Celts Hang On to Beat Cavs

Yeah. Yeah. Celts beat the Cleveland Cavaliers at home.  No big deal.  But troubling thing about this win is that the Celts had a 19 point lead at the end of the third quarter and had to hang on for dear life to escape with a 103-100 win.  I guess this is progress as the Celtics have gotten out to big leads in their previous three losses only to be nipped in the end by the other team.  Oh, you glass half empty people will say those other teams weren't as bad as the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Details. Shmeetails.  A win is a win is a win, especially after a three-game losing streak.  In all honesty, I didn't watch this game as it was so early in the day and I had better things to do than to watch a mid-season NBA game at mid-day on a Saturday.  Welcome to the NBA grind.  I can sympathize with those who say that NBA basketball doesn't get interesting until the playoff (and then not only until the fourth quarter!).

NBA Christmas Jersey Disaster

Woke up Christmas Day expecting some quality NBA basketball games.  Bad enough that half the teams playing on Christmas had losing records, but those Christmas V-neck sleeved t-shirt jerseys made it look like if the players decided not the suit up for the Christmas Day games and had decided to play in their pajamas. I wasn't the only one turned-off by the NBA fashion faux pas. "NBA Christmas Uniforms Ugly as Sin", according to Deadspin.com.  And the Twitterverse wasn't any kinder:

Jersey look "affordable." (as in cheap - I don't think this was the image the NBA was looking for)

"Lil B shirts," (B is short for a word my wife won't let me say).

NBA meets 70's Movie "Logan's Run"

"Awful," according to Dallas Maverick's Dirk Nowitzki.

Worst of all was the fact NBA players like LeBron complained the shirts actually affected his play:

"Definitely affected my shot," says Lebron.

Celtics Get Ass Kicking in Indianapolis

"Indiana just came out and kicked our behinds," said Celtics Jared Sullinger after the game.  No truer words have been spoken.  After back-to-back to losses last week, including their first home loss of the season, the Pacers have been on a mission to re-stake their claim as the best NBA in the Eastern Conference - if not in all of the NBA.  On Friday, the Pacers dismantled the Houston Rockets by winning with a 41-point margin and did much the same with the Celtics (the Pacers' lead was as high as 38 points on Sunday).  This was the second time the Celtics have faced the Pacers.  The first time ended was a 97-82 loss at the Garden where the Celtics held an 8-point lead at halftime.  This time the Celtics didn't last as long, maintaining a tie at 23-23 less than midway through the second quarter before the Pacers pulled away for good.  But as much as Indiana ran away with the score, their success stemmed from their vaunted defense.  The Pacers held the Celtics to 38% shooting.  The Celtics have now lost three in a row and have dropped to an overall record of 12 and 17.  The Celtics are off until Saturday, December 28 when they host the Cavaliers.

Where is Rondo?

Rajon Rondo has been cleared for full contact practice with the Celtics and participated in his first full contact practice with the team on Saturday, December 14.  Though Danny Ainge was reported in the Boston Globe as saying there was "no time table" for Rondo's return, some news reports speculate that Rondo may be rejoining the team as soon as January or February. Rondo seems like he's eager to return and isn't giving off the same trepidations that Derrick Rose had about coming back to the Chicago Bulls last season.

I'm looking forward to the prospect of having a true point guard running the team, which would allow Jordan Crawford and Avery Bradley can return to their more natural position at the 2 guard spot.  While Crawford has done a commendable job at the point, you can tell it's still not what he's most comfortable doing.  But another possibility would be to have Crawford play the point for the second unit, which could squeeze Phil Pressey out of the rotation.  I'm sure Coach Brad Stevens will experiment with a number of different line ups to find out what works best.  And, of course, a lot will probably depend on match ups and the particular team the Celtics are playing.

I've heard some like Dennis & Callahan worry that Rondo will upset the fantastic team chemistry that Coach Brad Stevens seems to have cultivated with this young team and that without veteran All Stars like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to keep him in check, Rondo's sometimes petulant ways will lead to the team's collapse.  Call me an optimist, but I think Rondo's addition will only be positive, though it will likely mean reduced minutes for players like Crawford and Pressey, who have played significant minutes in Rondo's absence.

Pistons Overcome Early Celtics Lead for the Win

A disappointing Celtics loss after they led the Detroit Pistons by 21 points early in the second quarter.  This game fell into a familiar pattern for this team - the Celtics storm out to a 20-plus point lead in the first half only to see it dwindle away in the second half. The Celtics did have a chance to win the game with less than 5 seconds left on a Jeff Green drive to the hoop, but Josh Smith's tough coverage on Green prevented Green from scoring.  The Celtics also had trouble taking care of the basketball tonight with the team racking up 20 turnovers for the game.  Brandon Jennings torched the Celtics for 28 points and 14 assists.  Jennings shot 5 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc, including a 3-pointer with 46 second left in the game that was ultimately the deciding basket.  Josh Smith chipped in 20 points.  Jared Sullinger led the Celtics with 19 points and Jordan Crawford scored 17 points on 4 for 15 shooting.  Crawford is back to his old habit of taking ill-advised three-point shots (Crawford was 1 for 7 from beyond the 3-point arc).  Still, the Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games and lead Toronto by a game in the Atlantic Division.  No one's expecting this team to win every night, but this is one the Celtics could have - and should have - won.

Celtics Disrupt Timberwolves Three-Party

Good game for the Celtics tonight.  The Minnesota Timberwolves came into the Garden winning three of their last five games, winning when the make the three.  The Timberwolves are averaging around 24 3-point attempts a game this season. The Celtics, however, took away their weapon and held the Timberwolves to 8-for-29 from 3-point range to tough out a 101-97 win.  Jared Sullinger led all Celtics with a double double (24 points and 11 rebounds while Avery Bradley chipped in 19 points.  But Kelly Olynyk and Kris Humphries also made some key plays coming off the bench for the Celtics.  Olynyk scored 9 points and Humphries scored 8, but their contribution toward the win was much greater than what was captured by the box score.  There were some scary moments, of course, including two careless turnovers by Jordan Crawford late in the fourth quarter that allowed the Minnesota Timberwolves to tie up the game.  Jeff Green had another offensively quiet game (8 points on 3-11 shooting), but played some tough defense and grabbed rebounds at crucial times late in the game.   On the other side, Kevin Love led the scoring with 27 points on 9-26 shooting. This was not one of Love's All Star nights. Most significant was that the Celtics held Love to 2-11 shooting from 3-point range.   But the Celtics had a tough time stopping J. J. Barea, who sliced up the Celtic defense by repeatedly coming of screens and penetrating into the paint.  Barea racked up 11 assists with only one turnover for the game.  This was a Coach Brad Stevens type of win - a win where its seems like every player is making key contributions and a different player steps each game to carry the scoring load.  At 12-14, the Celtics won for the fifth time in seven games to hold onto first place in the Atlantic Division.

Celtics Overcome Bad Habits to Beat the Knicks

It was the best of games. It was the worst of games.  The Celtics eked out a 90-86 win over the New York Knicks less than a week after blowing them out by a 40-plus-point margin.  But the Celtics had to overcome some bad habits - bad habits they displayed during the game - to earn the win.  It was the worst of games when Jordan Crawford fell into his old habits and settled for taking (and not making) 3-point shots early in the possession.  Crawford ended up 0-8 for the game with five of his eight shots coming from beyond the 3-point arc (sometimes well beyond the 3-point arc).  It was the worst of games when Jeff Green - the Celtics leading scorer - took only seven shots the whole game.  It was a game that following a familiar pattern where the Celtics opened a 17-point lead at one point during the first half only to see it slip away in the third quarter.  But it was the best of games when the Celtics found a way to come from behind late in the fourth quarter.  It was a best of games when Green, who defended Carmelo Anthony most of the game, finally figured out how to slow Anthony down in the fourth quarter.  Anthony - who led all scorers with 26 points - seemed unstoppable most of the game.  As Coach Brad Stevens said of Green's defense during a post-game interview, "Carmelo got going like Carmelo can get going, and it didn't matter who was guarding him.  But Jeff went to a different level in the last eight minutes." It was the best of games when Green, with 12 seconds to go in the game and the Celtics clinging to a slim 2-point lead, drove and scored against two defenders to seal the win for the Celtics.  It was the best of games when Crawford, with little over a minute left in the fourth quarter, decided to stop taking ill-advised 3-point shots and instead drove into the key causing the Knicks defense to collapse and allowing him to find a cutting Vitor Faverani for a critical basket.  Crawford finished the game with six assists on two turnovers. It was also a very good game for Courtney Lee who came off the bench in the first half and scored 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting to steady the Celtics in the first half. Jared Sullinger also continued to demonstrate his offensive prowess against teams with an undersized front court and lack a real shot blocking threat. While the Knicks at 6-16 are not an NBA elite team at the moment, it was still a meaningful victory for the Celtics.  The Celtics showed character by overcoming some of their bad tendencies to rally for the win in the fourth quarter.   It was both a fun and frustrating game to watch.

Doc Gets Standing Ovation; Time to Move On!

Well, you've got to hand it to Boston Celtics fans for sometimes being gracious and grateful.  There was a lot of pre-game speculation that Doc Rivers would be booed in his first appearance at the Garden as the new coach of the LA Clippers.  Boston fans have been known to be particularly bitter when star sports figures leave local teams to seek greater opportunity elsewhere. Recall Johnny Damon running off to the Yankees after helping the Red Sox win a World Series to break the Curse of the Bambino or Bill Parcells leaving the Patriots to coach the New York Jets.  Or recall more recently Wes Welker's return to Gillette Stadium as a Denver Bronco and the boos he received while waited to receive punt returns.  So it was with great relief for Doc that he was welcomed back with a standing ovation when he was announced as the coach of the visiting team.  You could see Doc was touched by the moment and that his eyes were welling up with tears.  Unfortunately for the Celtics, Doc was able to put away those warm feeling in the second half of the game and able to coach the Clippers to a win over his former team.

I'm glad Doc got his thank you from the fans last night. The 2007-2008 season was a magical and something I got to be a part of as a fan - I attended the Friday after Thanksgiving 2007 game when the Celtics hosted the LA Lakers for what would turn out to be a preview of the champion series and I was at Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals, a series in which nearly every sports commentator had picked Kobe Bryant and the Lakers to win.  It was an especially sweet season since it had been so long since the Celtics had last been champions and sweeter still that it came at the expense of the LA Lakers, the Celtics' historic rivals.  Then there was the heartbreaking 2010 NBA finals when the Celtics were less than 6 minutes away from another championship. Sure Doc couldn't have had the success he had without the Celtics landing Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.  But it was Doc who got all the pieces to work together.  He was definitely a part of the formula for success.  That's why the LA Clippers wanted Doc so badly to be at the helm of their team.

But enough with the reunions and fond remembrances of the Big Three, Mbutu and the 2008-2009 Championship season.  It's time for the Celtics and their fans to move on to the present.  I am enjoying following this young team and new coach Brad Stevens.  It's refreshing to see team basketball in the NBA.

The Celtics showed some moxie in the first half, ending the half with a 6 point lead while holding the Clippers to 39 first half point with stifling defense.  But the Clippers came out after halftime and proceeded to use their athletic size advantage (DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin) to overwhelm the Celtics' undersized bigs (Jared Sullinger and Brandon Bass).  This has been and will continue to be a weakness for the Celtics.  The Clippers exploited it Wednesday night just as did the Brooklyn Nets had with Brook Lopez on Tuesday night.  And of course, Jamal Crawford's (the Clipper's Crawford) uncanny scoring ability in the fourth quarter played a role in the Clippers win.  In a 23-second stretch late in the fourth quarter Jamal Crawford hit back to back 3s (the first he took from 5 feet beyond the 3-point arc) that helped the Clippers pull away for good.  Unfortunately, the Celtics' Crawford (Jordan Crawford), who often carries the Celtics scoring load in the fourth quarter, wasn't able to turn it on against the Clippers.

New Celtics Fall to Deron Williams and the Old Celtics

With the Brooklyn Nets abysmal record (6-14) coming into tonight's game against the Celtics, one might forecast the Celtics to rollover the Nets as they had done against the Knicks on Sunday.  But this was not the case.  The Net saw the return of Deron Williams (ankle) and Paul Pierce (broken hand) to the line up, and, together they had the Nets looking like the team that many had predicted during the pre-season to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.  Williams led all scorers with 25 points along with 7 assists.  Pierce, who was wearing a protective glove to protect his recently fracture shooting hand, wasn't looking for his shot, but did an effective job of running the offense as a point forward whenever Williams went to the bench.  The Nets looked like a completely different team than they have been over the past several weeks when their two best playmakers were sidelined with injuries. The Celtics also had problems stopping Brook Lopez, who seemed to score with ease over whomever was assigned to guard him (Lopez scored 24 points on 10-13 shooting).  Undersized Jared Sullinger and Brandon Bass and slow-footed Faverani were not match for the taller more athletic Lopez.  Kevin Garnett also had a decent scoring night with 11 points on 5-10 shooting.  Avery Bradley led all Celtics with 22 points.  Jeff Green added 19, including make 4 of 4 3 pointers.  Credit Brad Stevens for trying to give the Nets different looks to get the Celtics during the game.  In the second half after the Nets had broken away for a 17 point lead, Stevens had the Celtics applying full court pressure on the Nets, which allowed the Celtics to tie up the score. The Celtics also had Sullinger shooting threes at the beginning of the second half, which succeeded in drawing Lopez out of the paint until the Nets changed up their defensive assignments.  Celtics kept themselves in the game with great 3-point shooting, making 11 of 22 3-point attempts during the game.  But Celtics just didn't have enough in them tonight to overtake the Nets.  They just didn't show the kind of killer instinct they had during the recent win streak. I credit this to the fact that Pierce and Garnett were on the other team.  The Celtics seemed a bit too friendly with their opponent this evening, often laughing or smiling with former teammates Garnett and Pierce as they lined up for free throws and at other points during the game.

Celtics Embarrass Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks

Unfortunately, I didn't witness the Celtics blowing out the Knicks with a 41 point win, handing the Knicks their most lopsided loss this season.  I was out and about playing sports myself and not sitting in front of a TV.  The great thing about this game is the Celtics got off to a great start just as they had done in beating the Denver Nuggets last Friday, but kept up the pressure through the second half and didn't let the Knicks get back in the game.  Perhaps it was the noon start that allowed the Celtics to catch the team from the City that Never Sleeps dozing.   There was definitely some exceptionally hot shooting on the Celtic's part. The Celts shot 56% from beyond the 3-point arc (14-25), which is rather ironic because the Knicks relied on hot 3-point shooting to blow out each of their last two opponents (Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic) by more than 30 points.   Live by the 3. Get killed by the 3. But of course, the Knicks should have kept things closer had they played better defense.  You of course can't make too much of any single win, especially in the NBA.  But it was the Celtics third win in a row, suggesting the Celtics are starting to figure who they are as a team.  Credit to Coach Brad Stevens for getting so much out of a team that doesn't have a single NBA All Star in the line up (Rondo's an All Star but he's still recovering from ACL surgery).  This week is Celtics reunion week.  Boston will face Kevin Garnett and the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday then return home on Wednesday to play against Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jordan Crawford Stepping Up with Swagger and "Steez"

swag·ger /ˈswagər/  

verb - walk or behave in a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive way.

         synonyms: strut, parade, stride

         



noun - a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive gait or manner.

         synonyms: Jordan Crawford




When Jordan Crawford dribbles the ball up the court , you can't help but notice his confident gait. Of all the Celtics on the current roster, no other player displays the swagger of Jordan Crawford.  For a team that's made up of rookies and players who are used to coming off the bench, confidence can be in short supply.

Fortunately, Crawford has confidence to spare.  This is the guy after all who as a college player dunked over Lebron James (The Dunk Heard Round the World) during a pickup game.  Crawford's emasculation of the King allegedly compelled Nike representatives to confiscate video tapes of Crawford's dunk (Nike Confiscates Video).

If you follow him on Twitter, you'll be greeted by his bold declaration to the world: "One A Mission to become the GREATEST!!!!!! WHY NOT? Wherever the Grind takes me"

At the start of the season, it was clear that the Celtics needed a point guard to run the team while Rajon Rondo continued his recovery from ACL surgery.  The Celts opened the season with a four game losing streak.  During that stretch, the Celtics were turning the ball over at almost twice as often as their opponents and their offense would disappear in the fourth quarter.


The Celtics needed a floor leader, a solid ball handler, a good passer and a prudent decision maker.  Enter Jordan Crawford, the least likely candidate for the job.  


While playing for the Washington Wizards, Crawford earned a reputation for selfish play and poor shot selection (Talented but Selfish).  And last season as a Celtic, Crawford sometimes lived up to that reputation, often taking ill-advised 3-point shots or recklessly leaving into the thick of the opposing defense without a Plan B if the path to the hoop was blocked.




This season, however, Crawford has proven he can be a floor leader and has so far reigned his recklessness.  He's shooting with higher efficiency - .457% field goal percentage this season compared to .407% for his career.  And he's become a much better playmaker and passer, averaging 5.2 assists per game this season as compared to an average of 3.2 assists for his career, while keeping his turnovers to an average of 2.0 per game.

But Crawford just as important as his ability to play the point is Crawford's offense in the fourth quarter.  Crawford has stepped up time and time again this season to carry the scoring load in the fourth quarter in nearly every Celtics wins this season.  

Crawford, in his own words, would say he's just playing with "steez" - style with ease.  And Crawford's steez seems to be rubbing off on his teammates as well. 

Celtics Beat Nuggets with Fast Start

Wow! Fun game to watch tonight. Celtics exploded out of the gate tonight, scoring 14 points before the Nuggets could get their first basket.  At one point in the second quarter, the Celtics led by as many as 27 points.  But things tightened in the second half when the Nuggets closed to within 3 points before Boston pulled away for good to close out the game. The Celtics got off to a great start with great passing and good movement without the ball, creating lots of open shots.  The Celtics had 25 assists to the Nuggets 11, while turning the ball only 9 time to the Nuggets 14.  Jordan Crawford led all scorers with 22 points and 8 assists.  Avery Bradley helped the Celtics build the early lead, scoring most of his 18 points in the first half, while Kris Humphries carried the scoring load in the second, scoring a season high 18 points.  The Celtics seem to be finding their groove as a team.  Denver was one of the hotter teams in the Western Conference, winning 7 of their last 10 games before coming to Boston. It was, however, the Nuggets fourth game of a six-game road trip.  The Celtics face the Knicks on Sunday.

Battle for New York

Tonight the Brooklyn Nets will face the New York Knicks to determine who is worst in New York. Yes, I know this is a Celtics blog.  But because the Nets and the Knicks have so badly stumbled out of the gate this season, the temptation was too irresistible not to throw salt in the wounds of the Celtics' Atlantic Division rivals.  The Nets and the Knicks are battling to see who is not the worst. Certainly with respective records of 5-13 and 3-13, neither team has any right to claim who is the best!  

Perhaps it's the Sports Illustrated Curse (this would be kind).  In October, Sports Illustrated 2013-2014 NBA season preview issue featured the Brooklyn Nets starting line up and Coach Jason Kidd on the cover with the headline "Who Wants a Piece of Them?"  The answer is apparently any team that wants to improve its win-loss record.  The Nets have been making headlines this season, but, unfortunately for them, its been for spilled drinks and cheating rather than for their basketball prowess (Spillage on the Floor!).  For Celtics fans, the Nets early season woes have eliminated any sting from the trade of All Stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Chris "Mr. Ex-Kardashian" Humphries and Richard Wallace -  who do you think now got the better end of that trade?

Meanwhile, the headlines for the Nets rivals across the East River haven't been any better.  You have Carmelo calling his own team "Laughingstocks" of the NBA and sports writers speculating on the prospects of the Knicks trading Carmelo Anthony.  

In both cases, the teams abysmal performance is due to bad management.  In Brooklyn, the team has handed over running of the team to an unqualified-never-coached-before-very-recent-NBA player.  The Nets also succumbed to short-term thinking and traded for some aging talent that may be past their expiration date.  The Knicks are owned by a meddlesome owner who likes hanging around with stars more than he cares about putting together a good basketball team.  And as a result, the Knick have built the team around a selfish Superstar who doesn't leave enough oxygen in the gym for the rest of his teammates to thrive.

Celtics in 1st Place (in the Atlantic Division)!

Ugh! The Eastern Conference is a disgrace!  With the exception of the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat, all of the teams in the Eastern conference have losing records at this point in the season.  And the lowly Boston Celtics, with a record of 8-12, are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference because they in first place in a division of losers (Toronto, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and New York).  Just how did Atlantic division teams get so bad?   Unfortunately, the problem is poor management.  The Jason Kidd as first-time NBA coach experiment in Brooklyn has clearly failed. The "All You Need is Carmelo Anthony" show in New York has bombed.  Philadelphia, after a surprising season start, has returned to its wallowing ways.  And Toronto continues to be the NBA backwater that is has historically been.  So the Celtics lead their division not because they are a great team, but because their division rivals absolutely suck!  The irony is that because the Celtics rivals suck so bad, they are dramatically enhancing their chances of landing top lottery picks in what looks to be a great NBA draft.  Let's pray it more hype than reality.

I have to admit that I've been AFK for some time now, but I have been watching most of the Celtics games.  I just haven't been inspired to write much about them lately.  Should I get excited they they blew out a bad Cleveland team by 20 points?  No. Should I get excited that they finally beat the Milwaukee Bucks after three tries this season?  Absolutely not.  The Bucks are the worst team in the NBA and only have 3 wins this season with 2 of those wins coming at the expense of the Celtics.  But to be fair the Celtics are improving as a team.  The Celtics have won 4 of their last 6 games.  Sure, they haven't been beating great caliber teams (Cleveland, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Charlotte).  But winning the games you're supposed to win is a sign that the team is maturing and that their coach and the players themselves are finally starting to figure out what each player's role is on the team.  Jordan Crawford has clearly emerged as the team's point guard pending Rondo's return and has been the go to guy in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics close out games. Avery Bradley, now freed from primary ball handling duties, has had some great games shooting the basketball.  We all knew he was a great defender, but this season's have been able to showcase his offensive capabilities. The simultaneously wonderful and frustrating Jeff Green seems to be finding a bit more consistency with his aggressiveness and confidence as a scorer.  And Jared Sullinger has also has often provided a spark when the team needs it the most.  In fact, every player on the team seems to be contributing in some small way toward the team's improvement as a whole.  I've enjoyed watching the Celtics get better as the season progresses and have been encouraged by what I've seen.