2.5 Months Later, The Bruins Finally Beat The Devils Once Again-In A Shootout Of Course

 

It only took five tries but the Bruins (18-9-5) rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits (3-1 and 4-2) to beat the Devils (13-16-5) 5-4 in a shootout this evening at the TD Garden. After losing 1-0 to New Jersey on Sunday night at the Garden, the offenses each exploded tonight as the Devils' was clicking early and Boston's only answer to that was a pair of clutch third period goals by its BU defensemen. There were plenty of scoring chances in overtime but nobody could end it so it went to a shootout where center Charlie Coyle & right David Pastrnak both scored for the B's while goaltender Jaroslav Halak (31 saves, 8-5-3) got better as the game went along, not allowing a goal after late in the second period. Boston improved to 2-3-1 against New Jersey with two more meetings left to go in the regular season. 

    Before the game started, the Bruins got a boost as both left wing Brad Marchand (Covid-19) and defenseman Brandon Carlo (concussion) were each able to return to action after they missed some time recently. Other than the late goals though, it was a game to forget for Boston's defense which turned the puck over a couple times in its in own zone that directly resulted in goals for the Devils. That began right away as Jeremy Lauzon's bad pass went into center Patrice Bergeron's skates and led to New Jersey defenseman P.K. Subban knocking the puck to left wing Miles Wood who fired it in. It was the BC product's 11th goal of the season (he's scored 3 times against Boston in 2021) and it came at 1:28 of the first period.

    New Jersey goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (44 saves, 9-9-2) earned a shutout on Sunday but he returned to Earth in a hurry after his recent success against the Bruins. Left wing Nick Ritchie's wrist shot through traffic beat him at 5:55 of the first period for a 1-1 tie. Ritchie's 10th goal of the season was assisted by center David Krejci and right wing Craig Smith. Illustrating how much trouble they'd had with the Devils, that was the first even strength goal of the season (16+ periods at that point) for Boston against them. The B's got caught flat-footed when center Michael McLeod blew past them for a breakaway then he tucked a backhander into the net at 9:34 of the first period. Right wing Jesper Boqvist and defenseman Ryan Murray had the assists on McLeod's fifth goal of the season. 

    The Devils started the second period on a high note as well when center Travis Zajac tipped in left wing Jesper Bratt's shot for the 200th goal of his Devils (the only team he's ever played for) career. Murray provided the secondary assist on Zajac's fifth goal of the season. Marchand tapped into some frustration by body slamming Bratt a few minutes later then cutting it to 3-2 Devils at 15:48 of the second period. He ripped a wrist shot out of Blackwood's reach for his 13th goal of the season (also his 1st in 9 games but who's counting?). Bergy and Krejci had the assists on his momentum swing of a tally or so we thought that it was at the time. Following a face-off win by Bergeron in his own defensive zone, Lauzon's pass went to New Jersey's right wing Kyle Palmieri who put in his eighth goal of the season (5th against Boston!) at 17:06 of the second period.

    The Black and Gold really couldn't afford another loss to the Devils two days later so it was reassuring to see their great young defenseman Charlie McAvoy step up to put in a juicy rebound at 10:22 of the third period that trimmed New Jersey's lead to 4-3. Smith and Marchand had the assists on McAvoy's fourth goal of the season. A few minutes later at 16:00, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's wrist shot seemed to catch Mackenzie up high by surprise. Just like Ritchie's goal-except in reverse order-Smith and Krejci notched the helpers on the Charlestown native's third goal of the season. 

    I guess that the only way that the Bruins can beat the Devils this year is in a shootout (which is so weird!) since they are 2-0 in those but 0-3-1 in regulation and overtime combined. Halak went a perfect 2-for-2 in the shootout, stopping center Pavel Zacha and Palmieri's attempts. One of the hottest teams in the NHL-the Penguins (23-11-2)-come to the Garden on Thursday (7, NESN) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) for another two-game set which is all that the B's and Pens have had against each other this wacky season: one in Boston then one in Pittsburgh now another here before one last brief series in Pittsburgh at the end of April. Boston is 3-1 vs. Pittsburgh in 2021 but the Penguins have won four games in a row coming into this and they are 7-2-1 in their last 10. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy hopes to get goaltender Tuukka Rask into the lineup later this week but we'll have to see how his creaky back is feeling.

Like The B's Last Week, The C's Welcomed Their Fans Back To The Garden With A Loss (Vs. Pels)

 

    After more than a year apart, the Celtics (23-24 overall, 13-8 home) finally allowed a small percentage of fans (12% capacity) to attend tonight's game vs. the Pelicans (21-25 overall, 7-14 away) at the TD Garden. Naturally with this season's mediocre squad, the Celts gave their fans a few wet farts in the form of no Jaylen Brown (who was unexpectedly out with a left hip contusion), swingman Evan Fournier's (0-for-10 shooting in 33 minutes with 2 steals and 2 blocks) Celtics debut went about as poorly as possible (minus Gordon Hayward's horrific ankle injury a few years back in Chicago) and they trailed by as many as 17 points en route to a 115-109 loss that gave New Orleans the two-game season sweep. 

    Boston entered with a little momentum after winning back-to-back road games at Milwaukee (29-17) and Oklahoma City (19-27) over the weekend but that was quickly snuffed out by a hungrier team that is in a playoff race of its own in the deeper and tougher Western Conference. New Orleans was led by its two young All-Stars: power forward Zion Williamson (team-high 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals) and small forward Brandon Ingram (25 points, 9 assists) were more than your usual selfish guys from Duke. Speaking of which, their fellow Dukie swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 34 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) was superb but naturally with Brown out, the Celts didn't have enough depth to make up for his absence. Guards Nickeil Walker-Alexander (17 points, 7 rebounds) and Eric Bledsoe (13 points, 5 assists) also scored in double figures for the road team with shooting guard Josh Hart (15 points, 15 rebounds) notching a beefy double-double in 33 minutes off the bench. 

         Celtics point guard Kemba Walker scored 23 points while guard Marcus Smart added 15 points and two blocks then center Robert Williams (7 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks) did some nice things in his third start in a row and he played a career-high 32 minutes in the loss. Additionally, guard Payton Pritchard (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Boston's new backup center Luke Kornet (11 points) both put together fine performances off the bench. New Orleans led basically the entire game as they were up 32-27 after one quarter and 64-55 at halftime. Boston took the third quarter by a basket (26-24) and they trimmed the Pelcians' lead down to three in the fourth quarter before they ran out of both time and energy. 

    New Orleans snuck into the bubble playoffs last season and let's hope that one of the more exciting young teams in the NBA likewise can return to the postseason this spring. The Pelicans shot 7% better from the field than Boston (50-43%), they hit two more 3-pointers (16-14), dished out nine more assists (30-21), had three more steals (8-5) and scored seven more fast break points (15-8) so yeah, I would say that they deserved to win. This was the beginning of a pivotal and season-high seven-game homestand for the C's, up next they host another young superstar-Luka Doncic-and the Mavericks (24-21 overall, 13-11 road) on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden. With any luck, Brown will be back for that one and no matter what, Fournier figures to improve on his nightmare start as a Celtic.

B's Had Two Possible Goals Ruled No Goal In The Final Minutes As NJ Once Again Blanked Them 1-0

 

    Well I've certainly had my fill of 1-0 losses by the Bruins (17-9-5) to the Devils (13-16-4) at the TD Garden this season, how about yourself? After losing by that same exact score three weeks ago, Boston suffered a similar fate tonight as they put 40 shots on New Jersey goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (1st shutout of the season, 9-9-1) but none of them could get by him. If that wasn't bad enough, the B's also saw not one but two possible tying goals waved off for various reasons in the final minutes of the game. Therefore, you can understand why I think that this was the most frustrating loss of the season for the Bruins. This isn't the Islanders (22-9-4)-a quality opponent that has a complete hex on them, NJ stinks when they play almost anyone else but you. In fact, they improved to 4-0-1 vs. Boston this season, which is unfathomable, with the only loss coming in a shootout in the season opener two and a half months ago.  

    I could complain about the Black and Gold missing a bunch of important players due to Covid-19 or injuries but that's a pointless exercise given how hard both of those things have hit basically every NHL club at some point already in 2021. Furthermore, with all the testing and protocols in place, I think there's nobody but the guys themselves (Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk, Sean Kuraly) to blame for a positive test. Whatever caused those, it's likely their own fault for choosing to be in sketchy situations. I understand pandemic fatigue-we are all feeling that these days-but you have to do better than being unavailable when your team is floundering and needs you the most. 

    Rant over, the game's lone goal transpired in the first period as New Jersey defenseman Ty Smith threw the puck on net and it deflected off right wing Kyle Palmieri's leg/knee for his seventh goal of the season. Left wing Jesper Bratt provided the secondary assist on the game-winning tally at 16:37. Boston is really struggling to score right now so you can understand why their defense and goalies have kept them in many games that they probably should have lost by multiple goals. Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak (28 saves, 7-5-3) was almost perfect as well but that wasn't good enough in this tight tilt. 

    In the closing moments of the third period with Boston scrambling to get the tying goal, it looked like they had somehow gotten it when captain Patrice Bergeron put in a shot that was immediately reviewed for goaltender interference since center David Krejci appeared to bump Blackwood while they were both digging for a loose puck. Ultimately, it was called no goal after a long review of it. Blackwood's best save of the game was his last one as he absolutely robbed the Bruins by kicking out a deflected puck that was almost over the goal line. From our limited views of it on NESN, there really were no definitive look where you could tell if the puck was ever so slightly over the goal line before he knocked it away with the toe of his skate. 

Boston returns to practice on Monday before another meeting with the Devils on Tuesday (7, NESN) right back at the Garden. They have to find a way to get two points or we might all lose our minds assuming that you haven't already done that. New Jersey is 10-15-3 against the rest of the NHL this season which tells me that they are a terrible team vs. everyone else. This shouldn't be all that complicated (even without some of their best players who remain sidelined), just get it done B's and put these two awful shutout losses behind you for good.

The C's Won The Second Game Of A Back-To-Back For The First Time in Seven Tries, 111-94 In OKC

 

    Let's just say that when Boston (23-23 overall, 10-16 road) trailed Oklahoma City (19-26 overall, 8-14 home) by four points (80-76) going into the fourth quarter tonight at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, I wasn't expecting them to blow out the Thunder. Whatever the cause, the Celtics closed with their best final frame of the season including a 19-0 run-outscoring OKC 35-14-on their way to a 111-94 win that brought them back to the .500 mark. Boston's pair of All-Stars-swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 27 points, 5 rebounds) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (23 points) were the best players on the court all night which isn't saying much against a club that couldn't care less about winning at this point of a rebuilding season. On the off chance that you watched any of this, I'm certain you'll remember it for one thing only: center Luke Kornet dropping eight points (including a pair of 3-pointers) and five rebounds in 13 electric minutes off of Boston's bench. 

    Plenty of other guys stepped up for the C's as well: center Robert Williams (9 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) just missed a double-double; ditto for point guard Marcus Smart (8 points, 8 assists); even power forward Grant Williams (7 rebounds, 2 steals) did a few positive things. Besides the Green Kornet, some other Celtics bench players were really good too: rookie guard Payton Pritchard had 12 points and eight rebounds while guard Carsen Edwards scored 12 points in 16 minutes. Rookie French point guard Theo Maledon led OKC with a team-high 22 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Something called Moses Brown a center for the Thunder managed to get a 20-20 game (21 points and 23 rebounds) which is insane. Small forward Lugentz Dort scored 10 points in the loss while small forward Kenrich Williams added 12 points and two steals off the bench for the Thunder.

    Kemba Walker being out on the second night of a back-to back due to load management isn't a new phenomenon. You'd think that the sluggish Celts didn't know that as they played quite an uninspired first half. The Thunder outscored them 25-21 in the first quarter and 27-26 in the second quarter for a 52-47 halftime advantage. Boston inched closer in the third quarter (29-28) but as is usually the case in the NBA-it was all about the fourth quarter where the stars make their money. The Celtics shot 4.8% better from the floor than the Thunder (45.8%-41), they dished out six more assists (22-16), made three more steals (10-7) and had four less turnovers (16-12). There's no doubt that the most important numbers from this were the points in the paint (56-40) and points off turnovers (26-9) which both fell in Boston's favor. 

    It finally sets up nicely for the C's as they get to have some fans for the first time in well over a year at their next game-Monday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the TD Garden against superstar Zion Williamson who dropped 38 points tonight in a win for them. Besides the excellent support from the stands, the Celtics have to be thrilled to not only travel home but also to start planning for an epic season-high seven game homestand that begins with New Orleans (20-25 overall, 6-14 road) and ends after Easter, on April 9 vs. Minnesota (11-35 overall, 5-18 road) aka worst team in the league. The C's have already lost that overtime game in New Orleans back on February 21 (which feels like 5 years ago) so the least they can do is pay them back with a beating of their own.

The Bruins Barely Survived What Would Have Been A Very Embarrassing Loss & Beat The Sabres 3-2

 

    The Covid-19 outbreak on the Bruins (17-8-5) is still alive as star left wing Brad Marchand was the latest guy to miss a game due to the NHL's Covid protocols. Left wing Jake DeBrusk and center Sean Kuraly are still out since they went on the Covid list last week. No matter if it had to be the Providence Bruins that faced the hapless Sabres (6-23-4) this afternoon at the TD Garden, there was no excuse not to beat a club that entered on a 16-game losing streak. Buffalo played what I'm assuming was one of their better games during this Scarlet Letter of a slump (now the second longest losing streak in league history): they scored first and were up 2-1 after two periods. However, Boston finally woke up in the third period-outshooting the Sabres 15-3-and scored twice to escape with a less-than-satisfying 3-2 "victory." Look, with all the guys that have been in and out of the lineup lately for the B's due to Covid or injuries, I'll never complain about two points but I have to admit that this was about as ugly a win as you'll ever find.

    Bruins rookie goaltender Dan Vladar made his second career NHL start and surprise, it didn't go quite as smoothly as his nearly flawless debut against Pittsburgh (22-11-2) a few weeks ago. The Sabres took a 1-0 lead 2:01 into the afternoon matinee as Vladar's pass was picked off by Buffalo center Sam Reinhart who stuffed it in for his 12th goal of the season. It was the rare power play goal that was unassisted. The Sabres led 1-0 after the first period before Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's screened shot from the point found its way past Buffalo goaltender Linus Ullmark (33 saves, 5-5-2). The BU alum's second goal of the season was assisted by right wing David Pastrnak and center Patrice Bergeron at 11:41. Buffalo regained the lead moments later (at 14:12 to be exact) as right wing Kyle Okposo was in the perfect spot to backhand in a juicy rebound by Vladar. Center Steven Fogarty and defenseman Henri Jokiharju had the helpers on Okposo's second goal of the season. 

    Left wing Nick Ritchie tied it for the Black and Gold at 5:22 of the third period. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy (game-high 26:32 ice time) made the play happen as he wheeled around the net before passing it to Ritchie in front to knock in his ninth goal of the season. Defenseman Jakub Zboril provided the other assist on Ritchie's ninth goal of the season. With Trent Frederic taking Marchand's place on the top line, Boston's second line picked up the slack as they bagged the game-winning goal. Right wing Craig Smith did the honors as center David Krejci poked the loose puck in front to Smith to fire into the net. Ritchie notched the other assist on Smith's sixth goal of the season at 16:10. 

    This was also a must-win because the Bruins are right back in action tomorrow night (5:30, NESN) against the Devils (12-16-4) at the Garden. For whatever unexplainable reason, Boston has struggled vs. New Jersey this year (1-2-1) including a sleepy 1-0 shutout loss three weeks ago in a similar spot. Boston couldn't ask much more from its schedule right now as they also face the Devils on Tuesday (7, NESN) at the Garden as well. New Jersey has a shocking 8-5-2 record on the road this season so that's another good talking point for B's head coach Bruce Cassidy to hammer home to his team before these next two tilts. You can thank me later Butch! Goaltender Jaroslav Halak gets the start tomorrow and he could use a win as well.

Just When All Hope Was Lost, The C's Pull Off Their Best Win Of The Season 122-114 At Bucks

 

    Coming into tonight's rematch between the Celtics (22-23 overall, 9-16 away) and Bucks (29-15 overall, 18-6 home) at the Fiserv Forum, I don't know who would have been crazy or frankly stupid enough to think that Boston would snap Milwaukee's eight-game win streak. That's the beauty of sports though, the unexpected often becomes reality. A day after the NBA Trade Deadline passed with Daniel Theis shipped off to Chicago and Evan Fournier on his way from Orlando, the Celts managed to put together their best performance of the year in a 122-114 victory that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. We've been fooled too many times by this team during this bumpy season to think it's anything but an aberration that is until they prove us wrong again. 

    Center Robert Williams (7 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks, 2 steals) got his first start of the season and as you can tell by his statistics, he made the most of his 27 minutes. His energy seemed to boost the entire club as swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 34 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) was fantastic and guard Marcus Smart (23 points, 8 rebounds) had his usual once-a-year lights out shooting display (7-of-10 on 3s!). Point guard Kemba Walker (21 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) has actually been good for a few weeks now but it's hard to notice when the team is a trainwreck. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown added 18 points and five rebounds while another new Celtic Mo Wagner hit a 3-pointer and grabbed five rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench. 

    After being held to 13 points on Wednesday, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) wasn't much better this evening which makes you wonder how healthy he's feeling. As we know, it's not like Boston is considered great defensively so it's tough to explain how they locked him up in these two contests. Nobody on Milwaukee reached 20 points as small forward Khris Middleton led them with 19 points and two steals. Point guard Jrue Holiday scored 17 points but he had six costly turnovers. Shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo added 13 points but he was 5-for-15 from the field. Giannis' brother Thanasis put up 12 points and five rebounds off the bench while shooting guard Sam Merrill got hot in garbage time (making the score what it was) and finished with 15 points. 

 The C's had lost five straight games in Milwaukee and after Wednesday's bitter defeat, this was exactly what they needed. The first half treated them well as they led 32-26 after the first quarter and 60-55 at halftime. The third quarter was the key of the game as they pumped in a season-high 43 points to take a 103-89 advantage into the final frame. They went ice cold in the fourth as the Bucks got them 25-19 but thankfully by that time it was out of their reach. 

    As a team, Boston shot 4.5% better from the field than Milwaukee (48.9%-44.4%) and hit three more 3-pointers (22-19). They also made twice as many free throws (14-7), had three more assists (27-24), three more steals (10-7), five more blocks (8-3) and two less turnovers (16-14) than the home team. Kemba will be resting tomorrow night (9, NBC Sports Boston) but the Celtics will be in Oklahoma City (19-25 overall, 8-13 home) to try and take this back-to-back from the Bucks and Thunder. After this four-game road trip started poorly with the overtime loss at Memphis (21-21) on Monday then the comeback fell short against Milwaukee in round one, winning this game gives them a chance to go 2-2 which would be fine. The Thunder are not a playoff team so even with this condensed schedule, the Celtics should beat them if they want to start to rebuild any kind of trust in their fanbase for the rest of this bizarre campaign.

The Bruins Welcome Back Fans By Blowing A 2-0 Lead & Losing 4-3 In Overtime To The Islanders

 

    Tonight was a big moment for the Bruins (16-8-5) and Boston sports as they welcomed back fans (12% capacity) at the TD Garden for the first time in over a year. Naturally, this being the B's they treated them to a gut-wrenching loss as they built an early 2-0 lead only to blow it and eventually lose 4-3 in overtime to the Islanders (22-8-4) on left wing Anthony Beauvillier's easy tap-in goal. Yes, even with some fans cheering for them in the stands, the Bruins still can't figure out how to beat the Isles, they are 0-3-2 against them this season with three regular season meetings left to go. 

    After a week off because of a Covid-19 outbreak on the team, the Bruins returned to the ice with center Sean Kuraly and left wing Jake DeBrusk remaining on the NHL's Covid list. They couldn't have dreamed of a better first period as they scored twice with both goals coming from the unlikeliest of players. Right wing Karson Kuhlman fired the puck on net from almost against the side wall and it worked as Isles goaltender Semyon Varlamov (29 saves, 14-6-3) couldn't find it through a bunch of traffic. Kuhlman's first goal of the season was assisted by defenseman Charlie McAvoy and left wing Anders Bjork at 11:42. Boston doubled their lead as defenseman Steven Kampfer blasted in a one-timer for a power play goal at 17:35. McAvoy and center David Krejci provided the helpers on Kampfer's first goal of the season. 

    Playing in his first game since March 7, Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (6 saves) lasted for one whole frame before we suspect that his back injury that took him out of action earlier flared up again. Boston only termed it an "upper-body injury" which is always so helpful in figuring out what's actually going on. New York took advantage of Rask being out and backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak (17 saves, 7-4-3) being pressed into duty on short notice. Bruins killer Jean-Gabriel Pageau got his team on the board at 7:21 of the second period by finishing a pretty passing play with defenseman Scott Mayfield and right wing Leo Komarov who I believe currently lives on waivers every single day. That was the 11th goal of the season for the Islanders center and former Senator. 

    Boston led 2-1 going into the third period but that didn't last for too long as right wing Josh Bailey skated down the slot and fired a shot past Halak at 4:33 to tie it at two. Nelson and defenseman Nick Leddy had the assists on Bailey's fifth goal of the season. Things looked grim for the Black and Gold when Maine native and BC's Oliver Wahlstrom flipped in a backhander at 17:04 for the 3-2 advantage. Pageau and Beauvillier got the assists on the rookie right wing's ninth goal of the season. 54 seconds after that, it was tied again as Bjork knocked in a pretty pass from center Charlie Coyle. Right wing Chris Wagner had the other assist on Bjork's second goal of the season. 

    Overtime only took a grand total of 21 seconds (I hope that you didn't get up to get a drink or food before it started) and the B's never really touched the puck as the Isles won the opening face-off, skated behind their own net then blew past the retreating Bruins. Leddy's initial shot was stopped by Halak but he left the puck right on the goal-line where Beauvillier used his speed to get to it first and knock in the juicy rebound. Leddy and Pageau notched the assists on Beauvillier's fifth goal of the season. 

    Boston missed its rematch with Buffalo last Saturday but never fear since they face the awful Sabres (losers of their last 16 games!) on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) at the Garden. You can't make up all the stuff that has happened to Buffalo this season but tonight's latest chapter in their misery was the new head coach Don Granato and his assistant Matt Ellis were both ruled out from tonight's game against Pittsburgh due to Covid so the GM Kevyn Adams was in the strange position of being the head coach for a night. Eventually, Buffalo is going to win another game (maybe?) this season and you desperately don't want to be on the wrong end of that NHL equivalent of a solar eclipse. Nothing less than two points against the Sabres is ever acceptable at this juncture.

UPDATE 3/26/21: Rask is out for at least both games this weekend. 

Evan Fournier & Mo Wagner Become Celtics While Daniel Theis, Jeff Teague & Javonte Green Are Out

 

    The NBA trade deadline came and went this afternoon with the Celtics (21-23) involved in two deals: they traded guard Jeff Teague and a pair of second-round draft picks to Orlando for French swingman Evan Fournier; they were also part of a three-way trade with center Daniel Theis and guard Javonte Green going to Chicago while power forward Mo Wagner (traded earlier in the day from Washington) and center Luke Kornet also came to Boston. Out of all these names, the only ones that really matter are Fournier and Theis. The rest are all guys that will either sit on various benches, be bought out or won't be in the league in a year or two.  

    Celts GM Danny Ainge was reportedly interested in Magic power forward Aaron Gordon but they lost out on him (of course) as he was sent to Denver in a separate deal so they settled for the consolation prize in Fournier. He was drafted by the Nuggets in 2012 (20th overall) and played there for two years before being traded to Orlando where he's played for the past seven seasons. I certainly have heard of him and have seen him plenty of times in games against the Celtics but with so few national TV games or playoff appearances, I'm not going to claim to be an expert on his game. 

    For his career, he has averaged 14.4 points per game, 37.6% on 3-pointers and 80.6% on free throws. He was obviously gunning for a big contract headed into free agency this summer as he is averaging the most points (19.7 per game) and the most assists (3.7 per game) in his career. At 6-foot-7 and a slim 205 pounds, he appears to slot in as a shooting guard or small forward depending on the lineup that Boston head coach Brad Stevens wants to employ. He's been a starter for basically the past six years with the Magic but then again, he's almost never been on a good team (not that the Celtics could be considered one either at the moment) so it'll be interesting to see what role he gets.

    It's sad to see Theis go, especially since his last moment as a Celtic was missing a game-winning 3-pointer last night against the Bucks (29-14). He will never be the biggest guy but as an undrafted free agent from Germany, he got better every year in his four seasons with Boston. He has averaged a career-best 9.5 points per game and 5.2 rebounds this season. He was a likable guy and easy to root for, hopefully he doesn't get lost in the shuffle with the Bulls (19-24) who have been rebuilding for years. For a guy that nobody knew a thing about when he signed with the C's, he had plenty of nice moments in big games including the playoffs. 

On The Eve Of The Trade Deadline, Let's Hope That Was The Last Glimpse Of A Mediocre Celtics Roster

 

    Oh man, you really couldn't have scripted a more perfect way for the Celtics (21-23 overall, 8-16 away) to go into the NBA Trade Deadline tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. They trailed by as much as 25 points in the third quarter tonight at the Fiserv Forum against the Bucks (29-14 overall, 18-5 home) only to have a crazy rally in the fourth quarter which gave them the chance to tie it or win at the end of regulation. Naturally, center Daniel Theis (10 points, 2 blocks) got wide open on the inbounds pass by guard Marcus Smart (12 points, 6 assists) but he missed a 3-pointer at the final buzzer that would have won it. Instead, Milwaukee survived for a 121-119 victory-their eighth win in a row-while Boston fell to 2-6 since the All-Star break and 1-10 in its last 11 road games. 

    So what say you Celts GM Danny Ainge? Have you seen enough from this underachieving group to mercifully do anything to put it out of its collective misery? Sadly, despite all the rumors of the team's interest in Orlando forward Aaron Gordon and swingman Evan Fournier, I fear that Ainge will either do nothing or something very minor before the deadline passes. Don't get me wrong, I am not delusional enough to think that the C's have any chance whatsoever to win the NBA championship this season no matter how many slick moves that Danny could pull off. Still, it would be nice for a change to see them be more about proactive action rather than after the fact recapping all the things that almost happened but ultimately didn't. 

    Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) will probably never have a worse performance against the Celtics and yet his team still came out on top. Small forward Khris Middleton (game-high 27 points, game-high 13 rebounds) picked up the slack for the Greek Freak. Center Brook Lopez (5 rebounds, 3 steals) and shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo both scored 17 points while point guard Jrue Holiday added 13 points and two steals for the home team. Boston also allowed backup center Bobby Portis to score 21 points off the bench in just 17 minutes. 

    For the Celtics, one of their All-Stars was good while the other was not himself: I'll let you guess which was which as shooting guard Jaylen Brown had a team-high 24 points and 10 rebounds while swingman Jayson Tatum was held to 18 points (on 7-for-19 shooting), eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Boston wasted a fine night from point guard Kemba Walker (23 points, 6 assists, 3 steals) who briefly looked like his old self and backup point guard Jeff Teague scored 15 points in 17 minutes off the bench. 

    The hottest team in the NBA looked just like that as they led 35-30 after one quarter and 70-59 at halftime. Are you old enough to remember when Boston was actually considered a good defensive team? That seems like years ago. The Bucks outscored the Celtics 30-27 in the third quarter and Boston took the final frame (33-21) but it wasn't enough to come away with what would have been their biggest and most meaningful win of the season. Milwaukee shot 2.1% better from the field (50%-47.9%), they made four more free throws (14-10), grabbed eight more total rebounds (46-38) including four more offensive boards (13-9) and four more defensive boards (33-29) and they scored seven more second chance points (23-16) than the C's. 

    Boston gets another shot at Milwaukee on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and somehow I'm betting it will go way worse for the visitors. Giannis is guaranteed to play much better and the Bucks will ride the momentum of a very good team finding their rhythm at the right time of the season. No matter if it's Gordon, Fournier or somebody else that is a trusted veteran in the league, I can only wish that Ainge will make something work to help ensure that another lost season like this (with Tatum and Brown on the team) is not acceptable and won't occur again anytime soon. 

The Pats Surprisingly Were Able To Re-Sign Two Of Their Captains: James White & Lawrence Guy

 

    After a flurry of moves last week, it feels like the Patriots are mostly done in free agency which is why it was such a pleasant surprise this morning to wake up to the news that they are going to bring back two very underrated players: running back James White and defensive lineman Lawrence Guy. I figured that both guys were probably as good as gone since they are exactly the type of solid players and leaders that any decent team could use. For whatever reason, the two captains decided to stay in New England which helps to further build a much more promising roster for the 2021 season. Now, all head coach/GM Bill Belichick has to do is add another quarterback to compete with and eventually take Cam Newton's job. 

    Excluding his rookie season when he barely played, White is coming off his worst year as a pro (out of six) and if anyone deserves a mulligan on 2020 it has to be him. Early in the season, he suffered a brutal tragedy as his parents were in a car accident where his dad died and his mom was in rough shape. Combine that with the fact that he had to adjust to playing with Newton rather than Tom Brady (who he had built amazing chemistry with) and you can understand why things can only get better for him next season. He did turn 29 last month which is almost over-the-hill by NFL running back standards but regardless, a one-year deal for $2.5 million-fully guaranteed according to ESPN's Adam Schefter-is an absolute steal for one of the best third-down backs in the league and a three-time Super Bowl champion. In the regular season, he has 35 career touchdowns (25 receiving, 10 rushing) and eight in the playoffs (3 receiving, 5 rushing). He also should have been the MVP of Super Bowl 51 (sorry Tom) vs. Atlanta and he is one of the most clutch Patriots of all-time. 

    Obviously, I don't pretend to watch the All-22 game film every week so I cannot give you a full breakdown of all the stuff that Guy does for the Pats but I trust the former players and coaches who know way more about football than I ever will that constantly have good things to say about him. ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that it will be a four-year contract worth $11.5 million for Guy pending a physical. He has been in New England for the past four seasons and 2020 was the first time that he missed any games (2) due to an injury. He turned 31 last week and he is one of the best defensive players on the Patriots. He anchors the middle of the defensive line and is adept at occupying blockers which allows his teammates to make plays around him. He also makes things happen for himself with seven sacks, 16 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries in his career as a Patriot. 

    The quarterback situation is the last piece of the puzzle for Belichick. Will he sign or trade for another veteran QB like Alex Smith? For the first time ever, will he draft one in the first round next month? Hopefully, he doesn't stand pat now and blindly hope that Newton and Jarrett Stidham somehow can improve by leaps and bounds with a full off-season and better weapons around them. Sorry, I don't want to bum you out since overall today was another good day for the Pats.

No Jayson Tatum (Illness) & No Kemba Walker (Rest) = Yet Another Road Loss For The Celtics

 

    The Celtics (21-22 overall, 8-15 away) are such a mentally fragile team this season that even the slightest thing can throw them off and cause them to lose. Tonight at the FedExForum in the second half of a back-to-back, they tried hard (something that certainly couldn't be said in every loss by them recently) but lost 132-126 in overtime to the Grizzlies (20-20 overall, 11-13 home). They were already missing point guard Kemba Walker-who never plays in back-to-back games-along with power forward Tristan Thompson (still in the league's health and safety protocol) and then an hour before the game started, swingman Jayson Tatum was declared out with "an illness." He's already dealt with Covid-19 earlier this year so I doubt he tested positive again but during the pandemic, unfortunately you have to be skeptical whenever you hear something like that. Would you believe that the C's have now dropped to 1-9 in their last 10 road games? Of course you would, because it's sad but true. 

    Boston fell to eighth-place in the Eastern Conference and this was an important contest for the hosts as well since they are fighting for a playoff spot in the typically tougher Western Conference; with tonight's victory, they remain in 10th place there. Grizzlies superstar point guard Ja Morant was in control with a game-high 29 points and nine assists, small forward Dillon Brooks added 24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals, center Jonas Valanciunas (16 points, 19 rebounds) has been a Celtics killer since he was in Toronto and small forward Kyle Anderson notched 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks. The final kick to the gut for the C's was the 13 points scored off the bench by Memphis rookie shooting guard Desmond Bane. He was actually picked 30th overall by Boston in the draft but traded two days later as part of the three-team trade involving center Enes Kanter going to Portland. Thank God the C's hung on to rookie swingman Aaron Nesmith (5 points, 5 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench this evening).

    With no Tatum and Walker, the burden of carrying Boston's offense fell to shooting guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) who played a team-high 40 minutes but went 11-for-24 from the field including 3-of-11 on 3-pointers (a night after draining 10 of them). Point guard Jeff Teague got the start in place of Kemba and he made the most of it with his best performance in a Celtics uniform which unfortunately all went for naught: 26 points and six assists in 39 minutes. Guard Marcus Smart had a very Marcus Smart offensive game with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists which sounds fine except when you see that he was 5-for-14 from the field and 3-of-9 on 3-pointers. Center Daniel Theis had 13 points and six rebounds while center Robert Williams (17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks) and power forward Grant Williams (10 points) were both factors off the bench. 

    The Celts led 30-24 after the first quarter and 65-60 at halftime. That lead was erased by the Grizzlies in the third quarter though as they outscored the C's 34-21. Boston owned the fourth quarter (31-23) but predictably ran out of gas in OT (15-9 Memphis). With basically no defense allowed, there were some wild numbers in this game: the Grizzlies grabbed 11 more rebounds (54-43) including 12 more offensive boards (17-5), they had seven more assists (38-31), five more steals (8-3) and they scored 26 more points in the paint (80-54!). The finesse Celtics hit five more 3-pointers (17-12) and made five more free throws (15-10) but it takes more than that to win at the Grindhouse. 

    Things only get sketchier from here for the Celtics as they get an extended stay in Milwaukee for matchups with the Bucks (28-14 overall, 17-5 home) on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Giannis was out with a left knee sprain tonight but his team still managed to destroy the Pacers (19-23) 140-113. If I know the Celtics this season, he'll return for both of those games and he will drop triple-doubles in their eyeballs as Milwaukee extends its win streak to nine games as they jostle with the Nets (29-14) and 76ers (30-13) for the top seeds in the East.

While You Watched March Madness Or Enjoyed A Beautiful Day, Jaylen Brown Hit 10 3-pointers

 

    I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I watched every minute of this afternoon's Celtics (21-21 overall, 13-7 home) game against the Magic (14-28 overall, 5-15 road) at the TD Garden, but honestly who did that isn't employed by either team? Boston rolled to a 112-96 victory behind another outstanding performance by shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 34 points) who hit 10 3-pointers, a new career-high and only one behind Marcus Smart's franchise record that he set last season. Swingman Jayson Tatum (23 points) and Brown were so good that they didn't need much help from their teammates although it was a rarity to see all five Celtics starters score in double-figures in the same matchup. 

    The NBA Trade Deadline is on Thursday and you have to believe that Orlando will be looking to trade guys like power forward Aaron Gordon (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) or shooting guard Evan Fournier (16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) who could both create a decent return. Magic center Nikolay Vucevic (22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists) has always been underrated in my estimation but I'm sure if you want him, you have to pay a very high price. Small forward James Ennis III (18 points, 5 rebounds) was the final bright spot for Orlando. 

    Sunday was a great day for The Others on the Celtics as center Daniel Theis (13 points, 11 rebounds) notched a double-double, point guard Kemba Walker added 14 points, five rebounds and two steals and Smart finished with 11 points and eight assists. The Celts shot 7.4% better from the field than the Magic (45.5%-38.1%), thanks to Jaylen they hit more than twice as many 3-pointers (23-11) and they had seven more assists (27-20) than the visitors. Did you realize that the #4-10th ranked teams in the Eastern Conference are only separated by a total of 2.5 games? That means that the final 30 games of the regular season for the Celts promise to be both very entertaining and hopefully unpredictable.

    This being the Celtics in 2021, you just knew that they would struggle in the first quarter of play after a brutal stretch of losses. Orlando led 31-27 after the first quarter but Boston recovered to head into halftime with a 56-48 advantage. The C's continued their strong play in the third quarter (outscoring the Magic 33-25). The two teams played to a stalemate in the fourth quarter (23-23). Up next, Boston has a four-game road trip that begins with a back-to-back since they'll be in Memphis (19-20 overall, 10-13 home) tomorrow night (9, NBC Sports Boston) followed by two games in Milwaukee (27-14) on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) then ending in Oklahoma City (18-24) on Sunday night (9, NBC Sports Boston).

Things Just Aren't Getting Any Better For The Celtics As They Lose To The Kings Once Again

 

    The Celtics (20-21 overall, 12-7 home) are in a really dark place right now as the losses continue to pile up. The scary part is there seems to be no end in sight as they can't find a way to beat some of the worst teams in the NBA. Tonight at the TD Garden, on a day when head coach Brad Stevens had to fend off more rumors that he's going to bolt to be the head coach at Indiana University any second now, his team once again came out flat and had to pay for it as they fell 107-96 to the Kings (17-24 overall, 8-12 away). Sacramento swept the two-game season series and you have to wonder what it will take to get through to these Celtics? This is simply not acceptable and no matter what the team's flaws are, they should not be in eighth-place in the Eastern Conference and a game under .500 this far into the season. 

    The Kings are in 11th place in the Western Conference but they looked like a playoff team the two times that they've met the Celts in this doomed campaign. Sacramento point guard De'Aaron Fox (game-high 29 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) was the best player on the court and he was followed closely by center Richaun Holmes (25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) who put together one of his best games as a pro. Small forward Harrison Barnes (15 points, 13 rebounds) another rumored trade target for the C's probably doesn't even want to come here at this juncture. Finally, shooting guard Buddy Hield (22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) added his requisite solid outing whenever he plays the Celtics.

    Shooting guard Jaylen Brown (19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals) led the C's in scoring despite not even reaching 20 points. Point guard Kemba Walker added 16 points and seven assists while swingman Jayson Tatum (15 points, 7 rebounds) is playing like he's still battling Covid-19 (and I don't say that to make light of the situation, only to point out how bad he's been lately for him). Center Daniel Theis put up 14 points and eight rebounds while center Robert Williams (12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) continues to be one of the only bright spots for this underachieving group. 

    If it's a big game and or one that they should win, you can bet that the Celtics will probably get off to a poor start. The Kings outscored them 28-22 in the first quarter and it was 55-45 Sacramento at halftime. Boston's one real push came in the third quarter as they took that 36-27 but nobody will ever remember that since they closed with a whimper (25-15 Kings in the 4th quarter). Gross. Sacramento shot 2.8% better from the field (45.7%-42.9%) than Boston, they attempted 19 more free throws (26-7) and hit 15 more of them (21-6) which is really hard to do in the NBA on the road. The Kings also blocked more than twice (9-4) as many shots as the Celtics. 

        The C's will try to snap this three-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon (3:30, NBC Sports Boston) as they host another non-playoff team-the Magic (14-27 overall, 5-14 road). Boston has three games between now and Thursday-the NBA Trade Deadline. Not for the sake of this season but at least for the future, I have to hope that GM Danny Ainge will do something to improve this painfully mismatched team. Tatum and Brown are too good to be having such a mediocre season, maybe bring in a veteran leader that they can lean on? Otherwise, what are we doing here? A small number of fans will be able to return to the Garden a week from Monday but honestly, who wants to watch these losers in the middle of a pandemic? Talk about wasting your money, you can definitely find a better activity than that without even trying that hard.

The Bruins Finally Discovered First-Hand What A Joy It Is To Play Against The Sabres This Season

 

    The Sabres (6-19-4) are really lucky that there isn't a relegation system in the NHL because they are the worst team in the league by a wide margin this season. Tonight at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo head coach Don Granato's (brother of Tony and Cammi) debut, the Bruins (16-8-4) easily dispatched them 4-1 in their first of eight meetings in 2021. It was the 13th straight loss for the Sabres, a once proud franchise that has become a laughing stock in recent years and a place where good hockey players go to die. Boston won its second game in a row for the first time in over a month (February 12), so you can bet that they are psyched to be playing these bums at just the right time. 

    This morning, it looked like this game might not even happen today since a Bruins player (later revealed to be center Sean Kuraly) entered Covid-19 protocols and the morning skate was promptly cancelled. Not to be outdone, Buffalo didn't have a morning skate either since a member of their hockey staff had entered Covid protocols as well. On a lighter note, it's always a good day when you get to say Greg McKegg's wonderful name and wouldn't you know, he was in the lineup this evening for Kuraly and he tipped in a shot from the point by defenseman Matt Grzelcyk for the first goal of his illustrious Bruins career (2 games and counting!) at 2:56 of the first period. 

    Buffalo's lone highlight of the whole game was early in the second period when right wing Kyle Okposo tied it at one with a shorthanded goal. His shot deflected off Grzelcyk's stick, causing the puck to elude B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak's (23 saves, 7-4-2) glove. PC's Jacob Bryson had the lone assist-the first of his NHL career-on Okposo's first goal of the season. No problem as Boston responded with two goals later in the frame to regain control. First, left wing Jake DeBrusk made the most of some power play time to bat a rebound out of the air and past Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton (33 saves, 1-10-1). Right wing David Pastrnak and center David Krejci (who reached 700 points on the play, only the 8th player in Bruins history to do that) provided the assists on DeBrusk's third goal of the season at 9:15. The real backbreaker for the home team was the next goal as right wing Craig Smith put in a low shot from the slot that Hutton should have stopped. Smith's fifth goal of the season came at 18:36 and it gave the B's a 3-1 lead with Krejci and defenseman Connor Clifton recording the assists.

    Pasta added another power play goal at 4:44 of the third period. His team-leading 14th goal of the season was a rocket of a one-timer from Krejci and left wing Brad Marchand. The shot was hit so perfectly that it went into the net then bounced out. Even in an easy victory like this, the Black and Gold can't seem to avoid injuries right now as left wing Trent Frederic blocked a shot in the first period and didn't return due to a lower-body injury. Head coach Bruce Cassidy said that X-Rays were negative on that so he shouldn't miss much if any time. This evening also marked the NHL debut of undrafted (out of St. Cloud State) free agent defenseman Jack Ahcan. From what I can tell, he's a dollar store version of Torey Krug (remember him?): 5-foot-8, 178 pounds, left shot. In 17:55 of ice time, he had three shots on goal, blocked two shots and had a hit. Who knows what will become of him in the NHL but the Bruins GM Don Sweeney definitely has a very specific type of defenseman (Krug, Grzelcyk, Ahcan, etc) that he is obsessed with. 

    These same clubs meet on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) and I honestly hope that Cassidy gives his temporary backup goalie Dan Vladar his second career NHL start. Think about it, he'll never have a better spot to follow up his amazing debut on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. Even if Tuukka Rask is ready to return, I would hold him out for another game since why would you waste him against this checked out opponent? Ditto for Halak, let him rest up after a very busy stretch for him. Give the rookie another chance to show what he can do/increase his potential trade value down the line.

UPDATE 3/19/21: Four more Bruins (David Pastrnak, David Krejci, Craig Smith and Jake DeBrusk) went into the league's Covid-19 protocols today so tomorrow's rematch in Buffalo and Tuesday's game vs. the Islanders have both been postponed. Ugh, we still can't have nice things in 2021. 

One Pats Great Retires & Another Unexpectedly Returns Here After A Brief Taste Of Free Agency

 

    One of the craziest weeks in Patriots history continued today with three more moves involving solid veteran players. This morning, longtime Pats safety Patrick Chung announced his retirement after 11 seasons in the NFL. This afternoon, kicker Nick Folk was re-signed to a one-year deal with $1.225 million guaranteed. Finally, tonight came the biggest news of all: center David Andrews was returning to New England with a new four-year contract after he look destined to leave in free agency a few days ago. The net result of these transactions is that the Patriots are fortified by not having to worry about finding another quality kicker or center going into next season. 

Chung spent all but one season (2013 with Philadelphia) in the NFL with the Patriots and he won three Super Bowls along the way. A tough, versatile guy that got much more consistent in his second go-around in Foxborough, he will be missed. He could help shut down top tight ends in the passing game and was also able to provide help stopping the run. You could tell that he was one of head coach/GM Bill Belichick's favorite players to work with in recent years that he really respected. He had opted out of last season and he will turn 34 this August so he could probably see the writing on the wall after he played through his share of injuries in the NFL. Enjoy retirement, you earned it!  

    Folk has been on the Patriots the last two seasons after he won their kicker tryout in the middle of the 2019 regular season. It's been a long time since he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance way back in 2007-his rookie year in Dallas-but he's dependable and that's all you can ask for from a kicker that's not named Adam Vinatieri or Justin Tucker. He was 26-of-28 on field goals in 2020 for the best field goal percentage (92.9%) of his career. He also went 30-of-33 on extra points and while he will turn 37 in November, he seems to keep himself in decent enough shape so there isn't much to worry about there at least as far as next season goes.

    Andrews is one of New England's biggest success stories since he was an undrafted free agent coming out of Georgia in 2015 and he morphed into a captain and one of their team leaders. After missing the entire 2019 campaign due to a scary blood clots condition, he returned last season to play and start in 12 games. When the Pats signed their former offensive lineman Ted Karras to a one-year deal worth $4 million dollars earlier this week, most of the beat writers figured that signaled Andrews was gone. There were reports of other teams that wanted him and he definitely could have cashed in during free agency but props to him for returning here probably at a hometown discount whenever the full contract details are publicized. Cam Newton and whatever other quarterbacks play for the Patriots this season will be thrilled to have him back.

Well It's Official, The C's Ruined St. Patrick's Day As They Suffered A Disgraceful Loss To The Cavs

 

    Just when you think that the Celtics (20-20 overall, 8-14 away) can't sink any lower this season, they do something like this. On the second night of a back-to-back, they didn't show up for the first half at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this evening and trailed by as much as 21 points against the awful Cavaliers (15-25 overall, 10-10 home). Boston made a furious comeback in the second half and got that huge Cleveland lead down to three points but that's as close as they would get as they fell 117-110. Ugh, what is with this team? There is no excuse for losing to a club that for all intents and purposes is tanking, winning really does no good for the Cavs yet they still found a way to beat you. 

    There have been plenty of pathetic moments during this campaign for the Celts but in the heat of the moment, I'd have to say that this is the new leader. How does this happen? Sure, point guard Kemba Walker was out because he can't play in back-to-back games and power forward Tristan Thompson remains sidelined due to the health and safety protocols but that's not nearly enough justification to lose this game which dropped them to seventh-place in the Eastern Conference. They are only 1.5 games ahead of Chicago (18-21) who is in ninth-place. You've heard of hate watching a TV show or movie well I think that tuning in to see this team amounts to basically the same thing. You can't stand what they have become but you also can't help yourself by looking away.

    It's one thing to lose to the Jazz (29-10) like they did on Tuesday, nobody outside of the team will lose any sleep over that. Conversely, I don't know how anyone lives with themselves for the next few days after this debacle. Five Cavaliers scored in double-figures led by guard Collin Sexton (team-high 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and his fellow backcourt mate Darius Garland (25 points, 6 assists). Power forward Larry Nance Jr. (18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals) who has been rumored to be a trade target of the C's showcased himself quite well and small forward Isaac Okoro added 15 points. Finally, small forward Cedi Osman notched 10 points and two steals off the bench for Cleveland. 

    Once again, swingman Jayson Tatum (team-high 29 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (28 points, 3 steals, 2 blocks) put up their numbers but few of their teammates could say the same. Starting in place of Walker, Marcus Smart (19 points) had his best performance since his return to action last week. Center Robert Williams (13 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals) needs to start at this point after center Daniel Theis (5 assists) somehow went scoreless in 26 minutes.

    If you were hoping for a fast start by the Celtics, you were shit out of luck as they were down 26-18 after the first quarter and 55-37 at halftime. What the hell? They played like they are capable of in the second half, outscoring the Cavaliers 36-27 in the third quarter and 36-35 in the fourth quarter but the damage was already done. They simply did not deserve to escape with a win after that putrid first half. The Cavs shot almost nine percent better than them from the field (54.1%-45.5%), they made seven more free throws (27-20) and they had four more assists (23-19). It sounds to me (as much as this crushes my soul) that the better team won on this depressing night. 

    It was thought to be an important stretch of games for the Celtics since their schedule eases up in terms of the opponents they face this week but I guess it hardly matters who they take on since anyone can beat them. They return to the TD Garden to host the Kings (16-24 overall, 7-12 away) on Friday (8, NBC Sports Boston) followed by the Magic (13-26 overall, 5-13 away) on Sunday afternoon (3, NBC Sports Boston). That's followed by a four-game road trip next week which includes two games in Milwaukee (26-14) so we know that is not going to go well. Oh and the NCAA men's basketball tournament starts tomorrow so there will be plenty of better basketball viewing options than this trainwreck club.

After A Year In Miami, Kyle Van Noy Returns To New England Where He Became A Standout

 

    In recent years, outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy was one of the greatest success stories for the Patriots. In October 2016, he was rescued from Detroit (along with a seventh-round draft pick in 2017) for the pittance of a sixth-round draft pick in 2017. In 3.5 seasons in New England, he became one of the best players on their defense and helped them win two Super Bowls in the process. Nobody could blame him for taking the money and hightailing it to sunny Miami last off-season but are you surprised that he's coming back here on a two-year deal worth up to $13.2 million? You shouldn't be, after he was released by the Dolphins last week, we all had a feeling that he could be returning to Foxborough even sooner than we could have imagined. 

    Strangely enough, it doesn't seem like he was a bust in his one season for Miami head coach (and former Patriots assistant) Brian Flores. Van Noy played in 14 games (13 starts) and accumulated six passes defended, he forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles and had six sacks. He made 46 solo tackles, 23 assists, with a career-high 10 tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits. He'll turn 30 next week so he is in the prime of his career. So what's the catch, why were the Dolphins so ready to get rid of him after they couldn't find a suitable trade partner? It starts and end with the silly deal that they gave him (4 years, $51 million) that they probably regretted from day one not because he's a bad player but rather he's not that type of gamebreaker which you expect at that cost. 

    It was another busy day for head coach/GM Bill Belichick and the Pats on Wednesday as they agreed to a one-year, $4 million dollar deal with another ex-Patriot who spent last season with the Dolphins-center/guard Ted Karras. He could start in 2021 since this afternoon also brought the news that Patriots center David Andrews was going to become a free agent. The team also re-signed special teamer Cody Davis to a two-year deal and they used a second-round tender on cornerback JC Jackson meaning they can match any offer sheet that he signs or get back a second-round pick. 

        Andrews will be missed if he is in fact gone but the headline was obviously Van Noy deciding to come back here. Another sign that like Karras and Trent Brown, there are a few players left in the NFL that see the value of Belichick's rigid system and old school values. I'm sure that Kyle had offers from a host of other teams-most of which probably would have paid him more money-but for whatever reason he chose to return to a familiar place helped to put him on the map. It's also an added bonus that Van Noy is one of the few players for the Patriots under Belichick that had a personality and a sense of humor so in addition to his on-field impact, I look forward to more interesting interviews and soundbites from him. 

The Celtics Predictably Crumbled In The Fourth Quarter Against The NBA's Top Team-The Jazz

 

    If you like the NBA in 2021, you should be rooting for the Jazz (29-10 overall, 13-8 away)-who currently own the league's best record-assuming that you're not just a bandwagon Lakers (27-13) or Nets (27-13) fan. Not to sound like your grandfather or a lame high school coach but they play the game the right way: they have a bunch of good players that compete and they share the basketball. This being a superstar driven league, sorry Mormons but we already know how this will sadly end for them-with a postseason exit vs. a loaded team like Los Angeles or Brooklyn. Tonight at the TD Garden, they beat the Celtics (20-19 overall, 12-6 home) 117-109 to sweep the two-game season series. Haha needless to say, I don't think that they'll be meeting in the NBA Finals this summer though that's mostly doubting the C's chances of getting anywhere close to that level.

    Boston actually led by two points (79-77) going into the fourth quarter but like many other times in this disappointing season, they faded when the pressure ratcheted up on them. Utah exploded in the fourth quarter, outscoring the home team 40-30. Honestly, it's amazing that the Celts were that close to begin with since the Jazz ended up draining nine more 3-pointers (19-10), attempting 20 more free throws (24-4!!) and hitting 19 more free throws (22-3!!) than them. Like the C's, the Jazz have an excellent pair of All-Stars in shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (team-high 21 points, 5 assists) and center Rudy Gobert (16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks) but the difference is that the supporting cast around them is far superior. It's also a bonus that they play two completely different positions. Point guard Mike Conley had 17 points and five assists, small forward Bojan Bogdanovic added 12 points and six rebounds while guard Jordan Clarkson (20 points) caught fire off the bench making five 3-pointers in 30 minutes of extended run while everyone's favorite Aussie Joe Ingles notched 14 points and five rebounds as well as a substitute. 

    The Celtics' dynamic duo of swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (28 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) were both great as they usually are but the team missed power forward Tristan Thompson who was out for the game due to the health and safety protocol. This forced head coach Brad Stevens to start Semi Ojeleye who had zero points and two rebounds in 19 minutes which is beyond pathetic. Center Daniel Theis (15 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) did his best and point guard Kemba Walker (16 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) was fine but center Robert Williams (14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) was the only guy on Boston's bench to do anything notable.

    Up until the collapse at the end, it was a very entertaining regular season contest as Boston was up 22-20 after the first quarter then Utah took a slim 54-53 advantage into halftime. The Celtics came out well enough in the third quarter (26-23) but it didn't matter when they couldn't keep up in the fourth when the Jazz played at their best. It being St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday, you knew that the NBA needed the Celtics to have a game so they are in Cleveland (8, NBC Sports Boston) to play the Cavaliers (14-25 overall, 9-10 home). After a decent start to the season, the Cavs have plummeted down the standings which is par for the course without LeBron James. They have lost their last four games and center Andre Drummond is still sitting on their bench in street clothes waiting to be traded or bought out. What a life! It's the second night of a back-to-back for both clubs so they are on an even playing field. Also, they both had to travel since Cleveland was in Miami (22-18) for a 113-98 loss on Tuesday. I'm not predicting it will happen but a Celtics loss to that garbage team on St. Patrick's Day would be too perfect in 2021. 

As We All Predicted, Rookie Dan Vladar Was Fantastic In His First NHL Start For The Bruins

 

    After a rough stretch, the Bruins (15-8-4) were in desperate need of an energy boost. They got it tonight at PPG Paints Arena as they beat Pittsburgh (18-10-1) 2-1 behind 34 saves (including a show-stopping paddle save on a stunned Colton Sceviour) from rookie goaltender Dan Vladar in his first career NHL start. How improbable was this result? Well, the Penguins had won six games in a row along with their last seven consecutive contests at home against Boston. A third-round pick in 2015 (75th overall), Vladar's only other NHL appearance was mop-up duty in one loss last postseason against the Lightning. He's tall (6-foot-5) and could use a trip to the North End (185 pounds?) but the lanky 23-year-old Czech made it all work against one of the league's top teams. 

    This matchup on the second night of a back-to-back set felt like a playoff game for many reasons, beginning with the final score. Once again the B's scored first as superstar right wing David Pastrnak finished a breakaway with a nifty backhander through Penguins goaltender (and UNH alum/NH native) Casey DeSmith's five-hole. Pasta's team-high 13th goal of the season came just 3:20 into the first period and it was assisted by left wing Brad Marchand whose pass sprung him and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk picked up the second helper. Penguins left wing and one of my all-time favorite PC alums Brandon Tanev answered at 15:22 of the first period when he put in a rebound from the doorstep. BU center Evan Rodrigues and right wing Kasperi Kapanen had the assists on Tanev's seventh goal of the season.

    Boston defenseman Jarred Tinordi was in the middle of everything as a big hit on Penguins star Evgeni Malkin in the first period ended his night early. Later, he was on the other end of a monster collision with Tanev in the second period that resulted in Tinordi leaving with an upper-body injury and Tanev was wrongly assessed a boarding call and game misconduct penalty. The domino effect of this was that B's defenseman Charlie McAvoy ended up playing more than half of the game (30:16) which is insane in the regular season but what else could Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy do? The Black and Gold can't afford another injury to a defenseman so let's hope that Tinordi is alright. They are already missing Kevan Miller (of course), Brandon Carlo, Jeremy Lauzon and John Moore to various injuries so a journeyman that they just got off of waivers a few weeks ago is actually very important for the time being. 

    Another rookie for Boston came through with the game-winning goal as left wing Trent Frederic's floating wrist shot through major traffic found its way past DeSmith at 7:07 of the third period. Frederic's fourth goal of the season was assisted by defenseman Jakub Zboril and center Patrice Bergeron. With the victory, Boston improved to 3-1 against Pittsburgh this season and they pulled back within three points of them for third-place in the East Division (the Pens have still played 2 more games than them). The Bruins couldn't pick a better time to play the Sabres (6-18-4)-who are by far the worst team in the entire league. The B's are in Buffalo on Thursday (7, NESN) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) to take on a sorry excuse for an NHL team that has lost 12 straight games. It sounds like goaltender Tuukka Rask could return for one of those games but there's a little less of a rush now knowing that Vladar more than earned another start at some point this season.

Bill Belichick Continues To Spend Like A Madman In Free Agency, Hunter Henry Come On Down!

 

    Just when you started to give up hope that Patriots head coach/GM Bill Belichick would ever change in any way, he starts going wild the first few days of free agency in the NFL. Of course, Cam Newton is still his quarterback which is a fatal flaw but at least he's making the team much better around him as he signed another top tight end-Hunter Henry-to a three-year deal worth $37.5 million with $25 million guaranteed. In the span of a few days, New England went from having the worst tight ends in the entire league (sorry Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene but the truth hurts) to one of the best with the addition of Jonnu Smith on Monday and Henry on Tuesday. 

    As we found out last season when the Patriots were playing the Chargers, Belichick had reportedly been following Henry's career since he was in high school which isn't weird at all. A native of Arkansas, Henry was a second-round draft pick (35th overall) in 2016 for the Chargers out of the University of Arkansas. He's been in the NFL for five seasons now (he missed all of 2018 with a torn ACL) and two things stand out: he's never played in all 16 games of a regular season but on the bright side, his catches have gone up each year that he's been on the field.

    In 2020 with LA's sensational rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, Henry had 60 catches on a career-high 93 targets for 613 yards and four touchdowns. His career-high in yards is 652 in 2019 and his most touchdowns (8) came in his rookie campaign. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he gives the Patriots a great red zone target plus a key weapon on third down and in short yardage situations for Newton or whoever else is their quarterback in 2021 and beyond. I haven't seen every Chargers game beyond highlights on NFL Red Zone and playing fantasy football helps fill in some of the picture but I'm pretty sure that he's not the most physical tight end when it comes to blocking, meaning he's more Travis Kelce than Rob Gronkowski in that regard but that's fine. 

    New England desperately needed an infusion of talent all over its thin roster and while Henry's injury history is a little troubling, the fact that they already have Smith is reassuring so at least all the pressure isn't on Hunter. Newton struggled so much passing the football last season but having two upper-level NFL quality tight ends should help him immensely rather than a pair of third-round rookies that can't seem to do anything right. Henry has only played in one career NFL playoff game so he'll no doubt be extra motivated to help the Pats return to the postseason and their former winning ways albeit without Tom Brady aka the greatest quarterback of all-time.

Injuries & Inconsistency From Many Of Their Top Players Has Caught Up With The Bruins Right Now

 

    Unless you've been paying close attention lately, you might not realize that the Bruins (14-8-4) are a bit of a mess at the moment. Tonight, they began a back-to-back set at the PPG Paints Arena with a 4-1 loss to the red-hot Penguins (18-9-1). Unlike Saturday's lifeless 4-0 shutout loss to the Rangers (11-12-4) at the TD Garden, scoring chances weren't the main issue this evening as the B's outshot the Pens 43-26 but Pittsburgh's goaltender Tristan Jarry (42 saves, 12-7-1) was really tough to beat. Boston actually had more shots on goal in the first period alone (20) than they did all of Saturday (18) but that hardly seems to matter since it once again ended in a loss. The Bruins dropped to 3-5-2 in their last 10 games while the Penguins jumped to five points ahead of them courtesy of their sixth straight win-they are also 8-2-0 in their last 10. 

    The lone goal for the Bruins came on the power play but not from who you'd expect: defenseman Matt Grzelcyk used a screen from left wing Nick Ritchie to score on a wrist shot from the point for his first goal of the season at 6:47 of the first period. Left wing Brad Marchand and right wing David Pastrnak provided the assists that gave Boston an all too brief lead. Matt's former BU teammate center Evan Rodrigues tied it with a true knuckle puck that Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 6-4-2) couldn't glove cleanly before it trickled over the goal line. Right wing Kasperi Kapanen and center Evgeni Malkin had the assists on baby-faced Rodrigues' second goal of the season. Halak allowed another goal that I'm sure he'd like back when Pittsburgh's superstar center Sidney Crosby one-timed a low shot from a tough angle that Jaroslav couldn't contain for some reason. Left wing Jake Guentzel and BC defenseman Brian Dumoulin had the helpers on Crosby's 11th goal of the season at 18:34. 

    Down only 2-1 after the first period, Boston was still in it until Malkin scored a power play goal at 11:40 of the second period. His one-timer from the slot was his eighth goal of the season and it was assisted by Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang. A troubling trend for the Bruins is their lack of scoring punch in March as they've managed one goal or less in five of those seven contests. Yeesh. Guentzel's empty-net goal (his 11th goal of the season) at 19:44 of the third period wrapped it up for the Penguins who improved to a very impressive 12-2-0 at home. 

    Tomorrow's game (7, NESN) brings more uncertainty for the B's because Halak understandably won't start on back-to-back nights (and 3 times in the last 4 days) so it'll either be rookie Dan Vladar making his NHL debut or Providence's Jeremy Swayman-a rookie that went to the University of Maine-who has begun his pro career 7-0-0 in the AHL. For this reason, it's easy to predict that the Penguins will be a heavy favorite in the rematch. Even a pity point (losing in overtime or a shootout) would be a fine result for the Bruins since it feels like they are teetering on the verge of a major slump.