(Yawn) Three Pointers - 4/25

From the last paragraph:
“Paul limping to the locker room was a good reminder that anything can happen at any time. As Gilroy puts it in his latest article: "While the Hawks do not present a true basketball threat to the Celtics, what they do present is a team full of angry, embarrassed, and frustrated NBA players … and that is a recipe for disaster.” "

Which is exactly Danny or Wyc needs to knock the coach upside the head. There is no excuse. No way to rationalize the absolute stupidity of leaving four starters in the game 9 minutes into the 4th quarter with the game completely out of reach. Especially when one of those starters, the captain, was injured earlier. Lordy. The man needs to use his head.

One of the big competitive advantages Rivers has is the capacity to rest his players in this (up to now) non competitive series. Most series will be contested. The next round brings us Stern’s crowned prince and the obvious biased officiating. It’s a pretty safe bet that Doc’s not going to outcoach anybody. So he can use all the advantages he can get.

Jeff, I wonder who borrowed from whom. Here’s a column Stan McNeal has been running for a while:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Av2tRoi2uPWbtUxMGiWwvPy8vLYF?slug=mcnealsnbaplayoffpointer&prov=tsn&type=lgns

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Av2tRoi2uPWbtUxMGiWwvPy8vLYF?slug=mcnealsnbaplayoffpointer&prov=tsn&type=lgns

Article in today’s LA Times about how the Bynum for Garnett deal would have been a bad deal for the Lakers consdering how Bynum worked out this year. If we meet the Lakers in the Finals, this will be a freakin’ war.

lobstermobster said: Which is exactly Danny or Wyc needs to knock the coach upside the head. There is no excuse. No way to rationalize the absolute stupidity of leaving four starters in the game 9 minutes into the 4th quarter with the game completely out of reach. Especially when one of those starters, the captain, was injured earlier. Lordy. The man needs to use his head.

You play the game to win, not to avoid injury. PP was injured in the first few minutes. Maybe Doc should have taken our starters out then. And if the starters were taken out early in a game that was not yet over, maybe Posey could have gotten hurt, or Powe. These guys are important too. If the C’s had a fourty point lead going into the 4th, then it would have been good to take out the starters. Teams have overcome 20 point leads in the fourth. The C’s did it to NJ a few years ago.

The Real Large James said:
  Article in today’s LA Times about how the Bynum for Garnett deal would have been a bad deal for the Lakers consdering how Bynum worked out this year. If we meet the Lakers in the Finals, this will be a freakin’ war.

It’s called “spin”. The Lakers just didn’t have the guts to do it. And they could have because at that time KG didn’t want to come to Boston.

Even though the C’s didn’t sustain it for 48 minutes there was some great ball movement last game. Does anyone remember the C’s/Hawks game during the ’80’s where Boston held Atlanta to 6 points in one quarter? When the C’s had it the ball rarely touched the floor. Maybe the best 12 minutes of team ball movement ever.

You’re right, TrueGreen. You play to win. But up 20 midway through the 4th quarter against a team which has no answer, you play to avoid injury. To compare an upstart Atlanta team against a NJ team that went to the Finals is a quite a reach.

TrueGreen: Atlanta was never in this game after the second quarter. It is beyond foolish to have your 60 million dollar men playing in the last half of the 4th quarter. About as foolish as it was for Mike Brown to have the commissioner’s crown prince playing in that blowout in Washington in the 4th quarter.

Posey and Powe are important role players who’s contracts expire. Allen, Pierce, and Garnett are the core of the team and a salary cap unto themselves. They’re also all over 30 and had absolutely no business being in that game. This lends to the idea that the inmates are running the asylum. Garnett must be coaching the team.

they were in too long-period. the hawks are frustrated and have to do something to salvage the series. the intensity will be there- if they are getting beat badly, intensity will turn into physical frustration.

lobstermobster, I get what you are saying, but I have to disagree on three points. First, the Celtics didn’t play a great game from their point of view. There are still things they need to work at offensively, defensively and mentally, with possibly the mental, being most important. Doc doesn’t want them getting “into it” with Atlanta or any team. It can take away their focus. You get better in all areas by playing. They play hard against each other in practice. What they were doing was practicing in a real game.
Second, the game was not over after the second quarter. I and I’m sure you have seen teams, even lousy ones come back and win. I think last year’s C’s did that. Three, regarding Posey and Powe. The fact that a player isn’t paid as much as the “big three”, or that they are at the end of a contract
doesn’t make them LESS important to the Team. This team is what they are because of the Posey’s and Powe’s. I’m sure you saw the pre-game ceremony when KG got his award. KG called all the players up to show that they are all of equal importance on this team. Just to clear up a small point. Posey’s contract does not expire at the end of this year. He has a two year contract with his option to return next year. And just need to throw this in. Ray Allen is probably in better shape than most 20 year old players in this league. He could probably play 48 minutes with ease and do it again night in and night out, especially with the playoff schedule.