POST GAME PHILLY

FUN AND GAMES ARE OVER........NOW LET'S GET TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darko out again with a wrist injury....are your sure his initials aren't JON!


NEXT GAME - AT MIAMI - OPENING NIGHT - 8PM - TNT


POST GAME RECAP - ESPNBOSTON.COM

Rapid reaction: 76ers 88, Celtics 79

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 88-79 during exhibition play on Sunday night at TD Garden:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Jeff Green (12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Rajon Rondo (12 points, 10 assists) each chipped in double-doubles as Celtics coach Doc Rivers shortened up his rotations and rode a seven-man core for three quarters in a losing effort. Philadelphia's Dorell Wright scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Nick Young joined the 76ers' bench outburst with 15 points. All seven of Boston's core rotation players utilized in the game scored between 8-12 points as part of balanced output.

TURNING POINT
The Celtics were down 10 entering the second half, but needed just 4½ minutes to tie the game. That stretch included three buckets from Brandon Bass, culminating with an 18-foot jumper to knot things at 53. The 76ers responded by scoring the game's next seven points and Boston really didn't really threaten the rest of the way despite a couple of charges. A Jeff Green reverse jam -- the highlight of the night for Boston -- made it a two-point game 15 seconds into the fourth quarter, but the Celtics didn't generate another field goal for nearly 10 minutes before Sullinger's and-one drive to the hoop while running with an end-of-the-roster lineup (camp invites Rob Kurz and Micah Downs, and rookies Kris Joseph and Fab Melo).

WHAT IT MEANS
After playing six games in nine nights, the exhibition season is (mercifully) over. The Celtics finish the preseason slate 3-5 with Sunday's loss snapping a brief two-game winning streak. Boston, which trotted out a staring 5 of Rondo, Green, Bass, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett -- utilized only eight players through the first three quarters (Kris Joseph played sparingly off the bench, along with top reserves Courtney Lee and Sullinger). Jason Terry's veteran legs received their first night off of the preseason. Boston is expected to take Monday off coming off the back-to-back, but will have a full week to practice ramping up to the season-opener on Oct. 30 in Miami.

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The way we have it in for Miami, Philly has it in for us.

The Sixers are playing without Bynum, who is getting a shot for his knee soon. According to Mike Gorman, who spoke to Sixer's in the know, he hasn't even gotten on a stationary bike yet. Not good for the Sixers IF you assume he's a benefit. What Bynum gives them, IMO, is a different look. He doesn't necessarily make them better because they are already an excellent uptempo shooting team. He'll give them power inside but he also might slow them down.

Our offense went into a deep dip in the final 4 minutes or so of the 2nd quarter. Could get the ball in the hoop. Lee is NOT a PG. I can't wait to see what Barbosa can add. He's not a PG either but perhaps his running will help the unit playing without Rondo score more points in transition and not miss a legit halfcourt PG so much. As of today, we are.


1. Pierce and KG combined for 16 points on 5-19 shooting. Over the pre-season both these guys have been coming on, so I'm not worried. They both have shown they still "have it", so they had an off night. My money is still on them. Pierce's 5 TOs, on top of his icy shooting, made winning this game very difficult.

2. "Steady Eddie" Bass. Not a spectacular player like Green can be, but solid. When our offense gummed up a bit, he was dropping shot after shot. 5-7 on the night. I'm thinking that he'd be better coming off the bench. Dependable shooting, dependable rebounding, dependable defense. The starting unit doesn't need him as much as the 2nd unit does.

3. GREAT game by Jeff Green. Another Sportcenter block by him, this time on 7' Spencer Hawes on a breakaway (why the hell is Spencer Hawes beating us down court?). 5-10 shooting, 12 points and 10 boards, 4 blocks as the starting PF. Pierce started at 2, in Mad Scientist Doc Rivers' "BIG lineup". Green, certainly, is ready for Miami. The best things that could have happened to Jeff Green's career is his heart issue and being traded to Boston. It is obvious his game is much freer and open than when he was at OKC. Part of that is the mental part of having had to confront his mortality and part of it is because he's coming off the bench under Doc Rivers. When he was in OKC he was the 4th option (Durant, Westbrook, Harden and then Green). Maybe if he had lost his starting job to Ibaka there might have been some of this change, but I think Doc brings the joy out in players like few other coaches do. As a starter, he struggles a bit. As a bench player, he is often the best player on the floor. That makes a big difference on how a player feels and plays. Combine that with a coach who just asks you to be aggressive and not 2nd guess yourself, and you have a potential 6th Man of the Year in the making.

4. Hawes loves playing against us. Dorell Wright and Nick Young were shooting lights out. I know Wright from his GSW days. He can shoot from anywhere. 49 points from the Philly bench on 19-47 shooting. Wow. Compare that to the Celtics bench which had 29 points on 7-18. I like our bench (JET never took off his warmups, Darko sat out again) but Philly has a damn good bench too.

5. Kris Joseph came out for a couple of stints. In his first, MSDR (Mad Scientist Doc Rivers) had him defending Philly's PG. Joseph did a good job of that, but gave us nothing on offense. In later stints he started to play a more normal matchup and started to play well on both ends. A silky smooth spin move in the lane for a foul by Hawes. I generally don't like spin moves inside since, by definition, they make you take your eyes off a collapsing defense but Joseph's footwork on the spin was impeccable. Not as good a game as the last one, but he's starting to look more comfortable out there.

6. Kurz was Kurz. I'm sorry, but I still think he looks like an unimpressive player on a college team that gets eliminated early in the NCAAs. Downs made the mistake of helping a Sixer to his feet. Tommy had something to say about that!

Ok, so pre-season play is over. Time to drill the troops, indoctrinate Barbosa and get ready for the real deal.

Get well, Darko, we need you. In a million years I never would have thought those words would be coming out of me.


bob


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Not a very impressive game last night. Seemed like half of them were sleep walking. Rondo started the game great guns, and showed he was ready for the season to begin. Green showed me alot last night in a game that meant nothing. The rest put in their time.

I really hope that we are not going to see a one good game one bad game cycle for Paul Pierce. He was terrible last night.

All in all, Doc has his hands full rounding this team into contenders. My biggest wish is that they come out strong, build a cushion for themselves instead of playing catch up like last year


Rosalie

Rosalie, I agree: Doc has a bigger-than-ever challenge this year - keeping the best team on the floor when there are so many choices. Aging vets may be best at their positions for only several minutes at a time; then Doc has to sub or we lose steam. All the subbing will slow down developing good chemistry, too, but as long as we have it by April, we may be okay.
One thing I'd like to see is Green starting, and PP leading the second unit, but I don't think that'll happen for a month or more, if ever. Hawk

Green is showing me that he is ready to shut all the naysayers up. He had 10 rebounds last night and was active all night. I know it is still preseason, but with so many weapons, Doc is going to be pressed to keep everyone happy.
We saw what happened last year when he asked Ray to come off the bench, I just don't know how Pierce would handle that suggestion.

I missed seeing Terry last night, I should have known that someone was going to be on the bench for the last game and it stood to reason that it would be Terry, since the other older players had already sat out a game or two.

They are going to be fun to watch once things round into place thou!
(And we haven't even seen how Bradley will play with these guys, and.....
Barbosa, if he ever gets here)

Rosalie

Green's monster jam.








Green, faking Evan Turner out of his jockstrap, and then taking it to the rim.













A great joint effort by KG and Green on block on Hawes. KG with the pass to Lee to Rondo for the bunny. Defense, feeding our offense.








Arnett Moultrie, the player we bemoaned being taken earlier than we could get to him (we got Sully instead), playing way too far off of Bass.







Lee, skying over skywalker Richardson.







Rondo, faking out Turner. Seems like Turner got faked out a lot...








bob



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