Same old story...

Another loss for the C's on the road tonight, which makes Sunday's showdown with L.A. even more pivotal in my eyes. The C's lose to Atlanta tonight, 100-91. Paul Pierce was brilliant, scoring 35, but unfortunately, he was the lone bright spot. The C's turned the ball over 16 times, gave up 42 points in the paint and another 29 in fastbreak points. More importantly, the offense was abyssmal. Jamal Crawford single-handedly outscored our bench 28-18. Rondo never really got going either, finshing with a subpar 6 points and 8 dishes on 3 of 13 shooting. The Hawks take the season series from the C's 4 games to nil. I have to say that as of right now, I am really not too excited for the C's and Lakers on Sunday. It is really hard to feel anything but numb for my team right now. I know that once Sunday morning rolls around that will probably change, but right now I am numb.

Big weekend...

Ok, we all know what happened last night. I was just too exhausted/disgusted to post anything. Let's move on.. Big weekend coming up in CelticNation. Tonight, one last shot (during the regular season anyway) to beat the Hawks. They have beaten us 3 times this season. Tip-off is at 7:30pm in Atlanta. I for one will be in front of the tube rooting on the boys in the green. Then we have Saturday off before the game of the year-Celtics vs Lakers at the Garden. It's always alot of fun when L.A. comes to town. The celebs and athletes all come out, there is a plaoyff atmosphere and the Garden becomes electric. My sister and I will be there, and I cannot wait! Game starts at 3:30pm Sunday and will be nationally televised on ABC. Here is a little something via ESPN Boston to get you pumped up. Get out that Celtics Snuggie and stay warm this weekend folks...

Out sick...

This will be a short post tonight folks. Just got in from the Garden where the C's beat the Clippers 99-85 tonight. I am pretty under the weather, but dragged myself to the game. C's did not look championship caliber out there this evening, but got the job done. KG scored 17 points in his 2nd game back from a hyperextended knee. Celts had problems controlling the ball tonight, racking up 14 turnovers. The C's are off now until Thursday when they face Orlando,which begins a tough stretch for the Green. Orlando and Atl back-to-back on the road, then the Fakers on Sunday back at the Garden...

Marquis Daniels talks about giving back to the community...

This is via a new YouTube channel, Q6EntTV:

'76 Pinto...

Celts win in overtime tonight at the Garden, 98-95 over Portland. KG talks about his 1st game back, and has a great analogy involving a 1976 Pinto...

I can't call it..

I told alot of people at work today: "The Pistons are a really bad team. We'll win tonight." So much for that thought. Watching tonight's game was utterly frustrating. For some reason more so than the last two. The Celtics seemed in control for much of the 1st half, were attacking the rim (16-0 in fastbreak points for the 1st 2 quarters-more on that stat later) and playing good defense. But the Pistons grabbed a little momentum towards the end of the 2nd quarter-ending with Austin Daye's made 3 at the buzzer. Then, as they have the last 2 games, things fell apart in the 2nd half. Settling for jumpers, lack of focus, but most importantly, turnovers-18 total, and I believe 11 of those were in the second half. Remember how we had 16 fastbreak pts. to their 0 after 2 quarters? Final tally: C's 44 Detroit 40. The Pistons scored 40 of their 44 2nd half points in the paint. The Celtics will have to dig deep to find out what is causing these mental/emotional lapses. Oh yeah, one more stat for ya: Celtics were outrebounded on the offensive glass 13-5 tonight. Next up, the Blazers at home on Friday. Tip-off is at 7:30pm...

FINALLY- some good news regarding the Celtics...

It's been a frustrating week for me and I'm sure alot of other Celtics fans. Today we finally get some good news courtesy of Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. KG returned to practice today. Doc has been saying that Ticket should return to action this Friday against Portland. That would be just the type of electricity that all of CelticsNation needs right now. I know that the C's recent struggles don't all come as a result of Garnett's abcense, but it sure as hell plays a big part in them. Here is some video of KG at practice today from Chris. If you aren't familiar with Chris' work, check him out at ESPNBoston.com and follow him on Twitter: www/Twitter.com/ESPNForsberg. Chris is an excellent reporter and really gets the great scoops, pictures and video of the Boston Celtics.

Bullied..

C's drop another one at home tonight (UGH) 99-90 to the Mavs. January continues to be a tough month for the C's. On Twitter tonight, Justin Poulin from CSL.com noted that the Celts struggled in January last year and I noted that the 2007-08 champions went 10-5 that January, including 3 losses at home. Dirk Nowitzki was absolutely torrid in the 2nd half and finished with 37 points. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24. Notables: C's shot 30% from behind the arc, Dallas seemed alot more fired up than Boston. The Mavs came out in the 2nd half and just kicked our ass. C's now travel to Detroit to face the struggling (putting it lightly) Pistons. Tip-off on Wednesday is at 7:30pm. Should be an emotional (more than usual) night for 'Sheed as it's his 1st time back in the D since signing w/the Celts this offseason. Going back to tonight's game, I really feel this team is sorely missing the leadership of KG and the stability of Marquis Daniels. Quisy runs the point well, is calm, cool and collected, and will find the open man if his shot is not there. And KG obviously is the mental glue that keeps this team on their toes and will quickly jump on a teammate who may start to lose focus. KG hopefully will be back this Friday and Quisy is expected back after all-star weekend.

Rebound...

What a rough last 24 hours it's been for C's fans. Here is the newest commercial in the Celtics' "Reloaded" advertising campaign. Let's hope better days are on the horizon. Enjoy your weekend Celtics fans.....

Ugh...

That is how I feel this morning. Last night at the Garden was just exhausting. The C's were never in the game, and even during the spurts they had, you just knew they were gonna lose. Pierce had trouble guarding Luol Deng, guys were missing key ft's and at one point, Doc was using Scal as a primary scoring option. I didn't hear any boos, but it was the 1st time in a long time that I've seen fans exiting the Garden so early. To me, it was a statement-the fans (we) were saying: "it's just not happening tonight." The loudest the building got was for the "who wants a t-shirt?" production in the 4th. Final: Bulls 96 Celtics 83. C's are now off until Monday when they face the Mavs in another TNT game. I believe the tip is scheduled for 8pm...

Dunkfest....

There were some great dunks in last night's game. Here they are. Thanks to TheTruthDominates' (great name) page on YouTube for the clips. Looking forward to going to the Garden tonight for Celts-Bulls...

Waxed...

Celtics "waxed that a**" tonight in Jersey. Final: C's 111 Nets 87. Paul Pierce led 7 Celts who were in double-figures with 24 points. Kendrick Perkins was a beast down-low, tallying 4 blocks and holding Brook Lopez to only 5 of 12 shooting. 8 of Lopez' 18 points were on free-throws. This game was all about the dunks though. Tony Allen had an incredible one-handed jam off a Pierce alley-oop (see previous post) and Bill Walker (FINALLY!) and J.R. Giddens came in to add their 2 cents with a few nice jams as well. This game was never close, and would've been even more lopsided if not for the C's coming out flat to start the 2nd half. The C's are back at home to face the Bulls tomorrow night. It's a TNT nationally televised game, so tip-off is at 8pm. I will be there, and hope to have some pics/video to post here late tomorrow night or Friday morning...

Tony Allen has HOPS.

Celtics smoking the Nets at the half, 71-35. Here is easily the most exciting play of the game:

Rondooooooooooooooooooo....

Rajon Rondo: "Now You're Mine"

Thanks to xMuscularGhandix over at YouTube for this sweet combination of Gangstarr's music and RR's highlights:

Disgusted...

The officials ruined this game. I'm not saying they called too many fouls on the Celtics, but rather just bad officiating. C's fall 102-96 to the Hawks tonight. Fair to say that the Hawks own the C's this year. Keys to this game: Celtics had 16 turnovers, terrible/stagnant ball movement in the 4th, Celtics had 16 turnovers. Celtics now off until Wednesday night when they face the Nets in NJ. Tip-off is at 7:30pm... Here's a link to the boxscore if you'd like the stats-I'm a little too ticked right now to post much else: http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300111002

The 'Sheed & Rondo show...

Rasheed Wallace had his best game yet in green, and Rajon Rondo continued to be amazing as the C's beat the Raptors in Toronto today, 103-96. Wallace finished w/29 points, 8 boards, 2 blocks, 5 of 7 shooting from beyond the arc, and a key steal down to the stretch to secure the win. Rondo had another incredible stat-line, ending up with a triple-double: 22 pts, 10 boards and 13 assists. He also had 4 steals to add to his league-leading average. The Celtics moved the ball very well today I thought, and also played well on the defensive-end most of the game. Kendrick Perkins had 4 blocked shots to go along with his 16 points and 6 boards. He had a huge offensive rebound in the closing minutes that led to him getting to the line and burying two clutch free-throws. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce both also finished with 16 points. As usual, Chris Bosh was a force to be reckoned with and finished with 31 to lead all-scorers. There were rumors floating around Twitter today that he and Andrew Bynum were going to be traded for each other. I have not heard any credible sources confirming this. The Celts are back in action tomorrow at the Garden. The Hawks come into town, fresh off their win over the C's on Friday night. Tip-off is at 7:30pm.

Where's Walker.....?

It seemed like the C's were in control during much of the 1st half of last night's game vs the Hawks in Atlanta. But the Green collapsed in the 2nd half, going down 93-85. Paul Pierce led all scorers with 21, but it was Jamal Crawford and his 18 off the bench that sparked the Hawks to a 54-40 edge in the 2nd half.

My observations: Can't blame Rajon-the kid played 50 minutes in Miami (with a sore hamstring) and threw his body all over the floor all night. Then Doc plays him for another 40+? But, not Doc's fault either. We had no T.A. and no Marquis. The latter more important in my eyes. Quis is a great spark off the bench and has a knack for finding the basket. We really need him back on that 2nd unit to spell Pierce and Ray. Also, I thought that the C's settled for way too many jumpers in the 2nd half-hitting alot of 3's in the 1st half gave them a false sense of not needing to get to the rack in the 3rd/4th quarter. Also, and here's my biggest gripe..WHY ISN'T DOC PLAYING BILL WALKER? Especially last night. Atlanta is a team that kills us on the offensive glass alot of times and also a far more athletic team than us. So we put Scal and Shel in? No offense Shelden or Scal, but Walker could've brought some much needed speed, agility and athleticism last night. Why the hell put Scal in? Doc's answer would probably be that Scal knows all the plays/sets better, but that is getting old. The "SCAL-A-BRINE" chants at the Garden are not funny, and this guy needs to go in my opinion. Let's fill that roster spot with a pure PG or young, athletic PF. PLEASE. The Celts are off today and face the Raps tomorrow in Toronto. Tip-off is at 1pm...

Pierce to Rondo: incredible alley-oop..

Here is the incredible play I mentioned in my earlier post:

Ain't over til....

In an unreal game tonight in Miami, the Celtics beat the Heat in OT, 112-106. Dwayne Wade stole the ball from Ray Allen with about 5 seconds left, dunked the ball, and the game appeared to be over. But in pure Celtics fashion, Doc Rivers calls an out-of-bounds alley-oop play with 0.06 left, and Pierce and Rondo execute it perfectly. This game was far from pretty, as the C's turned the ball over 24 times, but they made key plays when it mattered. There were many clutch plays buy the guys in green tonight, Per, Ray, P-Dub and 'Sheed all contributed. But Rondo's stat line is just awesome: 25 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and he played a grueling 50 minutes with a tweaked hamstring. Whew....WHAT a game. C's are now off until Friday when they face the Hawks in Atlanta. Tip-off is at 8pm.

27 days.....

27 more days until C's-Lakers at the Garden. Can't wait....

Gettin' it done...

C's get the win tonight despite being without 3 of their best players. Final score tonight from the Garden: Celte 103-Raps 96. Chris Bosh finished with a quiet 25 points, never really getting much going til the 4th quarter. The Celts were led by Ray Allen's 23, and Big Baby Davis was great off the bench scoring 15 and getting to the hole on many strong drives. The C's had 48 points in the paint to the Raps 30. Perk had another double-double, dumping in 14 points and grabbing 10 boards, but 'Sheed's stat line impressed me the most tonight: 16 pts, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, a block, 3 steals, 0 turnovers and 2 of 5 from downtown. All and all a great night for the C's, all things considered. Still very leery of the whole KG situation. Before the game, Doc Rivers told the media he expects KG to be out for another10 days or so-most fans/friends that I've talked to think this is just a replay of last year's "bad to worse" debacle with Ticket. Let's hope he recovers well from whatever is going on (C's say hyperextended knee) and gets back on the floor soon. C's are off now until Wednesday when they travel to Miami to face DWade and the Heat. Tip-off is at 7:30pm...

Demar Derozan=Avatar

"Gilbert can shoot though...."

So at around 1:45am, I noticed Bucks' rookie Brandon Jennings was on UStream. I joined in the chat and tossed a question his way. There were almost 300 people in the room, but he actually responded to my question, which was: "Which PG has been the toughest to play against so far? Rondo?" He pondered the question for a moment, actually looked pretty deep in thought, and then replied.."Gilbert Arenas." He then said something to the effect that there were some good point guards in the league (never mentioning Rondo's name) and then said: "Gilbert can shoot though...." Ouch.