Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Celtics Continue Roll Against Sacramento, Crown Kings: 99-81

 
Trade the team, something's wrong here! We won without Rondo? How can this be!?!?!

Seriously, though, folks...I know these are the lowly Kings but A) they did it in the second game P.R.I. (Post Rondo Injury); B) this team absolutely pasted us the last time we played; and C) it was the quintessential cliché "total team effort" that would have probably beaten most other teams not in Seattle Sacramento.

Since the Fall of the House of Rondo, bazillions (BAZILLIONS, not Brazilians...sorry, Leandro) of Fairweathers expressed their well-honed kneejerk opinions about how the absence of Rondo basically guarantees that the Celtics will finish behind the Kentucky Colonels and the Yakima Sun Kings and out of the Playoffs for the first time in five years.

While rumors of their collective death have been greatly exaggerated, I'll admit that it still remains to be seen whether the C's will keep up their new brand of hippie-ball in which they share the round, orange love and deliver a slew of well-balanced butt-whuppin's to the rest of the NBA. However, if tonight (and Sunday, for that matter) is any indication...


Tonight, the Celtics went through competitive warm-ups, otherwise known as the "First Quarter," and then proceeded to form Voltron and enter "Crush...Kill...Destroy!" mode in quarter 2, dropping 59 points in the half and carrying a 21 point lead into the 3rd quarter. From this point on, contrary to a momentary lapse that allowed the Kings back to within 14 points in the 4th, the game was nothing more than extended Geno-time.

So, how did we do it you may be asking (and by "you," I am referring to the grandmother of six who accidentally stumbled onto this blog after mistyping "Greenhands" as she was looking for gardening gloves)? I would allude once more to the aforementioned Hippie-Ball. Six Celtics scored in double figures. Paul Pierce was the team high-scorer and he only got 16 for Pistol-Pete's sake!

The Captain added 10 rebounds 4 assists and 1 steal with only 3 turnovers and the rest of the team did their best Outsiders impression and continued to "Do It For Rondo." Kevin Garnett scored 13 points, snagged 9 rebounds and was the high man with assists for the night, posting 5 to go with 2 blocks and a steal; Jeff Green scored a seemingly effortless 12 points as did Jason Terry, who also added 4 assists; and Avery Bradley scored 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

And, since the blogosphere is in maximum overdrive from the Rudy Gay trade with the ESPN Trade Machine about to blow a virtual gasket with Celtics fans crying over spilled Calderon and lamenting the trades that could have been, allow me to talk about one that did happen a little over a year ago that should have even the Littlest Chicken breathing a sigh of relief.

Brandon Bass, one of the six double-figure Celtics tonight, scored 12 points and got 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. You know what the other half of that trade that sent him to Boston got? A broken foot, that's what (I smell a classic trap game coming up on Friday with no Big Baby to push our guys into a competitive lather).

One of the most notable of many notable items? The rebel-without-a-point-guard Celtics out-assisted the Kings, who happen to carry at least three above-average PG's, by a count of 22 to 13.

In any case, I think those folks that Doc Rivers referred to who were beginning to write the Celtics' eulogy are going to be getting a serious case of carpal tunnel from sitting at their computers, hands on the keyboard, waiting for the end to come. Relax, folks...and enjoy this brand of Socialist, share-the-wealth Hippie-Ball while you can. I hear the Celtics are about to trade for World-B.-Free and a 1984 second round draft pick.

Box Score

Tale Of The Tape

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Celtics Contemplate Life Without Rondo After Icing The Heat: 100-98


At long last...

{A series of unfortunate events have conspired to prevent me from getting this story posted, but as such, I've had the benefit of letting the dust settle a bit since Sunday's "Bag Of Dead Cats" announcement concerning the Celtics most mercurial leader.}

GIF by @jose3030
Lets get the obvious out of the way early (well, early in this post, anyway), okay? The Celtics are going to miss Rajon Rondo in a big way...no two ways about it. He is a superstar hitting his prime on a team with two game-but-aging veterans and a collection of talent that have undoubtedly benefitted from his abilities, leadership and drive.

What the Celtics do from here to try and mitigate his absence and my layman's opinion/prediction about their success? Well...lets deal with that a little bit later in the post. First, I want to start by celebrating the C's resilience in bouncing back against the Champion Miami Heat.

The recap, as old as it may now seem:
In what was truly an entertaining matchup of Eastern Conference Contenders (yes, I'm among the other Greenheadz who are not taking the easy "C's are dead without Rondo" bailout), the Celtics not only held their own, they up and snatched Miami's as well. Despite the circus atmosphere attributable to "The Return Of Ray Allen" and the loss of Rondo (originally scratched from the lineup due, it was believed, to a balky hamstring), the Celtics were able to chuckle in adversity's grill with a display of such defensive fortitude and offensive firepower that one can only call it by its proper name: Celtic Pride.


Paul Pierce assumed his default position in all cases of Rondolessness -- the Point Forward -- and responded with his first triple-double in three years (though he HAS achieved 8 of 'em throughout a storied career), Kevin Garnett took another dip in the Cocoon tide-pool (to be fair, his entire season has been Cocoon-esque), and the C's got strong offensive contributions from Jeff Green (who also defended the Hell out of LeBron James -- 34-point outburst not withstanding), Jason Terry, Leandro Barbosa, Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger. Courtney Lee provided needed ballhandling and defense and the Celtics battled through two overtimes before wresting the game from the defending champs.

Pierce's contribution of 17 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal and 1 block was especially sweet as some of his damage was inflicted against a spry Ray Allen; and Garnett's 24 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks was straight out of his 2008 "Playbook of Dominance."


Oh, and that Allen guy? he scored 21 points on 7-17 shooting. Chris Bosh (the only member of Miami's "large four" to shoot 50% or above with a line of 7-12) was a problem with 16 points, 16 rebounds and a block; and Dwyane Wade scored 17 points on 6-20 shooting to go with 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block; while LeBron got his final score by throwing up 31 shots (making 14), and added 16 rebounds 7 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.

But, for all their scoring and rebounding, the Heat as a team were still out-assisted (even in Rondo's absence!), outsmarted (21 turnovers to the C's 17), and -- in the end -- outscored.

Box Score


Now...about the Celtics and the first day of the rest of their collective L.W.R. (Life Without Rondo)...

Many, many and by many I mean MANY sportswriters, pundits, bloggers, coaches and players have offered their myriad opinions about what the loss of Rondo means and what the Celtics should do moving forward.

Two of the better articles that have been written to date about the subject come by way of Chad Finn of the Boston Globe's "Touching All The Bases" column, who had one of the most cogent if not sentimental articles that deal with the realities of the team trying to make its way without Rondo and the plea not to trade Pierce, and the other was written by Zach Lowe of Grantland.com who presents a staggering array of trade scenarios that the Celtics are either rumored to be considering or are considered to be rumors they should be considering.


There have been reports of rumors of gossipped hearsay that has Kyle Lowrey coming in and Lee going out...Delonte West coming back, looking for Agent Zero to be a hero, a countdown to Keyon Dooling (no fooling!), a Jose Calderon to call our own and Pierce going everywhere from Memphis to LA to Moscow for Rudy Gay, Marcia Gay Harden and the greatest hits of Marvin Gaye.

As for what I think...well, if you've been to this blog before, you know that I come from that familiar but rapidly dwindling species: the Loyal and Eternal Optimist. I think the C's should do nothing more than keep what they have and add to the crew with free agency to fill the open slots that were created with the cuts of Kris Joseph and Jarvis Varnado and possibly utilize an injury exception -- if the C's apply and the League grants it.

But, I'll save the speculation for another day...for me, it's too soon in the wake of the Rondoldroms setting in. Maybe a little time and a Kings game in between will suffice. Maybe...

Still, without even waiting to see what the Celtics elect to do...some of you Chicken Little types have already sounded the death knell on Season 2012-2013. That's fine...you can do that if you want...whatever gets you through the night...

But, me? I'm standing with Doc...I refuse to pronounce this team deceased at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday, January 27th, 2013 -- cause of death: L.O.R. (Loss of Rondo).
 
No. Instead, I'm going to watch this team and see how they respond, whether they struggle and achieve in the face if adversity or they use the loss as an excuse and fold tents for the rest of the year and effectively end the "New Big Three Era" as we've come to know it.

I'm betting on the achievement in the face of adversity thing. But, then again, what do I know? I'm just one in a handful of Loyal Eternal Optimist Greenheadz.
 
 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Anonymous Scout Says "C's Not Good Enough"

 
I just read this post on ESPN.com reporter Mark Stein's "Weekend Dime" and wanted to share it with anyone who passes through this way and (still) cares about the Celtics.

At first, when I read the thing, I had that indignant and righteous anger of a person getting told some hard truths by a stranger (hold-up, &*%$, you don't know me like that!), but as I thought about it for a second, there is indeed some validity to the assessment.

"For them to win games, [Jared] Sullinger pretty much has to have a double-double. And we're talking about a 6-[foot-]7 center. The other big issue is that they've got no one making any 3s. The Jet [Jason Terry] hasn't been on the runway very often. And Avery Bradley, for all his defensive prowess, isn't shooting the ball well, either."  
-- Anonymous Eastern Scout

I'm going to let you read the rest of this thing yourself and make your own judgement, but I WILL say this: I think there are some parts that are also off the mark. The C's can still win without the bench playing flawless basketball, Bradley has actually been shooting better of late (including 3s), and I believe that this group can still get the job done if they embrace the team philosophy.

There are a LOT of comments shooting around the blogosphere about the Celtics making this trade or that one and Danny Ainge and Wyc Grousbeck have been quoted about anticipating personnel changes, but as I've said before -- they really aren't going to blow it up, short of a LeBron or Dwight Howard (hold on for a second...I have to swallow that squirt of vomit that just came up) blockbuster, and unless they can get a quality rebounding-scoring-swatter of a center (think Sam Dalembertish or Marcin Gortatesque) for relatively cheap (meaning Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger stay put), they're going with what they have and will pick up some flotsam/jetsam that will be floating around the League with an unsigned contract after the trade deadline.

Contrary to what many may be thinking, that's not such a bad thing. Trust me.

For now, let's all just get ready for "The Return of Ray-Ray..."

THE BUZZ:

Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat
Sunday, January 27th, 2013
@ 1:00 p.m.
Boston Garden, Boston, MA

Friday, January 25, 2013

Celtics Hawk Up 27-Point Lead, Lose In 2-OT: 111-123


Twenty-seven-point lead? Check.

Second triple-double for Rajon Rondo in as many nights? Check.

Winning the battle-of-the-benches by a country mile? Check.

Staying virtually even on the boards, shooting 100% at the line and outshooting your opponent from the field? Check, check and check.

Capitalizing on all of these advantages to come out of Atlanta with the win? Weeeeellllll....

On a night when all of these things did, in fact happen, the Celtics somehow found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a completely new way. Surprising just about everyone with their absolute dominance of the 24-18 Atlanta Hawks, who came out paper-flat to start the first half of the game, the Celtics ran out to a 27-point lead in the 2nd quarter and managed to hold off a small rally to enter the half up 19.

Jeff Green was a major factor (bet you didn't see THOSE words coming!) in this game scoring 17 points and netting 6 rebounds, and he was joined by a much-improved Courtney Lee with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. With an additional 12 points from Jason Terry, the Celtics bench completely buried the Hawk's reserves by a count of 45 to 21.

It's almost becoming routine to talk about Rondo achieving yet another triple-double, but the fact is that Rondo's performance this year has been staggering. Recording his fifth 3-D of the season -- the most of any player League-wide -- Rondo has continued to stake his claim as the premier point guard in the game. Starter Kevin Garnett was exceptional with 24 points and 10 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal, and while Paul Pierce's epic shooting slump continued with The Captain shooting 4-13 for 12 points, he was able to reel in 6 rebounds and dish 4 assists.

So how in the name of Big Bird could the Celtics lose this one? Two words: Ashton Kutcher Kyle Korver.

Korver had a career night, scoring a season high 27 points mostly from a Hawk-record 8 second-half 3-pointers. He was backed up by five other teammates, who scored in double figures including Al Horford (24 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals); Jeff Teague (23 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds 3 steals); Josh Smith (17 points,14 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks); Devin Harris with 14; and Ivan Johnson with 11 points.

Oh, and the Celtics' 21 turnovers (6 from Rondo and 5 from Pierce) to the Hawks' 12 didn't help matters much.

Once again...the Celtics showed flashes of what could be, followed -- unfortunately -- by player and fan alike left dreaming about what might have been.


Broken record here, folks, but consistency is the issue and discipline is the only way that these C's are going to get the job done. I still believe it can and will happen -- I just hope that it's before they lock up the race for the 9th spot in the Playoffs.

Heat on Sunday. The Return of Ray-Ray. Impeccable timing.  Yay.

Box Score

Tale Of The Tape

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Boston Loses In New York Minute: Celtics Continue Skid Against Knicks -- 86-89


On the bright side, Paul Pierce's case of the fumbly-mumblies won't be following him to Houston for All-Star Weekend. At least not on the court, anyway.

On a night in which he learned that he would not make the All-Star Game for the first time in five consecutive years and only the second time in the past twelve, Paul Pierce started the game with that familiar chunk of rock on his shoulder, carrying the Celtics against the Knicks with 19 first quarter points. Unfortunately, he would only score three more points, ending the game with 22 and two critical kick-aways in the final minutes during which the Celtics were desperately trying to score a basket to tie what had once been a 10-point Knick lead.

Of course, it's a team game and Pierce -- who almost ALWAYS shows up large for anything related to the Knicks -- did more help than harm for his band-members but it just wasn't enough against a controversy-free Carmelo Anthony, who scored 28 points on 11-28 shooting to go along with 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Even another triple-double (his 4th of the season) from a never-say-die Rajon Rondo (23 points on 10-19 shooting, 11 assists, 10 boards and 3 steals) couldn't seal the deal in a nail-biter, mainly because no other Celtic could crack double figures. Kevin Garnett, struggled on offense with only 8 points but managed to pull down a gritty 12 rebounds with 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Other than that? Get the team a Waaaah!-mbulance (thanks Modern Family!).

Amar'e Stoudemire (who missed the Cheerio-Mysterio game) dropped 15 easy points along with 9 boards and 2 blocks on the Celtics, and teammates Jason (Ben Gay, son?) Kidd scored 12 and the fresh-from-his-knee-surgery-debut Iman Shumpert gave the Knicks 10 to end any Green hopes of a second straight win over NYC and first win in four games.

The C's now slump to the end of January toting a 6-6 record for the month with Atlanta, Miami and Sacramento on the horizon to either throw us over the edge, or signal another resurgence.

Am I counting the Celtics out? Hardly. The effort they gave tonight was hampered primarily by their inability to find any open banks willing to let the Celtics use their credit to purchase even a small handful of baskets (though they shot better than the Knicks for the whole of the game, finishing at 40.8% to New York's 38.6%).

If the Celtics continue to fight and play just a little bit more team-oriented basketball (some of the best sequences for the Celtics came with the hard swing of the ball from corner-to-corner), the shots should start dropping and Geno will come off of life-support and find himself dancing at the Garden once again.

It's coming, C's fans. As Boston's own Mark Wahlberg once told us as he lounged with his own team, The Funky Bunch -- back before he was an A-List HollyCeleb -- and rocked the moniker "Marky-Mark"...

 
Though I have NO idea why a kid from Boston's sporting a Spurs jersey.

Still...

Tale Of The Tape

Box Score

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Celtics Can No Longer Be Cavalier, Boston's Slide Continues In Loss To Cleveland: 90-95


Well, you can't say that the Celtics didn't play hard for this one. They did.

Unfortunately, playing hard isn't necessarily related to playing smart. And, even more unfortunately, they ran into a Chainsaw Massacre by the name of Kyrie Irving.

From the outset, Irving had blood in his eyes and the support of an unselfish, unafraid cast of young "Don'tKnowNoBetters." Actually, that's an unfair characterization...I think they knew full well and they just didn't give a sh8.

Irving scored just 20 points less than the entire Celtics starting five, whirling, shooting, upfaking and driving his way to 40 points. He was joined by Tristan Thompson who scored 21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.

Kevin Garnett did all that he could, scoring 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 vicious blocks, 3 assists and 1 steal as did Rajon Rondo getting yet another near-triple-double scoring 17 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Paul Pierce did his level best, but currently, that level sits somewhere between minor slump and catastrophic draught. He scored 12 on 3-15 shooting, but because he is that rare star that can "give the game what it needs" even when he's ineffective in one category, he also racked up 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Jared Sullinger continues to make Danny Ainge look like a genius with each new game. Sullinger scored 12 points and pulled own 10 rebounds and added 1 block. 

It's become clear that teams no longer fear the Celtics and perhaps it's been clear for a while and only the most ardent (that would be me) of fans believed otherwise. In any case, it's also very clear that if this team is going to make any kind of worthwhile push this year, it's going to be the hard way. Unless, that is, they begin to play smarter basketball.

This will depend, of course, upon whether the team can suck it up and listen to Coach Doc Rivers and learn to trust each other within the prescribed system. As it stands now, they're like a bunch of rec league all-stars who meet at the gym from time-to-time with a new player to work in here and there. The will is there, the chemistry is still getting its ankles taped in the locker room.

Don't get me wrong...I still believe in these C's. I still think that, if they can learn to play free and smart, they can make a strong challenge for the Conference Finals and beyond. Why? Because they have a tremendous amount of firepower in Garnett, Pierce, Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Rondo, Brandon Bass etc.; have a developing phenom in Sullinger; a handful of the League's best individual defenders in Garnett, Avery Bradley, and Lee and, though I hear the chorus growing louder with every loss to say otherwise, but also one of the League's best coaches in Rivers.

The million dollar question on the table is: Will they do it this year and if they do, will it be the names on the roster that you see today?

Tale Of The Tape

Box Score

Sunday, January 20, 2013

A Double Dog Night In New England


Has anybody out there ever stepped in a pile of dogs**t with one foot and backed away only to realize that you stepped in more of it with the other foot? You remember that feeling?

Yeah? Then you know why this post is so short tonight.

I think for the first time, I'm going to pass on writing about what happened tonight and let the fine people from Celticsblog.com, Redsarmy.com, Celticslife.com, and Celticshub.com tell it to you, because if I do it, it's going to be a version that quite possibly might get me arrested for violating some kind of Internet decency laws, if such things actually exist.

Suffice it to say that on all of the blogs, the specter of wholesale changes loom in the distance as Doc Rivers has finally thrown down the gauntlet and uttered the "T" word if things don't turn around.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Sullinger Receives Large Praise From Chicago's Bigs


The Boston Globe has a story today about the Chicago Bulls' twin terrors of takedowns Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer having nothing but praise for Celtic's budding big-man Jared Sullinger for his gritty performance on the boards in last night's heartbreaker of a last-minute loss.

So take heart, C's fans...last night might have been a hard one to deal with for the hour or so that followed the stumbling, drunken lob that was the Belinelli game-winner (okay, maybe I totally oversold the whole hour thing), but watching the development of Sully and the impact of Avery Bradley on the overall defense of this team should have you excited about the possibilities and hopeful for the short and long-term future.

But, if you want to sit there and stew in the juices of last-second loss thinking about the jump-ball-tie-up call, the lack of Bradley, or the merits of fouling early at the end of regulation then here's a little fuel for your fire from the gaping chasm of a mouth on that espouser of evenhandedness about all things Garnett -- Joakim Noah -- as reported by ESPN's Chris Forsberg.

If you ask me, though, we should just focus on the upcoming struggle for the Super Bowl between the Patriots and Ravens (6:30 p.m.) and the revenge game between our guys in green and the Detroit Pistons instead of that lucky son of a b**ch Marco Belinelli who just happened to...aww, who am I kidding? 14-hours, 24-hours, tops and I won't even remember his name.

THE BUZZ:

Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons
Sunday, January 20th, 2013
@ 7:30 p.m.
The Palace of Auburn Hills, MI

Friday, January 18, 2013

Celtics Lose On Bull(sh*t) Shot In OT: 99-100


Okay, okay...that's just the sore loser in me speaking.

No, no it isn't...it WAS a bullsh** shot. But, still...the Celtics had every opportunity to win this one. We had Rondo in full-on "eat-your-children" mode almost winning this thing by his lonesome with 30 points on 12 of 21 shooting, 7 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

He HAD to be in B.E.A.S.T. mode with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett taking the floor in their pajamas squinting at the bright lights for the first half. Even with both of them picking it up in the second half, Pierce and Garnett shot a combined 10-33. Peeee-yeeewwww!

I suppose at this point it might be slightly instructive to mention that the C's were without the vaunted services of Resident Savior Avery Bradley due to a bruised rib, but against a team that has been playing without its best member in Derrick Rose and later losing certified Pierce-pounder Luol Deng to a tender hammy in the 3rd quarter, I hesitate to use this as an excuse. No...the Celtics could and should have won this game, and the cause of the loss can't be laid at Bradley's empty shoes, especially since he's only been back in the lineup for the past 8 games.

Leandro Barbosa, getting the start in Bradley's absence, was relatively ineffective and the rest of the bench managed just 25 points compared to the 36 points mustered by the Bulls' reserves.

The Chicago starters? Now that's a Bull of a different color. Carlos Boozer made his case for the All-Star reserve team loud and clear as he imitated a Bull in a green-glass China shop, rampaging his way to 19 points, 20 rebounds(!!!), 4 assists and a steal while Richard "Rip" Hamilton -- emerging from a rejuvenating hybrid bath of Rust-Oleum and CLR -- dropped 20 points on anyone who dared to look his way.

Joakim Noah poked, pushed and preened (yes..PREENED!) his way to 14 points, 13 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Bench Mobsters Nate Robinson (10 points), Jimmy Butler (13 points) and Marco Belinelli (10 points, including a ludicrous squatting heave that sealed the win) gave the Bulls all the help they would need to take the lead in the season series, 2-1.

Notable things?

Well, how about Paul Pierce passing "The Chief" Robert Parish on the NBA's All-Time Scoring List for 22nd place with 23,342 points. And, who is that frantically adjusting his rear view mirror as the P2 Mack truck rapidly approaches? Why, it's old friend-turned-foe Ray Allen who sits at 23,355 points. It's only a matter of time, perhaps even this coming Sunday, before The Truth overtakes Jesus for 21st.

Speaking of Ray-Ray, how about Jason Terry transforming into "The Jet" down the stretch and nearly clutch 3-ing us to the win and, subsequently, a step closer to moving #20 further onto the other side of the glass of our memory's museum (thanks, Kanye!)?

And, what about Jared Sullinger, who notched 15 rebounds to go along with 7 points and 1 steal?

Ahhh well...I guess when you consider all of the times that Larry Bird executed his patented off-his-@$$-shot to stun some hapless also-ran, it's only karmatically reasonable that we're going to get caught on the other end from time-to-time.

Shake it off, C's fans. A rematch/revenge game with Detriot awaits on Sunday.

Box Score

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Rondo, Garnett To Start All-Star Game. Pierce To Join The Party?

 
Well, it doesn't exactly qualify as the proverbial "worst kept secret," but it IS just a teensy bit anticlimactic.

Still, the fact that Kevin Garnett at age 36 (37 in May!) was voted in as a starter for the 15th time is pretty incredible. With all of the young frontcourt players out there, this is a pretty special selection. And, it shows just what a dominant player he continues to be -- at least in the voting public's eyes.

Rajon Rondo getting the starters' vote is something of a different kind of special. He's been in The Big Showcase three times already, but never as a starter. With the glut of starring guards in the NBA and the East in particular, this selection will most assuredly announce to the basketball world outside of Boston that Rajon Rondo has truly arrived.

In the new format for the All-Star starter selection process, voters were allowed to choose three Frontcourt players and two Backcourt players to start. Garnett came in as the third-highest vote-getting Eastern
Frontcourt player:

LeBron James (Mia) 1,583,646
Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 1,460,950
Kevin Garnett (Bos) 553,222

Rondo was voted in behind only Heat Guard Dwyane Wade in the East:

Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,052,310
Rajon Rondo (Bos) 924,180

The question now is, will Paul Pierce make his 11th NBA All-Star Game with the coaches' selection of reserve players?

According to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports' Pro Basketball Talk, he should.

For the rest of the list rounding out the All-Star Game starters, you can visit NBA.com or click here.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

C's Suffer Anaphylactic Shock As Hornets Attack: 78-90


Though many focused on the Rivers-a-Rivers, father vs. son, progenitor vs. progeny yadda, yadda yadda...the truth is, Austin Rivers was a non-factor, scoring 8 points in 23 minutes.

So, what DID matter in the game?

For the Hornets, it was Al-Farouq Aminu (18 points[???!!], mostly from the free throw line), Robin Lopez (17 points, 7-11 from the field), Greivis Vazquez ( 15 points, 11 rebounds) and "The Brow" (rookie Anthony Davis) who scored 10, boarded 10, blocked 2, stole once and assisted once.

For the Celtics? It was outside shooting (or the lack thereof), rebounding (or the lack thereof) and pacing (which there was plenty of, just not the kind the Celtics prefer).

The Celtics were a miserable 37% shooting free-throws (6-16), while the Hornets made 83.9% of theirs (26-31). The C's were outrebounded 48-33 and lost the battle down low with 32 interior points against 48 from New Orleans.

In the end, though they made a few runs at their opponent, the Celtics weren't able to get enough defensive stops to make up for their arctic 4th quarter shooting.

You want to know who the Celtics' top producers were? Be my guest:

Box Score

I'm going to bed.