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The Ticker
6 days ago

3-on-3: Will Doc Rivers Return Next Season?

With the Doc Rivers coaching watch heating up to a fever pitch in the past few days with a countless number of credible reports, we decided it’s time to get our crew back together and address the speculation. 1. On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you Doc Rivers will coach the Celtics next [...]

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9 days ago

Rajon Rondo Reads Mean Tweets About Himself on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Despite all the rehab, Rajon Rondo is finding ways to keep busy this offseason. Just a couple weeks after appearing on E!’s Fashion Police show, the point guard was back on TV last night, in a fun segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live called Mean Tweets. In it, celebrities, or in this case NBA players, read [...]

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22 days ago

Why Are People So Eager To Trade Paul Pierce?

The whispers around Paul Pierce’s future with the Celtics continue to surface in the fourth week of Boston’s offseason. Unconfirmed report after unconfirmed report has circled in, stating anything from Pierce’s house being on the market, to the team being “likely” to buy him out. Locally, plenty of Celtics fans seem resigned to the fact [...]

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24 days ago

Terrence Williams Tells His Side of the Story on Arrest

It was a tough start to the offseason last week for Terrence Williams. After standing out as one of the bright spots on the Celtics roster late last season, he was taken into custody last week with the disturbing allegation that he pulled a gun during a domestic dispute with his son’s mother and her [...]

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25 days ago

Video: Rajon Rondo on E! Fashion Police

What has Rajon Rondo been up to this offseason beyond rehabbing his ACL injury? Rubbing elbows with Joan Rivers, that’s what. Just one summer after spending some time showing off his fashion sense in an internship with GQ, Rondo went one-on-one with Rivers on E’s Fashion Police, since well he has some time on his [...]

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26 days ago

Jason Terry’s 2012-13 Final Grade

  Acquiring any player, whether it’s via trade, free agency, or the draft, comes with an air of uncertainty. The NBA has no guaranteed covenant and all sales are final, no matter how talented, proven, or productive the player may have been in year’s past. But these memories—especially recent ones—often clouds the judgment of a [...]

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The Chess Match Begins: Barnes on Ray, Not Pierce

It didn’t take long for our first small match-up surprise. The Orlando Sentinel’s Tania Ganguli reports that Matt Barnes said today he will start the series on Ray Allen, leaving Orlando’s nominal shooting guard, Vince Carter, to defend Paul Pierce. Big thanks to Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post for the heads up.

I haven’t had much time to process this, but you can probably guess part of the reasoning. Having Barnes chase Ray Allen around saves Carter’s stamina, which he needs to effectively play his role as one of Orlando’s two primary ball-handlers on offense. Both Carter and Barnes are listed at 6’7”, so  height isn’t an issue. Neither is as fast or quick as Ray, but perhaps Stan Van Gundy believes Barnes’ long arms can help him contest Ray’s shots even if he can’t quite keep up around every single Boston screen.

Carter’s a little bulkier, and perhaps a more natural match-up for Pierce defensively.

Have at it in the comments.

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