The Celtics started this one out flat and the Heat jumped out to an early 6 point lead. The Celtics took their first lead with 4:30 to go in the first but it was tied at 24 at the end of the first quarter. The Celtics seemed to play with more energy in the second quarter and finished the half up 52-46. The lead grew to as many as 15 in the third quarter and at the end of 3 it was Celtics 76 and Heat 65.
In the 4th quarter, they seemed to lose their defensive intensity and were holding the ball too long before setting up the offense. There were way too many turnovers and the Celtics let the Heat get right back in it, and with 32 seconds left, the Heat had a 91-90 lead. Pierce got the ball on the baseline and rolled to the basket for a layup and put the Celtics up 92-91. Wade held the ball at the top of the key against Posey, holding for the last shot. He missed a tough jumper over Posey at the buzzer and the Celtics escaped with a 92-91 win.
The passing and ball movement was there for the most part. The Celtics had 29 assists on 35 baskets, which is great. But, the turnovers killed us. We had only 6 turnovers in the first half but then finished the game with 18, with a lot of them coming in that critical 4th quarter. Defense wasn't there like it has been in past games and that is what allowed the Heat to come back and almost beat us. We allowed them to shoot 47% while only shooting 49% ourselves and we only had 5 steals. We did out rebound the Heat 40-33.
In the post game interview, Pierce revealed that he strained his back in the last game and didn't practice yesterday and almost didn't play. It was a game time decision for him to give it a go. He said it was feeling a little better. He struggled somewhat in the game finishing with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal in 30 minutes, but he came through when it counted and hit the game winner.
Ray Allen once again played big minutes. He played a game high 45 minutes and finished with 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 7 assists. We need House and Tony Allen to get healthy so that Doc doesn't wear out Ray Ray before the end of the season. House played almost 10 minutes and had 1 rebound and 1 steal but didn't score. Tony played only 3 minutes and had only 1 steal to show for it.
Rondo had a terrific game. He finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. There were two plays there were especially notable. On one play, he swooped in from nowhere to grab the rebound and lay it in with a crowd of defenders all around him. The other play, it was late in a close game and Ray Allen drove into the lane and when Rondo's defender came in to double, he kicked the ball to Rondo on the baseline who knocked down a clutch jumper. James Posey also had a big game against his former team with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He played terrific defense on Wade on the last shot and hit a couple of big baskets down the stretch and won the Tommy Award for his efforts.
KG had a double double and filled up the stat sheet with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 40 minutes of play. Perk had another very good game, staying out of foul trouble and finishing with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block along with playing some good defense on Shaq. Scal played 6 minutes and shot an airball, pulled down 1 rebound and turned the ball over twice. Pollard finished with 3 points and 5 rebounds in 7 minutes of play.
Ricky Davis continued his vendetta against the Celtics with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Mark Blount came into the game to a chorus of boos and played only 5 minutes, pulling down 3 rebounds in that time. I didn't see him skipping down the court after this game.
The Celtics were fortunate to get out of this game with a win. They started off slow but seemed to put it together in the second and third quarters pulling away from the Heat but then collapsed in the fourth letting them come all the way back from a 15 point deficit to take the lead. But, the difference between last year and this year in a close game like this is that they executed the play to get the lead and then played defense to preserve the win. Those things are huge in that we lost so many close games last season because we couldn't execute plays at the end and we couldn't get stops when we needed them. 8-0... sure does sound nice. But, if they don't play better against the Magic than they did tonight, we won't make it to 9-0.
Miami Heat (1-7) at Boston Celtics (7-0) Friday, November 16 7:30 PM ET TV: CSN HD, Sun Sports, LP Ch 753 TD Banknorth Garden
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Rajon Rondo vs Jason Williams SG: Ray Allen vs Dwayne Wade SF: Paul Pierce vs Penny Hardaway PF: Kevin Garnett vs Udonis Haslem C: Kendrick Perkins vs Shaquille O'Neal These are the probable matchups although Pat Riley has threatened to shake up the team by changing his lineups and he may put a totally unorthodox starting lineup on the floor to send a message. Imagine him benching Shaq and starting Blount.
Key Matchups vs Wade came back from his injury in the last game and played 24 minutes off the bench scoring 15 points and dishing out 5 assists. I expect him to be back in the starting lineup and ready to go, although he may still be a bit out of condition. Wade is the Heat's most dominant player and Ray is due for a big game so this should be a good matchup.
vs Although Shaq isn't as dominant as he once was, he still can be a force. Perk has played well against him in the past and should be able to hold his own against Shaq. His play in the middle will be key.
Key Off the Bench James Posey will want to have a good game against his former team. Tony had his best game yet against the Nets and look for his confidence to continue to grow as he works his way back from the injury.
With Dwayne Wade back in the starting lineup, expect Ricky D to resume the role he filled in Boston as the 6th man. Ricky always plays big against the Celtics. While Blount has had a very small role in Miami so far, playing behind both Shaq and Mourning, he still holds a grudge against the Celtics and will want to beat them. Who can forget Ricky and Blount hugging after they beat the Celtics last season and Blount skipping across the court the year before. While he may not play a key role on the floor during the game, beating him sure will feel good.
Keys to the Game: Don't take them for granted. Too often teams lose to lesser teams because they take them for granted. Any team with Shaq and D Wade is still a dangerous team in spite of their slow start.
Defense. This will be the key to every single game this season and it has been the cornerstone of this team so far. As long as they play tough defense, everything else will fall into place.
Ball Movement. When we stop moving the ball and there is too much dribbling and there are too many ISO's, we aren't near as dominant. When they are unselfish and move without the ball and look for the open man, they are almost unstopable.
Home Court Advantage. This isn't to be underestimated. The Garden crowd has been great the players have mentioned how fired up the crowd gets them. It also has to be intimidating to the visiting teams.
The Heat have had a rough start. Pat Riley is questioning their motivation and heart. Here is what Riley had to say about his team after they lost to the Bobcats.
"I don't see a team that really feels like they have anything at stake here," Riley said. "They come in, they play, they get beat, they go home."
"I should play. I guarantee you I should suit up. I'd play better than some of them right now. I guarantee you. I swear to God. With an old hip, 62 years old, can't (expletive) see. I'll play better than some of my guys tonight. Come on."
Two things can happen from a coach calling out his team like this. One, they can tune him out and rebel and continue in a downward spiral or two, they will take it to heart and come out all fired up to prove him wrong. The combination of Wade's return to the starting lineup and their coach calling them out publicly should give them a boost so they shouldn't be taken lightly in spite of their 1-7 record.
The Celtics are 7-0 after a 91-69 win at home against the Nets. They started out slow and it looked like playing 40+ minutes last night was taking its toll. At the end of the first quarter it was Nets 23 and Celtics 17. They started picking up in the second and led by 2, 36-34 at the half, taking the lead on a Pierce leaner in the lane at the buzzer. The Celtics held NJ to 36% shooting in the first half and 33% for the game.
At the end of 3, the Celtics led 62-54, making a run at the end of the quarter. To start the 4th, Rondo, Tony, Ray, Posey and Big Baby were on the floor and they theyplayed very well, stretching the lead to 68-54 in the first 2 minutes of the quarter. This was a balanced win with the minutes much more evenly distributed and with balanced play all around with 6 players in double figures. Once again, the defense was the difference. I remember last year when we played the Pistons thinking about how they let us hang with them for awhile and seemed to toy with us but then, they would clamp down and just turn it on and pull away. Now it is the Celtics who have that ability and it seems too good to be true.
KG described the game as "come into a bar, I'm trying to find a seat, you're talking to my girl, barfight." And it did appear that way through the first two quarters, but then they just picked up the defensive intensity and pulled away. And it wasn't the 3 stars who did it, it was the whole team.
Rondo picked up his game and played with great confidence. He hit his jumpers and made them pay for doubling off of him. He finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists in 31 minutes and was given the Tommy Award for his play. I thought one of the funniest things in the game was they showed a closeup of Lawrence Frank giving instructions to one of his players and there was Rondo right next to him listening to everything he had to say... just like he was getting the instructions as well. With Eddie House out with the sprained ankle, Tony played back up point guard and did a good job. He seemed to gain confidence as the game went on. He still doesn't have his explosiveness but he is working his way back and gaining more confidence in his knee game by game. He finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Gabe Pruitt saw his first action, playing the final 2 minutes but didn't make the stat sheet.
Perk had his best game of the season. He finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks in 30 minutes and his defense inside was crucial to this win. Big Baby played 9 minutes and pulled down 3 rebounds and blocked 1 shot. Powe played the final 3 minutes and as always, made the most of it with 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal. Scal finished with 2 rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes. Posey had a very good game also, playing great defense, setting picks and finishing with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Pollard did not play in the game.
As for the Celtics 3 stars, they played a more team oriented game and none of the three had to take over the game. KG finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in 30 minutes. Paul Pierce finished with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in 38 minutes, and Ray Allen finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. All three played all around games and didn't force things but let the game come to them and they trusted their teamates to take up the slack when they were doubled and tripled.
The scoring and play was balanced in this one. They had 21 assists on 33 baskets that shows the unselfishness and ability to find the open man on this team. They also had 15 steals and limited their turnovers to 14. Rebounds were even at 42 for the 2 clubs. Now that we have moved past that 87-88 team and won our 7th in a row, we can set out sights on the 72-73 Celtics team that started out 10-0, the 64-65 Celtics team that started out 11-0 and the 57-58 team that started out 14-0.
It has been a long, long time since we had a Celtics team that was this exciting and had this kind of talent on it. And, most exciting of all, they are doing it with defense. The Celtics lead the league in steals and in FG% allowed. It seems like a dream, but if I'm dreaming, don't wake me up because I sure am enjoying it.
New Jersey Nets (4-3) at Boston Celtics (6-0) Wednesday, November 14 7:30 PM ET TV: NBA LP ch 755; CSN HD; Yes HD TD Banknorth Garden
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Rajon Rondo vs Jason Kidd SG: Ray Allen vs Antoine Wright SF: Paul Pierce vs Richard Jefferson PF: Kevin Garnett vs Nenad Krstic C: Kendrick Perkins vs Jason Collins
Key Bench Players Celtics: James Posey - Posey's perimeter defense could make the difference Nets: Sean Williams - He has been playing well and NJ plans to use him more.
Injuries Celtics: Eddie House - questionable. He left last night's game with a sprained ankle but said he would play tonight if at all possible. Nets: Marcus Williams - out Vince Carter - out. He didn't even make the trip and says he won't play until he is 100%.
Key Matchups: vs With Carter being out, Kidd should try to take on more of the scoring load and it will be up to Rondo to stop him. Rondo also has to continue to take his shots when he is open to keep Kid from doubling off of him.
vs PIerce vs Jefferson should be the toughest matchup in this game. Pierce has upped his defense and that will be needed on Jefferson as he has had the hottest hand for the Nets. It is also important that Pierce doesn't try to do too much against Jefferson and allow Garnett, Allen and Perk to exploit the easier matchups. Pierce played with a vengeance last night after taking a hard hit from Tinsley and hopefully he still has a bit of that chip on this shoulder for tonight's game.
Keys to the Game: Defense: As with every game, defense is the key to winning, period. We especially need to contain Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson as both can take over a game by themselves. When the Celtics are playing tough defense, everything else falls into place.
Ball movement. When we move the ball, we are a very hard team to defend. It is when the ball slows down and there is too much dribbling and too many iso's that the team tends to falter.
Home Court Advantage: The Celtics will have the crowd behind them and all three of the stars have said that they want teams to fear coming into the Garden again. They need to use the atmosphere and home court to their advantage to intimidate the Nets. With KG, PP and RA playing 40 minutes last night, they may need that extra adrenalin to sustain their energy.
Game Notes: With Vince Carter sidelined with a sprained ankle, Ray Allen should have an easier time matched up with Antoine Wright. Expect the Nets to come out with a strong looking to avenge the loss in New Jersey. Richard Jefferson seemed rather caustic talking about the Celtics in his post game interview and he is going to bring his A-game for certain. The Celtics have an advantage at center and power forward and they need to exploit that. The Nets are division rivals and the Celtics need to take care of business and send them a message every time we play them.
The Celtics started out slowly and seemed sluggish. The Pacers were beating us to every loose ball and rebound. In the first quarter, the 3 stars had only 8 points among them and the rest of the team had the other 18. In spite of that, the Celtics led by 2 at the end of 1. Then, in the second quarter, Jamaal Tinsley hit Pierce very hard in the head, which should have been a flagrant, but wasn't called. Pierce was mad and was really fired up about that foul and non call. Pierce and Tinsley have history from the playoff series where Pierce was ejected and showed up at the press conference with his face in bandages after being fouled hard in the face by Tinsley. Instead of losing it like he did in that series, he channeled his emotions toward getting his team the win. After hitting the first free throw, at KG's suggestion, he did a couple of push ups to get his emotions in check and then calmly hit the second. Just another way that KG's value to this team can be seen.
After the hard foul and hitting his free throws, Pierce just took over the game. He hit jumpers, drove to the basket, got steals, blocked a shot, took a charge, and gave the team the emotion it lacked in the first quarter. Pierce finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in 41 minutes. He drove to the basket and when they collapsed on him, he found the open man. He really gave the team a boost in every way and won the Tommy Award for his efforts.
Ray Allen went the whole first half without scoring but came out in the third with a vengeance, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the third. He finished the night with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block in 40 minutes. KG had a quiet double double and finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in 39 minutes.
Perk played 21 minutes and was hampered by foul trouble for most of the game. He finished with 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks and played some good defense in the paint. Pollard played 10 minutes and played some good defense. He finished with 5 points and 2 rebounds. At one point he took a charge and Pierce ran over to him and helped him up and gave him a big hug. I guess Pierce was glad to see him back.
Posey and Scal were both back in the lineup. Posey played 17 minutes and had 6 points, 3 rebounds 1 assist and 1 steal and he played solid defense and took a couple of charges. Scal played 13 minutes and had 9 points, 1 rebound and 1 block.
Rondo did a good job of running the team but sat early with 2 quick fouls. He finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in 31 minutes. In the 4th quarter, Tinsley again committed a hard foul, this time on Rondo and this time the refs called it a flagrant 1. Eddie House played 16 minutes and had 5 points and 2 rebounds. House limped off in the 4th quarter and the early reports are that he has a sprained ankle. This could be bad news for the team if he has to be out for any period of time.
Big Baby got in to the game for the last 55 seconds of the first half and Powe had yet another DNP.
The passing in the first half wasn't near what we have seen in past games, but they picked it up in the second half and the ball movement was much better. They finished the game with 17 assists on 31 baskets. The defense was also lacking in the first half but picked up decidedly in the second and the team finished with 8 blocks and 12 steals as a team. The Celtics shot 42.5% while holding the Pacers to 34.9% The final score was 101-86. Yet another double digit margin of victory.
Once again, we face the nets on the second of back to back games. House may be out as he sprained his ankle tonight. Carter should still be out for New Jersey. Also, the three stars played close to 40 minutes each in tonight's game and that could be a factor in tomorrow's game. The Celtics have now tied the 87-88 team that went 6-0 to start the season. Ironically, they beat the Pacers for their 6th win also. They lost their 7th game, but hopefully, this team will win their 7th and make some history of their own.
The Globe has a classic quote from Doc today. In discussing the availability of Scal and James Posey, Doc had this to say.
"I'm comfortable [playing them]," said coach Doc Rivers. "With James, you can look and see how he's moving, so that's easy. With Scal, it's tough because I can't get inside of his head, nor do I want to."
Obviously, Doc saw this interview with Scal from the guys at Perkisabeast and wisely refrained from asking anything more.
The Globe is reporting that Brandon Wallace has been sent to the Utah Flash, the Celtics D-League affiliate.
Celtics announced today that they have assigned rookie forward Brandon Wallace to their NBA Development League affiliate Utah Flash. Wallace is the team’s first assignment to the NBA Development League this season.
Wallace averaged 1.2 rebounds in 4.7 minutes during preseason and has not appeared in a game for the Celtics during the regular season. He averaged 4.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 22.4 minutes during the 2007 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
This makes sense as he wouldn't be getting much playing time with the parent team at this time. His signing was for the future and if Posey chooses not to remain with the Celtics next season, Wallace would be very important to fill that role. Getting him experience now will pay off dividends in the future. It is interesting that Pruitt isn't being sent along with Wallace since it doesn't look as though he will be getting much playing time this season either.
Boston Celtics (5-0) at Indiana Pacers (3-3) Tuesday, November 13 7:00 PM ET TV: NBA LP ch 753, FSI, CSN Conseco Fieldhouse
Tonight the Celtics will take on the Pacers at the Conseco Field House. There are a few sub-plots in the Celtics/Pacers matchup. One is that former Celtics coach, Jim O'Brien is the new coach of the Pacers. He left under less than happy circumstances when Danny traded Tony Battie, Eric Williams and Kedrick Brown for Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm, and Michael Stewart. Danny was building the team one way and O'Brien didn't like the direction it was going and so he quit mid-season. Needless to say, Obie would love nothing better than to beat his old team. Another sub-plot is the rivalry that has arisen between these two teams as a result of their first round playoff matchup. Although the Celtics are a completely different team from that last playoff team, I am sure Paul Pierce remembers all too well being unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs by the Pacers and his meltdown when he was tossed from the game and showed up at the press conference with his jaw bandaged. Finally there is the GM angle. The Pacers GM, Larry Joe Bird, and the Celtics GM, Danny Ainge, were teammates on the Celtics last chamionship team. Larry always got the headlines on that team, but it looks like Danny has stolen the headlines as GM. I am sure there are some bragging rights between former teamates to be had.
Probable starters PG: Rajon Rondo (6'1") vs Jamaal Tinsley (6'3") SG: Ray Allen (6'5") vs Mike Dunleavy (6'9") SF: Paul Pierce (6'7") vs Danny Granger (6'8") PF: Kevin Garnett (6'11") vs Jermaine O'Neal (6'11") C: Kendrick Perkins (6'10") vs Troy Murphy (6'11")
Key Matchups vs Kevin Garnett PPG 22.6 RPG 15.80 APG 6.0 EFF + 37.40 Jermaine O'Neal PPG 13.8 RPG 7.80 APG 3.4 EFF + 14.40 O'Neal has moved from center to power forward this season and his numbers are down slightly. Garnett should have the upper hand in this matchup but will need Perk's help to keep O'Neal out of the paint.
vs Paul Pierce PPG 23.6 RPG 4.20 APG 4.6 EFF + 21.20 Danny Granger PPG 18.7 RPG 6.50 APG 1.8 EFF + 16.17 Granger is playing very well and always plays well against Pierce. Pierce doesn't have to be the go to guy this year and should be able to concentrate on defending Granger.
Key off the Bench: Posey's return tonight will give the bench a boost. His leadership, defense and ability to hit the 3 all figure to be big for our bench this season.
Jeff Foster always seems to have his best games against the Celtics. He should have a bit more trouble with this version of the Celtics, though.
Keys to the Game: Defense: This is the key to every game and to winning the championship. The Celtics must continue to make defense their calling card and work at shutting other teams down. When their defense lets up, the rest of their game seems to falter as well.
Limit Turnovers: The Celtics did much better in the last game limiting the themselves to 11 turnovers after committing 20 or more in several games. Turnovers lead to easy baskets for the opposing team so it is important to take care of the ball.
Ball movement: The Celtics offense has been so effective because they have been moving the ball and finding the open man. When the ball movement slows and they go into ISO's they aren't near as effective.
Conseco Fieldhouse has always been a tough place to play for visiting teams. Good teams win on the road and so this is yet another test for this Celtics team.
Back on July 29 when the smoke was getting pretty thick around the KG to Boston rumors, I posted this here on LOY's Place.
Personally I don't like this trade. Al Jefferson is only 22 years old. He was hampered by injuries his first two seasons and last year, when he was finally healthy, he had a break out year. He averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds last season, in spite of facing double and triple teams for much of the season when Pierce was out. He has worked hard all summer and should come back even better. He and Perk have developed great chemistry. Kevin Garnett is 31 years old and has put in 12 hard years in the NBA. He is definitely one of the top players in the league but for how long? Al has 9 years to play before even getting to Garnett's age. I just don't want to watch Al Jefferson tearing up the league for years after KG is retired or goes to another team while the Celtics are back to square one and rebuilding again.
Granted, when I wrote this, we were still under the impression that KG didn't want to come to Boston and an extension had not yet been announced so that factored into my thoughts, but I really like Big Al and all I could think of was watching Chauncey Billups win championships while the Celtics struggled.
But, I have to admit I was wrong. I still like Big Al and still believe that he is going to be a perennial All Star, but trading for KG was the right thing to do. I can't believe how exciting this team is to watch and how the outlook for the Celtics has changed with just that one trade. I didn't watch KG all that much when he was in Minnesota. I tried watching a few games after Ricky was traded, but watching Mark Blount play was so irritating that I only watched a couple. I had no idea that he was this good. I love the intensity he brings to every minute of every game. I love the chemistry he has with his teammates. And I love his unselfish play and his willingness to do whatever it takes to win. He is an other worldly player and we had to get him when the opportunity arose.
Reasons I love KG as a Celtic: 1. Success. The Celtics are 5-0 and KG is a big reason for that. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week and here are his stats for the 3 games last week: Nov. 7 vs. Denver: 23 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals Nov. 9 vs. Atlanta: 27, 19 rebounds,6 assists and 3 blocks Nov. 10 @ New Jersey: 18 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals Not only is he tearing it up with points and rebounds, but he leads the team in assists and is tied with Rondo for the most steals per game. This is incredible for a power forward and it just goes to show how very good he is. If there is any doubt about his passing, just watch this clip of a behind the back pass to Rondo.
2. Intensity. He is so intense that it just exudes to the rest of the team. Whether it is coming out onto the floor to start the game or when the game is close, or sitting on the bench cheering on his teammates with a 20 point lead in the 4th quarter. The photos below are all of KG in the 4th quarter of blow out wins cheering his teammates on from the bench. I am certain that if you look up intensity in the dictionary, there has to be a picture of KG there to illustrate it.
3. Chemistry. I knew that Al and Perk had chemistry and was afraid that 3 all stars on a team wouldn't be able to play together but nothing could be farther from the truth. KG, RA and PP complement each other and their games mesh perfectly. They are all playing unselfishly and because of that, the whole team is playing unselfishly and the chemistry has been incredible. This is from the Hoopsworld article on Perk and KG:
Even though Perkins and Jefferson still talk almost every other day, Perkins bonded quickly with his new teammate. Garnett was initially surprised by how fast they clicked and their bond makes it that much easier for them to do their jobs. "We bonded real fast," Garnett said. "I expected me, Paul (Pierce), and Ray (Allen) to bond … but Perk and I have no choice. We're the front line so we're responsible for the hole and making sure shots are blocked and rebounds and trying to stay with what the goal is -- protect that rim and protect that paint especially as much as possible. So he and I have to be on the same page if anybody." A compliment like that goes a long way with a 23-year-old who once tried to emulate many different aspects of Garnett's game, especially his fade away jumper. "It means a lot," Perkins said. "We've got a good bond off the court. We're really starting to feed off each other, know each other, and I think right now we've come a long way … It's a good thing."
Watch this on court chemistry between KG and Perk. What a thing of beauty.
4. Celtic Pride. Since coming to Boston, KG has been all about Celtic pride from complementing the organization to talking about the quality of the uniforms. He loves Boston and loves the fans. He is all about Celtic tradition and Celtic pride and I love that.
5. Hope. Just like the days when Larry Bird was on the court for the Celtics, I honestly believe that the Celtics can beat any team that they play. It has been a long time since I have felt that way about the Celtics. As much as I loved our young players, I always just hoped that they would play well and knew in my heart most nights that the other team had to have an off night for us to beat them. But, with KG on the court, I just believe that he will get the win some way, some how. I always felt that way watching Larry Bird play also.
And as a bonus, KG is there to keep Doc straight. This video from the huddle in a time out is amazing.
So, there you have it. I was wrong. KG is an incredible player and if we win the championship I have no doubt that he will be the reason for it. He's that good. He keeps himself in great shape and having him for the next 5 years is phenomenal. This is one time I really am happy to be proved wrong. [Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!]
This week's power rankings are out and the Celtics are at the top. How long has it been since the Celtics were ranked number 1? I am pretty sure it has been 20 years. NBA.com has the Celtics ranked #1 and had this to say about the team.
Off: 114.5 (2), Def: 96.8 (1) -- Except for the OT win in Toronto, the C's have been dominant. And on Saturday, they convinced this author that they're the best in the East.
Behind the Celtics, Houston, San Antonio, Detroit and Utah round out the top 5.
Sports Illustrated also have the Celtics #1 in their rankings with this to say:
Their 5-0 start through Sunday is the franchise's best since 1987-88, and their margin of victory has been 20, 3, 26, 23 and 11 points. "They are not going to go undefeated," Nets forward Richard Jefferson said. Maybe not, but they're the NBA's lone unbeaten squad and they have earned this spot until somebody proves otherwise.
The Celtics began the season at #5 and moved up to first courtesy of their 5-0 record. SI sees the rest of the top 5 as Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks and Pistons.
ESPN is a bit more skeptical and sees the defending champs as the #1 team. It is interesting that the Spurs are only 3rd in the other two rankings. Here is what ESPN said to justify their ranking:
No surprise, given the sporting mojo bubbling in Boston these days, that this is the NBA's last unbeaten team. No surprise, furthermore, that folks are already fretting about the minutes KG, Allen and Pierce are logging.
With the Spurs in the number 1 spot, the Rockets, Suns and Mavs round out the top 5.
As irritating as Richard Jefferson's comments were, he is right that the Celtics won't remain undefeated all season. There are too many variables that come into play on any given night to believe that they can win every game. But, this team is going to win a lot more than it loses and it isn't a stretch to believe that they can win 60 games or more. For those of us who have stuck with this team over the past 20 years and every year having to say "Wait till next year" as we awaited the results of the lottery, next year is finally here and things are very, very good. How sweet it is!
The ever insightful Derrenmatts from Celtics Green posted his list of Praises and Concerns after the first 4 games. Here is his list:
Praises:
-when this team is in sync, there's no team that can stop our offense. We space the floor well, we move without the ball well, we pass the ball well, we create offense for one another well, and we take high percentage shots.
-our defense continues to be a bright spot. We are rotating into position a lot faster, we trust each other a whole lot more, we actively pester the ball more, and we funnel the plays into KG and Perk a lot better. We are also suffocating the driving lanes more.
-our team attitude is so much better. Its like a breath of fresh air. There's an aura of winning like I've never experienced the past decade. The team and the fans are much happier.
-we lead the league in FG% and opposing team's FG%
-we lead the league in point differential. We score 106.7 a night, while only surrendering 90.3 per contest. That's a whopping 16 pt differential. The closest team to us is a distant 2nd (Clippers, at 10.2 point differential).
There's a lot to like about our revamped team. For the first time in a long time, we are both an offensive minded, and a defensive minded team. And we have hit the road running on all cylinders. But championships are not won in the first 4 games of the season.
Criticisms:
-we still aren't dominating the boards. I figured getting KG here would bump us up into the top 10, but we've actually been subpar. We're 21st in the league (29th in offensive rebounding), and that's head scratching. Elite teams have a way of owning the boards and we need to get to that level.
-we are 7th in the league in turnovers (23rd worst team, depending how you want to look at it). We commit 17.5 TO's per game. Of course we are also 2nd in the league in assists, and passing the ball around the floor so much will eventually make its way into the other team's hands. But still, we need to cut down on our bad passes, or else elite teams will take advantage of our miscues.
-we are susceptible to struggle when two members of our Trilogy are on the bench, whether to rest or because of foul trouble. Our bench has shown nice things when they are on the court together with 2 of our 3 star players. But when only 1 star player is on the court, our bench has been exposed. But I'm optimistic about our bench improving their production. Posey has only played in 1 and 1/2 games so far, and TAllen has yet to get into his rhythm. House has been shooting the ball really well, and he's playing with lots of energy. Pollard, Powe, and Baby have yet to do anything on the court, and in time, they will.
Overall, our positives totally eclipse our negatives, as evident by our 4-0 record. And there are so many ways we can improve our team. Its scary to think how much better we can become. Celtics fans are riding high right now, and we hope this wave continues right into the post season.
I agree with everything Derren has to say but would add a couple more thoughts to his. My biggest concern is the number of minutes our three stars are playing. Ray Allen is averaging 40.6 minutes and played all 48 minutes against the Nets after playing 35 minutes the previous night. KG is averaging 39.8 minutes per game and Pierce is averaging 38.4 minutes per game. And these big minutes are coming in blow outs. This is very concerning because if it continues, they won't have anything left for the playoffs and the playoffs are what this is all about.
I think the other things are going to come around. In the Nets game, they already cut down their turnovers to just 11. As to the offensive rebounds, When Perk is in the game, we tend to get more offensive rebounds and even when he is not in foul trouble, Doc tends to limit his minutes. Big Baby did a good job on the offensive glass in the last game before he fouled out. I believe that all this well settle out as the rotation gets set and the team gets more used to each other.
I agree with Derren that the positives on this team way outweigh the negatives. Whatever negatives there are will work themselves out as the rotation settles out and the team gets more used to playing with each other and as our bench gets healthy. There still have to be questions about Doc's coaching that need to be answered as the season goes on as well. So far so good, but he still has never won a playoff series and he still plays the stars too many minutes and in the last game, he stayed with small ball too long, allowing the lead to be cut to 8 and thus necessitating that the stars stay in the game. But, it has been a long time since we have had this much to be excited about in a Celtics team and I, for one, plan to enjoy every minute of it!
at 
vs 
vs 
at 
vs 
vs 
vs 
vs 
