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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 [...]

5
21 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 [...]

51
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 [...]

10
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 [...]

4
25 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 [...]

12
26 days ago

Why Is Doc Rivers Waiting to Confirm His Return to the Celtics Next Season? A Theory on The Wait

The waiting is the hardest part. At least that’s what the Celtics’ brass must feel like about their coveted head coach. A week after Danny Ainge confirmed to The Boston Globe that Doc Rivers would be returning to the Celtics’ bench next season, we’re still waiting for a direct word from the head coach himself. [...]

12
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Rapid Reaction: Celtics 96 Raptors 73

Posted by on Jan 18, 2012 10 comments

Toronto Raptors 73 Final
Recap | Box Score		 96 Boston Celtics
Kevin Garnett, PF 25 MIN | 5-7 FG | 5-6 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 15 PTS | +4
Before it became clear the Raptors would offer no opposition tonight, the C’s put KG in a couple of early ISOs to get him going. He responded with an efficient 15 points and 7 rebounds in 25 short minutes, then spent the fourth quarter cheering on the reserves and dancing to Gino.
Paul Pierce, SF 23 MIN | 3-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 7 AST | 8 PTS | +19
With Rondo doing the scoring, Pierce ended up facilitating, which is a good thing because he had another bad shooting night, including three missed layups. Legs still aren’t there despite positive signs the last week. That said, to get a layup to miss, you have to be assertive in the first place. It’s coming, folks.
Jermaine O’Neal, C 20 MIN | 4-5 FG | 0-2 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +12
Active early on both sides of the court. The C’s are using him as the roll man more and more, with good results.
Ray Allen, SG 28 MIN | 2-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 6 PTS | +24
He’s been struggling lately and one reason is that it takes a village to get him open for shots. He can rarely do it himself, especially because an opposing village is usually trying to stop him. Had an up and down night on defense as the Raps had a mind to go at him.
Rajon Rondo, PG 28 MIN | 7-8 FG | 7-11 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 21 PTS | +24
Did whatever he wanted against the Raptors defense. They couldn’t stop him in transition and with three steps of a running start in the halfcourt, he could zip by whoever was on him as well. It’s not a surprise his injury occurred when he was attacking the basket. He did it all night long.
Marquis Daniels, SG 12 MIN | 0-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 0 PTS | -2
Has almost no impact on the game offensively, but plays competent defense. That sounds a bit like Avery Bradley, his garbage-time running mate. Yikes.
Mickael Pietrus, SF 23 MIN | 4-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS | +6
The more you watch him, the more you notice his personality comes through in his on-court game. He plays boldly on the defensive end, knows how to get himself open for long balls on the offensive end and loves to take them. He hit four tonight. Not only that, he fits into all manner of lineups with his defensive flexibility, giving Doc Rivers some room to negotiate, so to speak.
Brandon Bass, PF 31 MIN | 4-11 FG | 5-6 FT | 9 REB | 0 AST | 13 PTS | +16
Another nice game for Bass, who manages to be a black hole within the context of the team offense, which is quite the trick. Still not there on defense (and maybe never will be) but 13 and 9 is a good night’s work.
Greg Stiemsma, C 14 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 2 PTS | +12
He really needs to shoot more. Dare I suggest the C’s should run some stuff to get him face-up looks?
JaJuan Johnson, F 6 MIN | 1-3 FG | 1-2 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | +2
Giving him a passing grade for his season high in minutes, even if it came after all competitiveness had seeped out of the game.
E’Twaun Moore, G 17 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 0 PTS | -7
You see flashes with Moore, but you also see rawness. That’s an empty line for 17 minutes. He does seem to be picking up the offense even if he can’t make a major impact on it yet.
Avery Bradley, SG 12 MIN | 3-4 FG | 2-3 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +5
He had his usual grisly moments on offense but also a couple of good ones, including a steal and breakaway dunk and a weak-side baseline cut for a stuff. Baby steps.

Three Things We Saw

  1. A hopeless Raptors team. Without Andrea Bargnani to create offense, the Raptors spent the first quarter burying themselves by missing long jumpers and watching Rondo race around them for layups. Any rumors of Toronto playing tougher or more physical or with more defensive energy proved unfounded (tonight at least). After a third quarter push by the Celtics, Toronto effectively gave up.
  2. A dirty throwdown by Linas Kleiza on Rajon Rondo. Rondo (sore right wrist, day-to-day) was lucky to escape serious injury when Kleiza hammered him in mid-air and then gave him an added push to make sure he went hard to the floor. I suppose it’s one way for Toronto to stop the C’s, because they had no interest in using defense to do it.
  3. A morale-boosting win. It portends little given the quality of the opponent but Boston can head into Friday’s game against Phoenix with a few less questions hanging over their heads.
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