POST GAME WASHINGTON - HOME

First a hurricane...now 5" of snow........get me out of here!!!!!!!! Now the game.......

Over time.........Washington.........At home!!!!!!!!!! TG we won!!!!!!!! At least the fans got their money's worth.

Some bright spots for the Celtics as they even their record at 2-2

1) KG with a monster game..20pts....13 RB...2 blocks

2) I like Bass' game this year. He is not hesitating but now putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket. Last year he would fake a pass, hesitate and get stuck without an open shot.

3) Nice break out game for The Jet Terry.....16 pts...2-5 from beyond the arch.

4) Big Tommy Points goes to Chris Wilcox with sold 4 minutes of energy on both sides of the ball!!!!!

5) Celtics also got a nice rhythm for about 10 minutes midway in the 3rd period through the 4th period with some sold defense and spirited offense led by Wilcox!!!!! Hopefully this is signs of what is to come for a full game.

6) Nice to see Rondo hitting his jump shots early in the season...this will keep the defense honest and open up the offense down low.


NEXT GAME - FRIDAY - HOME - PHILLY - 7:30 PM - CSNE/NBA LEAGUE PASS

POST GAME RECAP

WEEI - 850


FAST BREAK: CELTICS SURVIVE ANOTHER WIZARDS SCARE
By Ben Rohrbach

Thanks to double-doubles from the Big Three, the Celtics survived a second straight game against a Wizards team missing two of its best players. It wasn’t pretty — and required OT — but the Cs’ evened their record at 2-2.

Rondo’s 18 points and 14 assists in the 100-94 victory moved him alone into third place in NBA history with 28 consecutive games with 10-plus assists (behind John Stockton‘s 29, Stockton’s 37 and Magic Johnson‘s 44).

Garnett (20 points, 13 rebounds) committed what could’ve been a costly technical foul when he jerked his elbow in Kevin Seraphin‘s direction late in the fourth quarter, but two Paul Pierce (15 points, 10 rebounds) steals and a Rondo 20-footer with 26 seconds left helped force overtime as Rondo’s 3-pionter at the end of regulation fell short. The C’s defense arrived just in time to salvage the game in OT.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

First things first: The Celtics repeatedly assure the offense will come once they can get back to playing the kind of defense that’s been the trademark of their success the past five seasons. Wednesday night’s first quarter was a start. Led by Garnett and Lee, the Celtics held the Wizards to 29.2 percent shooting (7-24 FG) in the first 12 minutes, building a 21-16 lead that should have been bigger if not for five C’s turnovers.

Garnett gold: Since nobody else put forth any effort in the opening 24 minutes, Garnett exerted twice as much. By halftime, he had 10 rebounds, seven points and two blocks. His final first-half defensive stand was remarkable, singlehandedly guarding the right side of the court and eventually blocking a Trevor Booker layup attempt with two seconds left on the shot clock. Without KG on the floor, the C’s finished minus-13 before the break.

Forward progress: Finally given an opportunity to contribute midway through the third quarter, Chris Wilcox ran the floor with Rondo, made his only field goal and got to the line five times for six points to go along with two boards and a block. In just four minutes of action, he finished a plus-11 — while Garnett sat on the bench.

Very Terry: After admitting it was an adjustment to mesh with a new system, Jason Terry finally asserted himself into the offense. He took 15 shots, made seven of them and scored 16 points off the bench. Somehow, the C’s reserves still got outscored, 53-41.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Big whoop: Celtics coach Doc Rivers continues to search for a combination of bigs that can regularly hold the fort without Garnett on the floor, but the Jared Sullinger and Brandon Bass frontcourt in particular hasn’t been that solution. For every lead the Celtics built on KG’s back, that duo seemed to erase it in his absence.

Not-so-Green hornet: During Tuesday’s open Celtics practice, Rivers pleaded with Jeff Green to keep moving and be aggressive — like he was in preseason. Save for a brief stretch in the second quarter, when he got to the basket three times in just over three minutes, Green made little impact. His formula for success appears fairly similar — attack, attack, attack — which makes his moments of immobility that much more frustrating.

Captain awful: Like his fellow members of the C’s Big Three, Pierce recorded his double-double but made just 2-of-12 shots and continued to opt for 3-pointers over attacking the basket down the stretch. His poor shooting performance may also have led to the decision to let Rondo shoot a rather uncreative failed 3 at the end of regulation
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rapid reaction: C's 100, Wizards 94 (OT)

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Wizards 100-94 in overtime on Wednesday night at TD Garden:

Brandon Bass scored five of his 11 points in overtime, including five in a row as the Celtics pulled away for their second consecutive harder-than-it-should-have-been triumph over Washington. Kevin Garnett (20 points, 13 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (18 points and 14 assists) added double-doubles for the Celtics, while Jason Terry chipped in 16 points off the bench in his best effort with Boston. Kevin Seraphin and Martell Webster each came off the pine to score 16 points for the Wizards, while Bradley Beal (16), A.J. Price (15), Chris Singleton (14) joined them in double figures.

TURNING POINT I: WILCOX'S IMPACT
Chris Wilcox saw his first action with 3:10 to play in the third quarter and the game tied at 56. He proceeded to (1) Block a Seraphin jumper; (2) Force a turnover that led to an and-1 layup off a feed from Rondo; (3) Help out on the defensive glass. That allowed Boston to carry a 66-58 lead out of the third quarter. The Celtics' bench was in desperate need of a spark and Wilcox provided it.

TURNING POINT II: A CRAZY FINAL MINUTE
The Celtics were down a point with little more than a minute to go when Garnett forced a baseline turnover, only to be tagged with a technical foul for extracurricular activity with Seraphin (it ended up being a wash as Martell Webster hit the technical and Garnett made his two free throws to tie the game at 84). Back on the defensive end, Pierce forced Seraphin to turn the ball over and was fouled, but only made one of his freebies. Webster turned the ball over yet again, but (again) Rondo made just one of two for an 86-84 lead with 36.6 seconds to play. Chris Singleton responded with two free throws with 33.1 seconds to go to even the game. Rondo buried a 20-foot jumper with 26.4 seconds to go, but Singleton responded with a driving one-handed jam with 9.4 ticks to play to set up the final-shot opportunity. Rondo's not-what-they-drew-up, step-back 3-pointer was off the mark as time expired.

TURNING POINT III: OVERTIME
Two strong drives at the bucket resulted in three points for Bass, including a layup with 1:51 to play that had Boston on top 95-92. Bass added a layup in transition with 37.7 seconds to go to essentially seal the win.

WHO NEEDS FREE THROWS?
The Wizards didn't shoot their first free throw of the game until there was 7:19 remaining in the third quarter (a span of nearly 29 minutes) before Beal capped a three-point play with a trip to the charity stripe. The Wizards were up 49-44 at that point. Washington finished with just seven free throw attempts (making six); Boston was 28-of-34 at the stripe.

RONDO MOVING TOWARD HISTORY
Rondo now has 10-plus assists in 28 straight regular-season games spanning the last two seasons, the fourth-longest streak in NBA history. He's still chasing two marks by John Stockton and the NBA record of 46 games by Magic Johnson in 1983-84, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

WHAT IT MEANS
Just when you think the Celtics are moving in the right direction, they certainly made things harder than they needed to be in this one. There's plenty of positives, including Wilcox's burst and Terry's contributions, along with Bass' late-game play. But Boston is still searching for that elusive chemistry and consistency. The Celtics were up 11 early in the fourth quarter before the Wizards rallied to force the extra session. Boston will take a day off before hosting the Andrew Bynum-less Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night at TD Garden.

112288

I just saw the Laker game and KG played with twice as much energy as Dwight Howard and his defense(KG's) has never been better, how many big plays did he make where he took away the inside and came up with the ball, manic Cowens like intensity with Bill Russell results.

Rondo did his thing, love hes hitting that jumper, liked his defense tonight too. Pierce had an incredible Bird like pass and was Bird like in that with his shot off he helped in a huge way in all the other areas, rebounding, defense like Larry used to do on off shooting nights. I like what I saw in Bass, hes got a nice driving game, reminds me of George McGiness in his heyday.

Jet finally had a Jet like game, even on some misses they were good looks, he attacked and found good shots throughout the game.Speaking of attack, can someone light a fire on Jeff Green? he looks like that soft player that we saw 2 years ago. His goal should be 3 Statue of Liberty finishes a game on the break, not halfcourt, get out there and abuse the other reserve, beat him downcourt, just fly/run, let Rondo find/lob it to you. His goal should be 3 dunks/finishes off transition a game, and 3 post ups a game, if he can just do that, that should avg 14-15 points easy, with all the other shots he can find.

Sully may not be near where we want, hes got to keep working, he can still post alot of players, but certain ones like Okafar, who I know very well, he can't. Lee was an offensive no show, Barbosa showed hes a blur, like to see more of him. I want to see him, Rondo and AB in a 100 yd dash.

Welcome back Chris Wilcox, what a spark for a 3-4 minute run, dramatic and athletic. I would love to see KG and Wilcox together with Pierce or Jeff Green, if he can get his shit together. Wasn't pretty, but we played hard in the second half. The Lakers played like we did in the first half the whole game, at least we battled, it could be slowly coming together.

On Jeff Green, is there anything more Doc can do? is it more on Green or Doc to put him in better positions, to motivate him? I don't know, but we need him running with alot more force and more often. I want to see him relentless, not like what I've seen thus far.

Hi,
One more game that I'd put in the category "Ugly" because barely beating one of the worst team without their 2 best players, at that, in OT is ugly.
As usual, there are bright spots. The brightest, IMO, was KG. Yesterday he schooled everyone on how to play defense.
Also, JT and CW were getting into the groove.
I have a funny feeling that RR is kind of in mid-season shape and waiting for the rest of the team to catch up.
To summarize, the Celtics is still work in progress.
But win is a win. Let's see what they show us in Philli...

AK

Frustrating at times, but lots of glimmers starting to show.

Terry played well - mostly because he got the playing time necessary to break a sweat and get into the flow.

Bass played solid and Wilcox looked great. He was aggressive on both ends, which is good - as it seems as soon as KG exits - the Celtics defense breaks down. Maybe Wilcox can be the back up C that holds it together when KG is out.

Sully, Lee and Green were tentative, and Barbosa didnt really get enough minutes to do much

As bad as Washington is, they actually play good defense and hit a lot of last second shots which would not normally go down. When Wall and Nene come back, they will be a better team than they have been in years. Still not a play off team - but much better.

I like the direction things are going. Would like to see it come together more quickly, but they are on the right path

I was able to get the regular Celtic feed last night. Not only was I able to listen in english, I was able to listen to Mike and Tommy. You have no idea how lucky you all are to have that all the time.

This Wiz team is going to be good, very good, when they get John Wall and Nene back.

We had an 11-point lead with 10 minute left in regulation. This is not the first time this team has let its opponents back into a game instead of burying them. It will cost us, in the future, if we don't figure out how to maintain our composure and focus and close opponents out when we have the chance to do so instead of doing it when our backs are against the wall.

1. Farewell, Uptempo! We hardly knew ye. 16 fast break points in an OT game, only 4 in the first half. Hardly setting any land-speed records there. I suppose it's understandable, winning this game was more important than building good habits, so we fell back on the game we know. I just hope we can find our way back to it soon.

2. Ok, Doc, can we NOW say that the lineup with Sully playing center alongside Bass does not work? We'd build up a nice little lead, KG would sit down and Doc would go with that lineup, and the lead would disappear (and then some). This is the 3rd or 4th game it has been tried and it doesn't work, Doc, it doesn't work. You're trying to turn Sully into Big Baby and he's a much better Sully than he is a Baby. I love Doc, I believe he is the MVP of this team, but he has a nasty habit of trying to force round pegs into square holes (e.g. Bradley at point, Sully at center, Moore at point).

3. KG was Sandy last night. He grabbed HUGE rebounds, anchored the defense, hit big shots. The team's inability to hold onto an 11-point 4th quarter lead forced him to play 35 minutes, but thank God he did play those minutes. He missed some shots by shooting them into the bottom of the rim. This was evidence he was getting tired and couldn't rise up, but he battled on anyway, because that's who he is. He really is a force of nature.

4. Speaking of a force of nature, did any of you watch Randy Wittman last night? Whenever I watched Stan Van Gundy coach he always looked like he was perplexed and didn't understand what was happening or why. Everytime I've seen Wittman, the look in his eyes make him look like a white version of KG. Like he's a double-shot of espresso away from going postal. No wonder his guys went out there, short-handed as they are, and fought like a bunch of meth-crazed wolverines. They fear their coach will rip them a new one in the locker room. A basketball Mike Ditka. They're losing, now, but if I was a Wiz fan I'd have to feel pretty good about the direction they're going, and I'd give that credit to Randy Wittman. Look how deep into the bench he has to go now! He played 11 players total, every one of them double-digit minutes. Considering he's missing two starters, that means he's playing the #13 player on his roster double-digit minutes, and they're doing well. That's coaching!

5. Paul Pierce's shooting (2-12) almost sank us. His free throws (10-12), however, kept us afloat. He took, and made, more free throws than the entire Wiz team (6-7). The Wiz were bombing away last night, going 10-29 from 3, including a couple of buzzer-beating "are you kidding me?" deep 3s from Price and Beal, but if you're taking those shots you usually don't get ftas. This reminded me a bit of, I think it was, game 2 of the Finals in 2008, when we got a ton of free throws and the Lakers only had 10 or so. Laker fans complained about the paucity of free throws and blamed the refs. I reminded them of all the open jump shots they got (which made them smile) and then pointed out that you don't get foul calls if there's nobody within 4 feet of you "just to be fair" (which wiped out the smile). Same last night, they were getting a lot of open shots, we were NOT doing a good job of closing out their 3pt shooters (again), but open jump shots don't earn you a trip to the line "just to be fair". There truly is value in creating contact, even if it does beat the crap out of you a bit.

6. Rondo has certainly fixed his shooting woes, hasn't he? He is completely comfortable taking jump shots now. He even was 3-4 from the line last night (so that makes his season-to-date ft% what, 58%? Still yuck). I did NOT like that final play of regulation. We had 9.4 seconds left, was inbounding from mid-court, and Rondo diddled the clock out for a 3ptr. Teams play for the win when they're on the road, not when they're at home. They said that was not the play Doc called in the huddle. Doc needs to have a chat with his point guard and remind him that he draws those plays up in the huddle for a reason. Nevertheless, a very strong overall game by Rondo, very strong.

7. It doesn't matter who starts, it matters who finishes. Thank God Brandon Bass finished. What a stellar OT for him! He attacked the rim and it paid off. I know that Bass is a little confused regarding his role at this time, but I hope last night's game answers some of those questions. He played 33 minutes, vs 24 for Sully who didn't get off the bench in OT, and had 5 of his 11 points in OT. It's not how many minutes you play, it's how you play when you're getting minutes, and Bass's minutes were very impactful. When you consider that Big Baby would have been chucking up ill-timed long-range jumpshots, it makes me very glad Danny pulled off that trade for Bass.

8. Seraphin started off hot, again, but he wilts under pressure. He had 3 TOs in a span of 13 seconds at around the 1 minute mark of the 4th quarter, the first came when the Wiz had a 1 point lead and the last one game Pierce a chance to hit his 3. The bad news, for us, is that Nene would not have imploded like that. Yeah, I know injuries are part of the game, but we were lucky last night, again.

9. Bradley Beal finally had a decent night. 6-15, 3-8 from 3 including a couple of clutch shots. A very solid game for the rook. Rondo was guarding him for a while. Wait until Bradley comes back. Heheheh.

10. Our defense showed up in crunch time. We had some breakdowns, like the ram-it-down-our-throats jam by Singleton with time running out, but we offset that with making them take tough shots and recognizing that Seraphin was their weak link. He's still learning english, so communication and chemistry will not be one of his fortes, and it cost them in crunch time.

11. Another snoozer for Green. 6 points, 2 rebounds, mediocre defense (that's being nice). Who was comparing him to James Worthy?

12. Finally, a good game for JET. 16 points on 7-15 in 32 minutes. Also, he had 3 assists and only 1 TO. He ran a textbook fast break with Bass off of a Bass steal at the other end. He was having another off night, and I was starting to get a little pissed, until...

13. The return of Chris Wilcox. I saved the best for last. Our bench has been struggling and it struggled again in the first half. Wilcox came in for a total of 4 minutes and left with a +8. He ran the floor, he blocked a Seraphin shot (something Sully couldn't do), he hit hit 4-5 free throws. 6 points and 2 rebounds in 4 minutes and, even more importantly, you could see every else get pumped up too. The bench played MUCH better after that, including JET. He played with energy. It's not how many minutes you play, it's how you play when you get the minutes and Wilcox's play in those 4 short minutes electrified the rest of the team and made a HUGE difference. I realize he's behind Jeff Green in his rehab from surgery and that's why he's not playing a lot of minutes yet, but based upon that tiny 4 minute stretch, I'd say he's not behind him in getting his game back.


Not a pretty win, but, well, you know how the rest of this goes.

We've still got a ton of work to do, but it looks like we're gelling a bit and we showed we can still buckle-down and win the tight ones. Even against a crew of under-manned meth-crazed wolverines led by a barely-supressed serial killer.


bob


.

Mk,

I agree, Wilcox should be the backup center. Forget Bass or Sully as center. He also has great hands and has picked up the flow of how to play with Rondo..he always keeps his head up looking for a pass by Rondo which Sully and others have yet to acquire.

112288

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4698728/jet-soars-for-first-time-in-boston


BOSTON -- It really was only a matter of time for Jason Terry.


After three subpar performances to begin the season, Terry -- or,
JET, if you prefer -- finally took off Wednesday night, providing a
needed spark on both ends off the bench as the Celtics overcame the
Washington Wizards for the second consecutive game for a 100-94 overtime
victory.



Terry scored a season-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, adding
three assists and some important defense down the stretch of both
regulation and the extra session.



"Yeah, they've been begging for it, man, and I was finally able to
give it to them tonight," Terry happily proclaimed of his trademark
plane celebration he broke out at the Garden for the first time during
regular-season play. "The JET don't just come out for nothing. I mean,
we're losing, you won't see no runway, none of that. But, we needed a
spark, we needed some energy, and the fans responded well to it."



The 16 points weren't the only season-best for Terry, as his 15
shots and 32 minutes also served as tops for the young campaign. Terry
admitted afterward he might have been a bit too reluctant in the
Celtics' first three games, and credited a renewed aggression for his
performance.



"I thought for the most part, I was looking to be on the offensive,"
Terry said. "If I didn't have a shot, I was making the pass, so that's
my role. My role is clear here. It's to be aggressive and look for shot
first. Guys are on me, they're going to continue to stay on me. But it's
something that I'll be more and more comfortable as we play more
games."


The first half did little to suggest a breakout
game was in order for Terry, who managed just two points on 1-of-4
shooting, meandering through many of the same struggles that had plagued
him over the team's first three outings. But the second half saw him
emerge with a renewed vigor, and he scored 14 points over the final two
frames, taking the scoring pressure off of the likes of Paul Pierce and
Kevin Garnett.


His reputation for hitting important shots rang true, as a difficult
pull-up 3-pointer with just under five minutes left to beat the shot
clock pushed a slim one-point Boston lead back to a four-point edge -- a
crucial margin given the back-and-forth of Wednesday's bout.



But Terry earned his keep on the other end as well. Head coach Doc
Rivers elected to run Terry alongside Rajon Rondo, Pierce, Garnett, and
Brandon Bass as part of his finishing crew, and though the offense was
expected, the defensive performance wasn't.



Shortly after burying the 3-pointer, Terry saw his own man skirt to
the other side of the floor, but he elected to hang back and join
Garnett in a double-team of Kevin Seraphin, forcing a turnover that
helped lead to two Rondo free throws on the other end.



"On this team, that's what it's about," Terry said. "That's what we
hang our hat on, is on the defensive end of the court. And you can see,
when the game was on the line and we needed to get stops, we've turned
up to another level."



Rivers joked afterwards that it was the first time in Terry's career that defense kept him in the lineup.



“I thought [Terry] was terrific," said Rivers. "And you know it’s
funny, we left Jason in because he was playing great defense. That may
be the first in his career, that’s ever been said about Jason Terry. But
he was terrific. I thought the ball pressure -- and he did a lot of
good things defensively. And when he does that with his shot, we keep
him on the floor because he gives you a shooter’s chance all the night.
So it was really good to just see him -- he’s getting it offensively.
I’m not that concerned about that.”



But his teammates were quick to add praise for Terry's defense.



"JT came in and I thought did some small things," said Garnett.
"He’s trying to get a rhythm...but veterans, who have been in the thick,
know how to win, overtimes and extra minutes, you want your best
players in there. I thought he did small things: communicating,
rotating, knew what rotations to help on -- things like that, man,
you’re playing on all cylinders and reacting, that’s really where you
want to be at."



Terry's hoping Wednesday will serve as a launching pad for a more
consistent string of performances moving forward. Though pleased with
the part he played in the team's win, he still stressed the need to
continue improving.



"Well, the energy level was definitely a lot better," Terry said.
"Definitely felt a little more comfortable out there on both ends of the
floor. But for me it's about making shots. If this was golf, I thought I
left a couple birdies out there from deep tonight. But, it'll come."


bob


.

Quick Hits from Doc Rivers:


Quick hits following Celtics head coach Doc Rivers' weekly appearance on WEEI's "The Dennis and Callahan Show" on Thursday:


On Brandon Bass' second-half performance Wednesday:

"I thought Brandon, he played the way we need him to play every
night, with just energy and hard and not worrying about missing shots.
Brandon is an offensive creature, if you know what I'm saying. And when
you miss shots, it shows up in the rest of your game. I thought early on
in the game, Brandon was missing shots and you could see it on his
face. And I told him after the game, I was really proud. He fought that
and did other stuff, and then all of a sudden, your offense kicks in.
And it always does when you just keep playing. And I thought that was a
great lesson for Brandon last night."


On the perception that Jeff Green needs to be more assertive:

"Yeah, I mean, if you're a viewer, that makes a lot of sense. If
you're watching Jeff, Jeff's not gonna ever show you intensity, even
though he may have it, if you know what I'm saying. He just, he's a
poker-face player. You're just not going to get that out of him. What
you want to get out of him is great play. And he has to play better,
there's no doubt about that. He's proven in stretches that he can really
play and play well, and he did that in preseason. So far, in the
regular season, he hasn't done that yet, and that's what we need him to
do."


On what Jeff Green's ceiling is:

"You know, I don't know. Really good. Whatever that means. But
really, really good. I think he has it in him. The question for Jeff, is
he a guy that can consistently give you 20 points a night, or 18 points
a night? It's in him, as far as what we see, ability-wise. But, you
have to have the ability and the mental, and that's what we'll find out,
if the other part's in him."


On the creative things Rajon Rondo does on the floor:

"The thing is, it's not like he's doing it on purpose, if you know
what I'm saying. He's just so clever, and when his brain is on, he's
just trying to make things happen sometimes, and sometimes they look
like he's trying to showboat, sometimes he may be. What I stay on Rondo
about is just being as solid as he can be. But what you don't want to do
is rob him of his mind. You don't want to take away his ability to be a
creative player, and so you're always walking a fine line with that.
But we talk about it all the time, what's good for the team? And, you
know, I think he's been walking that line pretty well this year."


On whether it matters who's in the starting lineup:

"No, it's funny, I was going to say that question has always bugged
me. It doesn't bother you, but it's who finishes. It's who plays the
most, really. It's not even who starts or who finishes. It's who is
involved in the game the most on a daily basis. ... I understand the
question, media-wise, because [it's] the starting lineup. But, if I was
a player, that would have been something I would have not worried
about. Now, if I hadn't played at all, then I would worry."


On whether the "we're a work in progress" remark is being used too much as an excuse:

"No, I don't think so. I've done it every year that we've made
changes and it's worked pretty well. So, I don't think that's it at all.
The urgency thing is something we talk about every day. One of the
things we say in the locker room is that we understand that we're going
to get better. But we want to win and be better now. So, the whole
urgency thing is something that we talk about every day."


On whether Rondo or Leandro Barbosa is faster, baseline to baseline:

"Oh, wow, that's a good question. I'm going to go with Rondo. But
that would be an interesting... You know what, we may have a race soon."


On whether Rondo's faster than LeBron James:

"Oh... That's been discussed on our bus. Rondo thinks him. The players, I think they went with LeBron."



bob


.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4698713/notebook-not-what-cs-drew-up


BOSTON -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers admitted the 25-foot, step-back 3-pointer that Rajon Rondo
hoisted at the end of the fourth quarter wasn't the ideal look Boston
wanted with a chance to top the Wizards in regulation on Wednesday
evening.


Rondo's bomb found the side of the rim and forced an extra session,
where the Celtics emerged with a 100-94 triumph at TD Garden.







Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images

Things didn't always go as planned for Rajon Rondo and the Celtics, but they managed to get the win.

Rondo's 20-foot fadeaway jumper with 26 seconds to play proved to be a crucial
bucket, but the Celtics were looking for Pierce on the elbow or Jason Terry on a flare to the corner, not Rondo's late-clock heave.


"The one that I called was the [isolation with 26 seconds], I wanted
a 2-for-1," said Rivers. "I told him -- that was a bad execution too
because he got forced to the sideline and that way he couldn’t go as
quick as we wanted him to go. But I think it was 34 seconds, or
whatever, so we felt like ‘Let’s go 2-for-1 here’ and it was a quick iso
for him. And I told him to shoot it quick, the first one.



"The second one, it was bad execution again, honestly. It was a
pin-down for Paul, [or] it was supposed to be. Paul, we wanted at the
elbow and he was there, I thought Rondo could’ve thrown it to him, then
JET [Terry] was coming off the weak side. I thought Rondo made up his
mind to go for it. I’m fine with that, but I didn’t like the execution.”



Terry set a screen that forced the Wizards to switch rookie
Bradley Beal onto Pierce, but Pierce didn't have much room as he tried to set up
shop at his preferred spot on the right elbow. Terry got a screen from
Garnett on the low blocks trying to flare to the wing, but with the
clock low, Rondo elected for the 3-point shot.


Rondo spoke briefly with reporters before departing the Garden, but
said only of the team's overall execution: "We played OK. We got stops
when we needed to. Overall, it's all about the win and that's what we
did tonight."



Read on for notes about KG's DVR analogy, JET's first flight, and
Rivers' thoughts on former draft picks JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore:


--KG: SEASON IS LIKE ON-DEMAND PROGRAMMING--


Garnett is no stranger to eclectic and sometimes off-the-wall
analogies while trying to put the Celtics' season in context. Which led
to a bit of hilarity after Wednesday's game as he tried to compare
chemistry to the remote control options during on-demand programming.



"You can’t speed chemistry up. I think the more you practice, the
more you get familiar with each other, there’s no hitting the
fast-forward button here," said Garnett. "You've got Comcast, right? You
know there’s some shows you can’t fast-forward through, you just gotta
let it go so you can watch the silly-[expletive] commercials. That's
what this is."



Garnett realized that Comcast is a broadcast partner of the Celtics
and he might be throwing them under the bus a little bit, but that
didn't stop him from having some more fun.



"Did I just take a shot at Comcast? [Expletive] it, I did. So what?
I’m more of a DirecTV guy anyway. This is what this is. I’m not helping
myself, right? [Expletive] it. Anyway, that’s what this is. I just
totally messed that up. It’s one of those things where it’s just gotta
take its course and you can’t speed anything up. Next question."



--
JET'S FIRST TAKEOFF--


Struggling out of the gates at the start of the 2012-13 season,
newcomer Terry put together his finest effort in a Celtics uniform on
Wednesday, chipping in 16 points over 32 minutes. He played some
inspired defense as well, allowing Boston to keep him on the floor in
crucial stretches.






Brian Babineau/Getty ImagesJason

Terry finally had cause for celebration.After
one fourth-quarter bucket, Terry unleashed his trademark plane-like
celebration, spreading out his arms as he ran back on defense.


"[The fans have] been begging for it, man, and I was finally able to
give it to them tonight," said Terry. "The JET doesn't just come out
for nothing. I mean, we're losing, you won't see no runway, none of
that. But we needed a spark, we needed some energy, and the fans
responded well to it. So hopefully we can keep flying here on Friday
night against the Sixers."



--
DOC'S ROOTING FOR JOHNSON--


JaJuan Johnson, Boston's first-round selection in the 2011 draft,
was selected No. 1 by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants during the NBA Development
League draft last week. Johnson, traded to Houston as part of the
package that brought back Courtney Lee this summer, was waived after the Rockets acquired James Harden from Oklahoma City before the start of the season.


Rivers still believes Johnson can be an NBA player.



"I know he has the talent, I’ll put it that way," said Rivers. "I
told him that this summer. He’s going to either have to pull it out of
himself, or it’ll be there. But I do believe that he has NBA talent. And
I hope he makes it."



E'Twaun Moore, Johnson's Purdue teammate who was selected by the Celtics in the second
round of the same NBA draft in 2011, was likewise acquired by the
Rockets and waived with a roster logjam this summer. He eventually
landed in Orlando, where he's now the starting shooting guard on a young
team.


"E'Twaun, on the other hand, is playing unbelievable, and he was
ahead of JaJuan last year, and has nothing to do with individual talent,
it had to do with mental makeup," said Rivers. "E'Twaun’s a smart kid,
he gets it, and JaJuan is young, he has to figure it out."



--
LOOSE BALLS--


The Celtics were tagged with a delay-of-game violation for not being
ready for the opening tip after the 90-second runoff. Garnett was still
chest-pumping away and Boston got the (somewhat harmless) violation
that the league is cracking down on this year to speed up the start of
games. ... Garnett picked up a real technical foul after a small flareup
with Kevin Seraphin after producing a fourth-quarter turnover. ... Rivers reflected on Jim Durham, the voice of NBA basketball on ESPN Radio, who passed away unexpectedly this week. Durham served as the radio voice of the Chicago Bulls
and Rivers used to listen to his calls as a teenager. "I saw him
opening night [in Miami]," said Rivers. "We did the interview that
morning. To read that he’s passed, that’s just heartbreaking. A great
man, he’s been around the game a long, long time. He made a lot of
calls. Unfortunately, since he was with the Bulls, I wasn’t in any good
ones [while playing for the Atlanta Hawks]."


bob


.

http://espn.go.com/boston/columns/nba/story/_/id/8605418/chris-wilcox-rescues-boston-celtics-making-big-impact-little-court-time

Wilcox rescues Celtics in no time


BOSTON -- Chris Wilcox's stat line from Wednesday's overtime win over the Washington Wizards
will blend harmlessly into a cluttered box score, much the same way his
decision to return to Boston this offseason was overshadowed by the
glitzier names the Boston Celtics brought in to overhaul an inconsistent bench.

But while some of those more ballyhooed names struggle early in the 2012-13
season to identify their roles and make an impact on the floor, Wilcox
might have been the No. 1 reason that Boston escaped snow-crusted TD
Garden with its second straight win of the young campaign.





Greg M. CooperChris

Wilcox made a big impact in just 3 minutes, 41 seconds, with 6 points, 2 rebounds and a block."I
thought Chris Wilcox saved the game for us, singlehandedly, with his
effort," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "And I thought it was obvious.
He didn't do anything but played hard and played with great effort."

Wilcox logged a mere 3 minutes, 41 seconds of floor time, chipping in six
points, two rebounds and a block in two energy-filled, second-half
shifts that changed the complexion of the game.

Wilcox hit the floor in a tie game with 3:10 to play in the third quarter, and
proceeded to do a little bit of everything. First he swatted a Kevin Seraphin jumper, then he forced a turnover that ended with Wilcox finishing an and-one layup in transition off a feed from Rajon Rondo. Wilcox relentlessly attacked the glass and hustled up the floor, and
his hard work got him to the charity stripe for five attempts (he made
four).

After undergoing season-ending surgery last season to
repair an enlarged aorta, Wilcox has talked about starting over. He was
just coming into his own in Boston when the heart issue sacked his
season in early March. Now, after a summer of rehab, he's just trying to
figure out how to be a contributor again. His minutes had been scarce
over the first three games of the year.

Expect a spike moving forward.

"Well, we all got roles on this team, man," Wilcox said. "We've all got to be
ready. You never know when your number's going to get called, so I just
had to go out there and bring energy. That's what [Rivers] told me
before I went in the game. He was like, 'We need you to bring energy,'
you know what I'm saying? So I just went out there and played hard and
great things happened."

Wilcox, who sat out much of training camp and all of the eight-game exhibition season while recovering from a back
injury and fine-tuning his conditioning, said he's still far from where
he'd like to be. But he smiles wide when he talks about simply being a
contributor.

"I'm trying to get back there," Wilcox said. "I'm not
100 percent where I want to be, but I mean, great things like this
happen and it's motivation for me to keep going and keep going, so, like
I said, I've just got to stay ready so I won't have to get ready."

Later he added, "That's where I was at last year, just at home watching,
like, 'Oh, man, I could help here, I could help there.' But tonight, it
just helped out my confidence to keep me going and keep me motivated to
keep going, and I think this is what I needed tonight."

Wilcox's energy seemed infectious on the floor. Second-unit leader Jason Terry caught fire in the fourth quarter, chipping in seven of his bench-high 16 points. Brandon Bass, serving in a reserve role, added five of his 11 points in overtime as Boston pulled away.

The significance of Wilcox's brief appearance wasn't lost on Kevin Garnett
-- not just in terms of helping Boston win this game, but in the grand
scheme of his return to the basketball court after a major health scare.

"I thought Chris played great for us tonight. He gave us great minutes," said Garnett. "For him and Jeff [Green],
knowing their story, knowing their journey, it's inspirational, to be
honest with everybody here. To see someone still get a chance at doing
something that they love, and do it passionately, it's moving.

"I'm just glad he had a great night. He was able to help us, and I thought he changed the game tonight."

All those nights last spring watching the playoffs, that's all Wilcox ever
wanted to do, just help his team. On Wednesday night he got his chance
and proved just how valuable he can be for the Celtics this season.






bob






.

bob



.

"Brandon is an offensive creature."

Only in basketball could that be considered a compliment.

Sully, dragging the defense down deep into the paint and then getting the perfect pass over the top from Rondo. Beautiful playmaking.







This looks like Barbosa with the good defense and then running the floor with Jeff Green.







Paul Pierce, with his "Larry Bird pass" to KG. And look who moved to the front of the rim just in case KG missed...Gave someone a nice shot with the shoulder to move him aside and get position too.






You can see Sully throwing his weight around better in this one.







Pick-and-Roll. Amazing how the same play still works after 60+ years of players seeing it. That's why it's called "a fundamental".















Chris Wilcox, only on the floor a few seconds, doing something KG has struggled with for two games, blocking a Kevin Seraphin shot.









The Blur, finishing that fast break with Jeff Green. Look at that wingspan. My, my, my...







I have NO idea whose sneakers those are, but this is an unusual camera angle.
















bob



.