Yes. This is a “pat myself on the back” post because a) I’m a jackass and b) I predicted something correctly. Back on January 8th, I predicted that the next ten games will tell us everything we need to know about this Celtics’ team. If they struggled, it was time to blow it up. If [...]
One day before he’s scheduled to pass Larry Bird for second on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list, Paul Pierce won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. Pierce averaged 22 points, 6.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds in four Boston wins, playing point forward in Rajon Rondo’s absence. Pierce is only 9 points behind Bird [...]
Via ESPN Boston’s Chris Forsberg, who knows a great, playful rant when he hears one, here’s Kevin Garnett discussing his not-so-newfound aptitude for three-point shooting after the C’s took down the Grizzlies. “When I walk around the streets, y’all stop acting like y’all shocked that I can shoot 3’s. Everybody in Boston, everybody in the [...]
I talked with Memphis guard O.J. Mayo prior to the Celtics-Grizzlies, Super Bowl Sunday game at the Garden. Here is what the 4th year man out of USC, who is averaging 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game had to say. 1. You started every game your first two years in the league, [...]
I talked with New York starting guard Landry Fields prior to the Celtics-Knicks game at the TD Garden. Here is what the 2nd year man out of Stanford, who is averaging 10 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists had to say. 1. I’m sure you guys are frustrated with your record to this point of [...]
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With the Celtics rounding back into 2010-11 form (excellent defense, mediocre offense, poor rebounding) Danny Ainge will soon face a decision. Are the Celtics good enough to go three or four rounds deep in the playoffs with the kinds of upgrades he can pull off in the next six weeks? And what upgrades might he pursue?
Right now, the C’s are probably a second round out to Miami or Chicago. At absolute best, they lose in the conference finals, but even that may be a stretch, given the age of the core players and the weaknesses noted above. It’s a safe bet that Ainge has a less romantic view of a final, desperate run for this core than many fans, especially if he believes the outcome is, at best, going a couple of rounds deep. It’s bloodless, but I think Ainge has to seriously augment or disassemble this core.
The real gap is at the center position. You’d be forgiven for having doubts about Avery Bradley and E’Twaun Moore’s abilities to handle high-pressure playoff minutes but finding a Sam Cassell or Stephon Marbury is a lot easier than finding a mid-season big, as Mikki Moore made clear a couple of years ago. A center that could haul in some rebounds, trigger the fast break, protect the rim and score a little bit would be significant. Read the rest of this entry »
Nickname origin stories are fun. Not just-for-sports nicknames like Paul “The Truth” Pierce or Joel “Ghostface” Pryzbilla. Real nicknames; the kind that show up on team rosters and that players go by in their everyday lives, often to the point that the people around them don’t even realize that they go by nicknames at all.
Several players with crazy nicknames have played for the Boston Celtics. Here are the craziest five of them. All of these stories are true and supportable by a cursory Google search.
5. “Mikki” Moore
Mikki Moore’s real name is Clinton, not Mikki, a name famous for not sounding like it’s supposed to. Mikki was nicknamed after “Little Mikey” from the Life Cereal commercials, apparently because he loved Life Cereal as a kid. I bet he really enjoyed spending his last five years in the NBA trying to explain that to his teammates, most of whom were born ten years after that commercial last aired on television.
Stephen Curry, 2010: Why do they call you Mikki?
Mikki: Because I enjoyed Life Cereal to a degree that drew comparisons to the boy from the Life Cereal commercials.
Stephen: Who?
Mikki: There was a boy named Mikey who appeared in Life Cereal commercials in the 70′s. He hated everything, but he loved Life Cereal, and he gave the other children the courage to try Life Cereal for themselves.
Stephen: …
Mikki: It was a wonderful commercial.
Stephen: Then…why is it spelled that way? Shouldn’t it be spelled the same way as the kid’s name? Who came up with that spelling?
Mikki: (is waived by Golden State)
4. “PJ” Brown
PJ Brown has neither a “P” nor a “J” in his entire name. His real name is Collier. He was named PJ as a child because, to the best of his recollection, he loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The Celtics played to two of their major offensive strengths against Memphis.
With Rajon Rondo consistently pushing tempo, the C’s got out in transition regularly and put up 26 fast break points. Running is an efficiency move for the Celtics as they’re first in the league with 1.2 points per transition possession (per mySynergySports).
They also launched up 20 three-pointers, another good thing. The Celtics shoot 42.2% on threes, which is first in the league by a healthy margin over the second place Hawks, who are hitting 39.9%. The Celtics have shot 20 or more three-pointers only five times this season. They’ve won each of those games.
The win against Memphis was a frustratingly atypical performance for the C’s because they play so slow — they’re third last in the league in pace — and as a result, they only get up 15.4 three-point shots a game (22nd in the league). Despite much prodding from Doc Rivers to push tempo, the Celtics often default to walking the ball upcourt and settling into their offensive sets with around 12 seconds left on the clock.
Pace is only partially responsible for the lack of efficient shots, of course. It’s reasonable to wonder if the Celtics’ offensive play selection is maximizing their offensive output. It’s even more reasonable to wonder about the lineups, and whether they’re “young” enough to maintain their energy. And it’s obvious the Celtics lack the kind of rebounding that promotes the running game. Read the rest of this entry »
This post is an apology. A few days ago, I explicitly stated that I didn’t think Kevin Garnett should shoot more threes, as local columnists and many of his teammates were aggressively nagging him to do. I supported my position with the evidence that KG is a 28% career 3-point shooter (which was actually very generous, because he hasn’t sniffed that percentage in about eight years). When you compare his three-point efficiency to his 45% shooting from 16-23 feet, you get more expected points from a long jumper than from a three.
(.284)*3 = .852 expected points per shot
(.450)*2 = .9 expected points per shot
I also probably felt like it was unconventional and bloggy to say that KG shouldn’t shoot more threes, because basically everyone thinks he should. I’m not proud.
In any case, I’ve changed my mind. I think KG should shoot about one three per game, just as he’s done in his lastthreegames. Here’s why: throughout his career, when KG shoots more threes, he tends to shoot them at a higher percentage.
Here are two charts showing KG’s long-range shooting by year during his time in Minnesota (he’s never really shot threes with Boston): the top one is his three-point attempts, and the bottom is his three-point efficiency.
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