Catch 22
I thought it was unlikely the Celtics would start this week unscathed given the impressive number 22 standing in the way on their biggest back-to-back of the season. First, they started out down 22 against the NBA's defending champs. Then they followed that up with a showdown against Houston and their historical 22-game winning streak.
Monday's game in San Antonio was nothing short of spectacular. Even after an atrocious start you knew the Celtics had a comeback in them, especially on St. Patrick's Day. When they battled back from an overwhelming first half deficit to make it a two-point-game heading into the fourth quarter, I knew we were in line for something special. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical of the C's chances after the Spurs built up a nine-point-lead with less than five minutes to go. However, the Celtics were able to show their resilience down the stretch. Pierce, Garnett and Rondo all had impressive showings but it was Cassell that left his lasting impression on the night with what turned out to be a game-winning three.
The luck of the Irish shined in the final minute. First, Manu Ginobili's layup spun around the rim 283 times before rimming out. Then Garnett apparently couldn't hear me screaming (from my couch) to call a timeout as he inadvertently threw away the inbounds pass in the final seconds. I nearly had a heart-attack when the ball found the hands of Robert Horry -- aka "Big Shot Bob" -- but thankfully he couldn't find his magic.
Sky Rockets in Flight
Up next came the Houston Rockets, who as we all know, hadn't lost in well over a month. As is the case with most Celtics' games these days, it was a playoff-type atmosphere right from the start. Rondo and Alston exchanged elbows, technical fouls, and threatening glances before the ball was even in play.
 Their fists were clenched from the start but the Celtics didn't land their haymaker until the second half. (AP Photos) |
It took a while for the C's offense to get rolling, but like we've seen so many times this season, they came out with a purpose to start the second half. The game was tied going into the break but the Celtics came out of the locker room and outscored the Rockets 32-16 in the third to put the game out-of-reach.
Garnett capped the night off with a thunderous dunk late in the fourth quarter that put an exclamation point on the game. It still impresses me how hard he plays, even when the game is well-in-hand. That makes Minnesota's owner, Glen Taylor, look all the more foolish for his comments about Garnett 'tanking' while missing the last five games last year with an injury.
Road to Riches
The Celtics have been road warriors all season long. Subtract a three-game hiccup a month ago and you can count their road losses on one hand, quite easily if you're Antonio Alfonseca.
The Celts continued their road (and overall) dominance Tuesday night in Houston while improving their league-leading road record to 25-8. They put on quite a show considering their exhilarating come-from-behind victory in San Antonio the night before. They are now three games deep on their second and final five game road trip of the season and looking, dare I say, playoff-ready.
Bullet Points!!!
- Even though I hate him, I'll give Doc some credit for his halftime adjustments. We've seen the Celtics flourish in nearly every third quarter this season. I assume some of that has to be attributed to the coach and whatever he's saying to the players. But I'd also like to think Doc just takes a nap at halftime while Scalabrine initiates awe-inspiring slow-claps throughout the break. I guess we're all entitled to our own opinions.
- I have to say I'm none-too-pleased with Sam I Am's shot selection. I understand he can score but a lot of his shots come early in the shot clock with defenders all over him. He gets a pass for now because of his clutch shot against the Spurs, but this is something that worries me. I'm hoping over the next month, before the playoffs start, he learns there are many other options on this team and one assist is just as good as two or three points.
- Let me apologize for Friday's loss against Utah. That was the final game in my weekend-pack of tickets. Heading into the game the Celtics were a perfect 10-0 this season in games I've attended. I made a poor judgment call and gave an extra ticket to an unlucky friend. He's now been to four games so far this season - all losses. Considering the Celtics have only lost 5 home games in total; that seems a bit outlandish. I swear I tried to get him to leave at the half, but to no avail.
- Finally, it will never happen, but Pierce should get some consideration for MVP this season. Garnett gets the majority of the praise from the media, but Pierce has been playing almost flawlessly all season long.
I was just telling my son that the C's were 7-2 w/o Garnett and 6-1 w/o Ray Allen, but that was because of Pierce........ .I think we (meaning the C's) would not do near as well w/o Pierce, because he brings so much to the table every nite....... Sometimes you take certain players for granted, because they are so steady, but I would hate to have to see how well we'd do w/o the captain...... May we never have to find out. (knock on wood)
Now I'm totally mad at you for bringing your friend to that Utah game. I flew all the way from Sacramento to watch my first ever Celts game in Boston. Thanks a lot!!!
Whatever, say Doc falls asleep, everybody's opinion is different. In my opinion he doesn't and he's a great coach. The right man for the job IS Doc Rivers. I don't think there's anyone that can coach the Celtics right now but Rivers, and especially get the most out of the players. Because they respect him! Getting them ready and preparing them mentally for games is what he does. He doesn't need to inspire his players against a Miami Heat team, thats a should win game! But he'll get his team ready for big games. For sure, and you know this.
Bottom line, you're a columnist. And should have more class than that. A Boston columnist at that! You inspire the city's thinking process. For you to down play Doc Rivers coaching ability and basically say flat out " you don't like him" is juvenile. And has nothing to do with the game.
I like your "bullet points" just the one with Rivers is not cool. Happy Easter
How many times did we see Pierce take it to the hole in the 4th quarter and get fouled hard? It just seems he was on the floor a whole lot. Frankly, that worries me. Don't want to see him get banged up or hurt, like the way Tony Allen had to go out in the Houston game. Pierce made a huge difference last night as he went to the line frequently and made most of his shots. I do think this guy is worthy of MVP consideration though no one (outside of Boston) puts him in the discussion (seems everyone loves Kobe and LeBron, and maybe Chris Paul.) Pierce always plays hard and sacrifices his body and I do think he's the main man of this team. Captain for a reason, right?
Sooo right about Pierce.. hes my MVP. His defense has been great yes, but how much better is his foul shooting this year? He must be up 10 percentage points.
I too have been more than skeptical of Doc's coaching abilities... however, if you look at the team over the course of the season - the following are undeniable facts:
- Development of Rajon Rondo has been a pleasant surprise
- Contributions from Leon Powe and Big Baby have been even more eye opening
- Ability to keep Big 3's egos in check and minutes down - especially KG... he never goes over 37min. (see Kobe, LeBron, and CP3 come playoff time)
- Has the team playing inspired D every night (much of the credit has to go to KG and Coach T. but, he's still not screwing it up).
These facts suggest to me that he's done a great job this season... but, we'll all have to wait and see how things shake out in the playoffs in order to make a final judgement. Go C's!
Pierce gets my MVP vote and Doc gets my nod for Coach of the Year.
When you go from 2nd worst to first, regardless of personnel, that is an accomplishment worthy of accolades
Not to beat a dead horse but I am not really thrilled at Doc Rivers. I have been an avid Celts fan and I don't know if you were around the last couple of years but it has been awful. Yes he has done a decent job this year. Don't get me wrong I love the Celts but he is being slightly overrated.
Just to remind you, Doc is very inconsistent with his coaching. Some days big baby gets 25 mins, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes Powe gets 25 mins sometimes he doesn't get any playing time. The inconsistency is not good for players that are developing.
For example Tito stuck with Pedroia all year last year and look how well that turned out. If Tito was inconsistent with his playing time he probably would not have developed.
The defense has to be attributted to Coach T. and Garnett and none to Doc because we played NO defense that last two years.
Again I absolutely love the Celts and he has done a decent job this year but you can't put him in discussions with Coach of the Year....thats all I am saying
Great points about Pierce, and I agree - he should be in the running for the MVP award, even more so than KG. People talk about the turnaround as if it's all KG, but he's been KG for 13 seasons and never won this much, so obviously there has to be more to it. People talk like Pierce has never played any D before, when he's actually been putting his body on the line to draw charges for years, ever since Kidd did that to him on a regular basis in the conference finals.
But the guy who's getting shortchanged the most here is Ainge. Pierce is a huge part of their success with KG and Ray out of the lineup, but the fact is that Ainge has done a brilliant job of surrounding the new big 3 with role players who know, excel at, and stay within their roles, and those roles complement each other perfectly. Everyone was all over Danny boy's case for years, and it seems like he gets left out of the C's bandwagon love fest.
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