Boston Celtics Rajon Rondo Leads Team To Revenge Over Cavs 107-86
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Cleveland coach Byron Scott had what he felt was a genius idea to beat the Celtics last night. He was going to force Rajon Rondo to be a scorer. The plan proved to be an extremely bad idea as Rondo shredded the Cavs for 23 points. Maybe Byron forgot he is lacking a shut down defender at point guard or problem solving defensive center in the middle. It was not just the 23 points, but the timing of his scoring. The Celtics starters struggled out of the gate with Paul Pierce finding the bench after 2 quick fouls. The team would find themselves down 9 points early. Rondo would then find the basket and score at will off the Cavs defense. After he got tired of shooting, Rondo did what he does best and that is find his teammates. The result was 12 assists. The bottom line is Rondo was a one man wrecking crew in the 106 to 87 blowout win over the Cavs in Cleveland.
Rondo set the tone as the team attacked the paint. It seemed like everyone from KG to Nate Robinson found room to work in the paint. The result was the team shot 51 percent from the floor. The Cavs interior defense was awful.
The Celtics were also helped by the bench. The bench that has struggled lately was the key to turning this game around according to head coach Doc Rivers. Glen Davis, Marquis Daniels, and Nate Robinson all had great nights. Davis would play great defense including a game changing block early on. He also crashed the boards for eleven defensive rebounds. Davis would also bury 17 points including a three ball at the buzzer. Marquis was just as spectacular. Daniels played solid defense recording two steals, but it was his 16 points and four rebounds that made Doc Rivers gush. Rivers knows he can score better than he has. Marquis has too many moves to the basket to not be a productive scorer in this league. He plans on staying on Marquis to make sure he continues to score. Nate was also solid running the second unit offense. He scored 8 points early on and then focused on getting the ball up and into the hands of Marquis or Davis.
The result was the starters not named Rondo got some needed rest playing only 22 minutes on average. KG got a double double in his limited action with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Paul Pierce scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting. However, his defense was superb with 3 blocks and 2 steals. Ray Allen added 12 points on 5-10 shooting.
The Celtics did not play down to their opponent and gave them a beating. This is more like 08 than 2010. It is nice to see Doc has the boys playing well and not making excuses despite the fact the team has plenty with the injuries to Perkins, JO, and Delonte West. The bottom line is the Green Machine is clicking on all four cylinders. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!!
Boston Celtics Paul Pierce Has A Block Party In Cleveland
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One of the most under rated aspects of Paul Pierce’s game is his defense. When one scores over 20,000 career points, your defense often is an afterthought. Paul Pierce has always been a great help defender, but it seems like every year he gets a little better as a one on one defender or defending in transition. Other than the final moments of his game against LeBron James in 08, he does not get much respect at the defensive end.
Tuesday in Cleveland Pierce showed off some of his solid defensive skills with three blocked shots and 2 steals. The third quarter showed a three minute stretch where Pierce was a difference maker on the defensive end. Pierce blocked Mo Williams twice beautifully to stop the Cavs in transition. These blocks set up easy buckets by his teammates. The blocks also snuffed out any hope of a Cleveland rally.
Pierce is one of the greatest scorers of all time. However, do not forget he buys into Doc’s defensive system 100 percent. The result is Paul Pierce is a great becoming a great defender. Try to remember this despite the fact Pierce is pouring in the points on the offensive end. Remember Go green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!
Boston Celtics Semih Erden Is A True Warrior: Solid Minutes Despite Shoulder Injury
[picappgallerysingle id="9630807"]This season the Boston Celtics thus far have shown the rest NBA that they are very deep team. The team sits at a 12-4 record despite having key players like Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal, Kendrick Perkins, Delonte West, and Rajon Rondo miss time. However, you might notice that the center position has been hit the hardest. Thankfully for Boston, they have had one Semih Erden around.
Erden is playing through a very painful shoulder injury. This is the same injury that required surgery for Kendrick Perkins. It requires surgery for Erden as well. However, with Perkins still out and JO out for another couple weeks, Erden is putting off the surgery. He is banging around with the NBA’s best for 8 to 16 minutes a game. These minutes do not seem huge, but Shaq needs rest and Glen Davis does need to spell Kevin Garnett as well. He is extending his arms to shoot, block, or pass despite the pain in his shoulder. Erden is also still pounding his man in the paint defensively. The bottom line is the injury that should have him changing the way he plays is not affecting him at all. The result is 16 solid minutes.
Semih is getting better the more he plays. His decisions are quicker on both ends of the floor. He seems to make three or four solid plays a night. It could be a solid pass, a move to score, a key rebound, or a solid block, but the bottom line is he is making plays. The man that plays nothing like a rookie with his tremendous poise is starting to get notice form even officials. No longer does he get three to four cheap fouls due to his rookie status. He now maybe gets one or two fouls that are cheap. No doubt his gritty story is helping him in the ref department.
The bottom line is thank god for the warrior that is Semih. Without him, the Celtics would have only Shaq as a true to center that can man the middle (sorry Glen Davis is too small depending on the matchup). His play should earn him a roster spot next season that gives him some minutes. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!
Boston Celtics Nate Robinson Is The Answer To Bench’s Struggles
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It is no secret that the bench has struggled lately. The reason is simple. The injuries have ended any hope of continuity. Jermaine O’Neal is missing time. Delonte West was first suspended and now out for the foreseeable future with a broken wrist. Glen Davis was nagged with a minor injury recently that aided to his minor struggles. The team has not had a full complement of their intended bench in any of their 17 games. By not playing together and practicing as a unit, the group is going to have issues at times on the floor. However, the answer to the Celtics problems off the bench is right in front of Doc Rivers. The answer is Nate Robinson.
Nate needs to have the offense run through him. Nate showed during his starts in place of Rondo that he can be the scorer the Celtics need. The problem is Nate seems to want to wait and see what his teammates do before he starts shooting. He almost wants to see if Glen Davis is on or Marquis Daniels is involved. Nate needs to look for his shot and when the opposing team converges than worry about distributing. When he does this, he lights it up. When he started against Atlanta earlier this season, he shot first and after scoring early and drawing the defensive attention, he hit his teammates. The result was 16 points and 10 assists.
Nate Robinson needs to be true to himself and start shooting more. If Nate plays like he is a scorer instead of the distributor, the bench production will be better. This will make Doc be able to rest his starters that are already being played more than he wants to play them. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!!
Boston Celtics Hope To Have Delonte West Back For Post Season Run
The Boston Celtics announced today that guard Delonte West underwent successful surgery to repair a displaced right wrist fracture this morning at the New England Baptist Hospital. The surgery was performed by Dr. Drew Terrono and Dr. Hervey Kimball and assisted by Celtics Team Physician Dr. Brian McKeon. No timetable has been set for his return.
Press Release From Boston Celtics
Doc Rivers commented that he hopes to have Delonte West back for a post season run. This took a minor hit with the surgery required to fix his displaced right wrist fracture. The issues stem from the recovery process. For starters West needs to recover at the right pace. While recovery time varies by person, it means West could return in April and have tune up time or be back just in time for the playoff drive. If West comes back for the playoff drive, he will need a tune up in order to contribute. Doc is not going to alter his rotations for a player that has not played in four plus months. The Celtics could use his tough defense and solid shooting against the better playoff teams.
The other issue is Delonte’s mental stability. Having a setback like this if you are mentally healthy is tough, but with Delonte’s bipolar disorder the temptation to dark thoughts is greater. Can Delonte keep his spirits up and continue to work out and stay in shape? Can Delonte avoid his dark thoughts and stay away from doing anything really stupid? The answers to these questions are as important as the answers to the questions regarding his physical ailments.
The Boston Celtics Report wishes Delonte a speedy recovery. We pray he does the right things and is ready to help Boston come playoff time. Either way Doc is going to have a harder time missing a player like Delonte off the bench. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!!
