Purple Reign
Starter
The following article is exactly what many want Rick Adelman to do. When the starters are not defending SIT THEM DOWN!!! Now I am not one of those that agree with that philsophy. This team is what it is, it ain't going to change and it has been like that since Adleman has been the coach. Look at it below from the Celtics point of view.
C's fast breakdown
By Mark Murphy/ The NBA
Monday, January 10, 2005
As the Celtics regroup tonight for a game against Doc Rivers' old team, the Magic, the coach will be looking for signs of anger, support and maybe even mental desertion.
That's what happens when - as Rivers did Saturday night - a coach benches his starters down the stretch of a disappointing but winnable game.
Rivers also continues to search for the answer to an increasingly maddening question. How does a group of core players and proven defenders so abruptly, under a new up-tempo system, lose the interest or ability to protect each other's back? As Saturday's loss to Chicago further illustrated, it's been a long time since the Celtics were so helpless to guard against back cuts and open jumpers.
Minutes being the coach's ultimate leverage, Rivers went after his biggest stars once the defense popped fresh leaks. Paul Pierce [news] and Gary Payton played only four minutes in the fourth quarter, after the game was essentially out of hand.
Payton took the high road, and declined to challenge the decision - a notable break from the 36-year-old veteran's past behavior. Perhaps it was easier for the point guard to keep a level head because he has already decided not to return next season. But Pierce, who has now been benched twice by Rivers this season - once for not playing a team game in the offensive end, and now for defensive sins - has probably never been called out so publicly by a coach.
The Celtics captain didn't take it well, either. Instead of following Payton's route, Pierce sounded like a wounded child when he said, ``I guess I didn't play no defense, if that's what he said. I guess we have to outscore everybody, or sit me down, I don't know.''
Pierce wasn't the only one who chafed under Rivers' heat.
Though Mark Blount [news] has clearly been more suspect in this team's rebounding breakdowns than Raef LaFrentz, Rivers benched both for the entire fourth quarter.
Blount acknowledged his shortcomings, saying his play has been, ``in and out.'' But much like Pierce, LaFrentz got testy when he said, ``How many minutes did we play? It was one game. We haven't rebounded well all year. You can crunch numbers any way you want. The bottom line is wins and losses, and 19 losses isn't good enough.''
If these reactions reflected more than heat-of-the-moment irritation, then Rivers has a major cleanup on his hands.
Blount, called one of the best help defenders in the league by former coach Jim O'Brien [news], hasn't lived up to his new contract. Where rookie Al Jefferson has grown into his position under the basket, Blount's play has been devoid of the passion everyone witnessed in - dare we say it - his contract year.
Pierce has talked of himself as an ``underrated'' defender.
And yet the Celtics, one of the league's best in field goal defense over the last three years, are now 18th in field goal defense and, much worse, 26th in keeping teams off the offensive glass.
Opponents are having a picnic.
Payton pointed to soft zone play against the Bulls as one reason the likes of Kirk Hinrich, Othella Harrison and Luol Deng hit so many open shots Saturday. He also said that contrary to Rivers' anger with his starters, ``It's really a lot more than that.''
Rivers gave the team yesterday off, and maybe that was a good thing. Self-reflection, for everyone concerned, was in order.
This up-tempo dream is double-edged. (AMEN!!!!)
C's fast breakdown
By Mark Murphy/ The NBA
Monday, January 10, 2005
As the Celtics regroup tonight for a game against Doc Rivers' old team, the Magic, the coach will be looking for signs of anger, support and maybe even mental desertion.
That's what happens when - as Rivers did Saturday night - a coach benches his starters down the stretch of a disappointing but winnable game.
Rivers also continues to search for the answer to an increasingly maddening question. How does a group of core players and proven defenders so abruptly, under a new up-tempo system, lose the interest or ability to protect each other's back? As Saturday's loss to Chicago further illustrated, it's been a long time since the Celtics were so helpless to guard against back cuts and open jumpers.
Minutes being the coach's ultimate leverage, Rivers went after his biggest stars once the defense popped fresh leaks. Paul Pierce [news] and Gary Payton played only four minutes in the fourth quarter, after the game was essentially out of hand.
Payton took the high road, and declined to challenge the decision - a notable break from the 36-year-old veteran's past behavior. Perhaps it was easier for the point guard to keep a level head because he has already decided not to return next season. But Pierce, who has now been benched twice by Rivers this season - once for not playing a team game in the offensive end, and now for defensive sins - has probably never been called out so publicly by a coach.
The Celtics captain didn't take it well, either. Instead of following Payton's route, Pierce sounded like a wounded child when he said, ``I guess I didn't play no defense, if that's what he said. I guess we have to outscore everybody, or sit me down, I don't know.''
Pierce wasn't the only one who chafed under Rivers' heat.
Though Mark Blount [news] has clearly been more suspect in this team's rebounding breakdowns than Raef LaFrentz, Rivers benched both for the entire fourth quarter.
Blount acknowledged his shortcomings, saying his play has been, ``in and out.'' But much like Pierce, LaFrentz got testy when he said, ``How many minutes did we play? It was one game. We haven't rebounded well all year. You can crunch numbers any way you want. The bottom line is wins and losses, and 19 losses isn't good enough.''
If these reactions reflected more than heat-of-the-moment irritation, then Rivers has a major cleanup on his hands.
Blount, called one of the best help defenders in the league by former coach Jim O'Brien [news], hasn't lived up to his new contract. Where rookie Al Jefferson has grown into his position under the basket, Blount's play has been devoid of the passion everyone witnessed in - dare we say it - his contract year.
Pierce has talked of himself as an ``underrated'' defender.
And yet the Celtics, one of the league's best in field goal defense over the last three years, are now 18th in field goal defense and, much worse, 26th in keeping teams off the offensive glass.
Opponents are having a picnic.
Payton pointed to soft zone play against the Bulls as one reason the likes of Kirk Hinrich, Othella Harrison and Luol Deng hit so many open shots Saturday. He also said that contrary to Rivers' anger with his starters, ``It's really a lot more than that.''
Rivers gave the team yesterday off, and maybe that was a good thing. Self-reflection, for everyone concerned, was in order.
This up-tempo dream is double-edged. (AMEN!!!!)
