The Celtics Pulled Off A Sneaky Good Deal By Flipping Moses Brown For Josh Richardson

 

    While we wait for the three team trade between Boston, Atlanta and Sacramento to hopefully go through sometime soon, the Celtics did make another notable move over the weekend by trading center Moses Brown (we hardly knew ya!) to the Mavericks for guard Josh Richardson. It beats me if Brown is any good since he was here for a little over a month (dealt from Oklahoma City in the Al Horford/Kemba Walker trade) and finished his glorious Celtics career with a grand total of zero games played. Richardson on the other hand is a much more known commodity since he's played in the NBA for six seasons: four with Miami, one with Philadelphia and one with Dallas. In five of those six years including the last five in a row, he's averaged at least 10.2 points per game which doesn't sound like much but it's nothing to sniff at. 

    In many ways, Richardson has already exceeded any outside expectations for what he would do in the NBA since he was a second-round pick (40th overall) by the Heat in 2015 out of the University of Tennessee. His career averages are pretty solid across the board: 12.3 points per game, 1.1 steals per game, 42.7% field goal percentage, 35.8% 3-pointer percentage and 83.2% free throw percentage. He's definitely used to being a starter in the league since he has started in 299 of 373 possible games and averaged 30.6 minutes per game so it'll be interesting to see what role he carves out for the C's. His best season in a pro was in 2018-19-his last in Miami-when he averaged a career-high 16.6 points per game, 4.1 assists per game, 1.1 steals per game and shot 86.1% on free throws as he started all 73 games that he appeared in.

    Brad Stevens and the Celts still have plenty of work to do with free agency officially opening in the NBA on Monday night at 6 pm. Free agent swingman Evan Fournier-who is currently tearing it up at the Olympics with France-is the main internal question facing Boston: do they bring him back after they traded for him last season or do they let him walk? The aforementioned three-way trade would reportedly culminate with them acquiring former legendary Providence College point guard Kris Dunn and center Bruno Fernando from the Hawks while center Tristan Thompson will get sent to basketball Siberia aka the Kings. I'll save my thoughts on that move until it actually occurs (or sadly doesn't). Until then, let's hope that by whatever means necessary, Stevens & Co. can pick up some more quality players because the Celtics still need plenty of them to improve on their lackluster seventh-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season.

I've Never Been More Excited In My Life For A Celtics Season To Mercifully Come To An End

 

    The Celtics have suffered through many terrible seasons (and I'm sure that there will be plenty more of those in the future) in my lifetime but I have to be honest: I can't ever remember wanting a season to end as much as I needed this group to go away. Thankfully the Nets were there to help us as they blew out the Celts one last time: 123-109 tonight at the Barclays Center in Game 5 of their pointless first round playoff series which Brooklyn took four games to one. With that, Boston heads into the off-season with a boatload of questions that they'll need to figure out. Point guard Kemba Walker (knee) and center Robert Williams (ankle) were inactive for the second game in a row, couple that with All-Star Jaylen Brown's absence and you can understand why the C's had no shot in this game or in the series for that matter. 

    As always, the Nets were led by their big three: shooting guard James Harden had a triple-double with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists with two blocks and two steals; point guard Kyrie Irving added 25 points and power forward Kevin Durant notched 24 points and three blocks. Brooklyn also got solid contributions from small forward Joe Harris (10 points, 6 assists) and Boston native Bruce Brown put up 10 points, five rebounds and four steals off the bench in the win. For Boston, superstar Jayson Tatum's fourth season in the NBA ended with a team-high 32 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. Shooting guard Evan Fournier had 18 points and six rebounds, shooting guard Romeo Langford got a rare start and he made the most of it with 17 points, two blocks and two steals.  Guard Marcus Smart added 14 points and seven rebounds and the forgotten man Jabari Parker put up 13 points off the bench for the Celts. 

    Boston hung around for longer than they should have as Brooklyn led 31-24 after the first quarter and 59-51 at halftime. The Celtics actually outscored the Nets 28-27 in the third quarter before they predictably collapsed in the fourth quarter (27-20) which allowed the home team to lead by as much as 22 points. Brooklyn advances to the second round where they'll meet Milwaukee which should be a way more competitive and interesting series. For Celts GM Danny Ainge (who should be on the hot seat but probably won't be), his summer starts right now as the C's have three pending free agents: Fournier, power forward Semi Ojeleye and center Luke Kornet. Of those three, I'd hope that Fournier is the only one that they are inclined to re-sign (assuming that they don't wildly overpay him). The scary part is that the Celtics are always so reluctant to make big moves. That's why Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens probably won't be fired this summer not that they are the sole reasons why this team underachieved so drastically. Tatum and Brown are obviously everything to Boston's hopefully much brighter days ahead. Other than them-as far as I'm concerned-they are all tradeable in the right deal. 

    The Celts head into the long break with so many issues surrounding them that it's hard to know just where to begin. A) They have to keep Tatum and Brown healthy and happy together; B) They need to surround those two with more talented guys all around them; C) They should get creative to sell the city to perspective free agents. This gentleman's sweep of a series proved yet again how far away they actually are from Brooklyn (who combined in the regular season and playoffs went 7-1 against them in 2020-21) not to mention Philadelphia and Milwaukee-and that's just in the Eastern Conference! I will always love the Celtics and cheer for them but there really was very little to enjoy in this doomed campaign: they endlessly battled Covid-19 with a bunch of guys, injuries to key players, the countless losses to awful teams and they had a bunch of younger players that did not seem to get better as they rotted away on the bench. Here is to some honest conversations in the Celtics' front office starting tomorrow that eventually lead to major changes-whatever that entails. That franchise is too rich in history (namely winning championships) and they have too many fans all around the world to accept another useless campaign like that.  

Friday Was Fun, Now Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming: The Nets Owning The C's

 

    I thoroughly enjoyed Game 3 on Friday and I hope that you did too because now the Celtics-Nets first-round playoff series is all but over after Brooklyn gave Boston another reality check tonight at the TD Garden with a 141-126 beating that wasn't nearly that close. The Nets' big three of Kevin Durant (game-high 42 points, 5 assists, 2 blocks), Kyrie Irving (39 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals) and James Harden (23 points, playoff career-high 18 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals) combined for an absurd 104 points as Brooklyn took a commanding 3-1 series lead. Only 13 teams in NBA history have ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit so yeah, Game 5 on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the Barclays Center will be the last time that you thankfully see these woefully overmatched Celts for a long time. Let's just hope that Celtics GM Danny Ainge has the guts to make some real moves this summer for the first time in a while since this team is in desperate need of some major tinkering.  

     A tall task for Boston to even the series at two games apiece got even more unlikely right before tip-off as point guard Kemba Walker (left knee medial bone bruise) and center Robert Williams (left ankle sprain) were both ruled out. Williams is sadly made of glass so that wasn't a surprise by any means but it was a bummer that Kemba couldn't play either as bad as he's been in this series. That meant more pressure fell on Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum (team-high 40 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) and he met the challenge about as well as you could possibly imagine given the impossible deck stacked against him. Point guard Marcus Smart (16 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) and shooting guard Evan Fournier (16 points) were both predictably ice cold after they were each really good in Game 3's shocking win by the Celts. 

    The Nets also received 14 points from small forward Joe Harris while Boston native Bruce Brown added 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Boston had three bench guys in double-figures, only because there was so much garbage time after Brooklyn led by as many as 27 points. Rookie point guard Payton Pritchard scored 12 points, rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith added 11 points and the ghost of Jabari Parker notched 10 points and six rebounds in front of a sold-out Garden (for the first time at a Celtics game in 14+ months). The Nets improved to 6-1 against the Celtics this season so let's not kid ourselves into thinking that all this dominance is just because of Boston's current injuries. Brooklyn can put the C's and their fans out of their collective misery on Tuesday in what will undoubtedly be another blowout. Haha good times!

Jayson Tatum Drops 50+ Points For The Fourth Time In 49 Days As C's Avoid A Sweep By The Nets

 

    Well tonight Kyrie Irving (16 points on 6-of-17 shooting, 6 rebounds) returned to the TD Garden with a decent amount of fans in the building and thankfully, there was nothing but a playoff basketball game to talk about after it was all over. In Game 3 of their first round series, Brooklyn jumped out to a 19-4 lead and at that point, I would have bet anything that they would cruise to another easy win. Not so fast my friends as Boston fought back and eventually held on for a pretty thrilling 125-119 victory behind star Jayson Tatum's latest postseason career-high 50-point, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals masterpiece. This being the predictable NBA, the Celts probably will not win another game in the series since the Nets have way more top-end talent than them but hey, at least they showed some life and were not swept away like a bunch of lifeless scrubs.

    If Kyrie had been a shell of his usual self, Brooklyn could have walked away with a 3-0 series lead (reminder: no team in NBA history has ever recovered from an 0-3 hole). Shooting guard James Harden (team-high 41 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds) and power forward Kevin Durant (39 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals) were both fantastic but with Jeff Green (planter fasciitis) out for the rest of the series, no other Net scored more than eight points. Despite what you might think, Tatum was not a one-man show as guard Marcus Smart added 23 points and six assists, center Tristan Thompson had his best game as a Celtic with 19 points and 13 rebounds then shooting guard Evan Fournier notched 17 points and five rebounds. If you're wondering about center Robert Williams, he played six minutes before leaving with a left ankle injury. He never returned to action and he was seen afterwards in a walking boot. Ugh, other than Gordon Hayward, he is the most injury prone guy on the C's that I've ever seen. You can never count on him for any stretch of time because there is always some injury or issue waiting for him around every corner.  

Whenever the Nets advance past the Celtics (I'm thinking in a gentleman's sweep of 5 games now, right?), they are going to have serious trouble when they face better teams like the Sixers or Bucks in the East. Their big three is normally incredible but the lack of depth is an issue, rookie head coach Steve Nash is as green as he can be in that role and most importantly, Brooklyn refuses to play any sort of defense at all. Yes they have some amazing highlights every game on the offensive end but how do you give up 125 points to a team with one great player? Their lack of size inside is scary as well.  

    Boston shot 5.4% better from the field (50.6%-45.2%), they grabbed nine more rebounds (46-37), they dished out five more assists (21-16), they scored six more points in the paint (21-15) and they tallied eight more second chance points (13-5). The Celtics led 33-32 after the first quarter which expanded slightly to 61-57 at halftime. Unlike in Game 1, the Nets did not come storming back in the third quarter as the C's were up by as many as 17 points (96-79) late in the frame before Brooklyn cut it to 96-84 going into the fourth quarter. They outscored the Celts 35-29 in the final stanza but it was not enough to steal the win or even force overtime. 

    Game 4 is on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) back at the Garden and the cool footnote to that is that there will be a full capacity crowd for the first time in the 2020-21 season since many of the Massachusetts Covid-19 restrictions go away on Saturday. If 5000 people made that much noise and caused Kyrie to be so shook, imagine what more than three times that amount of loud Massholes on a long weekend bender could produce? Like most realistic Celtics fans-which is an oxymoron-I was shocked that they pulled Game 3 out so I would be completely dumbfounded if they can do it again in Game 4 (let's call that extremely unlikely at best). It had been an all-around nightmare week for the Celtics so it was nice to see them put all the drama and negative attention to the side and show a little heart against the Nets.

In Gm 1 Of Their Playoff Series Vs. Nets, C's Played About As Well As They Could But Still Lost By 11

 

    Under the current impossible circumstances, you could not dream of a better start than what the Celtics got in Game 1 of their first round playoff series with the Nets tonight at Barclays Center. Boston led 21-16 after the first quarter and 53-47 at halftime. As shocking as that was, the second half was basically paint by numbers as Brooklyn decided to try a little bit and they blew the C's out of the water-winning by double-digits (104-93) in a contest where they played kind of terrible. Not that we needed it but it served as a sobering reality check for the Celts that no matter what they do (save for an asteroid hitting the Earth in the next week), they are going to get swept by the Nets in four forgettable games and their really disappointing 2020-2021 season will mercifully be over by next Sunday night.

    One of the only interesting sub-plots of this foregone conclusion of a series is the fact that Brooklyn's big three of power forward Kevin Durant (game-high 32 points, 12 rebounds), point guard Kyrie Irving (29 points, 6 rebounds) and shooting guard James Harden (21 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals) had only played together for a grand total of 202 minutes in the regular season. How would it look when they face the pressure of the postseason against a quality opponent? Haha well obviously that question will have to wait until at least the next round since this series basically serves as Brooklyn's extended warmup to the playoffs. Swingman Jayson Tatum led Boston with 22 points and five assists but he was held to 6-for-20 shooting from the field and he turned the ball over four times as well. Guard Marcus Smart (17 points, 5 assists) actually played pretty well and center Robert Williams was able to suit up and he nearly put up a triple-double (11 points, 9 rebounds and a team playoff record 9 blocks) in 23 minutes off the bench. Point guard Kemba Walker scored 15 points while shooting guard Evan Fournier added 10 points, six rebounds and two steals in his Celtics playoff debut. Center Tristan Thompson grabbed 10 rebounds and had two steals in his first playoff game as a Celtic.

    Nets head coach Steve Nash's first playoff game was far from a masterpiece but honestly, how much does he have to do? Small forward Joe Harris (10 points) was the only other Net to score in double-figures and just nine guys on Brooklyn saw the floor but when you have the best trio in the league, you can cut many corners. Brooklyn came out in the third quarter and finally looked a little like the title contender that they are expected to be as they outscored Boston 31-20. The Celtics kept trying in the fourth quarter but they are extremely limited offensively without Jaylen Brown in there so they were outscored 26-20 in the final frame. Neither team shot well at all but Brooklyn at least was over 40% (41.7%) while Boston was 36.9% which is pathetic considering how terrible the Nets are defensively. Brooklyn made six more free throws (26-20) and grabbed 10 more rebounds (50-40). The Nets had twice as many points off turnovers (18-9) as the Celtics. 

    If the C's were ever going to surprise the Nets, this was the time for it. Now, Brooklyn will be more dialed in from the beginning of the game and as a result, Boston will get destroyed and lose by way bigger margins in Games 2-4. This being the NBA, they already get a needless extra day off between contests so Game 2 is on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and I expect a much uglier blowout loss for the Celts. The Nets were 8-of-34 (23.5%) on 3-pointers in Game 1 and if you think that number will stay in the same area code for the rest of the series, you are completely delusional.

With Nobody Watching, The Celtics Likely Won For The Last Time This Season (124-108 At Minnesota)

 

    For a variety of reasons-1) it was a gorgeous summer-like day in New England; 2) the game started at 2 p.m. on a Saturday; 3) it meant literally nothing-I'm guessing that today's 124-108 victory for the Celtics (36-35 overall, 15-20 away) against the Timberwolves (22-49 overall, 12-23 home) was probably their lowest rated game in years on NBC Sports Boston. The penultimate regular season contest of this terrible season had the feel of a preseason game in Springfield, MA. Boston is already locked into the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference but they still don't know who they will host in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday since the eight through ten seeds (Charlotte, Washington and Indiana) all have the same exact awful record (33-38). Haha can you feel the excitement? 

    Anytime that Celtics power forward Semi Ojeleye (6 points, 7 rebounds) starts for Boston, you know that something has gone horribly wrong. I guess doubly so when center Luke Kornet (12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks) aka the Murder Kornet joins him in the starting lineup. Celts star Jayson Tatum had a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes while shooting guard Evan Fournier added 18 points and six assists with rookie guard Payton Pritchard rounding out the starters with 11 points and four steals. 11 guys got to play for Boston (sorry Carsen Edwards) as point guard Tremont Waters (14 points, 7 assists) had what must have been his best performance in the NBA and power forward Grant Williams notched 11 points and six rebounds off the bench as well. 

    The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the C's while the Timberwolves jockey for position in the Draft Lottery. Center Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points, 14 rebounds) posted a double-double and rookie swingman Anthony Edwards-who is making a late push for Rookie of the Year-added 23 points, six assists and three steals. Point guard D'Angelo Russell put up 11 points and six assists with center Naz Reid (12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks) padding his stats off the bench. Boston's regular season finale is tomorrow afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston) at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks (40-31 overall, 24-11 home). Expect an ugly blowout loss for the Celts not just because New York is way better than them but also since the Knicks are tied with the Hawks for fourth-place in the Eastern Conference so they will no doubt want to get that home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Will The Celtics Win Another Game In The Doomed 2020-21 Regular Season/Play-In Tournament?

 

    No matter how much we all want this Celtics (35-35 overall, 14-20 away) team to go away for awhile, it appears like the team itself is even more determined to end this season as soon as possible. The timing was just too perfect since star Jaylen Brown had surgery on his left wrist's damaged ligaments yesterday right before his lifeless team fell 102-94 last night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to the Cavaliers (22-48 overall, 13-23 home). The win snapped an 11-game losing streak for Cleveland while Boston's tailspin continued with their fourth loss in a row. In the grand scheme of things, this game meant very little but technically, Boston still has not secured the No. 7 seed yet and they could drop to as low as No. 9. Granted, no matter where they land and if they somehow survive the Play-In Tournament, do you have any hope that they'll make any noise before getting swept by Philadelphia (47-22) or Brooklyn (46-24) in the first round?

    The C's actually led by two points (69-67) going into the fourth quarter before they crumbled. The ghost of Kevin Love has appeared in less than half the games this season (can you blame him?) but he turned in a vintage performance with a game-high 30 points, 14 rebounds and two steals. If the Cavs are ever going to get good again (assuming that LeBron James does not return home again for a second time), they will need point guard Collin Sexton (28 points, 8 assists) to become the star that he shows glimpses of from time to time. Rookie swingman Isaac Okoro added 15 points and six assists in the rare Cavaliers victory. 

    Boston's active star Jayson Tatum had some nice stats (team-high 29 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) but he shot 11-of-26 from the floor. With little left to play for, the Celts chose to sit down guards Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker while center Robert Williams (will he appear in another game this season?) continues to deal with his apparently deadly case of turf toe. Shooting guard Evan Fournier added 15 points, center Tristan Thompson notched 10 points and rookie guard Payton Pritchard scored 15 points and had seven rebounds off the bench. There are two games left for the C's in the regular season: at Minnesota (22-47 overall, 12-21 home) on Saturday afternoon (2, NBC Sports Boston) and at New York (38-31 overall, 22-11 home) on Sunday afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston). The first ever Play-In Tournament in NBA history begins on Tuesday.

The Heat Swept The Two-Game Set With The Celts, Sending Boston To The Play-In Tournament

 

    Much like I was saying last fall and winter about the hapless Patriots, this miserable season for the Celtics (35-34 overall, 21-15 home) has to end and thankfully for us, that will probably come soon. Tonight at the TD Garden, the Heat (38-31 overall, 18-16 away) clinched a playoff spot and in the process, relegated Boston to the gutter I mean the lovely Play-In Tournament next week as the likely No. 7 seed. In their first game knowing that star Jaylen Brown (upcoming wrist surgery) was not going to return to this sinking ship of a campaign, the C's at least tried but even if Brown and Robert Williams (turf toe) were in the lineup, it does not matter. Who could argue at this point that Miami is not simply a better team than them? They took the season series 2-1 and they are playing like a group that is peaking as they head into the postseason (7-3 in their last 10 games) while the Celtics continue to unravel like you read about (3-7 in their last 10 games). 

    Miami's best player Jimmy Butler (13 points) did not even play in the second half after getting poked in the eye by Celtics guard Marcus Smart (10 points, 5 assists) in the second quarter. The Heat are so much deeper than the C's and they also have a cohesive gameplan which is a big advantage over the Celts who often play like they all just met earlier that same day. Heat guard Tyler Herro (24 points, 11 rebounds) single-handedly outscored the Celtics bench (20 points combined) by himself. Steady center Bam Adebayo (7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) and sweet shooting guard Duncan Robinson both scored 22 points while guard Kendrick Nunn added 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals. For the Celtics, point guard Kemba Walker (game-high 36 points, 7 rebounds), swingman Jayson Tatum (33 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) and shooting guard Evan Fournier (20 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks) were all very good but nobody else really did anything for the home team.

    It was tied at 28 after the first quarter and Miami led by six points (62-56) at halftime. The Heat started to take over some more in the third quarter (31-23) and they opened up a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter when backup point guard Goran Dragic (17 points) drained a 3-pointer to make it 105-84. From there, the Celts did their usual window dressing fake comeback thing which makes the final score look more respectable when in reality, it could not have mattered less. This evening was the last home game of the regular season for Boston, now they have three road games in the next five days to fully sort this mess out before the Play-In Tournament begins next Tuesday. 

    Boston is at Cleveland (21-48 overall, 12-23 home) tomorrow night (8, NBC Boston), they go to Minnesota (22-47 overall, 12-21 home) on Saturday (time TBA, NBC Sports Boston) and it ends on Sunday (time TBA, NBC Sports Boston) at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks (38-31 overall, 22-11 home) who are tied with the Heat and Hawks (38-31) for fourth-place in the Eastern Conference with each team having three games left. The Celtics have already lost to the Cavs earlier this season and needed overtime to beat the T-Wolves so I would normally say that they should win those games to get tuned up for next week but let's be honest, it could not matter less at this point. They are going nowhere fast and the off-season needs to happen as quickly as possible.

The Celtics Seem Destined For The 2021 Play-In Tournament & Frankly They Deserve To Be There

    I have lived long enough to have seen plenty of terrible Celtics teams so while this season's edition is nowhere close to the worst record-wise, they have to be the softest of any that I can remember. No matter how seemingly hopeless their opponent is, Boston can still find a way to not only lose to them but get blown out. This evening at the United Center, the Bulls (28-39 overall, 13-20 home) swept the season series with the Celtics (35-32 overall, 14-19 away) thanks to a breeze of a 121-99 victory. As always, two of Boston's top players were out: Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Robert Williams (turf toe?) missed the game but that is still no excuse for suffering the millionth embarrassing loss of this cursed season to a non-playoff club. It was a very costly loss for the C's too since coupled with Miami's (36-31) 121-112 win vs. Minnesota (20-47), it dropped Boston down to seventh-place (aka the start of the Play-In tournament range) in the Eastern Conference. 

    Chicago is in 11th place in the East but they look like a playoff team when they have run into the Celtics this season. Center Nikola Vucevic had a triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals while point guard Coby White (25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and shooting guard Zach LaVine (25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) combined for 50 points. Our old German friend Daniel Theis added nine points and eight rebounds for the Bulls. In terms of margin of defeat, this was the biggest road loss of the season for the Celtics and they really drove that point home as they got outscored in every single quarter. Boston's point guard Kemba Walker had a game-high and completely useless 33 points while swingman Evan Fournier added 17 points and six rebounds in the depressing no-show. 

    There are only five games left in the regular season for the C's and their next two-both at TD Garden vs. the Heat-will go a long way to determining whether they have to slum it at the Play-In Tournament or they can sneak by and grab anywhere from the fourth to the sixth seed. The two most important contests of the year are Sunday afternoon (1, ABC) and Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) against Miami who is .500 (16-16) on the road this season. Thanks to a postponed game, the only time that the Celtics and Heat have met this season was more than four months ago: a 107-105 road win by the Celts in Miami on January 6. I can't recall much from that matchup but looking back at it now, it was without a doubt one of Boston's best wins of the season. The Heat have been very up and down all season, much like the Celtics but as long as Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are all healthy and playing, it's hard to pick Boston over the team that wiped the floor with them in the Eastern Conference Final last season at the Orlando bubble.

An NBA Preseason Game In May? It Looked Like The C's Sure Enjoyed Their Trip To Disney World

 

    Nobody rolls over faster than an NBA team that's destined for the draft lottery (as Charles Barkley loves to say about tanking teams "1-2-3 Cancun!") with a few games remaining in their regular season. The Celtics (35-31 overall, 14-18 away) were a first-hand witness to that phenomenon tonight at the Amway Center as they destroyed the hapless Magic (21-45 overall, 11-24 home) 132-96. Point guard Kemba Walker tied his season-high with 32 points while swingman Jayson Tatum (27 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) played well with shooting guard Jaylen Brown sidelined with an ankle injury. This was never even close since Boston led by 12 points after the first quarter (39-27) and never looked back, outscoring Orlando by at least six points in each subsequent frame. 

    Shooting guard Evan Fournier (18 points, 2 steals) actually got a tribute video from the Magic (in his 1st game back) after he spent parts of six seasons there. Guard Marcus Smart (9 assists) was not suspended after he was ejected from Sunday's loss to Portland (37-29). After two days between games (a rarity in 2020-21), this game could not have turned out much better from Boston's perspective. Nobody on the Celts played more than Kemba's 31 minutes, all nine bench guys for Boston got to play for at least five minutes apiece and each player scored a minimum of two points. Everybody's favorite backup center/full-time giant human Tacko Fall (4 blocks) was able to partake in the fun. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard added 14 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Orlando had nine total players available for the game if you were wondering how seriously they were taking this farce of a matchup. 

    It might have been a textbook fake win but the Celtics will take it since the result put them in a tie with Miami (35-31) for sixth-place in the Eastern Conference. The Celts own the tiebreakers against the Heat so at the moment, they are just barely clear of the play-in tournament (No. 7-10 teams). On Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston), Boston goes to Chicago (26-39 overall, 12-20 home) to face a club that hasn't officially been eliminated from playoff contention but that formality will happen any day now. The Bulls have lost their last four games in a row so much like the Magic, this seems like a great time to face them at the United Center. I'm guessing that contest will be at least a little more competitive because you literally could not try less than Orlando did this evening but we shall see.

No Matter What They Do, The Celtics Simply Cannot Have Nice Things In This Doomed Season

 

    It wasn't bad enough that that the Celtics (34-31 overall, 21-13 home) were about to lose to the Trail Blazers (36-28 overall, 20-12 away) tonight at TD Garden, nope the C's had to pour some gasoline on that fire and watch their season continue to burn to the ground. In the final minutes, guard Marcus Smart (11 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) got ejected for hitting Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals) in the nuts coming off a screen and even worse, in garbage time shooting guard Jaylen Brown (16 points, 11 rebounds) and swingman Jayson Tatum (33 points, 5 assists, 6 turnovers) stepped on each other's feet trying to steal an inbounds pass. You can't make this stuff up as both guys had to hobble to the back with ankle injuries. Oh and Portland won their fourth straight game, 129-119. 

    Even in defeat, this Celtics club is super dramatic. Haha they can't just lose and go home, instead a key player risks possible suspension in an important part of the calendar while their two All-Stars could miss games down the stretch as well. There are only seven games left (5 on the road, 2 at home) in their regular season and this loss dropped them down to seventh-place in the Eastern Conference aka the top play-in seed. Oy, they followed up their best win of the year and Tatum's game of his life with another dud where their defense never bothered to show up. The Blazers are a very good offensive team but good lord, give me a break. Allowing 129 points in regulation on your home court is beyond pathetic. 

    If you know anything about Portland, you are probably confident that shooting guard CJ McCollum (33 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and point guard Damian Lillard (26 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds) must have had fine performances and surprise, they did! Lillard's shooting was off (8-of-18 from the floor) but his playmaking for McCollum and other teammates was superb. Small forward Norman Powell (23 points) has been a sneaky great pickup from Toronto and power forward Robert Covington added 10 points and two blocks in the win. I've never been a big Carmelo Anthony fan (who is?) but I will give him credit, he still has something left as he scored 13 points off the bench. 

    Among other things that Boston wasted this evening, swingman Evan Fournier (21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) had his best game as a Celtic since he hit 5-of-7 3-pointers. Off the top of my head, I'm going to say that this was the best outing for rookies Aaron Nesmith (16 points) and Payton Pritchard (13 points, 6 rebounds) in the same game. Pritchard was awesome to start this season then predictably tailed off but he's been better lately; Nesmith was MIA for much of the year but randomly, he's been really good the last few games. If Brown and Tatum are injured and miss any time, those three guys are the most likely candidates to pick up the slack for them. 

This was an NBA game straight out of the 1980s meaning that no defense was ever allowed. The Blazers led by a bucket (34-32) after one quarter and it was tied (71-71!) at halftime. Boston had their standard third quarter swoon (getting outscored 32-27) and that carried over in the fourth quarter too (26-21 Trail Blazers). Want some gross stats by the home team? Of course you do! Portland attempted 11 more free throws (26-15) and made nine more of them (22-13); the Blazers had five more steals (8-3), half as many turnovers (18-9) which led to 10 more points off turnovers (25-15). Plain and simple, Boston did not deserve to win this contest. 

    They get two days to rest and recover before a mini two-game road trip goes to Orlando (20-44 overall, 11-23 home) on Wednesday (7, NBC Sports Boston) then at Chicago (26-38 overall, 12-19 home) on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). The Magic have absolutely nothing to play for at this point besides seeding in the draft lottery while the Bulls have a slim shot of sneaking into the play-in tournament but let's be real, that ain't happening. The main objective here for the Celtics is to avoid the play-in tournament and that starts with beating these two garbage teams on the road later this week. Boston doesn't return to the Garden for a week until they have a back-to-back against the Heat (35-30 overall, 16-16 road) on Mother's Day afternoon (1, ABC) and next Tuesday (7, NBC Sports Boston). Atlanta (35-30) and Miami moved into fifth and sixth-place respectively in the East, one game ahead of the C's.

The Celtics Hit Rock Bottom With A Sickening 119-115 Loss At The Garden To The Tanking Thunder

 

    You could try but it would be hard to come up with a much more depressing single game result than what happened to the rudderless Celtics (32-30 overall, 19-12 home) this evening at the TD Garden. They somehow found a way to lose to one of the worst teams in the NBA-the Thunder (21-41 overall, 12-20 away)-by a score of 119-115. Yes, three of Boston's best players-Jayson Tatum (ankle), Kemba Walker (oblique) and Robert Williams (knee)-were all out but I don't care, if you consider yourself to be a contender let alone a playoff team, you can't lose to a bottom feeder outfit that entered with a 14-game losing streak and on the second night of a back-to-back. I'm pretty sure that mild-mannered Celts head coach Brad Stevens doesn't drink (of course not) but I wouldn't blame him for getting hammered tonight to forget about this loser squad of his. 

    Oklahoma City has been sitting many of their best players for weeks (to get the best draft position possible) so you have to be a truly hardcore NBA fan to name more than a few of the nobodies currently playing for the Thunder. They were led by swingman Luguentz Dort (team-high 24 points), power forward Darius Bazley had a double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) and seven-footer Aleksej Pokusevski (12 points, 6 rebounds) who somehow weighs under 200 pounds. Off the bench, center Isaiah Roby added 15 points and seven rebounds while shooting guard Ty Jerome also scored 15 points. The Thunder are a G-League team so they obviously gave the C's plenty of chances to come away with the win (27 turnovers!) but Boston could do nothing consistently except brick 3-pointers (11-of-49 for 22.4%) over and over. 

    There were only three Celtics that showed anything that resembled professionalism: shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 39 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals), rookie guard Payton Pritchard who scored a career-high 28 points in 33 minutes off the bench and center Luke Kornet (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) who was another bright spot as a reserve. Guard Marcus Smart (14 points, 6 assists, 5 steals) had one of his patented brutal shooting performances (4-for-17 including 1-of-10 on 3-pointers) which always seem to come at the most opportune times. Swingman Evan Fournier (11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) was similarly terrible when it came to putting the ball in the basket: 4-for-14 from the field and 2-of-9 on 3-pointers. 

    Boston has dropped its last three games in a row and they are right back at it tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at home against Charlotte (30-31 overall, 14-18 away) who not only kicked their ass on Sunday but they are only a game and a half behind the C's with a game in hand. I hate to say it but this season just has to end for the Celtics before they do anything else like tonight's dreadful showing. Something major has to change with this team over the summer because they are not going anywhere with this current toxic mix of players and coaches. 

The Celtics Celebrate Easter By Beating The Hornets By 30 Points & Stealing All Of Their Candy

 

    What would have been a fun Easter night matchup between the Celtics (25-25 overall, 15-9 home) and the Hornets (25-24 overall, 12-15 away) lost most of its juice before the game had even started. On Saturday it was revealed that former Celtic Gordon Hayward would miss at least the next four weeks with a sprained foot. Add that to Rookie of the Year favorite LaMelo Ball already being out with a broken wrist and you can perhaps understand why shorthanded Charlotte got their asses kicked 116-86 tonight at the TD Garden. The Hornets actually led by one point (26-25) after the first quarter but the Celts proceeded to outscore them 73-44 over the second and third quarters combined. Boston's second win in a row brought them back to .500 and within a game of fourth-place Atlanta (26-24) and fifth-place Miami (26-24) in the Eastern Conference. 

    Each Celtics starter scored at least 12 points and shooting guard Evan Fournier (17 points, 6 assists, 2 steals) had his second straight quality outing off the bench for the C's. Swingman Jayson Tatum led the way with a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds while shooting guard Jaylen Brown added 17 points and six rebounds. Center Robert Williams notched 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals followed by point guard Kemba Walker (6 assists) and guard Marcus Smart who each dropped 12 points in the blowout victory. 

    The Celtics improved to 2-2 on this neverending seven-game homestand and the final three games this week should be telling: they host the top team in the East-the Sixers (34-16 overall, 14-11 away)-on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) the start of a back-to back that has the Knicks (25-25 overall, 11-15 away) here the next night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston); finally, the worst team in the NBA-the Timberwolves (12-38 overall, 5-21 away)-comes to town on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Philly is having a great season in Doc Rivers' first year as their head coach so that will be a really tough one for Boston to win. They are tied in the standings with New York so that could go either way and no matter what happens in those first two contests, they should easily beat Minnesota with their eyes closed.

UPDATE 4/6/21: Fournier was ruled out for tonight's game due to him being back in the NBA's health & safety protocol. 

Oh Neat, Once Again The Celtics Blew Out The G-League Rockets Which Ultimately Means Nothing

 

    Listen, don't be a fool and fall for one meaningless game that involves these frauds beating the second-worst team in the NBA. Tonight at the TD Garden, the Celtics (24-25 overall, 14-9 home) crushed the Rockets (13-35 overall, 7-18 away) 118-102. Obviously, Boston got the win and that's all that matters but keep in mind that was Houston's 25th loss in its last 27 games. Even the Buffalo Sabres think that is pretty pathetic. So yes, it was a hollow form of fun to see center Robert Williams (20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) dish out a career-high eight assists and shooting guard Evan Fournier (23 points) lit it up in the fourth quarter aka garbage time as he connected on a career-high seven 3-pointers. This helped the C's sweep the season series with the Rockets and nothing more. 

    Boston had four guys score 20+ points while Houston had none. Swingman Jayson Tatum had a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds and shooting guard Jaylen Brown notched a double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals). Point guard Kemba Walker added 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds while guard Marcus Smart recorded 10 assists and three steals. Center Christian Wood (19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals) is the only good player left on the Rockets (not counting John Wall who they only let play sporadically while they tank) meaning that he must be completely miserable. Shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr. (12 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) showed some of the potential that will keep him in the league despite his childish behavior off the court. Speaking of hating their lives, old friends Avery Bradley (15 points, 6 rebounds) and Kelly Olynyk (10 points) are two of the newest players on Houston after getting moved at the trade deadline. 

    What better way to celebrate Easter Sunday (6, NBC Sports Boston) than watching the Celts take on the Hornets (25-23 overall, 12-14 road) at the Garden in the middle game of this seven-game homestand? Right now with Lamelo Ball-the favorite for Rookie of the Year-out with a broken wrist, would you believe that Charlotte's two best players are more former Celtics: Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward? Talk about an awkward family reunion after they both left here not on great terms. Rozier was traded for Walker two summers ago while Hayward famously chose the Hornets over the Celtics (which in retrospect was a sneaky brilliant move) last summer. Hayward of course left this evening's 114-97 victory at Indiana (21-26) with a foot injury which is so unlike him. Hopefully he can suit up on Sunday night to really stick the knife in the back of his old college coach Brad Stevens and ex-teammates.

UPDATE 4/3/21: The Hornets just said that Hayward will be out for at least four weeks with a sprained foot. Happy Easter Mr. Glass!

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.