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.
“When they’re out there, they’re just playing,” Bass said. “Everything is free flowing. With the first group, we have to play to our strengths, man. We got players out there that have to play to their strengths. If you don’t play to your strengths, it’s like your just out there.”
Celtics Starters Need A Lesson In Chemistry– Gary Washburn
You could argue that the Celtics have been “chemistry challenged” this season. With starting point guard Rajon Rondo not joining the club on the floor until January 18th, and a huge shake-up this past offseason, they’ve had much to overcome. The team has also dealt with a ridiculous schedule earlier in the season where practices were few and far between. It seems quite ironic that now that the C’s have had some time to get in plenty of practices and Rondo is starting to find his stride, the season is just about over. So is chemistry an issue for this year’s squad? Brandon Bass spoke on the issue after last night’s 105-103 loss in Toronto.
When asked if the issue was chemistry, Bass said: “At times, yes. It shows. When we’re successful we have great chemistry. When we’re not, it’s because we don’t. That has to be what it is. It’s not one particular person. Both groups are different. It’s not really an individual that you can point out and say, ‘he’s the reason why.’ It’s just us as a group. We have to better understand our personnel and the game, it will be simple then.”
Makes sense. To me anyway. When guys are on the same page, the results on the court will be positive. And when they’re not, they won’t. This is uncharted territory for most of this year’s team. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the team’s leaders, are gone. And while Rajon Rondo was appointed captain by head coach Brad Stevens, he’s had roughly 2.5 months to get comfortable in that role. As far as other leader “types” on the team, you could say Gerald Wallace was taking on (at least vocally) some sort of role before going down with a season-ending knee injury. Not everyone was a fan of some of his post game rants and monologues, but at least someone was speaking up.
This team is in a very interesting place right now. With all the changes it’s had, mostly for the longer tenured members like Rondo, AB, Green & Bass, there are more coming. For one, the Celtics will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and there will undoubtedly be moves coming up this summer. I for one am not thrilled (obviously) that we will have no Celtic playoff basketball this spring/summer, but the season can not end fast enough. It has been a struggle to say the least watching this team progress and regress, and regress some more, this year. I hate the feeling of knowing that a loss is better than a win, and look forward to the time when I can once again watch the C’s and truly, truly enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, I will always bleed green through and through, but this season has been emotionally draining. I look forward to next, and hope that Danny goes out and gets the needed pieces to make the Celts competitive again.
On Page 2, the latest draft lottery odds from Tankathon
Here’s a screenshot of this morning’s draft lottery odds courtesy of the folks over at Tankathon. The Celtics (23-49) are currently at the 5 spot, with the Lakers, who got smoked by Minny last night, at 6. Utah moved into the 4 spot at 23-50 (a half game in front of BOS) after losing to the Pelicans.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Failure In Final Seconds |Celtics Notebook ESPN Boston: No Defense For Regression
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