It was the game everyone has been waiting for: The reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics would start the defense of their run to the NBA Final against the new look Miami Heat.

Supposedly LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were going to easily trample everyone and anyone in their way. Things did not play out the way they thought, and Boston Celtics defeated the Miami “Super Friends” 88-80.

Wade committed a murderous 9 turnovers, and shot 25% on 4-16 from the field, Chris Bosh went 3-11, and while LeBron James managed to get his stats, he also committed a ghastly 8 turnovers as well. Only Wade has a legitimate excuse as he is recovering and playing his way back  into form after hamstring injury derailed his preseason.

Get it together fellas.

Rajon Rondo led Boston to victory with 17 assists to only 3 turnovers. While Kevin Garnett was committed 7 turnovers he managed to get a double double.

Don’t panic yet Miami fans, this is only the first game of a long season. However, if LeBron cannot find a way to get more people involved and futhermore realize he can create for others simply from the attention he draws from defenses, he might fail to get more of the non-stars involved and the Miami Heat will be facing more losses than anyone might imagine.

LeBron took 21 shots while committing 8 turnovers, but only finished with 3 assists. Something is wrong with this picture any way you look at it.

During game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals Rajon Rondo put the entire Boston Celtics roster on his back, producing a monstrous triple-double to help the Celtics equalize at 2 games apiece with Cleveland. Rondo scored 29 points, 13 assists, and might have had the ghost of Dennis Rodman possessing him while grabbing a career playoff best 18 rebounds.

How good was Rondo? Good enough for LeBron James to suggest publicly in the media, cough cough, this means you Mike Brown, that he is perfectly intent on assuming Rondo as his defensive assignment. Maybe LeBron is on to something. You kill the head, you kill the snake. Wait, well, uh, if he can get to the finals, maybe he can try this out on the Black Mamba.

Rondo just tossed out Oscar Robertson numbers in a modern day NBA playoff game. Somewhere in this world ESPN’s Bill Simmons head is exploding.

You really think this is smart LeBron?

The Cavs return to Cleveland maintaining home court advantage heading into game 5, but what possible outcomes could occur if LeBron actually guards Rondo?

Basketball ultimately is a game of good matchups, or, better yet, mismatches. Great coaches will always find ways to win with lesser or somewhat older talent (wink wink Boston) as long as they can exploit the proper mismatch at the quintessential moment.

Does anyone think assigning LeBron to defend Rondo is a good idea? I believe it creates a plethora of mismatches in favor of Boston.

Will this enable Paul Pierce to finally kick his game into gear and erupt for some meaningful scoring? If LeBron is not guarding him, who on Cleveland will be capable of adequately stopping him?

Who will Mo Williams defend? Seriously though.

Sure LeBron will reduce some of the damage Rondo can cause if he is defending Rondo, but at what ultimate price?

I strongly believe it might be the answer to Paul Pierce’s prayers. When Paul Pierce gets on track, things can get ugly for whoever Boston is playing, wherever Boston is playing, whenever Boston is playing.

So, if we see LeBron vs. Rondo, the odds are good Rondo doesn’t grab 18 rebounds or come close to scoring 29 points. Rondo might still get 13 or more assists, because Paul Pierce might finally be able to score more than handful of buckets, possibly exceeding the 20 plus plateau for the first time in this series. All of these potential incidents favor Boston.

Will that be enough for Boston to claim a road victory against the reigning MVP on his home floor? Who knows? But it will be very interesting indeed to watch.

There are 7 players making their first ever all star appearance during the 2010 NBA All Star Game: Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Gerald Wallace, and Zack Randolph.

Those noteworthy, yet snubbed, include David Lee of the Knicks, Chris Kaman of the Clippers, and Mo Williams of the Cavaliers. Better luck next season guys!

DERON WILLIAMS

Deron Williams joins fellow Olympian Kobe Bryant in Dallas. (Credit: picapp.com)

Deron Williams is long overdue. He had a legitimate grief for not being named to the game for the past two years. They finally got it right! I might be biased, but that is because I think Deron Williams is the best point guard in the business. No disrespect to Steve Nash or Chris Paul, but when I see Williams play, I feel he is more of a pure point like Nash, but has the ability to overtake a game like Paul. Only time will tell if I am right or not, but Williams size and strength play to his favor over Paul over the long haul. KEVIN DURANT

Sorry David, your All Star chances are "Rejected!" (Credit: picapp.com)

Kevin Durant is not only deserving of an All Star nod, but people should seriously consider putting his name in the MVP hat this year. He is playing brilliant basketball, has a current of 19 games with 25 points or more, his team is a respectable 24-21 and tinkering on the brink of playoff contention.

More importantly, Durant has focused on defense, and as he told me during this twitter interview, and is committed to working hard to improve on every facet of his game. His off season work has proven to be effective this year as his defense is vastly improved this season.

AL HORFORD

Horford's relentless hustle earned him an All-Star appearance. (Credit: picapp.com)

Al Horford is the quiet force in the middle for the Atlanta Hawks. He is one of the most athletic, self sacrificing big men in the NBA today. He might have lower statistical output than David Lee, but coaches understand how good Horford is. He is a walking talking double-double who would be putting up crazy numbers if he got to play his natural position, power forward. Plus, it never hurts your chances if your team has a winning record of 29-15. David Lee knows the Knicks suck, and if anyone on a losing team deserves an All Star bid it’s Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors. DERRICK ROSE

Rose is emerging as one of the leagues best in his 2nd season. (Credit: picapp.com)

Derrick Rose is the Chicago Bulls lately. He has shaken off residuals from his preseason ankle injury while steadily increasing his scoring from 16.2 in November to 23.5 in January. The result is  a 9-5 record thus far during January.

There are few players in the league that possess the “all-in-one” game that Rose has. He will defend his skills challenge this year during the all star weekend as well. I would not be too surprised to see a slam dunk contest in his future. The dude can fly.

RAJON RONDO

It's plays like this that make Rondo an All Star. (Credit: picapp.com)

Rajon Rondo has been an All-Star since day one of the NBA season. He is a vicious defender, leads the league in steals, and is only 0.3 APG away from averaging a double-double on the season. Rondo is on an elite Celtics team in the East, and he is an integral role of the team being so. His selection comes as no shocker. GERALD WALLACE

Wallace joins Duncan among the leagues elite stars. (Credit: picapp.com)

Simple fact: Gerald Wallace is a downright nasty basketball player. He rebounds (11.0 RPG), scores (18.6), and is an all-around stat machine (1.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 1.2 BPG). With the Bobcats contending for the playoffs, Wallace is a extremely deserving All Star. An winning argument could be made for him being an all star for a few years now. Now that Charlotte is winning, Wallace finally gets the nod.

You will also be able to see his insane dunking ability in the 2010 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Competition.

ZACH RANDOLPH

Randolph has revived his career in Memphis. (Credit: picapp.com)

Last, but certainly not least, is Zach Randolph. Randolph has had a stigma surrounding him his entire career. He has been considered a distraction, selfish, or a long list or other words I dare not type, by teammates, coaches, and fans alike.

This year Randolph appears to have matured, taken the Grizzlies under his wing, and is making Memphis a team nobody wants to play. They currently rank 7th in the Western Conference playoff standings, and if San Antonio does not get it together soon, the Griz might rise higher before the end of the season.

The 2010 NBA All-Star starters were named live today on TNT at 7:00 PM EST.

There has been much discussion about issues with the voting, focusing specifically on Tracy McGrady, whom played in only 6 games, averaging 3 points a game this season. He is currently at home, exiled from the Rockets as they seek out a suitor for a trade.

Allen Iverson has also been a topic of massive debate. AI has played for two teams and conferences this season, and after failing in Memphis, foudn himself back in Philly, and is about to be named to his 11th all star game. He is averaging 14.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 3 rebounds a game. Those are hardly All-Star caliber stats for a 76ers team with a losing record of 13-28.

Iverson fails in comparison to the Easts best guard, Rajon Rondo, who is averaging 14 PPG, .527 FG%, 9.6 APG, 4.1 RPG, 2.5 SPG, on a team whose winning record is 27-13.

Here are the voting results for the starters:

• Carmelo Anthony (Forward)
• Tim Duncan (Forward)
• Amar’e Stoudemire (Center)
• Kobe Bryant (Guard)
• Steve Nash (Guard)

• Kevin Garnett (Forward)
• LeBron James (Forward)
• Dwight Howard (Center)
• Dwyane Wade (Guard)
• Allen Iverson (Guard)

It is very fortunate that the Western Conference’s Steve Nash leapfrogged Tracy McGrady, ousting him in the waning moments to overtake the starting guard position. It saved the league further embarrassment after Allen Iverson was voted in.

Here is a list of players notably deserving to start:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Chris Kaman

If not Chris Kaman, Tim Duncan should have been listed on the ballot at the center position. Both players are having substantially better years for their teams than Stoudemire. Kaman has been a beast this year, and has been leading the Clippers to respectability this season.

Kevin Durant

Durant is the reason to move Duncan to center. Durant as one of the starting forwards only makes sense. Durant is the league’s third leading scorer, and his team is in playoff contention this season after only winning 23 games total last year.

The fact that he is in Oklahoma obviously hurts his chances due to low national visibility, the only reason that logically explains, albeit unjustly, Durant’s exclusion from the Western Conference starting line up.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Rajon Rondo

Rondo has experienced some of the worst bias in fan voting I have ever witnessed. Rondo has been nothing less than the best Point Guard in the Eastern Conference all season long. He is member of one of  the best teams in the East. He averages 5 more assists per game shooting 10% better from the field than Iverson.

Rondo has helped his team overcome injuries to Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and continue to win to the tune of a 27-13 record.

Aren’t All-Stars supposed to be star players on winning teams? Out of fairness to any other player starting this years All-Star game, Iverson is the only player on team with a losing record.

Ironically, the 76ers have as many wins as Boston has losses: 13. One would hope that fact alone should make voters rethink whom they vote for.

]]> http://protectthepaint.com/2010/01/21/2010-all-star-starters-announced-on-tnt/feed/ 0 http://protectthepaint.com/2009/12/30/boston-celtics-vs-phoenix-suns-nba-game-of-the-week/ http://protectthepaint.com/2009/12/30/boston-celtics-vs-phoenix-suns-nba-game-of-the-week/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:48:52 +0000 Adam Sedie http://protectthepaint.com/?p=3467

The Boston Celtics have a lot on the line tonight. They play Phoenix tonight staring a potential 3-game losing streak in the face. The game can be viewed  live on NBATV at 9:00 PM EST.

Can Garnett slow Amar'e down tonight? (Credit: picapp.com)

Phoenix is reeling with confidence after crushing the Los Angeles Lakers118-103 on Monday night. Steve Nash and the Suns have been on fire at home, boasting a 12-2 home record this year. Amar’e Stoudamire is playing like the Amar’e of old, putting up 20 and 10 over the month of December.

It has already been discussed how Boston is hurting without Paul Pierce. The Celtics have dropped off dramatically without Pierce in the line up, and have lost to the likes of the Clippers and the Warriors.

Not a good sign before heading down to Phoenix for tonight’s game.

Can Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen step it up against the Suns and push Boston over the top? Rajon Rondo has been a monster, but without a huge game from Garnett or Allen, it seems like Boston cannot put together a win.

What this game should come down to tonight is which teams second unit performs best. Boston managed to squeeze out 15 points from their bench versus the Warriors. Phoenix’s bench scored a total of 52 points against the Lakers. Jared Dudley led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds. This disparity in bench scoring favors the Suns.

How can your bench only score 15 points against Golden State? The Warriors are not taught to play defense. The Celtics will be facing the top scoring team in the league tonight. The Warriors are the second highest. You do the math.

Steve Nash disassembled the Lakers on Monday. (Credit:picapp.com)

Can Boston avoid a third straight road loss?

Will Rajon Rondo be able to slow down or aggravate Steve Nash’s game?

Can the Celtics second unit compete with the Suns?

Can Boston compete without Paul Pierce?

These seem to be the most pertinent questions heading into tonight’s game, and it will be a battle worth catching from the moment the ball tips off.

Protect the Paint brings to you  the top 5 plays of the week.

These plays highlight some spectacular plays, acrobatic moves, and impossible shots that leave people speechless and defenders with their heads down.

Shannon Brown brings the house down. (Credit: picapp.com)

Dunks, spin moves, kisses of the glass; it is all here, so check these top 5 out, and get ready for more next week. Enjoy!

#5 MONTA ELLIS

Monta makes a ridiculous circus move to the lane, twisting, turning while burning his defenders.

#4 AMARE STOUDEMIRE

Amare is making 2009-10 his year to reemerge as one of the league’s most explosive big men. During this play, Amare reminds Joel Anthony that he is not.

#3 DERRICK ROSE

It’s ironic that a player who started the season questionable,due to a sprained ankle, can be breaking player’s ankles. Anderson Varejao should consider himself quite lucky he didn’t snap his on this play.

#2 RAJON RONDO

Rondo is not known for his shooting. Defenders challenge Rondo to take the shot in most cases. With the clock winding down, Rondo nails a shot that beats the drum of former Celtics great Larry Bird.

#1 SHANNON BROWN

Brown almost gave himself a new fade to his hairdo, using the rim! Shannon goes loose cannon while he chops Dallas into “Sallad”