khandor’s sports blog

While there is considerable angst today amongst Boston Celtics fans …

the view from this corner is that …

The current/future version of the “Men In Green” might well prove to be an even more formidable force than what’s played out, thus far, this season:

When you examine carefully what Danny Ainge/GM did yesterday:

TRADE 1 – Sending Kendrick Perkins/C and Nate Robinson/PG to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green/SF-PF and Nenad Krstic/C;

TRADE 2 – Sending Semih Erden/C and Luke Harangody/PF to Cleveland for a 2nd Round Draft Pick/2013;

and,

TRADE 3 – Sending Marquis Daniels/SF to Sacramento for a 2nd Round Draft Pick/2017;

which cost the Celtics:

while bringing on-board:

… if they can now add an experienced player like Troy Murphy/PF [and/or Leon Powe/PF] to their mix, as a recently “bought out player”, by way of Golden State [or Cleveland] …

then, the chances are actually pretty good that Boston will be able to:

A. Maintain their current status in the East, as the “No. 1 contender” this season;

AND,

B. Re-stock their “talent” cupboard, in the not-too-distant future, as their “Big 3″ continue to age.

Time will tell if kudos are due once more to Ole Danny Boy … who has already stared down his critics before while using the diverse talents of Jeff Green to bring an NBA Championship to the Celtics.

According to the most recent reports … i.e. Cavaliers-Raptors Preview … Anderson Varejao [PF-C] will not be in the line-up this evening for the visiting Cavaliers.

If the home side should manage to lose this game, with their first west coast road trip of the regular season schedule set to kick off on Monday:

Mon Nov 1 @ Sacramento Kings
Wed Nov 3 @ Utah Jazz
Fri Nov 5 @ LA Lakers
Sat Nov 6 @ Portland Trail Blazers

there’s a very real possibility for the Raptors to be 0-6, by the time they play their next game in the cozy confines of the ACC.

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The first published wagering line for this evening’s game was listed as:

Toronto -2.5/-110

The currently published wagering line, however, is now showing as:

Toronto -3.0/-108 [as of 8:15 AM]

Although this is not the NBA game which will be given out to KSS clients today, the Cavs should also be a solid selection, at +3.0 … if Byron Scott is able to use Leon Powe [PF-C], as the primary replacement for Varejao, while continuing to feature JJ Hickson [PF], as his go-to scorer, with Antawn Jamison [PF] coming off the bench … and, especially, if this line continues to rise, in their favour, as tip-off approaches. 

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Up-date:

The currently published wagering line for this game is now …

Toronto -3.5/-104 [as of 11:00 AM].

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PS. Despite what many Raptors fans might think about them, each of Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker and [even] Joey Graham [Reserve-?] are solid NBA players – if used in their proper roles – who are quite capable of succeeding on a lower tier playoff team … when working under a top notch coach and without the benefit of playing beside a ‘superstar’ teammate … in comparison with their current counterparts in Toronto’s line-up.

The 5 teams in the Atlantic Division finished in the following order last season:

1. Boston Celtics, 62-20/.756, 2nd East, Lost 2nd Round 
2. Philadelphia 76ers, 41-41/.500, 6th East, Lost 1st Round  
3. New Jersey Nets, 34-48/.415, 3rd East, Missed Playoffs
4. Toronto Raptors, 33-49/.402, 13th East, Missed Playoffs
5. New York Knicks, 32-50/.390, 14th East, Missed Playoffs

At this point in the off season, the teams have made the following player personnel changes:

BOSTON CELTICS
Significant Losses
1. Leon Powe [PF], UFA
2. Mikki Moore [PF-C], UFA
3. Stephon Marbury [PG]
4. Gabe Pruitt [PG-OG]

Significant Adds
1. Lester Hudson/2nd Round Draft Pick [No. 58, overall]
2. Rasheed Wallace, UFA
3. Sheldon Williams, UFA
4. Marquis Daniels, UFA

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Significant Losses
1. Reggie Evans [PF], trade
2. Andre Miller [PG], UFA
3. Theo Ratliff [PF-C], UFA

Significant Adds
1. Elton Brand [PF], returns from injury
2. Jason Smith [PF-C], returns from injury
3. Jason Kapono [SF], trade
4. Jrue Holiday [PG], 1st Round Draft Pick [No. 19, overall]  
5. Rodney Carney [SF], UFA

NEW JERSEY NETS
Significant Losses
1. Vince Carter [SF-OG], trade
2. Ryan Anderson [PF], trade

Significant Adds
1. Terrence Williams [SF-OG], 1st Round Draft Pick [No. 11, overall]
2. Courtney Lee [OG], trade
3. Rafer Alston [PG], trade
4. Tony Battie [PF-C], trade

TORONTO RAPTORS
Significant Losses
1. Jason Kapono [SF], trade
2. Shawn Marion [PF-SF], UFA/Sign & trade
3. Kris Humphries [PF], trade
4. Nathan Jawai [PF-C], trade
5. Anthony Parker [OG-SF-PG], UFA
6. Joey Graham [SF], UFA
7. Roko Ukic [PG], trade
8. Carlos Delfino [SF-OG], trade

Significant Adds
1. Reggie Evans [PF], trade
2. DeMar DeRozan [OG-SF], 1st Round Draft Pick [No. 9, overall]
3. Hedo Turkoglu [SF], Sign & trade
4. Antoine Wright [SF-OG], trade
5. Jarrett Jack [PG-OG], RFA
6. Marco Belinelli [OG-SF-PG], trade
7. Rasho Nesterovic [C-PF], UFA
8. Amir Johnson [PF], trade 

NEW YORK KNICKS
Significant Losses
1. Quentin Richardson [SF-OG], trade
2. Chris Wilcox, PF-C], UFA

Significant Adds
1. Danilo Gallinari [SF-PF], returns from injury
2. Jordan Hill [PF-C], 1st Round Draft Pick [No. 8, overall]
3. Toney Douglas [PG-OG], 1st Round Draft Pick [No. 29, overall]
4. Darko Milicic [PF-C], trade
5. Sun Yue [PG], UFA

While several NBA observers seem to think the Raptors SHOULD be much improved this coming season, based on the wholesale changes made to their roster … this corner does not necessarily share that same opinion, when evaluated against the LOSSESS & ADDS of the other teams in their Division.

Q1. Have the Raptors improved, overall, from last season, relative to their competition?

A1. Maybe; maybe not … is the correct answer, at this point.

The Knicks and Nets are in re-building mode, and the Raptors SHOULD have been expected to finish this coming season in NO WORSE than 3rd place in the Atlantic Division, behind the Celtics and, possibly, the 76ers … even if they would have done “nothing” substantive to improve their team this summer.

However, given that doing “nothing” was in fact the OPPOSITE of what the Raptors decided to do this off season … i.e. see above … it SHOULD now be EXPECTED that this supposedly improved team SHOULD finish NO WORSE than in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Celtics.

Once this expectation is established, what then becomes interesting is …

if the divisional standings eventually look something like this:

ATLANTIC
1 Boston
2 Toronto or Philadelphia
3 Philadelphia or Toronto
4 New York or New Jersey
5 New Jersey or New York

and the conference standings eventually look something like this:

SOUTHEAST
1 Orlando
2 Atlanta or Miami or Washington
3 Miami Atlanto or Washington
4 Washington or Atlanta or Miami
5 Charlotte

CENTRAL
1 Cleveland
2 Detroit or Chicago or Indiana
3 Chicago or Detroit or Indiana
4 Indiana or Detroit or Chicago
5 Milwaukee

and the playoff race eventually looks something like this:

Eastern Conference
1-2-3 Orlando – High End, Southeast
1-2-3 Cleveland – High End, Central
1-2-3 Boston – High End, Atlantic

4-5-6 Atlanta – Upper Middle, Southeast
4-5-6 Miami – Upper Middle, Southeast
4-5-6 Washington – Upper Middle, Southeast

7-8-9-10-11-12 Detroit – Middle, Central
7-8-9-10-11-12 Chicago – Middle, Central
7-8-9-10-11-12 Indiana – Middle, Central
7-8-9-10-11-12 Toronto – Middle, Atlantic
7-8-9-10-11-12 Philadelphia – Middle, Atlantic
7-8-9-10-11-12 Charlotte – Low End, Southwest

12-13-14-15 Milwaukee – Low End, Central
12-13-14-15 New York – Low End, Atlantic
12-13-14-15 New Jersey – Low End, Atlantic

indicating, perhaps, that the relative strength of each division may be shifting this season:

#1. Southeast
#2. Central
#3. Atlantic 

IF a scenario like this is eventually what plays out this season, then, how much will the Raptors really have improved this summer, relative to the other teams in their Division and the Eastern Conference, as a whole?

In what should go down as one of the great playoff performances of all-time for the Celtics …

* Minus Kevin Garnett [injured]
* Minus Leon Powe [injured]
* Down by 11 points … at the the 9:27 mark of the 4th quarter
* Minus Ray Allen … who fouled out at the 5:26 mark of the 4th [with the Celtics trailing, 80-83] 

Boston got a series of fantastic performances from the other players on their team which enabled them to out-last the Chicago Bulls, in OT, in Game 4.

In particular, when you look at the Full Play-By-Play what you should see is that Paul Pierce, after starting 6-17 [FGM-FGA], made his last 5 shots:

Q4, 01:13 … Driving Layup
Q4, 00:10 … 15ft Jump-shot [isolation]
———————–
OT, 01:16 … 16ft Jump-shot [isolation]
OT, 00:36 … 18ft Jump-shot [isolation]
OT, 00:03 … 20ft Jump-shot [isolation]

when the game was on the line;

while each of:

Kendrick Perkins, +35 *
Rajon Rondo, +29 *
Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis, +23 *

[complete Box Score]

put forth a monster individual effort for Boston.

* k-PER = [FGM - FGA] + [FTM - FTA] + TRB + AST + ST + BS – TO – PF + PTS

Q1. Do the Celtics have enough left in the tank to get past the Cavaliers and then the Lakers this season?

A1. No, they do not.

What was on display last night, however, was THE WILL it takes to become a NBA champion.

Great Stuff, all around!

FINAL SCORE: Raptors 109, Celtics 115 [OT]
Game Info; Box Score; Full Play-By-Play; Video Highlights

It’s important to understand that Championship Calibre Teams, at all levels of competition, have a certain alottment of “moves” which they can make/use within a specific contest to secure a victory.

What constitutes a “move” of this sort?

A “move” is a concentrated burst of ENERGY and EXECUTION whereby a team performs at an exceptionally high level, relative to the norm, for a brief [or in rare cases an extended] period of time.

Moves of this nature occur in two specific categories:

1. Those which are initiated by a team of its own volition;

and,

2. Those which are made in response to the “moves” of the opponent.

In general, it goes something like this:

Low End Teams – Have 1 move only capability within a specific contest

Middle-of-the-Pack Teams – Have 2 move capability within a specific contest

High End Teams – Have at least 3 move capability within a specific contest

Championship Calibre Teams – Have the capacity to make as many moves as needed to get the job done within a specific contest.

When a Championship Calibre Team is playing against a Low End Team, the better team usually has to repel the best effort of the inferior team 1 time only in order to secure the victory.

That best effort by the inferior team can come at any point during the contest … i.e. Early-on, in the Middle, or in the Later stages.

When that Championship Calibre Team is playing against another High End Team, however, it is simply not that easy … as one team’s move is met with equal force by a corresponding move from its opponent.

In essence, what was on display last night, in Boston, was a Championship Calibre Team [i.e. the Celtics] having one move too many for a Middle-of-the-Pack Team [i.e. the Raptors], that was trying valiantly to stay with a superior opponent.

What you see below is the final move made by the Celtics last night, to which the Raptors had no answer:  

————————————————————

————————————————————

whereby the C’s opened up the OT period by converting on 3 of their first 5 possessions [60.0%], in comparison with the Dino’s 1-for-4 [25.0%] performance, during Phase 1 of this frame, prior to the Time-out [Regular] called by Toronto at the 02:43 mark [BOS 100-95].

It was this specific sequence of events:

TORONTO
Bargnani – Turnover [0-1]
Solomon – Turnover [0-2]
Parker – Made J2 [1-3]
Bosh – Turnover [1-4]

that ultimately determined the outcome of this game, as the Raptors could not respond in-kind to the Celtics’ elevated level of performance [i.e. ENERGY & EXECUTION], which was keyed by Leon Powe’s Offensive Rebound:

BOSTON
Pierce – Missed J2 [0-1]
Rondo – Missed J2 [0-2]; Powe/O-Reb
Pierce – Made J3 [1-3]
Pierce – Made J2 [2-4]
Rondo – Made Running Layup [3-5].

Despite the fact the Raptors then played relatively even with the Celtics the rest of the way during the OT:

* During Phase 2 [from 02:43 to 01:18, when the Celtics called Time-out]
Raptors 2-2
Celtics 2-2

* During Phase 3 [from 01:18 to the end of the game]
Raptors 4-7
Celtics 5-7

they were never really a serious threat to go by the home team after that initial phase of the OT period … when the Celtics opened up on the visitors for the final time by scoring efficienctly [on Offense] and by getting the stops they needed [on D] to secure their victory.  

Basketball is a game played in three distinct phases:

* Offense
* Defense
* Rebounding

What it takes to win the NBA Championship [Dec 12, 2007]

Teams which combine these three phases of the game, in the most well-balanced way, succeed … on and off the court.

Quality Rating (QR) is a simple measure which combines the:

* Points Scored Differential Ranking (PSDR)
* Points Allowed Ranking (PAR)
* Rebounding Differential Ranking (RDR)

to produce a Quality Index Ranking for each of the 16 teams which eventually make the playoffs in the NBA.

Legitimate Contenders in the NBA, Part I [Dec 18, 2007]

Since the early part of the 2007-2008 regular season schedule, the Celtics established themselves as THE dominant team in the League; at one juncture, ranking #1 in all three measures (i.e. PSDR, PAR & RDR) and with a QR of 3 …

Legitimate Contenders in the NBA: Part V [Apr 18, 2008]

which, fundamentally, did not change throughout the balance of the season.

Most NBA observers fail to understand the value of Rebounding & Defense at the highest level of competition.

Most NBA observers fail to understand the value of Individual Match-ups & Mis-matches in determining Winners & Losers within a specific game.

Most NBA observers fail to understand the value of a Core Covenant built upon Rebounding, Defense, Individual Match-ups and the concepts of Shared (Unselfish) Offense, Teamwork and Ubuntu!

Red Auerbach understood these things.
Bill Russell understands these things.

So, now, does Danny Ainge …
and Doc Rivers,
and Thom Thibodeau, Armond Hill, Kevin Eastman & Clifford Ray,
and Bryan Doo, Walter Norton & Ed Lacerte,
and Paul Pierce, Ray Allen & Kevin Garnett,
and Kendrick Perkins & Rajon Rondo,
and James Posey, Eddie House & Scott Pollard,
and Tony Allen, Leon Powe & Brian Scalabrine,
and Glen Davis & Gabe Pruitt,
and PJ Brown & Sam Cassell.

As did Grady Rivers.

Kudos to the Men in Green … on a job supremely well done, from worst to first!

Doc Rivers’ Post-Game Presser following the Celtics stunning Game 4 comeback, on the road, encompasses everything these Boston Celtics stand for … and represents what they hope to achieve with a Game 6 victory this evening … i.e. the 17th World Championship in the history of their franchise.

What the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics Are All About

(watch the vid clip through to the end)

Enjoy this evening’s Game 6!

P.S. Sincere apologies to the regular readers for not being to keep up to-date with the goings-on in the world of sports since last week. Unfortunately, everybody has to go on the DL from time-to-time and these last few days have been my time there. Not to worry though, all should be back to normal soon.

zeit·geist
Pronunciation: \ˈtsīt-ˌgīst, ˈzīt-\
Function: noun
Usage: often capitalized
Etymology: German, from Zeit + Geist spirit
Date: 1835

: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

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A comprehensive assessment of both teams in the NBA Finals indicates that there are a number of important factors in favour of the Celtics …

* Rebounding Differential (BOS/+3.1; LAL/+1.3)
* 9 of the last 12 NBA titles (75.0%) have been won by the team with a superior Rebounding Differential; and 19 of the last 28 (67.9%) 
* Offensive Rebounds Allowed (BOS/11.0; LAL/12.1)
* Home court
* Absence of Andrew Bynum & limited contribution of Trevor Ariza
* Overall depth at the 4 & 5 positions
* 3 proven scorers (Pierce, Garnett & Allen) vs 2 (Kobe & Gasol)
* Interior Defense (with the Lakers missing Bynum’s shot-blocking)
* NEXT YEAR is the Lakers’ SEASON OF DESTINY, as a team, not this one (which has always been about Kobe Bryant’s MVP and getting the Lakers pointed in the right direction, once again)
* THIS YEAR has always been about CELTIC PRIDE and the inter-connectedness of …

Danny Ainge & Red Auerbach & Bill Russell & Kevin Garnett & Paul Pierce & Ray Allen & Leon Powe & Doc Rivers and …

Ubuntu: I am what I am because of who we all are.

“No Rebounds, No Rings.” – Pat Riley

WE not Me … Basketball is a Brotherhood.

PLEASE NOTE: The Celtics (66-16, .805) finished 9 games ahead of the Lakers (57-25, .695), have home court advantage, and are +170 (moneyline) to win this series. There will never be a better opportunity to Capitalize on an ‘incorrect’ line.