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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Celtics Make it 3-0 Out West
Saturday, December 29, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 11:46 PM
Paul Pierce scored all 24 of his points in the second half as the Celtics came back from a 56-49 half time deficit to pull out a win. It was a good game with both teams going up by 8 at one point only to have the other team come back to tie or go ahead. It was defense at the end that pulled out the win as Tony made 3 big steals in a row and the Celtics swarmed on defense to cause some costly turnovers and misses for the Jazz.
The Jazz started out red hot as they shot 70% in the first quarter and 67% for the first half. In a very unCeltic-like defense, they shot 55% for the game while the Celtics shot 46%. But, the Celtics clamped down at the end to pull out the win.
Pierce shot 0-6 and was scoreless in the first half but the team went to him right away to start the third and he responded. He drove to the basket time after time and drew the fouls, making 10-11 free throws. He also starred on the defensive end with a huge block and rebound at the end of the game to preserve the win. He finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. RA showed his shooting touch with 9-15 shooting for 23 points to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Rondo had a scare in the first quarter as he limped off the court. Fortunately it was just a leg cramp and he returned in the second quarter. He finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Eddie House did a good job filling in for Rondo as he sat with the leg cramp and then foul trouble as he scored 9 points to go with 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
KG had a fairly quiet game for him with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Perk once again had a solid game with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist. Big Baby played 9 minutes and gave the team some energy as he scored 3 points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Posey scored 2 points to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal and played very good defense down the stretch. Tony won the Tommy Award for making 3 steals in a row to turn the tide in the 4th quarter as he finished with 10 points and 3 steals. Scal played only 22 seconds to end the first half and Powe and Pollard did not play.
The Celtics showed composure in this one after trailing much of the game. For the second game in a row they allowed the opposing team to shoot a better percentage from the field but they pulled out a win. The big difference in this game was the 41-30 advantage in rebounds for the Celtics. They also hit 7 more free throws than the Jazz. The Celtics are now 3-0 on their first west coast swing but the biggest challenge comes tomorrow night. Let's just hope that they have enough left to pull that one out.
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The Three Amigos
Analyzing the Offense
Friday, December 28, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 11:06 PM
by Derrenmatts
During the Sacramento game, their broadcasters said that our defense is superior, but our offense is not at that same level. I agreed with this statement, and so I went and did some research to clarify this assumption. Lo and behold, it wasn't what I thought it was--our offense is better than I'm giving it credit for.
Our defense is indeed superior, bar none, no questions about it. We hold teams down to a league best 86.6 ppg. So I thought, if our team was as good on offense as it is on defense, we should be scoring more than we are--for example, against the Kings, we only scored 89 pts. Yes we did outscore the Kings by 20, but we shot very poorly on this night (41%--and the Kings aren't a good defensive team). On a team with 3 future Hall of Famers, who teams have a hard time containing one on one, shouldn't we be scoring just as much as the Suns (109 ppg), or the Warriors (108), or at least the Lakers (106)? We are 10th in the league in scoring, behind the 8 - 20 Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 100 ppg.
So what gives? Are we a consistent force on defense, but streaky on offense? Are the future Hall of Famers on the team not making it easier for themselves and others to score? Sure we are beating teams by an average of 14 ppg, but that's because our defense is so tight, right? Well, yes, to a point--but judging by the numbers, we are a pretty tight offensive team as well. Lets look at some numbers, shall we?
As I have just stated, we are 10th in the league in scoring, and though that may not seem to be a great amount, its the way in which we gather all our points that makes us a special offensive team. Hold on--its easy to score 100 pts in a game. Getting to the free throw line 30 times a game will help run up the score. I bet we are right at the top in FT attempts per game. Any team with Paul Pierce on it would likely be at the top of the league, but we are far from leading the league in this category. When it comes to trips to the line, we are 8th in the league.
Well, maybe we score 100 ppg because we jack up a lot of three's. With Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Eddie House, and James Posey, we must be up there in three pointers attempted per game, right? You would think, but this isn't the case. We rank 10th in the league in 3 pointers taken per contest. We fall near the middle of the bell curve compared to the rest of the league.
Well, if we aren't a big time free throw shooting team, and we aren't a big time 3 point shooting team, we must be jacking up a whole lot of regular shots, right? I mean how else would we make up for all these points?. I would think so, but get this; to my amazement, we are dead last in shot attempts per game!!! To be 10th in the league in scoring, you'd think we'd be hoisting up a lot of shots, from all over the court, right? I mean, the Warriors and the Suns (who are 2nd and 1st in the league in scoring) are in the top 3 in attempts per game.
How can we be averaging the fewest amount of shots taken per game and still be 10th in the league in scoring? It doesn't add up.
Again, this is why we are a special offensive team, and why we are actually dominant, even though we aren't leading the league in PPG. Consider that we are 3rd in the league in FG%. Though we are 10th in the league in scoring, we are the 3rd best shooting team, behind only the offensive juggernaught known as the Suns, and the well oiled scoring machine coached by Jerry Sloan (the Jazz). Sure 9 other teams score more than we do, but we shoot better than most of those teams.
And though we aren't shooting the most three pointers in the league, we are the 3rd best in 3 pt FG% as well. The combination of shooting the ball well from inside the arc AND behind the arc allows us to score a lot of points, without having to be a volume shooting team like we were during the Coach O'Brien era. Throw in the points we earn from the free throw line and you see how we can score as much as we do without shooting the ball so much.
We are also 3rd in the league in turnovers forced, which contributes to a handful of fastbreak points (I don't have the numbers for this stat)
So you can see that we amass our points from many different angles. Teams may be able to stop us at certain areas of the court, but we can attack in many different ways to keep the onslaught coming.
We may not lead the league in any particular offensive category but factor in all the various numbers from around the basketball court and you will see how dominant we have been on this side of the ball, too.
Granted, this doesn't mean we are perfect on offense--there are many times we find ourselves in shallow water because we fall into slumps and allow teams to get back into games. But time and time again, we are proving that we can turn a 5 point lead into a 15 pt lead in a blink of an eye, devastating the hopes of poor teams who think they've cornered us.
I am still in favor of designing better plays to free up Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Eddie House for easier looks at the basket--they seem to have to work hard to get open. And its a small concern that we don't have much of a low post game (Garnett fades away most of the time). But hard to nitpick a team who is playing so well--I'm sure in time, we'll find ways to improve in these areas.
So lets continue to appreciate how dominant this team has been, both offensively and defensively. I may scrutinize our team too much at times, but under the lights, its not what it seems. This team is setting unprecendant stats that are mind boggling, and it stems from a dominating defense and an offense that holds up its end of the load. If this team keeps up this pace, we may be talking about the best Celtics team in its illustrious history. We are talking about potential greatness here. But for this team to even be considered for that prestigeous honor, we need to bring home the championship trophy. So bring out your four leaf clovers and magic lucky chamrs, and keep rooting for our boys in green. We are doing some very special things that puts s in unique company, and I have a feeling we are looking at bringing home Banner 17 this year. So far, so good. 23-3!!!
source: Celtics Green
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Celtics Triumphant in Ray's Return to Seattle
by FLCeltsFan 8:34 AM
In an emotional game where Delonte and Wally starred against their former team and Ray Allen returned to Seattle for the first time since the draft night trade that sent him to Boston, the Celtics prevailed 104-96. It was the second of back to back games on the road and the Celtics showed some fatigue at times, but they were able to pull out the win at the end. Whenever the Celtics would pull ahead, the Sonics would come right back, often behind the play of two former Celtics.
At the end of the first quarter, Delonte hit a 3 to pull the Sonics to within 5 at 24-19. Perk had a strong first period with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block and 1 assist in the quarter. Midway through the second period, the Sonics tied the game at 32 behind a 3 by Wally. They tied it again at 37 on a drive by Delonte. At the half, the Celtics led by only 1 at 47-46. The Celtics shot only 36% in the first half, but took care of the ball turning it over only once.
In the third, the Celtics outscored the Sonics 23-21 to take a 70-67 lead into the third quarter. Pierce got hot in the third quarter and scored 13 points in the period. KG was looking tired midway throught the third and sat out the end of the quarter. The Celtics as a team turned up the defense in the final period and Pierce and House both hit some big shots in the 4th as the Celtics pulled out the 104-96 win.
Rondo had only 1 point to go with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Ray Allen was honored by the Sonics before the game but struggled with his shot once again shooting 4-13 and finished with 10 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists in 38 minutes. Eddie House hit some big shots in the 4th quarter and finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Tony is showing more and more explosiveness in drives to the hoop although he is still having trouble finishing. He finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
Paul Pierce was the player of the game as he hit some big shots in the second half and willed the Celtics to the win. He finihsed with 37 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal in 43 minutes of play. KG had yet another double double and filled up the stat sheet with 23 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 33 minutes. Perk had a very solid game with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 23 minutes. Posey was a spark off the bench with his defense and he contributed 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Pollard finished with 4 fouls and 1 turnover in 13 minutes. Scal played only 44 seconds and Powe, Davis and Pruitt all registered DNP's.
The two former Celtics had some good things to say about Boston and the organization before the game and both were big factors for the Sonics off the bench. Dwlonte finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists and played with the heart that made him so special to many Celtics fans. Wally finished with 14 points and 3 rebounds.
A quick look at the stat sheet might give you the impression that the Celtics lost this one as they shot only 39.5% and allowed the Sonics to shoot 45.7%. They were out rebounded by Seattle 50-42. But the Celtics committed a season low 5 turnovers while Seattle had 12 TO's and the Celtics defense at the end of the game allowed them to pull away for the win. The Celtics are 2-0 on the road trip but there are still naysayers who point to the fact that both teams they beat have losing records and they still haven't faced the elite teams. They face a bigger test in the final 2 games of this road trip when they face the 16-14 Jazz who are 10-2 at home and the red hot Lakers who have won 8 of their last 10 games.
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Celtics Start Road Trip with 89-69 Win over Kings
Thursday, December 27, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 12:36 AM
In a game of runs, the Celtics outlasted the Kings to start their road trip out with a win. The Celtics came out strong and built a lead but got sloppy at the end of the first quarter turning the ball over and allowing the crowd to get into the game and at the end of one quarter, the Celtics had an 18-16 lead. Pierce was scoreless in the first but had his hands full with Artest.
The Kings started the second quarter where they left off with a steal and a basket and with 9:40 left in the half, the Kings took a 22-18 lead on an 11-0 run. But the Celtics came roaring back with a 9-0 run of their own to take a 29-24 lead. From then on it was all Boston as the Celtics took a 53-29 lead into the half. Pierce scored 14 points all in the second quarter. KG had 10 points at the half and Ray Allen added 13. Perk had a strong first half with 3 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a block along with some good defense.
The third quarter was controlled by the Kings. They opened the quarter with a 10-1 run and the Celtics started the quarter with 6 straight turnovers. Perk picked up a technical foul and Doc pulled him and he didn't play again and finished with 3 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in only 19 minutes. The Kings cut the lead to 5 at one point but the Celtics were able to stretch it to 66-56 at the end of 3 quarters. The Kings outscored the Celtics 27-13 in the third quarter.
In the 4th quarter, the Celtics took charge and were able to win the game by 20 points with Rondo leading the charge and aggressively taking the ball to the hoop several times. The Kings were playing very rough and the Celtics did well not to retailiate. Miller raked KG across the face twice. The second time was scary as KG stayed on the floor holding his eyes as they went to a time out. It should have been a flagrant as he clearly wasn't going for the ball. Garcia was pushing and shoving KG the entire game and fouled Rondo very hard a couple of times as well.
Rondo finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 0 turnovers in 29 minutes and won the Tommy Award for his efforts. It was his aggressiveness at the end of the game that set the tone for the Celtics to surge ahead. Ray Allen finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals in 36 minutes of play. House came off the bench and hit some big 3's and finished with 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 28 minutes.
Paul Pierce played very good defense on Artest, holding him to 15 points, while scoring 16 points with 4 rebounds and 6 assists in 41 minutes of play. KG brought his usual intensity to the game and had a double double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block in 36 minutes. Posey had a stong game off the bench with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block in 29 minutes. Pollard added 2 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 10 minutes and Scal had a rare early appearance and had 3 rebounds and an assist in 6 minutes.
The Celtics shot 41% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc while holding the KIngs to 38% from the field and only 13% on 3's. The Celtics also out rebounded the Kings 45-36. The Celtics much maligned bench outscored the Kings bench 26-20. The Celtics first extended road trip is off to a good start. The real test will come as they fact Seattle on the second of back to back games. The final 2 games will be their toughest as they face the Jazz and Lakers in back to back games. 1 down and 3 to go.
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Celtics Head Out West
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 9:18 PM
The Celtics have the best record in the NBA at 22-3 but there are a lot of people that would put an asterisk next to that record as they haven't gone on any extended road trips or played any of the top teams in the West on their courts. The Celtics are about to begin their first road trip out west. While only one of the 3 teams they face on the trip is in the top 8, they still will be playing 4 games in 5 nights and if the Celtics could go 4-0, or even 3-1, on this road trip, it would go a long way toward silencing the critics who say that their record is the result of a soft schedule.
First up, the Celtics face the Kings in a very loud Arco Arena. Here they face Ron Artest and the Kings who they embarrassed earlier in Boston. The Kings will be looking for revenge and Ron Artest, who wasn't much of a factor in the first game will be playing for pride. Both teams will be rested after 2 days off for Christmas, but the Celtics will be travelling and that could affect their performance.
In the second of back to back games, the Celtics will face the Sonics on TNT. In Seattle, they will face Delonte and Wally for the first time since the trade. They would love nothing better than to beat their former team. Wally has been playing well for the Sonics lately averaging 20 points over his last 3 games. Delonte has been battling plantar fasciitis. The Celtics will also have to face super rookie Kevin Durant who they coveted before the draft. The Celtics will not only be on the road for this one but playing in back to back games.
After a night off, the Celtics will be facing their third team in 4 nights. Utah is a strong team that has been slumping but are still very dangerous. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games, but are 9-2 at home so are a very tough team on their home court. Rondo will be facing one of the best young PGs in the league in Deron Williams in this game.
Finally, the Celtics will face the Lakers in their second back to back of the trip and the 4th game in 5 days. The Lakers were embarrassed on the parquet in their first meeting this season and like the Kings, they will be looking for payback. They are 8-2 in their last 10 and have won 3 in a row. This will be the toughest matchup of the trip. The Lakers are playing very well and the Celtics will be tired. They will need to maintain focus and really want this one in order to win it.
Of the 4 teams we face, only the Lakers are among the top 8 teams in the West. But, with 4 games in 5 nights and travel in between, there will be plenty of adversity. A successful trip with 3 or 4 wins will silence some of the critics but there will be some who will point to the loss to the Pistons as proof that the Celtics haven't proved themselves against the league's elite and won't be ready to crown the Celtics until they beat the Pistons and the Spurs. On the other hand, any more than 1 loss on this trip will bring up a lot more questions about this team. It's going to be an interesting week.
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Dear Santa, All I want...
by FLCeltsFan 9:09 PM
Here is a sneak peek at Derrenmatt's letter to Santa from over on Celtics Green. I really hope Derren was a good boy this year so that Santa brings him all he asks for.
Santa, I know this is very late and you don't normally deliver after the 12 o'clock hour, but I thought I'd ask anyways.
Santa, for Christmas I want all of our players to stay healthy throughout the entire season--not even a tweaked left pinky toe.
I want KG to continue being a shining example of motivation and desire.
I want Ray Allen to be a 50% shooter from here on out.
I want Paul Pierce to do less isolations and more cutting to the basket without the ball.
I want Rajon Rondo realizing that he can be the 4th best player on the court, and proving it to the world.
I want Kendrick Perkins realizing that going straight up is better than going down, pounding the ball on the floor, and then going up for a shot.
I want Doc designing plays that will get our shooters open for shots (RAllen, Pierce, House)
I want Eddie House breaking through presses without a sweat.
I want James Posey knowing that he's truly appreciated.
I want Brian Scalabrine to stop his twinkle toe dancing, and to know his role.
I want Baby to have a vertical leap that will enable him to jump over a cup of coffee without knocking it down.
I want Tony Allen to realize that if he focuses all his concentration and energy on the game, that he can be a middle class Dwayne Wade.
I want Powe to be given a fair shot.
I want Scott Pollard to return to his early millenium form (when he was with the Kings).
I want Gabe Pruitt to speed up his development and be our version of Daniel Gibdon.
I want a good backup PG and a good Center.
I want to draft either OJ Mayo or Michael Beasley.
And most of all, I want the Celtics to be the 2007-2008 NBA champions.
P.S. Santa, if its not too much to ask, I want Big Al Jefferson to come back home, where he belongs.
Thanks, Santa.
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Merry Christmas
Celtics Show Magic Who's Boss with 103-91 Victory
Sunday, December 23, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 9:53 PM
The Celtics came into the game looking to avenge their earlier loss to the Magic and did so with a solid 103-91 victory. The Celtics led for most of the game with the Magic taking a 3 point lead only once and the Celtics leading by as many as 20. This was the 15th game of the season where the Celtics had a 20 point lead during the game.
Rajon Rondo was the player of the game as he continued his aggressive play of late. He hit a 3 to increase the half time lead to from 4 to 3. He finished with 23 points on 8-10 shooting including his first 2 threes of the season. He also had 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Ray Allen's shooting touch has returned as he scored 22 points on 7-13 shooting to go with 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.
Pierce finished with 24 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. He still turns the ball over too much, leading the team with 5 turnovers. I am getting to dread his drives where he plows into a crowd of defenders in the paint. KG had 21 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. Going into the 4th, KG was encouraging the crowd to get into the game. He just does it all. Perk finished with 6 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 assist while playing solid defense in the middle. When Big Baby was in, KG looked over to the bench to encourage Doc to put Perk back in and sure enough Doc got Perk back into the game.
The bench contributed only 7 points and 3 rebounds in this game. They were able to hold the leads when they were in mostly because one of the 3 stars was always out on the floor with the 2nd unit at all times. Pollard finished with 1 point and 1 block. Posey went scoreless but had 2 rebounds and 1 assist. House finished with 2 points and 1 steal. Tony was the most productive off the bench with 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. Big Baby had a rough game with only 1 rebound and 2 fouls in 3 minutes.
The Celtics shot 52% from the field while holding the Magic to 44%. The Celtics also out rebounded the Magic 38 to 34. They also led the Magic in fast break points 12-5. The Celtics controlled the game most of the time but they did have lapses, allowing the Magic to cut the lead down to 9 a couple of times. They were pretty intense with KG picking up a technical and almost picked up a second when Perk pulled him away. It was ironic that Perk picked up a technical not long after that. The refs were terrible in this game, letting some things go and then calling them a few seconds later and that led to the frustrations.
It was a good win. Now, the Celtics have beaten two of the 3 teams that have beaten them. However, the big test will be how they do on the West Coast trip coming up next week.
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