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“I mentioned that,” Pierce said of last season’s sweep. “Teams think we’re sweet after losing the last two games, and the team beat us four times, so it was sort of like a statement game to me. Maybe it’s a team that we meet in the playoffs.”
The problem is that the C’s can’t count on an angry bus ride for every win.
“Very angry,” Pierce said of the team’s Sunday state of mind. “The whole bus drive from the gym to the airport, through customs, even in the gym this morning during shootaround, you could see that everyone was (ticked) off. That’s the way we should be every night. We shouldn’t have to use losses to get over these things.”
Garnett, perhaps the angriest of the angry, said, “We should bottle this and put it on the shelf or something. We were (ticked) off, knew what we wanted to do. Tonight it was important to come out with a lot more energy. We got together last night – not a real meeting, just a general conversation we sometimes have. (We got) beat the last two games, swept last year – Doc writes all that down and we don’t forget any of that.”
Herald: Celtics take out frustration
I fully understand that it's hard to play with that fire night in and night out. I really do.
But the C's just showed us last night how good they can be. And that's without Rondo and being thin in the post. Even when they're not at full strength, these guys have MORE than enough firepower to get the job done.
I can accept the occasional off night. It's going to happen. We'll see the Celtics of OKC and Toronto again this season. Hell, we might see them this month. But as long as its the exception and what we saw last night is the rule… I'll be happy with the regular season.
On Page 2: Nate played a lot like Rondo last night
His replacement, Nate Robinson, put up Rondo-like numbers with 16 points and a game-high 10 assists for his first double-double as a Celtic.
Following the win, the C's praised the way Robinson has stepped into the starting lineup the last two games for Rondo who is still on the mend with a sore left hamstring.
Robinson's scoring and playmaking was important.
But his impersonation of Rondo the defender was what really jumped out to Rivers.
"It (Robinson's defense) was huge for us, because we really wanted to take the ball out of (Mike) Bibby's hands if we could, and make somebody else bring it up," Rivers said. "Most of the game, it was somebody else. Joe Johnson basically became the point tonight. That was great for us. There so good when Bibby starts their offense."
CSNNE: Without Rondo, Robinson shines again
This is the big reason why C's came out on fire.
Look at the difference between Nate's starts. 16 points on 9 shots with 10 assists vs. 22 points on 14 shots and 2 assists. The 22 point game was nice, but the 16 point game accounted for much more scoring by getting his teammates involved and he did it much more efficiently. It was practically a perfect game for Nate.
We want Nate to score, but he's got to understand what he's got around him. In the Toronto game, the C's did devolve into a lot more individual scoring. Guys started to just rely on what they do best rather than what the team does best. Last night, they were running, looking for each other and passing to each other. They had 26 assists vs ATL while scoring 99 points… but just 17 vs. Toronto while scoring 101 points.
You can argue that they scored 101 and that should be enough, but that doesn't take the whole story into account. 1-on-1 basketball has a trickle effect. Guys are standing around. When you're standing and watching on offense, you tend to stand and watch on defense. And that means you're not in rebounding position on either end of the floor. Vs. Toronto, the C's grabbed 36 rebounds (TOR took 76 shots). In Atlanta, they got 50 rebounds (ATL took 81 shots).
When you're working the ball around on offense, everyone is moving… setting picks… making cuts… and everyone has a chance to score. That gets the juices flowing. That carries over on defense… especially because you want the ball back so maybe you can go score a bucket of your own. It's infectious.
Everything is intertwined. The C's came storming out and played great ball on both ends. Good offense feeds great defense…. great defense feeds great offense. We can credit Nate for helping foster both by adjusting his game just enough to work better within the team's framework.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston: Five from Afar | C's off to a flying start | WEEI: Celtics turn lights out in Georgia | No letdown | Herald: Point made with Rondo treatment | CSNNE: Shaq doesn't regret spurning Atlanta | Globe: Perfect storm | Better focus clearly seen | O'Neal has totally helped Garnett
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