Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats vs. Boston Celtics
by David A. Arnott on Dec 1, 2009 11:17 AM EST
7 comments
Pump Up Music: The Devil Wears Prada -- "Still Fly"
The Big Picture: This game hardly matters to the Boston Celtics. From a purely rational standpoint, all they have to do is get to the playoffs with a reasonably good record, and as long as they're healthy and rested, they're championship contenders. Rajon Rondo is the only member of their core on the right side of 30. If you were coaching the Celtics in December, how would you distribute minutes in the middle of a four game road trip? They may not be dramatically limiting minutes, yet, but it's only a matter of time before they can afford to start thinking about "staying fresh" for the real season.
For the Cats, this is another major test for the reformulated, S-Jaxified, roster. Believe me when I say that I love Stephen Jackson for everything he brings to the floor, especially his defense -- see what he did covering Dirk in the '07 playoffs for further confirmation of his versatility -- but he's best as a complementary player, not relied upon as the pillar. We're not quite there with him. I'd argue we don't really have a pillar, because Larry Brown seems to believe that he can go against history and build a successful team with four or five solid to very good pillars instead of building around one or two exceptional pillars. But as soon as the team believes Jackson, or Gerald, or Raymond, or anyone on this current roster, is a star they can lean upon to carry them through a rough patch singlehandedly, that's when we'll be in trouble.
Wallace is closest to meeting that definition, but the roster path we're following requires that role players contribute more than most successful teams' role players do. It's a grand experiment, in a way. Despite years of evidence that the best basketball teams operate with one or two superstars dictating the action in a variety of ways, the Bobcats are trying to operate a team with relatively equal parts working in concert to be greater than the sum of its parts.
The recent winning streak is wonderful, exciting, et cetera, but I don't think they've had enough time to show who they really are. Remember, the 35-win team last year had a 6-game winning streak.
Key to Victory: The Celtics will give the Cats all the three point shots they want. They'll give them all the 20-foot jumpers they want. The Bobcats must resist. Charlotte is among the worst distance shooting teams in the league, shooting below 30% from beyond the arc and only 36% from 16-23 feet. Boston will play their floating zone, pack the lane, and dare everyone to settle for the jumper instead of working the ball around to get angles at the basket. Settling for jumpers will lead to under 70 points... or 59.
Detail That Might Interest .08% of You: Bill Walker once urinated while standing in the Kansas State bench area, during a game. And yes, there's video.
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Not true.
Rondo isnt the only core player on the right side of thirty. Perkins! He has come into his own and could and would start for all but a few teams. He plays great defense and has a solid post game and a jumpshot in progress. I’d argue that he is more valuable or atleast as valuable as Ray Allen. Think about it.
If they lost Rondo, they’d be in trouble. If they lost Perkins, Sheed could hop in and play big minutes, no problem, with The Landlord soaking up a few minutes and Boston going small more often with KG or Sheed alone at the nominal center slot. Perkins is a good defender, but he’s far more expendable than anyone else in the starting five. I don’t count him as a core member of the roster, since he’s so replaceable.
by David A. Arnott on Dec 1, 2009 3:05 PM EST up reply actions
Notes, but not from the blogs
I agree that the Cats are a great experiment because they go against the norm of a couple of star pillars leading a group of supporting players. But they aren’t unique. The very team we’re playing tonight followed a similar route some years ago. They had an all but crippled Larry Bird, an ancient Robert Parrish, and a worn down Kevin McHale leading the front court with Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson in the back. The bench was a motley crew of aging or weak journeymen. They had name stars, but they were all past their prime so they needed every ounce of effort from every player because nobody could carry the team alone for more than one night. It was an experiment born of necessity and they carried it deep into the playoffs several times, giving the Lakers a run for their money.
As for tonight, Doc Rivers will indeed try to throw a floating zone against us but if Jax gets off to a decent start it may get abandoned to a more traditional man to man/double team defense.
More important than how the Bobcats scrape out their points tonight though will be how well our D contains the multi-pronged attack the Celtics will throw at them offensively. Jackson’s defense will be more important tonight than usual.
If Diaw is healthy and can produce some numbers in the paint tonight while Jackson causes a few fits on the perimeter it should create enough confusion for Wallace to do his thing. Crash has a tendency to perform well against the Celts if given the chance.
If the team brings the same game chemistry they’ve been bringing for the past 5 games (with the exception of that 4th quarter disaster against the Cavs) it should be nice and close as we get into the money minutes at the end of the night. I’m predicting a Celtic victory, but I do believe the Felines have a decent chance of stealing this one away.
The difference between last years team and this years team is:
Last year, The Cats played their best ball and had their 6 game win streak in February-March. They made their move too late last year. This year we are already streaking in November. Last year, we did not win 2 in a row in November. Now, We just have to stay consistent, stay healthy, and we are golden.
Key Matchup
Potentially the key match-up in tonight’s ball game will be at SG. Ray Allen was the C’s leading scorer in the opening night blow out with 18. The Bobcats started Stevie Graham at the SG that night. He scored 5 points on 2-11 from the field in 29 minutes. Boston managed 92 points – well over the season avg. so far for the Bobcats’ D – but the offensively inept Cats failed to break the futility mark of 60 points, barely scoring double digits in the 3rd quarter. Final: Boston 92. Charlotte 59.
This time around, the Cats will be starting Stephen Jackson, and Graham will most likely be on the bench for the vast majority of the game. The Bobcats are a different team, in great deal to the acquisition of Jackson. Jax’s play at the 2 (along with Flip’s) is where the difference from the early season struggles to the recent 6 game span starts.
We should be in for a good ball game tonight! I’m excited.
DJ and RayRay
Opening night the two PGs combined for 10 points, 7 assists, and 6 TO’s. When combining their 3 of 16 from the floor with Graham’s 2 of 11 that’s 5 of 27 from the Bobcats back court on opening night!
Raymond and DJ should play better than that tonight too.
LOL.
Graham played big minutes, and was one of the best players on the floor.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 2, 2009 2:20 AM EST up reply actions
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