Friday, February 27, 2009

Marbury to Boston

From ESPN.com:

The Boston Celtics signed Stephon Marbury on Friday after the guard cleared waivers, and the club hoped to have the New York Knicks castoff in uniform for Friday night's game against the Indiana Pacers.

"We are very excited to have a player of Stephon's caliber joining our team," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said in a statement. "Our entire organization is confident in the belief that Stephon can play an important role in helping us to win another championship."

Marbury, a former All-Star guard who alienated Knicks management, teammates and fans, was signed after having his physical at the Celtics' suburban practice facility early Friday.

He agreed to a buyout of his $20.8 million contract and was waived by New York on Tuesday. The Celtics were expected to sign him for a prorated share of the veteran's $1.3 million minimum.

Marbury, who turned 32 last week, hasn't played a regular-season game in more than a year. He will wear No. 8, formerly worn by Celtics star Antoine Walker.

"I believe all systems are go and we will have Stephon on the roster later today," Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said in an e-mail to The Associated Press about an hour after Marbury cleared waivers.

Marbury could be seen from the public area of the workout facility wearing a white, long-sleeved T-shirt and sweatpants, jumping up and down as he took the practice court, smiling and chest-bumping with several people wearing Celtics gear. After a few minutes, the automatic shades were lowered.

Marbury is expected to back up Rajon Rondo at point guard, a role Sam Cassell served when the Celtics won their 17th NBA title last season. Eddie House, who is more of a shooter, has been forced into the role this year; Cassell did not play in a game for Boston this year before he was traded to the Sacramento Kings and released last week.

Marbury took a long leave of absence from the Knicks when his father died in December 2007, then had season-ending ankle surgery and has not played since Jan. 11, 2008.

He returned to the Knicks in training camp, but when the sides tried to negotiate a buyout early in the season, Marbury at first refused to surrender any more than $1 million of his $20.8 million salary and the team told him to stay home until a buyout could be completed.

Even before the final breakdown, Marbury was at the center of controversy during his five years in New York, from feuding with coaches to skipping games.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Oh One More Thing

More high praise for U2's new album that comes out in just FIVE DAYS!!!

U2's tenacity and artistic daring pay off in Horizon's towering splendor, says Blender editor Joe Levy.

"It combines two moments: the epic grandeur of The Joshua Tree and the experimental audio research of Achtung Baby and Zooropa," he says. "They're at a point where they can be the biggest band in the world and still be edgy, with a capital 'E' in this case. They haven't come out swinging this hard and reaching this high since Joshua. On the surface, it's classic U2. Put on the headphones, and you hear an album every bit as sonically ambitious as Achtung Baby."

Ahhhhhh can't wait!!

Crazy But True...

Just came across an article about U2 that reminded me of this crazy but true fact:

in the 2002 Grammy Awards U2's (arguable) third masterpiece album All That You Can't Leave Behind lost the Album of the Year Award to....the O Brother Where Art Thou? Soundtrack. Yes. You read that right.

That is all.

Blahhh Celtics Lose...I Don't Care.

The road trip seemed to last an entire month. And in many ways, it really almost did. Out of 11 games played so far in February (one more to go...at home), the Celtics played 8 of them on the road. Their road trip started on February 11 and ended last night in LA, February 25. Of course, the All-Star break was in between, but how much of a break was it really? Our Big Three were all involved in the game so, despite all the fun and laidbackitiveness, they were still playing a game on the road. 

Through it all, KG got injured, Scal nearly got decapitated again, and, on a good note, we signed 7-footer Mikki Moore, adding much needed height, especially now. Still, last night in his first game, despite going 2-2, he made some dumb mistakes. Now, I'm not knocking the guy. He's gonna be a REALLY important factor for us down the stretch and I'm very, very thankful he didn't sign with Dallas (which he almost did before talking to Doc). It was only natural that he wasn't used to the Celtics' system of play and he was bound to make some dumb mistakes. No worries. But all of these factors contributed to the loss. It was a trap game, meaning the end of a loooooong road trip vs. a mediocre (at best) team (at worst, they suck balls). 

Now, I'm not one to make excuses very often, but anyone who thinks that the Clippers are legit better than the Celtics and that we're not worthy contenders is just ignorant. I expected us to play poorly and probably lose. Some losses really affect me and get under my skin for a few days, but not this one. We had literally everything going against us, evidenced by Pierce's dislocated right thumb TWICE. Just one gripe about that while we're here. I realize the first time it happened, it was an accident on the part of the Clippers defenders, namely the young Mardy Collins. However, Pierce unfortunately got T'd up after Collins continually aimed to slap at Pierce's injured thumb. Pierce obviously took offense to that (after it had happened a few times) and pushed him out of the way. At least call double-T's there ref. But no matter, Fred Jones (Slam Dunk champ in 2004...?) missed the free throw, so no real damage done. Except for the fact that his thumb could have contributed to his missed potential game-winner at the end. He should've driven and tried to draw a foul. They have no real shot blockers (Camby...ehhhh). C'est la vie.

Whatever though. I don't even care that much. We're coming back home and we still have one of the best, if not the best, road records in the league. We've had a tougher schedule than the Cavs or Lakers by about 0.20 (in terms of opponents winning percentage). Give us KG healthy, Scal playing the whole game, our bigs not getting into foul trouble, or even Mikki Moore being more accustomed to our style and we win. Simple as that.

Oh, and about our bigs getting fouls. Kendrick. Fucking. Perkins. How do you not know how to set a pick?! Dude, just fucking stand there. You're a huge bitch so you don't have to lean into the guy or stick your elbow out. Just. Stand. There. Stop moving. You have the most turnovers in the league. Stop being and idiot and learn how to play fundamental basketball. So goddamn annoying. You give up at least 3 possessions every night because of just stupid boneheaded play. End of rant.

Plus these 10:30 games are ridiculous.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Mr. Chi City's Back!!!


Finally a Big Guy.

Celtics Sign Mikki Moore

BOSTON, MA The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has signed free agent center/forward Mikki Moore. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Mikki's length, energy, skill and experience, along with his enthusiasm to come to Boston, will be a great boost for us." said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations.

Moore, a 7'0", 225lb center/forward, is in his 11th NBA season. Moore has posted career averages of 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 54.8 percent from the field. This is Moore's second stint with the Celtics after he spent a portion of the 2002-03 season with the team. The former Nebraska Cornhusker has posted career playoff averages of 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 15 games. He also shot 54.5 percent from the field in those 15 games.

Moore will wear #7.

Good timing too--Scal's headed to Boston after getting hit in the head...again.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Monday, February 23, 2009

Celtics at Denver

Great win for the Celtics again tonight. We're now 14-2 without Garnett since he came over here. No detailed analysis tonight...choppy video stream which made it hard to see things and some of the keys on my keyboard don't work.

-Ray Allen continues his hot shooting scoring 26 (6-11 from three).

-Rondo is the catalyst for this team. You need a point guard to lead your team in order to go deep in the playoffs and Rondo proved that last year. And he's better than last year especially on the road. He nearly had a triple-double tonight going for 14-8-8.

-The Denver announcer actually made a good point about us. Because we're a defensive team when we lose one of our star players it doesn't affect us too badly. in other words we don't rely on his offense to win games. Since we're a team-defense we're able to cope with his absence....but come back. An extended loss (a la Amare Stoudamire) would suck.

That is all for now. Here's a great video of Bill Russell chatting it up with fellow big man Dwight Howard. As Wokkus told me wouldn't he be GREAT at Celtics barn parties???

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Couple of Notes from the Game...

-Ray Allen had his free-throw streak ended at 72 one more than the franchise record Larry Bird had set. Of course the announcer had to mention it right before the mss therefore jinxing him. Oh the humanity!

-Rondo had a career high 32 points and 10 assists on his 23rd birthday. Way to step up n G's absence.

-Ray Ray also had 30 points marking the first time since 1977 or something that the C's backcourt scored 30+.

-Scal had a season-high 15 points. So glad he's back.

-Pierce did a nice job not getting down on himself and kept shooting eventually catching some fire n the second quarter.

-We're now 3-1 on this long road trip moving on to Denver for tomorrow's game at 9.

Now it's Oscar time. Go Heath!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Garnett Injury Update 2

Celtics.com posted this:

Kevin Garnett was evaluated by Dr. Brian McKeon on Friday, and the word is he has a posterior muscle strain in the right knee. Garnett is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.

So that means that he could be back as early as between the Cleveland game on March 6 and the Orlando game on March 8. If it turns out to be 3 weeks, then we're looking at between a Friday, March 13 vs. Memphis and Sunday, March 15 at Milwaukee.

Hopefully it will be the former.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Garnett Injury Update

Celtics.com just posted this on their website:

3:30 p.m.: Kevin Garnett has left the Celtics in Phoenix, heading back to Boston where he'll meet with team physician Brian McKeon [my cousin!!!] at New England Baptist Hospital on Saturday. He will miss the next three games.

Now, whether this means that he'll miss the next three games while getting his knee checked out and possibly miss more depending on the diagnosis remains unseen. The wording is a little ambiguous to me...

If you find out more details before I do, leave a comment here or contact me somehow. Thanks.

KG's Funny :)

Misc. Stuff

Stupid game last night. Totally not worth staying up till 1:30. The Jazz should not get a W for that one. We definitely just lost it. Had KG played the whole game, I'm 100% sure it would've been a win. We had free throw issues throughout. Speaking of which, Ray Allen has a nice 67 consecutive free throws made streak going. I believe the record is 97, but I'm not too sure and I'm too lazy to go look it up. Either way, that was a sucky loss, even though we got Scal back. Refs called about 150 fouls on us (Dick Bavetta had a rare bad game). Word on KG is that he came back to Boston today to get an MRI. Luckily, we don't play again until Sunday and KG was shown to have put weight on it and was actually participating in halftime warmups before deciding it'd be best to sit the rest of the game out. We'll see what happens with that. I wouldn't be surprised if Doc and the team doctors have him sit out for 5-8 games or so just in case. Hopefully it's nothing more than a cramp/strain...

Anyway, onto other things.

Rolling Stone gives U2's new album 5 out of 5 stars:

"U2's first album in nearly five years and their best, in its textural exploration and tenacious melodic grip, since Achtung Baby."

That means it's their best album in 18 years. Only 9 more days, folks...

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Crazy C's Fan

Just think what this would have looked like 2 years ago during our 18 game losing streak...


Friday, February 13, 2009

Bill Russell!

So ole Billy Bob (that's what he lets his friends call him) celebrated his 75th birthday the other day. I came across a photo gallery on NBA.com in tribute to him. For those of you who don't know (what the FUCK?!), Bill Russell is the greatest winner in all of team sports. He won 11 championships in 13 years. Think about that for a second. 11 out of 13. More rings than he has fingers to put them on. Wow. Wilt Chamberlain, you can have all the MVPs (Russell had 5, by the way), scoring records, and individual accolades you want, but if I'm constructing a team, Bill Russell is the guy I want. He was about 4-5 inches shorter than Wilt, but was able to contain him more than anyone else during that era. (Wilt averaged 50 in one season and Russell would consistently hold him to 30...pretty good.) 

And can I just say that Bill Russell had 54 rebounds in one game?!?! How does that even happen??!!

Anyway, here's a bunch of really nice pictures of Russell in his playing days. Here's to the one guy that exemplifies Celtics basketball and they way not only basketball, but all sports, should be played.


Not known for his offense, Russell is still 8th on the C's all-time scoring list with 14,522.


Russell became the first black player-coach in the league.



No freakin' chance, buddy.



You're seriously gonna even try and do that?? No wonder the Cincinnati Royals are now defunct...


Russell has remained a presence on the Celtics, helping guide the young players and forming a close bond with fellow big man, Kevin Garnett


"Only one?? Try 11!!! Hehehehehhehhehehe!"


Russell was named the Greatest NBA Player of All Time in 1980. I still think that holds true.




"I'm better than you."

And for your viewing pleasure, see KG truly humbled and in awe in this great conversation with Russell before they won their 17th championship:


Celtics End on a High Note Heading into the Break

Rondo had a vintage Jason Kidd line (minus the whole beating wife and kid looking like a rat thing...): 19, 14, and 15.

We could have given up when we came out flat the first two quarters. We could have given up when Dirk was knocking down everything. We could have given up after digging ourselves a 15-point hole heading into the 4th quarter. We could have given up after KG got hit with a technical after picking up his 4th and 5th fouls in the third. We could have given up when Doc got thrown out of the game. Emphasis on the "could have."

The C's needed a fire lit under them and Doc gave it to them, getting two T's. "Yay Mr. Ref!"

As the TNT announcers said, this is a game where champions are made, and the Celtics showed that they were up to the task. Two years ago, the young Celtics and Pierce would certainly have let this one go after shooting like crap and playing no defense, especially since this was the second of a back-to-back road game and the last before the All-Star break. The guys certainly had a lot on their minds heading into the vacation period, but they stuck it together and got the win. That's what a veteran team does...a championship team does. 

The Mavs came out on fire and Dirk couldn't really be stopped, even by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in KG. We were forced to go to our bench early as we continued to pick up (stupid) fouls. Leon Powe did an amazing job, especially in the fourth on Dirk, holding him to just 6 points in the period. Basically, the fourth quarter was where it was at, so I'm not even gonna bother going over the first three.

KG had trouble slowing down Dirk, but Powe stepped in and put Zee German in his place.

Pierce was the catalyst, sparking the offense that was non-existent until the melee that occurred in the third (Doc getting thrown out arguing 2 quick fouls on KG, bringing his total up to 5--he wouldn't return until about 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter). He scored 18 in the final frame, one more than the entire Mavericks team. Overall, he got 31 points, including 2 HUGE vintage fadeaways against their "defensive specialist" in Devean George. And that, my friends, is why he wears the "C" on his uniform (even though he doesn't, that's what I always like to say...). 


Make fun of his facial expressions all you want. Best all-around game in the league. THA TRUTH!

The Celtics are now 44-11, just the 3rd team EVER to have 44 wins heading into the All-Star break. Word, son.

Oh, and Rondo had another big trip-doub with 19 points, 14 assists, and 15 rebounds. Big Four, anyone?
Rondo even got an assist for passing it into the ground while doing a Michael Jackson impression. Yeah, he kinda did it all...

Have a good long weekend/vacation.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

In Case You Missed It...

Here's U2's performance of "Get on Your Boots" to open the Grammy's tonight. Unfortunately, whoever was doing the sound that night kinda messed up the levels, especially with Bono at the beginning (his mic is wayyyyy to quiet). So I guess turn the volume up a little for that part. Other than that, as I thought it's a great song live. 




And congrats to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss winning multiple awards including Album of the Year with Raising Sand. It's really a great record with some nice gems on it. I suggest you check it out ("Killing the Blues" is a particular favorite of mine). As for Coldplay only getting one or two, that was about right. Viva la Vida was an alright album. The hype surrounding it was definitely over the top, as there were only a few good songs on there. Sorry to any diehard Coldplay fans! X&Y was a lot better in my opinion.

U2 to Open 2009 Grammy Awards

U2 will be opening the Grammy Awards tonight on CBS at 8 with their new single "Get on Your Boots." Bono has been rumored to have ditched his sunglasses in place of....eyeliner. Now, before you judge, here's a pic of him with slightly more makeup on circa 1993:




It was basically his alter-ego named Macphisto that he'd put on during the European leg of their ZooTV Tour. That'd be the same tour in which Bono became his other alter-ego, The Fly (ya know...the one with the big shades and all leather? i.e. what he became now...)

So, now the eyeliner doesn't seem like a big deal now does it?? Either way, mixing it up is what the band's all about, so I say go with it Bono. 

C's vs. Spurs in a few minutes on ABC. Peace.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

U2's New Music Video!!

Well, here it is, the new music video for U2's song "Get on Your Boots." In my opinion, the video makes the song a lot better and the overall message, (which at first few listens, seems to be a nice fun song), is revealed to have darker themes. The Edge recently described the meaning of the song: 

'It's based around the idea that men have fucked things up so badly, politically, economically and socially, that it's really time we handed things over to women...The finished video is brilliant. (Alex) really nailed it.'


The images in the video are basically a mix of U2's "Staring at the Sun" video with elements of the opening credits of a James Bond movie.

So, here she blows. Enjoy!!!



Way to Rebound, Boys

Well, back to business. This is a bigger win than probably most people thought for a few reasons. One, after the Celtics got their other gargantuan  win streak snapped back on Christmas Day (that was a great present), they went on an AWFUL 2-7 run vs. completely awful teams like the Warriors and Portland and Charlotte. This time was different. The game was much closer (only a one point loss...still sucked the big one though). And think of this: we had basically the same team out there that was there on Christmas Day vs. the Lakers (albeit, KG was about 50% I'd say and Scal was out), but the Lakers were at full strength with Andrew Bynum. We lost that game by 9 points. Fast forward to a couple days ago where they DON'T have Bynum, but we cut the deficit to ONE point in overtime in a game we definitely should have and could have won if it weren't for some shitty calls and an abundancia of turnovers. 

That being said, it was fantastic to see the boys rebound off of that tough and draining loss just a night before. The C's took over in the second half, weathering the storm of Al Harrington ("BURIES IT! RIGHT IN HARRINGTON'S FACE!!" remains my all-time favorite call in all of sports, but I digress), and David Lee (probably the best white, American born player in the league. Seriously, there really is no one else). Pierce led the way with 26 points and a really pretty three pointer as the shot clock was going off with a guy right on him. Niiiiice. Rondo nearly had a trip-doub with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Ticket seemed back in line with 16 points on 7-15 shooting and 11 rebounds. Ray Ray was strokin' it yet again from downtown going 4-8 from deep. Powe and House provided the necessary spark off the bench to give the Celtics the W against a team that had beat the Celtics last time out. Yeah, we're talking about the Knicks here. Good job.


I couldn't find the picture of the aforementioned play, but here's another one of Pierce taking Harrington to school.

After taking that Lakers loss to heart...and body and soul...the other night, I came to realize a couple things. One, we still have the second best home record in the league, behind the 23-0 Cavs (we're a modest 30-4 at home). We are also tied for the most wins on the ROAD in the league with Orlando (18-7). Also, we've played more games than anyone else and more back-to-back games than I can remember in a looooong time. The All-Star break next week will be much needed. Our strength of schedule (i.e. composite winning percentage of the teams we've played thus far) is .501. To put that into perspective, the Lakers have had an SOS of only .494 and the Cavs a mere .486. In other words, no need to worry with a loss here and there the rest of the way. We've "earned" it in a way. Of course our expectations are going to be high, but we were fooling ourselves to think that the Celtics were gonna go 30-0 or whatever the rest of the way. 

Always remember, we're still the defending champs, baby!!

I searched "Green 17" in Google Images, and this guy came up. So I naturally used him.

P.S. Paul Pierce is just 38 points away from netting 18,000 for his career. Yay!

P.P.S. Look for the U2's new music video for "Get on Your Boots" later today. It's pretty cool!!

Until then...

Laughing Gas is Awesome.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Can't Think of a Creative Title Because I'm So Pissed Off.

This is going to be R-rated, so if you get offended by stuff, avert your eyes.

First, what a load of horseshit. I try to be as unbiased as possible, but when you call a sixth foul on KG for having Derek Fisher push him to get the ball, it's hard not to get pissed off. Yeah yeah, this game was "exciting because it went into overtime, Andy!" Fuck you. This game was bullshit. The refs so clearly favor Kobe Bryant the self-proclaimed "Face of the League" it's not even funny. And how the FUCK about that last no-call? How do two people grab Ray Allen by his arms as he's running AND as he's shooting and you don't call anything? And don't give me this stupid shit about how it's the last play of the game, so the refs gotta have big balls to call something. Well, let me tell you something. A play that flagrant needs to be called. On both ends. Seeing Pau Gasol, he of the non-bathing, anti-hygenic lifestyle make an effeminate yell trying to emulate KG at the end of the game is sickening.

"Rawwwwrrrr! I don't bathe and am a soft player who is only getting recognition because I'm not on a shitty Memphis team anymore!!! Rawwwwr!"

The amount of time their big guys spent in the paint is another big issue with the officiating. You know, you only get three seconds in there right? So how come they're clogging up the whole damn thing the entire game?? Jesus. Fucking pay attention. Where the fuck is Dick Bavetta and why are so many of these young refs in these big games? Put the fucking 24-year-old with his hair greased back to look cool on Grizzlies-Thunder games.

"Hey Kobe, I'm young and clearly a douchebag, so to be your friend I'll give you all the good calls!"

So, congratulations, Lakers. Sure you didn't have Bynum, but Kobe's content to shoot the ever loving shit out of the ball without passing to anyone, and when he knocks down a 6-7 out of 30, the announcers go ape shit. KG's recovering from the flu and 5 other guys on the Celtics have symptoms and had to be given antibiotics. He was clearly winded. Scal is still out with a concussion, so our big guy problem went deeper. You're still a fucking soft team trying to be all physical (i.e. getting in the faces of KG, Perk, and Rondo throughout the course of the game trying to get something going). I bet $100 on us when KG's in the game the whole time playing at 100% health. He clearly wasn't at that tonight.

Another criticism, this time actually against some of our play. Why the FUCK are we double-teaming Kobe out way beyond the three point line? At least a few times in crucial moments, Perk would come out and guard Kobe, leaving Gasol or Odom open down low for easy layups. What. the. fuck. Oh, and Perk. STOP BRINGING THE FUCKING BALL DOWN WHEN IT'S DELIVERED TO YOU IN THE POST. We lost probably 4 points in regulation because you did that.

See? Perk, you wouldn't have gotten molested if you just kept the ball up. A lesson to be learned by all...

RONDO: Stop taking wild layups and throwing it hard off of the glass in hopes that someone on our team is there to clean it up (KG did so in the first quarter. But that's luck. Don't do it 5 more times.).

DOC: Why are you going with Big Baby at the very end? Put Eddie House in!!!! The guy's been on fire for over a month it seems and had been in that game.

Unfuckingbelievable. I just hate shitty games. HATE. Bad officiating is the worst thing in the league. You know if Kobe was taking that last shot and got as fouled as Ray, they'd call it. Where's the fucking parity? It's never easy for the C's. I was going to root for the Lakers to beat the Cavs in Cleveland in a couple days to give them their first loss at home, but fuck it. I want to see Lebron torch Kobe's ass. Fucking demolish them.

"I'm Kobe Bryyyyyyyant!!!!"

When all's said and done, it is just one game. We've had the two longest winning streaks in the league and are right there near the best record. We will win the East because Orlando's slipping after losing Nelson and the Cavs can't do it with one guy. Once we have everyone at full strength, we're fine. Maybe we just expecting things to fall into place with KG back in the lineup and it didn't work out? Could be. But one thing's for sure, night in and night out the C's always have two opponents: the team and the refs. There's no doubt in my mind that when a big name player like Kobe or Lebron are playing, they always get the calls. And that is just unfair. Let the game be played. If there's foul (i.e. Allen's play) call it. If there is minimal-to-no contact (i.e. KG's sixth foul) don't call it. Calling those bullshit ticky-tack fouls RUINS the momentum of the game.

Oh, one more thing that just popped into my head. Last play of regulation. We had called a timeout. I know Pierce wants to take on Kobe one-on-one, but come onnnnnnn! This is a team game. Have your teammates set a couple of screens, get a play going. There was plenty of time to do that, but we opted to have Pierce dribble the ball out at halfcourt and then drive/spin/be out of control and try and score. C'mon, Doc. You can draw up a better play than that.

Fucking see you in the playoffs, you purple and gold ass clowns.


"My ego is THIIIIIS big! butihavenoringssinceshaqleft."

Oh, and for good measure:

How anyone could be a "fan" of Kobe-wan Kenobi (as my dad calls him, although giving him Jedi status is still too much) is beyond me. Fucking asshole. 

Hot Off the Presses...

...for me at least.

It was announced today that Ray Allen will be (rightly) taking over Jameer Nelson's spot on the All-Star reserve list, after Nelson injured his shoulder in a game a few days ago. This marks Allen's 9th All-Star selection. He may have tipped the scales in his favor in Tuesday night's game against the Sixers, in which he took over the fourth quarter, hitting the game-winning three pointer with 0.5 seconds left. The Celtics won by one point, 100-99. 

Allen was a replacement last year as well and nearly won the All-Star MVP (he should have), losing out to LeBron James--even though Allen was the game's high scorer with 28 points, including a shooting clinic from beyond the arc. 

Celtics vs. Lakers tonight at 8 on TNT!!!!!!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

C's Extend Streak on Ray Allen's Game Winning 3

Aiight, so hear me out. I'm not gonna be doing a big recap of this game. I wish I could because it was a helluva game. But, my SlingBox wasn't working. PC suddenly doesn't carry CSN anymore, but the ever popular "GolTV" which shows soccer (ahem, football) matches all day. So I was forced to watch online to a stream that wasn't directly from the TV, but a guy holding a camera up to his TV. I was able to watch smooth-flowing video for about 5 second intervals, but the video would lag and the audio would continue. So it was like radio with sometimes pictures. Awesome. But I battled through it the whole game (almost headache inducing).

Anyway, here's what I surmised (nice word, huh?) from what I could see/hear.

--The 2nd quarter was complete bullsh*t. Turnover after turnover after turnover. The sloppiest 12 minutes of game I've seen the Celtics play the whole year and probably since The Trade. 
--We've gone 2-0 with KG out, but I thiiiiink I'd like him back for the Lakers game on Thursday. Thanks.
--Big Baby continues to impress with his jumper.
--We were lazy and got outhustled for the most part in the transition game. Show up!
--Despite shutting down Allen for most of the game, he stuck with it and scored 3 key baskets down the stretch (including the game winning three from the baseline from Pierce, a play he'll make I'd say honestly 8 out of 10 times.)
--Pierce hit some big free throws that he does not make 3-4 years ago.  The best clutch player in the league.
--Intestinal fortitude. After an awful second quarter and extended periods of awfulness and the last two frames, the Celtics showed why they're a veteran team/the champs. They buckled down, didn't let it get under their skin, and stole one in Philly.

The win streak stands at 12 now, with the Lakers coming into town for a rematch of the Christmas Day stupidfest (mostly the refs fault, if I remember correctly. And I'm not even saying that because we lost. It was an abysmal night for the refs on both ends, but ending up hurting the C's more. Oh well, revenge is a dish best served with the Big Three on your ass all game.). To top it off, the purple and gold (ha, they suck) are without Bynum, who's out 10-12 weeks with a torn something-or-other in his knee. OOPS! Too bad.

Nice win tonight. Now 41-9, still best in the league. Sorry for the skimpy recap. If you were on my end for the whole game you'd understand. Yowzahs. Kthxbye.

Just a Quick Note...

Jameer Nelson injured his shoulder the other night and, since he was selected as an All-Star reserve, it may mean that Rondo will get the nod. Or it could be Mo Williams...hopefully not. But we'll see in the upcoming days. I'm not even sure the extent of Nelson's injury, so he may be better by the All-Star game in a couple weeks. 

Just thought ya'll should know wussup.

Celtics-Sixers tonight at 7. Recap to follow eventually. Stay tuned lolz.

Oh, and this has nothing to do with anything, but wanted to share because I think it's hilarious:


Monday, February 2, 2009

U2's New Album Continues to Get Rave Reviews

Just thought I'd share this short article printed in the Sunday Mail newspaper in the UK, claiming No Line on the Horizon will become a U2 classic up there with The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and All That You Can't Leave Behind. Celtics basketball.


U2 Set To Release Twelfth Studio Album - And We Have The Lowdown

Feb 1 2009 Edited By Billy Sloan And Mickey Mcmonagle

U2 finally unveiled their new album No Line On The Horizon behind closed doors and under the strictest security.
But first again with the big music exclusives... Email were there to hear it.
We were invited by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr to get a sneak preview of their eagerly awaited 12th studio album - not released until March 2.
And it's a cracker, up there with U2 classics such as Achtung Baby, The Joshua Tree and All That You Can't Leave Behind.
The Irish supergroup took the wraps off No Line On The Horizon in the chic Saatchi art gallery at the famous Chelsea Barracks in London.
It features hot new single Get On Your Boots, which is being played to death by radio stations across the UK.
Before hearing the killer tracks, the select guests had to give up all belongings - including mobile phones and any recording devices. They were only returned when the playthrough was over.
But it was worth it to get the first listen to amazing songs such as Magnificent, Moment Of Surrender and Cedars Of Lebanon.
On first hearing, it sounds like U2's most complete album - to be listened to from first track to last. It's also full of brilliant lyrics and Bono's vocals have never sounded stronger.
Here is my pick of the key cuts on No Line On The Horizon.

NO LINE ON THE HORIZON
This opens with a loud sonic drone before Bono sings: "I knew a girl who's like the sea/I watch her changing every day for me."
Then Larry's drums kick in and the song lifts off. It could be their best live stadium opener since Zoo Station.

MAGNIFICENT
A future single choice which more than lives up to its bold title. The Edge's driving guitar gives the song a New Year's Day-style mood.
Bono is in great form when he sings: "I was born to sing for you/I didn't have a choice but to lift you up."
He's dead right because, just two numbers in, the album already has a classic feel.

MOMENT OF SURRENDER
Bono reckons this is one of the best songs U2 have written - and with their back catalogue, that's saying something.
It opens with a guitar sound reminiscent of Where The Streets Have No Name and features a great Edge solo.
In one of his most personal lyrics, Bono says: "I've been in every black hole/At the altar of the dark star/My body's now a begging bowl/That's begging to get back."
Astunning song Springsteen or Dylan would be proud of.

UNKNOWN CALLER
An epic with double-tracked vocals, wailing Edge guitar and pounding Adam bass.
It's a musical feast with so much going on it's initially tough to take it all in. In the chant-style chorus Bono sings: "Hear me/Cease to speak/That I may speak/Shush now."
If nothing else, that's got to be another first for U2 - a pop song with "Shush" in the lyric.

I'LL GO CRAZY IF I DON'T GO CRAZY TONIGHT
Thumping drums, pulsing bass and piano get this potential single off the launch pad.
Musically, it has all the trademarks of a U2 classic with another soaring Bono vocal and great "woo-oo" hook on the chorus.

STAND UP COMEDY
This proves the group are huge Led Zeppelin fans because Edge's guitar riff has a real Jimmy Page feel.
In terms of being musically adventurous, it's not for the faint-hearted and definitely up there with Exit from The Joshua Tree in 1987.

CEDARS OF LEBANON
Bono almost speaks his vocal over a more hymnal, hypnotic backing which leads to a beautiful, almost choral, hook.
Some atmospheric Edge guitar creeps in and builds the mood. This song is so good you don't want it to end.
A fitting finale to a classic U2 album.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Even Without KG, Celtics Win

No matter how many defenders the Wolves threw at Pierce, he took over and the Green prevailed.

Ahh, 'tis the best of times. Remember a couple of years ago when we went through an 18-game losing streak? Remember when Pierce sat out injured most of the season and we were forced to watch Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair? Well, my friends, those days are clearly behind us. This afternoon (morning for me, really), the Celtics took on basically their 06-07 team (a.k.a. the Timberwolves) at the Garden. The Wolves have been notoriously awful since the KG trade, however, they had the best record in January under G.M. turned head coach Kevin McHale (who should be given another ring for helping us win it all last year). The Big Man has turned Al Jefferson into a veritable All-Star (it's a travesty that he didn't get voted in by either the fans or the coaches). With KG sidelined with the flu (probably for the next game too...rest up for Thursday against the Lakers!!), Jefferson had his way with us. But key contributions from Ray Ray and Pierce led us to our 11th straight win. They're also the first 40-win team in the league.


Pierce's post up game is among the best at his position in the league.

Pierce did two better than Big Al scoring-wise, netting 36 points. In fact, the Captain did it all, grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists and even sneaking in a block. The key thing was that Pierce showed his vintage self, pushing the gas pedal on the offensive end that ultimately equaled a Celtics W in what would have otherwise been a so-called trap game. Allen also contributed after having an off night a few days ago. He got 22 on 7-15 shooting in this one, running laps around journeyman Mike Miller (get a freakin' haircut already). 


Big Baby didn't try to do too much in KG's absence, but did juuuuust enough.

Big Baby filled in admirably for KG, getting the start (Scal's still out with a concussion), getting 12 points, 6 rebounds, and an uncanny 3 steals. TA provided a nice spark off the bench with 14 points. Overall, our bench outscored theirs 26-17. 

The big thing for the C's today was getting out to a hot start. They opened up to a 5 point lead after one (the Wolves had shot about 80% for 5-6 minutes to start the game) and ended up closing the half ahead by 18. Minnesota outscored the Celtics in both the 3rd and 4th quarters (Big Al doing much of the damage), but it was our big lead after 2 that allowed us to hang on for the win. 


Hey, Perk! Maybe if you put a hand up, Big Al wouldn't have gone off for 34, huh?

I actually don't have much else to say about this game. Sure, it was exciting when the Wolves clawed (hehe) their way back into it, but for the most part, it was a very ordinary game. No real "chippiness," as in the Detroit game, no great back-and-forth duels between two players. The only bright spot was Pierce's vintage performance spanning the 3rd and 4th quarters. It just goes to show you that when he wants to/when the team needs him to, the Capt. can still produce MVP-like numbers at age 31. The guy's an all-around player and a tough matchup for any team really. He can bruise you inside, he shoots at about a 40% clip over the past 2 seasons from deep, and he's deceptively quick. When he's on, there's just no stopping him (the guy scored 46 points in the second half of a game versus the Nets back in 2001 after getting just 2 in the first half. End of discussion. I'm still waiting for a YouTube video of that to show up sometime...I personally don't remember it, unfortunately.). 

Enjoy Superbowl Sunday. I really don't care for the teams playing, but I like me an underdog, so I'll pick Les Cardinales. The Boss's halftime show should be killer (please play Born to Run....please?), although of course nowhere near as good as U2's post-9/11 set in 2002. Being a diehard fan aside, is there really any more powerful image than the end of "Where the Streets Have No Name" and Bono pulling aside his leather jacket to reveal an American flag sewn inside? I think not.

In case you haven't seen that halftime performance, here she blows (sans the first number, "Beautiful Day"). Oh, and p.s., Bono's voice isn't in the best of conditions, but it really doesn't detract from the performance (he's just coming off a year-long tour and still recovering from throat surgery...):




Chills.