SB Nation User Blog: petula

Cruising in the DeLorean

petula — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:11:22 -0000

The contemporary significance of tonight’s Pistons-Celtics match-up is well documented. For those geezers over 25, it also marks a vivid Back to the Future ride to the late 80s-early 90s when Detroit starred as the C’s number one rival (if only because Celtic Finals appearances against the Lakers were drying up). Aside from the unstable, atomic Tar Heel Rasheed Wallace, the present day face-off lacks the controversial personalities of the old rivalry. We have no Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Robert "Rabbit Punch" Parish, Kevin McHale, or Danny Ainge to be the lightening rod of ire; even that era’s superstars, Larry and Isiah had qualities sure to irritate the opposing fanbase. The current rivalry also has a short history, with Ainge conjuring up a contender with such improbable alacrity that one fears Danny’s soul may now be owned by a resident of the Netherworld. Nevertheless, the current rivalry is nothing to scoff at. With Pistons and Celtics the two clear-cut Eastern Conference contenders - well - charge up the flux capacitor and have at it for the old and the new guard!

First Quarter

Perhaps someone should have gotten Laimbeer and Mahorn off the WNBA sidelines, because the Pistons started off dreadfully. They missed their first six field goal attempts, while the Celtics opened with a couple of Garnett buckets, a Pierce curl in the lane, and two Rondo specials: a left to right scoop shot high off the glass and a floater in the lane. A Rondo turnover resulted in a breakaway dunk by Richard Hamilton to give the Pistons their first field goal, cutting the Celtics’ early lead to 10-3. Pierce responded with two free throws and a three-pointer and, at 15-3, Flip Saunders called for mercy with a time-out.

After the time-out, the Pistons picked up their intensity, with modest gains in effectiveness. The game became more physical and chippy (like old times), to the point where Ray Allen, perhaps the most unlikely provocateur, drew a technical when he responded to Hamilton’s hand-checking with an elbow to Rip’s throat. The game settled into a slower, more even affair, with Garnett displaying his offensive assertiveness and Rondo going at Billups for a fast break lay-up. Hamilton kept the Pistons afloat.

If there was a unifying theme in the first quarter, it was Rondo’s refusal to back down from Billups. The Pistons clearly looked to isolate Billups on Rondo and Rondo held his ground, right on Chauncey’s shooting hand (resulting in 1-4 shooting and only two points for Billups). Meanwhile Rondo continued his recent assertiveness on offense, taking seven shot attempts and hitting three for six points in the quarter. Perhaps Rondo sought out his offense a little too much at times, but with a 23-13 lead at the end of the quarter the results were none too bad.

Second Quarter

The second quarter proved to be more of a challenge for the Celtics. The quarter opened with Pierce, Leon Powe, Tony Allen, Big Baby, and Eddie House on the floor, and they struggled, with the Celtics rapidly losing their lead as they failed to finish drives, avoid fouls, and even, at times, to dribble. For his part, Posey looked like he had spent some significant time at the Tony Allen School of Dribbling Excellence, muffing a couple of drives and creating unforced turnovers. Meanwhile, Detroit’s shooting improved as the Celtics struggled, eventually bringing Detroit to within two points of the Cs.

Doc spent the rest of the quarter tinkering with rotations. Slowly the team evolved back to the first unit, re-gaining control of the game along the way. By the 6:00 mark, the C’s were back up 11 points, which they more or less held onto for the remainder of the quarter.

The physical game continued, with fouls coming fast and furious. The teams were knocking each other around as much as they could get away with (and sometimes more). At one point Ray Allen was called for a foul apparently for placing his private parts in the way of Hamilton’s elbow.

If Rondo was the player of the first quarter, KG was the man of the second. He has clearly recovered from any lingering effects of the abdominal strain and is looking like his old aggressive self. KG finished the half with 20 points on 67% shooting, with four rebounds a couple of steals and an assist for good measure. The Celtics finished the half leading the Pistons 47-37.

Third Quarter

The Celtics came out in the third looking like the 1985-86 Cs with physical big men who had enough grace to pass the ball. Perkins continued his solid play, grabbing a couple of rebounds, and cutting to the hoop, taking a pass from Pierce and hitting Garnett underneath for a lay-up. Unfortunately for Perkins, he was also picking up fouls at a rapid rate and had to sit about four minutes in after picking up his fourth.

Meanwhile, Garnett continued his solid shooting with three baskets in the first five minutes of the quarter. Wallace likewise continued his hot hand, despite being hobbled by a clearly painful ankle that he turned before the half. Billups began asserting himself, drawing several fouls (he would end the quarter 11-11 from the line). The Pistons cut the lead to 57-52 with 5:52 left in the half.

Once again, Rondo was going nowhere. He attacked the basket repeatedly, not always wisely, especially after the Pistons chose to switch Hamilton onto him. Rondo had play of the year material, however, on one drive in which he blew by Hamilton and slammed it over Jason Maxiell while absorbing contact that sent his head hard against the parquet. Rondo’s game was not always pretty in the third, but it showed the type of moxie that you want to see from your young point guard going into the playoffs.

Another young Celtic with moxie in the quarter was Big Baby. Davis went up and under for a basket at one point and then later called for the ball in the post and made a solid spin move for two off the glass. The remainder of the quarter was a back and forth struggle between the two teams until the final minute, when a Piston run brought the score to 69-67. Despite good play from the Celtics, this game was tight with 12 minutes left to play

Fourth Quarter

The Pistons quickly tied up the game on a Prince basket to open the quarter. Rondo made several unsuccessful attempts to take the ball to the hoop before remembering that passing is also an option. Heavy fouling continued on both sides, and within the first couple of minutes in the quarter, the Pistons were in foul trouble, particularly Wallace who picked up his fifth early in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Celtics couldn’t seem to buy a basket, and the score remained tied at 9:00.

The score remained tight for three more minutes, with a basket here and a free throw there, and Perk continuing to bring down almost every rebound. KG finally broke the score open with a little fancy footwork, scoring his 31st point of the game (a new high for KG as a Celtic). The teams traded baskets (and fouls).

The real turnaround came at around the six minute mark, when Pierce returned to the game. He quickly put down a three, bringing the Cs’ lead up to 5 and changing the energy of the game. Another Rondo free throw (on a Billups foul) and Pierce bucket and the Cs were suddenly up by 8 points. Rondo then took it in the lane nailed it over Billups (as good as Chauncey was in the third quarter, he was horrible in the fourth) with 2:00 remaining, while drawing the foul and then hitting the free throw to put the Cs up by 11. And that was basically the game.

The final score was 90-78, a deceptively comfortable margin. Player of the game honors have to be shared by KG, a monster all night long with his Celtic high 31 points, and Perk, with a career high 20 rebounds (including 10 in the fourth quarter) and excellent activity on the defensive end. Rondo’s night was highly imperfect with several forced shots (6-16 from the field) and 5 turnovers, but his 16 points, 5 assists and all around scrappy play was thrilling to watch, and it has to give comfort to those who worry that he may be intimidated in the playoffs against the big boys.

There was some high level basketball on display this evening and these two teams match up elegantly. Please, let nothing stand in the way of a Celtic-Pistons conference final. And then let’s party like it’s 1987.

Box Score

What If?

petula — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:20:04 -0000

What if Antoine Walker had never left the Celtics? What if he got his long-term extension from Danny in 2003, and was still a part of the Boston landscape today? First we need to avoid the delusion that Antoine somehow would not have disintegrated just as precipitously (or perhaps worse) than he actually has. No, he would not be attending Jenny Craig religiously and listening to every sage word that Doc Rivers had to offer. We’re sorry, but any of you who believe that the course of Antoine’s career would have been salvaged by Danny, Doc, Wyc, Celtic tradition, the joy of wearing green, or living in Sudbury, need to examine a highlight reel of his last two years (we know, we know, another 30 seconds out of your life) and then take a big strong breath of reality.

We are not so much interested in how the persistence of ‘Toine would have affected the course of the Celtics, but more how it would have affected CelticsBlog itself (because that’s what’s really important, right?). As Antoine was always a lightning rod at CBlog, we imagine that he would still have his share of supporters and detractors, but the content would certainly have shifted considerably by now (much as the continental plates shift when Antoine walks from the fridge to the microwave). Here are 10 possible threads we might be seeing this season:

1. Maybe I’m Drinking the Kool-Aid, but I Think the Cs Can Win 28 games if Gabe Pruitt Plays More

2. How Doc Rivers, PJ Carlesimo, Sam Vincent, and now Rick Carlisle, have Ruined Antoine’s Career

3. If the Cs could Trade Antoine for a Rotting Head of Cabbage, Would It Improve their Basketball IQ?

4. Danny Ainge: What an Idiot for not Trading Antoine to Dallas when he had the Chance

5. Antoine’s Body: More Marlon Brando circa 1992 or Elvis 1976?

6. Why Antoine is Still More Valuable than Pierce

7. Antoine is Stunting Leon Powe’s Development

8. Was Sitting at a Dunkin’ Donuts at 3am and In Walks Antoine – Cool Dude, Bought me a Jelly

9. Can You Still Call Someone a Perennial All-Star When They Have Not Gone in 5 Years?

10. Antoine Just Needs to Score and Rebound More, Defend Better, Turn the Ball Over Less, Take Better Shots, Stop Complaining to Referees and He Will Be Fine

The Prodigal Pups Return

petula — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:23:07 -0000

Hard to imagine a reunion game in Boston sports history quite like this: where 40% of the opposing team’s roster was composed of former Boston players, with most having played on our team just the year before. Perhaps only in post-blockbuster NBA trade world is such an occurrence even possible.

This game offered up seemingly endless subplots: Al Jefferson, the former Celtic man-in-waiting (who had 39 and 15 Wednesday night against Phoenix), facing off against his trade counterpart and now MVP-in-waiting; the Artist-Formerly-Known-as-Toine dusting off his widening wiggle (former Walker acolytes may want to avert your eyes, it may not be pleasant); the reigning slam dunk champion returning to the site of so many of his turnovers; Ryan Gomes just one game removed from a career-best 35 points against Golden State; a resuscitated Sebastian Telfair (whatever happened to that gun-under-the-seat charge anyway?); and, the bane of those who insure NBA contracts, Theo "Eight Is Enough Games in Two Seasons" Ratliff, sure to be on the sidelines looking natty in his Stern-approved suit.

First Quarter

"Mismatch" was apparently the secret word for the opening of this game. The only sight more pathetic than Gomes staring into Kevin Garnett’s Adam’s Apple as Garnett went over him again and again, was Kendrick Perkins trying to stay with Al Jefferson. Garnett passed, shot, and dunked at will over the seemingly Lilliputian Gomes, while Jefferson left his godson’s papa bewildered in the post to the tune of 8 points in the first 5 minutes. The Celtics began throwing double and triple teams at Jefferson immediately following the first timeout with the score 17-15 Wolves, shutting Jefferson out for the remainder of the quarter. Rashad McCants and Telfair picked up the slack and kept the game going back and forth through the remainder of the quarter. Perkins got some consolation as the Wolves started to enact the cover-everyone-but-Kendrick defense, ending the quarter with 6 points. Remember the days of intense, relentless Celtic defense earlier this season? Well those days seemed a distant memory in the opening quarter tonight: the Wolves shoot 63% and finish with a 30-29 edge.

Second Quarter

The Celtics started the second quarter with Tony Allen, Rondo, Pierce, Powe, and Big Baby on the floor. Pierce, playing more the distributor role for the second unit, fed Powe three times early in the quarter, twice for scores. Later, he found Perk for a couple of dunks. By the end of the half, Pierce had already racked up 6 assists, while taking only 5 shots. Ray Allen flashed back to his shooting struggles, missing the perimeter shots, then swooping in for his own rebounds, only to miss the short gimmes as well (Ray was only 1-9 in the half). Meanwhile, Gerald Green and Tony Allen battled it out to be the player with the greatest upside-downside swing. They seemed to match each other foul for foul, turnover for turnover. Each had their momentary flash of talent, quickly buried by the next huge gaffe.

Toward the end of the quarter, the Celtics’ starters re-entered the game, and gained some modicum of temporary control. The defense, while an improvement over the first quarter, did not stop the Wolves from taking a number of open perimeter shots (some of which actually went in). The Celtics ended the half up 50-47, largely on the strength of Perks’ interior play (14 points in the half) and KG’s perfect (4-4) shooting (for 10 points in the half).

Third Quarter

The Celtics uninspired play continued into the third quarter with some ugly turnovers by Ray Allen and Pierce, Ray Allen missing from everywhere (save one wide open baseline jumper; he ends the quarter 2-13 for the game), and defense that was allowing Minnesota far too many good looks. The sold-out crowd was eerily silent given the build-up of this game. The whole quarter was inelegant all around, no big runs, no sustained good play; a tedious, uneventful episode in this budding rivalry (yeah, epic battles ahead!). The highlight, other than a nice drive and up-and-under by Jefferson over Garnett, may have come with Perkins at the free throw line and Garnett and Jefferson picking up double technicals for mouthing off to one another. Doesn’t get more exciting than that, does it? Well it didn’t in this quarter, until perhaps an offensive rebound by Leon Powe with 46 seconds left. Powe then drove uncontested to the hoop, scored, picked up the foul, and finished the three-point play. The Wolves entered the final quarter ahead 68-67 after Corey Brewer drilled a long baseline jumper in Pierce’s face (then let Pierce know about it) with three seconds remaining.

Fourth Quarter

Sadly, the fourth quarter offered up more of the same. More than anything, this seemed to be a battle of fouls and turnovers (Pierce and Ray Allen would combine for 11 turnovers in the game). Doc kept switching out personnel trying to find the magic combination that would wake up and realize that they were playing the Timberwolves (for goodness sake) and take control of the game once and for all. To no avail; this one would come down to the wire.

With 6:19 left in the game, KG sustained some sort of abdominal injury and painfully limped his way to the locker room. The Celtics played on. Over the next three minutes (while the fouls and TOs continued), the Celtics gradually closed the gap from 6 points to three. With just under two minutes to go, KG returned to the game. With 23 seconds left in the game, the C’s took 5 attempts at the basket before Pierce got a put back to finally bring the Cs within one.

In the gift of the evening, Corey Brewer could not find an open man, and failed to inbound the ball (or call a time out) within five seconds, yielding possession to the Celtics. Ray Allen then missed a runner, but Perkins nestled in the put back to give the Celtics an 87-86 lead with 16.6 seconds left in the game. Once again, the Wolves inbound play was an adventure, as Jaric seemed befuddled and had to call the Wolves’ last time out in order to maintain possession. The Celtics had a foul to waste, and Perkins used it with ten seconds remaining. The Wolves finally managed to get the ball to Jefferson who found himself double-teamed. He passed to Telfair near mid-court, but KG knocked the dribble out of Telfair’s hands, fell to the floor, and managed to pass to ball to Rondo. And time thankfully expired. The Celtics squeaked by in the end: 87-86.

If there is such a thing as a bad win, this was it. The embarrassing elements were legion: Telfair dominated Rondo for much of the fourth quarter, and finished with 18 points and 6 assists (to Rondo’s 4 and 4); Antoine (who looked like a shell of his former self) actually stripped the ball at the top of the key from Eddie "I Am Not a Point Guard in Any League" House during the Wolves run in the fourth; the Celtics had 23 turnovers; the wings (Pierce and the Allens) shot a combined 10 for 40; and Garnett attempted only 1 field goal in the second half. In the end, the only bright spots were KG’s 16 rebounds, Perkins’ 21 points on an array of garbage hoops, and Pierce’s ability to counterbalance a generally horrid performance with enough grit to go 10-10 from the line, grab 9 rebounds, and hand out 8 assists.

Not all reunions are pleasant ones. The young Wolves made this night very uncomfortable for the reputed best team in the NBA.

Box Score

Home Security

petula — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 02:44:59 -0000

The 18-2 Celtics welcomed Chairman Yi and his 9-12 Milwaukee Bucks into the Garden this evening. A touch of suspense was injected into the match-up by the pre-game announcement that Ray Allen would not suit up due to an ankle bruise, and would be replaced in the starting line-up by Tony Allen. Scott Pollard was also inactive for the game. Kendrick Perkins, on the other hand, was slated to play despite his recent bed-induced toe injury. Coming into tonight's game, the Celtics were 11-0 at home; one game away from tying the team's best home start ever. Would the Ray-less Celtics make history?

First Quarter

The Celtics played a solid yet unspectacular first quarter. The game started out with a couple of quick changes of possession and then a nice turnaround by Kevin Garnett, immediately followed by a Rondo steal on the return downcourt. The Celtics were strong throughout the quarter, despite a bit of sag in the middle, and did not seem to be unduly hindered by the substitution of one Allen for another. However, the team was clearly depending upon Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett (Andrew Bogut was about as overmatched trying defend Garnett as anyone has been this season) who were responsible for 17 of 25 Boston points.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee struggled, racking up 7 turnovers and shooting only 44% in the quarter. The Bucks had three bad passes leading to loss of possession in the first five minutes, two into the stands and another back across the halfcourt line. Michael Redd was nowhere to be seen, going scoreless in the quarter. At the end of the quarter, the Celtics were up 25-21.

Second Quarter

The Celtics second unit struggled to open the second quarter. James Posey was initially charged with bringing the ball up the court, as the Celtics seemed poised to isolate Rondo for drives to the hoop. This strategy was effective for a basket at the end of the first quarter and another to begin the Celtics scoring in the second. However, it was short-lived, as Rondo quickly picked up his second foul and Pierce replaced him in the game.

An Eddie House three at the 8:22 mark seemed to be a potential wake-up call; but it went unheeded, as the teams continued to trade baskets and miss shots. This was a slow-paced quarter marked by frequent turnovers. For the Bucks, Charlie Villaneuva made solid contributions on the boards (4) and totaled 7 points off the bench in the half.

As with many games over his career, we had the requisite Tony Allen Bipolar Minute. With about 3 minutes remaining in the quarter, Allen hit a three and then on the next possession pulled up for a twenty footer that only traveled 17 feet. He then stole the ball, making us all tremble as he dribbled up-court, but ended up making the final pass to Garnett for a dunk.

The whole half was, in a word: fine. Maybe in another word: mediocre. Evenly played, with nothing particularly notable happening on either side of the court. Overall, a workmanlike mid-season game. The Celtics went into the break leading 46-44 with the statistical line about as even as it could be: Bucks 49% from the field, Celtics 47%; Bucks 18 rebounds, Celtics 16; Bucks 6 steals, Celtics 5; Bucks 10 turnovers, Celtics 9; and both teams with 9 assists and 10 personal fouls each.

Third Quarter

After some initial struggles at the outset of the quarter (including a rare basket by Redd in which he blew by Tony Allen as if he weren't there), the Celtics went on a 10-nothing run to wrest control of the game. Rondo attempted numerous shots, executed a cartwheel following a hard foul, and had 9 points in the quarter. He would finish the game with the 17 points that he accrued to this point, making him the number two scorer after Pierce. Most notably, Rondo made 5 of 5 free throws. Whether due to summer shooting drills, maturation, or play with the big three, our starting point guard is coming into his own.

The Celtics defense was as strong as their offense in the third, limiting the Bucks to 15 points and forcing a number of turnovers and repeated bad shots. For their part, the Bucks failed to keep the game at a pace they could handle. Their third quarter was typified by turnovers, personal fouls, and poor defensive coverage. Their ability to defend perimeter play, in particular, appeared completely non-existent. The Bucks leading man, Redd, will not be putting this game in his time capsule, as he finished the game with only 9 shot attempts and 7 points.

At the end of the third, Boston had grabbed a very comfortable lead: 78-59.

Fourth Quarter

Garnett never got off the bench in the fourth quarter and the first five minutes were a Pierce aria: lots of Paul shooting, driving, and doing pretty much whatever he wanted while the lead hovered around 19. Rondo replaced Pierce with seven minutes remaining, and the rest of the quarter was pretty much garbage time as we were treated to such NBA legends as Royal Ivey, Awvee Storey, and the Center-Formerly-Known-As-Dan-Gadzuric.

The Celtics countered with Leon Powe and Gabe Pruitt to team with the more regularly seen Glen Davis, House, and Posey (who was then replaced by Scal with three minutes remaining). Pruitt watchers were treated to some nice signs: a breakaway lay-up after a steal followed by a very smooth looking jumper, and a three-pointer in the final minute. In all, 7 points in just a couple minutes of play. Pruitt's ballhandling was strong and he made some very nice feeds. The final score, a very comfortable 104-82.

Records are made to be equaled: the Celtics' franchise record 12-0 start at home has now been matched. Next Wednesday a more formidable foe, the Detroit Pistons, may bedevil this team as they seek to shatter the record once and for all.

Box Score

The Billy King Memorial Game

petula — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 03:01:10 -0000

Billy King is dead. Well, metaphorically dead as the former GM and President of the Philadelphia 76ers. Tonight his legacy was in full force as the moribund Sixers attempted to show the Celtics that they could keep pace with the varsity, and for a while they did so nobly. While the timing of King’s dismissal is as mysterious and nonsensical as the majority of his player personnel moves, there is little doubt that a fresh start was in order for this franchise. King was as good as gone when he traded Allen Iverson for salary equalizers in Andre Miller (a decent point guard, but not a long-range asset) and Joe Smith, as well what became the 21st and 30th picks in 2007 draft. With some draft day movement, the Sixers ended up with Jason Smith and Derrick Byars, and Byars was cut in training camp. Thus, unless they extract some value for Andre Miller, this trade boils down to Allen Iverson for Jason Smith. Long live Billy King.

First Quarter

The Sixers started the game strong, matching the Celtics stride for stride. Andre Miller led the charge, abusing Rajon Rondo in every way possible: posting him up, shooting jump shots, and making a back cut underneath the hoop for 10 quick points. The Celtics, meanwhile, were spreading things around with all five starters scoring. Kendrick Perkins made all his shots, including two nice hooks, for a Celtic high of 8 first quarter points.

With five minutes left in the quarter and Philly ahead 18-17, Eddie House mercifully replaced Rondo on the court and was greeted by Andre Miller who blew left around him and immediately drew a foul. Miller then posted House on the right block and spun around his immobile form. House responded with a finger roll in the lane and a successful three point play.

At one point in the latter half of the quarter, the Celtics and Sixers combined for 11 straight baskets. Somewhere Billy King was smiling (maybe) as the Sixers ended the quarter up 32-26, having shot 74% from the field.

Second Quarter

The Celtics started the second quarter with the second unit plus Ray Allen on the floor. The Sixers jumped out to a 42-31 lead three minutes in, with Louis Williams continuing Philly’s excellent point guard play by hitting a three and getting excellent penetration. Over the course of the first few minutes, Doc responded to a struggling second unit by subbing most of the starters back into the game.

Tony Allen stayed on the floor, however, and the TA rollercoaster continued its latest run. Allen hit a 3-pointer, grabbed 3 rebounds, made a nice penetration and dish to James Posey for a dunk. He also threw two horrible passes on consecutive possessions, one into the stands and another to the Sixers when he tried to hit a covered Pierce at the top of the key. He’s got spark, but there still seems to be a short in there somewhere.

Philadelphia scored easily through much of the second quarter. However, near the end of the half, the Celtics finally seemed to wake from their stupor. KG put on his game face and ended the half with 12 points. The fouls also started coming thick and fast, and Rondo went to the bench after picking up his third personal foul of the game.

Philadelphia ended the half up 57 to 52, shooting 60% from the field. Andre Iguodala scored fourteen points in the half and Miller 19 points, with 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. AI who?

Third Quarter

The Celtics scored the first seven points in the third quarter on a Garnett dunk, Ray Allen three-pointer, and a Pierce runner in the lane, to jump ahead 59-57 and force Philly into an early timeout. The pace slowed considerably following the time-out, but the Celtics’ defensive intensity had clearly moved to a new level.

Perkins picked up his fourth foul at the 5:43 mark, and was replaced by Glen Davis, again the first big man off the bench (a couple more games and we may need to post an Amber Alert for poor Leon Powe). Paul Pierce continued his strong second quarter play, driving and drawing fouls, hitting an open Davis underneath the basket, and generally playing with a level of focus rivaling that of Kevin Garnett. Pierce’s distribution of the ball has been strong throughout and he ended the third quarter with 8 assists for the game.

Toward the end of the quarter, Williams re-entered the game for Philly making an immediate impact, with a lay-up and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions and a lob to Dalembert for the dunk. Fortunately for the Celtics, Posey managed to wedge two three-pointers into this streak and Rondo stepped in for a lay-up with a second left, allowing the Celtics to finish the quarter ahead 83-80.

Fourth Quarter

Remember how last year, the Celtics would stay in the game all the way through three quarters and then the other guys would kill us in the fourth? Well now we are the other guys. Despite the decision to play Tony Allen at point guard for much of the fourth quarter (actually, to be fair, Tony played pretty well with a couple runners in the lane and decent decisions with the ball) and an early Philadelphia run which put the Cs three points down, the Celtics quickly gained the high ground and held it for the remainder of the game.

The Celtics fourth quarter success was driven largely by excellent three point shooting by House and Posey, strong defense and a solid quarter for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. By the 6 minute mark the Celtics were up by 8 points and the Sixers were making sloppy mistakes. Although the Celtics never quite pulled away with absolute certainty, they were safely up at least 6 points for the remainder of the fourth quarter. As the clock wound down there was an air of inevitability about the win. The final score was 113-103 Celtics. Garnett led the way with 22 points, and Pierce had 19 (and 12 assists). However, a case could be made that the MVPs for this game, and the reason for the Celtics’ separation in the second half, were Posey with 17 points (and generally good all around play) and House with 15.

Not only is Billy King dead, but, apparently, so is the franchise he left behind. Long live the King.

Box Score

Bobcats are Tough, Ray is Tougher

petula — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 03:27:01 -0000

Boston and Charlotte met tonight in a game that turned out to be closer than anyone would have expected. Boston came into tonight’s game with a record of 10-1, while Charlotte’s was 6-6. Both teams were on the second game of back-to-backs, and their previous games could not have been more different. While the Celtics easily dominated the Lakers on Friday night, the Bobcats fell to the surging Orlando Magic. The Bobcats’ Gerald Wallace was injured during that game and, despite a reportedly clean MRI this afternoon, was pulled from tonight’s lineup just before game time. For the ever-superstitious Boston fan, these facts all added up to one thing: trouble.

First Quarter

The Bobcats came out feisty and grabbed an early lead sparked by the strong play of Boston College alum Jared Dudley. This was Dudley’s first NBA start, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. Dudley made Charlotte’s first two baskets and was in the middle of almost every play. Raymond Felton also had a strong showing, using his strength to overpower Rondo and get to the hoop, to finish or dish, almost at will.

The Charlotte crowd responded to their team’s strong start with an intensity that could only be described as tepid. When the prefabricated public address announcer boomed "De-Fense" partway through the quarter, his call was met with silence. The Celtics unfortunately seemed to be mirroring the energy of the Bobcat crowd, rather than that of the Bobcats. Their play in the first quarter was downright lethargic.

Despite the Celtics’ lifeless performance (possibly influenced by their travel delay and 3am arrival in Charlotte), they did just enough on the offensive end to keep pace with the Bobcats. Kevin Garnett led the team with six points, followed by Ray Allen’s four. The Celtics ended the first quarter deadlocked at 23.

Second Quarter

Given the relatively lifeless play of the starters, it is perhaps unsurprising that Doc Rivers chose to start a complete second unit (i.e., sans Pierce, Ray Allen or Garnett) in the second quarter. The Celtics bench played competently, with a deliberate effectiveness. If an NBA bench’s oath starts "first, do no harm", then mission accomplished. At the eight minute mark Pierce and Garnett re-entered the game (Rondo shortly followed suit) with the Celtics sporting a 31-30 lead.

After a shaky couple of minutes in which the C’s slipped 37-31, Rivers called a timeout and brought Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins back into the game. A wide open three by Raymond Felton brought the Bobcats’ lead to nine, but Garnett’s loud put back after his own miss and subsequent foul shot cut it to six. Pierce’s physical power-it-to-the-hoop game then kept the score close for the next several minutes.

Toward the end of the quarter, the Celtics had a nice 9-0 run to grab the lead. Unfortunately, the Celtics’ intensity waned once again in the final minute of the half, and the Bobcats leapt to fill the void, taking a 53-48 lead. Even the Charlotte crowd seemed interested in this development.

Third Quarter

The Celtics’ dispassionate performance continued in the third quarter, with Pierce and Garnett doing just enough to keep the game close. Rondo seemed to be the only player with a spark tonight, harassing Felton and the other Bobcats on the defensive end. Meanwhile, Ray Allen struggled mightily with his shot, ending the quarter 3-12 from the field, including 0-4 from three. The Bobcats, on the other hand, were counterpunching effectively, with Emeka Okafor shining early in the quarter and Felton late.

Given the recent history of the Celtic franchise, one could be forgiven for starting to worry that the Celtics didn’t quite have this game in hand. Nonetheless, we waited patiently for the C’s to kick into gear and pull away in the fourth from a clearly outclassed team. Up to this point, the Celtics had expended just enough energy to keep the game close, but not enough to pull away. They nudged ahead 76-75 at the end of the third on a James Posey three-pointer.

Fourth Quarter

In the fourth quarter, the pattern of punch and counterpunch continued: Matt Carroll opened the quarter by hitting a deep three; Allen missed a jumper but followed it up a moment later with two made free throws; Carroll immediately drilled another jumper, and so on. Following a time-out three minutes in, Pierce nailed a three from the top. Shortly thereafter, Garnett gathered a feed from Pierce and slammed it. Next Posey drained a three and the Celtics assumed the lead, 88-87.

The knockout punch seemed imminent. However, the Bobcats did not get the memo and continued to play with fire. A wild buzzer-beating 22-foot bank shot from Richardson pushed the Bobcats ahead 90-89. Even the troubled Ghost of Jeff McInnis was contributing, at least until he incurred an uncontested ten second call while bringing the ball up court with under two minutes left.

Down by two with 50 seconds left, Pierce (stop us if you’ve heard this one before) pulled up for a three from the top of the key that grabbed iron but not the lead. The Celtics forced a 24 second violation, which left them with 16.6 seconds on the clock. They moved the ball clumsily around the perimeter, narrowly avoiding a turnover, and Pierce missed an ugly fallaway from the foul line.

The Celtics followed the Pierce miss with an intentional foul, but because they were not in penalty, Charlotte had to inbound the ball. We began to compose lines about the one that got away, and hoped that the Celtics will have learned a lesson tonight.

But……..

In a moment fit to be narrated by the heavenly lungs of Johnny Most: "House steals the ball!" Eddie House deflected the inbound pass to Pierce, who tipped it to an open Ray Allen, who set from three and got nothing…..but…..net. Final score: Celtics 96-95 over the Bobcats.

Perhaps learning lessons is overrated. Winning games at the buzzer is clearly not.

Box Score.

Do You Believe in Magic?

petula — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 02:22:08 -0000

Without a doubt, tonight the Celtics faced their toughest match-up of the season to date. The 8-2 Orlando Magic boast a very productive starting five: Dwight Howard has improved his scoring average while remaining a rebounding beast; Rashard Lewis has thus far silenced the naysayers who wondered about his max value contract by giving the Magic the scorer that they needed; Hedo Turkoglu, reminds the casual NBA fan who utters "Hedo who?" that he is a pretty nice all-around player (18ppg, 6rpg, 4apg);

Jameer Nelson has added nearly 2.5 assists per game to his ledger; and Keith Bogans has become a real three-point specialist (60 of his 77 field goal attempts have been threes). But as with the new look Celtics, the real story may be the Magic defense, as they are holding teams to 41.8% shooting, second in the NBA to…….well, if you don’t know to whom, you need to turn in your CelticsBlog ID card right now.

We’re Talkin’ ‘Bout The Game

petula — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:31:13 -0000

Tonight the Celtics hosted the star-laden but clearly fatigued Denver Nuggets at the Garden for the second home game of the year. The game is a poignant one for the C’s as Doc is mourning his father who passed away on Sunday. However, the mood on the court is anything but somber, as the Celtics continue their evolution toward membership in the ranks of the NBA elite.

The Celtics start strong, with each of the starting five making significant contributions on the court. Rajon Rondo twice steps into passing lanes, picks off the ball and goes in uncontested, and then weaves through the lane for a lay-up in a half-court set. Paul Pierce twice finds Kendrick Perkins underneath for dunks, once on a behind the back pass as Pierce drives across the lane. Ray Allen throws a look-away pass to Kevin Garnett for a dunk, hits a three and floats around doing everything right. Garnett hits three jumpers and a fall-away and grabs every rebound that comes his way. Pierce scores on drives and jumpers like he’s working the room in a Toronto nightclub. The C’s defense is tight. Meanwhile, Denver can’t seem to stop anything. End of the quarter stats tell the story: 38-22 Boston with 71% shooting, 12 assists, and 6 steals. But even those numbers can not convey what an offensive clinic this was, easily the best quarter of the year so far for the Cs.

On Denver’s part, Marcus Camby had a couple of nice jumpers and overall was very active on the offensive end. The other two all stars, Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson match Camby’s six points in the quarter, basically keeping the Nuggets in the game (if being down 16 after the first quarter is "in the game").

Sure, great first quarter, but they can’t keep this up, especially with the four bench players taking over, right? Oh, those would be your crazy uncle’s Celtics, those of the last 4 years. Tonight, they pour it on. Eddie House hits two three-pointers and has his toe on the line on another jumper. Brian Scalabrine gets a tip-in. Tony Allen drives for a lay-up and then pulls up in the lane for another two. Starters return with more of the same. You can’t even keep up with who’s scoring, it happens so fast and so often. House comes back in for the final possession, gets a kick out pass from Tony Allen, and yes, drains it.

The Cs only score 41 in the quarter. The half ends 77-38. Yes, 77-38, that’s no misprint. If you are looking for negatives in the quarter, there is always the fact that James Posey left the game with back spasms and will not return (Nene is also gone with a thumb injury). Rondo briefly turned into Bad Rajon with a couple of sloppy turnovers and one of his patented nothing-but-backboard drives, but then he hit a jump shot. Again, no misprint, Rajon Rondo hit a jump shot. Pierce has 20 at the half; Garnett has 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and a blocked shot (some day it will get old to say how good KG is, but not yet); Ray Allen has 13 points, and Eddie House 11. Big Baby Davis never played but scored anyway. Ok, that didn’t happen but every other miraculous thing that could, did.

The third quarter opens with the burning question: will the Celtics cross 100 points before Denver gets 50? Okay, maybe not, but it is deliciously close. For a few brief moments, it looks like the break has refreshed Denver, with Kenyon Martin looking particularly displeased about the beating, but Denver quickly lapses back into their first half malaise. The Celtics, meanwhile, continue hitting on all cylinders. KG executes a beautiful one-handed dunk on an alley oop from Pierce, Garnett floating effortlessly while throwing it down. The Celtics continue to do little wrong on offense, although they do slow the pace. Their shooting percentage at the end of the quarter remains at 72%. Their defensive intensity abates somewhat and Denver wins the quarter 28-26, closing the gap to a mere 37 points (103-66). Denver: what is there to say? They make some nice shots, but the complete lack of defense is crippling. To add insult to injury, Mike Gorman actually compares them to the Washington Generals attempting to do battle with the Globetrotters. It’s nice to be the Globetrotters for a change.

Two small moments highlight the third quarter. First, Rondo sets a pick on Camby. Camby lowers his shoulder, drilling Rajon and sending him flying. Camby gets the foul, close to a flagrant one, and the Cs inbound the ball. What does Rondo do? Sets another pick on Camby to free Garnett for a jumper. No fear. Later, Pierce and Garnett go up for a defensive rebound. Pierce has position, but Garnett rips it away. They head up court, Pierce good-naturedly chiding Garnett and Garnett gives him a high five. Both continue to tease one another right up through a time out. A fun moment of chemistry between stars.

Can an entire quarter qualify as garbage time? Pierce leaves the game after the third quarter, while Garnett and Ray Allen leave with 9:11 left in the fourth. The rest of the quarter is a race against the clock. Can the Celtics bench get to the end of the game before they lose so many points that the starters have to sub back in? The play is a bit sloppy, to say the least. The Celtics really need to work on holding those 40 point leads. Big Baby scores legitimately on an old fashioned three point play. Powe finally sees some court time and puts up four points in four minutes. Denver subs crush the C’s subs (+ Rondo) 26-16 and the final margin is only 26 points (119-93), closer than many Patriot games.

We do believe this Celtics team has a shot a being OK. Are you all having fun yet!?

Box Score | ESPN Highlights

Chemical Reaction

petula — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:16:59 -0000

Welcome back to professional basketball in the Garden folks. Your patience is about to be rewarded.

After years of suffering, the master alchemist Danny Ainge has taken the detritus of last season and transmuted it into a roster of gold and silver. Now the only question is whether the next chain reaction, the interaction of these precious metals, will fashion themselves into a championship ring. Hopes are high with Boston’s new Trinity boasting 22 All-Star games under their collective belts (10 for KG, 7 for Allen and 5 for Pierce) with all three hungry for the hardware.

The first quarter of the first home preseason game of the Gabe Pruitt era (okay, maybe he’ll have some help) did nothing to dim the hopes of Celtics fans. Immediately after Rajon Rondo welcomed the crowd home to the Garden, signs of the reclamation began. Paul Pierce drives to the basket and finds an open Perkins for a dunk. Kevin Garnett gets the ball in the post, but instead of forcing one up, sends a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Rondo for a lay-up. Following a missed free throw by Eddy Curry (who’s looking like he has Oliver Miller’s dietician), the Celtics get out quick and Pierce beats everyone up the floor for a lay-up. Ray Allen dribbles under the hoop, and hits Pierce behind the three-point line. Pierce immediately rotates it to Kevin Garnett at the top of the key who hits the jumper. If this were last season, there is no way Pierce passes up that shot.

The Celtics hit 11 of their first 12 shots and jump out to an early double digit lead. Eddie House enters the game after Rondo gets his second foul about four minutes in, and drains a couple, including a three. Leon Powe throws himself around immediately upon his own entrance. Powe is going to play this year, and play a lot.

The Knicks? Boy do they love to dribble, go one-on-one, and shoot. Ball movement and defense, however: not so much. The first quarter ends with the Celtics leading 30-18 with 72% shooting (yes, you read that right, 72%). The Knicks did get out of the first quarter without committing a felony, which by their standards is an unmitigated success.

The start of the second quarter clearly lays out the challenge that the Celtics will face this year. One of the Garnett, Pierce, or Ray Allen trio needs to be on the court at all times. The quintet of House, Pruitt, Scalabrine, Powe, and Posey appeared to be running the offense looking for one of the three stars. Fortunately, the Knicks were hardly on fire, so even the rag-tag second team managed to hold their own until the starters were rested enough to rotate back in.

The revelation of the second quarter, however, was the play of Brian Scalabrine. More alchemy here? Scalabrine played much of the second quarter and seemed to be in the middle of every play. In ten minutes, he pulled down two rebounds, had an assist, a block, and nailed a three-pointer. He played solid defense and at one point slid across the floor to rescue a loose ball fumbled by Rondo. When was the last time Scal did such a good impersonation of an actual player? Likely, not since Jason Kidd was directing his movements.

Once the starters were back on the floor the pace picked up somewhat. Not only are KG, Allen and Pierce dismissing any doubts about their willingness to play together, but Rondo does not look out of place at all as he amassed three rebounds, two assists and two steals by halftime, and was moving the ball solidly up the court.

Perk, true to form, was already in foul trouble by the half. The Celtics end the half solidly in the lead 50-35, with a toasty 61% shooting. The first unit picked up in the second half right where they left off in the first: real teamwork, ball movement, and solid defense. Garnett beat everyone up for a dunk on a pass from Allen.

Garnett gets his hand on nearly every rebound and takes every opportunity to show that he is a great passer. Not just good - a great passer. Cut to the hoop and he’ll find you; throw it to him in the high post and he’ll use a touch pass to redirect it to an open wing; be ready and there’s the outlet pass.

A few minutes in, Pierce finds Perkins underneath for a dunk (Perk may lead the league in shooting percentage this year, as the wide open dunk will become his patented move). Mostly Pierce continued to light it up with ease adding 8 points bringing his game total to 22.

With about 3 minutes left in the quarter, the starters bid adieu and Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Pruitt, House, and Dahntay Jones join Scal on the floor. Officially the third quarter ends with a 31-point lead, 77-46, with Big Baby’s left hand lay-up the final blow of the quarter. The Knicks shoot 16% in the quarter, but no lawsuits, so again a win for them. Marbury may be thinking about his European exit strategy more seriously after this one.

The final quarter begins with the third unit on the floor and a solid lead, thus allowing time for some evaluation of the supporting cast. The draft picks look solid. Pruitt looks like he may further contribute to Ainge’s reputation as a drafting guru, handling and penetrating respectably and showing a very nice, soft stroke. Pruitt will end the game with 13 points and 4 assists in only 17 minutes of play.

Big Baby is a tad beefy and was winded way too early in the quarter, but showed some fancy moves including a spinning lay-up through traffic in the lane and a back door cut to Jackie Manuel, who may have made his first and last appearance at the Garden. Wallace’s play was fairly non-descript, and his future is still in limbo.

KG spent the quarter on the sidelines apparently attempting to control the ball with his mind. His intensity and support for these young players, half of whom won’t be around long enough to wash their jerseys, is one of the great images of the evening.

Powe is back in for the end of the quarter and ends the game by draining a16-footer, then stealing the ball, streaking down the court and drawing an intentional foul. His one converted free throw gives us a final score of 101-61 – the largest preseason Celtics win margin since 1988.

Perhaps the most important statistic of the evening, however, may be the 27 Celtics assists. The Celtics don’t just have three stars, they have three stars who know how to share the ball and the spotlight.

All gold tonight.

38.7% Ainâ€™t So Bad

petula — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:00:00 -0000

As everyone reading this knows by now, the Celtics have a 38.7% shot at getting the number 1 or 2 pick tonight (and thus one of the grand prizes of this yearâ€™s draft â€" Greg Oden or Kevin Durant).Â At first blush, that percentage doesnâ€™t look so great, and we are all bracing ourselves for the worst.Â But then we started thinking of all of the things that are worse than 38.7%:

1)Â 34.8% - The Celticsâ€™ combined win-loss record over the past two years.
So the Celtics have a better chance at landing Oden or Durant than they did at winning a game the last 2 years. Feel better? No? Sorry. Letâ€™s continue.

2)Â 37.1% - Telfairâ€™s 2006-07 shooting percentage (well, shooting percentage with a basketball that is).Â Unfortunately, we suspect the percentage of nights Danny Ainge woke up his wife while screaming â€œBrandon Roy!â€ in his sleep is much higher.

3)Â 36% - The percent of Americans who can name the current President of Russia.Â Can you?Â Yeah, but the first Italian player likely to be drafted this year, that one you know.Â Weâ€™re kind of a disturbed lot, arenâ€™t we?

4)Â 34.8% - The percentage of regular season games Raef LaFrentz has played in the last four years since being traded from Dallas.Â Â The percentage of games anyone wanted him to play: 0.3%.Â There was that first one before we discovered how terrible heâ€™d becomeâ€¦

5)Â 3.3% (estimated) - The odds that Knick fans will cheer their pick on draft night.Â Since Patrick Ewing in 1985, we think Maciej Lampe is the only player in the last 20 years who got a smattering of applause. Howâ€™d that one work out for them?

6)Â 0.00% - According to basketball-reference.com, the chance that the only former number one pick on the Celtics roster this past season, Michael Olowokandi, will make it into the Hall of Fame. We think itâ€™s lower.

7)Â -100% - Doc Riversâ€™ chance of making it into the Hall of Fame as a coach.Â Â Doc actually has to pay double admission to get in as a tourist, and then is only admitted if he agrees not to get within 50 feet of the Red Auerbach bust.

8)Â 35% - President Bushâ€™s current approval rating.

9)Â 35% - And, in the spirit of bipartisanship, Congressâ€™ current approval rating.Â Nice job everyone, keep up the good work.

10)Â ? - The combined current approval ratings among Celtics fans of Wyc, Danny, and Doc (we currently have skilled mathematicians working to find enough digits after the decimal point to produce an actual number).