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Sullinger, Olynyk in Rising Stars game

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics second-year center Jared Sullinger and rookie forward Kelly Olynyk will represent the team at All-Star weekend next month after being selected to the player pool for the 2014 Rising Stars Challenge.

The event, previously the rookie vs. sophomore game, will featured mixed nine-man rosters (meaning the two could be on the same team) for the game that tips on Friday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m.

Both players expressed excitement about traveling to New Orleans to represent the Celtics a part of All-Star Weekend. But both seem more focused on Boston's current team struggles as a team rather than celebrating individual accomplishments.

"I think, like the team, you can always get better," Olynyk said when asked to rate his freshman season. "I’m not in the All-Star game, so I’m doing as well as some of the other guys in this league. You can always get better, keep learning. It’s still early on in [his] career, I’ve got a lot to learn. Not only with the game, but the league and how it operates and all that stuff."

Asked if he was excited to have Sullinger along for the trip, Olynyk noted, "He’s really deserving it of it as well. A lot more than me, I would say. I’m glad he’s getting the opportunity as well."

For his part, Sullinger suggested he'll take a light-hearted approach to the matchup.

"It’s a guards game, so you’ll probably see me around the 3-point line a lot," he said. "Just let the guards go to work."

As for trekking to All-Star weekend, Sullinger added, "It’s going to be a lot of fun, you get to see all the old heads walking around that haven't been in the All-Star game for about 25 years now. It’s an experience of a lifetime. It’s going to be a lot of fun."

Celtics coach Brad Stevens was happy for his players, but made sure to note they each have a long way to go in their individual development.

"I think it’s an honor for them and I think the nice part about it is they can both get a lot better," said Stevens. "It's a good start to their young careers, although I think both of them would like to play better on a night-in, night-out basis, so hopefully that’s just validation for them and it encourages them to continue working the right way."
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FAST BREAK: EVAN TURNER BUZZER-BEATER SINKS CELTICS

By Ben Rohrbach  
 
Neither team seemed all that interested in winning — as the Celtics and Sixers combined for six missed free throws down the stretch before Hamilton product Michael Carter-Williams finally made one to tie the game at 92-92 in the final minute — but Evan Turner‘s running layup at the buzzer negated a Kris Humphries jumper and put an end to a 95-94 Philadelphia victory that essentially pulled both teams even at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

Jared Sullinger led the Celtics with 24 points and 17 rebounds while Jeff Green (18 points), Humphries (13), Brandon Bass (11) and Jerryd Bayless (10) all reached double figures, but the C’s (15-32) dropped their 19th game in 22 tries. Here’s what went right and wrong in another loss loss.

WHAT WENT WRONG

No-go Rondo: For the second straight back-to-back, the Celtics rested Rajon Rondo in the second game, and the timing of both seemed a bit odd, particularly Wednesday. Not because Rondo should have played twice in two days, since he’s still experiencing some swelling in his knee, but because the second game (at Wizards and hosting 76ers) appeared infinitely more winnable than the first (in both Miami and New York) with him in the lineup. The C’s actually beat the Wizards without Rondo, but his presence against Philly would’ve a) helped counter the length of Michael Carter-Williams and b) given Boston fans another chance to see the All-Star point guard.

Worst first: The Celtics scored 26 first-quarter points, led by a baker’s dozen from Green, and held the Sixers to 29.6 percent shooting in the opening 12 points — yet only led by three after one. The C’s allowed five offensive boards and committed seven turnovers in the frame, leading to 10 of Philadelphia’s 23 points.

Phil pressing: After totaling 20 points and four assists in a victory against the Wizards in his previous start, rookie point Phil Pressey didn’t have the same luck opposite the 6-foot-6 Carter-Williams. Pressey finished just 1-of-7 from the floor (2 points) and committed five turnovers before Stevens yanked him for Jerryd Bayless down the stretch.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Green with envy: For whatever reason, the self-described “[expletive]-hole Jeff Green showed up against the 76ers. Both Green and Philadelphia forward Thaddeus Young were mentioned as potential trade chips in the Omer Asik discussions earlier this season, and a lot of folks were pegging Young as the more valuable chip. It’s unclear whether that was Green’s motivation or not, but it sure seemed like it.

Sully bully: Soon after the pregame announcement that both Sullinger and rookie Kelly Olynyk were selected to the Rising Stars Challenge, Celtics coach Brad Stevens called his sophomore forward to the mat. “œOne thing I challenged him on is not accepting being a 22-year-old in the league,” he said. “We’€™re in a unique situation where we’€™re asking some of our young guys to be leaders. My thing to him is for our team to grow, you almost have to play a few years ahead of where you are.” Despite an injury to his shooting hand that limited him to an average of 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds over his previous three games, Sullinger responded with his first double-double in a week.

Nice Johnson: On his second 10-day contract, Chris Johnson continues to earn what should be a minimum salary contract for the remainder of the season. On what seems like sheer effort alone, he’s made an impact in just about ever game in which he’s appeared. His first fourth-quarter triple drew the Celtics even for the first time since early in the second quarter; in the next two minutes, he assisted on a Green 3-pointer that gave the C’s a three-point lead and drilled another 3 that doubled it. He also added a handful of assists and rebounds.
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Rapid Reaction: 76ers 95, C's 94

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Rapid Reaction after the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 95-94 on Wednesday night at TD Garden:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Evan Turner hit a tough driving floater over Jared Sullinger (after blowing past Jerryd Bayless) at the buzzer as the 76ers emerged despite missing five free throws late in the game. Turner finished with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting with six rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. He was a team-best plus-21 overall. Spencer Hawes scored 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, while rookie (and area native) Michael Carter-Williams had 10 points, seven assists, and five rebounds for the 76ers. Jared Sullinger finished with team highs with 24 points and 17 rebounds, while Jeff Green started fast (and went quiet later) while putting up 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

TURNING POINT
Despite trailing by as much as 14 late in the second quarter, Boston slowly climbed back into the game. Chris Johnson's 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter tied the game at 74 and Phil Pressey's running bank shot soon after gave the Celtics their first lead since the opening minutes. In the final minute of a tied game, Humphries completed a third-chance tip-in (after misses by Green and Sullinger) to put Boston out front 94-92 with 42 seconds to go, but evan after Turner missed the back end of two freebies, he atoned with a contorted-body jumper in the lane after calling for the final shot.

BAYLESS STARTS SECOND HALF
With Boston likely looking for a scoring jolt -- and a little extra size to combat Carter-Williams at the point guard position -- the Celtics went with Bayless in the starting unit to open the second half. Bayless finished with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting with four rebounds, three steals, and an assist. But his defense on the final play made it too easy for Turner to get into the paint.

LOOSE BALLS
Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo sat out Wednesday's game as a precaution on the second night of back-to-back. With Avery Bradley making progress with a sprained right ankle, Boston could have its starting backcourt intact as early as Sunday's visit from the Magic. ... Brandon Bass scored 11 points, but was a team-worst minus-16, while Gerald Wallace mustered a point on one shot while starting at shooting guard and was minus-13. Pressey had one of his tougher games, going 1-for-7 shooting for 2 points with only two assists and five turnovers. ... The Celtics turned the ball over 18 times; the 76ers gave it away only 10 times.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics (15-33) have now lost four straight and 16 of 18 overall. The loss flip-flops them with Philadelphia in the standings, giving Boston the third worst record in basketball. The Celtics get a rare three-day break before hosting the Orlando Magic in a Super Bowl appetizer on Sunday afternoon. A rematch in Philadelphia looms a week from today before the Sacramento Kings visit next Friday night. 

112288

OUCH!

112288

At least the Celtics looked more active and more "into" the game.  They also pushed the ball better.  

• Their play is just too random. By that, I mean it lacks much sense of a system or game plan.

• They exhibited some pretty good protection of the rim at different moments, but they too often (including the final play) just seemed to look the other way as Philly owned the paint.

• Pressey moved the ball and handed out some good assists but also committed five turnovers—a couple of them among the worst I've ever seen.

• Kelly looked like an all-star, rebounding in traffic late in the game.  But, near the end, he reprised his matador act of the first half.

• In the first half, Jeff Green seemed determined to make his outburst against the Heat fade into distant memory.  Then he hardly showed up in the second half, except for one nice turnaround jumper late in the game.

• Bayless was a trick-or-treater, alternating between the two extremes on what seemed to be every other play.

• Bass shot 50% for 11 points and seemed to play some fairly decent defense, especially in the lane, but he played only 21 minutes.  Go figure!

• Sully, Johnson and Humphries were probably the steadiest Celtics players out there.  Those who feel Sully should be taking time off to heal his bum shooting hand should use this game as evidence of why Brad's still playing him.  He was an absolute tiger on the boards, just ripping the ball out of 76ers' hands on several occasions. He finished with 8 offensive boards and 9 defensive boards.

• Johnson hit two icewater-in-the-veins threes in crunch time; and, as usual, he almost always seemed to be in control of the situation when on the floor.

• Humphries made what might have been the play of the night, tipping in an offensive board that Sully facilitated by keeping his own rebound in play.  He was his usual steady self.

• For all the tankmeisters out there, Brad didn't look like someone who was trying to tank, as he pulled out all the stops down the stretch, including rotating Wallace, Johnson, Bass, Sullinger, Humphries and Green on offensive/defensive possessions.

• Credit the Philly coach with a good non-move by not calling time-out and allowing the Celtics to get set on the final play off the rebound of a Celtics missed shot.  He prevented the Celts from making the aforementioned offense/defense switch and caused just enough confusion in the Celtics' defensive stand to allow Turner to put in the last-second shot.

• At one point in the fourth quarter, the Celtics led by eight points.  When's the last time that happened.  All things considered, a little more encouraging, if one counts a near-win against the forth-worst team in the league as encouraging.  More of a commitment, at least among some of the players.

• Glimmers? Sully's obvious commitment to overcoming his finger problem. The fact that, instead of free-lancing as they have been lately, the Celts looked for one another throughout the game and even down the stretch, assisting on 63% of their made field goals. The continued energetic, intelligent, poised performance of Johnson. A few displays of ganas by Olynyk under the Celtics' defensive basket. That's four glimmers—much more than in any other game lately. But they're real glimmers only if they're taken to another level as time passes.

Go Celtics!

Sam

Tough loss. They wanted it. But Philly did enough to edge the game in their favor. the effort was finally back, and that helped put the C's in a position to win.

The turnovers were killer, but I'd rather that be the problem than effort.


KJ

Sam,

We just have to wait for the trading deadline to come and pass before we can have at least a stable team with a set group of players for the last 30 games or so.   I get a sense that players are looking over their shoulder more as Feb. 20th draws near.

It a cruel but necessary process that the Celtics are going through, and I feel for the players for their lack of cohesion with new teammates.

So ..........who would want to part/trade Bradley???????  We win with him in there and he would have helped stabilize the team in NY.  Not win but we would have kept it close. He leads by example and others feed off of his competitiveness.

I think one trade may come before Sunday.....Just feel it in my bones.  Interesting teams would be the Suns, Rockets and Detroit who is just outside a playoff spot. Houston still is a player or two to become real serious. 

I still think Kelly O. and a draft pick and may be another player are headed to the Jazz for Hayward. Makes sense as the  Jazz cannot pay Hayward...Hayward loves Stevens........and we can sure use another sniper at SF who is young and a starter.

112288

112288,

I'll second that thought that Kelly will be moved at some point. Not sure if its this year though.

As for another trade, its probably. But I don't know who it will be. Humphries and Bass seem the most likely to be moved.


KJ

Tough loss. That was one awkward shot that Evan Turner made. In these kinds of losses, you can point to other aspects of the game that really made the difference -- turnovers, free throw shooting, whatever -- but it definitely hurts when a guy is twisting and falling and just throws the ball up and it goes in.

Far better than the Knick game, but they need to get some of these upcoming games in the win column.

Hi,
Yes, it's a tough loss.
What bothered me the most is how easy Phili penetrated all the way to the hoop. And very lame defense against p-n-r. Similar to NYK game.
On the bright side we have pick #3 (as of right now).

AK

AB might have kept MCW out of the lane a little better than Pressey and anyone else was able but at 6'6" MCW would still create some issue. Philly was looking at mismatches all evening but we got a little better with the help along the way.

Better effort than the NY game.

beat

It's kind of sobering that we're troubled by a one-point loss to one of the worst teams in the league.  That's a long way from Havlicek's statement that, when they lost ANY game, they assumed it was a mistake—as in a clerical error.

112288, I agree with you on the importance of getting past the trade deadline and the possibility that there's a preoccupation with the deadline among team members.  As for who might go, I find it easier to focus on who might come and, only then, conjecture on who the Celtics might have to give up in exchange.  Haywood could be an interesting possibility.

But I maintain that a trade is the most expedient means of bringing a proven intimidator on board.  Only by plugging that hole does the team have a realistic chance to develop for the future under reasonably "normal" circumstances.  And expending the team's best trading chips for anyone other than that intimidator just reduces any realistic shot at the intimidator.

Sam

I like Gordon Hayward - but other him being 3 years younger, not sure how he is an upgrade in anyway over Jeff Green.  Their stats are nearly identical - with Green playing less minutes and taking less shots per game...and he is due a BIG PAYDAY which will put him right in line with Green financially.

But I have long since stopped trying to make sense of the Jeff Green criticism out here. 

The entire matter at this point was summed up perfectly by PJ on a recently broadcast when he spoke of his inconsistency basically saying - the ups and downs are frustrating but at least he has the talent to break out at all...and who would you rather have, a career 11 ppg scorer who never scores more than 15 or less than 8 - or a guy who sometimes goes for 8 and sometimes goes for 35?

112288 wrote:Sam,

We just have to wait for the trading deadline to come and pass before we can have at least a stable team with a set group of players for the last 30 games or so.   I get a sense that players are looking over their shoulder more as Feb. 20th draws near.

It a cruel but necessary process that the Celtics are going through, and I feel for the players for their lack of cohesion with new teammates.

So ..........who would want to part/trade Bradley???????  We win with him in there and he would have helped stabilize the team in NY.  Not win but we would have kept it close. He leads by example and others feed off of his competitiveness.

I think one trade may come before Sunday.....Just feel it in my bones.  Interesting teams would be the Suns, Rockets and Detroit who is just outside a playoff spot. Houston still is a player or two to become real serious. 

I still think Kelly O. and a draft pick and may be another player are headed to the Jazz for Hayward. Makes sense as the  Jazz cannot pay Hayward...Hayward loves Stevens........and we can sure use another sniper at SF who is young and a starter.

112288

112288,

I am not sure why you feel Utah can't pay Hayward.
They only have about $25m in salaries next season excluding Hayward.
I think they are building their future around Hayward, Favors and Burke.
They also will have a high draft pick this summer.
I see no reason why they would trade Hayward to Boston for Olynyk and another draft pick.
Utah already has Golden State's 1st round picks in 2014 and 2017 besides their own picks.

I enjoyed watching the game.  

I see not good reason for DA to monkey around with making any useless trades.

We need a center.  Asik should be our target.  Unless there is a third team involved JG stays and unless we have a repalcement for Green he should not be part of any trade unless the player or players that we get are better in terms of talent and most importantly in terms of the position that they play.

There is no way it makes any sense to trade JG for GH.  That is not an upgrade. Why is that even a point of discussion?

The focus must be on the center position and the trading chips should not be ones that weaken the roster.  We are still overloaded at the 4 and we have draft picks.  

However we should not trade our # 1 pick this year as it is looking more and more like a pick that could land us a top 4 player in this draft.  

dboss

I think the C's should just stick with what's available on the team for now. The trades and rumors seem to be a very problematic distraction and it's blurring the focus on trying to win games/compete on a nightly basis.

I agree that Jeff should not be traded. He hasn't played well recently, but guess what? Most of the team hasn't in general. And they'd be hard pressed to find a better SF in the league that is available. The offense this year has been just terrible. I don't believe he is meant to be a half-court player. Green truly shines in the transition game, but I don't think he has the motor to relentlessly run (unless he's having a great night and is demanding the ball).



KJ

k_j_88 wrote:I think the C's should just stick with what's available on the team for now. The trades and rumors seem to be a very problematic distraction and it's blurring the focus on trying to win games/compete on a nightly basis.

I agree that Jeff should not be traded. He hasn't played well recently, but guess what? Most of the team hasn't in general. And they'd be hard pressed to find a better SF in the league that is available. The offense this year has been just terrible. I don't believe he is meant to be a half-court player. Green truly shines in the transition game, but I don't think he has the motor to relentlessly run (unless he's having a great night and is demanding the ball).



KJ

changes are coming cause this team as assembled lacks too many parts, no idea who goes or stays. And I agree it is a probably a bit of a distraction, but we suck right now and keeping these guys together assures us of nothing moving forward. Not sure which is in more dire straights right now, our offense or our defense. Getting AB back will help but still too many missing pieces and if the right deal comes along anyone could be gone.

Trade Deadline is approaching so we shall know soon enough. and if no one is moved by then, I'm sure moves will be made over the summer or prior to the draft.

beat

beat wrote:
changes are coming cause this team as assembled lacks too many parts, no idea who goes or stays. And I agree it is a probably a bit of a distraction, but we suck right now and keeping these guys together assures us of nothing moving forward. Not sure which is in more dire straights right now, our offense or our defense. Getting AB back will help but still too many missing pieces and if the right deal comes along anyone could be gone.

Trade Deadline is approaching so we shall know soon enough. and if no one is moved by then, I'm sure moves will be made over the summer or prior to the draft.

beat

Moving forward there are expiring contracts and draft picks. This team doesn't need a great deal of pieces to become competitive (a true center, some offensive weapons off the bench).



KJ

Regarding Hayward...

tjmakz wrote:I am not sure why you feel Utah can't pay Hayward.
They only have about $25m in salaries next season excluding Hayward.
I think they are building their future around Hayward, Favors and Burks.
They also will have a high draft pick this summer.
I see no reason why they would trade Hayward to Boston for Olynyk and another draft pick.
Utah already has Golden State's 1st round picks in 2014 and 2017 besides their own picks.

I agree. I understand wanting Hayward, but I think folks are putting way too much emphasis on the Stevens-Hayward connection, as if that will override everything else and the Jazz will bow before the power of the Butler duo's wish to reunite and trade him to Boston.

Utah let Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap go so that they could rebuild around Hayward, Favors, Burks, and Burke plus players they'll acquire through the draft or trades. Hayward is a restricted free agent this summer, so the Jazz can match any offer Hayward accepts from another team, plus they can offer a longer and more lucrative extension than any other team. Why exactly would they trade him away?

I Googled "gordon hayward" "brad stevens" trade and set the results to be within the last month. What I saw was that everything appears based on Bill Simmons saying the Celtics should get Hayward. This seems less about Simmons reporting or even editorializing and more about Simmons trying to play GM and actually make this happen. I'm liking Simmons less than I used to.

sam wrote:Haywood could be an interesting possibility.

This is an interesting phenomenon -- swapping "Hayward" for "Haywood." (And Sam, it's not just you. I've seen this on another thread.) I think, why is anyone interested in Brendan Haywood? And then it hits me. Ohhhh...

mrkleen09 wrote:I like Gordon Hayward - but other him being 3 years younger, not sure how he is an upgrade in anyway over Jeff Green.  Their stats are nearly identical - with Green playing less minutes and taking less shots per game...and he is due a BIG PAYDAY which will put him right in line with Green financially.

You are absolutely correct -- their stats are almost the same.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/haywago01.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greenje02.html

The grass is always greener on the other side, I guess.

I think Hayward is a fine player. But like Green, I don't think he's well suited to be the number one guy but is instead a complementary star.

sam wrote:At least the Celtics looked more active and more "into" the game.  They also pushed the ball better.  

• Their play is just too random.  By that, I mean it lacks much sense of a system or game plan.

• They exhibited some pretty good protection of the rim at different moments, but they too often (including the final play) just seemed to look the other way as Philly owned the paint.

• Pressey moved the ball and handed out some good assists but also committed five turnovers—a couple of them among the worst I've ever seen.

• Kelly looked like an all-star, rebounding in traffic late in the game.  But, near the end, he reprised his matador act of the first half.

• In the first half, Jeff Green seemed determined to make his outburst against the Heat fade into distant memory.  Then he hardly showed up in the second half, except for one nice turnaround jumper late in the game.

• Bayless was a trick-or-treater, alternating between the two extremes on what seemed to be every other play.

• Bass shot 50% for 11 points and seemed to play some fairly decent defense, especially in the lane, but he played only 21 minutes.  Go figure!

• Sully, Johnson and Humphries were probably the steadiest Celtics players out there.  Those who feel Sully should be taking time off to heal his bum shooting hand should use this game as evidence of why Brad's still playing him.  He was an absolute tiger on the boards, just ripping the ball out of 76ers' hands on several occasions.  He finished with 8 offensive boards and 9 defensive boards.

• Johnson hit two icewater-in-the-veins threes in crunch time; and, as usual, he almost always seemed to be in control of the situation when on the floor.

• Humphries made what might have been the play of the night, tipping in an offensive board that Sully facilitated by keeping his own rebound in play.  He was his usual steady self.

• For all the tankmeisters out there, Brad didn't look like someone who was trying to tank, as he pulled out all the stops down the stretch, including rotating Wallace, Johnson, Bass, Sullinger, Humphries and Green on offensive/defensive possessions.

• Credit the Philly coach with a good non-move by not calling time-out and allowing the Celtics to get set on the final play off the rebound of a Celtics missed shot.  He prevented the Celts from making the aforementioned offense/defense switch and caused just enough confusion in the Celtics' defensive stand to allow Turner to put in the last-second shot.

• At one point in the fourth quarter, the Celtics led by eight points.  When's the last time that happened.  All things considered, a little more encouraging, if one counts a near-win against the forth-worst team in the league as encouraging.  More of a commitment, at least among some of the players.

• Glimmers?  Sully's obvious commitment to overcoming his finger problem.  The fact that, instead of free-lancing as they have been lately, the Celts looked for one another throughout the game and even down the stretch, assisting on 63% of their made field goals.  The continued energetic, intelligent, poised performance of Johnson.  A few displays of ganas by Olynyk under the Celtics' defensive basket.  That's four glimmers—much more than in any other game lately.  But they're real glimmers only if they're taken to another level as time passes.

Go Celtics!

Sam

I agree with virtually everything Sam said, so I'll just use his format this time and include my additions.


1.  They looked less random than usual.  Not that that's saying much.  I'm talking offense, now.  Their defense aspires to 'random'.

2.  Inconsistency, thy name is _______(fill in the blank).  Kelly made some very nice defensive plays, nice rotations, nice rim protection.  Then, there were two plays, on two consecutive Philly possessions, in which he took his eyes off Hawes as he was going down the lane, and Hawes got the ball 4' out.  We were getting back cut to death, and Kelly forgets his man is going to the hoop.  Sheesh!  Our defense on pick-and-rolls was execrable.  Our defense on give-and-goes was execrable.  Hell, they were just cutting to the basket, no picks no nothing just trot down the lane, and we were losing sight of them once they got inside the free throw line. Naked back cuts were killing us. That's Basketball 101.

3.  Pressey has unraveled the past few games.  It happens to rookies, in general, and especially to rookies that go from no minutes, to starting, back to limited minutes, back to starting.  We have to keep playing him to see what he has.  He is struggling mightily, though.  This is the first game where I've seen a team make a point of going at him.  Our back court was thin, so it might have just been trying to get whatever back court we have in trouble, but it was obvious Pressey was squarely in their crosshairs.  And yes, he had problems.  Their back court is Carter-Williams at 6'6" and 6'6" James Anderson.  A couple of NBA scouts just woke up.

4.  Kelly's stat line doesn't look impressive, but he seemed to be everywhere for much of the game.  Then he had those defensive lapses I mentioned.  He is soooo focused on help defense he forgets help begins at home.  He has to stick to his man.  I hate that colleges are so zone-driven.  It teaches kids bad defensive habits.  If you use the zone to compensate for weak defenders, then teach them defense, don't try to cover it up with a zone.

5.  At the half, Jeff Green had 13 points on 3-7 shooting at the half.  After 3 quarters, he still had 7fgas.  A lot of Jeff's problems come from him getting the ball way the hell away from the basket.  You don't want to stick it in his stomach at 40', you want to pass it to him at 18' while he's moving towards the rim.  He ended up with 18 points on 5-13, so he was 2-6 in the final frame, but at least he took shots.  We've heard a lot about trying to get players in positions where they are in their best places to succeed.  The coaching staff isn't doing it with Green.  He needs the ball closer, if you're going to expect him to do something with it other than just shoot it.  Then, there's also the problem of Green not demanding the ball where he wants it.

6.  Bayless started off cold, then heated up.  He's very good at using a pick to move to an open space for a mid-range shot (Yeah!  Mid-Range Shots!) or draw the defender to him for the drive.  His defense is also inconsistent.  Why wouldn't it be, he's a Celtic now, why would he be any different than anybody else on the team?

7.  Bass made a phenomenal block on Hawes when Hawes got the ball coming down the lane on, what else?, a back cut.  I heard he has a nagging injury that he's playing through.  If so, it makes his effort even more impressive.  Two nights ago he defended Melo, last night he was anchoring the baseline along with Hump and even some good work by Kelly.

8.  Sully had a great game.  He was also a KoMe-esque 9-25 from the field.  It's obvious his finger is bothering him.  Also, let's remember who he was going up against.  Tommy said that Sully should be able to get 40 off of Hawes because "Hawes is the weak link in their defense. He can't guard me, and how old am I?".  Love Tommy.  Hawes didn't do poorly either against Sully.  He had 20 points on 7-14, 4-6 from 3, because Sully wouldn't go out to the arc with him.  Let's hope this game gets Sully back on track, because one game is not the end of a slump, it's just a reason to hope the slump is over.

9.  CJ started off cold and then heated up.  It doesn't appear that missing shots affects his confidence in his shot, he doesn't hesitate on the next one and that's very good.  He was all alone in the corner on breaks repeatedly.  One of the things I hate about today's NBA is that running the fast break" means "running to the corner".  I don't blame CJ for that, it's the NBA and he's just doing his job.  I'd love to see him run to the iron, though.  I'd also like to see him drive more and create his own shot more.  Not that I'm a great fan of isos, Lord Knows, but because we could use an assassin who can create his own shot and this is the year to put him through ALL of his paces.  He made a number of good defensive plays (and a few not so good).  He has quick hands and stripped the ball a few times even though he didn't end up with the ball.  No credit for the steal, but it was him.  He also led the Celtics in assists.  I'm liking him a lot, but I don't like that a SF newbie led the team in assists.  He should have had a few more, but we were missing shots that every other team in the league hits.  That's half our problem right there, we're missing shots that we should hit.

10.  Hump was Hump, and I'm just fine with that.  He also had a great block at the rim on Williams.  In 22 minutes he had 13 points on 3-5 and 9 rebounds, 3 of them offensive including the big one mentioned by Sam.  We shot 37% for the game, I believe that's 5 times in the last 7 games we've been under 40%, and Hump shot 60%.  I hope his salary demands are reasonable this summer.

11.  I don't know anybody who has accused Stevens of tanking.  There is zero, zero, evidence of that.

12.  Credit the Philly coach for actually getting his players to be an uptempo team that sees running as their best scoring option than as a half-court team that needs a timeout so they know what to do.  That's a bit of a shot.

13.  They played harder and they looked better.  Great?  No, but better.  At this point I'm estatic just to get energy and ganas and just hope the shots start to drop.

14.  If they had hit better than 56% from the line, especially in the last minute, this game wouldn't have even been this close.  Stevens likes to say it's the entire game and not just the final shot that makes you win or lose.  Well, there ya go.


We were without our entire starting back court.  To be honest, Bradley has always had problems with Turner, but Turner's playing SF now that Anderson is on board.  

We play Orlando at home on Sunday, so there's 2 days for Stevens to use for practice.  



bob



.

One bad team played an equally bad team but somehow the game reflected some pretty fun basketball.

As much as I like pressey, he is a midget and will get used and abused anytime he has to check a guy over 6" tall.  And Pressey is pretty horrible on offense.  His passing is great and Bad.

I think I'll endorse Bay leaves for the BU point guard position.

It seems that the Dark Energy has stopped sucking the light out of the team...that's a good thing.

If Sully was 2 inches taller we would not have anymore discussions about a center.  Sully is really a gifted rebounder...a beast...a monsta on the glass...He believes that every rebound belongs to him...

KO grabbed two nice rebounds with both hands...what a novel concept.

CJ continues to impress.  Too bad this team does NOT know how to run a fast break.  Too bad Jeff Green at times suffers from tunnel vision although he did make a few nice passes.

CJ also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists so he is not just a guy that shoots a laser like three pointer

Overall this team played hard but they are ill prepared.  For example we all know that Spencer Hawes loves to shoot the three ball (was 4/6) Yet how many open looks did he have?  

Late in the 4th did anyone notice one of the Celtics assistant coaches very animated?  Sully had just went to the bench and while the coach was yapping about something with hands flapping Sully was looking the other way.

As  much as I love Sully's rebounding I hate his offense.  He was 9/25 from the field last night.  He is shooting .428 for the year.  That is not very good for a Power forward/Center.  But last night was probably a good time to feed the fat boy.  Maddox (not  sure of spelling here)  noted that sully was throwing hawes around like a ragdoll.

dboss

dboss wrote:One bad team played an equally bad team but somehow the game reflected some pretty fun basketball.

As much as I like pressey, he is a midget and will get used and abused anytime he has to check a guy over 6" tall.  And Pressey is pretty horrible on offense.  His passing is great and Bad.

I think I'll endorse Bay leaves for the BU point guard position.

It seems that the Dark Energy has stopped sucking the light out of the team...that's a good thing.

If Sully was 2 inches taller we would not have anymore discussions about a center.  Sully is really a gifted rebounder...a beast...a monsta on the glass...He believes that every rebound belongs to him...

KO grabbed two nice rebounds with both hands...what a novel concept.

CJ continues to impress.  Too bad this team does NOT know how to run a fast break.  Too bad Jeff Green at times suffers from tunnel vision although he did make a few nice passes.

CJ also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists so he is not just a guy that shoots a laser like three pointer

Overall this team played hard but they are ill prepared.  For example we all know that Spencer Hawes loves to shoot the three ball (was 4/6) Yet how many open looks did he have?  

Late in the 4th did anyone notice one of the Celtics assistant coaches very animated?  Sully had just went to the bench and while the coach was yapping about something with hands flapping Sully was looking the other way.

As  much as I love Sully's rebounding I hate his offense.  He was 9/25 from the field last night.  He is shooting .428 for the year.  That is not very good for a Power forward/Center.  But last night was probably a good time to feed the fat boy.  Maddox (not  sure of spelling here)  noted that sully was throwing hawes around like a ragdoll.

dboss

dboss,

Looking at the Game On Thread, Sam quoted Mannix saying this:



Re: Game-On! 76ers @ Celtics - January 29, 2014
Post by sam Yesterday at 5:52 pm

Mannix just said the Celts have to move the ball better because they only have 10 assists on 15 made field goals. Yeah, they're playing poorly, but 67% is a very good assist/FG ratio.


I said:

Re: Game-On! 76ers @ Celtics - January 29, 2014
Post by bobheckler Yesterday at 6:40 pm

Sully's just throwing Hawes around like he's a rag doll.



bob


.

Dboss,

I noticed the coach talking to Sully, and Sully definitely looked detached—not once glancing at the coach. I don't know what the significance of that is, but it made me uncomfortable.

As I've said elsewhere, Sully's 2-point shooting percentage is a reasonably respectable 47.3%. It's the threes that make his overall shooting percentage so low.

Sam

sam wrote:Dboss,

I noticed the coach talking to Sully, and Sully definitely looked detached—not once glancing at the coach.  I don't know what the significance of that is, but it made me uncomfortable.

As I've said elsewhere, Sully's 2-point shooting percentage is a reasonably respectable 47.3%.  It's the threes that make his overall shooting percentage so low.

Sam

Sully's shooting has been down lately, but he was an active presence in that game last night. That's why I couldn't figure out why the coach would be on his case like that.



KJ

KJ,

It was probably one of those things that we're not knowledgeable about and that only basketball experts know. I don't know if this was in Sully's mind; but in his place, I'd be thinking, "Geez, I'm beating my brains out. Are you sure you should be talking to me?" Or perhaps other words to that effect.

Sam

sam wrote:KJ,

It was probably one of those things that we're not knowledgeable about and that only basketball experts know.  I don't know if this was in Sully's mind; but in his place, I'd be thinking, "Geez, I'm beating my brains out.  Are you sure you should be talking to me?" Or perhaps other words to that effect.

Sam

Sam was was thinking the same thing. Sully carried the team on his back last night. Who knows what was said. But Sully had a GTFOOMF look.

Bob, so I want to make sure I read you right.. The ragdoll reference was on the game on thread????

dboss

Sam

I did not factor in the three point shots that Sully takes but that makes sense and also it pretty much supports the theory that he needs to refrain from taking those shots.

Sam you have seen a lot of Celtics basketball and I am trying to think of a past player that rebounded the  way Sully does.  I thought about Paul Silas.  

I think that our overall evaluation of this team must be tempered by the reality that we do not have all of the pieces.  Can you imagine if a guy like Asik was at the center spot and Sully was matched up on a PF?  Sully would destroy the guy.

dboss