C's Not Only Lost A Winnable Game Vs. The Lakers But Marcus Smart Might Be Out For A Long Time

 

    Tonight served as a double gut punch for the Celtics (10-8 overall, 5-3 home) at TD Garden as they had two late shots that would have won it but neither fell as they lost 96-95 to the defending champion Lakers (15-6 overall, 11-2 road). Even worse than that, Boston's guard Marcus Smart (7 assists, 2 steals) went down with a scary looking injury that the team called a "left calf injury" but all the wannabe medical experts on social media were quick to theorize that it was a dreaded Achilles injury. Smart will get an MRI tomorrow as we await word on their defensive leader and one of the true heart and soul players of the team. After they forced a steal from Lakers star Anthony Davis (team-high 27 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals), the Celts got a great look at a game-winning stepback jumper for guard Kemba Walker (1-of-12 for 4 points) but it missed and center Daniel Theis' (14 points, 7 rebounds) rushed followup also rimmed out as time expired.

    This would have been a great signature win for the Celtics because forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 30 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (28 points) actually outplayed Davis and superstar LeBron James (21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) who is still one of the best players in the league in his 17th season which is absurd on many levels. I'm not saying that Tatum and Brown are better than AD and LBJ, that's preposterous but this was tangible proof that they belong in the conversation for one of the best duos in the NBA right now. Point guard Dennis Schroder (12 points, 7 assists) was the only other Lakers starter to score in double-figures. Center Montrezl Harrell (16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) and small forward Kyle Kuzma (11 points, 6 rebounds) were both good off the bench for LA. 

    Boston's bench was terrible as they got outscored 35-15 by LA's bench. Five substitutes played for the Celtics but center Robert Williams (10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) surprisingly was the only one to really do anything positive. It was a tight game basically the whole way as the Lakers were up 28-24 after the first quarter and the Celtics got a little closer by halftime, trailing by three points (52-49). Boston made their move in the third quarter (29-19) but they wilted under the pressure of the fourth quarter as the Lakers avoided their third straight defeat with a solid final frame (25-17). Boston shot almost five percent better from the field (48.8%-44.0%) but Los Angeles hit three more 3-pointers (9-6) and four more free throws (13-9) along with grabbing three more rebounds (45-42) including four more offensive boards (13-9). The C's had four more assists (24-20), two more steals (10-8) and two more blocked shots (6-4) which shows you how close the margin for defeat turned out to be. 

    Boston is about to embark on by far their toughest (and longest) road trip of the season: their next game isn't until Tuesday (10, TNT) as they visit Golden State (11-9) which kicks off five games in a row in California, Arizona and Utah. They see the top two teams in the Western Conference-the Jazz (15-4) and the Clippers (15-5)-and Phoenix (10-8) should be a playoff team this season as well. The only bad team on the trip is the Kings (8-11) but it's the night after the Warriors game so all bets are off there. Any way you slice it, these next few weeks could be very rough for the Celts and they might easily return home (their next game at the Garden is Feb. 11 vs. Toronto) with a losing record. Yikes!

UPDATE 1/31/21: Hello everybody, good news on Marcus Smart's injury. Today, the Celtics said that it's a Grade 1 strain of his left calf. The team said that he'll be out for two to three weeks. Given how serious it appeared to be last night, this is a very positive development. Get well soon, Marcus!

The B's Rallied From A 3-0 Deficit But Ultimately Lost 4-3 In OT To The Caps On Ovechkin's Goal

 

    The first meeting between former Bruins (5-1-2) captain Zdeno Chara (plus-1, 1 shot on goal, 6 blocked shots in 20:54) and his new team the Capitals (6-0-3) did not disappoint as Washington won a thriller 4-3 in overtime at Capital One Arena thanks to superstar Alex Ovechkin's 24th career overtime goal (the most in NHL history). Boston had trailed 3-0 late in the second period before a Nick Ritchie power play goal finally woke them up. The Bruins tied it at three in the third period on defenseman Charlie McAvoy's tying goal with less than a minute left in regulation and with goaltender Tuukka Rask (19 saves, 3-1-2) pulled for an extra skater. The point was a nice reward for an amazing comeback by the B's against one of the top teams in the NHL but it still left a sour taste in their mouths I'm sure since Ovi scored 28 seconds into the extra session before they could finish what would have been an epic comeback win on the road.

The reunion with Chara and Ovi's return from Covid-19/his OT game-winning goal rightfully overshadowed what was also a big storyline for the Bruins: their star David Pastrnak (assist, 5 shots on goal, 1 takeaway in 20:29) made his season debut after being deemed healthy from off-season hip surgery. One goaltender was pretty locked in and the other was not, I'll let you guess which one was which: Capitals rookie Vitek Vanecek (40 saves, 5-0-2) was far busier than Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (19 saves 3-1-2) who allowed a few goals (including Ovechkin's) this evening that made you react with frustration. Late in the first period, Caps center Nicklas Backstrom beat Rask for his fifth goal of the season (unassisted at 18:06). He stole the puck from Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (3 assists) and skated it into a high danger area before firing a snap shot past Rask. 

    It was more of the same for the home team in the second period as UNH's Trevor van Riemsdyk scored his first goal for Washington followed by Richard Panik's tip-in that extended the lead to 3-0 Caps at 10:03. Defensemen Brenden Dillon and Backstrom picked up the assists on TVR's screened wrist shot that found its way through a bunch of bodies and into the net. Panik's goal was originally credited to Capitals goon Tom Wilson but instead it was given to the Washington right wing for his first goal of the season. There was only one man to save Boston from this predicament, left wing Nick Ritchie who saw a shot by David Krejci deflected off his leg then into the net. Bergy had the secondary assist on Ritchie's fourth goal of the season which have all come on the man advantage. 

    The Black and Gold continued to carry the play in the third period and they were rewarded for that with a pair of goals. First, left wing Brad Marchand received a sweet pass from McAvoy and fired a shot from close range by Vanecek for his fifth goal of the season at 6:03. Speaking of McAvoy, he was the main reason that the Bruins salvaged a point from this uneven performance. They squandered two power plays in the third period but getting Rask off the ice paid off in a wild sequence: Krejci's stick broke while he was about to shoot, McAvoy had a shot blocked then the puck bounced around near the crease in tons of traffic before he was there to knock it in. Pastrnak had the primary assist (his first point of the season) on McAvoy's first goal of the season at 19:02. Unfortunately for the B's, this game was basically over before it began in overtime since Ovechkin wasted no time ending it. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the best goal-scorers in NHL history but given the long distance range of the shot, you'd like to think that Rask at least could have made the initial save. Backstrom and defenseman John Carlson had the assists on Ovi's second goal of 2021. 

    Boston doesn't have to wait too long for a rematch with Washington since the Capitals host them again on Monday (7, NESN). Two points will be just as hard to come by then for the Bruins who figure to have Jaroslav Halak (2-0-1) between the pipes as head coach Bruce Cassidy tries to give Rask enough rest in this sprint of a regular season. If the B's can channel that team that appeared in the third period tonight, they'll be in good shape but then again, Washington can definitely play a more consistent sixty minutes. As we've learned in recent years, when the Caps play at their best, it is a level that the B's generally cannot reach.                                 

B's Finish Off Perfect Homestand (4-0) Vs. Teams From PA With 4-1 Lockdown Of The Penguins

 

    With a condensed training camp and no preseason games this year, perhaps we can consider Boston's (5-1-1) first three clunky games-where they went 1-1-1-a warmup to the real action that would soon follow. Let the record show that right after that bumpy opening road trip, the Bruins' first four home games were all wins. After sweeping two games against the Flyers (5-2-1) last week at TD Garden, they followed that up with another sweep-this time vs. the Penguins (4-3-1) which concluded this evening with a 4-1 victory. It was a strange visit to Boston for Pittsburgh who came here on a four-game win-streak, then they lost 3-2 in OT on Tuesday, their long-time GM Jim Rutherford abruptly resigned yesterday (citing the always vague personal reasons) and then tonight they left with the Bruins owning a four-game win-streak of their own. Life comes at you fast as the kids say, haha they still say that right?

    Boston has allowed four goals in its last three games including just three in the Pittsburgh mini-series. They have yet to earn a shutout but except for last Thursday's 5-4 shootout win vs. Philly, the Bruins have allowed two goals or less in every other contest so far in this campaign. Captain Patrice Bergeron led them with a pair of goals while Boston's fourth line came up big with goals by right wing Chris Wagner and center Sean Kuraly. B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (16 saves, 2-0-1) was barely tested which was nice considering that Dan Vladar was his backup for the night with Tuukka Rask resting whatever injury he picked up in Tuesday's win. Speaking of nagging injuries, Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (assist, plus-3 in 12:31) suffered another lower-body injury that forced him to leave early and never return. When considering all the ways that he'd struggle to replace Torey Krug, it looks like Krug's remarkable durability for a guy his size is another thing that Grzelcyk sadly lacks. 

    It didn't take too long for Wagner to get the Bruins on the board as he was quick to a loose puck in front of Pittsburgh's goaltender Tristan Jarry (16 saves, 2-3-1) and he fired it in for his first goal of the season (unassisted) at 6:10 of the first period. The only highlight of the entire proceedings for the Penguins came at 15:03 as defenseman Cody Ceci made a nice move to pull the puck off the wall and into the slot where he beat Halak with a snap shot. His first goal of the season was assisted by right wing Bryan Rust and center Teddy Blueger. You felt like it was going to be a good result for the Black and Gold when they got a completely fluky bounce for the go-ahead goal. Left wing Anders Bjork weaved around a few Penguins and tried to throw a saucer pass to Wagner driving to the net but the puck deflected off a Pittsburgh defenseman then off Kuraly's leg and into the net. His first goal of the season came at 18:53 of the first period to give Boston a 2-1 lead. 

    Bergy did what any good leader does: he made sure to put the opposition away without hesitation. He followed up his own shot and put in a backhander at 8:13 of the second period. His team-leading fourth goal of the season was assisted by BU alums Grzelcyk and Charlie Coyle. He capped off the very solid performance for the home team with a power play tally from his famous bumper position. Left wing Brad Marchand fed him for the one-timer while defenseman Charlie McAvoy added the secondary helper. It'll be a much-anticipated two-game set this weekend in DC for the Bruins as they get their first look at their former captain Zdeno Chara (who scored his first goal as a Capital in tonight's 6-3 win vs. Islanders). Washington (5-0-3) hosts Boston on Saturday night (7, NESN) and Monday (7, NESN). The Caps have owned the Bruins more than any other club in recent history. The good news for Boston is that former Washington goaltender Braden Holtby is now in Vancouver which means that they wouldn't see him this season until the Stanley Cup Final. You know it'll be so weird to watch Big Z in another uniform, playing against so many of his former teammates and coaches. 

For The First Time This Season, Celts Had Their Full Roster But They Lost 110-106 To The Spurs

 

    It only took 17 games (nearly 1/3 of this abbreviated regular season) but tonight the Celtics (10-7 overall, 5-5 away) finally got to see what their team looks like when it is at full strength (ie. nobody out with injuries and/or Covid-19). They had a chance to tie it late but guard Marcus Smart (14 points) missed a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner and Boston fell 110-106 to San Antonio (10-8 overall, 4-5 home) at the AT&T Center. Ever since superstar Kawhi Leonard left town, the Spurs have been mediocre at best. However, with tonight's win, the Spurs are 16-2 in their last 18 meetings with the C's. Boston also dropped to 2-4 in its last six games. Small forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals) and guard Jaylen Brown (24 points, 5 assists, 2 blocks) were the best players on the floor but in old school San Antonio style, they had six guys score in double-figures compared to only four by the Celts. 

    Small forward DeMar DeRozan (team-high 21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds) and point guard Dejounte Murray (11 points, 11 rebounds) turned in the two biggest plays of the night, both for the Spurs. DeRozan hit a mid-range jumper that broke the late 103-103 tie then Murray converted a huge steal into a dunk and a four-point lead (107-103) that Boston was never able to recover from. Drafting and developing talent is kind of a lost art in the NBA but not when it comes to San Antonio who is always getting the most out of its young players many of whom were mid-to-late first round, second round or even undrafted picks. With that in mind, forward Keldon Johnson posted a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) and shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV added 14 points. Center LaMarcus Aldridge (20 points, 2 blocks) can still get it done as proven by his effectiveness this evening against an opponent that he usually owns. Backup point guard Patty Mills also notched 12 points and two steals off the bench. Celtics point guard Kemba Walker had essentially the same offensive numbers as Smart (14 points, 6-of-15 shooting from the field) which is not what they're looking for. 

I have no complaints about Boston's start because they jumped out to a 30-25 lead after the first quarter. Things completely changed in the second quarter as the home team flexed their muscles and basically ran the Celtics out of Texas. The Spurs more than doubled (36-17) up Boston in that frame and went into halftime with a gift turnover and floater at the buzzer by Walker for a 14-point advantage (61-47). The break treated the C's well as they came out and put together one of their best quarters of this season. They outscored the Spurs by 16 points (37-21) which allowed them to carry a slim two-point lead (84-82) into the fourth quarter. Sadly, that just set the stage for San Antonio to execute down the stretch while the Celtics (surprise!) looked like a team that needed some more practice time let alone games to build further chemistry. 

    When you examine the box score, it's tough to explain how this contest was so tight since the Spurs shot 13.2% better from the field (56.1%-42.9) and they grabbed seven more rebounds (46-39) including 11 more offensive boards (37-26). From what I can tell, besides Tatum and Brown, the only thing that kept this close down to the last possession was the fact that Boston had twice as many steals (10-5) and nine less turnovers (19-10). As it says above, the road has not been kind to the Celtics but they better find a way to change that soon since they host the Lakers (14-5) on Saturday night (8:30, ABC) before departing for a season-long five-game West Coast road trip. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers are a half-game behind the Jazz (14-4) for the best record in the league but is there any doubt that the defending champions are still the team to beat? Saturday Night Live finally returns with a new show this weekend so what better prelude to that than a showdown of the NBA's most storied rivals?

The Bruins Blew 2-0 Lead In The 3rd Period But Recovered To Beat Pens 3-2 In OT On Smith's Goal

 

    For nearly 50 minutes of game action tonight at TD Garden, the Bruins (4-1-1) had a near perfect performance. Left wing Brad Marchand scored a shorthanded goal (the 28th of this excellent career) in the first period and Boston's secret power play weapon Nick Ritchie added a goal on the man-advantage for a 2-0 lead in the second period. Pittsburgh (4-2-1) entered as the league's hottest team as they came in on a four-game win streak after going 0-2-1 to start 2021. The Penguis predictably wouldn't go down that easily as they scored a pair of goals in the the third period-by left wing Jason Zucker and right wing Kasperi Kapanen-to tie it at two and eventually send it to overtime. Luckily for the B's, the newest Bruin-right wing Craig Smith-was able to win the game when he finished a 2-on-0 with center David Krejci, there was a little over 10 seconds left in overtime.

    This could have been a disastrous loss for the home team but instead, it turned into their third straight victory. Goaltender Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 3-1-0) shook off an injury scare to grab his third win of the season. The only real bad news to come out of this contest for the B's was that right wing Jake DeBrusk left in the first period with a lower-body injury and never returned. The play that seemed to cause the discomfort was a textbook hip check by Penguins captain Sidney Crosby delivered near center ice as DeBrusk tried to get into Pittsburgh's defensive zone. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk took warm-ups with the team before the game but ultimately he was a last-minute scratch as he nurses a lower-body injury of his own. 

    Marchand is one of the best shorthanded goal-scorers in the history of the NHL. He took a pass from defenseman Charlie McAvoy (3 assists) and used Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (game-high 29:57 of ice time) as a screen then he ripped a shot by Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry's (33 saves, 2-2-1) glove at 7:41 of the first period. McAvoy had the lone assist on Marchand's team-leading fourth goal of the season. Boston only received three power plays all game long (as opposed to Pittsburgh's woeful 0-for-6 showing!) but they made the most of one in the second period as a 5-on-3 expired. Marchand fired a pass across the crease to Ritchie who was stationed next to the post and simply had to sweep it in. We don't have to complain about what he did in the bubble anymore because Ritchie looks like a different guy with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last three games. All three of his tallies this season have come on the power play as well. 

Speaking of the postseason, the Pens have been eliminated early in their last few playoff appearances which means that while their high-scoring games may work in the regular season, once it changes to the playoffs, it's been a different story lately. After a mad scramble by Rask (and a few saves in the sequence), Pittsburgh finally got on the scoreboard at 9:47 of the third period as veteran forward Jason Zucker was able to find the loose puck and whip it past Tuukka. Center Jared McCann and left wing Drew O'Connor (first NHL point in the NHL debut for the Dartmouth alum) were credited with the assists on Zucker's first goal of the season. Things got a bit sketchy for the Bruins when they allowed the tying goal to Kapanen at 16:44. His first goal of the season was assisted by center Evgeni Malkin and Zucker. The former Maple Leaf was able to use his speed to leave McAvoy in the dust then he went to the net and slid a backhander under Rask. 

    Boston evened their overtime record to 1-1 thanks to a complete defensive breakdown by the Pens (shocking, I know!) that left Krejci and Smith all alone on a breakaway with almost too much time and space to make the correct decision. They passed back and forth before Smith put the puck through Jarry's five-hole for his second goal as a Bruin. You could say that he was due for the goal since he managed to accumulate a game-high seven shots on goal. In another mini-series, these same clubs meet at the same place on Thursday (7, NESN). I'd expect a battle of backup goalies with Jaroslav Halak taking on UNH's Casey DeSmith. Hopefully Grzelcyk can return for the B's and maybe DeBrusk's injury isn't that bad, otherwise those are two sneaky important holes that head coach Bruce Cassidy will have to fix in the lineup.

Tatum Returns & C's Easily Take The Second Game Of A Back-To-Back, Winning 119-103 At Chicago

   Let's be honest: there are so many bad teams currently in the NBA. I suppose that the same thing could be said about any of the other top professional sports leagues in the U.S. but it feels even more pronounced now with so many blowouts and utterly predictable results early on in this pandemic-infested season. Boston (10-6 overall, 5-4 away) got a gift from the scheduling gods this evening as they visited Chicago (7-10 overall, 2-5 home) at the United Center. The fact that the Celts had played last night in Boston (granted it was a joke against Cleveland) hardly mattered as they dominated the awful home team 119-103. The outcome was never really in doubt as Boston led basically from start to finish and pushed their advantage to as high as 22 points before cruising to another easy win. Star Jayson Tatum was back from his Covid-19 enforced two-week plus vacation and he looked fresh as lettuce with 24 points and five assists. 

    Guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) continues to play the best basketball of his brief NBA career while point guard Marcus Smart (13 points, 11 assists, 2 steals) had a double-double in place of a resting Kemba Walker (knee), center Daniel Theis (19 points, 3 steals, 3 blocks) played well once again and power forward Tristan Thompson grabbed 10 rebounds in only 17 minutes of action. Nobody scored in double-figures from Boston's bench but five guys posted at least six points: rookie Aaron Nesmith is finding his stroke as he canned three more 3-pointers, power forward Grant Williams and point guard Jeff Teague both scored eight points and finally guards Carsen Edwards and Javante Green each added six points apiece.

    My man Bulls head coach (and fellow PC alum) Billy Donovan has his work cut out for him trying to turn that franchise back into a winner after years of mediocrity. Shooting guard Zach LaVine (game-high 30 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) is the new Devin Booker: a guy putting up huge but empty numbers on a doormat team. My favorite Finnish basketball player (who knew that was a thing?) Lauri Markkanen scored 18 points and had six rebounds but Chicago's other three starters combined for seven total points. Not great! Power forward Thaddeus Young (16 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) barely missed out on a triple-double and small forward Otto Porter Jr. (13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) also had a positive impact off the bench for the Bulls. 

    The Celtics displayed no obvious signs of fatigue by jumping ahead 33-25 after the first quarter and never looking back. They were up 60-50 at halftime and 91-76 going into the fourth quarter. Boston mixed a good shooting night from the field (50.6%-46.6%) with an aggressiveness that we'd love to see from them a bit more often. They attempted twice as many free throws as the Bulls (20-10) and hit four times as many (16-4) which when you think about it is a very rare feat in today's crooked NBA. The C's have been noticeably solid lately on defensive rebounds (38-32) and they had five more steals (9-4) and six less turnovers (18-12) which propelled them to 16 more points off turnovers (35-19) than hapless Chicago. 

The two-game road trip should get at least a little more interesting on Wednesday (8:30, NBC Sports Boston) as the Celts pay their only visit of the season to the Spurs (9-8) at the AT&T Center. If Kemba plays against San Antonio-which I fully expect that he will-we could finally get our first glimpse of this Celtics team at full speed with their entire roster healthy and on the court together in this campaign. Boston's first meeting with the Lakers (14-4) happens on Saturday night (8:30, ABC) at TD Garden. I mention that so you won't be shocked if the C's are caught looking ahead a bit.

While You Were Watching The AFC Championship Game, The Celtics Ran Over The Cavaliers 141-103

 

    Tonight at TD Garden, we were all treated to a phenomenon that I believe occurs most frequently in the NBA compared to MLB, NFL or the NHL. One team (the Celtics) showed up in a big way while their opponent (the Cavaliers) couldn't be bothered to put forth anything that resembled a professional effort. Haha sorry to sound like such a hardo but it's true. Boston (9-6 overall, 5-2 home) came in with three straight losses but you would have never guessed that with the precision that they dismantled Cleveland (8-8 overall, 3-5 road) 141-103. The final score really says it all, doesn't it? C's star Jayson Tatum missed what hopefully is his last game while he recovers from Covid-19 but he was far from needed this evening. Guard Jaylen Brown (33 points, 2 steals in 19 minutes) set a new NBA record for most points scored in the shot clock era in under 20 minutes of playing time.

    This was never even close to a competitive game because the Celts dropped a season-high 38 points in the first quarter to take a 17-point lead right out of the gate and that was followed by their highest scoring half (73 points) of 2020-21 and a 22-point advantage going into the break. Believe it or not, despite this debacle, the Cavs are a much improved team that should push for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference this season. Seriously. That hardly mattered to the Celtics who extended their win-streak vs. the Cavaliers to a whopping nine games. All 14 Boston players that dressed were able to get on the court for at least nine minutes of work. Point guard Kemba Walker (21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) was also efficient with his time, center Daniel Theis (17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) filled up the box score and guard Marcus Smart (12 points, 9 assists, 5 steals) just missed out on a double-double. Guard Carsen Edwards scored a career-high 18 points in 19 minutes off the bench and rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith (11 points, 6 rebounds) finally showed a brief glimpse of why he was picked 14th overall by Boston in this past draft.

    The lopsided result occurred at the perfect time as well for Boston since they hit the road after this game to head to Chicago (7-9 overall, 2-4) for tomorrow night's (9, NBC Sports Boston) meeting with the Bulls at the United Center. Likewise, they couldn't have picked a much easier opponent on the second part of a back-to-back than rudderless Chicago who has been rebuilding for most of the past decade or so. Before tonight's matchup with the Cavs, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens sounded optimistic that Tatum could return against Chicago for his first game since January 8. I'm sure that he will be rusty whenever he gets back but Brown has been on fire for most of this season and Kemba is improving with every outing that goes by. Guard Zach LaVine (26.8 points per game) can score with the best of them in the NBA, Finnish big guy Lauri Markkanen (18.6 points per game) and point guard Coby White (15.9 points per game and 5.9 assists per game) are both quality young players but my fellow PC alum and the new head coach Billy Donovan sure has his work cut out for him in the Windy City. The Bulls haven't been relevant for years on end and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

Deciding To Let Tom Brady Leave In Free Agency Should Forever Haunt Bill Belichick & Robert Kraft

 

    This is typically a space reserved for me to focus on the Patriots, Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox. However, given what happened today in the 2021 NFC Championship Game, I simply had to add my two cents to all the hot takes that you'll inevitably be bombarded with over the next two weeks. Quarterback Tom Brady (20-of-36 for 280 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs) helped lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-26 win over Aaron Rodgers (33-of-48 for 346 yards, 3 TDs, INT) and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. At age 43 and with a new team (that's been a joke for much of their existence), Brady has reached his record 10th Super Bowl where he'll meet superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes (29-of-38 for 325 yards, 3 TDs) and the Kansas City Chiefs who didn't have much trouble with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game, 38-24 tonight at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bucs have earned this via three consecutive playoff wins on the road and would you believe that Super Bowl 55 will take place at their home stadium-Raymond James Stadium-on Sunday, February 7 (6:30, CBS). Tampa will be the first time in NFL history to ever appear in a Super Bowl that's on their home field. 

    It was not always pretty in Brady's first season with the Bucs and how could it be given that he changed teams after being with the Patriots for 20 years plus we're still in the middle of a pandemic. After heading into their bye week with a disappointing record of 7-5, Tampa Bay hasn't lost since then as they won the last four games of the regular season and they have gotten more impressive with each playoff victory. No matter how little we knew about the real story, it was obvious the last few years in New England that TB12 was done with head coach Bill Belichick's impossible to please attitude along with the general misery that permeates around the so-called greatest coach in league history. One year into the divorce, it's clear who the true winner is: Brady of course since he's one win away from his seventh Super Bowl title while Belichick has been sitting at home for weeks now (much like the rest of us) after a utterly disastrous 7-9 campaign. 

    We had always wondered who was more important to the Patriots' dynasty: Bill or Tom? Well now we have a resounding answer since Pats owner Robert Kraft reportedly wanted to keep Brady for his entire playing career (something which I would always balk at except in this very unique case) but Belichick was done with Tom. In his place, he assumed that he could pick any veteran quarterback off the scrap heap-in this case Cam Newton-pay him basically nothing and still somehow finish with his customary winning record, AFC East title and a trip to the playoffs. The reality of life without TB12 was harsh though as Newton regressed week after week and the team went 5-9 against teams other than the hopeless Jets. Meanwhile in Florida, with a complete boob for a head coach (Bruce Arians) and a talented but flawed roster that went 7-9 last season, Brady has remarkably managed to change their whole operation in less than a year on the job. 

    After a spectacular first half this afternoon where the Buccaneers led 21-10 at the break following Brady's 39-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Scotty Miller with one second left, he struggled in the second half. Still, Tampa's defense did just enough to hang on as the team reached the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002. The ironic part about this whole mess for the Patriots is that while TB12 appears to have a few more good years left in his ageless body, they remain without any sort of concrete plan for what to do at quarterback moving forward and as we've seen time and again, that's always a recipe for disaster in the NFL. You are all welcome to root for whomever you want but I really don't understand the stubborn Patriots fans that refuse to cheer for Brady after all the joy that he brought to our collective lives. 

Seriously, I get the frustration with tight end Rob Gronkowski (1 catch, 29 yards) riding Brady's coattails to another Super Bowl after he weaseled his way out of here and fake retired for a year, but Tom didn't ask for this ending. New England made a fatal mistake by underestimating Brady's ability to still get the job done at a high level with new coaches and teammates not to mention in a different division and conference, etc. It goes without saying that I'll be pulling for Brady and the Bucs to finish this out on top. Not that he needs more motivation at this juncture but I feel like a Bucs Super Bowl crown would fully send Belichick into orbit and force him to finally spend more money in free agency than Bill the (terrible) GM typically prefers to do. It would be the ultimate kick in the pants to the Patriots to watch Brady make more history without them. He will be just the fourth QB to start a Super Bowl with two different clubs. Not that there's any reason to debate it but Tom is the greatest player in NFL history and for the record, this is the fourth time in the past five seasons that he's reached the Super Bowl and three of them were in his 40s (something that nobody else has ever done a single time). He was quarterback of the last team to win back-to-back Super Bowls-the 2004 and 2005 Patriots-and now he'll try to prevent KC from repeating as champions. Talk about a juicy matchup for Super Bowl 55, the league couldn't have scripted it any better if they tried. 

Bruins Sweep The Flyers Behind A 6-1 Blowout, Easily Their Best Performance Of The Early Season

 

    Who said that the Bruins (3-1-1) had any offensive struggles whatsoever? Those seem like a distant memory as Boston dispatched Philadelphia (3-2-1) for the second straight game, this time much more decisively to the tune of a 6-1 laugher tonight at TD Garden. After scoring three combined goals in their first three contests, the B's scored four in Thursday's 5-4 shootout victory vs. Philly then topped that with a six-pack of goals this evening led by the incomparable center Patrice Bergeron (2 power play goals, assist) and left wing Brad Marchand (2 goals-1 PPG, assist). Goaltender Jaroslav Halak (1-0-1) got the start for the Bruins but he didn't have to do much of anything beyond staying awake since the Flyers only landed 17 total shots on him. 

  B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was out with a lower-body injury but the usually reliable Connor Clifton (plus-1, 4 hits, blocked shot in 18:12) filled in well for him in his season debut. As usual, Bergy and Marchy earned the majority of the headlines with plenty of highlights of their own but there were some notable achievements by other Bruins as well: rookie forward Trent Frederic (plus-2, 3 shots on goal, 2 hits and takeaway in 14:31) and rookie defenseman Jakub Zboril (2 shots on goal, hit and blocked shot in 19:41) each earned their first NHL points/assists while winger Craig Smith (assist, plus-2, 2 shots on goal in 15:00) scored his first goal for the Spoked B. BU's Charlie Coyle found the back of the net for the second straight game, helping Boston win two games in a row for the first time in 2021. 

    Rather than being down by two goals heading into the third period (like they did on Thursday), the B's took a new and much easier approach as they scored first and then closed things out with five unanswered goals. Bergeron got the fun started with a power play goal (his 2nd goal of the season) at 8:09 of the first period. Winger Nick Ritchie (2 assists) and center David Krejci had the helpers as Boston created plenty of traffic in front of Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (20 saves, 2-2-1) which allowed Bergy to brush a tough-angle backhander by him. Up 1-0 after the first period, the only real adversity that the Bruins faced all night-if you can even call it that-was when BC's Kevin Hayes tipped in a shot by right wing Jakub Voracek 1:14 into the second period for his third goal of the season. Just 1:16 after that, Smith nabbed his first tally in the Black and Gold thanks to a sweet spin-around pass from Coyle that left him with a wide open net to shoot at. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon had the second assist on Smith's goal, his first point of the season. Coyle was repaid for his great feed with an equally beautiful look from Frederic. The pride of Weymouth tipped it in for a 3-1 advantage at 17:50 of the second period with Smith notching the other helper. 

    After a few days in Boston where they probably couldn't do much of anything besides play hockey (because of the pandemic and freezing temperatures) and sit alone in their hotel rooms, I'm sure that Philadelphia was understandably ready to get home by the time that the third period came around. Truthfully, they played like a club that was halfway on the bus to the airport for much of that extended garbage time. Marchand made sure of it as he potted his pair of goals 3:46 apart in the frame. First he was the recipient of a ferocious forecheck by Bergeron that led to an easy tap-in at 4:13 for his second goal of the season. The top line's latest right wing-Jake DeBrusk-got the second assist. The wheels completely fell off at that point for the Flyers as they continued to take penalties and the Bruins were more than happy to pay for them. Marchand ripped in a wrist shot at 7:59 for a power-play goal, assisted by Ritchie and Zboril. Bergeron fittingly wrapped it up with a very similar goal to his first one except this time-at 13:33, assisted by Marchand and Charlie McAvoy-it came on the man advantage. 

    As you probably guessed, Boston earned a day off from practice tomorrow so they'll be back to work on Monday morning at Warrior Ice Arena for their first practice ahead of two games at home vs. Pittsburgh (3-2-0). The B's host the Penguins on Tuesday (7, NESN) and Thursday (7, NESN), their first two matchups of the season with superstar Sidney Crosby and his team who are temporarily in the same division (East) as the Bruins. After losing their first two games of the year vs. Philly, the Penguins have rattled off three straight wins. They still score plenty of goals (18) but they also allow even more (21) so expect some high-scoring tilts when these sneaky rivals meet once again in Boston.

Tatum Remains Out While Embiid & The 76ers Beat The Celts Again, Boston's Third Straight Loss

 

On Wednesday and tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics (8-6 overall, 4-4 away) did their best to ensure that Sixers (11-5 overall-best record in the East, 9-1 home) superstar center Joel Embiid (38 points, 11 rebounds) will be the Eastern Conference Player of the Week when that meaningless honor gets announced on Monday afternoon. In the two games, he combined for 80 points and 21 rebounds, is that good? Philadelphia won both meetings including this evening's 122-110 beatdown. Boston's superstar forward Jayson Tatum is still out as he recovers from a bout with Covid-19 but he's been practicing lately so the hope is that he can return to a game possibly as early as Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) vs. Cleveland (8-7) at TD Garden. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown tied his career-high with 42 points and he added nine rebounds but he couldn't do it all by himself for the Celts. 

    The losses to one of their biggest rivals were disappointing enough along with their first three-game losing streak of the season but the C's also saw their solid rookie guard Payton Pritchard leave with a scary looking right knee sprain. It happened on an awkward play as Brown fell onto Pritchard's knee while they were both going for a rebound. I am not a medical expert but with the way that Payton reacted to his injury and how slowly he went off the court with the help of Celtics trainers and the team doctor, it didn't look promising. We'll see what the diagnosis is but I'm guessing that he won't be in action anytime soon. Sigh. No matter who Boston tries to throw against Embiid-Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams, Daniel Theis or Robert Williams (who made his first appearance since Jan. 6 after he went down with the coronavirus)-it hardly mattered. Nobody on the C's has a chance to stop a motivated Embiid who only had to play 30 minutes in this one. Say what you want about Dwight Howard (12 rebounds, 3 steals) but he's a pretty decent backup center and also someone that the Celtics could have signed in free agency. 

    It wasn't all the Embiid show (OK, it mostly was) but Philly featured some nice performances from power forward Tobias Harris (23 points, 8 rebounds)-who I still think is one of the most underrated players in the league-point guard Ben Simmons had a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists while shooting guard Seth Curry (15 points) showed no ill effects from Covid-19 as he is the top 3-point shooter in the NBA at the moment. PS how confusing must it have been to have two brothers with such similar names like Seth and Steph (Curry) growing up in the same house? I wouldn't say that the Sixers have a great bench but they outscored Boston's 26-22. 

    Guard Marcus Smart (20 points, 7 assists, 2 steals) usually puts up good numbers when he gets to start but that doesn't mean it's his most effective role since he shot 7-for-17 from the field in a team-high 39 minutes. Point guard Kemba Walker (19 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) posted his same scoring total from Wednesday but he was able to play seven more minutes which means that his worrisome knee is responding well to the stem cell procedure he underwent in the off-season. After a strong first quarter where they outscored the Sixers 33-25, Philadelphia took over in the second quarter (24-19) although Boston still hung on to a slim 52-49 lead at halftime. The 76ers exploded for 42 points in the third quarter when the Celts could only manage 28. Boston got as close as four points (101-97) midway through the fourth quarter but Smart missed a layup and that was it since Boston could never find a way to slow down Philly's offense. 

    The Sixers shot a whopping 10% better than the Celtics from the field (55.6%-45.6%) and they grabbed 13 more rebounds (45-32) including 13 more defensive boards (35-22). The most important thing for the C's is to get the hell out of Philly and away from all of their delicious cheese steaks. You probably don't know it (and why should you?) but the Cavs might actually be decent for the first time in years. They are only a half game behind Boston after this mini-slump so Sunday's first meeting of the season is sneaky important for both clubs. UConn's Andre Drummond is one of the best centers in the NBA and guard Collin Sexton is quickly becoming a star for Cleveland in his third year in the league. What I'm trying to say is that make sure Celts-Cavs is the first channel you changed to when Bills-Chiefs goes to a commercial or at halftime. It certainly doesn't have the same high stakes or sheer entertainment factor of the AFC Championship Game (remember those?) but it is a tasty appetizer on a cold Sunday night in late January.

UPDATE 1/23/21: The Celtics official Twitter account sent an update about Pritchard tonight. An MRI conducted on him earlier today revealed that he has a Grade I sprain of his right MCL. "Pritchard is expected to return to on-court activities in approximately two weeks." Whew. This could have been way worse news about the rookie guard that's been a pleasant surprise early on this season. Granted, he probably won't appear in a game for at least three or four weeks but it's way better than a torn MCL or ACL that could cost him possibly the rest of the year. 

      

    

After Two More Lifeless Periods, B's Wake Up Just In Time For A Wild 5-4 Shootout Win Vs. Flyers

    When they trailed 2-0 after two periods tonight in their pandemic home opener at TD Garden vs. the Flyers (3-1-1), I had little hope that the Bruins (2-1-1) would actually score a single goal, let alone rally for an incredibly entertaining 5-4 shootout victory. Somehow a team that hadn't scored an even-strength goal in its first three games (plus 2 periods) exploded with three of them in the third period along with a power play goal. Of course, they blew a late 4-3 lead but nobody will remember that after goaltender Tuukka Rask (22 saves) was spectacular in overtime and struggling winger Jake DeBrusk scored the lone shootout goal as Boston won its second shootout of the young season. Please note how wretched they were in shootouts last season: 0-7. 

    For a long time, this had all the trappings of another frustrating loss, which would have been the third in a row for the Bruins. They dominated the first period (outshooting the Flyers 14-3) but they had nothing to show for it thanks to Philly's promising goaltender Carter Hart (39 saves). Philadelphia woke up in the second period with a pair of goals from center Claude Giroux and UNH product James van Riemsdyk. Setting up on the power play, Giroux whipped a snap shot over Rask's blocker shoulder at 6:17, a beautiful first goal of the game and his season that was assisted by Ivan Provorov (who played a game-high 30:46 after fellow defenseman Mark Friedman left early with a facial injury and never returned). van Riemsdyk's was almost a power play goal as well since it came a few seconds after another Boston penalty had expired. The B's were running around a bit and JVR was stationed in front to re-direct a pass from right wing Jakub Voracek (3 assists). BC's Kevin Hayes had the other helper that gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead at 17:31. 

    A highly-touted rookie got the comeback started for the B's when forward Jack Studnicka went to the net and put in his own rebound 57 seconds into the third period for his first career NHL goal. Center David Krejci and left wing Nick Ritchie had the assists on the goal that finally kickstarted some life into Boston. Only 1:09 after that, it was tied at two as center Charlie Coyle got to a rebound and cleverly spun around his defender to screen Hart. His low shot was his first goal of the season and it all started with a great play by Craig Smith (1st assist/point as a Bruin) to keep the puck in the offensive zone and fire it on Hart. Defenseman Kevan Miller added his first helper of the season and it was also his first point in ages after back-to-back lost years due to injuries. The Flyers responded with a fluky play that resulted in a temporary go-ahead goal: defenseman Travis Sanheim accidently deflected Voracek's pass off his skate and somehow it found its way past Rask. His first goal of the season was also assisted by center Nolan Patrick at 7:13. 

    Take a breath, this is where things got extra weird on a Thursday night in an empty and silent building. Boston got another quick flurry of goals to regain the lead: Ritchie one-timed a nifty pass from center Patrice Bergeron to tie it at three. Krejci had the second assist on Ritchie's second goal of the season that came on the power play. If that was surprising to say the least, the next tally was doubly shocking as defenseman Brandon Carlo (not known for his offensive prowess either) blasted a rocket for a 4-3 lead and what should have been the game-winning goal. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and left wing Brad Marchand had the assists on his first goal of the season. van Riemsdyk scored the last goal as Rask stopped Voracek's one-timer but JVR was on the doorstep to poke in the loose puck. Hayes had the second assist at 16:28.  

    As you can guess-since they outshot the Flyers 22-10-the Bruins controlled the third but credit Philly for bouncing back in overtime and honestly, they should have won it multiple times if not for some top-notch saves by Rask. Smith and Voracek's shots were both saved in round one of the shootout. Coyle and center Travis Konecny each missed the net in round two. Finally, DeBrusk broke the deadlock with a beautiful deke then shot that settled just under the crossbar. Giroux went last to try to extend it for the Flyers but Rask denied him. What a great win for the Bruins after such a pitiful start, again. These teams will meet again on Saturday night (7, NESN) for what will likely not come close to measuring up to this thriller. Even after tonight's results, Philadelphia remains in first-place in the East Division. Rask earned a rest so expect Jaroslav Halak (0-0-1) to get the start likely against Philly's backup goaltender Brian Elliott (1-0-0) who is a decent journeyman. There's no playoff football on Saturday so that tilt should be on your radar while you're flipping around to different games and shows.

Without Tatum, The Celts Fade In The 4th Quarter As Embiid Drops 42 Pts In The 117-109 76ers Win

 

    Tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics (8-5 overall, 4-3 road) and Sixers (10-5 overall, 8-1 home) met for the first time this season and it turned out to be an entertaining game although Philly came away with a 117-109 victory. It was the first win for new Sixers head coach Doc Rivers against his former team. As a Celtics fan, the easiest thing to do after suffering a loss to one of their closest rivals, all you want to do is chalk it up to Boston missing its superstar Jayson Tatum who is still recovering from Covid-19. That is fair but you have a feeling that at almost any point in this campaign, you could say the same thing about most teams due to the pandemic and such a condensed schedule which is already causing tons of injuries. Sixers center Joel Embiid (42 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals) scored the most he's ever recorded against the Celtics but this was still a winnable contest for Boston since it was tied at 105 with 4:08 left in the fourth quarter. The problem is that without their elite closer (remember baseball?), the Celts fell apart in crunch time. 

    Besides Embiid's dominance and Tatum's absence, the other main issue was that Philadelphia lived at the free throw line all night. No really, as a team they attempted 25 more free throws (45-20) and made 23 more of them (36-13). For that reason, it's crazy that Boston was able to keep it that close. Complaining about fouls typically bores me to tears but you simply cannot overlook those absurd numbers. Besides the stats above, all that you need to know in that regard is that Embiid took 21 free throws by himself and made 17 of them. The uber-talented big guy will get most of the headlines for Philly but power forward Tobias Harris (22 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) did his mostly underrated thing, small forward Danny Green hit four 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds while point guard Ben "I Still Can't Shoot To Save My Life" Simmons had 11 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Guard Shake Milton scored 16 points off the bench for the Sixers and center Dwight Howard posted 10 rebounds in only 15 minutes. PS what other star in his generation besides maybe Derrick Rose (but that was because of a million injuries) has had a more bizarre career path than Howard? 

    Four players did basically everything for the Celtics: shooting guard Jaylen Brown had a team-high 26 points and five rebounds, guard Marcus Smart added 25 points and point guard Kemba Walker made the most of his minutes restriction (in his 2nd game of 2020-21) by registering 19 points and six assists in only 22 minutes of action. With some generous home cooking, Embiid got all of Boston's bigs in foul trouble: center Tristan Thompson (9 rebounds), power forward Grant Williams and backup center Daniel Theis (23 points, 10 rebounds) all picked up five fouls apiece. It was a close game almost the entire time until Boston ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. 

    If we're being honest, Philadelphia was also missing its best shooter-Seth "The Other" Curry (who is also out due to the coronavirus)-but they still managed to speed out to a 32-25 lead after the first quarter. Boston recovered with its best frame of the night (36-26) for a slight 61-58 halftime advantage for the road team. The C's actually extended it a little more with a strong third quarter (31-28) for a six-point lead going into the fourth. With no Tatum to let cook in the final 12 minutes, not to mention the foul trouble and Smart being the second best offensive option, it all added up to a disastrous ending for the Celts who dropped their second game in a row.    

    The free throw discrepancy will get the majority of the focus from this game but let's not overlook the fact that Boston had seven more turnovers (16-9) and the 76ers made four times as many steals (12-3) as them. Between that and Embiid's monster performance, the C's will never beat any quality opponent by being so careless with the ball. These same clubs meet again on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and with any help from Boston's team doctor Lucky the Leprechaun, Tatum will be back in the lineup for the first time in two weeks. Philly's win put them two full games in front of the Celtics-who have two games in hand-for first-place in the Atlantic Division. Assuming that he's healthy and motivated (both huge ifs), Embiid is way too good to ever be completely neutralized but here's an idea, hold him to under 35+ points and let's see what happens.

Without Pasta, B's Are Boring & More Importantly Not Good As They Got Blanked 1-0 By The Isles

 

    In sports, there aren't many worse combinations than being dull to watch and also not very successful overall as a team or player. We just suffered through such a season this past fall with the Patriots (7-9) who stunk and made it tough to view all of their torturous games. We are only three outings into the season for the Bruins (1-1-1), so I'm going to try my best not to overreact-especially when their most gifted goal-scorer (David Pastrnak) by far is still out and recovering from off-season hip surgery-but man, this has already been a slog in less than a week of action. After a shootout win in their opener at the Devils (1-0-1) followed by an overtime loss to New Jersey, they concluded their road trip tonight at Nassau Coliseum with a brutal 1-0 loss to the Islanders (2-1). 

    You've probably heard this a couple times but I'll keep harping on it until it changes: Boston still has not scored an even-strength goal in nine periods plus nearly two full overtime sessions. It's the first time since March 2007 (the brief Dave Lewis era!) that they have gone three games in a row without a 5-on-5 marker. After two power play goals in the first contest followed by a shorthanded tally in the rematch, they bottomed out on Martin Luther King Day as Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov (27 saves) set a new franchise record with back-to-back shutouts to start his 2021 campaign. The shots on goal total doesn't look that bad, after all they had 10 more than the Isles, but only a few of them even tested Varlamov at all. Boston had entered this tilt 18-2-1 in their last 21 road games against New York and with the win, the Islanders snapped a 10-game home losing streak to their temporary divisional foe.

    The only Bruin that deserved a little better fate from this forgettable matchup was goaltender Tuukka Rask (16 saves) who lost his first game of this pressure-packed contract year. Boston seems to give up a breakaway every game these days and while he was equal to that, he couldn't stop a stellar individual piece of skill by center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. This had all the excitement of a scoreless soccer game (Liverpool-Manchester United yesterday?) until the former Senator batted the puck out of mid-air after defenseman Adam Pelech's shot deflected off Bruins center Patrice Bergeron's stick. Fellow defenseman Ryan Pulock had the other assist on Pageau's first goal of the season at 15:51 of the third period.

A one-goal deficit for the Bruins with that little time left in regulation feels like a three-goal or four-goal lead with the way that they are finding it impossible to find the back of the net. They pulled Rask at the end for an extra skater but you knew that it would not matter one bit. Their power play went 0-for-3 but their penalty kill was 5-for-5 (a flawless 13-for-13 this season) so it was a mixed bag for Boston's typically solid special teams. Wasting over two hours of our collective lives watching this terrible product was annoying enough but the loss felt like a punch to the gut coupled with the fact that the B's potentially face a serious injury to another key player. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (who was called for interference) got tangled up with winger Jordan Eberle (who was called for tripping) early in the third period and he fell down awkwardly to the ice. It was impossible to tell what he hurt (hand, arm, wrist, ribs, oblique, groin?) but it was clearly serious since he never returned to play and head coach Bruce Cassidy didn't have any update after the game which tends to be a sign that it's more than a usual bump or bruise. Ugh. 

       The best thing for this team is that they return home and get a day off tomorrow to recharge their batteries and figure out how they can produce more offensively. Boston's next four games are all at TD Garden: two against Philadelphia (2-1-0) begin on Thursday (7, NESN) followed by two vs. Pittsburgh (1-2-0) starting next Tuesday. The Bruins' next road game is not until January 30 when they travel to DC to face the Capitals (2-0-1) and their first reunion with former B's captain Zdeno Chara. I have no idea when Pasta is returning but it's not soon enough. Jake DeBrusk was the latest black hole that got a one-game audition on the top line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron and while he was better than rookie Jack Studnicka and Anders Bjork, that is not saying much. Regardless, the Flyers and Penguins are both known to play a more exciting brand of hockey than the Devils and Islanders so maybe that will inject some energy into Boston's currently lifeless skates.

The Celtics Won't Play A Worse Game This Season Than Today's Gross 30-Point Loss To The Knicks

 

    Listen, we all have a bad day (or night) at work or just a crappy 24 hours overall. One of the infinite differences between us and professional athletes is that when they have a tough time on the job, it can be seen live and in color by a worldwide audience. This afternoon was one of those head-scratching occasions as the Knicks (6-8 overall, 4-4 road) came to TD Garden on a five-game losing streak and they promptly destroyed the Celtics (8-4 overall, 4-2 home) 105-75. For real, that occurred. Ironically, the C's had come in riding a five-game winning streak and I am pretty confident that this will be their biggest stinkbomb of 2021. Yes, they will play poorly many more times and lose their share of contests but given the mediocre at best competition and the way that they had been playing lately, it's hard to fathom a more unexplainable no-show than this. 

    It started out as a promising Sunday morning when Boston confirmed that point guard Kemba Walker (9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 5 turnovers in 20 minutes) would return to game action for the first time this season. Seeing him not look completely comfortable was expected (he was 3-for-13 from the field including a woeful 1-for-8 on 3s) but watching his teammates brick shot after shot was the stunning part. As a team, the Celts shot 29.8% from the field and 15.2% (7-for-46) on three-pointers which are a pair of percentages that you rarely ever witness in an NBA game. For everything that Boston did wrong, New York looked like a contender in the Eastern Conference for a brief moment. 

    The Knicks outscored the Celtics in every quarter including by 11 in the first (28-17) and 12 in the third (27-15). When New York built a big lead right away, you figured that an even more impressive answer was imminent by Boston except that it never even came close to actually happening. Head coach Tom Thibodeau's motley crew of misfits that will have to scrape by just to make the playoffs this spring were up 48-35 at halftime and they cruised from there with their highest scoring frame in the fourth (30-25) in the most smelly of garbage time at the Garden. 

    There wasn't one particular player that went crazy statistically for the Knicks but they had five guys score in double-figures led by power forward Julius Randle (20 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals). Second-year shooting guard RJ Barrett (last year's No. 3 overall pick) added 19 points, 11 rebounds and two steals while journeyman small forward Reggie Bullock put up 11 points and seven rebounds. Two rookies (both 1st round picks) for New York were good off the bench as well: shooting guard Immanuel Quickley (17 points, 8 assists) scored 17+ points for the third game in a row and power forward Obi Toppin notched 12 points and five rebounds.  

    For the Celtics, star forward Jayson Tatum and center Robert Williams still remain out due to Covid-19 and their team looked completely lost without them, not that they probably would have made that much of a difference today. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown (25 points, 6 rebounds) got his requisite numbers but guard Marcus Smart (10 points, 2 steals) was the only other Celtic to reach double-figures but his hardly counts since he went a brutal 4-for-15 from the field including 0-for-7 on three-pointers. Whenever Tatum returns, Smart will go back to the bench where he belongs (as the very valuable 6th man) with Kemba rightfully starting in his place.  

    The only real good news to come out of this turd burger for the Celtics is that last time I checked, it only counted as one loss. I don't expect this to have any long-term ramifications but I guess we'll have to wait and note how they perform the next time out: on Wednesday (7, NBC Sports Boston) at Philadelphia (9-5). It's a two-game set with Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center with another matchup on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). The Sixers have suffered through their own Coronavirus outbreak but before that, they were playing great under new head coach Doc Rivers. Hey, I remember that guy! It'll be the first time that these rivals will meet since Boston swept them with ease in the first round of the bubble playoffs last year.

The Bruins Waste A Great Opportunity to Get Four Easy Points As They Lose 2-1 In OT At New Jersey

 

    In a shortened season like this one that just began in the NHL, you have to clean up against the inferior opponents that you see on your schedule (like the Celtics have been doing). Unfortunately, the Bruins (1-0-1) didn't seem to get that memo yet as they fell 2-1 in overtime this afternoon against the Devils (1-0-1) at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. It marked the first win for Lindy Ruff (who has been in the NHL for around 80 years) as New Jersey's head coach. Unlike Thursday's season-opener when Boston blew two different leads but saved themselves with a rare shootout victory, this was a game where they simply got outplayed by what is guaranteed to be a bottom-feeder in the Eastern Conference in 2021. Rookie center Yegor Sharangovich scored the game-winning goal with 1.7 seconds left in overtime, his first NHL coming as a result of a fatal defensive breakdown by the B's that this time wasn't stopped by goaltender Jaroslav Halak (29 saves).

    Without David Pastrnak, the Bruins' offense has predictably sputtered. In fact, they still haven't scored an even-strength goal so far this season since today's lone tally came via a shorthanded goal (the 18th of his brilliant career) by captain Patrice Bergeron. It didn't help when winger Ondrej Kase left in the first period with an upper-body injury (concussion?) and never returned, causing head coach Bruce Cassidy to shuffle his already struggling forward lines. Devils goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (27 saves) is decent enough but it's not like Boston really tested him too much in either of these meetings. Don't worry, the NHL's version of Ambien (Bruins vs. Devils) will happen six more times this season! Haha if you're looking to fall asleep fast, just turn on these boring as watching paint dry games.

    New Jersey had their first lead of the season as BC's Miles Wood (who fought Kevan Miller to start the game after he ran into Tuukka Rask twice on Thursday) scored for the second straight game. He tipped in rookie defenseman Ty Smith's shot from the point with the second assist going to promising young center/child star lookalike Jack Hughes. Trailing 1-0 deep into the second period, the B's turned to a familiar duo for another memorable shorthanded goal: left wing Brad Marchand fended off Palmieri in Boston's zone then skated in with Bergy before passing it to his best friend who wasted no time letting a low and hard shot past Blackwood. You knew this one couldn't be decided in regulation once again and another shootout looked likely until Sharangovich found the puck on his stick with a step on B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. His snap shot went under Halak's pads and quite honestly, he didn't have much of a chance to stop it. In the third period, Halak had stopped Palmieri on a breakaway so what more do you want from him? 

    Winger Anders Bjork got his one-game audition on Boston's top line and it didn't go well, shocker. He had no shots on goal, no hits, no blocked shots and no takeaways in 10:58 of ice time. That is hard to do especially since most of that was with Bergeron and Marchand on the ice with him. I doubt that Kase will be available on Monday (5, NESN) when the Bruins travel to face the Islanders (1-1) at Nassau Coliseum with a special Martin Luther King Day start time. Rookie winger Jack Studnicka should be back in the lineup after he was a healthy scratch this afternoon following his chance on the top line on Thursday. Rask will get the start but goaltending is the least of Boston's worries at the moment. New York is a very stingy defensive team (much like them), so it'll be tough to get their offense untracked without the help of their strong special teams.

After A Week Off (3 Postponed Games), Celts Return With Their Biggest Blowout Of The Season

 

    Starting last Saturday when we found out that Celtics (8-3 overall, 4-1 home) superstar Jayson Tatum had tested positive for Covid-19, the past week has been a bit of a mess for our favorite NBA team. You wouldn't know that based on how they performed tonight as they returned to action for their first game in a week by torching the Magic (6-6 overall, 3-3 road) 124-97 at TD Garden. The 27-point margin of victory was the largest of the season for the Celts who also won their fifth straight game. Did I mention that they have the best record in the Eastern Conference and second best in the entire league, trailing only the Lakers (11-3)? Tatum and center Robert Williams-who seemed to have caused the mini-outbreak on the Celtics-were both out but Boston managed to dress 12 healthy players who all scored at least two points apiece.

    I'm not sure what the excuse was for the Magic, they are relatively healthy (injury and Coronavirus-wise although they live in Florida so who knows) but that didn't stop them from getting outscored in every quarter this evening. Boston doubled them up in points in the paint (66-33) and led by as many as 28 points in this complete laugher. With no Tatum, shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 21 points, career-high 8 assists) was the best player on the court and he showed that in only 25 minutes of action. Point guard Jeff Teague (17 points) got a rare start with a juggled lineup and guard Marcus Smart added 14 points. Really all that you need to know about this contest is that forward Semi Ojeleye (18 points, 6 rebounds) outscored everyone on Orlando in just 20 minutes of work. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard had 16 points off the bench and shooting guard Javonte Green notched 10 points.

    Things got extra weird in garbage time as cult icon Tacko Fall (6 points, 5 rebounds) banked in a three-pointer and later took the Magic off the dribble and drove to the basket for an exclamation point dunk. Who cares that he clearly walked, we all needed that little burst of joy in our lives. Tristan Thompson (11 rebounds) started in place of Daniel Theis (10 rebounds) at center but they each had basically the same output in 21 minutes and 20 minutes respectively. Orlando might as well have not showed up since power forward Aaron Gordon led them with a measly 17 points. Small forward Dwayne Bacon (8 rebounds), center Nikola Vucevic (6 rebounds) and rookie point guard Cole Anthony (6 rebounds) all scored 15 points while center Khem Birch (12 points, 12 rebounds) had a double-double off the bench. 

    This originally was supposed to be a two-game series in Boston but the first leg on Wednesday was cancelled because well you know, Covid-19. Orlando's last game was on Monday at home (a 121-99 loss to the Bucks) and tonight's latest beating gives them four losses in a row after they were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA the first few weeks. Haha just kidding, you still are completely irrelevant. If you expected a bit of a slow start by the Celtics, they showed no signs of rust as they got out to a 34-28 lead after the first quarter and 60-48 at halftime. Third quarters and protecting big advantages have been some of the only real struggles for the Celtics in 2020-21 but not this time as they outscored the Magic 28-24 in the third quarter and 36-25 in the fourth quarter. 

    It didn't matter how many times Orlando's grizzled old head coach Steve Clifford pulled down his mask (much to the chagrin of NBA commissioner Adam Silver who warned him this week to stop doing that) to scream at his team or keep calling useless timeouts, nothing made a difference as Boston simply ran them out of the Garden. The Celtics shot almost 11% better from the field (51.1%-40.4%), hit 10 more three-pointers (17-7), grabbed eight more defensive rebounds (39-31) and handed out 11 more assists (25-14). Assuming that they can please God all stay home tomorrow and avoid another outbreak, the good times should continue for the C's as they host the hapless Knicks (5-8) on Sunday afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston). Former Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau is in his first miserable year (and what a time for it!) as New York's latest revolving door head coach. Thibs obviously has no other interests besides coaching basketball or family that he actually cares about since who wants to be in charge of that joke of a team? Like Orlando, the Knicks got off to a nice start this season but true to form, they've lost their last five games after falling 106-103 tonight in Cleveland (6-7). The NFL playoff games don't start until later Sunday afternoon so you might as well tune in to Celtics-Knicks, what else do you have to do in mid-January during the pandemic?

The NHL Returns As The B's Win Their Season-Opener 3-2 Vs. The Lowly Devils In A Shootout

 

    It's 2021 and the United States is still in shambles due to Covid-19 and our disgrace of a President who will mercifully be out of the White House next week. On a lighter note, at least we have some NHL hockey back in our lives as we try to get through the pandemic both healthy and sane which coupled together is a tall order. Tonight, the Bruins opened their season at the empty Prudential Center in Newark, NJ against the Devils-who are temporarily in the same division (East) as them-for this abbreviated 56-game schedule. The Bruins led 1-0 going into the third period and 2-1 later in the frame but the Devils tied it up both times forcing a dreaded shootout. In three rounds, left wing Brad Marchand (goal, assist) had the lone tally as the final shooter of the night allowing Boston to survive for a 3-2 victory. It wasn't pretty and it should have been over in regulation (since the Bruins outshot the Devils 37-22) but two points is all that you can ask for.

    There were plenty of changes for the B's since the last time that we saw them when they lost in Game 5 of the second round playoff series vs. Tampa Bay (the eventual Stanley Cup champion) in August: most notably, captain Zdeno Chara is now on the Capitals, defenseman Torey Krug is a highly paid Blue, superstar right wing David Pastrnak is out for a bit longer as he recovers from off-season hip surgery and defenseman Kevan Miller returned to action after missing two years following a pair of broken knee caps. Despite all that, Boston can still count on its core players: goaltender Tuukka Rask (seen for the 1st time since leaving the Toronto bubble early) made 20 saves including a pair of huge stops in overtime, Patrice Bergeron had an assist and he won 73% of his face-offs and David Krejci also added an assist as Boston scored both of its goals on the power play. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has always been viewed as Krug Lite and this evening he performed admirably in that tough role to fill. He played 24:07 (2nd most on the team) including a game-high 5:51 on the power play with a game-high six shots on goal. Who knows if he can maintain that type of workload for a full season but this was a promising beginning for him. 

    With the Bruins only playing the other seven teams (Devils, Islanders, Flyers, Caps, Sabres, Penguins and Rangers) in their new division eight times apiece in the regular season, they would be wise to beat up on the bad clubs which undoubtedly will be headlined by New Jersey who has seemingly been rebuilding for years upon years. With that said, Boston couldn't have asked for a cushier start to this campaign (other than playing at the empty TD Garden) since they also meet the Devils on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) in Jersey for a quick rematch. Jaroslav Halak no doubt will get the start in that one which isn't much of a drop off from Rask while the Devils will probably sit goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (35 saves) in favor of his backup Eric Comrie? 

    The Bruins took a 1-0 lead late in the first period as Marchand went to the net and re-directed a cross-ice from Krejci for the team's first goal of the season. Bergy had the second assist on the goal at 17:40. Assuming that ESPN Classic still exists, this forgettable contest won't be featured on it anytime soon as nothing really notable happened in the second period. Thankfully, things got a little more interesting in the third period as former BC star Miles Wood skated in on a breakaway (during a delayed penalty) and roofed a wrist shot past Rask. The No. 1 overall draft pick from 2019-forward Jack Hughes-had the lone assist on that tying goal at 8:51. Less than four and a half minutes later, the B's answered with what should have been the game-winning goal. It was basically a carbon copy of Marchand's goal expect rather than one of the best players in the league, it came from a complete hack-winger Nick Ritchie. Stationed at the familiar left post, that slob was at least aware enough to place his stick on the ice and put in Marchand's sweet feed to him. Grzelcyk provided the second assist on the go-ahead goal at 13:12. Sadly, it only took 34 seconds for New Jersey to tie it yet again with one of the weirdest goals that I've ever seen. Rookie defenseman Ty Smith's shot took at least three or maybe four deflections before it reached Boston's net. Defenseman Matt Tennyson and Hughes provided the helpers on a goal that Smith won't soon forget, for many reasons. 

    After getting outplayed for much of the game, the Devils finally woke up in overtime and truthfully should have won it at least twice as their best forward-Kyle Palmieri-skated most of the length of the ice on a breakaway before Rask stoned him then later Hughes was stopped in close and center Travis Zajac couldn't find the rebound that was at his feet. Rask made a few good saves in regulation but he really earned his paycheck in overtime and the shootout where he stopped the immortal trio of Nikita Gusev, Jesper Boqvist and Hughes. Shootouts have always been a frustrating weakness for the B's so after Charlie Coyle and Ondrej Kase were stopped, we were all spared from a tediously long shootout by Marchand. Bless you Brad. Nothing less than two more points on Saturday is acceptable, especially if the Bruins face a nameless backup goaltender. Devils defenseman P.K. Subban (game-high 30:18 time on ice!) deserved better in Lindy Ruff's first game behind the bench as New Jersey's head coach.

Covid-19 Hits The Celtics But They Still Managed To Beat The Wizards 116-107 With Three Guys Out

 

    Playing outside of the safety of the Disney bubble this season, it was only a matter of time before the Celtics (7-3 overall, 3-1 home) had their own coronavirus outbreak. This morning we found out that center Robert Williams had tested positive for Covid-19 while center Tristan Thompson and forward Grant Williams will also be out for at least the next seven days since they are deemed to be close contacts of him. There were no excuses because Boston had a game to play tonight at TD Garden and but in truth, they were lucky it was against one of the worst teams not only in the Eastern Conference but in the entire league: the Wizards (2-7 overall, 2-3 away). I don't know if it says more about the pride of the C's that they led by as much as 28 points (77-49) in the third quarter or how hopeless Washington already is in early January. The Wizards showed a bit of professionalism when they cut that huge lead down to four points midway through the fourth quarter but Boston was able to hold on for a satisfying 116-107 win-their fourth in a row. 

    Down three of their top four big guys, all that Celts head coach Brad Stevens had left to choose from at center were Daniel Theis (10 points, 6 rebounds) and Tacko Fall (4 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks). Theis picked up two early fouls but he shook that off to play 29 minutes while Fall played a career-high 19 minutes. Boston's top two players forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 32 points, 5 rebounds) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (27 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) both played very well to make up for their missing teammates. Point guard Marcus Smart (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) is still struggling with his shot (2-for-10 from the field) but he made up for that by going 9-for-11 at the free throw line. Rookie point guard Payton Pritchard (11 points, 2 steals) hit the biggest shot of the night: a 3-pointer that boosted Boston's lead back to seven after Washington trimmed it to 99-95. 

    Wizards superstar shooting guard Bradley Beal (41 points) has scored a combined 101 points (!!!) in the last two games but his awful team has lost both of those. Nobody should blame him when he inevitably demands for a trade at some point soon this season. His head coach is that empty suit Scott Brooks and point guard Russell Westbrook (12 points, 8 assists) looks like a shell of himself. Other than that, who else is on the Wizards? Forward Rui Hachimura (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) is decent and forward Davis Bertans (13 points) is a nice three-point shooter off the bench (the C's wanted him last season at the trade deadline), but overall yuck. 

    Boston jumped out to a 33-28 lead after one quarter and they blitzed Washington out of the Garden in the second quarter en route to a 66-47 halftime advantage. The Wizards outscored the Celtics 34-30 in the third quarter and Washington took the fourth quarter (26-20) as Boston clearly ran out of gas but they made just enough winning plays to walk away with an impressive effort in tough circumstances (that'll probably happen to every NBA team in 2021). The C's attempted nearly twice as many free throws (30-16) as the Wizards and hit eight more of them (22-14). The Celts also grabbed 12 more rebounds (50-38) including five more offensive boards (12-7). If I were a Wizards fan (not that those exist), I would be pretty depressed about those numbers. 

    Boston is going to have to bring that same type of effort on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) as they host the Heat (3-4) in a rematch from their thriller on Wednesday in Miami. It'll take something special for the Celtics to beat them once again, this time without those three aforementioned guys. Heat center Bam Adebayo could have a field day against Theis and Fall but that's Brad Stevens' problem to worry about, not mine. Until then, let's be happy that the Celtics have one of the best records in the NBA and they are playing better team basketball in each successive contest.

UPDATE 1/9/21: It's a new year but we still apparently cannot have nice things as this afternoon trusted NBA reporter Shams Charania said that Tatum is "expected to enter quarantine and miss 10-to-14 days due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols." Bravo NBA, a little over two weeks into the regular season and multiple teams already have coronavirus outbreaks. What else did you expect happening with everybody outside of the bubble (which while miserable was also highly effective)?

UPDATE 1/10/21: Tonight's Celtics-Heat game has been postponed (according to Miami's Twitter account) because a bunch of players on both teams would have been out due to Covid-19 or contract tracing so it will be rescheduled for a later date. What a mess. 

UPDATE 1/11/21: You're not going to believe this but tomorrow night's Celtics at Bulls game has also been postponed along with tonight's Pelicans at Mavericks game. The NBA has a full on Covid-19 outbreak on its hands.

UPDATE 1/12/21: Tomorrow night's Celtics vs Magic game has been postponed as well and will be rescheduled for a later date. Lather, rinse & repeat.