Big game. Big win.

Celtics get it done tonight in San Antonio beating the Spurs 107-97. Boston was up for the challenge, and looked nothing like the team that recently dropped games to the Grizzlies, Bobcats and Pacers.

Rajon Rondo had his best game in a while and did it all: 22 points, 14 assists and 5 boards. And even more important, he did not turn the ball over. Not once. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were also huge. Pierce hit shot after shot and finished with 21 points. KG buried numerous huge buckets in the final minutes to rack up 20 points of his own to go with 9 rebounds. This was the Celtic team that fans love. The Celtics team that leaves it all on the floor, communicates and plays solid defense. This game was a great confidence-builder for the Celtics, and almost a must-win as they now go into Atlanta for another game in less than 24 hours.

The only bad news tonight was Nenad Krstic sustaining what the Celtics have called a "right-knee injury". There were no updates on his condition at the time of this post. The C's face-off with the Hawks tomorrow in Atlanta-tip-off is at 8pm

Postgame interviews-Charlotte 83 Boston 81

Courtesy of ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg:

Missing..

Celtics lose again at home-this time to the lowly Bobcats. 'Cats 83 Celts 81

Has anyone seen the Celtics?

What happened?

"Yeah but...."

52 points in the paint and 20 turnovers happened. We need some help in the middle. Anyone seen Shaq?

See John's recap over at Red's Army for a little less angst and sarcasm.

C's are back at it on Friday when they face the Bobcats. Tip-off is at 7:30pm.

(video courtesy of Chris Forsberg)

C'mon Son

Can't stop the bumrush.

The Celtics pull out another huge comeback win tonight, beating the Knicks in NYC 96-86. This was a tough, gritty win of a game that featured blood, sweat and probably some tears from Melo and Stat-they were both held scoreless for the entire 4th quarter by a stingy Celtics defense.

Paul Pierce was once again Mr 4th quarter, scoring 12 points in the final period and taking the game over. He put-up a solid 21 points, to go w/6 boards and 2 assists. Kevin Garnett was fantastic also. He did it all in the 2nd half-diving for loose balls, grabbing rebounds and hitting clutch baskets. KG finished with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. Rajon Rondo continued to pull-out of his "skid" by looking like the spry point guard we all know & love. He dished-out 12 dimes to go w/13 points and 2 steals. Glen Davis & Jeff Green chipped in 8 and 7 points, respectively, off the bench.

C's now come back to the 617 for a day off tomorrow before a 2-game homestand that starts on Wednesday. That's when the C's face old friend Tony Allen and the Memphis Grizzlies. Tip-off is at 7:30pm.

Be sure to read my colleague Chuck's recap also at Red's Army.com.

Back on track..

"GOD I hate you two.."

After being down by 15 at one point, and 11 at the half, the C's get an emotional come-from-behind win in New Orleans tonight 89-85. The starters struggled most of the game-Paul Pierce and Nenad Krstic combined for 9 points- but the bench picked-up the slack. Glen Davis was huge with 20 points and 8 boards, and also knocked-down 2 big free-throws in the final minute. Jeff Green continued his good play with 10 points and Delonte scored 9 to go w/5 assists in his 3rd game back from a wrist injury.

Ray Allen was the bright-spot for the starters, dropping in 20 points, hitting clutch shots down the stretch and of course shooting 4 of 4 from the line. Kevin Garnett had a solid game with 12 and 9, the biggest basket a jumper with :57 left in the game to put the C's up by 4. This was a much-needed win for a struggling team that has been questioned of late by the media, the fans and just about everybody else.

Celts now have tomorrow off before playing the Knicks at MSG on Monday night. Tip-off is at 7:30pm.

Be sure to read Chuck's recap over at Red's Army for more-including a link to the full boxscore.

Ouch..

Another night where the Celts just weren't clicking. Tonight they fall in Houston in an ugly loss, 93-77.I just had a discussion with other C's fans on Twitter. Some are pretty despondent. Now I know things looked really terrible tonight, but this team still is in the midst of feeling each other out and waiting for Shaq (amongst others) to return from injury. When Danny pulled the trigger on that trade, and brought other new faces in this late in the year, that's the risk he took. But I personally don't think it's time to press the panic-button yet.

Don't get me wrong-I'm concerned with the same issues all of us are: Rondo's struggles, the teams' lack of effort/energy tonight and whether or not Shaq will come back in time to be ready for the playoffs. But there is one thing I do know about the C's-the core group of players and coaching staff have been through adversity before. We saw this same situation during the regular-season last year. Now granted, last year there was not such a huge shift in chemistry. But I still feel that once these guys get on the same page, get their injured-players back in action and get into the playoffs, they will be a title contender.

I hope no one took my comments on Twitter to heart tonight. If anything, seeing my fellow Celtics fans discouraged bothers me because they are like family. Celtics fans are like no other fans in the world. We are an emotional, stubborn and loyal lot. And I hate seeing my Celtics fam down. So stay positive CelticNation. I know we all hate this cliche, but is so true: playoff time is it when it really matters.

C's have very little time to dwell on this embarrassing loss. They are right back at it in New Orleans tomorrow to face the Hornets. Tip-off is at 8pm EST.

6 foot 7

Well...we all know how the Celtics did tonight. If you want to read about it, check out my other hang-out, Red's Army. There, my boy John gets into what happened, what's wrong and you can comment and check out the box score.

But what you're gonna get here tonight is Lil Wayne's "6 foot 7" video. I'm not a huge Wayne fan, but they play this song every night at the Garden when the C's hit the floor. It's really grown on me. C's back at it on Wed vs the Pacers. Tip-off is at 7:30pm. I'll be there.

Whooped..

"56 points? Damn..."

Celts set new record for defense by holding the Bucks to 56 points tonight. C's win 87-56 at the Garden behind Nenad Krstic's 11 points and 14 boards. Full recap from my colleagues at Red'sArmy.


(video courtesy of Chris Forsberg)

Celts fall in Philly

"WTF...."

Not much to say tonight. I'm tired and a bit disappointed. This was a game the Celtics win with some better defense and better shooting from the starters. Kg, Ray, Rondo, Krstic & Paul were a combined 17 of 43 tonight. Lone bright-spot was Nenad, who shot the ball fairly well & was absolutely all over the glass. He had a double-double of 16 pts and 15 boards. Jeff Green continued to get better as a Celtic-he dropped 18 points, including 2 three-pointers.

I am really looking forward to getting back Baby, DWest, Shaq and the rest of the C's injured guys. Still no definitive word on when Shaq and DWest come back, but the C's did say today that Baby hopes to play against the Bucks this weekend.

I'll be at the Garden when the Bucks come to town on Sunday. Tip-off is at 6pm.

Here's some video of an obviously perturbed Rondo that Chris Forsberg filmed postgame tonight:

Uhh..um...yeah.

Not much to say about this one. Mo Williams and DeAndre Jordan decided they were going to put the Clips on their backs tonight. And they did. Clippers 108 Celtics 103. Williams: 28 points, 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Jordan: 21 points on 9 of 10 from the field, and calmly buries 2 crucial free throws in the final minutes. This looked to me like one of those games that the C's thought they'd lay around in the weeds for 3 quarters and then pick it up in the 4th. Someone forgot to tell them the Clippers were a young, athletic team that could put up alot of points.

Celtics struggled from the field all night. By the time they found some range in the 4th, it was too late. Ray Allen led the C's with 23. Complete box score from ESPN here.

The schedule now becomes really rough for the C's-they have 6 games in 9 nights, including 2 back-to-backs. Next up, the red-hot Sixers (winners of 7 of their last 9 games) in Philly on Friday night. Tip-off is at 7pm.
(video via Chris Forsberg)

Ugly, but we'll take it.

"What you gonna do..?"

Can't handle the Truth.

Kevin Garnett's defense and clutch shooting by Paul and Ray help the C's beat the Bucks 89-83 tonight in Milwaukee. It was not pretty, as the C's turned the ball over 17 times, but they executed down the stretch to get the win.

Nenad Krstic continued to play well since the big trade. He put in 17 points in 29 minutes. Celts looked a bit tired during this one, so the 2 full days off they have coming up should be just what they need. There are still big concerns about Shaq's health. Just when we thought he'd be back, not so fast...

 Read John's post on that for more.

Celts next face Blake Griffin and the Clippers on Wed. night at the Garden. Tip-off is at 7:30pm.

Not as close as it seemed..

(video via Jose3030)
Celtics destroyed the Suns for most of the game tonight. Some poor shooting, a terrible stretch by the 2nd unit and the refs let Phoenix get within 9 in the 4th, but the C's hold on to win 115-103 tonight at the Garden.

Glen Davis went down in the final minute after a breakaway dunk. Some of the media have called it a "strained patella tendon" in his left knee. Celtics say he is day-to-day and will have an MRI tomorrow.

KG absolutely abused Channing Frye all night. Dunks, jumpers, turnarounds, you name it, Ticket did it. He finished with 28 points to lead all-scorers. All 5 starters finished in double-figures tonight: Paul & Rondo each put in 16, Ray scored 19 and newcomer Nenad Krstic an impressive 13 points. Jeff Green looked much better than he did in his first game-he only tallied 6 points, but played great defense and looked much more comfortable during his 17 minutes on the floor.

Newest Celtic Troy Murphy saw his first NBA action since January. Doc put him out there for about 14 minutes to get a feel for the plays the C's run.

Celts now are off until Friday night when the Warriors are in town. Tip-off is at 7:30pm. I'll be there and will be tweeting from the game, and posting some pics/video/thoughts here and on RedsArmy. Be sure to check out John's recap  of tonight's game too.

It's official:

Troy Murphy HIMSELF confirms to ESPN.com that he is going to Boston. B-O-S-T-O-Nabout 3 hours ago via ÜberSocialRetweeted by 100+ people

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Big 3 make big win possible..

So clutch.

The Big 3 all did their thing tonight to help the Celtics beat the Jazz in Utah 107-102. The C's finish their final West Coast trip of the year 3-1. Ray Allen led the C's with 25 points and nailed 5 of his 8 three-point attempts. One of them, an incredible off-balance shot from the wing in the final minute. Kevin Garnett reached 23,000 points in his career tonight, and had yet another double-double, finishing with 18 and 14. Paul Pierce hit clutch free-throws down the stretch, going 11 of 11 from the stripe, and had a solid night: 21 points, 7 boards and 4 assists.

Rajon Rondo dished out 11 assists to go with 16 points. The C's newest additions, Krstic and Green, chipped in 11 and 5 respectively. Celts now finally head back to Boston for a day off tomorrow. They'll be back in action at the Garden on Wednesday night when Phoenix comes to town. Tip-off is at 7:30pm. For links to the boxscore and more, be sure to read John's recap over at RedsArmy too.