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7 days ago

Painful Reminders (Part I): The Celtics Drafted JaJuan Johnson Instead of Jimmy Butler

On June 23rd, 2011, Brian Robb and I stood around a high top bar table in Tommy Doyle’s in Kendall Square.  Before us lay one of the biggest mounds of buffalo chicken wings I had ever endeavor to make disappear.  These 25 cent flappers- one of the few indulgences afforded to the participants of our [...]

19
8 days ago

Chris Wilcox: 2012-13 Final Grade

There are a number of contextually-appropriate ways to craft this post. One would be to forgo words entirely, and represent Chris Wilcox’s entire season with a series of videos. That would involve one part of this: For every eight parts of this: Note the headline on that second clip. Someone was so amused/enraged by Wilcox’s [...]

12
9 days ago

Rajon Rondo’s 2012-13 Final Grade

Here’s a sweeping general statement involving super specific statistics that may or may not mean anything: In the 1423 minutes Rajon Rondo played this season, the Boston Celtics were outscored by 1.3 points per 100 possessions. When he sat (including all contests after he tore his ACL), Boston was better than their opponents by 1.8 [...]

93
10 days ago

Avery Bradley Elected to NBA All-Defense Second Team

Avery Bradley has been a standout defender for the past couple seasons…in the regular season anyway. Now he has a trophy to prove it. The NBA announced this afternoon that the third-year guard has been elected by coaches around the league to the second-team all-NBA defensive team for the first time in his career. Bradley [...]

13
13 days ago

Paul Pierce’s Contract: Dispelling The Myths and Stating The Facts

The first domino to fall this offseason is Paul Pierce’s contract. Until Danny Ainge figures out what he’s doing there, little else matters. As we wait for this decision, we also must face the rest of the offseason, which means it is also rumor season. With that time of year, comes plenty of information floating [...]

42
13 days ago

Final Grade: Avery Bradley (C+)

In his third year in the league, in which promising players often make brash leaps from benchwarmer to starter, from starter to star, Avery Bradley took a big step back. But his regression might be deceptive. When he returned to the Celtics’ lineup on January the 2nd after two in-season months recovering from offseason shoulder [...]

9
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Game 13/66: Raptors (4-10) @ Celtics (4-8) Open Thread

Toronto at Boston
7:30 PM
TD Garden
CSNNE

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 101.1 points/100 possessions (20th)
Toronto: 96.9 points/100 possessions (28th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 104.2 points/100 possessions (21st)  
Toronto: 103.5 points/100 possessions (17th)

Probable Toronto Starters: Jose Calderon (PG), DeMarr DeRozan (SG), James Johnson (SF),  Ed Davis   (PF), Amir Johnson (C)

Injury Report: Andrea Bargnani (questionable), James Johnson (probable), Aaron Gray (out), Jerryd Bayless (out)

View From The Opposing Bench: Raptors Republic

Don’t let that artist’s rendering of the Toronto Raptors fool you.  These Raptors can dunk zee basketball.  Guys like DeMar “DeDunk” DeRozan and Amir Johnson are high fliers certainly capable of throwing the ball through the hoop with authority.  Now let’s explore what the Raptors don’t do very well.

Here’s a short list:

  • score efficiently
  • rebound offensively
  • block shots
  • play fast paced

Guess what the Celtics’ don’t do well?  All of the above.  The Raptors and the Celtics are pretty comparable this season.  Two things the Celtics have going for them:  they can shoot the deep ball and  haven’t lost to Washington.  Toronto can not check off either feat.

WHAT IT MEANS TO THE C’s

I am going to go out on a limb and say the Celtics need to blow the Raptors out tonight.  Not just for their win total.  Not just so everyone will stop talking about major overhauls.  The Celtics need a blow out win to remember what success feels like.  This group has felt a lot of success over the last four years and very few stretches of sustatined suck.  With that in mind, a single-digit win over a Raptors with only 3/5th’s of their starting rotation isn’t going to make the lockerroom any more inviting to meek part-time journalists.

Celtics’ fans should watch this Raptors team with caution.  The Raps have tried to build through the draft and through free agency and have hovered south of .500 for much of their existence.  The C’s may be facing some tough decisions this season but luckily, those don’t need to be made tonight.

Celtics 105, Raptors 82

 

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