Celtics 108 @ Bobcats 90, 12/1/09

[Sam]

In the last three games, the Celtics have evolved from displaying one very promising quarter to three very promising quarters to darned near 48 minutes of nothing but promise. They shot out of the starting gate and never looked back. It' s been my experience that a team that sets a pace like that is going to win at least 90% of the time.
Moreover, in the midst of a demanding road trip (they now lead the league at 6-1 on the road), no starter had to play more than 35 minutes. There were so many positive aspects of this game:

It was anticipated that Jackson and Wallace would attack Ray Allen and give him fits. But Ray outscored them (with some help from his friends on defense) 27-16. Ray was six for nine from downtown as the Celts had 10 treys, most of which were uncontested.

Perk displayed a variety of great offensive moves and was a bear on the defensive boards for a 21/12 night. He has developed a nice arsenal of offensive weapons…the little step-back jumper, a fairly effective half-hook, and especially a nice under-and-up move that is particularly effective.

KG was the other principal offensive threat, with sixteen points in only 26 minutes (he had some foul difficulties). Eddie was the fourth guy in double figures (12)—a number of them in garbage time.

Rondo was the primary catalyst out of the chute and wound up with nine of the Celtics’ 24 assists (on 36 made field goals). The entire Bobcats team had 13 assists. In addition to their scoring contributions, Ray and KG each had five assists as well.

This was one of those games in which Paul Pierce obviously waited to see what his mates could provide, and he never really had to do more than complement their contributions. A nice "pace yourself" luxury for Paul.

Aside from Eddie’s 12, the bench was just so-so, as the Bobcat bench pretty much stayed with them. But the Celtics starts just dominated their counterparts. The “crowd” was just out of the game from almost the outset.

I was shocked to discover that the Celtics got only 8 fast break points (to Charlotte’s 11) because the Celtics displayed an eagerness to set the pace throughout. This game clearly demonstrated the difference between pushing the ball and fast break basketball.

Nor did the Celtics beat the Bobcats with points in the paint (38-42). This game demonstrated a continuation of the newfound stylistic BALANCE that has become their offensive hallmark. When there’s reasonable balance between your points in the paint, transition points, three-pointers, and freebies, you’re usually cooking—and often doing so with
relative ease.

Sheldon Williams scored only five points in 21 minutes, but he deserves mention for playing an energetic and heady game out there in extensive minutes of subbing for KG. Sheldon has a good sense for the game and seldom makes silly mistakes; and there’s a persistent toughness about him that I really like.

The Celts’ defense is still undergoing improvement. But one thing I’m liking is that they’ve got a lot of the “swarm” back and they’re forcing teams with pretty good playmakers to default to too many individual moves. And they're switching to cover well and recover equally well.

So it’s on to San Antonio, which will be a good test because the Celtics won’t be dealing with a lot of young, relatively inexperienced players on the Spurs. A lot of the Celtics’ resurgence has been based on veteran attention to (as Ray said after the game) “the little things.” They won’t have such a built-in advantage on “the little things” against S.A.

Sam

[cowens/oldschool]

Hey Sam

Just wanted to add my 2 cents,Perk has been unbelievable,I've heard players make their biggest jump in their 3rd year,well this is Perks big jump this year,in I believe his 6th year,him losing that weight has really helped his quickness and athleticism,now his help defense and ability to help on the penetration and still jump back to his man has never been better,he might be our best defender.His offense has been unstoppable lately,did anybody see this coming?that he could post on all star caliber players and with him adding a dimension of finese to his bullyboy game is helping take this team up another notch.

I knew Ray would start clicking at the 3,by end of year his % will be his normal numbers,when hes on and hot we always win in blowouts,I expect some more blowouts.Bobcats coming in on a 4 game winning streak and we crush them with Pierce having a night off allowing Perk to further develop.

Love that we could give some playing time to SW,hes such a sturdy dirty work type player,if he has it going then let him play,I would prefer the minutes be dependent on match ups and how well each player is playing rather than having a set rotation all the time.Spurs game will be good test to further see where we're at,I'm expecting a win.

Standard good games by Rondo and KG too,KG's game is not defined by numbers he helps team in so many ways both ends,allows Perk to go one on one and obviously Perks responding.

cow

[dboss]

Sam

Real nice analysis of the game last night.

The Celtics were very good tonight. The offense was very diverse and came from so many directions. Perkins has developed beyond my expectation. He seems so relaxed on offense now.

KG is really starting to look like his old self.

Overall a very solid win on the road

dboss

[RosalieTCeltics]

It's funny, this is a team that I figured would give them alot of trouble. They always have played so solid against the Celtics. Watching them last night made me wonder what I was worried about. They looked like they didn't know what the heck was happening to them and that is when the frustration started. They were crying to the ref's all night.

Now it is on to San Antonio, I only hope that they continue to play they way they have been this last week. I am so impressed with Perk, I had said this right from the start of the year, he had worked himself into terrific shape and has been a wonderful student for Clifford Ray to teach. He is finally putting it all together. Right now he is on track to be on the all defensive team. If his offense keeps up, who knows what the year will bring for him and the Celtics.

[KellyGreen17]

Rosalie, totally agree with you on last nights game. On another thread I predicted that we would win, but that it would be close. I'm glad I was wrong! Last year the Cats didn't have the quality of players that they have this year, but they still gave us fits. I know we had already beat them by a significant margin earlier this season, but I thought it might have been a fluke. Great all around effort by the C's, and it was nice to see them play hard for an entire game instead of just in spurts.

In regards to Perk, he is looking great this season. I think the greatest factor in his improvement this year is the confidence the rest of the team has in him, and even more, the confidence he has in himself. I feel like guys are passing the ball to him more than ever before, and he's more often than not ready for it and expecting it. There are still things he needs to work on, but overall, I'm thrilled with his progress this season.

[Sam]

The thing that continually shocks me about Perk is when he gets the ball outside the lane and begins slicing and dicing into the lane and eventually gets a good shot inside (often on an under-and-up move lately). I still cringe reflexively when he does that because I had become so conditioned to expect some sort of fumble or strip or infraction of some type. But now, he looks sure of himself as does his pseudo McHale imitation; and it's getting pretty reliable. Now I've got to go to Clifford Ray to learn how to keep from cringing.

Sam

[jeb]

Sam

I cringe with Quis. Dont know him yet.

[RosalieTCeltics]

I really like his game. It is not predictable, but he is very reliable. I am hoping that his shot picks up a little, but I almost died when he hit the three pointer last night! There is so much to look forward to and we are just at the beginning of the season. I keep my fingers crossed every day that there are no real injuries to side track us this year. Just think, with KG we could very well be working on #19! Greedy, huh???

Kelly, I am glad that I am not the only one who supports Perk. There were so many out there who want Ainge to trade him, and I kept hoping and praying he didn't do it. He still has a way to go, but the chemistry between Rondo and Perk is becoming quite a thing to watch. They are feeding off each other. That's great because they are the future. Now, when Davis comes back, hopefully he will show us something to get excited about more.
I am very impressed with Sheldon Williams. I was a big Leon fan, hated what happened to him and how it happened, but, Ainge landed on his feet picking up Williams. Everyone thought he was just another stiff. He is proving alot of people wrong.

I could go on and on, I drive my friends in work crazy with my Celtic chatter.
They cringe when they lose because they don't want to listen to me make excuses! Wait until May and June!!!!

[jeb]

rosalie t

Quis and Rondo ...i like them on the floor together.

[dbrown4]

It's all been said of the Bobcats game, but that was one of the best Celtic games I have seen in a while. I was watching it with my oldest son Nathan (6) and middle son Evan (5) and they were constantly asking me to hit rewind!! "That was awesome, Dad. Can I see that play again?!!" I told them they were watching something very special, as if they needed that from me.

That was the game I should have taken them to in Charlotte since we live in Wake Forest, NC. Last year's game in Charlotte went to OT, resulting in a loss for the C's (part of the 9 losses in 11 games or whatever it was streak)and tears for Nathan. But they enjoyed this game emmincely nonetheless.

[beat]

dbrown

can you rewind a DVD? You can actually get some people to say yes, in fact quite a few.

beat

[Sam]

At dboss' suggestion, I'm going to try starting a separate post-game thread after each game and then archive it in the continuing post-game thred before the next game.

The Celtics beat the Spurs in San Antonio, 90-83. The game can be summarized as follows. The Celtics’ first half was better than the Spurs’ second half; and Rondo came up with a couple of big plays (one offensive and one defensive) to seal the deal.

The Celts started out by following my favorite formula, jumping to a double-digit lead. Their inside offense was clicking, and the played fair defense, abetted by some gruesome Spurs turnovers and even worse Spurs shooting (many open threes missed and something like one for their first nine free throws. Blair the very good Spurs undersized rookie strong guy, Blair even contributed to the Celtics’ cause, tipping a Celtics miss into the Celtics basket. The Celtics led 47-39 at halftime.

The second half was more even, as the Celtics won by seven. But the Celtics needed some excellent individual plays to offset a fierce Spurs attack that constantly shredded the Celtics defense down low. Time and again, the Celts helped one another only to leave the middle open for a drive by Blair or a smart inside pass by Parker. Finally, Rondo pretty much settled the issue with a foul line jumper (I like his new stroke) and a great poke check on a Parker drive that knocked the ball off Parker’s knee and out of bounds.

In many ways, this was a battle of statistical categories:

In the Celtics’ favor:

• The game was pretty much won on the strength of superiority from mid-range shots, which netted the Cs a 38-18 point superiority.

• The Celtics starters outscored Timmy and friends 64-39.

• The Celtics assisted on 61% of their made field goals (compared with 54% for the Spurs).

• The Celts hit 74% of their freebies as opposed to 44% for the Spurs.

• The Celtics committed only 12 turnovers to 18 for the Spurs. (Popovich admitted that their many new players are still trying to get comfortable in the Spurs’ system.)

In the Spurs’ favor:

• San Antonio outscored the Celtics 52 to 36 in the paint.

• The Spurs grabbed 41% of the rebounds that came off their offensive boards, while the Celts got only 5% of the offensive rebounds potentially available to them. The Celtics are doing a really lousy job of keeping other teams off the Celtics’ defensive boards.

• The Spurs’ bench outscored the Celtics’ bench 44-26.

Three-pointers weren’t that much of a factor for either team, although Sheed did hit a couple that were really timely in terms of representing psychological downers for the Spurs; and Sheed blocked four shots too.

The players of the game for the Celtics were KG (9-15, 7 rebounds, and a lot of his old swarming defense, although he got beaten by Blair down low a couple of times) and Rondo (12 points, 12 assists, and the aforementioned big plays.

Perk played his now-usual steady game, with 9 points and 7 rebounds, and Ray Allen (15) and Sheed (13) contributed to the scoring as Paul Pierce pretty much took the night off in every phase of the game although his defense on Jefferson was quite good.

At times, the Cs looked loaded with energy and alertness. Twice, they scored on fast breaks of made baskets. At times, especially on the defensive boards, they looked like they were on the second night of back-to-backs rather than the first.

I’m a Scal supporter, but I found it interesting that Williams didn’t play a second in a game where the Celtics needed all the rebounding help they could get. Perhaps Doc was particularly concerned about perimeter defense; and the Spurs did hit only two three-pointers (including one with the game out of reach).

In summary, this was a game that alternately gave me some positive moments (as the Celtics are showing the ability to start out strong and bounce back from enemy incursions) and heartburn (particularly in rebounding action). All-in-all, this was a good game to win on the road against a team with more of a reputation than it probably deserves at this juncture. And now, on to Oklahoma.

Sam

[jeb]

Sam

I didnt see game but aint it a pretty big deal that Rondo is TAKING nevertheless hitting jumpers with the game in the balance. If he can do this we win it all.

[Sam]

Jeb,

Yes, I think it is a pretty big deal, and so does Doc according to his post-game comments.

Sam

[cowens/oldschool]

I thought the offense looked like crap when Eddie House was in at point on second unit,we really could have used some SW tonight,he didn't play a minute and we get killed on boards.I know you can't have an advantage at every position,but we know House can't play point,just him bringing the ball up and getting team into the offense doesn't work,not his game,takes away from his running to open spaces to get a shot off,which is his game....why make him do this?and just take away from his game.

[gacracker]

Finally, Rondo pretty much settled the issue with a foul line jumper (I like his new stroke) Sam

I like his new stroke too. Seems he hit his first and last mid range jumper... and missed 3-4 in between. He needs to keep shooting nevertheless.

I was hoping that he would get a chance to ice the game with a FT (only needed to hit one of two) to boost confidence but House or maybe Pierce got the chance instead.

I heard a comment from TommyH (I think) that Sheed was not yet in playing condition and hopefully would be later in the season when the stretch drive happened. Those comments surprised me.

GC

[mrkleen09]

I think it was a great win…and shows now only where the Celtics are at, but that SA is not a true contender. They look old and ineffective – and aside from some great work down low by Blair –they would have gotten blown out.

KG is back….mark it down, put a star next to it….he is back offensively and his defense is almost there as well.

Rondo is playing stellar basketball. He can absolutely control a game…and his passing is incredible. I don’t care what any analyst says, he is far and away a better player (even without a jumper) than Tony Parker – he had Parker looking foolish more than once.

Overall, if you saw the box score – you would think it was a close game, but that is clearly not the case. The Celtics pretty much dominated the game – especially starters vs starters. If you add Big Baby to the lineup to bang underneath with Blair, they win by 15 easy.

3-0 on the road trip…..and looking very very good.

[dbrown4]

All has been said very well above on this game. Not as flashy/dominant as the Bobcat game because SA knows how to play defense. Reggie Lewis mentioned, I think, that you can tell the elite teams from the has beens in the NBA by whether they play full court defense or just half court. I thought I was watching college ball last night as both teams were picking up full court. Excellent action.

Also, at the end of the game as it was getting close, I wasn't panicking. And of course, neither were the C's. That's something that only comes with experience and I'm not sweating teams trying to close strong on us now like I have in the past. Two years ago, we had to have home court to win it all. Last year, we discovered too late, we had to have KG.

One other point. I love the way Ray has reinvented his game by going inside. I may be wrong, but I don't remember him going inside as much the past two seasons. I always thought of him more as an assassin from deep. He's still getting threes. Just the traditional way more now. Someone please correct me statistically if I'm off on this, but it just seems he is inside getting more And 1's this season since the three ball has been erratic at best.

The Oklahoma City game has had me worried for some time. Don't know why. Maybe it was their strong start. They do seem to be fading or setting like the Suns. We'll know soon enough.

[cowens/oldschool]

Tony Parker looked kinda slow compared to Rondo,see any Spurs game and Parker is always fastest guy on floor......not last nite.Rondo can defend Parker much better than Parker can with Rondo,seemed Rondo could blow by him anytime he wanted.

[dbrown4]

Sorry. Meant Reggie Miller. My bad.

[Sam]

It was a rather strange game. Definitely a plus on the "improvment ledger" but also undoubtedly revealing areas on which the Celts still have to work. (Rebounding would be #1 in my mind, and the lack of synergy among the bench players would be #2.)

I agree with Mrkleen that KG just keeps looking better and better. Although he got beaten by Blair a couple of times, he really got into the defensive action both outside and down low; and it was good to see his old "windmill D" deflecting the ball.

Dbrown, Ray is just a pro...and a throwback to the teams whose players would do whatever was necessary to ensure a win. I'm not shocked that he can penetrate quite well. But, while so doing, his surprising quickness and anticipation allow him to win a lot of scrambles and hit short jumpers that are about as automatic as his free throws.

GC, I'll take 40% jumpshooting from Rondo during the main portion of games and 60% jumpshooting from Rondo in the clutch. As Doc said, it's really huge that Rajon is no longer a hesitant shooter down the stretch (a sure path to shooting failure); and he has recently hit two game-changing jumpers down the stretch. He won't make every one (and neither would anyone else). But the ability of Rondo and Perk to represent offensive threats at any point in the game definitely takes some of the pressure and predictability away from The Three Amigos.

I have to confess that this is the happiest I've been with the offense of the starters since KG and Ray hit town. There's a lot more motion in that offense than there was a couple of weeks ago; and consequently their arsenal of effective offensive weapons has increased. They're relying on an offensive system rather than on hero shots, which means their collective effectiveness is less susceptible to individual slumps. They're consistently pushing the ball and maximizing their time in halfcourt sets. And they're making the extra pass and swinging the ball for open shots rather than forcing it into defensive pressure.

Tonight they're facing another rising team that's young and athletic; and the Celts' bench will probably play more minutes on the end of a back-to-back. It will be interesting to see how that combination of factors will affect the outcome. Whatever happens, I'm at least as interested in what the Celtics learn from the experience as I am in another win. The road trip is already a big success.

Sam

[sinus007]

Sam,
Thanks for the summary. I think it's better than some of the sports sites are offering.
A few observations. First is negative: rebounding. In some of the last several games it was painfully obvious. Is it an item on "to do list"? Is it lack of effort? Do they miss players with high rebounding skills? Or combination of the above?
On the light side: it was fun to look at Doc, Regie and Fratello(sp?) of 20 years ago.
All in all, win is a win. Now, hopefully, they finish road trip with one more W.

AK

[Sam]

Sinus,

I was a little distracted (by a cat) when they showed that old sequence, but I gather it involved enough contentiousness to get Doc tossed. Who says he's laid-back? LOL.

Sam

[dbrown4]

Sam, in a side note, the announcers mentioned the Celtics had the highest percentage in the league of assists to baskets made. Thanks to you, we already knew that!! I'm not sure what he called it, but he went on to explain it shows how well the Celtics offense is flowing and looking to make easier baskets, etc. Not as good as your explanation, but it was good to be ahead of the curve. Thanks again and am sorry to see that thread done but it did its job. db

[Sam]

db,

Thanks. I really like that stat, although I admit to always having had a bias toward the playmaking aspect of basketball. (Thanks, Cooz.) As a spectator, I'll take a beautiful pass play over a slam dunk any day.

For the moment, I'm keeping an abbreviated version of those stats for myself so I can refer to them as appropriate. It still take some time, so I'm not sure how long I'll continue. But I do like those nine stats.

Thanks again,

Sam

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