All the way turned-up..

C's started off slow & sloppy tonight, but quickly got it together to pummel the Cavs in Cleveland 106-87. The C's came out of the gate looking a bit rusty, and the Cavs looked to be full of energy. But whatever Doc said to the guys after the end of the 1st worked.

The Celts played lock-down defense, and quickly set the tone for the rest of the night. Led by Paul Pierce's 3, (and 11 points) the Celtics finished with 8 blocked-shots and held the Cavs to 39% from the field. The Celts meanwhile nailed 50% of their shots.

Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 23 points, most of them on blow-by layups that had the Cavaliers swatting at air all night. Marquis Daniels tied his highest point total as a Celtic with 16 and played great defense once again. Nate put in 8 and Big Baby dropped 17 in another fine effort from the bench.

C's now fly back to Boston and face the Blazers tomorrow at TD Garden. The Blazers will also be playing for the 2nd time in 2 nights. I will be at the Garden tomorrow night for the game, which will tip-off at 7:30pm.

Walker off the window...

All this Antoine Walker talk has got some of us Celtics fans nostalgic. What better way to remember 'Toine's days in green than this classic moment from 2002. Enjoy.

Revenge...

C's get some revenge at home tonight, beating the Raps 110-101 at the Garden. C's lost a tough one to Toronto north of the border last Friday.

Celts came out firing on all cylinders tonight. KG was dunking, Ray was nailing 3's, and Rondo, in his return from a hamstring injury, was dishing. The boys in green were up by 11 after 1. But the Raps crashed the boards and scored 32 points in the 2nd quarter to stay in the game. Rebounding was a problem tonight, especially on the offensive side. Raps pulled down 17 offensive rebounds to Boston's 8.

But Kevin Garnett's season-high 26 points & the C's dominance down-low were the difference. Shaq put in 16 as well as the C's scored a ridiculous 64 points in the paint. SugarRay added 17, Pierce 18 and Glen Davis chipped in 18 off the bench.

The C's now have 3 full days off before returning to Cleveland for the 2nd time this year on Tuesday. Tip-off will be at 7pm EST Tuesday night.


(video from dicko321))

Shaq saves the day....

The Beast wishes crowd Happy Thxgiving

When Delonte West went down near the end of the 1st half tonight, things looked really bad in Boston. The C's were really struggling and the Nets were in control. But at the beginning of the 2nd half, as we learned D.West's wrist was broken, the C's started to turn things around.

Behind Shaq's game-high 25 points, some clutch-shooting by Ray and Nate, and some all-around balling by Marquis, the C's beat a determined Nets team 89-83 tonight at the Garden. Delonte landed hard on his right wrist late in the 1st half, and the C's announced later in the game that he did in fact break it. There is no timetable for his return.

Classic Shaq

"What's that? You want more?"

This game was a struggle for the C's. The Nets, coming off a good OT win over Atlanta last night, kept fighting and never gave in.

The Captain put in 18 points, Nate and Ray both hit clutch 3's down the stretch and Marquis had an all-around solid game. He had 4 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. It seemed that he was always in the right place all game long.

The Celtics are now off for Turkey Day and return to action Friday at the Garden for a rematch w/Toronto. Tip-off is at 7:30pm. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.
(video courtesy of Chris Forsberg)

Slaughtered..

"Enough bullsh*t. Let's smoke these fools tonight."

I knew the C's would be hungry tonight. But I had no idea they'd come out like this. Losing at home to a Durant-less OKC game on Friday didn't sit well, and then losing in Toronto to a weaker Raps team was the last straw. Enough. C's destroy the Hawks in Atlanta tonight 99-76.

The C's came out of the gate full of fire. Attacking, pushing the ball and defending- 3 staples of Celtic basketball. Shaq had his 2nd highest scoring game so far as a C, with 13 points to go with 11 boards in 21 minutes, and Nate & Ticket also had double-doubles: Ticket with 17 and 11 and Nate the Great with 16 and 10 assists. Nate also hit 4 of his 5 three-point attempts. It was just an old-fashioned beat down tonight.

The defense was also on point this evening, with Delonte West getting up for 2 highlight-reel blocks, and Marquis Daniels putting-back 3 Hawk's shots himself. The Green also continued to shutdown the opposition's two-guards. D Wade and Gilbert Arenas have already been victims, tonight it was Joe Johnson: held to 6 points on 2 of 10 shooting.

Celts now come home for a day off before facing the Nets at the Garden on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 7:30pm.

Celts Late Night Show pregame w/Mario West..

Be sure to join my boys from Celtics Late Night Show tonight at 6pm for a live pregame show. They'll talk about just what the C's will need to do tonight vs the Hawks to get a much needed win. And, the Red Claws' Mario West  will also be calling-in to talk Celtics, Red Claws and answer your questions.

So be sure to join Nick and Brandon here at 6pm EST. Then immediately afterwards, watch the Celtics take on the Hawks in Atlanta on CSNNE at 7pm.

Blah.

C's lose an ugly one in Toronto today 102-101. Paul Pierce missed a shot at the horn, the Raps D and bench were tough,the refs made a bad-call in the final seconds and the C's missed too many free-throws.

End of story.

No time to wallow. C's are back at it tomorrow night against Atlanta in the ATL. Tip-off is at 7pm EST.

Here's the box score courtesy of YahooSports.