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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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4 days ago

5 Questions With O.J. Mayo

I talked with Memphis guard O.J. Mayo prior to the Celtics-Grizzlies, Super Bowl Sunday game at the Garden.  Here is what the 4th year man out of USC, who is averaging 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game had to say. 1. You started every game your first two years in the league, [...]

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Shooting 59 Percent and Losing

The Celtics shot 59.5 percent against Oklahoma City and lost.

How rare a thing is this?

Since the 1987 season (the first season in Basketball Reference’s full database of games), the C’s have hit at least 59 percent of their shots in a game 61 times (including last night’s loss), according to BR. In other words, this sort of hot shooting happens about twice per season.

The C’s record in those 61 games?

Try 57-4.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane and check out the box scores from those three prior losses. Just for kicks.

Game #1: 2/18/90, Boston (110) @ Lakers (116) (NO!)

Boston box score:

And LA:

The Lakers got themselves 15 more field-goal attempts and 11 more free throw attempts than Boston, which explains how you win a game in which the other team shoots 61 percent and you shoot 47 percent.

The Reggie Lewis line makes me sad.

I loved Charles Smith, since I was a Georgetown fan as a kid. Didn’t work out for the kid in the league.

Onto Game #2:

1/7/05: Boston (104) vs Detroit (110)

Boston box score:

Detroit:

What a strange collection of players on that 2005 Celtic team. Look at Ricky Davis! And Al Jefferson!  And Jiri Welsch was randomly instrumental in the C’s acquiring Rajon Rondo!

Again we see the devastating combination of turnovers, opponent free throws and offensive rebounds. What a beast Ben Wallace was in 2005.

Rasheed Wallace attempted one three-pointer in this game. His team won.

Finally:

Game #3: 4/12/06: Boston (112) @ Indiana (116)

Boston box score:

And Indy:

This could very well be the greatest game of Gerald Green’s career, and, fittingly, the Celtics lost. Indy’s 14 offensive rebounds (including five by Jermaine O’Neal, who always seemed to play well against the C’s from around 2002-2006) hurt, as did the fact that Austin Croshere, clinging to relevance, hit 4-of-8 from deep.

Remember how Peja Stojakovic played in Indiana for about five minutes? That was random.

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