Appreciating Good Tony

he can make the right play leading the break such as his first game dishing out to House for a missed 3 however it’s too often that he doesn’t so yes give the ball up on the break and then use your speed to get open. What his speed does such as last night on a break he was the first Celtic up the floor which drew the defender and allowed Rondo to throw an alley oop to KG. That’s what I want to see more of.

I trust the good Tony the first through 3 quarters not so much in the 4th. I’ll take that until Daniels comes back and if Tony is playing well by then it just gives Doc more options to choose from.

The universe has spoken. Tony gets another chance. Don’t be surprised if he takes it and runs with it.

And, if he can continue to stay healthy and work off the rust, he has a chance to be what he was at least for one game last night: the best player off our bench. Don’t forget, his pre-injury #s last season would make him the leading scorer on this season’s bench (through18 games). His strengths—such as getting to the rim, getting to the line, perimeter defense and scrappiness—are all things this team needs now with Daniels out.

first one to jump all over Tony and start the hate-fest but I have to say that I was impressed with his play in the past two games. I fully expected complete boneheadedness and a loss of athleticism and speed due to injury and rust. However, he came out and played within himself and within the team.

Sure he had his moments but that is Tony, warts and all. But it is nice to see him do the small stuff. Two plays stick out to me in particular – following through on a shot in the first quarter of last nights game to get the offensive put back for the three point play and getting the ball at the arc against the Bucks jab stepping his defender cutting to the lane drawing in the defense and kicking it over to Ray for 3. Both were small plays in the course of the game, but both were good heads up plays that helped the Celtics keep momentum and put points on the board.

Tony gets a pass from me until further notice.

good for tony. one hope is that he accumulates some cred. and can become a better trading chip.i hate to say this, but i was glad to see scal pinned to the bench.

He palmed crossing midcourt… is that what you mean, or did he also double dribble sometime that I missed?

Yeah, have to agree… lotta good things, only 1 boneheaded play per game so far… definitely a net positive. And in more ways than one — if he keeps it up, he will not only be helping the team when it really needs it, he will also be increasing his value in the trade that, no doubt, Danny would still love to swing.

which is to be expected from a guy whose game has never been the cleanest, and who hasn’t played consistant minutes in a long time.

but there are certainly distinctive elements to like: his first bucket in the post plus the foul, for instance. it seems like a simple play but it’s the kind of aggressive ‘to the basket’ mentality that we’ve rarely seen on the second unit since the big 3 arrived.

we need someone off the bench who can create his own shot off the dribble. here’s to hoping tony can sharpen up the tools a little bit over the course of the winter.

or, that he looks good enough to get himself traded for someone worth playing….

about how Tony’s hustle and energy points out what has been missing from this team of late, despite the win streak. It can be contagious, too. Great article.

The last time I read stuff about TA on here in the offseason, everyone was all over him; cut him, trade him, just don’t play him. Now you’re changing your tone this fast? Maybe you guys should think things through before jumping to conclusions. He’s only been here what, 5 years? And you guys still don’t know who he is and what he can do?

Another positive thing or good thing happened with Tony playing ok is it gives an updated showcasing of what he can potentially do for another team when/if Danny try trading him for an upgrade on the bench.Good showing TA.

We’re on a 9-0 roll. Tony Allen is back and you’d have to be a real boob to bash him now. He’s the easiest guy for fans to pick apart because any amateur can pick out bad Tony from good Tony. But maybe, just maybe, he’s hit a maturity point in his life and good Tony wins. Wouldn’t that be a nice Christmas present

there’s an interesting TA article in the herald where he sounds very humbled and introspective about his injury history, and coming back from this on in particular:

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/20091211early_returns_positive_on_tony_allens_work/

…when Tony was doing his work. In the 2nd half he looked tired & starting making mistakes. Turnover, missed assignment, cheap foul. To give him the benefit of the doubt, you could easily say that was rust & being out of game shape.

The plus/minus stat based on last night’s game proves to me that the stat doesn’t tell the whole story.

The starters are all – or 0, but accounted for a vast majority of the points, rebounds, assists, steals & blocks. They limited themselves to 9 turnovers, but commited most of the fouls.

… if it was an upgrade. But I would trade anyone if it was an upgrade.

how quick TA still is. The speed he showed when blowing by the defense for a layup was amazing considering his injury history. His speed on that cut reminded me of Rondo. I wonder who would win in a race!
Also about “upgrading” by trading 34, you’re insane. PP beat both LeBron and Kobe in route to our title and he bested LeBron again this year in game 1 and Durant in the OKC game. You don’t trade the truth! He’s got a few more years left!

was determined, I thought about this with TA…

the fates are a fickle and curious thing.

Written off for dead… ‘the Tony’ gets another chance.