Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Game..what game?

KG was led off the floor by Ed LaCerte after somehow injuring his right leg in the 1st quarter of tonight's game vs the Pistons. There's no way that any of us in CelticNation could've remained focused on the rest of the game after that. If you care, the C's turned the ball over 20+ times and lost to Detroit. Here's the boxscore.

Ticket went up pretty hard for a pass from Ray Allen, dunked it, and then grimaced in pain before letting go of the rim. When he landed, he jogged up the floor until he could get a stoppage in play. He then limped over to the Celtics bench area. He then sat on the bench for quite a while, with an agonized look on his face. Finally, he hobbled off the floor with the C's trainer.

A short while later, (that felt like 5 years to C's fans) the Celtics announced that the x-rays were negative, which rules out a break or fracture. Multiple media-outlets are reporting that: A) It is not a knee injury-it's a "lower-leg injury" and B)That a Celtics player was quoted as saying it was "worse than it looked." KG obviously did not play in anymore of tonight's game, and will have an MRI back in Boston tomorrow.

My personal opinion is that it is a strain of his right calf. When players go up for a dunk, they put alot of pressure on their calves by pushing off for lift. That is how they propel themselves up in the air. I noticed that when KG went up for that dunk, he really pushed-off with alot of effort. Tomorrow will be a long day for us as Celtics fans. We will simply have to wait, and hope.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Back on the right track..

C's get back to their winning ways tonight, beating the Pacers in Indy 95-83. It was a sloppy 1st half, but a tight, well-executed 2nd propelled the C's this evening. Kevin Garnett really battled all night underneath with a long Pacers group, including Jeff Foster, Josh McRoberts & Roy Hibbert. The Big Ticket finished with 13 boards to go with 11 points.

The sparks that lit the 2nd-half fire though were Marquis Daniels and Big Baby. Quisy's defense was huge down the stretch, and he also scored at will in the paint. Quisy had a great line tonight: 12 pts, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal & 5 rebounds. Baby shot lights out in the 2nd half and tallied 14 points. P.P. led the C's and all-scorers with 21 points.

The Celts now fly to Detroit where they will face the Pistons tomorrow in the 2nd of a back-to-back. Tip-off tomorrow is at 7:30pm.
(Video courtesy of Jose 3030)

Thursday, December 23, 2010

We shall overcome..

"Swear to GOD those refs were straight CHUMPS man.."
Going to be a short post tonight. I'm exhausted from yelling at the refs at the Garden all night. Listen, I am not one to blame and attack the refs, but tonight...tonight was awful. Phantom calls, blind calls and worst of all were the late calls. But the C's overcome both the refs and some poor shooting to win #14 in a row tonight at the Garden-final score: 84-80. Ray Allen lead all scorers with 22.

This was just frustrating to watch. I actually got yelled at by TD Garden security for yelling "BULLSH*T" at the refs. Check out the full recap and box score from Chuck at RedsArmy.com.

C's are now off until their showdown with the Magic on Christmas Day. Tip-off is at 2:30pm. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!
(video courtesy of ESPN Boston's C.Forsberg)

Sunday, December 19, 2010

13. 18, 10 & 12.

18 points, 10 rebounds & 12 assists.


13 straight wins for the Celtics, and a triple-double of 18, 10 & 12 for The Truth.

Without Rajon Rondo in the lineup, Paul Pierce became the "point forward" as Doc called him postgame,  and dished out 12 assists to help the Celtics beat the Pacers 99-88 at the Garden today. Shaquille O'Neal returned to the lineup and had 11 points & 5 rebounds in 21 minutes. Shaq scored early and often, but got into foul-trouble later in the game. Nate Robinson again was solid in the starting point-guard role, dropping in 18 points and playing with an unmatched hustle & energy all afternoon. Glen Davis was great off the bench, chipping-in 18 points and pulling down 6 rebounds. Marquis Daniels also continued to contribute, scoring 8 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 1 steal.

The Celtics are absolutely cruising right now, and as Paul Pierce said after the game, are not even playing their best basketball yet. Next up for the green; the Sixers come to town on Wednesday night. Tip-off at the Garden is at 7:30pm, and I'll be there. Check here and RedsArmy.com for my pics, video and more. Check   out John's recap of today's win on RedsArmy.com for more analysis and stats.
"AHHHHH!"

Thursday, December 16, 2010

And he shall lead us..

"We got this."
"I own the paint."
Doc Rivers knew he would be short-handed tonight against the Hawks. With Shaq out until at least Sunday, J.O., DWest and Perk still getting healthy and Rondo now out for a couple of weeks, he had 5 bench players.

One of them, Von Wafer, went down with back spasms early in the game. Could it get any worse..? Well, for these Celtics and their leader Doc Rivers, adversity is just motivation. The C's fight, fight and then fight some more to beat the Hawks tonight 102-90 at TD Garden. Ray Allen again led the C's in scoring- he had 18 points to lead the 6 Celtics that were in double-figures this evening. With a serious big-man shortage in Boston right now, Glen Davis' 18 points and 10 boards off the bench were huge to say the least.

This team just continues to defy the odds. They are focused beyond belief right now. It is absolutely scary to think how great this team will be once they are completely healthy and have had some continuity. Scary.

C's now get a couple of days off before hosting the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Doc Rivers was quoted as saying that Shaq could indeed play on Sunday, and CSNNE reported that Jermaine O'Neal is also very close to coming back soon. Tip-off on Sunday at the Garden is at 1pm.
(video courtesy of Chris Forsberg)

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Thriller in Manhattan...

You can't handle The Truth
The Celtics escape Madison Square Garden with their win-streak intact, beating Amar'e Stoudamire and the Knicks 118-116. Boston has now won 11 straight.

This game absolutely lived-up to all the hype. The local and national media had been pushing this game down our throats all week, and it actually was just as good as advertised. The Knicks were in control for most of this game. Amar'e had his way in the paint, Felton was dribble-driving and Gallinari's dunks and other heroics kept the sellout crowd into the contest. The Knicks led 90-83 heading into the 4th quarter.

But the C's hung around, and made the usual clutch plays when it mattered most: a Big Ticket follow dunk with 2:03 left, a Ray Allen 3 with 1:02 left, and of course Paul Pierce with a classic "The Truth" step-back jumper with 0.4 left.

Amar'e Stoudamire was an absolute monster again, bringing his streak of games with 30+ points to 9 straight, finishing with a game-high 39 points.

Pierce led the C's with 32, Ray continued his great play with 26 and Ticket dropped in 20. ESPN has the entire box score here.

No rest for the Celts. They will fly back to Boston tonight and face the Hawks at the Garden tomorrow. Tip-off will be at 8pm, as TNT has the game.
(video courtesy of NBAfufu)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Muscular Ghandi presents: "KG 2011"

New video from "Muscular Ghandi" features some great highlights from a clearly rejuvenated Kevin Garnett. Celtics fans, the media and his teammates all agree that the Big Ticket is finally fully healed from his knee injury, and having his best season in a long time:

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Watch out now..

Celtics make it 10 in a row with a beatdown of the Bobcats in Charlotte tonight, 93-62. It was an ugly 1st half. Both teams were missing everything and turning the ball over. Wasn't sure how this one would end...

But the Celtics came out focused and determined in the 2nd half and took control quickly. Ray and Big Baby both had 16 to lead the C's, but defense was the name of the game tonight. The Celtics had 10 blocked-shots, and Paul Pierce, Marquis Daniels and company held Gerald Wallace to 9 points on 2 of 15 shooting. Speaking of Quis, his defense has been fantastic all year, and he put together another great stat line tonight: 10 points, 6 boards, 3 steals and 2 of 3 from downtown. The Celtics are firing on all cylinders and doing it without Kendrick Perkins, J.O. and DWest. It's pretty clear that when this team is completely healthy, they will be tough to beat.

The bruised and battered C's now get a much needed 3 days off. Next up, what should be an entertaining night at MSG vs the rejuvenated Knicks on Wednesday. Tip-off will be at 7pm.
(video courtesy of "NBA_video")

Thursday, December 9, 2010

C's grind out 9th in a row..

"Jump on-I got you homie."
It wasn't always pretty, but the C's go into Philly on the 2nd night of a back-to-back and beat the Sixers 102-101. Doc Rivers drew-up a sweet play where KG came off the inbounds pass and caught an over the top pass from Rondo for an easy layup. The Sixers threw the ball right back to KG with 1.1 secs left and the C's steal a win.

Rondo once again had double-digit assists, handing out 14 to go with 19 points. Ray Allen struggled a bit, but hit some huge shots and drilled clutch free-throws to finish with a game-high 23. Glen Davis also was big off the bench scoring 16, pulling down 7 boards and hitting a huge jumper with less than a minute to play in the 4th.

It didn't look good rebounding-wise, as the C's were beat on the glass most of the game, but this team once again showed it's championship pedigree by doing what it takes to win in the closing minutes: grabbing rebounds, playing great defense and of course hitting big shots. C's improve to 18-4 on the year and now are off until Saturday when they face the 'Cats in Carolina. Tip-off is at 7pm.
(video courtesy of nbafufu)

C's make it 8 straight..

Baby shoots a free-throw
KG getting ready before tip-off
2nd unit heads to court after timeout
I probably should've stayed home tonight, but if the C's can play when they're not feeling well, then I have no excuse to not root them on. Just got in from the Garden where the bruised Celts beat the Nuggets 105-89.

I'm really wiped-out, so this will be a short post. For all the stats/notes from tonight, check out Chris Forsberg's Celtics blog

So now the C's fly out to Philly to face the 76er's. Who knows which C's will play tomorrow as Rondo, Shaq and Baby are all under the weather and/or banged-up. Tip-off will be at 8pm, as this is a TNT national broadcast.

The pics & video were all filmed on my phone from my seat at the game tonight.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Celtics-Nets postgame show..

As I mentioned last night, I am currently down in New Jersey spending some time w/family. I will also be heading over to the brand-new Prudential Center in Newark tomorrow to watch the Celtics face the Nets. The Nets lost yet another overtime game last night-this time to the Bobcats 91-84.

It ain't easy being Quisy
The Celtics come in winners of 6 in a row, their latest victory coming on Friday night against the Bulls. Behind KG's 20 points and 17 rebounds, the C's outlasted Chicago 104-92.

My good friends over at Celtics Late Night Show will be doing a live post game show at the conclusion of tomorrow's contest. I plan on calling-in live from the Pru to share my thoughts on the game. So make sure to tune in live tomorrow and check it out!

Friday, December 3, 2010

A well-oiled machine..

The Boston Celtics were at their best most of the night tonight as they overwhelmed & outplayed the Bulls 104-92 at the Garden.

I thoroughly enjoyed the absolute clinic that KG (20 pts & 17 boards) and Rondo (19 assists) put on tonight. The C's came out of the gate on an absolute tear, going up by 14 points in the 1st quarter. The Bulls managed to pull within 1 early in the 3rd quarter, but the Celtics put the clamps on for the rest of the evening, quickly going on a 14-1 run.

Shaq lived-up to his "no layups" catchphrase tonight by patrolling the paint with no regard for human life. He made it clear to the Bulls that nothing would come easy in his house.

But the real story was the tandem of Ticket and Rondo. Garnett continues to shine and show the naysayers that now that he has fully recovered from 2009's knee surgery he is as good as ever. Ticket grabbed board after board tonight and made many tough shots in the paint as well as midrange jumpers. And R.R. put on yet another dazzling display of steals, passes and pure wizardry. This was Rajon's 8th game of the young season with 15 or more assists.

The Celtics will now head to the brand-new Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. to face the Nets on Sunday. Tip-off is at 1pm. I am in Jersey visiting family this weekend and will be there when the C's and Nets face off. I am very excited to experience the Nets' new arena. I have heard nothing but great stuff about it. And of course it's always a thrill to cheer on my Celtcs in enemy territory. Should be a fun afternoon. I'll post pics @RedsArmy.com on Sunday night.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Shot heard 'round the Garden...

Jesus Saves
What a crazy night at the Garden. The Celts almost let the Blazers steal one at the Garden, but Ray Allen comes through in the clutch as C's win 99-95 tonight.

I am thoroughly exhausted from going right to the game from work, from being old, and from yelling, jumping up & down and sweating out this win tonight. The Garden crowd got frustrated tonight, but we stayed behind our Celts and willed them to victory. And oh yeah, Ray Allen hit a huge three-pointer with about 10 seconds left.

It's way past my bedtime, but if you'd like to see the boxscore, check it out courtesy of ESPN.
Here is a clip of Ray's game-winner shot by my boy MrTripleDouble from his seats in Section 15. I am off to NYC/NJ on Friday morning and will be there when the C's play the Nets in New Jersey on Sunday. C's next play on Friday night against Chicago. Tip-off at the Garden will be at 8pm.