Garnett admits it: "We HAD some chemistry problems"

[Fafnir]

That makes sense given the reports that he yelled at Sheed in the shower, saying something along the lines of:

"Give us 10 and 10 and we'll blow these *bleepers* out".

Actually given that its KG I should probably add five more bleeps....

[jpd985]

Rondo did mention about players letting their individual goals and ambitions affect them on the court. Plus, Rondo's ascension coupled with the decline of the big 3 probably created some tension. It must not be easy for them to adjust when they can't physically do the things they are used to.

[Rida]

It's on court chemistry. Hence the 50 game win season...emergence of Rondo and 20% decline in big three.

He specifically says "getting our chemistry right in our locker room"

Had he meant on court chemistry he would have said "its not clicking on the floor"

It was obvious the C's had chemistry issues, we heard about them in the press and it would explain our erratic play this yr

[KGs Knee]

Well, if there are or were locker room chemistry issues, specifically involving Rondo, it's mostly the Big 3's fault.  I love each of them till the end, and they are HOF players.  Paul is still my favorite Celtic, and KG is the heart of this team.  That  being said, Rondo is now the best player on the team.  If there are chemisrty issues between the Big 3 and Rondo, it probably stems from the butting of heads over control of the team as far as who initiates the flow of the offense.  Plain and simple, the Big 3 need to get over it.  This team is best when Rondo leads it.

Luckily, it looks like they have gotten over it.

[fairweatherfan]

Doc seemed to allude to this in his presser too - paraphrasing, but the quote was something like "we had to deal with injuries, and a (waves hands) whole bunch of personal stuff...and we lost a lot of games."

[jv_squad]

I love Paul, but based on his recent demeanor and responses to Rondo questions, I think he's having as much trouble as anyone saying Rondo is the new leader.   He always responds with:  "That's our team...we have so many weapons...any of us can go off...ME, Ray, etc."

I just re-watched the first half of last night's game and he was the only one not clapping or cheering after Allen's monster dunk.  Could be that he was still fuming from being in foul trouble, but still....

It seems he may never get over feeling like the always under-appreciated superstar.   

[FallGuy]

I love Paul, but based on his recent demeanor and responses to Rondo questions, I think he's having as much trouble as anyone saying Rondo is the new leader.   He always responds with:  "That's our team...we have so many weapons...any of us can go off...ME, Ray, etc."

I just re-watched the first half of last night's game and he was the only one not clapping or cheering after Allen's monster dunk.  Could be that he was still fuming from being in foul trouble, but still....

It seems he may never get over feeling like the always under-appreciated superstar.   

I think you're right on target with this observation. I noticed him sulking on the bench too.

And Mike Breen noted how he was yelling at Doc that he wanted the ball as they headed upcourt in the fourth. Happened a couple of times.

Seems like things are improved now but the locker room issues, seems to me, are about multiple alpha males.

[Prof. Clutch]

I was just taken aback that KG mentioned it twice on his own.  It seemed like he was trying to call attention to it.

Admitting to locker room chemistry issues is not a normal thing for players to do in the NBA.  It's the stuff we all wish we had inside knowledge about but is usually hidden from our view.  We all heard media reports and rumors, but nothing was known for sure and the players weren't open about locker room disputes during the season.

There's something oddly comforting about him admitting that those problems existed though.

[Prof. Clutch]

I love Paul, but based on his recent demeanor and responses to Rondo questions, I think he's having as much trouble as anyone saying Rondo is the new leader.   He always responds with:  "That's our team...we have so many weapons...any of us can go off...ME, Ray, etc."

I just re-watched the first half of last night's game and he was the only one not clapping or cheering after Allen's monster dunk.  Could be that he was still fuming from being in foul trouble, but still....

It seems he may never get over feeling like the always under-appreciated superstar.   

I noticed how unexcited he was after that Tony dunk also...that was weird.

But I don't take it as anything personal from Pierce.  Basketball is filled with inexplicable moments like that.

[FallGuy]

I was just taken aback that KG mentioned it twice on his own.  It seemed like he was trying to call attention to it.

Admitting to locker room chemistry issues is not a normal thing for players to do in the NBA.  It's the stuff we all wish we had inside knowledge about but is usually hidden from our view.  We all heard media reports and rumors, but nothing was known for sure and the players weren't open about locker room disputes during the season.

There's something oddly comforting about him admitting that those problems existed though.

Yes - it DOES seem like he was exhaling about all of it. I really think a team-first guy like KG was probably the one trying to keep the pieces together and moving in the same direction and players like PP and RR and perhaps TA and BBD may have been wandering off from the caravan. (to mix a metaphor).

[RJ87]

They've still got some blips on the radar. To me, it's a Pierce-Rondo issue, based on what little evidence is actually available to us. Pierce demanded the ball for a couple possessions in the fourth quarter last night, just like he did through the regular season. Even though it's clear the Pierce ISO is one of our least effective plays, and PP dominating the ball usually leads to offensive stagnation.

Ditto.
I've been saying this for awhile. Rondo has to stop deferring to Paul in the 4th qtr - love the guy, he IS the Captain after - but it doesn't work that well anymore. I think during the offseason, that needs to be addressed. I think Rondo respects Paul, so when he demands the ball Rondo gives it up even if it isn't in the best interest of the team at that moment.

Let me make clear, I have no problem with Paul taking the big shots late in games. Its when he's setting the offense and initiating things and going one on 5 - that's when we stuggle. Doc is good at dealing with egos, but at some point he - as the coach - has to put his foot down and say "No, we're going to keep running things through Rondo... Paul, if you get to your sweet spots, trust that Rondo will find you."

[jpd985]

They've still got some blips on the radar. To me, it's a Pierce-Rondo issue, based on what little evidence is actually available to us. Pierce demanded the ball for a couple possessions in the fourth quarter last night, just like he did through the regular season. Even though it's clear the Pierce ISO is one of our least effective plays, and PP dominating the ball usually leads to offensive stagnation.

Ditto.
I've been saying this for awhile. Rondo has to stop deferring to Paul in the 4th qtr - love the guy, he IS the Captain after - but it doesn't work that well anymore. I think during the offseason, that needs to be addressed. I think Rondo respects Paul, so when he demands the ball Rondo gives it up even if it isn't in the best interest of the team at that moment.

Let me make clear, I have no problem with Paul taking the big shots late in games. Its when he's setting the offense and initiating things and going one on 5 - that's when we stuggle. Doc is good at dealing with egos, but at some point he - as the coach - has to put his foot down and say "No, we're going to keep running things through Rondo... Paul, if you get to your sweet spots, trust that Rondo will find you."

At 1 point in the fourth I believe I saw Rondo wave Pierce off when he demanded slightly over half court. Did anyone else see this?

[ManchesterCelticsFan]

This absolutely makes sense and I recognized it especially when it took Rondo to Game 4 of Round 2 to totally dominate like that. Perk also called Rondo the best player on the team before that game.

At one point, I remember Ray Allen dribbling the ball up the court, Rondo, being the Point Gaurd, wanted the ball to set-up the offense. Ray waved him off, which I was like, "common show Rondo some respect!" The very next second, Ray's pass to Paul underneath the hoop was picked off. There still seems to be an issue with Rajon Rondo getting the respect from the Big 3 that he deserves.

[Mr October]

I think you guys have pretty much nailed it. The issues are partly young guys vs old guys, and also the passing of the torch specifically from Pierce to Rondo.

This will be interesting going forward. This past regular season has really driven home the notion that the Celtics need younger parts added to the rotation - even if the C's keep all 4 of Pierce, KG, Ray and Sheed.

[FallGuy]

They've still got some blips on the radar. To me, it's a Pierce-Rondo issue, based on what little evidence is actually available to us. Pierce demanded the ball for a couple possessions in the fourth quarter last night, just like he did through the regular season. Even though it's clear the Pierce ISO is one of our least effective plays, and PP dominating the ball usually leads to offensive stagnation.

Ditto.
I've been saying this for awhile. Rondo has to stop deferring to Paul in the 4th qtr - love the guy, he IS the Captain after - but it doesn't work that well anymore. I think during the offseason, that needs to be addressed. I think Rondo respects Paul, so when he demands the ball Rondo gives it up even if it isn't in the best interest of the team at that moment.

Let me make clear, I have no problem with Paul taking the big shots late in games. Its when he's setting the offense and initiating things and going one on 5 - that's when we stuggle. Doc is good at dealing with egos, but at some point he - as the coach - has to put his foot down and say "No, we're going to keep running things through Rondo... Paul, if you get to your sweet spots, trust that Rondo will find you."

At 1 point in the fourth I believe I saw Rondo wave Pierce off when he demanded slightly over half court. Did anyone else see this?

Yup. Saw it too. Pierce went up along the left side of the arc and Rondo triggered the offense.