Still not trusting JO?

[slamtheking]

I trust his playing ability.  what I still don't trust is his ability to play (as in his AVAILability).  I'll be ecstatic if he can make it through the playoffs but I'm not expecting it.

I wouldn't be that worried about it.  If there were really any lingering issues, would Doc have played him 37 last week against the Knicks in a meaningless game?  

Plus with the extra rest the playoffs bring (no back to backs and sometimes more than a day off in between) JO should have plenty of time to rest.  

on the one hand, you have the 37 minute game which you're using to back up your point.  From my standpoint, if there was nothing to worry about, JO would have played every game to close out the season to knock off more rust. 
Pointing to JO's usage at the end of the year goes both ways.

Maybe.  However, I think it had more to do with Doc not trusting him in games that we wanted to win (like Miami and Chicago).  Doc is stubborn like that and JO didn't know the plays like Baby. 

perhaps.  I've never been a fan of Doc's so that reasoning gains some traction with me but I would think that he'd have to see how JO does in those pressure situations since we were about to go into the playoffs which are all games we want to win.

[slamtheking]

I trust his playing ability.  what I still don't trust is his ability to play (as in his AVAILability).  I'll be ecstatic if he can make it through the playoffs but I'm not expecting it.

I wouldn't be that worried about it.  If there were really any lingering issues, would Doc have played him 37 last week against the Knicks in a meaningless game?  

Plus with the extra rest the playoffs bring (no back to backs and sometimes more than a day off in between) JO should have plenty of time to rest.  

on the one hand, you have the 37 minute game which you're using to back up your point.  From my standpoint, if there was nothing to worry about, JO would have played every game to close out the season to knock off more rust. 
Pointing to JO's usage at the end of the year goes both ways.

I think tonight's game showed that the rust has been knocked off. Apparently the only real issue with Doc was, whether JO would have problems playing big minutes if called for. And that's why he had that 37 minutes game.

The only reason he didn't play more tonight was probably his early foul troubles.

I definitely found his level of play very encouraging.  his D and the fact he was hitting those short jumpers which used to be his bread and butter.  he was bricking those shots in last year's playoffs.  it'd be huge if he hit those consistantly this year

[Senninsage]

I knew I was right to put so much confidence in Jermaine's ability to get it done for this team, and I'm so happy to see a performance like this out of him.

[CelticsGuy34]

So hows the trade lookin

smh at all the pundits and experts

Jermaine oneal 6-6 4  blocks in 22 minutes

hows perk doing? 0 points 1 rebound 0 blocks vs denver

[BASS_THUMPER]

Jermaine brought the pain like method man

[CelticsGuy34]

and thats just looking at that part of the game

we also have jeff green and a first round pick

and shaq waiting in the wins

now how the HELL did the thunder win like 95% of people say

im sick to my stomach at these outrageous statements

[GreenEnvy]

I have said all along that JO can help this team tremendously when healthy. He looks healthy and he talks like he feels good.

Will he shoot 1.000 FG% and block a shot every 5 minutes? Maybe not, but he can bring the whole arsenal defensively, while chipping in offensively.

If (increasingly big if) Shaq can get healthy, the trade will FINALLY not be the topic of conversation here.

The problem was not in the post today. Yes Turiaf did way more than he should have, and Amar'e had a great game, but the problem was on the offense. We should score a lot more than 87 on the Knicks, especially at home in the playoffs.

The second best thing tonight to Ray's CLUTCH shot dropping  was JO's performance.

[guava_wrench]

I believe I have consistently pushed the view that JO would at the very least be available to play through pain, regardless of the number of games he missed since the real reason he missed the games was to rehab him for the playoffs, not because he was disabled.

Still, I did not expect him to look that good. He looked better than he did at any point in the playoffs last season. His midrange was brilliant and he looked tough on defense.

I still expect him to have tough days when he is dealing with pain during the course of the playoffs, but he really seemed to have his rhythm and understand how to play with his teammates, and that is very encouraging.

[hwangjini_1]

So hows the trade lookin

smh at all the pundits and experts

Jermaine oneal 6-6 4  blocks in 22 minutes

hows perk doing? 0 points 1 rebound 0 blocks vs denver

just an update... having played for 13:52 so far tonight, my beloved perk's line is...

0-2, zero points.

2 rebounds

1 turnover

1 foul

1 shot of his was blocked.

but on a positive note, he hasnt missed a 3 pointer yet tonight. 

[GreenFaith1819]

Great Game from JO, no doubt.

I think with the OKC-DEN game, OKC is built more for a potential battle vs LA...DEN has too many pieces moving to focus on just one or two players. Nene is very active and agressive for a center, and Perk has historically had issues with those types.

If Perk/OKC can get past this game, then I just don't see LA or anyone else beating them - except Boston, of course.

[pearljammer10]

He was great today but consistency is the key. Hope he can keep it up.


Rivers: "we won the game because of JO. And he did it in both halves."

This is exactly why I was such a big supporter of the signing during the offseason. Proven playoff veteran who is still only 32. Tonight he really showed his worth and value to the team. He took his time getting healthy, but the playoffs are really the only thing that matter to the Celts and he is going to deliver when it counts.

[csfansince60s]

 It's amazing to think that the same guy who couldn't hit a shot last year against us went 6/6 from tonight, sparked our comeback, and had a couple of HUGE blocks to lead the way.

+1 for the post and what it implies.

It really isn't so amazing though about the contrast from last years playoffs against us and how he performed tonight.

The reason why he performed so poorly in last years playoffs against us (and no, it wasn't the Bill Russell like defensemman that everyone now makes Perk out to be) but rather botha knee and ankle injury that kept him from performing like he did for 70 games last season before April where he averaged almost 30 minutes per game, 13.6 points and 7 rebounds while shooting at a .529 clip, and if you listened to his press conference tonight, he alluded to both that injury impacted playoff series as well as the fact that the .529 shooting percentage was with very few dunks.

As long as he's healthy, he's a better, more versatile center than Perk.

[Edgar]

health is indeed the name of the game

If for some miracle Shaq is back
bye bye BBD

[jdpapa3]

I was pretty enthusiastic of the prospects of JO after an Ainge EEI interview a month and a half ago. He could've played through the pain, but they elected to get the surgery and there was low risk in the surgery. I was enthusiastic because I thought even early season JO was more than adequate defensively. Well, he's clearly better defensively now. He just didn't really look right finishing at the rim or releasing his shot before.

The shots he hit tonight were interesting. They were in that 10 foot range. It was the shot that would've made Perkins absolutely lethal on offense since that's what Rondo and the others create.

2 good games in a row out of him would be encouraging in a major way.

[GreenEnvy]

Great Game from JO, no doubt.

I think with the OKC-DEN game, OKC is built more for a potential battle vs LA...DEN has too many pieces moving to focus on just one or two players. Nene is very active and agressive for a center, and Perk has historically had issues with those types.

If Perk/OKC can get past this game, then I just don't see LA or anyone else beating them - except Boston, of course.

Nene is destroying OKC right now. Two thunderous dunks (one he got fouled on). He's a really underrated player.

But gotta root for Perk!