Who else is primed and ready for our young squad to walk into Beantown and put a hurtin’ on the defending champs in front of some SAWX fans? Pink Curt Schilling jerseys or no, this is a hostile environment we’ll be entering. The only way we’re walking out of the TD Banknorth Garden (man, that still doesn’t sound right) with a win is if we follow the official Kobestoppers' Keys to the Game. They are:
1) Make Rajon Rondo shoot the ball.
Rondo’s coming off his first career triple-double, so his confidence is at an all-time high. He’s positive that he can get by anybody off the dribble and create an easy
play for one of his many talented teammates. Don’t let him. Give him room. Play off him 10 feet if you have to, just don’t let him penetrate and dish. Rondo is shooting 27 percent from three this year. That’s a number I can live with. Although his field goal percentage has improved in each of his three seasons as a Celtic, it has done so because he’s become deadly at getting into the paint. That, and he’s slowly weaned himself off of his all-Evanescence pre-game “RAGEMIX.”If he does happen to make it to the rack, our big men need to make him pay for it every time. Greg, LaMarcus, look to Pryz for guidance on this one.
2) Smother Ray Allen.
This is doubly important because we’re playing in Boston. Let me explain. RayRay is stroking it right now, guys. He just scored a season-high 31 points against Indiana, including six threes. Nothing energizes a crowd and swings momentum in the home team’s favor like a strategically-timed three. It’s like a Ricky Hatton left hook to the body. Ray is the master of this move, and it’s absolutely crippling for a young team on the road to be hit with that shot. We must avoid it at all costs if we’re to keep this one close enough for Brandon to win it late. This means that Nicolas should get bigger minutes, simply for defensive purposes. Also, it might help if he whispered “mademoiselle” in Ray’s ear during every dead ball.
Even if we switch to a zone, make it a box-and-one and don’t let Allen out of your site – especially near the end of the second and third quarters. If we can avoid those big body shots, we’ll have a good shot at pulling this one out.
3) Move the ball.
At crucial times in the Blazers’ last two games, the Blazer offense has seemed to stagnate. Instead of moving the ball, finding penetration, and then either dishing or going to the hole, the Blazers seemed content to give it to Brandon in isolation, letting him create on his own. In fact, in the fourth quarter against Washington, the team couldn’t score a point until Brandon came in and took over (12 of Portland’s 20 points in the fourth). That strategy worked against the Knicks and Wizards, but it will NOT work against the Boston Celtics.
So, how is this problem resolved? Glad you asked.
Penetration.
“But Joe, that’s your solution to every problem.”
True. But hear me out on this one. Brandon in isolation will get us that penetration, but the key is the movement of players around him in the offense. We need to get the ball moving in order to draw out Boston’s excellent team defense to the perimeter, resulting in better spacing and therefore open shooters. If our perimeter guys (Travis, Rudy, Blake, etc.) step into that open space, we should be able to make that second/third/fourth/fifth pass which will result in an open look. We have executed this beautifully at moments this year. Other moments…not so much. Also, if we move the ball well, it should result in offensive…
4)…Rebounds.
Good open looks + Defenders switching and closing out + Gregzilla = Offensive Rebounds. In other words, that very ball movement we just discussed should lead to defenders running all over the place chasing the ball around the perimeter. Hopefully Oden will follow Przybilla’s lead and exploit this opportunity by setting up shop in the paint.
It should be an interesting test for Oden tonight. Frankly, this will be the first legitimate center who is as thick as or thicker than Greg (No, Kwame is not a legitimate center, I don’t care what you think). Say what you will about Perkins, but the guy has got that big rebounder’s rear end. Oden will have to establish position and then use his length advantage if we are to get many second-chance points. Also, I can weather a fair amount of abuse, but the ribbing from my Celtic “friends” might be too much if Oden is dominated on the glass by Kendric “Don’t Call Me The Kool-Aid Man” Perkins. Please Greg, for my sanity.
5) Don’t Take No Gruff.
We know Roy is ready. We know the Vanilla Gorilla and Rudy the sparkplug won’t back down from anything. Beyond that it’s hard to say. These Celtics are tough, physically and mentally, and they are mean. They will get in your head worse than that one unbearable single by Uncle Kracker. Unfortunately, you can't light the Celtics on fire and then run them over repeatedly with your car like you can with your Uncle Kracker CD, your boombox, or your head.
How will LaMarcus
handle a sweaty, grunting billy goat hanging on his back, occasionally erupting in evil cackling like Dr. Wily after he created Gemini Man? How will Oden respond to the hand-slapping, trash-talking, sack-tapping defense on double teams?Time will tell. But I do know this: EVERY PLAYER on the team needs to look to Brandon. He is the unquestioned leader and, as a 24-year-old on a team with an average age of 23, he’s practically a seasoned vet. Let him represent our squad and watch his back until the buzzer sounds.
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