Celtics 17

Paul Pierce is joining Free Agency Palooza 2010.

2010-06-30T02:08:00.005-04:00

According to ESPN.com it looks as though Boston's Paul Pierce will be joining the ranks of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, and Dirk Nowitzki as this offseason's most coveted free-agents. However, I don't really think he'll be going anywhere. He has become one of the best Celtics players in team history and it's just hard to imagine him playing for anyone else. I think he's opting out just for the sake of getting a new contract. By opting out, he can now get a 4 year, $96 million contract from the Celtics or a contract from another team for $3 million less.

But let's just suppose he did leave. Obviously, that would be a BIG problem for Boston. Pierce is their leading and primary scorer and at the moment there is no one on the team who could step up and take his place, unless Tony Allen somehow gets really good over the offseason or Marquis Daniels returns to his early Dallas Mavericks form. As such, I'm pretty confident that GM Danny Ainge would do whatever it took to keep Pierce should he actually decide to leave. Or they could replace him with someone via free-agency or trade, but I'm not sure who at the moment.

But where would he go if he did leave? He's from Los Angeles, so it seems like the Clippers would seem the logical place. I've also seen New Jersey as a possibility (see linked story). Whatever the case, whether it's Pierce or any of the other big names, it's going to get very interesting over the next few weeks.

Q&A: Where will top free agents land?

Also, The Onion has been cracking me up for the past few weeks with its wacky takes on the NBA free-agency hoopla. See:

Speculation About Where LeBron Will Play Could End When He Signs Contract
LeBron James Photoshopped Into Cavaliers Jersey For Some Reason
LeBron's Next Team

NBA Draft tonight!

2010-06-24T14:24:00.003-04:00

The NBA has just one more matter of business to attend to before LeBron James can be the sole focus of everyone's attention, and it's tonight's NBA Draft. This has become one of my favorite parts of the NBA season and I wonder what it would be like to be one of the people making the big decisions. It certainly seems like it would be stressful, considering the fact that decisions made tonight could possibly set a franchise back, but it must also be pretty exciting bringing in some new young talent.

So who's going #1? At this point, the general consensus is that John Calipari's latest wunderkind point guard, Kentucky's John Wall, will be taken first overall by the Washington Wizards. If so, what will happen with Gilbert Arenas? Will he move to the shooting guard position or will he be traded? Regardless of that, the Wizards will certainly be getting a good player on which to build their team.

At #2, the Philadelphia 76ers seem ready to take Ohio State's Evan Turner, the Naismith Player of the Year in college basketball last season. I live in SEC territory so I didn't get to see him play a whole lot, so I will instead have to defer to Jay Bilas (ugh), who says that he is a very versatile player. At #3, "sources" are indicating that the New Jersey Nets are taking Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors. Again, didn't get to see him play that much but all indications are that they will be getting a strong post presence on both ends of the floor.

After that, it's anyone's guess how the draft goes. There are several scenarios that could play out depending on who takes who and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Here's how ESPN's Doug Gottlieb thinks the top 14 picks will go (and sadly, this isn't one of those segments where he jabs at the giant touchscreen).

The Boston Celtics sit at the #19 spot in the first round, and are said to be looking to trade the pick. I think I would rather see who I could get with it, because at some point the team needs to start adding players for the future because of the number of ~~old people~~ veterans on the team. And then my San Antonio Spurs have the 20th pick, their highest since they got one Tim Duncan first overall in the 1997 draft. I would like to see them pick up a big man, someone like Kentucky's Patrick Patterson if he were to still be available. Whatever they do, I just hope they don't trade Tony Parker, something they're allegedly looking into.

As usual, it will be interesting to see what goes down with the picks and subsequent trades that are sure to follow. The draft gets underway on ESPN at 7 ET on ESPN.

ESPN NBA Draft home

The NBA Finals are mere minutes away!

2010-06-03T12:38:00.005-04:00

After nearly two months of teams eliminating one another in the playoffs, the 64th NBA Finals get underway today. And stop me if you've heard this before, it's the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Boston Celtics, who have made a combined 52 Finals appearances and won 32 championships (17 for Boston, 15 for L.A.). This is a pretty good consolation prize for the NBA, which was really wanting a Kobe vs. LeBron Finals after not getting one last season. I hope this turns out to be a really good series, preferably a Celtics series win in seven games, because the 2010 playoffs have left a lot to be desired. Kobe Bryant is looking to avenge the Lakers humiliating 2008 defeat at the hands of the Celtics, while Paul Pierce can become one of the greatest Celtics ever if he can get a second championship. It should be fun.

Obviously, I'm picking the Celtics to win. Not only do I like the team and its rich history, but I think they have the better overall team. This postseason they've been playing like they did during their 2008 championship, with a reliance on defense, team play, and a no-nonsense attitude. They made short work of the Miami Heat in the first round as expected. They were undaunted by the 62 win Cleveland Cavaliers and two-time MVP LeBron James in the semis, against whom their playoff hopes were supposed to end. Then they withstood injuries and a a comeback from the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Matchups
Point Guard: Rajon Rondo vs. Derek Fisher
Since the 2008 Finals, Rondo has become one of the NBA's premier point guards. Derek Fisher may have the advantage in terms of shooting and experience but he'll have a tough time staying in front of Rondo, who has consistently been Boston's best player on the floor with his passing and driving. In fact, Kobe Bryant will be guarding Rondo more. People talk about him not being able to drive as much against the Lakers because of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, but he just got done facing Dwight Howard.

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant vs. Ray Allen
Kobe Bryant has been on a tear this postseason and I don't think that Allen will be able to do much to slow him down. In fact, I find it worrisome that there is not a player like James Posey, whose job it was to come off the bench and hound Kobe in the 2008 Finals, on the team. Allen can put up an inspired fight on defense, but it's going to be a team effort to defend Kobe. On offense, though, Allen is just as deadly as he has always been on the offensive end with his three point shooting.

Small Forward: Paul Pierce vs. Ron Artest
Remember who guarded Paul Pierce in the 2008 Finals? Vladimir Radmanovic. That didn't work out too well. Nowadays, Ron Artest is the Lakers' small forward and he's also their best perimeter defender. In fact, he was brought in during the offseason for just such a matchup as this. If he can turn Pierce into a jump shooting chucker, then it will be difficult for the Celtics to win. However, he is just as likely to melt down during the Finals, which has been the expectation all season long. Pierce just needs to stay aggressive.

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett vs. Pau Gasol
Of all the matchups, I think this one is the most even on the offensive end. Gasol has been very effective in the postseason with an average of 20 points. Garnett may be a step slower, but he's still definitely more aggressive than Gasol and can still be a reliable scoring option for the Celtics as he was in the series against Cleveland. Garnett is also better defensively and hasn't lost any of his trademark intensity, but Gasol will be the beneficiary of the calls in L.A. when he's ~~flopping~~ playing defense.

Center: Kendrick Perkins vs. Andrew Bynum
It should come as no surprise that Bynum is once again battling a knee injury. He missed the 2008 Finals because of one, he wasn't effective in the 2009 playoffs, and he hasn't done anything during the 2010 playoffs. If it were anyone else, like Greg Oden, he would have already been written off, yet people are still trying to convince us that he's supposed to be really good. Perkins, on the other hand, is one of the better interior defenders in the NBA. Since the 2008 Finals, he's even improved on his scoring. However, he is sitting on 6 technical fouls for the postseason and is very likely to pick up a 7th and earn a one game suspension. He needs to try to not act as if he's never had a foul called on him.

The Benches
For the Lakers, Lamar Odom is the lone impact player. He has length, he can play both forward positions, he can handle the ball, he can rebound, and he can shoot from the arc. After him, who else is there? Jordan Farmar is shaky at the backup point guard spot and Shannon Brown has his moments. Also, after Gasol and Bynum, there is little depth at the power forward and center positions. For Boston, Tony Allen provides quality minutes off the bench with his energy and defense and Glen Davis has played a big role as well. There's also Rasheed Wallace whose defense will be needed against Gasol and whose range can take advantage of Bynum, but he's been inconsistent at best during the playoffs. Nate Robinson could be valuable off the bench, but Doc Rivers will have to play him more for that to happen.

Yahoo! Sports Playoff home
Sports Illustrated's NBA coverage
ESPN's NBA Playoff home

Really bored?

2010-06-01T19:25:00.007-04:00

I was just poking around ESPN's NBA front page and found this, the NBA Free Agent Slot Machine. Normally I don't play their dopey "games," but I find this one oddly entertaining. I've gotten some wacky outcomes, such as LeBron James and Carlos Boozer joining Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat or Chris Bosh leaving Toronto and joining the L.A. Lakers or LeBron signing with the Washington Wizards; Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki typically don't move. And now that I think about it, it might be kind fun if the NBA really did its free-agency with a slot machine; teams throw money in and then Commissioner David Stern throws a switch to determine who goes where. They already use a lottery to determine the draft order of the first fourteen picks, so why not?

Obviously, I jest, though this could lend us a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how ESPN makes their own predictions.

Boston might be in trouble.

2010-05-27T12:09:00.003-04:00

Remember when the Boston Celtics had a 3-0 series lead over the Orlando Magic? It seems like that was a completely different series. Games 1 and 2 were close, but then the Celtics blew the Magic out by 23 points at home. This really looked like it was the end of the Magic. They had lost two close games and then got blown out, finding themselves on the brink of being swept. The series was essentially over. But in Game 4 Dwight Howard came alive, going for 32 points and 16 rebounds. Vince Carter disappeared in that game, scoring only 3 points, but point guard Jameer Nelson picked up the slack with 23 points, which included two big threes in over time. Paul Pierce had 32 points of his own to go with 11 rebounds for Boston, but failed to get a shot off that would have won the game at the end of regulation, seemingly dribbling to nowhere in the process. No big deal, right? The series was 3-1. Boston was in control of the series and it seemed that Orlando was just happy to have not gotten swept.

After last night's Game 5, however, things could get out of hand in Boston. This time the Celtics were the ones getting blown out, losing 113-92. Orlando came out and got contributions from just about everyone. 23 from Nelson, 21 from Howard, 14 apiece from Rashard Lewis and J.J. Redick. For Boston, Rasheed Wallace, Rajon Rondo, and Pierce all had nice games-scoring 21, 19, and 18 points each, respectively-but that was about it. To confound matters was Kendrick Perkins being tossed from the game after getting two technical fouls and possibly being out because of it in the next game, Glen Davis getting a concussion, Marquis Daniels getting a concussion of his own after taking Davis' place, and Wallace hurting his back.

So yeah, I think the Boston Celtics are probably in some trouble. However, I don't think they've quit; they still seem to be playing hard to me. The thing is that the Orlando Magic have started playing their game. Really, they were playing pretty well in the first two games; they lost Game 1 92-88 and Game 2 95-92. But after Game 3 it looked like they were finished. Other than Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, and Matt Barnes, it didn't seem that anyone on the team thought they could win. But they came back in Game 4 and got back to what they're good at doing-establishing Howard in the paint and supporting him with shooting. They're giving the Celtics a fight and now, with the injuries and possible suspension to Kendrick Perkins, it might be more than just a fight. It might become the first 3-0 playoff comeback in NBA history.

This just in: the league has rescinded Kendrick Perkins' second technical foul from last night. In case you don't know, a player is suspended for one game after he gets his 7th technical foul in the playoffs. Had one of them not been taken back, Perkins would have picked up his 6th and 7th of the playoffs, which would have kept him from playing in the important Game 6. To be honest, I don't think he should have gotten two T's last night. Looking at the replays, I don't think he meant to elbow Magic center Marcin Gortat after his hand slipped as he was helping up Paul Pierce. In fact, I don't think anything would have been done about it if Gortat hadn't knocked the ball from Perkins' arm. In general, I think that the NBA referees have gotten a little too attached to the double-technical fouls. It seems to me like it's a cop-out, an easy decision to avoid upsetting either side. I also think it's lame to give a guy a T when he's got his back turned to you. The more pressing matter, I think, is the health of Glen Davis, Marquis Daniels, and Rasheed Wallace. After the way Davis went down like a KO'd boxer after taking an elbow from Dwight Howard, I don't see how anyone could go back in there and play against him. I would also like to add that it was a heads up move by ref Joey Crawford to recognize that Davis was in trouble and make sure that he didn't hit the floor. And while Daniels may not be as important a role player as Davis, having him out will obviously hurt Boston's depth and might force Brian Scalabrine back into action. Concussions are serious issues (I don't have to tell you that), and there's no telling how these two might be affected at this point. And then there's Wallace, whose play has been, at time, erratic throughout the playoffs, and that's without a tweaked back.

And speaking of bench depth, Doc Rivers should consider giving Nate Robinson more playing time.

My thoughts on the Cavs' exit.

2010-05-15T00:25:00.003-04:00

This summer is going to be crazy. If you thought it was bad hearing about Brett Favre every second of the day, it's going to be a lot worse with LeBron James. It's already unbearable hearing about him as it is, but it's going to be taken to an entirely different level during the summer. The summer of 2010 has been mentioned ad nauseum for the past several years and now it's finally here. Not only that, the way LeBron and the Cavaliers ended their season in a 4-2 series loss to the Boston Celtics in the second round will only add to the hysteria. Because there's no doubt about it, the Cavaliers quit at the end of the game last night. They were down nine points with a minute left and chose not to foul. They just stood there and watched Boston dribble the clock out. When they did get the ball they didn't try to score quickly, opting instead to fritter away the last few seconds doing nothing.

So who's to blame? Is it head coach Mike Brown? The supporting cast? Or could it even be LeBron himself who's to blame? One thing I know is that no one is blaming the Celtics for the Cavs' loss. There have probably been hundreds of polls taken across the nation today asking who's to blame for this debacle on radio shows and websites and I guarantee you that none of the choices are the Boston Celtics. Boston showed up to play in this series, while Cleveland acted as if all they had to do was get off the bus to win. In fact, that's the general feeling I got from the media before the series began; no one expected this. Boston was being dismissed as an old, washed-up team that was beyond their usefulness. They may have gotten blown out in Game 3, but they played hard in the other five games. Watching them play defense during this series kind of reminded me of how they looked in 2008 on their way to the championship. There were times during the regular the season when they looked like they didn't have it in them to make this kind of postseason run, but they've really upped their intensity during the last month. They were also able to rely on 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists from Rajon Rondo, and another 18 points and 8 rebounds from Kevin Garnett. Ray Allen may have been inconsistent at times and Paul Pierce never really asserted himself, but Rondo and Garnett made for a steady presence in every game. And let's not forget about Rondo's monster triple-double of 28 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists in Game 4, which stands as one of the best playoff performances in Celtics history.

The lack of a second consistent player is something that helped contribute to the the Cavs' early exit. In fact, I believe you'll find that there are some similarities between last year's Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic and this year's conference semis against Boston. Against Orlando, LeBron was the only Cleveland player to play well the entire series. Maurice Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and the rest of the supporting cast were mostly no-shows. This time around it was the same deal. LeBron played well for the series, putting averages of 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Williams had 20 points in Game 1 and 22 in Game 6 (20 of which came in the first half), but was nowhere to be found in the games in between. Antawn Jamison, who was picked up mid-season to give LeBron even more help, scored 20 points only once and didn't break 10 in the final two games.

Also, just like last season against Orlando, the Cleveland bench got outplayed. To be fair, though, they did play well in the first three games, especially J.J. Hickson who averaged 10 points over that span. But in the last three games of the series, Boston's bench played its role much better. In Game 4 Tony Allen scored 15 points, beating the 11 points by Cleveland's bench; in Game 5, Glen Davis had 15; in Game 6, Rasheed Wallace had 13 and Allen had another 10. After looking at the stats for the series, I have to wonder: what happened with Hickson? He played for more than 10 minutes in each of the first three games of the series, but didn't even play 10 minutes in the last three games combined. What happened?

Unlike last season, however, the Cavs gave up. They lost Game 4 97-87 in Boston, but that wasn't really surprising. Boston is a tough team and they were playing at home. But to follow that up with a 120-88 home loss in Game 5 is terrible, and terrible is exactly how they played in that game. They couldn't do anything right. They were listless, and not even LeBron could be bothered to make any effort. And at the end of Game 6, as mentioned before, they tanked and didn't even want to start fouling to try to stay in the game. They had the mentality that they were beat and they wanted no part of the game being extended any longer.

So really, who is to blame? I say it's everyone. It's LeBron for not being a better leader, it's the rest of the team for not showing up, and it's Mike Brown for getting outcoached and not getting the team prepared to play in the postseason. It's everyone. I also think it's the media's fault for this being such a big deal. I'm not surprised that the Cavaliers didn't reach the Finals again. I think he was the wrong pick for the MVP and I don't think he's as great as everyone says he is. I think he's good, but he hasn't done enough to earn all of this talk. He's been to the Finals once and he got swept by the San Antonio Spurs, a fact that for some reason we NEVER hear about. It is ridiculous how people talk about him. It is so insane that we've even got New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and President Obama lobbying for him to sign with their respective teams, the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. If you want to know what I'm talking about, read this from ESPN Chicago; and no offense to the author, but that article reads like something off The Onion (when I say that, I mean that it's not poorly written but comes off as farcical, like this or this). If it were anyone else failing to win a championship despite having so much talent then they would be the laughingstock of the NBA; they'd be talked about like Peyton Manning, who has lots of talent but "only" one Super Bowl. Again, I think he's a really good player and I don't hate the guy, but talk to me about how great he is after his career is over instead of now when he can't win.

Can The Celtics Get Any Love? (Deadspin)
LeBron overload here (ESPN)

By the way, the Atlanta Hawks "dismissed" head coach Mike Woodson.

What a boring second round this has been.

2010-05-10T14:21:00.006-04:00

For the most part, the first round of this year's playoffs was exciting. In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder took the defending champion L.A. Lakers to six games, the Utah Jazz took down the Denver Nuggets in six games, the San Antonio Spurs upended a title contender in the Dallas Mavericks in six games, and the Phoenix Suns held off a game Portland Trailblazers team in six game. Then in the Eastern Conference there was the upstart Milwaukee Bucks taking the Atlanta Hawks to seven games and there was also Kevin Garnett's elbow meeting Quentin Richardson's face. Even the Chicago Bulls livened up their series with the Cleveland Cavaliers by winning a game.

But man, the second round has been a real bore; three of the four series have ended in sweeps. That's not to say that the games themselves haven't been bad. The Jazz played hard in all of their games against the Lakers and there were some tight games in the Spurs-Suns series. The same can't be said for any of the games in the series between the Hawks and the Orlando Magic, though. The Magic set the NBA record for the largest margin of victory in a sweep of an opponent at an average of 25.3 points per game. Tragic. Overall, the second round of the NBA playoffs have resembled the MLB playoffs in that there has been a bunch of sweeps and a lot of time off in between series-we won't see the Lakers and Suns play again for another week.

There is, however, the series between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, if this series had gone as everyone had thought, I would have included it in the above paragraph and been done with this blog post, but it hasn't. The Cavs were expected to make short work of the Celtics and many thought that the Celtics didn't have it in them to even put up a fight. Instead, both teams have traded victories back and forth and are tied 2-2 going into tonight's Game 5 in Cleveland.

Chuck and Kenny Preview the Celtics-Cavs Series

2010-04-28T16:05:00.001-04:00

I thought this was a great video to watch for a few reasons: Both Chuck and Kenny both bring up great reasons for their perspective on the series, it's an even argument, and it poses a lot of great questions about both teams coming into the series.

Chuck brings up a great point about the Celtics being able to defend the Cavs. The addition of Antawn Jamison gave Cleveland the one-up for multiple reasons; which is, a lot of their three-point shooters LBJ was kicking the ball out to before weren't and still aren't the best at penetrating the ball. However Jamison can fake a shot and drive by his defender, take a few dribbles in the situation when a help side defender is flying at him to block the shot and either take an elbow jumper or find a backdoor cutter camped on the baseline. He can also give the shot up and take his defender from the three-point line down to the post and throw a couple post moves in his face. This, along, with the tasks of being able to transition from Shaq-basketball and young Cavaliers-basketball and defending LeBron are Barkley's main points as to why Cleveland can trump Boston. His thoughts are, Pierce is going to get into foul trouble trying to guard LeBron single-handedly, hindering his offensive effectiveness (you can't score if you're not on the floor); on the other hand, if Garnett or Ray Allen or even Rondo tries to help out, those three-point specialists like Mo Williams or Anthony Parker, and weapons like Antawn Jamison could really hurt the Celts.

But since we're talking about depth, we come back to the Celtics' view of things. This year, Boston has Marquis Daniels and the best Tony Allen we've seen EVER (especially mentally), whereas the only answers they had aside from Pierce to guarding James in the semis two years ago was James Posey. That's TWO guys they can throw at LeBron not only defensively, but offensively as well. They might not be quite on '08 Posey's level, but in this case the only thing you need is a couple of capable basketball players who have the tools to stay with James while Pierce takes a breather or sits down with fouls. Additionally, shutting down crucial, hand-picked players is what this Celtics defense does best. They did it in '08 with Kobe. And they did it in the first round with Dwyane Wade. And here's why I believe they can do it even with a motivated LeBron James.

Dwyane Wade's mentality, throughout the series, left '08 Kobe's demeanor on an entirely different planet. Kobe is a guy that when you know he wants something, he's going to put everything out on the floor and destiny will take care of the rest. He has that on his side. But in the Finals, despite all the hoopla about Bryant being thirsty for blood and ready to finally win a championship without Shaq... Bryant was missing what he categorized as "bunnies." Two years later, a younger, better (don't get me wrong... I still think a juiced Bryant without the injuries is the second best player in the league, but he didn't seem to me that he was as potent as he could've been emotionally), driven Wade is knocking down deep, ridiculous threes with defenders in his face.

But it was the Boston Celtics' wisdom and acceptance that they couldn't waste their time trying to hold Wade to low-scoring nights and poor shooting percentages and let guys like Michael Beasley, Quentin Richardson, Jermaine O'Neal, and Mario Chalmers do a lot of the lifting. So what they did is what the Celts do best: They adjusted. They let Wade get his and for the majority of the series, but held players like Beasley, O'Neal, and Udonis Haslem to relatively quiet series'. Sure, in the clinching game Mario Chalmers chalked up 20. Dorell Wright chipped in in game 3, and Quentin Richardson had a good game in the one Heat victory. But it wasn't easy for the Miami Heat. Basketball is a game of breaks, and sooner or later, other Heat players were going to start contributing. Shooting streaks happen, and they happened in this series. But the Boston Celtics still won that series, and defensive tactics had a lot to do with it. So will LeBron go off on the Celtics? He might. If he doesn't, will his teammates light up Boston? It could happen. But the Boston Celtics will find a way to adapt to either road the series trails off to and play well.

Kenny also mentions Rasheed Wallace when Charles remarked that the Cavs can now handle defensive monsters and competent offensive players like Kendrick Perkins because of Shaq. Chuck counters with J.J. Hickson, whom he says can chase Rasheed around implies that he'll wear him out. I have different thoughts. We didn't really need Rasheed in the Miami series. We never did. When in that series did we need anybody but an intense Garnett and a rebounding Perkins against a big man crew of Jermaine O'Neal, Jamal Magloire, and Joel Anthony? In this series however, whether its by way of his own alertness or a teammates' mentioning, I believe Rasheed Wallace senses the need for his own effectiveness.

What, in my opinion, put Kenny's argument over the top? He never picked a winner, which was smart. In this series, despite what most think, there is no clear-cut edge. One-on-one, yes. But both teams have the luxury of turning to multiple options if one doesn't go well. Exactly what options will both teams utilize?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Two Western contenders on brink of elimination.

2010-04-26T15:42:00.010-04:00

This has been one of the more entertaining first rounds that I can remember, especially in the Western Conference. The Portland Trail Blazers tied their series with the Phoenix Suns 2-2 after Brandon Roy, who had knee surgery last week, made a surprise return to the lineup. Game 5 is tonight and, if the previous four games are any indication, the Blazers will have an excellent chance of taking a 3-2 series lead if they can keep the game close; in Games 2 and 3, they lost by 29 and 19 points, respectively. About as equally surprising as Roy's return was the Oklahoma City Thunder blowing out the Los Angeles Lakers 110-89 on Saturday night to tie their series 2-2. Everyone figured the Thunder would steal a game at home because of their exuberant fan support, but who envisioned them blowing the Lakers out in a game, much less doing so to tie the series? Not to be outdone, the Dallas Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets-Utah Jazz series have not played out at all like anyone expected.

By all accounts, the Mavericks and Nuggets were expected to pose the biggest threats to the Lakers in the West. I myself thought that the #2 seeded Mavericks were the best bet to win the Finals. However, they now find themselves down 3-1 to their in-state rivals, the #7 seeded San Antonio Spurs. As a Spurs fan, I was disappointed with this season, even if they did have another 50 game season. Richard Jefferson, acquired last summer in a trade with Milwaukee, had not panned out at initially expected. Also, Tony Parker had been banged up late in the season with a broken hand. I expected the Mavericks to make short work of them as as they did in last year's first round, but the Spurs are playing great. Tim Duncan is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds and dominating the Mavs' big men while Manu Ginobili is putting up 20 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Adding to Ginobili's magnificent performance this series was him breaking his nose in Game 3 and returning in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points to help seal the win. Ginobili has also been moved to the starting lineup along with second year guard George Hill, who has averaged 23 points in the last two games. His increased playing time as the primary ball-handler has also opened up the offense because of he is more of a playmaker than Parker is. This, in turn, has helped Jefferson be more comfortable in the offense. Meanwhile, Parker has become the Spurs' sixth man (he's even been dubbed "Manu Jr.") and is putting up 19 points a game despite whatever lingering effects he may have from his hand injury. I know we're constantly beat over the head with this kind of talk, but the Spurs have so much experience and a great coach in Gregg Popovich that they can make anything happen. The Mavericks, on the other hand, don't seem to be at that point yet despite all the talent they have (and what I said a few weeks ago). After having a terrific season and putting together one of the better teams the franchise has had, they are once again on the verge of having a very long offseason.

More impressive than the Spurs play in their series is what the Utah Jazz have been able to do against the Denver Nuggets. The Jazz are down two starters, forward Andrei Kirilenko (left calf strain) and center Mehmet Okur (strained left Achilles), which drops them 24 points and 11 rebounds. They so far haven't needed either of those guys as everyone else on the team has stepped up to make up for those losses. Sixth man Paul Millsap has increased his scoring by five points per game and rebounding by three per game, giving him averages of 15 points and 9 rebounds. C.J. Miles, filling in at small forward for Kirilenko, has increased his scoring average by seven points, bringing it to 16 per game. And though he hasn't been scoring or rebounding very much, rookie big man Kyrylo Fasenko has put in some quality minutes in place of Okur by clogging up the paint and making it difficult on the Denver post players to score. But by far the two players who have taken their games to entirely different levels are Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. The duo is playing out of their minds!! Williams is putting up 26 points (+12 from the regular season) and 8 assists per game while Boozer is averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds; Boozer had a huge game last night with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists as there was little Denver could do to stop him or Williams, who added 24 points and 13 assists. It's been amazing to see these two guys elevate their games and watch their teammates follow suit. I think Utah's performance so far is a testament to just how good Jerry Sloan is, even if we don't always notice. He knew his team was going to be without Kirilenko before the series started and then they lost Okur, but that hasn't stopped him from getting his team prepared to play and play hard.

Clearly, the Western Conference playoffs have been infinitely more entertaining that the Eastern playoffs and have given us some great stories, but there is one solemn thing about them: George Karl. Much of the Nuggets' poor play in the last couple months of the season can be attributed to his absence as he deals with throat cancer and the chemotherapy that it entails. While the Jazz and Spurs have been galvanized by Jerry Sloan and Gregg Popovich, respectively, the Nuggets are listless without their leader. Interim head coach Adrian Dantley has done fairly well despite the circumstances, but Karl was responsible for giving the Nuggets the feeling that nobody could beat them. It's also been just as tough on Karl, who must now watch helplessly as his team sits on the brink of elimination, as seen in this segment on ESPN's "Outside the Lines." After seeing the condition he's in, I really feel bad for him. Hopefully he's able to get better and returns before too long

Photos: Manu Ginobili (Yahoo! Sports), Utah Jazz (Yahoo! Sports)

KG: Old Dog Doing Same Tricks

2010-04-21T19:37:00.012-04:00

Much is being made lately about Kevin Garnett's stunning fall from grace. Yahoo's Kelly Dwyer compared him to "an old coot." Joakim Noah said he was "a dirty player." Quentin Richardson labeled him "an actress."

Sucks getting old, right? It's obvious watching KG hobble around out there that he's a shell of his former self. Every movement is labored, every trip up and down the court filled with grimaces. The man is literally breaking down before our eyes.

But is anyone pretending that Garnett was winning any sportsmanship awards before? No, of course not. He was ALWAYS a dick (ask Anthony Peeler or Tim Duncan or anyone in the Minnesota food service industry) but he used to be an underdog dick in a small market. He used to be scrapper who wanted it more, hungry and ambitious. In that context, all of his barking, elbowing and intimidation were viewed as 'passionate' and 'fiery.'

Now that he's an old champion, these qualities make him 'dirty' and 'a coot.' Life's funny that way. So much of how we interpret things is based on our expectations. We expect KG to age gracefully. We expect him to accept his shortcomings and bow out with dignity when the very reason that we loved him in the first place was his unbridled ferocity.

When something gets old, it loses its luster. You get sick of it. You don't want to keep it around anymore. You want something new that works better. I can remember Laker fans being pissed at Kareem when he refused to retire, even though he was still pretty good. Same goes for Patrick Ewing. It was incredibly disrespectful to those legendary players but those fans wanted something new.

I could be way off base with this but it seems to me that Kevin Garnett hasn't changed a bit. He's the same guy he's always been. But because he can't get the job done on the court, he's useless to us and so there's no reason to keep forgiving his boorish behavior. A coot? Maybe. Dirty? Has been for a decade. That's just KG.

Pictured: a pose Calderon might recognize

Glen Davis Starting Tonight

2010-04-20T19:06:00.002-04:00

My man, Glen Davis, will be a part of the first unit tonight! I'm very excited for tonight's game. Look for a great match-between Davis and Michael Beasley, who is bound to go off at least one game this series. I look for Davis to regain a lot of his confidence tonight, sparking energy in the team and exploiting a lot of the garbage points (back-cuts, offensive rebounds) that are easy to get against Miami if you're good at shaking your defender (which Davis is).

I'm hoping Miami doesn't out-rebound us as badly as they did in the first half of game one. Davis has the energy to use for the whole game that Garnett saved for the second half and single-handedly demolished the Heat on the boards.

I'm also looking forward to a great performance from Rasheed tonight. Wallace, initially the go-to guy when KG was out, is going to look to avenge himself after Doc skipped over his name and called on Glen Davis to replace Garnett in tonight's game.

I'm definitely hoping to see vintage Rasheed Wallace, posting up, wreaking havoc with his bank shot, and punishing smaller defenders with a simple drop-step move.

Go Celtics!

Heroes And Zeroes

2010-04-20T12:19:00.006-04:00

Now that the postseason is underway, certain players have put their best feet forward and stepped into the spotlight. Others have tripped, stumbled, even put those feet into their own respective mouths. Based purely on first impressions, I present you with this year's Playoff Heroes And Zeroes so far.

Heroes
LeBron- two games of complete domination under his belt. Chicago has absolutely no chance of defending the guy. LBJ gets extra points for not engaging in any dancing buffoonery (yet).

Deron Williams- his Jazz managed to get a split mainly because of his efforts. Despite being banged up, he's easily been the best player in that series. While his teammates are dropping like flies, he just seems to get stronger.

Celtics D- they put the clamp down on Miami on the 2nd half, just suffocated them. Reminded me of '08. We'll see if they can keep it up, especially without KG.

Ron Artest- Ron Ron molested young Kevin Durant into an awful shooting game and clearly got into his head for Game 2.

Dwight Howard- SuperSmiles blocked NINE shots against a team that essentially stopped challenging him after the first quarter. That's unbelievable.

Zeroes
Joakim Noah- I guess if you can't beat your opponent, you might as well complain about their city's nightlife. Low class. Typical of him. Granted, he's played well but nobody likes a crybaby.

Vinny Del Negro- his team's getting blown out, his players don't respect him, his boss wants to kick his ass...could it get worse for this guy? Two more games (maybe three) and he's packing up his office.

KG- hate to do this on a Cs blog but my man blew it. Losing him for Game 2 could cost them this series. Really poor judgment to throw that elbow.

Pictured: KG being crotchety at exactly the wrong time

Red's Army Responds to Quentin Richardson, and Dwyer Has An Explanation For The Garnett Hate Parade

2010-04-19T21:45:00.001-04:00

Saturday night, Quentin Richardson did something that we didn't like. Later, he said some things we didn't approve of either. And yesterday, we learned that one of, if not the team's core player, Kevin Garnett, wouild be suspended for game 2 mainly because of him. Red's Army let it known that they along with the rest of Celtics Nation were not happy with the ignorant sequence of actions from Richardson by asking those who are heading over to the Garden tomorrow for game two to make that night livid, miserable, and painful for Richardson tomorrow. We want him to play irritated, aggravated; like he's in a downpour or loathsome boos and chants.

Maybe the Loscy picture adjacent to you will give you the general idea.

Bonus article: Ball Don't Lie, Why we don't like Kevin Garnett any more.

Where a Playoff Game Can Turn 40 Seconds Into 10 Minutes in More Ways Than One (Hardwood Paroxysm Style: Or, Where Miami's Bench Just Gave Heat the "One-Up" For Game Two)

2010-04-19T11:01:00.003-04:00

For those of you that don't know, the Boston Celtics were down by 14 at one point during Saturday night's Celts-Heat at the playoff-atmosphere Garden. In fact, it was the third quarter, with 19:03 left to play in the game. I, likely not alone, was not happy with how the Celtics were playing.

I'll be honest: I couldn't have expected to go the entire game without seeing the Heat more juiced than the Celtics were. The Celtics played hard. We're finally getting somewhere with this team emotionally-wise. But they didn't have adversity on their side, as I mentioned Saturday, and the Heat did. It fueled Miami, to say the least. Why should they lay down to a team that they only finished three games behind in the regular season? The Heat had been scorching hot for the last two months, and there was no reason to stop dead during the playoffs.

What really caught my attention was that the Heat decided to come out and embarrass the Celtics for 48 minutes. There was no mercy in their play. They were grabbing offensive rebounds, lighting the open court trail on fire, and utilizing every opportunity they had to trump the Celtics on both ends of the floor. They were playing defense. They were playing offense. And it isn't a coincidence which one I mentioned first.

As most of us should have recognized, the Miami Heat were playing like a playoff team. And rightfully so. Sure, Miami was the underdogs. However, they weren't heavily unfavored. Most picked the Celtics, but not by way of a clean sweep. No, the Miami Heat were bound to stick around. Some picked six games. Some picked seven. But those were just the predictions pointing in Boston's direction. Down in South Beach, the Miami journalists had the Heat prevailing. After seeing last night's game, I can see reason to their forecasts.

That is, before the 7:03 mark in last night's third quarter. The Celtics hung around with the young, athletic Heat team. Hung around here, though, sounds like a much more depressing term than it should be here. The Heat were playing the basketball the propelled them to a 47-35 record and a 12-1 season-finish. They ran the fast break game with a beautiful energy, orchestrated a strong defensive effort, and their superstar was given the stretch to release his wrath. All in one bundle. It seemed that the Boston Celtics couldn't handle it. Until Kendrick Perkins made a jump hook, Kevin Garnett swatted away a Jermaine O'Neal shot, and then dropped it in for an easy two. Down 10.

The game was not out of reach. And that's because the Boston Celtics realized that it's better to imposing your will with actions instead of an air of swagger and words.

From then on out, it was the wizardry of Rondo and the ability of Boston to move swiftly, cunningly, and patiently to find open shots and loopholes in the Miami defense. Rondo wasn't on a scoring tear last night. He still wasn't 100% after recuperating from a nasty stomach virus, as noted obviously from many Celtics' fans and analysts. But he was quick and smart with the ball, and found a compassionate Pierce and the energetic trio of Perkins, Garnett, and Davis for easy buckets.

Ensuing all of that came one possession. One possession that from here on out in the series will make this a bloody war. We may or may not see another skirmish like we did last night. But it won't be just a first round playoff series anymore, which holds enough tension in itself. It will be 48 minutes of hell, 48 minutes of players and units seeking ways to avenge their teams'. However, despite the fact that this series will probably be extremely fun to watch, I'm none too pleased about what happened during the confrontation between Boston and Miami, starting with the contact between Paul Pierce and two Miami defenders.

Pierce was trying to cut around Haslem when he obviously banged up his shoulder into Haslem, who was trying to recover defensively and stay in front of Pierce. Then Pierce bumps into a second Miami defender, Richardson, whose feet were also moving. That's two possible foul calls. After that, Pierce stumbles into the crowd in evident pain, and proceeds to lie down on the floor. Now I know that this is just another example of Pierce elaborating a bruise, but there's no doubt that the contact between Pierce and the Miami defenders had an effect on Pierce's route to the basket as well as the fair clarity of his passing lanes. In other words, Pierce drew a foul.

Fine. That's just fine. We don't want to start anything, do we? Of course not.

And then Quentin Richardson moseys over.

Let me just say this: It was complete bullshit to say when first looking at the play that Quentin went over for Pierce. Pierce doesn't like Quentin and vice-versa. Quentin was specifically trying to humiliate Pierce in front of his guys. On the other hand, I don't like Quentin as a basketball player. I don't think many people do. And there's reason for that.

Quentin Richardson went over to start trouble, and then look innocent so he wouldn't have the hammer come down on him. Because you notice the entire time he's over in BOSTON'S circle, he has this pristine, tranquil expression on. Quite the trickster he is. Then Garnett flings back his elbow. Hell, let's pretend we don't know what Richardson said. You can't blame Garnett for that either provocation: one being that Quentin could've been being a complete ass, and the other being that Garnett doesn't like anybody interrupting his little huddles. And anyone and everyone there or watching knew that.

Luckily for us, we can quickly return to reality and check out with really happened. And it involves both provocations:

From CelticsBlog

"I was trying to get over there to take the ball out of bounds and he started to talk to me so I talked back," explained Richardson. "I don't have any business talking to him (Pierce), he was on the ground crying. I don't know what was going on, two actresses over there that's what they are."

"I said to Jermaine (O'Neal), ‘he's ok', because I knew nobody touched him. Is he taking another break like he does so many times? Sometimes he falls like he's about to be out for the season and then he get's right up, that's all I said."

"I don't like them, and they know it," Richardson then said.

I truly don't think I could dislike Quentin Richardson any more. And why both provocations by the way? Because Garnett was quoted later saying that he thought it was a little disrespectful for Quentin to be standing over a hurt guy and talking junk. Garnett didn't want him in that huddle, and he certainly didn't want him over there mouthing off.

Then Big Baby must've heard some words, because he comes over, furrowed-eyebrows and spit-flyin' Glen Davis, trying to defend Kevin Garnett. Garnett and Davis surround the little rat bastard until Haslem steps in and tries to break it up.

Here's where I get legitimately (in this context, meaning that I have reason here even if I wasn't a Celts fan) angry. Even though I'm a Celtics fan, I can't lie to you and say it's all been Miami boiling the pot. But when Jermaine O'Punkface and Jamal "I haven't done anything since I became satisfied after one random 13 ppg season I had" Magloire jump in and pretend they can take everyone there, it's upsetting. Partly because the only reason they looked like they could actually participate in that altercation is because no one was even paying attention to them before they started "taking charge" and ripping Glen Davis by his jersey to the ground. Partly because Kevin Garnett and the Celtics were made to look like the bad guys when all the scrubs off the Miami bench jump up and turn it into a dumb bar scuffle; none of the Celtics except for Garnett (who, once again, we KNEW was going to react like that anyway) tried to escalate the altercation. Not Big Baby, who yes, did step over and have some words with Richardson. But wasn't he trying to tend to Pierce, and then only started talking when Richardson wouldn't shut up and he found himself getting pushed around?

Not only that, by the peak of the altercation, Magloire, O'Neal and whoever was in the middle of that starts bumping Davis around like he's a school girl getting roughed up by a bunch of pedophiles in the back of a schoolyard. It's ridiculous and I personally don't think that the magnificent Miami bad boy duo should've gotten away with it.

Look, I'm a Celtics fan. And I'm sure many Heat fans and anti-Celtics' supporters realize the inadequacy of my perspective. But if you're trying to tell me that Big Baby nor Kevin Garnett deserve a backbone for their case of defense here, then I could just as easily disregard the fact that Haslem was initially trying to separate Garnett and Richardson and point out that he too, was talking and contributed a bit of shoving on his own. I could counter the argument that although Dwyane Wade was just trying to hose the fight down, he too was equally as adamant at handing a few words of his own to Garnett. But it'd be unfair to say that, because anyone in that situation would have assumed the defensive position and started getting some in for their team. Especially in an intense Garden atmosphere like that.

What do I think about it today? I think it painfully overshadowed a good victory from Boston, I think Miami is ecstatic about the decision from Richardson to walk over and start trouble with Garnett, and I think I wasted 10 minutes of my life listening to Hubie Brown break down an NBA fight and watching the replay dozens of times.

Stupid Quentin Richardson...

PS. Chuck McKenney is right once again. There is no conceivable difference between Kobe's elbow to Artest in last year's playoffs and Garnett's to Richardson (other that in this year's case, there were more Celtics' and Heat players around to raise the fight to another level), and Kobe never found himself under suspension. Richardson hustled over to Garnett for the wrong reasons just as Artest did to Kobe, and Garnett/Kobe physically defended themselves and their team. And Artest got ejected!

This is reason number 759 why I wish bloggers ran the NBA.

Why Kevin Durant is my MVP.

2010-04-18T15:07:00.001-04:00

The general consensus around the league is that LeBron James is the runaway winner of the NBA's MVP award, which would make it his second straight. LeBron is well deserving of the award but, in my opinion, Kevin Durant has done more for his team and is more deserving of the award. Statistically, the two are virtually interchangeable. LeBron has averages of 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game. Similarly, Durant puts up 30.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1 block per game. Durant is also the youngest player in NBA history to win the league's scoring title. LeBron does have the statistical advantage because he gets 6 more assists per game, but does that make him so much better than Durant? Am I to believe that Durant is less deserving of the award because he only averages 2 assists? I don't think so; the two are just different types of players and LeBron has the better team around him.

What speaks to me more than the stats, though, is how the teams have done this season compared to last season. Last season, LeBron led the Cavaliers to a 66-16 record and the Eastern Conference Finals; this season, the Cavs finished with a 61-21 record. The Thunder, on the other hand, finished last season with a paltry 23-59 record. They were young and had just moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City. The franchise didn't appear to be going anywhere. Then this season they go 50-32 with the same young team and are in the playoffs a lot sooner than anyone would have expected. For me, what it comes down to is that LeBron led his team and they did what they were supposed to do in the regular season. We all expected them to run the Eastern Conference after returning essentially the same team and adding the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker, and Jamario Moon in the off-season and Antawn Jamison at the trade deadline. But with the Thunder, they rely on seven players each night with 3 or less years of experience, including Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, James Harden, and their leader Durant. As such, they were supposed to be in the doldrums again this season continuing to rebuild and their coach, Scott Brooks, wasn't really expected to be around very long. Yet despite all this, they climbed as high as the 6th spot and won 50 games in the ultra-competitive West; they would be tied for 4th with the Boston Celtics if they were in the East. Kevin Durant is the main reason for the team's success and deserves the award more than LeBron James.

You can't go wrong with LeBron, but I'm just really impressed with how well Durant and the Thunder have done.

Makes no sense.

2010-04-18T15:02:00.002-04:00

Stu Scott says the NBA's regular season matters because a team that beats another team at least 3 times in the regular season usually beats that same team in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder are about to play the first game of their series and the Lakers won 3 of the 4 games they played during the regular season, which is why he would even bring up such a stat to begin with. Now I'm confused. When the Lakers were on a three-game losing streak after the All-Star break, everyone was saying the regular season doesn't matter and that they would still get to the NBA Finals regardless of such mid-season struggles. Huh?

Heating Up: Which Miami Team Will Boston See?

2010-04-17T18:04:00.000-04:00

Here's the first of a slew of articles that will continue throughout the Boston-Miami series giving you a deeper look at the Heat, their players, and the anecdotes that lie within the team. What different looks does this team have? How loyal is their star? Just how tough is the Southeast division? And one unknown, depending on how the series goes...

For a team that only finished three games behind the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat seem to be the clear underdogs here regardless. Maybe those opinions will pan out to be true after the first game or two of the Celts-Heat series in the first round. Maybe they won't.

But one thing is for sure: When adversity isn't placed directly in front of the Boston Celtics, they tend to disappoint. In a way, adversity must be on the Celtics' side to win.

However, it's not just about which Boston Celtics we'll see; the series is equally as dependent on what face of the Miami Heat we'll see. Will Boston find themselves against the defensively-concentrated, more team-oriented Miami Heat team, which Dwyane Wade thrives in even though the game has less possessions and his teammates are more involved; or will the Celtics be challenged with merely Dwyane Wade and Miami's "Let's funnel the ball to Wade, let him barrel towards the bucket and draw fouls, and once Boston collapses on him after a few trips, have him dump it off to the open big man or a good look behind the arc" tactics?

Which one is more difficult to handle, is the question. Let's look at a few numbers/facts.

Wade's Heat have demolished the league in their last two months taking 12 out of their final 13 and finishing the season on a defensive tear. They also lost just three game in the month of March. The Heat have held opponents to 88.7 ppg in their last 13 games and they look to be that team who replaced the Bucks as the very good but not great squad after Andrew Bogut's injury. Michael Beasley finished the season with a 25 point game and many people are expecting him to do more of the same against an older, less mobile Boston front line. Look to see the Celtics mixing things up down low if Beasley frightens them in the first few games.

But that all boils down to how Wade's teammates play. If Haslem is chipping in, Beasley is giving Boston fits, and Q, Daequan Cook, and Chalmers are all hitting their threes, then Boston is in for a tough fight. Sure, Garnett could come out more fired up than we've seen him all season, suffocating Beasley and anchoring Boston's interior D. But that doesn't alter nor fortify his defensive abilities at this age, and Beasley could still beat him if the Heat decide to open up a more athletic style of basketball.

Big Baby couldn't cover him, because although he has more talent than most recognize in the fast break game, Beasley could torch him on the wing. It's not about Davis' quickness, which surprisingly could match Davis if he was playing smart and true to Beasley. It's the fact that Beasley needs but a quarter of a step to utilize his seven-foot-plus wing span and 35 inch max vertical jump (Draft Express). To put this in more picturesque terms, Beasley's draft day vertical leap is only seven and a half inches off Nate Robinson's and he obviously has a greater wing span. And despite originally being listed at 6'10", Beasley is still 6'8" win basketball shoes on, one inch shorter than Glen Davis. But, as put by NBADraft.net put it, Davis doesn't get great lift when he jumps and has a medium wing span. So Davis is a no go.

Shelden Williams is NOT going to see time in the playoffs, Rasheed doesn't have near the mobility to slow him down, and we can't pull Perk off the block even if Miami's best post-up options are Jermaine O'Neal, Joel Anthony, Magloire, and Yakhouba Diawara. So it goes without saying that Beasley could give us more trouble than even a double-covered Wade, who is as good as finding teammates and giving them good looks than anyone in the league. Why do you think a lazy Jermaine O'Neal came close to cracking 14 a game this season, or Quentin Richardson is averaging 10.1 in the last 10 games?

On the other hand, that was the Quentin Richardson that was receiving the ball from a Dwyane Wade that sparked a dominant defensive stretch and a couple of win streaks to close out the season. What does Miami look like when Wade is monopolizing Miami possessions? For lack of a better answer, the Heat simply look beatable. The decision by Spoelstra is influenced by how well Miami as a whole is playing. If they are playing poorly, most of the offensive play sequences are centered around Wade until the defensive adapts and teammates are accumulating multiple open looks each time down the floor. The evidence? Miami has attempted just 12.4 3-pointers per game for the last 13 games (12 of them wins are arguably the Heat at their hottest in terms of the Heat as a unit) as opposed to the season average of 17.4 3-pointers. What does this mean? The Heat have more opportunities to take it down low and get easier points, which is obviously when any team is at their best, even the more potent of shooting squads, as opposed to when it's just Wade either driving and drawing fouls or driving and kicking it out for threes.

So what team do I think we'll see? I think we're going to see the Miami Heat team we've seen for the past two months. And honestly, I'm going to say that if they beat us, I will not be shocked. I don't think they will. I think we can put them away. But I'm not going to call it an upset if the Miami Heat beat us playing their best.

In the end though, it's Boston in six or less. I think we can handle Miami's style of team play if we stick to it and play every possession for 48 minutes hard. If we do, Miami might even change their game style and try to throw a Wade 45-pointer at us. Not that we couldn't handle it.

Go Celtics!

History made twice last night.

2010-04-08T11:06:00.008-04:00

Last night the Golden State Warriors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107. Rookie sensation Stephen Curry had 24 points, 14 assists, and 8 rebounds and Anthony Tolliver put up 34 points and 8 rebounds. But something else happened that seems to have slipped past everyone: Don Nelson became the NBA's all-time coaching winningest coach with 1,333 wins over 31 seasons coaching the Milwaukee Bucks from 1976-1987, the Warriors from 1988-1995, the New York for a season in Knicks 1995-1996, the Dallas Mavericks (1997-2005), and then the Warriors again from 2005 to now. Nelson also played in the NBA for 14 seasons and spent the majority of his career with the Boston Celtics and won five championships with them. If you add his coaching wins to his wins as a player, it comes out to almost 2,000 total wins. Yet he has no championships as a coach.

Lenny Wilkens was the previous winningest coach with 1,332 wins over 32 seasons with the Seattle Sonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and New York Knicks. In the 1978-1979 season he won his only championship while leading a Sonics team that included Gus Williams, Jack Sikma, and Denis Johnson. Third place on the winningest coaches list is Pat Riley, with 1,210 wins and five championships over 24 seasons. Fourth is Jerry Sloan with 1,187 wins over 25 seasons. Sloan could certainly catch Nelson, but he's nearly 70 years old and Nelson doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.

Nelson sets NBA career victories mark in Warriors' defeat of Wolves (ESPN)

Last night's other historical mark was the Charlotte Bobcats clinching their first berth in the playoffs after a 104-103 win over the New Orleans Hornets, the team they replaced in Charlotte. While this may not necessarily be worthy of being declared as "historical" on the leaguewide level, it certainly is for the Bobcats team. Upon joining the NBA in 2004, they immediately became one of the league's bottom-dwellers with an 18-64 opening season. But they've gotten better as a team every season and now finally have a pretty good team that is coached by Larry Brown (who is pretty high up on the winningest coaches list himself) and led by Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson, and Raymond Felton. The Bobcats will have the 7th seed in the playoffs which means they will play the #2 Orlando Magic in the first round.

Bobcats beat Hornets, clinch 1st playoff spot (Yahoo! Sports)

What's Being Said About The Cs

2010-04-03T13:27:00.006-04:00

Some pretty pointed things being said about the Cs today:

*Spears: they've lost their aura of greatness.

*They're old, slow and banged up according to Helin.

*Bulpett accuses them of 'putting the D in debacle' and then goes on to compare their defense to France circa 1940. I know.

Basically, the entire world is shitting on the Cs right now. And they deserve it. Their defensive rotations haven't been this bad since 'Toine was in uniform. So many wide open shots. 'A step slow' is a major understatement. 'Three steps slow' is more like it.

So what's the magical fix? What can stop the bleeding?

My two cents: shorten the rotation and stop giving minutes to Nate, Shelden Williams, Big Baby and Finley. Stick with the starters and only bring Sheed, Tony Allen and Marquis off the bench for significant PT. This is a team built around defense. Only play guys that can check their men. On offense, Doc should be taking the air out of the ball like Larry Brown does in Charlotte. Slow the pace down. Make sure Perk gets a lot of touches. Post up Pierce more. Control tempo.

I'll say this: this team still has the weapons to make a run this year. I'm seeing lots of predictions that they get bounced in the first round. Somehow, I don't think Pierce is gonna let that happen.

Pictured: Does this look like a man who goes home early?

The NBA's "other" contenders: Dallas.

2010-03-29T18:33:00.002-04:00

As was the case last year, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the favorites to make it to the NBA Finals from their respective conferences. But I've never believed that any one or two teams are untouchable when compared to the other teams. In retrospect, there are exceptions, such as the Boston Celtics of the Red Auerbach era or the Chicago Bulls of the 90's. But the way people are talking, it's a foregone conclusion that the Cavs and Lakers will play each other in June for the championship. I beg to differ; there are several teams in each conference who will also contend for the championship.

The Dallas Mavericks
Why they can win: The Dallas Mavericks have always been able to score, whether it was was the 03-04 team with Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Antoine Walker, and Antawn Jamison, or the 05-06 team that made it to the NBA Finals with Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Keith Van Horn, Josh Howard, and Marquis Daniels. Those teams could score in a variety of ways, whether it was from the perimeter, driving to the lane, or posting up. This year's version of the Dallas Mavericks is no different and is, in my opinion, even more potent on the offensive end. Dirk Nowitzki is still the focal point of the offense, but his supporting cast has changed dramatically; only two players not named Dirk Nowitzki remain on the team since their 2006 Finals run- Jason Terry and Erick Dampier, the "second best center in the NBA," as he so brazenly proclaimed himself at the time.

Jason Kidd now starts at point guard after being traded from the New Jersey Nets for Devin Harris two seasons ago. At the time, that trade was seen as a mistake for Dallas, but considering that the Mavericks are now contending for a championship while the Nets are contending for the worst win-loss record in NBA history, that no longer seems to be the case. With the assembled team, Kidd is a much better fit at point guard than Harris would have been because of his passing (2nd all-time in assists with 10,854) and experience (16 seasons in the league with two NBA Finals appearances). He knows when and where to get his teammates the ball and he does it extremely well. In the off-season, Shawn Marion joined the team after a trade and added his versatility to the mix: he's bigger than most other small forwards, can shoot from the perimeter, and gives Kidd an excellent target on the fast break. Backing up Kidd is Jason Terry, one of the league's best sixth men, averaging 16.8 points. He missed five straight games at the beginning of the month due to a facial injury, but that didn't stop the Mavericks from a 13 game winning streak; rookie Rodrigue Beaubois filled in admirably by scoring 17 ppg during those games. And don't forget Juan Jose Barea who, despite his small stature (6' 0"), gives Dallas quality minutes when he comes in. I've seen Dallas close out games with him at the point with Terry and Kidd on the wings. Then there's the perennially great Dirk Nowitzki at the center of things, putting up 24.5 ppg and scoring from all over the court, taking advantage of all defenders, big or small.

What I outlined above reads like an all-star team, but it got even better for Dallas at the trade deadline. They traded Josh Howard (an all-star in his own right but had fallen out of favor with the team), Drew Gooden (a good post scorer and rebounder for the Mavericks during his half-season there), James Singleton, and Quinton Ross to the Washington Wizards for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson. While Howard and Butler shared similar scoring averages at the time (Howard has since gone down for the year with an ACL injury), Butler fits in better with this team. Not only does he bring the same scoring, but he is also a more willing teammate than Howard. Further, Butler gives the Mavericks three players teams have to worry about in clutch situations, along with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry. Also, Dallas really had no interior scoring before this trade, something that Haywood is able to give them by scoring a solid 10 ppg. Stevenson gives the team another three-point shooter, which there's nothing wrong with.

Another reason Dallas can win this year is their improvement on the defensive end. While they still won't lock a team down the way a team like the San Antonio Spurs were capable of doing in their championship seasons, this year's Dallas team does have more defenders. Jason Kidd is fourth all-time in steals with 2,327 and he has the size (6' 4") to cause trouble for smaller point guards. Caron Butler can guard all three perimeter positions while Shawn Marion can guard forwards of all sizes. DeShawn Stevenson is also a handful for any perimeter player. In the paint, Erick Dampier has the size to defend centers, but he won't block many shots, which is why the addition of Brendan Haywood was such a big deal. He gives them a much needed presence inside, he also averages 10 rebounds per game, and he's more mobile and active than the clunky Dampier.

Tasked with running all of this is Rick Carlisle, who is in his second year with the team. Unlike Don Nelson, who coached the Mavericks from 1997-2004, Carlisle has a more defensive minded approach. In the 02-03 season, Carlisle's Indiana Pacers allowed only 95 points per game, which was good enough for third in the league behind the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs. That team also won 61 games.

Why they can't win: As prolific as they are on offense and though they continue to get better defensively, I see one glaring weakness for the Dallas Mavericks. Above, I established that Brendan Haywood is a double-double guy and that Erick Dampier is a good defender in the paint. But after those two, who else is there? Dirk Nowiztki is 7 ft. tall and can play center, but he's not a very capable defender. Eduardo Najera is a pretty good player, but he's an undersized 6'8" when he's played at the center position. Similarly, Shawn Marion has the size to defend power fowards, but not centers. Against a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, or Utah Jazz, it will be difficult for Dallas to do a whole lot defensively if Haywood ends up in quick foul trouble. I don't think anyone likes the idea of Dampier matched up against any of those guys. But suppose he gets in foul trouble as well? Dallas has no one else capable of effectively dealing with the likes of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum (if he's healthy for once in his life), Carlos Boozer, or Nene if Haywood and Dampier fall into foul trouble. This lack of depth at center could doom Dallas in the playoffs.

Where To Build The Great Wall

2010-03-28T13:18:00.005-04:00

His college career is over. Now John Wall gets to watch the lottery process determine which bottom feeder will pay for his services next season. Here are the current candidates in ascending order of suckiness: NJ, MIN, GS, WAS, DET, SAC, PHI, NY, IND, LAC, NO, CHI, HOU, MEM.

So which of these losers is the best fit for the lightning fast PG? The Bulls and Hornets are already set at that position and might go in a different direction with the pick. The Warriors and Kings might be tempted to trade down since they seem to be pretty happy with Curry and Evans (although if I'm Geoff Petrie and I get the #1, I definitely slide Tyreke over to shooting guard). Minnesota is still holding onto their dream of having Rubio in uniform at some point in the future. And Wall's speed would be wasted there anyway. Jrue Holiday's been balling lately for Philly plus they still have Lou Williams. The untradeable Gilbert Arenas is the last man standing in Washington. And unless the Clips deal Baron and His Beard, Wall would start his career in LA on the bench.

So who does that leave?

Houston would definitely ditch Aaron Brooks for Wall. Ditto for career backup Earl Watson in Indy. It's pretty obvious that the Rodney Stuckey PG Experiment ain't working in Motor City. D'Antoni's tried a gazillion different options at quarterback for the Knicks, all with marginal success. And of course, we have the Nyets. Devin Harris would have to go but that seems inevitable anyway.

My two cents: I'd love to see Memphis resign Gay, let Z-Bo walk and then draft Wall. He'd be in an uptempo situation with shooters and finishers on his wings. He'd also look nice next to Granger and Brandon Rush for the Pacers.

Pictured: Wall- CP3 and DWade combined

The Edge: March Madness Brings the Best Out of Athletes

2010-03-22T19:40:00.000-04:00

There's a fun and competitive debate going on between SB Nation's Andrew Sharp and Hardwood Paroxysm's Matt Moore concerning how most NBA fans might not pay March Madness full respect, and even reasons why that time of college basketball might edge out the best NBA basketball. I thought I would give my own two cents... or three.

For a long time now, people have been debating which is the greatest fluke between the two leagues of the NCAA and the NBA: a horrific march to the Madness where the NCAA teams that eventually head to the tournament terminate boring, just-plain-bad teams, or the overwhelming egos of basketball; leading to ridiculous propositions like Paul Pierce blatantly and confidently remarking that he's the best player after his championship season or Mark Cuban losing his cool in front of Kenyon Martin's mom.

At the same time, there are discussions about what's more exciting at their respective vintage moments: an NCAA tournament where anything can happen at literally any time (HP's Moore: "Comebacks in the NBA inside a minute? Really f’ing hard. Why? Guys know how to get the ball inbounds, and can get it to guys who can hit free throws."), or two QUALITY teams (which is Moore's argument for the NBA) emaciated for an NBA ring, going back and forth the entire game, and in the end delivering a thrilling performance?

Those debates can NEVER, EVER be settled. They just can't. You develop an infatuation for one league and can't ever seem to honestly find flaws in it when you're defending your preferred league against another league or sport. Sure, there's lots of situations where you mature and your opinions begin to vary, and you might even switch over to the other league. But you mature. You change. With exception to technical tweaks, the game of professional basketball has maintained the same general look since it's inception. There was the white, slow era of the '40s, '50s, and part of the '60s, and there was the physical, bangin'/bruisin' era of the '70s and '80s. Even today, the league has become more athletic. But it's still a different species of basketball than the NCAA, and it always has.

Nonetheless, there are debates that, in my mind, that can be settled.

1) The NBA is flat-out a better brand of basketball, from a quality standpoint. It cannot be refuted or argued. It is professional basketball, and college basketball is a step below. That doesn't mean there aren't players in the NCAA that couldn't play (and be distinguished) in the NBA, but that's only the cream of the crop. That's an extremely small slice of players when in correspondence with the entire NCAA.

2) March Madness is a bigger event than the NBA playoffs. It doesn't mean that I personally enjoy it more, it means that from a general fan's perspective, I'm tuning into March Madness over an NBA playoff game (if the two schedules ever crossed paths). The NBA, on the other hand, comes from a much larger audience scale throughout the entire shebang, including preseason, regular season, playoffs, and offseason. But March Madness seems to surround people as a magical, Cinderella Story tournament, which is what people want to watch. Perhaps the only playoff series' that have caught the eye of the general fan over the past five years:

1.Golden State V. Dallas, 2007 playoffs
2. The entire Boston Celtics campaign, 2008
3. Los Angeles Lakers V. Houston, 2009, and Los Angeles V. Orlando Finals
4. Boston V. Chicago, 2009
5. Cleveland V. Detroit, 2007
6. Miami Heat V. Dallas Mavericks, 2006

The NBA playoffs are great, and sure, that's only a five year span (and this is also considering that it would have to at least draw some attention from most of the non-basketball diehards), but if you count the number of mesmerizing March Madness games that captivated the nation over the last five years... you're going to end up using more than just your fingers.

So what keeps March Madness so exciting? Hell, what keeps March madness even alive? If the NBA is better basketball mechanically, and there isn't a clear edge (that we've mentioned yet), NCAA fans are basically telling themselves I'd rather watch a poorer standard of basketball. And that's fine... except that the ratings of the NCAA should come close to touching the NBA.

Most NBA and NCAA fans have heard that a lot general basketball fans can't deal with the arrogance of professional basketball. They'd rather watch more humble, more committed athletes. And that's cool that a lot of America chooses to believe it and have that as their logic as to why they have the NBA over the NCAA. But it's downright false in every aspect. There is no way for most of the superstars in the NBA to succeed without comforting themselves after beatings from the fans and opponents every single day for 10-15 years. They have to be overly-proud. It's basketball. Players develop that toughness on the way to their objective. That's not any player either. That's a great player. That's an NBA-ready player.

And putting arrogance aside, you cannot tell me that NBA athletes choose to relax when they hit the premier stage of basketball. The ones that we enjoy watching, the ones that thrive in this league put the same amount of work in if not more basketball-wise. It is their life. If you're playing in the Association, unless you're name is Rasheed Wallace, you're routinely in the gym for hours and shooting thousands of shots per day.

Watch Paul Pierce receive his ring after winning the 2008 championship, and you see he's WEEPING. He's overcome. How is that different from a college athlete being overcome? What separates LeBron's incredible and passionate 48-point massacre of the Detroit Pistons, which was derived from his sheer competitive edge and ravenous attitude towards winning, from Northern Iowa's recent defeat of Kansas? Both circumstances are, essentially, David versus Goliath. It was literally LeBron against a highly-regarded, heavily-favored Detroit Pistons team, and it was the number 9., unheard of Northern Iowa against the no.1 ranked Kansas. What puts distance between the constantly-discussed team chemistry of college athletes, how it shows on the court, and how it makes them better, and Leon Powe's inspiring 21-point performance during game 2 of the 2008 Finals? There isn't separation, there isn't distance, there isn't a difference.

Except that college athletes consistently show a spark when the competition narrows down to March Madness. Losing, or not leaving it all on the court, just simply isn't an option. You do not think twice about letting your team down. It is indubitable shame for all the NCAA athletes participating in the Madness to not play their best in that tournament. It just doesn't happen. March Madness brings the best out of athletes. Every. Single. Time. March Madness is magical.

And according to the nation, that's fact.

This week on my blog.

2010-03-21T17:23:00.004-04:00

As you already probably know, the NCAA Tournament kicked off on Thursday and has quickly taken over our lives. We're all asking one another how our brackets are doing (not well) and it gives us an excuse to skip class (I skipped only one) or work. And for me, at least, it means a lot of frustration because of missed free-throws, lots of missed free-throws.

I've became obsessive over free-throws when my Memphis Tigers lost the 2008 National Championship to the Kansas Jayhawks because of their inability to hit the darn things when it mattered. Also, I feel that I can speak with authority on the topic since I won a few free-throws shooting contests back in the day and led my team in free-throw percentage during senior year. So last year I kept up with all the free-throws shot by every team just to see how many games would have gone differently if teams had just hit their free-throws. In last year's opening round, the outcome of eight games would have been different if teams had hit their foul shots, including the game between #1 Pittsburgh and #16 East Tennessee State; ETSU lost 72-62, but missed half of their free-throws, going 12-24. Those shots would have been huge. The number of games decided by a lack of good free-throw shooting decreased as the tournament progressed (obviously), but they still had a big impact. In the second round, four teams would have won with more made free-throws; in the Sweet Sixteen, only one team lost because of free-throws, and it was Memphis, which just caused me more angst about free-throws; in the Elite Eight, it was Pittsburgh; in the Final Four, it was Connecticut; and in the Championship, free-throws didn't matter because North Carolina blew out Michigan State.

And I'm doing it again this year, on my own blog, so come on over if you would also like to malign about missed free-throws. I just got done taking a look at the first round and the face of the tournament could have looked a lot differently because of foul shots.

Boston Starts and Finishes the Weekend With a Loud Win in Texas

2010-03-21T11:02:00.000-04:00

Boxscore

Highlight stats: KG with five steals on the night... Pierce, Rondo and Allen combine for 70 tallies... Garnett with a +17 +/- to trump Dirk's lowly -12... Caron Butler held to 3-14 shooting, Brendan Haywood stifled and allowed just three points in 26 minutes.

Gone unseen: Glen Davis continued his statistically unaccounted for play last night, banging up the Dallas interior D and grabbing four rebounds and checking in seven points. Davis outhustled, outsmarted, and plain outplayed the Mavs in another energetic effort that is beginning to infect the entire Celtics team.

Notes: In a good one, perhaps the only two disappointing impressions on the game was Perk's so-so rebounding numbers and the bench's poor efficiency. No bench member had a positive +/- and the unit averaged a +/- 9.4 for the night. Glen Davis is really the only bench member I'll let slide because unless the game style morphs into a garbage time/scavenger/hustle type of play or he notches 20-22+ minutes, his numbers aren't going to show for much of anything anyway. Jason Terry exploded for 18 and we looked to our bench to at least cement a little bit of a counter-attack before our starters came back in and they couldn't do it. Marquis was 0-2, Nate Robinson only played nine minutes and took just three shots, and Rasheed gave us a mere basket with three rebounds in 16 minutes.

But hey, a win is a win... Right?

He's Still In The League?

2010-03-16T14:39:00.009-04:00

During last week's Oscars, there was a cut-away shot of Keanu Reeves in the audience. Remember that? Like the majority of the gazillion viewers watching around the globe, I thought to myself, "What's he doing there?"

I had that same feeling when I saw Devean George enter a game recently for the Warriors. "He's still around?"

So then I went through NBA rosters to find the best examples of other Deveanu Greeves (see what I did there?). Here are some of the 'winners.'

ATL- Jason Collins. I can't remember, was he the cute one or the talented one?

BOS- Brian Scalabrine. As close as there is to a Team Mascot In Uniform, Ginger Balls is averaging 1.4 points per game this year. And this absolutely breaks Tommy Heinsohn's heart.

CHI- Devin Brown hasn't been in the rotation since mid-January. Now that Joakim Noah's injured, I bet the Del Negros are stoked that they traded away 7-footer Aaron Gray for this guy.

DAL- Matt Carroll's getting paid almost five mil in 2010 for his 91 total minutes of floor time. By my math, that mean's Opie's collecting $263,000 a minute. No wonder he's always smiling.

LAC- Brian Skinner starting his career on the Clippers bench in '98. Over a decade later, he's back to square one (or is square zero?). Either way, B Skin And His Amazing Technicolor Chin Beard have checked in at the scorer's table only twice in the past 22 contests. In that time, he's 0-3 from the floor.

LAL- DJ Mbenga hasn't been in the news since his practice squabble with fellow scrub, Chris Mihm. Who?!? You remember Mihm, right? Looks like Jack Shepard from Lost. No? Nevermind.

MIA- Yakhouba Diawara's registered two official minutes since December and only 37 total for the year.

C'mon, coaches. If these guys ain't injured, reward their daily attendance with some PT. They learned your playbook and listened to your boring speeches. Show some love to the forgotten man way down at the end of your bench.

Pictured: B Skin and his beard on the court, apparently (probably Photoshopped)

Celtics Are Shown First-Hand Who the Team to Beat Is

2010-03-15T17:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Celtics' fans were buzzing. Today, they're holed up inside their own minds trying to find out how perhaps we could have evaded the last straw of doom for our Boston team. So far, we've come up with answers that aren't going to help the Celtics. Essentially, because they are answers that have been said over and over again, and that the C's have probably already figured out themselves.

Yesterday, though, we caught a glimpse of what the '07-08 Celtics looked like. The Cleveland Cavaliers are on an aggressive mission. They concretely just aren't going to let loopholes, twisted karma, or unpleasant kismet tear them from their path. They absolutely positively control their destiny, and they know that.

The '09-10 Celtics though, aren't in that same mindset. They're frustrated with the fact that drive and initiative can't come with work, discussion, and craft. It's a snowball effect that usually begins with an unfortunate impetus. Whether it happens 10 years before or the day before, it's something that sticks in their head and haunts them until they turn that memory around. Until they resurrect and rectify that horrific mistake/uncalled for blunder/whatever. The Celtics can't get there, because they are satisfied. They content. Or at least, a good chunk of the team is.

(I just wanted to point out that when Jeff Van Gundy was gushing over Andy Varejao, talking about how he's so effective by merely not giving up plays, hustling, and having been a student of the game so long that he picks up things more quickly than others -- OK, I added that last part, even though I loathe Varejao -- ABC immediately shows a pretty much sarcastic close-up of Rasheed Wallace. And then in the next couple of plays, Rasheed simply hacks at the Cavaliers that slice through the lane instead of actually trying to put a body on them or block the shot. Classic. OK, back to the un-comedic pessimism.)

I will never, ever write off the Boston Celtics. Ever. Hell, I'm so optimistic that I thought they had well-constructed teams the year Gary Payton joined the team and the year we won 24 games. Go figure. But just because I won't write them off doesn't mean I can't accept reality, or that I can't take off my green goggles. There just isn't a way that a motivated team with their type of talent couldn't be in the same championship debates with teams like the Cavs, Lakers, Nuggs, and Mavs... or the Hawks and Magic. That doesn't mean they can't turn it around at any time. But right now, they just aren't there.

And I just want to quickly point out to the fans saying that Boston may be running out of time (translation: I'm contradicting the Celticsfanatic of a few days ago) that there is no such thing as time limits for the Celtics. If they get into the playoffs and somehow get hot or regain that drive (unlikely -- considering there have been so many things that usually at least get a team pumped up for a stretch of the season that the Celtics haven't shown affected them on the court -- but still), they can do anything they want in this league. And I mean that.

Look at Ray Allen motivated (torching the league for a substantial number of games to prove the post All-Star bonanza of scoring from him wasn't a fluke). Look at a Paul Pierce motivated (27 points in 26 minutes despite being defended by a tough Stephen Jackson and a proven-defender in Gerald Wallace). Look at Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Kendrick Perkins motivated (Rondo and Perkins dominating in their respective areas, Kevin Garnett scavenging the boards like the glass is a treasure chest). Even our bench is extremely talented when they get going (Glen Davis, Rasheed, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels, and Tony Allen. Wow).

I wanted to point out three things from yesterday's game, and the first is Paul Pierce. I know Pierce was pretty juiced for yesterday's game, so it was a surprise to see that LeBron was flat-out blowing by him late in the game to boost the Cavs and abuse Boston down low. Pierce was one of the few yesterday who tried to single-handedly put away the Cavs with consistent effort but just couldn't do it, so it's no secret that he was trying (for at least most of the game -- and for all of the second half).

But LeBron was using simple crossovers and a quick first step that resembled Pierce in his physical prime to eat up the opposing team's interior D (which could be an over-/understatement depending on how well you remember Pierce's ferocious scoring spurts and ability to take over whenever necessary), and Pierce couldn't do anything about it. So I guess my point here is, yeah, a few of the guys on the team are a step and a half, maybe a step slower than one or two years before. But can they get the job done as a group? Certainly, and it'd be foolish to analyze them any different.

Glen Davis, on the other hand, was our kryptonite to the Cavs and Anderson Varejao, who was beating up the Celtics' paint in every which way by playing scrappy and utilizing all opportunities given to him. He's really just a taller, more offensively gifted Leon Powe, with a bit more athleticism vertically. And those type of players can really shut down the Celtics and set a tone for their team. Glen Davis? He was getting on the floor, playing competitive, and had the same effect. The numbers don't show it, but he was clearly the player on the floor who was bugging Cleveland with his sheer edge and determination.

And lastly, I'd also like to pay tribute to Nate Robinson yesterday. Nate didn't a great shooting day, which has been rare since his arrival in Boston, but he played good defense for about a large stretch of minutes, as one of the ABC broadcasters mentioned. Despite Boston's disappointing play, he's been a glaring bright spot during these past five-10 games or so.

Go Celts.

Did you catch "Winning Time?"

2010-03-15T15:39:00.004-04:00

Last night, amid all the March Madness hoopla (see what I did there?), the latest installment of ESPN's "30 for 30" series of documentaries debuted. Titled "Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks" and directed by Dan Klores, the show chronicles the intense rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks during the 1990's, which I consider to be the best decade, mainly because that's when I got into basketball. It's a great tribute to one of the best rivalries in NBA history and a welcome look back at how the league once was. At times, I found myself actually laughing at Miller's theatrics and what all the Knicks and Pacers players thought of one another at the time. It also serves as a sad reminder that there are not really big rivalries like that in the league today. Sure, the Celtics and Cavaliers play one another tough and the Magic and Lakers are starting to really dislike each other, but it's just not the same.

If you were unfortunate enough to miss it, "Winning Time" will be re-airing several times between now and May. For complete information, head over to the "30 for 30" home page, where you'll find schedules and clips from all the shows. Also, here is the opening sequence of the film.

Ugh.

2010-03-14T15:44:00.004-04:00

We're not even four minutes into the Cleveland Cavaliers-Boston Celtics game on ABC and Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson are already freestyling about what LeBron James is the best at. The current topic: passing. Jackson says LeBron is the best passing non-point guard in the history of the league while Van Gundy says he may be the best passer in history. If one didn't know better, you would think that these two had only recently started watching basketball. They sound like elementary school kids at recess talking about their favorite players rather than a former NBA coach (Van Gundy) and the league's third all-time assist leader in assists (Jackson).

A Few Spare Tidbits

2010-03-13T18:30:00.000-05:00

On Friday night, the Celtics blew out the Indiana Pacers, avenging themselves after suffering an embarassing loss to the athletic and energetic Memphis Grizzles. Here's the talk from around the Celtics' blogosphere, and more thoughts revolving around the state of the Boston Celtics during this time of the season:

The Boston Herald reports:

Rivers said he’d consider holding his veterans, both of whom are on the mend from injuries, out of games so they’re able to log practice time down the stretch.
"We have to have them playing at their peak (when the playoffs start). Whatever we have to do that, we have to do it," Rivers said before the C’s 122-103 win against the Pacers last night. "If that means working them more in practices and maybe them missing games - whatever it takes, that’s what we have to do and that’s what we’re going to do."

Garnett and Pierce didn’t exactly welcome the idea with open arms.

That's a very interesting take by Doc. Rivers may feel that if they can just hang on to a top four seed and come into the playoffs fresh, competitive, edgy, and with a new look at their goal, Boston can be a much better team, which is an understandable theory.

I said yesterday that the Celtics were saying hello to goodbye (of the championship window) if they couldn't prove to us that they still had that fire that characterizes champions. We all know they have the talent, and even most of the intangibles. So it's not entirely implausible here to think that if we go in with a fourth seed that we can't make a run at the championship. ]In addition, third seed or fourth seed aside, I still think we have enough to get past the first round.

It's a matter of getting past Cleveland though, and if we do, either Orlando or Atlanta (two teams we're 1-7 against during the regular season), that Doc is planning around for. But again, maybe rest is what's in our way of a new life. But I can't help but saying that we need to drive this team into the ground mentally to get them in condition for the big games, the must-win quarters, and the excruciatingly critical play sequences. Sure, fans aren't always able to recognize that their teams may be dog-tired. But it sure seems to me that with the relaxed style of play we've been going about with every night, we should be well-rested.

On the other hand of that argument, you have to keep your players happy. And like the article mentions, I seriously doubt Pierce or Garnett is willing to cap off the regular season and show up to games in suits because it might give them some extra recovery time. They're vets. They know how to battle through injuries. They know the bangs and bruises of a regular season and they understand that the real contenders are those who lead by example. In this case, how are Pierce and Garnett going to show their team the true mold of a contender if the validity of their playoff position is still up in the air and they're voluntarily sitting out? Which leads us to this:

From the Celtics' Twitter:

Pierce and KG say the team had a "heart to heart" and open dialogue this morning. Say that loss to Memphis and boos at home stuck with team.

Via CelticsBlog

(Disclosure -- this was reported yesterday morning before last night's annihilation of the Pacers.) That's a great thing to hear. I don't care if I've been hearing reports of the team recognizing that they all need to sit down and really discuss their objectives all season -- it's about time that it's been taken care of (or at least begun) and that we have evidence that's it's started to work (once again, the annihilation of the Pacers last night). Keep it up, boys.

CelticsBlog has an interesting piece about Glen Davis, preaching something that has kept me a fan of "The Eleventh Hour" since the beginning:

Fortunately, ever since that incident in Detroit on January 20, the artist formerly knows as "Big Baby" has cut out the superfluous junk that has plagued both his game and his reputation, and has seemed to re-focus his everlasting energy strictly on the basketball court. And that energy has in fact highlighted his play of late. He certainly hasn't been a perfect player, but the various flaws that have hindered his game, have so far, for the most part, been overshadowed by the relentless effort he's putting forth these days.

Obviously "hustle" stats are not kept in NBA game logs, but if you've watched this team of late, you'd be hard pressed to argue that the energy isn't there from Davis, which must be a welcome relief for Doc Rivers, because in these troubled times, effort has sometimes been harder to find than Carmen San Diego.

Red's Army reflects on the brilliant performance put on by the blazing hot Nate Robinson during Friday night's Pacers' game. They argue, can this hot streak stay on track? And will Nate make the dire mistake of living and dying by the three from this point on?

Nate is 16-27 from long range in March... a blistering 59.3%.

It's an impossible pace... and a dangerous one at that. Nate has fallen in love with the 3.

At some point, that long-range stroke is going to go cold... which is going to put a serious strain on the second unit. And it was the second unit last night that made Gino possible.

All I'm saying is we've got to be realistic about what Nate brings us in the future. What we see now is not what we're going to get. No one sustains 59% shooting from 3.

So the question is... will Nate adjust and get back to attacking when he knows the 3 stroke has gone cold... or will he become a mini-Sheed who continues to shoot from deep without regard for reality?

Slithering in Darkness: Where the Celtics Are Disgracefully Saying Hello to Goodbye

2010-03-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

A slightly different take of this fantastic article written by KneeJerkNBA.

By replacing gritty defensive guys like Posey, Brown and Powe with shooters like Lil' Nate and Mike Finley, Ainge further eroded the team's identity. 'Get stops' isn't an option anymore. This team isn't physically able to 'get stops.' And nobody's intimidated by them anymore, either.

Those were the words written by my fellow writer here on Celtics 17, KneeJerkNBA. And while harsh words they may be, Celtics nor any NBA fan can deny the truthfulness that lies beneath them.

As the Boston Celtics fell to the Memphis Grizzles Wednesday night, the depression that hung in the air was something that words couldn't quite describe. Yes, you could mention that the Boston Celtics were disgustingly outrebounded by 19 boards. You could point out that Memphis shot 55% from the field and 56%+ from behind the arc. But there is no way to nail the "The Celtics just didn't have it... again" aspect. There is no impact that rests in those words, or, at least not nearly an impact that measures up to the real thing.

A few years ago, we witnessed that team in the league, a team that emotionally connected with their fans as electricity in the relationship between the two sparked a run that led to a much-longed-for NBA championship. We not only had the pieces on paper, but we had the chemistry. We had the leadership. We had players that knew the right time to dish out an extra pass (the famous split-second swing for a three or open look that was stamped rightfully by the Celts' that season). We also had players that recognized that must-win games sometimes hung on the decision made by players to hoard the ball selfishly for themselves and get the job done (the 41-point Pierce V. the 45-point LeBron game).

But the attitude never changed, no matter what the game style of that night was. I was there at game 7 of the '07-08 Eastern Conference semis, and I can tell you one thing: Paul Pierce was there to score, to dominate, to bloody the Cavs in every way he was capable of doing from the start. But despite his demeanor that in times made him look self-centered with the ball, his teammates were with him from the getgo. And not only was that support playing out just because that player happened to be Paul Pierce, but because it was one of their teammates. Paul Pierce was a Celtic, and so were the rest of those who emerged victorious last night. And that never changed whether it ended up being an evenly spread boxscore or a Paul Pierce/insert any other Celtic here-takeover.

Fast forward to last year. We had a few different players, but the destination, the drive, and the purpose was still there. We scorched the league from the start, racing out to an incredible 27-2 start. That clear sovereignty continued until our precious Kevin Garnett went down immediately after the All-Star break (by the way; although this is obviously easy to say in my position, I can't help but point out that it's ridiculous for Boston to allow the NBA to use our players elected to play in the All-Star game in any way they please with no restrictions. If I'm the Cs, I'm giving the coaches that are handed the reigns of the team limits concerning how much they can toy with our guys on the court during a game that's completely meaningless to every contender in the Association).

But regardless of the hammering injury, we played with a chip on our shoulder, and as always, fighting and eventually prevailing in what is now considered one of the most thrilling playoff series' of all-time (the Boston Chicago series, which involved numerous memorable OTs). We also almost slipped past the eventual Eastern Conference champs, armed with a 3-2 lead after five games but sadly falling in the last two. And this is all without Kevin Garnett.

At last, we arrive to 2009-10. With an improved Rondo and Perkins, a healthy Garnett, and at least a little bit more rested Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, we're a better team automatically than the squad last year that advanced to the second round of the playoffs and seemed to be well on their way to the EC Finals before a heartbreaking final two games. However, that's not all. We added a woefully underrated Marquis Daniels (who has been compared to the likes of Josh Howard and also plays a game style similar to that of Stephen Jackson), a dominant post player (who can cause trouble, but should have been set straight by our vets from the beginning nonetheless) in Rasheed Wallace, and another backup big man in Shelden Williams.

Three quarters of the way through the season, we've now also added Nate Robinson and Michael Finley. Where do we stand? Well let's just say that the team we're looking at on paper doesn't resemble the team we see on the court, nor does our record hint at us having such a great team (stats-/skills-wise at least).

The differences between this team and the past two of the Big Three era? Well, there's many. For one, Boston is a much less docile group than the crews the Celts had on their side in the past. Docile in the sense of all of the players having one goal, whether it's a wild goal or a conservative objective. We were all on the same page, which made it easier to strike points and basically just coach. This team? We're all over the place, I guess, is the best way to put it.

Two years ago and even last year, I remember a team that was fired up for even the most piddling of games. Now? Maybe we just don't have the energy for that anymore, whether we'd like to our not. Maybe we're resting for strategical reasons. But while that theory is understandable in these circumstances, it's been proven to be foolproof when you, well, don't win the ones that you save energy for in the first place.

And the conclusion is evident now: Even if we do manage to find that passion, that fire, it is, in many senses, much too late. Sure, we've saved energy all year long. But to become formidable once again, to gain position against other teams or at least be at the same level they are, we're going to have to rampage the league on a ferocious tear in these next few months. And at the level of stamina this team has shown it has, I'm not sure we can do that and still get up for the playoffs. Or at least, stay up for the duration of the playoffs, which we would need to do if we wanted to attain another ring. December is long gone. Sitting tight waiting for a run in January isn't possible now. Even February has evaded us. We're in March, nervously sweating it out until April.

Hey, miracles can happen. We don't know what's being said in the locker room. We have no clue what's going on in the closed, whispered huddles during practice. But from what I've been seeing lately, I just don't see it happening. It's too bad, going through so much for so little (maybe I'm under-appreciating the glory of one mere ring, but I was hoping to at least be in contention for two). It's even more disappointing that the Celtics essentially just let this happen. They let it slip away. They watched a likely banner slowly (don't think this happened in a flash; we had all the time in the world to turn it around and we couldn't get it done) drive by them, and sooner or later, a Cinderella Story as well (if the C's can't beat out the Hawks for the third seed, then this season, this goal, really ought to be packed away).

Of course, we can't doubt the potentials of a sensational offseason, as this would be the perfect time to do it (although we always have to keep money in mind). Danny might sense that the team as a whole (which includes the ENTIRE organization) didn't feel that the fans got their full due after 16 years of atrocious misfortune after Bird hung up the laces. But these are all possibilities that are battling the odds. And since we've seen that we can't complete the likelihoods that were graciously given to us at the beginning of this season (a refueled, recharged, revamped team that could easily have been included in the top five, maybe even top three teams in the league right now, and close to the end chunk of the season where contenders rest and teams battling for position continue to fight tirelessly), what leads us to believe that we have the proof to doubt the odds?

For one, there's hope. Basketball is a game of breaks. Sometimes, there's opportunities you ride out for much too long than destiny should have allowed you too. And in others (particularly this one), you fall way short of expectations and in all honesty, are stripped of what should have been.

So yeah, there will always be that next year, those next few years, those next 10 years. But the only thing at this point that I can say with all the certainty in my mind, with no counter-arguments available to mention is: Ubuntu might want to get a head start on getting comfort with the dark, dingy cellars of the NBA.

Donny Boozeface's Coaching Strategy- Pickup Ball, Basically

2010-03-12T02:03:00.006-05:00

Just finished watching a thriller between G State and the Blazers. Portland came from 16 down in the second half to win. Great game, unless you're a Warriors fan.

At one point during the witty banter (hah!) going back and forth between Doug Collins and Kevin Harlan, Collins pointed out that Donny Boozeface had implemented a genius offensive strategy where the players "spread it out and beat you one on one off the dribble." You mean like every pickup game I've ever played in my life? Is that the coaching genius you're referring to, Doug? "Spread it out and beat you one on one off the dribble." Revolutionary stuff there, dude.

Collins and Harlan also spent an inordinate amount of time discussing all the D Leaguers on the Dubs roster and how amazing it was that they were all able to flourish under the offensive tutelage of said mastermind, Don Motherfreakin' Nelson. News flash, experts: any player will be comfortable in that 'system' because it ain't a system; it's pickup ball. Every pro baller in the world's been "spreading it out and going one on one" since about age five.

If you follow the standings, you're aware that GS is an abysmal 17-47 this year, which begs the question: if a team's only winning 27% of their games, and their entire strategy is to just play pickup ball, why do they need a coach?

On The Green

2010-03-11T15:26:00.005-05:00

I couldn't figure out whether or not to call my links and random thoughts On The Green (the winner, obviously) or Green Eggs And Spam. I think I made the right choice, don't you? Anyway, here are some links to check out today (warning: contains shameless self promotion).

*Horrible haikus for every team.

*Best recent tweets.

*Dorell Wright DUI'd in his Bentley with a suspended license. Doh.

*Eddie Maisonet would like to "jab Kobe in his sleep."

Sorry for the surprise link into Lakerland above. Couldn't resist. Hopefully that wasn't too traumatic for you.

Cs- Then And Now

2010-03-11T02:39:00.011-05:00

Most Celtics fans are scratching their heads right now and thinking, "What's wrong with this team?"

Using the 2008 champs as the Gold Standard, let's compare rosters and see if we can figure it out purely based on manpower.

The starters are the same only three years older. In the case of KG, Ray Ray and Pierce, that's a pretty significant three years. Garnett, in particular, looks defeated by his mileage and injury history.

But the bench is where it really gets interesting.

A still effective James Posey was the big weapon off the bench for the title winning team. He could D multiple positions and he always hit big shots. Posey played well enough for Doc to refer to him as the 'fourth member of the Big Three' whatever the hell that means. In any event, Rivers thought enough of Posey to put him in the same conversation with his three mega stars. Who could even come close to filling that role this year? Sheed? Please. On the title winners, PJ Brown and Leon Powe came off the bench to provide rebounding and tough interior D. This year's team? Nobody does that. Not even close.

By replacing gritty defensive guys like Posey, Brown and Powe with shooters like Lil' Nate and Mike Finley, Ainge further eroded the team's identity. 'Get stops' isn't an option anymore. This team isn't physically able to 'get stops.' And nobody's intimidated by them anymore, either.

So a relatively mediocre Memphis team with young legs comes into Boston and absolutely dominates them on their home court and nobody can even explain why afterwards. Sad. We're a long way from Ubuntu.

Bird & Magic: To See The Other Sides

2010-03-09T17:18:00.001-05:00

Inspired by the passionate thoughts of my friend over at North Station Sports, Nick Gelso.

Even if you knew 99% of what happened in this film, that other 1% is worth your time. -- Red's Army

I saw the Magic-Bird documentary a few nights ago. I saw Earvin and Larry relive their relationship -- even more so their individualized friendship -- and I saw Magic and Bird extoll their storied rivalry of extreme competition and unmatched edginess that was felt between the two of them on the court.

Last night, I saw the many different perceptions of Bird and Magic spawned by reporters of the era, and the difference in opinion between the players, the close friends and family, and those who merely watched greatness from the confines of their television screen. I saw the difference between those interviewed who wanted not just to meet Bird and Magic, but to have friendships with them, who desperately wanted to see them open up about the ups and downs between their lives on, and off, the court. But in addition, I saw something a little bit more specified, that being those who wanted to be the ones to ask them the questions, instead of offering their own opinion during their responses to questions. I also recognized those who realized that after fully being able to see the true Larry's and Bird's, and the true Earvin's and Magic's, they were comfortably admiring them from a distance.

On the other hand, I had my own experience last night. I truly, in their emotional, physical, and tolling state, witnessed the Magic and Bird rivalry. I sat amazed as I looked back at the rebirth of basketball, the importance of paving the way from Elgin, West, Robertson, and Russell; Julius, Kareem, and Walton; Bird and Magic; and THEN Jordan, Isiah (despite playing at the same time), Pippen, Rodman, Barkley, Hakeem, and the greats of the '90s. Magic and Bird artistically carved the true meaning of specifying parts of their game to help their team win on certain nights. They mastered the craft of exerting themselves in narrowed styles, in an effort to push their team over the top in categories that on various nights were essential to win.

They were the pioneers of the '80s, bringing back the teachings and the examples of basketball heroes in the past. Think about it: Bird in Larry were revolutionary players, not just in their position, but how to rise to greatness in the proper way.

Isiah Thomas, for example, went down in history as one of the most talented guards who can dish out assists and get other guys involved. A harrowing performance with him was game 6 of the 1988 Finals, with Thomas being able to rise up in score 43 points in a crucial match, on a badly twisted ankle. It had Bird and Magic all over it. He also went on a 14-point spurt after the Lakes went up by eight in the third (and eventually rampaged the entire Los Angeles team by dropping 25 in the entire third, something that, while you would be shell-shocked nonetheless, over time became something expected of Magic and Bird). Bird and Magic were just unimaginable to watch, precisely the reason I mentioned that game Isiah had. They were always playing with, as Bill Simmons likes to describe it, a "There's no way we're not walking out of here without a win" face on.

Isiah probably had it in him all along. Heck, he ended up being one of those "Just watch me and you'll become better" players anyway. But just the mere presence of Bird, and the excellence they displayed so easily that inspired players to put on such performances is the reason basketball is where it is today (or at least the reason we have basketball greats that are knowledgeable enough to satisfy the fans and their teammates with proper team-oriented and dominant play). There's just no way that Magic's phenomenal inspiration he provided for the league, as well as Bird's, didn't put Isiah or any other star of that generation on the fast-track.

Bird and Magic were measuring sticks. Players didn't want to just be at their level, but they wanted to have the same impact as them. They wanted to literally light a match to the crowd's energy, either positively or negatively, with a simple salvaged loose ball or a precise pass leading to a thunderous dunk or finish that would deflate the opposing team. They yearned for that bone-crunching shot, that heart-stopping finish in the paint, that blood-chilling defensive presence, or that disturbing competitive edge. It was almost unnatural for any other player to have it. Only Bird and Magic could let it flow the way they did. It couldn't be imitated. It wasn't a gimmick. It was just Bird and Magic.

Going back to their inspirational play, let's visit some other greats... maybe that stamped greatness on the records of the '90s with their own Bird and Magic exhibits?

Pippen and Jordan were pissed-off matadors from the beginning, fighting to prove themselves worthy of the status they were building off of those who had watched them. But again, who do you think they looked to for advice, or maybe just example?

Pippen and Jordan played like warriors, bloodied by their critics, by their adversities, and never lost their drive. They never relinquished their aggressiveness along the way to fame, and always kept basketball as their number one priority. Perhaps Pippen and Jordan were the greatest unintentional students of Bird and Magic, meaning that they learned so much, constructed their game styles and demeanors on and off the court when playing with the paradigms attained from Bird and Magic.

Bird and Magic knew how to win in a way only the greatest successors not just in sports, but in life, could comprehend. They performed in ways that words couldn't do justice for. They made everyone seem better, and knew how to balance feeding off of others energy and game techniques and creating for themselves.

And I can say that from the other night's documentary, I was able to wholeheartedly grasp what all the excitement that was hyped around Bird and Magic was. I'll be honest with you, I narrowly missed seeing Bird and Magic grace the court. The only memories I had of them were, sadly, YouTube videos and flashbacks of their battles on CBS and other major networks. But I couldn't quite see for myself where the greatness glowed from them. In my mind, sure, they both played like top 10 players.

But where was that unique personality? The superiority MJ steered the reigns of his team with for so long; the sheer arrogance that for some reason we put up with during the Kobe era because he played so terrifyingly; the humor Shaq and Walton gives/gave us; or even the aura of winning that steams off of Bill Russell and Robert Horry? Well, I found out where it lied last night.

I saw the grit of Bird and the gentleness of Magic. I saw how nothing got to Bird, and how a lot of things could easily affect Magic. I relived the awe-inspiring understanding of the game Bird possessed and the riveting feel of the game that Magic let explode on the court. I finally realized that Larry couldn't have been nearly as good a player as he was if he wasn't such a prick -- and didn't have a black hole inside his heart and mind that could suck up all distracting emotions when he needed to focus -- and I realized that Magic wouldn't have came close to his ceiling as he did in the career we watched him play had he not had an itching for fame.

I couldn't help but admire Bird's passion for work and near-disgust with the spotlight and Magic's hunger for another "front door," as they referred to it in the documentary.

But all in all, I saw the two of them becoming mirror images of each other as they took their places on the floor that was equally as special to them, despite their polar-opposite personas. I saw how amazing it was to see them take form as they transformed from their personalities off the court to fire-breathing dragons on the court -- one graceful and one scrappy. I saw the surreality of the two of their styles that I hadn't nearly captured before. So maybe I didn't see them play. But I saw a documentary that gave me the next best thing.

That's good enough for me.

5 Reasons For Signing Michael Finley

2010-03-05T14:03:00.007-05:00

1. His veteran presence will help keep precocious pups Garnett, Allen and Pierce in line.

2. He was one of the best players of the decade...the 90s that is.

3. Just by standing near Greg Popozitz on a daily basis for five years, through sheer osmosis, Finley already knows more about coaching than Doc Rivers.

4. His warm smile and bubbly demeanor will melt Perk's frozen heart.

5. Even at 53 years old, he's still a better defender than Nate Robinson.

Michael Finley a Celtic

2010-03-04T18:17:00.001-05:00

From ESPN:

"It's official now," Finley told ESPN.com after verbally committing to Boston. "I'm soon to be a Celtic."

Finley, who turns 37 Saturday, requested and received a buyout from the San Antonio Spurs earlier this week, freeing him to sign with a title contender while maintaining his playoff eligibility.

I only have one thing to say, and that is that I refuse to assess this deal until I see anything that Finley might have impacted. His veteran presence might help, it might not. He might be able to light it up even at this age, he might not. But the state of this team has been vacillating constantly throughout the year, there's no use cluttering this deal up with a bunch of predictions and guesses.

So all in all, the only thing we can really say right now is, welcome Michael Finley!

Welcome Joe Spencer to Celtics 17!

2010-03-03T15:15:00.000-05:00

Joe Spencer of Knee Jerk NBA will now be posting columns on his thoughts about the NBA and specifically the Celts here on Celtics 17! You can get familiar with his work on Knee Jerk (linked above) as well as welcome him here on his first post.

Make Or Break Postseason Ahead For Cs

2010-03-03T14:48:00.004-05:00

I won’t dwell on the disappointing play as of late. It’s well chronicled already here. I also won’t delve into Ainge’s recent questionable personnel decisions (first Starbury, now…Nate?!?).

I’m concerned with the bigger picture here, like "What the hell does this team look like in 2012?"

If the Celtics don’t win the title this year, it’s Rebuild Around Rondo Time. Yeah, the same Rondo they tried to deal after winning a ring, the Rondo reportedly described by Doc as “stubborn” and “impossible to coach.”

Hmmmm.

Pierce, Ray Ray and KG still have trade value, no question. But I wasn’t surprised to see all of the Still Pretty Big Three wearing green after the deadline. Why? ‘Cause there’s still the possibility that KG’s lift comes back in the next month. He certainly looked good against Jersey, right? But if you look at some box scores, the first thing you notice is that he's only had one double digit rebound game since December. Not a good sign. With a relatively healthy KG, they have a puncher’s chance against anyone. As KG’s knee goes, so goes the future of this team. But without cooperation from KG’s knee, Pierce and Ray Ray become overpaid vets with cumbersome contracts. Without KG’s knee, none of this makes any sense.

So Ainge is betting the farm on an old horse. Again.

It’s important to remember that Danny Boy built this team to win a single title. He knew it at the time. He still knows it. That mission was accomplished two years ago. This was never a long term plan. It’s entirely conceivable that Rondo, Big Baby and Perk are the only rotation guys in uniform this time next season.

Damn, I forgot that 'Sheed's still on the books for two more seasons at over six mil per. Oh, joy. That makes me feel better about things.

Finley Waived, Doc Intrigued

2010-03-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

The Herald reports:

Now that the Celtics have expressed interest in veteran shooter Michael Finley, Doc Rivers can admit to a bias. The Celtics coach and the former Spur, who is expected to clear waivers tomorrow night, are both products of Chicago’s Proviso East High School.

“Every team has some holes, and shooting is something we can’t have enough of,” he said. “You look at some of these other teams, their shooting was ridiculous. We’re looking around. I don’t know if I can even say anything about Michael.

I don’t think a veteran ever hurts. It always helps if it’s the right one.” … Rivers said that Kendrick Perkins, who missed this trip with a case of the flu, is expected to play tomorrow night’s game against Charlotte.

Via Red's Army

Interesting. It couldn't hurt, but it's nothing to get excited about. Here's Finley's statline for this year: 15.8 mpg, 1.5 rpg (0.3 orpg), 0.8 apg (0.5 TOpg), 3.7 ppg, .381 FG %, .317 3-pt. FG. Not too encouraging, nor attractive, but you have to look at him as a character guy at this point. He was on the '06-07 Spurs team which, as Red's Army mentioned, struggled during the meat of the regular season and ended up being the NBA champions come Spring/Summer.

My thoughts? If he's really that committed to winning a ring, there is absolutely no reason not to welcome him. We need another voice in there to rejuice these guys, and not only to give them energy, but get them angry. We need someone other than Garnett (and Pierce -- though we can't say how Pierce has been doing in terms of the clubhouse) to dig into these guys and fire them up. How do you think proud guys like Rasheed or young guys like Perk and Rondo are going to feel when a guy averaging 3.7 ppg is criticizing them?

Rerun: LeBron changing number.

2010-03-02T01:52:00.005-05:00

If one didn't know better, Stuart Scott just announced on SportsCenter that LeBron James will be playing in Cleveland next year. Here's why: LeBron has filed the paperwork to change his number from 23 to 6, something that he wouldn't have to do if he were signing with another team. So there you go. You can just stop thinking about LeBron signing with the Knicks/Clippers/Bulls/Heat/Nets this summer.

Ugh. This is the second time this season we've heard about this. In November, LeBron told everyone to stop asking him about who he would be playing with after the summer because he was tired of hearing about next year. Then what does he do? Later that week he announced that he was thinking about changing his number for next year, the same "next year" that he was tired of hearing about. He also wanted the league to retire the #23 for all teams in honor of Michael Jordan. And now, three months later, I'm sure the fact that you only have to fill out paperwork to change a number if you're not changing teams will be sure to quell all the free-agency questions. In fact, we'll probably forget the whole thing and need every other article written about the NBA to include a reminder. Like in this "report" from ESPN:

James will be part of the vaunted 2010 free-agent class that includes Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. While Bulls fans would like to see him try to make No. 6 as legendary as No. 23 in Chicago, New York has also maneuvered to have enough cap space to sign James.

Cleveland can sign James to a longer, more lucrative deal, however.

I really like how they sneak that in, as if they're telling us something we haven't heard before, or more like a thousand times.

But here's a question: didn't he pick #23 to honor Michael Jordan to begin with? Isn't that what everyone who wears that number does? It doesn't make sense, unless he's doing it to gain more attention and jersey sales.

And this is what happens when I blog at one in the morning (CST).

Report: LeBron wants No. 6 (ESPN)

Larry Bird Smiles for the Camera

2010-02-28T13:17:00.003-05:00

Looking into writing, reporting, or other forms of sports journalism? Celtics 17 is looking for writers! Check it all out here.

Via North Station Sports

Catch the documentary on March 6th, a Saturday (debuting times reported in video), for a great look back at possibly the NBA's most definitive rivalry between Larry and Magic Johnson.

Celtics Lose to Nets: Wow

2010-02-27T21:14:00.001-05:00

There isn't much to say but... I'm astonished. KG put it perfectly: These guys have make the decision to put at the least the minimum effort in to win THESE type of games. I mean, we could've just completely ignored offensive tactics, just played DEFENSE on the Nets, and probably wont he ballgame. Instead, we gave up 104 points to a now 6-52 team.

I understand that the Celtics are trying to save energy for the important games, for the playoffs, but I can't believe this. I'm not even going to give you the box score because the mere fact that we lost this game is pathetic.

I don't think I've ever been more exasperated writing two paragraphs in my entire stay here at Celtics 17. This is... unimaginable. Unfathomable. KG scores 26 and Rondo dishes out a season-high and we lose? Were we playing D whatsoever? We allowed five Nets to reach double-figures in the eight-point loss.

Here's my thing. We've shown that we had the energy, we've shown that we have the heart, the intelligence, the skills, and the team unity to win (although the last part is becoming an iffy for me, but I think we still have it). We went on a 16-4 run in the fourth, cutting the deficit to six after a red hot slew of buckets and a few defensive stops -- and of course, the Celtics being the Celtics, and Boston fans being Boston fans, we all thought we had this one in the bag, even when we were in improbable circumstances. We'd done this before. We had let the Nets ride with us for three quarters and then dropped them off just a few minutes before their stop.

But oh no. Not this time. The Nets outsmarted us. They outplayed us. They outhustled us. The worst team in basketball had thrashed us deservingly, and it resulted in a well-earned win for one of the worst teams in history, if not THE worst come the end of the season.

I'm fed up to my green goggles with this cocky, "swaggerized" Celtics team. They're not playing basketball. They're playing "Let's be a bunch of punks and see if the other team will let us win." And if the other team doesn't back down, it's over. Forget it. Goodbye. See ya.

And it's not just about making that decision, like Garnett said, to play hard for 48 minutes. It's becoming a situation where they don't even KNOW where and when to pick their games, their offensive spurts, their defensively dominated quarters. The Boston Celtics are lost. They don't understand anymore. It's almost like they can't tell when they can hit cruise control because they're on such a rule, riding such an adrenaline, that they can just play on pure instinct. But now they're not that pure team anymore. They don't have that smooth confidence (NOT cockiness or swagger) anymore.

A few days ago, I mentioned on a piece that an ESPN analyst commented: "the Celtics know what to do to win a title. The Cavs, the Magic, they don't quite know 'where the finish line is,' whereas Boston knows the level of play they have to commit to in order to win." Do they really though?

Do the Boston Celtics know where their map is anymore?

Because I see the Cleveland Cavaliers on a straight path to destiny (you knew they were going to make some sort of a move and take over the league after Boston basically fell apart and Orlando/Los Angeles/the rest of the contenders sat quiet at the deadline), and the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and the Portland Trail Blazers (yes, even after the 20-point shellacking in Portland) all very capable of beating the Boston Celtics when healthy. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs might be able to topple the Celtics if they were on their game as well. And while all of this is taking place, the Celtics continue to struggle. The Celtics continue to comfortably "play their game."

Final thoughts: I honestly don't know what's wrong with this team anymore. I know what the problem is, but I don't know why this wasn't settled a while ago. You have proven leaders in Allen, Pierce, and Garnett. You have assertive young guys like Perk and Rondo who can lead by example. Hell, they even have high-energy guys like Marquis Daniels and Nate Robinson coming off the bench now, and this still doesn't seem to be getting anywhere!

Maybe Donny Marshall's right. Maybe this loss is a good experience for this troubled '09-10 Celtics team. Maybe it was good to look around and see the embarrassment on the faces of teammates, coaches, and fans. Maybe it was good to see a team like the Nets flat-out handling the Boston Celtics, champions just two years ago. Maybe it was motivating to watch as loyal, yet demanding fans begrudgingly drag theirselves out of the arena as their team abysmally watched another loss fly right by their eyes.

But for all I know, we've piled a few too many maybes on the Boston Celtics this season. Can they rise to the occasion?

Looking For a Writing Home? Celtics 17 Is Looking For Assistance!

2010-02-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

First off -- I just wanted to thank those of you that stuck with Celtics 17 during it's lull between mid-January and early-February. For those loyal readers/friends/promoters out there, it's a pleasure to have you reading the blog.

That being said, Celtics 17 is looking for skilled writers and knowledgeable basketball fans, experienced or inexperienced, to come in and share their valid thoughts about the team and the NBA on the site. We're open to looking at anyone who has an alliance to any team, not just Boston Celtics' fans.

We're looking for a variety of positions, so please, don't hesitate if you think your idea of what you would like to contribute to the site isn't useful to us.

Here's a few popular and recognizable role descriptions: Celtics game previewer/recapper (more commonly known as beat writer. This could either fall to two writers or one, depending on their time availability; NBA columnist (again, fans of any team are welcome to share their outlook on the league -- this involves looking at recent games that are abuzz the Internet/media world, looking at certain players, giving your thoughts on certain teams, situations, or reports, etc.); Celtics/NBA reporter (sharing links of reports from any major media or well-respected website involving rumors, important reports, and maybe even a few amusing/informative quotes from players, coaches, organizations, and fans); or social networker (this would entail the head of this position -- as I'm looking for multiple people to help out in this area -- to post on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Google Buzz, Google Reader, etc., any articles that are posted on the site, as well as to reach out and link to other blogs/websites where you find articles/posts you think readers would enjoy taking a look at).

Again, that's only a few of many positions that Celtics 17 is looking to activate right now. There could be more specified roles branched off of those positions that I just mentioned that you might be interested in, or you might have an idea of a new, unique role for Celtics 17 that you want to discuss with me. If you have anything you'd like to talk with me about at all, please don't be reluctant to email me at Celticsfanatic@gmail.com. Resumes/former pieces that I can look at to see how you can/what you can do to help the site are a necessity also.

Thanks!

CF

Risin' Up: Celtics-Cavs Throw Down Tonight

2010-02-25T16:09:00.002-05:00

I'm just going to quickly run down the list for you of stuff that I'd like to see tonight:

First and foremost, let's show some more consistent defensive effort like we showed in the first game of the season. Let's put forth that same effort, play with the same adrenaline. Fending off the Cavs and pushing them to the bottom part of the 90-point-hill is all I can ask for.
KG, keep it going. Come out with the same bounce that you've showed the past couple of games. I don't care if you score 10 points and get five rebounds -- I want you to tear up the glass even if you DON'T get the board so we can keep Shaq, LeBron, and Antawn Jamison from ripping us apart on the offensive boards, and I want to see you rotating like you never have this season. I want to see you and Perk completely shutting down the Cavs interior offensive effort. I want blood. Ray, you too. Play like you've been playing since the break.
Paul, 'Quis, I don't know if you're playing tonight, but I want to see you guys suffocating LBJ. We've been giving up too many easy baskets in our half-court sets, and it's time to show by example how the Celtics of old played defense. If Cleveland's perimeter does manage to find their way into the paint, well then they've earned it. But I want to make sure that they indeed earned it. No free lanes tonight, please. Give them a dose of their own medicine, "just so they under-STAND."
Rondo, keep dishing, keep driving, keep playing confident. You've been playing great when you take an offensive stand, committing to aggressive offensive moves and giving yourself a chance to score on your own. Look for your shot, and if it's not there, do your thing with distribution.
Perkins -- you've been slumping a bit lately. No matter the shots you take, let's try to keep a high percentage, so just in case Shaq does happen to go off (which is a slim possibility because I know that you understand we're all expecting you to play top-notch D tonight) for a big offensive night, we can fire right back at 'em.
Hey Nate, let's run their bench into the ground alright? Don't be selfish, but do what you have to do.
Rasheed, don't be an ass tonight. Thanks.

Prediction: As always, it depends on a few things. Obviously, those are all key, but these are the real crucial ones: Bullets number two, four, and five. If we can get the rest of the team going with our play right from the start, we have a great chance of winning this thing, Pierce and 'Quis or no Pierce and 'Quis.

If all crucial bullets are executed: Boston: 95, Cleveland: 87

If 2/3 are executed: Boston 92, Cleveland: 88

If 1/3 are executed: Cleveland: 93, Boston 89

If none are executed: Fahgetta 'bout it.

Thoughts on Nate Robinson's Debut Last Night

2010-02-24T09:57:00.001-05:00

Nate Robinson had a shaky debut last night, but I was glad to see him finally in a Celtics uniform as he begins to learn his position on and purpose for this Boston team. You might have not been as happy as I was just to see him being called on last night. You might have. But you cannot logically, nor immediately write off Nate Robinson because he didn't wow us instantly last night.

A lot of Celts' fans out there don't like Robinson, and I can't quite see why. Sure, in the past he has been prone to screw up in certain -- and possibly even crucial -- situations. He might have some difficulty understanding why we brought him here, and he might not comprehend that this simply isn't New York anymore. But the reason Nate Robinson is such a pain to deal with is because he's overcompetitive. And on a team that seemed to be slowly flat-lining in the first-half, overwhelming individual firepower might not be such a bad thing.

Look, you can't possibly look at the stats last night and be discouraged. Sure, from a statistical viewpoint, in a regular game, disregarding the circumstances, I'm sure none of us would be too happy with his game. He had two turnovers, shot 2-7 from the field, and finished with a -5 +/- in 16 minutes.

But did you ever think that Nate Robinson might have showed some -- gasp -- nervous emotion last night? I'd rather have him come in nervous that he would cause a ruckus between himself and the fans because of his play, or between himself and teammates because of his frustration than come in as an apathetic, arrogant loser. He might have been nervous because he'd been on a losing team for so long, he wasn't quite sure how to accept a lesser role but still have a positive effect on his team with it.

A few interesting quotes rounded up by WEEI's Jessica Camerato:

Dangerous When Hot

After sitting out 14 straight games this season, Robinson scored 41 points in 38 minutes off the bench to carry the Knicks to victory over the Hawks on Jan. 1. Being sidelined for a month did not stop him from jumping into action when called upon. Al Harrington remembers Robinson’s performance clearly.

“There was this one time this year, New Year’s Day, we watched him score [nearly 20] straight points,“ Harrington recalled. “So there’s a lot of times like that, hustle plays that he makes, doing stuff that nobody in the league could do except for a guy like him. So he’s always out there making plays.”

The things I like from that quote? One: teammates like him enough to recognize that he's out there hustling, not just scoring. Two: Harrington points out what a special catch he is, how he can help teams in different ways. Want him to go off for a Jamal Crawford-esque 17 quick bench points? He's the man for the job. Need to him to harass the other team with hustle plays and a defensive effort? You can count on Nate Robinson.

(Note: I really think he's going to be the guy to get us over the hump against the Atlanta Hawks. He can fire back when the Hawks are using young legs and quick buckets to slowly but steadily wear us down. Crawford can light it up from outside, but nobody can pick apart a team's interior defense by penetration as efficiently as Nate Robinson can. A very overlooked addition from this perspective.)

There When You Need Him

The Knicks dropped 14 of their first 17 games to start the season and were on another losing streak before Robinson was traded. In spite of the team’s consistent struggles, Robinson tried to keep spirits up. Wilson Chandler attests to the impact of Robinson’s vocal support.

“It’s a long season and we were on a five-game losing streak,“ Chandler recounted. “He’d just come in the locker room and say, ‘It’s a long season and we’ve got a lot of games left. Don’t get too down. We’ve got this amount of games and we can get right back in this.’ You look at it as it’s the truth. Coming from your teammate is different than coming from outside, like from your family or friends. It’s somebody that’s in the same situation as you. … He’s a good teammate as far as being there for you, sticking around, being there when you’re down. He likes to joke around a lot and sometimes you need that in the locker room.”

So you mean he's not some useless bum in the locker room? Wow!

With some guidance from the Celtics core locker room guys and support both on and off the court from Boston's amazingly charismatic guys, Nate Robinson is not going to stir up as much trouble as you think. Even more encouraging here? Similar to the last quote, this little tidbit shows that Robinson can step up in so many ways than just what he's known for, which is instant offense.

Could we possibly underwhelm this move with pessimism any more? (I was against Billy Walker as much as the rest of you were -- and disappointed further after his seven-points-in-12-minutes-showing last night -- but we can't get that back now. Let's focus on the ceiling with what we have, not what we could've had for a cheaper price.)

From Joking Around to Getting the Job Done

Robinson may enjoy joking around the off the court, but the Celtics require focus on the court. (You don’t see Kevin Garnett laughing on the parquet.) But even with Robinson's jovial personality, Chris Duhon says he can mesh with that intensity.

“It’s going to be interesting, but I think Nate, he’s very smart,“ Duhon said. “He’s going to be able to adjust to different personalities and he’s going to be able to feel his way. He’s still going to be able to be himself, but he’s probably going to pick and choose when he goes all out. But I think when it comes game time, depending on how the locker room is, he’ll figure it out. If it’s all business, he’ll be all business. He’s very smart in that aspect.”

I'm honestly lost for words at this point. He couldn't be any more perfect of a fit for this locker room.

Celtics Town also brought up this interesting point a few days ago:

J.R. Smith is a mistake-prone, immature young bench player with a tendency to get in his coach’s doghouse. He can be hot as a pistol one day and cold as the Vancouver snow the next. But he can score buckets, and change games.

Kind of like what the Celtics will soon see from Nate Robinson.

If you’re a Celtics fan wondering what Robinson can bring to the table, look no further than yesterday’s (Sunday's) game against the Denver Nuggets for your answer. Robinson didn’t even play, but Smith brought the Denver Nuggets exactly what the Celtics hope Robinson will supply their second unit; buckets, buckets, and more buckets.

Smith was scintillating, scorching, and unstoppable in the fourth quarter, but Doc Rivers wasn’t too surprised. (CSNNE)
“That is what he does,” Rivers said. “J.R. Smith is a weapon. We said at the beginning of the game that he is the X-factor; he always is. When he scores, it is really difficult to beat them because Chauncey is going to play well and so is Carmelo (Anthony).”
What Smith did is exactly what the C’s are hoping Robinson will provide.

As Ric Bucher pointed out on SportsCenter this morning, the Celtics know what to do to win a title. The Cavs, the Magic, they don't quite know "where the finish line is," whereas Boston knows the level of play they have to commit to in order to win.

And from what we've heard about Nate Robinson, he might do a whole lot more than we think to be a part of that.

Celtics Updates: Nate Hungry for Victory, Pierce Considering Rest, & HBO Does it Again

2010-02-23T15:39:00.000-05:00

For those of you that don't know, Nate Robinson is probably dressing tonight, ironically against his former team, the New York Knicks. I, for one, am really excited to see Robinson -- he can provide a fresh energy that began to diminish with Eddie House because he wasn't able to show it in his play (due to the reality that haunts most of the Celts these days -- every day is another day older), he can score in bunches off the pine, and he'll give us some of that incensed play we've been looking for. There's a difference between incense and petulance -- and it's up to Nate Robinson to bring to proper one to the table for Boston.

Here's what he has to say (CelticsBlog has full coverage of Robinson's debut):

"I love the way everything is team," he said. "They kind of play like a college team. It’s all about the team and winning and the championship. You can see it in their eyes, you can see how hungry they are. I’ve been hungry like that since I was born."

"It's just a sigh of relief to be on a team that just wants to win, win, win," Robinson said. "That's all it's about. I love that. I want to be a part of a great team, a great organization that has a lot of great history, and hopefully I'll get to set some myself."

Paul Pierce hopes to have the chance to rest his injuries for "the next few days," as he told CSNNE. Pierce also discussed the Eddie House-Robinson trade, and HBO's Larry Bird-Magic Johnson documentary.

Speaking of the new documentary, Red's Army there for the special presentation at the Garden and gave us the lowdown on the events.

Enjoy tonight's game!

Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Boston? Well, Now That You Mention it...

2010-02-22T14:44:00.001-05:00

Warning: This is not a rumor. just an idea. Hopefully you haven't already crapped yourself before reading this.

NESN's Evan Brunell brings up this possibility:

If or when new Wizards big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas gets bought out by Washington, should Boston try to bring him to town?

Ilgauskas, who previously spent his entire 12-year career with the Cavaliers before being traded in the Antawn Jamison blockbuster, is widely expected to be bought out and return to Cleveland.

Currently, NBA rules prevent Ilgauskas from returning to Cleveland for a 30-day period, but many players and teams have taken advantage of this rule -- including Boston. In 2005, the Celtics traded Gary Payton to the Atlanta Hawks for Antoine Walker, and then welcomed Payton back into the fold 30 days later.
Such is the reality of life in the NBA, where expiring contracts are more valuable than the players themselves. (Ilgauskas is making $11.5 million this year and will become a free agent after the season.)

I'm sure Doc wouldn't mind. He's already sounded off about the disgraceful rule that once again has allowed teams to go hit-and-run on lowly teams looking to rebuild or dump cash with the other team all for the deal. Red's Army has a post including Doc Rivers' and Phil Jackson's thoughts on the deal, as well as some insight of their own:

One of the main points in my rant against the Antawn Jamison trade is the fact that the Cavs could pretty much get the main player traded on their end back after a buyout. So they could essentially get Jamison... a 20 and 9 guy... for a couple of draft picks.

A lot of people are upset at the rule that allows players to return to their former teams 30 days after a buyout. Doc Rivers and Phil Jackson expressed their displeasure last night.

"They're going to get Ilgauskas back and it's going to be one of those scenarios that we see in the NBA where you ship a player out, you get another player, then your player retires or they pay him off and then he comes back in 30 days," Jackson said. "I don't know what that does for the league. I think that's kind of a weird situation."

Rivers agreed with Jackson, even though the loophole has helped his team in the past.

"I have a problem with that," Rivers said before Thursday's Lakers-Celtics game at Staples Center. "I loved it three years ago when we did it with Gary Payton if you remember, but now I think it sucks. I think it's a terrible deal."

Forgetting the fact that it would be a rather shocking blow to the Cavs (not necessarily significant, as they have a solid front court -- but certainly surprising), and that Rivers and the other teams won't have to stand back and watch as another Pau Gasol-esque deal goes down in the books, but Ilgauskas is a pretty good player too. It's just the fact that Ilgauskas would probably demand more money than we could handle because Cleveland is his number one destination (at least from what we've heard), so he would be asking for a lot to deter him from going to Cleveland. And in the end, the reward might just not be matching up with the price. Still, it's an interesting option we can mull over while we're waiting for him to be bought out.

We have two extra roster spots, so we wouldn't need to waive/buy anybody out (and if we did, Shelden's one year/< 1 mil. dollar contract wouldn't be too costly). Just a thought.

It doesn't sound like a very attractive deal at first glance (the money demand, mainly), but in terms of a playoff run, he could help in more ways than one.

West Coast Swing Complete: You Take What You Get

2010-02-21T20:31:00.000-05:00

Celts-Nuggs box score

I have to admit... I've been pretty negative this month. I've been ripping Danny Ainge for not moving Ray Allen and getting above-average pieces in return (very possible for the Celts at the deadline), the recent poor play from the team (pre All-Star break), and even the deal Boston indeed did pull the trigger on at the deadline (to an extent -- I do like the Robinson part, not giving up Billy Walker).

But I can't help but give the team some credit after this road trip. They went out on the West Coast, finished 3-1, beat some quality teams (Los Angeles, Portland), and we even saw some steadily emerging spark from players that have dimmed down from their previous selves this season.

So we lose to the Nuggets, a top NBA squad, on the last game of the trip, by nine. So what? I'm not going to use Pierce as an excuse because I already established my intolerance of Laker fans screaming that they didn't have Kobe when we beat LA at Staples, despite their fans blasting us for complaining that we didn't have KG last year. But I can't help but mention that his thumb and ankle injuries were clearly evident today, as PP missed 3-4 free throws and went 2-10 from the field (whereas the Lakers had proven that they could beat teams like Boston without Bryant, defeating Portland, San Antonio, Utah all without their superstar guard before. At least we have proof of our team's absence having a statistical and visual impact, Los Angeles).

Ray Allen went 9-14 for the second straight game (third consecutive good shooting performance), scoring 25, and Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Marquis Daniels all had 15 points on excellent shooting nights. KG looks much more active, and we had more assists, steals, and blocks than Denver. Turnovers were at wash at 13, and Denver only had four more rebounds than us (37-41). We also held Carmelo Anthony, who before the game was averaging 29.3 points, to just 23 points.

So just relax... it's a nine-point loss, and we didn't play too bad. We could've played better D, as the first and fourth quarter spurts were inexcusable from Boston's defensive standpoint, but hey, considering the way we were playing pre-All-Star break, this is a start.

And as we all know, new beginnings are more valuable than anything to this Boston team.

When the Celtics Play D, Shoot Well, and Win? (And the Cavs Lose?)

2010-02-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

Game Info

Celtics Fans Won't Forget Eddie House Anytime Soon

2010-02-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

Great stuff from CelticsBlog:

Somewhat lost in all of the hoopla of the trade deadline and the arrival of Nate Robinson is the fact that Eddie House is no longer a member of the Boston Celtics. Eddie is perhaps rightfully criticized as a one-dimensional player, but he'll always have a special place in my heart as one of the key players on the 2008 championship team. Obviously, it was the acquisitions of KG and Ray that were most responsible for that team's turnaround, but the excellent job Danny did in building a bench has to be given due credit, as well. We've seen the members of that bench unit depart one by one, first P.J., then Posey, Sam, Powe... and now Eddie.

This is my most memorable memory of Eddie... giving us the first lead we would clutch for the rest of game 4 in the 2008 Finals:

The Arrival of Heroes: Where I Don't Care That Kobe Didn't Play

2010-02-19T09:33:00.001-05:00

Last night, the Boston Celtics took down the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 87-86 in one of the few games I was pleased and satisfied with in the past month or two.

That's right... the Los Angeles Lakers. Not the Kobe-less Los Angeles Lakers. Not the Lamar Odom/Pau Gasol-lead Los Angeles Lakers. Not the superstar-lacking Los Angeles Lakers. The Los Angeles Lakers.

Let's be logical here. For those Laker fans that are spitting purple and gold all over this loss, listen up here. The Lakers are 4-1 without Kobe Bryant, including a win against San Antonio and two road wins against Portland and Utah. Boston was the first team to take down Los Angeles, an even tougher task as they were playing at the rowdy Staples Center. They were certainly capable of doing it, even without Mamba.

They thrived under the pressure, the intensity of the match. They fed themselves off the electricity of the crowd and the energy of the Lakers' team. The Celtics, for one of the few times this season, looked like the Celtics. They played with consistent, merciless heart. They stepped up when the moment was necessary.

I saw a team that stabbed back and held their own despite seeing their own blood trickle out in the fourth quarter. I saw a team that locked horns and won the elongated struggle against L.A., the same way the epic battle of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony panned out just before the Boston game. I saw a team that didn't back down, didn't over- or underestimate their opponent, but just played basketball.

And I loved it.

Stats to regard:

Ray Allen scores 24 on 10-15 shooting. He was flat-out deadly from all over. Unquestionably the most confident I've seen Ray all season. I saw his legs have a little bounce, I saw that he had an objective. In the first half of the season, he always seemed confused, lost, ridden with turmoil. Maybe the theory that revolves around Ray playing better without the trade deadline pressure is playing out?

Kendrick Perkins had a monster night with 13 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. He really disrupted the Lakers' frontcourt, quietly limiting Pau Gasol's shot attempts (12, his least in the last seven games), and forced Bynum to have a below-average shooting night despite shooting 15 shots.

I liked to see Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett setting out to score last night. Rondo and Garnett shot 17 and 16 shots, respectively, and despite the fact that both of them had poor shooting nights, it's showing that the two of them have regained their juice and took the initiative to try to lead their team last night. I also liked to see Rondo still manage to dish out 11 assists, as well as Garnett nab eight rebounds in just 26 rebounds.

The bench was TERRIBLE last night, and we still got the W over a good team. Just shows how much exhibiting good defense, battling hard, and merely playing the game without missing a beat can provide a team.

The Celtics only committed 11 total turnovers last night, the Lakers 12; good to see.

Not much from Paul Pierce Thursday night, but I expect him to emerge when the team needs him. Last night, he had a +15 +/- effect on the team, when Ray Allen was carrying the load. A star-studded team just needs a couple of players to do their thing and the others to execute the little things. Pierce held Artest to a 6-14 shooting night -- and with the game the other Celtics had, that's all we needed him to do. Nothing to complain about here.

Moving forward: Boston continues their road trip by playing against the now Marcus-Camby armed Blazers. Nate Robinson is expected to play. Let's get a streak going, eh fellas?

Quick Recap of the Nate Robinson Deal

2010-02-18T19:54:00.002-05:00

The Boston Globe reports:

The Celtics have acquired Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry from the New York Knicks in exchange for Eddie House, Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens, who were thrown into the deal to match salaries.

The Celtics are waiting for NBA approval and the deal may not be announced until later this afternoon.

Well, it's not necessarily what we wanted nor what some of us expected, but how can Little Nate hurt us? Sure, I don't want to see Bill Walker go. But he barely got off the bench, and when he did, it was generally in games that didn't matter. He was just another body for us. Trading him won't do anything to affect the team. And while I would've hoped that we didn't let him loose this deadline, I guess we have to think from a perspective that focuses on what's best for the team.

And Eddie House? Look, I really enjoyed watching Eddie play, and he was most definitely a very important piece to the team over the past couple of years. But this year? Eddie just wasn't the same, just like Garnett wasn't the same in the first half, just like Pierce wasn't the same in the first half. And not only wasn't he the same statistically, but to be honest, I really haven't seen anything from Eddie this year that made me think "Wow, even at this age, Eddie still has the same energy." I'm trying not to be too harsh here, but I'm really getting frustrated with a lot of fans saying that Eddie was a fan favorite and he kept the crowd abuzz. He was... in the previous two years Eddie House was flat this year, and while I hate to say it, that's all there was to it. I'll miss him, but it had to be done. Especially if it's what the Knicks wanted and we didn't trade Ray.

But anyways... let's concentrate on who we got in return. We got an energetic, exciting, motivating (with his ferocious play and electric spirit) guard whose game is literally instant offense, something we were in desperate need of off the bench (which Eddie used to provide). And as I've said, as long as his attitude stays in check, I think he will be an underrated piece to the team. You never know, you just need that one new, fresh, spunky guy, even if he plays 20 minutes coming off the bench, to get the crew going. And just to let you know the odds of Nate thrashing out, it's about 1-3%.

Truthfully, and I'm not being biased, Robinson will be FINE here. He's on a winner. He's with guys that are respectful but still constructively critical at the same time. He has a coach that has a good reputation with the players. And plus, he's under the watchful eyes of Red Auerbach. What guy whose major accomplishments include a mere dunk contest victory is going to have an overly-dominant, disruptive attitude on a team like this? With Kevin Garnett breathing down his neck? With Paul Pierce watching closely from the bench? With Ray Allen beside him in practice? It's OK for Robinson to have some spice and to be unafraid of speaking out. It's just him taking a larger role than we need him to that we need to cautiously watch.

And whose that other Knick that we got in return? Marcus Landry you say?

From NY Daily News:

Undrafted, undersized but mostly undeterred, Landry is becoming the feel-good story of training camp. The 6-foot-7 rookie out of Wisconsin is making a strong push for a roster spot, having survived the first round of cuts while impressing Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh with his work ethic and toughness.

Who knows? Maybe he will provide some of the energy that we need. But there's only so much you can do when you're playing 5 mpg with scattered DNPs (he played 6.4 mpg on the Knicks but it's bit harder to get in the game when you're playing for the Celtics), and it's even more limited when you're a young guy. Don't get me wrong -- I don't mind Ainge looking for guys who fight for their spot on a roster, are determined to prove themselves, and have a little resiliency. I'd take Marcus Landry if we were playing like the Cavs, the Lakers, the Nuggets. But for a team that hasn't nearly reached it's potential, this is not the piece they need. The Celts need a guy who can come in and immediately have an impact. Not a guy who is unproven.

I know, I know, I'm such a negative Ned.

As always, I guess we'll just have to find out. Who knows, maybe he'll turn out like his brother (Carl Landry). And I without a doubt wouldn't mind me some Carl Landry.

Reactions

CelticsBlog

Take a listen into tonight's two man game at Red's Army

WEEI

Hardwood Houdini

Loscy (posted yesterday)

Celtics Town

Celtics Life (on Eddie House)

Posting and Toasting

NY Post Knicks Blog (full coverage, multiple posts)

NY Daily News (full coverage, multiple posts)

In the meantime... We have a basketball game to play.

T-Mac to the...Kings?!

2010-02-18T11:44:00.003-05:00

I just woke up and checked Yahoo! Sports and it seems that ~~Tracy McGrady~~ Tracy McGrady's Contract is headed to the Sacramento Kings instead of the New York Knicks. The Rockets will be sending McGrady, Carl Landry, and Joey Dorsey to the Kings for the high scoring Kevin Martin, Sergio Rodriguez, Hilton Armstrong, and Kenny Thomas.

But McGrady could still end up in New York. According to ESPN the Kings will be working with the Knicks to send McGrady to New York, which is where he really wants to go.

Sources: Martin moving; Knicks in play?
Reports: Rockets trade McGrady to Kings

NBA Trade Deadline Live Blog

2010-02-18T11:33:00.002-05:00

Join in with bloggers from around the league to discuss the NBA's trade deadline, second half, and more!

NBA Trade Deadline Chat

Bulls Send G/F John Salmons To Milwaukee Bucks

2010-02-18T11:00:00.001-05:00

Story from ESPN:

The Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a deal in principle that will send John Salmons to the Bucks.

Chicago will get two expiring contracts in return. Initially, sources said that the Bulls would get Kurt Thomas and Francisco Elson. But Thursday morning, sources close to the process told ESPN.com that there is a "90 percent chance" the Bucks will trade Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander instead of Thomas and Elson.

I think this is the right move for Chicago. They get a better deal with Warrick and Alexander as opposed to Thomas and Francisco Elson, and also, the Bulls are still a .500 team. I think with the athleticism of Warrick that they can really thrive in the fast break, as young teams commonly do, and once again become the pesky team in the playoffs (i.e. the '07-08 Atlanta Hawks). Now, it's unlikely that they get past the first round, but I think this team is solid enough, skilled enough, to edge their way into the playoffs.

As for the Bucks... er... keep uh, doing what you're doing (translation: keep making big moves but still don't really change the complexity of the team. Afterall, you wouldn't want to blow up a team that has the potential to barely scrape .500).

Make sure to check out Celtics 17's NBA trade deadline live blog from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. for all the best NBA news, rumors, and discussions!

Sources: T-Mac Still on Track For NY, Martin to the Rockets

2010-02-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

In a breaking news story on ESPN, Tracy McGrady has reportedly been traded to the Kings. But not so fast everybody -- McGrady is still on track for his scheduled deal to New York, who has arranged to receive him from the Kings. It all depends on how fast Donnie Walsh can get it done.

Here's the details on the trade:

The Houston Rockets have unexpectedly emerged from their long-running efforts to trade Tracy McGrady with an agreement in place to acquire coveted guard Kevin Martin from the Sacramento Kings, ESPN.com has learned.

Multiple sources told ESPN.com that the Rockets and Kings will spend Thursday trying to make this a three-way deal that lands McGrady with the New York Knicks, who have been McGrady’s preferred destination ever since he and the Rockets mutually agreed in late December to find the 30-year-old a new team via trade.

“I think it will happen,” one source close to the situation told ESPN.com of McGrady winding up with the Knicks.

On a side note... I guess that means Boston's running dry of options, now that Martin has been dealt.

Make sure to check out Celtics 17's NBA trade deadline live blog from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. for all the best NBA news, rumors, and discussions!

More Updates: McGrady Making Stops on His Way to NY, Amar'e Could be Staying, Mavs Want Z, and Boston Isn't Blown Away... Yet

2010-02-18T09:47:00.001-05:00

Here's a new development involving McGrady -- according to Yahoo! Sports, McGrady is supposedly going to be traded to Sacramento for Kevin Martin and basically a few extra bodies for McGrady, Carl Landry, and Joey Dorsey. Then Donnie Walsh is going to burn out his jets to 3 p.m. in an effort level out his offer with Sacramento's asking price for McGrady. Here's what Yahoo! rumors had to say:

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sacramento Kings are sending Kevin Martin (notes), Sergio Rodridguez, Hilton Armstrong (notes) and Kenny Thomas (notes) to Texas in exchange for McGrady, Joey Dorsey (notes), and Carl Landry (notes).

But hold onto your Stetson. McGrady and his $23 million expiring contract is then supposedly going to be moved to the New York Knicks, where team president Donnie Walsh wants to give T-Mac an extended audition for next season, when Walsh hopes his team will finally lift itself out of the dismal state its been for years after he becomes a New York hero and signs some big-name free agents.

In other news, the same Mark J. Miller is reporting that time is running out for Amar'e Stoudemire:

With the Cleveland Cavaliers grabbing Antawn Jamison (notes) from the Washington Wizards, one major player for the Phoenix Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire (notes) disappeared from the action and now it's looking like the forward that everybody seemed to covet may actually end up staying in Arizona, according to FanHouse.

Stoudemire said after last night's game that he talked with Suns owner Robert Sarver and gets the feeling he will be staying in Phoenix past 3 p.m. Eastern trade deadline today.

"I feel good. But either way I was going to feel all right," Stoudemire said.

The Miami Heat is still interested in getting Stoudemire but the money seems to be on the forward staying in Phoenix. There's no telling if this means he'll not opt out of his contract this summer and play for Phoenix for one more year or not.

Down in Texas, there's a reported interest from the Mavericks about recently trade center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Dallas acquired star forward Caron Butler just a few days ago, and is looking to stock up for perhaps their most armed playoff-ready team since their '05-'06 NBA Finals team.Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (notes) might as well not even unpack his bags.

He just got moved from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Washington Wizards as part of the Antawn Jamison(notes) deal and it now appears that he could be moving along from D.C. pretty soon.

ESPN is reporting that Ilgauskas could be headed to the Dallas Mavericks to be an insurance piece in case Erick Dampier (notes) doesn't ever heal up. The word is that Ilgauskas could get a contract buyout from the Wizards.

Back on the east coast, Ray Allen could be staying put, says Marc J. Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski (via Red's Army):

Ray Allen has heard his name included in potential trades for Rip Hamilton, Monta Ellis, Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala and Jason Richardson. He knows he has no control over whether the Boston Celtics send him to another team. He also knows he doesn’t want to go.

As Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline approaches, Allen has one hope: He’d like to be starting for the Celtics when they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

According to multiple team sources, Allen will likely get his wish. While the Celtics have spent the past few weeks exploring their trade options with Allen, they don’t expect to move the veteran shooting guard. The team is close to acquiring Nate Robinson from the New York Knicks, probably in exchange for Eddie House and J.R. Giddens. But Celtics president Danny Ainge called the potential for an Allen trade “highly unlikely.”

“I understand what my expiring contract means and the business we are in,” Allen told Yahoo! Sports. “But Boston is the optimum place for me. I’d want to keep my family here. I’d be disappointed [if he is traded], but there is nothing I can do about it.

It should be a very interesting day.

Make sure to check out Celtics 17's NBA trade deadline live chat from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. for all your best NBA news, rumors, and discussions!

Trade Deadline Morning Roundup: Eddie House Understands, Robinson Deal Still Not Finalized, and Boston Emerges in Multi-Team Deal

2010-02-18T08:41:00.002-05:00

Red's Army has collected some great quotes from Eddie House, the main piece leaving Boston in the Nate Robinson to the Celtics trade, and Doc Rivers. Here's the one I like the most (from the Herald):

... the Celtics [team stats] feel like they’ll be a better team with the guy they’re trying to get. So you’ve got to move on. That’s what it is. I’m here at practice today. I’m a basketball player. I’m going to do what I love to do and play basketball and come (today) figure out what’s going to happen.”...

Vintage Eddie. Always looking forward. If the deal goes through, which I can't see it not, good luck to him in the Big Apple.

Speaking of that Nate deal, as I've mentioned above, it still hasn't gone through. Apparently it's at the same stage as it was last night. Not surprising. Nothing much to add either. Check out all my thoughts about the deal and updates from yesterday's Nate Robinson-to-Boston "up-to-the-minute scramble" here.

Lastly, and perhaps the most exciting/provocative/stressful rumor about the Celtics that's sprung up today, Gary Washburn has reported via his Twitter account (via CelticsBlog) that a player from Sacramento could be on his way to Boston as part of the T-Mac to New York deal.

I'll leave you to make semi-conclusions/opinions of your own.

P.S. Kevin Martin. That is all.

Make sure to check out today's NBA Trade Deadline Live Blog from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. for all the best news and coverage from around the league!

Executives Firing on All Cylinders: More Deals, More Rumors

2010-02-17T19:43:00.001-05:00

Disclosure: The Nate Robinson to Boston deal has multiple sources confirming that the deal is indeed in serious talks, and possibly even done, with some even reporting that the deal is set but not finalized, and likely will not be until tomorrow. Long story short, it's very unlikely the deal doesn't go through by the deadline tomorrow.

Adrian Wojnarowski, Y! Sports: Cavs Strike Deal for Antawn Jamison:

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached agreement on a six-player, three-team trade that lands them former All-Star forward Antawn Jamison (notes), league sources with knowledge of the talks told Yahoo! Sports. The Cavaliers are sending center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (notes) and a first-round pick to the Wizards.

The Wizards also will receive Brian Skinner (notes) and Al Thornton (notes) from the Los Angeles Clippers. The Cavaliers will get point guard Sebastian Telfair (notes) from the Clippers. The Wizards will send Drew Gooden (notes) to the Clippers.

The Washington Post first reported the Wizards had agreed to send Jamison to the Cavaliers.

AP, ESPN: Agent thinks Stoudemire is on the move:

Happy Walters told The Associated Press that it would make no sense for the Phoenix Suns not to trade Stoudemire only to see him walk away as a free agent at the end of the season.
Walters said Stoudemire believes Phoenix's game Wednesday night at Dallas will be his last for the Suns.

"It's going to be emotional," Walters said. "... He really does love the team and he knows he's playing with one of the best point guards ever."

Both of these reports have me near self-convinced that the Celtics will trade Ray Allen, Nate Robinson or no Nate Robinson. We simply can't rely on the belief that maybe Ray Allen will catch fire, or maybe the team will regain that championship drive. We need to go out and get a star/starter/veteran player who can provide energy and motivation for the leaders to set this squad straight.

Don't think I'm panicking either. I'm just not being a homer and being rational here. When the best team in the league, arguably, as well as the best player in the league, gets armed with a veteran star like Jamison, it's improbable that you're going to get past them without an extra push. Especially since they've been doing this good with Mo Williams, who is scheduled to return soon. Now even with Nate Robinson, who I think is a fine addition barring, as I've said, any continuation of his uncooperative behavior and bad attitude in New York, we need someone to instill fear in Cleveland's hearts. In Orlando's hearts. As good a team as we are, do you think Cleveland is really intimidated of anybody at this point? Orlando? After overcoming double-digit leads against us twice? LA? Atlanta? Denver? Hell, Dallas?

And if Miami gets Stoudemire? It might not be true but... get someone. Please. Dwyane Wade might finally have someone that can draw some guys off of him and get open shots. LeBron now has a star-studded cast with committed role players and a determined coach. LA, Orlando, Dallas, and Atlanta have all proven they can beat us. And we know what Denver can do with the leadership of Billups and bullish, reckless play of Carmelo Anthony.

On a less frightening note, ESPN has sources telling them that Chicago is looking to deal John Salmons. It's not the most intriguing option for Boston, but it doesn't really seem like much of a desperate move either. Maybe Danny should investigate?

Make sure to stop by tomorrow from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. EST for Celtics 17's league-wide live chat, providing the best coverage of all the news swirling around the NBA!

Nate Robinson to Boston!

2010-02-17T14:35:00.009-05:00

UPDATE, 3:01 P.M. EST: Alan Hahn NOW adds this:

I'm done with the attempt of the up-to-the-minute game here. Being corrected on info regarding House/2nd rounder. Stay tuned.

And this:

Let's start over. Source says Nate-to-Celtics is "close" but no specifics yet can be confirmed.

Oy. Enough with up-to-the-minute, as most others have had to say after all these updates... I'll just tell ya when it's done.

UPDATE: Alan Hahn has this to say:

Nate trade not "official" but done - and @WojYahooNBA says may not finalize until tomorrow - but sounds like it is House/2nd Rnd pick.

So I guess, until it's finalized tomorrow, this is it... unless somebody pulls out or somebody gets added to the deal, further complicating it. But, so far, I'm content with the deal. We don't know how Nate will cooperate with the system, if he can change his style and/or attitude (therefore changing his style), but for now, we have our backup PG. And while Eddie is an underrated piece to the team, we still didn't give up a considerable amount, seeing that the consolation prize aside from Eddie is just a second-rounder.

Teaser, courtesy of HoopData's Twitter:

Eddie House historically gets assisted on 80% of his FG's. Nate 45%. Nate should have a lot more open looks in Boston.

And...:

According to Synergy, Nate = 0.94 PPS off the dribble (102 shots), 1.22 PPS catch and shoot (78 shots). TS% should rise overall in Boston.

UPDATE: Paul Flannery of WEEI updated this post on Twitter:

Nate Robinson [to Boston] is NOT a done deal, but sounds like it will still happen. Working on names.

Supposedly so far, the sides are discussing an Eddie House for Nate deal. It would hurt our shooting percentages, but if Tony is still on the squad (again, this is all hypothetical and nothing is yet confirmed), we would have a great driving team with Robinson and Tony coming off the bench, and Pierce and Rondo in the starting line-up.

UPDATE: Celtics Town has two sources saying the deal might not be done. Wojnarowski of Y! Sports (link in CT's post) says both sides are motivated but the deal might not be finalized until tomorrow.

Extra thoughts: Does this mean no Ray Ray trade? No Sheed trade either?

UPDATE: Nate Robinson to the Celtics is reportedly a done deal. (CelticsBlog has all the rumors and updates as to who the Celtics were going to trade when the trade was still in the "serious talks" stage. Alan Hahn has yet to release a story as to whom the Celtics let go to NY. The Herald, before the "done deal" Alan Hahn tweet was posted, had Tony Allen, Eddie House, and Brian Scalabrine packing their bags for New York. As much as I want Robinson -- for a backup PG, that is -- I'm disappointed to see Tony go.)

More to come.

NBA Trade Deadline Live Chat Tomorrow

2010-02-17T14:01:00.003-05:00

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;sM M&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Make sure to stop by tomorrow for great league-wide coverage of the NBA trade deadline! As I mentioned on Monday, we'll be in conjunction with Celtics Late-Night Show from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. EST, and the chat will run from 12 noon-4 p.m. EST.

So remember to get all your league-wide coverage of the trade deadline here at Celtics 17, tomorrow!

More Talk: Camby on the Move, Ainge Content with Something Small, Knicks-Rockets Still Chasing After Deal

2010-02-16T16:08:00.001-05:00

Let's just get this out of the way... the Clippers basically auctioned off Marcus Camby, who was bidded on and won by Portland (for Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake, and $3 million). The deal was finished this morning as Marc Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Marcus Camby was not at all happy:

Camby, 35, is averaging 7.7 points and 12.1 rebounds for the Clippers. He is making $9.1 million this season in the final year of his contract. Just last week, he told Yahoo! Sports he hoped the Clippers wouldn’t trade him.

“It feels good to be a wanted man, but I like it here,” Camby said.

Camby left the restaurant without most of his teammates getting a chance to tell him goodbye. He is not believed to have finished his meal.

Clippers' players certainly know what's up with this deal: LAC sold off Camby for money, and aren't done yet:

Said one Clipper: “All the guys are upset because our best defensive player got traded basically for a backup point guard and money.”

Outlaw, 25, played in 11 games this season before breaking his left foot, and the Clippers are unsure when he’ll play again. Blake, 29, is averaging 7.6 points and four assists in 51 games.

The Blazers have been searching for some inside help to deflect the blow of losing centers Greg Oden (notes) and Joel Przybilla (notes). Some in the league also believe Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard wanted to clear the way for Jerryd Bayless (notes) to get more time in the backcourt with Andre Miller (notes).

The Clippers, meanwhile, also have been shopping forward Al Thornton (notes), who was meeting with his agent Monday in Portland.

Marc Spears also noted that Camby left the restaurant where he was given the word from his agent about the deal without finishing his meal. You know it's a mess when an athlete doesn't have the stomach to continue eating.

After the deal was finished, LAC waived former Celtic Ricky Davis to make room for Outlaw and Blake.

To keep updated with the trade, follow Blazersedge's analysis and reports here.

In other news, we arrive at the Celtics, who may not be as involved as buyers as we thought just a mere 24 hours ago. As much as Celtics fans are hoping for a blockbuster deal before February 18th, Danny Ainge might not have the same mindset as us:

Here are a few rumor updates this morning from the Herald's Mark Murphy.
General manager Danny Ainge declined comment on any trade discussions with other teams, but league sources said the Celts still are working the phones, with their primary goal to land a backup point guard - especially one who can defend.
Chicago's Kirk Hinrich, who's due to make an average of $9 million per year through the 2011-12 season, and Charlotte's D.J. Augustin, who has one year left on his rookie contract (with a team option for 2011-12), remain possibilities.
Not sure why Augustin keeps getting mentioned as a guy that can defend. That's not really his reputation. But whatever.
The team also hopes the recent return of Marquis Daniels, combined with Tony Allen's emergence as one of the best defenders in the rotation, will help solve the problem. Daniels' presence also will enable House to move off the ball and into the role that suits him best - catching and shooting.
With that in mind, Ainge isn't in a hurry to make a risky deal.
That's why the Celtics deemed Washington forward Antawn Jamison, who has two years and approximately $30 million left on his contract, too old and expensive.

Chad Ford also had this to say in his chat today: "Danny Ainge continues to maintain that a trade is unlikely. He's willing to move Ray Allen to get a young player back, but the guys he's pursuing -- Monta Ellis, Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala, etc -- aren't available for just an expiring deal (at least not yet). And I don't think the Celtics want to take on a horrific contract like Corey Maggette or Richard Hamilton. That's the problem. I know some GMs around the league think Boston is desperate. But after making some calls yesterday, I think they are content with just doing something small."

Look, you can never trust Ainge. Whether it's discreet or completely blown out of every possible proportion, he will continue to deny anything to protect the chemistry of the players. I, for one, can't see so much talk going on without something happening or at least them shopping somebody big. I consider a trade where we give up Rasheed and one or two more players to be big, especially for a team that has had absolutely NO participation whatsoever in transactions until after the deadline for two years.

All in all, it's good to see that Danny has the same partial view of the team that we do. On a side note, it's good to see he's looking at Detroit. Maybe he'll stumble on that Ray-Ray for Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince deal.

However, another deal that has been mentioned countless times before but ignored has come into perspective (via CelticsBlog):

Along with McGrady talks, Walsh will be busy before 2/18. Word is Celtics are still very interested in Nate Robinson.

Now that would be an interesting deal. I can't quite say how Robinson would fit in with the Celtics-system, but despite not necessarily being a pass-first guard, he could back up Rondo fairly well considering that he can finish the fast break extremely well and he's quick. Whether or not he would receive the backup spot without a big fiasco of complaints and turbulence in the player's roles and positions is up in the air. He seems like he's fine with hard work as long as he's on a winner. Then again, we've certainly never seen him on a winner. In short, the whole thing is a big fat question mark.

Speaking of the Knicks, nothing has much changed in the T-Mac to New York deal except that Larry Hughes is likely to replace Al Harrington in the trade and they've come slightly closer to getting it done.

And just for fun, here's a comical video of the backstage talks going on between Houston and New York. Also, here's an interesting trade column from Bill Simmons, estimating and evaluation the value of players for this year's deadline.

Make sure to stop by Celtics 17's league-wide live blog on Thursday, Feb. 18th at 12 p.m.-4 p.m. EST for the best NBA trade deadline coverage!

Rumors, Thoughts, and Kindling the Trade Deadline Fire

2010-02-15T16:40:00.001-05:00

After another memorable All-Star weekend (besides the Dunk Contest) in the books, it's time to start preparing for this year's NBA trade deadline. As reporters have heavily alluded to, we're in for an exciting couple days heading into Thursday's deadline this year. And as TNT analysts pointed out last night, the dominoes will start to fall after the blockbuster Dallas-Washington deal.

Let's start with Cleveland/Amar'e Stoudemire. At this point, the Cavs proposed offer for Amar'e has become the back pocket deal for Phoenix, as they appear to be one of many teams that are extremely interested in Andre Iguodala. The Cleveland deal, as much as Phoenix wants to dump cash and as intriguing as a J.J. Hickson pickup while he's still cheap is, will be the absolute rock bottom point in this sell for the Suns if it goes through, given Amar'e ability. The Suns don't want to be the team to trade a top five big man without getting a superstar, or at least a star, in return. And with the Heat heavily pursuing Stoudemire and there still being potential for a Suns-Sixers deal, I can't see Amar'e going to Cleveland unless a third team comes into the picture, Phoenix gets desperate at the last minute, or Cleveland throws someone else in the deal.

But, all is not lost for Cleveland. Troy Murphy, Andre Iguodala, Antawn Jamison, and more all still remain on the market. And there's no doubting that Cleveland's front office will do most anything it takes to raise the team to a higher level and sweeten the case for LeBron to stay in the 2010 offseason.

And that brings us to Cleveland's inner-conference rivals, the Celtics. Boston is still looking at Antawn Jamison, and appears to have interest in Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala, and Monta Ellis. D.J. Augustin and Gerald Wallace are also possibilities for the Celtics. However, despite the availability of those players and the involvement Boston has in the market, time is ticking and with just three days left, the Celtics don't seem to be anywhere close to any of those players without offering somebody or something up they've been holding close all along. Boston is all over phone throughout the league, but talks haven't gone any further than a day or two before imploding. With Caron Butler being shipped to Dallas, Boston's best option and most discussed player is now out of reach.

CelticsBlog has suggested Boston gets involved with Phoenix for somebody like Leandro Barbosa, and mentions that a third team would be needed.

On a more panicky note for Boston fans, one NBA GM "gets the feeling that Boston is getting desperate." But if Danny Ainge ever needs an idea, here's one for him: Ray Allen for Ben Gordon (10 mil., 4 years) and Tayshaun Prince (10.34 mil. plus change, 2 years). Gordon would fit perfectly into Boston's system, we'd immediately have our starting shooting guard, and our depth would instantly become a whole lot better. We could go big with Marquis Daniels, Tony Allen, Tayshaun Prince, Glen Davis, and Rasheed, or we could go small with Eddie House, Tony Allen, Marquis Daniels, Tayshaun Prince/Glen Davis, and Rasheed/Shelden. It makes sense for both teams, as Detroit saves roughly 20 million for the offseason and Boston gets an experienced player and a starter for their playoff run (and possibly other playoff runs in the years to come).

Lastly, the Los Angeles Lakers are supposedly looking for a backup point guard (sorry for those of you that don't have ESPN Outsider), according to Chad Ford. Ford reports that both Bulls' guard Kirk Hinrich and Pacers' guard Earl Watson could be on L.A.'s radar:

First, there aren't a lot of great point guards available right now. The Bulls' Kirk Hinrich has been the name most associated with the Lakers, and the team has explored smaller deals, such as one for the Pacers' Earl Watson.

Second, a deal could be very costly. The Lakers already have the highest payroll in the league and would prefer to avoid adding more long-term commitments.

Here's one potential solution: The word out of the All-Star Game late Sunday had the Lakers recruiting the Portland Trail Blazers as a third team in trade talks with the Bulls. According to one source familiar with the discussions, the Lakers would get Hinrich, the Bulls would get Adam Morrison, Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and Juwan Howard, and the Blazers would land Tyrus Thomas and Sasha Vujacic. Such a deal would lessen the amount of money the Lakers would be adding to their payroll next season.

Make sure to check out Celtics 17's NBA trade deadline live blog on Feb. 18th, Thursday, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST!

NBA Trade Deadline Live Blog on Celtics 17!

2010-02-15T16:35:00.001-05:00

Hey all,

I'm hosting an NBA trade deadline live blog on Celtics 17, February 18th, from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. EST. The chat will be covering all trade rumors and ideas swirling around the NBA blogosphere, as well as discussing the league's teams and state. We will be having numerous team bloggers on to discuss their team, as well as league bloggers to talk about the Association's contenders and what they might do on Thursday from a difference perspective. It is not just a Celtics event.

The chat will also be in conjunction with the Celtics Late-Night Show, a Celtics/NBA show, from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. We encourage everyone to call in on the number provided on the special post I will be putting up on Thursday, to chip in and give your opinion on the wide variety of topics we'll be discussing.

Hope to see you there!

Celticsfanatic/Graham

Dallas gets stronger.

2010-02-13T22:35:00.002-05:00

The first big trade before the February 18th (Thursday) trade deadline has been made. The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to send Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, and James Singleton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and Deshawn Stevenson.

I like what Dallas gets in this deal. I think Caron Butler fits in better with the Mavs because of the type of player he is. He doesn't cause as many distractions as Josh Howard and he's a better teammate on the floor; he is also a good defender, something the Mavs always have a need for. Butler is has also been better statistically, averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds compared to Howard's 12 points and 3 rebounds. To be fair, though, Howard missed the first month of the season due to a knee injury. Deshawn Stevenson is also a good defender and can hit the three and he's got an Abraham Lincoln neck tattoo, which scores points in everyone's book.

But, what I like the most about this deal for Dallas is the acquisition of Brendan Haywood. Regardless of how good the team has been, they've never had a really good center to hold down the paint. Shawn Bradley was tall, but not much else. Raef Lafrentz played well, but he wasn't a good defender. Desagana Diop didn't score much, but he was their best post defender in recent years. And though Erik Dampier averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Golden State Warriors when the Mavs got him in 2004, he hasn't averaged anywhere near that since. I think Haywood gives them a much better interior presence than any of those guys. He's five years younger than Dampier and is a more active defender. This season, he has averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds compared to Dampier's 7 points and 8 rebounds. Also, Dampier hasn't played in three of the last five games thanks to a knee injury as the Mavs have struggled in the last week. Drew Gooden had been shouldering much of the load at center during that span and had played well.

Mavs, Wizards complete deal with Howard, Butler

Two more replacements needed for All-Star Game

2010-02-11T18:52:00.008-05:00

Kobe Bryant will miss his 12th All-Star Game appearance because of his ankle injury while Allen Iverson will miss his 11th due to off the court reasons. David Lee of the Knicks, who was considered a snub by just about everyone, will replace Iverson in what will be his first All-Star Game appearance. Lee has had a very good season despite the lack of success by the Knicks and is averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds. In the West, Jason Kidd of the Mavericks will replace Bryant and will be making his 10th appearance; he is averaging 9 points and 9 assists for the 32-20 Mavericks. Those may not seem like All-Star numbers, but who else are you going to pick?

Kidd and Lee join Chauncey Billups and Chris Kaman as All-Star replacements; Billups replaced Chris Paul, who is out due to a knee injury, and Kaman replaced Brandon Roy, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.

With that being said, this will still be a fun All-Star Weekend. I have always enjoyed watching all of the events, from the Rookies vs. Sophomores game all the way through to the All-Star Game itself. I have always thought that the NBA puts out the best All-Star showcase, even though if the MLB has the more exciting and dramatic game. I also think that TNT does a great job with their presentation throughout the weekend and I always enjoy watching their shows about the history of the Slam Dunk Contest and other such topics. This year they've put together an "All Decade" show that promises to be interesting. Be sure to set your DVR's and VCR's (if you still use those) if you can't be around to watch.

All-Star Weekend home (NBA.com)
All-Star 2010 (ESPN.com)

TNT's schedule:
Friday
T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam- 9:00 PM Eastern
Best of Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai- 11:00 PM Eastern

Saturday
TNT All-Decade presented by Esurance- 5:00 PM Eastern
Dunk Defying: Spud and Nate- 6:00 PM Eastern
H.O.R.S.E. presented by Gieco- 7:00 PM Eastern
NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com- 8:00 PM Eastern
All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm- 8:30 PM Eastern
Event Order- Haier Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, Sprite Slam Dunk

Sunday
NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com- 7:00 PM Eastern
2010 NBA All-Star Game- 8:30 PM Eastern
Inside The NBA presented by Hyundai- 11:00 PM Eastern
2010 NBA All-Star Game (rebroadcast)- 11:30 PM Eastern

More Rumors: Larry Brown Has His Eye on Rasheed, and Kevin Martin Is Likely to Stay

2010-02-10T11:48:00.001-05:00

Sam Amick reports that an Allen-Martin deal with Sacramento is unlikely:

Boston is legitimately interested in Martin, but that scenario doesn't look likely to go anywhere at the moment. A source close to the Celtics said they have not spoken to the Kings, but the two teams will likely talk soon. If the Kings were to accept a deal giving them Ray Allen and sending the Celtics Martin and Andres Nocioni, the deal could very well get done. I don't see Petrie doing that, however. That move would free up approximately $17 million off the Kings' cap this summer and free up Martin's money that runs through 2013 and Nocioni's through 2012. It doesn't bring back talent beyond this season, obviously, as Allen's contract is expiring.

Despite the Kings' hopes of landing an impact big man, don't expect Celtics GM Danny Ainge to give up center Kendrick Perkins (or point guard Rajon Rondo, for that matter, if I even needed to verbalize that part).

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer has this to say about a possible Rasheed to Charlotte deal:

There's a report on espn.com that the Charlotte Bobcats and Boston Celtics are in trade talks involving Glen "Big Baby'' Davis. I'm told the two teams have talked, but I wouldn't be so certain Davis would be the guy the Bobcats covet.

The Celtics need another guard who can knock down shots, which brings D.J. Augustin (or possibly Flip Murray) to mind. Obviously, the Bobcats would love to get Rasheed Wallace, a longtime favorite of coach Larry Brown, who hasn't played particularly well of late in Boston.

Bonnell goes on to talk about the pros for Charlotte in that deal.

Those are two interesting reports. I'm slightly disappointed about the first one, though that's not to say that I fully trust any of these rumors going on, as I've taken the stance now where I have to take all of these reports with a grain of salt. However, I'm pretty psyched about the second one. For all I can care, Rasheed can leave. If he doesn't care to utilize what can help us best, I'm done with him.

Glen Davis Is Too Smart of a Player to Give Away

2010-02-09T16:18:00.000-05:00

Hat tip, CelticsBlog:

Via TrueHoop (Chris Broussard):
The Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats are discussing a trade centered around Glen "Big Baby'' Davis and D.J. Augustin, according to league sources.

The sources cautioned that nothing is imminent, but said the clubs are having discussions
We'll post more details as they become available.

I'll consider it, but I'm too much of a Glen Davis lover to go right ahead and do it. He's one of the hardest workers on the team (speaking of work ethic on the Celtics, I'm definitely getting a fullblown article about it up before the trade deadline), and still has a lot of untapped potential.

He could be unguardable in the fast break if he got into better shape. He has great hands and can predict defensive schemes and where to be really well.

Glen Davis is too intelligent to just give away.

I've Seen a Lot of Great Past Evaluations Today... But This One Tops 'Em All

2010-02-08T19:19:00.000-05:00

I was cruising around the Internet when I stumbled across this dusted gem by Bill Simmons: Doc Rivers and the Ugly Side of Ubuntu.

Here's what's so subtly hilarious amongst all the obvious humor in this post: Despite the fact that Simmons is clearly trying to be comical, he's hit almost everything I tried to point out during the '07-08 playoff run, and even elaborated stuff that I overlooked atrociously. Hell, the man has Ray Allen's future panned out.

The article is about a fantasy locker room meeting Simmons dreams about before Game 5 of the Boston-Cleveland series in the championship year. Here's what Ray Allen remarks after Doc keeps hyping the importance of emphasizing winning to the media, despite that Boston team basically filled with a bunch of losers except for Posey and Cassell:

ALLEN: Well, let's stop using the phrase "Big Three" then. I'm not that type of player anymore -- really, I'm a spot-up jump shooter and that's it, and if I don't have my legs for a road game, I'm useless. There's not a ton of difference between me and Szczerbiak at this point. Two years from now, they'll be changing my name to "Ray Allen's Expiring Contract" unless somebody gives me a bionic pair of ankles.

Read the whole piece. Please. It explains a LOT about the past two and half years, and although it doesn't straighten out all of our confusions and doesn't fully guide our guessing on what's wrong with the team, it comes pretty close. The perception and accuracy of Simmons' words is unimaginable. That piece is still relevant to this day.

Rumor: Kevin Martin for Ray Allen

2010-02-08T14:57:00.000-05:00

Via CelticsBlog/Red'sArmy

Though team president Danny Ainge has publicly ridiculed the Allen trade reports, several NBA executives told CBSSports.com that the Celtics have been actively trying to parlay Allen's $19.7 million expiring contract into an asset that could keep them in the mix during the upcoming playoffs and also help them for the next several seasons. The most recent inquiry, sources say, involved Sacramento sharpshooter Kevin Martin, who'd be a good fit with Boston's remaining core. Kings officials might be talked out of their reluctance to deal Martin if they could pry a prolific big man out of a third team brought into the discussions or in a separate transaction before the deadline.

The bottom line is that Ainge, who saved his job by pulling off the perfect storm of trades that yielded Allen and Garnett three years ago, has made it clear in private conversations that he's "not going back to the abyss," according to one person familiar with the discussions.

"Danny has said, 'I can't go back to square one where we were prior to the Garnett deal,'" the person said. "At the All-Star break, they’re going to look in the mirror and say, 'Cleveland got better, we can't beat Orlando, and we can't even beat the Hawks. We’re not going to win it this year.'"

This entire segment of new rumored trades involving the Celtics confirms what I've been trying to say ever since the SERIOUS possibility of trading Allen came up. At first, we were riding high; memories of Allen torching Chicago were still fresh in my mind. Now, not only is Allen slumping --and showing signs that this bad streak will continue and worsen -- but the C's are just collectively not able to put it together. A few days ago, I said "We have it." And 'it' was the championship -- that is, if we played like expectations pegged us. However, with another second-half collapse yesterday and the offers for Ray getting more and more intriguing, I've brought myself to this conclusion (reluctantly so):

Danny Ainge has to come to the realization that the Celtics aren't the team of 2007-08. As much as we thought they could be heading into the season, during the beginning dwindles of the slump -- even before last night, the Celtics are displaying that slow epiphany that has fully dawned us now, and we've finally come to accept it. At their worst basketball it's hard to watch, but even at their BEST basketball, they can't return to that level of '07-08.

At some point, Danny Ainge just has to do something -- anything -- to give us new light. Because sadly, we were only able to witness greatness for a short time before the window of darkness opened again.

Scott Souza: Will It Be Enough?

2010-02-06T15:44:00.001-05:00

Via CelticsBlog

Scott Souza gives a detailed piece on the vast variety of worries binding Celtics' fans down right now:

"Sometime in the next few days, Celtics coach Doc Rivers should finally have the entire team together he and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge assembled at the end of the summer. The hovering question is: Will it be enough?"

Let's face it: Despite the fact that these next few weeks will be stressful for a Celtics fan -- even if everything pans out exceptionally -- I can't point out that we're overreacting just a teensy bit. We're swallowing everything the media is giving us, and sometimes those reports might just not be true. Be realistic here: As much as last Sunday's ESPN/ABC crew mentioned the ongoing injuries for the Lakers, the incredible impact a banged-up Kobe Bryant has on that L.A. team, I don't remember them equally pointing out that KG's entire right leg is only just starting to show flashes of its old form; Glen Davis is struggling mentally and was out for a good portion early in the season; Paul Pierce has already suffered an unfortunate number of injuries, which is making an impression on his play; Marquis Daniels has been out for quite some time now; and both Eddie House and Ray Allen are shooting below-average compared to last year's numbers.

All of that adds up to a huge hole that is fixable and comes with a few things: time, patience, and persistence in believing in the team's confidence and work ethic.

Sure, I really do think it'd be a plus to get somebody like Andre Iguodala, who could fill Allen's spot, regenerate the team, and strengthen our youth. There's a lot of pros there. But can we do it if we rid ourselves of this terrible luck? Sure. It's only a matter of time before a black-eyed team like us catches a few breaks.

Now the question is, how much and how long can we depend on the likelihood of all those coming in one place at one time?

A Few Trade Rumors to Mull Over

2010-02-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

Well folks, here we go again: trade deadline heat has arrived. And this year, we're treated with the special speculation of the 2010 offseason as well. It looks to be a buyer's market this year, as most of the teams looking to sell are doing so for two reasons: to get rid of misjudged fits with the team, and to clear cap space. Or if you're the New York Knicks, both! (Couldn't resist).

Let's take a look at some of the raw rumors that have come up so far.

There's an interesting report about Gilbert Arenas, where the Washington Post's Michael Lee is telling us that Orlando GM Otis Smith is interested in the troubled Wizards' guard. A trade is a possibility here, but Smith says he's "not necessarily sure." We'll definitely keep an eye on that one.

Chad Ford tells us that Kevin Martin is likely on the move, as during the Kings' period of observation, where Sacramento has evaluated the effect of the one-two punch of Tyreke Evans and Martin together in the backcourt, they've been disappointed with the results. The Kings are just 2-14 with Evans and Martin equally supporting the backcourt, while with Martin on the sidelines due to injury they were 14-18 (including some losses where they contested rather strong teams).

Also to note on Ford's report: Jamison is in fact not the number one Wizard on the market, but instead it's Caron Butler. The Wizards are looking for much in return for Jamison. One GM said: "Jamison is a good player, but he's old and makes a lot of money. No one is giving up a future superstar in return."

And, something that surprised me was the fact that nowhere in Andre Iguodala's section was Boston mentioned. Perhaps Danny's words about it not being likely that Allen would be packing his bags were heavy-hitting words to some teams?

Eulogies for MVN Throughout the Blogging Land

2010-02-05T18:00:00.003-05:00

Below are a few tributes for MVN, which closed just about a month ago. The bloggers chosen are many of those who I felt could convey the first ever blog network's impact best. Some pretty interesting stuff.

"Without MVN, there's no way I end up writing for Ring magazine, "The Bible of Boxing;" without MVN, there's no way I get my blog work picked up in The Wall Street Journal's Daily Fix; without MVN, there's no way I get to be credentialed media ringside at major fights; and so on and so on. MVN gave me a platform, an institutional anchor and a professional-looking website that I couldn't have mustered on my own. Evan plucked me from the obscurity of a blogspot.com address and offered exposure and support. I thank him for everything he did for me. MVN will be missed." -- Tim Starks, The Queensberry Rules

"I first became aware of MVN during the early days. I read several of the blogs and even collaborated with several of the bloggers for the Spurscast and Project Spurs.

I realized early on that it was a good collection of bloggers who were true fans that knew their team. Soon after that I met Evan Brunell and got to know him and a lot of the other staff, who I've grown to admire and respect. For me, MVN was always the measuring stick. I knew if I got to write for MVN, I was doing a good job and would be amongst some of the best sports bloggers.

That came to fruition about two years ago when not only was Project Spurs asked to join the network, but I got a chance to work for MVN. I really enjoyed my time working with such great people and I hate seeing that something that was likely ahead of its time is now going away.

I'll always be grateful for getting the chance to work with and learn from some of the best, and while it's sad that MVN is going away, the legacy of the network will live within me and all of my colleagues that came through MVN and put us on the right path." -- Michael De Leon, Project Spurs

"I spent 5 years writing for Most Valuable Network, and I am saddened to hear of its demise. I am appreciative for my time there, as I was able to hone my craft as a sportswriter. It was my experience at MVN that opened the door for me to be recruited to a media organization and was able to move to the next level. Also, the site that I wrote for in my time at MVN (Thoughts from the Dark Side), despite being at another network, will always be a part of MVN's legacy." -- Patrick A. Patterson, Thoughts From the Dark Side

"I have a million things to say about MVN, I was only a part of MVN for the last few months and other than recruiting and such I was never really able to contribute as much as I would have liked. I enjoyed running the Beantown Beatdown for the little time it lasted. The content on MVN was always fresh and we really had some great contributors. When I think of MVN I'll think of the great people I was able to meet through MVN. Cory Humes was always there to help me with any questions. I mean I could thank a million people, especially Evan and Dave for giving me the opportunity to learn about internet marketing, recruiting, effective communication with writers, etc.

When I first started at MVN I really had no idea about how the sports blogs worked. With the help of Dave, Evan and Cory, I caught on... (SLOWLY!)... I would read the Bronx Block, Firebrand, Celtics17, and others everyday and occasionally I'd entertain myself by reading some of "The Dude" from Fins Nation. What a great experience, I'm sad to see it go! Thanks to everyone who helped make MVN such a great site. A special thanks to Cory, Dave and Evan who put in more time and work than I think anyone will ever know!" -- Richie Denis, former blogger, employee, for MVN

"I got my start in blogging on MVN thanks to my wife's friend Mike Boehm, who was writing about the Orioles and Ravens at the time. I had a job with limited responsibilities, outside of the fact that I was tied to a desk. As many unproductive, desk-tiee and phone mongering drones know, it is more than detrimental to your emotional and physical health. Thanks to MVN, I was able to provide something valuable during those long days on the phone, which was some much needed Celtics coverage. At the time they were a lowly team and one the only one of the four major sports in New England, that hadn't already been claimed by an MVN writer. It suited a glutton for punishments like myself. Soon afterwards, I began podcasting on 360thepitch with the help of Brandon Rosage, who had become part of the MVN product at around the same time. Since then I have secured media credentials to the team, posed a question to Kevin Garnett in his post Game 6 championship press conference, and have been featured in a full-length feature film chronicling the Celtics 17th championship. At the beginning of a unique start in sports media, was MVN. Thanks to Evan and Dave for that!" -- Justin Poulin, Celtics Stuff Live

"Not many people realize just how ahead of the curve MVN was. In 2003, nobody else was doing this kind of thing. Fast forward and you have a crowded field of companies and people looking to capitalize on this emerging space. MVN and Evan are responsible for a lot of the early momentum in the spots blog movement." -- Ben Koo, CEO Bloguin

"I started out as a small site talking about my journey towards becoming a better tennis player. Eventually I started commenting on a few matches here and there and Evan invited me to join MVN. After five years, our blog TennisDiary had five writers around the world and received press credentials to three of the four Masters level tournaments in North America - Masters events are only one level below the majors. Along the way we learned - along with MVN - how to write about sports, interact with sporting events, get interviews, and wrangle with the endless barrage of digital tools out there. When I decided to spend more time doing freelance writing, the site was valuable enough to appeal to new owner Zach Kleiman who has taken over.

Thanks for your perseverance Evan and I'll see you on ESPN (or your own network) some day." -- Nina Rota, Tennis Diary

NBA introduces dinky new dunk contest twist.

2010-01-14T23:40:00.005-05:00

The grand finale of the NBA's All-Star Saturday Night, the slam dunk contest, is a simple premise. You get a few guys together, they dunk in a competitive format, and whoever has the highest score at the end wins. Simple, right? And yet, we all enjoy watching it. So why is it, then, that the NBA keeps fiddling with it? This time around, there's going to be some dopey gimmick called a "dunk-in." At halftime of the Rookies vs. Sophomores game on February 12th, Eric Gordon of the Clippers and Demar Derozan of the Raptors will have two minutes to make two dunks. When they've done that, the fans will vote via text messaging and the winner will round out the field of four dunkers in the dunk contest the following night.

So here's my question: why not just have both Gordon and Derozan be in the actual slam dunk contest and have five people participate? Wouldn't that make better sense than just a mini-dunk contest? I remember a couple years ago Dwight Howard wanted to do a dunk on a 12-foot goal, but the NBA wouldn't let him because it wouldn't conform to regulation conditions. And then they come up with this.

But this isn't even the worst idea they've had. Remember the 2002 contest? In that one, they had a format that all the players had to follow- a dunk on their own, a dunk with a teammate, and a dunk from The Wheel. You remember The Wheel, don't you? When you spun it, you had a chance of getting a Michael Jordan dunk, a Julius Erving dunk, a Dominique Wilkins dunk, an 80's dunk, a 90's dunk, or a mystery dunk. It was a waste of a perfectly good wheel and none of the players could duplicate the dunks. Take Steve Francis for example, who got stuck having to do Terence Stansbury's famous "Statue of Liberty" dunk. Stevie couldn't even palm the ball, and now he's having to do the "Statue of Liberty." He failed miserably:

Am I overreacting, or is this something that everyone things is silly? I guess it doesn't really matter since it is just the dunk contest but still, I hate when they do crap like this.

NBA Jam is coming back.

2010-01-12T22:13:00.002-05:00

If you grew up in the 90's as an NBA fan and owned a Super Nintendo or Playstation or hung around the arcade often, then chances are you played Midway's classic NBA Jam. Or maybe you played NBA Hangtime on the Nintendo 64, like me. Either way, you were no doubt entertained by the high-flying dunks, 2-on-2 action, and the announcers yelling "He's on fire!!" But then the games just disappeared and seem to be almost forgotten except to those of us who have many childhood memories because of them. Forgotten until now, that is, because EA Sports has announced that it will be bringing the 2-on-2 action back. It will be coming out for the Nintendo Wii later this year, and I assume the Xbox 360 and PS3 will get their own versions as well. I've been geeking out about this for the past few days and wrote a rather lengthy post on my own blog in which I talked about the new release and reminisced about playing the original games in my childhood.

Am I the only one who's excited about this? Any ideas for who should be on the rosters?

NBA Jam homepage

Celts-Hawks: Live Blog Tonight

2010-01-08T15:25:00.004-05:00

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=da73e4744e" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks Live Game Chat&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>\

Should be an exciting game between two Eastern Conference powers.

Links: Hilariousness From Bill Walton, And Givin' Pierce his Due

2010-01-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

The blog Something From Nothing Sometimes, a brand new, weekly interview blog, just interviewed Bill Walton for their first post. It's hysterical. It's amusing. It's informative. It might just be my favorite player interview ever. Go check it out.

Also, I just did a piece on Paul Pierce, where I tried to convey Pierce's truly incrible uniqueness as a player both in his mind and on the court. As a leader for more than 10 years, Pierce has definitely one of the most extraordinary minds of this decade. Give a read.

Also, I hope to get a few more contributors up soon -- keep stopping by to catch their first posts on the new blog!

My Thoughts on Tyreke Evans

2009-12-30T13:46:00.000-05:00

Remember the guy who Danny Ainge pursued heavily during the time of the NBA Draft? Well he's doing quite well with the Sacramento Kings. Check out my thoughts over at Cowbell Kingdom, the Truehoop Network's Kings' blog.

A New Road Streak

2009-12-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

Jeff Clark of CelticsBlog compiles a great piece on last night's loss to Golden State. Also check out CB's injury updates.

Celts-Clips: The Bells Ring

2009-12-28T14:32:00.002-05:00

Rajon Rondo clanked both free throws, and Baron Davis sinks an incredible shot as long as the cruising Boston road warriors. The Celts had won nine straight outside of Beantown heading into this one.

What really happened here in short? Kendrick Perkins only scored nine points and brought down only six rebounds -- AND only rejected just one shot. Kevin Garnett scored just 12 in the losing effort, and the remaining healthy component of the Big Three, Ray Allen, only posted 13. Not bad numbers, but not something we're used to seeing. Especially against a mediocre squad like the Clippers.

Tony Allen had another good game with 10 points and (a huge) 10 rebounds. Rajon Rondo also chipped in for 20, despite not drilling a few key free throws at the end.

But let's face it -- instead of Rasheed Wallace looking like one of the craftiest and more capable post players in the league tonight, Chris Kaman just flat-out bullied him. You'll see in NBA.com's replay that on one basket, Kaman power dribbled, checked Wallace out of the way, and put up an layup. There shouldn't have been a call there, for those of you that are screaming. It's what happens every time down in the paint, except it was more visible since there weren't many players on either side down there.

The Clippers played a great ball game and were persistent. I can't complain much because we've been playing top-notch. Here though, lack of energy really did us in.

The Task of Appreciating LeBron James

2009-12-26T14:28:00.000-05:00

For a nice weekend read, I put together a controversial piece about LeBron James. Here's a teaser for y'all:

Now a successful olympian and a proven NBA player striving to win on the most hyped stage, LeBron is one who suffers much criticism. Hunted down by ravaged fans and pestered by merciless media, everything James says is blown up and twisted, played into something that will either positively or negatively excite and intrigue the mud-slingers aimed at dousing LeBron with his own words. In a sense, haters.

It’s unfortunate though...

Go check it out by clicking the link provided above!

Celts Eat Up Magic Like Christmas Ham, 96-87

2009-12-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

Game info | Today's best recap

What else can I say besides: We showed up? Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo lead the onslaught march to the basket, Allen whipped daggers from outside, and Perkins/KG/Sheed REALLY frustrated Howard and Rashard Lewis. Lewis didn't have any answers for Boston's perimeter coverage in the first half, and went just 3-8 on a cold, cold Christmas day from behind the arc. Howard had 20 rebounds, and of course he's going to intimidate/actually block some shots (four blocks), but aside from yesterday's good defensive showing, Orlando's leader didn't do anything on the offensive end. He had seven turnovers and gathered just five points in the entire contest.

Something to point out: Prior to this game, the Magic second unit had four of its five individual players averaging over seven points. Boston held the second string to nine collective points (Bass was a DNP for the night -- still, very impressive stuff).

The only Magic player that really struck me was Vince Carter, who flat-out carried this dazed Magic team for the whole match. Carter shot 50% from the floor (whereas the Magic squad collectively shot 33.3%) and contributed 27 huge points. There's no way the Magic would have been within 20 points had Carter not played the way he did. Not only did he boost the Magic with his on-paper production, but he kept the tempo going and the team flowing rather nicely on an afternoon when the Boston defense was filthy.

Speaking of that C's defense, continue to pay attention to Rasheed Wallace. For someone who had been deemed as a lazy player in Detroit, this guy is ACTIVE on both ends of the floor. Wallace is a very capable shot-blocker and knows how to plant his feet to hold ground when he's getting challenged in the paint. Wallace assisted in guarding Howard for a good chunk of the night, and one thing that caught my eye was the limited amount of trips Howard took to the line (just four opportunities from the stripe). For someone that's a league-leader in FTAs, that's quite staggering.

Perk didn't have much of anything to say on the offensive side of the floor, but he too suffocated the Magic's interior threats. Perk sent back three shots and was a +19 on the night.

As for the rest of the starting line-up -- it was a good team effort. Tony Allen really has been big for us lately, and it stretched to last night as Allen dropped 16 points in replacement for the ailing Pierce. But the big gun? Rajon Rondo, who although doesn't jump out at you on the stat sheet when you're glancing at it quickly -- and even turns you away when you see the eight turnovers he committed -- Rondo was the most aggressive player in yesterday's throwdown.

Rajon attacked the rim and was very confident in all of his shots. Rondo was two assists shy of a triple-double, and controlled the team's momentum on the night. He was dominant in the fast break and a terror on the defensive end. Rondo held Jameer Nelson to 3-11 on the night and nabbed two steals. Combined with Tony Allen, the two butchered the Magic's transition D with a number of easy buckets on the break.

A few thoughts: Garnett seemed to be wincing on the bench even after he was walking... I still doubt anything serious took place but still be on alert... Ray Allen secured six big rebounds yesterday and was one of the Celtics guards that humiliated Orlando's big men with easy boards when left wide open... Rasheed Wallace played 32 minutes last night and only committed one turnover; Wallace surprised us shooting 5-7 on the floor as well.

He who angers you, owns you.

Keep gettin' yo's, Celtics.

Christmas Special: Interview with Jared Wade

2009-12-24T10:51:00.002-05:00

I had the chance to chat with Jared Wade of Both Teams Played Hard and Eight Points Nine Seconds. Enjoy the Q&A!

Celticsfanatic: After the departure of Rick Carlisle and the downfall of Jermaine O'Neal as an All-Star, the Pacers have shriveled up to be one of the bottom-feeders in the league. However, with an abundance of young stars and a mix of old veterans, the Pacers look to be in shape for either a draft pick or a big free agent pickup during the offseason. Assuming they won't make the playoffs -- or if they do, assuming that they'll be ousted pretty quickly -- which one do you think they'll be inclined to do? More specifically in terms of this offseason's market, which free agent do you see them beginning to keep an eye on as the season comes to a close?

Jared Wade: Unfortunately, Indiana's cap problems aren't going to allow them to be players in the 2010 free agent class. The front office more or less locked the team into the current core roster until 2011 when they decided that their ongoing PR nightmare (the off-court transgressions of Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley and Shawne Williams) had to be eradicated no matter what. They traded half of that problem (Cpt. Jack) for Golden State's salary problems (the long-term, overly generous contracts of Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy) and then took the cap hit that came along with banishing Jamaal Tinsley. MDJ and Murphy aren't albatrosses in an of themselves individually, but they are each overpaid by at least several million dollars (particularly considering Lil' Dun essentially missed all of last yaer). And when you combine that with TJ Ford (who is still under contract next year and was acquired for JO and his 2010-expiring deal) being similarly overpaid, the money they'll still be paying Tinsley to not play for them next year and Jeff Foster's ongoing contract extension, they're no money left over to do anything else but add guys like Dahntay Jones and Earl Watson — especially with the cap going down for 2010-2011. All that stuff comes off the books in the 2011 Summer, however, so they will be players in that free agent market. Not sure who they'll grab then since it's still like 140 games away, but Danny Granger sure does need some help here. (Although, in fairness to MDJ, he's been great whenever he's healthy.)

CF: Jim O'Brien, at least considering the talent this team has, has done a relatively good job with the Indy squad. Are you hoping O'Brien is roaming the sidelines for years to come, or will he be dropped off too as change overtakes the organization?

JW: I think O'Brien is a fine coach, but he always struck me as a stop-gap solution. Given all the stuff mentioned above, the front office knew there wasn't going to be any major talent infusion any time soon. So I always saw Jim O'Brien and his spread, face-paced, three-point-happy offense as something that would at least keep a talent deficient roster exciting and competitive. To a degree, that has worked: the Pacers have finished 9th both of the last years. But a lot of Pacers fans have turned on him given all the mediocrity and a belief that he runs a gimmick offense. I doubt he's still there in 18 months.

CF: Dahntay Jones has been a diamond in the rough for Indiana, and is still rather young. However, a team can never ignore the option in including a player like him in a cash dump to get more of a wealthy bank for 2010. Do you hope he'll be stored away for next year's team? What lengths do you think the Pacers will go to keep him?

JW: He's under contract for cheap through 2012 (with a player option for 2013), so given his relative productivity and the Pacers need to simply fill out a roster with a payroll under the luxury tax, he'll probably be around for a few more years. I doubt they could really get anything for him anyway. His early season scoring has already started to disappear and I don't think there's a huge demand for him across the league.

CF: All of the Pacers point guards are unrestricted free agents in 2010. Do you think they'll shop the market and snag a couple of reliable PGs, or Indy be wheelin' and dealin' at the trade deadline, as well as in the early weeks of July and August?

JW: TJ Ford actually has a $8.5 million player option for next year and he is DEFINITELY picking that up. No way he gets any more than $5 million per in the free agent market, particularly since everyone will be going after all the big fish. So he'll be back most likely. And I think they'll draft a PG in the draft next summer to find a long-term solution.

CF: Let's talk Celtics for a bit -- I've been suggesting that Boston dumps Ray Allen after this season and pursues Joe Johnson for a while now. However, after the major signing of Rajon Rondo, the Celts seem to be left a bit dry with cash as well as the trouble of filling a roster (only six -- though major players -- returning to the team). What do you advise they do?

JW: Yeah, I'm not sure y'all can get the cap room for Joe unless Pierce for some reason opts out. (Not entirely out of the question given the uncertain future of the CBA, but seems pretty damn unlikely he's walking away from $22 million.) If I'm Danny, my first move next Summer would be to lock up Perk for the long-term. Boston desperately needs a succession plan for the post-Big Three era. Signing Rondo for a good number was Step 1. Step 2 should be Perk. PG and C are the hardest spots to fill, so that would be a good start. If you do that could add a lower level 2010 guy like Craig Smith or Amir Johnson — or pry away one of good, young, restricted guards (Anthony Morrow, Will Bynum Ronnie Brewer) — that would be a decent summer. Or maybe you move the Scalabrine/Eddie House/Tony Allen expiring contract package for something long-term before this year's deadline. There has to be a bunch of teams who would trade a decent, longer-term contract guy for $9 million in expirings.Troy Murphy is definitely available.

CF: How do you like Boston's addition of Rasheed Wallace?

JW:Looks pretty irrelevant right now. I imagine he'll hit some big shots in the Playoffs, but it sure does look like Los Angeles' Artest pick-up was the much bigger move.

CF: Going to the NBA again -- what has the acquisition of Vince Carter done for Orlando, and do you think the Magic are one of the leading contenders for the crown?

JW: I would have them as the third most likely. There's a huge drop off after LA though. And if you guys stay healthy, I definitely can't really see Orlando winning that series either. Still, Vince makes them a better team than last year — just not enough better to knock of a fully loaded Boston, I don't think.

CF: Cleveland still looks a bit shaky with Shaq... Will the trade eventually work out for them?

JW: Nope. Especially not when LeBron leaves to go hang out with Jay-Z in NJ/Brooklyn next year.

CF: And finally, the San Antonio Spurs that racked up enormous amounts of praise has been lacking the victories in the wins column to be worthy of that attention. Will they come through?

JW: think they'll be fine. Injuries to Manu and Tony have been tough, plus they don't really try until January anyway. I wasn't sure whether they would be better than Denver or not anyway. But I still put them among the four teams that matter out West with the Lakers, Nuggets and Mavs.

Yeah, I Choked Too: Pierce Out For As Many As Two Weeks

2009-12-23T15:56:00.005-05:00

Update:

According to WEEI, Garnett will be a gametime decision (for Orlando's game).

From CSNNE:

Paul Pierce will miss the Celtics' upcoming four-game road trip, and may be sidelined for as many as two weeks, because of a knee problem that required a medical procedure on Wednesday.

Team owner Wyc Grousbeck said Pierce began feeling discomfort in the knee after Tuesday night's victory over Indiana. He described the problem as an infection that required drainage, but said he wouldn't describe the procedure as surgery.

When reporting this rumor via Twitter, Jon Duke told us to "not worry about KG." Duke also told us that it was an infection that irritated Pierce on Tuesday. Hmm...

The good news? We'll have the chance to get a good look at Bill Walker, who was recalled today, as well as an even better look at Tony Allen. We shouldn't freak too much -- we do have a 22-5 cushion. CSNNE also reported that Pierce had the medical procedure (rinsed and irrigated, says Wyc Grousbeck. Says Wyc, "... it require some antibiotics") completed today, so there shouldn't be too many extentions on his sideline time.

The bad news? We're heading on a road trip where we play both Phoenix and Orlando (Christmas day). Both Orlando and Phoenix have hit us hard with losses, both at home, this season. Obviously, we were playing slumpish at the time, but there shouldn't be much of a difference in how we play now without Marquis Daniels and Pierce. There shouldn't be.

I look forward to see how much they'll speed along the Garnett hindrances. I'd assume now they'll play him for the Orlando game just to make a statement, then hold him back and leash his minutes for the Phoenix game. Unsure, depending on his progression, whether or not he'll participate in the Clips or Golden State games. Just my guess, as the Celtics were at first a bit skeptical about Garnett's situation. Who knows, maybe he'll come back and all we'll see is a few limps in the first quarter and he'll be fine from there on out. All I know is that either we're going to need a speedy recovery on BBD's part or Garnett back to take down Orlando. Howard will go ape on the boards otherwise.

Last thought: Perk had 19 and eight last game without Garnett. Maybe keep Garnett under 30 just for defense in the Orlando game, and hold him to 20 for the Phoenix game?

Thoughts from anybody? As (Jon) Duke mentioned, it's an infection... not a good sign.

KG Argued to Play? Update: Big Baby Details

2009-12-23T09:34:00.003-05:00

Update: While we're discussing injuries...

From the Globe:

Celtics forward Glen Davis will join the team for a four-game road trip, but will not play while recovering from a broken right hand.

Coach Doc Rivers, speaking before the Celtics met Indiana Tuesday night, said he wants Davis to participate in practices in Orlando and Los Angeles.

The Celtics will depart Wednesday morning in preparation for Friday's game at Orlando. The Celtics also visit the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State, and Phoenix.

Last night in a last minute announcement before a Celts-Pacers game, it was reported that KG was out with a right thigh bruise. Red's Army tells us that CSNNE called it "strategic rest." I don't want to get too speculative with just a minor injury, but I'd really hate to see spiral into another issue where the front office conceals the real injury from us and we end up dragging through the season thinking we'll have our savior in the end.

Boston.com tells us that KG has had the injury since a December 14th in a five-point trumping of the Pacers... so it's good to know he can at least play with the nag. Of course, all we're being told by Doc is "He said that's where he got hit."

Couldn't have guessed that one Doc.

Hopefully it doesn't develop into something we'll have to nurture for the remainder of the season. KG argued to play, as he did last season after returning with the dreaded knee injury, and has played and played rather well with the bruise. Maybe a game or do will do it?

Welcome to the New Celtics 17!

2009-12-22T19:28:00.000-05:00

Readers... welcome!

Here's the details for the new site. First post coming soon!

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2009-12-17T16:35:00.001-05:00

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