belated game impressions

[Kestas]

Berry, Mark S wrote:

>They're just so short-handed right now. I wanted to post something
>raving about Delonte's play of late, but I know I'll come across as an
>unabashed fan (I am, but I still think he's playing his ass off). 
>
He really is. He's not the perfect PG, but he's a warrior,  someone you 
want to have on your side. 

>Also,
>I didn't want to spark one of those irrational anti-Delonte/pro-Telfair
>rants.
>
>  
>
What rants? :)

>The best thing about this season is we've learned something about each
>of the young guys. I put Al, Delonte, Rondo, Allen and Gomes on the
>keepers list (probably in that order). That doesn't mean I wouldn't
>trade them at all, just that I've seen enough in extended minutes to
>think they can contribute to a winning team.
>
>  
>
Yup, though Rondo needs to learn to shoot ASAP, or most of that 
potential will be wasted.
And Allen? I'd definitely put Gomes ahead of him,  if nothing else than 
for health, smarts, and character reasons. 

>By contrast, as much as I like Perk, I don't like him alongside Al. 
>
Perk is just really limited right now by injury and perhaps a little too 
much bulk on his frame. He isn't athletic or tall enough to overcome the 
inertia of all that weight. But he showed his decent passing skills 
again last night, and is generally a keeper as (hopefully) the third big 
in a C/PF rotation. We need more "character guys", not fewer.

>And
>while Gerald is gifted, I think his ultimate value is going to lie as a
>trade asset. Telfair ... disaster. Powe is a guy.
>
>  
>

>Anyway, add Pierce to the keepers, along with a high pick (hopefully THE
>pick), and stir with a real coach, and I think this team shows dramatic
>improvement next season. Some of these guys are really encouraging.
>  
>
I'd be surprised if they weren't 25 games better next season, even 
without THE pick.
Kestas

>Mark
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: celtics-bounces at igtc.com [mailto:celtics-bounces at igtc.com] On
>Behalf Of Kestas
>Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 5:13 PM
>To: kelts
>Subject: belated game impressions
>
>I know that probably not too many people care about what happens on the 
>court for the Celtics vs. possible trades and the odds of landing Oden 
>or Durrant, but what the heck, maybe someone will find this of
>interest...
>
>I went two games this past week : last night, and also a week ago 
>against the Spurs, both courtesy of Kim (thanks, Kim!). Surprisingly, 
>the house seemed more full last night (perhaps 3/4ths) than against San 
>Antonio (when it appeared to be about 2/3rds full), perhaps because it 
>was Sunday night and not as cold.  Even though the end result of both 
>games was the same, the ebb-and-flow of the Spurs game was somehow much 
>more fun. I don't know if it was because SA are much more professional 
>and impressive than the Bulwiz, or that there seemed to be a real 
>possibility of defeating the One-Who-Got-Away for the first time ever.
>
>The one thing that you can appreciate better in person than on TV is the
>
>overall movement of the teams,  especially on defense. This is not 
>exactly news to anyone,  but that was the starkest difference between SA
>
>and Boston - teams just don't get very many unchallenged shots against 
>the Spurs. Their defense is a well-coordinated machine, an annoying 
>constant. Ours? Well, you know...not so much... Our run in the 4th was 
>achieved mainly through brilliant individual play by  Jefferson and 
>Delonte, which even momentarily distracted the crowd from watching the 
>Jumbotron and fighting for t-shirts.
>
>In contrast, the difference in last night's game was the offensive 
>efficiency of Jamison, Butler and, later in the game, Agent Zero. When 
>they wanted to score, they scored, and in the second half the efforts of
>
>Delonte and Gomes just weren't enough to keep up. It didn't help that it
>
>was Big Al's weakest game in a month. I'm not sure what his problem was 
>  last night - he just didn't seem into it. Maybe he'd heard the trade 
>rumors of him going to Memphis for Pau :) In any case, the way the Wiz 
>just put the pedal to the metal offensively and took off was really 
>anticlimactic after a half+ of even play.  With about 4 mins to go and 
>suddenly down 19, a mass exodus started, and two stupid kids (well, guys
>
>their late teens or early 20s) a few rows in front of me started yelling
>
>"get back in your seats, where you going?!". A minute later they were 
>heading for the exit themselves.
>
>In general, though,  the crowd didn't really seem to care much about the
>
>game itself. The "game presentation",  as Shaughnessy correctly noted in
>
>the Globe today, has officially taken over as the main attraction at 
>Celtics games.
>
>Other notes: I was watching the warm-ups before last night's game and 
>I'd estimate that Scalabrine was hitting less than 30% of his shots. In 
>contrast, most of the Wizards were sinking nearly every shot, like pro 
>players are supposed to do with no one guarding them. Sadly, other than 
>Delonte, Gomes, and perhaps Wally,  other Celts weren't that much better
>
>than Veal. This turned out to be a harbinger for the game.
>
>Kestas
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>  
>