After watching the Celtics throw turnover after turnover in the season’s first two games, on the heels of three straight seasons of turnover disgust, Sports Illustrated’s Zach Lowe (formerly of Celtics Hub) investigated the issue’s main cause. He found that the Celtics cough up transition opportunities better (worse?) than any other team except the Minnesota Timberwolves, so Lowe did exactly what Lowe does: he dug deeper.

Lowe watched each of Boston’s 197 transition turnovers from last year (which I can only imagine would be like listening to this guy sing for 36 straight hours), and came to what he deemed “an inescapable conclusion: It is largely Rajon Rondo’s fault.”

Rondo, according to Lowe’s diagnosis, was responsible for 86 of Boston’s 197 transition turnovers (44%). That percentage makes sense even if Rondo wasn’t more transition turnover-prone than the average point guard: in transition, Rondo almost always has the ball. It’s the number, rather than the percentage, that causes concern. 86 turnovers in transition over the course of an 82-game season mean that Rondo throws away more than one possession per game. Transition offense, obviously, should lead to good looks. Throwing away one good look per game could make a difference. Throwing away 2.4 good looks (the amount of transition TOs the Celtics had as a team each game) certainly does.

… And here’s where my post kind of falls apart. I’ve got to be honest: I’m struggling with this one. I’m struggling so bad I almost feel like Jermaine O’Neal (sorry, Jermaine). Why am I searching for words that aren’t coming? A couple reasons.

1) I have no context for these numbers. Okay, Rondo is accountable for 44% of his team’s transition turnovers. So what? How many percent of his team’s transition turnovers is Steve Nash accountable for? Okay, so Rondo had 86 turnovers in transition last season. So what? How many did Deron Williams have?

I’m sure it would be easy to hop on Synergy and find those numbers… but I’m a blogger, folks. I can’t afford that ish.

2) According to Hoop Data, the Celtics turned the ball over 1,219 times last year. I know Lowe pinpointed where the Celtics picked up more turnovers than the average team and then examined that area, but investigating 197 out of 1,219 turnovers might not be the best way to assess the team’s problem. I would suggest that Lowe, or anybody else, watch each of the 1,219 turnovers… but I don’t want to be the reason anyone commits suicide.

3) And lastly but probably most importantly, Lowe only watched the turnovers. That’s kind of like trying to find out why the New York Knicks weren’t a good rebounding team last year, watching only the rebounds they didn’t grab, and then coming to the conclusion that David Lee was the problem because he wasn’t in the right place at the right time. No, Lee’s actually a great rebounder. He just doesn’t look like one when you only watch the rebounds he doesn’t grab. If that makes any sense at all.

Everyone looks bad when they throw the ball to the wrong team, right? I’m sure if you watched all of Chauncey Billups’s turnovers (and I use him because his turnover rate’s very low), you’d come to the conclusion that he has some serious flaws. But he actually takes great care of the ball. Rondo might be great in transition at avoiding turnovers when other point guards would normally throw them, but he certainly looks really bad when he actually turns the ball over. 

I don’t at all mean to nitpick Lowe’s terrific investigative work, but it probably comes off like I am. I actually enjoyed his piece and found it to be highly enlightening. I always thought Rondo made pretty good decisions in transition, but maybe he’s not as impressive as I believed.

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “First, there was the most anticipated season opener in NBA history, against the Heat, followed by a trip to Cleveland for the biggest trap game. The Celtics got a day of rest yesterday before they host the new-look Knicks tonight. There are back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday at Detroit and in Boston against the Bucks. After a home game against the Bulls next Friday, the Celtics go on the road for four straight against Oklahoma City, Dallas, Miami, and Memphis. ‘When you read the list of teams we’re playing our first 10 games, it’s a brutal list,’ Rivers said. Fast starts have been the Celtics’ signature the past three seasons, but this time it may be more difficult. The schedule isn’t on their side, and neither are the circumstances. They’ll have to go through that tough 10-game stretch without Delonte West, the floor general of their second unit, because of his 10-game league suspension stemming from gun charges last year. ‘That’s a big concern, how we’re going to get through that stretch,’ Rivers said.”

Marc Berman, New York Post – “If Stoudemire steers the Knicks to the eighth playoff seed, he expects the Celtics waiting for them as the East’s top dog. ‘Absolutely, for the simple fact they were in the Finals last year,’ said Stoudemire when asked if the Celtics were the team to beat in the East. ‘You can’t undercut that. And they got stonger. They got better.’ … ’Boston is good, man,’ Stoudemire said. ‘They got All-Star-caliber players at every position in their starting lineup. They’re a team to be reckoned with and Coach [Doc] Rivers is a great coach.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “The Celtics are hoping the way they played Wednesday night in Cleveland can be a scared-straight moment. After committing repeated acts of self-abuse during the 2009-10 regular season before getting their shots together in the playoffs, they ran away from running their offense against the Cavaliers, abandoning their defensive principles for long stretches, as well. It was a reminder of last season, when things got testy on and off the court during a run that was uneven at best. The game video from Wednesday is roughly akin to seeing a picture of what you wore to the eighth grade dance. The Celtics simply don’t want to put themselves through that again. This time around, they want to maintain their focus and pay attention to the details that allow their many talents to come through. They want to play by-the-numbers basketball, with 1. being to get the rock to the paint. ‘Last year was tough in the regular season, but I don’t think that’s going to happen with this team,’ captain Paul Pierce said. ‘We’ve got to understand that teams are going to compete hard, and I think on a night-in, night-out basis we’ve got to do a better job of taking advantage of our strengths. I think we should have gotten the ball inside more (vs. the Cavs). When we’ve got (Shaquille O’Neal) and (Kevin Garnett) and I look up and they’re taking four and eight shots (respectively), that’s not enough. That’s where we’re going to have an advantage every night, and I think we have to thrive on that. So that’s something we’ve got to fix. We’ve got to get the ball in to them. But I don’t think this team is going to lose focus like we did last year. Yeah, that was definitely frustrating. But this team is highly motivated. I don’t think that’s going to happen this year.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “The Boston Celtics aren’t in flip-the-switch mode right now. Like most NBA teams this time of year, the Celtics are working towards developing a consistent rhythm. That’s why there’s no increased concern or added urgency following Wednesday’s 95-87 loss at Cleveland, a game in which the C’s led by as many as 11 points in the second half before being outscored 13-3 to close out the game. If anything, the first two games reaffirmed coach Doc Rivers’ belief that, on paper at least, the Celtics are good enough to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the season. ‘We’re going to be really good,’ Rivers said following the loss at Cleveland.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “The mid-range shot (16 to 23 feet) isn’t one of Boston’s biggest weapons as the team averaged only 16.6 attempts per game from that distance last season (third least in the NBA, ahead of only Houston and Orlando). But the Celtics were fifth best in the NBA at that distance, shooting a solid 40.8 percent, meaning its nice to have in the toolbox. Through the first two games of the 2010-11 season, the Celtics haven’t harnessed the full power of their mid-range game, connecting on a mere 9 of 27 attempts (33 percent) from 16 to 23 feet.”

Chris Tomasson, NBA Fanhouse – “Already, Williams said [Al] Jefferson gives the Jazz a type of ‘low-post scorer we’ve never had” who will ‘command double teams.” Of course, even Jefferson admits that, when those double teams come, he sometimes must pass. Jefferson, though, overall is excited about coming to Utah. He shrugs off there being any pressure to replace Boozer since he’s already been through that by taking over for Kevin Garnett when he went from Minnesota to Boston in the July 2007 deal that landed Jefferson. ‘I love it, man,’ Jefferson said of being with the Jazz. ‘It’s the best thing that could have happened to me. I think it’s the beginning of something special, a chance to show the league what I can do on another level.’ It sure beats growing old during Minnesota’s seemingly endless rebuilding process.”

Chris Tomasson, NBA Fanhouse – “‘I felt early last year that he played better than I had seen him play (previously in his career),” Nuggets coach George Karl of [Shelden] Williams, who eventually had trouble getting minutes as the Celtics made it to the NBA Finals with Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace and Davis as their primary post players. “That’s the kind of thing that stuck in my head. He didn’t play much the second half of the season. ‘But you’re searching for those guys who want playing time as much as they want a contract. I think Shelden realized our circumstance (with Martin and Andersen out). He was going to have an opportunity to play, and he used it very well. And he’s been on of our top players in training camp.’ Williams said he also got minimum contract offers from Chicago and Utah before signing with Denver. He impressed the Nuggets with averages of 12.6 points and 7.9 rebounds in the preseason before erupting in the opener. ‘I just tried to be aggressive on the glass and tried to take as much as I can,” Williams said. ‘Fortunately, it worked out well.’ It sure did. ‘It told him he played like Moses Malone as far as his rebounding,’ said Nuggets guard Anthony Carter.”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

I was driving my car the other day, and because it’s what I do, I was thinking about basketball. Blake Griffin popped into my head and I kept thinking about the way he moved. Not in a way that would lead me to say “pause,” but in an on-the-court-that-guy-is-a-beast type of way. Driving mindlessly, I finally figured out how to describe Griffin’s absurd athleticism and fluid movements.

Do you remember the scene in The Matrix, when Neo first fights Morpheus in a simulation? The other people — Trinity, Tank and whoever else — are watching on a computer monitor and one of them, amazed by Neo, says something like, “He moves like them.” That’s how I feel when I watch Blake Griffin. He’s 6’10″, 250 lbs. of pure power and strength, but he moves like them. Kind of like Finkle is Einhorn, Blake Griffin is Neo. Neo is Blake Griffin.

The bird’s don’t fly without Griffin’s permission. He’s probably in the sky, flying with the fishes. Or maybe in the ocean, swimming with the pigeons. You see, Blake Griffin’s world is different. The sky is the limit.

I almost felt bad for Cleveland fans. The fans at last night’s game had their hearts torn out this summer, on national TV, by the one man (Lebron James, obviously) who was supposed to end the city’s streak of bad luck. Not only that, but the season-ticket holders were forced to renew their tickets last season, before they knew whether James would return. So the fans at last night’s game might not have even wanted tickets to the J.J. Hickson era. It was no wonder the arena had a strange vibe at the game’s beginning.

Have you ever been to a funeral before, when someone giving a eulogy makes a joke? What follows is an uneasy laugh, an almost forced laugh. People want to celebrate a life at funerals, but they are also grieving a death. People at a funeral need laughs and need joy, but laughing isn’t easy. That awkward funeral laugh was the Cleveland crowd to begin last night’s game. They wanted to celebrate a new season, but they were still mourning the loss of a (once) loved one. Their cheers were forced. They seemingly only rooted for their team because it was expected. Remember, a portion of the crowd probably resented even having tickets. They renewed their tickets still hoping Lebron’s return. Instead, they get to pay for J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao. That’s a fierce drop, clearly.

But something happened as the Cavs erased last night’s 11-point deficit and climbed ahead. The crowd started to go crazy. The fans weren’t rooting for Lebron or any other stars, but you know what? The Cavs were giving a game effort. They were sharing the ball. And they were beating a Celtics team that Lebron himself couldn’t the night before. The crowd rallied around its new team, the PA announcer stopped being the only voice heard, and before long the funeral aura was gone. By the time confetti was released from the rafters after the Cavs’ win, the crowd had fully embraced its new team.

Cavaliers fans still haven’t fully accepted Lebron’s departure. I’m not sure they ever will. But in their mourning period, they’re desperately searching for something else to make them happy. It’s like a rebound relationship. Maybe the new girl in your life isn’t ideal, but having her beats having nothing to take your mind off your ex. You don’t need a perfect rebound girl, but you need someone, anyone, to bring you a little happiness. Yet maybe this year’s Cavs are better than that.

Maybe this year’s Cavs are the perfect team for Cleveland to embrace. They don’t have any stars and very few egos. No Cav this year is important enough to depart Cleveland and leave a big crater in the city’s fabric. It’s safe to love them, and they’re a lot more “Cleveland-ish” than Lebron is. Lebron was the home-grown boy (well, he was from Akron and later said he grew up hating Cleveland — but still), yet he never fit the city’s blueprint. Cleveland is a blue-collar town, a scrappy town, a town filled with Average Joes who take a lunch pail to work, while Lebron was a prima donna who has eaten from a silver spoon since his high school years. When you look back, Lebron stood for very few qualities Cleveland does. He was an amazing basketball player, but he was never Cleveland-ish.

If last night was any indication, this year’s Cavs team is. Byron Scott started the night he could only make one promise: his team would always play hard. Then his squad backed up Scott’s words, outhustling and outworking a more talented Boston team. Scott later said the crowd appreciated this year’s Cavs team more than last.

“I feel like they’re more behind us than at any point last year in the sense that it feels like this is the true fans. It’s the people who have come up in Cleveland and have gone through it. They’re Cavs fans for life, and in spite of what everybody’s saying outside of Cleveland, they believe in us.”

Maybe they don’t believe in the Cavs yet. Maybe this year will be more pain than reward for Cavs fans. But they need something, anything, to give them hope and reinstill their belief in Cleveland basketball. They’re on the rebound from a breakup they’d love to forget.

I’ve been throwing out a weird theory in discussion with my friends. I didn’t want to put it into writing, mostly because my theory involves a 38-year old man injecting youthful enthusiasm into a group of younger men, but I quickly decided this preseason that Shaq is a shot of adrenaline to a Celtics team that needed one last year.

Maybe this isn’t the right time to finally unveil my theory to the world (after the Celtics looked both old and disinterested last night), but Paul Pierce lent it some credence in an interview with WEEI.

“I love Shaquille in the locker room,” Pierce said. “The one guy he’s making better on and off the court is Kevin. You can just tell with Kevin’s attitude, he’s a lot more loose than he’s ever been. Kevin really listens to a lot of things Shaq has to say because they’ve been through their wars together and I know Kevin has a lot of respect for Shaq and what he’s done in this league, as do all of us. His presence has really helped us out as a ballclub, in the locker room and on the court.”

If nothing else, Shaq brings a level of fun. Think about all the good-natured pranks the Celtics pulled this preseason – most of them involved Shaq. He was dunked on by Nate Robinson and drop-kicked by Robinson and Rajon Rondo. He got popcorn thrown on his face at the movie theater, performed an odd but hysterical Halloween dance, and also let Robinson run a suicide in his size-22 shoes. To a team that became bored with last year’s regular season, Shaq brings an element of joy. He brings a new energy and an unbridled enthusiasm for basketball, if not life.

Again, it’s the wrong time to unearth this theory. None of the Celtics had much fun last night, you know? But Shaq has rejuvenated a Celtics team that had become sick of the regular season. KG has a pep in his step again and a glimmer in his eye, and while part of that is due to his regained health, part of it — according to Pierce, who knows better than I do — is due to Shaq’s presence. And though Shaq’s fun ways didn’t bring a win last night, though last night’s loss resembled so many disappointing losses from last year, I still believe in my theory:

Signing Shaq — the 38-year old who happens to be the NBA’s oldest active player — actually made the Celtics younger. In spirit, that is. Obviously. In age, he’s really, really old. But his youthful exuberance will help the Celtics avoid long stretches of boredom and listless play.

Or maybe not. I just had a flashback to last night.

Doc Rivers said a lot of things today in his latest interview with WEEI.

“I think we have a chance to be really special…”

Yeah, definitely.

“… but we’re not there yet and we have work to do.”

No kidding.

“We’ve got to get more out of [Jermaine O'Neal].”

Yes. Please. I’m begging now.

“That has to be one of the longest seconds that I’ve ever experienced.”

Ian Rider’s just surprised the Celtics weren’t called for defensive three seconds before Anthony Parker shot his jumper.

But I wasn’t so concerned with any of that stuff. I knew all of that. One quote Doc said, though, took me by surprise.

Rivers also didn’t feel like Wednesday night was one of Rajon Rondo’s better performances, despite scoring 18 points and having nine assists. “His numbers were great but it wasn’t his best game,” Rivers said. “It was one of those games where the ball was in his hands too much. We played the Cleveland game like we played the second half of the Miami game. Last night was an execution night. Rondo’s offense will come from transition, pushing the ball up the floor, attacking the paint.”

Rivers wasn’t thrilled with the amount Rondo held the ball, but I’m not sure how differently Rondo played last night from the Miami game. Sure, his assist numbers went down while his scoring numbers increased, but that was mostly due to necessity. Rondo was having an easy time scoring and none of his other teammates were lighting it up.

The box scores at Basketball Reference say Rondo’s usage rate increased from 14.2% in the Heat game to 21.0% last night. But that discrepancy doesn’t necessarily mean Rondo held the ball any longer. It simply means more possessions ended in a Rondo shot or turnover, which we already knew. He was more aggressive looking for his own shot against Cleveland. Anybody could see that. But did he hold the ball too long?

I didn’t think so. I wished Rondo had been more aggressive. I wished he’d taken more shots, driven to the hoop more often, taken advantage of his matchup with Ramon Sessions and Cleveland’s lack of a premier shot blocker. In the fourth quarter, especially, Rondo disappeared. As he normally does when a game gets close, Rondo deferred to Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Rather than continuing his aggression, Rondo played the final 10:29 without taking a single shot. He was fouled on one drive with 21 seconds remaining, but with the Celtics down five points and that little time remaining, he had been forced to make a play.

The offense went stagnant, scoring only one field goal over the game’s final 4:30, and Rondo was nowhere to be found. If I had to point out one flaw in Rondo’s game, it would be that he allows himself to be the C’s third or fourth option during most fourth quarters. Rondo has become the Celtics’ best player, and their most consistent producer. But when the game is on the line, he almost always defers.

Is that because he doesn’t trust his shooting? Because he wants to please the Celtics’ more experienced players? Because Doc Rivers calls fourth-quarter plays designed to free up the Big Three? I’m not sure. But the Celtics are a better team when Rondo is aggressive. One of their biggest problems last year was fourth-quarter execution, and a big part of the reason for that is a tendency to go away from Rondo. He’s the Celtics’ biggest threat, and when fourth quarters go by without Rondo touching the ball, the Celtics suffer.

So did Rondo pound the ball into the floor a little too much last night? Maybe. But when games are in the balance, the Celtics need number nine to be more aggressive.