What do the Celtics need to do to get to the Conference Finals and maybe beyond.
1. Our rebounding needs to improve- Pure and Simple. In 2007-08 we outrebounded our opponents by a little over 3 a game. This year we are being ourtrebounded by a little over one half a game. Yes, KG is a big part of this and non one hundred percent body but I would expect KP and others to make up for the difference.
a. PP should be able to squeeze 1 more rebound per game and back to last years average for him of 5.6/g. He has been recovering from injury so hopefully he will be back to full speed in no time. As a result, we should see his rebound total go back to normal.
b. KP has improved his offense..how about another step up for rebounding now...8/game is fine but 9-10 a game should be doable for him. He has a big active body that needs to be used properly for more rebounds. KP control your complaining to. Making the refs any madder at you will not help in the long run.
c. G Davis should also be used more and be able to get his average of 4/g up to at least 5.
d. I would ask for KG to get one more/game but that is pushing it. But one can always hope he somehow improves even 10 percent more. It is hard to watch him not moving fluently. A slight improvement for him would be huge for us.
2. More consistent 2nd half offense with clamp down defense as well. In 2007-08 we out scored our opponents by close to ten points a game. Our D was mint. This year we are outscoring our opponent by only 5 a game with our D letting up over 3 more points per game. This needs to change.
a. Doc needs to try a new approach at halftime. We should not be coming out flat. Doc needs to fire up the troops..it is his job to get the most out of what he has. If we start off looking like garbage..time out..if that does not work, make changes. You cant keep hoping things will improve by themselves.
b. Ray Allen needs to find more consistency in his game. Now that he knows he will most likely be here for a few more years, he should be able to relax a bit more. That could help him improve his 16/game average back to 18 like last year.
c. PP should also be able to squeeze his pp/g average up a few more as he gets back into one hundred percent shape. Another 1-2 per game for him is reasonable request and will be needed.
d. Rasheed needs to stay in closer to basket. A 3 here and there is fine and dandy but we need him down low. The past few games it seems he can do that just fine and with a less then 100 percent KG, we need him more then ever to stay consistent with effort.
e. Rondo's offense continue to increase a small amount. I liked what I have seen recently in his short range-long range shot. I hope he continues to work on his shot and continue to grow going forward. Keep practicing free throws as well- We need him on the floor at the end of games in the playoffs.
3. Keep Turnovers to a minimum. I think Nate should help with this as we will not have non pg bringing ball up court. There are times in the game where we just get sloppy with the ball and lose our composure. This needs to stop. In 2007-08, we had almost 1 turnover a game less then our opponents. This year it is about even. This needs to change.
4. Defend Home Court and play like it is our last game of the season. There is no excuse for a veteran team to be losing like we have at home. We have lost more home games then Toronta, Chicago, Bucks, Magic, Hawks,Cavs, Jazz, Nuggets, Lakers, Suns, and Mavericks. That is a lot of teams and many of those teams we might meet in first round of playoffs.
On a positive note,
a. Assists per game- our assist total is at a great pace per game. With Nate coming over, that should only get better as we will now have a more legit pg coming off the bench for us. A little Nate spark cannot hurt. We are actually even doing better then in 2007-08 with almost 5 more assits per game then our opponent. In 2007-08 we had a 4 assist advantage.
b. Start to games- Another positive is that we start off the first 2 quarters of most games strongly. We need to figure out a way to get our guys fired up for the 2nd half. We started the year semi strongly(did not like the way we played at home) and I am hopeful it we can find the right game plan to reignite our heart/passion for a strong 2nd half push.
c. Playing on the Road. We are also strong as visitors and only 1 team in the nba is better on the road. That is a big positive and something to build on going forward.
d. Our Record not so bad.As bad as we think we are this year, we are still only 2 games out of the 2nd spot. It could be worse..we could be 5-49 like the Jersey boys.Things are not as bad as we think and they can get better.
e. We have the talent- Passion, Heart and talent can take us a long way..here is hoping that our Celtics discover a recipe for success in the 2nd half of the year and take it all the way to the finals. Doc needs to tap into their heart and turn it into passion on the floor.
Topic: Recipe for Getting to Conference Finals and Beyond (Read 1134 times)