Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here…
highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as
satisfying as a good morning dump.
By committing to getting position inside, the Celts occupied the
Cleveland defenders and allowed Allen and Paul
Pierce [stats]
to shoot squared-up jumpers.
“Not only outside but the drives, as well,” said Rivers. “I thought
establishing Kevin (Garnett) . . . you know, Kevin was going way too
fast in the first half. But he still was a concern on the post, and I
kept telling our coaches, ‘I don’t care that he’s not converting right
now. They’re trapping. They’re worried about him down there, and if we
keep hammering down there, eventually the outside would open.’ And
that’s what happened for us.”
Garnett’s first seven field goals were paint products. (His last was
an open 19-footer with 1:14 remaining and the Cavaliers crawling toward
their dressing room.)
Hey, the fact KG took 21 shots was huge. By continuing to go into the
post to wrestle with Antawn Jamison, it gave the Celtics a consistent
presence that changed the game for others.
Like I stated in last night's game recap, I don't like KG taking 21 shots. Even with Antawn Jamison guarding him in the post, KG is the Celtics 4th best offensive weapon. If I was coaching the Cavs, I'd go one-on-one and let KG beat me. I don't think he's capable of dropping 25-30 points from the paint. He's too erratic with his post moves.
But… if Mike Brown is going to continue to double team him, then the Celtics should continue to feed Garnett the ball so he can find the open man.
On Page 2, Rasheed lets his play speak for himself.
win. In past games, he's deferred to teammates like Glen
Davis when they've carried the bench, and he didn't want it to seem
he was thrusting himself into the spotlight for a single quality outing.
When
Wallace wheeled around after getting dressed Monday, he simply slid his
headphones on, picked up his iPad, and pardoned himself by walking
through the middle of a camera throng hoping for some classic
'SheedSpeak.
"I thought Rasheed was phenomenal," said Rivers. "Obviously, the
3-pointers were huge, but his post play was good as well. I thought,
defensively, he was so much better than he's been for us. We need that
from him."
Sure the 17 points jump out, but how good was Wallace's
defense? Perkins, the team's most consistent defender, offered a
thumbs-up review.
"The whole time, he was focused," said Perkins.
"He was doing a lot of great things for us tonight. That's what we need
out of Rasheed every night."
ESPN Boston – For once, Sheed comes up big
As great as Sheed played in the 2nd quarter, Chris Forsberg points out he did very little the rest of the game. But hell, beggars can't be choosers.
My concern? An overconfident Sheed comes out bombing away in Game 3.
The rest of the links:
Globe – Attitude Adjustment | Cavs spirits takes big hit | Beating left them redfaced (Shank) | Wallace let play do the talking | Herald – Bitter rivals won't hide true feelings | Mo Williams vanishing act | Successful Sheed gives team great shot | Stern address the King | CSNNE – Rondo, Rivers sing same tune | Postgame interviews | WEEI – Celtics now Rondo's team | Yahoo! – Time for LeBron to act like MVP | Daily Dime – Celtics Pride
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