CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Carnival of the NBA #52 Thanksgiving Edition

by FLCeltsFan 2:50 PM

With Thanksgiving this week, I figured it would be good to focus on things that NBA teams and their fans (and blogs) have to be thankful for. Being a Celtics fan, I have to say that we have a lot more to be thankful for this year than we have had for over 20 years. One thing the Celtics have to be thankful for is the way Rajon Rondo has been playing as a second year point guard. Jeff over on CelticsBlog reminds us of the education of Rajon Rondo. 8-9 from the field against Orlando, it seems that the pupil is learning at least one lesson very well.

Of course, anyone who knows me knows that I am thankful for Perk. I love this kid's intensity and toughness and work ethic. The crack staff over on perkisabeast gives us statistical evidence that Perk is a Beast. I tend to agree.

John over at Red's Army is thankful for the refs... oh wait, then again, maybe he isn't. He has a very good rant against the officiating this season. I have to agree that the refs have been terrible over all. I would have thought that the officiating would have been much better this season after the off season Donaghy debacle. But, it seems as though it has been even worse than last season. I agree with John. Something needs to be done.

Over at Green Bandwagon, Jim is thankful for books on basketball. He has done a series of book reviews that make a good read in themselves. His latest is on the book Fall River Dreams. I also love reading the older books on the Celtics. Right now, I am reading Celtics Pride by Bob Ryan about Tommy's coaching years. Some fascinating stuff there.

I am also thankful for all the Celtics blogs out there (not to be confused with THE CelticsBlog). I love reading about the Celtics and there are so many very good Celtics blogs out there that I never lack for good reading. I can't mention them all, but a couple of my favorites that didn't submit links for this Carnival that have good, insightful stuff worth reading every day are Celtics 17 and Lex Nihil Novi.

Of course, Celtics fans aren't the only team with things to be thankful for. TWolves Blog is thankful for all their young players and gives us profiles for all of them. They do have some nice talent there, especially Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes, and hopefully they can give them time to grow together. I plan on watching all their games that I can to watch these young guys continue toward reaching their potential.

Bobcats Planet is thankful for Gerald Wallace and point to his fierce block on Shaquille O'Neal as proof. I have to admit that it is pretty impressive. Take a look and you will agree. Staying with the Bobcats, Bobcats Bonfire focuses on the good in Charlotte and then gives the Bobcats something to think about, looking at a few things that need improvement.

Golden State of Mind has a lot to be thankful for, but a win on opening night isn't one of them. They do up their opening night coverage in a big way including a post introducing Golden State of Mind Night and unveiling the cool tee shirts they were giving out, a great post game recap, a look behind the scenes at GSoM Night, and a LOT of photos from GSoM Night.

Suns fans have a lot to be thankful for and Born and Raised lets us know that they are hotter than ever but, they also question whether the team can keep it going. I would have to say that any team with Steve Nash definitely has a chance.

BullsBlogger from Blog a Bull submits Kelly Dwyer's break down of the Bulls from TrueHoop. Bulls fans should be thankful that they have a strong young core and in spite of having some early problems, are going to be at the top of the East this season once they get everything ironed out.

On Passion and Pride, Jon is thankful for all the potential in Philly. But then again, Celtics fans know all about potential. Jon also fills us in on Andre Miller's struggle as a true point guard on a losing team. And finally, Anthony says the Sixers are a dangerous opponent right now because they have nothing to lose. I guess he m means nothing to lose except games.

With Malice posts a note supposedly found outside the Lakers' arena and possibly containing some notes from Phil Jackson. I guess Lakers fans are still thankful that Kobe is still a Laker and that Ben Gordon is not. Oh yeah, the note gives us inside info as to why Phil's famous triangle offense works so well. It's something you would never expect.

Over at Clips Nation, they are thankful for Chris Kaman and are floating his name out there for the All Star team. They make the point that although he might not make the team he is still playing like one. I wish him good luck. There is at least one big man he won't have to compete with this season for a spot and that is Kevin Garnett.

And what Carnival would be complete without all the general NBA blogs that give us the unbiased (most of the time) reports on all the teams and the NBA in general.

One new blog I found just recently and that has impressed me is Hoopsblogging. Chad is very thankful for being able to attend the Blog World Expo in Las Vegas and reports on Mark Cuban's speech from that Expo. It's some good reading so I appreciate the time he put into transcribing it. He also shows us some Lakers highlights and wonders what Lamar Odom is thinking sometimes. And now, time for a shameless plug. Chad also ran a contest for blogs from all 30 teams to submit previews for the season. You can check out the winners here. (hint: Celtics win! And the crowd goes wild!)

Give Me the Rock is another of my favorite blogs. In this post, they welcome Dwayne Wade back. Talk about being thankful! Miami should be downright giddy to have Wade back. They are a totally different with him on the floor. The article also discusses a comparison of Yi and Durant. And to think, Yi was almost a Celtic.

Another great NBA blog is 20 Second Timeout. It seems that Kevin Durant is the hot topic these days on a lot of blogs. Here he discusses Durant's first win as a Sonic in a game against a listless Heat team.

I Want to be a Sports Agent also discusses Kevin Durant and makes a prediction that Kevin Durant will walk away with the Rookie of the Year award this season.

Sports Biz discusses the fact that the Hornets are back in New Orleans but wonders if anyone notices. Oklahoma was very thankful to have them there. The Hornets seem thankful to be back in New Orleans. It seems as though the fans should be thankful to have them back and suport them with their attendance. If not, look for the Hornets to go back to Oklahoma, where they are really wanted.

Finally, Thank you to Isaiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury for their constant antics that give us a bit of comic relief in an otherwise serious sport. Hope you all enjoy this edition of the Carnival of the NBA as much as I have enjoyed putting it together!

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