Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
NBA/TNT analysts Brent Barry and Reggie Miller were complimentary of the Celtics, but are wary of placing them in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.
They were impressed with the offseason acquisitions of David Lee and Amir Johnson, but one of their concerns is something that has been mentioned since the summer began: They lack a go-to player in the clutch.
“I don’t know about advancement,” said Barry. “I think Brad [Stevens] and Danny [Ainge] alluded to last year and what happened in the second half. The second half of the season was absolutely amazing. They went on an incredible tear and played some great basketball, but one of the things that I do like that they addressed is their perimeter defense with their bigs.”
Miller said the Celtics’ issue is a lack of consistent offense and a prolific scorer.
“I think the face of the Celtics is Brad Stevens and the way they get after you, especially defensively from their perimeter guys,” Miller said. “They don’t have enough scoring to go against a Cleveland or a Chicago or a Toronto or Miami. But defensively, especially those perimeter guys, they really can get after you.
“Now if they can find points, if they can find timely shots, sure they can be in the thick of things. I just think they don’t have enough scoring on a consistent basis other than Isaiah Thomas coming off the bench to put the fear of God in you, but I love what Brad Stevens has done with this young team.
Boston Globe – Sunday Basketball Notes
As the steady stream of basketball previews begin to wind down, two former players turned NBA on TNT analysts put a damper on both the Cs strong pre-season and plethora of glowing predictions.
As Chuck alluded to on Saturday, the perfect scenario for the Cs is to laugh in the face of those who believe a go-to scorer is a must by gelling like last season’s Hawks team. Even so, that team had Al Horford, an all-star caliber player and Jeff Teague, a point guard who took a mini-leap last season.
Make no mistake about it: the Celtics are unanimously considered a team on the rise. I haven’t seen a win total prediction under 40 and have seen more over 45 than under. In order to make true on the rosy outlook, the Cs will either need to show the league that they don’t need a go-to scorer, or that the go-to scorer is ready to emerge from this 10-deep roster.
By week’s end, we’ll be on the way to getting an answer.
On page 2, Paul Pierce is unsurprisingly a hit in LA
What might have resonated even more than a crazy quarter by a former NBA Finals most valuable player against the Trail Blazers was his voice after the game.
“He was yelling at us,” Clippers guard Austin Rivers said of Pierce, “‘That’s got to be us all year!’”
Said Pierce: “Whenever we get down throughout the year, I’m going to go back and refer to this game.”
[…]
“He’s probably one of the best footwork small forwards of all time,” Austin Rivers said. “People on the (Portland) bench are yelling, ‘Step back!’ and he still gets it because he has counters to everything.”
Boston Herald – Clippers are getting an early lesson in how ‘The Truth’ works
Fresh off a vintage 19-point scoring blitz in a pre-season win, it’s clear that Paul Pierce to LA was more than just a feel-good homecoming to end a storied career. If the Clippers are to emerge out of the Western Conference blood bath, Pierce and his shot-making is going to be a huge reason why.
For a team that continues to fall short in the post-season and that could be blown up with another early round exit, The Truth will provide badly needed direction and experience. The fact that he’s already yelling to the bench after big shots (remember: “That’s why they brought me here!”) means he’s ready for year 17.
And finally, KG pays tribute to Flip Saunders
The rest of the links:
CSNNE – Potential Celtics starting five has been successful | Boston Globe – Brian Scalabrine joins Comcast Celtics coverage full time