Not So Fast...

I don't know how many of you read my short post from yesterday (don't be lazy, just scroll down!), but I may have gotten ahead of myself in my attitude towards the game.  In all honesty, I expected Cleveland to win in Boston last night.  Perhaps I underestimated the importance of Ben Wallace to the Cavs, but I thought that Cleveland had a significant advantage over Boston because of the injury to Kevin Garnett.  Add to that the way Cleveland had been playing all season (significantly better than the team that took last year's championship Celtics team to the brink of the seventh game last year) and the Celtics' uncharacteristic inconsistency for stretches of this season, and it looked to me like it was a game that Cleveland needed to win and would.  

In retrospect, I was probably hedging my bets like any true Red Sox/Cubs/Cleveland/Jazz/Mariners/etc. fan would (old habits die hard) so I could avoid the disappointment of the inevitable loss and let down, but that only partially accounts for my bad pick yesterday afternoon.  The truth is that while I knew both teams were very, very close and that the game likely would be as well, I leaned towards Cleveland because it's infinitely more pleasant for me to eat my own words when the Celtics win (I'm totally torpedoing myself here).  I'd also like to excuse myself on account of the fact that the majority of the media out there thought LeBron and the Cavs would win, but then I'd probably have to commit seppuku on the spot.  I'm a bit disappointed in myself for falling into such an easy trap and not realizing that the Celtics would protect their house and rise to the occasion, but I've learned my lesson and will sprint to the bench the next time my sub comes in... or something like that.

But enough apologizing for myself, let's talk about the game!  First of all, the defense against LeBron James and therefore the Cavaliers as a whole was spectacular from start to finish.  The Celtics were physical, aggressive and energetic for the first time in a week, hounding LeBron wherever he went.  Rotations were crisp, help always seemed to be on time, and aside from some extremely hot shooting by Mo Williams (I still have a sinking feeling that this guy will KILL the Celtics at least once in the playoffs), the Celtics did a great job of disrupting Cleveland's offense.  The Cavs did shoot a respectable 45% from the field and 50% from behind the three-point line, but any time you force LeBron freaking James into 5-15 shooting and almost as many turnovers (4) as assists (5) or rebounds (6), then you deserve some recognition.

The defense last night was good, but the offense was what carried the Celtics to victory.  Against a defense that rivals the Celtics in most categories, the Celtics shot 54% from the field and compiled 31 assists on 45 field goals.  Most impressively, the Celtics took great care of the basketball last night, coughing the ball up only eight times for a paltry nine points for the Cavaliers.  While Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo deserve the bulk of the credit for taking care of the ball and running the Celtics' offense (19 assists and only three turnovers combined), Stephon Marbury deserves a nod of approval for his role in shoring up the Celtics' biggest weakness this year.  Although he's still knocking off the rust from his year-long hiatus, Marbury did a great job during his time on the floor, dishing out three assists in 16 minutes while only turning the ball over once.  While those aren't eye popping stats to say the least (especially when you throw in the 1-5 shooting to go with it), Marbury played well within the offensive system and has already improved the ball movement of the Celtics' second unit.  A lot of what I saw Marbury do didn't appear in the box score after the game, however one noticeable area of improvement did show up in the form of a "0" in Eddie House's line under turnovers.  I'm trying not to get excited too soon, but I can't help but feel like Marbury could be (strangely enough) just what the doctor ordered for the Boston Celtics this year.  

Oh yeah, and then there was Leon Powe.  Once again making his case for the put-me-in-coach award this year, Powe came up huge last night off of the bench, exploding for 20 points on 9-11 shooting, 11 rebounds and one huge block on Mo Williams down the stretch.  The undersized power forward from Cal punished the Cavaliers for relentlessly trapping Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and the other perimeter players for the Celtics, finishing strong around the hoop time after time and always appearing in the best spot for his teammates to find him.  In perhaps his best game since last June's NBA Finals where Powe exploded in similar fashion, Leon proved to be invaluable last night and contributed as much as anyone did to Boston's victory.

To say that Leon Powe made the most of his opportunities would be an epic understatement.  After Glen Davis was ejected for a flagrant foul on Anderson Varejao in the second quarter (which, by the way, was a hard foul but not worth an ejection.  At least it shouldn't be if Zydrunas Ilgauskas is allowed to keep playing after he instigated a scuffle after the play by bumping Davis into the crowd of photographers underneath the hoop).  This made the Celtics razor thin at power forward, as Boston was already playing without Kevin Garnett and Brian Scalabrine (I'll let you guys debate who of those two is more important to the team, har har).  But Powe stepped up in a big way, playing his heart out for 26 minutes (his season average is 16 per game, by the way).  Though Leon surely wouldn't have been as productive without his teammates creating opportunities for him, Powe deserves more adulation and respect than he'll get for doing his job flawlessly and helping his team to victory (on a related note, why the hell doesn't he start when KG is out or get more minutes off the bench all the time?).

I said yesterday afternoon that this game would have atmosphere and intensity, but ultimately would be only one of 82, mattering as much as a Tuesday night game against the Grizzlies.  Although I said that before the Celtics won, I'm still sticking to that sentiment despite the rest of the sports media hyping this game as a huge statement win for the Boston Celtics.  I know, I know, everything counts in a playoff race this tight, but getting too high or too low on any one game is a recipe for let-downs and stumbles down the stretch of this season.  Sure, the Celtics have put the onus back on the Cavaliers to play harder down the stretch and to defend their home court when these two teams meet again on a Sunday afternoon five weeks from now, but realistically, Cleveland was already going to do that.  Now they just have that much more motivation to focus and maintain their intensity throughout the rest of their regular season games.  Is this what the Celtics really want?

Don't get me wrong, it was great to see Boston come out with some serious championship swag and put Cleveland in their place on national TV, but winning this game doesn't mean that the Celtics will beat the Cavaliers in May.  There's still a long way to go between now and then, and Boston will have to work just as hard if not harder than Cleveland to emerge victorious once again.  While it was reassuring to see the Celtics contain LeBron without James Posey, anybody who follows the NBA even a little bit knows that he and the Cavaliers will be back bigger and better the next time these two clubs meet.  That's the bad news, but fortunately, the Celtics have more room to improve at this point than Cleveland does.  If (and keep in mind, this is a big IF) Kevin Garnett can come back to full strength and Stephon Marbury continues to improve and play within his role in the Celtics' offense, then Boston could be well on his way to another championship.

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.

Mavs No Match...

If ever there was an example of a complete basketball game, this afternoon's "contest" (I use that term VERY liberally) between the Celtics and Mavericks was it.  From the opening tip-off to the final buzzer, Boston dominated both sides of the ball and abused Dallas all over the court for an easy 124-100 victory that wasn't even as close as the final score indicates.  The entire fourth quarter was played by the Celtics' reserves, and everybody but Leon Powe scored for the Celtics in a game that was a rout by halftime.

Just how bad was it for Dallas?  The Celtics scored 74 points in the first half on 65% shooting, and broke 100 points with about a minute left in the third quarter.  The Celtics shared the ball throughout the game and consistently made the extra pass, which led to a multitude of open looks that the Celtics' perimeter players (mostly Ray Allen and Eddie House) were more than happy to knock down.  Ray Allen finished with an efficient 23/5/7 on 9 of 13 shooting (4 of 5 from behind the arc) and Eddie House, who may have to assume the nickname of "the microwave" came off the bench and finished with 23 points of his own.  As a team, the Celtics made 16 three-pointers and actually finished shooting a better percentage (59%)from downtown than they did from inside the arc (54%).

While the Celtics' shooting was impressive, the way that the Celtics created shots for each other without turning the ball over was a huge breath of fresh air for Boston.  The Celtics had 34 assists as a team (Rajon Rondo contributed 14 with only two turnovers in a near triple double performance of 13/7/14 with 4 steals as well) with only six turnovers, and it seemed that everyone was keyed into the game and determined not to waste a single opportunity.  The ball consistently found the open man, and the Celtic players had their way with the Dallas defense, making unimpeded cuts to the basket for lay-ups and finding open space coming off of screens all day long.  

On the other side of the ball, the Celtic defense bothered Dallas from start to finish and forced them into bad shots and turnovers all game long.  Kevin Garnett deserves a special nod here for his inspired performance against Dirk Nowitzki, who was forced into a dismal 4 of 17 shooting performance and finished with only 18 points (he went 10-12 from the charity stripe).  Garnett is perhaps the only player in the NBA who can match Dirk's length and quickness, and KG used his physicality to bother the lanky German on both sides of the ball (Garnett finished with 23 points on 11-17 shooting in only 25 minutes).  Despite solid contributions from Jason Terry (27 points on 10-18 shooting) and Josh Howard (18 points), the Celtic defense stifled the Mavericks as a team and humbled them with their teamwork, effort and intensity on the defensive end.

By the way, that's eight wins in a row for the Celtics, who are now back atop the standings in the Eastern Conference at 37-9, sitting a game ahead of Cleveland and 2.5 games ahead of Orlando, who lost for the second time in a row today against the Heat.  So allow me to reiterate, there is no need to panic just yet, and despite the hysteria of a significant slice of the media, there is no need at this point for the Celtics to make any kind of desperation trade that might turn the Celtics into, well, the Dallas Mavericks (although adding a minor piece would be all right with me).

And although today's win was an impressive one for the Celtics, I think that it ultimately says more about how far Dallas has fallen than how dominant the Celtics are.  Watching the game today, it was hard to believe that this same Dallas team was in the Finals less than three years ago riding an NBA best 67 wins in 2006.  Back then they were a good defensive team that played with toughness and desire under Avery Johnson, and Dirk Nowitzki was the best player in the game and couldn't be stopped by anyone (except perhaps David Stern and the NBA refs who handed that series to Miami on a silver platter).  Now they're a bad defensive team that is inconsistent on offense and doesn't really seem capable of beating the better teams of the Association, and Nowitzki is easily bothered by most defenses and can't seem to recapture the form that made him the league MVP just a few seasons ago.  While they were never my team, per se, I did root for Dallas and could really appreciate their brand of basketball and the energy they played with, so it's actually quite sad for me to see them in such an epic and colossal free fall.  So it goes.