shaky ball handling and passing at the stretch

[celtpinoy]

Rondo seemed to be losing a lot of passes....the announcers themselves have been complaining about the FLOAT passes being used by Rondo...

why didn't we use SAM i AM down the stretch....for more solid ball handling 

[BudweiserCeltic]

Sam looked shaky with Lindsay Hunter on him earlier in the game... he's not the obvious choice as you're making it to be.

Rondo is the one who should be there, he's the one that needs to step up. Stop with all these BS complaints, they're quite meaningless.

Once again, another case of "everyone loves the back-up QB".

[celtpinoy]

am impartial to either using Cassell or Eddie House...

we just needed some ball handling relief down the stretch...since the turnovers started to pile up near the end...

[BudweiserCeltic]

Using Cassell or House wouldn't have solved anything.

I wonder when people will realize that our PG situation in general is a bad one, and no matter who we choose to play, the situation will be just as problematic. Rondo needs to step up, it's as simple as that. It doesn't help that he's as inconsistent as he is, though improved in the Detroit series.

Cassell has clearly underpeformed in the playoffs, not really what we expected or needed of him. House has shown that he can't handle Detroit. So, it's not about using one or the other... no matter who you choose you'll be bringing a ton of weakness into the floor. So, it's a matter of going with Rondo and hoping he steps up. There's little you can do about it strategy wise.

[wdleehi]

I think Tommy nailed half the problem.


Stop trying to run the pick and roll when they are in their trap zone defense.  Plays right into the strength of the defense. 

[Roy Hobbs]

I think Tommy nailed half the problem.


Stop trying to run the pick and roll when they are in their trap zone defense.  Plays right into the strength of the defense. 

If Tommy, Marc Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, and 80% of the viewing audience can see this, why can't our team?

That was the sloppiest one-turnover performance I have ever seen from Rondo.  He was trying like heck to give the ball away, the Pistons just couldn't follow through.

[WillyBeamin]

I think Tommy nailed half the problem.


Stop trying to run the pick and roll when they are in their trap zone defense.  Plays right into the strength of the defense. 

If Tommy, Marc Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, and 80% of the viewing audience can see this, why can't our team?

That was the sloppiest one-turnover performance I have ever seen from Rondo.  He was trying like heck to give the ball away, the Pistons just couldn't follow through.

I must say being at the game I was SHOCKED to see rondo's statline after the game. I thought he was a walking turnover out there in the 4th quarter, but somehow the pistons only came up with 1 steal off him apparently... I'm quite shocked.

[timpiker]

after 1 of his soft passes PP was p---ed and yelled at him...PP bailed out Rondo and drew a lucky foul...I saw Ray talk to Rondo as well.  I kept yelling at Rondo to preotect the ball and he was listening to me.

I think L Hunter is just killing us.

Rondo missed 3 layups ( at least) last night.  He airballed one from 15 ft.

[AcieRadja]

Putting in Sam or House is not the answer.  Both are terrible at handling the ball with pressure.  Though, those lob passes were dangerous, Rondo only had 1 turnover so I don't know what the original poster was watching.  Rondo never got his pocket picked like Sam did in the 1st half by Hunter.

Tommy is right, the Celts need to stop running that high pick and roll which is drawing the double-team.

[Scintan]

Point guard is the weakest position on the team, and that's exposed even more than usual when a quality team ramps up the pressure.  Rondo can't shoot, so the Pistons are completely ignoring him and just swarming Pierce.  House isn't a point guard quality ball handler, and Cassell has either completely lost it or is struggling to adjust to his role on this team.

[Chris]

I really think it has much more to do with Detroit's pressure than the C's execution (although that hasn't been great).  The C's need to spend practice working on ways to beat the trap.  Right now, they are trying to dribble out of it, and then trap themselves in the corner.  They need to have more people come to the ball, and make quicker passes out of the double (which they need to recognize earlier.

The trap is going to be the difference in this series.  Either the C's find a way to beat it, and roll to a victory, or the Pistons continue to smother them.

[celtpinoy]

i was just resounding the comments of the announcers...they were all picking rondo for using dangerous LOB passes through the crucial points of the last quarter...

true ..that there might just have been one turnover...but the risks were quite high at that point....it is a good thing that the pistons didn't take advantage of the situation

[galen]

The problem was definitely going to the pick and roll.  It makes it extremely easy to trap a ball handler as you bring the second defender right onto the ball handler.  If you're unable to make the pass to the man rolling or popping, which we seemed to be totally unable to do, it just doesn't make sense.

Also, PP should be able to take whoever is manning up on him off the dribble no problem, even against Prince.  Spread the floor like we did against cleveland and allow him to start from the top of the key.  Gives him much more time to see and adjust to any trap.  The one big downside would be rondo's man coming to help, but i'd rather see rondo take a shot, gives us a chance to rebound the miss, then end up with a sloppy turn over.

Or Use rondo one on one against billups.  Rondo's handle was and never has been a problem.  He can take his man one on one, and should again be able to see the double coming.  I think they'd also end up with better passing angles.

[AcieRadja]

i was just resounding the comments of the announcers...they were all picking rondo for using dangerous LOB passes through the crucial points of the last quarter...

true ..that there might just have been one turnover...but the risks were quite high at that point....it is a good thing that the pistons didn't take advantage of the situation

When Rondo is double-teamed by Chauncey (who's taller) and Prince/Rasheed (who are both much taller) how else is he supposed to pass the ball?  He can't make a crisp pass when being doubled by those players.  Rondo is 6'1" at best so the only way to make a pass is to either split the double-team with the dribble or those lob passes.  Both options are difficult.  The solution is to avoid the pick-and-roll so you don't bring the extra defender.

[BudweiserCeltic]

i was just resounding the comments of the announcers...they were all picking rondo for using dangerous LOB passes through the crucial points of the last quarter...

true ..that there might just have been one turnover...but the risks were quite high at that point....it is a good thing that the pistons didn't take advantage of the situation

When Rondo is double-teamed by Chauncey (who's taller) and Prince/Rasheed (who are both much taller) how else is he supposed to pass the ball?  He can't make a crisp pass when being doubled by those players.  Rondo is 6'1" at best so the only way to make a pass is to either split the double-team with the dribble or those lob passes.  Both options are difficult.  The solution is to avoid the pick-and-roll so you don't bring the extra defender.

Rondo shouldn't let himself get trapped in the first place... that's why he has the speed he has, and the ballhandling that he has.  The pick-and-roll is with Paul Pierce... I could care less about Rondo and his pick-and-roll. If he attacks the defense, no one should be able to trap him.

But Pierce was losing the ball with or without the pick-and-roll, simply because Rondo's man kept roaming around, so the pick-and-roll is really no issue to me. The players need to smarten up.