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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.
Ray Allen, recently asked about regaining his rhythm, pointed to the overall need of the offense to get back in synch.
But the Celtics guard, whose shot attempts have dropped from a season average of 12.4 per game to 9.1 during the last six starts as Rajon Rondo’s attempts have increased, may need to help himself as well.
“Ray just has to relax, really,” coach Doc Rivers said after Friday night’s loss in Atlanta. “I just think Ray, like Rondo was, is struggling right now, and when you struggle you press. Ray is dribbling far more than he ever has.
“To me, if it’s open, take the shot, and if not move it and see if we can get you another shot. But he’ll be fine. I have no concern about Ray Allen. None at all.”
Herald: Ray Allen short on shots
Yes, Ray is dribbling a LOT. He might be thinking "let me just get a little closer for an easier shot"… but that's not always how he gets better shots. And if Ray's dribbling a lot, then it has a ripple effect on the rest of the offense.
Soon enough, the C's offense will return to form. Ray's shot is not completely gone. He did go 4-9 against the Haws. And we've seen Ray struggle late in the season before. The C's just need to get him the ball more often in places where he's comfortable scoring.
Ray doesn't create his own shot anymore. He's reliant on screens and good passes to get going. If either one of those isn't there, neither is Ray's offense. That's gotta be the focus when it comes to Ray getting hot again.
On Page 2: Paul Pierce swears everything will be fine
“In the playoffs, you’ll be able to break things down,’’ said Paul Pierce. “You have more time to prepare, to understand what you need to do to win.’’
In the playoffs, there’s no such thing as back-to-back games.
“We’re an older team, so a lot of these back-to-back games are biting us,’’ Pierce said after the Celtics dropped the back half of a back-to-back for the second time on the same road trip, falling to the Hawks Friday night. “But definitely come playoff time, we’ll be ready.’’
Globe: Questions seem to line up for Celtics, back to back
This sounds to me like an admission that they're either coasting or they're running out of gas in back-to-backs.
Either way… we've seen what the C's can do with some rest and some effort against San Antonio. And the one argument that HASN'T been made yet is even if the C's got the 1 seed and faced a patsy in the first round… is there any guarantee that the C's would play to their level and lay waste to that team in 4 games? Or is it more likely that the Celtics would play down to that competition and make it an unnecessarily long 6 game series where guys have to play 40 minutes each?
Everyone would like to assume that getting the 1 or 2 seed means an easy series. But haven't we learned that that's probably not going to be the case? So we should just relax… rest our guys… and just make sure we're headed into the playoffs in the best possible shape.
Related links: CSNNE: C's face tough road battle for first
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston: In Focus: Celtics down the stretch | Frustrating fourth in Atlanta | CSNNE: MRI negative for Krstic, positive for Celts | Herald: Don't blame Danny Ainge… yet
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