I had just finished writing my halftime update, when I went to do something else. I accepted that they had lost. It was time to move on. But, I turn on the game mid-way through the third and Sullinger makes a lay up. The lay up gave the Celtics a 61-60 lead. I was shocked to see this sudden turnaround and rushed to my computer to write the update once the quarter ended. It was one of those moments where you are thankful to be a fan of the team. At this point I was fully convinced that they had turned it around. Now they have officially started their journey to banner #18.
Tonight's USOTN goes to the rebounding performance by Paul Pierce. Pierce was very appreciated tonight due to his scoring, but his rebounding was mostly ignored. Pierce led the team with 26 points, along with that was 9 rebounds. His 9 rebounds was tied for second on the team. I get how Pierce has never really been a big man, but he's still pretty good on the boards. As always, leave a comment if there was a USOTN I missed. I haven't heard any yet, and I am hoping to soon.
I know this post is supposed to be about ignored stats, but I'm just gonna say how happy I was to see Rondo dominate tonight. It's fun to watch him during the playoffs when he seems to get triple doubles in every game, but tonight was different. I feel like this was the turning point. He and Pierce put the team on their backs and made this team look really good. And now, we can all enjoy this for tomorrow. Because on Monday, the C's will have to visit the Knicks. All I can say is that we'll climb that mountain when we reach it.
The Red Claws lost their second straight home game as they dropped this one to the Canton Charge 92-81. Center Fab Melo is still with the Celtics recovering from the concussion. Fellow Celtic Kris Joseph once again came off the bench to play 25 minutes and add 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block.
DaJuan Summers led the Red Claws with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Celtics camp invitee, Micah Downs, added 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Although, Downs committed a foul with the game tied at 91 and 1.1 seconds left in the game. Kyle Gibson made 1 of 2 to give the Charge the 1 point win.
The Red Claws drop to 10-7 on the season. Their next game will be Tuesday, January 8 against the Tulsa 66ers. You can watch the game here.
The Celtics had every reason to give up and let this one slip. They used up a lot of energy in their blow out win over the Pacers last night. They had to travel after the game and got in to Atlanta at 4 am. They played in the first half like an old team that played last night and got in at 4 am, giving the Hawks a 53-38 lead at the half. It would have been easy to throw in the towel and write this game off.
But the Celtics refused to give up and they came out after half time and played the same kind of tough defense we saw from them vs the Pacers. They held Atlanta without a field goal for the first 7 minutes of the 3rd quarter and outscored them 51-28 in the second half for the 89-81win. Doc said that they didn't make any adjustments at the half, they just came out and played harder and did what they did in the first half better.
Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) fights for the ball with
Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia (27) in first-half action of an NBA
basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Todd
Kirkland)
Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with the 25th triple double of his career with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals. Avery Bradley was just 3-9 from the field for 6 points, but once again, his ball pressure made a big difference in the outcome of the game. Read more » Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
6:40: The Celtics, coming off last night's win over the Pacers, will head to Atlanta tonight to face the Hawks. Atlanta currently sits at 20-11 and is a solid third place in the eastern conference. On the other hand, the Celtics are just 15-17 and eighth place. The Celts have a 1 game winning streak while the Hawks have a 1 game losing streak. Tip-off is in about 20 minutes, so make sure to watch it. Check here after each quarter for updates. I'm out.
7:34: The Celtics' offense is just as good today as it was yesterday. The problem is, the defense is horrible. Lou Williams is scoring at will. Williams has 16 points while the entire Celtics team has just 18. Something's gotta change. After one quarter in the ATL, the Hawks lead 31-18.
8:11: The Celtics made some improvements in that second quarter, but didn't make a comeback. After being outscored by 13 in the first quarter, they were outscored by just two in the second. At halftime, the C's trail 53-38. They need to improve their defense. If they can, then they can win.
8:52: Boy, has the tide turned. Going into the third quarter, the Celtics trailed by 15. But, the C's somehow outscored Atlanta in the previous twelve minutes 33-9. With the blow out quarter, the Celtics now lead after three, 71-62. The Hawks are still dangerous. Let's hope the Celts can hold them off.
9:32: The Celtics completed their goal. They held off the Hawks. In the final period, the C's were outscored by Atlanta, 19-18. It wasn't great, but it was good enough. Despite being outscored in three out of four quarters, the Celtics have won 89-81. They are now 16-17. In another game, the Pacers beat the Bucks. With the Bucks loss, the Celtics are now just a 1/2 game out of seventh place. Stay here, post game and USOTN coming soon. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
The Celtics just beat a pretty good Pacers team by 19 last night in Boston, and must now face an equally good team in the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks currently sit at 20-11, which is good for third place in the eastern conference. So it obviously won't be an easy game. But if the C's play like they did yesterday then there's no way that they'll end up losing. We'll just have to see. Here are tonight's 5 keys to victory:
5. GET GREEN GOING:
One of the few players who played bad yesterday was Jeff Green. This guy is the Celtics' mystery man. He will score 30 one night, and 2 the next. He needs to start making his shots because I'm losing my patience with him. He is payed too much to just be decent.
4. MORE CONSISTENCY FROM TERRY:
Like Green, Terry was awful last night. Shooting just 2/8 from the field, he had another Terry-like game. This guy has no consistency and I don't trust this guy as the new Ray Allen. He was supposed to save us from the Ray Allen controversy, not make us want the traitor back. He isn't 100% Celtic until he has a huge game.
3. KEEP GIVING LEE THE BALL:
If Terry isn't the next Ray Allen, and Bradley is still recovering, then the next viable option is Courtney Lee. This guy's play is tempting me to buy his jersey. Last night, Lee had 13 points. His 13 points was tied for second on the team. If he can shoot well, then keep giving it to him. It's basically free points.
2. KEEP PLAYING DEFENSE:
Last night was the first great defensive effort from this team that we've seen for awhile. During their four game losing streak, the Celtics scored 77, 83, 96, and 83 again. Besides the 96 they scored in Sacramento, the Celtics didn't have a very good offense. Even when they were in Brooklyn, they only had 93. And last night's 94 wasn't a ton either. They don't have a very good offense, so their defense will need to step up.
1. REBOUND:
This one is simple. It's no debate that a big part of their victory last night was the fact that they finally started rebounding. They need to get at least 2 shots on every possession. Or, you could just make 90% of your shots. Which one will it be?
Tip-off for tonight's game will be at 7:00 ET. Despite the fact that my Packers are playing a playoff game tonight, I will still do live updates. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
Boston Celtics (15-17) at Atlanta Hawks (20-11) Saturday, January 5, 2013 7:00 PM ET Game #33 Road Game #17 TV: CSNNE, SPSO, NBAC, NBA-LP 751(BOS)/752(ATL) Radio: WEEI, WCNN Philips Arena Referees: Rodney Mott, Eli Roe, Scott Wall
The Celtics travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks in the first of 4
meetings this season. The Celtics are coming off an impressive win
over the Pacers at home while the Hawks are coming off an 85-84 loss to
Detroit at home. Both teams are playing in the second of back to back
games. The Hawks are a league best 7-1 in back to back games. The
Celtics.... not so much.
Boston won the series 2-1 last season
but all 3 games were close. The Celtics won by 3 points and by 2 points
in overtime while the Hawks won their game by 5. Every game between
these two teams seems to end up being chippy. There is no love lost
between them, that is for sure.
Some of the faces have changed
since last season. Joe Johnson is no longer there to catch on fire in
the 4th quarter. Jason Collins was their starting center when the
Celtics last played them in the regular season. The Celtics finally
have their starting 5 back from last year and they looked good in the
Pacers game but consistency has been a problem for them all year long.
The
Hawks are a good road team with an 11-5 record at Phillips Arena. The
Celtics have been the opposite on the road with a 5-11 record away from
the Garden. The Celtics are now 3-7 in their last 10 games while the
Hawks are 6-4 in their last 10.
The Celtics are back into 8th
in the East (3rd in the Atlantic), one game ahead of the Sixers who lost
last night. Atlanta is 3rd in the East (2nd in the Southeast), 2 games
behind Miami at the top.
The Celtics showed that they are
capable of playing tough defense from start to finish and playing a
solid offensive game as well. The big question is whether or not they
can find some consistency and do it again in the next game. They will
need to if they want to beat this tough Atlanta team at home.
The Celtics, the frustrating Boston Celtics, finally won a game last night when they blew out the Pacers, 94-75. Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett each put up 18, while Paul Pierce and Courtney Lee had 13. The Celtics finally started rebounding, and overcame a first quarter deficit. They dominated to the point where they could jog for the last few minutes. There were plenty of stats that didn't get enough credit, but here's the one that I picked:
Yesterday's USOTN goes to the rebounding performance of Jared Sullinger. Sully was a beast in college and continues that during his NBA career. He only had 7 points, but led the team with 10 rebounds. Due to the win being a blow out, he didn't get much credit for this. If you have a USOTN that you think should've been picked, tell me. There's a comment box.
With the win and a 76ers loss, the Celtics are now back into the eastern conference's 8 seed. So I guess you can call them a playoff team. Let's hope they ride this momentum into Atlanta tonight when they visit the Hawks. Tip-off will be at 7:00 pm ET. I will again be doing my live game updates. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
It's so much more fun gathering these comments after a win. I love how they went from declaring KG all but dead to complaining about how he's killing them. I also love how Sully is gaining a reputation as a Garnett clone. It was a shame that they ejected KG. We finally had Gino time and he couldn't enjoy it. I've highlighted my favorites in bold. What are yours?
MAKE THE GREEN BLACK AND BLUE!
PG's bout to add Paul Pierce to the chain gang. Clank clank
I honestly had no idea Barbosa signed with the Celtics...
Celtics have been struggling so I'm guessing they will come out hungry.
Will be fun to watch PG go against Pierce
Boston has lost the last four games. They might play really tough tonight.
Seems like KG can barely rebound anymore. He might still be a difference maker, but I don’t think his body will last much longer.
Tommy is such a treasure. The man has been a Celtic for over 50 years. He loves the Celtics and I love that about him. Other teams' fans may bemoan the fact that they get the Celtics feed, but I hate listening to anyone else. Tommy started out with this gem:
On Rondo's importance to the Celtics "He has to be, in an essence, the rabbit for the greyhounds.Let's get the rabbit going."
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) January 5, 2013
Tommy loves it when they run and yes, Rondo gets the rest of the team running just like the rabbit that the greyhounds chase, but Avery Bradley is like the Energizer bunny. He's what gets Rondo going. Rondo loves having Avery to run with. And Tommy weighed in on former Celtic Gerald Green, who didn't have a great game last night. But, I've always liked Gerald and I'm glad he's getting another chance.
Green misses the three... Mike: "Gerald Green doesn't hesitate." Tommy: "He's got the green light, the amber light, any color light."
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) January 5, 2013
The Red Claws were in action tonight as they hosted the Erie Bayhawks. The Red Claws didn't fare as well as their affiliate Celtics did as they lost to the Bayhawks 98-85. They were led by 19 points and 8 rebounds from DaJuan Summers. Scott VanderMeer filled in at center with Fab Melo still recuperating from the concussion and scored 9 points to go with 8 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Kris Joseph, back with the Red Claws once again, may have been suffering from jet lag, or maybe whiplash, as he played 21 minutes off the bench and finished with 7 points on 3-9 shooting with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. The Red Claws will be back in action Saturday night as they host the Canton Charge at 7:00 PM ET. You can watch the game streamed live here, or check back on Celtics Green after the game for the video.
Serves hot dogs and leads the team all in the same night
The Celtics have finally put together a performance they can be proud of and against a worthy opponent too. The team has been struggling mightily and the players haven't been putting forth a consistent effort but the energy from Garnett inspired a monster performance. The initial quarter looked bleak and the Celtics seemed to be playing like nothings changed but that completely changed at the start of the second. Courtney Lee put forth one of his best games as a member of the team while Sully was a beast on the boards. There's still a lot of skepticism needed when discussing the team but there were some positives.
7:59: The Pacers will get lucky tonight as they will face the weak Boston Celtics. Avery Bradley, coming off his bad debut Wednesday, will play again tonight with high expectations. The only lineup change to report is that Brandon Bass will start instead of Jason Collins, who will play off the bench. The Celtics' fans' tolerance bevel is decreasing so they really need a win tonight to keep their heads above water. Keep checking here for updates after each quarter. Enjoy the game.
8:35: The first quarter was a pretty good quarter for the C's. The Pacers controlled it most of the way, but the Celtics' defense held up and they are in this game. Courtney Lee and Kevin Garnett lead the Celts in scoring with 4 points each. Terry has 3 points thanks to a shot he made in the final moments. The Pacers currently lead a low scoring game, 16-15.
9:10: The Celtics came out in the second quarter and played like this was last year's playoffs. They played really hard and embarrassed the Pacers. I'll admit, I had some serious doubts that they could do this, but it happened. The C's outscored Indiana in the quarter, 32-19. They now lead at halftime, 47-35.
9:55: After three quarters in Boston, the Celtics lead 69-51. They have played terrific tonight and for the first time in a while, I am proud to be one of their fans. Rondo leads the way with 18 points while Pierce has put in 13. Avery Bradley has just 6. Now we wait another twelve minutes for a victory.
10:46: Well, the blow out win has been confirmed. The Celtics really earned this win and I am proud to be writing this. The final score was 94-75. Garnett and Rondo led with 18 points followed by Pierce and Lee with 13. Stay here at CG, post game and USOTN coming up.
P.S. Tonight, the Thunder beat the Sixers, 109-85. With the Philly loss, the Celtics now have back the 8 seed. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
The struggling Celtics, who currently sit at 14-17, will host the 19-13 Pacers tonight at the TD Garden. Indiana has a nice two game win streak going, while Boston has dropped four in a row after beating the Nets Christmas Day. On Wednesday, the C's hosted a strong Memphis Grizzlies club. The Grizzlies had some trouble with Boston, but prevailed 93-83. There were some improvements seen, but they still were out of it most of the way. The Pacers are dangerous, and a team that the Celtics probably don't want to see at this point. But, they don't get that choice. They will have to play a better team and hope they win. Here are tonight's five keys to victory:
5. GET KG ON TRACK:
Kevin Garnett, like the rest of the team, is terrible right now. Against Memphis, Garnett had just 12 points on 5/14 shooting. This seems to be a recurring theme for him. He scored a decent amount of points, but misses most of his shots. When he plays well, the team plays well. He needs to step up.
4. GET PIERCE ON TRACK:
Paul Pierce is probably the best scorer Boston has. When they're hot, he seems to be scoring 40 on 20/22 shooting. But when the team is struggling, he only gets like 15 points on 5/15 shooting. Against the Grizzlies, he had a good 17 points on 6/14 shooting. He and KG are both really struggling and they need to turn it around. Make your shots!
3. HOPE AVERY SHOWS UP:
Avery Bradley made his anticipated return to Boston Wednesday night. But after the opening cheers, he went downhill. He finished with just 4 points on 2/6 shooting. It may have been his first game, but he looked lost. Each one of his misses was a horrible shot that looked like a fourth grader put it up. He has potential, and if this team is going to turn it around they will need him.
2. REBOUND!:
The rebounding numbers for the C's from the Memphis game are one-sided. The Grizzlies out-rebounded Boston 39-27. It was 31-24 on the defensive boards, and 8-3 on the offensive boards. Basically, my point is that the Celtics need to stop these stupid one-and-done possessions. Go after the ball and maybe, you will actually score some points.
1. STAY AWAY FROM THAT ONE BAD QUARTER:
In the second quarter Wednesday night, the C's were out-scored 25-15. In the other three quarters, the score was even at 68. If they could've competed in that one period, they probably could've won. They need to play well in every quarter, not just three of them.
Tip-off for this one will be tonight at 8:00 pm ET. It can be seen on CSN- New England. I will be doing my live in-game updates column tonight, so make sure to check that out. Finally, please try to enjoy the game. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
Twitter and the blogs are all discussing Zach Lowe's article on Grantland about Memphis shopping Rudy Gay and Boston as a possible landing spot for him. Keep in mind that this isn't a rumor from the front office. This is Zach's opinion on POSSIBLE destinations for him. Danny hasn't said he's trying to trade for him. In fact, he's said the opposite. He said he wants to be patient. Zach speculates that the Wolves, Bucks, Celtics, Hawks, Rockets and Jazz could be possible landing spots for Gay. Here are the trades he proposes for the Celtics.
A package of Green, Courtney Lee, and Avery Bradley works, though it only saves Memphis about $1.4 million in salary (and the same amount in tax payments). Memphis might be able to cut the rest by salary-dumping Marreese Speights or Bayless later (Speights isn’t trade-eligible until Jan. 15 and can veto any deal), and they could sell at least Lee and Bradley as helpful pieces that fill needs now and going forward. Replace Green with the cheaper Brandon Bass, and Boston would have to work a lot harder — sending out more players, and involving more teams — in order to find a deal.
Paul Pierce for Gay works straight-up, but it’s sacrilege and does not save Memphis any tax money this season.
The #celtics have sent Kris Joseph back to the NBADL
— gary washburn (@GwashNBAGlobe) January 4, 2013
Kris Joseph is back with the Red Claws in time for their home game tonight vs the Erie Bayhawks. You can watch the live stream of the game here. Fab Melo is still with the Celtics, receiving treatment for the concussion he suffered from walking into a hotel doorframe.
at Indiana Pacers (19-13) at Boston Celtics (14-17) Friday, January 4 8:00 PM ET Regular Season Game #32, Home Game #16 TV: CSNNE, FSI, NBA-LP 758(IND)/759(BOS) Radio: WEEI, 1070 The Fan TD Garden Referees: James Capers, Courtney Kirkland, Marat Kogut
The Celtics host Gerald Green and the Pacers as they look to get back on
track and snap a 4 game losing streak. This is the first of 3 meetings
between these two teams this season. They will meet once more in March
and once in April. Last season they split the series, with each team winning 2 games. The Celtics won the last two meetings.
These two teams have
been going in opposite directions. The Pacers have been playing very
well and have won 2 in a row and 8 of their last 10 games. They are 1st
in the Central division and 4th in the East. On the other hand, the
Celtics have lost 4 in a row and have won just 2 of their last 10
games. They have slipped to 4th in the Atlantic, just 2.5 games ahead
of the Raptors. They have also slipped out of the playoff race, just
behind the Sixers who are in the 8th spot.
Danny said in an interview that Doc is going to shake things up and that with Avery back,
we now have the lineup from last season that played so well together.
"This will be the first game coming up against the best defensive team in the league right now in [the] Indiana Pacers where we have our best lineup that played last year, and that was with Rondo and Avery and Brandon and KG and Paul. That lineup hasn't even played one minute together this year, so I'd like to give that a shot."
I
originally went with Collins at center, which is posted in the game
notes. But after reading Danny's comment, I'm thinking we may see
Brandon back at PF and KG moving back to center for this game. I like
it. Hopefully Doc will too. Personally I think Sully would be better with the starters because he gives us an inside presence that this team is very much lacking. But Collins at center obviously hasn't been working and moving Bass to the starting lineup is at least a move in the right direction.
The Celtics are 9-6 at home, in
spite of the loss to the Grizzlies there in their last game. The Pacers
have struggled somewhat on the road with just an 8-10 record away from
Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Celtics have got to find a way to get
back on track and hopefully this will be the game that they figure it out.
Otherwise, they will have their 5th straight loss and a lot of panicking
fans.
I had just finished the game threads with the starting lineup that played the last game including Jason Collins at center when I read an interesting quote from Danny Ainge's interview on WEEI as reported by ESPN Boston. I changed the game thread to include last year's starting lineup with Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, Bass and Garnett.
"I think Doc is probably going to try and tweak the lineup again and do some things different. We'll just try to be patient with this team as long as we can," said the president of basketball operations.
He said the return of Avery Bradley adds a new dimension to the team that could help turn things around, and that once the new starting lineup settles in and players perform to their potential, many of the problems will be corrected.
"This will be the first game coming up against the best defensive team in the league right now in [the] Indiana Pacers where we have our best lineup that played last year, and that was with Rondo and Avery and Brandon and KG and Paul. That lineup hasn't even played one minute together this year, so I'd like to give that a shot."
The Celtics struggled last season until Doc inserted Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass into the starting lineup and moved KG to center. While Danny isn't saying for certain that Doc will go back to this lineup, I hope he does. It's worth a try.
They are going to put it together. They are going to go on a run. They will make the playoffs. They will contend for the title this year. Anything is possible!
The third returns are in for the 2013 All Star voting. Kevin Garnett is still on track to start in the frontcourt for the East. He's 27,778 votes ahead of Chris Bosh for that third frontcourt spot. Paul Pierce is in 6th place and Jeff Green is in 14th among frontcourt players.
Rajon Rondo is also still on track to start but is way ahead of Deron Williams, who has 325,204 votes behind Rondo. Jason Terry comes in 9th among the backcourt players in the East. Celtics fans need to keep voting daily especially for KG to keep him ahead of Chris Bosh for that spot.
EASTERN CONFERENCE Frontcourt:
LeBron James (Mia) 1,151,304, Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 1,054,099, Kevin Garnett (Bos) 390,751, Chris Bosh (Mia) 362,973, Tyson Chandler (NYK) 315,752, Paul Pierce (Bos) 205,096, Joakim Noah (Chi) 158,743, Josh Smith (Atl) 131,508, Anderson Varejao (Cle) 116,166, Shane Battier (Mia) 107,190, Amar'e Stoudemire (NYK) 104,109, Andrew Bynum (Phi) 93,611, Luol Deng (Chi) 90,736, Brook Lopez (BKN) 76,695, Jeff Green (Bos) 62,367
Backcourt:
Dwyane Wade (Mia) 765,077, Rajon Rondo (Bos) 675,822, Deron Williams (BKN) 350,618, Kyrie Irving (Cle) 308,878, Ray Allen (Mia) 232,441, Monta Ellis (Mil) 84,609, Raymond Felton (NYK) 77,123, Jrue Holiday (Phi) 66,514, Jason Terry (Bos) 62,189, Brandon Jennings (Mil) 56,826
The Celtics played poor defense in the first half and couldn't hit a shot in the second half. Seems like they can't play both offense and defense at the same time. I disagree with the fan who said Doc should be on the hot seat. He's proven that he's a good coach, although when the Celtics made their reputation on defense, it was Tom Thibodeau who was behind it, not Doc. But still, Doc has proved that he can win. I still have faith though that the Celtics are going to turn it around. I've highlighted my favorites in bold. What are yours?
No way we win this. Celtics are in serious trouble now and they wanna use this game as a rebirth.
Well get ready for a rowdy BOS crowd that will be urging on a desparate Celtic team.
Easy win.
For them
The Celtics are horrible. They can't rebound. They're not athletic. They're small. Unless they're outside shooting gets on track, I don't see how they beat us. They don't match up.
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Another home game and we are treated with Tommy Heinsohn's tweets. He was very excited for Avery Bradley's return and had some high praise for him before the game.
Ready for the return? "Avery Bradley is probably the best on-ball defender in the entire league...THAT is how good he is!"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) January 3, 2013
I agree with Tommy that Avery is one of the best on the ball defenders but I'm afraid this team needs more than that to right the ship. But it sure was great to see Avery back on the court. Tommy was optimistic about Pierce's hot shooting early. Too bad he didn't have the legs to continue it in the second half.
Pierce sinks his 3rd straight 3 in the 1st: "Well, he was having trouble in the last two ballgames, but tonight, he finds the rhythm!"
— Tommy Heinsohn (@CSNTommy) January 3, 2013
Last night's game was another ugly matchup followed by an ugly performance. Despite a great first quarter, the Celtics managed to fall behind by nine at the half. The third quarter was basically the same, just no shots going in with little defensive resistance on the other end. The Celtics rallied in the fourth quarter, but the mountain was too tall to climb. But, there is some good from this game. I bet that if I was a Grizzlies fan, I would be nervous going into this game. If you can scare your opponent, you can beat them. Unfortunately, they only did one of those two.
Again, it was difficult to find an unappreciated stat from tonight's game, but I managed to locate one. The game's USOTN goes to Courtney Lee. Lee had a solid 8 points on 3/4 shooting. It's good to see him start to come out if his shell, but they still lost. It's just too bad.
I don't know what else to say other than that the Celtics need to at least win one game this week. After yesterday's loss, they have fallen behind the Sixers and are now ninth place in the eastern conference.
I'll say this, I don't mind if they finish the season with the 8 seed. They have proven that they are a great road playoff team and all that they would have to do would be win one road game. As long as they play like the old guys who dominate in the postseason, their seeding won't matter. It's just a reassuring thought. If there was a USOTN that I should've picked, please leave a comment. I'm out.
After their big win over the Nets on Christmas day, the Celtics have now lost 4 straight games. What's worse, they have lost all 4 games by double digits. With this loss, they have also fallen out of the playoff picture and are in 9th place in the East, half a game behind the Philadelphia 76ers. This statement from a Grizzlies fan tells the tale of the game: "Poor defensive execution int he first half and poor offensive execution int he second half cost Boston the game."
Avery Bradley made his long awaited season debut tonight and he started and played 19 minutes. For his first game back, he showed that he can still make a difference with his defense once he gets back up to game speed. He made just 2-6 shots but one was a back door cut to the basket where Rondo found him for a layup. That became a staple of the offense last season and hopefully will again. Rondo added 11 points on 4-11 shooting to go with 10 assists and 2 rebounds.
Boston Celtics point guard Avery Bradley (0) defends against Memphis
Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley (11) during the first quarter of an
NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise
Amendola)
Kevin Garnett struggled once again early, going just 1-7 in the first half. He finished with 12 points (5-14) with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Paul Pierce started out hot, scoring 15 points in the first half on 5-8 shooting. He also grabbed 5 of the Celtics first half rebounds. The second half was another story. As the game went on, his legs weren't under him and he scored just 2 points in the second half on 1-6 shooting. Jason Collins put in his 18 minutes and finished with just 2 points and 1 rebound.
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7:30: Well, tonight the Celtics will be forced to play the now proud Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies, who are 19-9, have oddsmakers favoring them by 2.5 points in this one. Memphis is not a great road team, as they are just 6-6 away from the FedEx Forum. The Celtics, who are just 14-16 overall, are 9-5 at the Garden but haven't won there since December 19. Tonight will feature the highly anticipated return of Avery Bradley, who missed the first 30 games with a shoulder injury. Star point guard Rajon Rondo is currently listed as questionable with a hip injury. Tip-off is in about a minute, and please keep checking for updates here after every quarter.
8:09: The first quarter just ended and things are looking up for the guys in green. After Memphis came out with an 11-4 run, the Celtics answered with a run of their own. Thanks to 3 threes from Pierce and 3 assists from Rondo, the Celtics have a 26-25 lead. Avery Bradley has two points on 1/2 shooting.
8:38: Let's just say, the Celtics didn't show up. Despite going into the second quarter with a 1 point lead, Boston trails the Grizzlies at the half, 50-41. The Celts started out fast, but mid-way through the quarter they fell apart. Memphis went on a quick 11-0 run that put them ahead for good. The Celtics are playing horrible defense and they need to make some changes soon if they are to win.
9:26: Like the second quarter, the third quarter was very forgettable. The Celtics never really put up a fight as they were outscored 25-18 in the quarter. The Grizzlies seemed to make everything, while Boston seemed to forget how to play. After three quarters at the Garden, the Celtics trail 75-59. They'll need a big fourth quarter to win.
10:00: It's over. Memphis has won 93-83. Another loss for this pathetic Celtics team. But I'll give them some credit in this one. If it wasn't for their bad second quarter, they might've won. Paul Pierce led the team in scoring with 17 points, followed by Garnett with 12 and Rondo with 11. Bradley had just 4. Stay here at CG. Post game and USOTN coming soon. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
Tonight, the struggling Boston Celtics will finally head home to face the dangerous Memphis Grizzlies. As we all know, the C's played like losers on their recent west coast trip. To go along with going 0-3, the Celts were outscored 325-256. You could make the argument that they were trying, but obviously not hard enough. They have a tough schedule ahead of them which means they have to get hot now. The Celtics currently sit at just 14-16 and eighth place in the eastern conference. They can compete, but we will have to see whether or not they will. Here are tonight's five keys to victory:
5. PLAY SOME DEFENSE:
I'll say ahead of time that the first two keys on this list sound like obvious ones, but can be supported by stats. The Celtics started out their road trip by giving up just 76 points to the Nets, but then everything fell apart in California. The C's gave up 106 to the Clippers, 101 to the Warriors, and 118 to the dismal Kings. I doubt that they will play that bad at the Garden, but that should never happen anywhere. 101 points is acceptable, 106 is maddening, and 118 is just awful. I know that they're better than that, but they are really struggling right now.
4. MAKE SOME SHOTS:
In their last three games, the Celtics shot 40.3%, 36%, and 41.4%. This had a huge effect on them as their opponents seemed to make everything. Again, this might've just been road woes, but it still needs some major improvement.
3. GET EVERYONE INVOLVED:
It seemed like that the Celtics only used two guys for scoring while playing the Kings. Terry and Pierce each scored 20 points, but there wasn't much besides that. Make sure to get KG, Lee, Barbosa, and Green involved. They are all great shooters.
2. BETTER EFFORT:
The Celtics have not looked to good recently and it may be a simple lack of effort. They aren't playing harder than their opponents and their numbers prove that. The fans deserve better.
1. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING BRADLEY:
Tonight, we will see the season debut of Avery Bradley. He is a great player who has been missed since his injury in last year's playoffs. Use him as an advantage and see if he will jump start this team.
Tonight's game will tip-off at 7:30 pm ET on NBA TV. Enjoy it.
Kevin Garnett seems
perplexed at the recent Celtics play
Many people, including myself, were initially inclined to think that the recent Celtics struggles could be attributed to the same reasons as the past couple seasons. Whether it was a lack of effort and consistent play or injuries there was always faith that they would turn it around like previous years. For a good portion of the season I was on that boat, this team wasn't built for the regular season but somewhere along the line something changed. There are trends with this team that you just can't shake and are quite frankly frightening. Read more » Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
The Celtics have recalled Fab Melo from the Red Claws. Melo missed the Red Claws New Years Eve game with a mild concussion. The last time Melo was called up to the Celtics it was for treatment for an injury and my guess is that it's the same for this call up. According to reports, he sustained the concussion by hitting his head walking through a door. No, I'm not joking.
A week ago Doc said that he didn't have any indication that Fab was ready for NBA level play and I haven't heard him say differently. So my guess is that, as with his last call up, Fab is with the team for evaluation and treatment for his concussion. The Celtics sure could use a rim protector, though. Just saying.
at Memphis Grizzlies (19-9) at Boston Celtics (14-16) Wednesday, January 2, 2013 7:30 PM ET Regular Season Game #31, Home Game #15 TV: NBA-TV, CSN-NE, SSO-MEM, NBAC Radio: WEEI, WMFS TD Garden Referees: Joe Crawford, LeRoy Richardson, James Williams
The Celtics welcome old friend Tony Allen and his Grizzlies to the
Garden as they try to get back on track after a 1-3 road trip. The
Celtics have lost 3 in a row to Western Conference teams and return home
hoping to turn that trend around. The Celtics have played well at home
with a 9-5 record while the Grizzlies are just 6-6 on the road.
The big news for the Celtics is that Avery Bradley is expected to make
his
season debut in this game. Doc has said that if he is ready, he would
start him and I'm optimistically putting him in the starting lineup.
That allows Jason Terry to come off the bench where he is more
comfortable.
The Celtics are still trying to find their
identity and after 3 terrible losses on the West coast they face a
Grizzlies team that is also searching for answers. Both teams have
lost 3 of their last 4 games. The Memphis Grizzlies have turned in
three straight efforts of fewer than 90 points for the first time this
season. Both teams have been very inconsistent and so it's anyone's
guess how this one will turn out.
Rajon Rondo sat out practice
on Tuesday and is questionable for this game and will more than likely
be a game time decision. The Celtics should get a boost from Bradley's
return and hopefully his on the ball defense will help the Celtics
sagging team defense. The Celtics are 2 games under .500 and are just
half a game ahead of the Sixers for the 8th seed in the East. They need
to find answers and turn their season around soon. Hopefully it will
be in this game.
I kind of feel for Kings fans. They have stuck with their team through some bad times. They don't even know if their team is going to be staying there or not. They have some nice young players though. I have no answers for what ails the Celtics right now. I'm hoping that with the new year and Avery Bradley back, the defense will come around and the team will be able to turn it around. Enjoy 2012's final Comments from the Other Side.
I predict Jason terry will have a huge game.
Looks like lots of empty seats.
Rondo playin tonight. Doesn't play last night vs GS but returns to torment us.
Thomas vs Rondo should be fun
Go for the elbow
Make Celtics look old...
Celtics forum Is nothing but trade ideas for cousins
I would do cash considerations for Rondo
No cousins even? Just take rondo from them instead? Lol
Nah, we'd doing them a huge favor as it is They oughta be thankful we aren’t asking them to throw in Pierce and Garnett
To all the people who read my pre-game post earlier, I was very wrong. Not just wrong because I picked the Celtics to win, wrong because I feel like I gave false hope. This Celtics team is officially bad. I've spent the last week doing nothing but defending them, but tonight was the straw that broke the camel's back. Actually, it wasn't even a straw, it was more like a 500 pound weight that split the camel in half. This team is so lost right now and there appears to be no hope. I couldn't help but put my head down during tonight's fourth quarter. I want hope, but as of now, there isn't any. The schedule only will get harder in the coming weeks.
I couldn't really find a stat from tonight's 118-96 loss that deserved any credit besides Pierce and Terry each scoring 20(which got some attention). So I'll just point that the newest Celtic, Jarvis Varnado, had a season-high(technically a career-high) 4 points on 2/2 shooting. Not amazing, but it's a start. If there is another bright spot in this game that I should point out, please leave a comment and let me know because I am desperate here. There really aren't many deserving USOTNs from tonight's game.
All I've done since I joined CG, is be a Mr. Nice Guy. I have never been critical of the Celtics and have always looked at the bright spots. But I'm not going to do that anymore. Because the truth is, there will
be a lot of games where the Celtics suck.
Like tonight. They show up with a decent game plan and stay in it for most of the way. Then half-way through the third quarter, they stop competing. The Kings capitalized on their lackluster effort and get an easy blow out win. I wish I could say that it will get better, but it probably won't. Anyway, the Celtics will play again Wednesday night at the Garden. They will be hosting the Grizzlies with tip-off being at 7:30 pm ET. Please try to enjoy it. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
The Celtics just looked awful last night against the Warriors. They couldn't make shots, play defense, or run plays. Tonight, they have a chance to swing their momentum when they face the 10-19 Kings. The Kings are usually bottom feeders, but can be dangerous at home. The Celtics are stuck at 14-15 and desperately need a win. This is a winnable game and I expect the C's to come out on top. Here are the five ways that they will do that:
5. GET PIERCE ON TRACK:
Paul Pierce was just terrible last night. In my opinion, it was easily his worst game of the season. He got plenty of open shots, but way to many bricks. He had a decent 13 points, but shot just 20%(4/20) from the field. He needs to catch fire tonight if they are to pull this out.
4. GET GREEN ON TRACK:
Like Pierce, Green's shot was off and he didn't do a ton to contribute to the team. Green had just 6 points on 2/11 shooting. I know that he's an on-and-off player, but c'mon. He is much shooter than 2/11. Those are middle school star player stats.
3. TRUST SULLINGER ON THE BLOCK:
Jared Sullinger is becoming a very good player on the block. But, his teammates don't seem to realize it. He can do what Garnett does, if they would give him the chance. He has many big man qualities that are easily a pro for his team. If you want a 20 and 10 night from him, then give him the ball.
2. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE COMPETITION:
The Kings may be 10-19, but it's not like the Celtics have never not had a flawless game against them. The Kings have the home-court, which automatically gives them an upper hand. They need to play like it's game 7 of the finals tonight if they are to get a much needed momentum boost.
1. BETTER DEFENSIVE EFFORT:
This one can't be explained using numbers. The Celtics, especially in the first half, put up little defensive resistance against the Warriors. At times, they seemed to be scoring at will. The Celtics need to stop this bad play and a big part of it is defense.
Tip-off is at 9:00 pm ET and it will be broadcasted on CSN-New England. Have fun.
at Boston Celtics (14-15) at Sacramento Kings (10-19) Sunday, March 30, 2012 9:00 PM ET Regular Season Game #30, Road Game #16 TV: CSNNE, CSNCA, NBA-LP 755 Radio: WEEI, 1140 AM Power Balance Pavillion Arena Referees: David Jones, Olandis Poole, Sean Wright
The Celtics will try to end their 4 game road trip on a high note as
they take on the Sacramento Kings. They started it with a win and then
lost 2 and hopefully can end with a win. With all the buzz about the
Celtics interest in DeMarcus Cousins, this could get interesting as he
possibly auditions for his next team.
The Celtics are playing
in back to back games on the road, which will make this game more
difficult than it should be. And the final game of a road trip is
always a tough one for the team. The Celtics are just 5-10 on the road
while the Kings are playing fairly well at home with a 9-7 home record.
The Kings are coming off a win over the Knicks on a last second 3
pointer by James Johnson.
The Celtics faced the Kings just once
last season and lost 120-95 at Power Balance Arena. The Celtics are
4-6 in their last 10 games while the Kings are a slightly worse 3-7 in
their last 10. Rondo sat out Saturday night's loss to the Warriors and
may or may not play in this one. Also the Kings are reporting that Tyreke Evans, who has been sitting out the past 2 weeks could rejoin the Kings' starting lineup tonight. Both will probably be game time decisions.
Both teams need a win in this game to try to go into 2013 with some sort of positive momentum. The Kings have a 3 game home win streak going and would like to start 2013 with that intact. The Celtics are just 1-7 on the road in December and desperately need to turn that around.
Ouch! That one really hurt. If you haven't heard already, the Celtics went to Oakland last night and were dominated by the home town Warriors. I know that the Warriors are good, but the Celtics just looked pathetic. They weren't playing any defense, they weren't running any plays(possibly because Rondo was out), and they weren't making their open shots. With the loss, the Celtics fall to 14-15 overall and 2-6 in their last 8 games. They need to do something quick because they really look lost out there.
I looked long and hard for today's USOTN, and I settled on two. The first would be the stats put up by Jared Sullinger. Sullinger hasn't done much recently besides the Nets game, but seemed to know what he was doing last night. In 24 minutes of play, Sully had 12 points on 6/8 shooting with 8 rebounds. It wasn't a good game to be good in, but I won't complain about him slowly improving. The second stat goes to the C's offensive rebounding. Despite struggling basically all year, Boston pulled down 13 offensive boards to Golden State's 5. Again, this was a bad game to do good in, but I'll take it.
I said earlier that the Celtics couldn't make their shots, which probably costed them the game. Boston shot an embarrassing 36% percent from the field, while the Warriors shot a great 52.1%. You have to play up to your competition in games like this. It's obvious that they didn't do that.
As a writer and fan, I have no time to keep thinking about this loss since the Celtics could have their confidence back by tonight. This evening at 9:00 pm ET, the Celtics will head to north to face the Kings. The Kings are just 10-19 and are second to last place in the Western conference. It can be seen on Comcast Sportsnet New England. Enjoy it. Leave a comment Link backs Tweet
These are always a little depressing when we lose big but there are some interesting things in there too. Like the fact that they felt the refs loved them. When even the opposing team sees the refs favoring them you know it's bad. Those declaring Pierce done didn't see him score 40 points just a couple of games ago. I hope you enjoy these in spite of the loss.
Celtics bouta get baked like Boston beans
Garnett usually a pretty tough matchup for David Lee, especially in recent years:
Warriors should beat these old folks from Boston. I would be very disappointed if we don't outrun these guys at home. We need to make them beg for oxygen by the 4th quarter...
I bet that Boston leads the league in "illegal screens"
LOL roll out the wheelchair for some of the Boston guys LOL...they need it now. Hahaha. They seem to be 1 steps slower than the Warriors. Warriors just need to run circle around these oldies
Rondo is not playing!!
it's a trap! We get all geared up for defending Rondo, and now that he’s not here, we’re lost, so we’re going to loooooose
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