C’s Pick It Up

Posted on January 7, 2013 by christoph131

The Celtics won both games that they played this weekend, topping the Pacers 94-75 and the Hawks 89-81. The C’s are currently sitting at one game below .500 (16-17) and take on the Knicks, who are second place in the East.

On Friday, against the 19-14 Pacers, Kevin Garnett scored 18 points and grabbed 7 boards before being ejected for scuffling with Tyler Hansbrough. Rondo added 18 while Pierce and Courtney Lee both scored 13. Jared Sullinger had 10 rebounds (4 offensive).

On Saturday, against the 20-12 Hawks, the C’s had a tougher task. After being down most of the game, they came back on Rondo’s back. Rajon had a triple-double with 14 Points, 10 Assists, and 11 Rebounds. Paul Pierce scored 26 points while grabbing 9 boards and Sullinger added 8 Points, 9 Rebounds.

C’s Continue to Slump

Posted on January 3, 2013 by christoph131

The Celtics lost their 4^th straight game last night when the Memphis Grizzlies came to town, but there is some good news. Avery Bradley is now back and said that he felt great out there. However, the rest of the team didn’t seem to be feeling it. We were out-rebounded 39-27 and only 4 C’s registered double-digits in points. Garnett had 12, Pierce had 17 (both of them had 7 rebounds), Jeff Green had 10 points off the bench, and Rondo contributed 11 points and 10 assists. This is only the 3^rd game out of the last 8 that Rondo has registered double-digit assists, after doing it virtually every game at the beginning of the season while chasing Magic Johnson’s record. Memphis is a great team, but we need to play a lot better than this if we want to get anywhere.

The Celtics are 2-8 in their last 10 games and sitting on the outside of the playoffs looking in. They are now 14-17, which is a shocker to all of those who know how talented this team is. We need to turn it around and send a message this Friday when we play the Indiana Pacers who are currently in 4^th place in the East and have a 19-13 record. They are 8-2 in their last 10 and allow only 90 PPG which is 2^nd in the league behind the Grizzlies.

C’s Win

Posted on December 26, 2012 by christoph131

The Celtics made it a great Christmas Classic yesterday afternoon, beating the Brooklyn Nets 93-76. There was another scuffle, the second of the season against this team, after KG and Wallace got into it. It didn’t get as big as the first time when Rondo made Humphries look like a girl and everyone got ejected basically. Rondo had 19 points but only 5 assists, which was weird to watch. Paul Pierce and KG each only had 8 points so that probably explains it, but Pierce was the leader with 10 assists. I would like to know when the last time Rondo played and wasn’t the team leader in assists.

Jeff Green had a big game with 15 points, while Jared Sullinger scored 16 on 6 of 7 shooting while grabbing 7 boards. The C’s are now one game above .500 but it will be tough to stay that way when they visit the Clippers on the west coast Thursday night. The Clips are currently riding a 14 game win streak. Hope everyone had a good Christmas!

C’s Weekend Recap

Posted on November 19, 2012 by christoph131

The Celtics split their weekend games with a win over Toronto 107-89 on Saturday afternoon, and a loss to the Pistons 103-83 on Sunday night.

On Saturday, Garnett dropped 15, Pierce 19, and Terry 20. Terry connected on 4 of 7 three-pointers. My favorite thing about the game on Saturday was Jared Sullinger recording his first double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Rondo added 20 assists as well.

On Sunday, things didn’t seem to go right for the C’s. Garnett was able to drop 15 again, but Pierce only put in 13, before leaving in the 4^th quarter with what looks like an ankle injury. Jared Sullinger had another big night though with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Things did get scary late in the game, with Rondo’s consecutive 10+ assist streak on the line. The last two minutes revolved around plays being called for him to get an open shooter to give the ball to. He failed to do so until a broken play left Jared Sullinger at the top of the key who hit a deep shot to extend Rajon’s chance at the record. He is now 3 games behind John Stockton for 2^nd highest.

The Celts play the 8-2 Spurs on Wednesday.

C’s Keep Rolling

Posted on November 15, 2012 by christoph131

The Celtics extended their win streak to 3 games after beating the Jazz 98-93 last night at the Garden. Rondo only had 6 points before leaving in the 2^nd half with a hurt ankle. They said that he could come back but didn’t want to risk it. He did record 10 assists so he is still in the chase of the record, but did not hit the 11 mark.

Paul Pierce continued to show he can still play with 23 points, including three 3-pointers. Jeff Green stepped up big and put up 16 points in 27 minutes, while Garnett added 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists (one of which is worth watching if you check out ESPN today). He tossed it behind his back to Barbosa and it looked like he knew he was going to before the ball was even near him.

Speaking of Leandro Barbosa, talk about a great pick up. He hit 6 out of his 8 shots and put up 16 points while recording a game-high +13 points. The weirdest part about this game for me was that Jason Terry didn’t take one 3-pointer. I know it doesn’t matter since we are winning, but we are gonna need some outside shooters when we play bigger teams like the Lakers. The Celtics play the Nets tonight in Brooklyn at 8 p.m.

C’s Top Bulls

Posted on November 13, 2012 by christoph131

Although the Celtic’s defense has not been living up to their reputation lately, they still improved to 4-3 on the season with a win over the Bulls, 101-95, so there’s something to be happy about. That’s not the only positive note. Just as most (including myself) predicted, Rondo had a huge game matching up against former Celtic Nate Robinson. He has had a double-double in every game this season and missed the triple double by 1 rebound (20 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds).

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News on the Green

Posted on November 7, 2012 by christoph131

Here are a few things out of the Celtic’s practices this week:

Assistant coach Mike Longabardi has been tasked with focusing solely on the defensive side of the ball. Former assistants that also did this were Tom Thibodeau and Lawrence Frank, both went on to be head coaches elsewhere.
KG said Sullinger is a lot like Perkins was while he was here. He said he’s not the same kind of defender but is completely unselfish, moves the ball, and has a very high basketball IQ. Garnett went on to say that he loves having the rookie as a teammate already.
Their entire practice Tuesday was about defensive strategies. Doc said they went over cutting out the shooters, eliminating baseline drives, and communicating like his old teams were known for.

They are playing the Wizards again tonight at the Garden. I will be rocking the balcony seats so be sure to tune in since the election is over and there’s no other sports to watch.. Go Celts!

Celtics Newcomers

Posted on October 23, 2012 by christoph131

Last week, we took a poll about who you guys think has been the biggest star of the pre-season for newcomers, and I included Jeff Green because he was injured last season. Jared Sullinger won with over 50% of the votes, and Jeff Green was tied for second with Courtney Lee and Jason Terry, all with roughly 12% of the votes. Everyone keeps going on about how good our team is going to be because of our depth but here are some reasons why each player will succeed in our system.

Jared Sullinger: Rookie that fell to us in the draft, should have been a high lottery pick if not for an injured back last season. Not too many rookies get minutes in our system, but Jared could be starting some nights. KG and Doc Rivers have both said that he has a very high basketball IQ and does not play like a rookie typically does. He has adapted to the Celtics’ system real quick, and is not timid out on the court. He rebounds consistently and shoots right when he gets the open look, rather than hesitate and up fake 15 times like a lot of smaller big men like himself. And good news for C’s fans: Garnett said he is “giving him the book, teaching him everything I know”.

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Celtics vs. Nets Recap

Posted on October 19, 2012 by christoph131

It was a great night for the C’s as their starters played a good amount of time and beat the revamped Brooklyn Nets with ease, 115-85. Even Nets Coach Avery Johnson said it looked like our starts went out there to send a message. That message was received. First off, we out-rebounded a team, which rarely happens. It also helped that we shout 11-19 from 3-point range.

Paul Pierce led the way with 18 points on 4-4 from behind the arc. He left briefly in the 2^nd quarter after coming down awkwardly on his ankle on a made 3-pointer. He seems to be alright now, thankfully. Newcomer Courtney Lee also chipped in 18 points. Lee only missed 4 shots the whole night, 3 of which were 3-pointers. He also had a game-high 4 steals, which is a big step up from what Ray Allen could do on the defensive end for us last year.

Jason Terry added 15 points on a perfect 5-5 from 3-point land, Rondo put in 14 points of his own while narrowly missing out on a double-double with 9 assists, and Garnett couldn’t miss with 14 points of his own. Even rookies Kris Joseph (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Jared Sullinger (12 points, 6 rebounds) played great for the Celts. Sullinger recorded a team-high +23 while on the floor in 28 minutes of play.

It is great to see a team that is so deep this season. However, Bass went out in the first half with a bruised right knee and did not return. Remember, he was out last season for a bit with right knee inflammation, so we are waiting to hear more on that.

Which newbie do you think has been the brightest beam of light this pre-season?

Celtics Release Guards

Posted on October 17, 2012 by christoph131

As of yesterday before the Celtics 97-96 loss to the Nets (without the Net’s 6 best players), the Ainge and Doc decided to cut ties with training camp guards Dionte Christmas and Jamar Smith. Most expected Christmas to make the team, because of his half guaranteed deal worth over $236k. Also, because the Celtics lack a back up point guard. In the rare instance when Rondo does leave the floor, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, and Avery Bradley (when healthy) can all handle the ball, but are not natural point guards.

It is possible that the C’s will look for a veteran ball handler with playoff experience to help the young guys and handle the ball for a few minutes a game, but if not, Rivers says they will be fine. Rivers joked in an interview with ESPN:

“Maybe the Heat will cut LeBron [James] or whoever,” he said. “We’re always looking. Every team is always looking. If nothing comes, does that bother us? No.”

The Celtics don’t have the money to spend on a big name, so we would need to find someone who wants to play for a contender and who can buy into the system that Doc Rivers has put in place that has attracted so many veterans over the years.

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