Celtics come up with a big win over the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls as they win 95-91. Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics as he had 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists. His constant pace pushed the Celtics to 33 fast break points as he controlled the flow of the game. Rondo played with an attitude that hasn’t been seen for the last few games as he really took it at the Bulls. I couldn’t tell if either he had been ripped into by Doc after the last game or if he was really offended that Rose wasn’t playing. It almost seemed as to Rondo that playing against the likes of C.J. Watson and John Lucas was insulting to him and he was punishing the Bulls for it.
Celtics continued their 3-point shooting woes as they went 3-13 from the field, but hit two huge threes in the fourth quarter to keep the Bulls at bay. Maybe not in the best interests of the Bulls, but with Rose out Watson and Lucas shot the ball 32 times. After Luol Deng had 21 points and 16 rebounds in the first game he was held to 10 points and 5 rebounds.
The Celtics will look to make it 2 in a row as they take on the Pistons on Wednesday at 7:30.
Extra Notes: Derrick Rose missed his second straight game with a sore back; Brandon Bass is going to be out until all-star break with a sore knee; Stiemsma played only five minutes but had a major impact as his block led to a Rondo And-1,but he was shafted on the high five with Rondo; Keyon Dooling played after missing the last 9 games; Rondo tried to turn the Celtics into the east coast version of lob city last night by throwing alley-oops to both Jujuan Johnson and Chris Wilcox.
Avery Bradley Alert: Bradley played eight minutes, great defense on C.J. Watson who kept forcing up bad shots during the time Bradley was in. Bradley shot 2-4 from the field for 4 points, had 1 block, and two rebounds.
Another day and another position ranking, today I will look into second basemen. First, I analyzed catchers, with Baltimore’s Matt Weiters coming out on top. Next, I analyzed first base, with the Red Sox MVP candidate Adrian Gonzalez filling out the top slot. The AL East’s star position has to be second basemen. It contains 3 of the top second basemen, and two legitimate MVP candidates, who are becoming the face of their respective franchises.
The rankings are as follows:
1. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
2. Robinson Cano, Yankees
3. Ben Zobrist, Rays
4. Kelly Johnson, Blue Jays
5. Brian Roberts, Orioles
This has been by far the toughest decision to make in the position rankings. I know every Yankees fan will disagree, as any loyal fan would, but hear me out on this one. Dustin Pedroia and Robinson Cano have been very similar in terms of offensive impact in the past few years (barring Pedroia’s injury shortened season in 2010). While displaying virtually exact career AVG (Pedroia .305 vs Cano .308), Pedroia has consistently reached base at a higher rate (.373 Career OBP vs Cano’s .349). Cano may be able to put up more HR’s and RBI’s than Pedroia, but Pedey has consistently put up many more steals and runs. Cano’s extra RBI’s can mostly be contributed to his spot in the batting order. Last year, 94.9% of his at bats were taken from the 4 and 5 spots in the order, while 77.3% of Pedroia’s at bats were taken from the 2 spot in the order. Yes, Pedroia’s extra runs can be mostly contributed to his spot in the order, but his steals and baserunning are still much better than Cano’s. All offensive prowess aside, Pedroia definitely has an edge on the defensive side ( 2 Gold Gloves in four eligible seasons vs Cano’s single Gold Glove during his 7 seasons). Also, Pedroia has a better fielding percentage and zone rating. Perhaps the most telling fact is WAR (wins above replacement), in which Pedroia 8.0 2011 rating, clearly outshines Cano’s 5.6.
Despite this argument, it should be noted that if either team had the choice, they would not switch second baseman with the other team. Pedroia is a true Red Sox player, never afraid to get his jersey dirty, while Cano is a Bronx Bomber, provided unheard of power from second baseman position since the sloppy fielding former Yank Alfonso Soriano.
Next up is Ben Zobrist, who is a great player for the Rays, but overshadowed by Cano and Pedroia. Zobrist has the talent to fight for the top second basemen spot in any other division. He has the potential to contend with Cano and Pedroia, but his inconsistency gives him the third ranking. He displayed incredible numbers both last year and in 2009, but his steep dropoff in 2010 (.239 BA and a 63.0% HR decrease) leaves room for concern.
Filling out the fourth spot is Blue Jay second baseman Kelly Johnson. Kelly was acquired by the Jays from the Diamondbacks last year in a trade for Aaron Hill and John MacDonald. Johnson has been even more inconsistent than Zobrist, but should give the Jays a good option at second as long as his average stays up. I see him providing about a .275 average and 20-25 HR’s in his first full year at the Rogers Centre.
Lastly, the Orioles have the oft injured Brian Roberts slotted in as their starting second baseman. Although Roberts was once regarded as a top second baseman, those days are gone after only playing 98 games in the last two years combined. Whether he gets injured again and Robert Andino fills in for him remains the true question. Both will provide similar offensive output and show good speed on the basepaths. I don’t see the credentials to rate either one above any of the other second baseman in this stacked division though.
Just as I expected, #2 Syracuse toppled UConn by double digits, while Senior Guard Scoop Jardine managed to score 21 points against the Calhoun-less Huskies. #4 Mizzou also beat #6 Baylor, while #5 UNC ran right over #20 Virginia, and #16 UNLV upset #14 San Diego State. Unfortunately, I was wrong about one game, and that was when #3 Ohio State was upset by defensive-minded #12 Michigan State.
#7 Florida was also upset against unranked Tennessee by 5 points. #15 Creighton lost their third straight game Saturday against Wichata State. You can guarantee that they will not see the top 25 come Monday morning.
Games to watch for this week:
#2 Syracuse vs. #23 Louisville (Monday @ 7)
#5 UNC vs. Miami (Wednesday @ 8) Miami beat Duke last week #12 Michigan State vs. #22 Wisconsin (Thursday @ 7)
The Celtics look to rebound from their two game losing streak this past week when they take on the Chicago Bulls today. Derrick Rose has been limited the past three games by a sore back, even missing the past game against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bulls are currently on a 5 game winning streak and have won 7 out of their last 10. The Celtics have also won 7 out of their last 10 but are currently cooling off as they have lost the last two to the Lakers and Raptors.
Even if Rose does not play the Celtics will have to work to control Luol Deng who went for 21 and 16 in the first game against the Celtics. The Celtics lost the first matchup against the Bulls 88-79 as Rose took over the fourth quarter and showed why he was the reigning MVP. The Celtics are going to need more from Pierce, Allen, and Rondo who had only 23 points on Friday night against the Raptors.
Just whatever you do, do not tell the world that Derrick Rose loves the Notebook.
The Celtics losing streak runs to two games as they found themselves in a 26-14 hole after the first quarter and could never recover. Tommy Heinsohn said during the game that this was the most mad he has ever seen Doc Rivers at his players. After the game Doc said, “I was really frustrated with our execution. We couldn’t even run a play out of a timeout. That’s just frustrating.” Doc later ended up adding “The way we played the last two games, we need to be in a gym running.”
For the second straight game the Celtics gave up double digit rebounds to the other team. They also had 17 turnovers which set the tone for the game as the Raptors got out into the break and had numerous dunks on the Celtics. Rondo had a poor shooting night only hitting 2 out of 10 shots. Avery Bradley played 7 minutes after missing the Lakers game with a sore Right shoulder, the Celtics were + 7 while he was in the game.
The Celtics are off until Wednesday when they play the Pistons at Home.
Extra notes: Kevin Garnett made the same amount of shots as the previous night, with fourteen less attempts; Pietrus was the only Celtic to make a 3; Rondo was the only Celtic to play 40 minutes on back to back nights; Both E’Twaun Moore and Greg Stiemsma did not play (Coaches Decision) and Jermaine O’Neal sat out with a sore left shoulder.
Things around the Bruins have been terrible as of late. The beating received from the Sabres was a bad start and on top that Tim Thomas is creating unnecessary turmoil and distractions. On his official Facebook page, Thomas posted the message, “I Stand with the Catholics in the fight for Religious Freedom.”
He doesn’t explain or give any context, but that makes two occasions in the last couple weeks where Tim Thomas is playing politics. Get back to playing hockey Tim. Claude says Thomas’ comments are not a distraction and won’t be moving forward. I guess we will see. And the worst news to report is that Nathan Horton has stopped skating due to post-concussion syndrome. It sucks that he is regressing, but maybe that will spur Chiarelli to make a move for a big-time scorer like Semin to replace that production if Horton’s symptoms continue to linger.
Game vs. the Predators on today at 1:00. They are a great team this year and if the Bruins overlook them in favor of their Eastern conference showdown with the Rangers on Tuesday, it’s going to be tough to win.
Another big weekend in college basketball begins Saturday (once again, omitting Harvard’s game on Friday). My favorite team, UConn, will face #2 Syracuse and almost definitely lose by double digits. #4 Missouri will host #6 Baylor in a Big 12 showdown at 1:30. #5 UNC will try to avenge their last loss when they welcome #20 Virginia to Chapel Hill. #3 Ohio State will play #12 Michigan State, while #14 San Diego State plays #16 UNLV.
Predictions Syracuse over Uconn (Still my favorite)
Mizzou over Baylor (Baylor got smoked against Kansas)
UNC over Virginia (hate them but they are home)
Ohio State over Michigan State (Still think Ohio St. has a chance of winning it all)
UNLV over SD State (Could go either way but I’ll go with the home team)
Tough loss for our guys last night as they had two chances to win the game, one at the end of regulation and one at the end of overtime. Comes down to the Celtics age-old question, is it OK to live and die by Pierce isolation as the clock winds down. It’s tough to keep giving it to Pierce on isolations if he is not healthy enough to get to his spot at the top of the key. Sooner or later the ball is going to end up in Rondo’s hand with him running maybe a pick and roll with Garnett or Bass and finding the open man. The stagnant offense is tough to look at end of games, especially since Doc is known as one of the games premier last second play coaches. Ray Allen again played great defense on Kobe, even though Kobe put up 27 points, Ray made him work for each bucket and the ones he had in the fourth didn’t come easy. The big Achilles of the Celtics all year has been giving up offensive rebounds to opposing teams. Last night the Celtics gave up 15 offensive rebounds with 7 to Bynum and 4 to Gasol, including two huge tip ins with 9 seconds left in regulation and then the game winning basket in overtime by Bynum. In the end it comes down to boxing out your man, something that’s taught from when you first start playing basketball. Gasol shouldn’t be able to snake his way in through four Celtics and get that tip.
Celtics shot just 6-19 from 3 and only 39.2% from the field. Allen led the team in scoring with 22 points as he was 9-22 from the field. Pierce had another great night as he had 18-9-7 with a big three in OT to put the Celts up with two minutes left in OT. The Lakers shot 1-15 from three and only 39.6% from the field. Derek Fisher was extremely ineffective as he went 0-7 with 1 rebound and 2 assists. Avery Bradley did not see the court in a game where I was interested in how he would be able to guard Kobe.
Celtics will look to bounce back today against the Raptors as the second part of their back to back.
Extra notes: Shout out to Paul Pierce as he was named to the All Star team. On this day last year Ray Allen became the NBA all team leading three point shooter passing Reggie Miller. Rondo, Pierce, and Allen all played over 40 minutes. Greg Stiemsma, Jujuan Johnson, and Avery Bradley all received DNP’s.
There’s not much to talk about concerning the Bruins today. They got smoked the other night. Ryan Miller played great, Tuukka Rask did not, simple enough.
Switching gears, Tiger makes his 2012 U.S. debut this weekend at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. This is a great event on the Tour because you get to see Chris Berman and other celebrities make fools of themselves on the course, making us feel better about ourselves. Tiger played well last week at the Abu Dhabi tourney in the United Arab Emirates and he looks to have regained some of his old form. As of this post, he is -4 through 12 holes, 4 shots behind the leader. I personally think Tiger is going to come back strong this year (his swing mechanics are 100% better) and I am going to predict that he will win the green jacket at the Masters in April. You know he will be confident, but now he will have to compete with young guns like Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy who have emerged (among others) as legitimate competitors in major tournaments.
As a follow up to yesterday’s post ranking AL East catchers, today I will rank the first basemen of the division. As expected, the first base position provides a lot of power for all five of these teams, but no player is as well rounded as the Adrian the Cat.
The rankings are as follows:
1. Adrian Gonzalez
2. Mark Texeira
3. Carlos Pena
4. Adam Lind
5. Chris Davis
Gonzo needs to be number one here. He was a legitamate MVP candidate last year, which is incredible considering his massive HR drought to start the 2011 season (1 HR in all of April). He’s got a great glove and I expect him to increase his HR total (2nd lowest of career), while maintaining similar RBI production. Although I do see a drop from his career best .338 batting average, I see Gonzo being a force in the middle of the Sox lineup and a MVP contender to start the season.
Texeira is one of the most overpaid players in baseball. He was the third highest paid position player last year (fourth overall). He earned $23.125 million, while Adrian was the 14th highest paid first baseman in the MLB and earned every penny of his $6.3 million. The sad part (for the Yankees) is that they have Texeira and his .248 batting average (from last year) signed into a no trade clause until 2016. I’m the first to admit he is a good hitter, and he’s a player every pitcher is afraid can take them yard any pitch, but he has been unwilling to make any adjustments during his struggles as a Yankee. He’s been known to have struggles adapting to the huge shift that opposing teams put on him as a pull hitter (Sox fans- think David Ortiz during his slump of 2010). Don’t get me wrong, Texiera plays great defense and hits 30+ home runs a year, but any “elite” hitter that earns that much money and then hits .180, .148, and .167 in the last three postseasons, respecitvely, loses all respect in my vote.
I think Pena is starting to decline a bit with his power, which is why I thought about giving Lind the slight edge over him. Despite this, Pena has an uncanny ability to get on base (his OBP is regularly about 130 points better than his BA) and displays underrated defensive skills. Lind hasn’t been consistent enough to warrant the third spot in rankings. Last up is Chris Davis for the Orioles. Davis was a big time prospect a few years ago for the Rangers, and displayed some good power for them in his first two years in the bigs. Since joining the Orioles, Davis struggled with a shoulder injury. He was a good prospect but hasn’t panned out the last few years, so hopefully he can find the power stroke hes been missing lately.
Celtics come up with a big win over the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls as they win 95-91. Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics as he had 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists. His constant pace pushed the Celtics to 33 fast break points as he controlled the flow of the game. Rondo played with an attitude that hasn’t been seen for the last few games as he really took it at the Bulls. I couldn’t tell if either he had been ripped into by Doc after the last game or if he was really offended that Rose wasn’t playing. It almost seemed as to Rondo that playing against the likes of C.J. Watson and John Lucas was insulting to him and he was punishing the Bulls for it.
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