C's lose..

Celtics lose tonight to Portland. Final score 91-86. Lamarcus Aldridge was huge tonight with 20 pts and 7 boards. He hit 5/7 fg's for 10 pts in the 4th. It seemed to me there was some more sloppy play tonight. Some risky crosscourt passes and Garnett was a little to chippy towards the end of the game. He elbowed Aldridge who retaliated with a slap to the back of KG's dome. Luckily the ref gave them both techs. Speaking of the refs, in the 2nd quarter, Portland had 6 men on the court and scored a basket. The refs let the points count and Doc was furious. (can't blame him) There were also some other missed calls. Bottom line, with Brandon Roy out, Oden, Aldridge and Steve Blake stepped up and took one at home. Celts go 1-3 on the West coast trip. They return home and next play Friday against the Washington Wizards at the Garden.

Oden practices

Greg Oden participated in Blazer's practice today. Brandon Roy did not. They are both still game-time decisions. Does anyone else think Gary Payton is an ignorant moron? MAN he's annoying. I can only imagine how he must've gotten under players' skin out on the floor. His demeanor, how he speaks, even his clothes just shout "BUG!" I have to turn off NBA TV sometimes he annoys me so much. By the way, thanks for participating in the poll. It looks like those who voted would like to see veteran big man PJ Brown back in green. I agree. C's and Blazers tip @10pm....

Oden out tomorrow..?

Read a report this afternoon on Boston.com's site that Greg Oden landed on a teammate's foot in practice today. It stated that he has a sprained ankle and is day-to-day. My personal opinion is this: I want to see the Celts win like any other fan. However it's hard to really "hope" for Oden to be hurt. Granted, if he's out tomorrow it helps our chances, but I was at the 1st Portland game and he was pretty much a non-factor. From what I've seen from him in the media and on the court, he seems like a decent guy. A little goofy maybe, but not a bad guy. There are some guys when you hear they are injured you think..NICE! Like either of the Sashas: Pavlovic or Vujacic-those guys both hit some big shots, and are just plain annoying as hell. Another one is Andres Nocioni-same deal. I just don't put Oden in that category. Brandon Roy is also questionable for that game with a hamstring issue. I would prefer he be out if it was between he and Oden. I didn't hear any news today on the big man front. Same names being thrown around; Joe Smith, Mutumbo, etc....

Blowout

Celts blew out the Kings by 45 points tonight, 108-63. They next play Tuesday vs Portland. Will be a much more competitive game something tells me. Goodnight Celtics fans......

59-34 Celts

Now these are the Celtics we know and love. Behind Pierce's 12 and Sugar Ray's 13 points, the Green are up at the half. Granted it's against the Kings, but who cares. The C's are playing the type of ball that has them atop the Eastern Conference right now. Good interior defense, as Perk has 3 blocks, and great bench scoring: 18 combined from House, Baby, Powe and T.A. Donnie Wahlberg is in the house in Sac-Town...

D-League

FYI for any Celts fans looking to kill some time until tonight's game. You can catch Bill Walker and JR Giddens' NBA D-League team, the Utah Flash online. They stream the games via NBA.com. It's completely free, you just have to do the usual registering w/an email address etc. The announcers said that Dikembe Mutumbo has a workout with the Houston Rockets this week by the way. Not sure what that means to Danny Ainge & Celtics mgmt. (if anything..)

C'a back in action tonight

The C's return to action tonight against the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento is a team similar to Golden State-struggling and injury-plagued. Their star player, Kevin Martin, a highly-talented scorer, is out. Remember however, this is what we were saying about GSW so the C's really have to get their $h*t together. I look for tight D, Pierce to take the ball to the hole alot, (which I LOVE to see) and KG getting the ball in the paint. Tip-off is at 9pm EST. Perk is listed as day-to-day on ESPN.com and I have not heard any news on whether he'll start or not. Doc was quoted on Friday as saying that it was a one game deal, so let's hope Perk is back in the starting line-up tonight. A couple of double-OT games in the league last night: San Antonio managed to beat Memphis in San Antone' and Houston behind Yao and Ron Artest, who was playing his heart out, beat Utah. It seems despite the fact that Houston has two of the best players in the NBA, Yao and T-Back (as in back spasms) alot of the seats in their arena seem to be empty. I guess maybe Texas is a football state. Here's a pic of Perk in his Clifton J. Ozen High School days...

C's off tonight...

C's off tonight. Back in action tomorrow at 9pm vs Sacramento. I haven't heard any news on Perk's "bruised shoulder." Should be something in tomorrow's Globe. If you need a basketball fix, NBA TV has Yao, T-Mac and the Rockets vs the Jazz at 8:30pm. Enjoy your Saturday night C's fans-let's hope we bounce back with a nice win tomorrow night.

99-89 GSW

Despite Rondo being 1 assist short of a triple-double, the C's fell again last night-this time to the Warriors. The Celts had a great start, especially from Paul Pierce. He was drilling one shot after another. Then in the 3rd quarter things started to fall apart. I don't know if it was complacency or what, but they just fell flat. They let the Warriors and the crowd get back into it and then never recovered. They are off today and play Sacramento tomorrow night @9pm est. Let's hope they can regroup and go into a big game with Portland on a high note. It would be tough for them to go into the Rose Garden 0-3 on this West Coast trip. Perk sat out last night with what was called a bruised shoulder. I can't recall specifically who, but one of the announcers from CSN last night saw Perk and seemed to think otherwise. He mentioned that it (his shoulder) didn't look bruised and he was concerned. Leon Powe did a decent job filling in, but we all know the importance of having Perk in the middle. Their has been talk of Dikembe Mutumbo or even Alonzo Mourning joining the C's at some point, but again, that is just talk at this point-nothing else....

Banner 17'nd out..

I am officially Banner Seventeened out. It hit me just now as I heard the Celtics' commercial with the 2008 Finals highlights and "Anything's possibbbbble!" for the umpteenth time. Let's move on now-it was great, let's move on. C's up by 11 with 6:39 left in the 1st half. There's a very loud couple sitting behind Mike Gorman. I could clearly here the woman telling KG: "You the bomb baby!"

No Perk

Perk woke up with a sore shoulder so he is out tonight. Celts say it's not serious and he'll be back Sunday. Let's hope so...

The Morning After

One of the guys in the office next to mine has his bright yellow Lakers hat on today. He is all smiles and rubbing it in to his co-workers. It kind of reminds me of when the Sox were in their "futile" stage and would constantly choke against the Yanks. When the Sox would win a regular season game against them, we would all feel like we won the World Series. Yankees fans probably looked at us like, "yeah, but they can't beat us when it counts.." There were some reports in the Herald today & on Boston.com's Celtics blog that Ray and Rondo were seen arguing. There was also supposedly some bickering amongst the players on the floor. I personally don't recall seeing this, but I do think they were a little out of sorts. Pierce didn't take the ball to the hoop as much I would've liked, and the Lakers seemed to just be hustling more.

Other than that, nothing else jumps out. We had more points in the paint and more rebounds. Their bench did out score ours, but only 10-7. Knowing Doc and the C's, they'll adjust, move on and continue this on Feb 5th. The Jungle will be rockin'-I guarrantee it. Celts and Warriors tip-off at 10:30pm tonight...

Streak ends

As I'm sure most of you just watched, the Celts winning streak has come to an end. The Lakers win the 1st of two meetings this year. Something tells me there will be a few more in June 2009. I felt that KG had a great game, but I would have liked to see Pierce taking it to the basket more. The C's have the 2nd half of a back-to-back tomorrow against the woeful Warriors who have been injury-plagued this year. They have Saturday off and then play another sub-par team in the struggling Sacremento Kings. Goodnight & Happy Holidays Celtics fans.

Underway(finally)

We're finally underway. In the 1st, the C's are up behind Rondo and an early 3 from Sugar Ray. Big Baby is in uniform & Doc says he is available. Back to the game for me. Enjoy C's fans....

Big Baby practices

Merry Christmas Celtics fans. Glen Davis practiced a bit yesterday. It was the 1st time since his car accident last week. According to the Globe, he is still having headaches, and Doc will make a decision on him playing closer to game time. Should be a fun game to watch and I think we've all been waiting for this one. I'll be interested to see if any of the local celebrities make it out to L.A. to sit courtside. Enjoy the game C's fans...

2008 Finals

In a correction to my last post, NBA TV is actually showing every game of last year's Finals tonight. Starting at 9pm, they are airing condensed 1 hour versions of Games 1-6. Good night Celtics fans, and Merry Christmas....

Farmar to have surgery

Jordan Farmar, one of the Laker's key bench players has decided to have surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee. He could be out for up to 2 months. Good news, unless of course you're a Laker's fan. Thanks Santa-you're a Celtic's fan aren't you? I'll leave you some cookies & milk if you can arrange a "mishap" with Kobe....? Think about-I'll see you later tonight.

Celts win 19th in a row

The Celtics kept on steamrolling over the competition with a 110-91 victory over the 76ers last night. The Garden crowd was very festive and their was electricity in the air. The "Beat LA" chants even got going in the 3rd and 4th quarter. The crowd, including myself, was getting a bit tired of the Sixers getting easy points in the paint during the 1st half, a few of those points spectacular dunks by Andre Iguodala. But the C's tightened up on defense in the 2nd half, including a sweet block by Leon Powe on Reggie Evans. KG had 18 pts and Rondo had another awesome scoring line: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Tomorrow is the highly anticipated game with the Lakers. I can't wait! I had a few brushes with some local celebrities last night: Donnie Wahlberg & his pal "SuperFan" Mike Rotondi , Cedric Maxwell was very polite in saying hi to my sister and I and JoJo White who is always super classy gave me the ol' "Hey baby!" For any of you who can't wait until tomorrow for C's-Lakers, NBA TV is airing Game 1 of last year's NBA Finals between the two rivals @9pm tonight. Enjoy a pic of KG enjoying Gino from last night's game...

Testament to toughness

Good Morning C's fans. Read in today's Herald that Big Baby broke the windshield of his GMC Yukon with his head during his accident. He was discharged that same night. That should answer any questions about his toughness. C's and 6er's tonight at 7:30pm @TD Banknorth Garden.

Big Baby update...

He's out of the hospital and will not play tomorrow night. Is listed as day-to-day.

Baby update...

Just called Brigham & Women's. According to patient information, Davis was discharged last night. Hopefully this is a good sign. I would think with any kind of head injury the C's medical staff would be extra careful...

Big Baby status

No word on Big Baby's status as of 1pm today. Hopefully the big fella's ok. Celtics are off tonight, and return to action vs the 76er's tomorrow at the Garden. Tip-off is 7:3opm. I'll be in the crowd watching them go for franchise-record win # 19 in a row. Stay tuned for any updates on Davis..

18 and Counting

The Celtics won their 18th straight tonight with a 124-105 victory. Rondo had a career-high 26 points including 9 for 9 shooting in the 2nd quarter. I will be at the Garden on Tuesday night when the C's go for the franchise record of 19 straight wins. Hopefully Glen Davis is ok and the team will update the media tomorrow. Have a good night Celtic's fans.....

No Baby

Glen Davis was in a "minor traffic accident" according to CSN. They say he has a concussion & whiplash. Get well soon Big Baby. C's and Knicks just started with the Green up 8-3 early in the 1st.

FYI: Lakers go down again...

Sasha Vujacic & Kobe both missed shots in the last minute and L.A. fell again. Dwight Howard hit 2 big free throws and Orlando beat the Lakers tonight in Orlando. C's and Knicks tomorrow @6pm. I hear Marbury's looking for 2 tickets. Goodnite C's fans.

Infamous milestone

Good Afternoon. With the victory over Chicago last night, the C's are 2 wins away from breaking the franchise record of 18 straight. They have the Knicks tomorrow evening and then the Elton Brand-less 76er's on Tuesday. Many in the media had high hopes for Philly this year, but they have not looked like a team on the rise. After the Philly game, we go on a West coast road trip. 1st up, the Lakers on Xmas in a game I think we all had circled on our calendar since the day the schedule was released. After L.A., we face two struggling teams: the Warriors on 12/26 and then Sacramento on 12/28. We wrap up the West coast swing at the Rose Garden vs Brandon Roy, Greg Oden & the Trailblazers. I found an interesting story by John Hollinger on ESPN.com today. It chronicles Shaquille O'Neal's free throw struggles. Shaq is 8 misses away from becoming only the 2nd player in league history to miss 5,000 free throws. That's not a typo-5 grand. Go to the NBA section on Espn.com to find the full story. Enjoy the rest of your snowy Saturday Celtic's fans.

The Green Train keeps rolling...

Great night to be a Celtic's fan. The Green rolled over the Bulls as Perk went for a career-high 25 points. Rondo dished out 15 assists and Tony Allen and Scal brought energy off the bench. I just finished watching Kobe miss a shot at the buzzer to give Miami the win over the Lakeshow. DWade is playing like an MVP. Ever since Beijing this past summer, Wade has been on fire. He is single-handedly keeping the Heat afloat. There were also 2 double-overtime games tonight in the NBA. Good night to stay out of the weather & enjoy some exciting games. The C's go for victory 18 in a row Sunday @6pm vs the Knicks at the Garden. I wonder if Marbury will be sitting somewhere in the Loge seats....Get home safely tonight C's fans. Goodnite!

Bulls run

This game started off looking like it would be a blowout. The C's came out firing on all cylinders, causing the Bulls to call 3 TO's in the 1st quarter. Then the Bulls made a run in the 2nd, backed by a barrage of 3 balls. The Celts are now up 9 with 4:28 to go in the 3rd. Perk & Sugar Ray lead the Celts with 21 each.

Trekking to the couch

About to make the trek home from work. My friend deosn't have the extra ticket after all. I'm content watching it on the couch. Go Celts. Enjoy this video shot earlier this year of KG..

Celtics vs Bulls despite Mother Nature

For those of you wondering, the Boston Celtics website states that the game will be played tonight and tip-off will be at 7:30pm in spite of any bad weather. I may be going if a friend of mine gets stuck with another ticket. I wouldn't want him to have to fly solo. Besides, alot of the good seats will probably be empty and ripe for the picking. People who live North or West of Boston will be better off staying home. The Bulls are coming off of 2 overtime games-one a win against the Clippers, and a loss at the hands of the Bobcats. The Boston Herald reports that Usain Bolt is in town tonight doing something with Puma and will be sitting courtside. The Garden is the place to be lately-Michael Phelps last week, and now the BoltMeister.

Tickets for tomorrow night dirt cheap...

My sister just informed me that some of Boston's ticket broker's websites have tix for tomorrow's game for dirt cheap. Obviously the threat of a major storm has drove prices down for the Celtics vs Bulls tomorrow @7:30pm. I just checked AceTickets and many of their tix are at, or below face value. The Bulls have been mediocre so far this year, but Derrick Rose is definitely an exciting young player. It should be fun watching him and Rondo (pictured in his Kentucky Wildcats days) go at it. I however will watch it from the comfort of my couch. Have a safe night Celtic's fans!

Scal gettin' scruffy..

ESPN reported last night that Brian Scalabrine is not going to shave or get a haircut during the

Celtics latest win streak, now at 16 games. He is already starting to look like a Viking, so stay tuned. Hopefully he is looking like a cross between Richie Cunningham and Charles Manson by the All-Star break! For those of you wondering, the longest winning streak in NBA history is held by the Lakers. They won 33 straight in '71-'72 with help from Wilt the Stilt amongst others...

Welcome to Banner 18

Hello everyone. My name is Jamey Burke. I am a 30 something Celtic's fan from Boston. I have started this blog to record an average (maybe a little obsessed)fan's following of the Boston Celtic's quest for Banner 18. I attend a few games a month, thanks to my sister who has a half season plan, and me buying other games occaisionally. Feel free to comment if you like the Celts, hate them, don't care, whatever! I am open to all opinions-it makes things more interesting. So last night, KG came up big in the 4th with some clutch shots, and Kendrick Perkins, aka "Beast" had a huge block when it counted. The streak is now at 16, and the franchise record is 18. The next 2 games are against the Bulls and Knicks, so fair to say we have an excellent chance to tie it. If so, we could break it on 12/23 vs Philly. My sister and I will be at that game so I'll try to post some decent pics. The purpose of this blog is to post my thoughts and experiences pertaining to the Green's quest for another title, and to get feedback from all different sides. Enjoy and more to come....