Celtics Show (Yet Again) Defense Wins Ballgames

Back-to-back games can be a killer, especially when it's the first one of the season and the Big 3 haven't yet played 2 games in a row. And more especially when you've got KG who's still working on getting his stamina back. Well last night's game was a big "eff you" to that notion.

Sure, we were playing the Charlotte Bobcats who mysteriously traded Emeka Okafor for a struggling (and I mean struggling) Tyson Chandler. Still, when you hold a team to a franchise-low in points and also a record for fewest points allowed in a season opening game (for the Bobcats), that's something that certainly holds some weight as to how good the team is. After playing a tough buzzer-to-buzzer, heavyweight battle against Cleveland the night before (and not landing in Boston until 2 am), I'm sure I wasn't alone in my fears that this game certainly had the possibility of being a trap game. Those fears quickly went away as we ran out to and early 8-0 lead and didn't look back.

KG and Perk combine to give Boston the best defensive team in the NBA

Garnett put in another very solid performance on his return to Boston, once again showing no ill effects from the knee surgery that everyone and his mother has been worried about. 10 points on 5-9 shooting and 7 boards in 25 minutes. Definitely respectable. Not dominant, but we don't need dominant from really anybody because of the scoring distribution and defense our team has. We had 5 players score in double figures: KG, Ray Allen (18), Pierce (15), Rondo (10), and Shelden Williams (12). Speaking of Williams, I know the guy played basically garbage minutes, but he was pretty damn good. He was scrappy and continued to attack the paint and draw fouls well into the fourth quarter. Not to jinx anything, but he reminds me a little bit of Leon Powe. We'll see how the season goes with him, so we'll be able to get a better sample size. But so far so good.

KG was his usual aggressive self, showing no signs of hesitancy with his knee

Oh, hey. You gotta love Perk, don't you? He's improved so much over these 6 (?) years. The guy is BIG. Not necessarily tall, but freakin' muscular and defensively-minded. I've noticed that he falls for upfakes less and less. How could you not love that play were Raymond Felton drove into the lane and Perk rejected him ("Get that shit outta here!). Felton got the rejection on the baseline and Perk was left to guard him. Felton used his speed advantage to get past him and tried for another layup. Perk (from behind!) swatted another one away. He and Tyson Chandler (really, why did the Bobcats get this guy?) were chippy throughout the game. Perk let his defense speak for itself. Chandler tried a turn around fadeaway at the free throw line, which Perk calmly blocked back in his face. Chandler ended up getting a technical foul for yapping at Perk back up the court. Needless to say, Perk got one also, but only to show Chandler that he was in his territory. Way to be. Those t's are fine with me.

Rondo was busy as hell, too. He scored efficiently (5-6 shooting for 10 points), passed to everyone and everything (11 assists), and used his ginormous hands to make 3 steals. Here's a crazy stat: in the third quarter, Rondo had twice as many assists as the entire Bobcats team. In the THIRD QUARTER. Insane.

KG goes through his ritual pre-game routine in his first game back in Boston

Ray Allen showed some early struggles shooting from the field, but he continued to shoot the ball, and his teammates trusted him enough to keep feeding him. He ended up as the game's high scorer with 18 points (6-17 shooting, but 4-10 from deep). The best thing about tonight's game was that Doc was able to rest all of his starters (although Ray played 38 minutes). KG only played 25, Pierce played 24, Rondo played 29, and Perk played 27. This type of play bodes well in the long run, as it saves our legs for down the road.

The Celtics' solid play allowed the Big 3 to rest for the entire 4th quarter...

One point of contention, not directed at the Celtics play, but at the refs. This happened on more than one occasion, so it's totally worth mentioning and something that should get fixed (I'm talking to you, Mr. Stern). Pierce was often guarding the out-of-control Gerald Wallace and at least 2 times drove his shoulder into Pierce in an attempt to get around him and to the hoop. Both times Pierce guessed correctly which way Wallace would drive, causing him to slam directly into his chest. Each time the ref called a blocking foul. First of all, I don't care what position the defender is in, the offensive player cannot put his head down and drive his shoulder into him. Automatic offensive foul. Second, if the guy runs square into the chest of his defender, who is standing straight up and down, that's a charge. Automatic. Plain and simple. I understand that charges/blocking fouls are among the hardest calls in the game, but in those cases, they are easy.

...while the bench players continued to dominate

In all, it was another great display of defensive prowess and sharing the scoring load (see: 20-0 run to start the 2nd half). As Doc and the players have said so many times, the offense will always be there; the focus has to be on the defense. That's the equation for success and, so far this young season, it's worked to a "t".

Pierce, Bench Secure Opening Game Win for Celtics

Why hello there everyone! It's been a while since we've had a proper Celtics game recap on here. I might be a little rusty, but let's get right into it.

This was a big win. Not only because it was the first game of the NBA season, but because of the quality of play we had going and the team we played against. Aside from the stagnant first quarter, the Celtics got contributions for essentially everyone at the perfect times during the game. The bench carried our offense (and defense) throughout the second quarter, trimming an early 14-point deficit to single digits before halftime. Paul Pierce, quiet throughout most of the game, showed why he's the captain, putting the game out of reach with two daggers at the end of the 4th (as well as a few clutch free throws). Garnett twisted, turned, pivoted, and shot like his old self, including an insanely difficult turnaround-fadeaway bank shot in Shaq's grill. Was the game perfect? Of course not. For a quarter and a half, I sat in silence on the couch pissed off that our offense was nowhere to be found. We made bone-headed plays--ya know, stuff that junior varsity teams often make, which I'll get into shortly.

Hmm, wonder who won this matchup...

Actually, let's start with that bad stuff. Let me start by saying that I love Rondo. Like, I think he'll become one of the top 3 PGs in the league at the rate he's improving. That being said, he can be really dumb--or maybe a more kind word is overexcited. For instance, instead of trying to DUNK the ball on LEBRON JAMES, how about you lay it up off the glass? LeBron blocks it and it's goaltending. You miss, Pierce is right behind to clean up the miss. Instead, Rondo sometimes feels like it's necessary for him to make a humongous play against a more athletic, taller opponent. Sure, if he does dunk on him, it's a momentum changer, but in that specific situation, don't try that again, please. Also, can we communicate in those situations?? When Ray Allen went in for the layup on the fastbreak, I don't think anyone shouted out to him, "Ray. Heads up. LeBron is right behind you." If someone had done that, Ray's wily enough to avoid an embarrassing block, but unfortunately it didn't happen. Another thing that irked me, from both Rondo and the rest of the team, is this whole passing in traffic/jumping in the air and passing thing. Let's hope we got that out of our system. On more than one occasion, we had someone drive, jump in the air with no real plan, and then try to pass it off. This almost never works. If Cous had been calling that game, he would've said the one fundamental thing a point guard should never do is jump and try to pass. Another "never do that!" play is trying to force a pass in traffic or cross-court. Unless the guy is completely open (as Ray Allen was a couple times when they executed the pass well), don't do it. The chances of it getting picked off go up by a lot. And what's the purpose of trying to pass the ball into Shelden Freakin' Williams as the paint is loaded with the likes of Shaq and Big Z, among various other players from both teams? Probably the worst thing you could do in that situation. I don't dislike Williams, he did a relatively decent job (and will have to) in the absence of Glen Davis (PS-Like Wyc Grousbeck, I too will refuse to call him "Big Baby"--the guy clearly needs to grow up. The whole off-court-altercation-leads-to-injury thing ONLY happens on other teams. I don't care if your buddy pushed you or whatever started it. Why in HELL would you jeopardize your reputation and your team's success? Congrats, dumbass. You're now out for at least 6 weeks with a broken finger and maybe longer depending on disciplinary action. Okay, end of rant.) Williams, as I said, was respectable (4 pts, 3 rebs in 13 minutes). He scrapped down in the paint and drew fouls, which is all you can ask for from a guy who's not even an offensive option on any given play.

The thing I was most pleased in seeing was not just the points, etc. from the bench last night, but every single player off the bench had a little "+" next to his name in the box score. The plus/minus thing means how many total points the team got while a certain player was on the court. It's a real good indication of his impact. Cleveland, on the other hand: all minuses. Seriously, their bench is just not good. Even with Delonte West back in action in the near future, they won't be very effective at all. I LOVE our bench. Marquis Daniels is a terrific player and has great ball-handling skills. What a great pickup. Not only can he play 3 positions, but the fact that he can act as point guard opens up Eddie House to be the shooting guard that he naturally is. We didn't have that last season. Daniels is also a great defender, allowing the likes of Pierce and Allen to "rest" defensively while he guards other teams' best players, like James. He doesn't have much of a long jumpshot that I know of (except that baseline 3 he hit was nice, so he does have the range), he's more of a slasher, with deceptive quickness. He had a quiet 7 points in 18 minutes, but was a +11 while on the court. Sheed looked great as well. His ability to spread the floor is something we've missed since who knows when. I just love when Doc put the lineup of Sheed, KG, Pierce, Ray, and Rondo on the floor, forcing Shaq/Z out of the paint to guard them. No one can defend us in that situation, it's as simple as that. Perk is still a very important part though. Although he got burned 3 times in the first quarter by Shaq (he did play great D--Shaq was just able to hit those baby hook shots), Perk continued to grind it out down low, forcing Shaq as far out of the paint as possible. When he did that, Shaq was ineffective. Honestly, I think Cleveland is in trouble. Shaq was dominant in the first quarter. I was afraid it was gonna be another one of "those games" where we just can't stop the opposing team's big guy. But he showed his age. He undoubtedly got tired and played absolutely zero role the rest of the game. They have no bench and LeBron is one-of-a-kind, but as we've seen, he can't carry the team the whole way. The "help" that has supposedly arrived this season just won't cut it from my point of view. Of course, it's only been one game and only time will tell, so let's wait and find out...

KG and Perk show off some of the famed Celtics D as Varejao looks like an idiot.

I refuse to talk about KG's knee. Bill Simmons thinks it's something everyone should be worried about, given the ambiguity with which the issue was dealt when discussed with the media. He says whenever anyone of KG's age has knee surgery, his career goes down the tubes. Although I think Bill Simmons is some sort of god, I just have to disagree. Look, the guy knows his stuff, but after watching every preseason game and now this first game, the guy is already in mid-season form (not stamina-wise, of course). He was able to get up for an alley-oop pass, which would've been slammed home had it not been for the position he was in (back turned to the basket). I think the kicker was when Shaq threw him down to the ground and KG just got up and pounded his chest as if to say, "Yep, I'm my old self still," then calmly knocking down 2 free throws. I honestly see no problems stemming directly from the knee that will affect his game this season.

It was none other than The Truth that sealed the W for the C's.

And what can I say about Pierce that hasn't been said before? The guy's like a snake. He plays very quietly, though efficiently, for 3 and a half quarters and when the game is on the line, he completely ices it with two jumpers and free throws down the stretch. I loved the play when KG came out to set a high screen on James. Pierce split the defense, crossing Shaq over no problem, then pulling up at the top of the key and hitting a jumper over Anthony Parker: swish. Next possession, the switch this time and now Clownhead Varejao is on Pierce. A little step back jumper from the right side: swish. Game out of reach. That's why he's the captain.

LeBron James can do just about everything, but it's not enough if the Cavs want to make a championship run.

All in all, this game was great. If you look at the box score, the scoring was incredibly well-distributed among both starters and bench players. Not so with the Cavs, which should be a giant red flag for them and their fans. LeBron carried the scoring (and assist...and block...and steal) load for them. The "help" that they so desperately needed last season and which supposedly arrived this season simply did not cut it. The Celtics made them look like a second-tier team (they aren't--they'll make the playoffs, but they're not as good as everyone thinks, in my opinion).

Celtics vs. Bobcats tonight at 7:30.

In Case You Missed It...

Here's the complete U2 concert from Rose Bowl Stadium in case you missed out. Some really great performances, especially the best live song ever, "Where the Streets Have No Name" with a nice snippet of "Amazing Grace" leading into it (1:48:12). Hearing 95,000+ people sing that song is something that can't be described. Check it out.

U2 to Stream Record-Setting Concert Live from Rose Bowl Stadium

If that doesn't get you amped up, go away.

That Was Wayyyy Too Many Tick-Tocks

"Isn't it a little late for you to be up?" Hahaha, epic BURNNNNN!