Back on Track

Rajon Rondo is back, and so are the Celtics after bouncing back from two straight losses to beat the Raptors last night 93-79 in Toronto. It was much easier to root for Nate Robinson as he was restored to his role as backup point guard, while Rajon Rondo quarterbacked Boston's offense the way he always does for majority of the game on his way to a team-high plus/minus rating of +24. Nate's often erratic shot selection is difficult to watch when he is logging 30+ minutes per game as a starter, but can be employed effectively to catch defenses off-guard when subbing in for Rondo, as defending point guards must guard the perimeter much tighter against Robinson than on Rajon. As for Boston's big men, the loss of KG has really showed in Boston's weak presence in the paint over the last couple of games, and Big Baby is also proving to be a guy that is much easier to root for when he is coming in for KG off the bench as opposed to logging nearly 40 minutes as a starter and putting up loads of questionable jump shots. Big Baby Davis absolutely has improved his shot over the past couple of seasons, but he needs to learn to incorporate this improved jumper into his play without being primarily a spot-up jump shooter. He is too big to not be using his size to put in points on the block, especially against weaker big men such as the Bargnani-less Toronto Raptors.

Davis is going to have his hands full tonight against Kevin Love and his breakout season, who is currently averaging 21 points and 15 rebounds per game. The Timberwolves may only have nine wins on the season, but Kevin Love is a guy that can completely dominate a game in the paint when given the opportunity, and he will absolutely take advantage if Boston is weak on the boards like they were against Toronto. Michael Beasley is also having a very solid year averaging about 22 points per game, and is out to prove that Miami should not have given up so early on the former #2 overall pick.

Nevertheless, Boston is far superior to this Minnesota team both on offense and on defense, and look for Rondo to pick them apart while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen continue to have big scoring games. Pierce was at his best last night knocking down clutch shots and drawing fouls, while he and Ray went a combined 6-8 from long range, so Minnesota players like point guards Luke Ridnour and Sebastian Telfair, as well as rookie Wesley Johnson, will have a very difficult time sticking with all of Boston's stars. The key to this game will be establishing more of a paint presence which has been lacking since Garnett went down with his calf injury. Big Baby needs to stick to his power forward position and stop hovering around the perimeter like a spot-up shooting guard, and Jermaine O'Neal and Harangody need to play tougher defense and box out their men. If all of Boston's big men would exert the same effort that Semih Erden did when he was filling in for an injured Jermaine O'Neal, they could still be a dominant team down-low even without Kevin Garnett. They just need to play hard, contest every shot, and win the battle of the boards. Against teams like the Timberwolves, Rondo, Allen, and Pierce should be able to handle the rest.