Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I have been at work with pretty much no free time. Tonight, the Celtics face the Bulls for the 1st time since last year's thrilling 7-game playoff series. Tip-off is at 8pm at the Garden. I will be enjoying tonight's game from home. I was however at the Opening Night thrashing of the Bobcats on Wednesday. Here is a great clip a friend of mine shot as the C's left the Garden floor...
So the day has finally arrived. The Celtics begin the quest for Banner 18 tonight! First up: Lebron James, Shaq and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland. Let's hope the Celts can break a bad habit of losing at Cleveland that dates back to 2004. Unfortunately, Celtics fans have had to deal with a bit of distraction during this the opening week of the 2009-10 season.. 1st, Big Baby Davis breaks his hand in some sort of "altercation" with a friend, and now word that Rondo is going to hold out and become a restricted free-agent in 2010. (The Rondo story is according to Marc Spears of Yahoo.com.) Nevertheless...LET THE GAMES BEGIN! I am at work in the midst of a software upgrade, but should be home in time to watch all of tonight's game. Tomorrow night, I am headed to the Garden for the home opener vs the Bobcats. I hope to have some pics and video for you tomorrow. GO CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Without KG and Ray, the Celtics still dismantled Lebron, that Shaq guy and the rest of the Cavs tonight, 96-82. Marquis Daniels continued to shine, getting to the hoop on numerous gorgeous drives, finishing the night w/17 points, 5 dishes and 3 boards. He is obviously going to be a huge piece of the puzzle this year. I personally am delighted that Danny Ainge went out and got Daniels this offseason. Eddie House had another nice night, dropping in 21 points and 3 three-pointers. Perk looked awesome on the defensive end again tonight and continues to impress anyone and everyone that has been following the C's this preseason. He contributed with 13 pts and 7 rebounds. The Celts are now done with the preseason. The next time they suit-up will be the real deal against these same Cavaliers. Tip-off is at 7:30pm at the Quicken Loans arena next Tuesday, Oct. 27th. I cannot wait.
Celtics fall to the Knicks tonight at MSG 108-103, in what will most likely be KG's last game until Opening Night next week. KG looked fantastic, with a few dunks, and a great, athletic block on Al Harrington. Ticket finished with 11 points, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Rondo led the C's with 20 points. Marquis Daniels had his best night in a Celtics uniform, scoring 17 points in 21 minutes of work. The C's will wrap-up the preseason tomorrow night vs the Cavs in Columbus, Ohio. I found out today I will be going to see the C's on the road for the 1st time in my life. What makes it even better is that I will be seeing them at MSG in New York City. "The Mecca" is something I've always wanted to see, and what better way to experience it then by watching my beloved C's play there. The game is on Sunday, 11/22 and I can't wait...
What's good? So I have to say, as I was watching yesterday's 101-82 victory w/a bunch of other fans via GinosJingle's live chat, one phrase dominated the conversation: "KG's back." I know it may be a bit premature and sure, the C's haven't faced any top-tier teams yet, but the Big Ticket is moving around pretty well. And, more importantly, he is starting to get to the free-throw line. He shot 5-5 from the line yesterday, and finished with 21 to lead all scorers. Ray Allen also continued to get better as he dropped in 20 pts. According to Doc, that was the last we will see of the starters (playing any significant minutes anyway) for the preseason. The C's now have 2 preseason games remaining: tomorrow vs the Knicks from The Mecca (which I hope to visit this season) and then Prince James, The Big Cleveland Steamer and the rest of the Chokers..er..Cavs on Wednesday to wrap it up. They will then be off for just about a week before opening the regular season vs those same Cavs on Tuesday, 10/27. There are alot of rumors floating around the blogs/websites about what will become of Tony Allen. Tony his been out of action with a recurring ankle injury and the subject of much speculation. Many believe if he is cut by the C's, that could be the end of his NBA career due to his chronic injuries and lack of consistency when on the floor. There probably are not too many teams out there interested in taking him on as part of any trade also. I'm sure we will find out sometime next week exactly what the C's management's plans are for T.A....
Celtics beat the Raptors in Hartford last night 106-90. KG looked the best I've seen him so far, scoring 16 points on 8 of 13 shooting and 3 alley-oops from Rondo-2 of them dunks. Again though he did not get to the free-throw line. Big Baby continued to go strong to the hole and Rondo dished out 8 assists. C's are now off until Sunday when they face the Raptors again-this time in Toronto. Found this very cool KG pic this morning on Twitter...(via JESkeets of Yahoo.com)
Celtics beat the Nets for the 2nd time in 3 days, 91-88 in beautiful Newark, NJ tonight. Doc rested the Big 3 for this one, but Sheed, Perk, Big Baby, Rondo and company were just fine. The Nets held the lead for most of this game, but the Celts came storming back behind Rajon's 11 4th quarter points. Big Baby continued to impress with a great game: 18 points, 3 steals, 3 boards and 3 blocks-1 of which was a highlight-film swat in the last minute of the game that sealed the Nets' fate. 'Sheed was also quite impressive dropping 20 points in 25 minutes before leaving the game in the 2nd half after rolling his ankle. Doc will most likely rest him tomorrow. Only concern for me tonight, the C's shot a horrid 53% from the line. The C's now head to Toronto to face the Raptors tomorrow night @7:30pm...
Just got back from the Garden after watching the Celtics beat the Nets 100-93. My notables from today's game: Rondo is a freak of an athlete. He had a dunk where his head was even w/the rim and he absolutely skied-then, he came back down the floor and had an incredible block. KG did NOT get to the free-throw line at all. He was nailing his jumpers, but are we going to see him taking it to the hole soon? Marquis Daniels showed us flashes of what he is capable of. He seemed to be all over the floor today-steals, blocks, defensive intensity, and penetrating the lane. Pierce was his usual self, stepping-up and scoring in bunches during droughts-but he shouldn't have to carry this team in 2009-10 by any means. And one notable for the Nets: Brook Lopez really does have game. In a league where good big-men are getting scarce, this kid is someone the Nets want to hang onto. I watched him do alot today-running the floor, passing, blocking shots, etc. Next up for the C's, these same Nets on Tuesday night in Jersey. Here are some pics I snapped on my phone, and a clip of the Celtics coming out onto the floor today....
Tonight I returned to the Garden for the 1st time since the Celts lost Game 7 of the semis to the Magic last year. For a preseason game, the crowd was amped, and KG was even more amped. He could be seen spitting into the air like a humpback whale shortly before tipoff. It was great to see him do his pregame ritual of pounding the stanchion, while tying his shorts and muttering unrepeatables to himself. Tonight was also enjoyable, as I got to meet John, from RedsArmy.com, and TeamGreenTruth whom I share alot of Celtics talk w/on Twitter. I also briefly got to meet Jess Camerato from WEEI.com who was very nice. Highlights: Pierce's reverse dunk (see highlight), Big Baby taking the ball strong to the hole, Perk just looking sensational (14 pts & 7 boards on 5 of 7 shooting, and just looking great on D, moving without the ball, etc.) Scalabrine getting probably the biggest crowd reaction of the night, 'Sheed and KG laughing after 'Sheed airballed a 3 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Celts win their 2nd preseason game tonight against the Knicks, 96-82. Here are a few pics I took tonight, including one of myself and John. I will be attending the next preseason game this Sunday vs New Jersey also. Goodnite Celtics fans....
I'm watching the replay of yesterday's intrasquad scrimmage as I post this. It was played last night at Salve Regina for students, staff, etc. Notables: Pierce, Ray and Rondo look in tip-top shape. I was watching Paul play D on Marquis Daniels during the scrimmage, and Pierce was his usual relentless self. They focused the camera on KG for about 5 minutes, and he seemed to be moving around pretty well. But as I keep saying, the 1st couple of preseason games will be the real test in my opinion. The Celts now have today off before they get ready to start their preseason schedule. 1st up, the Rockets on Wednesday night. Here are some pics from the scrimmage.(via Getty Images/Yahoo)
Great video that was just posted by "puchaness" on YouTube. The only way I can really describe it is by calling it "KobeFail". Check it out for yourself...
Not much to report besides that Bill Walker's knee surgery was a success according to the Celtics. It was performed by team surgeon Dr Brian McKeon. He also performed KG's surgery last year. The other notable from today was I read a quote from Garnett about Rondo. Something to the extent that Rondo is sharp as hell right now. Here is a short video from the Celtics' official YouTube page w/Doc speaking about today's session. Reminder: NBA.com is streaming live from Celtics camp tomorrow at 7pm...
Day 3 of Celtics training camp is in the books. From what I heard from Perk and Paul Pierce today, the defense looks fabulous and the offense is coming along a bit more slowly. Here are 3 videos: 1)A short recap of today's camp session. 2)An interview with Kendrick Perkins via www.PerkIsABeast.com-Perk has really come a long way and also has developed into a great defensive player. Perk gets a bad rap because alot of folks judge him by his angry demeanor on the court. Off the court, Perk is one of the most humble and down-to-earth people you will ever meet. 3)Peter Stringer's sit-down with KG. In it, KG gives us, the fans, alot of credit. He explains how he absolutely LOVES playing in the Garden. KG has played 14 seasons in the NBA and calls the Garden and it's crowds the best/most intense he's ever played for. That says alot. Enjoy the videos, and don't forget you can watch C's camp live on NBA.com and NBA TV this Saturday evening. NBA.com will stream it live at 6pm EST and NBATV will replay it at around 10pm EST I believe. See NBA.com for the specifics....
30 something Bostonian. Was born & raised in Knicks, Nets, Yankees and Mets territory. Been in Boston now for 25 years and converted to Celtics/Sox fan long ago...
Quoting Jerry Seinfeld the other day, a popular Celtics' site said that
when you boil things down to the nub, Celtics' fans "root for clothes." In
addition...
Just got back from the Garden after watching the Celtics beat the Nets 100-93. My notables from today's game: Rondo is a freak of an athlete. He had a dunk where his head was even w/the rim and he absolutely skied-then, he came back down the floor and had an incredible block. KG did NOT get to the free-throw line at all. He was nailing his jumpers, but are we going to see him taking it to the hole soon? Marquis Daniels showed us flashes of what he is capable of. He seemed to be all over the floor today-steals, blocks, defensive intensity, and penetrating the lane. Pierce was his usual self, stepping-up and scoring in bunches during droughts-but he shouldn't have to carry this team in 2009-10 by any means. And one notable for the Nets: Brook Lopez really does have game. In a league where good big-men are getting scarce, this kid is someone the Nets want to hang onto. I watched him do alot today-running the floor, passing, blocking shots, etc. Next up for the C's, these same Nets on Tuesday night in Jersey. Here are some pics I snapped on my phone, and a clip of the Celtics coming out onto the floor today....
