POST GAME DETROIT

AMAZING WHAT A LITTLE HOME COOKING WILL FIX!

If anything this game was a good game to get the C's rhythm down! Great game by JON, but I got to say he's is a real head case. Bass is becoming more versatile which is great to see. What I like is he is aggressive offensively.

Remember 6PM Game verse Washington New Years Day.

Go Celtics

FG - 35-67 (.522)

3PT - 7-16 (.438)
Paul Pierce returned and all is right with the Celtics world. The captain didn’t try to dominate the action in his first game of the season. Rather he turned in a coolly efficient offensive game that saw him score 12 points on just eight shots with four rebounds and five assists in 23 minutes of work as the Celtics rolled to a 96-85 win.

Pierce’s effect on his teammates was evident. Kevin Garnett threw a blind bounce pass to the wing that found Pierce’s hands. He was once again the bailout option on offense and the ball movement and spacing were much crisper than they had been in the first three games. Also with Pierce back in the lineup, the Celtics were able to play a solid 10-man rotation that included Sasha Pavlovic as the backup guard.

It didn’t click right away but by the third quarter the Celtics had opened up a 25-point lead and looked like a completely different team than the one we saw in the first three games.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

– Jermaine O’Neal had a much-needed breakout performance, scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 29 minutes of work. O’Neal scored in transition and in the half court and more than doubled his point total for the season.

– Ray Allen was 5-for-8 and perfect from the free throw line for 15 points. People expect Allen to make every shot and his greatness is sometimes taken for granted, but even for him his first four games have been tremendous.Allen is shooting 60 percent for the season and hasn’t missed a free throw in 14 attempts.

– The third quarter has been the Celtics’ best by far this season and it was again on Friday when they outscored Detroit 36-21 while shooting 71 percent from the field. They have outscored their opponents, 124-84 in third quarters so far this season.

– Offensive balance — a forgotten concept in the first thee games — made its return to the stat sheet as five different players had at least eight shots and none had more than eleven.

– The reserves were also balanced in a way that made sense. Brandon Bass did most of the scoring with 17 points on just 11 shots, but Keyon Dooling did a fine job running the offense and getting everyone involved with four assists. In other words, the reserve players performed their roles.

– The Celtics got to the free throw line 19 times and made every shot, and more importantly, only allowed 15 to the Pistons. To be sure, Detroit helped immensely by jacking long jump shots, but the Celtics had been -15 at the free throw line through three games.

WHAT WENT WRONG

– Young center Greg Monroe had his way with the Celtics, scoring 22 points. He was too quick for O’Neal and too strong for Greg Stiemsma, who will have his issues in isolation situations against some of the better offensive players in the league. This will be a reoccurring theme throughout the year, and it could have been a lot worse if the Pistons didn’t inexplicably do everything but get Monroe the ball.
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Ainge: Expect Pietrus in mid-January
Posted by Gary Washburn Globe Staff December 30, 2011 12:57 PM

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Globe this morning that newly acquired Mickael Pietrus, who has been slowed after July knee surgery, is likely to be ready for game action by the middle of January, leaving the Celtics thin at small forward/shooting guard for another two weeks.

"I think we're shooting for closer to the middle of the month," Ainge said. "Maybe 10 days to two weeks, something in that neighborhood. With Paul (Pierce) coming back soon, there's no reason to rush him. We have a whole lot of confidence in the rest of the guys on the team and we need to make sure he's ready to play mentally, physically, conditioning and everything."

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ON A SIDE NOTE


Kevin Garnett to get limited stake in Roma

ROME (AP) Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett is about to become a limited shareholder in the American-owned Roma soccer club.
Roma confirmed to The Associated Press that Garnett accepted an offer from James Pallotta, one of the four Boston executives who closed a deal in August to become the first foreign majority owners of a Serie A club.
Pallotta also is a minority owner of the Celtics.
Earlier this year, fellow NBA star LeBron James obtained a small stake in Liverpool from the Fenway Sports Group. The Garnett and James deals are linked because new Roma President Thomas DiBenedetto also is a limited partner in the Fenway group, which owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

112288

I didn't get to see the game. But I like the result.

Hi,
Finally a W.
Great to see PP back on the court. His presence was felt right away.
As for What Went Wrong, IMO, it's RR. Something happened to him. He didn't go to the hoop as much as he did in previous games, at times he was kind of shuffling instead of walking or jogging. I hope it's nothing serious.
In defense of GS. Sure, he'll be pushed around by heavy centers due to the lack of bulk but with experience he will find ways to counteract or minimize it.
Also, very nice PT distribution: all starters are below 30 min, 3 benchers are above 20 min.

AK

Celts a half game out of first in an Atlantic Division whose combined record so far is an awful 5-12. First place team(s) playing at a .333 clip.

This was a must needed win for Boston.

With Paul in the lineup everything runs with percision.

I think that Doc is still experimenting with different combinations, mixing starters with a few rotation players. The team has not really had enough time to blend and as Sam mentioned in one of his many thoughtful posts, it may be February before we can really get a feel for where this team is at.

It was nice to see JON find his offensive game. He played with a lot more energy and determination. The Celtics really need that from him.

Brandon Bass is a beast plan and simple. He has a very effective midrange game as well as the athletic skills and brute strength to score around the basket.

Detroit went after Stiemsma posting him up on multiple possesions. This young man will only get better with playing time beside KG. He plays with a calmness and confidence that is surprising given his limited exposure at this level. I know that Wilcox is the designated BU 5 but GS has made a bid to secure minutes on the floor. This really enhances the 5 spot by utilizing a 3 headed center. I think doc should not hesiatte to rotate his centers in and out of games at the first sign of fatigue.

The prospect of adding Pietrus to the mix is very exciting. MP can flat out play at both ends of the court and while he will BU PP, he will also play along side Paul when Ray is not in the game.

Dooling handles the ball well and is still learning about how to enhance the opportunities of his teammates.

The Celtics are as deep as any team in the NBA. Their depth really reduces the impact of them having so many older players. And Doc seems to have a high level of confidence in using the bench as witnessed thus far.

If Boston can defend on the perimeter and defend the paint they will be one tough out against anybody.

dboss

I started another post-game thread while this one was being posted, so I've deleted my thread and repeated my post below:

The game went pretty much as most thought it should, with the Celtics winning fairly easily. Detroit gained about a dozen points in garbage time, so the final score doesn't reflect how one-sided a contest it was. So far, it's either feast or famine with this team.

Two headlines for this one: the return of the Captain and the emergence of Jermaine O'Neal. Paul looked to me as if he was at three-quarters speed but was using his know-how and a surprisingly sharp shooting touch to make a huge contribution. Part of that contribution won't show in his stat line, as I believe his presence enabled players to focus on their intended roles rather than having to delve into less familiar or comfortable territory to compensate for Paul's absence.

The center position was manned almost exclusively by Jermaine and Stiemsma, with Bass spending only three minutes filling that role. If Stiemsma can just hold his own in a reserve role, Jermaine can post something close to a minimal double double on a regular basis, and the two can protect the basket reasonably well, then the center position will be providing close to what Perk managed to do. The eventual return of Wilcox should bolster the position, although I have no idea to what degree. I much prefer to see Bass operating out of the PF position, moving over to center only in the event of injury.

I'm willing to bet that the catalyst for O'Neal's outburst was something the public will never know about. Doc's recent comment that Jermaine should forget looking at his stats and concentrate, instead, on his play may have been a hint that a few things about Jermaine's role got thrashed out between games three and four. Whatever the dynamics were, the air seems to have been cleared, and let's hope the big guy can consistently play like he did last night.

Watching this game, I had the feeling that guys like Sasha and Quis are still feeling out their roles on offense but are more comfortable in doing so with the bench than as part of the starting unit.

The Celtics' system usually demands that they assist on at least two-thirds of their made field goals in order to succeed. They did so 71% of the time in this game, after averaging 61% in the previous three games. The difference really was Paul Pierce, who contributed five assists. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion (and I bet Bob Heckler would agree) that Dooling's not going to be an assist machine (far from it), although he had four in this game. I believe the key to the playmaking from the bench unit will be to use Dooling and Quis in tandem. It remains to be seen how much Doc will be using a three-guard unit (including Dooling, Quis and Rondo) IF the team remains healthy.

By the way, neither Dooling (15 makes) nor Ray (16 makes) has missed a freebie this season. It's also nice to see two big men (Stiemsma and Bass) with pretty good free throw strokes—a vast improvement over Perk in that department. Over the first four games, the Celtics as a team are shooting 81.1% from the foul line, compared with 77.0% for all of last season. And two of the guys who have dragged the FT percentage down this season (KG, at 50.0% and Quis at 33.3%) are almost bound to improve as the season progresses.

Once again, Johnson and Moore didn't get enough minutes to warrant any evaluation of their performances.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough. Go Celtics, and Happy New Year!

Sam

Injuries are looking to be the Celtics biggest enemy. With everyone healthy and playing at the level they're capable of, this is a dangerous team. That's if they can figure out how to play as a team. There is a lot of experimentation, with a lot of roles and oncourt combinations yet to be settled. The biggest question is, Can Doc pull it off? He has to make it to the playoffs with rested starters, and, with enough bench players contributing, to let the magic happen.

The problem with Doc is that he would prefer to play the starters the full 48 minutes. Last night, Rondo got hurt and hobbled up the sideline to the bench asking to be taken out. Did Doc jump out of his seat and call a time out? Noooo. Doc thought it was more important to maintain a double digit lead and all his timeouts against Detroit in the fourth game of the season than to protect his invaluable, irreplaceable point guard. Priorities, Doc! Look at the big picture. Please. Pretty please with sugar on it.

So far, no doubt because of the lack of training camp, it's been the playground players who've been helping their teams to win. Carmelo, Lebron, they're the kind of guys who play best when there is no cohesive defense facing them, when the guys on the other teams don't know their roles or when and how they can count on their teammates.

That's going to change as this roller coaster season rolls on. The team with the most talent isn't going to win it; it's going to be the team that plays together best. Last night, during one stretch early in the game, Detroit suddenly started playng like they were unstoppable: guys were moving without the ball, flying around on defense, throwing crisp passes, and finishing plays. Too bad they couldn't do it the whole game, every game, because they're not that unlikeable, or should I say, more likeable than most.

Spike,
I noticed the Rondo incident and thought it strange. As I recall, Rondo didn't come out of the game for quite a while. I was wondering whether Rondo might have given Doc a countermanding "Okay" signal or whether the announcers might have misinterpreted his initial signal.

I believe Rondo signaled the bench as the Celtics were transitioning to offense. He caught a pass and immediately passed off. Then I believe there was a missed shot and the Celts went on defense. I didn't think Rondo looked hesitant to blasting through a pick.

So the whole thing's sort of a mystery to me.

Anyway, Happy New Year, Spike.

Sam

Whew! And for a while, I was afraid we were going to get shut out this year (not really). I'll bet some of the Chicken Littles over at BDC really did...

1. FEED JERMAINE. That had to be a conscious, intentional plan going into this game because they got the ball to him every chance they could. More importantly than that, he played like he wanted it. Jumpshots, posting up, he played offense. If we can get even a half dozen boards (last night he had 7) and a dozen points (19, last night) out of him, we should be ok. I'd like more, of course, but I'm trying not to be greedy. The plan, I believe, was to build his confidence by getting him involved early. It worked. Let's see how long the residual effect lasts. JON is now the focal point of the Celtics offense (not really), but it's still very nice to see.

2. RETURN OF THE CAPTAIN. No training camp, no pre-season, miss first 3 games? No problem. An offensively efficient appearance, with 5 assists in only 23 minutes, is just what the doctor ordered.

3. MINUTES. No starter played more than 29 minutes. After burning the candle at both ends for the first 3 games, I'm glad to see this.

4. THE NEWBIES. Perk's nickname was "The Beast". Well, that could be Bass' nickname too. He powered in a two-handed layup (not quite a dunk) over Jason Maxiell, who isn't exactly a 98# weakling, while drawing the defense out with his reliable jumpshot. He's fitting in remarkably fast. Dooling's shooting is better than advertised, his defense is solid too. What improved this game was his floor generalship. He had 4 assists. Without checking, I think that gives him 4 assists for the season. Hopefully, this game indicates he's learning the offensive sets and will only get better in this regard. Sasha had another game better than the last. Relieved of the pressure of having to guard 'Melo and LeBum, he was able to play against players more at his level. Good defense, again, with good offense for most of the game. During garbage time, he got crazy with his shot selection, but when the game was competitive he played within the flow of the offense and got a good 3ptr and a breakaway layup (assist to Pierce).

5. THE ROOKIES. With the exception of The Steamer, Doc only played them for about 3 minutes each. JJJ still looked lost, Moore and Bradley really didn't get a chance to show much. Stiemsma had more of a game that we should have expected. Ok, not great. Monroe's eyes got as big as saucers when he saw Stiemsma guarding him. Then again, they got big as saucers when he saw JON guarding him. An exceptional game by Monroe. Who is that guy? Still, The Steamer was 2-2 from the line (Sam hit that point dead on) and had 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 16 minutes. Give me that from him on a nightly basis, and the dozen/dozen from JON and I'll be ok with our center position. Doc should have put the rookies in earlier. Three minutes doesn't rest the other players much, nor does it give the rookies a chance to develop any rhythm or feel for the game and learn something from it. It was a blowout, Doc, lighten up! I do think, though, that Doc really wanted JON to play more, for confidence-building, and he wanted him to play with the 1st and 2nd units, not the 3rd. Ergo...

6. Only 10 turnovers for the Celtics this game. That's a HUGE drop from what we've seen so far this year. The bench, which played almost as many minutes as the starters this game, only had 3 of those turnovers. Very nice. Very stable. Bass might not get any assists, but he's not racking up turnovers neither and his shooting is putting points on the board and he's corralling boards off of shots.

7. Our defensive rotations were MUCH quicker this game, by all players. We were really getting on people. It wasn't because Stuckey and Gordon were having an "off" shooting night (a combined 5-21), they hit many of their open shots, it was because they didn't have many open shots. Ray Allen, Dooling and Rondo stayed on their shooting hand the whole night. Pierce was right there on Prince. Goooooood defense by us last night.

8. Ray Allen is 16-16 from the ft line this year. He's shooting 58% from 3. He's a machine. It makes me want to shave my head and stop eating red meat too (not really). Dooling, more quietly, has shot 15-15 from the line and 43% from 3. Hell, even Rondo is shooting 67% from the line (as opposed to his career 62%) and is taking almost 2 1/2 times more fta than his career average. I don't know if I want a 67% ft shooter taking more fts (I understand he was carrying the offense in Pierce's absence) but if he is, at least he's hitting a better percentage. If he can go and stay above 70% this season, that's a big jump in this critical category. When Rondo's on the floor, the offense runs better. When Dooling's on the floor, they can't just foul him and put him on the line. We need Rondo's ft% to come up a bit more and Dooling to pass more.

Now, time to chow down on some Wizard meat.

Happy New Year to us, indeed.

bob

.

I only caught the 4th Q last night but finally had a chance to watch the recording.

I thought O'Neal's post game comments were interesting in that he directly took on how he was used in the first three games. His comment was that he got the hook too early in the first three and never got into the flow. Getting more minutes let him get going and he feels that's the difference maker.

Part of O'Neal's comments:

When asked what was the difference; "Playing extended minutes."

"When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow into the game."

IMHO, that's just what Moore and Johnson need so they can be evaluated. It was impossible to draw any conclusion from the 2:32 they played last night at the end of the game, which was simply running the clock out in garbage time.

Happy New Year to all!