…. why Tony Allen doesn’t play anymore?
One of the loudest calls (used in support of the “fire Doc now” argument”) after game 4 was “where was Tony Allen? Isn’t he supposed to our defensive specialist?”
I’m just curious… after seeing him airball a 3… and then seconds later foul Joe Johnson while taking a 3… do you still think Doc is an idiot for not playing him in game 4?
Just FYI… Tony Allen played his way out of those minutes at the end of the season… and he reminded us of that last night. You want to know why Joe Johnson didn’t break out and go completely nuts last night? Team defense. Ray Allen still checked him… but unlike game 4… Ray got help. Ray got help all season long… when we all knew he wasn’t a good 1-on-1 defender. Game 4 showed us what happens when you hang someone out to dry. Game 5 showed us what happens when the team helps on D.
Sorry TA… hope you do well on your next team. I don’t think we’ll be seeing much more of you on the court for the C’s.
You’ve got to be crazy…. this argument is so flawed…. i have a paper due in about 30 minutes so I can’t explain now, but I will later.
I look forward to you explaining how Tony Allen earned the right to play at a crucial time in a playoff game.
I completely agree with your assessment of how TA played himself out of the playoffs down the stretch. For a while, I wanted TA on the floor in place of House because instead of having an offensive game consisting only of spot 3s, Allen was good at attacking the basket/creating shots. But he blew big time in the last month and was painful to watch. I’m all for giving a guy a chance to get his rythem back….just not in the playoffs.
He was the only Celtic with a negative +/- for the game….
http://www.nba.com/games/20080430/ATLBOS/boxscore.html
Now, I want TA to contribute, but if he can’t then I don’t want to see him. Tough love.
Come on guys, Tony is a little rusty. And that Joe Johnson foul could’ve gone either way. Other than those 3 free throws, Joe Johnson wasn’t doing anything when Tony was guarding him. I agree that the team defense stepped up in game 5 , but when the team defense is not clicking you need guys with defensive skills to make the stops. TA has got those skills. Putting TA in for some situational D or to disrupt the other teams premier scorer is all we need from Tony. No 3’s or outside shots, just hard D, and an occasional drive to the basket. Just give Tony 5 minutes a game and I don’t think he can possibly hurt us bad as you make him out to be.
drunk by the pool bar in maui, even I could still see your points about TA. I think I was wrong about him being a stopper, his head just is not there.
I have to say, I haven’t seen many games this year( just workign too much…) BUT– it was VERY evident that Tony was lost on the floor last night. As a coach it was painful to watch. If you watched the game it was pretty obvious he didn’t belong out there last night.
I love Tony’s athleticism, but his head just wasn’t in the game last night.
I have to say, I haven’t seen many games this year( just working too much…) BUT– it was VERY evident that Tony was lost on the floor last night. As a coach it was painful to watch. If you watched the game it was pretty obvious he didn’t belong out there last night.
I love Tony’s athleticism, but his head just wasn’t in the game last night.
Tony was just missing his headband, that’s all. I still prefer a younger, more energetic defender on a shooter, just to disrupt his shot, fight through the picks and maybe get in his head. And if Joe Johnson, Wally or RIP chooses to drive to the hoop instead, that takes away there best attribute and brings the TEAM defense into play-i.e. Perk/KG/Powe padding there block/rebound stats.
You’re just being another reactionary fan, instead of thinking through your claims. Did Tony look awful last night? YES. You even forgot to mention the pass that he threw into the first row and was bailed out by a bad call. However, the most important thing with Tony is confidence. He’s such a nutcase that he needs for people (coaches, not fans) to believe in him and give him the minutes to get comfortable and play his game. John, you were a player right? I’m sure at some point in your playing days you experienced a stretch where you had to work your way from the end of the bench into the rotation. It’s pretty hard to do when every second you play you feel like you can’t make a mistake and you have to prove your worth. That’s what Tony feels like right now. However, as he has shown in the past, when he plays extended minutes, he is one of the more effective players on the Celtics. Let’s look at the games in which Tony played over 30 minutes this season: @NJ (5-9 18 pts, 5rbs, 3 ast, 1 TO), @MIL (6-10 17 pts), @MIA (20 pts, 6 ast, 2blk, 2stl, highest +/- on team), @LA (16 points, highest +/- on team), @TOR (10 pts highest +/- on team), MIL (11 pts, 4stls, 2nd highest +/- on team). When Tony feels like he belongs on the court, he belongs on the court. When he feels like he has to prove himself, he belongs in the NBDL.
What was the most memorable TA blunder of the year? The foul on Billups right? Well, think about this. The two games before that Detrot game Tony played 33 minutes @MIL and 44 minutes @(TOR) and performed well as illustrated by the numbers above and the fact Michael Redd was held to 7 points in the MIL game. Want to know why Tony committed the foul on Billups…. because he only played 4 minutes in that game. 33, 44, then 4. He felt like he had to make something happen that game, just as he did last night. So all I’m saying is give him say, 12 minutes instead of 4, and I think the results will be drastically better.
So you guys are saying you would rather see TA coming off the bench before Posey, Cassell.. or even E. House? Yeah I didn’t think so. Whats wrong with having TA off the bench after them.. nothing!! You can’t deny that everytime he’s come off the bench he’s stunk it up. & if your argument is based on more minutes.. well then he should definitely sit because he’s only going to play a hand full of minutes at best.
So TA enjoy the ride because you’ll be packing your bags soon.
TA was totally lost last night. I agree with Tim, he’s had some pretty decent games this year. I also agree with Tim that TA’s a head case. He folds under pressure like a cheap tent. It’s the playoffs. There is something to prove on every possession. That’s why TA needs to be limited to garbage time. If Doc had only deactivated TA instead of Scaly, the C’s would be awaiting their second round opponent and we’d be busy debating just how big a homer Fratello is when announcing a Hawks game on TNT. Seriously Mike, even Cheryl Miller thought you were a Dick.
Tim… TA got plenty of minutes at the end of the season. Doc openly said this is an opportunity for Allen… and he didn’t take advantage of it. He got plenty of time in March…. and only showed a couple of flashes…. nothing consistent.
I wish we got the Tony Allen that showed up a year ago when Pierce was hurt… and I really wish him no ill will… but these are the playoffs… and for whatever reason… he’s now a liability. The only time we should see him now is in an emergency situation.
And Scal only in a life or death situation.
It’s almost 4 AM so I don’t have the energy to respond… I’m just going to say I win this one.
Oh, and I just wanted to thank Dave, as I just quoted him in my year-end paper on +/- statistics. Thanks Dave, that comment really came in handy…. hopefully you know what you are talking about.
I believe you mean William, who mentioned the +/-.
Unless of course you quoted my “But he blew big time in the last month” for your paper, in which case I accept your thanks graciously (only if you mentioned me in the Works Cited).
I bleed green in LA- Scaly has already contributed more in this series than TA, remember it was scal who restrained Pauly from walking over to the ATL bench and bitch slapping Horford. Besides, is there anything more demeaning to your opponent than hearing the horn blow and seeing Scaly enter the game setting up to guard your power forward with 5 minutes remaining. Its only a matter of time before Scaly erupts for another huge 8 point game.