Celtics Win Their Third Straight Game Since Rondo Got Hurt, 97-84 Over Magic

The Celtics couldn't have picked two better teams to adjust to life without Rajon Rondo than bottom feeders Sacramento and Orlando. Tonight, Boston (23-23, 16-9 home) rolled to a 97-84 win over the Magic (14-32, 6-16 away) at TD Garden. Apparently the C's have won three straight games since Rondo went down (he was a last minute scratch against Miami on Sunday) although I'm not sure if beating Orlando at this juncture should count as a full victory.

Jeff Green led the Celts with 17 points and three blocks off the bench. More please! Kevin Garnett (14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Paul Pierce (14 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) each had double-doubles while Courtney Lee added 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Isn't it amazing what happens when a team shares the basketball, rather than let one guy do everything offensively? Jason Terry (5 assists) and Leandro Barbosa both tossed in 12 points off the bench.

Everybody in the NBA has injuries but it's hard to imagine a team more rocked by them than the Magic: their top three players (and three of their top four scorers) all missed at least part of tonight's exhibition. Glen Davis is out for the season with a broken foot, Arron Afflalo has a strained calf so he sat out then Jameer Nelson left with an arm injury in the first half and never returned.

Oy vey, it's all up to you J.J. Redick (15 points, 5 assists, 2 steals). To say he doesn't currently have much help around him would be too kind: rookie Andrew Nicholson (14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Nikola Vucevic (14 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks) had double-doubles. Former Celtic E'Twaun Moore filled it up in garbage time, finishing with 14 points while rookie Kyle O'Quinn notched 11 points.

Boston held Orlando to 35 points in the first half and 37.9% shooting from the field for the entire game. The Celtics had 11 more assists than the Magic (30-19) because true point guards are overrated.

Things figure to get much more exciting on Sunday (1 p.m., CSN) as the Clippers (34-14, 1st in Pacific Division) come to the Garden in a tasty pre-Super Bowl appetizer. MVP candidate Chris Paul has missed LA's last six games with a knee injury and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that they are not nearly the same team without him, for example: they suffered a season-worst 98-73 loss in Toronto tonight. Yes Toronto. Like the Kings earlier this week, the C's will be looking for more revenge after the Clippers embarrassed them 106-77 on December 27 in LA during the California road trip from hell.

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Hope You're Taking Notes Because Danny Ainge Is Crushing It This Summer

I honestly don't think this summer could realistically be going much better for the Celtics.

With little money and few roster spots available, Boston has re-signed Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass, Chris Wilcox and Jeff Green while also adding Jason Terry. The only notable player to leave has been Ray Allen so I think you have to say that the team has improved immeasurably thus far since Wilcox and Green didn't appear in the playoffs (in Green's case all season).

Today, the C's acquired guard Courtney Lee from the Rockets in a sign-and-trade deal; Houston gets guard E'Twaun Moore, forward JaJuan Johnson and forward Sean Williams. In addition, swingman Sasha Pavlovic was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers along with two second-round picks and cash considerations.

Lee gets a four-year deal worth $21.5 million according to Yahoo! Sports.

With Avery Bradley expected out for training camp and the beginning of next season, Lee will likely start at least until Bradley returns. That shouldn't be a problem since Lee has started nearly half (135 of 287) of the games he's played in his four NBA seasons.

A first-round pick in 2008 by Orlando (22nd overall) out of Western Kentucky, Lee went to the NBA Finals in his rookie season yet he was traded to the Nets before the next season. After one year with the Nets, he's spent the last two in Houston. I can't explain why he's been on three teams in four years since as far as I know, he's not a headcase or anything. All I can surmise is that it means he is coveted by other teams so for whatever reason, he keeps getting moved.

In 2011-12 with the Rockets, Lee averaged 11.4 points per game, 1.2 steals, 83% from the free throw line, 40% on 3-pointers and 43% from the field in 58 games (26 starts). His best individual season was 2009-10 with the Nets. In 71 games (66 starts), he put up 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 87% on free throws and 43% from the field.

Lee is 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds so he's able to check the bigger shooting guards in the NBA without many problems. When you combine him with Bradley and Terry, you sense that will be one of the Celtics' biggest strengths next season.

Moore was having a good summer with Boston's summer league squad but he's not a true point guard so he faced an uphill battle to get any playing time behind Rajon Rondo. Johnson was a first-round pick in 2011 so he's the guy that could potentially do something in Houston or elsewhere (I read he'd request a trade from there). He barely played in his rookie season and he didn't do anything really this summer. Johnson is very skinny so he doesn't really have a position despite being 6-foot-10. He seems like a nice kid so hopefully he can find his game at some point, he was a great college player at Purdue.

As for Williams, there was no way he would return to the Celtics. He is awful and won't be in the NBA in a year. Ditto for Sasha, he wouldn't have made the team with this infusion of talent since he barely played last season.

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Celtics Keeping Rolling In Orlando Summer League, Too Bad The Wins Are Meaningless

The beauty of NBA Summer Leagues is that provided you have a working DVR, you can watch your favorite team play a bunch of games in a short period of time. The results don't mean much and the rosters are made up of many has-beens, never weres and never will-bes but still, there is a reason to pay attention. You could be seeing the next great rookie or guy that comes out of nowhere like Jeremy Lin.

Boston (3-0) is the only unbeaten team left in Orlando as they knocked off Indiana (2-1) 85-77 this afternoon. It's unusual to see a Summer League team, which are usually thrown together at the last minute, have chemistry but the C's appear to work well together.

Six Celtics scored in double-figures led by Jared Sullinger (16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) and E'Twaun Moore (15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists). Kris Joseph (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) continues to be the most pleasant surprise for the Green and Dionte Christmas (10 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) has a good chance to make some NBA team while Jamar Smith (12 points) and JaJuan Johnson (11 points, 5 rebounds) both provided a lift off the bench.

The Pacers were a two-man team with Lance Stephenson (19 points, 7 turnovers) hogging the ball and Miles Plumlee (18 points, 8 rebounds) cleaning up inside despite his goofy hairdo.

There was plenty to like about Boston's effort since they basically outworked Indiana in every category which must have drove Larry Bird (sitting courtside) crazy. The Celtics shot 11% better from the field (51.6-40.6), grabbed six more rebounds (37-31), handed out twice as many assists (16-8), made one more steal (10-9) and two more blocks (7-5).

It was tight the whole way but the Celts outscored the Pacers in every quarter. Boston led 18-15 after one quarter and 36-31 at halftime. The C's edged the Pacers 19-18 in the third then both teams exploded in the fourth (30-28 Boston).

Once again, Boston gets the early start (11 a.m., NBA TV) as they face Detroit (2-1) tomorrow afternoon. Look out for UConn big man Andre Drummond on the Pistons, who has the potential to be great in the NBA or a complete bust. Nobody really knows which is part of what makes the Connecticut native so intriguing.

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You Can't Stop Jonathan Gibson, You Can Only Hope To Contain Him

The Celtics (2-0) staged a nice rally from 17 points down in the first half and 9 points in the fourth quarter as they beat the Nets (0-2) 82-73 tonight in the 2012 Orlando Summer League.

Guard Jonathan Gibson (New Mexico State) went off in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 17 points to help Boston take care of Brooklyn. He was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers overall and 4-for-4 from the field in the final frame. Most impressive, he did all his damage in only 14 minutes.

Three other Celtics scored in double-figures: E'Twaun Moore (15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Kris Joseph (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Dionte Christmas (10 points). Jared Sullinger (8 points, 12 rebounds) didn't have quite the scoring output of Monday but he made up for it by owning the glass, including four offensive boards. JaJuan Johnson and Jamar Smith each scored eight points as well in the satisfying victory.

Al Thornton led the Nets with 16 points and eight rebounds, showing that his career could get back on track. Providence College alum MarShon Brooks added 13 points and four assists while former No. 3 pick in 2006 Adam Morrison had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) and rookie point guard Tyshawn Taylor put up 10 points but also seven turnovers.

Boston led 24-18 after one quarter but an extended drought in the second quarter gave Brooklyn a 45-31 advantage at halftime. The Celtics rolled 51-28 in the second half including 30-14 in the fourth quarter.

The C's hit five more 3-pointers (7-2) which made up for six less free throws made (23-17).

After playing in the final game of the day on Tuesday, Boston gets the first one on Wednesday. They'll meet Indiana (2-0), live at 11 a.m. on NBA TV.

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It's All About Celtics Rookie Forward Jared Sullinger On Day 1 Of Orlando Summer League

It only took one game in the 2012 Orlando Summer League that lasted 40 minutes to show why rookie forward Jared Sullinger could turn out to be a complete steal for the Celtics in the near future.

He had a game-high 20 points and six rebounds as the Celts (1-0) held off the Thunder (0-1) 73-65 this afternoon at the Magic's practice facility.

Second-year guard E'Twaun Moore (16 points, 4 assists) and guard Dionte Christmas (10 points, 10 rebounds) were the other C's in double-figures.

Oklahoma City rookie forward Perry Jones III, who fell even further than Sullinger in the 2012 NBA Draft, proved that when he puts his mind to it that he can be very effective on a basketball court. He had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Former Boston College guard Reggie Jackson led the Thunder with 19 points while Marquette forward Lazar Heyward added 18 points.

Boston jumped out to a 15-point lead (25-10) at the end of the first quarter but Oklahoma City cut it to 36-34 at halftime. The Thunder trailed 51-50 heading into the fourth.

Sullinger along with fellow rookies Kris Joseph (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Fab Melo (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks) all came off the bench for the Celtics.

Sullinger took over in the second half as he scored 14 of his 20 points. He showed versatility in his game: hitting a key 3-pointer in the fourth, make a nice spin move then layup and even a running hook shot off the glass. He was also 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

Guard Jamar Smith posted nine points for Boston while forward JaJuan Johnson grabbed eight rebounds in the victory.

The C's meet the Brooklyn Nets (0-1) and former Providence College star MarShon Brooks (subject of many trade rumors involving the Dwight Howard situation) tomorrow night (5 p.m., NBA TV).

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2012 NBA Summer Leagues: Feel The Excitement In Orlando & Las Vegas

Just a quick reminder that if you consider yourself a true hoops junkie like myself, you will definitely want to tune into NBA TV the next few weeks for the Orlando Summer League (July 9-13) and NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (July 13-22).

The fun starts tomorrow as the Orlando Summer League kicks off at 11 a.m. with the Brooklyn Nets taking on the Orlando Magic. The Celts face the Oklahoma City Thunder at 1 p.m. (bless you DVR). Here's the rest of the schedule, note that the games are closed to the public.

Orlando Summer League
Date Time Opponent
Monday, July 9 1:00 p.m. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, July 10 5:00 p.m. Brooklyn Nets
Wednesday, July 11 11:00 a.m. Indiana Pacers
Thursday, July 12 11:00 a.m. Detroit Pistons
Friday, July 13 10:00 a.m. Orlando Magic

Here's the schedule for Vegas, that one should be much more exciting with many more teams and actual crowds. I officially hate anyone that gets paid to cover those contests.

NBA Summer League
Date Time Opponent Venue
Monday, July 16 4:00 p.m. Atlanta Hawks, Cox Pavilion
Tuesday, July 17 10:00 p.m. Chicago Bulls, Cox Pavilion
Thursday, July 19 6:30 p.m. Sacramento Kings, Thomas & Mack Center
Saturday, July 21 10:30 p.m. Milwaukee Bucks, Thomas & Mack Center
Sunday, July 22 6:00 p.m. Los Angeles Clippers, Cox Pavilion

According to the blog Secret Rival, these are the players that will at least start on the Celtics' roster tomorrow afternoon in Orlando. True to form in summer league games, things are pretty fluid so some guys might leave, get hurt, etc. so by no means is this final.

He lists age, position and what team they played for most recently.

BOSTON CELTICS
Craig Brackins (24) - C - Maine (D-League)
Dionte Christmas (25) - SG - Rethymno (Greece)
Jonathan Gibson (24) - SG - Trabzonspor (Turkey)
JaJuan Johnson (23) - F - Celtics
Kris Joseph (23) - SF - 51st pick out of Syracuse
Stephane Lasme (29) - PF - Obradoiro (Spain)
Fab Melo (22) - C - 22nd pick out of Syracuse
E'Twaun Moore (23) - SG - Celtics
Jamar Smith (25) - SG - BK Prostejov (Czech Rep)
Jared Sullinger (20) - PF - 21st pick out of Ohio State
Sean Williams (25) - F/C - Celtics/Mavericks

Things to note about those players:
1) Brackins prepped at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire before going to Iowa State
2) Christmas played at Temple, he was a very good college player
3) Lasme went to UMass-Amherst and nearly made the Celtics last season.
4) Johnson, Moore and Williams were buried on Boston's bench in the playoffs last spring so they'll be trying to show what they have.
5) All three 2012 draft picks are scheduled to play.

It is understandable if the NBA Summer Leagues don't do it for you; I get that it's a sickness to watch more than one or two of these games and I can accept that. Still, keep in mind that many of these players make NBA rosters if not next season then in the near future. It's also a great chance to get your first look at the next crop of rookies around the NBA and get a feel for who is going to be good, bad, etc.

Last of all, it's the MLB All-Star break aka the most dead period in the sports year so there really aren't any other options as far as this week goes. Follow me on Twitter (@RichSlate) since I will be watching all the Celtics' games and tweeting about them. If I feel like they deserve some blog posts, I'll do that too.

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Just Your Run Of The Mill 27-Point Comeback Win By The Celtics Over The Magic, In Orlando

You have to hand it to the Orlando Magic. Twice in the last four days they've made losing to the Boston Celtics an art form.

After scoring a franchise-low 56 points in a pathetic 87-56 loss at TD Garden on Monday, the Magic (12-6) topped themselves with a 91-83 loss to the Celtics (8-9) at Amway Center tonight that will be talked about for years to come.

Orlando was up 27 points (52-25) with 3:11 left in the first half but somehow, they squandered that insurmountable lead to Boston, who was missing Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Jermaine O'Neal.

It was the Celtics' third straight win and their second against a quality team (both vs. the Magic). Boston undoubtedly has their number, the third and final chapter in the regular season is not until April 18 back at the Garden.

As befitting a game as batshit crazy as this one, the Celts got unexpectedly great contributions from rookie guard E'Twaun Moore (career-high 16 points, 4 of 4 on 3s) and Chris Wilcox (4 points, 3 rebounds, steal), who gave them a spark off the bench when Kevin Garnett (12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals) needed a break.

Let's also not forget the spectacular all-around game by Paul Pierce (24 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds) and Mickael Pietrus' (12 points) fine performance in his former home arena. Brandon Bass added 10 points, two steals and two blocks against his old team as well.

Somehow when he faced only KG, Wilcox and Greg Stiemsma (4 fouls in 7 minutes), Dwight Howard managed only 16 points and 16 rebounds. I guess that's what happens when you shoot 50% from the floor (6 of 12) and 50% from the foul line (4-8).

Jason Richardson had 13 points, Ryan Anderson added 12 points, Jameer Nelson had 11 points and Hedo Turkoglu scored 10 but none of them could help Orlando avoid an eight-point fourth quarter. Really.

Glen Davis (3 for 11, 7 points) was horrible for the second time in a row against his old team; I'm shocked that such a mentally stable guy would psyche himself out like that.

What this victory meant for the Celtics and their fans is that despite many things going against them, this squad has an abundance of heart and resolve. They had every excuse to pack it in tonight, especially when they went down big right away but they kept plugging away and eventually the Magic cracked/the Celtics executed.

Orlando led 32-16 after the first quarter and 58-37 at halftime-they scored more in the first half then they did on Monday! Boston came alive in the third (27-17) and sealed it in the fourth (27-8).

After starting out ice cold, the Celtics finished with a very respectable 46.6% shooting percentage to 38.0% for the Magic. Boston hit five more 3s (10-5) but Orlando hit five more free throws (18-13). The Magic had nine more rebounds (46-37) but the Celts had seven more assists (23-16). Orlando had four more steals (10-6) but Boston had eight more blocks (11-3) which is insane when you think about it. The Magic owned the paint (38-22) and converted way more off turnovers (25-15).

With a game tomorrow night against the Pacers at TD Garden, a team that has already beaten them twice, I will give the C's a pass for what almost certainly will be a loss. Tonight's win showed that with improved health and a few shrewd moves, they could make some noise in the Eastern Conference after all this season.

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E'Twaun Moore, Coming To An Italian Basketball Court Near You

Well it's finally happened. One of the Boston Celtics has committed to playing overseas during the NBA lockout.

Haha but fear not folks since it's not Rajon Rondo or any of the Big 3 taking their talents to Europe. Rather, it's rookie guard E'Twaun Moore, who probably has a much better chance of building a respectable career in Italy than bouncing around between the NBA and D-League stateside.

The deal that he signed with Benetton Treviso, a team in Italy's Lega Serie A, has an opt-out clause that would allow him to return to the Celts should the lockout end during his time abroad.

A young man's gotta eat and make a living so I applaud him (or his agent) for having the ingenuity to pack up and get out of town since the NBA appears nowhere close to a settlement.

From ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg
"It's a great situation for E'Twaun," Moore's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said. "Treviso is a terrific team that plays top European competition and, if the lockout ends, there's an option to terminate the contract -- a small window of time -- so we'll just see what happens.

"It's an exciting chance for him to play -- play at a high level -- and make some money in a great environment."

The former Purdue star is expected to go to Italy by Aug. 15, before the team starts training camp for its 2011-12 season. In a perfect world, he'll play well and the NBA will get back to business on schedule. However, as everyone should know by now this world is far from perfect so likely one or both of those things won't happen.

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Boston Celtics Draft A Pair Of Purdue Teammates

For about two minutes last night, my dream came true as the Boston Celtics drafted a player from my alma mater (Providence College) at No. 25 in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft: shooting guard Marshon Brooks (@marshon2).

PC's last first round pick was Austin Croshere in 1997 so these occasions don't exactly frequently occur. I had my Ryan Gomes Celtics jersey on (probably the only one in existence outside of Gomes' extended family and friends) and all was right in the world.

However, as soon as I started tweeting about it and receiving congratulatory text messages, I read on Twitter that Brooks would be dealt to the New Jersey Nets (at No. 27) and they would pick Purdue power forward JaJuan Johnson (6-10, 220 pounds) for the C's. FYI, his Twitter handle is @BoilerBaller25

The Celts made it two Boilermakers as they selected Johnson's teammate E'Twaun Moore (guard, 6-4, 191 pounds) at No. 55 in the late second round.

Putting aside my obvious bias towards Brooks (who is going to be a legitimate scorer off the bench in the NBA right away), I have to say that Johnson and Moore both seem like good fits for Boston, a team that has a championship window of only a year or two more.

I will admit that I never watch Big Ten basketball since it is the most boring league in college basketball but I heard both these names a ton and they put up good numbers and most importantly, went to school four years apiece. This was supposedly a bad draft class but Boston was smart to go for two players that have done all they can to get better on and off the court in college.

The Celtics don't need more projects like Avery Bradley (last year's first round pick, a guard from the University of Texas), who barely played last season and looks years away from making any sort of impact.

Around this time of year, everyone and their mother literally produces a mock draft and becomes an expert on all the NBA prospects. The site that I trust the most is nbadraft.net so therefore I was intrigued to see what they said about the two newest members of the Green and White.

This is their profile on Johnson.

This is their profiled on Moore.

It's tough to say how they will pan out and it's frustrating that there is no NBA Summer League this summer due to the probable NBA lockout. Still, grabbing a pair of teammates from a solid college program appears to be a smart move. They'll have a built in support system and hopefully be able to bring Boston two things they really lack: youthful energy and production off the bench.

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