Peaking too soon & Playoff inexperience

[ScoobyDoo]

Couple thoughts:

1. From the all star break to the end of the season the Celtics had one of the top 2-3 toughest schedules and came out with a top 2-3 record. They looked unbeatable on some nights and just looked in sync and machine like, offensively and defensively.
Did they peak too soon or have injuries really just killed their momentum?

2. While our improved play over the season involved the emergence of some really solid, young role players, are those solid, young role players, who all lack significant playoff experience, wilting under the pressure?

Stiemsma: Really put up some nice games over the season and particularly in the second half - he's been a wall flower in the playoffs so far - for the most part.

Brandon Bass: Very solid season, some great games and pretty consistent effort. Really struggled in the playoffs

Pietrus: Limited playoff experience. Good showings in the regular season, now struggling for the most part.

Bradley: Actually doing "Ok" in the playoffs. But haven't seen many 18-20 point games like he was putting up in the regular season.

Is it injuries, a lack of significant playoff experience or a combination of both for these guys that is leading to reduced effectiveness on the court?

Thoughts?

[Who]

I'm not much of a believer in the playoff experience (lack thereof) as a factor. I'm not concerned about that. My thoughts on those players:

Stiemsma -- I thought Doc benching Steamer for Hollins really messed with his confidence. He was in a good rhythm and playing at a good level consistently. Since then, he is in free-fall. Completely undependable. Personally, I'd drop Hollins altogether and try to get Stiemsma back into top form because they'll need him further down the line.

Bradley -- I think his injuries have hurt him offensively but he is still doing work defensively. Probably be that way for the rest of the playoffs.

Bass -- struggling with shot but otherwise not too different from regular season. Not concerned. Shot will start to fall at some point.

Pietrus -- with Ray Allen back and Bradley starting, there aren't as many minutes available. Hard to play himself back into top form (in such limited minutes / opportunities). Injuries have slowed him down some too.

[ScoobyDoo]

Good read - I'm hoping these guys can regain their regular season form.

Particularly agree with you re Bradley and Steamer - Steamer was playing such good ball - some really solid games. I'd like to see him back at that level, as it really helps out KG tremendously. And KG needs the help. Outside of his dominating performances is any other big man really stepping up so far?

Love Bradley - kid has heart. I was watching him box out Spencer Hawes towards the end of game 2, I think he put him on the floor. Thought to myself, if all our guys boxed out like that, we'd be the best rebounding team in the league.

Tough kid - wishing him the best - hope he can keep his arm in socket... 

[mctyson]

Avery Bradley playing with a separated shoulder speaks volumes about the type of player he is.  That is a cornerstone of your franchise for a decade right there.

[KGs Knee]

Couple thoughts:

1. From the all star break to the end of the season the Celtics had one of the top 2-3 toughest schedules and came out with a top 2-3 record. They looked unbeatable on some nights and just looked in sync and machine like, offensively and defensively.
Did they peak too soon or have injuries really just killed their momentum?

2. While our improved play over the season involved the emergence of some really solid, young role players, are those solid, young role players, who all lack significant playoff experience, wilting under the pressure?

Stiemsma: Really put up some nice games over the season and particularly in the second half - he's been a wall flower in the playoffs so far - for the most part.

Brandon Bass: Very solid season, some great games and pretty consistent effort. Really struggled in the playoffs

Pietrus: Limited playoff experience. Good showings in the regular season, now struggling for the most part.

Bradley: Actually doing "Ok" in the playoffs. But haven't seen many 18-20 point games like he was putting up in the regular season.

Is it injuries, a lack of significant playoff experience or a combination of both for these guys that is leading to reduced effectiveness on the court?

Thoughts?

1.  It's the injuries.  Half of our main rotation guys are fighting through them.  Pierce, Bradley, Allen & Pietrus are all limited right now.  That's tough.

2.  Pietrus averaged 10.5 PPG for Orlando during their run to the Finals in '09.  He has plenty of experience.  Bass has experience too, but apparently (from what I can glean from reading Orlando's and Dallas' blogs) he has a reputation for being overwhelmed by the playoffs.  Bradley seems to be handling it fine as well.  Stiemsma is the only one who truly seems to be showing his inexperience.  But even that has been somewhat offset by the improved play of Hollins.

All told, it really does seem to be the accumulation of having so many main rotation guys limited to varying extents by injuries.  That being said, we're not the only team facing this issue, so it needs to be overcome one way or another.  There are no excuses.

[Chris]

I don't really believe too much in playoff inexperience.  Instead, I think it really is just a case of the higher intensity of the playoffs causing the best to rise to the top.

Guys with holes in their games can often get by fine in the regular season, and even excel.  But, like Bass is learning, when you get to the playoffs, everything is moving a little bit faster, and you can't get away with what you could in the regular season.

What I think is happening is two things.  First, the injuries have taken a toll.  That is pretty clear.

But even more than that, I don't think the C's are playing much worse than they were during their run at the end of the year.  I just don't think they are playing any better.  And that is a problem.  They made their run, because they were playing with a playoff intensity while the rest of the league were cruising to the finish line.  Now, other teams are picking up the intensity in the playoffs, and the playing field is leveled a bit.

[Tgro]

The scary thing is it is starting to remind me a bit like last year.

I think we've had plenty of minor nicks and bruises and tweaks and so on this year, but for the most part (knocking on wood), it's felt like all season we have avoided the catastrophic injuries that plagued us last year. Last year when we lost Shaq and traded Perk, it felt very bleak heading into the Playoffs and then when Wade about made Rondo break his arm, it was the last injury straw. We gave up the ghost.

This year, I thought we were cruising along with some minor ailments and then suddenly we've been outbreaking a bit to the more moderate side of injuries and its really starting to take its toll on us. The most concerning to me is Pierce, followed closely by Bradley and Allen. Its making us seem a lot weaker and destroying our chances. I still believe in us, but its making me more and more queasy as the days go by.

I still think we're going to just bleed to death on the floor should we play the Heat and we're going to let it all hang out no matter how wounded we are. We're just going to play like we their lives depended on it. I fully believe that. But it would be nice to see us put it together against the 76ers and go into the next series firing on all cylanders. It just seems like the injuries are starting to go from nagging to borderline catastrophic. Not there yet, but I am worried. One more could put us over the top. Its almost feeling like we need to get the life support ready.

I do like when Pierce says "This is it" though. They know it. We know it. And they ain't going out like that. This team is going to find a way to get us at least to the ECF and then it's just going to be a bloodbath.

[ScoobyDoo]

Yeah, I thought we were looking really solid towards the end of the season. Minutes were relatively low for the vets. I saw Ray's extended absence as a plus mostly because it was allowing Bradley to develop so quickly. And that meant that if Bradley struggled come playoff time a rested, healthy Ray could come back and carry more of the load - when Bradley had it going, ride him, etc...

But then Ray's injury turned for the worse. The killer to me is Pierce though - he looked so solid early on against Atlanta until he tweaked his knee in practice.

I think if we have Pierce, Rondo and KG basically healthy and firing, we have the best three players, "combined", on the floor over any team in the east. But with Pierce struggling so much it's tough.

I'd really like to see us win game 3, put all the pressure back on them for game four - take that and then close it out in game 5, get some rest for the ECF...

I was hoping 2-0, split in Philly and close in game 5 at home - but that's out now.

We need to win tonight, or at best I think we're looking at a game 7 in Boston that leaves us heading into the ECF completely banged up.   

[Neurotic Guy]

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The killer to me is Pierce though - he looked so solid early on against Atlanta until he tweaked his knee in practice.

I think if we have Pierce, Rondo and KG basically healthy and firing, we have the best three players, "combined", on the floor over any team in the east. But with Pierce struggling so much it's tough.

This is my thinking too.  It's almost all about Pierce.  If he were 100% (or even 90%) then we have Rondo at 100% and KG at 110% and we have the best remaining threesome in the East (if Bosh stays less than healthy), maybe the league.

Pierce's injury is a huge difference maker, not just losing his offense, but the difference in team dynamics that results from trying to replace his numbers.

That's why I think we should rest Pierce for Game 4 if the C's win Game 3.  Give him 5 days to try to make an appreciable difference in that knee.   A healthy Pierce puts the Celtics in the conversation. 

[ScoobyDoo]

Agreed Neurotic Guy but...after watching last night's game, I think maybe he's worked through the bulk of the knee problem?.. 

I don't buy that his knee has been "fine" all along. I think he turned a corner over the last few days. The Paul Pierce we saw last night, is not the same Paul Pierce that we saw in the first two games of this series.

I would have said rest him for game four - but he looks fine now. Now I feel like, try to win the series tomorrow night buyt taking game four in Philly, go back to Boston up 3-1, win game five - and THEN get the entire team some rest before the ECF's - hopefully Indiana / Miami goes at least 6, hopefully seven games...

Back to our threesome. To be honest I like the trio of KG, Pierce and Rondo is better than Miami's trio of LeBron, Wade and Bosh, even fully healthy. Mainly because I think our trio is more "money" than theirs when it matters.

As for the West, I think our trio, if firing on all cylinders is in the conversation with OKC's and San Antonio's best three - though I'm less confident overall that we can get by either OKC or SA - everyone else I think we can beat.

But I made a post earlier this year about this Celtics squad. There is something about them that's special. They have this "little engine that could" mentality and toughness. Just odd things this year, all year -

1. Green goes down - we win despite it
2. JO goes otu - we win despite it
3. Wilcox goes down - we win despite it
4. KG moves to center - gets reborn
5. Ray goes down - we win despite it
6. Steamer comes out of nowhere
7. Bradley comes out of nowhere

Everyone playing their little roles...

This is a feisty group of savvy vets with some equally tough younger players. They're very scrappy as well.

I think we might be going to the finals again - I just don't know if we can win it all...