With the Doc Rivers coaching watch heating up to a fever pitch in the past few days with a countless number of credible reports, we decided it’s time to get our crew back together and address the speculation. 1. On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you Doc Rivers will coach the Celtics next [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Al Jefferson talks about KG and coming back to Boston after tonight’s C’s win.
Paul Pierce, SF36 MIN | 6-16 FG | 7-7 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 20 PTS | +1
Classic modern-era Pierce game: cracks 20 points, hits just under 40% of his shots, gets to the line more than anyone else in the game, makes all of them, and rebounds reasonably well for his position. Second game in a row where he’s shot 1-6 from three, but it doesn’t feel weird or anything when he puts one up yet.
Brandon Bass, PF35 MIN | 7-17 FG | 5-6 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 19 PTS | +1
Quietly stunning to see that Bass missed ten shots in this get. Seemed like all his jumpers fell, especially down the stretch. Near the end he went up for a shot and I promised him if he made it I would give him a B+. It went in, so I was committed.
Kevin Garnett, PF34 MIN | 10-16 FG | 3-3 FT | 10 REB | 4 AST | 23 PTS | +23
KG was the difference! He was +23 in 34 minutes and destroyed Jefferson on both ends of the court and in the emotional centers of his brain. We know what we’re getting on defense, but he was the core of the offense tonight; Stiems subbing in for him at the end of the third set off a five-minute FG drought. Also the only above-average rebounder on the team.
Rajon Rondo, PG36 MIN | 3-7 FG | 0-1 FT | 4 REB | 14 AST | 6 PTS | +1
I like when Rondo high-steps and basically makes fun of the other team for trying to guard him. It shows he’s engaged and it’s consistent with the team-wide arrogance that I also enjoy, whether or not they deserve it. The Jazz announcers on League Pass were basically threatening physical retaliation against Rondo and Garnett for bad sportsmanship, and I encourage them to follow through on that.
Avery Bradley, SG43 MIN | 3-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 9 PTS | +13
Bradley missed three gutsy drives at the rim, so that 3-10 figure is a little deceptive. If he hits 3 out of every 7 jumpers he takes for the rest of his career, I will personally lead the charge for his Hall of Fame candidacy. Nice to see him playing with confidence.
Keyon Dooling, PG17 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 7 PTS | +10
These numbers aren’t terrible, but I’d still prefer to see him conform to a
Ryan Hollins, C7 MIN | 2-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS | +4
Seven very exciting minutes! If you think those alley-oops aren’t going into a highlight gallery, you’re weird.
Sasha Pavlovic, SF12 MIN | 2-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS | +11
He runs around and makes but meaningful small contributions. That’s much more than I expected to get from him at this point in his Boston career.
Greg Stiemsma, C19 MIN | 0-0 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 1 PTS | -4
Amazing that he could be on the court for 19 minutes and not attempt a shot, but STILL give the overall impression that he had a pretty decent game. He just inserts himself in the mix more aggressively these days. Straight B’s for the bench! Hosannahs!
Three Things We Saw
A statement win! This is the first truly above-average team the Celtics have beaten in quite a while. Too bad they may not have the advantage for the entire playoffs, because I feel like this team has a chance against pretty much anyone at home.
Yet another reminder of the change in the NBA landscape that took place on August 1st, 2007. KG toyed with Al Jefferson tonight, exposing both as a miserable defensive center with exploitable holes in his scoring game. And only five years ago, the Celtics were considering building around that very Al Jefferson. Sliding doors, y’all.
The ever-building confidence of Avery Bradley and Greg Stiemsma. Neither exactly went off tonight, but there’s a swagger to their games that wasn’t there a couple months ago. They both don’t look like they’re worried about whether or not they should be there anymore.
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The Ticker
