Hoops

Boston v Miami: Game 2

Its been good to see Tony Allen finally healthy and showing that he can be relied upon. I tried not to bag him for a long time because of the injuries and the fact that he did have that good stretch while Pierce was out way back in 2006-07, but watching Pierce run his body into the ground last season and seeing Tony completely fail to take up any slack finally convinced me we had to find someone else. Lucky for him, he stuck around and is finally showing us what he can do again. I'd say he is more likely to be resigned next year than Daniels or Nate now!

Walker certainly seemed like he could have been a good option to rest Pierce last season, but it never happened. To be fair to Doc, I can recall him giving Walker a crack on a number of occasions early last season, but despite some jaw-dropping athleticism that helped him get to the basket, he didn't seem able to hit the outside shot and kept getting lost on defence. Maybe he would have learned, if he had been given extended time on the court, but perhaps he didn't get a shot, because of what Boston's assistants were seeing in practice.

I keep wanting to like Shelden, because he gives good effort and at times you can see why he was taken so high. But I think there's a reason why his ability is limited in the NBA and its his physique. He just doesn't have good enough hands and is both too short and not explosive enough with his jump to be a Boozer or a Landry. Prior to his latest knee injury, Powe was much more effective.

Wallace... yeah, he's been a massive disappointment. Still shows flashes, but he screwed the Celtics taking that three year deal. He has no mobility anymore - its like watching an aircraft carrier try to turn around when someone dishes off and Wallace has to adjust position. As a result, good teams break down the Celtics defensive rotations at will. Would rather see Shelden in there than Wallace. At least he and Baby are capable of moving on defence, even if they aren't always as savvy as Wallace, and can't score in the post the way he can.

Good point about Nate v Walker, JP. So many people were talking Nate up when we traded for him. I just crossed my fingers and hoped he could give us a spark off the bench. But after getting a decent run from Rivers, I think he deservedly dropped out of the regular rotation.

So might be that we ended up giving up too much for Nate, but in the end, I don't think it'll make that much difference. I can't see Walker ever being a long term starter in the league. At best, he'll be a good 7th or 8th man off the bench for some team.

Hope the Celtics can do something good with the #19 pick in the draft. I reckon they might be able to find a Leon Powe type around there, which would really help them out now that KG is struggling. As well as Davis played today, you just don't want him trying to score around the basket.

Disappointing effort from Miami today - they basically rolled over and died IMO - especially with no KG for Celtics.

Celtics behind Allen looked great, but I don't think they can beat Orlando or Cleveland.

Miami were horrible. If they continue playing like that, it'll be a Boston sweep. Kudos to Glen Davis for stepping up in the playoffs once again. I think he was blocked four times in the first half, but his refusal to quit saw him gradually wear down Miami's resolve. Now if Doc would just redesign some plays to get Davis open on pick and pops, instead him playing under the rim, I'd be a happy man.

Ray Allen went supernova for the first time in awhile, which was nice to see, but Spoelstra would be doing his nut at the way Ray was able to shoot uncontested threes from the one spot basically 4 times in one quarter!

Nice to see Boston taking care of business so far, but I have to say, I still haven't seen anything to suggest they're physically or mentally ready to take it to the Cavs.

Pierce is still a step slow, allowing Q-Rich to stay in front of him and stop him from creating off the drive. That never happened until this season. Pierce used to torch Q-Rich on a regular basis.

Ray was good tonight, but will he keep taking shots with a Cavs player in his face? Last two years he has shown a reluctance to be the gunner he used to be. Sometimes I think he needs to jack up some more shots to see if he can get in a rhythm. I don't think he can afford to defer to a diminished Pierce/ KG anymore.

After Davis performance tonight, I hope Doc tells KG he's coming off the bench. I want to see if an angry KG can still do anything! ;-)

Boston killed Miami 106-77.

interesting game so far