Ich weiß, ich hinke ein wenig hinterher, aber ich wollte euch diesen sagenhaften Spielzug der Boston Celtics dennoch nicht vorenthalten. Möglicherweise war es der ‚Play of the Year‘, darüber lässt sich sicherlich streiten und wenn nicht, dann war er dennoch nicht minder spektakulär. Es freut mich auch zu sehen, dass Tony Allen offenbar wieder fit ist. Corey Brewer, you’ve been posterized!

Sehr sehenswert war auch der linkshändige Bounce Pass von Rajon Rondo (0:43) zu Tony Allen, der dann wiederum Kendrick Perkins unter dem Korb findet. Es lässt sich nicht leugnen, die Celtics spielen seh ansehnlichen Basketball.

]]> http://loscy.com/2009/12/22/the-tony-allen-non-disappointment-outlook-theory-tandot/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:56:53 +0000 Loscy http://loscy.com/2009/12/22/the-tony-allen-non-disappointment-outlook-theory-tandot/

TA Doin' Work?

This is my holiday gift to you. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanuka, or nothing, you are getting a stress-relieving gift about how to handle the next 56 games with Tony Allen at the quasi-helm.

I’ve heard a lot of good anecdotes from various nooks and crannies on the internet in the last few days about Tony Allen’s recent performances. When Tony Allen made his ***triumphant*** return on December 8th against Milwaukee, many of us held out breath… watched TA make a great pass or drive through the lane… then watched TA exercise his patented dribble-off-the-knee move (if you’ve done this, keep it on the DL, otherwise you’ll owe TA crazy royalties)… then make a good pass… then carry the ball… on and on again. The same routine. We are impressed, then flustered, then hopeful, then woefully disappointed.

The next three games against Washington, Chicago, and Memphis gave us the same riveting roller coaster feelings: ups and downs ups and downs ups and downs and downs and downs. It had only been 3 games and the “TA One Man Act” had already grew tiresome.

Then Philadelphia happened. I was fortunate enough to get a ticket with friend @KWAPT (yes, the ingenious creator of voteforperk.blogspot.com) and we were about 7 rows back from the hoop on the Celts’ bench end. Basically, we were in primo position during the first half to see TA work on the offensive end. And yes, he worked. Then the second half came along, and TA continued to work. TA was doing so much work, in fact, that @KWAPT and I started filming on our phones to get some raw footage to pitch to some Boston-based producers: “TA Doin’ Work”.

But seriously.
TA was playing defense. TA was moving without the ball. TA was refraining from proving his galls via long range jumpers. TA was making the extra pass. TA didn’t turn over the ball (at all: he finished with 0 TOs). TA ran the floor. TA was playing defense. TA was playing defense. TA was playing defense.

I kept finding myself looking at KWAPT and saying, “I mean, really? Am I jinxing this?”

On my way home, despite the fact that the Celtics lost the game (and their streak), the TA performance really was a bright spot in the game. I mean, Tony Allen actually played well.

Then I realized, don’t fall into this trap again. Don’t do it.
Then I came to another realization: TA was usually wishy-washy during the game. Again, in any given 5 consecutive possession, TA could have exploded down the middle to throw down a vicious dunk, then foul a guy shooting a long range tre, dribble of his knee (royalties!), not switch off his man when needing to switch, and then breaking his thumb while being 10 feet away from where the play is developing. But this Philly game was different: TA actually had a near flawless game. Again: no turnovers, no remarkably visible defensive lagging, and doing what he was supposed on to on the offensive end.

I allowed myself to be pulled out of the depths of TA hellish disappointment with a ray of hope. Could this be the year? Could Tony Allen being Tony Allen today?

Then Minnesota came rolling in. And TA had another monster game: 24 minutes, 5/8 FG, 5/7 from the stripe, 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers (is this the first time in TA’s career where he played 2 games with substantial minutes and did not turnover the ball in either game… ?).

Everyone’s been asking who has been adorning the #42 jersey in the last two games and curious when the real TA will stand up? But everyone’s been thinking the same thing: when will TA disappoint us again?

Jokes aside, I give to you my gift for the holidays: The “Tony Allen Non-Disappointment Outlook Theory (TANDOT)”. It’s simple to learn, yet complex to master.
The 4 principles of TANDOT state the following:

• Take it one game at a time. For you crazy micro-managers, take it one offensive and defensive possession at a time if you want. There will be turnovers. There will be moments where TA falls asleep on defense or makes a silly foul. But then there will be monster dunks. There will be crisp passes leading to an electrifying finish. There will flashes of brilliant athleticism. But, do take it one game at a time.
• Don’t pin an entire season’s worth of hope on this one role player. If you do, you’ll be disappointed regardless of how well he plays. There is a reason TA is not a starter: he’s got a limited skill set that cannot translate to starter minutes for this Celtics team. But what can he do? Help sustain a lead and not make things worse. TA looks like he is playing with a chip on his shoulder, and I’d like that chip to remain there as long as possible.
• Don’t start thinking TA can fill a role that he cannot. TA is not a point guard, TA is not a versatile wing man that can play bigger forwards upwards of 6-8/6-9. TA might be able to bring up the ball a few times when on the floor, but Quisy (or someone else other than Eddie) has to be the ball handler. What TA is: an explosively quick and fast off-guard that can play good stuck-on perimeter defense, a pure slasher to the hoop, a crafty guy that can create on the move and off the dribble, and he can run the floor with ease. TA doesn’t all of the sudden magically have a high basketball IQ. He just doesn’t. TA won’t be able to make the difficult rotations. He just won’t. He can’t be the full-time ball handler. He just can’t. Don’t jam the TA circular peg into the Celtics’ much needed strong wing / point guard squared hole.
• Take anything he gives you. Just take it for face value. Don’t get over-excited, and just be relieved when our starting five is back on the floor.

If you/we adhere to these principles, it will make watching TA from here on out much more satisfying and a lot less stressful.
As we watch and tweet during games, be sure to use TANDOT when you’re on the verge of frustration! So Tony Allen dribbles off his knees (royalties!)? TANDOT! Tony Allen takes 6 steps without dribbling? TANDOT! Tony scores on our own basket as he gets turned around? TANDOT!

Learn it. Tweet it. Live it.

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Article of the Day: A Slight Drizzle on Last Night’s Parade (via CelticsHub)

Ridiculous play from last night’s game. I just want to emphasize the ferocity that Tony Allen took to the hoop with this dunk. I haven’t seen him move like this in years. Its good to see it.

My reaction was literally…

I’ve seen two things in recent weeks that have really made my heart flutter. Yes. I said it… flutter. My heart is freakin’ fluttering!

Boom! Sheed dropping a D bomb!

I’ve seen Sheed tackle the monster task of playing inside more than out… GASP! And I’ve seen Perk finally closing quarters in meaningful and/or close games. Both of these changes have undoubtedly been a contributing factor the the recent win streak (¡11!), and I hope will continue to make beating our beloved team increasingly difficult.

While the nit-pickers out in the world can argue about how to fill the wing role left open with Quisy’s absence and our severe lack of a reserve point guard to handle and distribute the ball within the second unit, let’s dwell on that at a later point and time, shall we? For now, let’s really focus on the positives: the increase of Sheed inside and Perk closing out the final 6 minutes when it matters.

Since Quisy’s been out recovering from surgery, a robot by the name of Tony Allen -3.0 has stepped into fill the minutes. When Quisy was playing efficiently, it was partly due to the spacing the second unit could give him to slice through the lane: it was too risky to leave Sheed and Eddie wide open on the wings, meaning teams couldn’t collapse on Quisy when he got into the paint. The catch-22 of it all was Sheed was back behind the 3-point line in order to give Quisy the room, but when Quisy kicked out, we were left with Sheed’s rendition of Bombs Over Baghdad. Sheed has been a streaky shooter this season; whether it be due to the murmurs of him being out of shape or him taking the inch Doc gave him to shoot 18 miles away, the simple fact of the matter is that Sheed was launching a lot of threes without much success. With Quisy out, Sheed has fallen back into the post more and more. For the first time this season (I am guessing on this based on previous numbers, so of course there is room for me to be wrong on this), Sheed has had a batch of 5 games where he has taken more shots in the post than from deep range (excluding longer mid range jumpers). Hallelujah. Halle-freakin-lujah. Check out the hotness that is NBA Hot Spots:

Love the HotSpot...

Sheed has taken a total of 18 shots from downtown in the last 5 games, and made 7 of those shots leaving him at 39% (rounding up…). That is a great percentage for him, and a good amount of threes for a big man to keep his defenders both honest and on their toes. On the inside, Sheed has taken a total of 21 shots in the last 5 games, and made 11 buckets resulting in a fantastic 52% FG. This, my dear friends, is what you call efficiency! Sheed has been in a wonderful groove in the last 7 games (all of the games in December). Sheed is having his best and most efficient month out of the previous three: he averaging the least amount of minutes (19) out of the 3 months but having stronger and better numbers across the board… Sheed has his highest ppg out of all 3 months (11.0), his highest FG% (42%), highest FT % (90%), most blocks per game (1.6), least amount of fouls (2.1), and least amount of turnovers per game (.1).

Sheed! Inside!

This is what we all signed on for: a 20 minute big man that can play smart interior defense and provide help on the offensive post from the bench. Yes he could be a starter, but those are not where our needs are. We know he loves to pull the massive trigger on that long ball, but that needs to be fired on selective plays instead of it being a go-to default move. I really like the way Sheed is playing on both ends of the floor and he is proving to be our best bench player during our 11-game win streak. If we keep this algorithm simple, then it basically comes down to this:

1/3(Sheed’s long ball) x 3/1(Sheed’s inside play) = W

W = wins.

And Perk. Perk Perk Perk Perk Perk. There is a grass roots movement to vote for Perk onto the All Star team. Okay. We all know that we are not going to garner the kind of numbers it will take to get Perk the sheer volume of votes to get in the game… So we will have to just rely on the coaches to get Perk in. But that doesn’t mean we give up: visit @kwapt site (http://voteforperk.blogspot.com) and vote anyways.

This really shouldn’t have been an argument at all this season. Perk has worked to earn the closing spot with fellow starters Rondo, Ray Ray, Pierce, and KG. This is our opening squad, and this is our closing squad. At the very least, anyone could have made the argument that Perk is a co-anchor of our defense: Perk holds down the paint so that KG can make those quicker switches. But the surprise to many of us this season is that Perk has all of the sudden turned into an offensive threat with the addition of so many of his post moves and ability to front defenders with the ball. Now, Perk is not only our defensive stalwart, but turning into a light (dieted version of an) offensive weapon as well. It only makes sense for Perk to be on the floor when it matters. We hired Sheed to be a bench guy that could fill in the front court in case of an injury; we did not bring Sheed on to close out our games. This is Perk’s job… to perform with Rondo, Ray Ray, Pierce, and KG.

Perk! Perk! Perk!

Credit goes to Doc on both of these fantastic changes. Doc saw the symptoms, diagnosed the problem, and found the ideal remedy.

Let’s keep the gravy train rolling through Christmas.
Orlando: we’re coming for you.

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Articles of the day: Rondo’s Latest Trick – Consistency (via CelticsBlog), Rajon – “I’m Sleeping Better” (via Red’s Army), It Took 24 games, But… (via CelticsHub)

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My favorite KG pic so far this season:

KG: a portrait of intensity.

If you’re reading this blog, you might be one of the following:

• A) a die hard Celtics fan
• B) a casual basketball fan that likes to laugh at what a homer might say
• C) my mother
• D) a realist basketball lover that likes to read mind-boggling, cut-throat analysis of a game we all love
• E) a very nice friend

CSL!

If you are either A, B, or D, then you probably know about one of the best basketball podcasts out on the net: Celtics Stuff Live. Jon (@csl_duke), Justin (@csl_justin), and Kevin (@henkink) do a fabulous job of bringing together wonderful Celtics analysis that has plenty of humor organically woven into the show. You can catch their podcast every Sunday night when Jon, Justin, and Kevin have a special guest (such as Mike Gorman, Jess Camerato, Austin Ainge…), chat with live callers on air, and address email/twitter questions from fans. Additionally, once a week you can catch their weekly podcap after a Celtics game. Be sure to check their schedule each week at http://www.celticsstufflive.net.

I trust Jon and and Justin and Kevin’s take on the Celtics more than most. They have a wonderful eye for the game, and an even better appreciation of what it means to be a Celtic fan.

Jon was nice enough to answer some questions from Loscy.
Enjoy.

2008 Boston Celtics: World Champs.

1. What’s the biggest difference between the way the 2008 team was built and the way the current 2010 team is built?
The biggest difference between construction of the 2008 and 2010 teams is arrival of Rasheed Wallace. Let’s not forget that until PJ Brown rolled into town in late February, the C’s relied on Leon Powe and rooke Glen Davis for their front court depth. It’s even more remarkable looking back that the team did as well as it did relying on young players in important reserve roles.

2. How many more good years does Pierce have in him?
Though it depends on what a “good year”  is, I’d say Pierce is good for another 3 years at an All Star level and 5 as a starter. The problem Paul faces is that the most athletic and diverse players on a court are the guys he has to guard. This may shrink his window of influence.

3. What’s the ceiling for Rondo?
Rajon Rondo does not have a ceiling. He has innate abilities and intuition about the game of basketball that will be with him until he’s 40. He has athleticism that can match anyone in the league. The only thing holding him back is not his unreasonably criticized jumpshot, but his inability to be a consistent force on the court. If Rondo can learn to be more consistent with his effort and aggression level, he can be the best point guard in the league.

Heeeeeeeeeeere's ¡Rondo!

4. Did you ever play basketball growing up? If so, what was your go-to move?
I “played” basketball, but I won’t snow you and tell you I was good. I was not. I was slow, unathletic, and until I turned 16, short. I loved the game as much as anyone, but that only goes so far and entering high school as one of the shortest kids in your class isn’t a great way to become a varsity player. Of course now I’m 6-2 and I bloomed a bit late, but the athleticism never really came around. As for a go-to move? It became a lot more effective for me when I grew, but I watched a lot of McHale growing up and his up and under was a frequent friend out of my bag of tricks.
5. What awards/accolades could you see any member of the Celtics winning this year (realistically or what you hope)?
Though it is a big man award, I think the only individual honor I see a Celtics player winning is the Defensive Player of the Year and Rajon Rondo being the recipient of that. Rondo racks up a ton of steals and he is becoming highly regarded as an on the ball defender. Of course he has a ways to go in not gambling for steals, but DPOY is, not unlike baseball’s Gold Glove, an award that doesn’t always go to the person most deserving.

6. Will the Celtics will another serious rebuilding era of 3-5 years after the window for this team closes, or can you see the Celts staying contenders (ECF Semi contenders) annually?
What the Celtics look like after The Big Three era ends will be answered in the next 18 months. Rondo is locked in and if he can become a more consistent threat then they should be competitive. The question is how the team makes over the wing positions. I would suspect Pierce is here for life, so a lot of this depends on whether Ray Allen re-signs this summer and how much he costs. Even if Pierce, Allen, and KG are not replaced with All Star players, you have to feel confident in Danny Ainge that he can get the guys he needs to fill in around Rondo (and possibly Perk if he re-signs after next year).
7. Do we need a real back-up point guard?
We need Marquise Daniels to get healthy and give him the keys to handle the ball full time. I don’t think anyone on the second unit knows who the “point guard” is and thus the group seems disorganized. I think a wing defender is a bigger priority right now because I think Eddie and Quisy will figure it out.
8. Could Tony Allen and Scal combined rent us a decent PG with an expiring contract?
Even in this era of a Swine Flu Pandemic, I would accept a bag of used kleenex for Tony Allen. As for Scal, until Glen Davis returns I wouldn’t want to pull the trigger on anything, but I’m not sure how much the Celtics get for these guys unless it is to assure the C’s of a chance to acquire a guy who might get bought out or take someone off of another team’s books. I think with the Summer of 2010 looming, it will be a weird trade market this February.
9. Do you see Perk getting re-signed for a long term deal once his contract is up?
I’d like to think Perk re-signs here and I see no reason why the Celtics wouldn’t want that. They will have plenty of cap space after next season, so they can back the Brinks truck up for him. I think the only issue for a Perk re-signing is how much will need to be devoted to adding a wing player will cost. Might it cost sending Perk in trade? Maybe, and writing that might make my CSL partner Justin Poulin’s head explode.
10. What are your thoughts on how the time share of minutes will work between Glen Davis (refusing to call him Baby) and Shelden?
Shelden started very strongly and I think saying that he’s been bad or knocked out of the rotation is unfair. However he does seem lost at times and still needs time to acclimate to his teammates. Still, Baby missed a lot of time and will be very rusty coming back. I would suspect that it will be a true competition for Shelden and Glen with perhaps each sharing the minutes Shelden has been occupying with one getting the minutes in the first half, and the other getting the second half minutes. May the best man win… so long as no one is getting punched in a moving vehicle.

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Be sure to check out Celtics Stuff Live for more information.
Thank you to Jon for your time and answers.

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Articles of the day: Perkins v. Bogut Had an Old-School Feel To It (via CelticsBlog); He [KG] Doesn’t Know What He’s Saying Half The Time (via Red’s Army); Daniels Out 8 Weeks: What Does This Mean For the C’s Bench (via CelticsHub)

-all photos property of freelantz-
For additional photo inquiries please contact jessica@freelantzsports.com The following is a sampling of photographs taken as the Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Boston Celtics on Friday, December4, 2009. The game was dominated by the green, as the Thunder fell 105-87.

The Celtics had a ‘magnificent seven’ reach double-digit scoring, led by Kevin Garnett’s 22 and 21 from Paul Pierce. They shot 56.5 percent from the field and held the Thunder to 47.1 percent shooting, including a dismal 17.6 percent from 3-point range. Oklahoma City was led by Kevin Durant, who had a game-high 36 points.

By Justin Cherot

I’ve tried this a couple of times on the old BETA Live From the Nosebleeds site, but essentially the gimmick with “The Notebook” is this: a smattering of thoughts that pop into my size seven head (by New Era standards), none of which are either big enough for an entire post or that I feel like writing about for an entire post.  This “Notebook” probably fulfills the latter criterion. 

And, to borrow an old joke from LFTN, no ladies… this has absolutely nothing to do with Ryan Gosling.  But just for the hell of it…

Nice.  Anyway, as the title of this post suggests, here’s basically what I’ve been watching this week:

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I don’t get to watch a ton of football due to my work schedule (for the record, I am the king of the auto refresh at my job) , but I did catch a whopping two games this week, from which I came to four very different conclusions about the four teams involved.  I watched Billy Cundiff kick the Baltimore Ravens past the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, and I watched a good portion of the New Orleans Saints drubbing of the New England Patriots on Monday night.  The four conclusions I came to, you ask?

Ever wonder if Drew Brees has had a bionic arm since 2006?

Saints- I forget whether it was the WWE or WCW, but either way Lex Luger used to straight up knock dudes out with his forearm.  Turned out the reason why–at least the storyline why–was because he had some kind of metal in his forearm.  The point I’m trying to make is that we should really check Drew Brees‘ throwing shoulder, because while he was good pre-injury, he was never this illegal.  He leads the most complete offensive football team I’ve ever seen.  Ever.  I’m not talking about from a “Let’s throw it up and score a zillion points” standpoint, which is nice and all, but far from complete.  Yeah, Breezy can win a game throwing 60 times to the likes of Marques Colston  and Devri Henderson, but he can just as easily take mismatches with Jeremy Shockey all day… or, he can give it to Mike Bell for punishing runs up the gut… OR maybe Pierre Thomas can bounce it outside.  The whole scheme just keeps you honest.  It helps that the defense is vastly improved over last year, but is that “D” good enough to get them a chip?  Questionable at this point.  If everything holds to form, that Saints/Vikings match-up could be redonkulous. 

Ravens- These guys may be the best 6-5 team in NFL history.  Would I need be evaluated psychologically if I told you they should be 10-1?  Think about it: all five of those losses have come in the all-in, A-K vs. 9-9 fashion.  Actually, with the way they’ve lost the games, you’d argue that they were the ones holdings nines (if I’ve lost anyone, nines hold about a 51% advantage prior to the flop…and if you’re still lost, just go back to my original point that the Ravens should have won the majority of those games).  True, the defense isn’t exactly impregnable this season (the secondary denies the rumors about being preggers with Chad Ochocinco’s baby), and the offense has been inconsistent throughout the year, but at some point you’ve got to think the Ravens will start winning these coin flips.  Maybe Sunday was the start of something new.

Steelers- Forget the game.  In fact, if anything I commend Dennis Dixon for his composure against a tough Ravens’ defense for 90% of the night.  Everything with them is all mental.  Literally.  First and foremost, Hines Ward throwing Ben Roethlisberger under the bus before the game???  It was like trying to process Rick James’ interview with Charlie Murphy.  I couldn’t believe what he was saying!  Playing with a bad ankle is one thing: when you go to play with your grandkids later on in life, yeah, you may have trouble catching Jimmy, but at least you won’t be calling Jimmy “Julio” instead.  You don’t agree with B. Roth not playing?  Fine… but that’s probably one of those situations where you’d want to keep your mouth shut (we’ll get to restraint much later on in this Notebook).  The bigger picture here?  Winning a Super Bowl twice in a row is tough, and it won’t happen again this year.  Too many variables.  The competition is tough enough, but when you mix in chemistry and overall chemistry?  Too much.

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Who is Trevon Hughes going to catch next with the ill handle? ESPN.com

As of December 4th, 2009 at 1:34 Eastern time, Trevon Hughes, a senior guard for the Wisconsin Badgers, is not projected to be picked in the NBA Draft according to NBADraft.net.  I don’t know.  Maybe I’m missing something, or maybe he’s a victim of an overreaction to a small sampling, but Hughes is far and away the best point guard I’ve seen so far this season.  Maybe it’s because he has a little combo in him, but he can get his shot off against anybody while still maintaining his composure in that calculated attack that the Badgers employ.  Oh yeah… and he plays big against big competition: just ask Greivis Vasquez and Jon Scheyer, who he’s destroyed within the past couples of games.  The Spartans get all the attention in the Big Ten, but if Hughes’ play thus far is any indcation, Sparty is in for a fight.

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Brandon Jennings owns Milwaukee. BrandonJennings.net.

Got my first look at Brandon Jennings last night when the Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks on a really sketchy bail-out call with one second left (on a positive note, though, Earl Boykins is the winner of the “weirdest, most random signing in the world that could possibly save a team’s season” award). 

Like most young players, yes, his shot selection is atrocious, but unlike most young players, he’s not afraid to take the big shot.  That’s amazing in itself, but what may be even more amazing than that is the fact that his teammates are force-feeding him the big shot… and they’re shocked when he misses.  That’s the sign of a leader to me. 

That being said, his shooting is finally coming back down to earth… although it’s hilarious that a guy whom paid experts said was an eratic shooter is shooting close to 48%  from three.  Still…  PROP BET ALERT!!!  PROP BET ALERT!!!  I’m taking the under on 40% from three by Dec. 25th.  Action???      

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Finally, without linking because I’m not giving either one of these stories anymore pub, we received two very different test cases on how to confront off the field issues within the past week.

We all know about Tiger Woods and the car “accident”.  Depending on when you’re reading this, by now it may have come out that an alien abducted Woods for 31 months and they just released him, leaving him with this bizarre PR mess (Vegas odds: 3-1… I’m just saying).  Still, despite the hoards of media digging and scraping for every obscure fact, Woods has actually handled himself in the correct, ”this is an in-house issue let’s keep it that way” approach. 

The other case, Mr. Ron Artest, is like the polar opposite of Woods.  I watched Finding Forrester before class today (sleeper pick for my favorite movie ever), and Sean Connery has a line that Artest would benefit from hearing: “You can learn a little something about restraint.”

I get it: he’s wired differently.  So?  Many would say I’m wired differently.  Yes, I write some of the most asinine prose on the face of the blogosphere, but even I know when to tone it down a tad (right, Colin?  Colin???).  And, I think I’ve got a surefire way to fix Artest’s problem: according to my “research” (AKA Googling with no significant results), Ron-Ron is not currently involved in a steady relationship.  Solution: he needs to find a woman.  A serious woman who he plans to either marry or stay monogamous with.  Most importantly, a sane woman who can buffer him. 

See, ever since getting screamed on by Shanta for one of my posts back in August (I will not share which one for I am smarter now), I have put everything I type on the web–whether it’s here, Facebook or Twitter–through the Shanta Test.  I don’t neccesarily run everything I type through her, but I just say to myself “Is this in any way going to embarass Shanta or anybody in her family?”  If the answer is yes, edit.  If the answer is no, fire away.  Simple is that, Ron.

With that said, I hope Eddie House breaks his face and has to have re-constructive facial surgery.  Stop looking at Eddie!

The Captain gets the game ball: solid D, great offensive punch, final play call.

Let’s face the facts: the Celtics are playing mediocre ball and have been for the last week and a half. Despite their 10-4 record, it’s mediocre ball at best. This most recent game against New York raised more questions than answers.

I’m a teacher. I teach world history and economics. I ask a lot of questions. My students ask a lot of questions. We all ask a lot of questions. It can more often than not show a deeper understanding of a topic. Other times, it’s just the perfect thing to do when we are absolutely bewildered by a topic.

I’m bewildered.
I’m going to stop diagnosing.

Hey ¡RONDO! why aren't we seeing more of this?

Here are 34 questions for the Celtics because I just don’t know what else to say. Why 34 questions? Because #34 is Paul Pierce. Paul Pierce is the Truth. So by the power of transitive property, 34 = The Truth. I am hoping these 34 questions lead to some level of enlightenment and higher understanding.

1. Why is overall energy level so inconsistent and why aren’t we
2. Why is our offense settling for so many low percentage jumpers with the shot clock expiring?
3. Why are we not attacking the hoop more?
4. Why is Rondo playing like a $3 million PG on some nights and an $11 million PG on other nights?
5. Why is our help defense scheme look so slow?
6. Why is Ray Allen getting so many more minutes than he needs?
7. Why isn’t Quisy getting more playing time?
8. Why is Sheed shooting 3s like I shoot 3s?
9. What’s going to happen in a few weeks when Glen Davis returns (remember: no more Big Baby)?
10. When will KG finally be in game shape?
11. Actually: will KG ever be back to being in good game shape (even if he can’t jump)?
12. When will everyone realize how unbelievably good Pierce is playing right now?
13. Will Danny many any trades before the new year?
14. If Danny were to make trades, what do we really need right now?
15. Is our PG by committee / PG by convenience working?
16. Will the Real Eddie House please stand up? Please stand up?
17. Has Doc ripped into his team yet about what the heck is wrong with them?
18. Is this the kind of play we can expect for the rest of the season?
19. Is it a good sign that Rondo can’t hit his FTs because it means he is finally changing his shooting style   for the firs time in his career?
20. Will Doc force Sheed down on the block more?
21. Why isn’t Perk closing out quarters more often?
22. Aren’t we a defense-minded team?
23. So why aren’t we a) playing defense better and b) letting one of our team’s best defenders (Perk) get more minutes on the floor?
24. Why haven’t we seen more dynamic lineups on the floor (like Rondo, Pierce, KG, Perk, Sheed; or Ray, Pierce, Quisy, KG, Sheed; or Rondo, Piece, Quisy, Perk, Sheed)?
25. Will TA’s first game in the 2010 season be in Celtic green?
26. Will Scal continue to be 100% efficient on the floor for as little minutes as he is getting?
27. Should we trade Scal (with TA) and if so should we get him more minutes?
28. Is JR Giddens the epitome of practice hero and game zero?
29. Will Shelden William’s interior game improve with more touches?
30. Why can’t our team get offensive rebounds (is it not built into our defensive scheme?)?
31. Why have we started so slow offensively in almost every game this season (what happened to those 30+ points from 2008-2009?)?
32. Why are we giving up so many points in the first half?
33. Why are we turning into a team that either wins/loses a game in the 3rd quarter?
34. Is the whole “sleep experts” advice of bypassing pre-game shoot arounds in favor of naps really working?

I want to see an absolute spanking tomorrow night against the 76ers on Wednesday night. I want Philly to waddle off the court.

Cool, then we done.

Next question?
Cool, then we done.

Articles of the day from my 3 favorite Celtics sites: It’s not time to trade Ray Allen (yet) at CelticsBlog, Myth or Fact: The Celtics are shooting too many 3s at RedsArmy, Do you believe Doc at CelticsHub.

The ever-efficient Pierce 2.0 is on a hot streak scoring inside and out. Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant NBAE via Getty Images.

Only in Boston.
Only in Boston can you find fans that aren’t 100% happy when their basketball team is 6-0.
Only in Boston can you find fans calling into local sports radio and complaining about what needs to be fixed after only 1 week of basketball.

Only in Boston.

We will start with something noteworthy: the Wall Street Journal and Dave Berri is ranking the Celtics starting 5 among the top 5 starting 5 of all time.Despite our winning ways, sure enough, I can poke and prod at some of the things that the Celtics still need to address. Much like last year’s 19-game win-streak that was ended by the Lakers on Christmas Day, we weren’t playing our best ball despite the impressive record. Doc said over and over again that there were things the team needed to do better even though they were winning.

¡ RONDO !

This is what separates the good teams from the great teams: even when winning, or at times dominating, winners find ways to keep improving. The 2008-2009 Celtics had some serious issues with depth and length off the bench. These issues became even more evident when KG and Powe went down… making it nearly impossible for the Celtics to get past the front-court heavy Magic.

We saw these issues fixed during the off-season: re-signing Glen Davis (I’m going to see if I can stop calling him Big Bay for a little bit, too, Wyc), picking up Quisy, Shelden Williams, and most importantly adding Rasheed Wallace to our bench.

So why is this 6-0 2009-2010 Celtics team still not perfect?

Starting out slow.

Game 1 v. Cavs – down 21-7 early on.
Game 2 v. Bobcats – only had 12 points through the first 8 minutes.
Game 3 v. Bulls – only had 16 points through the first 10 minutes.
Game 5 v. 76ers – only had 10 points through the first 10 minutes.
Game 6 v. T Wolves – really? do we even have to talk about this one?

We’ve been anything but quick out of the gates. Part of the issue is that it is only the first week, but shots just aren’t falling early. I heard the other day that the team decided to forgo some of their pre-game shoot-arounds in favor of giving the guys additional time to sleep. They met with sleep experts and are trying to buy into rest instead shots. Am I reaching on this one? Maybe. I am hoping it is just early and we see the team come out firing… but there have always been some inconsistencies, offensively, with this starting line-up of Rondo-Ray-Pierce-KG-Perk: sometimes they will light you up for a 38 point quarter and other times have 18 on the board. I’m hoping to find some consistency in rhythm on offense… sooner than later.

Forcing passes.

Part of our sluggish start also comes with some forced passing. Sometimes we aren’t passing (remember that play against Minny when Ray dribbled down, dribbled around, and then threw up a terrible shot after holding onto the ball for 20 seconds?) and sometimes we are passing too much (how many good looks do we want to pass up?). I’m not sure which situation is worse, but both are pretty undesirable. Rondo isn’t the only perpetrator here, so bring those fingers slowly down. We are throwing the ball into places that shouldn’t be thrown and thus resulting in turnovers.

Turnovers.

Oh yeah. Turnovers. The little statistic that is already starting to rear its ugly head only 1 week in. After 6 games, the Celts have already turned the ball over 83 times (averaging 13.8 TO/game). If the Celtics are giving up the ball almost 14 times per game, opponents are getting an easy 14 points a game if they can convert just 50% of the recovered turnovers into buckets.

Mixing in starters and role players.

I’ve been screaming for this during live game chats over at Red’s Army and Gino’s Jungle and over Twitter and to my wife during games: mix in the bench players and starters! We know the starting 5 have so much ubuntu in them they’re practically crapping it out during the game. The second unit is gelling quite nicely with Eddie, Quisy, Ray/Pierce, Shelden, and Sheed in. Scal is starting to acquire some minutes as he makes his return, and the players are playing pretty well together. But I would love to see some serious mixing up of line-ups during the close of the second and third quarters. I want to see Rondo-Ray-KG-Sheed-Perk or Quisy-Pierce-KG-Perk-Shelden or Eddie-Ray-Pierce-Sheed-KG (shooter’s line-up!) in. Why not mess around to make the chemistry that much more explosive or to make their anticipation that much tighter?

KG looking more mobil with each passing game. Photo by David Sherman NBAE via Getty Images.

Going into the game tonight against the Suns, I’d love to see Doc read my blog and really pay attention to the advice that I’m giving to him free of charge. It seems like a simple game-plan: stop Nash and Amare and let everyone else hurt you. It’s as simple as that. The run-n-gun offense only works when their point guard can penetrate and their big man can finish. It just so happens Rondo and KG are two of the best defenders in the league. How convenient.

Be Green.

¡ Rondo !

It’s been all tricks AND treats for the Celtics for the first three games.

TREAT
Rondo’s command. Rondo has been in control of all three games against Cleveland, Charlotte, and now Chicago. I’ve stressed over and over again that one the most important aspects to becoming a top 3 point guard in the league rests in his ability to learn how to control the pace of games– when should Rondo push the ball to hit or create an easy bucket in transition and when does he need to slow it down and set up the offense. So far in the first three games, Rondo’s had full command over the pace.
As the guys over at CelticsHub.com pointed out this morning, Rondo has 37 assists to just 5 turnovers. While it’s still early, Rondo is averaging just a touch over 7 assists per turnover. 2 years ago, Rondo started the season with almost as many turnovers as assists and now, he’s an assist/turnover ratio machine.
We’ve known over the last few seasons that this kid can rebound, but I see him more aggressive and feisty than ever before on the offensive glass. There have been multiple possessions where he’s had more than two consecutive offensive boards. Thank goodness for his anticipation, hops, quickness, and freakishly large hands.
By the way, if you’re keeping track of whether Rondo is a top 3 point guard… he’s taken down Mo Williams, Raymond Felton, and Derrick Rose. We’ll keep track at Loscy of these match-ups throughout the season (see sidebar to the right).

TRICK
KG being KG. Does he have that ALL THAT explosiveness and burst of speed back that we are accustomed to? No, not yet. As I wrote about the other day, it doesn’t matter. KG will find his way back into basketball shape and be able to run up and down the court better and be quicker on lateral slides/transitions. But for now, he’s doing everything we need him to do. We need him to jump out of the gym. Many nay-sayers believed KG would be done because of the mysterious knee injury (including a certain Sports Guy) when he told the media countless times that his knee is fine. KG has told all of you to shut up about his knee, and I highly advise you do so unless you want him to bite out your kidneys.

TREAT

Pierce 2.0, refresssssshed.

Dear Cleveland, Charlotte, and Chicago:
Thank you for obliging to my demands that you frequently leave Pierce wide open on the wings. Thank you for letting him launch threes without a single defender in his face. Pierce has been an impressive 10-17 (59%) from behind the arc and a terrific 18-34 (53%) from the floor. He’s also tacked on 14-15 from the stripe (94%). The slimmed down version of Pierce (“Pierce 2.0”) is a lean-mean shot dropping machine. Thank you Coach Brown, Brown, and Del Negro for not forcing any of your players to guard Pierce and allowing him to showcase why he’s one of the most prolific scorers in Celtic history.

TREAT
Last night against the Bulls, EVERY SINGLE Celtic player that logged time in the game finished with a positive +/- rating. Let me say that again: anytime any of the Celtic players were on the floor last night, the Celtics were consistently outscoring the Bulls (and able to make stops) Hey junkies: when’s the last game where every player on a team had a positive +/- rating?

What a positive sign (sorry, had to do it).

TRICK

Ray Ray doing what he does.

Yes Ray is 34 years old. Yes all of the “experts” are talking about how we will likely see a slow down in production because of age. I know it’s only game 3, but Ray looks as efficient as ever. AS EVER. Has anyone moved off the ball as well, quickly, cleverly, and efficiently as Ray Allen? Maybe Reggie Miller. That’s the only person I’ll let you put in his company. Props to Ray, as well, for passing my all-time favorite player in NBA history (John Stockton) on the all-time scoring list.

TRICK & TREAT
Rondo’s ally-oop to KG in transition last night. BOOMING. This was both a trick (KG’s knee is fine) and treat (glad to see one of my favorite plays from last year resurrected).

TREAT
The team’s defense is getting tighter and tighter. The Celtic core players were bragging about Quisy and Sheed’s high basketball IQ in the off-season, and now we have some pretty reliable living proof. Quisy and Sheed know the defensive schemes pretty well so far. I’ve been really impressed with Shelden Williams and Eddie House’s D, too. The landlord is slowly carving out a niche for himself on this team and crashing the boards with controlled recklessness. I love it, Shelden.

(other) TREATS
George Hill (Spurs) is nasty. I want to see him in green.
Gilbert Arenas has returned to form.
Shawn Marion might have found a home in Dallas.

Rondo’s 16 assists via Red’s Army:

Welcome back, NBA. I’ve missed you.

In the words of the prolific and substantive Busta Rhymes:

“What y’all wanna do? Don’t we always comin through, me and my crew
Lemme hear ya say “FIRE IT UP”! (FIRE IT UP!) Say “FIRE IT UP”! (FIRE IT UP!)”

The last two nights, our crew in green has certainly come through.
And even more than that? I’ll speak on behalf of the entire Celtics’ fan-base on this one: we are all freakin’ fired up.

After just two games, I can tell you that I have a great feeling about this team.
After just two games, I can tell you that this team is going to be successful.
After just two games, I can tell you that we can separate ourselves from the rest of the pack.
After just two games, I can tell you that we have so many good things to look forward to.
After just two games, I can tell you a lot.

Rajon.

Yeah that's Mo Doucheiams watching in the background.

If you are familiar with these parts, you know that I cannot say enough good things about Rondo. He’s been aggressive out of the gates: Rondo has been attacking, attacking, and attacking. We know he’s put on some muscle, but his speed, quickness, and agility seem to be at yet another unimaginable level. His killer crossover just turned into a mightily killer crossover on amphetamines. It almost seems like Rondo is trying to learn his way around this new gear. While he’s had some turnovers, we’ll see them fade away as he gets more games under his legs. His court vision? Sharp as a razor. He’s had some great looks, especially to Pierce on the wing and KG on the move toward the hoop. I like what I see: the more aggressive Rondo is, the more efficient and effective our offense runs.

Pierce.
Pierce has visibly slimmed down. He’s lost some bulk in his upper body and he is moving better than I’ve seen him move on the court in the last few years. I saw this first hand in the pre-season game against the Knicks when Pierce had that reverse dunk on a breakaway. His first step looks quick. Against the Cavs on Tuesday, Pierce twice (read: twice!), jab-stepped and faked out Lebron to take the ball to the hoop. On both occasions, the crappy Cleveland defense collapsed on him to send him to the line. Pierce is running the floor so well but he’s still big enough that he doesn’t lose the size advantage he’s always had on smaller forwards. Just when you thought match-up problems against Pierce couldn’t get worse for other teams…

Pierce 2.0

KG.

If you're curious, he banked that shot right over Shaq. Dance big man, dance.

Welcome back, Binky. While you’ve noticeably lost so much explosiveness, it’ll either come back as you get back into shape or it won’t. If this is all of the power you will have in your legs, that will be fine. You’ve marked your return to quarterbacking our defense and helping to spread the floor with your shots from the elbows and baseline. Honestly. Welcome back.

Perk.
Perk’s starting to pull the trigger on that 10 foot jumper on the baseline and I’m liking it. Every single year, Perk has added another dimension to his game. This year, a 10 foot jumper? Yeah I’m on board for that. And the stalwart defense? Yup. Still there.

Quisy.

QUISY!

The best pick up of the off-season? Likely. He’s tied for that nomination with a teammate. Quisy looks like he’s been in this system for the last few seasons. For a guy that is helping to run the offense and asked to D up on Lebron, he’s been pretty impressive. I love how Quisy fits into the offense. I love that he pulled the trigger on the baseline for three after Cleveland kept egging him on. I love that he can put the ball on the floor and create his own shot in the paint. Most of all… I love that he can handle the ball and no one can take it away from him. Quisy has the kind of ball handling/control that looks like it is easy to take away, but it’s far from that.

Sheed.
The other guy that is tied up for the nomination for best pick up of the off-season. Sheed’s defensive abilities usually get lost amidst his on the court antics, but plenty of us have noticed what he’s doing. He’s made all of the right rotations off screens. He can guard the opposing big man on his own. Sheed has made the timely fouls when necessary. On offense, he spaces the floor as well as any other big man. Love it.

Eddie House.
I’ve noticed a significant change in the way House is playing. He’s actually commanding on the court like a point guard. He’s much more vocal and seems to be assuming a good leadership role for that second unit. After all, Eddie is the vet of that second unit. I think it is helping to make him more effective but also helping that second unit to gel. I really like this, but am looking forward to seeing him drop threes like bombs sooner than later. He had a slow start last year on his way to a record setting percentage from behind the arc, so I’m going to be patient.

Have you seen the new Celtics promotion for tickets? Check it out:

One of their tag-lines this year is that the Celtics have RELOADED. We have reloaded, and it’s not just the added ammunition of Quisy and Sheed. KG is new. Pierce is new. Ray is new. Rondo is new. Perk is new. This entire team has a new look, feel, taste, and swagger.

Last of all, the team as a whole looks like they are having one heck of a time playing basketball. The team looks like they want to play together so they can chalk up a W together. They look like they’re having fun: every single one of them. For the older vets like Pierce/Ray/KG/Sheed, the smile is genuine because they know Father Time is knocking on their door.

And for the record: I’m having just as much fun watching as they are playing.

2 down. 80 to go.

2-0.

A thing of beauty.

Ok. Let us hack away at probable minutes for the starters and reserves to see if we can make some sense out of this. We’ll also assume that this is how the first couple of months SHOULD shape up if all goes according to plan (read: no one gets hurt). The importance of Doc playing regulator with the minutes is beyond explanation: we have aging legs that need to be kept in check during the regular season in order to ensure rest for the long haul of the playoffs.

Every minute that a bench player is on the floor is an additional minute of rest for our veteran starters. Not only do we give the reserves a chance to develop more and build fluid cohesion in their play, but we prevent the fatal compression of minutes by our starters in the middle of games. Additional minutes saved now will reward us with allowable minutes for the postseason.

This could get confusing, but I’m pretty sure this is the best way of looking at where minutes can go:

• 48 shared minutes at point guard
• 48 shared minutes at off guard
• 48 shared minutes at small forward
• 96 shared minutes at the 4/5 spots (easier to combine these positions)

At the point guard position:

• Rondo gets 40 of the 48 minutes (Rondo is ready for this kind of mileage)
• TA/Scal gets 8 of the 48 minutes (TA/Scal won’t play PG, but they’ll get the 8 leftover minutes and be on the floor)

At the shooting guard position:

• Ray gets 34 of the 48 minutes (Would Ray’s minutes increase IF he is healthy and the front office has no intentions of re-signing him?)
• Eddie gets 14 of the 48 minutes (Eddie could see more minutes if he takes some of the PG reserve minutes)

The new additions.

At the small forward position:

• Pierce gets 32 of the 48 minutes (would love to even see him at 30 minutes per game and thus giving Quisy an additional 2 minutes)
• Quisy gets 16 of the 48 minutes (even though Quisy will be playing the 3 spot, we know he’ll be handling the ball)

At the 4/5 positions:

• Perk gets 32 of the 96 minutes (this could be more than he’ll really get; I could see his PT being in the 30 minute range, which would afford a couple of extra minutes for Sheed and Baby)
• KG gets 26 of the 96 minutes (26 seems reasonable: just more than half the game; but if games are out of reach or a blowout, and it’s clear what the outcome will be, I’d love to see his time reduced earlier on)
• Sheed gets 19 of the 96 minutes (would love to see him get more minutes, but where do the minutes come from?)
• Baby gets 19 of the 96 minutes (would love to see him also get more minutes, but again, where do the minutes come from?)

I don’t see JR/Billy seeing many minutes unless we have players in foul trouble or there are injuries.
Lester and Shelden shouldn’t see much of anything unless there are injuries (they won’t make the active 12-man roster if everyone is healthy).

Ok. Crazy things to think about. We have the flexibility to put a freakishly awesome mix of starters and reserves on the floor. Let’s think about line up potentials:

Consistent starters:

• Rondo, Ray, Pierce, KG, Perk

Consistent 2nd unit:

• Quisy (playing 3, handling the ball), TA/Scal, 3ddi3, Baby, Sheed

Mix of starters and reserves (middle of the 2nd quarter, end of the 3rd quarter, start of the 4th quarter, etc.):

• Rondo, Ray, Quisy, Baby, Perk
• Quisy, Ray, Pierce, KG, Sheed
• Rondo, Pierce, Quisy, KG, Sheed
• Quisy, 3ddi3, Pierce, Baby, Sheed
• Rondo, Pierce, KG, Sheed, Perk

Oh my god. My head is spinning. Is yours?

What are we seeing here? An UNBELIEVABLE mix of units on the floor at any given time. I am crying for Doc to mix up playeres in games to make matchup nightmares for opposing teams. We have the possibility to make other teams weep in their uniforms in the middle of the floor after coming out of a huddle. The five guys on the floor can go from speedy athletic (Rondo, Ray, Quisy, KG, Sheed), to powerhouse strong (Quisy, Ray, Pierce, Sheed, Perk), to a hybrid of each (Rondo, Quisy, Pierce, KG, Sheed).

The minutes matter. The minutes matter. The minutes matter. I’ll say it again: the minutes freakin’ matter! With these many lineup possibilities, we can prevent over-use and allow guys to rest. I’m envisioning a free-flowing bench that gets comfortable playing with any mix of starters on the floor. Am I crazy in thinking this? Hopefully not.

1… 2… 3… Ubuntu.

Ubuntu. All up in ya face.

Binky!

It’s been a strange last couple of months for my life in blogging.
Really strange.

I felt like I mirrored the cycle of a real basketball player in his 12-year professional career in just 12 weeks:

• I built my resume here at Loscy from the spring until the early days of summer.
• During the NBA off-season (and blogging off-season), I shopped myself around in the free agency market. I was offered a position as lead blogger/writer/editor for a a legitimate blog as part of a blog network. I was stoked to receive the offer and was excited about the possibilities of being on a stage to showcase my talents.
• As I was riding the wave of a big new deal with this big new blog, I realized that I sold myself out. I didn’t like everything that I wrote. I didn’t like the idea of volume over quality. I didn’t like the turnover and speed that was necessary to maintain the blog. I wasn’t getting to savor the taste of a well-written post. I didn’t like the kind of blogger I was becoming.
• I got out. I settled and “bought out my contract” for the betterment of every party involved.
• I then shopped my services around, yet again, but this time to the bigger Celtic blogs. Basically I was begging for work. I was like a veteran trying to get a spot on some roster. Any roster. I would find a reduced role (from lead blogger to guest writer) to be part of a winning team.– a championship caliber team.
• An offer came and I almost bit… but I turned it down.

I decided that I still had fresh young legs under me. I wanted my original team to build around me, instead of demanding to be moved. I had the motivation, the energy, abilities, and wisdom to reclaim my career in Celtics blogging. I needed to return to Loscy. Loscy is home, and home was calling.

I took a hometown discount to return back to my roots. To revitalized my career. To try again.

I’m here to stay this time.

Truth looks like he's got a second Finals MVP trophy to take home this season.

As Media Day has come and gone, as the first day of pre-season has kicked off, we are left with many of the same questions we had before the 2009 Draft:

1. Who will be our back up for Pierce?
2. Who will be our back up for Ray?
3. Who will be our back up for Rondo?
4. Is KG really okay?
5. Is there a possibility that ‘Sheed could start?
6. Will our aging vets make it until June of 2010?

Here are my answers:

Green is definitely his color.

1. It doesn’t matter.
2. It doesn’t matter.
3. It doesn’t matter.
4. It doesn’t matter.
5. It doesn’t matter.
6. It doesn’t matter.

Here is what does matter:

• We will have a healthy starting 5 come late October.
• We have Rasheed Wallace as a possible 6th Man. Let me say that again: Rasheed Wallace will most likely be our 6th Man for this season. Can you say Bill Walton circa 1986? Yeah, me too.
• We have a capable swingman in Quisy that can not only handle the ball, but slash to the hoop to compliment Eddie’s perimeter game AND play solid defense.
• We re-signed Baby which will turn into one of the best signings of our off-season.
• We have depth in our front-court (no more thanking every deity in every denomination that Scal “isn’t” in foul trouble like we did in the ORL series)
• We still have options within Billy Walker, JR Giddens, and Lester Hudson to fill random holes.
• Rondo put on 11 pounds of muscle and his attitude is just screaming WIN WIN WIN to prove he’s worthy of many years and zeros on his next contract.
• And most importantly, as of right now, our aging vets (Ray, Pierce, and KG) look fresh, happy, and ready to take f*ckin names at the door.

Offer up 5 for $58 million, Danny. Just do it.

I feel more at home right now than I have during the last few months as I played blogger journeyman.

I know that ‘Sheed, Quisy, Shelden, and Lester will feel just at home like our Usual Suspects as the team comes together and prepares for the long road ahead. What’s even more promising? Rondo could be home in Boston for another 10 years.

It’s good to be home.
–

Need more?

Celtics Media Day Pictures
Celtics Interviews After Day 1 of Camp

As most would have predicted, Dwight Howard led the NBA in total number of dunks with 202, during the ‘08-’09 season. But which players had the highest percentage of their shot attempts come as dunks? Anthony Morrow of Golden State led the NBA in 3 point shooting with a .467%. Which players had the most of their shot attempt come from behind the arc and can truly be considered 3 pt specialists? Some on these two lists are as expected while others will surprise you.

Players Who Had the Highest Percentage of Shot Attempts as Dunks

 (min 300 shot attempts)

No real shocks here, but Noah as #1 in the league over players like Oden and Howard got my attention. Notable players with more than 100 dunks who did not make the list are Shaquille O’Neal, Nene, Ameka Okafor, and David Lee. I guess all of these players could stand to add a 10 foot jumper to their arsenal.

  Players Who Had the Highest Percentage of Their Shots as 3 Pointers

(min 50 shots)

At about 5:24am this morning, our red-eyed US Air carrier landed at Boston’s Logan Airport.

Upon coming home, we had about 3.5 weeks worth of mail in front of us. A few bills. 4 issues of Sports Illustrated. 1 Atlantic Monthly. 2 ESPN magazines. 1 issue of Sun Magazine. Some fancy boxes from Williams Sonoma and Crate & Barrel. Not having slept or with a proper meal for the last 14 hours, I plunked down for a “nap” because I didn’t have the energy to do anything else.

For the first 9 days of our honeymoon, I resisted the urge. I did my due-diligence in regards to kicking back with my wife and enjoying all of the amenities of the Pacific Northwest in beautiful Vancouver and Vancouver Island. We had our iPod touch with us in order to stay connected via email and to do random research about our local when free wi-fi was within reach.

But on day 10, I cracked.

It started with ESPN.com. I read about the whole Ortiz deal without the disbelief that fellow Nation fans felt. Then I moved to SI.com… then CelticsBlog… And then Red’s Army… then the Globe’s Celtics page… then the Herald’s Celtics page… then HoopsWord… then Ball Don’t Lie… then I realized that 40 minutes had passed and I had only read headlines. No stories. No analysis. Just headlines.

I felt guilty. I felt bad. I felt like I had let myself down, and fell off the wagon.

I was doing so well.

9 days. Not so much without a headlines check on ESPN. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch.

In an odd way, I felt like an addict. ***Quick disclaimer: I am in no way saying that my constant curiosity about the happenings of the Celtics is like a crack addict, but I’ll head in that direction for the sake of adding a flare for the dramatics to this first post in weeks.*** It was like a crack addict finding a little stash of crack while in rehab. It’s… just… too… tempting…

I allowed myself to JUST check headlines for the remainder of the trip, but I set 2 ground rules: no more than 15 minutes and only allowed myself to check once a day for the last 5 days of the trip.

And now I am back. The clock tells me it’s 5:03pm, but it feels like 00:00am. My body is completely out of whack. But slowly, I’ve been trying to settle in. Pictures from the trip were uploaded. Dirty clothes found their way to the washer/dryer. A big trip to the grocery store put food back on the shelves and in the fridge. A long shower was in order. The bills got paid. The mail read.

And now, I allow myself to read other things. No more headlines.

Sooooooo much has been written about, and yet very little has happened. Sheldon Williams signed, we’ve pretty much locked in Marquise Daniels (minus the whole contract thing), and we wait on the fate of BBD.

Here is the likely depth chart for the start of the season (assuming we get Quisy Daniels and keep BBD):

PG: Rondo, TBD

SG: RayRay, Eddie, JR Giddens

SF: Pierce, Daniels, TA, Walker

PF: KG, BBD, Scal, Shelden Williams

C: Perk, Sheed

This is of course assuming we get Quisy through a sign-and-trade and we re-sign Big Baby, which seems more likely as the days of summer roll on by. As we’ve talked about before, Baby just happens to be looking for money during a year where money is tight. Although we have a few over-paid big coming off the bench (mainly Magic’s Marcin Gortat and the Cav’s Andy Varejao), Baby’s lack of length and inability to play above the rim pretty much limits him to the short contract in the field of $2-3 million per year. If that’s the case, no one is going to offer that money to BBD because they know the Celts will match the offer. Danny took the gamble and the lucky bastard got it right again: the market wasn’t ready for Baby. I think we’ll see #11 back in green for at least the start of the season.

With this current lineup, I’m hoping 2 things happen actually happen:

1) We sign a veteran point guard to back up Rondo. We just need a solid 12 minutes from an old guard that can feed Eddie House on the wing or Sheed at the top of the key or down on the block. That’s all we need in a second unit floor general. I don’t want to go young here: I’m glad we dumped Gabe Pruitt and I hope we go in the older direction: we don’t need legs that can run up and down the court, we just need a 3 assist and 0 turnover guy with good decision-making instincts.

2) We get rid of Tony Allen. Dump him. Drop him. Do whatever you need to do. Just get rid of him. Trade him for 300 pints of fresh strawberries, for a back-up charter bus, or new carpet for the TD Garden locker room. I don’t care. Move him. Move him. Move him. Realistically, use him as trade bait. Package him with Scal and that gives you a $5 million caliber player in return.

Unlikely things to happen to this lineup, but that I’d be happy with:

1) Re-sign Steph for $1 million for one year. Everyone is pretty much saying the same thing: his internet video escapades are only raising concerns as to whether or not he is capable of even tying his shoes, let alone running an offense for a professional basketball team. I’ll take my chances for $1 million.

2) Trade Tony Allen for a veteran point guard. Please, please do this. Now.

3) Package JR Giddens and Tony Allen to get anyone that is 6’-11” and weighs more than 250 lbs. This will allow you to keep Bill Walker and give Lester Hudson a chance, and give us more length in the front court. Shelden Williams and BBD are big boys, but lack that length. I love the lineup possibilities with Sheed, KG, and Perk… but one other body in that front-court makes me feel better. Who knows if Sheldon Williams will make it through the year? Plus, I really like the idea of signing BBD now and letting him shine off the bench for the first half of the year, and possibility trading him away in February for MORE offensive punch. Find a team in the Western Conference in need of a hustling flubber of a power forward that is willing to exchange something we need. I know this is looking too far forward, but you got to anticipate injuries and/or lack of offense from that second unit. And if not, we get a great player in BBD.

Players I’m assuming stay in green all season:

PG: Rondo

SG: RayRay, Eddie

SF: Pierce, Bill Walker

PF: KG

C: Perk, Sheed

As for the others? Who knows. Most of them will probably stay on, but this core is what I am excited about. I’m hoping that the others are used to get what we really need: a capable slasher/shooter swingman, someone that does more than take up space in the middle and is over 6’-9”, a reliable veteran point guard. Whether it’s through signings or trades, let’s make it happen.

I’m dying to know how this roster is going to shape up.

And yes, all of that felt good… “Crack” good.

From the “why did it take so long to come up with this” file, on August 30^th there will be an ASU vs UA alumni basketball game. I think this is a fantastic idea, who doesn’t want to see past greats (greats is stretching it) of each university relive their rivalry glory again? This event is sure to stir passion because ASU-UA always does. Sure it is just an exhibition game but you can be damn sure I want ASU to win. It is probably a pretty safe bet that many other Sun Devils and Wildcats a like feel the same way. Who is going to win? Let’s check the rosters:

ASU	U of A
Eddie House – One of the most explosive scorers and best shooters in ASU history. Currently a role player for the Boston Celtics.	Sean Rooks – A veteran of 13 NBA seasons and was a member of Lute Olson’s first final four team at U of A.
Ryneldi Becenti – Center for the woman’s team in the early 90s, made All-Pac 10 first team twice. Currently in the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.	Kenny Lofton – An All-Star baseball player that also excelled in basketball at UofA. Lofton was a point guard and played with Rooks.
Dwayne Fontana – Attended from 1990-1994, a member of the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame. High school nickname was DAW (Dunk at Will). Not to be confused with Brian Fantana.	Joseph Blair – A power forward in the early 90s. Missed out on the 1997 championship year by one season. Darn you graduation.
Rodger Farrington – Former defensive standout for ASU. Read more here.	Trung Canidate – One of the most electric tailbacks in U of A history. He is probably better known for being a draft bust.
Bobby Lazor – One of the coolest names for a basketball player ever. He was one of ASU’s best players when they were pretty bad.	Glenn Howell – A former football player. That’s all I got for ya.
Ike Diogu – We Like Ike! One of the best forwards in ASU history currently plays for the New Orleans Hornets.	Reshea Bristol – All Pac-10 first team in 2001 for the Lady Cats.
Ron Riley – Played for ASU in the mid 90s and scored a lot of points.	Corey Williams – This former forward has been playing a lot of overseas basketball since his graduation in 1996.
Awvee Storey – One of the toughest players in ASU history. Thrived in Rob Evans defensive schemes. No real offensive game. Will fight anyone.	Gilbert Areans – A NBA All-Star who is known for his blogging as well as his scoring ability. Also known for injuries and yelling “hibachi!”
Leonard Russell – Former ASU running back played six NLF seasons.
Bill Kennedy – Currently an Associate AD in Administration for ASU. Graduated in 72 . . yup 1972.
Eli Lopez – I can’t find any information about him, he must have been good.
Donnell Knight – A big time ASU recruit that never lived up to the billing. Is now his chance at redemption? Probably not.
Carlos Artis – Say it with me in a Homer Simpson voice, “I have no idea who that is”.

Who will win this game? As of now ASU has a lot more depth. Does depth ever come into to play in these type of games? Are we going to consider guys like Carlos Artis, Eli Lopez and Bill Kennedy depth? This game will come down to Eddie House and Ike Diogu against Gilbert Arenas, Sean Rooks and Kenny Lofton.

I am excited because I’ve always wanted to see House and Diogu play together, now they will get the chance in a effort to take down the hated Wildcats.

Shouldn’t Jason Braxton be in this game? It sounds like something he would do. It is probably a good thing he isn’t.

]]> http://thesportcount.com/2009/08/07/the-must-miss-games-of-2009-10/ Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:17:48 +0000 Anton Trees http://thesportcount.com/2009/08/07/the-must-miss-games-of-2009-10/

It happens every year. With sports journalists on vacation, general managers catching up on lost sleep, and players presumably buying enormous televisions and swanning around on boats, basketball news dries up.

As a result, the schedule is greeted with great fanfare. Like a new baby, this fresh timetable is exciting for a few minutes, but when you get it home it can’t talk, walk, or do anything of interest. It just sits there, dribbling on itself.

Despite the relative tedium inherent in a schedule, the few ball journos forced to squeeze out content despite the lack of news treat us to date-by-date analysis, and tedious lists of the ‘must-watch games.’

Lost in the flood are the must-miss games; those events unlikely to inspire, sure to be quickly forgotten. Let’s run them down:

An accurate representation of what this game will entail: LeBron doing great things while the Raptors watch.

Wednesday October 28th | Toronto Raptors @ Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers kick off the season with a scorcher, hosting their semi-nemesis Celtics. It’s everything you could want in a season opener: a slightly re-tooled, hopefully healthy Boston crew — boasting new acquisitions in Rasheed Wallace’s ghost, and Shelden William’s head — going-head-to-head with the indisputable best in the game, LeBron James.

That’s the 27th of October. The 28th? A little less inspiring.

Unless you’re a Cavalier freak primed to get your rocks off to a Bron Bron explosion, this will be a serious clunker. Expect Chris Bosh and his lily-white band of Euroballers to look confused, and then be abused — on the boards, in the paint, anywhere that requires a serviceable big man. This will not be a good game for basketball fans north of the border; the inevitable beatdown an early taste of a season primed for mediocrity.

Friday November 13th | Houston Rockets @ Sacramento Kings

The Rockets: no Yao, Ron gone, no legitimate centre, Tracy McGrady either shipped somewhere or sobbing quietly into his street clothes.

The Kings: Kevin Martin scoring a tonne, no other player showing any sign whatsoever that they should be playing high-level professional basketball, Spencer Hawes boring his teammates by constantly railing against the Obama presidency.

Tickets should be given away in potato chip packets, not sold from a box office.

(Oh, and it’s Friday the 13th, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that McGrady sees a black cat in the Arco Arena parking lot and dies of fright).

Sunday December 6th | Washington Wizards @ Detroit Pistons

Two of Kwame Brown’s almae matres face off in a titanic struggle of bad contracts and sub-standard performers.

Tune in and see Ben Gordon and Gilbert Arenas go a collective 10-48 from beyond the arc.

Other potential highlights include: Caron Butler, who should be well and truly in street clothes six weeks into the season; Rip Hamilton hobbling about, half as charming as you remember; Tayshaun Prince desperate to lock someone down, but not sure who that someone is; and Antawn Jamison getting quite reasonable numbers, which have no impact on his team’s performance.

Mobley Vs. House: Just one of the classic moments in the storied rivalry between the Clips and Nets.

Monday January 18th | New Jersey Nets @ Los Angeles Clippers

The recipe for a must miss game:

• 2 x pass-first point guards, who combine to stink up the joint with turnovers and missed shots.
• 2 x aging, veteran cores.
• 2 x injured young big men who will be banged up in January thanks to being asked to do too much, too early in their careers.
• 2 x genuinely stupid coaches.
• 1 x Billy Crystal courtside.

Serve in a winter month on a Monday night, when no-one but the Lopez family will tune in anyway.

Friday February 5th | Memphis Grizzlies @ Houston Rockets

The really sad thing about this match-up is the high potential that Z-Bo has a stand-out game.

With Yao possibly out for the season, the Rockets now have a frontcourt of Scola and Battier, neither of whom are adequate match-ups on genuine forwards (not to mention what Dwight will do to them). As a result, we’re a very good chance to see the moron Babyhead put in a 30 and 15 performance. Yuck. This could even be one of the three games this season he registers a block.

Sadly, this game could have seen monstrous efforts from Memphis’ exciting young bigs in Thabeet and Gasol, which everyone would have liked. And, in the unlikely circumstance that McGrady isn’t injured by now, we might have watched Rudy and OJ rotate on him: two young guards working out how to play one of the most prolific scorers the NBA has seen in recent times.

Instead, it’s more likely we’ll watch Randolph, that big overpaid goose, drain his crudely effective mid-range jumpers, and wrestle defensive boards off the enthusiastic, if tiny, Scola. If there’s a replay of Vacation on again, switch over.

Monday February 22nd | Milwaukee Bucks @ New York Knicks

Hands up if you want to see Danil0 Gallinari play against Joe Alexander.

Anyone?

Okay, how about… here we go, Andrew Bogut and David Lee trading lumbering post moves and hustling for an unspectacular 10 rebounds each? What about Ridnour Vs. Duhon? No?

About the only thing genuinely interesting in this game is that Ramon Sessions may be playing against Brandon Jennings in a high-tempo situation. And when the most interesting thing about a match up is contingent upon a trade or free agent signing, you’re in some trouble.

Friday March 5th | Charlotte Bobcats @ Los Angeles Lakers

We’re getting down to the business end of the season, where playoff hopes go to die, and champions are forged.

But none of that will be happening here, with the Bobcats’ chances at a berth in the second season ravaged by (a) injury and (b) the fact they have arguably the worst on-paper roster in the league. (I say arguably because the Sacramento Kings will probably still exist in March of 2010). The Lakers? Well, they’ll be soldiering through, dealing with the day-to-day hassle of embarrassing the dregs of the sport.

There are three possible ways this match-up makes it to Sportscenter: 1. Kobe drops a cheeky 50 points for the fun of it 2. Larry Brown literally melts on the bench out of pent-up anger 3. Gerald Wallace trips, falls, and can’t get up again.

Pacers coach Jim O'Brien: 'slow it down, guys! The fans are getting too excited! Don't get flashy!'

Tuesday March 16th | Charlotte Bobcats @ Indiana Pacers

Position-for-position, let’s judge the excitement factor here:

• C: Tyson Chandler Vs. Troy Murphy: a spectacular under-performer matching up on a charmless fantasy stud.
• PF: Boris Diaw Vs. Tyler Hansbrough: a big, soft Frenchman with an effective passing game plays a rookie. I guess watching Hansbrough develop could be interesting, but we should already know whether he’s a bust or not by March.
• SF: Danny Granger Vs. Gerald Wallace: this is actually a pretty baller match-up. Granger’s freakish talent against Wallace’s hustle. I’ll watch that.
• SG: Raja Bell Vs. Mike Dunleavy: I guess maybe Raja will get sick of Dunleavy slipping around him and driving, and eventually clothesline him. If Mike isn’t already in hospital. With an injured left-injury.
• PG: D.J. Augustin Vs. T.J. Ford: I’ll assume by this point Felton has been traded or so badly ostracised by Larry Brown that he doesn’t even turn up to games. Augustin will likely be a relatively effective PG who excites the opposition crowd with a 2.7 airballs/game average, and no-one, not even T.J. Ford, knows what T.J. Ford will do on a given night. There’s a good chance he plays 43 minutes for 3 points and a lone, fluked rebound.

Summary: A slow-grind 48 minutes of basketball leading to neither team cracking 80 points. Is there anyone out there who wouldn’t prefer to just make this a one-on-one half-court match between Granger and Wallace? That won’t happen, so don’t watch it.

Monday March 22nd | Minnesota Timberwolves @ Toronto Raptors

Will Ricky Rubio be there? Will he and Calderon enjoy Toronto’s favourite paella after the game? Will Jefferson be healthy? Will Bosh have grown some balls this season? Will Bargnani demand to be allowed to run all over the court smoking cigarettes, while exclusively shooting treys? Will Turkoglu do the same, while eating a gyro? Will Kevin Love foul out early to re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?

So many questions, so much intrigue. And almost none of it to do with the actual on-court action. The result is inevitable: Toronto in an unconvincing win, just barely keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Friday 2nd April | New York Knicks @ Golden State Warriors

For the average basketball fan, this late-season exhibition will barely rate a mention.

For fantasy owners and Vegas bookies, however, this game represents a high-water mark: a game featuring two defenseless teams, at the end of lost seasons, with nothing to play for.

Fantasy freaks will be giddy with delight, justifiably expecting 30-point tallies from Montaboy, Lil’ Nate, Al ‘Slappin’ The Backboard’ Harrington or An-Rand. Bookies will laugh as they set the combined over-under at 270.

Posted By: Anton, Alex & James

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