Kyrie Eleison: Cleveland Cavaliers beat Boston Celtics 95-90
Kyrie Eleison: Latin for "Lord Have Mercy."
I’m going to keep this brief because I’m too angry to think rationally about this (I actually took a break from the game and put a moratorium on my in-game tweeting when I returned because I was too likely to say something stupid).
- Kyrie Irving was amazing. There’s no way around this. He single-handedly dominated Rondo (and others) offensively, and it didn’t look vengeful or angry or determined. He just looked like a superior point guard. He’s not elite defensively, but he’s adequate, and “adequate” is good enough for him to be a superstar.
- Paul Pierce hit his first two shots and finished 3-15 because of course that’s what happened.
- Jared Sullinger remains the lone bright spot in a sea of mediocrity. I honestly believe that the people who believe he will be a role player for his entire career are underestimating him.
- Don’t blame the 3-point shooting tonight. As a team, the C’s shot 7-17, which is good for 41.2% — a very efficient number from 3-point range.
- Don’t blame the rebounding either…Boston dominated both the offensive and defensive boards.
- Avery Bradley doesn’t seem anything close to healthy (because he isn’t, but still).
- After 41 games (half the season, by the way), the defensive rotations are still awful. So we can go ahead and scratch that off the list of things that might be fixed with time.
This gets old. In fact, it has gotten old some time ago. It’s not fun to root against the Lakers because they exhibit the same flaws as Boston night in and night out. The only difference is that the Eastern Conference is so weak at the bottom, those flaws might not keep the Celtics out of the playoffs. Do they deserve it? At the moment, hell no.
They could certainly turn it around. Heck, they could disappoint us throughout the regular season, then go on a valiant playoff run and we would all deem it a worthwhile season. But with every loss to a bad team, with every game thrown away by lackadaisical play, with every missed defensive rotation, with every offensive possession that ends with a long jumper at the end of the shot clock, with every offensive rebound that leads to an easy basket by the opposing team, it seems more and more likely that this season will be a depressing, unworthy epilogue to the Pierce and Garnett’s careers.
And that’s a goddamn shame.
Follow Tom on Twitter: @Tom_NBA.
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Celtics Blog | Tom Westerholm | January 22, 2013
THIS CELTICS SUCKS!
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The ‘captain’ ain’t being very captain-y is he? Instead of jacking shots how about driving to the hoop. What’s amazing is that PP is rebounding better, and as he should have been, but his scoring is now averaging 12 pts a game over the last 4 losses. Good luck with the Knicks, Hawks and Heat boys, as it’s going to get real ugly unless you show up with some f’in passion for playing the game. Oh, that’s right; these are quality teams up next so we’ll likely give it our all (being on national TV, too). We crush the Cavs on the boards and get 16 offensive rebs and lose. We’re really, really pathetic now. Go Cs…trade Doc, please!?!
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Damn it! I have never over analyzed anything in my life more than this other than a relationship! And I’m a girl! Get it together… Ugly expletives…… No excuse.
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Besides the cavs dunking all over the place, I thought it was a really fun game. I felt that the celtics would win it, even though their defense sucked all night long. I guess they ran out of fuel in the fourth quarter. The horrible thing, was Paul Pierde airballing that last shot… wtf was that.
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PP’d better use the all star break to take a week off, he has no legs. Rondo was plain awful as a floor general (from great powers…), Bass his usual, useless self, KG can’t take it anymore, Jet can’t sink it in the ocean, etc. I agree that Sully was a bright spot, but that’s far from enough. Let’s be realistic: a couple of games past the all star break it will be evident if it’s the case to take this team, dismantle it and start the long, painful rebuilding process. The “retooling” didn’t seem to work.
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It looks KG and Paul Pierce are finally done. Father Time won again….. Jason Terry is done too, he had nothing left last year, so Danny signed him for 3 years…. It’s over, there won’t be a long playoff run.. I can’t watch anymore, I rather have last year’s bench. Those guys didn’t score but they defended, and JEFF GREEN SUCKS
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I dont even care if they bring it the next few games because they have proven time and time again that they can’t do it consistently (especially against poor and mediocre teams)….Danny needs to blow it up or pull off a magical deal to move some combination of Bass/Lee/Green/Terry/Barbosa/Melo/Picks for a servicable big man (i.e. Gortat) to play next to Kevin. With the pats loosing and the Celts playiin such apathetic ball, i guess all i have to say is, GO BRUINS!
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They lost most of the players that got them to the ECF last year. This was supposed to be the upgrade. Danny needs to give away the get rich quick schemes. For most teams it takes a few years to build a championship. I think things will pick up around the playoffs. Just stop horsing around in the locker room and stay above .500 guys.
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Although they have been aggravating to watch, no need to hit the panic button people. This team will be fine, Pierce needs to start taking some days off, his leg weigh more than Maurice Jones Drew at this point. Garnett will get out of his mini-funk and Rondo doesnt go 100% unless its playoffs. We’ve done this the past 4 years Celtic nation, have some faith.
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I’ve never given up on this team, not in 2010 when they finished the season 27-27, that season after losing at home to the nets who I think won eleven games that year my exact words were the celtics will win the championship. I didn’t give up in 2011 after the perk trade but we never got healthy to prove me right. Shaq never came back and rondo only had one arm in the playoffs. I didn’t worry last year at 15-17 I knew they would be tough in the play offs due to a 66 game season. This year I think I am close to giving up but I still have trouble picturing anyone in the Eastern conference beating the celtics 4 out of seven, they will be one hard out. So just stay healthy and bring on Miami in the first round. I can no longer watch the regular season, it depresses me too much. I take it way to seriously , see you all in May. Lets go C’s!
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(in case it wasn’t clear) I’m not that optimistic about this year. even if we assume that Pierce and Garnett can produce at the levels of the 2012 playoffs (not much, in the case of PP), and Rondo seems slightly better, at least jumpers-wise, we’re sorely missing that guy’s contribution, that neither Lee nor Jet have been able to replace. and since they’re competing for a roster spot I don’t think it’s a matter of lack of effort from their side. Green has been inconsistent. no, wait, he’s been non-existent for the biggest part of the season. Bass was not able to post up against Battier, yet still consider himself a strong post up player, and we are so thin in the frontcourt that I’d salute Stiemsma as a savior. thanks god Sully slipped down to pick#21. I say it again: let’s imagine to face NY and Atlanta in the playoffs. In which conditions will KG be in the ECF, if we get there? Effort can’t compensate for size in a long playoff run.
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‘m losing hope because the difference between last season and this season is; last season we were never 100% healthy, players were out of shape and didn’t have enough training time, but they never stopped fighting. We had a huge lack of scoring bench which at the end cost us the ticket to the finals.
On the other hand this year we’ve been healthy almost all the time, they had enough training time and even a trip to europe to build chemistry, in paper, the bench seems a lot better. I even thought Terry would be an improvement over he who must not be named.
But nothing is working for them this season. They are complete and healthy, but as Frank says, last years bench defended a 100 times better than this year’s, and they truly scary thing is that it’s the same starting 5 as last year’s! besides the starting 5 + sully, I wouldn’t mind trading everyone else, I really miss Stiegsma and Pietrus.
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http://www.celticslife.com/2013/01/the-celtics-miss-ray-allen-and-other.html
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it’s not that simple: on the one hand, Jet and Lee weren’t able to fill the void that guy left, but he wasn’t himself anymore, either. furthermore, the biggest part of the current roster’s problems are not on offense (besides 3pts%, I have to admi), but on defense, where that guy’s contribution dropped significantly from 2011 to 2012. That’s why he lost his starting spot in favoru of AB.
So yes, it’s always hard to replace a hall of famer, but that’s not the reason the Cs are struggling today.
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I agree that yes we are having issues on defence especially rebounding and toughness in the paint and shot blocking(we really miss Steisma)chemistry is not something you build on paper and as good as it looked getting Terry and Lee over the last 5 season minus 2010-11 the big 4 had natural chemistry which is extremely hard to find so I get your point but there are some other guys from last year we are really missing I guy named Pietrus is another guy who played a huge part in last seasons success CL might be more talented but guys from last season and years past knew what there roles were and played them well
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I agree totally. basically we have no balls (but lots of mo0r0ns, pardon my french).
my point was just that even if that guy were on board, his old and tired legs wouldn’t make such a big difference, at least since there seems to be 2 more pairs of old and tired legs in green this year.
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LOL completely sad but true
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