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Celtics-Bulls photo gallery

You know how we do it. Enjoy some pics courtesy of HoopChina from the C's visit to ChiTown on Thursday. Bonus GIFS after the jump...

Rondo to Wilcox... 3 passes --> 3 dunks

Remember how I said start Wilcox over Jermaine?  It's because Wilcox can do things like this.

 

 

 

Make the switch, Doc

Your Morning Dump... Teams are locking down Ray

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“It gets frustrating,’’ Allen said. “I’ve been a scorer my whole career, and scoring in many different ways, so I try not to lock into one way or the other how I am going to put the ball in the hole.

“But being able to create as well, creating opportunities for the other guys, I think this year more than any year I’ve noticed teams focusing heavier on me.’’

Allen was the Celtics’ leading scorer early in the season, but opponents clearly have been attempting to take him out of games.

“I’ve seen teams, it’s almost like a box-and-one, where the guy is not bumping anything, he’s committing himself to me and he’s not help defense at all,’’ Allen said. “And a lot of teams are saying, ‘We gotta take Ray out, keep him out of the game, and we stand a greater chance of keeping the offense in standstill situations.’

“So I do whatever I can to move the ball around and get to positions where I can create stuff for other people, but when we get in trouble, we don’t move the ball around. If I’m scoring, the ball is moving around quite a bit.’’

Globe - Ball movement may get them somewhere

Rajon Rondo is the engine and Paul Pierce is Mr. Versatile, but Ray Allen has become the focus of opposing team's defensive schemes. It makes sense. Ray benefits the most when the team is making the extra pass. He's also the most explosive scorer on the Celtics. Look no further than last night's 3rd quarter. Ray was having another ho-hum night and then BAM! Three 3-pointers in 4 minutes and the Celtics were back in the game.

I'm not going to blame Ray. Just watch him w/o the ball. He's in constant motion.

What is the solution? We can all scream "better ball movement," but what does that mean?

Does KG need to pass more? No.

Rajon Rondo is taking more shots (about 7 more than his season average over the last 5 games), but as John pointed out yesterday, RR is doing a good job of not forcing shots.

That leaves Paul Pierce. He had a great stretch playing point forward in Rondo's absence. But his shooting has been hideous this season - 41%. It's worse in February - 37%. Pierce needs to be better and it might just draw attention off Ray and to him.

Ray Allen's monthly shooting percentage this season: 58% - 48% - 42%. It's worse the last 5 games - 36%. The Celtics need to solve this riddle quickly.

On Page 2, the blossoming love connection between Rajon Rondo and Chris Wilcox.

Hustle and Flow... Did Rajon's shooting kill Boston's offense last night?

People (ahem, Chuck) have been getting on Rajon Rondo lately.  Some of it is warranted, some of it isn't.  The latest criticism of him came last night when he either (a) took way too many shots and disrupted the flow of the offense or (b) didn't take enough shots in the 4th quarter and disrupted the flow of the offense.  

So went back and looked at every one of his 27 shots to see how much Rondo dominated the ball, and whether it's his fault Paul Pierce and Ray Allen never could get it going. 

Shot #1: 11:22 1Q. Missed jumper in the lane

The play started with Ray running off a couple of screens, getting the ball and then giving it back up to Rondo, who then found Pierce on the right side. When Pierce had nothing, Rondo took it himself with the shot clock running down. 

Verdict: Good play

Shot #2: 6:50 1Q. Transition lay up (goaltending call)

He was all alone in transition. 

Verdict: Good play

Shot #3: 6:22 1Q. Transition lay up

After a Detroit miss, Rondo brought the ball up the left side of the floor.  With Detroit defenders backing off, he just kept on going and took an uncontested lay up.

Verdict: Good play

Shot #4: 6:03 1Q.  Lay up (and 1)

Rajon Rondo decides to speak to the media

On his offensive outburst Wednesday night 

RR: "I was just a little bit more aggressive tonight, took the shots that I was able to take when I was open. I made some, I missed some." 

On consecutive games with high point totals 

RR: "But the main thing is our record is 1-1 these last two games. We didn't get off to a great start in the fourth quarter, and we weren't able to shut them off after that." 

ESPN Boston

I felt the need to post this because I've been slightly critical of Rajon Rondo the past few days. While I think he's a spectacular talent, his moody and tempermental nature just annoys the hell out of me.

Thanks for the comments, Rajon. Was that so hard?

Your Morning Dump... The brilliantly frustrating Rajon Rondo

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

But there's much, much more to Rondo than meets the fans' eyes.  Like a hermit crab that outgrows its shell and needs to find a new one, Rondo has outgrown his role in Boston.  In 2008, he was pretty perfect for the Celtics.  He was too young to demand too many finishing touches and his running mates were still too good to be denied the ball.  They could run, somewhat, with their young gazelle and Rondo could use his superior passing skills to pick targets out at will and watch them finish. 

As time has gone on, though, the rest of the team has slowed down.  And Rondo has been forced to slow down with them.  Kevin Garnett can't beat anyone down the floor, or bait teams into these kinds of alley oops anymore.  Paul Pierce was never flying down the lane on a break, but he's been even slower this year.  And Jermaine O'Neal couldn't get out ahead of the break if he had a quarter-length head start.  For one of the fastest guys in the league, Rondo has to feel like he's running with a training parachute attached to him.

Crossover Chronicles:  The brilliantly frustrating Rajon Rondo

Pardon me as I excerpt from my own piece over at Crossover Chronicles, but with all the Rondo nastiness around here, I felt like we might as well kick off the day with a different side of the story. 

The bottom line... this has gone on far enough.  We've crossed from criticism of a player, which is fine, into finding reasons to bash the kid and scapegoating him.  That whole mess with him leaving the locker room and not talking to the media crossed the line for me.  It's nothing every player in that room hasn't done before. 

Is Rondo flawed?  Most certainly.  But he still only turns 26 in just more than a week, and you're trying to get a speed demon to play half court basketball.  How long can Rondo go on taking 22 shots like he did in Chicago while Pierce takes 10 before the CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM says something about needing more shots? 

Before we go spouting off on Rondo... take in the whole picture of what his, what this team is, and what Rondo (and the team) will be in the future.  I hope that piece lays out the argument well enough. 

On Page 2:  JaJuan Johnson was motivated by Doc's yelling

VIDEO: Rajon Rondo's Triple Double vs Chicago Bulls

On Friday night Rajon Rondo dropped quite the stink bomb on the city of Toronto.  He looked listless at times and entered rage mode on one of the officials, drawing a technical foul.  Boston fans were (and amazingly some still are) a bit over-critical following the disgusting loss.  Clearly this would mean that Rondo would just sulk against the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls, right?

Wrong.  Instead, Rondo went out and orchestrated a masterful performance, engineering his 15th career triple-double.  He's not perfect by any means, can be moody at times and apparently drives fans of his own team crazy.  But yesterday left little room for debate quite honestly.  He even went 4-4 on clutch free throws to ice Chicago's late-hot comeback attempt.  The guy plays hurt and steps up his game in the playoffs when you need it most.  There are better players out there but there aren't many better point guards in the league.  He has his flaws, but his abilities far outweigh those.  I've given up trying to argue this with people.  At this point, you either like him (and want him here) or you don't.  That's fine.  For now, sit back and enjoy the full compilation of his masterpiece.

  

Your Morning Dump... Where #9 was edgy

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

"Nine [Rondo] was edgy today, man. I loved it," Garnett said. "I love the fact that he came out and he set the tone. And I thought he got guys involved and he was all over the place. When we win big, man, it’s because the little fella is aggressive like that. I told him after tonight’s game that I was proud of him. He had a bit of a rough day or whatever, but he played through it, he was professional, and I thought he came out and played with that edge. Any time he’s got that, that makes everybody’s job easier." 

Earlier in the interview, Garnett said Rivers had put the team through a film session Sunday on the heels of Friday's lifeless loss in Toronto, and one can't help but wonder if Rondo was a focal point of that session. (Garnett noted that film is "always humbling.") Rivers admitted after the game that he resorted to old film to stress what the Celtics had done well in the past -- and what they hadn't been doing recently. 

Chief among that was pushing the pace. Rivers was adamant he wanted the entire team running the floor and that starts with the point guard position. 

ESPN Boston

The Rajon Rondo on display yesterday afternoon is the Rajon Rondo we've come to know and love. He was masterful, dominating, and confident. 

The performance was a middle-finger salute to all the critics who unleashed hell on #9 for the lackluster effort in Toronto.

As one of the those critics, I still have the right to ask for consistency. For me, the gripe is not about his poor jump shot or free throws, it's about seeing leadership and effort every night. The mercurial Rondo couldn't even finish his big day as a true professional. He had to pull this childish crap:

Rondo was not so great to watch after the game. Cloaked in a towel, he came to his locker several times while a large group of reporters waited to ask him his thoughts. He said nothing, then disappeared into the trainer’s room. Then he came out to get something to drink. Then he disappeared again. This went on for more than an hour until longtime Celtics publicist Jeff Twiss announced that Rondo did not feel like talking.

The kid is a diva. I know it sounds silly to call him that when he can play basketball with a dislocated elbow, but it's the truth .

Related links: WEEI - The Rajon Rondo conundrum | Herald - Rondo a-Rose to clatter | Investing in Bull market | ESPN Boston - Rondo shows his better side | Rondo's productive night | True Hoop: Rondo's silence speaks volumes

On Page 2, Doc Rivers won't let JaJuan Johnson get a big head.

Rondo's huge triple double powers C's past Chicago

Rajon Rondo answered the recent hate for him with a huge performance, dropping 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds en route to a 95-91 win over Chicago. 

The Celtics looked to be cruising to a double digit win when the Bulls made a run and cut the game down to two.  But Rondo's 9th rebound off a long Chicago miss that could have tied the game led to two free throws to push the lead to 4.  His 10th rebound came off a missed Chicago free throw... and his next two free throws iced the game. 

The Celtics nearly coughed this one up by suddenly putting the ball in Paul Pierce's hands to run clock-grinding pick-and-rolls with Kevin Garnett.  While it worked once, it also resulted in a couple of turnovers.  The C's got away from what was working and it nearly cost them. 

Chris Wilcox did great in his start for Jermaine O'Neal (11 points, 9 rebounds).  There were a couple of instances of him running with Rondo on the break and getting some easy buckets.  It's not something we're used to seeing. 

Props to JaJuan Johnson too, who got 33 minutes and responded with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. 

KG had a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards.

Paul Pierce had a bit of an off night, which may have been expected when he faces Luol Deng. The guy just kills Pierce.  Ray only had 11.. but he had a couple of baskets late when the C's were pushing their lead into double digits. 

Nice win for the C's.  I don't care if they didn't have Derrick Rose.  The C's needed this after Friday's game.  I'll take it. 

Box Score

Rose, O'Neal out today, Bass out 10 days

There are multiple reports out ther about injuries re-shaping todays game.  Here it is in a nutshell:

• Derrick Rose (back) is out today
• Jermaine O'Neal (shoulder) is out today and is day-to-day
• Brandon Bass (knee) is out at least a week, probably 10 days
• Keyon Dooling (hip) and Avery Bradley (shoulder) are active

I'm hoping Doc laid some smack down and informed the Celtics that losing to a Rose-less Bulls would re-open the "trade everyone" floodgates.  And the anti-Rondo movement lately is in overdrive.. so let's hope John Lucas doesn't have a big game or else it will get exponentially worse. 

Personally, I think you're all nuts if you think an All Star snub would derail this kid.  After all he done... playing through elbow and wrist injuries and constantly sacrificing his body... I think the treatment he gets sometimes is overboard.  He definitely deserves criticism, but for some reason with Rondo it's all-or-nothing.  

It would be nice to see a good game out of him today to end this noise.