Monday Moaning

Memo to the rest of the NBA: when the game is winding down and that guy who wears number 8 for the Spurs, I think his name is Roger Mason, has the ball, you may want to put a hand in his face.  Otherwise, he may do something like this.  Or maybe something along the lines of this, or this.  You've been warned.  Also, we'll be putting new cover sheets on out TPS reports from now on.  

Um, yeah.............

Did ya get that memo, Celtics?

I guess not.  First off, that was a great shot, and every time I watch San Antonio this year, all I can think about is how good Roger Mason would look in Celtic green.  He stretches the defense, can handle the ball, is efficient on the floor, understands his role and clearly, he can hit big shots.  And while it may not look as flashy as some shots you'll see in the NBA, pulling up for a jumper off the dribble after navigating your way around a screen and between two defenders is incredibly difficult to do, so kudos to Mason for coming through again and giving the Spurs a big road win.

But that shot didn't win the game for the Spurs, nor did the Celtics lose the game because their defense was not tight enough (the play was covered reasonably well and the other Celtics had to stay home on their men, seeing as the Spurs are one of the best passing teams in the league).  I'm not of the opinion that any one possession lost the game, although Ray Allen's cosmic brain fart on the ensuing inbounds play is making me challenge that statement even as I write it.  That was an awful exchange, to be sure, and the clear path foul, free-throws, possession and more free-throws that resulted from Allen's epic fail did solidify a seven point swing towards the Spurs in just under two seconds.  But even so, the Celtics could have easily won that game.

So what went wrong?  Aside from not playing defense in the first half and failing miserably to exploit some of the mismatches that the Celtics had (Matt Bonner guarding KG?!?  Really?), I can't help but feel like the game was lost at the start of the fourth quarter, when the Celtics bench was on the floor.  With a second unit of Leon Powe, Glen Davis, Eddie House, Tony Allen and Paul Pierce on the floor, all of Boston's momentum that was accrued in a stellar third quarter that saw Boston outscore San Antonio 24-14 evaporated into thin air.

After working so hard to regain the lead after three quarters, the Celtics reserves struggled to find offense and keep the Spurs from scoring on defense, surrendering a 76-74 lead and falling into a five point hole.  The bench play was so bad that Doc Rivers was compelled to go back to his starters early in the quarter just to stop the bleeding.  Not that the first unit looked excessively tired at the end of the game, but the fact that the bench players can't be trusted to do their fair share is Troubling (notice the capital "T").  

Although the Celtics' bench isn't short on hustle, effort or enthusiasm, they've struggled all year long to create offense and match up with some of the better second units in the NBA (think Portland and the Lakers).  Eddie House is instant offense, sure, but he's really the only one who needs to be paid attention to, and he suffers for it much of the time.  Yesterday's Spurs game was a great example, during which Eddie only attempted two shots (never mind that he made both)!!!!!!!!  For a guy whose sole purpose on the team is to shoot and score, this is baffling, like worse than trying to figure out the plot of Eye of the Tiger.  Why did this happen?

House was never open because San Antonio simply didn't have to worry about anyone else on the floor from the Celtics' second unit beating them.  Sure, Paul Pierce was out there too, but he was swarmed and pestered by defenders as well (even so he did actually keep the game relatively close).  With Tony Allen, Big Baby and Leon Powe on the floor, there simply aren't enough offensive threats to make a halfway decent NBA defense sweat over the Boston Celtics.  

All three of those guys (TA, Baby and Powe) are energy/hustle players, meaning they generally impact the game on offense by hitting the offensive glass, setting screens, getting easy baskets in transition and occasionally scoring as a fourth or fifth option for the team.  Plays don't get run for them, and they don't threaten a defense outside of the ways I just outlined.  None of these guys are shooters or scorers, none of them can really handle the ball very well, nor are they great play-makers, so while they aren't liabilities on offense per se, they are by no means hard to defend or game-plan against.  

Don't get me wrong, each one of these guys, and effort/hustle role players in general, are vital cogs in any elite basketball team, and without them the stars couldn't shine as brightly as they do.  Often times these players are making the biggest sacrifices for the betterment of their team with the smallest reward, and it does seem somewhat wrong to be overly critical of the guys who don't get the same opportunity and have to make the most of what they have, but the simple truth is that there's only space for one or maybe two of these guys in a successful rotation.  Having too many limited offensive threats can and will make your offense stagnate and fall apart like so many celebrity marriages.  Just as the stars need the role players to do the little things, the role players can only flourish when there are stars around to attract attention and make the game easier for them (think Anderson Varejao).

Right now, the Celtics are suffering because of this.  Last year, with James Posey in the mix along with House and usually Ray Allen or Paul Pierce, the Celtics' second unit was much more threatening.  Not only did Posey bring defensive intensity and versatility to the Celtics, but his ability to hit outside shots stabilized the Celtics' second unit and forced defenses to stretch out and open up lanes for the other players on the court.  With three scorers out there, it becomes harder to camp out in the paint and box out the likes of Davis and Powe or keep track of them on dribble penetration, which was possible because of the optimal floor spacing provided by Posey.  This year, with three guys who can't shoot out there, everything has become that much harder and more taxing for the Celtics, who have been showing signs of fatigue this year much more so than last year (that 2-7 slide in December just happened to coincide with a lot of games in a short amount of time taking place on both coasts).  If I were a robot with silly clamps for hands, I'd be flailing my arms around and screaming "Danger, Will Robinson!!!  Danger!"

What are the Celtics to do?  Let me first say that the Celtics wouldn't be in this pickle had Antonio McDyess read that letter I wrote him earlier this season, but we can't change the past so I won't go there (but I bet you wish you'd listened, don't you think so?  How's life on the crappy Pistons treating you, Tony?).  The Celtics either need a point guard to take the load off of Eddie House and create for others on the second unit (the more Wild Turkey I drink, the more I like the idea of Stephon Marbury, I'm just sayin'), or find a long big man to help defend the lanky dudes like Pau Gasol and occasionally hit a big shot every now and then (please, PJ, come back!  I beg you!).  The tricky part for Boston is their lack of trade chips either in the form of young talent or expiring contracts, which limits the team's options to free agency pick ups.  The bad news, is that there isn't really anyone out there that is terribly enticing as of yet.  A move is needed, but unfortunately, I have no idea what the move is.  All I know is that if the Celtics keep losing close, winnable games, their future will be as bleak as the job market is.  Yikes.