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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 4/11
Saturday, April 11, 2009
by FLCeltsFan 10:47 AM
Herald Celtics ride Paul Pierce’s big second half to win
Ray Allen honored with Auerbach award
Paul Pierce again shows why he’s Mr. Clutch
Cavaliers lock up home in playoffs
Globe Celtics turn down Heat
Faceoff likely for playoff dates
They're conjuring up good memories
Rivers sets timetable for Garnett, Powe
Final: Celtics 105, Heat 98
MetroWest Daily Celtics 105, Heat 98: Cool under pressure
Megliola: Pierce delivers at the end
Celtics Blog Miami Nice
LOY's Place Comments from the other side - Heat
Powe has big obstacle to climb
Flash pick up 2 wins over 14ers
Race to the playoffs
Red's Army Makin' the plays
Peninsula is Mightier Again, Heat crumble in final minutes
NBA.com Anatomy of a Champion
OddsKiller Big Baby is proving he's a man
Worcester Telegram Rondo nearing the top
Celtics turn down heat
Connecticut Post Sixty! Team effort drops Heat
WEEI Green Street Sounds of the game - Big time Big Baby
Celtics riding momentum to Cleveland
5 things we learned: Rondo would make Doc go left
Powe expects to practice Monday
Sun Sentinel Injuries force Moon to miss Celtics game
Wade, Beasley, O'Neal not enough for Heat
Deseret News Utah Flash get two victories for the price of one
ProJo Celtics roll on despite losing top seed in the East
Marbury is clicking with the Celts
Rondo has the ability to dominate
Pierce leads Boston to a statement win over Miami
Sportingo Cavs and Lakers on the mend in time for the big showdown?
Ridiculous Upside Whoops
Chicago Tribune Bulls have become watchable, maybe even dangerous
Comcast SportsNet Drive for 18 interviews: KG, Pierce and Doc
Fox Sports Celtics can win it all again if injuries don't persist
BC Sports Why the Celtics won't repeat
SI.com NBA scouts, execs honor the season's best
LA Times Lamar Odom is not upset with new role
Celtics Circuit Team MVP too difficult to decide
NESN Celtics getting healthy at the right time
Allen earns Red Auerbach award
Patriot Ledger Leon Powe ready to rejoin frontcourt rotation in playoffs
WEEI Danny Ainge on The Big Show
Leaving It All on the Court Heat falls in Beantown
ESPN Eddie House could see extended time
Enterprise Celtics reach 60 win mark for second straight season
Miami Herald Beasley back as starter
Heat's bid for #4 playoff seed ends
Palm Beach Post Celtics 105, Heat 98
Celtics Hub Celts can take the Heat - C's 105, Miami 98
Closing in on the 2nd seed
MySouthEnd Feeling bullish on the Green
Inane Musings Celtics afterthoughts: The wins keep coming somehow
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Comments from the Other Side - Heat
by FLCeltsFan 8:51 AM
Wow, the Heat fans really don't like Big Baby for some reason. But, they were harder on Wade for missing his free throws than on any Celtic. I love how fans all think the game is in the bag at the beginning because KG is out. They fail to see that even without KG we still have at least 2 future Hall of Famers and a very deep team. As always, poor Tommy is the subject of many complaints. I just love Tommy and the fact that he gets under the skins of the other teams' fans game in and game out. I hope you enjoy the comments from around the Heat boards.
The Heat needs to play hard on this one, We need to win this game so that we can solidify our 5th seed.
Just contain their shooters and we will be fine.
We should win them without KG.all we need to do is defend well on Allen and PP
I hope Beasley has a good game though, and Chalmers too on offense. I already know Rondo is going to do whatever he wants with him though. Imma go head and pencil this one in as an L for us.
I think Glen Davis will have his way with Beasley guarding him but Beasley will abused Davis on the offensive side.
I think we have a really good chance to win this game, hopefully Wade has a chip on his shoulder for losing the game for us and has a career night.
Boston w/o KG should be a win
We must bring our A game, or itls L. No way that we can beat Boston (even without Garnet) playing more or less ,,,
We should rest Wade this game. We can beat the Celts without him.
Every game from this point forward is important. Let's not think just because they're the Celtics, its a throwaway game. Now if we're getting blown out by 40 after the 2nd than maybe we should sit him out.
Rondo x Chalmers = Celtics
Jesus x Wade = Heat
Pierce x Diawara = Celtics
Big Baby x Beasley = Heat
Perkins x JO = Celtics
Bench = Celtics
Coach = Celtics
Home Court = Celtics
Final Score = Celtics 105 x 85 Heat
Celtics feed on LP ... So have to put up with Tommy Hienson
Oh no we have to listen to crappy a** Boston announcers.
Celtics Cheerleaders look bad.. Trust me I'm in Boston , nothing compared to Heat dancers.
Marbury can't guard Wade!
Aghhhhhhh not Eddie house
Please don't get killed by Eddie House again, really embarrassing..
We cannot allow Eddie House to average 17 points, with 19-34FG and 12-20 from 3 altogether. Eddie freaking House...
Someone needs to help out and keep Rondo from crashing the offensive boards
Is it just me or is there quite a few red shirts in the crowd?
And !@#$%^&* I have so much hatred for Big Baby, and then he flops. **** that guy.
Wade-uh needs to work on his free throws
The problem has been there all season and is not going away
Maybe that was shaq's farewell present How to suck at free throws
Big baby is a baby
Seriously? Baby Davis stole it from Quinn?
Glen Davis is so fat.
Tommy Heinsohn is the biggest homer there is in the league.
We're at 52% and the Celtics are at 42% yet we're down 3..
Big baby's eyebrows bother me
The entire Boston team bothers me Rondo looks like the roadrunner
The technical on Jo fired up the Celts. Big Baby is over rated
It's amazing how much Glen Davis looks like this
The technical on Jo fired up the Celts.
Big Baby is over rated.
Big baby is smoking Beasley right now
Rondo is so annoying! The whole team is!
When the other teams pg has as many rebounds as your starting center you know your team has a problem....
Wade is shooting 44% from the ft line right now. Very impressive.
Put magloire in the game pierce needs to be knocked down a few times...
Did you see the Chalmers/JO "trap" in the corner on Rondo? It consisted of them both standing about 3 ft away from Rondo with their hands up and then watching as Perkins took an open ft line shot. Zero pressure on Rondo to make the pass to the wide open guy, zero ball pressure period.
Mikki Moore is such a bum, how is he still in the NBA????
I hate to say it but the refs are giving the Heat the benefit of the doubt on a lot of these calls. Celtics aren't getting any calls go their way and they are home. Wow
We're getting a lot of calls our way, but I wouldn't say they aren't getting any calls cos they are getting some.
Now they're getting make up calls. The refs suck. Big time.
These Boston fans kill me.. PP makes a three and they go up by one and all the fans are high fiving one another and acting like they're up by 10+ points or something
They're just Irish drunks.
Pierce is a heat killer. He always hits timely shots
This Heinsohn guy is about to have a stroke. You weren't wrong when you said he was the biggest homer in the league.
Big Baby annihalates JO.
Man, the Celtics really make it easy to hate them.
**** you big baby
Damn that fat turd test tube baby!!!!
We're just getting outplayed in the clutch right now.
The Heat wouldn't be trailing if they weren't shooting 61% from the ft line as a team. I guess Shaq is still on the team.
I'm sorry but I'm really sick of Wade's inability to put the ball in the basket when the game is really close and there's under 2 minutes.
Put in Blount!
Celtic’s commentator Tommy H. Is Bias! So so so so bias! I’ve never seen any commentator from an opposing team as Bias as Tommy.
Gosh poor wade can barely guard PP.. 2 quick fouls in less then 2 seconds.
I wouldn't mind if the Boston announcer got mugged and beat up by one of his drunk fans... That old man is freaking annoying.
Hahaha. The announcer's getting sick of Wade's drama stint
I've never been so annoyed by an announcer in my life. You can tell that his partner commentating the game just shuts his mouth when Tommy makes a dumb statement because he doesn't want to argue.
Losses lie this remind me of Ricky Davis...
Wade seriously has to stop complaining, he's been whining about everything for the past few games. he's starting to rely on the ref's. A lot of pump/try to draw a foul on a 3 or J but doesn't get touched, then let the ball go. Things like that, he should just play the game,
Big BBQ just ate JO.
Yes, Wade complaining is becoming irritating. But what's more irritating is that Celtics commentator. After he complains like, all game, he then criticizes Wade. I wanted to rip my ears off listening to that guy.
Boston just killed us from 3 in the 4 games we played them in this season.
Did Pierce or Davis miss in that 4th quarter? It didn't seem like they did. Especially down the stretch.
It felt like Pierce didn't miss all game.
This team is just not ready for prime time.They can't beat the top 3 teams in the east on their homecourt.
Bring back Zo, payton and Williams from retirement and this year's chip's ours
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Powe has a big obstacle to climb
by Unknown 1:24 AM
Not long ago, Leon Powe was the main big man off the bench. His production from the bench in last year's Finals put him on a higher plane than fellow bench big man, Glenn "Big Baby" Davis. But somewhere between his injuries and the rise of Big Baby, Powe has fallen behind the competition for the primary backup spot. I think its safe to say that Baby will hear Doc call his name first when its time to give KG a breather. This is far from saying that Powe will not participate in games. In spite of Baby's rise, Powe will still get his playing time due to his ability to rebound and score in traffic--its just that he'll have to wait a little longer before he gets to enter the game.
What we have now is a two headed monster off the bench. Two hard nosed physical players who deliver punches even if they are undersized. This could end up being the difference in the playoffs. We can go 4 deep in the frontcourt.
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Flash Pick up 2 Wins over 14ers
by FLCeltsFan 12:43 AM
The Flash and 14ers replayed the final 24.2 seconds of the December 26th game that was protested after an error that involved the Celtics 2 rookies.
In that December 26th game, the scorers gave a foul to Bill Walker that was actually called on JR Giddens. With 24.2 seconds left in the game, Bill Walker was called for a foul and fouled out of the game when he actually had just 5 fouls because of the earlier error. The league agreed with the Flash protest and so the final 24.2 seconds of the game was replayed tonight. When the teams took the court to replay the final 24.2 seconds, the score was tied at 102 and the 14ers would have the ball.
It was a little odd because Walker, who was at the center of the error, was playing in Boston with the Celtics tonight but Giddens is with the Flash and had a hand in the win. He inbounded the ball to Ronald Dupree (who wasn't with the Flash on 12/26) for a buzzer beating layup and a Flash 104-102 win.
Following the bizarre replay of the final seconds of that game, the two teams squared off for the regularly scheduled game, which the Flash also won, this time 124-112.
JR Giddens had another solid game with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in 35 mimutes of play. He shot 10-14 from the field for the game.
With two wins in one night, the Flash improves to 31-18 and is host to the Idaho Stampede, also 31-18, Saturday with the West Division title spot on the line—the winner gaining a second seed in the NBA Development League playoffs and a host spot in the first round. The game is at 9:00 PM ET. Since the Celtics don't play on Saturday, it would be a good time to catch Giddens and the Flash and see the progress being made by the Celtics Rookie. You can watch all D-League games on NBA Futurecast.
Recap
Box Score
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Race to the Playoffs
by FLCeltsFan 12:22 AM
There were several games played on Friday that had playoff implications. The Celtics-Heat game was one of the bigger games. With the loss, the Heat lost hope of moving up to the 4th seed and will not have home court in the first round. With their win over the Heat and the Magic loss to the Knicks, the Celtics now are 2 games up on the Magic for the 2nd seed and have a little breathing room going into Sunday's game in Cleveland. The Lakers loss to the Blazers also gives Cleveland a little breathing room at the top.
Here are the results of tonight's games to watch - Winners are in bold
Cleveland at Philadelphia
Indiana at Atlanta
Miami at Boston
New York at Orlando
New Jersey at Detroit
Lakers at Blazers
Eastern Conference Standings as of today
Seed Team GB
1. Cleveland 0
2. Boston 4
3. Orlando 6
4. Atlanta 18.5
5. Miami 23
6. Philadelphia 24
7. Chicago 25
8. Detroit 25
No teams moved up or down, but the loss ends Miami's bid for the 4th seed and moves them just one game ahead of Philly for the 5th seed. The Sixers dropped down to just a game ahead of Chicago for the 6th seed and Chicago and Detroit are once again tied at 7 and 8 with Chicago having the tie breaker if they finish with identical records.
The matchups haven't changed since yesterday and remain
Cleveland vs Detroit
Boston vs Chicago
Olando vs Philadelphia
Atlanta vs Miami
Games to Watch on Saturday
Detroit at Indiana
Orlando at New Jersey
Charlotte at Chicago
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 4/10
Friday, April 10, 2009
Race to the Playoffs
by FLCeltsFan 8:14 AM
Last night there was just one game to watch that could have affected the standings and that was Philadelphia at Chicago. A loss by Chicago would have moved them into 8th place behind the Pistons. But, in spite of falling behind early, the Bulls came back to beat the Sixers and move half a game ahead of the Pistons and keep the 7th spot.
Eastern Conference Standings as of today
Seed Team GB
1. Cleveland 0
2. Boston 4
3. Orlando 5
4. Atlanta 18.5
5. Miami 22
6. Philadelphia 22.5
7. Chicago 24.5
8. Detroit 25
The matchups haven't changed since yesterday an remain
Cleveland vs Detroit
Boston vs Chicago
Olando vs Philadelphia
Atlanta vs Miami
Tonight there are several games that could affect the standings.
Games to keep an eye on tonight:
Cleveland at Philadelphia
Indiana at Atlanta
Miami at Boston
New York at Orlando
New Jersey at Detroit
And, I suppose we should also keep an eye out for the Lakers at Portland. The Lakers have Bynum back but are playing in back to back games. The top seed overall is still up for grabs between the Cavs and Lakers. The Cavs are just one game ahead in the loss column with a 63-15 record to a 63-16 record for the Lakers.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 4/9
Thursday, April 9, 2009
by FLCeltsFan 12:36 PM
Herald Celtics win a bench mark
Celtics trio makes solid points
Danny Ainge bracing for Thibodeau departure
Cavs go 38-1 at home
Globe Celtics survive surge
Chances rockier on road
Scal in uniform for kicks
Globe 10.0 - potential first round foes
They had plenty in reserve
Pistons continue to motor
Rondo goes on the offensive
FINAL: Celtics 106, Nets 104
MetroWest Daily Celtics 106, Nets 104: C's survive scare
Celtics.com Rondo gets upper hand on All Star rival in win over Nets
Rondo, Celtics overcome Nets' late rally
CelticsBlog Doc Rivers: A really good coach
Bench Praise
2nd effort
LOY's Place Comments from the other side - Nets
Race to the playoffs
Giddens solid in Flash win
Red's Army Light load
Second unit surge
Perkisabeast Celtics squeeze out win, knock Nets out of playoffs
SLAM Tom Thibodeau and his defensive schemes could leave Boston
StateNets Nets get eliminated, fall to Celtics
Celtic Pride Mr Clutch: Sam Jones
Voice of the Celtics: Johnny Most
Dallas News Getting Chris Paul could be plan A for Mavs' summer
Celtics Hub 2nd seed matters? Thibodeau gone after this year?
Figuring out the playoff picture
Berkshire Eagle Q&A with Boston Celtics great KC Jones
NESN Stephon's star is rising
WEEI Green Street Doc has the right Rx
Rondo... The new Pearl Washington
Nets Insider With loss to Celtics, Nets eliminated from playoffs
Metro Watching, waiting
Enterprise Aggressive Rondo keeps Celtics winning with 31-point performance
Injured players will make final road trip next week
Rivers confident KG will be ready to go when playoffs open
NJ.com Nets eliminated from playoff contention in loss to Celtics
Bobby Simmons wants defined role next season
Nets came up short too many times during lost season
Examiner Bulls got what Knicks need - big time PG and shot blocker
Sporting News Class differences, money management in the NBA
Pippen Ain't Easy Here's hoping it's the Celts
Sports Central Welcome to the Basketball Hall of Lame
CollegeHoop.net Rebound! Basketball, busing, Larry Bird and rebirth of Boston
Fan Fanatic Sports C's don't need Garnett... Not right now
Celtics Circuit C's getting healthy at just the right time
ProJo Injured Celtics in a fight against the clock
Tony Allen's practice battles with Pierce toughen him for the games
Celtics hold off Nets, retain 2nd spot in Eastern Conference
Bleacher Report Think again, Celtics are still the defending champions
Huffington Post Marvin Webster, ex-NBA star, found dead in hotel
Comcast SportsNet Nets get rolled by Celtics, rolling observations
Stone Cold Sports No KG, no title for Boston Celtics
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Comments from the Other Side - Nets
by FLCeltsFan 11:14 AM
Nets fans had pretty much given up on any hope of the playoffs before this game and were rooting for a loss but a good showing from their Nets. They got both so most went away happy with a spot in the lottery. There were not many Nets fans commenting in the threads so I guess bandwaggoning in reverse is in effect. The above photo in one of the threads cracked me up so I decided to use it for the header for today's comments.
Should be an interesting game if the Nets play with all they got. I wouldn't be surprised if the Nets pull this one out.
The one that the Nets should've pulled off was the last game. They got Celtics on their toes in closing moments. I can't see them winning this game honestly. I can't see them winning away games before the season ends, actually.
They are shaking when they hear the word "Celtics". Let's finish this season already.
If we just shut down Pierce, and hope Allan has a bad night. This game is ours!!!!
I kinda of want to see us win. I really want Boston to be the 3rd seed. I would like to see them have a hard time in the playoffs.
Isn't this season over yet?
The Nets are shooting the lights out. I'm praying we keep this up and win. I just hate the Celtics.
Looks like Rando is burning Harris.
Boone has gotta go.......... Even Mikki Moore is way better than he is.
Please don't win!
I hope VC doesn't hit a game winner...........really hope........
What a heart breaker
Fun game, but Nets couldn't keep up with the Celts. Up the draft board it seems.
We lose by 2 make it a good game and we lose YES!!!!
Too bad Devin had a subpar game and was completely outplayed by Rondo. And worse, I had to listen to Boston's duo of Tom Heinsohn and Mike Gorman.
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Race to the Playoffs
by FLCeltsFan 9:54 AM
The results of the games to watch last night didn't change the seedings but some of the races are heating up.
The Celtics retain their 1 game lead on the Magic as both teams won.
The Cavs stay on track to tie the 1986 Celtics' home record with another win at home.
In the race that the Celtics are most interested in, Detroit's win pulls them even with Chicago but Chicago would have the tie breaker should they finish the season tied. The Celtics would still be matched with the Bulls if the season ended today. Chicago and Detroit will face each other in the next to last game of the season which could be the deciding factor in who the Celtics will face in the first round.
Winning team is bold
Washington at Cleveland
Memphis at Orlando
Detroit at New York
New Jersey at Boston
Atlanta at Milwaukee
The standings as of today
Seed Team GB
1. Cleveland 0
2. Boston 4
3. Orlando 5
4. Atlanta 18.5
5. Miami 22
6. Philadelphia 22.5
7. Chicago 25
8. Detroit 25
The matchups haven't changed since yesterday an remain
Cleveland vs Detroit
Boston vs Chicago
Olando vs Philadelphia
Atlanta vs Miami
Game to keep an eye on tonight:
Philadelphia at Chicago
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Giddens Solid in Flash Win
by FLCeltsFan 8:33 AM
The Utah Flash moved to 29-18 with their 108-93 win over the Anaheim Arsenal. The Flash, who were playing in their fifth game in 8 days, shot 65% from the field in the 4th quarter on their way to the win.
Celtics rookie JR Giddens played small forward rather than his customary shooting guard position and finished with 18 points on 8-15 shooting to go with 10 rebounds (5 offensive), 1 assist, 1 block,and 1 steal in 38 minutes of play. Former Celtic draft pick Kedrick Brown led the Arsenal with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
The Flash play next on Friday when they host the NBDL top seeded Colorado 14ers. This will be interesting because before the scheduled game, these 2 teams will play the final 25.2 from the December 26th game between these 2 teams. The Arsenal had originally won the game 104-102 but the Flash won the first ever D-League protest over a scoring error in the game and it was suspended with 25.2 seconds to play and the score even at 102. That is where they will pick up play on Friday. They will play out the final 25.2 seconds of the suspended game at 6:30 with the regular scheduled game to follow.
You can catch all D-League action live on NBA Futurecast.
Box Score
Recap
Play by Play
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 4/8
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Race to the Playoffs
by FLCeltsFan 8:13 AM
Paul Pierce has admitted to watching the standings as teams race toward the playoffs. As I pointed out yesterday, the matchups are very much in the air in the Eastern conference. I am going to give a daily status report on where things stand until the playoff seedings are set. Let's take a look at the standings, current match ups, and today's games that could influence the standings.
Here are the standings after last night's action.
Seed Team GB
1. Cleveland 0
2. Boston 4
3. Orlando 5
4. Atlanta 18.5
5. Miami 21.5
6. Philadelphia 22
7. Chicago 24.5
8. Detroit 25
If the playoffs started today, the matchups would be
Cleveland vs Detroit
Boston vs Chicago
Olando vs Philadelphia
Atlanta vs Miami
Games to keep an eye on:
Washington at Cleveland
Memphis at Orlando
Detroit at New York
New Jersey at Boston
Atlanta at Milwaukee
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Flash Lose but Clinch Playoff Berth
by FLCeltsFan 7:51 AM
The Flash lost a heart breaker to the Los Angeles D-Fenders by a single point 118-117. But, even with the loss, the Flash still clinched a berth in the D-League playoffs because the Albuquerque Thunderbirds also lost. The Flash made up a 4th quarter deficit, but couldn't get the win.
Celtics rookie JR Giddens missed a potential game winner with 1.5 seconds left in the game. After struggling in his last game, Giddens had a strong game in this one, finishing with 23 points on 9-15 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 block in 36 minutes. One of his misses was a potential game winning jumper with 1.5 seconds left.
The Flash travel tonight to play the Arsenal at 10:00 PM ET. Since most of the game will be after the Celtics game, you can watch the action free on NBA Futurecast.
Recap
Box Score
Play by Play
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 4/7
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Playoff Matchups Still Up in the Air
by FLCeltsFan 8:24 AM
With the playoff seeding still in flux, the Celtics may not know their first round opponent until the last day of the season. Right now, it is very much still up in the air.
The Celtics could be the 2nd or third seed. Right now, the Celtics are in 2nd place with the Magic a very slight half game behind them. The Celtics have 5 games left:
vs New Jersey (31-45)
vs Miami (41-36)
at Cleveland (62-15)
at Philadelphia (40-35)
vs Washington (18-60)
Of those 5 games, 3 are against teams above .500 and 2 are against sub-.500 teams, although the Wizards with Arenas and Jamison back are a much different team than the one that won only 18 games this season. The Celtics have 3 at home and 2 on the road. With Cleveland 4 games in front of the Celtics, the only thing that seems fairly certain is that the Cavs will remain the top seed.
Orlando has 6 games left, 3 at home and 3 on the road:
at Houston (48-28)
vs Memphis (22-54)
vs New York (29-47)
at New Jersey (31-45)
at Milwaukee (32-46)
vs Charlotte (34-42)
Of those 6 games, only 1 is against a team over .500. So, it would appear that Orlando has an easier schedule remaining, even though they play one game more than tne Celtics. Also, the Celtics will play the next 3 games short-handed, without KG, Leon or Scal. The Magic on the other hand have their roster as healthy as it will be for the playoffs. They are missing Nelson, but won't have him for the playoffs either and they have Alston to replace him for the remaining games and the playoffs.
But the murky playoff picture doesn't end there. The 4th through 8th spots are also still up for grabs. As it stands now, the 4th through 9th spots belong to:
Seed Team GB
4. Atlanta 0.0
5. Miami 2.0
6. Philadelphia 2.5
7. Chicago 6.0
8. Detroit 6.0
9. Charlotte 9.0
So, there is going to be a battle between Atlanta, Miami and Philadelphia for the 3rd, 4th and 5th spots. And another battle between Chicago and Detroit for the 7th and 8th spots, with an outside chance of Charlotte sneaking in.
The Celtics need to watch the 6th and 7th spots since those would be the teams that they would face if they would finish in the 2nd or 3rd spot. If the playoffs were to end right now, the Celtics would face Chicago, which would seem to be a good matchup for the Celtics. Detroit, who may be a dangerous team in the playoffs would face the Cavaliers and Orlando, in 3rd place would face Philadelphia.
The Pistons and Chicago are in a virtual tie for 7th with Chicago owning the tie breaker if they finish tied. Over the remainder of the season, Detroit has 6 games remaining and Chicago has 5 games remaining. Of Detroit's 6 games, there is only one game against a team with a record above .500. Chicago also has just one game against a plus .500 team. But one of those sub-.500 teams for both Chicago and Detroit is a head to head matchup in Detroit in the next to last game which may be the deciding factor between these teams.
Philly is 3.5 games ahead of Chicago and it seems pretty unlikely that they will slip to the 7th spot, but they are only half a game behind Miami for the 5th spot and only 1.5 games behind Atlanta for the 4th seed. So, by the end of the season, Atlanta, Miami and Philly could flip flop in any order for those 4-6 seeds.
Atlanta in 4th has 5 games remaining with only one of those games against a team above .500, and with 3 of those games on the road. Atlanta has a head to head matchup with Miami at home in their next to last game, which could be very big in deciding the final seeding. Miami, in 5th place also has 5 games remaining. They face 3 teams above .500 including that head to head matchup with Atlanta and a game in Boston. Philadelphia may have the hardest schedule of all with 6 games remaining and three of those vs Cleveland twice (one in Philly and one in Cleveland) and Boston at home. They also have a game against Chicago who will be fighting for their own spot on the list as well as two against Charlotte and Toronto. With the toughest schedule of all the contenders, it is feasible that Philly could drop to 7th or even 8th.
The Celtics may not know their first round opponent or possible 2nd round opponents until the final day of the season. They will have home court advantage in the first round, but it isn't certain that they will have it in the second round. But one thing is certain, the Celtics are getting healthy, and a healthy Celtics team would be very scary for any teams they face, whether the Celtics have home court advantage or not.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 4/6
Monday, April 6, 2009
by FLCeltsFan 9:47 AM
Herald Danny Ainge’s hopes high for playoffs
FL's Take: I think the Celtics have an excellent chance to repeat if they are healthy. Both the Cavs and Lakers depend on one star, both of whom have played non-stop since last season with the Olympics over the summer, and have had to play heavy minutes during the season. They are both starting to show a few cracks in their armor and the Celtics are putting it all together as long as they can get healthy.
Lakers notch 61st win - barely - over Clippers
LeBron James, Cavs right back on course
Two game slip? Never fear, LeBron rises for the Cavs
Globe Perkins anchors defense
FL's Take: Perk deserves to be on the All Defensive team. Granted Howard is ahead of him for the first team, but Perk deserves to be on the second team. He has been the anchor of the Celtics' defense all season, and even more so since KG went out. The case that Perk's improved play is because he is playing beside KG doesn't work any more since he has been just as dominant on defense, and maybe even more since KG went out. I love Perk.
Cavaliers put end to slump
CelticsBlog JR Shoots and JR scores
Celtics Stuff Live Sunday night with Marc Spears
It doesn't matter
LOY's Place Giddens struggles offensively in Flash loss
Celtics 17 How do the 2008 Celtics compare to the 2008 Champs? part 2
Red's Army Ainge likes our chances
Detroit News Allen Iverson, Pistons didn't blend well, Curry says
Blitz Corner Celtics and 76ers rivalry in the 60's
WEEI Ray Allen reaches new heights while conditioning
Cleveland.com Cavs players keep hurting right wrist
SouthCoast Today Iverson certainly not the right Answer any more
NESN Back on track: Celtics' week in review
Chicago Tribune How the Bulls match up with potential playoff opponents
Celtics Hub Will KG miss the rest of the regular season?
LA Times Vujacic or Farmar: Who's the least improved?
FL's Take: While the Celtics worry over KG's knee and health problems, the Lakers have some worries of their own.
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Giddens Struggles Offensively in Flash Loss
Sunday, April 5, 2009
by FLCeltsFan 7:31 PM
The Utah Flash needed a win in today's game vs the LA Defenders in order to clinch their first D-League playoff berth. But, they weren't able to pull it off as they lost to LA 102-91 in the Staples Center.
The Flash, who has shot better than 50% from the field in each of their last 7 games, shot only 28% in the first quarter. As a team, they struggled to score and could never quite get on track.
JR Giddens struggled offensively in this game as well. He finished with just 6 points on 3-7 shooting but did grab 7 rebounds and dished out 2 assists in 32 minutes.
The Flash drop to 28-17 and slipped to 2nd in the Western division, one game behind the idle Idaho Stampede.
The Flash will try to clinch a playoff spot again on Tuesday night when they host Los Angeles at home. The game will start at 7 p.m. MDT and you can watch it on NBA FutureCast free of charge.
Box Score
Recap
Play by Play
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 4/5
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