Boston Celtics - 3 Men and a Rondo

[T Dot O Dot]

if the sixers could make their freethrows they'd have closed this out in 6

[innocentbystander]

Okay, the Celtics look tired. Just tired. I don't see how they take 4 of the next 7 against the Heat. I suppose its possible (with a veteran team that plays such great D, anything is possible, they can beat anyone), but if they needed great defense to win this series, they will need UNREAL defense to beat the Heat. They are going to have to force the Heat to toss up bricks. Give Lebron.... nothing.

Obviously, I hope they beat the Heat, but I can't see it. Winning 3 of 5 maybe, but not 4 of 7.

[T Dot O Dot]

C's are going to need these things to beat Miami

Bosh to stay injured & Avery Bradley, Ray Allen to get healthy

[innocentbystander]

C's are going to need these things to beat Miami

Bosh to stay injured & Avery Bradley, Ray Allen to get healthy

Ray Allen needs surgery. If they get 10 points out of him on Monday, then he has done all that he can do.

This series for the Celtics depends on Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett. Oh, and another 27 point game from you-know-you wouldn't hurt.

[Bklyn]

C's are toast, unfortunately.

[sotola]

yep, saw spurts of good basketball from them but not enough to make me believe they can beat the Heat (with or without Bosh)

I think they have almost as good a shot at beating the Heat as the Heat have of beating either SA or OKC

[T Dot O Dot]

Rondo is nice, but I dont get why defenders fall for this move:

[Bklyn]

When you average about 12 assists thru the Playoffs and your opponent plays for a team who shoots the passing lanes aggressively, it makes this move very effective.

[T Dot O Dot]

I still don't get it

for a fake like that to work a baseline move must be pre-established, no?

i.e. you set a hard screen 5 times in a row.... then <fake!> , you slip the screen

I've never seen Rondo actually attempt that behind the back pass, ever. That's the book on him, it's gotta be in the scouting report.

[Bklyn]

I don't think it works every time, though. I've seen him try it and players not bite...but he often does it on the pick & roll switch, so it's not a guard who is playing him but an out-of-position big who may have a lot of things racing thru their minds at that point. I think he uses it a lot, in those situations, but he also does drive and flick the ball behind him for the KG 17 footer, or the Shuttlesworth 3 pointer.

So I can see how it stays effective for him.

[Bklyn]

Boston blew the game in regulation when the failed to get the defensive rebound after Miami shot all those three pointers with 2 minutes left.

Also, no one rotating to LBJ on that tying 3 pointer was horrible too...especially because they played excellent defense the whole game

[T Dot O Dot]

LBJ & Pierce both Dairy Queen'ed

shows how much of a beast Bron is

advantage Celtics

[T Dot O Dot]

They never should have let Wade take that shot with Bron out

double Wade & force them into a 2 pointer for the tie, the advantage is their in double OT

[Bklyn]

Yeah, but BOS still had a gang of players with 5 fouls too, not including PP. They needed to get it over with.

[Bklyn]

Rondo Calls Out Heat

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo -- who finished Game 4 with 15 points, 15 assists and five rebounds -- took a shot at the Miami Heat at halftime of Sunday's game on his way to the locker room.

Asked by ESPN's Doris Burke what holes he was exploiting in the Heat defense, Rondo answered: "Them complaining and crying to the referees in transition."

Miami was called for 13 personal fouls in the first half (and 28 for the game), while Rondo picked up a technical after an altercation with Heat forward Shane Battier.

Following the Celtics' 93-91 overtime victory, Rondo again spoke with Burke and was asked if he expected any repercussions from his halftime comments.

"What I said was true," Rondo said. "I don't take back what I said. That's what it is."

The Celtics and Heat are tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven series with Game 5 set for Tuesday night in Miami.

[sotola]

I think the Heat believe they just have to show up to win.... watching the press conference after game 3 was pitiful. the Heat had just been pasted and LBJ and Wade were smiling and looking goofy in those dumb glasses as if they had just won. I hope their arrogance comes back to bite them in the butt. the Celts are out working them right now but the Heat don't seem to be taking it seriously. I hope the Heat keep waiting a little too long. Not winning a championship would be one thing, losing before reaching the finals would be another.

[Bklyn]

The return of TinkerBosh will help them. I'm hoping the fall though...I still think Boston is too beat up to win two of the next 3. How Ray Ray Shuttlesworth performs in Game 5 will tell me all I need to know.

[T Dot O Dot]

I'm going to defend Danny Ainge on the Perkins for Jeff Green trade


Perk cant even collect interior passes or convert offensive rebounds, he puts up alot of empty stats

[Bklyn]

Yeah, he was acquired to deal with the size of the Lakers...and is not needed so much for the defense of about 26 other teams in the L.

[Simitar]

Yeah, he was acquired to deal with the size of the Lakers...and is not needed so much for the defense of about 26 other teams in the L.

It was a good trade at the time. Jeff Green is not real good at basketball and wasn't at all a part of the future plan. And at the time, the Lakers were still in "Championship mode" and Ibaka alone wasn't going to be able to stop Pau and Bynum. OKC was loaded everywhere but C, so Presti traded one marginal player for a different marginal one that helped balance out the roster.