Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past three days, I’m sure you’ve seen Jerome Simpson’s flip into the endzone. It’s just so incredible that it would’ve felt wrong not posting it. Anyways, I’ll give it a 9.5 considering he didn’t completely stick the landing. I could do better. But seriously, is this the single best NFL play ever?
The best Christmas for any basketball fan yesterday was the return of the NBA. The only thing that could have made it better for Boston was watching the C’s come out of New York with a win. Unfortunately, we all know how that played out. Losing to the Knicks, especially with their all-star elf Spike Lee jumping up and down courtside, is always tough to swallow. But not all was lost in New York for the Celts. I think it’s safe to thank Danny Ainge for holding on to Rondo, even if he didn’t mean to. Throughout the short preseason, we could see improvement in Rondo’s shot and overall play, but yesterday he made a statement. 
His stats were amazing, with 31 points and 13 assists, while almost single handedly bringing the Celtics back into the game, but his aggressive manner and matured nature of play is what shone through the loss. With an aging team, Rondo is the key to the Celts this season. If he can continue to play like a first team all-star, the Celts are going to be alright this season. Not to mention having guys like Brandon Bass slip on a green and white uniform and make a statement of his own. He ended the day with 20 points and 11 rebounds, letting everyone know which team got the better deal in Orlando trade. Bass coming off the bench is going to prove to be a great addition to the Celtics squad, both offensively and defensively. Bring Pierce back and throw Mickael Pietrus into the mix, I think the C’s are going to be just fine.
Contrary to popular belief, Christmas weekend was good in the Boston sports world. Sure it was tough seeing the C’s lose yesterday but you have to look at the bigger picture. We’ll start out Friday with the Bruins absolutely annihilating the Panthers at home 8-0. Brad Marchand capped the day off with his first career hat trick en route to stretching the B’s win streak to 6 games. At this point I think it’s safe to say the best team in Boston resides on the ice. How can you argue with a team that has won 20 of its last 23 games and gone from zero to hero in a span of two months? Then we can look at our AFC East champion Patriots. People forget that they’re one win away from clinching top seed in the AFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. It’s a bit sketchy watching them go down 17-0 to Miami at halftime, but they always find a way to win down the stretch. One more win against a struggling Buffalo team and the road to the Superbowl for the AFC goes through Foxboro. Christmas Day was a bit unsettling as we watched the Celts fall to the Knicks 106-104, as it always hurts to lose to New York in any sport. But not all was lost in this game. The C’s proved they could play ball. With Pierce out and Pietrus awaiting a physical, it was good to see a few Celtics step up. The loss was tough to handle, but more can be taken away from the game. I still feel good, if not better, about the C’s as they continue their season this week. Ideally it could have been better, but again it’s hard for Boston sports fans to complain today. Happy Monday!
Tomorrow, our AFC East champs are set for a Christmas Eve matchup in Foxboro against the Miami Dolphins. AFC champions is a great start, but let’s be honest…it’s just a start and in fact, doesn’t mean a whole lot in the bigger picture. Winning out and securing the top seed in the AFC is what the Pats are looking to accomplish. This would set the stage for home field advantage throughout the playoffs, a much more advantageous accommodation than simply winning the division. Although the Pats are 6-2 on the road this year, they need to look past that and at what they could potentially face. Both the Steelers and the Ravens have proved their dominance at home, as opposed to their road schedules. The Steelers are 6-1 at home, 4-3 on the road, while the Ravens are 7-0 at home this year, and 3-4 on the road. The Pats need to come into the final two games of the regular season as if they’re fighting for a playoff spot. No longer does it mean putting in backups and giving Brady a rest. They need to take the Dolphins seriously, as the team has won 5 of their last 7 after a less than dismal start. If the Pats leave it all on the field tomorrow and again New Year’s Day against a struggling Buffalo, they should be well off on their journey to Super Bowl XLVI.
Well the Celt’s preseason has come and gone in a blink of an eye, as it should considering they only mustered up two games. It was great to see them win at the garden last night, but the game served a higher purpose. With 13 guaranteed contracts and the likelihood they’ll only carry 14 players out of camp, the C’s only have one roster spot open for the likes of Greg Stiemsma, Gilbert Brown, Jamal Sampson, and Michael Sweetney. In my opinion, and based on how much he played and how he performed, Stiemsma’s going to be the man left standing. He put in 7 points off the bench last night, but ran the floor and showed how he could be a defensive presence for the Celts. None of the others really stood out in either preseason game, besides Sweetney for obvious reasons. It was like Danny called Vince Wilfork to come play. In the six minutes he played, the crowd erupted at the garden each time he merely touched the ball. When he scored his first and only bucket, on a failed dunk attempt, the garden lit up like it was Game 7 vs. the Lakers, circa 2008. I kind of felt bad for the guy but such is life.
With the season opener only three days away, many question how strong the Celtics will be. There’s been a lot of doubt in everyone’s mind as to how they’ll perform. It may not be as promising as past years, but I have faith. My pick for this year is E’Twaun Moore. Mark my word, this kid’s going to do big things. His quickness, vision, shooting, and ability to play to the people around him are going to come in handy this year, especially with the veteran presence the Celts have. I think we’re going to see good things come out of Moore this year. I’m excited to see him and the rest of the team in action come Christmas. Should be a good game.
With the lack of Tebow heroics this weekend, NFL chatter had to look elsewhere for news during the week. In fact, it can be found right here in Boston, as top news early this week has been Wes Welker’s arrival to Twitter (@WesWelker). The Pat’s stud got a true taste for the Twitter craze right off the bat, seeing his followers rise up to 80,000+ in a couple days. Using this to connect with his fans, Welker revealed he would be at Whole Foods in Bellingham doing an appearance for the energy bar he endorses. Little did he know all 80,000 would show up. Little bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. The line was out the door and the busy athlete wasn’t able to make time for everyone, as he needed to continue prepping for the game against Miami Christmas Eve. One follower even tweeted her complaint about the appearance at Wes, to which he responded.
What a guy. How could you not love him? Play maker on the field, gentleman off. But seriously, you have to love the camaraderie the Pats have. Ocho, who notoriously abuses Twitter, and even Gronk have been going back and forth with Welker over Twitter. I’m telling ya, the thing is taking over. If you don’t have one you’re missing out! For the full article check out CSNNE.com’s post.
Yesterday the NHL Power Rankings came out for the week, putting the B’s at 2nd place behind the Blackhawks. Not too bad, considering we did move up three spots since losing our 1st place ranking two weeks ago. What gets me is the fact that the Flyers are still ranked third after the Bruins destroyed them Saturday. Correction…Absolutely EMBARRASSED them on their home ice. Without Pronger and Giroux there is no way this team keeps pace with top teams, and the B’s game was just the 
beginning of that slide. But who cares, we’ll just take care of our business and let Philly’s misfortune pan out.
Taking care of business is exactly what the Bruin’s did last night at the garden. Despite struggling so far this season, Montreal always poses a threat when they come into Boston. It doesn’t matter how well either team is doing, the rivalry brings out the best in both squads. Last night the B’s held their ground with a 3-2 victory, and sent the Canadiens back across the border with their heads down. Krejci, Pouliot, and Marchard netted the goals for Boston, as Timmy stood solid once again between the pipes. The B’s scored a late goal off a turnover in the Montreal zone, which would prove crucial as the Habs pulled their goalie and netted one with under 2 minutes to play. With a few days’ rest, the Bruins are looking for revenge at home when the Florida Panthers come into town Friday.
It’s been great writing these weekend recaps lately. Of course it helps being a Boston sports fan, but Monday always seems a little brighter when there isn’t much to complain about in the sports realm.
The Bruins absolutely embarrassed the Flyers on Saturday, capping off a two game road trip with a 6-0 stomping in Philly. They now sit tied with the Flyers in points atop the Eastern Conference. Tim Thomas was once again a rock in net, recording his 30th career shutout. The B’s take the ice at home tonight against the struggling Canadiens team as they look to expand their new winning streak to 5 games and pull ahead to sole possession of the conference lead.
Order was restored in Denver this Sunday, and “Tebow Time” was put on standby. As expected, the Pats took down Tebow and the Broncos, putting an end to all the miracle boy chat (at least for the next week). Oh how about Timmy boy running for his life towards the end of the 4th quarter? I mean how do you let yourself get sacked for a 29 yard loss? Brady would never allow that. Speaking of the legend, Tom threw for 2 TDs and rushed one in himself, capping off the score with a “Gronk-esque” type spike. With the win, the Pats claimed the AFC East title for the 9th time in 11 seasons with Brady at the helm.
For the first time in 7 months we got to watch the Celtics squad take the court. First things first…it was an ugly game, but basketball is back so I’ll take it! Doc played everyone, giving the starters some late game rest and the newcomers a chance to show what they got. After giving up a commanding lead in the 4th quarter, the C’s were able to hold off a late game push by the Raptors to seal off a 76-75 win in Toronto. The Raptors come to Boston Wednesday night for both teams’ final preseason game before the regular season tips off Christmas Day.
With another passing weekend, again Boston sports fans cannot complain. Our two division leaders have continued to advance, one moving ahead in their conference and the other clinching a division title. Our lost boys in green are back in action, looking to make one more run at the Larry O’Brien trophy. Once again, all is well in Beantown. Happy Monday!
And basketball season is upon us. I know it’s not the start of the regular season or even an actual game, but the C’s will be on the parquet tonight at the Garden for an intrasquad scrimmage in front of roughly 5,000 fans, BSB staff included. I hope they win…no nothing? Anyways, I figured I’d send you into the weekend and the NBA season with a classic video from C’s locker room last year. Go Celts!
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