Ray Allen continued to struggle with his shot tonight. He shot only 4-15 from the field and up until the last second of the game was 0-5 from beyond the arc. The Celtics were down 2 with 4.9 seconds to go in the game and Bobcats had possession. House tipped the inbound pass and Pierce got the ball and found Ray Allen all alone behind the 3 point line and for the second time this season, Ray Allen hit the game winner at the buzzer. It was fun to see Big Baby rush out and carry Ray off the court as the Celtics escaped with a 96-95 win.
The Celtics didn't play particularly well. They shot only 44% and allowed the Bobcats to shoot 49%. The defense allowed way too many easy baskets. The Celtics were also out rebounded 33-32 and had 13 turnovers. It seemed the whole game that the Bobcats were out playing the Celtics. Again, I go back to last season and this is a game we wouldn't have won. The difference between young players and veterans is making the critical plays down the stretch, even when they haven't played particularly well during the game.
In a very puzzling move, Doc only played Perk 19 minutes. He was playing well and had 7 points and 2 rebounds but went to the bench and never came back into the game. KG had another big game with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.
Ray Allen finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, including the game winner. Pierce made a couple of big plays down the stretch and finished with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Rondo finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The Bench did a good job playing with Pierce, Allen and KG all on the bench in the second quarter. Posey finished with 14 points and 1 rebound and hit a couple of big 3's. Pollard finished with 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block. House finished with 1 point, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a huge steal to set up the game winner from Ray Allen. Scal played only 6 minutes and finished with 2 points and 1 rebound. Tony played 4 minutes and then sat out the rest of the game with a bruise on his thigh. Powe and Big Baby both registered DNPs
The Celtics didn't shoot particularly well and their defense wasn't good but still they found a way to win this game. That's what great teams do.
The Lakers were in town tonight and after the crowd cheered for Kobe the last time he was here, you had to wonder what kind of reaction the crowd would give him this year. Pierce said he felt that the crowd cheering for Kobe in the Garden was disrespectful. Tonight they asked Perk about it and he said "I'm sure they really didn't mean it." What a great kid!!
It didn't take long to find out how Kobe would be received tonight. The crowd atoned for past cheers by booing Kobe every time he touched the ball from the beginning of the game until the end. Kobe finished with 28 points but was 9-21 from the field and only 2-7 from beyond the arc. The Celtics defense did a good job of keeping him out of the game.
The player of the game was Kendrick Perkins. He had one of the best games of his career tonight, being aggressive on defense and making a lot of easy baskets inside as the defense seemed to forget about him. He finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 34 minutes. At one point in the game he came up limping but shook it off and was fine the rest of the game. I was happy to see Doc leave Perk in at the end of the game. He was playing great and he deserved the minutes.
KG had another double double with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in 36 minutes. Pierce had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals in 44 minutes. With a game tomorrow night, it would have been better to keep Pierce's minutes down. Ray Allen still is having problems with his shot, scoring 18 points on 5-15 shooting and only 2-7 from beyond the arc. He also had 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 35 minutes.
Rondo once again impressed with his passing and decision making in the game. He did a good job of pushing the tempo and quickly getting the Celtics into their offense. He finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds and 10 assists in 35 minutes. He also had only 1 turnover. One of the best plays of the game was when Rondo drove down the lane and moved the ball behind his back to fake a pass and then pulled it back out and drove to the hoop for a layup. It was a pretty impressive move.
Off the bench, Posey had a very good game with 10 points and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes. He hit a couple of big 3's down the stretch when LA started to make a run. House had 5 points in 13 minutes. He wasn't able to push the tempo of the game as well as Rondo when he was running the point. Scal played 11 minutes and finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. He didn't seem to be forcing things and played pretty well. Tony played 11 minutes and his first basket was a move along the baseline for a dunk that was reminiscent of last year's form. He finished with 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal. Pollard played only 1:28 and finished with 2 points. Powe and Big Baby did not play.
The Celtics did a good job of limiting turnovers. They finished with only 12 for the game. They are passing the ball very well. They had an incredible 31 assists on 39 field goals. They out rebounded the Lakers 42-37 and shot 50.6% while allowing the Lakers to shoot 42.2%. Along with the boos every time Kobe touched the ball, the crowd broke into chants of Beat LA, that took me back to the good old days in the 80's. Things are coming together for this team and the scary part is that they still have room to get much better.
The Globe is reporting that the Celtics have assigned Gabe Pruitt to the Utah Flash, their D-League affiliate. Pruitt joins teammate Brandon Wallace on the Flash roster.
The Celtics announced today that they have assigned rookie guard Gabe Pruitt to their NBA Development League affiliate Utah Flash. The rookie joined Celtics teammate Brandon Wallace on the Utah roster. The Flash open the 2007-08 NBA D-League season Saturday at Anaheim. Pruitt was averaging 2.0 points and 0.5 assists in 3.0 minutes per game in two games.
Anyone who has been a Celtics fan for more than 20 years remembers the Lakers/Celtics rivalries of times past. The Lakers were the enemies. There were some very heated battles between these two teams. Who could forget this play between the two rival teams?
It seemed as though every game between these two teams was a war. Chants of Beat LA were common in the Garden. Celtics fans hated the Lakers and Lakers fans hated the Celtics. If you would ask me what my two favorite teams were, it was always the Celtics and whoever was playing the Lakers. Last year when the Garden crowd cheered for Kobe I couldn't believe it. Celtics fans are supposed to hate the Lakers, not cheer for them.
It has been 20 years since the rivalry between these two teams was at its peak. The Lakers have had some success since then, but the Celtics have had some really hard times. Now, the Celtics are back and contenders once again. Kobe has been whining like a baby because Paul Pierce got 2 All Stars and he didn't get any. It's time to rev up this rivalry again. Don't expect Celtics fans to cheer for Kobe this time around. KG and Ray Allen are students of history and I am sure the rivalry between these two teams has not been lost on them.
If history means anything to this team, when the Lakers come into the Garden they should be ready to dominate. Kobe can take over a game all by himself (as we saw in his last trip to the Garden). The Lakers are playing good basketball so this should be a good game.
Probable Starting Matchups: PG: Rajon Rondo vs Derek Fisher SG: Ray Allen vs Kobe Bryant SF: Paul Pierce vs Vladmir Radmanovic PF: Kevin Garnett vs Lamar Odom C: Kendrick Perkins vs Andrew Bynum
Key off the Bench: Celtics: James Posey. Lakers: Luke Walton
Key Matchups: vs Kevin Garnett PPG 20.7 RPG 13.00 APG 4.2 EFF + 31.20 vs Lamar Odom PPG 13.1 RPG 8.30 APG 2.0 EFF + 16.29 KG vs Odom should be a good matchup with KG getting the better of it.
vs Ray Allen PPG 20.3 RPG 4.50 APG 3.3 EFF + 19.10 vs Kobe Bryant PPG 26.9 RPG 6.60 APG 4.8 EFF + 26.00 I expect to see Pierce and Posey on Kobe and a double team whenever possible.
Keys to the Game Stop Kobe Don't expect the Garden crowd to be cheering for Kobe this game. Kobe can single handedly beat a team and so Doc needs to do whatever it takes to stop him and take him out of his game. Pierce should see some time guarding him as should Posey and we should see double teams coming at him whenever he touches the ball. Take Care of the Ball. The Celtics must get their turnovers under control. They can get away with 19 turnovers with some teams, but the better teams will take advantage of them.
Defense After a lapse in Orlando, the Celtics were back to playing good defense against the Warriors. The Celtics can't afford to have defensive lapses against the Lakers or they will capitalize on them. For the Celtics to be an elite team, they have to make defense second nature and make it a priority.
Game Notes: The Celtics- Lakers rivalry is one of the most storied in all basketball. In recent years it just wasn't the same because the Celtics had fallen on hard times. But, with the resurgence of the Celtics this year, we should see the rivalry heat up. The Lakers have been playing well even though they are coming off a loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday. It would be good to hear the Beat LA chants in the Garden again. Ray Allen and KG are both big on history and I am sure the history of the rivalry between these two teams won't be lost on them. It's time to dominate this rivalry once again.
The Celtics remain unbeaten at home with their 105-82 win over Golden State. They jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The starters played fewer minutes than in the past and that's a good thing. The bench made some meaningful contributions and the Celtics defense was back, limiting the Warriors to 33% shooting. The ball movement was good with 26 assists on 38 baskets. And the Celtics dominated the glass with a 52-40 rebounding edge.
Ray Allen finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes and won the Tommy Award. KG poured in 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block in 33 minutes. Pierce had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in 35 minutes. It is good that Doc kept their minutes under 40 finally. Not coincidentally, Ray's shot was falling again after he had a few days off.
Perk played very well with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and only 2 fouls in 20 minutes. He was called for a technical foul for swinging his elbows after being tied up on a layup. Rondo played 26 minutes and finished with 4 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Off the bench, Eddie House had 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 25 minutes. Tony looked better tonight finishing with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block in 20 minutes and did a good job of running the point for a while.
The Celtics got back to playing their game and after a defensive lapse in Orlando, once again put defense front and center. They hustled for loose balls and moved the ball very well. Next up, the Lakers are coming to town on Friday. Should be a good game.
The Celtics had their first loss on Sunday to a very good Magic team. However, they Celtics weren't playing well at all. Ray Allen couldn't hit the jumper, which may be the result of playing 40+ minutes per game. Everyone is asking what happened to Ray's shot. It could be as simple as Doc playing him too many minutes and his legs just aren't there for the jumper. The Celtics got away from focusing on defense also. If they are going to be dominant, they have to continue their commitment to defense. The Magic got way too many easy baskets. One thing they need to address is the turnovers. They won't beat the top teams while committing 19 turnovers because the good teams will turn those turnovers into baskets on the other end.
I have been absolutely disgusted with the officiating so far this season. I expected the refs to be towing the line and trying to do everything they could to call games evenly and fairly but I have seen anything but so far. And it isn't all against the Celtics. A couple of those games the Celtics got all the calls. Something really needs to be done with the officiating. Maybe it is time for David Stern to give the job up. He still gives his refs way too much power and doesn't allow for anyone to question them, in spite of ample evidence that the refs should be scrutinized. He can't possibly watch what has been going on so far and be happy.
I love Tommy Heinsohn. I hate it when I have to watch the other team's feed. I want a touch of homerism in my broadcasts. I wish League Pass would give you a choice of feeds like they do with the audio league pass. I didn't get to watch Tommy in the last game but found this on the M&M Boston website:
Tommy Heinshon delivered a great line against the Magic on Sunday. After Hedo Turkoglu hit the winning 3 pointer Tommy yelled out, “I know how I would defend him, I would steal his green card!” Classic Tommy. And for all those that can’t stand the “bias” commentary of Tommy and his explosions, go sit on a tack.
Rondo is for real. His jumper is looking really good and he is gaining confidence in it. I don't think his 8-9 performance against Orlando was a fluke. He will make teams pay for leaving him open from now on. He has made 18 of 26 over the last three games and is shooting 57.5% for the season. Now that his jumper is looking better, Doc was picking on his defense after the last game. As with everything else, expect Rondo's defense to get a lot better.
I still am not sold on Doc's coaching. Yes, the team is 8-1 but most of that is on the talent of the team. Doc is still making questionable moves and has to make better decisions on substitutions, matchups and in game decisions to take this team to the finals. Once they get to the playoffs, coaching is more important and the matchups and little adjustments become very important. We can win games with a mediocre coach but we won't win a playoff series.
Tony is working his way back but isn't there yet. It was evident when he missed the uncontested layup in the last game. He had no lift off that surgically repaired leg. Whether it was because he doesn't have confidence in it or he doesn't have the strength, he still has a way to go.
Brandon Wallace played his first game for the Flash. He scored 11 points, including a thunderous follow-up dunk that brought the crowd to its feet and led the Flash in rebounding with 9. Good start. I think we will see some good things from this kid.
The Knicks are like a 3 ring circus. First Isaiah benches Starbury and then Starbury takes off. Marbury says he has some dirt on Isaiah. The team votes unanimously that they don't want Marbury playing and so Isaiah sits him for a quarter and then plays him the rest of the game. Isaiah throws the whole team out of practice. Now, Steph is back to starting again. You just can't make this stuff up.
I have been very underwhelmed with Scal's play of late. His shooting has been horrendous including a few airballs from beyond the arc. He seems to be out of sync at times and just isn't adding all that much to the team. I would much rather see Powe or Baby out there getting his minutes. At least they can get better. Everyone always says he is in there to stretch the defenses and hit the 3 but when he misses more than he hits and doesn't do much else, he really isn't earning his minutes.
We shouldn't overlook the Warriors. It is easy to do with their 3-6 record and with the Lakers coming to town on Friday, but they have won 3 in a row, with the last 2 on the road and are a much different team with Stephen Jackson back from his suspension. I am sure that the Celtics will take the game seriously after losing the last one and not playing very well at that. Rondo is in for another tough matchup with Baron Davis in town. The Celtics are still undefeated at home and they need to work at making the Garden one of the toughest places to play in the league.
With Thanksgiving this week, I figured it would be good to focus on things that NBA teams and their fans (and blogs) have to be thankful for. Being a Celtics fan, I have to say that we have a lot more to be thankful for this year than we have had for over 20 years. One thing the Celtics have to be thankful for is the way Rajon Rondo has been playing as a second year point guard. Jeff over on CelticsBlog reminds us of the education of Rajon Rondo. 8-9 from the field against Orlando, it seems that the pupil is learning at least one lesson very well.
Of course, anyone who knows me knows that I am thankful for Perk. I love this kid's intensity and toughness and work ethic. The crack staff over on perkisabeast gives us statistical evidence that Perk is a Beast. I tend to agree.
John over at Red's Army is thankful for the refs... oh wait, then again, maybe he isn't. He has a very good rant against the officiating this season. I have to agree that the refs have been terrible over all. I would have thought that the officiating would have been much better this season after the off season Donaghy debacle. But, it seems as though it has been even worse than last season. I agree with John. Something needs to be done.
Over at Green Bandwagon, Jim is thankful for books on basketball. He has done a series of book reviews that make a good read in themselves. His latest is on the book Fall River Dreams. I also love reading the older books on the Celtics. Right now, I am reading Celtics Pride by Bob Ryan about Tommy's coaching years. Some fascinating stuff there.
I am also thankful for all the Celtics blogs out there (not to be confused with THECelticsBlog). I love reading about the Celtics and there are so many very good Celtics blogs out there that I never lack for good reading. I can't mention them all, but a couple of my favorites that didn't submit links for this Carnival that have good, insightful stuff worth reading every day are Celtics 17 and Lex Nihil Novi.
Of course, Celtics fans aren't the only team with things to be thankful for. TWolves Blog is thankful for all their young players and gives us profiles for all of them. They do have some nice talent there, especially Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes, and hopefully they can give them time to grow together. I plan on watching all their games that I can to watch these young guys continue toward reaching their potential.
BullsBlogger from Blog a Bull submits Kelly Dwyer's break down of the Bulls from TrueHoop. Bulls fans should be thankful that they have a strong young core and in spite of having some early problems, are going to be at the top of the East this season once they get everything ironed out.
With Malice posts a note supposedly found outside the Lakers' arena and possibly containing some notes from Phil Jackson. I guess Lakers fans are still thankful that Kobe is still a Laker and that Ben Gordon is not. Oh yeah, the note gives us inside info as to why Phil's famous triangle offense works so well. It's something you would never expect.
Over at Clips Nation, they are thankful for Chris Kaman and are floating his name out there for the All Star team. They make the point that although he might not make the team he is still playing like one. I wish him good luck. There is at least one big man he won't have to compete with this season for a spot and that is Kevin Garnett.
And what Carnival would be complete without all the general NBA blogs that give us the unbiased (most of the time) reports on all the teams and the NBA in general.
Give Me the Rock is another of my favorite blogs. In this post, they welcome Dwayne Wade back. Talk about being thankful! Miami should be downright giddy to have Wade back. They are a totally different with him on the floor. The article also discusses a comparison of Yi and Durant. And to think, Yi was almost a Celtic.
Another great NBA blog is 20 Second Timeout. It seems that Kevin Durant is the hot topic these days on a lot of blogs. Here he discusses Durant's first win as a Sonic in a game against a listless Heat team.
I Want to be a Sports Agent also discusses Kevin Durant and makes a prediction that Kevin Durant will walk away with the Rookie of the Year award this season.
Sports Biz discusses the fact that the Hornets are back in New Orleans but wonders if anyone notices. Oklahoma was very thankful to have them there. The Hornets seem thankful to be back in New Orleans. It seems as though the fans should be thankful to have them back and suport them with their attendance. If not, look for the Hornets to go back to Oklahoma, where they are really wanted.
Finally, Thank you to Isaiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury for their constant antics that give us a bit of comic relief in an otherwise serious sport. Hope you all enjoy this edition of the Carnival of the NBA as much as I have enjoyed putting it together!
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