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.
In a highly anticipated game of historic arch rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 90-89 on a Kobe Bryant fade away at the foul line with 7.3 seconds left.
Ray Allen did a strong job of defending Kobe, but Bryant made the clutch shot anyway.
It was the first time the Lakers led in the second half. Unfortunately, it was the only time that really counts. Los Angeles hadn’t led since a Kendrick Perkins dunk tied it up at 40 all with 5:33 left in the second quarter.
So what does this game mean?
Let me put it to you this way…what if Kobe missed and the Celtics won instead? How much different would you be feeling right now?
For me, not much.
Just before Kobe’s big shot, Paul Pierce was called for an offensive foul when he slightly warded off Ron Artest and Artest went for the Academy Award with his reaction, falling away and down. Pierce doesn’t quite get into Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant territory with refs ignoring that contact at that time of the game.
(Remember the Kobe foul on Pierce, that was called a steal, that caused a game impacting turnover with time running out in a previous meeting that was never called? Also recall Rasheed Wallace getting T’d up for saying “And one” after making a basket not so long ago? Kobe did the very same thing in this game with no ref response at all.)
It was Ron Artest. The foul was called. Turnover. Laker ball.
One might question why the Celtics didn’t double Kobe to get the ball out of his hands. Ray was doing a credible job on Kobe the previous few times down the court and Kobe missed his shot each time. But this was with the game on the line. He is their clutch shooter. Maybe it was because they knew they would have a chance to answer.
With 7.3 seconds left, the Celtics had a world of time to tie or take the lead.
The Final Play
As the final play developed, it wasn’t a bad play. They went for the win with a three point shot.
Pierce took the in bounds pass and headed over to right top of the arc. Ray Allen came up and screened off Paul’s defender for a moment and continued on across the court to behind the left top three point line.
Pierce continued to move toward the hoop with two defenders on him, so he threw across the top to Ray, who was open for a second, but had Lamar Odom closing in on him as he shot.
Like another recent game where Ray was shooting poorly, but hit the game winner, Ray put it up. Up to that moment, Ray Allen was 2 for 9 in this game. Let the record show, he finished 2 for 10, 0-6 from the arc, and just 7 points. It was a shot that Ray Allen has made many times before. It bounced off as time ran out. Ball game over. Lakers win.
So, again, what do you take from this game?
It was a closely contested game between two teams that were evenly matched for this game. I didn’t see a clear cut winner either way.
Both teams played hard. Some players played well. Others didn’t. I know one thing. The Lakers didn’t look unbeatable.
Boston was home and needed this game more than the Lakers did. But Boston hasn’t been playing well for a while. They played pretty well against the NBA Champions, all things considered.
If you think ‘I/we’ should be in panic mode after this game, I disagree.
I expected the Lakers to win this game. I didn’t expect the Celtics to control the game as well as they did for as long as they did.
The Celtics fought back from 13 down early to take 10 and 11 points leads. The Lakers fought back to win at the end.
Both teams shot fairly well with pretty serious defense in their face. They were both over .500 shooting in the first half and the Lakers finished at .479 to the Celtics .466.
Laker Big Men
Of concern for the Celtics was the efficiency of the Lakers’ big men in the paint. The Lakers scored 50 points in the paint to the Celtics 42.
Andrew Bynum had a big first quarter with 12 points and finished with 19 and 11 rebounds. Pau Gasol was held in check with just 11 points in 40 minutes but had 11 rebounds and played solid defense on KG who took just 9 shots, making 5 for 10 points.
Kendrick Perkins was blocked 3 three times and Bynum had an impressive dunk over KG and behind Perkins after Perkins went out to cover Kobe and didn’t quite get back in time.
Perkins finished with 10 rebounds, 8 points and no blocks in 30 plus minutes.
The Celtics overcame one of their ongoing weaknesses by out rebounding the Lakers 39 to 36, and on the offensive boards with 10 to 8. But they continued to be careless with the ball with 18 turnovers. The Lakers were only somewhat better with 15 TOs.
Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 21 points and 12 assists (10 in the first half). Paul Pierce supported with 15 points and three big three pointers in the first half even after sitting for a long spell with two early fouls.
That allowed Tony Allen to get major playing time (25 plus minutes) and Tony played extremely well. He defended Bryant as well as anyone could possibly expect and scored 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting
How the game went
Rajon Rondo had a spectacular game to get the Celtics ahead and keep them there for most of the game.
The Celtics started out down by as many as 13 points in the first quarter as the Lakers led after one 30-19.
Gasol rebounded a missed Paul Pierce three pointer and Rondo knocked down his pass and recovered it, taking it in for the score to get within 40-38. Shortly after, Rajon drives and dishes to Perkins for the dunk, game tied at 40.
Over all, the Celtics went on a 23 point swing from 30-17 until they went up 52-42 before the Lakers scored the last two baskets of the first half.
During that time Tony Allen came in for Pierce and played well. He even had a fantastic block of Kobe at the rim. It resulted in a fast break for the Celtics with Rondo getting it to Glen Davis. Davis was blocked by Artest, but Davis scrambled to the ground for the ball and called time out.
On the inbound, Rondo passed to Paul Pierce for three. Celtics were up for the first time, 43-40. From there, Pierce kept getting open on the weak side three point line and hit two more threes.
Rondo was ‘driving and kicking’ in the first half. Rajon was more of a shooter in the second half as Kobe was laying off him.
Rasheed Wallace didn’t score his first points of the game until 6:35 were left and he hit a big three pointer to extend the Celtic lead to 84-78.
Ron Artest didn’t score well. But he was involved in two of the biggest plays of the game.
He went just 4 for 12, but he had a huge basket driving around KG and hitting a runner over Perkins to get within one point at 88-89. Then he drew the offensive foul on Pierce. That set up the game winning situation.
Do the Celtics have something to worry about? Yes they do.
The Celtics are now 6–11 since beating Orlando on Christmas Day. They have a number of things to worry about.
But this game they actually played pretty well, considering what we have been witnessing of late.
The bench players still have to give them more, especially Glen Davis.
After a fast start on his return, Glen has struggled rebounding and offensively.
Ray Allen has been the healthiest, but has been inconsistent offensively.
Kevin Garnett is still not back completely and one wonders just how ‘back’ he will get.
There is something missing from this team at this point.
It must be noted what a bright spot Tony Allen has been in a difficult time. Who would have thought I’d be writing that sentence a few months ago?
With questions about the stars’ age and health, and the inconsistent over all play of the team, one wonders if Danny will make a play for a strong addition to the team before the February 18 deadline.
Next up: Washington Wizards in DC on Monday night.
More important, the Boston Celtics were just swept in their season series with division rival Atlanta Hawks 4-0.
Boston started strong, lost an early lead, got down around 10 points, came back to within one point and faded….and lost….again, 100-91.
Jamal Crawford has become the new Celtic killer, scoring 28 points in 39 minutes off the bench. With Crawford averaging 20 points against them this year, it appears that the Celtics haven’t figured out a way to guard him.
Joe Johnson saved the best for last, scoring 16 of his 27 points in the decisive 4th quarter as the Hawks overcame a pretty good Celtic defense to pull away for the win.
There are all kinds of reasons why it happened and most of them are valid. But it is getting to be an old story at this point.
Multiple Choice
The reason(s) the big Green Machine is sputtering this year and even when healthy, are that they are:
1) maddeningly inconsistent.
2) too full of themselves
3) too confident in relation to their abilities
4) too injured to tell anything real
5) infected with Detroit-itis.
6) All of the above
But they haven’t been healthy for very long this season. The question is…When will they be? Kevin Garnett is putting on a bold front and had a healthy line score tonight. He is active on the court and makes the Celtics a better team. But he is not whole. He can’t play 40 plus minutes anyway.
Before anyone gets too riled up, the Celtics starters out scored the young athletic Hawk starters, and they outscored them by 10 points when Garnett was on the floor. Let that set in before you declare wholesale changes are in order. On the other hand…
Boston…We Have a Problem
Games like these can actually be a good thing.
It lets you know a few things much more clearly. Does this sweep mean anything come playoff time?
Contrary to what the Celtic players will tell you, it can and most likely will…at least to the Hawks. Making whatever excuse you want about the first three games this year, winning 4 in a row against a feisty Celtic team and controlling the game as well as they did in this contest means something.
I won’t call Jamal Crawford the new Andrew Toney or Vinnie Johnson,…yet. But he has become something of a modern Celtic killer. If you think his game is one dimensional, as it can be at times, try 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and yes, I think I also caught him playing some defense out there. We have the tape to prove it.
The Hawks were a ridiculous +20 during Jamal’s 39 minutes in the game. He not only scored against the Celtics’ futile bench in this contest, he scored plenty against the starters as well.
Crawford has scored 18, 17 18 and 28 against the Celtics. If you are wondering what would happen if Marquis Daniels were here, Daniels played in the first game when Crawford scored 18.
Still, I’d like to see what happens with a healthy Marquis Daniels back.
When in Rome
Taking a page out of Mike Woodson’s book, Doc went exclusively to Paul Pierce early in the 3rd period. As in the old days, (like last year even) Pierce went to work one on one to great effectiveness. He finished with a season high 35 points on 11 of 15 shooting, 1 of 1 three pointers, and paraded to the line like the old days, making 12 of 13 free throws.
Paul scored 14 3rd quarter points for 28 total points heading into the 4th quarter.
But only Garnett supported in double figures with 15 points. KG added 7 rebounds, a block and a steal. His defense was active, if not always quick. Getting better, but still not what he assume to get from Garnett.
The Hawks ran often in the first half scoring 22 points on breaks. They finished with 29 to the Celtics 8 on the run.
The other big discrepency was in points off turnovers. The Hawks had 24 points (off 16 TOs) to the Celtics 10 (off 14 TOs).
The Celtics shot just .419 on the evening to the Hawks .474. Free throws are about even (Celtics advantage, 30-27) as were rebounds (Hawks advantage, 39-35)
Kendrick Perkins had 12 rebounds and 8 points in 24 minutes.
Ray Allen was just 4 for 13 for 9 points in 36 minutes with a rebound, 2 assists, a steal and two blocked shots.
Rajon Rondo did not attack the middle for extended portions of the game, probably because of 3 of 13 shooting, but handed off or passed off after crossing half court. He finished with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and 4 turnovers. He did not get to the line and had 4 turnovers on the evening.
Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, Eddie House and Glen Davis were on the floor for much of the Hawks damage. Center Zaza Pachulia gave the Hawks a big lift as well with 9 points on 4 of 5 shooting, and some physical play inside, while grabbing 6 rebounds.
Mike Bibby was on the floor for just 8 plus minutes with 4 fouls, zero assists and 2 points.
Josh Smith and Al Horford were solid at the defensive end and Smith had 4 blocks, in addition to solid defense in the middle.
It is beginning to smell like a rivalry to me.
It was a testy game with a number of hard fouls, some woofing on both sides, and 3 technicals called.
Things can change quickly in this league and often do. But it looks more and more like this team needs something to change the continuing losses to teams that they could be beating.
That is not to take anything away from the Hawks. They are looking better and better. But the Celtics bench could use some reinforcement, or at least some improvement in order for this team to be able to confidently compete for a title this season.
Rasheed is up and down. Davis isn’t playing very well yet. Eddie is up and down. Only Tony Allen has surprised in a pleasant way.
Their next game is Sunday afternoon against the Lakers in Boston. Even more will be learned in that game.
In an exciting, defensive oriented playoff intensity basketball game, the Magic ended a mini 2 game Celtic winning streak that began once Kevin Garnett returned to the Boston line up.
That the winning basket was scored when Rashard Lewis made a drive past KG with 1.3 seconds left, lets us know that KG is still not completely healed. A healthy Garnett would never have let that happen.
KG finished with just 6 points on 2 of 8 shooting, 7 rebounds, and two steals. Sporting a slight limp, it appears that it will take a while for KG to get back to normal.
‘T’ Party
There were some early fireworks, as Matt Barnes and Paul Pierce went head to head, literally, after Pierce put a bear hug on Dwight Howard underneath the hoop in the first quarter to stop a dunk. After a few nose-to-nose words were exchanged, Pierce pushed Barnes away with his hand to Barnes face. Both received technical fouls, but the game’s intensity amped up after that.
Shortly after, Kendrick Perkins was about get verbal with the refs about something, and Kevin Garnett gathered Perkins and the rest of his teammates together on the floor to get everyone to calm down and stay focused.
It worked for three quarters. In spite of a 31 to 11 free throw attempt deficit, due largely to Howard getting the Celtics’ bigs in foul trouble, the Beantown Ballers led the entire time. Rasheed Wallace was playing a solid game and his shot was clicking. Sheed went 3 of 5 from downtown, but had some ‘post up’ points as well.
Wallace finished second in scoring with 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting, and had 3 steals, and a blocked shot, but just 2 rebounds. He received a technical foul for saying “And one” after making a basket because he felt he was fouled on the shot.
Paul Channels Ray?
Paul Pierce found it hard going with three of his shots getting blocked. Reminiscent of Ray Allen, Pierce was off with his shot all night, going just 2 of 11 shooting before hitting a huge clutch three pointer to recapture a 92-91 lead with just 1:21 left. Paul was 5 of 5 from the line, had 4 assists. But he also had 4 turnovers.
Then Sheed made a great play as he blocked Vince Carter on a drive. Shortly after, Rasheed knocks the ball loose from Vince and Rondo dove to recover it while calling time out.
Then Rajon Rondo made it 94-91 blowing by J.J. Redick on a hard drive and banking in a lay up. Redick actually played fairly good defense for much of the night, but can’t handle Rondo.
Redick returned the favor with a deep three pointer to tie the game at 94 and 41.4 seconds left. Ray got lost covering Redick, and KG jumped out but was too late as the shot drained.
In a tightly defended sequence, Redick wanted to get the ball to Vince Carter who was had Paul Pierce draped all over him. All other options were defensed well until Lewis lost Ray Allen and came up to the circle to receive the pass. Garnett stayed with him until he finally cut a corner made the lay up to win. Wallace was a bit late coming over to help defend the paint.
With 1.3 seconds left, Wallace air balled a three pointer from the top as time expired.
Twin Towers – Magic Style
Orlando, in a surprise move, played their twin towers, Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat together in the 4th quarter. It worked far too well, as the Magic came alive in a game that, up until then, was controlled by the Celtics.
Gortat guarded Garnett mostly and Howard had Perkins and then Sheed. They both caused much havoc for the Celtics, as the Cs had only 24 points in the paint for the contest.
Kendrick Perkins got in foul trouble in the first quarter and never got out, finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds in just 15 plus minutes.
Orlando came back from a 12 point, 3rd quarter deficit (73-61) to outscore the Celtics 35-22 to win the game.
Van Gundy also replaced starting point guard Jameer Nelson with Jason Williams for the entire 4th quarter and J.J. Redick replaced an ineffective Vince Carter.
Ray Allen led the Celtics in scoring with 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting, making 4 of 8 three pointers, but took only one shot in ten minutes, without scoring, in the 4th quarter.
Boston applied a Celtic-like defense to the Magic for three quarters, holding them to 2 of 15 from the three point arc, while limiting Dwight Howard and the rest of the Magic inside. Dwight Howard was limited to 6 shot attempts, while going 2 of 8 on free throws for 8 total points through three quarters.
Were those ‘Go To’ Moves I Saw?
But it was something of an eye opening game. If I’m not mistaken, I think we were watching the birth of Dwight Howard’s first ‘go to’ moves…ever. After getting shut down by Perkins in last years’ playoffs, he vowed to improve his offense. He has been developing his moves as the season has worn on. It seems to finally be paying off.
He scored on Kendrick Perkins. He scored on Rasheed Wallace. He scored when the Magic badly needed someone to score. The Celtics’ defense had been superb for 3 quarters, holding Orlando to 61 points and an anemic .351 shooting.
Dwight Howard was their 4th quarter ‘go to’ guy and dropped in 11 of his 19 points them including a variety of moving hooks, with and without spin moves, over both Perk and later Sheed.
The other Magic player that heated up was Rashard Lewis. He scored 23 points to lead all scorers and had 16 points in the second half.
Orlando Magic survived a one assist first half (Orlando record) and came from 16 down to beat the Celtics.
Rajon Rondo had another solid game with 11 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Glen Davis also had three shots blocked as Gortat and Howard combined for 7 total blocks. Glen finished with 5 boards and 6 points.
So Boston was squeezed by Orlando’s big men in the 4th and couldn’t maintain the game long lead.
They are now 29-14, while their conference rival, the Magic are 30-16.
The Los Angeles Clippers tried an interesting strategy to start the game. Baron Davis posted up Rajon Rondo multiple times in hopes of putting him on the bench with early foul trouble. It didn’t work, but more on that in a minute.
The big news is that Kevin Garnett is back and so are the missing 48 minutes of Celtic defense. They held the Clips to 89 points and .388 shooting on the night. And that is after holding Portland to .382 shooting in KG’s first game back.
This is the first time this season they have held their opponents under 40% shooting for two straight games. That is the difference having a healthy Kevin Garnett makes.
Except for three straight three point desperation bombs in the last 31 seconds of the game that kept the Clippers hopes alive, the Clips would have barely scored 80 points in the game. That would have been 16 below their average.
Boston repaid the Clippers for Baron Davis’ buzzer beating, step back jumper that stole a win away the last time these two teams met. Buzzer beater not needed this time.
The Celtics gained a lead they stretched to 8 points in the third quarter and held on the rest of the way.
Paul Pierce led all scorers with 22 points, on 5 of 10 shooting and a perfect 11 for 11 from the three throw line. He added 5 boards, 2 assists, and 5 TOs. Paul had a big three pointer on a save and a pass from Ray Allen to make it 80-73.
There were a number of times in the game where the Celtics displayed tremendous and unselfish passing.
Not Hack-a-Rondo – Attack-a-Rondo
Rajon Rondo has been a Celtic workhorse and the Celtics second leading scorer over the last nine games at 17.4 points, while averaging 41.2 minutes. Rajon scored 16 points, dished 12 assists and grabbed 7 rebounds, logging 42:19 in this one.
Without anyone remotely close to Rajon’s skill at distributing the ball when he sits, the Celtics are a different team with Rondo off the floor. With Garnett out, Rivers relied on Rondo even more than usual. The Clippers tried going at Rondo in the first quarter with the bigger and stronger Davis posting Rondo in hopes of drawing a couple of fouls that would send Rondo to the bench.
Rondo ended the quarter with no fouls while Baron Davis went 2-5 and 7 points. Paul Pierce got the Celtics started with 8 first quarter points. Both teams turned the ball over and shot poorly to begin the game with the score just 19-17 Clippers and both team shooting under 40% as the quarter ended.
Celtics Start Out Defensive
The Celtics set a strong defensive tone with Kendrick Perkins and Garnett patrolling the paint. They held the Clips to 32 points in the paint, while scoring 42 of their own. The Clippers are the second best shot blocking team in the league (6.2) but got only two this game.
Perkins Out Plays Kaman in Rematch
Perkins made sure Chris Kaman didn’t have another game like last time when he scored 27 points on him and grabbed 12 boards. This time he held Kaman to 10 points on 5 of 19 shooting with 9 boards. Kendrick was a bear on the boards himself with 15 in this contest, while blocking 2 shots and scoring 9 points.
Clippers Break Away, then Celts Run Back
The Clippers broke open a tight game with a 7-0 run to start the second quarter against Boston’s second unit. Bill Walker got some early playing time, but fouled Rasual Butler on a three point attempt. Baron Davis made a jump shot while Mardy Collins made a driving dunk to go up 26-17 in the first 2 minutes of the quarter.
6’ 6” Mardy Collins was in opposite 6’ 0” Eddie House and the Clippers held a 7-9 point lead until about the 4 minute mark of the second quarter.
Behind Rondo, Cs Kick It to Finish Strong
With the score 38-29, the Celtics went on a 14-4 run to go ahead. They finished the second quarter on a Rondo flurry, as he stole the ball twice and finished once with a driving left handed lay up that started way down at his hip, to take the lead at 43-42. Kaman closed the half with a jumper, to temporarily retake the lead, 44-43. Rondo hit what would have been a three point shot right after the buzzer sounded to end the half.
Ray Allen hit his two three pointers and Ray and Paul were the leading scorers at the half with ten each.
Strong Third Quarter
Unlike their pattern with KG out, the Celtics came out strong in the third quarter, scoring 6 straight points on an 8-2 run, to go up 51-46. The Celtics outscored the Clippers 21 to 15 with Rondo getting three lay ups including a classic ‘give and go’ with Baron Davis guarding him on the right side. KG took the pass and picked Davis off after he gave it back to Rondo for an easy two.
“Did That Just Happen?”
Ray Allen did a 360 degree spin move as he went to the hoop for a lay up early in the third to put Boston up 47-44. Kevin Garnett up faked Camby out of the gym and drew the foul on a dunk as Camby tried to recover to make the score 53-48.
Rondo Growing Stronger Every Game
Rondo continues to grow his game and his impact on the court as he outplayed the wily vet Baron Davis. Rondo’s effectiveness in running a team and his own scoring ability just solidifies more each game. His chemistry with Kevin Garnett on fast breaks is outstanding and he works to look inside for a cutting Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins on a regular basis.
Rajon still favors driving and kicking it out to Ray and Paul for the three pointers or drawing the defense to free them up to operate as they see fit. Occasionally, Rondo passes up a lay up he should just take, as his pass ends up as a turnover or a more difficult shot for someone else. Mostly, he is right on with his decision making.
Rajon missed two foul shots, but hit two clutch ones the Celtics needed at the end, when the Clips were trying to close the gap and finished 4 for 6 at the line. Rondo was 6 of 8 from the field with what is getting to be a normal assortment of difficult lay ups that he seems to make on a regular basis.
He and Perkins shut down Baron Davis and Chris Kaman, after both players had big games the last time the two teams met.
“Perkins and I were laughing before, for some reason our two guys got off last game, and we knew that we had to step up and take the challenge,” Rondo said. “At the end of the day we had to man up and try and get stops. Perk and I were talking and we pride ourselves on defense.”
Garnett Getting There
Kevin Garnett looked good and fluid on the court. There were no signs of lingering effects from his hyperextended knee. He played 30 plus minutes, shooting 7 of 12 for 17 points in support of Pierce. Garnett only grabbed 2 rebounds and had 2 assists, as the Clippers out rebounded the Celtics 48-43. But the Cs were virtually even with the Clippers in rebounding after the first quarter.
And the Celtics did not let the long frontline of the Clippers get anything easy. Camby (1 for 7) and Kaman combined to shoot 6 for 26. That is due to Garnett being back. He just competes on every play. His intensity is crazy. I don’t know of another player today like him. Together, Perkins and he are a force.
Boston Thievery
The Celtics had 10 thefts total and are second in the league in steals (8.8), led by league leader Rondo, who added 4 more last night, while Ray Allen added 3, and Tony Allen had 2 more.
Bench Falters, Recovers
After that early second quarter let down, the Celtics bench players held their own the rest of the way. After being unable to generate a cohesive, purposeful offense initially, Doc called a time out and ran a play to free Eddie House for a jump shot. That got the unit going better.
Rasheed Wallace played tight defense on Kaman and Camby and he hit a three pointer to open the 4th quarter. Wallace had just 5 points and 4 rebounds in 17 plus minutes.
Glen Davis continues to find it difficult to rebound, finishing with 2 and 2 points in 15 minutes. His defense was excellent.
Ray Allen finished with 15 points on 5 of 14, but just 2 of 7 from the three point line. Ray added 6 rebounds, 4 assists, to go with his three steals in 39 plus minutes.
Tony Allen had 5 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, to go with his two steals in just 10 plus minutes.
The Clippers have given the Celtics trouble. They are becoming a better team and this win shouldn’t be taken lightly in light of the Celtics recent troubles. But bigger fish are just around the corner.
Three Davis’ in this game
Besides Baron and Glen, Ricky Davis played and scored12 points off the bench. Craig Smith had 13 points and ten straight for the Clippers at one point.
Big Week Ahead
That the Celtics don’t play very well without Garnett is disappointing. That they look so good so soon with him is heartening.
They have a number of big games coming up with the Magic and the Hawks away, before returning home for their biggest game of the season against the Lakers on Sunday at 3:30 on national TV.
It seemed like old times…like last year, or even the Championship year.
Kevin Garnett played for the first time in 10 games and the Celtics walked off their home court with an overtime win over the Portland Trailblazers, 98-95.
Cold Ray Heats Up.
Ray is off…until he is on. Ray Allen was back to his fearsome clutch shooting as he drained the game winning three pointer after going just 2 for 13 until that shot. How many times has he done just that? Shot terribly all night, but hit the big one to win the game?
Ray finished with just 9 points, and was out of sync all game with his shot. He even missed two fouls, clanging a technical free throw badly earlier in the OT. It didn’t look like Ray out there, until he shot the ball with 40 seconds left and the Celtics down 95-93.
Ray circled all the way around the court to take a pass at the top right side from Rajon Rondo, and squared up the winner. He got wide open by losing Rudy Fernandez underneath the rim and then Garnett picked Rudy off as he tried to recover. Ray couldn’t throw it in the ocean until that shot. He missed some lay-ups, wide open mid range jumpers and 4 previous three pointers in the contest.
Paul Pierce led the team with 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting, but had already fouled out with 1 second left in regulation on a charge against Andre Miller, while attempting to drive for the winning shot. That is a big strength of this team. The Celtics have two or three guys who can make that kind of shot under pressure. Pierce goes out, chalk up clutch shooter number two.
Happy Ending
It ended happily and the Celtics played better over the entire game than they have in most of the previous 12 games, where they went 4-8, including 3 straight home losses. This game wasn’t easy by any stretch, but they broke the home court slide. They hadn’t lost 3 straight at home since 2007.
Work to Do
When all is said and done though, I felt like I was watching a team that has a lot of work to do to get back to top form. They opened up an 11 point lead in the first half at 42-31 on Ray Allen drive with 7:54 left and still led 47-36 on another Ray Allen lay up.
At that point, the Blazers went on an 11-2 run to close within 48-50 with 1:17 left in the half. Paul Pierce responded with a driving lay up, and then made a great play.
Heads Up Plays by Ray and Paul
Ray Allen tied up Rudy Fernandez in the key for a jump ball. Ray won the jump sending the ball to Pierce. Paul immediately threw it down court to a streaking Rondo for a lay up ‘and one’… thank you very much.
LeMarcus Aldridge made a hook shot to reduce the Celtics lead to 55-50 at half time. Aldridge finished with 19 points and ten boards.
Fighting Foul Trouble Kendrick Perkins got into early foul with Perkins having to sit down with just over 4 minutes gone with his second foul. He came back for only a few minutes in the second quarter before picking up his 3rd foul and sitting back down.
Kevin Garnett also had 3 fouls in the first half, all of them in the last 3 minutes of the half. KG finished with 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots in 30 plus minutes.
Not a Title Contending Team Right Now
The team clearly played a more consistent game with him there, but still were just barely able to eke out a win. I got the feeling that they are still figuring things out. I saw a team not playing with anywhere near the sharpness nor killer instinct of the last two years.
Portland – The Most Injured NBA Team
The Portland squad is playing with far more of their team on the shelf. They are down their best player in Brandon Roy, are missing their two best big men in Greg Oden and Joel Pyrzbilla (both out for year with injuries). Sharp shooting Travis Outlaw is out with foot surgery. Solid defender Nicholas Batum is out after shoulder surgery.
The Blazers lost Jerryd Bayless after 20 minutes to a turned ankle. Still they gave the Celtics everything they could handle. The Celtics look far from a title contending team right now.
Andre Miller Steps Up
Andre Miller had his best game of the season, scoring at will it seemed. No one could contain his drives and he was hitting his short jumper at times. Andre came close to a triple double as he led Portland with 28 points, and had 8 rebounds and 8 assists. He also two steals and 6 turnovers.
There was a time, pre Kevin Garnett, that the Celtics almost traded for Miller from the Denver Nuggets a few years ago, but changed their mind at the last minute, leaving the Nuggets with Earl Watson, who they just acquired and really didn’t need once the trade fell through.
Miller was also instrumental in the 76ers success of the past few years. Yet, he has only won the starting point guard job from Steve Blake in Portland just recently. He was clearly Portland’s best player on the court in this game.
Rondo, Rondo, Rondo
Rajon Rondo had another strong game with 19 points on 9 of 14 shooting, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Rajon also had another game with too many turnovers, which is generally unlike him. He finished with 6, including a few more where he leads the interior cutter too much. He did that with Perkins and Pierce on two straight plays. Overall, he has an excellent assists-to-turnover ratio (3.7-1).
Rondo/KG Chemistry Still There
Rondo lost no time in rediscovering chemistry with Kevin Garnett. Rondo kept feeding a running Kevin Garnett with some picture perfect passes for dunks in transition. KG returned the favor after getting a pass from Pierce on the left side of the paint. He spun to the middle, drawing a double team from Rondo’s defender and laid it off to a cutting Rondo for an easy two, making the score 89-81 at the time.
Rondo also had a sensational steal on a tipped back rebound that he immediately had to go behind the back as he split two Blazers and continued up court for a fast break lay up to go up 91-86.
He almost had the rebound of the night after chasing the ball down after Pierce missed a jumper with 18 seconds left in regulation. Unfortunately, the Celtics were unable to convert when Pierce had the offensive foul with one second left.
Wait. There’s more. Overtime Thrills
Both teams were missing shots to start the OT. Rajon hit the first points on overtime with a little jumper making the score 93-91 with two minutes gone.
Then 36 year old Juwan Howard, now the Blazers starting center, tipped in a Miller miss to tie, and Miller made a lay up to give Portland their last lead at 95-93 setting up Ray Allen’s dramatic three pointer.
The Celtics closed things out when Tony Allen harassed Aldridge into saving a loose ball to Ray Allen who passed it ahead to a motoring Tony Allen for a dunk to end the scoring.
Deju Vu….Perkins says….Not.
The Blazers were facing a similar situation to the Celtics when they alley ooped the ball to Rondo with .6 seconds left for a miraculous Celtic win previously.
In Blazer attempt to run the same play, Kendrick Perkins was alert and made a great play to stop the pass to LeMarcus Aldridge at the rim sending the game to over time.
Kendrick was his usual grimacing self with 5 fouls overall, but had 11 rebounds, 4 points on only two shots in 28 minutes, with two blocked shots, a steal, and managed to keep it down to one turnover.
Celtics Bench Outscores Blazers 29-11
With all the foul trouble in big man land, Rasheed Wallace played 29 plus minutes, scoring 14 points on 6 of 13 shooting, but just 2 of 7 from the three point line. He added 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot while playing solid defense on the Portland big men.
Tony Allen was solid off the bench with 8 points on 4 of 5 shooting and some good defense against Miller. Glen Davis took one shot in 18 minutes for 2 points, played good defense, and grabbed 2 rebounds. Eddie House scored 5 points in 18 minutes on 2 of 7 shooting, while adding 3 assists, a rebound and a steal.
Celtic Defense Solid Except for Rebounding
They held the Blazers to a Celtic-like .382 shooting percentage, 91 points in regulation and 95 overall. They gave up only 32 points in the paint and 10 fast break points, but Portland had 16 offensive boards, keeping them in the game by scoring 22 second chance points to the Celtics 8 on 6 offensive boards.
Portland also had 22 points off turnovers to the Celtics 14.
Boston pounded it inside for 56 points in the paint and shot .487 on the night.
So, it wasn’t impressive. But it was a start in the right direction. But the road to a tight team that could contend for another title is just beginning…I hope.
There is something uninspiring about the over confident attitudes and lack of urgency that has been displayed this season, especially since they started losing.
Let’s see if KG’s return signals a turnaround.
Next up: Los Angeles Clippers come to Boston on Monday for a 7:30 game
This is a recent interview with Shelden Williams from Jay King.
Rasheed Wallace was back from injury, and to Shelden Williams that meant he might not leave the bench against the Dallas Mavericks. But there he was, an hour or so before the game, shooting free throw after free throw at the home team’s basket.
He knew he probably wouldn’t get a chance to shoot a free throw in the game. Hell, he knew he probably wouldn’t get a chance to even play in the game.
But that wasn’t an excuse to be unready.
“Whenever my name is called, I’ve got to get ready and stay ready,” Williams said. “Whether I play 5 minutes or 20-plus minutes, I have to approach every game like I’m still going to play.”
With Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace both healthy and Kevin Garnett seemingly on the mend, Williams’ playing time will likely continue to be limited. Going into each game, he doesn’t know when, or if, he’ll be called upon to contribute. He knows there’s a possibility, maybe even a likelihood, that he won’t get a chance to take off his warm up jersey.
Still, he understands why.
“It’s the situation I’m in, playing behind All-Star caliber guys,” he said. “You’ve got to understand the situation I’m in, who I’m playing behind and the team that we have, what we’re trying to accomplish.
“As a competitor, you always want to go out there and compete, and play, but you have to understand the situation.”
In a different situation, perhaps, Williams could play a fair share of minutes. Even in his limited role this season, Williams has shown the ability to contribute to an NBA roster. He is an ox on the glass, always active around the paint, and a strong and willing defender.
In Boston, though, Williams has been relegated mostly to the bench. After brief spells of semi-regular minutes during Davis’ and Wallace’s injuries, Williams has returned to basketball no-man’s land and his spot on the end of the bench.
Not that he’d want it any other way.
“This is the first time since I’ve played professionally that I’ve been on a winning team,” Williams said. “I’m happy with the way things are here.
“This is a team that’s used to winning, that has a chance to win every single game that we play. We’re competing for something bigger at the end of the day.
“Everything is fun around here, but at the same time people get their work done.”
And so does Williams. Even if he knows he probably won’t play. Even if he knows his pregame work could be the most extensive sweat he has the entire night.
“If it happens, I’ll be ready,” Williams said about the opportunity to play.
