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3 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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Greg Stiemsma’s Contract To Become Fully Guaranteed

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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!

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3 days ago

Pierce Wins Eastern Conference Player Of Week

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Game 78/82: Celtics (48-29) vs. Raptors (38-39)

Boston at Toronto
7:00 p.m. EST
Air Canada Centre
CSN/WEEI

Offensive Efficiency:

Boston: 107.4 points/100 possessions (15th)

Toronto: 110.9 points/100 possessions (7th)

Defensive Efficiency:

Boston: 103.1 points allowed/100 possessions (4th).

Toronto: 112.9 points allowed/100 possessions (30th)

Probable Toronto starters:

Hedo Turkoglu, DeMarr DeRozan/Sonny Weems, Andrea Bargnani, Jarret Jack/ Jose Calderon, ahh who knows?

Thumbnail:  The Celtics come into the Air Canada Centre to face an injury-depleted Raptors team that should just roll over.  Chris Bosh is out tonight.  Antoine Wright it out tonight.  The Raptors are the worst defensive team in the league and one of their best players (Hedo Turkoglu) has been horribly disappointing this year.  It appears that the East cannot give away the eighth playoff spot with strong effort from both Toronto and Chicago to give it away.  Now with the injuries to Bosh and Wright, the Raptors should be in the driver’s seat to finish first for an early vacation.

WHAT THE RAPTORS DO WELL:

Athleticism

Yes.  They do well at athleticism.  I know that does not make any grammatical sense but I do not care.  It is hard enough to come up with things a Bosh-less Raptors’ team does well. 

The Raptors are athletic and hardworking.  Sonny Weems is a strong guy who can annoy anyone he is guarding with his strength and his athleticism and Reggie Evans can out-muscle and out-dirty anyone. 

Threes

Despite their defensive shortcomings, there must have been a reason why the Raptors held down a playoff spot for most of the year.  The most obvious reason being their three point shooting.  The Raptors are third in the league in 3P% mostly due to the array of outside shooters they have.  Turkoglu, Bargnani, Jarrett Jack, Jose Calderon, and Marco Belinelli shoot over 37% from behind the arc. 

WHAT THE RAPTORS DO POORLY:

Defend

The Raptors can not defend Yi’s chair. They rank below league average in each of the Defensive Four Factors (eFG% TOV% DRB% FT/FGA) and they are very last in the league in steals and second to last in TOV%.

WHO MAKES ME WORRY:

Oh I don’t know…how about any guy over 6’8″ that can shoot the rock.  Given how poorly the Celtics played Danilo Gallinari last night I could Turkoglu and Bargnani lighting this team up from deep.

Reggie Evans

This guy has the potential to injure any player on the Celtics.  If I were Doc, I would play all end-of-the-rotation guys with him on the floor.

WHO DOES NOT KEEP MAKE ME WORRY:

Anyone Else,but especially DeMarr DeRozan and Sonny Weems.

I like these kids, but they don’t keep me up at night.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE FROM THE C’s:

Passion? Fervor? Offensive Efficiency? Rebounding? Limited Turnovers?

I would take any combination of three of these things and be satisfied.

Prediction:  Let’s stay positive.  Why not?  The Raptors are a bad team and they are worse without Bosh.

Celtics 110, Raptors 87

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