What’s next for the Celtics and Paul Pierce?

4 May 2013 By Leave a Comment

This morning, the Celtics were knocked out of the first round of the NBA playoffs, falling 80-88 to the New York Knicks.  The Knicks dominated early on in the match, however the Celtics scored 20 straight points displaying courage and strength.  They didn’t play well, but they fought hard. That’s the green spirit.

So what’s next for the Celtics? There have been speculations that this was Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett’s last game in a Celtics outfit. KG will probably retire because of his no-trade clause and his previous comments on wanting to retire a Celtic.

Paul Pierce on the other hand, is a different story.

Paul Pierce sitting

“I definitely expect to be playing next year,” Pierce said. – But, for which team? That, is the 5 million dollar question on the minds of all Celtics fans right now.

With 2 years of his $15 million contract remaining, the Celtics could buy out his contract for $5 million.  There have been calls for Danny Ainge to trade Pierce and move on from the Paul Pierce era into rebuilding mode.  Ideally, Ainge should build a team around All-Star point guard and two-time NBA assists leader, Rajon Rondo.  Jeff Green also had a solid season after coming back from heart surgery last year, so it would be no surprise if he remained on the Celtics roster.  It would not be surprising if Courtney Lee, Brandon Bass and Jason Terry were traded in the offseason, with all players under-performing this season. Although I am a fan of JET and he has come up big for the C’s in a few games, his contract has been an albatross. There are going to be a lot of changes in the off-season –no one’s place is certain.

Danny Ainge has been around long enough to know what needs to be done.  I would love to see Pierce retire as a Celtic, but I would also like Boston to start their rebuilding phase soon.  With rumours of KG retiring, his predicted departure would free up a lot of cap space. Building around a Rondo-Green core could work if they approach free agency wisely and (hopefully) grab a sleeper in the draft.

Filed Under: Opinions, Players, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: ,

One hell of a ride – The 2012/13 Celtics season recap.

4 May 2013 By Leave a Comment

What else could we call it, honestly? Every season is full of ups and downs, but this has been the grittiest fight so far in the KG era, with so much change throughout the season.

Pre-season

125

The promising off-season with a reloaded roster displayed potential in the Europe exhibition games. We were excited at Chris Wilcox and Jeff Green’s return, and also at all the new faces.

We had the JET himself, ready to take big shots. I was really excited to see Courtney Lee, being a fan from his Orlando days. We had two big men in Darko Milicic and Jason Collins, ready to give twelve hard fouls and some tough interior D. We had scoring speedster guard, The Brazillian Blur himself – Leandro Barbosa. Talk about a stacked guard roster.

Best of all, we saw Rondo consistently nailing jumper after jumper. He was making free throws like a man possessed.

Summary: WE HAD OFFENSE. (Albeit, at the cost of defense.)

Sacramento Kings v Boston Celtics

Season start

The season however, began with a shaky start.  The team floundered, and somehow never got on an even keel. Adding multiple new faces took time, and our defense suffered. We were horrible on pick-and-roll defense. Offensive lineups became experimental. Rondo was pounding the ball at the top all too often. JET was running off back screens and taking jumpers the way Ray did, but it wasn’t working. Courtney became hesitant on offense, pulling the ball back in transition all too often. It was obvious Pierce could no longer take a guy off his dribble and make dagger shots consistently, which meant we had to find more offense somewhere else, and nothing was happening.

I was frustrated.

Avery Bradley's Stifling Defence

Good news arrived in the form of lockdown defender Avery Bradley, who said he was going to return from shoulder rehab. His return gave us a boost of confidence, that his defense would set the tone for the Celtics, who looked lost. It looked like it would, and it did. The defense slowly, but surely got better.

Boston Celtics v Brooklyn Nets

A temporary moment of triumph happened. We conquered the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day, 93-76.  Sullinger had 16 points and 7 rebounds. Everyone was calling for him to start.

Sullinger Pulls Down The Rebound

As it was since the season began, our undersized rookie Jared Sullinger played his ass off. We loved #TheHustler so much for his tenacity on rebounds, his focus on nabbing the boards above all else. His passing smarts, and his shooting range. He became a starter, to everyone’s joy.

The injury bug strikes again

Then, we had the shockers – Rondo’s ACL tear, and then Sullinger’s back operation. Two starters were out, just like that.

Without Rondo, Ticket and Truth had to shoulder a heavier load, and get involved in playmaking. Everything and anything, for the team.

Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee against the Denver Nuggets

Having no choice but to soldier on, we found our footing and played harder, winning from off-ball movement and ball sharing. Avery and Courtney were The Pitbulls on defense. We were finding some sort of rhythm, even without Rondo. The KG/Pierce two-man game worked. Truth was being a point forward once more, and a gritty defensive rebounder on top of everything else.

Jeff Green of the Boston Celtics dunks on Al Jefferson of the Utah Jazz in the 2012/13 NBA season.

Jeff Green of the Boston Celtics dunks on Al Jefferson of the Utah Jazz in the 2012/13 NBA season.

Meanwhile, Jeff Green was creating poster dunks left, right and center. He was slowly finding his way on offense. Slowly, but surely, we were seeing consistency.

“We’re better without Rondo!”

Things were looking up, some fans began to talk about the team being better without Rondo.

Really? Honestly, no. The problem was the offensive system, not Rondo’s execution of the game plan. He did what he was supposed to, every time. If you thought that, sorry – we have to agree to disagree. And Rondo’s plays in the postseason cannot be measured. The man made countless hustle and gamechanging plays, never ever forget that.

Barbosa’s loss – The straw that broke the camel’s back

Leandro Barbosa goes down with an ACL tear

The rhythm fell apart once more as bad luck struck the team. Bench scorer Leandro Barbosa tore his ACL, injecting yet another blow to an already depleted roster. We weren’t the Minnesota Timberwolves, but things were really looking down.

New faces once more.

We had to get healthy bodies one way or another. Left with no alternative, trades happened and signings were made. We added more new faces in the form of ex-Wizard Jordan Crawford, plus CBA imports Terrence Williams, DJ White and Shavlik Randolph.

Credit: ESPN

Credit: ESPN

Everyone loved Shavlik’s hustle and defensive instincts, and Justin dubbed him #ShavKill. Celtic Nation made jokes about Crawford’s crazy shots.

Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers

Terrence Williams went from a small forward to being a point guard. T-Will outdid all of our other guards when it came to making plays, no questions asked.

Fighting all the way, the Celtics clawed its way to the postseason, vets rested and ready to fight.

Round 1, playoffs – New York Knicks

Boston Celtics v New York Knicks - Game One

Everyone was eager to see more of the Truth firing his usual daggers at New York, confident that somehow we would make it a contest. Reality was a huge disappointment. The offense was stagnant and one-dimensional. The ball moved too slowly, the Knicks had a field day in steals. We simply could not get the ball to drop into the cursed hoop. The Knicks were not exactly stellar, but made enough to kill us. Avery wasn’t playing with his usual intensity on both ends, and I cringed every time he passed the ball, for fear that someone would cut the passing lane and make a steal.

Bass was playing elite defense on Melo. Truth and Ticket were playing hard, but it just was not enough.

Game 1: we had a 8 point fourth quarter. That was bad. I thought this was rock bottom, we could not possibly get any worse. Boy, was I wrong.

Game 2: the team scored 11 points in the third, 12 points in the fourth. This, was rock bottom. Our offense was so bad, it was ridiculous. Our famed fourth quarter meltdowns in the past were nothing compared to these.

The team went down 2-0, everyone was praying for the team not to go out this way. We missed Rondo. A lot.

It was not until Game 3, when JR Smith gave a vicious elbow to Jason Terry, that the team seemed to find a bit of fire. After losing Game 3, the JET proclaimed:

“I’m coming out with something. I’m going to come out with the heart, the passion, the energy that’s needed to get a win. We have to do that collectively. One man’s not going to be able to provide that. It has to be a collective unit and we’ve got to get it done together.”

Jason Terry of the Boston Celtics takes flight.

And fight we did, taking Game 4 with JR Smith serving a suspension on that silly elbow strike. Dumb luck, the detractors said. We would not have won if JR was playing.

And then, we took Game 5 too, despite an ugly 11-0 start in the first quarter. Melo missed a ton of shots. JR Smith had the same problem, only worse. The unthinkable had happened. New York fans were shaken. Kenyon Martin’s proclamation about wearing black to a funeral, ended up with the Knicks getting buried.

Could the Celtics truly be the first team in league history to come back from 3-0 and clinch the series? We wanted to believe.

Game 6

Today, Game 6. Three quarters of putrid basketball set us back in double digits. We were at 51-75, with 9 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The odds seemed insurmountable. With the way theyhad been playing, I had given up hopes of the team making a comeback. Tweets were coming in about fans exiting at the end of the third quarter. The Knicks seemed ready to roll into round two.

Never count the C’s out.

Bit by bit, shot by shot, a 20-0 run somehow happened. Avery somehow found himself and became a defensive maniac once more. He stole the ball and finished it, twice. We got multiple stops, thanks to the Knicks’ multiple bricked shots. We got the defensive boards, and Green ran the floor, finishing at the rim with astounding effort. The NY score was frozen solid at 75. They were regressing into Melo iso plays. Melo had an injured left shoulder, but somehow made baskets. The lead was within grasp at 4 points, we were closing in for the kill.

And just like that, it was over. Melo made free throws over a phantom Bass foul. Green fouled out. New York played the clock out, made shots and led by 12. The noose was slowly but surely closing.

Doc called a final timeout. Coming out of the play, JET hit a 3 and closed the lead to 9. It was hope.

Yet, it was not meant to be. Tyson Chandler got the rebound off a missed Felton shot. The clock continued to wind down. Melo missed a shot, KG corralled the board and Bass managed to get to the line for two. We were 7 points away, with 27 seconds to go. Close, but time had simply run out. It was too late.

Jeff Green and Paul Pierce

The game ended 80-88, with the Knicks advancing after a 4-2 series win. The Boston Celtics end their 2012/13 postseason run in the first round.

Epilogue

The momentuous journey finally ended with a first-round exit. It was more or less what most of us knew deep inside, but just did not want to admit. We wanted to see another magical postseason run, another upset, another round of showing the disbelievers that we could do it one more time.

I was happy to see the fight in the fourth quarter today, to know that the Celtics would not simply roll over and surrender. It just kills me to know that we had a possible Game 7 within our grasp, and yet not be able to reach it.

In the end, it was the first three quarters that did us in, despite a heroic rally in the closing frame. If we had had a perfect free throw game, or made a few more shots, things might have been different. Alas.

Nevertheless, I am stil proud of this team, for battling through all the unsaid injuries and giving it their all at the end. I just wish we could have done it more consistently, that we could have flipped the switch a little earlier.

That’s all behind us now anyway. My thanks once more to everyone in the team, and to everyone in the fan community for taking this journey together.

The Captain.

Onwards, to the next season! Keep believing.

Filed Under: Games, Opinions, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Celtics Knicks game 6 summary and future

4 May 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jeff Green and Paul Pierce​

The Celtics’ postseason hopes ended with an 80-88 loss at the TD Garden. Our men in green showed tremendous heart in the final term, outscoring the Knicks 33-21. They were behind by 26 in the 4th quarter, but made a 20-0 run and eventually cut the lead to 4. It just was not enough as Jeff Green fouled out and the Knicks pulled away to win by 8.

Jeff Green scored 21 while KG added 15-10. The Celtics lost this series 4-2, and the Knicks will play Pacers in round 2.

The Boston Celtics will be back next season.

It is not known who will return, was that the end of KG and Pierce (I hope not) but we all have our great memories if it is! Doc said in the post-game presser that he is not sure if he will return next season. I hope they keep this core group for next season; with a healthy Rondo they will be able to make a push!

All about 18.

Game notes from the Celtics Down Under Facebook page:
- Top scorers: Jeff Green (21), Carmelo Anthony (21)
- Rebounding: NYK led 42-35 with 15 offensive boards
- Truth’s off night: 14 points from 4 of 18 FG, 1 of 9 3P. 7 rebs, 5 assts, 2 steals, 1 block and 5 TOs.
- Bench production: 0 points from Lee/Williams/Crawford, 14 from JET, who was 3 of 5 3P.
- Team ended with 24 of 63 shots, 38.1% from the field.
- Shooting from deep: 6 of 22 from 3P, 27.3%.
- Not perfect: 26 of 33 from the line, 78.8%. This really hurt, the freebies would’ve pulled us in.
- (Lack of) ball movement: evidence by 13 assists and 19 TOs.

Filed Under: Games, Opinions, Players, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , ,

Three winning reasons – Celtics-Knicks series: Game 5 thoughts

2 May 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jason Terry of the Boston Celtics takes flight.

Was anyone else expect a win? Honestly, I had a feeling we might win this game, and it was so good to see a road win with our backs to the wall. Win or go home? Well, we’re winning and going home – beat that.

The big three reasons

However, the stars were in alignment this game. We had three huge factors to the win:

  1. New York slump: In a game where Carmelo Anthony sputtered on 8 for 24 (22 points) under Bass’s stifling defense, JR Smith’s shot went fishing (or golfing, take your pick) and left him on a 3 for 14 night (14 points), we came out with a 6-point victory.
  2. The hot hands: The C’s shot 50% from downtown, a scorching 11 of 22. Actually, it should have been 11 of 19 if we discounted the three shots T-Will took. I love the guy in transition, especially when he’s driving for the finish. He was forced to toss two up with the shot clock expiring, and gambled on another open shot, none of which were close. So, we shot really, really well from the three-point line this game.
  3. Heavy dose of the Truth/Ticket: KG and Pierce played massive minutes. Rebounding, making plays, you name it, they were on it. Truth had 44, Ticket had 39.The two of them were visibly gassed in the fourth quarter. Kudos to our stars for pulling through and finishing the game.

Reality check

As much as I’d like to see the team shoot 50% in the 3P% column again, something tells me it doesn’t happen every night. We have to make more attempts in the paint. We only had 28 points in the paint, compared to the Knicks scoring 42. Same old tired mantra: jumpshots aren’t going to carry us to consecutive wins, there has to be an established in-out rhythm.

The same goes to Melo and JR’s respective slumps. As much as I love the Bassman defending Melo, things might go in a different direction in Game 6. Expect to see Melo getting his usual 30 points, which would significantly reduce the safety margin. Don’t even get me started on Smith, we’re treading on very thin ice as it is.

KG needs to get his rest somehow, and playing super small with a 7-man rotation might not be the way to go. Is Shavlik still not worthy of trust, even for 1-2 minutes? I’m hoping for the game plan to be adjusted in Game 6, and for home court to provide a strong enough boost for us to force Game 7.

Nothing too deep, just one game at a time. Onwards to Game 6, LET’S GO CELTICS! #AussieCeltics

Filed Under: Games, Opinions, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , ,

Celtics-Knicks series: Game 4 recap

29 April 2013 By Leave a Comment

Image

The Boston Celtics managed to outlast the New York Knicks in an OT thriller at the TD Garden.

The Celtics led 54-35 at the half and by as much as 20 with less than 8 minutes to go in the 3rd period. However, as the Celtics have done all series, they struggled again in the 2nd half, scoring 14 points in the 3rd and 16 in the 4th.

Pierce had a chance to win the game in regulation but couldn’t get it to drop. When OT came around, JET was finally ready to play. He dropped 9 of his 18 points in the OT period, in which Boston scored 13 (1 less than 3rd period in 7 less minutes).

Paul Pierce finished with 29-8-6, Green 26-6 and KG with 13-17-6. Kevin played like a mad man and helped win this game with a big shot near end of regulation. Celtics held Carmelo Anthony to 10-35 from the field, who still 16-20 from FT.

The Celtics held on and won 97-90 to force a game 5 back in New York.

Schedule as follows.

Round 1 Game 1: 5am 21/4 in New York (85-78 L)
Round 1 Game 2: 10 am 24/4 in New York (71-87 L)
Round 1 Game 3: 10 am 25/4 in Boston (L 76-90)
Round 1 Game 4: 3 am 29/4 in Boston (W (90-97)
Round 1 Game 5: TBD 2/5 in New York
Round 1 Game 6: TBD 4/5 in Boston *
Round 1 Game 7: TBD 6/4 in New York *

Filed Under: Games, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , , ,

We all miss Rajon Rondo

28 April 2013 By 1 Comment

When Rajon Rondo tore the ACL in his right knee at the end of January, the entire Celtics community was hit hard by the news. This particular writer was particularly devastated, having supported the man wearing number 9 wholeheartedly since he began as a talented, raw point guard that has transformed into Mr Triple Double, a perennial All-Star and league-leading assist distributor.

Credit: ESPN

Credit: ESPN

The injury meant a complete reshuffle of the roster, with Danny Ainge failing to secure a suitable point guard for the short-term. This in turn resulted in point play from Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, Leandro Barbosa and Paul Pierce over the rest of the 2012/13 season. When the Celtics won 16 of their next 22 games after Rondo went down, many outside the Celtics organisation claimed Boston were better off without their All-Star point guard. Look no further than the 2013 Playoffs to see how wrong those people truly were. In Games 1, 2 and 3 of the series against New York, Boston struggled tremendously on offense in all games.

In the first two games, one thing that stood out was the lack of movement from all four players without the ball on the offensive end, all waiting for Paul Pierce to make the plays single-handedly. While The Truth is lethal with that mid-range pull-up shot, the team couldn’t afford to rely on one play alone for an entire half of basketball. The glaring hole left by Rondo was there for everyone to see, with almost no ball movement and hesitation from all players on the floor resulting in many turnovers, and a miserable total of 25 second half points in Game 1, and a franchise-low 23 second half points in Game 2.

Rondo’s absence meant his teammates weren’t playing with the same rhythm, or were playing out of position. Avery Bradley played out of his comfort zone in the series against New York, with Coach Rivers understanding this wasn’t an ideal situation, telling ESPN:

“…we’re asking Avery to pressure, pressure, pressure, and then try to do something that he’s not. Avery’s a good basketball player, but we never wanted him to be in the position of facilitating offense, seeing that guys aren’t set, and trying to get guys in the right spots, delivering the pass on target — a lot of that. We’re asking a lot”

Although Bradley is a great defensive guard, he does his best work on the offensive end by moving off the ball, slashing along the baseline and cutting to the basket. Unfortunately this was sacrificed in Rondo’s absence. Another teammate who did not look like himself at season’s end was Kevin Garnett. Brian Scalabrine (The White Mamba) attributes Garnett’s struggles to Rondo’s absence, telling CSNNE.com:

“…what I see is Rajon Rondo is not on this team anymore,” Scalabrine said. “Rajon Rondo can get KG a wide open look when he has the extra time. In the NBA a foot makes a difference, an inch makes a difference whether you make the shot or miss the shot. KG is taking more contested shots now than he did before. Rondo always had that ability to get Kevin Garnett his rhythm, and now he doesn’t, so Kevin has to fabricate his own rhythm.”

Due to the nature of Rondo’s unpredictable game, he could drive to the basket in a flash to lay-in, assist or kick the ball outside to spread the floor for his teammates. The improved mid-range jump shot Rondo displayed this season also meant opponents needed to guard him a bit closer outside, adding another dimension to his game. With his pin-point passing, Rondo could find teammates like Bradley and Lee cutting to the basket, find Garnett or Wilcox inside for an easy finish, or catch Bass, Terry, or Pierce on the wings for open jumpers.

Danny Ainge had this to say about Rondo to WEEI:

“Great players at this time really step it up and our guy that was our best player last year in the playoffs, a guy that had 44 at Miami, that got us to the position that we were, that has been the MVP of multiple playoff series over the last handful of years — not just playoff games, but playoff series — he’s a guy that’s certainly capable of being the best guy on the court on any given night. He’s a terrific player and we certainly miss him. We’ve been saying that all year long”

The thing we miss most with the absence of Rondo is the toughness and determination he plays with in the post-season, seamlessly stepping up his game for the playoffs every year. His performances in the post-season are something to marvel at, from his Finals performances in 2010, to playing out a series despite a dislocated elbow against the Miami Heat in 2011. His leadership, athletic ability and will to win are attributes that make him such a great player to watch, and one that we cannot wait to see back on the court for the 2013/14 season and beyond.

Credit: ESPN

Filed Under: Opinions, Players, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: ,

Stop IsoPierce-ing, start running!

24 April 2013 By 2 Comments

Welcome to the playoffs Celtics, where only 24 minutes of good ball happens in the first half, and everything dies after.

To every Celtic fan out there who caught the vicious carnage we have been watching in the second halves of Game 1 and 2 so far, I salute you. The offense was in a word, effing-frozen-solid. 8 points in the fourth quarter for Game 1, and topped by consecutive low-scoring quarters (11 in Q3, 12 in Q4) today in Game 2.

I don’t know what we’re watching anymore, it feels like Doc is experimenting with lineups in a season game by playing an almost-exclusive guard rotation (Lee, Terry in game 1, then Crawford, Terry in game 2). I get the point about small ball against New York, but are we overdoing it?

Credit Elsa, Getty Images via SI

Pierce should not be the guy who takes over in the second half via isolation plays. It’s a suicidal strategy for a half, much less a seven-game series. We end up having two guys camp in the corners for the kick out shot, another at the wing, and finally Pierce on isolation with a screener. Not exactly a winning formula, because we know two things will happen:

  1. He gets hit with a trap and be forced to kick the ball out.
  2. He goes to his pullup or a muscling drive. But let’s get real here – Truth isn’t going to shoot 100%, and we don’t get much in the way of offensive rebounds.

What really works against the Knicks though, is pushing the ball up. They don’t get back on transition quick enough at times, and a good long pass catches them off balance. If we keep looking to run and finish inside (I’m looking at your Uncle Jeff) for the entire game, it could make a difference. 17 fast break points in Game 2, it’s got to count for something.

Stop slowing it down into half-court, and let’s keep running. Game 3 awaits.

Filed Under: Opinions, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , ,

Could Another Big Man Be The Answer?

23 April 2013 By 1 Comment

With Game 1 done and dusted, the Celtics must regroup for Game 2 against New York and look to level the series at Madison Square Garden. If the C’s can match the Knicks in Game 2 tomorrow, an enticing three game homestand in Boston at the TD Garden awaits.

One thing we learnt from Game 1 of the series was Doc’s plan to roll with a very short rotation, bringing only Jason Terry, Jordan Crawford and Courtney Lee off the bench. It seems like the use of three guards to back up a starting line-up of Bradley, Pierce, Green, Bass and Garnett could be lacking in size. With bigs such as Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin to compete with on the boards, perhaps Doc Rivers should look towards two players who watched from the sidelines for 48 minutes from game 1, to add size on the court for rebounding if nothing else.

Credit: ESPN

Credit: ESPN

Chris Wilcox has never experienced a playoff game in his 628-game career, which would have many people believing the man would do just about anything the coach asked of him, if given the opportunity to step onto the floor. With season averages of 4.2 PPG, 3 RPG and a very healthy field goal percentage of 72% in 13.6 minutes per contest, Wilcox provides another big body in the contest with the ability to finish around the basket. CW also did a very good job of filling in for Kevin Garnett late in the season, starting 7 games for the season and showing his defensive knowledge in KG’s absence.

The other big man Doc could look to is new fan-favourite Shavlik Randolph, or as Justin of CDU likes to refer to: #ShavKill. Although he was a late-season addition to the Celtics roster, Randolph proved to be a great energy man off the bench in his 16 appearances this season. With averages of 4.2 points, 4.4 rebounds per contest and a field goal percentage of 58% in just 12.4 minutes of action, Shavlik became a favourite for his energy and hustle on the floor, earning Doc’s praise when he told the Washington Post “he leads with his head”, sighting Randolph’s toughness after taking charges, and copping a few blood noses along the way.

Credit: ESPN

Credit: ESPN

Perhaps Wilcox and Randolph could bring some energy and relief to the Celtics front court for the rest of the series, enabling KG, Bass and Jeff Green some much-needed rest in the process. Bring on Game 2!

Filed Under: Games, Opinions, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , , , ,

New Crew, Same Trip: Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks Playoffs Preview

19 April 2013 By Leave a Comment

New York Knicks logo

The best time of the year is upon us again. The NBA playoffs is just over two weeks away; ’tis the time when the grind of the season separates the contenders from the wannabes, the champions from the aspirants, and most of all, when history is made. In short, this is what the Boston Celtics are all about. As fate would have it, the Celtics are set to face the Knicks to start this momentuous journey off.

(Ed: So, who else hates the Knicks? Design courtesy CelticsLife.)

New York Sucks design – CelticsLife

Stat check:

The New York Knicks (53-27) are officially champs in the the Atlantic division, and have locked up the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The last time we faced the Knicks without KG this season, it resulted in a 108-89 loss at the Madison Square Garden. Postseason record

Battle begins

  • Game 1: Sun, 21 Apr 2013, 0500hrs AEST at Madison Square Garden, New York
  • Game 2: Wed, 24 Apr 2013, 1000hrs AEST at Madison Square Garden, New York
  • Game 3: Sat, 27 Apr 2013, 1000hrs AEST at TD Garden, Boston
  • Game 4: Mon, 29 Apr 2013, 0300hrs AEST at TD Garden, Boston
  • Game 5: Thu, 2 May 2013, TBD at Madison Square Garden, New York *
  • Game 6: Sat, 4 May 2013, TBD at TD Garden, Boston *
  • Game 7: Mon, 6 May 2013, TBD at Madison Square Garde, New York *

* Scheduled if necessary.

Watch it

NBA League Pass. Game 2 and Game 3 will be on ESPN live.

Roster changes

Boston Celtics:

  • Rajon Rondo (ACL) and Jared Sullinger (back) are both out for the season.

New York Knicks:

  • Rasheed Wallace has chosen to retire before the postseason.
  • Quentin Richardson has been signed to the roster as of 17 April 2013.
  • Amar’e Stoudemire (knees) is out indefinitely.
  • Marcus Camby (foot) is currently day-to-day.
  • Tyson Chandler (neck) is currently day-to-day.
  • Kenyon Martin (ankle) looks to be back for the playoffs, already working out at practice.
  • Pablo Prigioni rolled his ankle on Hawks game, X-rays negative and is day-to-day. Questionable for Game 1.
  • Chris Copeland suffered a shoulder injury on Hawks game, day-to-day and questionable for Game 1.

Top enemy performers (regular season)

  • Carmelo Anthony – 28.7 PPG & 6.9 RPG
  • J.R. Smith – 18.1 PPG & 5.3 RPG
  • Raymond Felton – 13.9 PPG & 5.5 APG
  • Tyson Chandler – 10.4 PPG & 10.7 RPG

Keys to the game

Health Health has always been an issue for the Celtics when the postseason comes around, and this year is no different. With Rondo and Sully out for the season, the Celtics will be forced to embark on their flight to Banner 18 without two valuable assets. Left with no alternative, we are forced to rely heavily on two of the oldest (and undoubtedly deadliest) weapons in our arsenal: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

Pierce and Garnett against the Bobcats in Feb 2013

As it is with Spiderman’s power and responsibility, with great age comes great weariness. If our two veterans are to compete at the highest level in the days ahead, the team need to do whatever it takes to keep these two healthy and rested. Although there is a far greater emphasis on keeping KG and Pierce in shape, the Celtics must not forget about the other guys on the team. With the throng of debiliating injuries suffered throughout this season, they simply cannot afford to lose another body. One injury could very well lead to a first-round exit this postseason.

Stifling Agent Smith We all know Carmelo Anthony can and will explode during this series. All the Celtics can do to remedy this situation, is to play great defense. The same thing Doc Rivers said about Kobe Bryant in the 2008 NBA Finals, could be said about Melo at this point: the Celtics cannot ‘overreact’ to anything he does. Shutting Melo down is a nigh impossible task when he is on a hot streak, and having Pierce cover Melo is likely to wear The Truth out later on. With that in mind, let us talk about potential Sixth Man candidate J.R. Smith instead. Smith is the other Knick who is offensively talented enough to create his own shot, and he is exactly where the Celtics should focus their defensive energy on. Fact: Melo will not be kicking the C’s in the nuts by utting up 70 points every game. He needs someone else to explode with him and recently, that someone has been J.R. Smith. Holding Smith’s output below his season average (18.1 PPG) is a crucial factor to winning this series. Depending on the lineup change, Bradley, Lee and even Williams could show their worth defensively on Smith. (Ed: I’m not hoping for JET or JCraw to stop JR. No sir, not at all.) So, let Melo be Melo. The Celtics will do their darndest to contain him, but they must shut down Smith. The Iron Man

Iron Man – Jeff Green (via CelticsLife)

Suit up, Iron Man. We are gonna need ya. It is important for Jeff Green to get it going early in the playoffs, both as a confidence boost and to get an offensive rhythm flowing. At this point, Green has proven himself to be a viable first option on the offensive end when Pierce and KG were absent. The Celtics need to unleash Green, period. Pierce and KG are going to be efficient 99% of the time. It does not however, change the fact that we need a third man to step up and carry some of the offensive load. Green has proven himself worthy of this honour with the recent boost in his offensive production. Of course, let us not forget the buzzer beaters he had against Indiana & Cleveland. The Celtics forward possesses the length to finish in the paint with ease. Coupled with consistent outside shooting, Green possesses the overall ability to be a defensive mismatch. Will he stand up alongside the Truth and the Big Ticket, and prove to be the scoring threat the C’s need him to be in this series? The Gangster Squad Even with Sully and Rondo out for the season, it does not change the fact that the Celtics are still one of the deeper teams in the NBA. (Ed: To quote a friend, it feels like the team is being held together with spit and duct tape at times.) The most obvious implication is that the Celtics must utilise this advantage against the Knicks, who are currently struggling with injuries to multiple players. Jason “The JET” Terry. Will the JET finally take off in the playoffs? The C’s need him to find his perimeter shots and produce his 10-15 points per game. After a season average of 10.2 PPG, we can only hope that the JET lives up to his reputation as “Mister Fourth Quarter” when it matters the most. Atlanta Hawks v Boston Celtics Could we expect Shavlik Randolph to continue in his relentless intensity on both ends of court? A high level of production in limited minutes could save Kevin Garnett’s body from unnecessary fatigue. (Ed: Defense, rebounding. That’s all I ask for.) Boston Celtics v New Orleans Hornets Jordan Crawford. Like Jeff Green, he needs to be unleashed. We have seen his passing instincts in recent games, but Crawford’s specialty undeniably lies in his scoring abilities. Should Crawford be capable of producing efficiently on offense, his versatility and competitiveness could play a prominent role in this series and give the Celtics another legitimate offensive threat. Chris Wilcox, possibly the most efficient offensive player in the team. All of us are looking forward to #BigWilcoxStyle and his 5-7 points per game. It might not sound like much, but we all know that could be the difference-maker in winning or losing a close game. Should Wilcox put up a big rebounding night against the Knicks (we have seen him do this in spurts throughout the season) , it would definitely be a sight for sore eyes. Boston Herald Media Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams are a pair of former Houston Rockets who could create nightmares for opponents. With his size, T-Will has the ability to match up well with Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton or even Smith. Pitbull Lee, as we all know, wreaks havoc defensively against most guards, and could be a key to shutting down J.R. Smith. Both guys have the ability to knock down treys, (Lee 35.9%, Williams 38.5%) and could possibly give the Celtics that extra 6-8 points per game when the game is on the line. Wild cards – Avery Bradley & Brandon Bass The Celtics’ playoffs success could be ignited by two wild cards in the roster, namely Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass. Both players have been on a roller coaster ride this season, Bradley with a recent shooting slump, and Bass edging back into 2011/12 season form after a tough drought early on. Both players however, have also shown the ability to shine on both ends of the court. Sacramento Kings v Boston Celtics The fact is, the Celtics do not need them to be the best players on the team. KG, Pierce and Green can take care of that. All the Celtics need from Bradley and Bass is consistency, and simply doing what they do best. For Bass, this means keeping up the recent upswing in his production and continue to shoot efficiently. As we have seen in the past, Bass can produce 15-17 points on just 5-7 shots while grabbing 7 rebounds. That, is exactly what we need. The silent, merciless No-Pass Bass who sinks jumper after jumper, and dunks on hapless defenders without mercy. As for Bradley, it’s all about defense; always has been, and always will be. We need him to destroy who ever he marks and to have them begging for mercy. To thankfully toss the ball away, to do anything to be rid of a defensive pest who is looking to pick their pocket any moment.

Beating the Knicks will not be an easy task. Not this year, at least. But it gives me a great sigh of relief to know that we still have two dependable stars on our side: KG, and the Knick-killer Paul Pierce. This is a test of will. This is a battle of warriors. In the end, age and skill will be a minimal factor in this game. Everything comes down to heart, and who wants it more when push comes to shove. And that, is exactly what we have. The Celtics are fighters who will give it their all and more, when everything is on the line. Most importantly, we are talking about a team that runs on heart and passion. Think about how the team has been torn apart by the player injuries thus far. For a team that has Kevin Garnett? We might be running low on a lot of things, but we will never run out of heart.

Kevin Garnett poster on TD Garden lift

Kevin Garnett poster on TD Garden lift

Heart, and heart alone, will get us through this series. #AussieCeltics

Filed Under: Games, Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , ,

On to the Knicks: Boston Celtics @ Toronto Raptors

18 April 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Celtics finished their final regular season game in an ugly way, getting beat by the Raptors 114-90.

Jordan Crawford finished with a team high 16 points, 6-14 from the field along with 6 boards and 5 assists. The team gave up 22 points at the line on 28 attempts, with the Raptors making 12 3’s at nearly 50%.

Pierce only played only 14 minutes, he was out for the second half due to a sore left ankle. The captain scored 5-7, 1-2 from 3 for 11 points.

The C’s finish with a 41-40 record this season, as they only played 81 games due to the cancellation of the Pacers-Celtics game. They will head to New York for the first round series against the New York Knicks. Our guys should be at full strength, excluding Rajon Rondo (ACL) and Jared Sullinger (back).

Game schedule as follows.

Round 1 Game 1: 5am 21/4 in New York
Round 1 Game 2: 10 am 24/4 in New York
Round 1 Game 3: 10 am 27/4 in Boston
Round 1 Game 4: 3 am 29/4 in Boston
Round 1 Game 5: TBD 2/5 in New York *
Round 1 Game 6: TBD 4/5 in Boston *
Round 1 Game 7: TBD 6/4 in New York *

*= If necessary.

Image

Let’s go Boston!

(Ed: A detailed series preview will be coming up in the next few days, watch out for it.)

Filed Under: Season 2012/2013 Tagged With: , , ,
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