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8 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
9 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 [...]

94
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
14 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 32/66: Celtics (15-16) @ Thunder (25-7) Open Thread

Boston at Oklahoma City
7:00 PM
Chesapeake Energy Arena
ESPN

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 97.9 points per 100 possessions (23rd)
Oklahoma City: 106.1 points per 100 possessions (2nd)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 95.3 points per 100 possessions (3rd)
Oklahoma City: 99.2 points per 100 possessions (14th)

Probable OKC Starters: Russell Westbrook (PG), James Harden (SG), Kevin Wayne Durant (SF), Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila  (PF), Kendrick Le’Dale Perkins (C)

View From The Opposing Bench: Daily Thunder

Injury Report:
Boston: Chris Wilcox, Brandon Bass, and Jermaine O’Neal
are all out with injuries. Rajon Rondo is serving a time out. Kevin Garnett will play and Greg Stiemsma will start.
Oklahoma City: Thabo Sefolosha is out.

 

For those of you that think Rondo getting suspended is evidence that the NBA is rigged for some reason, consider that he’s sitting out for two national television games that the Celtics weren’t favored in to begin with. The league would prefer he play in these games.

Of course, with KG in and Rondo out, the Celtics are about to replicate a tweaked version of the lineup that crushed Orlando in consecutive games almost exactly one month ago. This could be a fun test to see if the defense is tighter without Rondo, as some have been speculating. Of course, Oklahoma City is much better than Orlando.

Possibly of interest in the absence of a competitive game will be increased minutes for JaJuan Johnson, Avery Bradley, and Greg Stiemsma. Stiemsma will start with the top two centers out: the last time he got more than 20 minutes, he put up 13 points on 5-7 shooting. Since then he’s taken 17 shots in 20 games. Should be fun to watch him tonight, along with Johnson and Bradley trying to build on their efficient scoring performances against Dallas. (UPDATE: Stiemsma’s not starting anymore. Mickael Pietrus is, moving Pierce to the 4 and Garnett to the 5. Weird!)

Blah blah Kendrick Perkins blah Kevin Durant blah James Harden’s beard. Enjoy the game!

PREDICTION
Celtics 85, Thunder 91

 

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