Category Archives: Celtics

Celtics Weekend Review

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The Celtics came out of the Weekend back over .500 as they won both games over the Nets and the Knicks. The Celtics beat the New Jersey Nets 107-94 and the Knicks 115-111 in overtime. Pierce was the leading scorer in both games as he scored 27 and 34 points. Kevin Garnett had double-doubles in both games as shot over 50% for the weekend in total. But the weekend belonged to Rondo. Rondo had 14 points and 13 assists in the first game, and then exploded Sunday for 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 20 assists. This was the third game in the last three weeks where Rondo had a triple double, and his fourth of the season. According ESPN Rondo joins Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the third NBA player in history to have over 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 20 assists.

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Rajon Rondo

18

17

20

Wilt Chamberlain

22

25

21

Oscar Robertson

32

15

20

Add in all the missed layups Rondo had in the game and he could have easily had 25-30 points. Rajon also became only the 3rd player in the last 25 seasons to have over 15 points, assists, and rebounds in a single game, joining Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson. Shout out to my friend Cody for this stat, the NBA has had 10 triple-doubles this season, and Rajon Rondo has four of them. He has been the only player with more than one triple-double on the season.

Ever since the Jermaine O’Neal has been out with his injured wrist, KG has slid over to the five position. It has been huge for the Celtics. The rebounding has been better, and KG’s defense on the 5’s has been great. He has also been able to get his shot off better as the 5’s do not want to come out as far to defend KG and let him drive by for the easy two. If or when O’Neal comes back, the Celtics should stick with KG at the five and have Jermaine come off the bench. Bass and Wilcox are playing too well at the four to have both of them come off the bench for the rest of the season.

The Celtics play next on Tuesday at the Garden against the Houston Rockets at 7:30 PM.

Jermaine O’Neal Injury News

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Jermaine O’Neal injured his wrist in the game against the Mavericks and it was initially ruled as a sprained left wrist. He met with a hand specialist in Boston and the injury was ruled much more serious than expected. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reported that O’Neal has three options.

1.)    Take a cortisone shot

2.)    Minor wrist surgery

3.)    Season-ending wrist surgery

O’Neal is currently deciding on which situation to choose. It should be noted that Jermaine has struggled with wrist injuries in the past.

Going forward, it looks like Garnett will get moved to center and it looks like Brandon Bass will start at power forward. Chris Wilcox and Jujuan Johnson will get more run off the bench as the Celtics will probably run more in transition.

If the Celtics end up losing Jermaine for the season, they will be losing what has been their best post defender this season. Jermaine O’Neal has been rated by synergy as one of the top-ten defensive players in the NBA this season. He has a unique ability to be able to block shots and take charges. But at this point in his career Jermaine is extremely weak offensively. He ranks 49th out of all centers offensively this season even 9 spots behind the steamer, Greg Stiemsma.

Hopefully Jermaine comes back this season and helps the Celtics. I was hoping that they would be able to use his contract to trade for some future assets or players (Michael Beasley’s contract matches up nicely). But I am trying to not to get too greedy.

The Leap Year Rule

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Leap Day. That magical day that disappears for three years before coming back. Besides the fact that most people don’t understand the point of it nor care to, it could mean good news for the Celtics’ second half of the season. Celtics Blog ran an article about this during the lockout, so I figured what better time to relive that article than on Leap Day itself. Introducing, the Leap Year Rule. This rule is strictly for Kevin Garnett. During his tenure in the NBA, KG’s career has followed an odd 4-year pattern of success, with the 4th year being a Leap Year. Let’s break it down.

1996 – Leap Year #1: Kevin Garnett Becomes KG – Drafted by a losing Timberwolves organization at the beginning of the 95-96 season, Garnett stepped into the NBA limelight. Coming off the bench during the first half of the season, Garnett began putting up all-star numbers and was inevitably put in a starting position during 1996. Oddly enough, his struggling Wolves started to win.

2000 – Leap Year #2: KG Reaches All-Star Status – With the turn of the millennium, Garnett led the Timberwolves to their first 50-win season in team history. He was named to his first career 1st Team All-Star position, as well as runner-up for the league MVP title. Oh, and just to put the icing on the cake, he went on to win a gold medal as a part of the 2000 US Olympic Team.

2004 – Leap Year #3: Garnett Continues to Rise – KG led the T-Wolves to their best season in team history, landing the #1 seed in the Western Conference. Despite his team getting knocked out in the Conference Finals, Garnett was the near unanimous vote for league MVP, with Shaq in 2000 being the only player to receive a higher percentage of votes for MVP.

2008 – Leap Year #4: KG Helps Raise Banner 17 – If I have to explain the year 2008 then you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog anyways. Joining Pierce and Allen, KG helped bring glory back to Boston for the first time since 1986, as the C’s trumped the Lakers to win the NBA Finals. Garnett was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year en route to reminding us that “Anything is Possible.”

2012…

20120229-163437.jpgI’m not making any promises, but the facts are laid out on the table. Something memorable is going to happen in KG’s career this season. I have two predictions and it’ll either be one or the other. My obvious prediction is that KG is going to help raise another banner in Boston this year. As unlikely as most would say that is, the underdog victory is no new feat in Boston (see New England Patriots circa 2001-02). On the other hand, as much as I want to say the C’s will win the championship, my second guess is that KG will retire. Another huge move in his career, although not exactly what we’ve had in mind. Now maybe both my predictions will come true and KG’s final Leap Year in the NBA will be his most memorable. It might sound crazy, but hey, it’s Leap Day!

Thanks again to Celtics Blog for the tip.

Celtics-Bucks Preview

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The Celtics (16-17) are looking to start another winning streak as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks (14-20). The Celtics are now tied for seventh place in the eastern conference with the Knicks and are 2.5 games ahead of the Bucks in the race for the 8th spot. The Celtics are coming off of a 86-83 win against the pesky Cleveland Cavaliers where the Bucks are coming off the a 119-118 win over the Washington Wizards.

Brandon Bass came back from his injury and hit his first five shots for the Celtics last night. It was pretty promising as both he and Wilcox looked healthy. Wilcox grabbed 11 rebounds. The Celtics were led by Ray Allen who looked fresh after having the All-Star break off as he went for 22 points. Pietrus also had his biggest dunk of the season with that surgically repaired knee starting to look real good. Finally my man Avery Bradley played well again going 3-5 from the floor with 3 assists and no turnovers.

The Bucks are being led by Brandon Jennings as he is averaging 18.2 points per game and 5.3 assists per game. Last night Mike Dunleavy came off the bench to score 28 points. The Celtics have to be careful with the ball tonight because the Bucks scored 26 points off of 15 turnovers. The Celtics also have to watch out for Ersan Ilyasova who has been a beast on the boards this season. He has 4 double-doubles in his last five games including a 29-25 game against the New Jersey Nets 10 days ago.

Keys to the Game

Turnovers

As it has been all season the Celtics have to keep the turnovers down to a minimum. Pierce and Rondo had 11 turnovers. As the Bucks turn a lot of turnovers into points, the Celtics are going to need to take care of the ball if they’re going to want to get the winning streak to 2.

Rebounding

As I mentioned earlier Ilyasova is a beast. He has been killing teams on the boards this year. And the Celtics have been getting killed by everyone on the boards. They need to box out and go after rebounds defensively and offensively. It’s not a you-take-it kinda deal. I want to see them fight for rebounds and stop giving up easy second chance points.

Tip-Off is at 7:30 tonight.

Celtics-Cavs Preview

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The Celtics (15-17) look to start off the second half of the season with a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers (13-18). The Celtics have lost 7 of their last 8 games and their last 5 straight. This is the deciding game of the season series as both the Celtics and Cavs have both won one. Kyrie Irving had the game winning layup in the first game as the Cav’s went on a 12-0 run to beat the Celts by one. Two days later the Celtics almost blew a 22 point lead against the Cav’s but managed to hold on for a 3 point win.

The Celtics are supposed to get Rajon Rondo (suspension), Brandon Bass (Knee), and Chris Wilcox (Groin) all back to play against the Cavs. Look for Rajon Rondo to come out and attack the basket early on in the game as he came out during the All-Star break and took the teams struggles on his shoulders. When Rondo attacks the hoop early, it bodes well for the Celtics chances. Getting both Bass and Wilcox back will be huge for the Celtics as they are two of the better rebounders for the Celtics and Varejao has killed the Celtics on the board this year. They will both bring an offensive presence to the Celts as Bass is deadly with his jumper and Wilcox is Rondo’s favorite player in the transition game.

Keys to the Game

Turnovers

Until the Celtics can consistently stop turning over the ball 15+ times per game, this is going to be on here. The Celtics are turning over the ball the 8th most in the NBA. It doesn’t matter how good of defense they are playing because of all the easy buckets they are giving up from rebounds and turnovers.

Rebounding

The Celtics rank dead last in rebounds per game, they are getting outrebounded by their opponents by over 3 rebounds a game. Getting Chris Wilcox and Brandon Bass back will definitely help the Celtics. The Celtics have to look to box out Anderson Varejao who had 9 and 20 rebounds in the two previous games.

 Marquee Matchup

     vs.    

The marquee matchup tonight is Rajon Rondo vs. Kyrie Irving. Rondo is coming off a two game suspension and the All-Star game while Kyrie is coming off the MVP of the Rising Stars game where he scored 34 points off 8-8 shooting from 3. Look for both players to attack the paint and be very active all over the floor. Whichever player wins this matchup will likely win the game for his team.

All Star Break Grades – Small Forward

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Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

Paul Pierce

17.6

5

5.3

.48

1.21

+145

19.1

Positives: Pierce is looking more as a creator this year averaging a career high in assists per game. Especially in games where Rondo is out, Pierce takes over ball handling duties and creates for other players. He has been looking more of the Pierce of old as of late as he is attacking the rim and getting much more in game shape. Is still the Celtics best scorer and has the ability to go off in a quarter. Above average defensive player who uses his strength on defense.

Negatives: Pierce is averaging his lowest points per game since his rookie season in 98-99. Came into the season out of shape and used at least the first fifteen games to get acclimated to playing again. Lost a lot of athleticism and age is becoming a factor.

Grade: B-

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

Mickael Pietrus

7.1

3.3

.6

.22

.48

+25

9.0

Positives: Expectations were low for Pietrus as he was a late signing and coming off of a knee surgery. He has been a major surprise to the Celtics, providing key 3 point shooting and great defense. He has lit a fire into the second unit and allowed Doc not to have to play Sasha Pavlovic or Marquis Daniels extended time. Doc has helped him out a lot this season, he has progressed from a player who has great defensive talents, to being a great defensive players.

Negatives: Has been relatively cold lately from beyond the arc. Cannot really create his own shot, is more of a spot up shooter. May be due to his poor ball handling ability, has only become a 3-point threat offensively.

Grade: B+

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

Sasha Pavlovic

2.4

1.1

.2

.44

.28

-25

5.8

Positives: Not too much to be positive of here. Pavlovic has shown in the past that he can be a 3 point shooter. Every once in a while he comes up with a steal or two as he did against Orlando this year.

Negatives: Where should I start? Sasha does not get to the line, has trouble driving the ball to the basket, and has a non-existent post game. He does not have a handle to run the point guard position or gets rebounds on the offensive or defensive glass unless they fall to him. He is more or less Scal without bringing anything else to the table. I wish the Celtics would have used his money to sign Gerald Green back to the team (as the Nets just did).

Grade: F

 

Other Grades

Shooting Guards | Point Guards

C’s Give Little Help as East Falls

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We all know what’s going to happen when you put 10 of basketball’s best players on the same court at the same time. Last night’s NBA All-Star Game was nothing short of a dunk contest. As the second highest scoring matchup in the history of the All-Star Game, the Celtic’s contribution came in the form of a mere 5 points via Rondo and Pierce. But that’s neither here nor there. What matters is whether or not the C’s have what it takes to turn the season around when they get back to work Tuesday in Cleveland for game 33, marking the exact halfway point of the shortened 66 game schedule.

Also, in case you missed it, here’s a clip of Rondo’s half-court alley-oop to Lebron from last night. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing to watch as a C’s fan but I’ll put it up just because Durant beat LJB out for All-Star MVP and I don’t feel quite as guilty with Rondo creating the play.

 

All Star Break Grades – Shooting Guards

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Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

Ray Allen

14.5

3.1

2.8

.14

.79

+73

15.3

Positives: At 36, Ray is showing that he still has it. He is 3rd on the team in minutes played with 33.9 per game and is constantly in motion. Due to a great diet, conditioning, and hard work Ray has aged the best out of the big three. He has taken less physical contact than both Paul and KG but the way his body has kept up is a testament to Ray. He is shooting 43.5% from 3 and almost 94% from the line. Ray opens up the floor for everyone else with his shooting. The way that he runs around on the floor, not only works to get him open, but wears out the opposing player.

Negatives: Can’t really take players off the dribble. Other than defending Kobe Bryant, Ray is just an average defender. He needs to cut down on his turnovers, because when he is not the primary ball handler he should be able to average less than 2 a game.

With no other real quality shooting guards on the roster Doc has to rely on Ray in both wins and losses. Hopefully his legs will be able to handle the rest of the strenuous season because if the Celtics are going to make a run, they’re going to need Ray’s shooting.

Grade: A-

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

Marquis Daniels

2.8

1.7

1.3

.26

.43

+7

6.0

Positives: Marquis is a smart player, who rebounds and hustles. His skills aren’t the greatest. But he defends hard and is a favorite of Doc’s.

Negatives: Daniels is having a terrible season so far. He has lost his minutes in recent games to Sasha Pavlovic. In the last five games he has played 14 minutes combined and scored 0 points. He had been turning over the ball and was looking frantic out there. Not something you expect from an 8 year vet. In the game against the Thunder the other night his +/- was -17 in only 5 minutes of playing time.

Grade: D

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

E’Twaun Moore

3

.7

1

.13

.3

-4

8.8

Positives: E’Twaun has been a big surprise for the Celtics. People weren’t expecting much from the second-round pick. He had his best game of the season against the Orlando Magic in the comeback game. He had a career high 16 points and shot 4-4 from three in only 18 minutes. The emergence of Avery Bradley has severely cut into Moore’s minutes as the season’s progressed. He has a positive future for the Celtics but from here on out, I do not see him getting any big minutes this season.

Negatives: Still not sure where E’Twaun fits, is he a point guard or a shooting guard? When he comes off the bench he needs to provide a spark for the Celtics every game like he did in the Magic game. It’s a tough job to do but he has to do but it doesn’t come easy for 2nd round picks in the NBA. ­

If the Celtics had more depth on the team, I would be guessing that E’Twaun may be spending this season with their D-League affiliate. Unfortunately the Celtics do not have that luxury and E’Twaun is going to get only sporadic playing time for the rest of the season.

Grade: C+

 

Click here for Point Guard Grades

All Star Break Grades – Point Guards

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Over the next few days during the All-Star Break I am going to be grading the Celtics players by their positions. Starting with the C’s point guards.

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

Rajon Rondo

14.8

4.9

9.5

0

1.64

+61

18.9

Positives: Without Rajon Rondo, I am not sure where the Celtics would be. He is the heart and the motor that drives the team. His jump shot is continually improving to the point where teams are at least aware of where he is on the floor. When he is looking for his shot, he can easily put up over 25 points, but feels content to let the shots come to him and feed the rest of his players. Defensively he is an animal who comes up with over 1.5 steals per game. May be the best passer in the NBA, with his vision, long arms, and huge hands he has not found a pass he couldn’t make. Rondo made the All-Star team, replacing Joe Johnson, and also made the Skills competition, replacing Steph Curry.

Negatives: Still has a way below-average jump shot. Plays hard, but mood can affect his tenacity. May gamble too much as he gives up more points than he saves from steals, relies on power forwards and centers to slide over to help defend. Struggles at free throw line continue (61.5%). Rondo needs to be a less moody player and learn to control his emotions (aka throwing ball at referee other night).

Grade: B+

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

Avery Bradley

4.3

1.8

1.3

.27

.53

+26

7.8

Avery has a very different role when Rondo is out. I am also going to add the 10 games that he started.

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

Avery Bradley

7.3

3.1

2.6

.2

.9

N/A

Bradley vs Thunder

12

2

5

3

1

+3

Avery is obviously getting more and more comfortable with the minutes he is getting. Obviously he cannot replicate the types of numbers that Rondo provides, but the drop off is not as bad as people might think. The offense goes into a different direction with Rondo out, the ball moves much more fluidly and is touched by everyone on offense

Positives: Bradley has a better jumper than Rondo and defenses are going to learn that they have to respect that. This opens up more of a lane for Pierce and Allen to penetrate and find open shooters. He is one of the premier defenders, if not the premier on ball defender in the NBA.

Negatives: Jump shot is still a little shaky although it has looked great in past few games. Can get a little out of control on offense and commit a few turnovers. He can over pursue when he full court presses leading to more problems for other teammates. Avery needs to find more consistency to get the faith from Doc on a day in day out basis.

Grade: B

Player

Points

Rebounds

Assists

Blocks

Steals

+/-

PER

Keyon Dooling

5.1

.7

1.1

.06

.25

-31

7.2

Positives: Keyon has shown that he is not afraid of taking shots at big times, he has shown that he wants to be a crucial scorer off the bench. He is a plus defender and puts in effort on defense, can defend point guard or shooting guard position.

Negatives: For all that Keyon has wanted to do, I am coming to the conclusion that he is just not that good. He is a combo guard who wants to be a shooting guard. He does not have the handle for a point guard, or the ability to create as a two. He forces up too many three’s to allow the Celtics get into a flow. He has struggled with injuries this season and personally when I see him on the floor I just see it as time being taken away from Rondo, Bradley, or even E’Twaun Moore.

Grade: D

Overall:

Rajon Rondo is clearly one of the premier point guards in the NBA and is the best player on the Celtics this season. All he needs to do is mature a little bit more and get his jump shot to just an adequate level to become one of the best players in the NBA. Avery Bradley has been the surprise of the season for the Celtics, playing great defense and being an adequate backup and spot starter for Rondo. He has shown the Celtics he is a player for the future and is my favorite player on the team. Keyon Dooling has been a major disappointment so far. The bench has been extremely weak for the Celtics this season, and Keyon is a major part of that. The offense is not run well, and he has not seemed to mesh with any of those players on the second unit yet. I expect him to have a better second half, but I have not been impressed with him so far.

Overall Grade: B

Celtics vs. Thunder Recap

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The Celtics lost their fifth straight game against the Thunder 119-104. It was always going to be a struggle as the Celtics were missing Rondo (suspension), Jermaine O’Neal (Wrist), Chris Wilcox (Right Abductor), and Brandon Bass (Knee). This led to a shift in the lineup of Paul Pierce to the 4 position and Kevin Garnett to the 5. The Celtics started out well in their new lineup jumping out to a 22-12 lead in the first quarter. The Celtics could not hold the lead though, and once the second unit came onto the floor, the Thunder pounced and went on a 30-3 run. The Thunder continued the hot streak and put up the most points in a half all season (72). James Harden was constantly exposing the Celtics defense as he kept blowing by for easy layups.

Pierce actually had one of his better games of the season, by attacking the rim he got to the line 16 times, scored 23 points, and had 8 assists. Kevin Garnett in his first game back had 23 points on 8-11 shooting. Turnovers still hurt the Celtics as they committed 18 in the game. Doc ended up relying much more on his starters than he wanted to as his subs had a terrible night from the floor. Marquis Daniels was only on the court for five minutes but the Celtics were outscored by 17 during those five minutes.

The Celtics mercifully have the All-Star Break coming up this week and have a full week off until their next game against the Bucks.

Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo will be playing in the All-Star Game as reserves for the Eastern Squad.

Extra Notes:

Kevin Garnett came back after two games from missing due to personal reasons; Pavlovic was the only Celtics player who did not play due to Coaches decision; The Thunder had 50 points in the paint; James Harden was +23 while he was on the floor; The Celtics had 3 offensive rebounds, Kendrick Perkins had 5 on his own.

Avery Bradley Alert

Avery Bradley along with Paul Pierce was the only two players for the Celtics who had a positive +/- for the Celtics. Avery shot well again for a second consecutive game going 5-9 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. We also had two of my favorite Avery moments of the season. In the first half Avery got the ball off of a rebound, dribbled the full length of the court and posterized Kevin Durant. Later on in the game, it looked as if Russell Westbrook had a clear path to the bucket but was tapped by Bradley off the backboard and forced a jump ball. Avery had 5 assists and 3 blocks on the night along with his 12 points. In the games that Rondo has missed, Avery has shown Doc that he is a capable backup and definitely a player that the Celtics should be excited about in the future.

Here’s a link to the Avery bradley Dunk (must watch)