Sunday, April 18, 2010

Lucky Leprechauns 85 Miami 76

I am tired, I know I have to get some sleep, but instead I am re-watching the Celtics-Heat game 1 to give this blog the kind of playoff effort it deserves.

Tony Allen was a bull-dozer, recklessly running over Carlos Arroyo on his way to a transition slam dunk on one play and then bowling Udonis Haslem over on a sweet dish to Big Baby Davis who proceeded to get swatted at the rim by Joel Anthony. Their energy man off the bench should have been in early foul trouble...

Mario Chalmers was too aggressive trying to steal the ball from Tony Allen, which resulted in him getting beat off of the dribble more than once. Mario creates some turnovers, but after watching Ray Allen beat him off the dribble, drawing two fouls, I have accepted the reality that his quick hands are not enough. I can't help but miss Rafer Alston... I think he could have helped this team have better possessions on both ends of the court. Raise your hand if you think Orlando makes the NBA Finals last year with Mario at the point.

Kevin Garnett's long arms created many turnovers from Heat players who got themselves into tough situations... whether they were up in the air looking to pass, stuck on a corner or under the basket, Garnett was a disruptive force. I hope he is suspended for game 2, he really is a catalyst for their defense. Hypothetically, Rasheed Wallace should be able to step in and do a lot of the same things, but his own coach, Doc Rivers, only trusted him enough to play him 13 minutes today, so it could mean more minutes for Big Baby Davis... this should neutralize their advantage in the front court enough to increase our chances to steal one in Boston. I think I now know why Doc keeps Rasheed on the bench - he's the only Celtic that the refs can't stand. Only 9 non-Rasheed fouls were called on the Celtics all game long.

Wade was fantastic in pushing the Heat to a 59-45 lead with 7 1/2 to go in the 3rd quarter. You could feel self doubt creeping into the building, but give credit to that crowd and their team because they responded by turning up the volume and intensity. The energy was undeniable... a definite 6th man effect as the Celtics all of the sudden started playing like champions and closed the quarter down only two.

Dwyane was then held without a field goal in the following 16 minutes after he helped Miami build that 14 point lead. This time span saw Miami's fourteen point lead become an eight point deficit with just 3 minutes to go. When I complained about this to a fellow blogger, he assured me that he was being double and triple teamed and that he had no choice. However, in the last three minutes he was able to hoist up four shots, connecting on two of them.

The team clearly let their star player down, with only Quentin Richardson breaking double digits, scoring all of his 15 points in the first three quarters. However, Dwyane Wade needs to channel his inner Allen Iverson and take over the shooting responsibilities when the going gets tough and nobody's got it going. You cannot take 16 minutes to decide that you have to do something about it, after a 22 point swing already occurred.

Overall, I have to give the team an A for effort. All they could do was keep the game close and hope to steal it at the end. Tonight they could only muster 10 fourth quarter points and obviously that wasn't going to cut it. One can only hope that the proper adjustments can be made, because the team that carries the lead at the half and at the end of three should usually come out victorious.



9 comments:

  1. Wade only took three shots during those sixteen minutes when Miami was shooting around 20% from the field... Allen Iverson shot 39% from the field on his way to the NBA Finals. I think Miami would win more this postseason if Dwyane is willing to shoot 39% from the field.

    It doesn't make much sense, but if Wade took more of the tough shots with the shot clock running down, the team's overall confidence would not have been as shot. The role players need open looks... if they keep throwing up prayers at the end of the shot clock, we will not win a road game.

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  2. I think the role players will bounce back... four players in double digits in a game 2 victory. Wade goes off for 35 points and 8 assists (what he needs to average on the road, even if the shots aren't falling).

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  3. nice analysis. I don't like the Wade-against-the-world offense. but all but Q were stinking it up. This Beasley thing has become tiresome. A whole year to end up with this !?!?!?

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  4. Wade against the world is the break in case of emergency suggestion... you know - if all else fails, we have to live and die by him.

    Ira is a douchebag, first he makes no mention of the Garnett elbow in his postgame analysis and today he chimes in with "Magloire will likely receive an automatic one game suspension" for leaving the bench area - when the altercation happened in Miami's bench area... and then offered up an out for the league for Garnett saying "At the least, Garnett's violation likely would be upgraded to a Flagrant Foul 2. That is significant because it means any additional flagrant foul would result in a suspension the following game".

    Miami media should be putting up arguments about what a disgrace it would be for the league to condone violence from Garnett, blah, blah, blah... and Ira says -- at least he'll get put on notice. What an ass!

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  6. Props to Dave Hyde for stepping up to the plate. You don't need a master's degree from a prestigious journalism school to know what you are supposed to do in the situation (although I do have one, lol, have to toot my own horn there)

    http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/hyde/blog/2010/04/video_garnetts_top_five_cheap.html

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  7. According to Israel Gutierrez - 38 points off of 22 turnovers for the Celtics. That really did kill us. Also, Captain Clutch missing an alleyoop and two other shots from point blank range is hopefully an aberration. The Celtics are who we thought they were and we let them off the hook.

    Game 2 should be classic. If the NBA suspends Big Kat, they better suspend KG. I have little trust in the league office dating back to the Suns-Spurs series, when I read this:

    The Suns countered by saying that Duncan and Bruce Bowen were guilty of a similar leaving-the-bench offense in Game 4's first half when San Antonio's Francisco Elson fell on the Suns' James Jones after a dunk. That play was also reviewed, but Jackson -- while conceding that Duncan "should not have been on the playing court" -- said that the league determined there was "no cause for the suspension rule" to be applied because the Elson-Jones tangle was not deemed to be an altercation.

    Big Kat should not be suspended because he doesn't leave the bench area, but I don't see this being simple... if Garnett gets suspended, I see Q, Jamaal, UD and JO in risk of getting one game too. The league is dirty. Here is a video, labeled Fight #1, for whomever wants to review the evidence:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VExAzcZD0g

    Big Kat needs to play 20 minutes a game this series, I think he does intimidate the Celtics a bit... Big Baby and KG calmed down quite a bit when they realized it was Jamaal that had his hands on them, lol.

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  8. Big Baby and JO could be suspended too... at the 7:40 mark you can see JO shoving Big Baby down to the ground and then Big Baby tries to make something of it.

    Considering JO's history with brawls near or around fans, I don't think that second altercation should be ignored... I will take a KG and Big Baby suspension in exchange for JO. This thing is so open for interpretation.

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  9. I am obsessed with KG missing the next game... he has to... here's an old video of him slapping Duncan in the back of the head - he is a habitual line stepper! (Chappelle Show reference - Charlie Murphy describing Rick James, lol)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pTiEkfQ6pk&NR=1

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