We can point to lack of execution, missed free throws, untimely fouls, and a very good Bulls team that have pushed this opening series to a seventh game. But, where, exactly, has the bench been for the first 6 games? Take a look:
- Eddie House: Averaging 4 points on 30% shooting (shot 45%, and 44% from beyond the arc, during the regular season)
- Brian Scalabrine: Averaging 3.8 points and 2.8 fouls in about 14 minutes/game
- Stephon Marbury: Averaging 3.3 points on 26% shooting
- Mikki Moore: Averaging 1 point, 1 block and 1.6 rebounds in just under 10 minutes/game
- Tony Allen: Averaging 0.3 (yes, zero-point-three) points on 20% shooting
- Leon Powe: Before his devastating knee injury, he was only averaging 5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 12 minutes
Yes. The bench has been less than inspiring. Almost embarrassing. Doc has all but removed Mikki Moore from consideration when handing out minutes on the floor. The sad part about that is that the Celtics are so thin at the 4 and 5, and he STILL can't crack the rotation. Doc would rather go with Scalabrine (don't get me wrong - I love Scal), who is coming off of a severe concussion and hadn't played in weeks until Game 3. Or he'd rather go small and put Pierce at the 4 and Baby at the 5. THAT'S how bad Mikki Moore has been.
Eddie House has seemingly pulled a "2008 Playoffs Ray Allen", losing that wonderful shooting touch that he displayed all season, when he shot a remarkable 44% from beyond the arc. Besides an 8-point "outburst" in Game 3 (yes, the game that was over within the first 6 minutes of the first quarter), House has been a non-threat. Since Game 3, House has shot just 3-10 (1-6 from three) from the floor, for 8 points - and 4 personal fouls.
Stephon Marbury hasn't been completely awful, in the sense that we're now complaining more about his unselfishness rather than what we have come to expect with Mo-Steph. However, 26% shooting from the PG who backs up the PG who isn't quite known for his jumpshot just isn't going to cut it.
Tony Allen's defensive abilities cannot be questioned. Outside of the stupid foul on Ben Gordon in Game 5, Allen has been excellent on the defensive side of the court. On offense, he's been as much of an afterthough as Mikki Moore. Then again, in Allen's defense, he's backing up another Allen who just went off for 51.
One can argue that it's tough for the bench players to get into any sort of rythym with reduced minutes - Scals is the leading minutes-getter with 13.8 (House is a close second at 13.5, followed by Marbury at nearly 12, Moore at a shade over 9, and Allen at 8). After all, House, Allen, And Marbury were averaging upwards of 20 minutes/game in the regular season. But the fact of the matter is that the bench isn't getting the job done right now. And for the Celtics to be any sort of threat in Game 7 and beyond, the bench needs to step up. The Garnettless Celtics make things harder on themselves when Pierce and Sugar Ray have to play 40+ minutes/night. And such is the script, in a series full of scripts.
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