the three point line. He added 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot while playing solid defense on the Portland big men.
Tony Allen was solid off the bench with 8 points on 4 of 5 shooting and some good defense against Miller. Glen Davis took one shot in 18 minutes for 2 points, played good defense, and grabbed 2 rebounds. Eddie House scored 5 points in 18 minutes on 2 of 7 shooting, while adding 3 assists, a rebound and a steal.
Celtic Defense Solid Except for Rebounding
They held the Blazers to a Celtic-like .382 shooting percentage, 91 points in regulation and 95 overall. They gave up only 32 points in the paint and 10 fast break points, but Portland had 16 offensive boards, keeping them in the game by scoring 22 second chance points to the Celtics 8 on 6 offensive boards.
Portland also had 22 points off turnovers to the Celtics 14.
Boston pounded it inside for 56 points in the paint and shot .487 on the night.
So, it wasn’t impressive. But it was a start in the right direction. But the road to a tight team that could contend for another title is just beginning…I hope.
There is something uninspiring about the over confident attitudes and lack of urgency that has been displayed this season, especially since they started losing.
Let’s see if KG’s return signals a turnaround.
Next up: Los Angeles Clippers come to Boston on Monday for a 7:30 game
This is a recent interview with Shelden Williams from Jay King.
Rasheed Wallace was back from injury, and to Shelden Williams that meant he might not leave the bench against the Dallas Mavericks. But there he was, an hour or so before the game, shooting free throw after free throw at the home team’s basket.
He knew he probably wouldn’t get a chance to shoot a free throw in the game. Hell, he knew he probably wouldn’t get a chance to even play in the game.
But that wasn’t an excuse to be unready.
“Whenever my name is called, I’ve got to get ready and stay ready,” Williams said. “Whether I play 5 minutes or 20-plus minutes, I have to approach every game like I’m still going to play.”
With Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace both healthy and Kevin Garnett seemingly on the mend, Williams’ playing time will likely continue to be limited. Going into each game, he doesn’t know when, or if, he’ll be called upon to contribute. He knows there’s a possibility, maybe even a likelihood, that he won’t get a chance to take off his warm up jersey.
Still, he understands why.
“It’s the situation I’m in, playing behind All-Star caliber guys,” he said. “You’ve got to understand the situation I’m in, who I’m playing behind and the team that we have, what we’re trying to accomplish.
“As a competitor, you always want to go out there and compete, and play, but you have to understand the situation.”
In a different situation, perhaps, Williams could play a fair share of minutes. Even in his limited role this season, Williams has shown the ability to contribute to an NBA roster. He is an ox on the glass, always active around the paint, and a strong and willing defender.
In Boston, though, Williams has been relegated mostly to the bench. After brief spells of semi-regular minutes during Davis’ and Wallace’s injuries, Williams has returned to basketball no-man’s land and his spot on the end of the bench.
Not that he’d want it any other way.
“This is the first time since I’ve played professionally that I’ve been on a winning team,” Williams said. “I’m happy with the way things are here.
“This is a team that’s used to winning, that has a chance to win every single game that we play. We’re competing for something bigger at the end of the day.
“Everything is fun around here, but at the same time people get their work done.”
And so does Williams. Even if he knows he probably won’t play. Even if he knows his pregame work could be the most extensive sweat he has the entire night.
“If it happens, I’ll be ready,” Williams said about the opportunity to play.
You could call it three quarters of strong defense. But it was also a game of will and heart. And strangely, the Celtics came up short again.
It is really just too hard to tell right now how much the Celtics’ current problems are simply due to Kevin Garnett and Marquis Daniels being out or are beyond that.
Normally it is the Celtic defense that has suffered the most. In this contest, they played good enough defense to win most games. It was the Celtics offense that struggled.
I make sure to mention Daniels because he is the forgotten man right now. Everyone knows that the Celtics are a different team with Kevin Garnett. But Daniels is very important to what the Celtics do at both ends of the floor. He does a lot of little things and those things don’t always make the stat sheet. He is expected back after the All Star break. Garnett returns Friday against Portland.
The Celtics lost last night to the now 15-26 Pistons. Boston drops to 27-13.
Pistons Defense Picks Up, Celtics Give Up lead
Watching this team score just 30 second half points, while losing to the depleted Detroit Pistons (missing Ben Gordon, Tayshaun Prince, and Will Bynum) after leading by 8 at the half gives cause for concern.
It was another third quarter collapse as the Celtics could only manage 13 points to the Pistons 21. It took a 5-0 run to close the quarter to even reach 13. They continue to come out and blow leads in the third quarter.
After shooting .583 in the first half, the Celtics made just 9 baskets in the entire second half, shooting 9-34 for 26%. After starting off 3 of 6 from the three point line, they shot 2 for 13 in the second half.
Pistons Bench Scores 43 Points
The Celtics energy faded and the Pistons energy grew. While the Celtics’ bench was outscored 43-12, that is a deceptive number. The Pistons bench played many of their minutes against the Celtic starters and outplayed them.
No doubt, Eddie House leading the bench rebounding with 3 tells you the bench was remiss as well. Glen Davis played 15 minutes without getting a rebound. Tony Allen scored 4 points with one assist in 16 minutes. Again, somewhat deceptively, the bench players were either neutral or had a plus in the plus/minus stat.
Led by Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell and even rookie Austin Daye, the Pistons came alive in the second half.
Charlie Villanueva Unchained
In a rare show of protracted determination, former UConn star, mild mannered Charlie V. appeared to wake up and catch fire (after a few choice words?) embracing a little duel with Rasheed.
After Sheed knocked a pass away from Villanueva from behind, the Pistons picked it back up. CV was now behind Wallace and immediately cut to the basket for an alley oop that Wallace didn’t read until far too late.
Wallace came down court, got the ball on the left block, looking to return the favor, and immediately backed CV down into the blocks. Villanueva aggressively held his ground (yes, aggressively) and forced Sheed to miss one in his wheelhouse. Davis was there to grab what would have been his only rebound but Charlie fought the ball loose and flung it at Glen’s leg as he was falling out of bounds. Pistons ball.
I mention this sequence because, if Charlie played this way all the time, he would be an all star. As Chris Webber observed recently on NBA TV, Charlie gives you one strong game in about every four. This must have been game number 4.
Villanueva scored 19 points, blocked 2 shots, and hit a huge three pointer with 54 seconds left, to give Detroit a 88-81 lead. Granted he only grabbed 3 boards himself. But the rest of the Pistons did better.
Out Rebounded…Again
Detroit out rebounded Boston 45-35 overall and 13 to 5 on the offensive boards. It was a major factor as the Pistons scored 12 second chance points to zero for the Celtics. Even the 5 o-boards the Cs grabbed were futile.
You could see the Celtic energy and lead slipping away and Boston made a few last ditch efforts to save an other game that should have been theirs all along.
After Rasheed hit a three pointer to make it 88-84 with 45 seconds left, Richard Hamilton hit a huge jump shot to make it 90-84 with 20 seconds left. Ray Allen was forced off the three point line and drove to make it 90-86 with 14 seconds left. Ray then had to foul Rip Hamilton with 9 seconds left in the back court, and he made both foul shots to end the scoring at 92-86.
The Celtics are now 4-8 over the last 12 and have lost three in a row for the second time this season. They are 5-6 without KG.
No Team Too Easy, No Lead Safe
The Pistons just had a 13 game losing streak and were still down three key players. Someone mentioned that a game against a team like Pistons might be just what the doctor ordered. Paul Pierce was prophetic when he said that the Celtics are struggling themselves and you can’t count on that.
How true that would be. The pattern is the same. The Celtics played a strong first half and led 56-48 at the break.
Paul opened strong with 17 first quarter points. Rasheed Wallace had 3 first quarter steals and a blocked shot. Rondo added 8 points and 2 steals, as the Pistons turned the ball over 9 times and the Celtics led 30-21 heading into the second period. The Pistons would only turn the ball over 8 more times in the game.
The Pistons played the Celtics about even in the second quarter (27-26) while the Celtics shot .583 for the first half to the Pistons .452.
The Rondo and Stuckey Show
Rondo and Rodney Stuckey engaged in a offensive duel with Rondo scoring 14 first half points on 6 of 9 shooting to Stuckey’s 13 points on 5 of 13 shooting.
Both players carried it on the whole game, with Stuckey putting on a sensational show, leading the Pistons with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Rajon was nearly as impressive at that end of the floor, finishing tied for team honors with 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in a team high 42 plus minutes.
There was one point where Rondo and Perkins were fighting each other for the same rebound and they almost lost the ball, before Perkins recovered it and threw it down court.
Perkins finished with 8 points, 4 boards, 3 blocks (including a great one over Ray Allen to stop a Rip Hamilton shot) and 4 turnovers in 35 plus minutes.
Rasheed Wallace contributed 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting, 7 rebounds, no assists and 3 steals.
Paul Pierce finished 21 points on 6 of 12 shooting, 7 of 7 free throws, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers.
Ray Allen added 8 points on just 10 shots, going 3 for 10, with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a team high 5 turnovers.
The question remains whether just getting back Kevin Garnett and Marquis Daniels solves all problems. It could solve most of them.
The question remains as to why we don’t seem to see the iron will to win that we saw the last two seasons from this team, even with out Garnett.
The Celtics come home to play Portland, another team hit hard by injury, on Friday night. As Paul Pierce said, nothing can or should be taken for granted in this league, especially when your team has its own problems.
This is the rest of Jay’s King (Celtics Town) running commentary on his first night with press credentials, behind the scenes at a Celtic game.
(To pick up where Jay left off – he is in the room used for press conferences and Paul Pierce was having his say with the press.)
My sweating had ceased to a few drips at a time rather than the downpour it had been prior to the game. I wouldn’t want to say I was comfortable yet with being behind the scenes, but I was getting closer. Baby steps.
I have to say, though, Pierce’s press conference was far from the coolest thing that went on in that teeny, tiny room. That award goes to Bob Ryan, for his chat about Oscar Robertson. Ryan was vehement in arguing how good Robertson was, saying only one guard in the NBA today is in his class. (I’ll let you guess the guard.)
To hear Ryan argue, passionately, about a subject, I felt I was in a real-life version of ‘Around the Horn. I never got the opportunity to see Robertson play, but Ryan’s insights stem from decades of covering the sport and his deep knowledge of the game, so I trusted him.
Doc Rivers came on next, but I didn’t stay. I had to choose between a group media press conference or a chance at one on one player interviews. The team transcribes quotes from the press conference, so I wouldn’t need to be there to get the information. But I’d have to be in the locker room to get the quotes from the players. So I left Doc’s press conference and strolled into the locker room.
(Can you believe I said no to an opportunity to sit in on Doc’s press conference? For something even better? This night was becoming more than I’d ever bargained for.)
I walked into the locker room, where other reporters had already congregated in their natural perch — the middle of the room. Watching reporters wait to interview clearly dejected players was one of the strangest things from my night. They tried to find the right time to interview guys, knowing full well there is no right time to interview somebody after the second-half butt-whooping the C’s had just been administered.
They sat there like a crew of tigers waiting to pounce, looking for an opportunity — any opportunity — to swoop in and ask some questions. Vultures. All of them. And, for the night, I was one of them. Cha-ching.
Big Baby was the first they — we, I guess — attacked. While he was screaming and hollering before the game, the Big Baby I saw after the game was down in the dumps. His voice that had been so loud and enthusiastic prior to the game had dimmed to a barely audible level. I guess mine would be, too, if I had to answer questions about getting torched by Dirk Nowitzki.
Ray Allen was next. Classy Ray. He answered every question thoughtfully, but I don’t think he was in any mood to talk either. By this point, I’d almost gotten used to jamming my audio recorder into a player’s face to listen to him speak. It annoyed even me to see all those damn recorders stuffed in players’ faces; I can only imagine how the players felt. I wondered if I was the only one holding a recorder who wanted to ask Ray for his autograph. I thought probably.
I took a couple steps to the left of Ray Allen’s locker and joined the growing heap of audio recorders around Rasheed Wallace. Rasheed was completely calm, but talked about how “bull—-” some calls were. He knew he’d be probably be fined for the comments, but didn’t quite care. He just wanted to let the officials know he thought he’d been screwed. There was no venom in his voice, nor did it even raise. He was completely even-keeled, and simply thought the calls were bad.
By the end of Rasheed’s interview, the reporters had already gathered around (aka started to prey on) Kendrick Perkins, but by the time I went over for my belated hunt, Perk was already done answering questions. Damn it, I thought. My first — and maybe only — chance to interview Perk and I’d blown it. Oh well, maybe next time. (Wait, there isn’t a next time? At least not in the foreseeable future? *Bashing head into wall.* *Repeat head bash.*)
After they were done with Perk, most reporters left. But I wasn’t going anywhere, not yet. No way. I was staying right until the end. I was going to soak in everything the Celtics’ locker room had to offer. There was no stopping me. By now, the only player left in the locker room was Brian Scalabrine, and he was eating a serving of some pasta that looked like it might be chicken alfredo. (Note: Yum.)
He sat at the locker and just shot the shit with the remaining reporters, still wearing his jersey. (My brother hypothesizes that he was scared to change in front of anyone else. He didn’t want anyone to see his “bro.”) He talked about politics, NFL football games, and what it’s like for him to defend Dirk Nowitzki. It was weird to see that NBA players are regular guys. I always thought they were super-human. Even Scal.
But there I was, watching Scal eat and talk about things my friends and I would talk about. It wasn’t on the record, but it sure was cool.
I finally exited the locker room, thinking my unrealistic night was just about done. I was one of the last — maybe the very last — to return to the media room, where I once again took my seat among all the Celtics writers so very much better than I am.
I sat down, poured over all my notes, and began to write my recap. As I was typing, I floated on air. I’d just done something I never could have even dreamed of. I’d gone into the Celtics locker room, and I’d survived. Even held my own, I thought. Now it was back to writing, something I’ve done so much of recently, but something I still couldn’t do as well as anybody else in the small room.
My fingers pounded the keys, just like William Forrester suggested, and I was in my own little zone thinking about all the thoughts going through my head and how I was going to focus it all into one piece.
I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder, and turned around. It was Bob Ryan. He put his hand out to shake mine. I shook back. He told me it was very nice to meet me. Very nice to meet ME!? I thought. Your Bob F—ing Ryan. It’s not supposed to be nice for YOU to meet ME!! He told me he hoped he’d be able to see me again soon. I almost feinted. I muttered an inaudible thanks. (Or something like it; I barely remember my own response.)
I’d come into the night hoping I wouldn’t make a fool out of myself in front of the Boston Celtics. For the most part, I thought I succeeded. I thought it would be one of the best nights I’d ever experienced, to meet and even speak to all the Boston Celtics.
And it was. It lived up to every expectation I had, and then some. Being in the Celtics’ locker room was surreal. It was majestic. It was magical.
But if I learned one thing from the night, it was this.
For an aspiring sportswriter, nothing can match having Bob Ryan seek you out just to tell you it was nice to meet you. Nothing.
Not even meeting all your other heroes.
Not even seeing Rasheed Wallace and Big Baby pretend to be spartans.
The following article was written by Jay King (Celtics Town) who recently represented Celtics Central at the Celtics/Mavericks game.
Jay is a former player at Skidmore College and is a senior there. Jay has fueled his love of the Celtics by starting an active and credible fan website called Celtics Town. Jay has been assisting Celtics Central with a little writing of late.
As a writer, and as a fan of basketball and the Celtics in particular, Jay shares his thoughts and experience going behind the scenes. I think you will enjoy sharing in his experience.
A couple nights ago, I had the surreal experience of having press credentials to a Boston Celtics game. Today, I share my experience.
After spending about 10 minutes trying to find the media entrance to the Boston Garden, I finally spotted a security guard who let me know where it was. My heart raced as I walked through the entrance to media security. I had always been the biggest Celtics fan in the world. Now, I was going to get the chance to be in their locker room, to talk to the same players I’ve idolized for years.
One of my biggest dreams had always been to meet a Boston Celtic. Suddenly, I was going to get to meet all of them, to see them in their comfort zone, to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at life in the NBA. I’d always wanted to talk to an NBA player; now, it would be inevitable.
I got my press pass from the table, and proceeded to pass through security. As my bag was searched, I heard my heart do a little pitter-pat. And my hands? They weren’t just sweaty, they were like Michael Sweetney’s body after an hour-long sauna.
I walked down a hallway to the media room, which was on my left. A hallway to the right led to the Celtics’ locker room. I looked down the hallway and, chatting it up, stood Kevin McHale. Just another day at the office for him. The day of my life for me.
I walked into the media room to find a spot to put my laptop down, and saw a room full of some of my biggest idols. The most easily recognizable was Bob Ryan; the legend has been writing about the Celtics for quite a bit longer than I’ve been alive, and I’ve admired his work since I became able to comprehend it.
Behind me were the rest of the Globe’s writers, and the Herald’s writers were also in the room. Sadly, I couldn’t recognize some of them. I’ve read enough Frank Dell’Apa that I could recognize one of his columns if I read only two or three sentences, but I didn’t know what he looked like. It wasn’t until later in the night, when Ray Allen called him by his name, that I realized who he was.
As I sat at my table, Ryan took a seat across from me and began reading the newspaper. I tried to tell myself to go make an introduction, but I couldn’t. He’s Bob Ryan. For someone who wants to get into sports journalism, that’s like meeting Larry Bird or Bill Russell. As far as Celtics writers go, he’s the best of the best. The single greatest Celtics writer. Ever.
Finally, after watching him read a couple pages of the newspaper, I gained the courage. As I put my hand out and said, “Mr. Ryan, I’d just like to introduce myself…”, I wondered how he would react.
But I never thought he’d be so welcoming, so gracious. I told him how much I admired him, and he gave me a heartfelt thanks. He asked me a bit about myself, and we had a little bit of a conversation. After I was done bumbling my way through talking to one of my inspirations, I staggered back to my seat. That didn’t go too badly, I thought. What a nice guy.
After meeting Ryan, I had to go to the bathroom. (It’s amazing I hadn’t just peed my pants.) So, after asking a reporter where to go, I headed off to do my thing. There was already somebody else in the bathroom. Wouldn’t you know it, as I waited there Mike Gorman was two feet away from me prepping for the night’s telecast. There was no denying it, my life was sweet. Even if I knew it would only be for the night.
Then I walked onto the court, to sit courtside as I watched the Celtics warm up. Rajon Rondo took jumpers with his iPod headphones in his ears. Brian Scalabrine worked up a sweat while he shot jumpers. Bill Walker sprinted the sidelines, either trying to rehab his still-healing knee or to stay in shape during a season full of DNP-CD’s. Shelden Williams stroked free throws.
And I, who hadn’t even been to a Celtics game this year as a fan, was sitting courtside with a media press slung over my neck. Can you believe my lucky stars?
I wanted to soak in the experience, to savor it for everything it was worth, and I was.
But it would only get better.
I left courtside to go listen to Doc Rivers’ pregame interview. As 20 or so reporters circled around Doc in the hall, with their audio recorders thrusted in his face, Rasheed Wallace came strolling by. “Fire hazard,” he shouted about the hoard of reporters clogging the hallway, as Doc laughed.
After the interview was finished, I wandered into the Celtics’ locker room. Are you kidding me? I thought. If you told me six months ago that I would be reporting from a game in the Boston Garden, I would have laughed in your face. Good joke.
But sometimes in life, unforeseen events happen. I started a blog, wrote up a storm, and before I knew it I was in the C’s locker room interviewing the players, living my absolute dream. Okay, maybe not my absolute dream, but my second option. My number one choice would have been to play in the NBA, but as a 6′2″, slow whiteboy without much of a handle, that dream never materialized. I wonder why.
I walked into the locker room and saw a crowd of reporters around the middle as some players sat at their lockers. As I stood awkwardly for a few seconds, wondering what to do, I realized the reporters were just waiting for an interview to break out. But it was my first day and, as anxious as I was to talk to the players, I wasn’t about to wait for something to happen; I was going to make something happen. Carpe diem, baby.
I walked over to Shelden Williams, who was sitting at his locker writing a text message. Shaking on the inside while I tried to maintain a calm exterior, I introduced myself and asked if he would answer a few questions. After he said yes, I not-so-calmly ran through the questions I’d prepared for him. Coming into the day, I had questions prepared for everyone. I figured you never know who you’re going to get the chance to speak to, so when it happened I told myself I’d be prepared.
And I was… except for the stutter in my voice I’d never heard before and the waterfall coming off my palms. I battled through the unexpected obstacles and finished the interview, thanking Shelden for his time and rejoining the rest of the reporters in the middle of the room.
Shelden Williams may not be widely considered a star in the NBA, but — to me at least — he is. I’m the type of guy who would be star-struck meeting a Division Three All-American, never mind a top-five NBA draft pick playing for my favorite team, who used to star for my favorite college team. But he was more than willing to speak to me, to offer me his thoughts. I almost pinched myself when it was over.
Then it was on to Ray Allen, who was next to answer reporters’ questions. He was giving thoughtful answers to all the questions, no matter how lacking in originality they were…
Until Big Baby announced his presence with a loud scream. Talking to nobody in specific, he yelled that he was a beast, the last beast off the court in pregame warmups. He had a sandwich in his hands and sat in front of his locker room to eat it, calling the sandwich “The Last Meal.” Then Rasheed Wallace followed him into the locker room, and hilarity ensued. It was my first trip to an NBA locker room, so I had no idea what to expect.
What I didn’t expect, though, was Wallace and Big Baby doing a full-fledged comedy act, pretending to be spartans from the movie “300″. (Which Big Baby accidentally called 3,000.) Ray Allen half-jokingly said we should conduct the interview in the locker room; Sheed and Big Baby were too wild for him to focus.
After the interview, I briefly returned to the media room and transcribed quotes from the interviews. Then, off to the game. The person who told me where I was seated said I might not like my seat. It was ten rows away from the court. I’m used to the nosebleeds. Let’s just say I liked the seat.
For a guy who goes to one game a year, usually sitting in the uppermost area of the arena, to experience a game ten rows away from the court was unbelievable. Not only did the players not look like little dots on the court, but I could even sometimes hear what they were saying.
As you know by now, the Celtics blew the game, letting Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd combine to tear their defense apart in an extremely one-sided second half. But for maybe the first time in my entire life, I didn’t care that the Celtics lost. I was just glad the game was over so I could check out the postgame scene.
I returned my laptop to the media room, almost running into the room. I didn’t want to miss a single thing that happened in the postgame interviews. I speed-walked my way to the room where Doc Rivers and Paul Pierce would hold their press conferences. I don’t know what I really thought the press conference room would be like, but I thought it would at least be a little bigger.
This room was the Earl Boykins of all rooms, and there were 20-25 reporters stuffed in, to go along with three or four camera crews. Talk about a tight squeeze. I stood on the far wall, afraid to take a seat for fear of making one of the (far) more established writers stand up. Still, I was only eight or ten feet away from Paul Pierce as he conducted his presser. (By the way, I only used presser to say I hate that word. Can’t we just call it a press conference?)
As he talked about the game, I thought to myself, Can you believe this? I’m in Paul Pierce’s press conference. I watch this on t.v. every night, but now I actually get to be here. This can’t be real.
