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2 hours 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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22 hours 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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1 day 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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2 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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2 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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4 days ago

5 Questions With Landry Fields

I talked with New York starting guard Landry Fields prior to the Celtics-Knicks game at the TD Garden.  Here is what the 2nd year man out of Stanford, who is averaging 10 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists had to say. 1.  I’m sure you guys are frustrated with your record to this point of [...]

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Big Baby’s (Sorta) Big Night, Plus Other Random Thoughts

Dwight Howard went off last night. But there was one Celtic he had a small bit of trouble with (via ESPN Stats and Information):

That’s some good work off the bench for Big Baby, whose ability to at least credibly defend Howard allows Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace to foul Howard when necessary without worrying about fouling out or going to the bench.

Davis, earning $3 million this season and again next season, looks like a very sensible signing. And I’m sorry, but all of you who were suggesting Shelden Williams should play over Davis, well, you were wrong all along.

Some other random thoughts that have been going through my head:

• What would have happened had Paul Pierce missed that buzzer-beater in Game 3 against Miami and the C’s had gone on to lose that game? How differently do these playoffs unfold?

• Can you imagine if the C’s had pulled off the Caron Butler/Carlos Boozer double they apparently contemplated, at least according to Sports Illustrated?

• If I’m reading Rajon Rondo’s shot chart at NBA.com right, that 17-foot jumper he made to put the C’s up 93-90 last night was just the second jumper he’s made from that part of the court all playoffs:

Worth noting: Rondo is 28-of-74 (38 percent) in the playoffs on shots outside that area right around the rim, according to this chart. Some of his runners/floaters must have been close enough to sneak into that at-the-rim zone on NBA.com’s hot spot charts, right?

• Given how well this team has played so far in the post-season, it’s reasonable to ask: Had KG not gotten injured last season, would we be talking about Boston inching closer to its third straight NBA Finals appearance?

Such hypotheticals are ultimately a waste of time and brain power, I realize.

But we’ve got three days until Game 3 in Boston, so now’s the time to think about them.

• Finally, Ben Q. Rock at Orlando Pinstriped Post dips into the Synergy Sports data to see how various Boston big men do defending post-ups and on pick-and-rolls. There are many, many interesting nuggets in Rock’s analysis, including this one on Sheed:

Oddly, Howard might be best served posting [Wallace] up. Wallace allows 0.885 points per possession in these situations and yields points 48.3% of the time. But with the post-up comes the risk. Wallace’s quick hands and savvy enable him to poke entry passes or sloppy dribbles away, and he knows how to pull the chair out from under his man to force a travel every now and again. Those skills explain why 19.5% of post-ups against him result in a turnover.

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