POST GAME NEW YORK

Well, had to suffer through listening to the two jerks for almost 3 hours! Celtics lacked energy in the first half and despite a better second half, Rondo should not have had as many minutes tonight. I think Bradley deserved more minutes for his play the last 8 games, and Moore should have had some minutes as well. Some times I don't get Doc. As for Rondo, he was not ready tonight and was still favoring his injury. I do not know if other have picked this up in the game, but at least on offense the Celtics seem to have more energy and creativity with Bradley in the game. It just appears to me that the team kind of waits and sees what Rondo is going to create verses all the players moving and creating when Bradley is in.

Any way, Good Win against the hated Knicks!!!!!! PP WAS JUST SENSATIONAL!!!! Remember 12 Noon start on Sunday..............GO PATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

112288

RECAP ESPN BOSTON


HOW THE GAME WAS WON
With Rajon Rondo back in the starting lineup, Paul Pierce kicked it back into scorer mode, connecting on 8-of-22 shots (including 4-of-11 beyond the 3-point arc) while scoring a game-high 30 points (to go along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists) over 43 minutes as the Celtics overcame a 12-point, second-half deficit. Pierce might have had three more points, but video replay wiped out what was originally scored a made triple with 16.1 seconds to go in a one-point game. Boston's defense came up with two big stops (Pierce making a free throw in between) to hang on. Ray Allen started slow (2-of-5 shooting for 5 points through three quarters), but caught fire in the final frame, converting a pair of big 3-pointers and a baseline layup to finish with 14 points. Carmelo Anthony paced the Knicks with 26 points, while Tyson Chandler added 20 points and 11 assists.

TURNING POINT
The Celtics had whittled as much as a 12-point deficit down to a bucket with little more than eight minutes to play and it was clear they simply wanted it more than the Knicks when it mattered most. During one sequence, Pierce won a footrace to a loose ball in the backcourt then, after a miss, Chris Wilcox pried the ball loose from a Knicks player before getting fouled going up with it under the basket. His free throws tied the game at 75. The next possession down, Wilcox got on the ground to force a jump ball. The Celtics didn't pull ahead until Ray Allen's 3-pointer with 4:24 to play (thanks in part to Rondo's hustle to force the Knicks to fumble the ball out of bounds right before the trey), but it was clear from that sequence that Boston would not be denied. The Celtics dominated what we like to call the WIM category (wanted it more) in the fourth quarter.

MILESTONE MOMENT
Kevin Garnett became only the third player in NBA history to register 10,000 defensive rebounds with his fourth of the night late in the first quarter. He joins Karl Malone and Robert Parish as the only other members in that elite club. How did Garnett celebrate? By draining his second 3-pointer in as many games.

DOC GETS A TECH
Unhappy with the calls going against his team in the early portion of Friday's game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers got a little too chirpy with referee Curtis Blair, who hit Rivers with a technical foul (his fourth of the year). The Knicks attempted 17 first-half free throws (making 14; compared to 6-of-9 shooting at the stripe for Boston before the intermission). By the end of the game, Rivers' complaining might have helped even up the shots (the Celtics were 19-of-25 at the stripe; the Knicks were 18-of-21).

WHAT IT MEANS
You ever been in a bar fight, Craig? That one was a lot of fun. Haymakers from both sides and big shots by the truckload late in the game. The Celtics avenge a Christmas Day loss to New York and, with Philadelphia getting blown out by Miami, reassert themselves a bit in the Atlantic Division. Boston has now won 8 of its past 10 and keeps the momentum going on this five-game homestand.

The difficulty in this game was mainly in the offense, and the cause was rather obvious.. The Celts struggled to re-adapt to the ball going through Rondo rather than going through Pierce. Also, the pace of the Celtics' offense slowed down with Rondo running it rather than Bradley pushing the ball upcourt and giving it to Pierce with plenty of time left on the clock. In those previous games, they had time to go to second and even third options more often than not, which put them in their respective comfort shooting zones more than was the case in this one.

I wish I knew what the deal is with Rondo walking the ball upcourt so often. On a couple of occasions, especially late in the game, you could see him walking and–all of a sudden—speed it up. The reason was that Doc was screaming at him to start the halfcourt offense sooner. I think Greg Dickerson mentioned that Doc said the same thing during a timeout.

Sam

Interesting pick up Sam. I did not get the Boston feed tonight and so did not get any insight into the game as normally with Mike and Tommy. By far and I am not a Homer, Mike and Tommy are the best announcers and analysts in the game! A close second is Hubie Brown.

If what you say is true, what's up with Rondo?

112288

I wish I knew, 112288. Just watch him. If he doesn't have a fast break, he generally walks it up. If I had to guess, I'd say he's sick of racing up the floor and now having any teammates with him. But that's not the point. Even doing a solo dash into the forecourt can force the defense out of position so that, when the teammates do arrive, they may have some favorable matchups—to say nothing of open shots for trailing perimeter shooters. I just don't get it.

I realize it's important to have Rondo's playmaking abilities out there rather than Bradley's for the most part. But I believe Bradley's push of the ball may have been as important as his defensive tenacity in energizing the Celtics.

Sam

Sam, you capture it perfectly. Bradley had the defenses on their heels while Rondo walking it up allows the other team to set their defense up. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

I still think Moore got the short end of all his hard work in this game. As I said, I cannot figure Doc out. You hate for the Rook to feel down by not getting some minutes.

112288

I only saw the 1st quarter as I had to get some sleep and was also turned off by Rondo's play.

I think he's thick-headed and hard to coach.

I hope he does better and the team gets back in sync but it lends 112288's thread about the Celts possibly playing better without Rondo and Ray (although I have no problem with Ray) some credence, nicht war?

Berlin, nice to see you check in. I have no problem with Ray per say. It's Rondo. I understand Sams point that perhaps Rondo is lazy as he has no one to run with, but Bradley does push the old guys up the floor with is tempo and gets more people active in taking charge of the offense. Besides, a great point guard should be able to run all types of teams, fast or slow.

Stay tuned! Danny is always out looking!

112288

Bye Bye Mike D'Antoni, loser of now 11 of his last 13. Personally, I never liked him. He may be a real sweetheart in person but I hated his defense in Phoenix, which was "run at someone like a crazy person". That's what he has brought to NY, the difference is in the offense. In Phoenix, he had that sneaky little Canadian making things coherent. In NY, it's "give it to 'Melo and get out of the way". Yuck.

We did everything we could to lose, D'Antoni just couldn't figure out how to capitalize on our gifts. Down by double digits multiple times. Up by 5 with 1:54, we went 0-1, 2 turnovers. The result was a near heart attack by me. A choppy halfcourt game by us, getting bailed out repeatedly by big shots from Pierce and Allen and not much fullcourt running. We played more fullcourt when Rondo was out. That's weird and wrong.

1. Rondo is rusty, really rusty. His passes were sloppy or overly aggressive. He worked hard on defense though, hustling throughout. As Sam pointed out, Bradley pushed the ball up more than Rondo. I didn't like that either. Easily half of his 5 turnovers were unforced and led to a number of easy baskets for NY. Fortunately, we won or I'd be more upset. Can't expect much else, though, he's been out for a few weeks. This too will pass.

2. Pierce was unconscious most of the night (I mean that in a good way). Throwing up buzzer beaters (and one almost buzzer beater). To me, buzzer beaters and almost-buzzer beaters are just evidence that you're not getting into your halfcourt sets quickly enough and aren't executing them well when you do get into them. He out-rebounded and outscored the focal point of the NY offense, Anthony. Carmelo is one of the best one-on-one schoolyard players in the league. When you can beat him, you can win.

3. NY is 29th in the league in 3pt defense. We shot 10-20. I hate making the 3-ball a central part of the offense, but it bailed our asses out tonight. And why not? After all, if you're playing a team that doesn't defend something well, isn't it good coaching to take it to them like that? Wouldn't NOT shooting 3s against them be poor coaching? The flip side is that we're #2, I think, in 3pt fg% defense at 27% and we only gave up 3-15 tonight (20%).

4. I like Landry Fields. He isn't great at anything but he's really good at a lot of things. He shoots well (pay no attention to his final 3-airball), he defends 2 positions well and he doesn't make many dumb mistakes. Not bad for a 39th pick. He'd be dynamite coming off the bench, with that stability. Unfortunately for Knick fans, he's a starter. It shouldn't matter, given they have Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler but with the disfunctional nature of that team they need all the help from role players they can get.

5. Word to Brandon Bass. If you're shooting 3-11, don't make it worse by getting a 4th quarter T, and a really stupid and unnecessary one at that. I'm betting that'll earn him a fine from Doc.

6. You know there's something rotten in NY when Tyson Chandler has a better game than Amar'e Stoudemire. A lot of Chandler's 20 points came off of very nice interior passing by NY. If they can pass it to Chandler, why couldn't they do it for Amar'e? He usually got the ball out high. 8 of his 15 fga were outside the paint. That's just wrong. If Amar'e is upset with losing, he must be furious at being misused.

7. Mike Bibby didn't play. At the ripe old age of 33 (he smirks sarcastically), D'Antoni has said he won't play Bibby in the second game of a back-to-back. The Knicks have one point guard, they're drowning, and D'Antoni is saving him for special occasions like weddings and bar-mitzvahs. This win just gets better and better and better. I hate that little shit.

8. Will any ref EVER call Anthony for throwing his elbows out? He's the second coming of Charles Oakley. I'm amazed he hasn't broken someone's nose.

9. Dooling has a "hip pointer"? He's been out as long as Rondo was with a sprained wrist that had to be in a brace. Where the hell is his hip pointing to? As usual, you can't take injury reports at face value.

Before the game, on ESPN, the quartet of Magic, Rick Barry, Michael Wilborn and some other stiff played "Contender or Pretender". All 4 of them voted that the Celtics were "Pretenders". Almost losing to a team that wouldn't make the playoffs as of today doesn't make them look wrong. We'll just to keep working on that. We're in 7th place in the east. If we can catch Orlando, and we're only a game or so back, we'd face the 76ers and not the Heat. Lots and lots and lots of games to go.

bob

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112288, I like Moore's potential too. But, when your offense sucks except for three-point shooting, you don't need to insert yet another three-point shooter who is not likely to jump start the offense in other ways.

Doc plays these games to win them, and unfortunately the players' psyches have to play second fiddle. I think it was either Bradley or Moore who would spell Rondo, and Bradley had a skill that better satisfied the Celtics most pressing needs in this one.

I do believe Moore will get his chance; but, until Danny dictates differently, winning is still the priority for this team. I'm afraid that losing this one so soon after the Cleveland debacle could have upset what moderate momentum they now have going for them.

Sam

Another late game meltdown, sitting on the edge of my chair and yelling at the TV.

Bass' chest bump inducing technical foul reminded me of BBD, please please please, turn away from the dark side!!! We don't need that here!!!

I played Paul Pierce's "non-buzzer-beater" on super slo-mo and in my mind, there was daylight between his hands and the ball before the backboard lit up. The only question was if his right foot was on the 3-point line. Tommy said it was way off the line (I don't remember the exact quote), which brought out a chuckle from Mike.

I think that I have better hardware than the NBA for play reviews. Mine came out of the box from Dish Network. I can take the slo-mo that the broadcast is playing and slow it down even more. I had my answer in less than a minute, and of course, I did have my green-tinted glasses on when viewing!! However, I saw what I saw and I think the ref's missed it.

Anyway, I am going to watch the Super Bowl with my son-in-law, who is a Knick fan. The win will at least make it easier to watch with him than the game this past Christmas.

My son-in-law? 2006 NFL Mr. Irrelevant.

I didn't see the whole game but saw enough to know that the Celtics had no business winning it because they were putting a lot of effort into losing it. But, as Kleen so aptly points out from time to time, a win is a win. Despite it all, it gets notched in the W column.

The worst part of it all to me was the turnovers. Not just turnovers, but high-school ball turnovers. Ghastly turnovers. They've certainly had more -- they had 17 last night -- but it was the nature of them that was just painful to watch. I saw multiple instances of dribbling into traffic and throwing an errant bailout pass or swinging the ball around the perimeter and missing the intended target by five feet. It will take a couple of games to get Rondo back into the flow, but this wasn't all on him.

I agree wholeheartedly with Bob's point about buzzer-beaters being indicative of a poor possession. If you're having to throw up a long jumper to beat the 24-second clock, your offense isn't working well. And if you're doing that against the Knicks, you can't blame it on great defense.

As far as I'm concerned, Amare has been on a downward career arc for some time. Phoenix was correct to not sign him to a max contract or whatever he got from the Knicks. When he was younger, before his knee problems, he was an athletic wonder, like a less brutish Blake Griffin. But now that he's a mere mortal who can't just leap over people, he's shown what he really is, which is a periodically good scorer. But his rebounding is subpar, he plays defense out of obligation instead of desire, and he just plain disappears for stretches and even games at a time. He's the biggest superstar problem on the Knicks, not Carmelo.

As a side note, I don't see any way Blake Griffin will have a long career doing what he does now. First off, there will be more instances like Mozgov's block the other night where a defender steps up and does what is necessary to keep from being posterized. Griffin's spectacular plays are barely on the edge of athletic control, and if a defender doesn't want to be a floorbound prop for a dunk contest exhibition, there will be contact, and Griffin is going to get the worst of it because he's going to land badly. Plus, relying so much on pure athleticism is a young man's game, and like Amare, Griffin will likely have leg issues that take that part of his game away, and he'll either become a more complete player or a less effective one.

And Bob, by the way, that was Jon Barry, not Rick, on the ESPN panel, and Chris Broussard, who is like a less offensive version of Stephen A. Smith. I like Jon Barry well enough, but Broussard offers clichéd opinions and little insight. I rarely watch ESPN's pregame nonsense, but I happened to catch that contender/pretender bit last night, and the most revealing aspect was how Broussard's fellow commentators called him out as a New York homer, and instead of deftly swatting it aside, he devolved into a blubbering pile of embarrassed goo, basically acknowledged it, and begrudgingly put the Knicks in the pretender category. And this is ESPN's main basketball guy? Like 112288 said, Tommy's a homer, but at least he knows what he's talking about.

Outside

Mozgovs foul on Griffin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPIxcoOEzsM

He gets tangled up when he tries to push Mozgov off with the left arm.

Swede, thanks for the link to the clip. Of particular notice is Mozgov's reaction after stopping Griffin -- holding his arm in the air as a signal of triumph or redemption. Mozgov is hardly a vicious player, and while it was a hard foul, I didn't consider it dirty or flagrant in any way, and I was surprised Griffin was so slow to get up, but you can see on the replay that Mozgov hit him pretty hard on the head or jaw.

I'm not sure if Griffin was dazed, offended, or both when he got up, but he's got to expect more of this. Players have pride, and they're not going to allow Griffin to subject them to repeat posterization. As a defender, the alternatives are to stay clear and let him go or challenge him with force, and I give props to Mozgov for challenging him. That's the attitude I want a defender to have. I won't be surprised to see something similar from Perkins in the future.

Outside

He (Griffin) has already lost one full season in part due to what you have noted. This was before playing in a single NBA game. Although he appears to be fully recovered and then some collisions like the one shown by Swede do add up and eventually will take there toll and until that happens...

He is fun to watch!!

beat

Outside wrote:I didn't see the whole game but saw enough to know that the Celtics had no business winning it because they were putting a lot of effort into losing it. But, as Kleen so aptly points out from time to time, a win is a win. Despite it all, it gets notched in the W column.

The worst part of it all to me was the turnovers. Not just turnovers, but high-school ball turnovers. Ghastly turnovers. They've certainly had more -- they had 17 last night -- but it was the nature of them that was just painful to watch. I saw multiple instances of dribbling into traffic and throwing an errant bailout pass or swinging the ball around the perimeter and missing the intended target by five feet. It will take a couple of games to get Rondo back into the flow, but this wasn't all on him.

I agree wholeheartedly with Bob's point about buzzer-beaters being indicative of a poor possession. If you're having to throw up a long jumper to beat the 24-second clock, your offense isn't working well. And if you're doing that against the Knicks, you can't blame it on great defense.

As far as I'm concerned, Amare has been on a downward career arc for some time. Phoenix was correct to not sign him to a max contract or whatever he got from the Knicks. When he was younger, before his knee problems, he was an athletic wonder, like a less brutish Blake Griffin. But now that he's a mere mortal who can't just leap over people, he's shown what he really is, which is a periodically good scorer. But his rebounding is subpar, he plays defense out of obligation instead of desire, and he just plain disappears for stretches and even games at a time. He's the biggest superstar problem on the Knicks, not Carmelo.

As a side note, I don't see any way Blake Griffin will have a long career doing what he does now. First off, there will be more instances like Mozgov's block the other night where a defender steps up and does what is necessary to keep from being posterized. Griffin's spectacular plays are barely on the edge of athletic control, and if a defender doesn't want to be a floorbound prop for a dunk contest exhibition, there will be contact, and Griffin is going to get the worst of it because he's going to land badly. Plus, relying so much on pure athleticism is a young man's game, and like Amare, Griffin will likely have leg issues that take that part of his game away, and he'll either become a more complete player or a less effective one.

And Bob, by the way, that was Jon Barry, not Rick, on the ESPN panel, and Chris Broussard, who is like a less offensive version of Stephen A. Smith. I like Jon Barry well enough, but Broussard offers clichéd opinions and little insight. I rarely watch ESPN's pregame nonsense, but I happened to catch that contender/pretender bit last night, and the most revealing aspect was how Broussard's fellow commentators called him out as a New York homer, and instead of deftly swatting it aside, he devolved into a blubbering pile of embarrassed goo, basically acknowledged it, and begrudgingly put the Knicks in the pretender category. And this is ESPN's main basketball guy? Like 112288 said, Tommy's a homer, but at least he knows what he's talking about.

Outside

outside,

You're right, it was JON Barry, not Rick, and Broussard is less offensive than Stephen A. Smith (who isn't?).

Tommy is about as big a homer as you can get (you never got to hear Johnny Most did you? "Homer" doesn't even scratch the surface. I used to turn the sound off the TV and turn Johnny up on the radio and marvel at the difference between the game I was watching and the game being narrated. You'd have thought the Celtics were playing against a starting lineup of Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin and Mao Tse-Tung and they were all armed to the teeth and using them), but with 10 rings (8 as a player and 2 as a head coach, Celtics of course) he has forgotten more about basketball than all of those guys know.

You also did a better job of describing Boston's turnovers than I did. They were positively amateurish. Completely out of sync. If there's good news here it's that Rondo is a player they've played with for a long time and they will get their groove back swiftly, as opposed to him being a new player coming over from a trade and needing to learn the system and assimilate into it.

We should be happy we were able to win while re-synching our offense back to centering around Rondo. The smile won't last long if we don't get our shit together soon.

bob


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This from the Boston Globe about Chris Wilcox's game. Note how Doc talked to him on the bench, after a bad first half. That's why players love playing for Doc...

Chris Wilcox spent the first half of the Celtics’ 91-89 win over the New York Knicks last night either on the bench or on the floor fumbling away passes.

But, during a crucial stretch in the second half, Wilcox started getting his hands on rebounds and finishing plays as the Celtics rallied. Wilcox grabbed four offensive rebounds, including a follow off a Paul Pierce airball, during a 19-8 Celtics run.

“Chris Wilcox was down,’’ coach Doc Rivers said of Wilcox’s first half. “He bobbled a couple balls, he had his head down. And all I just told him is, ‘We play forward, all right?’ I said, ‘Can’t get any of those back.’ And I thought he, Paul, obviously - but I thought Chris Wilcox was the hero. Him and Avery [Bradley], their defensive intensity changed the game.’’

In the final minute of the third quarter, Wilcox capped a four-shot Celtic possession with two free throws, then followed Pierce’s shot at the buzzer to cut their deficit to 72-69.

Wilcox converted two more free throws after Pierce chased down his own miss, tying the score, 77-77, with 8:43 remaining.

Wilcox, who finished with 6 points, and Bradley soon returned to the bench, which had helped set things up for the starters to finish off the Knicks.

“We just came out and played hard,’’ Wilcox said. “In the fourth quarter, end of the third, end of the fourth - we just went out there and grinded it out. We put ourselves in a situation where all we had to do was get rebounds down the stretch and that’s what we did.’’

The Celtics were down, 55-49, at halftime. And Wilcox was down, as well. But Wilcox was in good spirits at the end.

“I’m definitely happy because, you know, my first half I might not be playing the next game,’’ Wilcox said. “But I found a way to grind it out, came out and played hard and, you know, good things happen.

“I think it was more mental [in the opening half]. I couldn’t even grab the ball. Every time I grabbed it, it was slipping out of my hands. I had to sit down, give me a second, you know what I’m saying? Breathe. And then I just played hard. I knew what I had to do - just play hard and help my team.’’

In recent seasons, the Celtics have seldom won games with offensive rebounding, a function of both their own accurate shooting and Rivers’s emphasis on preventing transition baskets.

But the opportunistic instincts and quickness of Brandon Bass and Wilcox has changed that dynamic, at least for the second unit.

“Definitely, all it takes is one,’’ Wilcox said of offensive rebounds. “Once you get the first one you go on to get the rest of them. And it’s always good when you can tap one out and get you get a 3-point basket off it. So, it’s all momentum.

“I think our main thing is we’re learning how to win down the stretch. We’re finding out how to grind it out, how to get out of situations. And I think that’s what’s happing at this point. It’s definitely important - early in the season still - we’re finding a way to win down the stretch. It’s definitely good. Doc’s trusting in guys and we’re trusting each other and that’s what we need this time of year.’’

Though Wilcox might have been pessimistic in the first half, his attitude changed after the game. He was even positive about Pierce’s nullified 3-pointer that would have given the Celtics a 93-89 advantage with 14.4 seconds left. After review, it was ruled to come after the shot clock had expired.

“It’s tough,’’ Wilcox said of Pierce’s shot. “But at the end of the day it was good because, even though they didn’t count it, it definitely gave us the momentum and gave us the energy we needed to get stops down the stretch.’’

bob

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Bob,

Thanks for the story about Wilcox. JJJ and Stiemsma can become valuable pieces in the post-KG era, but for this season, particularly the playoffs, Wilcox will likely be a more important player, so getting the most out of him is a better use of Doc's coaching efforts and the available minutes.

There's a switch somewhere in Wilcox's head, and he becomes a pretty good player when that switch is on, but no one has been able to figure out what activates that switch. It will mean a lot if Doc can do that at least occasionally because Wilcox can provide rebounding and interior toughness that the C's desperately need. It can mean the difference between the subs holding on to a lead or keeping a game within range versus the opponent turning the tide of a game. In the playoffs, that difference is huge. Wilcox won't do it every game, but if he can do it even two games in a seven-game series, that's a big plus.

When they were 4-8, part of the reason I didn't count the C's out was because I knew that the core four would play better, but another part was that I know the potential of a guy like Wilcox and how his contributions can matter. Come playoff time, I'm counting on KG, Pierce, Ray, and JON having one more run in them, but even so, it's Bass, Pietrus, Wilcox, Sasha, and Avery who will make the difference.

Outside

Hi,
I think it was a good game on Celtics part.
I agree with Sam. RR was rusty and the whole team had to re-adjust to him vs AB. Give them 2-3 games and the offense will get much better.
Speaking about RR vs AB. Now I have to disagree with Sam and others. When there's no fast break AB, within 2-3 sec, brings the ball into a zone of about 10-12 feet of 3pt arc and starts to go east-west there for 2-3 sec waiting for the others to pull into offensive positions and then he gives the ball to PP or KG or RA. So, I don't see much difference with RR, time-wise, who takes 5-7 sec to arrive to the same point. But from there on, they, RA, PP and KG, don't have to worry about distributing the ball - they are distibutees (is there such a word?). Just my opinion.

As for those 2 moronic announcers, JVG and the other (sorry, don't remember his name) - they are morons. Last nigh when refs were reviewing PP's buzzer-beater JVG said that the ruling on the floor was "score" but they, refs, had to have ....ahhhh.....3 sec later I prompted "conclusive" (evidence to overrule it)......ahhh.... 10 sec later the other moron said "conclusive". Duh. I don't know, but I thought on the National TV they're supposed to have extended vocabulary and ability to use it. Even our local (Cavs) announcers don't do such things. Of course their life much easier - they can operate with sets of pre-cut phrases, e.g. "in order to win Cavs have to score more points than their opponent", or "you can't leave Ray Allen open otherwise he'll score", etc.

On BB's technical - it was stupid. OTOH, it was very emotional moment in the game. Also, BB beat AS under the hoop and the latter had to hard-foul to avoid a dunk or humiliating lay-up.

In conclusion, win is a win regardless if it's by 2 points or 36.

AK

Good point, Sinus, about Avery going east-west, and that's exactly what he did when he first got some playing time. But, as the strategy for the ball to go through Pierce took hold, I think Avery more typically passed the ball to Pierce a.s.a.p.

Mind you, I'm not holding Avery up as any kind of offensive model. The next time he moves the ball north-south in the halfcourt will be the first time I've seen him do it. What I am saying is that, when a PG pushes the ball up, there's more incentive for his teammates to move their butts too. I don't believe Rondo's providing that incentive, so it's a virtual certainty that they'll spend at least 10 seconds getting into their halfcourt set.

At least when Avery pushes the ball, he usually drags one or two teammates with him, even if they're just trailers. So there's a chance that the halfcourt set will start sooner or that they'll catch the defense before it's in position. I prefer the chance provided by a push of the ball rather than the certainty there will be no chance if the ball is walked up the court.

Sam

Bradley is very quick. Very. He's not a very confident ballhandler, so I don't want him dribbling in traffic, but grab a rebound and pass him the ball and let him go fullcourt after his teammates had already gotten a headstart? I would think he'd be good at that, he just hasn't been doing it.

We've also seen him curl off of high screens well.

In short, there are offensive weapons at his disposal which do not require "bombs away". Doc just has to get in his ear and say "run, and opportunities will present themselves".

bob

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Long Day in Ct. but I wanted to weigh in on Bass and his technical foul. I know it was taken at a bad time, but he needed to send a message to other teams. Think before you get physical because we are not going to back down! I know we gave up a free throw but think about it, if he hard fouled a player going to the rim in the next set offense, that player get 2 shots, maybe more if it was a hard foul. With Bass' technical and a statement we only gave up one free throw!

Since Perk left, we really have no toughness on our team, and teams and opposing players are taking cheap shots at Celtic players. Case example...Rondo....he gets his butt kicked every time he drives to the hoop and no one retaliates by introducing an opposing player to the parquet floor!

All I can say is.......... KEEP IT UP BRANDON........YOU ARE A BAD BASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys are so great with your commentaries. I appreciate them especially after missing a game on tv. Kudos of the week to Bob Heckler for his insightful analyses and such consistently good and humorous writing. What a pleasure to read. It's as if Hunter Thompson had decided to give up drugs and alcohol and indulge a passion for basketball instead.

On the home front, my son is making a dramatic recovery, and I'm starting to exhale. What a huge relief. Whoever said, "A father is only as happy as his most unhappy child" sure had my psyche pegged. My girlfriend Mary is still clinging to life by a thread, savoring each day moment by moment, inspiring all of us around her to consider living up to our own Christian/Buddhist/Taoist ideals and not just mouthing them as platitudes. Love thy enemies is the koan I'm contemplating today (perhaps the essential difference in Jesus' teaching from other spiritual masters), even if the enemy is cancer.

Today I did talk with Mary's sister Liz, the maven of online Parisien hotel bookings, and she'll soon be ordering Sam's "Paris Demystified" from Amazon. Here's hoping she recommends it to every tourist who ever visits the City of Lights henceforth.

Getting back to basketball, when I read about Rondo walking the ball upcourt or AB dribbling East-West instead of North-South, it makes me go up into the attic of my memory bank and dust off those old 8 mm reels of Bob Cousy streaking downcourt and dishing, dishing, dishing. For those of you too young to have seen the play of Boston's best point guard EVER, take a gander at these YouTube videos.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZcxYUCQOZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMdGcmHPrRI&feature=fvst
Delicious, and while you're at it, take a look at this Hondo highlight reel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYAICmVMHA

There were more than glimmers in this game. There were rays of light. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seemed this was the first game this season when every player suited up. That alone was a turning point. Almost forgot Dooling who so far has been forgettable.

Ray of light 1). Rondo and Paul having an animated discussion about the gods know what. It was in the third quarter, I think; the camera picked them up near the scorer’s table as they went to take their positions. One or both of them may have looked or gestured toward the forecourt. They talked back and forth rapid fire and kept talking as they drifted apart, even when Carmelo was between them and could hear whatever they were saying. Rondo and Pierce have had their negotiations in the past. While Rondo was injured, Pierce became the focus of the offense and now they have to readjust. But this conversation appeared to be about defense. It almost seemed like they were plotting the defensive destruction of the Knicks and they didn’t care if any Knicks heard them or not. More than that, this was about communication. These two guys who hold the fate of the team in their hands were listening and sharing in a deeply substantive way. They were still talking before the final play of the game with 4.9 seconds left. Rather, Rondo was talking. Pierce was smiling and making skeptical faces.

Ray of light 2). Rondo finding Bradley on the fast break. It makes you wonder how fast Bradley runs the 40. This wasn’t a fast break, it was blitzkrieg. A play like that should count for 4 points. Seriously, there should be a rule that if a player catches the ball and lays it in while traveling faster than the speed of light, it counts for 4 points. Come to think of it, Rondo should get a point for the pass. Degree of difficulty: impossible.

Ray of light 3). Pierce defending Anthony. Anthony is extremely talented and physically gifted and, if he wanted to, he could be an excellent defender. For all his gifts, he could never attain the quality of play that Paul brings to that part of the game. Paul plays defense with conviction and insight that reminds me of the old-time Celtics. Unfortunately, Paul’s (and the team’s) Achilles heel is the defensive boards. It’s almost a formula: if Paul blocks out, the team wins. That’s not intended to single out Paul because he isn’t the only one, just that he’s a difference maker there as elsewhere.

It’s a team in transition, learning how to play together and how to win. In an interview before the 2008 Finals, Bill Russell was asked, - was there a secret formula for winning a championship? Paraphrasing here; two things, he said: take care of the ball – no turnovers – and take care of the boards – no offensive rebounds.