Posts Tagged ‘Nenad Krstic’

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France, Russia Reach EuroBasket Semis

September 15, 2011  ·  5:14PM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Hometown and host-nation favorite Lithuania saved its Olympic qualifying bacon with a win over Slovenia in early action Thursday at EuroBasket 2011.

The crowd faves were just the warm up act, however, as France (as noted by my main man and NBA.com’s John Schuhmann) and Russia played their way into the semifinals with wins …

Russia 77, Serbia 67 (Box Score)

There is only one team still playing in EuroBasket that hasn’t tasted defeat in this competition. Russia has won nine straight games and will take that unblemished mark into a semifinal showdown against France. When you have the most versatile player in the competition, do-it-all swingman Andrei Kirilenko, leading the charge every night, it makes sense that Russia continues to wear down the competition. Kirilenko finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks.

“Two years ago we played in the same phase against the same group of great players and the same great coach and we lost, as I said then, by a better team,” said Russia coach David Blatt. “We moved forward from there. We provided our players with the kind of teaching and culture it takes to build a successful national team. We got back two of our main players – Kirilenko and [Viktor] Khryapa, who didn’t play in 2009, and you saw tonight how important they are. But the story is the other players who matured and are now a higher level basketball players. It’s a sweet win, but the joy is short, because we play tomorrow in the semifinals. We’ve had a great run so far.”

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Shaq: An Incomplete Timeline

May 11, 2011  ·  3:11PM

MIAMI – As Doc Rivers was talking to a throng of reporters before the Boston Celtics’ shootaround at AmericanAirlines Arena this morning, I turned around and saw Shaquille O’Neal walking toward the Celtics’ locker room. Except that he wasn’t walking.

I’m not sure how bad Shaq’s limp was before this series began, but I can definitely say it was very pronounced this morning.

“There’s just nothing he can do,” Rivers said. “It’s not like he’s not trying. I told our team that yesterday. He’s done everything you possibly can do to get healthy. And unfortunately for him, he just hasn’t been able to do it.”

Obviously, with the possibility of Shaq’s season and career being over, a lot needs to be said and written. Here’s are some random thoughts that come to my mind… (more…)

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Surveying Sunday’s Wounded

April 4, 2011  ·  10:35AM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Watching Shaquille O’Neal hobble to the locker room Sunday had to scare the shamrocks out of Celtics fans worldwide.

His return had been talked about for weeks, particularly since that trade deadline move that sent Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City and left Shaq as the Celtics’ low-post savior for the playoffs. But now a strained calf has Celtics fans biting their nails, wondering when the Big Shamrock will be ready for action with the start of the playoffs just days away.

The calf strain O’Neal suffered has nothing to do with the Achilles injury that cost him the last two months, per Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Still, Rivers admitted that what went down Sunday was “scary,” and especially so for a team that’s already trying to get injured bigs (Jermaine O’Neal is back, Nenad Krstic is on the way) back into a groove.

How much longer with the Celtics be without Shaq? WEEI’s Paul Flannery says that’s just one of the questions the Celtics need answered this morning. Rivers tried:

“I don’t know, is the answer,” he said. “I don’t think very long honestly. That’s what [team doctor Brian] McKeon and [the medical staff] thought, that it’s very minor. Scary, more than anything. We’ll see.”

Will this affect your plans to play him if he can come back during the regular season?

“I don’t know what to do, honestly. My inclination is not because he needs to play and we have to play at full tilt in six games, so I don’t know the answer yet.”

Celtics fans weren’t the only ones gasping in horror over the weekend.

Lakers fans had a scare of their own when the linchpins to the low-post advantage that’s helped power them to back-to-back titles, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, both went down with knee injuries in their loss to the Nuggets.

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Will Ainge’s Latest Gamble Pay Off?

March 31, 2011  ·  11:15AM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The final grades on the Celtics’ controversial trade deadline move that sent Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City aren’t in yet.

They aren’t due into the office for at least another month, or however long the Celtics’ playoff run lasts.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge might not want to see those grades if the Celtics can’t get back into a groove. They’ve stumbled since the trade, going 10-8 since then and have lost seven of their last 12 games. Their chemistry is off and they just don’t look like the dominant team they were before the deal went down.

All that said, Ainge has gambled big before and hit the jackpot — most recently in the summer of 2008 when he blew up the roster to assemble the Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

With those three in the starting lineup, along with Perkins and All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, the Celtics had never lost a playoff series. And now they never will, because Perkins is one of the 10 players and a draft pick that Ainge has moved since that championship season.

Like we said, Ainge has gambled before.

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StatsCube: Celtics’ Offense in a Funk

March 26, 2011  ·  8:51AM


For the second straight season, the Boston Celtics are slumping down the stretch. They’ve lost six of their last 10 games, completely losing their grip on the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the process. Now, they’re just a game in the loss column ahead of the Miami Heat for second in the East, facing the prospect of starting a conference semifinals matchup in Miami, instead of at home.

When the Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins, the fear was that their defense would suffer. Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic are good players and should make Boston’s offense more potent, but neither is known for their prowess on the defensive end of the floor.

And yes, the Boston defense did give up 30 fourth-quarter points to the Charlotte Bobcats (the fifth worst offensive team in the league) on Friday, turning a 13-point lead into a two-point loss. But in general, it’s been the Celtics’ offense that has really struggled of late.

Celtics efficiency, 2010-11

Timeframe Rec. Pace Off. Eff. Def. Eff. Diff.
Pre-trade 41-14 93.0 105.2 97.4 +7.8
Post-trade 9-7 91.9 100.3 97.0 +3.3
Last 10 4-6 89.8 98.0 95.2 +2.9

Pace = Possessions per 48 minutes
Off. Eff. = Points scored per 100 possessions
Def. Eff. = Points allowed per 100 possessions

So, since the trade, the Celtics’ defense has basically been performing at the same level as it was before the deal. The numbers are a little skewed by a game in which they held the Bucks to 56 points, but they have held nine of their 16 opponents under a point per possession, and their only bad defensive game since the trade was a 108-103 loss to the Clippers on March 9.

Side note: In contrast, it was the Celtics’ defense that suffered more at the end of last season, allowing 104.3 points per 100 possessions after the All-Star break and 111.8 over their last nine games.

The Celtics are grabbing fewer offensive rebounds since the trade, but they’re also getting to the line more often and turning the ball over a little less. So they’re actually getting more shots per possession than they were before the trade. And they’re even shooting their free throws better.

Essentially, the Celtics’ offensive drop-off is completely a result of poor shooting from the field.

Celtics’ shooting

Timeframe 2P% 3P% EFG%
Pre-trade 0.522 0.374 0.530
Post-trade 0.479 0.330 0.482
Last 10 0.467 0.301 0.464

EFG% = (FGM + (.5*3PM)) / FGA

Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo are all shooting worse from the field since the trade, and the Celtics’ offense has suffered as a result. With the Big Four on the floor together, they’re scoring 105.8 points per 100 possessions since the trade (despite a hot start), as opposed to 111.8 before it.

But when the big four aren’t all on the floor is when the Celtics’ offense really struggles, scoring just 94.1 points per 100 possessions since the trade, which is downright dreadful.

Celtics’ efficiency since trade with player on floor

Player GP MIN Off. Eff.
Rajon Rondo 16 581 102.7
Ray Allen 16 575 103.1
Paul Pierce 16 535 102.9
Kevin Garnett 16 512 105.0
Nenad Krstic 15 384 106.4
Jeff Green 15 344 97.0
Glen Davis 12 340 95.2
Delonte West 8 150 92.1
Troy Murphy 11 114 82.1
Carlos Arroyo 8 102 96.2

Off. Eff. = Points scored per 100 possessions

You can see why Doc Rivers has gone to an eight-man rotation in a couple of those games.

For a veteran team that was able to flip the switch when the playoffs began last year, it’s easy to theorize that the Celtics’ problems stem from boredom, complacency or a broken ubuntu. And perhaps it’s just a matter of time for the new guys in the rotation to get going.

No matter what the underlying issue is, the shots aren’t falling.

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John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. Send him an e-mail or follow him on twitter.

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Perkins, Rivers Still Recovering

March 17, 2011  ·  4:53PM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – We all knew from the shock and immediate player and fan reaction that when Kendrick Perkins was traded from Boston to Oklahoma City on Feb. 24 that it must have a been an extremely difficult decision for the Celtics.

We just had no idea how truly difficult it was on both Perkins and Celtics coach Doc Rivers. They both opened up about it to Peter May of ESPNBoston.com. When is the last time you heard a coach talking about the decision to trade a player the way Rivers did here:

“It was the most difficult thing I have had to do since I’ve been in the league,” Rivers said. “It was like sending one of your kids [away]. It can be very hard to separate the basketball from the personal and this one was definitely that for me. Perk had great spirit. He had the intangibles you look for. We all decided to make the trade, but, for me, it hurt. It hurt a lot.”

The pain went both ways.

Perkins used words like “overwhelmed”  and “emotional” to describe his reaction, initially and to this day, about the deal that sent the Celtics’ low-post enforcer and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City in an exchange for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

But unlike some other trades that leave scars that never heal, Perkins, Rivers and the organization are all healing from the whatever the initial surprise did to them all.

In fact, Perkins said he learned a few lessons about the business of basketball during the process. It can’t hurt that he went from one contender to another. The Thunder, fresh off of last night’s win in Miami, are 7-1 this month. And Perkins has already signed a contract extension with the Thunder. Still, the connection to Boston remains:

“Obviously, I am going to miss Boston a lot,” he said. “I talked to Danny [Ainge] on the phone the day the deal was done. It was hard for both of us. We go back a long way. But I understand that this is the business part of it. “I look back and I have to be pleased with everything they did for me, from bringing me there from high school. I am grateful for all the experiences, to be able to be a part of a championship team. It was all great. No complaints. I was blessed to be there for eight years.”

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StatsCube: All About the Big Four

March 5, 2011  ·  9:48AM


BOSTON – When you’ve got four All-Stars, does it really matter who you play next to them?

For the Boston Celtics, it might not.

The Celtics stunned the league by trading Kendrick Perkins (along with Nate Robinson) last week, acquiring Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic from Oklahoma City. There are a couple of dozen aspects to this trade worthy of debate between now and June (and we addressed a couple of them here).

One argument for the Celtics breaking up their core is that they were 33-10 (and 5-2 against Chicago, Miami and Orlando) before Perkins played a game this season. According to NBA.com StatsCube, Boston’s original starting lineup of Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal has played just 18 games together, but has been dominant in that time, outscoring its opponents by 102 points in 266 minutes (18.4 per 48).

O’Neal (inflamed right Achilles) hasn’t played since Feb. 1, so Krstic became the starting center as soon as he arrived. And once again, the Celtics have a dominant starting lineup.

Boston’s new starting group of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett and Krstic has outscored its opponents by 39 points in 69 minutes together. It’s been strong both offensively (scoring 119.9 points per 100 possessions) and defensively (allowing just 92.0).

It all goes back to the big four. There have been more efficient four-man units this season than Rondo, Allen, Pierce and Garnett, but only one has played at least 500 minutes together. That group was Miami’s Carlos Arroyo, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, which was a plus-15.7 per 100 possessions in 675 minutes, but was broken up when the Heat waived Arroyo on Tuesday.

Only four four-man units have played more minutes together than the Celtics’ big four, but none of those groups has been as dominant as Boston’s, which has outscored its opponents by 15.0 points per 100 possessions.

Four-man units that have played at least 1,000 minutes together

Team Unit Min. Off. Eff. Def. Eff. Diff.
LAL Artest, Bryant, Fisher, Gasol 1319 111.2 101.0 +10.3
HOU Battier, Lowry, Martin, Scola 1198 109.7 104.8 +5.0
NOH Ariza, Okafor, Paul, West 1136 105.4 101.7 +3.6
MEM Conley, Gasol, Gay, Randolph 1071 105.3 103.7 +1.6
BOS Allen, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo 1070 112.1 97.1 +15.0
CHA Augustin, Diaw, Jackson, Wallace 1065 105.0 104.6 +0.4
GSW Curry, Ellis, Lee, Wright 1032 110.9 111.7 -0.8
UTA Bell, Jefferson, Millsap, Williams 1013 104.9 108.5 -3.6

Off. Eff. = Points scored per 100 possessions
Def. Eff. = Points allowed per 100 possessions

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John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. Send him an e-mail or follow him on twitter.

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A Whole New World

February 25, 2011  ·  9:06AM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – With the trade deadline behind us now and the winners and losers being debated around the globe, we have a chance to sit back and survey the landscape here at the hideout.

Whatever certainty we had about a Lakers-Celtics rematch in the NBA Finals faded when the Celtics shipped off Kendrick Perkins, and even Nate Robinson, to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. In fact, the Celtics and all the other trade-happy teams have created a whole new world in the NBA for the rest of this season.

It dawned on us last night, as we were watching the Bulls’ comeback win over Miami (above). And as crazy as it might have sounded before the trade deadline, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to think we could see a Bulls-Thunder NBA Finals this season (as opposed to 2013 or 2014). We’re not guaranteeing it or even predicting it. All we’re saying is it is within the realm of possibility.

Night after night, the Bulls are making it clear that they do not fear the Heat, Celtics or anyone else (you remember the way they handled the Spurs before the All-Star break).

Ask most anyone about the Bulls and Thunder before the trade deadline and they’d have told you that they were both poised to be the next teams in line to contend for titles, considering the way they’ve been built. But there’s no sense waiting in line or trying to be next when you can be right now.

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Elveda from Istanbul

September 12, 2010  ·  8:27PM

ISTANBUL — If you were just looking for a little competitive basketball to tide you over until the NBA and European seasons begin, the 2010 FIBA World Championship more than delivered. We had late-game drama, brilliant individual performances, beautiful teamwork, and great basketball through and through.

Best of all, we had a gold medal game that put a young and small American team against a huge Turkey squad and their 15,000 ridiculously loud fans.

And the U.S. National Team answered all the questions with an impressive 81-64 victory over the hosts, who may have run out of gas after Saturday’s ridiculously thrilling victory over Serbia.

All the credit goes to Mike Krzyzewski and his team though. As I wrote in my story, the effort on defense and on the boards was incredible. This was for the gold medal and those guys came with more energy than they’d had in any of their previous eight games.

Heading into the game, there were probably some worries that Kevin Durant, after scoring 71 points on 25-for-44 shooting over the last two games, might have an off night. But KD carried them offensively once again, earning that MVP trophy that he was ready to concede to Luis Scola a few days ago.

Lamar Odom also had another big game in a big spot, recording his second straight double-double. And Russell Westbrook brought ridiculous energy and athleticism. Westbrook was thought to be on the roster bubble a few times in training camp, but he turned out to be the guy that best represented the identity of this team: fast, athletic and aggressive defensively.

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Turkey was a fantastic host. Though it would have been nice to visit one of the other three pool play cities, I was happy to spend my 2 1/2 weeks in Istanbul, a beautiful city with much to see and do. The traffic sucked (I joked with some people that Istanbul’s top export is exhaust fumes), but every other aspect of the trip was fantastic.

Well, except for the untimely death of my laptop on Sunday morning, causing me much frustration. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a computer to write my story and post this blog. But unfortunately, I wasn’t able to accompany this text with some photos from my trip, because they were lost in the crash.

As beautiful as the sights of Istanbul are, it was equally enjoyable for me, as a basketball nut, to witness the atmosphere inside the Sinan Erdem Arena for every game that Turkey played. The reaction of the crowd to Kerem Tunceri’s game-winning layup on Saturday is something I’ll never forget. And I honestly got chills every time “12 Giant Men” or the Turkish national anthem was sung by the 15,000 strong.

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Lithuania Wins Bronze

Before the USA-Turkey finale, Lithuania beat Serbia, 99-88 to capture the bronze medal.

The key sequence came in the second quarter, when Lithuania used a 14-4 run to turn a three-point lead into a 13-point cushion. The run included four straight three-point possessions and two straight threes from Linas Kleiza.

After Andre Iguodala shut him down on Saturday, Kleiza broke out for 33 points on Sunday, including 12 in that pivotal second quarter. Nenad Krstic struggled for Serbia, finishing with just five points on 2-for-7 from the field.

Lithuania came here with a young team, and they definitely overachieved, going 8-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of the U.S. They will host next year’s European Championship, certainly taking some momentum from this tournament into that one.

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Argentina Takes Fifth

In the afternoon, Argentina outlasted Spain, 86-81 to finish fifth. Spain came all the way back from being down 25 in the middle of the third quarter to tie the game with two minutes left in the fourth. But they missed on a couple of opportunities to take the lead and scored just one point in their final five possessions.

Pablo Prigioni hit the dagger for Argentina, who was led by 27 points from Carlos Delfino and 22 from Scola. Rudy Fernandez led all scorers with 31 points on 11-for-13 shooting.

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All-Tournament Team

Kevin Durant (USA), Linas Kleiza (LTU), Luis Scola (ARG), Milos Teodosic (SER), Hedo Turkoglu (TUR)

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So, Elveda (I think and hope that means “goodbye”) from Istanbul. It’s been a great trip and I hope to be back here again sometime down the line. If you’ve got any questions or comments, please send an e-mail via the link below.

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John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. Send him an e-mail or follow him on twitter.

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Notes from Serbia 92, Spain 89

September 8, 2010  ·  1:36PM

ISTANBUL – Another classic at the Sinan Erdem Dome.

Milos Teodosic was the hero, pulling up for a loooong three with 3.1 seconds left to win the game for Serbia. Spain, the defending world champions, will not medal here in Istanbul. They will move to the consolation bracket now, with Serbia advancing to Saturday’s semifinals, where they will play the winner of tonight’s Slovenia-Turkey game.

Many will call this an upset, but I don’t really see it that way. Serbia had the most efficient offense in pool play, and through the round of 16, they were the third best team in the tournament statistically (behind the U.S. and Turkey), ranking second offensively and third defensively.

Spain, with as much talent and experience as they have, just hadn’t played that well.

Of course, this game was won by the narrowest of margins. It’s not like Serbia was far and away the better team on Wednesday.

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