It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp

Like the rest of New England (and most of the country), I was transfixed by the Jacksonville Jaguars-New England Patriots game last night. In a case of tough scheduling, the Celtics also played last night in Washington. I saw the start of the C's game and then only bits and pieces from there on out. Apparently, the Wizards won 85-78, snapping the Celtics 10-game road winning streak and also handing them their second loss in three games (!).

Rajon Rondo sat out with back problems, so the point guard duties fell to Tony Allen (8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) and Eddie House (11 points, 5 assists, 3 steals). Injuries or even fatigue (third game in four nights) were no excuse as the Wizards (19-16) were in the same boat with Gilbert Arenas out and they were playing a back-to-back as well.

Kevin Garnett (19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks), Paul Pierce (15 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Ray Allen (8 points) were held in check. Nobody else really stepped up for the Celtics (30-5). Kendrick Perkins (9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks) and James Posey (8 points, 3 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks) were decent but not enough.

The Wizards got a team-high 19 points and six boards from Baron Davis/Papa Smurf wannabe (the beard) DeShawn Stevenson. Caron Butler had a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four steals while Antawn Jamison notched 10 points, 16 rebounds and three steals.

The game was tight from the start as Washington jumped out to a 23-19 lead after the first quarter. Washington held a 41-40 lead at the half. Things looked good for the visitors going into the fourth as Boston was up 65-60. The fourth quarter was a nightmare though as the Wizards outscored the C's 25-13 to take the win.

For the game, Boston outshot Washington 41.3% to 36.8%. The Celts were a decent 9 of 25 from three while the Wizards were 2 of 18. Washington owned the free throw line (27-30) against Boston (17-23) and also had a huge night on the glass (49-30). That wiped out the C's 21-13 advantage in assists.

These teams will get today off before Washington travels to Boston to take on the Celtics again. You gotta think the Celts will win the return match but it looks like Rondo will miss that too.

Taking Care of Business in Sopranoland

After Wednesday's night terrible loss to the Bobcats, the Celtics bounced back last night with a gritty 86-77 win at the New Jersey Nets. With the win, Boston (30-4) tied the best start in franchise history and ensured that they still haven't lost two games in a row so far this season.

As always, Kevin Garnett was the star of the game for the C's. KG scored a game-high 20 points, grabbed 11 boards with three assists, three blocks and two steals. Paul Pierce had 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. Ray Allen showed no rust after he missed the Charlotte game. He dropped 16 points (including 11 in the first quarter).

The Nets (18-18) have been playing well lately and it showed early as they jumped out to a 30-22 lead after one quarter. Former UConn star Josh Boone (14 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks) and BC's Sean Williams (2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) both start up front now, giving New Jersey some athletic big bodies. As long as Jason Kidd is around, the Nets will understandably revolve around him. Kidd had 11 points, 13 boards and nine assists. Richard Jefferson (17 points) and Vince Carter (16 points) were relatively quiet.

Boston played a strong second quarter, outscoring New Jersey 25-14 to take a 47-44 lead at the half. New Jersey wouldn't go away as they came back in the third and put up 24 points while holding the Celts to 16.

The fourth quarter was the difference in the game as the C's defense completely put the clamps on the Nets. New Jersey scored just nine points (an almost unheard of total in an NBA game) and the Celtics used a 13-2 run to score 23 and clinch the win.

Rajon Rondo hurt his back in the third quarter and didn't return. James Posey (9 points, 6 rebounds), Eddie House (9 points) and Glen Davis (7 points, 4 boards)-also returning from one missed game-were solid off the bench.

The C's shot 47.9% and the Nets were just 36.5% from the floor. Boston was real bad from the free throw line (13 of 21) but the Nets were brutal (9 of 24) including 0 of 6 for Boone. That was the key stat as the Nets outrebounded Boston by 8 (52-44).

Boston travels a short distance to Washington, D.C. to take on the Wizards minus Gilbert Arenas tonight. Washington has actually played pretty well in his absence as Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are playing arguably the best basketball of their careers.

The First Stink Bomb of the '07-'08 Season

Through the first 32 games of the season, the Boston Celtics hadn't played a bad game. They'd lost three games: one in overtime and two others that they lost by two and three points respectively. Sooner or later, they were bound to just completely lay an egg. Nobody thought it would be last night though when the Charlotte Bobcats came to the Garden.

Playing the best game of their season, the Bobcats (13-21) made all the plays and hit the big shots as they defeated Boston (29-4), 95-83. The Celts nine game win streak was snapped in the process.

The C's were playing without Ray Allen, who has a sore neck. Ironically, the first time these teams met (on Nov. 24), Boston scored an improbable win as Allen hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. With Allen, would the Celts have won? Who knows?

Jason Richardson had a game-high 34 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Repeatedly, Richardson would hit shot-clock beating prayers. It was that kinda night. Nazr Mohammed (18 points, 10 assists) had a huge night off the bench while Raymond Felton (16 points, 8 assists, 4 boards) and Gerald Wallace (15 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals) had nice performances as well.

Kevin Garnett (24 points, 8 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks) showed up but the same couldn't be said for most of his teammates. Paul Pierce was dreadful, shooting 4 for 14 from the floor including 1 of 9 on 3-pointers for 13 points, eight boards and three assists. Rajon Rondo had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists while James Posey (10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) was the only other Celtic in double-figures. Kendrick Perkins added 10 rebounds.

Boston outscored Charlotte, 24-20 in the first quarter but the Bobcats responded to outscore them in each of the last three frames. It was the first time Boston had been down going into the fourth quarter and their attempts at a late comeback never panned out. Boston couldn't put together enough stops to get anywhere.

The Bobcats shot 48.8% from the floor while Boston was 41.7%. As a team the C's were 4 of 20 for three and they turned the ball over 17 times. It was a game to forget, proving that even great teams can slip up in the NBA when you least expect it. Projecting win totals in the high 60's or low 70's is absurd. This team is still in its infancy since it has so many new players trying to mesh together.


Boston will look to get back to its winning ways when it travels to New Jersey tomorrow night.

The Monkey Gets Suplexed

Hopefully now, the talking heads will take on a different pre-determined talking point when they discuss Eli Manning for the next six days, the next six months, and on into his career. With stats similar to his big brother through his first four seasons, the younger Manning won his first playoff game today, against an overrated Bucs team who won a very weak NFC West division. Some thoughts:

It was unbelievably satisfying to see Amani Toomer play a big role in a playoff win. He’s struggled with injuries the last couple of years, but coming into the playoffs, man, he’s looking ageless.

This Bradshaw fella, he’s got a future with the club. Reminds me of a young Warrick Dunn, sort of.

I don’t think there’s enough you can say about Eli Manning, really. You’re looking at a pro quarterback who’s smart. He commands that team.

And how about Webster? Not used often, buried on the depth chart, he made another big pick, recovered a fumble, and flew around the secondary all day. Great job on his part.

Bring on Big D, with Romo’s busted thumb, T.O.’s limp, and the pressure of having not won a playoff game in 11 years.

Forget Eminem, the Celtics own 8-Mile Road

On a team with three superstars, other players on the Boston Celtics often get lost in the shuffle and media circus growing around this outstanding team. Last night, Boston went into Detroit and beat the Pistons, 92-85, earning their ninth win in a row in the process.

Without a doubt, the key player of the game was Celtics rookie forward Glen Davis, who had 20 points and four rebounds. Big Baby put home 16 points in the fourth quarter alone as he repeatedly was wide open under the hoop then finished while he got hacked. If you saw Davis in college you knew he could play but like many players who aren't flashy dunkers or who can't score 40 points on a given night, he was unnecessarily forgotten in the draft. The Celts picked him up in the Ray Allen trade and that's already looking like a steal.

The Pistons (26-8) came in riding an 11 game win streak and in the first quarter, they completely shutdown the C's (29-3). Detroit outscored Boston 22-12 and Kevin Garnett (15 points, 5 rebounds) picked up his second foul pretty early and had to sit.

Boston roared back in the second quarter, led by Paul Pierce (19 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists), who is playing as well as anybody on the planet right now. The Celts outscored the Pistons, 29-21 in the second frame and entered halftime down two, 43-41.

Detroit has been in a million big games over the last six or seven years and they responded in the third. Richard Hamilton (18 points, 8 assists, 4 boards), Chauncey Billups (17 points, 6 assists, 4 boards) and Rasheed Wallace (16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks) all made plays. Even Jason Maxiell (13 points, 4 rebounds) was good although Tayshaun Prince (7 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) wasn't his usual self.

Tony Allen (10 points, 4 rebounds) continued his fine work while Ray Allen (9 points, 6 rebounds) had another off-night. Kendrick Perkins added seven points and nine rebounds.

The fourth quarter last night was pretty much the polar opposite of the first meeting: Boston (particularly Davis) made all the plays while Detroit bricked shots and turned the ball over. The C's outscored the Pistons 29-19 in the fourth to seal off a great win.

Detroit shot 39.2% from the floor while Boston was 41.9%. The Pistons made three more 3-pointers (7-4) but Boston made 10 more free throws (26-16). The biggest statistical advantage was in rebounds: Boston owned the glass (50-36). That helped to diminish their lack of assists (14 to the Pistons 23) and turnovers (13 vs. 6).

The game had all the look and feel of a late May playoff battle. Intensity was written over all the players faces and the Detroit crowd was hyped from the start. The Pistons will certainly be the Celts biggest roadblock in the Eastern Conference playoffs. So far, home court doesn't seem to be much of an advantage to these two very evenly matched squads.

Boston has until Wednesday to rest and recover. The Bobcats come to the Garden on Wednesday night.

The Other Allen Lifts Up his Brother from Another Mother

Ray Allen scored two points (0 for 9 from the floor with two late free throws) and Rajon Rondo had six turnovers and shot 2 for 9. Still, the Celtics outlasted the Memphis Grizzlies, 100-96 in Boston last night.

The Celtics (28-3) won their eight straight, they haven't lost since that epic game against the Pistons on December 19.

With Ray having one of the worst games of his career, Tony Allen (no relation that we know of), stepped up and had another stellar game with 20 points and three steals. Paul Pierce (23 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Kevin Garnett (23 points, 5 boards, 5 assists) also showed why they're sure-fire All-Stars come February.

You have to give Memphis (9-23) plenty of credit, they've had a terrible season thus far but they came into the Garden and weren't intimidated by the NBA's best team. Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists while Juan Carlos Navarro (20 points), Mike Miller (16 points, 8 rebounds), Pau Gasol (12 points, 8 boards) and rookie point guard Mike Conley (10 points) also stood out in the loss.

James Posey (9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) continued to improve his candidacy for sixth man of the year while Eddie House had eight valuable points.

It wasn't a very memorable game but Boston did enough to win and you have to think they might have been looking ahead a little bit to tonight when they face the Pistons in Detroit. The two teams are clearly the class of the Eastern Conference and probably two of the top three teams (Spurs being the other) in the league at the moment. Detroit is on fire having won 11 in a row including last night over Toronto.

Doc Rivers sat Pierce, Allen and Garnett in the fourth quarter but had to put them back in as Memphis cut it down to four late in the game.

Tonight should be another classic after Detroit took round one in Boston. The Celtics will need more production from their bench tonight (something that was invisible in the first meeting) while also somehow trying to find a way to slow down Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton. That's obviously easier said than done.

Garnett for MVP, Celtics open 2008 with a bang

Since the first game this season, that I went to, I have been saying that Kevin Garnett will have a really good shot at getting the MVP. So often, that award comes down to numbers and the biggest fault you can find with the Big Ticket is that he's not selfish enough when he should be down the stretch of a tight game.

A performance like last night will go a long way in swaying voters. KG scored 11 of his game-high 26 points (to go with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals) in the last seven minutes as the Celtics held off the Houston Rockets, 97-93.

With the win, Boston (27-3) joins some elite company. Through 30 games five other teams have finished 27-3 in NBA history and amazingly, four of them including the '95-'96 Bulls (who went 72-10) won the championship that season.

Playing without star Tracy McGrady, Houston (15-17) looked like they were going to be blown out at the Garden as Boston jumped out to a 30-16 lead after one. They hung around though and would outscore the C's in each of the last three quarters.

Bonzi Wells (25 points), Yao Ming (19 points, 13 boards) and Rafer Alston (18 points) all played well for the Rockets.

Paul Pierce (19 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) was solid and Rajon Rondo was impressive (13 points, 9 assists, 5 boards) after missing the last game with a hamstring injury. Ray Allen added 13 points and Scot Pollard (playing his most important minutes of the season) notched 10 points and five boards before fouling out. Eddie House scored nine as well. Pollard and Kendrick Perkins both fouled out covering Yao, forcing KG to guard him late in the fourth quarter.

Boston shot 53.2% for the game to Houston's 42.2%. Boston was just 11 of 19 from the line, part of the reason why the Rockets (18 of 23) made it so close. The Rockets also did something most teams haven't been able to do, beating Boston 41-34 on the glass. The Celtics nullified that by recording 27 assists, nine more than Houston.

All in all it was a great win as the Celtics season keeps rolling along, gaining more and more momentum and bandwagon fans by the day. The Memphis Grizzlies come to Boston on Friday night. Boston shouldn't have too much trouble with one of the NBA's worst teams but these days you can't underestimate any opponent since the Celtics are now getting everybody's best shot because they're the undisputed top dog.