No Answer For Celtics' D

by Jeff Clark on Nov 9, 2008 8:41 PM EST in Games Comment 30 comments

Rondoai_medium

It was Allen Iverson's home debut in Detroit and the Celtics spoiled his party. In particular Tony Allen was all over the court on both sides of the ball. When he wasn't disrupting plays or stealing passes, he was driving to the hoop and making tough layups in traffic (good for 23 points). Great game for Tony.

The game started out ugly, with both teams shooting ice cold from the floor. Eventually the Celtics picked up the slack while the Pistons simply didn't. They are obviously still out of synch without Billups and Iverson appeared to be deferring a bit too much. Eleven field goal attempts is not the AI we all know (and love?). Of course it all worked out for us, so no complaints here.

Paul Pierce was also off his game and got into quick foul trouble that limited him to just 21 minutes. Thankfully his team didn't need him on this night, so it was a good rest opportunity for him. Ray Allen had a solid night, with 7 of his 17 points coming from the line. Rondo and Perk contributed as well, with Rondo falling to the floor for 3 more times (he must lead the team in that department - somebody get that boy some bubblewrap).

Still, the story of the game, aside from the suffocating defense, was Tony Allen's play. He's no James Posey, but he ain't half bad. And on nights like tonight, he shows us all why Danny Ainge had so much confidence in him this offseason. He was a joy to watch tonight.

Final - 11.9.2008	1	2	3	4	Total
Boston Celtics	17	30	22	19	88
Detroit Pistons	19	10	20	27	76

Complete Coverage >

Boston
Starters		Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
R. Allen	G	38:23	4-9	2-3	7-7	+23	2	8	3	3	0	0	0	1	17
R. Rondo	G	32:27	4-5	0-0	5-7	0	1	1	5	3	2	0	1	4	13
K. Perkins	C	27:59	0-3	0-0	0-0	+11	3	10	0	3	0	2	2	4	0
K. Garnett	F	33:11	4-15	0-0	0-0	+8	1	12	2	4	1	0	0	1	8
P. Pierce	F	28:18	3-10	0-0	1-1	-5	0	2	2	3	1	1	2	4	7
Bench		Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
T. Allen		27:40	11-16	0-2	1-3	+10	1	5	1	0	2	1	1	2	23
G. Davis		19:46	2-6	0-0	2-2	+3	2	3	2	1	0	0	2	2	6
E. House		15:46	3-6	2-3	0-0	+10	0	1	3	2	1	0	0	4	8
L. Powe		14:48	2-4	0-0	2-3	+4	1	3	1	1	1	1	0	4	6
B. Walker		1:38	0-0	0-0	0-0	-4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Totals			33-74	4-8	18-23		11	45	19	20	8	5	8	26	88

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Comments

Ouch!

The Pistons took a real shellacking!

Rondo doesn't believe in easy buckets...

by ManUp on Nov 9, 2008 8:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Reyquila

Rondo is our game distributor. We wont go anywhere without him cause he is the oil that keeps the engine running smoothly. Having said that, I also have to say that getting to be an All Star will not be easy for him. He must be the worst shooting PG in the entire league and shooting fouls is a never ending adventure for him. You just cannot have a PG that cannot score over 80% of his foul shots attempts. He can do well with us because of the way our team is; but you cannot go to an all star game and just not score any points – thats just not the way it is.
Rondo is our spark plug – I understand what he means to us. But could you imagine how much more valuable he would be to us if he had a decent jump shot? Why do we start our games so slow? because we start with only 3 players that can consistently score. We have to wait until Powe and TA come in in order to pick up the scoring. thats whats happening to us. I dont know if Rondo has the will or desire to improve on his Jump shot, but so far in his career, he has done very little, if anything to dissipate that doubt. He may will be our All Star – but compared to the rest of the league, he is not.

by Reyquila on Nov 10, 2008 9:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice Job TA

I have been hard on TA in the past, but he was playing great tonight. If he strings together some more like that he will be seeing a lot more floor time. Especially if PP plays so poorly…

He did a nice job of attacking the basket at the appropriate time and finishing well. Didn’t seem to be out of control other than a time or two. Nice D. He was the MVP of that one in addition to our stifling team defense.

by EJPLAYA on Nov 9, 2008 8:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

maybe TA benefited from Paul’s foul trouble

they had to call some plays for him and he got more looks with the ball in his hands than he would otherwise

but that’s what you pay backups for – they have to step in when they are called upon

by Jeff Clark on Nov 9, 2008 9:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

hope Stuckey is ok

don’t want anyone else having issues with their heart

by Jeff Clark on Nov 9, 2008 9:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Indeed

Hopefully it was just the C’s suffocating defense. ;)

How bizarre for this to happen right after they trade Billups with the intention of handing the PG keys over to Stuckey. They did say on the TV broadcast that they thought it may have been an issue with allergy medication — hopefully that’s all it is.

by MattD on Nov 9, 2008 9:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

it is real nice

seeing the Pistons look so bad

they are 0-2 in the AI Era now

I expect them to get better, but I won’t cry if they don’t

by Jeff Clark on Nov 9, 2008 9:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re: it is real nice

They definitely seem a bit of out sync. AI is a very talented ballplayer but brings a completely different kind of game to the table than Billups did. In order for this team to win they’re going to have to change the way the play. Its not easy for a team to find a new identity so it will be interesting to see how things play out for the them over the next couple of months.

by TripleThreat on Nov 9, 2008 10:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tony Allen

Being over seas all I get is highlights and I haven’t seen those yet! “He’s no James Posey”? I think he has the potential to be a far greater offensive threat then Posey. So you mean baskeball IQ, team defense(Tony can defend 1on1 too) and intangibles, I presume? I loved Posey as well but I mean Tony is starting to come on a bit here. Ah yes! Leadership as well correct? I guess that’s what you mean by he is no James Posey right. My question to you is was Posey always this great? I haven’t not followed his career and could Tony become more like him?

by richardlight on Nov 9, 2008 9:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re: Tony Allen

They bring very different things to the table. I think the Celtics miss Posey’s defense and ability to knock down the outside shot. The advantage to the way Posey plays is that he could mesh well with the starting 5. He didn’t have to be the primary scorer and was there to knock down the three off the kick out. I’m not sure if Tony really fills that void. With that said, I really like what Tony does for the team. He could be a leader with the second unit. He looked great tonight and I definitely expect to see more of the same from him on a regular basis.

by TripleThreat on Nov 9, 2008 10:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"no James Posey"

Tony is better than Posey. When was the last time Posey scored 23 points and took over a game offensively and defensively?

by young_west on Nov 9, 2008 9:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re: "no James Posey"

yeah that’d be a big NEVER young_west i think the second unit is way better right now. With Tony’s ability to slash and finish at the rim the bench actually is capable of putting together runs and adding to leads and in more than a couple of games actually bail out the starters and put points on the board. No matter what you think about Posey and Brown that is something they didn’t and could not do for the starters last year.

by bucknersrevenge on Nov 9, 2008 11:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice win

Good team effort. Nice game by TA. I like Tony, but he does have a knack for fouling the wrong person and the wrong time.

The foul on McGrady in the Houston game was classic TA. C’s just have to play smart and close out the game. Tony fouls TMac on the 3 pt line in the act of shooting. Tony also seems to bite on any pump fake. It’s like he can’t resist.

Tony has a good all around game, but he’ll have to clean up the mistakes if he wants to be the main guy in the 2nd unit.

by LuckyNumber07 on Nov 9, 2008 9:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

easy, easy

don’t jump on me for a throwaway line

but if you want to get into it, yeah, finances aside, I’d take Posey over Tony every day of the week and twice on Sundays

by Jeff Clark on Nov 9, 2008 9:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

One of the best performances of TA’s career, frankly.

With that said, one game doesn’t make a career. If it did, the rhapsodizing over Gerald Green would be in full force.

And yup, Jeff, I’d LOVE to have Posey back.

Tremendous defensive performance tonight, one my kids are going to see on the first day of practice – along with some Chicago clips of POB for how not to work on the floor.

by CoachBo on Nov 9, 2008 10:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"And yup, Jeff, I’d LOVE to have Posey back."

Newsflash: he’s gone. Get over it…

by bucknersrevenge on Nov 9, 2008 11:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Together

Great to see the team play together. They withstood the initial emotion of the game and Pierce’s foul trouble.

Edward in Ohio still remembers #35

by OhioGreen17 on Nov 9, 2008 9:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Turnovers!

What Tony did tonight is pretty much out of the realm of possibility for Posey.

The Cs really need to shore up this turnover problem. I think it speaks volumes to their defensive dominance that they can throw away so many balls and still be so much better than their opponents. But I’d rather just see the complete dominance.

Btw, note to Perk: do not beat the heck out of Rondo. The other teams have been doing enough of that.

by Berkcelt on Nov 9, 2008 10:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Great Bench Effort Again

Tony’s been showing all season why Danny had confidence in him. He’s gotten better with each game and gains just a little bit more of his confidence back each minute he plays. Tony Allen will never be James Posey, but he doesn’t have to be: he’s fine just being himself. And this team is better because of it.

But what about the bench in general? Leon, Eddie, Big Baby and Tony all have their roles down pat. All play with great energy and play within themselves. Doc has these guys believing and they’re delivering the goods each and every night.

by SalmonAndMashedPotatoes on Nov 9, 2008 10:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

real concerned

great win by the celts but I am very concerned about pierce and garnett. Both appear to be way off their games. Are they injured?

by ForexPirate on Nov 9, 2008 10:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Great defense but it wasn't just Celtics...

The adjustment that this Detroit team is going to have to go through will, unfortunately for them, make them look quite bad some nights. The Celtics defense was awesome but some it was also due to Iverson’s need to over-dribble constantly, his inability to know and read when and where to get Hamilton the ball around screens, his own selfish need to shoot, the clear drop off in defensive intensity the Pistons will have without McDyess and Billups, and the entire team’s adjustment to new coach Mike Curry. Add to that the fact that Wallace is a half step slower and that Kwame Brown is being expected to produce for them and, the Pistons might take a while to blend.

All that said, the Celtics wouldn’t have lost to anyone tonight unless that team had some type of Villanova versus Georgetown in the NCAA Final shooting percentage in the face of awesome defense. And since that game already has occurred within the last century, I wouldn’t bet on something like it happening again.

Tony Allen and Ray Allen just completely shut down Rip. Rondo could have gone for25 on Iverson if he really wanted to and didn’t pass it outside on three easy layups and drove on Iverson more. Iverson is no longer the fastest PG in the league and Rondo proved that to AI tonight. Iverson would have fits guarding Rondo in a seven game series. Powe and Baby were huge again and KG and Perk were their usual rebounding shot block/shot alternating foolish selves again. Just a very impressive victory and week that should catapult then to the tops of everyone’s Power Rankings once again.

by nickagneta on Nov 9, 2008 11:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The Lakers beat the Rockets by 29

So they’ll stay the number one team.

McGrady was awful, Yao and Artest weren’t much better. McGrady just isn’t healthy and it kills their team. But beating a team so many loved coming into the season will keep the Lakers on top.

by Fafnir on Nov 10, 2008 12:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I love being right

ESPN’s Power Rankings have the Celtics back on top… as I said they would.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2009&week=2

by nickagneta on Nov 11, 2008 10:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Posey or Tony

I see what people are saying about Posey and I agree. I think Tony will def bring a new scoring element though. I am also excited to see more of Walker by mid January! Turnovers, from what i understand it was bad. Traveling, bad passes, palming or being stripped? Which of them was it? Or a combination perhaps?

by richardlight on Nov 9, 2008 11:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Fakers

Laker have barely played on the road esp. when you include Clippers home games. Let’s see what they do on the road.

by NoraG1 on Nov 10, 2008 1:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think they'll be fine on the road

But I still think we’ll beat them!

by Amager Celtic Fan on Nov 10, 2008 4:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The object of the Iverson trade wasn’t to win: it was to rebuild. The Pistons are in the process of being blown up. Detroit management is spinning it otherwise, but their plan is to let Rasheed and Iverson walk and rebuild around Rip Hamilton plus a prize free agent that they hope to attract in 2010.

For now, they just hope Iverson can put some fannies in the seats, but it they play like they did last night, the fans will be gone.

by Brickowski on Nov 10, 2008 9:04 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I’m pretty sure a good number of those fans left about half-way through the game.

by Shiz1111 on Nov 10, 2008 10:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Reyquila

The main difference between Tony and Possey is that Possey is a much taller defender and can defend much taller players than Tony. Thats it. Tony can take it to the basket more effectively and with much more frequency than Possey; and I rather have 2 2pt basket than one 3 point basket.
Possey is Possey and his leadership is unquestionable. I miss him dearly. I wish we had kept him. But we dont have him. Tony and Possey played different Positions and theyr value to the team was for different reasons. Ill even concede that it is really not fair to compare their value; they bring different assets to the table. Im just glad TA is playing so well that we may find some gratification in hurting in spite of Possey’s absence

by Reyquila on Nov 10, 2008 9:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

James Posey is no Tony Allen

I know the Mantra around here is ‘James Posey was indispensible’ I need to put this in my signature so I don’t have to keep repeating it but, Tony can do more positive things on the court than James and along with that comes some bad things. If you are sitting camped out behind the 3pt line the only thing you do is either make a 3 or miss a 3…

James Posey couldn’t even match his hype.

James Posey is the ‘Ace in Hole’ just in case the C’s lose in the Playoffs….’ We would have won it all if we weren’t ’dumpster diving ’ this off season….

by Birdbrain on Nov 10, 2008 9:33 AM EST reply actions 0 recs