Watching the Celtics take on the Heat last night was beyond frustrating.
It was maddening.
The Heat looked faster, stronger, and what’s worse is they looked meaner. Ever since Garnett came to town, the Celtics have pretty much cornered the market on mean. Love them or hate them, you knew what you were getting night in and night out. Except for the random games here and there that they mail in during the regular season, but you get the gist.
Last night against the Heat, the Celtics looked like the little brother out there in the backyard. We were shying away from contact (yes I’m looking right at you Kevin Garnett) and looked overwhelmed at times. Against any other team the Celtics could have probably skated by despite this lack of fortitude. But against a Miami team that seems to be embracing their role as villains now that the playoffs have started, they are in trouble.
I’m not going to blame the whole thing on the Perkins trade, although it is a glaring hole in our team right now, and I was getting downright misty watching him scowl around in a Thunder jersey last night. There are more problems than a lack of both mental and physical toughness.
First there is Rajon Rondo. Don’t let the stat line fool you (20pts 6 reb, 12 asst), he was more of a liability than an asset. Towards the end of the game, as the Celtics were trying to claw their way back in, the Heat dropped off Rondo. They were daring him to shoot from 12-15, feet and when he drove instead they collapsed on him and forced turnovers. Then when they realized that a few layups weren’t going to hurt them, they allowed him to get his. The kid is a phenomenal player and the Celtics need him to play that way if they have a shot to win.
But the fact that you can just clog the middle, and not guard the guy on defense, makes it impossible to stage any sort of comeback. Look at it like this. The Heat put two bodies in the paint and the other three are around the perimeter. Like a 3-2 zone. This way they are protected against penetration, and have guys like Lebron and Wade lurking in the passing lanes so you can’t kick out to three point shooters. The only way you beat that defense is with a point guard that can shoot the ball from that 12-15 range and force those perimeter guys to commit. Unfortunately that is the only skill that Rondo doesn’t have.
In those situations the Celtics need someone else to run the point. Keep Rondo on the court, but have him play off the ball so the defense has to stay honest.
Another problem is Glen “Big Waste of Space” Davis. Hey, he was the one who wanted a new nickname right? Shouldn’t this be the type of series where he kills it down low? The Heat don’t have a true center, and no one on their roster should be able to keep the round mound of rebound 2.0 out of the paint. In 26 minutes Davis had 6 points and 2 rebounds. That’s the same amount of rebounds that Mike Miller had in 6 minutes.
Throw in the fact that Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were banged up and ineffective and it wasn’t a lot of fun to watch for a Celtics fan.
There was another thing making last night’s game frustrating. But before I get into it I’m providing a Boston Homer Disclaimer. As a Celtics fan I’m clearly biased, but I believe my next point has merit. 
How do you compete against a team that has two superstar players who get superstar treatment? You know where every time they drive into the lane and hurl themselves into contact they draw an immediate whistle. It started with Jordan, but back then he was getting hammered. They were legit fouls. Now when Lebron, a 260lb monster, throws his body into defenders it’s a foul. Same with Dwayne Wade.
Those two guys had 21 free throw attempts. The Celtics had 22 as a team. A lot of that has to do with the style of play, both men drive relentlessly towards the basket and that is usually rewarded. But it is like the comment Kevin McHale made during the Thunder/Grizzlies game about Kevin Durant. Durant was getting harassed by a defender and ripped his arms up and through the defender’s arms, drawing a foul even though it was clearly not a shot attempt. If you are unclear what I’m talking about watch Paul Pierce. He does this better than anyone.
The point McHale made was that it looks like a foul, and is called as such according to the rules, but it was more about Durant being clever than the defender committing an actual foul. This is what makes Lebron and Wade so unstoppable. They are two of the top five players in the game right now and don’t need much help, but if they are clever enough to know that they are getting the call whenever they drive to the basket, how do you defend that?
To see the disparity that I’m talking about, watch Lebron’s block on Garnett last night. The man went up, and stayed up longer than Garnett, forcing the 6-10 forward to bail out and get the ball stuffed back down his throat. It was a spectacular block. There’s no arguing that. But look at the contact Lebron makes with Garnett’s body. It changes the direction of Garnett’s body, and is far more jarring than the impact that draws fouls for both Lebron and Wade. Plus Lebron’s left arm is using KG’s chest for leverage.
There was also Game 1. Pierce drew a technical for a “head butt” and James Jones drew an Oscar for acting. While like most I agree that Jones deserved a flagrant, it was the right call. Less than a minute later Wade left his feet to deliver a shoulder block to Pierce as he was trying to set a screen. There was no attempt at fighting through the screen. He threw his body right into Pierce’s chest. Then when Pierce took exception he got a second tech and was run. Wade got a tech and a personal foul. No flagrant. Jermaine O’Neal had earned a flagrant earlier on for a love tap compared to what Wade did.
My little brother Brian had seen enough and was clamoring for blood last night. He felt that it was a clear cut case of the NBA wanting the Heat to win. While I would agree it is better for the NBA if the Heat win, I don’t think the fix is in.
I think that this is why these two guys joined forces in the beginning. They were clever enough to know that they are both treated differently than 99.8% of the league. So by combining forces they might have a chance to do what Jordan was able to do by himself.
How do you beat a team that is faster, stronger, meaner, and who has two players that can’t be stopped because of the way the NBA officiates superstars?
Maybe we can get the young king from Temple of Doom to start building some voodoo dolls…
—–Corey
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