Ball or Nuthin' » Rajon Rondo

James Jones Becomes “That Guy”

T Lamont — Mon, 02 May 2011 01:35:16 +0000

So far, the Heat are making me look like I know what I’m talking about.

With Boston’s trading of Kendrick Perkins and blowout loss to Miami late in the season, it seemed that the confidence that the Heat needed to topple the Celtics had finally taken shape.

Miami’s 99-90 opening game win in the Eastern Conference Semifinals was notable for several distinct reasons:

1. Dwyane Wade proved that the poor shooting bug that hampered him in many of their earlier battles was a thing of the past. Wade attacked early and often, and helped the Heat soar to a sizable advantage. When Boston trimmed the deficit – as we all expected that they would – D-Wade returned to enable Miami hold on to their cushion and close the game. His dominance in this game was particularly important because it sends a strong message to Doc Rivers and his coaching staff – that LeBron James is not the only player on which your defensive gameplan should be concentrated.

Boston needs to get more production than six points out of K.G.

2. Chris Bosh (7 pts., 12 rebs., 1 blk.) and Kevin Garnett (6 pts., 8 rebs., 3 asts.) basically played to a stalemate. This is clearly a matchup that the Celtics desperately need to win. So, in Game 1, this was easily won by Miami. If the Celtics think that Bosh is a bit on the soft side (as most of the NBA-watching public does), Boston needs to exploit that to try and own the paint. With Perkins in OKC, Shaq keeping the media on edge with his health status and Jermaine O’Neal not an intimidating factor, K.G. is vital to the Celtics’ success in this series. Add to that the fact that their most productive frontcourt player is Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis – who wishes his listed height of 6’9″ was really true – and it becomes clear that protecting the rim could be a problem for them. And by the way, Davis had the worst plus-minus of any player that took the floor today (-21).

3. The Celtics can’t lose their cool. The one thing that Boston has always seemed to have in its pocket has been the ability to keep its composure. Whether the fourth quarter calls were correct or not, they were questionable enough that Paul Pierce had to maintain his focus if the Green Guys were to stand any chance at pulling off a late stunner in American Airlines Arena. Instead, Pierce picked up two techs. He was gone, and so were the Celtics chances of stealing Game One because…

4. Did Rajon Rondo even suit up today? The point guard position is the one spot that Boston should have an undisputed edge. Rondo is a guard with game-changing speed and quickness, understated intelligence and clutch abilities. His performance failed to represent what he is capable of, and that is certainly unacceptable in critical postseason games like this one. Granted, he is handicapped by his inconsistent shooting range (3-10 FGs), but he committed almost as many turnovers as assists (5 to 7) and only managed to get to the line twice. Rivers has to get more aggression out of him in Game Two.

Jones was spot-on for Miami in Game One.

5. The Miami Heat found that guy. Throughout the season, analysts agreed that on a roster with two of the game’s best slasher, someone would ultimately be required to knock down shots from the perimeter. Miami tried their hand with several options – Mike Miller, Eddie House, Mike Bibby – hoping that catching and shooting would be easy enough for them. However, it was James Jones, a little known swingman with great range, who made his presence felt the most – peaking with him winning this year’s Three Point Shootout. Jones stepped up today in a huge way. He scored 25 points, was 5-7 from the field (all triples) and, perhaps even more importantly, found a way to take ten free throws…making them all. Jones was easily the difference-maker in the series opener.

For Game Two, as Rivers indicated in his post-game interview, his team has to take care of the ball. Boston committed 14 turnovers (5 from Rondo, as mentioned earlier), which was actually two less than Miami. However, the Heat were aggressive with its chances and the Celtics are not equipped to contain them on the break.

In the same breath, Boston must realize that it cannot get behind. While Miami has been noted for giving up big leads, this Celtic team is one that cannot count on its defense in the same manner that it has in the past. Rivers has to encourage his team to counterpunch the Heat. Specifically, Boston needs to take advantage of break-out opportunities – including the creation of early offensive scores from Rondo.

The initial game plans for each team will remain the same, but somehow Game Two will hold the potential for even more fireworks.

Boston Confidently Dispatches the Heat

T Lamont — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:39:53 +0000

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We really don’t like anybody…we like ourselves and that’s what we focus on every night.

Despite his words, Ray Allen’s focus was squarely on the rim.

Allen canned seven three’s and scored 35 points to prove that, in fact, the Celtics don’t like the Heat. He did this as Boston came into the American Airlines Arena and exited with a 112-107 win over Miami.

Last night’s game was almost identical to the Celtics’ opening night 88-80 victory over the Heat. The Celtics stormed to an early lead, clearly exerting their dominance in the contest. Let’s check out the key elements that contributed to Boston’s triumph in these teams’ second meeting of the season:

Rondo’s one-handed tomahawk – With about three and a half minutes remaining in the first period, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo executed the play of the game. With a back screen approaching, Rondo did a small crossover on Eddie House, and then took off down into the paint. He delivered a monster jam right next to Chris Bosh – who provided Rondo with his very first posterization. The 6’10″ Bosh looked like he had no intention of trying to block the 6’1″ Rondo’s dunk attempt. Just plain sad. But the dunk was only one play of yet another opposing point guard controlling the flow of the game. Chris Paul, Deron Williams and now Rondo have all dominated the Heat from the point. Miami is going to have to figure out how it can cope with losing the battle at this position on most nights.

In two games against the Miami Heat this season, Wade is shooting 6 for 28.

Dwayne Wade, where are you? – For the second time, D-Wade was thoroughly ineffective against Boston. Wade was only 2-12, and almost had as many turnovers (6) as points (8). Simply put, the Heat’s former franchise player shrunk into a role player who couldn’t get the job done against the C’s. Watching Wade play, his lack of shooting confidence is a glaring issue that he is going to have to overcome. Right now, any productivity that he is able to create has been based on his athletic ability – which is not good enough to get the job done when battling one of the league’s premiere defensive teams. Chris Bosh had a brief moment of brilliance in the second quarter, but otherwise contributed a quiet 15 points and 7 rebounds. Udonis Haslem (21 points, 10 rebounds) was the second best player for the Heat last night. LeBron James played well and gave Miami a chance to break into the game at the end, but his near triple-double – 35 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists – turned the heat into a one-man show. Even he hit the side of the backboard on an attempted triple from the corner that would have made things quite interesting late in the fourth. Boston doesn’t allow one-man shows to beat them – so Wade had better fix his broken jumper if Miami plans on sniffing the Finals. The good news is that he has a long time to do so.

Ray Allen couldn’t be stopped…or could he? - Allen was on fire tonight. He sunk his first 7 three-point field goal tries (before missing his last two), and the Heat never seemed to make it a priority to corral him. But why not? Maybe because Miami does not have a player on its roster who is prepared to chase Allen around and through screens all night. Wade, Eddie House and James Jones all tried their hands at it. But from an even bigger perspective, the Heat did not commit to their defensive identity against the Celtics. The visitors shot 54% from the field (including 56% from beyond the arc), highlighted by some wide open shots for Allen, who is perhaps the best shooter in the NBA. This illustrates that the Heat needs to avoid its defensive lapses if it wants to have a chance at greatness this year.

Did the Heat forget that Ray-Ray is a little better than most other shooters?

Soft in the middle? – We all know that a team with Chris Bosh as its power forward can only be but so rugged. That’s where Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire come in. They have to be enforcers on this team. But there’s only one problem – they’re not getting any burn. Anthony played for almost eight minutes, and was perhaps the most invisible man in the arena (1 personal foul, no points, rebounds or blocks). Magloire got a DNP-CD, and has played in just three games this season, collecting a totalof three points and five rebounds. The Heat are going small, and they are paying for it. They’ve been dominated by the likes of Emeka Okafor, Paul Millsap, and Kevin Garnett. Haslem is perhaps the toughest player on the team, but at 6’8″ – the same height as LBJ – he lacks the size to play with the big boys for big minutes. From a defensive standpoint, someone has to step up in the middle, and Erik Spoelstra will have to tinker with his rotation to make it happen.

Sense of urgency – Boston had it, and Miami didn’t. The Heat never revealed any true angst or displeasure as the game developed. The didn’t seem like they were particularly disturbed about being outplayed on their home court. They didn’t care that a team with players who are past their prime was manhandling them. How could a team, with such high expectations, not be ready to play against the team that had defeated them earlier in the season? A team that is a clear rival? A team that many expect them to meet down the road? For some inexplicable reason, the Celtics had the chip on their shoulders. And Miami didn’t come close to knocking it off.

It all adds up to the fact that the Heat have some handy work that they need to take care of. They’ve got quite a while to get it done…but if they want to achieve their ultimate goal – which, at the very least, should be a trip to the NBA Finals – the job better be done by the time they get to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. With the up-and-down Orlando Magic and the streaky Atlanta Hawks in the picture, even advancing to the conference finals should not be considered a foregone conclusion.

Celtics Beat Heat in Home Opener, 88-80

T Lamont — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 03:23:59 +0000

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Last year, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were three of the best players in the NBA.

For most of the night, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo were the three best players on the court at the TD Garden as the Boston Celtics beat the visiting Miami Heat, 88-80.

The Celtics got out to an early lead, thanks to some extremely stingy defense. Boston held Miami to nine points in the opening quarter, and outscored them by 15 in the first half. Neither team lit it up offensively, but the C’s were able to hit some timely triples. Allen (20 points, 5 treys) and Pierce (19 points, 3 treys) had strong shooting strokes throughout the game. Boston’s floor leader, Rajon Rondo controlled the tempo with 17 assists.

Boston’s new addition, Shaquille O’Neal, gave the home team a huge lift to start the contest. Shaq was active early around the basket, and ended with 9 points and 7 rebounds.

LeBron James' tenure with the Miami Heat began with a loss.

As for the Heat, the Big Three didn’t show up…but the Big One did. LeBron James (31 points) had to be wondering if he was playing in South Beach, or if he was playing in Cleveland. Once again, King James was a one-man army against the Celtics. The Heat looked extremely ineffective when James wasn’t assuming command of the action. Since this was the opening game, some discontinuity could be expected for Miami – having a cast of players who haven’t played together during games that actually count. But the talent of Wade (4-16 FG, 13 points) and Bosh (3-11 FG, 8 points) never showed up and, despite a late run to put Miami within three, the Heat never had a real chance in this one.

It was just one game, but it proves that nothing can be handed to the Heat. Boston is at the top of the NBA in the execution of their team defense, therefore, we can count on better offensive efficiency from Miami. But against teams that play strong defense, Erik Spoelstra will be required to be creative with the spacing and gameplan employed by his team.

Although fans might be slightly shocked, tonight’s outcome proved one thing that we already knew: Miami has a great roster.

But Boston has a great team.

Celtics’ Team Play Beats Lakers in Game 5

T Lamont — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:29:38 +0000

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In the pivotal Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics gave us a little math lesson.

Four is greater than one.

Many would argue that Rondo has become the most valuable Boston Celtic on the current team.

Celtics’ Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen combined to outplay Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant as Boston defeated the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, 92-86, giving them a 3-2 series lead.

Boston got out to a good start shooting the ball from the field. In a closely contested first half, the Celtics outshot the Lakers 66% to 33% from the floor. Paul Pierce was magnificent, shooting 7-10 and putting up 19 in the opening 24 minutes. Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett were also effective contributors. With such a notable discrepancy, what kept Los Angeles in the game?

In a word – turnovers. The home team committed 11 first half miscues, and L.A. converted them into 11 points on the offensive end. The Lakers also attacked the offensive glass, with Pau Gasol securing some valuable second chances for the purple and gold.

Kobe Bryant (38 points) put on a miraculous show in the third quarter. Three-pointers. Fade-aways. One-handed alley oops. He threw everything but the kitchen sink. And it went in. After struggling early in the game, Bryant scored 19 points in the period (the first nineteen of the period for L.A.) and accounted for 23 consecutive points for his team at one time in the quarter. But for all of his effort, the end result was that the Celtics increased their lead to eight points at the end of the third.

Everyone got into the act for Boston. Pierce (27 points in Game 5) remained killer from mid-range. Garnett (18 points, 10 rebounds) made a couple of forceful baskets. Allen hit a couple of field goals, too. While Los Angeles was once again riding the talents of Bryant, the Celtics were getting ball movement and involvement from virtually all of their key players.

In the final period, the Lakers opened by going to Gasol (someone other than Bryant). They were able to get the deficit to six points, but it wouldn’t stay there for long. Behind more team play on both ends of the court, the Celtics were able to push their advantage back out to double figures. Undeterred, Los Angeles continued to fight back.

Key play down the stretch: Down by five with 46 seconds to go, veteran guard Derek Fisher won a jump ball against Garnett. The ball was tapped up to Ron Artest on a breakaway – and he was fouled by Pierce. Artest badly missed both free throws and Boston secured the rebound. The Celtics called for a timeout in the backcourt. On the ensuing inbound, Garnett tossed a jump ball to Pierce – who caught it, turned and whipped it to a cutting Rondo (18 points, 8 assists) for a layup with 28 seconds remaining in regulation.

Although Los Angeles is more well-rounded and a much tougher team than they were two years ago, this series is beginning to take the flavor of the 2008 Finals. The Celtics are getting a more greater level of team inclusion than the Lakers – several Boston players were taking turns making plays tonight. Los Angeles desperately needs to orchestrate a way to get all of their important contributors into a rhythm. Bryant can get his anytime. Gasol, Odom, and Artest cannot.

Now that the Lakers are trailing in the series, will Bryant allow someone else to shoot the basketball?

Lakers head coach Phil Jackson was mic’ed and commented to his team that:

“This (the Boston Celtics) is a team that knows how to lose games in the fourth quarter. They led the league this year in games lost in the fourth quarter.”

But Jackson needs to know how to coach his team to win this type of tough contest. Against a defense like Boston’s, you cannot rely on one player to win. Ask Dwayne Wade. Ask LeBron James. Ask Dwight Howard. They are all league icons who have stepped up and taken a seat in this year’s postseason. If Jackson doesn’t tighten the reigns on Bryant early in the game and get others involved, L.A. could see their hopes of back-to-back championships diminish on Tuesday at the Staples Center.

Garnett played with fire again tonight. Pierce played like the unheralded leader that he is.

But can enough be said about Rondo?

Comparatively speaking, he can’t shoot – anything beyond the free throw line is a challenge. But has there been a player as good as he has been with such a well-documented handicap. One could argue that Shaquille O’Neal would fit that bill, but he’s well over seven foot (in height and width) – so he’s just too hard to stop from a physical standpoint. Everyone knows Rondo’s weakness, however, in each game he overcomes it in a bigger and better way.

In 2008, Kobe was outplayed by three Celtics. Bryant worked hard, and is perhaps a better player than he was two years ago.

But unfortunately in 2010, Jackson is counting on him to outplay four Celtics.

Tonight, he couldn’t do it.

Celtics Comeback in 4th; Defeat Lakers 96-89

T Lamont — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:40:34 +0000

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If, at the beginning of the season, we were told that a Slam Dunk champion would have a huge impact on the NBA Finals – I would have put all of my money on that player being #12 from the Orlando Magic.

But in our wildest imagination, we would not have concurred that the player would “Krypto” Nate Robinson.

As the playoffs have continued, Robinson’s minutes and impact on the Celtics’ success has increased. And tonight, along with his other bench-mates, Robinson’s contribution directly accounted for evening up the NBA Finals between his team and the Los Angeles Lakers, 2-2.

Let’s look at the events as they unfolded:

First Quarter:

Both teams got out to a very slow start offensively, each shooting under 40%.

Lakers:

Pau Gasol comes out aggressive – ending with eight points in the quarter.

The Lakers couldn’t get into a rhythm. Kobe Bryant only took 4 shots in the opening stanza.

Paul Pierce scored 10 points in the opening quarter of Game 4.

Celtics:

Paul Pierce attacked the Laker defense early and often. He’ll need to stay focused and aggressive all night, unlike his tendencies in Games 1-3. Pierce is the most vital player to the Celtics’ success. If he plays well, Boston’s chances at a Game 4 victory increase exponentially.

Nate Robinson canned a huge three to close the quarter.

End of 1st Quarter Score: Los Angeles 16, Boston 19

Second Quarter:

Lakers:

L.A. is receiving big contributions from Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown – they’ve combined for eight points in this period.

With about four minutes left before the half, Bryant buries three consecutive jumpers, including two treys.

The talented, but inconsistent Lamar Odom has been active thus far tonight.

Ron Artest needs to make Pierce work on the defensive end of the floor. He’s been quick to remind us that he was a 20-point scorer who has sacrificed his scoring ability for the good of his new team. Well, his new team could definitely use some of that old ability. I’d say that about 75-85% of it would work just fine.

Celtics:

Nate Robinson connected on another triple early in the second.

“Big Baby” Davis is taking the ball to the rim, giving us a taste of how important the Boston reserve unit truly is.

Meanwhile, Rasheed Wallace can’t keep his hands to himself. Gasol has backed him down several times already in the contest, and the last three times Wallace has either smacked him or hog-tied him. Well, now ‘Sheed is going to the bench with three personals.

It was interesting to hear that Rajon Rondo is 4-14 from the foul stripe in the Finals. If I were the Lakers and I was losing late in the game, I would certainly consider implementing “Hack-A-Rondo”.

Halftime Score: Los Angeles 45, Boston 42

Third Quarter:

Lakers:

Pau Gasol has made ten trips to the free throw line (he’s made nine of them). His 17 points leads Los Angeles thus far.

Bryant is going nuts from the three-point arc. After another set of back-to-back triples, he’s now 5-7 from deep.

Celtics:

Kevin Garnett only has seven points, in large part to the fact that he has missed a few of his automatic mid-range jump shots. K.G. is 3-10 from the field at that time. But a couple of easy field goals has the Celtics in the game.

Boston’s defense has kept them in position to make a run in the middle of the period. Neither team is looking good offensively, and this type of game inherently favors the Celtics.

End of 3rd Quarter Score: Los Angeles 62, Boston 60

Fourth Quarter:

Pau Gasol didn't get many touches late in tonight's game.

Lakers:

Gasol is still putting Celtic defenders in the washer and them hanging them out to dry. He up-and-unders Wallace for a deuce.

Celtics:

Glen Davis still has it going. He puts a spin move on Odom and uses the basket to protect his reverse lay-in. He uses his strength to come back with another score about a minute later.

Ray Allen is all over the place. Hitting mid range shots. Blocking Gasol from behind. Penetrating and dishin to a cutting Tony Allen (for what should have been a lay-up, but ended up as a bucket for Davis). He’s playing a multi-dimensional game, and it has given Boston a big boost in the fourth.

The Celtics’ run has put them up by 7 with five and a half minutes left in the contest.

Down the stretch:

Odom counters with a tough drive ending with a left-handed floater in the lane. (81-74, Boston)

After a unproductive L.A. possession, Robinson hits a floater in the lane. The Slam Dunk champ now has a dozen points. (83-74, Boston)

Glen Davis hits two FTs, but Artest made a strong baseline move on an offensive rebound and is fouled. He converts the conventional three-point play. (85-77, Boston)

After being fouled on the perimeter, Bryant nails two free throws. (85-79, Boston)

Allen misses a quick trey, but Boston secures the offensive board – which leads to a Pierce step-back mid-range jumper. (87-79, Boston)

Bryant responds with a triple head fake jumper. (87-81, Boston)

Pierce comes back with a tough lay-up and the foul. Bryant was the foul victim on a bang-bang call by the refs. But in vintage Kobe form, he’s fouled shooting a three (another close call on a shot contest by Allen) and swishes all three freebies. (90-84, Boston)

The Celtics got 18 points in a tremendous effort from "Big Baby".

With 40 seconds left, Kobe Bryant makes the game-sealing play. After a series of crossovers fails to gain him an advantage on Ray Allen, a penetrating Bryant sails a bailout pass back out to the perimeter. But a waiting, baiting and anticipating Rajon Rondo tips it out to mid-court and turns it into an uncontested lay-up that sends the crowd into a frenzy. (92-84, Boston)

Derek Fisher, Game 3′s hero, drives and hits a lay-up to get the deuce back – but now there’s only 22 ticks left on the regulation clock. (92-86, Boston)

Garnett is fouled with 17.7 left, and K.G. crushes both free throws. (94-86, Boston)

Fisher misses, but Bryant tosses up a fade-away trey and it goes down. (94-89, Boston)

Pierce is fouled with 9.5 left in the game, and he cans both free throws. (96-89, Boston)

End of Game Score: Los Angeles 96, Boston 89

The Celtics played tonight’s game with more heart and passion than the Lakers. Boston’s bench support was just ridiculous. The home team got 36 points from its bench – including an astounding 21 of them in the finals 12 minutes of the game.

The Boston defense stepped up big once again. They did a good job of keeping Bryant from dominating the flow of the game – he finished with 33 points, but also accumulated a game-high seven turnovers. Lakers forward Pau Gasol didn’t have much of an impact late in the contest. The home team outscored the visitors 36-27 in the fourth, a time usually reserved for the game’s top clutch performer, Kobe.

Instead, it was a total team job by Boston. After the great bench play, the starting unit returned to the game and closed things out accordingly.

With tonight’s Celtic win, a good series just became great.