Uh-oh Cleveland. UH-OH! OH BOY!
If you didn't know Stephon Marbury already, you will very, very soon!
Now, I know it was only one game last night...and we did win 104-99, but there was something different about this one. You could just feel the anticipation and the excitement and the relief, even, as Marbury put in eight points on 4-6 shooting to go along with two assists. Eight points? Two assists? You might say, "Greg, it's only eight points." True. It's only eight points right now. It's eight points and some very, very solid point guard play after sitting out of NBA action for over a year. It's eight points in his first game on a team where he's probably a little hesitant to do TOO much in his very first game.
This man is going to help this team. You could just feel it as he received a standing ovation when he first checked in and proceeded to knock down his very first jump shot with 10:20 left in the second quarter. He didn't look rusty. He looked like he knows how to play basketball. His passes were crisp, his drives were efficient, and his jumper looked pure. Watch your back Cleveland. You have NO ONE like this on your bench. NO ONE. The Celtics extended their lead to 13 (92-79) with 8:22 left behind a line up of Marbury, Ray Allen, Eddie House, Leon Powe and Mikki Moore. AND, when Scal or TA gets back, take Ray Allen out of that picture and we'll be seeing a complete bench effort.
The bench is simply no longer going to be a liability. Doc can now take comfort in his bench and have the confidence to leave the boys in there for a longer period of time. Think about it; having Marbury is great just because of his individual talent, but that talent also makes players around him that much better. The other four pine guys will be better because they're playing alongside Marbury. I'm talking better passes, a faster tempo, a better basketball IQ and a legitimate bail out man if things happen to break down. Then you're looking at guys like Powe and Moore to clean up any offensive rebounds. Ray was in last night with this group and obviously he's going to help stretch the floor, but when Scal's in he can basically do the same thing, and you could argue that you're unit is better defensively with Scal in there. Yes, I'm serious about that. Don't laugh. If you watch closely, Scal knows EXACTLY what he's doing.
I'm still anxious to see the Rondo-Marbury-Pierce-Allen-Garnett line up. Everyone just think about that. You want defense? You've got it. You want offense? That will be the most efficient and destructive offensive line up in the entire NBA. What team can challenge that? Give me 5 guys on a single team that can challenge that line up, specifically on the offensive end.
My argument against Cleveland is that we have a better TEAM. Last year we had three different go-to guys, while Cleveland only had LeBron. In my book, 3 > 1. This year, with the emergence of Rajon Rondo and now the addition of Steph, that number jumps to five. For pity's sake I'll give Cleveland Mo Williams...so now it could technically be 5 > 1, but I'll call it 5 > 2 (but really it's 5 > 1). Bring it Cleveland. Bring all you've got. We'll see you on Friday.
It always helps when the Lakers lose, and they fell to the Nuggets last night, 90-79. And apparently the Wizards can only win when Barack Obama shows up in the front row. That's still cool to see though. Trust me...come playoff time, we'll see him grace the floor of the TD Banknorth Garden.
I had a good feeling about the Celtics repeating before Marbury, like I just had that good, good feeling. Now, it's a great feeling. I know it's only one game. But so far that's been more than enough.
Stay tuned.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
CELTICS 104 - PACERS 99
After sluggishly trudging out of Los Angeles on Thursday morning after falling to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics received a much needed jolt of electricity from several different parties tonight as they fought off the pesky Indiana Pacers, 104-99.
First, simply being back in Boston was a simple blessing after a 6-game road trip broken up by the All-Star break kept the Celtics away from the TD Banknorth Garden for 19 days.
Second, the newest man in town, Stephon Marbury, showed no real signs of rust after missing over a year of NBA action. The combo guard scored eight points on 4-6 shooting, with six of those points coming early in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics extend their lead to 13 (92-79) with 8:22 left.
"It felt great," Marbury said of being back on the court. "I had no legs, but I stuck with it. You can do all the working out and training all you want, but when you get out on the basketball court it's different."
Third, the crowd was tenacious and the energy was ferocious from start to finish. Marbury entered the game with 19.4 seconds left in the opening period to a standing ovation, and he couldn't hide the wide smile that graced his face.
"I think I'm going to fit in great," Marbury added. "It's going to take me some time to learn the schemes, but I think I can definitely learn to make the adjustment."
The Celtics' offense continued to surge without Kevin Garnett in the line up as Ray Allen put in 30 points on 11-16 (6-10 from three-point nation) shooting and the one-two punch of Glen Davis (18 points) and Leon Powe (14 points) combined for 32 points. All these players feasted off of a career-high tying 17 assists from Rajon Rondo. Paul Pierce, still hobbled slightly by the right thumb he dislocated against the Clippers on Wednesday, put in 16 points of his own.
"In the second half (Marbury) was terrific," said C's coach Doc Rivers. "You could just see his basketball I.Q. The one thing our bigs were laughing at is they've got to get their hands ready on pick and rolls. I mean, he handcuffed them three of four times and they just weren't expecting the ball. What I was impressed with was where he found Ray."
Paul Pierce, still hobbled slightly by the right thumb he dislocated against the Clippers on Wednesday, put in 16 points of his own.
"Well it's a little sore, tender," Pierce said of the thumb. "I'm really hesitant to really get any contact on it. It's just something I'm probably going to have to get through mentally and it's going to be like that for a while and I'll just continue to ice it and wrap it up before games."
Despite Marbury putting the C's up by 13, the Pacers weren't going quietly. Indiana, playing without stars Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, showed why it's the only team in the NBA to defeat the Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. T.J. Ford led them with 23 points while Troy Murphy added 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Two Murphy free throws closed the gap to five (98-93) with 1:47 left, capping off an 8-1 run by Indiana. However, it was Davis who finished for Boston. In his fourth start of the season, Davis took a Pierce bounce pass and turned it into a three-point play with 1:31 left, good for a 101-95 lead. Then, Davis hit a shot-clock beating leaner with 44.4 left to put Boston up 103-97, and capped it off hitting one of two free throws with 20.9 left.
"The first quarter we played great, had a tough second quarter," said Rivers. "Third quarter we played alright. Then that one stretch with the bench was fantastic. You know, we were good enough to win tonight."
First, simply being back in Boston was a simple blessing after a 6-game road trip broken up by the All-Star break kept the Celtics away from the TD Banknorth Garden for 19 days.
Second, the newest man in town, Stephon Marbury, showed no real signs of rust after missing over a year of NBA action. The combo guard scored eight points on 4-6 shooting, with six of those points coming early in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics extend their lead to 13 (92-79) with 8:22 left.
"It felt great," Marbury said of being back on the court. "I had no legs, but I stuck with it. You can do all the working out and training all you want, but when you get out on the basketball court it's different."
Third, the crowd was tenacious and the energy was ferocious from start to finish. Marbury entered the game with 19.4 seconds left in the opening period to a standing ovation, and he couldn't hide the wide smile that graced his face.
"I think I'm going to fit in great," Marbury added. "It's going to take me some time to learn the schemes, but I think I can definitely learn to make the adjustment."
The Celtics' offense continued to surge without Kevin Garnett in the line up as Ray Allen put in 30 points on 11-16 (6-10 from three-point nation) shooting and the one-two punch of Glen Davis (18 points) and Leon Powe (14 points) combined for 32 points. All these players feasted off of a career-high tying 17 assists from Rajon Rondo. Paul Pierce, still hobbled slightly by the right thumb he dislocated against the Clippers on Wednesday, put in 16 points of his own.
"In the second half (Marbury) was terrific," said C's coach Doc Rivers. "You could just see his basketball I.Q. The one thing our bigs were laughing at is they've got to get their hands ready on pick and rolls. I mean, he handcuffed them three of four times and they just weren't expecting the ball. What I was impressed with was where he found Ray."
Paul Pierce, still hobbled slightly by the right thumb he dislocated against the Clippers on Wednesday, put in 16 points of his own.
"Well it's a little sore, tender," Pierce said of the thumb. "I'm really hesitant to really get any contact on it. It's just something I'm probably going to have to get through mentally and it's going to be like that for a while and I'll just continue to ice it and wrap it up before games."
Despite Marbury putting the C's up by 13, the Pacers weren't going quietly. Indiana, playing without stars Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, showed why it's the only team in the NBA to defeat the Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. T.J. Ford led them with 23 points while Troy Murphy added 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Two Murphy free throws closed the gap to five (98-93) with 1:47 left, capping off an 8-1 run by Indiana. However, it was Davis who finished for Boston. In his fourth start of the season, Davis took a Pierce bounce pass and turned it into a three-point play with 1:31 left, good for a 101-95 lead. Then, Davis hit a shot-clock beating leaner with 44.4 left to put Boston up 103-97, and capped it off hitting one of two free throws with 20.9 left.
"The first quarter we played great, had a tough second quarter," said Rivers. "Third quarter we played alright. Then that one stretch with the bench was fantastic. You know, we were good enough to win tonight."
It's official at last
No more speculation. No more rumors. Stephon Marbury is officially a Boston Celtic and is expected to play tonight against the Indiana Pacers at 7:30pm.
Let me be one of the first to officially welcome Marbury to the team. Even if no one else wants him, I support whoever comes to this team. I wish him nothing but the best and I expect him to play a key role as we fight for another NBA Championship.
Tonight's a night you won't want to miss. 7:30pm. Comcast SportsNet...850 AM WEEI
Let me be one of the first to officially welcome Marbury to the team. Even if no one else wants him, I support whoever comes to this team. I wish him nothing but the best and I expect him to play a key role as we fight for another NBA Championship.
Tonight's a night you won't want to miss. 7:30pm. Comcast SportsNet...850 AM WEEI
Hey, I actually want Marbury, so back off!
It's always easier to wake up in the morning knowing Cleveland lost the previous night. It's automatically a great day. Yes, the Rockets handled the Cavs last night, 93-74, and our boy LeBron was held to just 21 points, one rebound and ZERO assists. The man is human.
I won't ever wish an injury on a player, but I guess I won't complain that Ben Wallace will be out 4-6 weeks after breaking his right leg last night. Hey, KG, Scal and TA are out for us, so it's about time someone else's team suffered a bit.
Well, Stephon Marbury clears waivers today at 10am, and according to various sources he is expected to sign with us after that and could very well be in uniform tonight when we take on Indiana.
Now, I've read so many reports, blogs, articles, etc. and everyone seems to think signing Marbury is a bad idea. Well, I'm going to put myself out there and say I think it's a good idea. Can everyone please keep in mind that we're signing him for 4 months and not 4 years? We'll sign him to the rest of the veteran minimum and if he's a headache at all we can just cut him without any significant financial setbacks. It's almost like a risk-free business deal. We're already a great team, so if we have to cut him, we'll still be a great team. Meanwhile, you could argue that he's a great player, so adding another great player to an already great team usually makes sense. It's like one of those elite combo industries you hear about like Disney and Pixar or CBS and Time Warner.
Furthermore, Marbury needs this. This is essentially his one and only shot to prove to the league that he can actually help a team win and not be a "cancer". Has any one player in the history of sports been compared to cancer more than Marbury? If Marbury is still a selfish player who only cares about getting himself ahead he'll have to put that on the backburner for the next four months. After this June he can go right back to his old ways because there's a good chance he will not be on our team after we win the title. Basically, he's using us to show he can still play and we're using him to get a championship. Works for me.
Also, with Paul Pierce now nursing that sore thumb, some more offense might not be a bad thing right about now. It's obvious the defense is going to suffer with KG out an extended period of time, but that doesn't mean the offense needs to struggle along with it. If he does play tonight keep an ear open for the Garden's reception. Will he get all cheers? All jeers? Will he get the A-Rod reception with a little bit of both?
Since the bench will most likely be much improved with the edition of Stephon, maybe the starters can get a little bit more rest each game. Hey, a little in excess is a lot. There's no reason we can't win games with the bench. It was only a few years ago when Marbury was a franchise player. With him on the team, Paul and Ray need not play those extra five or six minutes at the start of the second and third quarters to sustain the bench until the rest of the starters return. Marbury makes us a more complete team. To me it just seems like the positives outweigh the negatives in almost every way.
I've been trying to find that stat that says something like every team Marbury leaves seems to improve by 12 or 13 wins or something like that, but let's keep in mind he's left the pre-Jason Kidd New Jersey Nets and the pre-Steve Nash Phoenix Suns. He wasn't leaving legitimate championship contenders. He was leaving teams that weren't even winning 30 games. When he left the Nets in 2001 they were 26-56 and when he left Phoenix in 2004 they finished 29-53. I mean, these teams had legitimate problems. Is it really fair to blame it all on Marbury? I don't think so. you can't blame not winning 30 games on a single player. When we went 24-58 two seasons ago we saw how first hand how a losing team struggles through more than just one player. These teams were not the 2007-2008 or 2008-2009 Boston Celtics. Give me a break. And while you're at it, give Marbury one, too.
So you know what? Instead of sitting back tonight when Marbury takes the court, curling your lip with an ungrateful sneer, why not lean forward and rub your hands in anticipation because we're taking the next step to repeating as NBA Champions. Allow me to be one of the very first to welcome Marbury to our team. I look forward to seeing what you've got, Stephon. Make me a look like a genius. Please.
Stay tuned.
I won't ever wish an injury on a player, but I guess I won't complain that Ben Wallace will be out 4-6 weeks after breaking his right leg last night. Hey, KG, Scal and TA are out for us, so it's about time someone else's team suffered a bit.
Well, Stephon Marbury clears waivers today at 10am, and according to various sources he is expected to sign with us after that and could very well be in uniform tonight when we take on Indiana.
Now, I've read so many reports, blogs, articles, etc. and everyone seems to think signing Marbury is a bad idea. Well, I'm going to put myself out there and say I think it's a good idea. Can everyone please keep in mind that we're signing him for 4 months and not 4 years? We'll sign him to the rest of the veteran minimum and if he's a headache at all we can just cut him without any significant financial setbacks. It's almost like a risk-free business deal. We're already a great team, so if we have to cut him, we'll still be a great team. Meanwhile, you could argue that he's a great player, so adding another great player to an already great team usually makes sense. It's like one of those elite combo industries you hear about like Disney and Pixar or CBS and Time Warner.
Furthermore, Marbury needs this. This is essentially his one and only shot to prove to the league that he can actually help a team win and not be a "cancer". Has any one player in the history of sports been compared to cancer more than Marbury? If Marbury is still a selfish player who only cares about getting himself ahead he'll have to put that on the backburner for the next four months. After this June he can go right back to his old ways because there's a good chance he will not be on our team after we win the title. Basically, he's using us to show he can still play and we're using him to get a championship. Works for me.
Also, with Paul Pierce now nursing that sore thumb, some more offense might not be a bad thing right about now. It's obvious the defense is going to suffer with KG out an extended period of time, but that doesn't mean the offense needs to struggle along with it. If he does play tonight keep an ear open for the Garden's reception. Will he get all cheers? All jeers? Will he get the A-Rod reception with a little bit of both?
Since the bench will most likely be much improved with the edition of Stephon, maybe the starters can get a little bit more rest each game. Hey, a little in excess is a lot. There's no reason we can't win games with the bench. It was only a few years ago when Marbury was a franchise player. With him on the team, Paul and Ray need not play those extra five or six minutes at the start of the second and third quarters to sustain the bench until the rest of the starters return. Marbury makes us a more complete team. To me it just seems like the positives outweigh the negatives in almost every way.
I've been trying to find that stat that says something like every team Marbury leaves seems to improve by 12 or 13 wins or something like that, but let's keep in mind he's left the pre-Jason Kidd New Jersey Nets and the pre-Steve Nash Phoenix Suns. He wasn't leaving legitimate championship contenders. He was leaving teams that weren't even winning 30 games. When he left the Nets in 2001 they were 26-56 and when he left Phoenix in 2004 they finished 29-53. I mean, these teams had legitimate problems. Is it really fair to blame it all on Marbury? I don't think so. you can't blame not winning 30 games on a single player. When we went 24-58 two seasons ago we saw how first hand how a losing team struggles through more than just one player. These teams were not the 2007-2008 or 2008-2009 Boston Celtics. Give me a break. And while you're at it, give Marbury one, too.
So you know what? Instead of sitting back tonight when Marbury takes the court, curling your lip with an ungrateful sneer, why not lean forward and rub your hands in anticipation because we're taking the next step to repeating as NBA Champions. Allow me to be one of the very first to welcome Marbury to our team. I look forward to seeing what you've got, Stephon. Make me a look like a genius. Please.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
TONIGHT: CELTICS VS. PACERS
Fresh off their six game road trip, the Celtics get back in action at the TD Banknorth Garden tonight when they take on the Indiana Pacers at 7:30pm. Tune into Comcast SportsNet or 850 AM WEEI for full coverage.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 2-1. The Celtics' record vs. the Pacers this season.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Glen Davis scored 14 points on 5-7 shooting in his third start of the season.
WHO'S NOT: In 24 minutes Leon Powe managed only 3 points on 1-6 shooting from the field and 1-4 shooting from the free throw line.
KEY MATCHUP: Rajon Rondo vs. Jarret Jack
SKINNY: The Pacers will be without Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, but Jack has stepped up nicely in their absence. The Pacers' point guard scored 20 points and and handed out six assists in their win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Look for Rondo to try and slow down Jack, and as a result, the entire Pacer offense.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 2-1. The Celtics' record vs. the Pacers this season.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Glen Davis scored 14 points on 5-7 shooting in his third start of the season.
WHO'S NOT: In 24 minutes Leon Powe managed only 3 points on 1-6 shooting from the field and 1-4 shooting from the free throw line.
KEY MATCHUP: Rajon Rondo vs. Jarret Jack
SKINNY: The Pacers will be without Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, but Jack has stepped up nicely in their absence. The Pacers' point guard scored 20 points and and handed out six assists in their win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Look for Rondo to try and slow down Jack, and as a result, the entire Pacer offense.
Gabe in the slammer?
From the Associated Press:
LOS ANGELES -- Police say Boston Celtics guard Gabe Pruitt has been arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of drunken driving.
Officer April Harding says the 22-year-old Pruitt was pulled over in Hollywood shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday and later booked on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence.
The Celtics had lost 93-91 to the Los Angeles Clippers a few hours earlier. Harding says records showed that Pruitt had not yet posted his $5,000 bail.
Pruitt is from the Los Angeles area and played college basketball for Southern California.
LOS ANGELES -- Police say Boston Celtics guard Gabe Pruitt has been arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of drunken driving.
Officer April Harding says the 22-year-old Pruitt was pulled over in Hollywood shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday and later booked on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence.
The Celtics had lost 93-91 to the Los Angeles Clippers a few hours earlier. Harding says records showed that Pruitt had not yet posted his $5,000 bail.
Pruitt is from the Los Angeles area and played college basketball for Southern California.
Someone please tell me we didn't actually lose to the Clippers...
We won last night, right? Tell me we didn't actually lose to the Los Angeles Clippers. Just tell me it didn't happen. I know it happened, but just tell me it didn't.
The Clippers? The other team from LA? We finished 4-2 on this road trip, and our two losses came against teams who have either inhabited the "We Officially Suck" category (Utah), or currently and have forever inhabited it (LA)...I mean, the Clippers are the ambassadors for the "WOS" club. They started it. They've been in the "WOS" club since 1984! The Clippers are the King Kong, the Mufasa, the Godzilla of the "WOS" club!
Oh, and to make matters worse? I get back from the gym this morning and the replay is on! I'm literally watching it happen all over again as I'm writing this. How does this happen? How?!
Well, we can start off with the 21 turnovers we committed. We can then say how we technically lost the game on a turnover when we had a chance to tie it. We could say how we missed 10 of our 32 free throw attempts. We could simply say how we played like death like last night. I mean, we played terrible, god awful, pathetic basketball last night. They're the Clippers!
Now I need to say that Mardy Collins should be suspended for continually assaulting Paul Pierce's dislocated thumb last night. With 6:14 left in the third Collins came down on it the first time, but then with 1:21 left in the fourth Pierce had to call a time out because Collins was literally just hacking at it. He was just swiping at it, trying to injure Pierce even more. Pierce literally had a look of disbelief on his face. Was this man actually trying to break his thumb? Is that how had the Clippers really are? Do they have to break the bones of other teams' best players in order to win? The thumb clearly bothered Pierce throughout the rest of the game. Why else would he have missed that potential game-tying jump shot with just over 11 seconds left? It's not like the Clippers were playing any defense.
Oh man, Zach Randolph just put in his putback to give the Clippers a 1-point lead with 19.4 seconds left. It's happening all over again.
I wish Kevin Garnett was there last night. He would have taken exception to Collins' obvious display of malice. Sometimes I wish fighting was allowed. Just sometimes. Like last night I wish fighting was allowed so KG (if he had been there) could have just knocked Collins out.
Rondo just lost it out of bounds...again. We lose. The only thing worse than seeing Zach Randolph smile is seeing Sasha Vujacic do anything at all. The big oaf finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds...If he wasn't such a jerk maybe he'd be a pretty good player on a championship caliber team. Instead he's starting for the Clippers. But for some reason, I really don't think he cares...
God now the SportsCenter highlight just came on! What is this!? How does this happen to me? Why does everything remind me of what happened last night? I get it! We lost to the Clippers! I just threw on TLC just to get away from anything that might show me clips of last night's game.
This one stings. If for whatever reason we don't get homecourt advantage, I feel like we're going to be looking back at this game.
I want to apologize to Mikki Moore last night, who had a solid debut with four points, one rebound and two assists. This is not what you can expect every night. This was a debacle in every sense of the word. We're much better than this, I promise you. We couldn't have beaten a JV basketball team from Serbia last night.
Oh well, bring on the Pacers. Bring on Boston. It'll be nice to be back home. We need it. Badly.
Stay tuned.
The Clippers? The other team from LA? We finished 4-2 on this road trip, and our two losses came against teams who have either inhabited the "We Officially Suck" category (Utah), or currently and have forever inhabited it (LA)...I mean, the Clippers are the ambassadors for the "WOS" club. They started it. They've been in the "WOS" club since 1984! The Clippers are the King Kong, the Mufasa, the Godzilla of the "WOS" club!
Oh, and to make matters worse? I get back from the gym this morning and the replay is on! I'm literally watching it happen all over again as I'm writing this. How does this happen? How?!
Well, we can start off with the 21 turnovers we committed. We can then say how we technically lost the game on a turnover when we had a chance to tie it. We could say how we missed 10 of our 32 free throw attempts. We could simply say how we played like death like last night. I mean, we played terrible, god awful, pathetic basketball last night. They're the Clippers!
Now I need to say that Mardy Collins should be suspended for continually assaulting Paul Pierce's dislocated thumb last night. With 6:14 left in the third Collins came down on it the first time, but then with 1:21 left in the fourth Pierce had to call a time out because Collins was literally just hacking at it. He was just swiping at it, trying to injure Pierce even more. Pierce literally had a look of disbelief on his face. Was this man actually trying to break his thumb? Is that how had the Clippers really are? Do they have to break the bones of other teams' best players in order to win? The thumb clearly bothered Pierce throughout the rest of the game. Why else would he have missed that potential game-tying jump shot with just over 11 seconds left? It's not like the Clippers were playing any defense.
Oh man, Zach Randolph just put in his putback to give the Clippers a 1-point lead with 19.4 seconds left. It's happening all over again.
I wish Kevin Garnett was there last night. He would have taken exception to Collins' obvious display of malice. Sometimes I wish fighting was allowed. Just sometimes. Like last night I wish fighting was allowed so KG (if he had been there) could have just knocked Collins out.
Rondo just lost it out of bounds...again. We lose. The only thing worse than seeing Zach Randolph smile is seeing Sasha Vujacic do anything at all. The big oaf finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds...If he wasn't such a jerk maybe he'd be a pretty good player on a championship caliber team. Instead he's starting for the Clippers. But for some reason, I really don't think he cares...
God now the SportsCenter highlight just came on! What is this!? How does this happen to me? Why does everything remind me of what happened last night? I get it! We lost to the Clippers! I just threw on TLC just to get away from anything that might show me clips of last night's game.
This one stings. If for whatever reason we don't get homecourt advantage, I feel like we're going to be looking back at this game.
I want to apologize to Mikki Moore last night, who had a solid debut with four points, one rebound and two assists. This is not what you can expect every night. This was a debacle in every sense of the word. We're much better than this, I promise you. We couldn't have beaten a JV basketball team from Serbia last night.
Oh well, bring on the Pacers. Bring on Boston. It'll be nice to be back home. We need it. Badly.
Stay tuned.
CLIPPERS 93 - CELTICS 91
The Boston Celtics now know not to underestimate their opponents.
The C's proved that their own poor performance can help a now 15-win Clippers team knock off the defending NBA Champions. In their final game of their last western road swing of the season, Boston dropped a 93-91 decision to LA's other team.
"We were awful," Doc Rivers said afterward. "We absolutely did not deserve to win that game. I thought we played slow all night, we pouted all night and we just thought we could show up and win a game and we didn't. We had no business winning that game tonight."
Boston suffered through some self inflicted wounds all night. They shot 22-32 from the free throw line and turned the ball over 21 times, none of them more costly than in the very last seconds when Rajon Rondo lost the ball off of Eddie House on the game's final play.
"We didn't make the extra pass, we walked the ball up the floor all night. I mean, there were so many things we did poorly that the fact that we actually had a chance to win the game is amazing," admitted Rivers.
Paul Pierce suffered through some Clipper-inflicted wounds, as a hit from Mardy Collins dislocated his right thumb with 6:14 left in the third quarter. He returned to the game, but will most likely undergo tests for precautionary measures.
The debut of Mikki Moore (four points, one rebound, two assists in 14 minutes) was spoiled by the fact that Pierce could join an injury list that now includes Kevin Garnett, Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen.
"I'm sure it's going to hurt him a little bit," Rivers said of Pierce's thumb. "So we're going to have to protect that. If (Celtics head trainer Eddie Lacerte) tells me tomorrow that he needs a break, we'll give him a break too because we're going to get our guys healthy."
Zach Randolph, fresh off his suspension for punching Louis Amundson of the Phoenix Suns, scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and not even the girth of Glen Davis, who started his third game of the season, could slow down LA's big man. Davis managed to put in 14 points on the night, but missed two crucial free throws late in the game.
The Celtics held an 82-73 lead with 9:04 left after Ray Allen (17 points) threw a high alley-oop pass to Leon Powe (three points, nine rebounds) who threw it down for a thunderous dunk. However, the Clippers would tie it at 86 with 4:32 left after a 13-4 offensive spurt.
Pierce picked up a technical foul with 1:21 left after Collins gave another hard hit on his hand, thus dislocating his thumb for a second time, but after Fred Jones missed the technical free throw, Rondo hit one of two from the stripe to give Boston a 90-88 lead with 1:14 left.
A Marcus Camby putback tied the game at 90 with 50.1 seconds left and Rondo once again could only convert one of two foul shots, putting Boston up 91-90. Randolph then put in his biggest basket of the night with 19.4 seconds left, putting LA up 92-91. Pierce, now fully bothered by his dislocated thumb, was unable to put Boston ahead on a jumpshot with just over eight seconds left and after Randolph only hit one of two free throws, leaving the door open for Boston, Rondo lost the ball out of bounds as time expired.
A 4-2 record for the road trip isn't all that bad, but last night will be a loss the Celtics won't soon forget.
The C's proved that their own poor performance can help a now 15-win Clippers team knock off the defending NBA Champions. In their final game of their last western road swing of the season, Boston dropped a 93-91 decision to LA's other team.
"We were awful," Doc Rivers said afterward. "We absolutely did not deserve to win that game. I thought we played slow all night, we pouted all night and we just thought we could show up and win a game and we didn't. We had no business winning that game tonight."
Boston suffered through some self inflicted wounds all night. They shot 22-32 from the free throw line and turned the ball over 21 times, none of them more costly than in the very last seconds when Rajon Rondo lost the ball off of Eddie House on the game's final play.
"We didn't make the extra pass, we walked the ball up the floor all night. I mean, there were so many things we did poorly that the fact that we actually had a chance to win the game is amazing," admitted Rivers.
Paul Pierce suffered through some Clipper-inflicted wounds, as a hit from Mardy Collins dislocated his right thumb with 6:14 left in the third quarter. He returned to the game, but will most likely undergo tests for precautionary measures.
The debut of Mikki Moore (four points, one rebound, two assists in 14 minutes) was spoiled by the fact that Pierce could join an injury list that now includes Kevin Garnett, Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen.
"I'm sure it's going to hurt him a little bit," Rivers said of Pierce's thumb. "So we're going to have to protect that. If (Celtics head trainer Eddie Lacerte) tells me tomorrow that he needs a break, we'll give him a break too because we're going to get our guys healthy."
Zach Randolph, fresh off his suspension for punching Louis Amundson of the Phoenix Suns, scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and not even the girth of Glen Davis, who started his third game of the season, could slow down LA's big man. Davis managed to put in 14 points on the night, but missed two crucial free throws late in the game.
The Celtics held an 82-73 lead with 9:04 left after Ray Allen (17 points) threw a high alley-oop pass to Leon Powe (three points, nine rebounds) who threw it down for a thunderous dunk. However, the Clippers would tie it at 86 with 4:32 left after a 13-4 offensive spurt.
Pierce picked up a technical foul with 1:21 left after Collins gave another hard hit on his hand, thus dislocating his thumb for a second time, but after Fred Jones missed the technical free throw, Rondo hit one of two from the stripe to give Boston a 90-88 lead with 1:14 left.
A Marcus Camby putback tied the game at 90 with 50.1 seconds left and Rondo once again could only convert one of two foul shots, putting Boston up 91-90. Randolph then put in his biggest basket of the night with 19.4 seconds left, putting LA up 92-91. Pierce, now fully bothered by his dislocated thumb, was unable to put Boston ahead on a jumpshot with just over eight seconds left and after Randolph only hit one of two free throws, leaving the door open for Boston, Rondo lost the ball out of bounds as time expired.
A 4-2 record for the road trip isn't all that bad, but last night will be a loss the Celtics won't soon forget.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Moore, Marbury and....Mike Dunleavy?
I need to start off by giving my dad a shout out...he's a Providence College alum, and if you didn't hear about it, the Friars knocked off #1 Pittsburgh last night.
My dad always gets frustrated because PC rarely gets aired on ESPN, they always get bumped to the ESPN 360 sister channel. So last night I flip on EPSN, see that this is about to happen and immediately call home. My mom answers, I tell her to tell my dad that PC is about to upset #1 ranked Pittsburgh. I hear her call to him and then I hear this mad scramble in the background (I think three of four dishes broke...) as he's fighting to get to the TV. It was great to hear...lately PC has been like the Celtics of 1994-2007, so a big win like that meant a lot to him and the program.
Now, I have a lot to talk about. Obviously Mikki Moore is on board now and will be available tonight. I welcome him with open arms. His length is something we need and it's arguably his best asset. Remember when we lost to the Lakers in Boston because Pau Gasol took over in overtime (wow, I never thought I'd actually write that in my lifetime), (andbecausetherefsobviouslyblewthatgameforus...don't get me started)? Well, LENGTH was a big issue. Glen Davis was assigned to guard Gasol and Baby simply didn't have the height and the length to bother Gasol whatsoever on the defensive end. Well, a guy like Mikki Moore can disrupt a player like Gasol's comfort zone in a lot of ways. Simply having that hand there to contest the shot means a lot, and that's pretty much what we can expect out of Mikki Moore. It's really all we need him to do. He's here to bother guys like Dwight Howard, Zydrunas Illgauskus, Tim Duncan and Pau Gasol. I say BOTHER. Not stop. BOTHER. There's a big difference between the two, but bothering is better than simply letting someone score.
Then, of course, the Stephon Marbury rumors are all around us. So far nothing has been absolutely confirmed besides the fact that Marbury and Boston are in contract negotiations. So it sounds like he will be here. Let's hypothetically say he will be here within a week.
Okay, I'm pretty excited, to be honest. Marbury is an extremely talented player and the jump our bench will take will challenge the Millenium Falcon's jumps to lightspeed. Seriously, we're looking at Marbury, Eddie House (strictly shooting), Leon Powe, Glen Davis and Tony Allen (if he's healthy). Since Allen's health is a big IF these days, let's say Brian Scalabrine. Actually, Scal's health is a big IF these days as well, so let's throw Bill Walker in there. I mean, come on.
Marbury will bring the ball up and can get to the hoop without difficulty. Eddie will just shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot. What more could we ask for out of him? He'll be like Keanu Reeves at the end of the first Matrix in the office building. He'll just keep shooting. Then, Davis and Powe have developed so well we have a legitimate post game in Leon and an in between game with Davis. Then, throw in player X, and he'll do whatever else we need. If it's TA or Bill they can just drive to the hoop relentlessly, and if it's Scal...well...Scal will do whatever the game calls for.
I just got really excited about this actually. I mean that is a bench. That. Is. A. Bench! And Marbury will be key because of it.
Now, let's talk about Rajon in all of this. His minutes won't take a hit AT ALL, unless he's in foul trouble. Think of the way he's been playing lately. For as long as Garnett is out, he'll be the team MVP. He's doing absolutely everything right now. His minutes aren't going anywhere. We're at our best when he's on the court.
BUT...remember Game 4 of the finals last year? That Pierce-Garnett-Allen-House-Posey lineup that was so effective? Okay...think about this...it'll be a small line up, BUT...Rondo-Marbury-Allen-Pierce-Garnett.
It will be small, but every single one of those players can score at will. I don't want to call Rondo and Marbury Hall-Of-Fame players yet, but if Marbury locks up a 'chip with us this year he could arguably have enough on his resume to make an argument for himself. With Rondo, he just needs another championship or two and some All-Star appearances (which he will have) to make his case.
So, you're looking at a possible lineup of five future Hall of Famers. Five on the floor at once. It's brilliant.
And come on...Marbury cannot disrupt this locker room. He can't. How can he? Garnett will just go all 'Kevin Garnett' on him. And, if he's going to be a little bitch, his contract won't be high enough for us NOT to cut him...Yes, we're not going to pull a Los Angeles Clippers and sign him to a Mike Dunleavy contract. We'll just get rid of him and move on. I mean, it's looking pretty good right now.
Yeah, let's do it.
Stay tuned.
My dad always gets frustrated because PC rarely gets aired on ESPN, they always get bumped to the ESPN 360 sister channel. So last night I flip on EPSN, see that this is about to happen and immediately call home. My mom answers, I tell her to tell my dad that PC is about to upset #1 ranked Pittsburgh. I hear her call to him and then I hear this mad scramble in the background (I think three of four dishes broke...) as he's fighting to get to the TV. It was great to hear...lately PC has been like the Celtics of 1994-2007, so a big win like that meant a lot to him and the program.
Now, I have a lot to talk about. Obviously Mikki Moore is on board now and will be available tonight. I welcome him with open arms. His length is something we need and it's arguably his best asset. Remember when we lost to the Lakers in Boston because Pau Gasol took over in overtime (wow, I never thought I'd actually write that in my lifetime), (andbecausetherefsobviouslyblewthatgameforus...don't get me started)? Well, LENGTH was a big issue. Glen Davis was assigned to guard Gasol and Baby simply didn't have the height and the length to bother Gasol whatsoever on the defensive end. Well, a guy like Mikki Moore can disrupt a player like Gasol's comfort zone in a lot of ways. Simply having that hand there to contest the shot means a lot, and that's pretty much what we can expect out of Mikki Moore. It's really all we need him to do. He's here to bother guys like Dwight Howard, Zydrunas Illgauskus, Tim Duncan and Pau Gasol. I say BOTHER. Not stop. BOTHER. There's a big difference between the two, but bothering is better than simply letting someone score.
Then, of course, the Stephon Marbury rumors are all around us. So far nothing has been absolutely confirmed besides the fact that Marbury and Boston are in contract negotiations. So it sounds like he will be here. Let's hypothetically say he will be here within a week.
Okay, I'm pretty excited, to be honest. Marbury is an extremely talented player and the jump our bench will take will challenge the Millenium Falcon's jumps to lightspeed. Seriously, we're looking at Marbury, Eddie House (strictly shooting), Leon Powe, Glen Davis and Tony Allen (if he's healthy). Since Allen's health is a big IF these days, let's say Brian Scalabrine. Actually, Scal's health is a big IF these days as well, so let's throw Bill Walker in there. I mean, come on.
Marbury will bring the ball up and can get to the hoop without difficulty. Eddie will just shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot. What more could we ask for out of him? He'll be like Keanu Reeves at the end of the first Matrix in the office building. He'll just keep shooting. Then, Davis and Powe have developed so well we have a legitimate post game in Leon and an in between game with Davis. Then, throw in player X, and he'll do whatever else we need. If it's TA or Bill they can just drive to the hoop relentlessly, and if it's Scal...well...Scal will do whatever the game calls for.
I just got really excited about this actually. I mean that is a bench. That. Is. A. Bench! And Marbury will be key because of it.
Now, let's talk about Rajon in all of this. His minutes won't take a hit AT ALL, unless he's in foul trouble. Think of the way he's been playing lately. For as long as Garnett is out, he'll be the team MVP. He's doing absolutely everything right now. His minutes aren't going anywhere. We're at our best when he's on the court.
BUT...remember Game 4 of the finals last year? That Pierce-Garnett-Allen-House-Posey lineup that was so effective? Okay...think about this...it'll be a small line up, BUT...Rondo-Marbury-Allen-Pierce-Garnett.
It will be small, but every single one of those players can score at will. I don't want to call Rondo and Marbury Hall-Of-Fame players yet, but if Marbury locks up a 'chip with us this year he could arguably have enough on his resume to make an argument for himself. With Rondo, he just needs another championship or two and some All-Star appearances (which he will have) to make his case.
So, you're looking at a possible lineup of five future Hall of Famers. Five on the floor at once. It's brilliant.
And come on...Marbury cannot disrupt this locker room. He can't. How can he? Garnett will just go all 'Kevin Garnett' on him. And, if he's going to be a little bitch, his contract won't be high enough for us NOT to cut him...Yes, we're not going to pull a Los Angeles Clippers and sign him to a Mike Dunleavy contract. We'll just get rid of him and move on. I mean, it's looking pretty good right now.
Yeah, let's do it.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
TONIGHT: CELTICS AT CLIPPERS
The Boston Celtics conclude their six game road trip tonight in Los Angeles when they take on the Clippers at 10:30 pm. Tune into Comcast SportsNet or 850 AM WEEI for full coverage.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 19.5: The Celtics margin of victory over the Clippers last season.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Ray Allen has averaged 28.5 points per game over his last two games.
WHO'S NOT: The Clippers are just 7-21 at home this season.
KEY MATCHUP: Paul Pierce vs. Al Thornton
SKINNY: The Celtics are the Celtics. The Clippers are the Clippers. Don't expect Boston to ease up just because it's the last game of the road trip. Expect the Celtics to come out hard and fast to put the Clippers away early. Mikki Moore will be available for this game.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 19.5: The Celtics margin of victory over the Clippers last season.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Ray Allen has averaged 28.5 points per game over his last two games.
WHO'S NOT: The Clippers are just 7-21 at home this season.
KEY MATCHUP: Paul Pierce vs. Al Thornton
SKINNY: The Celtics are the Celtics. The Clippers are the Clippers. Don't expect Boston to ease up just because it's the last game of the road trip. Expect the Celtics to come out hard and fast to put the Clippers away early. Mikki Moore will be available for this game.
Bunker Hill Bridge Brawl: The Battle for the Eastern Conference
Tuesday is upon us once again and the battle has taken an interesting turn...Kevin Garnett will miss the next few weeks with his right knee strain, Mikki Moore is expected to sign with us and Delonte West has returned from his wrist injury for Cleveland.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Record: 43-11. Games Back: 1
Record the last 10 games: 8-2
Record the last 5 games: 4-1
Leading Scorer: LeBron James: 28.7 ppg
Leading Rebounder: LeBron James: 7.4 rpg
Leading Passer: LeBron James: 7.1 apg
Next 3 Games:
Tonight vs. Memphis; 7:00pm
Thursday at Houston; 8:00pm
Friday at San Antonio; 9:30pm
ORLANDO MAGIC
Record 41-14. Games Back: 3.5
Record the last 10 games: 6-4
Record the last 5 games: 3-2
Leading Scorer: Dwight Howard: 20.9 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Dwight Howard: 14.2 rpg
Leading Passer: Rafer Alston: 5.5 apg
Next 3 Games:
Tonight at Chicago; 8:00pm
Wednesday at New York; 7:30pm
Friday vs. Detroit; 7:00pm
BOSTON CELTICS
Record: 46-12. Games Back: 0
Record the last 10 games: 7-3
Record the last 5 games: 4-1
Leading Scorer: Paul Pierce: 20.1 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Kendrick Perkins: 7.9 rpg
Leading Passer: Rajon Rondo: 8.4 apg
Next 3 Games:
Wednesday at Los Angeles (Clippers); 10:30pm
Friday vs. Indiana; 7:30pm
Sunday vs. Detroit; 1:00pm
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Record: 43-11. Games Back: 1
Record the last 10 games: 8-2
Record the last 5 games: 4-1
Leading Scorer: LeBron James: 28.7 ppg
Leading Rebounder: LeBron James: 7.4 rpg
Leading Passer: LeBron James: 7.1 apg
Next 3 Games:
Tonight vs. Memphis; 7:00pm
Thursday at Houston; 8:00pm
Friday at San Antonio; 9:30pm
ORLANDO MAGIC
Record 41-14. Games Back: 3.5
Record the last 10 games: 6-4
Record the last 5 games: 3-2
Leading Scorer: Dwight Howard: 20.9 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Dwight Howard: 14.2 rpg
Leading Passer: Rafer Alston: 5.5 apg
Next 3 Games:
Tonight at Chicago; 8:00pm
Wednesday at New York; 7:30pm
Friday vs. Detroit; 7:00pm
BOSTON CELTICS
Record: 46-12. Games Back: 0
Record the last 10 games: 7-3
Record the last 5 games: 4-1
Leading Scorer: Paul Pierce: 20.1 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Kendrick Perkins: 7.9 rpg
Leading Passer: Rajon Rondo: 8.4 apg
Next 3 Games:
Wednesday at Los Angeles (Clippers); 10:30pm
Friday vs. Indiana; 7:30pm
Sunday vs. Detroit; 1:00pm
Monday, February 23, 2009
CELTICS 114 - NUGGETS 76
Apparently dismantling the Phoenix Suns yesterday wasn't enough.
A day after an offensive frenzy in Phoenix in which the Celtics erupted for a season-high 128 points, Boston arrived in Denver to deliver the Nuggets a mile-high massacre, 114-76.
In a contest that threatened to get out of control on several occasions, Boston prevailed to avenge their November 14th loss at the TD Banknorth Garden.
C's point guard Rajon Rondo followed up his career-high of 32 points in Phoenix with a 14 point, 8 rebound, 8 assist effort, while holding his counterpart, Chauncey Billups to just 3 points on 1-8 shooting.
"Yeah Rondo was great," C's coach Doc Rivers said afterward. "He was at one point our best rebounder. He had a ton of offensive rebounds early, which breaks our rules, because we want our guards to get back, but he's so good at it. As long as he doesn't get burned, we allow him to do it."
Tonight was Leon Powe's turn for a career night. The Celtics forward put in a career-high 16 points on 5-13 shooting from the field and 6-8 shooting from the free throw line, while Glen Davis added eight points and five rebounds.
"We've been through the fire before," said Powe. "It ain't nothin' new to us. We come out here and work hard everyday, just like everybody else. When we step on the floor we go 110 percent. That's all we can do."
"Glen started out it out," said Rivers of Davis and Powe. "He has the ability to stretch the floor and just as a basketball player knows how to make plays. Leon gave us a low post game which we needed. We wanted to get to the foul line as much as possible because that wouldn't allow them to run and allows you to set your defense up."
The Celtics needed just two quarters to build a 60-37 lead, with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combining for 28 points in the first half to fuel Boston's suddenly red hot offense, despite the absence of Kevin Garnett. Allen and Pierce needed just three quarters to score 26 and 22 points, respectively.
Despite the NBA being a game of runs, Boston slammed the door on Denver before they could even peak through it. The Celtics outscored the Nuggets 26-21 in the third quarter, thus allowing the likes of Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens to enjoy some quality minutes in the fourth. Boston entered the game allowing opponents to shoot 42.7 percent from the field, good for first in the NBA. The Nuggets managed just 34.7 shooting from the field, and 14.3 percent from three-point nation.
"We just wanted to play great defense," Rivers added. "Our offense came off our defense tonight and it was a point of emphasis before the game. They were far more physical than us when they played us in Boston, so our point of emphasis was to come out and battle tonight."
Boston moved to 5-0 on the season without Garnett, and 14-2 over the past two seasons. However, the man who plays a big role in those figures, Brian Scalabrine, left the game in the second quarter after suffering a cervical strain in his neck following a hard foul by Johan Petro.
It was the only blemish on a night when Boston could do no wrong.
A day after an offensive frenzy in Phoenix in which the Celtics erupted for a season-high 128 points, Boston arrived in Denver to deliver the Nuggets a mile-high massacre, 114-76.
In a contest that threatened to get out of control on several occasions, Boston prevailed to avenge their November 14th loss at the TD Banknorth Garden.
C's point guard Rajon Rondo followed up his career-high of 32 points in Phoenix with a 14 point, 8 rebound, 8 assist effort, while holding his counterpart, Chauncey Billups to just 3 points on 1-8 shooting.
"Yeah Rondo was great," C's coach Doc Rivers said afterward. "He was at one point our best rebounder. He had a ton of offensive rebounds early, which breaks our rules, because we want our guards to get back, but he's so good at it. As long as he doesn't get burned, we allow him to do it."
Tonight was Leon Powe's turn for a career night. The Celtics forward put in a career-high 16 points on 5-13 shooting from the field and 6-8 shooting from the free throw line, while Glen Davis added eight points and five rebounds.
"We've been through the fire before," said Powe. "It ain't nothin' new to us. We come out here and work hard everyday, just like everybody else. When we step on the floor we go 110 percent. That's all we can do."
"Glen started out it out," said Rivers of Davis and Powe. "He has the ability to stretch the floor and just as a basketball player knows how to make plays. Leon gave us a low post game which we needed. We wanted to get to the foul line as much as possible because that wouldn't allow them to run and allows you to set your defense up."
The Celtics needed just two quarters to build a 60-37 lead, with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combining for 28 points in the first half to fuel Boston's suddenly red hot offense, despite the absence of Kevin Garnett. Allen and Pierce needed just three quarters to score 26 and 22 points, respectively.
Despite the NBA being a game of runs, Boston slammed the door on Denver before they could even peak through it. The Celtics outscored the Nuggets 26-21 in the third quarter, thus allowing the likes of Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens to enjoy some quality minutes in the fourth. Boston entered the game allowing opponents to shoot 42.7 percent from the field, good for first in the NBA. The Nuggets managed just 34.7 shooting from the field, and 14.3 percent from three-point nation.
"We just wanted to play great defense," Rivers added. "Our offense came off our defense tonight and it was a point of emphasis before the game. They were far more physical than us when they played us in Boston, so our point of emphasis was to come out and battle tonight."
Boston moved to 5-0 on the season without Garnett, and 14-2 over the past two seasons. However, the man who plays a big role in those figures, Brian Scalabrine, left the game in the second quarter after suffering a cervical strain in his neck following a hard foul by Johan Petro.
It was the only blemish on a night when Boston could do no wrong.
Can we be biased?
I've been maintaining this blog for a little over 2 full months now and something has been bothering me for much of that time span. I've been talking to a lot of people about the Celtics and one of the popular topics always seems to be Johnny Most, the iconic Celtics broadcaster. Obviously Johnny Most was biased in every sense of the word. The Celtics were his guys and the opponents were sheer evil. It was brilliant stuff.
I never had the pleasure of hearing Johnny Most during a live broadcast, and I'm not sure the tapes do him justice. I feel like I would appreciate it more if I knew I would be listening to him on a daily basis. But that bias...that stuck with me.
Journalism is so objective these days, which is necessary in many instances, but I've been wondering for a long time whether biased reporting can help save the industry. A lot of people tell me biased reporting isn't real reporting because a biased reporter won't necessarily explain things the way they panned out. Perhaps the other team made some tremendous play or a certain player had a tremendous game, but a biased reporter wouldn't necessarily do justice to whatever the circumstance was.
Is there a Johnny Most of reporters? Can biased writing actually exist? Even on this blog my write ups are objective for the most part, but my personal rants afterward certainly aren't. Personally I prefer ranting, but I realize that there isn't necessarily a structure to ranting, and that's where it hurts.
I feel like biased reporting brings out passion. I feel like there's good writing and then there's passionate writing. However, with passion comes personality, which equals biased.
I've also been thinking about the border between fan and reporter. Professional sports writers aren't allowed to be fans. They have to be objective and are in favor of whatever the story might be, whether it's a Celtics victory of a LeBron James triple-double. But couldn't sports writers technically be the best fans? I mean, they have ALL the access that the real fan wants. Wouldn't fans and readers better identify with someone who sees the game on their level?
BUT...then there are always those people who just want to read about the game and don't care much for someone's personal opinion. If someone doesn't like my opinion (and I'm sure there are plenty of them) why would he want to read my articles every day?
I think it's a battle I won't win, but it doesn't mean I'll stop fighting. Maybe I'll experiment a little bit. Maybe this is why they invented "the column".
Stay tuned.
I never had the pleasure of hearing Johnny Most during a live broadcast, and I'm not sure the tapes do him justice. I feel like I would appreciate it more if I knew I would be listening to him on a daily basis. But that bias...that stuck with me.
Journalism is so objective these days, which is necessary in many instances, but I've been wondering for a long time whether biased reporting can help save the industry. A lot of people tell me biased reporting isn't real reporting because a biased reporter won't necessarily explain things the way they panned out. Perhaps the other team made some tremendous play or a certain player had a tremendous game, but a biased reporter wouldn't necessarily do justice to whatever the circumstance was.
Is there a Johnny Most of reporters? Can biased writing actually exist? Even on this blog my write ups are objective for the most part, but my personal rants afterward certainly aren't. Personally I prefer ranting, but I realize that there isn't necessarily a structure to ranting, and that's where it hurts.
I feel like biased reporting brings out passion. I feel like there's good writing and then there's passionate writing. However, with passion comes personality, which equals biased.
I've also been thinking about the border between fan and reporter. Professional sports writers aren't allowed to be fans. They have to be objective and are in favor of whatever the story might be, whether it's a Celtics victory of a LeBron James triple-double. But couldn't sports writers technically be the best fans? I mean, they have ALL the access that the real fan wants. Wouldn't fans and readers better identify with someone who sees the game on their level?
BUT...then there are always those people who just want to read about the game and don't care much for someone's personal opinion. If someone doesn't like my opinion (and I'm sure there are plenty of them) why would he want to read my articles every day?
I think it's a battle I won't win, but it doesn't mean I'll stop fighting. Maybe I'll experiment a little bit. Maybe this is why they invented "the column".
Stay tuned.
TONIGHT: CELTICS AT NUGGETS
The Boston Celtics travel to the mile-high city for a clash with the Denver Nuggets at 9:00pm. Tune into Comcast SportsNet or 850 AM WEEI for full coverage.
KEEP IT IN MIND: The Nuggets dealt the Celtics their first home loss of the season back on November 14th.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Rajon Rondo scored a career-high 32 points and dished out 10 assists in yesterday's 128-108 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
WHO'S NOT: For the Nuggets, J.R. Smith shot just 2-9 from the field for 9 points in 31 minutes in Denver's 120-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday.
KEY MATCHUP: Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony
SKINNY: Rajon Rondo seems to play his best basketball against the best point guards in the game. With Chauncey Billups on that list, look for Rondo to have another great overall game, while Pierce leads the team in scoring tonight.
KEEP IT IN MIND: The Nuggets dealt the Celtics their first home loss of the season back on November 14th.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Rajon Rondo scored a career-high 32 points and dished out 10 assists in yesterday's 128-108 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
WHO'S NOT: For the Nuggets, J.R. Smith shot just 2-9 from the field for 9 points in 31 minutes in Denver's 120-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday.
KEY MATCHUP: Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony
SKINNY: Rajon Rondo seems to play his best basketball against the best point guards in the game. With Chauncey Billups on that list, look for Rondo to have another great overall game, while Pierce leads the team in scoring tonight.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Rondo leads the way
The Academy Awards haven't been handed out just yet, but Rajon Rondo made a distinct case for Best Actor after he posted a career-high 32 points to go along with 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals in the Boston Celtics' 128-108 victory over the Phoenix Suns earlier today.
Rondo's performance stole the show as he drove through Phoenix's anemic defense all afternoon. Even though his counterpart Steve Nash managed 19 points and 11 assists, it wasn't nearly enough to stop the unstoppable Rondo on his 23rd birthday. Yes, that's right, he's only 23.
Ray Allen barely beat out Paul Pierce for Best Supporting Actor after scoring 31 points to Pierce's 26. It was a close vote, but Allen hitting 10 of his 15 shots put him over the top.
Best Costume Design has to go to Brian Scalabrine for his impersonation of Kevin Garnett today. He put in a season-high 14 points in 37 minutes.
Speaking of Rondo, he's been the Best Actor in a lot of games lately. More specifically, he's been the Best Actor against the elite point guards in the league.
Today vs. Steve Nash: Career-High 32 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
Thursday vs. Deron Williams: 15 points, 7 assists
February 12th vs. Jason Kidd: 19 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists
February 11th vs. Chris Paul: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals
February 8th vs. Tony Parker: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 16 assists, 1 steal
January 19th vs. Steve Nash: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
January 17th vs. Devin Harris: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals
January 14th vs. Devin Harris: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals
December 15th vs. Deron Williams: 25 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals
Let's be honest. Rajon Rondo is going to be really, really, really good. It's even better that he shoves it back in Phoenix's face after they drafted him and then traded him away to...us. Thanks Bryan Colangelo! Steve Nash will be on his way out in a few years and Rondo could have slid right in, allowing Leandro Barbosa to keep his position as sixth man. Instead, Phoenix has to fill a few vital roles and we get one of the best young point guards in the league. Sounds like a deal to me.
Real quick...Heath Ledger had better win Best Supporting Actor tonight. And check out Nitro Circus at 10 on MTV.
Rondo's performance stole the show as he drove through Phoenix's anemic defense all afternoon. Even though his counterpart Steve Nash managed 19 points and 11 assists, it wasn't nearly enough to stop the unstoppable Rondo on his 23rd birthday. Yes, that's right, he's only 23.
Ray Allen barely beat out Paul Pierce for Best Supporting Actor after scoring 31 points to Pierce's 26. It was a close vote, but Allen hitting 10 of his 15 shots put him over the top.
Best Costume Design has to go to Brian Scalabrine for his impersonation of Kevin Garnett today. He put in a season-high 14 points in 37 minutes.
Speaking of Rondo, he's been the Best Actor in a lot of games lately. More specifically, he's been the Best Actor against the elite point guards in the league.
Today vs. Steve Nash: Career-High 32 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
Thursday vs. Deron Williams: 15 points, 7 assists
February 12th vs. Jason Kidd: 19 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists
February 11th vs. Chris Paul: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals
February 8th vs. Tony Parker: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 16 assists, 1 steal
January 19th vs. Steve Nash: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
January 17th vs. Devin Harris: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals
January 14th vs. Devin Harris: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals
December 15th vs. Deron Williams: 25 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals
Let's be honest. Rajon Rondo is going to be really, really, really good. It's even better that he shoves it back in Phoenix's face after they drafted him and then traded him away to...us. Thanks Bryan Colangelo! Steve Nash will be on his way out in a few years and Rondo could have slid right in, allowing Leandro Barbosa to keep his position as sixth man. Instead, Phoenix has to fill a few vital roles and we get one of the best young point guards in the league. Sounds like a deal to me.
Real quick...Heath Ledger had better win Best Supporting Actor tonight. And check out Nitro Circus at 10 on MTV.
CELTICS 128 - SUNS 108
If only Rajon Rondo could turn 23 every day.
The Celtics point guard celebrated his 23rd birthday in fine fashion as he poured in a career-high 32 points to go along with 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals as the Kevin Garnett-less Celtics cruised by the Amare Stoudemire-less Phoenix Suns, 128-108.
Rondo wasn't alone in his offensive explosion, either. Ray Allen added 31 points on 10-15 shooting, while Paul Pierce overcame a 1-8 first half with a 7-9 second half and ended the day with 26 points.
Brian Scalabrine, filling in for the injured Garnett, knocked down five of his eight shots en route to a season-high 14 points.
Defense wasn't Phoenix's objective in this one as the Celtics' 128 points was a season-high. The C's scored 38 points in the first quarter, 30 in the second, 28 in the third and 32 in the fourth. They shot 63 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from three-point nation.
Rondo took charge early on with Pierce struggling, putting in 12 of his points in the first quarter, helping the Celtics out of a seven point hole in the opening minutes.
Boston took a 68-54 lead into halftime, and opened the third quarter on a 12-5 run, with six of those points coming from Rondo, who matched his old career-high of 26 with 9:52 left in the third quarter. Boston opened up a 21-point lead (80-59), before Phoenix responded with an 8-0 run of their own, but Pierce scored eight of his 26 points in the frame to help the Celtics carry a 13-point lead (96-83) into the final period.
A Ray Allen three-pointer got Boston rolling in the fourth and two Pierce free throws with 9:11 left made it 104-88, and Phoenix would never get within 15 from that point on.
The Celtics point guard celebrated his 23rd birthday in fine fashion as he poured in a career-high 32 points to go along with 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals as the Kevin Garnett-less Celtics cruised by the Amare Stoudemire-less Phoenix Suns, 128-108.
Rondo wasn't alone in his offensive explosion, either. Ray Allen added 31 points on 10-15 shooting, while Paul Pierce overcame a 1-8 first half with a 7-9 second half and ended the day with 26 points.
Brian Scalabrine, filling in for the injured Garnett, knocked down five of his eight shots en route to a season-high 14 points.
Defense wasn't Phoenix's objective in this one as the Celtics' 128 points was a season-high. The C's scored 38 points in the first quarter, 30 in the second, 28 in the third and 32 in the fourth. They shot 63 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from three-point nation.
Rondo took charge early on with Pierce struggling, putting in 12 of his points in the first quarter, helping the Celtics out of a seven point hole in the opening minutes.
Boston took a 68-54 lead into halftime, and opened the third quarter on a 12-5 run, with six of those points coming from Rondo, who matched his old career-high of 26 with 9:52 left in the third quarter. Boston opened up a 21-point lead (80-59), before Phoenix responded with an 8-0 run of their own, but Pierce scored eight of his 26 points in the frame to help the Celtics carry a 13-point lead (96-83) into the final period.
A Ray Allen three-pointer got Boston rolling in the fourth and two Pierce free throws with 9:11 left made it 104-88, and Phoenix would never get within 15 from that point on.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
TODAY: CELTICS VS. SUNS
The Boston Celtics will look to get back on track today when they visit Phoenix for a showdown with the Suns. This game tips off at 2:30pm on ABC and 850 AM WEEI.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 17. The margin of victory the Celtics had over the Suns back on January 19th in Boston.
WHO'S HOT: The Suns are averaging 141.7 points per game their last three games.
WHO'S NOT: Paul Pierce shot just 7-19 from the field in Thursday's 90-85 loss to the Utah Jazz.
KEY MATCHUP: Rajon Rondo vs. Steve Nash
SKINNY: The Celtics will be without Kevin Garnett while the Suns will be missing Amare Stoudemire. Look for Rondo to slow down Nash, thus slowing down Phoenix's uptempo offense that has torched opponents the past three games. Phoenix was unsuccessful as a defensive-minded team. If the Celtics can make them play that way, they can walk out of Phoenix with a win.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 17. The margin of victory the Celtics had over the Suns back on January 19th in Boston.
WHO'S HOT: The Suns are averaging 141.7 points per game their last three games.
WHO'S NOT: Paul Pierce shot just 7-19 from the field in Thursday's 90-85 loss to the Utah Jazz.
KEY MATCHUP: Rajon Rondo vs. Steve Nash
SKINNY: The Celtics will be without Kevin Garnett while the Suns will be missing Amare Stoudemire. Look for Rondo to slow down Nash, thus slowing down Phoenix's uptempo offense that has torched opponents the past three games. Phoenix was unsuccessful as a defensive-minded team. If the Celtics can make them play that way, they can walk out of Phoenix with a win.
While it's not good, it's certainly not all bad
Well it's safe to say tomorrow's showdown with the Phoenix Suns is now somewhat anemic as All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudemire will miss the game with separate injuries.
Garnett will miss the next two to three weeks with a posterior muscle strain in his right knee, while Stoudemire could possibly miss the rest of the season after undergoing eye surgery to repair a partially detached retina in his right eye. Garnett's injury is not considered serious. Stoudemire's? Not so much...
However, the Suns have undergone an extreme makeover: style of play edition the past two games under new interim coach Alvin Gentry, and it appears it couldn't have come at a better time. Two games against the Los Angeles Clippers this past week showed the Suns they are much better suited for an uptempo offense. In those two games the Suns averaged 141 points. Stoudemire suffered his injury in the second Clippers game on Wednesday, but that didn't slow down Phoenix last night, when they put up 140 points on the Oklahoma City Thunder without Stoudemire. So, when the Celtics roll into the desert they'll be seeing a team that has averaged 140.7 points per game its last three games.
The Celtics are obviously a much better defensive team than Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, but without their best defensive player, it's safe to say the defense could take a slight hit over the course of Garnett's absence.
The Celtics will certainly have to be on their guard during the first half on Sunday. In the past three games the Suns averaged 75.6 points over the first two quarters.
Do the Celtics need to win tomorrow? It would be nice. The Cavaliers, winners of three straight, are creeping back into the picture and only trail Boston by half a game in the Eastern Conference. Last year the Celtics put up a 9-2 record without Garnett in the lineup when he sustained his abdominal strain before the All-Star break. This can be a good test so see how resilient this team is without him in the lineup. If the Celtics can maintain their lead in the East while Garnett is out, that should settle debate as to whether Boston or Cleveland is the better team. If the Celtics can hold off the Cavs with Garnett out of the lineup, they can certainly deal with them while he's in the lineup.
It's also worth saying that this two or three week stretch is vital for the Celtics for a lot of reasons. Obviously look for increased production from Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo during this stretch, but Doc Rivers can also see who will provide relief at the power forward spot. Perhaps that player will earn valuable minutes down the road when the playoffs come around.
Let's see what happens. This could spice things up a little bit. And I never complain about Paul Pierce going retro and scoring a bunch of points.
Stay tuned.
Garnett will miss the next two to three weeks with a posterior muscle strain in his right knee, while Stoudemire could possibly miss the rest of the season after undergoing eye surgery to repair a partially detached retina in his right eye. Garnett's injury is not considered serious. Stoudemire's? Not so much...
However, the Suns have undergone an extreme makeover: style of play edition the past two games under new interim coach Alvin Gentry, and it appears it couldn't have come at a better time. Two games against the Los Angeles Clippers this past week showed the Suns they are much better suited for an uptempo offense. In those two games the Suns averaged 141 points. Stoudemire suffered his injury in the second Clippers game on Wednesday, but that didn't slow down Phoenix last night, when they put up 140 points on the Oklahoma City Thunder without Stoudemire. So, when the Celtics roll into the desert they'll be seeing a team that has averaged 140.7 points per game its last three games.
The Celtics are obviously a much better defensive team than Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, but without their best defensive player, it's safe to say the defense could take a slight hit over the course of Garnett's absence.
The Celtics will certainly have to be on their guard during the first half on Sunday. In the past three games the Suns averaged 75.6 points over the first two quarters.
Do the Celtics need to win tomorrow? It would be nice. The Cavaliers, winners of three straight, are creeping back into the picture and only trail Boston by half a game in the Eastern Conference. Last year the Celtics put up a 9-2 record without Garnett in the lineup when he sustained his abdominal strain before the All-Star break. This can be a good test so see how resilient this team is without him in the lineup. If the Celtics can maintain their lead in the East while Garnett is out, that should settle debate as to whether Boston or Cleveland is the better team. If the Celtics can hold off the Cavs with Garnett out of the lineup, they can certainly deal with them while he's in the lineup.
It's also worth saying that this two or three week stretch is vital for the Celtics for a lot of reasons. Obviously look for increased production from Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo during this stretch, but Doc Rivers can also see who will provide relief at the power forward spot. Perhaps that player will earn valuable minutes down the road when the playoffs come around.
Let's see what happens. This could spice things up a little bit. And I never complain about Paul Pierce going retro and scoring a bunch of points.
Stay tuned.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Garnett out for rest of trip
Kevin Garnett will miss the remainder of this western conference road trip after returning to Boston for an MRI on his right knee, which he strained last night in a 90-85 loss to the Utah Jazz.
Garnett goes down...
Now let's not panic. At least he can walk. If you saw the halftime report on either network last night you would have seen Kevin Garnett putting weight on his left knee, trying to convince Doc Rivers to let him play. We can at least take that into consideration.
Even though Kevin Garnett is arguably the toughest player in the entire NBA, we need to realize that at least putting weight on the knee is a good thing. The fact that he at least tried to play is a good thing. The fact that he now has two full days to rest his strained right knee is a good thing.
Despite the Celtics losing to the Jazz last night, 90-85, the injury to Kevin Garnett stole the show. If he had been on the floor during the second half perhaps Dick Bavetta and co. wouldn't have swallowed their whistles the way they did. Not even Paul Pierce (7-19 shooting) could bring the Celtics to the promised land. KG was on fire to start the game, hitting his first three baskets, and his length inside obviously would have helped out late in the game.
Perhaps he would have gotten in Matt Harpring's face for repeatedly jabbing and pushing Paul Pierce off his spots on the offensive end. Perhaps he would have towered over Bavetta, making sure he put Leon Powe at the free throw line at the end of the game. Perhaps he would have hit his share of free throws, unlike his teammates, who managed to his just 19 of their 29 attempts from the charity stripe.
Sure, Kevin Garnett could have helped in a multitude of ways in the second half last night, but, he now must focus his attention on getting that knee healthy for a war with Amare Stoudemire on Sunday at 2:30 in the afternoon.
Last year we lost KG just before the All-Star break to an abdominal strain. This time the injury comes just after the C's finished their first stint of the week in Phoenix. Further tests will be conducted on Garnett's knee today, but take solace in the fact that head trainer Eddie Lacerte will be taking care of him. Ultimately it was most likely Lacerte's call as to whether KG could play last night or not. I trust Lacerte and you should too.
If KG is out for any prolonged period of time, don't be surprised to see the Celtics add another player to their roster sooner rather than later. The Celtics can't afford to fall off pace right now, especially with Cleveland visiting the Michael Redd-less Bucks tonight.
Personally? I'm optimistic. I took comfort in seeing the Big Ticket move around at halftime after not daring to put any pressure on the leg as soon as the injury apparently occurred with 1:08 left in the second quarter. But for now, we'll just have to wait and see.
Stay tuned.
Even though Kevin Garnett is arguably the toughest player in the entire NBA, we need to realize that at least putting weight on the knee is a good thing. The fact that he at least tried to play is a good thing. The fact that he now has two full days to rest his strained right knee is a good thing.
Despite the Celtics losing to the Jazz last night, 90-85, the injury to Kevin Garnett stole the show. If he had been on the floor during the second half perhaps Dick Bavetta and co. wouldn't have swallowed their whistles the way they did. Not even Paul Pierce (7-19 shooting) could bring the Celtics to the promised land. KG was on fire to start the game, hitting his first three baskets, and his length inside obviously would have helped out late in the game.
Perhaps he would have gotten in Matt Harpring's face for repeatedly jabbing and pushing Paul Pierce off his spots on the offensive end. Perhaps he would have towered over Bavetta, making sure he put Leon Powe at the free throw line at the end of the game. Perhaps he would have hit his share of free throws, unlike his teammates, who managed to his just 19 of their 29 attempts from the charity stripe.
Sure, Kevin Garnett could have helped in a multitude of ways in the second half last night, but, he now must focus his attention on getting that knee healthy for a war with Amare Stoudemire on Sunday at 2:30 in the afternoon.
Last year we lost KG just before the All-Star break to an abdominal strain. This time the injury comes just after the C's finished their first stint of the week in Phoenix. Further tests will be conducted on Garnett's knee today, but take solace in the fact that head trainer Eddie Lacerte will be taking care of him. Ultimately it was most likely Lacerte's call as to whether KG could play last night or not. I trust Lacerte and you should too.
If KG is out for any prolonged period of time, don't be surprised to see the Celtics add another player to their roster sooner rather than later. The Celtics can't afford to fall off pace right now, especially with Cleveland visiting the Michael Redd-less Bucks tonight.
Personally? I'm optimistic. I took comfort in seeing the Big Ticket move around at halftime after not daring to put any pressure on the leg as soon as the injury apparently occurred with 1:08 left in the second quarter. But for now, we'll just have to wait and see.
Stay tuned.
JAZZ 90 - CELTICS 85
It's safe to say the Boston Celtics lost twice last night.
Along with the Celtics losing 90-85 to the Utah Jazz, more importantly, Boston lost Kevin Garnett late in the second quarter to a right knee strain. He did not return for the second half.
Along with losing their All-Star forward, the Celtics didn't do themselves any favors by turning the ball over 19 times and committing 30 personal fouls. They also shot just 19-29 from the free throw line.
"(The game) really came down to turnovers by us and missed free throws," C's coach Doc Rivers said afterward. "We make our free throws, we win the game; we don't turn the ball over, we win the game."
Boston started its night off strong by holding the Jazz to just 19 percent shooting and 13 points in the first quarter, but Utah would answer with 25 second quarter points, and cut an 11 point (26-15) Celtics lead to just one (39-38) at the half.
With 1:08 left in the first half Garnett leapt into the air to try and convert a Paul Pierce alley-oop, but came down awkwardly and hopped off the court and into the locker room. He was seen walking on the court before the start of the second half, but in the end it was decided that playing it safe was the best option.
"(Garnett) wanted to run and I just said no," Rivers said. "We've got a long season and I'm not taking a risk putting him out on the floor. We'd have loved to have him. Obviously it probably would have made a difference tonight, but our guys played their butts off tonight."
Kendrick Perkins tried to fill the Garnett void, hitting all six of his shots en route to 12 points while also pulling down 11 rebounds. Boston would increase its lead to 11 again in the third quarter (58-47), but Utah responded with a quick 7-0 spurt. Despite the Jazz shooting just 33 percent from the field through three quarters, Boston only led by six (66-60) heading into the fourth.
After a back and forth fourth quarter in which Paul Pierce (20 points; 7-19 shooting) struggled mightily, Matt Harpring buried a jump shot with 1:01 left to give Utah an 85-83 lead. After Ray Allen missed on a drive, Harpring pulled down the rebound, and Deron Williams (18 points, 10 assists) hit a paralyzing jump shot from the free throw line to put Utah up four, 87-83, with 20.4 seconds left. After Pierce converted on the other end, Boston fouled Andre Kirilenko with 8.1 seconds left, and the Utah forward only converted one of two free throws, but Corey Brewer snuck in and grabbed the offensive rebound for Utah before being fouled by Rajon Rondo (15 points, seven assists) and putting the game away.
In the end the Jazz shot just 41.6 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from three-point nation, but it proved to be just enough.
"We're a defensive team," Rivers added. "We got stops all night and I was happy tonight. We've got to make our own luck. We're out on the road and that's how it has to be."
Along with the Celtics losing 90-85 to the Utah Jazz, more importantly, Boston lost Kevin Garnett late in the second quarter to a right knee strain. He did not return for the second half.
Along with losing their All-Star forward, the Celtics didn't do themselves any favors by turning the ball over 19 times and committing 30 personal fouls. They also shot just 19-29 from the free throw line.
"(The game) really came down to turnovers by us and missed free throws," C's coach Doc Rivers said afterward. "We make our free throws, we win the game; we don't turn the ball over, we win the game."
Boston started its night off strong by holding the Jazz to just 19 percent shooting and 13 points in the first quarter, but Utah would answer with 25 second quarter points, and cut an 11 point (26-15) Celtics lead to just one (39-38) at the half.
With 1:08 left in the first half Garnett leapt into the air to try and convert a Paul Pierce alley-oop, but came down awkwardly and hopped off the court and into the locker room. He was seen walking on the court before the start of the second half, but in the end it was decided that playing it safe was the best option.
"(Garnett) wanted to run and I just said no," Rivers said. "We've got a long season and I'm not taking a risk putting him out on the floor. We'd have loved to have him. Obviously it probably would have made a difference tonight, but our guys played their butts off tonight."
Kendrick Perkins tried to fill the Garnett void, hitting all six of his shots en route to 12 points while also pulling down 11 rebounds. Boston would increase its lead to 11 again in the third quarter (58-47), but Utah responded with a quick 7-0 spurt. Despite the Jazz shooting just 33 percent from the field through three quarters, Boston only led by six (66-60) heading into the fourth.
After a back and forth fourth quarter in which Paul Pierce (20 points; 7-19 shooting) struggled mightily, Matt Harpring buried a jump shot with 1:01 left to give Utah an 85-83 lead. After Ray Allen missed on a drive, Harpring pulled down the rebound, and Deron Williams (18 points, 10 assists) hit a paralyzing jump shot from the free throw line to put Utah up four, 87-83, with 20.4 seconds left. After Pierce converted on the other end, Boston fouled Andre Kirilenko with 8.1 seconds left, and the Utah forward only converted one of two free throws, but Corey Brewer snuck in and grabbed the offensive rebound for Utah before being fouled by Rajon Rondo (15 points, seven assists) and putting the game away.
In the end the Jazz shot just 41.6 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from three-point nation, but it proved to be just enough.
"We're a defensive team," Rivers added. "We got stops all night and I was happy tonight. We've got to make our own luck. We're out on the road and that's how it has to be."
Thursday, February 19, 2009
You leave me in the trenches taking grenades, LeBron!
You know who I felt like today? I felt like some helpless soldier back in World War I, keeping my head down as threatening grenades exploded just in front of me, waiting for that inevitable bomb to drop and wipe me away.
Okay, maybe that was a little bit dramatic. But I was pretty nervous all day. And I was a busy guy today...I had big math test at 11, some interviews scattered in between there, then class 2-5...but the whole time the NBA trading deadline was lingering. I wrote earlier about the Cavs possibly making some significant changes and bringing in some All-Star caliber talent. Finally though, it seems like I can poke my head above the rim of my trench and take a look at the aftermath.
Cleveland seems not to have made any moves. No real contender has, with the exception of Orlando, who added Rafer Alston, which in reality isn't even that big of a move. If Orlando thinks he's going to come in and lead them to the promised land, they are sadly mistaken.
As for us? Well apparently we latch onto one team and do all of our deals with them. That's been the case the past two or three years, with the deals with Minnesota. This year it was Sacramento. We're taking their draft picks and they take barely-used players. This time, in a three-team trade, we sent Patrick O'Bryant to Toronto, Toronto sent Will Solomon to Sacramento, and we get a highly protected second-round pick from the Kings. So now, we have TWO roster spots open. Two whole roster spots?
Well, according to the boys at ESPN, Mikki Moore is expected to be waived by the Kings...could we use Mikki Moore? He's kind of like an Eddie House...a well traveled salesman who gives a team what it needs at a specific time. He doesn't do any one thing great, like the way House shoots the ball, but he's a proven big body who can be relied on in the playoffs. He averaged 9.8 points per game two years ago with New Jersey and 8.5 points per game last year with the Kings. Granted, he's only put up 3.5 points per game this year, but with the development of Jason Thompson it's not surprising his minutes have decreased.
Of course, I'd rather have Joe Smith than Mikki Moore, but we live in an imperfect world, so we'll have to wait and see what happens. And Danny Ainge isn't a moron. He probably have something up his sleeve. The point is, Cleveland did not get any better today, the Lakers didn't get any better today and the Spurs probably got worse today because Manu Ginobili could miss up to 3 weeks with an ankle injury. All in all, not a bad day.
Now, we can just worry about the Jazz tonight. AND, Charles Barkley returns tonight! Welcome back, Chuck. Tipoff's at 10:30pm...hopefully it won't be 11...it's TNT, you never know.
Anyway, go C's...and go Rondo...keep proving you're one of the best against the best.
Stay tuned.
Okay, maybe that was a little bit dramatic. But I was pretty nervous all day. And I was a busy guy today...I had big math test at 11, some interviews scattered in between there, then class 2-5...but the whole time the NBA trading deadline was lingering. I wrote earlier about the Cavs possibly making some significant changes and bringing in some All-Star caliber talent. Finally though, it seems like I can poke my head above the rim of my trench and take a look at the aftermath.
Cleveland seems not to have made any moves. No real contender has, with the exception of Orlando, who added Rafer Alston, which in reality isn't even that big of a move. If Orlando thinks he's going to come in and lead them to the promised land, they are sadly mistaken.
As for us? Well apparently we latch onto one team and do all of our deals with them. That's been the case the past two or three years, with the deals with Minnesota. This year it was Sacramento. We're taking their draft picks and they take barely-used players. This time, in a three-team trade, we sent Patrick O'Bryant to Toronto, Toronto sent Will Solomon to Sacramento, and we get a highly protected second-round pick from the Kings. So now, we have TWO roster spots open. Two whole roster spots?
Well, according to the boys at ESPN, Mikki Moore is expected to be waived by the Kings...could we use Mikki Moore? He's kind of like an Eddie House...a well traveled salesman who gives a team what it needs at a specific time. He doesn't do any one thing great, like the way House shoots the ball, but he's a proven big body who can be relied on in the playoffs. He averaged 9.8 points per game two years ago with New Jersey and 8.5 points per game last year with the Kings. Granted, he's only put up 3.5 points per game this year, but with the development of Jason Thompson it's not surprising his minutes have decreased.
Of course, I'd rather have Joe Smith than Mikki Moore, but we live in an imperfect world, so we'll have to wait and see what happens. And Danny Ainge isn't a moron. He probably have something up his sleeve. The point is, Cleveland did not get any better today, the Lakers didn't get any better today and the Spurs probably got worse today because Manu Ginobili could miss up to 3 weeks with an ankle injury. All in all, not a bad day.
Now, we can just worry about the Jazz tonight. AND, Charles Barkley returns tonight! Welcome back, Chuck. Tipoff's at 10:30pm...hopefully it won't be 11...it's TNT, you never know.
Anyway, go C's...and go Rondo...keep proving you're one of the best against the best.
Stay tuned.
We don't want Joe Smith, we NEED Joe Smith!
Guys, I was SO close to going back to bed for like 45 minutes. I was THIS close...but then...THIS happened:
Tyson Chandler failed his physical! Ha! And not because of his sprained ankle he was nursing back before the All-Star break! It's his left big toe! According to ESPN, Dr. Carlon Yates said the risk of Chandler re-injuring his left big toe is too great, and suggested that the Oklahoma City Thunder relinquish their trade of Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox.
Thank you Dr. Yates! If this works out the way it should, the Celtics should make sure Yates is fitted for a championship ring.
We wanted Joe Smith, right? Well, he was on his way to New Orleans, but now, he's stuck back in OKC. So...as long as he isn't traded by 3 o'clock today (that's the trading deadline), the Thunder could still buy out his contract, thus making him a free agent, thus allowing us to sign him to the veteran minimum, thus giving him a chance to win a championship! Trading Sam Cassell on Tuesday suddenly looks like a much better idea at this point.
Let's think about what Joe Smith brings to the table:
6.6 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 19.2 minutes per game. Perfect! That's all we need!
And...remember how we faced Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals last season? Well, Joe Smith was a huge part of them getting there. He came to Cleveland via that Drew Gooden/Larry Hughes trade with Chicago that also brought over Ben Wallace.
Smith fits the profile of what we want: A quality big man who can step outside and hit a medium range jump shot. It's perfect. It's P.J. Brown Part Deux. Who would you rather have in the locker room? Joe Smith or Stephon Marbury? Thought so.
This also becomes a potentially huge deal for the Celtics if the Cavaliers are serious about trying to acquire Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Marcus Camby, which they are serious about, according to ESPN.
Want to know what's scary? Like, Jason with a knife or Leatherface with his chainsaw, scary? Technically, the Cavaliers could trade Eric Snow and Lorenzen Wright to the Wizards for Jamison. The Wizards might actually consider this because of Snow's expiring contract.
Okay, say they don't get Jamison...they could trade Snow and Daniel Gibson to the Clippers for Camby...again, Snow's expiring contract is they key here...and Gibson is just a slightly more than mediocre guard, but the Clippers are so bad, Gibson won't make them any worse.
This is even worse...the Cavs could acquire Jamison and Camby in ONE deal. They would send Snow and Wright to the Wizards for Jamison, and then they could send Zydrunas Illgauskas and J.J. Hickson to the Clippers to Camby...This is a little bit more unrealistic, simply because why would the Clippers agree to this trade? Let's hope they see it that way at least...OH MY GOD...keep this deal the same, okay? But then Cleveland can throw Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract at Washington in exchange for Caron Butler. So Cleveland could get Jamison, Butler and Camby in one single trade.
Oh, S@%T!
Ever notice how Cleveland always has difficult beating Washington because of players like Jamison and Butler? Well, if you can't beat 'em...acquire 'em!
Exclusive message to Danny Ainge: Prepare for the worst. Get us Joe Smith!
Stay tuned.
Tyson Chandler failed his physical! Ha! And not because of his sprained ankle he was nursing back before the All-Star break! It's his left big toe! According to ESPN, Dr. Carlon Yates said the risk of Chandler re-injuring his left big toe is too great, and suggested that the Oklahoma City Thunder relinquish their trade of Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox.
Thank you Dr. Yates! If this works out the way it should, the Celtics should make sure Yates is fitted for a championship ring.
We wanted Joe Smith, right? Well, he was on his way to New Orleans, but now, he's stuck back in OKC. So...as long as he isn't traded by 3 o'clock today (that's the trading deadline), the Thunder could still buy out his contract, thus making him a free agent, thus allowing us to sign him to the veteran minimum, thus giving him a chance to win a championship! Trading Sam Cassell on Tuesday suddenly looks like a much better idea at this point.
Let's think about what Joe Smith brings to the table:
6.6 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 19.2 minutes per game. Perfect! That's all we need!
And...remember how we faced Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals last season? Well, Joe Smith was a huge part of them getting there. He came to Cleveland via that Drew Gooden/Larry Hughes trade with Chicago that also brought over Ben Wallace.
Smith fits the profile of what we want: A quality big man who can step outside and hit a medium range jump shot. It's perfect. It's P.J. Brown Part Deux. Who would you rather have in the locker room? Joe Smith or Stephon Marbury? Thought so.
This also becomes a potentially huge deal for the Celtics if the Cavaliers are serious about trying to acquire Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Marcus Camby, which they are serious about, according to ESPN.
Want to know what's scary? Like, Jason with a knife or Leatherface with his chainsaw, scary? Technically, the Cavaliers could trade Eric Snow and Lorenzen Wright to the Wizards for Jamison. The Wizards might actually consider this because of Snow's expiring contract.
Okay, say they don't get Jamison...they could trade Snow and Daniel Gibson to the Clippers for Camby...again, Snow's expiring contract is they key here...and Gibson is just a slightly more than mediocre guard, but the Clippers are so bad, Gibson won't make them any worse.
This is even worse...the Cavs could acquire Jamison and Camby in ONE deal. They would send Snow and Wright to the Wizards for Jamison, and then they could send Zydrunas Illgauskas and J.J. Hickson to the Clippers to Camby...This is a little bit more unrealistic, simply because why would the Clippers agree to this trade? Let's hope they see it that way at least...OH MY GOD...keep this deal the same, okay? But then Cleveland can throw Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract at Washington in exchange for Caron Butler. So Cleveland could get Jamison, Butler and Camby in one single trade.
Oh, S@%T!
Ever notice how Cleveland always has difficult beating Washington because of players like Jamison and Butler? Well, if you can't beat 'em...acquire 'em!
Exclusive message to Danny Ainge: Prepare for the worst. Get us Joe Smith!
Stay tuned.
TONIGHT: CELTICS AT JAZZ
The Boston Celtics visit Salt Lake City, Utah, to take try and capture their 10th straight road win against the Jazz. This game tips off at 10:30 pm on Comcast SportsNet and 850 AM WEEI.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 22-6. Utah's record at home.
WHO'S HOT: For the Jazz, C.J. Miles scored 24 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
For the Celtics, Paul Pierce scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter in Boston's win over Dallas a week ago.
WHO'S NOT: For the Jazz, Kyle Korver shot 1-9 from the field (1-5 from 3-point nation) in Tuesday's win over the Grizzlies.
KEY MATCHUP: Rajon Rondo vs. Deron Williams
Rondo's latest line: 19 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists
Williams' latest line: 20 points, 1 rebound, 15 assists
SKINNY: A nice 10 to 15 game winning streak is what the Celtics need to start the last 27 games of the season. They've already won 2 straight, but this is a statement team in a lot of ways as one of the best road teams in the league meets one of the best home teams. Point guard play will be huge, as both offenses are capable of pushing the ball or running halfcourt sets.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 22-6. Utah's record at home.
WHO'S HOT: For the Jazz, C.J. Miles scored 24 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
For the Celtics, Paul Pierce scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter in Boston's win over Dallas a week ago.
WHO'S NOT: For the Jazz, Kyle Korver shot 1-9 from the field (1-5 from 3-point nation) in Tuesday's win over the Grizzlies.
KEY MATCHUP: Rajon Rondo vs. Deron Williams
Rondo's latest line: 19 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists
Williams' latest line: 20 points, 1 rebound, 15 assists
SKINNY: A nice 10 to 15 game winning streak is what the Celtics need to start the last 27 games of the season. They've already won 2 straight, but this is a statement team in a lot of ways as one of the best road teams in the league meets one of the best home teams. Point guard play will be huge, as both offenses are capable of pushing the ball or running halfcourt sets.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A slightly simpler "second half"
So what exactly do the Celtics have to look forward to these last 27 games?
Well, like most situations, there's good news and bad news. Let's get the bad news out the way first:
Tony Allen will be out until the playoffs after undergoing left thumb surgery to repair torn ligaments. Will there be a spot available for Tony, considering how last year he was left out of Doc Rivers' playoff rotation because he was still recovering from his knee injury? Well, it could depend on what the Celtics do now that they've traded Sam Cassell to free up a roster spot. Even though they're looking for a big man, if the Celtics end up signing a guard or small forward, Tony could see his minutes slashed upon his return. So far the state of his health just hasn't made him a reliable player for the C's.
Okay, that's really all the bad news, so now, on to the good stuff:
12 of the Celtics' final 27 games come against opponents under the .500 mark, including four games against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies. When the C's visit the Clippers next week they might not be seeing Zach Randolph. Depending on how long Randolph's suspension is for punching Louis Amundson of the Phoenix Suns last night.
The C's only have two back-to-back stretches in the month of March, and kick off the month of April with a four game homestand. March 6th and March 8th the Celtics play the Magic and Cavaliers, respectively, but both games will be played in Boston.
Boston is in the midst of its final legitimate road trip of the season. After this, they only have four separate two game road trips, and only one of those small road trips is in a back-to-back game situation.
The Celtics should have Brian Scalabrine back as early as tomorrow night in Utah. Scalabrine was still recovering from a string of two concussions in three days time almost a month ago. If Scalabrine can return he has the capability of shutting down players like Mehmet Okur and Rasheed Wallace. While Scal might not be able to stop the likes of LeBron James he can at least use his six fouls against him while trying to slow him down.
With Tony Allen out the likes of Bill Walker could see some minutes, especially if Rivers has any type of plan for him come playoff time. Even though he isn't in his rotation right now, if Tony Allen can't come back on time, don't be shocked to see Walker with some minor stints on the court, possibly to simply use his fouls to slow down players like James and Dwyane Wade.
Rajon Rondo continues to improve at a steady pace. The point guard has gotten better and better as the season has gone along and in his last game against Dallas he had arguably the best game of his entire career with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists.
The good easily outweighs the bad. Celtics fans have a lot to look forward to as the postseason approaches.
Stay tuned.
Well, like most situations, there's good news and bad news. Let's get the bad news out the way first:
Tony Allen will be out until the playoffs after undergoing left thumb surgery to repair torn ligaments. Will there be a spot available for Tony, considering how last year he was left out of Doc Rivers' playoff rotation because he was still recovering from his knee injury? Well, it could depend on what the Celtics do now that they've traded Sam Cassell to free up a roster spot. Even though they're looking for a big man, if the Celtics end up signing a guard or small forward, Tony could see his minutes slashed upon his return. So far the state of his health just hasn't made him a reliable player for the C's.
Okay, that's really all the bad news, so now, on to the good stuff:
12 of the Celtics' final 27 games come against opponents under the .500 mark, including four games against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies. When the C's visit the Clippers next week they might not be seeing Zach Randolph. Depending on how long Randolph's suspension is for punching Louis Amundson of the Phoenix Suns last night.
The C's only have two back-to-back stretches in the month of March, and kick off the month of April with a four game homestand. March 6th and March 8th the Celtics play the Magic and Cavaliers, respectively, but both games will be played in Boston.
Boston is in the midst of its final legitimate road trip of the season. After this, they only have four separate two game road trips, and only one of those small road trips is in a back-to-back game situation.
The Celtics should have Brian Scalabrine back as early as tomorrow night in Utah. Scalabrine was still recovering from a string of two concussions in three days time almost a month ago. If Scalabrine can return he has the capability of shutting down players like Mehmet Okur and Rasheed Wallace. While Scal might not be able to stop the likes of LeBron James he can at least use his six fouls against him while trying to slow him down.
With Tony Allen out the likes of Bill Walker could see some minutes, especially if Rivers has any type of plan for him come playoff time. Even though he isn't in his rotation right now, if Tony Allen can't come back on time, don't be shocked to see Walker with some minor stints on the court, possibly to simply use his fouls to slow down players like James and Dwyane Wade.
Rajon Rondo continues to improve at a steady pace. The point guard has gotten better and better as the season has gone along and in his last game against Dallas he had arguably the best game of his entire career with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists.
The good easily outweighs the bad. Celtics fans have a lot to look forward to as the postseason approaches.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
So long Sam!
The Celtics and Kings have agreed in principle to a trade that would send Sam Cassell and cash considerations to Sacramento in exchange for a future second-round draft pick.
Removing Cassell's contract obviously helps the Celtics as far as the team's luxury tax is concerned. The Kings, who have no real use for Cassell, will most likely waive him. Trading Cassell for a draft pick frees up a roster spot for Boston, which can now add another player before the end of the regular season.
Removing Cassell's contract obviously helps the Celtics as far as the team's luxury tax is concerned. The Kings, who have no real use for Cassell, will most likely waive him. Trading Cassell for a draft pick frees up a roster spot for Boston, which can now add another player before the end of the regular season.
Bunker Hill Bridge Brawl: The Battle for the Eastern Conference
Happy Tuesday everyone! The battle has been at a cease fire with the All-Star break upon us, but, we can still look at last week.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS:
Record: 40-11. Games Back: 2
Record the last 10 games: 7-3
Record the last 5 games: 3-2
Current Streak: Won 1
Leading Scorer:LeBron James: 28.5 ppg
Leading Rebounder: LeBron James: 7.5 rpg
Leading Passer: LeBron James: 7.0 apg
Next 3 Games:
Wednesday at Toronto: 7:00pm
Friday at Milwaukee: 8:30pm
Sunday vs. Detroit: 8:00pm
ORLANDO MAGIC
Record: 38-13. Games Back: 4
Record the last 10 games: 5-5
Record the last 5 games: 2-3
Current Streak: Lost 1
Leading Scorer: Dwight Howard: 20.5 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Dwight Howard: 14.1 rpg
Leading Passer: Hedo Turkoglu: 4.9 apg
Next 3 Games:
Tonight vs. Charlotte: 7:00pm
Tomorrow at New Orleans: 8:00pm
Friday at Charlotte: 7:00pm
BOSTON CELTICS
Record: 44-11. Games Back: 0
Record the last 10 Games: 8-2
Record the last 5 Games: 3-2
Current Streak: Won 2
Leading Scorer: Paul Pierce: 19.9 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Kevin Garnett: 8.9 rpg
Leading Passer: Rajon Rondo: 8.5 apg
Next 3 Games:
Thursday at Utah: 10:30pm
Sunday at Phoenix: 2:30pm
Monday at Denver: 9:00pm
Stay tuned.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS:
Record: 40-11. Games Back: 2
Record the last 10 games: 7-3
Record the last 5 games: 3-2
Current Streak: Won 1
Leading Scorer:LeBron James: 28.5 ppg
Leading Rebounder: LeBron James: 7.5 rpg
Leading Passer: LeBron James: 7.0 apg
Next 3 Games:
Wednesday at Toronto: 7:00pm
Friday at Milwaukee: 8:30pm
Sunday vs. Detroit: 8:00pm
ORLANDO MAGIC
Record: 38-13. Games Back: 4
Record the last 10 games: 5-5
Record the last 5 games: 2-3
Current Streak: Lost 1
Leading Scorer: Dwight Howard: 20.5 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Dwight Howard: 14.1 rpg
Leading Passer: Hedo Turkoglu: 4.9 apg
Next 3 Games:
Tonight vs. Charlotte: 7:00pm
Tomorrow at New Orleans: 8:00pm
Friday at Charlotte: 7:00pm
BOSTON CELTICS
Record: 44-11. Games Back: 0
Record the last 10 Games: 8-2
Record the last 5 Games: 3-2
Current Streak: Won 2
Leading Scorer: Paul Pierce: 19.9 ppg
Leading Rebounder: Kevin Garnett: 8.9 rpg
Leading Passer: Rajon Rondo: 8.5 apg
Next 3 Games:
Thursday at Utah: 10:30pm
Sunday at Phoenix: 2:30pm
Monday at Denver: 9:00pm
Stay tuned.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Am I being too harsh on Craig Sager?
You know, last night was actually pretty good. I think it's safe to say that last night's All-Star Game made up for the colossal disappointment which was All-Star Saturday night.
I swear to God, Paul Pierce had 20 points last night! Do I need to review tape? The boxscore has him at 18. I even remember thinking, after LeBron put in one of his baskets and saw that HE had 18 at that point, "Man, Paul has 2 more points than LeBron. He can outscore LeBron in the All-Star Game!"
Apparently I wanted it so bad I made up a basket for Pierce...well, he led ALL scorers at halftime with 14 points so ha! Kevin Garnett put in 12 and Ray Allen added 8. So in the end the Boston Celtics accounted for 38 of the East's 119 points, which is good for 32 percent.
But of course, the best Celtic-related event of last night was the delivery of the birthday cake to Bill Russell by KG, Ray and Paul. If the Celtics do anything better than winning, it's their acknowledgement of history and past players.
How great was Shaq last night? I thought he was phenomenal and really helped make the night what it was. From his opening freestyle dance with the JabbaWockeeZ (or the walkajobeez as Craig Sager likes to call them. Oh, I'm coming for your Craig...keep reading), to his between the legs pass of a trash talking Dwight Howard and resulting dunk a moment later, to his co-MVP award with Kobe Bryant, it was phenomenal. He might just deserve an invite every single year, just to spice it up. Even after he retires, just invite Shaq back and give him his own event.
Now...my favorite part of this post...I've had some conflicts with TNT the last week or so, but last night put it over the top. Sideline guy David Aldridge was great last night. He was professional and he asked appropriate questions. But Craig Sager...well, it was a slightly different story.
First of all, he starts the night off by asking Shaq about his head coach, Terry Porter, who is apparently going to be relieved of his duties today. It wasn't even official yet! I'm sure Shaq knew it was coming, but he might not have known at that point it was apparently going to happen today! But here comes Craig, asking him about his coach being fired. Shaq responded beautifully by giving Craig the stone cold shoulder and saying how "unprofessional" it would be to talk about that and how it was "unprofessional" that it was even brought up. Now, you can tell Shaq was upset because it was the first time in any Craig Sager interview that the player he was talking to didn't insult his ridiculous, "look at me" outfits he always dresses in. Shaq looked legitimately pissed, and I don't blame him.
Oh, and Craig wasn't done there...he then interviews Kobe at halftime and asks him about Shaq's performance with the "walkajobeez". Uh, Craig...I don't think that's a name of a dancing group or even a word in general. Um...you could have just said, "What about Shaq's dancing performance in the opening, or Shaq's dance moves", but no, you had to go and insult the winner of the first season of America's Best Dance Crew.
So you'd think that maybe he would have learned his lesson at halftime, or someone from TNT would have told him to tone it down, but no, he goes after John McCain in the second half! He gets Senator McCain courtside and asks HIM what he thinks of Porter being fired. Stop asking about Porter being fired! He WAS NOT FIRED at that time! Was he on his way out? Sure. Was it official? NO! Then, and this is the best part, Craig says to McCain..."Now that you have...no...stop...I JUST FOUND THIS!
Oh man that's so awesome! If you chose to scroll past that video, stop and watch it! It's perfect! Now, I loved Kevin Garnett before, but I love him even more now! You tell him KG! Burn it all! And the looks on Craig Sager's face...this proves that even HE knows he looks like a damn fool. He couldn't come back with anything! Not one thing! He had nothing to say! I've never seen someone get ripped that bad before. It was worse than when Eminem ripped himself at the end of 8-Mile! It was worse than Seth and Evan ripping on McLovin in Superbad! It was worse than David Letterman ripping on Joaquin Phoenix!
Okay, back to McCain...so Craig then decides to say something like: "Now that you have a little bit more time on your hands, with all due respect, maybe you can help fix the Suns' problems."
Craig, you can't say that! You can't say something like that to John McCain! And that, "with all due respect" was a total after thought because he got that look from John McCain. How does he continue to mess this stuff up? Does he just not plan his questions ahead of time? He even mentioned Barack Obama in the interview! Craig, you can't do that! Show a little respect to the people you interview. McCain would have really helped out this country and will still do so as a Senator...don't you think he's probably still the least bit bitter about not winning the election?
As you can probably tell, this really bothered me last night. Well, at least the game was pretty good...146-119 in favor of the West. Shaq and Kobe, co-MVP's.
Okay, here's the video again. It's better the second time, I swear!
Stay tuned.
I swear to God, Paul Pierce had 20 points last night! Do I need to review tape? The boxscore has him at 18. I even remember thinking, after LeBron put in one of his baskets and saw that HE had 18 at that point, "Man, Paul has 2 more points than LeBron. He can outscore LeBron in the All-Star Game!"
Apparently I wanted it so bad I made up a basket for Pierce...well, he led ALL scorers at halftime with 14 points so ha! Kevin Garnett put in 12 and Ray Allen added 8. So in the end the Boston Celtics accounted for 38 of the East's 119 points, which is good for 32 percent.
But of course, the best Celtic-related event of last night was the delivery of the birthday cake to Bill Russell by KG, Ray and Paul. If the Celtics do anything better than winning, it's their acknowledgement of history and past players.
How great was Shaq last night? I thought he was phenomenal and really helped make the night what it was. From his opening freestyle dance with the JabbaWockeeZ (or the walkajobeez as Craig Sager likes to call them. Oh, I'm coming for your Craig...keep reading), to his between the legs pass of a trash talking Dwight Howard and resulting dunk a moment later, to his co-MVP award with Kobe Bryant, it was phenomenal. He might just deserve an invite every single year, just to spice it up. Even after he retires, just invite Shaq back and give him his own event.
Now...my favorite part of this post...I've had some conflicts with TNT the last week or so, but last night put it over the top. Sideline guy David Aldridge was great last night. He was professional and he asked appropriate questions. But Craig Sager...well, it was a slightly different story.
First of all, he starts the night off by asking Shaq about his head coach, Terry Porter, who is apparently going to be relieved of his duties today. It wasn't even official yet! I'm sure Shaq knew it was coming, but he might not have known at that point it was apparently going to happen today! But here comes Craig, asking him about his coach being fired. Shaq responded beautifully by giving Craig the stone cold shoulder and saying how "unprofessional" it would be to talk about that and how it was "unprofessional" that it was even brought up. Now, you can tell Shaq was upset because it was the first time in any Craig Sager interview that the player he was talking to didn't insult his ridiculous, "look at me" outfits he always dresses in. Shaq looked legitimately pissed, and I don't blame him.
Oh, and Craig wasn't done there...he then interviews Kobe at halftime and asks him about Shaq's performance with the "walkajobeez". Uh, Craig...I don't think that's a name of a dancing group or even a word in general. Um...you could have just said, "What about Shaq's dancing performance in the opening, or Shaq's dance moves", but no, you had to go and insult the winner of the first season of America's Best Dance Crew.
So you'd think that maybe he would have learned his lesson at halftime, or someone from TNT would have told him to tone it down, but no, he goes after John McCain in the second half! He gets Senator McCain courtside and asks HIM what he thinks of Porter being fired. Stop asking about Porter being fired! He WAS NOT FIRED at that time! Was he on his way out? Sure. Was it official? NO! Then, and this is the best part, Craig says to McCain..."Now that you have...no...stop...I JUST FOUND THIS!
Oh man that's so awesome! If you chose to scroll past that video, stop and watch it! It's perfect! Now, I loved Kevin Garnett before, but I love him even more now! You tell him KG! Burn it all! And the looks on Craig Sager's face...this proves that even HE knows he looks like a damn fool. He couldn't come back with anything! Not one thing! He had nothing to say! I've never seen someone get ripped that bad before. It was worse than when Eminem ripped himself at the end of 8-Mile! It was worse than Seth and Evan ripping on McLovin in Superbad! It was worse than David Letterman ripping on Joaquin Phoenix!
Okay, back to McCain...so Craig then decides to say something like: "Now that you have a little bit more time on your hands, with all due respect, maybe you can help fix the Suns' problems."
Craig, you can't say that! You can't say something like that to John McCain! And that, "with all due respect" was a total after thought because he got that look from John McCain. How does he continue to mess this stuff up? Does he just not plan his questions ahead of time? He even mentioned Barack Obama in the interview! Craig, you can't do that! Show a little respect to the people you interview. McCain would have really helped out this country and will still do so as a Senator...don't you think he's probably still the least bit bitter about not winning the election?
As you can probably tell, this really bothered me last night. Well, at least the game was pretty good...146-119 in favor of the West. Shaq and Kobe, co-MVP's.
Okay, here's the video again. It's better the second time, I swear!
Stay tuned.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
I guess I'll take this problem over steroids...
The NBA needs to take drastic measures if it wants to reclaim any dignity when it comes to NBA All-Star Saturday night. Yesterday was a fiasco in practically every event. The crowd was more or less silent, and who can blame them? Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson's Superman routine was (and I'm about to be generous) pretty lame.
Wait...what would have happened if Robinson hadn't made the finals? Would J.R. Smith or Rudy Fernandez have gone back into the locker room and come out in all green? Was the final round rigged somehow? You could make that argument...how did Dwight Howard's behind the backboard dunk get a score of 50 and Fernandez's only a 42? To me, it seemed like Fernandez's was a little bit more complicated than Howard's...
Anyway...LeBron James did announce during the final round that he has preliminarily agreed to compete in next year's contest in Dallas. Now, I am not a LeBron fan, clearly. But I know like everyone else in the world is, so, I support this one. The NBA needs its best at these events once again. The NBA needs to do whatever it has to do to get LeBron, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Josh Smith/Gerald Green back at the contest next year. Back when Micheal Jordan and Dominique Wilkins were throwing down alongside Clyde Drexler the dunk contest was one of the events of the year. The NBA needs that back. George Gervin almost fell asleep last night! His eyes were drooping if you watched him closely!
It's the same scenario with the 3-Point Shootout. The shooting last night was pathetic. The NBA needs the seasoned veterans back. The NBA needs to call Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Miller, Jason Kapono, Eddie House and Daequan Cook to compete next year. They need the best of the best. If they have to throw in extra incentives then they should do it. I say the best of the best because those players are just pure, pure shooters. The likes of Danny Granger and Rashard Lewis can shoot, but they're scorers. Then there are guys like Steve Nash who shoot well in games, but don't have that X factor they need for things like shooting contests.
The Skills Contest is usually the worst, just because it's the one event where you can really tell no effort is being put into what they're trying to do. The way they "weave" through the obstacle course is flat out boring. The league should call Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, and should include some sort of huge prize or something just to spice up the event and make the players want to compete.
All of these contests need to mean something again, so the players actually want to be invited and compete. Everyone wins when its played like that. The players win from the competition, the winner wins, literally, and the fans win from seeing a battle between some pretty talented players. Then, of course, the league wins because ad revenue and interest would sky rocket. Why can't the NBA All-Star weekend commercials match the Super Bowl commercials? Why only have 3 hours of commercials when you could have 3 days of commercials?
To me, it's a no brainer. I know a lot of people were disappointed with last night and I'm certainly one of them.
Actually, the NBA did do one thing right this weekend. They chose to rename the NBA Finals MVP trophy after Bill Russell, the greatest winner in professional sports history.
Stay tuned.
Wait...what would have happened if Robinson hadn't made the finals? Would J.R. Smith or Rudy Fernandez have gone back into the locker room and come out in all green? Was the final round rigged somehow? You could make that argument...how did Dwight Howard's behind the backboard dunk get a score of 50 and Fernandez's only a 42? To me, it seemed like Fernandez's was a little bit more complicated than Howard's...
Anyway...LeBron James did announce during the final round that he has preliminarily agreed to compete in next year's contest in Dallas. Now, I am not a LeBron fan, clearly. But I know like everyone else in the world is, so, I support this one. The NBA needs its best at these events once again. The NBA needs to do whatever it has to do to get LeBron, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Josh Smith/Gerald Green back at the contest next year. Back when Micheal Jordan and Dominique Wilkins were throwing down alongside Clyde Drexler the dunk contest was one of the events of the year. The NBA needs that back. George Gervin almost fell asleep last night! His eyes were drooping if you watched him closely!
It's the same scenario with the 3-Point Shootout. The shooting last night was pathetic. The NBA needs the seasoned veterans back. The NBA needs to call Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Miller, Jason Kapono, Eddie House and Daequan Cook to compete next year. They need the best of the best. If they have to throw in extra incentives then they should do it. I say the best of the best because those players are just pure, pure shooters. The likes of Danny Granger and Rashard Lewis can shoot, but they're scorers. Then there are guys like Steve Nash who shoot well in games, but don't have that X factor they need for things like shooting contests.
The Skills Contest is usually the worst, just because it's the one event where you can really tell no effort is being put into what they're trying to do. The way they "weave" through the obstacle course is flat out boring. The league should call Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, and should include some sort of huge prize or something just to spice up the event and make the players want to compete.
All of these contests need to mean something again, so the players actually want to be invited and compete. Everyone wins when its played like that. The players win from the competition, the winner wins, literally, and the fans win from seeing a battle between some pretty talented players. Then, of course, the league wins because ad revenue and interest would sky rocket. Why can't the NBA All-Star weekend commercials match the Super Bowl commercials? Why only have 3 hours of commercials when you could have 3 days of commercials?
To me, it's a no brainer. I know a lot of people were disappointed with last night and I'm certainly one of them.
Actually, the NBA did do one thing right this weekend. They chose to rename the NBA Finals MVP trophy after Bill Russell, the greatest winner in professional sports history.
Stay tuned.
Did we just witness the death of the dunk contest?
Was what we saw last night the future of NBA All-Star Saturday night? If it was, we probably aren't going to see it around for very much longer.
There's something seriously, seriously wrong if the Haier Shooting Stars is arguably the most exciting event. Did anyone actually enjoy the 3-point shootout or the dunk contest? What about the skills contest?
Actually...I want to start with the skills contest. You know what the Skills Contest has become? It's become four pretty good players trudging through a pedestrian obstacle course at a comfortable, nearly effortless pace. Can you guys at least pretend you want to win? For the audience's sake? What we saw last night was four guys who couldn't shoot or pass a basketball and apparently can't dribble too quickly around some make shift defenders. And Cleveland fans, don't be mad at the ball boy who stuck his head out in Mo Williams' passing lane. Be mad at me. I paid that kid 50 bucks to do that. It was worth every cent.
Even the TNT broadcasters were complaining about it. Yes, for once, TNT and I were on the same side. You almost have to ask yourself, "why am I watching this?" I sure hope Eva Longoria punished Tony Parker by sleeping in a separate bed after his lackluster performance last night (50.8 seconds. Woof!)
Then we moved on to the 3-point shootout, and apparently we have a lot of BAD 3-point shooters in the NBA. Much like the Skills Contest participants, the 3-point nationeers (that's my own word...I'm on the fence about it) put on a very hollow show. There was just nothing to it.
Danny Granger: 13
Roger Mason: 13
Mike Bibby: 14
Um...remind me again why Eddie House wasn't chosen to compete in this event? Ray Allen was probably in the building somewhere...he probably would have only needed four racks to beat those scores...Ray definitely should have made a guest appearance last night...actually...Eddie was in Scottsdale...they should have texted him in between rounds to get him there. The commercials were so outlandishly long last night he probably could have made it there in time.
Well, I actually picked Daequan Cook to win the thing about two minutes before the whole contest started. Our three finalists: Rashard Lewis, Cook, and 2-time defending champion, Jason Kapono. Not bad, I guess.
Well, they all kind of stunk up the last round. Talk about a letdown. After Kapono was eliminated early in the final round, Lewis and Cook could only muster 15 each and were forced into a shootout where Lewis proceeded to make SEVEN (7!) shots (Somebody should wave a skunk in his face!). Cook waltzed up to the rack, knowing there was no way he could mess this one up. He calmly knocked down his first eight to seal the win then threw in 11 more for a grand total of 19.
Then of course, we had to sit through the superman-themed dunk contest, which was more corrupt than Lex Luthor, who apparently is now being played by a 5'9 black dude.
Sure, Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard made the finals, after J.R. Smith and Rudy Fernandez needed an outrageous amount of attempts to complete their dunks. The real crime was that Howard received a 50 on his first dunk which began behind the backboard, but in retrospect, compared to some of the stuff we've seen, really was not that impressive. Then, Fernandez, although it took him a long time, came from behind the backboard and took a Pau Gasol pass off the glass to slam it home. I actually felt bad for Fernandez on this one. If Howard's was a 50, Fernandez's most definitely was.
Okay, the dunk contest is about originality and creativity. Dressing up in a way too tight shirt and throwing a cape on is not creative, Mr. Howard. Running in and out of a phone booth is not that creative either. 3rd graders do that using their imaginations every single day. Dunking on a 12-foot rim is impressive, except when you do it so easily you make us wonder why it wasn't a 15-foot rim. He literally made the 12-foot rim look like nothing...he got another 50 (shocker), but the crowd was basically like, "Oh, that was it?" Do we really need forklifts involved in the dunk contest? Is this what it has become?
Oh, and did we really think Robinson could jump over Howard cleanly? Did anyone actually think Robinson could hop over the 6'11 guy? As soon as Howard stood there I said, "There's absolutely no way he can do this". Sure, he got over him enough to dunk the ball, but did we all see the left hand? He basically used Howard more as a support system than as a prop. His left hand was planted on Howard's shoulder the second he got close enough.
Then, it all culminated in Howard NOT dunking from the free throw line. One step too many big fella. We all were actually wondering if he could do it from the 3-point line, but turns out he can barely get it from within the paint. I must say, disappointment was etched across my face last night. Robinson won, thanks to the fans who also voted in Allen Iverson and Amare Stoudemire to the starting line ups for tonight's game. Yeah, that system isn't flawed or anything.
Stay tuned.
There's something seriously, seriously wrong if the Haier Shooting Stars is arguably the most exciting event. Did anyone actually enjoy the 3-point shootout or the dunk contest? What about the skills contest?
Actually...I want to start with the skills contest. You know what the Skills Contest has become? It's become four pretty good players trudging through a pedestrian obstacle course at a comfortable, nearly effortless pace. Can you guys at least pretend you want to win? For the audience's sake? What we saw last night was four guys who couldn't shoot or pass a basketball and apparently can't dribble too quickly around some make shift defenders. And Cleveland fans, don't be mad at the ball boy who stuck his head out in Mo Williams' passing lane. Be mad at me. I paid that kid 50 bucks to do that. It was worth every cent.
Even the TNT broadcasters were complaining about it. Yes, for once, TNT and I were on the same side. You almost have to ask yourself, "why am I watching this?" I sure hope Eva Longoria punished Tony Parker by sleeping in a separate bed after his lackluster performance last night (50.8 seconds. Woof!)
Then we moved on to the 3-point shootout, and apparently we have a lot of BAD 3-point shooters in the NBA. Much like the Skills Contest participants, the 3-point nationeers (that's my own word...I'm on the fence about it) put on a very hollow show. There was just nothing to it.
Danny Granger: 13
Roger Mason: 13
Mike Bibby: 14
Um...remind me again why Eddie House wasn't chosen to compete in this event? Ray Allen was probably in the building somewhere...he probably would have only needed four racks to beat those scores...Ray definitely should have made a guest appearance last night...actually...Eddie was in Scottsdale...they should have texted him in between rounds to get him there. The commercials were so outlandishly long last night he probably could have made it there in time.
Well, I actually picked Daequan Cook to win the thing about two minutes before the whole contest started. Our three finalists: Rashard Lewis, Cook, and 2-time defending champion, Jason Kapono. Not bad, I guess.
Well, they all kind of stunk up the last round. Talk about a letdown. After Kapono was eliminated early in the final round, Lewis and Cook could only muster 15 each and were forced into a shootout where Lewis proceeded to make SEVEN (7!) shots (Somebody should wave a skunk in his face!). Cook waltzed up to the rack, knowing there was no way he could mess this one up. He calmly knocked down his first eight to seal the win then threw in 11 more for a grand total of 19.
Then of course, we had to sit through the superman-themed dunk contest, which was more corrupt than Lex Luthor, who apparently is now being played by a 5'9 black dude.
Sure, Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard made the finals, after J.R. Smith and Rudy Fernandez needed an outrageous amount of attempts to complete their dunks. The real crime was that Howard received a 50 on his first dunk which began behind the backboard, but in retrospect, compared to some of the stuff we've seen, really was not that impressive. Then, Fernandez, although it took him a long time, came from behind the backboard and took a Pau Gasol pass off the glass to slam it home. I actually felt bad for Fernandez on this one. If Howard's was a 50, Fernandez's most definitely was.
Okay, the dunk contest is about originality and creativity. Dressing up in a way too tight shirt and throwing a cape on is not creative, Mr. Howard. Running in and out of a phone booth is not that creative either. 3rd graders do that using their imaginations every single day. Dunking on a 12-foot rim is impressive, except when you do it so easily you make us wonder why it wasn't a 15-foot rim. He literally made the 12-foot rim look like nothing...he got another 50 (shocker), but the crowd was basically like, "Oh, that was it?" Do we really need forklifts involved in the dunk contest? Is this what it has become?
Oh, and did we really think Robinson could jump over Howard cleanly? Did anyone actually think Robinson could hop over the 6'11 guy? As soon as Howard stood there I said, "There's absolutely no way he can do this". Sure, he got over him enough to dunk the ball, but did we all see the left hand? He basically used Howard more as a support system than as a prop. His left hand was planted on Howard's shoulder the second he got close enough.
Then, it all culminated in Howard NOT dunking from the free throw line. One step too many big fella. We all were actually wondering if he could do it from the 3-point line, but turns out he can barely get it from within the paint. I must say, disappointment was etched across my face last night. Robinson won, thanks to the fans who also voted in Allen Iverson and Amare Stoudemire to the starting line ups for tonight's game. Yeah, that system isn't flawed or anything.
Stay tuned.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Valentine's Day is the best day to be right on
What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day then to express my love for the Super Secret Schedule Maker.
I hate you!
No, that's a little harsh. But the dislike is there...but, alas, his/her plan has backfired terribly. And here's why:
He/she thought that throwing 55 games at the Celtics before the All-Star break would derail them, while only giving the Cavs 51 games. The mindset had to have been that Boston would have burnt out about a week before the break, and then Cleveland would have made a quick push at the start of the second "half" of the season to lock up home court advantage.
Well, Super Secret Schedule Maker...the exact opposite happened. Boston enters the break on an impressive 2-game winning streak after overcoming a 15-point deficit to the Mavericks last Thursday. Cleveland enters the break having lost two straight games, including their first home loss of the season to the Lakers and that "controversial" game in Indiana.
Boston now only has to play 27 games in the "second half" of the season, while Cleveland has to plow through 31 more games. 14 of the Celtics' 27 games will be on the road, but only six games come against opponents that the Celtics HAVE NOT defeated at least once this season.
Cleveland will play 15 of their 31 games on the road (shocker), but now that it's been proven they can lose at home that certain..."fear"...of playing in the Quicken Loans arena no longer hangs in the air longer than LeBron's baby powder before tip off.
15 of Boston's final 27 opponents are over .500, while 18 of Cleveland's final 31 games will come against teams with more wins than losses. Also, Boston and Cleveland still have to square off two more times: Friday, March 6th, in Boston, and Sunday, April 12th, in Cleveland. However, that game in April is the Celtics' third to last game of the regular season, and unless home court isn't locked up by then (which it should be), don't be surprised to see a few All-Stars sit out of that game. Who knows, maybe home court advantage WILL come down to that game. In some ways, I would love to see that happen.
Happy Valentine's Day Super Secret Schedule Maker. Just like Valkyrie, your plan blew up in your face!
Oh yeah...some of my picks tonight?
Shooting Stars: Who cares?
Skills Contest: Who cares?
3-Point Shootout: Eddie House...what? Eddie House didn't make it? But he's going to Phoenix anyway...oh...he lives down there? Oh...well then...who cares?
Dunk Contest: Gerald Green! What? Gerald Green's not competing? But...he blew out the birthday cake last year and Dwight Howard threw the ball in the hoop...he didn't even dunk it...Gerald Green wasn't even considered, you say? But...Gerald Green jumped OVER Nate Robinson two years ago and Robinson's in this year's contest...Rudy Fernandez got in? Oh...oh yeah, the NBA's all global now...no Gerald Green? Well then...who cares?
No, no...3-point shootout...Kapono seems to have this event locked up like those gamers that used to use all the cheat codes to blast their way through the hard levels, and Dwight Howard will win the fan vote and the whole thing unless every single person in Spain texts in Fernandez's name. It'll be a fun night.
Stay tuned.
I hate you!
No, that's a little harsh. But the dislike is there...but, alas, his/her plan has backfired terribly. And here's why:
He/she thought that throwing 55 games at the Celtics before the All-Star break would derail them, while only giving the Cavs 51 games. The mindset had to have been that Boston would have burnt out about a week before the break, and then Cleveland would have made a quick push at the start of the second "half" of the season to lock up home court advantage.
Well, Super Secret Schedule Maker...the exact opposite happened. Boston enters the break on an impressive 2-game winning streak after overcoming a 15-point deficit to the Mavericks last Thursday. Cleveland enters the break having lost two straight games, including their first home loss of the season to the Lakers and that "controversial" game in Indiana.
Boston now only has to play 27 games in the "second half" of the season, while Cleveland has to plow through 31 more games. 14 of the Celtics' 27 games will be on the road, but only six games come against opponents that the Celtics HAVE NOT defeated at least once this season.
Cleveland will play 15 of their 31 games on the road (shocker), but now that it's been proven they can lose at home that certain..."fear"...of playing in the Quicken Loans arena no longer hangs in the air longer than LeBron's baby powder before tip off.
15 of Boston's final 27 opponents are over .500, while 18 of Cleveland's final 31 games will come against teams with more wins than losses. Also, Boston and Cleveland still have to square off two more times: Friday, March 6th, in Boston, and Sunday, April 12th, in Cleveland. However, that game in April is the Celtics' third to last game of the regular season, and unless home court isn't locked up by then (which it should be), don't be surprised to see a few All-Stars sit out of that game. Who knows, maybe home court advantage WILL come down to that game. In some ways, I would love to see that happen.
Happy Valentine's Day Super Secret Schedule Maker. Just like Valkyrie, your plan blew up in your face!
Oh yeah...some of my picks tonight?
Shooting Stars: Who cares?
Skills Contest: Who cares?
3-Point Shootout: Eddie House...what? Eddie House didn't make it? But he's going to Phoenix anyway...oh...he lives down there? Oh...well then...who cares?
Dunk Contest: Gerald Green! What? Gerald Green's not competing? But...he blew out the birthday cake last year and Dwight Howard threw the ball in the hoop...he didn't even dunk it...Gerald Green wasn't even considered, you say? But...Gerald Green jumped OVER Nate Robinson two years ago and Robinson's in this year's contest...Rudy Fernandez got in? Oh...oh yeah, the NBA's all global now...no Gerald Green? Well then...who cares?
No, no...3-point shootout...Kapono seems to have this event locked up like those gamers that used to use all the cheat codes to blast their way through the hard levels, and Dwight Howard will win the fan vote and the whole thing unless every single person in Spain texts in Fernandez's name. It'll be a fun night.
Stay tuned.
Friday, February 13, 2009
I didn't get any sleep last night but it was so worth it!
I'm heading home this weekend to take care of a few things and I only had one class today at 8:00 am. Now, I was up in the gym at 6:30 (only running on 4 hours of sleep because of TNT's coverage last night!), but I just had that mindset of: "Get through this class and you're home free." It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work. Even yesterday, to an extent, I was thinking along those lines. "Just make it through today and you're home free tomorrow."
It's safe to say that's exactly how the Boston Celtics felt last night when they took on the Dallas Mavericks. There's nothing to be upset or angry about for it's strictly human nature. We all do it. Last night, with the All-Star break glaring them in the face, almost mocking them, the Celtics overcame a 15-point third quarter deficit to take down Dallas, 99-92.
It wasn't pretty. Five technical fouls were called. Doc was ejected, and Jason Kidd was throwing temper tantrums like an allowance-less third grader at Toys R Us. But it was an awesome game.
Rajon Rondo, who has quietly averaged who 12.9 points, 11.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds over his last 10 games exploded for a ridiculous triple-double consisting of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists. Ever so slowly Chris Paul and Deron Williams have been checking their rear view mirrors for Rajon Rondo, who could threaten to challenge them as "best young point guard in the NBA" as time goes on. That small dot in the mirror keeps growing larger and larger. Remember, objects in mirror are larger than they appear.
I'm pretty much certain I set a new personal record for number of F-Bombs last night. I was horrible. I was dropping them left and right, up and down and around and around. I was just so pumped up because I wanted to win SO bad. And when I saw Kevin Garnett berating Dirk Nowitzki and getting those ticky tacky fouls on him, my blood boiled hotter than the moons of Mercury. Then, when Doc got ejected, I lost it! Kudos, Doc. That was brilliant. It absolutely inspired the team and allowed them to overcome a 65-50 deficit. Doc is an outstanding person, and isn't someone who gets ejected often. That says something right there. Last night it called for it and he executed it perfectly. Then, we get to see Tom Thibodeau practically play defense from the bench! He literally was in a defensive stance, sliding his feet on the sidelines! When I saw that I knew we were going to win.
I didn't sit down for a second of the fourth quarter. I couldn't sit still. I love when Paul Pierce goes retro and decides to score a bunch of points, so when he poured in 18 in the fourth quarter alone, I was out of control. Sit down Dirk, with only a petty six of your 36 in the final frame. Ha! What more does Paul Pierce need to do to be deemed, "most clutch player in the NBA". I can only gape when people gawk at me when I say that. Listen, Kobe and LeBron are great and all, but Paul Pierce is SO clutch.
Kobe and LeBron might have ice water in their veins, but Paul Pierce has melted glaciers coursing through his. You wonder why the glaciers are all melting now? It's because Paul Pierce needs them for the historic postseason run we're going to see in a few months. He's lights out when it matters most, just like Antarctica, where he happens to get his glacier blood from.
Okay, I'm fried. I need sleep. Then I need to navigate the streets of Boston by foot today, which I'm actually quietly excited about. Enjoy the All-Star break everyone. I'll still be here. Let's all hope Terrell Owens DOESN'T score 40 tonight in the celebrity game.
Stay tuned.
(Oh yeah, I totally called Mike Brown getting fined $25,000 by the NBA for his criticism of the officials. Score 1 for Greg.)
It's safe to say that's exactly how the Boston Celtics felt last night when they took on the Dallas Mavericks. There's nothing to be upset or angry about for it's strictly human nature. We all do it. Last night, with the All-Star break glaring them in the face, almost mocking them, the Celtics overcame a 15-point third quarter deficit to take down Dallas, 99-92.
It wasn't pretty. Five technical fouls were called. Doc was ejected, and Jason Kidd was throwing temper tantrums like an allowance-less third grader at Toys R Us. But it was an awesome game.
Rajon Rondo, who has quietly averaged who 12.9 points, 11.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds over his last 10 games exploded for a ridiculous triple-double consisting of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists. Ever so slowly Chris Paul and Deron Williams have been checking their rear view mirrors for Rajon Rondo, who could threaten to challenge them as "best young point guard in the NBA" as time goes on. That small dot in the mirror keeps growing larger and larger. Remember, objects in mirror are larger than they appear.
I'm pretty much certain I set a new personal record for number of F-Bombs last night. I was horrible. I was dropping them left and right, up and down and around and around. I was just so pumped up because I wanted to win SO bad. And when I saw Kevin Garnett berating Dirk Nowitzki and getting those ticky tacky fouls on him, my blood boiled hotter than the moons of Mercury. Then, when Doc got ejected, I lost it! Kudos, Doc. That was brilliant. It absolutely inspired the team and allowed them to overcome a 65-50 deficit. Doc is an outstanding person, and isn't someone who gets ejected often. That says something right there. Last night it called for it and he executed it perfectly. Then, we get to see Tom Thibodeau practically play defense from the bench! He literally was in a defensive stance, sliding his feet on the sidelines! When I saw that I knew we were going to win.
I didn't sit down for a second of the fourth quarter. I couldn't sit still. I love when Paul Pierce goes retro and decides to score a bunch of points, so when he poured in 18 in the fourth quarter alone, I was out of control. Sit down Dirk, with only a petty six of your 36 in the final frame. Ha! What more does Paul Pierce need to do to be deemed, "most clutch player in the NBA". I can only gape when people gawk at me when I say that. Listen, Kobe and LeBron are great and all, but Paul Pierce is SO clutch.
Kobe and LeBron might have ice water in their veins, but Paul Pierce has melted glaciers coursing through his. You wonder why the glaciers are all melting now? It's because Paul Pierce needs them for the historic postseason run we're going to see in a few months. He's lights out when it matters most, just like Antarctica, where he happens to get his glacier blood from.
Okay, I'm fried. I need sleep. Then I need to navigate the streets of Boston by foot today, which I'm actually quietly excited about. Enjoy the All-Star break everyone. I'll still be here. Let's all hope Terrell Owens DOESN'T score 40 tonight in the celebrity game.
Stay tuned.
(Oh yeah, I totally called Mike Brown getting fined $25,000 by the NBA for his criticism of the officials. Score 1 for Greg.)
I'm on to you, TNT
I have a bone to pick with TNT. Last night's game was scheduled for a 9:30 start. I know there are always pre-game ceremonies and what not, so we're looking at a 9:44 start at the latest. Last night? At 9:53 we finally saw live footage of the game after Miami downed Chicago in the final seconds of the first game of the double-header. We also missed the first 40 seconds of the Celtics-Mavericks game because TNT apparently has difficulty with these back-to-back games. Now, I realize it's 40 seconds of the opening period, but I was very lucky to have found Home Improvement re-runs on Nick at Night while I waited and waited for the start of this game.
This isn't the first time this has happened either. It's always these nationally televised games that take SO much longer.
EXHIBIT A: When the Celtics hosted the Lakers on February 5th, TNT had the coverage. The game did not tip off until 8:16 pm. Now, if TNT were to have a legitimate pre-game show where they discussed the game about to be played, with cool stats and interviews and what not, it'd be great. Unfortunately, TNT believes that throwing two or three ex-players together to talk about anything going on in the world makes a great pre-game show.
EXHIBIT B: The Celtics then played the Spurs the following Sunday, February 8th, at 1:00 pm. Tipoff was literally between 1:01 pm and 1:03 pm. Mike Turico and Hubie Brown do a quick intro and there we go, it's time for some basketball.
16 minutes into the TNT broadcast on Thursday the ball was just being thrown up for the opening tip off. 16 minutes into the ABC broadcast on Sunday there was only 4:01 left in the first quarter! TNT seems to care more about their own studio guys and image rather than the game being played.
This is why I get so bothered by the local coverage of Comcast SportsNet getting shut down when it comes time for the big games and the final rounds of the playoffs. Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn/Donny Marshall broadcast this team for the entire season, and typically do a much better job than these national broadcasters because they don't describe these story lines that the loyal fans have known about since the beginning of training camp. I cringe and twitch very unhealthily whenever a national guy tries to describe "Ubuntu". It's a shame that Mike and Tommy get shut out for the games that matter most.
This isn't the first time this has happened either. It's always these nationally televised games that take SO much longer.
EXHIBIT A: When the Celtics hosted the Lakers on February 5th, TNT had the coverage. The game did not tip off until 8:16 pm. Now, if TNT were to have a legitimate pre-game show where they discussed the game about to be played, with cool stats and interviews and what not, it'd be great. Unfortunately, TNT believes that throwing two or three ex-players together to talk about anything going on in the world makes a great pre-game show.
EXHIBIT B: The Celtics then played the Spurs the following Sunday, February 8th, at 1:00 pm. Tipoff was literally between 1:01 pm and 1:03 pm. Mike Turico and Hubie Brown do a quick intro and there we go, it's time for some basketball.
16 minutes into the TNT broadcast on Thursday the ball was just being thrown up for the opening tip off. 16 minutes into the ABC broadcast on Sunday there was only 4:01 left in the first quarter! TNT seems to care more about their own studio guys and image rather than the game being played.
This is why I get so bothered by the local coverage of Comcast SportsNet getting shut down when it comes time for the big games and the final rounds of the playoffs. Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn/Donny Marshall broadcast this team for the entire season, and typically do a much better job than these national broadcasters because they don't describe these story lines that the loyal fans have known about since the beginning of training camp. I cringe and twitch very unhealthily whenever a national guy tries to describe "Ubuntu". It's a shame that Mike and Tommy get shut out for the games that matter most.
CELTICS 99 - MAVERICKS 92
It was the classic case of survival. The Boston Celtics just needed to get by in their final game before the beloved NBA All-Star break.
Much like the final day of school before Christmas vacation or the final day in the office before a week of relaxation, a visit to Dallas to take on the Mavericks was a trap game in every form. The Celtics sprang the trap and survived by overcoming a 15-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Mavericks, 99-92.
It was the youth of Rajon Rondo that held Boston within survival distance, and it was the ice-water-in-his-veins bravado of Paul Pierce that turned the tables on Dallas and put them away.
Rondo recorded his second triple-double of the season with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists, while Pierce scored 18 of his 31 points in a fourth quarter where the Celtics outscored the Mavs 30-17.
"I had a nice groove going in the fourth quarter," Pierce said. "I just felt good the whole fourth."
Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas put in a game-high 36 points, but could not match Pierce's heorics down the stretch.
Dallas held a 65-50 lead with 6:36 left in the third period after Antoine Wright buried a three-point basket. However, Boston would respond with a 7-0 run of its own, sparked by tremendous energy from Kevin Garnett (16 points).
Garnett picked up his fifth foul with just under two and a half minutes left in the period, prompting head coach Doc Rivers to go on a tremendous side line rampage, culminating in his ejection. In the end, it was a blessing in disguise, as the C's cut Dallas' lead to six, 75-69, at the end of three.
"For a minute we lost our composure where we got the technicals, but this team has been in that moment before to where we can get it back and focus on doing what we gotta do to win," Pierce added.
Ray Allen, who scored 20 points despite his hyper extended right thumb, got things rolling in the fourth with a three-point basket, followed shortly by a Pierce basket to make it 79-76 with 9:31 left. A Pierce three-pointer with 6:13 left made it 84-82 Dallas, and then an old fashioned three-point play by the C's captain with 5:37 left gave Boston its first lead of the game at 85-84.
After Nowitzki tied the game at 91 with 1:28 left, Pierce buried a difficult turn around, then took a charge on Nowitzki, and capped it off with an even more difficult jump shot just outside of the free throw lane, giving Boston a 95-91 lead with 38.5 left. The C's capped off their ninth straight road win with four free throws from Allen and Eddie House (seven points).
"(The win) is going to make All-Star weekend that much sweeter," Pierce admitted. "This is the hardest game because you have to focus, you're thinking about the break, and it's the last game before the break. It was a big win for us tonight."
Much like the final day of school before Christmas vacation or the final day in the office before a week of relaxation, a visit to Dallas to take on the Mavericks was a trap game in every form. The Celtics sprang the trap and survived by overcoming a 15-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Mavericks, 99-92.
It was the youth of Rajon Rondo that held Boston within survival distance, and it was the ice-water-in-his-veins bravado of Paul Pierce that turned the tables on Dallas and put them away.
Rondo recorded his second triple-double of the season with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists, while Pierce scored 18 of his 31 points in a fourth quarter where the Celtics outscored the Mavs 30-17.
"I had a nice groove going in the fourth quarter," Pierce said. "I just felt good the whole fourth."
Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas put in a game-high 36 points, but could not match Pierce's heorics down the stretch.
Dallas held a 65-50 lead with 6:36 left in the third period after Antoine Wright buried a three-point basket. However, Boston would respond with a 7-0 run of its own, sparked by tremendous energy from Kevin Garnett (16 points).
Garnett picked up his fifth foul with just under two and a half minutes left in the period, prompting head coach Doc Rivers to go on a tremendous side line rampage, culminating in his ejection. In the end, it was a blessing in disguise, as the C's cut Dallas' lead to six, 75-69, at the end of three.
"For a minute we lost our composure where we got the technicals, but this team has been in that moment before to where we can get it back and focus on doing what we gotta do to win," Pierce added.
Ray Allen, who scored 20 points despite his hyper extended right thumb, got things rolling in the fourth with a three-point basket, followed shortly by a Pierce basket to make it 79-76 with 9:31 left. A Pierce three-pointer with 6:13 left made it 84-82 Dallas, and then an old fashioned three-point play by the C's captain with 5:37 left gave Boston its first lead of the game at 85-84.
After Nowitzki tied the game at 91 with 1:28 left, Pierce buried a difficult turn around, then took a charge on Nowitzki, and capped it off with an even more difficult jump shot just outside of the free throw lane, giving Boston a 95-91 lead with 38.5 left. The C's capped off their ninth straight road win with four free throws from Allen and Eddie House (seven points).
"(The win) is going to make All-Star weekend that much sweeter," Pierce admitted. "This is the hardest game because you have to focus, you're thinking about the break, and it's the last game before the break. It was a big win for us tonight."
Thursday, February 12, 2009
KG is King on the Quest for G
Here's something you guys will want to check out:
Gatorade presents, "The Quest for G", a re-enactment of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with our own Kevin Garnett as king. Below I've embedded a behind the scenes look at the entire process. There's some good stuff going on here. This weekend, new videos will be unveiled at www.MissionG.com and $1 will be donated to charity for every person that visits the site. I'll throw a reminder up tomorrow, but for now, enjoy the video:
Gatorade presents, "The Quest for G", a re-enactment of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with our own Kevin Garnett as king. Below I've embedded a behind the scenes look at the entire process. There's some good stuff going on here. This weekend, new videos will be unveiled at www.MissionG.com and $1 will be donated to charity for every person that visits the site. I'll throw a reminder up tomorrow, but for now, enjoy the video:
A little bit of everything
I need to start today off by wishing Mr. Bill Russell a very happy 75th birthday. Hopefully the C's can grant him a win tonight against the Dallas Mavericks.
Well, what did last night's win tell us? It told us our bench is better than a lot of teams think. It told us New Orleans isn't so much of a threat to the likes of the Lakers and Spurs as some other teams. It told us that Rajon Rondo isn't too far away from Chris Paul (and I don't want to hear anything about Paul coming off the groin injury. If you're not going to contribute positively to your team, then don't play). Let's look at both their lines from last night:
RAJON RONDO:
6 points (3-11 shooting), 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, 4 fouls, 4 turnovers
CHRIS PAUL:
13 points (6-15 shooting), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4 fouls, 3 turnovers
Now, these two players are POINT guards. I judge a point guard by his effectiveness at running the offense and getting teammates involved. Rondo wins this time. The Hornets scored just 13 points in the fourth quarter, while the Celtics scored 25, with Rondo dishing out 6 of his 11 assists to drive his team to the win. I think we should be able to agree that Rondo is a better defender than Chris Paul. Paul might average more steals than Rondo, but he gets the majority of his by picking off passes, which is important, but Rondo's much better at taking the ball away from his opponent.
Ray Allen hyper extended his right thumb midway through the first half and didn't return for the final two quarters, but he says he'll try and play tonight. With Scal out and now both Allens (Tony's out with torn ligaments in his left thumb), the All-Star break can't come soon enough. Ray's not dumb. If he can't play tonight, don't be surprised if you don't see him in the All-Star game on Sunday. He cares more about this season than one All-Star game.
Apparently the Jazz read my blog and took offense to being in the "we officially suck" category, so they went out and took down the Lakers, 113-109 in Salt Lake City. Okay Utah, you earned it. Like a 4th grader being released from the "wall" at recess, you are now out of the WOS category.
I was reading Bill Simmons' latest piece in ESPN Magazine and loved this line:
When he accidentally injured Andrew Bynum's knee recently, I found it interesting that Kobe's reaction was more "Crap, there goes my title!" than "Oh, no, my teammate is hurt—I hate seeing him in pain!"
I've seen that play over and over again and it really is true. He didn't rush over to help him or see if he was alright. He just sat there with his arms crossed over his knees with that selfish smerk on his face. It's kind of like in "Stomp the Yard" where DJ gets called out for the fight that killed his brother by the school board, but his step brothers are only worried about the stepping championships coming up and not the fact that DJ could get expelled and wind up back on the streets.
Okay, I need to go finish an essay. If I flunk out of college, I'm blaming this blog.
Stay tuned.
Well, what did last night's win tell us? It told us our bench is better than a lot of teams think. It told us New Orleans isn't so much of a threat to the likes of the Lakers and Spurs as some other teams. It told us that Rajon Rondo isn't too far away from Chris Paul (and I don't want to hear anything about Paul coming off the groin injury. If you're not going to contribute positively to your team, then don't play). Let's look at both their lines from last night:
RAJON RONDO:
6 points (3-11 shooting), 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, 4 fouls, 4 turnovers
CHRIS PAUL:
13 points (6-15 shooting), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4 fouls, 3 turnovers
Now, these two players are POINT guards. I judge a point guard by his effectiveness at running the offense and getting teammates involved. Rondo wins this time. The Hornets scored just 13 points in the fourth quarter, while the Celtics scored 25, with Rondo dishing out 6 of his 11 assists to drive his team to the win. I think we should be able to agree that Rondo is a better defender than Chris Paul. Paul might average more steals than Rondo, but he gets the majority of his by picking off passes, which is important, but Rondo's much better at taking the ball away from his opponent.
Ray Allen hyper extended his right thumb midway through the first half and didn't return for the final two quarters, but he says he'll try and play tonight. With Scal out and now both Allens (Tony's out with torn ligaments in his left thumb), the All-Star break can't come soon enough. Ray's not dumb. If he can't play tonight, don't be surprised if you don't see him in the All-Star game on Sunday. He cares more about this season than one All-Star game.
Apparently the Jazz read my blog and took offense to being in the "we officially suck" category, so they went out and took down the Lakers, 113-109 in Salt Lake City. Okay Utah, you earned it. Like a 4th grader being released from the "wall" at recess, you are now out of the WOS category.
I was reading Bill Simmons' latest piece in ESPN Magazine and loved this line:
When he accidentally injured Andrew Bynum's knee recently, I found it interesting that Kobe's reaction was more "Crap, there goes my title!" than "Oh, no, my teammate is hurt—I hate seeing him in pain!"
I've seen that play over and over again and it really is true. He didn't rush over to help him or see if he was alright. He just sat there with his arms crossed over his knees with that selfish smerk on his face. It's kind of like in "Stomp the Yard" where DJ gets called out for the fight that killed his brother by the school board, but his step brothers are only worried about the stepping championships coming up and not the fact that DJ could get expelled and wind up back on the streets.
Okay, I need to go finish an essay. If I flunk out of college, I'm blaming this blog.
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
TONIGHT: CELTICS AT MAVERICKS
The Celtics look for their ninth straight road win tonight when they take on the Dallas Mavericks at 9:30pm. Tune in to TNT or 850 AM WEEI for full coverage.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 24. The Celtics' margin of victory in their 124-100 win over Dallas back on January 25th.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Paul Pierce scored 30 points on 10-19 shooting in last night's 89-77 win over the New Orleans Hornets.
WHO'S NOT: For the Celtics, Gabe Pruitt, filling in for Ray Allen, hit only one of six shots on his way to two points in last night's win.
KEY MATCHUP: Kevin Garnett vs. Dirk Nowitzki
SKINNY: The Celtics crushed the Mavericks back in January by pushing the pace and moving the ball. Jason Terry scored 27 points in that game, but will be out after recent surgery on his left hand. Dirk Nowitzki shot only 4-17 in that game, so expect a better night from him tonight.
GAME NOTES: Brian Scalabrine (concussion) and Tony Allen (torn ligaments in left thumb) are out tonight, while Ray Allen (hyper extended right thumb) will try and play.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 24. The Celtics' margin of victory in their 124-100 win over Dallas back on January 25th.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Paul Pierce scored 30 points on 10-19 shooting in last night's 89-77 win over the New Orleans Hornets.
WHO'S NOT: For the Celtics, Gabe Pruitt, filling in for Ray Allen, hit only one of six shots on his way to two points in last night's win.
KEY MATCHUP: Kevin Garnett vs. Dirk Nowitzki
SKINNY: The Celtics crushed the Mavericks back in January by pushing the pace and moving the ball. Jason Terry scored 27 points in that game, but will be out after recent surgery on his left hand. Dirk Nowitzki shot only 4-17 in that game, so expect a better night from him tonight.
GAME NOTES: Brian Scalabrine (concussion) and Tony Allen (torn ligaments in left thumb) are out tonight, while Ray Allen (hyper extended right thumb) will try and play.
CELTICS 89 - HORNETS 77
For the Boston Celtics, home has recently been where the hurt is. With two consecutive losses at the TD Banknorth Garden to the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs still looming in their minds, the C's hit the highway, where other arenas have been especially kind to them lately.
Looking for their eighth consecutive road win, the Celtics arrived in the bayous of New Orleans to put a damper on the pre-Mardi Gras festivities. Behind 30 points from Paul Pierce, Boston was able to pull away from the Hornets late, 89-77.
"It was really just a good, gutty win for us," C's coach Doc Rivers said. "You're down Scal (concussion), down Tony Allen (torn ligaments in left thumb), and then you're down Ray Allen (hyper extended right thumb), and Kevin's in foul trouble. We're playing two miniature guards in the second half and Rondo, Eddie - they all just made plays."
Pierce scored half of his points in the first quarter, igniting a somewhat stagnant Boston offense that only shot 42 percent in the first half. The Celtics trailed only by two (44-42) at halftime, but lost Ray Allen to a hyper extended right thumb. X-Rays proved negative, but he did not return.
Pierce put in 10 more points in the third quarter, and the game was gridlocked at 64heading into the final frame. Then, it was the bench that took over. The reserves scored 23 of their 27 points in the second half, which included two huge three-point baskets from Eddie House midway through the fourth, propelling the Boston lead to 12 (79-67) with 7:25 to play.
"That was big," Rivers said of the shots. "But that's what he does, and we tell him to do it. If you're open, shoot it, no hesitation and he does it."
Pierce scored his single basket of the fourth quarter with only two and a half minutes left. By that time it was a 12-point game (87-75) in favor of Boston. The Celtics scored 25 points in the final period, while holding the Hornets to a mere 13. New Orleans shot just 40.6 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent from three-point nation.
The three man tandem of House (12 points), Leon Powe (11 points), and Glen Davis (four points) scored the majority of Boston's fourth quarter points, with Rajon Rondo (six points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, three steals) causing mass havoc on the defensive end. His counterpart, Chris Paul, managed only 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal.
"(We) let Rondo create," Rivers added. "I thought we had to give Paul a break and that was the only stint we could go through without Kevin on the floor.
"(As for) Leon and (Davis), I thought in the stretch with Kevin in foul trouble they were both huge."
Looking for their eighth consecutive road win, the Celtics arrived in the bayous of New Orleans to put a damper on the pre-Mardi Gras festivities. Behind 30 points from Paul Pierce, Boston was able to pull away from the Hornets late, 89-77.
"It was really just a good, gutty win for us," C's coach Doc Rivers said. "You're down Scal (concussion), down Tony Allen (torn ligaments in left thumb), and then you're down Ray Allen (hyper extended right thumb), and Kevin's in foul trouble. We're playing two miniature guards in the second half and Rondo, Eddie - they all just made plays."
Pierce scored half of his points in the first quarter, igniting a somewhat stagnant Boston offense that only shot 42 percent in the first half. The Celtics trailed only by two (44-42) at halftime, but lost Ray Allen to a hyper extended right thumb. X-Rays proved negative, but he did not return.
Pierce put in 10 more points in the third quarter, and the game was gridlocked at 64heading into the final frame. Then, it was the bench that took over. The reserves scored 23 of their 27 points in the second half, which included two huge three-point baskets from Eddie House midway through the fourth, propelling the Boston lead to 12 (79-67) with 7:25 to play.
"That was big," Rivers said of the shots. "But that's what he does, and we tell him to do it. If you're open, shoot it, no hesitation and he does it."
Pierce scored his single basket of the fourth quarter with only two and a half minutes left. By that time it was a 12-point game (87-75) in favor of Boston. The Celtics scored 25 points in the final period, while holding the Hornets to a mere 13. New Orleans shot just 40.6 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent from three-point nation.
The three man tandem of House (12 points), Leon Powe (11 points), and Glen Davis (four points) scored the majority of Boston's fourth quarter points, with Rajon Rondo (six points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, three steals) causing mass havoc on the defensive end. His counterpart, Chris Paul, managed only 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal.
"(We) let Rondo create," Rivers added. "I thought we had to give Paul a break and that was the only stint we could go through without Kevin on the floor.
"(As for) Leon and (Davis), I thought in the stretch with Kevin in foul trouble they were both huge."
TONIGHT: CELTICS AT HORNETS
The Celtics kick off a strenuous 6-game road trip, broken up by the All-Star game, tonight when they take on the Hornets in New Orleans at 8:00pm. Tune in to Comcast SportsNet, or 850 AM WEEI for full coverage.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 28. The number of points Paul Pierce had in the Celtics' 94-82 win over the Hornets back on December 12th in Boston.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Rajon Rondo has averaged 10.75 assists his past eight games.
WHO'S NOT: For the Hornets, Chris Paul hasn't played since suffering a mild groin strain in a February 2nd loss to the Portland Trailblazers. Whether or not Paul plays in this one will be a game-time decision.
KEY MATCHUP: If Paul plays, it's Rondo vs. Paul, two of the best young point guards in the league. If Paul is out, keep an eye on the Kevin Garnett-David West matchup.
SKINNY: The Lakers just swept their latest 6-game road trip, and they've taken the league by storm. If the Celtics want to reclaim their title as the favorites, a sweep of this western road swing, starting with a win tonight, is a necessity.
NOTES: According to the Boston Herald, Tony Allen will miss the next two games with reported ligament tears in his left thumb. He did not accompany the team to New Orleans.
KEEP IT IN MIND: 28. The number of points Paul Pierce had in the Celtics' 94-82 win over the Hornets back on December 12th in Boston.
WHO'S HOT: For the Celtics, Rajon Rondo has averaged 10.75 assists his past eight games.
WHO'S NOT: For the Hornets, Chris Paul hasn't played since suffering a mild groin strain in a February 2nd loss to the Portland Trailblazers. Whether or not Paul plays in this one will be a game-time decision.
KEY MATCHUP: If Paul plays, it's Rondo vs. Paul, two of the best young point guards in the league. If Paul is out, keep an eye on the Kevin Garnett-David West matchup.
SKINNY: The Lakers just swept their latest 6-game road trip, and they've taken the league by storm. If the Celtics want to reclaim their title as the favorites, a sweep of this western road swing, starting with a win tonight, is a necessity.
NOTES: According to the Boston Herald, Tony Allen will miss the next two games with reported ligament tears in his left thumb. He did not accompany the team to New Orleans.
Indiana, I Salute You!
The Indiana Pacers are truly a mystery. They sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 21-32 record, and find themselves only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot. With a team made up of mostly young talent, they could be in a far worse position (a.k.a. Oklahoma City).
Now, what do the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Los Angeles Lakers all have in common? Well, they have the three best records in the NBA and are owning their respective divisions. What else do they have in common? They've all lost to the Indiana Pacers in Conseco Fieldhouse.
I've always felt you should respect your opponent, no matter who or what it is, but I've learned that even more this year. With losses to the likes of Indiana, Golden State, New York and Charlotte, the Celtics have been pleasantly humbled this season.
Coming off their first home loss of the season on Sunday, the Cavaliers took a second straight dose of reality as they fell to Indiana last night, 96-95. Not even Cleveland's brand new All-Star tandem could halt their losing streak! That's right, Mo Williams of Cleveland is set to replace Chris Bosh in Phoenix. Yeah, because we really need another combo guard on the East squad. Anyway...
Danny Granger was tenacious for Indiana last night. Even though he only finished with 16 points, his final play sealed the win. With .4 seconds left, and the game deadlocked at 95, Granger flew to the heavens to try and slam home an inbounds pass for the win, but someone named LeBron James impeded his progress and a foul was called on the play. Did Cleveland get screwed? Absolutely not.
On Cleveland's previous possession which tied it up, the EXACT same thing happened. LeBron took the skies and was fouled by Granger while trying to throw down an alley-oop. It was literally the same play with the players just reversed. It's literally the exact same play. See for yourself.
I do need to make this known...Doc Rivers was recently fined $15,000 by the NBA for his criticism of the officials in the Lakers game last Thursday. Well, Mike Brown told the Associated Press afterward:
"That last call, on the run, is the worst call I have ever been a part of. I cannot imagine another worse call than that. It was an awful call and for him to take away a basketball game from a team with .4 seconds on the clock is irresponsible."
Hmm...I'm thinking that's at least $20,000, but I've never seen a coach fined that exact amount of money, so let's go ahead and call it $25,000. For once, LeBron's star power backfired. Since he received a foul on his alley-oop attempt, Granger HAD to get the same call. He had to. This was one of those circumstances where if no call had been made, the Pacers would have been calling for the ref's suspension, and there would have had to have been an investigation by the league, and LeBron would only increase his status as, "Golden boy who gets all the calls." Much like the ref who called LeBron out on his crab-dribble, I commend these refs for calling LeBron on that play. It was a call that had to be made and they made it. They did their jobs (unlike some refs in Boston who don't seem to know what a hand check is...).
I want to thank Danny Granger for not backing down from LeBron like so many opponents have, and I officially forgive the Indiana Pacers for handing us our first loss of the season back on November 1st.
Now, what do the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Los Angeles Lakers all have in common? Well, they have the three best records in the NBA and are owning their respective divisions. What else do they have in common? They've all lost to the Indiana Pacers in Conseco Fieldhouse.
I've always felt you should respect your opponent, no matter who or what it is, but I've learned that even more this year. With losses to the likes of Indiana, Golden State, New York and Charlotte, the Celtics have been pleasantly humbled this season.
Coming off their first home loss of the season on Sunday, the Cavaliers took a second straight dose of reality as they fell to Indiana last night, 96-95. Not even Cleveland's brand new All-Star tandem could halt their losing streak! That's right, Mo Williams of Cleveland is set to replace Chris Bosh in Phoenix. Yeah, because we really need another combo guard on the East squad. Anyway...
Danny Granger was tenacious for Indiana last night. Even though he only finished with 16 points, his final play sealed the win. With .4 seconds left, and the game deadlocked at 95, Granger flew to the heavens to try and slam home an inbounds pass for the win, but someone named LeBron James impeded his progress and a foul was called on the play. Did Cleveland get screwed? Absolutely not.
On Cleveland's previous possession which tied it up, the EXACT same thing happened. LeBron took the skies and was fouled by Granger while trying to throw down an alley-oop. It was literally the same play with the players just reversed. It's literally the exact same play. See for yourself.
I do need to make this known...Doc Rivers was recently fined $15,000 by the NBA for his criticism of the officials in the Lakers game last Thursday. Well, Mike Brown told the Associated Press afterward:
"That last call, on the run, is the worst call I have ever been a part of. I cannot imagine another worse call than that. It was an awful call and for him to take away a basketball game from a team with .4 seconds on the clock is irresponsible."
Hmm...I'm thinking that's at least $20,000, but I've never seen a coach fined that exact amount of money, so let's go ahead and call it $25,000. For once, LeBron's star power backfired. Since he received a foul on his alley-oop attempt, Granger HAD to get the same call. He had to. This was one of those circumstances where if no call had been made, the Pacers would have been calling for the ref's suspension, and there would have had to have been an investigation by the league, and LeBron would only increase his status as, "Golden boy who gets all the calls." Much like the ref who called LeBron out on his crab-dribble, I commend these refs for calling LeBron on that play. It was a call that had to be made and they made it. They did their jobs (unlike some refs in Boston who don't seem to know what a hand check is...).
I want to thank Danny Granger for not backing down from LeBron like so many opponents have, and I officially forgive the Indiana Pacers for handing us our first loss of the season back on November 1st.
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