I see a ton of red flags, they see only awesomeness. Philly was the better team by 7 points in the first quarter when each team's best players were out there. The C's took control late in the third when each team cleared their bench. If the C's are going to rely on their deep bench to win games, they aren't going to win many.
When I look at the shot chart at ESPN, two things stand out - the C's took a huge number of 3's and only one shot was made that wasn't at the three point line or in the paint (Bass made it).
I hope you realize the bolded is actually not necessarily a bad thing depending on how many mid-range shots were missed. Those are the most efficient shots in the game. Not that they shouldn't be making mid-range shots, but *shrugs*. It's pretty clear what direction the Celtics have been leaning with their offense considering how stats-driven Stevens can be.
You just seem to be too nitpicky for the first pre-season game. Who really cares that Philly was 7 points better in the first quarter? If you watched the game, you'd see that we were getting a ton of open shots and playing aggressive on that end. The shots weren't falling. Regardless of who was out there, the game blew open because we were actually starting to hit shots.
Also, when people say they were happy with the game (at least me), it wasn't about the overall team performance. Expecting the team to be completely cohesive and ready to go out of the gate, especially one so young, is not the best way to go about things. For example, Turner was thrown into starting at the 3 after practicing as a point guard all of training camp.
The main takeaways for most people happy were individual highlights:
Olynyk looked like he was continuing the strides he made post-all star break. His defensive rotations were much more improved also.
Smart looked amazing on defense at times and completely changed the complexion of the game in short bursts with his defense. There was a sequence in the second where he stuck to his man all the way to the basket with his hands up, got a block, and immediately initiated a fast break. One possession later, Smart stole the ball in the passing lane and immediately passed it to Bradley for a fastbreak. Smart also looked good as a PG. He looked comfortable running the offense, and that's all you can really ask from a rookie PG this early on...especially one who is used to attacking the basket rather than playing more of a "pure PG" role.
Evan Turner looked good as a PG, and it looks like having his role more defined for the first time in his career may do him good.
Young looked good out there. His offensive awareness was good. He found seams and knew where to go to get open. He had a fast trigger generally either shooting it or passing it off immediately. Looked more ready than most were led to believe he'd be at this time.
Thornton looked comfortable out there with his shot. Seems like he has the green light to let it fly, which should help us a good amount. We lacked shot creators last season, but that changes a bit with Turner and Thornton.
Wallace looked like the normal-hustling Wallace. His defense was good especially when combined with Smart.
These are positives people were looking at in that game. Not all of this, if any of it, will show up in the box score or shot charts. Box scores and shot charts are useless in pre-season, imo, unless you are getting absolutely owned out there. The rotations are completely different than what you would see in the regular season. There is little cohesion, and a lot of players are still getting into their own flow. Pre-season is more about seeing how certain individuals have improved their game against NBA competition.
Not too many positives to speak about with Bradley and Sullinger, unfortunately, but the 6 players up above are the reasons why people were happy about the Philly game. That's all there is to it.
Topic: From the box score, not an impressive game (Read 11274 times)