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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 [...]

51
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 41: Celtics (20-20) @ Cavaliers (10-32) Open Thread

http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2012/1219/dm_121219_nba_cavs_celtics/dm_121219_nba_cavs_celtics.jpgBoston at Cleveland
7:00 P.M. ET
Quicken Loans Arena
CSNNE

Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 100.2 points/100 possessions (20th)
Cleveland:
98.9 points/100 possessions (27th)

Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 100.5 points allowed/100 possessions (8th)
Cleveland:
 106.8 points allowed/100 possessions (28th)

Probable Cavaliers Starters:
Kyrie Irving (PG), Alonzo Gee (SG), C.J. Miles (SF), Tristan Thompson (PF), and Tyler Zeller (C)

View From The Opposing Bench: Cavs: The Blog

Thumbnail: Well, that was quick. Since the Celtics won six consecutive games for the first time in two years, they all of a sudden have dropped three straight, including two to teams that each have a winning percentage below .400. Boston’s losing streak is the longest current one for any Eastern Conference team. Fortunately for the Celtics, they play in Cleveland on Tuesday. The Cavaliers have the second-worst winning percentage in the league.

In addition, the Cavaliers are without Anderson Varejao (blood clot) for the rest of the 2012-13 season. He is one of the NBA’s best rebounders on both the offensive and defensive ends. Without Varejao, the Cavaliers are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. This should benefit the Celtics, who have been outrebounded in each of last three losses. They are 10-3 this season when either outrebounding their opponent or having the same number of rebounds. However, the Celtics are 10-17 when having fewer rebounds.

Boston has been struggling recently for many reasons, so a win on Tuesday will not cure all the ills. While this Celtics team can win games as currently constructed, they may need a trade before the deadline to make a long 2013 postseason run. For Boston to be victorious, Paul Pierce needs to carry a part of the scoring load. As he as aged, he has predictably become more inconsistent. However, he can still put up great shooting nights.

During the Celtics’ recent six-game winning streak, Pierce shot 46% from the field, 37% from three-point and scored 19 points per game. On the contrary, during the team’s current three-game losing streak, he has only averaged 12 points per game with some terrible shooting percentages. He only needs four points to pass Ray Allen for 21st on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, but Pierce will have to put up more than just a few buckets for the Celtics to be successful even against one of the league’s worst teams.

Prediction: Pierce finds his stroke and the Celtics stop their three-game losing streak by winning their fourth consecutive meeting with the Cavaliers.

Celtics 96, Cavaliers 87

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