POST GAME NEW YORK - GAME 2

GAME STATS

SCORE – CELTICS - 71 /NYK - 87
REBOUNDS - CELTICS 37 /NYK 42.....Offensive - CELTICS 3/NYK 7 ......Defensive - CELTICS 34 /NY 35
POINTS IN THE PAINT - CELTICS 24 /NYK 26
FAST BREAK POINTS - CELTICS 17 / NYK 2
FG - CELTICS - 26/70 ( 37.1 %) NYK 32/76 ( 42.1 %)
3PM - CELTICS - 5/19 (26.3 %) / NYK 7/19 ( 36.8 %)
FTM - CELTICS - 14/18 ( 77.8%) NYK 16/22 (72.7 %)
TO - CELTICS 11 / NYK 10
ASSISTS - CELTICS 14 /NYK 14
STL - CELTICS 3 / NYK 5
BLK - CELTICS 4/ NYK 6
PF - CELTICS 20 / NYK 17
BENCH POINTS - CELTICS 19 / NYK 27
TOTAL TEAM TURNOVERS (Points off turnovers) – CELTICS 12 (15) /NYK 11 (20)

NEXT GAME FRIDAY - HOME - 8:00PM ESPN

POST GAME RECAP

ESPNBOSTON.COM

Rapid Reaction: Knicks 87, C's 71 (Game 2)

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

NEW YORK -- Rapid reaction after the New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 87-71 during Game 2 of an Eastern Conference first-round series at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks lead the best-of-seven series, 2-0:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 34 points on 11-of-24 shooting, spearheading a key third-quarter outburst as New York raced away and tightened its grip on the series. Freshly minted Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith added 19 points, while Raymond Felton continued his role as Boston pest, chipping in 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Paul Pierce scored a team-high 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting with six rebounds and six assists, but was again plagued by turnovers, committing a team-high five (with more of what he had labeled the "bonehead" variety) and was a game-worst minus-28 in plus/minus. Kevin Garnett finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but played a mere 24 minutes due to foul trouble that limited his effectiveness for much of the first three quarters on a night the Celtics desperately needed to lean on him.

TURNING POINT
After a streaky first half that saw the Celtics build their lead as high as 9 late in the first half (they led by 6 at halftime), Boston's offense crumbled in the second half for the second time this series. The Knicks opened the third quarter on a 24-4 run while building a 14-point cushion. Anthony scored nine points as the Knicks were 8-of-10 shooting during a 7:30 spurt to start the half, but it was Boston's offensive futility that sealed its fate. The Celtics were 1-of-11 shooting (9.1 percent) with Pierce contributing the only field goal as the Knicks raced away.

EARLY FOUL TROUBLE FOR KG; WILCOX'S PLAYOFF DEBUT
After three days of hearing about the importance of getting Garnett involved early, KG splashed a jumper 27 seconds in. But that was about as good as it got. A turnover and two fouls in an 18-second span forced Garnett to the bench with 8:39 to play in the first frame. Garnett got his fourth foul 3:30 into the third quarter and was a helpless spectator for the Knicks' game-changing run.

WILCOX MAKES PLAYOFF DEBUT
Celtics coach Doc Rivers went with Chris Wilcox as the much-anticipated first big off the bench (after not using one in Game 1) in what was Wilcox's first postseason appearance in an 11-year career. Wilcox played three scoreless first-half minutes, grabbed one rebound and was minus-6 in that span. If not for the lopsided nature of the game, he might not have returned. Rivers emptied the bench down the stretch, getting playoff minutes for Shavlik Randolph and Terrence Williams. Courtney Lee saw himself demoted to late-game minutes, playing the final 4:14.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics will cling to the notion that a series doesn't start until a home team loses and say the Knicks simply held serve by winning the first two games of the series. But while Boston had its opportunities in each of the first two games, it also had head-shaking offensive lulls and critical errors in each that doesn't emphatically suggest a team capable of winning a best-of-seven series against a quality opponent. The Celtics hope coming home will provide a spark, but that alone will not be enough to get back in this series. Boston desperately needs to figure out how to mask its offensive deficiencies. Two days off await as the series shifts to Boston for Games 3 (Friday) and 4 (Sunday).
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CSNE

Knicks rout Celtics, take 2-0 series lead

A.SHERROD BLAKLEY

NEW YORK — The Boston Celtics have been a streaky team all season.

Sadly, it appears to be holding true in the playoffs as the Celtics suffered similar struggles in Game 2 as they did in Game 1 against the New York Knicks.

And the end result on Tuesday - just as it was in Game 1 against the Knicks - is a Celtics loss as Boston returns home going 0-for-New York after a 87-71 Game 2 loss.

And while the C's tried to downplay Game 2 as a must-win, the question doesn't even need to be asked if Game 3 falls under that category.

No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, and the C's have shown no signs of being up to such a challenge.

Getting just one win in this series looks like a daunting task for the Celtics at this point.

Boston had yet another rough third quarter, but they seemed to regroup themselves when they finally found a matchup that they could exploit - Jordan Crawford defended by Steve Novak.

The C's opened the fourth with an 8-2 run, Crawford scoring five points during that stretch to bring the C's within 76-67 with 9:15 to play.

Boston could not inch any closer, as the Knicks pulled away for a comfortable win and with it, absolute control of this series as it shifts to Boston for Games 3 and 4.

The Celtics' downfall in Game 2 - as was the case in Game 1 - began in the third quarter.

A pair of 3-pointers by Iman Shumpert wiped out Boston's halftime lead, and a driving lay-up by Raymond Felton gave the Knicks a 52-50 lead that just continued to grow as the game progressed.

Doc Rivers called a time-out with 8:49 to play in the quarter, but it didn't matter.

The Knicks continued to surge ahead while the Celtics continued to sputter along to yet another pitiful playoff game offensively.

New York closed out the third with a 24-9 run to take a commanding 74-59 lead going into the fourth quarter, the kind of deficit few outside the Celtics huddle felt could be made up in 12 minutes.

Not on a night when Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith went into the half shooting a combined 50 percent from the field to go with a combined 45 of New York's 74 points.

New York's controlling finish was in stark contrast to the game's early moments.

Both teams waged a tightly contested contest in the first quarter, although the Celtics found themselves without Kevin Garnett early than usual when he picked up his second personal foul less than four minutes into the game.

The Celtics still managed to keep the game close, and lead 17-15 following a lay-up by Paul Pierce.

However, the Knicks closed out the first with an 11-3 run capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by J.R. Smith from 36-feet away that lifted New York to a 26-20 lead.

The second quarter saw the emergence of Boston's Jason Terry who came off the worst playoff game in his NBA career in Game 1 when he failed to make any of the five shots he took from the field.

He nailed a 3-pointer in the first quarter and drilled another two in the second with the last one giving the Celtics a 36-30 lead - their largest of the game at that point.

Boston's lead peaked at nine points in the second quarter which ended with the Celtics leading 48-42 at the half.

Anthony and Smith continued to give the Celtics defense fits as they tallied 15 and 13 points, respectively, in the first half.

But the Celtics managed to keep the rest of the Knicks shooters from being factors.

Anthony and Smith were a combined 8-for-20 shooting in the first half.

The rest of the Knicks were a combined 6-for-17.

Meanwhile, the Celtics were getting it done with a balanced scoring attack led by Paul Pierce's 10 points.

In addition to Pierce, Boston's starters each had at least four points. And the C's bench, which had just four points in their Game 1 loss, had 14 points at the half with Terry and Jordan Crawford having nine and five points, respectively.

And the C's used both 6-10 big men Chris Wilcox and Shavlik Randolph off the bench in the first half, a change in thinking after no one taller than 6-5 came off the C's bench in Game 1.

Still, the Celtics could not have felt too good about having a six-point lead at the half despite limiting the Knicks to less than 38 percent shooting, holding a +2 advantage on the boards along with having fewer turnovers (six to eight) than the Knicks.

Keeping New York in the game was second-chance points, a category in which they had a 9-3 advantage at the half.
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WEEI 93.7 FM

BAD SEQUEL: C’S REPEAT THEIR HORRIFIC GAME 1, FALL AGAIN TO KNICKS IN GAME

By Mike Petraglia

J.R. Smith shoots over Jordan Crawford Tuesday in New York in Game 2. (AP)

NEW YORK — Another horrific second-half drought. Another very bad result for the Celtics.

Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, NBA “Sixth Man of the Year” J.R. Smith added 19 while Raymond Felton (16 points) chipped in with several big drives to the basket, as the Knicks beat the Celtics, 87-71, in Game 2 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The series now shifts back to Boston with the Celtics, down 0-2, facing a virtual must-win on Friday night at TD Garden.

Paul Pierce scored 18 while Kevin Garnett added a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) for the Celtics, who suffered through another horrendous second-half drought, blowing a nine-point lead late in the first half to fall two games down to the Atlantic Division champs. After scoring just 25 points in the second half Saturday in Game 1, and eight in the fourth quarter, the Celtics scored just 11 points in the third quarter and finished the second half with just 23 points.

The Celtics now have established a franchise-low for scoring in a half in consecutive playoff games.

The Celtics appeared to have momentum early. They built a 20-15 lead in the first quarter on Jason Terry‘s first field goal of the series. After going 0-for-5 in Game 1, his 3-pointer was the first of three treys in the first half. But the Knicks then ran off the next 12 points, closing the first quarter on an 11-0 run, thanks in part to a troubling turn at the end of the period.

Smith hit a jumper with 6.8 seconds left to put the Knicks up 23-20. Pierce committed a turnover and the Knicks found Smith, who drained a 36-foot three at the buzzer, putting the Knicks up 26-20.

After the Knicks went up 27-20, the Celtics answered with the next 11 points as Terry led a resurgent bench. When Pierce hit a 12-foot turnaround with 1:02 left in the second quarter, Boston had its biggest lead, 48-39. That would be the last time the Celtics had control.

The Knicks scored the final three points as another Pierce turnover kept Boston from building momentum at the half. As hot as the Celtics were in shooting 11-of-18 from the field in the second quarter, the Knicks were just as cold, making just 4-of-17 shots.

Those three points at the end of the first half started a remarkable turnaround for New York. Iman Shumpert hit a pair of threes to open the third quarter as the Knicks exploded on a 29-6 run. Before the third quarter was over, the Knicks had outscored the Celtics 32-11, building their lead up to 15, 74-59, heading into the fourth. It was a complete role reversal for the two teams in the third, as the Celtics made just 4-of-18 while the Knicks were blazing hot, converting 12-of-17 from the field.

Pierce rattled in a three with 9:47 to cut New York’s lead down to 11, 76-65. Jordan Crawford hit a jumper over Steve Novak with 9:15 left and Boston trimmed the deficit to single digits, 76-67.

Following a Knicks timeout, Anthony hit a shot over Garnett with 8:56 left to put the Knicks up, 78-67. After two Garnett free throws, it was Anthony again with a jumper. The Garden crowd exploded when Felton fed Smith with 7:52 left for an alley-oop dunk putting New York ahead, 82-69. After Garnett picked up his fifth foul with 6:28 left, Felton hit a mid-range jumper at the free throw line to put New York up, 84-69.

Pierce and Garnett came out with just over four minutes left as the Celtics conceded their second straight playoff loss in New York. With the Knicks up, 2-0, the series shifts to Boston for Game 3 Friday night at 8 p.m. at TD Garden. Game 4 will also be played in Boston (Sunday, 1 p.m.).

I MAY BE DOWN BUT I AM NOT OUT....GO BOSTON....GO CELTICS!!!!!!!!! 112288

And to think we could have had Kenyon Martin playing defense along side KG!

112288

Kenyon Martin makes as many bonehead plays as good ones. He certainly has more of an impact on a game than Wilcox or Randolph - but not sure he is worth the trouble.

As for this game, two things turned it IMO. The foul trouble the Celtics got into early - and the lack of a PG who can control the game.

The only chance the Celtics have to beat the Knicks it to take it right at them. They are NOT a good defensive team and no one on the Knicks can stop Jeff Green. So when they called him for his 4th foul early in the 3rd, he had to go to the bench and the Knicks made a strong move. IMO - Doc needs to stick with Green in that situation and continue to instruct him to go at Chandler and Martin - who cares if he fouls out of a game while keeping it close. Him sitting on the bench while the Knicks go on a 24 - 4 run ensures the game will be out of reach by the time Green checks back in.

Couple of other observations:

-Terry and Crawford bounced back and played good games, as I said earlier - one game in this series will be decided by Jet hitting clutch jumpers.

-All of a sudden Paul Pierce is no longer getting calls he got for the past 15 years. Carmello has never won a big game in his life - ZERO championships - ZERO Playoff MVPs - about 7000 less points - yet he gets 11 FTA and Pierce gets 2? Give me a break

-KG looks old and ineffective. Hope he can rebound on Friday Night and feed off the home crowd.

-I think the Celtics still have a chance in this series...as they have been the better team for big stretches in both games. The problem is when they stink, they stink to high hell. The worst half in Celtics history isnt the kind of thing you can sustain when you are already undermanned.

How many of you guys think they are better off without Rajon NOW?

As many have said the playoff series doesn't really begin until one team loses. NY held home court, it's what was expected of them. Now it's the Celtics turn. If they hold, we have a best 2 out of 3 series. No matter what, I am proud of these guys, minus two starters and an actual reserve pg, playing with so many who have only had one year or less in this system, they have played to what they are, an overachieving, injured team. Go Celtics!

mrkleen09 wrote:Kenyon Martin makes as many bonehead plays as good ones. He certainly has more of an impact on a game than Wilcox or Randolph - but not sure he is worth the trouble.

As for this game, two things turned it IMO. The foul trouble the Celtics got into early - and the lack of a PG who can control the game.

The only chance the Celtics have to beat the Knicks it to take it right at them. They are NOT a good defensive team and no one on the Knicks can stop Jeff Green. So when they called him for his 4th foul early in the 3rd, he had to go to the bench and the Knicks made a strong move. IMO - Doc needs to stick with Green in that situation and continue to instruct him to go at Chandler and Martin - who cares if he fouls out of a game while keeping it close. Him sitting on the bench while the Knicks go on a 24 - 4 run ensures the game will be out of reach by the time Green checks back in.

Couple of other observations:

-Terry and Crawford bounced back and played good games, as I said earlier - one game in this series will be decided by Jet hitting clutch jumpers.

-All of a sudden Paul Pierce is no longer getting calls he got for the past 15 years. Carmello has never won a big game in his life - ZERO championships - ZERO Playoff MVPs - about 7000 less points - yet he gets 11 FTA and Pierce gets 2? Give me a break

-KG looks old and ineffective. Hope he can rebound on Friday Night and feed off the home crowd.

-I think the Celtics still have a chance in this series...as they have been the better team for big stretches in both games. The problem is when they stink, they stink to high hell. The worst half in Celtics history isnt the kind of thing you can sustain when you are already undermanned.

How many of you guys think they are better off without Rajon NOW?

MrKleen, I agree with some of your observations and have a different take on others. I know, what a shock.

I said earlier in the season that Kenyon Martin would've been a good pickup. I've painted him liberally as a lifelong knucklehead, but my opinion changed after seeing him play with the Clippers last year. Regardless, that ship has sailed, and for whatever reason -- probably his limited offensive contributions -- Boston didn't pick him up.

I agree completely with your comments about early foul trouble and lack of a point guard to control the game. The Celtics survived -- and for a time, even thrived -- without Rondo, but the playoffs are where Rondo shined best, and the playoffs are where they miss him the most. As for the foul trouble, they ostensibly were okay because they had the lead at halftime, but it threw KG off his game, and the lead could've been greater, leading to a different tenor in the second half. Who knows; maybe the Knicks still would've won, but the Celtics need a lot of factors in their favor to get a win.

Another factor to the game was Carmelo and Boston's inability to stop him. New York has a go-to guy, and Boston doesn't. New York's go-to guy has been an unstoppable offensive force for the past month, and nothing Boston did hampered him significantly. JR Smith is a mini-version of him in that he can get a shot off seemingly any time and makes more than seems rationally possible. Pierce did that on occasion in the first half, but in the second half, Boston stopped moving the ball (again) and threw up clankers from the perimeter while the Knicks had Carmelo and JR making their jumpers. It was like the Knicks were sucking energy from the Celtics; the more the Celtics struggled, the more amped the Knicks became. And before you knew it, the Boston lead was gone, the Knicks were up 15, and that was the old ballgame.

I agree with your contention to play KG and Green despite the foul situation. You have to roll the dice, and you have to trust your players to play smart. It seemed like a necessary time to break the standard coaching rules of taking guys out with x number of fouls in a particular quarter.

You say Pierce wasn't getting the calls, but why was he stumbling off-balance so much? Sure, there was contact on some of those, but this is the playoffs, and on most occasions, it looked like Pierce was stumbling of his own accord. He's made his career being a "skill" guy rather than making athletic plays like Green, but he looked a couple of times like he'd have trouble passing a roadside sobriety test.

I do think Carmelo got a couple of calls that weren't justified, but you can find those in any game, and the refs weren't in any way the reason for the outcome.

As for whether they have a chance, they obviously have to sweep in Boston. But that requires winning one game first. And not stinking up the joint offensively in the second half for a change.

Outside wrote:You say Pierce wasn't getting the calls, but why was he stumbling off-balance so much? Sure, there was contact on some of those, but this is the playoffs, and on most occasions, it looked like Pierce was stumbling of his own accord. He's made his career being a "skill" guy rather than making athletic plays like Green, but he looked a couple of times like he'd have trouble passing a roadside sobriety test.

So, either Paul Pierce had some kind of physical impediment which is causing him to stumble around the court, or he was getting tripped up on drives to the hoop and not getting the calls. I tend to think the later....but guess we can disagree.

Outside wrote:I do think Carmelo got a couple of calls that weren't justified, but you can find those in any game, and the refs weren't in any way the reason for the outcome.

Never said the refs were the reason for the outcome. But if you add very questionable early foul calls on Green and KG - and Carmello and Smith shooting twice as many FT as Pierce and Green - you simply cannot remove the refs as PART of the equation. Sorry.

There isnt going to be a sweep. The Knicks are not nearly good enough or mentally tough enough to accomplish that.

I am not sure what would have transpired either but Pierce IMO should have shot not less than 12 freethrows. How Felton and Smith could play that physical at the top of the key where the whole world could see it and I think maybe one foul was called. I know of 3 times PP went to the rack and was hammered and immediately on the other end a basically a touch foul would be called. Our guys went to the floor many times under the goal with nothiing called. I am not blaming the outcome on that but it sure as hell didn't help. If it was allowed on both ends it would have been different. Melo went to the line on touch fouls for the most part.

Personally if I was Doc I would tell the C's to make this as physical as possible, close to flagrant in order to the the officials to have to call fouls in order to keep the game under control. The first half was I think officiated pretty evenly. The second half was a joke.

I will say anyone that doesn't think officiating can change the outcomes of games are living in a dream world .

This team right now does not in any way.......shape.........or form resemble the team that played 15 +/- games after Rondo got hurt.

There is a major dysfunction going on internally with the players. I just do not see the killer drive and "All Hands On Deck" mentality that they possessed when Rondo left.

Something changed right after the loss at home to Miami (March 18). They now seem VERY OLD........ TIMID......NOT ENGAGED AS A TEAM....SETTLING FOR CHUMP JUMP SHOTS INSTEAD OF ROLLING TO THE PAINT..................NO CHEMISTRY

Danny's ASS is now on the line with the fans. People will stop going to games next year in droves if Danny fields another team like this next year. Danny made a ton of money for ownership after the KG/ALLEN trade but he'll feel heat from management when the arena is half filled which could be sometime soon!

Last summer he did an absolutely ABYSMAL job building a good bench with REAL QUALIFIED BACKUPS WHO CAN PLAY THEIR POSITION, FOR KG AND RONDO. He also failed at landing a QUALIFIED STARTING POWER FORWARD........So he comes up with Bass! Bass???????

As Tommy would say.........GIVE ME A BREAK.......or ......OH BOOOOOY!

112288

I think we're the only team in the history of the NBA playoffs without a single point guard on the roster.

I believed, shortly after Rondo's injury, that the Celtics were better off employing the system that evolved in his absence—far better spacing, player movement without the ball, crisper ball movement, much more consistent pushing of the ball. None of those things meant that the Celtics were better off without Rondo. I'm absolutely certain that the Celtics would have been contenders using that revamped system with Rondo at PG—BUT ONLY IF RONDO HAD MAGICALLY BOUGHT INTO AN ALTERED APPROACH TO THE GAME.

After the initial Rondo-less winning streak, other teams realized that none of the remaining Celtics players was equal to the task of being a consistent catalyst for the revamped system. All opponents had to do was to pack the middle, and the Celtics would either turn the ball over or yield to their natural default move of taking a (frequently contested) jumper.

Moreover, the frustrated Celtics had to work as hard on offense as they did on defense, to the point where they would often fade at some point in the second half. The two Celtics veterans best versed in how to make remedial adjustments (KG and Paul Pierce) worked harder than anyone else in trying to compensate for the dysfunctional offense and consequently
became more fatigued than anyone else.

Of course the Celtics needed an experienced playmaker. But they didn't need the Rajon Rondo who played the first half of the season. That Rondo was leading them in the wrong direction, particularly by inexplicably not going to what is supposed to be his strong suit (the transition game) and actually bogging down the "attack" instead.

What they could have used was a Rondo who would apply his talents to the revamped system so that (1) the offensive effectiveness of the Celtics' main offensive threats could be maximized by an expert ball distributor and (2) the core of the team wouldn't become so readily debilitated (especially in the defensive end).

Personally, I doubt Rondo would have had that kind of wakeup call without being forced to sit and see what some systemic changes would product. I can only hope that Rondo has been watching and forming a more enlightened vision of what's best for the team. In the meantime, I realize people will be quick to pin blame on individuals and the lack of another big man or two. But the real culprit was the fact that the Celtics identified a more productive offensive system but had no one to run it effectively.

Teams that prosper are those on which every player's most natural roles are utilized. Players having to play out of position or in roles where they're less effective are a recipe for disappointment.

Finally, the more energetic, aggressive team usually gets more than its share of the officiating breaks. The Knicks were that team in the second half last night and in Game One.

Sam

tardust wrote:I am not sure what would have transpired either but Pierce IMO should have shot not less than 12 freethrows. How Felton and Smith could play that physical at the top of the key where the whole world could see it and I think maybe one foul was called. I know of 3 times PP went to the rack and was hammered and immediately on the other end a basically a touch foul would be called. Our guys went to the floor many times under the goal with nothiing called. I am not blaming the outcome on that but it sure as hell didn't help. If it was allowed on both ends it would have been different. Melo went to the line on touch fouls for the most part.

Personally if I was Doc I would tell the C's to make this as physical as possible, close to flagrant in order to the the officials to have to call fouls in order to keep the game under control. The first half was I think officiated pretty evenly. The second half was a joke.

I will say anyone that doesn't think officiating can change the outcomes of games are living in a dream world .

how about the play he drove, got hammered and his head band even came off and no call?

dBoss,

Here is my take on what you wrote. Not saying you are wrong, I am just looking at things another way. Ok here we go!

K Mart was a no brainer. We were not getting married to him, just signing him for the rest of the season. He was always a great defensive player who brought physical play to his game, something the Celtics needed badly since Perk was traded. He would have helped out an injured/older KG on the defensive end of the game. If he proved himself........we sign him for next year at a more reasonable price then a younger stud looking for $illions. Point is we would be prudent with our cap space and fill a need of a TRUE backup power forward ....NOT SOME TWEENER like Bass.

Yup....Celtics are missing a center, a true point guard and a shooter.

We would not have been in this position if Ainge got a true center in the summer. But wait you say....he signed Darko...........Darko?.........Again typical Ainge....trying to throw Xhit against the wall to see if something sticks. It didn't and where is Darko now? We saw this bad movie play only recently.....like Jermaine O'Neil....Shaq.......all over the hill guys. Come on, I was born, but not yesterday!

And a point guard.....yep....no true point guard...therefore no real attack. What....some may say Rondo.......ya...but what ...you are going to play Rondo 48 minutes every night.......and....oh by the way...what happens if he gets hurt.....uooops! He did!

I am not in favor of COMBO PLAYERS....unless on rare occasions if the guy is Magic Johnson.....Bird......Havlieck. I want a guy who knows his position well and executes his position, period. So who does Ainge get.......COMBO PLAYERS like Barbosa..........Lee to play back up point. How did that work out.

I must also say I like Lee in shooting guard position and more as a defensive stopper. He has an ok shot, but not from beyond the arch, but he has tremendous speed and good basketball skills. He did not perform as billed in hitting outside shots, but I like the fact that he honed in on this defensive game.

As for the Jet....well cannot fault Danny there. Jet just came up a BUST. Cannot hit shots...poor defensive skills .......poor play making and way too many turnovers coming down the stretch in tight games. I would package him tomorrow in a trade. I do not need an undersized aging player who is not executing.

Now Bass. Yep another tweener. Not big enough to be a true power forward, not good enough to be a small forward. he only has a mid range shot and cannot dribble. He also has no explosive move to the paint and basket and gets pushed out of the way for position to get rebounds. Please package him with the Jet this summer in a trade.

Green is being asked to do multiple tasks ...play SF and PF......the guy is a SMALL FORWARD ....HEAR THAT DOC! He can shoot...he can rebound...he can pass......let the guy roam in the SF position. But that gets back to the point I raised....Ainge never got a true PF last summer.

Any way....sorry for my rant....but as a CELTIC FAN SINCE 1960....I am PISSED....... and all I have seen Ainge do with certain key positions is to try to fill it on the CHEAP! So ya....I am Big Time disappointed in him. I still think he disrupted the teams continuity when he traded Perk in a middle of a REAL RUN AT BANNER 18. It took the heart out of the team and took away the physical play as well.

112288

112288:

You are totally justified with all of your expressions of disappointment with Ainge as head of basketball operations. His moves have not improved the Celtics, but put the franchise paralized behind the 8 ball.

MD!

Dboss, perhaps we were watching different games when Rondo was playing. Whatever the reason, the offense was inconsistent at best before he got injured. I believe that at least part of the problem was that the offense was predicated on Rondo's ball distribution. I remember being thoroughly frustrated that, the more assists Rondo garnered, the less productive the offense as a whole often seemed to be.

Something was inherently wrong with that picture. I feel that one problem was that what I called (with little, if any, dissent from the board) a "Rondo-centric" type of offense was not in synch with the tendencies of some of the other players to create at least a portion of their own offense.

When Rondo got injured, shared responsibility for running the offense initially seemed to become the order of the day. Different players appeared freed to step up on different nights.

The problem, of course, was that this new order of business occurred more by default than as a systematized joint effort. It worked only until opponents realized that the unpredictability that seemed to buttress the new style of play was also its Achilles' heel. So they changed their defensive tactics (as I outlined above) to take advantage of the fact that the Celtics were now employing a type of offense that was too easily disrupted, largely because it lacked veteran leadership that could have made a bona fide system out of it.

That was where the absence of Rondo became increasingly problematic. If he could have taken hold of the reins of a more diversified system, I'd have been willing to bet the team would have been a legitimate contender. BUT that would have required that the offense become less Rondo-centric, just about the time people began wondering whether he was too absorbed in his assist streak to be a truly effective leader.

You state that, "Suggesting that Rondo could not play differently without some magical intervention defies everything that we have seen this kid do. And I do not think he needs to play different. His teammates need to get their arse down the court quicker." Have you forgotten how stubborn and petulant he can be? Somehow that suggests to me his natural tendency would involve a continuation of a Rondo-centric offense rather than a new form leadership incorporating a less Rondo-centric offense. And, by the way, his teammates did find a way (or, perhaps more accurately, a reason) to get their arses down the court quicker after Rondo's loss to injury.

I hope Rondo is watching (1) the good things that can eventuate from a less Rondo-centric offense and (2) the bad things that underscore how vital the right kind of leadership is to such an offense. I feel it's quite possible that only a role as spectator-by-necessity can convince Rondo to alter his ball distribution role in ways that will best enable his next season's teammates within the context of a more potent offensive philosophy.

As examples of what I'm advocating:

• A major objective of a good ball distributor should be to do whatever is necessary to wind up with a teammate in the best possible position to succeed.

• I'd like to see Rondo more absorbed with setting a halfcourt play in motion than with standing around and trying to force an opportunity to make a direct assist himself.

• I'd like to see him realize that the pass before the pass can be as important as a direct assist. (And, because I believe it's important that the PG be able to trust his mates, I hope Danny will pay attention to players' ball-handling abilities before acquiring them.)

• I'd like to see Rondo expedite a swing of the ball, even if he's not always the last player to handle it before a shot is taken.

• I'd like to see him move his own arse to open up better passing lanes rather than expecting teammates to do it while he stands and watches from the arc.

• If he notices a teammate dogging it in transition, I hope he'll get in that player's face.

• As the Knicks have proven, a team need not be in constant fast break mode to be perpetually on the attack. I'd like to see Rondo encourage more motion in the offense of his teammates so as to keep them in attack mode. More liberal use of pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops.

• Frankly, it's usually difficult to discern when one player rewards another. So I can say simply that I hope Rondo keeps this very important PG job requirement in mind.

Those are some of the things that can determine the difference between a technically good passer and a great floor general.

I won't even mention Rondo's defense because that's another whole thread's worth.

Sam

I can remember many, many times when all of Rondo's teammates where already in position waiting for him to SLOWLY walk the ball up the court. After he went down it was apparent that they had no problem running and or pushing the ball up the floor quickly. No doubt we would be in better shape if we had Rondo now, but the way the team was heading south one could easily speculate whether they would even be in the playoffs if Rondo had not been injured. Rondo ball was excruciatingly egocentric. His defense was also atrocious. He never could stay in front of his man and wore out our bigs who constantly had to cover his fanny for him.
I agree with Sam, if Rondo can learn from this then we'll be in great shape at the point for a long time. But if he can't or won't? Then I say move him!

Celts set unfortunate new NBA record:

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Celtics are the first team in the shot-clock era to score 25 or fewer second-half points in consecutive games either during the regular season or the postseason.

Just kind of wondering why you don't all observe the game as I do. I'm with dboss in terms of Rondo being an extension of Doc on the court. While it is true that after Rondo's injury the team came together and played better, they are not playing that way now. They are playing the way they were with Rondo, the only thing that has really changed is that he is no longer on the court. For the life of me I just can't understand why so many of you don't see it that way. No, you can't lay this off on Rondo. This is on Doc. It always has been. This is the style of play that he wants, that he coaches. If Rondo were defying Doc and Danny then he would be gone. Sometimes I think that Rondo has more haters amongst Celtics fans then the rest of the NBA combined. He was voted as the starting pg of the East after all. This team can play uptempo, they have proven that many times over. When they play that way they win. I understand the frustration. But they only play that way 30-40% of the time. That is the problem. That is the adjustment that isn't being made. That is the adjustment that Doc isn't making. I agree with Sam that Rondo and the whole team, especially Doc, learns the lessons of this season and make the adjustments necessary so that we can hang #19.

Some people may not get to see many of Doc's post-game press conferences, but he has very often lamented the fact that they didn't push the ball or that they pushed the ball in the first half but failed to do so in the second half. Only after one game this season did I hear him say that he wanted them to play deliberately, and that was when they had a back-to-back and so many injuries that they were practically playing with a skeleton (in every sense of the word) crew.

This is not really a discussion about whether Rondo is intractable—at least not from my viewpoint. I mentioned his well-documented bouts of stubbornness in the past only because I didn't agree (and still don't) that Rondo has what amounts to an unblemished record of doing the best thing for the team and always playing the way Doc wants him to. That's not always a bad thing, and Doc has publicly noted cases in which he was glad Rondo ignored him.

My point is not that Rondo's some kind of "bad guy." But it happens that his absence initially revealed ways in which the offense could be running more effectively. The Celtics have never been a player-centric team, and it's not necessarily Rondo's fault that they were (in my estimation) becoming a Rondo-centric team.

I've always said that I hoped Kobe would try to be "the man" when the Lakers played the Celtics because, if he tires in the second half, his teammates are mesmerized by having watched him in the first half. (And, no, I'm not trying to turn this into a discussion of whether Kobe has changed in this respect—I couldn't care less.) With the Celtics, it was getting to the point where it almost seemed that points counted for less if they didn't come from Rondo assists.

This is a situation that arose because players new to the team weren't getting in synch at least as much as because of anything Rondo did or didn't do.

I feel that the fact that Rondo had evolved to be the catalyst in such a large proportion of the possessions became a limiting factor, WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS HIS DOING. And that fact became apparent during their initial spurt after his departure, when the offense instantly started sharing more of the responsibilities, became more in synch, and even started running with abandon.

The fact is that what changed after that initial spurt was not a sudden disappearance of the improved offensive style of play. It was the adjustments other defenses were making to take advantage of the fact that the Celtics—especially with no real floor leader—had no answer for greater defensive pressure which pushed the Celts farther from the offensive basket.

Rondo continues to be my favorite current Celtic. In my eyes, any Celtic PG has an automatic advantage in that respect. When I talk about changes that have occurred, I guess many people miss the point that it's the changes that count—NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT assignment of blame for those changes.

Anyone is free to miss my main point, which is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT to diss my favorite current Celtics player. I'll stack myself up against any Celtics fan anywhere in the world in terms of being FAR more interested in the team than in the individual (either pro or con). Sometimes, in a discussion of team dynamics, individuals unavoidably get mentioned when one is trying to make points about the team. That's not necessarily assignment of blame. And it happens that the single most impactful change in Celtics dynamics this season arguably involved Rondo.

When I talked about spacing the floor, I was talking about the TEAM.
When I talked about moving the ball, I was talking about the TEAM.
When I talked about motion offense, I was talking about the TEAM.

Even when I suggested seven or eight improvements Rondo could make in the future, I could have been speaking about any Celtics PG. Heck, none of us knows whether Rondo will even be with the team next season. (I wonder why not one person has refuted even one of those suggested improvements. Could it be that there actually is room for improvement in the PG play?) By the way, I deliberately omitted a better push of the ball from that list because it seems that there's so much confusion between pushing the ball and fast-breaking.

Finally, I am most emphatically not a "hater" of any Celtic ever, with the possible exceptions of Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe. And my personal take is that it doesn't matter one bit if the term "hater" is used as just an expression. I absolutely abhor being associated, even by implication, with the term.

Sam

Sam,
I don't get to see many post game conferences any more, I'm lucky to get a game. I have heard Doc say such things but I never really understood how he could let a player usurp his role as coach. The pg is the extension of the coach, not the coach, right? So I have always thought that since Doc is the coach, the team was playing the way he wanted. My feeling is that since the team is now playing more like what they did before Rondo was injured, then it has to be something other than him taking the bit in his teeth and running with it. There is no doubt, as you have mentioned, that this year things weren't going as well for Rondo, or the team, as in past years. For me, when the C's push the ball, regardless of who is at pg, they play better and win more. When they settle they lose. They played both ways with Rondo and they play both ways now. Do you feel that there is a difference that I am missing? I don't get to see nearly as many games as you do. I've always found your criticism of Rondo fair and based on your view of team basketball whether I agreed or not. There are others, however, who I feel differently about. These people do seem to hate on Rondo, taking any chance they can to diss him. Let's hope that Rondo and Doc and Danny will make no mistakes this next season. We need bigs, Danny! A big pg, a big center and a pf sized pf, for a change. Finally, with your feelings about Wicks and Rowe public, how do you feel about Y John Brown? lol

I don't think anyone on this board doubts Rondo's physical skills. But if the mental game is not there, the greatest physical skill is not going to produce the best "TEAM" basketball.

And for everyone on the board I want to stress that I do not hate Rondo. I do sometimes hate the way he plays. Let's hope that watching this season will open his eyes to new perspectives.

Rondo has been in the NBA for 7 years.

-He is a 4 time All star
-He has a championship
-5x in the Top 5 in assists - first 2x
-5x in the top 10 in steals - first once
-Top 10 Defender 4x
-All NBA Defensive Team 5x - First team 3x / Second team 2x
-All NBA Rookie Team


He has some work to do to fully reach his potential - but his resume speaks for itself and if you guys (or the Celtics) want to give up on him, I am sure there are 26 or 27 teams that would do a deal for him tomorrow.