The Boston Celtics once again started like gangbusters but finished like lambs, or change that to that very, very tired, slow moving gangbusters. After jumping out to as much as a 13 point lead, Gang Green was busted by 20 points….and going away in the end.
It is a story we have seen many times this season.
It must have been a satisfying win for the league leading Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics started the season off with a win in Cleveland and the Cavs hadn’t won in Boston for three years, including that famous 7 game playoff series in 2008.
While you can say that the Celtics played about 24 solid minutes of basketball and 24 minutes of trying to hang on, it was more of a straight line decline over the last three periods, after a terrific start.
Unfortunately, the good teams can wait the Cs out now with the understanding that there will be a time in the game to strike and reverse whatever Boston has accomplished up to that point.
Injuries Still Rule
In fairness, the Celtics still cannot field a complete team. Paul Pierce, the team’s leading scorer and captain, did not play due to flu, a sprained thumb, a sprained ankle, and bothersome knee. His replacement, Marquis Daniels almost did not play due to flu as well.
Paul hasn’t been playing well for a while and the thumb injury has affected his shooting, so he will sit for a few games.
Daniels ended up playing, solving Doc’s dilemma of who to put on Lebron James. Though James ended up scoring a game high 36 points, Daniels did a credible job for part of the time.
Shaq Goes Out With Sprained Thumb Glen Davis best defensive play of the game was spraining Shaquille O’Neal’s thumb while stripping Shaq of the ball underneath the basket in the first half. Shortly after Shaq called time out and took himself out of the game and did not return. It was later reported to be a ‘significant’ sprain by the TNT announcers.
Varejao Takes Over
Alas, it didn’t matter, as Anderson Varejao played an outstanding game at center in his place. Varejao was active all evening and finished with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting with 10 rebounds.
He set a wicked screen on Rondo in the 4th period that Rondo backed into hard and fell while trying to follow Mo Williams to the right corner. Mo could have eaten dinner, dessert, and sipped coffee with all the time he ended up with before hitting that three pointer that made 90-83.
Perkins the Human Pinball
Verajeo also played the enforcer and pushed Kendrick Perkins after Lebron pushed Kendrick and Perkins pushed back a bit. It happened quickly and it looked like Perkins was like being knocked like a pinball between the two of them. Kendrick turned and walked away immediately. The refs correctly assessed Verajeo a technical foul, James a personal foul and Perkins nothing.
Perkins finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds in 25 plus minutes.
Rondo Runs Out of Gas
With Paul Pierce out, it fell upon Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen to try to pick up the offensive slack.
Rajon Rondo started like a house afire, scoring 10 of the Celtics first 12 points and had 8 assists and 14 points at the half. Rajon played almost the entire game without break, only coming out with 2:50 left and the Celtics 16 points behind, 101-85.
You knew Rondo, the energy bunny, was spent early in the 4th quarter when he missed a driving lay up he normally makes, got the rebound and missed the easy put back as well. It was right after Mo Williams gave the Cavs the lead at 79-78 and signaled the beginning of the end for the Celtics.
Slippery Slope
Boston shot 70% in the first quarter for a 31-21 lead. They shot an anemic 31% the rest of the way. They scored 32 second half points while the Cavs scored 60, almost getting doubled.
For the Cavs it was just the opposite as they started just .364% in the first quarter and went 59% the rest of the way. Boston finished at .407 shooting while Cleveland finished at .526% shooting.
After one period, Boston was out rebounding the Cleveland 14-6. The Cavs out rebounded the Cs by 37-26 the rest of the way.
Ray Allen was the only other offensive option that could be counted on and Ray came through with his 5th straight game over 20 points, finishing with 21 on 7 of 13 shooting, including 4 straight three pointers made before missing his last 4, in 35 plus minutes.
With LeBron scoring double digits every period until the last, the Celtics were doing a credible job on the rest of the team until Mo Williams exploded in the final decisive period with 14 points including 4 big three pointers that wrestled the lead from the Celtics.
Rajon owned Williams in the opening quarter. By the 4th it was reversed. You know your team is in dire straits when their destiny rests with Rondo shooting jumpers and three point shots. Rajon led the team with 19 attempts, making 8. He was just 2 of 10 after the first quarter. In the final quarter, Rajon was left open outside and went 1 for 6, including an air ball three.
Celtics Bench Lets Them Down
Whatever efforts the starters exerted, they were offset by a poor showing from the Celtic reserves. Interior defense by Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis was left wanting as the game went wore on. The bench gave up the lead and were outscored by double digits on the game.
Rasheed missed two wide open threes and an 8 foot turnaround fade away from the left baseline in the critical opening moments of the 4th quarter.
Tony Allen had a couple of nice offensive plays with a quick put back of an errant Wallace shot and a driving, twisting lay up in traffic that would score well in the Olympics’ gymnastics.
Garnett Still Not The Same
Kevin Garnett was strangely absent from the offensive scheme, especially in the last period, taking just two shots, missing one and getting fouled on the other. He finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, for his first double digit rebounding game since Dec. 18 against Philly, and only his 7th time all season.
Garnett started strong and looked good early on with 4 points and 4 rebounds in the first quarter. By the end of the game he looked tired though he only played 28 plus minutes.
Glen Davis had trouble scoring, finishing with 2 points on 1 of 5 shooting and with just 3 rebounds in 16 minutes, though he did pick up a couple of nice charges.
Davis operated a nice little two man game with Nate Robinson, setting two nice high screens that ended with Robinson open jump shots that Nate nailed in the first half.
Besides Lebron James, Mo Williams, and Anderson Verejao, Delonte West played well with 8 rebounds and 5 assists, as did second year player J.J. Hickson. Hickson was active at both ends of the floor and added 8 hustle points.
So the Celtics continue to show inconsistency and can use the excuse of injury for part of it. Getting this team healthy seems to be a difficult task. Getting a full game effort is still a mystery.
Nate Robinson had his Celtic debut and it was, ironically, against his old team, the Knicks, at TD Garden.
But it was Ray Allen with 24 points and a big block, and Rajon Rondo with 16 assists and 15 points that led the Celtics to victory.
Both teams sported different starting 5s with Marquis Daniels taking the injured Paul Pierce’s place for the Celtics. Newly acquired Sergio Rodriguez and Tracy McGrady have been starting for the Knicks of late.
Ray Allen Torrid Pace Continues
After enduring weeks of trade rumors, Ray Allen busted out a hot streak after the trade deadline, and added to it last night with 24 points for his 4th straight game over 20 points. He also had a big block on Wilson Chandler with 48 seconds left and the Celtics up by three points.
Rajon Rondo handed out 7 assists in a 38 point Celtic first quarter and continued his passing attack throughout, finishing with 16 total dishes, tying his season high from the 3rd game of the season against the Bulls.
When Ray gets in a groove, he gets in a groove. He shot exactly 9 for 14 in each of the past three games and is shooting 65% over the last 4 games for an average of 23.5 points per game. He was averaging just 16 points a game before that.
Rondo continues his move into the Big Four with a big game in the absence of Paul Pierce. He also logged double digit assists for 4 straight games for only the second time this season.
Eddie House Returns to Standing Ovation
During a time out with5:33 left in the first quarter, The Celtics did an Eddie House tribute on the Jumbotron and the crowd gave him a 90 second standing ovation.
When Nate Robinson came in a short while later for the Celtics, the fans also gave him a long standing ovation.
Robinson looked like he was pressing a bit and scored 4 points with a rebound, an assist, 2 steals and 2 turnovers in 16 minutes of play.
House had also had 4 points, but added 5 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal, and 4 turnovers in 26 plus minutes.
Bill Walker Contributes
Former Celtic Bill Walker also played, garnering 12 minutes. scoring 7 points, including a long alley oop from another Knick newcomer, point guard Sergio Rodriguez. Sergio threw the alley oop from beyond the three point line at the top of the circle. Adding a sideways dunk in transition, Walker also drained a three pointer while going 3 for 5 shooting for 7 points.
The Celtics scored at will it seemed but had trouble keeping the Knicks down. The Knicks made great use of the pick and roll play with David Lee, as he led all scorers with 28 points. The Celtics were late rotating defensively much of the time.
Marquis Daniels started in place of the injured Paul Pierce (thumb, ankle, knee) and did a credible job, scoring 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting including a three pointer, while posting the best plus/minus on the team at +13 in his 28 minutes in the game.
Celtics Paint Attack
Marquis Daniels was a part of the Celtic effort to attack the smaller Knicks inside. Short on height ( I like that expression lol) with the trade of Jared Jeffries, the Cs took advantage. Marquis was solid in posting up (or losing) his defender, making 3 of 4 shots inside.
Ray Allen actually had 6′ 3″ Sergio Rodriguez, on him for a portion of the game. As quick as Rodriguez is offensively, is how slow he is defensively. Sergio was nailed to the ground on one play when Ray blew by him for a lay up. Ray was the ‘post up’ king as he was a perfect 6 for 6 on inside attempts in this contest.
Kendrick Perkins had a field day inside as well, going 5 for 5 underneath.
The Celtics were 23 of 28 in the paint for a crushing 82% finish rate.
Knicks Respond in Kind
The only problem was that the Celtics’ defense wasn’t much better as the Knicks were 16 of 21 for a 76% finish rate in the paint. They were led by David Lee with a perfect 7 for 7 in the painted area.
Kevin Garnett, known as a great pick and roll defender before his injury, added 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and zero turnovers in almost 31 minutes. KG was rebound conscious and did a great job, grabbing 27.8% of all defensive rebounds while he was in.
Rasheed Wallace actually did a solid job rebounding in his 20 minutes, grabbing 30.8% (5) of all defensive rebounds in his time in the game.
Kendrick Perkins led the Celtics with 3 offensive boards, 5 total rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting in 28 minutes.
Sergio Rodriguez showed a bigger game than I thought he had with 18 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals (after an eye opening 8 steals last night), and 3 of 4 from the three point line. Defense is his biggest issue and that won’t be as big of a problem on the Knicks, where defense is not stressed as much as offense.
D’Antoni experimented with with his line ups, even having Al Harrington, Danilo Gallinari, Eddie House, Sergio Rodriguez, and David Lee on the court at the same time.
The Celtics prevailed in a game that seemed more suited to the Knicks and without Paul Pierce, so I’ll chalk it up as progress, even though the defense was less than one would expect from the Celtics.
Boston’s three game winning streak and post All Star game resurgence ended in Denver as sharp shooter J.R. Smith held off all Boston attempts to get close in the 4th quarter with 16 rally killing points after scoring only three points up to then.
Ditch Digging Again
The Celtics dug a first quarter hole as they allowed the Nuggets to score 37 points, a season high, and fell behind by 20.
The Beantown Ballers never led in this game, but they never gave up either. They slowly climbed the mile high mountain, tying it up at 66 all on a Marquis Daniels lay up with 4:57 left in the third. That ended up being their best punch of the night.
Denver went on a 10-2 run, including 6 straight points by Carmelo Anthony and were never really challenged again.
Ray Stays Hot
Boston was led by Ray Allen, who has continued his hot streak, with 25 points on 9 of 14 shooting in a game high 43:12 minutes. Ray added 5 rebounds (4 in the first half), 4 assists, a block, and 2 turnovers.
Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, and Marquis Daniels all tied for second with 15 points apiece.
Rondo added 11 assists, but had difficulty with the stronger Chauncey Billups. Rajon added 5 rebounds, 2 steals, a block and 4 turnovers in 37 plus minutes.
Chauncey Billups, who has been known to give Rajon Rondo trouble in the past, led all scorers with 26 points on 7 of 11 shooting, 10 for 10 from the free throw line, while adding 7 assists.
Pierce Still Not Right
Attacking the Celtics at their weak point from the get-go, they went right at a hobbled Paul Pierce in the first quarter with Carmelo Anthony, as he scored 10 points to lead the Nuggs. Pierce has a sprained thumb and is dealing with an infected knee, which has been noticeably slowing him down. They finally started doubling him up whenever he went to the post.
Carmelo scored 23 points to go with a season high 8 assists, as the Celtics had no one who could really handle him tonight.
Pierce made as good of a go as he could yesterday, but he could not hold the ball well to shoot.
Paul went 2 for 10 shooting with 1 of 4 on free throws and looked uncomfortable shooting all night. Pierce tried to make for the poor shooting by doing other things. He had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 shot blocks including one each of Carmelo, Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups.
This game was a good heat check for the Celtics after they destroyed the Trailblazers in Portland on Friday. What the Celtics found out was that they haven’t gotten rid of their self defeating tendencies yet.
First Quarter a Killer
The first quarter lack of cohesion and energy probably cost them the game. Denver is a very talented and solid team who have the 3rd best home record in the NBA at 24-5 (after this game). Getting down by 20 was a bit too much to ask of the recovering Celtics to make up under those circumstances.
Green Fights Back
But with the score at 66-61, they tied it up in the third quarter behind a nice pass from KG to a cutting Ray Allen for a lay up and foul for the three point play to make it 66-64. Shortly after, Rajon Rondo rebounded a Ray Allen miss and ‘hook passed’ it to Marquis Daniels on the left block, who layed it in to tie the game at 66 all.
Marquis Daniels had probably his strongest game off the bench this year with a season high 15 points on 7 of 8 shooting with 6 rebounds.
Kendrick Perkins played well, but was in foul trouble for most of the game. He had 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting, with 4 rebounds in just 23 plus minutes.
Kevin Garnett played okay but was not dominant. He shot 7 of 13 with just 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal.
Glen Davis was active on the boards with 7 rebounds, 4 big ones on the offensive boards, adding 6 points in 17 minutes, but is still getting blocked too much (3 times).
Birdman Leads Block Party
The Celtics did an adequate job on the Denver starting bigs, but Chris ‘Birdman’ Anderson wreaked havoc on the Celtics in his 32 minutes. Anderson had 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 big blocks in his 32 minutes.
The Celtics had 12 blocked shots led by Pierce’s 4, and 8 more swats were made by Denver.
Anderson’s energy and blocks caused the Celtics some problems in this game. After scoring on a fast break dunk, Birdman flapped his wings as he came back down court.
But it was Carmelo, Chauncey and J.R. that killed them overall. Smith ripped off 5 three pointers in the 4th period, and most were momentum stoppers or helped build up a big lead.
The Celtics had an outrageous 68 points in the paint to the Nuggets 48, but the Green Team could not hit the deep ones, going 2 for 13 from the arc.
Defense wasn’t all that good by either team as both teams shot over 50% percent and both scored well over 100 points. The Celtics had trouble with transition defense and that is why the Nuggets were able to get off many of those threes.
Denver is a confident team and with all the Celtic troubles since Christmas, top teams in the NBA feel that they can beat Boston even if the Celtics play well for portions of the game. Boston needs to fuel a run with 48 minutes of focus to overcome such teams.
The Celtics return home for a game on Tuesday against the Knicks. Nate Robinson, who the Celtics just received from the Knicks for Eddie House, will play that night against his former team.
The Boston Celtics play the Portland Trailblazers tonight at 10:30 pm Eastern.
No Recap on this game.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to do a recap of the game tonight. If time allows, I will try to do one later on Saturday.
At any rate, the Celtics newest addition, 5′9″ Nate Robinson, will not play tonight. Doc has set Sunday against the Nuggets as Robinson’s Celtic debut.
But Marcus Camby, the Trailblazer’s newest pick up, will play at center, and start as well.
Due to season ending injuries to Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla, the big man starved Blazers, went out and picked up a fine short term answer in shot blocker/rebounder Marcus Camby. Camby can also hit the mid range jumper and plays solid interior defense.
Portland gave up PG Steve Blake and forward Travis Outlaw to get Camby. They are still hoping to get into the playoffs and make some noise when they do.
Brandon Roy, out since Jan 20th with a hamstring injury, will also play tonight.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe just tweeted that Paul Pierce will be a game time decision with a sprained right thumb.
The Celtics started on a full tank of gas and brought this one home on fumes.
It was a man’s game.
This game had much more meaning for the Celtics than it did for the Kobe Bryant-less Lakers. In what become near playoff atmosphere basketball, the pressure was on the Celtics.
They needed to show that they are still alive and can play top level basketball for 48 minutes. They did all of that.
Ray Allen was supposed to be gone in a trade. Instead, he showed everyone why Danny Ainge decided not to pull the trigger on a number of scenarios. Ray broke out a recent shooting slump, hitting 4 of 5 threes, was 10 of 11 shooting at one point, and led both teams with 24 points, all in the first three quarters.
Ray had 8 straight Celtic points and 12 overall in the 3rd quarter as they built a 10 point lead.
Second Half Troubles Again
After the Celtics scored 53 first half points, scoring became much harder as both clubs played lock down defense in the second half. The Celtic starters also looked winded in the final period from playing so hard for so long.
While their offense and bench continues to have trouble, a return to Celtic style defense won this game for them.
The Celtics scored just 11 fourth quarter points and a mere 34 in the second half. After shooting 55% (22-40) in the first half, they shot just 15 of 44 (34%) in the second. Normally that would signal yet another loss, especially in the Lakers’ building. A 25 to 13 free throw attempt disadvantage would only add to thinking so.
Lakers Held to 2 Points
Their defense made it be enough by holding the Lakers to 38 second half points. After giving up a game long lead once again, Green Team defense locked in and held L.A. to 2 points in the last 7 minutes of the game.
They held L.A. to 17 points on 8 of 22 (36%) in the final quarter and .407 for the game to eke out the win.
Rondo…Little Man – Big Heart
Mercurial Rajon Rondo scored 14 points and none were bigger than his high arcing, running bank shot over Lamar Odom and a closing Ron Artest with 2:49 left in the game. It gave Boston an 87-84 lead. It would be Boston’s final score and their defense made it stand up.
Rondo 5 steals – Rest of Celtics – zero
The importance of Rajon Rondo’s performance in this game cannot be over estimated. He was literally all over the court and with his 5 steals was the single biggest reason why the Celtics won. He shot only 6 of 17 but had 11 assists, drew a technical for taunting early in the game, had 3 shots blocked, and blocked one himself.
But he led the team in confidence and aggressiveness early in the game when they needed it most.
Any questions of Rondo’s rise to become one of the league’s very best point guards are being put to rest by games like these. He craves the pressure and responds.
His steals, particularly in the first half, were very important. They were the only ones the Celtics got.
Two plus years ago, the Celtics handed Rondo the keys to a Lamborghini. He is now the engine.
Kevin Garnett
But it was not a one man show. It was a total team effort and Kevin Garnett was right there with his best game since his return. His defense was relentless and he hit some big time shots against a tough Laker defense.
When he did his left/right ball fake with his back to the basket, turned, and hit a fadeaway jumper over Andrew Bynum for a 25-18 first quarter lead, you knew he was locked in as he has not been for a while.
Energetic and enthusiastic, Garnett got in early foul trouble, reducing him to just 26 minutes of playing time. He finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. But he was so good that the Celtics outscored the Lakers by 16 points in his time on the floor.
Kevin was as mobile and aggressive as I’ve seen in quite some time.
With the bench playing poorly and unable to maintain the lead that the starters built, and the lead evaporating as soon as Rondo would leave the game, Doc had little choice but run Rondo out there for 44 plus minutes.
The Beantown Ballers showed they still have a heart beating in the Green Team’s body with an outstanding effort in Lakertown.
Both teams missed players
The Celtics played without Eddie House and could have used him. Los Angeles played without Kobe Bryant and that is why Derek Fisher was shooting and missing a 20 foot jump shot as time expired with the game in the balance.
A true appraisal of this game may take a few more weeks of play before we can determine its importance. You could say that this was the first game of a truly concerted effort in a Celtic return to playing high level basketball.
They stormed out of the gate breathing fire and maintained control for most of the game while absorbing a number of intense and energetic assaults by a Laker team that was patient and oozing confidence.
Pau Gasol was a handful and showed what a great player he has become with 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting with 3 blocked shots. Lamar Odom also played big with 14 rebounds and a number of aggressive baskets, while blocking 2 shots and making 2 steals. Odom is always a match up problem for the Cs.
Perkins Big Block and Game
Playing a big game after slumping a bit recently was Kendrick Perkins. Kendrick shot 5 of 7 for 13 hard fought points, tied for game honors with 14 rebounds (3 offensive) and had a huge block of Ron Artest when Artest drove baseline on Pierce with the score 85-84 and 3:15 left to play.
With Rasheed Wallace shooting 2 of 11, and grabbing just 3 rebounds in 20 plus minutes, Doc had Perkins out there in the final minutes and it proved to be the correct move.
Perkins Regains Lead
The Celtics had gone scoreless for almost 4 minutes in the 4th period and had relinquished the lead to the Lakers at 84-80. Kendrick scored the next 5 straight Celtic points on a lay up and foul and a put back of a Ray Allen miss to go up 85-84 with 4:22 left.
Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce committed to playing solid defense but had some trouble offensively with Ron Artest guarding him. Paul finished with 11 points on 4 of 9 shooting with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and just one turnover in 41 plus minutes. He looked a bit slow or tired as he shot 0-3 in the 4th period attempting to go isolation a few times.
Paul also missed two big foul shots with 3 plus minutes left and the Celtics up just 85-84.
Bench
The Celtic bench was disappointing with just 12 points and generally was outplayed by the Laker bench.
Marquis Daniels played 13 minutes without taking a shot. Glen Davis had 4 points and 3 rebounds in 16 minutes and they need more from both of them.
Summary
The Celtics will be very happy to take this win and this overall effort. They looked quite good compared to recent efforts, though they still have things to work out.
Beating the Lakers, even without Kobe Bryant, is a step in the right direction. We will have to see if they can build off this in Portland tonight.
New York Knick 5′ 9″ combo guard Nate Robinson will be a Boston Celtic this time tomorrow according to a number of solid NBA reports.
The Celtics will send 6′ 1″ (listed) shooting guard Eddie House and little used second year player 6′ 5″ J.R. Giddens to the Knicks for the talented, but unwanted Knick guard, according to a tweet by Marc Spears of Yahoo! sports…
The other missing part of the Nate Robinson-Eddie House deal is expected to be Celtics guard J.R. Giddens, Y! Sports has learned.
Robinson has frustrated head coach Mike D’Antoni since last season and has been in D’Antoni’s doghouse for a while. Nate was benched for a 14 game stretch, nearly the entire month of December.
The Celtics have been seeking a better option to back up Rajon Rondo for a while. While not a true point guard either, Nate Robinson fills that need better than Eddie House or Marquis Daniels, who is needed to spell Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
Fan favorite and locker room good guy Eddie House will be taking that super quick release and deadly three point shooting to New York where he’ll play for his former coach in Phoenix, Mike D’Antoni.
Eddie House set a new Celtic record for accuracy for three point shooting last season (44.4%) , besting current GM Danny Ainge’s long standing mark.
More important, Eddie was an important part of the 2008 Celtics’ Championship Team. He was the first free agent signing after the Celtics obtained Kevin Garnett. House signed just a day or two later.
House also played an instrumental role in getting James Posey to follow him to Boston to help the Celtics try to win a title. House was with New Jersey, and if I recall correctly, then free agent Posey was thinking of going to the Nets when House helped persuade him to come with him to Boston. Posey signed with the Celtics and those two played big roles on that team.
Eddie ‘The Professional’ House will fit perfectly in NY with D’Antoni’s system. He already knows it. From Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston…
“I know the coaching staff, I know the system, I know the plays they run. I know my style fits right in. I’m feeling good right now about the way I’m playing. It’s going to be a good thing. You have to take it like that.”
Nate Robinson’s stats for this season: 13.2 pts, 45% FG, 37.5% three point average, 3.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds in 24:23 minutes in 30 games.
This is Nate’s 5th year in the league after starring at Washington. His best year scoring was 2008-9 when he averaged 17.2 points.
While not a natural point guard, Robinson handles the ball better and passes better than Eddie House. House can be effective without the ball in his hands. In fact, Eddie is at his best coming off screens as a ‘catch and shoot’ three point specialist.
Robinson needs the ball in his hands more to really be effective. He is better ‘off the dribble’ and can drive with some effectiveness.
According to 82games.com House shoots 94% jump shots (eFG .493%) and just 6% of his shots are inside shots (eFG .50%).
Nate Robinson shoots 75% jump shots (eFG .524%) and 25% are inside shots (drives) for an eFG of .542% which is decent for a guard.
But a big reason for getting Robinson was defense. Honestly, he is not know for his defense in NY. But in New York, who is? Though smaller, he is expected to be a better defender than Eddie House. Nate is much quicker and stronger than House. With his desire to go to the Celtics, where games really matter, it is expected that he will apply himself at that end of the floor here. Remember when we actually saw Sam Cassell and Stephon Marbury exert real effort on defense here?
Nate is 25 years old and those guys (and House) are all on the wrong side of 30.
I don’t know how many know this but….the Knicks were actually a better team with Nate on the floor vs. off. (+1.9). And that was true last season as well.
So, Nate Robinson is a superior and more versatile scorer overall, handles the ball under pressure better, and can defend better than Eddie House.
In a previous interview I did with House, he said that he was ‘a professional’ in how he goes about his business in the NBA. As an oft traveled player (the Knicks will be House’s 9th NBA team) that is important in handling the transitory life he has led. He will certainly be missed in the locker room, on the court, by fans and by the local media.
And this is where another difference shapes up between the two players.
Nate Robinson has a big personality, is a big fan of Will Farrell, and sometimes hasn’t been a true ‘professional’ in regards to his conduct.
Personality Clash with Coach D’Antoni
He first drew Mike D’Antoni’s ire last season for talking too much and drawing too many technicals on the court. D’Antoni (and the NBA) almost suspended him for pushing referee Kenny Mauer while trying to get at Hornet Chris Paul in game in late March of ‘09. Nate had 12 techs on the year at that time.
D’Antoni, in an article by Mitch Lawrence in the Daily News shortly after said…
“He just needs to understand that he does not need to complain to the referees, and I communicated that,” D’Antoni said. “That’s one part of his game that he has to get under control. With referees, you just can’t continuously complain and he has that bad habit and he has to break it.”
Apparently Nate has gotten the message as he doesn’t have a technical this season.
But this season Robinson made sports headlines for shooting at the opposing team’s basket after the buzzer sounded in a Nets game. Mike D. was livid with him and benched him for the rest of the game. Nate looked completely surprised at D’Antoni’s anger with him.
Nate continued to draw frustration from D’Antoni by being too playful and fraternizing with opposing teams before games. That was said to be the reason for Nate’s banishment to the bench in December, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
That eventually ended and Nate has played in all but 2 games since then. In dramatic fashion, Nate’s first game back he scored 41 points, with 8 assists and 6 rebounds in 38 plus minutes.
One thing you can be sure of, is that total commitment will be required from his Celtic team mates led by ‘Mr. Intense’, Kevin Garnett.
Like Stephon Marbury before him, the Celtics expect a new environment such as the Celtics provide will be beneficial to both parties.
There is no doubt that Nate Robinson is a talented basketball player with skills that the Celtics could use. He will be entering a locker room that has been dealing with some issues of their own.
He could be the spark plug off the bench that they need. Danny is counting on Doc to once again help what could be called a talented but unconventional personality adjust and be productive in the Celtics system.
Nate had said that the Lakers or Celtics were the only two teams he would approve a trade to. He got his wish as did the Celtics for an upgrade at back up point guard.
Robinson is rumored to be in Los Angeles already and will suit up for the Celtics’ game with the Lakers tonight.
The Celtics made them. The Kings didn’t…except when they didn’t want to.
Fittingly for this game, the free throw line is called the charity stripe. The magnanimous Kings gave generously and the needy Celtics took full advantage to pull out a win.
Boston was led by Paul Pierce and Rasheed Wallace with 17 points apiece. Once again the Celtics played solid defense but struggled on offense.
The Beantown Ballers came out of the All Star break a little soft, allowing the Kings to score 30 first quarter points.
Though outstanding defense was eventually played by the starters, neither Pierce nor Kevin Garnett seemed to be moving all that well in this game.
Half Enough?
It was again a tale of two halves. The Celtics scored 57 first half points, but added only 38 more in the second half. They held the Kings to 40 second half points. The Cs played solid defense for three quarters and young team jitters under pressure enabled them to eke out the win.
They held Sacramento to .381 shooting on the night and the Kings could only hit .633% of their foul shots compared to .839% of Gang Green’s. The paint was a difficult place to score for both teams (30-28 Kings).
Block Party
As did the Celtics, the Kings played an aggressive, pack-it-in, interior defense all night and held Boston to .375 shooting overall. They blocked 11 shots to Boston’s 7. Both teams executed solid game plans and the middle was a dangerous place to try to score. Besides Garnet and Glen Davis getting blocked three times each, Pierce and Kendrick Perkins were blocked twice each.
Boston Bench Mob Erupts
In a rarely seen turn of events this season, the Boston bench gave the Cs a second quarter jolt of energy and a lead that the starters (save Wallace replacing Perkins for most of the 4th) relinquished late in the 4th before fighting back to pull out the win.
With Marquis Daniels’ recent return, the bench players are completely healthy for the first time this season.
Marquis had 7 points, on one field goal and 5 of 6 from the line, all in the first half. Though he had difficulty putting the ball in the hole (1 of 5 shooting, including a couple of missed lay ups) the Celtics outplayed the Kings by 13 points when he was on the floor in the first half.
With Sacramento up 26-21 with 2 minutes left in the first quarter, the bench players caught fire and outscored the Kings 9-4 to close out the first period. Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace each scored 4 points to tie the game 30 all after one.
They continued their assault in the second quarter as Wallace was 4-4 shooting for 10 points in 9 plus minutes that also included a steal and 2 blocked shots in the first half.
Davis Getting Better
Davis was active with 6 rebounds, 6 points, 3 assists and a blocked shot in 10 plus minutes of his finest basketball of the season. Glen finished with 8 rebounds, 7 points, but three shots of his own blocked in 17 plus minutes.
Though he continues to get his inside shot blocked at a high rate, he has been more active overall lately. The hope is that he will figure out how to reduce the Spaulding sandwiches while becoming more effective inside. Davis can be clever at times inside.
Glen let the ‘Rondo’ in him come out as he drove the paint and kicked long passes back out to an open Eddie House for assists on two three pointers in the second quarter.
Fast Eddie came in and lit up Sacramento for 3 three pointers and 9 points in nine minutes.
Great Pass
House, coming down the middle, had a great touch pass to Tony Allen on the right wing, who headed to the rim and was fouled by Francisco Garcia, who was playing in his first game of the year.
Free Throws Made the Difference
Foul shots are called free throws, but they were costly to the Kings as Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, and Jason Thompson went 0-6 combined at crucial points in the 4th quarter.
The veteran Celtics made theirs in the final 15 seconds to put away a hard fought win against the youthful Sacramento team. Rasheed Wallace, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined for 6-6 to hold on to a 95-92 win.
The Kings, the third youngest team in the league, gave the veteran Celtics all they could handle for 46 and a half minutes. They rebounded hard (48-45) and pushed the ball in transition for 15 fast break points to the Celtics 2 FB points. An advantage for most of the game, at that point their youth showed as did the experience of the Celtics.
Kings Take Lead, Celtics Play Cool and Win
Trailing since the second quarter, 6’ 9” rookie small forward Omri Casspi, who scored 19 points to lead all scorers, made his 3rd three point shot of the night to retake the lead 85-84 with 3:38 left in the game.
At that point, Celtic captain Paul Pierce awakened from a lethargic offensive game to score on a lay up to retake the lead 86-85.
The Kings prized second year player, 6’ 11” Jason Thompson, answered with his third jump shot of the quarter to retake the lead at 87-86. He hit three impressive jump shots in that quarter with Rasheed Wallace right in his face.
Big Shot Pierce
After Ray Allen missed a jumper, Pierce made the biggest shot of the game. It was an open three pointer to regain the lead, 89-87 with 1:38 left. The Celtics held onto the lead the rest of the way.
It was then that Casspi and Thompson missed 4 straight free throws, sandwiched around a Garnett contested lay attempt missed by Spencer Hawes that would have given the Kings the lead. ,
Garnett, who had his shot blocked by Casspi in the 1st quarter, was blocked for the third time in the game by Jason Thompson (4 blocks) with 28 seconds left.
With 15 seconds left, the Kings went to the fouling game, sending Rasheed to the line and he showed them how to make pressure free throws.
After 6’ 6” rookie phenom Tyreke Evans missed a lay up, he stepped back and hit a three point shot that got the Kings within one at 91-90 with 6 seconds left.
Evans was well guarded by Rajon Rondo for most of the game and shot 5 of 13 for 17 points. In Rondo-like fashion, Evans grabbed 11 rebounds to go with 7 assists.
The Kings were then forced to foul Ray Allen, who calmly sunk them both to extend the lead to three at 93-90.
Makes them when he doesn’t want to
At that point, Omri Casspi was fouled in the middle and went to the line. After hitting his first foul shot he was trying to miss the second in order to get the rebound, but he banked it in by accident.
Wallace played one of his best games as a Celtic, scoring 17 points in 24 minutes, going 6-6 from the line, 1 of 4 from the three point arc, grabbing 5 rebounds, blocking 3 shots, and adding a steal. But it was defensively that he really stood out. Wallace has had trouble playing help defense, Celtic style. Last night he looked much improved and it showed in the Kings’ points in the paint, FG% and total points when he was in.
Rajon Rondo scored just 4 points but had 6 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 turnovers and played solid defense all night.
Kevin Garnett had 9 points on just 4 of 7 shooting, and led the Celtics with 9 rebounds. He played solid D and added a steal and a block in 30 plus minutes.
Ray Allen finished with 15 points on 5 of 15 shooting and was only 1 of 6 from the three point line. Ray is in a major three point shooting slump over the last 7 games, making only 8 of 34 attempts (23%).
Kendrick Perkins had 6 points on 2 of 7 shooting, 6 rebounds, and a blocked shot in almost 24 minutes.
Paul Pierce added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, and three turnovers (two offensive fouls) in 32 plus minutes.
The Celtic bench scored 44 of the Celtics’ 95 points. I’d have to check, but I’d assume that is close to a season high.
Summary
This game wasn’t supposed to be such a struggle. But I give some credit to an energized Kings team coming off an all star break where 2 of its own participated in the rookie game. This King team came to play last night. The rest of the blame goes to a Celtic starting unit that is still a work in progress.
What this means as the Celtics move on to play the Lakers, I don’t know. They have been without Kobe Bryant, out with an ankle sprain. But they have won 4 in a row without him.
I don’t know if Bryant will play on Thursday. Either way, the Celtics still have not put 48 minutes of solid basketball together and are working things out.
