Watched replay of the Spurs game....simple observation is that we were out-executed on both ends of the floor. Put another way, they just ran their offense and especially defense better than us. These things are fixable, and enough talent is there to be competitive. Not saying things will get better, but that it's it he realm of possibility.
good point by kuberski, but then the spurs out-execute almost everyone. their execution allowed them to take advantage of the defensive breakdowns/bad switches by the celtics.
but back to the thread. i agree with tgreanier's basic argument and am glad he started this thread. offensive rebounds are good, but as was pointed out above harder for a team to "control" and not as reliable as playing great team defense.
defense is something coaches can teach and players can (or at least should) do time after time after time, possession after possession. offensive rebounding is not. it is more hit or miss since the ball can bounce a number of ways. and if the defensive team is boxing out correctly it reduces offensive rebound chances as well.
as for other team's offensive rebounding against the celtics, as also pointed out above that is partly a function of poor celtic defense, lack of consistent boxing out, poor positioning, and lack of effort as much as anything.
i think sullinger will quickly become one of the best defensive rebounders the celtics have and that will help the situation. but the key to celtic victories ultimately lies in their defense. that has been the case for years.
this year, they have not been as good at defense as in the past. bad switches, no switches, break downs, etc. cost them points each game. even if the celtics defense breaks down only once a period, only once...that is 4 easy scores for the other team. and that is 8 points or more in a game. that is a lot.
maybe it is because the celtics have so many new players. maybe kg and pierce are older and slower. maybe the team just doesnt value defense enough right now. i dont know. but unless the celtics' defense picks up other teams will continue to score and get those offensive rebounds.
as far as i can see, doc and tgreanier seem to have it right. so tp for tgreanier and well deserved.