Post-Game vs Emporio Milano

A blowout is always nice.


My internet feed was from Al Jazeera and it is weird listening to a game in a language you don't understand.

1. Rondo was fantastic. He generaled, he shot, he drove and he stayed between his man and the basket most of the time (YES!). 17 points on 7-10 shooting with 6 assists. Unfortunately, he also had 4 TOs, but that's better than the last game. He was 2-2 from the line, making him 8-8 so far. Joy oh Joy. One of his fts bounced around a bit, but it was a soft shooter's bounce and not the harder brick he threw up last year. I don't expect him to continue to shoot like this but it's nice to see he can get into a groove at the line.

2. Another outstanding effort by Sully, who got the start from Doc. 9 points and 7 rebounds in 18 minutes is a nice effort. 3 of those boards were offensive. He is a beast, an absolute beast. There was some discussion on the game on thread as to whether he'll end up starting or Bass. It's nice to even be able to ask such a question. Rosalie said that he looked like he has already had 2 years in the league. If he stayed in college, he'd be a junior this year. This kid is something. Very smart, very hard working and no word about back problems so far. No TOs. That's 2 in a row for Sully. Bass, as long as we're comparing the two, put in his usual understated but effective effort. 11 points on 5-5 shooting and 8 boards in 24 minutes. Sully's showing amazing poise for a rook and Bass is just plain effective. Throw in whatever minutes at 4 Wilcox plays and that's a pretty damn effective PF corp there.

3. I'd like to personally thank the housecleaning staff at the hotel in Istanbul for the use of their vacuum cleaners. Getting that game out of Lee's head was an imperative and he played well today. Moved without the ball, played good defense. JET got the start, but Lee made the most of his 18 minutes. Very nice to see. Looking much more comfortable out there.

4. Oh My God. Jeff Green has turned into something I didn't even know he had inside him. He is aggressive, he is taking and hitting shots, he is putting the ball on the floor and challenging the defense and he is moving his muffins on defense too. If this is how he plays against NBA talent he is going to be a monster off our bench. He played 25 minutes and scored 17 points on 5-9 shooting and 3-3 from 3. Tied for high Celtic scorer again. If there was a weakness it is that he only had 3 rebounds, but everything else is fantastic (Ok, his free throw shooting is a bit off, but I'm not worried about that. He's a good career ft shooter). He looks great. Really great. Now THIS is the player that makes the Perk trade look good, not the one we got 1 1/2 years ago. I love Perk but he's not a game-changer, he's a complementary player. What I'm seeing from Jeff Green these past two games is a player that can destroy the other team's bench. A player who makes the other coach stand there and think "what do I need to change to stop this before the game gets out of hand?.

5. JET plays with surprising energy. He's not an energizer bunny like Ray, but he's very active and disruptive on defense and is deadly when shooting. 3-5 from 3 today. Add that to the 3-3 in Turkey and he's 6-8 from 3. Deadly.

6. Another standout game by Darko. I can't tell you how happy I am right now. My feelings of suicide have subsided and I'm feeling much better about our center position. 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in 18 minutes for our new backup center. Yes, at this point, he is KG's backup. We'll see what happens when Wilcox comes back but so far the job is Darko's and he has earned it. One thing that impressed me was a sequence where his man took Darko low post right side, tried to set him up to go towards the middle and then spin back left to the baseline for a layup. Darko positioned himself to prevent the roll into the paint and then, when his man spun outside, used his left hand (his baseline hand) to block the shot. That was exactly correct. A lot of players just want to use their strong hand and would have reached across with their right hand while their left hand went on the player's hip and probably pick up a foul. Darko did it exactly correct. He also tapped an offensive rebound out. He won't get credit for it, but he deserves it. That's 10 rebounds in 18 minutes. Ok, now you just have to do it against NBA players.

7. Jamar Smith played 11 minutes and was 1-6. He almost avoided playing point, playing like Bradley did in his first year, bringing the ball over halfcourt and then passing it instead of running an offensive set. He is strictly a shooter and he didn't shoot well today. Interestingly, in the 2nd straight game, Xmas deferred to Smith at point, like he did to Terry in Turkey. When Xmas did that, in both games, he didn't look very good. In the final minutes of this game Xmas started playing like he did in summer league and he looked MUCH better. He split the defense and took the ball to the rim once, hit a 3 and swooped in from the 3pt line to bail Melo out and drop in a 4'er. If he hadn't gone to the rim Melo was looking at an almost certain 3-second violation because he didn't know what to do with the ball once his initial move was thwarted. 9 points on 4-6 and 4 rebounds in 9 1/2 minutes vs 2 points on 1-6, 1 rebound and 3 TOs for Smith in 12 minutes. When Xmas is aggressive and attacks he is effective because he creates opportunites for himself and his teammates. When he tries to be a good "team player" and let others take the lead, he isn't.

8. Joseph looked his usual smooth self out there, but wasn't very effective. I don't think he has acclimated to the speed and size of the pros yet. My prediction is that he'll get some more minutes when we get back to the US and then we'll see better. The way Jeff Green is playing it almost doesn't matter. Pierce and Green are going to be sucking up all the minutes at 3 anyway.

9. Melo is still Maine-bound. He looked lost. If Melo's contract can be transferred to the Red Claws then Smith has a shot at the team, but the way Darko is playing and Collins is a proven quantity and when Wilcox comes back we don't need Melo. He'll be better off there.

10. Doc said his goal were only 14 TOs per game? We had 14 TOs this game. Not as much razzle-dazzle, not as many attempts to show off, not as many overly aggressive outlet passes.

11. We had 54 rebounds. Wow. That's amazing, period, but especially for us. 9 from Darko, 8 from Bass and 7 from Sully to lead the way. Considering KG only played 12 minutes we rebounded quite well. Quite well.

12. We shot 50% on 76fga. Efficient, but not enough. We need more than 76 fga. 69% from the line with Darko singlehandedly sucking us down into the 7th level of hell by shooting 2-6. Hello, Rick Barry, do you give private lessons?


Here's the boxscore - http://www.nba.com/games/20121007/BOSEAM/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0011200010#nbaGIboxscore


Next victim.



bob



.

Great game. Enjoyed listening to Mike and Scal.

Rondo looks great, really really solid. Like he got a lot of work in during the off season and his offense looks much improved. Really excited as John look posed to take the next step towards superstardom.

Love Sully. Kid will be the steal of the draft and a solid player for the Celtics.

Jet has ice in his veins - just a straight dagger thrower. Lee started to get his legs. Same with Bass. Darko played really solid ball. Jeff Green continued his strong play.

Overall really fun game to watch. Glad they got to experience this trip, but happier to have them back to work in the real world. Excited for this season, they are going to be REALLY good.

Hi,
If I had to issue a progress report for the newcomers based just on these 2 games, I'd say Sully's ahead of everybody, right behind him is JG, third position I'd give to Darko, last place belongs to CL. I hope by the end of the month he'll catch the others.

AK

Jg is not a new comer

As I watched the game, I was a little surprised to see Sullinger get the start over Bass. But then again Doc is known to switch things up now and then.

Bass is still the starter until Doc says otherwise but if Jared continues to play like this he could be a starter by opening day.

As we all know Bass is a very good midrange shooter, an ok rebounder and ok defender and a relatively poor passer. Bass averaged 11.3 PPG last year and from what I am seeing Sullinger could easily match that production. Jared hits the boards hard at both ends and is a willing passer. He is still learning the proper defensive rotations (as is Bass) Bass is more athletic than Jared and can get up and down a lot quicker.

Conclusion, Sullinger compliments the starters better than Bass does so if he continues to play like this he should start.

Rajon Rondo is opening up a lot of eyes with his new found willingness to not only to take jump shots but to make them. If this is the year that he becomes a knock down shooter his desire to be the best PG could be realized.

Darko continues to carve out a nitch but I wish he would finish strong at the rim. Why the sissy layups...dunk the damn ball...throw it down.

Jeff Green will finally make us forget that Perkins used to play for Boston. He justs looks more comfortable out there and his skill level is revealing.

Jason Terry is a cold blooded assasin. I watch him when he was here in Atlanta and he is the real deal.

#20 was a better shooter but Courtney Lee is an upgrade overall.

Fab Melo has the luxury of learning how to play from a great coach and supporting teammates. He will need time to develop.

The 3rd stringers....Nothing to say here.

I cannot wait for Avery to return.

dboss

Rondo to Lee on the nice slash by Lee. This is Lee's type of game.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-W5AeVTVyGI





Milan falling for Rondo's behind-the-back-pass-fake


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-W5AeVTVyGI



bob


.

Any assessments at this time are obviously premature. There have been only two games, both against the equivalent of minor leaguers, and the Celtics starters have played only a fraction of what should be the case when the games are in earnest. But, taking all of that into account, the prospects look even rosier now than the very positive outlook a week ago.

I tend to evaluate things from a team perspective, looking at individuals only within the context of what they can contribute to the team. With that in mind, I've listed what I feel were the team's five biggest weaknesses last season and conjectured (the only possible level of evaluation at this juncture) about the likelihood of improvement this season.

INJURIES AND MINUTES OVERLOAD

• Last season: (1) These factors constantly resulted in discontinuity and fatigue among core players. (2) The wear-out factor among the "survivors" almost certainly lost Game 7 vs. the Heat.

• Prospects this season: (1) This iteration of the team is not dependent on chronically injury-prone players like JON, Quis and Pietrus. (2) The depth among bigs and SFs should allow Doc to monitor the minutes of KG and Pierce. (3) The scoring of Pierce and Lee and/or Terry and/or Bradley plus what could very well be added offense from Rondo will permit offensively challenged guys like Milicic and Collins to stay on the floor and rest KG. (4) An aggressive Green will certainly provide rest for Pierce and, in some circumstances, could even be preferable to Pierce.

• What to watch for: (1) The recovery of Wilcox plus continued contributions from Milicic will be key in resting KG. (2) Will Sully also be able to help rest KG when Doc plays small ball? (3) Here's hoping Sully's back has no flareups. (4) Bradley's return will hopefully add another weapon to the versatility and matchups available to Doc.

REBOUNDING

• Last season: (1) The team was awful at blocking out opponents under the boards. Even when blocking enemy shots, they were usually out of position to collect the resulting loose balls. (2) They were middle-of-the-pack in terms of defensive rebounding, which limited opportunities for transition points and often slowed the Celtics' overall offensive pace. (3) The team was putrid in offensive rebounding, largely because of its focus on falling back to counter opponents' transition options. The relatively few putbacks cost the Celtics dearly in virtually every game.

• Prospects this season: (1) There will definitely be greater athleticism on the team, especially at SG. It should mean the Celts won't have to abandon the offensive boards completely in order to keep up with opponents in transition. (2) Sully and Bass have great instincts for offensive rebound positioning, and Sully and Milicic should add to the Celtics' defensive board totals.

• What to watch for: (1) Will the rebounding techniques of Sully, in particular, rub off on other Celtics bigs in the form of blocking out under the boards? (2) Can KG maintain his 8 rpg pace of last season? (3) What will Darko really contribute in the rebounding department once the regular season starts?

STAGNANT OFFENSE

Last season: (1) The half-court offense often bogged down due to lack of player movement, lack of ball movement, and lack of consistently pushing the pace so they could get into their offense quickly. (2) While the Celts fiddled and diddled in the halfcourt, every second that went by made it easier for the opponent to lie in wait in the passing lanes and anticipate the Celtics' all-too-predictable offensive moves (which often involved settling for last-second jumpers). Waiting for Ray to run his increasingly slower curls ran the shot clock down and frequently allowed the Celtics only that one option in the 24-second clock. (3) When the Celtics hustled on offense, they often outscored the opponent; they just did it far too seldom. (4) Too frequently, Celtics picks were brush picks that (a) telegraphed an impending roll to the hoop or (b) did nothing to help Celtics teammates gain separation.

Prospects this season: (1) Rondo is showing signs of pushing the ball more consistently, resulting in easy buckets, and allowing the Celts to get into their halfcourt offense more quickly. (2) Whoever the starting SGs are, they will present a wider variety of offensive options than Ray did: Lee alternately slashing and shooting mid-range jumpers and threes, JET creating his own shots and catching-and-shooting from any range, and Bradley with his baseline cuts and increasingly accurate outside shooting. (3) If Rondo maintains anything approaching his current FG and FT shooting percentages (be still Bob Heckler's heart), it will prevent opponents from sagging off him to double the Celtics' primary offensive threats. (4) With Pierce, Green, Lee and Rondo alternately slashing to the hoop, high percentage shots will hopefully become the order of the day. (5) So far, Milicic seems like a human pick machine.

What to watch for: (1) Is the early exhibition shooting of Rondo an aberration? (I don't think so.) (2) Will Rondo be consistent in pushing the pace? (3) Will bigs like Milicic and Sully set some bone-rattling picks?

TURNOVERS

Last season: (1) Last season, the Celtics averaged 12 turnovers per game. At face value, this doesn't seem like a bad figure. But there were too many games when the total went into the upper teens. Moreover, some of the turnovers came at the worst possible moments of games. (2) The two worst turnover offenders (per 36 minutes) were Rondo and Pierce. To some extent, I believe this was the result of their difficulties of remain in synch with each other because of their inherently different stylistic preferences.

Prospects for this season: (1) I'm hoping that, this season, the Celtics' impact players can more consistently get on the same offensive page. (2) I think this can be accomplished if all of them buy into Rondo's pace (with KG and Pierce, in particular, getting sufficient rest periods so they can sustain the pace. (3) Also, Rondo may want to borrow a page from Cousy's book. When the stakes were highest (at any point in the season or during a given game), Cousy was at his most conservative. When you're in the middle of a run is no time to let your enthusiasm and passion develop a life of its own so that you're trying low-percentage passes.

What to watch for: (1) When and how will the new guys acclimate to Rondo's penchant for throwing a pass at any time? (2) Will the senior citizens, on the strength of additional rest, be able to blend in with the pace Rondo should be setting?

LACKOF ATHLETICISM

Last year: (1) Last season, several of the Celtics' best hopes for athleticism (Bradley, Green, even Wilcox) were on the sidelines a lot of the time. (2) Whereas the ideal circumstance would have been for the Celts to exhaust the opposition into exhaustion. Unfortunately, the reverse was too often true.

Prospects for this season: (1) The presence of Green, Lee, Terry, and even Wilcox will add to holdovers Rondo, Bradley and Bass to make the Celtics much more athletic this year. KG can still motor down the floor in his five-minute stretches, and Paul Pierce can do a reasonable facsimile if he forgets about pacing himself and capitalizes on what should be more frequent rest periods. (2) Moreover, the greatest instances of athleticism-in-depth is skewed toward the SF, SG and PG positions, where it is most needed against key contenders.

What to watch for: (1) It could take a substantial portion of the season for the more athletic players to translate their athleticism to a high level of chemistry. Until that happens, things could become a bit uneven and we might see more turnovers than are desirable. (2) I don't care what anyone else says. I believe factors such as physical strength and endurance can be important elements of athleticism; in fact, they can be utilized as major weapons. Based on the way this team spent the summer and early fall, the Celtics have to be one of the best-conditioned squads in the league. Let's see if I'm right and whether it, indeed, does matter.

In deliberately avoiding a player-by-player rundown, I don't mean to imply that the strengths and improvement of individual players aren't important. There are several players, in particular, whose skills could be pivotal in determining how good this team really be. My list of players who stand the best chances of making a positive difference from last season: (1) Sully, (2) Green, (3) Lee/Terry, (4) Rondo, (5) Milicic (somebody break out the smelling salts for BobH), (6) Wilcox. While everyone on the active roster should be able to make valuable contributions, these are the players I feel can be the strongest incremental catalysts vs. the past.

Go Celtics!

Sam

Thanks, Cow. Can you tell I'm excited about this team? It almost makes me feel like myself as a little kid, hiding with his portable radio under the covers in the early 50s and reveling in the constant anticipation about what Cousy was going to pull out of his hat next.

I like that imagery because, among other things, it involved hair on my head.

Sam

Lee playing his game.








JET on the wing and ending with a "fly by"









Sully learning the value of watching Rondo







Rondo, faking his man out of his jockstrap. And look who would have been open if he had missed...






I posted this one earlier. It's amazing how similar Lee's and Bradley's games are.







Rondo with the stutter step and then the behind the back fake (will players fall for that this year again?)







Darko, Bass and Green. 7'0", 6'8" and 6'9". That's pretty big.















Marvelous Marvin Hagler visited the Celtics locker room after the game.









bob




.

sam wrote:Thanks, Cow. Can you tell I'm excited about this team? It almost makes me feel like myself as a little kid, hiding with his portable radio under the covers in the early 50s and reveling in the constant anticipation about what Cousy was going to pull out of his hat next.

I like that imagery because, among other things, it involved hair on my head.

Sam

although, maybe the sheets rubbing against the hair is why there... well you know

Cow

And how many of those "2 deep" you mention are multi position players too?

On paper we can go so many different ways and directions.

Offensive, defensive, fast, slower whatever.

Sort of like a pitcher with 4 great pitches that he can throw for strikes and if he can't get one over in a particular game he's still pretty damn tough with the other three.

Will be interesting to watch how this all unfolds. And I really don't care if we don't win one preseason game figuring this out either.

beat

cowens/oldschool wrote:right beat we can go fast and super fast and if we want super BIG too.

bradley- 6'2
peirce 6'7
green 6'9
kg- 6'9,000
milicic- 7'0

not sure who we'd go after with that lineup though??

nevermind... lakers might see a lot of Darko-KG-Collins, maybe more Collins than possibly Sullinger??

Cow,

Agreed about the nuttiness. I've already decided that the inscription on my gravestone will be a line from Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man":
"Yes to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free." That is my self-image.

I'm not sure about the depth at PG, and I gather Doc isn't sure either. I don't know that we've got anyone other than Rondo who can run a basketball team from the PG position. Maybe someone like Christmas will prove me wrong (I hope so), but I'm quite convinced that even a healthy Bradley is not that guy.

But I've been thinking a lot about the style with which this team may become identified. The Celts now have four players who are pretty good at getting their own shots (Rondo, Pierce, Terry and Green), and Sully could be next in line. At the same time, the Celtics are averaging only 18 assists per game (Rondo's averaging only 7.5) against teams much weaker than most Celtics NBA opponents will be.

I'm wondering if the offensive system of the team is evolving into a combination of (1) more transition stuff and, (2) in the halfcourt, more isolation stuff. Ordinarily I'd gag at the thought of more isolation stuff. But good coaches fine tune the system to take maximum advantage of player strengths. So, if that's the direction in which this team is headed, I'm certainly prepared to shut up and enjoy it.

IF the halfcourt offense is destined to include a larger proportion of free lance stuff than before, it will require several things to happen—among them: FAR more player movement, FAR more ball movement with short, crisp passes, and FAR more solid picks.

I'm not suggesting the team will become as free lance happy as some opponents. I'm just thinking there could be more equality between free lance sets and interactive sets in the halfcourt system.

What do you (or anyone else) think?

Sam

Cow im wiling bet bet KG would admit to being 6 foot 9000 inches tall before just plain old 7 foot... LOL