On the back of a horrific game six performance, Gary Washburn of the Globe piled on with more bad news: Avery Bradley is almost certainly done for the season. Washburn: A source close to Bradley told the Globe that it’s in the “high 90s” percentile that Bradley will be shut down and will perhaps need [...]
After the Thunder finished up their series by routinely dismantling the Lakers last night to send them packing in five games, a time has been announced for the C’s-Sixers Game 6 on Wednesday night. It will tipoff shortly after 8pm on ESPN. Looking ahead in the postseason, if the C’s do win Game 6, and [...]
I love this decision-making from Rajon Rondo. While leading the break, you can see him eyeballing Ray Allen, who runs the wing and spots up on the arc. The Sixers have a 1-2 disadvantage but are mostly concerned about Allen’s three balls, which allows Mickael Pietrus to make an unmolested baseline cut behind the defense. [...]
A note to all you local C’s fans out there that may be attending the game tonight at TD Garden. The game will start just after 7pm and will be broadcast nationally on TNT. However, unlike most TNT regular season games during the season, the tip will not come 15-20 minutes after the scheduled start [...]
Rajon Rondo is a tremendous player, but he tends to have a little bit of an issue scoring the ball late in games. I won’t go as far as saying he is scared, but he does pass up shots and defer to teammates in crunch-time….well a lot. Last night though may have been his coming [...]
Garnett followed up his season-best effort against Atlanta in Game 6 with a new season-high in points and another sensational double-double, as well 60 percent shooting (12-of-20) from the field. Over his past two contests, Garnett is averaging 28.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, two steals and four blocks a game. After the game, KG was candid [...]
Great win C’s fans. Pretty much a wire-to-wire job and just what the C’s needed to get back on track. The best thing about this win was definitely the heart everyone showed. After having their butts handed to them by Phoenix, it was nice to see this team bounce back and show that despite some starters being sidelined, they can play a little. Let’s start where everyone knows I want to start:
The young guys: Both Giddens and Hudson played very well for what the expectations were. Giddens played well defensively in the first half, getting a great strip on Turkoglu, reminiscent of a strip he got on Kevin Durant earlier in the season. (It was called a foul but it was definitely clean. No homer). Giddens was great with his one-on-one defense but struggled fighting through screens and recovering. I think this can change with minutes. I don’t think he’s had enough time in the NBA to know when to fight over or go under screens and I don’t think he grasps the Thibodeau rotations yet. What continues to be frustrating is Giddens tentativeness on offense. He passed up some very good looks to start the second half that most assuredly will be addressed in practice. I hope J.R. watched himself on tape so he can see what we see and hopefully he’ll do what we want him to do next time. Lester Hudson also made the most of his minutes. Yes he had some ugly turnovers, but almost everything he did made him look like he’s moving in the right direction. Hudson may also be in the top three guys on this team in terms of creating his own shot (no hyperbole). I was surprised to not see any Bill Walker tonight, but a win’s a win.
I never thought I’d say this, but Tony Allen showed a lot of poise tonight. He definitely had his TA Bonehead plays (I counted at least three unforced turnovers) but he showed that he can dribble up the court with little ill-effect. He also had 7 assists, which was a very pleasant surprise. Along with his bonehead plays, TA also added three “is this the end of his career?” moments (two awkward landings after dunks and one collapsed lung?)
The C’s exploited their interior superiority by going inside early and often. Both Perkins and Wallace dominated within five feet of the basket. It may not look like it from the box score, but most of Bosh and Bargnani’s shots came from the outside- or at least the elbow. Wallace showed his re-emerging athleticism with some great moves to the basket including an emphatic dunk. It was probably due to the C’s having the lead for most for the game, but Rasheed took five threes and I only remember thinking one was a bad shot. He also hit a huge one in the corner with a hand in his face. Perkins played very solid, getting a nice double-double. However, his temper showed flares of potential doom. Luckily, no T’s were issued, but how long before Perk blows now that they’re calling his go-to move a traveling violation? Only time will tell. Quick aside on Bargnani/ Turkoglu:I think the Raptors would have been better served to try to get Turkoglu for one year in order for him to tutor Bargnani. They can’t expect the B man to be their power forward because there ain’t nothing powerful about him.
Ray Allen had the game he should have. Ray’s shown in the past that when he tries to re-assume that number one man role he almost has to reprogram himself and his wires don’t always cross correctly. Tonight, he might as well have been wearing a Bucks jersey. He showed a great balance of attacking the basket and taking both midrange and three point jumpers in rhythm. 23 points on 8-13: what more can you ask for? Okay, maybe four dimes….
To all the Baby Haters, please take a seat now. Regardless of his very efficient 15 points and 5 hard-earned boards, Davis played with a ton of passion. He, without hesitation, dove on the floor, fought for rebounds, and made some strong layups. How many guys have to absorb that much contact just to get a layup? Without a call? Not many. Oh, and this game was indicative of how Baby and Williams can share the court and the minutes. Once again, the box score doesn’t show anything to write home to Candace about, but he still played very well and it goes to show how both Shelden and Davis have roles, know them, and execute them.
The Raptors shot 49% and lost. This is especially great for a Celtics team lacking two of its main offensive weapons. I understand that the Celtics main defensive weapon is out too, but they still have the pieces to play great D. Hopefully, we’ll see the opponents FG% go down a bit but after all, a win’s a win.
All right, that’s it from me. Zach Lowe’s getting back into the recappin’ action with a more in-depth look later on. I have no idea what he’ll write about, but I’m sure it’ll have some top-notch statistical analysis.
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