The Pistons/Celtics rivalry is alive and well. You can bet that the Celtics will be looking to avenge that loss in the next meeting. There were several reasons that we lost that game. The one that stood out to me was the free throw shooting. We missed 8 free throws in that game. We were up big in the Bulls game, but we missed 9 free throws in that game also. This should be a priority in practice to figure out why we are missing so many free throws and correct it.
When Rondo was out of the game against the Pistons, they took advantage. Eddie House is ok at back up when we are playing teams that don't press on defense, but the Pistons uncovered a glaring weakness. Eddie House can't handle pressure defense. The Pistons totally took the Celtics out of their game with their defense. We need a back up point guard who can handle defenses like the Pistons and Spurs are going to throw at us. I like the idea of signing Gary Payton. I think he would be a good fit for the team.
I had a flash back to 1986 while watching the Bulls game. Those teams of the 80's never went on losing streaks, and when they did lose a game they should have won, they got mad and took it out on the next hapless team to play them. That is exactly what this team does. They lost to Orlando by 2 and two nights later, they beat Golden State 105-82. Then, they lost to Cleveland by 5 in OT and two days later, they beat New York 104-59. And after they lost to Detroit by 2, they beat Chicago 108-82.
Losing to Detroit wasn't a terrible thing. They now know they have a lot to work on to get to the top level. The biggest thing they have to work on is handling pressure defense. When teams play defense against them, they let that take them out of their game plan. The offense sputters and the ball movement stops.
Rajon Rondo is really impressive. He has been playing very well and improving with each game. He is being more aggressive and has incredible court awareness and now that he is hitting his jumpers, he is becoming a force to be reckoned with. It has been a long time since we had a PG with Rondo's skills. Danny has gone through quite a few PG's looking for just the right one, and I think he has found him.
I really wish I didn't have to watch another Pierce ISO for a long, long time. They don't usually end well. Doc needs to realize that he has more players who can take the last shot than Pierce. Ray Allen and KG were hot in the Pistons' game. Pierce was not. Why draw up the last play for the one player who wasn't hot?
I see a lot of posts on different boards talking about how Perk is the weakest link. They saw his missed shots and turnovers, but they didn't watch him without the ball. Sometimes we just see what he does when he has the ball. But, you have to watch how hard he works on defense and what he is doing all the time when the ball isn't in his hands to realize how important he is to this team's success. KG and the others get their rebounds because he boxes out and clears the way for his teammates to get the rebound. He sets picks on the offensive end and he defends and changes a lot of shots in the paint on the defensive end. He does the dirty work and all the little things that the team needs for everyone else to get their points and rebounds.
Kevin Garnett is so intense. I just never realized how intense he was. It is the 4th quarter, the Celtics are up by 20 and KG is still off the bench yelling instructions and encouragement to his teammates. Amazing.
Ray Allen has a lot more game than most people, including myself, has given him credit for. He is a much better defender than I thought. He does a lot more than shoot threes. And this is just icing on the cake.
