Paul Pierce broke the 20,000 career points barrier and Rajon Rondo racked up another 15 assists en route to a thriller of an overtime win over the Bucks last night. The back and forth contest featured at least 15 ties and 15 lead changes over the course of the game, but in the end the Celtics came out on top, fueled by double digit scoring from Rondo, Pierce, Ray Allen, KG, and Big Baby, most of whom were being consistently set up by some precision passing from Rondo. The Bucks played hard and showed they may be a little more resilient than their 1-4 record indicates with a double-double from Andrew Bogut, solid play by Brandon Jennings, and some clutch points being chipped in from role players such as Delfino and Ilyasova. Regardless, it was not enough to overcome the cohesive play of a very tough Boston team, and Paul Pierce's overtime free throws put the game out of reach. What did concern me during this game was the fact that the Celtics had a nine point lead earlier on in the game, and let the Bucks back into it instead of stepping on their necks and putting them away early. This game was much closer than it should have been. Also, the final play at the end of regulation (after a Boston timeout, mind you) ended with a pull-up jump shot from Rajon Rondo. I have done nothing but rave about Rondo's explosive play and ever-improving jump shot, but this was not the last second play I wanted to see for breaking the tie. Rondo should have drove to the hoop the way he does best and tried to draw a foul, and if anyone was shooting a jump shot for the win, I would hope it would be Ray, Pierce, or Garnett. Rondo's jumpshot is no longer abysmal and can be utilized in games effectively, but it should absolutely not be the Celtics' first option for any last second game winning shots.
Tomorrow night the Celtics have another home game, and they are up against the Boozer-less Bulls. I expect everyone in Boston to be on their feet to welcome back BRIAN SCALABRINE, even though he will be wearing the wrong colors. The Bulls are a tough team that could make their presence known in the playoffs this year, with some great slashers on their team including Luol Deng who put up 40 points against Portland on Monday. The Rondo-Rose matchup will be fun to watch like it always is, and look for Rondo to chip in another 15 dimes to help add to his record breaking season thus far. I hope that at least one time tomorrow night we'll see Scal for three, but more importantly, look for the Celtics to clog up the paint against all of Chicago's inside scorers and to win the game with tough defense, great passing, and three pointers. Check back tomorrow for a more in-depth analysis and keys to the game.
Good game breakdown. Bucks played very well in a tough road game. My main concern was that for the second game in a row when Doc went to a 100% bench lineup a big lead started to evaporate faster than dry ice. The bench took only 3-4 minutes to lose 40% of a 20 point 4th quarter lead against the Pistons. Last night against the Bucks they blew the entire 9 point lead at the start of the second quarter, and Doc had to bring back the starters far earlier than he wanted in the second of back-to-back games. They gutted it out and got the win but that won't happen against a better team, or even against an inferior team later in the season. With a team this old it's a red flag that they can't seem to survive for even a couple of minutes without at least 2 or 3 starters on the court.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, in honor of Scal you should change your site color to red for just one night!
I almost forgot to mention how great it was to watch Pierce get that 20,000th point last night. It's amazing to see how much the guy has matured over the years. I thought forever that he didn't deserve consideration as one of the alltme Celtics elite - except for the fact that he had simply hung around and worn the shamrock in a lot of games. I had defined him as the guy who in 2005 almost singlehandedly got the Celts eliminated in a playoff game that was under control by whacking Jamaal Tinsley after a routine intentional foul. I hated him for a long time for that. But he turned out to be the rarest of punks - one who actually realizes he needs to grow up and respect others to be the best he can be. I was worn down first by by his willingness to stick it out with teams that lost as many as 18 straight through 2007. In 2008 he combined that newly found patience with the ability to be a great team player who still knows how to take over when it's time to take over. Anyway my point is - when I see Pierce now I don't see a punk. I see a great example of Celtic Pride, someone who fully deserves to stand next to Bird and Havlicek as one of the best ever to play at the Garden. It wasn't like Bird who seemed destined for greatness from the beginning. Pierce had to earn it. And he did.
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