Any thoughts out there on this game? I'm still getting back into the game, in terms of what the competition is going to be like (my fantasy teams have been getting housed in my abscence) I know the C's ran very well last name and put up a monster 69 pts in the first half. Even though we're known for some epic colapses in the apst few years, not even the C's could blow that one. Here's hoping for the same tonight. We need some momentum before we hit the road.
I think that their last game was exactly what they needed. They needed a game like that to convince them of how easy it can be if they attack the basket. Some guys needed a little more convincing than others. *cough* Paul Pierce *cough* I think they have a great shot at winning this game. I'd like to see big minutes for Tony Allen, Big Al, and Marcus Banks. I think Allen has the best chance of staying on Redd's shooting hand, Big Al can dominate inside against Milwaukee's frontcourt, and I really think Banks can score at will if he's given the chance. He isn't ready to be a true point guard yet. That's why he lost his job so easily to Delonte, but I think he can make a huge impact if he looks to get to the hoop more often. It gives him the option of taking it himself, finding a big man open after their man goes to him, or even finding a shooter outside for an open jumper. IMO, That's the way they have to have Marcus play while he's in there. I wouldn't even be opposed to him playing minutes at the 2.
I don't mind if Banks looks to score, as long as it doesn't consume him and he forgets his true job out there. Yes, him being able to score helps provide relief to other players, however, he's got a tendancy to think (or at least play) like he's supposed to be the teams main and first scoring option and those are the times I have a Tourette's type episode at the TV.
Wake up call for Pierce! Doc just benched him for Jiri because he didn't want to run. That move takes a lot of guts from Doc, and I like that. I hope Pierce recieved the message. <div align="center">EDIT</div> Apparently, Pierce left the Fleetcenter without speaking with the media. I don't think that's a good sign, and it probably means that he didn't take the message the right way. I really applaud what Doc did because it was something that, IMO, needed to be done. No one person is above the rest of the team, and if one guy isn't doing what they are supposed to, then he deserves to be benched. Even if it is Paul Pierce. Let's hope Pierce takes the high road on this. By the way, C's win 101-100
Yep, I discussed that, but didn't know PP left the stadium without talking to media (LP cuts us off long before that) www.celticsblog.com <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Precursor: The Bucks are giving up an average of 99 points per game. After the Orlando game, you almost have to salivate over the prospects of that stat. If you watched the running feast that the Celtics displayed last game in Orlando, you might have been rubbing your eyes after the first half of this one, because it was decidedly a tale of a different, more half-court oriented style. The 1st quarter was a suprisingly heavy dosage of feed Mark Blount, posting up in the paint. To Blounts credit he seemed to make several very good scoring moves when given isolation against his man. They ran when they could and it was enough, but it wasn't nearly the dosage most Celtic fans would probably have been expecting. When Kendrick Perkins got in, early in the 2nd quarter, not only did they try to feed him in the paint several times, but he ran the floor well and almost converted on all of them(in other words, I believe that he missed them all, but they were good shots and good efforts). His ball handling is going to need some more work as his body movement seems to be ahead of where the ball needs to be. The positive side of this is that the C's coaching staff appeared to treat him just like they did with Blount, in relation to play calling, trying to utilize him in much the same way.</div> The Pierce issue is discussed later.
From hagrid's Recap on Celticsblog.com.... <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The audible from Doc Rivers from the bench was clear and bellowing: "You gotta run the floor all the way". He promptly sat PP for a minute and change. While PP didn't seem to be a big fan of the move, he took his medicine and promptly came back into the game with roughly 2:35 left and did it right, when on a Payton penetration, the defense stopped the drive and the kick out went to where it was supposed to, with PP hitting a 3 pointer from the corner, after following the play through the way it should be. Lesson Given, Lesson Learned. Let's move on</div> For some reason, I think that Pierce was extremely offended by Doc's decision to bench him. My guess is that Pierce didn't talk with the media because he didn't want to let his mouth get him into trouble. I think that's borderline admirable, because alot of NBA superstars would have stayed and bad-mouthed the coach after the game. I know it's a cliche, but if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all. We know Allen Iverson can't show restraint like that. He was in a similar situation last year when he was coming back from injury and Chris Ford asked him to come off the bench. AI refused to play in that game, and made his "a former MVP doesn't come off the bench" speech. Let's face it, stars in this league don't have the greatest attitudes in the world. So I hope that Pierce pulled a Pedro for the right reasons. I hope he sleeps on it, and realizes that just because he's Paul Pierce doesn't mean he's entitled to a different set of rules. He's a great player, and he had a great game, but being a team captain, Doc needs him to be a role model on the floor. If Paul gets lazy out there, than what's to stop the other guys from doing the same thing? This wasn't just one incident, Pierce has been doing it all year. In fact, I even pointed it out before the game in this very thread. With the roster that they have, Doc needs them to run and attack the basket all game long. He needed to prove a point, and he did it perfectly, because they still won the game.
GP kind of hinted that he told Paul to leave without talking to the media, that way his head was clear when he talked about it. Don't know how much truth there is to that, but it sounds about right. PP's just like everyone else, he's got lessons to learn. Let's hope he takes this one in stride and tomorrow is the wiser for it.
Man, it would have been hard for Pierce to not get the message. My seats are 7 rows behind the Celtics bench and, <u>I</u> got the message. I think it was a very good idea for Pierce to keep his mouth shut and walk away. He's an emotional guy and I think that taking some perspective, maybe watching some film will help him see Doc's point of view. Doc had a point, the Bucks were tiring coming off the tough game last night with the Lakers and that was the time to run them into the ground. If Pierce had kept going, it would have been an easy layup. Now, that being said, I'll let Pierce go a little bit here. He's been in a system for the last 3 years that basically said "Play defense and you can do whatever you want on offense." Well, thats not the system anymore and he needs to get that through his head. As Thrilla said, this isn't AI. This is a good guy, who comes to practice everyday, works hard everyday and even if he doesn't always play within the system, he's always playing hard. I hope the message gets through and thats the end of it. Now, as for the game, here's my random thoughts: I like that the Celtics looked to exploit the Buck's lack of size and went into Blount early... so much for Marcus being out of Doc's doghouse, I think he played less than 10 minutes... I kind of like nights like these, just to remind us all that Jefferson is a rookie and that we can't expect him to play out of his mind every night (yet)... I'm stunned that the celtics got those calls at the end, considering Allen is a rookie. Good thing they were playing at home... what was Ricky thinking on that last play? I know there wasn't a lot of contact, but I've seen whistles blown for less... Overall, its starting to come together, now to keep it up against the Raps.
Celtsman: You were at the game? What did you think of my game summary? Anything major I didn't bring to light?
Yep, I'm there just about every game. Nope, Hagrid, you got it all. Very thorough, as always. Glad you mentioned the point where Marcus caught a pass out of his range, took 2 dribbles closer and drilled the shot. Just one of those subtle moments that showed his maturation and it kind of got lost in the Pierce saga. And let me just say this about Blount, who I'm pretty sure won the Tommy award: these are the games that they brought him back for. I don't think they expect him to be able to contain Yao or put up big numbers like Shaq. He's here to make sure the Dan Gadzuric's of the world don't kill us. He's here to take advantage of other teams lack of size. I expect the same type of performance against the Raptors.
Thanks Celtsman. I felt like with all the shots I take at Banks when he screws up, I gotta give him some credit when I see something as important as that moment. I also agree with your Blount comments. Some will say that he was overpaid, but in the context of some of the other contracts given to Centers this off-season, I think the money given to him was just about on par. He'll never be a world killer, but he'll end up very serviceable, with the talent to have games like he did against the Bucks. I was really worried when gadzuric accidentally hit Blount in the eye with his elbow as they started to run down the court. That could have ended up being a worse injury than it turned out.
I like Blount, he's a slightly above average Center and I think locking him up for a long time was a good idea. He's also great to have for comic value. Well, until he learns to stay in the play a little longer than he does. Every time I see him take a last second pass off the side of the head I can't help myself from cracking up.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">I like Blount, he's a slightly above average Center and I think locking him up for a long time was a good idea. He's also great to have for comic value. Well, until he learns to stay in the play a little longer than he does. Every time I see him take a last second pass off the side of the head I can't help myself from cracking up.</div> When you look at how his deal is structured, its not as bad as first believed. He makes less than Ricky does, which I think is about fair, considering he's probably the third or 4th option, depending on how Raef is doing. And as for him taking passes off his face, Blount has bad hands. We all know it, so his teammates have to know it. They should be using bounce passes to get it in to him. GP was firing bullets tonight. Blount's not going to catch those.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> He's also great to have for comic value.</div> Is that what you call it? I wanted to put my foot through the TV last night when the ball went through his hands, bounced off his chest and then went back into his hands, after which he scored a short jumper..... Come to think of it, now that the game is over, it is kinda funny.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CeltsMan54:</div><div class="quote_post">Blount has bad hands. </div>Yeah, you got that right. I hope they work on that in practice, because that's such a huge weakness for him. His game would be a thousand times better if it weren't for those bricks. I'd love to run just one practice where I'd have GP throw fastballs at his head for 3 hours.
