1. Staying Healthy
2. Playing the bench so Danny has an idea of what he needs to do by Feb

Everything else is just filler.

The team might need to go back to Pierce in the second unit.

O’Bryant is not the “steal” that he looked like in first few preseason games or we’d be seeing a little more of him.
The whole team laid an egg against Indy. We have problems if one of each three games looks like that but I doubt it will.
I too think we shouldhave seen a little of Pruitt in INdy game. My man Eddie couldn’t throw it in the ocean.
I can’t understand why a gifted athlete such as Rondo cannot shoot free throws. Rondo has to be an 80% shooter with the body contact he draws.

Too early to reach any conclusions, but …

There are definitely warning signs materializing – a lack of perimeter shooting depth, no reliable backup with size at the 5.

Doesn’t look like a 60-win team at this point.

The 15 game rule seems pretty sensible for this season.

posey,posey,posey. Ok, you can’t say that Big Game James would cure all our bench problems but he sure would help. In the Pacers game he could have taken Granger for a while. also I guarantee you he would have been in someone’s ear about not settling for jumpers. But Posey is gone and he’s not walking through that door any time soon so I agree that giving pruitt some more minutes will help and I also agree that I would like to see walker activated. POB can’t get any better if Doc doesn’t play him.Tony allen still scares the hell out of me. Eddie is no PG which is why I say play pruitt there and eddie at the 2 and put tony at sf to spell pierce. As much as I love Baby I don’t see any improvement in his game. he still spends most of the time on the floor. Again I love the kid and his spirit but if danny can get something for him he should look into it

hey, I think everyone knew we were taking a step back when we lost Posey and PJ Brown. Let’s not forget the importance of PJ as a backup center. We replaced those guys with tony allen and patrick O Bryant ( or Leon if you want to look at it that way). Our bench was better last year- PERIOD. Danny has to hope that someone steps up. If not we’re going nowhere this year. We’ll win 50 + games but no championship.I don’t think I will ever understand the logic in not re-signing Posey. Damn!

I often see a complete lack of objectivity when assessing this team’s strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes I think I’m watching in a different universe.

For God’s sake, don’t try to blame everything on your whipping boy de jour, whether it’s Tony Allen, Big Baby, Patrick O’Bryant, Scalabrine, or whomever.

They lost in Indiana because TJ Ford and Jarrett Jack utterly and completely outplayed Rondo and House. The Indiana guards penetrated into the gut of Boston’s defense at will. And it’s the starters who lost that game, not the bench. They were already down ten by the time a substitution was made. And James Posey would have made absolutely no difference, because he can’t guard TJ Ford either.

Let me also add this: when Jim O’Brien and Dick Harter were coaching the Celtics, we would often see teams that were befuddled by Harter’s schemes the first time around, but then beat the Celtics the second or third time around. Teams would watch tape and figure out how to make O’Brien’s teams pay for fronting the post and blitzing the pick on every possession. This Celtics team will adjust also.

Let’s also be careful about repeating the same old tired mantras about what is wrong with the team. For starters, this team does not need more height in the froncourt. In fact, the team’s post defense has been excellent since about the third game in the preseason, and there has been plenty of front court scoring.

This team’s problems so far have been in the backcourt, either when Rondo does not play well or is on the bench, because the ball stops moving. I think it’s time to see what Pruitt can do.

When the “proven” players aren’t getting it done, then you try the unproven player. If he can’t get it done, you make a trade.

Cassell isn’t the answer either. When he’s in the game, that’s when the ball really stops moving.

Rondo needs to start shooting jump shots. He also needs to stay in front of his man on defense. He gambles for steals too much.

We won tons of crappy games like this last season. No no-taking-prisoners attitude like last season. Kind of worrysome

For whatever reason—injury, conditioning, coach’s decision—it appears to be written in stone that Perkins is incapable of playing more than 20-22 minutes. And based on his production, or lack thereof, that might not be a bad thing—if only the Celtics had a capable backup. But if they did have a capable backup, then he, the backup, would be starting instead of Perkins. Otherwise, Big Baby seems to have regressed.

right on, brick. agree with your analysis. my only addition is ray seems slower to react.

well, at least they now have a bunch of tape to watch. Everyone on the team can improve from studying that game…

I think it is fair to say after three games we now know we need to play Sam Cassell, Scal, Walker, Giddens, and the waterboy A LOT more! :)

Sure it was not fun to watch, but at least it is the exception, not the rule.

Pruitt, Walker, and POB have got to play more. The problem is that Doc usually subs on a wholesale basis, maybe leaving in one starter with four reserves. He needs to have one or two subs with 3/4 starters to gives these end of bench guys confidence, as they tend to play much better(as you would expect) with a stronger cast around them! Even Scal is a decent contributor with the starters, minus one.
Each of those guys at the end of the bench bring good things to the table, but not playing four or five of them together!
It takes alot more skill substituting like that—and Doc may not be up to it, but I definitely think it would help us.

My problem isn’t the loss as much as the road apathy that was too familiar from last year’s playoffs. The C’s won 30 road games last year and need to resemble that team beginning tomorrow. Its a given that they are talented enough to win 30+ at home, it will be the road record that determines home court for the playoffs. I’m confident that the big 3 have addressed this issue within the team now its a matter of displaying that road warrior intensity immediately and sustaining that level for the next 6 months.

That game was all about tempo which we obviously did not dictate.

And the overanalysing of a total of 3 games continues

I am taking this loss a bit harder than I should this early in the season, simply because it was on the road and that trend started last year in the play-offs.

So much of sport is “in the head” and last year, the winning became a habit early and stayed the distance.

This year, I do not want “road games” to become a mental hurdle. I have to pick out my young stud, Rajon, as one player who seems to struggle a little away from home.

I haven’t hit the panic button yet, but I would love a win against Houston, just to settle the nerves.

The big three need to be the big three in Houston, or we (may) have a problem.

Go the Green !!!!

Cheers

Aussie

I don’t favor playing anyone new just because they’re new. You play them if they earn minutes. Doc won a title, so I think we have to assume O’Blount, Walker and Pruitt aren’t earning minutes. I certainly haven’t seen a thing from O’Blount to make me think he deserves to play.