Celtics Heat Recap

Posted on April 2, 2012 by leibo4

Rajon Rondo must love playing on national television. I’m sure you’ve already heard but Rondo had his 18^th triple double last night. Of those 18, 14 of them have come on national television. Rondo used and abused his way around the court against Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole for 16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds. Pierce scored 23 for the Celtics, as all the starters had double figure points for the night. The Celtics won 91-72 to move to 30-22 overall and are in 4^th place now with a full game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Heat fall to 37-14 on the season, LeBron James led the way with 23 points and Wade was 2^nd with 15. Chris Bosh had only 4 points on 2-11 shooting. The Heat were -30 while LeBron James was on the floor.

The Celtics are quickly looked upon as title contenders. After weeks of talk of throwing this season away, they are now in danger of becoming overrated by the fans and ESPN. Since the injury to Ray Allen’s ankle, they have been on a 5 game winning streak. The combination of Rondo-Bradley backcourt has been phenomenal so far, and I wouldn’t be mad at Doc if he stayed with the lineup when Ray comes back. Doc has to get a lot of credit for the team this year, rolling with the punches and just continuing on.

Extra Notes:

The Heat shot 7-17 from the line; compared to 20-22 for the Celtics. Rondo has 13 consecutive games with at least 10 assists. LeBron had 0 assists for the 2^nd time in his career.

Avery Bradley Alert:

Celtics are now 5-0 since Avery came into the starting lineup after Ray’s troubling ankle issues. He played Wade even last night scoring 13 points when Wade only scored 15. But Wade took seven more shots. Avery’s cutting has been big in the past few games, keeping defenders honest by back cutting and then surprising them with his ever improving jumper. His confidence just keeps growing and growing. He went 5-10 from the floor last night and 1-3 from 3.

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.

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-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.

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.

Celtics Lakers Recap

Posted on February 10, 2012 by leibo4

Tough loss for our guys last night as they had two chances to win the game, one at the end of regulation and one at the end of overtime. Comes down to the Celtics age-old question, is it OK to live and die by Pierce isolation as the clock winds down. It’s tough to keep giving it to Pierce on isolations if he is not healthy enough to get to his spot at the top of the key. Sooner or later the ball is going to end up in Rondo’s hand with him running maybe a pick and roll with Garnett or Bass and finding the open man. The stagnant offense is tough to look at end of games, especially since Doc is known as one of the games premier last second play coaches. Ray Allen again played great defense on Kobe, even though Kobe put up 27 points, Ray made him work for each bucket and the ones he had in the fourth didn’t come easy. The big Achilles of the Celtics all year has been giving up offensive rebounds to opposing teams. Last night the Celtics gave up 15 offensive rebounds with 7 to Bynum and 4 to Gasol, including two huge tip ins with 9 seconds left in regulation and then the game winning basket in overtime by Bynum. In the end it comes down to boxing out your man, something that’s taught from when you first start playing basketball. Gasol shouldn’t be able to snake his way in through four Celtics and get that tip.

Celtics shot just 6-19 from 3 and only 39.2% from the field. Allen led the team in scoring with 22 points as he was 9-22 from the field. Pierce had another great night as he had 18-9-7 with a big three in OT to put the Celts up with two minutes left in OT. The Lakers shot 1-15 from three and only 39.6% from the field. Derek Fisher was extremely ineffective as he went 0-7 with 1 rebound and 2 assists. Avery Bradley did not see the court in a game where I was interested in how he would be able to guard Kobe.

Celtics will look to bounce back today against the Raptors as the second part of their back to back.

Extra notes: Shout out to Paul Pierce as he was named to the All Star team. On this day last year Ray Allen became the NBA all team leading three point shooter passing Reggie Miller. Rondo, Pierce, and Allen all played over 40 minutes. Greg Stiemsma, Jujuan Johnson, and Avery Bradley all received DNP’s.

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.

Celtics Win and Pierce Makes History

Posted on February 8, 2012 by leibo4

Celtics pull out a relatively easy W over the Bobcats as they win 94-84. Garnett led the team in scoring as he had 22 on 10-15 shooting. Rondo had his second straight night with 14 assists and also put up 10 points. Bobcats shot 45% from the field which was helped by Derrick Brown’s 10-10 night shooting. Jujuan Johnson played only 2 minutes after playing 22 the night before.

But the night was all about Paul Pierce. While he had a relatively poor shooting night by his standards, 6-18 for 15 points, he again led the Celtics +/- ratio with a second straight game of over +26. You could tell Pierce wanted to get it over with, he started out the game well, but missed two open three’s to clinch it. The fans almost willed the first one in, but we had to wait until after halftime for Pierce to go down in the books. He drained hist first shot after halftime to become the Celtics second all-time leading scorer. Rondo assisted on the memorable basket as he ran underneath the hoop and kicked it to an open Pierce for three.

Pierce on what it would mean to catch Havlicek. “Records are great, but it would mean more to me and the fans if we won another championship, so that’s my goal.”

Extra Notes: 12th straight game for Pierce with five or more assists. Always a great night when Tommy screams into the microphone, “THIS IS STUPID”. Pavlovic played 7 minutes, airballed a three and let a rebound through his legs and wasn’t seen again. Stiemsma played 2 minutes and had 2 points, 1 block, and 1 forced travel.

Kobe comes to Boston this week as the Celtics take on the Lakers Thursday at 8:00 PM.

Boston Sports Blog

Tag Archives: paul pierce