The Morning Walkthrough: Celtics not as good as two years ago?

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn't mean we have to.  Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day. 

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe - The Celtics cannot possibly be as good as they were two years ago. How could they be? The key players weren’t exactly athletically young then, and they’re all two years older now. Factoring Wallace into the mix, four of their first six players are 32 or older, and the seventh guy, Eddie House, is 31. Fortunately, they have a powerful young (and ever-improving) big man in Kendrick Perkins and a dynamic young point guard in Rajon Rondo, but they ultimately depend on older players to be as good as players their age can be, and that places a tremendous responsibility on the coach to manage team affairs as efficiently and intelligently as possible.

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston - "I like taking shots, it's just when you play with guys that are great at what they do, it's my job to distribute the ball," said Rondo. "I'm a pass-first guard. Probably pass second and shoot third. That's how I play. I'd rather get an assist than score with the ball. I shoot when I have to or I feel the need to. Other than that, I'm fine with getting Ray [Allen] the ball, Paul Pierce, or Eddie House. I've got great shooters."  But as Rondo has shown at numerous times this season, he's capable of taking a game over offensively, and not just by distributing the ball.  Take Tuesday, for example. Not only did Rondo score all of his points in the pivotal fourth quarter (the game was tied at 71 after three), but he also registered three assists, which means he was directly involved in 19 of the Celtics' 27 points in that period.  While much of the pregame chatter was about Milwaukee rookie Brandon Jennings (17 points on 7-of-19 shooting) and his prolific offensive numbers, Rondo stole the show.

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE - After being scoreless through three quarters, Rondo seemed to channel his inner Paul Pierce in the fourth, looking to not just penetrate the lane but also finish around the basket.  There appeared to be little Jennings could do, even though the rookie has already proven to have the speed to hold his own with most NBA playmakers.  But there's speed, and then there's Rondo's  jet-booster-pack-in-the-sole-of-his-sneakers speed.  He was blowing past Jennings off the dribble and into the lane all night, but frequently passed on potential lay-ups to instead kick it out to a teammate for an easy jumper or possible lay-up.  That all changed in the fourth quarter.  That's when Rondo became a scorer, not only from the field but also from the free throw line.

Zach Lowe, Celtics Hub - Within two minutes of entering the game for the first time, TA bullied Carlos Delfino under the rim, received the ball, fooled Delfino with a shot fake and drew a shooting foul.  And in that moment, I was thinking: “Yes! This is exactly what the C’s need from TA. The team doesn’t draw a lot of fouls, and that’s one thing he’s good at and oh my freaking god he’s about to convert this into an And-1!”  And then he missed a relatively clean lay-up. Didn’t even graze the rim. Then he missed both free throws.  Throw in a classic TA charging foul on an out-of-control fast break drive, and I officially ran through a season’s worth of the Seven Stages of TA in six minutes of playing time.

Frank Madden, BrewHoop - Unfortunately, in crunch time the Celtics simply played like the Celtics.  And the Bucks, well, they played like you'd expect the Bucks to play on the road against the league's best defense.  After Delfino found Ilyasova surprisingly open for a layup to tie it at 86, Rondo (40% ft shooting coming in) hit a pair of freebies and stuck a mid-range jumper shortly thereafter.  It was the capper on a big quarter for Rondo, who scored all 11 of his points in the decisive period, including 5/7 from the stripe.  Bogut then turned it over on consecutive possessions, and Garnett dumped a righty hook over Ilyasova to extend the Boston to lead to 93-86.  Ballgame.

Jeremy, Bucksketball - Yes, playing hard is great and coming close against the Celtics is fun, but ultimately losing sucks.  While this game wasn’t nearly as frustrating as the Cleveland Blowout last Sunday, it wasn’t very satisfying to see the Bucks put it together when they needed it most.  If they got a stop, they couldn’t get a bucket.  If they got a bucket, they couldn’t get a stop.  Ultimately they blew it over a two and a half minute stretch in the fourth.  The most difficult thing to swallow about this stretch is the Bucks inability to even get a shot up.  Two turnovers by Andrew Bogut and one from Brandon Jennings. That’s the just the strength of the Celtic defense.

Chris Forsberg (again), ESPNBoston - Celtics forward Kevin Garnett put together another brilliant game Tuesday night, scoring a team-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting with nine rebounds as Boston topped the Bucks, 98-89, at TD Garden.  And while Garnett, who shot 90.9 percent while connecting on 10 of 11 shots in a win over Oklahoma City on Friday, admitted he's shooting the ball particularly well right now, he's hardly conscious of it.  “Really I’m not even paying attention to my shot," said Garnett. "I just know it feels good. I feel great, I feel a lot more explosive. Everything I’m doing in the course of the offense is nothing sparkly, it's nothing shiny, it's nothing glossy. I’m just going out there trying to get chances to score, opportunities to be effective. I’m trying to take advantage of them. Other than that, my mindset is more defensive than offensive right now. I'm not even thinking about the offensive end, to be honest with you.

Tom Halzack, CelticsBlog - The 4th Quarter was the Difference.  After losing Jennings on a screen on the left side, Rajon drove and scored his first basket of the game with a little jump shot on a beautiful spin move in the paint. That made the score 75-73.  The next time down the floor, the Celtics moved the ball around with Scalabrine passing up a three and driving and kicking out to Sheed for a three that energized the house. Score 78-73.  Jennings drives to make it 78-75, but Pierce kicks it out to Rasheed for another three to make it 81-75.  The Bucks come back to tie it at 86 all on an Ilyasova lay-up, before Charlie Bell fouls Rondo on what Doc Rivers called Hack-a-Rondo.

Brandon Jennings, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the law of averages

The law of averages states that probability will influence all outcomes in the long-term. Too bad for the Milwaukee Bucks, all flukes come to an end.

For a while, it seemed as if the Bucks were a true contender, Brandon Jennings was the next Allen Iverson (except he shot a better percentage from the field), and Dan Gadzuric was the next Mikki Moore.

Now, the Bucks can’t win a game, Jennings can’t buy a bucket, and Gadzuric, well, he’s not even at Moore’s level.

I can’t exactly say I didn’t see it coming. How could the Bucks continue their torrid pace from an 8-3 start when they start players named Ersan Ilyasova, Charlie Bell, and Carlos Delfino? That hot start was bound to dissipate, as soon as that little thing called the law of averages caught up to them.

And what about Jennings? Granted, he’s been far better than advertised. He’s carried the Bucks to the record they have, taking the league by storm and showing many executives they were flat-out wrong to pass him up. (As well as bringing up the questions, “Why the hell couldn’t Jennings earn playing time in Europe last season? Was his coach blind as a bat? Dumb as dirt? Both?”) But this is a guy whose biggest knock was his ability to hit outside jumpers, yet all of a sudden he was torching the league like a miniature version of Steve Kerr, only if Kerr was left-handed, black, quick as lightning, and had participated in a ridiculous, profanity-laced interview with rapper Joe Budden. Just like the Bucks were bound to start losing, Jennings was bound to start missing. He is still shooting 44.8% from threes, but his shooting percentage has dropped from about 50% to its current 41.4% clip.

That damn law of averages, I guess. Anyways, despite his plummeting shooting percentages, despite the fact that Jennings has only scored 20 points or more once in the last eight games, he still remains one of the league’s biggest attractions so far this season. Who wants to miss the electric young left-hander, already proclaimed as one of the league’s rising stars? Not me. Especially when he’s matched up with our incumbent rising star PG, Rajon Rondo, another super-quick lead guard with the ability to single-handedly change the outcome of a game.

Even though we’ll also be subject to watching the likes of Ilyasova, Bell, Gadzuric, Delfino, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Luke Ridnour, this one should be worth the price of admission just to see Jennings in action. (Milwaukee fans, save the emails, I know Ilyasova is having a good season, I know Luke Ridnour isn’t that bad, and I know Mbah a Moute is a tough defender. But, for the love of God, they’re Ersan Ilyasova, Luke Ridnour, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute! Not even their mothers would pay to watch them play basketball.), During his short time in the league, Jennings has put everyone on notice that he’s a potential force for years to come, a rare blend of speed, basketball IQ, and shot-making abilities. And you can be sure Rondo, who always seems to rise to the occasion in games against other elite point guards, will be ready to try to bring the rook down a notch or two.

But enough about Jennings, and back to the law of averages. If the Celtics and Bucks were to play ten times, the C’s would probably win nine of those games.

But who knows? Maybe tonight will be Milwaukee’s night. To quote Jay-Z, even a broken clock is right at least two times a day.

Boston Celtics-Milwaukee Bucks game preview

I've already written a piece about the game tonight, so instead of writing a full-fledged column here, I'm just going to give you a list of four things to look for in tonight's game:

1. Brandon Jennings vs. Rajon Rondo - I don't really need to say more, but of course I'm going to.  Quickness.  Speed.  Playmaking.  Rising stars.  Potential All-Stars.  The future of these two teams.  Is any of that enough to entice you to watch this one?

2. The disappearing Andrew Bogut - For a while, when the Bucks were going good, it looked like Bogut himself might be an All-Star.  He was putting up double-doubles every game and being the physical presence the Bucks needed every time out.  Now, he's regressed so much recently that coach Scott Skiles has said Bogut goes into certain games thinking he can't play well against a certain opponent.  Not exactly the attitude you want out of your starting center.  (And especially not out of a starting center you drafted ahead of Chris Paul.)

By the way, an interesting tidbit on Bogut: ESPN the Magazine's John Gustafson once wrote of Bogut, "To be fair, while he shoots with the touch of Vlade Divac and passes with the grace of Arvydas Sabonis, he's a superior athlete to both."  Uhh, John?  Once you return from drug rehab, do you want to add that he gets scared to play against good centers?

3. Celtics at home - For whatever reason, the Celtics have really struggled at home so far this season.  They have gotten off to bad starts, played poorly for long portions of the game, and acted like home is certainly not where the heart is.  We'll see tonight if their recent good play is confined only to the road, or whether it will cross over to Boston.

4. Who plays Marquis Daniels' minutes - With 'Quisy out with an injury, somebody's going to be called on to fill in for him.  If you see a man drop to his knees, screaming at the heavens, "Please, please, please don't let it be Tony Allen," that's me.

Throwing a couple dimes

A couple more pieces I wish I'd penned myself.

First, Celtics Central's Tom Halzack writes the best Brandon Jennings piece I've seen today.  (And, believe me, that is a major accomplishment.  I've almost seen more articles today about Jennings than Tiger Woods.)  Here's a brief excerpt:

Drop 55 points on somebody and you get that team’s attention. Do it as a 20 year old rookie in your 5th NBA game and you get everyone’s attention.

That is what the NBA’s newest budding star, point guard Brandon Jennings did to the Golden State Warriors on November 14. Okay, so he should get a ten point handicap because it was the Warriors, but still, that is fantastic shooting by any standard.

He goes on to discuss Jennings' role with the Bucks in depth, his groundbreaking position as the first high-schooler to take off overseas, and Scott Skiles' role in Jennings' development.  Really a good read.

The second piece is CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely, handing out quarter-of-the-season grades.  Here are a few:

Paul Pierce — His numbers don't come close to doing justice to what The Captain has meant to this club, this season. First quarter statistics: 18.6 points; 3.8 assists; 4.6 rebounds. GRADE: A-

Kevin Garnett — After a slow start, Kevin Garnett is looking like his old dominant self. First quarter statistics: 15 points; 7.4 rebounds; 2.7 assists. GRADE: B

Kendrick Perkins — Has played at an all-star caliber level, establishing himself as one of the league's best defensive big men. First quarter statistics: 11.7 points; 7.7 rebounds; two blocks. GRADE: A-

He goes on to grade everyone -- even Scal -- so you should check it out.  Maybe next time, I'll pen my own nice piece.  But, until then, I'll just link to the people who do.

The Morning Walkthrough: Brandon Jennings was mentored by former Celtic Allan Ray

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn't mean we have to.  Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day. 

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston - But here's the strongest connection between Jennings and the Celtics: He was mentored by former Celtics guard Allan Ray while playing overseas last year. Colleague Chris Broussard detailed the connection in last November's ESPN the Magazine: "After practice, Allan Ray, the former Villanova star who is in his second year with Virtus Roma, gave Jennings a pep talk. Ray got kicked out of several practices last season. 'When you're The Man in high school, you can do whatever you want,' Jennings says despondently. 'This is something new for me, especially playing for a coach who's real controlling and doesn't take no stuff.'"

Steve Weinman, D-League Digest - There is little reason to doubt that this sort of performance will be the norm for Walker as long as he remains in the D-League. He has NBA strength at his position.  He has NBA speed, and he is explosive around the rim.  All of that is exactly why Walker’s prospects for finding his way back to the NBA and staying there won’t hinge on how dominant he is as a scoring force at this level. This is about improving his game from the neck up.  From his high school days at North College Hill to his time at Kansas State to last season with the Celtics, Walker has always had the physique to be a special player. Finding a way to put his tools together and harness his energy on the court has been and continues to be the biggest challenge.

Zach Lowe, Celtics Hub - It’s a small but gradual evolution: KG’s shot selection is moving both closer to the rim and further away. He’s getting more shots at the rim and within 10 feet and in the area between the foul line and the three-point arc—the area NBA experts generally consider the least “efficient” place from which to shoot.   But this isn’t a bad thing. The first reason is simple: Since 2007, KG has made a slightly higher percentage of shots from 16-23 feet than from the 10-15 foot range. And that makes intuitive sense. Those 16-23 footers tend to be open shots created by dribble penetration or a pick-and-pop, while the 10-15 footers are more often created in one-on-one isolation and shot within crowds.  Put another way: A shot from 10-15 feet away is (generally) the worst shot Kevin Garnett can take.

Me, Celtics Town - Watching the Boston Celtics, though, floods back all the memories of high school basketball, a time when my team wasn't a bunch of individuals, but a close-knit group of brothers. It is easily evident on the court just how much the Celtics care about each other and want to win the game, not just for themselves, but for each other. You can see it every time Kendrick Perkins sets a screen to free somebody else to score, or Kevin Garnett sits on the sidelines during a blowout and screams like the world is ending. You can see it when Rajon Rondo takes fewer than five shots in an entire game, more than willing just to set his teammates up, or when Paul Pierce defers to his teammates for large parts of the game, happy to ride out somebody else's hot hand. You can see it when the Celtics go on a run, and the entire bench is standing up and cheering, even if NBA rules no longer allow that. You can see it when Shelden Williams, fresh after catching his first DNP-CD of the season, remarks on Twitter not about being hurt by not playing in the game, but about how big a win it was to beat the Spurs. You can see it in every defensive rotation, every dive to the floor after a loose ball, every extra pass to a more open teammate; the Boston Celtics play the game the right way, a selfless way, a way that inspires teamwork, friendship and camaraderie. A way that not only brings wins, but happiness.

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe - Young Mr. Jennings should make sure he extends a pregame fist to a certain No. 5 of the Celtics, because thanks to the Garnett Effect, he was able to pocket $3.65 million before reaching his 20th birthday.  Kevin Garnett was the human toothpaste who oozed out of the tube back in 1995, demanding the NBA take him directly from Chicago’s Farragut Academy rather than from an institution of higher learning.  No player had tried to come to the NBA directly from high school since Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, and Bill Willoughby had done it in 1974 and 1975. Their mixed success (Malone was an all-time great, Dawkins, a.k.a. “Chocolate Thunder’’ was a gigantic tease, and Willoughby was a talented, misused failure) somehow doomed the experiment, and the NBA floated along serenely doing its business with a mixed bag of collegians until Garnett changed everything by submitting his name to the draft.