One of the few NBA games I was able to watch over winter break was the game in which the Lakers snapped the Celtics 19 game winning streak on Christmas day. (It was actually quite a Christmas day doubleheader for ESPN; San Antonio beat Phoenix with a three at the buzzer yet again in game one) Anyway, the Celtic-Laker game was by no means a blowout; in fact, both teams looked pretty good. To me it seemed like a heavyweight battle between arguably the two best teams in the NBA and the Lakers simply outplayed Boston in front of a stadium full of fans who wanted nothing for Christmas except a little revenge on Beantown.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I lost no respect for the Celtics after the loss; I mean, losing to the defending Western Conference champion by 9 on their home court is nothing to hang your head about. Even if you are the defending champ.
After the game, I thought about doing a post asking about when the next loss would be. I'm sure I would have been in the majority when I said like 8-10 games from then. Boy am I glad I didn't follow through with that post because I would have looked like a complete idiot. (Boston lost to Golden State the following night, 99-89)
Since the Laker game, the Celtics have only beaten two teams; Sacramento and Washington (which doesn't take much these days) And while they have lost to a couple of quality teams like the Rockets and the Cavs just last night, they have a couple horrific losses in that stretch as well in the Knicks and Bobcats (Ew).
Point is, the champs are struggling right now and there are a lot of 'explanations' out there, but no one can really figure out what is going wrong?
Some say the Big Three (or as Scott Van Pelt would say, "The Boston Three Party") are getting old, so they're burnt out right now. I say nay to that argument; I mean, these guys are pros, they've been doing this forever. They know how to take care of their bodies, and all three of them are notorious iron men. If anything, it's the young guys who are used to playing 35 games a year rather than 82+ that would be getting burnt out in my opinion. Pierce, Allen, and Garnett have 10+ years of experience each so I figure by now, they know how to get through an NBA season.
In my humble opinion, Rajon Rondo is the kiss of death for the Celtics; when he plays well, they hit on all cylinders; they have essentially a big four when he's on. But when he's off, he's simply a liability. He turns the ball over a lot, and is not a scorer by any stretch of the imagination. In the eight games since the loss to L.A, Rondo has scored less than five points in four of them; and he averaged over 30 minutes in those contests. Now, point guards don't have to do a lot of scoring, especially on a team like the Celtics but being that feeble a shooter allows defenses to leave him alone and simply key on the Big Three. That's why guys like Jason Kidd and Steve Nash are so great; they're always looking to distribute but if teams play off of them, they'll hit the open three until the opponent puts someone on them. Rondo just hasn't been able to do that; he has no jump shot, and he's shooting 64% from the free throw line which isn't very good for a guy his size.
To me, it's Rondo's struggles that have put a damper on the Celtics. Sure, KG and Pierce have been off their games too but who wouldn't struggle when you have two guys on you because your point guard can't hit an open jumper. I never thought I'd say this but Stephon Marbury wouldn't be a bad pickup; if he feels like playing that is.
Commenters of the Lasso sports blog, why has Boston gone from 20something-2 to losing six of eight games? Is it the Big Three getting old? Rondo? They're depressed because the Patriots didn't make the playoffs? Enlighten me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
While I am inclined to hate on Boston in general, I feel that the solution to its recent slide lies in the supporting cast, excluding Rondo. In the past four games, all losses, Rondo has done his job as a point guard, which is distributing the ball to the big three. In their most recent loss, Rondo had 13 assists, but that was completely offset by LeBron James' 38 points. Okay. So what? That's why he's the King.
ReplyDeleteThe problem, at least partially, lies in the Celtics' bench and supporting cast, namely post players opposite KG. Yes, I'm looking at you starting center Kendrick Perkins. Against Cleveland, Perkins had 1 rebound. One. The camera man haplessly lying out of bounds caught more loose balls than he did. In a Jan. 7 loss to Houston, Perkins was scoreless and did an even worse job on the defensive end, ceding 26 points to Yao. Even when he put up 10 rebounds against the Bobcats, Emeka Okafor had 17. Against the Knicks--mind you, the Celtics are losing to the Knicks for christ sake--Perkins had eight points and three rebounds, while his counterpart, David Lee, had 14 and 14.
Let's keep in mind, though, that these are the defending champions with a veteran core as strong as any in the league. They have proven leaders and will turn it around. Also, it's not as though they've suddenly fallen to .500. They're 29-9 in the lesser of two conferences which really has only three contenders in it (Boston, Orlando, and Cleveland). Sure, it's time to hit the panic button, but in no way is Boston even close to out of it. They'll turn it around, they have the weapons and the experience to do so on a dime.
Great point on Perkins, there's no question that he and Big Baby have been about as productive as Stephon Marbury has been for the Knicks. You're also 100% right about the supporting cast. Guys like Eddie House and Tony Allen who were awesome last year, especially down the stretch have gone AWOL. Though I still disagree about Rondo. Granted, the assists are still there some nights, he spoils a lot of scoring oppurtunities by either missing, or passing up open shots. He's a good inside scorer though, I think Boston plays their best ball when he's able to drive and dish; I just think teams are starting to realize he realllly can't shoot, and that is really hurting their offense.
ReplyDeleteI also like your point about how the celtics are still the class of the East. They'll find their swagger again, and probably be a top 3 seed for the playoffs, but it's streaks like these that show the holes on teams; and it turns out Boston has some gaping ones.
I think it's far too early for anyone in the Celtic organization to hit the panic button. Yes, they have lost 7 of their past 9 but they are still the defending champions that have consistently shown they can play like last year's squad against any team.
ReplyDeleteStarting with the Lakers on christmas day, Boston went on a four game west coast trip in which they played four games in a five day span, including two against playoff caliber teams (LA, Portland) and one against a underrated Golden State team, especially when playing in Golden State. All three of these resulted in losses. After this they returned East with a home match up against Washington who is no where near a playoff caliber team, yet has made the playoffs the previous four seasons and starts two all star forwards in the likes of Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Like many other teams have this season, the Celtics dismantled the injury depleted Wizards. However after this they had three more road games including one at the Eastern Conference leading Cavaliers and a home match up against a very good Houston Rockets team. I want to make it clear that I'm not blaming Boston's schedule for this recent slide yet it is no easy feat for any NBA organization to play four straight road games across the country, lose all the momentum you have built prior to that point, and return home and find that it's still not there.
Shouldn't "great" teams be able to forget the past and pick up the momentum where they left off? Maybe Boston's not as good of a team as people tagged them to be at the beginning of the year. Maybe they still haven't found their true role like James Posey played for them before he signed with New Orleans in the off season. Maybe the city is in a slump because the beloved Sox have watched their arch rival Yankees sign up to 423.5 million dollars in free agent acquisitions or it's because the Pats are going home early for the first time in god knows how many years. Whatever it is, look for the Celtics to bounce back from this slump and show people that they deserved to be NBA Champions and re-stake their claim as the Eastern Conferences best team.
Those are some good points, playing 4 games on the west coast isn't easy for any east coast team and you're right, I do think the Celtics will bounce back, but not to the point where they'll be going on 19 game winning streaks. I think As of now, Cleveland is the best team in the East by far. Orlando and Boston are the two most legitimate competitors but I think the Celtics recent skid shows a lot about their team.
ReplyDeletePlease, nobody cares about the NBA. Did anybody watch the Hoya game on Saturday, or were you all to busy preparing to watch the Wizards lose again on Saturday night? I hate the NBA, there is nothing worse then watching a bunch of selfish, pampered babies play no defense and not pass. I'm not suggesting that the NBA should become fundamental, because if you wanted that then you should watch Women's College Basketball or the WNBA. In College Basketball there is passion. Every team is playing for a seed in the Dance. Upsets are what make sports great, but since when is the whole world shocked by the Thunder beating the Spurs? The whole world, on the other hand, is shocked when George Mason beats Michigan State, UNC, Wichita State, and UCONN to get to the Final Four. So please, if you're going to write about basketball, make it real basketball, one with emotion, passion, real fans, hustle, and defense.
ReplyDeleteThank You and Good Night.
Ok, you can hate the NBA but those are not very good reasons. Sure they're selfish and pampered, but aren't a lot of professional athletes that way? And don't tell me there isn't passion in the NBA. Those guys play 48 minutes of basketball every other day for darn near 12 months a year; you can't be apathetic about something and do that. And no defense? Let me know when you figure out a way to stop LeBron James from scoring; these guys can hit shots from anywhere on the court, of course games are going to be high scoring. Not to mention the 24 second shot clock as opposed to 35 in college. And how about that Texas Tech game earlier this year when they scored 167 points in regulation alone? Yeah, lot of defense played in that one.
ReplyDeleteAnd the part about every team playing for a seed in the Dance? The only teams that get any national attention are the ones that end up getting top 5 seeds in the tournament anyway! The regular season is essentially just to see if UNC gets to play UTEP or Xavier in the first round. And to see if Duke gets to beat up on some crappy team like Oral Roberts in the first round.
College basketball has one of the best postseason's in all of sports, but the regular season is pretty much worthless. Give me a regular season NBA game any day of the week over a regular season NCAA game that will mean nothing in the long run.
Anybody see Eddie House's line tonight? 28 points on 8-9 from behind the arc. And he played less than 20 minutes! Not sure where that came from, but I think the Celtics are out to get some revenge on those west coast teams.
ReplyDelete