Remember when Paul Pierce said last year that the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics should not be considered a rivalry?

It is time to lay that statement to bed as the two teams put on a heart stopping classic back and forth game that ended with a Celtics 91-89 win. Paul Pierce continued his excellent play leading all scorers with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kevin Garnett scored 15 and grabbed 8 rebounds with one of those rebounds giving him his 10,000th career defensive board.

The fourth quarter of this game saw the Celtics rally behind Pierce and Ray Allen who had 9 of his 14 in the quarter. Both teams played sloppy down the stretch and tempers flared on multiple calls from the referees. Boston thought they had the game in hand when Pierce nailed a 3 with the shot clock winding down that would have gave the Celtics a 93-89 lead with 14 seconds remaining. Upon further review the call was overturned (rightfully so) and Boston’s lead was reduced to 90-89 giving the Knicks possession.

Landry Fields missed a wide open corner three, Pierce corralled the board and was promptly fouled making one of two pushing the lead to 91-89.

Coach D’Antoni, who has been under heavy fire for the Knicks recent slippage, head scratchingly inserted Steve Novak into the game on the Knicks’ final possession with 4 seconds left to play. Naturally Novak, who hadn’t played a minute in the game up to that point, got the final shot and missed an off balance three fading to his left in the corner sealing the Celtics comeback victory.

Carmelo Anthony lead the Knicks with 26 points, Tyson Chandler double doubled with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and A’mare Stoudemire also chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds.  Nevertheless it was Novak who attempted the final shot.

If you would have told the Celtics that Novak would be taking the game winning shot for the Knicks, I am sure you would have heard a collective “Please and thank you!”.

The Knicks have now lost 11 of  their last 13 games inexplicably and fall to 8-15 on the season.

Boston limited New York to just 34 points in the second half and improved to 12-10 on the season. Lost in the commotion of this game was the return of Rajon Rondo. The Celtics point guard had missed 8 straight games with a lingering wrist injury but gutted out 34 minutes tonight in his return.

This renewed rivalry will resume on March 4 when the two teams meet again.

It wasn’t pretty but the Boston Celtics escaped the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 93-90 win. Five Celtics scored in double digits led by Paul Pierce’s 20 points, followed by Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass with 13. Ray Allen and Jermaine O’neal chipped in with 12 each.

After blowing an 11 point lead in the final four minutes Sunday night to these same Cavs, the Celtics nearly blew a 22 point lead tonight. I think its safe to say Boston has seen about all they care to see of the Cavs this season.

Boston dominated for 3 full quarters before another 4th quarter comeback was sparked by the ROY candidate, Kyrie Irving.

Once again Irving (21 points & 6 assists) and his unassuming cast of Anderson Varejao (20 points and 20 rebounds), Ramon Sessions, and Alonzo Gee nearly scared the green off the leprechauns. The Cavs pulled within 2 at 89-87 before the Celtics got a hold of themselves and finally the game. 

Despite the scare the Celtics even their record at 10-10 and have won 5 of their last 6 games.  They will now return to Boston to start a 5 game home stand that will feature the New York Knicks on Friday and the hated L.A. Lakers next Thursday. Rajon Rondo is nearing a return from his scary wrist injury and hopes to play at some point during their next 5 games in Boston.

Down five guys (Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Keyon Dooling, Mickael Pietrus, and Chris Wilcox) Boston attempted to slow down the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Dwight Howard and his Southeast Division leading Orlando Magic on Monday night.

Down five guys and 40% of the starting lineup many writers probably had this game recap written ahead of time predicting a Magic win over the Celtics.

Well, that is why they play the game!

Boston turned in a historic performance by defeating Orlando 87-56 and holding the Magic to a franchise low 56 points with just 16 made field goals. The Celtics allowed a franchise record low  25% shooting by the Magic. Boston was led by Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass with 19 points each. Kevin Garnett chipped in with a double double amassing 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The defensive numbers turned in by Boston are obscene especially given the Magic’s standing in the conference and the fact they were playing on two days rest. 

Bradley pestered Nelson into 5 turnovers

With all due respect Boston started arguably two of the worst players on their roster, Avery Bradley and Sasha Pavlovic, in the backcourt. That duo severely outplayed the Magic’s starting backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson. Nelson was shaken and stirred by the full court pressure of Bradley all night coughing up 5 of the Magic’s 23 turnovers. Orlando’s offense was never crisp as they got into their set late into the shot clock as a result of the Boston pressure.

I don’t think the Magic could play a more poor game if they tried. Every and everybody was off including Dwight Howard (18 points, 14 rebounds, on 4-15 from the floor). No other Magic player reached double digits. To put things in perspective, Ryan Anderson averages 17 points and 7 rebounds on the year.

He had 0 and 0 tonight.

Lost in the bizarre outcome of this game was the return of former Celtic, Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

Davis was honored for his contribution to the Celtics during a video tribute played in the midst of a timeout in the first quarter of the game. He was one of the few Magic players who played inspired grabbing 11 rebounds to go along with 6 points. While he was inspired he too was unable to get his shot going shooting just 2-9 from the field.

The win brings the Celtics to 7-9 and gives them their  first victory over a team with a winning record.

The Magic will not have to wait long for a chance at redemption as they will face Boston again on Thursday. This time in Orlando.

The Celtics will have two days of rest to resusicatate their 5 wounded. If not the backcourt of the future Bradley and Pavlovic will be ready (I’m just kidding). Certainly lightning couldn’t strike twice.

Could it?

If there is one thing that fans can take away from the Celtics 88-79 loss Friday night, it is that the Celtics are consistently inconsistent.

A slow start, furious comeback, late offensive struggles, and getting abused on the boards describes just about every single Celtics game this season.

Tonight was no different.

After trailing by as many as 19 the Celtics launched a brilliant comeback to cut the lead to 67-66 with 1o minutes left to play. They had a chance to take the lead on a patented Paul Pierce step back jumper but it was not to be. The Bulls never looked back from that point as Derrick Rose (25 points and 7 assists)went into MVP mode to close the Celtics out in the final quarter.

Rajon Rondo was masterful yet again with 14 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds. Ray Allen lead all Celtics with 16 followed by Paul Pierce’s 13 and Brandon Bass’s 10.  The offense was balanced but sporadic and stalled after exerting so much effort to get back in the game.

Former Celtics assistant and reigning Coach of the Year, Tom Thibodeau knows these Celtics very well and he coached to the Celtics weaknesses this evening. By playing Luol Deng and Joakim Noah extended minutes the Boston offense was disrupted by their length. Deng totally dominated Paul Pierce on both ends of the floor scoring 21 points and grabbing a season high 16 rebounds. Noah had been struggling with a thumb injury and his minutes had been reduced by the play of Omer Asik but not tonight. Noah patrolled the lane swatting 4 shots and pulling down 12 boards (5 offensive) to go along with 10 points.

With the loss Boston has fallen to 4-6 and are now losers of 3 straight. The team is looking for answers and changes are very likely on the way.  Bass started tonight and Mickael Pietrus was part of the Celtics comeback in the fourth quarter.  Those two will have to play bigger minutes going forward as they have the size and the athletic ability to keep up with the younger players in the league. It has become painfully obvious that Celtics are at their best when Rondo pushes the ball. The problem is most of the Celtics can only play at that pace in short spurts. It would help if Rivers started to give the promising rookies E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson some time spelling the veterans.

Yet the Celtics rookies continue to ride the pine.

It seems as if Pierce and KG are taking turns with lifeless play each game. Yes the sun is setting on their careers but even if the numbers are not going to be there, their effort has to be.

If not the youth movement will start sooner than River’s or Danny Ainge want to admit.

The New York Knicks and Miami Heat are arguably two of the best 3 teams in the Eastern Conference, at least on paper. After two competitive games against those teams have concluded in loses the Boston Celtics have put the rest of league on notice.

The Celtics will not concede the Eastern Conference without one hell of a donnybrook. Normally a 0-2 start would be reason for panic in,  but the truth is this outcome while disappointing is not totally unexpected.

Take into account the following:

• Paul Pierce has not played in either game:  While Doc Rivers will not make excuses it is clear the team is missing the captain on both ends of the floor. Pierce is not the savior but he would have had the primary assignments of guarding Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James respectively in the team’s first two games.  He certainly would have given both those All-star forwards more to contend with than Sasha Pavlovic has.
• Turnovers: The Celtics have committed an unfathomable 42 turnovers in the first two games. Yes they have a history of being careless with the rock but they have been childlike in their handling off possessions this season. Surely this will improve.
• The bench is still learning: Brandon Bass (16.5 points and 8 rebounds) has been stellar but he must remain confident and consistent. The rest of the bench aside from Marquis Daniels is still getting acclimated to the defensive strategy and crisp Celtics ball movement. Pavlovic is flat out afraid out on the court. Keyon Dooling has been a bit shot happy. Chris Wilcox has yet to find his niche and is now nursing a shoulder injury and Avery Bradley is playing his way towards the Maine Red Claws. They all will learn with the exception of maybe Bradley.
• Help is on the way: Pierce is scheduled to return by the weekend and the newly signed Mickael Pietrus is about 10 days away as the team wants to take every precaution with his injured knee. Once those two return better days and W’s will certainly catapault the Celtics into more familiar territory in the standings.
• The promising rookies haven’t played: The Celtics have yet to give E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson any meaningful playing time which I think has been an oversight by Rivers. Maybe Doc didn’t want to put the pressure on them to perform against such tough opponents to start the season. After getting torched by the Heat’s rookie Norris Cole people are starting to wonder why the Celtics have yet to give the aforementioned any time. Given their preseason performances they should have earned more time than both Pavlovic and Bradley but the season is still young.

There is still plenty of time to turn things around although the season is obviously condensed. The Celtics at 0-2 certainly look better than say the Mavericks or even the Lakers right now. There is life in those old legs and plenty of fight left.  For the rest of the Eastern Conference that is a truth many are not ready to contend with.

The Boston Celtics have been here before.  They have heard the talk about it being their last shot at a title from the media and even their coach, Doc Rivers for at least three seasons now.

“I’ve heard that every year that I’ve been here,” said Ray Allen. “I don’t look at it any different. I count each day. I feel like I’m on borrowed time right now.”

As de ja vu as it may seem this time it is for real.  Well sort of.

Next season the contracts of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will both be expired giving the Celtics cap room in the area of $20 million. Surely the Celtics will be players in the 2012 free agency market. But that is next year.

This year Boston’s focus is staying healthy and getting into the playoffs whatever way they can. Thinking is to be a champion you have to beat the best regardless so seeding isn’t of paramount importance, although home court would be nice.

The Big Four remain the core of the team and in a condensed season the bench is going to have to eat up minutes to give the regular starters ample rest.  Celtics GM, Danny Ainge, aware of that fact made attempts to solidify the bench with multiple trades and acquisitions. Some successful, others not so much.  Ainge took a shot at landing Chris Paul, David West, and even Reggie Evans to name a few. The Celtics were spurned as some of those players chose more desirable or, eh hem more lucrative situations.

Brandon Bass and Keyon Dooling were both added via trade. Bass is considered an upgrade over Glen Davis while Dooling provides a calming veteran presence at the point while Rondo has to rest. (Avery Bradley just isn’t ready).

Chris Wilcox was added via the new mini mid level exemption and Marquis Daniels was brought back at the veteran’s minimum. Wilcox has the ability to score down low and rebound when motivated. Hopefully wearing green will keep him engaged all season long. Daniels is a familiar face and favorite of both the players and coaching staff.  He will be pressed into action early and often.

In a surprising last minute transaction, Mickael Pietrus signed for the veteran’s minimum after being waived by the Phoenix Suns. There are some concerns about his knee, but if healthy Pietrus becomes the swingman needed to replace Jeff Green who is out for the year with an aortic aneurism.  For Pietrus his shot selection must improve but defensively he should be able to pick up the Celtics philosophy.

Johnson & Moore have been impressive so far but will it carry over into the regular season?

The University of Purdue rookies JaJuan Johnson and E’twaun Moore have been better than advertised. Johnson is now under the tutelage of Garnett which is not a task easily handled. While Moore once considered an afterthought could see rotational minutes  after an impressive camp and pre-season.

While the rookies will provide a nice youth movement of sorts it is the old guard that must carry the team forward. Already Paul Pierce is day to day with a bruised heel that will most likely keep him out of the season opener. Sasha Pavlovic has shockingly won the starting job over Daniels to start the season, hopefully Pierce will not be out too long.

To be successful the team needs to avoid the long stretches of offensive ineptitude and lackluster rebounding. The bench will be more consistent in those areas but turnovers will still be abound.

Due to the nature of the season, the age of the players, and the mere fact Boston needs to get younger the new additions will see a lot of minutes. Boston will remain competitive this season but as stated seeding is secondary to health.

Realistically the best case scenario is the Celtics finish second in the Atlantic Division with a fourth seed in the conference. Once they are in the playoffs there is no telling where their last stand will take them.

Fact: Jeff Green will not play for the Boston Celtics this season as reported by the Boston Herald:

The Boston Celtics announced today that forward Jeff Green will undergo surgery on Monday January 9, 2012 at the Cleveland Clinic and will miss the 2011-12 season.

A team of leading cardiac specialists who consulted with Green and the Celtics indicated that surgery should completely repair Green’s condition and that he can expect to resume his NBA career next season.

During his team physical Friday, December 9th, an aortic aneurysm was detected. As a precautionary measure, Green underwent extensive additional testing, after which doctors recommended surgery.

Fact: Jeff Green was essential to the Boston Celtics rotation this season.

In what is probably the last year of the Big 3 (or 4) Green was slated to spell relief for the aging group by eating up significant minutes this season. The back to back to back games and the 5 games in a week stretches were going to be Green’s time to shine and take over. It was supposed to be his season to show exactly why the Celtics front office chose him over Kendrick Perkins essentially last February.

The Celtics are still likely to make the playoffs and contend but their seed will be lower than they had originally hoped without Green. Doc Rivers had designs of running Green as a stretch 4 and actually pushing the tempo a bit in Boston as a result of Green’s versatility. One night before the announcement Rivers said the following in reference to Green “As a great example, you game-plan all summer about the small lineup we’re going to run with Kevin (Garnett) and Jeff, and if he doesn’t (play), that’s all gone. That’s a month of work I have to throw away.”

Ironically it was just a week or so ago the Celtics were in negotiations with David West and the team was on the verge of becoming incredibly deep in the front court.  Now the Celtics will have to rely on Marquis Daniels, and gulp…Sasha Pavlovic. Rivers is a coach with a high aptitude and it will take every bit of that intelligence to construct another game plan with just eight days remaining before the NBA regular season.

In a bit of unpleasant business, the contract of Green will be voided making him a restricted free agent again this summer. There is a good chance Green will remain with Boston next year as a potential building block. He is expected to make a full recovery and return to the court next season.

One last fact: No matter how disappointing it may seem, the doctors who failed Green on his physical saved his life in the long run. Early detection is key in cases like this. The Celtics medial team along with the 2nd and 3rd opinions that were sought can not be heralded enough. That too is a fact and is the most important of all.

Get well Jeff.

The debate on who the lockout’s shortened season would benefit has never really be in favor of the Boston Celtics.  With an accelerated season comes and even more accelerated camp and pre-season.

Not exactly what the doctor ordered.

In the Celtics media day session, frustration was expressed by Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. They both indicated they felt rushed and stressed the importance of building chemistry and continuity in a basketball family during the training camp session.

Garnett was especially candid and humorous when he said:

“Timing is everything. Chemistry is something that you don’t just throw in the frying pan and mix it up with another something, then throw it on top of something, then fry it up and put it in a tortilla and put in a microwave, heat it up and give it to you and expect it to taste good. You know? For those of you who can cook, y’all know what I’m talking about. If y’all can’t cook, this doesn’t concern you.”

The next Emeril Lagasse KG is not, but he does know what it takes for a team to get to the championship level.

The Celtics are above just trying to contend it is championship or bust just as it has been since the inception of Garnett and Allen’s arrival to form the “Big 3″ alongside Paul Pierce.

To the point of the soon to be Hall of Famers, the Celtics entered camp with just six players under contract.  New faces have already been added and trying to get them to understand the “Unbuntu” philosophy certainly takes time.  Players like the recently added Chris Wilcox and Keyon Dooling have had little in the way of playoff experience and competition in a championship atmosphere. Joining the Celtics is a huge step in their careers but comes with the responsibility of championship type play and expectations.

Injuries were one of the  fears that a rushed season would bring and they are already rearing their all to familiar head in training camp.

Pierce is missing practice time with a foot injury and Rondo is dealing with an ankle injury.  Jeff Green also failed his physical with a mystery ailment the team has yet to give details on.

While the injuries are minor this is not the start Celtics fans want to have especially with a difficult opening schedule. Boston plays the first official NBA game of the year on the road Christmas Day in New York to take on the Knicks. Their next game is also on the road December 27 in Miami.

Doc Rivers knows how to handle his veterans.  He will be more concerned  about finishing strong and playing into June than these early challenges against the Eastern Conference elite.

Injuries, lockout, rushed camp and disposition aside the Boston Celtics know what they have to do. Garnett said “You don’t get to pick and chose when to be a professional..you have to get past mad and come in here and do your job.”

Well said.

Despite only having 6 players under contract and the financial flexibility of a struggling college student, the Boston Celtics have released a hype video aimed at the fans of the Heat and Lakers.

The ads are meant to be inspiring  and while it does accomplish its short term goal it is a little puzzling that the organization would release an ad “trash talking” in its most critical and questionable  season.

Here is another version of the video with minor tweaks and jabs to the aforementioned rivals.

It’s going to be an interesting season if nothing else!

Yesterday Kevin Garnett took some time out of his busy schedule to sit down with iconic ESPN anchor, Dan Patrick. Among other things, KG discussed his currents views on the lockout, his unbridled passion for video games, and his near trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.

I must have been asleep for the summer of 2007, because I don’t remember any KG to LA trade rumors circulating whatsoever. I only remember that Yi Jianlian was poised to become the number 5 pick of the NBA draft, a move that would likely still leave the Celtics in the cellar of their division.

Regardless, the situation was apparently very close to happening, as KG remarked “I was pretty close, to be honest. What disturbed me about whole the Laker situation was just Kobe and Phil at the time. They were at each other pretty bad. And a new situation full of uncertainty wasn’t something I wanted to get into.”

He later went on to clarify that the choice to not be traded to the Lakers was his, but that he wasn’t necessarily worried about the friction between Kobe and Phil. It was simply a situation that he didn’t want to be a part of. Cryptic words from The Big Ticket.

If anything, KG is reprising a situation that we familiar with the NBA know to be inherently true. Kobe Bryant is a difficult teammate to be around. He, much like KG, has an unrivaled thirst for victory. That desire, however, can manifest itself in some seriously damning situations. Just ask Pau Gasol how he feels when Kobe makes a point of showing him up on national television in front of millions of American’s. His sheepish look says it all.

With that said, KG is a much different player, and person, than Pau Gasol. The history of his character in the NBA tells us that he is an exemplary team player. But he won’t be bossed around by anybody, even if it’s one of the best players to ever play the game. Despite their collective successes, the Phil and Kobe saga has at times been a circus. The acrimony that once existed between Kobe, Shaq, and Phil was only something that could be manufactured within the confines of Hollywood.

Since Shaq’s departure from Los Angeles, and his subsequent path as an NBA journeyman, the Lakers have once again been met with a flurry of success. Undoubtedly, this is because Kobe and Phil are two of the all-time greats at what they do. They’ve proven it with 2 championships in the last 3 seasons, sans Shaquille O’Neal.

That still does not alter the fact that Kobe Bryant is a recalcitrant individual. He has had rifts with Shaq, Phil, Pau, and likely several other high profile individuals that we are not aware of. KG didn’t want to part of that group, and rightfully so. After all of this time he has had to reflect, I’m sure he’s satisfied with the ring he earned in 2008.