Thunder Roar past Celtics 109-104 Wed 03/31/2010

In yet another in a series of disappointing homes losses, OKC went into the Gardens and beat Boston 109-104.

This was a competitve game throughout but Boston could not stop the Thunder from scoring. Boston played well offensively but a huge free throw advanatge by the thunder 34-17 kept them close and they made big shots down the stretch to outsprint Boston to the finsih line.

It is all about the defense and the Celtics will not win this year unless they can play defense at a more consistent level. If Boston is going to get beat by Durant or James fine but at some point you must take somnething away from the other team.

It seems Boston just cannot get it together. As soon as I think that they have found their niche, they put up a strinker against the Spurs and then lose to a bunch of kids.

Not many games left and I am not sure where they are going.

This year may be one of the most competitve years that I have seen in a long ntime. There are a lot of very good young teams out there that could really surprise someone, like Boston.

your thoughts?

dboss

My in Game notes

The Celtics started off turning the ball over in the first half and had problems slowing down Westbrook who used high picks to get away from Rondo. The hard trap to slow down Westbrook was just not there.

OKC was scoring from everywhere and it was not until Sheed entered the game and scored on 5 straight attempts that Boston established anything on the court.

Once Sheed went to the bench for a rest, Rajon and Garnett and PP and Allen all scored with Rondo pushing the pace and making some nice passes. Near the end of the first half PP put the Celtics up by 2 with an and one and Perk scored on a nice move in the lane to end the half with Boston leading by 4 61-57. I thought Boston was able to take the lead because they pushed the ball more and also did a good job executing their half court offense.

OKC is a real fun team to watch and they play with no fear and a lot of energy.

Scoreboard watching (just turned to the LA /Hawks game.) At the end of 3 LA is getting spanked by the Hawks 80-64 end of three.

The 3rd quarter neither team could get away from the other, Kevin Durant continued to score and OKC took a 2 point lead with 4 .5 seconds left in the third but Rondo came back playing his roller ball game by not picking the ball up until he was almost at halfcourt and then with a burst of speed , a move to the left and a drive to the hole tied the game up at 83 all.

At some point you kept thinking Boston just needs to make some back to back defensive stops. The refs did not help us much though calling just about everything against the Celtics.

The Celtics rotated their bench in the game with Baby, Robinson, Finley and Daniels and Sheed taking over and they began to establish some good chemistry establishing Glen Davis in the posts for a couple of layups and in general fighting for lose balls and rebounds. You could see the energy flowing for Boston and OKC got in early foul trouble and was over the limit with 8:02 still remaining in the game.

But there goes Durant again draining another jumper to keep things close.

I think is is real hard for Boston to dominate young athletic teams unless they really buckle down on defense..
With 5:47 left in the game the Thunder were still hanging tough (Maynard goes to the line and following a Garnett jumper on a feed from Rajon (11 assist) Maynard banks a jumper to tie the score up yet again at 96 all.

After a nice left handed layup by Westbrook, Sheed delivers again with a three.

Not to worry OKC fans as Durant drains another one and after Ray Allen’s turnover I really got nervous about the outcome with Boston down by 1 and OKC with the ball and Durant at the line. At this point OKC could probably win the game at the line (32 –16)

RA makes up for the earlier to with a nice drive for a layup and one more at the online 105-104 Thunder and then back to back three’s by Greene is a double stake in the heart.

I smell a loss.

How do you lose to OKC at home? You let the visitors score over 100 points that’s how.

Final Score Boston 104 Thunder 109

dboss

Boston is headed for a first round exit from the play offs. Age, a lack of quality young talent, and either an inability or unwillingness to commit to serious defensive intensity will surely and is proving to be this team's undoing. I thought maybe a week or so ago that they may be turning the corner. After this loss and Sunday's debacle loss to the Spurs, I'm convinced the corner we turned has led us to the abyss of a dead end alley!-MD.

The only way you can shoot 60% from the field and lose is when the refs allow the visiting team to shoot TWICE as many FT as the home team.

The defense was not there - Westbrook and Durant torched the Celtics and KG really slipped on those last two 3 pointers from Green.

But if the Celtics get a fair shake in this game from the refs, they win by 6 or 7 points EASY.

mrkleen

indeed there were some questionable calls. KG in the first period trying to cut through the lane was getting elbowed and bodied up by Stefalosa (SP) so he raises an arm and make little contact and the ref whistles KG.

PP on a couple drives clearly got hit and no call. (getting use to that)

But really we have no one to blame but ourselves and certainly not the refs. OKC is a fine young team and we could not stop them. If Durant is not the best and most talented young TEAM player in the league I don't know whom is. And with Westbrook they form a formidable 1-2 punch.

Right now we can't stop speed from anyone. RA was giving up 3-4 inches on Durant.

At least we did play hard for the entire game but we just are not getting it done on the defensive end.

beat

MDCelticsFan wrote:Boston is headed for a first round exit from the play offs. Age, a lack of quality young talent, and either an inability or unwillingness to commit to serious defensive intensity will surely and is proving to be this team's undoing. I thought maybe a week or so ago that they may be turning the corner. After this loss and Sunday's debacle loss to the Spurs, I'm convinced the corner we turned has led us to the abyss of a dead end alley!-MD.

I think thats a realistic analysis, unfortunately, MD. There is very little chance that they will get past the Bucks in round 1. And I think you nailed it when you pointed out the factors for this team's underperformance this year. Its too bad, really. Its especially bad knowing that Wallace will be our albatross for two more years after this one. Its going into rebuilding mode now, I guess.
But that one ring sure felt good, didn't it?

pumpsie

Perhaps the best we could hope realistically now would be taking a team to 6 perhaps 7 in the second round. Beyond that just ain't gonna happen without a whole lot of change on a lot of fronts. When we are scoring we arn't stopping. Seems like we are the proverbial little Dutch Boy with not enough fingers or reach to plug all the holes!

Yes the champinship was great and hopefull DA can somehow manage a coup this off season.

Not completely giving up but also being realistic to how we are and have played the past couple months. We need something more than just being healthy.

beat

I was only able to watch the first half, all the links dropped inexplicably at halftime. When I can't see the game I'll talk about stats and try to understand what they might say, but I won't try to talk about the game. Unlike some other people, but later for that.

In the first half there were a few questionable calls and there were some makeup calls on the other end.

1. Rondo chased Westbrook. Playing good positional defense means you're in front of them, not behind them. I'm concerned that Rondo thinks defense is all about steals and not about straight up man-to-man. Westbrook outplayed Rondo. Deron Williams outplayed Rondo. While I like Rondo and have high hopes for him, he has some more to go to be considered "elite".

2. Not only did Durant live at the line, he made every single free throw. If he shot 80% (12-15) this game would be a buzzerbeater. Very solid and clutch performance by that young man. This is his 40th 30+ point game this season. So we're hardly his only victim and I doubt his 39 other 30+ games were against bad teams only.

3. KG missed 3 layups late in the game. I couldn't see the game. Could someone tell me why he missed? I mean, those layups are the game.

4. Our perimeter defense is not good. Rondo's chasing the ball instead of moving his feet to anticipate it and the other player on the screen isn't stopping the ball from coming around the screen either. Can't win like that.

5.Pumpsie's favorite whipping boy, Rasheed Wallace, was the Celtic star of the game. He was 7-8 from the floor (only missing in the last minute or so) and was 2-3 from 3. 18 points in 25 minutes. I repeatedly pointed out how good Rasheed was playing and how he was keeping us in the game and how well he was shooting, but Pumpsie never acknowledged any of it. I guess it's the other side of the old saying "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything". If he does have something nice to say, he doesn't say anything.

6. Speaking of Pumpsie, I'm going to flat out say I'm done with him. He was clearly taunting on the Game On thread. With about 4 minutes left, he posted "KG keeps missing layups. Good thing I cannot see this game". Then with about 3 minutes left, he posted this "Goin' down........disappointing, eh?". At the time he said that, we were down by 1 point. On the next possession we scored and were up by 1. Pumpsie's last post was to inform gyso that the reason why he wrote the "going down" post is because "I pay attention". To a game he couldn't see. The last page or two of the Game On thread sums him up. I joined this club because I didn't want to have to put anybody on 'ignore'. Sadly, one person is about to be ignored. His basketball insights are banal at best and his tone is depressing even when the Celts win. Just about time for him to deprive us of his company by spending his time with the Red Sox boards. I'm sure they'll appreciate his incisive and uplifting input as much as we do. Of course, if he really understood the meaning of being "a fan", he'd already be there. Celtic fans are dedicating their time on the Celtic boards during pre-season too.

bob


/

I didnt see the game but it sounds like the thunder got more respect from the refs than the boston Celtics. Is this so?

Sounds like some people who are not grim the sky is falling kind of guys got an adjustment in expectations from this game and I dont hear lack of hope but jus readjusted expectations.

It sounds like the team played very hard last night is this so?

Jeb

Watched most when I wan't flipping to the At LA game.

We did play hard. No team got much of a lead.

Durant is a special player.

Rondo cannot keep gambling against quick guards.

Durant is a special player.

Perhaps the calls favored OKC a bit but still we had a hard time making them work for their looks.

OKC defense isn't great but they are active. We got the ball in the paint and actually did well missed a few bunnies that hurt.

And did I mention.............Durant is a special player!

beat

Hi,
It was well and hard fought game. Very close. That, unfortunately, made ref's mistakes a deciding factor. Yes, you can argue that 2 D-mistakes of KG and missed layup by PP at the very end made the difference. True. But, IMO, the flow of the game was turned for OKC favor long before that, when the refs awarded Durant with 3-pt shooting foul when it clearly was not. And then, to ice the cake, foul on PP when it clearly was clean strip. Those were the proverbial straw that broke Celtics push. Playing against young, athletic team with unstoppable and hot Durant, they didn't have anything left to make one more push.
On the bright side:
1. 48 min of effort
2. RA and Quis did everything they could to limit KD to 37 point in more than 44 min
3. Sheed showed that he can perform
As for exit in the 1st or 2nd round of playoffs - we shall see. I believe Celtics still have some extra juice left.

Thank you very much,
AK

sinus

You know inre all that second round stuff. I just do not know. I think we could surprise everyone but I aint sure one way or the other.
I think the Lakers could lose in the second round. Or Cleveland or Orlando. There is no certainty this year.

Pumpsie's favorite whipping boy, Rasheed Wallace, was the Celtic star of the game. He was 7-8 from the floor (only missing in the last minute or so) and was 2-3 from 3. 18 points in 25 minutes. I repeatedly pointed out how good Rasheed was playing and how he was keeping us in the game and how well he was shooting, but Pumpsie never acknowledged any of it. I guess it's the other side of the old saying "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything". If he does have something nice to say, he doesn't say anything.

Speaking of Pumpsie, I'm going to flat out say I'm done with him. He was clearly taunting on the Game On thread. With about 4 minutes left, he posted "KG keeps missing layups. Good thing I cannot see this game". Then with about 3 minutes left, he posted this "Goin' down........disappointing, eh?". At the time he said that, we were down by 1 point. On the next possession we scored and were up by 1. Pumpsie's last post was to inform gyso that the reason why he wrote the "going down" post is because "I pay attention". To a game he couldn't see. The last page or two of the Game On thread sums him up. I joined this club because I didn't want to have to put anybody on 'ignore'. Sadly, one person is about to be ignored. His basketball insights are banal at best and his tone is depressing even when the Celts win. Just about time for him to deprive us of his company by spending his time with the Red Sox boards. I'm sure they'll appreciate his incisive and uplifting input as much as we do. Of course, if he really understood the meaning of being "a fan", he'd already be there. Celtic fans are dedicating their time on the Celtic boards during pre-season too.

bob

Ummm, no Bob, you are dead wrong. I am not taunting-simply telling you the truth which, apparently, you are not tough enough to handle. Like you, I "watched" the game by watching the ESPN gamecast. Doing that was enough to get the correct feel for the game. In the end, when I sensed the game was getting away from us, I wrote that. In the end, I was right, wasn't I Bob? You at least have to give me credit for that.
Actually, the people on the Sox board do seem to appreciate me there, but don't take my word for it. Go to http://forum.trufan.com/index.php?board=19.0 and see for yourself. My style there is the same as it is here-realistic. I happen to agree with Beat that the best we can realistically hope for now is to make it to the second round and last 6-7 games. While I intend to spend more time on the Sox board, I would not dream of depriving you of my insights here. I intend to stay here and hopefully give this board some balance.
Finally, why do you think I would care if you ignore me? Its not like we are best friends Bob. Frankly, I find your incessant whining about what I write (which is never as personal as your posts ranting against me) a bit irritating too. I guess I am a bit more tolerant of other viewpoints than you are....fine with me. Ignore away.


/[/quote]

Pumpsie

I do think the taunting on the game on thread is a bit much.

But that's you I guess. Not me.

I'll never diss um like that NEVER.
I hate how things are going as much as anyone. We just are not that good and the sands are running out of the hourglass quickly for this year.

Can we still we? Well we are in better shape that over 2/3rds of the league anyway.

Can we put it together when playing the same team for a series and exploit their weaknesses and use our advantages? Perehaps

Playoffs are an entirely different beast and unlike prior to 08 for many of the years prior we DO have a chance. And until a team puts a 4 spot on us I'll keep hoping but i'll also keep it in perspective.

beat

beat wrote:Pumpsie

I do think the taunting on the game on thread is a bit much.

But that you I guess. Not me.

I'll never diss um like that NEVER.
I hate how things are going as much as anyone. We jsut are not that good and the sands are running out of the hourglass quickly.

Can we still we? Well we are in better shape that over 1/2 of the league anyway.

Can we put it together when playing the same team for a series and exploit our advantages? Perehaps

Playoffs are an entirely different beast and unlike prior to 08 for many of the years prior we DO have a chance. And until a team puts a 4 spot on us I'll keep hoping but i'll also keep it in perspective.

beat

Taunting who? Dissing who? I am calling 'em like I see 'em. I try to keep it real.
When I think we are going down, I say it. I also say it when we are playing great ball. I have never called any of these guys a bum. The closest I have come to that is Wallace, who is more of a major disappointment than a bum. He WAS a great player; all of us thought we were getting more. Furthermore, I have said many times here that I think that this team has the TALENT to win a ring, but for unknown reasons they are not making enough effort. Its not likely going to be enough this year, as you mentioned.
Yeah, thats me; you can write like you write and I can write like I write. If others do not like what I write, they can feel free to ignore me. No skin off my back, really. I view it as intolerance.
Taunting? Here is the definition. Maybe you meant a different word. There is not intent to insult or mock with my posts, just calling 'em as I see 'em:

taunt1   /tɔnt, tɑnt/ Show Spelled[tawnt, tahnt] Show IPA
–verb (used with object)
1.to reproach in a sarcastic, insulting, or jeering manner; mock.
2.to provoke by taunts; twit.

even aside from the personal baiting, this thread is still too dour for my taste. there are crucial games including playoff games left. i'll take our chances anytime we score 60% of fga's. but Durant made more free throws than the entire C's team. others have pointed out the keys plays and whistles. partly it was a "very special player" (nods to beat) on a tear, but we were jobbed.

there ARE pluses to be taken away from the game, and i choose to see those as important in our building of the chemistry, cohesion and confidence we will need going into the playoffs.

agree with jeb that there's no certainty this year - for anybody - and no telling what the playoff outcomes are going to be. but i know this - after every loss, we'll hear "i told you so (but I really am a Celtics fan)" from Pumpsie, and after every win we won't hear a peep. nada. that alone will have me savoriing any victory even more ...

Michael

bigpygme wrote:even aside from the personal baiting, this thread is still too dour for my taste. there are crucial games including playoff games left. i'll take our chances anytime we score 60% of fga's. but Durant made more free throws than the entire C's team. others have pointed out the keys plays and whistles. partly it was a "very special player" (nods to beat) on a tear, but we were jobbed.

there ARE pluses to be taken away from the game, and i choose to see those as important in our building of the chemistry, cohesion and confidence we will need going into the playoffs.

agree with jeb that there's no certainty this year - for anybody - and no telling what the playoff outcomes are going to be. but i know this - after every loss, we'll hear "i told you so (but I really am a Celtics fan)" from Pumpsie, and after every win we won't hear a peep. nada. that alone will have me savoriing any victory even more ...

Michael

So...you think that the only "real fans" are those that are mostly positive. That is BS. Some fans are more on the realistic side than the pollyanna side. Of course that will irritate pollyannas; they wear blinders.
Look, nothing would please me more than another ring. I have been a Celtics fan since the days of Cousy and Russell and Luskatoff and Sanders. Your accusations to the contrary are without any basis in fact whatsoever. So they are meaningless to me. Just your (wrong) opinion.
The fact is that since about Christmas, this team has been pretty mediocre. I see no evidence of that changing this year. They MIGHT make it out of round 1....but not in round 2. They will lose to a better team in round 2. We don't get to win a ring every year. And we are highly unlikely to win one this year.

hey

Pumpsie

I call it like i see it to.

And I think it's taunting!! And totally unwarranted. There are better ways to put things and still get your point across. Your last response to Michael is a very good example and I agree with that completely.

beat

Pumpsie -
i'm pretty sure you just called me a pollyanna, and i see that as name-calling and provocative, if not outright taunting.

I'm just a C's fan who chooses to see potential for more success and who enjoys rooting for a team, even when they're down (which they were by ONE POINT when you made your comments last night about "it's over ... disappointing, huh?")

call em as you see em, and i will too. but instead of posting "realistic" and glum prognostications, i'll choose to pull for them even when they're down, even when they're behind. last night's game is a good example of one where they were still in it until there were perhaps 90 seconds left, more or less.

why give up when there's a 4 point game with time on the clock ?

glad you're a fan and not a player ...

Michael

Well, on the whole, this C's team certainly is perplexing. Some games they look great, ready for the playoffs to start and make a strong run at the title...then some games they look tired and washed up. This game was somewhere in the middle. They played great on the offensive end, not so much on the defensive end. I also agree that the refs played a hand in the outcome.

Nobody knows what the outcome of this season will be. People who think they know must not be watching the same team as I am, because this season has been a rollercoaster ride. Either that or they are being narrow minded and focusing only on negatives or positives.

In today's Herald Doc addressed the fans who've already made their minds up about this season:

“You don’t have to be (optimistic) because I am,” he said. “I look at our team, and we played one bad night. We were playing great up until two games ago. Were you optimists three games ago?

“Either you’re on the bandwagon or you’re off,” Rivers continued. “I tell guys that all the time. That’s the way I think, and that’s how our team should think. I’m not going to spend time trying to convince you to dislike us or like us. Our team just has to keep working.

nice quote, Kelly - thanks for the contribution. it's good for my aching psyche after last night ...

best regards,
Michael

one thing...it's an older team and expectations are slim around the nba. If we do win it it will be the sweetest in my life. So there's that.

beat wrote:hey

Pumpsie

I call it like i see it to.

And I think it's taunting!! And totally unwarranted. There are better ways to put things and still get your point across. Your last response to Michael is a very good example and I agree with that completely.

beat

Fair enough Beat. I happen to disagree. In my mind taunting comes with a certain intent to provoke and there is none here. Trust me.
In any event, you all are free from my "taunting" for about 10 days. I am off to the island of Cozumel to do some scuba diving and underwater photography this evening, in a few hours. I am not getting back until April 11.
Enjoy the respite.................

bigpygme wrote:Pumpsie -
i'm pretty sure you just called me a pollyanna, and i see that as name-calling and provocative, if not outright taunting.

I'm just a C's fan who chooses to see potential for more success and who enjoys rooting for a team, even when they're down (which they were by ONE POINT when you made your comments last night about "it's over ... disappointing, huh?")

call em as you see em, and i will too. but instead of posting "realistic" and glum prognostications, i'll choose to pull for them even when they're down, even when they're behind. last night's game is a good example of one where they were still in it until there were perhaps 90 seconds left, more or less.

why give up when there's a 4 point game with time on the clock ?

glad you're a fan and not a player ...

Michael

No need to be defensive Michael. I was not referring specifically to you with the "pollyanna" label. You can choose to root for the team in any way you like, and if you do not allow me the same priviledge, I will take it anyway.

Pumpsie Green wrote:

bigpygme wrote:Pumpsie -
i'm pretty sure you just called me a pollyanna, and i see that as name-calling and provocative, if not outright taunting.

I'm just a C's fan who chooses to see potential for more success and who enjoys rooting for a team, even when they're down (which they were by ONE POINT when you made your comments last night about "it's over ... disappointing, huh?")

call em as you see em, and i will too. but instead of posting "realistic" and glum prognostications, i'll choose to pull for them even when they're down, even when they're behind. last night's game is a good example of one where they were still in it until there were perhaps 90 seconds left, more or less.

why give up when there's a 4 point game with time on the clock ?

glad you're a fan and not a player ...

Michael

No need to be defensive Michael. I was not referring specifically to you with the "pollyanna" label. You can choose to root for the team in any way you like, and if you do not allow me the same priviledge, I will take it anyway.

i don't feel defensive, Pumpsie, nor do i think i sounded that way.
of course i allow you the same privilege, not that it's up to me what to allow anyway.
feel free to support the team any way you choose - the way you do it just befuddles me, is all.