eitanr wrote:I think with his shooting numbers and ability to shoot Boston out of games, he hasn't been as great as we thought he could be. Maybe not a major dissappointment, but honestly, you guys didn't think he would be better.
You're delusional. The Celtics have only lost 9 games this year. And Ray wasn't on the court for one of them, so we're talking about just 8 losses when Ray has played.
Here's a look at his numbers in those 8 losses:
@ ORL L 102 - 104
7-17, 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 TO's
Conclusion: Not Ray's best night. Basically scored his average, but struggled mightly in the 4th. Pierce had an excellent game (28 points) but KG fouled out and scored just 14 points.
If you had to blame someone?: Ray and KG.
@ CLE L 104 - 109 (OT)
10 - 25, 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO's
Conclusion: Ray came up short at the free throw line in regulation. But let's be honest, he was the reason the Celtics were in the game to begin with. Pierce had a terrible game (16 points on 5-15 shooting, 4 TO's). Note to Doc, don't play Ray 49 minutes.
If you had to blame someone?: Pierce
vs. DET L 85 - 87
9-13, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Conclusion: Probably Ray's best performance in a loss this season. Simply put, he was amazing in this game. Meanwhile, Pierce was awful (5-16 shooting, 11 points, 4 TO's).
If you had to blame someone?: Pierce and Tony Allen.
@ WAS L 78 - 85
3-13, 8 points, 3 TO's
Conclusion: Horrible game by Ray. Pierce wasn't very good either (5-13 shooting, 15 points, 6 TO's). It's important to note that Rondo didn't play and TA started at point.
If you had to blame someone?: Ray, Pierce, and Rondo's injury.
vs. WAS L 83 - 88
5-14, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 TO's
Conclusion: Pretty mediocre game by Ray. Pierce was slightly better (18 points on 7-15 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 TO's) but definitely not up to his standards either.
If you had to blame someone?: Ray and Pierce.
vs. TOR L 112 - 114
7-16, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 TO
Conclusion: Average game by Ray. Pierce was about the same if not a little worse (19 points, 8-20 shooting, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 TO's). The real story in this game was the Raptors shooting a mind boggling 15-21 from deep.
If you had to blame someone?: Ray, Pierce, and the Raptors insane 3-point shooting.
@ ORL L 93 - 96
7-18, 17 points
Conclusion: Mediocre game. Ray failed to fill up the stat sheet in the other categories. Pierce had a good game (9-18 shooting, 24 points, 9 boards). No KG in this game.
If you had to blame someone?: Ray Allen and KG's injury.
@ CLE L 113 - 114
8-13, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4 TO's
Conclusion: Strong game by Ray. Pierce shot a decent clip from the field (8-15, 19 points) but he didn't crash the boards (2 rebounds) like he usually does. Again, No KG in this game.
If you had to blame someone?: Pierce and KG's injury.
What that brief analysis tells me is that when the Celtics lose, it's usually because two out of the Celtics big three had lousy games. In other words, it's not Ray Allen who has shot the Celtics out games this season, it's been Ray Allen and Pierce both struggling on the same night (and occasionally even KG). And when Ray and Pierce have played without KG, I'd argue that Ray failed to show up against Orlando, and Pierce failed to show up against Cleveland. So at the end of the day, we're talking about one loss that can be attributed to Ray, and one loss that falls on Pierce. And again, those two games were without KG...
As a closing thought, let me just reiterate that the beauty of the big three is that all three players don't have to bring their "A" game on the same night to get a win. So rather than get worked up about what Ray or Pierce isn't bringing to the table on a given night, you should be taking solace in the fact than more often than not, Ray has Pierce's back and Pierce has Ray's back...And of course, KG (when healthy) almost always brings it.