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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Celtics Beat Nets in OT 96-88 for 3rd Win in a Row
Saturday, March 3, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 6:44 PM
March 3, 2007
In a game that in the first half promised to be one of the ugliest on record, the Celtics erased a 10 point lead in the last 1:20 and went on to beat the Nets in overtime 96-88. In the first quarter, the Celtics shot 12% but yet trailed by just 5 at the end of the quarter. The Celtics couldn't seem to hit a shot and the Nets couldn't hold on to the ball. For the game, the Celtics shot 34% and the Nets shot 46%. But they only turned the ball over 10 times as opposed to 21 turnovers for the Nets.
Al Jefferson has arrived as a low post threat. He is clearly our best big man since Kevin McHale roamed the Parquet. Today he finished with 32 points and 18 rebounds along with 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. He has become a go to guy and produces night in and night out. The future, at least in the post, has arrived. Perk started and even with the plantar fasciitis, he finished with 5 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block in 22 minutes. I still say that next year, Perk is going to surprise a lot of people if he can come back healthy.
Powe came in and pulled down 3 rebounds, had 2 steals and played some good defense, taking 2 charges, in just 5 minutes of play. Then, we never saw him again. What does this kid have to do to get playing time? He produces every time he is on the court. Scal played 34 minutes and finished with 5 points on 2-10 shooting with 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. Powe should be getting some of those minutes that Doc is giving to Scal. This reinforces my belief that we won't go anywhere until we get a new coach.
Pierce played 44 minutes and started out very slow, missing his first 11 shots. He shot only 8-28 but came up big and made some very big shots down the stretch and in OT. Gomes was solid as always scoring 11 points with 7 rebounds and 2 steals in 28 minutes. Green continued with his up and down play as he scored 5 points, pulled down 1 rebound and racked up 5 fouls in just under 21 minutes.
West played very well today scoring 15 points on 6-10 shooting with 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. And it was West who came up big in the last minute. We were down 7 with 52 seconds to go and in the last 45 seconds Delonte got 2 assists, a rebound, and 7 points including a 3 pointer to send the game into overtime. Rondo played only 17 minutes and had 6 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal. His best play was on our last possession in regulation. Frank was yelling for the Nets to foul so as to prevent a 3 pointer and Rondo brought the ball up so quickly and passed it off to an open West that they couldn't catch him to foul him. West hit the shot but without Rondo's quickness he wouldn't have gotten the chance. Telfair played 7 minutes and finished with 1 assist.
In spite of a lot of fans hoping for losses and thus more ping pong balls, I am excited to see this team winning again. They are starting to pull together in spite of still missing some of their key players and in spite of Pierce and Perk playing at about 70%. They are learning how to win and that is a good thing that will carry over to next year. I only hope that a win streak now won't give Danny a reason to keep Doc as we are winning in spite of him, not because of him.
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Thoughts on Perk, the Future, and Doc
Friday, March 2, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 10:42 AM
March 3, 2007
Yesterday, The Herald had a good article on Perk. I have read a lot of posts this season calling Perk a bust. I imagine it was these same people who were calling Big Al a bust last season. Sometimes, circumstances keep players from developing as quickly as we would like. It has been that way with Perk. In his first season, he played 35 minutes the entire season. His second seasonm, he played in only 60 games and averaged only 9 mpg over those 60 games. In spite of very little playing time, he improved and averaged 2.5 points and almost 3 rebounds in those 9 minutes. Again, his third season, he got very little playing time as Doc was showcasing Blount and Raef.
Right after the Blount trade, Doc started to give him 20+ mpg for the first time and he was producing and looking good. He was averaging over 5 points and almost 6 rebounds per game in those 19 mpg that he got in those few games after Blount was traded. Then he had the shoulder injury and shoulder surgery over the summer. He never really got to play healthy this season as he developed plantaar fasciitis and instead of sitting him and letting it heal as most teams would do, he has been playing through the pain almost the whole season, having to limit his minutes and having his lift and mobility hampered by the injury.
In spite of all this, his numbers are still higher than those of Jermaine O'Neal in his 1st 4 years and O'Neal didn't turn out so badly. It wasn't until O'Neal's 5th year that he started to be productive and he never had to deal with the injuries that have sidelined Perk in his first 4 years. I expect Perk to heal this summer and come back to camp ready to prove all his detractors wrong, just as Al has done. Perk has shown that he is a true Celtic by his work ethic and his willingness to do whatever the team needs, including ignoring the pain in his foot because his team needs him. As fans, we should be willing to give the kid a chance until he has a season to play healthy and show us what he can really do.
After watching the team play against New York, I truly believe that the future is bright. Pierce and Al are starting to gel and develop chemistry. Green is starting to show that he gets it. He played good defense, and showed that his offense can come from inside or outside. Al has been showing us all along that he is a legitimate low post threat and is a future All Star.
Rondo has shown that he has all the tools to be one of the top point guards in the league. All he needs is a consistent jumper and a little experience and he will be there. And with his work ethic, he will get the jumper sooner rather than later. Perk has been injured most of this season but as I said above, he is going to be a very, very good center when given the chance to play healthy. Even if we don't get the top pick in the draft, we will get a player who can help us right away. I am not even sure we need to trade for another veteran. Danny's trade record for veterans isn't exactly the best. But we have the assets to make a trade if we need to but I would love to see this group grow together as I think they can be a formidable team as they all develop.
This team as constituted is much better than their record. We have lost 179 player games to injuries, which is more than any other team in the NBA this season. Whenever we would get any type of momentum, there would be another key injury. We haven't had Wally or Ratliff all season. We haven't really had Perk all season. Pierce was out for a long stretch. Just as Tony Allen was hitting the top of his game, he went down and that just took the air out of this team. Chemistry is a very, very important commodity in this league. The Lakers a few years back with Kobe, Malone, Payton, and Shaq seemed a lock to be great but they weren't because they couldn't build any chemistry. The great teams today are ones that have been together and have built great chemistry. The Celtics are building that kind of chemistry now. The team is extremely close off the court and now we are seeing chemistry building on the court and as that continues to build this team is going to be something special. With a high draft pick and possibly another good veteran, this team is going to surprise a lot of people next season.
This brings me to Doc. I like Doc. He is a very nice guy and great in interviews and seems to be good with the players and just an all around likeable guy. That being said, he is not a good head coach. His rotations and substitutions are maddening. He never calls time outs quick enough to stop a run by the other team. He doesn't appreciate bigs who play with their backs to the basket and thus our bigs are always out too far from the basket to play the way they should. He starts them on the 3 point line and loves players who shoot 3s from there and never go inside. He loved Raef and loves Scal and keeps Powe on the bench. That drives me crazy. He tells guys they will be getting a lot of playing time because of the way they play and then sits them.
Powe played a great game in Utah and Doc said he would be getting a lot more playing time. He started the next game and played very well. Next game he gets 3 minutes and then it is back to DNP's. He puts Rondo in the starting lineup and he plays incredibly well. Then for no apparent reason, Rondo gets benched. Telfair comes into the Houston game and plays good defense and in Doc's words is the reason we won the game and doesn't even get off the bench the next game. He has done this with all of our young players at one time or another. It has to mess with their confidence.
He plays West for 40+ minutes instead of giving these two promising PG's time to build on their games and get better. He moves West back and forth between the Point and the 2 guard so many times that he doesn't know what role he is supposed to play. He doesn't shoot when he is at the 2 and often brings the ball up even when Rondo is in the game. He starts Scal at center and the 4 and plays him big minutes although he averages less than 2 rebounds a game. Scal has proved to be a good energy guy and is playing better this year than last, but he isn't a starting caliber player and won't be. In the meantime, players who should be getting the experience this season like Powe and Gomes are sitting.
All that being said, if Danny keeps Doc as our coach next season, it will be a big mistake. This team will not improve a great deal until they get a better in game coach who knows how to get the best out of his players instead of tearing down their confidence. We can get Oden or Durant and still won't make it to the next level because Doc is incapable of getting the best out of his players. But, with a new coach, a high draft pick, healthy players, and possibly another vet, this team will be a force to be reckoned with next season.
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Celtics Win Second Straight in Spite of Blowing 23 Point Lead
Thursday, March 1, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 9:57 AM
March 1, 2007
Before the game report, I have a few things to vent. First, Doc is a terrible coach. Is that a news flash? 3 games ago, he finally gave Powe a chance to play and came out afterwards saying how much he likes Powe and how he is an instigator and the Celtics need that and Leon would be playing a lot more. Ok, next game Doc starts him. The kid goes from a gazillion DNP's in a row to starter. Doc plays him 24 minutes and again, he impresses and does a good job. Next game he starts again and plays 3 minutes. Last night he was back to DNP. Another case in point. Bassy played very well in Houston and Doc admitted that his play was the reason for the win. He played good defense and played the point very well. His reward for that great play? A DNP against NY. Rondo went from starting to back up and gets anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. He continues to come off the bench in spite of good evidence that he is the PG of our future and given consistent playing time would be the PG of the present. West gets jerked around from point guard to shooting guard and back again. Does Doc realize how much he is messing with their psyches and confidence? Doc starts Scal at center and plays him 37 minutes at the 4 and 5 and he doesn't come up with even 1 rebound? But he shot lots of 3's, hitting only 4-9. The problem with Scal is that he hits a few 3's in a row and then shoots every time he gets the ball. Unfortunately, he isn't playing inside like a center or power forward should, he is wandering out on the arc launching 3's. It is enough to make me spill my green koolaid. I keep worrying that Doc will be back next season and I don't know if these players, in spite of their talent, can survive another season playing under Doc.
Now that that is over, on to the Game Report. The Celtics started out strong and built a 20 point lead in the first half. They shared the ball, hit their shots and played defense. They stretched the lead to 23 before forgetting how to beat the zone and play defense and allowed the Knicks to get back into the game and even take the lead in the 4th quarter. But, give them credit, the Celtics never gave up and behind Al and Green, they persevered to win the game 102-94.
Al Jefferson once again proved that he is a dominant low post threat. He finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. Most importantly, he was the go to guy down the stretch and he produced. Also coming up big down the stretch was Gerald Green who finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 20 minutes of play. It has to make a Celtics fan excited to see the promise that these two players show. They are the future and hopefully Danny will realize that and keep them on the team.
Pierce was able to relax somewhat and watch his young teammates take over down the stretch, although he hit several big shots in the fourth as well. But the pressure wasn't on him to take over the game and that was the difference down the stretch. Pierce finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Gomes had a quiet game with 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, but one thing about Gomes is that he never hurts you and rarely makes mistakes that cost the team.
Perk got the start tonight as I had hoped he would. He started in place of Powe, instead of Scal, though so it was a hollow triumph to see him start. But Perk produced and played great defense on Curry pretty much shutting him down when he was in the game and finished with 0 points (he only took 1 shot) but he did have 4 assists, finding the open man when he got the ball inside and was doubled. He also pulled down 8 rebounds and had a steal. Scal played 37 minutes between the 4 and the 5 spots and didn't get even 1 rebound. How can that be? Doc, come on! Sure he hits the 3 from time to time (he was 4-9 from beyond the arc tonight) but we need more than that from the starting bigs. Continuing to start Scal and play him big minutes puts us at a disadvantage against the front lines of other teams. But maybe that is Doc's plan all along. What better way to tank?
I have no idea how long it will take for Doc to realize that Rondo is our best PG. Maybe he never will. He continues to start West, who isn't doing a bad job, but Rondo is better. Also, it isn't fair to West who would thrive if moved to the 2 and was able to find his role and stick to it. West finished with 6 points on 2-6 shooting with 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Rondo was everywhere last night scoring 4 points with 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals. The team plays so much better with him at the point. I wish Doc would start Rondo and back him up with Telfair and let them build their confidence and we would have a good 1-2 punch at the point. West would give us so much more at the 2 guard.
We played very well as a team, limiting our turnovers to 14 and shooting 51% from the field and 53% from beyond the arc. We had 28 assists on 34 field goals, which shows that we are sharing the ball and finding the open man. It helped that our bigs were finding the open man when they were doubled inside. Perk and Al are both becoming very good passing big men. We also won the battle on the boards 38-35, although when the Knicks made their comeback in the second half, they were out rebounding us through that stretch. All in all it was a good win. They were missing some of their key players but it is hard to feel sorry for them because we are too. Wally, Ratliff, and Tony are out. Perk is still playing at about 60% as he continues to play in pain. Pierce is probably only at 75% as well. And we have Doc as a coach that really puts us at a disadvantage. Even Isaiah is a better coach than Doc and that is pretty bad.
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Wally to Have Season Ending Surgery
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 4:22 PM
February 28, 2007
As most Celtics fans have expected, Wally is going to be shut down for the season. Celtics.com has announced that Wally will undergo season ending surgery.
The Boston Celtics announce that forward Wally Szczerbiak is scheduled to undergo season ending ankle surgery on Thursday March 8, 2007. The procedure will be performed by Team Physician Dr. Brian McKeon at New England Baptist Hospital.
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Max to Apologize, Celts to Honor DJ, Pierce to Share with Al
by FLCeltsFan 12:55 PM
February 28, 2007
Celtics.com has a couple of things of note. One, Wally will have his ankle reevaluated this week. My thoughts are that they may shut him down to let the ankles heal completely. Second, DJ will be honored at tonight's game against the Knicks.
Please join the Boston Celtics organization in memorializing the life of Dennis Johnson at tonight's game vs. the New York Knicks.
The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive an exclusive commemorative DJ lapel pin. The Celtics will also hold a moment of silence before the National Anthem, along with a special tribute video just before tip off.
Gates open at 6:30 p.m., so join us at the Garden early to honor DJ with pregame events. Highlights of his extraordinary career will continue to be shown throughout the game. The Toros will also honor him before their game tomorrow night.
The Herald reports that Cedric Maxwell will apologize on the air tonight for his comments on Violet Palmer. He will not be disciplined other than to make the public apology.
The Herald also has an interesting article on Pierce and Al and the fact that Pierce is now willing to accept Al as a second option. Pierce is ready to share the torch.
“That’s the name of the game in the NBA,” he said. “I think when you’re a player like me you’re always searching for that next guy that can give you that consistent threat.
“You know, I got blamed before for not passing to my teammates, but I didn’t really have the type of teammates who could maintain that type of consistency. So maybe I was forced into taking bad shots, and I took a lot of the heat for it. But that’s what I’m here for. Now that you see a guy like Al playing like this, it makes everyone more confident.” Hopefully he isn't like Doc and says it and then turns around and does the opposite.
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Some Odds and Ends
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 11:33 AM
February 27, 2007
A couple of things have caught my attention recently. First, what is it with all the complements for Doc? VanGundy was falling all over himself trying to say nice things about Doc. This from the Globe:
"I think Doc is a hell of a coach saddled with a difficult year, but he handles it with his usual poise and class and calm."
Playing in the Western Conference, Van Gundy doesn't see the Celtics up close very often, but he had high praise for their offense. "I think they're an outstanding offensive team," said Van Gundy. "There's a lot of people who get credit for being great offensive coaches in this league and well-deserved. I don't think there's anybody better than Doc Rivers. The way they play the game offensively is beautiful to watch if you're not having to guard them and defend them."
Uh, has he noticed that we only shot 34% for the game? Is that the offense he was talking about?? The offense where Pierce takes too many shots and the kids defer to him whenever possible, that offense? Wow.... Also the Rockets' announcers last night were saying what a great coach Doc is and were gushing all over him. I just don't get it. Maybe they are just hoping to keep him in Boston so there is no chance he comes there.
In the Herald, Danny admits that the state of the Celtics is his fault but he also defends his approach to building the team. He had hoped to trade a couple of our young players for veteran help last summer but nothing worked out. He repeats the fact that he isn't going to give any of them away. Doc has said that he feels that the majority of fans want to keep this group together and let them grow and develop chemistry as a team. I have to say that this approach appeals to me. I love all of these kids and feel that they are just going to get better. Danny also admits that the deal for Telfair and Ratliff was about money but that the like Telfair as well. Ainge also noted the draft day deal for Sebastian Telfair [stats] was done largely for financial reasons so the Celts would have money to re-sign their key young people.
“But we liked Sebastian, too,” Ainge said. “We still like Sebastian. If we had known we could get Rajon Rondo (in a trade with Phoenix for the 21st pick), we may not have done the trade for Sebastian, but I think having two good, young point guards is an asset. And we still needed the flexibility down the road to keep our up-and-coming players. That would have been a real problem for us if we hadn’t done that trade.” I have been thinking this since the deal was made. In spite of the fire that Danny has come under, I think he has done a good job and this confirms that he is thinking a couple steps ahead with moves he makes. We see just the players he brings in but have to consider the financial consequences as well. In spite of Wally's injuries and Blount's resurgence in Minny, I still think that was a good trade. I do miss Ricky, but if both of them were ruining the chemistry on the team, it is better to have them gone.
YouTube has launched an NBA channel. This should be a good thing for NBA junkies who can't get enough of the NBA. (Tip of the Hat to True Hoop for this).
Finally, Peter Vescey has an article in the Post about Seattle retiring Haywood's number. The Sonics have honored 6 players by retiring their numbers and yet DJ, the MVP of their only championship team was never been honored by them. They retired #24 for Haywood and yet that is the number that DJ wore. It seems as though they made the decision to choose Haywood over DJ for the honor. This is almost a bigger travesty than the fact that DJ isn't in the Hall of Fame.
I still feel that this team isn't as bad as their record and their recent play indicates. I keep expecting them to break out of their slump and go on a winning streak. Maybe it is the Koolaid, maybe I just can't help myself, but it keeps me watching and waiting for them to break out. I know all about the ping pong balls, but I just keep hoping for them to win because I want these young players to develop a winning attitude and not one that settles for losses. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have Oden or Durant, but losing doesn't guarantee we get them and might destroy the confidence of the kids on this team. I think the damage has been done and we will stay close to the bottom even if we do start winning.
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Celtics Close Out Road Trip with Ugly Win over Rockets
by FLCeltsFan 10:14 AM
February 27, 2007
In what may very well be the ugliest game of the season, the Celtics reached down and pulled out a win at the end. Final score: Boston 77, Rockets 72. The Rockets were without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, who was scratched at game time with flu-like symptoms, but the Celtics are playing without Ratliff, Allen, Wally and with Pierce and Perk at about 60% so, it is hard to feel sorry for them. The Celtics first scored with 7:41 left in the first. They trailed by 6 at the half and by 9 at the end of 3. They were down by 12 with 8:46 left in the 4th and took their first lead with 1:23 remaining in the 4th. It was pretty ugly on both sides as the Celtics shot 34% for the game and the Rockets shot 32% for the game. But what counts is that the Rockets out uglied the Celtics.
Individually, Al once again had a stellar game with 16 points and 17 rebounds to go with 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block. Scal once again started at center and finished with 4 points (1-7 shooting), 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers in 24 minutes. Perk came off the bench and played 23 minutes and was a defensive presence in the paint with 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and only 1 turnover. Doc should put Perk back into the starting lineup since Scal is not a starting center. Kandi got his first minutes in quite awhile and finished with 1 foul in 4 minutes. Powe started at the 3 but played only 3 minutes, finishing with 1 rebound and 2 fouls in that time. So much for Doc's comments that we would see Powe a lot more.
West played a team high 43 minutes and filled up the box score with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 4 turnovers. He hit 4 huge free throws down the stretch to seal the game. Rondo played just 12 minutes and finished with 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal but had no assists. Telfair played just 7 minutes but both Pierce and Doc credit him with turning the game around as he played aggressively and lifted the team. He finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block.
Gomes came off the bench but was on the floor to start the second half. He finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Green played only 17 minutes in his first game in front of his hometown crowd. He had approximately 75 friends and family in the stands and that may have made him nervous because he just couldn't get going and finished scoreless, shooting 0-6, with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.
Pierce started off very slowly and shot poorly much of the game, but came out more aggressive and shot better in the second half. He came up big in the 4th quarter, hitting a huge 3 to put the Celtics up by 5 with 25 seconds left in the game. He finished with 28 points on 10-23 shooting but made just 6-12 from the line. He also had 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 5 turnovers.
As a team, we won the rebounding battle 53-48, thanks to Al's strength on the boards. As a team, we only shot 62% from the line. We once again turned the ball over too much finishing with 18 to 17 for the Rockets. Doc continues to start Scal at the center and that gives us a huge disadvantage inside with that starting lineup. Scal has been playing fairly well lately, but he isn't a starting center. Bring him off the bench for a boost of energy and scoring off the bench, but don't start him at center. I wish Doc would start Perk at center or even start Al at center and Powe at power forward and Gomes at small forward. But Doc gets his favorites and will play them in spite of it being a weaker lineup. Doc seems to be obsessed with centers who play outside the arc. If we get Greg Oden and Doc remains the coach, he will probably be useless because Doc will have him playing out beyond the 3 point line. He doesn't have a clue how to use defensive minded bigs who play with their backs to the basket. I have to say we won this one in spite of Doc's coaching, not because of it.
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Celtics Lose Yet Again, Fall to the Jazz 105-87
Sunday, February 25, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 12:10 AM
February 25, 2007
I hate to say it, but I think the losing is finally getting to the Celtics and they are losing their fight and their confidence completely. In the last 2 games, we just haven't been competing. It seems as though individual players have been progressing but the team is not. I just have to believe that it is the coaching. Our point guards seem to be regressing and we aren't playing as a team. I keep seeing Doc's comments about what he plans for training camp and next year and that is very worrisome. If he isn't fired, we can expect more of the same next year, even if we get the top pick. No matter how talented a team is, if the coach can't pull them together and build chemistry and give them a system they can play within, the team isn't going anywhere.
One positive tonight was that Doc finally realized that Powe can play and game him the start. As I expected, he played very well and finished with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist in 24 minutes. I really like this kid and hope to see him playing a lot more. With a little experience, he is going to be dangerous. I don't know why Doc didn't play him more in the 3rd and 4th quarters but I guess he was playing too well. Al had another double double with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 blocks (and 8 turnovers - although a couple were bad calls). Other than Al and Powe, I really didn't see much to get excited about in this game.
As a team we turned the ball over 23 times with 11 coming in the 3rd quarter and 5 in a row at one point. That is inexcusable! We shot only 42.5% from the field and were out-rebounded 42-36. We should be playing better. I know that the prevailing school of thought is that we need to lose to garner ping pong balls. But, at some point, the losing and Doc's coaching is going to destroy the confidence of this young group and that may be very hard to recover.
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