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| Paul Pierce did all he could last night, and he played with no regrets. |
There's a lot that could've, would've, and should've happened for the Celtics.
Rajon Rondo said afterwards, "I should have taken the lay-up."
Kevin Garnett said, "I should have been more aggressive in that situation."
When speaking about Garnett, Doc Rivers responded, "He should probably always shoot it."
Courtney Lee chimed in, "This is definitely one we could have got."
These remarks show a team that has a lot of regrets about how they played. Although Rivers thought the team played hard, that doesn't always guarantee good play.
What it comes down to is being smart and knowing your strengths from your weaknesses. Let's start with Rajon Rondo.
Rondo got the last shot at the end of regulation and at the end of overtime. According to Rivers, the last play of the fourth quarter was supposed to be a drive to the basket by Rondo, and from there he would either take the layup if he had it or dish it out to KG for a jumper. Neither of that happened, and Rondo settled for a jump shot. Although he's leading all NBA guards in field-goal percentage at 51.4%, and although he's shooting 49% on shots 16-23 feet from the basket, we all know that that shot is not Rondo's forte.
I said it last night and I'll repeat it again, this team is unstoppable when Rondo is in attack mode. I didn't agree with Rivers calling the last play in regulation for him. Paul Pierce has been that guy who typically gets the last shot, and deservedly so. I understand Rivers' thinking: he wants to show Rondo that he has total confidence in him, and this is part of the transition of the Celtics becoming Rondo's team. If that is to be the case, he needs to step up and make the right decision.
As for the last play in overtime, I guess that was the basketball gods punishing him for making a stupid decision. He slipped, I can deal with it. It happens. But he knows he should've gone for the layup.
Next up, Kevin Garnett. Garnett's biggest strength is his biggest weakness: his selflessness. KG has been and always will be a pass-first guy, but sometimes that can bite him in the rear. Last night was one of those times.
"We wanted Kevin to take the shot," said Rivers. "He should probably always shoot. But if he thought a guy had a lay-up, then he made the right decision." If Garnett got the ball, made his signature shake-and-bake move, and turned around for the jumper, I can almost guarantee that Celtics fans would've been talking about a thrilling victory instead of a heart-breaking defeat. Garnett hit the game-tying shot in regulation, so why not ride him?
Lastly, Courtney Lee. After the game, Rivers admitted that he mishandled Lee's minutes and said it was unfair to put Lee on the floor in such a critical point in the game after sitting for a long period of time. Lee started the fourth quarter, went to the bench with 9:49 to play, entered the game for a few seconds at the end of the fourth, went back to the bench, then finally came into overtime with 1:09 to play. From there, things went south for Lee in a hurry.
For a guy who came into the game shooting 24% from beyond the arc, it was probably not a good idea to have him shoot that shot in the first place. Throw in the fact that he was on the bench for an extended amount of time and the magnitude of the shot and you have a recipe for absolute disaster. And that's what happened. Lee airballed the shot, gave Philly another possession, and Evan Turner hit the game-winning shot. Yes, Lee was wide-open. But you have to know your limits and know the situation.
The Celtics know they let this one get away. Now they must redeem themselves and make sure they play smart basketball. They have to play the game without any regrets.
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