C's/Nets - 11/29/06

The Boston Celtics are a young, inconsistent team. Forget about the back-to-back losses to the Bobcats and the Knicks. Tonight was the greatest example of how far this team has to go. The Nets were reeling from an abysmal west coast road trip and six straight losses heading into the second game of a back-to-back. Meanwhile the Celtics were rested after a few days of practice, which Doc stresses. Of course the Nets looked sluggish in the first 24 minutes but only trailed by three at the half. So what happened? Jason Kidd caught fire in the third, Vince Carter decided to play the second half and Richard Jefferson made some big shots down the stretch. Yes it’s the NBA and everybody makes a run but the C’s need to learn how to put a team away. I hate the fact that with 9:32 to go in the game and the Celtics leading by 10, I started wondering how they would blow the lead. Overall it was a difficult loss to take especially the way Pierce and Szczerbiak blew the last two possessions.

Celtics Notes

Sebastian Telfair – He’s growing up as a professional basketball player right in front of our eyes. He’s got a quick first step and finishes well. And now he’s starting to drive and dish. There’s something to be said for giving a guy consistent minutes and letting him develop as a player. Perhaps there is something else at play here as well. In his book A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football Dr. Z discusses his attempt to play football at Stanford. As an east coast guy he never fit in and ended up at Columbia. Maybe a similar thing happened to Bassey and he never felt quite right in Portland. Whatever the reason he is quietly coming into his own in his third season as a pro. As much as I love Rajon Rondo, Telfair is the right man for this team. Also if you know people interested in football that know absolutely nothing about it, give them Dr. Z’s book. You know like Merril Hoge

Al Jefferson – Talk about growing up in front of our eyes. Please stay healthy.

Brian Scalabrine – I was so floored by his 2 three pointers that I had to call someone else to discuss the surreal nature the game was beginning to take on. And then he started a Nets fast break with a turnover. I never should have made that phone call. He crashed back down to earth within seconds. But here’s the thing I don’t understand. Mike Gorman commented on how Scalabrine really wanted to perform against his original team. This is not like Telfair matching up against the Portland Trailblazers after they shipped him out of town and questioned his decision-making and shooting abilities. I’m pretty sure Scalabrine wasn’t expecting a 5 year, 15 million dollar offer from the Celtics. He can’t be holding a grudge against the Nets for not losing their minds. Once a guy is nicknamed “Veal” he probably loses any vindictive streak.

Tony Allen – He’s not bringing anything to the table right now and is caught in a catch 22 of sorts. He probably needs more than eleven minutes to get comfortable and show something. But Doc would be out of his mind to give Allen more than eleven minutes until he shows something. Tonight he missed one shot and had two fouls. That’s it. Allen is starting to separate himself from the Celtics youth. In a bad way.

Nets Notes

- Gorman and Heinsohn loved Hassan Adams. I was most impressed by his basket at the 3-minute mark in the fourth quarter. Yes he was wide open but the Garden was rocking and the C’s had the momentum.

- Given the state of the Eastern Conference and the fact that Carter, Kidd and Jefferson still play for the Nets, they are almost good by default. And it’s a difficult team to judge as Jefferson is not quite full strength and Josh Boone and Eddie House are still working their way back. However, they don’t appear to be the fast break force they used to be. While they do it in spurts they are more of a half court team.

Quote of the Night

“You know some coaches make issues on ridiculous stuff and this is one of them.” – Tommy Heinsohn on headband gate.