CBW review, 2003-4 gm 4, Celtics vs. Pistons

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

2003-04 season game 4, Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons, Wednesday, Nov 5, 2003

Games like this one are very tough to lose.  The Celtics didn't get blown 
out, it was a close one most of the way.

But for the love of Peanuts, all Billups had to do was glance at the hoop 
and another three went in.  Someone needs to just slap Rick Pitino for 
letting Billups go--ah, metaphorically, that is.

C's fans, myself included, felt good coming into this game.  Boston had a 
few days off after watching the New Orleans Hornets dismantle the C's with 
a press to practice how to get the ball over halfcourt properly.  The 
Pistons are normally not what you'd call a great offensive team, and Eric 
Williams, thank goodness, had only a bone bruise from which he expects to 
recover in about 1-2 weeks.

I can't report on Gorman's and Heinsohn's comments, since DirecTV had the 
Detroit feed, But I do have a few comments for Fox Sports Net in general 
before we get to the game.

We know that "Master and Commander" is about to hit the theatres. We know 
that it's a Fox film.  I, for one, am well and truly tired of your obvious 
directive that the team broadcasters must somehow tie in a movie about 
warships in Napoleonic times with a basketball game today.  You went so far 
overboard that your Detroit team--in keeping with this pitiful attempt at a 
nautical theme--announced that the Celtics came from the Back Bay.

It's the North End, you Ship of Fools (that's a John Renbourn reference, if 
you care).

Also, your team in Detroit has the same problem as FSNE in Boston.  The one 
where they keep cutting to a slow motion replay at the expense of what's 
actually happening now.  If you want to replay everything we just saw, 
fine.  Cut down on the commercials and we'll watch happily.  Otherwise, let 
us watch the game in peace.  Now, let's hoist the Mains and heave to, 
heading for the stormy waters of the game.

See how annoying that is after one sentence?  Imagine how WE felt after 
several unending scenes of that.

Ok, rant over.

First Quarter:

The Celtics went with a starting lineup of Vin Baker and Kedrick Brown at 
Forward, Mike James and Paul Pierce at Guard, and Mark Blount at 
Center.  The Pistons sent forth Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince at Forward, 
Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton at Guard, and Elden Campbell at Center.

The opening tip--which took quite some time as the ref was apparently 
posing for pictures--was won by Wallace, though Blount made a valiant 
effort.  Pierce made a well-timed block and then came up with the loose 
ball, which he promptly passed upcourt to James.

James then tried to drive to the hoop, but Billups poked the ball away, 
which bounced off Mark Blount and right into the hands of 
Billups.  Chauncey launched a three--one of his few misses, and Wallace 
tipped the rebound, but the James snagged it and launched a great pass up 
to a zooming Kedrick Brown.

I can't understand why things happened the way the did next.  Kedrick had 
his man beat, and was past the free throw line on his way to an easy 
two.  All he had to do was take it up strong and keep his back to his 
would-be defender.  But Kedrick never got any lift off the floor.  He ended 
up trying to lay it up and in as he went by the hoop.  That allowed his 
defender to foul him on the shot, which ended up a miss.

I KNOW that Kedrick CAN elevate.  But he did not, that time, not even 
close.  He was running hard, but his attempt at a any kind of altitude was 
a total failure.  There's something wrong with him, physically.  There HAS 
to be.  This wasn't confusion, or hesitation.  He was running and preparing 
to do what he'd been doing all preseason, leap over tall defenders in a 
single bound while pushing the ball through the hoop from above.  Nothing 
happened.

At least he made up for it at the free throw line, making both.  On the 
next trip up, Kedrick worked the land and got a nice hoop off a pass from 
Pierce.  But again, there was no real leaping evident on Brown's 
part.  Heck, CHARLIE Brown could have gone higher.

Well, you knew THAT was coming, right?  Celtics Beagle, and all?  Ok, ok.

The C's were now up 4-zip and we were a minute and a half into the 
quarter.  That's my kind of game so far.  The C's played good defense, but 
Prince hit a deep two over Pierce.  As this happened, the announcers were 
going on interminably about how Walker was no longer with Boston.

There's about 2 dozen teams we haven't played yet this season.  Are we 
going to hear that every time the opposing team gets the broadcast?  Mike 
and Tommy are looking better and better already.  :>)

Pierce got off another nice pass to Vin Baker, who nailed the 
jumper.  Comeback Player?  At the rate he's improving, he may end the 
season as an MVP candidate!  I know it's still a longshot now, but what's 
life without some long range goals?

As the Pistons brought it up, you could hear Coach O'Brien hollering a 
warning to the C's to watch for the back door play.  They did so, but 
Prince hit what was to become the Celtics' bane this night: the three point 
shot.  There must be something in the water, because suddenly, everyone's 
offense THIS season is just like Boston's was LAST season.  Lots of 
one-and-done threes.  The main difference is these guys are hitting them at 
an absolutely ridiculous rate.

Pierce then got an open look from the free throw line, hitting the kind of 
shot we'd all like to see more often.

Mark Blount then got the ball and passed it up to Mike James.  James got it 
to Baker.  Vin got stuffed by Wallace, and went to the line.  Why is it, by 
the way, that everyone on the C's can make the long pass upcourt except the 
point guards?  Anyway, Vinnie hit both free throws.

Blount then intercepted a pass and the C's were off and running once 
more.  Pierce made a great pass to baker, who was totally alone on his side 
of the court for an easy hoop.  Then Kedrick got called for what I thought 
was kind of a cheap foul.  But Brown looked a bit down on himself.

On the next play, Blount gave Billups what could easily have been called a 
hard foul.  Mark has a very physical game, but his habit of swinging that 
arm down is going to get him in hot water if he's not careful. Yet, on the 
next trip up, Mark showed restraint--and patience, as Battie made a VERY 
dangerous pass cross court to Pierce, whose subsequent shot looked queasy 
at the hoop. Blount got in perfect position for the cleanup rebound, but 
was careful not to interfere, as the ball bounced gently through the hoop.

This made it 14-7 in favor of the Good Guys with 7:23 left in the quarter.

The C's defense looked quite good throughout, with strong help defense and 
quick hands.  The offense was looking good, as passes were crisp and 
players took good shots.  The general good feelings on the court were 
marred only as Kedrick picked up his second foul and sat.  Welsch came out 
and immediately got scored on by Hamiltion.

But James got stripped as he got caught waving the ball around with co 
clear plan what to do.  This led to a fast two for the Pistons.  James was 
reading the court better than the last game, but still has a ways to go.

The C's defense was generally good, though, forcing Detroit to the 
outside.  At the other end, Jiri Welsch nailed a three on a nice kick out 
pass from Pierce.  Pierce had taken the ball into the lane and saw the 
triple team closing in on him from the hoop side--plus a fourth defender 
coming up from behind.  Welsch was all alone at the arc, so Pierce sent the 
ball over to keep him company.  For his part, Jiri launched the ball like 
he was Danny Ainge, and got the same result. Well, the result Ainge used to 
get in later years, not in his rookie season.  :>)

Then, James had one of those good plays/bad plays that have plagued 
him.  He dribbled the ball hard and fast upcourt--well, if he's not going 
with the long pass, at least he runs quickly.  That was good.  The bad part 
was, he dribbled right into a double team and got stripped.  Battie was 
open at the free throw line.  a crisp bounce pass would have turned to an 
easy two from Battie, who had room.  James was obviously trying to draw a 
foul, but with 15 seconds left on the shot clock, that's not the time to 
try a suicide offense.

Belatedly, he tried to pass the ball out from under the hoop back to Tony, 
who was still at the free throw line.  The problem was, now Ben Wallace was 
in front of Battie instead of several steps behind and James did not make a 
bounce pass.  Wallace barely had to leave his feet to take the 
pass.  Battie ended up having to commit a deliberate foul to prevent the 
easy hoop at the other end.

For the second time tonight that I noticed, Vin called for the ball when he 
was pretty far away from the hoop.  And, for the second time, from that 
range, he missed.  Vin has a great shot inside of about 12 feet.  Further 
out, it's more iffy.  I'd prefer him down low and let someone else launch 
deeper shots.

Speaking of deep shots, James launched ANOTHER three with 15 seconds left, 
and both Raef and Jiri open at the other side of the arc.  Pierce was four 
feet in front of him and in position to take the ball on a give and 
go.  But no, he saw fit to rise and shoot the three, which clanged up off 
the front of the rim, rebounded off the backboard, and ended up in the 
hands of the Pistons.

Next time up, James was much smarter.  He drove in, then kecked out the 
ball to Welsch--who SHOULD have shot the three, and didn't.  Waah.  James 
snagged the rebound, and this time, the three was the right shot to take, 
as the Detroit defense was now set.  It didn't fall, but it was a better 
decision.

Pierce would then split the defense beautifully, and made a goaltended 
basket.  Larry Brown wasn't happy with it, but I went frame by frame from 
two angles.  It was goaltending.  The ball was on the downward arc, barely, 
but it was.  At the other end, Pierce drew a charge.  then back to offense, 
and Pierce kicked the ball to Welsch, who was backing up so far, I thought 
his heels were on the sideline when he caught it.  It was a good attempt, 
but missed.

The C's defense kept Detroit from getting their running game going with any 
continuity, and despite the ill-considered shot selection in some places, 
the C's were holding the lead.  Banks got stripped as he tried bringing the 
ball up.  I saw an indication of how ineffective Banks was when on the next 
offensive set he did not touch the ball.  In fact, the ball clearly stayed 
on the opposite side of wherever he was.  Raef sent the ball inbounds, with 
Banks and Welsch equally available on opposite sides.  Jiri Welsch was 
chosen to bring the ball up.  Battie and Welsch passed the pumpkin back and 
forth at the top of he key.  Raef ended up taking a shot that was partially 
deflected and Jiri took the rebound.  Detroit committed the foul, and 
Waltah! sent the ball back into play.  Only then did Banks get the ball at 
the top of the key.  He made an outside-to outside pass to Jumaine Jones, 
who got it into Battie for two.

Yes, I said "Jumaine Jones".

He had just come into the game whilst Waltah! was preparing to put the ball 
into play.  As recently as this afternoon, I figured he wasn't even going 
to be available until next week.  But there he was, in the game.  Banks 
redeemed himself on the next trip up when he zoomed to the hoop, blowing 
past the defense who fouled the rush of green wind that passed by them, and 
made the shot though he missed the subsequent free throw.

The C's defense was caught napping on the way back as Williamson made the 
kind of basket that Baker's been making hay with.  Banks replied as the 
defense fell totally away from him and dared him to take the open three.

Oops.  Banks can hit that shot, when he has time to set himself.

Billups followed a great shot with a dumb foul that sent Banks to the 
line.  Marcus' free throw form looked good as he made both.  The first 
quarter ended with the Good Guys leading it, 30-23.

For all of what might be perceived as nitpicking on my part, The C's had a 
positive first quarter.  It was a gigantic improvement over the last couple 
of meetings with the Pistons.  The C's did a much better job of getting the 
ball up against the press, and the passing overall was much better.


Second Quarter:

The C's opened up with strong defense and the Pistons still hit their first 
shot of the quarter.  Banks still has more trouble than James getting the 
ball up against the press, but at least he didn't look like he's wandered 
into the building by accident tonight.  Jumaine Jones got his first points 
as a Celtic player on a cleanup rebound.  Boston wasn't playing Jones at 
Point Guard, they were just working him into the lineup.

Then Jones showed how healthy he was as he went up high for the defensive 
rebound, executed a 180-degree turn in midair and came down running on the 
break.

Yeah, I'd say his legs are felling better now.

The left Jones open at the other end as they tripled Pierce, so Paul tossed 
him the ball.  James' three was short off the front rim, but his 
follow-through looked good.  I'm cutting him slack because he missed ALL of 
the preseason, and the first three games of the regular season.  He will 
need some time to get it together physically.

The C's ran fast, but not well, as Pierce got the ball poked away from 
him.  It seems that the Good Guys ARE running, but just not quite fast 
enough to really beat the defense on a consistent basis.  They have a ways 
to go, yet.

Jones was sent flying as he tried to block the path top the hoop, and 
nothing was called.  This was going to be a problem for Boston, as a number 
of Detroit transgressions would go unremarked throughout the game.  The 
saving grace was that the Pistons were really pitiful at the free throw line.

Raef wasn't ready for Ben Wallace to run the baseline, and ended up fouling 
from behind.  Ok, no one else was ready for that one, either.

The Pistons then began heating up from the three point line as Williamson 
put one down.  Detroit's defense also tightened up considerably, as the C's 
were not able to make the fast moves to the basket that had been a hallmark 
of the opening quarter.

Boston did their work on defense, but when Okur starts hitting deep 
jumpers, you know things are not going as well as they might.  The Pistons 
did occasionally leave Pierce open, a two point mistake in this case.  With 
6:52 left in the half, the Celtics led 38-33 as timeout was called.

 From the start of the quarter, the Pistons had outscored the C's 
10-8.  That was NOT what I wanted to see.  But the C's offense slowly got 
back on track, though Pierce missed a play--he was doubled near the elbow 
of the arc, a teammate was open at the top who had an easy pass straight 
down the lane to Vin, if they moved fast enough.  Instead he opted for a 
pass back to Battie near the corner.  Tony missed, and Vin just couldn't 
get the rebound as he was obviously pushed out of bounds from behind.  No 
call, of course.  But Williamson got brushed slightly a few moments later, 
and went to the line--again.

This bit of officiating idiocy gave the Pistons the lead at 37-36, and 
brought the crown back into it.

James apparently thought he was the second coming of Cousy as he tried to 
dribble through more traffic than the Big Dig, ending up without the 
ball.  Detroit made two off that.  Then Blount got the ball to Baker under 
the hoop at the other end, and Vin somehow twisted so he faced the hoop and 
put it in.

Shortly afterward, Vin grabbed a rebound despite being elbowed by a 
defender, and either a) spun beautifully away from a second defender, who 
flopped to no avail, or b) made a GREAT hip check before sinking the 
basket.  Either way, nice move.  That put Vin in double figures for the night.

I might add that Jumaine Jones spent an extended amount of time on the 
floor in the second quarter, pretty cool for a guy not expected to play 
until next week.  But I think overall, the C's were realizing this game was 
going to be harder than the first quarter made it look.

But Mike James was the recipient of a pass off a turnover that landed an 
easy to as he zoomed upcourt.  I was hoping we'd see a lot more of 
that.  On the bad side, James does not handle a pressured double well at 
all.  He tends to lose the ball.  Worse, that generally happens far enough 
out that a fast break is inevitable.  But he made a dumb play when he could 
only be loosely described as having control of the ball on one quick trip 
upcourt.  As he allegedly kept up with the ball, he then tried to pass it 
in to Jones, but Billups was right THERE, and easily picked off the 
pass.  The Detroit announcers were eager to point out the C's turnovers, 
only to see the Pistons throw it out of bounds before the echo died.

On the last play of the half, with time running out, Vin got a rebounded 
miss that he had to flip up behind his back in the general direction of the 
hoop.  Considering the circumstances, it was a pretty darned good 
try.  Even so, as halftime came, Vin had 12 points on 5-7 shooting and 2-2 
free throws.  The C's lead in general was now 54-45.


HALFTIME:

So far, so good was the sum of it.  The C's had started to stomp the 
Pistons, but Detroit came back to make a game of it.  Now the C's were 
poised once more to begin stomping.  What had threatened to be a 
low-scoring second quarter became quite respectable by the time the teams 
took their halftime break.

All the C's had to do was come out roaring in the third, and somehow defend 
the three a little better without sacrificing their interior 
defense.  Also, the had to be careful that the Pistons didn't gain 
confidence in the pressure defense against the C's.  Basically, the Celtics 
had to run like there was no tomorrow.


Third Quarter:

Kedrick Brown came back in to start the quarter and committed an offensive 
foul.  This is going to sound mean, but Kedrick is starting to remind me of 
Vin last year.  No lift in his legs, silly fouls, and quick to get down on 
himself.  Though I'm still of the opinion there's an injury we aren't being 
told about.  Kedrick isn't a GREAT player, but he's a good player, and 
certainly better then the last couple of games have been showing.

Trouble was quickly brewing as Detroit's defense tightened and their 
offense spread out more.  The Pistons were doing exactly what I was afraid 
of, while the C's not getting good shots when they moved the ball around.

Boston was obviously starting to look frustrated.  They are an emotional 
team this year, with players more ready to show what they're feeling on a 
play.  But Pierce was working hard, making two more free throws to bring 
the C's lead back up to nine points.

But that's when the universe went "Squeak", and the Pistons began hitting 
outside jumpers and threes.  It was exactly what happened in New 
Orleans.  The other team hits threes at a nearly unprecedented rate, and 
the C's offense, now moving away from the three, cannot keep up.

Baker did his best, making a nice low post move for two, but even though 
the C's defense was holding up well, the Pistons made some great offensive 
plays.

One thing I noticed had changed for Boston--different people were taking it 
out of bounds, instead of always waiting for he Point Guard to do it.  That 
helped a bit, but not enough as the C's offense was growing cold, and the 
Piston's defense was smothering at times.

Someday, they're going to put a stop to that ridiculous gong sound that 
happens whenever Ben Wallace makes a basket, a rebound, or a funny face at 
the crowd.

With 4:37 left in the third, the score was now tied at 62 as time was called.

Battie then made a GREAT block, but the Pistons got the rebound and ended 
up with--yep, another three.

Last year, everyone in the NBA blasted Obie and the C's for relying on the 
three.  Now, everyone else is shooting without a care.

Jiri Welsch went to the floor to go after a loose ball, but he had no help, 
and wasn't able to do it alone.  Pierce then went to the hoop to make two 
back--his first two points of the third quarter!  I know he's working on 
his passing game, but I wouldn't be all that upset if he fine tuned his 
scoring game too.

Banks went end to end at top speed and drew a foul.  He made both.  He went 
back again to close the quarter, making both then, too.  The third quarter 
ended with Detroit leading it, 73-70.


Fourth Quarter:

There was a short scare as the final quarter opened, Atkins of Detroit 
turned his ankle a bit.  It was painful, but apparently ok, as he stayed on 
the floor.  Vinnie took it to Ben Wallace and silenced the gong with two 
points in Ben's face.

It was obvious that Obie knows about the clock-challenged nature of some of 
his guys as he was hollering out the count as Welsch tried to make 
something happen.  Well, an offensive foul IS "something", but probably not 
what his coach had in mind.  Danny Ainge was watching the play, looking 
pensive, possibly wondering,  "If I get a shaggy wig, and grab Jiri's 
uniform, maybe no one will notice."  :>)

Raef put the C's back in front with a good three.  Vin was starting to look 
tired, hunched over, and picking his spots a little bit.  God knows he'd 
been giving it his all tonight.  He ended up with the ball and an outlet 
pass that resulted in a fast break basket for the C's.  There are 
moments--brief ones--when I think Baker makes a better point guard than 
Banks or James.  But now the Good Guys were back in front, 76-73, with 9:37 
left in the game as time was called.

Frustratingly, the Pistons came out of the timeout with an old-fashioned 
three point play opportunity, but missed the free throw once more.  Pierce 
nearly had a good pass to Baker in the corner, but Baker was unable to drag 
230 pounds of defender that had grabbed him as he moved toward the 
ball.  Alas, no call.

Then Billups really started cooking, launching another three that went 
in.  There was a weird play by Baker that I don't get.  He was down low 
against Okur and waved his hand in a quick circular motion in front of 
Okur's face, but his fingers were cupped and he swiped Okur's face 
twice--while standing directly in front of the ref, who could have 
literally reached out and touched both men without extending his 
arm.  Nothing was called--amazingly--and Okur seemed to be ok.  A makeup 
call was made on the next play against Vin.

The C's now had to play catch up, and with Billups hitting threes the way I 
eat chocolate chip cookies, that was going to be a problem.  Between that, 
the fact that the Pistons seemed to come up with every loose ball despite 
strong effort by Boston--and some questionable officiating at times--the 
Pistons were managing to stay ahead throughout.  Boston never was able to 
make it happen, and the game ended with a Detroit victory, 96-88.

Tough to lose, because overall, the C's played well enough that they could 
have won this game.  Once more, they got burned by a ridiculous percentage 
of made threes, abetted by a ludicrous disparity in free throws.  Detroit's 
defense was very good at times, but the C's did a comparatively better job 
of breaking it.  And, those threes--Detroit as a team shot 44%.  Prince 
alone was 4-4, outside, and Billups was 4-8.  Crazy stuff.

Cookies and Crumbs:

Cookies go to:

Vin Baker: 20 points on 9-14 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 
2-2 at the free throw line, while playing 35 minutes.  Heck, TWO cookies.

Paul Pierce: 20 points on 8-19 shooting, 7 rebounds, 10 assists,  a steal 
and a block and he was also 4-4 at the line.  He just missed two cookies on 
his shooting percentage.

Jumaine Jones:  Came back early, played well with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 
assists,  2 steals and a block.


Crumbs left for:

Marcus Banks: ZERO assists from a Point Guard???  Bleah.

Waltah! McCarty: Not very lovable.  Didn't hurt the team, but didn't do 
anything to help and they NEED help.

The officials:  Bleah, bleah, bleah.

Stale crumb:

Rick Pitino: You booted out Chauncey Billups, AAUGH!!!

Well, the C's get to go home and face the New Jersey Nets on Friday at 
7:30pm.  No rest for the weary.

And that's the view from the doghouse.


Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website