The Boston Celtics got Marquis Daniels and Paul Pierce back and built a solid first half lead. But previous habits were not exorcised, as they once again were a Jekyll and Hyde team as they played ineffective second half basketball.
They lost to conference rival Orlando Magic, 96-89, and fell behind them to third place in the east in home court advantage.
But their problems and issues are much more immediate. While all the pieces are back, not all are at peak health and the Celtics haven’t really gelled as a team this season. They ended the series with the Magic 1-3 and are now 32-17 overall and fall to 15-9 at home.
Cs Fans Boo
The Celtics heard smatterings of boos in this game for the first time I can remember. They may have had a few in the Nets game as well. Clearly, they are not playing at their best right now.
Their biggest issue going forward is, ‘how much of the old Kevin Garnett will they get back by playoff time?’
Kevin had zero first half points on 0-5 shooting with 5 rebounds and what appeared to be solid defense. While his offense picked up in the second half, his defense no longer appears to be dominant enough to make everyone else that much better.
It is beginning to look like the Cs will have to compensate for a player who is about 85-90% of what he used to be. It is just enough of a reduction of ability to make Garnett and the team far more vulnerable.
Next on the list is getting Paul Pierce healthy with a troublesome ankle and knee. He is going to the All Star game and will shoot in the three point contest there as well. Hopefully he’ll come back in better shape.
Just back today, Marquis Daniels needs time to get back into game shape and rhythm.
Glen Davis hasn’t really gotten into a rhythm either and needs to figure out how to play more effectively closer to the basket.
Rasheed Wallace hasn’t really gotten into his best shape and has yet to really play a long stretch of Sheed-like basketball as we remember it.
All of that plays somewhat into today’s lost. But it was mostly about consistency as once again the Celtics couldn’t or just didn’t put together 48 minutes of basketball.
Third Quarter Collapse
After playing solid first half ball, building a 51-40 lead, and holding the Magic to .395 shooting, the Celtics collapsed completely in the third period, losing it 36-11. An 11 point lead turned into a 14 point deficit heading into the final quarter.
19-0 Run
After Rajon Rondo made a three point shot with the 24 second clock running down to make the score 60-51, the Magic went on a 19-0 run over the next 5 minutes to go up 70-60 with 1:45 left in the 3rd quarter.
During that run, Vince Carter hit 6 straight points and 9 points of the total to get Orlando going. Rashard Lewis hit 2 three pointers, Howard had an alley oop dunk on a pass from Matt Barnes and Jameer Nelson hit a layup before Tony Allen hit 2 free throws to stop the bleeding.
The Magic weren’t to be denied as they then scored the final 6 points of the quarter on 2 Lewis free throws, and 4 straight points by Jason Williams.
That makes it a 25-2 run in total. Call it a full fledged beat down. The Celtics used to give those. Now they are on the receiving end. The strange part is that it was only for a single quarter. The Celtics won every other quarter. The problem is internal.
Magic Get Long Ball Going
The Celtics’ perimeter defense broke down as the Magic scored 4 of 5 three pointers in the period and 11 of 22 from the arc overall and most were open shots. Matt Barnes and Vince Carter did the most damage with 3 of 4 from downtown each in the game.
The 3rd period ended with Orlando up 76-62. The damage was done.
4th Quarter – ‘Heinz’ time
After going down as many as 17 points, and getting no closer than 10 for most of the 4th quarter, the Cs made a late run to close to within 5 points with 43 seconds left on two Garnett free throws.
Once again, defensive stops, the part of the game the Celtics could always count on in previous years, were hard to come by. Rashard Lewis answered with a deep running jump shot to make it 96-89 with 18.8 seconds left to end any real hope of a comeback. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce each missed three point attempts before time ran out on them.
The Celtics did win the last quarter 27-20 and did it with the bench players on the floor for a long time, but they didn’t really challenged until time was just too short.
Rondo Continues to be Bright Spot
It is getting to sound like a broken record but…Rajon Rondo continues to be the most energetic player on the court for the Celtics…by far.
He gets a number of steals and rebounds based solely on hustle and extra quickness. He had at least 2 rebounds simply by getting to the spot a split second before a Magic player did.
Rondo led the Celtics with 17 points and came close to a triple double with 9 assists and 8 rebounds, while adding 3 steals. Amazingly, he had no turnovers.
Rondo’s jumper continues to improve as he hit 2-2 from the three point arc, and 7 of 13 overall.
Rondo’s game is solid in so many aspects, especially his ability to get his shot off around the rim. He put one in over Marcin Gortat while drawing the foul, making the score at the time 49-38, Celtics.
Howard in Foul Trouble
The Celtics got Dwight Howard in early foul trouble in the first half, causing him to play only eight minutes with 2 points and 3 rebounds. Though adding to his fouls (5 total) in the second half he played all but 2 minutes and scored 16 points while grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking 2 shots.
Celtics Support Weak
Ray Allen was second on the Celtics with 14 points on 4 of 13 shooting with 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 39 plus minutes.
Paul Pierce played 30 minutes on his tender ankle and scored 13 points on 5 of 12 shooting with 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 turnovers and no assists.
Kevin Garnett finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers, and a steal in 31 minutes.
Kendrick Perkins played almost 22 minutes with just 2 points on three shots, with 3 rebounds, an assist and 2 turnovers.
Davis – Moving up, but not in a straight line
Glen Davis had his ups and downs, but generally looked better for the second game in a row. Perhaps he is pulling out of his funk. He is still getting his shot blocked far too often, but is trying to figure out ways to work effectively around the hoop.
He had a nice little running hook over 7’ Marcin Gortat, has hit a few jumpers, used a nice spin move on Ryan Anderson to get by him and squeezed off a lay up just before Howard could block it. Glen also had a big steal on Dwight in the 3rd.
Davis’ stat line was 9 points on 4 of 11 shooting (3 blocked), 7 rebounds, a steal, a block, and an assist in 22 minutes. He was active in the game and Doc rewarded him by playing him in place of Perkins/Wallace in the 4th quarter with the starting five.
The Puzzle Named Rasheed
Rasheed Wallace continues to perplex with 2 points on 1 for 6 shooting, 0-2 for the arc, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and the second worst plus/minus at –10 in just 19 minutes.
Marquis Daniels had 6 points on 3 of 6 shooting, 2 rebounds, and a steal in just 8 plus minutes in his return.
Of note: Wallace and Davis combined for zero assists in 26 plus minutes.
More Numbers
(Courtesy of CBS Sports.com)
The Celtics killed in points in the paint: 42-28
The Magic Killed at the Three Point line: 8 of 16 vs. 3 of 12 for Cs
Points Off Turnovers: 19-15 (Celtics)
Fast break Points: 8-5 (Celtics)
Second Chance Points: 11-10 (Celtics)
FG%: 46.3% – 42.2% (Magic)
Rebounds: 38-40 (Celtics)
Trade Ray?
Rumors will fly and fans will get more impatient after another game of giving up a solid first half lead only to lose again.
Rumors have the Bulls supposedly offering Kirk Hinrich and possibly Tyrus Thomas to the Celtics for Ray Allen and his expiring contract. Ainge has not accepted at this point and said he is not shopping Ray.
Ken Berger of CBSsports says the Cs likely will trade Ray Allen by the February 18 deadline. He mentions sharp shooting Kevin Martin of the Sacramento Kings as a possible target.
There is no doubt that the pressure will mount to do something with every loss.
In the meantime, the Celtics last game before the All Star break is Wednesday night in New Orleans against the Hornets.
