at Boston Celtics (12-10) at San Antonio Spurs (18-6) Saturday, December 15, 2012 8:30 PM ET Regular Season Game #23 Road Game #11 TV: NBA-TV, NBAC, CSN-NE, KENS Radio: WOAI, WEEI AT&T Center
Referees: Rodney Mott, Tony Brown, Kevin Fehr
The Celtics continue their road trip with a stop in San Antonio to face
the ageless Tim Duncan and the Spurs. The Spurs are a very good home
team with a 7-2 record at the AT&T Center. The Celtics are 4-6 on
the road.
The Spurs have lost their last 2 games and so will
come out strong in this one looking to get back on track. The Celtics
are coming off a loss to the Rockets in their first game of the road
trip. They also need to get back on track but in the second of back to
back games on the road, it's hard to say if they will have the focus or
the energy to do so.
Doc started Courtney Lee against the
Rockets and moved Jason Terry back into his 6th man role. The results
of the move weren't all that positive as the Celtics got off to a very
slow start. I'm thinking that Doc may go back to JET in the starting
lineup but he may also stick with Lee.
Not as much fun when we lose as when we win, but still some good stuff. I love when they realize that they have a lot of Celtics fans in their arena. Lots of respect for KG's hug for McHale except for one jerk who hated on him for making McHale cry. Also love that when a show is on national TV they expect Rondo to have a triple double automatically. Enjoy...
Courtney Lee will sneak into Parsons and Pattersons room tonight to get his 3 pt shooting back and go 8/8 from downtown while Parsons and Patterson combines for 1/10 from downtown and Lee will hit the game winning 3
Easy win.
First game I can finally watch on the TV than the laptop lol.
Rondo is fun to watch. Too bad he's a jerk, a prick, a punk, a brat, a thug and a lot of other things.
Why this game is on Nat TV, rondo always goes nuts when it's nationally televised. I can -smell triple double.
Too bad you guys forget Jet is on the Celtics now, the all time rocket killer....
I included the video of Kevin McHale and Kevin Garnett embracing in the game recap, but I felt that this moment was so special it needed to be mentioned again. Yesterday was a very rough day for almost everyone in this country. Twenty precious children were killed in an act of senseless violence. Those of us who are parents and grandparents were hit especially hard by the tragedy as we thought what if it had been our children or grandchildren.
Kevin McHale just went through every parent's nightmare of having to bury one of your children. It isn't supposed to be that way and when it happens, it hits a parent harder than anyone can imagine. Kevin Garnett is a father who dotes on his daughter. It's always a special moment when he tells Boo Boo to go to bed at the end of each interview. The loss McHale suffered in the loss of his daughter and the losses our country endured on Friday in the loss of those precious children in Connecticut, is a stark reminder that there are things much bigger than basketball and much more important than a basketball game in December.
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Saturday, December 15 is an important day in NBA circles. Dec. 15 is the first day players who signed new contracts in July can be traded. According to ESPN's Weekend Dime, 108 players fit into this category of players who were previously off-limits and are now eligible to be traded. According to Marc Stein, Courtney Lee is one of three players whose names have repeatedly shown up in rumors as being available.
In terms of those 108 offseason signees who become trade-eligible Saturday, at least three names are coming up repeatedly on the personnel grapevine: Indiana's D.J. Augustin, Phoenix's Michael Beasley and Boston's Courtney Lee. There's a reason for that, though: All three are seriously struggling.
Lee has been struggling, but we have seen signs that he is making progress in finding his role and he has been improving. If he could get back to the point where his 3's are falling as they have in the past and where his defense is as sharp as it was previously, he would be a big weapon to have off the bench for the Celtics. But, that's a big if, because if he can't, the Celtics have other shooting guards to fill that position quite well and they have needs that perhaps he could bring in trade.
Some of the names mentioned that are available are Pau Gasol (NO, Thankyou), Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Anderson Varejao, Big Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour, and JJ Barea. The Celtics could use a pure point guard to back up Rondo and they could also use a defensive center/rebounder. But, they need bargains and can't go above the tax apron, which they are very close to right now. So, options are limited. Without doubt, there will be others available who don't quite fit with their current teams and who might be a fit for the Celtics.
The Red Claws improved to 6-2 after a 107-104 road win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Fab Melo was back in the lineup for the Red Claws after missing the last two games with a strained quad muscle. He shot 4-7 for 10 points to go with 2 rebounds and 1 block in 24 minutes.
Fellow Celtic Kris Joseph had another nice game with 22 points on 9-16 shooting to go with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block. The Red Claws were led by Celtics camp invitee Micah Downs who finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. D-League player of the week, Shelvin Mack, finished with 15 points and 11 assists.
The Mad Ants were led by former Celtic JaJuan Johnson who finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Red Claws will be in action again on Sunday as they travel to Erie to take on the Bayhawks at in a 2:00 PM matinee game. You can watch the game streamed live here.
The Celtics' road trip didn't get off to a good start as they dropped the first game 101-89 to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets got off to a fast start and it looked like the Celtics weren't going to show up at first as they raced out to a 17-4 start. But the Celtics clawed back and finished the half with a 45-43 halftime lead as a 3 by Harden missed at the buzzer.
But the third quarter wasn't a good one for the Celtics as their defense stalled and the Rockets picked up the pace and outran the Celtics, finishing the quarter with a 75-70 lead. The Celtics never could recover as the Rockets raced to a 12 point victory.
Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) drives to the basket as Boston
Celtics' Courtney Lee (11) defends during the third quarter of an NBA
basketball game Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, in Houston. The Rockets beat the
Celtics 101-89. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
If I had to pick one reason for the Celtics loss it would be a defensive breakdown. After seeing the team make defensive strides in the games leading up to this one, they took a step backwards. They allowed the Rockets to shoot 48.7%, while shooting only 40% themselves. They couldn't get stops when they needed them and allowed the Rockets to get to the basket seemingly at will in the second half. The Rockets outscored the Celtics 40-32 in the paint.
The Rockets also had 25 fast break points to only 11 for the Celtics.
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at Boston Celtics (12-9) at Houston Rockets (10-11) Friday, December 14, 2012 8:00 PM ET Regular Season Game #22, Road Game #10 TV: ESPN, CSN-NE, CSN-H Radio: WEEI, KBME Toyota Center Referees: Tom Washington, David Jones, Haywoode Workman
The Celtics begin their 3 game road trip in Houston where they take
Linsanity and The Beard. They also will face old friend and former
Celtic, Kevin McHale, who is back on the Rockets bench after missing
over a month due to the death of his daughter.
The Rockets are a
decent home team with an 8-5 record at the Toyota Center. The Celtics
have slipped to 4-5 on the road. Both teams are 6-4 in their last 10
games. The Celtics, who are going for their second 3 game win streak of
the season, have climbed past Philly for 3rd in the Atlantic and have
the same 12-9 record as the Nets. Both teams are 4 games behind the
Knicks. Houston is looking for their second straight win and are 4th in
the Southwest division, 7 games behind the Spurs.
First, Jeff
Green faced his former team, then KG faced his former team, and in the
last game, Jason Terry faced his former team. Now, it's time for
Courtney Lee to face his old team. Lee has been struggling to find his
role in the Celtics system and this would be a good time for a break out
game from him.
The Celtics have a game in San Antonio on
Saturday so they need to play smart and save some energy for the Spurs.
Hopefully the bench will come through and allow the starters to get
some rest.
A little while ago, @OfficialCeltics shared this video on Twitter. I've always been a big Pistol Pete fan and enjoyed this video and I wanted to share it here. The Celtics give a moment of silence for Pistol Pete Maravich before a game vs the Knicks (coached by the evil Rick Pitino) in 1988. It's interesting to hear what Mike and Tommy have to say about Pete. Also we get to look at a very young Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale, who we will see tonight coaching the Houston Rockets. Rest in Peace Pete. You were one of the greatest!!
I've always heard that a good referee is one that you don't notice. A good referee will make the right calls and go about his job without making himself the center of the game. To be honest, with the referees in the NBA, this is quite rare. From Joey "Look at Me" Crawford to Dick "The Crypt Keeper" Bavetta these refs seem to try to make themselves the center of attention.
But this is honestly something I've not seen before. In a recent Nets game, referee Courtney Kirkland tried to block Kris Humphries' free throw. Now, if anyone deserves their free throw blocked, it's Kris Humphries. But by the ref? Definitely interesting. I wonder if he got a block recorded in the official referee box score.
The first returns are in for the All Star voting and the Celtics are well represented. LeBron is the leading vote getter for the East as might be expected, with Carmelo Anthony not far behind. Kevin Garnett is in 3rd among front court players and would start if the voting stays in this order. In the backcourt, Rondo is second to Dwyane Wade and would also start if the voting ends this way. Remember this year, there is no center position on the ballot, just 3 generic frontcourt players.
That was quite the game. I'd rather have a 20 point lead going into the final 2 minutes. I'm too old for these close games. The guy predicting 2-12 for JET was pretty close, he finished 3-10. Like usual, there are the Paul Pierce wheelchair comments and the complaints about the refs and KG's screens. You can count on those like clockwork. They sure got worked up over Rondo's alleged flop there at the end but yet, a few comments before loved Mayo's acting job. Enjoy today's comments.
I don't miss JET nearly as much as I thought I would.
Jet goes either 6-8 or 2-12...
Jet hits 8 3s goes for 30 and the game winner as the Mavs lose a heartbreaker
More likely that Jet goes 0/8 from 3 for 5 points and Celtics lose. Jet hasn't been great this season, no Dirk to make him look good.
Any team that is relying on Rondo to be their cornerstone in the regular season is EXTREMELY beatable. I know Rondo gets a lot of love around here, but I can't think of a single player that I find fun to watch who is more completely overrated than he is.
Another game, another edition of the Best of Tommy. I was stuck watching the ESPN guys last night and I couldn't believe how much I missed Mike and Tommy. Rondo missed out on yet another triple double by 1 rebound last night. He finished with 16 points, 15 assists and 9 rebounds. I've always said that rebounding is desire and effort and positioning. Rondo, at 6'1" getting 9 rebounds, more than anyone else in the game except Shawn Marion, proves this. Here's Tommy's take on it.
Rondo grabs an O-REB and lays it up: "There's your point guard! Offensive rebound!"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) December 13, 2012
Pierce always hits some big shots, but he also takes some ill advised shots. I think sometimes he forgets that his legs aren't as young as they used to be. But then again, we had young guys missing shots and point blank layups too so I guess I can't complain too much.
Pierce hits a contested 3: "You've gotta really concentrate to make that work with Marion leaping as high as he did!"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) December 13, 2012
On Wednesday night the Celtics hosted the Dallas Mavericks. Coming into the game the big storyline featured Jason Terry as he matched up against his former team for the first time since joining the Celtics this off season. Although Terry said it was just another game it's been well documented he wasn't pleased when the call never came for him to resign with the Mavs. In a wild double overtime game the Celtics survived and came away with a win 117-115.
The Mavericks were without their former finals MVP and franchise player Dirk Nowitzki. Their team as a whole was completely revamped in the off season similar to the Celtics, matching veteran players with young athletic talent. The Celtics opened up with their traditional line-up of Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett. Of the starters Rondo achieved a career and team high 53 minutes and just missed a triple-double finishing with 16 points, 15 assists, and 9 rebounds. Paul Pierce was the high scorer on the night shooting 11-25 for 34 points, a season high, and added 6 rebounds. Terry struggled against his former team shooting just 3-10 (1-6 from behind the arc) and finished with 10 points in 48 minutes. Finally was Kevin Garnett who went for 16 points and 5 rebounds while keeping the team's defense on lock. Read more » Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
I laughed so hard at this that I had tears running down my face. This is too funny. The funniest part is teaching the Centers how to be point guards. Maybe that's why Perk has been practicing picking up the point guard and defending him up the court. Now it all makes sense.
Fab Melo back in Portland. Was in Boston only to have his strained hamstring looked at
— Kevin Thomas (@KevinThomasPPH) December 12, 2012
Well, the mystery is solved. According to the above tweet by Kevin Thomas, Fab was recalled to have his strained hamstring looked at by the trainers in Boston. There was speculation as to whether he was called up to play with the Celtics against Dallas, or on the road trip. And now we know. The Red Claws next game is Friday against the Mad Ants. It's not clear whether Fab will be able to play in that game or not. The Celtics will begin a 3 game road trip on Friday with a game in Houston.
at Dallas Mavericks (11-10) at Boston Celtics (11-9) Wednesday, December 12, 2012 8:00 PM ET Regular Season Game #21 – Home Game #12 TV: ESPN, CSN-NE, FSSW-DA Radio: WEEI, KESN TD Garden Referees: Joey Crawford, Derrick Collins, Mark Lindsay
The Mavericks make their only visit to the Garden in the Celtics last
home game before taking a 3 game road trip through Texas and Chicago.
When the Celtics hosted the Thunder, Jeff Green had a big game against
his old team. The the Celtics hosted the Timberwolves and KG had a big
game against his former team. Now it's Jason Terry's turn to face his
former team.
While all 3 players said that facing their former
team was no big deal, both KG and Jeff came up with big games to help
defeat their old teams. I expect the same of Jason Terry. He's a
veteran and has a way of coming up in big games, even when he won't
admit that it's a big game.
The Mavs are just 4-7 on the road
while the Celtics are 7-4 at home. Both teams are 5-5 in their last 10
games. The Mavs are on a hot streak, having won their last 3 games.
The Celtics are looking to win their second in a row.
The
Mavericks have been struggling with injuries and have been playing
without their superstar who is out with a knee injury. OJ Mayo has been
coming up big for them in Dirk's absence and the Celtics will need to
limit him in this game. Shawn Marion has missed the last two games with
a strained groin muscle but according to the Dallas News will start at
power forward tonight.
Not all that long ago, Lakers fans were touting their star filled team as the first team to ever go 82-0. Lakers fans have always been a bit insufferable, going way back to the first season I followed the Celtics when they had everything in place to celebrate their impending championship: balloons in the ceiling, cases of champagne, brass band, the whole works. They just never counted on the heart of the Celtics. I'm with Bill, it would have been fun watching them take those balloons out one at a time.
Just as in that 1969 season, the Lakers and their fans have always been an arrogant bunch. They were literally handed the championship in 2010 by the referees. If it wasn't for the 21-6 free throw advantage for the Lakers in the 4th quarter of that game, the Celtics would have been the champs that season. But they gloated nonetheless. And when they signed Dwight Howard and Steve Nash this summer, their arrogance reached new levels.
Fast forward to last night. The 9-12 Lakers were taking on the 4 win Cavs. Surely, that Lakers team, even without Nash and Gasol, should be able to beat a 4 win team from the East. Lakers fans insist that Gasol is useless and garbage anyway. But today, the Lakers are 9-13 after losing to the aforementioned 4 win Cavs. Talk about a fan meltdown. If you want a fun read, you can check out my Comments from the Other Side - Lakers Meltdown on my Celtic Thunder site. I guarantee that it will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Another look behind the scenes of the NOC's Jason Terry videos. Here we see what went into the making of The Shootout, the Jason Terry is a Shooter, and the Pranked videos. These are such fun videos. Jason Terry will be front and center on Wednesday as his current team takes on his former team at the Garden.
The Celtics opened up their first week in December going 2-1. Once again the team only played one game midweek, this time against KG's former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Going into the weekend they faced a back-to-back games against the Philadelphia 76ers and both teams were able to defend their home court splitting the series 1-1. Sullinger played in all three games and managed to contribute well. Kris and Fab also saw action as the Red Claws had three games this week with play on the road Thursday and back-to-back games at home against Fort Wayne and Canton.
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 8: Jared Sullinger #7 of the Boston Celtics takes a shot over Spencer Hawes #00 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the game on December 8, 2012 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
Sullinger - Sullinger finished November and came into December off of three well played games. This past week he was up and down, averaging about 18 minutes per game facing Minnesota midweek and Philly twice on the weekend. His best game came in the first of the week as Sully was all over the floor and got to the free throw line six times. He shot 1-3 on the night, went 5-6 in FT totaling 7 points and added 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 assist to his stat line. A pretty well rounded game which might have been even more impressive had he not gotten in foul trouble, as he ended with 5. To his defense it's clear Sully falls victim to "rookie calls" at times. Although we've probably all seen it in previous games, there were a few calls specifically this week that really stuck out as unnecessary calls. Read more » Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
In this edition of Sully's Video Blog, he addresses how he feels the season is going, the difference between college and the pros, what it's like to play for Doc Rivers, and the challenges of travel in the NBA.
Celtics players bringing holiday cheer to patients from the Boston Medical Center! (H/T Molly McGrath on Twitter)
KG plays Connect 4 with a young patient during today's holiday event at the Top of the Hub’s Skywalk Observatory (H/T Celtics) Rajon Rondo has made Connect Four into a competitive sport. You have to wonder if Rondo and KG ever have rousing games of Connect 4 on off days.
Chris Wilcox visiting Boston Children's Hospital today to spread holiday cheer to the patients.
Any good Tatoo artist n Boston I wanna geta Luckythe leprachan tat if so send me sum of ur work
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) December 10, 2012
Paul Pierce just tweeted that he's looking for a good Tattoo artist in Boston. He and JET should get matching tattoos of Lucky holding the Championship trophy. I'd have to say after 15 years with the Celtics, it's about time.
Congratulations to Shelvin Mack who today was named the NBADL Performer of the Week!
— Maine Red Claws (@maineredclaws) December 10, 2012
Congratulations to Shelvin Mack of the Red Claws for being named D-League Player of the Week. Mack, a 6'3" point guard, led the Red Claws to a 3-0 record for the week, averaging 22.3 points, 7.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 41.3 minutes. The photo above is of Mack in the Red Claws first home game where they wore Celtics uniforms in tribute to their connection with the Celtics.
Mack was originally drafted 34th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards. He played in 64 games for Washington last season averaging 3.6 points, 2.0 assists, 1.4 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.
"He's our the floor general," Celtics rookie Kris Joseph had to say of the Red Claws point guard. "(Mack) does a great job of getting guys involved, especially guys he feels should be more aggressive. He gets the guys in good situations to score."
The Boston Celtics announced today that they have recalled center Fab Melo from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 10, 2012
This is an interesting move, considering that Fab didn't play in the two games this weekend for the Red Claws because of a strained quadriceps. Fab is averaging 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks over 23.4 minutes in 5 games with the Red Claws this season.
The Celtics aren't practicing as a team today but will resume practice tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if Fab is sent back down after Wednesday's game vs the Mavericks. Friday the Celtics will begin a 3 day road trip through Texas and Chicago.
The Red Claws won their 3rd straight game and second at home as they rolled over the Canton Charge 103-90. Celtic rookie Kris Joseph led all scorers with 21 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Celtic camp invitee Micah Downs continued to play well, finishing with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists 1 steal and 1 block. point guard Shelvin Mack played a great game with 18 points, 10 assists and 3 steals.
Kris Joseph has been back and forth between Boston and Maine and this past week, he was recalled by the Celtics on Tuesday, and then sent back to Maine Friday. The Celtics other rookie, Fab Melo, missed his second straight game because of a strained quadriceps.
The Red Claws are first in the D-League's East Division. They play on the road next weekend, Friday at Fort Wayne and Sunday at Erie.
The NBA announced today that Chris Wilcox was fined $25,000 for making an obscene gesture toward fans during Friday's loss in Philadelphia. From ESPN:
During a fourth-quarter timeout, Wilcox gave an in-house television camera broadcasting on the video board the middle finger when a "Kiss Cam" segment ended with a shot of him and teammate Jared Sullinger sitting next to each other on the Celtics' bench.
Chris is one of the good guys in the league and so I'm not too worried about it. This is the second time a Celtic has been fined this season. Kevin Garnett was fined $25,000 for his part in the fight in the Nets game that resulted in Rajon Rondo being suspended for 2 games.
I'm sure this won't be the last fine a Celtic receives this season either. So far, no flopping fines on the Celtics while 2 Nets players, Wallace and Evans, have been fined already for flopping.
The Official YouTube Channel of the NBA celebrates 1 Billion views. As a Thank You to the NBA's fans, here is a video showcasing the best moments since the channel's inception. Don't miss the cameo by the White Mamba.
The Boston Celtics have done the NBA and basketball fans a great disservice by assembling this team and essentially clinching the championship during the summer. To keep things interesting they've decided to play possum and allow some mediocre teams to take a lead in the standings. Since we already know who will win the NBA championship it would be interesting to see how the other "contenders" are doing and who has the best shot to come in second place.
His jersey number isn't the only way Carmelo
has one-up'd LeBron so far this season
Still standing by what I've already said, for the article's sake lets keep things a "little" unbiased and give some credit where it's due, like to the New York Sharpshooters. The exact location of where this team came from is a mystery but we can infer that it's from a long distance away. They're shooting the ball at a torrid pace and even though they've slightly cooled off the team as a whole is still shooting over 40% from long range.
The win against the Heat, without Carmelo, was as much of a statement game as there's been this season. In typical New York fashion Raymond Felton and Steve Novak decided not to miss from anywhere on the court and led the team to a gutsy win. I'm still not sold on their defense and want to see this effort for a full season and playoffs but this team has definitely taken a step forward. Carmelo is a leader in the MVP race and his approach to basketball has taken a complete turn for the better. Right now they're as much a contender as there is in the league so we just need to sit and wait for Amar'e Stoudemire to come and mess everything up.
A lot of complaining about the refs but they let a lot go on both sides. They called it pretty much even. I loved the comment wondering if the Celtics had Go Go Gadget arms. They did seem to be hustling to all the loose balls. Now if only the Celtics can find their consistency and do this on a regular basis. Enjoy today's comments. I've highlighted my favorites in bold. What are yours?
Some teams simply have other teams number... And I think that simply might be the case with the Sixers... The Celtics are dealing with older legs...
Will be tough to sweep the home and home, hopefully our young legs beats their experience in a back to back coming off an OT.
Boston will be the more fatigued team given their age. I actually think we win this one pretty easily.
The Celts are a better team (despite the record) and I just don't think Rondo, Pierce, and KG are going to let us sweep the first 3 games of the year.
I have a feeling Pierce is gonna get a lot of those frustrating arm-flailing free throws that will keep us at arms length
Nobody does post game interviews better than KG. When asked about Doc monitoring his minutes he opines that you can monitor all the minutes you want but you can't monitor heart or cajones and you can't deny that KG has both. When they asked him about going without a rebound in the game he went off on the official statistician and said he was sure he had one in the first half and would have to check that out. You just have to listen. Enjoy KG while we have him. He's one of a kind. Thanks to Mike Petraglia for the video.
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