Nets @ Celtics Preseason Game # 8

The Celts ended the preseason with a 101-97 win.

Tough to measure this one because Jason Kidd held all of his starters out so the Celtics had to do their work against 2nd and 3rd stringers

Once again Vitor Faverani created a buzz with a very solid performance 15 points, 7 rebounds and an eye opening 6 block shots.  The more I see him play the more I am convinced that he not only needs rotation minutes but he could very well be the starting center come opening night.  He just seems to have a great feel for the game and has displayed a lot of nifty plays in making shots.  

You cannot be a PG unless you are a PG.  No sense in messing around at the 1.  Phil Pressey is the best ball distributor and pace setter for this team until RR returns.

So let the games begin.  Let's see what Phil and Vitor can do starting the game.  

Great Game by the SOX

dboss

Dboss,
Agree about Vitor and PP. I think they were the brightest spots in the game (Celtics side).
Yes, why not, start them. So far PP showed that he can handle and distribute ball better than AB and JC. Vitor is the only true 5 and looks aprox. the same if not better at that position as the others. At least give them extensive minutes.

Despite that the pre-season is over (the last game), I think the experimentation will go on. Probably until RR comes back.

AK

We need to get as much out of this season as possible, we know we are not in contention so it would only make sense to develop the players that look to be the core of the future.
V has to get big minutes at center, we just do not have anyone like him. KO Sully need to play a lot too.

Throw this 2 years out. What players do we have now do we anticipate having when we jump it up for the 2015 season? Oh heck even make it next season?

Not to throw in the towel for this season but to me it is more about development of players and roles than actual wins.

beat

I missed the first half.  I followed it on ESPN Play-by-Play, but it's not the same.  Obviously.

My thoughts on the second half:

1.  We played against their bench.  The Nets played without 4 all-stars.  The fact that we won by such a small number is not good, except for the Andrew Wiggins Sweepstakes.

2.  Crash has earned his nickname every game I've seen.  He plays hard and he moves well without the ball.  He has a great nose for the ball.

3.  What's comforting is that Vitor can outplay Plumlee.  We have yet to see him against Lopez or any other first string NBA center.  Still, another good game by Vitor.  I agree with the comments that say he should not only get rotation minutes, but probably start.  I think Brad Stevens is learning that unless you're the Miami Heat with the talent, experience and time together they have you really need a center in this league or, at least, someone who is solid and strong to hold his ground in the paint.  Go Vitor!

4.  Kelly got bounced around like a pinball.  He is really having trouble dealing with the fact that the players he's going up against now are bigger and stronger than he used to play against and they can bang him a bit more.  I saw him get thrown off his stride repeatedly by bumps.  I'm not sure there's much that can be done about this until next summer.  You're not in Kamloop anymore, Toto.

5.  Bradley had his usual good defensive game, and his scoring was good, but he's not point guard.  Unless you're going to use rookie toothpick Kelly Olynyk as a point center, we need a real point guard in the game.

6.  Crawford grabbed a ton of rebounds for a guard, he was very active, but he's no point guard neither.  His shot selection relapsed too.

7.  Pressey had two really dumb turnovers in a row, he got a little out-of-control, but generally sees the floor pretty well.  Those TOs made him 4 assists and 4 TOs on the night, not good, but he's the best we have for the next 1 1/2 - 2 months.  The knock on Pressey at Missouri was that he'd try to do too much himself.  He'd win the game for you in the first 44 minutes and then lose it for you in the last 5.  I'm hoping those 2 TOs last night were the end of that Phil Pressey.  Rondo needs to have a chat with the boy.

8.  VERY solid game by Bass.  Team leading 9 boards, 16 points on 6-10.  We have 3 PFs that have done, overall pretty well.  Sully, Hump and Bass have all done well.  Our problem, of course, is that we don't need 3 and we definitely need bodies in other positions.  Jeff Green has also played 4, but has not done all that well so far.  He can play 3 too, so I'd take him off the table.  

9.  Speaking of Green, it seemed like a lot of his offense was forced, taking off balance, throw himself into the pack shots.  He's not running.  I think I'm going to start calling him "The Enigma", because I don't understand what his problem is.  He has more skills than most NBA players, and yet doesn't play with any ganas.  No bueno.

10.  Brooks didn't play.  I hope this is indicative of the future.


One week before the handkerchief drops.  That's not much time for Brad Stevens etal to put this together.  I'm not expecting a Renoir or Picasso, but a season of finger-painting will be tough to watch.  I hope to spend a lot of time on the 'Glimmers' thread.  If we're lucky, that thread will set the record for most posts on the forum.


bob


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Crawford with the beautiful pass to Bradley underneath.  A Herky-Jerky move at the free throw line to distract first.






Pressey for one of his assists, on the break, to Bass.






bob



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Bob,

Thanks for the advertisement for the Glimmers Thread.  One has to dig down among the threads to find it, largely because the preseason hasn't exactly been overloaded with ongoing bright spots.

A couple of notes on Faverani and Pressey.  In the first half, Heinsohn was really enthusiastic about the fact that Vitor played so hard without incurring any personal fouls.  In the second half, all of a sudden I looked up and he had five.  Whether or not he starts, I believe Brad will have to govern his minutes largely by the number of fouls he's accumulating.

Pressey had a pretty good game, with several interior passes that bore the unmistakable imprint of a seasoned point guard.  In the second half, alone, he had three more great passes that should have been assists had not Bradley and Green missed three bunnies between them.  But Ii believe Brad really wanted to win this game; and with a little more than two minutes left and a small lead, he took Phil out in favor of Lee.  Heinsohn observed that his removal was due to the fact that Brad knew the Nets weer going to force Phil to guard a taller mismatch down the stretch.  That, even more than the turnovers, suggests to me that Pressey's utility may be somewhat limited by his lack of height—especially in the clutch.  And I thought that, on the whole, Pressey's full court defense was much better in the Summer League (admittedly against lesser opponents) than in the preseason.  So, as excited as I can get about his ball distribution and take charge attitude, I have a wait-and-see attitude about the defensive part of his game (including his stature).

• For whatever it's worth in the preseason, I'd rank Wallace, Bass and Bradley 1-2-3 for my personal MVP (Most Valuable of the Preseason) award.  

• I'd rank Vitor and Pressey 1-2 for my Most Pleasant Surprise award.

• With some trepidation because things went a little downhill as the preseason wore on, I'd give the nod to Crawford as my Most Improved Player.

• My Most Consistent Player award would go to Jared Sullinger.  I hope he'll be raring to go by the start of the season.

• Very, very unfortunately, I'd have to finger Kelly Olynyk and Jeff Green 1-2 as my Most Disappointing Player.  In Kelly's case, the reason would be the number of important limitations he has for a player his size.  The good news is that, on the other hand, Kelly could also merit my Most Promising Potential award.  In Jeff's case, I might place an asterisk because I believe he, more than any other Celtic, needs Rajon Rondo to give him a steady diet of assists.  However, there's no denying the fact that Jeff often gave the appearance of coasting.  I just hope there's nothing physically wrong with him.

For the most part, despite a few nice flashes, I'd give my AP award (Also Played) to Humphries and Lee.

Regardless of my awards, these 11 would be my rotation players going into the season.  I won't be surprised if (barring player transactions) Brad goes with a fairly long rotation in order to keep evaluating as many players as possible—possibly juggling minutes from game to game to give everyone some good run.

My 12th man would be MarShon Brooks, and Bogans would win my DNP award.  They could use the other three spots to send promising rookies to the DL, or they could leave at least one of those spots vacant.  I believe they have 14 guaranteed contracts.

I see they just waived BenpHolter and Taylor.  Maybe Sims and Babb have a shot at the DL. I'd be in agreement with that.

Sam

I only watched a few minutes of the game, but I loved Hubie Brown's observations about what Stevens will face as a non-NBA guy adjusting to life as an NBA coach. He mentioned the usual things, such as the grind of an 82-game season, the travel, and playing back-to-backs, three games in four nights, and four games in five nights (all in different cities), but he also emphasized things such as how critical it is for a coach to develop game plans around matchups. He seems optimistic about Stevens' future but notes that it will take time for him to adapt.

Hubie also related a comment that Stevens made that the NBA is almost like a different sport from college basketball. One thing I've noted from Stevens is that he seems completely honest about everything, including his own shortcomings and lack of experience. My guess is that dealing with the media as a big-time NBA coach will beat that out of him.

Outside wrote:I only watched a few minutes of the game, but I loved Hubie Brown's observations about what Stevens will face as a non-NBA guy adjusting to life as an NBA coach. He mentioned the usual things, such as the grind of an 82-game season, the travel, and playing back-to-backs, three games in four nights, and four games in five nights (all in different cities), but he also emphasized things such as how critical it is for a coach to develop game plans around matchups. He seems optimistic about Stevens' future but notes that it will take time for him to adapt.

Hubie also related a comment that Stevens made that the NBA is almost like a different sport from college basketball. One thing I've noted from Stevens is that he seems completely honest about everything, including his own shortcomings and lack of experience. My guess is that dealing with the media as a big-time NBA coach will beat that out of him.

outside,

One thing I've noted from Stevens is that he seems completely honest about everything, including his own shortcomings and lack of experience. My guess is that dealing with the media as a big-time NBA coach will beat that out of him.


Not until the last 1-2 years of his 6 year contract...


bob


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Some interesting stats...

5 players in double figures:

J. Green: 12
G. Wallace: 14
V. Faverani: 15
A. Bradley: 16
B. Bass: 16
---
K. Olynyk finished with 9, same with C. Lee.

I noticed that Humphries didn't get much time. That was probably to develop the young guys more.


Rebounds:

Outrebounded BKN 44-34. That's solid. Of the 44 total rebounds, 14 of them were on the offensive end.


Turnovers:

Boston had 17 turnovers to Brooklyn's 14. That needs to be cleaned up.


Offense:

Wallace was the most efficient, scoring 14 on 5-7 shooting. Faverani and Bass were a close 2nd and 3rd at 6-9 and 6-10, respectively.


Defense:

Brooklyn was held to 26.1% 3PT, and 41.6% overall. That's a good sign.


Overall:

They played with a lot more intensity throughout the entire game, not just small spurts. I believe Wallace's words resonated with his teammates and they came out and put on a nice showing to get this 2nd win of preseason.



KJ