Celtics Show (Yet Again) Defense Wins Ballgames

Back-to-back games can be a killer, especially when it's the first one of the season and the Big 3 haven't yet played 2 games in a row. And more especially when you've got KG who's still working on getting his stamina back. Well last night's game was a big "eff you" to that notion.

Sure, we were playing the Charlotte Bobcats who mysteriously traded Emeka Okafor for a struggling (and I mean struggling) Tyson Chandler. Still, when you hold a team to a franchise-low in points and also a record for fewest points allowed in a season opening game (for the Bobcats), that's something that certainly holds some weight as to how good the team is. After playing a tough buzzer-to-buzzer, heavyweight battle against Cleveland the night before (and not landing in Boston until 2 am), I'm sure I wasn't alone in my fears that this game certainly had the possibility of being a trap game. Those fears quickly went away as we ran out to and early 8-0 lead and didn't look back.

KG and Perk combine to give Boston the best defensive team in the NBA

Garnett put in another very solid performance on his return to Boston, once again showing no ill effects from the knee surgery that everyone and his mother has been worried about. 10 points on 5-9 shooting and 7 boards in 25 minutes. Definitely respectable. Not dominant, but we don't need dominant from really anybody because of the scoring distribution and defense our team has. We had 5 players score in double figures: KG, Ray Allen (18), Pierce (15), Rondo (10), and Shelden Williams (12). Speaking of Williams, I know the guy played basically garbage minutes, but he was pretty damn good. He was scrappy and continued to attack the paint and draw fouls well into the fourth quarter. Not to jinx anything, but he reminds me a little bit of Leon Powe. We'll see how the season goes with him, so we'll be able to get a better sample size. But so far so good.

KG was his usual aggressive self, showing no signs of hesitancy with his knee

Oh, hey. You gotta love Perk, don't you? He's improved so much over these 6 (?) years. The guy is BIG. Not necessarily tall, but freakin' muscular and defensively-minded. I've noticed that he falls for upfakes less and less. How could you not love that play were Raymond Felton drove into the lane and Perk rejected him ("Get that shit outta here!). Felton got the rejection on the baseline and Perk was left to guard him. Felton used his speed advantage to get past him and tried for another layup. Perk (from behind!) swatted another one away. He and Tyson Chandler (really, why did the Bobcats get this guy?) were chippy throughout the game. Perk let his defense speak for itself. Chandler tried a turn around fadeaway at the free throw line, which Perk calmly blocked back in his face. Chandler ended up getting a technical foul for yapping at Perk back up the court. Needless to say, Perk got one also, but only to show Chandler that he was in his territory. Way to be. Those t's are fine with me.

Rondo was busy as hell, too. He scored efficiently (5-6 shooting for 10 points), passed to everyone and everything (11 assists), and used his ginormous hands to make 3 steals. Here's a crazy stat: in the third quarter, Rondo had twice as many assists as the entire Bobcats team. In the THIRD QUARTER. Insane.

KG goes through his ritual pre-game routine in his first game back in Boston

Ray Allen showed some early struggles shooting from the field, but he continued to shoot the ball, and his teammates trusted him enough to keep feeding him. He ended up as the game's high scorer with 18 points (6-17 shooting, but 4-10 from deep). The best thing about tonight's game was that Doc was able to rest all of his starters (although Ray played 38 minutes). KG only played 25, Pierce played 24, Rondo played 29, and Perk played 27. This type of play bodes well in the long run, as it saves our legs for down the road.

The Celtics' solid play allowed the Big 3 to rest for the entire 4th quarter...

One point of contention, not directed at the Celtics play, but at the refs. This happened on more than one occasion, so it's totally worth mentioning and something that should get fixed (I'm talking to you, Mr. Stern). Pierce was often guarding the out-of-control Gerald Wallace and at least 2 times drove his shoulder into Pierce in an attempt to get around him and to the hoop. Both times Pierce guessed correctly which way Wallace would drive, causing him to slam directly into his chest. Each time the ref called a blocking foul. First of all, I don't care what position the defender is in, the offensive player cannot put his head down and drive his shoulder into him. Automatic offensive foul. Second, if the guy runs square into the chest of his defender, who is standing straight up and down, that's a charge. Automatic. Plain and simple. I understand that charges/blocking fouls are among the hardest calls in the game, but in those cases, they are easy.

...while the bench players continued to dominate

In all, it was another great display of defensive prowess and sharing the scoring load (see: 20-0 run to start the 2nd half). As Doc and the players have said so many times, the offense will always be there; the focus has to be on the defense. That's the equation for success and, so far this young season, it's worked to a "t".

Pierce, Bench Secure Opening Game Win for Celtics

Why hello there everyone! It's been a while since we've had a proper Celtics game recap on here. I might be a little rusty, but let's get right into it.

This was a big win. Not only because it was the first game of the NBA season, but because of the quality of play we had going and the team we played against. Aside from the stagnant first quarter, the Celtics got contributions for essentially everyone at the perfect times during the game. The bench carried our offense (and defense) throughout the second quarter, trimming an early 14-point deficit to single digits before halftime. Paul Pierce, quiet throughout most of the game, showed why he's the captain, putting the game out of reach with two daggers at the end of the 4th (as well as a few clutch free throws). Garnett twisted, turned, pivoted, and shot like his old self, including an insanely difficult turnaround-fadeaway bank shot in Shaq's grill. Was the game perfect? Of course not. For a quarter and a half, I sat in silence on the couch pissed off that our offense was nowhere to be found. We made bone-headed plays--ya know, stuff that junior varsity teams often make, which I'll get into shortly.

Hmm, wonder who won this matchup...

Actually, let's start with that bad stuff. Let me start by saying that I love Rondo. Like, I think he'll become one of the top 3 PGs in the league at the rate he's improving. That being said, he can be really dumb--or maybe a more kind word is overexcited. For instance, instead of trying to DUNK the ball on LEBRON JAMES, how about you lay it up off the glass? LeBron blocks it and it's goaltending. You miss, Pierce is right behind to clean up the miss. Instead, Rondo sometimes feels like it's necessary for him to make a humongous play against a more athletic, taller opponent. Sure, if he does dunk on him, it's a momentum changer, but in that specific situation, don't try that again, please. Also, can we communicate in those situations?? When Ray Allen went in for the layup on the fastbreak, I don't think anyone shouted out to him, "Ray. Heads up. LeBron is right behind you." If someone had done that, Ray's wily enough to avoid an embarrassing block, but unfortunately it didn't happen. Another thing that irked me, from both Rondo and the rest of the team, is this whole passing in traffic/jumping in the air and passing thing. Let's hope we got that out of our system. On more than one occasion, we had someone drive, jump in the air with no real plan, and then try to pass it off. This almost never works. If Cous had been calling that game, he would've said the one fundamental thing a point guard should never do is jump and try to pass. Another "never do that!" play is trying to force a pass in traffic or cross-court. Unless the guy is completely open (as Ray Allen was a couple times when they executed the pass well), don't do it. The chances of it getting picked off go up by a lot. And what's the purpose of trying to pass the ball into Shelden Freakin' Williams as the paint is loaded with the likes of Shaq and Big Z, among various other players from both teams? Probably the worst thing you could do in that situation. I don't dislike Williams, he did a relatively decent job (and will have to) in the absence of Glen Davis (PS-Like Wyc Grousbeck, I too will refuse to call him "Big Baby"--the guy clearly needs to grow up. The whole off-court-altercation-leads-to-injury thing ONLY happens on other teams. I don't care if your buddy pushed you or whatever started it. Why in HELL would you jeopardize your reputation and your team's success? Congrats, dumbass. You're now out for at least 6 weeks with a broken finger and maybe longer depending on disciplinary action. Okay, end of rant.) Williams, as I said, was respectable (4 pts, 3 rebs in 13 minutes). He scrapped down in the paint and drew fouls, which is all you can ask for from a guy who's not even an offensive option on any given play.

The thing I was most pleased in seeing was not just the points, etc. from the bench last night, but every single player off the bench had a little "+" next to his name in the box score. The plus/minus thing means how many total points the team got while a certain player was on the court. It's a real good indication of his impact. Cleveland, on the other hand: all minuses. Seriously, their bench is just not good. Even with Delonte West back in action in the near future, they won't be very effective at all. I LOVE our bench. Marquis Daniels is a terrific player and has great ball-handling skills. What a great pickup. Not only can he play 3 positions, but the fact that he can act as point guard opens up Eddie House to be the shooting guard that he naturally is. We didn't have that last season. Daniels is also a great defender, allowing the likes of Pierce and Allen to "rest" defensively while he guards other teams' best players, like James. He doesn't have much of a long jumpshot that I know of (except that baseline 3 he hit was nice, so he does have the range), he's more of a slasher, with deceptive quickness. He had a quiet 7 points in 18 minutes, but was a +11 while on the court. Sheed looked great as well. His ability to spread the floor is something we've missed since who knows when. I just love when Doc put the lineup of Sheed, KG, Pierce, Ray, and Rondo on the floor, forcing Shaq/Z out of the paint to guard them. No one can defend us in that situation, it's as simple as that. Perk is still a very important part though. Although he got burned 3 times in the first quarter by Shaq (he did play great D--Shaq was just able to hit those baby hook shots), Perk continued to grind it out down low, forcing Shaq as far out of the paint as possible. When he did that, Shaq was ineffective. Honestly, I think Cleveland is in trouble. Shaq was dominant in the first quarter. I was afraid it was gonna be another one of "those games" where we just can't stop the opposing team's big guy. But he showed his age. He undoubtedly got tired and played absolutely zero role the rest of the game. They have no bench and LeBron is one-of-a-kind, but as we've seen, he can't carry the team the whole way. The "help" that has supposedly arrived this season just won't cut it from my point of view. Of course, it's only been one game and only time will tell, so let's wait and find out...

KG and Perk show off some of the famed Celtics D as Varejao looks like an idiot.

I refuse to talk about KG's knee. Bill Simmons thinks it's something everyone should be worried about, given the ambiguity with which the issue was dealt when discussed with the media. He says whenever anyone of KG's age has knee surgery, his career goes down the tubes. Although I think Bill Simmons is some sort of god, I just have to disagree. Look, the guy knows his stuff, but after watching every preseason game and now this first game, the guy is already in mid-season form (not stamina-wise, of course). He was able to get up for an alley-oop pass, which would've been slammed home had it not been for the position he was in (back turned to the basket). I think the kicker was when Shaq threw him down to the ground and KG just got up and pounded his chest as if to say, "Yep, I'm my old self still," then calmly knocking down 2 free throws. I honestly see no problems stemming directly from the knee that will affect his game this season.

It was none other than The Truth that sealed the W for the C's.

And what can I say about Pierce that hasn't been said before? The guy's like a snake. He plays very quietly, though efficiently, for 3 and a half quarters and when the game is on the line, he completely ices it with two jumpers and free throws down the stretch. I loved the play when KG came out to set a high screen on James. Pierce split the defense, crossing Shaq over no problem, then pulling up at the top of the key and hitting a jumper over Anthony Parker: swish. Next possession, the switch this time and now Clownhead Varejao is on Pierce. A little step back jumper from the right side: swish. Game out of reach. That's why he's the captain.

LeBron James can do just about everything, but it's not enough if the Cavs want to make a championship run.

All in all, this game was great. If you look at the box score, the scoring was incredibly well-distributed among both starters and bench players. Not so with the Cavs, which should be a giant red flag for them and their fans. LeBron carried the scoring (and assist...and block...and steal) load for them. The "help" that they so desperately needed last season and which supposedly arrived this season simply did not cut it. The Celtics made them look like a second-tier team (they aren't--they'll make the playoffs, but they're not as good as everyone thinks, in my opinion).

Celtics vs. Bobcats tonight at 7:30.

Celtics Play Like Champs to Take Series Lead

The Bulls showed their true selves as the young Coach Vinny del Negro looks on with disdain.

We were all worried. Yes, we had a huge game from Ray Ray to beat the Bulls at the buzzer in Game 2 and were one free throw make away from winning Game 1. Had Allen missed that final shot, we may have certainly been in a surprising 0-2 hole. Let's just say we were lucky to get out of Boston locked up with the feisty, pesky Bulls 1-1. But we were worried. We escaped with a respectable record. The two games had been far too close for comfort. In the last week of the season, we had completely destroyed the 8th (almost 7th) seed Sixers without Pierce, Allen, Rondo, KG, Powe, Scal, etc., etc. How could these young Bulls look so calm and have such great individual efforts in many of the players' first playoff experience? It was all too unsettling and many C's fans that I know of were hoping to at least get one game out in Chicago. The fans there would undoubtedly be fired up (think Atlanta 2008). Fortunately, the Celtics did everything right and played like the champs to send a message to the Bulls that the first two games were essentially flukes.

From the opening tip, the Celtics showed their aggression and energy, almost immediately shutting up a raucous Chicago crowd and effectively denying any energy the Bulls might have had. Paul Pierce (who some say "showed up" for this game--he'd been averaging 20.5 ppg for the first 2 games...good enough for me, I say), was as hot as my laptop when the little fan thing doesn't turn on for a while. He started the first quarter 6-6 and really just owned John Salmons. It was good to see that those few days off before Game 3 allowed Pierce some much-needed rest to get his legs back under him, and it showed. He ended up with 13 points in a pivotal first quarter that set the tone for the rest of the game. Pierce finished with a game-high 24 points, highlighted by 4-8 shooting from downtown, one of which should have been a 4-point play, as Salmons bit on an upfake, collided with Pierce, who shot the ball and drained it. He lifted his arms as if to ask, "Where the FUCK was that foul? lol, but I made it anyway and I'm awesome."

For some reason, ESPN.com or NBA.com had no pictures of Paul Pierce doing anything. So this was as close as I could get to the said play. Except it was in Chicago, and there was more "WTF?" in his face...

It's just great to watch our team when we're clicking, isn't it? I mean, we play as a TEAM. At this point, we're so comfortable with each other that there's no need to really think too much...just go out and play. That's the ideal thing you want. Of course, you'd like some basketball IQ (which abounds for the C's), but along with that, you want to treat the game just as it is: a game. This comfort level, when everyone's feeling it, translates into championship basketball, the type of which was on display throughout Game 3. Rajon Rondo is the MVP of the playoffs thus far. Ray Allen has picked himself up nicely after Game 1, but Rondo has been the most consistent, energetic, smart, and aggressive player on the court. In terms of others around the league, you could argue Chauncey Billups of the Nuggets is playing better, averaging something like 33 ppg with 0 turnovers and 12 3-point FG made in 2 games (approximations...too lazy to look them up, but I think they're pretty much on). However, Rondo just does more. He scores, he rebounds, he passes, he steals. In fact, he's leading the Celtics in PPG, APG, RPG, and SPG. How many point guards are able to do that? Incredible. He's averaging nearly a triple-double for the series with 22.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 9.7 apg, and 4 spg (and .33 blocks per game). He's driving and getting layups, and shooting (and knocking down) longer-range jumpers (he's 2-4 from 3 point range). He continued his stellar offensive and defensive play last night, going for 20 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals in just 33 minutes. Here's some original research I just did regarding Rondo's shot selection, looking specifically at his jump shots and how much improved he is. We all know that when he gets past the D into the paint, he's either gonna get a layup, make a sick pass, or get fouled. But, especially last year, his jumper was his weakness. Watching him this whole season, you can easily see how much better he is and how hard he's worked on it. Through Games 1-3, Rondo's knocked down 11 actual jump shots out of 24 attempts. That's good for a 46% clip. To put that into perspective, Paul Pierce has hit 18 jump shots out of 43 attempts, good for 42%. Granted, Pierce has taken more and that's more of his game, but it just shows that Rondo's more confident in shooting the ball when his defender (rightly) respects his speed and goes under picks set for him.

Rajon Rondo is developing a jumpshot. This could be as huge as Happy learning how to putt.

Glen. Davis. How much can you say about him stepping up? He's been phenomenal and consistent this whole series and he put up a box score for the ages in Game 3. He had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals, and 3 blocks. Holy cow. He's got such active hands that he one-upped our point guard in steals and tied him in assists. When you get that type of production, the W will most likely follow. His jump shot is becoming a thing of beauty and he has developed a very respectable free throw percentage. KG's absence is much more palatable they way Davis is playing.

Big Baby leads the fastbreak after one of his 6 steals. The Bulls had 22 turnovers.

Ray Allen was, once again, very consistent and efficient, getting 18 points on 6-12 shooting, including 3-4 from beyond the arc.

Marbury showed signs of his old self, aggressively driving to the rim. White Kirk Hinrich is scared.

One last note on last night's play. Stephon Marbury deserves a lot of credit for the way he's been playing. It has been admittedly spotty, that's for sure. But he's carried himself with a great air of confidence in himself and his teammates, something that was certainly lacking with the debacle in New York. He's stuck with it and taken Doc's advice to shoot more (who would ever think that a coach would ask him to do that?!) and just play ball. Last night he did that. And it wasn't just in garbage time, either. He played important minutes during a stretch in which Rondo was on the bench due to foul troubles that group on the floor effectively kept Chicago from clawing their way back in. Overall, Steph shot 4-10, including 1-1 from three (13 points) and went 4-4 from the line. He dished out 5 assists and grabbed 3 boards in 24 minute of play. Quite effective, I'd say. Good for you, Steph, that's exactly what we need out of you. Keep it up.

Isn't is great to see Steph enjoying the game and his fellow teammates?

Oh, and how about Scal?! I'm only being half funny here. The guy's taken some scary hits in the head this season, but he's stuck with it, being a vocal supporter from the pine and now that he's back in action, even he contributed, knocking down a baseline trey with zero hesitation. Perhaps a sign that he's not worrying about his head, he soared in to try and grab a defensive rebound in traffic. Balls to the wall, Scal. That's Celtics basketball. You keep it up, too.

The two Bulls' "superstars" were shut down by the Celtics vintage team defense. They forced Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose into 7 turnovers.

On Garnett. Apparently, KG's practicing with the team, i.e. in practice sweats and posting up Perk, etc. Whether he's working toward a comeback or just being camaraderious (?) with his fellow teammate, it's certainly a good sign, I think. We'll see...

Game 4 on Sunday at 1 pm. If we play like we did last night, we'll get the win and come back to Boston to try and close this series out. The win in Chicago was very important, not only to take the series lead, but also to give us confidence that we can win on the road in the playoffs vs. young, upstart teams like the Bulls. This was something we weren't able to do against Atlanta (or Cleveland) last year, leading to 7 games in each of the first two rounds. Fewer games=fewer players on the Celtics who are tired=better chances of winning games. Go C's.

Good News for Celtics

Just saw this on the bottom line on ESPN. Kevin Garnett will withhold having knee surgery until after the postseason. He is going to try and return for the Celtics later on in the playoffs.

Looks like he's getting tired of being on the bench for these intense games. I feel like this makes his chances of coming back way more than the 1% Doc was quoting a few days ago. Who knows? If he's determined enough...

Begin to pray again, folks.

Mmmmmm.

Ray. Allen.

Ray Allen knocks down the game-winning three as the Bulls bench is SAD!

What a great game. I mean, what a fantastic game that was. These first two games remind me very much of the Atlanta series a year ago: a young, upstart team (with an ugly big man who thinks he's better than he really is) surprisingly challenges wily old veterans who were the favorites. This time, however, the Celtics are the defending champions and are playing with some real fortitude in the face of a TON of adversity. They could have packed it all up upon hearing news of KG being out for the entire playoffs with a right knee strain, especially when every reporter (even the faithful Bostonians) have flatly said that the C's have no chance at all. As the injured guy himself has said, though, "Anything is possible." Being underdogs isn't all that bad either. Everyone picked the soft Lakers to take it all last year and look what happened to Kobe-wan Kenobi (as my dad calls him). There's still a ton of pressure coming from the home crowd and the fact that we're the defending champs, but some people are even now thinking that Chicago will pull off the "upset." Last night's game was more than just a great win. It showed that we're not backing down and that despite all the bad news that keeps pouring in, we're gonna put up a hell of a fight.

The Celtics played great team defense on Rose, holding him to just 10 points.

How much can you say about Walter Ray Allen? The guy is one of the best shooters of all time. He's been through a lot these past couple of years, coming off ankle surgery before joining the team last year, struggling mightily in the opening rounds of the playoffs, many calling his career over and done with. Doc has said that he had the hardest time adjusting to the team of 2008, which is not to say he was a selfish player. His role was just very different from that in Seattle. But no complaints...just kept on shooting. Shooters shoot. This was on full display last night, as he went 6-10 from downtown, including more than a couple huge buckets to counter Ben Gordon's onslaught. This coming after a 1-12 effort in Game 1 and a 1-4 half to start Game 2. Shooters shoot. The Celtics did an incredible job of running plays for Allen that really got him going. You could even hear Pierce yelling, "Go to Ray! Go to Ray!" as they ran the ball up the court. All-in-all, 30 points for Allen, 28 coming in the second half. And when he got into that groove in the 4th quarter, there was no stopping him. Example of Ray staying in the game rather than getting frustrated: Pierce gets stripped leading to a 3-on-1 fastbreak, with Allen the only one back. Joakim (The Joke) Noah drives the lane and Allen picks up the blocking foul, and one. Next play down, Allen knocks down a three pointer off the feed from Rondo to bring the Celtics back to within one. How great is that? He uses his anger and frustration to be aggressive and score. After Gordon made back-to-back threes to put the Bulls up by 5, the two teams traded baskets, leading up to another three by Ray, putting us up by 2...

The Battle of UConn Alums: Gordon had more points, but Allen walked away the hero.

About that shot. Red Auerbach had his hand in this one (although, where was he for Pierce's missed free throw in Game 1?? Tip that in, man!) Rondo took a contested jumper and fell to the ground (no whistle..surprise). There was a long rebound and Rondo popped back up, got it, and dished it to Allen's hands beyond the arc. BAM! 2 point game with 25 ticks left. Gordon would make an insane free-throw line jumper with Big Baby and Allen in his grill leading up to the game winner.

Seriously, is there anyone uglier than Joakim Noah?? Ugh, looks like an ogre.

What a gorgeous play it was, too. The C's ran several screens down low as Rondo held the ball at the top of the arc. The brilliance comes in the amount of options we had. Allen was the first option, but if that wasn't there, Pierce was ready to post up down low UNDER the free throw line. Big Baby had Kirk Hinrich on him in a switch: another option. Eddie House was over on the wing and he's always dangerous with his quick release. Rondo had smoked Derrick Rose all night with his speed, so the possibility of him driving for the rim was there as well. Luckily, we had Option Numero Uno going for us. Hinrich called for The Joke to switch as he got stuck on Big Baby's pick. The big man recovered pretty well and Allen juuuuuust got the shot off over the 7-footer. The look on Noah's face after it splashed was epic. What a freaking loser.

Noah's face says it all: "Aww, man! I'm a complete moronic asshole who just got schooled by someone 2 feet shorter than I am!"

As I said, this game was Allen's, but there were so many other factors. Take Rondo. I was surprised to hear that he had a triple-double in the THIRD QUARTER! I had no idea. I knew he had a lot of points and a bunch of assists, but by the 3rd? No way. He ended up with 19 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds. Oh, and 5 steals. There are only 3 players who have had a triple-double and 5+ steals in a playoff game: Magic Johnson, Gary Payton, and Rajon F. Rondo. What a baller. What a two games he's had! 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in Game 1. Insane. Derrick Rose can have his 36 points in Game 1. I prefer dominance and consistency, thank you very much. Speaking of which, way to be, Rondo. He really attacked the rim from the get-go, drawing a quick 2 fouls on Rose (one of which was indirect--drove to the hoop, got blocked, K Perk got the board and Rose stupidly fouled him, and one), and then THREE on the backup, Hinrich. Do that every night and we have a great chance of winning.

Even on a sprained ankle, Rondo drove the lane all night, getting easy layups.

How about Big Baby?! He's been really stepping up for the absence of KG. Although he lacks the intensity The Ticket brings, he has that 18 or 19-foot jump shot down to a science. He ended up with 26 points on 12-21 shooting. The Celtics were a +20 with him on the floor. Pretty good for a "back-up" PF. Perk also went above and beyond the call of duty, going for 16 and 12, including seven offensive rebounds and a limited amount of boneheaded plays (RUN BACK ON DEFENSE!!). Pierce did a decent job (18 points, 8 boards), but was clearly very tired. John Salmons is a pesky person to defend and really ran Pierce around. Despite his sluggishness, I'll take 18 points for sure.

As for the bench....yeahhhhhh, where the eff were ya??!!? I thought Steph would get a few baskets after he knocked down a pretty jumper, but that was all he ended up with (1-4). Eddie only knocked down one three ball, Mikki Moore only made one shot, and Leon Powe as well (although he left early). And about Powe: Just learned today that he tore his ACL (my initials!) and will require surgery. He'll FOR SURE miss the rest of the playoffs, which is a pretty major blow to us, although I'm starting to get used to this type of news.

On the flipside, a glimmer of hope. Apparently, KG practiced the other day with the Celtics, although from what I heard, he merely dribbled the ball around the court a few times...no hardcore stuff. My message to Doc is this: If KG will be getting surgery, which I'm thinking is going to be the case, I say put him in games for brief (5 minute?) stretches a few times every game. I mean, sure it'll swell up, etc., but if he's getting surgery to repair it anyway, might as well give him a little work? He ran for 20 minutes straight and the knee swelled up after, causing Doc to say they'd shut him down, so play him just for a little amount of time. Even if he does nothing but stand there, his presence will be very much useful in both our psyche and the opposing team's. Of course, I'm probably just desperate and my plan would run the risk of worsening the situation beyond what surgery could fix (maybe???), but we'll see if he has any more practice time.

KG gives Pierce some advice and was incredibly vocal on the bench the entire night (Did he ever sit down?)

So there we have it. Ben Gordon's 42 points were just not good enough versus our team approach. We stuck with our game plan having Rondo drive, drive, drive and running multiple plays for Allen. You simply cannot expect their guys to continue to have epic nights...our defense will almost surely shore up. Our guys, on the other hand, are capable of having such games night in and night out. Rondo's a walking trip-doub threat, Ray Ray can knock down anything, Pierce is capable of getting way more than 18, Big Baby's been having nights like this for weeks now, and Eddie is due. Watch out, Chicago.

I made this!! Perfectly captures the moment.

Okay....Okay....Breathe...

So there I was sitting in my European History class (1648-1714) just minding my own beeswax. I was proud of my Celtics. We were fresh off back-to-back wins over the Sixers and Wizards, the former fighting to get the highest playoff seed possible, the latter trying to avoid tying the worst record in their franchise's history. We beat them both and both times our bench made a tremendous impact. I've come to get used to our bench players take on starting role and more minutes in the absence of KG, who's been out essentially since February.

All of a sudden I get a text from none other than T-Pas. The Queenidite. Trevbeco himself: "Garnett out for playoffs. We're fucked." It read like a cold newspaper headline...except for the "we're fucked" part, of course. Still, that would be the subliminal headline in tomorrow's Boston Globe, wouldn't you think? I immediately began thinking what the date was. I knew it was April...was this April Fools' Day? No...that was 15 days ago. Trev, wtf? Is this some cruel joke? I quickly used my iPhone (thank God I have one) to peruse my bookmarked sites. NBA.com? Nothing. Celtics.com? "Eddie House blahblahblah" Nothing. ESPN.com?!? "Playoff matchups set!...Something about Hockey!" Nothing. I was completely skeptical and texted him back where he found this out. Boston.com. Of course.

Many, many things piss me off about this news. For one thing, I have a message for whoever is in charge of telling the public about this stuff. Doc? Danny? Wyc? Some random p.r. guy? Yeah, fuck you. Where do you get off leading all the Celtics fans that KG will be back for the final 3 games of the season. Oh wait, make that the final 2 games. Oh wait, make that one of the final 2 games. Oh wait, make that the last game. Oh wait, we're just gonna sit him out until the playoffs start. Oh, actually, his knee ISN'T getting better like we've been telling you for the past 2+ months and he'll miss the start of the playoffs. WHAT THE FUCK! Next you'll be telling us that he's retiring (knocking on wood.). Seriously, how can you do that to people? At least have the BALLS to come out and be straight with us, especially when we've suffered through seasons of complete SHIT. Just say, "Yeah, KG's knee is something that probably won't heal fully even once the season ends. It'll be likely that he'll miss at least the first round and possibly the entire playoffs." See, if you said that in say, March, it would've prepared us better. But no, you spring this bullshit on us Thursday morning before Game 1 on Saturday. Thanks, asshole.

I usually try to see the good things that can come of this, but I can't trust what Doc says to the media really anymore. I would not be surprised at all if Garnett missed everything. So, with that in mind, there are some relatively positive things that you as a diehard Celtics fan must know before you kill yourself. (Cue "Everybody Hurts" by REM which seriously just came on my iTunes. Heh.)

For one, we as a team are used to playing without KG. Our big guys off the bench have logged major minutes, which is mighty important, especially considering it wasn't garbage time at the end of a blowout. They played in meaningful games and certainly helped us win them. That confidence is incredibly important.

Secondly, we're getting all our other injured players back around now. Tony Allen has been phenomenal. And if you know me, you know that I'm not a fan of his. But, I must give credit where credit is due. Powe has taken off where he left off after a knee bruise a while back. Dominant in the paint, automatic three-point plays, and multiple charges taken per game. Scal, if I remember correctly, will be available for the playoffs and dressed last night. It'll be good to have him back.

Thirdly, Big Baby has taken over KG's role. He's an intensely fierce player who is able to carve out (a lot of) space in the paint, he's got a nice baby hook shot, AND, probably most importantly, he can knock down that 17-footer very, very consistently (kinda like KG, eh?). His ability to spread the floor is much needed without KG around.

Fourthly, as Wokkus told me, anything is possible. Doc's saying that KG's knee is 70%. I know they don't wanna risk him making a season-ending injury into a career-ending one, but if we get through the first round, the possibility increases that he'll be at least more available than he is now.

Fifthly, we're playing the Bulls in Round 1. I'm not underestimating them (Remember Atlanta!), but this is the first round and is theoretically the easiest for us. So, getting through is more likely than not, even with KG out. Of note, we have beaten some formidable teams without him, most notable Cleveland. Yeah.

Sixthly (?), we're pretty damn good without KG. Trust me, I'd rather have him, but we're way better than mediocre. We'd probably end up being a 5 or 6 seed if you extrapolated our record without KG. We ended up being 18-7 sans the Big Ticket, although our defense obviously hurt the most (98.2 ppg allowed vs. 90.7; 44.2 opp FG% vs. 42.2). 

All in all, I'm confident that we can hold our own at least through the first round. Beyond that, let's just hope he'll be good enough to come back. Who knows? This may be a blessing in disguise. Scenario: Say we get to the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Cavs. KG's close to 100% and fully, fully rested. BAM! He's back. The Cavs, on the other hand, have had to battle through the first few rounds, taking their strength for granted like the C's did last year. They come in tired, banged up, etc. and KG's as fresh as...newly bought lettuce? Whatever, it's early. Anyway, take the Willis Reed thing and multiply that shit by something. He'll be hungry and he will dominate Mr. Clownhead Varaejo (I'm not even gonna give him the credit of actually looking up how to spell his name). 

For now, let's just keep our fingers crossed, but not keep our hopes up. Remember, we still have 2 bitchin' All Stars and future HOF'ers. Most teams would kill to get at least that (Hey, Memphis!).

Blahhhhhhh

So I know I said there'd be a Celtics recap of today's game, but since we lost and I was driving back to school for half of the game, I ain't gonna do it. From what I saw, though, we couldn't get anything going and allowed Charlie Villanueva to get whatever he wanted. Perk tried his best (26 points), but it wasn't enough. Both Pierce and Ray Ray were extremely inconsistent. Even still, this was one of those games that didn't bother me that we lost. A "whatev" game, if you will.

KG's looking for a Friday return vs. the Spurs. We obviously need him badly, as our opponents PPG is +13 in his absence. Yeah. Defensive Player of the Year again please?

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.

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.

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.

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...

Eddie House Knocks Down 8 Threes and Knocks Out Kings

Baaaaaaasically. Eddie's game was just nasty.

I'm tellin' ya. When the Celtics are clicking on all cylinders it is the most fun thing to watch. Eddie House and Ray Allen are on such a hot streak these days, that ESPN analyst and former player Tim Legler is claiming that Allen is playing the best ball of his career. And that's a BIG statement considering Allen has averaged 23+ points per game over a season 5 years in a row (2002-2007). Although Ray Ray ended up shooting 5-12, he hit 3 of his first 4 in the first quarter (all three in less than a minute and a half). 

There were a ton of positives in this game, but the beginning was brutal. The C's did a great job of composing themselves after letting the Kings shoot 65% in the first frame. If there was ever a trap game, this was it. We hadn't played since Sunday afternoon and the rust was clear from the tip. The Kings were coming off a tough loss to the Cavs in overtime the night before and were clearly fired up. The length of the previous game showed as they appeared to get more and more tired as the game went on. Our lack of aggression turned around in the second quarter as we outscored them 40-19. Being down by 10 in the first quarter and then going up by 14 entering the half is a great turnaround and shows what this team is capable of doing.

Rondo kicks Brad Miller where the sun don't shine after a dirty play the refs missed where Miller stiff-armed Rondo after the whistle blew. Check out that coordination, though!

Rondo again is making a bid to be an All-Star reserve, going 10-15 (again using his speed getting into the paint and getting layups as well as hitting jumpers, which are getting a lot more consistent). He had a total of 24 points to go along with 9 assists. And how great is it to see the chemistry between KG and Rondo? They essentially base their game on eye contact alone, and they've got it down so well that they're going to get an alley-oop at least once a game (they had I think 2 or 3 last night). Another thing they've been running lately is a give and go. Rondo passes the ball to KG who's in the post, Rondo runs by and uses him to pick off his guy, and KG delivers a perfect pass to Rondo who lays it in. I know the Kings aren't a defensive team at all, but this play can work against anyone if run correctly. So pretty.

Tony Allen finally returned to the lineup after an 11-day absence due to an ankle problem. And boy was he effective. He seems to have a lot of explosiveness back and his speed is way up there. He blew by his defender several times. Overall, he was 5-5 with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a blocked shot. I'm not a fan of him really, but it's great to see him really contribute off the bench and attack the rim. He was especially needed because Brian Scalabrine was out after suffering his second concussion in a couple of days, colliding with Patrick O'Bryant in practice (after getting an elbow to the head from Dirk Nowitski. And yes, they called a foul on Scal. Makes sense.). He has been playing beyond expectations while he was healthy and believe it or not, when Scal starts for the Celtics, we have a perfect record (6-0 this season). 

Now onto the star of the show. Tedward. Is he ever gonna cool off? Doesn't seem like it. After an extended break, House picked up right where he left off. Quote of the night from Tommy: "They shouldn't call him Eddie House...they should call him Eddie MANSION!" He was 8-9 from three, which is a career high for him. He came within 3 points from matching his career high in points, but missing only one three is impressive enough. And it wasn't like he was wide open with all of these. Several of them were off balance and/or with a guy in his face, forcing him to change the arc of the ball. One memorable one had Eddie running to his left on the baseline with a defender in his grill and he STILL knocked it down. Incredible. The Kings actually ended up double-teaming him. 

That'll do, Eddie. That'll do.

The bench overall scored 61 points, with House outscoring all of the Kings bench players on his own. Our previous high for bench points was 49, if I remember correctly. When your bench scores that many points, I don't care if you're playing the London Sillynannies or the Monstars from Space Jam, you're going to win.

Next game at Detroit on Friday at 7 pm. Until then...

C's Continue to Dominate...and a Sighting of Leon Powe??

Led by KG, the Celtics have newfound energy, especially at home, where they are now 22-2.

That game was textbook. The C's are now at 8 wins in a row after going 2-7. It'd be great to keep this energy up through the All-Star break in February.

First and foremost, the main worry going into the game was the matchup nightmare with Dirk Nowitski. Now, any fan of the game knows that this 7 footer has the ability to shoot the three as well as post up with the best of them. In fact, he's one of only half a dozen or so who has shot at least 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point land, and 90% from the line. Nash had done it twice, Larry Bird once, and Ray-Ray is currently doing it. So KG clearly had a big load to carry. And carry it he did. Dirk was held to 0-7 shooting to start a game, including missing a couple of bunnies after faking out smaller defenders. In all, Dirk was 4-17 (0-3 from downtown) and was a -23 when he was on the floor.

KG was nothing short of dominant in this one. He played only 25 minutes, yet shot 7-11 for 23 points. The game was over by halftime, which has become a common occurrence at recent Celtics games. We lead by 35 at one point and scored 74 points by halftime (season high for the C's...the Knicks had scored 82 in a half this season).

Basically everything was falling for us, too (65% in the first half, 54% for the game). Ray Ray was again on fire, possibly making a case for a reserve position on the All-Star team (to be announced this Thursday). He went off for 23 points on 4-5 from three and dishing out an uncanny 7 assists. Rondo again took control of the game and outplayed vet Jason Kidd. He shot 6-10, including a handful of pretty jumpers. When he shoots those with confidence, he can knock them down. He nearly had a triple-double with 13 points, 14 assists, and 7 rebounds, while sitting out the entire 4th quarter. This guy is so mature beyond his years, it's scary. His talent keeps improving it seems from game to game and it's only a matter of time before he's a household name around the country and an All-Star.

The C's tied a team record for three pointers made with 16. Eddie House, of course, made a significant contribution to that total, making 7-11, tying his personal best and coming one short of the most made this season (Ray Allen with 8). He also had 23 points in 28 minutes and is quickly proving himself to be a VERY dangerous (and efficient) scorer. Give him a good look these days (which for him means the defender only has to be about 7 inches away) and he'll knock it down.

Eddie House was so hot from long distance, he actually made this shot...

I love these blowout games, not only because we get the win, but also because we get to see the young players and what they can do. There has been an abundance of garbage time this year already and it's great to see the 10, 11, and 12 guys gaining more confidence. Remember, when Perk was out for a while and Scal got to start, his confidence just kept on growing. Before that, his scant minutes saw him airballing threes and making rookie mistakes. But because of those increased minutes, he has become a very underrated defender and once again a threat from deep (he was 2-3 today with 6 points). Big Baby is asserting himself more down low, scoring an and-one on a pretty layup in which he cleared out space from Dirk, causing the foul.

Gabe Pruitt is getting more playing time as of late because of Tony Allen's absence and from what I've seen, he's a great third option off the pine. His jump shot exudes confidence and he seems to bury it more often than not. He handles the ball up the court better than Eddie and has three point range. Bill Walker got some minutes tonight, and although there are signs he can be a very explosive player, he did seem nervous out there, fumbling a few passes and getting a layup blocked by Kidd. Patrick O'Bryant, one of the guys I'd like Doc to play more, hit a DEEP two (swish!), and his length is great for rebounding. He did try a hook shot, coming up a little short, but I have seen him hit that a few times and it is prettayyyy.

And how about the Leon Powe sighting! Does anyone know why he hasn't been playing recently?? I don't think he was hurt or anything...Anyway, he wasn't effective, to say the least, going 0-3, which was probably due to some rust.

Overall, great win by the C's yet again over a quality West opponent, proving that their stutter from the Christmas game was just that. They're still the champs and are still the team to beat in the Association. Until they're knocked off that perch, they will be the best team out there.