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1 hour ago

5-on-5: Predicting All-Star Reserves

I was a panelist on the 5-on-5 today at ESPN, choosing reserves for the Eastern and Western Conference all-star teams. I took two Celtics, as noted below. Hit the link to read the rest. 1. Which East and West point guards should be chosen as All-Star reserves? Ryan DeGama, CelticsHub: East: Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo [...]

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1 day ago

Greg Stiemsma’s Contract To Become Fully Guaranteed

The C’s gave their 26-year-old rookie a vote of confidence before Tuesday’s game. By not waiving the seven-footer, Stiemsma’s contract will become fully guaranteed on Friday, allowing the shot blocker to breath a little bit and perhaps unpack some boxes for good in Beantown. Here’s Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston with some reaction from Stiemsma and [...]

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2 days ago

5 Questions With Kemba Walker

I had a chance to talk with Bobcats rookie Kemba Walker prior to the Celtics game against Charlotte on Tuesday night.  Here is what the UConn star, who is averaging 12.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game had to say. 1. How much communication have you had with Michael Jordan this year? Walker: [...]

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3 days ago

I Am Awesome!

Yes. This is a “pat myself on the back” post because a) I’m a jackass and b) I predicted something correctly. Back on January 8th, I predicted that the next ten games will tell us everything we need to know about this Celtics’ team. If they struggled, it was time to blow it up. If [...]

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3 days ago

Pierce Wins Eastern Conference Player Of Week

One day before he’s scheduled to pass Larry Bird for second on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list, Paul Pierce won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. Pierce averaged 22 points, 6.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds in four Boston wins, playing point forward in Rajon Rondo’s absence. Pierce is only 9 points behind Bird [...]

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4 days ago

Garnett’s Wondrous 3-point Rant

Via ESPN Boston’s Chris Forsberg, who knows a great, playful rant when he hears one, here’s Kevin Garnett discussing his not-so-newfound aptitude for three-point shooting after the C’s took down the Grizzlies. “When I walk around the streets, y’all stop acting like y’all shocked that I can shoot 3’s. Everybody in Boston, everybody in the [...]

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Let’s get it on! Celtics @ Magic Preview

Boston at Orlando
8pm ESPN

Celtics: 54-18 (25-12 on the road); Off. Efficiency 110.5 (5th); Def. Efficiency 101.5 (1st)

Magic: 52-18 (27-7 at home); Off. Efficiency 110.0 (7th); Def. Efficiency 102.1(2nd)

Quick Notes On Tonight’s Showdown

  • KG will stick to his comeback routine by going 8 minutes in both the 1st and 3rd quarters, so we will once again be seeing a lot of Big Baby tonight. He had a very nice performance during the last time he made the trip to Orlando (16 points in 21 minutes) so I’m sure Doc is hoping he can contribute something similar again this evening.
  • Celtics lead the season series 2-1, so a win tonight for the C’s would give them an extra game in the standings as well as the tiebreaker, if the teams have matching records at the end of the regular season. Thus if the Celtics can pull out the victory tonight, it would go a long way for giving them some breathing room in the battle for the 2 seed during the final 10 games.
  • Despite the tiebreaker implications, this game will likely mean more to the Magic than to the Celtics. Orlando is still a team on a mission to gain respect in the Eastern Conference. Need proof? Here’s what Stan Van Gundy had to say when talking to the Orlando Sentinel earlier this afternoon.

“All I hear is that we’re soft and everything else or that we just win games by jacking up 3’s. Very few people have realized that we’ve won games at the defensive end of the floor. I think Dwight has been consistent defensively, I think Rashard has improved dramatically defensively and we have better options to go big.”

Talk like that makes tonight feel like a statement game for this Orlando team, so look them to bring the intensity from the opening tip against the Celts. Should be a good one to watch. For a more in-depth look at the improvement of this year’s Orlando team take a look at this expanded analysis from earlier today.

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