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Game 6: Sixers (2-3) @ Celtics (3-2) Open Thread

Brendan Jackson — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:03:25 +0000

Game 6
Celtics @ Sixers
8:00 PM EDT
ESPN
Wells Fargo Center

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 97.8 points per 100 possessions (10th)
Philadelphia: 97.0 points per 100 possessions (11th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 93.2 points allowed per 100 possessions (1st)
Philadelphia: 96.2 points allowed per 100 possessions (5th)

Probable Sixers Starters: Jrue Holiday (PG), Evan Turner (SG), Andre Iguodala (SF), Elton Brand (PF), Spencer Hawes (C)

View From The Opposing Bench: Philadunkia

THUMBNAIL

The longer this series goes, the longer a few things become apparent:

1) Evan Turner is shooting terribly. 31% from the field (18-58) to be exact. If he were to catch fire, the Celtics could be facing a Game 7 before they even get settled in their Philadelphia hotel room.

2) The Celtics injury situation is starting to become troublesome, sort of. Ideally, the Celtics want everyone fully healthy and Avery Bradley and Ray Allen are big parts of what makes the C’s successful. That said, the Celtics can and probably will get past the Sixers without those two being 100%. It’s beyond this series that brings on the troublesome feelings.

3) Kevin Garnet is slowing down. After starting the playoffs blazing a trail of destruction, Garnett has begun to cool off from the field and has not taken advantage of Philadelphia’s smallish (Elton Brand, Lavoy Allen) and poor defending (Spencer Hawes) front line nearly as much as he should be. As long as the Celtics keep winning and Garnett keeps bringing his energy, no one will really notice.

But those thoughts are for another day because the Celtics take on the Sixers in a potential series clinching game. I’d wish for a fast start by the C’s but playing with an early lead does not necessarily guarantee success. The Celtics need to keep their foot on the gas pedal and end this series tonight.

PREDICTION

Celtics 95 – Sixers 85

Pre-Preview Notebook: Bradley Doubtful and KG and Rondo Get Defensive

Brendan Jackson — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:49:05 +0000

Before this year’s post season, you would usually hear the words “Bradley” and “Doubtful” in a sentence like, “it’s doubtful that Milton Bradley will act sane for an entire season” or “it’s doubtful that former Bradley star Patrick O’Bryant will ever live up to where he was drafted. Now, however, NBA fans are getting used to Celtics guard Avery Bradley being doubtful for playoff games with a troublesome shoulder. A shoulder that doesn’t seem to want to stay located as nature intended.

From Mark Murphy, Boston Herald:

As Rivers said earlier this week, Bradley has also injured his right shoulder, perhaps as a result of attempting to compensate for his left, which has popped out of joint at least three times in the last three weeks.

“I’m just frustrated,” said Bradley. “All I can do is try to get stronger and improve for my teammates. I wouldn’t say it’s getting worse. It’s been the same. I just have to try to get stronger. I’m just taking it day by day.”

Rivers certainly didn’t sound encouraged.

“(Bradley is) a little better, but not much,” said the Celtics coach. “I don’t think he’ll play tonight but we’ll find out. He won’t do anything in shootaround before. But we’ll let him warm up, see if he can warm up, and then we’ll go from there.”

There are not a whole lot of things more frustrating for a successful young player than to be temporarily derailed by a nagging injury. Bradley was just starting to get used to the bright lights of the playoffs and was really starting to play with confidence. The Celtics can beat the Sixers without Bradley so it’s best he rest while the can afford it.

The good news, as Murphy adds later in his report, is that the Celtics won’t have to go into Game 6 without Ray Allen and Greg Stiemsma. Both Celtic contributors are as good as they’ll ever be this post season with their respective lower leg injuries.

Luckily for the C’s, the news isn’t all bad, as our good buddy Chris Forsberg over at ESPN Boston reports that Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team:

Rondo earned 29 points off nine first-team and 11 second-team votes; Garnett finished with 26 points on 8 first-team votes and 10 second-team votes.

The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches, who were asked to select NBA All-Defensive first and second teams by position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Two points were awarded for a first-team vote and one point was awarded for a second-team vote.

It seems really odd that Kevin Garnett garnered fewer first team votes than Rondo considering Rondo is more known for being an underachieving reacher and Garnett an absolute, game-changing defensive juggernaut. Also strange, is Avery Bradley’s absence from the list. If he can remain healthy, he should be a mainstay on this list for years to come.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back in a few hours with tonight’s open thread.

Game 3: Celtics (1-1) @ Philadelphia (1-1) Open Thread

Brendan Jackson — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Game 3
Celtics @ Sixers
7:00 PM EDT
TNT
Wells Fargo Center

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 94.0 points per 100 possessions (11th)
Philadelphia: 95.6 points per 100 possessions (10th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 90.4 points allowed per 100 possessions (1st)
Philadelphia: 91.7 points allowed per 100 possessions (3rd)

Probable Sixers Starters: Jrue Holiday (PG), Evan Turner (SG), Andre Iguodala (SF), Elton Brand (PF), Spencer Hawes (C)

View From The Opposing Bench: Philadunkia

THUMBNAIL

All eyes on number 5.

And as well they should be. Kevin Garnett is been pretty much the single reason the Celtics have won playoff games. He’s dominating all facets of the game right now. Scoring, rebounding, defending the post, pick and roll- you name it. It seems oddly fitting that the man responsible for the Celtics success in the post season is the same man who everyone will remember for losing Game 2.

Wait, I should clarify: …is the man everyone will *misremember* for losing Game 2.

There are plenty of reasons why the Celtics lost Game 2 and chief among them was not Kevin Garnett’s moving screen. The Celtics turned the ball over 17 times and were outrebounded 47-36. It’s hard to win when either scenario occurs. The problem with the C’s is that they’ve been able to see a level of success despite their shortcomings. Shortcomings that have been year-long struggles and are unlikely to get solved within a playoff series.

The Celtics will have to continue to win despite their failings, something that can only happen if the desire is there. Game 2 started out with very little playoff intensity and the closer the score remained the bigger the complacency got. Players are obviously injured so when I say complacency, I’m not strictly monitoring how fast someone is running. I looking for players to make the correct plays. Players not turning the ball over. Players not settling for bucket trading. Players being ready to extend the game at all costs if behind.

After Game 2, I asked Doc Rivers if the C’s were prepared to foul after Ray Allen made the three with 3 seconds left. His answer was logical but not inspiring:

No, they had probably given up. But I don’t think that’s a big deal, to be honest. It’s three seconds left. With no time-outs. It was a Hail Mary, basically, by Ray and he made it. So I hope you’re not going to make that an issue tonight. There’s other issues we can make.

Sure. The Celtics were longshots at the point. No one, not even them, expected Allen to make that three. But the question becomes, why take it at all? Why not just dribble out the clock and move on?

The issue I want to make isn’t about those last three seconds. The issue I want to make is about desire. The Celtics are a better team than Philadelphia and they need to show it starting tonight.

I think they will.

PREDICTION

Celtics 92, Sixers 83

Losing Ugly: Celtics 81, Sixers 82

Brendan Jackson — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:37:47 +0000

Philadelphia 76ers

FinalRecap | Box Score

Boston Celtics

	Paul Pierce, SF 37 MIN \| 2-9 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 5 REB \| 3 AST \| 7 PTS \| -3 Pierce played pretty good defense on Andre Iguodala but was otherwise invisible. Nine shot attempts and two free throws in 36+ minutes is not enough against any team, let alone the C’s second round opponent.
	Brandon Bass, PF 24 MIN \| 5-15 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 5 REB \| 0 AST \| 12 PTS \| 0 Okay, he’s not back at all. I still love the spacing he’s getting but something is preventing him from knocking down shots he made with regularity during the regular season. Whether it be mental or physical, it is still very real.
	Kevin Garnett, PF 35 MIN \| 7-12 FG \| 0-1 FT \| 12 REB \| 2 AST \| 15 PTS \| +16 We couldn’t expect Garnett to score 30 every game and definitely not when he only has 12 shot attempts. Despite the drop off in points, KG is still controlling the game with his defense, energy, and rebounding. After last game, Garnett talked about feeding off the crowd and he certainly did that tonight.
	Rajon Rondo, PG 39 MIN \| 4-12 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 7 REB \| 13 AST \| 8 PTS \| -3 From the very tip, Rondo seemed content to toy with the Sixers. He passed up wide open lay ups for assist attempts and it ended up hurting the Celtics big time. He messed around and nearly got a triple-double but there was too much “messing around” and not enough “making the right basketball play.”
	Avery Bradley, SG 20 MIN \| 3-6 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +18 Really hard to knock Bradley for his game tonight. He dislocated his shoulder again and still came back and hit a huge three to keep it close late. Along with his customary ball pressure, Bradley gets a B+ for his troubles.
	Ray Allen, SG 37 MIN \| 7-14 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 17 PTS \| -6 Allen struggled early with his shot and lost Jrue Holiday on defense a couple of times. He battled through it and knocked down some big shots, attacked the basket, and had one huge defensive play on Andre Iguodala. 37 minutes is a lot for a hurt player but maybe he’s just getting healthier.
	Keyon Dooling, PG 12 MIN \| 0-2 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 PTS \| -2 Dooling didn’t do anything bad tonight, but he definitely didn’t do anything great either. Still, he’s an active defender and provides energy for nine minutes a game. Add in a three pointer or two and you have yourself a backup combo guard.
	Ryan Hollins, C 14 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 4 PTS \| -13 Hollins finished two spectacular alley-oops, which is about the only thing you can/should expect from him in terms of contributions. He’s a 7 footer that had 0 rebounds in 7 minutes.
	Mickael Pietrus, SF 12 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 8 PTS \| +2 It was a pleasant surprise to see Pietrus knock down those two threes. The first one was a prayer. The second looked like a confident curl and follow through. His defense was lacking sorely tonight as he routinely got stuck on picks and committed two fouls in 11 minutes. He made up for it by being really active on the glass. It doesn’t really show in the box score, but he was getting his hands on some balls.
	Greg Stiemsma, C 11 MIN \| 1-3 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 2 PTS \| -14 Stiemsma played much better than he has been lately, but his defense left much to be desired. His timing on his block attempts is all off and he’s just fouling anyone who comes near him. I love the jumpers he took tonight even though he didn’t make them. He was open and he showed during the regular season that he can knock them down.

A Great Escape: Celtics 92, Sixers 91

Brendan Jackson — Sun, 13 May 2012 03:18:38 +0000

Philadelphia 76ers

Final Recap | Box Score

Boston Celtics

	Paul Pierce, SF 40 min, 14 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 0 stl, 2 blk, 3-11 FG, 0-2 3FG, 8-8 FT Paul Pierce didn’t completely have it going on the offensive end, but he more than made up for it defending Andre Iguodala for nearly the entire game. He shot horribly right up until that dagger of an elbow jumper with 1:18 to go. It’s always nice to see your go-to guy come up big when it matters most even if he’s been struggling all night.
	Brandon Bass, PF 24 min, 10 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 4-9 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-2 FT Bass is back! Okay, he’s almost back. He attacked the hoop really hard when he found himself in the paint and was able to get a jumper to fall midway through the third quarter. He didn’t shoot well otherwise, but when I say he’s back, I’m really referring to the spacing being back. More like the idea of Bass is back. Bass was able to knock down jumper after jumper in the regular season due to the Celtics ability to draw and kick. The Hawks’ constant switching on defense prevented Bass from being able to get it going at all last series. The Sixers aren’t going to switch as much and Bass should be able to find his groove and start knocking down shots.
	Kevin Garnett, PF 38 min, 29 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk, 12-20 FG, 0-0 3FG, 5-5 FT There is no explanation needed for KG’s grade. But here’s Kevin explaining..er..something?
	Rajon Rondo, PG 40 min, 13 pts, 12 reb, 17 ast, 4 stl, 0 blk, 6-15 FG, 0-3 3FG, 1-2 FT It’s getting to a point where people will start being surprised when Rondo doesn’t have a triple- double. I docked him a third of a grade for his six turnovers and generally uninspired play in the first half. To play that poorly in the first half and still end up with a triple-double is an amazing thing for our collective blood pressures. If Rondo starts out off, there’s still hope that he’ll get it together and start playing well.
	Avery Bradley, SG 27 min, 8 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 4-11 FG, 0-4 3FG, 0-0 FT There were times tonight where Bradley looked 100% healthy and other times he looked like he was still being bothered by his left shoulder injury. The explosiveness in the open court was amazing to see, especially after Rondo appeared to have tweaked his groin doing a Tim Thomas split. Bradley was hip to Rondo’s ailment and took it upon himself to go end to end finishing with an amazing layup through two defenders. Speaking of defenders, Bradley was consistently the best one on the floor the entire game.
	Ray Allen, SG 33 min, 12 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 4-10 FG, 2-7 3FG, 2-2 FT If Ray Allen finds his stroke soon, this series may be over very quickly. I loved Ray’s aggressiveness. His shot wasn’t falling so he appeared to be in attack/hustle mode. He also spent time guarding Andre Iguodala, a player that should have torched/posted Allen up routinely but didn’t due to Ray’s physicality and deceptive quickness. With his busted ankle, he shouldn’t be able to stay in front of anyone but he seems to be managing very well.
	Keyon Dooling, PG 9 min, 4 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 2-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT Say what you want about Keyon Dooling, but the dude tries incredibly hard, is very active, and seems to be able to spell the Celtics guards for 10 minutes a game. If he can continue to do this and the Celtics continue to win, everyone in Beantown is going to be very happy.
	Ryan Hollins, C 10 min, 2 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT There was a scary moment in this game where Ryan Hollins…actually drove to the basket and tried to kick it out before being fouled. It wasn’t exactly a bad play, but I’ve been wondering why Hollins jab steps every time he gets the ball since he got to Boston. Who actually thinks he’s going to put the ball on the deck? The answer: we all might have to start. Another scary moment was Hollins falling on his back after missing an alley oop dunk. Apparently it looked a lot worse than it was but worrying about whether or not Ryan Hollins can come back into the game is a scary prospect. The Celtics had better hope they don’t face a team with an elite front court.
	Mickael Pietrus, SF 11 min, 0 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0-2 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT Remembering that there are two sides of the ball, Pietrus has earned a C. He can defend and he still cannot score.
	Greg Stiemsma, C 9 min, 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 1 blk, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT Where has the Celtic fan favorite gone? The Stiemah is really struggling lately and it’s making it impossible for him to see any substantial court time.

	Paul Pierce, SF 37 MIN \| 2-9 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 5 REB \| 3 AST \| 7 PTS \| -3 Pierce played pretty good defense on Andre Iguodala but was otherwise invisible. Nine shot attempts and two free throws in 36+ minutes is not enough against any team, let alone the C’s second round opponent.
	Brandon Bass, PF 24 MIN \| 5-15 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 5 REB \| 0 AST \| 12 PTS \| 0 Okay, he’s not back at all. I still love the spacing he’s getting but something is preventing him from knocking down shots he made with regularity during the regular season. Whether it be mental or physical, it is still very real.
	Kevin Garnett, PF 35 MIN \| 7-12 FG \| 0-1 FT \| 12 REB \| 2 AST \| 15 PTS \| +16 We couldn’t expect Garnett to score 30 every game and definitely not when he only has 12 shot attempts. Despite the drop off in points, KG is still controlling the game with his defense, energy, and rebounding. After last game, Garnett talked about feeding off the crowd and he certainly did that tonight.
	Rajon Rondo, PG 39 MIN \| 4-12 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 7 REB \| 13 AST \| 8 PTS \| -3 From the very tip, Rondo seemed content to toy with the Sixers. He passed up wide open lay ups for assist attempts and it ended up hurting the Celtics big time. He messed around and nearly got a triple-double but there was too much “messing around” and not enough “making the right basketball play.”
	Avery Bradley, SG 20 MIN \| 3-6 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +18 Really hard to knock Bradley for his game tonight. He dislocated his shoulder again and still came back and hit a huge three to keep it close late. Along with his customary ball pressure, Bradley gets a B+ for his troubles.
	Ray Allen, SG 37 MIN \| 7-14 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 17 PTS \| -6 Allen struggled early with his shot and lost Jrue Holiday on defense a couple of times. He battled through it and knocked down some big shots, attacked the basket, and had one huge defensive play on Andre Iguodala. 37 minutes is a lot for a hurt player but maybe he’s just getting healthier.
	Keyon Dooling, PG 12 MIN \| 0-2 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 PTS \| -2 Dooling didn’t do anything bad tonight, but he definitely didn’t do anything great either. Still, he’s an active defender and provides energy for nine minutes a game. Add in a three pointer or two and you have yourself a backup combo guard.
	Ryan Hollins, C 14 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 4 PTS \| -13 Hollins finished two spectacular alley-oops, which is about the only thing you can/should expect from him in terms of contributions. He’s a 7 footer that had 0 rebounds in 7 minutes.
	Mickael Pietrus, SF 12 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 8 PTS \| +2 It was a pleasant surprise to see Pietrus knock down those two threes. The first one was a prayer. The second looked like a confident curl and follow through. His defense was lacking sorely tonight as he routinely got stuck on picks and committed two fouls in 11 minutes. He made up for it by being really active on the glass. It doesn’t really show in the box score, but he was getting his hands on some balls.
	Greg Stiemsma, C 11 MIN \| 1-3 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 2 PTS \| -14 Stiemsma played much better than he has been lately, but his defense left much to be desired. His timing on his block attempts is all off and he’s just fouling anyone who comes near him. I love the jumpers he took tonight even though he didn’t make them. He was open and he showed during the regular season that he can knock them down.