The NBA needs to relegate teams to the D-League

The Celtics beat the 76ers last night 105-87. It was the 22nd loss of the season for Philadelphia.

How bad are the 76ers? They're below .100. They're on pace to go 7-75. Fifteen NFL teams have more than 7 wins. Even the NFC South winner might win more than 7 games. And in baseball, 10 teams lost fewer than 75 times.

As bad as the 76ers are, they're only 2 games behind the 5-21 Knicks. The NBA cellar is cluttered with crappy teams. There are 6 teams below .300. Nine teams, including your Boston Celtics, have yet to reach double digit wins.

There is an incentive to play poorly in the NBA. The enticing allure of the draft lottery rewards bad teams. While the top 10 teams fight for playoff positioning, the bottom 10 fight for lottery positioning. Even if they're not tanking, the games are meaningless, especially when two basement dwellers face each other.

What would change that? What would not only motivate bottom third teams to win, but also add some interest and drama for the fans of those struggling teams? One word:

Relegation.

In European soccer at the end of the season the bottom teams in the league are demoted, while top teams from a lower level are promoted. In England, for example, the bottom 3 teams in the Premier League are relegated to the second tier league (called The Championship), and 3 teams from that level move up to the Premier League.

With relegation comes dramatically reduced TV money. And of course the top players don't want to play in the secondary league, so they leave. Stadium attendance goes down. It's a horrible fate that teams fight tooth and nail to avoid. Which is the exact opposite of how NBA teams at the bottom of the standings play.

The threat of relegation would make the bad teams at least try. It would also make make their games meaningful, especially when they faced each other. If the bottom 3 teams this season were to be demoted, the Celtics would currently stand 4.5 games clear of the danger zone. This proximity to danger would make their games much more relevant than they are now.

Oh, and if you get relegated, you don't get a top draft pick. The NBA wouldn't want its most talented and marketable rookies wasting away in a secondary league.

So I propose the NBA add 6 new teams for a total of 36, demote the bottom 9 teams from the current league, and then have a 21 team NBA, and a 15 team NBA Jr. No more east/west conferences or divisions, just 21 teams that play every other team 4 times (80 game season). At the end of the season the worst team in the NBA will be relegated, the best team in NBA Jr. will be promoted, the second and third worst NBA teams will play the second and third best Jr. teams in a single-elimination playoff, with the winner given a spot in the NBA. And for the draft lottery, NBA Jr. teams will be ineligible for the top 5 picks.

In the NBA the top 16 teams will make the playoffs, just as they do now. The 17th and 18th teams will be fighting for playoff spots but also fighting to avoid relegation. 19th and 20th will have to beat NBA Jr. teams to remain in the NBA. And 21st is automatically demoted.

The top NBA Jr. team wins automatic promotion. And the next 2 teams get a chance to join the NBA. We can even have 3rd through 6th play elimination series to determine the 3rd place team.

So instead of the 5 to 10 legitimate contenders with something real to play for (with the bottom 5 having something to lose for), we'll have about 30 teams, all with something to play for. Some teams contending for a championship, some to stay in the NBA, some to move up to the NBA.

Of course, this means that teams in New York and LA and Boston and Philly might find themselves being in a second level. But how is that significantly different from the NBA this season?

RELEGATORS...

Mount up.

Photo Credit:
The Revolving Door

Are the 76ers and Celtics Like the Tortoise and the Hare?

Watching the Celtics and 76ers series reminded me of a story from when we were kids. The tortoise and the hare. The two race each other, and the fast hare jumps out to an early lead, but arrogantly stops to take a nap. The tortoise keeps moving forward. "Slow and steady wins the race," he repeats. Eventually, the tortoise wins the race. Teaching a lesson that just because you're naturally more gifted doesn't mean you can fuck around and still win.

In my version of the tortoise and the hare, I'd have the hare purposely losing the race because he bet on the tortoise in Vegas. Then he gets killed by mob guys who lost money betting on him.

Anyway, the Celtics remind me of the hare. Their record in games that they can eliminate an opponent speaks for itself. They struggle to beat teams that they've already beaten 3 times. That's weird.

They take a kind of break. Instead of 110%, they only give 95%. No big deal, right? So long as there's enough gas in the tank to win when it matters, then fine.

What worries me a bit is that in this series, I don't know if they can just step it up for Game 7 and be the odds on favorite to win. I have a feeling like maybe they've let the 76ers stick around for too long. And now Bradley is out. His replacement Ray Allen isn't capable of playing a full game of productive basketball (on either side of the ball).

The Celtics are more talented than the 76ers. But that advantage is hedged by the Celtics' age and health.

The 76ers have also shown more character in this series than the Celtics have. They've won a game in Boston, they've outplayed the Celtics in close 4th quarters, they've recovered after getting blown out, they came back from a 17 point 3rd quarter deficit to win. They have taken full advantage of every opportunity the Celtics have given them.

The C's have not taken advantage of the opportunities given to them by the 76ers.

The Celtics are still the hare. It's their game to lose. In the fable, if the hare simply stopped fooling around and picked up the pace, he would have beaten the tortoise. That's what the Celtics have yet to do but still can do.

Celtics Play Ugly in Philadelphia

If the Celtics lose this series, they really can't blame anyone but themselves. There was that collapse in Game 4, then this abomination. I'm sure some will point to injuries, but the 76ers just aren't that good. The Celtics played like crap last night and still had a shot to win the game.

The Celtics shot 26 of 78, or 33.3% from the field. They have NEVER shot that poorly since KG and Ray Allen donned the uniform. The last time they shot as bad as that was on January 7, 2007. They shot 23 of 73 (31.5%) and lost to Orlando. It was game #1 of an 18 game losing streak.

Last night they also turned the ball over 17 times. And these were mostly unforced, stupid, careless decisions.

They were dominated in the paint. The 76ers scored 42 of their 82 in the paint. The Celtics only scored 16 points down low. They did, however, get to the free throw line. Which allowed them to stay close until the 4th quarter. The Celtics also did a good job rebounding the ball. 48-37 in their favor. Including 14 offensive rebounds. If they had shot better, they really could have taken full advantage of those extra opportunities.

The win was there for the Celtics to take. They just didn't grab it.

Ray Allen looked hurt. He had trouble keeping up on defense, and he can't shoot. I don't want to see much of him in Game 7. It's not his fault, but he's more of a liability than an asset. It looks like Bradley will miss Game 7, so maybe Allen will have to play. I just don't want to see him playing a pivotal role, offensively or defensively.

Pierce and Garnett combined for 44 of the Celtics' points. Apart from those two, the Celtics hit only 12 field goals, and shot 25.5%. That's absolutely, inexcusably horrific. Bass was 2 for 12, Rondo was 4 of 14. The Celtics missed layups, jump shots, everything.

This team does stuff like this. They can beat an opponent with ease, then they make things difficult for themselves. They crushed Atlanta one night, then lost their next game to them. They've crushed Philly twice in this series, then lost both follow-up games.

Game 7 Saturday evening or night, depending on what happens in Indiana tonight.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Kevin Garnett Calls Philly Fans "Fair-Weathered"

I love how much the media giggles at KG's jokes. Such jock sniffers.

Anyway, I know this was a passing remark. But of all the cities to accuse of having "fair-weathered" fans, Philadelphia would be at the bottom of my list.

Just as a warning to any Philadelphia fans reading this, prepare for some backhanded compliments as I compliment your loyalty while simultaneously insulting your teams.

Before 1980, Philadelphia fans were enduring a World Series drought that was longer than the Cubs'. They hadn't won a World Series in their existence (established in 1883) until 1980. 97 years of futility. Even now, the Phillies have the same number of rings as the Cubs. The Phillies were the first team to rack up 10,000 losses. And even though they've had success recently, they're still 1,056 games under .500 as a franchise.

Yet Philly fans were still there, still hurling AAs at JD Drew when he was a Cardinal. If the movie Rookie of the Year had been set in Philly, the kid would have been discovered at the Vet because he could throw a battery from the outfield to home plate without it bouncing.

Then we have the Eagles. The little brother of the NFC East. Dallas has 5 Super Bowls, The Giants have 4 (plus 4 pre-SB titles), the Redskins have 3 (5 total titles), and the Eagles have 0. They do have 3 pre-Super Bowl titles, but who cares? Their last championship was won in 1960.

The Eagles have had their share of good teams. They've been consistent contenders. But have also been consistent chokers. They're run of three straight NFC Championship losses is legendary. Then they actually make the Super Bowl and Donovan McNabb gets indigestion.

Yet Eagle fans are among the most loyal (and they won't hesitate to remind you of that) fanbases in the NFL. Just look at the wide variety of jerseys worn at an Eagles game. The throwbacks seen aren't new editions of old jerseys. The jerseys are vintage. These fans have been obsessing over their pathetic team for years.

Then there's the Flyers, who haven't won the Cup since 1975. The 76ers have won 2 titles in Philly, the most recent in 1983.

Philadelphia has seen 14 major championships. 5 of those were won by the Philadelphia Athletics, so I'm not sure those count. The 9 titles won by Philly's current teams took 300 total seasons to accomplish. And Philly teams have only 1 title since 1983 (1 title in over 110 seasons).

Yet Philly fans adamantly support their teams. I think it's really unfair of Kevin Garnett to call Philly's fans "fair-weathered." They've endured some shitty weather in Philly and stayed in their seats to cheer/boo their teams.

And it's not like we don't have fair-weather fans up here in Boston. Garnett doesn't know that, of course, because the weather's been great in Boston since his arrival in 2007.

Celtics Pull Away, Take Series Lead

The Celtics gradually pulled away in the second half to win this game. After halftime, they seemed more committed to playing defense, more committed to denying Philadelphia the chance to stay close. The Celtics didn't try to engage in a scoring contest. They focused on defense, the offense followed, and the 76ers were shut down.

The C's scored 54 points in the second half. Which is very good. Even better, though, is that they allowed 35. Just 35 points in a half of basketball.

The Celtics can play an offensive-focused game against the 76ers, and they might win some times, lose other times. But if they focus on defense and execute properly, they'll always win. At least they should.

Garnett had a good game. KG has done well in all 3 of the Celtics' wins in this series. He's done poorly in both losses. As KG goes, so go the Celtics. He had some senior-moments in the first half. But he stopped making defensive mistakes in the 2nd quarter, started scoring some points, and getting to the line.

Brandon Bass had a big night, which was needed with Avery Bradley sidelined. 27 points, 6 rebounds. He really stepped up when the Celtics needed someone to step up.

Rondo and Pierce each had good games. Nothing amazing, nothing disappointing.

Ray Allen played some good defense in the 4th. And hit one big shot.

The Celtics went back to basics with this one. It was about team-defense, about applying pressure to Philly, and about working to get the open shot. Ray Allen only had 7 field goal attempts, and I like that. He shouldn't be shooting unless the look is good. KG showed up offensively in the 2nd quarter, then defensively in the second half. Brandon Bass stepped up big time.

Celtics can close the series out Wednesday night in Philly.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Celtics Can't Close

When the Celtics pulled out to a 14-0 lead, I think we were all thinking the same thing: This is over. Both the game, and the series. The 76ers had been demoralized and beaten into submission. It was only a matter of playing out the remainder of the series.

Maybe the Celtics felt the same thing, because they gradually let their intensity peter out. The 76ers turned things around in the 3rd quarter. The Celtics didn't hit a field goal for the first 7 minutes. Philadelphia went on a 13-2 run and were suddenly within striking distance entering the 4th quarter.

But still, these are the Celtics. The veteran team. The ones with Championship experience. They'd prevail in a close 4th quarter. Right?

All the Celtics should want to forget what they did in the 4th quarter. Intercepted passes (4 of them), KG's travelling, missed shots, bad decisions on shots. They allowed the 76ers to get 6 offensive rebounds in the 4th. That's more than the Celtics had the entire game (5).

Kevin Garnett had a horrible 4th quarter. He had a horrible game. Only 3 for 12 shooting.

The Celtics lost their composure. Maybe the 76ers got under their skin with some rough play in the 3rd. Maybe the Celtics tried so hard not to engage in such shenanigans, that they lost their focus and intensity. Whatever the reason, the Celtics didn't play Celtics basketball in the 4th. At least, they didn't execute Celtics basketball in the 4th.

I'm tired of watching Ray Allen flying in the air, his flight path perpendicular to the shot, trying to make desperate jumpers with plenty of time on the shot-clock. He did that in Game 2, and he had an ugly looking 26 foot attempt in Game 4. He's trying to be Derek Jeter or something, throwing off-balance in mid-air, across his body.

The Celtics seem too committed to getting Allen the ball in certain situations. And I don't like that. If the shot isn't there, it isn't there. There needs to be a Plan B.

Ray Allen might be the least criticized athlete in Boston. He's quiet. He just does his job. And since he's "a shooter," it's understood that he'll go through cold streaks. He was cold Friday night. 2 for 6 from the field, 1 for 4 with his three-pointers, and the Celtics were an abysmal -24 when he was on the floor.

The bench as a whole didn't contribute much. With Garnett missing his shots, they could have used a strong bench performance. That's more on KG's shoulders than the bench's, though.

We've seen the Celtics lose two close 4th quarter games, and win one. We've seen them blow the 76ers out. We've seen them lose a big lead.

I think we can give Philadelphia some serious credit for a pair of good 4th quarter performances. And even more credit for coming back from a 17 point 3rd quarter deficit. They've certainly got more character than Atlanta. And the Celtics can't afford to ease off the throttle and relax anymore.

The 76ers have an aggressive instinct about them. And they'll attack any sign of weakness. They have alligator blood.

Game 5 tonight in Boston.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Celtics Dominate 76ers

I thought the Celtics would win, but it would be close and low-scoring. As long as I got the first one right, I'm happy.

Paul Pierce isn't injured. He might be experiencing some pain, some wear and tear. But he's not injured. He scored 24 points, he drove to the hole all night (14 free throws) and hauled in 12 rebounds.

All the Celtics played more aggressively. It seemed like they didn't want to wait for the 4th quarter to win. They wanted to win in the 2nd and 3rd. And they did. Convincingly so.

Rondo was amazing. He took his shots, scoring 23. And he had 14 assists.

Garnett also had a big night. 13 rebounds and 27 points.

All the Celtics were physical. They ran all over the 76ers. They sped the game up. Before this series, the experts didn't think the Celtics could play a full court game against the 76ers and be successful. The C's proved that wrong last night.

The Celtics have Rondo. And Rondo can run all day. And by speeding up the pace of the game, the Celtics put the pressure on the 76ers to execute on every possession. You could almost hear the Celtics collectively saying "Try to keep up with us." The 76ers started making mistakes, turning the ball over, missing shots. It wasn't rampant, but it was enough to give the C's chances to add to their lead, and also add to the pressure.

The Celtics sprinted in the first three quarters, then walked through the 4th. But by then, they had a big enough lead that they didn't need to run anymore. So essentially, it was a 3 quarter game. The Celtics can run for 3 quarters. And after running, they're better at executing than the 76ers.

There are simply too many weapons on this team to lose a series to Philadelphia. The 76ers aren't equipped to stop Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo every night. Now Pierce has started his engine, KG is rolling, and Rondo is red hot. Which is more likely, that two of these guys are shut down, or that Lavoy Allen will score 10 and get 8 rebounds off the bench?

Game 4 Friday night in Philly.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Celtics Can't Complete Comeback

Let me start with the illegal screen Kevin Garnett was called for. It was a foul. Stop complaining about it, people. I'll talk more about that call later.

The 82-81 score is misleadingly close. The game was tight, but not that tight.

The Celtics dug themselves a hole again. But they couldn't recapture the same clutchness that propelled them to victory in Game 1. Frankly, they didn't play very well in the 4th quarter after they'd made it a close game. They had several chances to take the lead from Philly, but didn't hit the shots.

Then there were some bad decisions. Why is Rajon Rondo shooting jumpshots with less than a minute left? I'm a big Rondo supporter, and don't mind him shooting when he wants to, but in that situation? The Celtics had let the shot clock tick down and Rondo didn't have much of a choice. But why let it come to that?

Philly had turned the ball over with a shot clock violation. Rondo took the ball up the court. KG was setting screens, trying to get Ray Allen open. Pierce and Bradley were on the other side of the court standing around. Rondo was also standing still, directing Garnett and Allen. The shot clock ticked away and Rondo missed a rushed 16 footer.

Philly got the rebound and Evan Turner gave them a 76-75 lead.

The Celtics wasted an opportunity. The 76ers took advantage of one.

After that, Ray Allen missed a weird sideways fade-away. There was time for the Celtics to work for a better shot (13 seconds on the shot clock), but I guess the called play was to get Allen the ball. He got it. He wasn't in good shooting position. He shot. He missed. Philly scored again.

Then it was 78-75, and that's when Garnett committed a foul. And notice how I phrased that. I didn't say "was called for a foul." He committed a foul. The ref called it. Boston is exploding in rage over an official making a correct call.

There will be moaning from Celtics fans about how it was a foul but the ref shouldn't have called it because there were 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter. So the ref made the right call at the wrong time?

There's some weight to that argument, but not much. It was a foul. Garnett was called for the same thing earlier in the 4th.

And the Celtics were still down by 3 even if the call isn't made.

I hate NBA officiating. It's one of the reasons I find regular season games almost unbearable to watch. The refs are inconsistent. To me, it's an unpredictable variable. Like the weather. The key is to be good enough to win in any weather, or win no matter what inconsistency the refs have on a given night. Last night's inconsistency was that KG was called for the same foul at 7:46 and at 0:10 of the 4th.

The Celtics weren't good enough last night, regardless of what the refs called. Before KG's foul, Rondo messed up, Allen messed up, they missed shots, they scored a total of 24 points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, they allowed Philadelphia to go on a 14-0 run in the 3rd quarter.

There are legitimate things the Celtics have had to struggle through. Pierce is clearly hurt. Losing Bradley for most of the game had an impact. But the refs didn't cost the Celtics this game. The Celtics cost themselves the game.

Game 3 in Philly Wednesday night. I'm still very confident.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Celtics Are Grinders, 76ers Are Hoagies

Not only does the word "grinder" aptly describe the Celtics and how they play, but it also irritates Philadelphians when you call a sub a grinder.

The moment that encapsulated the game was in the 4th when Avery Bradley blocked a Lou Williams layup, Rondo took the ball down the court, handed it off to KG, who made the layup and got fouled. Philly had an 84-83 lead with the ball with 3 minutes left. So instead of the Celtics trailing 83 to 86, they go up 86 to 84. A 5 point swing in one sequence.

After that, it was the Celtics' game to lose.

Kevin Garnett had another fantastic game on both sides of the ball. 29 points (9 in the 4th), 11 rebounds, and superb defense. The C's were behind for most of this game, but were able to stay close and eventually comeback because their defense contained the 76ers.

KG had help. Pierce had an off shooting night, but made all his free throws and finished with 14 points. He also had 6 assists, and 4 of those came in the 4th. Rondo had 13 points and 17 assists. As a team, the 76ers only managed 19. Bass had 10 points, Bradley had 8. Ray Allen scored 12 off the bench.

The Celtics didn't even shoot that well, and they won. They were 2/18 with their three-point attempts. And both teams shot exactly the same from the field (36/82, 43.9%).

When Pierce and Allen start hitting shots and dropping 20+ points, this could get very fun to watch.

Game 2 Monday night.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Adios, Atlanta

The Celtics weren't blatantly more talented than the Hawks. This wasn't a case of a clearly superior team outclassing an inferior opponent. This was about being clutch, about putting yourself in position to make big plays and then executing. The Celtics were clutch in this series. The Hawks weren't. Just look at the last minute of Game 6 as Exhibit A.

The Celtics needed a big game out of Kevin Garnett and they got one. 28 points, 14 rebounds, he was a monster. And he made the shot that gave the Celtics the lead with 30 seconds left. Pierce, Rondo, and Garnett have each taken turns carrying this team. They take the pressure off each other, and they step up when the others need them.

The last time Rondo didn't have 10+ assists was March 9th. He only had 8 last night. But like I said, when one of the stars is off, the others step up. It's like having a car with three engines.

Bradley, Bass, and the bench didn't provide much offense, but the defense was able to hold Atlanta at bay. That's KG again. The Celtics missed their three-pointers, but they got to the line (and made their free throws). They didn't put the Hawks on the line. That was a big difference maker.

Because the NBA doesn't re-seed after each round, the Celtics face the 76ers in the Conference Semifinals. That means the Celtics have home-court advantage (3-0 against Atlanta at home, 24-9 at home in the regular season). It's a silly system, but I'll take it this year. That series starts tomorrow in Boston.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Celtics Take Command in Atlantic

The Celtics rolled over the 76ers last night, and by doing so extended their lead in the Atlantic Division to 3 games over Philadelphia and New York. With only 10 games remaining, the Celtics are growing closer and closer to clinching a top 4 seed in the playoffs, as well as home-court advantage in the first round.

Avery Bradley continues to impress. He dropped 18 points last night. It was a total team effort for the C's. Garnett scored 20, Brandon Bass had 18, and Pierce had 17. Rondo had 15 assists. Ray Allen had 10 points off the bench. That's a weird sentence to write.

I'm still not overly confident about a deep playoff run, but home-court should be a huge advantage. The Celtics are 20-9 at home this year, and 12-15 on the road.

And I don't think anyone wants to draw them in the playoffs, in any round. Garnett, Rondo, Pierce, now Bradley and Bass, and Allen off the bench. That's scary.

Celtics take their talents to South Beach Tuesday night.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo