|
|
RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Celtics Lose 5th in a Row
Saturday, December 30, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 1:14 AM
December 30, 2006 Tonight's game was a game of runs. We came out flat and let the Warriors get to the basket at will and dug a hole early. Then we fought back behind some tenacious defense to cut the lead to 1 and finished the half down 5. We came out in the second half and let them build a lead again but kept fighting back. Unfortunately our lapses won out and we finished the game down 10 losing to Golden State 110-100.
Delonte started the game and played well, filling the stat sheet with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Telfair seemed sluggish on defense and shot just 2 of 7 and finished with 5 points and 3 assists in 28 minutes, often playing at the same time as West. Rondo only came in for the last 2 minutes and finished with 1 assist.
 Wally played in spite of tweaking his ankle again at the shoot around. He hurt us as much as he helped us. His jumper was flat and he clearly doesn't have his legs under him. He shot 3 of 17 and finished with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists to go with 3 turnovers. Doc should have told him to take it to the basket instead of settling for outside jumpers time after time. Green had an off night. He finished with 6 points and 3 assists in 16 minutes but didn't get all that many touches when he was in. Could be because Wally was taking so many shots.
 Gomes had a decent game finishing with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Al finished with 18 points on 6-9 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 6 turnovers. He was doubled in the post almost every time he touched the ball and had trouble passing out of the double team. Perk played 10 minutes but very clearly doesn't have his timing back after the injury and will take a couple of games to get back to form.
 The crowd was chanting for Powe in the 4th quarter. Doc finally put him in with just over 2 minutes to play and he finished with 5 points and 4 rebounds. The announcers were saying how glad they were that Doc didn't play him earlier. I just don't understand why this kid doesn't get playing time. He does good things when he plays and it just doesn't make sense.
 Watching the Warriors play, I was getting very frustrated. They have a true fast break. They pass the ball quickly up court to beat the defenses and get easy baskets. Then I watch the Celtics walk the ball up the court and allow the defenses to get all set up. They played a little piece from Doc where he was saying that the Celtics like to run but not like the Warriors like to run. My question is why not? We have young athletic players who should be able to run the whole game. We should be passing the ball more and dribbling less and yet Doc has the PG dribble up the court after a made basket and after a miss. Powe could have made a difference in the game tonight. We desperately needed some toughness inside and that is exactly what Powe brings. The more I watch this team play, the more I am convinced that Doc is not coaching to win. Wally should not have shot 17 times when none of his shots were falling. Powe should have played. We should be passing more and dribbling less. When Telfair was falling down on defense, Rondo should have come in. Just a lot of little things that just don't make sense to me. I am certain that with a different coach, we would be a much better team and have a winning record.
[Box Score] [Recap] [Play by Play]
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Celtics Update - West In for Tonight
Friday, December 29, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 3:36 PM
December 29 , 2006 The Herald reports that Delonte took part in the Celtics shoot around this morning and plans to play tonight. He is not 100% but feels he can still contribute. Wally reportedly tweaked his ankle on an upfake but said he sas still good to go tonight. There was no mention of Perk but I assume that no news is good news there.
The highlight of the morning was Gerald Green and Leon Powe dunking after throwing the ball off the back wall in the tight gym. After Powe put down a two-hander after the catch, Green caught his carom and threw in a windmill dunk. “Don’t try this at home,'’ Green announced. Sounds like they are staying loose and hopefully that will translate into a win for us tonight.
[More] source:Boston Herald Blog Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Friday Odds and Ends
by FLCeltsFan 2:04 PM
December 29, 2006 Game Day as we face the Golden State Warriors. We lost to them by 1 when we played them at home as Pierce froze and never got the shot off. We won't have Pierce tonight so will have to depend more on our young players who need to grow up in a hurry.
Speaking of one of our young players, the Globe has a good piece on Leon Powe today. I really like this kid and was happy to see that Red also liked him.
Red Auerbach, who always appreciated the kind of character instilled by a difficult upbringing and looked for instigators, was enamored with Powe. The 6-foot-8-inch, 245-pound forward may prove a steal in the second round. In just less than 10 minutes a game (which many observers argue is far too little time), Powe has shown the ability to rebound (2.6 rebounds per game) and score (3.3 PPG). His constant hustle makes good things happen. Yes, when he is on the court, good things happen. Pierce said that he brings what the team needs. It seems everyone realizes that this kid brings what the team needs and that when he is on the court, good things happen. Everyone except Doc, that is, who for some unknown reason doesn't play him.
Shira has a piece about the injury situation. We got Perk and Wally back in the last game but both confess to having problems with their timing being off. Wally also didn't have the lift in his legs needed for his jumpers. It may take a few games for them to get back into the flow since they aren't getting any practice time. West is hoping to be back tonight but how much he will be able to play will remain to be seen.
The Herald reports that Boston is mired in mediocrity along with the rest of the Atlantic division. The Celtics packed a four-game losing streak for their trip here yesterday, but they remain just two games out of first place in the Atlantic Division, where grading is done on the curve. New Jersey was starting to come on and then Kristic went down. Now maybe Toronto may separate themselves if they stay healthy. Boston is capable of going on a run if everyone is healthy and Doc gets a lobotomy.
Hoopsworld has a one on one interview with Sebastian Telfair.
The new look Celtics 17 has an article about the trends in shooting 3's. The Celtics are tied for third in 3 point percentage but don't take that many. We are also 4th in defending the 3 which is very surprising considering our defensive lapses recently.
Sporting News.com has a piece on treasure hunting for fantasy leagues and discussed Gerald Green. What amazed me in this piece is the number of very good and star players who have are on the injured list right now. With Pierce out, Green is getting a chance to play and hopefully will burst out in response to it.
Hoping that the Celtics break their 4 game losing streak tonight. We have the players to do it but they just haven't been playing as a team and I lay quite a bit of that at the feet of the coach. Join us on CG for the play by play. Hopefully the Celtics can get a win.
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Carnival #39 Holiday Edition is Up on Bullets Forever
Thursday, December 28, 2006

Thursday Odds and Ends
by FLCeltsFan 9:52 AM
December 28, 2006 The news today centers around the return of Perk, Kandi and Wally and the loss of West along with the ugly loss to the Clippers.
First up are the reports on last night's game from the Herald and the Globe. I know that this team depends on Pierce, but that isn't the reason they shot 32% last night. I know we had 11 shots blocked and that may have made some of the players tentative but I know we have better shooters than that. Wally was evidently rusty and still doesn't have his legs under him but we should be shooting better than that. Defense also continues to be our achilles heel. We can't seem to get stops and that isn't something that is due to Pierce being out, either. We should be better than this.
The Herald Notebook reports that West feels he can play tomorrow night in Golden State. In spite of West being injured due to his hard play, Doc wouldn't have him change and says that if we had 12 players with Delonte's passion and heart, we would be tough to beat. Is that Doc calling out the rest of the team for lack of passion and heart? Also mentioned is Powe's plan to have the team over to his family home for dinner. At least they will get some good home cooking on the trip, even if they don't get a win.
The Globe Notebook also discusses Deltonte's play and heart. It is his heart that sets him apart along with getting him injured. Jefferson has been seeing more and more double teams as the team plays without Pierce but he doesn't give up on the plays and stays with them. He is getting better at passing out of the double team to the open man. He is also increasing his efforts on the boards. Allen Ray has been seeing more time and has been playing well for the most part.
Shira has a little piece on Pierce and the fact that he wishes he could help. He isn't sure how his injury is progressing because he never had anything like it before. He plans to stay at home and rest it as much as possible and hopes to join the team at home when they return from this road trip.
The Green Room covers the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from this road trip so far. The Good is Al Jefferson and Gerald Green who have both been improving with each game and responding to the increased minutes. The Bad is our point guard play and Ryan Gomes. I don't know if it is an injury problem or a sophomore wall, but Gomes hasn't been giving us much lately. He had just 1 rebound last night and his play has been very lackluster. Why Doc doesn't put Powe in I will never understand, especially when Gomes isn't producing. The Ugly is the team defense and you will get no arguments on that. We seem to have completely forgotten how to play defense and we are losing because of it.
On CelticsBlog, Eric Weiss has a good article on our point guard play past and present. A good read.
The SF Chronicle has a good piece on Leon Powe. I really like this kid. He is tough, works hard and plays hard. I just don't understand why he doesn't get more minutes. He produces when he is on the floor but yet only gets a few minutes each game. Pierce has this to say about Powe:
"He's a hard worker and I think that goes back to his college career," swingman Paul Pierce said. "He's not playing much, but every time he does, he gives us what we need, a hard-nosed banger and an inside presence." He gives us what we need. I have to agree. So why isn't Doc playing him. The team plays very well when he is in, most times going on a run. So why doesn't he play more? I just don't understand.
JB over on CelticsStuff Live posts the observations of a fan who attended the game. They are pretty much the same conclusions I came to watching on TV. And speaking of CelticsStuff Live, don't miss their show tonight featuring Jeff Clark of CelticsBlog and Eric Pincus who covers the Clippers and contributes to JB's Yahoo group. We’ll get their thoughts on the status of the team and the play of Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, and Tony Allen taking more prominent roles due to injury and opportunity. We’ll also discuss the recent benching of Sebastian Telfair in favor of Delonte West for what Doc Rivers has said will be for the remainder of the season. If you have a question for either guest you can call our toll free number up to an hour before the show and leave us a voicemail. As always we’ll be taking your calls between guests and monitoring the chat wars in The Pit. Should be a good show.
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Is Doc Tanking or Just a Bad Coach?
by FLCeltsFan 9:24 AM
December 28, 2006 Is Doc tanking? Watching the games, it has seemed to me that Doc makes some very bad decisions in the games. It is especially obvious in his substitutions. At times, the starters will get off to a very slow start. Doc will put the bench in and they up the tempo and get us back into the game. Just as we get rolling Doc will put the starters back in and we slow down and lose the game. Other times one player will play very well and Doc pulls him. I thought I may have been imagining it until a couple of posters on CG echoed my thoughts. Here are some thoughts from Derrenmatts on the Denver game:
Powe was doing really well out there, and then he gets yanked. Gomes has been a disappointment lately, and I really wanted Powe out there because he played with more hustle and energy and he was making things happen. But Doc insists on taking away what works, and after putting the starters back in, we begin to play junk again and lose whatever momentum the 2nd unit built. And then on last night's game. I don't know why, but Doc chose not to use Tony Allen for a big part of the 2nd and 3rd quarter, precisely when we started to fall apart. Tony was a big part of the reason why we fought back in the 1st quarter, but was relegated to the bench. Foul trouble or not, Doc could not afford to keep him out for that long and it costed us dearly.
Powe needs to play. All Gomes is good for right now is knocking down 18 footers. I appreciate it, but we need physical rebounding in the paint and some blocked shots more than 18 foot jumpers. On a night where Jefferson could have used help on the boards, all Gomes could muster was 1 measly rebound. That's unacceptable. And here are Eja117's thoughts: And that's that almost every time if something is working Doc stops it. It's like clockwork. It's very predictable. Too predictable. In fact it happens so often it isn't random any more. I think one of two things is happening. Either Doc is tanking for some unkown reason. Maybe since he figures he's here for the season and they can't win a championship he thinks he'll tank and get a better draft pick cause he thinks he has a good relationship with DA (and I kinda think they do) or DA has told him to tank, or he is purposely affecting the outcome because (seriously now. It has happened before) there are some shenanigans going on on the side. Pete Rose did it. Would you be shocked if you found out Doc was doing it? I wouldn't. So, I am not just imagining it. When we get a lineup in there that works, Doc goes away from them and we don't see them again. Powe has been very effective whenever Doc plays him. In the Denver game, he played 7 minutes and had 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal and he was playing good defense in the paint. So why wouldn't Doc play him more? Rondo played 16 minutes and had 6 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. He was also playing better defense than Telfair who got 25 minutes. Last night, Allen was playing aggressively and helped get us back into the game and then Doc sits him. Eja117 gives 3 possible reasons for this phenomenon that we have been seeing. 1)Doc is tanking for some reason. 2)Danny is telling Doc to tank for some reason. 3)Doc is purposely affecting the outcome of games due to some underhanded dealings. If either of the first two reasons are true, we know that the reason is probably the hope of landing Greg Oden. He is the type of dominant big man that comes along rarely. Even if we didn't land Oden, a high draft pick would net us a dominant player from this year's very strong draft. This is a very real possibility. I have even read murmurings that some of the injuries were possibly manufactured to allow us to lose without appearing to tank or to give the young players a chance to either prove they can play or prove that they can't. I just don't believe that Doc would be betting against the Celtics and trying to influence the score and outcome for that reason. He may not be the best coach but I don't think he would be doing something underhanded like that. That brings us to a very possible 4th reason for this behavior. Doc is just a terrible in game coach. Danny has said that he is standing behind Doc and that there won't be a coaching change this season. That may be Danny's way of tanking. Danny was a good coach and knows what it takes to win. I can't believe that he doesn't realize that what Doc's coaching strategies are much of the reason that we are losing. Is sticking with Doc Danny's way of tanking without actually tanking? Whatever the reason, it is very obvious to at least a few of us that Doc purposely goes away from what works in games. Is it tanking on purpose or is it inadvertent tanking by sticking with a coach who just can't manage a roster? Whichever it is, I just can't figure why Powe and Rondo aren't getting more minutes unless it is because when they are on the floor we are a better team. Stay tuned as I am sure there is more to come on this issue as more and more fans notice it.
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Celtics Lose Ugly to the Clippers 100-77

Silver Lining
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 10:27 AM
December 27, 2006 We have had way more than our share of injuries this season. West was out in training camp and the beginning of the season with a variety of injuries from an infected toe to back problems. Now, after the bad fall last night, he may be out again. Theo Ratliff, who was to be our starting center and defensive stopper in the middle has played a total of 44 minutes this season due to a bulging disc in his back. Al Jefferson was out with appendicitis. Michael Olowokandi has been out with a muscle tear in an abdominal muscle. Wally was out with one sprained ankle and just came back when he sprained the other ankle. Perk has been out with plantar fasciitis. Scal has had the flu. An now, the iron man of the Celtics is out with a stress reaction in his foot. It may seem that the Celtics have been cursed with one injury after another. But there is a silver lining and we don't have to look very far to find it. Last year, when Perk and Al both went down just as they were starting to get minutes after Blount was traded, Ryan Gomes emerged as a big surprise. He sat on the bench the entire first half of the season and then when Doc had no choice but to play him, he came through and proved to be a very valuable player. With Perk out Al got the chance to start at center and he has made the most of it. He has been playing very well and is finally realizing the potential that we all saw in him in spurts. He has been averaging a double double and we see more confidence day by day. Even not feeling the best because of a cold, last night in Denver he had another double double with a career high 15 rebounds. But it took Perk being out for Al to get the minutes he needed to break out. When Wally went down, Tony got a chance to start and he emerged to be close to the player he was before his knee injury. He filled the stat sheet last night with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocked shots, and 2 steals in 16 minutes. Previously he got spot minutes and seemed to struggle. But when Wally was injured and he got the chance to start, he got regular minutes and produced. Now, Pierce is out and Green is getting a chance to start and the minutes to develop. It seemed very improbable that Pierce would ever be out in that he has missed a total of 19 games in his career so far. But now he will be out for 2-3 weeks and Gerald will be getting a chance to show that he can do more than just dunk. I have a feeling that he is going to seize this chance and produce. It may even show Danny that Pierce could be expendable. But above all, Green is getting valuable minutes and experience that he wouldn't be able to get if Pierce wasn't injured. So in spite of our 10-16 record our young players are getting experience that they wouldn't get if all was going smoothly. We need these young players to get minutes and to either reach their potential or to show us that they aren't going to be as good as we hoped. But they need minutes for that and they weren't going to get minutes with all of the veterans playing. It seems that Doc has to be forced to play his young players as he doesn't do it otherwise. Hopefully when all the players come back from injury we will know more of what we have in our young players. So, there is a silver lining. We may have a losing record. We may not even be on the top of the Titanic division. But we are giving our young players valuable experience and if it wasn't for injuries last season, we may never have learned what Gomes could do. This year it may be Green, Al, or Perk who should get big minutes because of injuries to key veterans. Or it could be Rondo or Powe (if Doc would ever play them) who emerges because of the injuries. I can deal with the injuries and the resulting losing record in the present if it makes us a much better team in the future.
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Back Court Duo Leads Nuggets Past Celtics
by FLCeltsFan 12:22 AM
December 26, 2006 Celtics lost the first game of their 5 game road trip as they fell to the Denver Nuggets 116-105. The biggest loss wasn't the game, however as Delonte West went down hard in the second quarter as he flew in trying to block a shot. He landed on his back and had to be helped off the court. He was in for just a few seconds to start the third period and then went to the locker room for the rest of the game. Reports were that he was having back spasms. It was back spasms that sidelined him for much of training camp and preseason. He finished with 11 points and 1 rebound.
 In spite of being double teamed as soon as he touched the ball, Big Al finished with 16 points on 8-15 shooting. Most of those points came off of his 15 rebounds with 8 of those coming on the offensive end. Leon Powe once again came in and made the most of his minutes. He played only 7 minutes but as always was there to change some shots under the basket. He scored 5 points with 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in just over 7 minutes. He needs to get more minutes. This kid can play. Gomes had a quite game with 3 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He never does anything flashy, but he plays hard and rarely makes mistakes.
 Green got his second start and finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocked shots in 36 minutes of solid play. Tony once again filled up the stat sheet, finishing with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assits, 3 blocked shots, and 2 steals in just over 16 minutes of play. Scal was impressive, making some big plays and playing some good defense under the basket. He finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.
 Telfair came in for West and finished with 7 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds. He doesn't have the defensive skills to stay with the better point guards. Rondo got 16 minutes and played a solid game. He finished with 6 points, 6 assists and 2 steals and looked to be our best point guard tonight. West was off to a good start when he went down, but was trying to do too much himself. He wasn't passing the ball but was trying to take it to the basket every time. A point guard should look to get his teammates involved and Rondo was the only one who did that consistently tonight. Allen Ray played a solid 12 minutes finishing with 12 points and 1 steal.
Once again our lack of defense was our downfall. We weren't playing a team game and it seemed as though each player was trying to win it by themselves instead of playing team ball. We need to get back to playing tough defense and playing unselfish team ball in order to win.
[Box Score] [Recap] [Play by Play]
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Delonte Gets the Point
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 3:00 PM
December 26, 2006 I kind of thought as much from Delonte's quote in the Globe article this morning but Shira confirms my suspicions in the Globe Blog: Delonte will start at the point tonight. Even though spped wise, Telfair could stay with Iverson, he doesn't defend well enough to cover him. The Nuggets have a 1-2 punch at PG because when Iverson comes out, Boykins will come in. Boykins was the leading scorer in their last game with Iverson close behind. We are going to need defense from our points the entire game. If Doc is smart he will give Rondo more minutes tonight for defensive purposes. Tonight's starting lineup figures to be West, Allen, Green, Gomes and Jefferson.
[More] source:Globe Blog
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Tuesday Odds and Ends
by FLCeltsFan 10:01 AM
December 26, 2006 The Celtics start their western swing tonight with the Denver Nuggets. They will face 5 games in 7 nights and will be a much different team when they come back home afterwards than they are now. For one thing, we may have Perk, Kandi and Wally all return to action some time during the trip, possibly tomorrow against the Clippers. Speaking of the Clippers, Cassell is battling his own bout with plantar fasciitis and may have to miss time with it. Sending my prayers and best wishes to Tommy who is home recovering from back surgery. Hope everyone is recovering from Christmas and will be ready for some basketball. Here is what is going on in the Celtics Nation today:
Mark Murphy in The Herald discusses the start of the road trip against Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets. He also runs down the teams we will face on the rest of the trip.
In the Globe, Shira reports that the team took some time off to prepare for the upcoming trip where rest will in short supply. It sounds from this quote that West is planning on guarding Iverson:
"It doesn't matter what uniform he's in," West said. "That's still Allen Iverson. It means one thing: You're guarding one of the quickest guys, one of the most talented scorers in the league. I've got to get my rest the night before." That would be a good move because Telfair just doesn't defend well enough to handle him. Although Rondo is our best defender at the point and would do a better job than either of them. Perk, Kandi and Wally could be back sometime during the trip and reintegrating them into the mix will take some adjustment. Also reported is that the Celtics will be the only team who plays back to back games using different balls. They'll play with the new composite microfiber ball Sunday against Seattle and the old leather ball Monday against Portland. It will be interesting to see how the shooting and rebounding compares in those two games.
The Daily Herald looks at the players who have jumped directly from high school to the pros and asks the question as to whether something is missing in these players. None of these players including Garnett, McGrady, O'Neal, and Kobe has proved that they can lead a team to a championship. The Celtics have 4 prep to pros players so maybe they can do it by committee.
The Berkshire Eagle has a piece on Mike Crotty and his dream job. He is the director of player development for the Celtics. And with all of the young players on the team, he definitely has his hands full.
I am hoping that Gerald and Al step up tonight and make a leap in their development. The key will be how well we defend and rebound. With Iverson on the Nuggets there should be plenty of rebounds to be had as he loves to shoot. Join us on Celtics Green for the Play by Play and Q's color commentary.
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Merry Christmas
Monday, December 25, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 9:10 AM
December 25, 2006 Merry Christmas to everyone in the Celtics Nation. Celtics have the best fans in the world and I would like to take this time to wish you all a very merry Christmas and that all your wishes come true this Christmas season.
Not much going on in the news today but here are the links for those of you like me who have to have your Celtics fix every day, even Christmas.
Celtics Dancers are full of Holiday Cheer.
The Herald focuses on Tony Allen and his improved play of late. He is working on his focus and says he is never satisfied with his play, always wanting to improve.
The Globe reports on the Celtics gift giving this holiday season. Seems like the PS3 is the gift to give for the players this season.
RealGM has a good piece from Elrod Enchilada that gives a brief assessment of each of our youngsters. He shares my love of players who play hard, play defense, and rebound.
South Coast Today has a piece that tells us that all the Celtics want for Christmas is their two scorers back. I think I would rather have our young guys step up than having Pierce back. I think it is actually a good thing to have Pierce and Wally out to give kids who need it more playing time to develop. Now if Doc would just play the guys who need to develop.
That's it for today. Have a wonderful Christmas day with family and friends!! Unfortunately if you need an NBA fix you have to settle for the Lakers and Heat. I remember when it was the Lakers and Celtics every Christmas day. The time is coming soon when the Celtics will be one of the top teams.
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Sunday Odds and Ends
Sunday, December 24, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 10:17 AM
December 24, 2006 First of all I want to wish everyone in the Celtics Nation a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I would love a few more Celtics victories for Christmas!! The Celtics are off until the day after Christmas and then we face the Denver Nuggets with Iverson. Hopefully the Celtics will get some defense for Christmas. Here is what is going on around the Celtics Nation today:
Mark Murphy's Herald article tells us with no trade on the horizon and Pierce out, the Celtics young players have a chance to prove themselves. This is an interesting quote from Danny:
“I saw strides in our players when we were 5-13, before we had the streak,” Ainge said last week. “Obviously, Al and Tony have really stepped up, but I’m not surprised. The difference is that they’re getting minutes now. Our problem has always been that we have too many guys, not who we have." So then why are we not playing those players to develop them? Why do Pierce and Wally need 40+ minutes a game? Why does Scal need 20 and why would Doc choose to play an obviously ill Scal instead of Powe? If the goal is to develop our kids, why does it take injuries to get them on the floor? Hopefully with all the injuries, we will get to see some of our kids take that next step in their development. Doc has no choice as we are running out of players.
Murphy has a second article that reports that the Celtics have to concentrate on defense before looking for the offense. “Now we have to be doing this much more as a unit. We have to get out there every night - especially on the defensive end - and let things come. We really have to be precise, really execute. “The thing that hurt us in the defensive end (against Philadelphia) was that with Paul out, we all tried to fill that void first,” Gomes said. “But if we’re going to win games, then we have to get stops, and then use that to our advantage. I think we actually have more of a fast break side to things with Gerald (Green) and Tony (Allen) out there. There’s no reason for it, but (against Philadelphia) we all got beat one-on-one. “It’s all about what’s effective, and if you can’t do the job on defense, then you won’t be out there.” Gomes is saying the right things and seems to have gotten the message. Hopefully this will transfer into action on the court on Tuesday night.
The Globe echoes this same article saying that the Celtics are going to have to win with defense as they won't outscore teams without Pierce. We are not outscoring anybody with what we have. We have to play great defense and we have to play with great energy. We can't get outhustled, we can't get out-rebounded. We need energy and hustle and rebounds... sounds like a good time to play Powe and Rondo. I know I sound like a broken record, but these kids do good things when they are on the floor and I can't see a valid reason for not playing them.
Peter May looks at the Celtics' season of change. There may be similarities between this season and last, but there are also a lot of differences and Peter lists them here. My favorite part of this article is about Al's footwork and the plethora of travelling calls he got early. Have you noticed that Al Jefferson's distinctive offensive game is finally getting noticed by the officials? That's because the Celtics made sure that the referees knew that Jefferson's nifty footwork was not traveling -- a violation he had been called for on numerous occasions -- by sending a tape into the league. "Al does that reverse-pivot move and it is not traveling," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "We sent a tape to the league recently so that they could see what we saw. "And it was interesting in the Charlotte game [Dec. 16 ]. One of the referees was watching Al and saying, 'Is that traveling?' And I turned to him and said, "It isn't traveling. We've got it on tape.' " Tommy blew a fuse everytime they called travelling on Al in the post and he continually said it wasn't travelling and the refs had to see that. Good move on the part of the team to take action and send it to the league office. MetroWest Daily reports that Michael Olowokandi is settling in to life in Boston and liken him to a Gentle Giant. I like Kandi and hope he can give us some quality minutes this season. It is great that players give back to the community. I like what Gerald said in this article: But as Gerald Green agreed later, while nursing a plate of hamburgers, ice cream and pecan pie across the room from Brian Scalabrine, who sang Christmas songs and introduced Santa Claus: ``People are always happy when they are getting something. But I am happy that I can give away because I have received so much.''
Bill Reynolds ponders on how far Gomes has come in a short time. Gomes has good instincts and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. He rarely makes mistakes on the court. He is definitely a steal for the 50th pick.
That's it for today. Happy Holidays to you all!!!
Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

Confidence
by FLCeltsFan 10:02 AM
December 24, 2006 It seems that a lot is being said lately about confidence. The Celtics gain confidence as a team when they win. They lose confidence as a team when they lose. Our young players need playing time to gain confidence. Big Al seems to be gaining confidence with every game as he is more aggressive on offense and more consistent on defense. But the confidence didn't come until he started getting consistent minutes. Gerald got the start against Philly and at first, he seemed tentative but as the game wore on, he seemed more comfortable and was more aggressive. In his post game comments he said that he feels confident in his ability and wouldn't shy away from taking the last shot. Tony Allen has recently begun to play more like the pre-injury Tony. He credits his awakening to confidence in his surgically repaired knee. He finally feels confident that it will hold up when he goes hard to the basket and when he dunks. This brings me to the point of this piece. In Summer League and the beginning of the season, Rondo seemed very confident and was making things happen on the court. Then Doc suddenly stopped playing him and made the announcement that West would be the back up PG because Rondo didn't go for his own offense enough. In his recent brief appearances recently, it seems that he plays tentatively. I am worried that Doc is killing Rondo's confidence.
The kid has so many positive talents. He is one of our better defenders. He can take the ball to the basket and beat his defender off the dribble better than just about anyone on the team. He sees the whole floor and when he is running the team, the ball moves and he finds the open man. He is quick, smart and runs the team with poise. And yet, Doc benched him because he doesn't take outside shots and looks to pass first. Haven't we been waiting for a pass first point guard for years? We have enough players on the team who want to shoot that having a pass first point guard would be a benefit, not a drawback. When Rondo does get into the game lately, he plays as if he is looking over his shoulder and he plays tentatively. Are Doc's head games ruining this kid's confidence? I believe that Doc makes it very hard for the young players to gain confidence. When they make a mistake, he pulls them and then sits them the rest of the game. He did that with Perk, he is now doing that with Rondo and Powe. Powe gives 100% every time he comes into the game and good things happen when he is on the floor. He played less than 4 minutes in the game against Philly and was defending in the paint, had 3 rebounds and he drew a foul on a put back attempt where he wrestled the rebound away from Iguodala. Doc complained about no one coming to play defense, but yet he kept the one who did on the bench. If we had a coach who would give the young players a regular role and who didn't bench players for the one thing that they don't do well instead of playing them for all the things they do well, would our kids be farther along in their development? If we trade them to another team, I believe we will see them flourish and break out because they get playing time and gain confidence and with confidence comes aggressive and impressive play. I think a lot of our problems come down to our young players failing to gain confidence in themselves. I hate to see young players being tentative because they are afraid of making a mistake because they will spend the rest of the game on the bench. The injury to Pierce leaves Doc no choice but to play Green big minutes. And I believe he will respond and his confidence will grow. Would it hurt Doc or the team to give Rondo and Powe at least 10 mpg? It certainly won't hurt the team. Rondo and Powe are great young talents and I hope they get a chance to show it before Doc completely destroys their confidence. Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
|
Leave a comment

|
|
 Sports blogs

|