Well, that was disappointing ...

[Steve Ouellette]

The part of last night's awful game that I hated the most (other than the wretched free throw shooting), was the fourth quarter offense. I don't blame Pierce, except for one possession where he tried to drive through a triple team, but every possession everyone on the Celtics tried to force the ball to Pierce. 

It was like a high school game where the regular players give it to their star and step back. Gomes passed open a wide open 15-footer to throw it back out to Pierce. Delonte passed up a wide open three. Telfair had a clear lane to the basket, but tried to figure out a way to get the ball to a triple-teamed Pierce. I think Wally would have shot the ball, but no one would give it to him.

Steve O

---- "Berry wrote: 
> Quick thoughts:
> 
>  
> 
> --- I think they were all too tight after the Red tributes, opening
> night and everything else. I'm giving them a pass.
> 
>  
> 
> --- I liked Doc's starting lineup (although I'd switch Rondo and Telfair
> ... more on that in a minute).
> 
>  
> 
> --- I liked Doc's rotation, other than Tony Allen being included. And
> maybe he won't be if Delonte plays anything other than his worst game as
> a Celtic.
> 
>  
> 
> --- Pierce was an absolute warrior. Sure he tried to take over in the
> second half; no one else was doing ANYTHING. I can't fault his game at
> all. If he plays like that all season, this team will be fine.
> 
>  
> 
> --- Jefferson was the only other guy to bring it last night. He was
> dealing in the post, until he missed a shot and they decided not to
> throw it to him anymore (drives me nuts every time). He had a couple of
> bad calls go against him and Doc left him hanging to pick up some others
> (more on that in a minute).
> 
>  
> 
> --- Here's what I didn't like about Doc: It took him more than three
> quarters to adjust to that high pick-and-roll with Chris Paul. They kept
> trying to go over that pick, giving Paul a path to the basket and
> setting up the big guy - Al or Perk - to commit an unavoidable foul
> while trying to defend Paul off the dribble. I'm convinced Doc only made
> the adjustment to have the PGs go under the pick when he overheard Tommy
> finally say something early in the fourth quarter. That's TERRIBLE
> coaching. Just awful.
> 
>  
> 
> --- My other gripe with Doc: Telfair is a scoring point guard. You put
> him out there with that starting unit and he spends all his time trying
> to do what he thinks a point guard should do - get other people
> involved. Not only is he not very good at it, it wastes the one thing he
> does pretty well - score. Have him come off the bench to give them some
> offense when Pierce/Wally/Delonte aren't in the game. This is so
> obvious.
> 
>  
> 
> --- OK, one other gripe about Doc: Are we the only team in the league
> that doesn't practice a pick-and-roll? I thought the reason we didn't
> run any last season was because Delonte allegedly couldn't do it. So we
> went out and got a couple of point guards who allegedly can do it and
> now we never run it. And while we're on the subject of things we don't
> do ... How about not just talking about running; how about actually
> doing it? Cousy was right last night in that it didn't look like they'd
> been coached in the fundamentals of the running game. Simmons wrote it
> in his NBA preview and I completely agree - someone like Mike D'Antoni
> would win a lot of games with this team.
> 
>  
> 
> --- On the running game ... That starting lineup (switch Telfair with
> Rondo) has to run. They can't get in a halfcourt game. They rebounded
> well enough, but they didn't take advantage of the mismatches they had
> on the offensive end and in transition. That's coaching.
> 
>  
> 
> --- Tony Allen is an abomination.
> 
>  
> 
> --- Delonte will never play a worse game in his life.
> 
>  
> 
> The emotion of the night had something to do with how they played. I
> expect a much better performance Friday.
> 
>  
> 
> Mark
> 
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