Collins On Celtic's

Doug Collins on the Celtics
Link|Comments (1)Posted by Gary Washburn October 24, 2009 12:47 AM
TNT analyst Doug Collins lauded the Celtics and believes, if healthy, they have a good chance to return to the NBA Finals.


Here are his comments:

RE: Rajon Rondo allowing his contract situation to affect his play:

Collins: I don’t think the Rondo situation is a factor at all. When you are Rajon Rondo and you are out on the floor every single night and you are looking to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace not only great players but great competitors who are going to bring it every night. I don’t think that’s going to be a factor. Personally, I was never in that situation as a player so I never had those kind of thoughts. I think he’s going to be fine. He’s coming off a brilliant playoff series. He’s the one guy on that team that gives them speed and enables them to get some easy baskets.

ON RONDO AS A PLAYER:

When I look at Boston, they don’t have great team speed now. And so he’s that guy who gives them that push. And so I think he’s going to be fine. I like Boston’s versatility. I am a big guy, in terms of being a coach. I always look at closing teams. Who can I put out on the floor that could close the last eight minutes of a game? Do I have good defense? And more importantly, do I have the ability to score? Some much is put on defense at the end of the game. But you are not going to pitch a shutout. You got to score.


ON THE WEAPONS LATE IN GAMES:

So if I am Boston and I am Doc Rivers and I know I’ve got Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and/or Kendrick Perkins, I really like my closing team because that team can defend. And if you close with Garnett and Rasheed Wallace and Rasheed is out behind that 3-point line, you’ve got all kinds of spacing to work together. You’ve got a post game now with Garnett being able to throw that ball into the block. And I didn’t even mention the fact that they are probably the best defensive team in the league. They’ve added Marquis Daniels and he gives them a versatile guy off the bench and he can play the 1 or the 2. Shelden Williams gives them another big body. Big Baby played well in the playoffs. This to me is a deep team and they answered some weakness off their bench.

If they stay healthy, I think they have a great chance to get back to the NBA Finals.

Nice words to hear from Mr Collins ... "And I didn’t even mention the fact that they are probably the best defensive team in the league." !!!!!!!!

Collins is an astute observer.

Last year he was doing the 7th game in the Chicago series and with the Celtics up by about eight with three minutes to go, he said that if KG were playing the game would be over because Chicago would have a very hard time scoring. But because KG was out, it was still a game.

This year health will be the key issue. If they can get through the regular season intact, look for some suffocating defensive close-outs come the playoffs.

Look for the Celtic's to have a new look on offense and defense. They have many new players with new weapons and looks. I believe that Doc has not shown his new hand in preseason and will show it Tuesday.

On Collins, he is a pretty fair and balanced guy and I respect his opinions and is a good measuring stick as to what is real.

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