Boston Sports Then and Now

Kevin Garnett buried the New York Knicks in Game 5 with this 15-footer over the outstretched arm of Tyson Chandler.

The Boston Celtics are still alive in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series as they beat the New York Knicks in Game 5 to send the teams back to Boston for Game 6.

After the Knicks won Game 3 in convincing fashion, the sentiment was that the Celtics were done and the Knicks could have a week to rest for their next opponent (either the Indiana Pacers or the Atlanta Hawks). The Knicks have been acting with bravado by dressing in all black clothes when they arrived at Madison Square Garden for the Celtics’ “funeral” last night.

With battle-tested veterans like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are not ready to enter the off-season filled with questions about their future. Pierce has a team option for $15.3 million and he told reporters that he plans on playing for at least one more year. Garnett has been dealing with inflammation in his left ankle and a hip injury. Garnett also will be 37 years old on May 19^th. Even though he is under contract for two more years, Garnett could decide to retire.

Garnett had 18 rebounds to go with 16 points, including knocking down a clutch jumper to give the Celtics a 90-83 lead out of a timeout with less than a minute remaining in the game. Pierce had another frustrating night with five turnovers and he was just 6-of-19 from the field. He was also 4-of-8 on three-pointers.

The Celtics had 20 assists as a team. They shot 50% from behind the three-point line (11-22) and they made all 17 of their free throws. The Celtics had balanced scoring with five players in double figures led by Jeff Green’s 18 points. Green was 1-of-3 at halftime, but he was 4-for-5 from the field in the second half. Green made two critical three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Early in the game, the Celtics looked like the inferior team that they have been throughout the series. The Celtics fell behind by 11 points (11-0). They missed their first five shots with three turnovers. Brandon Bass nailed two free throws to get the Celtics on the scoreboard and then he scored in transition off a steal. Bass scored nine of the team’s initial 11 points and the Celtics closed the double-digit deficit to just one possession at the end of the first quarter at 22-20.

Another amazing statistic is the Celtics’ bench outscored the Knicks’ reserves (21-20) despite having just two players. The Knicks had three players who played significant minutes off their bench, including NBA Sixth Man of the Year in J.R. Smith. Smith shot 3-of-14 from the field, but he missed his first 10 shots. Smith did not make a shot until late in the game when the Knicks trailed 88-76. After the game Smith blamed himself for both losses in Games 4 and 5 because he was suspended for Game 4 after he elbowed Jason Terry in Game 3. Terry and Terrence Williams played critical minutes and even though Terry missed many shots, he was able to hit five three-pointers that helped the Celtics stretch their advantage into double figures in the fourth quarter. Terry also hit a shot from beyond the arc late in the third quarter to provide the Celtics with a 69-60 lead going into the final frame. Williams substituted for Garnett midway through the fourth quarter and he helped the Celtics regain a 13-point gap at 80-67.

Despite the Knicks’ desperate attempt to get back in the game, the Celtics had an answer unlike the previous four games when the Celtics failed to show up in the second half and respond to the Knicks defensive pressure.

Carmelo Anthony is 18-of-59 from the field in Games 4 and 5. The whispers will continue to get louder for Anthony if the Knicks come back to New York for a Game 7 on Sunday. Anthony has only got past the first round on one occasion in his 10-year career. He has always been known as a perennial scorer, yet he is not a team player.

The Celtics still committed 15 turnovers. Avery Bradley continues to allow Raymond Felton to roam to the basket with dribble penetration in the paint.

Throughout this series, the Knicks have been chirping about how they are the better team. In the first three games, the Knicks were the better team over an injury-riddled Celtics team who looked old and slow. Yet, the Knicks have been unable to secure that all-important fourth victory.

For Anthony and his mates, the questions will linger whether this year’s Knicks team can win a playoff series for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

Meanwhile, the Celtics were finally able to shoot the ball well and silence both the Knicks and the thousands of New Yorkers in the crowd. The Celtics will have to follow this formula in Game 6 to continue their season and extend this series to a winner-take-all Game 7.

The Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett (left) and the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony (right) will build on the physicality from their first meeting this year.

The Boston Celtics have overcome adversity this year to find themselves in the NBA postseason for the sixth consecutive season. The Celtics lost their All-Star point guard, Rajon Rondo, to a season-ending torn right ACL in a January 25^th double overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Rookie forward Jared Sullinger was forced to undergo surgery on his back in February that ended his season. Reserve guard Leandro Barbosa suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the third quarter of the 94-91 loss against the Charlotte Bobcats on February 11^th. In a matter 17 days, the Celtics lost three key players in their rotation.

This season has been split into the team with Rondo and the team without Rondo. Prior to Rondo’s injury, the Celtics were 20-23 and they had lost six consecutive games. Then the team improved their play and appeared to rally around people calling for their demise. They won their next seven contests, including a 100-98 overtime victory over the top team in the NBA, the Miami Heat, and were 14-4 in their initial 18 games without their floor leader. The team played well defensively and they spread the ball around. Jeff Green became the player that Danny Ainge hoped he was getting when he sent Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011. Green was more aggressive on the offensive end and his speed and length provided fits for the opposition. At one point the team was down to nine active players because of all the injuries. Ainge traded Jason Collins to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Crawford before the trade deadline ended on February 21^st. He signed TerrPence Williams, Shavlik Randolph, and D.J. White. All three of these players came from the Chinese Basketball Association and had been unable to stick with a team in the NBA.

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Avery Bradley’s broke out of his shooting slump on April 1st against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The calendar has mercifully turned to April as it appears that March was purely a dreadful time for Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley.

On Monday night, Bradley was 8-of-14 from the field and he led the Celtics with 19 points in the 110-100 loss to the host Minnesota Timberwolves. The only negative aspect of Bradley’s performance was that he shot 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. In the  thirteen previous games, Bradley shot just 31% from the floor and he averaged 7.2 points. Bradley fouled out with just two points in the final minutes of the 108-89 blowout loss at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks on Sunday night, which happened to be the final night of March. Doc Rivers tried to restore Bradley’s confidence by putting him on the court in the final minutes. Bradley finished just 1-of-5 from the field.

During the slump, Bradley missed layups in the half-court offense and he failed to hit open three-pointers in the corner. This could have just been a slump or perhaps the absence of Courtney Lee affected Bradley on the offensive end. With Lee out with a sprained ankle, Bradley’s on-ball defense was even more important. The Celtics were forced to use weaker defenders like Jason Terry and Jordan Crawford alongside Bradley. This allowed opposing teams (like the Memphis Grizzlies did with Jerryd Bayless) to utilize younger and quicker scoring guards to blow by Terry and Crawford.

Granted, Bradley’s struggles began before Lee went down, but Lee’s absence may have extended the shooting woes for Bradley. Also, the Celtics have asked Bradley to share more of a point guard role since Rajon Rondo suffered a season-ending torn right ACL on January 25^th against the Atlanta Hawks. All of the increased responsibility and lack of depth may have piled up on Bradley throughout March.

Since Lee came back in a win over the Hawks last Friday, Bradley has appeared to be rising out of the doldrums. Lee’s minutes have increased and this has helped lift the load off Bradley’s back. In the 98-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, Bradley had another efficient performance as he shot 5-of-8 for 11 points. He nailed his lone three-point attempt.

Now, Bradley needs to stay out of foul trouble even though there have been some questionable calls from the officials. On Wednesday late in the game, Bradley appeared to get all ball on a strip, but the officials whistled for a foul and the Pistons were able to go to the line to cut into the Celtics’ lead.  Bradley’s aggressive defense can make officials believe there is more contact. There hasn’t been a defender in recent times as relentless as Bradley.

The Celtics will need Bradley to perform on both ends of the court in the postseason. There is no better time for Bradley to regain confidence with his shot than with less than two weeks left in the regular season.

The Boston Celtics will need strong interior play from Brandon Bass.

It’s the end of the world for the Boston Celtics. They failed to sell off their aging core that includes franchise cornerstone Paul Pierce. Would the Celtics be better off trading Pierce and Kevin Garnett for thirty cents of a dollar?

If the Celtics moved Pierce or Garnett for a player like Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, they would be in a worse position than they find themselves now. Smith brings the same attributes as Rajon Rondo at a different position. The one key difference is Rondo has improved his shot while Smith hasn’t. Defenses can sag off Smith and force him to take long jump shots. Also, Smith has dealt with maturity issues on the court. He was suspended for one game in January by his team because of an incident in practice. The Hawks had lost six of seven games at the time and they could not afford their best player to cause trouble.  Smith would want a max contract after this season since he is an impending free agent and he is not worthy of that type of money.

During the recent road trip, the Celtics went 2-3. The most disappointing loss was against the Portland Trail Blazers, yet the Celtics redeemed themselves with a 110-107 overtime victory over the Jazz in Utah on the following night.

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With all of the recent injuries, the Celtics could use additional scoring from Courtney Lee.

Before the season, the Boston Celtics were expected to use Courtney Lee as the replacement for Avery Bradley until Bradley returned from having surgery on both of his shoulders in the summer. Since Bradley returned on January 2^nd against the Memphis Grizzlies, Lee’s minutes were lowered until Rajon Rondo tore his right ACL.

Throughout this season, Lee has struggled with his shot. Doc Rivers was mentioning Lee as one of the better corner three-point shooters in the league in training camp. He is shooting just 32.7% from beyond the arc.

Lee helped the Celtics improve defensively after point guard Rondo suffered his injury  in the double overtime defeat to the Atlanta Hawks on January 25^th. He was inserted into the starting lineup with Bradley and they had immediate success with their ability to create turnovers and score in the open court.

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The Boston Celtics will need to improve their play without point guard Rajon Rondo.

The loss of Rajon Rondo certainly hurts the Boston Celtics chances of winning the Eastern Conference, let alone the NBA title.  Rondo is the type of player that is hard for any opponent to stop, but the New York Knicks and Miami Heat don’t have anyone who can defend him one-on-one.

Since the Celtics are perilously close to the $74.3 million luxury tax threshold, it will be tough for the Celtics to sign or trade for a significant name. The Celtics are either reserved to bringing in a veteran like Delonte West at the league minimum or getting a point guard from the Development League.

This isn’t necessarily the end for the Celtics 2012-’13 season. Everyone will have to share the load.

The Celtics don’t have a certified reserve point guard who could create shots for his teammates. Paul Pierce will have to assume the role of point-forward that he had last year when Rondo missed games early in the season due to a sprained ankle as well as his suspensions. This year the Celtics have mostly used Pierce to come off screens and take outside shots. Now, Pierce will have to become the facilitator. He will need to improve his shooting because the onus falls on him even more with Rondo’s absence. The Celtics cannot afford Pierce to go 6-for-36 from beyond the arc in the next eight games. Kevin Garnett’s interior passing was huge in the Celtics 100-98 double overtime victory over the Heat. Garnett will be set up more in the post and the Celtics will look to have players cut to the basket. The problem is these two players are in the latter stages of their careers and they cannot play 35-plus minutes per game.

The role players will need to step it up and put forth consistent efforts whenever they step on the court. Jeff Green’s defense on Heat forward LeBron James was a critical factor on Sunday. Late in the game, James was scoring off of switches and picks. Green also prevented James from getting the ball in the final possession of double overtime. This is what Danny Ainge had in mind when he sent Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Green. Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, and Leandro Barbosa have not performed up to expectations this year.  Terry and Barbosa are more shoot-first guards and they are not that strong defensively. If those two struggle scoring points, the Celtics will be in trouble. Earlier in the season, Terry and Lee worked well together, especially when the Celtics beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first of Rondo’s two-game suspension. Terry and Lee have really struggled with their outside shots this year. These players will really need to find their touch. Barbosa’s quickness can be an asset, but he can be over aggressive at times. The best example was Barbosa’s offensive foul when Heat forward Shane Battier stepped in to stop a transition basket in the fourth quarter.

In the frontcourt, Brandon Bass has basically been nonexistent over the past few weeks. Chad Finn of The Boston Globe wrote last week that he lets his offense affect his defense like Glen Davis did with the Celtics. Finn’s statement is correct. Bass needs to be the player he was last year when he was contributing on both ends of the court. He needs to free himself for baskets in the paint. There have been times when Bass has blown by his defender or gotten open in the paint, but his midrange jumper has failed him. He brought great energy off the bench against the Heat, but he faded after his first five minutes of play. Jared Sullinger must continue to play strong in the paint. Opposing teams are noticing Sullinger’s penchant for fouling and they are going to set up plays for their big men to post up Sullinger like the Atlanta Hawks did with Al Horford in Friday night’s 123-111 double overtime loss. Rashard Lewis frustrated Sullinger by holding his hands around his neck and getting Sullinger to retaliate with a shove. Sullinger has to adjust to the way the officials are blowing their whistles and the tactics veteran opponents will use to take Sullinger out of the game.

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