Ball or Nuthin' » Glen Davis

With Loss to Magic, Pressure Falls Back on the Celtics

T Lamont — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:10:41 +0000

What a difference a couple of days can make.

After Orlando eeked out an overtime victory in Game 4 to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics, surely the veteran-laden squad was going to come out an take care of business tonight.

But the Magic rode their hot-shooting start to an impressive 113-92 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With this win, there are some new developments in the series:

- With two consecutive wins, the Magic have now become the team with the momentum. Most of their players have begun to play with the confidence that they displayed throughout the regular season, and in their first two playoff series.

- The Magic played their game, and they played it well. Orlando was able to get some good three-point looks and they knocked them down – hitting 13-25 (52%) from downtown. They were able to spread the wealth, with Jameer Nelson, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Redick converting multiple treys.

- Dwight Howard controlled the paint on both ends of the floor. With 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, Howard put together his first set of good back-to-back performances in this series.

- Yes, there was a Rashard Lewis sighting. He showed some aggression late in tonight’s game. Lewis started swishing mid range jumpers in the fourth quarter, and ended with 14 points.

- While Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard controlled the game’s tempo, the Magic received big contributions from J.J. Redick (14 points), Matt Barnes (three triples), Rashard Lewis (14 points). Getting their teammates involved was critical, and was what they needed to do to stand a chance at winning the next game in the TD Garden.

Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard have stood tall in the face of possible playoff elimination.

The Celtics lost some key players in the midst of their loss. Glen “Big Baby” Davis got caught by an inadvertent Dwight Howard elbow, and suffered a concussion. Davis staying on the floor for a while – and when he attempted to get up and run up the court, he was stumbling and had to be held by referee Joe Crawford (to prevent him from falling). If Crawford wouldn’t have executed his timely save, Florida would have probably experienced its first earthquake ever.

Reserve guard/forward Marquis Daniels entered the game briefly. On a drive to the basket, he banged into a defender and also suffered a concussion. He exited the game immediately after the play. He plays so infrequently that he got hurt the first time he had the ball in his hands. Just plain sad.

Rasheed Wallace, who played great for Boston with 21 points, looked to tweak his back late in the contest.

But Boston’s biggest loss was that of center Kendrick Perkins. Perkins, the Celtics’ best defender of Dwight Howard, was hit with two questionable technical fouls – which caused him to be ejected from the game. The first technical was called when play continued after a stoppage, and Perkins gave an unintentional elbow to Marcin Gortat. The second, and most talked-about, technical foul was given as Perkins expressed disapproval of a foul called against him – and was walking away from the official. Also, since Perkins has accumulated seven technicals in the postseason, the league has the option of suspending him for a game. The nature of the fouls almost assuredly ensures that they will be reviewed and may be rescinded. If not, his loss will place Boston at a huge disadvantage in Game 6.

So, given the newfound effectiveness of Orlando’s offense, Doc Rivers and his staff have some work to do.

Most importantly, Boston’s trainers will have to earn their paychecks if the Celtics expect to appear in their second NBA Finals in three years.

That, or have everyone in the TD Garden complaining of the neverending smell of Ben Gay.

Orlando Looking Scared of Boston

T Lamont — Sun, 23 May 2010 03:35:24 +0000

The Celtic defense continued to make the Magic look like a college team.

Boston once again showed us what a team committed to playing together can do.

Kevin Garnett scored 10, Paul Pierce 15, Rajon Rondo 11, Ray Allen 14, Glen Davis 17, Rasheed Wallace 10. And, oh yeah, the Celtics won 94-71 to push their seemingly insurmountable lead up to 3-0.

There was evidence early in the contest that the Magic didn’t bring it. On one possession, Ray Allen blew past Dwight Howard, who was covering him on the perimeter. No Orlando players rotated back to help in the paint, and Allen – after starting his penetration from outside the three-point arc – sailed in for an uncontested dunk.

Dwight Howard didn't have much to smile about with only 7 points and 7 rebounds tonight.

But if there was one play that was symbolic of the pulse of this game, it happened with 8:38 remaining in the second quarter. Rondo and Jason Williams were both chasing a loose ball in the Magic backcourt – a chase in which Williams looked to win. But Rondo abruptly dove to the floor, somehow recovered the ball and flipped a running floater off the glass that went in. At the time of ‘the dive’, his Celtics were leading 34-17.

What does this tell us?

Letting a team that is dominating the series outhustle you means that you have thrown in the towel. Not only were the Magic getting dominated by losing the first two games, but they were also blitzed early in this game. The 23-point loss should be very embarrassing for a team who was down 0-2 entering the contest.

What an enigma the Orlando Magic are. This team played the game its way in the first two rounds. Howard controlled the paint. He commanded double-teams. Open shooters knocked down shots. They played great team defense.

They’re doing none of that now.

The Magic are flat out scared of the Celtics.

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Andrew Bogut Dunks on a Baby

T Lamont — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:47:36 +0000

Well…physically, he’s about as far from a baby as one can get. And it’s definitely not often that you see a 6’9″, 290 lb. (I don’t believe it, but it’s what he’s listed as) man get knocked to the floor on his backside.

But that’s exactly what happened last night when the Boston Celtics visited the Milwaukee Bucks. Not only did Andrew Bogut embarrass Glen “Big Baby” Davis (as you are about to witness below), but the Bucks also had the last laugh in winning the game 86-84.

Big win for the Bucks. And a big poster for Bogut.

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Celtics Favorites Due to Ugly Frontcourt

T Lamont — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:14:50 +0000

In the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics were probably one injury away from competing for the NBA championship.

The lack of depth in the Green Guys’ frontcourt ultimately led to their demise. The biggest loss being the super-versatile Kevin Garnett. But the C’s also missed out on significant production when Leon Powe went down (he was recently signed by the Cavs).

In the past few weeks, Boston has taken some steps to keep them from coming up short on big guys. I now present to you…the ugliest frontcourt in the NBA:

Rasheed Wallace – Now, Wallace is not truly an ugly guy. But he’s not easy to look at either. And that patch in his head…what’s the story on that? Nobody really seems to know. I think ‘Sheed should have a press conference just to let the world know.

OK...I'll admit...I'm scared...

Kendrick Perkins – Big. Black. Tough. And ugly. He picks up fouls simply because his face looks foul.

Glen “Big Baby” Davis – The only reason – that I can think of – for him having a nickname of “Big Baby” is this incident. He’s probably the best lookin’ one in this group – that is if you don’t count his “cryin’ face”.

Shelden Williams – In an attempt to keep women and children away from their games, the 2007-2008 NBA champs signed him on. I don’t know how a guy so aesthetically challenged gets so many breaks. (In case you hadn’t heard, he’s married to Candace Parker – a mismatch of epic proportions)

Brian Scalabrine- What he lacks in face ugliness, he makes up for with his unathletic build. He looks like a mix between the Pillsbury Dough Boy and Carrot Top.

Well, there you have it. With a healthy squad on the floor, the Celtics are once again right up at the top of the list of contenders. But even if this team is unsuccessful in its quest this year, we all have to agree on one thing – - it can’t possibly get any uglier than this.

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Buzzer-Beaters Provide Life and Death

T Lamont — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:41:27 +0000

Nuggets with a 2-0 series lead – playing in Dallas against a Mavericks team in desperate need of a win. The Nuggets are down by 2 . Carmelo Anthony dribble drives to his right, takes a bump, bounces off, and lets a 3-pointer fly. Nothing but net. Nuggets up 3-0 in the series.

That would obviously be the example of providing death to the Dallas Mavericks. Being down 3-0 in a best of 7 series is basically like being dead…according to the statistics. No team has come back to win a series after being down 3-0.

Let’s move to Orlando on Sunday night. The Magic have a 2-1 lead in the series. The Celtics held a small lead throughout the game, but the Magic made a great push to close the game. The last couple of minutes were a back-and-forth, lead exchanging contest. The Celtics gained possession with under 5 seconds to go. Paul Pierce gets the ball facilitated a quick screen and roll. P-Double uses the screen draws the double-team and drops it for the roll man, Glen “Big Baby” Davis. With one second on the game clock, Big Baby tickles the twine to win the game. And to give the C’s life.

With 2 of the next 3 games in Boston, the C’s have definitely resurrected themselves into a favorable situation. All of a sudden, Orlando goes from having a 3-1 lead to being tied at 2 and having to win at least one game on the road.

Ah, the buzzer beater. The moment that players, and fans alike, live…and die for.

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