POST GAME LA CLIPPERS

That game was won on pure HEART by the Celtics. The team and players are laboring without a big and tonight's win was huge as it bought Danny a few more days to get a center and perhaps another power forward.

Next Game Wednesday 10pm CSNE - SF Warrior

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POST GAME RECAP ESPNBOSTON.COM


By Chris Forsberg

LOS ANGELES -- Rapid reaction after the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 94-85 Monday night at the Staples Center:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Celtics captain Paul Pierce shrugged off some early shooting woes to chip in a game-high 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting with seven assists and three rebounds over a manageable 31 minutes to pace Boston (Pierce was a whopping plus-19 during his time on the court). Kevin Garnett added 21 points and eight rebounds while sprinting past his 30-minute limit (he played 34). The Rajon Rondo vs. Chris Paul matchup didn't quite live up to the hype, but Rondo (despite a missed layup late that could have made the final moments a bit easier on Boston's stomach) ultimately won the battle by chipping in 12 points, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds over 41 minutes (Paul finished with 14 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds over 40 minutes). Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 24 points, while Mo Williams chipped in 21 off the pine.

TURNING POINT
The Clippers used a dominant second quarter on the glass to turn a seven-point deficit into a nine-point halftime lead. Unfazed, Boston opened the second half on a 19-4 run , which featured the Celtics scoring 15 of the third quarter's first 17 points to retake the lead. Pierce and Garnett each had a pair of buckets (and Brandon Bass added a tip-in) to aid the initial burst, but it only led to the ...

BOLD PLAY OF THE GAME
Whoddathunk Boston would upstage Lob City on its own turf? But that's exactly what happened. After a frustrating stretch in which Boston couldn't get a bucket to pull ahead, Rondo spotted Bass ahead on the break and delivered a lob for a jam and a 51-50 lead with 6:41 to play in the third frame. Ray Allen added a 3-pointer soon after and Boston's lead quickly ballooned to six with four minutes to play in the quarter.

TURNING POINT II
Even with the surge, the Celtics weren't out of the woods. Boston was up 10 with 8:50 to play when the Clippers embarked on a 17-3 run capped by a Bobby Simmons 3-pointer for a 78-74 advantage with 4:24 to go. Even with Bass out of the game (see below), Boston fired back with a brilliant four-possession stretch. Garnett and Rondo made layups to tie the game and Pierce got fouled in the post before adding two freebies to put Boston out front again. Pierce added a 3-pointer with 2:47 to go to put Boston up five (and unlike Sunday vs. the Lakers, they'd hang on down the stretch).

ALLEN TWEAKS ANKLE ... BUT RETURNS
With the Celtics clinging to a five-point lead (and Rondo missing a potential game-sealing layup), Allen hobbled off after appearing to turn an ankle (or worse) as Griffin produced a putback to make it a one-possession game with under a minute to go. It took just a couple real-time minutes before Allen was back on the sideline lobbying to go back in (and Doc Rivers obliged for the final seconds).

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Referees handed out five first-half technicals as the game got a little chippy at times (and the referees didn't aid their cause with some questionable whistles). Griffin and Greg Stiemsma got a double tech for throwing the ball at each other after a whistle, while DeAndre Jordan and Garnett got an unnecessary double tech for a little bump as Garnett went for a post-whistle dunk attempt.

EARLY EXIT FOR BASS
Bass, who battled foul trouble all game long, fouled out with 4:57 to go (Griffin made both free throws to put the Clippers out front, 75-74). The subtraction forced already undersized Boston to go small the rest of the way (operating with a lineup that put Mickael Pietrus next to the Big Four).

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics entered the game 0-6 on the second night of back-to-backs on the road this season and even though they didn't have to travel for this one, it was still a daunting game coming off a war with the rival Lakers on Sunday afternoon. Four more road-closing back-to-backs loom this season (including two more on this eight-game road trip), but the Celtics showed some grit pulling this one out. Boston now treks north for games against Golden State and Sacramento with Thursday's trade deadline tucked in between.


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Ainge looks to get Celtics bigger at deadline

Danny Ainge will be on the phones a lot over the next couple days.

CELTICS REPORT: MONDAY, MARCH 12 - CSNE

LOS ANGELES — Danny Ainge will continue to take and make calls leading up to Thursday's 3 p.m. NBA trading deadline.

And you can bet that acquiring a big man will be a major topic of discussion.

But don't look for the C's to do anything until Wednesday, at the earliest.

That's when Ainge should have a better idea of whether he'll have Chris Wilcox back.

"I'm still hopeful that he will return to us," Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations, told CSNNE.com. "He feels good. He was playing well and contributing. He's hoping the tests come back and remains optimistic."

Wilcox has missed the C's last two games after tests involving his heart returned results that will require additional testing.

Ainge told CSNNE.com that he plans to return to Boston on Tuesday and meet with the Celtics medical staff on Wednesday when he's hopeful that he'll receive additional medical information on Wilcox, and possibly Jermaine O'Neal as well.

O'Neal is out with a wrist injury, and is contemplating have surgery that would end his season, and potentially his NBA career.

He has not given the C's a timetable for when he'll make his decision, but the Celtics are hopeful that it will be before Thursday's trading deadline.

When asked about what their uncertain status meant to his approach to the trading deadline, Ainge said, "It has had an impact. We're going to need another body, depending on what I find out in the next couple of days."

Ainge added, "those answers on Wednesday will be important."

While Ainge has had conversations will several teams that have involved just about every member of the Celtics roster, he says no deal is imminent and doesn't necessarily feel any added motivation to move any of his players.

"I feel I have a pretty good grasp on how each of the guys is playing, and what our holes are," Ainge said. "There's a lot of good things going on. Our offense has been a lot better. We've been playing small ball, and we've been getting beat on the glass but our defense has remained good and our offense has gotten better. So we have to find different ways to win. We have to play to our strengths."

As I mentioned on the Game-on Thread, my game ball goes to Doc Rivers. What a superlative game he coached! Ray kind of summed it up during his post-game interview (during which I wished he were icing his ankle instead), "We kept them guessing." And that's precisely what Ainge did. For instance:

• during one stretch, putting Rondo on the post.

• during another stretch, putting Ray on the post.

• switching to a zone defense during one important stretch toward the end.

• going to a full court press during a critical period.

The double teams attracted by putting players other than KG down low allowed Kevin to get some nice open jumpers and then, in yet another change-of-pace, to go down low for an alley-oop and other scores.

The Celtics spaced the floor beautifully and moved the ball on offense, opening up a variety of options. Even more important, they took advantage of most of those options. I recall saying that, in the Houston game, they set a standard for how they're capable of playing when they do it right. And now, though even more constrained by key injuries, they're continuing to do it right.

Except for the unfortunate lapse down the stretch against the Lakers, they've maintained some pretty solid defense despite being at a dramatic height disadvantage. In fact, I feel that one of the overlooked contributions in this game was when Bass, who played surprisingly strong defense against Griffin, lasted so long with five fouls on him during the last one-third of the game before finally succumbing to his sixth foul down the final stretch.

The hits just keep on coming (literally):

• Rondo's wrist was tweaked in this one.

• Mickael's leg was hit during his transition layup near the end, and he limped to the bench during the ensuing timeout.

• Ray turned his ankle, and we can only hope it won't prove serious come tomorrow.

• Steamer was in a walking boot leaving the arena after the Lakers game, but last night he made some important contributions to the defense while playing 22 minutes. In fact, he even chipped in with a very timely outside shot to place a temporary damper on the Clippers' momentum when none of the other Celts could throw the ball into the ocean during the second quarter.

I have no idea how the rest of the road trip will go. But right now, they are warriors of whom we call all be proud. And the Core Four are playing like champions.

Go Celtics!

Sam

Surprisingly gritty effort under trying circumstances to earn a much needed win. Kudos all-around. It also didn't hurt the Celts cause that Chris Paul shot an anemic 3-12. Oh Thank Heaven it wasn't 7-11!

MD!

Celtics showed a lot of mental toughness. Really good road win.

Dboss

Hi,
As others said it was a gritty game and, I think a mental win more than anything else. Every time Celtics slipped and fell they found inner fortitude to stand up and get back.
On the other side of the court were Clippers that I compare to Knicks: collection of very talented players who, at times, are in disarray, on top of that is a coach who, at times is totally clueless.
By the way, how much of RR's efforts was in CP's quite pedestrian performance?

AK

The Clippers are a team of never have been's, might be's, and next big things....who have never won a meaningful game in their lives and still havent proved a thing. In spite of that, they came in the game with the kind of bluster which defending champions - or teams full of hall of famers should have. The 3 blind mice (including Derek Richardson - who is an utter disgrace) allowed them to huff and puff and the game nearly got out of hand.

The Celtics retained their poise (for the most part) and show a ton of heart, fight and resolve. They were undersized at nearly every position - and would not back down.

-KG was a beast. He would not back down to the nobody jerk Jordan and the punk in training, Blake Griffin - and played a great game on both ends of the floor.

-PP was also VERY good down the stretch. He dominated whomever was guarding him and make both Butler and Simmons (two very strong men) look like overmatched children. The Captain is an absolute force, even at this age his motor never stops.

-Ray was huge down the stretch. His big big shots, a number of timely free throws and even when he hurt himself, hobbled back out to join his teammates on the court. A truly amazing athlete....the C's need to find a way to bring him back.

-Rondo didnt have great numbers, but he was in total control all night. He outplayed Paul AND Williams - and made some great passes and timly steals. This game seals it for me - Rondo is a Celtic in his blood....I am going to change my vote in the other thread, we need to keep this kid at all costs.

-Bass played a strong game and really settled in and refused to back down from Griffin. Same with Steamer and Pietrus, who both played well on bad ankles / knees. Gritty performances

As for the Clippers, they have some amazing talents on the team, but WAY TOO MUCH bluster for a group that hasnt wont a YMCA league title.

-Blake Griffin is a one dimensional player. He has no jump shot, cant hit free throws, and is allowed to push off with his off hand (repeatedly) and clear space under the boards by pushing people in the back. He is chippy, plays no defense and didnt want anything to do with the ball down the stretch in the 4th. He has a LONG way to go before he is even close to living up to the the BS hype that David Stern has thrown his way.

-CP3 is another guy who fades in the spotlight. I would take Deron Williams or Derrick Rose all day and twice on Sunday over Paul. Rondo is a much better all around player imo.

Vinny Del Negro is a terrible coach - and until they get a new person at the helm, and teach Griffin to hit a jumper now and then...they are going nowhere.

Great win by the Celtics.

Sinus,

Rondo's effort was a major factor in Paul's sub-par performance. But it was a team defensive effort. It it had been a football game, the announcers would have been remarking about how often the Clippers' receivers were all covered, leaving Paul nowhere to go with the ball. In fact, the Celtics defense looked a lot like some of the defenses that had been denying the Celtics a couple of weeks ago.

The Celtics' now-patented "lunge and recover" tactic consistently worked very well. You'll never shut down an athletic team like the Clippers completely, and I though Williams had a good offensive game. But, for the most part, the Clippers were much more frustrated than the norm in their offensive end.

This was definitely one of the Celtics' best efforts of the season. When one takes into account the injury problems, it was arguably their very best effort of the season. And the cherry on top of the sundae was the fact that they held off the Clips in crunch time and actually won going away.

I really hope Danny can get them some sort of "big," because these guys are playing their hearts out right now.

Sam

Even right now at his advanced age I would take KG over the overhyped Blake Griffen. I don't know what the stats are, but I would bet when KG is on the floor our defense has to be in the top 2. KG can still spread the floor, post up and pass, his defense is still so stellar and fundamentally sound. For all the spectacular flying plays that Blake can do, he doesn't have those oldschool Karl/Moses Malone moves, even Al Jefferson is a much better scorer than Blake the Hype.

To sinus007:

Regarding Paul's pedestrian effort, Rondo kept him out of the cross walk, and issued him a citation for Jay (not Leno) walking! (LOL)

MD!

No doubt the C's need at least one, really 2 Bigs. You all know I'm not a big Ainge fan, but he really doesn't have a quality pool to pull from. I just don't see who's out there now that can come in and be nothing more than just another big fairly long, but not long enough body. If Wilcox, and or JON are done like baked potatoes for the season, the grind of the compacted season will eventually get to the troups that are left. The C's can't help but be worn to a frazzle come the third week in April. What will be left in the tank by then. And by then gasoline will be $5.00 per gallon.

MD!

Unfortunately, I missed the final 3:23 of what turned out to be a very interesting game. I have to say, though, that I saw some things differently than previous posters...

1. Rondo's defense is starting to irk me. He always seems to be chasing his player around screens and then going for the high-risk poke steal/deflection. He's not moving his feet fast enough to stay between his man and the hoop. Not good positional defense. Did he get some pokes in on Paul? Yes, but that was this game, most of the time a good point guard (and CP3 certainly is that!) will burn you. Chris Paul was 3-12, how much of that was due to Rondo's man-to-man defense and how much was Paul's bad shooting night? 6 turnovers for Rondo last night. A lot of people focus on a point guard's scoring and assist total, but turnovers is key in establishing efficient floor generalship. 10 assists and 6 TOs is not a good ratio for a starting point guard. As with his defense, Rondo shows a proclivity for high-risk, high reward play.

2. Mo Williams ate Ray Allen alive for most of the game. I would have thought Bradley would have been a better defender against Mo Williams, who has a PG body, than Ray. A great game by Mo, and I am not really a Mo Williams fan from when he was in Cleveland. Another thing that bothered me was the decision to post Ray up against Mo. Yes, Ray did hit some shots, but isos often have a correlative effect on the other players, who just stand around and watch. They kill team movement. Remember the last time Ray had a big game? I don't. I don't know if age is finally creeping up on him, making him a step slow, his jumpshot an inch lower or if it's just a slump, but it is starting to become a concern for me. We need Ray Allen.

3. Another solid game by Steamer. Statistically, he didn't have a big night, but provided interior presence, again, and didn't let Griffin and Jordan intimidate him. I liked that he threw the ball at Griffin's back. Considering Steamer's no doubt small contract he might not be enjoying writing the check to the league, but standing up to Griffin and all the other players in the league who think they can push us around is something I want to see Steamer do. His demeanor is so calm out there, a little "pissed-off" and "'tude" is what is needed. His 2 blocks are, by now, almost expected, but his 2 steals came from good anticipation. It's tough, being a rookie and getting thrown into the fire like this with hyper-intense KG barking at you, but he's handling it. At least he's not crying like Davis did.

4. The Mickael Pietrus on Chris Paul strategy didn't work. Unfortunately, I've said that too many times about Pietrus the past few games. Chris Paul just took whatever Pietrus gave him. Give him the outside shot, hit a 3. Get up on him, drive past him and then pull up for the shot plus one.

5. Keyon Dooling played 4 minutes and laid goose-eggs across the board again. How many minutes has that been since he's contributed anything? I don't even know when he's in the game, he's so invisible.

6. Griffin was 1-5 from outside the paint. Clearly, this is the weak part of his game. Shooting, however, is a talent that improves with age (at least, until your legs start to go). Magic couldn't shoot early on, but turned into a reliable, albeit ugly, shooter. Don Chaney, Jason Kidd, even Cedric Maxwell all improved their shooting later in their careers. Let's keep in mind he's only turning 23 this month. As it is, 24 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 assists and only 2 turnovers is still a very good game. Was he playing chippy last night? Yes, but they just lost to GSW the night before and were playing last night at home. He should have been chippy. It's what we would want our guys to be if they lost the night before and then came back to TD Banknorth to play a good team. I honestly think we need to get past this "Oh my God! What a bunch of thugs they are!" thing. It's what we were excellent at when Perk was here and we loved it. We called it "Not in Our House" or, as KG would say it "Get that Shit Outta Here!". We don't own the patent on that, so expect to see others use it. We just have to toughen up mentally and physically and get back to that ourselves. We need to get out there with some 'tude and bounce some people around too and then all will look right with the world. Things look a-kilter now because it's one-sided. We can't expect the refs to defend us from physical players like they're bullies kicking sand in our faces, we have to play physical too...

7. Eric Bledsoe came in and tried to "out-Bradley" Avery Bradley by playing tough, on-the-ball defense fullcourt against Bradley. Unfortunately for Bledsoe, he's not Bradley. 3 quick fouls in 4 minutes, largely from being overly aggressive. Bradley's ballhandling scared me last night, and our offense stopped moving when he was running it, but his personal offense was good. For someone who admitted he was completely intimidated last year, to the point of where he didn't even want to get into practice scrimmages, he has come a looooong way.

8. DeAndre Jordan didn't have a good night, except for rebounding. He had 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes, but his 3-10 shooting was excrement. He was the biggest guy on the floor, he should have owned it. Great defense by our frontcourt.

9. Speaking of our frontcourt, I liked what I saw last night. KG was prowling the paint like a caged tiger and hitting his shots, Steamer was rotating well, Bass was scoring. KG had that monster block on Jordan underneath! Bass was severely physically overmatched by Griffin (he was practically bent over double trying to hold his position against Griffin under the basket. As a result, Griffin didn't even have to jump to get the board and shoot over Bass plus the foul. That play tells you just how strong Griffin is in the lower body. Bass had to get very low to stop Griffin from pushing him under the basket) but he made Griffin pay at the other end. We are undersized and undermanned but we're fighting. I saw this the day before, against LAL, too. Our depleted frontcourt battled mightily. I'm really proud of them.

10. We got horribly outrebounded again, 45-31. Doc said it himself after halftime, it was their offensive rebounding. They had 20 offensive rebounds. 20!!! If we defended our own boards, this is a blowout of epic proportions.

11. Our offense was much smoother than theirs. We had 24 assists on 33fgm for a 73% ratio. Outstanding!! This is despite those fgm by Ray when he was iso-ing Mo and no assist was probably attributed to that sequence. The Clips had 16 assists for 31fgm for only 52%. Some of the blame for this, obviously, lies at Chris Paul's feet but some of it just goes to their offensive rebounding. Grab a rebound, put it back up and in, no assist. We only took 67fga. That is WAY too few. We suffered from that affliction last month. We had better get better before we play GSW because they will take a lot of shots on us.

Once again, we gave up a nice 10-point 4th quarter lead. Happily, we rallied and won (which I am still pissed off I missed). We gave up a 10 point lead in just 3:06, but had a 32 point quarter? Mixed blessings there. We gave up the lead, but we played like champions the last few minutes and in the end, it's all about being champions.

Time to beat my new hometown team, GSW. Ray is going to have trouble with Monta Ellis, a very athletic SG (with a tendency for Me-balling). I predict Rondo will chow down on Curry. KG and Steamer vs Biedrins? I'm liking that.

bob


.

bobheckler wrote: I have to say, though, that I saw some things differently than previous posters....

I agree. Two days in a row, I wonder if Bob and I are watching the same games.

bobheckler wrote: Rondo's defense is starting to irk me. He always seems to be chasing his player around screens and then going for the high-risk poke steal/deflection. He's not moving his feet fast enough to stay between his man and the hoop. Not good positional defense. Did he get some pokes in on Paul? Yes, but that was this game, most of the time a good point guard (and CP3 certainly is that!) will burn you. Chris Paul was 3-12, how much of that was due to Rondo's man-to-man defense and how much was Paul's bad shooting night? 6 turnovers for Rondo last night. A lot of people focus on a point guard's scoring and assist total, but turnovers is key in establishing efficient floor generalship. 10 assists and 6 TOs is not a good ratio for a starting point guard. As with his defense, Rondo shows a proclivity for high-risk, high reward play.

So Rondo gets none of the credits for limiting CPs scoring….and gets none of the credit for stabilizing the Celtics attack in the 2nd half? He was exactly the “floor general” you called for – confidently controlling the ball, and forcing his counterpart into a poor game.

bobheckler wrote: Another thing that bothered me was the decision to post Ray up against Mo. Yes, Ray did hit some shots, but isos often have a correlative effect on the other players, who just stand around and watch. They kill team movement. Remember the last time Ray had a big game? I don't. I don't know if age is finally creeping up on him, making him a step slow, his jumpshot an inch lower or if it's just a slump, but it is starting to become a concern for me. We need Ray Allen.

When the Celtics went to this Pierce / Ray Allen iso – it TOTALLY changed the dynamic in the game, in the Celtics favor. Yes is caused some guys to stand around – but against a team the has you totally outmatched physically and athletically, better execution is the only way to beat them. Ray hit a number of shots over Williams, drew a number of fouls – AND when he didn’t have the shot, Pierce and KG also benefited – his alley op from Rondo was a direct result of the isolation strategy. This was the turning point in the second half and the Clippers defense failed miserably to make an adjustment.

Maybe you missed the end, but Ray Allen was big down the stretch – hit a couple of dagger shots. I wouldn’t trade a bag of golf balls for Mo Williams….no heart, no defense and when the game was on the line…a no show as usual.

bobheckler wrote: Don Chaney, Jason Kidd, even Cedric Maxwell all improved their shooting later in their careers. Let's keep in mind he's only turning 23 this month.

Yup, but unlike these all time greats – Griffin has already been anointed as the next coming. I like his dunks. Other than that, he has a LONG way to go to live up to the hype.

bobheckler wrote: I honestly think we need to get past this "Oh my God! What a bunch of thugs they are!" thing. It's what we were excellent at when Perk was here and we loved it. We called it "Not in Our House" or, as KG would say it "Get that Shit Outta Here!". We don't own the patent on that, so expect to see others use it. We just have to toughen up mentally and physically and get back to that ourselves. We need to get out there with some 'tude and bounce some people around too and then all will look right with the world. Things look a-kilter now because it's one-sided. We can't expect the refs to defend us from physical players like they're bullies kicking sand in our faces, we have to play physical too....

Bob – I am sorry man, but if you are sitting here and telling me that last night the Clippers were not over the line on many occasions, I don’t know what to tell you.

Brandon Bass was complaining to the Refs (that NEVER happens), Steamer got a technical (that NEVER happens) after the second coming STUCK a ball in his chest, Doc got a technical based on Griffin throwing elbows and trying to run over Bass – Rondo got hit, KG had at least 5 occasions where he nearly went at it – Pierce got man handled by the butcher Reggie Evans. There is a big difference between taking smack and playing school yard thug basketball. Big difference.

I've seen a fair amount of the Clippers this year, but I only saw the fourth quarter of the game last night. The Clippers continued their current funk, and the Celtics took command at the end of the game.

Please don't judge Chris Paul by this one game. Kobe was able to shake off the broken nose and play with a mask without losing productivity, but that hasn't been the case for Paul, and his play has suffered significantly the past two games. Trust me, he is a far more complete point guard than Rondo. I have seen him take control of numerous games and lead the Clippers to a win through force of will. I am amazed at what he can do as a 6'0" guard. This guy has elite skills and the personality traits you want in a superstar.

The Clippers' problems are mainly on defense, but they're also limited offensively. As is obvious to anyone who watches Griffin over time, his outside game is sporadic at best, his free throw percentage is worse than Rondo's, and his defense is less than stellar. But when you consider his productivity (21.5 points and 11.1 rebounds a game, 5th in the league in rebounding, 8th in FG%, 10th in scoring, 13th in minutes), he's not the problem. The fact is that the Clippers are thin, and they're going through a slump since Billups went out because players not named Paul or Griffin haven't picked up the slack and have instead performed worse. The primary culprits are Caron Butler, who is shooting poorly instead of filling the void, and DeAndre Jordan, who took a giant leap forward last season but has not progressed an inch this season. Mo Williams is who he is -- a streaky shooter who isn't consistently dependable -- and the other guys are best suited for a few minutes a game. They don't have enough reliable scorers, and Paul and Griffin can't do it all. If they had a better defense -- and given their athleticism, I don't see why they shouldn't -- they'd have won 4-6 more games, and that falls on the coaching staff. They did well early when the offense was humming, but now that it's not, they don't have defense to fall back on, and defense should be the bedrock of any team. Chauncey was a key player, but if you have to stay perfectly healthy to be successful, especially during the injury-plagued lockout season, you're a paper tiger or poorly coached. In the Clippers' case, I think it's a bit of both.

As for the Celtics' next game at Golden State, the Warriors have the potential to give Boston trouble if they have a reasonably good shooting night and don't turn the ball over too much. Steph Curry is at least limited and probably out with ankle issues again (sigh...), so that's in the Celtics' favor. Mark Jackson has benched Biedrins at center for Ekpe Udoh, but that's primarily because he's loads better than Biedrins defensively (who isn't) while putting up the occasional good game offensively. The primary post threat is David Lee, who is having a very good season (19.1 points, 9.8 rebounds). But for the Warriors, the question is always if anyone besides Monta Ellis and Lee joins the party. You want to avoid guys like Dorell Wright, Brandon Rush, and Klay Thompson having a hot night. Plus they have the wildest of wildcards, Nate Robinson. With that bunch, the Warriors can get blown out or blow somebody out pretty much every game.

Outside

mrkleen09 wrote:

bobheckler wrote: I have to say, though, that I saw some things differently than previous posters....

I agree. Two days in a row, I wonder if Bob and I are watching the same games.

bobheckler wrote: Rondo's defense is starting to irk me. He always seems to be chasing his player around screens and then going for the high-risk poke steal/deflection. He's not moving his feet fast enough to stay between his man and the hoop. Not good positional defense. Did he get some pokes in on Paul? Yes, but that was this game, most of the time a good point guard (and CP3 certainly is that!) will burn you. Chris Paul was 3-12, how much of that was due to Rondo's man-to-man defense and how much was Paul's bad shooting night? 6 turnovers for Rondo last night. A lot of people focus on a point guard's scoring and assist total, but turnovers is key in establishing efficient floor generalship. 10 assists and 6 TOs is not a good ratio for a starting point guard. As with his defense, Rondo shows a proclivity for high-risk, high reward play.

So Rondo gets none of the credits for limiting CPs scoring….and gets none of the credit for stabilizing the Celtics attack in the 2nd half? He was exactly the “floor general” you called for – confidently controlling the ball, and forcing his counterpart into a poor game.

bobheckler wrote: Another thing that bothered me was the decision to post Ray up against Mo. Yes, Ray did hit some shots, but isos often have a correlative effect on the other players, who just stand around and watch. They kill team movement. Remember the last time Ray had a big game? I don't. I don't know if age is finally creeping up on him, making him a step slow, his jumpshot an inch lower or if it's just a slump, but it is starting to become a concern for me. We need Ray Allen.

When the Celtics went to this Pierce / Ray Allen iso – it TOTALLY changed the dynamic in the game, in the Celtics favor. Yes is caused some guys to stand around – but against a team the has you totally outmatched physically and athletically, better execution is the only way to beat them. Ray hit a number of shots over Williams, drew a number of fouls – AND when he didn’t have the shot, Pierce and KG also benefited – his alley op from Rondo was a direct result of the isolation strategy. This was the turning point in the second half and the Clippers defense failed miserably to make an adjustment.

Maybe you missed the end, but Ray Allen was big down the stretch – hit a couple of dagger shots. I wouldn’t trade a bag of golf balls for Mo Williams….no heart, no defense and when the game was on the line…a no show as usual.

bobheckler wrote: Don Chaney, Jason Kidd, even Cedric Maxwell all improved their shooting later in their careers. Let's keep in mind he's only turning 23 this month.

Yup, but unlike these all time greats – Griffin has already been anointed as the next coming. I like his dunks. Other than that, he has a LONG way to go to live up to the hype.

bobheckler wrote: I honestly think we need to get past this "Oh my God! What a bunch of thugs they are!" thing. It's what we were excellent at when Perk was here and we loved it. We called it "Not in Our House" or, as KG would say it "Get that Shit Outta Here!". We don't own the patent on that, so expect to see others use it. We just have to toughen up mentally and physically and get back to that ourselves. We need to get out there with some 'tude and bounce some people around too and then all will look right with the world. Things look a-kilter now because it's one-sided. We can't expect the refs to defend us from physical players like they're bullies kicking sand in our faces, we have to play physical too....

Bob – I am sorry man, but if you are sitting here and telling me that last night the Clippers were not over the line on many occasions, I don’t know what to tell you.

Brandon Bass was complaining to the Refs (that NEVER happens), Steamer got a technical (that NEVER happens) after the second coming STUCK a ball in his chest, Doc got a technical based on Griffin throwing elbows and trying to run over Bass – Rondo got hit, KG had at least 5 occasions where he nearly went at it – Pierce got man handled by the butcher Reggie Evans. There is a big difference between taking smack and playing school yard thug basketball. Big difference.

MrKleen,

What I saw was Rondo chasing Paul around picks. Bradley moves his feet with his man, Rondo moves his after his. I gave Rondo credit for some of his reach around pokes, I just don't like that type of defense. As far as limiting his scoring I suppose I should have given credit to Rondo for not letting Paul fastbreak like crazy, but I didn't see where he was disrupting Paul in the halfcourt. Perhaps I missed stuff.

No, I didn't see the end. I very pointedly mentioned that several times. I didn't say Mo Williams was a better player than Ray, I said he ate Ray up last night. I certainly did not say Mo plays defense. Bradley's points came off of Mo. That's probably why the Clips got a real point guard, Chris Paul, rather than letting a former starting point guard in Cleveland run this team. This opinion was based upon the part of the game I saw, which did not include the last 3:23. You say that Ray hit some real dagger shots late. That's Ray being Ray, but if Mo hadn't lit him up for the previous 3 quarters maybe we wouldn't have needed daggers. I don't like isos. I like motion offense. I like running plays for the team. Ray Allen had 7 points in the 4th quarter. 3fts, from a Mo Williams 3pt fga foul and 2 fgs. All over those points happened before 9:30 in the 4th with the score 68-61. He did not score again in the 4th.

As far as Bass and Steamer complaining, yes they were, but I don't pay much attention to players complaining. These are highly competitive individuals and this game meant something to both teams since both teams had lost the day before. If someone muscles you, you muscle them back. The refs are letting that happen and you have to respond. If the ref lets them get away with it but not you, then the coach gets into it too. I gave one example of when Bass was overmatched, but that wasn't the only one and Steamer had problems with Griffin too. This isn't surprising, Griffin has talent. Can he shoot from the outside like Bass? No, but I specifically mentioned how Bass made Griffin pay at the other side. I didn't mention Bass' points came from his usual 16-18' spots. Regarding Griffin being annointed as the Next Coming, you're right. It irked me when he was annointed when he was out with his broken foot and had never laced up an NBA sneaker before, but he's playing now and he's good. Real good. A complete player, no. The Second Coming, not likely, but still pretty damn good for a 22 year old.

bob

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Totally agree.

And if they let him throw people around like he runs the league....he will get to the top even sooner.

Competitive is fine. Dirty is not. Griffin walks that line.

I think Griffin is not well schooled in his position. He could elevate his position further if he was under a coach like Doc and getting advice from a Garnett.

112288

bobheckler wrote:Unfortunately, I missed the final 3:23 of what turned out to be a very interesting game. I have to say, though, that I saw some things differently than previous posters...

1. Rondo's defense is starting to irk me. He always seems to be chasing his player around screens and then going for the high-risk poke steal/deflection. He's not moving his feet fast enough to stay between his man and the hoop. Not good positional defense. Did he get some pokes in on Paul? Yes, but that was this game, most of the time a good point guard (and CP3 certainly is that!) will burn you. Chris Paul was 3-12, how much of that was due to Rondo's man-to-man defense and how much was Paul's bad shooting night? 6 turnovers for Rondo last night. A lot of people focus on a point guard's scoring and assist total, but turnovers is key in establishing efficient floor generalship. 10 assists and 6 TOs is not a good ratio for a starting point guard. As with his defense, Rondo shows a proclivity for high-risk, high reward play.

2. Mo Williams ate Ray Allen alive for most of the game. I would have thought Bradley would have been a better defender against Mo Williams, who has a PG body, than Ray. A great game by Mo, and I am not really a Mo Williams fan from when he was in Cleveland. Another thing that bothered me was the decision to post Ray up against Mo. Yes, Ray did hit some shots, but isos often have a correlative effect on the other players, who just stand around and watch. They kill team movement. Remember the last time Ray had a big game? I don't. I don't know if age is finally creeping up on him, making him a step slow, his jumpshot an inch lower or if it's just a slump, but it is starting to become a concern for me. We need Ray Allen.

3. Another solid game by Steamer. Statistically, he didn't have a big night, but provided interior presence, again, and didn't let Griffin and Jordan intimidate him. I liked that he threw the ball at Griffin's back. Considering Steamer's no doubt small contract he might not be enjoying writing the check to the league, but standing up to Griffin and all the other players in the league who think they can push us around is something I want to see Steamer do. His demeanor is so calm out there, a little "pissed-off" and "'tude" is what is needed. His 2 blocks are, by now, almost expected, but his 2 steals came from good anticipation. It's tough, being a rookie and getting thrown into the fire like this with hyper-intense KG barking at you, but he's handling it. At least he's not crying like Davis did.

4. The Mickael Pietrus on Chris Paul strategy didn't work. Unfortunately, I've said that too many times about Pietrus the past few games. Chris Paul just took whatever Pietrus gave him. Give him the outside shot, hit a 3. Get up on him, drive past him and then pull up for the shot plus one.

5. Keyon Dooling played 4 minutes and laid goose-eggs across the board again. How many minutes has that been since he's contributed anything? I don't even know when he's in the game, he's so invisible.

6. Griffin was 1-5 from outside the paint. Clearly, this is the weak part of his game. Shooting, however, is a talent that improves with age (at least, until your legs start to go). Magic couldn't shoot early on, but turned into a reliable, albeit ugly, shooter. Don Chaney, Jason Kidd, even Cedric Maxwell all improved their shooting later in their careers. Let's keep in mind he's only turning 23 this month. As it is, 24 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 assists and only 2 turnovers is still a very good game. Was he playing chippy last night? Yes, but they just lost to GSW the night before and were playing last night at home. He should have been chippy. It's what we would want our guys to be if they lost the night before and then came back to TD Banknorth to play a good team. I honestly think we need to get past this "Oh my God! What a bunch of thugs they are!" thing. It's what we were excellent at when Perk was here and we loved it. We called it "Not in Our House" or, as KG would say it "Get that Shit Outta Here!". We don't own the patent on that, so expect to see others use it. We just have to toughen up mentally and physically and get back to that ourselves. We need to get out there with some 'tude and bounce some people around too and then all will look right with the world. Things look a-kilter now because it's one-sided. We can't expect the refs to defend us from physical players like they're bullies kicking sand in our faces, we have to play physical too...

7. Eric Bledsoe came in and tried to "out-Bradley" Avery Bradley by playing tough, on-the-ball defense fullcourt against Bradley. Unfortunately for Bledsoe, he's not Bradley. 3 quick fouls in 4 minutes, largely from being overly aggressive. Bradley's ballhandling scared me last night, and our offense stopped moving when he was running it, but his personal offense was good. For someone who admitted he was completely intimidated last year, to the point of where he didn't even want to get into practice scrimmages, he has come a looooong way.

8. DeAndre Jordan didn't have a good night, except for rebounding. He had 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes, but his 3-10 shooting was excrement. He was the biggest guy on the floor, he should have owned it. Great defense by our frontcourt.

9. Speaking of our frontcourt, I liked what I saw last night. KG was prowling the paint like a caged tiger and hitting his shots, Steamer was rotating well, Bass was scoring. KG had that monster block on Jordan underneath! Bass was severely physically overmatched by Griffin (he was practically bent over double trying to hold his position against Griffin under the basket. As a result, Griffin didn't even have to jump to get the board and shoot over Bass plus the foul. That play tells you just how strong Griffin is in the lower body. Bass had to get very low to stop Griffin from pushing him under the basket) but he made Griffin pay at the other end. We are undersized and undermanned but we're fighting. I saw this the day before, against LAL, too. Our depleted frontcourt battled mightily. I'm really proud of them.

10. We got horribly outrebounded again, 45-31. Doc said it himself after halftime, it was their offensive rebounding. They had 20 offensive rebounds. 20!!! If we defended our own boards, this is a blowout of epic proportions.

11. Our offense was much smoother than theirs. We had 24 assists on 33fgm for a 73% ratio. Outstanding!! This is despite those fgm by Ray when he was iso-ing Mo and no assist was probably attributed to that sequence. The Clips had 16 assists for 31fgm for only 52%. Some of the blame for this, obviously, lies at Chris Paul's feet but some of it just goes to their offensive rebounding. Grab a rebound, put it back up and in, no assist. We only took 67fga. That is WAY too few. We suffered from that affliction last month. We had better get better before we play GSW because they will take a lot of shots on us.

Once again, we gave up a nice 10-point 4th quarter lead. Happily, we rallied and won (which I am still pissed off I missed). We gave up a 10 point lead in just 3:06, but had a 32 point quarter? Mixed blessings there. We gave up the lead, but we played like champions the last few minutes and in the end, it's all about being champions.

Time to beat my new hometown team, GSW. Ray is going to have trouble with Monta Ellis, a very athletic SG (with a tendency for Me-balling). I predict Rondo will chow down on Curry. KG and Steamer vs Biedrins? I'm liking that.

bob


.

Remember the last time Ray had a big game? I don't.

I do. It was three games ago against Portland. 8 for 12 shooting (4 for 7 on threes) and 22 points. Not a huge game, but a big game. If Ray had that kind of a game every night we'd be thrilled.

steve3344 wrote:

bobheckler wrote:Unfortunately, I missed the final 3:23 of what turned out to be a very interesting game. I have to say, though, that I saw some things differently than previous posters...

1. Rondo's defense is starting to irk me. He always seems to be chasing his player around screens and then going for the high-risk poke steal/deflection. He's not moving his feet fast enough to stay between his man and the hoop. Not good positional defense. Did he get some pokes in on Paul? Yes, but that was this game, most of the time a good point guard (and CP3 certainly is that!) will burn you. Chris Paul was 3-12, how much of that was due to Rondo's man-to-man defense and how much was Paul's bad shooting night? 6 turnovers for Rondo last night. A lot of people focus on a point guard's scoring and assist total, but turnovers is key in establishing efficient floor generalship. 10 assists and 6 TOs is not a good ratio for a starting point guard. As with his defense, Rondo shows a proclivity for high-risk, high reward play.

2. Mo Williams ate Ray Allen alive for most of the game. I would have thought Bradley would have been a better defender against Mo Williams, who has a PG body, than Ray. A great game by Mo, and I am not really a Mo Williams fan from when he was in Cleveland. Another thing that bothered me was the decision to post Ray up against Mo. Yes, Ray did hit some shots, but isos often have a correlative effect on the other players, who just stand around and watch. They kill team movement. Remember the last time Ray had a big game? I don't. I don't know if age is finally creeping up on him, making him a step slow, his jumpshot an inch lower or if it's just a slump, but it is starting to become a concern for me. We need Ray Allen.

3. Another solid game by Steamer. Statistically, he didn't have a big night, but provided interior presence, again, and didn't let Griffin and Jordan intimidate him. I liked that he threw the ball at Griffin's back. Considering Steamer's no doubt small contract he might not be enjoying writing the check to the league, but standing up to Griffin and all the other players in the league who think they can push us around is something I want to see Steamer do. His demeanor is so calm out there, a little "pissed-off" and "'tude" is what is needed. His 2 blocks are, by now, almost expected, but his 2 steals came from good anticipation. It's tough, being a rookie and getting thrown into the fire like this with hyper-intense KG barking at you, but he's handling it. At least he's not crying like Davis did.

4. The Mickael Pietrus on Chris Paul strategy didn't work. Unfortunately, I've said that too many times about Pietrus the past few games. Chris Paul just took whatever Pietrus gave him. Give him the outside shot, hit a 3. Get up on him, drive past him and then pull up for the shot plus one.

5. Keyon Dooling played 4 minutes and laid goose-eggs across the board again. How many minutes has that been since he's contributed anything? I don't even know when he's in the game, he's so invisible.

6. Griffin was 1-5 from outside the paint. Clearly, this is the weak part of his game. Shooting, however, is a talent that improves with age (at least, until your legs start to go). Magic couldn't shoot early on, but turned into a reliable, albeit ugly, shooter. Don Chaney, Jason Kidd, even Cedric Maxwell all improved their shooting later in their careers. Let's keep in mind he's only turning 23 this month. As it is, 24 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 assists and only 2 turnovers is still a very good game. Was he playing chippy last night? Yes, but they just lost to GSW the night before and were playing last night at home. He should have been chippy. It's what we would want our guys to be if they lost the night before and then came back to TD Banknorth to play a good team. I honestly think we need to get past this "Oh my God! What a bunch of thugs they are!" thing. It's what we were excellent at when Perk was here and we loved it. We called it "Not in Our House" or, as KG would say it "Get that Shit Outta Here!". We don't own the patent on that, so expect to see others use it. We just have to toughen up mentally and physically and get back to that ourselves. We need to get out there with some 'tude and bounce some people around too and then all will look right with the world. Things look a-kilter now because it's one-sided. We can't expect the refs to defend us from physical players like they're bullies kicking sand in our faces, we have to play physical too...

7. Eric Bledsoe came in and tried to "out-Bradley" Avery Bradley by playing tough, on-the-ball defense fullcourt against Bradley. Unfortunately for Bledsoe, he's not Bradley. 3 quick fouls in 4 minutes, largely from being overly aggressive. Bradley's ballhandling scared me last night, and our offense stopped moving when he was running it, but his personal offense was good. For someone who admitted he was completely intimidated last year, to the point of where he didn't even want to get into practice scrimmages, he has come a looooong way.

8. DeAndre Jordan didn't have a good night, except for rebounding. He had 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes, but his 3-10 shooting was excrement. He was the biggest guy on the floor, he should have owned it. Great defense by our frontcourt.

9. Speaking of our frontcourt, I liked what I saw last night. KG was prowling the paint like a caged tiger and hitting his shots, Steamer was rotating well, Bass was scoring. KG had that monster block on Jordan underneath! Bass was severely physically overmatched by Griffin (he was practically bent over double trying to hold his position against Griffin under the basket. As a result, Griffin didn't even have to jump to get the board and shoot over Bass plus the foul. That play tells you just how strong Griffin is in the lower body. Bass had to get very low to stop Griffin from pushing him under the basket) but he made Griffin pay at the other end. We are undersized and undermanned but we're fighting. I saw this the day before, against LAL, too. Our depleted frontcourt battled mightily. I'm really proud of them.

10. We got horribly outrebounded again, 45-31. Doc said it himself after halftime, it was their offensive rebounding. They had 20 offensive rebounds. 20!!! If we defended our own boards, this is a blowout of epic proportions.

11. Our offense was much smoother than theirs. We had 24 assists on 33fgm for a 73% ratio. Outstanding!! This is despite those fgm by Ray when he was iso-ing Mo and no assist was probably attributed to that sequence. The Clips had 16 assists for 31fgm for only 52%. Some of the blame for this, obviously, lies at Chris Paul's feet but some of it just goes to their offensive rebounding. Grab a rebound, put it back up and in, no assist. We only took 67fga. That is WAY too few. We suffered from that affliction last month. We had better get better before we play GSW because they will take a lot of shots on us.

Once again, we gave up a nice 10-point 4th quarter lead. Happily, we rallied and won (which I am still pissed off I missed). We gave up a 10 point lead in just 3:06, but had a 32 point quarter? Mixed blessings there. We gave up the lead, but we played like champions the last few minutes and in the end, it's all about being champions.

Time to beat my new hometown team, GSW. Ray is going to have trouble with Monta Ellis, a very athletic SG (with a tendency for Me-balling). I predict Rondo will chow down on Curry. KG and Steamer vs Biedrins? I'm liking that.

bob


.

Remember the last time Ray had a big game? I don't.

I do. It was three games ago against Portland. 8 for 12 shooting (4 for 7 on threes) and 22 points. Not a huge game, but a big game. If Ray had that kind of a game every night we'd be thrilled.

Steve,

Thanks for the reminder. You're right, I would be thrilled if he had that kind of night every night.

Then again, that was a complete blowout. I'd be thrilled if the Celtics had a game like that every night.

bob

.

To anyone,

Doc's strategy in constantly giving the Clips different looks at both ends of the floor (including postups by Ray) bordered on genius. It's difficult for the Celtics, in their current state, to become much more efficient than they have been; so, last night, they focused on making the Clips less efficient. It worked like a charm, very largely because (as I quoted Ray as saying earlier), the Celtics kept the Clippers guessing.

As for Ray's defense, it's a tradeoff. Perhaps it would be nice to have played Ray on the offensive end and Bradley on the defensive end, but that's not how it works. Doc basically picks his poison by having one of them play the majority of the game. I certainly wouldn't want Bradley playing SG instead of Ray for the majority of the game.

Maybe Ray's defense would have posed more of a problem if the Celtics' overall defense had suffered beyond repair. That didn't happen. During the second quarter, Doc, who is ever-ready to criticize the team's defense, mentioned that defense wasn't the problem. Offense was. Ray's one of their best offensive players.

A player's performance is best evaluated holistically—within the context of the entire team's performance—rather than in a vacuum. Not every player is going to put up career stats every night. If they did, typical game scores might be in the 197-189 range. One of a coach's most important jobs is juggling all the parts so that the whole is functioning better than that of the opponent's whole.

In facing the incessant picks of the Clips, the Celts tended to protect against a possible roll from the guy setting the pick—more than than focusing on the Clippers guards. Given the Celts' problems up front, the front court of the Clips posed more of a threat than their guard corps. The sum total of the Celtics defense pretty kept the Clips in sufficient check, and that's what matters to me.

On another subject, I frequently notice people opining that, if such and such had happened, the game would have been a runaway for one team or the other. That's not necessarily true. It can never be assumed that, in such a situation, everything else would have been constant. One player's actions affect all of his teammates. It's a question of whether the net result of the myriad tradeoffs is a positive one.

For example, one reason I like to see Kobe take over a game early is because it very often means the rest of the Lakers get out of synch and have difficulty contributing down the stretch. It's the totality of the "product" that counts, not the number of points Kobe scores.

Just some random thoughts, for whatever they're worth.

Sam

Check out the look on Bass's face. PUMPED for Bradley!






bob

.

Bob

As an aside....hope you know nothing I have said recently is personal.

I respect you and really enjoy your posts.....just stating what I see.

mrkleen09 wrote:Bob

As an aside....hope you know nothing I have said recently is personal.

I respect you and really enjoy your posts.....just stating what I see.

MrKleen,

No offense taken. You stated your opinion and provided your reasoning (e.g. Iso-ing Ray changed the dynamic of the game). I'm good with that. You know your hoop. Eyewitnesses are notoriously unreliable witnesses and that's what we are.

bob

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This Celtics team is playing without JO, CW, and Jeff Green - that's a huge hole in any team's lineup. Still, they're playing with great heart and competing with the best in the league. What great performers, what a great coach, what a great tradition. Go Green!

worcester wrote:This Celtics team is playing without JO, CW, and Jeff Green - that's a huge hole in any team's lineup. Still, they're playing with great heart and competing with the best in the league. What great performers, what a great coach, what a great tradition. Go Green!

I said similar words on the Game On, theres so many times we struggle and its all related to our depth....we still played so hard with grit, my favorite play was Pierce spliting 2 defenders and finishing on a break, what an entertaining game!!!Would love to see how stacked we'd be with those 3 players. Miami lost tonight to Magic, they are bullies, in a tight game/series they can be had.....we woulda had em last year if not for Rondo and we had game 1 last year, refs punked us letting Wade instigate a T on Pierce right when he was heating up in 4th. Bulls don't quite have enough playoff pieces and experience, amazing how much more Pierce and Ray Allern have in the tank compared to other younger contemporaries like Rip Hamilton, T Mac, Vince Carter.

Cow, you are right. Our elder statesman can bball. They just need a little bit of a supporting cast. Who's our best # 7 right now? Steemer? Boy does that say a lot about our lack of depth or what. Our starting 5 are doing a herculean job.