Another blowout, Byron Scott a legitimate possibility?

As much as I hate to say it, the team we played in the first round of the playoffs last year wasn’t whole.  The C’s were minus the defensive player of the year, yet had to throw much of the offensive responsibility on it’s young point guard, Rajon Rondo.

By watching the Celtics last year in the post season, and now carrying over to this year, I knew Rajon Rondo would ultimately benefit from the absence of Kevin Garnett. Rondo’s lack of a offensive game from the perimeter made him a liability of sorts, with his man leaving him on the regular to shade other players.

This circles around Rondo not being a efficient shooter/scorer outside of 15 feet. Last year’s experience in the post season did great things for Rajon, he was forced to shoot from the outside and piggy back the offense more than usual. What else could Doc Rivers do? Let the defense collapse regularly on Paul Pierce and Ray Allen while you give them no room to operate?

The message was sent clearly, Rondo has to be aggressive to at least put thoughts in the defenders head who likes to roam. That means when your standing near the three point line and Paul Pierce has the ball on the angle, that’s a spot where Rondo can’t stand around, he must make a strait cut to the basket. Keep the defender moving or thinking.  And with Rajon shouldering that load last season mostly with the ball, I think it’s done nothing but make him a more assertive player this season. Doc Rivers had similar thoughts on Rondo, and said this last night after the game:

“He was terrific,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “Good pace, knew when to drive. Knew when to keep the pressure in. He also knew when we took too many jump shots and (to get) it down low. Just a great job by him. It’s great where he’s mentally with our team. He understands that. He reads that. If we come down and take three or four shots without running our offense, he’ll slow us down and get us in our set. That’s a sign of a great point guard.”

A little seasoning and you have a assertive floor general

Fast forward to last night…

We may not see it out of our team, but we got to see a championship team handle it’s business last night. The great teams win on the road, and the Celtics did more than that. After the first half they took over, and there was nothing we could do about it. Joakim Noah had his own take on it:

As good as Boston is right now, the way they run their offense, the way they play defense, that’s a completely different team than they were a year ago (in the seven-game playoff series).

Basketball Observations

• With all the negativity going around the UC, Taj Gibson has been nothing short of consistent. The kid deserves a lot of credit for becoming a force on the glass almost immediately, and his admirable effort against Perkins and KG has to be recognized.
• Rondo controlled the game, and I’m sure Brad Miller laying him out again only fired him up if anything. But Rondo has a lot to prove against Rose, with Derrick getting most of the spotlight after last season.

• Rasheed Wallace actually posted up? I didn’t think he came inside the three point line anymore….
• When the ball sticks, your have no chance against the Celtic’s defense. 1 on 1 basketball is exactly what the Celtics want you to do. With KG in the middle, a huge emphasis has to be put on swinging the ball from the strong side to weak side.

Byron Scott a possibility in Chicago?

Let’s face it, the Bulls are 8-14, sitting dead last in the Central Division. If you think the Bulls organization isn’t having internal discussions about firing VDN, your wrong. Furthermore, if you think Byron Scott’s name hasn’t been mentioned, your wrong again.

It’s a ready-made situation for Scott much like his previous jobs. He gets the point guard, a solid swing man, and the high potential power forward. In Jersey it was Kidd, Jefferson and Kenyon Martin, New Orleans he had Paul, Stojakovic and West, and in Chicago it will be Rose,Deng, and Thomas with 2010 free agency lurking as a serious wildcard.

I’m a Byron Scott guy. In my opinion, coach Scott has gotten a raw deal in all of his stops. After the Nets made the Finals two years in a row, Jason Kidd thought he cured cancer by turning the Nets into a contender and had the ego to along with the power to have Scott fired once their relationship went sour.

In New Orleans, the roster was butchered for cap purposes, David West has had lapses of disappointing play, and Scott was the fall guy once again. Can’t fire the players…

But what’s yet to be explained is Scott’s success in all of his stops. Sure, he’s had the great point guards, but he wins and goes deep into the playoffs. Not to mention, everywhere Scott goes, a big man develops.

It’s only a matter of time until Scott’s agent and Gar Foreman have dialogue. When they do, you can read about it here.

Tags: 2010 free agency, Boston Celtics, Byron Scott, Chicago Bulls, Chris Paul, David West, Derrick Rose, Doc Rivers, Jason Kidd, Joakim Noah, Kenyon Martin, Kevin Garnett, Luol Deng, New Jersey Nets, Paul Pierce, Peja Stojakovic, Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace, Ray Allen, Richard Jefferson, Tyrus Thomas