POST GAME NYK GAME #6

GAME STATS

SCORE – CELTICS - 80 /NYK- 88
REBOUNDS - CELTICS 35 /NYK 42.....Offensive - CELTICS 5 /NYK 15......Defensive - CELTICS 30/NYK 27
POINTS IN THE PAINT - CELTICS 24 /NYK 30
FAST BREAK POINTS - CELTICS 20 / NYK 9
FG - CELTICS - 24/63 ( 38.1 %) NYK 33/79 ( 41.8 % )
3PM - CELTICS - 6/22 ( 27.3 %) NYK ( 9/21 %)
FTM - CELTICS - 26/33 ( 78.8 %) NYK 13/16 ( 81.3 %)
TO - CELTICS 19 / NYK 16
ASSISTS - CELTICS 13 /NYK 18
STL - CELTICS 9 / NYK 10
BLK - CELTICS 1 / NYK 8
PF - CELTICS 20 / NYK 23
BENCH POINTS - CELTICS 14 / NYK 16
TOTAL TEAM TURNOVERS (Points off turnovers) – CELTICS 20 (17) /NYK 17 (23)

NEXT GAME - SEE YOU SOMETIME IN OCTOBER - 2013/2014

POST GAME RECAP

ESPNBOSTON.COM

Rapid Reaction: Knicks 88, C's 80 (Game 6)

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 88-80 in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference first-round series on Friday night at TD Garden. The Knicks win the series, 4-2:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Carmelo Anthony scored a team-high 21 points on 7-of-23 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and five assists, while Iman Shumpert added 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting with six rebounds and two steals (including a big late-game swipe to thwart Boston's improbable rally). Jeff Green also scored 21 points to pace Boston, while Kevin Garnett added a double-double (15 points and 10 points) and Paul Pierce battled shooting woes (4-of-18 overall) while chipping in 14 points for the Celtics.

AN IMPROBABLE RALLY COMES UP SHORT
The Knicks were up 26 (75-49) with 9:49 to play, but the Celtics scored the game's next 20 points over a furious four-minute span and ultimately surged within four (77-73). The Celtics made 7-of-8 shots over an initial 24-2 burst, including three buckets from previously shellshocked Avery Bradley, while Green scored 10 points to fuel the run. It might have been Shumpert's steal of a lazy Pierce pass that sealed Boston's fate as he finished the layup at the other end (Anthony busted a late-series 3-point slump with a big triple in the closing moments).

C'S DUG TOO BIG OF A HOLE
The Knicks embarked on a 16-1 run early in the first quarter capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Pablo Prigioni that had New York out front 21-5 with 4:26 to play in the frame. Midway through the second quarter, New York was up 18 and Boston's starters not named Garnett (3-of-4 shooting, 6 points to that point) were an impossible 1-of-19 shooting for a measly six points. Pierce missed nine of his first 10 shots, including five 3-pointers while scoring two first-half points.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES CAN'T AID C'S RALLY
The Knicks looked in implode mode as a Jason Terry 3-pointer cut the Knicks lead to 10 with 4:37 to play in the third quarter and Raymond Felton got tagged with a technical foul after a turnover on the ensuing possession. But Terry missed the free throw, Garnett missed a turnaround jumper, and Felton responded with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to stop the bleeding. After an offensive foul on Garnett, Shumpert hit a 3-pointer and did Terry's trademark jetway celebration as New York went up 61-45. The lead ballooned as high as 26 before Boston made an honest-to-goodness fourth-quarter charge.

SILVER LINING: AVERY FUELS COMEBACK
Bradley's head-shaking postseason seemed set to end with him getting an early third-quarter hook. In 17:22 of floor time to that point, Bradley was a minus-22 in plus/minus, missing both shots he took and owning more turnovers (1) than assists (0). Bradley's confidence seemed shattered this series and offensive woes -- coupled with an inability to slow series MVP Raymond Felton -- left him a shell of his usual lockdown-minded self. But he might have saved himself an offseason of therapy by helping to spearhead Boston's late-game charge with bursts of his old self at both ends of the floor. Bradley finished with 10 points, three steals, two rebounds, and an assist over 27:05 and was a mere minus-4 by the end of the game.

WHAT IT MEANS
If this is the end of the Garnett and/or Pierce era -- and we'll have plenty of time to debate that over the next couple months -- they went out with a bang when most of the game suggested a whimper. The Celtics -- in typical Garnett-era fashion -- put up a valiant fight trying to extend their season, but dug themselves too deep of a hole (both in the game and in the series). A murky offseason awaits after a first-round exit with many tough decisions ahead for Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.
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CSNE

Knicks send Celtics packing, 88-80

A.SHERROD BLAKLEY

BOSTON — The obituary on the Boston Celtics' season can finally be written now.

But man, what an exciting life it was as the Celtics put together the kind of comeback in Game 6 that no fan of the C's will forget anytime soon.

Despite falling behind by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter, the C's rallied to come within four points.

But digging themselves out of such a huge hole proved to be too much as the New York Knicks did just enough in the game's final minutes to escape with an 88-80 victory and with it, clinch the first-round series 4-2.

As the final horn sounded and Paul Pierce left, and then Kevin Garnett, possibly for the last time, there was a mix of disappointment and pride in the air.

Yes, Celtics Nation was certainly sad that the C's season was over but proud at how the team fought until the bitter end and seemed just a play or two away from pulling off what would have been a comeback for the ages.

Although the C's came into the postseason as a seventh seed, there was a belief that they would be the one lower seed to advance out of the first round of the playoffs.

But the Knicks were the tougher team, both physically and mentally, throughout the series.

When it came to making the hustle plays, the Knicks were better.

X-factor players?

Yeah, the Knicks had more of them as well.

And as the final horn sounded, there was little doubt in anyone's mind that New York played the better series and had earned the right to move on to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000.

Meanwhile, the Celtics' season ends with lots of questions about their future, both short and long-term.

Will Pierce be bought out for $5 million, or return at the cost of $15.3 million?

Will Kevin Garnett retire?

And what about Rajon Rondo? Can he bounce back and be as good as he was, pre-torn ACL injury?

Can they build around him if Pierce and/or Garnett is gone, or will they look to trade him as well?

As the C's will surely disect what went wrong in this series, an inability to make shots stands out profoundly.

The most telling moment in the game came at the end of the third quarter and the Celtics were down 67-47.

The Knicks were able to increase their lead in the third by eight points despite getting zero points - ZERO POINTS - from Carmelo Anthony.

That quarter like far too many in this playoff series, was one in which the Celtics simply lacked the offensive firepower to compete with, let alone outperform, the Knicks.

And then they came alive after Iman Shumpert's dunk with 9:49 to play gave the Knicks a 75-49 lead.

Avery Bradley was getting steals.

Jeff Green was getting to the free throw line.

And Paul Pierce, who struggled mightily all game, was hitting acrobatic shots in the lane.

Just like that, the Celtics were within four points 75-79 with more than three minutes to play.

But turnovers and bad misses once again led to a missed opportunity for the Celtics which was one of the dominant themes with them this season.
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WEEI 93.7 FM


FAST BREAK: KNICKS SURVIVE FURIOUS CELTICS COMEBACK
By Ben Rohrbach

A montage of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the first half with the tagline “heart of a champion” left the Garden crowd in awe. Then, a Knicks barrage left those same fans in shock. Finally, the Celtics showed that heart, rattling off a 20-point run midway through the fourth quarter and making a game of it, but it proved too little, too late.

Garnett came to play, and Pierce finally showed up in the fourth quarter, but an 88-80 loss in Game 6 ended their season, opening up a Pandora’s Box of questions nobody in the Celtics organization wants to answer. That’s another story for a different day. Here’s what went wrong in their final game of the season.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Worst first: The Celtics were lucky to get out of the first quarter only trailing by 14 points. They shot 25 percent from the field. Garnett made his first three shots, and his teammates finished 1-of-13 in the opening quarter. Pierce went 1-for-8. While the Celtics settled for jump shots, the Knicks scored from everywhere. Seven minutes into the game, New York had as many points off turnovers as the C’s had total points. No other word to describe it but ugly.

3 falling: The Celtics missed their first nine 3-pointers, including five bricks from Pierce, and the Knicks’ defense held the Celtics to 14 points through the game’s first 18 minutes. Meanwhile, Pablo Prigioni made three of his first four attempts from beyond the arc, scoring as many points in the first quarter as he had in any game in the series.

Everything: The Celtics looked gassed. Through three quarters, they had 15 field goals and 17 turnovers. C’s not named KG made 8-of-37 shots entering the fourth quarter. It seemed as though they left everything they had on the Madison Square Garden floor in Game 5, when Garnett, Pierce, Jason Terry, Jeff Green and Brandon Bass combined for 201 minutes. Then, the fourth quarter happened, and the Celtics scored more points than they did in all of the first half. It was ridiculous and unsustainable all at the same time.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Green light: Nobody on the Celtics could get within 10 feet of the basket, so Jeff Green gave it a shot. And another. And another. He started just 1-of-6 but led the C’s with nine points at the break — thanks to 6-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. If anybody else could’ve beat his man off the dribble, the Celtics wouldn’t have been in such dire straits at halftime. But Pierce settled for contested jumpers when he should’ve been deferring to Green, who finished with 21 points on 12 shots. Pierce scored 14 on 18 attempts.

The runs: Any sign of life was a positive. That’s how bad the C’s offense was. Back-to-back Green and Terry 3′s with four minutes left until halftime capped an 8-0 run that left the Garden wondering, “Wait, they’re only down 10?” With four minutes remaining in the third quarter, a Terry triple punctuated a 9-2 run that did the same. And, of course, the miraculous 20-0 run in 4:05 that slashed a 75-49 game to a six-point deficit, breathing life back into the building in the fourth quarter.

Melo J.R.: The only thing that kept the Celtics from completely getting their doors blown off was another poor shooting performance by both Carmelo Anthony (7-23 FG) and J.R. Smith (5-13 FG). If only Raymond Felton (11 points, 7 assists) — who killed the Celtics all series — forgot to show up, too, the Celtics might have had a shot.

GOD BLESS TO ALL - HAVE A GREAT & SAFE SUMMER

112288

I just hope that the 4th quarter run by the Celtics does not give Danny hope that he just has to tweak the team.

Time for a sniper starting 2 guard, time for a true back up power forward, time for a starting center who can rebound. KG would be a God send if he would come off the bench.

112288

I think Paul Pierce might be the only player in NBA playoff history to play a six game series and have at least five turnovers in each game (6-5-5-6-5-5). Certainly the first non-point guard but probably no point guard has ever done that either.

That and shooting 36.8% for the six games was too much to overcome from one of our two most important players.

Can't believe how old and slow he looked and how error prone he was after having a representative season for him.

Heard he was dinged up for the series so that may have contributed. But it was heartbreaking to see the astonishing fall-off in his game.

I don't know what he'll have left for next year. Maybe if his minutes come down to about 25 and he backs up JG it'll be better.

Steve

Do not see him coming back. If you say lower his minutes....at $15.5 million, too expensive of a player for a part timer.

112288

NEXT

June 27 -- 2013 NBA Draft

112288

112288,

I agree with you about Danny. That fourth quarter comeback was all Celtic pride, guts and glory. Heck, even Red made an appearance on the JG's free throw! The statement they made was never underestimate the heart of a champion. The 4th quarter surge is what happens to people who have been on life support that show a miraculous surge just before they die. We were never going to beat the Knicks in this series. The Knicks have paid their dues in the first round for 13 years and we were the sacrificial lamb. If NYK had lost this series the way it was, the franchise would have been sold, bought out or liquidated.

Our future is with Rondo, AB, JG, BB and the missing work by Danny. I like the idea of KG off the bench. But it sounds like he is waiting on PP's decision. Now Chris Paul is unrestricted now right? We'd probably have to give up more than Rondo to get him since the injury but who knows what DA will pull off this off season. I don't think anybody is safe.

PP has a lot of thinking to do. He does need to retire a Celtic, just like Larry did. I don't think he needs the money since his total lifetime comp is around $300MM. It's always hard to get guys that need to retire to retire. But the sun is setting on all the Big 3.

The bottom line is, as great as that game was or could have been, we didn't win the game or the series in the first round. We should have been swept but these are the Celtics, not the Lakers...OK, that was uncalled for! If Danny does the tweeking thing again this summer, he will be fired. The writing is on the wall and Danny knows it. Heck, we all know it.

The draft is always such a crap shoot. And it always takes such a long time to see any true results from it. Whatever from there.

I think Jackie Mac line in her story (ESPNBOSTON) sums it up and we need to listen what Red had to say about aging super stars.

Red Auerbach so famously decreed many years ago. The legendary Celtics patriarch said, "Nine out of 10 great players finish their careers ungraciously."

Let's just remember that and not get sucked into another season where we are out of the playoffs before Memorial Day. Suck it up and we all have to move on.

The greatest gift that the Celtics could have gotten was LA Clippers losing last night. They will fire De Negro for sure. They will look to add veteran leadership. Perhaps a trade of KG & PP to LA will work. Both will be playing for a title with legit chance of winning. Both will be home to end their career.

Another interesting thing....does LAC go after Doc to lead a veteran team with PP & KG? Celtics could get a nice compensation package out of that as well, and fee up cap space. Just thoughts, all of which are possible.

112288

112288 wrote:I think Jackie Mac line in her story (ESPNBOSTON) sums it up and we need to listen what Red had to say about aging super stars.

Red Auerbach so famously decreed many years ago. The legendary Celtics patriarch said, "Nine out of 10 great players finish their careers ungraciously."

Let's just remember that and not get sucked into another season where we are out of the playoffs before Memorial Day. Suck it up and we all have to move on.

The greatest gift that the Celtics could have gotten was LA Clippers losing last night. They will fire De Negro for sure. They will look to add veteran leadership. Perhaps a trade of KG & PP to LA will work. Both will be playing for a title with legit chance of winning. Both will be home to end their career.

Another interesting thing....does LAC go after Doc to lead a veteran team with PP & KG? Celtics could get a nice compensation package out of that as well, and fee up cap space. Just thoughts, all of which are possible.

112288

DeAndre Jordan has always been mentioned in any trade scenario involving KG or PP to the Clips and here's what the LA Times had to say about him in their post series wrap up:

"There are no guarantees for the Clippers they will get another chance. They return Blake Griffin, but will also be hogtied by the return of DeAndre Jordan, who was earning more than $10 million this past season as a statue."

It was from this piece, titled "Clippers Fit The LA Pattern":

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers-clippers-20130504,0,7944815.column

Steve,

Interesting article. Sounds like despair for everyone on LAC. The Celtics could get a group of good young talent, perhaps trade pieces for another trade but never the less tradeble pieces.

I hope LAC bite and call Ainge.

112288

steve3344 wrote:I think Paul Pierce might be the only player in NBA playoff history to play a six game series and have at least five turnovers in each game (6-5-5-6-5-5). Certainly the first non-point guard but probably no point guard has ever done that either.

Based on what I can search on basketball-reference.com (since 1986), you are correct. Since 1986, there have been three playoff streaks of five or more turnovers in six consecutive games. Two were by Paul Pierce, and one was by Steve Nash.

http://bkref.com/tiny/oFzVL
http://bkref.com/tiny/xTdCA

His streak this year against the Knicks was a relative model of consistency -- 32 total turnovers for a 5.33 average.

His other streak overlaps two seasons -- four games vs. the Nets in 2003 and two vs. the Pacers in 2004 -- so it's of dubious equivalence. But he was actually worse then. His turnovers during that streak: 8, 6, 5, 6, 8, 7 - 40 total, 6.67 average. He had 25 total turnovers in each series (8, 6, 5, 6 vs. Nets; 8, 7, 4, 6 vs. Pacers) for a 6.25 average in each series.

Nash's streak was from 4/22/10 to 5/5/10 -- four games vs. Portland and two vs. San Antonio. He had 34 total turnovers in the streak (5, 6, 5, 7, 6, 5) for a 5.67 average.

When it comes to turnover average for a single playoffs, Pierce in 2004 is fourth, and Pierce this year is 11th.

http://bkref.com/tiny/RNhsc

The number one spot is an anomaly -- John Williamson with a 7.0 average. That was for only two games, and he set the NBA playoff single game record in one of them with 11 turnovers. He had an unremarkable three turnovers in his other game.

You can tolerate turnovers if a player makes up for it in other areas, particularly assists. Magic Johnson, for example, holds the finals record for turnovers with 10, but he also holds the finals record for assists with 21. This year, Pierce matched his 5.3 turnovers with 5.3 assists, and his turnovers were high at least in part due to the absence of Rondo, which forced Pierce into more of a ballhandling and playmaker role.

By comparison, in 2004, Pierce had 6.3 turnovers against only 2.5 assists, while two other players both averaged more assists (Chucky Atkins 3.8 and Ricky Davis 3.5) while having fewer turnovers combined (5.5). But that was a less than stellar team that was swept in the first round by Indiana.

I'm not sure all that means anything, but Steve's comment made me curious, and that's what I found.

it means we really missed Rondo

You nailed it Cow. With Rondo on the court we'd be facing the Heat in the ECF and no one would be thinking about Paul's turnovers. Speaking of which, how many of you remember eating apple turnovers as a kid? Such a good memory, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on that side. Yeah, from now on when I think of turnovers I'll focus on the culinary kind, not Paul Pierce's. I still love the guy for so many valiant efforts over the years.

112288 wrote:Steve,

Interesting article. Sounds like despair for everyone on LAC. The Celtics could get a group of good young talent, perhaps trade pieces for another trade but never the less tradeble pieces.

I hope LAC bite and call Ainge.

112288

Since they just lost to Memphis, things are not all warm and fuzzy in Clipperland. I'm not expecting a lot of rational analysis in the immediate aftermath of that loss.

But I would caution you to temper your enthusiasm for DeAndre Jordan. He is an extremely limited player. He's enticing because he is as athletically gifted as anyone his size, but here's what concerns me:

• Maddeningly inconsistent. Just because he's had a couple of good games against Boston doesn't mean he always plays that well. He scored 21 against the Celtics two seasons ago, but that is one of only seven 20-point games in his career. His career high is 23, which he scored once in 2009 and again in 2010.

• Poor individual defense. He gets showy blocks as an off-the-ball defender, but he's basically a turnstile for any big man with offensive skills.

• Free throws. He's at 42.4% for his career. Last year's 52.5% was a career high, but he slumped to 38.6% this season.

• Lack of improvement. He was initially a project who got a few minutes a game but made a leap forward two seasons ago. However, he hasn't improved since then. This season, he led the league in FG percentage, but that's because all he does is dunk. One site that tracks shot distribution shows that he took 322 of 394 total shots in the restricted area. His offense hasn't improved, and neither has his defense. Look at his averages for this season versus last:

2011-12 - 7.4 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.0 blk, 1.1 to, 2.9 pf, 0.3 ast, 0.5 stl, 63.2 FG%, 52.5 FT%
2012-13 - 8.8 pts, 7.2 reb, 1.4 blk, 1.2 to, 2.3 pf, 0.3 ast, 0.6 stl, 64.3 FG%, 38.6 FT%

• Look at the Memphis series. Marc Gasol is probably the best center in the league this year. So how did Jordan do? Gasol averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 blocks, and only 0.7 turnovers in 39 minutes per game. Jordan averaged 3.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.5 turnovers in 24 minutes per game.

I like the kid, I really do. He can bring energy and joy to the game. He's a human pogo stick with a 7'6" wingspan. You watch him play and see so much potential. Maybe he can take another quantum leap forward in a year or two, but at a certain point, he is what he is. He's still young, and I remain cautiously hopeful. But to expect him to become a featured post player anytime soon (if ever) is unrealistic. He's a role player who needs to play alongside a good supporting cast and very good power forward in particular.

Outside,

I would be interested in a point guard, shooting guard or a small forward, and a backup power forward.

I would like to sign Blatche on the Nets, not Jordan.

112288

Definitely Blatche over DeJordan.

I saw a game a year ago or so where Al Jefferson just destroyed Jordan, posting him up at will. Jordan is also not the strongest rebounder, but with his athleticism, hes a piece that could be fed alot of lobs from Rondo.

Did Jordan even play against Memphis? Guy is a front runner who dunks and blocks shots in January and disappears in May. He is the anti KG - no heart and no inner drive whatsoever. I would be happy to not even hear his name again on this board. Forget it.

My father, a life long Celtics fan, who taught me the two hand set shot, passed away just hours before this game started. I took the comeback as a tribute to him. He was an American Hero, first American to set foot in Japan prior to the formal surrender of Japan, a survivor of kami kazi attacks who refused his Purple Heart, and a man who taught me to do anything to preserve family unity. Have fun breaking up the Celtics and sending us to playoff oblivion pholks, See you in June. from Siler City, NC
Mulcogi

Mulcogi,

I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. He sounds like an amazing human being who leaves a rich legacy. I hope his spirit will always help preserve your family unity.

All the best,

Sam

Mulcogi,

GOD BLESS YOUR DAD...HE WILL BE IN MY PRAYERS....HE NOW IS IN A BETTER PLACE....WHERE EVERY DAY IS A BOSTON CELTIC CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE!


112288

Mulcogi,

You are blessed with the memories of your dad. All the best to you.

Outside

Mulcogi.

Sorry to hear this. My prayers are with you and your family. May your Dad RIP.