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If anyone’s like me, yesterday was a bit depressing watching football with no Pats game. But even without a game, we still managed to strengthen our lead in the AFC East with both Buffalo and Miami losing. Not a bad … Continue reading
Well, the Celtics certainly didn’t get off to the start we had all hoped for, but on a brighter note our arch nemesis, the Los Angeles Lakers, are on the same page and find themselves at the bottom of the Pacific division standings. To make matters worse for L-A, one of the marquee players they brought in during the off-season, point guard Steve Nash, was injured in their recent loss to the Portland Trailblazers.
The 38-year-old Nash collided with Portland Trailblazers rookie point guard Damian 
Lillard in the 2nd quarter of Wednesday nights 116 to 106 loss. Nash suffered a lower left leg contusion and was only able to play one series of the second half before being sent to the sidelines for the rest of the night.
Nash was quoted on ESPN.com saying “I guess I wouldn’t want to say right now, but I’m definitely hopeful” on whether he’ll be game ready for this Fridays contest against the Los Angeles Clippers.
While Laker Nation should by no means hit the panic button this early in the season, it certainly brings up two main question to consider.
1. Can the Lakers keep everybody (especially Nash) healthy? Of the Lakers starting five, only Dwight Howard (26-years-old) is under the age of 30. Kobe Bryant (34), Metta World Peace (32), and Pau Gasol (32) are all above 30 years-of-age (including the aforementioned Nash, 38). Age could play a key role in whether this L-A squad can keep everyone out on the floor and not sidelined with injuries.This will also factor in to how many wins and losses the team will produce and whether or not a post-season will be in the picture.
2. Can this Lakers offense, filled with so many different personalities, actually co-exist? When you put this year’s Los Angeles Lakers team under a sports micro-scope, you’ll see a breeding ground for one of two contagious diseases. The first is success. This Lakers squad is no doubt loaded with talent. If they can build a solid team chemistry, they could find themselves edging out the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs for a trip to the NBA Finals when it’s all said and done.
However, the second is more deadly and could lead to the Lakers demise…failure. Can Steve Nash facilitate the rock and Kobe still get his shine? Will Dwight Howard be too big of a distraction on and off the court? Will Metta World Peace stay sane long enough to actually help the team this season? Is Pau Gasol still happy to be playing in the purple and gold after numerous trade talks swarmed his psyche last year?
Alright so that was obviously more than two questions, but the 2012-2013 Lakers have a lot of question marks and sadly there is no clear answer to any of them just yet. We will simply have to wait, watch and wonder what will become of L-A this season. Until then, let us rejoice in their recent shortcomings. The C’s might be 0-1, but it beats 0-2 and are guys are healthy.
Home Sweet Home: Tonight the Boston Celtics will look to bounce back from a season opening loss to the reigning NBA Champs, the Miami Heat, as they host the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden at 7:30pm. Paul Pierce and company will go up against the run and gun Bucks lead by point guard Brandon Jennings. Boston should have the upper hand in this match-up as the Celtics swept the season series last year winning all three contests against Milwaukee.
Likely Lineups: Let’s take a look at the toe-to-toe roster rundown for this one:
Celtics Bucks
PG Rajon Rondo PG Brandon Jennings
SG Courtney Lee SG Monta Ellis
SF Paul Pierce SF Mike Dunleavy
PF Brandon Bass PF Drew Gooden
C Kevin Garnett C Samuel Dalembert
Player Previews: No surprise the usual suspects for Boston will come up big in this one as Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett will all do their part. But look for potential six man of the year award winner Jason Terry (8 points against Miami, 4 of 4 from the free throw line) to spark for a few scores and also keep an eye on another new guy in Leandro Barbosa (16 points against the Heat) who could become a solid swing man for the C’s.
For the Bucks the dynamic scoring duo of guards Brandon Jennings (19.1 PPG last year) and Monta Ellis (20.4 last year) is always a deadly combo. Those two can simply light up the scoreboard when they’re both clicking. Another player to watch, if he gets the minutes, is backup forward Ersan Ilyasova. Ilyasova averaged 13 PPG with 8 RPG last season. He could see more minutes if his numbers continue to have a steady uptick.
When 2 Watch: As mentioned earlier the C’s home opener will begin tonight at 7:30pm. If your going to the game be sure to cheer loudly, drink responsibly and as always enjoy the game.
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I know the Bye Week is good for the Pats but as a fan it’s definitely the worst week of the fall. Come September, every Sunday is all about the Patriots, then all of a sudden it’s gone. Anyways, in … Continue reading
Jason Terry has been voted as the most likely sixth-man award winner for this NBA season. JET received 11 votes, while Jamal Crawford earned 8. Ray Allen even got 4 of 
his own. Even Jeff Green was voted for once, even after his rough first game back.
With reigning sixth-man award winner James Harden starting for the Houston Rockets now (scored 37 points and added 12 assists in his debut), the field is wide open. Jason Terry has already won it once before while with the Dallas Mavericks. Leandro Barbosa even won it when he was with the Suns, and if he plays like he did in the first game, he could be a big surprise. But I’ll give my vote to Jason Terry because if he can help get us over the Miami obstacle, he will be seen as one of the key factors since we lost to them the past two seasons.
Boston Sports Blog 