Poor Big Al, he'll never be on a good team

You have to feel bad for former Celtics teenager Al Jefferson. He's had a nice NBA career but unfortunately he has bounced around from bad team (Minnesota Timberwolves) to now rebuilding team (Utah Jazz) and it appears like barring a trade or something drastic, he'll never be on a contender which is a shame.

The Boston Celtics finished their emotional West Coast trip 3-1 with a 107-102 win last night at EnergySolutions Arena over the Jazz.

Jefferson had a game-high 28 points and 19 rebounds with two blocks but it wasn't enough as Utah (32-29) missed its closer-Deron Williams-who is now rotting away (like everything else) in Newark, N.J.

New guy Devin Harris (19 points) was good but he's no Deron Williams. Andrei Kirilenko sporting his latest unique brand of a Eurotrash hairstyle added 18 points while Paul Millsap had 17 points.

The Jazz have great fans but you have to wonder if former coach Jerry Sloan is even watching this mess anymore or is he driving around aimlessly on a tractor somewhere in the sticks?

All five Celtics (43-15) starters scored in double figures led by Ray Allen (25 points). With Tommy Heinsohn sitting in the CSNE studios and Bill Walton riding his spaceship back in San Diego, Allen's BFF Donnie Marshall was left to fill in on play by play duties. I can't remember hearing a pro announcer getting more excited over a regular season game than Marshall was after Allen hit a clutch 3-pointer, "sniper!" It was pathetic and hilarious at the same time.

Paul Pierce had 21 points and seven rebounds, Kevin Garnett notched 16 points and 14 rebounds while Rajon Rondo put up 18 points and 11 assists. Oh and Nenad Krstic had 11 points and five rebounds.

Boston was up 30-21 after one quarter but Utah whittled it to 56-53 at halftime. The Celts held off the Jazz in the third quarter (23-22) and in the fourth (28-27) thanks to Allen's big shots.

One thing is clear which I never thought I'd say in a million years: the Celts desperately need Shaq in the lineup. With Perk gone, there is a huge void inside that can be taken advantage of by any decent post player.

Boston shot 47.6% to Utah's 44.9%. The Celtics made six more 3-pointers (7-1) but the Jazz hit nine more free throws (31-22) in the tightly called contest. Boston had one more rebound (42-41) and six more assists (22-16). The Cs made four more steals (9-5) but the Jazz had 12 more points in the paint (54-42) thanks to Jefferson and Millsap.

Some help is on the way as Troy Murphy has reportedly signed with Boston after getting bought out by the Golden State Warriors. He should provide size, rebounding and offense off the bench.

The Celtics return home (seems like they've been gone for months) tomorrow night when they host the Phoenix Suns. A team that they normally abuse but that they lost to in Phoenix a few weeks back in that weird KG punching Channing Frye in the balls game.

On top of the world Ma!

As a slave to fantasy sports, it hit me last night that none of the Boston Celtics this season will probably have a great year statistically. Sure Paul Pierce or Ray Allen can get the hot hand any night and put up 25+ points and Rajon Rondo is a triple-double waiting to happen but nobody is a straight gunner which for the most part is what fantasy basketball is all about.

Fortunately, the product the Celtics are currently putting on the court more than makes up for this useless quibble. They didn't play well at all last night in Minnesota but still survived with a 92-90 victory at the Target Center.

Boston (6-0) was down five points after the first quarter and eight at the half (49-41) but they slowly chipped away and let the young Timberwolves (1-4) make enough dumb plays and launch enough bricks to pull it out.

It might be my noted affection for Al Jefferson (18 points) and fellow PC alum Ryan Gomes (11 points, 7 rebounds) but I've said for the last few seasons that Minnesota has a lot of talent, if they could plug in a few decent veterans they might get somewhere. So far with new coach Kurt Rambis patrolling the sidelines (sans goggles) and Kevin Love out with an injury, it's hard to tell if the T-Wolves are making much progress.

Oleksiy Pecherov had the game of his life last night with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds but it wasn't enough. Corey Brewer added 13 points and promising rookie point guard Jonny Flynn had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Balance was the order of the day for the C's as out of the ten guys that saw the floor, nine scored at least six points.

Rajon Rondo led the way with 18 points, six assists and three steals. Kevin Garnett (in his second game back in Minnesota) had a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. He also had the play of the game late in the fourth quarter as he tied up Brewer when it looked like the former Florida star had an open lane to the basket.

Ray Allen scored 14 points, Kendrick Perkins had 12 points, eight boards and three blocks while Paul Pierce notched 10 points.

The Suns come to Boston tomorrow night.

Remembering what life would be like without KG

It's easy to forget that the Celtics acquired KG a couple days after trading for Ray Allen two summers ago. There is a reason why people (myself included) weren't that excited about a team that only slightly upgraded by trading for Ray Allen. Garnett is a difference-maker as he proved last season in Boston's championship run.

The C's lose its defensive identity when Garnett (flu) is forced to miss a game like he did yesterday afternoon against his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Boston (40-9) did just enough for a 109-101 home win over the youthful Timberwolves (16-30) in a Super Bowl matinee. Oh by the way, it was the Green's 11th consecutive victory.

Still, it was a reality check of what life would have been like without KG; the Celts would be fighting for home court in the Eastern Conference and would not be title contenders.

Paul Pierce led Boston with a game-high 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ray Allen added 22 points and Tony Allen scored 14 off the bench. In only his second career start, Glen Davis notched 12 points, six boards and three steals.

Kendrick Perkins scored eight points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Rajon Rondo had five points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Minnesota was paced by its star, former Celtic Al Jefferson, who had 34 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. It's a joke that he didn't make the All-Star team this season in the West.

Randy Foye added 21 points and nine assists while former Providence College star and Celtic Ryan Gomes notched 17 points and four steals. Sebastian Telfair, the other ex-Celtic, had 10 points and eight assists.

Boston jumped out a sizable lead after a 29-24 first quarter and 33-20 second quarter. The T-Wolves came back in the third (29-25) and fourth (28-22) but Pierce would not let his team choke away such a winnable game.

The Celts travel to Philly tomorrow night and Garnett's status is up in the air.

Where Would We Be Without KG?

When the Minnesota Timberwolves came to the Garden last night, the team with the worst record in the NBA was meeting the team with the best. None of this seemed to matter as the Celtics were extremely lucky to come away with a 87-86 win.

The T-Wolves have count 'em six former C's: Al Jefferson, Antoine Walker, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff (who by this point is a mummy). True Boston fans (and not the ones who are Johnny Come Lately bandwagon fillers) will remember them all, especially the young guys and 'Toine.

The Celts made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002 led by 'Toine, Pierce and a team that shot about 45 threes a game. Not surprisingly, they came crashing to a halt against the Nets. The young guys who were here last year (Bassy) or the last two (the rest) were part of a rebuilding project that never really went anywhere. That is until they were packaged along with two No. 1 picks for Garnett last summer. Jefferson is an absolute beast and at 22-years old is destined to be a star but as we've seen all year, and fittingly last night, KG is a winner that makes plays few others can.

Things weren't looking good as Boston (34-7) was down one with under a minute. They got a stop and the rebound but Pierce travelled. The T-Wolves (7-35) though shot themselves in the foot as they failed to get the ball inbounds in time. Ray Allen drove to the basket on the next possession but his layup rimmed out. Kendrick Perkins was there for the putback slam. Minnesota had one last chance but they couldn't get anything off. KG ended up out on Telfair near midcourt. No surprise who ended up with the ball as time ran out. Garnett pounded his chest and held up the Boston part of his jersey. A memorable moment in what could have been a disastrous game.

In terms of one-on-one matchups, there were a couple of surprises in terms of final results. Perkins (game-high 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks) actually outplayed Jefferson (15 points, 5 boards, 2 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks). Telfair played great (18 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) while Rajon Rondo (4 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block) was invisible.

Pierce had 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Ray Allen shot 4 of 18 for 12 points and four rebounds. KG left in the fourth with an abdominal strain but finished the game with 10 points and 16 rebounds. Tony Allen (6 rebounds) and Leon Powe each added seven points off the bench.

Gomes had 13 points while Rashad McCants had 12 points and seven boards. Green had nine points, three boards and two assists. Corey Brewer had eight points and 'Toine had only three.

The C's got to the basket much more and were rewarded by making 25 of 30 from the line. Minnesota was just 12 of 16. Boston dominated the glass (47-35) while the T-Wolves got more steals (13-7).

The rematch in Minnesota in a few weeks should be even more emotional for Garnett since he had spent his whole career there. The Celts hit the road to face Orlando tomorrow afternoon. The teams split the first two games (with the home team winning both) so it should be a tight contest.

The day the Celtics mattered again

It's official, mark July 31, 2007 on your calendars, the Celtics are relevant again on the Boston sports landscape and now throughout the NBA. The Celtics made a blockbuster deal, trading Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract plus two 1st-round draft picks to get 10-time All-Star Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves.

The Ray Allen trade didn't create much excitement for me or around here but this is a legit. deal. The Celtics took a big gamble that with a healthy Paul Pierce, Allen and K.G., they can be contenders in the East for the next 3-4 years. And why not? The Celts have been a complete joke for most of my fan years. Except for a random run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002 and Antoine's second go-around with the Celtics, this team has not made any strides on the court, to get back to the glory days of the 60's-early 90's. We've all heard about how great those days were in the Garden and while it's doubtful the C's are on the brink of a dynasty (since they'll have zilch when these three stars are done), they should be a favorite to win the Eastern Conference.

The Nets made the NBA Finals twice recently and the Cavs-a team with one superstar and no other above-average player-made it this year. All three teams lost to better Western Conference teams but at least they made it there. The Celtics season's have repeatedly revolved around drafts and as Danny Ainge has shown, there's nothing he screws up more than a draft.

It'll hurt to see Al Jefferson develop into the star we all know he can be but his growth will definitely be stunted in Minnesota which is currently an old Celtics b-squad (remember Ricky Davis, Justin Reed, Mark Blount). Green will probably never be anything more than a talented scorer that can't play defense or team basketball. It's hard for me to see Gomes leave as he went to PC but what can you do? He'll have a solid NBA career wherever he goes. Telfair will be out of the NBA in two years and Ratliff might not ever play again. Two draft picks is a pretty steep price but if the Celts have two good seasons in a row, it won't really matter since the picks will be in the 20's.

A fall with the Red Sox in the playoffs, the Patriots opening the regular season and the Celtics with their new squad is looking mighty nice. The future is now for the Boston Celtics. They've completely abandoned the youth movement in hopes of getting lots out of Pierce, Allen and KG. Why not? The Celtics matter again in Boston, proof that anything can happen.