Post Game Thread - Bubble Scrimmage, vs Rockets 7/28/20

[bobheckler]

With our top 7 players sitting out this was an opportunity to see who is our #8, 9 and 10th players.

#8 - Grant Williams was the best player on the floor for us.  He did everything right.  Scored on a bunch of different ways, rebounded, played great defense (even on Harden, a bit on switches) and assisted.

#9 - Wanny was solid, is solid.  Not flashy but powerful for his size and Brad trusts him to not make unforced errors.

#10 - Semi Ojelaye had a good game.  He shot well, he defended well.  He put the ball on the floor and attacked the rim.

Honorable Mentions:  I like Javonte Green.  He plays smart and well, I just think Brad won't move him up in the rotation.  Robert Williams.  He did ok, not great, but enough to earn minutes when we need length vs down low offense from Kanter.  Williams does not, however, have an offensive post game.  Romeo Langford.  Didn't shoot well but he didn't make many mistakes and defended well.  Carsen Edwards played some of the best ball of his regular season career (is this regular season?) but, once again, too little to late to get real minutes.

Harden played 29 minutes.  Westbrook played a lot too.  This game was very close considering our #8 - 15 played against their starters a lot.

The Houston announcer is the only person I've heard, including Mike Gorman, who has pronounced Vincent Poirier's name correctly.

Next game's for real, Friday.




bob


.

[dboss]

I thought the rotation guys played well overall.  The final score would have been closer but Houston put up something like 57 3 point shots and hit 23 of them.

https://www.nba.com/games/20200728/BOSHOU#/boxscore

CE led the Celtics in scoring with 19  however he also went 3-10 from deep.  He played aggressively and had a spectacular dunk over Harden and Westbrook.

Grant was really effective with 15 points and 9 boards.

Green scored 13 and RWII, Semi and Waters each scored 12.

On the ugly side Waters and Wanamaker were responsible for 10 of our 21 turnovers.

Tacko ran the floor well until he got tired.  RW made several nice rolls to the rim and did a good job getting behind the defense in the post.

Semi's handle really looks more advanced.  He has been working on that and it showed.  

Houston is the ultimate small ball team.  I think GW is a good option for Boston against a team like Houston

Now that the 3 tune up games are completed, the real deal starts on Friday.  

Just from my observation, the rotation guys have worked on their skills.  We are about to find out how they will be utilized moving forward.

Don't forget that a post game zoom will be available after the game on Friday.  Please join and share your thoughts with the group.

[bobheckler]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/tacko-fall-fared-celtics-scrimmage-035019095.html



How Tacko Fall fared in Celtics' scrimmage game vs. Rockets



Nick Goss
NBC Sports Boston

July 28, 2020, 8:50 PM



Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall made his NBA bubble debut in Tuesday night's scrimmage against the Houston Rockets.

Fall entered the action late in the first quarter and picked up three quick fouls. He remained in the game and started to make his presence felt at both ends of the floor to start the second quarter.

He scored his first basket off a good entry pass from Celtics rookie Grant Williams. Fall, at 7-foot-6, is the tallest player in the league, and Rockets forward Jeff Green was powerless to stop the C's center on this play.


Celtics on NBC Sports Boston
@NBCSCeltics
·
Jul 28, 2020
"This is the first time in Tacko's career that he's checked into a game to relative indifference." Mike Gorman makes a fair point
https://twitter.com/i/status/1288273638668619780

Celtics on NBC Sports Boston
@NBCSCeltics
We love to see it! #Celtics
https://twitter.com/i/status/1288274854916034560

The Fall vs. Green matchup returned in the fourth quarter, where the C's center again got the better of the Rockets forward, this time with a nice block.

Celtics on NBC Sports Boston
@NBCSCeltics
Nice try, Jeff Green. Not on Tacko Tuesday.

#Celtics
https://twitter.com/i/status/1288295059943718917


Fall finished with six points (3-for-6 shooting), six rebounds and one block in nine minutes during the Celtics' 137-112 loss.

He was one of several rookies to see extended playing time in Boston's final scrimmage before the team's first seeding game Friday night versus the Milwaukee Bucks.


bob



.

[bobheckler]

https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/post-022820-young-celtics-flash-promise-against-harden-westbrook-and-the-rockets








Young Celtics Flash Promise Against Harden, Westbrook and the Rockets
By Marc D'Amico |  @Marc_DAmico
Celtics.com
July 29, 2020


BOSTON – Grant Williams led a youthful Celtics group Tuesday night that showed many flashes of promise against the Houston Rockets.

The scoreboard might not show it, but the tape certainly does.

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens chose to rest seven of his top players – including all five starters – during the team’s final scrimmage game against James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Rockets. That decision led to Boston having only 10 active players, seven of whom are rookies, available for the contest.

“Six or seven rookies is a lot on one team, but for them to all get the chance to play extended minutes against players of this caliber and a team of that caliber,” said Stevens, “I thought that was a positive, even though we didn’t do everything well.”

Most of what Williams brought to the table was done well, as he compiled 15 points, a game-high nine rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Stevens pointed out after the game that Williams’ point total probably should have been even higher.

“We also missed him on some slips where he would have had layups or he would have had shots at the rim that he could have added to his day,” the coach said.

Williams finished tied with Semi Ojeleye for the best plus/minus rating on the team among players who logged more than 10 minutes of action. He logged a handful of impressive plays, including a driving behind-the-back pass to Javonte Green for a corner 3, and a smooth turnaround jumper from the right elbow over Danuel House. It was clear that his game had been sharpened in comparison to before the hiatus.

He stated after the game that ball handling, a critical skill in his development curve, was a concentration during the down time.

“When I was facing up, I needed to be more comfortable with the pressure, not only with guards, but also with other defenders,” he said. “So that’s basically what I worked on most of the hiatus.”

A handful of other young Celtics had promising moments as well. Romeo Langford defended at a high level and also attacked the basket en route to nine points. Carsen Edwards scored a team-high 19 points and posterized Harden and Westbrook on the same play. Robert Williams scored 12 points and made a pair of impressive reads and passes that led to Celtics points. Ojeleye showed that he is more adept at attacking the basket than some may have thought. Green scored 13 points and made all three of his 3-pointers.

Each one of those players got an opportunity to play extended minutes against two former league MVPs and a Rockets team that is in the conversation as a title contender.

“That’s the benefit of a night like tonight,” said Stevens.

So don’t pay attention to the scoreboard. It literally does not matter.

What matters is that many of Boston’s youngsters showed promising flashes Tuesday night, which may indicate that they’re more prepared to contribute to a playoff run than they were four-plus months ago.


bob



.

[cowens/oldschool]

Love that GWill worked on his handle and it showed and is exactly what he needs to get to the next level. Remember how raw Jaylen’s handle was as a rookie? And now while not perfect, it’s like night and day compared to Jaylen’s rookie year. Plus working with 2 J’s every day in practice has to be good for GWill.

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