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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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
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 [...]

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Game 1: Celtics (0-0) at Heat (0-0) Open Thread


Boston at Miami
8:00 PM
American Airlines Arena
TNT

Offensive Efficiency (2011-12)
Boston: 98.9 points/100 possessions (24th)
Miami: 104.3 points/100 possessions (6th)

Defensive Efficiency (2011-12)
Boston: 95.5 points/100 possessions (2nd)
Miami: 97.1 points/100 possessions (4th)

Probable Miami Starters: Mario Chalmers (PG), Dwayne Wade (SG), Shane Battier (SF), LeBron James (PF), Chris Bosh (C).

View from the Opposing Bench: The Heat Index

THUMBNAIL: You might want to tune in late tonight and skip the Heat getting their championship rings unless you want to see Ray Allen standing awkwardly on the sidelines pretending he wasn’t roadkill on Miami’s road to the title. After that bit of unpleasantness, we should be in for an entertaining war. Boston and Miami have a wonderful old-school hate for each and it has only intensified since Kevin Garnett refused to let Allen post on his Pinterest board over the summer.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: So many things. Here’s a sampling of what I’ll be focused on tonight:

1. Who guards LeBron? Obviously, Pierce will get time on him but we might see Jeff Green and Brandon Bass check him, assuming James spends his time on the perimeter and in the post. Can the combination of the three of them wear him down over 48 minutes?

2. Was Green’s stellar preseason just a mirage? Everything in his history says he’s no better than average but his history is just that. I’m particularly interested in his assertiveness on offense. That $9M contract isn’t going to earn itself.

3. How does Courtney Lee handle Wade? If he wants the starting SG spot for good, he has to hang with him like he’s Avery Bradley.

4. What is Doc Rivers’ crunchtime lineup? Assuming it’s tight down the stretch, does Jason Terry get the call or will Rivers be looking for a stronger defender?

5. How long is the leash on Jared Sullinger? Boston wants this game and for Rivers, that usually means only his most trusted guys get floor time. We could learn something if Sullinger gets any kind of burn in the second half.

6. How many wide-open threes does Allen get as a result of James/Wade penetration? If it’s greater than four, will that finally make him feel appreciated?

7. Does Boston throw more big lineups at Miami than all the talk of small ball would have us believe or do the Celtics try and match Miami greyhound for greyhound?

8. Does Rajon Rondo harass Allen into multiple turnovers? You know he’s just dying to do it.

PREDICTION: Boston’s incorporating new parts and new rotations and Miami should be free and easy coming off a championship. It’ll be tight but I’ll say the Heat take this first contest.

Miami 99 Boston 95

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