The D-League Blog lists the top performers from last night's opening night games. Kris Joseph was listed as one of the top performers in the Eastern Division. Melo, not so much.
2. Kris Joseph, Maine
Fresh off his assignment from the Boston Celtics, Kris Joseph had an impressive night for the Red Claws with a game high of 28 points that complimented his eight rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals nicely. The same could not be said about the Celtics' other assignment Fab Melo, who fizzled with 2 points and 4 blocks in his NBA D-League debut.
We finally saw the Jeff Green from the preseason that had been compared to James Worthy. Let's hope that he's here to stay and doesn't regress again. He was aggressive and that's what the Celtics need from him.
Along the same lines, we finally saw some aggressiveness from the whole team. They played defense and got stops. They were aggressive going to the basket. They played Celtics basketball. And they actually fought for rebounds. They got a little complacent in the 4th quarter and let the Thunder make it a close game, but they fought back behind KG's free throws and Jason Terry's hot hand to get the win. As with Green, I hope these Celtics are here to stay and don't regress to the no defense Celtics that we saw against the Spurs and Pistons.
Rondo's streak of double digit assist games continues and it now at 36 games. He can tie Utah's John Stockton for the second-longest streak in league history on Sunday in Orlando. Then there will just be Magic Johnson ahead of him with 46 games. Opinion over Rondo's streak is mixed between those who feel it's a distraction and those who think it's a great accomplishment. I don't believe it's a distraction. Rondo seems to rack up the assists almost effortlessly. He gets them in the flow of the game and has shown that if his shot is there he'll take it. And, what's great, this year he's making them.
The Celtics are headed to Orlando for a game Sunday night. In their last game they conquered old friend Kendrick Perkins and next up they face old friends Glen Davis and E'Twaun Moore. Big Baby is now the man in Orlando with Dwight gone and I'm sure he's enjoying it. I thought I'd include a video from Baby's last game to get everyone ready for the Magic game. I remember Baby doing this same thing quite often. I think he loves crowd surfing.
The Maine Red Claws won their first game of the season as they beat the Canton Charge 123-115. Both of the Celtics rookies, Kris Joseph and Fab Melo, started for the Red Claws. Kris Joseph started off slowly, but finished strong and led all scorers with 28 points to go with a team high 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 39 minutes of play.
Fab had a bit of a slow start in his first game. He picked up the first foul of the season with 9:11 left in the first. He finished with 2 points and 1 rebound but he also blocked 4 shots in 20 minutes. The Red Claws fell behind at the start but clawed their way back into the game and got the win. The entire game is embedded above in case you missed it.
Here's another edition of the Best of Tommy. When Tommy and Mike were doing the Mailbag, Tommy got a question asking who would win a championship first - Perk or Ray. His answer was classic Tommy.
Who wins a championship first: Perk or Ray? "Uggghh. Ohhhh....I'm not gonna guess. I'm just gonna say 'Mail again after the All-Star Game.'"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) November 24, 2012
It was nice to see Jeff Green have a big game. I hope he's breaking out and that it wasn't just a single game against his old team. Here's Tommy's take on that big drive by Green that seemed to get him going.
On Green's drive: "They cut him off on the strong side, but he has enough lift in the legs to get it off on the weak side!"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) November 24, 2012
More on Green after a jumper. "He's looking for his offense. I love that he's looking for his offense!"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) November 24, 2012
On Friday night the Celtics matched up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team brought their three time scoring champion, Kevin Durant and old Celtic fan favorite Kendrick Perkins. The Celtics looked to battle to stay above .500 and did just that, finishing the week on a strong point with a win 108-100.
The team opened up strong in the first half shooting 52.4% from the field. Rajon Rondo was aggressive and found his teammates early tallying 9 assists in just the first half. Doc Rivers opened up with a starting line-up of Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett. The team went into half leading the Thunder 48-45. This came at the buzzer as Rondo attacked the defense and kicked to Jason Terry who hit a three pointer as time expired. Read more » Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
Just thought I'd share a bit of nostalgia. Above is the 1995 All American High School Slam Dunk Contest featuring Paul Pierce, Kris Clack and Vince Carter. Carter eventually won but The Captain had some impressive dunks as well and made it to the Finals. As I am watching Pierce have a good game against the Thunder, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at The Truth when he was still in high school. After the Jump you'll see some of the highlights from the 1995 McDonalds All American game.
at Oklahoma City Thunder (9-3) at Boston Celtics (6-6) Friday, November 23, 2012 7:30 PM ET Game #13, Home Game #7 TV: NBA-TV, NBAC, FSOK, CSNNE Radio: WEEI, WWLS TD Garden Referees: Derrick Stafford, Eric Lewis, Derek Richardson Kendrick Perkins makes his second trip back to the Garden. In his first
visit last season, the Thunder came out the winner 119-104. The
Thunder have won the last 3 games between these two teams. I don't
think it's a coincidence that the Thunder win streak coincides with the
Perk for Green trade. This will be Jeff Green's first time to face his old team.
The Thunder lead the Northwest division
while the Celtics have dropped to 4th in the Atlantic. The Thunder are
3-1 on the road while the Celtics are 3-3 at home. The Thunder have won
3 in a row while the Celtics have dropped their last 2 games.
The
Celtics need to do something quick to find their defensive roots. The
Thunder are second in the league in scoring, averaging 103 points a
game. They are undefeated when scoring 100 points or more. The only
way the Celtics can beat this team is to clamp down on defense,
something they haven't done except in spurts this season so far.
BOSTON- Tonight, the Celtics will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Garden. It's been a pretty quite day for the C's, but they're due for a loud night. Former Celtic Kendrick Perkins will return to Boston tonight wearing OKC blue, but there's nobody who looks at him as any kind of traitor. The Celtics have lost two straight and are just 6-6 on the year. Last year through twelve games, they were just 4-8 but finished 39-27 in a lockout-shortened season. This year, they have an extra 16 games and are at .500 instead of four games below. Tonight could be the inevitable turning point. Here are five things that they must to do to win tonight:
5. BETTER DEFENSIVE EFFORT:
The Celtics just didn't put up a great effort against the Spurs. The C's could've won that game with a bad defense instead of a pathetic one. San Antonio scored at will all night. They NEED to improve.
4. KEEP SULLINGER HOT:
Against the Toronto Raptors last Saturday, Sullinger had 10 rebounds. On Sunday against the Pistons, he had just five rebounds along with 16 points. On Wednesday, he went back up to 7 rebounds but just two points. He needs to keep playing hard and contributing. He is becoming a solid big man.
3. REBOUND:
The Celtics were out-rebounded 41-25 in their last game. That is unacceptable and needs to improve. Get more effort from the big men.
2. MULTIPLE OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS:
Against the Spurs, the Celtics had ONE offensive rebound. You are not reading this wrong. The entire 48 minute game, they had ONE offensive rebound. C'mon! Can you at least get 2 in the game? Let's all hope that they decide to put up a better effort on the offensive boards.
1. OUTSCORE THE THUNDER:
If you score more points than the other team, you will win. If you get 0 offensive rebounds, but win because you shot 100% from the field, then I don't care. Just score at least one more point than the other team.
Tip-off for this one is at 7:30 pm ET. Coverage is available here at Celtics Green and from me at Panktics Blog. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
Spurs fans have the usual Pierce and KG hate. I'm sure the Jason Terry hate comes from his time across the state with the Mavs, but I'm not sure where all the Jeff Green hate comes from on the Spurs boards. I've put my favorite series of comments in bold. What are your favorites? Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving to all the Celtics family.
Hate the Celtics with a passion. Should be a good game.
I'm actually excited for this game tonight. The Celtics haven't been themselves as of late, but I do love watching Rondo play. He's my favorite PG in the league, hands down.
Neal is a great shooter but has the IQ of a rock.
Boris should see a psychologist, he seems like he has a legit phobia of shooting.
The Celtics commentators are unbearable tbh, even bigger homers than Sean Eliott if that's possible.
The Celtics dropped their second game in a row as they lost to the Spurs 112-100. They completely forgot how to play defense and how to rebound in this game. They allowed the Spurs to shoot 58.4%, which is the highest field goal percentage they have allowed since 2000. They also allowed the Spurs to score 58 points in the paint and allowed them to get to the basket at will.
The Celtics shot 53% which might have been enough to win most games, but not when you allow the opponent to shoot 58%. The Celtics were outrebounded 41-25 in this game. They also didn't have a single offensive rebound until Brandon Bass pulled one down with 1:28 left in the game.
Rondo was the high scorer in the game with 22 points. His streak of 10+ assists is also still alive as he finished with 15 assists. He also snared the Tommy Award. Paul Pierce scored 19 points but didn't grab a single rebound. Brandon Bass finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds and as I posted above, had the Celtics only offensive rebound of the game. KG had 14 points and 3 rebounds. Jason Terry started out the game hot but then cooled off, scoring 12 points for the game.
Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) shoots between San Antonio
Spurs center Boris Diaw, left, and guard Tony Parker, right, during the
first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston,Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
The second unit had just 17 points. The Celtics need to get more from their bench. Jared Sullinger again rebounded will with 7 boards but scored just 2 points. Chris Wilcox scored 2 points on an alley oop from Rondo and also had 3 rebounds. Lee continued to struggle and and finished with just 4 points. Green is still playing tentatively and had just 5 points and didn't get any rebounds. Barbosa finished with 4 points 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
The Celtics have to solve their defensive and rebounding problems or there will be a lot more losses in their future. They could use the excuse that they were working on chemistry for awhile, but after 12 games, they should be getting better, not worse. It doesn't get any easier, either with the OKC Thunder coming to the Garden on Friday. If the Celtics don't get it together on defense, the Thunder may score 150 on them.
The Celtics have officially waived Darko Milicic. He has been contemplating leaving the team to return to Serbia to be with his ill mother and the move was made official today. Here is Danny's statement on his release,
"Darko has asked us to release him so he could deal with a personal matter. The whole Celtics family wishes Darko and his family well."
Doc had previously said that Darko had his blessing to do whatever he felt he needed to. I had high hopes when the Celtics first signed him and he played so well in preseason. The Celtics now have an open roster spot, but Doc has said that they won't be in a hurry to sign a player to fill it and may just wait until later in the season until the waiver or trade deadlines.
The Celtics are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Pistons. Tonight, they will host the Spurs as they look to bounce back. Here are five things that they must do to win tonight:
5. GET LEE INVOLVED:
Courtney Lee was forgotten in Detroit. He took just two shots the whole game, with both being three-pointers. He made one of them, but 3 points isn't a good night. This guy has potential and talent, but his team isn't using it.
4. LESS TURNOVERS:
The C's turned the ball over 17 times Sunday night. They just need to be smarter with the ball. They wasted a lot of possessions Sunday.
3. MORE REBOUNDS:
The Celtics rarely out-rebound their opponent, but in Detroit they were pathetic. The Pistons out-rebounded Boston 39-30. Both teams had 7 offensive rebounds, but the Pistons led in defensive rebounds, 32-23. Get the big guys to be more aggressive.
2. KEEP RONDO HOT:
Rondo has been on fire lately. He was able to continue his steak of consecutive games with double-digit assists with 10 in his last game. Against Toronto, he had 20 assists. Just hope he does what he's capable of doing.
1. OUTSCORE THE SPURS:
If you score more points than your opponent, then you will always win. Score at least one more point than San Antonio tonight and you will be 7-5.
Tip-off is at 7:30 pm ET. Coverage will be here at Celtics Green, and from me at Panktics Blog. Enjoy it. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
at San Antonio Spurs (8-3) at Boston Celtics (6-5) Wednesday, November 21, 2012 7:30 PM ET Regular Season Game #12 Home Game #6 TV: CSN-NE, FSSW, NBA-LP 756(SAS)/757(BOS) Radio: WOAI, WEEI TD Garden Referees: Ron Garretson, David Jones, Mark Lindsay The Celtics try to rebound from their worst loss of the season as they
host the surging San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics should be rested coming
into this game as they have had off since Sunday. The Spurs played on
Monday when they lost to the Clippers at home 92-87.
The Spurs
are a good road team with a 4-1 record away from home. The Celtics are
looking to establish home dominance this season, but so far are just 3-2
at the Garden. The Celtics are coming off their worst loss of the
season, a very lackluster effort against the Pistons who to that point
were just 1-9. the Spurs are coming off a loss at home to the
Clippers. Both teams will be looking to get back into the win column in
this game.
The Celtics faced the Spurs just one time last
season, an 87-86 loss at the TD Garden. Paul Pierce missed a jumper at
the buzzer that would have been the game winner had it gone. That loss
ended a 5 game win streak for the Celtics. This is the first game of a 6
game in 9 days road trip for the Spurs and they will want to get off to
a good start.
The game will feature two future hall of fame
big men in Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. Both have re-signed at a
bargain with their teams in hopes of winning another championship before
they hang up their sneakers. Which future Hall of Famer will get a
win for their team?
It also features a matchup of two of the
top point guards in the league. Both are quick and both are competitive
and it should be a fun matchup to watch. A third matchup to watch will
be Paul Pierce and Stephen Jackson. Both tend to be physical and both
will do whatever it takes to get the advantage. Watch for these two
competitors to get under each others' skin as has happened many times in
the past.
The Spurs are thin at small forward with Kawhi
Leonard already out with a knee injury, Stephen Jackson broke his finger
in their loss to the Clippers on Monday and will also be out. Their
game notes have the small forward spot blank so I'm not sure who they
will start there. I'm putting Gary Neal there just on a guess since he
has previously started for them. But that's just a guess.
The
Celtics need to bounce back from the drubbing in Detroit and get back on
the winning track. If they play their game and come in focused, I have
no doubt that they can win this game.
I've heard several of the players this season talk about needing to establish themselves at home and make the Garden a place that opposing teams dread playing. They have the right idea in theory, but with just a 3-2 record at home, they haven't gotten it to the reality stage yet.
With 4 of the next 5 games at home, this would be a good time to start establishing that tough home identity. It won't be easy though with the Spurs and the Thunder coming up in their next two games. An effort like the one we saw against the Pistons just won't cut it. And after a one game trip to Orlando, it's back to the Garden for the Bucks and Blazers. None of these will be a cake walk. But, they are all important if the Celtics expect to establish themselves at home.
The crowd at the Garden always does their part. Who can forget the final Garden game from last season where the Celtics were losing by 20 to the Heat and the crowd chanted "Let's Go Celtics" for the final four minutes. It was inspiring and I've never seen a display of fan support like that ever in all my years of watching basketball. The fans make the Garden inhospitable to visiting teams and they show great support for the team, but the fans aren't enough to make visiting teams dread coming to Boston.
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We've already discussed the new Christmas day uniforms that all the teams will be wearing. Starting tomorrow, the NBA will be airing a new commercial featuring these new uniforms. The commercial features Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Joe Johnson, Carmelo Anthony,and Dwyane Wade. This is great! (Hat Tip to Dimemag)
After the tough stretch of games (7 games in 10 nights) that the Celtics just finished, Doc gave them a light practice as he felt the team was still a bit tired.
Doc said he felt that Darko was more than likely not returning to the Celtics. His mother's illness has been weighing on him for awhile and that he could see the change in Darko when he found out that his mom was not doing well. If he leaves, it will be with Doc's blessing. Also, Doc said that they don't plan to rush to fill his roster spot.
On everyone's minds are the upcoming games with the Spurs and then the Thunder. Both teams are essentially the same as they were last season and both Doc and Sully talked about how both teams have an advantage in that their chemistry is already strong while the Celtics are still working to build their chemistry with mostly new players this season.
For all the Celtics fans hoping to keep up with Fab Melo and Kris Joseph as they play with the Red Claws, according to ESPN, the NBA will broadcast almost all of its D-League games this season live on YouTube.
They will be broadcasting 350 of 400 total regular-season games in high definition on the D-League YouTube channel and through a YouTube video player on NBA.com.
They will also archive the games on YouTube for fans to watch whenever they want along with other features like Top 10 Plays and Nightly Highlights. The NBA D-League season on YouTube will begin on this Friday with four games, starting at 7:30 p.m. You can watch the games HERE.
The four games that kick off the season will be Maine at Canton and Erie at Fort Wayne at 7:30 and Texas at Tulsa and Bakersfield at Rio Grande Valley at 8:00. It will be great to watch Kris and Fab make their debut with the Red Claws.
Jeff Green's monster dunk over Big Al leads the dunks of the week. But, Tayshaun Prince's posterization of former Celtic Big Baby Davis is worth a look as well.
Talk about ironic. In the top 10 assists of the week, there isn't one assist from the league's assist leader. However, #2 belongs to Kevin Garnett. Good stuff and fun to watch.
The Celtics faced a tough schedule over the last week playing five games in seven days. There were some highs and lows for the team that ultimately ended up finishing the week just above five-hundred at 6-5 on the season. A lot of news came from our rookies this past week as Sully continues to contribute in the rotation while Fab and Kris moved to the Maine Red Claws. In this Rookie Report we'll cover the top stories from the past week, Sully's first career double-double, and what we've been hearing from the Celtics' D-league affiliate.
AUBURN HILLS, MI - NOVEMBER 18: Jared Sullinger #7 of the Boston Celtics grabs the rebound against Andre Drummond #1 of the Detroit Pistons on November 18, 2012 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Jared Sullinger - With five games in seven days Jared Sullinger and the rest of the Celtics bench had to play a large role in soaking up minutes for our veteran starters. The team started the week with back to back wins in which Jared's role was limited but effective in the time he did get. In their first game against the Bulls, Sully's only points came from a distance three pointer that he nailed to end the first half. Although this isn't the ideal shot for him, Sully can hit it, and he showcased his range with the last second bucket. Mid week, Jared played the least amount only totaling 8 minutes in a close game against the Brooklyn Nets. As the weekend games came Jared saw his minutes rise to 25 and 26 minutes Saturday and Sunday. He had a standout performance against the Raptors Saturday recording his first career double-double. He shot 5-8 on the day finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Much has been written today about Rondo's streak of 34 games with 10+ assists and whether it's a good thing or a bad thing as well as whether his stat padding in the Pistons' blowout was acceptable to Celtics fans. In the past when asked what the streak meant to him, Rondo would simply say that it means that his teammates are making shots.
But it became evident when Rondo stayed in the game on Sunday to get his 10th assist that this streak means more to him than that. Rondo really wants this record and it is to Doc's credit that he realizes that and did all he could to help Rondo continue the streak in a game when his teammates couldn't hit the broad side of a huge barn and played more hero ball than team ball.
I have often written the words "As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics" in my previews and this is do true. Like the old saying "When Mama isn't happy, ain't nobody happy," the same will hold true for Rondo and the Celtics. Doc knows that and very wisely allowed Rondo to stay in the game to at least make an attempt to keep the streak alive. And Rondo owes Jared Sullinger dinner since it was Jared who made the final two shots to keep the streak alive. The rookie knows who to butter up on the team.
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Darko was not with the team when they traveled to Detroit and was listed as out for "personal reasons." Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted today that Darko is considering leaving the Celtics to return to Europe to be with his mother who is ill.
I can certainly understand his desire to be with his sick mother. Darko is young and asketball will be there next year, and the year after, and the year after. But, his mother might not be. Since he injured his wrist in preseason, he has dropped to the bottom of the big man depth chart, in spite of some very promising play in the preseason. This might make his decision to be with his mom a bit easier than if he was starting or even the first big man off the bench.
If Darko leaves, that gives the Celtics an open roster spot and the need for another big man. Kenyon Martin still hasn't signed with anyone yet. Martin said in October that he hoped to sign with a title contender and was looking for the mini mid-level exception or higher, but recently he changed his thought process saying that he would play for anyone even at the league's veteran's minimum salary. Rumors have surfaced that he was talking with the Heat and wanted to play for them, but chances are that if KG called, he'd gladly play for the Celtics as well.
There aren't all that many big men still out there if Darko does decide to leave the Celtics. Danny may just bide his time and wait until later in the season and see who becomes available. At least we won't hear the incessant Rasheed Wallace rumors this time. Maybe they'll be replaced by Marcin Gortat rumors. I have to say, he'd be a nice fit.
A couple of days ago ESPN Insider posted an article by Joe Kaiser discussing the Suns' center Marcin Gortat. He discusses that the Suns, who are not going to contend this season may have to decide to deal Gortat, whose value is very high right now, in order to improve.
He explains that Gortat is one of the team's best players, he plays a premium position, and he's one of the league's best bargains -- owed $7,258,960 this season and $7,727,280 in 2013-14. He then speculates on 5 teams that could possibly be trade partners for the Suns IF they decide to part with the Polish Hammer.
The Celtics are mentioned as are the Bucks, Thunder, Hornets, and Blazers. He mentions these teams because he feels that they have the trade pieces and that these teams might benefit from having Gortat on the team. Here is what he had to say about the Celtics.
1. Boston Celtics | Gortat for Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee
No team makes as much sense as Boston, which badly needs a big man to pair with Kevin Garnett in the frontcourt before the window of opportunity closes in the KG/Paul Pierce era. The Celtics have as many tradeable young talents as any playoff-caliber team, and though they've been very reluctant to include young defensive star Avery Bradley in any deal, they may have to in order to coax Gortat out of the Suns. Bradley would be exactly what the Suns are looking for if they have to move Gortat -- a young, hard-working shooting guard who can come in and fill a position of need.
Now, mind you that these are just trade musings by the author. He never says that the Celtics are interested. He never suggests that the Suns are actually shopping Gortat. He just talks about what if the Suns decide to trade him. And he speculates on 5 teams that have the assets that the Suns might want and who could use a center.
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ESPN Insider has a weekly column where they identify and analyze tendencies or trends exhibited by five players. This week, they have chosen KG and say that his shooting from the outside has cooled off.
Once regarded as a terror on the glass and a dunk waiting to happen, Garnett has evolved into a veteran better known for his tenacity, boundless passion and effective perimeter game.
The perimeter component is an important part of who KG is as a player. Garnett attempted 6.0 shots a game from the 16-to-23 foot range last season, according to HoopData.com, and has averaged at least 4.8 shots a game from that distance in every season since joining Boston. During that time, he's never shot worse than 44 percent from that range in any one season, and the mid-to-long range 2 has become his bread and butter.
That's why it's a little alarming that Garnett's shooting just 40 percent from that area of the court so far this season. That's not a massive discrepancy from previous years, but the sample size for KG's career is also big enough so that we have a pretty good idea of what he does, and at what rate. Is it simply a slow start for the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer? Or has the wear and tear from battling in the paint all those years started to tarnish one of the best parts of his game? At this point, it's still so early that it's probably worth giving KG the benefit of the doubt, but it's also something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
I'm not about to say KG is finished yet. If you recall, it wasn't until last season that KG really started to play inspired basketball. The entire Celtics team has been struggling for periods. I'd be willing to say that it's more a chemistry and learning issue than it is a "KG's old and worn out" issue.
Everyone knows that I'm a big fan of CLNS Radio from way back when they were first starting out. They have come a long way since then and are putting out some excellent shows. If you haven't checked them out lately, be sure to check out their shows. They recently posted the above exclusive interview with Fab Melo and I wanted to share it here as well. Good stuff from the Celtics big man. He sounds like he's got his head on straight and knows what it will take to make it in the league.
Here's another new feature on Celtics Green: NBA's Top 10 Plays of the Night. Even though the Celtics aren't featured in the Top 10 Plays, it's fun to watch the great plays around the league. Here are plays from Cavs/Sixers, Kings/Nets, Packers/Knicks, Lakers/Rockets (3), Warriors/Thunder (3), and Raptors/Magic.
Maybe if I feature these long enough on CG we'll see them feature the Celtics once or twice. I'd like to see a couple of the Rondo to Wilcox or KG alley oops.
The Celtics did their best last night to give these poor Pistons fans something to cheer about. However, they were so busy waiting for a collapse that they couldn't enjoy it. And what's a CFTOS without a wheelchair mention and complaints about the refs. Although, they do admit that they got their share of the calls too. Enjoy today's Comments....
We can only hope the Celtics are extremely tired...
Hey, remember when we could've had Ray Allen and Rondo for Stuckey and Rip?
Boston probably is happy Joe denied it now!
I already feel bad because I am finding myself rooting for the tank already
The one and only Tommy Heinsohn was tweeting throughout tonight's loss to the Pistons. As always he had some good things to say.
The Celtics should have listened to Tommy. They were out-rebounded and they were passive throughout the second half. As always, Tommy knows best.
Tonight's Honey Dew List: "Who wins the Rebound Battle? And please! Stay Aggressive! Go at 'em!"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) November 19, 2012
When referee Gary Zielinski made a couple of bad calls in a row, Tommy as always let him know about it.
"What's going on with that official? Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed?!"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) November 19, 2012
Sullinger called on an offensive foul. On the replay: "Let's see the screen coming up...Oh, that's bogus."
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) November 19, 2012
Once again, it took Rondo until the final minute of the game to get his 10th assist, but thanks to Jared Sullinger, Rondo's streak of games with 10 or more assists continues. He is now just 3 games away from John Stockton's record. Doc kept Rondo in the game in the final minutes, even though it was a blow out, to get his 9th and 10 assists. It wasn't that he wasn't passing. No one could make a shot. The Celtics shot just 45% for the game while they allowed the Pistons to shoot 54%.
2012-11-18
Detroit Pistons
center Greg Monroe, right, drives against Boston Celtics forward Chris
Wilcox in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, Nov. 18,
2012, in Auburn Hills, Mich. Monroe led the Pistons with 20 points and
13 rebounds in a 103-83 win. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Paul Pierce shot just 5-13 and finished with 13 points and 4 rebounds and left the game in the 4th quarter with a sprained ankle. Hopefully it isn't serious and since the Celtics are off until Wednesday, he should be able to rest it. Brandon Bass shot even worse than Pierce scoring 6 points on 3-9 shooting to go with 2 rebounds. And, Jason Terry shot worse than both of them, hitting just 1 of 6 shots for 5 points and 3 rebounds.
AUBURN HILLS- Tonight, the Celtics will cap off the weekend against the Detroit Pistons. Here are five things that the Celtics must do to win tonight:
5. PASS MORE OFTEN TO SULLINGER:
I was starting to lose faith in Jared Sullinger, but yesterday's performance changed everything. Yesterday, he had 12 points on 5/8 shooting and eleven rebounds. I think the C's should have him shoot some more mid-ranged shots. He looks like a younger KG.
4. DRAW MORE FOULS:
The Celtics shot just 19 free throws yesterday while the Raptors shot 31. This didn't hurt them yesterday, but it could in the future. Drive to the paint and get fouled. Free throws are free points.
3. HAVE TERRY HIT MORE THREES:
Jason Terry made four three-pointers yesterday. Let's be honest here, the Celtics aren't going to lose tonight. The Pistons are just naturally an easier win than most teams. If you're up by twenty in the third quarter, shoot some more threes with guys like Terry to help improve their shots.
2. CONTINUE TO TAKE CARE OF THE BALL:
The Celtics are really improving in their ball handling skills. They only turned it over 13 times yesterday. In their home opener against the Bucks, they had 18 turnovers. Just continue to take care of the ball, you don't want to give up a lot of fast-break points.
1. OUTSCORE THE PISTONS:
If you score more points than your opponent, you will never lose. I don't care whether they win by one or fifty. I just care that they win.
Tip-off for this one is at 7:30 pm ET. Coverage will be here at Celtics Green and from me at Panktics Blog. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
at Boston Celtics (6-4) at Detroit Pistons (1-9) Sunday, November 18, 2012 7:30 PM ET Regular Season Game #11, Road Game #6 TV: CSNNE, FSD, LP 757(C's Feed)/758(Pistons Feed) Radio: WEEI, 97.1 FM The Ticket Palace of Auburn Hills Referees: Scott Foster, Mark Ayotte, Gary Zielinski The Celtics face former Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank and his Pistons
for the first of 3 meetings this season. The Pistons won the series
2-1 last season. They have struggled this season and would love to get a
win over the Celtics to boost their confidence.
The Celtics
are 3-2 on the road while the Pistons are 0-3 at home. They have won
just one game against 9 losses, getting a win over the Sixers on the
road. The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games while
the had Saturday off.
The Pistons have struggled on offense,
scoring just 93 points per game. while the Celtics are averaging 97
ppg. The Pistons aren't much better on the boards than the Celtics,
with the Pistons coming 28th with 38.8 rebounds per game and the Celtics
coming in last with 37.6 rebounds per game.
Even though the
Celtics played on Sunday, it was an afternoon game and so not quite as
bad as if it was a night game. Also, since the Celtics were able to
get a big lead, only Rondo played more than 30 minutes (32) and KG
played only 17. It should be an easy game for the Celtics if they come
in focused and ready to take care of business.
I don't think I've ever seen fans complain so much about the officiating BEFORE the game even began. They were so certain that the Celtics would get all the calls. Then, it was pretty funny because they clearly got a lot of calls go their way. I have highlighted my favorite comments. What are yours?
This is a winnable game with the Celtics not having good chemistry early in the season.
Celts are coming together. Don't believe the hype. Unless they have some sort of inexplicable letdown the way that did last year when we played them at the ACC I'd expect this to be a loss
For some reason I like when Bargnani destroys the Celtics, hopefully it will happen this game.
Celtics are like the darling veteran team of the league. KG gonna stab Val in the kidneys with a shiv and no call.
If Rondo is out we're gonna smoke these old turds.
This is a guaranteed win. DeRozan is going to destroy Terry... Hes 35 and short as hell, can either post him up or blow by him. Terry or Barbosa can't stop DeRozan. Also I think we will suffocate Barbosa & he won't be able to get things rolling.
I am a little lost. Who exactly is going to stop terry and barbosa?
You underestimate Terry as most do for some reason and Imo Barbosa will torch us.
KG is going to trash talk Valanciunas to death. This should be interesting to watch. Lol
No he isn't otherwise his dentures will fall out. He's so old he's probably suffering from dementia and osteoporosis.
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