One hell of a ride – The 2012/13 Celtics season recap.

4 May 2013 By Leave a Comment

What else could we call it, honestly? Every season is full of ups and downs, but this has been the grittiest fight so far in the KG era, with so much change throughout the season.

Pre-season

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The promising off-season with a reloaded roster displayed potential in the Europe exhibition games. We were excited at Chris Wilcox and Jeff Green’s return, and also at all the new faces.

We had the JET himself, ready to take big shots. I was really excited to see Courtney Lee, being a fan from his Orlando days. We had two big men in Darko Milicic and Jason Collins, ready to give twelve hard fouls and some tough interior D. We had scoring speedster guard, The Brazillian Blur himself – Leandro Barbosa. Talk about a stacked guard roster.

Best of all, we saw Rondo consistently nailing jumper after jumper. He was making free throws like a man possessed.

Summary: WE HAD OFFENSE. (Albeit, at the cost of defense.)

Sacramento Kings v Boston Celtics

Season start

The season however, began with a shaky start.  The team floundered, and somehow never got on an even keel. Adding multiple new faces took time, and our defense suffered. We were horrible on pick-and-roll defense. Offensive lineups became experimental. Rondo was pounding the ball at the top all too often. JET was running off back screens and taking jumpers the way Ray did, but it wasn’t working. Courtney became hesitant on offense, pulling the ball back in transition all too often. It was obvious Pierce could no longer take a guy off his dribble and make dagger shots consistently, which meant we had to find more offense somewhere else, and nothing was happening.

I was frustrated.

Avery Bradley's Stifling Defence

Good news arrived in the form of lockdown defender Avery Bradley, who said he was going to return from shoulder rehab. His return gave us a boost of confidence, that his defense would set the tone for the Celtics, who looked lost. It looked like it would, and it did. The defense slowly, but surely got better.

Boston Celtics v Brooklyn Nets

A temporary moment of triumph happened. We conquered the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day, 93-76.  Sullinger had 16 points and 7 rebounds. Everyone was calling for him to start.

Sullinger Pulls Down The Rebound

As it was since the season began, our undersized rookie Jared Sullinger played his ass off. We loved #TheHustler so much for his tenacity on rebounds, his focus on nabbing the boards above all else. His passing smarts, and his shooting range. He became a starter, to everyone’s joy.

The injury bug strikes again

Then, we had the shockers – Rondo’s ACL tear, and then Sullinger’s back operation. Two starters were out, just like that.

Without Rondo, Ticket and Truth had to shoulder a heavier load, and get involved in playmaking. Everything and anything, for the team.

Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee against the Denver Nuggets

Having no choice but to soldier on, we found our footing and played harder, winning from off-ball movement and ball sharing. Avery and Courtney were The Pitbulls on defense. We were finding some sort of rhythm, even without Rondo. The KG/Pierce two-man game worked. Truth was being a point forward once more, and a gritty defensive rebounder on top of everything else.

Jeff Green of the Boston Celtics dunks on Al Jefferson of the Utah Jazz in the 2012/13 NBA season.

Jeff Green of the Boston Celtics dunks on Al Jefferson of the Utah Jazz in the 2012/13 NBA season.

Meanwhile, Jeff Green was creating poster dunks left, right and center. He was slowly finding his way on offense. Slowly, but surely, we were seeing consistency.

“We’re better without Rondo!”

Things were looking up, some fans began to talk about the team being better without Rondo.

Really? Honestly, no. The problem was the offensive system, not Rondo’s execution of the game plan. He did what he was supposed to, every time. If you thought that, sorry – we have to agree to disagree. And Rondo’s plays in the postseason cannot be measured. The man made countless hustle and gamechanging plays, never ever forget that.

Barbosa’s loss – The straw that broke the camel’s back

Leandro Barbosa goes down with an ACL tear

The rhythm fell apart once more as bad luck struck the team. Bench scorer Leandro Barbosa tore his ACL, injecting yet another blow to an already depleted roster. We weren’t the Minnesota Timberwolves, but things were really looking down.

New faces once more.

We had to get healthy bodies one way or another. Left with no alternative, trades happened and signings were made. We added more new faces in the form of ex-Wizard Jordan Crawford, plus CBA imports Terrence Williams, DJ White and Shavlik Randolph.

Credit: ESPN

Credit: ESPN

Everyone loved Shavlik’s hustle and defensive instincts, and Justin dubbed him #ShavKill. Celtic Nation made jokes about Crawford’s crazy shots.

Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers

Terrence Williams went from a small forward to being a point guard. T-Will outdid all of our other guards when it came to making plays, no questions asked.

Fighting all the way, the Celtics clawed its way to the postseason, vets rested and ready to fight.

Round 1, playoffs – New York Knicks

Boston Celtics v New York Knicks - Game One

Everyone was eager to see more of the Truth firing his usual daggers at New York, confident that somehow we would make it a contest. Reality was a huge disappointment. The offense was stagnant and one-dimensional. The ball moved too slowly, the Knicks had a field day in steals. We simply could not get the ball to drop into the cursed hoop. The Knicks were not exactly stellar, but made enough to kill us. Avery wasn’t playing with his usual intensity on both ends, and I cringed every time he passed the ball, for fear that someone would cut the passing lane and make a steal.

Bass was playing elite defense on Melo. Truth and Ticket were playing hard, but it just was not enough.

Game 1: we had a 8 point fourth quarter. That was bad. I thought this was rock bottom, we could not possibly get any worse. Boy, was I wrong.

Game 2: the team scored 11 points in the third, 12 points in the fourth. This, was rock bottom. Our offense was so bad, it was ridiculous. Our famed fourth quarter meltdowns in the past were nothing compared to these.

The team went down 2-0, everyone was praying for the team not to go out this way. We missed Rondo. A lot.

It was not until Game 3, when JR Smith gave a vicious elbow to Jason Terry, that the team seemed to find a bit of fire. After losing Game 3, the JET proclaimed:

“I’m coming out with something. I’m going to come out with the heart, the passion, the energy that’s needed to get a win. We have to do that collectively. One man’s not going to be able to provide that. It has to be a collective unit and we’ve got to get it done together.”

Jason Terry of the Boston Celtics takes flight.

And fight we did, taking Game 4 with JR Smith serving a suspension on that silly elbow strike. Dumb luck, the detractors said. We would not have won if JR was playing.

And then, we took Game 5 too, despite an ugly 11-0 start in the first quarter. Melo missed a ton of shots. JR Smith had the same problem, only worse. The unthinkable had happened. New York fans were shaken. Kenyon Martin’s proclamation about wearing black to a funeral, ended up with the Knicks getting buried.

Could the Celtics truly be the first team in league history to come back from 3-0 and clinch the series? We wanted to believe.

Game 6

Today, Game 6. Three quarters of putrid basketball set us back in double digits. We were at 51-75, with 9 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The odds seemed insurmountable. With the way theyhad been playing, I had given up hopes of the team making a comeback. Tweets were coming in about fans exiting at the end of the third quarter. The Knicks seemed ready to roll into round two.

Never count the C’s out.

Bit by bit, shot by shot, a 20-0 run somehow happened. Avery somehow found himself and became a defensive maniac once more. He stole the ball and finished it, twice. We got multiple stops, thanks to the Knicks’ multiple bricked shots. We got the defensive boards, and Green ran the floor, finishing at the rim with astounding effort. The NY score was frozen solid at 75. They were regressing into Melo iso plays. Melo had an injured left shoulder, but somehow made baskets. The lead was within grasp at 4 points, we were closing in for the kill.

And just like that, it was over. Melo made free throws over a phantom Bass foul. Green fouled out. New York played the clock out, made shots and led by 12. The noose was slowly but surely closing.

Doc called a final timeout. Coming out of the play, JET hit a 3 and closed the lead to 9. It was hope.

Yet, it was not meant to be. Tyson Chandler got the rebound off a missed Felton shot. The clock continued to wind down. Melo missed a shot, KG corralled the board and Bass managed to get to the line for two. We were 7 points away, with 27 seconds to go. Close, but time had simply run out. It was too late.

Jeff Green and Paul Pierce

The game ended 80-88, with the Knicks advancing after a 4-2 series win. The Boston Celtics end their 2012/13 postseason run in the first round.

Epilogue

The momentuous journey finally ended with a first-round exit. It was more or less what most of us knew deep inside, but just did not want to admit. We wanted to see another magical postseason run, another upset, another round of showing the disbelievers that we could do it one more time.

I was happy to see the fight in the fourth quarter today, to know that the Celtics would not simply roll over and surrender. It just kills me to know that we had a possible Game 7 within our grasp, and yet not be able to reach it.

In the end, it was the first three quarters that did us in, despite a heroic rally in the closing frame. If we had had a perfect free throw game, or made a few more shots, things might have been different. Alas.

Nevertheless, I am stil proud of this team, for battling through all the unsaid injuries and giving it their all at the end. I just wish we could have done it more consistently, that we could have flipped the switch a little earlier.

That’s all behind us now anyway. My thanks once more to everyone in the team, and to everyone in the fan community for taking this journey together.

The Captain.

Onwards, to the next season! Keep believing.

Filed Under: Games, Opinions, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Closing the first half out: Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics preview

14 February 2013 By Leave a Comment

Chicago Bulls logo

The Bobcats game turned out to have more significance than we realised, with the abrupt and tragic loss of Leandro Barbosa, an energetic and offensive-minded reserve guard who has been stepping up to the hole left behind from Rondo’s injury.

 “It’s tough all the way around. You mesh with these guys and all of a sudden you see a season-ending injury. It’s tough. We’re grinding right now on top of a back-to-back emotional game.

“The blow of Barbosa is kind of the fog or the cloud that’s in the room right now.” – Kevin Garnett during post-game Bobcats, Celtics’ Barbosa could be done for season

Leandro Barbosa goes down with an ACL tear
The road ahead looks tougher than ever, and once more we face an old conference rival in the Chicago Bulls, with limited weapons in the arsenal at that. Will Ubuntu triumph regardless?

Fact: The Bulls won 6 of their last 10 games, 3 of those wins coming from the road.

Game time: 14 Feb 2013, 1130hrs AEDT

Watch on: NBA League Pass and ESPN

Roster changes:

1. Rajon Rondo is out for the season with a torn ACL on his right knee.

2. Jared Sullinger is out for the season after his back operation.

3. Leandro Barbosa is out for the season with a torn ACL on his left knee.

4. Derrick Rose is still out on rehab, and has not confirmed a return date yet.

5. Kirk Hinrich (elbow) will not be playing.

Defense

Ex-Celtic Nate Robinson has been playing extremely well at the starting point guard position for the Bulls, balancing his scoring efforts with ball distribution.  Avery Bradley rolled his ankle last game but returned to the court after that momentary scare, showing the injury to be likely a minor one. Should mobility not be an issue, he will have no problems keeping up with the sprightly Nate.

Should the Bulls play according to their recent lineup, wiry Rip Hamilton will start at the 2. Lee will then be responsible for limiting the veteran player’s usual mid-range game; Rip hit 8 of 11 from the field in their last game against the Spurs, scoring 16 points for the game.

The Captain will need to be in his best defensive rebounding form tomorrow and deny the Bulls second chance opportunities. Big mention: Joakim Noah had 15 rebounds in their last game, 5 of them offensive. We do not need Noah notching a double-double on us, so box out guys.

How about Luol Deng, the undisputed leader of the Bulls this season? This is yet another item on the Truth’s defensive checklist tomorrow, the baggage grows ever heavier.

The team needs to come out with good energy and keep the Bulls from executing. Grind away, grind away.

Offense

Mr Instant Buckets aka Leandro Barbosa’s absence will be keenly felt here. With a shortened three guard rotation, I would expect Lee to be loading up for more minutes, especially in the second half. His playing time has been interestingly shortened in the past three games; he averaged 21.6 MPG in contrast to the 25-30 minute range he played in the six games before that. Courtney has been showing very good aggressive instincts in his drives and mid-range pullup shots, and we will need it more than ever – it’s becoming a race to find guys who can put the ball through the hoop now.

Pierce and Garnett against the Bobcats in Feb 2013

Was this even a question? Our two champion veterans will definitely be ready to rise to the occasion. While I have no doubt Pierce and KG will pull their usual load, Jeff Green needs to explode tomorrow. I don’t see Taj Gibson stopping him one-on-one, Uncle Jeff needs to get them points on way or another – either get the bucket, or nail them free throws. Chicago is however a well-drilled Thibs machine, so I would expect help defense to be prompt. Get some overload action on one side, get Green into an isolation opportunity on the weak side and watch him go.

Will the JET catch fire? He will be facing younger and fresher legs in the form of Bellineli (or Teague), expect him to be working harder to get his shots. With active passing however, I would expect Terry to be getting some open shots the way he did last game.

Nate is not known for his defense, and I would expect Avery to get his fair share of the open shot. Take them with confidence, and let the feeling carry through. I’m not hoping for Bradley to morph into a three-point shooting machine, but a return to last season’s form would be a really good thing to have tomorrow. All the same, stay aggressive and keep attacking.

Another thought: how about Wilcox on the low post? He has shown us that he is capable of posting up when given the opportunity, so why not exploit this? The Bulls are not exactly a huge team; place KG and Wilcox on the floor, force Boozer (or Gibson) to guard Wilcox and something good could come out of it all.

This game is going to be a defensive grind on both ends, whoever plays better defense will come out the winner. There is no better time to start on the bar fight mentality so lace them up C’s, let’s go to work and clinch this final W before the All-Star break.

#Ubuntu

Filed Under: Games, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , ,

When Will The JET Soar Once More?

20 January 2013 By Leave a Comment
Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford

Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

With the return of Avery Bradley –The Gamechanger, The Saviour and all of a billion other divine titles– there has been a shuffle in the playing rotations. When Danny Ainge put this team together in the off-season, the idea was to have the tenacious backcourt of Rondo and Bradley start. A bench featuring Jason Terry and Courtney Lee would then cover the starters, with the Brazillian Blur, Leandro Barbosa thrown in for good measure.

This has since created a logjam amongst the guards, with a huge chunk of minutes going to Rondo (35.8), Bradley (24.3) and Lee (17.6) over the past fortnight, leaving a potentially scarce 18 minutes for Barbosa and Terry.

The question remains: with very limited action, what will become of Jason Terry’s role on this team?

Lee’s return to form

The early season struggles of Courtney Lee were well-documented as he bounced around from starter to bench player and back, but he has found a definitive role in the rotation since Bradley’s return. When Avery heads for the bench, Lee enters the game to sustain the same ball pressure.

As Bradley told ESPN in a recent intervew:

“We definitely frustrate our opponent, and that’s what we try to do. I start the game off trying to frustrate whoever I’m going up against and Courtney comes in the game and he does the same thing.”

Now that Lee has settled into a role that he can thrive in, he has proven over the last fortnight exactly how valuable he is to the team. His confidence on D has found its way into his shooting, resulting in a much higher shooting percentage. Over the month of January, Lee has shot 54% from the field in 17 minutes of action, averaging 7.6 points a contest.

The Blur, ready to go

Due to the quality of guards in Boston’s squad, Leandro Barbosa has found himself on extremely limited minutes this season through no fault of his own. Since early season, Barbosa has proven his ability to handle the ball, get to the basket in a flash, and finish well on the fast break. He has also surprised Doc Rivers with his ability to defend other guards.

After the win over Oklahoma City in November, Doc praised Barbosa’s defensive gears to ESPN:

“He has that reputation of being an offensive player. What we have found since getting him, he’s a heck of a defensive player. He has the ability to put pressure on the ball. That’s something we didn’t know.”

To have a guard of this quality sitting at the end of the bench adds pressure to Terry, especially with Doc looking to Barbosa down the stretch in the team’s win over the Bobcats last week. The interesting decision to start the Brazilian Blur against the Bulls in Bradley’s absence is also something that should be taken note of.

What is left for JET?

So where does this leave 35 year-old Jason Eugene Terry, who is renowned for knocking down big shots off the bench? The former Sixth Man of the Year seems like a perfect fit for Boston to provide an offensive boost when he enters the game, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. It is a glaring weakness, and could well be a reason for the drop in recent minutes – Terry logged a combined 31 minutes in the wins against Charlotte and Houston.

#4 Jason Terry

#4 Jason Terry (Photo credit: Girovagando)

Terry returned to his preferred role of coming off the bench since Bradley’s return, but has been in a shooting slump in January. He shot just 37% from the field while averaging just 6 points per game, down from an average of 11.5 for the rest of the season. If he is not scoring, Terry must find other avenues to get involved in the Celtics offense.

When Rondo was out with a two-game suspension, the JET entered the starting line-up as the point guard and proved himself  as an underrated passer. Terry posted 11 assists against the Bucks in December, showing his worth as a distributor of the ball. Terry is especially proficient at drawing the defense in with dribble penetration, which allows him to set his teammates up for open shots on the drive and kick – this was something he did very often during his tenure with Dallas. The Celtics as we all know live and die by the jumpshot, and Terry’s ability to facilitate the shot could very well be a factor on offense.

With the improvement in production from Jeff Green and Courtney Lee, Terry should feel less pressure to carry the bench’s scoring load.This (theoretically, from a fan’s point of view) should enable him to relax and shoot the ball with confidence. We might have caught a glimpse of Terry emerging from his shooting slump against Chicago, hitting some big shots in overtime to almost snatch the win for the C’s. Things are yet uncertain, but it should only be a matter of time until we see the JET taking full flight once again.

From all of us at Celtics Down Under – may the JET soar and let those threes fly!

(And swish of course.)

Filed Under: Opinions, Players, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , , ,

Finding consistency: Suns @ Celtics preview

10 January 2013 By Leave a Comment
Phoenix Suns logo

Phoenix Suns logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Three game win streak, more to come! There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be taking this game. Granted this season’s team has not been consistent even on home games, but hell if we do not get this one.

Fact: nothing is going to happen in the meantime, we are just going to have to rough things out until the 10th at least.

Game time: 10 Jan 2013, 1200hrs AEDT

Watch on: NBA League Pass

Roster changes:

1. Wilcox is still out with his thumb injury (sprained ulnar collateral).

Consistency
The key to the win, as far as I’m concerned. Put up four good quarters and we’re done. The Suns are very prone to fourth-quarter offensive meltdowns (the way we used to be), keep the foot on the gas pedal and all will be good.

Containing Gortat/Scola
The Suns have two very good big men in Marcin Gortat and Luis Scola, both of whom can roll effectively off the pick, work off the post or take their own shot in the mid-range. Deny these options, and you’re left with less severe options like Dragic or Dudley’s shooting. Granted either of them could go off on scoring streaks, but Scola is the scoring anchor of this team, period.

Rebounding
No second chance points please. The better we can rebound on the defensive end, the better our chances of kicking it up in transition. This means rebounding machine Sully needs to do what he does, with everyone else chipping in. Our chances of getting rebounds are definitely better without overly helping on defense, something that the third factor relates to.

Dribble penetration
The Suns do not have aggressive penetrating guards outside of Goran Dragic, and containing the dribble penetration should not be an issue when we have a healthy Avery Bradley. Stop Dragic from directing the flow of the offense, everyone else on the court wilts. Limit the help defense from the big guys, and our rebounding improves. See how that works?

Not much to take away from this, it’s going to be a straightforward win unless the entire team decides to coast and collapse altogether. What do you reckon?

Filed Under: Games, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hello Melo: Celtics @ Knicks preview

8 January 2013 By Leave a Comment
New York Knicks logo

New York Knicks logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This will be the real test of the Celtics revival: a Rondo-less road game, being well-rested and facing a true contender in the form of Melo and the Knicks.

Bring it on!

Game time: 8 Jan 2013, 1130hrs AEST

Watch on: Good old NBA League Pass

Roster changes:

1. Wilcox is still out with his thumb injury (sprained ulnar collateral).

2. Raymond Felton is out with a fractured right finger.

3. Rajon Rondo has been suspended one game for bumping referee Rodney Mott in the Atlanta game. (I was surprised when he didn’t get tech-ed right then. Ah well.)

Defense

Melo-stopper: There is no one in the team capable of defending Melo one-on-one in his current state. Not Pierce, not Green (who am I kidding), not Bass. No, not even Rondo (who is absent for this game), even though we’ve seen him try to defend LeBron before.

Melo is strong and quick enough to go against anyone outside and in the post, and should you be smaller or slower, he will be getting his points one way or another – either by bulldozing his way to the basket, or by his extremely quick pullup shot.

Look for double-teams to be used to force Melo off the ball, expect KG’s swarming help defense to be utilised.

Long range: Melo, Novak, Smith, Brewer, even Copeland. And not forgetting our favourite: SHEEEEEEEED. The 3 ball is an extremely important weapon in this Knicks team, and getting out there to deny the open shot is crucial.

Pick-and-roll defense: STAT is finally back, and while he is not in 100% game shape, he can still roll and finish with ease. Coming off the bench with Prigioni manning the ball, be prepared to see more of this being shoved our way today.

A good win in New York will cement the streak and give everyone confidence that the C’s are well and truly back. Rondo’s absence from this game will be tough, but count in the fact that Pierce always plays well in the Garden, so expect him to have a good showing too.

What are your points for the game?

Filed Under: Games, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , , ,

Finding the light: Pacers @ Celtics preview

4 January 2013 By 1 Comment
pacers vs c's

pacers vs c’s (Photo credit: burningairlinesgiveyousomuchmore)

Coming off a four game losing streak, it’s tough to find positivity amidst the bad we have seen so far. Nevertheless, it’s our job to remain deluded optimistic and look for the silver lining, rather than continually screaming TRADE (INSERT-NAME-OF-UNDERPERFORMING-PLAYER) DAMMIT!

Fact: nothing is going to happen in the meantime, we are just going to have to rough things out until the 10th at least.

Game time: 5 Jan 2013, 1200hrs AEST

Watch on: Good old NBA League Pass

Roster changes:

1. Wilcox is still out with his thumb injury (sprained ulnar collateral).

2. Rondo is not fully recovered from the hip bruise, but he hasn’t indicated any reason for sitting out.

Offense

I’ll talk about offense this time round, rather than harping on the same old tired defensive points of rebounding-help-rotation. The C’s need to make things simpler for themselves.

Less IsoPierce
IsoPierce is good in limited doses, but he is beginning to show the lack of lift in recent games. Reduce the amount of IsoPierce, allow him to take his 3 shots off the catch. He’s shown that he can still hit them shots. Forcing the captain to take the offense into his own hands and making him charge into a packed interior is not going to have pretty results. We’ve seen the jump balls, the blocks, the turnovers. No sir, less of those please.

How do we reduce Pierce’s role then?

Boston Celtics v/s Washington Wizards April 11...

Boston Celtics v/s Washington Wizards April 11, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bench men – Green/Lee/Barbosa
I hate to even hope for miracles like these, but we need these guys. Jeff Green, Courtney Lee and Leandro Barbosa are the young legs on the team, the ones who can and should be aggressively taking it in without hesitation.

Space it out, set a pick for them. Get them inside, force the contact and get some free throws! Less hesitation, and less outside shots please. We are not going to win a game shooting jumpers all night long.

Of course, there is that tiny problem of us having horribly ineffective pick setters. Times like these make me miss Perk a lot.

KG versus Hibbert
Having KG match up against Hibbert allows Sully to sneak into the paint. KG will be taking his usual long 2s, and that will definitely draw Hibbert out.

Note: I’m not saying Sully will be hitting putback bunnies under the rim all night long against the rebounding likes of West/Hansborough/Mahinmi/Granger, but with Sully’s positioning smarts, there’s a fighting chance our hardest working rookie can make something happen.

No? Nevermind, I know we’re getting killed on the boards.

Bradley’s cuts
All of Celtic Nation had a glorious moment of deja vu last game, when they witnessed a beautiful backdoor cut from Avery Bradley. HE’S BACK! And so it came to be that every fan wept, and gave thanks to something so sorely missed.

Sadly, that was all we got – one brilliant flash.

Not holding high hopes for his shooting at this point, but I’m really looking forward to Bradley making an obvious impact with his precise cuts and Rondo’s passing vision. Potent scoring formula, yes? I’m hoping Rondo will be in better shape to drive and pass tomorrow.

Against yet another team with a tough interior presence, I’m not hoping for the C’s to take a blowout win. I’m glad Collison left though, that’s one less guy to carve us up for layups.

All I’m saying is, any kind of win is good at this point, and the odds are not fantastic.

Filed Under: Games, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , ,

The Daily Ubuntu feat. Joseph making roster (official!), Barkley on the C’s and more

25 October 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Daily Ubuntu is a collection of Celtics-related news and columns from around the intarwebs, just so that you keep in touch with our favourite green team.

Follow us on Twitter at @CelticsDownUnd and like us on Facebook too! There will be a contest for the season opening game, so join us on the Facebook page, have fun together and win a prize if you’re a lucky at game stats.

Today’s edition features talk about Charles Barkley’s predictions for the Celtics, Barbosa looks forward to winning a ring with the Celtics and more.

Video highlights

Brandon Bass Boston Celtics Mix: A video mix tape on our favourite jump shooting, all dunking big guy – No Pass Bass. Enjoy!

Practice talk

Practice report: Full attendance – ESPN Boston
ESPN Boston’s Chris Forsberg presents several post-practice videos, most noticeably being newest recruit Leandro Barbosa’s interview, and the return of big guys Darko Milicic/Chris Wilcox to practice.

Lots of positive quotes in the article, I’ll just leave you with a good one to start.

* Rivers raved about the first full-team practice for newly acquired guard Leandro Barbosa.

“He’s been here for three or four days and the last two days we ran him through all the stuff. So he had a concept of what we’re running. He’s played against us for so long — that helps as well. But he had a great practice.”

Added Rajon Rondo: “[Barbosa] was very vocal today. He was the point guard. He moved [Jason Terry] to the side and I think they both liked that situation. JET’s more of a scoring point guard and Barbosa set a lot of those guys up today in practice.”

Player features

Leandro Barbosa envisions title with Celtics – Boston Globe
Leandro Barbosa is certainly buying into the team’s dream.

“I’ve been to Phoenix, I know how [winning] is and with this team I know it’s going to be [demanded],” he said. “And I’m very, very excited. I mean there’s no words I can explain to you how I feel right now. I just want to work, give them what they expect, and win games and a championship. In my mind I have the championship and I’m sure those guys have the same thing. So we’re going to work together and I’m down for that too.”

One team, one dream. It’s all about everyone buying into the same goal, and working unselfishly towards it.

The column also talks about Barbosa’s potential contributions to the team, and Doc’s opinion on the Barbosa’s abilities and what his role could be – check the article out.

Joseph makes roster out of camp – ESPN Boston

“Just happy, proud,” Joseph said Wednesday after learning he made the final cut. “I put in the work necessary to make it this far throughout my life, and when I got here, I continuously worked hard. So, it’s just a blessing. It’s a weight off my shoulders now. But, the hard work doesn’t stop here. You’ve got to always keep working hard.”

So Joseph got told officially that he’s made the team. No surprise at this point, but congratulations nonetheless. Work hard and keep proving yourself out there!

Kevin Garnett keeps the dream alive – CSNNE

Bohemian writes about how KG’s move to the Celtics has re-ignited the pride for fans all over, after a long hiatus of mediocrity. The man embodies passion, pride and grit, how can we not be proud of a player like that? So long as he’s leading the pack, we know everyone will be inspired to play harder, the way the Big Ticket does.

Top 50: Rajon Rondo, no. 8 – SLAM Online

An excellent article with a slight apologetic overtone that talks about Rondo, the much-maligned and underestimated player. The media has indeed begun to mellow on Rondo, now that he gives better interviews, but to dismiss his creativity on the court at times is just frustrating.

Basketball is never just a stats game, there are so many intangibles present that cannot ever be converted into metrics. Rondo’s situational awareness is just one of those phantom qualities that you will never ever see on the box score.

In the annual GM Survey, which was made public earlier this week, Rondo’s name appeared more times than any player not known by their surname alone. NBA GMs, men paid vast sums to evaluate talent and build rosters, voted him the third-best point guard in the League, the third-best (in a four-way tie) perimeter defender, the third-fastest with the ball, the third-best (in a two-way tie) passer, the third-toughest (in a four-way tie; he’s the only point guard) player and the player with the 10th best basketball IQ. And all of this on heels of his eighth-placed finish in last season’s MVP voting.

Yes, Rajon Rondo is not a finished product. His jumper is still shaky, he needs to improve his percentage from the charity stripe, he passes up too many layups and at times he seems to idle his engine. But the 26-year-old is the real deal.

The review also talks about the takeover moments Rondo had in recent years; the elbow dislocation and return, the OT win against the Knicks, and his otherworldly performance in the Heat series last postseason.

Yep, the real deal folks. And he’s staying green.

Stat check: JET’s preseason defense – ESPN Boston

Terry limited opponents to 26.7 percent shooting (12 of 45 shooting) and, maybe most amazingly, did not commit a single foul that resulted in free throws.

Preseason stats in a very small sample size are likely misleading, but the JET’s defense looks pretty good over here.

Team talk

Celtics’ ‘legit chance of beating’ Heat, Jeff Green as NBA’s most underrated player and other Charles Barkleyisms – WEEI

“I think the most underrated player in the NBA is Jeff Green,” said Barkley, who also proclaimed himself “a big Jeff Green fan” last season. “I know he didn’t play last year. I loved him in Oklahoma City. When he got to Boston, he went late into the year, so he really never got comfortable. I think he is going to be fantastic.”

Barkley also made some classic Barkley statements about the C’s Atlantic Division rivals.

“The Celtics got an older Kevin Garnett and a Paul Pierce,” he said. “They brought in all these younger guys to bring in energy and take the load off of Garnett and Paul Pierce, and the Knicks brought in a bunch of old geezers.

I like what Sir Charles is thinking. You sir, are saying what the rest of us are hoping for – a breakout season in Jeff Green.

Celtics Feel That Regular Season Has Begun – Celtics.com

The C’s are going at practice very hard in anticipation of the Heat game, very nice. Of course, it helps that the quality of the matchups have gone up substantially since last season.

“It just helped that the second group now, because [Wilcox and Barbosa are] on the floor, can compete better when you do it,” Rivers said of changing up his lineups. “Before, when you messed with the lineup, because of the numbers we had and we had a lot of the young guys, it gave you a false sense of security. You were scoring every time or stopping them every time.”

No easy bunnies, that’s for sure. Stay injury-free guys, less than a week to go!

Injury watch

Darko Milicic

Good to hear that Darko’s back to play. I’m not sure if he is going to be a huge factor in the Heat game though, seeing as they thrive on mismatches, and Darko’s not exactly the quickest guy out there.

Chris Wilcox

After straining his lower back on the first day of practice on Sept. 29, Chris Wilcox finally took the floor again this morning.

“The back felt good – everything felt good today,” said Wilcox. “I’m trying to improve on everything. I’m coming from scratch right now, so everything I do is about trying to improve and trying to get better. I’m feeling out where I need to be, the spots I need to be in. I’m working right now to just get back in shape and get back into the flow of things.” – via Boston Herald

More good news as well, it’s great to hear Wilcox back on the court. I don’t see him playing huge minutes on the season opener, but a few minutes here and there? Very likely.

That’s all for today folks, have fun and I’ll see you soon.

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The Daily Ubuntu feat. the KG era guard list, Sullinger’s positives and more

23 October 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Daily Ubuntu is a collection of Celtics-related news and columns from around the intarwebs, just so that you keep in touch with our favourite green team.

Follow us on Twitter at @CelticsDownUnd and like us on Facebook too! There will be a contest for the season opening game, so join us on the Facebook page, have fun together and win a prize if you’re a lucky at game stats.

Today’s edition features talk about wrapping up the postseason, Doc’s view on the backup point role and more.

Video highlights

Post-game interview from Rondo, KG and Pierce. Watch out they take turns to answer a few questions, then slip away soon as the next teammate is ready to leave – funny! (via Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston)

Interesting blurp: you can see Rondo being the leader here, as he is keeping an eye on everyone in the locker room (out of camera), and directing guys to do their share of the post-game interview.

Here’s our favourite (White) Mamba doing a season preview for the team, check it out all you Scal fans. (via CelticsLife, CSNNE)

Preseason wrap up

Sizing up the C’s at the end of the preseason – CSNNE

Sherrod does a very good job summing up what we have seen so far on the preseason games, the storylines being Rondo’s leadership, a defense that is still in the midst of working out its kinks, and of course Jeff Green’s growing contributions every game.

Player features

Kris Joseph makes the team, Celtics will cut two more – CelticsBlog
With the need to cut the roster down to 15 men, it’s quite likely that Kris Joseph will be staying on. Jeff Clark muses on the possibility of having Kurz and Downs in the D-League team, and Joseph’s role in the season ahead.

I like how Joseph has begun to assert himself, especially on offense. Given time, he has the potential to become the second insurance policy for Paul Pierce, and I’m looking forward to that development. Until then, would it be better for him to head over to the Red Claws, or to play garbage time in season minutes?

The case for starting Brandon Bass – Red’s Army

John Karalis puts forward a strong argument for putting Bass into the starting lineup. Bass provides consistent defense and offense, and the main sell (in my opinion) is that enthusiasm aside, Sully would fare much better against the opponent reserves than he would fighting against enemy starters on the floor.

What do you think?

Sullinger hops on ‘dinosaur’ train – ESPN Boston

A great summary piece of Jared Sullinger. Greg Payne describes how Sully’s various skills on the court translated into results, which in turn convinced Doc to let the rookie run with the starters.

In some instances, the little things stood out with Sullinger — the quick outlet passes, going right up for a layup without hesitating after receiving a pass and finding the correct positioning around the basket in accordance with where his teammates were lined up. It all adds up to a rookie who doesn’t play like a rookie, and he’s managed to make an impact both on the floor and in the locker room.

“He’s still got a lot of work, but he does a lot of good things,” Rivers said of Sullinger. “He has a veteran mind, does not play like a young guy, except for he makes rookie fouls, he does things, and that’s why he had the foul trouble. But he’s just a good spirit and it’s good to have him in the locker room.”

By showing the right work ethic, making his contribution in the one area the C’s have needed most (rebounding) and having the court vision to always make the right pass, Sully has meshed with the team very well on the court.

Of course, it helps that he has been showing respect and listening to advice – no one likes a rookie who has a ton of pride and thinks he knows it all. Humility never hurt anyone, and it definitely has not hurt Sully; much rather the opposite I would say.

For this year’s Celtics, Green means go – Boston Herald

With the performance Jeff Green has been putting up, it’s no wonder everyone has been impressed so far during the offseason – add Danny Ainge to the list.

“So I don’t see what’s happening now as just a function of, ‘Oh, I’m going to be more aggressive.’ I mean, when you’re in a certain role, it’s tough to just take that initiative on yourself. That has to be a function of the team and your role within that team, how your coach sees that role. So I just don’t think that it’s that simple.”

“I understand that,” Ainge said. “I just think it needs to be more than that. You need to have your number called and sort of have that role. I mean, it’s tough for Danny Ainge to have that role when he’s playing with Kevin (McHale) and Larry (Bird) and DJ (Dennis Johnson), you know what I’m saying? It’s not as easy as just being more aggressive or assertive, although I’m not saying that assessment’s not right. I just think that there are a lot of factors.

I would say cautious optimism, but things are looking as well as they can get right now. There were no major injuries, court chemistry is decent (but not five stars), and we have a week of training to go before the season opens. If Green continues to assert himself in the Heat game and beyond, we will be looking at a very big scoring option in #8 for months to come.

Leandro Barbosa unfazed by guard logjam – Boston Herald

Asked about the backcourt traffic ahead of him, Barbosa didn’t blink.

“That will be on Doc’s call,” said Barbosa, a Brazil native who was unable to play last night because of visa issues. “I think he’s the coach; he knows what he has to do. I’m here to help. They’re all good players. You know, I’m here just to help, and as soon as I get my chance to go on the court, I’m just going to try to do my best to succeed and help the team. It’s an experienced team, so I’m still young.

“I’m here to learn, too. So whatever happens happens. I just want to help. It’s a great team. To be here and play with (Kevin) Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo — all those kind of guys — is great. I’m very happy.”

Everyone likes an unselfish player. For a guy to take the veteran’s minimum to (relative chump change for NBA players) to join the Celtics, say that he’s not concerned about game minutes, but to stay ready and play when his number is called – always good news. I’m liking Barbosa already.

Should he decide to stay on after this season, we could possibly be looking at the making of a great guard roster over the long term.

Lineup talk

Introducing the Celtics’ backup point guards, all of them – CSNNE

Over the past five seasons the following players have attempted to fill the role of Rajon Rondo‘s backup: Eddie House, Sam Cassell, Stephon Marbury, Tony Allen, Nate Robinson, Delonte West, Keyon Dooling and Avery Bradley.

Also appearing in minor roles: E’Twaun Moore, Carlos Arroyo, Gabe Pruitt and the immortal Lester Hudson. (Oliver Lafayette never played in an actual game, but go ahead and throw his name in there as well along with Jamar Smith.)

“We’ve never really had, like, a true backup point,” said Doc Rivers. Of the dozen or so players listed above only two players — Marbury and Cassell — were anything like true point guards, but they sure have tried almost everybody else on the combo guard platter.

This year figures to be different. No, they still don’t have a true backup point guard, but what Rivers does have are four guards who can all handle the ball.

“I like it,” the coach said. “I like that there are multiple guys. Instead of trying to force and find a guy who’s a point guard, just find two guys who can dribble.”

Apologies in advance to Paul Flannery for the huge quoted chunk, but the context of this topic is fairly interesting.

First up, it is evident that almost all of the players listed were more of the two than one, but I would include Arroyo into the pure point guard list. He is a smart guy who spreads the ball, knows how to execute plays and shoots it when he has to. It is just a pity he plays in Europe now, I reckon he would make a fine addition in his role as the backup point guard this season.

However, Doc is right in saying that having two combo guards bringing the ball up would serve the purpose equally well. So long as they take turns handling the ball, they will still be freed up enough to take the off guard role and attack with the ball.

Conclusion: ball-handling by committee is the answer for this season. With Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, Avery Bradley, Leandro Barbosa in the combo guard bunch, we are looking at a group of players that can handle the ball and attack. Problems? What problems?

That’s all for today folks, have fun and I’ll see you soon.

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The Daily Ubuntu feat. team leadership, Ray’s obvious lie and more

20 October 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Daily Ubuntu is a collection of Celtics-related news and columns from around the intarwebs, just so that you keep in touch with our favourite green team.

Today’s edition features talk about team leadership, our favourite #20 telling a blatantly obvious lie and more.

Player features

I hadn’t intended to talk about Schmay Schmallen for a while, but he had to throw this out.

The Heat don’t know what to do with Ray Allen yet – Red’s Army

Allen went 3 of 11 from the field and 1 of 5 from three-point range. He had seven points in 22 minutes. Maybe it was just an off night; maybe Allen is still adjusting to coming off the bench.

Now let’s see, was there a certain somebody who had pride issues on coming off the bench? And he ended up being a role player anyway. For less.

Speaking of less money.

Ray Allen throws Celtics under the bus – CelticFanchat

When this contract situation came down, everybody in my circle — mom, family, brother, sister, friends from college, people who watched me since I was in high school and since I was in college — nobody wanted me to resign in that situation because they thought, ‘There [is] so much left in you and this team isn’t taking care of you or treating you right.’ That’s the way I felt and it was like, if you are going to come and not put out a good contract on the table then, hey, we gotta think about going somewhere else.”

Honestly, Ray Allen was one of my favourite Celtic players because of his work ethic and the way he always stayed professional. I thought I understood his point of view, that he wanted out because he needed to feel appreciated, or even to get a shot at a second ring. Fine, move out if that’s what you want.

I cannot ever condone lying however, and this is plain out lying. Didn’t the Celtics offer a better paying contract? What is this bull about “not putting a good contract on the table”? If the Celtics’ contract wasn’t good enough, what made the Heat offer better?

Ray signed in Miami for 3 years, $9.5 million. The Celtics offered 2 years, $12 million. Ray would have been a bench player on both teams.

You can cite other reasons for your departure, but don’t ever put it across as C’s management not having done enough to keep you in Boston – when you left and settled for less.

Man, I don’t know how he could have meant it any other way. It just sucks to see him talk about this like he expected a max contract for his continued tenure in green.

Celtics-Nets pregame: Doc talks Barbosa, start to season – Boston Herald

Asked where the 6-3 Barbosa will fit in to the Celt scheme, Rivers said, “I don’t know yet. I haven’t seen him, don’t know the condition he’s in or anything like that. we’ll just wait and see. I love what he’s done.

“I love his speed, his ability to handle the ball. we don’t have a backup point (guard), but we have another ballhandler. Our theory is if we throw three ballhandlers out on the floor, someone can bring the ball up — and that’s the way we’ll play with our second unit.”

Seems like Doc is sticking with the bring-ball-up-by-committee approach right now, and not with Barbosa running the point. No expectations, let’s wait for Barbosa’s arrival before making any further conclusions.

Team talk

Leadership – CelticsBlog

This inspiring piece by Tarek Pierce talks about the ideals of leadership in the Celtics. About how everyone has a responsibility to the team, to do their part and to “run their part of the relay”, as Tarek calls it. From Danny to Doc down to every player’s commitment.

And the final piece? Us, the fans. I’d recommend giving the full piece a read, great stuff.

Post-game “why we looked so awesome” quote-off: KG vs. Rondo – Red’s Army

“Philly, that was embarrassing. We don’t play basketball like that. That was embarrassing to us. We have a culture in here that we adopt. When you put this jersey on, it comes with responsibilities, whether it’s preseason or (expletive) around, chillin’, one-on-one, 21, whatever it is. It comes with responsibility. We don’t take that lightly around here. We felt like in Philly we took a step back. We feel like we got back on that horse and got better.”

Talk about pride huh?

Season preview

Ball Don’t Lie’s 2012-13 NBA Season Previews: The Boston Celtics – Ball Don’t Lie

Here’s a lengthy dissertation on the fate of the Celtics in the season ahead with an interesting perspective.

They want to see if James will want to dig in and traipse all over them again. We’re so assured of James’ dominance towards the end of the Eastern conference finals and NBA Finals that we more or less take his new low post know-how as a given. The Celtics want to see if he’s willing to give it to them, again, next spring. And I kind of want to watch, because I’m a sickie.

There’s lots more serious thoughts in the article, but they say the fate determines on how Rondo runs in the days ahead – I’m not going to argue that point. I’d suggest you dig in and have a look, decent read for the weekend.

That’s all for today folks, have fun and I’ll see you soon.

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The Daily Ubuntu: feat. Barbosa going green, KG’s block party and more

18 October 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Daily Ubuntu is a collection of Celtics-related news and columns from around the intarwebs, just so that you keep in touch with our favourite green team.

Today’s edition features Ticket giving a screw-you-no-effing-layups-tonight block, Leandro Barbosa’s signing, Lee getting comfortable in offense, Green wanting James Worthy’s permission and more.

Video highlights

First off, let’s get a look at this nasty block KG did last night at the Garden. Downright old school KG, haven’t seen him doing stuff like this in years. No friggin’ layups!

Leandro Barbosa all signed up and going green

Leandro Barbosa to join Celtics – Y! Sports

I was having a look at available agents last night and wondering if they’d consider signing Barbosa. What a great addition, he’s not All-Star but to have his legs on transition and some minutes at the point to free Lee and JET up, I’m definitely not complaining.

If you haven’t heard of him before, here’s a quick read about Barbosa from KWAPT on Red’s Army.

Barbosa’s never been known for his defense though, this makes me wonder if we are ever going to get the defense going.

Player features

Courtney Lee finding himself – ESPN Boston

Courtney’s been looking a wee bit hesitant in the earlier games (just a little bit), but he is slowly understanding his role in the offense, and that he should stay aggressive.

“You’ve got Rondo; he’s out there anchoring the team,” Lee said. “You’ve got KG and you’ve got Paul, so you know guys are going to respect them and they’re going to draw a lot of attention. It makes my job a lot easier. All I’ve got to do is make sure I’m going to knock down that shot when I’m wide open in the corner, then just play defense and just get out and run.”

Exactly right mate. All you need to do is to knock them baseline 3s down, and to keep driving hard, be it on transition or half-court. And oh yeah – run like a maniac all the time. LEE FOR TRANSITION D!

A Worthy comparison for Green? – ESPN Boston

“Put this Tweet out to James Worthy — he has Twitter,” said Green. “I’m not doing it. Who runs the Boston Celtics’ Twitter? … I cannot be called the great James Worthy without his permission. I’m dead serious. I want you to put that Tweet out. I do not want to be called James Worthy. Get video, I don’t care.”

Jeff Green’s pretty serious about not getting comparisons to Worthy, so serious that it’s funny. With all the hype however, I guess it’s good he doesn’t want that sort of expectation yet, and the respect he gives Worthy is well. Praise-worthy. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

Garnett: The best is yet to come from Celtics players – CSNNE

KG’s pretty sure everyone’s not playing at their full potential yet, and so does the rest of Celtic Nation.

“We’re still learning,” said Garnett. “Doc is still inserting different things for us offensively and defensively. But I think the things that you’re going to see out of some of the players on our team won’t be shocking, but there’ll be things that we probably haven’t seen in quite some time. Different players in here bring different elements and it’s a good thing. It’s not just the oneness on two or three guys. We really have a real balanced team in there.”

The teething period begins, and the results shouldn’t be obvious until later. All we can do now, is to wait and cheer the team on.

That’s all for today folks, have fun and I’ll see you soon.

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