Saying Goodbye Isn't Always Easy: A Letter to Paul Pierce

Dear Paul,

 One of the most difficult things to do as a sports fan or fan of an individual team is to say goodbye to a beloved player. Same goes for life in general, you get to know someone and suddenly they're just gone. When you watch a player for as long as I've watched you in my life, you start to feel some sort of attachment towards said player. You've easily been my favorite Celtic I've ever had the pleasure of watching and this season felt like an extended goodbye.

    Simply put, age is a bitch. Everyone goes through it and the old saying that "Father time is undefeated" held true this year for you as much as you and everyone of your fans would hate to admit it. Your jumper looked flat and looked like it had lost a significant amount of arc and no offense but your drives to the rim were very hard to watch. You had your worst FG%(.436) since the 06-07(a tank year) and if we exclude that year it would've been your worst since the 03-04 season. Consistency was definitely a problem but also an unfair burden was placed on you at the end of the season

When Rondo went down, it was basically assumed that you would fufill the "Point Forward" role and take over ball handling responsibilities but obviously the physical wear and tear of using such a high % of the teams possessions took a toll on your body(You used 27.4% of the Celtics' possessions, your 2nd highest mark since the 06-07 season. Your TS% was the worst it's ever been since 03-04 and your penchant as a killer in clutch time took a hit as well. The former could just be a product of the lack of creativity when it came to your clutch time play sets(step back iso jumper at the elbow!).

 Not much changed in the playoffs as your TS% and FG% were the worst they've ever been since the 03-04 season. It was a tough matchup as for much of the series you were being guarded by a tenacious and athletic defender in Iman Shumpert.

Now that the season is over questions have arised over the possibility of you not being in Green anymore. But before I get into that I just have to say that from a sentimental standpoint, I can't imagine a realm in which you're wearing a jersey that doesn't feature the signature green and white. You've already etched you're name into Celtic lore(and the record books and in my opinion have a rightful spot atop the Mount Rushmore of Celtic Greats. You loyally stuck with a dying franchise only to see it reborn from your own blood, sweat and tears. For that I can definitely say that the Celtic fanbase is extremely grateful for all of the great memories you gave us.

 Now that the lovey dovey crap is over lets get into the technical details. According to the details of your contract, only $4 million of your $15 million salary is guaranteed. Such a clause states that Danny Ainge(if he sees fit) can buy you out of the rest of your contract effectively ending your time as a Celtic. Now I believe Danny has until June 30th to make a decision, a decision that word has it you most likely are already sure of.  He could also trade you and get something back if you still wish to play but something tells me that both parties would rather see you retire in Green.

   Goodbyes are a funny concept. Most times when saying goodbye, you're most likely ending a relationship with someone or simply just that you won't see them for an extended period of time or permanently. In this case we're ending not only a relationship between a player and a franchise but a legacy. A legacy that has spanned 15 years and has seen many trying times. I hope you can remain in some sort of affiliation with the team be it in the front office or hey maybe on the sidelines(probably not). Just know what ever path in life you choose to take be it for your love of the game or your family you have the support of the Celtic faithful(But whatever you do Paul just don't go to LA).

Hardwood Houdini link

Here is a link to my page at hardwoodhoudini.com a new site I just started writing for. It's a fansided.com blog which is affliated with Sports Illustrated hardwoodhoudini.com/author/tadell. Also here's the link to my latest post there http://hardwoodhoudini.com/2013/03/30/the-celtics-may-have-found-a-new-clutch-scorer/

Miami's Biggest Threat in the East: The Indiana Pacers

     Unbeknownst to some the biggest road to block to Miami's quest to a repeat doesn't not reside in San Antonio or Oklahoma City for the biggest hurdle Miami will have to climb resides in Indianapolis. A defensive juggernaut with a budding superstar seems to have enough to give Miami  a run for their money.
   
    First off I want to start this by saying I don't think Indiana could beat Miami in a 7 game series. There's a huge difference between giving the Heat a challenge than actually saying they could beat them in a series.That being said Indiana is the only team in the East who actually poses a serious threat to dethroning King James and his Heat.
 
   Indiana's success begins and ends with their stifling defense, a defense that ranks #1 overall according to Synergy Sports. This is a defense that has allowed Indiana to stay solidly in the 2/3 seed range all season despite missing Danny Granger for most of the season. The Pacers league leading defensive rating(points allowed per 100 possesions) stands at 95.3, a full 2 points lower than the next team.The key to their defensive success has been the stand out play of Roy Hibbert.
 
    While having an awful offensive season(shooting a porous 42% from the field, which is pretty bad for 7'2 big man who doesn't stray to far from the rim), Roy Hibbert has been able to back up the max contract with DPOY worthy defense. Using NBA.com/stats I found out Roy possess the league's 5th best defensive rating(Of players who've played at least 40 games playing at least 20 minutes a game to filter out some anomalies). Serving as an elite rim protector Hibbert has helped propel Indiana from 10th in overall defense (Last year) all the way up to #1.
 
      Their biggest strengths on defense lie within defending the pick & roll, defending spot up jumpers and defending Isolation. According to Synergy Sports, Indiana ranks 2nd in the league in defending the pick & roll where the roll man ends the posession(Play ends in FGA, TO or FTs).They rank 5th in defending Isolations and they rank 1st in defending spot up jumpers.

   Here we'll take a video look at how Indiana's bigs defend the pick and roll. Indiana's bigs are exceptional at defending the pick roll. They have a very solid rotation of bigs which inlcude Hibbert,West, and Hansborough each bringing their own flavor to the pick and roll. In the videos below you'll se the different philosophies each big uses in defending the pick and roll.

 Hibbert has a tendency to stick around the foul line, hedging to give his teammate time to catch then rotating back over to his man(the roll man) to contest his shot. In this video he defends two P&Rs between Marcus Thorton and Demarcus Cousins. On the first pick he lightly hedges the screen along the FT line area and is able to rotate back to Cousins and make him hesitate about taking the 20 footer. The 2nd screen is basically the same thing except this time Cousins decides to take it all the way to the rim only to have it blocked by Hibbert. Opponents only score 0.86 PPP (Points Per Possession) on pick & rolls Hibbert defends.

David West is less consverative than Hibbert when it comes to defending pick and rolls. West tends to come out a little further and give a hard but short hedge to the ball handler and is usually able to track his man back down as shown in the video below

In this clip West quickly hedges the ball handler(Pierce) then quickly rotates back over to his man, the roll man(Garnett) to contest a long jumper. Opponents score 0.95 PPP on pick and rolls that West defends.

Backup Power Forward Tyler Hansbrough also has his own method in defending the pick & roll. Hansborugh has kind of the same method of defening the pick & roll as west but his hedges usually last longer so it appears as a semi trap as shown in the video below.

    In this clip Hansbrough initates a semi trap on the ball handler(Calderon) and is able to quickly get back to his man(Maxiell). It should be noted that Synergy Sports has Hansbrough rated as the 3rd best P&R defender when the roll man finishes the play.Opponents only score 0.53 PPP.

     The Pick & Roll being one of the most vital plays in an NBA team's offense makes it important for teams to throw different defensive looks at it and it's why Indiana is so great at defending it.

    On the other side of ball Indiana while not a prolific scoring team they have stayed average thanks to the brilliant season Paul George has put together. Since Danny Granger has been out George has helped keep this offense from completely bottoming out and right now they sit at 18th in the league with an offensive rating of 101.4. George has taken a huge responsibility as his usage rating has spiked by 4 and his defense rating also improving by 4 which led to his 1st all star appearance.

Helping George on offense is the always underrated David West. The bruising big man always goes unnoticed in the national eye but is definitely a huge reason Indiana has had so much success this year. He poses a huge matchup problem to Miami when they play small ball. When Miami plays their usual small ball lineups of Chalmers-Wade-Battier-James-Bosh, West can be an absolute nightmare because Spoelstra doesn't like play James on West and has to resort to having Battier try to guard him. West's size and strength usually proves to be too much on Battier and Indiana is usually able to take advantage of this matchup.

   Regular season meetings aside, Indiana remains the lone threat in the East to dethroning the reigning champs. Their defensive strengths on the court perfectly matches up with Miami's strengths on offense. Indiana is the #5 Isolation defense and #1 Spot Up defense while Miami is the #1 Isolation offense and #1 Spot Up offense. Not a lot of teams in the league really give Miami a scare(only 3 others by my count SA,OKC and MEM) and Indiana just happens to be the only team in the East who seems capable of slaying this juggernaut.

Celtics Look to End Miami's Historic Streak

Here is a link to a Celtics-Heat preview I did over at celtic-nation.com http://www.celtic-nation.com/blog/2013/03/18/celtics-look-to-end-miamis-historic-win-streak/#.UUejCRxnq1A

NCAA Hoops vs The NBA

A common myth surrounding sports is the supposed superiority of College Basketball to the NBA. People are enthralled by the scintillating buzzer beaters, the Cinderella Runs in the Tournament and overall excitement of college basketball. And why shouldn’t they be I mean everyone likes to be excited but excitement doesn’t always means something is necessarily better. Take cinema for example, every year some big budget blockbuster film like Transformers comes out and the general public(even me) is amazed by the beauty of the CGI and special effects. But does the CGI put that movie over a wonderfully acted movie like The Departed(My personal favorite)? The answer is no, while the excitement and explosiveness of College Basketball may seem attractive it does not beat the pure dominating fundamentals of the NBA and here are the reasons why.

Pace: One of the major drawbacks of College Hoops for me is the pace of the game. Too many times when I’m watching NCAAB do I find myself watching a game of pass and dribble around the defender. The 35 second shot clock in college really inhibits me from really enjoying a College Basketball game. It significantly lowers the potential possessions in game and while it’s not completely fair to compare the pace between the NBA and College Hoops(NCAAB games are 8 minutes shorter) the fastest paced College Basketball team(Central Arkansas 76.4) averaged 16 less possessions than the slowest paced NBA team.
Winner:NBA   Note: This argument is a little flawed because of the discrepancy in game length between the two. You could argue that on a  per 48 minute basis possessions in college basketball would be higher.
  
Quality: The quality of College Basketball is one thing that can’t be denied, it can be just god awful sometimes. One of the season’s most exciting games, Louisville and Notre Dames’ 5 OT Thriller was such an eye sore that I almost couldn’t bring myself to watch the finish. It all goes back to the excitement factor of College Basketball, at the end the fans don’t care that neither team shot over 41% for the game as long as they witnessed a thrilling finish. While most of College Basketball scores at a pretty efficient rate(90 schools shoot better than 45%) most of that has to do with the lack of possessions and field goal attempts compared to an NBA game.And sometimes it’s not even about the FG%, sometimes I just like seeing guys making the right decisions out there, and you don’t see that a lot in College Basketball understandably so as these kids are still learning the game so not everything is going to be perfect but it’s just not how I like Basketball. I love seeing perfectly executed man on man defensive schemes not teams playing zone all game(Looking at you Boeheim),I love seeing guys with refined offensive games not broken jumpers waiting to be fixed in the pros, I love seeing how a post player reacts to a double team and so on. The lack of fundamentals in the College ranks perturbs me from ever truly becoming a true College Basketball fan.
    Winner NBA

Talent Level: This really isn’t fair for College Basketball as the NBA has the best collection of players in the world. The majority of players in the NBA were stars on their respective College Teams while each year the NCAA produces maybe 15-20 prospects actually ready to make an impact right away. I don’t think I really need to go in depth to tell you about the superior talent that the NBA possesses.
Winner NBA


Competitive Balance: The NBA since it’s inception of Modern Free Agency has been maligned for it’s lack of Competitive Balance when it comes to championships after all only 9 different franchises have won the title since 1980. College Basketball, however, has seen 19 different schools win the big dance in that same time span. Of course both teams have powerhouse schools/teams that will most likely always attract the best recruits/free agents, the NCAA seems to have the advantage in the balance of competition
Winner: NCAA

Playoff System: For most sports fans whether they be casual or hardcore March Madness is the most exciting time of the year for them. The Bracket making is something anyone can participate without really possessing any significant knowledge about it.The inspiring Cinderella runs make the tournament even more exciting. Almost everything with March Madness works and it’s the catalyst for their balance in champions. A single elimination tournament is a huge deterrent to creating dynasties, which isn’t always a good thing.(In it’s history only 8 times have teams gone back to back, NBA has ten. Note:March Madness has been around since 1939 while the 1st NBA Finals occurred in 1950) Now while March Madness can be ultra fun I have to play the contrairian by saying that it isn’t perfect. I know it’s purposely structured so that anyone can win but I just feel like there is too little room for error in a game where anything can happen. The 7 game format for the NBA is perfect as it almost always guarantees that the “better” team advances as you don’t beat a team 4 times without being better than your opponent(injuries aside).Upsets are great all but sometimes can result in some ugly matchups(See 2011 NCAA Final).  

Advantage: Slight edge to NCAA


College Basketball has been one of the most successful entities in sports for decades. Some much of it appeals to the general public. I personally have no problem with it but I do have a problem with people saying it is somehow better than the NBA. The NCAA Tournament is the only thing that could conceivably be better than anything the NBA has to offer and even that is flawed to some degree. Anyone with a keen basketball eye can see that the fundamentals of the NBA game are miles ahead of the NCAA’s. Not saying College Basketball is horrible but that to me at least it’s entertainment value is not on the NBA’s level.

Celtics Podcast/Hangout

 Today I gathered with some very smart Celtics' Writers and fans and we took some time to chat about the Cs. Topics include Last night's win against Indiana, Who we don't want to play in the playoffs and a lot more! To be warned this was my first live podcast and I'm not as proficient as an orator as I am a writer so bear with me. Guests include Josh Zavadil of CelticsBlog.com, Jack Maloney of SavingTheSkyhook.com, Raj Prashad of Hawkshoop.com, Kim Sherayko and Tom Westerholm of CelticsTown.com.

All Star Reserves Picks

It's almost that time of year where we learn who we will be watching on All Star weekend and so here are my pick for the All Star reserves plus I will briefly discuss some mid-season awards.

Eastern Conference: We already know who the starters are(Rondo,Wade,Lebron,Melo and KG) here are my East Reserve Picks

Backcourt: Kyrie Irving and Jrue Holiday.
    Both of these young point guards play for teams who have not particularly met expectations but there is no denying that these players are two of the best in the conference.
     For Irving he's been basically a one man show dazzling fans with his brilliant handles and spectacular shooting. He's averaging 23.7 points and 5.7 assists both career highs for a short but very impressive two year career. I'm not Kyrie's biggest fan but there is no denying that this kid is something special and certainly worth a spot in a game featuring the worlds best players. For Holiday this is also a career year for the 22 year old point guard. Holiday not being the flashiest player in the league has really put up an impressive campaign worthy of being the Most Improved Player discussion.

Frontcourt: Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandler and Paul Pierce.
    For many casual fans defense doesn't factor into whether or not a player is an all star. They see the flashy fast break dunks and forget about the guys who do everything that necessary to win. Joakim Noah and Tyson Chandler are both perfect examples of those types of players. For Noah being the anchor of one of the leagues stingiest defenses is reason enough to help his cause for an all star bid. Chandler is the same although while the Knicks defense is not as good as it was last season there is no denying he is still one of the best interior defenders in the game.
    Unlike Noah and Chandler, Paul Pierce's case for an All Star bid is a little less rock solid. His play as of late has been very spotty and there have been long stretches of time where he has shown his age. Despite all of that Pierce is still the Celtics best scorer and capable of having flashback games anytime he wants. The Celtics may not deserve to have three All Stars but Paul Pierce is very deserving of an All Star selection.

Wild Card: Chris Bosh and Paul George
    Chris Bosh, the often forgotten part Big 3 in Miami has for long stretches been Miami 2nd best player and one it's most efficient players.For years he's been criticized for his lack of aggression and lack of willingness to venture off into the post but since his full time to center Chris Bosh has flourished shooting a career high 54% from the field. It would be an injustice to leave Chris Bosh off of the All Star team.
   Paul George has been one of the league more pleasant surprises this season. When it was announced that Danny Granger would be sidelined many people questioned who would step up in his absence and Paul George has been very impressive this season. Now you could credit Indiana's defense which is #1 in just about every defensive metric there is, you can't deny George has played at an all star level this year.

Western Conference:
 With the West Starters announced(Paul,Bryant,Durant,Griffin and Howard) here are my west reserve picks.
 
Backcourt: Russell Westbrook and James Harden
     Two of the league's most exciting guards and former teammates in the league are no doubt going to be sharing a basketball court come mid-Febuary.
     Nicknamed the Honey Badger(not Tyran Mathieu) for his lack of sh**'s given Russell Westbrook while sometimes out of control is no doubt one of the best guards in the League. His combination of freakish athleticism and unhumanlike speed make him one of the league's more unique and special players. Many criticize Westbrook for his lack of control of the offense and the amount of shots he puts up but nonetheless I can't think of a point guard in the west not named Chris Paul more deserving of an All Star spot.
    This year the "Beard" officially landed in Houston and established himself as one of the league's best scorers. He's transformed Houston into one of the league's best offenses. In years past James Harden was more known for his facial hair than he was for his actual abilities but now that he's the #1 option on a team more and more people are noticing that there's more to Harden than just a crazy Beard.

Frontcourt: Tim Duncan, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka
  Tim Duncan is living proof that age is nothing but a number and at age 36 The Big Fundamental has shown us what a true living legend looks like. This year has no doubt been one of his finest of his career when you take into account that he's been playing for 15 seasons. He along with the other two frontcourt players are among the West best interior defenders.
   Marc Gasol is one of the more underrated Centers in the league but he just happens to be one of the best the league has to offer. While he doesn't put up Dwight Howard-like numbers and he doesn't make it onto the SportsCenter Top 10 every night his impact on the court for the Grizzlies is one that can't be understand. The tough and rugged Spaniard is one of the league's finest passing big men and with his solid interior passing also comes one of the best interior defenders in the league.
   When James Harden was shipped off to Houston many thought OKC would fall off due to the fact that they lost one of the most dynamic bench players in the game but thanks to Serge Ibaka's improved offensive game they've stayed on top of the west. Ibaka, a player more know for his emphatic shot blocking has transformed his game to the point where he's very comfortable being a mid-range jump shooter. I can't think of a team in the league more deserving of having 3 players represented in the All Star game.

Wild Card: Tony Parker and Zach Randolph
   Once again Tony Parker continues to amaze us. This season it's more of the same, Parker along with teammate Tim Duncan being the major reasons for the success San Antonio has had over the years continues to play the same brand of basketball hes played his entire career with a more consistent jumper sprinkled in.
   Zach Randolph, or Z-Bo, is one of the league's best power forwards. A fierce competitor, Zach Randolph this year has definitely been of the leagues best players. He and Marc Gasol combine to form one of the toughest front court's the league has to offer and his play is a huge reason Memphis is playing the way they are right now.

 

The Celtics may have found their way

     A team that looked dead in the water has seemed to return form. With the return of Avery Bradley the Celtics have won 3 straight(Longest of the season). Since Avery's return the Celtics are holding opponents to 86.5 points a game 10 points under their season average. Avery's presence on this team is so important to their perimeter defense. As a ball hounding defender he can really make a huge impact on a team. By guarding the opposing team best perimeter defender he really allows Rajon Rondo to roam around and play a free safety role much like Kobe Bryant does for the Lakers at times. It also benefits Rondo by not having to expend so much energy chasing around opposing guards. Offensively he still needs to find his comfort zone but so far his impact on defense has been nothing short of live saving. According to 82games.com with Avery on the court the Celtics are only giving up about 0.89 points per possession and 89 points per 100 possessions which is 11 points lower than Kevin Garnett. Even though it is only a small sample size the sheer fact that the Celtics have been this successful with Avery is very impressive.

   
The most impressive thing about this stretch of basketball for the Cs is the competition they've done it against. Their 3 game win streak has come against the Pacers,Hawks and Knicks which are 3 of the top 4 seeds in the East. The fact that they're playing well against top playoff contenders has to be a sign of things to come.
    I dont want to overreact and proclaim that this team is prepared to make a deep playoff run just yet. The bench still needs to prove that they can be consistent. Guys like Jeff Green and Jason Terry have been very streaky in their offensive contributions so far this year. The 3 point defense needs to improve if this team is going to make any noise in the playoffs. The Celtics have the 4th worst 3pt % defense in the league. Part of it is communication on the perimeter as most of these threes that they're giving up are wide open looks.
   With Avery back and the rotations (hopefully) set in stone the Celtics have finally proved to all of us that they're ready to be taken seriously. Being able to go on the road twice and beat two top 4 teams in the East really opened my eyes. It finally feels like the Celtics are back