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.
“We started the game off like, like we were cool and we were supposed to win this game,” said Celtics forward Gerald Wallace. “And they were just going to hand us the game and they came out and hit us dead in the mouth.”
“We played a Philadelphia team that isn’t quite as good as New York,” Wallace said. “If we continue to play like this, we’re going to get embarrassed every night. Teams like New York and Miami and guys like that who been together for a while, who’ve had guys play together for a while, they’re going to embarrass us every night and I’m not trying to get embarrassed. We have to figure out how we can do this as a team, bring everybody together, be on the same page and start building something.”
By trading Jrue Holiday and hiring an obscure head coach in mid-August, Philadelphia made it clear they’re tanking for Andrew Wiggins. Most NBA analysts and writers have the Sixers dead last in the league.
Hold that thought…
The Celtics looked bad yet again last night. They took another beating in the paint while getting out-rebounded. The offense is in shambles and Jeff Green has yet to awake from hibernation. If the Celts are going to have any success on offense it’s going to come with transition:
You don’t need advanced stats to understand that Boston needs to crank the tempo this season. As Green sees more double-teams this preseason and struggles to attack the basket, it’s clear Boston’s roster is devoid of players that can dominate the game in the half-court set while Rondo rehabs. But with a bunch of young, athletic and versatile players on the roster, the Celtics are capable of generating easier buckets by attacking teams before they can get set.
On Friday, Boston watched a spunky Philadelphia bunch give it a taste of the medicine that the Celtics should be pouring for opponents. The 76ers attacked in transition and, despite their own propensity to turn the ball over, found a way to consistently get to the rim while blowing past Boston defenders before they were set.
Go ahead, fire away the “it’s only preseason” and “wait until Rondo gets back” rebuttals. My advice to that crowd is to keep your eyes and mouths closed while your heads are buried deep in the sand.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – C’s enduring transition process | Rapid Reaction: Sixers 97 – Celtics 85 | Herald – Effort takes big step back vs Philly | Former Nets get connected to Celtics | CSNNE – Inside/out game one of Stevens’ focuses | Babb has close bond with Sixers White | Sixers Brown has strong New England roots | Globe – Sixers squelch Celtics rally
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