Terrence Williams was on the verge of coming back to the Boston Celtics next season after being one of the few bright spots of the Celtics’ postseason. Now, that journey is just an afterthought. According to a report from the Kent Reporter, a newspaper in Williams’ home state of Washington, the point guard was arrested yesterday [...]
As we await Kevin Garnett’s decision about whether or not he will play a 7th season with the Boston Celtics, an important physical limitation has been avoided for the big man. After laboring through the last couple months of the season with a foot/ankle injury, which caused him to miss much of the regular season, [...]
Yesterday was a good day in Boston. We found out Doc Rivers would definitely be coming back as a head coach, the Bruins won in overtime, and the Sox had a big comeback as well. As the first big decision of the Celtics offseason came in though, a brighter light begins to shine down now [...]
Unless we’re discussing the eight or nine best players in the world, it’s impossible to separate a contract’s price from a player’s expectations, value, and overall performance. Jeff Green is the manifestation of this theory. In August he was guaranteed $36 million over four years, even though he didn’t play a single game during the [...]
On June 23rd, 2011, Brian Robb and I stood around a high top bar table in Tommy Doyle’s in Kendall Square. Before us lay one of the biggest mounds of buffalo chicken wings I had ever endeavor to make disappear. These 25 cent flappers- one of the few indulgences afforded to the participants of our [...]
There are a number of contextually-appropriate ways to craft this post. One would be to forgo words entirely, and represent Chris Wilcox’s entire season with a series of videos. That would involve one part of this: For every eight parts of this: Note the headline on that second clip. Someone was so amused/enraged by Wilcox’s [...]
Paul Pierce, SF35 MIN | 7-16 FG | 0-0 FT | 10 REB | 2 AST | 15 PTS | +4
Hard to fault Pierce for the last shot attempt. The Spurs did an excellent job denying the inbounds pass and by the time he got the ball he had to shoot an ill-advised step back. A shade the other way and we’re talking about how clutch Pierce is.
Overall, it was great to see Pierce’s jumper falling and his decision to continue attacking the basket despite not getting any calls from the officials. To make matters worse, he was in foul trouble for most of the night. I know Pierce has been in the game a long time, but it still must be frustrating to get fouls called on you and not go to the free throw line once.
Bass wasn’t his usual self on the offensive end. He didn’t get nearly as many touches on pick-and-pop plays as he’s used to and his point total suffered because of it. That said, he was unbelievable on defense tonight. He stayed on the floor when he needed to, he anticipated really well, and he played excellent pick-and-roll defense in the second half. His team defense has been a long time coming but at least it appears to be here.
Kevin Garnett, PF33 MIN | 7-19 FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 5 AST | 16 PTS | -7
Garnett missed a lot of open jumpers tonight and even struggled in a switch on Danny Green in the post. On the flip side, he played with his usual intensity which is always welcome.
Ray Allen, SG35 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 5 PTS | +3
Ray Allen was the beneficiary of some grade inflation. He played terribly for much of the game and was almost entirely ineffective on offense. Despite his less-than-stellar return, Allen was active on the glass and hit a three in the fourth quarter to keep the game competitive.
Rondo played his heart out until about three minutes to go in the game. It’s hard to fault him for letting up considering how many minutes he spent running his team up and down the floor. He consistently pushed the ball up the floor which could have been the sole offensive-related reason the Celtics came back in the third quarter.
This grade was more of an incomplete. His most memorable moment was taking a funny runner on a fast break that rimmed out. Dooling felt contact and thought he would get the call, didn’t, and missed a tough shot. Ray Allen played 35 minutes and Dooling played 10. I really wish they met somewhere in the middle.
Pavlovic really made the most of his minutes tonight. He still continues to move about the court as if he can’t bend his back but any positive minutes he can give while Pietrus is out is gravy.
Bradley continues to completely wow on both ends of the floor. It was really hard to find anything negative about his performance tonight.
Three Things We Saw
Doc Rivers made a critical mistake taking Brandon Bass out in favor to Kevin Garnett with under three to go. I don’t mind a tired Garnett coming back in the game but he should have replaced Allen. The Spurs had Duncan and Bonner in the game and Garnett and Bass could have easily held their own on defense. I know Allen made a crucial three pointer, but the Spurs snagged four offensive rebounds in the last three minutes. I’m pretty sure preventing those were worth more than three points.
On a positive note, the Celtics can hang with the second best team in the West. I know the Spurs played last night and were on the road but their marquee players got plenty of rest after blowing Cleveland out. It’s hard to take any moral victories from any loss but if you were going to, tonight would be the night. The C’s battled back, they played extremely hard, and they were a play away from winning.
The Celtics may have squandered two things by losing tonight. Toronto gave the C’s a huge gift by destroying the Sixers. To make matters worse, the Celtics have to travel to Chicago tomorrow to play the Bulls and word on the street is that Derrick Rose plans to play. The Celtics may be looking at a quick two game losing streak before they even know what hit them.
The Ticker
