Thunderstruck: Celtics Comeback Falls Short Again
by Jeff Clark on Feb 22, 2012 9:59 PM EST
in Boston Celtics Games
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I'm not sure I've ever seen a team so good at playing when they are down 20+ points. Credit this team for never giving up, but criticize them for not getting up for games when the ball is tipped. If they could just be tricked into thinking they are down 20 points at the start of the game, things might go much better for them. Forget the brain doctor, can we get a hypnotist in here?
After being down 27 points the Celtics got it all the way down to 6 points (I think) and just didn't have enough to complete the comeback.
- The Celtics streak of not allowing a 30 point scorer ended tonight when Westbrook got 31. I wasn't even aware they had a streak like this going, but ok.
- Durant and Westbrook are quite a pair aren't they? 59 points combined.
- Avery played admirably, but I think we missed Rondo tonight. Don't tell me we are better off without him. Just don't.
- KG had one of his better statistical nights with a season high 13 rebounds. For what it is worth.
- The plus/minus stats tell a bit of a story here. The starters (other than Ray) were hovering around even while the majority of the bench was in double digits negatives.
- Bottom line, you can't keep getting down 20 or more points and expect to win enough games to make the playoffs, never mind make noise in the playoffs. This team is an 8 seed right now and things could get worse.
- With that said, if you are looking for excuses, they were playing one of the top contenders and perhaps the best Western team. So tip of the hat to them for taking care of business.
On to the All Star break and a much needed rest. Hopefully the 2nd half of the year will have a better story than the first. Looming is the trade deadline. Stay tuned.
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Sign Sheed to a 10 day please!!!
by The green mamba on Feb 22, 2012 9:46 PM EST via mobile reply actions
So at least we can have a frontline that i can actually see on the court not on the bench.
by The green mamba on Feb 22, 2012 9:48 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, just what we need
Another big limping around the 3 point line.
No need for Sheed
At least our record was better with Sheed on our roster
by The green mamba on Feb 22, 2012 9:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Like I said Master, at this point Id rather have Sheed than an injured Wilcox and Bass.
by The green mamba on Feb 22, 2012 9:55 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yep I wanted Leon but our genius GM i guess figured he was injury prone lol.
by The green mamba on Feb 22, 2012 10:06 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Ok. He gave his best in the playoffs.
But please, don’t make me remember his regular season
At this point id offer Cwebb and Rodman 10 days too.
by The green mamba on Feb 22, 2012 9:51 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I'll bet
Rod could still get 10+ boards
by spinetingler on Feb 22, 2012 10:11 PM EST up reply actions
The offense just flows so much better when they are moving the ball around and attacking the basket...
Why don’t they do this more often?!
Why don’t they watch the film where they are doing the comeback and pull those offensive moves more often?!
The 2011-2012 Celtics never fail to disappoint me.
Other than that, good second half. But seriously, these players really need to wake the hell up.
+1
They don’t do it more because Rondo never lets go of the ball and the spacing was better today.
I actually thought our offense was good in the first half as well. Ironically, it was our defense that let us down.
Without JO & Wilcox
we were down to just 3 players of 6’ 10" or higher – and two of them are rookies (JJ & GS).
Basically, whenever KG sat down, our defense disappeared.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
This.
The offense was looking good with Bradley in. The defense wasn’t too shabby due to the lack of big men the C’s had available. Thinking about it now, this game was quite winnable with a full Celtics roster… except Rondo, of course. (inb4 LOL RONDO HATER!)
Please get rid of him…cough
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 11:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Sure thing! Who are you going to replace him with?
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
My names not Danny, so I don’t have to replace him with anybody.
But I’m guessing it would be for someone with some energy and doesn’t fall apart.
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 11:42 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I'd bet if Danny could find such a person, he would do it in a heartbeat.
It’s just not as easy as it sounds.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Rondo never lets go off the ball?
I’m not sure anyone has ever seen this phenomenon you’re describing actually happen. If this is true, how does he also manage to continually have such high assist numbers?
It’s fair to criticize Rondo’s free throw shooting, his lack of an outside shot. It’s pretty hard to make the argument that the Celtics offense stagnates because Rondo is such an unwilling passer.
People are just going too far with the blame
Some people now say we are better off without Rondo, or that Bradley is already more useful than Rondo. Rondo does dribble out the clock while directing the offense at times, but it doesn’t seem like they are giving him much to work with (bad screens, players not knowing the set, too slow, etc.). Plenty of blame to go around, possibly Doc too.
OKC put on the brakes
I thought OKC intensity in the second half was missing. It seemed as if they put on the brakes. IMO The game did appear to slow down while we were catching up. Am I missing this or was it all Celtics play on both end of the court?
by Moses Freeman Jr. on Feb 22, 2012 10:43 PM EST up reply actions
THUNDERSTORM
“…gotta hold the fort til we get bodies back,”
Of fort-itude Doc has no lack.
Missing bodies—for those playing, more work,
Rondo’s bday, made the trip, for a party with Perk.
In the first ten seconds basket by Pierce,
Is this the night The Captain will be fierce?
Ray to the hoop, the jam by KG,
Question: on whose team will the refs be?
Two early fouls on The Truth—call him P,
Then the beauty of RAY ALLEN FOR THREE.
Pietrus for three, great dunk by Bradley,
Signs of team chemistry we’ve needed so badly.
Thunder took the lead on a 12-2 run,
Thunder up 10 at the end of Q1.
Q2 for the Thunder, more of the same,
Cs turnovers, few rebounds, can’t find their game.
KG in the half, 13 points, the Cs most,
RAY ALLEN FOR THREE, Bradley coast to coast!
KG playing great, but struggling with his hip,
The Cs and fans are grateful he made the trip.
72 halftime points, the most the Cs have allowed,
30-3 run by OKC, spurred on by the crowd.
Q3 quickness by Bradley, got a jump ball,
The ref, Mark Davis, won’t give the Cs a call.
Durant earned a tech, thought he got a push,
Doc was behind him, slapped him on the tush.
Pierce made the first hoop, but then where was he?
At last he returned halfway through Q3.
OKC ends Q3 with just a 14 point lead,
As Pierce and Cs defense provide what they need.
Q4 not necessary to have a team meetin’
RAY ALLEN FOR THREE—Cs are competin’!
Pierce, Ray, KG, Pietrus, plus Bradley’s D,
Showed what this team has committed to be:
When it looked like the Cs team had fallen apart,
Celtic Pride—these guys played with all heart.
At least this loss
showed some signs of life.
It was expected. Let’s rebound against the Cavs next week! Oh wait…it’s the Cavs, nevermind.
If the team really pull up a trade
I hope its Pierce rather than Rondo. It would make more basketball sense. Are the lakers still interested in him? Possible to get Gasol (not that realistic I know)?
KG had a good game. Watching him and Bradley playing was almost the only fun part for me.
Does anyone else think Rondo would be the best person to trade?
Did you see how well the offense flows without Rondo on the court?
Stupid comment format.
CHANTING let’s trade Rondo! :D
by SparzWizard on Feb 22, 2012 10:14 PM EST up reply actions
Yup, the same way the offense was flowing the other night against Dallas, Oh wait
The Celtics scored 73 points in that game. Regardless, I’m sure this was somehow Rondo’s fault too. I just haven’t been able to figure out how. Voodoo maybe?
hes got so much time to prove himself.
Now it seems clearly hes done. Release him if we ever need space for a trade/signing. I’d even put sasha ahead of him.
+10000
Didnt expect tons out of him this year but man is he doing terrible
by Kgwillkillyou on Feb 22, 2012 9:53 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Sadly, I have to agree.
He looked great in pre-season. And for a while you had to think he just needed to find his shot.
But man, it just hasn’t come.
The most frustrating thing is that he still has his patented sneaky ability to get in close to the hoop. But he just can’t finish anymore.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Marquis has fallen fast
What is perplexing to me about Marquis is that he does still have the ability get open in the under 10 foot range. He was never an explosive leaper or extremely fast as he played more below the rim. He always seems to find that sliver of room to get off his shot even against taller opposition. Strange that he can’t finish those shots anymore even when he gets into position.
Donny Marshall made the comment a few games ago that he feels Marquis still isn’t right. Said he’s still having some problems with migraines and stuff.
Ugh
anything that messes with your balance or depth perception – that’s not gonna help.
In the end, maybe ’Quis came back too soon?
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Add in..
Quis is a true 2 not a 3. He’s being forced to play a 3 more and more. Look at Quis stats in Indiana his first and I think second year and Quis produced very well at the 2 spot. I think injury + all his minutes at 3 is throwing him off.
by RR_The_Future on Feb 23, 2012 5:15 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
C's made a galant effort to make a come back but just could not pull off the win...
They C’s could of packed it in but they showed alot of heart tonight with their attempted a come back, so I deserve they deserves praise.
Though the C’s lost I think the bright part of the night was the play of KG who looked fresh after his mini break.
I also thought JJ and especially Bradley played well tonight and I was glad to see them get some quality playing time.
I think JJ played well when in the game, but Bradley was just especially solid tonight.
I think both players got some very important minutes tonight that will only help their growth and development.
If Doc would only play Steimsa more it would be great.
This has been one long road trip.
KG was a beast
Agree with everything you said, but Stiemsma sucks…did you catch his 5 mins out there, he didn’t know what he was doing.
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 10:03 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
The only way Greg will learn the NBA game...
is by learning from his mistakes.
Greg has struggled at times this year but I think that does not mean you should avoid playing him, I think that means you should try to play him even more to help him grow and develop in order to become a better player.
Bigs take time to develop and considering its Gregs 1st year in the NBA and the C’s are in dire need of a young, athletic center with size and length which Greg provides, I at least want to see him get more minutes to see if he can possibly be a center of the future for us either as a starter in the best case scenario or at the very least as a backup.
He plays so bad at times, I just don’t see it, but ok.
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 10:32 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
That makes 3 of us
But I know you’ve been a huge Steamer fan all season, fordescort.
chris anderson didnt look good first couple years now his a suitiable center as goes for Bynum who kobe whnat to trade for his inability to pick up the gam d jordan wasnt the shot blocking monster he is now
steamer need time GO STEAMER
Well said EXER123...
thats kinda my point that young players especially bigs need time to develop as the players you describe above prove.
Its way to early and premature to judge Greg as a player at this early stage of his NBA career since he has yet to get a chance to play alot of minutes and learn the game at the NBA level which will only come with playing time and getting more experience.
Since the C’s only have 1 legit center on the roster in JO and he is retiring this summer, the C’s will need to find a starting and back up center next year, ones that preferably are young, have size, length, athleticism, since Greg has all those qualities I think he is a good start to possibly add some depth to the center position as the C’s seek to rebuild.
Greg has also shown he can run the floor, rebound, clog the paint , block /alter shots, finish strong around & above the rim on offense, make perimeter jumpers and shoot free throws well which is hard to find in a NBA big center.
Greg does need to work on some aspects of his game, though his help defense is ok he does need to work on his one on one defensive in the paint and work on some low post offensive moves, but he can work on those weak aspects of his game and with playing time and experience remedy them and become a better player.
Since legit centers with skills described above that Greg has are so hard to find in the NBA these days, I think the C’s are lucky to have found Greg and since he has promise and could potentially bloom into either a starting center at best or at worst a solid back up center I hope they C’s give him a good long look for a year or 2 before passing any judgments on him prematurely.
Just my 2 cents though.
Agreed. It's sort of true for all young players
You can’t dismiss physical attributes too casually because the saying is true: You can’t teach height.
But you can often teach ’em how to play better basketball.
So when a young player has promising physical attributes and even the slightest inkling that they are coachable, you shouldn’t give up on them too early.
Avery Bradley is actually a similar case. It’s not height, but instead he has other amazing physical attributes – speed, hand/eye quickness and his wicked vertical leap. You can’t teach those things. You have them or you don’t. He also has a rep as a smart, hard worker.
People on this blog were calling him trash through last year and even into the beginning of this year. Yet, because Doc and Danny are a bit smarter about these things than the average blogger, they knew to be patient, and to nurture those gifts.
Stiemsma may end up not making it. Maybe he has size and nothing else. But I’ll trust Doc and Danny to make that decision and I doubt they make it in a rush.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Agree..
I think every young player with promise deserves a shot and decent amount of playing time to show if he can cut it in the NBA or be a serviceable player or not.
To make premature judgment on young players I at least think is not wise since they are like flowers and can bloom from a ugly bud into a beautiful flower if given time to grow.
That wasn't all Stiemsma
Doc had him out there in a unit consisting of himself, JJ, Ray, Dooling and Marquis.
Meanwhile, OKC had Mohammed, Durant, Cook, Westbrook & Harden on the floor.
That’s a total, complete mismatch. From the moment we set that lineup out there we went from up 25-24 to down 32-25 in just 2 minutes, 44 seconds.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Ya, that was hard to watch.
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 10:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah - I was screaming at the TV for Doc to change it up and stop the bleeding.
But then I thought … to what?
Unfortunately, Doc had to sit KG at some point and when he did, that was going result in rookies GS & JJ on the floor. And OKC simply immediately jumped on that by keeping starters out there during that stretch.
Same kinda thing happened against Detroit when KG was out – eventually JO had to sit and that’s when our defense suffered and the Pistons attacked the post.
So while it was aggravating to watch – I just don’t know what choices Doc had.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Pride
They are playing with the Pride and determination of true professionals. I seriously would hope they could play for contenders deep into the playoffs. the Big three spent most of their carreers on struggling teams. Thus I would want them to go out with some relevance as players and not as members of a lottery team.They are better than that and deserve better. Too, we might get a few asset. preferably first round picks From the Lakers, Rockets Jazz and maybe the Bulls
by Moses Freeman Jr. on Feb 22, 2012 10:56 PM EST up reply actions
Didn’t see the game. AB look good? How about jjj?
by jurrasicearl on Feb 22, 2012 9:52 PM EST via mobile reply actions
JJJ had a few good moments...Bradley played very well I thought
Had a great dunk over Durant
Is it Soup Yet?
Yea that Bradley dunk ..
was awesome.
If he can learn to finish strong at the hoop on offense it would be a nice addition to his game.
I'd argue JJJ did nearly as well in improvement.
JJJ didn’t have as good of a game as Bradley however JJJ hit jump shots and wasn’t hesitating. That was huge, even hubie brown admitted how big it was JJJ was not hesitating and knocking down 16 foot jumpers. JJJ just needs to either become a tall fast 3 or bulk up to be an average sized 4 with weight so he can rebound better. So far that is my only pet peeve on JJJ right now. He’s playing 4 but isn’t rebounding that great (had a few good o board attempts He could not complete)
by RR_The_Future on Feb 23, 2012 5:19 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Boy ...Rondo's play sure hurt us tonight....
sarcasm aside…..Bradley played pretty well
Is it Soup Yet?
just curious
did Moore get into the game in the 1st half (missed most of it)? if not, was it a DNP-CD or some other reason?
He played. Unfortunately it wasn't a great 2minutes 47 seconds.
He was in with others from our bench during a run where the Thunder just ran all over us to come roaring back from behind and well into the lead.
Not all his fault. Our whole bench just looked lost and undersized.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Doc's fault for playing them all at once.
I hate that.
I initially felt the same way ... but then I thought - what choice did he have?
With KG needing to rest, he HAD to put his two rookie bigs on the floor at the same time. Pierce had two early fouls and had to be paced.
People have been screaming at us to have a ‘younger’ team and for Doc to play the rooks.
Well, outside of KG, PP, RA & JO, we ARE a very, very young team. And this is the NBA. Veterans eat rooks.
Next year is going to be very interesting – we will likely have SIX players under age 23 and maybe as many as TEN under age 27 – and that’s even if we KEEP KG & Ray on minimum contracts!
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
If they celtics won this game....
It would have been bar fight number 2 for the season
by Hamoozeh on Feb 22, 2012 9:55 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I made a bet with my wife. If they had won this game
I would be, right now, walking around my block naked from waist down.
At least I’m not going to jail tonight
Gawd, did our bench get owned.
This is where all those injuries killed us. Our starters, lead by KG, Pierce & Ray, with some nice D by AB, played well to start the game. But man, as Doc started to insert the bench at the end of the 1st, you could just see the change. When Pierce & Bradley sat down, the game just completely flipped. At one point we had GS, JJ, MD, EM & KD out there – they looked totally helpless.
Very frustrating not having Rondo, JO & Wilcox tonight.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Are you blaming Wilcox & Bass' injuries on Danny?
Are you blaming Rondo’s suspension on Danny?
Are you blaming JO’s wrist injury (suffered while getting run over when setting a block and taking a charge) on Danny?
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I am blaming Danny on giving an old dude the MLE and I am blaming DA for Dooling - he sucks. I am blaming DAnyy for Pietrus because he sucks
I can and will blame DA for a lot of things….remember we have have agreed to disagree and I should have NOT baited you with the my question…my bad…we just disagree
Is it Soup Yet?
Pietrus sucks?! are you trolling?
by JuJuan some moore on Feb 22, 2012 10:12 PM EST up reply actions
pietrus was one of the best signings we had this offseason i dont think he sucks at all
by JuJuan some moore on Feb 22, 2012 10:16 PM EST up reply actions
he played the most minutes tonight and had the second most rebounds fourth in points second least turnovers of the starters better plus minus than garnett and allen the guy can play 3 positions i dont see how you can say he sucks
by JuJuan some moore on Feb 22, 2012 10:20 PM EST up reply actions
what does "playing the most minutes" have to do with anything?
+/- is the most useless stat in basketball IMO
Is it Soup Yet?
well you dont play a guy who sucks more than anyone else
by JuJuan some moore on Feb 23, 2012 1:36 AM EST up reply actions
I'm not saying he sucks.
Just saying he can’t bring the same game we used to see in orlando.
maybe sucks is a bad word.....I just don't like the results he brings ...too many threes
just not doing it for me
Is it Soup Yet?
for what it is worth
I disagree, I think he’s a good pickup
that said, he’s limited in what he brings to the table
3’s is about all he does on offense, so he’s not exactly your cup o’ tea
:)
Faith and Sports - an essay by Jeff Clark
Agree
I agree that Pietrus was a good pickup given the situation. For the little amount of money Danny had left to spend and the limited players available he was the best option.
Does he shoot 3’s too much of course! But he is a good defender and decent scorer off the bench. For the money he has turned out much better than other Danny acquistions…
For example the full MLE getting, training camp MVP Jermaine O Neal!!!
hes brought in as a shooter that can play defense
doing what hes supposed to do
Yeah, he's a good role player who is valuable off the bench.
He’s not supposed to be someone you rely on as a starter.
Our injuries have forced a lot of guys into unfamiliar roles.
Given the situation – he was often defending Durant on switches – I thought MP played fairly well tonight.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I actually think Pietrus ...
is a starting quality player.
I really like him and considering he is still fairly young I hope the C’s can retain him long term also.
Give him a chance PO
MP played well tonight on both ends, he really adds something on defensive for this team. He’s just not the slasher you want him to be, good signing to me.
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 10:24 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
He still is a slasher - just isn't a finisher anymore.
That’s the most frustrating thing about Marquis this year. He STILL manages to magically pop up with the ball deep under the hoop when you least expect it. But he then proceeds to miss the bunny layups!!!
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Pietrus
There was an article on espnboston or herald about how petrus was being hard on himself for just not getting to the rim more as he used to do. he has it in his agenda.
by Celtics Fan From NJ on Feb 22, 2012 11:11 PM EST up reply actions
Wilcox is a fragile guy with lots of injury history
So yes, I blame Danny for that. Plus, he has been the king of inconsistency his entire career.
I don’t blame Danny for the Bass injury and I blame Rondo’s stupidity for his missing the game tonight,
Since his rookie year, Wilcox has played 54+ games in all but one season
season games 2002-03 46 2003-04 65 2004-05 54 2005-06 77 2006-07 82 2007-08 62 2008-09 62 2009-10 34 2010-11 57
That is hardly a lot of injury history. He just came off a season playing 57 games off the bench for Detroit (and averaged 15pts & 10 reb per 36). Hard to see where the red flags were that Danny was supposed to see.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
You could also say
he has played more than 65 games just twice.
Not a ton of players do.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Really?
Just picked a name at random: Channing Frye.
He has played more than 65 games 4 of the last 5 years.
Josh Smith. 7 straight years.
Paul Millsap. 5 straight years (his whole career).
Wesley Matthews. 82 games in each of his first 2 years (his whole career).
Tony Battie. 8 of his 13 years.
Those aren’t cherry picked. Those are the first 5 players I thought of as comparisons. What do you base your claim on?
Well, its not as tight as my instinct first thought
but its not totally common either.
Of 83 C, C/F, F/C players who played last year, 32 managed to play 66 games.
In the prior year the numbers were similar (34/82).
So a better choice of words for me would have been “Most don’t”.
The choice of ‘66’ as a cut-off is, of course somewhat arbitrary. Why not 62? Then Wilcox makes it 5 of his 9 seasons.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Interesting
How did you get your hands on that data so fast? basketballreference.com? Something else?
yes, basketballreference.com
Use the ‘Play Index’ / ‘Season Finder’.
Games played is, of course, only a rough proxy for health, especially for guys who are not starters and can get DNP’ed.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
whoops - that should be 'basketball-reference.com'
the hyphen is important. :-D
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
???
those numbers actually do show a fairly significant injury history other than a solid 2 year stretch during the 2005-7 seasons. In just the last 4 years he has barely played 65% of games which present plenty of red flags. Not to mention he has been injured this season already a couple times. Funny exchange from the Simmons article today referencing Wilcox and his injuries…
Wilcox: “Plus, you counted on me to hold up during a conde
nsed season even though I get injured EVERY SINGLE YEAR.”
Dooling: “He’s not kidding — from 2007 to 2011, Chris played 215 of a possible 328 games.”
Wilcox: “I’m injured right now! I have a strained right adductor or something.”
A lot of his years he was mostly a bench player (he has started less than half his career games)
and many of his ‘missed games’ were just DNPs.
I wouldn’t put a lot of stock in Simmons’ satire to support an argument.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I only blame Danny for Wilcox because he used the mini mid level on him
I know there weren’t a ton of big men out there, but he could have used it on Delonte and tried to get a different big, or just used it on a different big. Thought Wilcox was a great signing at the minimum, then not so great when I found out he used the mini mid level exception.
Pietrus shot selection is awful.
He just takes bad shots. Sometimes they go in and sometimes they don’t. That quick 3 and the two missed lay-ups over the trees in the 4th qtr were just bad shots that had no chance.
-Sammyg
I think he’s still a decent player but trying too hard right now. he was doing just fine when he first joined and was in the flow of the game. I think if the C’s had a reasonably full roster that played consistently, he’d go back to being a solid contributor.
by slamtheking on Feb 22, 2012 10:13 PM EST up reply actions
I liked the Pietrius acquistion...
and think he is a nice fit this year and next year also at the right price considering he is still fairly young, is athletic and is a defensive and offensive presence coming off the bench that the C’s can really need short and long term.
Well I don't feel as bad as I thought I would going into the AS break...
I thought we would lose by 30+ going into halftime.
Let’s see if this performance plus some time off to heal and gel as a team can get us going in the right direction
Dear Avery Bradley,
I didn’t think you were, but you are legit my friend. This guy is like a Tony Allen with a decent jump shot and better ball handling skills.
He's still essentially a rookie. Just 21 years old.
A few bonehead plays are gonna happen.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Funny you say that because that sort of reminds me of... well... Tony Allen
But isn’t he like 20-21? Lots of potential and time to improve.
by Celticsdude on Feb 22, 2012 10:06 PM EST up reply actions
Avery an Tony are in similar
categories at different positions of course.
Yeah, Tony can defend SFs as well as SGs and most PGs
Avery can defend PGs and most SGs
by Celticsdude on Feb 22, 2012 10:31 PM EST up reply actions
Avery is a much, much better shooter, though.
We are finally starting to see him break out – in the long run, Bradley will be a much better offensive player than Allen.
Tony’s size made him a bit more versatile of a defender in that you could put him on bigger guys, but I think Bradley is actually a much better on-ball defender on the PGs and SGs he’s asked to defend. His footwork is just unreal.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
? not sure what you are saying here
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Bradley will learn from those bone headplays....
I have no problem seeing young players make mistakes as it is the only way they will learn the game at the NBA level and help make them better players in the long run.
Bradley is one of the bright spots of the season...
He has gotten alot of minutes which has only helped his growth and development.
Hopefully he will continue to get solid minutes the rest the year which will only improve his game which will make him a better player the C’s can really depend on in the future.
Definitely - he had a nice game tonight and so did Jajuan
I look forward to seeing both of them develop as players and staying in Celtic green
At least the C's showed fight in the 2nd half
At this point the Celtics are reduced to moral victories so in that respect tonight was a positive. The 100 point streak is gone after a horrific first half defensively. Nice to see the offense flowing at times and seeing the ball move around more.
The second half was typical of an early blowout where OKC let up just a bit and Boston took advantage but didn’t have enough in the end to complete the comeback. It was good to see the Celtics keep fighting and not give up though so maybe that is one thing they can build on.
In the end though it goes down as yet another loss for the Celtics who are streaking in the wrong direction. Hopefully the All Star break gets the team healthy and refocused to try and salvage this quickly disappearing season…
Overall it’s
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team so good at playing when they are down 20+ points. Credit this team for never giving up, but criticize them for not getting up for games when the ball is tipped.
Speak the truth. lol
Actually, I felt like they were up when the ball was tipped
They got off to a great start. It wasn’t until Pierce and KG went out that things went south. I was pretty upset at Pierce for trying to draw that charge when he already had one foul.
That first foul hurt too
Fouling perk at the basket is a good basketball play and Pierce did it instinctively, but stars gotta stay on the court especially when the only young one is out.
what took so long?
finally, we showed some heart and effort but not until we were down 27. we needed pierce and ray to give us a lot more than they have for the past 2 weeks.I;m not into moral victories but on the other hand I didn’t expect to win this game so I guess it turned out ok
isn't avery ahead of dooling right now?
really, dooling has been a complete bust
well i believe he is
but Moore should be getting doolings minutes now though
I agree...
C’s need to play the kids as much as possible this year since they are talented and I think can help the C’s this year, but to also help them get more experience to help their growth and development.
We need bigs. Our guards are stacked but for some reason we alway seem to get “lemons” for our frontline.
by The green mamba on Feb 22, 2012 10:05 PM EST via mobile reply actions
well they look good for the first 5 games.. then..
they get hurt, or get no minutes. then when they finally do get Play time they bust
+1
Sheed is a lemon by the way.
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 10:09 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
lol okay. Im just saying I might enjoy games with Sheed. At least I would have comedic relief.
by The green mamba on Feb 22, 2012 10:17 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
This is gonna be a long break. and interesting 2. I still believe in this celtics team. I ride or die with this team. Please give us hope!!
by CBleedsGreeN on Feb 22, 2012 10:06 PM EST via mobile reply actions
+3
Due to the to Bass, Wilcox and the loss of Rondo and KG during this road trip it was not the greatest barometer of how good or bad the C’s are as a team.
If we can get everybody back it will be interesting to see how this team responds and what their record will be come the trade deadline where we should have a better barometer on this Celtics team.
Their a better team without JO.
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 10:43 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Disagree.
We really miss his length and defense when he’s out.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
As long as JO plays no more than 20 minutes he is solid on D
His offense, however, is pretty awful.
I agree
This team has the ability to play with anyone, in any combination, as tonight again showed. They just need to have the mental and physical toughness to do it. I still believe it will start to come together for a late season run, which is when we need and want it. Look at the most recent Super Bowl champion and the most recent World Series winner — late season runs extending into the post-season. Our Boston teams in those sports started hot and were beat by late-charging teams.
I am hoping and believing that the Celtics will be late-chargers this year. I don’t see anything to indicate that we don’t have the raw tools to do it. Better than running out of gas at the end, as happened to us the last couple of years.
by Old West Celtics Sox Fan on Feb 22, 2012 11:34 PM EST up reply actions
Rondo
if you could have added one player to the celtics tonight would it have been rondo or pau gasol? mostly curious i dont think there is a right answer
by JuJuan some moore on Feb 22, 2012 10:15 PM EST reply actions
for this game..
Gasol.. since i think avery did a fair job at his spot more so then the bigs or little bigs at theirs..
It might be better to look at the few years ahead
It doesn’t matter that much who fits betters with our big 3 right. Whatsmore important is who’s going to be a better player at better value in the next 5-7 years.
by Karasu on Feb 23, 2012 12:08 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
7 years from now rondo will be 33 so he wont have much value then. honestly if gasols contract expired this year then it would be a great trade but since it doesnt then its a tough choice
by JuJuan some moore on Feb 23, 2012 1:42 AM EST up reply actions
As I alluded to above - we played this game with just 3 guys taller than 6' 9".
And two of them are rookies.
Meanwhile, the Thunder threw Ibaka, Mohammed, Perk & Durant out at us in large doses. We looked like little green leprechauns out there!
So basically the fact that we weren’t blown out by 50 its has got to go down as a small miracle.
KG, Pierce and Allen all showed they still have a lot of fight – but there is no substitute for length when playing a team as long and athletic as the Thunder.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Agree 100%
with your comment:
“there is no substitute for length when playing a team as long and athletic as the Thunder”.
this has become a routine for us...at least we are consistent...
falling behind big, catch up, fall short…falling behind big, catch up, fall short…falling behind big, catch up, fall short…falling behind big, catch up, fall short…falling behind big, catch up, fall short…falling behind big, catch up, fall short…falling behind big, catch up, fall short…wow!!! talking about being consistent…
Jeff, this article is spot on on everything I'm thinking about the game & our current status!
so now, I can’t think of anything else to say then… o_0
especially with these lines...
“If they could just be tricked into thinking they are down 20 points at the start of the game, things might go much better for them. "
“Avery played admirably, but I think we missed Rondo tonight. Don’t tell me we are better off without him. Just don’t.”
I hope we get Bass + Wilcox + JO back after the break… or any 2 of ‘em at least… oh please! Oh and, it’s Rondo’s bday today is it? Happy birthday #9! I guess the NBA gave him a present a.k.a. giving back for the awful handing of a 2-game suspension via the All-Star selection.
Keyon Dooling was a horrible pickup. Hope he is gone by the trade deadline
Wouldn’t mind seeing them part with Mr. Glass, JO, either.
Pee-on Drooling
No need for him. I feel so much more comfortable with Bradley and Moore backing up Rondo.
by Jon Niednagel on Feb 22, 2012 10:39 PM EST up reply actions
end of a era for danny boy to ?
this just in the celtics cant beat nobody i repeat the celtics cant beat nobody, the big 3 era has come to a end and so has danny ainge as g.m. the man done nothing the last 2 years but bring in garbage dooling pavolvic, the list goes on our bench sucks accept for pietrus and bass. we need to just cut jermaine o neil outright start johnson at center with wilcox or bass backing up and if i hear this jerk mention trading rondo again im gonna crack. the way ainge wants this team to rebuild we will go back to the dark days of the ML carr era everybody is calling for fresh blood out with the old trade pierce rondo blah blah well danny boy has to go to his time has come just like the big 3 poor doc gotta feel for him signing up for 5 more years of this shit great run but now its getting unwatchable
lohaus #54
Same way it's possible for the team to give up 21 straight points, I guess
I didn’t think that was possible either
Silver Lining
We finally scored over 100 points.
They also gave it up though.
First time in a while.
by forever_green on Feb 22, 2012 10:53 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
First time since second game of season...
Haven’t given up 100 since that Miami game, according to the OKC announcers. A pretty incredible stat, actually — highlights how bad our offense has been to have a record as bad as ours when we’ve actually held opposing teams to decent point totals.
by Old West Celtics Sox Fan on Feb 22, 2012 11:26 PM EST up reply actions
Nice to see old pal Perk tonight...
Its strange we have had not had any we miss Perk or we should have not traded Perk away comments tonight…. maybe that debate has been killed to death.
I hope my comment does not restart that debate…lol
Bittersweet moment with Perk at end of game
First Perk and Paul, then KG wrapped his arms around both of them.
Too bad.
It was sad to see
I miss Perk. We should’ve never traded him. That was for you, fordescort, lol! But I also still feel that way.
Hence the reason why Rondo's not doing too good
Is because of this trade one year ago.
“That starting 5 have never lost a playoff series together.”
by SparzWizard on Feb 22, 2012 11:32 PM EST up reply actions
Played pretty well
Don’t like losing though. Great to see to see Perk out there. Hope the team gets some rest and comes in ready for the next half
strange but true...
who would’ve thought we would worry about the Cavs catching up to the C’s in the seeding race at the start of this season…
And to make a bad night worse, Lakers continue to roll and are about to beat Dallas in Dallas
Lakers are one of four teams in the west that are contenders to make it to the finals. :(
So much for our bench being better than their's
Seriously, Dallas is a stupid team. Why would they foul Gasol, up by 2 pts, with 20 seconds left?
But Kobe, Gasol, and Fisher missed crucial free throws as well…wtheck?!
by SparzWizard on Feb 23, 2012 12:28 AM EST up reply actions
dude,
like 2 weeks ago, you said that C’s/Lakers game was a match-up of 2 teams that were definitely finishes.
Now the lakers are contenders?
"Chemistry is something that you don't just throw in a frying pan and mix it up with another something and throw something on top of that and then fry it up and put in a tortilla and put it in microwave, heat it up, give it to you and expect it to taste good. You know? If y'all don't know what I'm talking about then you can't cook and this doesn't concern you."
by KGHurtYourFeelings on Feb 23, 2012 1:30 PM EST up reply actions
Pau Gasol is making the Lakers think twice. I think they are hurting with the loss of Odom if anything else.
by The green mamba on Feb 23, 2012 12:19 AM EST via mobile reply actions
offense tonight
I posted a fan post about Doc tonight (“Doc listening to celticsblog?”)— the offense ran better, not because we didn’t have Rondo. Adjustments were made to our sets which opened the middle. With Rondo back, I’m interested to see if we stay with those sets. Also- i refer to Daniels and Dooling as D.D. - stands for "Doc, Don’t!’ They are truly awful.
At this point, it's late, so no one is probably gonna see (or care) what I say
Life of working night shift I guess.
Even though the boys lost, I was thoroughly entertained. These guys just have heart (unfortunately only when they want to).
Couple of observations:
-Pierce can still run the offense. He may not have shot the ball well tonight, but he had a good game running the point forward spot. Him and Rondo really need to figure things out. Together, they should be better able to get the team more points than they have lately. Have a one on one talk or something. No KG, no Ray, no Doc. No on else. Just Paul and Rajon. These two are too good to let this 80 ppg crap happen.
-Dooling & Quisy are useless. Find Moore more run, Doc, you stubborn fool! Avery is legit, he should be getting all the majority of the backup PG/SG minutes.
-Stop chucking so many threes Pietrus. You can do more than that, and have admitted as much to the media yourself.
-The biggest take away from this game had nothing to do with the Celtics though. The Thunder have some serious issues. We should have been crushed tonight. In fact, for a while, we were. That team just plays no defense though. I don’t get it. Wasn’t that the whole reason for getting Perk, and allowing Ibaka to start at PF? Those two try as hard as they can, but no one else on that team is a good defender at all. Myabe they could be, but they don’t try. Too concerned with offense. No wonder Durant and Westbrook scored 90 pts between them the other night vs. Denver and still needed OT to pull out the win.
Oh well, I was already chalking this game up as a loss before hand, so whatever. This team still has a run left though. They do not lack heart.
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE HEART OF A CHAMPION!
" Hell yeah I'm trying to gain an advantage out here. If you can't handle it, get off the court."- Kevin Garnett
"Stats are for losers."- Rahim Morris (FORMERLY-Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
by KG's Knee on Feb 23, 2012 1:40 AM EST via mobile reply actions
OKC's defense is a bit schizophrenic.
Their # 1 5-man unit by minutes played is actually very good defensively: Westbrook+Sefolosha+Durant+Ibaka+Perk has posted a DefRtg of 89.35 points per 100 possessions. That’s wicked good defense.
But all of their other top 5-man units (by minutes played) have ratings above 100 – and several are up above 110.
For the most part, most of their better defensive units include Perk.
I
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Did not watch it..
good fight by C’s to comeback like that. The dunk by Bradley was quite a highlite.
"It seemed that Brandon's financial manager had speculated in some kind of futures and lost everything...Mary could not rid her mind of the word "speculate." It meant to guess, in terms of money to gamble. How could a man gamble a college?"
From the short story, In the Garden of North American Martyrs--Tobias Wolff
GET TO THE RIM HEAT (and SKY)! ATTACK THE PAINT!
by mjtig on Feb 23, 2012 2:55 AM EST via mobile reply actions
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