Give and Go: Mike and Al Break Down the Celtics
By Mike Brilliant and Al Assner
[Editor’s Note: This week brings us another installment of the “Give and Go”, a regular feature here at Full Court Press that offers the back-and-forth banter of two of our writers (Mike Brilliant and Al Assner) as they tackle the issues of the day. Again, if you’re looking for a seemingly endless stream of references to MTV’s The Real World or The Hills, you’ve clearly come to the wrong place. Mike and Al are all about the basketball.]
Al:
A few weeks have passed since the last get together and I have many things on my chest. But first off, obviously this start has been better than anyone could have expected. What has been the biggest surprise to you so far?
Mike:
The biggest surprise so far, and the #1 reason the Celts are 14-2, is the DEFENSE. The presence of Garnett has totally revamped the Boston D. Garnett is an imposing shot blocker at 6’11”. But he’s much more than that. Garnett is like the middle linebacker of the Celts defense. He’s calling switches on pick and rolls and directing his teammates to the right spots on the floor, ala Tedy Bruschi. But the improved D is not the sole product of Garnett. Both Rondo and Perkins are above average defenders for their positions. And with the 5 for 1 trade for Garnett, Rondo and Perk have seen their minutes double this season. And bringing James Posey off the bench to play the other teams’ best scorer (whether it’s a 2, 3 or 4) is a VERY nice luxury to have. Even a one-legged Tony Allen can still play some D. Scot Pollard can even play good positional defense on opposing big men. Unfortunately for Scot, there aren’t many true centers left in the NBA, so he only sees action once every four games. Coaching even plays a role in the Celts defensive resurgence. Tom (3rd Van Gundy brother) Thibodeau has the reputation as a defensive specialist and it’s showing on the court.
Al:
Their defense has been excellent and the “team ” aspect has been the main reason. It should be interesting when they play better offensive teams how this will work. To date, they haven’t played the best offensive teams so it should be interesting to see how this continues.
The biggest surprise for me has been the fact that I don’t think they have had more than one or two full offensive games. They are winning and crushing teams with 12 or 15 really good minutes. Every game it seems like they put on the gas in the 2nd and 3rd periods. It would be interesting to see if they could do that for 30 or 40 minutes a game. In my mind too many possessions are wasted by Paul Pierce taking a fall away.
Next question: What is your biggest complaint so far?
Mike:
Besides the cheerleaders changing out of their black bikini tops and black spandex pants after their first routine……….After the first 10 games, I would’ve complained about GPA’s heavy minutes. But it seems after this last stretch of 3 games in 4 nights, Doc is starting to get it. So I’ll complain about the lack of set plays in close games. Why do Pierce and sometimes Ray have to dribble out the clock and then settle for a fade away jumper? Why can’t the coaching staff call a timeout and draw up a set play which involves going inside to Garnett as the facilitator? We’ve seen how great of a playmaker Garnett is. If he gets multiple teamed then he’ll either kick out to Pierce or Allen or find a cutting Rondo or Posey under the hoop. What’s so difficult about that?
I’d also like to see Big Baby get a consistent 15-20 minutes a game. This guy is a beast. I realize he may foul out in less time than I would like. But this guy IS the only guy on the Celts who gets offensive boards on a consistent basis. Imagine if he lost 25 pounds
and added some strength?
Al:
The Big Baby minutes issue is my biggest complaint. We see this every year from Doc. He won’t play guys consistently for about 40 games. He did it with Ryan Gomes. Didn’t he do it with Delonte West too?
I think a good 15 minutes a night would be great, should be the first big man off the bench. He also functions well with Garnett in there, his lack of height is limited when playing alongside another big man. When he is the biggest guy that is when he gets in some trouble. Pollard has played well but it limited. He fits the 5 to 10 minute mold.
I don’t think 25 pounds is needed, but a partial Kendrick Perkins diet plan would help. He has a high basketball IQ, understands how to rebound and how to score.
If you had to pick one gift for the holidays would you rather have KG pour powder over your head or a James Posey motivational hug before you start your day? Why?
Mike:
My one gift would be for the top 8 guys in the rotation to stay HEALTHY. That’s the only thing that will hold the Celts back from competing for a championship this year. But to answer your real question……..I would rather have KG pour powder over my head Mike Gorman style. But I know already you would disagree and choose a hug from Posey.
Al:
Yes, how could you turn down a hug. Right before I enter my building for a day of work, if he told me to keep my head up, the day was going to be good, that I could make a difference and that I should watch out for the meatloaf in the cafeteria. That would make my day go much better.
Any questions?
Mike:
I still can’t believe that the Celts are so good that they now have the luxury of cruising through games until the 4th quarter against bad teams. Then they can turn it on and win at the end. This has now happened the last 2 games against Cleveland and Philly. Wow, how one lost lottery can make all the difference?
Al:
Absolutely. I think back to May 22nd and how pissed we all were, but especially you, screaming and smashing your free Celtics bottle opener on the sidewalk. From that point to where we are today has been amazing. As you know, I have justified most of Ainge’s moves over the years and I think he has always done a good job. When you have no assets, you need to accumulate them before you can build a cohesive team. I think he took that approach. I commend him for that.
But back to the summer. We know that the Ray Allen move was important, but obviously the KG trade was the point at which the Celtics became a real live NBA team again. I was trying to find a comparable situation where one move changed the fortunes of a franchise in such a large positive way so quickly. It was like night and day and I am not sure it ever happened before. Sure draft picks have helped teams over a year or two, but to go from maybe a 40 win team on July 30th to a 60+ win team on July 31st To be a place that was a destination for role player free agents. Over the next few summers other more talented players will want to play here.
If you could change one thing from this summer what would it be?
Personally, mine goes back to Jan 10, 2007 when Tony Allen got hurt. In my mind if he doesn’t get hurt, he is included in one of the trades this summer in replacement of Delonte West or Ryan Gomes. Both players are much better fits on this team than Tony Allen. Have I mentioned, how painful it is to watch him. He misses more lay-ups than Antoine Walker, brings nothing to the table, always seems to be out of control. I get annoyed seeing him out there.
Mike:
Nice point on T.A. It would have been nice to have Gomes coming off the bench as a 3 or 4. Maybe we’ll see him back here next year as he’s a free agent after the season.
Looking back, I don’t think this team needed to fill roster spots with Brandon Wallace or Gabe Pruitt. It’s a gamble that either of them will ever be productive NBA players, never mind this year. It would have made more sense to fill the roster with a Dale Davis type and/or a Mike Wilks veteran point guard type.
Al:
I don’t mind Wallace or Pruitt. I think having some developmental prospects is good business. Both are low risk players that may end up being high rewards. The Celtics still have an open roster spot, so having them has not limited them bringing in a veteran big man or point guard.
