I wouldn't go as far to say that Ryan was right. But in hindsight the Boston Globe columnist should have been worried about the abusive Joumana smacking him in the mouth. Meanwhile, I wonder what Jason Kidd will do over the All Star weekend.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Let it go Doc
Doc Rivers on Grant Hill following the C's loss to the Magic on Sunday,
"I got on Grant. I said, ‘Why play tonight? You never play in front of me, so why play tonight?'"
I realize Doc was joking and he's got a point as the article goes on to explain that "Hill played in just 47 of a potential 257 games when Rivers was coaching the Magic. Both have wondered how Hill’s injuries might have altered their respective careers."
Obviously it would have been better if Doc had Hill. And Kevin McHale will always walk with a limp. He's not complaining.
"I got on Grant. I said, ‘Why play tonight? You never play in front of me, so why play tonight?'"
I realize Doc was joking and he's got a point as the article goes on to explain that "Hill played in just 47 of a potential 257 games when Rivers was coaching the Magic. Both have wondered how Hill’s injuries might have altered their respective careers."
Obviously it would have been better if Doc had Hill. And Kevin McHale will always walk with a limp. He's not complaining.
Cuban weighs in
Mark Cuban's take on the Atlantic, which he calls the "Hotlantic Division".
He raises the typical concerns about whether any team outside of the Knicks have an incentive to win the division (Chicago owns their pick) or if the other four franchises will tank for "a lottery pick in what is being called the deepest draft since the Lebron/Josh Howard Draft." And you have to wonder. I'm not entirely sure what Paul Pierce's health status is but the C's are certainly not rushing him back into action. Meanwhile, I love Josh Howard. You love Josh Howard. Numerous teams regret passing on him. But I'm pretty sure that draft class had some other key players, even if they don't play in Dallas.
He raises the typical concerns about whether any team outside of the Knicks have an incentive to win the division (Chicago owns their pick) or if the other four franchises will tank for "a lottery pick in what is being called the deepest draft since the Lebron/Josh Howard Draft." And you have to wonder. I'm not entirely sure what Paul Pierce's health status is but the C's are certainly not rushing him back into action. Meanwhile, I love Josh Howard. You love Josh Howard. Numerous teams regret passing on him. But I'm pretty sure that draft class had some other key players, even if they don't play in Dallas.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Power Rankings
Mark Stein places the C's at 25th and advises them to tank: "Pierce returning later rather than sooner sounds like Celts' best option. Why not let Raps, Nets and Knicks ''fight'' for the Atlantic crown and play for a top-three pick?"
Maybe Sheed was right
From ESPN's Daily Dime: "Boston's Tony Allen was slow to get up after taking a flagrant foul from Orlando's Darko Milicic with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter. Milicic swung an elbow and Allen came up clutching his chest, but the Celtics guard finished the game."
- As a side note I spelled "Milicic" wrong every time in my previous posts. And Szczerbiak is never a safe bet either.
- As a side note I spelled "Milicic" wrong every time in my previous posts. And Szczerbiak is never a safe bet either.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
C's/Magic - 1/07/07
When I called my C’s/Magic preview mediocre I wasn’t kidding as both Grant Hill and Darko Milic played. And while I’m on the subject of Darko, Mike Gorman and Bob Cousy lose points for calling him Milic all night. I think freemilic.com would be infinitely less cool.
There was a play where Delonte West grabbed a rebound on the block, took one dribble and hit Tony Allen with a pass at half court. Allen caught it in stride and Carlos Arroyo fouled him before the former Oklahoma State star could find a streaking Wally Szczerbiak. It’s the kind of play that drives Celtics fans crazy because we want to see it more often. Orlando was retreating and forced to foul or give up a basket. It's definitely better than watching Wally and Scalabrine chuck up bricks. Although if a team struggles to rebound…
Speaking of Wally. His 26-point performance against the Grizzlies the other night may have been harmful as it obscured the point that he’s just not healthy. Even with his competitiveness Szczerbiak is a liability when his shot is not falling (4 of 15 from the field tonight). Although he does seem to be getting superstar calls, particularly when he plowed over Jameer Nelson and got the hoop and the foul call in his favor.
Due to a Ryan Gomes illness Doc finally played the duo of Jefferson and Perkins together. In the third quarter they did cut down a 16-point lead to 5 briefly before Orlando built it back up to 10. I'm putting myself firmly in the camp of people who believe in them playing together.
Tony Allen does seem to be playing at a different speed right now (7 steals!). Although we may not have to completely throw away Tommy Heinsohn’s three-dribble rule for Allen. Perhaps it should be modified and only apply to his left hand.
The Bob Cousy Experience
“It’s a shame this kid isn’t a little more talented.” – Cousy in the midst of praising Brian Scalabrine for his hustle. He’s absolutely correct. It’s great when Veal chases down a loose ball or drives and finds Kendrick Perkins in the paint. But then he’ll grab a rebound and lose it off his leg or have a pass go through his hands for a backcourt violation. There are numerous situations where the mind is willing but the body is incapable.
“Said a naughty word did he?” – Cousy after Trevor Ariza received a technical foul.
“I’ll tell you if there’s a more physical slasher pound for pound in this league I’d like to see him.” – Cousy on Tony Allen. Keep in mind Cousy knows maybe 15 players in the league but he’s got a poi
nt.
Heinsohn always takes a back seat to Cousy. It’s an interesting phenomenon. Hopefully FSN is paying for Tommy's long distance because I doubt he has a cell phone or Vonage.
Cousy can’t do a broadcast without referencing Bill Russell. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Well that Latin temperament …although if I’m not mistaken I got a few over the years so you can’t blame it on that.” – Cousy catching himself after Arroyo earned a technical foul.
“He kind of did a 360 tonight. He has not played well.” - Cousy speaking about Nelson who in most previous games the Couz had seen play well. Gorman didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a 180.
Let's revisit my pre game predictions (in bold).
- Nelson has another huge game against the C's. - Nelson struggled throughout the night and finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
- Howard puts up a minimum of 20 points and 15 rebounds. - He only went for 18 and 12. Thankfully I didn't predict 25 and 20 as I initially wanted to.
- Wally Szczerbiak makes one incredibly awkward and graceless, but ultimately harmless play. – At one point he dribbled towards the paint, was stripped of the ball and then somehow bear hugged Hedo Turkoglu into a jump ball.
- The C's big men get in foul trouble because of the beast that is Dwight Howard and Leon Powe gets some time. - Can you say DNP - Coach's decision?
- Ariza and Gerald Green make bids for the Slam Dunk Contest. – Ariza got in foul trouble and had to alter a couple of baseline moves when that the C's contended. Then Delonte West denied Ariza’s best chance on a drive midway through the 4th. Gerald meanwhile threw down a highlight reel dunk on a Szczerbiak miss. The crazy part was that he misjudged his jump and seemed to hang in the air for a split second before dunking. Sadly Gerald didn't do much else.
- If Bob Cousy is in the house he mispronounces a name or calls someone by the wrong name altogether. - Cousy forgot Darko’s name and then mispronounced “Milic” when Gorman fed it to him. Good times.
- C's win. – Orlando was relentless on defense and the glass. And it was not just Dwight Howard when it came to rebounds. Even Grant Hill got into the act (8 rebounds). Bonus points to Hill for hitting the floor to win a loose ball with five minutes to go in the first half. And then he contested a Tony Allen dunk attempt late in the 4th. Long story short he does not play skittish.
I finished 2.5 for 7. Not good.
Random Points
“If you don’t want to know much about basketball watch Gary and Greg on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight (cackling)” – Paul Pierce in a FSN promo. It never gets old. Although the verdict is definitely still out on Delonte’s wire coat hanger commercial.
One halftime observation: As Greg and Gary stumbled through their awkward interview with three Celtics dancers who were attempting to redefine our understanding of short shorts Red Auerbach officially rolled over in his grave. Although it’s worth noting that t
he Orlando squad picked up on the Mariah Carey formula – wear tight fitting game jerseys. Interestingly the dancers wore either #12 (Dwight Howard) or #33 (Grant Hill). You wouldn’t think stuff like this matters until you read about Shawn Marion in 7 Seconds or Less.
The Magic organization loses points for playing that “clap clap clap clap your hands” song on at least 2 occasions, if not more, during live action.
There was a play where Delonte West grabbed a rebound on the block, took one dribble and hit Tony Allen with a pass at half court. Allen caught it in stride and Carlos Arroyo fouled him before the former Oklahoma State star could find a streaking Wally Szczerbiak. It’s the kind of play that drives Celtics fans crazy because we want to see it more often. Orlando was retreating and forced to foul or give up a basket. It's definitely better than watching Wally and Scalabrine chuck up bricks. Although if a team struggles to rebound…
Speaking of Wally. His 26-point performance against the Grizzlies the other night may have been harmful as it obscured the point that he’s just not healthy. Even with his competitiveness Szczerbiak is a liability when his shot is not falling (4 of 15 from the field tonight). Although he does seem to be getting superstar calls, particularly when he plowed over Jameer Nelson and got the hoop and the foul call in his favor.
Due to a Ryan Gomes illness Doc finally played the duo of Jefferson and Perkins together. In the third quarter they did cut down a 16-point lead to 5 briefly before Orlando built it back up to 10. I'm putting myself firmly in the camp of people who believe in them playing together.
Tony Allen does seem to be playing at a different speed right now (7 steals!). Although we may not have to completely throw away Tommy Heinsohn’s three-dribble rule for Allen. Perhaps it should be modified and only apply to his left hand.
The Bob Cousy Experience
“It’s a shame this kid isn’t a little more talented.” – Cousy in the midst of praising Brian Scalabrine for his hustle. He’s absolutely correct. It’s great when Veal chases down a loose ball or drives and finds Kendrick Perkins in the paint. But then he’ll grab a rebound and lose it off his leg or have a pass go through his hands for a backcourt violation. There are numerous situations where the mind is willing but the body is incapable.
“Said a naughty word did he?” – Cousy after Trevor Ariza received a technical foul.
“I’ll tell you if there’s a more physical slasher pound for pound in this league I’d like to see him.” – Cousy on Tony Allen. Keep in mind Cousy knows maybe 15 players in the league but he’s got a poi
nt.Heinsohn always takes a back seat to Cousy. It’s an interesting phenomenon. Hopefully FSN is paying for Tommy's long distance because I doubt he has a cell phone or Vonage.
Cousy can’t do a broadcast without referencing Bill Russell. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Well that Latin temperament …although if I’m not mistaken I got a few over the years so you can’t blame it on that.” – Cousy catching himself after Arroyo earned a technical foul.
“He kind of did a 360 tonight. He has not played well.” - Cousy speaking about Nelson who in most previous games the Couz had seen play well. Gorman didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a 180.
Let's revisit my pre game predictions (in bold).
- Nelson has another huge game against the C's. - Nelson struggled throughout the night and finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
- Howard puts up a minimum of 20 points and 15 rebounds. - He only went for 18 and 12. Thankfully I didn't predict 25 and 20 as I initially wanted to.
- Wally Szczerbiak makes one incredibly awkward and graceless, but ultimately harmless play. – At one point he dribbled towards the paint, was stripped of the ball and then somehow bear hugged Hedo Turkoglu into a jump ball.
- The C's big men get in foul trouble because of the beast that is Dwight Howard and Leon Powe gets some time. - Can you say DNP - Coach's decision?
- Ariza and Gerald Green make bids for the Slam Dunk Contest. – Ariza got in foul trouble and had to alter a couple of baseline moves when that the C's contended. Then Delonte West denied Ariza’s best chance on a drive midway through the 4th. Gerald meanwhile threw down a highlight reel dunk on a Szczerbiak miss. The crazy part was that he misjudged his jump and seemed to hang in the air for a split second before dunking. Sadly Gerald didn't do much else.
- If Bob Cousy is in the house he mispronounces a name or calls someone by the wrong name altogether. - Cousy forgot Darko’s name and then mispronounced “Milic” when Gorman fed it to him. Good times.
- C's win. – Orlando was relentless on defense and the glass. And it was not just Dwight Howard when it came to rebounds. Even Grant Hill got into the act (8 rebounds). Bonus points to Hill for hitting the floor to win a loose ball with five minutes to go in the first half. And then he contested a Tony Allen dunk attempt late in the 4th. Long story short he does not play skittish.
I finished 2.5 for 7. Not good.
Random Points
“If you don’t want to know much about basketball watch Gary and Greg on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight (cackling)” – Paul Pierce in a FSN promo. It never gets old. Although the verdict is definitely still out on Delonte’s wire coat hanger commercial.
One halftime observation: As Greg and Gary stumbled through their awkward interview with three Celtics dancers who were attempting to redefine our understanding of short shorts Red Auerbach officially rolled over in his grave. Although it’s worth noting that t
he Orlando squad picked up on the Mariah Carey formula – wear tight fitting game jerseys. Interestingly the dancers wore either #12 (Dwight Howard) or #33 (Grant Hill). You wouldn’t think stuff like this matters until you read about Shawn Marion in 7 Seconds or Less.The Magic organization loses points for playing that “clap clap clap clap your hands” song on at least 2 occasions, if not more, during live action.
Right now on NBA.com...
Apparently it's just the seam of her outfit. But if you look quick...
Meanwhile, the C's lost tonight. More on that later.
Meanwhile, the C's lost tonight. More on that later.
Celtics News
- Steve Bullpet reports that the Celtics may in fact be a running team.
- Shira Springer relays a story about confusion that makes me think that maybe Tony Allen doesn't just black out after dunks. However, of greater interest are the following words from Brian Scalabrine:
"I don't have a bead on this team. I can't look around the room and say, 'Tonight, we're going to bring it.' I can't say that with this team. I just don't have that feel with these guys as I do with other guys. It's definitely the personalities on the team. I can't tell you if we're going to be focused tonight. I don't know why. Some nights I think, 'Oh, we've got it tonight,' and it's the opposite. Other nights I think, 'Oh, these guys aren't focused at all,' and they are."
That could double as a true statement and a passive aggressive way of calling out the young guys.
- As it turns out Grant Hill should play tonight and he has good things to say about Doc, "Doc's always fun to see. I have good memories of being around him, and I learned from him. I still consider him a good friend." - Grant Hill
- Celtics fans everywhere are hoping that ABC/ESPN's interest evolves into a Godfather/Nick Saban type of offer that Doc can't refuse.
- Shira Springer relays a story about confusion that makes me think that maybe Tony Allen doesn't just black out after dunks. However, of greater interest are the following words from Brian Scalabrine:
"I don't have a bead on this team. I can't look around the room and say, 'Tonight, we're going to bring it.' I can't say that with this team. I just don't have that feel with these guys as I do with other guys. It's definitely the personalities on the team. I can't tell you if we're going to be focused tonight. I don't know why. Some nights I think, 'Oh, we've got it tonight,' and it's the opposite. Other nights I think, 'Oh, these guys aren't focused at all,' and they are."
That could double as a true statement and a passive aggressive way of calling out the young guys.
- As it turns out Grant Hill should play tonight and he has good things to say about Doc, "Doc's always fun to see. I have good memories of being around him, and I learned from him. I still consider him a good friend." - Grant Hill
- Celtics fans everywhere are hoping that ABC/ESPN's interest evolves into a Godfather/Nick Saban type of offer that Doc can't refuse.
Praise for Celtics Bandwagon
“It’s on the high end of mediocrity.” – Anonymous Harvard Graduate
“Usually the spelling and grammar are decent. Usually.” – Some guy.
“It doesn’t hurt the eyes. Although that’s actually a polite way of saying it’s plain and ugly.” – Intern at an ad agency.
“Out of all of the Celtics blogs on lowpost.net that don’t have any influence, Celtics Bandwagon is the top ranked.” – Celtics Bandwagon
"It makes me feel really good about the quality of my blog." - Numerous NBA bloggers.
“Usually the spelling and grammar are decent. Usually.” – Some guy.
“It doesn’t hurt the eyes. Although that’s actually a polite way of saying it’s plain and ugly.” – Intern at an ad agency.
“Out of all of the Celtics blogs on lowpost.net that don’t have any influence, Celtics Bandwagon is the top ranked.” – Celtics Bandwagon
"It makes me feel really good about the quality of my blog." - Numerous NBA bloggers.
Mediocre C's/Magic Preview
The C’s face a difficult task tonight as they play an Orlando team that has won three in a row and has the second most wins in the Eastern Conference (20). The Magic could be without Kenyon Dooling, Grant Hill and the immortal Darko Milic. This has created a scenario where Keith Bogans is starting. If memory serves Bogans is an atrocious shooter. Also Tony Battie will start as usual but the Magic will suffer if Batman cannot be spelled by everyone’s favorite Serbian gangsta. That said Orlando still has Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu, Dwight Howard of course, the puzzling Carlos Arroyo and Trevor Ariza who absolutely violated Emeka Okafor on a dunk the other night. (Just ask Andres Nocioni, Ben Wallace, and Alonzo Mourning). Also unlike the last meeting between the two teams, J.J. Reddick will probably make an appearance tonight. Who doesn’t like rooting against Reddick?
Why not try to run the Magic off the court? Granted Ariza, Nelson and Howard can run. But their depth is a little shaky. Whatever approach Boston takes, it would be nice to see them pull one out and go .500 on the road (9-9).
And now some meaningless predictions:
- Nelson has another huge game against the C's.
- Howard puts up a minimum of 20 points and 15 rebounds.
- Wally Szczerbiak makes one incredibly awkward and graceless, but ultimately harmless play.
- The C's big men get in foul trouble because of the beast that is Dwight Howard and Leon Powe gets some time.
- Ariza and Gerald Green make bids for the Slam Dunk Contest.
- If Bob Cousy is in the house he mispronounces a name or calls someone by the wrong name altogether.
- C's win.
Why not try to run the Magic off the court? Granted Ariza, Nelson and Howard can run. But their depth is a little shaky. Whatever approach Boston takes, it would be nice to see them pull one out and go .500 on the road (9-9).
And now some meaningless predictions:
- Nelson has another huge game against the C's.
- Howard puts up a minimum of 20 points and 15 rebounds.
- Wally Szczerbiak makes one incredibly awkward and graceless, but ultimately harmless play.
- The C's big men get in foul trouble because of the beast that is Dwight Howard and Leon Powe gets some time.
- Ariza and Gerald Green make bids for the Slam Dunk Contest.
- If Bob Cousy is in the house he mispronounces a name or calls someone by the wrong name altogether.
- C's win.
Celtics News, kind of
In his recent "Inside the NBA" SI's Paul Forrester looks at an Eastern Conference team that has rebuilt the right way (unfortunately not Boston), Kevin Garnett's struggle with Wally Szczerbiak and the mystery that is old friend Ricky Davis:
"Intensity a help on court but sometimes a distraction off the floor. Every superstar needs to police his team, but Garnett's anger with certain teammates over the years has seemed to hurt them, not inspire them (see: Wally Szczerbiak)."
"The thing is they're leaning on Ricky Davis to be one of the anchors ,and that can be very tough to do. He's one of the most talented guys in the league, but you have no idea when he's going to bring it or why he even wants to bring it."
"Intensity a help on court but sometimes a distraction off the floor. Every superstar needs to police his team, but Garnett's anger with certain teammates over the years has seemed to hurt them, not inspire them (see: Wally Szczerbiak)."
"The thing is they're leaning on Ricky Davis to be one of the anchors ,and that can be very tough to do. He's one of the most talented guys in the league, but you have no idea when he's going to bring it or why he even wants to bring it."
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Gilbert and a few other things
In launching Celtics Bandwagon I was conflicted almost immediately as Gilbert Arenas became a full fledged media star. As you may recall Agent 0 launched "The Takeover" and dominated blogs everywhere. In the process he dominated the Celtics and wore a robe just to add a little something extra. He can't be the focus of a Celtics based blog. So I've cooled on him a bit. But I have to give the man credit for two things:
1. Courtesy of Mutoni, “Everybody, get drunk and make bad decisions.”
2. Courtesy of just about everyone but I read it on YaySports!NBA first, "My swag was phenomenal."
- First prediction of 2007: I see myself getting a lot of mileage out of those 2 quotes.
- Patriots/Jets and Celtics/Magic on tap for tomorrow. I may not leave my house tomorrow...and in no way is that depressing.
- I'm thinking about playing a "season" of NBA Jam with the C's and tracking my progress. I say "season" because you really just type in codes and try to play every team once. I'll keep you updated. Or I'll save it for the off season so I don't have to spend all my time talking about trades that are not going to happen.
1. Courtesy of Mutoni, “Everybody, get drunk and make bad decisions.”
2. Courtesy of just about everyone but I read it on YaySports!NBA first, "My swag was phenomenal."
- First prediction of 2007: I see myself getting a lot of mileage out of those 2 quotes.
- Patriots/Jets and Celtics/Magic on tap for tomorrow. I may not leave my house tomorrow...and in no way is that depressing.
- I'm thinking about playing a "season" of NBA Jam with the C's and tracking my progress. I say "season" because you really just type in codes and try to play every team once. I'll keep you updated. Or I'll save it for the off season so I don't have to spend all my time talking about trades that are not going to happen.
Around the NBA
1. Jermaine O'Neal is frustrated by the current state of the Indiana Pacers. A few points:
- This is his 11th season in the NBA. And he won't be 29 until October.
- Brace yourself for a tidal wave of O'Neal rumors. It would be interesting to see what the Pacers would get for him. I'm sure they won't just give him away. Look what they have to show for the Ron Artest trade.
2. Bookies are taking bets as to when Larry Brown switches jobs within the Sixers organization. For now he's the executive VP. For now.
3. The NBA is really pushing this first ever All Star dance team. "While in Las Vegas, dancers will sport exclusive adidas gear, including specially designed Eastern and Western Conference All-Star jerseys. This will help cover up the rug burns but will do little to fend off pregnancies or STDs. The 2007 Las Vegas NBA All-Star Dance Team’s airfare will be provided by Southwest Airlines, the official airline of NBA All-Star 2007."
- This may surprise you but that quote is not entirely true. I am responsible for one of those sentences.
- Flying the girls Southwest? Nothing but the best for NBA dancers. In case you're wondering you could do Manchester, NH to Vegas for $216.80 on All Star weekend. Round trip. They don't charge extra for treating you like cattle.
- This is his 11th season in the NBA. And he won't be 29 until October.
- Brace yourself for a tidal wave of O'Neal rumors. It would be interesting to see what the Pacers would get for him. I'm sure they won't just give him away. Look what they have to show for the Ron Artest trade.
2. Bookies are taking bets as to when Larry Brown switches jobs within the Sixers organization. For now he's the executive VP. For now.
3. The NBA is really pushing this first ever All Star dance team. "While in Las Vegas, dancers will sport exclusive adidas gear, including specially designed Eastern and Western Conference All-Star jerseys. This will help cover up the rug burns but will do little to fend off pregnancies or STDs. The 2007 Las Vegas NBA All-Star Dance Team’s airfare will be provided by Southwest Airlines, the official airline of NBA All-Star 2007."
- This may surprise you but that quote is not entirely true. I am responsible for one of those sentences.
- Flying the girls Southwest? Nothing but the best for NBA dancers. In case you're wondering you could do Manchester, NH to Vegas for $216.80 on All Star weekend. Round trip. They don't charge extra for treating you like cattle.
C's/Grizzlies - 1/5/07
- The C's kicked off their 2 game road trip in fine fashion by holding off the Grizzlies for a 128-119 win. I had predicted 240 combined points and saw them reach that and tack on an extra 7. It was a fun game to watch as Doc Rivers gave at least 15 minutes to nine players, 7 of whom scored in double figures.
- Brian Scalabrine had an efficient (4 for 4 on 3s) "I can't believe this is going on" 16 points. He did throw in one air ball just so it wouldn't be too weird.
- Gerald Green threw down a bad ally oop from Sebastian Telfair. I was actually afraid he was going to injure himself.
- Someone needs to research the theory that Tony Allen blacks out for a few seconds when he dunks. He exploded by the sleeping Grizzlies last night for a vicious dunk and landed on his feet in Wally Szczerbiak like fashion. "Wally Szczerbiak like fashion" is code for awkward.
- Hopefully Kendrick Perkins can stay healthy and string some minutes together. He looked good last night in spurts both offensively and defensively.
- Clearly Doc based his game plan and substitutions on how the Grizzlies run and gun, 7 Seconds or Less type of play. For a C's team that is 12-20 you have to wonder if playing like this on a regular basis makes sense. They have a number of guys they want to give minutes to. Why not exhaust them and substitute regularly? Perhaps other teams will have to adapt to the C's style. They could be like an elementary school version of the Phoenix Suns. What do they have to lose? More games?
- I caught some Mavs/Spurs during a few of the FSN commercial breaks. They were playing a whole different style of game. I saw some defense.
- At no point in the 4th quarter did I feel like the C's would lose. That is rare.
- Both teams shot over 56% and played unselfishly.
- There have to be guys all over the league who want to be in Mike Miller's situation right now. New coach Tony Barone didn't give him the green light to shoot. He took down the traffic signal altogether.
- The Celtics are now 4-11 at home and 8-9 on the road. Only the Pistons, Jazz, Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks and Suns have more road wins. Meanwhile no team has less home victories, although the Hawks and Sixers both have 4 as well.
- Brian Scalabrine had an efficient (4 for 4 on 3s) "I can't believe this is going on" 16 points. He did throw in one air ball just so it wouldn't be too weird.
- Gerald Green threw down a bad ally oop from Sebastian Telfair. I was actually afraid he was going to injure himself.
- Someone needs to research the theory that Tony Allen blacks out for a few seconds when he dunks. He exploded by the sleeping Grizzlies last night for a vicious dunk and landed on his feet in Wally Szczerbiak like fashion. "Wally Szczerbiak like fashion" is code for awkward.
- Hopefully Kendrick Perkins can stay healthy and string some minutes together. He looked good last night in spurts both offensively and defensively.
- Clearly Doc based his game plan and substitutions on how the Grizzlies run and gun, 7 Seconds or Less type of play. For a C's team that is 12-20 you have to wonder if playing like this on a regular basis makes sense. They have a number of guys they want to give minutes to. Why not exhaust them and substitute regularly? Perhaps other teams will have to adapt to the C's style. They could be like an elementary school version of the Phoenix Suns. What do they have to lose? More games?
- I caught some Mavs/Spurs during a few of the FSN commercial breaks. They were playing a whole different style of game. I saw some defense.
- At no point in the 4th quarter did I feel like the C's would lose. That is rare.
- Both teams shot over 56% and played unselfishly.
- There have to be guys all over the league who want to be in Mike Miller's situation right now. New coach Tony Barone didn't give him the green light to shoot. He took down the traffic signal altogether.
- The Celtics are now 4-11 at home and 8-9 on the road. Only the Pistons, Jazz, Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks and Suns have more road wins. Meanwhile no team has less home victories, although the Hawks and Sixers both have 4 as well.
Friday, January 05, 2007
2 Random Thoughts
- The C's and Grizzlies will combine for 240 points tonight.
- Here's a fun out of context quote: "I'm able to get some stops and getting my hands on some balls. It's feeling stronger. It was a little stiff early on because of the back-to-back." - Larry Hughes
- Here's a fun out of context quote: "I'm able to get some stops and getting my hands on some balls. It's feeling stronger. It was a little stiff early on because of the back-to-back." - Larry Hughes
Friday - YouTube clip of the week
I came across the Boston Celtics song/video "We Ballin", which is interesting for numerous reasons.1. It focused on the Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Kenny Anderson, and Eric Williams led Celtics. They look better than I remember. The power of highlights.
2. It implied that Pierce, Walker and Anderson were the new Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Let's move on.
3. I took a screenshot of the Big Three from around the 35 second mark. Let's ignore the fact that it's disturbing and focus on the Converse sneakers. Did they get any support from those? Is it any surprise that McHale and Bird suffered from chronic injuries. And how was Parish so durable? I'd love to jump in a time machine and give those guys some high tops.
4. The song is terrible.
Big Al day-to-day
From Yahoo! Sports:
"Jan 4 Jefferson suffered a sore right hamstring in the Celtics' 107-104 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday.
"Jan 4 Jefferson suffered a sore right hamstring in the Celtics' 107-104 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday.
Advice: The forward-center is listed as day-to-day. Jefferson is having a vreakout season with 13.7 points per game and 9.8 rebounds in 24 games -- 15 starts. If the injury is a problem, Kendrick Perkins could start in his place."
- By the way congratulations to Yahoo! for coming up with a new term, "vreakout season". You would think that I was working for Yahoo!Thursday, January 04, 2007
The Legend of Lebron
It was a cool idea for a commercial and then Lebron James did it for real. For the record I'm still bitter about Lebron sitting out that preseason game in Manchester. And I believe his football skills don't compare to Allen Iverson's.
Iverson highlights:
1. The huge hit around the 45 second mark.
2. The bomb at the 1:30 mark.
3. Numerous kick returns.
4. 7 interceptions in one game?!
Iverson highlights:
1. The huge hit around the 45 second mark.
2. The bomb at the 1:30 mark.
3. Numerous kick returns.
4. 7 interceptions in one game?!
Celtics/NBA Links
- It looks like this whole Paul Pierce injury situation could drag out for some time.
- The Truth still has his sense of humor, which would even funnier if the C's were not in a 1-7 slide: "The Cleveland Cavaliers star had just followed Wally Szczerbiak back on defense in front of the Celtics bench when he heard someone shouting, "Post, post!' It wasn’t until James saw his sidelined rival - a howling Paul Pierce, decked out in a denim suit - that his renowned game scowl broke into a smile." - Mark Murphy.
- You will not be able to convince me that Chris Bosh, who has missed significant time as well, is this much more deserving than Pierce for an All Star spot. I sense another Canadian conspiracy. Let's pick up the pace here on the Pierce voting.
- I have to admit that the creation of the NBA's All Star ballot is a bit of a mystery to me - Speedy Claxton, Chris Mihm, and others come to mind. But I really don't understand how they select three members of each dance team for the ballot. Is it all about appearance? Do they look at dance skills? Are other skills that could be useful in Las Vegas taken into account? Does Ricky Davis control the whole process? Regardless I encourage you to vote for a bunch of tall dancers and one short one. Just for kicks. I mean if you're into that kind of thing.
- You have to wonder if Antoine Walker longs for the days where his coach loved him so much that Celtics teammates called the recently deactivated Heat forward "Antoine Carr".
- Chris Sheridan (Insider necessary) groups Doc Rivers with some coaches that have to make the C's coach cringe. Sheridan has put the odds of Doc's firing at 3-1. Here's my point. Aren't the New Jersey Nets infinitely more disappointing than the Celtics?
- The Truth still has his sense of humor, which would even funnier if the C's were not in a 1-7 slide: "The Cleveland Cavaliers star had just followed Wally Szczerbiak back on defense in front of the Celtics bench when he heard someone shouting, "Post, post!' It wasn’t until James saw his sidelined rival - a howling Paul Pierce, decked out in a denim suit - that his renowned game scowl broke into a smile." - Mark Murphy.
- I have to admit that the creation of the NBA's All Star ballot is a bit of a mystery to me - Speedy Claxton, Chris Mihm, and others come to mind. But I really don't understand how they select three members of each dance team for the ballot. Is it all about appearance? Do they look at dance skills? Are other skills that could be useful in Las Vegas taken into account? Does Ricky Davis control the whole process? Regardless I encourage you to vote for a bunch of tall dancers and one short one. Just for kicks. I mean if you're into that kind of thing.
- You have to wonder if Antoine Walker longs for the days where his coach loved him so much that Celtics teammates called the recently deactivated Heat forward "Antoine Carr".
- Chris Sheridan (Insider necessary) groups Doc Rivers with some coaches that have to make the C's coach cringe. Sheridan has put the odds of Doc's firing at 3-1. Here's my point. Aren't the New Jersey Nets infinitely more disappointing than the Celtics?
What if?
What if the 2006/2007 Boston Celtics reenacted the 1996/1997 season? Using Michael Holley’s epic article, “FOUL! MANY STRANDS IN CELTICS' SEASON-LONG UNRAVELING” and to a lesser extent my memory, I will attempt to recreate that terrible season. The events remain the same (outside of the events leading up to Nameplate Gate) but I have updated the names. More on the names later.
- Three days into training camp Sebastian Telfair would have punched Brian Scalabrine in the face. This of course would be followed by team captain Paul Pierce yelling, “Hey, Bassy what you just did was shit!” Scalabrine would have responded by saying it was no big deal, taking a few days off and having a bad season.
- In fact Scalabrine would only play 25 games before shutting it down for the seaso
n. In the process he would confide in a teammate, “I do not like this Sebastian Telfair."
- As the season progressed Telfair would not take playing behind Delonte West well. After a practice full of intense trash talking initiated by Telfair and physical play between the two, West would attack the Coney Island native in the locker room.
- Doc Rivers would be surprisingly cool after being embarrassed at home by the Knicks and letting one slip away on the road to the Cavs. He would not be dismayed by the C’s inability to stop point guards from having huge games, the anemic
displays against zone defenses and struggles with the pick and roll. Doc would not lose it until one of his players stole a bus driver’s nameplate. Ultimately this would lead to a players only meeting, a collection being taken to pay for the missing nameplate and no one admitting guilt, despite Doc threatening to make everyone walk to the game.
- Clifford Ray would tell Doc he wanted to resign after an altercation with Mark Blount that revolved around Blount not working hard. Notice how I had to use Mark Blount because everyone on the current C’s roster works hard. I only included this to take another shot at Blount.
- People would scratch their heads as Doc let Wally Szczerbiak head to Key West instead of rehabbing his ankle while Michael Olowokandi flew to England in the midst of numerous medical DNPs.
- The head scratching would continue as Doc held a plane in Orlando for a tardy Theo Ratliff. Though out for the season due to injury, Ratliff would stroll on late with his golf clubs.
- Doc would slowly lose it and write notes to himself about the need to neutralize Larry Bird.
- Ultimately the C’s would finish 15-67. Doc would be moved upstairs and receive an extra $500,000 over each of the next 5 years.
- Despite good odds the C’s would fail to win the Greg Oden sweepstakes.
- Billy Donovan, who had come aboard with a monster contract expecting to get Oden, would clean house and then destroy the Celtics fans will to live. The highlight of the Donovan era would come in the form of an epic tirade about the negativity in Boston.
Name Association
Sebastian Telfair = Todd Day
Brian Scalabrine = Dino Radja
Paul Pierce = Rick Fox
Delonte West = Greg Minor
Doc Rivers = M.L. Carr
Clifford Ray = Dennis Johnson
Mark Blount = Antoine Walker
Wally Szczerbiak = Frank Brickowski
Michael Olowokandi = Dino Radja (in terms of rehabbing an injury out of the country)
Theo Ratliff = Pervis Ellison
Larry Bird = Larry Bird
Greg Oden = Tim Duncan
Billy Donovan = Rick Pitino
Obviously this works better in some cases than in others. For example I made Bassy Todd Day mainly because of the recent road trip where Telfair fell out of favor and rumors surfaced that he was not well liked within the locker room. Also much like Day, Telfair is not happy with his playing time. Theo Ratliff is Pervis Ellison because of their injured status although I can not envision Ratliff holding up a team plane. Scalabrine is Dino Radja because he was the best big white guy available. And so on. Overall the real point of this exercise was to recall a truly atrocious season . Michael Holley owes it to C’s fan to write a book on this. Even if he simply converted his column into a book, similar to how Bill Simmons wrote his. But I digress. My other point is that things are not that bad this season. Keep in mind that I was not old enough to really appreciate the Big Three Era. My defining moments as a Celtics fan are as follows:
1. Reggie Lewis’ death.
2. The 96/97 team, which almost made me give up on basketball all together.
3. Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker’s run to the Eastern Conference finals.
4. The Rick Pitino era.
5. Red Auerbach’s death.
It’s not a fun list. But when I watched Al Jefferson and Gerald Green last night I could not help but get excited. It’s going to be a streaky, difficult year but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
- Three days into training camp Sebastian Telfair would have punched Brian Scalabrine in the face. This of course would be followed by team captain Paul Pierce yelling, “Hey, Bassy what you just did was shit!” Scalabrine would have responded by saying it was no big deal, taking a few days off and having a bad season.
- In fact Scalabrine would only play 25 games before shutting it down for the seaso
n. In the process he would confide in a teammate, “I do not like this Sebastian Telfair."- As the season progressed Telfair would not take playing behind Delonte West well. After a practice full of intense trash talking initiated by Telfair and physical play between the two, West would attack the Coney Island native in the locker room.
- Doc Rivers would be surprisingly cool after being embarrassed at home by the Knicks and letting one slip away on the road to the Cavs. He would not be dismayed by the C’s inability to stop point guards from having huge games, the anemic
displays against zone defenses and struggles with the pick and roll. Doc would not lose it until one of his players stole a bus driver’s nameplate. Ultimately this would lead to a players only meeting, a collection being taken to pay for the missing nameplate and no one admitting guilt, despite Doc threatening to make everyone walk to the game.- Clifford Ray would tell Doc he wanted to resign after an altercation with Mark Blount that revolved around Blount not working hard. Notice how I had to use Mark Blount because everyone on the current C’s roster works hard. I only included this to take another shot at Blount.
- People would scratch their heads as Doc let Wally Szczerbiak head to Key West instead of rehabbing his ankle while Michael Olowokandi flew to England in the midst of numerous medical DNPs.
- The head scratching would continue as Doc held a plane in Orlando for a tardy Theo Ratliff. Though out for the season due to injury, Ratliff would stroll on late with his golf clubs.
- Doc would slowly lose it and write notes to himself about the need to neutralize Larry Bird.
- Ultimately the C’s would finish 15-67. Doc would be moved upstairs and receive an extra $500,000 over each of the next 5 years.
- Despite good odds the C’s would fail to win the Greg Oden sweepstakes.
- Billy Donovan, who had come aboard with a monster contract expecting to get Oden, would clean house and then destroy the Celtics fans will to live. The highlight of the Donovan era would come in the form of an epic tirade about the negativity in Boston.
Name Association
Sebastian Telfair = Todd Day
Brian Scalabrine = Dino Radja
Paul Pierce = Rick Fox
Delonte West = Greg Minor
Doc Rivers = M.L. Carr
Clifford Ray = Dennis Johnson
Mark Blount = Antoine Walker
Wally Szczerbiak = Frank Brickowski
Michael Olowokandi = Dino Radja (in terms of rehabbing an injury out of the country)
Theo Ratliff = Pervis Ellison
Larry Bird = Larry Bird
Greg Oden = Tim Duncan
Billy Donovan = Rick Pitino
Obviously this works better in some cases than in others. For example I made Bassy Todd Day mainly because of the recent road trip where Telfair fell out of favor and rumors surfaced that he was not well liked within the locker room. Also much like Day, Telfair is not happy with his playing time. Theo Ratliff is Pervis Ellison because of their injured status although I can not envision Ratliff holding up a team plane. Scalabrine is Dino Radja because he was the best big white guy available. And so on. Overall the real point of this exercise was to recall a truly atrocious season . Michael Holley owes it to C’s fan to write a book on this. Even if he simply converted his column into a book, similar to how Bill Simmons wrote his. But I digress. My other point is that things are not that bad this season. Keep in mind that I was not old enough to really appreciate the Big Three Era. My defining moments as a Celtics fan are as follows:
1. Reggie Lewis’ death.
2. The 96/97 team, which almost made me give up on basketball all together.
3. Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker’s run to the Eastern Conference finals.
4. The Rick Pitino era.
5. Red Auerbach’s death.
It’s not a fun list. But when I watched Al Jefferson and Gerald Green last night I could not help but get excited. It’s going to be a streaky, difficult year but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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