Rajon Rondo is a tremendous player, but he tends to have a little bit of an issue scoring the ball late in games. I won’t go as far as saying he is scared, but he does pass up shots and defer to teammates in crunch-time….well a lot. Last night though may have been his coming [...]
Garnett followed up his season-best effort against Atlanta in Game 6 with a new season-high in points and another sensational double-double, as well 60 percent shooting (12-of-20) from the field. Over his past two contests, Garnett is averaging 28.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, two steals and four blocks a game. After the game, KG was candid [...]
Before every playoff series this season, we’re doing some rundowns on the opposing roster for each team. Now that the Hawks have been dispensed with, we’re onto the Sixers. Here’s Part II. Players are listed in alphabetical order. Andre Iguodala: There are five guys in the league who have a claim on the title of [...]
Mike Fratello had it right: the NBA announced today that Al Horford should have been given a free throw on Marquis Daniels’s off-ball foul at the end of Thursday’s game. At the time, ref Eric Lewis ruled that Daniels’s foul had occurred after the throw-in, making him probably the only person in the arena who [...]
Boston will face off with the Hawks on Thursday night at 8pm at TD Garden. The broadcast can be seen on TNT or CSN locally. There was a risk that it would be a 6pm tip for Boston-Atlanta, if the Nuggets failed to extend the series last night against the Lakers. That would have created [...]
Desperate times call for desperate measures and after a blowout in Game 4, Atlanta’s head coach Larry Drew is going to shake things up a bit and add some bulk to his starting five at each position. Kirk Hinrich and Jason Collins will head to the bench, while Marvin Williams will be inserted at small [...]
Paul Pierce, SF42 MIN | 8-13 FG | 4-4 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 24 PTS | -3The good news is the outside shot returned for The Truth, and he got fouled on the layup he missed with 2:15 remaining and the game tied, but was killed on the glass in the fourth quarter by Thaddeus and Lavoy up front. That’s not totally on Paul who played 42 minutes on a bad wheel with an undersized lineup, but collectively this team needs to do better on the glass if Philly isn’t going to counter small as well.
Brandon Bass, PF22 MIN | 6-10 FG | 3-4 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 15 PTS | +4One night where he looked solid offensively, he still was stuck with minutes in the low 20’s and saw no action in the fourth quarter as Doc rode things out with KG and the small lineup. If there was ever a night to question Doc on that philosophy as Philly repeatedly killed the Sixers on the glass, this loss might be it.
Kevin Garnett, PF40 MIN | 3-12 FG | 3-4 FT | 11 REB | 2 AST | 9 PTS | -2Defensively, he was as tremendous as always, but he was due for a stinker offensively and we got one tonight. The poor shooting you can live with, but the seven turnovers hurt. Still for the blame pie in this one, he’s at the bottom of the list.
Rajon Rondo, PG41 MIN | 7-14 FG | 1-1 FT | 4 REB | 15 AST | 15 PTS | -6An admirable double-double, and a couple big shots to keep the C’s close late, but not one of his better efforts overall. Some really careless passes throughout the night contributed to Boston’s playoff-high 18 turnovers and a little too much hero ball at the end there would have been nice as he was unable to match Philly down the stretch shot for shot. Not enough discipline out of the guy all game after Boston’s hot start.
Avery Bradley, SG27 MIN | 2-6 FG | 3-4 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +12The defense was there, but he’s still struggling with his outside shot, which hurts for an offense that is bottom of the barrel to begin with. Played through his shoulder popping out again, so the guy is still showing his toughness, but Philly really benefited from his foul trouble in the third quarter, getting themselves back into the game over that stretch.
Ray Allen, SG31 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | -24A tough night for Ray with a game-high -24, and another non-factor night for him offensively. He can’t get any separation still on that bad ankle, and while he is helping out with the rebounding, the defense against Iguodala is not up to par, which is the matchup the C’s were forced to go too with the Sixers staying big while Boston remained small.
Keyon Dooling, PG9 MIN | 0-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 PTS | -8Four missed shots and three fouls in nine minutes. Full court pressure might not be a good idea on Lou Williams either. Blah.
Ryan Hollins, C15 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 2 PTS | -13He made a move in the post and took a fadeaway shot tonight. Let’s hope that never happens again.
Mickael Pietrus, SF12 MIN | 1-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | -3After a nice 3 in the first half, he was back to good old Mickael, missing his next three attempts.
One Thing We Saw
C’s have not made it easy on themselves all season so why start now? That was their biggest blown lead since 2009 and you know what? They absolutely deserved to lose this game too. 17 turnovers, 17 offensive rebounds allowed, 27 fast break points by Philly resulted in a blown 17-point halftime lead. The Celts’ had them on the ropes and as Doc Rivers put it during the postgame, they lost their composure. After scoring 18 points in the first 6 minutes, they scored 65 over the final 42 minutes. That’s putrid offense and wasn’t enough to get the job done. And instead of heading home feeling good about themselves, we now have a series on our hands.
Game 4
Celtics @ Sixers
8:00 PM EDT
ESPN
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
For Game 4, I joined Chris Forsberg over at ESPNBoston to break down what to expect in Game 4. Here’s a sampling of what we covered in our game of 2-on-2. You can check out the full post at ESPNBoston
1. Predict the unpredictable: Can the C’s carry their momentum from Game 3 over to Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 lead?
Robb: I like their chances of maintaining the momentum. This team hasn’t made it easy on themselves all season, but after Game 3 you have to think the C’s smell blood. They know a 3-1 series lead all but puts away Philadelphia for good. Plus, with Miami having their hands full with Indiana on the other side of the bracket, a quick wrap to the series could bring several days off, which is plenty of motivation for the ailing members of the roster. Besides the added rest incentive, I just think the C’s worst basketball of the series is behind them. They won’t replicate their nearly perfect Game 3 effort, but Kevin Garnett can’t be stopped, Mickael Pietrus has rediscovered his shot, and the C’s have made defensive adjustments that will be tough for the Sixers to counter heading into Game 4.
Forsberg: We hear so much about the importance of peaking at the right time in sports. Well, I don’t know if it’s possible for the Celtics to peak considering the lingering injuries they’re battling, but I wonder if — apologies for an awkward sounding phrase — they can consistent at the right time. All season we’ve been seemingly waiting for this team to build off quality performances. And yet they always seem to let off the accelerator a little bit, making things just a bit more difficult on themselves. Friday’s Game 4 is a chance to all but lock up this series, build off the boundless confidence that seems to exist after Game 3. Heck, with another effort like Wednesday night, the Celtics could consider printing up some Pacer-like T-shirts with Green Swagger on it for later in the playoffs. You get the feeling this team is locked in and focused, but they gotta show it. It’ll also be interesting to see how Philadelphia responds to this adversity; they’ve rebounded from each previous playoff loss with a win, but can they keep up the trend in Game 4?
When Rajon Rondo shows feisty aggressiveness in a game’s first 12 minutes, it’s the rarest of treats. Watching it live, knowing you’re in for 48 minutes of “I could be witnessing history” basketball, is like heading to a golf course at 3 pm on a Sunday and not getting paired up with two people who married each other before the Vietnam War. It’s walking into a crowded Starbucks and snagging the last empty, comfy chair located right above an outlet. It’s winning a bet with your girlfriend and getting to see Chernobyl Diaries instead of What To Expect When You’re Expecting. Moments like these are few and far between; little bits of time that deserve to be remembered—cherished, even—with proper acknowledgment.
Sometimes Rondo’s impressive stat stuffing performances look like subtle invasions. In some of them you sit there sopping it up, yet as the score rocks back and forth, and his shot attempts spread themselves further and further apart, the pervasive way Rondo debilitates an opponent can sometimes get overlooked. He has the athleticism, speed, and skill to take over any basketball game with his ability to score the ball, but his temperamental behavior tends to combat a self-created aura of dominance, leaving his teammates, coaches, owners, and fans to wonder why he doesn’t attack the basket more often—why he can’t recognize that sometimes the team needs him to use those gifts of his to score instead of distribute.
Wednesday night Rondo gave us his finest first quarter of the season—in arguably his team’s most important game of the year—scoring 13 points on eight shots; registering just one assist, showing that his mind was committed to one thing: scoring. When Greg Stiemsma subbed in for Garnett after the team’s current MVP picked up two quick fouls, Rondo scored Boston’s next nine points before setting up Pierce for an inspiring dunk. He understood he was the only Celtic carrying a flashlight. Rondo was there to lead the way. This article is my way of showing some appreciation. Read the rest of this entry »
Words suck so let’s catch up with a few choice highlights from games two and three.
Here, Brandon Bass engages in some reputational counter-programming, not only rotating to cut off a drive but rising up to reject a Spencer Hawes dunk.
One of the great things about Paul Pierce is the audible yelp he emits when dunking, being fouled or pretending to be fouled. Here are the two game three dunks that – alone – raised expectations for banner number 18 across New England.
Including Kevin Garnett, the C’s suddenly find themselves with three centers. Here Rondo finds both of KG’s backups for alley-oops. The first, to Greg Stiemsma, is pretty but the second, to Ryan Hollins, has a nice bit of misdirection and perfect, measured timing from RR. Read the rest of this entry »
The reasons why Boston leveled Philadelphia last night are innumerable. There was focus from Rajon Rondo, intensity from Paul Pierce, and overall dominance shown by Kevin Garnett. But getting into specifics, one of the biggest weapons they used to make a statement was via their bread and butter: defensive execution. In particular, how they guarded the pick and roll.
From the start, Boston’s strategy was a clear adjustment from what they did in Game 2. Here they wanted to trap the pick and roll, bullying the ball out of the hands of Philadelphia’s play-makers and towards guys who aren’t used to standing 15 feet from the basket with the shot clock winding down and a defender rotating towards their face. Read the rest of this entry »
The Ticker
Loading ...
