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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Short Handed Celtics Come Up Short Again
Saturday, April 7, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 9:52 PM
Fielding only 8 players for the second game in a row, the Celtics never led in this game and lost 105-98 in spite of putting up a hard fight. Whenever the Pacers would make a run, it seemed as though the Celtics would come right back but could never get any closer than 5 points.
Rondo had a great game, coming close to a quadruple double with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 steals. I believe he will get one before his career is over. Telfair had his best game in a long time scoring 21 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 31 minutes. Ray started again and had 22 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Green had a very tough night scoring 12 points on 4-18 shooting with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 6 fouls. Gomes had 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He didn't show the 3 point accuracy he did against Miami, though, and was 0 for 2 from beyond the arc. He came down on his elbow after a drive to the basket with 9:41 left in the fourth and was wincing in pain on the bench afterwards. We don't need another injury.
Perk was running a fever of 101 before the game and was suffering from the flu but played 18 minutes anyway. He had 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Powe had another strong outing with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal. Pinkney played 16 minutes and didn't score but pulled down 2 rebounds and had 1 steal.
The Celtics shot 44% from the floor while allowing the Pacers to shoot 54% from the floor. We were also out rebounded 42-36. The Pacers had an incredible 26 turnovers while the Celtics only committed 14. We shot only 60% from the free throw line. One thing every Celtic needs to work on this summer is their shooting and free throws.
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Durant Expected to Declare for Draft Next Week
by FLCeltsFan 12:53 PM
According to Draft Express, Kevin Durant is expected to declare for the draft at a press conference next week. Here is the quote from the article on news from the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament:
According to multiple sources, both from the NBA and close to the player himself, Kevin Durant will be announcing in a press conference mid next week that he will be putting his name in the draft. Kevin Durant's Profile |
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Celtics Play Hard but Come Up Short Against Miami
Friday, April 6, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 10:39 PM
The Celtics played well tonight but came up short as they lose to the Heat 88-85. The Celtics fielded only 8 players and every one of them played hard and almost pulled out the upset.
Powe was the player of the game in my opinion and won the Tommy Award. He got his first double double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist and played some good defense in the paint. My favorite play of the game was a Powe steal and coast to coast drive for a dunk. Perk had trouble with Shaq in the first half, but he and Powe figured him out in the second half and held him to just 2 points. Perk finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks and he was a defensive presence in the paint.
Gomes showed a new facet to his game by hitting 4-5 from beyond the arc. Dickerson said that he has been working on extending his range and he showed it tonight. He finished with 24 points and 5 rebounds. Pinkney played only 9 minutes but still made his presence known with 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block. Green had a good game and finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.
Rondo just continues to impress. He joined Powe with a double double finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. Good things happen when he is on the floor. He is an excellent rebounder for his size. Telfair played 29 minutes and had 2 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. Ray started in place of the injured Delonte West and finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block.
This team gives short handed a new meaning. They could have just mailed it in because they were so short handed but they didn't and nearly pulled out a win. With only 8 players, they played the defending champs, who are fighting for playoff positioning, evenly the whole game. In spite of being so short handed, we were only out rebounded by 1 and only lost by 3. Our young players are gaining experience and confidence game by game. This all bodes very well for next season.
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And Then There Were Eight
by FLCeltsFan 6:34 PM
Delonte West will be out tonight as the Celtics take on the Miami Heat at home. He is also expected to miss tomorrow night's game against the Pacers. This leaves the Celtics with just 8 players including Kevinn Pinkney who was signed to a 10 day contract on Wednesday. Pierce and Jefferson are also expected to miss tonight and tomorrow night's games.
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[More] source:Celtics.com Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
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A Team of the Past and Future
by FLCeltsFan 8:12 AM
By Quinielabox (Alias Q_KS)
Five teams are clearly the bottom feeders and presumably would benefit the most from having a top two draft choice (assuming Oden and Durant both declare for the NBA draft). Those bottom five teams are:
1. Memphis 2. Charlotte 3. Milwaukee 4. Boston 5. Atlanta
All five of these teams have had one thing in common - their best player (and often the best two or three players) have missed significant time due to injury. And the depletion of these five rosters have contributed to the struggles of each of the clubs. The Celtics in particular have lost their five best players and their entire veteran staff to injuries forcing the use of young players that were not ready for NBA talent. They are my pick of these five bottom feeders to leap frog quickly up the NBA ladder due to young talent maturing, veterans coming back, superior chemistry, and a good draft pick. Memphis will continue to languish with there poor roster. Atlanta will have a tough time moving up against their rivals. So will Charlotte if Okafor keeps getting hurt. Milwaukee can get back to respectablity ala Indiana or Washington but can never compete.
The Celtics are already showing characteristics of a team ready to emerge whether Pierce stays or is traded after the season. Here is why:
1. Perkins and Jefferson are forming a big man battery. 2. Rondo is an emerging PG 3. You got Pierce. 4. You got West, Green, and Tony Allen as young wingers. 5. You get Gomes and Powe as capable backup big men. 6. Add Oden or Durant and this opens doors for key trades for a veteran PG that make the Celtics of 2008 that came from nowhere to prominence.
And that's the way the Celtics are in April 2007..... A team of the past and a team of the future. The NBA has made a comeback but the comeback can never be complete unless the Celtics return to NBA prominence.
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Re-Inventing The Tank??
Thursday, April 5, 2007
by Loyalist 8:45 AM
 History Of The Tank source: wiki
The tank was developed from the American Holt farm tractor by the British in World War I as a solution to the stalemate trench warfare had brought to the western front. The first prototype of the Mark I tank, Little Willie, was tested for the British Army on September 6, 1915. They were initially termed "land ships" by The Admiralty, but to preserve secrecy the initial vehicles were referred to as "Water-carriers". The workers of William Foster & Co. Ltd in Lincoln were given the impression that they were building "Water-carriers for Mesopotamia"; hence the name Tank.

Lotto Motto
If you can't make the playoffs, Tank the season! As we all know, the latest news sources keep talking all this crap about the C's purposely tanking games for hopes of landing Oden or Durant. The only problem is, Oden and even Durant may not declare, It's a real possibility, although, IMHO, unlikely. However unlikely to some, it seems the C's are getting the bad press. As has been posted by FL, one news source claimed we beat the "shorthanded" Cavs. And then last night we lost "purposely" to the Bucks who we've beat twice already this season. One source had this to say:
In a game that had major NBA draft lottery ramifications — and at a few points might have served as an effective stay-in-school message to college basketball stars Kevin Durant and Greg Oden — the Bucks’ skeleton crew beat what was left of the Celtics 98-89 last night.
This is the type of jibber jabber I'm talking about. I refuse to believe we are tanking. A team has to be good and have had a legit chance at making the playoffs, only to underachieve, to even begin to be considered a tank. What are we, reinventing the definition of the word tank? The Celtics never had a chance since the beginning of the season. To add more insult to the injuries, Doc had this to say about last nights loss (as if we care what Doc says anymore):
“You do start taking notice of the rest of the league, because you want somebody else to join you,” Rivers said. “You know, misery loves company.”
Hell, at least he is honest! When you suck, you want to take others down with you. However, why the hell would he be "taking notice" of the other losing teams!? This is one of the many symptoms of why Doc needs to run for his life to Miami like Pitino did. Just go, bask in the sun, cash our checks, and get a tan. He no longer needs to fake that he likes the color green. And we no longer need to hear the name Doc Rivers ever again.
My point to all this is that I am angry, I've been so since the start of the C's 06-07 campaign. I am also sick and tired of reading all the excuses of tanking and beating "shorthanded" teams. When the fact of the matter is we've had possibly more injuries to key players than any other team. These set backs have caused issues with the development of our team. I know i've laid into Rivers pretty hard. And to be fair, he's only part of the problem, but at the same time having a coach like Doc isn't helping the situation. He is the kind of coach you bring in for one year if that. Why do you think Orlando dropped him?
The light at the end of the Ted Williams tunnel is we do deserve a top lottery pick. Red is dead. DJ is dead. Reggie is dead. Bias is dead. And the last title was 20 years ago. What more do we have to have happen before all these idiots stop and give a little sympathy where it is deserved. I am not asking for the C's to just be handed a title. Just get off our backs already!
And that's all I have to say about that. Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!
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Short Handed Celtics Fall to Short Handed Bucks 98-89
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 10:29 PM
The Celtics lost to the Bucks tonight 98-89 and now are 3 games ahead of the Bucks for the second most ping pong balls in the lottery. We also lost Delonte West to an ankle sprain early in the 3rd quarter and he didn't return to the game. After the game Doc said he expected West to play on Friday, in spite of the sprained ankle. He scored 10 points to go with 2 rebounds and 4 assists before he went out.
Kevinn Pinkney who arrived in Milwaukee last night from the D-League impressed in his first outing with 15 points on 5-7 shooting (5-5 from the line), to go with 2 rebounds and 1 block in 21 minutes. He took the ball to the basket and got a few impressive dunks and won the Tommy Award in the process. Perk had a good game and finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Powe fouled out with 2 points, 11 rebounds and 1 block.
Gomes started at the Power Forward and scored 13 points to go with 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. Green continued with his up and down inconsistent play. Coming off a 25 point effort in his last game, he scored 8 points in this game to go with 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
Rondo had another good game finishing with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist. Telfair again seemed to struggle and the team production fell off when he came in at the point. He finished with 1 point, 4 reboundfs, 2 assists and 2 steals in 32 minutes of play. Ray had a good game scoring 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
The bottom line is that the Celtics played absolutely no defense. When a 5'5" player scores 32 points on you, something is wrong. We shot 37% from the field and allowed the Bucks to shoot 48%. The Bucks out rebounded us by 1 and that just shows that the effort wasn't there on the boards. We also committed 15 turnovers. To put is mildly, it wasn't our best effort, short handed or not.
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Team Update for Buck's Game
by FLCeltsFan 3:36 PM
Pierce and Big Al are definitely out for tonight's game as reported in the Boston Herald. Neither player made the trip to Milwaukee for tonight's game. Pierce will also miss Friday's game against Miami and Saturday's game at Indiana. Pierce still wants to play again this season, but with Dr. McKeon ruling out play this week, time is running out for him to make a come back. Pierce had an MRI done on his elbow but results have not been released as yet.
The Globe updates us on the status of Kevin Pinkney who has been called up from the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League. He arrived in Milwaukee around 11 pm last night and participated in this morning's shoot around. He sat out the first part of the shoot around waiting for approval from the league for his signing. Since we have 15 players on the roster, special permission was necessary to add a 16th player. Pinkney will be wearing number 51 for the Celtics. Danny said he has been watching him and if he plays well, it will be interesting to see if he is invited to play on our Summer League team.
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source:Herald and Globe
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Two Wings and a Couple of Point Guards
by FLCeltsFan 8:57 AM
From time to time I post a good piece from Celtics Green here. Derrenmatts had a good post about West, Ray, Rondo and Telfair that I wanted to share here. Derren's thoughts:
I think these 4 guys (RR, ST, DW and AR) can really solidify their roles on the team and make their impacts felt. I'm looking at big improvements from them next season.
Rajon: Clearly has been the best PG on the team (and I'm glad Doc has allowed him to showcase his playmaking ability). I still have hopes for Telfair, but clearly Rajon's all around abilities--mainly his defensive pestering--makes him the right guy to handle the starting job right now. He can carve out defenses with ease and he can come around the corner like only a few PG's can. His ball handling is exceptional, and considering how long his arms are and how strong his grip is, his dribbling can take him anywhere he wants to go on the court. This, along with his speed, is what allows him to be so creative. What I want from him next season is for him to look for his offense more. He's got to perfect that 8 foot floater because he can get to that part of the paint at will. He's also got to work relentlessly on his jumper and use it more next season. By becoming a double digit scorer, Rajon will find more passing angles cause teams will have to play him tighter on defense, rather than dropping off of him. He'll be an even more complete PG then.
Delonte West: Doc has made the right decision by moving Delonte out of the PG slot. It took awhile for Doc to realize this, but better late than never. Now Delonte has to reset his programming so that he looks for his scoring again. Remember last season when Delonte was unconscience with his sizzling shooting (at one point he was nearly automatic, hitting 50% of his FG's, 90% from the FT line, and 40% from beyond the arc)? Well, we need Delonte to get back to that mode of thinking. I think this is where Delonte is struggling right now. Before he gets the ball, he's not thinking 'shoot'. He's thinking about moving the ball, he's thinking about driving into the lane, he's thinking about everything else but shooting the ball. Next season, he has the realize again that beyond anything else, his bread and butter is his shooting, and he's got to have that mentality that anytime he catches the ball, if he's got sunshine between him and his defender, he's going to shoot the ball. If he thnks like this, he'll start draining his jumpers at a high percentage again.
Sebastian Telfar: Many fans have already given up on Telfair. I ain't one of them, but admittedly, it is hard to defend his case right now cause he's hardly getting playing time and when he does play, he feels that he has to prove himself in the few minutes he'll be on the court, and that causes him to force things and tighten up on his shots. Telfair has excellent court vision and passing ability (believe me, he does), and once he gets comfortable and familiar with his teammates, he'll be much better than what we see now. I'm big on Rajon too, so I don't mind if Telfair settles in as his backup. But I do think he can be a much better PG than how fans view him now. Sebastian is a PG who wants the attention on him--to me that's what makes him alluring. Coming off of screens, he's a threat to take it to the basket or thread nice passes. But Doc doesn't call for these plays nearly enough so we haven't seen Sebastian (or Rajon) really shine in this area. Telfair absolutely needs to perfect his elbow jumper this summer. You'll hear Tommy shout that out every time Telfair knocks it down, that that is exactly what Telfair needs to do. Bassy will never be the all around player that Rondo is--but he can be a valuable player once he begins to consistently knock down the jumpers he'll see coming off of screens. Its there for him almost every time. If Telfair doesn't beat out Rajon, he should make a really good backup.
Allan Ray: I like this kid. Not because I think he'll be a star, or even a starter for us (might happen, but not likely). I like him because off the bench, I think he can have a special role as a sharpshooter. All good teams have guys who can knock down three's, and Allan Ray can provide this for us. He's got a quick trigger and he's not afraid to pull. We've got to find ways to free him up for open looks because when he's hot, he'll reel off 10 pts in a heartbeat. I don't find it surprising at all that Ray is getting playing time now. He's not getting playing time because we're tanking the season--I'm absolutely sure that Ray is really shining in practices and that's why Doc is playing him now. Ray's a shooter and shooters are valuable commodities in this sport. My take: Rondo has clearly proven that he is the PG of the future for this team. He has all the point guard instincts you can't teach and his only liability is his shooting, which he can improve by working on it over the off season. He has already shown improvment through the year and I expect him to come back next season with a decent mid range shot that will keep the defenses honest.
West has worked hard to learn the PG position. He has done a great job at it and he will be great insurance to have as a 3rd option at the point. But he would be best used as a shooting guard, where he seems to be a better fit.
Telfair can be a good point guard in the right system. His confidence has taken a hit this season and he is being out played by Rondo. If he can get his confidence back and fit his game into the system he will be a good PG off the bench for us. I am willing to give him another year to prove himself.
I don't think Ray will be back next season. He is a shooter that is shooting 36% from the field. He is undersized as a 2 and we already have 1 shooting guard that we have tried to turn into a point guard and have 2 other point guards ahead of him. He has shown some flashes of becoming a good player, but the law of averages may be against him in Boston. I believe he will be one of the players moved to make room for a draft pick or a whoever we bring in.
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source: Celtics Green
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Pinkney, not Ed, signs 10-day contract
by Loyalist 7:13 AM

Since Pierce is out and Al is out and our roster is down to 8, the C's front office decided to execute a 10-day contract offer to Kevinn Pinkney of the Bakersfield Jam.
Throughout the Bakersfield Jam's inaugural season, which has seen far more losses than wins, the one constant has been the stellar play of forward-center Kevinn Pinkney.
Pinkney's ability, steady improvement and work ethic has led to a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics, the Jam announced Tuesday. He is scheduled to make his NBA debut tonight when the Celtics play in Milwaukee.
Pinkney, a 6-foot-10 center/forward from the University of Nevada, leads the Jam with an 18.6 scoring average and 338 rebounds. [More] source: bakersfield.com
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And Then There Were 8 - Big Al Injures Knee in Practice
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 4:33 PM
Celtics.com is reporting that Al banged knees with Gomes in practice and is likely to sit out the game against the Bucks.
Jefferson is also cognizant of the fact that he may be better off sitting out rather than trying to come back for the final few weeks of the season. "You've got to think about things like that, but also I want to play," Jefferson said. "I want to get better, take advantage of these games and get better as a team, but I don't want to go out there hurt and risk further injury." The article also says that the Celtics may pursue a big man to sign to a 10 day contract given all the injuries on the team. If Al can't go tomorrow, they may bring in another big as soon as tomorrow. If this keeps up, we may not have enough players to field a team and we can just forfeit and save ourselves the trouble of playing the games.
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source: Celtics.com
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Who was Shorthanded??
Monday, April 2, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 2:36 PM
This headline on Newsnet5 caught my attention:
Boston Downs Shorthanded Cleveland Ok, let's back up a bit here. Boston dressed 9 players. Wally, Ratliff, Allen, Olowokandi, Scal and Pierce were all out for this game and most have been out much of the season. Wally, Ratliff, Allen and Pierce were considered starters at the beginning of the season. So, we are missing 4/5 of our original starting lineup plus 2 key reserves.
On the other hand, Cleveland dressed 12 guys. The only player who was injured on the Cavs was Lebron James. And James wasn't really injured. He just had general body soreness. They figured that the Celtics were easy pickings and they could beat us without LeBron. It was an important game for them. They lost ground in the playoff race for home court advantage, so it wasn't a game they were looking to lose.
And the Cavs were loaded with veteran leadership. The Celtics veteran leadership included, um, no one. The team that beat the Cavs consisted of one 4th year player (who played all of 35 minutes his first season and not much more his second season), 3 third year players (one of which missed most of last season), 2 second year players, and 3 rookies. So, tell me again, which team was shorthanded?
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[More] source: Newsnet5
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Did Conley Accidently Reveal Oden's Plans?
by FLCeltsFan 2:15 PM
April 2, 2007
If anyone knows what Greg Oden is thinking, it is probably his best friend since elementary school, Mike Conley. Oden has been steadfast in saying that he hadn't made any decisions yet. Conley has said that he will stay whether they win or lose.
In an interview, Conley made this comment,
"It will be very hard when Greg's not here next year,'' Conley said. Then he quickly amended the statement. "If he's not here next year.'' From this statement, it seems as though he doesn't expect Oden to remain at Ohio with him next season.
Mike Conley, Sr. has begun a sports agency this year and it is expected that Conley Sr will be representing Oden. The fact that he is working to be set up this season may lend credence to the fact that Oden is planning to leave along with Conley Jr's inadvertent statement.
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[More] source: Indy Star
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Pierce-less Celtics Beat LeBron-less Cavs 98-96
Sunday, April 1, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 10:05 PM
LeBron James sat out this game with "general body soreness." The Cavs must have felt they could easily handle us without him, because this was an important game for them with Detroit and Chicago both winning tonight and a loss would cost them in playoff positioning. They didn't count on Perk and Al combining for 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists or Green going for 25 points or our PG pulling down 9 rebounds. It was a total team effort tonight.
Perk was the player of the game. I love this kid and we are starting to see what he can do when healthy. He still isn't 100% but is getting closer and it is showing in his play. He finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. His passes inside to the cutters are really impressive. I love the chemistry between Al and Perk. They play very well off each other. Al finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 5 blocks.
Gomes seems to be getting back to normal after the injury. He moved back into the starting lineup and finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Green started at SG and scored 25 points to go with 2 rebound and 4 assists. Rondo had another strong game and the team just plays so much better when he is at the point. he finished with 4 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. West came off the bench and scored 11 points to go with 4 rebounds and 1 assist.
He was fouled on a drive with 1.9 seconds to go and hit 2 clutch free throws that proved to be the game winners. Powe had 5 points and 1 rebound and played good defense while he was in. Doc makes a mistake of putting Powe in as the only big on the floor and he needs to put him in with either Perk or Al and that gives us a much stronger lineup.
Allan Ray had 1 assist and 2 steals in 9 minutes off the bench. He came into the season known as a scorer, but he has struggled with his shot all season. Telfair had 1 rebound and 1 assist in 9 minutes of play.
With Milwaukee and Memphis both losing tonight, we lost ground in the race for the ping pong balls. We will never catch Memphis for the worst record and it seemed as though we had the 2nd worst record all sewed up. But with the Bucks in serious tank mode, they have moved to within 2 1/2 games of us for the second worst record. We play the Bucks twice between now and the end of the season. If we lose those, they will easily overtake us for the second most ping pong balls. But even so, the win tonight was great for the confidence of our young players.
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Pierce and James out of Tonight's Game

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