CBW review: 2003 preseason game 1 Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This review is also available on the CBW.

As a note to those who didn't get to see this game 
(baseball?  really?)  will be relieved to know that FSNE specifically 
stated they WILL BROADCAST EVERY PRESEASON GAME.

Really.  Honest.  So stop worrying and have fun.  :>)

PRESEASON: CELTICS VS. DETROIT PISTONS
As Preseason 2003 got underway, there were a number of questions facing 
Celtics Coaches, Players, and Fans.

Will the running game take hold?  Will Kedrick Brown get out of Connecticut 
without another ankle injury?  Will the rookies be as explosive as campers 
predicted?  Will Vin Baker play like the player of old, or like an old player?

This was the C's first preseason game, while the Detroit Pistons got their 
butts whipped by Cleveland last night.  Don't let that final score throw 
you, Cleveland led by 23 points late in the third.

Sad to say, the Pistons got the win, but the C's answered a lot of the 
questions in a positive manner.

The Celtics began the game with their first new player, Mike James.  The 
C's tried him out at point guard and he did very nicely.

The Celtics also unveiled their running game, and it paid quick dividends 
with easy baskets.  Everyone seemed to be buying into it, which is the nice 
way to say, Yes, Antoine and Paul ran too.  In fact, the three point shot 
was nearly absent in the first half as the C's pressed the offense early 
and often.  Sad to say, I missed the middle part of the first quarter as 
the only serious storm in the northern half of Florida erupted directly 
over the dog house.  That caused a break in satellite reception during the 
minimonsoon.

But the picture came back in time for Vin Baker to take the court, and show 
his stuff.  Vinnie ran hard, rebounded, and got points.  He had five points 
BEFORE picking up his first foul.  In fact, Vin was playing so well, only a 
bruised heel kept him from playing long enough for double figures, 
finishing with 8 points and a handful of assists.

Kedrick Brown seems to be over that ankle injury as he might have to wear a 
helmet if he jumps any higher.

Walker was working his way inside, and making good passes for easy baskets.

Not that the Good Guys didn't have problems.  Detroit wreaked havok with a 
defensive press.  The C's apparently haven't done much work preparing for 
that, and Boston made a lot of turnovers off the defensive pressure at 
halfcourt.  In addition, The Celtics blew a number of fast break 
opportunities by missing passes that haven't been attempted in Boston since 
Pierce and Walker were in diapers.

But the C's were going in for rebounds at both ends, fighting for the ball 
and mking the outlet pass on occasion.  They did run well when they 
ran.  Walker even got a fast break pass from James for an easy two off a 
made basket by Detroit.

For the Pistons' part, Ben Wallace had his best offensive year since 
Moochie Norris had short hair. They were also running, and the Celtics 
weren't really stopping them.  The C's were making hay on the offensive 
end, while Detroit was better overall at both ends.

Darko Millicic was obvious by his absense in the first half.

Oddly, Pierce hit double figures very quietly tonight, and didn't appear to 
be a great factor,  Walker forced his offense a bit in the first half, but 
Kedrick Brown was motoring downcourt like he'd been bitten on the behind at 
the other end.

Kendrick Perkins showed flashes of what the C's want him to do in a year or 
two, even as Baker was looking more relaxed and focused as he spent more 
time on the court.  Yes, he is a big, big guy.

Marcus Banks did some real nice work at PG, though I think James will be 
the starter for now.  Banks does still have lessons to learn, especially 
about getting off picks.  The team as a whole kept blowing individual 
defensive assignments as the Pistons scrambled around the court.

Waltah played, but was the only player not to score.  Frankly, he was a 
nonentity in the game.  No love from Tommy tonight!

At the end of the first quarter, the Pitsons led it, 26-23.

When the second quarter got underway, the C's kept up the speed.  It was 
really nice to see a Celtics offense that wasn't moving up the court slowly 
enough that FSNE prohibited slo-mo replays.  But Detroit, by this time, had 
figured out that the C's didn't react well to pressure defense.

It was really nice to see Vinnie Baker backing people up under the hoop and 
he was moving infinitely better than at any time last year.  He seemed to 
have a much better idea of where to be and what to do.  He dropped a few 
passes, but frankly, everyone did tonight.

Kedrick Brown was showing he felt better by taking a charge, and getting 
right back up.

Rusty LaRue came in and showed a very high arcing shot--same form he uses 
at the free throw line.  However, he needs to learn when to pass the 
ball.  He did show a willingness to hit the floor for the loose ball.

Speaking of free throws, the team as a whole needs to practice them--Pierce 
included.  He didn't look sharp at the line at all.

The C's kept up the pace throughout the second quarter, and were it not for 
the turnovers forced by Detroit pressure, might well have built a solid 
lead.  The subs in particular looked pretty good.

The C's apparently forsook individual defense in favor of defensive 
rebounding, but it hurt them tonight.

Things got a little weird when Detroit Coach Larry Brown apparently went 
out of his way to draw two quick technical fouls and get ejected.  The 
Pistons didn't need a morale boost, as they were ahead and playing pretty 
well.  It made for some entertaining, if quizzical, action.

Banks continued to set up people well, including Vin Baker, who converted well.

Things continued apace until halftime, which came with the Pistins 
maintaining their lead, 51-47/

At halftime, the teams both were shooting well, at 49% from the field, and 
there were a total of 8 three-pointers attempted, four by each team, none 
falling.  Detroit held a slight edge in free throws, going 13-16, while the 
C's were 9-14.  The Pistons also outrebounded Boston 19-16.  But Boston had 
an 11-9 edge in steals, and the transition points were all Boston, by a 
whopping 18-4 margin.

If the C's kept this up, they were going to make believers out of those who 
felt the Turtle Celtics were here to stay.  But there was still the problem 
of turnovers under defensive pressure, and the blown defensive assignments.

The third quarter, however, started the C's going downhill.  At first, I 
blamed Antione Walker, as he seemed to be strangling the running game by 
forcing his offense, but the whole team slowed down to a grinding 
halt.  Unless the C's shoot lights out from the arc, they don't win with a 
halfcourt game.  To their credit, the threes weren't prevalent, except for 
a couple of minutes.  This was apparently in response to focus on stopping 
Detroit's running game, which had limited success.

Detroit was still harassing the C's on every possession, and without the 
fast movement of the first half, Boston looked bad in the face of it.

Only when the subs came back in for the final quarter did things speed up 
again. The entire third quarter and the first half of the fourth was an 
offensive waste for Boston. The game ended with Dedtroit winning, 104-89.

All in all, it wasn't a bad game to be blown out, as it gave us an extended 
look at the new guys and Vinnie.  But I'd have preferred to win, 
too.  :>)  The C's failed to keep the running promise of the first half, 
and paid for it with a lopsided loss.  I liked what the rookies had to show 
me, and Vinnie looked good.  The next game is on Friday, against the 
Chicago Bulls at 8:30pm

And that's the view from the doghouse.

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