Pushing the Pace

To paraphrase the immortal Al Davis, "Just Run, Baby".



http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4698041/pushin-the-pace



Celtics head coach Doc Rivers hasn't been bashful about his desire to
mix-and-match the many versatile players he has at his disposal this
preseason. Consider this the test phase, with the goal being a strong
understanding of what does and doesn't work by the time the regular
season begins later this month.


One facet of this Celtics team that has worked very well of late --
particularly this past week -- is the production in transition, as the
C's haven't been shy about streaking out on the fast break to get
themselves easier baskets.



"I like our speed. I like our pace of play," Rivers said after
practice last week. "That's something we have to increase this year. We
have to get more shots up at the basket this year, and I think we're
going to do that."



Boston showed how it might go about doing that on Tuesday, in a
97-96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Though the C's fell in the final
minutes when the regular rotation players were removed, up until that
point they had been making a strong effort to score in transition,
evidenced by their 17 fast break points. The likes of Jeff Green and
Courtney Lee joined in with Rajon Rondo to do, in part, what they were
brought in to do: Utilize their athleticism to make Boston more
formidable on the break.



"We want to get up and down the floor," Green said after Tuesday's
game. "We've got guys who can get up and down the floor -- myself,
Courtney, Rondo, especially. We've got to use that to the best of our
abilities, so whenever we get a stop, we've got to get up the floor and
try to get easy buckets."



Added Lee, who scored 13 points Tuesday: "On the offensive end,
Rondo was doing a good job of getting deep outlets and pushing the tempo
and the guards were doing a good job of getting out and running and the
bigs were doing a good job of running the floor. If we can get easy
buckets in transition, that's only going to help us."


While the Celtics did elect for a more organized
brand of halfcourt offense at times on Tuesday -- especially when Kevin
Garnett was playing -- that game was a strong example of them being able
to shuffle around their personnel to go from a set-run team to a group
on the run, with Rondo orchestrating the majority of the proceedings.


"Our versatility and ability to play different styles is going to be
our strong suit," said Jason Terry. "We went with a bigger lineup where
we're pounding the ball inside to KG, and he went to work. And then,
once we made the substitution, we went a little smaller, started to pick
up the pace. It looked good. It looked good there for stretches. And
now the main thing for us is putting it together for 48 minutes of good,
solid basketball."



The closest Boston has come to that 48-minute effort was Thursday's
115-85 lopsided victory over the same Brooklyn team, playing with its
regular rotation players this time. While there will be statistics
available during the regular season that can determine if Boston has
indeed increased its pace of play from seasons past, for now, consider
the 85 field goals the Celtics attempted on Thursday. The figure was far
and away a preseason high, and it came in part because of Boston's
willingness to get out on the break.



Rivers, serious about his desire for his team to take more shots
this season, will likely refer back to Thursday's game to illustrate to
his club how it can happen. Running off of made baskets is certainly
possible, but on Thursday, the C's relied on what should be their best
trait this season to help produce those extra looks at the rim: Defense.
Boston forced 19 Brooklyn turnovers, which they converted into 27
points of their own. They stole the ball 12 times, with three of the
Nets' first four possessions marred by Boston swipes. Often, those
defensive stands resulted in fast break opportunities, particularly
early on, which is how the Celtics built a 9-0 lead a minute and 16
seconds into the game. As a team, Boston came through with 16 transition
points. Lee, who had four steals of his own, was a one-man fast break
at times, responsible for the swipe, the full-court run, and the easy
layup.



"With all the scoring we have, if we get stops, we're going to
score," Rivers said following Thursday's game. "We're going to score in
transition more, we're going to score in a lot of different ways and you
can see that tonight."





bob



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