C's on the Rebound

by **bobheckler** Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:38 pm

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4699234/cs-on-the-rebound

In the chart below, where you see smileys, those are actually parentheses 8
end-parentheses. The site translates that into smileys.

The Boston Celtics have displayed an indifference to offensive rebounding
in recent seasons, but there's a perception that the team is also
struggling on the defensive glass. The numbers suggest that simply isn't
as big of a deal as some make it out to be.

If you go strictly by raw numbers, the Celtics have been
outrebounded by opponents 504-430 through 12 games, a difference of 6.2
rebounds per game. But keep in mind that Boston's shunning of the
offensive glass is a big reason for the differential.

In fact, if you zoom in on defensive rebound percentage, the Celtics
are more than holding their own. Boston ranks 11th in the NBA with a
74.2 defensive rebound percentage (which is two points better than last
year's number and on par with the rate of the 2007-08 championship
team). In fact, the Celtics are about a half percentage point away from
being one of the top 5 defensive rebounding teams in the league.

Boston's offensive rebound percentage skews its overall rebounding
percentage, dipping the team into the lower third of the league in total
rebound percentage for the last four seasons. Let's take a closer look:

On the rebound?

A look at Boston’s rebound percentages during the Big Three era with league rank in parentheses:

YearDef Reb%Off Reb%Total Reb %

2012-13	74.2 (11)	16.6 (30)	46.0 (30)
2011-12	72.4 (20)	19.7 (30)	47.3 (28)
2010-11	74.7 (9)	21.1 (30)	49.5 (20)
2009-10	73.8 (13)	22.8 (28)	49.1 (25)
2008-09	75.6 (3)	27.9 (	52.8 (2)
2007-08	74.4 (	26.6 (18)	51.9 (

Make no mistake, the Celtics have room to grow on the glass.
Offensive rebounds have hurt this team in spurts and Boston simply isn't
good enough defensively at the moment to allow second-chance
opportunities.

It's games like Wednesday's loss to San Antonio that the rebound
numbers seem glaring. Consider that Paul Pierce and Jeff Green combined
for zero rebounds in 51 minutes of court time. Heck, take away Brandon
Bass and Boston's four other starters combined for a mere six rebounds
over 138 minutes of floor time. That is somewhat unacceptable. Now, the
Spurs shot 58.4 percent and there were only 36 available defensive
rebounds (of which the Spurs got six on their own). Better defense will
aid the Celtics in being a better defensive team.

While Rivers adamantly said that offensive rebounding is the least
of Boston's problems, the Celtics acknowledge the importance of being
better on the defensive glass.

"I have to do a better job on the rebounds," admitted Pierce. "I got
no rebounds today. I have to have a better effort in that department."

Garnett stressed that Boston bigs can tighten up their defensive
rebounding by avoiding getting caught out of position. That starts with
the guard position where dribble penetration is forcing help and leaving
opponents free to crash the glass without a body on them, leading to
easy putbacks. The Spurs generated a whopping 19 second-chance points on
seven total offensive caroms on Wednesday.

bob

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