Post Game 2 - Vegas League vs Heat

I only caught the last few minutes of the 1st half and the 2nd half, so my observations only cover that timespan.

1.  We look coherent now.  The first two games of Utah league we looked incoherent but we've come together well as a team and are running sets that make sense.

2.  Thornton had his 20 minutes of fame.  Now let's see if he can repeat it.  21 points on 5-8 and 9-9 from the line.  

3.  Mickey didn't have a great game, but he still had 2 blocks and 11 rebounds, 4 of them offensive.  That's an "off-game" for him.  So far, through Tuesday, he is 2nd in summer league with 10.7rpg (Alex Len of Phx is #1 with 11.0) and is tied for 1st with 3.0bpg.  I don't know what he'll be like against real NBA talent but man oh man is he ever looking like filet mignon against these ham-and-eggers.  Btw, the names of the other players that are tied with him for most blocks/game are not Okafur, nor WCS, nor Towns, nor Upshaw, nor Porzingis.  The Mouse's fg% is better than all of those players' too, with the exception of Porzingis who has taken half the fgas Mickey has (Porzingis has a 60% fg% and Mickey's is 55.2% but Porzingis has only taken 15fgas while Mickey has taken 29). With the addition of Perry Jones III I have NO idea wtf is going on, but something is.  Steve Bulpett pointed out yesterday that, because the Jones trade included cash in to the Celtics, they get to take a free look at him and, if they decide they don't like him, they can either trade him or use the cash they received to buy him out.  There was a couple of minutes there where Mickey was everywhere.  He was just flat-out outworking everybody. More rebounds/game, more blocks/game, better fg% except one and they were all top draft picks (except for Upshaw, and who knows how that story will play out over time), while Danny scooped up the Mouser in the 2nd round.

4.  Holmes is making a case for himself.  He's doing everything well, showing he can score.  The difference between him and CJ Fair, in my eyes, is that Holmes has a more physically imposing style while Fair is more silky smooth.  This might be because, while they are both 6'8", Holmes is listed at 240# while Fair is listed at 215#.  The addition of Jones might have killed both of their chances, but especially Fair's. I see Jones as more of a finesse player and that competes more directly with Fair.  Fair had 12 points on 3-6 and 9 rebounds.  He just quietly goes about playing.  Both of these guys deserve a shot at a pro camp, it just might not be ours.  Then again, Danny never sleeps and my milk money is on another trade or two happening before camp opens at the end of September.

There have been a lot of summer leagues where you see a player you think you like and you'd like to see invited to camp, but most of the time you realize you're looking at bubble players just trying to make it onto the next bigger bubble.  We've got more players who probably deserve to make it to that next bubble this year than in any other I've seen in a long, long time.


bob



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Bob, I think you may mean "cohesive" rather than coherent (logical). But, whatever the right word, the Celts have come together remarkably since the third game of Summer League. It's particularly noticeable on the fact break, on which I'd wager this group has a higher percentage of successful finishes than the whole team did last season.

Great quote about Mickey: "...ooking like filet mignon against these ham-and-eggers." Perfect description. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in action when he won't have to play almost exclusively against the other team's center. Even if some of these centers aren't great, they almost always have a height (and often a beef to continue your analogy) advantage.

I was very high on Fair in the early going, and he's done nothing to change my mind. However, the added dimension of strength on Holmes' part has me going over to his side. Both of them are averaging 9.5 rebounds per 30 minutes in Vegas, but Holmes has the scoring advantage per 30 minutes: 19.2 to 14.5. But Holmes has a huge advantage in field goal percentage: 53.8% to 28.0%. Last night, Holmes was 2-5 on threes, while Fair was 2-2.

The Celts really lowered the boom with a 36-point fourth quarter (10 minutes). Everyone was hitting threes, as the only reason why the team didn't have a phenomenal three-point percentage for the entire game was Smart's 0-8. (I can't understand why he's so streaky from outside, but that's a lot of empty possessions.)

Threes:

Holmes 2-5
Rozier 1-3
Smart 0-8
Hunter 2-3
Fair 2-2
Miller 3-3
Thornton 2-2

Team other than Smart 12-18 (67%)

With every new game, I become more impressed with the defense of Thornton (in particular) and Rozier. Sticking to their guys like glue; getting their hands in the passing lanes. They look much like Avery in his early years, although he has become much more conservative defensively of late.

Nice win. Now, if the Celtics could demoralize all other teams and their fans as much your "quotes from the other side" reflect on the fan side, we'd have a juggernaut on our hands. Personally, I'm happy to see at least half a dozen really good Celtics prospects emerge from Summer League and, especially, to do so without serious injuries.

Go Celtics!

Sam