Celtics (9-4) at Knicks (3-9) 11/22

[LB3533]

You didn't read what I wrote very carefully, did you?

I said I saw the last six minutes of the game, not the fourth quarter. I watched the last minute of the game and the OT. I saw maybe the last 2-3 possessions of the fourth and the entire OT. During that time the offense was Pierce-centric and the offense was bad. They might have shot 30% during that time with most of the offense running through Pierce.

If during the rest of the game that offense worked...fine. I can't comment on that I didn't see it. But going against what you do and works best to go to one player all the time is counter-productive in my eyes. Run your offense, if the players are cold then run plays for the hot players. But to give the ball to one player who dominates the ball, that's not their scheme and I will always not like it. I would rather lose some games a year running the offense correctly and homing the team skills of running the offense correctly than winning because we have to give the ball to one player all the time.

OK, my bad. I had no idea you were complaining about the OT because Pierce was responsible for EVERY SINGLE Point we scored in OT (and 2 more points within the last 1 min-plus in the 4th Quarter).

Overtime Offensive Plays for the Celtics:

4:45 - Paul Pierce hits 3 pointer off a screen from Perk (3 points, assist KG) [This looked like a designed play where Pierce touched the ball only once and had the ball for 1 second, if that, before he shot it]

4:05 - Paul Pierce drives to into the paint, gets fouled and makes 2 FTs (2 points) [They went to Pierce down on the strong side box, Pierce stepped out to the wing to run pick and roll with KG, it looked like there was a pass to be made, but Pierce didn't make it and instead drove to the paint and got fouled]

3:29 - Ray Allen misses 3 point shot [This was the result of after 2 separate plays the Celtics were trying to go to KG down on the box, once on the weak side where Nate Robinson knocked the ball out of bounds, and the 2nd time on the strong box where KG turned to the baseline and was underneath the hoop kicked it out to Ray for an open look]

2:59 - Paul Pierce drives for a layup (2 points) [This play they were looking to go to KG down on he box but the Knicks fronted and sent 3 guys down there to cover KG and help defense on KG, Pierce made the adjustment and drove to the hoop for an easy 2.]

2:08 - KG misses layup (alley oop missed, Harrington defensive 3 never called)

1:44 - KG misses jump shot [Pick and roll with KG and Rondo]

1:21 - Pierce misses jump shot (blocked by Hughes, credit good defense here by Larry)

0:38 - Rondo misses jumper [no idea what they were running here, looked like they wanted to go to KG or Perk down on the box but ended up with Rondo shooting a 16 or 17 footer]

0:20 - Pierce misses jumper (it really should have been a Harrington goal tend)

0:00 - KG makes 20 footer (2 points, assist Pierce)


Conclusion: If it looked like the C's offense was Pierce centric, it's because Pierce was the only offense that was working. It tends to look one way when the other ways are giving you nothing.

I didn't see any play that was bad for the C's except the Rondo jump shot (really have no clue what they wanted to accomplish there, they had both KG and Perk setting up at the elbow of opposite sides of the Free Throw line, there was no room for Rondo to penetrate with all the guys clogging the lane, and plus Rondo's man half heartedly "fights" through Perk's pick, just leaves Rondo open for an open 17th footer, luckily KG grabs the offensive rebound).

Even the two Pierce misses, one was really good defense by Larry Hughes and the other was a goal tend by Al Harrington. If both plays looked bad because the clock was winding down, it was by design on both plays since at that time in the game, eating up the clock was to the advantage of the Celtics.

Pierce scored 7 of our 9 OT points, (could have been 9 points), the other 2 points, well we all know who scored those.

Bottomline: I don't know how one can criticize Pierce or going to Pierce when Pierce was basically our offense (the whole game) and add to the fact that Pierce actually dishes out 6 assists, plays awesome defense (when he is spent most of his energy running the "Pierce centric" offense). It was also Pierce's decision to go to KG at the end of the game, a selfish player would have shot over 2 guys, considering the game Pierce was having and KG was having, I wouldn't have been against Pierce taking that tough shot over 2 guys to win the game. But Pierce is the bigger man.....