Doc Rivers, please explain this to me

[AWalkerREMIX]

Why is Ray Allen covering Joe Johnson in this series? I really need to know. It's been bugging me for 4 games now. Isn't Paul Pierce the far superior defender?

[The Rondo Show]

I'll post what I posted in the Cassell thread (that got off topic)...

Well, Ray is going to cover JJ at least some of the time. He's the 2 guard, Marvin may be too big for Ray to cover and I highly doubt he changes the starting lineup of a team that won 66 games.

It's not like Ray has been horrible defensively on JJ all series, either. He had shut him down for the first 3 games of this series and definitely contained him enough through 3 quarters.

Joe Johnson, game by game:
Game #1: 7-22, 19 points.
Game #2: 4-10, 11 points.
Game #3: 7-18, 23 points.
Game #4: 14-24, 35 points with 20 coming in 4th quarter.

He's also shutdown Kobe twice this year, so it's not like he's incapable of guarding JJ. For whatever reason, he started to play extremely soft and **** D in that 4th quarter and the Celtics usually amazing team D was downright pitiful. He'll get a chance to redeem himself and defend like he has the majority of the season and like he did the first 3 games of this series.

If JJ goes for 8-10 points in the 1st Q against Ray, then I agree there's no excuse for Doc not putting Tony or Posey on him.

I do agree that he NEEDS to make an adjustment when a guy is going off like JJ was, but putting Ray on JJ, at least initially, is fine. Ray Allen won't be confused for Shane Battier, but he's also not Wally-- just was doing his Wally impression for a quarter. His D has been above average this year.

[GuyClinch]

Still if he gets hot - stick TA on him. Not only can TA play some excellent D - he will smack guys down too. It's not like he cares about fouling out.

If Doc has really surprised me its with TA. I thought TA was his boy.

Pete

[LarryBrdismyDad]

When Childress is on the floor I want Ray Allen covering him and Tony Allen or Posey all over JJ. Childress/Marvin Williams aren't going to beat us. Its JJ and Josh Smith who will.

[return2glory]

Why is Ray Allen covering Joe Johnson in this series? I really need to know. It's been bugging me for 4 games now. Isn't Paul Pierce the far superior defender?

Paul Pierce is the better defender. But please don't ask Doc to use logic. Doc is bad at seeing the obvious. He is also bad at making adjustments. In the playoffs, you are playing the same team up to 7 games in a series, so making adjustments are very important.

What's also important is Doc sucks at making adjustments. And that is why J.J. went off for 20 points in the 4th and outscored our entire team. That is also why it's 2-2 now and not 3-1.

[cfan79]

I think Posey should be on Johnson's ass most of the night. I don't care if players complain about minutes we have to win this game.

[Athanacropolis]

I read a Peter May article--so take it for what it's worth--where he observed that the problem wasn't Ray per se, but that that the rest of the team D was supposed to react when Joe Johnson came off the pick...but didn't for about five straight possessions. Not totally Ray's fault--the entire team defense was out of whack. If they can get back to the communication of the first two games, it should work fine.

[The Rondo Show]

Still if he gets hot - stick TA on him. Not only can TA play some excellent D - he will smack guys down too. It's not like he cares about fouling out.

If Doc has really surprised me its with TA. I thought TA was his boy.

Pete

In my opinion, TA should be getting House/Cassell's minutes right now with Ray Allen moving to the point for the 8-10 minutes Rondo needs a break.

Cassell just has not run the offense since becoming a Celtic and has been chucking like crazy. House has been a playoff choker in his career and is far less effective when playing decent teams that aren't going to give him open 3 after open 3. He also hasn't done as well running the offense since early on this year and was the point guard for us in the stretch where we blew our 10 point 4th Q lead and our offense scored 4 points in the 6 minutes Rondo was out.
I think we can get away with Ray at the point against a team like Atlanta because Bibby is not going to pressure the ball (at least not effectively) the way many PG's can. That allows us to put Tony on JJ for the 10 minutes Rondo sits as well as when Ray is sitting. Even if Tony's inconsistent offense can hurt us at times, House and Cassell hurt us right now as well and they don't add anywhere near the defensive impact TA does.

[BakersDozen]

Doc supposedly told Stephen A. that Tony Allen will be getting some minutes. Saw it this morning on First Take.

[Tricky Ricky]

while I agree Ray should not be covering Johnson, if we had won game 4 this question would never have been asked

[SeizeCoup]

Good analysis TheRondoShow. An added bonus to playing Ray at the point for short stretches is that we don't give up anything on the rotation of the ball. Cassell keeps getting open looks out at the three point line, but that's not his shot. This is where we're missing house imo. Eddie has his limitations, but sticking that 3 is a strength. Ray could fill that role and the offense can continue to flow...


btw, why did you change your SN? Your old one was one of the best!

[Collinto]

I read a Peter May article--so take it for what it's worth--where he observed that the problem wasn't Ray per se, but that that the rest of the team D was supposed to react when Joe Johnson came off the pick...but didn't for about five straight possessions. Not totally Ray's fault--the entire team defense was out of whack. If they can get back to the communication of the first two games, it should work fine.

Not entirel Ray's fault, but someone on the coaching staff needed to pick up on that issue quicker. It was 5 straight possessions and Johnson just walked to the rim...make an adjustment.

The playoffs are about adjustments. The better the teams get, the closer they are talent-wise, the more important it is to make timely adjustments. That means game to game, at the half and during the game to stall any runs your opponants are having.

That is where I worry about Doc. For all the talk of how good Avery Johnson is, he got schooled two years ago in the 'adjustments'/game time decision department in the finals and then couldn't adjust to the zone that GS threw at them. Conversly, Popovich seems to exploit match-ups and strategies, and defend against them, better than any coach in the league.

[GreenMachine]

I hate Doc as much as the next guy - but if it is the D we are upset about... shouldn't it be Tom T who is getting smeared?

[The Rondo Show]

btw, why did you change your SN? Your old one was one of the best!

They told me that it was "inappropriate" despite the fact that I had it for years and it was approved/no one asked me to change.

My guess is that a couple of Kobe fan boys got upset (over a freakin' screen name!) and did some complaining to get it changed.

[tombattor]

I hate Doc as much as the next guy - but if it is the D we are upset about... shouldn't it be Tom T who is getting smeared?

No because Doc is the one that makes the substitutions. How can Tom T do anything about Sam I ain't not even trying to play D or put TA on Joe Johnson when he has no say in who gets in the game?

[CeltsfaninDC]

Doc supposedly told Stephen A. that Tony Allen will be getting some minutes. Saw it this morning on First Take.

It took him a good day or two to figure out what half of Celtic Nation was screaming at home to their TVs.

Did he finally come to the conclusion after watching the tape of the game. "Hey, that JJ guy is really killing us. I wonder if we have anyone who could really play some tough D on the guy? Whats that? We do? Now why didn't someone tell me this the other night?"

Doc (yes DOC not the players) blew a 10 pt lead going into the 4th quarter. Hee needs to wake up and pay attention to the freakin game.


BTW, I also find it incredibly disappointing that someone made Kobe STOP Kobe Don't change his name.

[cisco]

-= original quote snipped =-

In my opinion, TA should be getting House/Cassell's minutes right now with Ray Allen moving to the point for the 8-10 minutes Rondo needs a break.

Cassell just has not run the offense since becoming a Celtic and has been chucking like crazy. House has been a playoff choker in his career and is far less effective when playing decent teams that aren't going to give him open 3 after open 3. He also hasn't done as well running the offense since early on this year and was the point guard for us in the stretch where we blew our 10 point 4th Q lead and our offense scored 4 points in the 6 minutes Rondo was out.
I think we can get away with Ray at the point against a team like Atlanta because Bibby is not going to pressure the ball (at least not effectively) the way many PG's can. That allows us to put Tony on JJ for the 10 minutes Rondo sits as well as when Ray is sitting. Even if Tony's inconsistent offense can hurt us at times, House and Cassell hurt us right now as well and they don't add anywhere near the defensive impact TA does.

Unless Rondo, House and Cassell are hurt or in foul trouble, Ray should NEVER run the point. He is a turnover machine in that situation. No thanks!

[The Rondo Show]

-= original quote snipped =-



Unless Rondo, House and Cassell are hurt or in foul trouble, Ray should NEVER run the point. He is a turnover machine in that situation. No thanks!

Ray has run the point for certain times in the game plenty in his career without being a turnover machine. I have seen him turn the ball over at times this year when he dribbles too much and there is pressure defense...but do you really see Mike Bibby forcing a bunch of turnovers and playing great pressure D? I certainly don't.

An occasional turnover by Ray is not going to hurt the team more than Cassell's ridiculous shot selection and atrocious ability to run an offense as a Celtic or more than playing House, who is only in there for his outside shooting yet is a career 36% shooter in the playoffs.

If Ray Allen was at point guard and Tony Allen is at shooting guard for those first 6 minutes of the 4th quarter of game 4, the Celtics win. We scored 4 points in 6 minutes with House running the show and Joe Johnson torched Ray which he wouldn't have done to TA.

[Rondo_Fan]

Max was going off this afternoon on WEEI about how TA should be covering JJ.

Also, apart from the issue of who is going to cover JJ, we need to put more athletes on the floor. TA is just way, way more athletic than either Sam or Eddie House.

I would pretty much bench Sam and Eddie House in favor of TA, unless we are desperate for a three at the end of the half or something like that.

Also, KG played 42 or 44 minutes or something like that last game, and had nothing left at the end. We should cut his minutes by 8 and let Big Baby and Leon run around out there, just to suck some of the energy out of Atlanta's youth, if nothing else.

[ermocrate]

Why is Ray Allen covering Joe Johnson in this series? I really need to know. It's been bugging me for 4 games now. Isn't Paul Pierce the far superior defender?

NO