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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Celtics Abused by Knicks - Lose 101-77
Friday, November 24, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 10:38 PM
November 24, 2006 Tonight was the low point of the season so far as the Celtics were abused by the Knicks 101-77. We were out played in every category. It was so bad that the Tommy Award went to David Lee on the Knicks. We didn't even have a player that was worthy of the Tommy Award.
 The Knicks went to a 2-3 zone defense and the Celtics had absolutely no answer for it. We settled for outside shots that weren't going in and were very complacent. We very rarely drove to the basket. We went to the line 18 times compared to 39 for the Knicks and that was mostly because the Knicks were being aggressive and taking the ball to the basket while the Celtics settled for bad outside shots.
Our shots just weren't falling and we made no moves to get to the basket. We don't even have any individual performances to be a silver lining. Pierce had 12 points on 4-10 shootingwith 2 rebounds and 6 turnovers. Wally had 16 points on 6 of 16 shooting. Telfair shot 4-9 and had only 3 assists. Gomes had 8 points and 4 rebounds. and Al had 4 points on 1 of 4 shooting with 8 rebounds. We were out rebounded 48 to 30 and that is unacceptable. Doc went small again with no rebounders on the floor and with the team bombing away from the outside, it was 1 shot and done on just about every possession.
 It seems as though a good coach could have made adjustments to handle the 2-3 zone. We should have been working on playing against the zone in practices as it was only a matter of time until a team used it against us. This is a failure on the part of the coaching that the team was so completely unprepared to deal with the zone defense. After the way we played tonight, I would bet that we will see the zone defense from a lot more teams we face. Doc had better work on it and prepare the team better to face it. Also, when players aren't getting it done on the floor, Doc should put in players who will. Powe and Al have played very well together and yet we haven't seen that combination ever since. Scal may do one good thing and then nothing else the whole time he is out there. Scal isn't the answer but yet Doc keeps playing him. I can't help but believe that if Doc would put Powe in with Al instead of Scal, we would do much better.
I can't put it all on the coach though because the team once again seemed to be flat. We didn't give the effort necessary to win. We played defense in spurts and didn't give a consistent effort for the entire game. When the outside shots weren't going down, the players should have been driving to the basket and should have been trying to find the open man and not just taking quick shots every time down. The Knicks had 48 points in the paint to 26 for the Celtics. We were out played in every category.
 We can blame some of the poor play on injuries, Perk is playing hurt, Wally has been playing hurt, West has been playing hurt. Al is just 2 weeks away from an emergency appendectomy. Rondo has the flu. Maybe the injuries are the reason for the flat play. Or maybe it is the coaching. It isn't the youth because Pierce and Wally are just as flat as everyone else. Whatever the problem, hopefully they will figure it out soon because this team is much better than our play of late has shown.
We face Milwaukee tomorrow night on the road and it will be interesting to see how the Celtics react to tonight's loss. They can either hang their head and let it get to them or they can come out hard tomorrow night and show that they are a much better team than what we saw tonight. I sure hope it is the latter because I don't know if I can handle another game like we saw tonight. I still believe in this team. I think that we have a very talented group of players and when they play together as they did in the 3 games in the win streak, and when they commit to defense as they did in those 3 games, we are capable of beating any team. We have to get back to that commitment and we will start winning again.
[Box Score] [Recap] [Play by Play]
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Friday Odds and Ends
by FLCeltsFan 8:47 AM
November 24, 2006 Not much going on today in the news. I guess everyone is still hung over from all the turkey and dressing or else they are out shopping. Perk is once again showing his leadership (see article below)and challenging his teammates to be more consistent and give more effort. Tonight's game is important. It is a game we should win and if we don't bounce back and win tonight, the character of this team will be challenged. Doc said after the Charlotte loss that he obviously needs to coach better and that is an understatement. He continued to play his starters who weren't playing well in favor of a bench that came out with energy and brought us back into the game. He also didn't play Powe who could have done a lot more to help the team against their big front line than Scal did. I am looking forward to tonight's game and hopefully the team will respond to Perk's challenge and come to play. In the meantime here are a couple of things to check out:
In the Herald, Telfair blames a lack of rhythm for the loss against the Bobcats and he comes just short of guaranteeing a win in our next two games. I think it was a lack of effort. Our starters (except Perk) came out flat and didn't give the kind of effort that it would take to win a game. But Doc didn't take out the offending players and keep in the bench players who were getting the job done. So, some of the players weren't in rhythm but some were and the ones that were didn't get the minutes.
The Globe article centers on Gomes' contributions to the team this season. He is a very smart player and hardly ever makes mistakes. He is always in there fighting for rebounds and he gets his points on sheer effort. I don't see how he won't be invited to the Rookie/Sophomore game. The kid is just so solid.
CelticsStuff Live has a Podcap of the Bobcats game. In spite of all the negatives they do find a few positives to discuss. No announcements yet as to Sunday's show, but Jughead promises it will be a good one so plan to tune in as you won't find better Celtics talk anywhere.
The Globe also has Knicks Thumbnails to get you ready for tonight's game. You can also check out the game thread on Celtics Green for more info on the game. Also join us on Celtics Green for the Play by Play of tonight's game. Hopefully we will have Q back for his insightful commentary as well. You won't find better game coverage anywhere on the web.
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Perk Is Emerging as a Leader
by FLCeltsFan 8:08 AM
November 24, 2006 This season, we have seen more improvement from Perk on the court. He was fouling too much and studied tape and learned what he was doing that caused him to foul and corrected it. He had only 1 foul in his last game.
But more than his online play, he is becoming a vocal leader on this team. Two years ago, Pierce wasn't playing his best game and Perk stepped up in the huddle and called Pierce out telling him to step it up. The kid really had a lot of courage as a second year player standing up to the team's star and telling him to play harder. But it worked and Pierce came back in with a lot more energy.
After our 6th loss, Perk once again stepped up to challenge the team to take pride in their defense and to make a commitment to team play.
“There’s nothing for anyone to point their finger at here,” said a bristling Kendrick Perkins. “It’s not coaching that’s the problem here, and it’s not our offense - it’s us and our commitment.
“If everyone comes in with the same mindset, and isn’t just out there thinking of their offense, then we’ll be all right,” Perkins said. “We can’t win games where a team is shooting 53 percent on us.
“That’s a matter of pride - deciding not to let them take those open shots. I came in with the pride in my defense tonight. I just couldn’t let somebody from the other team get off. We’ll put up points, everyone knows that. But we have to do both - defense and offense. I’m not just talking about pick-and-roll defense, but straight-up defense. All of us, me included, have to get better. You can’t go out there with just two or three guys thinking that way. Everyone has to say, ‘I’m not letting this guy get off.’ ” He challenged the team to play defense and we won the next three games, mostly because the team committed to playing defense and playing as a team. But Perk didn't just talk it, he set the tone of those three games with his own defense, being a force in the paint and altering a lot of shots.
After this last game, Perk once again is speaking up and challenging his teammates.
"We came out like we already won a championship," said Perkins. "We were too laidback. We came out like we just knew we were going to win, like they were just going to give us the game. . .I didn't think we respected them like we should have. I don't know why. It's just consistency. The things we were doing in the three game winning streak we stopped doing. We started getting on our own agenda."
"No disrespect to the Bobcats, but we should have won that game," said Perkins. "Honest. [That game] was valuable. I don't think people understood how valuable it was." He is setting an example by playing in pain and by working hard in practice and in games. I truly believe that Al's newfound work ethic is the result of seeing what Perk has done and wanting to follow his lead. He is calling out his teammates and demanding consistency from them. He understands what it takes and is challenging his teammates to play defense.
In spite of having a few veterans on this team in Pierce, Wally, Scal, Kandi, and Ratliff, it is Perk who is standing up and becoming the leader on this team. And, they seem to be listening as they responded with a 3 game win streak based on their defensive play after he called them out after the Orlando game. And Perk doesn't just talk, he backs it up by playing hard and working hard and coming to play every night, in spite of having to play in pain with plantar fasciitis. Hopefully we will see the team respond tonight and come out with more intensity against the Knicks and start a new win streak. Have I mentioned that I love Perk?
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Happy Thanksgiving to Celtics Fans Everywhere!!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 11:01 AM
November 23, 2006 I would like to wish everyone in the Celtics Nation a Happy Thanksgiving. While we still have a lot that needs improved, we can give thanks for Perk and Green and their improvement this season. We can give thanks for Al's improvement and quick recovery from what could have been much, much worse. We can give thanks for two very quick point guards who are improving with every game. We have a team that is very athletic and talented and I truly believe it is all going to come together this season. We should give thanks for our first 3 game win streak in over a year and for the hope that this team gives us. We give thanks today for family, friends, health, and the privelege of being fans of the greatest franchise in the NBA!!! Thank you for visiting Loy's Place and Celtics Green and for being loyal Celtics Fans.
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Win Streak Ends in Charlotte
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 9:40 PM
November 22, 2006 Celtics 3 game win streak ended tonight as they lost to the Charlotte Bobcats 92-83. We didn't seem to have the energy we needed tonight to win. The starters seemed sluggish all night on both ends of the floor. They settled for too many jumpers and quick shots and didn't get their offense going. The second unit came in with energy and brought us back a couple of times, but the energy seemed to leave when the starters came back.
We settled way too much for the outside shot and those shots weren't falling. We only had 2 players in double figures: Pierce with 28 and Gomes with 12. Wally was 3 of 13, Pierce was 8 of 20 and Telfair was 3 of 10 but did have 7 assists. When the outside shots don't fall you have to go to the basket. The coach should have called them on it. If the players on the floor aren't getting it done, sit them and bring others in.
 In spite of the loss and all of the negatives, there were a couple of positives. Perk, in spite of playing in pain had another solid game with 5 points and 8 rebounds and only 1 foul while playing good defense on Okafor. Al returned only 2 weeks after his emergency surgery and looked good finishing with 6 points and 8 rebounds in 19 minutes and won the Tommy Award. Rondo came in and brought some much needed energy with 6 points and 4 rebounds in 16 minutes.
One big disappointment was that Doc didn't play. He has proved that he can play and he brings toughness, defense, and energy whenever he is on the floor. But Doc didn't play him and I think that was a mistake.
Hopefully we will come out on Friday and start a new win streak. But we are going to have to play much better than we did tonight. Doc in his post game interview sounded disgusted and said that we didn't deserve to win and that the team got cocky after their 3 game win streak. This definitely brought them back to earth. We don't win without 100% effort from every player. Hopefully Doc will make them watch the tape of the game and see how sluggish they all looked. Very disappointing effort. Or should I say disappointing lack of effort?
[Box Score] [Recap] [Play by Play]
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Game Day Update
by FLCeltsFan 1:55 PM
November 22, 2006 According to Steve Bulpett in the Herald, both Perk and Al participated in the shootaround and should be playing tonight.
Both went through shootaround, as did Delonte West (sprained left big toe). West is still a game-time decision, according to Doc Rivers. Jefferson is supposedly uncertain, as well, but he gave a rousing “Hell, yeah'’ this morning when asked if he’d be working this evening. This is very good news. We need Perk's defense in the paint against Okafor and May. It is good news that Al will be playing but I expect it to take several games for him to get his conditioning and timing back.
[More] source:Boston Herald
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Wednesday Odds and Ends
by FLCeltsFan 9:44 AM
November 22, 2006 Well it is game day and I am a bit apprehensive about tonight's game. My biggest concern is will Perk play and how well will he play with the plantar fasciitis plaguing him. We really need Perk in there to defend the paint against the Bobcats' big front line. Also, even though they are 2 and 8, the Bobcats are a dangerous team. They have beaten two of the best teams in the league and have been very close in every other. It took a last second shot in overtime to beat them the first time and they are going to be out to avenge that one tonight. In the meantime, here is what is going on around the Celtics Nation today:
The Herald Notebook has an article that is very encouraging. Doc is working with the PGs to pressure the opposing point guard as they bring the ball up to take as much time off the clock as they can before getting into their set offense. We have the players to do this if they commit themselves to playing tough defense. I know that Rondo can without a doubt and Telfair is improving at it. I love to see them play defense as that is what has won us 3 games in a row and that is what it is going to take to keep winning.
The Herald also has a preview of the Celtics/Bobcats game. In my opinion, the key to this game is if and how much Perk can play and if we continue to commiit to tough pressing defense.
The Globe centers on how well Telfair has been playing as of late. Perk and West are questionable for tonight's game but I know that if there is any way possible that Perk can be out there he will be. Al is a possible for tonight as well, only 2 weeks after his appendectomy. It just goes to prove that when they actually find what is wrong with him and fix it, he heals quickly. Also noted is that Tony has had another delay in his trial for aggravated battery.
Celtics.com reports the obvious. If Perk can't go tonight or can only play limited minutes, we are looking at a lot more small ball. Maybe even smaller than small ball. The scary thing is that Scal is the next tallest and may have to play center. I would much rather see Powe in there because I think he would do a good job. When Perk and Al are both back healthy, I would like to see Perk and Al at Center and Gomes and Powe at power forward for our rotation.
Hoopsworld has an article titled Blow Up the Celtics but the article mostly discusses the fact that the Celtics are playing their best ball so far and that they do still have weaknesses and they close with the obvious. We very much need Perk to be healthy and playing. He is the key to our new found defensive intensity.
Lowell Sun reports that Coaching is not the Celtics problem. They feel that the players that Danny has put together is more of a problem than Doc's coaching.
Slam Online has a tongue in cheek piece on the Knicks and Celtics game. The game certainly provided a lot of material to be tongue in cheek about.
I am very anxious about tonight's game mostly because I don't know if Perk will be able to play and I worry that we may take them for granted because of their record. 4 in a row sure would be nice, but the Bobcats are a dangerous team. If Perk can't go, Powe should get the nod to play because he is our next best defender, but I have this terrible feeling that Doc may start Scal because of the experience factor, which is highly overrated. Join us tonight for the play by play on Celtics Green.
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Tuesday Injury Update
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 4:00 PM
November 21, 2006
 The Herald reports that Perk practiced for about 10 minutes before he had to take a break but he was back on the floor when the team walked through plays at the end of practice. Delonte did not practice, though he was in workout gear along the sideline. Wally practiced today after resting on Monday and seemed fine. Doc said that there was a “50 percent chance” that Perkins, West, or both, could miss the Charlotte game, which is not good news at all.
On the positive side, Al Jefferson did practice for the first time since his appendectomy two weeks ago. He did not participate in the walkthrough but Doc said that there was still a chance he could play in Charlotte tomorrow night.
[More] source:Herald
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Celtics Starting 5 Tops This Week's Lenovo List
by FLCeltsFan 3:04 PM
November 21, 2006 The Lenovo Stat shows the power of teamwork. It's a way of showing the best-engineered/best combination of players on the court. The Lenovo Stat is a plus/minus statistic that looks at the point differential when players are both in and out of the game, to see how the team performs with various combinations. The Lenovo Stat can look at a variety of combinations – including the best two-player, three-player and even five-player combinations for each game.
The Celtics starting five of Pierce, Wally, Perk, Gomes and Telfair tops the list followed by the Rockets and the Nuggets. Here is what they had to say:
The Celtics have won three games in a row and the Lenovo Stat points to the five-man combination that has counted most for that success. Paul Pierce, who is averaging a career-high 9.4 rebounds per game in his 10th season, teamed with veteran twine tickler Wally Szczerbiak and the young trio of Kendrick Perkins, Sebastian Telfair and Ryan Gomes to jump to the head of the pack. Houston's top five dropped from first place to second but the Rockets haven't skipped a beat as they are 7-4. Denver also is new to the leaderboard as Carmelo Anthony and Co. have won four out of five games after starting the season 0-3. The Celtics also top the four player rotations with Perk, Pierce, Telfair and Gomes and comes in 4th with Wally, Pierce, Telfair and Gomes. Interesting stats.
[More] source: NBA.com
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Tuesday's Odds and Ends
by FLCeltsFan 10:23 AM
November 21, 2006 Talk today is all about the injuries on the team. We seem to have more than our share with all of our big men suffering from something or other. Is it too late to bring back Akin Akingbala? Hopefully our rash of injuries will end soon as Al comes back some time this week and Kandi saying he will be out closer to 2 weeks than 4. This plantar fasciitis thing is rather troublesome because it can cause a player to sit out long periods if it gets too serious. Hopefully Perk and Rondo can control it and it won't cause us major problems but it is a concern, nonetheless. In the meantime, hopefully Powe will get more playing time and cement his place in this rotation at PF behind Gomes and the other bigs should be back soon. Here is what is going on around the Celtics Nation today:
The Herald Notebook addresses Perk's plantar fasciitis and his willingness to play through the pain. I just love this kid. I still believe that it is Perk who is responsible for the last 3 wins. He challenged each of his teammates to make the committment to defense and then set the example himself. This has made a huge difference in this team. Hopefully, Perk's plantar fasciitis will heal quickly and won't cause him to sit out any long periods because we need him out there.
The Daily News Tribune also reports on the rash of injuries that have been bugging the Celtics. In spite of sitting out practice yesterday, Perk is planning to practice today and play tomorrow. Jefferson is waiting on word from the doctors to be cleared to play but he feels that he is ready.
The Globe Notebook also addresses the injury situation and adds Delonte to the list of players willing to play through pain. I remember last season when they had to hide his jersey to keep him from playing. Playing through pain is one thing but they have to use some wisdom to know when playing could cause more harm from an injury.
The Association saw the Celtics/Knicks game as a rivalry for the Worst Coach in the NBA. For now, Isaiah is the front runner. I am sure Doc will give him a run for his money at some time this season.
Celtics 17 discusses Perk and his steady improvement along with other pieces of the Celtics puzzle. We have seen Perk improve every game out and I expect this trend to continue. He is just going to keep getting better and better.
Red's Army offers the opinion that Danny should use Al as trade bait. I am not so sure. Good big men are much harder to come by than wings. I just don't see giving up one of our bigs who shows so much promise. He may end up being much better than the big we trade him for. The only exception may be Kevin Garnett although Garnett is on the tail end of his career and Al is just starting his. I like keeping our kids, even though it may mean a year or two more before we can dominate.
Full Court Press has a good piece with some positives on thist team that gives this team a taste of respectability.
Thanks to Jeff on Celtics Blog for pointing out this post on RealGM that has the stats for all of the players that the Celtics could have drafted when they opted for Telfair and Rondo. It is nice to see that the Telfair and Rondo are holding their own against the might have beens.
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Where We Stand After 10 Games
by FLCeltsFan 10:09 AM
November 21, 2006 Once again, Derrenmatts over on Celtics Green came up with a great post that I wanted to share here. He compiled a list of our stats after 10 games and these are very revealing as to the progress of this team. I am looking forward to his 20 game report as I expect us to continue to improve over the next 10 days. Here is Derren's post:
Celtics fans have a lot to be excited about. Our record is not indicative of how well we've been playing because most of our losses came as a result of 1 bad quarter of mental lapses. Aside from those spurts of lackluster play, our stats indicate how good we have been playing.
A glance at our stats in our 1st 10 games:
PPG: 103.8 (5th)
FG%: 45.7% (12th)
FT%: 74.1% (20th)
FT attempts per game: 32.8 (2nd)
3pt%: 41.5 (1st)
3pt attempts per game: 17.1 (18th)
Rebounds: 43.9 (4th)
Assists: 21.2 (11th)
TO's committed: 16.1 (23rd)
Steals: 6.4 (21st)
Blocks: 5.6 (9th)
Fouls per game: 26.4 (25th)
What do these stats tell us?
These stats tell us a lot about how well we've been playing. What jumps out at me is how much we've improved in the rebounding department, and keep in mind that this is without Ratliff and Jefferson--the latter who had beeen contributing a lot prior to the appendectomy. Perennially, we've been among the dead last in rebounds in the league. But credit Clifford Ray and our players because we've mightily improved all the way to the top 4 spot Its incredible to see us control the boards and not give up so many second chance points as we have becoming used to seeing. Perk and Gomes have done a remarkable job, as well as Pierce and Rajon from the guard spots. As a whole, our team has been aggressively crashing the board (and Scalabrine deserves credit here as well). And while we are talking about our former problem areas, we've also improved markedly in shot blocking. We've gone from mediocre to 9th place and this is primarily due to Kendrick Perkins finally emerging as our enforcing presence (currently averaging 2.1 bpg). And just think what he'll be able to do once he starts averaging 30 mpg. Perkins may never be a smooth offensive player, but that's not his role anyways. Grabbing near double digit rebounds and blocking 2.5 shots per game is what'll keep us from slipping defensively.
We've known that we're a good offensive club already. But we're getting even better. We're still not running as efficiently, or consistently as we need to, and still we are 5th in the league in scoring. And now we are 1st in the league in 3pt shooting. But what I really like is that although we are shooting the three ball really well, we're not over doing it like we did during O'Brien's tenure. We're 18th in the league in 3 pointers attempted per game. I would not want to become reliant on the 3 pointers.
What do we need to work on?
Turnovers, though slightly improved, still remains our weak point. We turn the ball over 16 times per game, good for 23rd worst in the league. Just as discouraging is that we are only forcing 13.3 turnovers per game, and that ranks us at 28th in the league. As quick and athletic as we are, we should be forcing more turnovers and getting our hands on more steals with our pressure defense. The preseason games were encouraging because we were swiping passes left and right. We need to get back to being more aggressive defensively. Getting more steals and turnovers allow more fastbreaking opportunities and that's where we can really blow the game open.
What also hurts us is the amount of fouls we give up, which leads to a high amount of free throw attempts. We are among the highest fouling teams in the league and this is partially why teams are able to stage runs and make comeback attempts off of us, especially late in games.
Free throw shooting has been discouraging. We are a team that gets to the line a lot during games (2nd in the league). But we only convert 74% of these freebees. Again, this hurts us late in games, when making free throws are at a premium.
So all these stats considered, we are actually playing much better than most people think we are by looking at our current record. And to think that we have a lot more room to grow with the chemistry aspect and we really have a lot to look foward to this season.
I'll keep you posted on how we are doing at the 20 game mark.
Then the question was asked about our opponents stats during this 10 game stretch and here is his answer:
Opponents: PPG: 101.3 (23rd best) FG%: 44.3 (7th best) 3pt%: (7th best) Rebs: 40.7 (18th best) Assists: 20.6 (14th best)
Being a team that scores a lot of points, its only natural that we are also going to allow a lot of teams to have scoring opportunities. And because we foul a lot as a team, we are giving our oppoenents free scoring chances. Thus the reason why we are giving up 101.3 ppg.
But more than just looking at this stat, its good to consider our opponents FG%, which is a better indication of how our defense is doing. We are the 7th best team in terms of opponents' FG%, meaning we aren't allowing teams a lot of good looks.
[More] source: Celtics Green - Derrenmatts
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Monday, November 20, 2006

More Celtics Sit Out Practice
by FLCeltsFan 3:02 PM
November 20, 2006 The list of Celtics sitting out practice is getting to be larger than the list of players participating. The Herald reports that Doc had just enough players to run 4 on 4 scrimages.
Players sitting out include Delonte who injured his left big toe early in the workout, Perk who is resting a bout of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and Wally who is still resting his glutius muscle. All three say that they plan to practice on Tuesday in preparation for the Wednesday game in Charlotte. Wally, Rondo and Perk have all been reported to be suffering from bouts of plantar fasciitis. Hopefully none of the cases are severe and won't hamper their play this season.
In addition, Al, Ratliff, and Kandi are still out of commission but Al will be evaluated today and hopes to be cleared to practice tomorrow. He is targeting Friday's game for a return to action.
[More] source:Boston Herald
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Movin' On Up...
by FLCeltsFan 2:29 PM
November 20, 2006 Last week the Celtics were ranked #29 in the ESPN Power Rankings. This week, they have jumped to #21. What a difference a week makes.
21 (29) Celtics 4-6 We praise Pierce for his board work, then he stops rebounding in double digits, then Celts start winning. We'd have said something sooner if we knew the result. This just goes along with the theme of the day... Celtics fans are in for a roller coaster year this season. But hopefully in the end, we will have a lot more highs than lows.
[More] source:ESPN.com Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
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Celtics Rookies in the Rankings
by FLCeltsFan 2:16 PM
November 20, 2006 Rookie Rankings are out again and Boston is well represented. Rondo is ranked 8 overall. Not bad for a 21st pick.
8. Rajon Rondo, G, Boston MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 21.9 5.4 3.7 3.6 1.22 0.11 .364 .000 .654 Seven assists on Monday and again on Wednesday. Six boards on Saturday. Throw in eight steals in four games. Rondo can fill a statsheet even if he's not scoring. Also of note is that Leon Powe was listed in the Noteworthy section. Also not bad for the 49th pick. Leon Powe (BOS) has started to play solid minutes off the bench for the Celtics. On Monday, he scored 10 points and grabbed seven boards against Orlando. Both of these kids are great team players. Danny did a great job in the draft to be able to trade for both of these kids. And they are only going to get better.
[More] source: NBA.com
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Monday Odds and Ends
by FLCeltsFan 11:12 AM
November 20, 2006

Today's theme seems to be don't get too high on this team and don't get too low because this team is going to have more ups and downs than a roller coaster this season.. Steve Bulpett has an article on just this subject this morning. He also mentions Ryan Gomes' success so far and the fact that he is very willing to do the dirty work on the team.
Shira has a piece in the Globe telling us that in spite of the first 3 game winning streak in over a year, this team still needs work.
Jeff on CelticsBlog must have been reading Steve Bulpett's thoughts because he has a piece along the same lines as the one in the Herald. We have already gone through a 1 and 6 beginning that started fairweather fans jumping off the bandwagon and then hit a 3 game win streak and some of the fans are jumping back on. It is so much easier just to stay positive and keep looking ahead at what this team is capable of. I know we will probably have more losing streaks, but I also know that we are going to have winning streaks this season. I am expecting good times to come this season.
Cheap Seats has a piece telling us that the Celtics need to embrace the 3 point shot. Shades of Antoine bombing away from the outside. I am sure Scal would love to fill that role. I personally think we need to take it to the basket more and then work on free throws to get 3 points the old fashioned way.
Chicago Sports has a list of the All Unhappy Team. Guys who are coming out and saying that they want to play elsewhere. Some teams may be selling cheap to rid themselves of unhappy players.
SouthCoast Today also mentions the Celtics roller coaster. What a difference s week makes. Last Monday Celtics fans were ready to dump the whole team. This Monday, fans are very happy with the team and our first 3 game win streak in over a year.
The key to continuing the winning is going to be consistent effort on the defensive end. When we play hustle defense, everything else seems to fall into place. Hopefully we have learned how to win and how to finish games over the past week and will keep that up. At this point, we have know idea what to expect a week from now.
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Why This Win Was Significant
Sunday, November 19, 2006
by FLCeltsFan 10:45 AM
November 19, 2006 Derrenmatts on Celtics Green posted this great piece. This was a very signicant win and he states it very well.
1) It was the 1st time in 19 months that we were able to win 3 games in a row. Now, this may not seem like much, but its something we just could not do last year. We are younger this year, but this team has the ability to be much better than last year's team. We are defending much better, rebounding much better, moving the ball around the floor better and limiting our TO's. All good signs and we are now seeing the effects of these improvements.
2) This was the second of the back to back games and we won it on the road. Coming off a feel good win vs. the Blazers was nice, but we had to hold our breath to see if we could continue playing well the very next game while playing on hostile territory. Most young teams take a while to learn how to win on the road, away from the comfort of home.
3) We were to fight off a major colapse and hold strong till the very end. We built a huge lead, lost it, but did not lose our composure. This shows developing maturity and tough skin. Earlier, we may have given up after squandering such a hefty lead, especially being so young and inexperienced as we are. But how we were able to hold firm and build up another lead shows that we are growing as a team, and this should bolster their confidence that they can pull out a win even when the momentum shifts and the lead is lost.
This team is showing resiliency and new found confidence. They are beginning to believe in themselves as a team and many of the players are beginning to pull through late in the game. Lots of guys are stepping up and playing bigger roles in tight games. Gomes and Perk have been doing an excellent job defensively and pulling down boards. I might add a 4th reason as well. The refs were terrible. There were several blown calls going both ways. Momentum was difficult for both teams with a total of 113 fouls being called. In the past, when we would have several bad calls like last night, we would have lost our composure and let the refs take us out of the game. New York did that, Boston did not.
source: Celtics Green - Derrenmatts
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Sunday's Odds and Ends
by FLCeltsFan 10:14 AM
November 19, 2006 Steve Bulpett points out that after a woeful 1-6 start, the Celtics are suddenly red hot and right back in the mix in the Atlantic division. This was a game where the refs called frequent fouls and kept any momentum from going too far and we finally closed out a close game. Things are looking up for the Green!
In the Celtics Notebook, Bulpett reports that Danny is not going to make any moves to alleviate our center woes. Al should be back next week and Perk has been very good to stay out of foul trouble. And Powe has been doing a good job of backing up Perk. Pierce is once again showing his playful side as he tells how he misses the Brown/Knicks soap opera in New York. This is a great quote.
“The soap opera’s dying down around here. The year before that we had the Lakers with Kobe and Shaq, and then we had New York. What are we going to do without those two soap operas? “Maybe I should start something,” he added with a mischievous look. “Maybe I should slap Perk (Kendrick Perkins). No, I ain’t touching that man. He’ll choke me out. But we’ve got to start something on this team.”
Mark Murphy has a piece on Clifford Ray and the effect he had on Dwight Howard and the effect he is having on our big men here. I already see a difference in Perks aggressiveness on the glass and his improved offensive game. It's too bad that both Al and Perk didn't have the whole summer to work with Ray, but I think as the year goes on we will see more and more improvement in both of them.
Shira's Notebook mentions how good it is to finally win three in a row for the first time since April 2005. They finish the article by saying that the team came through with some maturity that we haven't seen before and this may be a sign that the winning may just continue.
Another Globe article focuses on Ratliff's trip to NY to visit a doctor for treatments on his bulging disc. No time table has been set for his return but he says it is responding to treatment. When Ratliff does return, he should come off the bench. Perk has been doing a very good job and deserves to keep his starting spot. Coming off the bench could extend Ratliff's career a bit also.
Bill Doyle has a rather negative piece that suggests that Pierce may never make it to the finals with the Celtics. I very much disagree with this. I think the young Celtics are maturing in front of our eyes and I like what I see. This team is going to just continue getting better and will challenge for the championship within the next couple of years, even without a trade. Jefferson, Perk, and Gomes are going to break out this season. We will have solid players in West, Green, Rondo, and Telfair and I do believe that they are going to be very, very good.
Scott Souza longs for the old Ryan Gomes. I don't think the new one is all that bad. He has gotten a triple double this season, along with several double doubles and always seems to be in the right place for a rebound or a put back. He does so many good things and makes very few mistakes.
Mike Fine reminds us that the Celtics now have a winning streak. It is a modest 3 games, but something that they couldn't do all last season. It shows some consistency is building and that the team is progressing. Celtics fans have come back from the depths of dispair from the 1 and 6 start to the mountain of elation after our first 3 game win streak in well over a year. Of course I could say I told you so. I knew that this team was much better than the record.
In an article from the other side, The New York Times report gives the refs more credit for loss than they do the Celtics. There were a host of blown calls on both sides last night. It didn't just go one way. The key is that the Celtics kept their cool and the Knicks didn't.
Check out the Podcap of the game on CelticsStuff Live. And don't forget tonight's show with special guest Mike Fine of the Patriot Ledger. They are rolling out a new Broadcast Room to give The Pit some class. There is always much fun to be had in the chat room as well as listening to the show. Be sure to call in with your questions and comments. See you there!!! Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
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