See, now THAT wasn't so hard, was it? Actually...it kinda was. This was one of those classic "Hey, their best players are out so it’ll be a cakewalk, right? So, why am I fighting for my life?" games.
With Nene and John Wall watching the game as well-dressed spectators, the Celtics decided to keep the game interesting, taking it down to the last ticks of the clock before securing a three-point victory over a feistier-than-expected Washington Wizards led by guard Jordan Crawford (21 points) and promising big man Kevin Seraphin (19 points,7 boards).
For the Celtics, it was a Truth-ful old-school performance from Captain Paul Pierce who scored a game-high 27 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. The Celtics also got a strong defensive performance from Kevin Garnett who helped to get key stops to close out the game and added 15 points, 7 rebounds and one credited block. Rajon Rondo was typically great again, racking up the number 12 in both points and assists with only two turnovers. Jeff Green had a productive night, showing flashes of the aggressive athleticism on display during the preseason with 11 points. On the downside, Jason Terry struggled, shooting 2-8 as he continued to look for his comfort zone in the Celtics offense; the Celtics were out-rebounded by 11; and Washington’s bench scoring eclipsed Boston’s 62 - 27. For the most part, though, the Celtics got essentially the shots they wanted, but failed to put the rock in the bucket with consistency.
The Celtics get the next three days off then host the Wizards for the second half of the home and home set before the Philly 76ers come to town on Friday. Then, the Celtics get an early shot at revenge down in Milwaukee against the Bucks on Saturday where they hope to show that they no longer have to Fear The Deer.
Interior Defense is not good
ReplyDeleteYou're right about that. But, I expect that to change as the new members of the team start to learn each other and where they're supposed to be in Doc's defensive scheme. I envision a team that's quick with rotations, almost trapping on opponents, and forcing either the last second heave or 24-second violation. They have that kind of quickness. They just have to jell as a cohesive unit. We'll see...
ReplyDeleteI'd reall like ot know why the drafted Melo instead of Perry Jones Jr
ReplyDeleteYou know, more than a few people have wondered that. Many argue that Sullinger was the safer pick and one that was need-based - an inside banger who could Grab boards, score effectively in the post and, on occasion, step out and hit from 15-20 feet out. But why take a raw player who wasn't exactly a monster in college instead of the second coming of Kevin Durant? Though I have heard rumors that Ainge didn't even want Melo, conventional wisdom says that the C's drafted height and a desperately needed Center- one who could one day be the anchor to an interior defense that will be without KG sooner or later. I've heard some say that the C's hope that they can build Melo into the next Kendrick Perkins, though with more athleticism and shot blocking. Time will tell whether the C's missed on a tremendous opportunity to draft two future stars or whether they already did just that.
ReplyDeleteTo follow up on an earlier post I think that they really have a problem inside. We need someone who can be at the top of the rotation (other than KG) with some size. I was hoping Darko or Collins would be able to come in and do some things for about 10 minutes a game. Right now it looks like they cant. If they cant then we have a problem. KG is great at the center but it would be nice if he could switch over to Pf for a few minutes or if there was someone to discourage driving to the hoop when he was out.
ReplyDeleteI like Sullinger as a starter because he moves well without the ball, rebounds,has good hands, can shoot outside and high bball IQ. I originally thought he was a poor mans Zach Randolph but i take that back. Randolph is much bigger than Sully. Sully looks kind of small out there at times. I would guess his real measurable's are about 6'6 or 6'7 and that he really weighs about 225 to 230. he is more like an Adrian Dantley type than Zach Randolph. Bass is good but he is too much of a jump shooter. He can be effective starting or coming off the bench but at times the Celtics suffers from too many jump shooters on the floor and no inside presence on offense. That with the problem I stated before about no presence on Defense presents a problem. They may have to make a trade or start playing Darko, Collins or even Melo. Kenyon Martin is still a free agent. I like the team on paper but they may have to get another big or at least play the bigs they have
I agree completely about the interior presence. Some of my peeps think I'm certifiably insane, but I actually like our bigs for what we got them for: clog the middle, protect the rim and guard the Andrew Bynums, Roy Hibberts and Dwight Howards of the world. I do believe that Doc will begin playing them both before long. I like Collins on defense and Darko can be good on both if he can get some playing time. Sully looks good, but it's going to take some time for him to come around as a team defender and even then, as you said, he's not the biggest guy out there. We have three legit seven footers on the team, not counting KG, and we're going to use them before it's all said and done.
ReplyDelete