No Rondo? No Problem

This past week, I saw my beloved New England Patriots lose the AFC Championship on their home turf to the Baltimore Ravens, five days later my Boston Celtics blew a 27 point lead to the Atlanta Hawks en route to a double overtime loss.  Two days after that, I learned Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the 2013 season with a torn ACL.  The argument can be made this was the worst week of my life, at least in the world of sports.  Most Celtics fans are on the Tobin Bridge ready to jump because of the loss of Rondo.  You won’t find me on that bridge.  In fact, I am at the opposite end of the spectrum.  I think the Celtics will be better without Rondo.

Go ahead, mock me.  Call me crazy.  Tell me to take my green shaded glasses off.  But let’s face it.  The Boston Celtics were 20-23 before Doris Burke would tell us during the game against the Miami Heat yesterday Rondo would miss the rest of the season.  The truth is I don’t believe the Celtics could be any worse than what they were.

I understand the Celtics just lost their superstar point guard who leads the league in triple-doubles.  I understand the Celtics lost their point guard who dishes out double-digit assists per game.  I get it.  At the end of the day the Celtics were a below .500 team going into yesterday’s game.  In my opinion, the two best games the Celtics have played all season were against the Knicks in New York and yesterday’s contest with the Heat.  In both games Rondo did not play.  He was suspended for the Knicks game and we all know about yesterday.

I must preface my next few thoughts with this. People who read this blog know I am a fan of Rajon Rondo.  Over the last few weeks, the Celtics were a dead team.  On offensive there was too much standing around watching Rondo dribble around everybody.  The Celtics were getting piss poor shots at the end of the shot clock because there was no flow to the offense.  With Rondo out, this now forces everyone to be apart of the offense.  The Celtics are now going to be forced to play team basketball.  I like seeing Kevin Garnett work out of the post.  The inevitable double-team comes and he kicks it out to a guard for an open jump shot.  It is really simple.  The problem is when Rondo was on the court KG wouldn’t play near the basket because he didn’t want to clog the paint.  With Rondo out, I expect better team basketball out of the Celtics.

Remember how excited I was about the Celtics depth back in October?  We will now see that luxury unfold for the rest of the season.  Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and Leandro Barbosa know they are going to get their chance to play.  While none of the above are true point guards, I believe they can adequately handle point guard duties in small doses.

In a weird kind of way, Paul Pierce will be re-energized with Rondo going down.  Paul Pierce will once again be The Man for the Celtics.  Too much was made of making it known the 2013 Celtics were Rondo’s team.  The fact is this team belongs to Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.  I expect Pierce to embrace the challenge of being the go to guy.  He will play a lot of point forward.  Throughout Pierce’s career, he has always been at his best with the ball in his hands.  He is not like Ray Allen who runs off picks all day long.  Pierce is at his best when he can drive to the basket or pull off his patented step back jumper from the elbow.  Pierce is obviously on the back nine of his career.  This will be his last go around as the head honcho.

Even with Rondo out, I believe this Celtics roster as currently constituted can beat every team in the Eastern Conference in a 7 game series.  No doubt, Miami will give them their biggest challenge. I don’t see any scenario in which the Celtics can get better than they are right now this season.  Trading Pierce and/ or Garnett makes no sense.  There is no way the Celtics can obtain equal or greater value for either player.  Not only do they still have the talent to compete, they are also mentoring younger players like Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger how to play the game.  Don’t discount that last intangible.  Garnett has done wonders for the likes of Kendrick Perkins and Big Baby Davis.  Garnett and Pierce are essential to the proper growth and development of Sullinger, Bradley, and even Fab Mello.

Maybe I am overly sentimental when it comes to my teams.  But I also believe I am being objective in looking at this year’s roster.  The season ending injury to the team’s best player could be the best thing that could have happened to this team.  I believe it will allow different players to step up and play key roles and it will motivate the players to “win it for Rondo.”As Sean Grande tweeted yesterday, “On a day when the Celtics lost their best player, they also found their heart.”

I believe in heart.  The Celtics haven’t played with it at all this season until yesterday.  Now the Celtics are motivated to shut up all the media pundits that are writing their 2013 obituary.  I won’t write off the Celtics just yet, and frankly, you don’t have any reason to either.

 

I can be followed on Twitter @ScottieNTCF

 

Celtics Provide a Merry Christmas

I last wrote about the Boston Celtics 1 month ago.  At that time, I was writing about them every game and it began to get monotonous. The Celtics had been going through the motions the first 2 months of the season.  My stories were all pretty much the same but with different words.  Rondo was great, Pierce and Garnett still got it, Jeff Green is frustrating, etc.  I also kept saying the regular season was an 82 game audition.  After watching today’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, I finally have something worth while to write about.  The pre-season is over and the regular season began today for the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics were playing.500 ball heading into today’s Christmas tilt with a new division rival, the Brooklyn Nets.  They played the  Nets even through the first quarter but came out blazing in the second quarter.  Today’s game was won by the bench.  They outscored the Nets bench 43-21, led by Jared Sullinger’s 16 points and Jeff Green’s 15.  The bench, which was supposed to be a strength for the Celtics coming into the season, finally played like it.

Rajon Rondo lead the Celtics with 19 points.  Paul Pierce, the only NBA player in history not named Michael Jordan to pour 35 points in 2 consecutive games at the age of 35, decided he wanted to be a distributor and handed out 10 assists.  While the bench play was most encouraging, the Celtics returned to playing at least a semblance of team defense.  It is no secret the Celtics are at their best when they are playing solid defense.  Today was one of those days as they held the Nets to just 79 points.

There has been a lot of trade rumors floating around because of nervous Celtics fans that think an NBA title is won in November.  Names like Varejao and Cousins have been discussed because the Celtics need another big man.  While I agree the Celtics need a big man, I am not in agreement that said big man should be acquired via trade.

I am not at all interested in trading Jared Sullinger or Avery Bradley.  I admit that when he was in college I thought he would be a colossal bust in the NBA.  My buddy Q is allowed to rag on me for years to come because I was wrong.
Sullinger showed why he was a pre-draft consensus top 5 pick.  The kid had 16 points and 7 rebounds.  He showed he has range on his jumper.  He has a nose for the ball.  He was +21, highest of the Celtics.  Trading this kid would be a mistake.

Remember the spark Avery Bradley provided the Celtics throughout the second half of the season last year.  He and Rondo have undeniable chemistry.  Bradley is also a pest on defense forcing opposing teams to start their offense with 14 seconds left on the shot clock most possessions.  I am not saying Bradley is going to be the savior when he returns to the floor January 2 against the Grizzlies but I know he will make the Celtics better.

I am concerned and curious why Leandro Barbosa has fallen out of Doc’s rotation.  He was providing instant offense off the bench for the Celtics.  He has now racked up a few DNP-Coach’s Decision over the last week. I believe he should provide Courtney Lee some competition for minutes when Bradley gets back.  It seems Doc disagrees with me.

The Christmas game was encouraging.  I think the Celtics are ready to put a streak together.  No matter how tough their division has become, I still believe they are the 2nd best team in the East and will ultimately be the only team that can cool down the Heat.

The Celtics continue this 4 game road trip out west against the Clippers on Thursday night at 10:30.

I can be followed on Twitter @ScottieNTCF

Scottie’s Recap: Celtics Snipe Bucks

November 10, 2012 will be a day Celtics fans will remember this season. The Celtics beat the Bucks 96-92 and Jeff Green arrived. If you were only looking at the box score, his stats wouldn’t jump out at you.  In 25 minutes, he had 12 points and 3 rebounds.  But if you watched the game, you know exactly what I am talking about.  Green was awesome in the fourth quarter on both sides of the floor.  Seeing him take the ball hard to the rack was refreshing.  His 8 trips to the charity stripe are very telling.  Green was aggressive taking the ball to the basket.  He is a matchup nightmare for teams around the NBA.  He can post up smaller guards and take bigger forwards off the dribble.  Last night was the first night Celtics fans saw what Jeff Green is capable of.

Now I would be remiss if I didn’t say the true star of the game was Paul Pierce.  Pierce basically traded buckets with Monta Ellis as the game went on.  When Pierce reaches that other level that he gets to from time to time, he is truly unstoppable.  Milwaukee didn’t have anyone that could stop Pierce as he went for 25 points.  He still is very much The Truth.

Doc Rivers obviously read my recap from the 76ers game.  I called out Courtney Lee for not bringing anything to the table through the first 2 weeks of the season.  Doc promptly changed his starting five, putting Lee on the bench, and starting Jason Terry.  The funny thing is, the new starting five didn’t really work.  The Celtics had been getting off to fast starts prior to the change.  Last night they started slow but the end result is all that matters.

Jason Terry was very efficient last night and looks to finally be settling into his new digs.  Terry had 15 points on 5-7 shooting (2-3 from deep).  My concern, however, is the Celtics do not have a back up point guard.  Terry can’t do it.  I am not comfortable with Barbosa in that role.  And I don’t see Courtney Lee capable of handling that responsibility either.  Avery Bradley thrived playing with Rondo last year and struggled when he had to run the offense.  This is something to keep an eye on going forward in the season.

The Celtics travel to the windy city Monday night to take on the Derrick Rose-less Bulls.  The Bulls are 4-2 and are atop the Central Division being led by a resurgent Rip Hamilton.

I can be followed on Twitter @ScottieNTCF.

Celtics Hold On For First Win of Season

Outside of the first 10 minutes of the game, there wasn’t much to be confident about with Boston Celtics.  The Celtics raced out to a 26-12 first quarter lead against the hapless Washington Wizards.  The Wizards, who were without John Wall and Nene, looked as good as what myself and the other 4 people who read this blog would look like in the NBA.  The 12 points given up in the first quarter for the Celtics probably looks good as a stat for their defense.  The reality is Washington missed several wide open shots.

Paul Pierce drilled a deep three late in the fourth that proved to be the dagger.  The fact that any one shot is considered a dagger from last night’s game is laughable.  Pierce did throw up 27 points on 10-22 shooting to go along with 7 rebounds.  Kevin Garnett showed he can still play lock down defense.  He forced Kevin Seraphin (who lit him up all night) to turnover the ball with 11 seconds left that pretty much sealed the Boston W.

With Ray Allen gone, there is zero doubt who will have the ball in late game situations.  I have said this before and I will say it again.  Pierce is a top 5 player in the NBA when the game is on the line.

In the off-season Jason Terry said the Boston bench would never get outscored.  Through 3 games they are yet to outscore their opposition.  In the Washington game, not one guy had a plus in the plus/minus rating.  Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox were -5, Brandon Bass was a -8, and Leandro Barbosa and Jason Terry were both -12.  Thank every higher religious power that Darko’s ass stayed glued to that bench.

Look, in these three posts, the tone of the articles may be that I am really down on the Celtics through three games.  That is not the case.  There is so much talent on this team from 1-12.  They have 79 more games to figure out how to make all that individual talent work as one.  Doc is still trying to figure how to rotate guys in and out, trying to figure out who plays well with who, all while trying to create a rhythm and chemistry on his squad.  This is evidenced by Doc deciding to mix it up already by moving Jared Sullinger into the starting 5 and Brandon Bass to the bench.

For what it is worth, I could care less who starts a game.  I care more about who is on the floor at the end of the game.  That being said, the lineup I like most is Rondo, Pierce, Green, Bass, and Garnett.  I am admittedly enamored with Jeff Green.  I think he has such a smooth game. I think Doc needs to find more minutes for him so he can find his niche with this team.  I really want to see him run with Rondo.

Speaking of Rondo, the shot he hit to beat the shot clock after being blocked was one of the luckiest yet most unreal shot I think I have ever seen in all my years of watching basketball.  Rondo has turned a double double into an average night.  The argument will go on until we are all blue in the face but Rajon Rondo is a top 3 point guard in the league.  I only put Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose ahead of him.  Yes, I think he is better than Deron Williams.

The Celtics’ game is Wednesday, November 7 when the Wizards travel up to Boston.  I expect the Celtics to win this one by at least 15.

 

I can be followed on Twitter @ScottieNTCF

Ranking the Boston Champions

There is no doubt the last 10 years have been the greatest 10 years of any sports town in history for Boston.  No other city comes remotely close to having 7 championships in ten years.  So where do I rank those 7 championships? Let’s have a look.

7) 2004 Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers

Tom Brady was a stud in this one as he threw for 354 yards and 3 touchdowns leading the Patriots to a 32-29 win over the Panthers.  Adam Vinatieri was the hero again as he hit a 41 yard field goal to with 4 seconds left to put the Patriots ahead for good.

Memorable Moments: Vinatieri’s game winning field goal; Vrabel’s 2 sacks and touchdown reception; 37 total fourth quarter points

6) 2005 Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles

The Patriots winning this Super Bowl cemented the theory that the Patriots were the 2000′s dynasty in the NFL.  Tom Brady started to draw comparisons to Joe Montana.  And perhaps best of all the Patriots beat loud mouth Terrell Owens.  The Patriots also became the first team since the Denver Broncos to win back to back Super Bowls.

Memorable Moments: Branch’s 11 receptions; Rodney Harrison flapping his arms like an eagle after his second interception; Another Vrabel TD reception

5) 2007 Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies

The Rockies were the hottest team in baseball going into the World Series in 2007 after winning 15 of their last 16 just to make it into the playoffs.  They then swept the division series and league series and were forced to wait as the Red Sox finished their series with the Indians.  This 2007 team was a lot different from the 2004 team as it was a team that was led by Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell.  Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury arrived on the scene as well while old friends David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Curt Schilling were still doing their thing.

Memorable Moments: Pedroia’s home run off Francis; Sox come back from 3-1 deficit against Indians in ALCS; Papelbon’s Irish Jig

4) 2008 Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers

While I am more of a Celtics fan than I am a Bruins fan, this championship has to fall just below the Bruins.  The Celtics were able to stack their team by trading their roster away to acquire Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.  Quite frankly, if the Celtics hadn’t of won the championship in 2008 I would have been incredibly disappointed.  But it was pretty sweet to embarrass the Lakers on their home court.  I was also very happy to see Paul Pierce win a title after all the years he put in with the Celtics.

There may not have been a more deserving athlete in Boston than Paul Pierce when he was finally able to raise that trophy high above his head.  Pierce had been in Boston his whole career and never publicly spoke out about how bad the team was or publicly complained.  Sure, he was mad when they stunk, but Pierce stayed quiet and he was rewarded when Danny Ainge got him a true supporting cast for the first time in his career.

Memorable Moments: Pierce in a wheelchair; Mike Breen:”And the Celtics are embarrassing the Lakers”; Ray Allen crossing over Vujacic

3) 2011 Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks

The Stanley Cup hadn’t been in Boston since 1972.  The Bruins were able to win in overtime of Game 7 against their archrival, the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round, sweep a Flyer team that came back from a 3-0 lead the year prior, and beat the Lightning in Game 7 on their home ice, before capturing the Stanley Cup in Game 7 in Vancouver.  They did it without their best player, Nathan Horton who was knocked into next week by Aaron Rome in Game 3.  They won it with perhaps the most dominating playoff performance ever by a goalie in 37 years young Tim Thomas.

During these playoffs, Zdeno Chara missed time with a dehydration illness, Nathan Horton missed time with his concussion, and they were down in the Montreal and Vancouver series but showed how resilient they were after a season of fans questioning the team’s heart.  These Bruins most certainly had heart.

Memorable Moments: Tim Thomas’ overall performance; Horton’s concussion; Recchi’s last game; Thornton the enforcer; Bergeron getting bit by Burrows

2) 2002 Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams

No one expected the Patriots to stay within 15 points of the Rams in 2002.  Hell, the argument could be made the Patriots weren’t even suppose to be there after Brady fumbl- I mean tucked the football in against the Raiders in the AFC Championship.But Bill Belichick pulled off his best coaching performance in his first Super Bowl win as he was able to slow down “The Greatest Show on Turf.”  The Patriots were able to completely neutralize Marshall Faulk and from there, rookie Tom Brady was able to manage the clock and not turn over the football enabling Adam Vinatieri to kick a game winning 48 yard field goal.  While Brady was named MVP, (16-27 for 145 yards) I will forever argue JR Redmond, Jermaine Wiggins, or the Patriot Defense was far more deserving of the honor than Brady.

The coolest part of this Super Bowl was Bill Belichick having his whole team introduced instead of individual introductions.  This set forth the value of unity amongst a team and started the trend that continues today of teams being introduced rather than individual players.

Memorable Moments: Vinatieri’s field goal; Patriots’ entrance; Madden suggesting Patriots run out clock; The final drive; Wiggins; Redmond; Troy Brown

1) 2004  Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals

It took 86 years for the Red Sox to win the World Series.  They suffered the dreaded Curse of the Bambino.  A stretch that saw Bucky bleepin’ Dent hit a lazy fly ball that landed in the netting of the Green Monster to win the division for the Yankees, they saw a routine ground ball trickle through the legs of Bill Buckner off the bat of Mookie Wilson to push the 1986 World Series to a seventh game, and they saw Aaron Boone hit a walk off home run in 2003 that sent the Yankees to the World Series.  The Red Sox didn’t only not win, they put their fan base through through the most painful of losses.

2004 was especially memorable because they were able to do what no other team in baseball had done before: Come back from a 3 games to 0 deficit to win the ALCS against, yes, the New York Yankees.

Memorable Moments: Roberts steals second; Schilling’s bloody sock; “Don’t let us win this one”; (Fully recognize all the memories are from the Yankee series but can you say you have any memories from the actual World Series?)

***A previous version of this post had Tim Thomas listed as 36 years young.  Thanks to a faithful reader for pointing out that he is 37 years young.

I can be followed on Twitter @ ScottieNTCF

Eulogizing the 2010-2011 Boston Celtics

Writing a eulogy is never an easy experience.  No one likes to write about death, particularly about the death of someone or something they love. In the sports world, it happens once a year per team that you follow.  Am I being overdramatic? No.  This season (and every season for that matter) the Boston Celtics were frequently invited into my living room, I frequently checked up on them via various information devices, to the tune of 91 games this year.  The season ended last week as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and the rest of the Miami Heat ousted the Celtics in 5 games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.  This piece has taken me a long time to write because, as with any type of mourning, time heals.

I remember the early months of the season when Rajon Rondo averaged about 15 assists a game.  I remember the first half of the season when I advocated Glen Davis for the Sixth Man of the Year award.  I remember enjoying Shaq’s time in Boston, going to Harvard Square posing as a statue and composing the Boston Pops.  I remember thoroughly enjoying Nate Robinson’s videos from the preseason where he would play various pranks on Shaq.  I enjoyed watching the development of Semih Erden.  I was remember laughing at the reports of Delonte West and Von Wafer getting into a fist fight in a 2-2 pickup game.  I especially remember Ray Allen burying his record-breaking three pointer against the Lakers at home.

The Celtics had to deal with the injury bug as they never had their preseason roster fully intact.  Delonte West, Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, and Kevin Garnett all missed time with injuries.  As a matter of fact none of the aforementioned group of players ever played in the same game.  But even with those injury troubles the Celtics still held onto the top seed in the East and were always close to San Antonio for the best record in all the NBA.  The Celtics dismantled the Heat in each of their matchups (until the regular season when the Celtics were trying to get healthy for the playoffs).

What will forever define the 2010-2011 Boston Celtics can simply be referred to as “The Trade.”  At the trade deadline Danny Ainge broke up a majority of the roster and effectively broke down the chemistry that made the Celtics one of the toughest teams in the NBA. He traded away big man Kendrick Perkins and spark providing Nate Robinson for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.  He sold Marquis Daniels to the Sacramento Kings.  He moved Luke Harangody and Semih Erden to the Cleveland Cavs for draft picks.  He brought in Troy Murphy, Carlos Arroyo, and Sasha Pavlovic.

Ainge defended himself saying that the Celtics would not have been able to resign Perkins.  He defended himself by saying they needed a wing that would give Paul Pierce and Ray Allen much-needed rest down the stretch.  He defended the deal by saying the Celtics would need some offense from a big man to spread the floor.  He defended himself by saying he wanted to rebuild for the future while trying to make the team better in the present as well.  He defended himself by saying the Celtics were 19-3 in games that Shaq played in over 20 minutes.

As it turned out, Shaq was unable to get healthy the second half of the season.  The Celtics sorely missed Perkins, an inside presence that would have teamed nicely with Jermaine O’Neal in the playoffs.  Doc Rivers never really trusted Jeff Green with substantial minutes, thus never giving Pierce and Allen the rest they needed.  The Celtics were never able to garner any semblance of chemistry with their brand new roster. Going into the playoffs, it is fair to say everyone knew they were in deep trouble.

They quickly dispatched the Knicks, who were going through injury and chemistry issues themselves.  They then faced the Heat in the most anticipated playoff series in recent memory.  In that series the Celtics failed to execute their offense.  Rajon Rondo went down with one of the grossest injuries I have seen since the Willis McGahee injury when he was at Miami.  Yet, Rondo mustered the courage to play through his dislocated elbow and lead the Celtics to a Game 3 victory.  Kevin Garnett laid one of the biggest eggs in playoff history in Game 4 and was only “ok” in Game 5.  Ray Allen would never see the ball the rest of the series. The next two games the Celtics would fail to show up in the final two minutes of each game as the Heat outplayed them.

Some will complain about the referee’s and the preferential treatment to Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.  Some will point to how dirty of a player Dwayne Wade became in this series.  Others will point to the injuries of the Celtics and how thin their roster actually was.  The bottom line? The Celtics did not finish ball games.  Whether it was fatigue that comes with age, miscommunication, or lack of chemistry the Celtics couldn’t withstand the Heat. And that was all she wrote.

Looking ahead to the rebirth of the Celtics, also known as the 2011-2012 season, there are a lot of question marks.  One thing must be certain in my eyes: Glen Davis has worn a Celtics uniform for the last time.  Everyone fell in love with the hustle and energy Davis provided.  Once upon a time Glen Davis took charges, dove for loose balls, and hit an occasional jump shot.  Then somewhere around the midpoint of the season, he fell in love with himself, forgot how to pass, forgot how to box out, and forgot that he was surrounded by Hall of Fame talent.  The first positive going into the 2011-2012 season: Glen Davis is “Gone Baby Gone.”The other positive going into the 2011-2012 season.  Head Coach Doc Rivers signed on for a five-year extension.  This will keep stability in the organization.

The Celtics need to add a big man and a name that has been popping up that I am intrigued by is DeAndre Jordan.  The kid is 23 years old, averaged 7 points and 7 rebounds, and is 6’11 250.  He can fill the role that was left behind when Perk went to Oklahoma City.  I would also like to see the Celtics expand Jeff Green’s role and get him 30 minutes a game.  Watching him and Rondo on a fast break will be must see TV.  I would also like to see the Celtics bring back Delonte West.

The Boston Celtics 2010-2011 season is in the books.  They were the third best team in the Eastern Conference.  They were a trade that should not have happened away from potentially being better. I refuse to believe the proverbial window that was opened by Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett is closed.  This team will be back and in contention next season. They are too competitive, too talented, and have too much pride for this to be the end of an era. Until next season let the Celtics rest, and let’s move onto rooting the Bruins on in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Red Sox in their season as well.

I can be followed on Twitter at ScottieNTCF

How Sweep It Is!

Believe it or not I actually do have a social life to attend to once in a great while.  Because of the social life, I was unable to post about the games over the weekend.  In case you missed it (and I doubt you did) here is a mini recap of the weekend.  And what a great weekend it was for Boston sports.

Celtics Bust Out Brooms in NY

In Game Three of the first round series between the Celtics and Knicks, the only competition on the court was between Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in who could hit the most three pointers and have the most points.  Pierce had 38 points hitting 6 of his 8 threes and Ray-Ray had 32 points hitting 8 of his eleven threes.  Rajon Rondo was able to run around the court at will and posted a triple double with 15 points 11 rebounds and 20 assists.

Game Four saw the Celtics lead throughout the game before putting on the finishing touches on a 101-89 victory being the only team in the NBA to sweep the first round this year.  Garnett led the way in Game 4 with 26 points and 10 rebounds.  If you missed either of these two games, you didn’t miss much as the Celtics dominated right from the opening tap to the final buzzer.

In hindsight this series ended when Chauncey Billups went down with a knee injury at the end of Game 1.  Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudimire never looked to be on the same page.  Toney Douglas was no match for Rajon Rondo.  Landry Fields laid perhaps the biggest egg in the history of postseason sports.  This was a guy that was a first team all rookie and he stunk the place up in all 4 games.  The Celtics will wait for the Heat to polish off the 76ers before starting round two.  The extra time off will provide the aging roster with some rest and also buy time for Shaq to get healthy.

Horton Hears a Who: Bruins Lead Series 3-2

Nathan Horton scored 11 minutes into the second overtime of Game 5 to put the Bruins one win away from advancing to the second round.  At this time last week, the idea of the Bruins making it out of the opening round was a joke.  But over the last three games they have played with heart and that is all you need to win in playoff hockey.  Michael Ryder continued his great play with the save of his career bailing out an out of position Tim Thomas in the first period of the game.

Speaking of Thomas, the man stood on his head in Game 5 with 44 saves.  Chief among those saves was a vintage Thomas move of sliding across the crease saving a one timer on a 2 on 1 break in overtime.  How he saved that puck, I have no idea.  All I know is the my heart was in my throat.  Radio personality Michael Felger has been asking when Tim Thomas was going to steal a game in the playoffs.  He got his answer with Thomas’ legendary effort in Game 5.

Lastly, how stupid is Max Pacioretty?  The man loves his Twitter account like no other.  This time he took to tweeting a derogatory remark about Brad Marchand’s nose.  Marchand responded by being the third star of the game and playing with as much energy and hustle as anyone could ask for.  Pacioretty has already promoted enough bulletin board material for the Bruins, and he just doesn’t seem to get the message.  There will be nothing better than the Bruins winning the series Tuesday night in Montreal in front of 28,000 screaming Canadien fans.

Sox Shut Down Angels

Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey both shut out the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend combing on 16 innings without giving up a run. The Sox now have a five game winning streak going and are showing everyone they are in fact who everyone thought they were going into the season.  In the last nine games, the starting rotation has an ERA of 0.88.

Carl Crawford also hit his first home run as a member of the Red Sox and has shown signs of coming out of his season opening funk.  Once Crawford gets going, and he will, watch out.  The Red Sox will be unbeatable.  Mark my words. The Red Sox can keep their winning ways going as they will travel to Baltimore and open up a three game set on Tuesday.

All in all it was a great weekend in Boston sports.  Let’s hope the run extends into late June!

I can be followed on Twitter @ ScottieNTCF

Celtics – Lakers: Regular Season Revenge (For Now)

The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday afternoon, returning to the Staples Center for the first time since their heartbreaking defeat in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last June in the same building, yet for this fan it was really a showing that was bittersweet.  The 1st half of the game stayed rather close, of course that is what should be expected in a game between two of the league’s top 5 teams…of course those expectations were helped by Joey Crawford and company giving every call to Derek “Flops Around Like A” Fisher, and creating a new type of foul in the NBA called, “Kobe bitches, get him to the line*.” 

Going from the 1st to the 2nd half was like reading halfway through a really good book and stopping in favor of reading a much better story.  The C’s outscored their biggest rival 54-42 in the 2nd half leading to their impressive 109-96 victory, and dropping the Lakers to a sad 1-5 against the top teams in the league.  Paul Pierce hit a streak circa 2001-2006 where he just could not miss and ended with a team high 32, Ray Allen added 21 including 3 more 3′s to inch closer to Reggie Miller and his record, Rondo somehow had a quiet 16 assists and 10 points, KG did not tap anyone in the package and finished with 18 and 13, and Grown Man Davis made another push for 6th man of the year with 13 and 8 including drawing yet another offensive foul.  Everyone mentioned above played well, but our best offensive weapon was none other than Kobe Bryant, scoring 41 with 0 assists for the game, taking 7 consecutive shots late in the game, with at least two of those leading to fast breaks ending in a KG lay-up and a Ray Allen 3 pushing the lead back up to 12 and sealing the game.  If you would like you may go into the archive and see the last post I made about a week ago under my original name SAKEOFLOGIC…it was about Kendrick Perkins and the difference he would make on the glass.  That difference resulted in the Celtics, ranked in the bottom of the league in rebounds per game, outrebounding the Lakers 43-30…that is not a typo…and while I’m still on my knees in front the Celtics let us not forget that they shot 60% from the field, which will only keep them alone by far at the top of the league**.

Ok I have finally stood up and will discuss what I wanted to really mention and what I was eluding with the word “bittersweet” at the beginning of this post, and I am going to list them the way I have become accustomed to:

1 )  I just looked at the calendar and was utterly disappointed to see that it is only January 31st.  I just take a lot of joy when the Lakers perform poorly, and since it is such a rare thing I need to take my shots when I get the chance.  Trust me that I FULLY believe when it is all said and done there will be a vicious rematch between the Celtics and Lakers when we enter June, only this time we will start and finish in Boston…and by finish, I mean done in 6, banner 18.

2 ) Kobe Bryant has easily been in a certain category for 5 or 6 years now.  That category has a title that one way or another says “List of athletes whose greatness we do not truly appreciate until we do not get to see them anymore.”  If I was not in love with the Celtics, Kobe may just be one of my favorite players to watch because of what the man can do with a basketball, and many, like myself, will not appreciate it until it is gone***.

3 )  Here is the really painful one.  We lost in Game 7 last year for a few reasons****, but while watching the game the glaring difference became rebounds….rebounds, rebounds, rebounds.  That is why Kendrick Perkins has almost become as indispensable as any other member of our starting team.  Grown Man Davis hustles more than anyone, but at the end of the day he ends up being too undersized to compete for all of those boards.  There are always keys to winning titles, a healthy Perkins cleaning up the glass is the lock.

* I would love to show what should be the appropriate hand gesture for this call, but here at NTCF we think about the kids.

**The Celtics, as a team are shooting .501 from the field!  Next closest is Phoenix at .472…then the Lakers, Spurs, and Heat at .471 … that is ridiculous.

***I’m guessing because I just had a Will Ferrell “Old School” moment when he debates James Carville and then blacks out…

****No way will I get into this…after that game I took a 3 month hiatus from this blog and from thinking about the Celtics because they hurt me so badly…but I will always take them back.

The Truth About Paul Pierce

On June 24, 1998 the Boston Celtics selected Paul Pierce with the 10th pick of the NBA Draft.  12 years later the more appropriate sentence would be that Paul Pierce fell into the lap of the Boston Celtics on that day.  12 years later there is conversation that Paul Pierce is among the all-time Celtic greats.  Celtic enthusiasts would argue with me until they are blue in the face that Pierce being a Celtic great is blasphemy.  It is ignorant to not classify number 34 as a top 5 Boston Celtic.  What he has done in this city over the past 12 seasons is incredible.  Not only is he one of the best Celtics of all time, he is one of the best players of this generation in the NBA.

The 1998 Draft

Olowokandi, Bibby, LaFrentz, Jamison, Carter, Traylor, Jason Williams (the white one), Hughes, and Nowitzki.  These are the 9 players that were picked ahead of Pierce in 1998.  It doesn’t take Hubie Brown to realize that Pierce is the best player out of these 10 names.  Dirk vs. Pierce you ask?  Who has the ring? In fact from 1998-2002 there weren’t many notable players selected in the draft. According to my research, the following players are the only players I would consider to put in the same sentence as Pierce. They are Dirk Nowitzki (1998), Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Joe Johnson (2001), and Amare Stoudimire (2002).  The argument could be made that Pierce was the best draft pick from 1998-2002. Gasol and Parker have their rings while Dirk has never been able to show up for the playoffs.  Stoudimire is one of the top 2 big men in the game, and Joe Johnson is more of a great role player.  Paul Pierce has his ring and has won with a supporting cast.

Pierce’s career before The Big Three

Pierce’s lowest scoring average was his rookie year when he averaged 16.5 a game which was a lockout shortened season.  Other than that year he has averaged more than 18.3 ppg and his career high 26.5 during the 2005-2006 season.  Pierce was a unanimous pick for First Team All Rookie in 1998-1999 season.

Before the trades that landed the Celtics Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, Pierce played with some terrible teams.  The only supporting cast he really had was in the form of Antoine Walker.  They made to the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the New Jersey Nets in the 2001-2002 season.  Pierce and Walker’s supporting cast included Rodney Rodgers (acquired via trade for Joe Johnson), Kenny Anderson, Tony Delk, and Eric Williams.  The fact that team made it to the Eastern Conference is a minor miracle.

That year Pierce led the league in total points scored, and became the first Celtic since Larry Legend to post back to back 2,000 point seasons. Pierce and Walker would lead the Celtics back into the playoffs the next season as Pierce would average 25.6 ppg. He also became only the second Celtic ever (Bird) to have 3 straight 2,000 point seasons.

The Celtics beat the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs but lost to the Nets again, this time in the Eastern Conference Semis.  The next season Pierce would lead the Celtics to the playoffs for a third year in a row but they would lose to the Pacers in the first round.

The 2004-2005 season saw Doc Rivers take over as head coach and lead the team to a 45 win season but lose in the first round once again to the Indiana Pacers.  Pierce would be supported by Walker, (after they traded back for him) Raef LaFrentz, Ricky Davis, and rookie Al Jefferson.  Old man Gary Payton was the Celtics point guard that year. The next two seasons were terrible for the Celtics as they didn’t make the playoffs and were in on the Greg Oden-Kevin Durant sweepstakes after the 2006-2007 season.

NBA Champions from 1998-2007

Now that you have an understanding of who Paul Pierce was playing with the first ten years of his career (Mark Blount, Tony Allen, Raef LaFrentz). Let’s take a look at the champions during that time frame.

The San Antonio Spurs won the title in Pierce’s rookie year behind Tim Duncan and David Robinson, both first ballot Hall of Famers with a role players such as Sean Elliott, Avery Johnson, Mario Ellie, and Steve Kerr. The Los Angeles Lakers would win the next 3 championships behind Shaq and Kobe, Big Shot Bob and a number of other experienced veterans that knew how to win.

The Spurs would win 3 out of the next 5 titles, with the Pistons and Heat being the other teams to take the title home. The Spurs were still led by Tim Duncanand David Robinson. They also  added Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli to the mix.  The Pistons had a great starting all around starting five when they won with Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace.  The Heat had Shaq and Dwayne Wade.

This goes to show that no one is able to win a championship on their own.  These are just recent examples.  The greatest player who ever lived needed Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and others.  Russell had Cousy and Heinshon.  Bird had McHale and Parish.

The point in me listing all of this for you is to show just how weak the Celtics were during the pre Big Three Era.  It is truly amazing that Pierce was able to keep the Celtics as close to relevant as he did during that time essentially on his own.  During those days the Celtics offense was to give the ball to Pierce and get out of his way.  Celtics fans can look at those years and see just way Pierce is one of the best isolation players in the game today.

Pierce and The Big Three

The argument that Pierce is nothing without Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett holds no water.  When Allen and Garnett came during the summer of 2007, Pierce had the freedom to change his game.  No longer was he relied upon to be the sole offensive threat for the Celtics.  He had the freedom to drive to the basket and kick to Ray Allen, not Tony Delk or Kevin Garnett and not Mark Blount. His defense was also put on display as he would often defend the opposing teams best player, whether it be LeBron James or Dwayne Wade.

Pierce’s true legend showed when he and LeBron went head to head a la ‘Nique and Larry in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi finals.  Pierce had 41 points 4 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Celtics past the Cavs in an epic Game 7 at the Garden. He would be the NBA Finals MVP that year as the Celtics beat the Lakers in 6 games where he outplayed Kobe Bryant.

Career Accolades

After a lot of typing I still feel that I can’t adequately express how great Paul Pierce is. So I am going to give you some cold hard facts in terms of hardware that Pierce has earned over the course of his Hall of Fame career.

*2008 NBA Champion

*2008 NBA Finals MVP

* All NBA Second Team (2009)

*3 Time All NBA Third Team (2002, 2003, 2008)

*8 time NBA All Star (’03,’04,’05,’06,’08,’09,10)

*NBA All Rookie First Team (1999)

*NBA Three Point Contest Winner (2010)

In Celtics Lore

Paul Pierce will never be Bill Russell or Larry Bird.  But Paul Pierce does deserve consideration in being talked about with the likes of Havlicek, McHale, Cousy, and Parrish.  He currently stands 3rd all time in scoring.  He has gotten the Green to the Eastern Conference Finals four times in 11 seasons, to the Finals twice, and was able to raise Banner 17 to the rafters.  He is a sure fire first ballot Hall of Famer. One day he will be able to raise his jersey to the rafters where it rightfully belongs.

 

I can be followed on Twitter at ScottieNTCF

It’s Called Ownership

45-3.  118-116. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez vs.Russell Martin and Mark Prior.

Welcome to the last two weeks of the great Boston-New York rivalry, the greatest rivalry in all of sports.  A rivalry that has been owned by Boston over the last three weeks.  Paul Pierce chuckles at the notion that the Knicks-Celtics are a rivalry.  He fails to understand that it is not a rivalry of two teams but a rivalry of two cities, or regions.  Maybe it started with the Red Sox-Yankees, and then on to the Patriots- Jets/Giants.  I don’t know much about hockey but I would think that the Bruins and Rangers being Original Six teams would constitute a rivalry in the NHL.  The bottom line is that no matter how the teams in their respective sports compare in the win-loss column, the two cities will forever be bitter rivals.

Last Monday night the Patriots embarrassed the Jets in the national spotlight on Monday Night Football 45-3.  Tom Brady shredded a team that many pundits had soaring to the Super Bowl behind the young Mark Sanchez and the genius coaching of Rex Ryan.  The Patriots delivered a “hard knock” that sent the Jets into a tail spin, and have many of those same pundits wondering if the Jets will even make the playoffs.

That weekend the Red Sox started their off season of dominance by trading for Adrian Gonzalez and later in the week signing Carl Crawford.  While the Red Sox were out making moves, the Yankees were learning that ace Cliff Lee was taking approximately $48 million less to pitch in Philadelphia (technically another win for Boston). On paper the Red Sox have a greater lineup than the Yankees.  On paper the Red Sox rotation is far superior to that of the Yankees.  The missing piece for the Yankees last year was pitching and they missed out on the number one guy on the market, while the Red Sox acquired the top two everyday players on the market.  It’s understood that no games have been played yet, but the feeling of sheer ecstasy is sublime as a Red Sox fan.  The disgusting feeling in the pit of Yankee fans stomachs is not enviable.

Tonight the Celtics came back and won a very exciting NBA game with Paul Pierce drilling a step back mid range jumper over Amare Stoudimire with 0.4 seconds left.  Amare would later hit a three that didn’t matter because he couldn’t get it off in time pushing the Celtics win streak to 11 games.  Granted the Knicks look like they can be contenders this season.  But tonight the Celtics reminded them that they have a long way to go.  The Celtics started their 4th string center tonight, Semih Erden, against one of the top five big men in the game and the C’s still won.  4TH STRING CENTER!  There was no Perkins, no Shaq, and no Jermaine O’Neal to body Amare.  But the Celtics still came out on top because, at the time of this writing, they are the best team in basketball. Just like the Patriots are in the NFL and just like the Red Sox look to be going into the 2011 season in Major League Baseball.

Welcome to life as a sports fan in Boston.  Fans in New York, Philadelphia, and maybe Chicago can attest to how much of a high you feel when your team is on top of the sports world.  Few can say how great it is when your city owns the rival city in a certain sport.  And even fewer can say how great it is to have utter dominance in every major sport. (Sorry, McKeon and Tazzi, hockey just can’t reach that echelon of major sport just yet)

At this very second, Boston owns New York.  At this very second every Boston sports fan should appreciate this because if you truly are a Boston sports fan you know this feeling won’t last for long.  New York is as competitive a sports market there is and they will get their revenge and have their time.  But right now, Boston is the capital of the sports universe.