ESPN • Cavs The Blog • Fear The Sword
Say what you want about this Boston Celtics team. This was just one game. They are still an inherently flawed team. They gave up 113 points and blew a 22 point second half lead. You’d be right on all accounts. Make no mistake though, the Celtics NEEDED to win one of these games.
They had to have a W against an elite team at home. They had to get one against one of their Eastern Conference rivals, something that hadn’t happened since Christmas, and only twice all year long. It wasn’t easy, but this team got over the mental hump, overcoming another 2nd half offensive dry spell to hold off a valiant comeback by the visiting Cavs, with a 117-113 victory.
It’s tough to know where to begin with this game. Let’s just cut to the chase though and get to where most of the focus will be placed in this contest, the near 4th quarter collapse by the C’s and eventual recovery from The Green.
A quick look at the numbers, make you wonder exactly how the C’s overcame their offensive draught in the final frame. C’s fans have seen this team pull this act all year, generally in the 3rd quarter.
With this squad putting up 98 points, while shooting 53 percent over the first 36 minutes, against the 6th best defense in the league, you couldn’t help but think maybe, just maybe, these guys had gotten the proverbial monkey off their back.
Nothing has been easy for this team this year however, and naturally the inevitable collapse arrived with a thud in the final frame.
Through the first ten minutes of the fourth quarter, the C’s scoried a whopping 5 POINTS. Let that resonate for a bit. In a game the home team scored 117 points, they had 113 of those in 38 minutes and survived that shortfall in the fourth quarter. I don’t know which part of that comparison is more impressive.
So what went wrong in those ten minutes you ask? It was a classic pu pu platter of inefficient Celtic offense, with poor shooting leading the way along with some untimely turnovers mixed in. the C’s went a whopping 1 of 13 from the field with 4 turnovers mixed in over this time span.
KG and Pierce were responsible for the drought, combining for 1 of 11 of those shots, while going away from the team best offensive player (Ray Allen) for the entire 10 minutes span. I’ll be breaking these possessions down in greater depth tomorrow, but watching those two guys try to shoot the C’s out of this game with midrange jumpers was painful to watch. Needless to say, it was a classic 2nd half performance from this team this year.
A funny thing happened though as the Cavs concluded their 23-5 run with 2 minutes left, giving them a narrow one point lead with 2:58 left. The Boston Celtics didn’t fold. Adversity has not been a friend of this team, this year. The Green have blown 17 2nd half leads, 8 at home. They have made a habit of crawling into the fetal position when any opponent makes a run on them.
Today, was a different, more resilient Celtic team when it mattered most. They nearly tripled their fourth quarter scoring output in the final two minutes, putting up 14 points and dodging multiple bullets and an untimely TA goaltending call to keep the Cavs hanging around.
The C’s executed when they needed to for a change, (minus Perk’s missed free throws) and perhaps most importantly, shared the ball in the final 2 minutes that enabled a couple layups by unlikely crunch contributors in TA and Rondo along with a dagger three for Ray Allen that gave the C’s enough of a cushion to hold off the Cavs.
Before we get to bullets, a quick word on Lebron’s decision to shoot a 3 on the break, down 2 with 7 seconds left. If I were a Cavs fan, I would have hated the decision. I know he’s the guy that got you there, but with the C’s on their heels and a streaking Antwan Jamison available for would have been an easy 2 under the hoop, James deserves some criticism.
I know this game didn’t mean much on paper to the Cavs, and that in theory, down 2, you go for the three on the road, if you have it in the closing moments. The problem is, Lebron was 0 for 7 shooting from deep on the day. So what? Shooters keep shooting right? Well there’s just one problem. Lebron is a lot of things, but a shooter he is not. He is 34 percent shooter from deep, 33 over the course of his career. It’s easily the weakest part of his game.
LBJ wanted his hero moment, a shot that might have put the clamps on the C’s season and psyche for good. I’ll tell you one thing though. A win for the Cavs in OT would have been just as demoralizing for the C’s and their fan base as James hitting that shot at the end of regulation. If The King goes to the hoop there, worst case scenario he’s going to the line for two. If he makes the pass, it’s a tie game. Instead, he got selfish and cost his team the W, while potentially resuscitating the C’s psyche.
Quick Bullets
* Tony Allen played 18 terrific minutes off the bench, while being his usual maddening self. There was plenty of great defense and timely scoring to go along with some boneheaded mistakes, (fouling a 3 point shooter, goaltending the 3 by Anthony Parker).
The point is, he worked his ass off and hurt more than he helped when he was out there, especially in crunch time hitting the eventual game winning layup. He’s a flawed player but he’s patiently waited his turn and he’s the most consistent player off the pine right now at the 2/3 spot
* Re: New Playoff Rotation. Doc announced after this contest that the nine man rotation we saw out there (TA, Sheed, Finley and Davis off the bench) would be the team’s playoff rotation. I can’t say I disagree with it and am glad Doc is trying to build some continuity after going 12 deep against Houston Friday night.
The clock has run out on Nate Robinson and Marquis Daniels’ passive offensive play for the time being (as well as Nate’s untimely defensive lapses). I wouldn’t rule out seeing these guys down the road, since it’s not beyond TA to play himself back out of the rotation, but for now, the four guys Doc is going with gives this team the best shot to win games.
* Can’t say enough about the C’s back court today. Ray Allen was the hero with 33 points, despite barely having the chance to touch the ball in the final quarter until late. Allen was on fire from deep (6-9) and mixed up his offensive play well, attacking the basket to keep the Cavs on their heels. Just a turn back the clock effort in 42 minutes.
Meanwhile, Rajon Rondo had a tremendous performance as well, going for 16 points and 14 assists with perhaps most importantly just one turnover. Guy did it all
* Haven’t talked much about the C’s defense. Zach will have a lot on that tomorrow. Needless to say, after a solid 1st half, 64 2nd half point for Cavs can’t happen. A win is a win, but there’s a lot of work to do on this end.
* Cavs supporting case was 7 of 8 from deep. Lebron had 9 assists, all in the 1st half. This was probably one day when he should have trusted his teammates more.
*Sheed’s T was pathetic. Kudos to Doc forbenching him for showing him up out there.
*I don’t know if it’s Pierce’s conditioning or his injuries, but he really seems to run out of gas late in games now, front rimming his shots. It was very good to see him willing to give up the ball down the stretch, along with KG down the stretch. They just need to do it earlier next time, when they go cold all quarter and stop attacking the basket.
I probably missed a ton, but we will have much more on this one tomorrow. C’s still one back of the Hawks and with Bogut going down, likely for the year, the battle for 1st round positioning just got a whole lot more interesting. For now though, big confidence boost for the C’s in taking this one down.
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You missed talking about Big Baby!!! Oh my goodness he had so many hustle plays. Getting blocks, saving the ball from out of bounds, and getting offensive rebounds. I thought he was fantastic today
“nail on head” on lebron’s 3. but that was the beauty of the game. KGs smacktalking actually goaded him into it. and he kept going until the end to make sure he remembers it for the playoffs.
as far as i’m concerned the Cs just gained the mental edge on this team for Rd2. just keep doing the same badboy routine and have lebron’s ego do the rest. lebron is the only one that can beat the lebrons.
I think they slow up in the fourth because of Pierce. Not just his energy but also his insistence on taking the ball at the elbow and throwing away possessions.
If Rondo’s creating like he does the rest of the game, and he’s finding guys for easy layups, like he does the rest of the game, and making sure Ray gets shots, like he does the rest of the game – we win handily.
The win is nice, but nothing’s changed with this team. They still can’t play a full game. Second round and out.
Dunno about PP. If he was tired today it’s hard to know why – he missed almost the entire 3d quarter with foul trouble. Should have been fresh.
Was that goaltending call right? From what the replays showed, the ball looked like it had bounced off the rim before it made any contact with TA.
@Sophomore:
I think being the primary defender on LeBron might have something to do with it, lol.
I can’t tell what to make of this one game. Either
A) optimism: the Celts did anything they wanted, but just had a horrid and unlucky cold stretch, or
B) pessimism: when the Cavs really tried, they did whatever they wanted on both sides of the court.
So basically, I still have no idea where this team really is. Of course, seeing the Spurs take care of the Lakers makes me feel better about the C’s loss to SA. The playoffs just can’t get here fast enough for me. Who are these Cs? The playoffs will ultimately settle that Q for all of us.
Btw, I am in complete agreement that TA has earned Quisy’s time. However, (and I’m not saying TA did a bad job on James), Quisy is a very solid defender and for some reason he matches up against James very well. I’ve seen James struggle against Quisy, get stonewalled, get picked and Quisy made it look easy (no rhyme intended) too. When James went into “full steam ahead at the basket every play no matter what and it’s going to work because even if I miss the refs will blow the whistle every time” mode, I really would’ve liked to see Doc give Quisy an opportunity to step up there and see if he could at the very least slow the onslaught. James was flat out taking over. He needed SOME resistance and I don’t think Quisy could have done worse than what Pierce was doing. I mean, so what if Quisy O is for naught anymore, he can’t be our Bowen? If your D holds a 40 point performer down to 25, O be damned, that’s helping your team win and that’s all that matters come playoff time.
TA didn’t goaltend that ball. Bad call.
rondoislove says:
April 5, 2010 at 12:10 am
Was that goaltending call right? From what the replays showed, the ball looked like it had bounced off the rim before it made any contact with TA.
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Replays showed the ball bouncing off the rim as TA grabbed it. Problem was TA grabbed it too quickly, his hands blocked the ref’s view and those refs dont check replays. Oh and Doc didn’t have a red challenge flag to throw down. So yeah..bad call by refs but those kinda calls happen. Good hustle by TA, abit quick on the leap but these kinda things happen.
- The TA goaltend happened because TA boneheadedly jumped too soon, and too eagerly. It was impossible to see exactly what happened without replay, and the refs just got it wrong. But TA should not have been up there, out of control and with hands a centimeter away from touching the ball BEFORE it hit the rim.
- For all the analysis here and elsewhere, there is still NO ANSWER for why the Cs collapsed as they did in Q4.
Zach — it’s up to you. YOU HAVE GOT TO FIGURE THIS OUT. What kind of switch is getting thrown – in this case at the top of Q4 – that causes the entire Celtics game plan to fall apart so dramatically? Does it look like experimentation? Like a plan being tried out that’s failing (and will hopefully therefore be gone in the playoffs)? Or what??
No one has explained it so far. Or even come close. They play great ball for 36 minutes, and then CLICK — it’s gone, in an instant. There is an explanation.
First off—What is this experimentation theory that’s being talked about. There is no experimentation going on here, and there is an explanation as to why the Celtics continue with the Jekyl and Hyde act. In pro basketball when a player is red hot like Ray was today you continue to go to the well until the well runs dry. Anyone want to explain why Ray wasn’t getting enough touches throughout the 4th quarter? I have noticed that for some unexplainable reason the C’s feel the need to start freelancing with the ball—particularly Rondo and Pierce-probably due to their over inflated egos–rather then just let the offense flow—-If it ain’t broke-don’t fix it. If they would just stop messing with what works-They would be okay. Blowing a 22 point lead in a game they completely controlled for 3 quarters makes me nervous–particularly against the Cavs. By the way, I’m getting a bit sick of hearing Pierce talk about how great he still is without proving it. Seems to me he wastes alote of C’s possessions trying to go one on one without positive results–All he is doing is creating turnovers,wasted possessions that are opening the door for comebacks by the other team.If he’s going to go isolation–he better start producing or give it up.
IMHo, with Anderson on the floor, this game would be a loss!
@Jeff
You don’t feel bad about the last three games when you realize the Spurs knocked off Cleveland. Boston, and LA on their home floor, and Olk City is one hot ball club closing out the Wolves last night and the Mavs in Dallas Saturday night. So, it speaks as much to the strength of those teams as it does the Celts’ flaws.
I’m with you on Quis. I’m not ready to say he’s been kicked to curb for the remainder of the season. Whether it’s a substitution based on foul trouble or match ups he’ll get his chance to contribute the way we all know he can.
Right now we’re looking at the prospect of facing D. Wade, and then Lebron in the playoffs. When it comes to scoring the ball, both guys are great at driving to the rim like battering rams. We know they’re going to get the benefit of calls. So Quis and TA will provide 12 extras fouls at the wing position. Those type of players dominate the ball for long stretches, so running multiple players at them forces their supporting cast to make a play.
D Wade and Lebron are going to get their numbers. So did Wilt, but Russell and Red knew the corresponding role players couldn’t beat them, and more often than not they were right.
@Stephen
The Celtic offense is nowhere as efficient as it was in the past. Statically they’re in the middle of the pack, and there have been times they’ve come up empty when a clutch or momentum type shot was needed. So the Celts cannot expect to outscore opponents and win ball games on a consistent basis.
When the shots aren’t going down in a particular quarter, or throughout a game, lapses on defense occur more often than we’ve seen in the past.
Just look at the amount of points they are yielding. Too many games are being played in the hundreds. Cleveland shot 50% yesterday. Celts need to tighten up defensively otherwise they won’t go very far.
@DRJ
A lot of back and fourth banter about TA’s goaltending, and while you’re right about it being a mental blunder it did not determine the outcome of the game.
I thought the of lack of composure and amount of asinine technicals had just as good chance in determining the end result as Lebron’s missed three, and Ray’s clutch three.
As far as the Celtic collapses go — on the court, it’s a by product of not closing out defensively; not contesting, and not rebounding.
I take the word of Mkie Gorman, Bulpet, and Camrato as gospel. They’re really plugged into the team. So when all three concur the team is unified and not point fingers at each other I beleive that. But since 23-5 start a dichotomy of issues started to unfold. Rondo’s contract, the injuries, Rondo and Perk assuming a larger part of the leadership mantle, the Sheed factor, and Ray’s slump during the trade rumors.
My point is, there are a lot of moving parts this season creating chemistry issues. I beleive if this team is healthy they can win consistently. The question is — can they oalesce fast enough and do it on the fly?
Big Baby almost killed a woman.
and re: the goal-tending: It was probably a bad call on TA, but there was no reason for him to touch the ball so soon after it hit the rim. Classic TA.
@Zach– I want to thank you for that. That comment really puts things into perspective for me!! ha
classic TA indeed. wrong call, but no way the refs can see that in real time, he forced the (bad) call.
baby swag with his excessive theatrics is great entertainment value.
@DRJ1: i think the late game collapses by the Cs have been simply because the top teams in the NBA coast through the first half, and only try in the 2nd half. the Cs have been unable to rise up with them late.
@Zach
You might be right, but there’s no “maybe” on it, it was definitely a bad call. And honestly I don’t blame TA, if you look at the replay, when that shot first went up, I remember thinking “way short” I wasn’t convinced it would make rim, and I think TA went up for it with the idea it might short the rim.
As it happened, it bounced from rim, and out. It’s not a goal tending, the ball was off the rim if you watch the slow-mo (albeit just barely.) Easy call to miss, granted (and that’s something which should definitely be reviewable) but that was not goal tending.
By the way, can we stop giving Paul at the top of the key… ever. Even early in games he’s barely hitting that step back jumper anywhere near where we used to. Never mind late in games, it already lost the Houston game for them last week.
For the love of god give the ball to Rondo and let him create. The offense works best with the ball in Rondo’s hands, it doesn’t take a Basketball genius to figure that out right now.
Rasheed Wallace… F*** you. Crybaby. Watch your mouth when talking to Doc, you haven’t earned the right to complain about being benched you over-paid, lazy ass, has-been.
Ray-Ray’s shot is so pure I literally mist up every time I see him shoot. It’s something he’ll be able to do for a long time, and the C’s better sign him next year for a reduced role, I can see Ray being the Crawford/Johnson type off the bench for a few year. In reduced minutes, with fresher legs (and playing eh crunch minutes) this guy could shoot for 2-3 more years easy.
Let me start by saying TA and Ray both deserve the gameball. I never thought it could happen, but TA did a GREAT job on Lebron. Of course guarding Lebron is virtually impossible as he is such a freak and the refs will give a FT if you dare to touch him.
Here is the problem with the 4th quarter. PAUL PIERCE. The guy is going back to being a ball hog again in the 4th quarter. He is trying so hard to be a hero that he rarely pass the ball. All he does is dribble and put up one bad shot one after another. How do you not give the ball to Ray Allen when he was clearly on fire? This is Pierce’s and Doc River’s fault for not telling their guys to pass the ball to Ray. Paul Pierce needs to let that ego go, he is past his prime and he is not Kobe or Lebron. Oh yeah, I am sick of those iso play with him dribbling the clock out too. He is what, 1 for 50 in the last two years on that play? He screwed that up twice against Houston!!! I am so fed up with the lack of ball movement in the 4th. Oh yeah, stop giving the ball to Perk and let him fumble or choke in key situation. Has he made a free throw in the last two minute of a game yet?
The atmosphere was great in the Garden, probably the best game I have been to all year (i went to 50% of the home games)
Some pretty wonky officiating in this game, especially in regards to Rondo. He got bumped hard twice and got no whistles. That T was well earned and necessary. Are referees on the take?
You wrote that Tony Allen hurt more than he helped – I think you meant he helped more than he hurt….?
The optimism being displayed here is truly astounding. Where will it be when the Celts blow another winnable game at home against a bad team? Can’t make so much out of one game.
@Rich
Optimism beats cynicism anyway. So I’ll take it. Playoffs is a brand new ball game, so you’re right in that aspect, we’ll just have to wait and see.
JayP–good point–optimism does beat cynicism, but realism beats both. C’s probably get past the first round-Key word-”PROBABLY”–after that they are finished–If the C’s can somehow correct what they have been doing all year–blowing huge leads, I’ll be the first to eat my words. I think the best thing that actually came out of this game is that the team needed to see Doc man up and bench that loud mouth A-hole Rasheed. It’s about time.
I love the fact that in the end we hung in there just enough to win… granted we should’ve won by double figures; however in order for that to happen we have to leave the switch on in the fourth. Something apparently is too much to ask for.
No offense to PP but it can’t be all him in the fourth… I’ve been saying it all year Rondo has been our best player the offense should be running through him and yesterday he should have been allowed to feed Ray the ball because that man was on fire.
TA had his classic bonehead moment reminding us that he is still capable of stupidity… but you can’t fault the effort he’s been playing with lately.
Speaking of stupidity… Sheed’s latest tech. What the hell, dude?
The C;s talk a lot of trash and it was obvious we got to the Cav’s even Lebron and for some reason that made me happy. Knowing that depsite the major belief teams no longer fear us we still have the ability to get in a teams head the way we did kind of makes me smile.
Finally I’m still trying to figure this one out. How in a game as physical as yesterday’s got did Lebron manage to play 45 minutes and not have a single foul? I’m well aware we are talking about the current Superstar of all superstars in the league but this is still puzzling to me.