Starting Five - 12/8

by Jeff Clark on Dec 8, 2008 10:50 AM EST in Boston Celtics Articles

Here are 5 bullet points to start off your day. Feel free to discuss below.

12 in a row and tied for the best start in franchise history. So much for worrying about the team slipping from last year's pace.
Missing Posey? I think not (so far). Tony Allen has stepped up. Leon Powe has stepped up. The only worry is that when the playoffs come around, will we miss his experience? Call me crazy, but I think Ray Allen's improved play might make that a moot point. Last year Ray was very good. This year, he's Ray Allen good. Last year we played several games without getting much at all from Ray (at least in terms of points). If he can stay productive through the post season, you can finally forget about Mr. Posey.
Good for Glen Davis, making no excuses for his passion. He didn't throw anyone under the bus and he took accountability for his lack of intensity. A lot of other players and teams may have handled that whole situation differently. If that's the biggest crisis this team faces all year,... well, I don't want to jinx anything.
Nice line in the Herald by Rivers: "It’s funny," Rivers said. "I was upset after the game because I didn’t think Kevin got the ball enough. I thought he probably had six or eight points, and I look at the stat sheet and he was 17 and 20. He’s the only guy in the league that can have a quiet 17 and 20. He does his job every night, doesn’t really need the ball, scores on happenstance and in a way dominates the game quietly."
Good teams win ugly games. Good teams win games even when they play poorly. In case you missed it, this team is good. They also have had more than a year to get to know each other and really understand where everyone fits into the offensive and defensive schemes. Yes, this team certainly can be better than last year.

Bonus point: It sure is hard to get into the Festivus spirit when I have no grievances to air.

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No grievances.....

…but do we still wrestle?

Loved those quotes from Baby. Glen owned the issue and addressed it clearly. That should put it to bed.

Winning ugly is just fine, don’t get style points in the standings, only Hollinger awards those.

When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"

by Green17 on Dec 8, 2008 9:49 AM EST reply actions

I'll bring the aluminum pole

maybe we can invite the Lakers – I’ve got a lot of problems with those people

"Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." Michael Scott

by Jeff Clark on Dec 8, 2008 11:19 AM EST up reply actions

I believe tim duncan is another guy that can have quiet 17 and 20 nights…Doc must’ve forgotten about him.
As far as the playoffs, last years first couple of rounds were unordinary for ray, he’s usually a killer in the playoffs, and if he can do that consistently in this years playoffs, look out league

by TheAncientRivalry on Dec 8, 2008 9:55 AM EST reply actions

Posey & the Bench

The bench has been atrocious over the last four games, a collective .80 during that period, including a -14 last night

I think we do miss Pose. Although he didn’t score all that much, he was the captain of the second unit.

There weren’t many outings where the subs lacked intensity, focus, and the like.

Someone needs to step up as the leader.

I don’t know whom that will be.

by Page_and_Plant on Dec 8, 2008 10:18 AM EST reply actions

The bench has been weak

and it was while Tony got hurt and has been recovering. The guy never gets any credit here. He never misses a key free throw, he can get to the hoop at will when he is healthy, and plays hard d all the time on the opposing teams best mid size player. It matters that he was hurt and its the main reason why the bench has struggled. We aren’t deep enough to deal well with injuries, but we go 4-0 in that time anyway.

Frankly, if we knew PJ was coming back in February, and Rondo was a much better shooter and stopped making bone head plays, we’d have the perfect team

by wahz on Dec 8, 2008 10:31 AM EST reply actions

of course, we miss posey. hje’s a great team player. tony has been terrific. i wwould like to see more of gabe and pob.

by nazzbo on Dec 8, 2008 10:35 AM EST reply actions

Agree: the bench isn't getting it done

The bench isn’t reliable. It not only can’t hold a lead, any lead evaporates way too quickly. Sure, it doesn’t matter now, usually, but in a seven-game series against a good team, it’s going to kill us.

TA still has two bad games for every good one. He’s part of the solution regarding the bench, but not the whole solution by any means. We need a genuine big who can shoot. At a minimum, we need different bench chemistry. I still say Smilin’ Gabe deserves a shot.

"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark

by Eeyore III on Dec 8, 2008 10:56 AM EST reply actions

miss posey despite the record

Yeah we deffinetly miss James Posey’s leadership on that 2nd unit, we miss the total package he brought to the 2nd unit quite frankly, Tony Allen isnt a leader and doesnt have half the IQ posey has

by TheAncientRivalry on Dec 8, 2008 11:22 AM EST reply actions

the bench is still a work in progress

but it’s still better than last year’s bench. Last year’s bench never extended a single lead. Last year’s bench was absolutely incapable of creating it’s own offense on the floor. This bench has been much improved overall in that front. There’s has been some inconsistency at the defensive end, I won’t dispute that and I don’t like Big Baby at center in the long run either. If we had an effective center with some length this bench would have all that it needs. I do agree with those that believe Gabe should see some minutes as well. from time to time.

by bucknersrevenge on Dec 8, 2008 11:49 AM EST up reply actions

PJ

Fingers crossed.

by Page_and_Plant on Dec 8, 2008 11:24 AM EST reply actions

If Posey is so good why is NO struggling?

I don’t think they miss Posey or PJ Brown. It’s just more shots for House and TA. And I disagree that the bench has played worse this year. IMHO they’ve been better defensively than last year’s bench. Plus they have more depth. I would have no problem giving more minutes to Pruitt, for example.

The real reason they are better is that Rondo is better. When he’s playing well, he takes control of the game in a way that not even Garnett can do. Ray Allen’s improved productivity is a reflection of Rondo’s improved understanding of the offense. Ray gets the ball right in his comfort zone.

by Brickowski on Dec 8, 2008 11:59 AM EST reply actions

I knew the hornets wouldnt be significantly better with the addition of posey because they also lost Bonzi wells and Janero Pargo, but Posey certainly isnt the reason they’re struggling, as matter of fact he’s singlehandedly won them a faw games in the clutch already.
I also dont buy into the whole “we cant win without him” stuff either, but he was the perfect fit for this celtics team, their isnt a player in the league that would be a better fit off the bench than him…its just unfortunate to me he chose money over the chance to defend the title with the boys

by TheAncientRivalry on Dec 8, 2008 12:12 PM EST up reply actions

Joe Smith

Smith would be perfect here. Our second bench big-man role was BUILT for him. He naturally does all of the things that Baby is struggling to do: length to defend the rim, solid position defense, great high-post complement to Powe, can nail the 18-foot jumper with consistency, battle-tested vet, AND stuck on a team with no future. I hope he’s in green by the playoffs…

by drza44 on Dec 8, 2008 12:03 PM EST reply actions

Agreed.

He’d be perfect. But how do we get him? He makes $4.8MM. Air Scalabrine makes $3.4, but he has one more year left. We’d have to give up a young talent that the Blunder could use to get them to eat the extra $2MM-plus.

I respectfully disagree that this year’s bench is better than last years (if you include PJ, after he started getting minutes). I think the improvement of Rajon and Perk, plus Ray Allen’s being healthy, is masking the deficiencies of a bench that is not nearly as good. I for one sure wish Posey was “walking through that door,” although I understand the reasons for DA’s decision (I think).

"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark

by Eeyore III on Dec 8, 2008 4:14 PM EST up reply actions

No greivances to air? You will have to focus on feats of strength, Jeff.

Things like watching the game & changing a diaper while you blog.

After all these years of futility and frustration… I’ll settle for having nothing to air. :-)

"simul justus et peccator"

by cavman on Dec 8, 2008 12:33 PM EST reply actions

Ugly Win

Confucius say Heaven sometimes hedges a rare character about with ungainliness and odium, as the burr that protects the fruit.

by charlie chan on Dec 8, 2008 1:45 PM EST reply actions

Some watch the games, some obviously don't

Buckner’s Revenge and Brickowski are right. Recent slip ups aside, this bench is better than last year’s. Eddie motors the ball into frontcourt quickly, Tony has been “good Tony” pretty much all year, BBD and Leon are not just bodies but optiopns esp Leon on O. Even Scal is a solid 5-8 minute contributor. He still can’t rebound or create a shot, but he is a good defender and has his 3 pt shot working.
Some of you guys will never stop over rating “length”. Leon and BBD have not been abused this year and I’ve watched or been at every game. True, they are not long. Big deal! They make other 4’s and 5’s work very hard and usually win.

by Wildblu1 on Dec 8, 2008 1:54 PM EST reply actions

Best part of the article...

“Last year Ray was very good. This year, he’s Ray Allen good.”

I have a running joke whenever I talk to my brother about how Ray did ok tonight but he’s done, just done, he’ll be in a wheel chair by the end of the year. It’s over. Everyone slept on Mr. Shuttlesworth and he’s back with a vengeance.

Big brother no longer needs to watch, because the world is convinced he is.

by Schupac on Dec 8, 2008 2:06 PM EST reply actions

A Few Thoughts

1. Ray Allen reminds me of Joe Dimaggio. Ha, some of you won’t know what I’m talking about. It was said of “Jolting Joe” that he NEVER made a GREAT catch. It was because he was so graceful in the outfield and made everything look so easy. He got a great jump on the ball as soon as it hit the bat and was in position to make a routine catch of a ball that would have been a great catch for other outfielders.
2. Indiana game—end of regulation time. Great how Eddie House out hustled Granger for the rebound of Ray’s miss. He then had the presence of mind to get it to Pierce who didn’t rush the shot.
3. Indiana had a chance to win the game in regulation time, but missed the shot. For those listening to Mike and Tommy we heard Tommy repeatedly say that the C’s neeeded to protect the baseline on the side where the ball was being put into play. The Celtics failed to do that and Jack was able to get off a shot. But it seemed to me that he rushed it. Ray or Pierce would have gotten off a better shot.
4. Good to see Tommy back on the road.

by TrueGreen on Dec 9, 2008 6:53 AM EST reply actions