Still No Defense Out West

you can talk about no d all you want, but if they were hitting their free throws we would be talking about how great they’re playing. and as for gs, blah blah blah, monta ellis is unbelievable. 3 inches taller than rondo- just as fast- not the defensive player like rondo, bot whoa nellie, he can play o. the officiating tho spotty was much better- but come on guys, get those freebies down.

I feel like I’ve been watching games in fast forward. The last two teams look like they are more intense and move faster than the EC teams. It’s almost like they are thinking faster too. I’m glad we’re seeing it now because whoever comes out of the West is going to be banged up, but fast.

The reason we were blowing teams out in the first part of the season is the D. This is 100% accurate.

mcpu40- Are you saying the loss is due to the rebounding deficiency, or the 3 pt shooting like last game? Rebounding is part of the D issue. I’ll take 11-23 every night. We rebound and play D and we don’t lose.

Where is Tom Thibodeau and his D brilliance?!

Why can’t someone teach Perk that when you set a pick up high in front of everyone you have to stand still? Really Perk?!

The C’s are playing against all talented teams and away. The games are close and can go either way. They possibly need this to happen to them to adjust against all different teams and players and learn during the regular season. I know we could use another point guard but I think we should play Pruitt the rest of the season for 5 minutes a game while the roster spot is available in case of Rondo foul trouble or an injury. We also need to play Posey more but I think that will happen in the playoffs this will help the defense and rebounding when needed.

EJPLAYA said:
  The reason we were blowing teams out in the first part of the season is the D.

I have a different take on the good early start. Training camp officially started in Oct. The Celtic players were mostly in Waltham working together just after Labor Day. They started the season in better shape, had an extra month of getting use to each other. Now the other teams are catching up.

EJ,
Probably about the same time someone teaches Perk to keep the ball up high after rebounds, or to how stop the dribble-step under the hoop, or how to go up strong on after a catch intead of trying to finesse it toward the hoop and losing the ball in the process.

i think the main problem is the free throws atm, combined with HAVING to play small because kg’s working back and so is perk. Your going to give up points playing as small as we have. but, your going to get to the line alot, which we have. But you cant miss 15 FT’s and expect to win a basketball game on the road against a good team. it wont happen.

I agree that it would be nice mcpu40. When it is crunch time and they need a basket it makes a big difference to be able to drop the ball down low and get a bucket or a foul. 100% agreement on the rebounding though. There is no excuse for that. With KG, Perk, and one of the better rebounding guards in Rondo, along with PP being solid at it, we should never have an issue there. That is what happens though when Powe and BBD are in. A big team is going to get second chances due to their size. If they can shoot 48% each night from three though I say bombs away. We know we can’t though…

The sad thing to me with Perk, is either our coaches aren’t noticing this, or he is too dumb to change. Either way I’d like to run into him somewhere and tell him off about it. He could be so much better. He is such a good type to have if he could get it in his head that he needs to adjust these couple things.

Unlike any other, the ending of this game is the poster child illustration of why we’re second round and out in the playoffs. Everybody, casual and non-casual fans alike knew who would take the last shot….except apparently, Rivers. For Davis to not either be doubled or to take the ball out of his hands altogether is amazingly inexcusable. Who else do they have to take that shot? Wow.

If we make our free throws, none of what happenned is an issue. However, when it becomes an issue, Rivers will universally get outcoached in crunch time.

Rivers is a nice guy. He appears to have done a great job of plugging holes during Ray’s, Perk’s, Rondo’s, and Garnett’s injuries and the players seem to like playing for him. But he simply is not a good x’s and o’s coach.

Rivers had better get his team focussed on who’s close behind them in the east. The primadonna just got exactly the perfect help he needs for a finals run while getting rid of Hughes, who never worked out there and the enigma Gooden.

Wallace gives them toughness they’ve never had. Delonte and Wally open up the court for the primadonna to take advantage of his dribbless four step drives to the basket and all of the free trips to the free throw line from the plethora of imaginary foul calls he gets. Smith gives them depth at the 4 and 5.

Our defensive rotation makes Wally The Slow a non-issue. He won’t get many shots off. I don’t think Wallace is a force anymore. Delonte scares you a bit, but he isn’t their PG solution. Rondo will force him right and he is a non-issue. I am much more worried about Detroit in the East. Maybe Orlando a little. No one else really.

10 games from now when we are all back to the Celtics of earlier this year this is all a non-issue. We need that defensive intensity back. Nothing more.

We need to quit playing guys who are 6’8" against guys that are 4-6 inches taller and who will shoot over them.

We need to make about 75% of our free throws when we get a few fouls called our way.

We need to stop being a jump shooting team.

We need to box out and put bodies on offensive players in the paint.

We need to control the lane against opposition Guards.

We need to play better team and help defense.

We need……….to play better and win. 8)

Agree with you, PLAYA, on the defense.

The scary part of the primadonna having several snipers is that he now isn’t shooting from the outside as much. The primadonna is in his own league officiating-wise. If you think the Denver game was horrible to watch with Paul, Anthony, and the thugster getting these ridiculous phantom/non/imaginary calls, the primadonna gets more of them than all three of them combined. Combine that with the primadonna able to be much more aggressive inside and the Cav’s home games may go past midnight after the primadonna gets 55 free throws per game. Seriously, I can see a game with this team, if it gels, where the primadonna may get 35…maybe 40 free throws.

With Wallace and the behemoth Ilgauskas setting picks and screens Wally the slow can get 10 open shots on one leg. If you’ve watched him play this year, he’s as healthy as he ever was with us. If he’s open, he’ll make 6 of the 10. Smith may not be the player Gooden is, but he’s 10 times more consistent. West may not be the player Hughes is, but he’s a better defender and will fit in better than Hughes. The ghost of Ben Wallace makes this a much tougher team. Not even their coach, less than great offensively, can screw this up….And defensively, the ghost of Ben Wallace and Smith makes this team much better….And Brown is a terrific defensive coach.

This suddenly makes them very formidable.

To beat the Cavs you have to beat Ilgauskas down the floor. Run
him till his tongue is hanging out. But it was a good trade as it added pieces and eliminated problems. They’ll be a fun team to watch in the playoffs. Nice to see Delonte east of the Mississippi again.