RedsArmy.com - The Voice Of Boston Celtics Fans

Is Pau Gasol having an emotional breakdown?

2012-02-18T14:26:49-05:00

In a game that featured plenty of Kobe Bryant (36 points), plenty of Andrew Bynum (17 points and 14 rebounds) and an improving bench (34 points), Pau Gasol scored 10 points on four-of-13 shooting. Though it appears pointing out a descrepancy involves splitting hairs, Bryant believes reports linking Gasol in a trade has made it "an emotional couple of days for him."

"Personally I don't understand that crap," Bryant said regarding the Lakers' effort to trade Gasol. "But it is what it is. It's important for him to know we support him. I support him especially. I just want him to go out there and play hard and do what he does best for us."

Gasol has acknowledged in recent days that he remains uncertain the Lakers will keep him. Though Gasol admitted feeling frustrated over what he described as an "erratic night", Gasol said that had nothing to do with his standing with the Lakers.

"At times it crosses your mind, but not exactly when you're playing," Gasol said. "Obviously when you're playing, you're focused and you try to do the best that you can. It's something you have to shake off regardless at any time at any point."

Pau Gasol is a puddle because of trade speculation. He's 31 years old and a veteran of 11 seasons. You'd think he would have developed some thick skin by now.

Once a soft player, always a soft player. I know... Gasol kicked some Celtic ass in the 2010 NBA Finals, but that was an aberration.

He makes Rajon Rondo look like Michael Jordan.

Celtics-Bulls photo gallery

2012-02-18T11:39:07-05:00

You know how we do it. Enjoy some pics courtesy of HoopChina from the C's visit to ChiTown on Thursday. Bonus GIFS after the jump...

Your Morning Dump... Where the Celtics are zoning out

2012-02-18T10:04:05-05:00

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

For a team that prides itself on playing great man-to-man defense, asking - no, expecting - them to play zone is not something that's embraced quickly.

That initial reluctance has certainly played a role in Boston's struggles at times in a zone defense.

"Our guys are starting to buy into it," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who added that there are still a couple who "don't get it yet."

CSNNE: Celtics zone a work in progress

In a Twitter conversation with fellow Celtics blogger Jay King, we deemed the 2-3 zone the Celtics are now resorting to is THE perfect encapsulation of what this team has become.

The Celtics are going to the zone because they have to. They have to for a couple of reasons, and both have to do with their age. The C's are too old to sustain the defensive effort they used to... ESPECIALLY with this stupid lockout schedule... and they're too old to be put through grind of chasing people around in a man-to-man D... ESPECIALLY with this stupid lockout schedule.

And let me tell you, there are few blows to a basketball player's ego quite like when the coach says "ok, we have to go zone." It's a kick in the balls. Man to man is a macho thing.. and being told "you are not good enough to guard that man by yourself"... well... that hurts. Think about Doc telling that to Kevin Garnett with KG's level of pride in his defense.

Zone is the admission that the C's just can't get it done the way they used to. The sooner everyone on that team just admits that is the case, the sooner everyone on that team can make adjustments and play a crafty old-man game and try to win. Stubbornly clenching onto the way things used to be won't get the Celtics anywhere.

On Page 2: Doc still likes the team

“It’s been a frustrating year,’’ Rivers said. “We’ve got to keep fighting through this maze and it’s going to turn OK, and I really believe that. We’ve got some missing parts, too. We just have to keep hanging in there. I like our team. I like the way we’re starting to play, but we’re not winning games.’’

Globe: Flashes not enough

Who knows if it would have made a difference, but the Celtics have been without Brandon Bass recently and that has severely hindered bench production. So I get the "missing parts" thing. Bass probably would have helped.

I put this out on Twitter the other night after the loss: This Celtics regular season is all about survival. The post season will be a different story. Equally challenging, but the story will be different.

I'll harp on this lockout schedule because it's a huge factor in a lot of this. If the Celtics can survive the regular season, the playoff schedule eases up. You can prepare for the same opponent, you don't have to travel as much... it all matters.

So there is reason for some positivity.... IF you can sift through the bullshit. If Doc Rivers is making a checklist of the things the C's need to start doing, and checking some of those things off, then I can see why he's saying what he's saying. But you have to be prepared to focus on the little things going right. String enough of those things together and the huge things going wrong will go away.

Hopefully.

The rest of the links.

WEEI: The Celtics slow, awkward transition | Herald: Celtics keep flunking physical exam | CSNNE: Dooling makes community impact | ESPN Boston: Allen: "I'll never stop shooting"

RedsArmy presents FanFriday #23 "Lee from Oregon"

2012-02-17T17:30:00-05:00

This week's Fan Friday features a name our readers should all be familiar with. Lee G., from Oregon, or as we here at RedsArmy know him, "Lee from Oregon". Lee was actually born and raised in Boston, and has been a Celtics fan all his life.

Lee started watching the C's in the late 1960's when his father would intently follow playoff games on their little black & white tv. Some of us take technology for granted, but I too remember that before the days of LeaguePass and cable tv, you'd have to listen to games on the radio if your family couldn't afford a tv.

Growing-up in the Boston-area, Lee's mom worked at the old Kennedy's dept.store. Red Auerbach was a frequent customer and was on a first-name basis with Lee's Mom. One day in particular, Red came-in with a very tall rookie that needed a raincoat. Lee's Mom did not have any in stock that were long enough to fit this unusally long & lanky gentleman. After calling-around to numerous stores, she was finally able to acquire a nice raincoat that was suitable for then 20-something Celtics center Bill Russell.

Lee's fondest memory of the Celtics is when he attended a playoff game at the Garden in 1988 between Atlanta & Boston. His wife surprised him with great seats for a game in which Larry Bird dropped 24 in the 1st quarter alone. Bird went-on to score 38 points on 15 of 25 shooting to lead the C's to a 110-101 victory. Definitely the highlight of Lee's Celtics memories.

Lee lists Bill Russell and Dennis Johnson as his favorite Celtics, and continues to be a die-hard fan, despite living on the other-side of the country. You can always find Lee's thoughts and views in the comments of our posts here at Red's. He's a regular, and one of our most dedicated followers. So Lee, thanks for your continued support and you are definitely welcome at the Casa De Kwapt should you ever make-it back to Boston for a game. Thanks for reading everyone, and GO CELTICS!

Rondo to Wilcox... 3 passes --> 3 dunks

2012-02-17T15:30:00-05:00

Remember how I said start Wilcox over Jermaine? It's because Wilcox can do things like this.

Make the switch, Doc

Taking Stock: Celtics - Bulls

2012-02-17T14:00:00-05:00

After every game, we'll take stock of how each individual performance affects the player's overall value.

Starters

Rajon Rondo: After two huge scoring games, Rajon settled back into more of an all-around mode. A 17-8-7 night is pretty damn good. Of course, that's not good enough for some people, but Rondo was doing a bit of everything out there. Had some people hit shots they normally make, Rondo would have probably had a 12 assist night.

Paul Pierce: He's one of those missing shots he'd normally make. Pierce came out hot early, but after 6 early points, he only hit for 8 the rest of the way. He's been off lately, and I'm wondering why.

Kevin Garnett: 18 points and 10 rebounds should be enough from KG on most nights. Not sure what else to ask of the guy.

Jermaine O'Neal: 6 points, 4 rebounds, and a -18. He was KILLED on the boards out there... he sets bad screens for Ray Allen... and he's a liability on offense. He got a pass a foot from the basket last night and dribbled, spun, and shot a fadeaway that missed. Bench him and start Wilcox. It's time.

Ray Allen: This has nothing to do with his shooting. Guys get cold... I get that. But Ray's biggest problem right now is he cost us a few plays last night defensively. And Ray's dribbling and passing abilities have gotten worse.

Bench

Chris Wilcox: I know I just said start Wilcox over Jermaine then proceeded to give him a the 50/50 assessment. He needs to get better defensively. On one play, he got so lost after a pick that Paul Pierce had to leave Luol Deng alone in the corner to cover Wilcox's ass and close off a lane for a lay up. Deng, of course, nailed the 3. Little breakdowns have big repercussions.

Mickael Pietrus: He's gone cold from deep. But he did grab 7 rebounds.

JaJuan Johnson: The kid has taken a little step back. His jumper is a little off and it's clear that people weren't wrong about him needing to get stronger. He needs to be able to hold his position out there. ONE rebound in 10 minutes will NOT get the job done.

Keyon Dooling: Still working his way back, so I'll take it easy on him. For now.

Avery Bradley: Yeah, I get it... the "Honey Badger" is still great. But he really is not very good as a point guard. I'm sick of watching this kid fumble the ball as he's dribbling and then miss open jump shots. If I'm the opposing coach, I put someone on Bradley full court the second he checks in for Rondo. This is a problem.

Coaching

Doc Rivers: The zone worked a little but guys keep getting lost. I'll repeat: bench Jermaine O'Neal. Let him defend second-unit guys and block shots. The second unit's production has been terrible lately, so maybe letting JO block a couple of shots with the bench will get them going. And while we're talking about a lack of bench production... where the hell has E'Twaun Moore been? The bench needs a spark and the kid can shoot. Play him.

OVERALL

If Ray Allen shoots a little better and Pierce & KG make shots they should down the stretch, this game might have been different. The first quarter was really good, the second quarter was really bad, but the Celtics had a chance to win against a pretty good Bulls team even without Derrick Rose. It's a horribly frustrating loss, but the C's still had chances. The question now is, are the Celtics too old or past their prime to eventually capitalize on those chances?

Hustle and Flow... Is the D in hot pursuit, or is Ray Allen just cold?

2012-02-17T12:30:00-05:00

When Ray Allen told the media he thinks defenses are keying on him more, I decided to take a closer look at his shots to see just how the Bulls did it. But what I found was, at least last night, Ray Allen got enough space to make shots... he just didn't.

Here's his first shot of the game.

He's already in his shooting motion with the defender a good 2 feet away from him. He didn't run off any more screens than usual. In fact, he got to that spot kind of easily and Rajon Rondo hit him with a nice, easy pass in stride to take the shot. He just missed it.

This is Ray's second sho of the game. Same deal. Not a lot of action to get open. He got the ball in stride. The shot is leaving his finger tips and there's still no defender in sight. He just missed.

And it went on like this. Of his first 8 shots, only 1 could be considered a "rushed" shot. The rest were all relatively clean looks... especially for Ray Allen. And now look at his first made 3:

This was in transistion on a kick out, but the defender has closed out pretty well on Ray. But he stepped into his shot nicely and drained it. His second 3 was a wide open shot off a pick. His 3rd 3 was tightly contested:

So here's the truth about what Ray Allen is going through:

Ray has not benefited from the best screens in the world. So while it might SEEM like guys are keying on him more, I'm betting when Ray sees defenders that weren't there in the past it's because the screens just aren't as good. That has affected his number of shots. He's had to give the ball up or he can't even get the ball at all.

That's dropped him into a funk. A. Sherrod Blakely was calling it his "seasonal slump" last night on Twitter, and he's right. Ray Allen has gone through these cold shooting slumps before. And that is pretty much what he's going through right now. Last night's 4-13 performance wasn't really a function of great D at all. It was cold Ray.

And that's OK. It's going to happen. When you hit 40% of your 3's over your career, you're going to miss 60% of them (how's that for deep analysis?). And the way Ray was shooting the 3 earlier this season was definitely unsustainable. He's come back to earth a little, but he'll bounce back.

I'd still love to see the Celtics, especially Jermaine O'Neal, set better screens for Ray. I think that will go a long way in getting him open, and hot again.

Enemy Chatter: Rondo's shooting is causing tension?

2012-02-17T11:00:00-05:00

I often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Celtics after playing the Celtics. Here's a dose of 'enemy chatter' from Chicago.

The Celtics are starting their own crucial stretch after having played just 10 road games (20 for the Bulls), the fewest in the East. There seems plenty of tension with the team with Rondo again taking the most shots (he had more than Paul Pierce and Allen combined Sunday), which isn’t exactly Boston’s plan for success.

...

Though he had that brilliant triple double in Sunday’s win, it’s supposedly a constant battle with his teammates. Pierce and Allen supposedly have been not too happy the way he monopolizes the ball at times, but then will back off late in games because he doesn’t always like to shoot free throws, though he was terrific last Sunday. Many who watch the Celtics believe this is a crucial stretch as if they fall well below .500, there’s a good chance they could make a major move involving Rondo and perhaps Allen. For now, however, coach Doc Rivers says he believes the team will come together and it still does rank in the top five in many of the defensive categories.

Bulls.com

Is Sam Smith dredging up old speculation? Because we haven't heard a peep from Celtics insiders about any teammates being unhappy with Rondo's increased shooting over the past 5 games.

The notion that the Celtics can't win with Rondo taking the most shots is a bit outdated, too.

On Page 2, Rondo looks like ET.

The Derrick Rose - Rajon Rondo 'rivalry' (one's MVP, the other's E.T.)* is a nice subplot to any Bulls-Celtics contest. But especially with Rose out, the fun part of playing the Celtics nowadays is seeing the Bulls frontcourt just destroy the same Celtics that seemed so imposing in the 2009 playoffs.

Blog-a-Bull

Hahaha... this is hilarioius. Almost as funny was what Rondo did to the Bulls in the 2008-09 playoffs.

Chew on this, sucka.

Your Morning Dump... Teams are locking down Ray

2012-02-17T08:55:08-05:00

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“It gets frustrating,’’ Allen said. “I’ve been a scorer my whole career, and scoring in many different ways, so I try not to lock into one way or the other how I am going to put the ball in the hole.

“But being able to create as well, creating opportunities for the other guys, I think this year more than any year I’ve noticed teams focusing heavier on me.’’

Allen was the Celtics’ leading scorer early in the season, but opponents clearly have been attempting to take him out of games.

“I’ve seen teams, it’s almost like a box-and-one, where the guy is not bumping anything, he’s committing himself to me and he’s not help defense at all,’’ Allen said. “And a lot of teams are saying, ‘We gotta take Ray out, keep him out of the game, and we stand a greater chance of keeping the offense in standstill situations.’

“So I do whatever I can to move the ball around and get to positions where I can create stuff for other people, but when we get in trouble, we don’t move the ball around. If I’m scoring, the ball is moving around quite a bit.’’

Globe - Ball movement may get them somewhere

Rajon Rondo is the engine and Paul Pierce is Mr. Versatile, but Ray Allen has become the focus of opposing team's defensive schemes. It makes sense. Ray benefits the most when the team is making the extra pass. He's also the most explosive scorer on the Celtics. Look no further than last night's 3rd quarter. Ray was having another ho-hum night and then BAM! Three 3-pointers in 4 minutes and the Celtics were back in the game.

I'm not going to blame Ray. Just watch him w/o the ball. He's in constant motion.

What is the solution? We can all scream "better ball movement," but what does that mean?

Does KG need to pass more? No.

Rajon Rondo is taking more shots (about 7 more than his season average over the last 5 games), but as John pointed out yesterday, RR is doing a good job of not forcing shots.

That leaves Paul Pierce. He had a great stretch playing point forward in Rondo's absence. But his shooting has been hideous this season - 41%. It's worse in February - 37%. Pierce needs to be better and it might just draw attention off Ray and to him.

Ray Allen's monthly shooting percentage this season: 58% - 48% - 42%. It's worse the last 5 games - 36%. The Celtics need to solve this riddle quickly.

On Page 2, the blossoming love connection between Rajon Rondo and Chris Wilcox.

I can't get enough of these two.

I guess this is what it's like to be a Clippers "Lob city" fan. Did I really just type that?

The rest of the links:

Recap: Celtics pull the old rally-and-fade

2012-02-16T22:58:42-05:00

How many times have we seen the new Big 3-era Celtics fall behind early, claw their way back, only to fade in the 4th quarter? Tonight was one of those nights.

The 2nd quarter was horrendous. The Cs shot 3-for-15. They were outrebounded 19-3. A 7-point lead was transformed into a 9-point deficit.

As the lead crept to 16, I contemplated writing a recap after the 3rd quarter and calling it a night. But once the thought entered my mind, the Celtics made a run. Credit Ray Allen (12 points, 4-13 FG) who made three 3s in the final 4 minutes of the quarter.

The Celtics pulled ahead (63-61) in the 4th, but that's when the fade began. Luol Deng (23 points, 6-9 3 FG, 10 assists) kept nailing three pointers and the Bulls picked apart the Cs zone defense.

Rajon Rondo (17 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists) had two beautiful alley-oops to Chris Wilcox (9 points, 3 rebounds). Let's hope Dwight Howard sees some highlights.

Not sure how I feel about Rajon Rondo in the post. The play often takes too long to develop. Is he really comfortable there?

Another weak effort by Paul Pierce (14 points, 6-16 FG). What's wrong with the Truth?

TNT's Kevin Harlan referred to JaJuan Johnson as "Jackson" on multiple occassions.

Box score

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)