Just reported from Red’s Army via Rich Levine….Rajon Rondo is out for today’s Nets game. That actually fits in with the rest of my post.
Sorry I haven’t been able to post anything for a week. My plate has been full with my full time work.
All I’ve missed reporting on is a Celtic 6 game winning streak! It all started after an embarrassing loss to the Toronto Raptors.
While not perfect, the Green Machine has looked pretty good in disposing of Atlanta, New Jersey, Toronto (revenge), Cleveland, Portland and Chicago. They play the Nets again at 1pm today.
The point spread in this streak is a whopping 12.2 points. That is a Philadelphia Cream Cheese, championship quality spread. They blew out the Cavs (106-87) and the Hawks (99-76). Atlanta and Chicago were the only teams over .500 in that group. Only the Celtic bench stopped the Chicago win from being a blow out. The Bulls defense looked just abysmal and hardly representative of former Celtic coach and now head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Raptors Turning it Up
But surprisingly, the Raptors are 6-4 over their last 10 games. They are now 8-11 and I never expected them to get that close to .500 this season. Their talented rookie 1st rounder Ed Davis has just returned from injury and that can only help them.
Pressure on the Bench
The Celtics bench is under duress with Delonte West and Jermaine O’Neal out for extended periods. Those are 2 key contributors and their loss has been felt. They gave up a second quarter 14 point lead against the Bulls and have been erratic otherwise.
Maybe it’s time to see what Von Wafer, Avery Bradley, or even Luke Harangody can do in real time. With Rajon Rondo, you only need to fill 10 minutes a game to give him enough rest. He has been playing through plantar fasciitis, ankle tweaks, and hamstring issues for a while. It would be nice if they could find a way to let him sit for 20 minutes in some games.
In the meantime, the Nets are mired in a 2-8 run right now. Sounds like a perfect time for a Celtic let down. These are the games that give the Celtics trouble. Bad teams playing badly.
Every Bad Team is a ‘Trap’ Game
The Green Machine seems to have learned their lesson, but they have a habit of dropping their guard in situations like these. I still contend that the Nets are not as bad a team as their record indicates. If they can get Brook Lopez motivated and Derrick Favors keeps improving, they have a solid core with point guard Devin Harris leading the way.
So this would be a good time to try and surprise a Celtic unit that has been unprepared for bad teams playing well against them. The Celtics should look at this game as a chance to build a lead and let the bench continue to get experience and figure things out. Hopefully they can keep it close and let the starters rest. Only Dallas’ 9 game winning streak is longer at the moment.
Davis’ Game on the Move
Glen Davis has been a constant off the bench. His defense and shooting have helped all season. Where his game should be rounding out is with a bit more rebounding and the addition of some passing. Everything Davis does is done better ‘on the move.’
Big Baby – Passing The Next Step?
Glen has demonstrated the ability to pass well at times in the 4 years he’s been in the league. But if you look at his career record, you will see long strings of zeros or ‘one assist’ with some ‘two assists’ sprinkled in along the way in the assists category.
4 Assists
When players are asked to play certain defined roles within a team concept, they often concentrate on those specific roles to the detriment of other aspects of the game. I highly doubt that Doc said to just shoot the ball no matter what, but Davis has been largely open in the past because his outside shooting game was never respected by opposing defenses. You are open. You shoot.
On top of that, when you are 6’ 8” and largely land bound (or is it large and land bound?) and asked to patrol the middle in the land of the NBA’s leaping Sequoias, you are going to get a lot of basketball sandwiches to eat. Davis did last season and seems to have learned from the experience.
Ties Regular Season Career High
It went unnoticed as non-news but Davis recently had 4 assists against the Cavaliers. That tied his career regular season high. He has done it only one other time…2 years ago on March 4th 2009, against the New Jersey Nets. Hardly time to break out the champagne, celebrate and send out news releases, but it is noteworthy if he continues to add include that aspect to his growing game.
Davis’ all time high is 6 assists and he did that in the playoffs against the Bull April 23rd 2009, along with 6 steals, 3 blocks and 14 points in that game.
As Glen’s weight has shrunk in the NBA, his game had grown. I’ve been a believer that his game has always been there, it has just needed the playing time and team style to develop properly.
With his own focus on scoring now much more stabilized, consistent and moving forward, the next step is to see the floor better and look for passing opportunities because defenses are now paying him more attention.
We have actually witnessed that more in recent games. His interior passing has improved as defenders come to stop his assaults at the rim. Weakside cutters will get the ball at least some of the time when Glen attacks the hoop.
Glen’s assists at a career high of 1.3 per game, but that is a far cry from what he can be producing. He has had 3 assists or more only 10 times in his 3 plus years in the NBA and that includes the playoffs.
In his defense, he was never asked to be a play maker. The offense never ran through him and he was often where the ball stopped. Understanding that he was supposed to shoot open jumpers and put back offensive rebounds, I’m sure there were times where there were other better options to be sought out.
I believe you can put the ball in Davis’ hands, put the offense in motion and he can find the right option and get it to him. With Glen now moving better and more confidently on offense, plays can be designed that way with effectiveness. It may not happen this season, but maybe it should, especially with the second unit. They often need help scoring the ball.
Can Davis Make Things Easier For Others?
It might be too early to try it, but I can’t see why he can’t do that. Davis’ scoring has moved up a level. Maybe it’s time to see if he can make those around him better. Davis has never been asked to do that and it is quite possible he has that ability to make things easier for others.
That seems to be a next logical step…for Glen Davis…and the Celtics’ second unit. All the players are supposed to keep the ball moving, and Davis now gets a number of isolation opportunities and ‘pick and pop’ sets, but maybe a few more sets should be designed around giving Davis passing options when he begins his moves.
Davis’ recent 4 assist game was a highly unusual exception. Maybe it shouldn’t be.
The Boston Celtics worked off their turkey legs and returned to their predatory ways by beating the Toronto Raptors 110-101, a team that beat them just 3 games earlier.
Rondo Returns
Instead of seeing Von Wafer or Avery Bradley get their first rotation minutes while Marquis Daniels moved over to back up Nate Robinson at point guard, we got to see the return of Rajon Rondo.
After missing 3 games with a hamstring injury, Rajon talked his way back into playing and delivered 14 assists in 35 minutes. He also had 3 steals and 8 of the team’s turnovers.
The Celtics knew what they had to do and that was attack the middle. The Raptors are soft inside and got softer when Reggie Evans went down with was later determined to be a broken ankle. Evans went out early last season as well. He is the only player on the team that can reasonably be defined as a physical player. Just call them the Toronto Jelly Donuts. Everyone goes for that tasty soft middle.
Behind strong performances by Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal, the Celtics trampled inside for 64 points in the paint. KG led with 26 points on 10 of 18 shooting with 11 rebounds. Shaq once again proved adept going right to the rim with a perfect 5 for 5 shooting, with a just as amazing 6 for 8 foul shooting for 16 points total, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Shaq on a Tear
Upon his signing, it was hoped and expected that Shaquille O’Neal would offset some defensive shortcomings with a positive at the other end of the floor. But none expected this.
If he keeps it up and can get enough attempts (I’m not sure what the minimum would be to qualify) he could break the NBA record for FG%. Right now Shaq is shooting 69% over 11 games. It is hard to believe, but over the last three games he has taken that number up…to near perfection. Shaq has missed just three shots and has gone 20 for 23 shooting. That is 87%.
He has done it against the Raptors, Nets and Hawks, none of which have the toughest nor biggest frontlines. But Shaq also had his worst shooting game of the season against the same Raptors the last time . He went 2 for 8.
Revenge?
In a game the Celtics apparently snoozed, Andre Bargnani put up 29 points and blocked a Kevin Garnett shot on a drive. Raptor reserve power forward Amir Johnson went off for 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Reggie Evans grabbed 17 boards.
This time Shaq finished with 16 points and 9 boards to go with Garnett’s effort. Bargnani and Johnson both ended up with 11 points this time.
The Celtics ended up with 5 players in double figures. After KG’s 26, Glen Davis and Paul Pierce added 18 points each, Ray Allen had 17 more including 3 three pointers in the first period.
Ray Allen Hot Too.
Ray added a season high 8 assists to go with 2 blocks and a steal. Including a cold start to the season, Ray is shooting 45.2% overall from the arc. He is hitting at a 53% clip from downtown since November 5th.
Rebounding
After paying more than lip service early to Doc’s plea for more rebounding from the Celtics small men, that seems to have been overlooked lately. Both Ray and Paul are down to lower numbers. Pierce is back down to 4.9 boards while Ray is at 3.4 for the season. Those are only slightly higher than last season and lower than what they are capable of when focused upon it.
Even in this win, the non-physical Raptors out rebounded the Celtics for the second time, this time 44-35.
Bench Falters
The Celtic starters pushed the lead to 22 points in the 3rd quarter and the game was all but decided. Then the Boston bench largely let the Raptors get within 6 points at 99-93 before the starters again put the game out of reach.
“It’s unfair, but let’s be unfair for a moment – in the first and third quarters (combined) they scored 35 points on our starters (last night),” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “The other two quarters were 32 and 34 (points by Toronto), and that’s on our second unit.
“That’s the only thing I talked about after the game. I thought our second unit was frustrated because offensively things weren’t going well for them both times out on the floor. So they decided they weren’t going to defend because they were frustrated with their offense.”
Because the Celtics killed the Raptor starters, the Raptors bench played more minutes than usual and were led by Linas Kleiza’s 18 points, and Leandro Barbosa’s 14. Due to the trade of Jarrette Jack to the Hornets, point guard Jose Calderon returned to starting and added 15 assists.
Stat of note: The Celtics assisted on 21 of 22 first half field goals. That is just crazy good team basketball.
But Doc Rivers isn’t sure it’s quite time for Bradley, who’s missed time with an ankle problem.
“He’s been through three full practices this season, including training camp,” the coach said. “And he’s a rookie, and we’re going to throw him on the floor. So we may at times, but we’ve just got to protect him. We don’t want to ruin him.”
G Von Wafer wasn’t known as a defensive player, but coach Doc Rivers said that’s how he’ll have to get his playing time. “Defense and Von Wafer can now go together,” he said. “And that’s a great thing. It really is. He’s bought in, and it’s a great lesson for him: just hang in there. And he did.”
As logically predicted in my initial report on the impact of Delonte West’s wrist injury, the Celtic’s spotlight will move to Von Wafer and Avery Bradley to fill the vacuum. Danny Ainge is reporting that the Celtics will not look outside their roster for help.
Ainge, in a phone interview from the Maui Invitational in Hawaii, said the club has no plans to make any roster moves to replace West. The Celtics have 15 players on their roster and only West and Von Wafer have non-guaranteed contracts. Ainge said the club will not immediately search for another guard.
“We like our guys, and Avery [Bradley] is starting to get healthy and Avery and Von are going to have to step up and play,’’ Ainge said. “In order to make a move we’d have to let someone go and we like our guys.”
The operative word in that quote is ‘immediately’ regarding searching for another guard. That means the Cs will take a long look at what they have in house. Wafer and Bradley would have to fail rather emphatically for the Celtics to explore the free agent pool and trade routes. So they are not ruled out, but are more of a Plan B.
I am more than okay with that decision. Von Wafer looks like he can contribute in short order. While I have not watched Avery Bradley play a great deal, he seems to have real potential and the only way to move his NBA learning curve forward is through actual live playing time. I am all for that.
As suggested in my last post, Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis was brought along in his rookie year and the Celtics won the championship. While things are different this season, there is no reason I can think of for not attempting to do the same with Avery Bradley.
Delonte will be out for an uncertain amount of time, but the Celtics are not expecting him back until April. That will give both Von Wafer and Avery Bradley ample opportunity to make their marks, and get more familiar with the Celtic sets as they do so. As regular season injuries can sometimes do, it may provide a hidden blessing if Wafer or Bradley, or both, develop into consistent role players.
So it becomes another trying season for Delonte West, a player with a history of all out play but a certain fragility. If the team gets him back and in shape for the playoffs, that too, may provide something in a positive way as he will not have been worn down by the 82 game schedule.
Each little crisis provides a challenge and an opportunity, So far, Danny and the Celtics have stocked the team deep enough and well enough to absorb the injury hits they have been taking.
A strong off season on paper is coming under pressure now.
So far, it looks like the Celtics have some solid answers to mitigate each situation.
From Paul Pierce, quoted in YahooSports…
“What’s new? We’ve been going through this for the last two years it seems. But we can’t hang our heads and get down. The next guy just has to step in and play well, and we think we have the guys to do that.”
So far, so good.
The Celtics resume play Friday night at home against the Toronto Raptors at 7:30pm.
The Boston Celtics head into Thanksgiving Week-end on top the Eastern Conference, but will lose Delonte West for a while because of a broken wrist he received from breaking a fall.
Let’s start this off right. Thank you Celtics. Thanks for giving us a win to go into Thanksgiving with.
You played without Rajon Rondo, your All Galaxy assists leader and top energy guy. Top experts in the field of experimental fuels are trying to figure what propels the bundle of energy called Johnny Rondo. DNA sequencing…and patenting, is not being ruled out. I think it has something to do with converting defiance, hubris, confidence, ultra competitiveness, contrariness and a Rubik’s Cube mind into usable fuels.
There is the wonder of chlorophyll. There is solar power. There is wind power. The newest phenomena is something called high octane Rondo power. It is important to note that you are learning to play reasonable basketball without him.
You sustained another season changing injury to another guard, Delonte West when he went out in the second half with a wrist injury that turned out to be what everyone knew it was but hoped it wasn’t…a broken wrist. Is that a bell I hear ringing? Mr. Von Wafer, your number is about to be called…and you are about to get your wish – playing time.
You Celtics played through what appeared to be a first half malaise. You scored just 38 points, were out rebounded by 20-14 and allowed the Nets to shoot 58%. All this while making Johan Petro look like scoring machine.
I wondered if the holiday for the Green Machine hadn’t started early. You didn’t look checked out but you didn’t look locked in either. Welcome to another half focused effort against another lower tier team. Then you checked your watches and turned it on just enough to head into your Turkey Day without being one.
But I’m left wondering if a win like the one you had tonight is worse than a loss. All this win did was vindicate playing at less than full effort and then turning it on when you needed to. It reinforced a bad habit. It is like running that yellow light and not getting caught. The very fact you won rewards such an effort. If that seems an unfair assessment to you the player, and you, the fans of Celtic Nation, I understand.
Shaq Dancing
There are other far more positive ways of looking at this win. Shaq had a huge, huge game. Amazing. He scored at will and was completely adept and at quite home around the paint. It was like his rocking chair was set up there and his team mates lobbed bunnies into him. That was how easy he made it seem. Did I even see him sprinting back up court after making a quick but skilled, difficult ‘hey nice one!’ block at one end, running down court and finishing the break at the other? After all that?
Shaq had his highest scoring game since the 2008-9 season with 25 points on 9 of 10 shooting and 7 of 13 foul shots to go with 11 rebounds to boot. While it wasn’t done against Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan or Pau Gasol, it appeared that Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez weren’t exactly pushovers in the paint in this game.
Humphries surprised me with a more aggressive and effective interior defensive effort than you might expect from him. He had 2 nice blocks and altered other shots. The effort was there and that Garnett had a difficult night (4 for 12 shooting, 8 points and 5 rebounds) was not completely coincidental.
So. Did the Nets play well, and did the Celtics also play well under the circumstances? Or was this another ‘do only what is necessary to win’ effort?
To be sure, sometimes it seems that whatever a team or person does, they can’t win – even with a win. This game could be one of those games. There are simply more ways than one to interpret this contest.
I appreciated the Nets effort. I understood the Celtics manpower shortage at point guard and center.
But I sometimes find it hard to differentiate between 48 minute patience, waiting for your spot and…coasting. With the Celtics, in contests against inferior opponents like these, it clearly looks like coasting. Call it ‘unmotivation’. They seem to be going through the motions. Then they make their move. Only sometimes it is too late and the other team has locked into playing hard and with confidence. The Celtics look surprised with the big ‘L’ that gets hung on them in those circumstances.
Luckily this was the Nets and they played their role according to the script. Play hard and then fold just enough under mounting Celtic pressure. A few dumb turnovers, a number of missed pressure shots, and a weakening defense is all the Celtics need to turn things around. That is because Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will make enough big shots and big passes to beat lesser teams, if you let the Celtics hang around.
So that was how it played out last night. In the second half Ray Allen went 4 for 8, had 2 big three pointers, a tough lay up, had 12 second half points and 7 assists overall. Paul Pierce had 15 second half points arrayed with a number of big shots that helped tame the Nets. Ray hit a huge three pointer on a pass from a heavily attended Paul Pierce to give the Celtics some spread.
So the Celtics beat the a Nets team led by 20 points from Devin Harris and Anthony Morrow’s 18 points and no assists in 39 minutes. They held the Nets to 83 points, but the Nets held them to 89 points. They allowed the Nets to shoot over 50% for much of the game. Then they shot 7 for 24 in the 4th quarter.
Whatever you want to make of this game, you can make. KG got all the defensive attention (double teams were quick, often and sometimes unexpected. Garnett would often turn right into one) so Shaq might have been more open than normal.
Pierce and Allen rose to the challenge. Nate Robinson did positive things. Glen Davis brought his energy. Marquis Daniels helped out.
Changes and Questions
But a few things do change going forward. With West now out for an extended period, that means Von Wafer should be getting a better look at what he can do for this team. It also means that Nate Robinson can’t wait any longer for West to help him be all he can be, and he must get himself going in a good rhythm while continuing to run the offense.
Before Delonte and Nate, it was Glen Davis and Nate. They had some emerging offensive chemistry with pick and pops. Can Von Wafer and Nate start to get something going together?
I am assuming that it is Von Wafer and not rookie 1st rounder Avery Bradley that gets a more substantial opportunity. Could that be wrong? Glen Davis got real PT as a 2nd round rookie in a championship season. Might Doc opt to look long and hard at that and start to develop Avery now with West out?
Keeping with the day
Let us be thankful that:
We get to watch such a talented and confident group of players.
Shaq has been such a positive influence on this team and in games, after much hand wringing on his announced signing.
Doc Rivers returned and seems up to the task of managing such enormous egos.
Kevin Garnett is healthier than last season.
Paul Pierce is healthier than last season.
Ray Allen stayed with the Celtics and hasn’t lost a step.
Glen Davis’ game has grown as much as it has.
Rajon Rondo has grown enormously as a player, even from his all star season.
That the Celtics are 11-4 and atop the Eastern Conference without playing their best ball, nor being completely healthy.
That we are complaining about a team that is 11-4 and atop their conference.
Okay, now go eat some turkey and complain about Uncle Ralph or Aunt Minnie instead.
After laying yet another egg Sunday against the Raptors and losing by one, the Rondo-less Celtics went after another raptor last night. This time they decided to get into the holiday spirit and, instead, found a turkey to eat. Well, it was really the Atlanta Hawks, but but they cooked this bird early…and there were plenty of leftovers. All 12 Celtics scored.
Did someone say stuffing? The Cs stuffed it to them from the start.
After continuing to surprise themselves and losing to a few teams recently they really should have added to the win column, the Celtics came out gangbusters in this one. Up by a crushing 26 points after one quarter, the Atlanta nerve was dead and the Hawks compliantly played the rest of the 48 minutes so everyone could play.
All 12 roster players on the Celtics played…and scored. I can’t remember anytime recently that I have seen that. Maybe the last time was on ’08 when the Green Machine blew out teams like they were winding their watch. Maybe it was just before that when the young, inexperienced Celtics were on the receiving end of a blow out like this.
Nate Robinson started again for injured Rajon Rondo. This time he generated a double double with 16 points and 10 assists before developing a limp in the 3rd quarter. Nate was a red hot 4 of 5 from the three point line. The bench was emptied in the 4th period and even rookies Avery Bradley and Luke Harangody played 6 plus minutes each. That is how lethargic the Hawks were.
The Hawks leading scorer was Mike Bibby with 11 points. Josh Smith scored 2 points. Joe Johnson had but 6.
The Celtics numbers were modest as well. But that was because no one played more than 30 minutes (Robinson). The Green Machine was led by their defensive rock, Kevin Garnett, who started off shooting 6-6 and finished 8 of 10 for 17 points while adding 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
Paul Pierce looked sharp while catching nothing but net with a few mid range jumpers over defenders and finished with 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting in 27 minutes.
Why the Hawks Wanted Shaq
Shaquille O’Neal played 21 minutes and put up a double double of 13 points and 11 rebounds and found little to impede him. Shaq was courted in earnest by the Hawks this past summer before deciding to sign with the Celtics. This game demonstrated why.
Al Horford is a talented and aggressive, but undersized center to begin with. Zaza Pachulia is a serviceable back up center but no match for the bulk of Shaq when O’Neal can plant himself down low. So, a good question is…how good would these Hawks be right now if Shaq signed with them instead?
The Hawks once again started fast at 6-0 and have dipped since then. They are now 8-6 and trying to figure what is wrong. It’s clear that Shaq or someone like him (okay, there isn’t anyone like him) would help considerably. The dearth of available big men who can make a difference has made such acquisitions difficult to say the least. Shaq pitched a tent in the paint, built a fire, cooked hot dogs and marshmallows and there was little the Hawks could do to stop him from shooting 6 of 8 around the rim.
Ray Allen defended Joe Johnson well and finished with just 9 points himself on 4 of 8 shooting with 3 assists. More was not needed on this night.
Even without Rajon Rondo, the Celtics defense locked in early, and the Hawks didn’t know what hit them. The first quarter ended 39-13.
I’m not sure but I think it was embarrassing. Let’s check.
“This was very embarrassing,” said first-year coach Larry Drew, who spoke with his team behind closed doors for more than 20 minutes afterward. “Very, very embarrassing. Very embarrassing. If I had one word to sum it up: embarrassing.”
Yes, it was… embarrassing…if you were a Hawks fan. The Celtics have been embarrassed a few times recently themselves, but not like that. Bad timing for the whatever team was playing the Celtics after the Raptor loss, making it 2 in row for the first time this season.
The Celtics are now 10-4 and play New Jersey on Wednesday. Another turkey the day before Thanksgiving wouldn’t hurt, would it?
It just wouldn’t be right for me to say ‘don’t count your chickens’. So I won’t.
The 9-3 Boston Celtics play at 1pm today in Toronto against the hapless 4-9 Raptors.
The Celtics continue to have trouble getting up for teams they expect to beat. After handling the talented OKC Thunder rather easily in Oklahoma over a week ago, the Thunder came into Boston a few days ago without their burgeoning superstar, Kevin Durant and their number 3 guy, power forward Jeff Green.
The Thunder then shocked the Celtics 89-84, and handed the Green Machine their first home loss of the year.
The Celtics, like most top teams, have trouble staying focused for games they think they should win. They often win anyway because of their veteran experience, talent and ability to close games out. They put on a clinic against the Washington Wizards who allow the 2nd highest FG% in the NBA and shot a ridiculous 64% on the evening.
The Thunder are a far superior team to the Wizards, but with Durant out the Celtics didn’t bring their ‘A’ game and when they tried to make up for it in the 4th quarter, it was too late. They should have little trouble disposing of the Raptors.
The Celtic troika of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen are all looking much more solid season together. With Rajon Rondo going berserk with assists, and either O’Neal (Shaq or Jermaine) doing well when they play, the starting 5 has been a formidable force when they are locked in.
With Jermaine out trying to get a knee healed, Shaq has been starting and they have been going right to him to start games. Shaq is showing he is still a force when he plants himself near the hoop. Rajon and the rest of the Celtics have been finding him with alley oops, lay-ups and dunks and that draws fouls and the defense in. The rest of the offense then opens up and Rondo has become masterful at finding his open shooters.
Paul Pierce accuracy at career highs right now. Ray right behind.
Paul Pierce is leading the Celtics with 20.6 points per game, at a career high 51.7% and is shooting a career high 47.5% from the three point line, and has a little of Sugar Ray’s magic foul shooting dust rubbing off on him with a career high 92.3% foul shooting percentage. Ray Allen is second in scoring at 17.3, with 47.8% from the floor, 43.9% from the arc, and an identical 92.3% from the foul line.
Kevin Garnett’s game and scowl have returned this season. Oh, the scowl was there last season, but the game wasn’t. Garnett is averaging 9.4 rebounds and 15.7 points a game, while shooting 52% from the field. The Celtics are the most accurate shooting team in the league at 50.5%. Credit that to the improved floor play of Rajon Rondo and a healthy starting unit that seems to know each other better every year.
Add in strong bench play from Glen Davis, Marquis Daniels and a returning Delonte West, you have a difficult team to beat and some say the deepest team of the KG era. Take the games seriously for the full 48 minutes has been an occasional problem.
We should see a more focused team in Toronto. But they may not be at full strength. Rajon Rondo has a strained left ham string injury picked up in the Thunder game, in addition to plantar fasciitis in each foot. He will be a game time decision.
If he doesn’t start, I assume Delonte West will get the nod at point guard and Nate Robinson will come off the bench in support.
The Chris Bosh-less Raptors are going to experience a long year without a solid go-to player, a continuing lack of a defensive mindset, and no strong second options for scoring. One thing they are doing better ‘apres Bosh’, is rebounding. They have a net difference of +2 per game. Reggie Evans has emerged as board eater and is 4th in the league at 11.5 rebounds a game.
The Raptor’s scoring is down to 99.9 per game from 104.1 a year ago. But their defense is somewhat improved at 102.8 points per game and rated 20th best in points allowed per possession. Last season they were at 105.9 points allowed (3rd worse and rated dead last by Basketball reference based on points allowed per possession.)
Andre Bargnani is the team’s top scorer at 21.2 points per game and is followed by a balanced array of young hopefuls in sharp shooting 6’6” Sonny Weems at 14, 6’7” DeMar DeRozen at 13, and 6’8” Lithuanian Linus Kleiza at 11.6.
Raptors Trade
The Raptors just completed a multi-player trade on Saturday. It is one that is meant to benefit the team financially going forward as the Raptors picked up a valuable expiring contract. Starting point guard Jarrette Jack was traded along with center David Anderson, and guard Marcus Banks to the New Orleans Hornets for guard Jerryd Bayless, Peja Stojakovic and his $14.2 million expiring dollars.
To satisfy demands of the league’s arcane salary cap, there are actually two separate parts to the transaction and the Raptors will retain more than $12 million U.S. of the “traded player exception” they got after the departure of Chris Bosh in July.
That means Jose Calderon will be handed the starting point guard position once again. Some thought that the Raptors were showcasing Jack for a trade and that looks more likely now. Calderon is not considered to be as good of a defender Jack is, but runs a team better and is a better outside shooter.
What to Expect
The Celtics usually manhandle the non-physical Raptors and this time should be no different. The younger players on the Raptors will put up a fight, but it will be to little avail, unless the Celtics hit the snooze button again, and wake up too late.
And yes, I am going to say it…that is why they play the games.
These Celtics play the game the right way and play it very well most of the time. They just have to pretend every game is against the Heat. With Halloween excepted, sometimes they aren’t so good at pretend.
Is it the year of the O’Neals, or the semi-year of the O’Neals, or the Semih year?
Jermaine O’Neal will now miss 2-3 weeks to heal his left knee. The Celtics say they won’t seek outside help unless it drags on longer.
It is possible that is all Jermaine needs to get things right. So I understand the Celtics showing patience. Jermaine can still be a force and he and Shaquille O’Neal can be something when they play… together or otherwise.
The Celtics are motoring along at 8-2 and atop the league standings, so they bought themselves some time. As time goes on, the question becomes at whose expense?
Glen Davis has proven to be durable so far, and is having somewhat of a break out season with terrific play at both ends of the floor, but has been logging major minutes to fill in for the O’Neals’ absences.
The team needs to monitor a now healthier Kevin Garnett to keep him right for 82 games. Semih Erden is showing his rookie inexperience and is nursing a tender shoulder himself.
The state of affairs for Celtic big men is rather precarious. I already suggested Josh Boone, who is playing in China, as someone who could help. Closer to home, Erick Dampier is without a home and has been adamantly looking. (Pickings are slim to say the least.)
There must be a reason why no one has picked up the experienced center as every team could use talent at that position. He has been rumored close to signing for a number of teams but has yet to consummate a deal anywhere. He would be a likely suspect.
In the meantime, Shaq had his best outing of the year recently with 18 points and hopefully can log about 20 minutes a game until Jermaine gets back. Otherwise, it will be Semih Erden taking his lumps as he learns the NBA game and Glen Davis moving over to center when neither 7 footer is in.
The Celtics knew full well that keeping the O’Neals healthy was not a likely occurrence for the year. But no one expected this much trouble this early.
Just throwing this out there for more wild speculation….
The Detroit Piston ship is listing in the water and experiencing some rough weather.
Detroit Piston Tayshaun Prince just had a very public heated exchange with his coach John Kuester on the sidelines and Kuester had to be restrained from Prince. Tayshaun was benched for the rest of the half. Things were apparently resolved and Prince did play in the second
half.
Prince is in the final year of an oversized ($11.1 mil) contract. More important, he is the type of defender that the Celtics need, long and tenacious, for Kobe, LeBron, and Carmelo. He may have slowed down a bit, but appears to be an upgrade to anything the Celtics currently have. While his shooting is off right now, he has been a reliable three point shot over his career, has tremendous playoff experience, and is known as a solid locker room guy. Hmm….
Oh that it were possible to get a Prince to defend a ‘king’. Highly unlikely, I know. And the Pistons still have hopes of righting what appears to be a distressed ship with minor mutinies already occurring. Kuester’s has had significant rifts with starting point guard Rodney Stuckey on more than one occasion. He ignored Kuester’s direction in at least one instance, and Prince has directed criticism towards his coach as well.
The Pistons, at best, seem like a .500 club to me. If things get much worse, would they look to make signicant changes?
In the mean time, the Celtics potential needs at center seem to offer limited options in the free agent universe.
Here is hoping for a healthy ‘Year of the O’Neals.’
Paul Pierce is leading the Celtics with 20.2 points per game, is shooting 48.5% from the floor and 44% from the three point line, while hitting foul shots at a Ray Allen-like 92.9%. Those are just excellent numbers. More important he is getting back his confidence and playing the ‘go-to’ role the Celtics need him to play at critical points in games.
Ray Allen on Paul Pierce in Julian Benbow’s article in the Globe…
“It’s great, and he’s taking great care of his body,’’ Allen said. “He’s slimmed down, he’s really focused on his body, and that’s big for the team because we need him on the floor.
Paul Pierce is one of those players who ‘plays bigger’ than he is. That is most of the time. Some times he has been bigger than he probably wanted to be. Paul brings a certain ‘weight’ and swagger to this team that few in this league can, but sometimes weight has been a challenge as well. It has been interesting to watch the Celtics’ newest 20,000 point scorer manage the battle of the bulge over the years.
It was never more evident than the year he sat out with injury while the young Celtics lost 18 games in a row. When Pierce came back just to stop the bleeding and beat San Antonio, he was doing a good John Bagley impression.
Pierce is definitely a guy with a kind of bulky build and he uses that size to his advantage, especially attacking the basket and going after rebounds. When he wants to be, Pierce can be the very best rebounding small forward in the league. Bar none. But it has been a while since we’ve seen that. Now he is back up to 5.7 boards a game, with a 14 rebound performance thrown in just to let us all know he can still be a force there when he needs to be.
His bulk and strength come in especially handy when defending and bodying up built and stacked players like LeBron James. It also helps on the offensive end when backing down opponents on a post up or shoulder bumping his defender back and turning away into a step back jumper or fade away.
But there is a fine line Paul has been walking over the years. Sometime he has been on one side and sometimes tilting a little on the other. He has always amazed me how he can manage to finally get into playing shape every year. But you can notice that he is carrying more weight in recent years than earlier in his career.
I have even said that is Paul’s ultimate enemy and biggest adversary – his own weight. More than any other player in the league, Paul’s body could become the ‘stopper’ than no one else could in the NBA could. It could affect his longevity and certainly his effectiveness as he ages.
After a tough season last year with multiple injuries, some of which may never be known, and an offense that now included Rajon Rondo increasing his shot attempts, Paul just didn’t look the same or play quite the same out there last season. It was hard to assess but his explosiveness seemed diluted. One wondered what the problem was, because you knew there was something missing from Pierce’s game. He just wasn’t that go-to player that the Celtics counted on him to be.
That is why Ray’s comments above enlighten us to a big reason for Pierce’s resurgence. Largely injury free, healthy and in better physical shape. It has been already written that Paul says he has changed his diet and doesn’t eat as much unhealthy food as before.
Whatever the reasons, it is good to see Paul getting back to being the dangerous player at both ends of the floor that the Celtics will need him to be for this crew to really challenge for another NBA title.
From the same article….
On Thursday night, Pierce scored 10 points in the third quarter, when Miami was making its run. He followed up with a postgame swipe at LeBron James, posting a tweet that read, “It’s been a pleasure to bring my talents to South Beach, now on to Memphis.’’
Rivers said it was “Paul’s first game where he was the go-to, takeover-the- team guy, and that’s what we want him to be.’’
Tonight Paul Pierce takes his talents to Memphis at 8:00. The Celtics are starting fast and are 7-2 as they finish this road trip.
The weight now is where we all want it to be and he carries it best…on Pierce’s shoulders, not his hips.
