Full Court Press: 4/12/05 Celtics vs. Sixers
By Jon Duke
Celtics 105 - Sixers 98
This evening, in the “Baby New York”, the Boston Celtics finally got a win against the Philadelphia 76ers, when they needed it most. With only six games remaining in this season, the Celtics needed a victory to avoid being only a game up in the Atlantic Division standings. After a 27 point, 13 rebound performance from Paul Pierce, including 11-14 from the free throw line; the Celtics put themselves well into the driver’s seat towards the team’s first Atlantic Division crown since Stojko Vrankovic roamed the Boston pine.
The Sixers began the game with a repeat of the blitzkrieg-like 1st quarter Philly had in Boston ten days ago. After beginning the game in an 11-2 hole, the Celtics crawled back and showed great heart by holding the line against the Sixers and finishing the quarter down only seven points. After this point, the Celtics turned the tables on the 76ers, and put Philadelphia on the defensive.
It was during the second quarter when Al Jefferson changed the game and brought some life to the guys in green. Jefferson scored 10 points in the first half, and his scoring provided the catalyst for a 13-0 Celtics run at the start of the quarter that pushed the C’s ahead 38-33. While Philly countered this run with one of their own to finish the half, and this surge pushed them ahead. However, it was the Jefferson spurred run that psychologically changed the game and made the team believe they could beat the Sixers. A 76ers team that the Celtics had seemingly trailed since the teams’ first meeting in November (a run that lasted two full games and the first quarter tonight).
After Wheezie showed them the way, the Celtics went ahead and won this game at the free throw line. The C’s made 17 more free throws than Philadelphia did, and took 49 free throws to only 30 for the 76ers. This is a sign that the Celtics were finally cutting to the hoop and forcing the defense to stop them with a foul rather than taking ill advised jump shots, which can lead to fast breaks for the opponents.
Allen Iverson certainly did his part (28 points, 11 assists, 4 steals, and 10-13 from the free throw line), and, in particular, his ability to pick apart the Celtics defense in the first quarter was crucial for their success in the opening stanza. Where the wheels fell off the Iverson bandwagon was after the Wheezie run, when the Iverson re-entered the game, AI spent more time looking for his own shot than getting others involved. Certainly Iverson’s game has grown by leaps and bounds in the 8 years since he entered the league, but the “talent” around him is as questionable as ever. Perhaps this makes his production this year all the more impressive, but any hope (myself included) that Webber could be a worthy partner to Iverson is long gone. Chris Webber is much closer to the end of his career than I would have though, as the man simply can’t move. The late Carol Wojtya has more mobility than the Sixers’ nine-figure power forward.
Entering this game Celtics fans were clamoring for their team to not only “get it together”, but also to show signs of returning to the form that caused them to go 11-1 following the Antoine Walker trade. Unfortunately, those who bleed green didn’t get what they were looking for. Mark Blount looked at times like an escaped Alzheimer’s patient, and at other times Blount showed the passion and fire of an ottoman. As a money grubbing, curse monger once said of a certain Red Sox infielder, “He’s a bowser. Call him a cab, get him gone.” That couldn’t better reflect my own feelings of Mr. Blount. How he was getting 1 second more than Al Jefferson, who at times was dominant tonight no matter who guarded him, or even Kendrick Perkins. Perkins and Jefferson were crucial in the Celtics’ comeback against Philly in their last meeting, yet Perk couldn’t get a whiff of playing time tonight. Frankly I have no idea why or how this is happening, but all the while Mark Blount continues to play in a manner that causes right thinking Celtics fans everywhere to go into convulsions.
Another of the kids who seems to be MIA is Tony Allen. Despite some improved energy and defensive intensity, Doc only chose to give Allen 13 minutes. I recognize that Allen is not yet the offensive juggernaut that Pierce or Davis are, but the manner with which Allen is treated in the Celtics offense reminds me of the patron Celtic saint of unfulfilled potential, Kedrick Brown. Not only is Allen rarely given the ball in a place where he can do something with it, but also he seems to be playing with an incredibly short leash from Doc. I can respect Rivers’s desire to keep Tony in line, but his presence in the first unit is holding back both Allen’s game and the offensive flow of the first unit. Either Rivers needs to loosen his grip on Allen’s game with the first unit, or replace him with Ricky D. Allen’s development is suffering right now, and unless Rivers recognizes this, the C’s won’t have a fair judgment on his game before the trading season begins.
One other issue with the Celtics game plan going into this evening’s game. First, I abhor “Iso Offense” and seeing the team clear out for a bad shot by Pierce is a frustrating as any other single event during a Celtics game. However, I have noticed an alarming number of situations where a player doesn’t take advantage of an inferior defender. Ricky Davis on Kyle Korver and Antoine Walker on Chris Webber were two examples of matchups that the Celtics could have, and should have, taken advantage of all night long. Yet, most of Antoine’s 20 shots were not when he was matched up with CWebb, and Tyree Ricardo only amassed 8 shots in 37 minutes. If the a team like Philly is going to focus on stopping Paul Pierce it is imperative that the Celtics use that against the Sixers to attack weaker defenders.
