Maybe the Celtics do need Rondo. Just kidding. We’re still better off without him despite losing our first back-to-back games since the All-Star break. Their first 2 games back were on the road on back-to-back nights. First game was against the Denver Nuggets, who I have developed a huge man-crush on. The second was at the Los Angeles Lakers on a night when the ghost of Jerry Buss inspired them. When someone important in the franchise dies you have absolute no shot at winning. Here are my thoughts on the Denver game:
Denver 97, Boston 90
The Celtics hung tight through 3 quarters of this game. They just didn’t have enough down the stretch. Oh yea, and the refs didn’t exactly help their cause. The Celtics shot 16 free throws, the Nuggets 36!! Ultimately it was the play of Paul Pierce that cost them this game. The captain had 10 points on 2 of 14 shooting. There are some positives to take out of this game though:
Avery Bradley is turning into one hell of a basketball player. He won’t ever make an all-star team, but he’s going to win a championship with someone because of his defense. Everyone can score in the NBA. Not everyone can play defense. He’s one of the biggest reasons the Celtics are still 8-3 without Rondo. He went for 17 points this game.
Hey Rondo, this is called DEFENSE
Jeff Green needs to be in the starting lineup. Brandon Bass is the most useless player on the Celtics. Why is he a starter? Why do people like this clown? What exactly does he do? I got torn apart last year when I told Felger and Mazz that we got the short end of the Brandon Bass for Glen Davis trade. Felger asked me what kind of drugs we had out in Worcester. Only the best I told him. Baby used to be able to create his own shots, pull down boards he had no business getting, and stroke a really nice 18-foot jumper. Bass can’t create his own shot, takes down boards that are right in front of him and can’t shoot as well as Baby. Meanwhile Jeff Green was a HUGE investment for this team. We surrendered any shot at a championship in 2011 when we traded Perk for Green. Now that he’s healthy and Rondo is hurt we should be fully investing in him to see what we can expect from him. Is he someone the Celtics want to build around? He’s got insane athleticism for his size. He played well in the 4th quarter against Denver and had an eye-opening block on Corey Brewer. Dude needs to start and play at least 35 minutes a game.
Not sure where I’m going
Chris Wilcox and Jason Collins redefine the word useless. They are old, left-over parts that nobody else wants. Unfortunately they represent our depth of big guys. Neither of these guys can do anything especially well. At least for bench guys a contending team should have guys that specialize in one thing and are terrible at others. These guys are solidly mediocre or worse at all aspects of their game. Kenneth Faried ran circles around these chumps. If you ask Tommy Heinsohn though, both of them are All-Stars!!
Classic Chris Wilcox
This years Nuggets team is one of my favorite teams in the NBA. Unfortunately they have a ZERO PERCENT chance of winning the NBA finals. This is largely what makes the NBA such a terrible league. There are no more than 4 teams that can win the NBA finals this year: Miami, Oklahoma City, L.A. Clippers, San Antonio. The Clippers and the Spurs are a stretch too. In no other professional sports league is this the case. The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup despite being the least likely of the 16 playoff teams according to Vegas lines. The Ravens won the Super Bowl, despite almost no one picking them coming into the playoffs. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series despite being lead by their catcher and a fat bastard named Pablo. All 3 of these teams were long shots to win the title, but even the favorites in these leagues were no better than 4-1 to win it all.
In the NBA? The Heat are currently 4 to 9 to win the Eastern Conference. That means if you bet $90 that the Heat will win their first 3 playoff rounds, and they do, you win a whopping $40!! The second best shot in the East are currently the Knicks at 15 to 2. This basically means there is no shot in hell that anyone but the Heat will make the finals form the East. And the West? At least it will be competitive to see who comes out of the west, but only the Clippers, Thunder or Spurs can make it that far. These teams are quite simply going to get all the calls in a sport where games are won and lost on the free throw line. All 3 of these teams are better than 10 to 1 odds to win it all, but the next most likely is the Lakers at 25 to 1. The Lakers are a below .500 team that probably won’t make the playoffs. The Nuggets? 40 to 1!! They are 34-21 and one of the hottest teams in the NBA, but they have less of a shot than the Lakers. That’s the NBA. Here’s why I have a man-crush on the Nuggets:
They got rid of Carmelo Anthony and have gotten better since the trade. This proves my theory about players like him. He’s a huge dooshnozzle, who is all about himself. That might win you a championship at Syracuse, but it’s not going to work in the NBA. Now that he’s gone the rest of this young team has been able to develop, and it’s worked out as well as they could hope. Since he’s left Denver for the bright lights of Manhattan he’s managed to make the Knicks a better than .500 team that can’t get by the first round of the playoffs. Coincidentally this is exactly where the Knicks were at before he got there. Look at what Lebron and Durant do for their teams. Then look what Melo does. He’s not even close to being an elite player and certainly isn’t someone to build around.
Ty Lawson is such an underrated player. He isn’t flashy like Rondo, but he’s a much better player. He fearlessly drives to the hoop on much bigger players. He can shoot the 3, he defends tenaciously, and he doesn’t make huge mistakes. His line against the Celtics? 26 points, 6 assists, 8 of 13 from the field, and 8 of 10 from the line. Oh yea and ZERO turnovers. I’d like to see stat lines like that from Rondo, instead of the glorified “triple-double”.
Kenneth Faried has earned the nickname “Manimal”. He is an absolute beast who seems to be driven by a motor. He hustles his ass off whenever he’s on the court and makes the most of his smaller stature against bigger players. He absolutely dominated against Chris Wilcox. Although he only had 7 points, he ripped down 16 boards, didn’t turn the ball over and had a +6. Green Teamers everywhere have a little Kenneth Faried in their pants and I would LOVE to have this guy wearing Green.
Scary, scary man
Danilo Gallinari can flat out score. He’s Denver’s leading scorer, and one of 9 players on the Nuggets who scores more than 8 points a game. Against the Celtics he went for +20, and had 26 points, including four 3 pointers.
Denver’s got lots of guys who fill a specific role, and one of the best benches in the NBA. None of this will matter when they play Kevin Durant or Lebron James, which is unfortunate. Andre Igoudala is the biggest name on this roster and averages 13 a game (although he blew against the Celtics). Kosta Koufos is a solid as you get for a center in the NBA. He scored whenever he wanted to against the Celtics. Andre Miller is an established NBA veteran who has been a leader on every team he has played for and lead his Utah Utes to the Final 4. Celtics could use guys like him off the bench. Corey Brewer has always been a favorite of mine since he won 2 championships at Florida. He’s never going to be an elite scorer, but he does contribute double digit point totals, shoots the 3, and is a long and hungry defender. Reminds me of a young Bruce Bowen. Even though they boo Javale McGee in Denver, I’d LOVE to have this guy on the Celtics. He can’t shoot for crap, but he’s such a presence defensively. He averages over 2 blocks a game, and has crazy hops. He’s perfect for the 18 minutes a game that Denver uses him for. Wilson Chandler scored a lot more when he was on the Knicks, but he’s found a nice little niche in Denver’s 9-man rotation.
I like what both the Celtics and Nuggets bring to the table. The Nuggets are a much more complete team than the Celtics, but the C’s have a lot to look forward to if Green and Bradley continue to develop, and if they can get rid of useless clumps of garbage like Wilcox and Collins.
Am I wrong that only the Spurs, Clippers, Heat or Thunder can win it all this year? Am I missing someone? Can the Celtics or Nuggets get in on the action? Feel free to leave your comments and tell me how wrong I am. Shares on Facebook and Twitter are graciously appreciated as we attempt to spread the good word. Hit follow to subscribe (on the right).
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Lifelong Nuggets fan, and this year’s team is one of the most complete and straight-up exciting teams in franchise history. But….OKC (or really any of the top 4 teams in the West) will clog the lanes, slow them down in the playoffs and make them shoot their atrocious 3 balls. Nugs can take anyone to 7 games, but I doubt they’ll get over the hump. But, oh how I wish they would!
I feel ya man. Refs won’t help either. Too bad Nuggets are a fun team to watch. True definition of a team.
Aidan..
You’re right about the four teams that have a chance. However, it has been that way for several years, so I’ve almost grown used to it. Dallas shocked me by making it to the FInals a couple years ago, but I knew they’d beat the Heat, because they were much better all around, and they had a much better coach– plus, the refs still owed them dozens of calls from 2007, which they gave them!
As far as the Celtics (without Rondo), I think you’re being completely biased with your hatred for Rondo. Do you remember how well the Celtics played last season when Bradley AND Rondo were playing together– ESPECIALLY after the All-Star break?? This season, they had minimal time together on the court. You were all about the winning streak without Rondo, and you were extremely critical about the losing streak just prior to that. However, you ignored the winning streak that came right before that losing streak, and now you’re ignoring the back-to-back losses. You are obviously going to great lengths to criticize Rondo. You were quick to mention opposing PG’s great stat lines in the past, when blaming Rondo’s lack of defense. NOW, however, your mentioning Lawson’s stats and mentioning how great Bradley’s defense is. Hmmm, that seems a little unfair to me. I will leave that argument for another time.
The Nuggets are not a contender, regardless of their record. I love their coach– no homo. I have always been a big Lawson fan, and I was praying the Celtics would have traded up to draft Faried. Also, I like McGee too, regardless of his short-comings. Yes, Dallinari can score, but I’ve never thought much of him, dating back to his stint with NYK. I still like Andre, because he can do a little bit of everything on the court. Brewer and Miller are great off the bench– they are the ultimate compliments to their starters. HOWEVER, the Nuggets are extremely vulnerable at times. They lean on Gallinari to do too much of their scoring (OR, they just flat out let him shoot too much). If you are asking me whether or not I think Gallinari is the guy who is going to lead you into the Playoffs, then I’m telling you that you probably won’t make it past the first round.
Do the Celtics have a chance to go deep into the Playoffs this year? With this roster, absolutely NOT. I bleed green, but I also have a brain lol. We have STILL not addressed our front court problem, and we’ve actually gotten smaller by losing Collins in the Crawford deal. That is part of the reason why Denver shot 20 more FT’s than the Celtics that night, and exactly the reason why the Lakers scored all those damn second chance points, and also dominated the FT attempts the other night. Additionally, it is the reason we lost Game 7 to Chris Bosh– I mean the Miami Heat. Finally, it was never more evident than Game 7 against the Lakers when we gave up 23 Offensive Rebounds and 20 more FT attempts, in a game we lost by 4 points! So, our small front court is the main problem. The other problem– as much as you’ll hate to hear this– is the absence of Rajon Rondo. You’ve seen what he’s capable of in the Playoffs, and ESPECIALLY against the Miami Heat. That is when his injury will hurt us the most.
Do I think we can bounce back from back-to-back losses? Well, of course I do. We have to win in PHX tonight tho– that is imperative!! If we lose tonight, then I will start to doubt whether or not we’ll even make the Playoffs. I am extremely happy that Danny didn’t :blow it up,” but that is only because I appreciate the sentimental value of Pierce and KG. Plus, like you’ve already stated, there are only four teams that have a shot anyway, and Boston is not one of them. This will be a similar problem next year as well. So, why not let Pierce and KG play out their careers here, and then make moves when they’re gone?? I conceded to the Heat (long-term) the moment we traded Perkins. We never did anything to realistically try to fill that void ever since, and that directly correlates to our lack of team success over the last 2.5 seasons. I will be 100% satisfied if we can somehow manage to win a first round Playoff series– because I put $50 on that during the off-season. Right now tho, it is not looking good.
StePHen
All you need to know about the NBA is that Lebron James played 5 straight games without being called for a single foul. That about sums it up.
You know I like this one and LOVE your Ray. Artest looks great, but he’s just so unlikeable (even with the recnet positive SLAM article.Hope to see you during convention season, Mike.
I think NBA and MLB are equal offenders in the “only a few teams can win it” sweepstakes.
Both leagues have the heavily favored usual suspects (who for some reason seem to get highly beneficial calls), but throw in a ringer every few years to cast a bit of doubt on the grand rigging (see dallas mavs a few years back).
I think its pretty much generally accepted that the NBA is a bit of a celebrity joke league these days, but they are not alone. The MLB is right up there with them.
Interesting take T-Bird. I think baseball used to be like that when the Yankees always won. Today though it’s different in MBL in my opinion. The Giants have won 2 of the last 3 but they were pretty unlikely winners. In a baseball game anyone can win, especially if your pitching doesn’t show up.
I too love the Denver Nuggets, but I agree they have a less than 0% chance to win a championship. They have a lot of great pieces, but lack a dominant go to guy that they can count on down the stretch. I think the reason any team can win it in the NHL is the exact reason only certain teams can win it in the NBA. In the NHL a team can ride their goalie to the promise land, any goalie can get hot at any time. In the NBA you absolutely need a superstar. Denver lacks a half court offense, the ability to get big stops, and a clutch player to win it all. Javalle McGee is useless too, he hurts the team with his bonehead moves more then he helps them. I would be surprised if he had a higher IQ then a chicken finger. And why is he always exhausted and out of breath, is he smoking a pack of cigarettes during halftime? its my only guess to why hes so out of shape.
As for the Celtics, Bass gave up when he got the big contract, hes useless. The trade they made, (while i do wish they had done more) was an absolute steal. There is no way that Danny Ainge does not have dirt on the Wizards GM. He got a pretty good young player, for a guy with no ACL and Jason “Waste of space” Collins. Great trade for not giving anything up. Will it win them a championship? no i don’t think so, but at least we dont have to watch Collins anymore. Bradley has flashes, but his lack of ability to finish on easy plays as of late concerns me, We had a guy who missed the easy plays in 2008, and chose not to resign him. He now averages 8 and 4 and is widely recognized as a top 1-1 defender.
I do think that the San Antonio Spurs have a legitimate chance to win a Title this year, I actually think they might do it too. They need to stay healthy, and keep the #1 seed, but i think If they can sure up their defense they can take any team in the West and will dominate the Heat. If you make the Heat a jump shooting team, and pound them inside on offense, they fold every time.
So I’m declaring now, that if they stay healthy I think the Spurs win the NBA Championship and Duncan Retires on top in the off season.
Great article today by the way
Good call Sul. In hockey the biggest stars play no more than 18-20 minutes a game. That’s less than 1/3rd. So a guy like Crosby, or Stamkos can only do so much damage. In NBA Lebron can play all 48 minutes, and touch the ball on every play. The impact of a star player makes so much more of a difference in that league.
Looked at the video at JD2K’s site. Pretty clear that the shot never went through the intniife tunnel: The view from the opposite baseline is seen from the left, and from that vantage point, the ball is never seen to pass behind the backboard. If you were to shift the vantage point to the opposite backboard (which is how you’d line up the intniife tunnel), the ball would even more not go through the intniife tunnel.OK, now the H.O.R.S.E. is dead.