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Rondo named 15th captain of Celtics

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was announced as the 15th captain in Celtics history during lineup introductions before Friday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Celtics first-year coach Brad Stevens said before the season that it was his preference to not name a captain and the Celtics were poised to go without a captain for the first time in 63 years. It appears Stevens and the team had a change of heart, though it shouldn't come as a surprise as his teammates have often gushed about Rondo's leadership even while rehabbing.

"I've always believed that captains name themselves with their leadership on and off the court,” Stevens told the team's web site. “This isn't about us naming Rondo captain. This is about him earning that title through his play as a Celtic, his accountability as a leader of this team, and his commitment to the Boston community."

A look at Boston's history of captains:

1950-63: Bob Cousy
1963-69: Bill Russell
1969-78: John Havlicek
1978-80: Dave Cowens
1980-92: Larry Bird
1992-93: Reggie Lewis
1993-94: Robert Parish
1994-95: Dee Brown and Dominique Wilkins
1995-96: Dee Brown
1996-97: Rick Fox
1997-98: Dee Brown, Pervis Ellison and Antoine Walker
1998-99: Antoine Walker
1999-2000: Antoine Walker and Dana Barros
2000-03: Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce
2003-13: Paul Pierce
2013-14: Rajon Rondo 
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CELTICS BLOW FOURTH-QUARTER LEAD IN RAJON RONDO’S RETURN, FALL 107-104 TO THE LAKERS

WEEI

By Jackson Alexander  
 
The return of Rajon Rondo was not enough as the Lakers came from eight down with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter to shock the Celtics, 107-104.

In limited minutes, Rondo tallied eight points, four assists and two steals. However, he missed a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer to put a sour taste in the mouth of the TD Garden crowd, so anxious to see the return of their revered point guard.

Pau Gasol led the Lakers (15-25) with 24 points and Kendall Marshall added 19 points, including a 3-pointer with just over one minute to put the Lakers ahead for good.

Boston’s bench showed up in a big way against Los Angeles.

The point guard had plenty of help from his teammates, most prominently Boston’s (14-27) bench. Kelly Olynyk (25 points), Gerald Wallace (14 points), Brandon Bass (10 points) and all came off the bench with double-digit performances.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE CELTICS

Bradley blues: Emerging star Avery Bradley shot poorly in his first game paired with Rondo in the backcourt. Bradley, who averaged 23 points per game in his previous three games, put together a dud of a night: 12 points, 5-for-20 from the field. His usually tip-top defense was also askew as Marshall (19 points, 14 assists) had his way with him at points. To Bradley’€™s credit, he nailed a big 3-pointer during a huge juncture in the game. With Los Angeles continually hanging around in late in the fourth, Bradley connected on a trey to put Boston up by eight with 4:11 left.

Gasol dominates: The only guy on a shockingly scarce of talent Lakers roster that Boston needed to control was Gasol. The Celtics failed to do that. Gasol eviscerated the C’s front line with a 24-point, 13-rebound, six-assist, zero-turnover night.

Late 3-point defense: With the Lakers down 104-96 with 3:11 remaining, Boston seemingly was in control. However, Wesley Johnson, Jodie Meeks and Marshall hit 3-pointers in three straight possessions to turn a eight-point deficit into a one-point lead.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE CELTICS

Rondo’€™s return: The anticipated return of Rondo went just about as well as one could have expected, considering his last game action came nearly a year ago when he suffered a serious knee injury. It took Rondo a while to get going ‘€” his first five minutes of play were highlighted by an air ball ‘€” but Rondo banked in a sweeping layup for his first points of the season. He just progressed from there and ended the game with a solid line of eight points on 4-of-8 shooting, and four assists in 19 minutes.

Bench boost: Boston led by six points at halftime thanks to a solid showing from the reserves. The unit posted 34 of the team’€™s 58 points, with five different bench players contributing positively. Olynyk (nine points, five assists, two rebounds) and Wallace (12 points, four rebounds and two assists) made the most out of their bench minutes in the half. In the first half, the bench shot 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the field, compared to the starters who shot 35.5 percent (11-for-31). Their success did not stop there as Olynyk ended up leading the team in scoring with 25 points. Phil Pressey played well for the second straight game, posting eight assists –five in the second half — and six points as Rondo’s backup (although he accumulated 22 minutes, three more than Rondo).

Wallace: Wallace earned plaudits from coach Brad Stevens after the Celtics’€™ slump-busting win against the Raptors. His numbers weren’€™t eye-popping (seven points, six rebounds), but his energy left an indelible mark on the game, and propelled a Boston team that lacked energy at time during its previous nine losses. Wallace played even better on Friday with 14 points, five assists, four rebounds,  three steals and two blocks. Wallace’€™s last double-figure game was Nov. 25 (24 games ago) when he went for 17 against the Bobcats.
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Rapid Reaction: Lakers 107, C's 104

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Rapid Reaction after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 107-104 on Friday night at TD Garden:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Rajon Rondo made his 2013-14 season debut after sitting out nearly a full year due to a torn ACL, but missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds with a chance to tie the game after Boston watched the Lakers rally ahead in the final minutes. Rookie big man Kelly Olynyk scored a career-high 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting with seven assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block over 21 minutes (his night negated slightly be defensive struggles). Gerald Wallace added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks off the bench. Pau Gasol scored a team-high 24 points to go along with 13 rebounds, but Ryan Kelly sparked the Lakers with 20 points, providing two of the team's 12 3-pointers on the night (Los Angeles shot 60 percent beyond the arc overall).

CAPTAIN COMEBACK
Rondo, named the 15th captain of the Celtics before his 2013-14 season debut, finished with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting with four assists, two rebounds, and two steals in just under 20 minutes of action. Rondo labored through his first stint, but had a really solid second quarter, scoring all eight of his points in the frame including a little spinning scoop while backing down Kendall Marshall. But his 3-pointer from the left wing was off the mark in the final moments. Rondo's presence did lead to an assist-happy Celtics, who generated 34 assists on 44 field goals (77.3 assist percentage).

TURNING POINT
The Celtics couldn't gain much separation in the fourth quarter, the game rarely straying far from a one-possession contest. Boston was clinging to a three-point lead with five minutes to play when Rondo checked back in for his final shift of the night. Olynyk hit an 18-foot jumper before Rondo fed Avery Bradley for a 3-pointer in transition for a 102-94 lead with 4:12 to go. But the Lakers rallied back and three unanswered triples from Wesley Johnson, Jodie Meeks, and Marshall pushed the Lakers out front 105-104 with 69 ticks to go. Bradley missed an 8-foot jumper with 26 seconds to go. Boston forced a jump ball, but didn't win it, and put Kelly at the free throw line where he made both attempts for a 107-104 lead with 9.4 seconds to go. Rondo missed a last-possession 3-pointer searching for the tie.

LOOSE BALLS
Rookie Vitor Faverani and newcomers Joel Anthony and Chris Johnson all earned DNPs. Celtics coach Brad Stevens had previously said that Anthony and Johnson would likely dress but not play having just joined the team in recent days. ... The Celtics turned the ball over just eight times for six points, while the Lakers gave it up 20 times for a whopping 30 points.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics (14-27) went 1-2 on this three-game road trip. The good news is that Rondo is back and his minutes will soon ramp up. He looked good in bursts and like a player that hadn't played in a year in others. Boston heads out on a three-game road trip with stops in Orlando, Miami, and Washington. The Celtics are back at TD Garden next Friday when the reunion tour starts back up as Kendrick Perkins and Oklahoma City visit on Friday before Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and the Nets invade on Jan. 26.

112288

FANTASTIC ....GLAD TO SEE RONDO BACK......BESIDES THE COACH....PLAYERS WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY OUR NEW CAPTAIN ....CAPTAIN RONDO!

Great to finally see KO and Pressey reunite to produce meaningful basketball play as they did in the summer league.  This was the first time I saw KO actually be aggressive offensively both in shooting and passing. Good to see Pressey find his shot ........together with his passing it made me excited as when I was watching him in the summer league.

GREAT EFFORT BY BOTH!

112288

I have no idea what game Jackson Alexander was watching. He was much better as George on Seinfeld. Wallace had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists—not 7 points and 5 rebounds. He also had two beautiful blocks and three steals as he was a dervish on defense.

That aside, Olynyk and Wallace were my co-MVPs in this one, and energy paved the way in both of their performances. I've been down on Kelly lately, and I'm not sure I'll ever be happy with his defense; but this game was definitely a step in the right direction offensively, especially the self-assurance he exuded in launching right into shots. Moreover, he had seven assists.

My unsung hero was Phil Pressey. For the second consecutive game, he had big assist numbers (9 in this one) with no turnovers. And the number of his assists doesn't begin to reflect the pinpoint timing and location of some of the passes. He approached the audacious on occasion. And he was 2-5 in three-pointers. He also was a pest on defense and had two timely steals.

No, I haven't forgotten Rondo, whose return was justifiably heralded widely. After a less-than-ordinary first shift, he began to look like his old self during his tightly restricted minutes on the court. Eight points and four assists in 19 minutes is nothing exceptional, but he seemed to get into a rhythm I wouldn't have expected so soon after coming back.

Rondo and Pressey headed what was an impressive assist night for the Celtics, who assisted on 34 of their 44 made field goals (77%). It seemed that everyone was chipping in.

It still feels to me that the Celtics won this game, as they provided many more exciting moments than the Lakers. But the Lakers finished with something like a 9-0 run, taking advantage of the Celtics' weak spot all night—interior defense.

Yes, I know the Lakers also hit on a pile of three-pointers—particularly down the stretch. But I believe that was also due to the weak Celtics interior defense. I'm borrowing a thought someone else (I think it was KJ) mentioned recently. The Celtics interior defense is so porous that Brad has the team sagging, helping, doubling and focusing on stopping a big like Gasol (who killed them tonight). Meanwhile, opposition sharpshooters are camping out on the perimeter and just salivating as they shoot one open three after another.

I think that George—I mean Mr. Alexander—was incorrect when he said that Bradley's defense was askew. True, it wasn't up to par; but I believe the aforementioned defensive adjustments too frequently pulled him away from his perimeter assignments. No soup for you, Mr. Alexander.

They heed an intimidator in the middle. He would do far more than contest close-in shots and body up opposing behemoths. He would completely rearrange the Celtics' defensive patterns so they would not be scrambling so much to fill some defensive holes that they open other defensive holes. You can sometimes get away with makeshift compromises or improvisations on offense strategies if, for example, you have a great shooting night or hit a lot of threes. Compromises and improvisations on defense will generally kill you in a league filled with pros who know how to capitalize.

Good to see Rondo back. There's every indication that he and Pressey can form a potent point guard tandem.

On to the next one.

Sam

Rondo did some spectacular things on the floor last night, but - he was put in the last five minutes of the game to make sure we didn't have one of our typical meltdowns. According to Bob H. on the game-on thread we didn't score during the last 3'10". There was the typical walking the ball up the court and pounding the ball at the 3 point line looking for someone to pass to with the result that we got a missed shot off with one second left on the 24 second clock. That was a horrible offensive possession. Rondo's three point shot wasn't perhaps the wisest thing to do at the end of the game but there almost no time left. He still gets beat on his opponents first step and cannot stay in front of his man defensively. I know it's his first game back and one can't expect miracles but IMO Pressey played a better game. Loved Pressey's Wallace's and Olynyk's hustle. Danny can ship Jeff Green out as far as I'm concerned.

Jeff Green is very consistent

Berlin, Rondo's walking the ball up bothered me too although I didn't dwell on it in my post, as I was trying to cut him some slack as he works to get back into game shape. When the opportunity for fast breaks arose, he performed very well and made some textbook passes. But I've always said that pushing the ball involves far more than running the fast break. The Lakers pushed it pretty well, resulting in several baskets within five seconds after a Celtics score.

I hope that, when he gets his legs under him, he will push the ball more; and, if he doesn't, Brad will make it a point to "encourage" him to do so.

There's no question that Pressey outplayed Rondo. But I don't think Rondo's yet at a stage in his comeback that such comparisons are warranted.

The Celtics' drought at the end of the game was more than vexing, especially since they were playing what amounted to a makeshift Lakers lineup. The Celts' defense betrayed them big-time, and I suspect that will unfortunately continue until they find their intimidator. As I explained above, I believe lack of an intimidator indirectly allowed much of the Lakers' fourth quarter three point barrage to occur.

Sam

Berlin,

I forgot to mention that, as for Jeff Green, I posted a while ago that I wouldn't hesitate to include him in a trade for Asik. At the time, many people felt that was ill-advised thinking. I haven't changed my mind, and I bet at least some of them have.

Sam

In spite of Jeff Green's inconsistency and Bradley playing very well lately - Jeff is still the leading scorer on this team.

I am not thrilled with his progress in the last month or so, but unless a great deal makes itself available - there is no reason to not let this year play out and see how he does playing alongside a health Rondo.

now that we've had all this time to really see Jeffs abilities night in and night out, I'm sure almost all die hard C's fans would take back the Perk trade in a heartbeat, as many athletic talents as Green has, he is not a durable ganas all star player type player we had hoped he could grow/develop into. Perk is a lunch pail grinder that does one thing very well, its an element all winning teams must possess at some level and those pieces are not as easy to acquire as Ainge had thought....the player we should have traded up for was Steve Adams.

I don't feel that Green has been inconsistent, Cow. On the contrary I feel he has been very consistent. Consistently mediocre. (Could it be that your comment on him being consistent was tinged with a little sarcasm)?

Sam, I'm with you all the way on getting a big intimidating, rebounding, outlet pass throwing big. We desperately need help in the middle. That being said, I don't consider this team to be as far away from contending as many people think. Someone like Asik and a hot shooting small forward would put this team in contention for a playoff spot.

I want everyone to forget about what I said about KO...at least for one game.  He was all over the place making plays.

Me and KJ were watching the game and he made a deep jumper and we both commented that there was no hesitation, no hitch in the shot..  He shot the ball and did not aim it.

I previously commented that KO is most effective in an upptemp game.  His offense comes from slashing and moving to open spots.  he got a ton of layups and while his defense was not of the lock down variety, he also made some very good plays and he passed the ball very well.

So there you have it.  If we could somehow replicate the chemistry and bottle it or turn it into one of those take once a day as needed pills, KO could surprise all of the doubters especially me.   Great Game Kelly!

The psychological war going on between Wallace and Green needs to stop.  Wallace is getting 20 MPG and at this point in his career that is just about right.  Wallace is a high energy guy but that does not always translate into positive plays.  Did he think the Celtics traded for him because they needed a starting small forward?  He is here only because the fleecing of the Nets could not have taken place unless we took back a bad contract.  

His comments have become way too personal in all but naming names.  It is one thing to criticize the team play but it is another thing to publically dis Jeff Green.  Brad Stevens and DA needs to sit down with Wallace and read him the riot act.  Yes we like his energy but that is not the same thing as leadership.  It is pretty unlikely that Wallace would get starter minutes on any tem in the NBA.

And what about green.  PP is gone and we envisioned a younger more athletic SF but did we expect him to be the second coming of PP who averaged in the mid twenties during his younger days?  

Green's scoring is down but his rebounding numbers are up (Nov 4.4, Dec 5.0 and Jan 6.2)  There ya go a positive but overlooked  improvement.  I am with Kleen on this one all the way.  Rondo is back and now lets sit back and watch the magic that is about to happen.  

Little Phil Pressey has some very good passing skills as well as the ability to run an offense.  He made an unreal bounce pass through the lane and put just enough English on the Ball where you could see it curve.  That is a very rare skill.

Oh and about the game..

Sagging defense and not closing out on the perimeter lost this one.

Not sure why our best defensive big Humphries only played 11 minutes.  I thought we really needed a more physical presence to lean against Gasol.  And every time they tried to help out, it opened up the 3 point opportunities.

We need a center!

We also need another shooter.  

Glad Rondo is back.  5-10 games should tell us something.  

dboss

berlin he consistently cannot provide enough scoring for 4-5 games in a row where he scores between 8 and 12 or 14 then will have a 22 point game after 5 practical no shows and in those no shows may even have a highlight play or 2 that shows his athleticism....he's 27, I could see if he was finding himself like some 21-22 year old player? Just glad AB and Sully are progressing, KO might be about to go on a nice upsurge with Rondo back, as he finally showed something. Bottomline theres 20 SF's that can give us the same production that we get from Green or better, if we could trade him to a proven losing team guaranteed a lottery pick for that pick, I'd do it in a second.

dboss I think we could have used Perk

nobodys asking him to replicate Pierces numbers, could he avg 18? in averaging 18 theres alot of good nights with over 20, its not like he doesn't have the green light?

Perk has been on a straight free fall since he left Boston. He is down to 3 ppg and 4 rebounds per game. Your original contention that the Celtics might have won in 2011 if they kept Perk, might be correct. But at this point - there is no question who the better player is.

As for the rest - with Crawford sent out for a bag of balls and many here calling for Green to be next - I have to wonder where people think this team is going to find points.

Proven NBA 16 ppg scorers dont grow on trees.

Perk just had 12 boards last night, was instrumental in shutting down Dwight Howard in a previous win. Perk isn't about stats, with alot of teams going smallball, he might not get the minutes certain matchups. Watch the games hes always occupying the biggest mofo out there in the paint body to body in an elephant dance as bob heckler would say....you think him having a body on that guy doesn't enable Durant to swoope in and grab rebounds? he helps Ibaka too, right now even with Westbrook out that team is winning and Perks low post contact bully ball is a big reason, who gives a flying fock about stats? stats are for losers.

Raef Lafrentz always had better stats than Perk, who would you rather have as your 5 kleen?

I understand much of what Perk brings fall into the intangibles category - but your love for Perk causes you to see his contributions as being much bigger than they truly are.  Especially on a team with the leading scorer in the NBA (so much for stats)

Perk was perfect in Boston when KG arrived. The muscle to KGs mouth. The attitude they needed to get over the hump. In the years before the big 3 - Perk was a tough guy and little more than that. It took the right situation to bring out the best in Perk. In OKC, he joined a team that was in desperate need of a tough guy and some attitude. He brought a new feeling to the team - which you are right, does not show up on any stat sheet.

But with the emergence of Ibaka and Collison, Perk is getting less and less playing time. And against up and down athletic teams, he is less of a factor.  He isnt even in down the stretch in most games (he didnt even play 1 minute in the 4th last night) as he is still only shooting 60% from the FT line...so is a liability in close games.

I loved Perk here and happy to see him on a team with a real chance to the title.

so who would you rather have if your a GM as your starting 5, Perk or Raef?

I actually thought they didn't play Perk and Big Al enough together in the pre big 3 era, Perk was always a defensive force in those early years, never got enough PT.

cowens/oldschool wrote:dboss I think we could have used Perk

cow,

You always think we could have used Perk.


bob

.

bob for a player with alot of faults, how come its so hard to find someone with his intangibles? Jason Collins wasn't it and either is Joel Anthony....their weak imitations.

cowens/oldschool wrote:so who would you rather have if your a GM as your starting 5, Perk or Raef?

Raef is a bad example. He never was a center in my eyes, a PF and not very good. So I wouldnt want him on any team that I was a GM for.

As for Perk, I think it depends on who is in the rest of the starting 5. If I had enough talent that I could basically not worry about points from my Center, then Perk is great. If I need scoring from the C, then no - Perkins would not be on my list.

Perk on a poor team = what we saw in Boston from 2003 to 2007 = a lot of toughness and not much else. Perk playing a minor role on a talented team = a good fit.

It depends on what Raef you're getting. If you're getting the pre-injury one from Denver, I'd take him in most every situation over any Perk year.

Fun game last night, except for the final score.  Entertaining, might be more apt.

To be precise we didn't score, not even a free throw, in the final 3:12.  We were 0-7.  Only 2 of those shots were close, the rest all 21' and out.  Live by the jump shot, die by the jump shot.  Unless you're the Lakers.  They had no inside game besides Gasol and they hit 60% from 3.  If you take their 3s out of the equation they shot 25-54, 46%.  We didn't run them off the line.

This would not have been as close if Nick Young hadn't been suspended for showing some backbone in the Phoenix game.

1.  I don't know why Laker fans are down on Gasol.  We couldn't stop him last night.  Granted, we don't really have a center, but he took full advantage of that, which is what good players do.  I went out to eat after the game last night and one of my companions is a Laker fan, born and raised down south, and he hates Gasol with a passion.  Nothing I could tell him about last night's game could change him.

2.  The most important news to hear today, and I haven't checked yet so I don't know, is "does Rondo have any soreness or aches in his knee?".  Forget his points and assists, that's yesterday, I want to know about tomorrow and the day after and next year.  One thing that bothered me about his game last night, as it has for the past year or two, is that he's back to walking the ball up and doing reach around defense instead of moving his feet to stay in front of his man.  Same old same old.  After watching the Celts run out of a made fgm by the other team, this was not what I wanted to see.  We've always said that the reason why Rondo didn't run is because he had old players as running mates.  Not anymore, now he's the slow one.  As his conditioning improves we'll see who the real Rajon Rondo is.  Is he Rondo the runner or Rondo the walker?  A nice surprise, naming him the captain before the game.  Watch, Gary Tanguay will claim that's just a ploy by Ainge to boost Rondo's trade value.  What a tool.  What atrocity did we commit in a former life to earn that jerk?

3.  Our only consistency is our inconsistency.  Green and Bradley combined for 9-32.  9 rebounds for Green, gotta give him that, but otherwise...?  Sully had an off game too, but they didn't feed him?  I don't get that.  Granted, he's up against Gasol who has at least 3" on him but not particularly strong.  I have to say that, while a lot of people give Brad Stevens credit for getting the Celtics to play hard, I am starting to question some of his coaching decisions.  NOT good ATOs recently, NOT feeding our only inside threat.  ???

Our bench, on the other hand, was great.

4.  A big game by Kelly.  It wasn't just the 25 points, it was the effortlessness of his shots.  It was the way he very smartly got his man on his hip in the paint so he could receive the entry pass from Pressey.  He ran.  He rebounded.  He played defense.  He's not a particularly good man-to-man defender, maybe they didn't play a lot of that at Gonzaga, but he's had a few good games as a help defender.  7 assists.  He has put together a couple of good games in January, only to play only 4 minutes or so the next game (uh, Brad?).  This is a possible glimmer, a BIG glimmer.  If KO can develop some consistency (which would make him and Hump the only two) and occasionally have the big game like this, that would be a BIG glimmer.  Play him 20+ next game too, Brad, let's see if he "gets it".

5.  Gotta give it to little Phil Pressey.  He is a true point guard.  Great court vision, pinpoint passes, no sticky fingers.  The ball doesn't get there too early, nor too late.  9 assists in 22 minutes, and zero turnovers (again).  That brings him up to 89 assists and still only 22 TOs on his 445 minute season to-date.  /36mpg, he's averaging 7.2assists vs only 1.8TOs, or 4:1.  That is excellent.  By comparison, back up Clipper point guard Darren Collison is averaging 4.8:2.2/36mpg (2.18:1), Heat B/U PG Norris Cole is 4.5:2.3 (1.95:1) and Indy STARTING PG George Hill is averaging 3.8:1.5 (2.53:1).  All those players have played a lot more minutes than Phil, so take these stats with a grain of salt, but you can see just how much better he's doing than them.  He just needs to shoot better.  He's developing great chemistry with KO.

5.  We had 7 TOs and they had 19.  The boxscore today says we took 99fgas, but last night they said we had 101 (?..how do you lose 2fgas?) and they had only 74.  How'd they win?  They shot 50%, 60% from 3 (20 of their 74fgas were 3s) and they took 17 more ftas.  I heard someone say that Brad had them practice running players off the 3pt line in practice the day before.  In one ear and out the other, apparently, because we didn't.  I could complain about the officials (e.g. they blew that jump ball review at the end) but the truth is that, other than Kelly, none of us were attacking the paint (Sully only had 9 fgas), none of us were trying to create contact and we went 0-7 in the final 3:12.  So, even if they got the jump ball call right, I have no confidence we would have scored anyway.  

We need more finishers.

6.  Gasol was shooting over the top of Sully and there was nothing Sully could do.  Why no Vitor?

7.  A nice silver lining here is the 34 assists, our season high.  34 assists on 44fgm is very nice indeed.  It's the 44% fg% that could use an improvement.  When you're running as much as this, you should be scoring at a higher rate, but we're not.

8.  Wallace played a good game.  He scored 14 points (in large part, no doubt, because he actually took fgas this time), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks (including a monster on Gasol, who thought he was safe because he was cherry-picking).  He's usually good for energy, he hasn't been good at scoring (like I said, this time he actually looked for his shots).  He's not afraid to stick his nose in and tie people up.  I wish he'd STFU, but truth be told Jeff Green is giving him lots of fodder to work with.  The best way to get Wallace to shut it would be for Jeff Green to start playing up to his potential.

9.  Our starters were beaten by the Laker starters, who are a hodgepodge of players thrown together by a team that can't make up their mind if they want to rebuild or not, has an absolute ton of injuries to key players and lost a key healthy player, Nick Young, for the night.  I'm not sure there are a lot of ways of looking at that and feel good about our starters.  Danny's dialing...

10.  Ryan Kelly has to be a nice surprise for Laker fans.  Very solid.  I don't watch the Lake show enough to know, but Kaman's game looks like it just fell off the table.  What a shame, I always thought he was underrated.  Either I was wrong or he's playing down to others' expectations.  D-League scoring legend Manny Harris didn't.


bob


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