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9 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 [...]

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9 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
10 days ago

Danny Ainge Expects Doc Rivers & Kevin Garnett To Return, Unsure About Paul Pierce

A long, challenging offseason awaits Danny Ainge this summer. Before he dives in head first, he joined Salk and Holley on WEEI-FM 93.7 to discuss the multitude of decisions facing him this offseason, as well as the progress of Rajon Rondo in his rehab from ACL surgery. A few of the notable highlights from the interview. Ainge [...]

11
10 days ago

Suns Hire Away Celtics’ Assistant GM Ryan McDonough

In one way or another, there will be change this offseason in Boston. That process started in the past couple days, with the first piece moving out coming as a name most C’s fans might not be familiar with. Yet, it was Celtics’ assistant general manager Ryan McDonough, one of Danny Ainge’s top lieutenants, who [...]

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11 days ago

Doc Rivers Finishes 13th in Coach of the Year Voting

It was a tough season for the Boston Celtics, and that includes for head coach Doc Rivers. The long-time coach battled to find the right fit for a lot of new pieces that were both underperforming and/or failed to pick up his schemes on both ends of the floor. Naturally, an unfortunate plethora of injuries [...]

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12 days ago

Overconfident Answers To Offseason Questions (Part 1)

It seems like every offseason since 2010 we’ve been through this: a myriad of questions and concerns about the Celtics’ roster that usually involve the possibility of the core of the team being dismantled. As we head into the summer of 2013, we’ve got a whole batch of questions, many of which will be familiar.  [...]

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Game 5: 76ers (2-2) @ Celtics (2-2) Open Thread

Philadelphia @ Boston
TD Garden
7:30 PM EST
CSNNE

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 97.0 points/100 possessions (T-22nd)
Philadelphia: 89.0 points/100 possessions (T-29th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 100.0 points allowed/100 possessions (T-17th)
Philadelphia: 93.0 points allowed/100 possessions (T-2nd)

Probable 76er starters: Jrue Holiday (PG), Evan Turner (SG), Dorell Wright (SF), Thaddeus Young (PF), Lavoy Allen (C)

View from the Opposing Bench:  Philadunkia

Thumbnail:  The Sixers are a lot like the Celtics.  Both teams had monumental offseasons that saw drastic changes to their respective rosters.  The Sixers, like the Celtics, have also begun this season with a less than stellar 2-2 record.  Unfortunately for the Celtics, the Sixers can point to the fact that their star acquistion this offseason (Andrew Bynum) has yet to play in any of the first four games and won’t be playing tonight.  Also unlike the Celtics, the Sixers have been very good at preventing teams from scoring.  While their defensive efficiency has surely been bolstered by the total offensive ineptitude of a Eric-Gordon-and-Anthony-Davis-less Hornets team*, they’ve managed to prevent teams not from Manhatten from scoring more than 90 points (uuughhh the beginning of the season SUCKS).

Here is a video of Doc Rivers talking pregame about Mike Brown’s firing and Rajon Rondo’s early season success with his jump shot:

(Apologies for that good ol’ On a Boat feel but I did shoulders today and the media scrum was more mobile than usual)

Rivers gives great insight into what happens to a coaches family when they are fired abruptly as well as how pass first points slowly integrate their own offense into the team concept.  These are some subtle things you may not immediately think about.

As for tonight’s game, it’s hard to know which Sixers or Celtics team will show up because neither team has found their true identity.  That being said, if the Celtics can prevent the Sixers from scoring 90 they may be able ot use this game as a feel-good-defensive win.  If they can’t, questions need to start being asked…

*To put the Hornets point total (62) from the other night in its proper prospective, please note that 62 points is the exact number of points my and BRobb’s Rec League team put up last night.  In 44 minutes of running time.  And we’re not athetic and/or good at basketball.


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