How Quickly Things Change.

This may very well be the mantra of the NBA this year...Does anyone doubt that if the Celtics went into LA last night (12/4) playing as they did, against LA playing as they did....that the Celtics wouldn't have walked away with a double digit victory?

LACF,

It's all hypothetical, of course. Until the last couple of games, when
KG has demonstrated consistent superiority out there, I would have felt
that the Lakers at full strength were more "together" than the Celtics
at full strength.

I'd almost compare it to never forgetting how to ride a bicycle once
you've mastered it. Bynum or Gasol could come back, and they'd quickly
be functioning as always. I felt that the Celtics starters had not yet
reclaimed that predictable type of reliable "template."

On the other hand, earlier in this season, I would have felt that the
Celtics bench might well have made up for any gap between the two
starting units. They were cruising and were achiving positive +/-
scores in virtually every game; and I've never been impressed by the
Lakers' bench.

Now, however, it seems the Celtics bench is floundering a bit in trying
to find a consistent identity. Ironically, one of the reasons may be
that they're adjusting to something a lot of us have been dying to see
and is now occurring...more of Sheed down low.

And, as well as Williams has been playing, I think his contributions
involve more individual effort than an instinct for contributing
systematically. There's been little smoothness out there, and it seems
everyone is a little tentative about roles, with the result that no one
has really been contributing to the maxmum.

That systematic roughness may be why Scal has gotten the call a little
more often lately. And, when Davis rejoins the mix, there will
probably be more experimentation to determine which combination
produced the best offensive flow in particular.

As things stand right now, I'm hoping to see the starters stay on their
bicycle-built-for-five and reinforce their own high-level cruise control.
And I'm hoping the bench will soon be able to discard the training
wheels and move to the front of the "main pack" of riders.

Then, with the two-headed starter/bench monster in place, I'll feel
pretty good in a race against the Lakers or anyone else. At present, I'm glad
more games remain before the two teams meet.

Sam

I agree Sam. The Celtic bench showed us early on that they can torch it, adding to the lead. Didn't one game they score approx 60 out of 100 of the total points? Then the tinkering began and the bricks soon followed. Go back to THAT line-up and substitution pattern,Doc!! Now of course the starters don't want to be shown up like that all the time!! But they could get used to it!

The problem with bench play in the NBA is it's too broken up. You warm up with everybody. You don't start. You sit for 15-20 minutes. You come in, one at a time with 3 minutes to play in the 1st and 3rd quarters. You have a 3-4 minute break with the change to the 2nd and 4th quarters. Then play 6 more minutes while the starters trickle back in. Being a bench player is a very disconcerting job. And this doesn't even allow for one of our starters getting into early foul trouble.

We're almost asking these guys to be, play and perform like starters. Hence Sam's comment about finding an identity. Back to Posey, but he was a great 6th man. (Do they have the 6th man award anymore? That was more of an 80's term.) In the 2000's, it's no more 6th man, but bench play. I think bench play is much more an art, easily requiring more work than the starters since in most cases, they are the leftovers. They get the charge from most coaches and organizations of "Play hard. Just don't go in there and eff up our lead." They are a hodgepodge, an ever-changing group at best. No disrespect intended. They are a very important cog in the wheel.

Yeah, we're not yet ready for showtime. But I'm likin' what I'm seein'!!

I think the lakers could very well beat us in one game. Maybe in a three game series.

But we'd clean their plough in s seven game series.

Hey Jeb- I don't think the Lakers use their ploughs for anything that is not "X" rated. It's evident Kobe doesn't! I'd leave the Laker's ploughs alone! We could clean their clock, though!-Do you wonder if Kobe is a distant relative of Eldrich Woods?-MD.

TO: NYCelt: I believe your comments and I also think since multiple indescretions are involved Mr Woods will soon be light on a number of current sponsors and endorsements! Tony Kornheiser said he thinks Woods will take an extended golf tour break in order for the fiasco to blow over!-MD.

MD

Heard Tiger got a new Escalade......because he got a hole in one.



beat

Beat: I like that! It was like a popular credit card Advertisement likes to use the term, "Priceless"!-MD

beat wrote:MD

Heard Tiger got a new Escalade......because he got a hole in one.



beat

beat!!!

That was so funny it needed to be seen again in a quote!!

gyso

beat wrote:MD

Heard Tiger got a new Escalade......because he got a hole in one.



beat

...and again....ba dumpa......
lol.........

Sam wrote:LACF,

It's all hypothetical, of course. Until the last couple of games, when
KG has demonstrated consistent superiority out there, I would have felt
that the Lakers at full strength were more "together" than the Celtics
at full strength.

I'd almost compare it to never forgetting how to ride a bicycle once
you've mastered it. Bynum or Gasol could come back, and they'd quickly
be functioning as always. I felt that the Celtics starters had not yet
reclaimed that predictable type of reliable "template."

On the other hand, earlier in this season, I would have felt that the
Celtics bench might well have made up for any gap between the two
starting units. They were cruising and were achiving positive +/-
scores in virtually every game; and I've never been impressed by the
Lakers' bench.

Now, however, it seems the Celtics bench is floundering a bit in trying
to find a consistent identity. Ironically, one of the reasons may be
that they're adjusting to something a lot of us have been dying to see
and is now occurring...more of Sheed down low.

And, as well as Williams has been playing, I think his contributions
involve more individual effort than an instinct for contributing
systematically. There's been little smoothness out there, and it seems
everyone is a little tentative about roles, with the result that no one
has really been contributing to the maxmum.

That systematic roughness may be why Scal has gotten the call a little
more often lately. And, when Davis rejoins the mix, there will
probably be more experimentation to determine which combination
produced the best offensive flow in particular.

As things stand right now, I'm hoping to see the starters stay on their
bicycle-built-for-five and reinforce their own high-level cruise control.
And I'm hoping the bench will soon be able to discard the training
wheels and move to the front of the "main pack" of riders.

Then, with the two-headed starter/bench monster in place, I'll feel
pretty good in a race against the Lakers or anyone else. At present, I'm glad
more games remain before the two teams meet.

Sam

Sam,I was just pointing out the uneven nature of the beast, this year...2 weeks ago...LA beats the C's pretty easily I think....Last week, all things being as they went down that night...The C's walk away with a 10+ win in LA....IMHO It will be interesting to see the Magic go up against the Lakers....

LACELTFAN wrote:

Sam,I was just pointing out the uneven nature of the beast, this year...2 weeks ago...LA beats the C's pretty easily I think....Last week, all things being as they went down that night...The C's walk away with a 10+ win in LA....IMHO It will be interesting to see the Magic go up against the Lakers....

LACELT- The flaw in that argument is the assumption that LA would come out with the same energy (or lack thereof) vs the Cs as they did vs the HEat- who I think the Lakers had kind of dismissed b/c of their record and b/c they had just gotten pounded in Denver the night before. I was at the game and you could tell they did not have the focus or energy of recent games.

The Lakers didn't take them seriously and didn't bring it. That is never a problem vs Boston. If there is one team that has the Lakers attention, it's KG and the boys.


As for Lakers-Magic, I look forward to it as well. Will be really interesting. As will Cs-Magic rematch on Christmas day.

babyskyhook wrote:

LACELTFAN wrote:

Sam,I was just pointing out the uneven nature of the beast, this year...2 weeks ago...LA beats the C's pretty easily I think....Last week, all things being as they went down that night...The C's walk away with a 10+ win in LA....IMHO It will be interesting to see the Magic go up against the Lakers....

LACELT- The flaw in that argument is the assumption that LA would come out with the same energy (or lack thereof) vs the Cs as they did vs the HEat- who I think the Lakers had kind of dismissed b/c of their record and b/c they had just gotten pounded in Denver the night before. I was at the game and you could tell they did not have the focus or energy of recent games.

The Lakers didn't take them seriously and didn't bring it. That is never a problem vs Boston. If there is one team that has the Lakers attention, it's KG and the boys.


As for Lakers-Magic, I look forward to it as well. Will be really interesting. As will Cs-Magic rematch on Christmas day.

That's why I said IF they played that way...I understood going in that things could very well be different atmosphere-wise...but even if the Lakers were "up" for the Celtics doesn't mean that they would execute at a certain level....My point was that going into that game 2 weeks ago, I would be much less optimistic than last week...Last week, I wouldn't have been surprised to see the Celtics beat LA by 10 in LA. I'm not saying that they would...I'm saying I wouldn't have been surprised.

My assumption when these two teams meet is that they are always going to get each other's A+ game.

UNless there is a bigger longer term issue for one of the teams, I expect a playoff-like intensity and a well-played game, no matter how they're playing through the course of the long NBA schedule vs teams that frankly don't get much respect from the Cs or the Lakers.

babyskyhook wrote:My assumption when these two teams meet is that they are always going to get each other's A+ game.

UNless there is a bigger longer term issue for one of the teams, I expect a playoff-like intensity and a well-played game, no matter how they're playing through the course of the long NBA schedule vs teams that frankly don't get much respect from the Cs or the Lakers.

I'm not sure that A+ game is something you turn on and off like a spiggot...even if you are the Lakers. You are either meshing and executing or you aint....OR you are for a stretch and then you aren't for a stretch (but not by design), which mode both the Lakers and Celtics seem to be in right now....although more so the C's granted.