Great game. Tracy McGrady played a huge game and Keith Bogans @ESPN" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3746" target="_blank">Keith Bogans played monster defense on Paul Pierce. The game went to overtime - but the Magic wanted the game more than the Celtics in the end. Drew Gooden had a great game but was lacking slightly on the defensive end. There were a few times when Gooden failed to contest wide open shots. Big Z was a huge factor tonight. Z set some big time screens on Celtic players. At one point, the Celtic point guard nailed a three - on his way back down the court, Z just stopped and planted his ass on the ground.
We finally have Bogans playing some huge minutes - how long until Z starts getting the minutes that he really deserves? The kid plays some tough basketball and does not let anyone push himor his teammates around. Oh, and coach - if you were listening at all during the game - you could tell how much the crowd appreciated Z's effort - everytime he came in or went out - the crowd went crazy.
2 Comments on "Game Notes - Boston"
Drew Gooden got most of his points on jump shots but this team needs him down in the post. He has got to grab more then 8 rebounds if he is given those types of minutes. Also defensively he has got to be a little more fierce and not lay back as much. Believe me Ill take 30 points anyday from him, but I would like to see him fight down low instead of taking the jump shot. Cant really say anything bad about Keith Bogans. He lays it out there everynight on both ends of the floor which is what every NBA player should do. He is a definite keeper for this team. Same thing goes for Zaza. He is a fighter, a competitor and a monster. His effort is huge and he fights for every rebound and loose ball. He is a younger bigger version of Declercq. Give him some damn minutes!! T-mac is T-mac. My only criticism is the same one, he takes too many threes (low percentage threes I might add). He has god given offensive talent he just needs to take smarter shots and be more aggressive.
I was at this game as well - and the problem with Drew is his attitude and defense. At one point McGrady was so irritated with Gooden's defense that he just went up and slapped the ball out of the air for a goal tend anyhow. Gooden would not challenge any shots and it was clear he did not want to play defense. He also sat on the bench during team introductions - another sign of a bad attitude. Rodman said it best - anyone can score in this league.