Celtics vs. Thunder Recap

Posted on February 23, 2012 by leibo4

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)

Avery Bradley Throws It Down

Posted on February 23, 2012 by jtulz07

There’s not a whole lot to be happy about right now if you’re a Celtics fan. Pierce and Rondo will be in Orlando for the All-Star game, nice. The Celts showed signs of life and came within 8 points after being down a million last night, great. See what I’m getting at? We have to seek the little things to get some sort of joy lately. With that being said, Avery Bradley’s dunk over Kevin Durant last night can’t go unnoticed. Standing at a whole 6’2″ and weighing 180 lbs, Bradley absolutely posterized one of the league’s best players. Granted he dropped 28 points en route to smoking the Celts, I couldn’t not highlight this dunk, so we’ll just look past the C’s five game skid. Enjoy.

Rondo to All Star Team

Posted on February 22, 2012 by leibo4

After a miserable two weeks for Celtics fans, were finally getting some good news. Joe Johnson is unable to play in the all star game due to tendinitis in his left knee. The initial reports are that Rajon Rondo is to replace him in the All-Star game. Rondo who is currently serving the second game of his two game suspension for throwing a ball at a referee. He would be the third point guard behind Derrick Rose and Deron Williams. Rondo is averaging 14.8 points, 9.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. Before his suspension Rondo had exploded for 35 and 32 points and seemed as if he had felt snubbed by the decision.

Is Avery Bradley the Key to the Game? Celtics-Thunder Preview

Posted on February 22, 2012 by leibo4

In the Celtics (15-16) last game before the All-Star Break they face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder (25-7) and former teammate Kendrick Perkins. Rajon Rondo will not be able to play against his good friend as he will be serving the second game of his two game suspension for throwing the basketball at the referee. The two teams are heading in different directions as the Celtics have lost 6 of their last 7 and their last 4 in a row. The Thunder have won their last three games and are 9-3 in the month of February. The Celtics are also 4-8 on the road while the Thunder are 13-1 at home.

The Celtics will hopefully get Kevin Garnett back as he has missed the last two games due to a family matter. The Celtics are extremely weak at the power forward position if he doesn’t play as Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Wilcox are both day to day from injuries against the Mavs and Brandon Bass is out until after All Star break. The Celtics will have to rely heavily on Jajuan Johnson and Greg Stiemsma as they are the only two power forwards or centers on the roster.

The Thunder are just two games removed from what I can remember as one of the most ridiculous statlines a trio of NBA players has ever produced

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals
Kevin Durant	51	8	3	0	4
Russell Westbrook	40	4	9	1	0
Serge Ibaka	14	15	0	11	1

These three bring back memories of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. While they have accomplished nothing yet, they are look very tough to beat this year and will pose a big problem for the Celtics

Keys to the Game

Get out and Run

The Celtics may or may not have any one of the three big man listed day to day. But if they do, and more importantly if they don’t, they need to get into the open floor and get some easy baskets. The team is struggling in its half court sets and getting easy baskets allows the defense to set up and do its job.

Get some Penetration

Other than Pierce and Ray last game the Celtics were settling for a lot of jumpers. The offense was stagnant and the ball was not moving crisply. It’s tough to get open shots when your not making the defense work.

Cut down on Turnovers

Paul has been trying to take over the game and its nice to see, but his 10 turnovers in the past two games is hard to swallow. The Celtics have to take care of the ball and it starts with The Truth. The Celtics are too good of a defensive team to be giving up so many easy buckets off of turnovers.

Avery Bradley

Finally, my man Avery came out strong in the first quarter last night, looking for his shot and actually hitting it. If he can show he has a consistent jumper, it will open up the floor for the rest of the Celtics shooters and allow him to penetrate and create. No one is really concerned by his defense, we all know Avery D’s up!

Celtics-Mavericks Recap

Posted on February 21, 2012 by leibo4

The Celtics lost their fourth straight game last night to the Mavericks in a game that was never really close. Without Kevin Garnett the Celtics had no defensive answer for Dirk Nowitzki as he went for 21 first half points and cruised to a 26-16 night in only 31 minutes on the floor. The Mavericks were up by as much as 26 in the game.

Rajon Rondo was suspended by the NBA for the Celtics final two games before the All-Star break for his altercation with a referee. Without Rondo, the Celtics looked lost on offense and having a tough time to truly find a way to play. Other than Avery Bradley in the first quarter the Celtics only scored 9 points. Avery and Paul were the only two Celtics to score in the first 8 minutes of the game.

The Celtics tough season with injuries continued as both Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Wilcox went out with minor injuries in the third quarter. The turnovers were again a major issue for the Celtics as they turned over the ball 17 times. It ended up turning in 25 Maverick’s points. Both Pierce and Ray continued to struggle shooting from three combining for a 2-8 night from beyond the arc. But they both attacked the rim in ways that we haven’t seen from either of them this season. With no real interior scoring presence tonight most of the Celtics 18 points in the paint came off of Paul and Ray’s ability to attack the hoop.

The Celtics look to end their losing streak Wednesday at 7:00pm against the Thunder.

Extra Notes:

Kevin Garnett missed his second straight game for personal reasons; Dirk past Robert Parish to become number 20 on the all time scoring list; Garnett is 19 on the list; Jason Kidd had three steals to pass Michael Jordan as second on the all time list; in a battle of whose leg’s have deteriorated more Vince Carter got rejected by Jermaine O’Neal on a fast break early in the game, hard to imagine that happening to Vincesanity in his prime.

Avery Bradley Alert

Avery Bradley was a bright spot for the Celtics hitting outside jumpers when the Mavericks were giving him room. Finished 6-11 for the night but he missed a few bunny lay-ups; picked the pocket of future hall of famer Jason Kidd. He scored 6 out of the first 8 points for the Celtics and was basically the entire offense in the first quarter.

Much Needed All-Star Break

Posted on February 21, 2012 by jtulz07

After a stretch of wins starting in late January where the C’s won 10 of 12 contests, capped with a big win at home vs. Chicago last week, things have began to fall apart in Boston. The Celtics found themselves spiraling downhill in the past week, losing four straight as of last night against the Mavs. Whenever things start to look up, the cards just seem to stack up against the C’s. As if losing Brandon Bass to a knee injury and KG to family issues wasn’t enough, the Celts lost Rondo for last night’s matchup and Wednesday’s due to a two game suspension. Adding insult to injury, literally, Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Wilcox both left the game in the third last night with injuries. Don’t get me wrong, I love my boy Stiemsma, but unfortunately I don’t see him being the X-factor in the paint for the C’s, at least not yet. I think it’s safe to say no one needs the All-Star break to come sooner than the Celts. A week off from play after Wednesday’s game vs. the Thunder is just what the team needs to regroup and get back to their winning ways.

Celtics Mavericks – Keys to Game, Rondo Suspension

Posted on February 20, 2012 by leibo4

The Celtics (15-15) look to rebound as they have lost their last three as they take on the defending champs the Dallas Mavericks (20-12). Both teams are coming off of losses yesterday as the Celtics lost to the Detroit Pistons 96-81 in a game where Kevin Garnett did not play due to undisclosed personal reasons and Rajon Rondo was ejected. The Mavericks are looking to recover as they were the latest to be hit by Linsanity as the Harvard grad went for 28-14 against them. This is the 3^rd game for the Celtics on a 5 game road trip. The Celtics will be without Rondo (suspended), Bass (Knee) , and may also be missing Kevin Garnett for a second straight game. The Celtics are 4-7 on the road this season while the Mavs are 12-5 at home.

Rondo Suspension

David Stern isn’t winning many fans over this season, and his suspension of Rondo 2:30 hours before game time surely will not win him over any more in Boston. The Celtics point guard has been suspended for the next two games after he was given a technical and then tossed a ball at a referee and finally ejected. While tossing a ball at a referee is of course not acceptable, the referees officiating the game were horrible and Stern should account for that. The suspension was to be expected though and the Celtics will likely go with Avery Bradley in Rondo’s place for the next two games. They are 13-4 when he plays over 10 minutes.

Keys to the Game

Turnovers

The Celtics turned the ball over 24 times against the Pistons, shooting any chance they had of getting a victory in the first half. They have to take better care of the ball against a great Dallas defense

Rebounding

The Celtics have been getting killed by teams with offensive rebounds and second chance points. They gave up 16 offensive rebounds to the Pistons the night before, when the Pistons were using two or three point guards on the floor at the same time. The Celtics need to start boxing out and preventing the opportunity for second chance buckets.

Pushing the Pace

Even with Rondo out for the game, the Celtics need to push the ball. The Mavericks have one of the best half-court defenses in the NBA. According to Synergy Sports they are ranked fourth right behind the Celtics. The Celtics are averaging about 97 offensive possessions per game and I would like to see that number climb up past 105. The half-court offense has struggled and especially without Rondo, the Celtics should look to push the pace.

Ball Movement

Finally the Celtics have been getting way to stagnant with the ball. They have been taking tough shots at the end of the clock. Players are deferring to each other way too much and the chemistry especially with the second unit has been lacking. The Celtics need to start passing the ball and moving it around to have a good game.

J.R. Smith NY

Posted on February 17, 2012 by leibo4

With the emergence of Jeremy Lin, the Knicks have been on a seven game winning streak. Now it looks like their getting some more help. All signs point to J.R. Smith signing with the New York Knicks over the Clippers and other teams in contention. The Knicks can offer him the most money 2.5 million dollar mid-level exception pro-rated from February 10th. As of last week it was looking like Jeremy Lin was going to be the cut to make way for Smith but we all know now that isn’t happening. All signs point to Mike Bibby as being the cut for the Knicks. If he signs then the question goes to where does J.R. fit with the Knicks. Is he their starting shooting guard or does he come off the bench as a 6th man. He would be replacing Landry Fields in the starting lineup. This presents a challenge for all teams in the NBA east as the Knicks now have a top five guys as good as any. People know about J.R. Smith’s ability to shoot and score, but when motivated he is one of the premier defenders in the NBA. The only question is whether or not they can find enough shots for this many shooters. Look for Lin’s points per game to take a major dip but assists to rise to 10-15 area. Time will tell if this is a good fit, I always thought he should have gone to the Clippers.

Celtics Bulls Preview

Posted on February 12, 2012 by leibo4

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.

Rivalry Night in Boston

Posted on February 9, 2012 by jtulz07

Big day for the Celtics. Kobe is in town. What better timing for the old school rivalry to reunite than after Kobe passes Shaq in scoring for LA and just days after Pierce passes Bird in all time scoring for the C’s. It’s only fitting the two key figures in the new school rivalry make headlines just days before they go head to head for the first of two matchups the teams have together this year. Everyone’s been ripping on the C’s and how they’re old and finished, but the boys in green have turned things around lately, winning their last 5 games and 9 of their last 10. Not too bad for an aging team huh? They’re sneakily only 3 games back of Philly for first in the Atlantic Division.

Kobe and the Lakers of course aren’t the same team as three years ago, but I think it’s safe to say Kobe hasn’t lost his touch. He hasn’t exactly taken the #7 pre season player ranking by ESPN too lightly, proving he’s still in a league of his own. And that’s coming from a Boston fan. Regardless, the Lakers have lost their last two and sit with a 3-9 record on the road, while an impressive 11-2 at home. The Celts have moved up to 14-10 and are 10-6 at home on the season. But let’s be real, we all know when it comes to these two teams, records don’t mean anything. They’ll be going at it like it’s the 2008 playoffs. For our sake, hopefully more like Game 6.

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