Guys deny saying things even when their comments are on tape. It's standard protocol when it's something controversial. Maybe Lee didn't say it but it wouldn't surprise me if he did. I would be most surprised if guys weren't upset with Rondo's ball hogging. It's never fun playing with a ball hog.
The guy leading the league in assists a ball hog...right! Because Chris Paul doesn't pound the ball...actually wait, he holds the ball the duration of the shot clock before either passing off or shooting. The infallible Chris Paul!
LAC - 4th in the NBA at 1.07ppp
BOS - 26th in the NBA at 0.996ppp
I personally don't care if the ball is pounded, spun on fingers, whatever, all I care about is results and wins. If I don't like the results, then I look to what's happening during the games for causes. I personally don't think Rondo's pounding is leading to effective offensive possessions. If Chris Paul really is pounding like Rondo, somehow he's still making a lot better of it (with what I'd argue is an equal or weaker supporting cast).
Ah, but a cast with a post game and a cast that rebounds the ball on the offensive end. It makes a huge difference.
Yeah, the interior offensive game makes a HUGE difference. It is all about attacking the rim. Something we just don't do, given the big men we have been putting on the floor.
This discussion inspired me to look at some numbers comparing the Celtics' offense to the Clippers' offense:
First, on 'pounding the ball'. Here is the shot-clock usage of the two teams:
| Celtics | | | | | Clippers | | | |
Secs | Att% | eFG% | Ast% | Pts | | Att% | eFG% | Ast% | Pts |
0-10 | 37% | 51.6% | 58% | 30.7 | | 39% | 58.5% | 60% | 37.0 |
11-15 | 25% | 50.1% | 68% | 20.4 | | 23% | 50.9% | 65% | 18.7 |
16-20 | 24% | 46.6% | 68% | 17.9 | | 22% | 46.8% | 62% | 16.3 |
21+ | 14% | 44.1% | 59% | 9.8 | | 17% | 43.7% | 59% | 12.0 |
The 'Att%' is the percentage of shots made that deep into the clock. As you can see, both teams take shots with a nearly identical shot-clock usage profile. The big difference is that the Clippers have a huge advantage in eFG% (and thus points) on shots made in the first 10 seconds. These are probably due to more fast-break and alley-oop plays.
Now, we move on and look at shot-type:
| Celtics | | | | | Clippers | | | |
Shot | Att% | eFG% | Ast% | Pts | | Att% | eFG% | Ast% | Pts |
Jump | 71% | 44.5% | 70% | 50.9 | | 68% | 46.7% | 65% | 51.9 |
Close | 24% | 57.5% | 48% | 22.3 | | 24% | 57.6% | 55% | 22.7 |
Dunk | 3% | 88.7% | 74% | 4.6 | | 5% | 92.1% | 72% | 8.1 |
Tips | 1% | 40.0% | 0% | 0.9 | | 2% | 42.3% | 0% | 1.4 |
All | 100% | 49.0% | 63% | 78.8 | | 100% | 51.7% | 62% | 84.1 |
And there it is,plain as day: The vast bulk of the difference between the two teams' scoring is coming almost entirely on dunks.
I've said it before: We miss having Wilcox in our offense soooo bad.