Another recurring feature: the blame game/credit where credit is due. They'll both come after important wins/losses (usually sooner than this one, but I'll get to the reasons for that in the official introduction post.) Anyway, the idea is to assign percent values to the players/coaches/officials/supernatural forces responsible for losing/winning. These numbers are scientific, ironclad, and not-to-be-debated.
Brad Miller- 25%
Part of it is the free throws, but not as much as you might think (I missed the front end of a one-and-one, up 2 with 30 seconds left in our playoff game Monday night, so I sympathize.) It's also the matter of the stupid turnovers (3 this game) and lack of defensive rotation. The only reason Miller is in there is for his offense, if he's not helping on that end, why not give more minutes to Tyrus?
VDN- 25%
I'm a Vinny hater. But I have to give him credit for the play he drew up at the end of the game. I mean, maybe it was Vinny's strategy to constantly draw up off-balance 3s for Ben all year, just so when he really needed to the Celtics would triple-team BG coming off the screen, just because Vinny can't come up with anything else. So there's that, but I'm still mad at Vinny for these 2 things:
1. It's the coaches job to keep his players egos in check. And I know BG needs his shots. But at some point, can't VDN tell BG to pass the damn ball and run the offense every once in a while?
2. Salmons isn't long enough to keep Pierce from getting his shot off whenever he wants to. But when it comes to the end of the game, and you have the ability to use offense-defense substitutions, and Salmons has been burnt twice, how about using Tyrus on Pierce?
Derrick- 25%
If we're winning this series, Derrick needs to start looking for his shot earlier. You don't have to just take it to the hole every time (where you are getting murdered, but I'll get to that in a second,) stop and take the pull-up j every once in awhile (it's been conspicuously absent the last few games.) Stop worrying about Salmons' and BG's egos and take over.
Also, stop with the stupid turnovers. We're holding you above rookie standards, whether that's fair or not.
BG- 15%
Did you see the look in Ben's eye after Miller missed the first free throw? His inner monologue was I don't care if all 5 Celtics were on me and I was falling out of bounds from 40 feet, I was hitting the game winning 3 if you passed me the ball. At some point the gun-slinger mentality you want in a shooter is a detriment to the team, and I think Ben crosses the line a lot (like in the 2nd overtime on Sunday, when he didn't pass the ball the first 4 possessions.) You have teammates, Ben, and just because your weird, off-balance shots fall in sometimes does not mean any shot they might take is a bad one.
Referees- 10%
The flagrant foul issue is story for another day. And I understand Celtics fans are just as mad as Bulls fans. But just once I want to see Derrick get the respect Rondo is getting when he goes strong to the hole.
Absolved:
Tyrus (didn't play enough down the stretch, took less bad shots this game.)
Kirk (kept us in it in the first half.)
Salmons (nothing great, nothing terrible. Played good D on Pierce, just nothing more he could have done.)
Joakim (been an absolute beast this series.)
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