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7 hours ago

5 Questions With Josh McRoberts

I talked to Los Angeles back up big man Josh McRoberts prior to the Celtics-Lakers game Thursday night at the Garden.  Here is what the former Duke Blue Devil, who is averaging 2.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in his first year in LA, had to say. 1. How have you guys been able to deal [...]

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9 hours 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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2 days 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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Some Monday Links: KG in the Onion and a Certain Free Agent Big Man

• In a really nice piece, Paul Flannery at WEEI gets Tony Allen to open up about the challenge of playing point guard on the spot (hat tip: CelticsBlog).

Before we get to TA’s words, Flannery found a pretty incredible stat on 82games.com

TA is shooting 70 percent on non-jump shots—inside shots and dunks. Yes, the sample size is small, but TA hasn’t finished like this in….ever, really. He won’t be able to keep that 70 percent rate up—not even Shaq in his prime could—but his ability to attack the basket could be a crucial little ingredient for the C’s. 

In any case, here’s TA on subbing for Rondo in a pinch:

“The hardest thing is remembering the plays from a point guard position,” Tony Allen said. “I know all the plays from a wing position but it’s just hard remembering where to cut to some times.”

Allen helpfully provided an example out of a set the Celtics call “floppy,” which essentially involves the two wing players cutting simultaneously under the basket and coming off curl screens on the opposite side. It’s as basic as the pick and roll and every team runs it, especially if they have a great shooter like Ray Allen who is particularly adept at shooting the ball while he is on the move.

“I know J.R. [Giddens] is a spot-up shooter where Ray is a catch and shoot,” Tony Allen said. “If I call a floppy play, nine times out of 10 I’ll go to Ray’s side to get that catch and shoot jump shot, which puts pressure on the defense where they have to help on Ray and [Kendrick Perkins] can feed on that. That’s just one example of understanding the point guard position. It’s like homework.”

Great stuff.

After the jump, you’ll never guess which player became available today to any team who wants him…

Cavaliers Celtics Basketball

• That’s right! Our old plan Mikki Moore is available after Golden State waived him today for complicated reasons Marcus Thompson explains on his blog for the Contra Costa Times. (One of those reasons: The fact that Mikki just had surgery to remove bone spurs from his right heel, an injury expected to keep him out at least three months). 

Yes, this entire bullet point was an excuse to post a photo of Mikki Moore fouling someone. Obviously, the Celtics are not going to sign him.

• If you haven’t seen the story about Brook Lopez (possibly) misunderstanding a fake news item about Kevin Garnett in the Onion, go to Red’s Army and read about it right now.

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