Pierce With the 2nd Unit Please!

[Bankshot]

Anyone else think that PP should play with the 2nd unit more instead of Ray?  This is not an overreaction to the Laker game, because I've been saying this for several weeks now.  The Laker game was just another example.  We have zero scoring punch off the bench and when Ray's shot isn't falling, he does not improve the 2nd unit.  Pierce, however, can impact the 2nd unit more because if he's not scoring, he's setting up Eddie for open shots and getting Leon scores down low.  He can make things happen and especially in a game like last night where he was playing well, I was surprised he didn't play more in the 4th quarter and that Ray was with the 2nd unit instead of Pierce.

The bench needs to be upgraded pronto!  I know it is still early, but we are only 1 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland and we need to stay ahead to get home court.

[wil]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought PP has been playing with the 2nd unit?  I thought I saw it last night.  What I was thinking last night is that it's actually Rondo that needs to play with the 2nd unit.  When he's out of the game we have no facilitator so everyone has to fend for themselves.  Rondo creates easy buckets for everyone on the court when he is playing at his full strength.  I think Tony Allen, Powe, and Eddy could all use someone getting them easy shots.  And that's not to mention that he's the youngest started and theoretically should have the freshest legs, so we shouldn't have to worry about tiring him out too much.  I can't remember really ever seeing Rondo out there with the 2nd unit, so I'd like to see Doc give that a try. 

[reggie35]

I think Doc has been using Pierce and Ray, but last night he definitely needed to stay with Pierce in the 4th.

[cordobes]

Pierce played 38 minutes last night. Without that rest at the end of the 3rd/start of the 4th, he'd have played... 46 minutes!

More: that second unit with Ray Allen was outscored 13-11 in that 8 minutes stretch. It was NOT there we lost the game.

About Rondo playing with the 2nd unit, a backcourt of Rondo/House/Tony Allen is ridiculously under-sized. And playing Rondo and Tony Allen together is already complicated because teams can give them both lots of space due to their poor shooting.

[OmarSekou]

The problem is the 2nd unit doesn't run the offense through its best player. When Ray's in they should set screens and let him run around like Rip used to. With PP and KG get them the ball and create space with Tony cutting to the basket. Powe and House should always be in position to score, BBD garbage buckets. As it is, no one creating opportunities for each other and TA drives and occasionally dishes. This works against weak benches but TA is too inconsistent and out of control for that to be our game plan.

[winsomme]

in general, i agree that PP is the better option with the second unit this year because House, TA and RA is really small in the backcourt...

i think Doc was going more to that, but of late has been keeping Ray in there when Eddie and TA come in (especially in the first half). for me, it is too to Paul seeming more beat up and more of the load is carried when he is in there with the second unit.....

[guava_wrench]

Anyone else think that PP should play with the 2nd unit more instead of Ray?  This is not an overreaction to the Laker game, because I've been saying this for several weeks now.  The Laker game was just another example.  We have zero scoring punch off the bench and when Ray's shot isn't falling, he does not improve the 2nd unit.  Pierce, however, can impact the 2nd unit more because if he's not scoring, he's setting up Eddie for open shots and getting Leon scores down low.  He can make things happen and especially in a game like last night where he was playing well, I was surprised he didn't play more in the 4th quarter and that Ray was with the 2nd unit instead of Pierce.

The bench needs to be upgraded pronto!  I know it is still early, but we are only 1 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland and we need to stay ahead to get home court.

Doc often alternates who sits first by half.

I'm not sure how the bench helps us close the game in the final 4 minutes. I would love to see improvements, but I fail to see how last night's game made this seem like such an emergency.

[pearljammer10]

Pierce with the second unit should be a no brainer, especially in last nights game when he was scorching in the third. Why Doc sat him for so long in the fourth then never called a play for him in the 4th just boggles my mind. With family in the crowd and a message to send Pierce was ready to go and Doc sat him over a stone cold ray allen. Champions or not we still need a new coach.

[cordobes]

Pierce with the second unit should be a no brainer, especially in last nights game when he was scorching in the third. Why Doc sat him for so long in the fourth then never called a play for him in the 4th just boggles my mind. With family in the crowd and a message to send Pierce was ready to go and Doc sat him over a stone cold ray allen. Champions or not we still need a new coach.

Incredible.

Pierce played 38 minutes last night. Without that rest at the end of the 3rd/start of the 4th, he'd have played... 46 minutes!

More: that second unit with Ray Allen was outscored 13-11 in that 8 minutes stretch. It was NOT there we lost the game.

[winsomme]

Pierce with the second unit should be a no brainer, especially in last nights game when he was scorching in the third. Why Doc sat him for so long in the fourth then never called a play for him in the 4th just boggles my mind. With family in the crowd and a message to send Pierce was ready to go and Doc sat him over a stone cold ray allen. Champions or not we still need a new coach.

the Lakers were trapping Paul down the stretch forcing him to give the ball up.....

[Who]

Yes, I think Paul should be the one to play with the second unit.

I think it's been clear since early last season that Paul was a far superior option to have alongside the four bench players than Ray.

[CoachBo]

Take that a step further.

With this woeful bench, Doc shouldn't have more than three of them on the floor at any one time.

[blueygreen]

I think the only way to play Ray Allen with four bench players isn't to run him off screens a la Rip Hamilton purely because we don't have the personnel with either the passing/screening ability or the patience to wait for Ray to get open. I think instead they should find old game tape of how Ray played in Seattle where it was basically him playing with four randoms and how he scored 25 ppg in that system. From memory this is a lot of screens allowing Ray to get open with the ball already in his hands. However this could just serve to further the annoying over-dribbling tendencies Ray sometimes shows. However I'd much rather him over-dribble than Tony or Eddie.