How Rajon Rondo Uses the Behind-the-Back Pass so Effectively

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Nov 292012
 

A favorite play of the Boston Celtics is the side pick-and-pop with Rajon Rondo and either Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass or Paul Pierce.

When running it with Garnett especially, Rondo will often draw both defenders with him toward the baseline and sneak a behind-the-back pass to Garnett for an open mid-range jumper. 

Rondo has assisted Garnett on five pick-and-pop jumpers so far this season, per the video tracking service mySynergySports, and three of those assists have come via the behind-the-back pass.

He can do it with his right hand, like both here and in the video above, or with his left hand, like in the video below. 

Other players in the league will use the behind-the-back pass occasionally when they get stuck or if they see an open pass and think it’s the only way they can get the ball where it needs to go, but Rondo does it with an express purpose.

It’s part of his arsenal as a way to set up two different kinds of fakes to exploit easy baskets. 

Again running a side pick-and-pop with Garnett, Rondo gets to the elbow and pulls back on his dribble just a little bit, baiting Ekpe Udoh into coming forward to contest either the behind-the-back pass or pull-up jumper.

It works as a hesitation dribble, set up by the fact that defenses know that he’ll often look for that behind-the-back pass to Garnett on the pop.  

The second fake is more pronounced, and is even more devastatingly effective.

 

In the video above, Rondo runs yet another side pick-and-pop with Garnett. Garnett’s defender, Joakim Noah, initially leaves Garnett open for the jumper in favor of guarding against Rondo’s driving lane.

This would actually be a perfect time for him to use the behind-the-back pass to KG, who is a strong mid-range shooter (45.2 percent this season, per NBA.com).

What Rondo does instead is pull the ball all the way behind his back to get Noah to jump out on Garnett and vacate the area near the rim, which gets Rondo a wide open layup. Noah has no doubt seen Rondo make that pass to Garnett countless times, and Rondo used that against him to fake him out of his boots. 

This isn’t exactly a new thing, either.

A simple YouTube search yields plenty of results from the past few years of Rondo using this exact fake to make defenders look silly. It’s gotten to the point now where he has used both the behind-the-back pass and the behind-the-back fake so often that they are each used to set up the other.

The defense can never truly know which is coming, and it’s that dual threat that makes the Rondo-Garnett pick-and-pop so much more dangerous. 

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Boston Celtics Placing Too Much Hope on Avery Bradley’s Return to Cure All

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 262012
 

The Boston Celtics have gotten off to a bumpy 8-6 start, and in most of the eight wins they have accumulated, it has not been smooth sailing. As a matter of fact, in six of the Celtics’ eight wins, they have won by six points or fewer.

Boston has uncharacteristically been allowing over 100 points per game thus far, and for a team that prides itself on defense, that is not going to sit well in the locker room. Clearly, there are still some adjustments that need to be made, and one of those adjustments is getting Avery Bradley back from shoulder surgery.

Still, as key as Bradley is to the C’s, he is not going to fix everything by himself.

Will Bradley help? Sure. We all saw his incredible perimeter defense on display last season, particularly against Dwyane Wade. He has lightning quick feet and is also very strong for his size, allowing him to competently match up against big, athletic guards (like Wade).

But he will not solve everything, and one has to hope that these issues will be worked on and improved upon by the time Bradley returns in what will likely be around January.

One of the Celtics’ biggest problems defensively has been their lack of shot-blockers. Kevin Garnett, the team’s best rim protector, is averaging only 0.8 swats per game. That is tied for the team lead with Brandon Bass. Sorry, but that is just not cutting it. As a team, Boston is averaging only 3.1 blocks a contest, good for second-to-last in the league.

Bradley has nothing to do with the intimidation factor in the paint. That’s all on Garnett and the boys down low, so they need to do a better job of altering shots. The lack of shot-blocking has a lot to do with the fact that the Celtics are currently 27th in the NBA in opponents’ field goal percentage, an area where they ranked first last year.

Another problem Boston has been having has been on the glass as the men in green rank last in the league in rebounds per game. The 6’2″ Bradley isn’t going to do much to change that. The rebounding issue may be a bit overblown, as the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks, two of the best teams in the league, rank 27th and 28th in that statistic, respectively, but it would still be nice to get better there.

Finally, the C’s are still having some problems developing consistency overall, and that has plenty to do with the fact that guys who are used to seeing big minutes are having their floor time cut drastically due to the enormous amount of depth Doc Rivers has at his disposal. When Bradley returns, that will only be exacerbated.

Now having “too much depth” is a pretty cushy problem to have, but the fact remains that Bradley is going to take playing time away from a guy like Courtney Lee, and Lee has been struggling to find some regularity in his game as is.

Of course, we all want Bradley back, as having him to use as a weapon on both ends of the floor should end up paying dividends. However, it is putting way too much pressure on the kid to expect him to step in and be the savior. The Celtics have been having complications that the 22-year-old just can’t fix. (Would you look at that? It’s Avery’s birthday today!)

All things considered, it is safe to assume that Boston will figure things out by the time Bradley comes back and that Bradley will merely serve as something of a midseason acquisition to bolster what is already a loaded roster.

Get well soon, Avery.

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NBA Trade Rumors: Boston Celtics Must Find a Way to Deal for Josh Smith

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 242012
 

The Boston Celtics are trying to get younger, and the best move for the C’s to make is to trade for Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith.

According to NESN, the team is looking to add the 26-year-old big man, which would create a fearsome young duo of Rajon Rondo and Smith.

It’s not going to be easy for Boston to finalize a deal for Smith since the team does not have many young assets to give away, but it is crucial that the team find a way to get the young star.

The team needs players for the future. While it already has one of the best point guards in the league in the 26-year-old Rondo, adding another budding superstar would give the Celtics a bright future.

The Hawks are denying any interest in trading Smith publicly, but the rumors have been swirling for months. However, with rumors that the team likely will not be able to extend his contract, we will have to see if the team changes its position down the road.

It looks like the team will need to get Brandon Bass involved in the trade, most likely through a sign-and-trade scenario, according to CSN’s A. Sherrod Blakely.

#CelticsTalk: #NBA source says any deal involving #Hawks Josh Smith would most likely include sign-and-trade w/Brandon Bass.

— A. Sherrod Blakely (@SherrodbCSN) June 28, 2012

 

The former first-round pick played an important role for the C’s last season, averaging 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. However, if the Hawks insist on taking the 27-year-old in a deal for Smith, he must be traded.

Smith’s 15.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game prove that he is a versatile forward, and we could see him play even better with Rondo running the offense instead of Jeff Teague.

While it will be a difficult transition for Celtics fans to see stars like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett start to become less important to the team, it is time for Boston to bring in young talent and start rebuilding.

Smith would be key in this rebuilding process, as coupling him with Rondo would give the Celtics a core around which they can build for years to come.

With two 26-year-olds leading the way, the Celtics will have everything they need to begin challenging the Miami Heat for supremacy in the East once again.

 

Follow @JoshSchoch

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Why You Shouldn’t Be Fooled by the Boston Celtics’ Ugly Start

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Nov 192012
 

After Sunday night’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, it’s safe to say that the Boston Celtics have gotten off to a rather underwhelming start (and why do the Pistons always seem to give them so much trouble?). The Celtics are sitting at 6-5, and although they have won six of their last nine games overall, it has been anything but pretty for the Celtics.

I already wrote an article on this subject earlier in the season, fresh after Boston beat the Washington Wizards two straight times to get to 2-2. Then, I mentioned how the C’s got off to a 5-9 start last year and were 15-17 as late as the All-Star break before turning it around. Celtics fans know the history. They know that the beginning of the season doesn’t really mean all that much to the team, so I am not going to spend any time on that this time around.

Instead, it’s important that we highlight specific reasons as to why you shouldn’t be fooled by Boston’s slow start this year. There are plenty of reasons to believe that the C’s are going to turn things around, so let’s just discuss a few of them.

1. New guys will learn their roles

It’s blatantly obvious that all of the new faces on the Celtics are having trouble adjusting. After all, only four Boston players currently on this squad were on the playoff roster in 2012. Other than that, this is a very different-looking team, so it’s no surprise that guys are still getting used to playing with one another.

Thus far, it seems pretty clear that this problem is very evident at the shooting guard position. Other than his 20-point outing in a win against the Toronto Raptors and a few clutch shots here and there, Jason Terry has looked a bit uncomfortable. Terry took only one shot in a win over the Utah Jazz, and for a guy who is known for letting the ball fly, that is incredibly unusual. Courtney Lee has seen his minutes fluctuate, and outside of a few moments of stellar play, he has been fairly non-existent (only twice has he scored in double-digits).

Then you have to take into consideration that Avery Bradley is still on his way back, and that will make things even dicier in terms of how Doc Rivers distributes minutes among his guards.

All of that being said, Terry is a seasoned veteran and should adapt soon enough. Lee may not have The Jet’s experience, but he is a talented player and is far better than what he has demonstrated thus far. Plus, he has at least been playing pretty good defense.

Once guys like these jell and get going, you’ll see Boston start to soar.

 

2. Brandon Bass will adjust

With Jared Sullinger now in tow plus Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox returning from heart surgery, Bass has gone from a key cog to essentially an afterthought.

Sullinger has gotten some starts, Green has gotten some minutes down low, and Wilcox is frequently paired with Kevin Garnett up front. That kind of leaves Bass out in the cold. That is meant almost literally, too. Bass is a player who relies heavily on his jump shot, and he has not been able to get into any kind of rhythm. As a result, he has not been shooting the ball all that well.

It may take some time, as Bass was certainly one of the C’s primary players last season, but once he becomes accustomed to learning how to play with fewer minutes, he will be fine and will likely become a crucial asset to the Celtics once again.

 

3. Doc Rivers is still experimenting

With all of the depth Rivers was handed by GM Danny Ainge this season, one would be remiss if they just assumed that he would know what to do right from the get-go. Doc may be an outstanding coach, but he cannot see into the future. He has no clue what lineup combinations will work best, so he is still messing around to try and see what his best options are.

A lot of people are wondering why Darko Milicic hasn’t seen the floor yet. Well, ever think it’s because Rivers is trying to get his main guys going first? Like it or not, Milicic is not going to be an integral part of the rotation this year. He may see some time against bigger teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies, but, ordinarily, you are not going to see him getting minutes. So, why should Doc waste time playing him when he still has to integrate other more important parts into the team?

This is going to be a process. Rivers understands that, and you should, too.

 

4. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will be fresh for the stretch run

This is probably the single biggest reason to believe that Boston will be all right. Rivers has been very cautious with Garnett and Pierce thus far, limiting their minutes and playing them in stints. This will be incredibly beneficial to the C’s come the end of the regular season and the playoffs, as they will both have fresh legs for those bigger games.

It’s also no secret that K.G. and Pierce have been coasting through regular seasons for quite a while now to conserve themselves for the postseason. Remember last year when Garnett suddenly exploded in the playoffs? Yeah; that was because he was saving himself.

No matter what happens early on in the year, Rivers is going to keep being judicious with Garnett and Pierce’s minutes, and that is a fine strategy that will only help the Celtics come April.

 

5. It’s November

That needs to be said again: it’s November. How often can you truly assess a team this early in the year? Almost never.

There are still five months left in the regular season. Are we really going to allow ourselves to be fooled over an 11-game sample size during the first few weeks?

Boston isn’t about short-term goals; it is about long-term goals. That isn’t to say that Boston “doesn’t care” about losing games in November, but…you know what; actually, I’ll just say it: The Boston Celtics do not care about losing games in November. They care about winning games in June.

As stated previously, this is going to be a drawn-out process. If you thought that the C’s were just going to come out of the gates and blow the doors off of anybody with this many new pieces, then you were kidding yourself.

Remember the Miami Heat during the 2010-11 season? They got off to a very slow start. It wasn’t because they weren’t incredibly talented. It was because they were still feeling each other out. The same thing is happening here.

Once the Celtics find a stabilized rotation and get more floor time with one another, they will be scary. Very scary.

So relax, and talk to me once the playoffs start.

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Breaking Down Doc Rivers’ Latest Additions to His Play-Calling Arsenal

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 142012
 

One of the most familiar plays utilized by the Boston Celtics over the past few seasons has been a basic pick-and-pop with Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett. After setting a monstrous (moving?) screen, Garnett will drift to 18 feet while Rondo draws both defenders deep into the paint. 

The play is designed to get one of the game’s premier shooting big men a wide-open look from his sweet spot, and the whole sequence usually looks beautiful because both guys know each other so well.

But the Celtics have been known to rely on it, leading to painful stretches when baskets are few and far between. Garnett is not young. Sometimes taking a deep jump shot late in the fourth quarter isn’t the best option for those tired legs. 

Also, despite Garnett having an elite shot from this distance, it is a long two-pointer, otherwise known as the worst shot in basketball. It’s a nice play to run, but not the type of set even an average offense would hang its hat on. 

In conversation, the solution is simple: Get Garnett closer looks. But this isn’t 2004 anymore, and that’s much easier said than done. Luckily for Boston, Doc Rivers is the head coach, and the schemes he’s recently devised to solve the problems posed by his team’s frequent scoring droughts are unsurprisingly brilliant. 

Last Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, a mild case could be made that the Celtics turned their season around. (This might be overly dramatic, but almost every second this team played before that game was awful.)

A major reason how was this beautiful slip-and-roll set that was tag-teamed by Rondo and Garnett. In this example, Garnett comes up to fake like he’s about to set a flat screen, but as soon as Rondo begins to drive toward the basket, he turns and darts toward the paint (instead of popping out for a jumper).

With Brandon Jennings behind the action, the play momentarily turns into a two-on-one with Garnett and Rondo taking on a helpless Larry Sanders. The “slip” by Garnett is done to get him in the paint as quickly as possible, forcing a split-second rotation from a defense that’s still focused on stopping Boston’s dynamic point guard.

As the game went on, the Bucks adjusted, packing the paint to prevent Garnett’s dashes to the rim. But the Celtics were ready, making an adjustment of their own.

Rondo reads the defense beautifully, and the result is a would-be hockey assist to Brandon Bass, who passes it along to Jason Terry for a wide-open three-pointer. The shot doesn’t go in, but it’s still a great look; one the Celtics will be more than happy with. 

On their next offensive possession after replacing Garnett with backup big man Chris Wilcox, the Celtics run the exact same slip screen play. 

The timing between Rondo and Wilcox isn’t as smooth, but the point guard still manages to feed his partner with a catchable ball. 

(One underrated aspect of this entire play is the undeniable—and unquantifiable—emotional effect it has on the Celtics. Alley-oops are obvious fan favorites, and even though you can’t measure their impact with statistics, to suggest they don’t rev a player’s engine would be incorrect, especially when one of them is a re-energized Garnett, snarling back to play defense.)

Two nights ago we saw a different wrinkle added to get Garnett easy dunks at the rim: an on-ball stagger screen involving Rondo, Garnett and Paul Pierce that resulted in a couple timely buckets helping the Celtics pull out a much-needed victory against Chicago, one of the best defensive teams in basketball.

The play begins with Garnett pretending to set a screen on Marquis Teague before cutting to the rim. Chicago packs the paint just like Milwaukee did, and Rondo throws a pass to Bass, who’s immediately smothered by Taj Gibson, an elite defender. The ball returns to Rondo at the top of the key, and Paul Pierce comes over to set another screen on Teague.

Rondo uses the screen and finds Pierce’s man, Luol Deng, who’s immediately checked by Garnett. Just like that, the Celtics are back where they started, running a basic pick and roll with Garnett and Rondo. The only difference here is they’re now operating a few feet lower on the court against two slower defenders.

Later on, Boston found itself up two with less than a minute left. Rivers chose to return to this same stagger screen and the result was another lob at the rim for Garnett. 

Boston’s offense has been suspect these last few seasons, and with Pierce and Garnett getting up there in age, Rivers’ job to place his veterans in easy scoring positions is more important than ever before. So far this season, he’s more than lived up to his reputation as one of the best in-game X-and-O minds on an NBA bench. 

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7 Things We Learned About the Boston Celtics After Week 2

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 132012
 

In Week 2, the Boston Celtics finally showed a glimpse of what they’re capable of.

Whereas the Celtics barely rose above the Washington Wizards during the first week, the team captured its best win of the season so far against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. Rajon Rondo was brilliant in his role as floor general, and all five starters scored in double digits.

The big win was a culmination of the C’s steady progress throughout the second week. In a Nov. 9 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston’s poor defense was ultimately their downfall. However, the silver lining was Jason Terry’s emergence as the sixth man that everyone was waiting for.

In a Nov. 10 win against the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach Doc Rivers tweaked the starting lineup by inserting Terry and Brandon Bass in place of Courtney Lee and Jared Sullinger. Paul Pierce was still the most consistent source of offense, but nobody is complaining about that.

Until the Celtics reach their desirable level of cohesion, the team will have to take the ugly wins for now. Nonetheless, Boston fans can take away a few key points from Week 2.

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Why Boston Celtics Fans Should Not Be Worried About Slow Start

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 092012
 

After dropping their first two games by double digits to the likes of the rival Miami Heat and the pedestrian Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics followed with two nail-biting wins over the Washington Wizards, a possible fringe playoff contender.

The Celtics’ unimpressive 2-2 start has raised some eyebrows in Boston with some people wondering whether or not this team is all it was cracked to be. With all due respect, expressing concern this early in the season is fairly ridiculous.

Let’s remember that the C’s got off to a 5-9 start last year. They were also 15-17 as late as the All-Star break before turning things on. They are a veteran group that knows how to get the job done, and there is no reason to believe that we won’t see the same from them this season.

It’s also very important to note that this is a ballclub full of new faces that are still getting acclimated to one another. Not one bench player remains from the Celtics’ 2012 playoff roster. It is completely and utterly fresh, and with Courtney Lee now being the starting shooting guard, rather than either the departed Ray Allen or the injured Avery Bradley, things become that much more complicated.

Lee, in particular, has been underwhelming. He is averaging only six points per game thus far, and he has only attempted 23 shots through the first four games. The newly acquired guard must be more aggressive and look for his shot more often, as he has only tallied six points combined in the past two contests. That being said, Lee has demonstrated that he is a reliable offensive player during his first four seasons, so chances are that he will do the same this year.

The notion that Boston misses Allen is a bit faulty. After all, the C’s went 16-4 last season when Allen was out nursing an ankle injury. This is not about Allen. This is about an incredibly talented group that is still getting used to playing with one another.

Guys like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo know the deal. They are the core of this squad, as this is now their sixth year playing together. They have seen it all, and they know how to integrate new parts. They did it last year with players like Brandon Bass, Mickael Pietrus, Keyon Dooling and the rest of the Celtics’ role players. Because of that, there is ample reason to believe that they will do it this time around with a more capable supporting cast.

On top of that, let’s not neglect the fact that Doc Rivers is a mastermind and is one of the best coaches in the business. Dissension will not exist on his watch. He will make sure to find the best and most efficient lineups possible, and he will roll with them. When Bradley returns in the middle of the season, Rivers will adjust once again. He is a tactical genius, with Gregg Popovich probably representing the only coach in the NBA who can match his smarts.

It is also imperative to mention that Pierce and Garnett are just not shooting the ball well right now. The Truth is hitting on only 35 percent of his shots, and K.G. is shooting only 45.3 percent from the floor. Given that Pierce is a career 44.7 percent shooter and Garnett converts on 49.8 percent of his attempts, the law of averages will come into play, and those numbers will improve.

The final thing that you all should be aware of is that the Wizards are no slouches. This is a team that vastly improved in the offseason, and it’s only right to assume that young guns like Kevin Seraphin, Jordan Crawford and Trevor Booker will continue to get better.

Yes, Nene Hilario and John Wall missed both of the games against Boston, but even with those two being sidelined, Washington is a pesky, talented team, and one should not be surprised to see them in the playoff hunt all year and potentially sneak into the postseason.

It’s not like the C’s struggled to beat the Charlotte Bobcats here; they beat an able Wizards team two games in a row.

Plus, playing down to the competition is the Celtics’ modus operandi. Remember last year’s seven-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers? The 76ers had no business taking Boston to seven games, and the fact that the C’s pushed the Heat to the very end of Game 7 in the next round is concrete evidence of that.

Not only that, but it’s early, and if recent history has taught us anything, the Celtics tend to go through the motions during the regular season, and they tend to give it their all only when they absolutely have to.

So to put it simply, don’t worry Celtics fans. This team will be just fine.

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Boston Celtics: Doc Rivers Is Wrong Starting Jared Sullinger over Brandon Bass

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 072012
 

Coming into the most recent draft, Ohio State power forward Jared Sullinger‘s draft stock was tainted with a red flag. His back problems kept him on the board until the Celtics used their 21st overall pick on the 20-year-old.

Despite the skepticism of his durability, Sullinger produced in summer league play. Aside from arid and desperate three-point shots, he played like a refined big man, banging down low and snagging rebounds. His ability on the boards continued into the preseason, and rebounds are just what the Celtics needed after seemingly losing the rebounding battle in every single game of their 2011-12 season.

After a promising summer league campaign for the Celtics and a preseason that showed significant potential despite their record, Boston got off to a shaky start in its first two games which saw them lose to the defending NBA champion Miami Heat and a middle-of-the-road Milwaukee Bucks team. 

It was obvious that the Celtics needed to make some changes, but the overall problem with the Celtics so far is still team chemistry. The C’s brought in a lot of new faces aside from Sullinger, and those pieces will have to become integral parts of the team if the Celtics are going to turn the tables on the Heat this season in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The first major change made by coach Doc Rivers was moving last season’s starting power forward Brandon Bass to the bench in favor of the rookie Sullinger. By the “eye test” and the Boston faithful’s complete and utter faith in Rivers’ decisions, it was a fine decision. Sully can grab the boards, he moves well for a big man and he can even dish the rock when he needs to. Nothing is getting hurt by starting the rookie, right?

Wrong. Brandon Bass should without a doubt be starting games next to Kevin Garnett. Once Bass became fully integrated into Boston’s starting five last year he was an over-looked force for the C’s and was a huge part of the reason that the Celts were 12 minutes from returning to the NBA Finals.

 

Not only was Bass averaging 11 points and five rebounds during the postseason, but he was also hitting his free throws, shooting 92 percent from the line. Not to mention Bass’ 27-point effort in Game 5 of the Celtics’ grueling seven-game series with the always tough Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

To couple the stats, he was also relied on heavily to defend the league MVP in LeBron James during the Eastern Conference Finals. For Doc to have that type of confidence in a player is special.

Brandon Bass should remain the starter in Boston. He is fully integrated with the team at this point, and that is crucial at a time when there are so many talented players on the roster who are still trying to figure out their role. 

This is not to say that Sullinger is not capable of being just as important or perhaps even more important down the road for the C’s. He’s proven that he can grab the boards that the C’s need, and he is also athletic enough to run the floor with Rondo when he needs to. 

He also creates matchup problems. Sully may be undersized for a center, but he can muscle his way around inside well enough to give Garnett his breathers early and often. He is also obviously capable of matching up well with most power forwards. That type of diversity needs to be utilized off of the bench, similarly to how Jeff Green’s abilities are used. 

The idea is that the core men in green need to start, and in the latter stages of a close contest the C’s need to be able to rely on their young guns in Rondo, Green and Sullinger to run in transition and grind the games out.

Sullinger will be a respectable starting power forward in this league, just not yet.

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Celtics: Milwaukee-Boston Home Opener Game Preview

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 022012
 

The Boston Celtics home opener takes place on Friday night when the Milwaukee Bucks become the first team to visit the TD Garden this season.

While the rivalry between the Bucks and Celtics isn’t exactly historic, emotions will be running high.

Boston comes into the game with a loss on its record, having lost its season opener to the Miami Heat on Tuesday.

Following the Heat’s 120-107 win, the Celtics made it clear they weren’t overly enthusiastic about their game.

“There’s no way we should give up (120) points no matter what type of defensive scheme we run. We might as well sit on the sideline and watch them run up and down the court if we’re going to give up 120 points,” said Boston captain Paul Pierce.

It will be Milwaukee’s first regular-season game tonight, meaning it won’t just be the Celtics who are all pumped up and ready to go.

Odds are in favor of the Celtics taking home a victory tonight. In order for the Bucks to come out with the win, they’d need to keep their emotions in check. But of course, they’ll want to come out strong early to hush the packed arena.

Milwaukee will get quite a challenge in its first game of the season. However, it will be a terrific test for the Bucks going up against a team like the Celtics, a squad that always seems to be in the mix for a championship.

“Look, they’re one of the handful of teams that has a chance to win this (NBA) title, and to go in there opening night, no question it’s a big challenge,” Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

 

Players to Watch

  • Rajon Rondo: The Celtics point guard will be looking to establish himself as one of the league’s elite this season. Rondo started the season against Miami with 20 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. All signs point to a monster year.

 

  • Brandon Jennings: Coming into this season, reports have suggested Jennings could be on his way out in the near future. In the Bucks’ first game, he’ll be looking to prove his value.

 

  • Brandon Bass: He’s a big man, and everybody can see it. What everyone cannot see is his value. Since being acquired from the Orlando Magic, Bass has shown he’s not just a backup. In fact, Bass is blooming into one of the league’s better forwards.

 

  • Ersan Ilyasova: American Thanksgiving is approaching, meaning it’s time for the native of Turkey to get hot. Ilyasova’s one of the more underrated forwards around. Expect big things from him this season.

 

“Nobody wants to start the season 0-2. We’re going to have to play very, very well, there’s no doubt about that,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said when asked about tonight’s game.

Having lost Ray Allen to the Heat over the summer, the Celtics lost a core member of their “Big Three.” However, it’s now Rondo’s time to shine.

“He’s in a different category from the rest of us,’’ former Celtic Nate Archibald said after witnessing Rondo’s breakout performance last season. “He’s amazing.’’

Milwaukee is generally viewed as the inferior team, but don’t be surprised if the Bucks come out flying tonight. They have two very capable scorers in Monta Ellis and Jennings, as well as a handful of established veterans. Among them is recently named co-captain Dunleavy.

The TD Garden will be loud and proud tonight. Bring your game face, Celtics fans. There’s going to be an intense matchup of both defense and offense in Boston this evening.

Check me out on Twitter: Follow @DavidOConnor95  for more updates and opinion on the world of sports.

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Doc Rivers Tinkering with Boston Celtics Rotation Will Impact Team Chemistry

 Boston  No Responses »
Oct 292012
 

Despite the fact that his Boston Celtics took LeBron James and the dangerous Miami Heat to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season, head coach Doc Rivers appears committed to mixing and matching in 2012-13. 

According to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, Rivers has yet to announce his starting lineup for opening night.  He did, however, state that there would be three different versions of the starting five, with the only regulars being Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Courtney Lee and Kevin Garnett.

That all seems well and good, but I have just one question for Rivers.  Why tune up the machine when the formula works fine? 

Sure, Boston is an old squad that needs to get younger in order to keep on contending for a championship, but let’s not forget that the team appeared in the NBA Finals just two seasons ago and won it all just four years ago. 

More importantly, as was mentioned before, the Celtics had the eventual champion Heat within one game of elimination last season.

Thus, just how is Rivers going to juggle the lineup without causing a team chemistry nightmare?  More importantly, how is he going to put together three different starting groups? 

Will it be Brandon Bass starting at power forward most of the time, or maybe Jeff Green?  Maybe rookie Jared Sullinger has impressed enough to warrant some quality minutes.

No matter how you look at it, the Celtics certainly have the depth to keep on contending. Lee more than makes up for the loss of Ray Allen (ironically, to the rival Heat), and Bass proved last postseason that he can be tough and durable in the paint despite being on the smaller side at 6’8″, 250 pounds. 

So, why upset the apple cart?

Nothing against Green or Sullinger, but are they capable of playing starter minutes?  Green was a starter in Oklahoma City before coming to Boston in the Kendrick Perkins trade, but he missed all of last season due to heart surgery, and while he has made a good recovery, it’s still a tremendous concern. 

As for Sullinger, can he carry his impressive preseason over to the regular games when he’ll have to match up against A-list players rather than the second unit?

Simply put, while each of those three players is talented in his own right, their NBA skills could not be more different.  Bass is a decent scorer who provides toughness in the paint, while Green tends to be more of a point forward/dunker, and Sullinger‘s greatest asset is his size. 

Of the three, Bass is the one who can be counted on to provide the most consistent results.

By employing multiple starting lineups, Rivers is going to have a different Celtics team out on the floor every night.  Sure, this makes for unpredictability and makes it harder for the opposition, but the Boston veterans have been playing together for a long time and are used to playing a certain style. 

Rivers is asking them to adjust to three different players, one of whom they didn’t start playing with until this year.  All it takes is for one of the trio to have one or more bad games or fail in crunch time, and the system will be in doubt.

This is a perfect case of nothing being broken, but someone keeps on trying to fix it. 

In this case, Rivers has gotten a bit too excited about the depth he has at power forward and is a bit too eager to use it.  Rather than use three different starting lineups, he should let Bass be the primary starter and let Green and Sullinger split the bench minutes, depending on matchups and such.

By employing a bevy of different rotations, he is trying to teach an old dog new tricks, and given how well the Celtics have done in each of the past four years, there is no reason to do so.  This team is talented from top to bottom and doesn’t need to create constant mismatches in order to prove it.

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