Closer? Memphis Grizzlies hold off Boston Celtics 93-83
Oddly enough, Bradley's return didn't solve every single problem ever for the Celtics.
Welcome back, Avery. Not welcome back, same Celtics team we’ve seen for the past several weeks. Please go away forever.
Doc claimed that Bradley would be without a minutes-limit before the game, but it’s difficult to believe that Bradley will only get 20 minutes per game as the season progresses. In those 20 minutes, he had a typically unremarkable box score (four points, 2-6 shooting, one steal), but his defense was typically strong, and though it showed some (plenty of) cracks, the Celtics’ defense in general looked a little better.
The offense, however, did not look better, and now, with a four game losing streak looking more and more unbreakable, the Celtics have dropped to three games below .500. I don’t have a witty comment to throw this to bullet points.
- The Celtics are bad at rebounding, but they were especially terrible tonight. The Grizzlies won the rebounding battle 39-27, 8-3 on offensive rebounds. Jared Sullinger grabbed five rebounds in 19 minutes and KG/Pierce both got seven. But Jeff Green finished with two, and Bass/Collins both grabbed one. Great effort on the boards from the Boston bigs.
- Speaking of Garnett, it was not his best night. He was 5-14 from the field and missed several attempts he really should have made.
- This all feels so redundant. Player X played like crap. Player Y played a little bit better, but clearly it wasn’t good enough. Wash, rinse, cry, Prozac, repeat.
- For five minutes or so, we saw aggressive Rajon Rondo, and we also saw a bit of why aggressive Rondo only shows up every once in a while. When Rondo drove to the basket, he ended up on the floor more often than not, and with a hip that was obviously still bothering him, hitting the deck clearly didn’t feel very good. Aggressive Rondo takes a lot of abuse which can’t really encourage him to continue being aggressive. I’m neither criticizing nor defending, just pointing out that it can’t be easy to be continually aggressive when it means a lot of bumps and bruises.
- Jordan really likes Mike Conley. I do not wish to discuss Mike Conley.
- Tony Allen shot 6-8 from the field. I do not wish to discuss this either.
- I do not wish to discuss Rondo’s multiple 3-point shots that missed badly late in the fourth.
- I do not wish to discuss Jason Collins’ two points on one field goal.
- I do not wish to discuss Memphis’ 1.38 ppp in transition.
- I do not wish to discuss Boston’s 0.33 ppp in the post.
- I do not wish to discuss this game any longer.
In all seriousness, the defense looked a little bit better, but, once again, that doesn’t make this loss any easier to stomach. The worst part is that the Celtics were close in the first quarter. They CAN play well enough to win some of these games. They just don’t.
On Friday, the Celtics face Indiana, quietly one of the NBA’s best defensive teams. And no. I do not wish to discuss it.
Follow Tom on Twitter: @Tom_NBA.
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Celtics Blog | Tom Westerholm | January 2, 2013
First off Welcome back AB you still got your defense great job guarding Mike conley while you were on the floor to bad when you left he played like a superstar now I feel I am the only Doc supporter in the world but this starting Collins crap has to end 2pts,1reb this guy is making me miss Jermaine Oneal that is how bad he is and how bad of a decision Doc has made here seriously.Brandon Bass is playing SOFFFTTT one rebound what happend to him we need him to step up.The way it is going we seriously might not make the playoffs this year we need to make a move Demarcus Cousins or Gortat are not coming but we need a Koufos or Mozgov Denver has alot of depth at the 5 and we could trade somebody to play the 5 and just give us something in the post what started with such hope and promise is a m***er F***in disaster
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I think we found out how to fix the defense in the 4th quarter….Play KG 48 Minutes!!!He played the almost the entire 4th quarter and we held them to 11 pionts in those ten minutes of the quarter.
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The Celtics will go 16 and 5 going into the all star break, trust me
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You forgot PP’s stellar 2nd half – 1-6 0-4 3s no FTs 2 rebs for a grand total of 2 pts. Way to disappear PP!. Great first half and then? Maybe he needs to come of the bench? Welcome back AB, sorry you had to now be a part of this underachieving group. It’s going to take AB a while to get back into consistent quality play but what are the ‘excuses’ for all the other lame efforts??? Lastly, will anyone please explain why JC is starting? He is doing absolutely nothing. Team rebounding sucks, as mentioned, and as long as it is pathetic we are going to lose games. Go Cs…bring on the losses boys! Maybe we’ll get lucky and get into the lottery?
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P.S. If Kobe thinks his team is slow then what are the Cs??? Go Cs…got any pride?
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consider this: despite his atrocious second half, PP managed to be the best Cs in uniform. I think it says it all.
p.s. the paradigm “JG can either score or rebound” is false. He can easily do neither.
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I been watching your posts….you are obviously a PP hater…. sorry he’s not Larry Bird.
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I love PP; I’m just incredibly disappointed he doesn’t give 100% at all times and looks indifferent when missing shots, getting blown by for layups, never following his shot and being happy with how things are. But that’s just me. He certainly doesn’t have LB’s heart and passion; talent aside. Go Cs…will PP show up for both halves tomorrow???
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P.S. I gave more effort at Y and Sports Club LA games when I was 42. Just saying. Go Cs…
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Fire Doc
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Quick considerations:
1) Bass, Lee, Jet and Green are vastly underachieving. I’d ship any combination of them for a big man. there’s no contender out there who’s starting Collins.
2) this is no longer Pierce, Garnett, and that guy’s team. This is Rondo’s, and it’s time for him to step up AT ONCE and prove he deserves the leadership of the most succesful franchise in NBA history. And by that I don’t mean firing bricks from the 3 point line.
3) I wouldn’t mind some reactions on Doc’s side, either.
anything would do, just to prove he’s not there to shake hands, wipe off tears or cuddle this bunch of losers, but he’s in charge of coaching a title-aspiring NBA team. I know that “without him Pierce would have retired, Lee wouldn’t have signed, and Garnett wouldn’t be back and blablabla…”-
with the exception of KG, I’m not so sure the alternative would have been so bad..
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Well we now have our starting 5 almost ready… RR, AB, PP (?) KG and I would put JS… Trade lee, bass, green , keep JEt cause he knows how to play coming playoff time… If we make it that far, lets get a rebounding center and maybe just maybe a young SF so we fan send PP to the bench? What do you think?
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a “rebounding center” for Lee & Bass or Green (who are making respectively 5, 6 and 8 mil this year) comes a little pricey. if the Cs want to keep shooting it from outside, they need a double-team commanding big man. Basketball is easy: you want to score on fastbreaks? you have to defend. You want to score from inside? you have to be dangerous from outside. You want to shoot uncontested 3s? you have create a mismatch and rotate the ball. The only guy that doesn’t seem to understand it is Doc.
I don’t like your idea of starting KG and JS because they’re great poweforwads, we need a starting center. So KG in the line up and JS off the bench. And Jet better start guarding his man. We don’t ask him to post up against no one, but at least stick around and contest jumpshots and cuts to to basket.
just my 2c, of course
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Yeah man that’s what I’m saying, but who are you going to start right now? Dont tell me you are happy with Jason Collins. Last year KG was playing great at C and right now he’s still doing that. On the meanwhile ai would start JS because he’s the only one who makes an effort trying to rebound. BB is playing terrible as well as Collins and Wilcox is injured. Also I didn’t say all those 3 guys for 1 center, but hopefully Danny Ainge can get something reasonable for those players. We need interior defense because KG can’t do it alone. Hopefully with Bradley back we can start helping the paint from players driving into it.
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it’s not a matter who’s to start now, but who’s making the team coming jan 15th, when the trade restriction for Lee and Green expires. KG is great at center, but he can’t be the only big man on the roster (pleas Doc, don’t come up with lineups with Bass at 5 and JG at 4 anymore, please). To me, the best thing would be to have a starting center, i.e. a competent big man capable of playing down low, instead of shooting jumpers. at the 4 position, JS, KG and CW. The last 2 can play some minutes at the 5, as well. Last year BB was effective because KG created space for his jumper commanding double teams in the post. This year KG is (correctly) on limited minutes, and BB is back to where he belongs: an undersized power forward with no game in the post, i.e. a role player
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Why not show Doc the door? He has fumbled opportunity after opportunity with this team right back to when Judas shot 0-13 in the 2010 NBA Finals and left a former All Star and NBA champion Michael Finley on the bench. He has a propensity to run the starting 5 into the ground and not rotate his players. What kind of a stupid move is it sending Fab Melo off to the D League when this team desperately needs size and start a bum like Jason Collins? Doc’s response? ”He isn’t ready yet”. Any player who can get a triple double in the D League is ready in my book. Not giving a run and gun player like Barbosa enough minutes. They paid 36 mil for an unproven Jeff Green and let a proven defender like Greg Steimsma go. A guy like Kendrick Perkins works his guts out to get back in shape and once he does they drop him. If that wasn’t the definition of Celtic Pride, I don’t know what is. KP at least deserved another shot at a title. This coach ain’t winning games, and any player on this roster after 4 losses is fair game. Meaning if the trend continues, any player who is able should be considered trade bait.
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I agree with everything you say except about KP. He had to go as he wanted too much and was only pulling 6 rebs a game..not enough for a center playing the minutes he was. Also, his offense was weak. But right on the other comments! Go Cs…the door is this way Doc!
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I agree, too. KP was asking more money than he was, and ever will be, worth.
Sadly, it worked for JG…
anyway, I don’t see how firing Doc would help this team: we’d still be crowded with guards and lacking size down low.
if you say fire Doc AND make a blockbuster trade, that’s totally different…
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PLEASE CHECK LINK it states the truth http://www.celticslife.com/2013/01/the-celtics-arent-just-as-terrible-as.html
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