Not Much Mystery to the Main Reasons for Celtics Wins Versus Losses

Simple as 1-2-3:

1. In the two games the Celtics have won, the Cavs have averaged only 40.1% shooting, and the Celtics have captured 89% of all those rebounds clanging off the Cavs' rim.

2. In the two games the Cavs have won, the Cavs have averaged 50.7% shooting, and the Celtics have captured only 67% of the relatively fewer rebounds at the Cavs' end.

3. When there are more defensive rebounds to work with, there's greater opportunity to spring Rondo and what is becoming a pretty decent transitional attack. Conversely, when the Celts are constantly taking the ball out of the hole, they can't push the ball so readily. And Rondo is a far more effective point guard when they're pushing the ball.

So I'm thinking that, if I were Mike Brown, I wouldn't be nearly as worried about containing Rondo when he has the ball as about limiting his possessions and his opportunities to push the ball. And I'd start by getting on the Cavs' bigs about their offensive rebounding.

No one is allowed to leak this to Mike.

Sam

Sam,

I've extolled the virtues of offensive rebounding for a long time. Even getting a fingernail on the ball prevents clean possession by the defense, which thwarts fastbreaks. Fewer fastbreaks, more halfcourt. More halfcourt, fewer possessions per game.

We need Ray Allen, KG and Pierce to run the floor with Rondo. He will be a marked man and I will guarantee you there will be some very hard fouls on any fastbreaks he is running by himself. What we saw in the 4th quarter of the last game, with Rondo getting LeBron to join the paratrooper corp and dishing to Tony for the stuff, is what we need more of all game long. Mo Williams and Anthony Parker do not have the speed to run with us for 35 minutes. Only LeBron does and being the only defender back on a fastbreak often produces fouls. Maybe, but not surely, even on LeBron.

bob

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Rondo just needs to keep up his defensive pressure, rebound well, and keep his teamates involved as he dominates the game. He needs to score, rebound, and pass. Just the fundamentals, that's all that is needed. Someday he will outdo those game 4 totals, but what is needed now is focus on team play, you know, Celtics basketball.

Bob,

I agree that offensive rebounding is important, and the Celtics seem to be doing a little better in that department, thanks largely to Davis and Rondo. But my post involves blocking the Cavs off THEIR defensive boards and DEFENSIVE rebounding superiority by the Celts.

Mulcogi,

There's no question that Rondo's defensive rebounding heroics facilitated a lot of transition points and a generally upgraded pace for the Celtics. However, I believe the only area in which he's indispensable is running the team and ball distribution. The team can't depend consistently on his scoring, rebounding, defending, and distributing on the level he displayed in Game 4.

Sam