NBA Playoffs Reality Check: It Will Be a Miracle if the Celtics Win a Single Game vs. Cavaliers

I am not a delusional person so I never thought for a second that the Celtics could actually beat the Cavaliers in a seven-game series, let alone win a few games and make it somewhat competitive. The first-round playoff series opened this afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena and Boston actually played about as well as they could (on the road at least) but still lost 113-100 to Cleveland. Haha would you believe that Vegas had the Celts as a 12-point underdog? How do those gambling magicians do it?

Anyways, Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 30 points in his playoff debut, LeBron James had 20 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals while Kevin Love put up 19 points and 12 rebounds in his first taste of the NBA playoffs. Forget the Celtics for a second, what other team in the Eastern Conference can beat this collection of All-Stars? For most of the regular season, I openly rooted against the C's because making the playoffs seemed so pointless to their mission of acquiring talent and assets. Near the end, I changed my mind since truly tanking was impossible and this group is extremely likable under one of the best head coaches-Brad Stevens-in basketball.

The sad reality of the NBA playoffs (and one of the many reasons that the NHL playoffs are better) is that upsets are few and far between, especially with top seeds and championship contenders. Anyone with half a brain realizes that Boston has essentially no chance to win this series. All we want is some relatively close games and maybe a win at the Garden, that'd be nice and something to build on for next season. Plus, with no Bruins playoff games this spring, we are just trying to delay what looks to be a mediocre Red Sox campaign.

Talent usually wins out in the NBA and even though the Celtics had six guys score in double-figures, led by Isaiah Thomas' 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds off the bench, they predictably had no answer for the Cavs' big three. Evan Turner had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists but he struggled with his shot (4 of 12 from the field). Brandon Bass and Marcus Smart were both pretty quiet, each guy was held to 10 points. Boston's bench kept them in it for a while as Kelly Olynyk scored 12 points and Jae Crowder added 10 points and five rebounds.

The Celtics couldn't have asked for a better start as they led 31-27 after the first quarter and 37-29 early in the second which was their biggest advantage of the game. Cleveland finally woke up from there and led by eight points at halftime (62-54) thanks to Irving's buzzer beating 3-pointer. The Cavaliers continued to steamroll the Celtics in the third quarter, opening up a 20-point lead (82-62) but Boston countered with a 14-0 run. Cleveland was up 91-76 heading into the fourth after another buzzer-beater 3-pointer, this time by J.R. Smith.

When you are so overmatched physically, I honestly don't know what Brad Stevens can tell his guys with a straight face. They won't suddenly wake up bigger, stronger or faster. I'm guessing that he points out how the Cavaliers made five more 3-pointers (13-8), eight more free throws (26-18) and grabbed 12 more rebounds (46-34) including eight on the offensive glass (15-7) in Game 1. I have a feeling that Game 2 on Tuesday (7, CSN) could be ugly much sooner if Cleveland decides to show up from the opening tip-off.

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Celtics Push Closer to a Playoff Spot With 99-90 Road Win at Cavaliers

The Cavaliers truly had absolutely nothing to play for tonight at Quicken Loans Arena against the Celtics so it was surprising that they even gave it much effort for a while. Cleveland (51-28 overall, 29-10 home) is locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and they can't move up or down so they eventually conceded a 99-90 road win to Boston (37-42 overall, 18-22 away). The Cavs sat Kyrie Irving (hip) for the entire game while LeBron James (14 points, 7 assists), Kevin Love (19 points, 6 rebounds), Timofey Mozgov (13 points) and J.R. Smith did not get off the bench in the fourth quarter.

Every win matters to the Celts so they obviously were happy to snap Cleveland's 18-game home winning streak, even if it was under shady circumstances. With the victory, Boston held onto the seventh spot in the East. Hopefully they can get out of that position and let Brooklyn (who has the same record) slide in while Boston drops to No. 8 to face Atlanta.

Five Celtics scored at least 12 points and Evan Turner dished out 13 assists. Rookie Marcus Smart led Boston with 19 points, Isaiah Thomas put up 17 points and five assists off the bench, Avery Bradley had 15 points, former Cav Tyler Zeller notched 13 points and five rebounds while Brandon Bass scored 12 points with five rebounds and three assists.

The only other Cavalier to score in double-figures was the ghost of Mike Miller (11 points). Tristan Thompson grabbed an impressive 12 rebounds in only 16 minutes off the bench for Cleveland. The Cavs had won the first two meetings of the season including a 110-79 beating in their most recent matchup on March 3 so I really wouldn't read much into this outcome. Plus, these same teams face each other again on Sunday (3, CSN) at TD Garden in another game that means everything to the Celts.

Boston cruised in the first half: up 28-17 after the first quarter and 54-40 at halftime. Cleveland made it interesting with a strong third quarter (37-25) before they packed it in during the fourth (outscored 20-13). As a team, the C's had five more assists (30-25), seven more steals (11-4) and eight more fast break points (9-1).

With the Celtics' triumph, Charlotte was eliminated from playoff contention (sorry MJ). That leaves only Indiana (36-43) and Miami (35-44) with a chance to make it but right now, Boston and Brooklyn are in the driver's seat for those last two berths with three games left to play for all those clubs.

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If the Playoffs Started Today: The Celtics Would Be In & the Bruins Would Be Out, Wait What?

There are 12 games left in the 2014-15 regular season, but somehow the Celtics (31-39 overall, 13-22 away) have hung around long enough to put themselves in a good position to make the postseason. Boston won 110-91 tonight at Barclays Center vs. Brooklyn (29-40 overall, 12-20 home) to take a 1.5 games lead on the hosts. The C's picked the perfect time to snap their three-game losing streak since Charlotte and Indiana both also lost. Boston went up half a game on Charlotte and one game on Indiana for the eighth-seed in the Eastern Conference.

Evan Turner was the catalyst in the victory with his second triple-double (19 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds) as a Celtic. It was a very balanced night of scoring for Boston as six guys scored in double-figures. Avery Bradley led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds while Tyler Zeller had 18 points and seven rebounds then Brandon Bass notched 12 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Other than Turner, the story of the game for the C's was Kelly Olynyk's 18 points and five rebounds off the bench. He had been in a major shooting slump so it was nice to see him hit three of the five 3-pointers that he attempted. Jonas Jerebko had 10 points and six rebounds with Jae Crowder putting up nine points and five rebounds. Not surprisingly with those numbers, Boston's bench outscored Brooklyn's 39-28.

The Nets were led by Brook Lopez's game-high 31 points. There with a couple problems with that though since seven (!) different Celtics had more rebounds than him (4). Furthermore, only two other Nets scored in double-figures: Thaddeus Young (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Deron Williams (10 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds). Lopez had a great night but clearly just dumping the ball down to him mostly on the low post meant that nobody else on Brooklyn could really get going or even touch the ball.

Brooklyn led 28-23 after the first quarter but then Boston slowly took over. The Celtics outscored the Nets by 10 (31-21) in the second quarter to take a 54-49 lead into the break. Despite playing their second game of a back-to-back, the Celts looked like the fresher team as they took the third quarter (29-25) and truthfully the Nets might have given up in the fourth (27-17).

The Celtics shot 15.1% better from the field (51.1%-36%), hit five more 3-pointers (6-1) and dished out 10 more assists than the Nets (25-15). Boston wrapped up the season series with Brooklyn 3-1 (their only loss was by 2 points the day after Christmas).

Up next, the C's take on the Heat (32-37) on Wednesday (7:30, CSN) at TD Garden. Miami is ahead of Boston by 1.5 games but that will change shortly as the Heat travel to Milwaukee tomorrow night before coming to Boston. So if they lose to the Bucks, a Celtics win vs. Miami would leave them tied for seventh-place in the East.

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"Today was a Good Day (for Celtics Tanking)"-Ice Cube's New Remix

While most of the civilized world watched The Oscars tonight, I was deeply engrossed in a meaningless Celtics-Lakers matchup at the Staples Center. Haha just kidding, I was glued to The Academy Awards and only switched over during commercials or categories/speeches that I didn't care about. Talk about perfect timing, Boston (20-33 overall, 8-18 away) tied it at the buzzer with a three-pointer by Avery Bradley (20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) just as The Oscars wrapped up. Los Angeles (14-41 overall, 8-19 home) outscored the Celts 12-5 in overtime for a 118-11 win.

Coupled with the news earlier in the day that Jared Sullinger would miss the rest of the season with a foot injury, this was an interesting day for the C's. Oh and Isaiah Thomas (21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) played well in his Celtics debut then got ejected rather quickly for a pretty low-key outburst (slamming the ball on the court after a bad foul call on him). It's enough to make you wonder if the NBA is corrupt, haha that's right my bad. While Sullinger's injury history in the NBA and college is worrisome to say the least (assuming he's a key piece of the future here), still I can't say it's a bad thing that one of their better players is done for the last 30 games. Now can we cut the crap about Boston going for a fraudulent playoff spot in the Eastern Conference? Please.

Another great aspect of this game was that former Harvard star Jeremy Lin (remember him?) torched the Celts for a game-high 25 points and six assists off the bench. LA's starters combined for 34 total points as Carlos Boozer (12 points, 8 rebounds) was the only guy in double-figures. In addition to Mr. Linsanity's heroics off the bench, Wesley Johnson had 22 points, five rebounds and two steals while Swaggy P aka Nick Young added 19 points and Jordan Hill notched 10 points and five rebounds.

Jae Crowder led Boston with 22 points and seven rebounds off the bench, Evan Turner had a double-double (12 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds), Brandon Bass posted 15 points and five rebounds while Marcus Smart put up 11 points and five rebounds. Even if they are losing many games down the stretch (fingers crossed), the Celtics at least should be way more exciting with Thomas in the lineup. He's the shortest guy in the NBA at 5-foot-9 and we always love our undersized guards (Nate Robinson, Dana Barros, Dee Brown, etc.) in Boston.

The C's were up 32-26 after the first quarter but that advantage shrunk to 58-56 at halftime. Boston outscored LA 20-17 in a grimy third quarter then the Lakers took the fourth 33-28. Of course, this could have been over earlier since LA was up four points with 12 seconds left but like a bad porn star, they couldn't close the deal. See what I did there (logs off forever)?

LA shot nearly nine percent better than Boston from the field (51.2%-42.9%) and hit six more free throws (25-19). The Celtics grabbed two more rebounds (48-46) including seven more offensive boards (13-6), had five more assists (27-22), nine more fast break points (15-6) and 11 more points off turnovers (30-19).

Boston is right back at it tomorrow night (9, CSN) in Phoenix against the free-falling Suns (29-27 overall, 9th in the West). It'll be a mini-reunion for the C's with Marcus Thornton and Brandan Wright who were both traded away this season in separate deals and Gerald Green who played in Boston approximately 50 years ago (give or take a few decades).

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Do You Remember that the Celtics are Still a Thing?

Since they have made a million trades in the last few months and seemingly lost about every game in between, you are forgiven if like me you have totally tuned out the Celtics this miserable campaign. However, with the NHL All-Star break starting and over a week before Super Bowl 49, we were forced to turn our lonely eyes to the C's tonight as they visited the Blazers at Moda Center.

LaMarcus Aldridge is out for 6-8 weeks with torn ligaments in his thumb and Portland (31-13 overall, 19-5 home) clearly misses him as they lost a heartbreaker 90-89 to Boston (14-26 overall, 5-13 away) on Evan Turner's (10 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds) last-second three-pointer. Normally I would be mad at the C's for winning since that is totally irrelevant to their tanking cause this season but honestly, for once it was nice to be treated to a totally unexpected and exciting win against one of the best teams in the NBA.

Brandon Bass (13 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) started for the first time in ages and made the most of it. Avery Bradley led the Celts with 18 points while Jared Sullinger added 17 points and nine rebounds. Old man Tayshaun Prince and Marcus Thornton each scored nine points off the bench for Boston. Did I mention this was their first road win against a Western Conference team since Nov. 2013? Haha how is that even possible?

Damian Lillard (21 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) has quickly become one of the top players in the league but he struggled with his shot (8 for 23) against that vaunted Celtics defense. Free-Agent-to-be Wesley Matthews scored 18 points while caveman Chris Kaman had 13 points and nine rebounds. Former Brewster Academy star Thomas Robinson got the rare start in Aldridge's place (Sideshow Bob, I mean Robin Lopez was also out with an injury) and put up nine points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals with C.J. McCollum scoring 10 points off Portland's bench.

Boston led 23-19 after the first quarter which was cute enough then it started to get a bit more real with a 44-42 halftime lead. Portland outscored the C's 30-23 in the third quarter so naturally, I thought well that's it. That's when the Celts proceeded to grind out a 23-17 fourth quarter. This result has to be especially gratifying for head coach Brad Stevens since it proves that his team is still playing hard and listening to him even though they have so little talent. Again, it's one game but this also shows positive traits about many of these players who are fighting for their NBA futures either here or somewhere else.

Portland came in with the best home record in the NBA but Boston shot 45.3% from the field and held them to 37.1%. The Celtics grabbed two more rebounds (47-45) and dished out seven more assists (23-16).

This was the beginning of an insane four games in five nights stretch for Boston. Their season-long six-game road trip started with a loss to the Clippers on Monday (102-93) and it continues tomorrow (9, CSN) in Denver (18-24 overall, 3rd in Northwest Division). From there, the Celtics go to Golden State on Sunday (8, CSN), Utah on Monday (9, CSN) and they wrap things up on Wednesday in Minnesota (8, CSN).

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No Matter How Bad Things Get For the Celtics, They'll Never Be the 76ers, So There's That

Ladies and gentlemen, the Philadelphia 76ers! The Celtics had the honor of meeting the NBA's current version of the Washington Generals tonight at the Wells Fargo Center and after a sketchy first quarter (where they trailed 27-22), Boston (4-6 overall, 2-2 away) rallied for a 101-90 win over Philadelphia (0-11 overall, 0-5 home).

The Sixers are a complete nightmare, they appear well on their way to another 26-game losing streak like last season, haha why not 0-82 this time? Now that is something to shoot for, they finished 19-63 in 2013-14. And we thought being a Celtics fan these days is rough (it usually is) but how about Sixers fans? Seeing that sorry team, you understand why nobody in such a great sports town goes to see them anymore or remotely pays attention to their constant losing ways.

I feel bad for Massachusetts natives Michael Carter-Williams (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Nerlens Noel (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) who are in their second and first seasons (Noel missed all last season recovering from a major knee injury) respectively with this D-League squad. It's silly to think that all this losing and constant talk of tanking won't have some negative side-effects on such impressionable young guys. They are both immensely talented and it would be a real shame to see it go to waste for much longer (MCW was the Rookie of the Year last season).

After going 0-3 on a painful homestand, the Celts just needed a victory especially considering the minefield they face in their next four games: at Memphis, vs. Portland, vs. Chicago and vs. San Antonio. With no real size inside for the home team, the Celtics' big guys were able to take advantage. Brandon Bass had a game-high 23 points and six rebounds off the bench while Jared Sullinger added 22 points and nine rebounds. Marcus Thornton put together his best game as a Celtic with 13 points and four steals off the bench and Jeff Green scored 11 points. Rajon Rondo had nine points, 13 assists, five rebounds and two steals.

If you play Fantasy Basketball, Sixers reserve guard Tony Wroten (21 points, 7 assists) is definitely an under-the-radar player that you want to own. Other than MCW, Noel and him, it's a team of journeymen nobodies like Henry Sims (14 points) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals).

In the first half, I briefly entertained thoughts of Boston losing this game and it nearly drove me to tears (not really but you get the point). The C's woke up in the second quarter (24-19) to enter halftime tied at 46. Boston's defense held Philadelphia to 22 points apiece in the final two quarters while they put up 27 and 28.

Keeping Philly to just 90 points represented Boston's best defensive outing of the young season. The Celtics shot 9.9% better from the field (49.4-39.5), dished out 10 more assists (season-high 32-22), scored six more fast break points (24-18) and eight more points in the paint (54-46).

In a hilarious scheduling quirk, the Celts' mini two-game road trip takes them from facing the worst team in the league to the best. The Grizzlies lost 96-92 tonight in Toronto but they still have the best record in the NBA at 10-2. If you decide to watch Friday's (8, CSN) game from the FedEx Forum, make sure that you have plenty of alcohol to get you through what could be a very ugly contest (if you support the Celtics).

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When Will Things Finally Start Going the Celtics' Way Again?

I realize that with 17 NBA championships comes a lifetime of haters and jealousy across the country (and world) so I understand that nobody outside of their fanbase will ever feel bad for the Celtics when they are stuck in neutral for years like this. Boston (2-3 overall, 2-1 home) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 101-98 win tonight at TD Garden vs. Indiana (1-5 overall, 0-3 away). Unfortunately, what this victory will be remembered for most is rookie Marcus Smart's leaving the court on a stretcher due to a brutal ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

Seeing anyone get injured is depressing enough but Smart has showed plenty of potential in the first five games of this season. His offensive game is still a work in progress but he's already an excellent defender and has a high basketball IQ. All we can hope is that it's not as bad as it looked and he's not out for too long. Credit to the Celts for pushing through that after seeing him go down. They might not be very good (yet?) but you can tell it's a tight-knit group.

Jared Sullinger (17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) led five Celtics in double figures: Jeff Green had 15 points and seven rebounds, Kelly Olynyk scored 12 points with five rebounds, Avery Bradley added 11 points and Brandon Bass notched 10 points off the bench.

With Paul George, George Hill and David West all out, there aren't many teams in the NBA more decimated by injuries than the Pacers. Roy Hibbert had a game-high 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks but it wasn't enough. Former Knick Chris Copeland scored 17 points with six rebounds, Donald Sloan put up 15 points, Solomon Hill posted 12 points and Luis Scola supplied 11 points and eight rebounds. Former Sixer Lavoy Allen contributed 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Boston led 30-26 after the first quarter and 55-52 at halftime. Indiana outscored Boston 23-18 in the third quarter to take a 75-73 lead into the final frame but the C's rallied for the much-needed win. The Celts hit four more 3-pointers (9-5), had eight more assists (26-18), three times as many steals (6-2) and six more fast break points (8-2). That allowed them to survive Indiana's dominance inside: 56-34 points in the paint.

Back-to-back games in the NBA are always tough but the Celtics really have their work cut out for them tomorrow night (8, CSN) as they visit the Bulls (5-1 overall, 1st in Central Division). Derrick Rose didn't play in Friday's 118-115 win over Philadelphia as he rests his ankles. Talk about a guy that could use a healthy season, geez. Boston head coach Brad Stevens said that Smart wouldn't make the trip to Chicago (duh) as they await the MRI results in the morning. Think good thoughts Celtics fans!

UPDATE 11/8: The Celtics announced that Smart is only expected to miss two or three weeks which is great news. Also, Rondo missed tonight's game in Chicago because he was getting the screw(s) out of his hand. He's expected back on Wednesday vs. Oklahoma City.

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Celtics Beat Bobcats 106-103, Sigh

I must admit two things up front before this quick post: 1) there is nothing I hate more in sports right now than watching the Celtics win; 2) I can't remember when was the last time I watched so much of a C's (24-55 overall, 16-24 home) game this season. Boston outlasted Charlotte (40-39 overall, 17-23 away) 106-103 at TD Garden. The Celtics snapped a beautiful nine-game losing streak and the Bobcats dropped their first game in the last six contests.

Pregame, things looked all lined up for another Celtics loss. Rajon Rondo sat with a "bruised left shin" (oh NBA/tanking) but on the other side, former UConn legend Kemba Walker was also out. Former Celtic Al Jefferson (32 points, 10 rebounds) was basically unstoppable which playoff-bound Charlotte didn't seem to figure out until it was too late in the fourth quarter.

During that long losing streak, the C's had perfected the art of completely crumbling in the fourth quarter after usually being competitive up until then. This was a different story since it was back and forth (29-28 Bobcats after one quarter and 57-55 Celtics at halftime). Boston opened that up to 84-75 heading into the fourth.

All five Celtics starters were in double figures led by Phil Pressey (10 points, 13 assists, 3 steals). Avery Bradley had 22 points, Jared Sullinger added 20 points and seven rebounds while Brandon Bass (9 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Jeff Green (6 turnovers) both scored 18. The loss dropped the Bobcats back to seventh in the Eastern Conference (they've already clinched a spot) and proved how much they need Kemba to have a chance to beat anyone even in the weak East.

The next highest scorer for Charlotte was Gary Neal who put up 13 points off the bench. Chris Douglas-Roberts added 12 points while Gerald Henderson (11 points) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) each snuck into double figures.

Boston hit four more 3-pointers (11-7) and five more free throws (13-8). Charlotte hung around by dishing out 11 more assists (33-22), they had eight less turnovers (20-12) and scored 14 more points in the paint (50-36). The Celts also took advantage of nine more points off turnovers (23-14).

Only three more games left in 2013-14 for the Celtics, beginning with tomorrow night (7:30, CSN) in Cleveland (32-48). Right now, Boston is tied with Utah for the fourth-worst record in the NBA. The only teams that the Celtics have a chance to drop past are Utah and Orlando (23-56). Every loss counts guys, make it happen!

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Unless We're Talking About Disney World, Orlando is Pretty Useless

If the Celtics don't get a top pick in June's NBA Draft, one of the first things we'll blame (other than the basketball Gods of course) is the Orlando Magic. Why? Well with Boston's (16-33 overall, 10-15 home) 96-89 win this afternoon at TD Garden, the Celts finished their season series with the Magic (13-36 overall, 3-22 away) 3-1, ugh.

The rare victory for the Celtics snapped a four-game losing streak. It might have been the product of playing another team doing everything they can not to win but Rajon Rondo (19 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals in only 27 minutes) looked way better than any of his other eight performances since returning Jan. 17 vs. Lakers. It was his first double-double of the season and most surprising, he was 9 of 11 from the field including a 3-pointer.

Nobody has ever debated whether Jared Sullinger (21 points, 12 rebounds) was better than Glen Davis (15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) but this contest served as a further example of how much higher Sullinger's ceiling can be if only he stays healthy for a full season.

Brandon Bass, who was traded for Davis, also played better than the clown they call Big Baby with 19 points and nine rebounds. Avery Bradley (17 points) returned after missing the last five games with a sprained ankle.

Arron Afflalo led Orlando with 18 points, underrated Nikola Vucevic had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds), Tobias Harris added 13 points and five rebounds while promising rookie Victor Oladipo notched 12 points and five assists even though he was bricktastic (3 for 16 from the field, woof!).

Boston has rarely won this season but even more strange to see is them leading from start to finish. The C's were up 27-19 after the first quarter, 54-45 at halftime and 71-64 heading into the fourth quarter. Thanks for playing, Magic.

The Celts shot 8.7% better from the field (50-41.3%), grabbed five more rebounds (44-39) and handed out six more assists (24-18) thanks to Rondo's re-emergence.

It seems like Boston has played a round-robin tournament lately with the other teams in the Eastern Conference trying to tank. After losing on a fantastic Evan Turner buzzer-beater for the Sixers on Wednesday, they go to Philadelphia (15-33 overall, 5th in Atlantic Division) this Wednesday (7, CSN & 98.5 FM).

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Kyrie Irving Must Be Counting the Days Until He Can Get out of Hell, I mean Cleveland

The less said about the pile of monkey shit known as the Cavaliers the better. The Celtics had another forgettable Saturday afternoon game at TD Garden and this time, they made it a positive memory with a 103-100 win over Cleveland. In typical Celts (13-17 overall, 8-8 home) fashion, it became way more difficult than it had to be: they were up 19 heading into the fourth quarter but had to hang on for dear life as the Cavaliers (10-19 overall, 2-13 away) outscored them 34-18 in the final frame.

Luckily for Boston, they have that defensive force aka Brandon Bass (15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) who stuffed Dion Waiters (17 points, 2 steals) on Cleveland's last official shot. Of course, the Cavs had a chance to tie it after that but Earl Clark's (12 points) 3-pointer was an airball, oh and it came after time expired. Other than that, great attempt Earl.

As always, Kyrie Irving (game-high 32 points) was brilliant while his teammates were mediocre at best. Clark was the only other starter in double figures and Jarrett Jack put up 14 points off the bench.

It was all about balance for the C's with four starters and two bench players in double figures. Jordan Crawford (5 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jeff Green (8 rebounds, 2 steals) both led Boston with 19 points while Avery Bradley added 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Courtney Lee scored 11 and Kris Humphries notched 10 points off the bench.

The Celtics slowly built up their lead, 24-22 after one quarter, 59-44 at halftime and 85-66 heading into the fourth. Does Boston play night games anymore? Their next contest is another afternoon game at TD Garden: New Year's Eve (1, CSN) vs. Atlanta (17-13, 2nd in Southeast Division), who just lost Al Horford for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.

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The Knicks are One Sad Basketball Team

Credit to the Knicks, after getting absolutely embarrassed by the Celtics on their home floor Sunday afternoon, they came to Boston tonight and found a new and different painful way to lose to one of their biggest rivals. Sure the C's (11-14 overall, 6-6 home) blew a 17-point lead earlier in the game but that was nothing compared to New York (6-16 overall, 3-8 away) choking away an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter in an eventual 90-86 loss at TD Garden.

Who could blame Knicks head coach Mike Woodson for looking like a defeated man for most of the night. Apparently he'll be able to keep his job until Tyson Chandler comes back but honestly, will his return even matter? Through bad contracts, ineffective, old and/or injured players plus being centered around perhaps the most one-dimensional and overrated player in the NBA-Carmelo Anthony (26 points)-means that New York is likely stuck in this predicament for a long time.

These teams meet twice more, the next time is January 28 at Madison Square Garden. Is there any chance Woodson will be paid to be there too? The Celts are basically the anti-Knicks: no stars (without Rajon Rondo), few egos, unselfish play and they at least attempt to give defense a whirl plus they have a coach that is constantly learning on the job.

Jared Sullinger (19 points, 6 rebounds) led four players in double figures for the Green; Avery Bradley had 13 points and six assists, Brandon Bass notched 10 points and eight rebounds while Courtney Lee was a real spark off the bench with 18 points (3 for 3 on 3-pointers).

New York's big acquisition Andrea Bargnani put up 22 points and seven rebounds but where did that get them? Amar'e Stoudemire (18 points, 5 rebounds off the bench) has actually played pretty well recently but that still doesn't come close to justifying his Looney Tunes contract.

Boston led 29-26 after the first quarter and 54-48 at halftime. New York went ahead with a strong third quarter (25-14) but their fourth was typically pathetic (outscored 22-13). The Celtics shot 8.5% better from the field (48.5-40), they blocked four more shots (5-1) and scored 11 more fast break points (14-3).

This is a sweet spot in the Celtics' schedule as they are in the midst of a five-game homestand with three more on tap beginning with Monday (7:30, CSN) vs. Kevin Love and the Timberwolves (11-12, 4th in Northwest Division). He had an amazing performance (42 points, 14 rebounds, 8 3-pointers) but it wasn't enough as Minnesota fell 117-110 at San Antonio this evening to fall back under .500. At some point, the Timberwolves are going to be good, right?

Tonight snapped a two-game losing streak for Boston and with Minnesota, Detroit and Washington all coming to town next week, this unfortunately could be the start of another win-streak. Other than Brooklyn, who else is going to challenge them in the putrid Atlantic Division this season?

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KG, Pierce and the Nets Take Round 1 vs. the Celtics

Everyone had the same thought: it was bizarre to see Paul Pierce (4 points, 7 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (11 points, 9 rebounds) competing in Nets jerseys. The Celtics' legends got their first shot at their old team and they made it count as Brooklyn (7-14 overall, 3-6 home) held off Boston this evening 104-96 at Barclays Center.

For the early part of this season, the expectations for both of these teams were completely off the mark. Boston (10-13 overall, 5-8 away) was supposed to be a pushover while the Nets were built to challenge the Heat and Pacers in the Eastern Conference.

Pierce returned early from a broken hand so with most of their squad finally healthy, Brooklyn actually played well. Deron Williams had a game-high 25 points and seven assists while robot Brook Lopez added 24 points. Something called Alan Anderson scored 15 points and that bum Andray Blatche put up 11 points off the bench.

Avery Bradley paced the Celtics with 22 points. Jeff Green had 19 points and six rebounds, Jordan Crawford and Jared Sullinger each notched 15 points while Brandon Bass had the only double-double in the game (13 points, 11 rebounds).

It was close almost the entire game but the Nets were always in control: up 31-20 after the first quarter, 56-47 at halftime and 85-72 heading into the fourth quarter. Boston stayed in it by hitting eight more 3-pointers (11-3) and scoring 10 more points off turnovers (24-14). Brooklyn shot 11.9% better from the field, hit eight more free throws, grabbed seven more rebounds, had five more assists, 10 more bench points and scored 18 more points in the paint.

The reunion week continues with a back-to-back, Boston returns to TD Garden tomorrow night (7:30, CSN) to face Doc Rivers and the Clippers (14-8, 1st in Pacific Division). It will be his first game against the C's since he left this summer. These two games shouldn't have been this close together but what can you do? The Celtics aren't one of the marquee teams in the NBA anymore so their schedule isn't particularly attractive in many ways.

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Celtics Hand Knicks Worst Loss in the NBA This Season, 3rd Biggest in the history of Madison Square Garden

Please never change, Knicks. The Celtics only had less than a fleeting hour this afternoon on an NFL Sunday to catch our attention while we were setting our Fantasy Football lineups and getting ready for Patriots-Browns (more on that shortly). Boston (10-12 overall, 5-7 road) made us focus as they jumped out to leads of 12-0, 18-1 and 25-3 en route to a 34-13 first quarter and 114-73 ass kicking of New York (5-14 overall, 2-8 overall) at Madison Square Garden.

I stopped watching midway through the second quarter but that was more than enough time to know that the C's were going to run away with another victory. The Knicks are a complete dumpster fire and all they are missing is a laugh track from this joke of a season. For their troubles, the Celts handed their rivals the most lopsided defeat in the NBA so far in 2013-14 and third worst in MSG history. It was enough to make you think this was the last straw for embattled Knicks head coach Mike Woodson.

This was never in doubt as Boston led from start to finish and outscored New York by at least four points in each quarter. All five Celtics starters were in double-figures led by Jordan Crawford (23 points, 7 assists) and Jared Sullinger (21 points). Brandon Bass had 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals, Jeff Green put up 16 points and six rebounds while Avery Bradley had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Courtney Lee had 10 hero points off the bench in the extended garbage time.

Nobody on the Knicks deserves a sliver of positive attention so I'm not going to mention any of those bums by name (as much as I want to make fun of them). Boston led New York 58-31 at halftime, giving all the fans a reason to leave early and get some Christmas shopping done.

The final stats are something you hardly ever see in the NBA: complete domination. The Celtics shot 20% better from the field (54.2-34.2), they hit eight more 3-pointers (14-6), they grabbed 20 more rebounds (46-26), dished out nine more assists (22-13), scored 16 more fast break points (19-322-6) and scored 20 more points in the paint (42-22).

Anything can happen in the (rigged) NBA but Tuesday (7:30, CSN) could be another blowout as the Celtics visit the Nets (6-14 overall, 4th in Atlantic Division). For what it's worth, New York embarrassed Brooklyn on Thursday. It is the first meeting with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce (out with broken hand) and Jason Terry (out with hamstring injury) since they were traded from Boston last summer.

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You Can't Stop The Celtics, You Can Only Hope to Contain Them

You know things are going well for the Celtics when Kris Humphries comes out of mothballs and off the bench to score a season-high 18 points with seven rebounds as Boston (9-12 overall, 5-5 home) beat Denver (11-8 overall, 5-6 away) 106-98 tonight at TD Garden. They maintained their spot atop the woeful Atlantic Division where nobody is even close to .500. Woo!

The Celtics have beaten up on some really bad teams so far this season but haven't notched many wins against playoff-caliber opponents. Tonight qualifies as a solid victory since even if the Nuggets don't make the postseason in the far superior Western Conference, they are a good team.

Of course, it helps when the C's are spotted a 14-0 lead right off the bat. Boston led from start to finish, by as much as 27 (42-15 early second quarter) and as little as three (76-73 late third quarter). Jordan Crawford (game-high 22 points, 8 assists) is playing the best basketball of his strange career. Avery Bradley had 18 points as well, Jeff Green scored 15 and Brandon Bass added 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Ty Lawson paced Denver with 20 points. J.J. Hickson had 17 points and seven rebounds, Randy Foye scored 12 points while former Celtic Nate Robinson (11 points), 90-year-old Andre Miller (10 points) and Timofey (that's really how it's spelled) Mozgov (10 points, 6 rebounds) all had double-figures off the bench.

In their best quarter of the season, Boston outscored Denver 39-14 in the first which was enough to carry them to another improbable victory. The Nuggets outscored the Celts 83-67 in the final three quarters.

The C's shot 7.6% better from the field (51.8-44.2), they dished out 14 more assists (25-11) and had five less turnovers (14-9) than the Nuggets.

Boston gets its first up close look at the car crashes better known as the Knicks (5-13, 4th in Atlantic Division) and Nets (5-14, 5th in Atlantic Division) over the next few days. They are in New York on Sunday afternoon (12, CSN)-that should get monster ratings going up against the NFL-and then they are in Brooklyn on Tuesday (7:30, CSN).

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Never In My Wildest Dreams Did I Ever Expect The Celtics To Be in 1st-Place This Season

I'm done trying to make sense of what exactly the Celtics are trying to accomplish in what should be an unquestioned rebuilding season. Through reasons outside of their control, namely the Eastern Conference being a toxic dump with only two teams (2!) currently over .500-Heat and Pacers-they are in much better shape than we'd like to see. In fact, Boston (8-12 overall, 4-5 home) accomplished something tonight that believe it or not they never did last season: by beating Milwaukee (3-14 overall, 1-8 away) 108-100 at TD Garden, the Celts now lead the Atlantic Division all by themselves.

What the hell? They avenged two losses to the Bucks earlier this season by having all five starters score in double figures. Jordan Crawford had a game-high 25 points and five assists, Jeff Green notched 18 points, Brandon Bass put up 16 points and nine rebounds, Avery Bradley added 15 points (including an absurd shot from behind the backboard) and Jared Sullinger tossed in 12 points with eight rebounds. Things went so well for the C's that even Courtney Lee (11 points) looked like a solid player.

Milwaukee certainly knows how to tank, this is a team that started Ekpe Udoh (3 blocks), Khris Middleton (14 points) and John Henson (11 points, 5 rebounds) in the same lineup. Their best players at the moment are O.J. Mayo (19 points) and Brandon Knight (15 points, 6 assists) so good luck with that. Wait, they want to lose. Damn it!

Boston is off until Friday (7:30, CSN) when they host Denver (11-6, 3rd in Northwest Division).

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The Cavaliers Are A Disgrace, No Wonder LeBron Left that Loser City

There are so many hopeless teams in the NBA, the Celtics really have their hands full if they want to finish with one of the worst records this season. One of those miserable squads slinked into TD Garden tonight and took a beating as Boston (7-11 overall, 3-5 home) beat Cleveland (4-12 overall, 1-9 away) 103-86.

Two things tell you all that you need to know about this game incase you hopefully had better things to do than watch it like me. Jordan Crawford notched his third career triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while the Cavs managed to only score 10 points in the first quarter. The C's started the game on an 18-2 run and basically this outcome was never even in question. Woo!

Each Celtics starter had at least 11 points led by Jeff Green's season-high 31 points and five rebounds. Avery Bradley defied logic by shooting 9 of 11 from the field for 21 points, Brandon Bass had 12 points and eight rebounds and Jared Sullinger added 12 points.

Honestly, you have to feel for Kyrie Irving-one of the best players in the league. He has never been able to stay healthy for long stretches but now that he is feeling good, his team blows. Irving had 17 points while Dion Waiters had the definition of a stats padding night with 21 points and six assists.

I'm not going to write off a guy 16 games into his NBA career but I have absolutely no clue what Cleveland saw in Anthony Bennett (4 points, 3 turnovers in 20 minutes) to make him the No. 1 pick in June. He seems to have bust written all over him.

Boston has a sneaky easy back-to-back as they travel to Milwaukee (2-13, 5th in Central Division) tomorrow (9, CSN). The bad news for astute fans is that the Bucks are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. Oh and the game after that for both teams is Tuesday in Boston. Ahh!

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Celtics Win Their Fourth Game in a Row, Wait What?

We all know that it'll predictably end soon plus it is totally counterproductive to the main goal of tanking but I have to admit that the Celtics entertained me tonight. Boston (4-4 overall, 2-1 home) beat Orlando (3-5 overall, 0-4 away) 120-105 at TD Garden. The Celtics have won four straight games, something which many of us didn't think was possible this season by scoring a season-high in points.

All five starters for Boston scored in double figures and seven players overall hit double digits led by Avery Bradley (game-high 24 points and 3 steals) and Jordan Crawford (16 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds) who put up a double-double, seriously. I didn't love rookie Kelly Olynyk at Gonzaga but he is quickly proving me wrong: he had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jeff Green checked in with 16 points and Brandon Bass added 10 points. Off the bench, Jared Sullinger put up 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks while Courtney Lee scored 12.

The Magic are doing everything in their power to get in the lottery next spring, it's tough to see them winning more than 30 games tops in 2013-14. Arron Afflalo had 18 points and seven assists, rookie Victor Oladipo scored 17 empty points. Nikola Vucevic had his customary double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals), Mo Harkless notched 12 points and five rebounds with Horace Grant wannabe (check out his glasses) Jason Maxiell had 10 points. Former Celtic E'Twaun Moore scored 11 points off the bench for Orlando.

The Celts outscored the Magic in every quarter: 31-25, 28-25, 28-24 and 33-31. I really didn't want to watch this game but there were few other viewing options with an awful Monday Night Football game on so I reluctantly tuned in. Did I mention that Boston shot 60% from the field, had 16 more fast break points (20-4) and scored 12 more points in the paint (50-38)?

This doesn't make any sense at all on many levels but like I said, let's enjoy it before they undoubtedly reel off an eight-game losing streak that makes us miserably pine for the ping pong balls. It promises to be a long season, the Celtics are just easing us into it. They host the Bobcats (3-4, 3rd in Southeast Division) on Wednesday (7:30, CSNE), the middle contest in a three-game homestand against some similarly bad teams.

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Boston's Tank for Wiggins Campaign Hits Its First Pothole of the Season

You might have noticed that I hadn't written a word about the Celtics since they started their sure to be wretched season a week ago. That wasn't my intention but simply a product of having so many conflicts and not enough hours in the day to watch everything. I had DVR'd a couple of the previous contests but didn't end up watching them, that changed tonight as I saw the Celts (1-4 overall, 1-1 home) pick up their first win of the season, 97-87 over the Jazz (0-5 overall, 0-3 away) at TD Garden.

Head coach Brad Stevens notched his first NBA win, ironically when one of his former star players at Butler-Gordon Heyward-dropped a game-high 28 points with nine rebounds and five assists for Utah. He'll be a free agent this summer, do I smell a reunion? Brandon Bass led Boston with 20 points and Jeff Green added 18.

Enes Kanter had 22 points and eight rebounds, old man Richard Jefferson put up 13 points and five steals while Derrick Favors had 10 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for the Jazz. Utah's bench only managed 14 total points, the same amount that Boston rookie Kelly Olynyk (8 rebounds) picked up. Jared Sullinger also thrived off the bench for the C's with 12 points and five rebounds.

As everyone knows, for Boston 2013-14 is all about losing as much as they possibly can in hopes of getting a high lottery pick in what should be a loaded draft. When you look at their fatally flawed roster and painfully thin bench, you realize that the Jazz could be one of the Celtics' biggest rivals in terms of racking up the most losses.

By design, the Celts got up by 25 points (70-45) in the third quarter before they tried everything in their power to gag it away. The Jazz cut it to six in the fourth (89-83) but they couldn't come all the way back. Looking beyond the main guys, Avery Bradley (8 points, 6 rebounds) and Gerald Wallace (9 points, 9 rebounds) each played well in the win.

The Jazz actually led 26-23 after the first quarter but Utah scored only eight points (eight points!) in the second quarter to trail 50-34 at halftime. In a few of the four losses, the Celtics held big leads only to fall apart but this margin was too wide and the opposition too terrible to slip on another banana peel tonight.

Boston outscored Utah 34-28 in the third quarter before going to sleep in the fourth and watching the Jazz take it to them 25-13 but it was much too late. Other than the bench scoring (44-14), the two main reasons that the Celts won was that they hit six more 3-pointers (7-1) and dished out eight more assists (22-14).

Up next, the C's travel to Orlando on Friday (7, CSN) to take on the surprising Magic (3-2) who were supposed to be one of the main tanking squads. I guess they didn't get the memo that winning isn't the important thing for a team like them. Boston has a back-to-back as they are in Miami on Saturday.

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If Any Team Can Blow A 3-0 Series Lead In The NBA, It's Gotta Be The Knicks

My how things can change over two games in the NBA playoffs or roughly 12 days. The Knicks had a chance to sweep the Celtics on Sunday but lost 97-90 in OT. No problem, everybody knew they'd come back to Madison Square Garden tonight with J.R. Smith and get rid of the C's once and for all. Well it turns out that didn't happen either as Boston beat New York 92-86 to cut the series lead to 3-2.

This is where I remind you that no team in NBA history has ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit. All I said on Sunday is that I wanted to see what would happen in a Game 6 in Boston. I got my wish, the series returns to TD Garden on Friday (7 p.m., CSN). Enough can't be overstated about the heart, competitiveness and desire of Kevin Garnett (16 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) and Paul Pierce (16 points). Jeff Green had 18 points for the Celts, Brandon Bass (17 points, 5 rebounds) kept them in it after they were down 11-0 to start the game while Jason Terry (17 points) was clutch for the second game in a row.

The Knicks are frontrunning clowns who cared more about playing dress up (showing up in all black clothes for a "Celtics funeral") than winning a basketball game. Carmelo Anthony had 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting and seven rebounds. Believe it or not, Raymond Felton (21 points, 6 rebounds) has been New York's steadiest player throughout this up and down series. Iman Shumpert added 12 points, six rebounds and three steals while Tyson Chandler grabbed 11 rebounds. Smith had 14 points but he was a Melo-esque 3-of-14 from the floor.

Other than the very ugly beginning, this was a game that Boston controlled for the final three plus quarters. They pulled to within 22-20 after one and led 45-39 at halftime. The Celtics outscored the Knicks 25-22 in the third and opened up a 15-point lead early in the fourth (75-60) before hanging on for dear life.

This was the team we loved to watch after they pulled together following Rondo's injury, they're tough, smart and don't back down from anyone. Boston shot 6.2% better from the field than New York (45.7%-39.5%) and they beat the Knicks at their own game by hitting six more 3-pointers (11-5). If that wasn't enough, the C's managed to dish out seven more assists (20-13) than the all-iso Knicks.

Now the Celtics have all the momentum in the series and this loss has to put some serious doubt in the Knicks' heads. Suddenly, all the pressure is on New York who FYI hasn't won a playoff series since 2000. So yeah, there is still plenty of work to do but the C's could actually pull this off.

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The Celtics Are In A World Of Trouble Without Rajon Rondo

Capping off this night of suck for Boston sports teams (3 games, 3 blowout losses), the Celtics clocked in for the most costly setback of all since they are the only ones in the playoffs at the moment. The Knicks beat the Celtics 87-71 in Game 2 tonight at Madison Square Garden, giving New York a commanding 2-0 lead in the first-round series.

If you thought only scoring 25 points in the second half of Sunday's loss was pathetic (and it really was), Boston somehow sunk even lower with 23 points in the second half this evening. This was almost a carbon copy of Game 1: Boston led 48-42 at halftime and seemed in control. That is until New York hit them with a 32-11 third quarter. Game over.

The Knicks might have the most predictable and boring offense in the NBA-give the ball to Melo and J.R. Smith then get out of the way-but it is doing more than enough against the overmatched Celts. Anthony had a game-high 34 points, 6th Man of the Year Smith added 19 points off the bench (including a crazy 3 from nearly midcourt at the end of the 1st half) while Raymond Felton scored 16 points and Kenyon Martin (who Boston could have signed during the season) posted 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Paul Pierce was decent with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists but Kevin Garnett (12 points, 11 rebounds) was in foul trouble all game so he could only play 24 minutes. Where's Eddie F. Rush when you need him or Kenny Mauer? Jeff Green had 10 points, Jordan Crawford added 10 points off the bench and Brandon Bass grabbed 10 rebounds. Call off the search party because Jason Terry reappeared with nine points (after going scoreless in Game 1) but of course he did all his damage in the first half.

Our only hope is that David Stern wants this series to go more than four games since right now, the C's don't appear capable of winning once. That means, he has to send some crooked refs (like the ones mentioned in the previous paragraph) because Boston needs a victory on Friday (8 p.m., CSN) or the dream is over. It should be a great atmosphere at TD Garden for Game 3, the question is if the Celts can beat the Knicks without Rajon Rondo?

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