I will tell you that Paul Pierce is a scoring machine. Since coming to Boston all Pierce has done is carry the offense. When his running mates were guys like Antoine Walker, RIcky Davis, and Al Jefferson, Pierce was a one man wrecking crew. Despite doubles and even triples and defenses that were designed just to stop him, Pierce just scored. Even now with stars like KG and Ray Allen around him, Pierce is still the go to scoring guy. The reason for this is he just had a tremendous bag of tricks including a mid range game, a long distance shot, the ability to score off the drive, score in the post, and of course the lethal fade from the top of the key. The man is truly the best Celtic of this generation. However, he is not Larry Bird.

Larry Bird is an iconic figure for a reason. When the three time NBA MVP winner that was Bird was at the top of his game from 1980 to 1987, he was arguably the best or second best (The answer depends on if you ask a Laker fan) player in the entire NBA. The man was the offensive anchor of three NBA title teams. Bird may have been known for his complete game of scoring, rebounding, and playmaking, but his bread and butter was being the best scorer in the NBA for that period. Bird was the best shooter of his era. Bird had deadly accuracy and a very quick release from every range. Bird could drive, stop on a dime and bury his shot in one fluid motion. His three point shooting was also the stuff of legends. Bird averaged over 40 percent from long range from 1984 to 1988.

Bird has several advantages over Pierce in this argument. One is Bird could have scored more, but he did not have to. He was content sharing the ball with his very talented teammates. If he did not have them and lesser guys around him like Paul Pierce had, he would have scored more out of necessity. Bird averaged over twenty four points per game despite playing his career with guys like Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale. While Pierce never had to share the scoring duties, Bird had two guys that averaged over twenty points per game in his front court. Bird still averaged more than twenty eight points per game three times.

Bird also scored his points in fewer games. Pierce right now will need at least 984 games to pass Larry Bird. Bird only played in 897 to get his numbers. Also the final 186 games of Bird’s career were when Bird’s back was done and he was a shell of his former self. Bird still averaged over twenty points a game playing on a hobbled body. The guy was lying on the floor of airplanes due to pain and would still step onto the floor against healthy younger men that were in their primes and average twenty points a game.

The bottom line is Pierce is truly a great player. He is one of the most gifted scorers in Celtics history and deserves to be held in very high esteem amongst Celtic greats. However, Larry Bird is one of the greatest of all time in not just Celtics, but NBA history. In my mind there is no debate, Pierce can have the accomplishment of being number two on the Celtics scoring list, but he will never be a better scorer than Bird was in his prime. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!

The stat line does not seem that exciting for KG. KG scored only fifteen points, grabbed eight rebounds, and was only a plus three for the night in only thirty three minutes of work. However, the stats do not paint the picture of how good KG was last night. It is the way and time that he scored his points that influenced the game. One needs to remember that KG is only playing about thirty two minutes a game. This is about eight less minutes to compile stats. This means his numbers will drop a little so instead of per game averages, one must look at how his stats look in the compacted minutes. Last night the stats were solid.

When Boston was struggling for offense early, it was KG that would hold the fort by getting into the paint and scoring. He would drive to the basket, hit his turnaround jump shot, and make the Knicks pay for going one on one with him. His jump shot was also smooth from fifteen plus feet. He was feeling so good that he even buried his second three pointer in as many nights. The result was Boston never really got too behind the Knicks even though they were having issues getting offense from guys like Ray Allen and Paul Pierce during stretches of the game. His success also made the Knicks change their defensive strategy as they now looked to stop KG instead of focusing on Allen and Pierce. This change of strategy left more room for Ray and Paul to get their offense going and that set up the fourth quarter heroics.

The defensive side of the ball was just as solid for KG. Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire did score a combined thirty six points. However, they did most of their damage with Brandon Bass or JO watching them. KG made Stoudemire a pull up jump shooter during their defensive battle and the Celtics can live with Amare as a perimeter shooter. KG also did a solid job on the glass grabbing six defensive rebounds. One of those was defensive rebound number ten thousand joining only old friend Robert “Chief” Parrish and Karl Malone as the only players in NBA history with over ten thousand defensive rebounds.

A lot of so called experts (ESPN is a joke that only tries to build stories based on style rather than substance) are crowning Chicago and Miami as Eastern Conference champs. They even think younger teams like Philly and Indiana can challenge more than Boston. However, if KG continues to turn back the clock and provide thirty minutes a night of great basketball, then Boston will contend. Judging by the last ten games this looks more like the reality than Boston fading in large part to KG contributing. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!

The Celtics were up over twenty points so the entire fourth quarter was garbage time. During that time coach Doc Rivers gave rookie JaJuan Johnson ten minutes of time. The first round pick did not disappoint. Johnson would show off a much more polished game than the one that he had during the preseason.

His offensive game was clearly much better than the one that earned him a deep burial on the Boston bench. Johnson has been working hard and listening to his coaches. Johnson learned not to rush his shot like he was doing all preseason. He would not rush and the result was his jump shot was as silky smooth as it was advertised being coming out of Purdue. The solid work on his game translated into Johnson scoring eleven points on five of five shooting.

The defensive end was also not that bad for the rookie. During the preseason Johnson was easily pushed away and bowled over. His knowledge of positioning and how to use his long arms and chest to bother his man were not quite NBA ready. However, Johnson made some nice strides last night. His man did not abuse him because he got the needed positioning. Johnson used his long arms to bother shots. The natural shot blocker in him will come out sooner than later if he continues to improve his positioning. Johnson would finish will a plus eleven to show for it.

Eleven points in garbage time might not seem like a big deal, but it is. The Celtics are going to need JaJuan Johnson at some point. It might not be this year, but the athletic forward is thought to be a piece for the future. Last night he showed why that is the case. If he continues to learn at the rate he did from training camp to now, then Johnson will be playing sooner than later like Doc Rivers said during the post game show. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!

Before anybody starts taking too much from that game there are some facts that should bring everyone down to Earth. The first fact is the Raptors are down right awful in almost every facet of the game. Their defense against Boston has been nonexistent. The outside shooters like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Mickael Pietrus had all the room in the world to shoot. Even the mid range jump shot was their all night for guys like Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass. Getting inside to score was no issue either as Jermaine O’Neal, Paul Pierce, Avery Bradley, and Ray Allen would find easy lanes to get to the basket for scores. Scoring will not be that easy against a Miami or Chicago.

The offensive end is even worse for the Raptors. The scoring options right now are very limited with DeMar DeRozan being about it. Jerryd Bayless is a solid point guard, but hardly someone that insights fear into a team. Those that love Jose Calderon should note that his jump shot just is not their any more and neither is the speed that once allowed him the separation to get it off. It is no wonder the Celtics defense feasted on this team. When the team has to deal with a talented scorer like D-Wade or D-Rose then we will see show good this defense is.

The bottom line is Boston played a terrible team. They did what they are supposed to do and smashed the team all night. It was one game and nothing to get too excited about. If they do it against a contender than one can get excited. However, if they continue to do play forty eight minutes against every team like they did last night then Boston will win more then they lose. The issue this play continue?

In 08 Ainge did a tremendous job building a bench. He grabbed guys like James Posey, Eddie House, P.J. Brown, and even Sam Cassell to compliment his stars. He got key contributions from all and won an NBA title.

After that season Ainge has been awful. In 09 he let James Posey walk and failed to replace him. As much as I like Tony Allen and love what he brought to the table, he just did not supply Boston with the needed shooting to provide space for the “Big Three” on offense. He also failed to replace P.J. Brown and Boston was way too thin at center and power forward positions. Guys like Leon Powe and Glen Davis were just not ready to be full time players on a championship team. Veterans like Mikki Moore and Patrick O’Bryant were not the answer.

The Celtics team in 2010 was also wretched. Ainge targeted the wrong guy each time. Marquis Daniels was brought in to help this team offensively and never lived up to the hype. Granted Marquis Daniels was brought in and started the year as a backup point guard and then got hurt and that led to him not being the scorer that he was in Indiana, but the injury history was there. Also Daniels is just not the type of player that Posey was. Daniels is a slasher that needs space to operate. Posey is a shooter that creates space. Rasheed Wallace made up for a terrible regular season with a great playoffs, but really was a bust. Wallace failed to show up in shape and ready to play with the exceptional post game that he possessed, but his body would not allow him to perform. Nate Robinson was a streaky shooter that could not run an offense or play real defense and that was Rajon Rondo’s primary backup. Sheldon Williams played his best basketball in Boston, but really that was not saying much.

2011 was a disaster for Ainge as well. Guys like Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal were brought in for added size. However, the injuries for both players as their bodies broke down nullified the size advantage Boston was supposed to have. The team also let Tony Allen walk and he has now flourished in Memphis. Guys like Glen Davis, Marquis Daniels, and Nate Robinson were awful to the point that Ainge needed to make a deal to give the bench some sort of scoring punch by season’s end. Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic were brought in with not enough time to fix the wretched job he did in constructing this bench.

This season I have to give Ainge credit. The fact that the team sits at 10-10 despite starters like Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, and Jermaine O’Neal all missing time. If I took that equivalent off most teams, they would be done already. The reason for the fact Boston has been able to tread water is the team has solid players from top to bottom off the bench for the first time since 08.
The Celtics have been able to plug in solid guys like Brandon Bass, Mickael Pietrus, Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling and E’Twaun Moore and get a contribution. Bass has been a god send fitting in great with the Celtics offense with his hard moves to the basket and great fifteen foot jump shot. Pietrus has provided great outside shooting and hard defense. Bradley has been a defensive pit bull and has shown an ability to score off the old Tony Allen like play calls for him. E’Twaun Moore has shown an ability to hit jump shots and stretch the floor. Dooling has shown a nice outside stroke and can handle the ball.

Even the bottom of the bench is NBA solid for end of the pine. Sasha Pavlovic has played hard and shown some flashes at both ends of the floor. Marquis Daniels can handle the ball and score off the drive. Rookie Greg Steimsma has been a solid shot blocker and defender in the post. Rookie JaJuan Johnson has a lot of raw talent and
could easily develop into a great post presence at both ends of the floor.

I have been very critical of Ainge about the terrible job of augmenting the “Big Three” and Rondo with talent in the past. This year he deserves a lot of credit. The man got the job done and despite the pitfalls due to injury, Boston is still in the game. Ainge knew with the older group that the bench would be key to the team’s success and made sure all the parts can contribute in some way. If Boston wins a title this year, a big part will be because of the guys off the pine. Remember Go Green or Go Home!

Jermaine O’Neal did a great job moving without the ball to get tot he spots that would lead to easy baskets. Guys like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and KG would find him all night and O’Neal would bury his chances. JO would hurt the Cavs in the paint to the tune of 12 points on a very efficient 5-7 shooting.

However, JO’s best work may have been on the defensive end. JO gave Boston a solid inside presence in the paint by being very active. JO clogged the lane, bothered shots, and blocked shots all night long. In fact his biggest moment in my opinion was a huge block on the red hot Anderson V to preserve a slim Boston lead. He also had active hands deflecting a lot of balls that came his direction and even picked off two for steals.

The bottom line is JO had a big impact in his return. It is a shame that his body betrays him so much. If he could only remain healthy, he would give Boston the inside presence that takes the pressure of KG and allows Boston to be more effective in the paint. His defensive aptitude just perfectly compliments this team. The fact he can finish around the basket makes him a better fit than even the departed and beloved Kendrick Perkins.

Alas, I just do not believe his body has it in him to be healthy for a complete season. His body just needs to be managed by Doc Rivers. JO needs a day off from time to time to stay fresh. I only pray that he can hold up for a long playoff run. If he does than Boston is a very complete and dangerous team capable of winning a title. The question is can Doc manage his minutes, win now, and make it happen. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!

“I hate it,” Allen said. “We won, but I take it as a loss in terms of getting better. Being able to play for a full four quarters is what I want. Every day we have to get better.”

Ray Allen Courtesy Of ESPN Boston

After watching the Cleveland Cavs give Boston another run for their money with a huge fourth quarter comeback, I am left with the feeling that head coach Doc Rivers has a new and yet very familiar problem to deal with. This issue has cost Boston many wins this year to the point that a team with title aspirations sits at a .500 record after a third of the season. This issue needs to be resolved because if it does not then Boston will not be making any last run at a title this season. The problem is the team just has not played a full forty eight minute game too often.

Earlier in the year the teams struggles were at the beginning of the season. The Celtics would struggle to score or defend with a high amount of energy during the first half. The defense would rotate late and the athletic teams would get to the basket. The offense had little movement with and without the ball and the team would be forced into tough shots. The result was teams like Miami, Chicago, and Dallas would jump all over them. The team would be dominated and down blow out numbers at the half as they struggled to score even forty points.

The second half would see Boston come out fighting with great intensity in the second half of those games. Those games saw Boston battle back from the deficit to even have a shot at the lead in the fourth quarter. They would look smooth on offense and get to the basket. The would play with energy defense and limit second chance points. However, in the end dumb mistakes down the stretch would cost the team the win. However, one could not help, but think had they just played O.k. instead of wretched that they would have been able to grab these wins.

The last two games against Cleveland show a different problem. The Celtics got off to nice starts as the offense looked great. The team got great ball movement and the players moved great without the ball to set up great scoring opportunities. The defense rotated well and caused Cleveland a lot of issues. The result of this was Boston got off to a strong start and a solid lead after three quarters.

However, the Celtics would go back to playing awful at the end of the third going into the fourth quarter to cost Boston a win and scare them in a game that should have been a laugher. The Celtics have no one to blame, but themselves. They failed to move without the ball on offense and settled for tough contested jump shots after isolations failed. The Celtics also on defense seemed to once again not play with the same intense urgency that made life miserable for the Cavs the previous half. The Cavs would start punching back and fourth quarter Celtics leads of 12 and 22 vanished in the blink of an eye.

The issues are different in regards that one is starting slow and the other is failing to finish strong, but they are both can be grouped together as a single issue. The issue is Boston needs to play a complete game. Championship teams play forty eight minutes and compete. That is why Boston won in 08 and LA did not. Bosotn competed the entire series no matter the score. They need to start strong to avoid playing from behind and finish strong to close teams out. When Boston plays for forty eight minutes, the team comes away with easy wins. When they do not like most of the year, the games are interesting and tough to watch.

Doc Rivers is a smart coach. I am sure that he will figure it out. However, until they do Boston is going to continue this roller coaster ride. The great news is the team is at least playing better in the last ten games then the first ten games. With any luck after another ten games this issue is solved. Remember Go Green or Go Home!!!!!!!

“I wish I was a fortune teller,” Pierce told the Boston Herald. “I don’t think this would have been the outcome, though.”

Paul Pierce On Doc Rivers’s Decision To Leave The Starters On The Bench A Little Longer Than Usual COurtesy of Boston Globe

As much as I applaud Paul Pierce for his tremendous play the last six games, I will admit that I am very disappointed in him after last night’s tough loss to the Cleveland Cavs. Although I could be very disappointed about his play over the last three minutes and forty two seconds, I am more agitated with his comments after the game regarding Doc’s decision to leave the bench in the game a little longer than he normally would. Although that decision might have cost Boston the game, Pierce should have kept his feelings quiet.

Now I fully understand that Pierce is a competitor and wants to win every game like I want to wake up every morning, but Pierce also has zero business calling out his coach in any way. Pierce is the captain of this team and this means he should do what he has to do to keep the team together and on the same page. This means comments like this that could set off issues should not be coming from him.

The other issue I have is Pierce has zero right to complain. The team was up eight points with the ball when Pierce returned to the game with his fellow starters. The team had a four possession advantage with their stars returning. The Celtics still had a grip on the game. They needed to come up with one defensive stop or one basket in three minutes in forty two seconds. Forgive me if I feel that Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett are more than capable of that. The bottom line is these guys did not get the job done.

The other factor is that it is a long season. The “Big Three” are older and need rest to be fully effective come playoff time. DOc needs to take advantage of every opportunity to get his big guns the rest that they need. Being up eleven points in the fourth quarter is that kind of lead to give his guys rest. The bench with Mickael Pietrus, Chris WIlcox, and E’twaun Moore can usually handle closing out the game. Last night they just had an off night. However, the starters could have easily rescued them.

The bottom line is these comments were bogus. The starters like Pierce just did not get the job done. Pierce as the captain needs to look at the situation and not give in to his competitive frustrations. If he does not than this ship will sink very quickly. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!

The truly great news was the way he scored. Ray showed zero ill effects from the injury. He ran around the men that are half his age through the intricate screens and picks to get open to bury his lethal three point shot. He got good enough separation to go 4-6 from beyond the arc.

The Celtics are going to need Ray Allen to make any noise the rest of the way. The fact that every injury they have seems to turnout worst than they originally advertise. Cases like Kevin Garnett in 09, Jeff Green early in training camp, and now Rajon Rondo this past month seem to be more seriously injured than Boston advertised originally. The great news for Boston is it appears that this time the Celtics were telling the truth. This means Boston fans can look forward to seeing Ray apply his deadly sharp shooting the rest of the way. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!

However, instead of Boston slapping a young Cavs team, the team would hand the Cavs the game in the final minutes. The Celtics were up almost double digits with three minutes to go. Instead of holding on, they let their grasp slip and Cleveland squeaked by with a one point come from behind win.The worst part was the Cavs would win the game the way Boston has by competing for a full 48 minutes hard. Instead of Boston showing their trademark fight, it was Cleveland charging hard to take the game.

The disturbing part for me was the final three minutes saw zero fight from Boston. Even in previous losses to teams like Dallas, Chicago, OKC, and Miami the team fought the entire game. They just committed too many mistakes to win. This game the team sat on a lead and refused to fight after the Cavs came back and punched them in the face. The result was a final minutes collapse that saw the Cavs go on a 12-0 run to close out the game.

While the Cavs played hard defense and killed any set plays for Boston, the Celtics just flat out did nothing to help themselves. The offense lacked movement without the ball. Guys like Ray Allen, Brandon Bass, and KG were stationary as they just made CLeveland’s job easy. The team settled for one on one isolations for Paul Pierce that resulted in nothing. It was if the team said we will live or die on the back of Paul Pierce. The refs ddi not help the situation, but refs are going to give the calls to the team that is playing hard. Boston was not that team.

This is not fair to Pierce. He has been playing hard and being asked to do a lot. The man is asked to be the top scorer and set the offensive plays with no true backup point guard to the injured Rajon Rondo. The fact they asked him to win the game in the final minutes as well because the rest of the team failed to move and look to get open for a good look is a bit too much.

The bottom line is in the final minutes Cleveland played hard and took the game. The Celtics played like a team that thought the game ended three minutes earlier and that is why they lost to a hard charging Cavs team. This loss will and should haunt Boston. I only hope they respond on Tuesday in Cleveland. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!!!!