76er’s Blow Out C’s

Posted on March 8, 2012 by leibo4

After winning five in a row after the Celtics didn’t seem to show up at all against the 76er’s. The Celtics were coming off two overtime games in a row and it clearly showed against the 76er’s. After starting out the game down 14-11. The 76er’s opened up the game with a 30-10 run off of turnovers and bad transition defense by the Celtics. During the run the Celtics shot 4-27 from the floor and were just missing easy open jumpers. The 76er’s were led by Evan Turner who turned his first start into 26 points on 11-19 shooting. He also grabbed 8 defensive rebounds and was huge in starting fast break after fast break for the 76er’s who ran the Celtics into the ground. The rest of the scoring for the 76ers was pretty even as Elton Brand had 18 and Lou Williams had 15.

The Celtics were led by Pierce with 16 and Garnett with 12, honestly not much to talk about the Celtics tonight. The offense was some of the worst that I had seen in the time with the big 3. The 33 first half points were the least, since Danny Ainge traded for Garnett and Ray Allen. I’m going to attribute this loss to some old legs playing a back-to-back after an overtime game.

The Celtics play the Blazers Friday night at the Garden at 7:30.

Extra Notes:

Celtics bench got a lot of play tonight, only Marquis Daniels played under 13 minutes for the bench as Doc played all 13 players; Ray Allen was 0-5 from the field and had his only 2 points from the line; Celtics only had 11 turnovers overall most of them coming during the run, and then 2 more by Marquis late; Tony Battie and Craig Brackins also started but only played 15 minutes total.

Avery Bradley Alert:

Avery had one big highlight of the night for the Celtics, stuffing Jrue Holiday’s last second shot to the ground and leading a fast break which ended up in the hands of Brandon Bass for the dunk. Other than that he was pretty quiet from the field shooting 2-3 and making both of his free throws for 6 points on the night. Lou Williams did put a fade away three right in Avery’s eye; I’m not sure how he could have played better defense, pretty great shot by Williams.

Rondo or No Rondo?

Posted on March 6, 2012 by jtulz07

Everywhere you go it’s Rondo this, Rondo that, but how could we ignore him after this past weekend? For weeks, rather all season long, there’s been talk and rumors of Danny looking to trade Rondo. With Rondo sidelined earlier in the season, the C’s rode their largest win streak of the season. The combination of his inconsistency and poor attitude, accompanied with an urge for team improvement were all pointing him in one direction…away from Boston.

Sunday, Rondo once again showed Danny and the rest of the city why he belongs in green. From day one, I’ve thought the idea of getting rid of our young, dynamic point guard was a mistake. With potentially the last run at the finals left for the Big Three, losing Rondo would leave us with nothing next season. Each time we doubt him he proves us wrong. After putting up Hall of Fame numbers against the Knicks Sunday is there really any argument left? Leibo made a good point yesterday in his article (Rondo vs. Williams). The NBA has seen ten triple-doubles this year. Four of them are from Rajon Rondo. I think it’s safe to say he’s staying in Boston. Either way, what do you guys think? Keep him or trade him in hopes of something better?

Who had the Better Night Rondo or Williams?

Posted on March 5, 2012 by leibo4

Rajon Rondo had a night for the ages yesterday against Linsanity, as he became only the third player in NBA history to have over 15 points, 20 assists, and 15 rebounds. Then not to be outdone, Deron Williams had a game for the ages. He scored 57 points and went 21 from 21 from the foul line. So here comes the question. Who had the better night?

Players	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	+/-	PTS
Rajon Rondo, PG	48	7-20	0-0	4-7	4	13	17	20	1	1	4	3	+5	18
Deron Williams, PG	38	16-29	4-11	21-21	1	5	6	7	1	1	5	2	+11	57

Espn.com

Rondo’s stats were obviously helped by the extra overtime period. As that’s when he came up with some of his best play scoring 5 points, 2 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds. He could have easily had 5-10 more points as he missed 3 free throws and a few easy layups throughout the game. But time and time again whenever the Celtics needed some points, Rondo found the basket or the open man. He was huge for a team in need of a big lift.

Williams had 17 points at the half and then exploded in the 3^rd quarter for 22 points. Williams is the total package as a point guard, quick, strong, with great vision, and a great outside shot. He absolutely dominated the two smaller Charlotte Bobcat point guards, Kemba Walker and D.J. Augustine in the paint. He bullied the two point guards until the Bobcats were forced to put Gerald Henderson on him down low, and then Williams went to work on him. The Bobcats decided to not double team off pick and rolls and it came back to bite them hard.

I have to give the edge to Rondo here, as the competition for the Celtics was a whole lot better than the Nets had last night. Other than the Heat it’s hard to find a hotter team than the Knicks right now, and Rondo clearly outclassed the Knick team last night. Deron had an unbelievable game, but it came against a team that has 4 wins on the season and is already looking towards next year. It’s hard to pick against him, but you don’t see nights where a player finds himself alone with Wilt Chamberlain and the
“Big O” Oscar Robertson too often.

Edge: Rajon Rondo

Celtics Weekend Review

Posted on March 5, 2012 by leibo4

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 3^rd 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

Posted on March 2, 2012 by leibo4

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 49^th 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

Posted on February 29, 2012 by jtulz07

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 4^th 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 1^st 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…

I’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

Posted on February 29, 2012 by leibo4

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 8^th 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

Posted on February 28, 2012 by leibo4

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 8^th 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

Posted on February 28, 2012 by leibo4

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

Posted on February 27, 2012 by jtulz07

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.

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