A Celtics state of mind - pushing for change



After losing their fifth straight against the New York Knicks, Rajon Rondo said an interesting thing in his post game interview, "Paul Pierce can't be the only one drawing fouls."

Paul Pierce is considered to be Mr. Celtic. He's the lone active Celtic player to have more than a fleeting memory of Red Auerbach.  Pierce cut his NBA teeth in the tradition of what it means to have the word "Celtics" across your chest and act like  it.

However, PP has to realize that this isn't 2008 and he must accept the fact, that he can no longer carry the load. His first half outburst of 19 points was a thing of beauty, it was vintage Pierce. The second half saw him revert back to playing the hero-ball we have become accustomed to seeing from him lately. His feeble one-handed attempt at catching Rondo's pass fed into his need to save the day.   

The point is, Boston doesn't have the mental toughness needed to compliment the fact that the team played with effort.  Jason Terry has lost his mojo and Brandon Bass has lost the incentive to play consistently hard every night.  Why Doc Rivers continues to start Bass is a question that is waiting to be answered, because a lineup of Pierce and Green seems to be better suited for the way the game is played today.

This would accomplish two things, take some of the pressure off of Paul to be the man for all possessions and do a better job of integrating Green into the team.

It looks like Doc is guilty of pulling a D'Antoni. He refuses to change the offense in-order to maximize his players' skills.  He can't say that this is Rondo's team in one breath and still run the offense through Pierce.  Last night was a great example of how Doc and Danny are wasting Rondo's talents by running an antiquated offense.  Doc can give his diagnosis on team play all he wants, but the Celtics will continue to be also-rans without making changes to his system.