I visited the Garden to see the Celtics in person for the first time this year. I came away with mixed feelings in a variety of different areas. The over all feeling was one of disappointment as it was a fairly lackluster performance in front of the home crowd in a losing effort against the Wizards.
This was an eminently winnable game if two things happened. Paul Pierce had to do better than 5 for 13 from the free throw line and someone had to guard Antwan Jamison just a little bit. Jamison stood at the three point arc and calmly knocked down 4 for 5. Jamison shouldn't be a secret since he has recorded a couple of 50 point games in his career and had a huge college resume winning the Naismith award in his junior year. I am not sure whose responsibility he was defensively since nobody was close enough to pin the blame on.
The attendance was listed in the box score as 15,775 but I would bet that it was 70% of that. We had excellent seats with a face of $125 however you could get those tickets on the street for half that price or better before game time.
Despite the team's record so far and despite the rather spotty effort on Wednesday there is a lot to like about the team if you are a diehard with green in your veins.
Now the Mark Blount has finally been moved and his cadaver contract has been picked up by Minnesota, perhaps Doc Rivers will make a commitment to young big men Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins. Perkins showed well Wednesday with 8 points 3 boards and a couple of blocked shots. Jefferson never really got off the starting line with three points and a couple of boards in 16 minutes. Two guys just barely 21 are not going to carry the team however with this year strictly a development one then it is time for Rivers to stick these guys in the lineup and stay with them regardless of the outcome. Jefferson has a big time inside scoring game and could be a monster rebounder if he can get a regular rotation.
The point guard position seems to be set for the near term. Delonte West has proven to be a very savvy competitor. His stat line was full in every category with 5 boards, ten points, 9 assists, a steal and a block and over all a very entertaining game to watch. He seems to be near the ball all the time. He can stick the three, always looks for the open man and is committed to playing defense. Orien Greene seems to be a serviceable back up with a lot of upside potential. He is a very big point guard who might develop into a starter should he manage to find a medium ranger jump shot with dependability. Greene's growth marked the end of Marcus Banks tour of duty in Boston.
Paul Pierce is having his best year of his career. He contributed 11 boards 25 points and 6 assists. His failure at the foul line seemed more like an off night than a lack of commitment. He put in a team high 42 minutes and played hard in each one of them.
The rest of the Minnesota trade is Wally Scerbiak and Michael Olokawandi coming here and Ricky Davis going to Minnesota. I have to admit that I am sorry to see Ricky go. I have always disliked the on court persona of Ricky and was skeptical of his coming here. Ricky's bravado is not unique in the NBA and is indicative of what's wrong with "look at me" attitude of players in what is the ultimate team sport. However since being acquired Davis came to play every night, toned down his antics quite a bit and over all was a darn good player. At 28 years old, Ricky still has a lot of up side. I hope that his maturation progress continues and he reaches his ultimate potential.
Olokawandi has been the ultimate disappointment and is unlikely to be relied upon for any contribution here and will likely be let go at the end of the year when his contract expires. The difference between him and Blount is that Blount's contract had several more years to run. He was an intriguing offensive talent but simply disinterested in doing the dirty work of a seven footer. Mark loved the 15 foot jumper however rebounding or defending simply was not something he would do with any commitment. A case in point was Wednesday night. He had been languishing on the bench but Rivers went to him when the team needed some scoring. In 9 minutes he poured in 11 points but several times Washington players blew past him to score without so much as a wave. He netted one rebound but it was a mistake.
Scerbiak is no secret. He is a dead eye shooter with some defensive liabilities. He comes to a team that leads the league in field goal percentage so it is difficult to see the need for him to do anything out of the usual offensively. The defense has been hurt by losing Davis but probably helped by losing Blount and making a commitment to improve Jefferson with playing time.
No one can be sure if general manager Danny Ainge is through trading until the February 23 deadline passes but at some point a rotation has to be settled on and the guys they have must be given a good long look. The team is young and athletic and when they run and defend they are a lot of fun to watch. It is time to let them mature a little and see what we have.
