This Is How They Do It (Unfortunately)

Posted by Ryan DeGama on Feb 10, 2012 2676424 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2012%2F02%2F10%2Fthis-is-how-they-do-it-unfortunately%2FThis+Is+How+They+Do+It+%28Unfortunately%292012-02-10+08%3A27%3A24Ryan+DeGamahttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D26764

The Celtics had only three shots in the paint the last ten minutes against the Lakers (that includes the last five minutes in the 4th quarter and the five in overtime). The rest were jumpshots.

Of those three shots in the paint, Pau Gasol blocked two of them, including Ray Allen’s would-be game-winner.

This is a problem, and unfortunately, it’s not a new one. Boston’s finesse offense is far too reliant on jumpshots. The Celtics have almost no post offense and rarely get to the rim in the halfcourt.

To wit: they’re last in the league in shots per game between 3-9 feet, and 20th in the league in shots at the rim (at a conversion rate that’s itself only 20th best).

Sure, the C’s get to the line at a good rate, but they can’t finish at the rim against contesting defenses. Boston has the second worst rate of And-1′s in the NBA.

Ultimately, unless they’re running, Boston can be forced into taking long, contested jumpers. And because they get precious few second chance opportunities on the offensive glass, it’s usually make or miss.

Against the Lakers, it was mostly miss.

Pretty grim, huh?

Here’s the play-by-play of what happened down the stretch, to put an even finer point on it:

4th Quarter

Paul Pierce misses 26-foot three point jumper
Mickael Pietrus makes 23-foot three point jumper
Rajon Rondo misses 15-foot jumper
Pau Gasol blocks Kevin Garnett’s two point shot
Rajon Rondo makes 9-foot running jumper
Metta World Peace blocks Rajon Rondo’s 19-foot jumper
Kevin Garnett misses 18-foot jumper
Ray Allen makes 24-foot three point jumper
Kevin Garnett misses 20-foot jumper
Mickael Pietrus misses 32-foot three point jumper

Overtime

Ray Allen misses 25-foot three point jumper
Rajon Rondo misses 18-foot jumper
Ray Allen misses 14-foot two point shot
Paul Pierce makes 17-foot jumper
Paul Pierce makes 24-foot three point jumper
Kevin Garnett misses jumper
Kevin Garnett misses 20-foot jumper
Paul Pierce misses 18-foot jumper
Pau Gasol blocks Ray Allen’s layup

Here’s the problem: there’s little Boston can do but hope that their barrage of jumpshots fall. They have only one halfcourt player who can create and finish with any reliability (Paul Pierce) and another (Rajon Rondo) who’s deadly in transition but very defensible when he’s roving around the top of the key or the opposition walls off the paint (as the Lakers did last night with Kobe falling back towards the free throw line).

It’s quite the dilemma for Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge. How do you get easier baskets, closer to the hoop, on a regular basis? The current personnel are only built to do that in an uptempo style that isn’t a great fit for playoff basketball.

It’s worth mentioning that Ainge was on WEEI Thursday and noted Boston’s play the next few weeks would play heavily into what he did at the trade deadline. The schedule is just now getting difficult and in assessing Boston’s mettle, this will be one of the things Ainge is watching closely.