Hanging their heads..

Feels like I've seen Pierce and KG at that postgame table hanging their heads more than anything else this season. Another frustrating home loss tonight to OKC 109-104, as Kevin Durant torches the C's for 37 points. Jeff Green was the real killer, burying two (wide-open) corner 3's in the last 2 minutes. KG was obviously frustrated. Thanks to Chuck at RedsArmy.com for the video. *WARNING explicit language*

*Sputter*

That is the one word that comes to mind tonight. Sputter. The C's came out with a bang in the 1st quarter tonight, but it was all downhill after that. They were absolutely outplayed, outrebounded, outhustled and outlasted by the Spurs tonight. Final at the Garden: Spurs 94 C's 73. Here are the things that jump out at me: We were outscored 33-17 in the 3rd quarter, we went 1 of 14 from beyond the arc and we could not seem to get an offensive board. Paul Pierce led the C's with 18 and Shelden Williams had his best game as a Celtic, scoring 11 points in 11 minutes. Manu Ginobli led all scorers with 28. A couple of "hold your breath" moments tonight as KG and Truth both went down hard, but neither had to leave the game. Fans I spoke to after the game tonight at the Garden think this loss basically washes away the hope they had built off the C's last few good wins-Personally, I am really not sure what to make of the Celts right now.

Before I sign off, I want to give big thanks to Mike Deleon and Jeff Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com for hanging out with me this weekend. They both made the trek out here for the game and I really enjoyed chilling with them. They are both die-hard Spurs fans and great guys. Be sure to follow them both on Twitter: @mdeleon and @sa2ny2004. You can also check them out on ProjectSpurs.com of course. Also, big thanks to Nick and Brandon from CelticsLateNightShow.com and John from RedsArmy.com. Had a great time with those guys tonight, despite the crappy outcome of the game. The C's are now off until Wednesday when the Thunder are in town. Tip-off at the Garden is at 7:30pm. Here is the one highlight from tonight:

Project Spurs: Mission Boston is off and running....!

The time has finally come! Project Spurs: Mission Boston is underway. Let me give you some quick background: ProjectSpurs.com is a great San Antoino Spurs fansite run by Mike Deleon and Jeff Garcia. Back in December '09, after the Celtics best the Spurs in Texas, I went on their live call-in show and told Mike and Jeff that if they physically got their a**e* to Boston on March 28th for the C's-Spurs rematch, I'd buy them both tickets. Jeff is from Texas, but now resides in NYC while Mike was born, raised and still lives in Texas. Well, they called my bluff, and here we are. Mike and Jeff both arrived in town today and we have had a great time so far. This afternoon, the Project Spurs guys, myself and John from RedsArmy.com, got together for a great lunch, some drinks and some good basketball talk. I had to head home as I work early tomorrow, so John is taking the boys for a night out in Cambridge near their suite. But tomorrow the real debauchery goes down. We will be joined by Nick from NorthStation Sports, and Brandon from Gino'sJungle.com. We will all be heading to the Garden for the Spurs-Celtics game, doing some live-blogging and of course talking smack/backing up our respective teams. Stay tuned here, and on ProjectSpurs.com for more. Here are some pics and video from earlier this afternoon...

Assists and gambles...

Just got in from the Garden where the C's beat the Kings tonite 94-86. Game never should've been that close, but the C's got a little laxed in the 2nd half tonight. But the big news of the night was that Kendrick Perkins was held out of the contest with what the C's are calling "left-knee tendinitis." Doc was quoted after the game as saying that it has been bothering Ken for a while and that he is doubtful for Sunday. I personally thought that Perk was just getting a much-deserved night off, but found out the concerning news myself afterwards. Perk is def one of my favorite guys and I hope that he heals quickly and is ready to rock and roll for the postseason. The other injury news of the night involves Nate Robinson. He left the game in the 1st half and never returned. He is listed as questionable for Sunday with a sprained ankle. Ray Allen continued his fine play, scoring 20 points tonight, and Paul Pierce dropped in 22. But the real star of this game was Rondo-he finished with a staggering 18 assists and 3 steals, which put him at 170 for the season. That breaks Rick Fox' single-season record of 168. C's now are off until Sunday when they face the Spurs. Jeff Garcia and Mike DeLeon from Project Spurs are in town covering the game, and I'll be hanging with them as well as Nick from North Station Sports all weekend. Check here, my Twitter, and ProjectSpurs for updates. Tip-off vs the Spurs on Sunday night is at 8pm. Here is some great postgame video courtesy of ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg:

The Quiet Assassin..

Last night in the locker room following the win over Denver, T.A. gave himself a new nickname....

Home is where the heart is..

Celtics continue to play good ball at home and beat the Nuggets tonight 113-99. Paul Pierce had another great night, scoring 27, and looks like he is possibly in the best shape he's been in all season. Paul actually was quoted after tonight's game as saying just that. All of the starters had great games, contributing in their own way: Rondo had another amazing stat night, finishing with a triple-double of 11 points, 11 boards and 15 assists. Ticket dropped in 20 and pulled down 10, Ray had 16 points and Perk had 7 points to go with 2 blocks and 5 boards. But the spark of the night, and a big part of this win was Tony Allen. T.A. had 2 key rebounds and shot 5 of 6 to finish w/13 points. Nate and Mike Finley also chipped in 8 and 7 points respectively.

The C's now continue on this 6-game homestand with a day off tomorrow and then the Kings are in town Friday night. I will be at the game and will be posting pics etc here, and on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/kwapt. Tip-off on Friday is at 7:30pm...

Out of gas...

The C's came out looking very solid tonight in Utah, but showed signs of their old-selves by coming up short in the 2nd half and going on to lose 110-97. Glen Davis played like a man possessed early on, getting board after board and scoring at will-he finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds. It was a very good night for the bench as a whole, as they scored a total of 48 points. Quisy, Finley and Nate each chipped in 8 points. The starters were lead by Ray Allen with 15. Paul Pierce seemed to be getting into a nice rhythm in the 1st quarter, and was attacking the rim, but he finished up with 11 points on a sub-par shooting night of 3 for 13. The Celts looked tired and sloppy during the last 2 quarters. The 2nd half was completly controlled by the Jazz and Mehmet Okur who poured in 14 points and 4 three-pointers.

Project Spurs-Mission:Boston

It's coming. This Sunday, the Spurs are in town to play the Celtics. I will be welcoming into town good friends Jeff Garcia and Mike Deleon from Project Spurs.com. There will be a bunch of us from the blogosphere getting together for this game-including: John and Chuck from RedsArmy.com, Brandon and Travis from GinosJungle.com and Nick from NorthStationSports.com. It is sure to be a fun weekend. Stay tuned for more details. Matt Bonner was the man the last time the Spurs were in town. I was at the Garden, regrettably, for that one as well:

The Truth is alive and kicking...

At many points this season, Paul Pierce and the Celtics have been counted out. Someone forgot to tell them that. The C's win their 4th in a row tonight, beating Dallas 102-93, in a gritty, playoff-style battle. From the start, you could sense that both teams knew just how important this game was. The Mavs were trying to finish up a homestand strong, and the C's trying to continue to build confidence going into the final few weeks of the regular-season. Despite some sloppy play at times, the C's came up big when it counted. Whether it was Rondo scrapping to get rebounds away from much bigger players, or Pierce attacking the rim, or Ray draining a 3, they were on point this evening. Pierce led all scorers with 29 points on 10 of 17 shooting, SugarRay nailed 4 three-pointers, and Rondo had another dazzling stat line: 20 pts, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. The one battle we did lose tonight was off the bench. The Mavs' bench out-scored ours 26-13. But nevertheless, the C's win yet another road game.

Great start...

C's get their last significant road trip of the year off to a great start by beating Houston 94-87 tonight. The Big 3 all looked great with KG, Ray and P-Dub dropping in 15, 19 and 26 respectively. They also got a huge boost off the bench tonight from Glen Davis. Davis dropped in 7 points and grabbed 7 boards in 16 minutes. In one furious sequence, he pulled down 3 offensive rebounds before finally getting a whistle. Maybe it was the shoes? The C's now face a tough task-play the red-hot Dallas Mavericks tomorrow in the 2nd of a back-to-back. Tip-off at the American Airlines Center tomorrow night is at 9pm EST. Short post tonight as I am exhausted.

The Causeway St. Connection..

Rondo's sweet dish to Ticket made NBA.com's "Assist of the Night":

Shamrocks and shenanigans...

C's roll over the Knicks in the 1st home game on St Paddy's Day since 2004, 109 to 97. KG looked great, Paul Pierce had his best game (scoring-wise) in a while and all was good for the Garden faithful. Eddie House missed tonight with an ankle injury, but old friends Bill Walker & JR Giddens did play for the Knicks, the former dropping in 8 points and a couple of nice dunks. Giddens chipped in 4 points and a couple of asissts and boards. David Lee however had his way with us again, scoring 29 points, hitting all 9 of his ft's and pulling down 9 boards in a losing effort. KG and P-Dub paced the home-squad with 22 and 29 respectively. Ticket looked great and in excellent form-he ran the floor well, had a couple of great dunks, and was connecting on his jumper all night. Marquis Daniels led the bench with a solid line of 10 points, 3 rebounds,1 asisst and 1steal. I was a little concerned that the Knicks scored almost half of their points in the paint (44), but at this point, a win is a win, is a win. I, like most Celtics fans, would be a little more comfortable after seeing a good win against some marquee teams, and those teams are on deck. The C's now go on the road to face Houston, Dallas and Utah-3 very good teams that play in loud arenas with dedicated fans. This next stretch of games (Houston twice, Dallas, Utah, OKC, Denver, Sac-Town, San Antonio & the Cavs) will be very tough and will really give us a good feel at how well these guys will play now that they are all healthy and have had some time to gel. C's are off tomorrow and meet Houston on Friday night in Texas. Tip-off is at 8:30pm...

"I can smell your cologne through the microphone.."

Classic KG after last night's win...

"It was grimy, it was grutty...."

Is "grutty" a word? I'm not telling KG if it's not..A little bit late with this post, but last night I didn't get in until well after Midnight. The C's smoked the Pistons 119-93 at the Garden behind a well-rounded effort from the whole team. As KG explains in this video, (courtesy of ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg) the C's showed some of that hunger, grit and swagger that we've all been yearning for. Michael Finley was amazing, scoring 15 points off the bench and looking like he's going to fit right in with the C's. Paul Pierce scored 12 points in the 1st quarter to spearhead the C's aggressive attack from the jump. The Celtics also won the battle of the boards, which has been very tough for them so far this year. They outrebounded Detroit 36-27. See all of the stats here: http://www.nba.com/celtics/stats/boxscore_reader.html?gameid=20100315/DETBOS
The C's are off today and return to action at the Garden tomorrow vs the Knicks. Tip-off is at 7:30pm. This will be the 1st time the Celtics have played at home on St. Patrick's Day since the 2003-04 season! They beat Denver that night 104-100. Here is the archived story from ESPN.com:http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=240317002

Ice cold...

C's fall to the Cavs in Cleveland today, 104.93. Celts struggled from the field all day, and turned the ball over 11 times. The Cavaliers were definitely the more active team, w/Varejao frustrating people as usual and Lebron blocking shots, passing and scoring. I just never felt like the C's were in this game despite them keeping it close for most of the contest. The C's looked a step slower and a bit sleepy. The 2nd unit, which had been great in the last couple of games, just couldn't find the range. 'Sheed continued to disappoint fans, going 1 of 8 from the field and 0 of 2 from beyond the arc. He also looked sloppy and lazy on defense. Yes, I said it. The Cavaliers played far from their best basketball most of the 1st half, but the Celtics did not take advantage. It has been this type of year for us as Celtics fans-up and down, good and bad, but lately..mostly bad. You just don't know which team is going to take the floor on any given night. The C's get no rest now. It's back to Boston tonight, then back in action tomorrow when the Pistons come to town. Tip-off is at 8pm for the ESPN game. I should be at the Garden and posting some pics/video...

T.A. baby...

Here's a clip of Tony Allen showing off his mad hops during last night's trouncing of the Pacers. Thanks to Hrvoje1313 of YouTube for the vid. Check out all his stuff at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Hrvoje1313

Rajon Rondo mix by MuscularGandhi...

My favorite YouTuber, MuscularGandhi, is at it again....

Back on track...

C's get back to their winning ways tonight, shooting 58% from the field and smoking the Pacers 122-103. Nate Robinson was an absolute firecracker tonight-Nate was 5 of 6 from 3-point land, and finished with 15 points to lead all bench scorers. Paul Pierce led the C's with 20 points. The C's really looked hungry tonight. I saw alot of hustle, fluid ball movement and good defense. Things now get alot tougher for the C's-they face the Cavs in Cleveland on Sunday for an ABC nationally televised game, the come back to Boston to face Detroit the next night. We'll see if they can be consistent. I would call my mood after tonight's win cautiously optimistic. In this video courtesy of ESPN's Chris Forsberg, Ticket and Truth talk about how the boo's bothered them and how they had a "heart-to-heart":

"We just didn't have the fight...."

That was one of the quotes from Doc's press conference tonight. This was just a terrible night to be at the Garden and a terrible night to be a Celtics fan. The Memphis Grizzlies came in and absolutely kicked our asses-plain and simple. We looked tired, disorientated and just plain bad tonight. I actually let a friend and his date sit in my seats for the 2nd half and I sat over with Daisuke Sugiura, a member of the Japanese media that I have befriended this year while at the Garden. We discussed just how bad the Celtics have looked at some points this season. We agreed that tonight was one of the worst losses at the Garden in a long time. The boos were very loud and once again, the Garden emptied out way before the final horn. You can say the Grizz used their athleticism and youth to beat us, you can say we played on the road last night and were tired, but still-WHERE IS THE CELTIC PRIDE? I don't recall what the score was, and don't really care either. C's are off now until Friday when the Pacers come to town. Tip-off is at 7:30pm. Here are some of Doc's thoughts on tonight's loss. Video is via ESPNBoston's Chris Forsberg:

What a night...

What a night last night. Went through just about every emotion you could think of during my 5 1/2 hours at the Garden for C's-Wiz. While there I felt it all: happiness, frustration, worry, anger, excitement, exhaustion, relief and gratitude (is that an emotion?). I got to the Garden at about 6pm as a friend of mine hooked me up with a few Legends passes. For those not familiar, Legends is an exclusive restaurant/bar at the Garden that is accessible only if you have passes. And to purchase passes, you must be a season-ticket holder. Well those who know me are aware that I'm a Celtics junkie-so I generally skip Legends and go right to the court to watch the Celtics, their opponents and sometimes the dancers warming-up/working-out. It really is fun to be in the Garden before the general public and get a chance to watch the night unfold. When we walked in last night, the 1st thing we noticed was Michael Finley working out with C's assistant coach Clifford Ray. Fin was taking perimeter jumpers mostly and hitting just about all of them. While watching Finley, I noticed ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg sitting courtside working away, as usual, on his laptop. We chatted for a moment about whether or not Michael would play and how as a sports journalist in Boston, Chris is grateful for all the passionate fans that keep him motivated to dig for all the latest "scoops" on the C's. He is a great guy and really does a hell of a job keeping the fans up to date on all the Celtics news. I  then went back over with some of my friends and said hi to Shelden Williams, who went through an absolutely rigorous workout pregame. Basically, one of the Celtics strength trainers puts a huge elastic arounnd Shel's waist, and Shel pulls the kid around like a horse and carriage. That was followed by sprints up and down the floor and numerous other jumping/pulling exercises. After his workout, he stopped and took a picture with me and didn't head down the tunnel until he signed for every kid that wanted an autograph. Dedicated guy with a great attitude. After watching Rondo and Scal play one-on-one, (see video) I said "see you at haltime" to my buddy Corey and we headed to our seats.

 Now before tip-off, I did think the Wizards young bigs would give the C's older players some trouble, but I had no idea what I was about to witness. During the game, the crowd became more and more angry as time went on. At this point, I was totally into this game. I was screaming at the refs, yelling at the Wiz players as they took free-throws and cheering the C's on all I could. As time was winding down in the 4th, fans started to leave the game. This has happened quite a few times this year, and it always gets me mad. But not us-we stayed, as bad as it looked, as frustrated as we were, we stayed. Then the turning point happened: their was a mad scramble for a loose ball and KG grabbed it and quickly called a timeout. That is what champions do-if they can't make a difference on the scoreboard, they do the little things that make oh such a big difference. Watching KG last night was tough at times. You could see he was tired and worn down from battling with the younger and quicker Blatche and McGee all night. But he still used whatever energy he had left, he still dug deep and got that loose ball. And then SugarRay did the rest. One friend who was with me is a HUGE Ray Allen fan and she was ELATED that she could be there live to see him drill those two huge shots. After the game was over, I was totally spent. Then I got a text inviting me to go down by the locker rooms to see/chat with some of the Celtics. You don't have to ask me that twice.

We made our way thru Section 2 down past security to the family waiting area. There we saw most of the players-Fabricio Oberto came over and said what up to Finley. Glen Davis came out in a sharp 3-piece suit and gave the fans a big cheesy wave and smile in typical Davis goofiness. Rondo and his brother made their way out-we all said "great job tonight Rondo", and he acknowledged us with a wave. I then got to meet Marquis Daniels who was very down-to-earth and took the time to talk for a minute before taking a quick pic with me. I'm a big fan of not only his work on the court but also his music and he was optimistic that a new mixtape would be out soon. We then ended this great night by exchanging hellos and hugs with Perk, his lovely wife Vanity and of course Lil' Perk who is just the cutest kid you'll ever see. Nights like these are why I love sports and love the Boston Celtics. Here are some pics that I sent over Twitter earlier. They include; Shelden and I, after his ridiculous workout, my friend Corey, myself and Marquis Daniels, and Michael Finley working out on the parquet.

3 in a row...

Behind Rajon Rondo's incredible 14 point 3rd quarter, the Celtics won their 3rd in a row tonight, beating the Sixers in Philly 96-86. Rondo finished with 16 total points, 11 assists and 6 boards. Kevin Garnett continued to play well, scoring a game-high 22 points. Glen Davis came off the bench to chip in 12 and 6. Perk continued to play tough D, blocking 4 shots and holding Samuel Dalembert to just 8 points. Here is video of one of Perk's blocked shots. The Celtics now come back to Boston and face the Wizards on Sunday night. Tip-off at the Garden is at 8pm....

Air Finley...

Another Jordan Brand sponsored athlete is coming to join Ray Allen in Boston. Former Spurs guard and NBA champion Michael Finley. Finley was hand-picked by Michael Jordan in the early 90's to wear the most recognized name in the sneaker industry. Jordan said he picked Finley back then as he liked his game and how much of a hard-worker he was. Hopefully JB will give Michael some sweet J's to rock in Celtic's colors for the rest of the season and the playoffs. I have compiled some pics of a few of the P.E. 's that Finley has worn over the years. Enjoy...

Finley on deck...

So according to multiple media outlets, veteran shooting guard Michael Finley is coming to Boston. Most feel despite the fact that he will be 37 on Saturday, this is a solid edition to our roster. Finley brings championship pedigree, playoff experience, veteran leadership, and when he's on, one of the smoothest shots in the game. Finley will join Ray Allen as the 2nd member of the Celtics that wears/endorses Jordan Brand. To some of you that means nothing, but to sneakerheads like me it's great! Here is a highlight-reel composed of his more recent play w/the Spurs.

Not pretty, but a win is a win...

Nate Robinson was huge, going 5 of 7 from the field and 4 for 5 from 3-point range to help the C's beat the Pistons 105-100 in Detroit tonight. He came off the bench for 14 points in 15 minutes. Ray Allen led all-scorers with 18 points. This was by no means an impressive win, but a much needed one. The Pistons shot an abyssmal 3 of 20 from 3 point land and turned the ball over 18 times. Paul Pierce had 9 points in 29 minutes in his return to the lineup tonight. The C's now fly back home for the 2nd of a back-to-back tomorrow w/Charlotte. Tip-off at the Garden tomorrow is at 7:30pm. Let's hope the C's can get some sort of win-streak going to help their confidence, and ours. It's been a tough time to be a Celtics fan lately. Are better times on the horizon...?

Larry Legend...

We as Celtics fans have not had much to cheer about lately. Well, as usual, xMuscularGandhix has something for that a**. Just uploaded to his YouTube page is this excellent mix of Bird's 60 point performance against the Hawks in 1985. Watch at about 1:50 as even the Hawks players start to get into it on their bench. This is just an incredible display of scoring-and their are a couple of ridiculous passes included. As always, check out xMuscularGandhix via: www.youtube.com/musculargandhi