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5 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 [...]

16
6 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
7 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 [...]

92
7 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
10 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
11 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 [...]

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Game 3: Celtics (1-1) @ Philadelphia (1-1) Open Thread

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Game 3
Celtics @ Sixers
7:00 PM EDT
TNT
Wells Fargo Center

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 94.0 points per 100 possessions (11th)
Philadelphia: 95.6 points per 100 possessions (10th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 90.4 points allowed per 100 possessions (1st)
Philadelphia: 91.7 points allowed per 100 possessions (3rd)

Probable Sixers Starters: Jrue Holiday (PG), Evan Turner (SG), Andre Iguodala (SF), Elton Brand (PF), Spencer Hawes (C)

View From The Opposing Bench:
Philadunkia

THUMBNAIL

All eyes on number 5.

And as well they should be.  Kevin Garnett is been pretty much the single reason the Celtics have won playoff games.  He’s dominating all facets of the game right now.  Scoring, rebounding, defending the post, pick and roll- you name it.  It seems oddly fitting that the man responsible for the Celtics success in the post season is the same man who everyone will remember for losing Game 2.

Wait, I should clarify: …is the man everyone will *misremember* for losing Game 2.

There are plenty of reasons why the Celtics lost Game 2 and chief among them was not Kevin Garnett’s moving screen.  The Celtics turned the ball over 17 times and were outrebounded 47-36.  It’s hard to win when either scenario occurs.  The problem with the C’s is that they’ve been able to see a level of success despite their shortcomings.  Shortcomings that have been year-long struggles and are unlikely to get solved within a playoff series.

The Celtics will have to continue to win despite their failings, something that can only happen if the desire is there.  Game 2 started out with very little playoff intensity and the closer the score remained the bigger the complacency got.  Players are obviously injured so when I say complacency, I’m not strictly monitoring how fast someone is running.  I looking for players to make the correct plays.  Players not turning the ball over.  Players not settling for bucket trading. Players being ready to extend the game at all costs if behind.

After Game 2, I asked Doc Rivers if the C’s were prepared to foul after Ray Allen made the three with 3 seconds left.  His answer was logical but not inspiring:

No, they had probably given up. But I don’t think that’s a big deal, to be honest. It’s three seconds left. With no time-outs. It was a Hail Mary, basically, by Ray and he made it. So I hope you’re not going to make that an issue tonight. There’s other issues we can make.

Sure. The Celtics were longshots at the point. No one, not even them, expected Allen to make that three. But the question becomes, why take it at all? Why not just dribble out the clock and move on?

The issue I want to make isn’t about those last three seconds. The issue I want to make is about desire. The Celtics are a better team than Philadelphia and they need to show it starting tonight.

I think they will.

PREDICTION

Celtics 92, Sixers 83

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