I first learned about Those Who Love The Game – Glenn “Doc” Rivers on Life in the NBA and Elsewhere, in this article by Bill Reynolds. Rivers worked with Bruce Brooks and I like how they went about it. As a reader it is easy differentiate Rivers’ words from Brooks’. In doing so they created a nice balance and avoided a lot of the pitfalls of ghost written fluff pieces. More importantly now seemed like as good a time as any to take a closer look at Rivers. For the record I doubted Rivers’ ability to coach a champion. In the wake of being proven wrong I’m more than happy to admit it. At the same time it has been interesting to watch the reactions of others. On the one hand Rivers has received a ridiculous amount of back handed compliments. Yet others have gone incredibly far to stress his tremendous coaching ability. Like a lot of things in life the reality probably lies somewhere in between the two approaches. Either way Boston won a championship and Rivers deserves credit.

A few more things before getting this party started. One warning. I read the book at some point during the NBA Finals and typed this shortly after the Celtics won. As a result I made a lot of connections to the 2008 Celtics. It is what it is. Regardless, if you take one thing away from this know that Rivers was incredibly candid throughout the book. His views on fans, other players, (Dominque Wilkins in particular comes to mind), and numerous other topics drew me in.

For previous book reviews, go here. Otherwise click "Continue reading this post" and enjoy.

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You have to give the folks at Reebok credit. The Rondo'd ad campaign was well done. In fact it inspired me to make verbs out of the rest of the Celtics. Obviously it's forced and given the way the season ended, overwhelmingly positive. Such is life. I'll start with Rondo, provided by Reebok, and go alphabetically from there.

Rondo'd

1. To move smoothly between large objects with dexterity and purpose.
2. To remove an object quickly without being detected.
3. To create a distraction followed by a quick change of direction.

Ray Allen'd

1. To rain 3 pointers down upon a squad with reckless abandon even if said squad has given up.
2. To run a defender off of numerous picks, slowly eroding his desire to defend.
3. To obsessively adhere to rituals, superstitions, and a lifestyle at all costs.

Tony Allen'd

1. To injure one’s self on a dunk after the whistle.*
2. To infuriate opposing fans, players, and broadcasters with off the back board alley oops, self-pass windmill dunks, and reverse alley oop slams, regardless of the situation.
3. To possibly black out briefly following dunks.**
4. To raise the blood pressure of a fan base with numerous ill-advised decisions primarily related to dribbling.

* It killed me to include that. But fair is fair.
** This is one of my favorite Celtics related theories. I'm not sure who came up with it. And though it sounds far fetched, watch this dunk. And this one. You think he has any idea where he is? As always thank you freeTA42.

Brown'd

1. To always let a player know he was fouled when an infraction is whistled.
2. To engage in stare downs, exchange trash talk, and then walk away with a subtle, “I would eat this guy’s lunch” smirk.
3. To play in a physical manner that includes moving screens, hard box outs, and essentially non-stop contact in a way that makes people wish you still had your athleticism.

Cassel'd

1. To talk to fans, teammates, referees, opponents, coaches, really anyone who will listen in such a non-stop fashion that it is simultaneously endearing and maddening.
2. To reveal one’s self to be the ultimate ball stopper who shoots without a conscience or a concerted effort to set up one’s teammates.
3. To provide the opposing team with a tremendous offensive advantage.
4. To establish one’s self as one of the most confident individuals within a 5-mile radius on a basketball court.
5. To create a celebratory dance that is easily more offensive than wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a game and yet never face the wrath of a fine happy, image conscious NBA.

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With the Celtics bringing the NBA season to a close on Tuesday it is time to change gears a bit around here. What can you expect?

1. I'll be following the draft. At some point I'll be involved in at least one mock draft and will look to put the "mock" right where it belongs. And of course next Thursday I'll be watching. In fact I just watched the 1997 draft on NBA TV. It deserves its own post. Remember that was Rick Pitino's first draft.

2. I will follow how next year's team is built. Right now Tony Allen, P.J. Brown, Sam Cassell, Eddie House, Scot Pollard, and James Posey may or may not be back. Let's rank the possibility of them returning.

Not Going to Happen - Pollard
He Recently Said he'd be Back But I Don't See It - Cassell
Probably Going to Retire But maybe They'll Work Out a Special Deal - Brown
I Have No Clue - Allen, House, Posey

In reality it all comes down to that last group. I'd like them all to return. Stay tuned.

3. I'm going to do a summer book review series that runs every Monday in July and August. I've already read several of the books. Expect a look at some classic Celtics and the NBA in general. Should be good.

4. I'd love to do some more interviews. I won't name names but I've got a few in mind. As a side note I won't name names because it would subsequently be embarrassing when they turn me down.

5. There's a decent chance that I'll take another shot at some movies. Although this time around they will be much shorter and easier to take than the over the top Rondo movie.

6. Finally I'm going to write some over at ROOMOFZEN. I've wanted to expand beyond the Celtics for some time now and that's a good forum for all sorts of ludicrous stuff I tend to think about. My first post is up now. Look for more in the future.

If there was one thing that bothered me tonight it was the fact that people did not praise James Posey enough, despite Jeff Van Gundy's best efforts, following the Celtics victory. Even Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and KG did give the man enough credit. To review:

- Posey took a short term, less than market deal to play for a team that he thought had a shot.

- He showed up with championship ring and helped set the tone. Hint it's on his left hand:

via assets.espn.go.com

- He quickly established himself as a versatile defender, a heads up basketball player, a limited, yet effective offensive player, a clutch rebounder, and a guy who did not seem the slightest bit concerned about his individual stats.

- Posey also worked in all sorts of hugs, which were uncomfortable but strangely important.

- He made me dream of a Posey/Eddie House talk show. It would be fantastic and definitely on delay. House is like KG in that regard.

- And in the playoffs Posey showed up.

Shortly after the Celtics added Posey I got all fired up after researching him a bit. I even said, "Teams win games with guys like Posey." A prominent blogger, who will go nameless but whose identity should be easy to figure out because I included his team said, "Except when the Bulls beat the Heat's ass last year." Well turns out Posey helps team win games and championships. And he's the classic guy you love to play with/hate to play against. Think about all of the annoying things he does:

1. He picked up on the KG never let a shot fall after the whistle. He even did it on a Laker free throw in Game 4 after it was whistled dead just before the release.

2. As Jeff Van Gundy pointed out, Posey always stops players from making it to the hoop after the whistle. Translation - he hits them. Reminiscent of FSU football playing to the echo of the whistle.

3. He takes charges. I'm convinced he'll step in front of anyone.

4. He has incredibly quick feet that help keep him in great defensive position, while he pokes at the ball. Seriously name another guy in the league that you would have guard Kobe and Lamar Odom.

5. At one point in Game 6 Jordan Farmar tried to box out Posey by literally throwing himself at the former Xavier stand out. Posey moved and watched Farmar tumble into the crowd. Few players have a better body awareness than Posey. I wouldn't say he's Bruce Bowen dirty. But he's clever and definitely walks that line.

6. Posey is not afraid to get in an opponent's face. He's the definition of an agitator. And he usually does it in a calm, collected way, with a smile.

7. It's always nice to have a guy that will hit back breaking 3s coming off the bench. Enter Posey.

So congrats to Posey and the rest of the Celtics. Tomorrow I'll talk about Pierce's assists, Rondo's fantastic game, P.J. Brown pulling the chair out on Pau Gasol, Ray Allen raining down 3s, Glen Davis' dunk, Tony Allen's reverse ally oop throw down, and everything else that was great about this team. But right now I need some sleep. Just don't forget about Posey.

As I was watching Game 5 it hit me how annoyed I would be if I were a Lakers fan. The announcers, Jeff Van Gundy in particular, praised James Posey, Boston's defense and the Celtics in general. It was the story line that played throughout the game, while the Lakers still maintained control. And even when LA wrapped it up Mark Jackson and Van Gundy were all over them.

Speaking of story lines, the "Pau Gasol is soft" one lurked despite his 19 points, 12 rebounds, and his strong work throughout. Granted it is easier for him with Kendrick Perkins inactive. But that looks like a reality Boston is going to have to live with this series. Lamar Odom performed as well with an incredibly efficient 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Paul Pierce, much to the chagrin of Doc Rivers, called a timeout at towards the end of Game 3 because he was exhausted. He then was spent at the end of Game 4. And yet he went 48 minutes tonight. It was in the back of my mind when he made a few turnovers in the 4th.

I'd like to see the baseline camera view of Kobe Bryant on the floor towards the very end of the game. I'm just saying.

Ultimately I feel good because Boston went to LA and came away with a victory. And the Celtics did enough all year to make me like the odds of them heading home up 3-2, in need of one win.  Still given the confusion at point guard, injury concerns, and the fact that they could have won either game 3 or game 5, I don't expect it to be easy.

I wonder what people are going to say about Kevin Garnett tomorrow. Oh right. He did not look good from the line. In fact he looked psyched out enough that I assumed he would miss at leas one. He missed 3. Clearly the foul trouble robbed KG of his aggressiveness and allowed Gasol to go right at him. And even with his 14 rebounds KG did not bring enough to the table tonight.

I'm not defending Kobe Bryant. Lakers fans do enough of that. And I don't want to take away from Paul Pierce's monster night - 38 points (10-22 from the field, 16-19 from the line), 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Yet Pierce can have that monstrous evening and people won't analyze whether he took too many shots. Of course Pierce's efficiency and assist totals help him in that regard. I guess I'm saying I don't like story lines that people love to bandwagon.

During the regular season I was consistently impressed by the how hard it was to beat the Celtics. They rarely if ever got blown out and always seemed to keep games close at the end unless they were administering a beating. I definitely felt that way during all three games in LA. That's a good feeling.

Boston's bigs rotation is an issue right now especially when KG is in foul trouble. Leon Powe played 5 quiet minutes, P.J. Brown played just under 25 minutes, and after that the Celtics were small. That worked down the stretch in game 4, but how long can the Celtics afford to play small?

As a fan and blogger following the Celtics I've been struck by how draining the playoffs are. Mentally and physically these guys have to be exhausted. Throw in a travel day tomorrow and it will be interesting to see how Game 6 starts. I would not be surprised if it were ugly at the beginning.

Tony Allen makes me nervous.

As you can probably tell by this random, rambling post I'm a little overwhelmed by everything that went down. Time to call it a night.

Ray Allen turns 33 this summer. Kevin Garnett blew out 32 candles a month ago. Paul Pierce will be 31 in the fall. We’ve already seen stretches of inconsistent play from Allen, even if he has been awesome in the Finals. And everyone is still waiting to see how the guys who jumped straight to the NBA from high school will hold up as they get up there in years. For the record KG is finishing up year 13. Throw in the beating the Truth has taken over the course of his career and injury concerns will hang over the squad. Meanwhile, the Celtics have a lot of money committed to their current roster and simultaneously hold the 30th pick in the draft. Even with Danny Ainge’s recent success in and around the draft there is a good chance the C’s will pick up a guy that will need time to develop. At the same time Boston will need another player that can handle the ball against pressure, unless Gabe Pruitt is that guy, and a back up center once P.J. Brown and to a much lesser extent Scot Pollard ride into the sunset. Factor in the possibility of losing both James Posey and Eddie House and Boston’s future is complicated. Maybe that last one is unlikely but it’s possible.

And I haven’t even touched upon the possible improvement of other teams throughout the league. After all of that I wonder if this Celtics team had that lightning in a bottle season. They got off to a blistering 26-3 pace, enjoyed game winning shots on the road in Toronto and Charlotte, and absolutely beat down Washington, Denver, Golden State, Chicago, and New York, which probably deserves its own category. It was the kind of beating that makes the cops say, “What kind of animal could to this to other human beings?” The Knicks took so many rights they were begging for lefts. And all that happened in the first two months. Don’t forget the back-to-back-to-back losses to Denver, Golden State, and Phoenix, which was one of the most enjoyable three game losing streaks ever. Think about it – Rondo’s put back dunk in Denver, the classic in the Bay, and a still rusty KG mixing it up with Amare Stoudemire. Then there was the Texas Triangle sweep and the vengeance victories over Phoenix and New Orleans. Meanwhile, Eddie House hit shots, James Posey did whatever it took to win, Rajon Rondo rode the sophomore campaign roller coaster, Glen Davis had his moments (huge 4th quarter on the road in Detroit and admirable defense on Tim Duncan one time), Leon Powe morphed into a legitimate rotation guy (whether Doc Rivers wanted to realize it or not), P.J. Brown worked his way into game shape, and everybody, outside of maybe Sam Cassell, was dedicated to sacrificing some to win.

After coming this far, working through the adversity of the Atlanta and Cleveland series, and going up 3-1 could this Celtics team bounce back from losing the Finals? At this point it can’t even be a Pistons in 88’, failing at the peak but learning what it takes type scenario. Boston is officially beyond the point of no return. Obviously this is a fantastic opportunity. But Boston can’t bet there will be another shot in the near future.

One more point: Does Tom Thibodeau coach in Boston next season?

Some assorted notes before looking at each player

atthehive from At The Hive sent me the following note after the game:

LA’s first half swag was phenomenal.

I don’t like P.J. Brown and Kendrick Perkins on the court together. Nor do I like Leon Powe and KG on the court together. In the end though Doc Rivers made the right call with KG and James Posey.

Speaking of lineups. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Eddie House, and James Posey play well together.

Go to the boxscore and see how close some of the stats – rebounds, foul shots, field goals, blocks, turnovers – ended up being. Intense game.

One of the lasting images for me is definitely LA’s bench whooping it up in the first half. I don’t begrudge them. That was some great basketball. Still it was refreshing to see the Lakers come off as frontrunners, as the Celtics have been painted as such at times this season.

It’s not over. I can’t stress this strongly enough. Let’s not let this go down as the defining moment of a losing series. Think Carlton Fisk waving a homerun fair and Pierce celebrating on the scorer’s table after the come back victory against the Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Lakers

Trevor Ariza

If the Lakers had won I would have given Ariza his own post. His first half was that good. It would have gone something like this. In the midst of possibly the greatest in season trading period ever Ariza was sent to LA for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans. Few people cared, especially when Ariza broke his foot and barely saw the court in the playoffs. It’s similar to the Celtics acquiring the 49th pick in the 2006 NBA draft from the Denver Nuggets only to see him blow up in Game 2. And in Game 4 Ariza made a tremendous impact. Without watching the first half again or even looking at the box score I distinctly remember him doing the following things:

- He blocked one of Ray Allen’s shots to start a fast break.

- He made a great read and stole a pass when Ray Allen jumped in the air and tried to throw it the wing. As a side note I hate it when Allen does that. Yeah I linked to myself. What now?

- He grabbed an offensive rebound over James Posey and dunked it.

- He hit an uncontested three-pointer.

- He deflected another lazy pass out bounds, which even though it was not a steal sent a message.

- He grabbed an offensive rebound and then hit Luke Walton in the corner for a three pointer.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant acts like a child. There I said it. I understand he is the greatest player on the globe/planet. That’s the new thing. But he’s downright petulant. A few times tonight I was begging for Marlon Brando to rise from the dead and give him the old, “You can act like a man!” His ten assists and four steals were excellent. Give credit where credit is due. But let’s not forget two very important things:

1. P.J. Brown dunked on him.
2. Ray Allen blew by him baseline. More on that later. However, never, ever, ever give up baseline. Ever! 

Jordan Farmar/Derek Fisher

Both LA point guards wooed momentum back when it was thinking about switching sides and joining the Celtics. Fisher had a three-point play the old school way and a couple of other free throws. Of course Farmar hit that runner at the buzzer. Here’s my question. Have the Lakers gotten to the point that they don’t know when to go with Farmar or Fisher? I’m not exactly sure what I’m trying to say here but LA’s point guard situation is a mess too. And they don’t have an injury and a really old dude.

Pau Gasol

He put up 17 and 10, had a huge three point play towards the end of the first half and showed flashes of what he can bring to the table. I’m not sure if the Lakers just go away from him or if he just isn't assertive enough. But if I rooted for the Lakers I’d want the offense to run through him at times, especially if the other team is on a 36-15 run. He’s such a great passer. And he’s crafty around the rim.

Coby Karl

I saw him during one of the timeouts and thought - he's a Laker and a cancer survivor. I bet he does okay for himself.


Lamar Odom

I don’t think he should be praised for showing up in the first ¾ of game 5. First of all he is one of the most physically gifted players in the NBA. Second of all where was he down the stretch? Meanwhile, I don’t have much of a problem with his showboating. Hell Eddie House and Paul Pierce taunted everyone at the end. But it was weak when Odom showed up Kendrick Perkins after the hard foul where Perk injured his shoulder. Yes Perk fouled him hard. But that’s what a player has to do when an opponents is driving with great success to the hoop. Ray Allen didn’t bat an eyelash when Derek Fisher got him hard on the break. And if being down 3-1 was not enough Odom has now unleashed the Beast. Best of luck with that.

Vladimir Radmanovic

Lakers fans probably feel better if Radmanovic has a second half.

Ronny Turiaf/Luke Walton

Not much to say. Although I was impressed with how physical Turiaf was with KG.

Sasha Vujacic

I should probably save this for the praise James Posey section that is coming up. But I’ll tell it now. I watched the media session the NBA scheduled for Monday. And at one point a reporter asked Posey if he was worried about Vujacic’s lethal shooting. Something along those lines. Posey calmly remarked that Vujacic wasn’t hitting anything in Boston and he was not too concerned. Well tonight the Machine was 1-9 from the field. And he overplayed Ray Allen on several occasions. Of course Allen’s final field goal was the most glaring example. Granted it’s not Vujacic’s fault that the C’s had shooters out there to spread the floor. And it’s also not his fault that Gasol was not there to even challenge Allen. But Vujacic’s in your face defense was not that effective.

The Celtics

Ray Allen

All Celtics fans that follow the team closely had that moment this season when the light bulb went off and they said, “Ray Allen is not just a jump shooter.” Some of those same fans later considered if Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West were a better fit on this team. Morons. And yes I’m looking at me. Regardless, how about the Ray Allen resurrection? It will be a long time before I get over him blowing by Kobe Bryant baseline and then going with an MJesque reverse lay up. He also pulled down 9 rebounds, which is his new high for the season. And one of those boards was in crunch time in the paint. He absolutely skied for it. He was cold blooded.

P.J. Brown

I loved when he dunked on Kobe. That was a top 5 moment for me from a comeback stacked with great moments. And it was great to see Doc Rivers know when to pull him.

Kevin Garnett

His final numbers were modest – 16 points (7-14 from the floor) and 10 rebounds for what he is capable of doing. But on numerous occasions he went to work in the post. It’s odd because he has 2, maybe 3 moves. Still he made a big bucket down the stretch and made the right pass to Eddie House at one point for another huge basket. Prepare yourself or a rant. People always talk about how important leadership, defense, and attitude are. Garnett excels in all three of those areas. Yet when it comes down to it most people just focus on scoring. It reminds me of people paying lip service to special teams and ultimately ignoring them, even though we all know how important special teams are to a football team. Well KG brings so much to the table. Granted if he were a scoring assassin in the 4th quarter he’d be even higher on the list of all time greats. Still he was +17 tonight and has nothing to be ashamed of, that’s for sure.

Eddie “freaking” House

Boston fans tend to give him more credit than what he deserves at times because of his hustle. But I refuse to downplay his 11 points, 4 rebounds, and team leading +/- (+20) for tonight’s game.  This is his 8th team in 8 years. Can the Celtics just sign him and give him a home? Several more Eddie House thoughts:

- Turns out he just needed real minutes (24 tonight) to make things happen. He got off to a slow start but could not get the quick hook and started feeling it.

- In hindsight are we sure he didn’t deserve some burn in Phoenix during the playoffs? I know this is crazy, biased fan talk. And Steve Nash ran that offense better than anyone, getting great looks for his guys. But remember how tired Nash used to get? I’m just saying.

- The Celtics organization and its fans owe House an apology. He helped Boston get off to a great start but we focused on his weaknesses. The organization brought in Sam Cassell and slowly worked House out of the rotation. Yet he still jumped up and down on the sideline, stayed ready, and eventually made an impact. Well done.

Kendrick Perkins

Perk has a history of both shoulder injuries and being a beast. He’s a tough man. But even with that and the 3-1 I’m concerned. That looked painful. And there’s always a chance he plays exactly long enough to close line Odom with his good shoulder. I never thought the C’s could win with Perk giving them so little. And that’s not an insult.

Paul Pierce

First a question. Did Pierce recently find God? First it was the angel after the ultimate shooter’s role on the free throw late in game 7 against Cleveland. Then there was the Game 1 knee situation. And once again tonight. Whatever the answer Pierce came alive when his team needed him most. Strangely he only scored 5 in the 4th. It seemed like more. But he busted on both ends of the court. Kobe can attest to that. There’s a reason Shaq nicknamed Pierce The Truth. We saw it tonight.

James Posey

As Posey was walking off the court Danny Ainge grabbed him. I can only assume Ainge said something like, “Hey we’ll get an extension worked out quick and easy this summer, okay. Hell of a game.” And Posey said, “Cool, don’t forget about House.” And somewhere a critic remembered that he hates when a blogger make up quotes, even if said blogger does not pretend the quotes are real.

Leon Powe

He got after it in his 9 minutes. I know his game is not what I make it out to be. But the guy is all effort. And I’ll take 5 rebounds in limited time.

Rajon Rondo

He just didn’t have it tonight.

That's it for now. I need some sleep. I'll get back at it tomorrow. In the meantime vote in the poll.

1. Get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett going in general, to the hoop in particular. The Celtics can't afford a repeat of Game 3 where Pierce and KG fired jumpers that just didn't fall.

2. Hurt LA's guards in the most legal way possible. And by that I don't mean injure. Rather if the Lakers decide to employ full court pressure the Celtics guards must run them into Kendrick Perkins or P.J. Brown. Those types of screens can be devastating.

3. Play Eddie House. Celtics fans tend to overrate House because he runs around like a maniac. But at this point his weaknesses (dribbling, initiating the offense) are Cassell's weaknesses. And House can contribute in other ways - deflections on defense, running a bit, even hitting the boards. Also I'm sold on playing House and Posey at the same time.

4. More Leon Powe. Realistically Powe is not likely to have another performance like Game 2. However, if given minutes it won't be like Game 3 either. He has a knack for rebounding and getting to the line. Both are good.

5. No Sam Cassell. #3 covered this in a way but I just wanted to hammer it home.

6. Keep Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom out of a rhythm. Gasol's numbers have been solid at times. My concern is that he has shown flashes of what he can bring to the table. It will be important for the Celtics bigs to keep up their physical play.

7. Own the boards. +1 is not enough. I know what you're thinking - it was enough in Game 2. Fair enough. I just prefer the 13 rebound advantage from Game 1.

8. Don't let Sasha Vujacic or anyone not name Kobe Bryant get hot. Kobe is going to get his. We know this. Yet someone else has to step up if the Lakers are going to win.

9. Get the ball to KG on the block. Even if he doesn't want it there. And if that means more House with Ray Allen to space the floor, well that will have to do for stretches.

10. Don't panic. The Celtics are up 2 and lost a close one on the road. Now is not the time to throw Tony Allen out there to defend Kobe Bryant.

In the end the Celtics don't have to do all of these to win. That's in a perfect world. And I like the idea of ten items to discuss. If Pierce and KG can get it going on the offensive end everything else might fall into place.

In the playoffs Leon Powe has appeared in 15 of Boston’s 17 games. His minutes played per game are as follows (home games bolded):

24, 14, 6, 22, 23, 15, 20, 13, 28, 15, 6, 4, 0, 7, 8, 3, 0

Including Powe’s 2 DNPs he is averaging 14.1 minutes in Boston’s victories and 9.57 minutes in Celtics losses. On top of that Boston is 1-1 in games Powe has not ventured off the bench. At this point I can think of two relevant questions:

1. Why is Powe playing inconsistent minutes?
2. Do the Celtics need Powe?

As is the custom here at Green Bandwagon I’ve decided to initially tackle the first question with complete nonsense:

The Top Five Reasons Leon Powe Has Been Banished to the Bench

5. Powe told Jeremiah Rivers that Georgetown was a garbage program. As a result young Rivers chose to transfer, creating some turbulence within the Rivers family.

4. Powe makes Barry Bonds look like Grant Hill. Sorry I just read Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Anti-Hero.

3. Kevin Garnett hates Leon Powe.

2. In a tradition as old as the NBA itself P.J. Brown and Powe fought a win or go home cage match. Brown won due to a steel chair provided by Glen Davis in a thinly veiled attempt to win playing time. However, Powe refused to go home and everyone, KG included, was afraid to enforce that stipulation. Brown did get Powe’s minutes though.

1. Secretly Doc Rivers runs the Leon Powe Fan Site and he recently learned that fewer minutes for the former Cal standout, and a subsequent bitter post, led to increased traffic.

Of course there are probably better, more realistic reasons for why Powe is on the bench. Off the top of my head I can think of several:

Continue reading this post »

That was a tough defeat as the Celtics lost home court advantage and were definitely in a position to pull a victory out. However, I was most disappointed in the lackluster defense and the way the Pistons beat the Celtics to loose balls at key points in the game. Furthermore, it was one of those games where Boston was bombs away from outside (5-19) but not able to connect at a respectable rate (26%).

Rodney Stuckey outscored Boston's bench 13-8. Granted the other Pistons bench players only scored 4 points. Still Stuckey's contributions were noticeable.

Tony Allen looked lost.

Just as it was important to not get too excited following game 1, I refuse to get too down after this one. However, the Celtics need to come away with a win in Detroit. It would be great to see them do it tomorrow and put all of the "can't win on the road" talk to bed.

Rajon Rondo grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 9 assists. But he was off from the field (2-9). With respect to Pierce's turnovers (4) and Posey's performance from the field/3-point line (1-5) Rondo's shooting was arguably the most glaring aspect of Boston's boxscore. And even though he only had 2 turnovers Rondo threw some ill-advised passes and in general made some bad decisions.

At a certain point the C's were getting killed on the boards and beaten to loose balls. And I couldn't help think about Leon Powe and Kendrick Perkins. Of course P.J. Brown was knocking down shots. Still I'm content with Ray Allen, Pierce and Garnett carrying the offense while Perkins or Powe fill their roles on the other end of the court.

It was nice to see Ray Allen hit some shots. The cynical part of me wants to see him do it with consistency and in victories.

That's it for now.