When Rondo's struggling, so is the team

[return2glory]

Rajon Rondo has been inconsistant this year. You expect that from a rookie, but Rondo is now in his 3rd year. Rajon started of poorly in the first 10 games. For about the next 15 games, Rondo started playing really well. Now over the last few weeks, Rondo is struggling again and it shows. We are now 2-4 over the last 6.

Donnie Marshall had stated earlier this year that as Rondo goes, so do the Celtics. And he may be right, because we don't play too well when he struggles. So what does this say about the PGA? We may be in trouble because Rondo is inconsistant, House is not the answer as his back up and KG has showed signs of slowing down. Combine those 3 things along with a bad bench and we look more like the 2-4 team over the last 6 that a 27-2 team in the first 29.

And before anyone mentions somethig about panicking, let me say that the sky isn't falling, but there are problems that need to be addressed if we want to repeat.

[PP34RA10]

i think when ray is off , it gets the whole team out of sync, he needs to hit his shots or he is a liability imo.

[return2glory]

i think when ray is off , it gets the whole team out of sync, he needs to hit his shots or he is a liability imo.

I would agree if you said that about House, but Ray can still score going to the basket and can pass a little.

It's time we upgrade our backcourt off the bench. House and TA need to sit and Pruitt needs to be given a chance.

[Bigmiketruth]

I feel like the Celtics already have two guys ready to take TA minutes playing in the D League right now. TAllen is playing purely out of seniority at this point.

[Man_Up]

I feel like the Celtics already have two guys ready to take TA minutes playing in the D League right now. TAllen is playing purely out of seniority at this point.

I agree.

Definitely sounds like coach Rivers too me.

[JellyBean]

I guess from now on,we gonna be struggling against teams that know how to defend Rondo. They will now close down the lane against Rondo and let him earn his points (or point ) from the outside. Here's how I see it; if Rondo can't go inside we lose. I don't care what you guys say, but this is where we need Starbury or a guard that can play inside/outside (House is outside).

[Fencer reregistered]

When KG struggles, the team can have problems.
When Perk struggles, the team can have problems.
When Pierce struggles, the team can have problems.
As noted above, when Ray struggles, the team can have problems.
When Powe and House struggle, the team can have problems ...

[Hemingway]

Oh Moses smell the roses!

Rondo's play for a second year point guard has been sensational. Rondo has places himself as a top point guard in the leauge and he does even yet fee confident with the outside shot. Give him some time. Don't expect great play for him every night, he is more than pulling his weight already. Wait til he feels confident shooting.

[humblebum]

It's important to keep the focus on Rondo as a good young player who's still developing. Rondo entered the league very, very raw. In essence Rondo has been somewhat of a project type prospect. He's really gotten by, to some extent, on his plus BBIQ, his athleticism, and his ability to find the open man from all different angles. But, he still has a limited floor game (lack of a consistent shot) and he occasionally makes rookie mistakes on gambles at both ends. What's amazing is that he's clearly progressing with his shot from midrange and distance. It looks much smoother now. If he can continue to gain confidence and establish his shot from distance, mid-range, while adding consistency to his floater/runner game he's gonna be a top 3-5 PG. He's shown a lot of flashes of offensive dominance potential, I think he'll get there it's just a matter of when. Here's to hoping that happens some point this season.

But I do agree with the premise that as Rondo goes so does the team, except when the team in general is nicked up with injuries and going through a period of mental fatigue, like it is right now over this stretch of games.

[cisco]

I disagree with the "as Rondo goes the team goes." 'We can win without Rondo. If Ray didn't go 0-9 from 3 and KG had a normal game (at least 15 pts), we win easily, even with Rondo's poor performance. Too many players didn't show up against NY, that's why the Celtics lost, not because of just Rondo.

[Pogue Mahone]

When Ray struggles shooting the ball, as you saw tonight, the ball magically disappears from the hands of Rondo and KG. Ray will get his using an excellent mid-range game but the rest of the offense will suffer. Where is the wonderful spacing that Ray Allen provides? That's right. Ray attempted to be a playmaker to start the game (way to play your role, Ray.) Early in the 1st QTR, Ray started on the right, brought the ball left, passed to a semi-open Pierce and then proceeded to linger in the area. The missed shot was credited to Pierce but it was Ray's fault all the way.

Rondo can't be Rondo (you know, the guy that gets Ray Allen all those extremely easy wide open shots) if he doesn't have the ball in his hands. KG can't be KG if he isn't allowed to operate. Pierce can't be Pierce. Perkins was giving almost zero touches early to establish the inside.

You guys can continue to ballwash Ray when his play (the dilly-dallying, ball-pounding, poor spacing, etc) was the biggest reason for this loss. Sure, Ray got his but the manner in which he played caused the efficiency levels of the team to fall. Take the ball out of Ray's hands on the first unit. He will get wide open shots because of Rondo, KG and Pierce's ability to playmake. Hell, Perkins has a better understanding of space discipline, passing angles and how to play off the ball as a teammate than Ray Allen.

Yes, Rondo needs to continue to improve his ability to play off the ball and shoot from distance. If Rondo doesn't have the ball in his hands, you have to question the game plan/execution of the players on the floor. If Ray Allen is your main catalyst, your team's goose is cooked. Ray is a shot finisher. He is not a creator for others.

[cisco]

Pogue, I agree with most of what you say, but I don't think the reason is simply Ray isn't shooting well. It is because Ray is holding the ball and trying to make plays, instead of moving the ball. He gets caught up into dribbling the ball around and only passing when he stops his dribble and doesn't have a shot. He is a horrible passer. Not bashing Ray, because I am a huge fan, but he did some bad things in the Knicks game and some others too. I wonder if he is trying to get his shot on his own, because it does appear that Rondo (as well as the 2nd unit players) doesn't pass to him that much anymore for some reason. Could have any thing to do with the little spat Rondo and Ray had?

[MyInsatiableOne]

I feel like the Celtics already have two guys ready to take TA minutes playing in the D League right now. TAllen is playing purely out of seniority at this point.

Agreed...after a great start to the season TA has reverted back to being the awful, DUMB player he is...he had me hoodwinked but no more!

[ryaningf]

Before we pile up on TA for the 2nd unit's problems, remember that the ENTIRE 2nd unit has been inconsistent this season, mainly because of the lack of veterans and point guard leadership. Add a point guard and/or veteran leadership and TA/Eddie/Powe aren't going to look so inconsisent.

As for Rondo, Doc just needs to let him play through any difficulty he has...playing House and Scal crunch time minutes isn't going to do anyone any good.

[DelMonte West]

It'd be nice to see Pruitt play in situations like last night. Has he even played with a member of the starting 5 yet?

[return2glory]

I disagree with the "as Rondo goes the team goes." 'We can win without Rondo. If Ray didn't go 0-9 from 3 and KG had a normal game (at least 15 pts), we win easily, even with Rondo's poor performance. Too many players didn't show up against NY, that's why the Celtics lost, not because of just Rondo.

It Ray made half his 3's and KG didn't look like he was 40's years old, and it TA was better, and if wen still had Posey, and if we had a decent back up point guard, and if Glen Davis wasn't so fat, and if Leon Powe was 6'11 instead of 6-7, and if POB had any strenght and desire for the game, etc, etc, etc, excuses, excuses. Stop the bull ****.

The Knicks could say the same thing. If Q Rich didn't go 1-13, the Knicks would have won by 20 or more.

[TommyPoints]

I agree with him though. I remember pretty well seeing Ray missing wide open 3's that Rondo set him up for when NYK started to pull away. Its a team sport and all, but Ray has to hit some of those.

[return2glory]

Ray has been making his shots. I'm not just talking about the Knicks game, I'm talking about when Rondo struggles in general. As of right this moment, we are playing bad. We are 2-4 in the last 6 and have lost 4 out of the last 5 on the road.

[cisco]

I disagree with the "as Rondo goes the team goes." 'We can win without Rondo. If Ray didn't go 0-9 from 3 and KG had a normal game (at least 15 pts), we win easily, even with Rondo's poor performance. Too many players didn't show up against NY, that's why the Celtics lost, not because of just Rondo.

It Ray made half his 3's and KG didn't look like he was 40's years old, and it TA was better, and if wen still had Posey, and if we had a decent back up point guard, and if Glen Davis wasn't so fat, and if Leon Powe was 6'11 instead of 6-7, and if POB had any strenght and desire for the game, etc, etc, etc, excuses, excuses. Stop the bull ****.

The Knicks could say the same thing. If Q Rich didn't go 1-13, the Knicks would have won by 20 or more.

No, the Knicks could not say that, because it is normal for the Knicks to suck and not win a lot of games, not so for the Celtics. All I'm saying is if KG and Ray played their regular games, we win. In that case, the Knicks would have to play over their heads (not their normal games) to beat the Celtics.

[Pogue Mahone]

See, I don't have a problem with Ray missing shots. It happens.

That being said, if Ray is having an off-shooting night, he needs to impact the game in another manner. He needs to hit the defensive glass. He needs get his head out of his ass and realize when he is at the top of the key and takes the shot, it is his responsibility to get back on a leak out. Ray, when he is on, is beautiful to watch, no doubt, but what happens when he is just a mere mortal and he is not contributing in other facets of the game?

Rondo's job as a playmaking PG is to probe the defense and create open looks for teammates. He created a lot of easily convertible shots against the Knicks, those shots didn't drop and half the team stood around with their thumb in their butts.

I actually blame the Knicks lost on Doc. He was thoroughly out-coached, imo. Now, you can say he didn't get production from his bench but if something isn't working, you need to adjust, adapt and overcome.

Doc's first mistake was allowing Ray to play the role of playmaker and forcing Rondo off of the ball. It plays to Rondo's weaknesses and it takes the ball out of KG and Pierces hands, as well (they are much better at creating for teammates than Ray Allen.) There is absolutely no offensive continuity when Ray Allen is dribbling around like 2006 Delonte West. The only difference between West and Ray is that West would play hot potato with Wally Sczcurvy-yack for 14+ seconds before inevitably going left to find Ryan Gomes for a contested 18-foot baseline jumper.

His second mistake was playing Big Burger Davis in the first half against Al Harrington. Scalabrine, for all his faults, is a very good defender against the Harrington-types. To wit, Harrington went 8-12 (20 pts on 12 scoring opportunities) and 5 rebounds in the first half (no match-ups vs Scalabrine.) In the 2nd half, against Scalabrine, Harrington went 1-7 (5 pts on 8 scoring opportunities) and 1 defensive rebound (off of a 25-foot Chuck Connors-esque heave by Tony Allen.) That anyone complained about Scalabrine's play is beyond me.

Doc's third mistake was not establishing Perkins down low. Sure, Perkins is mechanical but he is also highly efficient. Not one Knick who played (they only used 7 players) could have consistently dealt with Perkins strength on the box. Perkins is also a very adapt passer from the block. Doubles would have inevitably come and wide open shots were there for the taking. Perkins was the mismatch of the night and Doc elected to try to match-up instead of exploit the mismatch. And it wasn't for the lack of opportunity, either. Perkins played close to 29 MP.

Lastly, Doc's undying love and admiration for all things Tony Allen needs to stop. Yes, he creates havoc defensively. Tony also creates havoc offensively-- for his own team. When Monsieur Tres Dribbles is there and Tony the Tiger is not, ADHD-Tony needs to have an end of the bench pow wow with Big Burger Davis.

This loss is all on Doc.