POST GAME LA

Mrkleen, you coined it best!

112288

Last nights game pretty much exposed the exact weaknesses of each team.
1) LA has not just the worst point guards in the league but also the least athletic.
2) LA has arguably the worst offensive small forwards in the league and Artest has very little atheticism left. During the first week of the season while watching a Lakers game and following some comments on Twitter someone made the following comment: "Can LA amnesty World Peace during the game"? That was spot on. He is a dreadful offensive liability. The only thing he has done in recent years is calm down. I no longer cringe having to worry that he will punch a player, referee or fan. If Kobe doesn't have a career ending injury this season, Artest will be amnestied about 2 seconds after the anmesty period opens up.
3) Boston's lack or length/rebounding: You can say that JON and Garnett are both 7 footers but they are not tough rebounders, especially on the offensive boards. Some players are rebounders and some aren't. Brook Lopez is a terrible rebounder for a 7 footer.

If LA does not acquire an NBA quality pg by 3/15, Kupchak should be fired. Kobe/Bynum/Gasol are playing great ball. They desperately need help. I wish LA would move Blake into the starting line up.

Boston is in a way different position then LA. They do not have to mortgage the future to get a rebounder by 3/15. They are in a good position with draft picks and salary cap room come this summer. Then need to look at this season but their real focus should be on next season and beyond.

Bob, that was a good commentary as well. No you don't have to be as athletic to just lay a body up against another and deny them a clear path to the hoop. Although on other things demanded in the game by JON & KG, Mrkleen is probably correct as well.

I'll tell you one thing if you saw the post game with Doc, you can see he was pissed!

112288

TJ

I do remember JON with Miami and against Perk he was soft, as far as KG goes........... KG's greatness died the day he first went down with his major injury 3 years ago. If he did not get hurt, the Celtics win back to back and perhaps 3 peat!

The problem for KG and the Celtics after the operation, ya KG can still hoof it up and down the court and therefore technically can honor his BIG CONTRACT AT $20M + A YEAR. The Celtics therefore got stuck with KG until his contract ran out. They could not claim a career ending injury and collect on his insurance contract. They basically had to accept what KG is able to give them game in and game out even if it is sub par.

Personally, KG has tried to get around his limitations by trying to find other less effective ways to play his position and thus trying to mask his limitations.

112288

Hi,
As I mentioned in my previous post KG, JON and BB were providing too much (IMO) help defense against KB. So when his shots didn't go in or he passed there were no Celtics higher than 6-7 to defend the rim, sometimes no Celtics at all, e.g. remember foul on RR for pushing AB.
Unfortunately I don't know the game of basketball well enough to suggest any countermeasures but I hope that Doc will come with something for the next game in March.
Also, IMO, this game wasn't one of those " fight to death" type of games therefore Celtics' bigs were kind of "soft": remember those "and ones" that AB got fighting under the hoop.

AK

112288,

At this point in KG's career he shouldn't have to fight for rebounds with guys that are 50 lbs heavier then him. Boston didn't sign a starting center because of salary cap limitations. KG would be fine getting his regular rebounds and hitting his 18 foot shots if he had Chandler/M. Gasol or another recent free agent playing next to him. KG is doing the best he can. He never stops fighting.

Contracts can't be looked at on an annual basis. Teams estimate each players financial value compared to their contract. In 2009 KG could have brought the team $35m in value but was only paid $20m. Maybe his value this year is only $15m but he is getting paid $20m. That is one reason teasm don't stress out over the last year or two of a players contract. The Angels already know that Pujols won't be worth $25m in the last couple years of his contract. They look at the total contract value compared to the value they bring to the team.

TJ

We know he is doing the best he can with obvious physical jumping limitations put on him from his original injury. The point I was trying to make about his contract was his injury was server and brought his playing ability down several notches from super star status. However he could play and thus still honor his contract with the Celtics. If he claimed career ending injury which I believe if it happened to any other player would have occurred, the Celtics could have then have benefited from a buy out and thus opened some salary cap space.
That's all.
112288


but certainly you have to recognize that he is 50% of the warrior

112288 wrote:TJ

We know he is doing the best he can with obvious physical jumping limitations put on him from his original injury. The point I was trying to make about his contract was his injury was server and brought his playing ability down several notches from super star status. However he could play and thus still honor his contract with the Celtics. If he claimed career ending injury which I believe if it happened to any other player would have occurred, the Celtics could have then have benefited from a buy out and thus opened some salary cap space.
That's all.
112288


but certainly you have to recognize that he is 50% of the warrior

Yes, I did understand your point and agree with you.
Many players have injuries similar to KG's.
His just happend at the tail end of his career.

OK. You know I just wish we had one more year of a full KG back in 2008 - 2009!
It would have been something.
112288

112288 wrote:Bob, that was a good commentary as well. No you don't have to be as athletic to just lay a body up against another and deny them a clear path to the hoop. Although on other things demanded in the game by JON & KG, Mrkleen is probably correct as well.

I'll tell you one thing if you saw the post game with Doc, you can see he was pissed!

112288

112288,

Can you tell me what, specifically, he was pissed about? Or at whom? Is there a link?

bob

.

Video: Bob Ryan's video analysis found on Boston.com sports section under celtics on right hand side.

112288


http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/

112288 wrote:Video: Bob Ryan's video analysis found on Boston.com sports section under celtics on right hand side.

112288


http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/

112288,

Thanks. So, Doc did tell them before the game to put a body on a man before they started looking for the ball.

Must be a long walk from the locker room to the court, because that just flew out of their heads by then...

bob

.

mrkleen09 wrote:112288

you can say what you want about their inability to do X or Y - but please dont say KG or JON are "lazy"

That is just pure BS.

can we say old?

I will say this about KG, the best defense I've ever seen out of the PF position was his stellar play in the 07-08 season, I've been following NBA since 69 and seen them all Debusshere, Silas, the Big E, Maurice Lucas, Sikma, McHale, Rodman, Duncan alot of great defensive PF's there, KG was a pteryedactyl and simply the best!! His manic energy, defensive range and perimeter D was never seen by anybody like that before, he could just chase the ball and wherever he went you had to move the ball away he was that disruptive. His on the ball D was equally brutal, I still remember him sticking/ leaning on Chris Bosh in a way that he couldn't have gotten any closer as he was breathing right in his face every second of the game. Tenacity, length, mobility he seriously had it all.....and now hes winding down, still battling, but fading the way all the greats inevitably have before. Father Time has never lost a battle, he did the same to Ali and Shaq and Duncan. I'm still gonna root for him as hes still battling the best he can out there, some nights he has it going better than others.

I only wish we could have gotten Pierce, KG and Ray together 5 years before they finally did.....that would have been really something.

Would there be this much gloom and doom in everyone's posts if Pierce's shot went in at the end of OT and the Celtics won? Or would the general tone be that the Celtics got a great win in a tough game playing less than their best but are still on a roll and 9-1 in their last 10 games?

The margin between a win and a loss in this game was miniscule. A lot of these posts are far more negative than justified by the performance.

Yes!

112288

yes, damn straight!! I've fallen out of love with Rondo.

Folks you should have seen Doc's out burst tonight in the Toronto game. Go check the highlights. I have never seen Doc lose his cool until tonight and that been a long time!

112288

To: Cowens & 112288

See a marriage counselor. It's Rondo for better or for worse!

MD!

MD

Did we ever say our vows?

112288

112288:

Yes, The Rev Wyc Grossbeck performed the ceremony years ago.

MD!

Good one MD!

112288

To 112288:

Muchos Gracias!

MD!