Who should start at shooting guard now?

[Eja117]

I think if Ray wants to be the starter he needs to take it away from Bradley....with defense.

But Doc will never let that happen. Bradley is going right back to 12 mins per game as soon as Ray is back.

[Tai]

I think if Ray wants to be the starter he needs to take it away from Bradley....with defense.

But Doc will never let that happen. Bradley is going right back to 12 mins per game as soon as Ray is back.

Assuming Pietrus doesn't come back, there's much more room for Bradley than 12 minutes, even if he is off the bench again.

[celtic -_- pride]

ray off the bench makes the most sense to be honest. have dooling run the point and set ray up for three's. our bench scoring sucks. i think doc is smart enough to realize our players skill sets and how to utilize them. AB is a 2 not a 1. him and rondo have been very impressive together and i think it is at least worth a look. even when our bench is playing well our lead shrinks. we need scoring in the 2nd unit and we havent had that since posey and house left. robinson gave us that spark but was terribly inconsistent. ray will flourish in that role and he will become the go to guy opening up our other bench players for better looks than last second shots.

[celtics2]

AB definitely needs to start. Different team with him in there. Rondo doesn't have to wait for Allen to come off screens etc. Will Doc have the ballz to tell Allen? Allen's not blind. He see's the team playing great basketball. He should twitter Doc about coming off the bench.

[Jon]

I stick to what I've been saying: start Ray but give him the KG treatment and yank him after 5 minutes.  Than bring KG and Ray back in with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter.  This achieves two key things:

1) It allows Ray to continue to start.  Let's not underscore that.  This is a proud first ballot Hall of Famer.  This is also a guy who played some of his worst basketball when rumors swirled about his basketball future in 2010 and then caught fire once the trade deadline past.  Ray is a creature of routine.  We don't need to start messing with that midseason. 

2) It also gives us the same jolt that bringing Ray off the bench would have, as he would be coming back into the game just around the time that most younger teams are actually bringing in their subs. 

We then have a rotation like this: 

First 5 minutes:

KG
Bass
Pierce
Ray
Rondo

7-2 minute mark:

Stimesma
Bass
Pierce
Bradley
Rondo

2-minute mark into the early second quarter:

Stiemsma
KG
Pietrus
Ray
Bradley

From there Doc can adapt based on play, foul trouble, and matchups.  Bradley also gets all the backup 1 and 2 minutes in this model, freeing up for him at least 30 or so minutes per game. 

[j804]

AB definitely needs to start. Different team with him in there. Rondo doesn't have to wait for Allen to come off screens etc. Will Doc have the ballz to tell Allen? Allen's not blind. He see's the team playing great basketball. He should twitter Doc about coming off the bench.

Bahhahaha comedy the answer most likely no, read quote he said you could only go with Bradley starting for so long

[SHAQATTACK]

Doesn't sound as though Ray can come back anytime soon,  so guess we are lucky to have somebody that can start and we don't see a drop off in overall team performance. Can't throw Ray under the bus yet either..

I do like what AB brings to the court , a new look /energy, guess we'll just have to watch the next few games and see if it is truely for real leap from a project young bench player to starter in terms of growth and maturity .

Playing the Spurs and Bulls will be a big test for AB & Rondo show .

Soon . we'll see if the reenergized Celtic team is for real...

[j804]

Doesn't sound as though Ray can come back anytime soon,  so guess we are lucky to have somebody that can start and we don't see a drop off in overall team performance. Can't throw Ray under the bus yet either..

I do like what AB brings to the court , a new look /energy, guess we'll just have to watch the next few games and see if it is truely for real leap from a project young bench player to starter in terms of growth and maturity .

Playing the Spurs and Bulls will be a big test for AB & Rondo show .

Soon . we'll see if the reenergized Celtic team is for real...

I think well be up to the task, the best thing is to start off this rough stretch of games we got 2-days now to rest meanwhile SA will be playing us off a back to back

[Celtics18]

Doesn't sound as though Ray can come back anytime soon,  so guess we are lucky to have somebody that can start and we don't see a drop off in overall team performance. Can't throw Ray under the bus yet either..

I do like what AB brings to the court , a new look /energy, guess we'll just have to watch the next few games and see if it is truely for real leap from a project young bench player to starter in terms of growth and maturity .

Playing the Spurs and Bulls will be a big test for AB & Rondo show .

Soon . we'll see if the reenergized Celtic team is for real...

I think well be up to the task, the best thing is to start off this rough stretch of games we got 2-days now to rest meanwhile SA will be playing us off a back to back

I think San Antonio is a highly winnable game.  It would be nice to get that one as we fly to Chicago for the tail end of a back to back on the next night.

[LooseCannon]

As pointed out elsewhere:

Lineup analysis is mostly based on the Offensive and Defensive Efficiency, or how many points the team scores or allows per 100 possessions when that lineup’s in the game. Here are those figures, first for the Rondo-Allen-Pierce-Bass-Garnett lineup, then the Rondo-Bradley-Pierce-Bass-Garnett lineup (via BasketballValue).

Ray’s lineup (269 minutes): 103.89 offensive efficiency, 101.78 defensive efficiency
Avery’s lineup (78 minutes): 114.57 offensive efficiency, 89.86 defensive efficiency

That gives Ray’s lineup a differential of 2.11, and Avery’s a screaming 24.70. Keep in mind that these figures DO NOT INCLUDE LAST NIGHT’S GAME, the most dominant game of the Bradley era, so Bradley’s differential is actually better than that.

As noted in the post I linked to, there are obvious problems with small sample size, but it gives you an idea of how much better the team has been playing with Bradley in the starting lineup.

[fairweatherfan]

As pointed out elsewhere:

Lineup analysis is mostly based on the Offensive and Defensive Efficiency, or how many points the team scores or allows per 100 possessions when that lineup’s in the game. Here are those figures, first for the Rondo-Allen-Pierce-Bass-Garnett lineup, then the Rondo-Bradley-Pierce-Bass-Garnett lineup (via BasketballValue).

Ray’s lineup (269 minutes): 103.89 offensive efficiency, 101.78 defensive efficiency
Avery’s lineup (78 minutes): 114.57 offensive efficiency, 89.86 defensive efficiency

That gives Ray’s lineup a differential of 2.11, and Avery’s a screaming 24.70. Keep in mind that these figures DO NOT INCLUDE LAST NIGHT’S GAME, the most dominant game of the Bradley era, so Bradley’s differential is actually better than that.

As noted in the post I linked to, there are obvious problems with small sample size, but it gives you an idea of how much better the team has been playing with Bradley in the starting lineup.

Yeah, that'll probably regress a bit over time - and strength of opposition is really important too - but it's striking how much better on O and D we've been with Bradley so far. 

I think the real key to making this move or not is if we expect it to help us in the playoffs.  The debate about which lineup has been better this season is pretty much over, but whether or not it'll be advantageous when it counts is very debatable, especially with Bradley's lack of playoff experience.

[ejk3489]

A. Sherrod Blakely ‏ @SherrodbCSN
#CelticsTalk: Doc Rivers says #Celtics Ray Allen did practice today. If he plays tomorrow vs #Spurs, Doc said he will start.

Guess that answers that question...

[radiohead]

A. Sherrod Blakely ‏ @SherrodbCSN
#CelticsTalk: Doc Rivers says #Celtics Ray Allen did practice today. If he plays tomorrow vs #Spurs, Doc said he will start.

Guess that answers that question...

Just saw this on rotoworld too. I just hope Ray being back doesn't stunt AB's current streak of good games and more importantly, the Celtics' chemistry and cohesiveness with AB as the starting off guard.

[Kane3387]

Ray should finish when we need a shot. Bradley should finish when we need a stop.

Who should play when the team needs both shots and stops?

More then a fair question and a good point.

Ray is my answer. I want his free throw shooting. However, a lot of times with TOs and Free Throws you have many opportunities to sub offense for defense and vice versa in the closing moments.

[nyceltsfan]

I don't understand why we are changing something that has worked all year.  What is the Celts' record with AB starting?

Also, when you think about the top 2 teams in the East, wouldn't it be helpful to have AB in the game at the same time as Wade and Rose, so he can take them out of their games?