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.

–

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

So, apparently Paul Pierce has a knack for this ol’ bloggin’ thingamajig.

In his second post in as many days at Boston.com, the Celtics forward writes — or at least dictates to a Boston Globe reporter — what he’d do if he ran the NBA.

Pierce’s three fundamental changes for the league: Ditch the age limit (“if you’re a pro, you’re a pro”); shorten the season to 60 games (fat chance with advertisers); and raise the rim three inches.

The Truth:

The athletes today are crazy. You see the way guys are jumping these days. I would raise the rim three inches. Then, you have to learn the art of the jump shot. You’ll have to know how to play this game a little bit better then. Raising the rim, you’ll see increasing play. You’ll see increasing fundamentals. I’m telling you.

This idea is nothing new. For years, Tom Newell, son of legendary basketball big man coach Pete Newell, has suggested the NBA and NCAA play with 11-foot rims. Like Pierce, Newell hypothesizes that higher rims would see an emphasis on spacing, passing and working for open shots. Basketball Fundamentals 101!

Personally, I don’t see the NBA jacking those nets up anytime soon. In fact, to paraphrase The Mighty MJD, just try to imagine telling Commissioner David Stern, “Hey, boss, we have an idea that will decrease highlight dunks and three-point shots.” I’d be amazed if you avoided that trap-floor door opening beneath your feet. Those sharks don’t tickle.

But what do you think? Is Pierce onto something? Sound off.

]]> http://werwthejournalist.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/paul-pierce-wants-to-raise-the-rim/ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:22:46 +0000 werwthejournalist http://werwthejournalist.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/paul-pierce-wants-to-raise-the-rim/ http://alstubliefty.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/making-the-nba-more-like-college/ Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:30:14 +0000 alstubliefty http://alstubliefty.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/making-the-nba-more-like-college/

When it comes to sports, I’m all about the college game. I didn’t even begin to expand my horizons from a sports appreciation standpoint until I lived in Boston. Now I can honestly appreciate (and even enjoy!) professional sports.

But regardless of my new sense of appreciation, I will always love college sports much, much more.

It’s simple: college sports and college athletes have more passion.

Don’t try to argue with me here. I cannot (and will not) be swayed.

I’m not saying that professional sports don’t have passion. But it’s different.

College players play for the love of the game. College players play for the love of their school, their team and their childhood dream.

On the  flip side?

Sure, professional players may play for the love of the game, but that love is usually laced with a little bit of something else. It is tainted…tainted by money and tainted by fame.

I’ve always felt this way and I most likely always will.

However, this post isn’t about that. This post is about one professional basketball player who seems to possess a few of the qualities I love in college athletes. This post is about Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics. Disclaimer: I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Paul Pierce, however I have always respected him as the leader of my Boston Celtics.

And recently I have come to respect for so much more. This past week, Paul Pierce started blogging for Boston.com. His first post, How Boston Became My Town, really struck me.

I’ve been in an amazing position to say that I’m going to be linked 100 percent to the Boston Celtics.

To say that I’ve played with only one franchise, and accomplished what we have, it’s almost like a miracle. You don’t see that any more. You don’t see the same players staying with the same team like that. I’m a true follower of the game and only five guys have played for one team for 10-plus years, especially in the last 10. There’s Tim, Kobe, Ilgauskas, Nowitzki, and me.

You’re always going to associate Kobe with the Lakers. You’re always going to associate Timmy with San Antonio. Those guys won championships for their teams and they’ve been there their whole career.

You look around the league and see a lot of great players. You have some Hall of Famers that have been on multiple teams and you think at the end of the day, which team do they represent? And I can definitely say I am a Boston Celtic through and through. When people look back at my career they’re going to identify me with one team.

Boston is definitely home.

Paul Pierce has the kind passion and the kind of loyalty that I love about college sports. I’m sure the fame and the money certainly comes into play, but I truly respect the way he cares for his team and his city.

I know this is totally unrealistic, but I really wish that the trading component of professional sports could be eliminated. I honestly believe that it would better for the teams, the players and especially the fans. It would a create a deeper, more intense sense of pride, honor, loyalty and passion.

"Me, I buy the gourmet expensive stuff because when I drink it, I want to taste it."

Everybody’s doing it!  

We mean blogging, silly…

And by everybody, we mean the douche’s at CNN (who – for a global news outfit – are apparently too cheap to own their own space, so they run their blogs through wordpress just like yours truly), the “real” housewives of virtually every major, American, metropolitan area, and now (let’s see if Gellman can add us a drumroll) Mr. Paul Pierce, captain of the Boston Celtics and now, avowed and proud Bostontonian.

So Blog-eth Mr. Pierce:

I guess the obvious question is, “Why am I doing this?”

Well, in his first installment of his new Boston.com blog, Paul (it’s cool if we call you Paul, right?) sets about answering this very question.  Apparently, it’s important that his fans “get to know him better.”  Of course, the obvious response to that on the part of the average Boston fan might be, “ok, so what?  I mean Garnett doesn’t say shit and he hasn’t even been around town that long and honestly, despite all that, most people like him better than you.”  

I mean, let’s be honest, Garnett and Pierce are like the Bill and Hillary Clinton of New England hoops.  Kevin Garnett (may we call you KG, sir?) can do know wrong.  On the other hand, Pierce, despite his loyalty through thick and thin, and his obvious ability to get shit done, has never stirred the fanbase in town quite so hardily.   

But back to the Pierce’s Blog, right, yeah, right…

[[Aside: how did Pierce and the fine folks at Boston.com/the Globe totally miss the opportunity to name this: "Captain's Log."  I mean, how incredible would that have been?  "Captain's Log, supa'-star date, 2010, tonight our starting five and reserve crew battle the Rockets in Houston, on our way towards boldly completing a West Coast tour for the first time." Or something like that, you get our point...it would be classic.]]

Anyways, Pierce gets a big ups, despite our derision (it was only in good fun, Paul, I’m sure KG talks more shit at practice, or for that matter, when you guys abscond to Dairy Queen for mint-chip Celtics Blizzards), for talking with candor about how much it has meant to him to spend his entire career with one team; a storied franchise at that.  He even goes so far as to talk about what it meant for a kid who grew up down the street from the LA Forum to get drafted by a team he had learned to despise.  Good stuff.  And not only that, he seems genuine in his appreciation for the fortune he has had to stay in Boston and be able to help build this great team that he now Captains.

[[You can read the full post, here.]]

Lastly, who knew that Paul Pierce’s brother played like, 20 games for the San Francisco Giants?  (I know!) Seriously, his name is Steve Hosey and you can look him up.

Citizens of Boston! Paul Pierce would like you to get to know him better. See above: "his sensitive, contemplative side"

Yeah, I know this is old, but I forgot about it and I’m sure many of you did too. Some of you may never even seen this, so it’s definitely worth watching.

The plot is simple, Ron Artest is guarding Paul Pierce during a game. Pierce was having his way with Artest all night long, so Artest tried a new tactic — pulling Pierce’s shorts down.

The aftermath involves Artest on TV singing an apology to Pierce. Not sure if Artest was sippin’ on the Henny during any of this, but regardless, it’s hilarious.

Props, @KaysOnNBA

This guy sounds like a bigger idiot every time he opens his mouth.

READ

“It probably wouldn’t even look right, me in another uniform at this point,’’ Pierce said …..“It’s probably like seeing Kobe [Bryant] in another uniform or Tim Duncan in another uniform. It probably wouldn’t look right.’’

ONE MVP of a Finals fixed for your team doesn’t make you a 4 and 5 time Champion so stop comparing yourself to Kobe and Duncan.

M.V.P’S who led their teams practically alone to NBA finals wins. When Pierce had no help his team lost 18 in a row.

Duncan had an old David Robinson and Kobe has an overrated Gasol. Duncan got a lot of help in his last title by Parker but his other titles were pretty much all him.

His arrogance makes me cringe and laugh at the same time. He is an idiot. A stupid retarded idiot.

Loscy's Boo.

If you’re familiar with these parts (yes, you!), then you’re familiar with Loscy’s fondness of one Rajon Rondo. And by fondness, you know I mean a (un)healthy obsession with the point guard’s abilities and style of play. I’m a bit of a gym rat, and I’ve incorporated too many of Rondo’s plays/moves into my game: using my speed and quickness to navigate underneath the hoop and circle out if no play develops, the behind the back fake, senseless gambles on defense… Now, am I really trying to compare my game to Rondo? Well, yes, I am… trying to.

Trying to.

Back to what matters. With 22 games underneath the Celtics’ belt, it’s a wonderful time to give a full evaluation of our fearless floor general, Rajon Rondo. Be fair warned: this is the Rondoness of all Rondo articles: the real mother-load. Prepare yourself. I’m going to tackle 3 major points: (1) in what ways was my pre-season prediction of Rondo right on, (2) the statistical importance of Rondo’s play this season, and (3) the empirical evidence of Rondo’s play that has helped fuel the current 9-game win streak.

–

(1)

Back in September, I explained in excruciating detail about WHY Rondo mattered the most. It was a changing of the guard, of sorts: the team’s success hinged upon KG’s knee, Pierce’s and Ray’s ability to stay effective throughout a long season, a deeper front-court bench, the continued development of Perk, and of course, what Rondo was going to bring to the table. In my post, I came up with 9 areas of Rondo’s game that needed to improve in order to make him a top 5 point guard.

To read the original article, peep it here. Below, you’ll see the areas that I originally noted as an area Rondo needed to improve, a quote from the original article, and then a reflective tidbit.

#9. Improve that outside shooting.
“He needs to develop that knock-down 17-footer from both elbows. If Rondo can even become a 35% shooter from these places, then teams really won’t know how/where to guard him.”
Well, Rondo hasn’t turned into Ray Allen Jr. overnight, but he’s knocking down his shot with more frequency. According to 82games.com, funny enough, Rondo is shooting .349 from what would be actually considered a jump shot selection. Rondo is choosing to take his jump shots from straight up near the top of the key and just off the elbows. While he isn’t catching and shooting, Rondo is able to shoot off the dribble when defenders play off of him. He’s making people pay 35% of the time.

#8. Stop bitching if he’s bitching.
“In a contract year, this is a big decision for Danny/Wyc/Doc to make: is Rondo worth big money? Is he worth the 5 years/$55 million?”
Yeah, the front office thought he was worth more. Since his re-signing, he’s been butter. And yes, the kind of butter that causes clogged arteries and congenital heart failure. Oh yeah… we haven’t heard a freakin’ lick of a bad attitude from Rondo this season. Was all of it blown up this past summer by the media? You betcha.

#7. Be picky/choosy when you gamble.
“For a guy with one of the quickest first steps in the league, he shouldn’t be getting burned by anyone.”
While we are seeing Rondo leave his man less, we are still seeing it. But, his ability to just man up and fight through picks is improving. Oddly enough, Rondo’s leading the league in steals with 2.5 per game.

#6. Toughen up.
“Cassell advised him to always pick himself up, shake it off, and cry about it later. Don’t sit on the ground and let the other team know that you’re hurt.”
Yup. This has been huge. Rondo has been knocked around, but he’s not lingering on the floor like an English football diva.

#5. Get rid of the floater.
“Because of the quickness that he can get into the paint and the fact that his jumper is not pretty or even effective, he often puts up one-handed floaters while on the move.”
I’ll admit defeat here: his floater is falling. But the floater is different this year: last year he spotted up that floater front on. This year, he is falling away, fading, and drifting. Rondo’s floater this year isn’t straight up and the fading away is almost giving him more time to get himself squared up and set. I like the way the floater is developing this year.

#4. Get faster.
“The quickness in movement of hands and feet can only get better in small increments that may not even be noticeable… but Rondo still has the track legs in him. Rondo can get faster.”
Rondo is faster this year. He’s also quicker. Chris Johnson might find out how fast Rondo actually is soon enough…

#3. Continue to mix up the half-court ball with up-tempo ball. 
“This is something Rondo needs to keep learning: when is a good time to push, and when is a good time to back-off and set up?”
If you have listened to what Doc has been saying, this is one of the biggest areas of improvement from Rondo: when to push, when to set. As opposed to adjusting to an opponent’s tempo, Rondo is setting the tempo and forcing others to react. Because of his ability to change gears so quickly, it can be difficult for defenders to tell what Rondo will do; this of course plays into our favor.

#2. Be smarter.
“A big area of improvement since his rookie days is the ball-handling. Rondo’s getting better at protecting the ball… but not as well as he could be.”
With a respectable 4:1 assist/turnover ratio, this has been huge. Knock… on… wood…

#1. Consistency. 
“One game he looks to be a premier point guard, and then another he looks to be enjoying the best seat in the house. One game he is dominant, and another he is happy to be giving high-fives to players that he admired while in his teens (KG, Pierce, Ray).”
I’m not even going to make a comment: in the last few close games during the 9-game winning streak, Rondo has been consistent and ferociously focused. We are seeing more consistency out of him this season than ever before. It’s not a coincidence that the Celts are playing well when Rondo is out to compete every night.

Take a breath. 1/3 of the way through.

–

(2)

Statistically, Rondo is on pace to have have an overall career year. Rondo’s PER is at a stellar 20.08, which is good enough for 29th in the league and just behind D-Will. Not too shabby. But a closer look at HOW his stats have translated into wins for the Celtics, we have to hop on over to hoopsstats.com.

Check out a glimpse of how important Rondo has been to the Celtics’ wins:

From hoopsstats.com

The notables:

When Rondo is playing 36+ minutes, the Celtics are 7-1
When Rondo is shooting over 50%, the Celtics are 9-1
When Rondo has 4 or more steals, the Celtics are 6-0
When Rondo has an efficiency recap of 22+, the Celtics are 8-0 [ NBA Efficiency recap = ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field goals attempts - Field goals made) + (Free throws attempts - Free throws made) + Turnovers)) ]

So the basic moral of the story: Rondo plays well translates into wins for the Celtics.

–

(3)

The freakin' terminator in #9.

There have been 3 bits of interconnected empirical evidence that have me beyond excited for what we may see from Rondo as the season progresses.

First, it’s in Rondo’s aggressive play. While Rondo has been hesitant at times to shoot and choose in favor of distributing, we are seeing Rondo constantly on the move with and without the ball. When Rondo has the handle, he is pushing that ball into places to free up guys on the wing and the bigs underneath. When Rondo is eating up the clock, the team’s offense isn’t effective. Take a look at the chart below:

Rondo is most effective when he is aggressive from the time he touches that ball (0-10 seconds) and is least effective when he is running down the shot clock (16-24 seconds). The point production for shots under 10 seconds is egregiously different than the point production when Rondo is just dribbling or holding. The numbers don’t lie.

From 82games.com

Second, Rondo is confident. It’s a subtle expression in his eye and a huge swagger in his step. Rondo is growing up, and he’s taking control of games.

Third, Rondo is closing quarters. This is huge. Rondo has the confidence and aggression and determination and grit to close out quarters. The 2 best recent examples: the Bucks and Wiz. Rondo came alive and played nearly the entire quarter in both games in order to shut down Brenden Jennings and Gilbert Arenas. On the offensive side of each game, he was silky smooth and used his speed, quickness, handle, and court vision to scalpel his way to a clean victory. We are witnessing a point guard that can close a quarter and showed that he could do it in the playoffs… and also for a run of the mill regular season game.

–

Final words:
In Rondo We Trust.

The preliminary numbers for NBA All-Star balloting were released this week and NBA fans, once again, made themselves look like idiots.  There were, of course, some minor, yet forgivable, sins, such as Kevin Garnett starting at forward over Chris Bosh.  However, the real incompetence of the fans came when voting for guards in the Western Conference, as Tracy McGrady, who has yet to play a game all year, is set to start alongside Kobe Bryant.  What makes this choice so egregious is the number of quality guards that play in the West: Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Brandon Roy, Tony Parker, Tyreke Evans.  I could go on all day.  Furthermore, when locking in his All-Star selections, a fan is given the option to click an “info” button next to the player’s name, to sneak a quick peek at the stats of the player.  For once, I just wish fans would put in the effort to vote intelligently.  Having said that, here are my All-Star selections, up to this point of the season.  There is a good chance these rosters will change, and I will keep you updated as I change the list.  Let’s start with the East.

The Voting : Currently, Vince Carter is ahead of Joe Johnson, and Garnett leads Bosh in the voting totals, but since they both belong on the squad, there’s no harm done.  Where the ideal situation can, potentially, be destroyed is if Ray Allen or Gilbert Arenas sneak ahead of Carter on the ballot.  That would most likely knock either Rondo or Lopez off the team (assuming Garnett wins a starting spot, Bosh would most likely slide in as a backup center).

My Outlook: For me, the East was pretty simple.  The starting five all belong on the team, without any question, and the current voting situation isn’t terribly offensive.  Wade and LeBron are having a MVP-type seasons, and Johnson has suddenly turned Atlanta into a contender.  Howard continues to be the premier center in the NBA, and Bosh puts up ridiculous numbers on a mediocre Toronto team.  The Celtics get three reserve spots, and while none of them have impressive scoring totals, the team is winning and playing a very solid brand of team basketball, led by assist-leader, Rajon Rondo.  Brandon Jennings is having a shockingly successful rookie campaign and seems impossible to leave off the team and Josh Smith is the most underrated player in the game.

Players in Jeopardy: As I mentioned before, Lopez and Rondo may be the most likely to be squeezed off the team.  If Garnett continues beat out Bosh in the fan voting, Lopez will be shoved out of the way, as it’s difficult to include a player from the NBA’s worst team.  However, he has been the second best center in the East this year, so his spot is warranted.  Rondo may suffer from lack of fan recognition and low point totals, but he leads the conference in assists, and continues to evenly distribute the ball amongst the Celt’s many stars.

Hardest Players to Exclude: Danny Granger would unquestionably be on the team, if not for his recent injury.  Granger will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks, and it’s difficult to include a player who will have missed that much time.  Luol Deng is having a very good year in Chicago, and, while I don’t see him bypassing Smith for the second forward spot, he could make a run at one of the wild card slots.  Gilbert Arenas has made a nice comeback to the league, and his scoring numbers warrant inclusion, but he turns the ball over 3.6 times per game, to only 6.6 assists.  Rondo, on the other hand, averages 9.3 assists to only 2.3 turnovers.  One can also make a case for the Pistons’ Ben Gordon, but he’s a bit too one dimensional in my book.

The West

The Voting: The voting in the West is pretty much right on, with the exception of T-Mac, who needs to play at least a few games to make his votes justifiable.  The good news is that Nash and Chris Paul are right on his heels, and will likely overtake him once voters realize their mistakes.  Other than that, everything is as it should be in the West.

My Outlook: All the starters were an open and shut case for me, with the exception of the point guard position, as Nash, Williams, and Paul all made convincing cases for the starting spot.  In the end, when all things are equal, I’ll take the veteran on the better team over the young guns.  Kobe, Melo, Dirk, and Amar’e are all no-brainers in their respective positions, as their stats are superior to most of the competition.  The bench was also relatively simple.  Tim Duncan started slowly, but has regained his form lately.  Williams and Paul are putting up amazing numbers in both scoring and assists, and can’t be ignored for their overall contributions to their respective teams.  Roy and Durant are blossoming into the players everyone expected them to be, and Boozer has done a good job of shutting up all the people that were calling for more Paul Millsap.  Andrew Bynum is looking to finally have season without a serious injury and is putting up the type of numbers everyone expected a few years back.

Players in Jeopardy: The only player on this list I see being in real trouble is Bynum, as he is injury prone and could go down at any minute.  Furthermore, the return of teammate Pau Gasol will limit Bynum’s potency in the offense, and lead to a decline in numbers for the youngster.  If that happens, Marcus Camby or Chris Kaman can take over that spot.  However, it seems more likely that Duncan might slide into the backup center role, and allow one of any number of players to steal a spot on the team.

Hardest Players to Exclude: Camby and Kaman are both having great years for the Clippers, and could easily sneak onto the roster.  For me, Camby is the toughest to leave off, as he’s probably the best player, since the invention of the All-Star Game, to not make an appearance at the event.  Tony Parker, Rudy Gay, and Trevor Ariza are all also playing exceptional basketball and could make a late run for roster spots.  King’s guard Tyreke Evans is having a phenomenal rookie year, and it would be great to see Evans and Jennings square off in the game, but, as far as I’m concerned, Evans will need to earn his stripes before leapfrogging the more experienced stars in the West.  Overall, though I think most of the players I named above are relatively safe, with the exception of Bynum.

As I said earlier, I’ll keep this updated as the season progresses, leading up to the selection of the NBA All-Stars.

The Cavs might be looking shaky, but one of their main rivals in East is anything but at the moment.

The Boston Celtics reeled off their ninth straight win on Thursday night against the Washington Wizards to improve to an East-best 18-4 on the season. That string came after a loss at home to Orlando.

The knock on the Celts at this point would be that while they beat Cleveland to open the season, they’ve also lost to Phoenix, Orlando and Atlanta — the best teams on their schedule thus far.

The positives? There are plenty. Rasheed Wallace has fit in nicely so far, and Boston has five players averaging in double figures this year (Sheed is almost there, too, at 9.1 ppg). With a healthy Kevin Garnett and the emergence of Rajon Rondo the last few years, the Celtics legitimately have four players capable of taking over games and a slew of options should one of the big guns have an off night. The other part of that equation, of course, is that all those guys are buying in on the defensive end, where Boston leads the NBA by giving up only 90.5 points a game.

With that kind of balance, the wins should keep flowing all season long. Keep an eye out, though, for some of the big games coming up on the schedule — starting with the Orlando Magic on Christmas day. Because while everything looks good on paper thus far, beating the big boys is still a key part to the championship equation.

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.

Vote this beast onto the all-star team: http://www.voteforperk.blogspot.com/

We’ve all been lost before. As a kid, I would get separated from my parents when I wandered off to explore something shiny. As a teenager, I would get separated from my friends when I wandered off to explore something shiny. As a husband, I still get separated from my wife when I wander off to explore something shiny.

There is a moment when we look around, can’t find our familiar faces, and we are overcome with emotion. That very instant of realization that we are lost is followed by either extreme panic or detective mode. We either become frozen from fear or look to find our way. The cool, calm, and collected approach is always the way to go.

In the last couple of weeks, some fans have been lost because they felt the Celtics were lost. We looked old. We looked slow. We looked out of sync. We looked old. So many of you that are reading this are shaking your head saying, “No, I didn’t think that! I knew it would be okay!” But don’t fool yourself. Lots of people were panicking. Lots of people were convinced the Celtics had lost their way.

But you know who wasn’t panicking? The Celtics. You know who knew the Celtics weren’t lost? The Celtics.

In the last 5 games, the Celtics have been playing pretty well. The Celtics didn’t go into extreme panic when dropping a few games in a short week and a half span; they went into detective mode. There were comments from Danny. There were comments from Doc. Both gentlemen made it publicly clear that the players needed to clean up their act. They were the only ones that could fix the inconsistencies in their play. The players figured out what they were missing: they returned to playing within their means and rediscovered their identity.

Dare I say it... is he back?

The current Celtics team is built on team defense. We win by playing defense. We have weak-side helpers that force opponents into tough shots. We have weak-side helpers to help the helpers force opponents into difficult situations. We rotate. We share the defensive load. Our perimeter defenders are just as important as the interior ones. Two years ago, the team talked about the “no lay-up” philosophy. If a team kills us because they are making tough, long-range, low-percentage shots, then so be it. The Celts weren’t going to give up any bunnies.

But this year, in games that we have lost and in close games that we have won, our defensive rotations were egregiously slow. Recently, though, we have been rotating. From my couch and section 322, we are playing with a fiery intensity. We aren’t giving up when players get by. Instead, we are fouling them, sending them a message, and forcing them to earn their points. We aren’t taking defensive possessions off. We are playing hard on defense to get the ball back to the other side of court. We are sliding. We are talking. We are rotating. We look alive. Thank goodness, we look alive.

Collpase! Collapse! Collapse!

When we played Phoenix (and lost), Indiana (and lost), and Orlando (and lost), we played to their game. We accommodated and adapted to their style. We are not a flat-out uptempo team. We are a team that can have up-tempo possessions, but all fast pace / max out on shot attempts doesn’t play into our strength. Quality, not quantity. Our strength is in our half-court sets. It’s not always the traditional half-court set: we can push and set up quickly because our PG is the damn near fastest thing on earth besides U-Bolt. We have bigs that can run. We have swingmen that know where to set up on the wing and when to move. When Rondo is aggressive and getting to the hoop, shots open up. When players are making cuts, shots open up. When we are mixing up the tempo by pushing the ball up the court and settling into our offense, shots open up. When it comes down to it, though, when we move the ball, we get good looks. Our starting 5 are all competent passers. The unselfish mentality makes passing even easier. We have a pure point guard that looks to create and has incredible court vision. We have one of the best passing power forwards in the history of the game. We have a small forward that can do anything he wants whenever he wants.

All day. Every day.

If we make our defensive stops first and just move the ball on offense, this team will be unstoppable. We are too deep, to cohesive, and too good to lose if we play the way we play.

It’s actually pretty simple: our defense breaks down other teams’ offense and our offense breaks down other teams’ defense. In the last few games, we’ve been doin it and doin it and doin it well.

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Article of the day: The Semi Transition Game: Embrace it (via CelticsHub)

Picture of the day:

By Jordan.

Como decía el amigo Rutger Hauer en Blade Runner, “Yo he visto cosas que vosotros no creeríais”… y estoy dispuesto a compartirlas, naturalmente. A continuación cuelgo cinco (bueno, en realidad son seis) vídeos de acciones que tuvieron lugar durante el pasado fin de semana, y que me parecen destacables por un motivo u otro. Prepárense, que hay de todo y para todos los gustos…

5. El “caño” del baloncesto: Empezamos con algo sencillo… o más bien debería decir con algo que sólo alguien como Steve Nash puede hacer que parezca sencillo. Ojito a la asistencia, túnel incluido, que le hizo a  Robin Lopez el pasado viernes ante Minnesota:

Creo que Ryan Hollins todavía está buscando el balón en el pabellón de los Timberwolves. Os juro que el día que se retire el canadiense voy a echar una lagrimita y todo. Tipos como él son tan irrepetibles que David Stern debería publicar una ley por la cual siempre hubiera alguien como él amenizando la liga…

4. 33-7. Ese fue el parcial del último cuarto del partido de anoche entre Memphis Grizzlies y Los Angeles Clippers. Los Grizzlies se las prometían muy felices cuando entraban en el último periodo ganando de 16 puntos, después de ser llevados en volandas por un Marc Gasol de nuevo portentoso (26 puntos, 5 rebotes, 6 asistencias, 3 tapones, 3 robos). Sin embargo, los chicos de Lionel Hollins desperdiciaron su ventaja de 16 puntos con unos números bochornosos, incluyendo un 2/18 en tiros de campo en esos últimos 12 minutos. Cualquiera diría que deseaban regalarle a Mike Dunleavy su victoria número 600 fuera como fuera… Aquí tenéis un vídeo con algunos de los despropósitos ofensivos de los Grizzlies. Es un poco largo, pero vale la pena ir fijándose en cómo va cambiando el marcador de abajo…

3. Chris “Bolas de Acero” Bosh: En el siguiente vídeo, sólo apto para gente con redaños, vemos cómo Paul Pierce entra a canasta y posteriza a Chris Bosh… ¿o no? Si nos fijamos en la traviesa rodilla de Pierce, vemos cómo impacta con contundencia en la ingle del pobre Bosh, que cae al suelo transido de dolor y encima tiene que soportar la mirada de macarra de The Truth (al que le cayó una técnica por el gesto, pero no por el rodillazo).

Al parecer Bosh lleva una buena coquilla o bien es de acero en todo su cuerpo, porque no sólo se recuperó, sino que en el siguiente partido de los Raptors, ayer domingo, se fue a los 30 puntos y 17 rebotes. Eso sí, los Raptors también perdieron. En cuanto a Pierce… shame on you!

2. Rondo emula a Z-Bo: Muchos recordaréis un vídeo de Zach Randolph que he puesto varias veces por aquí, en el cual Z-Bo dribla sin sentido cerca de la línea de tres, está a punto de perder el balón y luego se tira un airball de proporciones míticas. Pues bien, el amigo Rajon Rondo intentó imitar a Randolph anoche, agotando el tiempo de posesión en un ataque para luego cascarse otro triple sin sentido. Lo único bueno que se puede decir de la jugada es que por lo menos su tiro sí tocó el aro:

1. El pincho que casi fue brocheta de merluza: Pero ninguno de los vídeos anteriores se puede comparar al siguiente. Nuestros protagonistas son Carlos Delfino y Mickael Pietrus. La jugada pertenece a uno de los tapones de la jornada, pero aunque parezca increíble, no es el francés el que le pone el pincho al argentino, sino al revés. ¡Y qué pincho, señores! Si el vídeo de la jugada ya es bastante espectacular, si lo escucháis con los altavoces podréis notar la violencia del bote del balón al salir rechazado. Quién iba a decir que Carlitos tenía la sangre necesaria para poner este tipo de tapones…

Como nota educativa, comentar que Jordan Farmar también puso un soberano tapón este fin de semana, concretamente a Rafer Alston y en un contraataque franco, pero… bueno, no es lo mismo, a Farmar sí que se le suponen estas cosas. Eso sí, la acción es muy espectacular, y por cierto, llega sobre la bocina del primer cuarto:

Early in the 4th quarter of Friday’s Celtics/Raptors game Boston captain Paul Pierce drove to the hole and powered a dunk down over All Star Chris Bosh. While going up for the dunk Pierce’s knee was at a weird angle and drove directly into Chris Bosh’s man-parts; score that 2 points for Pierce, 2 pained areas on Bosh’s body.

I had to post it. The Truth giving Chris Bosh the business. Jump..

He pretty much embarrasses him lol

Μπορεί να γερνάει αλλά η γλώσσα του Rasheed Wallace παραμένει δραστήρια όσο ποτέ. Το μοναδικό στατιστικό που δε πέφτει στα 35 του, είναι φυσικά οι τεχνικές ποινές. Μετράει ήδη 5 φέτος, με τελευταία αυτή εναντίον των Raptors όταν και αποκάλεσε τον Turkoglu “flopper”. Αν και γενικότερα δεν έχει άδικο, αυτή τη φορά ο Τούρκος δε φλόπαρε…

Το πιο αστείο στην υπόθεση είναι τα σχόλιά του μετά τον αγώνα όπου ο Sheed δήλωσε πως αν έλεγε κάτι αντίστοιχο το Χρυσό Παιδί (LeBron) ή κάποιος από τους αθλητές που ανήκουν στο “Basketball Without Borders“, όλα θα ήταν καλά.

Για τη γενικότερη γκρίνια των Celtics, φταίει και η τεχνική ποινή στον Paul Pierce μετά από βρώμικο κάρφωμα που έκανε πάνω στον Chris Bosh. Δείτε πως ανοίγει τα πόδια του για να χτυπήσει με το γόνατο τον Bosh σε ευαίσθητο σημείο, για να αποφύγει τη τάπα. Τη τεχνική ποινή όμως, δε τη χρεώθηκε για τη γονατιά αλλά για το προκλητικό κοίταγμα μετά (η ειρωνεία των κανόνων).

O Rasheed είναι ο μόνος παίχτης που έχει καταφέρει να πάρει τεχνική ποινή απλά γιατί κοίταξε τον διαιτητή με ύφος…

They must be kidding with that technical, it’s not like he was standing directly over him.

Above is Paul Pierce’s poster of Chris Bosh from last night, knee to the groin included. After the game and with his nuts the size of grapefruits, CB called out his teammates for not standing up for him as lay on the ground wondering if he’ll ever have kids again (and perhaps regretting letting the last one get away?):

“Yeah, I’d like to see the team more passionate. I look at their bench and they’re all up standing at half-court, and nobody from their team was down on the floor. I think we would react better to just be out there for one another and just stay together.”

Also of note, Raptor tough guy Antoine Wright had some harsh words for his teammates, saying they got “punked” and that “we’re going to have to come together or teams are just going to continue to run us over like this”. Wright also said the following before the game in reference to Wednesday’s embarrassment in Charlotte, according to Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star:

“You’ve got guys in here eating popcorn, joking around before the game. And we go out there and lose by 40. It’s a direct result of what’s going on before the game. Guys not coming in with the right mind frame.”

Nice to see Wright making a stand, but it’s a bit disappointing when the biggest motivator on your team is a backup small forward that couldn’t make a difference to the on-court product if he tried. You gonna get that field goal percentage over .300 next game, Antoine? You worry about that while the guys that are actually on the floor take care of the toughness.

Anyway, a day removed and there’s still not much good to say about these kids. It doesn’t get much easier with Phoenix in town tomorrow with sights set on dropping 250.