The Celtics second unit worked well together throughout the regular season; they were a collection of energy players and team players who above all spread the floor, allowing Paul Pierce- who usually stayed in the lineup with them- plenty of room to create. And both Brian Scalabrine and James Posey could facilitate, with baseline and high picks, Ray Allen's diagonal, back to the basket cuts. Eddie House whipped hard passes around the perimeter keeping that good spread going and maintaining a tough upbeat tempo to the game; and he was able, when defensive seams opened up to scorch passes to Kevin Garnett down low. Leon Poweand Glen "Big Baby" Davis were always scrappy inside; Posey owned the corner, and Tony Allen was always a threat to slash. In short the C's bench created a good space for the Big 3 to work as precision craftsmen. Now with the Great Sam Cassell in at point and P.J Brown inside the system just doesn't work. I blame it on the role Sam has been given- as designated gunner- because he is forced toimprovise and look for pull-up jumpers in traffic, which leads not only to low percentage options, but also don't yield the kind of long offensive rebounds that come off of 3-ball attempts from Posey or House. And too much perimeter rotation is happening as a consequence of the second unit's disorganization, and that cramps the Celtic's transition defense. If Doc Rivers wants to use Cassell profitably, he'd be well-advised to lay in some 3 man plays for him, the post and a single weak side cutter. The ineffectiveness of the bench, espeacially on the road could destroy Boston's tittle hopes.
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