Sports of Boston » Ray Allen

Pierce Makes History, Celtics Handle Bobcats

Nathan — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:41:25 +0000

Paul Pierce had 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds Tuesday night, moving into second all-time in Celtics’ scoring as the Celtics coasted to a 94-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Kevin Garnett continued his strong play for the Celtics with 22 points and seven rebounds. Reggie Williams led the NBA worst 3-22 Bobcats 21 points and 5 assists.

Going into Tuesday’s game, Pierce trailed Celtics legend Larry Bird by nine points on the franchise’s all-time scoring leader board. Pierce drained a three-pointer with 10:23 to go in the third quarter to pass Bird and become the second leading scorer in Celtics history. The Celtics immediately fouled the Bobcats on the other end of the court to give Pierce a moment to take a bow at center court as the TD Banknorth Garden erupted.

The 10th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, Pierce has scored 21,797 points as a member as the Boston Celtics. Pierce now trails only John Havelicek, who scored 26,395 as a Celtic.

Celtics Take Control in Second Half

The Celtics never trailed in the second half of Tuesday’s game en route to their fifth victory in a row. Boston has now won nine of their last 10 contests. The Bobcats dropped their 12th straight game.

The Celtics had trouble from deep range and shot just 17 percent from beyond the arc. The Celtics’ three-point struggles can be traced back to Pierce, who shot 2-for-10. Ray Allen scored 17 points but shot just 1-for-5 from downtown.

Brandon Bass had 13 points off the Celtics bench a game after sitting out with a swollen knee. Bobcats’ rookie Kemba Walker had 16 points and seven rebounds in another losing effort for the squad.

The Boston Celtics hit the court again Thursday night when they host the Los Angeles Lakers for the lone time this season.

Pierce, Celtics Stomp Raptors to Post First Winning Record in A While

Nathan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:33:46 +0000

Paul Pierce had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists for the Boston Celtics en route to a 100-64 thrashing of the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night. The Celtics improved to 11-10 with the victory and now post their first winning record since starting 4-3. Jared Bayless scored 14 off the bench for the Raptors who scored less than 70 points for the third time this season.

Ray Allen had 12 points and 5 assists, and Brandon Bass added 12 points and 9 rebounds for the hot shooting Celtics. The Celtics shot 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3.

Kevin Garnett hit a 3 to end the first half and push the Celtics lead to 22. The Celtics led the Raptors by at least 20 points the rest of the way. Allen connected from beyond the arc with 3 minutes remaining in the third quarter to push the lead to 30.

While the Celtics shot exceptionally, they also played stellar defense. The Celtics held the Raptors to just 32 percent shooting from the field. The Celtics allowed the Raptors to score no more than 19 points in a quarter. Boston also out-rebounded Toronto 46-39

Wins like Wednesday’s against will certainly help the Celtics weather the condensed season. Kevin Garnett played just 17 minutes and Jermaine O’Neal barely played a full quarter with 14 minutes. No Celtics’ starter played more than 26 minutes.

The Celtics’ bench not only chipped in minutes, but also had it’s best outing of the season. Boston’s bench combined for a season high 47 points. Chris Wilcox was the only active Celtic not to score. Rookie JaJuan Johnson had his best game of his young career as he scored 11 points and didn’t miss a single one of his 5 shot attempts.

Ed Davis had 10 points and 15 rebounds and was the only Raptor beside Bayless to score in double figures.

The Celtics hit the court again Friday when they clash with the reeling New York Knicks in a nationally televised game. Rajon Rondo missed his eighth straight game with a sprained wrist. Doc Rivers said before the game that Rondo may give it a go on Friday.

Celtics Report Card: Leave it to Cleveland

Nick Bohlen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:25:38 +0000

The first quarter of the year has come and gone, and the Boston Celtics started this week well on their way to a pretty good grade. They mustered a dominant defensive performance and a massive comeback in a home-and-home against the Orlando Magic, then managed a quality win over a playoff-caliber Indiana Pacers squad that had already beaten them twice this season.

Then the C’s soured it all Sunday by giving up 12 unanswered points over the final 4:24 to gift a win to the Cleveland Kyrie Irvings Cavaliers, squandering a chance to get over the .500 mark.

The NBA: Where the opposite of amazing also happens.

In other words, so much for the honor roll. Let’s jump right in and see how much that one loss brought down the grades for this past week’s progress report.

Starting Backcourt: B

Well this is awkward. Thanks to injuries, the recipe for the Celtic’s starting guards called for four cups Avery Bradley, two parts Mickael Pietrus, and a dash of Sasha Pavlovic. Disgusting.

Bradley left his mark harassing Jameer Nelson up and down the court in the 87-56 win over the Magic, then all but disappeared until an injury against Cleveland officially pulled him off the court. Pietrus neither dazzled nor disappointed, although it would be nice for him to make more than 37 percent of his shots. As for Pavlovic, I’m making the executive decision that the starting backcourt gets an automatic “F” if I ever have to see him play 34 minutes in a starting role again.

On the bright side, the Celtics did manage to sprinkle in a pinch of Ray Allen, who went 9-for-14 – including 4-for-6 from downtown – for 22 points in the loss to the Cavaliers. All things considered, with no Rajon Rondo and just one game for Allen, I have to say the starting backcourt was solid. Or at least solid-ish.

Starting Frontcourt: B+

Now THAT is what I’m talking about, Paul Pierce: 22.2 ppg, 8.8 apg, 6.8 rpg, all while running the offense as a point forward (Carmelo Anthony could learn a thing or two from The Truth). He does need to hold on to the rock, giving the ball away seven times against the Cavs and costing them a W.

I’d like to see a little more scoring from Kevin Garnett, but he (along with Jermaine O’Neal and his pointing prowess) frustrated Dwight Howard to no end. Between his defense and better consistency on the boards, KG looked a little better this week.

With O’Neal’s knees balking again, Brandon Bass filled out the starting lineup for the last three games this week. He really likes his nickname “No-Pass Bass,” doesn’t he (12 FGA, 1.5 AST per game)?

Bench Backcourt: C+

I would like to take this time to personally apologize to E’Twaun Moore (I’m assuming he reads my opinion of him and the Celtics religiously, or at least has Google alert). First of all, he has a sweet name. Bonus points. Second, though he didn’t do a whole lot in the other three games (especially since the point guard position is essentially nonexistent with Pierce running the offense), his 16-point outburst to spark the comeback in Orlando was extremely encouraging. And a positive +/- in every game is always, well, positive. Just for that, I’ll throw a plus sign on that letter grade.

Sorry, but I don’t really have anything to say to you, Marquis Daniels and Keyon Dooling. You don’t even deserve those links to your player pages.

Bench Frontcourt: B-

The return of Chris Wilcox has been a big lift, namely because the Celtics wouldn’t have a big man to come off the bench otherwise (let’s just say those Greg Stiemsma-Bill Russell comparisons faded pretty quickly, along with the Steamer’s playing time). Wilcox has grabbed six boards in each of the last two games while only playing 23 minutes a game. Against the Pacers, he even poured in 14 points to give the Celtics a lift offensively. It’s always good to see the only major offseason acquisition finally make a difference a quarter of the way through the season.

Irving, Cavs Score Final 12 Points, Steal Win From Celtics

Nathan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:15:21 +0000

Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and hit the game-winner as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Celtics in Boston Sunday evening, 88-87. Ray Allen had 22 points for the Celtics in his first game back since missing 4 games with an ankle sprain. Paul Pierce added 18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as the Celtics couldn’t extend their win streak to 5 games.

Irving Seals Win As Celtics Falter Down Stretch

The Celtics led Cleveland 87-76 with 4:24 to go in the game but couldn’t muster another point the rest of the game. Rookie Kyrie Irving sparked a 12-to-0 Cleveland run to end the game.

Irving scored 6 points in the game’s final 4 minutes and assisted on two other baskets. With 2 seconds left on the clock Irving drove around E’Twaun Moore and Brandon Bass to score the go-ahead bucket. Pierce was unable to get a shot off a possession later as time expired.

Varejao Out-Hustles Garnett, Bass

Irving was the headliner for the Cavs, but Anderson Varejao was a key part of Sunday’s narrative. The veteran forward had 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and several key hustle plays during the Cavaliers late-game rally. Varejo stole a rebound from Bass with 23 seconds left on the game clock. That rebound gave the Cavaliers the extra possession that became Irving’s game winning layup.

Varejao and the Cavs pounded the Celtics interior which was without Jermaine O’Neal for the third straight game. The Celtics gave up a season-high 54 points in the paint to Cleveland. Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 7 rebounds, Brandon Bass had 13 and 5 but both struggled on defense Sunday.

The Cavaliers bench outscored the Celtics bench 30-14. Forward Alonzo Gee led the Cavs bench with 14 points and 4 steals. The Cavs recorded 11 steals and the Celtics coughed the ball up 16 times.

The Celtics and Cavaliers will face off again Tuesday night in Cleveland. Before Sunday’s game Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers said he hopes Rajon Rondo will be a go for Tuesday’s game. If Rondo can play, it will be his job to try and slow down Irving in the rematch.

The Atlantic, Week 4: Celtics’ Confidence and Andrea Bargnani Trending Up

Nathan — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:48:34 +0000

Welcome to “The Atlantic,” a weekly column where we ‘trend up’ and ‘trend down’ news and notes from the NBA’s Atlantic Division.

The Boston Celtics are no longer the most disappointing team in the Atlantic Division – the Knicks are. Is Andrea Bargnani a top-10 power forward? Can the New Jersey Nets still make the playoffs? After a cool stretch, things are heating up again in the Atlantic.

Boston Celtics (9-9, Second place)

Trending Up: Team Confidence

The Celtics’ confidence was at its lowest point of the season when they lost to Phoenix 79-71 a week ago at home. Since then the Celtics have rattled off four wins in a row while playing without Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. The team’s confidence is now sky high. E’Twaun Moore isn’t afraid to shoot the ball anymore. Marquis Daniels in playing more like himself. Avery Bradley looks confident enough to dribble the ball up the court without immediately passing it. Sasha Pavlovic isn’t backing down from anyone on defense. Even Chris Wilcox decided to show up for the season. The Celtics’ burst of confidence starts with the captain, Paul Pierce, who has been superb. Pierce is averaging 26 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in his last 4 games, whereas Lebron James is averaging 27.6 and 8 in his. No one in the league is playing with more confidence right now than Pierce.

Trending Down: Trade Talk

As long as this team continues to win, it stays together. Simple, right? Well, not quite. For now the trade talk has cooled, but if a Western Conference team blows Danny Ainge away with a deal for Pierce, I think he still takes it. Ainge has said he is not afraid to break this team up for the future of the franchise, and I believe him. Stay tuned.

Philadelphia 76ers (14-6, First place)

Trending Up: Jodie Meeks’ Shooting Stroke

Jodie Meeks was hard to watch to when season startedm but thanks to a strong week, he’s now shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc. For a team that’s short on effective long-range shooters, Meeks heating up has to be a good sign in Philadelphia.

Trending Down: Strength of Schedule

If you count Atlanta and Indiana as Philadelphia’s two good wins, the rest of the teams they’ve beaten have a combined winning percentage below 36 percent. Philadelphia’s strength of schedule so far has not been good. A third of the Sixers wins have come at the expense of Washington and Detroit. Now the Sixers embark on one of the toughest seven-game stretches any team in the NBA will see this year. Let’s check back in two weeks before proclaiming the Sixers ‘elite.’

New York Knicks (7-13, T-Third place)

Trending Up: Blueprint for Beating Them

When you get blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks at home, and a few days later get dominated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, you’ve got problems. The Knicks have dropped eight of nine because teams have figured out how to beat them. All you have to do is let Carmelo Anthony shoot the ball and then box the hell out. Anthony is shooting horribly in January. Until the Knicks switch up the isolation offense, they are going to keep losing games.

Trending Down: Mike D’Antoni

The Knicks are losing games they shouldn’t be. The Knicks roster has elite talent on it. The conclusion is simple: If the Knicks aren’t at least at .500 by the All-Star break, D’Antoni is gone. New York has former Altanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson sitting on it’s bench ready to take over should the Knicks let D’Antoni go.

New Jersey Nets (7-13, T-Third place)

Trending Up: Playoff Odds

The Nets have won two straight and are a game back of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Who currently holds that seed? Cleveland. If the Knicks keep losing and Milwaukee Bucks’ center Andrew Bogut struggles to recover from a fractured ankle, the door is wide open for the Nets. The last playoff team in the Eastern Conference is going to be a bad team; why shouldn’t the Nets aim to be that bad team?

Trending Down: Urgency to make a move

If New Jersey can sneak into the playoffs and Orlando decides to try and hold onto Dwight Howard, that puts the Nets in a really good position. In 2012, the Brooklyn Nets will have enough cap space to sign Howard outright. Waiting to sign Howard as a free agent instead of trading for him allows the Nets to hold onto their greatest trade asset, Brook Lopez. A scary thought for the Celtics and the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Toronto Raptors (6-14, Fifth place)

Trending Up: Andrea Bargnani’s Value

The Raptors are 6-5 with a healthy Andrea Bargnani in the lineup, and 0-8 without. You could make the case that no one in the league means more to their team then the 7-foot Italian forward. Bargnani is sixth in the league in scoring and posts career highs in rebounding, field goal percentage, assists, and free throw attempts. Bargnani is becoming one of the top-10 power forwards in the game. With Bargnani, the Raptors are a fringe playoff team. Unfortunately for Toronto, Bargnani isn’t healthy.

Trending Down: Basketball in Canada

It’s Hockey season in Canada and the Raptors have lost nine of 11. Do you think anyone in Canada really cares that there is currently a basketball team playing Toronto? Things couldn’t be uglier for Canada’s only NBA team.

Bass, Celtics Make Magic Disappear for Second Win In a Row

Nathan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:31:01 +0000

Brandon Bass and Paul Pierce had 19 points apiece as the Boston Celtics swept the TD Banknorth Garden floor with the Orlando Magic Monday night, 87-56. Dwight Howard scored 18 points and had 14 rebounds but was the lone member of the Magic to score in double figures.

Depleted Celtics Set Franchise Records

The contest was historic for both teams involved. The Magic connected on just 16 of 65 field goal attempts, setting franchise lows for points, field goals and shooting percentage. Meanwhile, the Celtics’ defense set franchise records for points, field goals and shooting percentage allowed in a game.

The Celtics played the game without five of their key players. In addition to starters Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo missing the game due to injury, key bench players Mickael Pietrus, Keyon Dooling, and Chris Wilcox sat as well.

Boston had to rely on Avery Bradley and Sasha Pavlovic to provide a spark with the starting backcourt sitting. Along with Kevin Garnett, Bradley’s and Pavlovic’s hustle ignited the Celtics’ red-hot defense. The trio combined for 10 steals and five blocks. As a team, the Celtics recorded season highs in steals (13) and blocks (nine). Garnett chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with his defensive prowess.

Bass Makes Trade for Davis Look Good

Monday’s game marked Glen Davis‘s first game back in Boston since being traded for Brandon Bass in November. Davis was a non-factor on offense, scoring six points on 2-for-9 shooting, but pulled down an uncharacteristic 11 rebounds against his former team.

Instead, Bass won the battle of backup power forwards. Bass shot an efficient 8-for-14 and pulled down eight rebounds for an invigorated Celtics bench. The Bass-led bench scored a season high 39 points. Marquis Daniels aided the Celtics’ bench effort with eight points and five assists.

The Magic could get nothing going offensively for most of the game. Howard shot 4-for-6 in the first quarter but finished the game on a prolonged 0-for-9 stretch. Bradley hounded former all-star point guard Jameer Nelson all night, holding him to five points, three assists, and five turnovers. The Magic had 23 turnovers – seven more than their total field goals.

Rondo and Allen Missing, but Allen Missed More

Despite the win, the Celtics missed Allen and his three-point shooting. The Celtics made just two shots from beyond the arc in 13 attempts. However, Boston made all 19 of their free throw attempts.

The Celtics are now 2-1 with Rondo out of the lineup. Bradley has averaged six points, four assists and two steals while filling in for Rondo the last the games. Rondo wore a cast on his right wrist while he watched the game from the bench. Rondo’s status moving forward remains uncertain.

Boston and Orlando will have a rematch of Monday’s contest Thursday in Orlando.

Celtics Report Card: One Month in, C’s Need Work

Nick Bohlen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:18:08 +0000

Welcome to our weekly Celtics report card! In this space, I’ll evaluate the team’s performance over the past week, assigning grades from “F” to “A+” (though be forewarned, there will be no liberal arts college grade inflation).

To come up with a letter grade, I will use a combination of statistics (looking at the box score), scouting (watching the games), strength of schedule (who the opponents are), and, of course, pure subjectivity (how I’m feeling on that particular day).

This week, the C’s will suffer from playing two cellar-dwellers in the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. A trip to the Super Bowl by the Patriots has me pretty giddy, though, so my good mood might give them some marginal help on their final grades.

Ehhh, on second thought, probably not. A meager 7-9 record has not left me happy. Time to be that unnecessarily tough teacher everyone always hates. So enough chit-chat. Let’s break out that red felt pen and get to grading this past week.

Starting Backcourt: C

I was tempted to give the starting backcourt an “incomplete” for this week, considering Rajon Rondo missed two games with a wrist injury, but that’s about as textbook as you can get to defining “cop out.” In those first one and a half games, though, Rondo looked impressive. He has been a man on a mission, and I love that he’s not afraid to get to the free throw line this year. His replacement, Avery Bradley, has been occasionally brilliant and generally solid on defense, but anywhere from “meh” to “my god!” on offense. In a bad way.

Meanwhile, Ray Allen went through a prolonged shooting slump this week, scoring just 33 points all week. The Celtics have to do a better job of getting him more than six field goal attempts per game, and a free throw shooter as good as Allen has to find a way to get to the line more than five times in four games.

Starting Frontcourt: C

You might say Paul Pierce is rounding into form with a 34 point, 10 assist, eight rebound performance against the Wizards, but I say let me know when he shows up against a team that has more than two wins. I can’t figure out why he’s still so out of shape when the bruised heel only kept him out for a couple of weeks. I know it’s not manly, but maybe jump on an elliptical? At least for a few minutes.

Simply put, Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O’Neal look old. Those knees have seen a lot of miles. The Celtics were out-rebounded by every team this week except for the Thunder, who also struggle on the glass. O’Neal and Garnett have to be better at setting the tone on the boards.

Bench Backcourt: D+

I’ve always considered Marquis Daniels more of a small forward and Mickael Pietrus a little bit more of a shooting guard, even though they’re both 6’6” and Pietrus actually out-weighs Daniels by 15 pounds. Apparently, though, Daniels is listed at SG and Pietrus at SF. So that means the backcourt off the bench is comprised of Daniels and E’twaun Moore (plus Bradley when Rondo is healthy).

I feel like that should be an automatic F on principle, if only because the Celtics are so incredibly screwed if both Allen and Rondo get hurt. What’s that? That’s happening right now? Awesome!

Bench Frontcourt: C+

The lone bright spot on an otherwise dim season: Brandon Bass! Mickael Pietrus! Sasha Pavlovic! Wait, one of those names doesn’t fit. Both Bass and Pietrus hit double digits in scoring in three out of four games last week. Bass did a decent job of rebounding, and Pietrus hit at least 50 percent of his three-point attempts in every game. But they took turns no-showing against the Thunder and the Phoenix Suns (the only quality opponents from last week, as I’ve already reiterated), so I can’t give them good marks to bring home to mom and pops.

Sorry, but no honor roll with this week’s report card.

Gortat Shines, Suns Burn Celtics

Nathan — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:10:28 +0000

Marcin Gortat scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Rajon Rondo-less Celtics, 79-71 Friday night. Ray Allen led the Celtics with 14 points and Paul Pierce chipped in 12 points and six assists.

Rondo looked on from the sidelines with a sprained wrist as the Celtics scored a season-low 71 points. Doc Rivers announced an hour before tip off that his all-star point would sit and that second year guard Avery Bradley would start in his place. Bradley scored 10 points and swiped three steals in his first career start.

Bradley harassed Sun’s star point guard Steve Nash on defense all night. Nash scored just 11 points and turned the ball over four times, but recorded nine assists and controlled the pace of the game.

The Celtics trailed by 11 at the half. Early in the third quarter the Celtics went on an 18-to-4 run to take the lead, but Phoenix responded with a 12-0 run of their own. After regaining the lead the Suns never turned back. Allen cut the lead to five on a threepoint play with just under three minutes remaining. On the next possession former Boston College star Jared Dudley hit a straight-away three to steal the game’s momentum for good.

Dudley led the Suns’ bench effort with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. Brandon Bass was the lone bright spot off the Celtics’ bench with 11 points and six rebounds. The rest of the Celtics bench scored just 10 points and grabbed a mere three rebounds combined.

The Celtics turnover and shooting percentage problems continued Friday night. Boston shot 40 percent from the field and turned the ball over 18 times. The Celtics also had trouble getting to the line and shot just two free throws in the first half.

Gortat and the Suns out-hustled the Celtics on the glass all night. Phoenix won the rebounding battle over the Celtics, 44-32.

If not having Rondo wasn’t bad enough for the Celtics, they also played without their backup point guard, Keyon Dooling. Dooling missed his fifth straight game with hyper-extended knee. Celtics’ rookie E’Twaun Moore struggled in Dooling’s place with just two points on 1-for-6 shooting.

The loss dropped Boston to 5-9 on the season. Luckily for the Celtics, they get the 2-13 Washington Wizards next on Sunday afternoon. The Celtics have already beaten Washington twice this year.

Trading Paul Pierce: The Truth Hurts

Dan Spritz — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:14 +0000

The Celtics need to trade Paul Pierce.

As a rational sports fan, I’ve come to realize that this is the best option. The Celtics aren’t going to win the NBA Championship this year, and they won’t be able to win it again with their current nucleus.

So they need to blow it up. This starts with Pierce, but why keep Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen once you’ve traded a third of the Big Three? The Celtics need to blow it all up.

Pierce’s Fading Glory

Believe me, I don’t want them to trade Pierce. He’s played his whole career here and has always seemed like the kind of guy who would retire a Celtic. He certainly wants to.

So, when the news came out that teams were inquiring about Pierce’s services, my first reaction was disappointment. After a 14-year career in which he has only played for the Celtics, it doesn’t feel right for his departure to come as the result of a calculated business decision.

At the same time, I cannot deny that it would be the best move for the team, and ultimately I am more invested in the Celtics than I am in Pierce. The fortunes of the two have been intertwined for so many years that it is strange for them to diverge.

This season’s team can’t compete. After their recent five-game losing streak that would have them at home if the playoffs began today, there is little reason for optimism.

Coming into the season, the consensus was the team could make the playoffs, but they’d have to sacrifice a few games to keep the aging roster healthy throughout this season’s grueling schedule. If they are already having problems, how can they possibly make a playoff push as the fatigue builds up? Even if such a push were to happen, what would making the playoffs gain them?

The question is, do you want to be sentimental or do you want to win? It would be nice to allow Pierce to ride off into the sunset, eternally a Celtic, but what would that mean? Ending his career as the fourth option on a 25-57 team playing in front of half-filled arenas? What kind of send-off is that? Wouldn’t it be better to welcome him back the way we welcomed Kendrick Perkins back this week?

I was at that game: The genuine appreciation and love the arena bestowed on Perkins was so overwhelming that I can’t imagine a better way to honor a player. The reaction Pierce would get would easily surpass that.

Pierce isn’t the superstar he once was. Since the Age of Ubuntu began, he’s averaged around 20 points per game. This season he’s averaging 15.7, more than three points fewer than last season.

While his minutes per game are down a bit, that’s not the culprit. Both his overall shooting and free throw percentages are down, while he’s attempting more three pointers per game than he has in four years.

Pierce’s free throw percentage has fluctuated throughout his career, but the overall shooting percentage is worrisome. He’s shooting 39.4 percent this year, down 8 percent. He’s never shot below 40 percent for a season, and only below 43 percent twice.

Pierce – who used to be able to herky-jerk his way to the rim with the best of them – simply isn’t driving as much. He doesn’t have confidence in his ability to score after contact – a major sign of a player in decline.

Trade the Rest of the Big Three, Too

And what of the rest of the Big Three? Garnett simply doesn’t have any explosion left. He can’t jump, which has had a detrimental effect on his whole game. His intense play was always predicated on the idea that he was a supremely gifted athlete. Without that athleticism, he’s just a tall guy who can get pushed around and doesn’t like to shoot.

Allen can still play a high level, but he’s too specialized for this team. He’ll always be able to shoot. You could stick him in the corner after he got his AARP card and he would be able to make open looks. That skill-set is wasted on this Celtics team, where there are no longer elite scorers for him to play off of. Allen can still get points, leading the team is scoring, but that’s the problem. It’s never wise for an offense to rely so heavily on a jump-shooter.

The best thing the team can do is trade the Big Three while they still have value. All of them.

Allen has the most value: With his ability to hit contested threes and a sky-high free throw percentage, he would be an asset for any time. His expiring contract makes him even more attractive. Teams looking to shed salary cap could acquire him for the playoffs while allowing them more money to pursue a free agent in the offseason. If they like him enough to re-sign, he will be available for much less than the $10 million he is getting this year.

Garnett is more attractive as an asset, even if he’s less attractive as a player. With a contract of over $21 million expiring at the end of the season, he could help teams open up a massive amount of cap room for free agency. Pierce, meanwhile, can be productive on a team that doesn’t need him to be the first or second scoring option. His contract doesn’t expire for a couple more years, but he’s more than capable of fitting in on a contender.

A Possibly Lost Cause

Either way, the Celtics are in for some lean years. I’m already chalking this season up as a loss and, depending on what they do with the Big Three, the next season or two could be rough as well.

If they trade all three and primarily receive picks, that won’t give Rajon Rondo any help for a year, since those picks will then need time to develop. Even if the Big Three aren’t traded and their contracts simply expire for cap room, there’s no guarantee a major free agent will sign in Boston.

It’s unfortunate, but we need to prepare for a number of Celtics losses the next few years. The first step to recovery is trading Paul Pierce, and the best outcome we can hope for is that that trade will mark the beginning of a return to greatness.

The Big Three Era Is Over And Garnett’s A Big Reason Why

Brian Moller — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:00:55 +0000

Three years.

When the newest incarnation of the “Big Three” came together back in the summer of 2007, they were given a three-year window to revive Celtic pride and bring a few championships back to Boston.

Three years.

Danny Ainge and Celtics brass were willing to pull the trigger on deals to bring perennial All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to Boston to play alongside the face of the franchise, Paul Pierce, for three years of glory. Three years of success. Three years of the green being back where they’ve always belonged: at the top of the NBA landscape.

Three years.

Well three years have come and gone and so has a fourth. The talented triumvirate of future Hall-of-Famers has long passed its expiration date and it may be time that green teamers start to embrace that.

It’s been four full seasons since Garnett, Pierce and Allen stood together proudly holding up their jerseys as they gleefully flashed their pearly whites for the media at KG’s introductory press conference. As far as doing what they came to do – Mission accomplished. They hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy in their first season together, dominated the Eastern Conference and came painfully close to a second championship in 2010.

Within that 2007-10 window of opportunity, the Celtics had an impressive 178-68 record and refueled the storied Celtics-Lakers rivalry. Everything was going perfectly. The new Garden was finally buzzing for Boston basketball once again.

The Beginning of The End

Then came year four.

Ultimately, The Miami Heat’s new superstar trio of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh proved that the road to glory no longer traveled down Causeway Street. The Heat took Boston’s three-year window – which actually lasted – and they slammed it shut. Then they boarded it up and sold the property for half its value.

That was that. There was no way that the Boston Celtics could continue to have championship aspirations with the roster being built around these three aging stars. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much of a choice.

With limited options in a lockout-shortened off-season, Ainge had no real options other than going with what he already had: A young, talented point guard, and some old guys who used to be world-class.

So here we are, forced to watch a team that in spite of their best efforts just can’t get it done. C’s fans are used to watching a team that played fierce, intense defense. They’re used to a team that didn’t falter, but flourished in the final moments of a tight ballgame. They’re used to a team that found a way to get a W in games they had no business winning.

Now, the Celtics are lucky just to be close in the last minutes of the fourth quarter. They’ve lost eight of their first 13 games, and the teams they’ve beaten – the Pistons, the Raptors, the Wizards twice, and the Nets without star guard Deron Williams – would be hard-pressed to pull out a victory over a men’s league team from the local YMCA. Those four teams have a combined record of 13-46 – not exactly top-notch.

Watching a full 48 minutes of Celtics basketball now is worse than having your wisdom teeth pulled with a socket wrench and no Novocain.

Alright, maybe that’s a bit over-dramatic but seriously, the Big Three era as we know it is officially over. Accept it.

Kevin Garnett’s Fall From Grace

The most dramatic decline has been Garnett’s. Originally considered the best of the three, KG now plays more to the level of Kathy Lee Gifford than Kevin Garnett.

From the moment he touched down in the Bay State in 2007 as a member of the most decorated franchise in professional basketball, KG instantly changed not only the success-starved fans’ attitude, but also the Celtics as a whole.

A defensive pillar, Garnett forced his teammates to raise their intensity to levels they themselves probably didn’t know they could reach. Exuberance and passion oozed from his fingertips.

Think back to Jan. 25, 2008, when Garnett played against his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, in his new home at the Garden. After leaving with an abdominal strain, the always vivacious and animated KG came back to get a key steal for the win. He leaped to his feet, screaming as usual, tugging on his jersey to show the world that he was a Celtic.

He was the backbone. He was what made the Big Three and the Celtics what they were. He was the embodiment of the attitude that would eventually lead him and his teammates to a championship.

That was Kevin Garnett.

Fast forward now to Jan. 11 of this year, when the defending-champion Mavericks came to Boston. In a similar situation where Garnet needed to make a defensive play on Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, just like vintage Garnett he got right up under Nowitzki and snarled in his face. Then, with one step Dirk was gone, leaving Garnett cemented to that same spot on the floor, watching the 2011 Finals MVP get the hoop and the harm to put the game away.

Currently, the C’s statistically aren’t any better defensively with KG on the floor than they are with him on the bench. His rebounding is down. His intensity is down. He looks slow, sluggish and… Old.

It’s not just Garnett though. Monday night against Oklahoma City, both Garnett and Pierce came out and doubled Thunder superstar Kevin Durant near half court. With a hop and a skip, Durant blew past both of them and threw down a loud, one-handed jam. Those defensive shortcomings are glaring proof that the once staggering and swarming Celtics defense can now best be described as, eh alright.

The End of An Era

Pierce is by no means in game-shape, having missed all of the abbreviated preseason with a foot injury. Allen remains as the only ray of light among the Big Three. He leads the team in scoring, but let’s be honest: Allen is a physical freak, considering the kind of shape he’s in at his age. He’ll probably still be playing while I’m playing cribbage in a nursing home with my teeth in a glass next to my bed.

Sure, Pierce could improve once he gets his conditioning down, and maybe Ponce de Leon will show up with a bottle of water from the fountain of youth to bring back KG circa 2007. Hell, at this point I’m sure they’d even take the “special stuff” Michael Jordon gave Bug Bunny and the gang in Space Jam.

But that’s a lot to hope and ask for. It’s becoming abundantly clear that the time has come to start looking towards the future in Beantown. And when I say future, I’m not talking about Rajon Rondo. If you haven’t noticed, Rondo hasn’t been any kind of savior. He won’t be the cornerstone of this franchise if you’re hoping for triumph over turmoil.

Three years.

The Boston faithful got what they wanted. They even got a bonus year free of charge! But the time has come to let go. I know it’s hard. Boyz II Men even wrote a song about how hard it is.

“It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.”

Unfortunately, it’s time to say hello to tomorrow and the next chapter of Celtic history beyond the Big Three.

Follow Brian Moller on Twitter: @Brian_Moller