Jason Terry loves practice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&list=PLYBZVOZ3FtW9hWku07SCeli_Z9Opx48yu&v=BByvQ_qTwdM



http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4698273/practice-report-terry-loves-practice


WALTHAM, Mass. -- When the Boston Celtics signed Jason Terry,
coach Doc Rivers implored the now 35-year-old guard to change something
about his routine, shake things up a bit coming to a new team. Terry
decided to try and embrace practice more.


"Doc told me before I came here, 'Do something different. Change
your habits,'" explained Terry. "My habit coming to this team was that I
hated practice. I’ve grown to love it over the last month. It’s
challenging, it’s competitive. And it brings out the best in you every
day."



That newfound love is getting a true test this week. The Celtics are
in the middle of six consecutive days of practice ramping up to
Tuesday's season-opener in Miami. After going through an extended
shooting routine after a 95-minute session on Friday, a sweat-covered
Terry admitted practice is sometimes a love/hate relationship.



"I’m tired of guarding
[Rajon] Rondo,
I’ll tell you that," said Terry. "He’s wearing me out right now. I
don’t know if it’s the scheme or what we’re doing, but he’s definitely
worked on his game and he’s made it tough on me, boy. When you’re a
veteran and you’ve been in this game 14 years, you definitely don’t want
to be chasing around a 26-year-old all training camp. But it’s been
fun, it’s been a challenge."


Terry lauded Rivers' ability to mix things up in practice and turn
mundane drills into competitive situations, allowing Terry and his
teammates to embrace non-game situations. That said, Terry admits the
Celtics are ready for game action, adding: "We’re tired of beating up on
each other, and we can’t wait to get somebody else in those other
jerseys."



Added Rivers: "The whole team, they’re sick of me and they are sick
of each other. But unless [reporters] want to suit up and play against
them, I don’t know what we’re going to do about that. It’s just the way
it is. It’s hard in practices, because they know exactly what you’re
running. So it gets frustrating, when you call a play and the guy's
playing the play. Another guy gets upset at it and says, ‘You know what
we’re running.’ You still gotta score or stop it."



Read on for more from practice notes, including Rivers imploring his team to not focus on
Ray Allen on opening night and Jared Sullinger getting ready for his first NBA game.



* C'S NOT FOCUSED ON ALLEN: Asked if his
players could potentially be too amped for opening night, Rivers said
that was fine, so long as all that energy isn't focused on an
ex-teammate.


"I don’t think it’s Ray, honestly, I think it’d be more the Heat,"
said Rivers. "There may be several guys who want to play against Ray,
and Ray may want to play against several guys. This is not going to be a
Ray-versus-the-Celtics game. If it becomes that, we’re going to lose
that by a lot of points. Because as good as Ray is, I know of two or
three guys that are a lot better than Ray on that team. If we’re
focusing on Ray, we’re going to lose by 40."



On the heels of
Jackie MacMullan's story on Allen, Rivers was asked if he made an effort to contact Allen this summer before he decided to sign with the Heat.


"I tried," said Rivers. "Guys, I’m not going to get into Ray Allen.
Like I said yesterday, Ray was great here. If Ray wants to talk, we’re
just going to let Ray keep talking. That will probably be better for all
of us."



*
SULLINGER READY FOR ANY ROLE: Rivers has indicated that he
will use rookie Jared Sullinger in a starring role at times this season
(though the power forward duties on opening night are more likely to
fall to Brandon Bass).
Sullinger is taking it all in stride and acknowledging that he's got
plenty of work ahead of him. He's comfortable with being a role player
after growing up with a spotlight on him.


"It's different. It's definitely different," said Sullinger. "Like I
said, coming from being the man, the go-to guy all these years, and now
coming here, taking a backseat to some greats, it's only a humbling
experience. At the same time, I've got to get better, so I'm learning
every day, like I said."



And what might his role be at the start of the season?



"I could care less," said Sullinger. "We just want to win basketball
games around here. So, wherever I'm at, I'm fine with it. I'm just
trying to help the team win."



*
WILCOX TRYING TO DETERMINE HIS ROLE: After missing most of training camp and all eight of Boston's preseason games, backup forward/center Chris Wilcox said he's simply trying to work his way back into the rotation.


"It's not really the conditioning part, it's just trying to get in
where you fit in," said Wilcox, who battled back issues early in camp.
"You've got to kind of get in and just try to find out what guys are
used to. There's a lot of guys that I didn't really get a chance to play
with last year, so now I'm just trying to get in, see what I need to do
and where I need to be at on the court."



And what might that role entail?



"I kind of know. Basically, I've got to come back and do what I did
last year: Run the floor, play defense, box out, rebound, and bring
energy, and that's what I've got to do," he said. "So that's what I'm
working on now."



*
ROTATION LOOKS TIGHT: Rivers said that, despite the
increased depth this season, he still plans to run with a 10- or maybe
11-man rotation early in the season. "We’re not going to go that deep,"
he said. "We’ll go the same. Early in the year, I play 10 guys, whether
we have good 10 or not. Ten guys played last year, because you have to
get through the season. It’ll be 10 this year, for the most part."


The Celtics will carry 15 players out of camp and it's likely that rookies
Fab Melo and Kris Joseph will take up the end of the roster (spending time in the D-League at times). Avery Bradley
(shoulders) is out to start the year, but that still leaves two spots
that won't see much action if Rivers sticks with that 10-man plan. Jason Collins will be a situational player, but that still puts the onus on the likes of Wilcox or Leandro Barbosa to show they deserve consistent minutes.

Jason Terry hits 17 straight 3s, 18-19. Ray Who?

Geesh 4 of them actually rattled in !! Only 13 went in "clean" !!

beat

That performance by Terry is the best possible reason why the Celtics need to get up on their perimeter assignments. If you give guys in this league an open shot—even from 25 feet away—they can be deadly.

Sam

sam wrote:That performance by Terry is the best possible reason why the Celtics need to get up on their perimeter assignments. If you give guys in this league an open shot—even from 25 feet away—they can be deadly.

Sam

thats why we have the deepest and fastest backcourt in the league and Heat are commited to smallball, with that roster do they have any other choices? Lakers only old school dinosaur team out there, we got the beef to play with them if not dominate them inside, our speed and depth can still take its toll. With so many stretch 4 and 5's Lakers may get exposed as too slow defensively.

Even though the team looked really good during stretches of the preseason, I've got a feeling we ain't seen nothing yet. The Jet bombing threes is a weapon and a half. Combined with threes from Paul and Lee and Green, combined with defense like nobody's business, combined with speed throughout the lineup, this team is going to blast through opponents like a perfect storm.

Speaking of storms, there's a hurricane heading for Miami and this one's coming from the north. The Heat aren't going to know what hit them. In the last two regular season games last year, Leb and DWade sat on the bench watching their team get blown out by a depleted Celtics squad. In the playoffs, too, if the refs didn't protect them, they would have had their windows blown in and their roof torn off.

In meteoroligical lingo, I'm predicting heavy winds (as the Celtics blow by them), damaging hail (the size of basketballs) pounding out of the sky, and torrential rains (running out of their eyes) as they realize this hurricane is named The Boston Celtics.

last year we had them in 5

Only 13 went in clean? Guess that's why he's the backup.

Hi Ricky,
Obsessed as I am about Celtic basketball, I actually watched, what I think was he second time we played the Heat last year, maybe the 3rd. We played a hell of a game in Miami. We stayed on the verge of blowing them out.
One problem was they would get a bogus call that would get them amped up and they would come back. Its unbelievable watching that game and seeing Lebron take 5 steps, (not exaggerating) and on the 5th step he gets fouled and goes to the line. Wade fighting for a loose ball standing out of bounds, and comes away with it. This was right at the start of Avery's insertion into the starting lineup. Ray was coming off the bench. Doc was saying how Ray came to him and volunteered to come off the bench. (guess we know that was hogwash) Poor Avery got mugged a couple times during the game with no call. To his credit he didn't complain. Even the homer announcer that loves the Heat, can't remember his name, but was Hubies partner actually talked about it. The whole game the Heat got all 50/50 calls and some that were absolutely terrible in their favor. They complained after every whistle that they didn't get to the officials with their palms up. To the C's credit, they moaned a little but it was nothing compared to the Heat, and they only did iti on questionable calls. The Heat did it after EVERY call.

Geez I guess I can't wait. I may watch another game from last year today.

Thanks for saying all that, tardust. I knew at the time that it was happening but it was so blatantly unfair and obvious, there was a suspension of disbelief. You try to forget. You find yourself thinking the only way to beat this team is to blow them out, because the refs are going to give them every call possible, and the network won't show an instant replay if it makes the refs, i.e., the league, i.e., the networks that pay the league all that money, look bad. Oops, I'm starting to sound conspiratorial. Ah well, the Buddha says all things are interrelated.

Here's one of those little insanities, or maybe a better word is stupidities, that characterize the current NBA situation: they glorify individuals like Lebron and Wade, and make the refs bend over backwards to help them, but their best calling card, the number one draw that invariably gets people buying tickets to games and watching at home, is the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are the unacknowledged flagship team of the NBA and always have been, ever since network tv started, ever since Bob Cousy laced up his sneakers. I may be wrong but I think the Celtics/Lakers games in particular have had some of the highest ratings ever for a basketball game, and the Celtics always bring out more fans in opposing stadiums, whether to root for the Cs or against them, than any other team.

That said, you made me realize why Sullinger probably won't start and/or play much in the opening match, unless it's a blowout. If he even breathes on Lebron, if he so much as looks at Wade, the refs will blow their whistles. He's a rookie; he has to learn who's boss. Hopefully, as the season goes on and he shows what he's made of, the refs will back off.

I saw a play where Wade went into the lane and kicked KG in the balls on a layup and KG got the foul called on him? Red woulda chewed a hole into that ref and got ejected to prove a point!!! thats a fact, I don't think I'm blind yet.

cowens/oldschool wrote:I saw a play where Wade went into the lane and kicked KG in the balls on a layup and KG got the foul called on him? Red woulda chewed a hole into that ref and got ejected to prove a point!!! thats a fact, I don't think I'm blind yet.

cow,

This year the league is supposedly not going to call the fouls where a shooter kicks his legs out to draw a foul. Last year, they did.

We'll see how well this works.


bob


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