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18 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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5 days ago

New CelticsHub Poll – Please Vote!

We’ve added a new poll (left hand side) to the site soliciting your input on our coverage and what you want to see more of in the future. Please take time to vote. You can choose up to 2 of the available topics. You can also write us longer messages by email at celticshub@gmail.com or [...]

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Mid-Day Notebook: Howard’s Game, Celtic History, Obama Picks the Lakers

• Do yourselves a favor and go read this post at Orlando Pinstriped Post about how efficiently Dwight Howard has scored in various roles in Orlando’s offense during this series—i.e. on post-ups, as the roll man on screen/rolls, in transition, etc. The numbers are stark—Howard can’t score in the post, and he has been devastating in the screen/roll and on the offensive glass.

One tidbit of the many you will find in friendly chart format: Howard is 14-of-36 (39 percent) on post-ups. In other words: There is no reason for Boston to double Howard in the post unless a switch has produced a mismatch.

The other question this data raises: What took Orlando so long to move from its four-in/one-out offense to one centered on screen/rolls? Again: The Magic ran 33 screen/rolls combined in the first three games and 43 in Game 4 alone, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

Stan Van Gundy is a great coach, and he made the proper adjustments. But he should have made them sooner.

• At Pro Basketball Talk, Matt Moore (who is not fond on your Boston Celtics but is still a nice person and smart, smart NBA writer) suggests that Van Gundy must be open to make further adjustments, even dramatic ones, to keep his team alive. Among Moore’s suggestions: More J.J. Redick (he’s +21 in this series) and less Vince Carter (-23).

• Barack Obama is picking the Los Angeles Lakers to defeat the Boston Celtics in the Finals, thus giving an immediate boost to the legitimacy of the Tea Party movement. (Kidding). Bloomberg reports on Obama’s interview with Marv Albert:

“I’ve got to go with the Lakers again,” Obama said in the interview that will begin airing on NBA TV today. “Boston’s a veteran club, but the Lakers are looking pretty good.”

Obama called Bryant the “the fiercest competitor in the league” and Jackson “the best coach in the NBA right now.” Of Gasol, Obama said “he may be the best big man in the league.”

• A win by Orlando tonight would be a rare, rare thing in NBA history. Of the prior 93 NBA teams who have fallen behind 3-0 in series, only 9 have even forced a Game 6. (None have come back to win, of course).

Also: The Celtics have led a best-of-seven series 11 times in their history, and none have gone beyond Game 5, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

That’s it for now. We’ll have more later.

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