1983-84 Boston Celtics
Record: 4-1
11/8/1983
I want to know why I'm being overworked!"- M. L. Carr
Throughout his tenure as a Celtic, veteran M. L. Carr has been known for two things - his sense of humor, and his uncanny ability to come off the bench and play superb defense. It has been that way for Carr ever since he signed with Boston as a free agent in August 1979, and won the hearts of the Celtic faithful with his ability to function at forward or guard. And it made little difference to him if he was a spot starter or the sixth, seventh or eighth man.
But five games into the 1983 season, it is clear that Carr's career has reached that final crossroads, and his role under new coach K. C. Jones will be quite different than anything he has experienced in the past. Carr has appeared in only one game, for a total of three minutes, and there is no promise that things will change tonight when the Celtics play the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
No one understands this better than Carr, who through good and bad years has remained one of the club's more popular players. At 32, he knows that his playing time at forward will be limited, given the presence of of Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale and Scott Wedman.
Former coach Bill Fitch liked to throw Carr in the gap occasionally as a "stopper" on defense and usually at guard, where his 6-foot-6 frame can be intimidating. But with the arrival of Dennis Johnson, the need for such a guard has diminished, and in fact, the Celtics defensive heir apparent is not Carr but rookie Carlos Clark, who also hasn't had much of a chance to show his stuff since the exhibition season.
None of this bothered Carr last summer when he signed his second free agent contract with the Celtics. None of this bothers him now. "That's bacause I knew exactly what was happening this summer," he said. " I had other options. I could have gone to Cleveland and played 30 minutes a game. I talked it over with K. C. and Red (Auerbach) and it was made clear that my role with the club would be limited.
"But we also talked about some specific times when a guy is going very well, or one of our guys is not having a good night, I might come in to cool somebody down. My role is to be the glue. Red reminded me, as one of the old- timers on the team, it's my job to be one of the leaders in terms of the intangibles.
"I went through training camp playing all forward," he said. "The first time I went into a game, it was at guard. K. C. didn't tell me to expect the unexpected. I have no problem with that. It's like it was in the past (under Fitch). I've got to swing. Do I have a preference? Yes. It's up front because I know big guys just aren't going to run with me consistently. That's my forte, running."
Carr feels that if this is truly his final season, he wants to end his career as a Celtic. Due to his TV experience on Channel 4 on the "Ask M. L. Show", he has credibility in New England, which would be hard to quickly establish elsewhere. "It's all about doing it one more time before I take my final bows," he said with his usual wide grin. "I wanted to be here. I wanted to finish up here because I want to live here eventually. To go away and come back would present a problem.
"It wasn't an easy decision. In fact, I had to go away to make it. Everybody in the street was trying to make a decision for me. I kept hearing, You'd be a fool to leave', Don't leave' . . . things like that. After talking to K. C., I knew exactly where he was coming from, and that helped make up my mind."
Jones says he expects to see more of Indiana's passing game tonight, as it was very successful in the second half Friday night. He also expects rookie center Steve Stipanovich to shoot more. "It's something to see a guy 7 feet tall getting a pick 18 feet away from the basket and shooting," he said. "It reminds me of Ralph Sampson and Rudy Tomjanovich. Steve has a nice touch."
The Berlin Wall 20 Years On
![[Brandenburg Gate]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AS134_Heros_F_20091020171550.jpg)
“OF ALL places it was in divided Berlin in divided Germany in divided Europe that the cold war erupted into an east-west street party,” this newspaper observed 20 years ago. Even to those who had been confident of the eventual triumph of the West, the fall of the Berlin Wall was surprisingly accidental. When 200,000 East Germans took advantage of Hungary’s decision to open its borders and fled to the West, their communist government decided to modify the travel restrictions that imprisoned them. Asked about the timing, the unbriefed propaganda minister mumbled: “As far as I know, effective immediately.” When that was reported on television, the Berliners were off. Baffled border guards who would have shot their “comrades” a week earlier let the crowd through—and a barrier that had divided the world was soon being gleefully dismantled. West Germany’s chancellor, Helmut Kohl, was so unready for history that he was out of the country.
The destruction of the Iron Curtain on November 9th 1989 is still the most remarkable political event of most people’s lifetimes: it set free millions of individuals and it brought to an end a global conflict that threatened nuclear annihilation. For liberals in the West, it still stands as a reminder both of what has been won since and what is still worth fighting for.
--The Economist
Some things transcend life. This was one of them. I thought in Tiananmen Square we were witnessing another triumph of freedom over totalitarianism. But instead the world was reminded of what George Orwell once described as "a boot stomping on a human face, for ever." While the path of liberty knows no certain course, it is a path that humans will continue to forge until the fact of freedom becomes so widespread that the act of liberation is no longer necessary for entire cultures of peoples.
Cornbread Helps C's to 4-1 Start
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Record: 4-1
11/7/1983
It seems that the natural order of things has returned. The NBA season is only five games old, but the Celtics and 76ers are tied for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with 4-1 records. Is this the way it's going to be all year? Have the temporarily wayward Celtics returned to their 1979-82 plateau? Are the Celtics and Sixers going to be eyeball to eyeball for these next six months?
"I think so," says Cedric Maxwell, who has been through more Boston-Philly wars than any active Celtic. "I think we're going to be a good team. As long as we're healthy and have the kind of attitude we have now, I don't see why we can't win it all. Our talent is as good as Philadelphia, and we're one of the few teams that's been able to play them head to head. "But," he cautions, "it's still too early. You can't divide five into 82 and get any kind of measure of what kind of a year we're going to have. I think cautious optimism' is a good expression for what we have right now.
"We have a lot of room for improvement. We've had big leads and let teams come back. But we are more relaxed under K.C. (Jones) and it shows on the court. When we make mistakes we don't get down on ourselves, and K.C. doesn't get down on us." The Celtics played solid basketball for three quarters in Saturday night's 120-117 victory over the Bullets. In the final period, Washington rookie Jeff Malone exploded for 15 points and the Celtics watched a 22-point lead dwindle to three by the time the buzzer sounded.
The victory was Boston's fourth straight. Only once in those four games have the Celtics trailed - when Washington held a 2-0 lead Saturday. "In the last three games, we've played the way we want to play," says Jones, who was happy about his triumphant return to the scene of his 1976 firing. "We've been getting out fast with the break and all of our defensive work has paid off. We've missed some shots and had some turnovers, but overall, the guys are sharing and picking up the load."
Quietly, Maxwell has been doing a lot of the sharing and picking up. He hit five of six shots from the floor, nine of 10 from the line and had 19 points Saturday. In five games he has averaged 33 minutes, 13 points and 6.4 rebounds while hitting 63 percent (17-27) from the floor and 76 percent (31-41) from the line. He's done all this while shutting down Cleveland's Cliff Robinson, Milwaukee's Marques Johnson (only 7 points vs. the Celtics) and most other rival small forwards.
"I probably had those same numbers at this time last year," says Maxwell. "People feel I'm happier this year, and that is reflected in my play. Basically, I always have the same role. Some nights I'm going to score a lot of points and some nights I'm not. Defensively, every game I'm picking up the other team's toughest forward. There hasn't been an easy one yet."
Record: 4-1
11/7/1983
It seems that the natural order of things has returned. The NBA season is only five games old, but the Celtics and 76ers are tied for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with 4-1 records. Is this the way it's going to be all year? Have the temporarily wayward Celtics returned to their 1979-82 plateau? Are the Celtics and Sixers going to be eyeball to eyeball for these next six months?
"I think so," says Cedric Maxwell, who has been through more Boston-Philly wars than any active Celtic. "I think we're going to be a good team. As long as we're healthy and have the kind of attitude we have now, I don't see why we can't win it all. Our talent is as good as Philadelphia, and we're one of the few teams that's been able to play them head to head. "But," he cautions, "it's still too early. You can't divide five into 82 and get any kind of measure of what kind of a year we're going to have. I think cautious optimism' is a good expression for what we have right now.
"We have a lot of room for improvement. We've had big leads and let teams come back. But we are more relaxed under K.C. (Jones) and it shows on the court. When we make mistakes we don't get down on ourselves, and K.C. doesn't get down on us." The Celtics played solid basketball for three quarters in Saturday night's 120-117 victory over the Bullets. In the final period, Washington rookie Jeff Malone exploded for 15 points and the Celtics watched a 22-point lead dwindle to three by the time the buzzer sounded.
The victory was Boston's fourth straight. Only once in those four games have the Celtics trailed - when Washington held a 2-0 lead Saturday. "In the last three games, we've played the way we want to play," says Jones, who was happy about his triumphant return to the scene of his 1976 firing. "We've been getting out fast with the break and all of our defensive work has paid off. We've missed some shots and had some turnovers, but overall, the guys are sharing and picking up the load."
Quietly, Maxwell has been doing a lot of the sharing and picking up. He hit five of six shots from the floor, nine of 10 from the line and had 19 points Saturday. In five games he has averaged 33 minutes, 13 points and 6.4 rebounds while hitting 63 percent (17-27) from the floor and 76 percent (31-41) from the line. He's done all this while shutting down Cleveland's Cliff Robinson, Milwaukee's Marques Johnson (only 7 points vs. the Celtics) and most other rival small forwards.
"I probably had those same numbers at this time last year," says Maxwell. "People feel I'm happier this year, and that is reflected in my play. Basically, I always have the same role. Some nights I'm going to score a lot of points and some nights I'm not. Defensively, every game I'm picking up the other team's toughest forward. There hasn't been an easy one yet."
C's Down Bullets, Post 4th Straight Win
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 120, Bullets 117
Record: 4-1
11/6/1983
LANDOVER, MD.
NBA teams hate playing here. It's like putting up the storm windows, rotating your tires or cleaning the oven. It's a tough job and you know it can be done, but some days you just don't feel like working that hard. Last night, the Celtics worked. They ran. They pressed. They reduced the feared Beef Brothers (Jeff Ruland and Rick Mahorn) to a dried up heap of Beef Jerky. With dogged determination and an effective game plan, Boston built a 22-point fourth-quarter lead before letting the Bullets roar back to within striking distance.
No problem. When the buzzer finally sounded, the Celtics were 120-117 winners. It was Boston's fourth-straight victory and elevated the Celtics to their rightful place - tied for first with the Philadelphia 76ers. If the NBA is anything, it's predictble. Most teams are only five games into the season, and already the Atlantic Division is in order. Beating the Bullets has to be K.C. Jones' proudest moment of the early season. After all, this is where Jones was unceremoniously dumped after compiling a .630 winning percentage as head coach. And need we mention that the Bullets smoked the Celtics three times in six tries last year, including twice in three games at the Capital Centre?
For three quarters, it looked like the Celtics were finally going to get a breather in suburban Maryland's chamber of horrors. The Celtics shot a scalding 66 percent (27-41) in the first half while shutting down foul-plagued Mahorn (zero points and one rebound) and Ruland (six points and four rebounds). Washington's Ricky Sobers (20 points) opened the evening's scoring with a jumper from out top. The basket broke a week-long Celtic streak: In victories over Cleveland, Milwaukee and Indiana, Boston had never been behind.
The deficit didn't last. Cedric Maxwell (19 points) posted up for two, and when Larry Bird (28 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) followed with a jumper from the right corner, the Celtics went ahead to stay. Boston led, 12-6, when Mahorn picked up his third personal foul. He was replaced by Tom McMillen while the Celtics were in the middle of a 10-0 run that produced an 18-6 lead. Gerald Henderson (10 of his 16 in the first quarter) scored 6 of the 10 on a drive, a fastbreak layup and a jumper from the left corner. Bird capped the spurt with a fallaway from out top, his fourth consecutive conversion.
"In the first half, we got our offense going and we played good defense," said Bird. "The shots were falling for Robert (Parish) and me, but everybody did the job on the offensive end." The Celtics led, 32-23, after one. Washington cut it to seven briefly in the second quarter, but after Bullets coach Gene Shue called time with the Celtics leading, 47-32, Boston ripped off eight straight points to take a whopping 55-32 lead with five minutes left in the half.
Ruland still hadn't scored. He broke up his shutout with two minutes left in the half, but it would prove to be too late for the Bullets. Parish and Bird each had hit seven of nine floor shots in the half and Boston led, 65-48, at intermission. The margin was 20 (97-77) after three and 22 when Scott Wedman opened the fourth period with a basket. Sobers and Mahorn led an 8-0 run to cut the Bullet deficit back to 14. Then Washington rookie Jeff Malone (11 for 19, 24 points) went into his Andrew Toney imitation and got some help from Greg Ballard (14). The Celts supplied the rest of the help by standing around under the basket and missing six of seven free throws during a crucial stretch.
"Our guards weren't hitting the shots," said Jones. "We got in foul trouble and Malone started hitting, and they got back in the ballgame." "They're a tough team to go lights out on," added Kevin McHale (15), who hit a crucial turnaround as he was fouled by Mahorn with 1:06 left. He made the free throw to give the Celtics a 116-108 lead. That was enough. "They are a very stubborn ballclub," said a sore Parish. "They are physical and present problems for us inside." True, but last night Parish, Maxwell, Bird and McHale combined for 85 points while Mahorn was held to six and Ruland scored only 13.
Celtics 120, Bullets 117
Record: 4-1
11/6/1983
LANDOVER, MD.
NBA teams hate playing here. It's like putting up the storm windows, rotating your tires or cleaning the oven. It's a tough job and you know it can be done, but some days you just don't feel like working that hard. Last night, the Celtics worked. They ran. They pressed. They reduced the feared Beef Brothers (Jeff Ruland and Rick Mahorn) to a dried up heap of Beef Jerky. With dogged determination and an effective game plan, Boston built a 22-point fourth-quarter lead before letting the Bullets roar back to within striking distance.
No problem. When the buzzer finally sounded, the Celtics were 120-117 winners. It was Boston's fourth-straight victory and elevated the Celtics to their rightful place - tied for first with the Philadelphia 76ers. If the NBA is anything, it's predictble. Most teams are only five games into the season, and already the Atlantic Division is in order. Beating the Bullets has to be K.C. Jones' proudest moment of the early season. After all, this is where Jones was unceremoniously dumped after compiling a .630 winning percentage as head coach. And need we mention that the Bullets smoked the Celtics three times in six tries last year, including twice in three games at the Capital Centre?
For three quarters, it looked like the Celtics were finally going to get a breather in suburban Maryland's chamber of horrors. The Celtics shot a scalding 66 percent (27-41) in the first half while shutting down foul-plagued Mahorn (zero points and one rebound) and Ruland (six points and four rebounds). Washington's Ricky Sobers (20 points) opened the evening's scoring with a jumper from out top. The basket broke a week-long Celtic streak: In victories over Cleveland, Milwaukee and Indiana, Boston had never been behind.
The deficit didn't last. Cedric Maxwell (19 points) posted up for two, and when Larry Bird (28 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) followed with a jumper from the right corner, the Celtics went ahead to stay. Boston led, 12-6, when Mahorn picked up his third personal foul. He was replaced by Tom McMillen while the Celtics were in the middle of a 10-0 run that produced an 18-6 lead. Gerald Henderson (10 of his 16 in the first quarter) scored 6 of the 10 on a drive, a fastbreak layup and a jumper from the left corner. Bird capped the spurt with a fallaway from out top, his fourth consecutive conversion.
"In the first half, we got our offense going and we played good defense," said Bird. "The shots were falling for Robert (Parish) and me, but everybody did the job on the offensive end." The Celtics led, 32-23, after one. Washington cut it to seven briefly in the second quarter, but after Bullets coach Gene Shue called time with the Celtics leading, 47-32, Boston ripped off eight straight points to take a whopping 55-32 lead with five minutes left in the half.
Ruland still hadn't scored. He broke up his shutout with two minutes left in the half, but it would prove to be too late for the Bullets. Parish and Bird each had hit seven of nine floor shots in the half and Boston led, 65-48, at intermission. The margin was 20 (97-77) after three and 22 when Scott Wedman opened the fourth period with a basket. Sobers and Mahorn led an 8-0 run to cut the Bullet deficit back to 14. Then Washington rookie Jeff Malone (11 for 19, 24 points) went into his Andrew Toney imitation and got some help from Greg Ballard (14). The Celts supplied the rest of the help by standing around under the basket and missing six of seven free throws during a crucial stretch.
"Our guards weren't hitting the shots," said Jones. "We got in foul trouble and Malone started hitting, and they got back in the ballgame." "They're a tough team to go lights out on," added Kevin McHale (15), who hit a crucial turnaround as he was fouled by Mahorn with 1:06 left. He made the free throw to give the Celtics a 116-108 lead. That was enough. "They are a very stubborn ballclub," said a sore Parish. "They are physical and present problems for us inside." True, but last night Parish, Maxwell, Bird and McHale combined for 85 points while Mahorn was held to six and Ruland scored only 13.
Unspoken Lethargy
I was just thinking about how long we can keep this game and stretch this game and then make a run in the fourth quarter.
--Doc
So when the Boston Celtics appear to be sleepwalking through games, waiting for the fourth quarter to see if they can steal a win at the end, well, that's exactly what they're doing. My question is whether this is openly discussed or just kind of a shared, but unspoken mental state? I doubt the players say, "yeah, I just don't know if I can play four quarters tonight. So let's keep it close for as long as possible and try to win it at the end."
Instead, an overall lethargy among the team is probably palpable enough to make words unnecessary.
--Doc
So when the Boston Celtics appear to be sleepwalking through games, waiting for the fourth quarter to see if they can steal a win at the end, well, that's exactly what they're doing. My question is whether this is openly discussed or just kind of a shared, but unspoken mental state? I doubt the players say, "yeah, I just don't know if I can play four quarters tonight. So let's keep it close for as long as possible and try to win it at the end."
Instead, an overall lethargy among the team is probably palpable enough to make words unnecessary.
Remember Steve Stipanovich?
1983-84 Boston Celtics
November 5, 1983
In other years, he might have been just another talented rookie sitting on the bench. But Steve Stipanovich won't have that luxury this year for the Indiana Pacers. That's because Pacers coach Jack McKinney thinks the University of Missouri product has not only the talent to step right into the NBA as a center, but is smart enough to make up for whatever shortcomings he might have with hard work and intelligence.
Stipanovich, a 7-footer, was the second player chosen in the draft this year behind Virginia's Ralph Sampson. Right now, says McKinney, there is a gap between the two men in talent, not to mention salary. But he doesn't think it will take Stipanovich - who scored 16 points and had five rebounds last night - long to close the distance. "Steve has the potential to be a good NBA center," said McKinney. "Not a great one, yet. But a very good one. When we played Houston the other night, you had a chance to compare their talents, and Sampson was ahead in the numbers. He had something like 21 points and 18 rebounds to 12-8 for Steve.
"But Steve showed that he has skills in other areas. He can be intimidating and is a good outside shooter. He helps out on defense and other things that might not show up in box score." McKinney feels no qualms about force-feeding Stipanovich to the NBA lions, because of his intelligence and the fact that his defensive skills are much better than advertised. Against Sampson, Stipanovich blocked a shot from behind and effectively cut off Sampson's inside game.
Stipanovich says he is just glad to be able to play and to learn what the NBA is all about. It's a good situation for me," he said. "We're a young team and we've got a chance to grow together. The pro game is different from the college game in a lot of ways. I had a little trouble with Parish at the end. But he's beaten a lot of centers with his jump shot."
November 5, 1983
In other years, he might have been just another talented rookie sitting on the bench. But Steve Stipanovich won't have that luxury this year for the Indiana Pacers. That's because Pacers coach Jack McKinney thinks the University of Missouri product has not only the talent to step right into the NBA as a center, but is smart enough to make up for whatever shortcomings he might have with hard work and intelligence.
Stipanovich, a 7-footer, was the second player chosen in the draft this year behind Virginia's Ralph Sampson. Right now, says McKinney, there is a gap between the two men in talent, not to mention salary. But he doesn't think it will take Stipanovich - who scored 16 points and had five rebounds last night - long to close the distance. "Steve has the potential to be a good NBA center," said McKinney. "Not a great one, yet. But a very good one. When we played Houston the other night, you had a chance to compare their talents, and Sampson was ahead in the numbers. He had something like 21 points and 18 rebounds to 12-8 for Steve.
"But Steve showed that he has skills in other areas. He can be intimidating and is a good outside shooter. He helps out on defense and other things that might not show up in box score." McKinney feels no qualms about force-feeding Stipanovich to the NBA lions, because of his intelligence and the fact that his defensive skills are much better than advertised. Against Sampson, Stipanovich blocked a shot from behind and effectively cut off Sampson's inside game.
Stipanovich says he is just glad to be able to play and to learn what the NBA is all about. It's a good situation for me," he said. "We're a young team and we've got a chance to grow together. The pro game is different from the college game in a lot of ways. I had a little trouble with Parish at the end. But he's beaten a lot of centers with his jump shot."
7-1: Celtics 86, Nets 76
Celtics 86, 
Nets 76
7:30 PM ET, November 7, 2009
IZOD Center
East Rutherford, NJ
| BOSTON CELTICS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Kevin Garnett, PF | 33 | 3-13 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 9 |
| Paul Pierce, SF | 32 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 6-7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | +2 | 16 |
| Kendrick Perkins, C | 24 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 3-6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | +6 | 9 |
| Ray Allen, SG | 41 | 5-13 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +7 | 12 |
| Rajon Rondo, PG | 30 | 8-11 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5 | 16 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Rasheed Wallace, FC | 24 | 3-10 | 0-4 | 3-3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +4 | 9 |
| Eddie House, PG | 18 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +14 | 2 |
| Brian Scalabrine, PF | 20 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +11 | 5 |
| Shelden Williams, PF | 15 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +15 | 8 |
| J.R. Giddens, SG | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lester Hudson, G | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marquis Daniels, SG | DNP PERSONAL REASONS | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 31-69 | 1-10 | 23-29 | 3 | 34 | 37 | 21 | 20 | 3 | 12 | 16 | 86 | |||
| 44.9% | 10.0% | 79.3% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 14 Points in the paint: 34 Team TO ( points off ): 12 (15) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
| NEW JERSEY NETS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Bobby Simmons, SF | 34 | 3-6 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +1 | 10 |
| Josh Boone, C | 37 | 4-10 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +1 | 8 |
| Brook Lopez, C | 41 | 10-16 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -5 | 23 |
| Rafer Alston, PG | 44 | 7-16 | 3-6 | 3-4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | -2 | 20 |
| Trenton Hassell, SF | 37 | 1-7 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | -20 | 3 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Eduardo Najera, PF | 12 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -13 | 0 |
| Sean Williams, PF | 5 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| Terrence Williams, G | 30 | 4-14 | 0-1 | 0-3 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | -11 | 8 |
| Devin Harris, PG | DNP STRAINED GROIN | |||||||||||||
| Yi Jianlian, PF | DNP STRAINED MCL | |||||||||||||
| Courtney Lee, SG | DNP STRAINED GROIN | |||||||||||||
| Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG | DNP FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 31-72 | 5-11 | 9-14 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 24 | 76 | |||
| 43.1% | 45.5% | 64.3% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 5 Points in the paint: 30 Team TO ( points off ): 24 (19) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
Celtics Seek to Stop Slippage against the Nets
They can see the slippage. We’ve showed it on film. We talked about it. [Maybe] it's easier for them to believe you after an ‘L.’But it’s tough to do something about it until you can get some real practice time, and we’ll get that on Monday.
--Doc
Let's not wait until Monday, Gang-0-Green. Let's get 'er done tonight in Brooklyn, er, I mean New Jersey.
--Doc
Let's not wait until Monday, Gang-0-Green. Let's get 'er done tonight in Brooklyn, er, I mean New Jersey.
Celtics Subdue Pacers
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 121, Pacers 105
Record: 3-1
11/5/1983
BOSTON, MA
Say all you want about the new defensive notions of the Celtics this year. What they still do best is overwhelm you with the toughest inside game in the National Basketball Assn. The Indiana Pacers found out the hard way last night as victims of a three-pronged attack, suffering their 17th-straight road loss in falling to the Celtics last night, 121-105. Robert Parish led the Celtics' big front line with 34 points, 29 in the second half. That was only a little ahead of Larry Bird, who finished with 31. For good measure, Kevin McHale came off the bench and added 20 points.
The victory was the third in four games this year for Boston, which has now won six in a row from Indiana at the Garden. The Pacers had a strong inside game themselves, with Herb Williams and Clark Kellogg each with 21 and rookie Steve Stipanovich adding 16. But their bench was no match for the Celtics, who built up a 17-point lead in the third quarter and fought off every charge by Indiana after that.
The Celtics began the night very leery of the rejuvenated Pacers, whom they beat four of five times last season. The loss was 130-101 March 29. Boston was coming off a 119-105 victory over Milwaukee in its home opener Wednesday night. The Pacers lost their first two games but beat Houston last Tuesday, 116-108. It didn't take long to figure out that Indiana would have a long night if they couldn't find a way to stop Bird. Boston shot to a 12-6 lead in the first five minutes, with Bird scoring eight of the first 12. He did it with a variety of jump shots and a delicious lefthanded hook after a steal. Indiana stayed close mainly on Stipanovich's inside shooting.
Bird gave Boston a 14-7 lead by hitting his fifth shot in six attempts. Then the Celtics fast break started to cook, with Bird and Dennis Johnson scoring the next six points as Boston's lead grew to nine points, 20-11. Indiana again stayed close behind with baskets by Stipanovich and Williams. When Jim Thomas drove the middle with three minutes left, the Boston lead was cut to five points at 23-18.
At this point, both clubs decided to go to the benches, and here, the Celtics edge was obvious from the moment McHale and Quinn Buckner entered the game. Boston went on a 14-6 tear, led by McHale and Parish. Bird chipped in with a three-pointer, giving him 18 for the first quarter, and Boston a 34-22 lead. The quarter ended on a three-point play by Parish, and Boston leading, 37-24. Parish had seven rebounds in the period. Bird hit seven of nine shots.
In the second period, it was McHale's turn to lead the Celtics charge. With Boston leading, 37-26, he threw in three straight baskets to widen the gap, 43-28. McHale also scored three of the next five Celtics points to give his team the biggest lead of the night at 46-30. But slowly, Indiana began to inch back, and, behind Butch Carter and Kellogg, pulled to within 11 points with 4:26 left in the period, 48-37.
Bird returned and helped Boston to a 52-37 lead. But then the Pacers spurted and, with 2:20 left, trailed by 10 points, 52-42. The Celtics then a got a break as McHale was fouled, and he sank two free throws. Then Pacer coach Jack McKinney was called for a technical foul, and Boston led by 15 points again, 57-42. Indiana outscored Boston the rest of the way, but the Celtics led 59-48 at halftime.
After a sluggish start, Boston picked up right where it left off in third period, with Bird and Parish combining for the first 11 points, seven by Parish, as Boston took a 17-point lead at 70-53. But then the Pacers ran off six straight points and made it a 70-59 game with 6:50 to go in the third. When Carter hit a layup and George Johnson followed with a basket, the Pacers completed a 10-point run and trailed by only seven points, 70-63. The Boston drought of 3 minutes, 8 seconds ended when Buckner, in for Henderson, hit a jumper with 5:20 left. With 4:30 left, Parish completed a three-point play, and Boston's lead grew to 11 points, 76-65.
Fatigue and foul trouble began to catch up with the Pacers, who somehow managed to stay close. Indiana sprinted to within seven points, 82-75, but a few minutes later trailed by 11 points, 88-77. After three quarters, Boston led, 90-80.
Celtics 121, Pacers 105
Record: 3-1
11/5/1983
BOSTON, MA
Say all you want about the new defensive notions of the Celtics this year. What they still do best is overwhelm you with the toughest inside game in the National Basketball Assn. The Indiana Pacers found out the hard way last night as victims of a three-pronged attack, suffering their 17th-straight road loss in falling to the Celtics last night, 121-105. Robert Parish led the Celtics' big front line with 34 points, 29 in the second half. That was only a little ahead of Larry Bird, who finished with 31. For good measure, Kevin McHale came off the bench and added 20 points.
The victory was the third in four games this year for Boston, which has now won six in a row from Indiana at the Garden. The Pacers had a strong inside game themselves, with Herb Williams and Clark Kellogg each with 21 and rookie Steve Stipanovich adding 16. But their bench was no match for the Celtics, who built up a 17-point lead in the third quarter and fought off every charge by Indiana after that.
The Celtics began the night very leery of the rejuvenated Pacers, whom they beat four of five times last season. The loss was 130-101 March 29. Boston was coming off a 119-105 victory over Milwaukee in its home opener Wednesday night. The Pacers lost their first two games but beat Houston last Tuesday, 116-108. It didn't take long to figure out that Indiana would have a long night if they couldn't find a way to stop Bird. Boston shot to a 12-6 lead in the first five minutes, with Bird scoring eight of the first 12. He did it with a variety of jump shots and a delicious lefthanded hook after a steal. Indiana stayed close mainly on Stipanovich's inside shooting.
Bird gave Boston a 14-7 lead by hitting his fifth shot in six attempts. Then the Celtics fast break started to cook, with Bird and Dennis Johnson scoring the next six points as Boston's lead grew to nine points, 20-11. Indiana again stayed close behind with baskets by Stipanovich and Williams. When Jim Thomas drove the middle with three minutes left, the Boston lead was cut to five points at 23-18.
At this point, both clubs decided to go to the benches, and here, the Celtics edge was obvious from the moment McHale and Quinn Buckner entered the game. Boston went on a 14-6 tear, led by McHale and Parish. Bird chipped in with a three-pointer, giving him 18 for the first quarter, and Boston a 34-22 lead. The quarter ended on a three-point play by Parish, and Boston leading, 37-24. Parish had seven rebounds in the period. Bird hit seven of nine shots.
In the second period, it was McHale's turn to lead the Celtics charge. With Boston leading, 37-26, he threw in three straight baskets to widen the gap, 43-28. McHale also scored three of the next five Celtics points to give his team the biggest lead of the night at 46-30. But slowly, Indiana began to inch back, and, behind Butch Carter and Kellogg, pulled to within 11 points with 4:26 left in the period, 48-37.
Bird returned and helped Boston to a 52-37 lead. But then the Pacers spurted and, with 2:20 left, trailed by 10 points, 52-42. The Celtics then a got a break as McHale was fouled, and he sank two free throws. Then Pacer coach Jack McKinney was called for a technical foul, and Boston led by 15 points again, 57-42. Indiana outscored Boston the rest of the way, but the Celtics led 59-48 at halftime.
After a sluggish start, Boston picked up right where it left off in third period, with Bird and Parish combining for the first 11 points, seven by Parish, as Boston took a 17-point lead at 70-53. But then the Pacers ran off six straight points and made it a 70-59 game with 6:50 to go in the third. When Carter hit a layup and George Johnson followed with a basket, the Pacers completed a 10-point run and trailed by only seven points, 70-63. The Boston drought of 3 minutes, 8 seconds ended when Buckner, in for Henderson, hit a jumper with 5:20 left. With 4:30 left, Parish completed a three-point play, and Boston's lead grew to 11 points, 76-65.
Fatigue and foul trouble began to catch up with the Pacers, who somehow managed to stay close. Indiana sprinted to within seven points, 82-75, but a few minutes later trailed by 11 points, 88-77. After three quarters, Boston led, 90-80.
| NOVEMBER | OPPONENT | TIME (ET) | TV | LOCAL TV | RESOURCES | |
| @ New Jersey | 7:30 PM | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | |||
| Utah | 7:30 PM | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | |||
| Atlanta | 8:00 PM |   | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | ||
| @ Indiana | 7:00 PM | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | |||
| Golden State | 7:30 PM | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | |||
| Orlando | 8:00 PM | | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | ||
| @ NY Knicks | 1:00 PM | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | |||
| Philadelphia | 7:30 PM | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | |||
| Toronto | 7:30 PM | CSNN | Tickets | Travel | |||
| @ Miami | 6:00 PM | NBA TV | Tickets | Travel | |||
6-1: Suns 110, Celtics 103
Suns 110, Celtics 103
7:30 PM ET, November 6, 2009
TD Garden
Boston, MA
| PHOENIX SUNS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Grant Hill, SF | 24 | 4-9 | 1-1 | 3-3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 12 |
| Amare Stoudemire, PF | 33 | 8-13 | 0-0 | 6-6 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -9 | 22 |
| Channing Frye, C | 37 | 3-7 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +5 | 8 |
| Steve Nash, PG | 36 | 5-11 | 3-6 | 3-4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | -7 | 16 |
| Jason Richardson, SG | 38 | 10-16 | 6-7 | 8-11 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +7 | 34 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Louis Amundson, PF | 18 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +10 | 6 |
| Jared Dudley, SF | 31 | 3-6 | 2-5 | 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +14 | 10 |
| Goran Dragic, PG | 15 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +12 | 2 |
| Earl Clark, F | 7 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +7 | 0 |
| Jarron Collins, C | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| Alando Tucker, SF | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| Taylor Griffin, F | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 37-74 | 13-24 | 23-30 | 7 | 32 | 39 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 21 | 110 | |||
| 50.0% | 54.2% | 76.7% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 12 Points in the paint: 36 Team TO ( points off ): 16 (15) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
| BOSTON CELTICS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Kevin Garnett, PF | 35 | 13-20 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +9 | 26 |
| Paul Pierce, SF | 42 | 5-15 | 2-5 | 4-6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -2 | 16 |
| Kendrick Perkins, C | 25 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 4-8 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 12 |
| Ray Allen, SG | 31 | 7-11 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | +3 | 16 |
| Rajon Rondo, PG | 38 | 7-12 | 0-1 | 0-3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +4 | 14 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Rasheed Wallace, FC | 24 | 4-12 | 0-6 | 0-0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -8 | 8 |
| Eddie House, PG | 11 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -12 | 0 |
| Marquis Daniels, SG | 23 | 4-7 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -14 | 9 |
| Shelden Williams, PF | 12 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -14 | 2 |
| J.R. Giddens, SG | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Scalabrine, PF | DNP BACK SPASMS | |||||||||||||
| Lester Hudson, G | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 45-87 | 4-18 | 9-18 | 12 | 30 | 42 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 22 | 103 | |||
Rondo v. Nash and Hill v. Daniels
Ah, the Phoenix Suns.
A lot of the Celtics' games involve sub-plots we are aware of, but forget about until forced to remember. For example, KG and Amare have had a "thing" for sometime, where "thing" means competitive and chippy battle of one-upsmanship pretty much since Stoudemire came into the league. How will the latest chapter in that battle be impacted by the current state of KG's knee?
Another example is the way Rajon Rondo has made a point of making Steve Nash look bad every time the two face each other, and by "bad" I mean Nash has often looked like a rich man's version of Dan Dickau in games played against Rondo, not something easy to do for a two-time league MVP (Dickau, BTW, was with the Suns during NBAx, but eventually was cut).
But my favorite sub-plot will undoubtedly involve Grant Hill and Marquis Daniels. Celtics' fans remember that Danny Ainge pursued Grant Hill last summer, a pursuit that included Ray Allen and possibly others making personal appeals for Hill to join the Celtics. Hill responded by appearing to drag out the decision-making process longer than necessary, before choosing Phoenix over Boston (and New York). In New England, the snub was perceived as a choice between playing time for Hill in Phoenix and a championship ring in Bston. And, indeed, Hill is averaging 31 MPG this season, while Marquis Daniels, who the Celtics' ended up signing for less money than Hill got from the Suns, is averaging 21 MPG.
I will be curious to watch how this shakes out, and not just the individual performances of Hill and Daniels. Since certain Celtics made personal appeals to Hill, they may have taken the snub personally, and thus those players may be out to prove the magnitude of his mistake via a blow out. Orlando beat Phoenix by 22 earlier in the season, in Orlando. So that adds another nuance to tonight's game, as Orlando was missing certain key players in that game. Can the Celtics administer a beatdown in a similar fashion?
A lot of the Celtics' games involve sub-plots we are aware of, but forget about until forced to remember. For example, KG and Amare have had a "thing" for sometime, where "thing" means competitive and chippy battle of one-upsmanship pretty much since Stoudemire came into the league. How will the latest chapter in that battle be impacted by the current state of KG's knee?
Another example is the way Rajon Rondo has made a point of making Steve Nash look bad every time the two face each other, and by "bad" I mean Nash has often looked like a rich man's version of Dan Dickau in games played against Rondo, not something easy to do for a two-time league MVP (Dickau, BTW, was with the Suns during NBAx, but eventually was cut).
But my favorite sub-plot will undoubtedly involve Grant Hill and Marquis Daniels. Celtics' fans remember that Danny Ainge pursued Grant Hill last summer, a pursuit that included Ray Allen and possibly others making personal appeals for Hill to join the Celtics. Hill responded by appearing to drag out the decision-making process longer than necessary, before choosing Phoenix over Boston (and New York). In New England, the snub was perceived as a choice between playing time for Hill in Phoenix and a championship ring in Bston. And, indeed, Hill is averaging 31 MPG this season, while Marquis Daniels, who the Celtics' ended up signing for less money than Hill got from the Suns, is averaging 21 MPG.
I will be curious to watch how this shakes out, and not just the individual performances of Hill and Daniels. Since certain Celtics made personal appeals to Hill, they may have taken the snub personally, and thus those players may be out to prove the magnitude of his mistake via a blow out. Orlando beat Phoenix by 22 earlier in the season, in Orlando. So that adds another nuance to tonight's game, as Orlando was missing certain key players in that game. Can the Celtics administer a beatdown in a similar fashion?
The Quest for 70
Before the Celtics even played a game this season, Wallace stated last month to the Connecticut Post that he thought the Celtics could get the Bulls record. Bold? Yes. Off-base? No. Entering tonight's tilt in Philadelphia against the 76ers, the 4-0 Celtics are 1/18th of the way to 72 wins with a long, long, long, long way to go.
But it's obvious even this early that this version of the Green has a chance to be historically good -- even great. Through four games, the Celtics are averaging 100.5 points per game and allowing only 81.3. Opponents are shooting 39.1 percent from the floor against them. Six players are averaging nine points per game or more -- Paul Pierce (21.8), Ray Allen (17.8), Kevin Garnett (13.3), Rasheed Wallace (10.0), Kendrick Perkins (9.8) and Eddie House (9.0) -- and that doesn't include nouveau riche point guard Rajon Rondo, who has been content to pass up shots and dish out dimes. The 72-win Bulls had a Big Three of Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. You had the greatest player of all-time, the most versatile player in the league at the time, and arguably the greatest pound for pound rebounder ever on the same team.Boston's Big Three can't match that, but the Celtics have three elements that Bulls team didn't have -- a deep bench with Wallace, Marquis Daniels, House and Shelden Williams, a true playmaking point guard in Rondo and a center who is not afraid of his own shadow and can get out of his own way in Kendrick Perkins.
Injuries aside, the biggest impediment to running with the 95-96 Bulls is the schedule. Ten losses doesn't leave much margin for error. The Celtics opened the season by downing the LeBrons in Cleveland, but they still have three more games with King James. They have four games with Orlando, the first of which is Nov. 20 at TD Garden, when the Celtics could be 12-0. The Eastern Conference foes play Christmas Day in Orlando, which will be good for Celtics coach Doc Rivers from a personal standpoint, if not a professional one.
Boston plays the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 31 at home and in LA on Feb. 18. They're at San Antonio on Dec. 3 and host the Spurs on March 28. There are road games on back-to-back nights in the Lone Star State against Houston and Dallas in March. The feisty Atlanta Hawks always get up for their games with the Celtics and the teams renew their rivalry next Friday. They play an ESPN game on Jan. 8 in Atlanta and then play at the Garden again three days later. In the ultimate look-ahead game, the Celtics play the Hawks on the road two days before they come home to face the Lakers for the first time.
Those are 17 tough games for the 17-time NBA champions, but going 8-9 or 9-8, still leaves room to catch the Bulls.
LINK
This is a good analysis. Really, it is. Where it fails is by omitting the possibility of losing games to bad teams like almost happened on Wednesday. The Boston Celtics won 66 games two years ago, three of those losses coming in a row right after the All-Star break. All three losses were to bad teams. No biggie, of course. The Celtics were still on break. Now we're two years older. Can we really expect to avoid such pot-holes this time around?
Regardless, Doc and Danny both are downplaying the quest to win 70, and this makes me happy.
But it's obvious even this early that this version of the Green has a chance to be historically good -- even great. Through four games, the Celtics are averaging 100.5 points per game and allowing only 81.3. Opponents are shooting 39.1 percent from the floor against them. Six players are averaging nine points per game or more -- Paul Pierce (21.8), Ray Allen (17.8), Kevin Garnett (13.3), Rasheed Wallace (10.0), Kendrick Perkins (9.8) and Eddie House (9.0) -- and that doesn't include nouveau riche point guard Rajon Rondo, who has been content to pass up shots and dish out dimes. The 72-win Bulls had a Big Three of Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. You had the greatest player of all-time, the most versatile player in the league at the time, and arguably the greatest pound for pound rebounder ever on the same team.Boston's Big Three can't match that, but the Celtics have three elements that Bulls team didn't have -- a deep bench with Wallace, Marquis Daniels, House and Shelden Williams, a true playmaking point guard in Rondo and a center who is not afraid of his own shadow and can get out of his own way in Kendrick Perkins.
Injuries aside, the biggest impediment to running with the 95-96 Bulls is the schedule. Ten losses doesn't leave much margin for error. The Celtics opened the season by downing the LeBrons in Cleveland, but they still have three more games with King James. They have four games with Orlando, the first of which is Nov. 20 at TD Garden, when the Celtics could be 12-0. The Eastern Conference foes play Christmas Day in Orlando, which will be good for Celtics coach Doc Rivers from a personal standpoint, if not a professional one.
Boston plays the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 31 at home and in LA on Feb. 18. They're at San Antonio on Dec. 3 and host the Spurs on March 28. There are road games on back-to-back nights in the Lone Star State against Houston and Dallas in March. The feisty Atlanta Hawks always get up for their games with the Celtics and the teams renew their rivalry next Friday. They play an ESPN game on Jan. 8 in Atlanta and then play at the Garden again three days later. In the ultimate look-ahead game, the Celtics play the Hawks on the road two days before they come home to face the Lakers for the first time.
Those are 17 tough games for the 17-time NBA champions, but going 8-9 or 9-8, still leaves room to catch the Bulls.
LINK
This is a good analysis. Really, it is. Where it fails is by omitting the possibility of losing games to bad teams like almost happened on Wednesday. The Boston Celtics won 66 games two years ago, three of those losses coming in a row right after the All-Star break. All three losses were to bad teams. No biggie, of course. The Celtics were still on break. Now we're two years older. Can we really expect to avoid such pot-holes this time around?
Regardless, Doc and Danny both are downplaying the quest to win 70, and this makes me happy.
Celtics Out to Improve on 33-8 Home Record
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Record: 2-1
11/4/1983
The season is only three games old and already K. C. Jones has become a master of understatement. The new Celtics' coach wants his team to win every game played in Boston Garden, which despite a new paint job will never be confused with the Holy Land by most NBA teams. Jones was speaking of Celtics' intimidation, which at the ancient edifice is not a new notion, but one that in recent years could not be taken for granted. "We have to go out from the start and play aggressively every game, but especially so on our home court," Jones said. "It's important to let teams know they can't walk in here and think they can beat the Celtics."
Most coaches would find last season's 33-8 record at home - including 2-1 at Hartford - acceptable, considering the growing number of quality clubs, but that won't satisfy K. C. It goes against the Celtics' tradition started in the '60s when enforcers such as Jim Loscutoff, Gene Conley and Bob Brannum made oppponents coming to the Garden shudder in anticipation of a physical pounding.
And it goes against the legacy of the '70s, when the Celtics won two World Championships with players like Dave Cowens, Don Nelson and Paul Silas, who used a combination of brains and brawn to accomplish the same end. "We've got to go after teams and start doing some of the things they have been doing to us," he said. "I'm not talking muscles.
"It starts with putting pressure on the ball and playing with smarts. We did it with Cleveland and Milwaukee and you saw the results. The idea is to be aggressive, and if you get burned, have a support system there to take up the slack." Robert Parish added that the support system is not something that can be turned on in the fourth quarter.
"You've got to fight fire with fire," said the big center. "There are some things you can't do, but that doesn't mean you can't get after teams and play with great intensity. We need to develop the killer instinct early." Then there is the confidence factor, because once a team beats the Celtics at the Garden or in Hartford, it seems to give that team even more confidence on its home court against Boston.
"That's what has happened with Detroit," said Jones. "They match up well and they come here knowing they can beat us because they've done it before. That's what you have to change. Indiana is coming to town and they seem to play well against us." Perfection is the goal, added Jones, but right now he will settle for a balanced team effort. "That's because the level of talent is so good in this league that there will be nights when you're simply not going to stop a player."
Sidney Moncrief of the Bucks had 28 points Wednesday night, but "we were able to shut down players like Marques Johnson and Alton Lister," Jones pointed out. "Moncrief didn't hurt us all that much because he didn't get going in bunches. That's what the support system is all about." Steve Stipanovich, the No. 2 overall draft selection, will make his Garden debut tonight (7:30) with the Pacers. The former Missouri center has become the third member of the youthful but talented Indiana front line with Clark Kellogg and Herb Williams, both from Ohio State.
Record: 2-1
11/4/1983
The season is only three games old and already K. C. Jones has become a master of understatement. The new Celtics' coach wants his team to win every game played in Boston Garden, which despite a new paint job will never be confused with the Holy Land by most NBA teams. Jones was speaking of Celtics' intimidation, which at the ancient edifice is not a new notion, but one that in recent years could not be taken for granted. "We have to go out from the start and play aggressively every game, but especially so on our home court," Jones said. "It's important to let teams know they can't walk in here and think they can beat the Celtics."
Most coaches would find last season's 33-8 record at home - including 2-1 at Hartford - acceptable, considering the growing number of quality clubs, but that won't satisfy K. C. It goes against the Celtics' tradition started in the '60s when enforcers such as Jim Loscutoff, Gene Conley and Bob Brannum made oppponents coming to the Garden shudder in anticipation of a physical pounding.
And it goes against the legacy of the '70s, when the Celtics won two World Championships with players like Dave Cowens, Don Nelson and Paul Silas, who used a combination of brains and brawn to accomplish the same end. "We've got to go after teams and start doing some of the things they have been doing to us," he said. "I'm not talking muscles.
"It starts with putting pressure on the ball and playing with smarts. We did it with Cleveland and Milwaukee and you saw the results. The idea is to be aggressive, and if you get burned, have a support system there to take up the slack." Robert Parish added that the support system is not something that can be turned on in the fourth quarter.
"You've got to fight fire with fire," said the big center. "There are some things you can't do, but that doesn't mean you can't get after teams and play with great intensity. We need to develop the killer instinct early." Then there is the confidence factor, because once a team beats the Celtics at the Garden or in Hartford, it seems to give that team even more confidence on its home court against Boston.
"That's what has happened with Detroit," said Jones. "They match up well and they come here knowing they can beat us because they've done it before. That's what you have to change. Indiana is coming to town and they seem to play well against us." Perfection is the goal, added Jones, but right now he will settle for a balanced team effort. "That's because the level of talent is so good in this league that there will be nights when you're simply not going to stop a player."
Sidney Moncrief of the Bucks had 28 points Wednesday night, but "we were able to shut down players like Marques Johnson and Alton Lister," Jones pointed out. "Moncrief didn't hurt us all that much because he didn't get going in bunches. That's what the support system is all about." Steve Stipanovich, the No. 2 overall draft selection, will make his Garden debut tonight (7:30) with the Pacers. The former Missouri center has become the third member of the youthful but talented Indiana front line with Clark Kellogg and Herb Williams, both from Ohio State.
More from #13, More on #13
Like I’ve said all the time, a good amount of players are good once they find the right fit. Take a look at Shannon Brown. He couldn’t play in Charlotte but he was good enough to play for (the Lakers) on an NBA championship team (last year). That just shows you.
--Sheldoon
He’s benefited a great deal from where he is.People haven’t seen Shelden, and I think he shot to the forefront of the league with this team. Now people want to know about him. People are hearing about his journey, and it brings his value up. It brings our value up.
--J.Shuttlesworth
He was a 12th man, an afterthought, someone Doc Rivers could bury at the bottom of his depth chart and hide at the end of his bench. Essentially, Williams' main purpose was to lie in waiting until injuries arose and his services were needed.
As it turned out, that time came a lot sooner than the Celtics were expecting. With the thumb injury that shelved Glen Davis less than two weeks ago, Williams became a key part of the Celtics' rotation overnight, and he hasn't shied away from the challenge. Suffice it to say that Williams has already surpassed the Celtics' expectations for him. And it's still early November. Through six games, Williams' per-game averages off the Celtics bench are very solid: 7.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.5 blocks. He's shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and 84.0 percent from the free-throw line. And he's only getting 17 minutes a night.
--NESN
He played well in the season-opening win in Cleveland, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in 13 minutes. As his time on the floor has increased, so has his production. He had 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 22 minutes against Charlotte, and then put up a double-double effort in 24 minutes against the Bulls — 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
In fact, Shelden Williams is a big part of why the Celtics are 4-0, part of a bench that has equaled — and at times surpassed — the starting unit in the early going. His defense has been big, even if he hasn't quite figured out the Celtics' help defense just yet.
"Pretty much where I've always been, you're responsible for your man, and that's something they don't stress here," he said. "Everybody has to jump back. That's something pretty much all my life I've been the last line of defense, and I've had to get the stops myself. I'm still at the point where I'm looking at my man, and I'm not looking to help. That's something I'm still working on."
--TIM WEISBERGKG has Career Night in Loss
KG's Rookie Year
11/16/1995
The Timberwolves have difficulty with the San Antonio Spurs, and Wednesday night's game at Target Center was no exception. The Spurs' 105-96 victory was further proof that the Wolves' turnaround has not yet begun. The loss was the third straight for the Wolves (1-5) despite a career night for 19-year-old rookie Kevin Garnett. Garnett had 19 points and eight rebounds. The Wolves dropped to 3-28 lifetime against the Spurs.
Whenever the Wolves play the Spurs (5-2), the focus usually falls on David Robinson. Last season's NBA most valuable player didn't let a teen-ager upstage him, pouring in 30 points and collecting 12 rebounds in 29 minutes. Sean Elliott complemented Robinson with 21 points. Tom Gugliotta, doing most of the inside work with Christian Laettner on the injured list with an ankle sprain, finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds. But Gugliotta, like his teammates, wilted in the second half. Gugliotta had only four points in the second half. The Wolves shot 39 percent (31 of 78), the fourth game in which they shot below 40 percent.
Spurs guard Avery Johnson made a free throw and fed Robinson for an alley-oop dunk to build a 95-87 lead with 3:53 remaining. The Wolves trailed only 91-87 with 6:56 left after Sean Rooks' hook shot over Robinson. They had three chances to tie or take the lead but came up empty on each possession. Gugliotta missed two shots, one a three-pointer, and Micheal Williams had the ball stolen by Johnson.
Behind Garnett's inspiring play, the Wolves cut into a 13-point deficit to trail 85-78 by the end of the third quarter. Garnett blocked a shot by J.R. Reid and scored the Wolves' last six points of the quarter, four on impressive tip-ins. Robinson's jumper had given the Spurs an 82-68 lead with 3:28 left in the third quarter. The Wolves seemed to get caught flat-footed trying to locate guard Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro got the Spurs off to a fast start in the period with 12 points, including two three-pointers over Doug West.
Already angered by Del Negro's flurry, West lost his cool when Gugliotta hit the floor hard on a drive to the basket and a foul was not called. Replacement referee William Kennedy hit West with two technical fouls, an automatic ejection. Robinson made the technical free throw to put the Spurs up 76-66 with 5:09 left in the quarter. West's outburst came when the Spurs were taking over the game after a sluggish second quarter.
The Wolves took advantage of cold shooting by the Spurs in the second quarter and Robinson's foul problems to take a 59-57 lead at halftime. Robinson picked up his third foul with 7:16 left in the quarter and sat out the rest of the period. If not for the foul trouble, Robinson might have had even more impressive numbers. He had made six of his first nine shots to open with a quick 15 points, 14 in the first quarter.
After Robinson left the game, the Spurs made only four field goals the rest of the half. They finished the second quarter shooting 5 for 22 (23 percent), which helped the Wolves make a run just before halftime. Trailing 52-47, the Wolves went on a 12-2 spurt highlighted by two fast-break baskets by rookie Mark Davis. Garnett started the run with an inside move. Rooks added two free throws and Gugliotta converted a layup and two free throws.
Gugliotta, who posted his fourth double double (points and rebounds) this season in the first half, was the Wolves' most active player. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds at intermission.
Nine of his points came at the free-throw line, an indication of the Wolves' determination to take the ball inside with Robinson playing soft because of foul problems.
11/16/1995
The Timberwolves have difficulty with the San Antonio Spurs, and Wednesday night's game at Target Center was no exception. The Spurs' 105-96 victory was further proof that the Wolves' turnaround has not yet begun. The loss was the third straight for the Wolves (1-5) despite a career night for 19-year-old rookie Kevin Garnett. Garnett had 19 points and eight rebounds. The Wolves dropped to 3-28 lifetime against the Spurs.
Whenever the Wolves play the Spurs (5-2), the focus usually falls on David Robinson. Last season's NBA most valuable player didn't let a teen-ager upstage him, pouring in 30 points and collecting 12 rebounds in 29 minutes. Sean Elliott complemented Robinson with 21 points. Tom Gugliotta, doing most of the inside work with Christian Laettner on the injured list with an ankle sprain, finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds. But Gugliotta, like his teammates, wilted in the second half. Gugliotta had only four points in the second half. The Wolves shot 39 percent (31 of 78), the fourth game in which they shot below 40 percent.
Spurs guard Avery Johnson made a free throw and fed Robinson for an alley-oop dunk to build a 95-87 lead with 3:53 remaining. The Wolves trailed only 91-87 with 6:56 left after Sean Rooks' hook shot over Robinson. They had three chances to tie or take the lead but came up empty on each possession. Gugliotta missed two shots, one a three-pointer, and Micheal Williams had the ball stolen by Johnson.
Behind Garnett's inspiring play, the Wolves cut into a 13-point deficit to trail 85-78 by the end of the third quarter. Garnett blocked a shot by J.R. Reid and scored the Wolves' last six points of the quarter, four on impressive tip-ins. Robinson's jumper had given the Spurs an 82-68 lead with 3:28 left in the third quarter. The Wolves seemed to get caught flat-footed trying to locate guard Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro got the Spurs off to a fast start in the period with 12 points, including two three-pointers over Doug West.
Already angered by Del Negro's flurry, West lost his cool when Gugliotta hit the floor hard on a drive to the basket and a foul was not called. Replacement referee William Kennedy hit West with two technical fouls, an automatic ejection. Robinson made the technical free throw to put the Spurs up 76-66 with 5:09 left in the quarter. West's outburst came when the Spurs were taking over the game after a sluggish second quarter.
The Wolves took advantage of cold shooting by the Spurs in the second quarter and Robinson's foul problems to take a 59-57 lead at halftime. Robinson picked up his third foul with 7:16 left in the quarter and sat out the rest of the period. If not for the foul trouble, Robinson might have had even more impressive numbers. He had made six of his first nine shots to open with a quick 15 points, 14 in the first quarter.
After Robinson left the game, the Spurs made only four field goals the rest of the half. They finished the second quarter shooting 5 for 22 (23 percent), which helped the Wolves make a run just before halftime. Trailing 52-47, the Wolves went on a 12-2 spurt highlighted by two fast-break baskets by rookie Mark Davis. Garnett started the run with an inside move. Rooks added two free throws and Gugliotta converted a layup and two free throws.
Gugliotta, who posted his fourth double double (points and rebounds) this season in the first half, was the Wolves' most active player. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds at intermission.
Nine of his points came at the free-throw line, an indication of the Wolves' determination to take the ball inside with Robinson playing soft because of foul problems.
Best Defensive Teams
You may recall that the Celtics were a pretty good defensive team two seasons ago, when Kevin Garnett was healthy and they won their 17th championship. In fact, they were the best defensive team of the last 10 years when you compare their defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) to that of the league average that season.
| Top Five Defensive Teams, Last Decade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| * = won NBA championship |
This season, with the best teams in the league getting better, the Celtics may just have to be even more suffocating defensively than they were two seasons ago if they want to win banner No. 18. The question is: How do they do that?
Shelden is Fitting In
When we first got Shelden Williams, he was so used to running down to the post and asking for the ball. Early on we explained that, 'We have Paul Pierce and Ray Allen; your job is this.' He's doing it, accepting it. He's been a big pickup and the one thing he does, too, is rebound.
Doc
It is interesting to see how much success or failure in the NBA can be reduced to understanding, accepting, and fulfilling a role. When you're the fifth pick overall in the NBA draft, the presumption is that you are Moses Malone, and thus GIVE ME THE FREAKIN' BALL NOW is your role. When that role doesn't pan out, you need to find a new one.
It is clear to me that Shelden's role is to do the little things, nothing more and nothing less. Get rebounds, block out, defend, take up space, set picks, roll, take 'er to the rim, hit your free throws, and keep the boneheadedness to a minimum.
There's not much glory in that job description, unless you play for the Celtics, in which case, if you play your role well enough, your prize is immortality. Not bad, huh?
C's Exact Some Measure of Revenge for Playoff Sweep
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 119, Bucks 105
Record: 2-1
11/3/1983
Ancient philosopher Juvenal claimed, "Revenge is always the delight of a mean spirit, of a weak and petty mind." Maybe. But Juvenal probably couldn't go to his left or make the outlet pass to start a fast break. He certainly never experienced the indignity of being swept 4-0 in the playoffs.
The Celtics finally beat the Milwaukee Bucks last night, and it had to feel good. Commemorating the sixth-month anniversary of the Milwaukee May Day Massacre, Boston extracted a pound of flesh from the aged Bucks, beating Don Nelson's gang, 119-105, in the old-yet-new Boston Garden. Boston's 38th home opener was played in front of the 121st consecutive Garden capacity throng, a group which included striking officials who paraded to the tune of "Joe Hill" early in the first quarter.
You can thank Larry Bird and Quinn Buckner for this one. Bird scored 22 points in the first three quarters as the Celtics built an 11-point lead. Buckner came off the bench and was a catalyst in each half, stealing, assisting and scoring like the man who used to play the point for the Bucks. He got a lot of backcourt help from new Celtic Dennis Johnson in the second half.
The Celtics hit 80 percent of their first-quarter shots, led, 32-27, after one and never trailed. The tightest moment came when a seven-point halftime lead vaporized early in the third quarter. As old fried Tiny Archibald went coast to coast for two, the Celtic lead was trimmed to 69-67 and K. C. Jones called time. Led by Bird and Buckner, the C's outscored Milwaukee, 20-11, in the final eight minutes of the third and led, 89-78.
Junior Bridgeman caught fire for the Bucks in the fourth, but the Celts had too much muscle underneath and the Bucks never got closer than eight. Archibald received a not so Tiny standing ovation when the starting lineups were announced. Then the real fun started. It was a little tense at the beginning. Two announcements calling for eviction of any fan caught blowing a whistle had been made, and when centers Robert Parish and Bob Lanier set themselves for the opening tap, a coterie of policemen lined the the perimeter of the court. The Celtics and the Garden were intent on averting the type of ugly scenes that have taken place elsewhere.
Adding to the tension was the presence of Darrell Garretson, the only veteran referee who has elected to ignore the strike. Bird shifted the emphasis momentarily by canning an 18-footer out top to open the home season. The Celts were pressing and running, and another bomb by Bird (11 points in the quarter) quickly made it 8-2.
While all this was going on, the striking refs (who bought 15 obstructed- vie w tickets) starting strolling the aisles behind the loge boxes. It was then that you could hear a few of the 2000 whistles that had been handed out by the striking officials before the game. When Dennis Johnson stole the ball and fed Bird for another jumper to make it 13-5, Milwakee coach Don Nelson called time with 9:08 left in the quarter. Then the picket gang tried to move down to the area behind the Celtics' bench. They were stopped, backed off and disappeared into the night.
When play resumed, Parish hit a turnaround to make it 15-5. The Celtics were on their way to hitting 12 of 15 shots in the quarter, and another run by late in the period made it 24-13 before the Bucks started fighting back. Eight straight points by Milwaukee cut Boston's lead to 24-21. As usual, Sidney Moncrief was everywhere (10 in the period) and Boston's margin was down to five (32-27) after one. Archibald scored two points in the first half.
The Bucks pulled to within one point briefly, but Buckner and Danny Ainge had success pressing Milwaukee at halfcourt, and when Buckner converted a steal into a layup, it was 46-37 with 7:12 left in the half. Boston took advantage of height mismatches (Marques Johnson on Kevin McHale), and two more baskets by Bird pushed the Celts to their biggest lead of the half (54-41), but the Bucks cut it to 63-56 by intermission.
Celtics 119, Bucks 105
Record: 2-1
11/3/1983
Ancient philosopher Juvenal claimed, "Revenge is always the delight of a mean spirit, of a weak and petty mind." Maybe. But Juvenal probably couldn't go to his left or make the outlet pass to start a fast break. He certainly never experienced the indignity of being swept 4-0 in the playoffs.
The Celtics finally beat the Milwaukee Bucks last night, and it had to feel good. Commemorating the sixth-month anniversary of the Milwaukee May Day Massacre, Boston extracted a pound of flesh from the aged Bucks, beating Don Nelson's gang, 119-105, in the old-yet-new Boston Garden. Boston's 38th home opener was played in front of the 121st consecutive Garden capacity throng, a group which included striking officials who paraded to the tune of "Joe Hill" early in the first quarter.
You can thank Larry Bird and Quinn Buckner for this one. Bird scored 22 points in the first three quarters as the Celtics built an 11-point lead. Buckner came off the bench and was a catalyst in each half, stealing, assisting and scoring like the man who used to play the point for the Bucks. He got a lot of backcourt help from new Celtic Dennis Johnson in the second half.
The Celtics hit 80 percent of their first-quarter shots, led, 32-27, after one and never trailed. The tightest moment came when a seven-point halftime lead vaporized early in the third quarter. As old fried Tiny Archibald went coast to coast for two, the Celtic lead was trimmed to 69-67 and K. C. Jones called time. Led by Bird and Buckner, the C's outscored Milwaukee, 20-11, in the final eight minutes of the third and led, 89-78.
Junior Bridgeman caught fire for the Bucks in the fourth, but the Celts had too much muscle underneath and the Bucks never got closer than eight. Archibald received a not so Tiny standing ovation when the starting lineups were announced. Then the real fun started. It was a little tense at the beginning. Two announcements calling for eviction of any fan caught blowing a whistle had been made, and when centers Robert Parish and Bob Lanier set themselves for the opening tap, a coterie of policemen lined the the perimeter of the court. The Celtics and the Garden were intent on averting the type of ugly scenes that have taken place elsewhere.
Adding to the tension was the presence of Darrell Garretson, the only veteran referee who has elected to ignore the strike. Bird shifted the emphasis momentarily by canning an 18-footer out top to open the home season. The Celts were pressing and running, and another bomb by Bird (11 points in the quarter) quickly made it 8-2.
While all this was going on, the striking refs (who bought 15 obstructed- vie w tickets) starting strolling the aisles behind the loge boxes. It was then that you could hear a few of the 2000 whistles that had been handed out by the striking officials before the game. When Dennis Johnson stole the ball and fed Bird for another jumper to make it 13-5, Milwakee coach Don Nelson called time with 9:08 left in the quarter. Then the picket gang tried to move down to the area behind the Celtics' bench. They were stopped, backed off and disappeared into the night.
When play resumed, Parish hit a turnaround to make it 15-5. The Celtics were on their way to hitting 12 of 15 shots in the quarter, and another run by late in the period made it 24-13 before the Bucks started fighting back. Eight straight points by Milwaukee cut Boston's lead to 24-21. As usual, Sidney Moncrief was everywhere (10 in the period) and Boston's margin was down to five (32-27) after one. Archibald scored two points in the first half.
The Bucks pulled to within one point briefly, but Buckner and Danny Ainge had success pressing Milwaukee at halfcourt, and when Buckner converted a steal into a layup, it was 46-37 with 7:12 left in the half. Boston took advantage of height mismatches (Marques Johnson on Kevin McHale), and two more baskets by Bird pushed the Celts to their biggest lead of the half (54-41), but the Bucks cut it to 63-56 by intermission.
Not a Bad First Six Games for the Beast
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 | SEASON AVERAGES |  |
| Season | Team | G | GS | MPG | FG% | 3p% | FT% | OFF | DEF | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PF | PPG |
| 09-10 | BOS | 6 | 6 | 26.3 | 0.615 | 0.000 | 0.583 | 0.8 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 2.50 | 2.30 | 9.2 |
| Career |
| 370 | 256 | 21.1 | 0.552 | 0.000 | 0.613 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.55 | 2.80 | 5.7 |
I was gathering autographs before a recent game when I told the Beast "10 more years and #43 will be hoisted to the rafters."
"Yeah, right," he responded, as he finished signing my SI championship book.
He's certainly no KG, Paul Pierce, or Ray Allen. Hey may not even be an All-Star or All-Defense . . . yet. But he's already got one ring, and who knows how many more he'll win. Does anyone doubt his indispensability to this team? If Don Nelson's number can get hoisted, is it really that hard to imagine a jersey-raising ceremony for the Beast?
Rondo scored 10 points over a 2:48 span, all resulting from moves in the lane, tying the score at 68 with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter. "The way they were trapping," Rivers said, "we just lifted Ray way up and kept telling them, either they are going to leave Ray, or Rondo is going to get layups. That's why we left Rasheed [Wallace] in, because usually it's the big that drops, but he can't drop because he's got Rasheed and we've got Ray. We threw it to Kevin, and so we had four shooters and Rajon. We tried to force them to trap and if they did trap, we get a layup."
This was indeed an important juncture of the game. Doc had made a decision to substitute Perk for Sheed. Perk took the floor, Sheed went to the bench. Then a time-out was called. Doc reversed his decision during the time-out, putting Sheed back out on the floor. And then the above happened. Doc is a damn good coach, and it's nice to see him coaching well when our boys play less than stellar ball. Rondo saved the game last night.
I say as the season unfolds, we're gonna see Rondo asserting himself more when the other starters are hibernating, which, from the looks of it, might be quite often in the first quarter.
This was indeed an important juncture of the game. Doc had made a decision to substitute Perk for Sheed. Perk took the floor, Sheed went to the bench. Then a time-out was called. Doc reversed his decision during the time-out, putting Sheed back out on the floor. And then the above happened. Doc is a damn good coach, and it's nice to see him coaching well when our boys play less than stellar ball. Rondo saved the game last night.
I say as the season unfolds, we're gonna see Rondo asserting himself more when the other starters are hibernating, which, from the looks of it, might be quite often in the first quarter.
Slimmer Quinn Buckner Making a Difference
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 119, Bucks 105
Record: 2-1
11/3/1983
If you ask Quinn Buckner, he'll tell you he owes his success to clean living and target practice. Translated, that means the veteran Celtic guard is off to the kind of season he envisioned a year ago when he came here from Milwaukee. Before the Celtics' 119-105 victory over the Bucks last night in their home opener, all eyes were on Milwaukee's Tiny Archibald. But afterward, most of the sellout crowd at the Garden was singing the praises of Buckner, who scored 16 points and gave Boston an unexpected lift with the kind of outside shooting that he didn't have a year ago.
"I've really been shooting well since training camp," said Buckner. "The way I thought I would when I came here a year ago. I owe a lot of it to keeping my weight down and shooting all summer, with Junior Bridgeman of Milwaukee, would you believe. Since training camp, I've been shooting with Larry Bird. They are two pretty good shooters, and maybe some of it rubbed off."
On paper the Bucks figured to have a slight edge because they could bomb away outside with the likes of Sidney Moncrief, Bridgeman and Archibald. No team with a Larry Bird can be called bashful about shooting from the outside, but it was thought that if Gerry Henderson got into foul trouble, the Celtics had only one other pure shooter at guard, Danny Ainge. Sure enough, Henderson did get into foul trouble in the third quarter, with Boston leading by only 69-67. In came Buckner, who had hit 4 of 5 shots in the first half, and out went the best-laid plans of Bucks' coach Don Nelson. With Boston leading, 72-70, Buckner hit a 16-footer from the right baseline to give the Celtics a four-point lead, and the Bucks never came any closer.
"Quinn did just a super job," insisted Celtics' coach K.C. Jones. "He showed that he's not only a great defensive player, but also that he's a leader. He hit some big shots from the outside." Nelson, the man who let Buckner go to Boston for Dave Cowens, agreed that Buckner's play was an important factor in Boston's victory. "On defense, we had a lot of problems getting by him," said Nelson. "He's improved a lot. I think it is because he approached the season well. His weight is down and he is playing well on both ends of the floor."
Buckner's fine play off the bench is something that future Celtics' foes will have to think about. If he is successful as an outside shooter, it will mean that Boston has four interchangable guards. Dennis Johnson and Henderson are the starters. "Right now," said Buckner, "we're able to get a lot of versatility out of the guard situation. D.J. is playing very well inside, and I'm trying to make whatever contribution I can make.
"Right now, the jump shot is going. Defensively, I'm just playing aggressively. I think that's what we have to have, guards playing aggressively to get the forwards and centers playing the same way."
Buckner said the key for him was his preseason approach. He lost 10 pounds by dieting right after last season, and spent the whole summer keeping weight off and working his shot. "It paid off," he said. "I was aware of the guard situation when I came to camp. All I had to worry about was getting my game in shape, and learning what was expected of me and my teammates. "I feel better than I did last year. I thought I was going to shoot like this then. But I got hurt in training camp and I didn't get started the way I like. You live and you learn in this game."
Celtics 119, Bucks 105
Record: 2-1
11/3/1983
If you ask Quinn Buckner, he'll tell you he owes his success to clean living and target practice. Translated, that means the veteran Celtic guard is off to the kind of season he envisioned a year ago when he came here from Milwaukee. Before the Celtics' 119-105 victory over the Bucks last night in their home opener, all eyes were on Milwaukee's Tiny Archibald. But afterward, most of the sellout crowd at the Garden was singing the praises of Buckner, who scored 16 points and gave Boston an unexpected lift with the kind of outside shooting that he didn't have a year ago.
"I've really been shooting well since training camp," said Buckner. "The way I thought I would when I came here a year ago. I owe a lot of it to keeping my weight down and shooting all summer, with Junior Bridgeman of Milwaukee, would you believe. Since training camp, I've been shooting with Larry Bird. They are two pretty good shooters, and maybe some of it rubbed off."
On paper the Bucks figured to have a slight edge because they could bomb away outside with the likes of Sidney Moncrief, Bridgeman and Archibald. No team with a Larry Bird can be called bashful about shooting from the outside, but it was thought that if Gerry Henderson got into foul trouble, the Celtics had only one other pure shooter at guard, Danny Ainge. Sure enough, Henderson did get into foul trouble in the third quarter, with Boston leading by only 69-67. In came Buckner, who had hit 4 of 5 shots in the first half, and out went the best-laid plans of Bucks' coach Don Nelson. With Boston leading, 72-70, Buckner hit a 16-footer from the right baseline to give the Celtics a four-point lead, and the Bucks never came any closer.
"Quinn did just a super job," insisted Celtics' coach K.C. Jones. "He showed that he's not only a great defensive player, but also that he's a leader. He hit some big shots from the outside." Nelson, the man who let Buckner go to Boston for Dave Cowens, agreed that Buckner's play was an important factor in Boston's victory. "On defense, we had a lot of problems getting by him," said Nelson. "He's improved a lot. I think it is because he approached the season well. His weight is down and he is playing well on both ends of the floor."
Buckner's fine play off the bench is something that future Celtics' foes will have to think about. If he is successful as an outside shooter, it will mean that Boston has four interchangable guards. Dennis Johnson and Henderson are the starters. "Right now," said Buckner, "we're able to get a lot of versatility out of the guard situation. D.J. is playing very well inside, and I'm trying to make whatever contribution I can make.
"Right now, the jump shot is going. Defensively, I'm just playing aggressively. I think that's what we have to have, guards playing aggressively to get the forwards and centers playing the same way."
Buckner said the key for him was his preseason approach. He lost 10 pounds by dieting right after last season, and spent the whole summer keeping weight off and working his shot. "It paid off," he said. "I was aware of the guard situation when I came to camp. All I had to worry about was getting my game in shape, and learning what was expected of me and my teammates. "I feel better than I did last year. I thought I was going to shoot like this then. But I got hurt in training camp and I didn't get started the way I like. You live and you learn in this game."
Tiny Returns to Boston in Bucks Uniform
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 119, Bucks 105
Record: 2-1
11/3/1983
Tiny Archibald held court before his return to the Garden in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform last night. Asked about his relationship wth ex-Celtic coach Bill Fitch, Archibald said, "I talked to Bill when I saw him. I don't think Bill is bitter about me and I'm not bitter about him. Maybe I stepped out of line saying certain things, but I still feel I wasn't used as I should be used. But I don't think Bill hates me or anything.
In his first two games as Milwaukee's playmaker, Archibald played 47 minutes, hit 8 of 11 from the floor, 2 of 2 from the line and doled out 6 assists. "Tiny's playing great," said backcourtmate Sidney Moncrief. "He's a welcome addition . . . He has a different personality, but he's never given me the impression of a pouter. He likes to win and, in the process, play a lot. That's no different than any player."
Moncrief didn't play in Milwaukee's loss in Detroit Tuesday night due to a sore right shoulder. "I hurt it in a freak accident," said the All-Star guard. "I've had trouble since training camp, but it should be OK in the next couple of days." . . . Ancient center Bob Lanier still has trouble playing two nights in a row due to his wobbly knees. In Detroit Tuesday, Lanier tagged Pistons' center Bill Laimbeer with a wicked elbow. No foul was called.
Speaking of fouls, picketing official Jack Madden had this to say about the 2000 whistles that were handed out outside the Graden by striking referees before last night's game: "Our objective is to pass them out to the fans as a symbol of referees. Once the game starts, we don't expect them to blow them. We wouldn't want somebody to disrupt the game. We did this in Chicago in '77 and it had a very positive affect."
Bucks' coach Don Nelson faked out the striking referees. He had the Bucks enter through a back door instead of in front of the Garden, where union leader Richie Phillips had organized his picket line . . . Moncrief on new Celtic guard Dennis Johnson: "He's a tough, intelligent ballplayer. He always created problems for my game." . . . New Celtics' owners Don Gaston, Alan Cohen and Paul Dupee got their first look at the Celtics in a regular-season game.
Celtics 119, Bucks 105
Record: 2-1
11/3/1983
Tiny Archibald held court before his return to the Garden in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform last night. Asked about his relationship wth ex-Celtic coach Bill Fitch, Archibald said, "I talked to Bill when I saw him. I don't think Bill is bitter about me and I'm not bitter about him. Maybe I stepped out of line saying certain things, but I still feel I wasn't used as I should be used. But I don't think Bill hates me or anything.
In his first two games as Milwaukee's playmaker, Archibald played 47 minutes, hit 8 of 11 from the floor, 2 of 2 from the line and doled out 6 assists. "Tiny's playing great," said backcourtmate Sidney Moncrief. "He's a welcome addition . . . He has a different personality, but he's never given me the impression of a pouter. He likes to win and, in the process, play a lot. That's no different than any player."
Moncrief didn't play in Milwaukee's loss in Detroit Tuesday night due to a sore right shoulder. "I hurt it in a freak accident," said the All-Star guard. "I've had trouble since training camp, but it should be OK in the next couple of days." . . . Ancient center Bob Lanier still has trouble playing two nights in a row due to his wobbly knees. In Detroit Tuesday, Lanier tagged Pistons' center Bill Laimbeer with a wicked elbow. No foul was called.
Speaking of fouls, picketing official Jack Madden had this to say about the 2000 whistles that were handed out outside the Graden by striking referees before last night's game: "Our objective is to pass them out to the fans as a symbol of referees. Once the game starts, we don't expect them to blow them. We wouldn't want somebody to disrupt the game. We did this in Chicago in '77 and it had a very positive affect."
Bucks' coach Don Nelson faked out the striking referees. He had the Bucks enter through a back door instead of in front of the Garden, where union leader Richie Phillips had organized his picket line . . . Moncrief on new Celtic guard Dennis Johnson: "He's a tough, intelligent ballplayer. He always created problems for my game." . . . New Celtics' owners Don Gaston, Alan Cohen and Paul Dupee got their first look at the Celtics in a regular-season game.
DJ's Attitude is Just Fine in Boston
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Record: 1-1
11/2/1983
He has always carried a label of being a free spirit in the purest sense. In good years and bad, it is what made Dennis Johnson's approach to playing professional basketball different. When Johnson came into the NBA in 1976, it was thought that the Seattle SuperSonics had goofed in making a 6-foot-4 shot-blocking guard from tiny Pepperdine (Calif.) College their second-round draft choice. But in seven seasons, that same Dennis Johnson has developed into the prototype of the big defensive guard that almost every NBA club now feels it must have.
While playing in Seattle and then Phoenix, Johnson became known as the complete two-way player. His defense frequently overshadowed his offensive production. But he always seemed to have the ball when the big shot was needed, and usually he hit it. It is hard to find fault with a man who has been named to the All-NBA defensive team a record tying five seasons and has averaged over 15 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. Yet, one owner, Sam Shulman of Seattle, and two coaches, Len Wilkens of Seattle and John MacLeod of Phoenix, have either publicly or privately complained of Johnson's "attitude."
Such are the contradictions in the life of the man called D.J., who does not deny there have been problems but quickly adds that people don't judge books solely by their reviews and the same should be true for an NBA player. "Sure, I've had some personality problems," says Johnson, who will be making his home debut as a starter for the Celtics tonight. "But they didn't come from a coaching or player standpoint. It came from management.
"It can happen easily. Somebody is going to say that Dennis Johnson has been on three teams and that means he must have a problem. But how many teams has Tom Nissalke coached, or Bill Fitch? What's the deal there? They don't have a problem?" It is still difficult to fathom how the Celtics, of all clubs, were able to land a player with the talents of Dennis Johnson. He was acquired in June for backup center Rick Robey in a deal that raised more eyebrows in Phoenix than in Boston. He had apparently won his three-year battle with Suns management and was at peace with the world.
Johnson played well enough in his three years in Phoenix, a club that has replaced Philadelphia as the perennial NBA bridesmaid. But the peace he thought existed was a mirage. It had been well known but never publicly acknowledged that for two years the Suns felt they had a man clearly cut from the wrong mold, and that they had made a mistake in trading Paul Westphal to Seattle for him.
"Attitude" is a catch-all phrase in the NBA and usually means a player is not well liked by his coach. Johnson's record has been one of excellence on the court and does not contain even a hint of a drug problem, the current professional sports sickness. His "attitude" problems mean his relations with front offices over money and over basic philosophy, as in Seattle, where Wilkens once called him a "cancer" to the Sonics.
Johnson had been the MVP of the 1979 NBA playoff finals, won by Seattle. But even before Wilkens' "cancer" outburst, the Sonics were unhappy because Johnson had demanded and won a five-year contract, which still has two years to go. Wilkens and Johnson feuded, with Wilkens claiming D.J. was uncoachable and uncooperative. After Johnson was traded to Phoenix in 1980-81, that one quote haunted him. When he sought to renegotiate his contract in the summer of 1981 - the year Magic Johnson was given a million-dollar contract - he found resistance from the front office and finally had to bury the hatchet publicly to quiet newspaper stories that he was holding out.
Johnson knew his actions didn't endear him to management, but he still felt that his performance in the last two years had redeemed him in the eyes of the fans and his peers. One source close to the Suns, however, indicated that while MacLeod publicly praised Johnson, he didn't like his off-court manner and training habits. Johnson admits his "attitude problem" did exist at one point. He agrees that his run-in with Shulman was a classic example of how not to conduct player-owner relations, and things went downhill from there. When Johnson left Seattle in a huff, the whole experience left bad feelings on both sides.
But things were different after his trade to Boston, as the Suns were roasted by their media. Johnson had heard that the Suns were looking for a trade to beef up inside, but he said there was no hint that he would be the bait, particularly since the Suns are still minus a big defensive guard and have shifted Walter Davis to the backcourt. "At Seattle," said Johnson, "I just wanted a raise and he (Shulman) didn't want to give it to me. At times it left me bitter and left him bitter. I admit that it affected me in a different way and did carry over into my playing. But not totally.
"When I got traded, everybody, I guess, took a cue from that. I may have given that impression, I may not have. To prejudge or not to prejudge is an individual right. But nobody really asked me anything at that particular time. People automatically made judgments about me, and I let them think they were right. I didn't say anything. I let it be whatever they wanted it to be. But in the last three years, I've proved them totally wrong."
The trade to Boston did catch Johnson by surprise.
"My wife and I were shopping for a new home," he said. "I was surprised and shocked. I was bitter for the minute. But I'd faced it once and thus it wasn't all that hard to deal with this time. I said it means go to Boston, find me a place and get settled. "The first trade was one in which I was made the biggest focal point. But it was nothing that really bothered me beyond the first two or three months I was at Phoenix. I faced everything as best I could. I had my family behind me. I probably grew there mentally more than any place."
Johnson feels he has already won a measure of acceptance in Boston, especially from his teammates. He reported to training camp with the rookies, and coach K. C.Jones rewarded his hard work by giving him a starting job opposite Gerry Henderson. "I'm the type of player that can't have too bad a year. I'm not a pure shooter, " said Johnson. "Nobody counts on my shot going in every time like a Larry Bird or a Robert Parish, but I can shoot. The thing I do best is play defense, and I can't afford to slack on that even a little bit. My game is flexible."
But so are the Celtics.
"Between K. C., the other coaches and the players, I've probably been made to feel more welcome than any team I've ever been on since I left Seattle," Johnson said. "My trade happened real quick, but they made me feel welcome. "The day that one guard can dominate on defense is probably over. But I plan to get back as close to it as I can this year. It's going to take a lot of hard work."
Record: 1-1
11/2/1983
He has always carried a label of being a free spirit in the purest sense. In good years and bad, it is what made Dennis Johnson's approach to playing professional basketball different. When Johnson came into the NBA in 1976, it was thought that the Seattle SuperSonics had goofed in making a 6-foot-4 shot-blocking guard from tiny Pepperdine (Calif.) College their second-round draft choice. But in seven seasons, that same Dennis Johnson has developed into the prototype of the big defensive guard that almost every NBA club now feels it must have.
While playing in Seattle and then Phoenix, Johnson became known as the complete two-way player. His defense frequently overshadowed his offensive production. But he always seemed to have the ball when the big shot was needed, and usually he hit it. It is hard to find fault with a man who has been named to the All-NBA defensive team a record tying five seasons and has averaged over 15 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. Yet, one owner, Sam Shulman of Seattle, and two coaches, Len Wilkens of Seattle and John MacLeod of Phoenix, have either publicly or privately complained of Johnson's "attitude."
Such are the contradictions in the life of the man called D.J., who does not deny there have been problems but quickly adds that people don't judge books solely by their reviews and the same should be true for an NBA player. "Sure, I've had some personality problems," says Johnson, who will be making his home debut as a starter for the Celtics tonight. "But they didn't come from a coaching or player standpoint. It came from management.
"It can happen easily. Somebody is going to say that Dennis Johnson has been on three teams and that means he must have a problem. But how many teams has Tom Nissalke coached, or Bill Fitch? What's the deal there? They don't have a problem?" It is still difficult to fathom how the Celtics, of all clubs, were able to land a player with the talents of Dennis Johnson. He was acquired in June for backup center Rick Robey in a deal that raised more eyebrows in Phoenix than in Boston. He had apparently won his three-year battle with Suns management and was at peace with the world.
Johnson played well enough in his three years in Phoenix, a club that has replaced Philadelphia as the perennial NBA bridesmaid. But the peace he thought existed was a mirage. It had been well known but never publicly acknowledged that for two years the Suns felt they had a man clearly cut from the wrong mold, and that they had made a mistake in trading Paul Westphal to Seattle for him.
"Attitude" is a catch-all phrase in the NBA and usually means a player is not well liked by his coach. Johnson's record has been one of excellence on the court and does not contain even a hint of a drug problem, the current professional sports sickness. His "attitude" problems mean his relations with front offices over money and over basic philosophy, as in Seattle, where Wilkens once called him a "cancer" to the Sonics.
Johnson had been the MVP of the 1979 NBA playoff finals, won by Seattle. But even before Wilkens' "cancer" outburst, the Sonics were unhappy because Johnson had demanded and won a five-year contract, which still has two years to go. Wilkens and Johnson feuded, with Wilkens claiming D.J. was uncoachable and uncooperative. After Johnson was traded to Phoenix in 1980-81, that one quote haunted him. When he sought to renegotiate his contract in the summer of 1981 - the year Magic Johnson was given a million-dollar contract - he found resistance from the front office and finally had to bury the hatchet publicly to quiet newspaper stories that he was holding out.
Johnson knew his actions didn't endear him to management, but he still felt that his performance in the last two years had redeemed him in the eyes of the fans and his peers. One source close to the Suns, however, indicated that while MacLeod publicly praised Johnson, he didn't like his off-court manner and training habits. Johnson admits his "attitude problem" did exist at one point. He agrees that his run-in with Shulman was a classic example of how not to conduct player-owner relations, and things went downhill from there. When Johnson left Seattle in a huff, the whole experience left bad feelings on both sides.
But things were different after his trade to Boston, as the Suns were roasted by their media. Johnson had heard that the Suns were looking for a trade to beef up inside, but he said there was no hint that he would be the bait, particularly since the Suns are still minus a big defensive guard and have shifted Walter Davis to the backcourt. "At Seattle," said Johnson, "I just wanted a raise and he (Shulman) didn't want to give it to me. At times it left me bitter and left him bitter. I admit that it affected me in a different way and did carry over into my playing. But not totally.
"When I got traded, everybody, I guess, took a cue from that. I may have given that impression, I may not have. To prejudge or not to prejudge is an individual right. But nobody really asked me anything at that particular time. People automatically made judgments about me, and I let them think they were right. I didn't say anything. I let it be whatever they wanted it to be. But in the last three years, I've proved them totally wrong."
The trade to Boston did catch Johnson by surprise.
"My wife and I were shopping for a new home," he said. "I was surprised and shocked. I was bitter for the minute. But I'd faced it once and thus it wasn't all that hard to deal with this time. I said it means go to Boston, find me a place and get settled. "The first trade was one in which I was made the biggest focal point. But it was nothing that really bothered me beyond the first two or three months I was at Phoenix. I faced everything as best I could. I had my family behind me. I probably grew there mentally more than any place."
Johnson feels he has already won a measure of acceptance in Boston, especially from his teammates. He reported to training camp with the rookies, and coach K. C.Jones rewarded his hard work by giving him a starting job opposite Gerry Henderson. "I'm the type of player that can't have too bad a year. I'm not a pure shooter, " said Johnson. "Nobody counts on my shot going in every time like a Larry Bird or a Robert Parish, but I can shoot. The thing I do best is play defense, and I can't afford to slack on that even a little bit. My game is flexible."
But so are the Celtics.
"Between K. C., the other coaches and the players, I've probably been made to feel more welcome than any team I've ever been on since I left Seattle," Johnson said. "My trade happened real quick, but they made me feel welcome. "The day that one guard can dominate on defense is probably over. But I plan to get back as close to it as I can this year. It's going to take a lot of hard work."
6-0: Celtics 92, Wolves 90
Celtics 92, 
Timberwolves 90
8:00 PM ET, November 4, 2009
Target Center
Minneapolis, MN
| BOSTON CELTICS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Kevin Garnett, PF | 35 | 6-13 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 12 |
| Paul Pierce, SF | 41 | 3-12 | 0-1 | 4-4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 10 |
| Kendrick Perkins, C | 32 | 6-7 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -2 | 13 |
| Ray Allen, SG | 33 | 6-13 | 1-7 | 1-1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -2 | 14 |
| Rajon Rondo, PG | 35 | 8-16 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Rasheed Wallace, FC | 19 | 2-7 | 2-7 | 1-2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +2 | 7 |
| Eddie House, PG | 13 | 2-8 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
| Brian Scalabrine, PF | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +8 | 0 |
| Marquis Daniels, SG | 18 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Shelden Williams, PF | 9 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| J.R. Giddens, SG | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| Lester Hudson, G | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 37-83 | 5-19 | 13-19 | 8 | 28 | 36 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 92 | |||
| 44.6% | 26.3% | 68.4% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 13 Points in the paint: 46 Team TO ( points off ): 10 (8) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
| MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Ryan Gomes, F | 35 | 5-7 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +6 | 11 |
| Oleksiy Pecherov, PF | 34 | 9-14 | 1-4 | 5-5 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +12 | 24 |
| Al Jefferson, C | 36 | 8-17 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +3 | 18 |
| Corey Brewer, SF | 39 | 6-16 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +2 | 13 |
| Jonny Flynn, PG | 33 | 4-6 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +3 | 10 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Ryan Hollins, C | 14 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -11 | 4 |
| Damien Wilkins, SG | 5 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -8 | 0 |
| Sasha Pavlovic, SG | 13 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -8 | 4 |
| Ramon Sessions, PG | 15 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | -5 | 4 |
| Wayne Ellington, G | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| Brian Cardinal, PF | 12 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 2 |
| Nathan Jawai, PF | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 39-75 | 2-11 | 10-12 | 6 | 34 | 40 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 18 | 90 | |||
| 52.0% | 18.2% | 83.3% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 2 Points in the paint: 36 Team TO ( points off ): 18 (17) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
Celts Meet Bucks for First Time since Playoff Sweep
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Record: 1-1
11/1/1983
Some folks remember the Maine. Others remember the Alamo. Still others try to remember the kind of September. The Boston Celtics remember the Milwaukee May Day Massacre. The NBA's schedule maker must be a clever fellow, blessed with either a macabre sense of humor or a keen feel for the dramatic. Here it is, two days after Halloween, and the Milwaukee Bucks are in town to help the Celtics open their 38th home season tonight at 8.
These are the same Bucks who spit on the once-proud Celts in four straight games last May. Milwaukee's flashdance sweep was the first ever suffered by the Boston franchise, and it opened up the gates for a tumultous summer that saw several key members of the Celtics' cast wave goodby. One of tonight's multiple subplots is the return of Tiny Archibald in a Bucks uniform. Boston's floor leader for five seasons was unceremoniously dumped in midsummer, then signed with the Bucks. Tiny will be Milwaukee's starting playmaker tonight, but memories of The Sweep remain the Celts' primary motivation.
"I think we'll have some extra incentive," said Cedric Maxwell. "It's unusual to be pumped up for an early game, but I think our pride is still probably wounded. We weren't prepared and they beat us handily last year. I think we'll be up a lot more this time. You can't gain it all back - what we lost as far as our pride goes - but this would be a start." "I'm sure we haven't forgotten the way we ended last year," adds Robert Parish. "This should be a very intense contest. We have to establish ourselves against a good ballclub, especially since our first outing (Friday's 127-121 loss in Detroit) wasn't exactly pretty."
"Ugly" is the best description of the Milwaukee Massacre. The Celts were beaten in straight sets, 116-95, 95-91, 107-99 and 107-93. The Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia while the Celtics staggered home for an endless summer of "What happened to you guys?" "The Bucks embarrassed us," says M.L. Carr. "I'd like to beat Milwaukee six times this year, then meet them in the playoffs and beat 'em again. I don't want to take aything away from them, but it could have been any team beating us the way we were playing then. It could have been Phoenix. It could have been New York. It just happened to be Milwaukee."
Bucks' coach Don Nelson, who burned some bridges with mentor Red Auerbach during the sweep, says, "This is just one of the early tough games for us. The sweep was nice, but it was just one step for us. Our goal last spring was to win a championship and we didn't, so I don't feel very triumphant coming back to Boston." Nelson will start Archibald in the backcourt with Sidney Moncrief. Marques Johnson, Bob Lanier and Alton Lister will start up front. Archibald and Lanier played only 21 and 23 minutes respectively in Milwaukee's season opener vs. Indiana. Charlie Criss, Junior Bridgeman, Paul Pressey and Kevin Grevey are Nelson's spare guards, and Harvey Catchings, Paul Mokeski and rookie Randy Breuer fill in underneath.
Listor plays some center when Lanier is out of the game, and Nelson has been looking at Pressey as a small forward. The Bucks are the oldest and most experienced team in the league. "I worry that older players have the tendency to get injured more and may not recover as quickly, but I like my squad," says Nelson. "We have respect for them, but we know we can beat them, " says Larry Bird. "They embarrassed us and the only way to get back at 'em is to go out and beat 'em." "Let's put it this way," adds Kevin McHale. "If we have to beat a team Wednesday night, there's nobody I'd rather beat than Milwaukee. We have to vindicate ourselves."
Negotiators for the NBA and the NBA Referees Assn. met for four hours yesterday and NBA
legal counsel Russ Granik reported "no significant progress." Granik also said, "We are prepared to go all season with the substitute officials. We think they'll get better each week." The NBA said it had filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the referees' union for allegedly "engaging in a pattern of attempted coercion and intimidation" of substitute refs . . . Archibald hit 4 of 4 floor shots and 2 of 2 from the line in the Bucks' opener. "I think the fans will show their appreciation for the things Tiny did while he was here," says Carr . . . Moncrief has a slightly bruised shoulder but expects to play . . . Milwaukee assistant coach Gary St. Jean scouted the Celtics last weekend.
Record: 1-1
11/1/1983
Some folks remember the Maine. Others remember the Alamo. Still others try to remember the kind of September. The Boston Celtics remember the Milwaukee May Day Massacre. The NBA's schedule maker must be a clever fellow, blessed with either a macabre sense of humor or a keen feel for the dramatic. Here it is, two days after Halloween, and the Milwaukee Bucks are in town to help the Celtics open their 38th home season tonight at 8.
These are the same Bucks who spit on the once-proud Celts in four straight games last May. Milwaukee's flashdance sweep was the first ever suffered by the Boston franchise, and it opened up the gates for a tumultous summer that saw several key members of the Celtics' cast wave goodby. One of tonight's multiple subplots is the return of Tiny Archibald in a Bucks uniform. Boston's floor leader for five seasons was unceremoniously dumped in midsummer, then signed with the Bucks. Tiny will be Milwaukee's starting playmaker tonight, but memories of The Sweep remain the Celts' primary motivation.
"I think we'll have some extra incentive," said Cedric Maxwell. "It's unusual to be pumped up for an early game, but I think our pride is still probably wounded. We weren't prepared and they beat us handily last year. I think we'll be up a lot more this time. You can't gain it all back - what we lost as far as our pride goes - but this would be a start." "I'm sure we haven't forgotten the way we ended last year," adds Robert Parish. "This should be a very intense contest. We have to establish ourselves against a good ballclub, especially since our first outing (Friday's 127-121 loss in Detroit) wasn't exactly pretty."
"Ugly" is the best description of the Milwaukee Massacre. The Celts were beaten in straight sets, 116-95, 95-91, 107-99 and 107-93. The Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia while the Celtics staggered home for an endless summer of "What happened to you guys?" "The Bucks embarrassed us," says M.L. Carr. "I'd like to beat Milwaukee six times this year, then meet them in the playoffs and beat 'em again. I don't want to take aything away from them, but it could have been any team beating us the way we were playing then. It could have been Phoenix. It could have been New York. It just happened to be Milwaukee."
Bucks' coach Don Nelson, who burned some bridges with mentor Red Auerbach during the sweep, says, "This is just one of the early tough games for us. The sweep was nice, but it was just one step for us. Our goal last spring was to win a championship and we didn't, so I don't feel very triumphant coming back to Boston." Nelson will start Archibald in the backcourt with Sidney Moncrief. Marques Johnson, Bob Lanier and Alton Lister will start up front. Archibald and Lanier played only 21 and 23 minutes respectively in Milwaukee's season opener vs. Indiana. Charlie Criss, Junior Bridgeman, Paul Pressey and Kevin Grevey are Nelson's spare guards, and Harvey Catchings, Paul Mokeski and rookie Randy Breuer fill in underneath.
Listor plays some center when Lanier is out of the game, and Nelson has been looking at Pressey as a small forward. The Bucks are the oldest and most experienced team in the league. "I worry that older players have the tendency to get injured more and may not recover as quickly, but I like my squad," says Nelson. "We have respect for them, but we know we can beat them, " says Larry Bird. "They embarrassed us and the only way to get back at 'em is to go out and beat 'em." "Let's put it this way," adds Kevin McHale. "If we have to beat a team Wednesday night, there's nobody I'd rather beat than Milwaukee. We have to vindicate ourselves."
Negotiators for the NBA and the NBA Referees Assn. met for four hours yesterday and NBA
legal counsel Russ Granik reported "no significant progress." Granik also said, "We are prepared to go all season with the substitute officials. We think they'll get better each week." The NBA said it had filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the referees' union for allegedly "engaging in a pattern of attempted coercion and intimidation" of substitute refs . . . Archibald hit 4 of 4 floor shots and 2 of 2 from the line in the Bucks' opener. "I think the fans will show their appreciation for the things Tiny did while he was here," says Carr . . . Moncrief has a slightly bruised shoulder but expects to play . . . Milwaukee assistant coach Gary St. Jean scouted the Celtics last weekend.
Bad Blood Brewing Between Ainge & Nellie
1983-84 Boston Celtics
November 1, 1983
It sounds as if there is still bad blood between Danny Ainge and Milwaukee coach Don Nelson. Prior to the third game of the Bucks' four-game sweep of Boston last May, Nelson publicly labeled Ainge "a cheap shot artist." Ainge was booed by Milwaukee fans every time he touched the ball in the next two games.
After the series, Celtics' general manager Red Auerbach refused to congratulate Nelson and said, "They beat us, but what they did to Ainge wasn't fair." Nelson was fined by the league and sent a letter of apology to Ainge. "I think Danny is a good player," Nelson said Monday. "I wrote Danny a letter at the end of the season, but I'm not going to comment on any of that stuff."
"Yeah, he sent me a letter of apology, if that's what you want to call it," Ainge said yesterday. "It wasn't much of a letter of apology. I think the league made him send it. He told me that I should learn how to take an offensive charge during the summer. "I've never hurt anyone in my life and I doubt any of his players are threatened by my presence.
"What he said didn't affect me, but it affected the fans and the officials. I had three brutal fouls called on me in the first quarter of the next game. I thought what he did was totally wrong. It didn't show much class, and the sad part is, it worked. He got the officials and the fans - not just the fans of Milwaukee - against me. I think that's stooping pretty low."
November 1, 1983
It sounds as if there is still bad blood between Danny Ainge and Milwaukee coach Don Nelson. Prior to the third game of the Bucks' four-game sweep of Boston last May, Nelson publicly labeled Ainge "a cheap shot artist." Ainge was booed by Milwaukee fans every time he touched the ball in the next two games.
After the series, Celtics' general manager Red Auerbach refused to congratulate Nelson and said, "They beat us, but what they did to Ainge wasn't fair." Nelson was fined by the league and sent a letter of apology to Ainge. "I think Danny is a good player," Nelson said Monday. "I wrote Danny a letter at the end of the season, but I'm not going to comment on any of that stuff."
"Yeah, he sent me a letter of apology, if that's what you want to call it," Ainge said yesterday. "It wasn't much of a letter of apology. I think the league made him send it. He told me that I should learn how to take an offensive charge during the summer. "I've never hurt anyone in my life and I doubt any of his players are threatened by my presence.
"What he said didn't affect me, but it affected the fans and the officials. I had three brutal fouls called on me in the first quarter of the next game. I thought what he did was totally wrong. It didn't show much class, and the sad part is, it worked. He got the officials and the fans - not just the fans of Milwaukee - against me. I think that's stooping pretty low."
On Tuesday, the Celtics actually trailed 12-4 early and went nearly six minutes without a point with the starters on the floor in the first quarter.
LINK
Six minutes without scoring a point. It's hard to imagine this ever happening to the second unit. Possible. But difficult to imagine.
LINK
Six minutes without scoring a point. It's hard to imagine this ever happening to the second unit. Possible. But difficult to imagine.
The Bill Walton Effect
There are many things I remember about the 1985-86 Boston Celtics' bench. Jerry Sichting shooting .570 from the floor and .924 from the stripe. The Celtics' posting a 15-3 record with Scott Wedman filling in for an injured Kevin McHale, and more than holding his own. Rick Carlisle coming up big against the Lakers in the Forum. David Thirdkill making the most of his minutes. And Bill Walton totally dominating Kareem in two games against the Fakers that season.
But the most vivid memory I have is the look on the faces of opponents when Bill Walton got up off the bench and walked over to the scorer's table. You could see the heads and shoulders of opposing players slump. Others cursed in disgust. Think Kobe Bryant after Paul Pierce hit his second three in a row during game 1 of the NBA Finals (I absolutely love this vid. Kobe's entire body slumps. Also note that right before the second three, PJ Brown rejects Kobe!).
Now let's turn our attention to this year.
If you read any Sixers' blogs, you'll find that their fans were congratulating themselves for playing our starters close in the first quarter of last night's game. Bravo. But then the Celtics' reserves came in, and the momentum of the game changed--immediately. This is par for the course over the first 5 games of the 2009-10 NBA season. If this continues, it won't be long before the sight of Celtics' reserves standing up and moving over to the scorer's table will strike fear in every opponent Boston faces the rest of the year.
But the most vivid memory I have is the look on the faces of opponents when Bill Walton got up off the bench and walked over to the scorer's table. You could see the heads and shoulders of opposing players slump. Others cursed in disgust. Think Kobe Bryant after Paul Pierce hit his second three in a row during game 1 of the NBA Finals (I absolutely love this vid. Kobe's entire body slumps. Also note that right before the second three, PJ Brown rejects Kobe!).
Now let's turn our attention to this year.
If you read any Sixers' blogs, you'll find that their fans were congratulating themselves for playing our starters close in the first quarter of last night's game. Bravo. But then the Celtics' reserves came in, and the momentum of the game changed--immediately. This is par for the course over the first 5 games of the 2009-10 NBA season. If this continues, it won't be long before the sight of Celtics' reserves standing up and moving over to the scorer's table will strike fear in every opponent Boston faces the rest of the year.
Fakers' Bench Scores 6 Points in OT Win over OKC
LINK
Yes, that's right. Five quarters. Six players. Six points. Will this give the pundits pause before droning on and on about how deep the Lakers' bench is this season???
Yes, that's right. Five quarters. Six players. Six points. Will this give the pundits pause before droning on and on about how deep the Lakers' bench is this season???
Anti-Bynum Bias?
Andrew Bynum had 10 rebounds Tuesday in the 101-98 overtime win at Oklahoma City and seemed to please Jackson, maybe, in a way, perhaps. "He had a 10-rebound game and we like that," Jackson said. "His help defense was better tonight. I'd like to see him block a couple shots that come in there." Bynum actually blocked a big one down the stretch, getting a piece of Kevin Durant's 17-footer with 23.9 seconds left in overtime and the Lakers ahead, 99-98. But Bynum was not credited with a blocked shot by the official scorer and finished with none in the final box score."Of course not," Bynum said with a shrug. "I never get my stats."
LINK
"I never get my stats." Wow. So there is an anti-Bynum conspiracy among official scorers in the league??? Ah. I get it. The Zen Mistress has taught young Andrew well. If something doesn't go the way you want it to go, point the finger of blame! After all, isn't that what Phil Jackzen has done over and over again throughout his coaching career?
LINK
"I never get my stats." Wow. So there is an anti-Bynum conspiracy among official scorers in the league??? Ah. I get it. The Zen Mistress has taught young Andrew well. If something doesn't go the way you want it to go, point the finger of blame! After all, isn't that what Phil Jackzen has done over and over again throughout his coaching career?
No Distractions in Tinseltown
Mike Bresnahan used to be a sports reporter. You know, I'd write about games and players and teams. Now I don't even recognize myself anymore. I write the name "Khloe Kardashian" all the time, and I'll probably do more of the same for another budding Lakers romance, seeing how reserve guard Sasha Vujacic is dating tennis star Maria Sharapova. Vujacic deflected several questions about the relationship before briefly confirming it to The Times. "Yes, I'm happy," he said. "Everything's good." I'm now qualified to begin a second career as a People magazine correspondent.
LINK
LINK
CELTICS' Offensive Efficiency: 118 points/100 possessions (league-leading)
CELTICS' Defensive Efficiency: 83 points allowed /100 possessions (league-leading)
LINK
This despite the fact that the Celtics are 20th in the league at protecting the ball, and only ninth at forcing turnovers.
CELTICS' Defensive Efficiency: 83 points allowed /100 possessions (league-leading)
LINK
This despite the fact that the Celtics are 20th in the league at protecting the ball, and only ninth at forcing turnovers.
Indulge the Guilty Pleasure
The Celtics, who are 5-0 and are outscoring opponents by an average of 22 points per game, won easily without significant contributions from Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Kendrick Perkins. Both Garnett (23 minutes) and Perkins (20 minutes) had 3 points and six rebounds, their teammates jokingly accusing them of taking the night off.
The Sixers pulled within 15 after three quarters, but the Celtic reserves turned it into a rout. Eddie House and Rasheed Wallace hit 3-pointers in the first 5:53 of the quarter, and a Lester Hudson trey increased the advantage to 95-61 with 4:59 remaining. “They take a lot of pressure off us,’’ Paul Pierce said. “We saw it early, the potential of our bench. Hopefully, they’ll continue to do the things to make them play great. “The more rest the better. That means we’re playing well, and, knowing it’s a long season, it’s going to pay off late in the season.’’
Pierce said the intrasquad scrimmages have improved both the starters and the second unit. “It’s tough to stop them, actually, and that’s why I think our defense is so good,’’ Pierce said, “because if we stop them, we can pretty much stop anybody.’’ Wallace scored 20 points and was 6 for 8 on 3-pointers.
“The best part is, when one guy has it going, they make a concerted effort to make sure that guy is getting the next shot until somebody stops him. You don’t see that a lot from a lot of benches. “They’re veterans, they understand the game, they’re playing to win, they have no agendas. Those three guys [Marquis Daniels, House, Wallace] kind of set the table.’’
LINK
Go ahead. Admit it. The thought has crossed your mind. The Boston Celtics' bench is better than their starters. There's nothing wrong with this guilty pleasure. It's not even a four-letter daydream, depending on how you go about comparing the effectiveness of the first and second units. There is no doubt the second-unit plays every second on the floor like the starters played every second of the 2007-08 season.
Let's get a couple of things straight. The 2009-10 Boston Celtics' bench is ahead of schedule. If the barometer is the 1985-86 bench, then the 2009-10 bench is way ahead of schedule. Look here and you'll see how Bill Walton embarrassed himself in the first game of the 1985-86 season. Look here and you'll see that the bench was still underperforming and disappointing as late as December 11th, 1985. It wasn't until the end of December 1985 that the 1985-86 bench started to gel and show some promise.
So my question is if the 2009-10 bench is playing this well now, what will they look like come December and January, especially as we start to prepare to play that one team from the other coast?
The Sixers pulled within 15 after three quarters, but the Celtic reserves turned it into a rout. Eddie House and Rasheed Wallace hit 3-pointers in the first 5:53 of the quarter, and a Lester Hudson trey increased the advantage to 95-61 with 4:59 remaining. “They take a lot of pressure off us,’’ Paul Pierce said. “We saw it early, the potential of our bench. Hopefully, they’ll continue to do the things to make them play great. “The more rest the better. That means we’re playing well, and, knowing it’s a long season, it’s going to pay off late in the season.’’
Pierce said the intrasquad scrimmages have improved both the starters and the second unit. “It’s tough to stop them, actually, and that’s why I think our defense is so good,’’ Pierce said, “because if we stop them, we can pretty much stop anybody.’’ Wallace scored 20 points and was 6 for 8 on 3-pointers.
“The best part is, when one guy has it going, they make a concerted effort to make sure that guy is getting the next shot until somebody stops him. You don’t see that a lot from a lot of benches. “They’re veterans, they understand the game, they’re playing to win, they have no agendas. Those three guys [Marquis Daniels, House, Wallace] kind of set the table.’’
LINK
Go ahead. Admit it. The thought has crossed your mind. The Boston Celtics' bench is better than their starters. There's nothing wrong with this guilty pleasure. It's not even a four-letter daydream, depending on how you go about comparing the effectiveness of the first and second units. There is no doubt the second-unit plays every second on the floor like the starters played every second of the 2007-08 season.
Let's get a couple of things straight. The 2009-10 Boston Celtics' bench is ahead of schedule. If the barometer is the 1985-86 bench, then the 2009-10 bench is way ahead of schedule. Look here and you'll see how Bill Walton embarrassed himself in the first game of the 1985-86 season. Look here and you'll see that the bench was still underperforming and disappointing as late as December 11th, 1985. It wasn't until the end of December 1985 that the 1985-86 bench started to gel and show some promise.
So my question is if the 2009-10 bench is playing this well now, what will they look like come December and January, especially as we start to prepare to play that one team from the other coast?
The Sixers, who entered the game with a league-leading .526 shooting percentage, shot 36.3 percent, the fourth Celtic opponent out of five that has failed to hit 40 percent.
KG Just Ain't Right
At intermission of the Hornets' game, I said that KG had just finished the worst half of basketball I could remember him playing . . . ever. He improved in the second half. Indeed, a few local fish-wraps went so far as to say that KG's second-half performance against the Hornets was his best yet since his return. I strongly disagreed. But figured that maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Either that, or my Haight-Ashbury days were finally catching up with me.
Midway through the fourth brick KG hoisted in the first half of tonight's game against Philadelphia, the jury had seen enough evidence to render a preliminary verdict. KG just ain't right. His open jumpers look bad, and he's not getting much lift on the contested jumpers. His maneuverability for inside moves is limited. On defense, he's tentative and sometimes even passive, letting guards drive around him for lay-ups.
There's nothing we can do about it, other than keep throwing him out their on the court and hope things improve. I think they will. I'm just not as certain as I was earlier in the season.
Midway through the fourth brick KG hoisted in the first half of tonight's game against Philadelphia, the jury had seen enough evidence to render a preliminary verdict. KG just ain't right. His open jumpers look bad, and he's not getting much lift on the contested jumpers. His maneuverability for inside moves is limited. On defense, he's tentative and sometimes even passive, letting guards drive around him for lay-ups.
There's nothing we can do about it, other than keep throwing him out their on the court and hope things improve. I think they will. I'm just not as certain as I was earlier in the season.
We Need More Rondo in the First Quarter
Whomever Doc hired to choreograph the Celtics' games this year is doing a good job, especially to start the games, because they all play out almost identically. The Celtics' starters come out listless, bored, uninterested. They fall behind quickly, playing like they're all over 40 years of age. The second team is inserted, and the deficit is closed just as quickly, and pretty soon the lead is reclaimed for good, at which point, typically, the rout is on. In more grade-school terms, it might be spelled out something like this: Snooooooooooore. Then, BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
If we really are as good as we think we are, this is probably understandable. Why expend energy to start the game when you don't have to? One answer to this question might be that we don't want to develop bad habits. Assuming this answer has any merit, please let me make a suggestion.
We need more Rondo in the first quarter. We need him driving to the hoop, driving through the lane, and otherwise wreaking havoc on the court. This usually fires up his teammates at best, and awakens them from their slumber at worst. He is the quarterback of the team after all, and a very rich one now, I might add. He increasingly looks like a player who can dominate stretches of games by simply flipping a switch.
When you have lightening in a bottle, it's tempting to save it for when you need it. But just for a change of pace, how about if we uncork it to start a game now and then?
If we really are as good as we think we are, this is probably understandable. Why expend energy to start the game when you don't have to? One answer to this question might be that we don't want to develop bad habits. Assuming this answer has any merit, please let me make a suggestion.
We need more Rondo in the first quarter. We need him driving to the hoop, driving through the lane, and otherwise wreaking havoc on the court. This usually fires up his teammates at best, and awakens them from their slumber at worst. He is the quarterback of the team after all, and a very rich one now, I might add. He increasingly looks like a player who can dominate stretches of games by simply flipping a switch.
When you have lightening in a bottle, it's tempting to save it for when you need it. But just for a change of pace, how about if we uncork it to start a game now and then?
5-0: Celtics 105, Sixers 74
Celtics 105, 
76ers 74
7:00 PM ET, November 3, 2009
Wachovia Center
Philadelphia, PA
| BOSTON CELTICS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Kevin Garnett, PF | 23 | 1-7 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 |
| Paul Pierce, SF | 31 | 8-13 | 1-3 | 4-4 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +12 | 21 |
| Kendrick Perkins, C | 20 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | +3 | 3 |
| Ray Allen, SG | 31 | 2-8 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +14 | 5 |
| Rajon Rondo, PG | 28 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +10 | 11 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Rasheed Wallace, FC | 24 | 7-10 | 6-8 | 0-0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +30 | 20 |
| Eddie House, PG | 15 | 4-5 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +24 | 12 |
| Brian Scalabrine, PF | 5 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 5 |
| Marquis Daniels, SG | 28 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +31 | 6 |
| Shelden Williams, PF | 23 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +28 | 11 |
| J.R. Giddens, SG | 6 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -3 | 2 |
| Lester Hudson, G | 7 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +5 | 6 |
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 41-72 | 14-20 | 9-14 | 7 | 32 | 39 | 27 | 10 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 105 | |||
| 56.9% | 70.0% | 64.3% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 14 Points in the paint: 38 Team TO ( points off ): 18 (14) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
| PHILADELPHIA 76ERS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Elton Brand, PF | 28 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -9 | 6 |
| Thaddeus Young, F | 37 | 4-16 | 0-4 | 3-4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | -29 | 11 |
| Samuel Dalembert, C | 24 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | -7 | 8 |
| Andre Iguodala, SG | 36 | 7-14 | 0-2 | 3-4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -25 | 17 |
| Lou Williams, G | 31 | 3-10 | 0-4 | 1-2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -22 | 7 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Jason Kapono, SF | 11 | 2-4 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 4 |
| Willie Green, SG | 12 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -6 | 7 |
| Rodney Carney, SF | 9 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -8 | 1 |
| Jason Smith, PF | 15 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -11 | 2 |
| Marreese Speights, PF | 24 | 3-11 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -22 | 6 |
| Jrue Holiday, G | 13 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -12 | 5 |
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 29-80 | 1-16 | 15-22 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 74 | |||
| 36.3% | 06.3% | 68.2% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 13 Points in the paint: 32 Team TO ( points off ): 17 (18) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
“I can remember when I played, I wouldn’t shake anybody’s hands after a loss,” Bird said.
Said Johnson: “The Celtics and Lakers, we never shook anybody’s hands.”
Said Johnson: “The Celtics and Lakers, we never shook anybody’s hands.”
Bird: Lakers are Playing in the Weaker Conference Just Like in the 80s
In this conference call with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird was asked to compare today's Celtics-Lakers rivalry to the rivalry in the '80s. "Nothing's changed," said Bird. "All the powerhouses are in the East and the Lakers will cruise in the West.
Amen to that, Larry. Pissed me off twenty years ago, and pisses me off today.
Amen to that, Larry. Pissed me off twenty years ago, and pisses me off today.
Celtics Seek to Handle the Ball Better against Philly
The Boston Celtics had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday, though only six mattered, as the seventh was a shot-clock violation in the final seconds of the game. Six is still a ridiculous number for the fourth quarter of a close game. Last season the Celtics were 28th in the league at protecting the ball. I'm so accustomed to the green throwing the ball away that 15 turnovers for one game actually sounded low. Let's see if maybe we can start protecting the ball better tonight. We're on the road, and the Sixers are sure to be motivated.
Early in the season last year, when Doc said we weren't playing very well even though we had won 19 games in a row on the way to a 27-2 start, he was talking mostly about sloppy play and turnovers. Hopefully Rondo can start putting all that money he just pulled down to some good use.
Does Rondo Understand He's a Short, Skinny Guy?
I’ve got a ring, and you’re never gonna win one.
That's what Rajon Rondo reportedly said to Chris Paul during their verbal tit-for-tat on Sunday. Ray Allen was reportedly so embarrassed that he walked into the Hornets' locker room and apologized.
I've said before that I'm no fan of such boastful and brash in-your-face behavior. Ali was Ali, Namath was Namath, and Bird was Bird. But Rajon Rondo? I mean, does he understand that he's a short, skinny guy playing in a league of giants? I'm not worried about Chris Paul retaliating. But Chris Paul has teammates, and many of those guys are bigger than Rondo, much bigger. And what about the giants who play on other teams and take exception to Rondo's taunting of Paul?
Not smart, Rajon. In fact, pretty f'n stupid.
Garnett Being Thrown to the Wolves
KG's Rookie Year
11/9/1995
The education of Kevin Garnett continues, with gold stars, eraser marks and about 77 more pop quizzes between now and the end of the season. In his one and only course of post-secondary curriculum - NBA 101 - Garnett has had mostly good days, surprising fans, impressing rivals and reassuring the Timberwolves that they made a sound draft pick. Against the Houston Rockets last Saturday, however, he had a rough night.
The 19-year-old missed all but three of his 12 shots. He got whistled for traveling, picked up an offensive foul and got so rattled at one point that he took a wad of chewing gum out of his mouth and fired it against the front of the scorer's table. After the 119-97 loss, he was agitated, summing up both his and the team's performance: "It's over, period. What more can I say?"
It wasn't a setback, but it was a disappointment for a young man who has known precious few disappointments on basketball courts any time, anywhere. Other rookies - even those with four years of NCAA experience - might get shaken by it. Wolves coach Bill Blair noticed enough in Garnett's body language to seek him out this week and offer encouragement. "I told him, `Don't ever get down on yourself. Each night you're going to see something new,' " Blair said. "Look, this kid is playing outside for the first time in his life, so he's usually playing guys who are smaller but quicker than him. Every night it's something different."
When the Wolves play at home, season-ticket holders want to know if Garnett really is the team's future. When the Wolves play on the road, every crowd wants to see what the hubbub is about. "That's very difficult for a young player," said Blair, who hollers at Garnett as much as he hollers at any other player in the excitement of games. Fortunately for the Wolves, Garnett has been resilient. He gets upset on the court, but so far his emotions have stayed at the anger level, not lapsing into depression. Getting steamed is better than getting down.
"I want to be the best I can," Garnett said. "If I know I can do something and I'm not doing it, I get ticked off. I'm going to be hard on myself, period, but I'm not going to get down." Through the Wolves' first five games, the rookie is averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19.8 minutes. "The only way I'm going to work harder is to get on myself," he said. "The only way I'm going to get better is to get on myself. There's nothing anybody can tell me that I don't already know [about getting better]."
Garnett isn't alone in this process. Kevin McHale, head of basketball operations, and Wolves coaches naturally are going to protect their investment. That means lots of positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. The other players have a stake in it, too. "He wants to do so much so quick. He doesn't realize it takes time," forward Doug West said. "I try to tell him, `Look at me.' I've been here for seven years and I'm struggling."
Said Tom Gugliotta: "As a rookie, you want to win but you're more concerned with how you're doing. He's a mentally tough person. There's been a couple times where he's missed a shot and the next time, he passes it up. We'll say to him, `Shoot that.' " If Garnett ever feels the self-doubts creeping up, he always can look back at the oohs and aahs he has left in his wake. Even when he plays so-so, NBA folks factor in his learning curve and come away impressed.
"He's going to be an awesome player," Houston forward Robert Horry said. "He has such long arms and, by the end of the season, he will get much better." Said Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich: "He's very active and has a great future. When he fills out and matures, he should be great. . . . He's going to miss what you learn in college. One thing about pro basketball is that you don't have a lot of time to do a lot of learning."
That will come on the job, one reason Garnett still was on the floor during garbage time against Houston. He made the most of it, hitting a three-pointer and slamming a massive dunk though the Wolves trailed by 30 points. "Right now, Kevin is on cloud nine," guard Micheal Williams said. "He's loving life and life is loving him. He should be proud of himself." Said West: "He's so young and so energetic. He's caught up in the limelight, and that's good. If you're not having fun, it makes everything that much harder."
11/9/1995
The education of Kevin Garnett continues, with gold stars, eraser marks and about 77 more pop quizzes between now and the end of the season. In his one and only course of post-secondary curriculum - NBA 101 - Garnett has had mostly good days, surprising fans, impressing rivals and reassuring the Timberwolves that they made a sound draft pick. Against the Houston Rockets last Saturday, however, he had a rough night.
The 19-year-old missed all but three of his 12 shots. He got whistled for traveling, picked up an offensive foul and got so rattled at one point that he took a wad of chewing gum out of his mouth and fired it against the front of the scorer's table. After the 119-97 loss, he was agitated, summing up both his and the team's performance: "It's over, period. What more can I say?"
It wasn't a setback, but it was a disappointment for a young man who has known precious few disappointments on basketball courts any time, anywhere. Other rookies - even those with four years of NCAA experience - might get shaken by it. Wolves coach Bill Blair noticed enough in Garnett's body language to seek him out this week and offer encouragement. "I told him, `Don't ever get down on yourself. Each night you're going to see something new,' " Blair said. "Look, this kid is playing outside for the first time in his life, so he's usually playing guys who are smaller but quicker than him. Every night it's something different."
When the Wolves play at home, season-ticket holders want to know if Garnett really is the team's future. When the Wolves play on the road, every crowd wants to see what the hubbub is about. "That's very difficult for a young player," said Blair, who hollers at Garnett as much as he hollers at any other player in the excitement of games. Fortunately for the Wolves, Garnett has been resilient. He gets upset on the court, but so far his emotions have stayed at the anger level, not lapsing into depression. Getting steamed is better than getting down.
"I want to be the best I can," Garnett said. "If I know I can do something and I'm not doing it, I get ticked off. I'm going to be hard on myself, period, but I'm not going to get down." Through the Wolves' first five games, the rookie is averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19.8 minutes. "The only way I'm going to work harder is to get on myself," he said. "The only way I'm going to get better is to get on myself. There's nothing anybody can tell me that I don't already know [about getting better]."
Garnett isn't alone in this process. Kevin McHale, head of basketball operations, and Wolves coaches naturally are going to protect their investment. That means lots of positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. The other players have a stake in it, too. "He wants to do so much so quick. He doesn't realize it takes time," forward Doug West said. "I try to tell him, `Look at me.' I've been here for seven years and I'm struggling."
Said Tom Gugliotta: "As a rookie, you want to win but you're more concerned with how you're doing. He's a mentally tough person. There's been a couple times where he's missed a shot and the next time, he passes it up. We'll say to him, `Shoot that.' " If Garnett ever feels the self-doubts creeping up, he always can look back at the oohs and aahs he has left in his wake. Even when he plays so-so, NBA folks factor in his learning curve and come away impressed.
"He's going to be an awesome player," Houston forward Robert Horry said. "He has such long arms and, by the end of the season, he will get much better." Said Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich: "He's very active and has a great future. When he fills out and matures, he should be great. . . . He's going to miss what you learn in college. One thing about pro basketball is that you don't have a lot of time to do a lot of learning."
That will come on the job, one reason Garnett still was on the floor during garbage time against Houston. He made the most of it, hitting a three-pointer and slamming a massive dunk though the Wolves trailed by 30 points. "Right now, Kevin is on cloud nine," guard Micheal Williams said. "He's loving life and life is loving him. He should be proud of himself." Said West: "He's so young and so energetic. He's caught up in the limelight, and that's good. If you're not having fun, it makes everything that much harder."
KG's Wingspan is Gonna Make Things Ugly
KG's Rookie Year
11/10/1995
Rookie Timberwolf Kevin Garnett, on his enormous wingspan and ability to knock away opponent's shots: ``Just wait until I get my timing down, man. It's going to be real ugly.'' Translation: Good.
Kevin Garnett on why he wears his pants below hip level: ``Style, man. You got your style, and I got mine.''
Lakers star Cedric Ceballos said this about rookie Kevin Garnett: "He has got to learn to get a little closer to players when he is guarding them. He was so much bigger than everybody in high school that after they jumped he could still jump and block their shot. He jumped on one play and I turned around and I was looking at his knees. He is just a great athlete. He is only 19. That means 20 years of domination."
11/10/1995
Rookie Timberwolf Kevin Garnett, on his enormous wingspan and ability to knock away opponent's shots: ``Just wait until I get my timing down, man. It's going to be real ugly.'' Translation: Good.
Kevin Garnett on why he wears his pants below hip level: ``Style, man. You got your style, and I got mine.''
Lakers star Cedric Ceballos said this about rookie Kevin Garnett: "He has got to learn to get a little closer to players when he is guarding them. He was so much bigger than everybody in high school that after they jumped he could still jump and block their shot. He jumped on one play and I turned around and I was looking at his knees. He is just a great athlete. He is only 19. That means 20 years of domination."
Celtics Satisfied with Road Result
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 109, Cavaliers 89
Record: 1-1
10/29/1983
Bloodthirsty Celtic fans were undoubtedly disappointed with the opening weekend split in the suburban tundra of Pontiac, Mich., and Richfield, Ohio, but a realistic coach K.C. Jones said yesterday, "When you start with two games on the road and come back 1-1, I'll take it."
The Celtics dropped a 127-121 decision to the Pistons Friday night, but came back to thrash the sad Cavaliers, 108-89, Saturday evening. "This was a test to find out where the holes are, and let us know where we're going," Jones said. "The half-court defense is our biggest problem thus far."
Detroit danced to a whopping 38-point first quarter Friday and had 70 at halftime. "I was disappointed with our first-half defense in Detroit," said Jones. "I was encouraged by the second-half effort, but we made mental errors that caused our downfall. Saturday night was a complete reversal. Our defense was better, we were aggressive on entry, and all of the sudden we had our fast break again."
The Celtics bolted to a 12-0 lead against Cleveland and scored 16 fast- break points in the first quarter. Kevin McHale led the Celtics with 22 points and Larry Bird helped out with 13 rebounds and 7 assists. Robert Parish, who played one of his worst games as a Celtic Friday (six points and four rebounds in 23 minutes), came back with nine first-quarter points against the Cavaliers.
Starting guards Gerald Henderson and Dennis Johnson played much better against Cleveland. Henderson had 18 points, DJ 12, and both played the brand of pressure defense that was sorely lacking in the Silverdome. Playing time for the guards was divided evenly. In the two games, Johnson played 50 minutes, Henderson 47, Quinn Buckner 45 and Danny Ainge 43. "K.C.'s splitting the time as good as he possibly can," said Johnson. "It's giving me a chance to get used to everybody."
The next test is Wednesday night when the Milwaukee Bucks (remember them?) come to town for the Celtics' 38th home opener. The shakiest moments of the weekend came Saturday morning when the team flew across Lake Erie in a propeller plane rumored to have last been used for the filming of "Casablanca." DJ wanted no part of the small aircraft and when it finally touched down, Bird's face, at first just ghostly, turned whiter .
MISCELLANEOUS
McHale hasn't yet returned from the stratosphere. After hitting 61 percent in the preseason, he's shooting 67 percent (16-24) from the floor and 94 percent (15-16) from the line, with 23 rebounds so far in the regular season. He's also played 64 minutes, compared with Parish's 49. Parish's pitiful rebounding (six in two games) might have something to do with the allocation of minutes . . . Cedric Maxwell (28 points and 14 rebounds in two games) did a nice defensive job on Cliff Robinson Saturday . . . Bird is averaging 19.5 points, 11 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game . . . Henderson has connected on 11 of 18 shots (61 percent), but Ainge is struggling (four of 13 for 31 percent) . . . The Celtics amassed only 25 offensive rebounds while allowing Detroit and Clevland 33 . . . Jones gave his team a day off yesterday. After this morning's practice, several Celtics will be attending an All-Star ballot press conference-luncheon at Anthony's Pier 4 . . . As The World Turns Department: The Cavaliers were disappointed with their first two home crowds - 6082 for the Knicks and 8194 for Boston. Cleveland appears unimproved. It's hard to see how Lonnie (Pass the Rolls) Shelton is going to help, and watching center Ben Poquette trying to stop McHale was embarrassing.
Celtics 109, Cavaliers 89
Record: 1-1
10/29/1983
Bloodthirsty Celtic fans were undoubtedly disappointed with the opening weekend split in the suburban tundra of Pontiac, Mich., and Richfield, Ohio, but a realistic coach K.C. Jones said yesterday, "When you start with two games on the road and come back 1-1, I'll take it."
The Celtics dropped a 127-121 decision to the Pistons Friday night, but came back to thrash the sad Cavaliers, 108-89, Saturday evening. "This was a test to find out where the holes are, and let us know where we're going," Jones said. "The half-court defense is our biggest problem thus far."
Detroit danced to a whopping 38-point first quarter Friday and had 70 at halftime. "I was disappointed with our first-half defense in Detroit," said Jones. "I was encouraged by the second-half effort, but we made mental errors that caused our downfall. Saturday night was a complete reversal. Our defense was better, we were aggressive on entry, and all of the sudden we had our fast break again."
The Celtics bolted to a 12-0 lead against Cleveland and scored 16 fast- break points in the first quarter. Kevin McHale led the Celtics with 22 points and Larry Bird helped out with 13 rebounds and 7 assists. Robert Parish, who played one of his worst games as a Celtic Friday (six points and four rebounds in 23 minutes), came back with nine first-quarter points against the Cavaliers.
Starting guards Gerald Henderson and Dennis Johnson played much better against Cleveland. Henderson had 18 points, DJ 12, and both played the brand of pressure defense that was sorely lacking in the Silverdome. Playing time for the guards was divided evenly. In the two games, Johnson played 50 minutes, Henderson 47, Quinn Buckner 45 and Danny Ainge 43. "K.C.'s splitting the time as good as he possibly can," said Johnson. "It's giving me a chance to get used to everybody."
The next test is Wednesday night when the Milwaukee Bucks (remember them?) come to town for the Celtics' 38th home opener. The shakiest moments of the weekend came Saturday morning when the team flew across Lake Erie in a propeller plane rumored to have last been used for the filming of "Casablanca." DJ wanted no part of the small aircraft and when it finally touched down, Bird's face, at first just ghostly, turned whiter .
MISCELLANEOUS
McHale hasn't yet returned from the stratosphere. After hitting 61 percent in the preseason, he's shooting 67 percent (16-24) from the floor and 94 percent (15-16) from the line, with 23 rebounds so far in the regular season. He's also played 64 minutes, compared with Parish's 49. Parish's pitiful rebounding (six in two games) might have something to do with the allocation of minutes . . . Cedric Maxwell (28 points and 14 rebounds in two games) did a nice defensive job on Cliff Robinson Saturday . . . Bird is averaging 19.5 points, 11 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game . . . Henderson has connected on 11 of 18 shots (61 percent), but Ainge is struggling (four of 13 for 31 percent) . . . The Celtics amassed only 25 offensive rebounds while allowing Detroit and Clevland 33 . . . Jones gave his team a day off yesterday. After this morning's practice, several Celtics will be attending an All-Star ballot press conference-luncheon at Anthony's Pier 4 . . . As The World Turns Department: The Cavaliers were disappointed with their first two home crowds - 6082 for the Knicks and 8194 for Boston. Cleveland appears unimproved. It's hard to see how Lonnie (Pass the Rolls) Shelton is going to help, and watching center Ben Poquette trying to stop McHale was embarrassing.
Pose and Squeeze Talk about Each Other
“I'm Marquis,” Daniels said before the game. “Posey is a good player. He does what he does good, I do what I do good. I don't try to compare myself to anyone. He's a great player, he's done a lot of great things like I said. I just plan on coming in and being myself and helping our team as much as possible.”
He added, “We both play defense. I probably handle the ball better. He does a lot of great things and I do a lot of things good also so like I said, I don't try to compare myself to no one.” Both players had relatively quiet games on Sunday night as they guarded one another at several points. Daniels finished with three points and two rebounds in 18 minutes; Posey was scoreless with four rebounds in 20 minutes.
Posey said the comparisons are inevitable but doesn't think either player should pay attention to them. Just as he was a good fit on the Celtics two years ago, he believes Daniels is in the right place this season. “He's a great player,” Posey said. “Actually, we're pretty good friends. He can score better than I can for the most part. He has that toughness, physically and mentally, to go out there and play and just compete. So I mean, for that, he fits this team well.”
“He can score the ball,” he continued. “He's versatile, attacking the basket just like Paul. So that coming off the bench as well, just that whole mixture that they have over there is special and they'll fit right in.”
LINK
He added, “We both play defense. I probably handle the ball better. He does a lot of great things and I do a lot of things good also so like I said, I don't try to compare myself to no one.” Both players had relatively quiet games on Sunday night as they guarded one another at several points. Daniels finished with three points and two rebounds in 18 minutes; Posey was scoreless with four rebounds in 20 minutes.
Posey said the comparisons are inevitable but doesn't think either player should pay attention to them. Just as he was a good fit on the Celtics two years ago, he believes Daniels is in the right place this season. “He's a great player,” Posey said. “Actually, we're pretty good friends. He can score better than I can for the most part. He has that toughness, physically and mentally, to go out there and play and just compete. So I mean, for that, he fits this team well.”
“He can score the ball,” he continued. “He's versatile, attacking the basket just like Paul. So that coming off the bench as well, just that whole mixture that they have over there is special and they'll fit right in.”
LINK
Celtics Rebound from Opening Night Loss
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 109, Cavaliers 89
Record: 1-1
10/29/1983
While you were cranking the night-table clock back an hour, the Celtics were wishing they could go back 24 hours and replay Friday's Detroit Disgrace. Instead, they put the first-game loss behind them and methodically defeated the all-new, but still lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, 108-89, last night. Boston's victory salvaged an opening weekend split and averted the humiliation of an 0-2 start against two perennial NBA doormats.
The Celts knew that another loss would have inspired sheer panic. Cries and whispers would have tracked them for weeks, or worse, they might have been sentenced to a season of prop-plane shuttling between Detroit and Cleveland. Accordingly, they came out and blowtorched the Cavs with a heat-seeking, 12-0 surge after the opening tap.
Robet Parish (nine in the quarter, three more than he scored all night in Pontiac) started it with a patented turnaround. Then Gerald Henderson (18) took a pass from Parish in the lane and laid it in. While Lonnie Shelton and the Cavs were missing their first nine shots, Larry Bird (16 points, 13 rebounds) took time for a routine jumper. A pop from out top by Dennis Johnson made it 8-0 and forced a time out. After the pause, Henderson drove for two more to make it 10-0, and Bird hit an 18-footer from the right to complete the shutout. The Celts hit nine of their first 11 shots and 14 of 20 in the quarter. So much for any fears you had about the unthinkable happening two nights in a row.
"It wasn't quite as ugly as last night," said Parish. "I wanted to make sure we got into the swing of things early. Tonight we were definitely ready to play from the first jump ball." "We gave them 16 fast-break points in the first quarter," said Cleveland coach Tom Nissalke. "You can't let any team get off on you like that, especially a team like the Celtics." Cav guard Geoff Huston got Cleveland on the scorebord with 7:21 left in the quarter, but the Cavaliers would never get closer than three the rest of the night. The Celts led, 18-6, midway through the period and 29-20 after one.
Cleveland's first-quarter total represented an 18-point defensive improvement by the Celtics, who allowed Detroit 38 in the first period Friday. Early in the second, the Cavs fought back and pulled to within three at 35-32 on a nice drive by ex-BC great John Bagley. K. C. Jones called time and after the pause, Boston scored seven straight to go back up by 10. Then, still-torrid Kevin McHale (22, 8 for 11 from the floor) undressed Cav center Ben Poquette, scoring 12 points in the period, and Boston led, 55-44, at intermission. The C's hit 60 percent (24 for 40) in the half and committed only seven turnovers.
Led by World B. Free (23), the Cavs pulled to within seven briefly in the third, but Henderson, Bird and DJ picked Cleveland apart and, when McHale scored with 2:30 left in the period, Boston's lead swelled to 79-58. The fourth quarter was a slow-motion special, featuring the debuts of Greg Kite and Carlos Clark. Both rookies scored their first pro points before the final buzzer. "Winning this game is a relief," said Henderson. "Last night's loss was not the way we wanted to start the season. The first half tonight - that's the way we wanted to get started."
Jones added, "We did a much better job putting pressure on them. That helped us get the fast break going and the ball was dropping. The 12-0 start showed that our running game is still effective." It also showed that the Cavs are still inept. New uniforms, new owners, a new logo, a new paint job on the floor, four new rookies and a still fat Lonnie Shelton couldn't change the fact that they are still the same old Cavs. Celtic fans should be happy that the Cavaliers came along just when Boston needed them.
Celtics 109, Cavaliers 89
Record: 1-1
10/29/1983
While you were cranking the night-table clock back an hour, the Celtics were wishing they could go back 24 hours and replay Friday's Detroit Disgrace. Instead, they put the first-game loss behind them and methodically defeated the all-new, but still lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, 108-89, last night. Boston's victory salvaged an opening weekend split and averted the humiliation of an 0-2 start against two perennial NBA doormats.
The Celts knew that another loss would have inspired sheer panic. Cries and whispers would have tracked them for weeks, or worse, they might have been sentenced to a season of prop-plane shuttling between Detroit and Cleveland. Accordingly, they came out and blowtorched the Cavs with a heat-seeking, 12-0 surge after the opening tap.
Robet Parish (nine in the quarter, three more than he scored all night in Pontiac) started it with a patented turnaround. Then Gerald Henderson (18) took a pass from Parish in the lane and laid it in. While Lonnie Shelton and the Cavs were missing their first nine shots, Larry Bird (16 points, 13 rebounds) took time for a routine jumper. A pop from out top by Dennis Johnson made it 8-0 and forced a time out. After the pause, Henderson drove for two more to make it 10-0, and Bird hit an 18-footer from the right to complete the shutout. The Celts hit nine of their first 11 shots and 14 of 20 in the quarter. So much for any fears you had about the unthinkable happening two nights in a row.
"It wasn't quite as ugly as last night," said Parish. "I wanted to make sure we got into the swing of things early. Tonight we were definitely ready to play from the first jump ball." "We gave them 16 fast-break points in the first quarter," said Cleveland coach Tom Nissalke. "You can't let any team get off on you like that, especially a team like the Celtics." Cav guard Geoff Huston got Cleveland on the scorebord with 7:21 left in the quarter, but the Cavaliers would never get closer than three the rest of the night. The Celts led, 18-6, midway through the period and 29-20 after one.
Cleveland's first-quarter total represented an 18-point defensive improvement by the Celtics, who allowed Detroit 38 in the first period Friday. Early in the second, the Cavs fought back and pulled to within three at 35-32 on a nice drive by ex-BC great John Bagley. K. C. Jones called time and after the pause, Boston scored seven straight to go back up by 10. Then, still-torrid Kevin McHale (22, 8 for 11 from the floor) undressed Cav center Ben Poquette, scoring 12 points in the period, and Boston led, 55-44, at intermission. The C's hit 60 percent (24 for 40) in the half and committed only seven turnovers.
Led by World B. Free (23), the Cavs pulled to within seven briefly in the third, but Henderson, Bird and DJ picked Cleveland apart and, when McHale scored with 2:30 left in the period, Boston's lead swelled to 79-58. The fourth quarter was a slow-motion special, featuring the debuts of Greg Kite and Carlos Clark. Both rookies scored their first pro points before the final buzzer. "Winning this game is a relief," said Henderson. "Last night's loss was not the way we wanted to start the season. The first half tonight - that's the way we wanted to get started."
Jones added, "We did a much better job putting pressure on them. That helped us get the fast break going and the ball was dropping. The 12-0 start showed that our running game is still effective." It also showed that the Cavs are still inept. New uniforms, new owners, a new logo, a new paint job on the floor, four new rookies and a still fat Lonnie Shelton couldn't change the fact that they are still the same old Cavs. Celtic fans should be happy that the Cavaliers came along just when Boston needed them.
Bynum Stuck in No-Man's Land
The Lakers haven't been sharp against the pick-and-roll this season, and Andrew Bynum has been stuck in no-man's land. Bynum has "more mobility" and is "more willing to go out than Shaq was," Jackson said, but he needs to react more quickly to a guard's tendencies. Is the guard a shooter? A penetrator? Really the issue in this league right now is who can play screen-rolls well and maintain balance out there and not give up penetration and easy shots," Jackson said.
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Bynum Gets 3 Rebounds in 37 Minutes
One negative in the Lakers' win was Andrew Bynum's rebound total -- three in 37 minutes. "I've got to do a better job on the boards, especially when we play small teams," Bynum said. "I need to get rebounds, man."
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What Would Happen if both KG and Sheed Played Poorly?
The first half was the worst half of basketball I've seen KG play in sometime. Sheed played OK in the first half, but not great. As the second half began, the Ticket started to pick things up a bit, but it was the Celtics' second unit, led by the play of Rasheed Wallace, scoring both from inside and outside, that helped stem the tide of a 12-1 Hornets run, which turned an 11-point deficit into a tie game, before Sheed ended the third quarter with a buzzer-beater from range.
Rondo started the game looking like he was the best point guard in the NBA, but by the end, it was Paul who had the goods. Paul finished with 22 points on 9-13 shooting, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers. Rondo finished with 6 points, 10 assists, 3 steals, 3 rebounds, and 4 turnovers.
The Celtics shot 53% for the game, and held the Hornets to 42%. Rebounds and turnovers were about even. So why only the 10-point difference? The Hornets shot 13-28 from 3, while the C's shot 6-15.
The interesting part of the game, as I hinted above, was the first half, when neither KG nor Sheed were playing well. What would happen if neither of them played well for the entire game? Fortunately, we didn't have to answer that question tonight. I don't like our chances, however, were that to happen in a big game, especially on the road.
Of course, I'm probably just stating the obvious. Would the Lakers win if both Bynum and Gasol had off nights? My real concern, then, is whether KG and Sheed might suffer more combined off nights due to their age.
Rondo started the game looking like he was the best point guard in the NBA, but by the end, it was Paul who had the goods. Paul finished with 22 points on 9-13 shooting, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers. Rondo finished with 6 points, 10 assists, 3 steals, 3 rebounds, and 4 turnovers.
The Celtics shot 53% for the game, and held the Hornets to 42%. Rebounds and turnovers were about even. So why only the 10-point difference? The Hornets shot 13-28 from 3, while the C's shot 6-15.
The interesting part of the game, as I hinted above, was the first half, when neither KG nor Sheed were playing well. What would happen if neither of them played well for the entire game? Fortunately, we didn't have to answer that question tonight. I don't like our chances, however, were that to happen in a big game, especially on the road.
Of course, I'm probably just stating the obvious. Would the Lakers win if both Bynum and Gasol had off nights? My real concern, then, is whether KG and Sheed might suffer more combined off nights due to their age.
4-0: Celtics 97, Hornets 87
Hornets 87, Celtics 97
6:00 PM ET, November 1, 2009
TD Garden
Boston, MA
| NEW ORLEANS HORNETS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| David West, PF | 37 | 4-14 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -5 | 10 |
| Julian Wright, SF | 19 | 3-6 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -5 | 7 |
| Emeka Okafor, C | 29 | 2-9 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -6 | 5 |
| Morris Peterson, SG | 15 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| Chris Paul, PG | 37 | 9-13 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 22 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Peja Stojakovic, SF | 32 | 9-15 | 6-10 | 2-2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -11 | 26 |
| James Posey, SF | 20 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -9 | 0 |
| Darius Songaila, FC | 11 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 0 |
| Hilton Armstrong, C | 19 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -4 | 6 |
| Bobby Brown, PG | 20 | 3-12 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -7 | 8 |
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 34-81 | 13-28 | 6-8 | 5 | 28 | 33 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 24 | 87 | |||
| 42.0% | 46.4% | 75.0% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 10 Points in the paint: 26 Team TO ( points off ): 16 (14) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
| BOSTON CELTICS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Kevin Garnett, PF | 33 | 7-15 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | +3 | 14 |
| Paul Pierce, SF | 37 | 10-14 | 3-5 | 4-6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +3 | 27 |
| Kendrick Perkins, C | 35 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +11 | 12 |
| Ray Allen, SG | 41 | 8-15 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +16 | 17 |
| Rajon Rondo, PG | 36 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +6 | 6 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Rasheed Wallace, FC | 18 | 5-10 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +4 | 12 |
| Eddie House, PG | 12 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +4 | 4 |
| Marquis Daniels, SG | 19 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +1 | 3 |
| Shelden Williams, PF | 10 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 2 |
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 41-76 | 6-15 | 9-14 | 4 | 32 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 97 | |||
| 53.9% | 40.0% | 64.3% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 7 Points in the paint: 56 Team TO ( points off ): 16 (15) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
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Like Magic Johnson, Rajon's Time to Score Will Come
Through three games, Rondo has 37 assists and five turnovers. He has taken 16 shots, which is six fewer than Kendrick Perkins [stats] (and he’s played 23 more minutes than the center). On Friday against the Bulls, Rondo had 16 assists and took just two shots, saying yesterday it was the first time he could remember not attempting a layup in an NBA game. He’s currently the C’s eighth-leading scorer.
LINK
My first thought is that a better than 7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is rather divine. My second thought is that they don't need him to score. When they do, he does (think last year's first round series versus the Bulls). This summer I asked hundreds of Laker fans what the difference was between 1986 and 1987. Not many could answer the question, other than to say in 1987 the Lakers won the championship, while in 1986 they didn't.
One good answer was that the Lakers played better defense. True enough. A better answer was that Magic Johnson cranked it up a notch.
1987 marked Magic's first MVP campaign. He went from averaging 18, 16, 18, and 18 points per game during the four previous seasons to averaging almost 24 PPG in 1987. Kareem was slowing down. Byron Scott was still a question mark. AC Green had just been inserted into the starting line-up. Mychal Thompson wasn't acquired until mid-season. So Pat Riley and Magic sat down before the season began and discussed what it would take for the Lakers to get back to the top.
"You need to do more of everything," Riley told #32 "especially scoring." Magic complied. He hoisted up 400 more shots in the 1986-87 NBA season than he did the year before, while still shooting .522 from the field. No less impressive, his assists-per-game dropped only a smidgen, from 12.6 in 1986 to 12.2 in 1987.
We don't need Rajon Rondo to score buckets this year. He is surrounded by one of the best shooting teams I can remember. If he can dominate a game like he did the other night, who cares how many points he scores? Better yet, does anyone remember how many points he scored in game 6 of the NBA Finals? Probably not, but most observers consider him to be the MVP of that game.
So Rajon has the luxury of only shooting the J when he's confident, and only driving to the hoop when it's necessary to open up shot opportunities for others. He can selectively assert himself on the offensive end this year, as a preview of what might become a reality a few years down the road when he's surrounded by less talent.
LINK
My first thought is that a better than 7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is rather divine. My second thought is that they don't need him to score. When they do, he does (think last year's first round series versus the Bulls). This summer I asked hundreds of Laker fans what the difference was between 1986 and 1987. Not many could answer the question, other than to say in 1987 the Lakers won the championship, while in 1986 they didn't.
One good answer was that the Lakers played better defense. True enough. A better answer was that Magic Johnson cranked it up a notch.
1987 marked Magic's first MVP campaign. He went from averaging 18, 16, 18, and 18 points per game during the four previous seasons to averaging almost 24 PPG in 1987. Kareem was slowing down. Byron Scott was still a question mark. AC Green had just been inserted into the starting line-up. Mychal Thompson wasn't acquired until mid-season. So Pat Riley and Magic sat down before the season began and discussed what it would take for the Lakers to get back to the top.
"You need to do more of everything," Riley told #32 "especially scoring." Magic complied. He hoisted up 400 more shots in the 1986-87 NBA season than he did the year before, while still shooting .522 from the field. No less impressive, his assists-per-game dropped only a smidgen, from 12.6 in 1986 to 12.2 in 1987.
We don't need Rajon Rondo to score buckets this year. He is surrounded by one of the best shooting teams I can remember. If he can dominate a game like he did the other night, who cares how many points he scores? Better yet, does anyone remember how many points he scored in game 6 of the NBA Finals? Probably not, but most observers consider him to be the MVP of that game.
So Rajon has the luxury of only shooting the J when he's confident, and only driving to the hoop when it's necessary to open up shot opportunities for others. He can selectively assert himself on the offensive end this year, as a preview of what might become a reality a few years down the road when he's surrounded by less talent.
Lakers' Don't Defend the Pick 'n' Roll
The Lakers took it on the chin on defense Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks slicing them up with a steady diet of pick-and-rolls. At times last season, the Lakers had trouble with their pick-and-roll defense.
LINK
Let's face it. The Lakers have defended the pick-and-roll serviceably twice in the last three years: December 25, 2008, and February 5, 2009, and they absolutely had to win those two games to rebuild their self-esteem. The prior June we saw how well they played defense against a team highly skilled at the pick and roll, and I expect that same team to be even more dangerous when deploying the pick and roll with a revamped line-up that includes Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, and an improved Glen Davis.
There's also that little thing called D-E-S-I-R-E.
The bad taste at Waltham still lingers from last season, and I'm not just talking about KG's injury and the loss to Orlando in the playoffs. Paul Pierce had four dates circled on his calendar the day the schedules came out, two of those being on 1/31/10 (a Sunday) and 2/18/10 (a Thursday). Anyone doubt the rest of the Celtics have those dates circled, too?
LINK
Let's face it. The Lakers have defended the pick-and-roll serviceably twice in the last three years: December 25, 2008, and February 5, 2009, and they absolutely had to win those two games to rebuild their self-esteem. The prior June we saw how well they played defense against a team highly skilled at the pick and roll, and I expect that same team to be even more dangerous when deploying the pick and roll with a revamped line-up that includes Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, and an improved Glen Davis.
There's also that little thing called D-E-S-I-R-E.
The bad taste at Waltham still lingers from last season, and I'm not just talking about KG's injury and the loss to Orlando in the playoffs. Paul Pierce had four dates circled on his calendar the day the schedules came out, two of those being on 1/31/10 (a Sunday) and 2/18/10 (a Thursday). Anyone doubt the rest of the Celtics have those dates circled, too?
Turns Out the Lakers' Bench Stunk against the Clippers, Too
The Lakers' substitutes got outhustled and outscored in the season-opening victory Tuesday over the Clippers. Are they worried? A little bit, judging by comments made today at practice by Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic.
"Obviously, we want to play more," Walton said. "Obviously, we want to play better. We played like trash in the second quarter. Sometimes things just don't work out for you. It was a perfect storm (on) opening night.
"I know the guys on the bench are upset with the situation. The coaches are probably upset with us. But it's one game. We have 81 more. We've proven over the last few years that we have a pretty reliable bench."
LINK
Any time Luke Walton is a key player off your bench, you're in for some disappointment. It also doesn't help that, depending on whom you talk to, the Lakers' back-up point-guard is either Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, or Sasha Vigatooth. An even bigger problem is, regardless of who the Zen Mistress goes with at the back-up point, he's probably better than their starting point guard, Derek Fisher, who really isn't a point guard at all, and, judging from his .235 field goal percentage this year, isn't much of an undersized shooting guard either.
Since the Army went out on a limb and predicted that Andrew Bynum would be traded by mid-season, I, too, will make a prediction, though less bold. This is D.Fish's last year in the purple. He will be forced into retirement after the Fakers get dismissed from the playoffs next May. There is even a small chance the Lakers may acquire a real point guard before the deadline, and move Fish to the bench.
"Obviously, we want to play more," Walton said. "Obviously, we want to play better. We played like trash in the second quarter. Sometimes things just don't work out for you. It was a perfect storm (on) opening night.
"I know the guys on the bench are upset with the situation. The coaches are probably upset with us. But it's one game. We have 81 more. We've proven over the last few years that we have a pretty reliable bench."
LINK
Any time Luke Walton is a key player off your bench, you're in for some disappointment. It also doesn't help that, depending on whom you talk to, the Lakers' back-up point-guard is either Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, or Sasha Vigatooth. An even bigger problem is, regardless of who the Zen Mistress goes with at the back-up point, he's probably better than their starting point guard, Derek Fisher, who really isn't a point guard at all, and, judging from his .235 field goal percentage this year, isn't much of an undersized shooting guard either.
Since the Army went out on a limb and predicted that Andrew Bynum would be traded by mid-season, I, too, will make a prediction, though less bold. This is D.Fish's last year in the purple. He will be forced into retirement after the Fakers get dismissed from the playoffs next May. There is even a small chance the Lakers may acquire a real point guard before the deadline, and move Fish to the bench.
Larry Earns First Pro Win over Magic
Game 3: Celtics 108, Lakers 103
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
February 15, 1982
INGLEWOOD, Calif.
Where do you start on this one? With M. L. Carr's invaluable two-way second-half contribution? With Tiny Archibald's first-half keep-'em-floating offensive play? With Robert Parish's aggressive 22-point, 14-rebound triumph over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Or perhaps with Cedric Maxwell's most significant performance of the season, a 27-point, 11-rebound gem that evoked memories of his awesome Game 5 show in last year's championship series with Houston? Any of these items would provide a valid reference point, but Kevin McHale thought the key to victory was something less tangible.
"I realize this is your basic cliche explanation," McHale declared, "but the fact is that we wanted it worse. When we came back for the timeouts, people were saying, C'mon, we're not going to lose this game.' That's all there was to it." Whatever the motivational gap, this much is clear: The Celtics outplayed Los Angeles down the stretch yesterday afternoon, earning a 108-103 decision that served the dual purpose of keeping the Celtics in first place back East and keeping the Lakers from taking over first place out here.
What the sellout Forum crowd of 17,505 - plus the CBS television audience - witnessed was a high-level NBA confrontation featuring very physical team defense, solid board work and true offensive professionalism, regrettably marred by the game-long officiating improprieties of Hugh Evans and Bill Saar, who are both usually better than they were yesterday. In a very real sense, the game never got started until the midway point of the final period. But when it did, the Celtics' quintet of McHale, Larry Bird, Maxwell, Gerry Henderson and Carr assumed command.
LA, which had led for all but two minutes of periods two, three and the first half of four, was still ahead as late as 92-91 with 4:48 remaining. The Lakers' go-ahead basket had been provided by Jamaal Wilkes on an acrobatic rebound follow-up. But the Celtics answered with six straight points and would never again be headed. The sequence began when Bird (nine assists) fed Henderson in the lane for a jumper. Wilkes (25 points) almost dropped in a dexterious baseline drive, but the ball refused to drop and the Celtics took advantage when Maxwell hit a whirling jump hook on the transition for a three-point (95-92) lead. Abdul- Jabbar was then assessed a loose-ball foul on a Michael Cooper in-and- outer, leading to a pair of clutch free throws by McHale.
High on the list of reasons the Celtics were able to hang on in this game was luck. After Maxwell had taken a spectacular Carr penetra-tion feed for a patented hanging three-point play to make it 102-96 with 2:06 left, Wilkes responded with a corner jumper. But the Celtics got those two right back with 1:37 remaining when Kareem lost control of a defensive rebound and accidentally diverted the ball into Boston's basket.
The next break, and a very vital one, came with 19 seconds to play. LA had launched a final comeback, with a Magic Johnson free throw with 32 seconds left pulling the Lakers to within one at 104-103. Boston ran a play for Bird (again shackled by the willowy Cooper), who started in a left-to-right direction. There was contact with Cooper, after which Bird threw the ball up well after the whistle. The ball went in, and the LA crowd erupted when Saar signaled the basket good. This may have been carrying the concept of "continuation" to the extreme. Bird made the free throw, and when Carr stole the inbounds pass, the victory was insured.
The victory was a tribute to Boston's mental toughness, as well as a growing LA passivity that has now resulted in three straight losses overall, plus three straight Forum setbacks. LA had forced some Boston turnovers to overcome an early 18-9 deficit, assuming apparent control of the game for the next 2 1/2 periods. But the biggest LA margin was eight (43-35), and the largest LA second-half advantage was seven (59-52). Boston was always able to keep Showtime from getting started.
The X factor was Carr, who wound up contributing nine points, three rebounds, the aforementioned key assist to Maxwell and his usual overall brand of hustling defensive play. This augmented the vigorous Maxwell display (six offensive rebounds), a showing so forceful that Wilkes said, "Maxwell delivered today; he was the key." Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn't, but Maxwell's sudden revival (58 points, 18 rebounds, 22-for-31 shooting) in the past two games has picked up the team. His own enthusiasm seems to have been restored. "Max was even calling his own play in the huddle," said McHale.
Well, there it is, a revenge victory over LA, a 2-1 road start and another couple of days in first place. "Back on the bandwagon, everybody!" shouted Chris Ford as they entered the locker room. Whatever you say, men.
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
February 15, 1982
INGLEWOOD, Calif.
Where do you start on this one? With M. L. Carr's invaluable two-way second-half contribution? With Tiny Archibald's first-half keep-'em-floating offensive play? With Robert Parish's aggressive 22-point, 14-rebound triumph over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Or perhaps with Cedric Maxwell's most significant performance of the season, a 27-point, 11-rebound gem that evoked memories of his awesome Game 5 show in last year's championship series with Houston? Any of these items would provide a valid reference point, but Kevin McHale thought the key to victory was something less tangible.
"I realize this is your basic cliche explanation," McHale declared, "but the fact is that we wanted it worse. When we came back for the timeouts, people were saying, C'mon, we're not going to lose this game.' That's all there was to it." Whatever the motivational gap, this much is clear: The Celtics outplayed Los Angeles down the stretch yesterday afternoon, earning a 108-103 decision that served the dual purpose of keeping the Celtics in first place back East and keeping the Lakers from taking over first place out here.
What the sellout Forum crowd of 17,505 - plus the CBS television audience - witnessed was a high-level NBA confrontation featuring very physical team defense, solid board work and true offensive professionalism, regrettably marred by the game-long officiating improprieties of Hugh Evans and Bill Saar, who are both usually better than they were yesterday. In a very real sense, the game never got started until the midway point of the final period. But when it did, the Celtics' quintet of McHale, Larry Bird, Maxwell, Gerry Henderson and Carr assumed command.
LA, which had led for all but two minutes of periods two, three and the first half of four, was still ahead as late as 92-91 with 4:48 remaining. The Lakers' go-ahead basket had been provided by Jamaal Wilkes on an acrobatic rebound follow-up. But the Celtics answered with six straight points and would never again be headed. The sequence began when Bird (nine assists) fed Henderson in the lane for a jumper. Wilkes (25 points) almost dropped in a dexterious baseline drive, but the ball refused to drop and the Celtics took advantage when Maxwell hit a whirling jump hook on the transition for a three-point (95-92) lead. Abdul- Jabbar was then assessed a loose-ball foul on a Michael Cooper in-and- outer, leading to a pair of clutch free throws by McHale.
High on the list of reasons the Celtics were able to hang on in this game was luck. After Maxwell had taken a spectacular Carr penetra-tion feed for a patented hanging three-point play to make it 102-96 with 2:06 left, Wilkes responded with a corner jumper. But the Celtics got those two right back with 1:37 remaining when Kareem lost control of a defensive rebound and accidentally diverted the ball into Boston's basket.
The next break, and a very vital one, came with 19 seconds to play. LA had launched a final comeback, with a Magic Johnson free throw with 32 seconds left pulling the Lakers to within one at 104-103. Boston ran a play for Bird (again shackled by the willowy Cooper), who started in a left-to-right direction. There was contact with Cooper, after which Bird threw the ball up well after the whistle. The ball went in, and the LA crowd erupted when Saar signaled the basket good. This may have been carrying the concept of "continuation" to the extreme. Bird made the free throw, and when Carr stole the inbounds pass, the victory was insured.
The victory was a tribute to Boston's mental toughness, as well as a growing LA passivity that has now resulted in three straight losses overall, plus three straight Forum setbacks. LA had forced some Boston turnovers to overcome an early 18-9 deficit, assuming apparent control of the game for the next 2 1/2 periods. But the biggest LA margin was eight (43-35), and the largest LA second-half advantage was seven (59-52). Boston was always able to keep Showtime from getting started.
The X factor was Carr, who wound up contributing nine points, three rebounds, the aforementioned key assist to Maxwell and his usual overall brand of hustling defensive play. This augmented the vigorous Maxwell display (six offensive rebounds), a showing so forceful that Wilkes said, "Maxwell delivered today; he was the key." Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn't, but Maxwell's sudden revival (58 points, 18 rebounds, 22-for-31 shooting) in the past two games has picked up the team. His own enthusiasm seems to have been restored. "Max was even calling his own play in the huddle," said McHale.
Well, there it is, a revenge victory over LA, a 2-1 road start and another couple of days in first place. "Back on the bandwagon, everybody!" shouted Chris Ford as they entered the locker room. Whatever you say, men.
Larry v. Magic: Bird Heating Up As Game 3 Approaches
#33 Wins Player of the Month for January
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
February 3, 1982
Well, you know, he was kinda hard to ignore.
Larry Bird played 14 games in January, not including the All-Star Game, where he was the MVP. He averaged 26.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.9 steals. He scored 40 points once and had over 30 on five other occasions.
So it did not exactly come as a complete shock when Bird was named yesterday as the NBA Player of the Month, beating out Gus Williams, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone, Alex English, Jay Vincent and John Long, most of whom should be immensely pleased just to be named in the same paragraph as Larry Bird, when it comes to discussing quality basketball players.
Which brings us to last night's game. The Bird stat line reads 43 minutes, 26 points (8-for-19 from the floor), 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and zero turnovers. It sounds nice, but what it added up to was a so-so Bird performance, a routine earn-the-paycheck night's work that nonetheless represented an achievement that could not have been matched for impact on the game by 95 percent of the game's players.
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
February 3, 1982
Well, you know, he was kinda hard to ignore.
Larry Bird played 14 games in January, not including the All-Star Game, where he was the MVP. He averaged 26.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.9 steals. He scored 40 points once and had over 30 on five other occasions.
So it did not exactly come as a complete shock when Bird was named yesterday as the NBA Player of the Month, beating out Gus Williams, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone, Alex English, Jay Vincent and John Long, most of whom should be immensely pleased just to be named in the same paragraph as Larry Bird, when it comes to discussing quality basketball players.
Which brings us to last night's game. The Bird stat line reads 43 minutes, 26 points (8-for-19 from the floor), 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and zero turnovers. It sounds nice, but what it added up to was a so-so Bird performance, a routine earn-the-paycheck night's work that nonetheless represented an achievement that could not have been matched for impact on the game by 95 percent of the game's players.
Ron Artest v. Shelden Williams: Who's Off to the Better Start?
Shelden Williams
Salary: $1.9m for 1 year
Ron Artest
Salary: $36m for 5 years
Salary: $1.9m for 1 year
| 2009-10 Statistics | FG | 3PT | FT | Rebounds | Misc | ||||||||||||
| G | MIN | FGM-A | FG% | 3PM-A | 3P% | FTM-A | FT% | OFF | DEF | TOT | STL | BLK | TO | PF | AST | PTS | |
| Season | 3 | 19.7 | 4-8 | .500 | 0-0 | .000 | 18-21 | .857 | 1.7 | 5.7 | 7.3 | .33 | 1.00 | 1.33 | 4.00 | 1.7 | 8.7 |
Ron Artest
Salary: $36m for 5 years
| 2009-10 Statistics | FG | 3PT | FT | Rebounds | Misc | ||||||||||||
| G | MIN | FGM-A | FG% | 3PM-A | 3P% | FTM-A | FT% | OFF | DEF | TOT | STL | BLK | TO | PF | AST | PTS | |
| Season | 2 | 32.0 | 4-16 | .250 | 2-9 | .222 | 3-9 | .333 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.50 | .00 | 4.00 | 3.50 | 3.5 | 6.5 |
Lakers Pummeled at Home
That'll take some shine off Tuesday's ring ceremony, no?
LINK
Mark Cuban still thinks Ron Artest carries implosion potential.
LINK
“I think we probably wanted it a little too much and that’s what resulted in some of the turnovers, shots going in and out.”
--Kobe Bryant
“We got to look at the tape. We got to go back and look at the tape and see what happened. Basically, there’s no excuses really. That’s the main thing.”
--Ron Artest
I wonder if Reggie Miller still has the L's penciled in for a 20-1 start?
Box Score
Nope, this Definitely isn't 2007-08
1. In 2007-08, the Boston Celtics couldn't find Ray Allen enough looks. This year, Ray Allen gets just as many shots as he wants. Tonight he was the best player on the floor in the first half. There were at least a dozen games in 2007-08 where Ray Allen had a hot hand, but still scored less than 20 points. Why? No one was looking for him. Tonight is the latest example that no Ray-Allen hot-hand will get wasted this year.
2. In 2007-08, the Boston Celtics needed a little bravado, a little cajones, a little smack to work themselves into a lather before administering a beatdown. This year, the Celtics just go about it in a businesslike manner. The Cobra slowly applies the vice on its pray, the opponent's offense starts getting light-headed, disoriented, and finally succumbs. Meanwhile, the Celtics go down to the other end of the floor and make them pay.
3. In 2007-08, the Boston Celtics first unit built ginormous leads of twenty, thirty, or more points, and then kept their fingers crossed that the second unit could maintain the lead. This year, the first team usually plays unenthusiastic basketball to start the game, and only after the second unit has kicked some arse does the first unit come back in the game and pick up their level of play. By the way, remember when I said I was looking forward to seeing what Squisy was gonna do against the Bulls tonight? So far, pretty much what I expected: capitalizing on his size advantage, showin' off his offensive wares, and otherwise showcasing the goods.
4. In 2007-08, the Boston Celtics were a very good 3-point shooting team. This year we are outstanding. Has Paul Pierce been reborn as one of the league's deadliest 3-point shooters or is it just me? And if he has, how long can he keep it up? I remember one year out of know nowhere, Kevin McHale went from being a non-threat from 3 to being a legitimate threat. So there is no reason why the Truth can't go from being a legitimate threat from three to being one of the most feared shooters from range in the NBA.
5. In 2007-08, Rajon Rondo was a good point guard who showed flashes of greatness. Now he is a great point guard who occasionally plays the position as well as its ever been played.
Now I'm not saying everything is totally different from 2007-08. The one thing that is the same is how the defense both then and now feeds off itself. One good defensive play begets another, and one level of intensity begets the next. I've seen what I needed to see. Yes, this team can be damn good defensively again.
Oh. One other thing. Mission accomplished on my pre-game agenda to end any perception of parity between these two teams.
2. In 2007-08, the Boston Celtics needed a little bravado, a little cajones, a little smack to work themselves into a lather before administering a beatdown. This year, the Celtics just go about it in a businesslike manner. The Cobra slowly applies the vice on its pray, the opponent's offense starts getting light-headed, disoriented, and finally succumbs. Meanwhile, the Celtics go down to the other end of the floor and make them pay.
3. In 2007-08, the Boston Celtics first unit built ginormous leads of twenty, thirty, or more points, and then kept their fingers crossed that the second unit could maintain the lead. This year, the first team usually plays unenthusiastic basketball to start the game, and only after the second unit has kicked some arse does the first unit come back in the game and pick up their level of play. By the way, remember when I said I was looking forward to seeing what Squisy was gonna do against the Bulls tonight? So far, pretty much what I expected: capitalizing on his size advantage, showin' off his offensive wares, and otherwise showcasing the goods.
4. In 2007-08, the Boston Celtics were a very good 3-point shooting team. This year we are outstanding. Has Paul Pierce been reborn as one of the league's deadliest 3-point shooters or is it just me? And if he has, how long can he keep it up? I remember one year out of know nowhere, Kevin McHale went from being a non-threat from 3 to being a legitimate threat. So there is no reason why the Truth can't go from being a legitimate threat from three to being one of the most feared shooters from range in the NBA.
5. In 2007-08, Rajon Rondo was a good point guard who showed flashes of greatness. Now he is a great point guard who occasionally plays the position as well as its ever been played.
Now I'm not saying everything is totally different from 2007-08. The one thing that is the same is how the defense both then and now feeds off itself. One good defensive play begets another, and one level of intensity begets the next. I've seen what I needed to see. Yes, this team can be damn good defensively again.
Oh. One other thing. Mission accomplished on my pre-game agenda to end any perception of parity between these two teams.
Let's See Some D Tonight and Some Attitude
"Shutting people down," the Celtics forward said of what is more satisfying, offensive or defensive dominance. “(That’s) because we work so hard in practice. Man, ya’ll have no idea what our drills are like. The majority of our practices are schemes - how we’re gonna defend, things night in and night out for all kinds of teams.”
LINK
Eight blocks, 10 steals, 18 turnovers forced. There's no shortage of stats that stress just how good the Celtics' defense played. But maybe Charlotte's line score sums it up best: 13-18-10-18 -- 59. In the 11 other NBA games that took place across the league Wednesday, only eight other quarter scorers were in the teens or lower.
LINK
Boston forced 18 turnovers, registered 10 steals, held the Bobcats to 31.1 percent shooting overall, and absolutely flustered the Charlotte offense with constant pressure and deflections.The Celtics limited the Bobcats to 20 percent shooting (3 of 15) in the first quarter. After being shut out over the first five minutes of that first quarter, the Bobcats endured another scoreless stretch of more than six minutes to start the second half. Over those two stretches alone, the Celtics outscored Charlotte, 23-0.
LINK
I don't usually do game previews, and tonight is no exception. However, I will say this. I fully support a Celtics' imposed blowout, kind of like the ones from November and December of 2007 (here). The last game was nice. But the Celtics' didn't really put the hammer down, not with emotion anyway. I want the green to show America that any perceived parity between these two squads is history. What I want to avoid at all costs is a remake of this production.
70-12
The Celtics' combined record at home over the last two seasons. And somebody thinks we're gonna top that in one season playing both at home and on the road?
Hitler was a Lakers Fan
Gotta be one of the funniest videos I've ever seen. This is Pulp Fiction on steroids. I may have to retire from blogging, folks. It's all down hill from here.
Larry & Magic's All-Star Battle Serves as Prelude to Game 3
Larry Wins All-Star Game MVP as East Beats West
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
February 1, 1982
In the '60s, it was the preeminent rivalry in pro basketball. Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain. No one will forget the wars those two goliaths waged, and it didn't seem to matter whether it was a regular-season game, a playoff or an All-Star game. Now in the '80s, one has to suspect that the rivalry between the Celtics' Larry Bird and the Lakers' Magic Johnson is just beginning to warm up, perhaps to Russell-Chamberlain proportions. True, Bird is a forward and Johnson primarily plays guard, but their all-round skills are remarkably similar.
"We're the same type players," said Johnson, who came within inches of being a hero and instead wound up a loser as the East topped the West, 120-118, yesterday in the 32d annual NBA All-Star game. "We're big-game players. We both like the pressure. We both seem to play better under the pressure.
"We definitely have respect for one another. The things Larry can do are just unbelievable. He just beats everybody upstairs because he plays a smart game. We're much alike and we respect each other on and off the court." Bird walked away with the Most Valuable Player Award. His contributions for the East--19 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal--speak for themselves. But Bird's success didn't for one minute diminish the respect he has for Johnson.
"I think he's a great player," said Bird. "We're very similar in the things we can do. We both like to move the ball up the court, shoot, rebound and get assists. I personally think he's a better passer than I am and is quicker. I'm a better shooter and I play more inside. I enjoyed watching him play in the game today. I try to study him and see what I can learn. He's a great player." In fact, had Johnson (16 points, 7 assists for the West) sunk a layup with three seconds left instead of missing, the game might have gone into overtime, and he might have wound up as the MVP.
But he accepted the outcome philosophically.
"I don't feel bad about what happened today," he said. "It's no trouble for me. If we tie, we tie. If not, look forward to next year. It's the season that counts, not an All-Star game. "Was I looking for a three-point play? You can't do that. You think about getting into position and shooting, and then you have to shoot. If you can get fouled, get fouled. My first thing was just to try to get to the basket. (The East's Michael Ray) Richardson made me pull up sooner than I wanted to. I wanted to take it to the basket a little bit further, but he came to help and I had to shoot out a little further than I wanted to. It almost went but hit the rim. That's just the way it goes."
There was a time when Johnson and Bird were less than kind in the things they said about each other on and off the court. Johnson's Michigan State team beat Bird and Indiana State for the NCAA championship in 1979, and Johnson took the Lakers to the NBA title in his rookie season. Bird brought the Celtics to the summit last year. Now they realize that their rivalry is becoming something very special. And with that realization has come mutual respect.
"I think it's toned down a lot," said Johnson of the cool feelings. "I think it's gotten where we can talk and be friends. Early on, it was really intense. But now it's changed. Somebody is going to win or lose, that's just the facts, and there is no need for us carrying that off the floor. We've become more friendly. "It doesn't matter to me if Bird got the MVP. I knew he was going to get it, either him or Julius (Erving). They both played a great game."
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
February 1, 1982
In the '60s, it was the preeminent rivalry in pro basketball. Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain. No one will forget the wars those two goliaths waged, and it didn't seem to matter whether it was a regular-season game, a playoff or an All-Star game. Now in the '80s, one has to suspect that the rivalry between the Celtics' Larry Bird and the Lakers' Magic Johnson is just beginning to warm up, perhaps to Russell-Chamberlain proportions. True, Bird is a forward and Johnson primarily plays guard, but their all-round skills are remarkably similar.
"We're the same type players," said Johnson, who came within inches of being a hero and instead wound up a loser as the East topped the West, 120-118, yesterday in the 32d annual NBA All-Star game. "We're big-game players. We both like the pressure. We both seem to play better under the pressure.
"We definitely have respect for one another. The things Larry can do are just unbelievable. He just beats everybody upstairs because he plays a smart game. We're much alike and we respect each other on and off the court." Bird walked away with the Most Valuable Player Award. His contributions for the East--19 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal--speak for themselves. But Bird's success didn't for one minute diminish the respect he has for Johnson.
"I think he's a great player," said Bird. "We're very similar in the things we can do. We both like to move the ball up the court, shoot, rebound and get assists. I personally think he's a better passer than I am and is quicker. I'm a better shooter and I play more inside. I enjoyed watching him play in the game today. I try to study him and see what I can learn. He's a great player." In fact, had Johnson (16 points, 7 assists for the West) sunk a layup with three seconds left instead of missing, the game might have gone into overtime, and he might have wound up as the MVP.
But he accepted the outcome philosophically.
"I don't feel bad about what happened today," he said. "It's no trouble for me. If we tie, we tie. If not, look forward to next year. It's the season that counts, not an All-Star game. "Was I looking for a three-point play? You can't do that. You think about getting into position and shooting, and then you have to shoot. If you can get fouled, get fouled. My first thing was just to try to get to the basket. (The East's Michael Ray) Richardson made me pull up sooner than I wanted to. I wanted to take it to the basket a little bit further, but he came to help and I had to shoot out a little further than I wanted to. It almost went but hit the rim. That's just the way it goes."
There was a time when Johnson and Bird were less than kind in the things they said about each other on and off the court. Johnson's Michigan State team beat Bird and Indiana State for the NCAA championship in 1979, and Johnson took the Lakers to the NBA title in his rookie season. Bird brought the Celtics to the summit last year. Now they realize that their rivalry is becoming something very special. And with that realization has come mutual respect.
"I think it's toned down a lot," said Johnson of the cool feelings. "I think it's gotten where we can talk and be friends. Early on, it was really intense. But now it's changed. Somebody is going to win or lose, that's just the facts, and there is no need for us carrying that off the floor. We've become more friendly. "It doesn't matter to me if Bird got the MVP. I knew he was going to get it, either him or Julius (Erving). They both played a great game."
3-0: Celtics 118, Bulls 90
| Team Stat Comparison | ||
| CHICAGO | BOSTON | |
| Points | 90 | 118 |
| FG Made-Attempted | 34-82 (.415) | 43-74 (.581) |
| 3P Made-Attempted | 2-15 (.133) | 12-24 (.500) |
| FT Made-Attempted | 20-27 (.741) | 20-24 (.833) |
| Rebounds (Offensive-Total) | 16-36 | 10-42 |
| Assists | 19 | 33 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 16 |
| Steals | 6 | 7 |
| Blocks | 3 | 5 |
| Fast Break Points | 4 | 10 |
| Fouls (Tech/Flagrant) | 27 (1/0) | 22 (1/0) |
| Largest Lead | 0 | 31 |
Bulls 90, Celtics 118 
8:00 PM ET, October 30, 2009
TD Garden
Boston, MA
| CHICAGO BULLS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Luol Deng, SF | 20 | 2-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | -10 | 4 |
| Tyrus Thomas, PF | 24 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 4-9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -19 | 10 |
| Joakim Noah, C | 28 | 7-10 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -33 | 16 |
| John Salmons, SF | 32 | 2-14 | 1-5 | 3-3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -30 | 8 |
| Derrick Rose, PG | 24 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -19 | 10 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Lindsey Hunter, SG | 7 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -8 | 0 |
| Brad Miller, C | 23 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 5-6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | -2 | 9 |
| Kirk Hinrich, G | 27 | 4-9 | 0-5 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 10 |
| Jannero Pargo, PG | 22 | 6-12 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -6 | 13 |
| Taj Gibson, F | 23 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | -2 | 6 |
| James Johnson, F | 11 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -5 | 4 |
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 34-82 | 2-15 | 20-27 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 27 | 90 | |||
| 41.5% | 13.3% | 74.1% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 4 Points in the paint: 38 Team TO ( points off ): 15 (10) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
| BOSTON CELTICS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Kevin Garnett, PF | 25 | 7-13 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +15 | 16 |
| Paul Pierce, SF | 31 | 8-12 | 5-7 | 1-1 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +23 | 22 |
| Kendrick Perkins, C | 19 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | +20 | 9 |
| Ray Allen, SG | 23 | 7-9 | 2-3 | 4-4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +20 | 20 |
| Rajon Rondo, PG | 30 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +15 | 2 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Rasheed Wallace, FC | 26 | 2-9 | 1-6 | 2-2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +11 | 7 |
| Eddie House, PG | 22 | 9-13 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | +9 | 22 |
| Marquis Daniels, SG | 25 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 3-4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +10 | 7 |
| Shelden Williams, PF | 24 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 6-6 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | +10 | 10 |
| J.R. Giddens, SG | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 0 |
| Lester Hudson, G | 10 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 3 |
| Brian Scalabrine, PF | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 43-74 | 12-24 | 20-24 | 10 | 32 | 42 | 33 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 22 | 118 | |||
| 58.1% | 50.0% | 83.3% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 10 Points in the paint: 30 Team TO ( points off ): 16 (19) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
The Reinforcements Have Arrived
I was re-watching us get our asses kicked in the first quarter against the Cavs on opening night, and I noticed one thing I missed the first time through. At the 4:54 marker of the first quarter, Doc brings Sheed into the game. We're down 21-12. A minute later we're down 26-14. Bron-Bron just canned a 96-foot three pointer with the shot-clock running down. Cleveland, it seemed, could do no wrong, while the Celtics were struggling to do anything right.
Until the next trip down the floor, when Sheed catches the ball two feet behind the arc, pauses for a moment to get his feet settled under him, and then drills a three with Z's hand in his face. Nothing but net. As #30 is back-pedaling down the court, the camera man zooms in on his face. Sheed's waiting for eye contact with the Ticket. When he gets it, Sheed closes his eyes for an observable second, opens them, and then nods to #5. His face is otherwise expressionless, but calm. He seems to be saying something. He seems to be saying this:
Nothing to worry about, Big Fella. This is why you guys brought me here. The reinforcements have arrived. Now let's go get that lead back.
Well, that's how I read it anyway. :)
Tiny Passes the Torch to Zeke
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Pistons 127, Celtics 121
Record: 0-1
10/28/1983
The torch has been passed.
Tiny Archibald is 35, Magic Johnson defies position and although you'll get some argument from Maurice Cheeks fans, it seems safe to crown Detroit's Isiah Thomas as the premier point guard in the NBA. Incredibly, Thomas is only 22 years old and would be a rookie this year if not for the hardship rule. Instead, he has already started in two All-Star games and been named one of the league's top 10 players (a second-team All-NBA selection last season).
"I never came in thinking I had anything to prove," Thomas says. "I just want to win and go to the playoffs." "He's awesome," says Celtics' coach K. C. Jones. "He brings the ball up like Magic. He's a creative passer and a great outside shooter." "He's certainly among the best," says Quinn Buckner, who was Bobby Knight's playmaker before Thomas. "He played with the savvy of a two-year veteran when he first came into the league."
In 154 NBA games, Thomas has averaged 20 points and 7.8 assists. Last year, he led the league in minutes (3093), ranked fourth in steals, eighth in assists and 12th in scoring. In the Pistons' 127-121 season-opening win over the Celtics Friday night, he had 16 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Detractors say that Thomas thinks "shoot" first and "pass" second, and could use some work on defense.
"I can get better at everything," he says. We probably won't know how good he is until (if) the Pistons start winning.
Pistons 127, Celtics 121
Record: 0-1
10/28/1983
The torch has been passed.
Tiny Archibald is 35, Magic Johnson defies position and although you'll get some argument from Maurice Cheeks fans, it seems safe to crown Detroit's Isiah Thomas as the premier point guard in the NBA. Incredibly, Thomas is only 22 years old and would be a rookie this year if not for the hardship rule. Instead, he has already started in two All-Star games and been named one of the league's top 10 players (a second-team All-NBA selection last season).
"I never came in thinking I had anything to prove," Thomas says. "I just want to win and go to the playoffs." "He's awesome," says Celtics' coach K. C. Jones. "He brings the ball up like Magic. He's a creative passer and a great outside shooter." "He's certainly among the best," says Quinn Buckner, who was Bobby Knight's playmaker before Thomas. "He played with the savvy of a two-year veteran when he first came into the league."
In 154 NBA games, Thomas has averaged 20 points and 7.8 assists. Last year, he led the league in minutes (3093), ranked fourth in steals, eighth in assists and 12th in scoring. In the Pistons' 127-121 season-opening win over the Celtics Friday night, he had 16 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Detractors say that Thomas thinks "shoot" first and "pass" second, and could use some work on defense.
"I can get better at everything," he says. We probably won't know how good he is until (if) the Pistons start winning.
Celtics Lose Season Opener to Pistons
1983-84 Boston Celtics
Pistons 127, Celtics 121
Record: 0-1
10/28/1983
DETROIT. One more like this and everybody will be saying they can't win without Bill Fitch. The Celtics opened their "We Owe You One" 1983-84 season last night much the same way they closed the dismal campaign of '82-83. In 48 minutes of stinko action (not helped by non-union officials, we should add), Boston played zero defense, ignored the fast break, and dropped a 127-121 decision to the upstart Pistons.
The Celtics were in foul trouble all night and had a hard time overcoming a memorable no-show performance by Robert Parish. They gave up 70 points in the first half and trailed, 70-66, at intermission. Things got worse before they got better. Midway through the third quarter, Detroit led, 86-74 and Boston's four top guards all had at least three personal fouls. Parish didn't score in the first half while Detroit center Bill Laimbeer rung up 18 points (he had 26 total). Parish got one basket in the third quarter, and two more in the fourth, but spent a good part of the evening on the bench.
With four starters on the bench, Boston scored six straight to pull within four (90-86) with 3:12 left in the third. Kevin McHale (25 points) and Scott Wedman keyed the surge and McHale gave the 17,117 an extra thrill when he got into a brief shoving match with Laimbeer. Both players were assessed technical fouls. Detroit led, 96-93, after three. Isiah Thomas came alive with eight points early in the third, but the Celtics fought back and were able to pull even (106-106) with 7:50 left when Thomas picked up his fifth foul and a technical.
The lead changed hands a couple of times after that. Kelly Tripucka, who did a reasonable impersonation of Dave DeBusschere all night, put the Pistons up by three, 116-113, with a bank shot with 3:28 left. Dennis Johnson followed-up a Larry Bird (23 points) miss to cut it to one. With 2:24 showing, Parish woke up and hit a foul-line rainbow to put Boston ahead, 117-116. After McHale rebounded a Terry Tyler miss, Bird canned on from out top to make it 119-116.
The Pistons caled time with 1:44 remaining. Two free throws by John Long cut it to 119-118, and after Parish traveled, Thomas hit a jumper to put Detroit ahead for good, 120-119 with 47 seconds left. The Celtics next chance was blown when Isiah stole the ball from Parish at midcout, got fouled and hit both to make it 122-119. Jones called time with 0:37 showing. Tyler rebounded a miss by Bird, was fouled and hit one with 25 seconds left to make it 123-119. The Celtics called time again. Bird cut it to two, but the Celtics had to foul Tripucka with 16 seconds left and he hit both to make it 125-121. Don Meredith could have started his "The Party's over" at that point.
It would be safe to say that the Celtics were unable to establish the kind of defensive pressure they wanted in the first quarter. A team coached by K.C. Jones is not playing well if it surrenders 38 points in 12 minutes, which is exactly what the Celtics did. Boston trailed, 38-33, after one. Gerald Henderson scored seven of Boston's first 13 points, but he was replaced by Quinn Buckner early because Jones wanted more pressure on Thomas. The lead went back and forth for most of the quarter, but the Pistons took charge on an 8-4 run (led by sub Tyler's six straight) at the close of the quarter.
Detroit center Laimbeer (nine in the quarter, 18 in the half) and Kelly Tripucka (also 18 first-half points) hurt the Celtics underneath. Conversely, the Celtics weren't able to get much under the basket. Parish didn't score in the first quarter, and Cedric Maxwell had only one basket and four points. Ray Tolbert put the Pistons ahead by seven at the start of the second, but the Celtics roared back, scoring eight straight (six by Wedman) to briefly regain the lead, 41-40. The Celtic surge was short-lived, as the Pistons proceeded to rip off eight straight of their own to take a 48-41 lead and force Jones to call time with 7:55 left in the half. Detroit made it ten in a row on another jumper by the unconscious Tyler.
Desperate for some activity, Jones got tagged with his first technical foul of the new regime. Tyler missed the free throw. After the interruption, the Celtics started going inside to Maxwell and McHale. McHale ended up with 14 in the half, which somewhat offset Parish's shutout performance. A bomb by Bird (15 in the half) tied it, 62-62, but Tripucka took over for the Pistons, scoring nine in the final three minutes of the period. Detroit led, 70-66, when the horn went off. It was a particularly scary half because the Pistons had 70 points and a four-point lead even though Thomas had scored only two. K.C.'s first halftime chat must have been a beauty.
Pistons 127, Celtics 121
Record: 0-1
10/28/1983
DETROIT. One more like this and everybody will be saying they can't win without Bill Fitch. The Celtics opened their "We Owe You One" 1983-84 season last night much the same way they closed the dismal campaign of '82-83. In 48 minutes of stinko action (not helped by non-union officials, we should add), Boston played zero defense, ignored the fast break, and dropped a 127-121 decision to the upstart Pistons.
The Celtics were in foul trouble all night and had a hard time overcoming a memorable no-show performance by Robert Parish. They gave up 70 points in the first half and trailed, 70-66, at intermission. Things got worse before they got better. Midway through the third quarter, Detroit led, 86-74 and Boston's four top guards all had at least three personal fouls. Parish didn't score in the first half while Detroit center Bill Laimbeer rung up 18 points (he had 26 total). Parish got one basket in the third quarter, and two more in the fourth, but spent a good part of the evening on the bench.
With four starters on the bench, Boston scored six straight to pull within four (90-86) with 3:12 left in the third. Kevin McHale (25 points) and Scott Wedman keyed the surge and McHale gave the 17,117 an extra thrill when he got into a brief shoving match with Laimbeer. Both players were assessed technical fouls. Detroit led, 96-93, after three. Isiah Thomas came alive with eight points early in the third, but the Celtics fought back and were able to pull even (106-106) with 7:50 left when Thomas picked up his fifth foul and a technical.
The lead changed hands a couple of times after that. Kelly Tripucka, who did a reasonable impersonation of Dave DeBusschere all night, put the Pistons up by three, 116-113, with a bank shot with 3:28 left. Dennis Johnson followed-up a Larry Bird (23 points) miss to cut it to one. With 2:24 showing, Parish woke up and hit a foul-line rainbow to put Boston ahead, 117-116. After McHale rebounded a Terry Tyler miss, Bird canned on from out top to make it 119-116.
The Pistons caled time with 1:44 remaining. Two free throws by John Long cut it to 119-118, and after Parish traveled, Thomas hit a jumper to put Detroit ahead for good, 120-119 with 47 seconds left. The Celtics next chance was blown when Isiah stole the ball from Parish at midcout, got fouled and hit both to make it 122-119. Jones called time with 0:37 showing. Tyler rebounded a miss by Bird, was fouled and hit one with 25 seconds left to make it 123-119. The Celtics called time again. Bird cut it to two, but the Celtics had to foul Tripucka with 16 seconds left and he hit both to make it 125-121. Don Meredith could have started his "The Party's over" at that point.
It would be safe to say that the Celtics were unable to establish the kind of defensive pressure they wanted in the first quarter. A team coached by K.C. Jones is not playing well if it surrenders 38 points in 12 minutes, which is exactly what the Celtics did. Boston trailed, 38-33, after one. Gerald Henderson scored seven of Boston's first 13 points, but he was replaced by Quinn Buckner early because Jones wanted more pressure on Thomas. The lead went back and forth for most of the quarter, but the Pistons took charge on an 8-4 run (led by sub Tyler's six straight) at the close of the quarter.
Detroit center Laimbeer (nine in the quarter, 18 in the half) and Kelly Tripucka (also 18 first-half points) hurt the Celtics underneath. Conversely, the Celtics weren't able to get much under the basket. Parish didn't score in the first quarter, and Cedric Maxwell had only one basket and four points. Ray Tolbert put the Pistons ahead by seven at the start of the second, but the Celtics roared back, scoring eight straight (six by Wedman) to briefly regain the lead, 41-40. The Celtic surge was short-lived, as the Pistons proceeded to rip off eight straight of their own to take a 48-41 lead and force Jones to call time with 7:55 left in the half. Detroit made it ten in a row on another jumper by the unconscious Tyler.
Desperate for some activity, Jones got tagged with his first technical foul of the new regime. Tyler missed the free throw. After the interruption, the Celtics started going inside to Maxwell and McHale. McHale ended up with 14 in the half, which somewhat offset Parish's shutout performance. A bomb by Bird (15 in the half) tied it, 62-62, but Tripucka took over for the Pistons, scoring nine in the final three minutes of the period. Detroit led, 70-66, when the horn went off. It was a particularly scary half because the Pistons had 70 points and a four-point lead even though Thomas had scored only two. K.C.'s first halftime chat must have been a beauty.
With the Celtics taking the court last night in front of the hometown crowd for the first time this season, president Danny Ainge made it a point to show that even though Glen Davis was absent, he is still part of the team. Ainge told the operations crew to include Davis in the pregame introductions. “He made a mistake,’’ Rivers said. “I was mad at the mistake, but he’s still a part of our team. You get upset at your kids and they’re still in the family.’’
LINK
I'm still f'n pissed. But it was a nice touch to mention him in the pre-game last night. All I gotta say is he better have his fat ass on a treadmill.
Shelden was a high draft pick for a reason and he was a dominant player in college for a reason. My job, the staff’s job, is to get that out of him. He has, I think, a great opportunity to do it with this team.
--Doc
Shelden appears to be making an effort to answer my question from opening night.
7:02
The time left on the clock when the 'Cats scored their first basket (and their first points) of the game last night. As Matt just commented, the '85 Bears may be foregoing the hibernation ritual to play basketball this winter.
LINK
It was Augustin who said of the Celtics after the Bobcats stunned them last January, “If you don’t back down to them, they fold.’’ But on a night when the Celtics opened up the Garden for a campaign that’s been labeled by coaches and players as championship or bust by holding their opponents to the lowest-scoring output in the five-year history of the franchise, it was Brown who admitted after being dealt a 92-59 beating that the Bobcats consisted of “a lot of guys scared to death.’’ The Celtics were as intimidating as they had been the last two seasons. Perhaps more so, with the addition of the league’s misunderstood mascot for anger management, Rasheed Wallace.
LINK
A lot of people that come in, they say they’re hungry, well I’m starving. I’m starving every night. I feel like I’ve got to prove something.
--Squisy
You know what I like about the Squeezer? I don't grind my teeth every time he touches the ball out of concern over what will happen next. He was only 1-5 last night. But he still added 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal in 22 minutes of PT. Marquis Daniels keeps the bone-headed plays to a minimum because he keeps his head in the game, unlike someone else we know. The below video is so great because it captures TA during one of those "he's somewhere else" moments.BTW, I'm really looking forward to what Squisy has to show us on Friday.
Year Three of Getting Shots for Jesus
Other than overcoming double-ankle surgery, the most notable thing about Ray Allen's first year as a Boston Celtic was the team's inability to find him good looks at the basket on a consistent basis. This continued off and on last year. But I think it's safe to say those days may finally be behind us. While Jesus is shooting only 11-33 from the field, every time I look up, he's hoisting another ball, and the shots are shots Jesus has made time and again over his career. This is good. If he keeps shooting at this percentage, or close thereto, you'll hear critics start to talk about him being over the hill. Celtics' fans shouldn't worry too much. A larger percentage of shots will start to fall pretty soon.
2-0: Celtics 92, Bobcats 59
7:30 PM ET, October 28, 2009
TD Banknorth Garden
Boston, MA
| CHARLOTTE BOBCATS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Gerald Wallace, SF | 38 | 3-9 | 0-1 | 4-8 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | -33 | 10 |
| Boris Diaw, PF | 25 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -28 | 6 |
| Tyson Chandler, C | 21 | 0-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -25 | 0 |
| Stephen Graham, SF | 29 | 2-11 | 0-1 | 1-3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -33 | 5 |
| Raymond Felton, PG | 23 | 3-11 | 0-1 | 3-5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -1 | 9 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Nazr Mohammed, C | 18 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 5 |
| Vladimir Radmanovic, SF | 5 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +3 | 2 |
| Derrick Brown, F | 21 | 4-9 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 9 |
| Gerald Henderson, G | 25 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -7 | 8 |
| D.J. Augustin, PG | 27 | 0-5 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -30 | 1 |
| Alexis Ajinca, C | 9 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -9 | 4 |
| DeSagana Diop, C | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 23-74 | 0-10 | 13-25 | 14 | 32 | 46 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 23 | 59 | |||
| 31.1% | 00.0% | 52.0% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 8 Points in the paint: 28 Team TO ( points off ): 21 (24) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
| BOSTON CELTICS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Kevin Garnett, PF | 26 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | +34 | 10 |
| Paul Pierce, SF | 25 | 4-9 | 3-5 | 4-4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +19 | 15 |
| Kendrick Perkins, C | 26 | 4-10 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | +27 | 9 |
| Ray Allen, SG | 38 | 6-17 | 4-10 | 2-3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +26 | 18 |
| Rajon Rondo, PG | 30 | 5-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | +29 | 10 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Rasheed Wallace, FC | 16 | 3-8 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 9 |
| Eddie House, PG | 18 | 3-7 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +4 | 7 |
| Marquis Daniels, SG | 22 | 1-5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | +12 | 2 |
| Shelden Williams, PF | 22 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 8-11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -1 | 12 |
| J.R. Giddens, SG | 8 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +5 | 0 |
| Lester Hudson, G | 10 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +9 | 0 |
| Brian Scalabrine, PF | DNP COACH'S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 33-76 | 11-29 | 15-19 | 10 | 34 | 44 | 27 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 92 | |||
| 43.4% | 37.9% | 78.9% | ||||||||||||
Fast break points: 16 Points in the paint: 28 Team TO ( points off ): 14 (7) +/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
Will KG Help Wolves Forget Jimmy Rogers Era?
KG's Rookie Year
11/9/1995
On pages 82 to 84 of the Timberwolves media guide is a section called team history. The entries are selective. The dates when Billy McKinney, Bill Musselman and Jack McCloskey were hired are included. The dates when McKinney and Musselman were fired and McCloskey "retired" are not. Apparently the memories from the Jimmy Rodgers Era are too painful. The team's second coach is not mentioned at all.
The history section includes several hallowed moments, including when Target Center was named, Andres Guibert became the first native Cuban to play in an NBA game, and Christian Laettner won three of the highly prestigious ESPY awards - for plays he made in college.It is time to add a new milestone. Next to the date of Nov. 7, 1995, there should be the following entry: "A Timberwolves player about to re-enter the game tells his coach that, for the good of the team, the coach should keep his replacement on the floor."
With 7 minutes to go in the Wolves' 93-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, coach Bill Blair started walking down the bench to consider the possibility of putting starting small forward Sam Mitchell back in the game to replace Kevin Garnett. "Coach, keep him in," Mitchell told Blair. "I see what he's got." The stunning thing was that Blair did not faint.
When was the last time one of his players volunteered to stay on the bench to keep a teammate on the floor? Blair hesitated. "Here?" he said. "This is probably the first time. In Indiana [with the Pacers] it happened all the time. It's part of winning. That's part of the change we're looking for here, guys who think that way." Word out of the Wolves locker room was that after the game, Doug West volunteered to come off the bench if Isaiah Rider continued to play the way he did against the Lakers notwithstanding those golden moments when Rider massages the ball forever and the rest of the offense comes to a grinding halt).
Players volunteering to come off the bench or stay on the bench for the good of the team? This indeed would be mighty refreshing stuff in Minnesota. In Mitchell's case, it also is probable that Garnett may not have given him much choice. Three games into his career, Garnett is not exactly ready for the NBA All-Star Game, but one thing already is apparent: There is nothing in his on-court demeanor or play that suggests he is in awe or overmatched on the NBA stage.
There is certainly nothing resembling the look of sheer terror that often filled the face of Donyell Marshall, last year's No. 1 pick, when he took the court. Garnett does not seem afraid to make a bad play. He plays loose. Late in the Wolves' tense game with the Lakers, Terry Porter, who will be this team's point guard in the fourth quarter, was putting powder on his hands along the sideline during a timeout. Garnett, in a light moment apparently meant to fire up his teammate, slapped the point guard on the butt several times so hard that a shocked Porter, grinning, almost fell over the scorer's table.
"He's not afraid of anything," said Blair. "When he gets beat on a play it's not like he gets destroyed. He comes right back. I don't want to pump this kid up too much but he has a chance to do some really special things. He has a lot of poise for somebody so young." The encouraging thing about Garnett's performance on Tuesday was that he proved he does not have to score points to influence the game. Garnett scored only eight points, but he also had five rebounds, three steals, two assists, a blocked shot, a goaltending call that received the loudest ovation of the night and a handoff pass over the top of Lakers guard Nick Van Exel's head that offered the most amusing moment of the night.
Wolves fans are not accustomed to seeing one of their players elevate and pancake a shot - goaltending or not - with the flair of Garnett. They also are not accustomed to having one of their players palm the ball over the head of an opposing player to hand it off to a teammate. Rarely in a 6-11 player - especially one who is growing up at a time when the highlight shows trumpet the thunderous dunk rather than the pretty pass - do you see the kind of passing instincts Garnett has displayed. This works out well for the Wolves. In the earliest stages of his career, Garnett will be better served if there are not too many scoring demands made of him.
"I love Kevin's passing," said Blair. "The thing about Kevin is he wants to fit in. He wants to work so his teammates accept him. Sometimes, he passes too much. I've been on him lately to shoot the ball more. I almost started threatening to throw the ball at him if he didn't shoot more. It's a nice problem to have." When the Wolves drafted Garnett, there was much discussion about bringing the high school kid along slowly, limiting his minutes to 18 to 22 a night, maybe less. There will be nights when this indeed should be the case, nights when he looks every bit the teenager he is, and looks nowhere nearly as effective as he looked Tuesday night.
But forget the notion that the Wolves need to protect the tender psyche of a player one year out of high school so that he is not overwhelmed and his confidence is not shattered. Garnett already looks unbreakable. Mitchell, even if it ends up being at his own expense, got it right in his selfless message to Blair: Do not hold this kid back because the book says you should. Play him. A lot.
11/9/1995
On pages 82 to 84 of the Timberwolves media guide is a section called team history. The entries are selective. The dates when Billy McKinney, Bill Musselman and Jack McCloskey were hired are included. The dates when McKinney and Musselman were fired and McCloskey "retired" are not. Apparently the memories from the Jimmy Rodgers Era are too painful. The team's second coach is not mentioned at all.
The history section includes several hallowed moments, including when Target Center was named, Andres Guibert became the first native Cuban to play in an NBA game, and Christian Laettner won three of the highly prestigious ESPY awards - for plays he made in college.It is time to add a new milestone. Next to the date of Nov. 7, 1995, there should be the following entry: "A Timberwolves player about to re-enter the game tells his coach that, for the good of the team, the coach should keep his replacement on the floor."
With 7 minutes to go in the Wolves' 93-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, coach Bill Blair started walking down the bench to consider the possibility of putting starting small forward Sam Mitchell back in the game to replace Kevin Garnett. "Coach, keep him in," Mitchell told Blair. "I see what he's got." The stunning thing was that Blair did not faint.
When was the last time one of his players volunteered to stay on the bench to keep a teammate on the floor? Blair hesitated. "Here?" he said. "This is probably the first time. In Indiana [with the Pacers] it happened all the time. It's part of winning. That's part of the change we're looking for here, guys who think that way." Word out of the Wolves locker room was that after the game, Doug West volunteered to come off the bench if Isaiah Rider continued to play the way he did against the Lakers notwithstanding those golden moments when Rider massages the ball forever and the rest of the offense comes to a grinding halt).
Players volunteering to come off the bench or stay on the bench for the good of the team? This indeed would be mighty refreshing stuff in Minnesota. In Mitchell's case, it also is probable that Garnett may not have given him much choice. Three games into his career, Garnett is not exactly ready for the NBA All-Star Game, but one thing already is apparent: There is nothing in his on-court demeanor or play that suggests he is in awe or overmatched on the NBA stage.
There is certainly nothing resembling the look of sheer terror that often filled the face of Donyell Marshall, last year's No. 1 pick, when he took the court. Garnett does not seem afraid to make a bad play. He plays loose. Late in the Wolves' tense game with the Lakers, Terry Porter, who will be this team's point guard in the fourth quarter, was putting powder on his hands along the sideline during a timeout. Garnett, in a light moment apparently meant to fire up his teammate, slapped the point guard on the butt several times so hard that a shocked Porter, grinning, almost fell over the scorer's table.
"He's not afraid of anything," said Blair. "When he gets beat on a play it's not like he gets destroyed. He comes right back. I don't want to pump this kid up too much but he has a chance to do some really special things. He has a lot of poise for somebody so young." The encouraging thing about Garnett's performance on Tuesday was that he proved he does not have to score points to influence the game. Garnett scored only eight points, but he also had five rebounds, three steals, two assists, a blocked shot, a goaltending call that received the loudest ovation of the night and a handoff pass over the top of Lakers guard Nick Van Exel's head that offered the most amusing moment of the night.
Wolves fans are not accustomed to seeing one of their players elevate and pancake a shot - goaltending or not - with the flair of Garnett. They also are not accustomed to having one of their players palm the ball over the head of an opposing player to hand it off to a teammate. Rarely in a 6-11 player - especially one who is growing up at a time when the highlight shows trumpet the thunderous dunk rather than the pretty pass - do you see the kind of passing instincts Garnett has displayed. This works out well for the Wolves. In the earliest stages of his career, Garnett will be better served if there are not too many scoring demands made of him.
"I love Kevin's passing," said Blair. "The thing about Kevin is he wants to fit in. He wants to work so his teammates accept him. Sometimes, he passes too much. I've been on him lately to shoot the ball more. I almost started threatening to throw the ball at him if he didn't shoot more. It's a nice problem to have." When the Wolves drafted Garnett, there was much discussion about bringing the high school kid along slowly, limiting his minutes to 18 to 22 a night, maybe less. There will be nights when this indeed should be the case, nights when he looks every bit the teenager he is, and looks nowhere nearly as effective as he looked Tuesday night.
But forget the notion that the Wolves need to protect the tender psyche of a player one year out of high school so that he is not overwhelmed and his confidence is not shattered. Garnett already looks unbreakable. Mitchell, even if it ends up being at his own expense, got it right in his selfless message to Blair: Do not hold this kid back because the book says you should. Play him. A lot.
First of all, they are a good team. Boston is a great team. They took us out of a lot of our sets that we have been working on in practice. They made us get into a lot of hot situations, meaning late clock and a lot of one-on-one basketball. They are a really good defensive team.
--LeBron
It's really hard to dislike the King. In a fight between his mom and Paul Pierce during a heated playoff series, James sides with Paul Pierce. Last night he bowls over Pierce on the way to the hoop as the game is inching closer in the fourth quarter, and you can see James mouthing the words "good call" after the refs ticket him for a charge. Not even vaguely reminiscent of that one guy from the other coast.
I’m telling you, man, I don’t have any hesitations when it comes to playing. Healthwise, I’m very decent and I’m very strong. It’s a process. It’s not a sprint. I’m a lot better at being patient with all this. Sometimes I’m thinking you all are expecting I’m dead or something. I’m far from dead. Believe that.
The Ticket
I was just thinking the same thing last Spring. It took me 35-years of being a Celtics' fan. But you've got to learn to be patient. 82 games is MF'n long time.
The principals on both sides understand that this was only the beginning of a very long journey. By the next time they meet, in 121 days, we will have gone through Thanksgiving, Christmas, Elvis’s Birthday, the Super Bowl, and the Washington’s Birthday automobile sales. The Cavs will be a little more familiar with themselves by then.
--LINK
I'm still pissed at Baby. But if you count out 8 weeks, that gets him back in time for both Lakers' games and the rest of the games against the Cavs. I'll be curious to see who gets more PT between now and 1/1/10, Shelden Williams or Brian Scalabrine.
Kevin Garnett, replaced by Williams with 2:08 left in period one, sat for the next 9:37. When he returned the team was up by 3 (41-38), having outscored the Cavs by a 24-10 margin “The second unit saved the game for us and the first unit won it,’’ Doc Rivers later said.
--Bob Ryan
Baby Broke his Hand in a Fight, but It's KG who Can Take a Punch
On a night when Boston Celtics' reserve forward Glen Davis was recovering from surgery to a thumb he broke during a fight on Sunday, it was Kevin Garnett who proved he could take a punch against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I lost track of how many times he was knocked to the floor during last night's contest at the Q. Two? Three? Four? Maybe more. But each time, he got up, dusted himself off and continued on with the action. I expect this sort of thing to continue.
Back when Kobe was having problems with one of his fingers, a reporter asked Doc about it. "I wouldn't want to be Kobe," was Doc's response. "Why?" The reporter asked. "Because players will start going after it when they defend him." KG's knee is gonna get similarly tested.
Back when Kobe was having problems with one of his fingers, a reporter asked Doc about it. "I wouldn't want to be Kobe," was Doc's response. "Why?" The reporter asked. "Because players will start going after it when they defend him." KG's knee is gonna get similarly tested.
Jo Jo White: C's May Go 78-4
I've now watched this video twice (scroll down after the link), mostly because at the 3:27 marker Heidi Watney asks Jo Jo White to make a win prediction. "They might lose 4 games . . . all year," White responds. I'm sticking with a 59-win prediction, but 68-14 would be nice, tying the franchise record set in 1972-73.
The Bench +34, the Starters -4
![[bench.bmp]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_j0pK3fr7dtc/Sugvxp_aDVI/AAAAAAAAC9o/C3dfcW5yqrg/s1600/bench.bmp)
Yesterday I asked whether the Boston Celtics' bench might outperform the starters on occasion this year, and last night we started to get our answer. The Celtics bench was a +34 for the game, while the starters were a -4. The bench committed only 3 turnovers, while the starters committed 11, which the Cavaliers translated into 16 points.
Of course, the bench played fewer minutes than the starters, and were matched up against the Cavaliers' bench. But the scenario I described otherwise played out. The Celtics' first team started slow, falling behind quickly and by a lot. Danny Ainge compared this team to the mid-80s Celtics last year, and it is even more true this year. What he meant was that the starters aren't going to get too worked up in the first quarter, even if they fall behind by a bunch. Instead, they'll just keep playing their game until they've worn you down and retaken the lead.
The bench, by contrast, enters the game on a mission. They're coming in to outplay the opponent, make their mark, and prove their mettle. This was totally lacking last year, and will make a huge difference this year. Paul Pierce acknowledged after the game that the bench got them back in the contest.
Oh yeah. One more thing. Shelden Williams didn't hurt us too much or otherwise get in the way.
Sheed's First Night In Green Much Better than Walton's
10 Points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 Steal, 0 turnovers. Not a bad first outing for Sheed, much better than the one we got from Bill Walton, who called his first game in green "a total disgrace to the game of basketball." With seven turnovers in a short stint, I think I'd have to agree with the Mountain Man.
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