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6 days ago

3-on-3: Will Doc Rivers Return Next Season?

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 [...]

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9 days ago

Rajon Rondo Reads Mean Tweets About Himself on Jimmy Kimmel Live

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 [...]

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22 days ago

Why Are People So Eager To Trade Paul Pierce?

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 [...]

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24 days ago

Terrence Williams Tells His Side of the Story on Arrest

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 [...]

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25 days ago

Video: Rajon Rondo on E! Fashion Police

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 [...]

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26 days ago

Jason Terry’s 2012-13 Final Grade

  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 [...]

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Game 16: Blazers (6-9) @ Celtics (8-7) Open Thread

Portland @ Boston
TD Garden
7:30 PM EST
CSNNE

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 104.9 points/100 possessions (13th)
Portland: 105.1 points/100 possessions (12th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 106.5 points allowed/100 possessions (23rd)
Portland: 109.0 points allowed/100 possessions (29th)

Probable Blazers starters: Damian Lillard (PG), Nicolas Batum (SG), Wesley Matthews (SF), LaMarcus Aldridge (PF), J.J Hickson (C)

View from the Opposing Bench: Portland Roundball Society

Brendan Jackson caught up with the guys at Portland Roundball Society to go 3-on-3 on the matchup tonight. Here’s one of Brendan’s answers for a sampling:

1. Kevin Garnett has shifted over the last year almost exclusively to the center position. The Blazers also start a center out of position in J.J. Hickson. Do you predict Garnett will spend most of his time guarding Hickson or on LaMarcus Aldridge?

Garnett will almost definitely be guarding Aldridge, however the Celtics switch picks a lot and often pick up different men in transition so it’s not likely to be a huge factor.  Brandon Bass, the other alternative, is just not suited to defend really tall guys that have good turn around post moves and can shoot over him.  Aldridge is one of the best in the biz and needs to be held to his averages if the Celtics have a shot.  Garnett gives them the best chance to do that.
Check out the full post at Portland Roundball Society

Other Items of Note:

Courtney Lee will get the start at guard alongside Jason Terry tonight in place of the suspended Rajon Rondo. Here were my thoughts on the arrangement from earlier today:

You can likely pencil Lee into the shooting guard spot for tonight to matchup with Wesley Matthews, but I’ll be curious to see whether Doc trusts Terry or Barbosa to handle the shifty rookie for the bulk of tonight’s minutes. If neither is up to the job, Doc could also place Lee on Lillard and attempt to hide Terry or Barbosa on Matthews, not an ideal situation given Matthews’ height advantage on both players, but still a possibility.

Either way, the C’s catch somewhat of a break tonight given the fact that Portland has a very underwhelming bench in the backcourt, so they won’t be able to exploit Terry and Barbosa as much with Rondo sidelined, although that reality may change tomorrow night against the Bucks explosive backcourt.

Chris Wilcox (illness) and Jeff Green (knee) also plan on playing tonight, so look for Doc to stick with a nine-man rotation featuring Barbosa, Green, Sullinger and Wilcox off the bench against a weak Portland second unit that Boston should be able to take advantage of.

Prediction: Celtics 99, Blazers 90

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