POST GAME BOBCATS

What do you say....10 man team and 2 rookies, 1 center and 1 small forward = LOSS.

I expected that much and Doc kept them in the game until the end but you could have predicted the outcome before the start of the game. Sloppy game on both ends of the court.......

Danny has to do something soon.........maybe not a center but we need a backup to Paul NOW! That's all I got to say.


112288

Fatigue was obvious right from the start. We weren't running crisp sets, all our shots were hitting the back of the rim. In the end, their energy (and belief that they could pull this off) wore us out.

1. Ray Allen is the biggest reason this game was close. The oldest guy on the floor was still rubbing his men off of picks, still hitting his jumpers. Two more 3s for the record. 17 fga is a lot for him, he's averaging 12.6, as he tried to carry the team.

2. KG couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. Neither could Nate, Wafer, Davis or Rondo. Horrible shooting from all of them.

3. Normally I don't get down on Doc's coaching, that's because I think he's a great coach, but I don't understand why he didn't horsecollar Rondo last night. He shot 4-13 and his shot selections were not good. His four baskets came from 3 inside and one mid-range elbow jumper. His misses came on 3 layups and 6 outside shots (including a 3). Those are not his shots. Is he getting better at them, yes, but that's not what we want for shots, Rondo taking 18-footers. That gave Charlotte their optimum defense. He also had 6 turnovers. Posters have mentioned in other threads about how his turnover count has crept up. Yeah, he had 14 assists but his assist-to-turnover ratio is a very pedestrian 2.33. That's more like what you should expect from a backup point guard, not a starting point guard and certainly not an all-star point guard.

3. Stephen Jackson was having a great game, right up to the point where he melted down. Again. What a piece of work. I got to watch him play a lot out here in GSW land and he is a nutcase. "So is KG", many detractors might say. The difference is that you get the impression, and it is said to be true, that when KG is off the court he's a nice easygoing guy and not the crazed lunatic we see on the court. Stephen Jackson really is crazy. He's one of those guys you really, really, really don't want to get into a fight with because you really, really, really don't know what he'll do or how far he'll go. Imagine having that for a team leader! At 6'8", able to play 2 and 3 and shoot from 3, he's very tough to matchup with. Until he starts thinking. Or maybe it's stops thinking. Either way, sooner or later, he'll help you out. That's why I was so glad he left GSW.

4. When we started the season we thought we were thin at backup 3, with only Marquis Daniels on the depth chart behind Pierce. Now we know we were right. We need a backup 3.

5. Their bench destroyed our bench. Now, that's not completely fair since their bench played a lot more minutes than ours did due to the ejection of Jackson, but they still out played us. Shaun Livingston shot 7-10 and Gerald Henderson shot 5-13. I think it was Sam who said, on the Game On thread, that we were going to see a lot of small-ball last night. Well, we did, and they did it better. Nate and Wafer's shots were NOT on last night and Davis only shot 1-5. Our second unit used to give our first unit trouble in practice. They need to get back to that. Losing Q, their ostensible point guard will make that very difficult to achieve, but they need to find a way around that loss and figure out what works for them. Asking Nate to think like a point guard might be too big of a stretch. Asking him to hit his open shots isn't. Now, Nate, NOW. 336 hours until the projected return of Delonte West on 2/22. That includes the hours you're going to be sleeping and eating, Nate. You can do it. Just 336 hours and all I want you to do is shoot, which is all you really want to do anyway.

We're only 1 game ahead of Miami in the loss column now. LA's coming up on Thursday. This is a big stretch heading into the all-star break. We need to close this out strong and take our much needed rest.

bob

.

Bob: How much rest will it really be? Garnett, Ray, Paul & Rajon play All Star weekend, only saving grace is Doc is coach and he SHOULD curtail their minutes in the game. I agree Rondo shot WAY TOO much and didn't look for Ray enough in the last 5 min. If Ainge doessn't get a quality back up 3, Pierce will be Disco Inferno burning, burned out of control. Kobe will walk through Hell in a gas suit Thurs. night to keep from getting swept by the C's in the regular season. Gasol, Bynum, and Odom will be stoked. Miami out for blood on Sunday with Jackson, Breen & Van Gundy ready to trash the C's on national TV. I only hope we at least follow our MO of getting up for the good teams save for the Mavs.-MD.

We can be sure that Rondo was, in actuality, looking for Ray down the stretch. But the Bobcats (I believe it was Livingston in particular) were on Ray like a blanket. Give them credit. They played to our weaknesses, including apparent fatigue and yet another instance of my old buddy, discontinuity.

I still can't understand why two games in two nights is such trauma for any of the super duper athletes I keep hearing about today. Isn't endurance part of being athletic—a pretty major part in fact? And don't talk to me about their being old. I laugh in the face of age; and I have stories to tell (involving 5 games in 5 nights for old teams playing at a much more frantic pace) that would make anyone with that argument look like (searching, searching, searching for a diplomatic word).

Sam

WNBA Playoffs frequently have back 2 back games like the old Celtic-Piston playoffs of the late 80's. In 1999 Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets was 36 years old and played 78 of a possible 80 minutes in back to back elimination games and scored 25+ in both games. If a woman can do it, why can't a man!

MDCelticsFan wrote:Bob: How much rest will it really be? Garnett, Ray, Paul & Rajon play All Star weekend, only saving grace is Doc is coach and he SHOULD curtail their minutes in the game. I agree Rondo shot WAY TOO much and didn't look for Ray enough in the last 5 min. If Ainge doessn't get a quality back up 3, Pierce will be Disco Inferno burning, burned out of control. Kobe will walk through Hell in a gas suit Thurs. night to keep from getting swept by the C's in the regular season. Gasol, Bynum, and Odom will be stoked. Miami out for blood on Sunday with Jackson, Breen & Van Gundy ready to trash the C's on national TV. I only hope we at least follow our MO of getting up for the good teams save for the Mavs.-MD.

MD,

Nobody plays a lot of minutes in the all-star game. Every coach in the league would complain if they did. Doc is used to hearing Rondo etal complain about minutes, so the good news here is that any plaints by them to get back into the game are more likely to fall on deaf ears. Also, they are not starters, so nobody expects them to play a lot and/or finish the game. From a purely selfish perspective, I'd have been happy if NO Celtics were all-stars. Rest them all as much as possible. It's all about #18.

As far as finding an adequate backup for Pierce I agree that is desirable and I pointed out our thinness at that position from the very start of the season, but there are other ways we can save Pierce for the playoffs. For example, we could go with 2 bigs (Perk/Shaq/Erden and KG) and 3 guards (no SF) and run more. We could go 3 bigs (Perk/Shaq/Erden, KG and Davis) and 2 guards and play physical in the trenches.

The solution isn't binary. I have my preferences, but I recognize there are other approaches that could work too.

bob

.

I agree that the physical demands related to actual playing time in the all-star game are minimal, probably not even as much as a practice. The downside is probably more with travel and the time demands put on the players outside of the all-star game itself.

Outside,

1. Do you mean you think the all-stars actually party during all-star weekend rather than simply studying the playbook 24/7?

2. Did you know that the all-star playbook can be printed on the point of a needle?

Sam

sam wrote:We can be sure that Rondo was, in actuality, looking for Ray down the stretch. But the Bobcats (I believe it was Livingston in particular) were on Ray like a blanket. Give them credit. They played to our weaknesses, including apparent fatigue and yet another instance of my old buddy, discontinuity.

I still can't understand why two games in two nights is such trauma for any of the super duper athletes I keep hearing about today. Isn't endurance part of being athletic—a pretty major part in fact? And don't talk to me about their being old. I laugh in the face of age; and I have stories to tell (involving 5 games in 5 nights for old teams playing at a much more frantic pace) that would make anyone with that argument look like (searching, searching, searching for a diplomatic word).

Sam

Sam,

Weren't half the guys on those old teams puffing a pack a day or more also? Plus they were playing in those smoke filled arenas!

I agree with you today's athlete with all the emphasis on nutrition and health should have an easier time of it. Perhaps we a just in a more wussey age?

Bobc,

It's incredibly revealing to look at some of the schedules in those days. The who season was compacted so that the finals happened in early May. The travel was brutal—and arguably more so for the Lakers (the only team west of St. Louis) than for any other team.

Five games in five days, and in different cities, may seem impossible. But it happened.

Heck, in those days, it took at least an hour just to twist the rubber band and start the airplanes.

Sam

sam wrote:Outside,

1. Do you mean you think the all-stars actually party during all-star weekend rather than simply studying the playbook 24/7?

2. Did you know that the all-star playbook can be printed on the point of a needle?

Sam

1. Actually, I was thinking more of media events, sponsor meet-and-greets, and whatever else the league demands of their time. Besides that, they have their own personal routines to attend to. Rondo needs a few hours a day in his trans-dimensional hyperbaric chamber or whatever he uses to obtain his unnatural quickness. KG has to fit in league-mandated interpersonal relations sessions along with time needed to sharpen his elbows and stare in the mirror. Ray probably would study the playbook. Pierce would keep the playbook in the bathroom since that's the most likely place he'd use it.

2. Well, they do have one play. I've seen it run on every possession in every all-star game for the past 20 years.

Cheers,
Outside

And yes, Heinsohn says most of the guys on the Celtics smoked—although probably not as prolifically as he did.

I know Sam and Havlicek didn't smoke. And somehow, I can't imagine Russ, or Ramsey smoking. Who knows?

Sam

Sam:

Russ, Sam, & Hondo DID smoke!-But it was the opposition they helped the C's smoke in Big Games! (LOL)

MD.

I remember Jon Arnett of the then LA Rams doing Marlboro commercials-MD

So did Bob Feller, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams, among many other athletes. In fact, almost as many athletes as physicians. In those days, cigs were deemed cool. Until they invented Kools Cigarettes, which were sort of the anti-cigarette cigarette. You could puff all day and you'd just get light-headed from the strain. They were mentholated too.

Anyone remember the ads (I think it was for Camels) that 9 out of 10 doctors smoke Camels?

Sam

REMEMBER THE SLOGAN....................................................

CHESTERFIELDS.....THE BASEBALL MAN'S CIGARETTE!!!!
I'D WALK A MILE FOR A CAMEL!!!!!!!!!

CAMEL TIME IS PLEASURE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

112288

112288 wrote:REMEMBER THE SLOGAN....................................................

CHESTERFIELDS.....THE BASEBALL MAN'S CIGARETTE!!!!
I'D WALK A MILE FOR A CAMEL!!!!!!!!!

CAMEL TIME IS PLEASURE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

112288

"CAMEL TIME IS PLEASURE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!" - That's what they say in Afghanistan. Hey, it's a rough dating scene...

I wasn't surprised when the Celts lost this end of the back to back. As I'd written last week, they have a .442% winning at the back end of back to backs. Sure, age is a weak excuse, but the bottom line is that's how this team performs - poorly when in the 2nd game of a back to back. And the good news is there are no such back to backs in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, I had a great time at the Garden Friday night. Seats were in the 5th row behind the Celts bench. So close that I can verify with complete certainty that although every fan in the stands was doing so, no Celtics players were shouting "wifebeater" everytime Jason Kidd got the ball.

worcester wrote: I wasn't surprised when the Celts lost this end of the back to back. As I'd written last week, they have a .442% winning at the back end of back to backs. Sure, age is a weak excuse, but the bottom line is that's how this team performs - poorly when in the 2nd game of a back to back. And the good news is there are no such back to backs in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, I had a great time at the Garden Friday night. Seats were in the 5th row behind the Celts bench. So close that I can verify with complete certainty that although every fan in the stands was doing so, no Celtics players were shouting "wifebeater" everytime Jason Kidd got the ball.

After the three he made with 2.5 seconds left they should have been shouting "Celticbeater."

Celticbeater indeed.