Ray Allen was kept out of the last game in New Orleans before the All Star break. It seemed possible at the time that the timing was related to all the trade noise generated directly around his name. You know. As in a precautionary measure before a big trade to prevent any last minute injury.
Steve Bulpett of bostonherald.com reports that Ray did indeed have back problems that were addressed in the Bahamas…
He missed last Wednesday’s game in New Orleans with back spasms, but four days in the Bahamas with several trips to the hot tub had him feeling better here.
Ray has been both healthy and in great shape this season. Yet, he has numbers that haven’t been this low since his rookie year. Some attribute it to natural aging. I’m not so sure. A number of things haven’t gone as planned this season particularly for the Celtics’ offense.
In case you might wonder if the back spasms might account for some of that decline, they just started happening a week ago.
Ray says there is still tightness but it’s better than it was. Bulpett again…
“I’m better than I was four days ago,” said Allen, who first noticed the problem at practice a week ago. “I’ve still got back tightness, but whatever was going on with my back, it seemed like it went away.
Regarding Kevin Garnett’s belief that this team can win as is, the Herald article addressed that too…
(Garnett) still believes this team can win.
“Absolutely,” said KG. “Absolutely. But we can’t win anything playing the way we’re currently playing. The game is not 40 minutes. It’s not 30 minutes. It’s 48 minutes, and we’ve got to put together 48 minutes of a game.”
Garnett can be loyal to a fault. It was said that he wanted to remain a Timberwolf even through another reshuffling of the deck there until he got the word that the Timberwolves’ owner Glen Taylor wanted to go in a new direction.
This has been a close knit team that has bonded deeply over the last 2 plus years. KG with Bulpett…
I root for everybody in here. We all wear the same jerseys. Guys in here actually give two cents about each other.
But Danny has been exploring improving the club through trades and Kevin is resigned to that as well.
But if Danny feels something needs to be done, that’s what’s going to happen regardless of who likes it and who doesn’t.”
If something’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. You’ve got to be able to be a man about it and understand that this is a business first and try to perform either way.”
So, the Celtics resume play tonight against the Sacramento Kings. The specter of change will hang over everything until Thursday.
Most expect Danny will do something. If not a medium move such as trading Glen Davis for D.J. Augustine, or expiring contracts for another role player, then possibly a major move involving Ray Allen could fall into place.
One of those Ray Allen rumors involves the team they play tonight. Shooting guard (Ray’s position) Kevin Martin, an explosive offensive player, has returned from injury and is trying to fit in with rookie sensation Tyreke Evans. Some say that isn’t going to work out as well as hoped.
In 20 games total, Martin is averaging just 20 points on 40% shooting, though his rebounding is up (4.4) and turnovers (1.8) are down. Kevin is a career 45% shooter and averaged 24.6 points last season.
The rumor here is essentially Martin and forward Andres Nocioni for Ray.
After a fast and surprising start (13-14), the Kings have fallen back to earth. They are 4-18 over their last 22 games. Tyreke Evans is a rookie-of-the-year candidate and, along with power forward Jason Thompson, is expected to be a cornerstone of the Kings growth plans.
The Kings have some other nice young pieces in Omri Casspi, the first Isreali born player in the NBA, Donte Greene, who they are having some success turning into a defensive stopper at small forward, and Spencer Hawes, a talented center who has yet to achieve any high level consistency.
Sacramento is on a modest 2 game winning streak, having beaten Detroit and New York before the break.
The Celtics are 0-2 coming in and are 9-13 since beating Orlando on Christmas Day, a high spot of the season. They are 5-5 since Garnett’s return.
The Celtics have a full roster, healthy and ready to play since Marquis Daniels returned 2 games ago. I say healthy, but Paul Pierce is still nursing a knee injury and sprained ankle.
(Garnett) started but played just 13 minutes in the All-Star game, totaling four points and three rebounds, and seemed miffed by questions about his health before Sunday’s game.
“I’ll speak one time about my health. It’s great,” Garnett said.
So we have to interpret ‘great’ in a relative way at this point.
The Celtics are rested. They begin the second half of the season tonight in search of the chemistry that has so mysteriously deserted them this season. The Kings are a good game to start with. It get much tougher after that with games against the Lakers on Thursday, Portland Friday and Denver on Sunday.
The Celtics have been in a funk and other league contenders are rumored to be making efforts to upgrade their own rosters for a title run.
With the window on the Big Three closing, Danny Ainge is reported to be entertaining offers for former UConn Husky Ray Allen and his $19.7 million expiring contract.
The main goal is to compete this season. Hopefully, a trade will upgrade the teams’ chances for a few years out, say until KevinGarnett’s contract is up.
Ray has been mentioned in separate deals for the Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich, the Kings’ Kevin Martin, and the Wizards’ Antawn Jamison.
While a number of league sources say that Danny is shopping Ray, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald says that Danny is gauging value for Ray but is reluctant to trade him.
Murphy….
The team continues to measure the veteran guard’s appeal on the market, but Ainge is reluctant to pull the trigger. Allen still is considered an important asset and likely will finish the season with the Celts.
‘Likely finish the season with the Celtics’ is the part that is hard to believe with so many rumors making it public.
But according to Murphy, the Celtics have decided not to take on 33 year old Jamison’s expensive ($30 million) two year contract calling him ‘too old and expensive.”
Garnett, Pierce and Rondo Protest Trade
While the Celtics main starters all say that breaking up the starting five isn’t necessary and they can get it together in the second half of the season, there has been little indication that will occur to this point.
Ray is aware of his name being out there and said this to A. Sherrod Blakely of csnne.com…
“Regardless of where I am, my job never changes,” he told CSNNE.com on Monday night. “One thing I learned when I first got to the league, there are so many things that you’re not going to be able to control, so don’t worry about them. That’s how I lived my life.”
And…
“Organizationally, we’re lucky to be part of an organization that wants to win,” Allen said. “From that aspect, winning a championship is not guaranteed. That’s why we’re all fortunate to be here. If that changes with me, I have to move on and figure out the best way that I can help myself.”
Teams have until Thursday to make trades. As teams follow through on trades and take certain players off the table, it may open up things for the Celtics to make a deal as it draws closer to the Thursday deadline.
Allen has been a fan favorite in his short time as a Celtic and it would be difficult to see him go. Ray has made it clear that he would like to remain a Celtic and re-sign with the team though he understands that this is first and foremost a business. Ray has been trade twice before, from Milwaukee to Seattle, and then to the Celtics.
The train wreck that is called the Washington Wizards have begun to disassemble a talented but highly dysfunctional team that never got untracked and was already reeling, when Gilbert Arenas’ locker room ‘cowboy-tricks-with-guns’ nuked any hope of reaching normalcy and potential for this group.
Buried deep in snow right now, D.C. has decided to plow its way out of a pile of ‘me first’ toxicity that was simply too deeply embedded for coach Flip Saunders to unravel.
Caron Butler aka ‘Tuff Juice’, one of UConn’s prolific swing men who made it big in the NBA, and a fan of Paul Pierce’s, is now a Dallas Maverick.
The Mavericks also receive 7′ Brendon Haywood, an under rated center who will serve them well.
As reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News…
The trade bringing Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to the Mavericks for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross was approved by the NBA on Saturday evening.
Deshawn Stevenson is a solid defender at the 2 guard spot.
Quick breakdown
Dallas just got quite a bit better. While both are swingmen, Butler is currently better than Josh Howard overall, though both have had their struggles this year. Caron has admittedly styled his game after Pierce’s, though he is more of a Pierce Lite, in my opinion.
Butler’s numbers this season are 16.9 points, 6.7 rebounds. 2.3 assists, FT 87%, FG 42% overall, and 26% from the three point line.
Caron is a two time all star and earlier in his career played with Kobe Bryant in L.A. Josh Howard was an all star as well, but Josh has been slowed by health issues this season.
Kobe on Butler in Sefkos’ article…
“You’re going to love him,” Bryant said. “I hate to say that, but you guys are going to absolutely love him. You put him on a contender and I’m telling you, you’re going to love him. And he’s tough as nails, too.”
Toughness is something that Dallas could really use.
Dallas needed to do something if they really want to be a contender in the west. Faltering of late, they are 2-5 over their last 7, have lost to the Lakers twice (once in a beatdown of 131-96) and are currently 32-20 overall. That won’t get it done if a title is what you are looking for.
What is unclear at this time is where Butler will play. Both he and Shawn Marion are better suited as small forwards. Butler can play some shooting guard (though he hasn’t played there much this season) so the natural assumption is that he will start and play there in place of Jason Terry or Juan Jose Barea. Marion will continue to start at the 3 (small forward), I assume.
It was rumored earlier in the year that Butler was having trouble fitting into in Saunders new offensive system and with teammate Arenas. A fresh start with a playoff bound team should help Caron.
Haywood Will Help
The sleeper part of the trade is 7’ Brenden Haywood, a center, who, not unlike the Celtics own Kendrick Perkins, has quietly improved his game over the years. He gives you 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in 33 minutes this season. He is a defensive factor and offers better balance at the center position than either Drew Gooden or Erik Dampier could give you.
This is the kind of center that Dallas has lacked for years. He has a very efficient, if modest inside game. 77% of his attempts are inside shots and he is scoring at .684 eFG rate. He has length and size and plays a solid interior defense.
Dampier has had troubles with his knees and Haywood takes a load of his shoulders now, though it remains to be seen who starts.
Donn Nelson said that Shawn Marion may move over and play power forward a bit to give Dirk Nowitzki more rest. Marion played power forward at times on the Suns with great effectiveness.
For the Wizards, Howard is solid if not quite up to what he was previously, Drew Gooden is better as a contributor off the bench, but can fill in at the 4 or 5.
Like Stevenson, 6’ 6” Quinton Ross is defensive minded and kind of an even swap, though Stevenson had a bigger role with Washington.
6’ 8” James Singleton has struggled to get minutes and appears to be a throw-in.
Contracts
Josh Howard has this year at $10.9 mil and team option for next season at $11.8 that I doubt will be picked up.
Drew Gooden is $4.5 (expiring)
Quinton Ross is $1 mil with a player option for $1.1 mil in ’11.
James Singleton is $1 mil (expiring)
Caron Butler is at $9.8 mil this season and $10.5 next year.
Brendon Haywood is $6 mil (expiring)
DeShawn Stevenson is $3.8 this season with a player option for $4.1 next year.
Net result: Dallas adds around $1.6 mil. in additional guaranteed money for next season. Haywood will have be dealt with.
Summary
The problem with Dallas hasn’t been talent over the years, though a serious low post game has been largely missing. Dallas has not demonstrated it has the mental toughness and defensive commitment to get beyond teams like Denver or the Lakers.
Will any of that that change with this move?
Not enough to envision them beating either Denver or Los Angeles in a seven game series.
But I’ll leave the door open a bit. Rick Carlisle is a solid coach and I’ll be curious to see how well he can incorporate the new talent in over the last 30 games.
Caron Butler definitely gives Dirk and Dallas a top offensive option to take some of the burden off Nowitzki’s shoulders. Jason Kidd is great at getting people the ball where they work best with it.
Haywood and Stevenson makes the team stronger defensively. They should move up, but how much will be hard to tell. It should make Dallas the 3rd best team in the west.
He is no longer the player he was and that is where the story starts… and it ends.
Talk of Garnett’s returning to the level of play that he used to know, seems to be more of a hollow sound the further along we get in Kevin’s recovery from off season knee surgery.
In this contest, Garnett scored 7 points on 2 of 9 shooting with 7 rebounds, a steal and a block in just 26 minutes. Defensively, KG appeared to be a step behind David West much of the night. Garnett will still get a lot done on that end of the floor, but he will be doing it a slightly different way.
West blocked a Garnett lay up with 37 seconds left to seal a Hornet win.
And there are a series of other issues that are keeping this still highly talented team from playing near to its capabilities.
Ray Allen did not play last night, due to back spasms, or the Celtics say. With a number of Ray Allen trade rumors out there, one wonders if they weren’t being cautious, due a trade possibility on the near horizon. They begin their All Star break now. The trading deadline is February 18th.
There is that inconsistency thing again. Third quarters continue to be bad news.
(Another) Third Quarter Collapse
Against the New Orleans Hornets, a now 28-25 team with issues of its own, the Celtics fell apart in the third quarter yet again. It is a habit they can not seem to break. After holding the Hornets to just 14 second quarter points, Boston scored only 12 third quarter points and lost a 12 point half time lead.
The once mighty Celtics were outscored 29 to 12 in the third to go into the final quarter down 72-67.
4th Quarter
Early in the 4th period the Celtics closed to within one point twice on two consecutive Marquis Daniels shots.
The Celtics closed to with 3 at 81-78 on a Rasheed Wallace three point shot with 7:05 left in the game. The Cs would go scoreless for the next 3:30. Darren Collison would score 11 straight Hornet points in the period and the Celtics would make another belated attempt to close the gap in the waning seconds. The story is far too familiar and the results were the same. Another loss.
In a sloppily played game, players seemed to have their minds on the All Star break that begins after this game. There were 45 total turnovers, 23 by New Orleans and 22 by Boston.
More than a few times, the turnovers would be back-to-back on the same play.
Paul Pierce, who is also recovering from knee and ankle problems, led Boston with 15 points. Pierce added 8 turnovers to his 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Pierce had 13 points at the half. But Pierce’s defense was uninspired for much of the evening, perhaps due to his lingering health issues.
Marquis Daniels had his best offensive game of the year with a season high 14 points on 7 of 9 shooting, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block.
Celtics Bench a Bright Spot
In addition to Marquis Daniels well needed output, Rasheed Wallace scored 13 points and Glen Davis had 9 first half points on 4 of 6 shooting.
The Celtics bench got the Celtics its half time lead. Their defense tightened up and Wallace was working in the low post more, while Davis was hitting his shots (4 for 6) in the first half, but took only one second half shot.
Tony Allen, starting for Ray Allen, shot 6 of 9 for 13 points with 3 steals, 3 rebounds, one assist, and two turnovers.
The Celtics had one offensive rebound in the first half and they were out rebounded 46-37 in the game.
Rondo’s 4 assists were tied for his second lowest of the season and hadn’t been that low since November 14. He had 7 points in just 24 plus minutes, but added 3 steals and 3 rebounds.
Celtics Making Weaker Teams Strong
In another performance of erratic defense, ordinary Hornet players had extraordinary games. Yes, the Hornets only scored 93 points, but the high turnover rate helped keep the score down
New Orleans was without its leader, star point guard Chris Paul. But it hardly mattered as rookie substitute, Darren Collison, played nearly as well except for his 10 turnovers, a Hornets franchise record.
Collison carved up the Celtics defense with 27 points and 9 assists. Collison is, no doubt, an up and coming NBA talent. But isn’t RajonRondo supposed to be an All Defensive Team member and one of the top man-on-man defenders in the league?
Once by Rondo, or Eddie House, or Marquis Daniels, Collison scored multiple lay ups and short jumpers before late responding Celtic bigs would arrive.
Peja Stojakovic added 20 points, including 4 of 8 from the three point line against a soft Celtic defense. Peja has come alive in his last four games for a scoring average of 22.5. He shook off late closing Paul Pierce, undersized Tony Allen, and Marquis Daniels all night. His big explosion was in that devastating third quarter, when he scored 11 points.
In only his 10th game of the season, Morris Peterson had a double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
So the Celtics continue their losing ways against better teams.
Can they turn things around? That is always a possibility. But there are no signs of how they are going to do that at this point.
This team has no real identity and strangely, they now seem to be lacking confidence and grit on the court. Those had been hallmarks of the team.
But the most important piece is Kevin Garnett. How Garnett goes, so goes the team.
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.
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.
In a contest that had all the feel of a sparsely attended exhibition game, the Pierce-less Celtics, trailing at the half to potentially the league’s worst team ever, turned up the second half D to win 96-87.
It was a game that was much closer than it should have been, and you really couldn’t blame the Boston fans’ lack of verbalocity. They were either a bit stunned or lulled to sleep by the lackluster play of the Celtics as the Green Team trailed the Nets at the half 55-51, while allowing the moribund Nets to shoot a precision .633
The second half was correction time, but even then the Celtics let the Nets hang around within striking distance until Kevin Garnett made an 18 foot jump shot, making the score 95-87 with 59 seconds left. It was yet another example of a Celtic team that has been lacking a killer instinct, and even stumbling in the fourth quarter for much of the season.
The Cs returned to a more committed defense and held the Nets to 11 for 38 shooting (29%) and 32 second half points.
Even winning was a bit inept.
The Cs did everything in their power to keep the Nets in the game at the end, including a 24 second call without even a shot attempt with the score 93-87, and 1:28 left in the game.
Shortly after, Rajon Rondo was harassed into an 8 second call for not getting the ball over half court with 43:9 seconds left.
Then Eddie House gets whistled for an offensive foul for running into his defender on an in bounds play with 31:3 seconds left.
Who’s Zooming Who?
But these are the New Jersey Nets we’re talking about. Even with three gift turnovers, there is no way these guys are going to be tricked into winning a game against the Boston Celtics. They missed 6 straight three point shot attempts (7 straight shots starting with 1:16 left) in the final minute to top any Celtic misadventures that they endured.
Ray Allen led the Celtics with 26 points and Eddie House provided a big lift with all 10 of his points in the 4th quarter.
Eddie even had a three pointer taken away after a video review was judged that the ball was still in his hands when the 24 second clock expired. For the record, after replaying the shot on the Nets TV station, the Nets announcers thought the shot had left his hands before the red light went on.
(An aside: Net announcer Mike Fratello doesn’t seem like he is having much fun at all doing the Nets’ games. It is hard to put a positive spin on what they are doing out there every night. )
Irreplaceable Rajon Rondo played 44 minutes, contributing 17 points on 6-8 shooting, with 11 assists, 3 steals, a block and just 2 turnovers. His plus/minus was +17, meaning the Celtics were –8 in just the four minutes he rested.
Rondo had a beautiful over-the-shoulder pass to Rasheed Wallace, who was coming up behind him, for a short jumper in the second quarter to make the score 33-28
Glen Davis played probably his finest game of the season, scoring 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 21 minutes.
Kevin Garnett played just 26 plus minutes, scoring 10 points with 7 rebounds. 3 assists and 2 steals in his limited time.
In somewhat of a change of pace, Rasheed Wallace dished off for a season high 5 assists, while scoring 7 points on 3 of 7 shooting with 3 rebounds. In the third quarter, ‘Sheed showed off a nice touch pass, by instantly re-directing a pass from Rondo to a cutting Davis for two points. Wallace down low is something we need to see more of, I think.
Kendrick Perkins had 7 points and 6 rebounds in 25 plus minutes. Tony Allen, starting for Pierce, was quiet offensively with 4 points on 2 of 7 shooting with 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 27 plus minutes.
‘Open’ House
It does not take much space for Eddie House to get a shot off and a cool Eddie was 0-4 until he heated up quickly with three makes in a row early in the fourth quarter.
He got going with a left side mid range bank shot to regain a Celtic lead at 74-73. He followed that with a three pointer after giving the ball to Davis, then getting it right back and coming back up behind a Davis screen at the arc to drain his first three.
Less than two minutes layer, Eddie came around front court screens to square up on the left corner for three more, making the score 88-77 for the Celtics.
He hit another jump shot with 6 minutes left to make it 84-77. House score 10 of the Celtics’ 12 points in a 4 minute span. Eddie added a steal during that flurry for good measure.
After that, Ray Allen hit a jumper and a three pointer sandwiched around a Glen Davis jump shot and a Kendrick Perkins lay up off a Rondo dish. It would be nice if Davis could get that elusive jumper going again.
Then Garnett hit his big jump shot to move the lead up to 8 points and the Nets were done. A team whose confidence is completely shot, the Nets missed 6 straight three point attempts over the last 59 seconds of the game.
Bill Walker played 9 minutes in the game, by far the most time he’s been given this season. He scored 2 points with a rebound and 2 turnovers in his appearance.
The Nets were led by Brook Lopez’ 19 points, followed by Devin Harris’ 17 points.
Numbers
The Celtics shot .500 after starting slow and out rebounded the hapless Nets 36-33.
The Celtics took big advantage of turnovers with 25 points on 15 Net TOs. The Nets only had 14 points off 12 Celtic turnovers.
Fast break points: 17-6 (Celtics)
Points in the Paint: 32-34 (Nets)
Second Chance Points: 11-4 (Celtics)
It wasn’t a masterpiece by any stretch. More like paint-by-numbers, but we will take the Celtics’ third win a row.
Paul Pierce may play on Sunday.
Next up: the Orlando Magic come to Boston on Sunday for a 2:30 game
One game after closing strong to beat the Wizards, the Celtics followed suit to beat the Heat.
Fourth quarters have been a big problem during the Celtics post-Christmas funk. Finishing what they started was a foreign concept.
With the score tied at 74 after three periods, based on recent history, a win was by no means to be predicted.
Fourth Quarter Ray Allen led with 9 fourth quarter points, Eddie House had 7, and Kendrick Perkins had 5, as eight Celtic players scored in the final period to close out the Heat.
The Celtics went up by 10 at 88-78 on a Kendrick Perkins dunk, before Miami closed the gap.
During that run up, Ray Allen had two nice assists in a row, getting the ball outside the paint and feeding the bigs down low. First he got the ball on the right side and dumped it down to Rasheed Wallace, who hit a little jump shot. Shortly after, he got the ball near the middle and dumped it down to Perkins for a dunk.
Rondo’s Look Away
The run was capped off by a stellar fake by Rajon Rondo. Using a trick from his high school QB days, it looked like a play action fake, as he looked at Ray on the right side and started to pass but changed directions immediately to send it to Perkins on the left coming in for a lay up. It was a superb play and the score was 88-78 with 7:09 to go.
Of course, the Celtics aren’t in a habit of closing strong, if at all, as the Heat worked themselves back within two one more time
Pierce Out, Ray And Rajon Cover
With Paul Pierce out nursing a sprained ankle, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo stepped up offensively with 23 and 22 points respectively to lead the Celtics to victory.
Rondo handed out 14 assists with 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 turnovers to keep things glued together in the absence of Pierce. Rajon had 21 points and 10 assists after three periods.
Miami closed to within two points for the second time in the quarter at 94-96 with 1:36 left on a Quentin Richardson 3 pointer. Boston then widened the lead through a series of trips to the line, led by Ray Allen with 5 of 5 shooting from the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds.
The Celtics didn’t score a field goal in the last 2:52 of the game, but maintained their lead by hitting enough of their free throws to keep Miami at bay.
Eddie House finished with 16 points on 5 of 9 shooting with 4 for 4 from the free throw line. Fast Eddie had a big role in maintaining control down the stretch with a three pointer, a two point jumper and a rebound on consecutive plays to extend the lead to 93-86 after the Heat got within two.
This was House’s third best scoring game of the year and highest since December 30th.
Tony Allen started in place of Pierce and had the difficult assignment of guarding Dwyane Wade when he was in. Tony played pretty well, though he scored only 6 points on 2 of 6 shooting. Tony grabbed 6 rebounds, two steals, and two turnovers in 27 plus minutes.
Celtics Defense tightens up for a few spells late in 4th
The Celtics let the Heat shoot .521 on the game and gave up 28 fourth quarter points. But they played strong defense for short bursts, late in the quarter.
Tony had a critical steal from Wade as he tried to make a move at the top of the key. On the ensuing break, 64% foul shooter Tony was fouled by Udonis Haslem and made his only two free throws of the game for a 99-94 score with 36 seconds left.
Wade had a strong game scoring and dishing, as he finished with 30 points on 11 of 16 shooting, 13 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 turnovers, a steal and 2 blocked shots. Rafer Alston was second with 15 points.
Wade loves to go up and block those centers. He did it in this game against Perkins underneath.
Kevin Garnett had a very productive game, particularly as a facilitator, with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting, 6 rebounds, and a season high 9 assists in just 30 plus minutes.
Kendrick Perkins, a person of interest to other NBA GMs, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports, contributed 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting, with 2 blocks, and 3 turnovers in 26 plus minutes.
Rasheed Wallace, perhaps the person Rondo was referring to in recent veiled comments about personal agendas on the team, scored 7 points on 3 of 10 shooting, 1 of 4 from downtown, with just 2 rebounds in 21 minutes. The Celtics were plus 6 points when ‘Sheed was on the floor.
Wallace didn’t get a technical all evening and seemed rather subdued for Wallace.
Glen Davis, who has been a funk himself, seems to have been more active in this contest with 5 boards, and 6 points in 17 minutes.
Rondo ‘Non Call’ Angers Heat
But Jermaine O’Neal was whistled for a technical after voicing demonstrative displeasure at a non-call on Rondo drive and basket that he defended.
He said that Rondo pushed him away with his other arm to create space for the lay up. After O’Neal’s tech, Rafer Alston immediately got one for arguing the same non call, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was upset as well.
More Rondo
As infrequent as a bi-weekly pay check, Rajon hit two three pointers as the shot clock was running down. The first gave the Celtics a lead at 60-58 and the second broke a tie to make it 69-66. Both were huge in a close game like this.
With Rondo looking like a QB again, Ray Allen dove and ‘caught’ a pass on the ground, also in the third quarter and called time out, saving the possession. First and ten.
It’s the Rebounding
In a sign of hope, the Celtics out rebounded the Heat 41 to 32 overall and 15 to 6 on the offensive boards. That means the Celtics rebounded 15 of 39 of their own misses, a very solid number. And it made a big difference in the outcome of this game.
More Numbers
Points in the Paint: 44-44
Points off Turnovers: 17-17
Fast Break Points: 11-9 (Celtics)
Second Chance Points: 16-11 (Celtics)
Summary
With comments recently coming out from Rondo about some internal issues, ubuntu is strained. Not that it wasn’t noticeable in the Celtics’ play. Still, having someone as inscrutable as Rondo being the one to publicly suggest some things aren’t right in the locker room is a bit of a ground tremor.
The team played well enough, if not great, to beat the Heat last night. Fixing what is wrong is done on a game by game basis. I’d say last night was a step forward.
Dwyane Wade was + 6 in 40 plus minutes, meaning (obviously) the Celtics took the lead when Wade was off the floor resting. But worth noting.
For a team that is still in search of itself, it was a satisfying win.
And once again, ever more skeptical fans can only hope it is a start to something better.
But injury, age, inconsistency and beating a bad team does not suggest a better bridge is being built. Only the coming games, both before and after the All Star game, will tell us more.
The beleaguered Boston Celtics ended a three game losing streak and put salve on a one point loss at home to the Lakers on national TV on Sunday. The Celtics are now 3-6 over their last 9 games.
That they beat a team that is even more dysfunctional and in far more disrepair than they are, only serves to mitigate the win. Even before ‘Arena-gate’, this Wizards team had major problems.
The Celtics, on a key Kevin Garnett jump shot and some Rajon Rondo free throws, pulled away in the final minute of a far closer game than a look at the stats suggest.
They won 99-88 and held the Wizards to .389 shooting, with 1 of 10 from the three point line while shooting .548 from the field and out rebounded them 39-35.
But that belies the fact that Washington was shooting .529 at the half and were still leading and shooting .481 after three periods.
Pierce Sits Out Final Period
Paul Pierce had his ankle bent in a bad angle and rolled over by Caron Butler on a scramble for the ball in the first half. He came back to play a few minutes in the second half before sitting out the fourth quarter.
After being behind 78-74 after three periods, they got a strong effort from Kevin Garnett, Tony Allen, Rasheed Wallace, Rajon Rondo and even Glen Davis to clamp down defensively and win the 4th quarter going away. They held Washington to 10 fourth quarter points while scoring 25 of their own.
The Wizards scored just 2 baskets in the 4th period on 18 attempts for a .11% shooting quarter.
Boston managed to find a team that has less confidence and less chemistry than they do.
Before the Wizards last two wins, they were 2-8 and have been a huge disappointment compared to the talent that is on this team.
Kevin Garnett was more active at both ends of the floor and led the Celtics with 19 points on 8 of 9 shooting with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.
Paul Pierce, in limited minutes (28), led the Celtics with 8 rebounds and added 12 points, 11 were scored in the first half.
Rondo Still on Upward Curve
Rajon Rondo continues to be the energetic backbone of this team with 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, but 6 turnovers.
Rajon also continues to improve his shooting and hit a number of mid range and little jumpers in this contest. That is in addition to his continued excellence at distributing the ball with 12 assists.
Ray Allen added 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. He found the touch after starting out 2 of 7 shooting. Rumors are out there about Danny seeking trade offers for Ray.
Kendrick Perkins added 9 points, just 3 rebounds, an assist, and 2 solid blocked shots in 26 minutes.
Doc Rivers went with Rasheed Wallace for the whole 4th quarter. Perkins did not play at all.
Tony, Rasheed, and Glen Tony Allen had yet another solid game with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, a blocked shot and just a single turnover in 28 minutes. Doc played Tony in Pierce’s place, when Paul couldn’t go.
Tony played very well defensively and was aggressive at both ends of the floor. He was the first to start attacking the rim and finished 3 of 9 shooting, with 4 for 4 on free throws.
As the 4th period wound down, Tony d’ed up Caron Butler underneath, forcing him to make a bad pass to Earl Boykins. Tony then stole the ball from Boykins and got it to Rajon for a fast break. Rajon passed it back to a motoring Tony for an easy lay-up.
Rasheed scored 8 of his 14 points in the last period while applying suffocating interior defense with Garnett and later Glen Davis. Wallace added 2 blocked shots, 5 rebounds, and a steal in 22 minutes.
Sheed showed his still highly effective arsenal of low post moves and fade aways in this contest. He shot 4 of 7 with only one three pointer taken (and missed badly), and drew enough fouls to go 6–6 from the free throw line.
Davis – Signs of Life?
Glen Davis has been having big time problems getting anything going this season, especially on the offensive end.
Doc did not play him at all in the first half, for the first time in along time. Brian Scalabrine got the call in the first half. In Davis’ 7 second half minutes, he only scored a point, but had a number of other plays that helped the team significantly.
He fought through a tight double team for a nice assist on a Tony Allen dunk, adding another assist on a kick out to Ray Allen for a much needed three pointer. Glen also drew an offensive foul on Antawn Jamison, played solid defense, and grabbed a few boards in that critical fourth period. Nothing fancy, but better than what we have been seeing from Davis.
The Wizards were led by Caron Butler’s 20 points and 11 rebounds. Antawn Jamison endured a 2 for 17 shooting night, finishing with 8 points.
More Numbers
The Celtics held Washington to just 28 points in the paint, while scoring 38 of their own.
The Wizards stayed in the game by scoring 23 points off turnovers to the Celtics 14 points of turnovers. They also had 13 second chance points to the Celtics 8.
About that bridge they are trying to build. With KG playing better but still not what he used to be, Pierce playing banged up and Ray Allen, the healthiest one, still missing far more than normal, some wonder at this point if it is a bridge too far.
I’m not willing to say that yet. Too many things change far too quickly in this league for such a conclusive judgment. But crossing the Washington bridge isn’t much to get excited about.
The Celtics are now 30-16. They play Miami at home on Wednesday.
