Another Celtic Meltdown

I woke up this morning and couldn't wait to get to the computer to start reading the Celtics tidbits for tonight's pivotal Game 2 Miami.  I was feeling confident.  Well, not as confident on Sunday morning, but there was still some swagger there.  I wasn't yet sold on this Heat team.  So I sat down, opened the laptop, and started scrolling through my twitter feed and noticed a Boston Globe headline: "Garnett vows to be more aggressive."  Maybe I didn't take it the right way, but that bothered me.  I was pissed.  Was he saying that he didn't give everything he had in Game 1?  I'm sick of hearing about how they are going to play harder, play smarter, etc...  As a fan, I want them to play well NOW.  I want this team to dominate the arrogant, front-running Heat.  I'm sick of LeBron complaining after every foul, after every almost foul, and after every time he thinks someone was debating fouling him.  He's an absolute punk and I can honestly say that if he were in Celtic green I'd be looking for a new team to root for.  Thankfully I don't have to worry about that.  He's in Miami  for a while celebrating titles he hasn't won yet.  He's just a clown.  Moving on.

The game tonight was supposed to be Boston's chance to get back in it.  Their chance to steal one on the road and put some pressure on the punk Heat.  Well, that didn't even come close to happening.  They were blown out again and this time they looked OLD in the process.  They couldn't get to a single loose ball all night.  All of the extra effort was coming from the Heat.  To make it even more maddening, it wasn't the Heat bench that came up big, it was their version of the Big Three.  LeBron absolutely took over the game in the second half and the Celtics had no answers.  Even when they did have a stop or two in them, joey Crawfod made sure that the Heat got to the line.  The Heat were flopping and getting calls all night.  Wade looks like he's been shot every time he goes up for an awkward jump shot and he's continually bailed out.  That's not why the Heat won this game tonight though.  The Heat won because the Celtics refuse to rebound, refuse to give the extra effort, and refuse to close out quarters.  It seems like the announcers start every quarter by talking about the run the Heat had to end the quarter.  It's always a 6 or 8 point swing,  They should make it a new segment for the broadcast.  "So Doris, what was the Heat run to end that quarter?"  This has been an issue all season and drives me absolutely crazy.  If I had to guess how many times I've screamed at my TV for the Celtics to KEEP PLAYING, I would say at least 332 times.  That's probably on the conservative side. This lack of concentration is why the Celtics are coming home down 2-0 and most likely won't get out of the second round.  This team is in deep, deep trouble.  This will be more pressure than they've felt in a while.  These are two must-win games for a team that struggled at home in the second half of the season and has certainly lost it's swagger.  I'll be rooting for them.  I'll be screaming at my TV as always, but I'm starting to doubt that they can survive.  I don't doubt that they have guile to pull it out, but they just look so lost on both ends of the court.  The Heat again had a bunch of open shots and the Celtics haven't been able to close down the driving lanes.  It's been ridiculous.  How many 'and one's' can you give up in one series?  The offense has been the exact opposite of what Doc preaches: patience and ball movement.  Way too many poor shots and the ball has been sticking.  They never seem to reverse the ball and make the defense work.  All I know is Doc has a lot of work to do before Saturday.  All week we're going to hear about how Shaq is coming back, the Green are coming home, and how the practice will get them back on the track.  But the reality is, they just need to play with passion.  That's all I want to see.  If they do that, they survive.  If they don't, they'll find themselves watching the Finals and screaming at their TV's just like me.

Quick Note

I know I said there would be a Red Sox analysis after their West Coast trip, but due to the NBA playoffs and the NFL Draft last week I ran out of time.  I've pushed it back to this week and I'll look at the first 30 games and if this shocking start is their reality.

Hopefully none of you put money on my NFL draft selections as I hit on a whopping 3 of 32 in the first round.  I do take some pride in the fact that BB and I were on the same page when it came to Nate Solder.

Gutless Green

The Celtics opened their second round series with Miami by playing their worst game since Sunday, April 10th.  On that day the Celtics were demolished by this same Miami team by 23 points.  It wasn't even that close. Just as yesterday's game wasn't as close as the 99-90 defeat.  They were blown out...again.  The Heat did whatever they wanted, and when the Celtics decided that they were going to make their own run, they lost their composure.  The Captain got himself tossed with seven minutes remaining because he insisted on running his mouth.  It was obvious to everyone watching that the officials were NOT going to allow this game to get out of hand.  The Jermaine O'Neal flagrant foul should have sent that message to everyone on the court.  It was a terrible call and an overreaction by an overzealous referee who just had to inject himself in the game.  We all saw it.  Well, all of us except Paul Pierce.  Not long after the Jermaine foul, Paul takes a hard foul from James Jones and attempts to head butt him.  Luckily he was playing so soft that it appeared more like he was snuggling with Jones than trying to injure him so the referee only gave him a technical.  This is when Paul jumped in the hot tub time machine and brought himself back to 2005 when he was an immature, young star.  He sets a solid screen on Wade, draws the foul, shoots his mouth off, and gets himself tossed for a second technical.  Was it a good call?  Absolutely not.  The call was made by the same referee who called the flagrant foul on Jermaine.  Ed Malloy did not have his best day, to put it kindly.  The point is that Paul Pierce has to know better.  He's a veteran.  The Captain of this team.  He needs to understand the situation.  He needs to walk away and continue to cut into the Miami lead.  You probably think that I'm unfairly ripping Paul because it was a bad call and he did score 19 points in 34 minutes.  I'm ripping him because he needs to be a leader.  I'm ripping him because he mailed in the first half.  He was brutal; 2 points and 4 turnovers at the half. Thats unacceptable.  He was lazy, sloppy, and lacking intensity.  I think part of the reason they got off to such a bad start in the first quarter was because of the Captain.  Don't worry, each member of the squad is going to be mentioned in this rant.  I thought they all were gutless.  It reminded me of Game 3 in the Cleveland series last year when the Cavs took it to the Celtics in the Garden. How could they possibly be so flat?  Rondo decided early that he was going to attack the rim, but one important thing changed from the New York series, the Heat are going to defend the rim.  I can't tell you how many times Rondo got himself trapped under the basket and either tossed up a prayer or threw the ball away.  To top things off, Rondo he got himself into foul trouble and Delonte was forced to play way too many minutes.  As we've seen so far in the playoffs, Delonte has no feel for his role yet.  He never seems to know when to pass or shoot and he's prone to the poor decisions that ended his time in Cleveland (no, not that decision).  He got a technical for throwing the ball at Chalmers, missed TWO dunks (instead of trying to lay the ball in), and couldn't seem to find Jones defensively.  A pathetic performance.  OK, so who's next?  This is someone you might not expect a complaint about, but I'm not letting his atrocious defensive effort get glossed over because he was unconscious offensively.  Ray Allen got torched all day long.  If it wasn't Wade hitting a jumper, then it was Jones drilling 3's.  He couldn't stay with either of them.  He MUST play better defensively if the Celtics are going to compete in this series.  The last guys two were complete no-shows: KG and Baby.  The key to both of their games is effort and the 18 foot jumper.  Neither were on hand yesterday.  I have no idea why, but every time KG set a screen at the top of the key he floated outside the three point line and waited for the reversal.  It was as if he was playing the part of Perk and only being a passer.  He can't do that.  He needs to stand his ground and get ready to be a scorer.  When KG gets it going, the Celtics are very tough to defend, especially for one of the most passive "power" forwards in the game, Chris Bosh.  The other player that Bosh needs to defend is Baby who should be able to push him around under the basket.  We didn't see that yesterday.  In fact, we didn't see Baby at all.  I can only remember him being mentioned twice.  The first time was when he attempted to draw a charge from Wade (unsuccessfully) and then when he missed a layup in the 4th quarter.  That's it.  Twenty-two minutes of nothing.  I could go on and on about the poor play, but it's just going to aggravate me even more.  I'm not giving up on this team, but I would say that tomorrow night is a must win.  They need to treat it as such.  Before the series started, Doc said to win they needed to limit their turnovers, get back in transition, and not allow a parade to the free throw line.  The Celtics were 0 for 3 in Game 1.  Let's hope they listen to the Coach in Game 2.

Why me?

This morning I got a message that one of my readers (yes, thats plural) was disappointed that all I did was post some names for my mock draft.  He wanted more.  Well JB, here's more for you.  Here's my rationale for all 32 selections.

1.        I was physically ill making this pick.  I would bet a lot of your money that Cam Newton is an absolute bust.  The Panthers owner loves him which is all that matters.  I have serious concerns about his football IQ.  I’m still stunned after listening to his interview with Gruden.

2.       This will come down to Dareus and Miller and I think new coach John Fox will take Dareus to anchor his front seven.  He’s a steal at number two as most experts consider him to the be the top overall prospect.  Thank you Carolina!

3.       Offense or defense?  Most talking heads have the Bills taking Miller, but I see them grabbing Gabbert and solidifying the QB spot.  Sorry Harvard boy, but you’re going to be the tutor very soon. 

4.       Mark this down: A.J. Green will be an absolute beast AND he will be out of Cincinnati as soon as possible.  The Bengals couldn’t be more dysfunctional.  This is early for a WR, especially for a team with so many holes, but they can’t pass on this kind of talent.

5.       Finally Von Miller comes off the board.  Like the Broncos, the Cardinals steal a top defensive player because quarterbacks can be tough to pass over.  As a tackling machine, he makes an immediate impact on the outside for the sluggish Cardinals. 

6.       The Browns could go the safe route and take the best available player, Robert Quinn, or they take a chance and get Colt McCoy and the offense a playmaker?  I think they roll the dice and take Julio Jones, thus opening up the offense and making Peyton Hillis more effective. 

7.       The Niners get Mel Kiper’s number one prospect (whatever that’s worth).  It’s time for Bill Belichick’s favorite word, value.  Getting the top cover corner at number seven is great value.  This will be an easy pick if Peterson is still there.

8.       Like Buffalo, this comes down to QB or defense, but with Gabbert gone the Titans stick to their board and take Nick Fairley.  He’ll be disruptive as a pass rusher and it won’t take long for him to require a double team. 

9.       Tyron Smith has been linked with Dallas for a long time and I’m jumping on the bandwagon.  An instant upgrade at tackle and a very solid pick.  As Dallas has learned, keeping Tony Romo upright is of the utmost importance. 

10.   I can say that I have no clue what the Redskins are going to do.  I asked a friend of mine what he thought they should do and he suggested Julio Jones (already selected) or trade for picks.  Since trades are tough to predict I’m giving them the best available QB.  This is a shot in the dark.

11.   Houston needs to upgrade their defense, quickly.  The quickest way to make a defense look better is to get after the QB.  Teaming up Quinn with Mario Williams should improve the pass defense significantly.  Quinn is regarded as the top pass rushing defensive end in the draft.

12.   The first surprise of the draft comes right here.  Most experts have Akeem Ayers as a late 1^st or early 2^nd round pick, but I think he shoots up the board the same way Vernon Gholston did a couple years ago.  Every year there is a wild card that gets taken a little too early and this year I think its Ayers. 

13.   My beloved Lions continue to upgrade their defense with Nebraska Cornhuskers and select the number one all-around corner, Prince Amukamara.  I’m a huge fan of this pick.  He’s exactly what they need.  With that said, I’ll probably be wrong.  Will that be a popular jersey in Detroit this season?

14.   The Rams should be looking offense, but with the top two WR’s off the board and Mark Ingram not being an ideal fit with Steven Jackson, they go with Smith.  Smith will bring toughness and tenacity to the playoff bound Rams. Like most of the top defensive ends in the draft, he has a knack for getting to the QB. 

15.   Similar to Tyron Smith in Dallas, mark Ingram has been linked with the Dolphins from the beginning and it seems like a logical fit.  He’ll revamp a suspect RB core in Miami and make it easier for Chad Henne to survive in the pocket (at least for now).

16.   Jacksonville needs to be more physical at the line of scrimmage and this is how they do it; they draft J.J. Watt.  A monster at 6-6 290 lbs., Watt will be spending plenty of time in the opponent’s backfield very soon.  Hopefully he introduces himself to Mr. Peyton Manning.  [in cases you were wondering, this would have been the perfect selection for NE]

17.   With Watt gone, Bill Belichick elects to draft an offensive tackle to pair with Sebastian Vollmer.  Solder is massive, nasty, and will look great on the right side of the line.  It’s a close call between Castonzo and Solder, but Solder grades out higher.  Getting tougher in the trenches should be the main goal for the Patriots this offseason. 

18.   In this scenario the Chargers make out like bandits with the versatile Cameron Jordan.  They’ll be thrilled to get one of the more skilled defensive lineman who should be able to make the transition to OLB in the 3-4.  Jordan has the athleticism and knowledge of the 3-4 (having played it in college) to make an impact early on.

19.   This pick should be a no-brainer.  The Giants need interior line help and Mike Pouncey needs to get drafted. Done and Done.

20.   Tampa gets perhaps the steal of the draft.  Due to an injury and some questionable work ethic, one of the top talents in the draft falls all the way to 20.  If Bowers is healthy, he’s a top 3 pick.  No question about it.  I think his skill is too tough to pass on and the Bucs capitalize.  The other option at this point would be Ryan Kerrigan.

21.   The Patriots of the Midwest take the tackle that the real Patriots almost took.  Castonzo is a very good pick here and Scott Pioli will surely take advantage of his size, mobility and intellect.  BC can produce offensive lineman and 9-3 seasons.  It’s automatic. 

22.   Peyton Manning has been injury free because of his quick release and good protection.  To make sure he stays on feet the Colts take the top tackle left on the board, Gabe Carimi.  The Colts might look WR, but this is too early for Randall Cobb or Torrey Smith.

23.   He’s the first character guy.  The good thing is Andy Reid is the coach and he has a strong locker room.  Some draft folks are saying that Jimmy Smith could be the next Darrelle Revis and I don’t see the Eagles passing on a top CB prospect.

24.   I think the Saints try and trade up for Mark Ingram, but if the package is too rich I expect them to look for a pass rusher and luckily for them a good one is still on the board, Ryan Kerrigan.  Kerrigan falls to  number 24 because people aren’t sure where he’ll be most productive, 4-3 end or 3-4 OLB.  He’s you’re classic tweener, but I think Gregg Williams will find a spot for him.

25.   Here’s a spot that I have no feel for.  I think they need a QB, but they just signed Charlie Whitehurst and are claiming he’s going to be the starter.  If that’s the case then I think they continue to improve the offensive line and take Derek Sherrod.  He’s the norm; a 6-5 321 monster.  That’s a good start, right?

26.   I think the ravens try to deal this pick to a team looking to get back into the 1^st round for a QB, but if they do make a selection I think they work to make their defense a little more dynamic.  Justin Houston should be able to do that from the outside, as long as he can keep the recreational drugs out of his system.  Amazing that the Ravens are more talented on offense than defense right now.

27.   The Patriots of the south take who the real Patriots would have taken at number 28.  Cameron Heyward has the feel and look of another Richard Seymour.  He should be able to hold down the right defensive end spot for a long time. 

28.   The Patriots surprise, surprise, trade this pick to Titans for the Titans second round pick this year and a number one in ’12 (which will most likely be a top ten pick).  Dalton has been gaining steam recently and the Titans are desperate to get a consistent starting QB to balance Chris Johnson.

29.   The Bears select the local DT to help infuse some youth in their front seven.  Offensive line could be targeted here as well, but I think Liuget is the guy that makes the most sense.

30.   The Jets are looking for a large human being to put in the middle of their defense and Phil Taylor is a large human being.  He’s like a refrigerator with hands and feet, which is a good thing when Coach Ryan needs a GD snack.

31.   Pittsburgh was torched all last season through the air and they need the top corner available.  I went with Aaron Williams because of his hands and his size.  A big corner that should be able to help in the run game.

32.   The rich get richer as the Packers grab Brooks Reed to make their pass rush even more difficult to deal with.  Dom Capers will have a blast with Matthews on one side and Reed on the other. 

2011 NFL Mock Draft

       TEAM             POS       PLAYER                   HT   WT

1.    Carolina           QB       Cam Newton                6-5   248
2.    Denver             DT       Marcel Dareus               6-3   319
3.    Buffalo             QB       Blaine Gabbert              6-4   234
4.    Cincinnati         WR      A.J. Green                    6-3   211
5.    Arizona            OLB     Von Miller                     6-2   237
6.    Cleveland         WR      Julio Jones                    6-2   220
7.    San Francisco   CB      Patrick Peterson           6-0   219
8.    Tennessee         DT      Nick Fairley                  6-3   291
9.    Dallas               OT      Tyron Smith                  6-5   307
10.  Washington       QB      Jake Locker                  6-2   231  
11.  Houston            DE      Robert Quinn                 6-4   265
12.  Minnesota         OLB    Akeem Ayers                6-2   254
13.  Detroit              CB       Prince Amukamara        6-0   206
14.  St. Louis           DE       Aldon Smith                 6-4   263  
15.  Miami               RB       Mark Ingram                 5-9   215
16.  Jacksonville      DE        J.J. Watt                      6-5   290
17.  New England    OT        Nate Solder                  6-8   319
18.  San Diego        DE       Cameron Jordan            6-4   287
19.  NY Giants        C          Mike Pouncey              6-5  303
20.  Tampa Bay      DE        Da'Quan Bowers           6-3  280
21.  Kansas City     OT        Anthony Castonzo        6-7  311
22.  Indianapolis     OT        Gabe Carimi                  6-7  314
23.  Philadelphia     CB        Jimmy Smith                6-2  211
24.  New Orleans    DE        Ryan Kerrigan               6-4  267
25.  Seattle             OT        Derek Sherrod              6-5  321
26.  Baltimore         OLB     Justin Houston              6-3  270
27.  Atlanta             DE       Cameron Heyward         6-4  294
28.  Tenn. (NE)       QB       Andy Dalton                  6-2  215
29.  Chicago           DT       Corey Luiget                  6-2  298
30.  NY Jets           DT       Phil Taylor                      6-3  334
31.  Pittsburgh        CB       Aaron Williams               6-0  204
32.  Green Bay       OLB     Brooks Reed                  6-2  263

Finals Bound?

I realize that I'm late with a Celtics series recap, but I've been double-checking my computer for two days to make sure I didn't miss something.  Is it really true that the Boston Celtics are the only team to advance to round two without losing a game?  The answer is 'yes'.  Only five days ago, that would've seemed highly unlikely.  This is the same team that after two games looked like they were going to go the distance against yet another average team.  We were wrong on both counts.  First, the Celtics decided to turn up the intensity once they arrived in New York and absolutely embarrassed the home team.  Second, to call the Knicks an 'average' team would not be fair to all those C students getting ready for college finals.  They were awful.  In fact, I would argue that there were a couple intramural teams at Stonehill College that could've beaten that Knicks team.  That's what made the first two games so maddening.  The Celtics were the superior team, but they insisted on playing down to the competition, which has been the norm for the past four post-seasons. Logically, how could the Knicks without Amare AND Billups stay competitive in Game 2, never mind lose in the final minute?  I have no answer.  All I know is that they were crushed on the boards which led to them getting crushed in second chance points.  I know that Carmelo played a great game, but one player shouldn't be able to keep a team alive like that.  He looked like Teen Wolf out there with Chubby being played by Ronny Turiaf.  Thankfully the Celtics forced the ball out of Carmelo's hands and KG came up with a huge steal to seal the victory.

The two victories in New York were amazing.  It's what Celtic fans have been waiting for all season.  They were defending.  They were moving the basketball.  Paul and Ray were hitting everything they threw at the hoop.  Rondo was simply playing at a different level.  The Knicks had no answer for him defensively and he took full advantage.  KG was a monster on both ends of the court and the bench, umm, well, the bench didn't play awful the whole time.  The bench is certainly the biggest question mark at this point.  They struggled more in this series than they have all year.  Big Baby was hesitant, Jeff Green was confused, and Delonte West had trouble dribbling.  It was quite the performance.

The question that I keep asking myself is if this team is capable of making a serious playoff run.  Can they duplicate last year and get back to the Finals?  To get an answer I decided to look at the stats from last year's first round match-up with the Heat and compare them to this year's series against the Knicks.  Here's the breakdown of the top 8 players (points-rebounds-assists).

                                            2010 vs. Heat:                    2011 vs. Knicks
                                          
Paul Pierce                            19-5-3                                 22-4-2  
Kevin Garnett                         16-9-2                                 15-11-3
Rajon Rondo                          13-6-10                               19-7-12
Ray Allen                               19-2-3                                 22-4-2
Glen Davis                              9-5-1                                    6-5-1

Kendrick Perkins                    6-8-1
Rasheed Wallace                    4-1-0
Tony Allen                              6-1-0
Jermaine O'Neal                                                                 5-4-1
Jeff Green                                                                          6-3-0
Delonte West                                                                     2-2-1


This seems like a fair comparison for the simple reason that the 2010 Heat and 2011 Knicks are the same team.  They had one talented scorer (Wade and Carmelo) and a group of role players to fill out the rosters.  Both teams sucked.  So what can we conclude from these two beat downs?  I think it's pretty obvious that this team has a chance.  Probably a better chance than Lloyd Christmas.  I know, I know, the rest of the East is better than last year, but they're also unproven.  The Celtics are an extremely tough match-up on the offensive end and they're still a top five defensive team.  I think they can beat the Heat, even without home court and I'll take my chances against the Bulls.  The most important difference between last year and this year is KG.  He looks better now than in '08 when they won the title.  It's shocking with all the miles on his body, but he's catching his 3rd or 4th wind.  I think the improvement of KG's game/health more than makes up for the increased competition in the East.  This same team that was left for dead two weeks ago is now the favorite to get back to the Finals and all it took was a little effort. Isn't it funny how that works?

Disclaimer:  No Shaq talk until he plays a damn game.

Prologue

Back by popular demand...

You guys may or may not remember January 16th, but it was the beginning of the end for the Boston sports scene.  It's amazing to think back to that day.  The Pats were only hours away from destroying the Jets at home and steamrolling their way to a 4th title in 10 years.  The Bruins were at the top of their division with a 25-13-7 record and the night before they had beaten Carolina 7-0 with Thomas getting the shutout.  The Celtics were at the top of the conference with a 30-9 record (a 3 game lead on the Heat with Chicago nowhere in sight) and two nights earlier the immortal Shaq had 23 points and the catalyst Rajon Rondo had 18 and 13.  Lastly, the Red Sox were still weeks away for spring training and discussions had started about them winning 100 games and John Lackey possibly eating a hot dog and drinking a beer per inning in each of his starts just to make things fair.  The Boston fans couldn't have been happier.  There was talk about all 4 teams winning championships THIS YEAR.  Ooohhhh, how the times have changed.  Aas we all know, the Pats were physically dominated at home and the Jets once again advanced to the AFC Championship game.  The Bruins (the lone bright spot right now) had their ups and downs, but are poised to at least make a run at the Eastern Ffinals.  Then we get to the Celtics, who last night where soundly defeated by the Bulls and are in a tie with the Heat for 2nd place in the conference.  I'd say that they have no chance of beating that Bulls team in a 7 game series.  Last night they were outplayed and I'd say outclassed.  Boston looked like an average team that hopefully can make it a competitive series in the 2nd round.  Lastly, the mighty Red Sox who have been pathetic thus far.  I would argue that this weekend is the season.  I might be overreacting, but if they are 1-8 or 0-9 after this weekend, they are cooked. A fantasy team with Red Sox uniforms on.  All the optimism that was here only 3 months ago has vanished, but at least we have the Masters to watch this weekend and the NFL season to look forward too, oh wait...