POST GAME GOLDEN STATE

Nice game back from All Star weekend for our Celtics. Game really kicked in in the 4th quarter. Looked like Perk bumped knees ...should be all right. Great games by RR, KG, Baby and Pierce.

Thursday game is going to be flip of coin........either Denver will be out of sorts because of all the new players or there will be lots of motivation to come out and blow us away.

Good to see West back.....he needs about another 3 weeks before he's back to full speed!

112288

Seldom do stats tell the whole story, and that was true tonight. But they sure pointed in the right direction. Some pretty astounding ones:

Three double-doubles for the Celts (KG, Rondo, Davis).

35 assists tied their season high (assisted on 70% of their field goals).

Only 33 points for the Warriors in the second half.

Only 11 free throws and 54 points in the paint for the Celts reflect the pourous defense of the Warriors.

Celts won the fast break battle,30-22. That's 30 fast break points for the Boston Celtics. Incredible.

Of course, stats don't happen by themselves. This was really an outstanding effort in all except the second period. I think the epitome of that was the rebound Davis just ripped away from two Warriors. And Glen also bulled his way to the hoop a few times when the bench's offense bogged down. (A lot of work still to do there.) Kudos also to Paul Pierce for filling a lane for two mind-boggling stuffs on the break (I believe Ray assisted on one, and other was off a vintage Rondo open-court bounce pass).

A great way to start the equivalent of the senior year in high school. Let's get the bench straightened out, make sure Perk's okay, see what Danny does, and start prepping for our post-graduate degree quest.

I can't wait for Bob Heckler's in-person report. I know at least 10 places in San Fran where I'd like to be meeting him for a drink right now.

Happy birthday, Rondo who, by the way, is in a virtual third place tie with Nate Robinson in terms of 3-point shooting percentage on the team. Just thought I'd throw in one more stat.

Sam

Hi,
Unfortunately, I didn't watch the game. Therefore - no comments, only questions.
What happened to Perk? When is he going to be back?
How were the "newcomers", DW and SE?
Thank you very much.

AK

sinus

Heard Perk should be fine,just bumped knees.Delonte and Semih both looked tentative at best,glad we got the game behind us as both can only get better.Defense was great whole second half,creating running opportunities,Nates decision making was driving me crazy,whole game wanted to see more of Van Wafer.

cow

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous heading over to Oracle Arena yesterday (aside from the fact that it's in Oakland). The Warriors are the type of team that gives us trouble. They run-and-gun and, if we're not focused on our transition defense, can score in buckets. They really are one of those teams that the saying "you only need to watch the last few minutes of an NBA game to know what's going on" is true since they can and have come from way down with not much time left to make it a competitive game. Unfortunately for them, they're too young and too short of key players to close the deal most of the time.

Oracle Arena is a really nice place. There really aren't any bad seats. Even the "nosebleed seats" have a good view of the floor. I was sitting about 5 feet inside a baseline (so, a nice profile view of that halfcourt play) and 19 rows up. Not bad at all. I was as gratified to see all the green on display in the stands (there were A LOT of Celtic fans at the game, wearing jerseys and making noise) as my buddy, who is a lifelong Warriors fan, was appalled. Just to stick my thumb in his eye a little, I wore my old Johnny Most T-shirt. Interestingly, our cheers when the Celtics did well ratcheted up the Warriors' fans intensity a bit too ESPECIALLY on the defensive side of the ball. They were calling "DEFENSE!! DEFENSE!!", when they have little understanding of it as a team, while we are defensive standouts.

At the game, you see a lot of Warrior highlights replayed on the Jumbotron above, not many Celtics (go figure). This is one of the downsides of going to a game at a hostile arena. A benefit, however, are all the entertaining events the team management (which includes Hollywood Producer Peter Guber) puts on during EVERY timeout and, of course, halftime. The cheerleaders. Shooting contests where the winner wins a month of free gas at "76" gas stations. A great magic act where both the magician and his assistant were constantly changing outfits just by disappearing for <3 seconds. The cheerleaders. A karaoke contest between two fans singing a Prince song (we just had a 3rd show by Michael Jackson's successor, The Artist Formerly and Now Once Again Known As Prince, added tomorrow). Ok, maybe the karaoke wasn't such a great idea. The cheerleaders. Free pizza to all the people in a section based upon some video horserace being run around the digital display that wraps around the arena at the mezzanine level. The cheerleaders. I didn't leave my seat from beginning to end (but I had to go see a man about horse, BIGTIME, after the game. Those Stellas made the experience, especially the victory, taste even sweeter). Did I mention the cheerleaders? They just don't look the same on TV. That's a good thing since, when I'm watching basketball, I prefer to actually focus on the basketball.

1. Delonte West has more rust on him than a '63 Ford Fairlane. You could see it when he was doing his shoot arounds. Shots were going left, right, back rim, front rim and all from the same spot on the floor. He had no consistency, no rhythm. He wasn't even missing the same way, like he was trying to make minor calibrations to find the range, he kept searching for his shot. I'm looking at the stat sheet now and I see he was 0-4 during the game. He wasn't much better before the tipoff and halftime before the start of the 3rd either. I'm very glad he's back, but he has a long way to go before he's back.

2. My friend kept riding me about Rondo's inability to shoot. I kept pointing out that layups are shots too and that I'll take Rondo's penetrations and layups over his Monta's off-balance 9.5 on a difficulty scale of 10 jumpshots all day every day. I think we know who won that argument last night. Rondo came across as a bit sloppy last night. 15 assists is a lot (we're soooo spoiled) but 5 turnovers are a lot too.

3. The trade deadline is tomorrow. There's still time to trade Nate for a dozen Krispy Kremes. He IS the inveterate, conscienceless gunner that was Von Wafer's reputation and which is now looking for a new home and has found it in Nate Robinson. Wafer has grown as a player and has settled down while Nate has not.

4. KG was ON last night. He was doing it all on both ends. Why not? Who on the Warriors could stop him? Milquetoast Biedrins? Not without a spinal infusion. David Lee? Not long enough. The only person I saw that had promise, but needs a few years to ripen, is the Warrior's first round pick last year, Ekpe Udoh. He can't shoot very well, but he is a very good defender. His block on KG, from behind when KG's arms were already extended was impressive. Will he ever be worth the #6 pick? Not if he doesn't work on his jumpshot, but he will be a player that sticks around for a long time because he is a tenacious defender.

5. My friend kept needling me, asking me if I'd trade Rondo and Perk for Ellis and Biedrins or Lee. His thoughts were (aside from trying to pry some talent away from me) that there's no way we're going to keep Perk next year. Somebody will throw >$10M at him (he actually said $15M, but I think he was trying to agitate me more by upping the number) and we won't match. I am afraid he might be right, but I like Perk so much I wouldn't trade him on the chance, I'd fight like hell to keep him. I watched him in the shootarounds before the game and before the 3rd quarter. While everybody else was doing layup drills and practicing 3 ptrs (like West, clanging most of them) or 20' perimeter shots (like KG, sinking all of them), do you know what Perk was doing? He was calmly standing at the free throw line practicing free throws. Hitting them too. There's a reason why he's back so fast and playing like he never left and I saw it last night. He is focused on his weaknesses and works to improve them relentlessly and without concern as to what others are working on. I hope Danny and Wyc will do what it takes.

6. Ray Allen was the first player out of the lockerroom before the game to start the shootaround and the first one out of the lockerroom after halftime. Both times, he started with a free throw. One. Then he went out to the perimeter and started taking shots around the perimeter, moving right to left, getting fed a ball every couple of steps. Then he did the same thing from right to left around the court from mid-range. Then he joined in the layup drills. He is the poster boy for fidelity to discipline and routine. Von Wafer has done a good job of playing with his head and not just his heart and legs and shooting hand. I give at least some of that credit to Ray Allen, who has taken Von Wafer under his wing. Ray Allen is the gift in green that just keeps on giving. He gave plenty on the court last night, outscoring, outrebounding, out-assisting the younger Stephen Curry. Two assists and 5 turnovers for the ostensible Warrior point guard last night. In his defense, he played 2 in college and is learning to play 1 in the pros. I like Curry a lot and know he will be a player in the NBA for a long time, but last night he was overmatched by the Old Master himself.

7. Rondo and Ellis matched up last night. Rondo kicked his butt. Ellis taking off-balance jumpshots, Rondo making H-O-R-S-E layups. I've never understood why everybody gets their underwear in a twist about how Rondo always gets layups (as opposed to jumpshots). Maybe I'm just old, but I remember when layups were good things. My buddy was telling me "just lay off Rondo, don't give him layups and he can't shoot". He misses the fact that when teams do that, and many do, that also gives him better visibility of the floor and he plays with players (hello Ray!) who move without the ball. I loved Rondo's 3, at the buzzer at the end of 3. My buddy just stuck the needle about his shooting. The timing couldn't have been better. Rondo's free throw shooting, however...

8. Dorell Wright, for GSW, had a good game. He's a very good 3pt shooter and is a just general allround overachiever with no college ball experience. GSW shot a frigid 39% last night, but Curry and Wright kept it from being much worse. I kept screaming at Pierce to NOT leave Wright alone for 3. My voice must not carry well from 19 rows back, since Wright got 5 open looks and drained 2 of them. Maybe Pierce was ignoring me, but I don't think he'd do that. Really.

9. Statistically, Baby had a good game. At the game itself, it looked like he struggled. He kept getting stuck underneath the basket, like he was struggling to get off-balance shots off against taller defenders. Just goes to show the difference between TV and live. Can't argue with his results though.

10. Erden was as rusty as West. No rhythm at all on offense or defense. Some fouls committed that were almost like "oops" fouls, because they didn't really inhibit the shot nor get out of the way. He was a step slow on defense. His brain wasn't there, at least not last night. It's odd how we went from having the most loaded team at the 5 position in the league and that wasn't even including our usual center and now we've got our usual center back and but just this hodgepodge of healthy/unhealthy/rhythm/no rhythm backup centers in Shaq/Erden/JON. We were a solid center corp with a returning question mark and now we're back to where we were last year with a bunch of spare parts. Good thing Semih was playing against Biedrins last night, an offensive non-entity.

11. Radmanovic, whose game is shooting 3s, had Rondo guarding him out at the perimeter one time and didn't just shoot over him. Huh? My friend told me we could have Radman next year, since he'll be a free agent. My friend a really funny guy, and I told him just how funny that idea was. I wasn't a complete saint either, I went out of my way to torture him endlessly about the virtues of Luke Harangody and how I'd rather have him at the very end of my bench, complete with his lack of even a lick of athleticism, than his European PF 6th man. He who laughs last, laughs best.

12. Bradley actually looked pretty good, for the eyeblink he was out there. Good defense, good jumper, good drive to the basket plus 1. Now, let's trade him. If we can get even a tolerable SF to backup Pierce for him and Nate, I'll give up on the donuts.

I don't own a TV. I watch the Celtics online or at my local pub. Being able to go to the game was a real treat. Watching them come out after the all-star break with a dominating, championship focus mindset was even better.

Sam, if you or anybody else on this board, are in the bayarea and want to meet for a drink at any or all of your places, just let me know and I'll be there with bells jangling. Baghdad by the Bay is calling you, pick up the phone, you left your heart there...

bob

.

Bob, I have to admit you really got me with your Baghdad remark. Herb Caen was such a hero for me. (Still is.) And I always begin missing SFO the second I'm on the outgoing plane. Last night, I was really yearning for Buena Vista and some Irish coffee.

I think I saw Davis' game a little differently. Based on this game along, I think I would nickname him "Pamploma" because Glen on the floor is like the running of the bulls. He was all that kept the bench performance from being an unmitigated disaster, and the starters' offense ran so much more smoothly when he was in there. He hit from outside. Several times, when nothing else was happening on the offensive end, he just blasted between defenders and made the hoop. The defensive rebound (out of his 10 boards) on which he just ripped the ball away from two Warriors was, for me, the tough play of the game. And, of course, he took the obligatory charge. I actually thought he was arguably second to Rondo as the pivotal player(no pun intended) of the game.

You and I and dbrown (among others, I'm sure) are on the same page about Nate. His offensive timing instincts (and that word is being generous) are counter to Celtics basketball. Rally killer indeed. My nickname for him last night would have been "Son of Sheed." And it boggled my mind to do the calculation after the game and find that he and Rondo are just a hair apart in 3-point shooting percentage (.328 for Nate,.323 for Rondo).

I've always cut him some slack until he can focus on the "2" job; and I've heard all the hopeful assertions that he and Delonte will form a formidable duo once Delonte is really back. But Delonte has quite a way to go himself to be a consistent contributor; and I can't help wondering whether Nate's performance will be a millstone or a milestone in that regard.

I'm glad you and your friend had a great time. He certainly dug deeply into Mediaspeak 101, invoking a litany of popular illusions, to peck away at you. If we'd been at Buena Vista after the game, I would have worn a cap and gown, and you could have introduced me as "Mr. Chips."

Seriously, it sounds as though you guys had a blast. Too bad the two teams play only once a year in Oakland,but something tells me you don't limit your gettogethers to those occasions. Oakland's a really fun spot. I once bought a guidebook called "Things to Do in Oakland." There was only one page. In fact, there was only one sentence: "Turn left and go 12 miles across a bridge."

Thanks for the much anticipated eyewitness report. Informative and entertaining as always.

Sam

sam wrote:Bob, I have to admit you really got me with your Baghdad remark. Herb Caen was such a hero for me. (Still is.) And I always begin missing SFO the second I'm on the outgoing plane. Last night, I was really yearning for Buena Vista and some Irish coffee.

I think I saw Davis' game a little differently. Based on this game along, I think I would nickname him "Pamploma" because Glen on the floor is like the running of the bulls. He was all that kept the bench performance from being an unmitigated disaster, and the starters' offense ran so much more smoothly when he was in there. He hit from outside. Several times, when nothing else was happening on the offensive end, he just blasted between defenders and made the hoop. The defensive rebound (out of his 10 boards) on which he just ripped the ball away from two Warriors was, for me, the tough play of the game. And, of course, he took the obligatory charge. I actually thought he was arguably second to Rondo as the pivotal player(no pun intended) of the game.

You and I and dbrown (among others, I'm sure) are on the same page about Nate. His offensive timing instincts (and that word is being generous) are counter to Celtics basketball. Rally killer indeed. My nickname for him last night would have been "Son of Sheed." And it boggled my mind to do the calculation after the game and find that he and Rondo are just a hair apart in 3-point shooting percentage (.328 for Nate,.323 for Rondo).

I've always cut him some slack until he can focus on the "2" job; and I've heard all the hopeful assertions that he and Delonte will form a formidable duo once Delonte is really back. But Delonte has quite a way to go himself to be a consistent contributor; and I can't help wondering whether Nate's performance will be a millstone or a milestone in that regard.

I'm glad you and your friend had a great time. He certainly dug deeply into Mediaspeak 101, invoking a litany of popular illusions, to peck away at you. If we'd been at Buena Vista after the game, I would have worn a cap and gown, and you could have introduced me as "Mr. Chips."

Seriously, it sounds as though you guys had a blast. Too bad the two teams play only once a year in Oakland,but something tells me you don't limit your gettogethers to those occasions. Oakland's a really fun spot. I once bought a guidebook called "Things to Do in Oakland." There was only one page. In fact, there was only one sentence: "Turn left and go 12 miles across a bridge."

Thanks for the much anticipated eyewitness report. Informative and entertaining as always.

Sam

Sam,

Actually, now that you remind me, I wasn't very fair not giving Baby credit for his rebounding. Some of them were very tough, traffic rebounds. He needed all his 290# and strength to rip them away.

As far as his being on the floor, literally, without the benefit of replay, was him getting stuffed a lot. Gotta give him credit though, he is relentless as he throws his mass, quite athletically, into the masses.

As Gertrude Stein said about Oakland, "There's no "there" there". I'd caveat that by highlighting Jack London Square, with its restaurants including Yoshi's (one of the top jazz venues in the bay area) and the First and Last Chance Bar. This bar is on the pier and the floor is slanted at, what's gotta be, at least a 20 degree downslope if not more. An earthquake (1906?) sank the pylons under the pier a bit and that made the back of the bar sink (not all the way into the water, just lower). Sitting on a stool is kinda strange and a chiropractor's longterm nightmare, since you WANT to keep you head perpendicular to the earth regardless of the angle of your ass on the seat. It was a favorite hangout of Jack London, as he ramped up his writing career and before he headed off to Alaska. It has been retained in much the same way (read "interesting dive").

bob

.

I've always felt winning basketball involved (among many other things) an ability to adjust, in terms of both caliber of resources and the willingness. Perhaps one thing that seems to characterize this year's edition of the Celtics is the ability to adjust to situations. Maybe more so than the six above-.500 teams that GS previously handled.

This has frequently been a different team after halftime than before halftime. And I don't believe the difference is due mainly to coaching (although coaching is certainly part of it). These veteran players seem to have a collective instinct for flipping the right switches as a group that is dedicated to do whatever it takes in the second half to outmaneuver and outfight the opponent. It just happens again and again.

There have also been numerous instances, in the third quarter, when it looked like the starters were gassed or the bench was too out of synch, and somehow they banded together to shift into a gear I didn't even know they had to seize the momentum and save the day.

None of that will show on a scoresheet. But the difference from last season in terms of ability to adjust is palpable. As is the difference between this team and others. None of which guarantees a championship. But what are firmly established are the intense will to persevere and the ability to adjust. The remaining challenge is largely a matter of healing and repetitions together.

And one other implication is that, if the Celtics make a move, it will hopefully be for someone who will readily assimilate that ethic and that ability to adjust.

In terms of honing our in-depth "feel" and knowledge concerning pro basketball, this could be one of the most revealing seasons ever.

Sam

I stopped in the Men's Room, on the way out of Oracle Arena last night (I did mention the Stella Artois', didn't I?) and Baby was being interviewed and it was being piped into the bathroom via speaker. Wasn't very coherent, but I heard him say something about how "we're not going to let any "riffraff" interfere with their goals".

Nobody in particular was mentioned, there was no previous context to intuit who he might be referring to, but I thought that was an interesting choice of words.

What I came away with is that they are all on the same page and that's how it's gonna be and disruptive influences will not be allowed, period. I like that.

bob

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Dbrown,

Is a little funny (ironically funny) that, at the beginning of the season, many people were assuming the Celtics' biggest advantage (versus last season) would be represented by a four-headed giant in the center position. Now we're basically left hoping for the presence of two legitimate centers per game. It appears that the fate of this team will most likely be decided by a continuation of suffocating defense on demand and an offense I believe is upgraded from last year by dint of player improvement, more time spent together, and particularly the "shock troop" unit of KG, Glen, Rondo, Ray and Paul. For a stretch run in virtually any game, I'd currently take that five (at both ends of the floor) over any other five in the league.

And it could well be that, when the final chapter is written on this season, the most prominent tipping point will prove to be Glen's learning how to compensate for his height/jumping disadvanges at both ends and against taller opponents. He and Rondo represent two completely unique "X" factors; and, when they're playing together with three great veterans, it's as close to complete reassurance as a fan could expect.

Sam

Bob...that was a GREAT summary.

Only thing I disagree about (and you added a big caveat) was your comments on Baby. He played hard, drew charges, rebounded, slammed into people when necessary - and while he could have easily had another 6 or 8 points - generally controlled this space under the basket and really helped a lot. Very solid 10/10 night.

Bill Walton was hilarious during the broadcast - ripping the Warriors apart at every turn. He cant stand Ellis - saying - yeah, he scores a lot, I mean if you shoot that much a few are bound to go in. He things Lee and Biedrins are human turn styles, and had nothing good to say about the effort that the Warriors put forth on a nightly basis. He was on point the entire game.

Great Win.

I don’t think there are any indications that Bill Walton is anything more than a “West Coast Contributor” to the team…..and since Tommy cant travel as well as he once did, and people don’t seem to like Donnie Marshal with his opposite of “homer” attitude, I think the Big Redhead is a great distraction.

I think Comcast should take this whole thing even further – adding other Celtics greats when the team plays in their geographic area.

Walton was a bit too much in the Portland game on the last trip…but he settled in against Golden State and was a laugh a minute. He has so much respect for the game and Red Auerbach – that you end up feeling proud to be a Celtics fan for the entire 48 minutes.

Walton's back problems forced him to retire from broadcasting in 2009. He had such severe pain that he couldn't travel and had difficulty walking. His pain was so severe that he even considered suicide (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/17/back-pain-nearly-drove-bill-walton-to-end-it-all/). Fortunately, he found a new doctor who could help him, and although his surgery and recovery was difficult, he feels good enough to have resumed his broadcasting career on a limited basis.

He can be a polarizing figure as a broadcaster -- he uses hyperbole a lot, and usually people either like him or they don't -- but if you like him, consider yourself fortunate that he can do West Coast Celtic games. I happen to like him and wish more color commentators had his passion for the game instead of a desire to hear their own voice.

not liking bill walton is like not liking keith richards

unamerican

jeb wrote:not liking bill walton is like not liking keith richards

unamerican

jeb,

Is that like an Englishman not liking Bruce Springsteen un-British?

Hope you're doing well.

bob

.

hey heck!

yeah, pretty exactly like that.

back in hospital, heading into surgery, through with chemo.

hanging tough but pretty damn beat up.

think the celts will sign someone ? wonder where Stackhouse is?

Got home for a couple minutes and Marcus told me that the C's attempted to trade Quis to Phx for Dudley but Quis did not want to be traded (at least not there)

Havent checked to see how much there was to it.

Good luck in the surgery!!

Be kind to the nurses

beat