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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

Boston Heads Into The All-Star Break On A Four-Game Win Streak After A Defeat Of Toronto's JV

 

    For their last game before All-Star weekend, the Celtics (19-17 overall, 12-5 home) couldn't have asked for a much better situation. The Raptors (17-19 overall, 9-11 away) limped into Boston without five players-including two of their best in Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet-due to health & safety protocols along with head coach Nick Nurse and some of his assistants. Toronto gave it their best effort and they made it way harder on the Celts than it should have been but thankfully, the C's hung on for a no defense allowed 132-125 victory at the TD Garden. Eight Celtics scored in double figures as they completed a perfect homestand (4-0) at just the right time after last week when they were on the verge of a complete disaster of a season.

    Boston's young All-Star swingmen Jayson Tatum (team-high 27 points, game-high 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and Jaylen Brown (21 points, 7 rebounds) of course led the way and you'd hope that they'd sit out the festivities in Atlanta this weekend but unfortunately, that's not how NBA players roll in the personal brand driven world of 2021. Point guard Kemba Walker (15 points, 6 assists, 2 blocks) can always use a rest with his gimpy knee so the next game being in a week should help him although you could also argue that he was just getting into a bit of a groove. Power forward Tristan Thompson was the other starter to reach double digits in points (13) for Boston. Toronto only had eight guys available so it made sense that the Celtics could eventually wear them down as they played 10 guys and four of their five bench players were really good: power forward Grant Williams (17 points) had one of his best games as a pro, point guard Jeff Teague added 14 points, center Robert Williams (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) and rookie guard Payton Pritchard (10 points, 2 steals) both ended the first half on a high note. 

    How were the shorthanded Raptors able to hang in there for that long? Well basically it came down to the 3-point line as they hit an incredible 21-of-50 (42%) 3-pointers. Power forward Chris Boucher had a game-high 30 points and five rebounds off the bench for Toronto while shooting guard Terence Davis scored 22 off the bench before leaving late with a sprained ankle. Point guard Kyle Lowry was really the only star that played for the Raptors and he more than carried that load with 14 points and an absurd 19 assists. Shooting guard Norman Powell scored 25 points for Toronto while old friend Aron Baynes had 13 points and nine rebounds and small forward Stanley Johnson notched 14 points (remember when he was a lottery pick in 2015? Weird times). 

    The first half was basically an AAU summer league game as Toronto outscored Boston 34-31 in the first quarter and found themselves with a surprising 70-66 halftime lead. The Celtics dominated in the third quarter (35-22) and was able to hang on in the fourth (33-31 Raptors) despite a barrage of 3-pointers by Toronto. Boston made 15 more free throws (29-14), they grabbed 11 more rebounds (39-28) including 10 more defensive boards (30-20) on the rare occasions that anybody missed their shots. The C's also blocked six more shots (7-1) and scored 10 more points in the paint (54-44) which makes sense since the Raptors were missing their starting forwards and center-a less than ideal situation against one of their top rivals. 

    After Tatum and Brown have their fun in Atlanta, they'll rejoin the group in Boston next week as they prepare for a brief two-game road trip against one of the best teams in the NBA and then one of the worst. The C's make the short trip to red-hot Brooklyn (24-13 overall, 13-6 home) on Thursday (7:30, TNT) and follow that with a visit to Houston (11-23 overall, 5-10 home) on Saturday night (8, NBC Sports Boston). The Nets are 9-1 in their last 10 games and I feel like it's only a matter of time before they take over first-place in the Eastern Conference from the Sixers (24-12 overall). On the other end of the league landscape, the Rockets are tanking for that No. 1 pick like you read about. They have lost 13 games in a row which is quite depressing. It was such a weird first half for the Celtics (would you expect anything less in a pandemic?), but they somehow still find themselves sitting in fourth-place in the East. This is the same club that was recently out of the top eight in the conference so I guess we should be happy that they've recovered and gotten their season back on the right track. 

After Three Straight Losses, The Celtics Finally Decided To Give That Winning Thing A Try Again

 

    After falling into a deep, dark hole the last few weeks-the product of going 3-8 and losing in a variety of excruciating ways-you better believe that tonight's 118-112 win by the Celtics (16-17 overall, 9-5 home) against the Pacers (15-16 overall, 8-6 away) at TD Garden meant something to them. Whatever you think of the players, their head coach and GM, we can all agree that they should still have a better record than they currently do since they have two All-Stars (did you hear about this?) and the Eastern Conference looks very mediocre behind the top three teams of Philadelphia (22-11), Brooklyn (22-12) and Milwaukee (20-13). One game in the standings separates the No. 4 team in the East (Toronto) from the No. 10 team (Charlotte) so yeah, it's going to be a wild race for the playoffs. A rested Kemba Walker (game-high 32 points, 6 assists) was sensational in his best game of 2020-21-granted that's not saying much-and he needed to be since those aforementioned stars-swingmen Jaylen Brown (15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jayson Tatum (9 points, 9 rebounds)-look physically, emotionally and mentally drained. 

    Things certainly got off to a rough start for the home team as Indiana led 18-4 less than five minutes into the contest. Thankfully, the skittish Celtics settled down and actually outscored the Pacers 32-31 in that opening frame. Each club had 29 points in the second quarter so Boston took the slimmest of leads (61-60) into halftime. For once, the C's were ready to roll right away in the third quarter and that propelled them the rest of the night as they took those 12 minutes 31-24. Indiana got one more bucket than them in the fourth quarter (28-26) but the Celts did just enough to hang on for perhaps their most important victory of this campaign. 

    Center Daniel Theis' days in the starting lineup are probably numbered but he played well in this one with 17 points and three blocks. The guy that should eventually replace him-Robert Williams-continued his strong play with a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) and three blocks off the bench in only 22 minutes. It was bumpy for awhile but in his third NBA season, he appears (fingers and toes all crossed) to have made a huge step in his development both on and off the court. With his nearly limitless potential, it's not crazy to think that he's a key part of this group ever getting back to the high level of play that they've been at in the last few years. After basically being in a coma for weeks, veteran point guard Jeff Teague has now scored 14 points in back-to-back games which doesn't sound like much but a few days ago, we were thinking that this could be it for his professional career. 

    Pacers power forward Domantas Sabonis celebrated getting named to his first NBA All-Star Game (as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant but he should have been on it in the first place) by dropping a team-high 24 points along with nine assists and six rebounds. Shooting guard Justin Holiday (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks), center Myles Turner (17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) and point guard Malcolm Brogdon (12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) all scored in double-figures. The other Holiday brother on the Pacers-Aaron-also added 15 points and two steals off the bench. At some point, they'll have to reunite with their older brother Jrue (currently on the Bucks) and all play on the same NBA team at the same time. Wouldn't that be something? 

    As a team, Boston shot nearly 12% better from the field (51.2%-39.3%) and they scored 16 more points in the paint. Allowing 112 points in regulation on your home court isn't exactly a defensive masterpiece but at least they made Indiana work for their points after that absurd start. It sounds silly to say it but the Celtics get another chance to beat the Wizards (12-18 overall, 7-9) on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden. The C's had that embarrassing loss in DC on Valentine's Day (104-91) which surprisingly has turned Washington into one of the hotter teams in the league: 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Wizards are only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot and Tatum's main man Bradley Beal is an All-Star as well so the Celts need to take them seriously this time or else they'll lose again.

There Is No Other Way To Say It: Right Now, The Celtics Are A Disgrace In Every Possible Fashion

 

    We are still in a global pandemic so I cannot say with a straight face that the trials and tribulations of the Celtics (15-17 overall, 7-12 away) really seems all that important at this juncture. However, this is a Boston sports blog so I'd much rather complain here about our local teams instead of identifying the scary realities of our messed up world. With that said, what the hell has happened to the C's? Tonight, they lost their third straight game, 127-112 to the Hawks (14-18 overall, 8-9 home) at State Farm Arena. To say that Boston was a no-show for the contest would be far too kind. They gave up 72 points in the first half and trailed by as many as 27 points while Atlanta's veteran power forward Danilo Gallinari came off the bench to drill a career-high ten (!!!) 3-pointers as he scored a game-high 38 points. 

    The Hawks finished the season series 2-1 vs. the Celtics and if the playoffs started today, Boston would have to be in the play-in round (two playoff berths for the teams #7-#10 in each conference) since they've dropped to ninth-place in the Eastern Conference. This is the first time that they have been two games under .500 since the start of the 2017-18 season when they lost their first two contests. Since the Celts opened 8-3 in this campaign, they have gone 7-14 in their last 21 games. Is that bad? The team is completely lifeless and nobody besides the fans seems to really care that things have taken such a terrible turn for the worst. 

    I honestly don't know how this will be fixed anytime soon. Their defense is wretched, point guard Kemba Walker can't play back-to-back games (and he is a shell of himself when he does suit up), nobody besides their pair of All-Star swingmen Jaylen Brown (17 points, 5 assists) and Jayson Tatum (13 points on 4-of-20 shooting, 2 steals) can be counted on to do much of anything, the bench is a joke, head coach Brad Stevens' appears to have been tuned out by much of the team, GM Danny Ainge is petrified to shake this up and most of his draft picks lately except for Brown and Tatum have been useless. What else? There is no real accountability on the team and it is sorely lacking in leadership in terms of the players. I really couldn't tell you how a team that has gone to three of the last four Eastern Conference Finals could be in shambles like this. It is stunning to say the least although maybe not when you read the myriad reasons for their struggles that I just listed. 

    Atlanta also entered after playing last night but they weren't fazed by that. Point guard Trae Young (game-high 33 points, 7 assists) boosted his resume in case the All-Star Game needs a replacement player for the East, power forward John Collins had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) while shooting guard Tony Snell added 12 points. Seven Celtics scored in double-digits which is only an indicator that everyone played since there was extended garbage time like you read about. Power forward Tristan Thompson had a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) and point guard Jeff Teague (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) made perhaps his final start in the NBA in his old home. Rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith scored 13 points off the bench while point guards Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters each notched 11 points. 

    Boston has a four-game homestand leading into the All-Star break to try to turn this sinking ship around. They are 8-5 at the Garden as they host the Pacers (15-15 overall, 8-5 road) on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston), the Wizards (11-18 overall, 6-9 road) on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston), the Clippers (23-10 overall, 11-4 road) on Tuesday (7:30, TNT) and closing with the Raptors (16-17 overall, 9-10 road) next Thursday (7, NBC Sports Boston). With the way that the C's have gone down in flames lately, I expect them to go 0-4 in that stretch or maybe 1-3 if they are lucky. Ugh, this terrible team is so depressing these days. How has it come to this? 

While You Were Shoveling Snow Or Fixing A Super Bowl Feast, The Suns Beat The Celtics 100-91

 

    With a bunch of late night games on this West Coast road trip, the Celtics (12-10 overall, 7-7 away) have been able to hide from the masses after some rough performances and conversely, their nice wins have barely registered locally since few people were watching them live. Today was a different story though as they had a early tip time of high noon in Phoenix (13-9 overall, 6-4 home) and with a snowstorm in New England, you had few other things to do besides watching this ugly game. The Suns topped the Celts 100-91 as Boston fell to 2-4 in its last six contests. C's star Jaylen Brown missed his second game in a row with left knee soreness. These clubs should be roughly at the same level but at the moment, Phoenix is better as the Celtics search for that elusive consistency. Boston got dominated inside-getting outscored 46-26 in the paint-and their shooting was woeful (48.8% for Phoenix to 35.5% for the visitors). 

    The Suns have been mostly awful (and irrelevant) for years but with point guard Chris Paul (15 points) in his first season with Phoenix, you can sense that he is bringing a culture change to a team that has a bunch of young and talented players. Small forward Mikal Bridges (19 points, 9 rebounds) was the high scorer for the Suns who had five guys score in double figures with at least 15 points apiece. Shooting guard Devin Booker (18 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds) wasn't too far off from a triple-double while center Deandre Ayton (16 points, 11 rebounds) also had a double-double and small forward Cameron Johnson (17 points) was great off the bench for Phoenix. 

Boston head coach Brad Stevens was forced to tinker with his shaky starting lineup and guard Carsen Edwards (2 points in 17 minutes) failed to provide any kind of spark. Swingman Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 23 points (on 22 shots) and had seven assists. Point guard Kemba Walker (14 points) followed up his promising outing on Friday in the upset of the Clippers with his worst shooting performance as a Celtic: he went a dreadful 4-of-20 from the field which seems almost impossible for someone with his shot-making ability. Woof. Power forward Grant Williams (10 points) was the only other starter to reach double figures in scoring. Center Daniel Theis (12 points, 6 rebounds) and rookie guard Payton Pritchard (12 points, 5 rebounds) both showed that maybe they shouldn't have come off the bench vs. the Suns. 

    The final score is deceptively close because Boston's biggest lead was one measly point while Phoenix's ballooned up to as much as 17 points. The Suns outscored them 27-19 in the first quarter but Boston's only quality frame was the second as they outscored Phoenix 30-25 to cut it to 52-49 at halftime. The Suns didn't exactly run away with it-taking the third quarter 24-19 and then closing it out with a similar last quarter (24-23). Phoenix grabbed nine more total rebounds (50-41) including 13 more defensive boards (41-28). The home team also hit four more free throws (12-8) and blocked three more shots (5-2). 

    The C's have one last game left on this trip and it's probably the toughest one of them all if they want to finish above .500 (3-2) on it: they are in Salt Lake City on Tuesday (10, NBC Sports Boston) to face the Jazz (19-5) who currently own the best record in the NBA. Utah is always one of the tougher places in the league to play at and the Jazz have been one of the biggest positive surprises this season. Guard Donovan Mitchell (who averages 23.5 points per game) is one of the better players in the NBA even if Shaq stubbornly disagrees with that general consensus. I couldn't tell you what to expect from that matchup since every time you doubt the Celts they play good basketball. A win would put a bow on what has been a weird week for the Celtics traveling far away from home and playing some of the best clubs in the Western Conference.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

All It Took Was A Horrendous 1st Quarter (27-12) To Doom The Celtics Against The Wretched Pistons

 

    Other than a major injury to one of their top players, it's tough to picture a much worse start to 2021 than the one experienced by the Celtics (3-3 overall, 1-2 away) tonight as they fell 96-93 to the previously winless Pistons (1-4 overall, 1-2 home) at Little Caesars Arena. Side topic: who knew a crappy pizza chain from the 90s had enough money to buy a professional sports arena? On the other hand, it's Detroit. The Pistons' best player power forward Blake Griffin was out with a concussion (and the fact that he's any NBA team's top star in 2021 is mind-blowing) so the Detroit starting five and bench were littered with a bunch of nobodies, has-beens, never-weres and never-will bes. Boston must have underestimated Detroit since they decided to skip the first quarter as they were outscored 27-12 in the opening 12 minutes. The C's fought their way back from a 21-point deficit (35-14) early in the second quarter but they predictably unraveled at the end, getting outscored 8-0 in the final 4:14 as they bricked shot after shot (0-for-11 from the field in that woeful span). 

    It's one thing to lose to the Nets (3-3) or the Pacers (4-1)-two quality teams in the Eastern Conference who will be in the playoffs this season-but the Pistons are clearly tanking to get the highest lottery pick imaginable in the 2021 NBA Draft. They must not have gotten that memo in time for tonight's game though since power forward Jerami Grant had a team-high 24 points (including a dunk on poor Daniel Theis) while rookie shooting guard Saddiq Bey added 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals, center Mason Plumlee had 17 rebounds which is absurd, small forward/noted bust Josh Jackson notched 11 points and even the ghost of Derrick Rose (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) was at his 2021 best in 24 minutes off the bench. 

    The Celtics are nearly unbeatable when power forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 28 points, 6 rebounds) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks) each score 25+ points in the same contest but this bucked that trend since the rest of their teammates combined for only 40 points. Tatum and Brown aren't immune from criticism though since both missed what would have been tying three-pointers late in the fourth quarter. Point guard Marcus Smart (13 points, 9 assists, 3 steals) missed a pair of three-pointers of his own and a runner during that icy stretch for Boston. Six guys played off Boston's bench but only point guard Jeff Teague (12 points, 2 steals) and power forward Grant Williams (8 points, 5 rebounds) managed to score a single point from that group. Detroit's terrible bench outscored them 36-20 which makes me want to cry. 

    Last time I checked, this still only counts as one game but it's about more than that: every team has down nights in the NBA but the truly elite clubs almost never perform like this against an opponent that should be way below them. The C's came in 3-2 so I don't know how they could have been so full of themselves but it feels like the only explanation for that New Year's hangover in the first quarter. Without such a mess of a start, they would have rolled (as Vegas expected them to since they were favored by 8 points coming into the game which is a huge line for a road team) to an easy win. Both teams scored 28 points in the second quarter then Boston outscored Detroit 33-24 in the third quarter and 20-17 in the fourth quarter but it wasn't enough. The Pistons hit three more three-pointers (11-8), six more free throws (13-7) and they grabbed three more rebounds (48-45) including six more offensive boards (13-7) than the Celtics. 

    Just like last week when they lost their first game in Indiana, had a day to stew on it then recovered with a victory in the rematch, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens better hope that the same formula applies this time as well. Getting swept by the Pistons and falling back under .500 would be very depressing. Only five people might watch it live but just so you know, the Celts play again at Detroit on Sunday afternoon (3, NBC Sports Boston) right smack dab in the middle of the final day of the 2020 NFL regular season. Patriots (6-9) vs. Jets (2-13) is unwatchable so hopefully you have NFL Red Zone, that is no doubt your best sporting option on Sunday afternoon.

Tatum Comes Through In The Clutch & Giannis Chokes In Wild Season-Opening Win For The C's

 

    In a night that started with a moving tribute to Celtics icon Tommy Heinsohn, Boston did him proud with a riveting 122-121 season-opening victory tonight against Milwaukee at an empty TD Garden. C's star Jayson Tatum (30 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) hit an absurd 3-pointer that banked off the glass before going in with 0.4 seconds left in regulation. That gave the Celtics a 122-120 lead, so obviously game over, right? Haha it's still 2020 for a few more tedious days therefore the reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (game-high 35 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks and 7 turnovers) was fouled by one of the newest Celtics-center Tristan Thompson (12 points, 8 rebounds)-going up for an alley-oop off the inbounds pass. Giannis hit the first free throw but then he front-rimmed the second one and that's how it shockingly ended. 

    With point guard Kemba Walker out for at least the near future with his troubling knee injury, the Celts will have to lean heavily on Tatum and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 33 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and this evening against last season's No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, they both stepped up in a major way. Center Daniel Theis added 10 points while the other starter fill-in point guard Marcus Smart (7 assists, 2 blocks) struggled offensively managing just three points in 38 minutes. This was the third time that Tatum and Brown have each scored 30 points in the same game and not surprisingly, their team is 3-0 in those special occasions that should soon happen more frequently. They also became they first Celtics teammates to ever do that in a season-opener. Head coach Brad Stevens improved to 5-3 in season-openers as the Celtics head coach.

    Boston's bench is one of its biggest question marks coming into 2020-2021 but at least this evening, they were light years ahead of Milwaukee's terrible bench. The Celtics outscored them 34-12 thanks mostly to veteran point guard Jeff Teague (19 points, 2 steals) who was fantastic in his Celtics debut. Former All-Star Khris Middleton (27 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists) nearly notched a triple-double while the Bucks' huge offseason addition point guard Jrue Holiday added 25 points and six rebounds. Finally, former Villanova star Donte DiVincenzo (15 points, 5 rebounds) looked like he belonged in Milwaukee's starting lineup which is undoubtedly one of the best in the league. 

    They didn't meet in the bubble playoffs (since the Bucks laid an egg against the Heat) but before that, Boston and Milwaukee had met in the previous two postseasons as this has gradually become a solid rivalry in the East. Did I mention that the C's almost blew a 17-point lead? Haha oh that. They were up 101-84 going into the fourth quarter but that was all gone before Tatum hit his prayer. As you can guess, it was a very entertaining back-and-forth contest as the Bucks jumped out to a 34-31 lead after the first quarter before Boston took control in the second quarter (33-25) to go up 64-59 at halftime. In the Disney World bubble, the third quarter was a nightmare for the C's but not this time as they outscored the Bucks 37-25. 

    As always under Stevens, Boston will live and die by the three and they hit four more than Milwaukee (18-14). They also had four more assists (23-19), twice as many steals (8-4) and 10 less turnovers. The Bucks must be shaking their heads, wondering how they even lost this game. They shot over 50% (51.1%-47.5%), they took seven more free throws (18-11) and hit seven more (15-8) than Boston. Milwaukee also grabbed 15 more rebounds (52-37) including 14 more defensive boards (41-27). No matter what happens for the rest of this bizarre 72-game Covid-19 shortened regular season, there won't be many better games than this one, I guarantee it (Charles Barkley voice)!

    The NBA takes Christmas Eve off-giving bozo James Harden more time to hit the club-but then they are back for one of the most important days of the year for the league: Christmas. There are five marquee matchups spanning all afternoon and night including your Celtics hosting (5, ABC) the Nets (1-0) who embarrassed the Warriors (0-1) 125-99 last night in Brooklyn. Perhaps the most annoying man in pro sports-Kyrie Irving (who scored 26 points vs. Golden State)-will return to Boston along with a fully-healed Kevin Durant (he put up 22 points against one of his old teams). The Warriors were playing without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green so I don't want to be like everyone else and overreact too much about one win but the Nets looked deep and damn good. If nothing else, Celtics-Nets should be a spicy new rivalry since you'll remember that Durant could have chosen to come here in free agency a few years back but he rightfully picked the easiest road to a ring-the Warriors. Still, Boston sports fans have amazing memories when it comes to real or perceived slights by players on other teams.

Nice To See Danny Ainge Wake Up And Finally Make A Few Moves For The Celtics In Free Agency

 

    For Celtics fans, the last few days had been nothing but torture: between GM Danny Ainge doing his usual NBA Draft con job (getting his name crowbarred into a bunch of far-fetched trade rumors but then never completing them) and using two mid-first round picks on Wednesday, followed by crickets the first day of free agency on Friday (besides Enes Kanter getting traded back to Portland), we needed something to be even slightly positive about. After Gordon Hayward signed a four-year, $120 million dollar deal with Charlotte this afternoon, Boston was left with the bitter reality that they had gotten absolutely nothing in return for seeing their former prized free agent skip town after only three injury-plagued and disappointing seasons. 

    Hallelujah, the tide finally started to turn a bit in the Green's favor this evening as news trickled in that they had signed veteran center Tristan Thompson to a two-year deal worth $19 million while point guard Jeff Teague had also agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum. Right before these moves came into fruition, Brad Wanamaker signed a one-year with Golden State, hence the sudden need for a new backup point guard that head coach Brad Stevens could count on in crunch time. These moves alone aren't groundbreaking on their own but at least they demonstrate that Ainge is still trying to improve the team and not simply hoping that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can continue to develop into franchise players and carry a bunch of inexperienced youngsters to even greater heights mostly by themselves. 

    Obviously not getting a much-rumored sign-and-trade deal done with Indiana for Hayward involving Pacers center Myles Turner is the biggest headline out of this rapid succession of moves for the Celts. When Gordon moved his personal deadline for picking up his ludicrous 2020-21 option ($34.2 million!) from Tuesday to Thursday, you knew that he was as good as gone. That fact was cemented when he opted out on Thursday night to become a free agent. I liked Hayward's game going back to his Butler days with Stevens, long before he got here but thanks to an incredibly bad streak of luck when it came to freak injuries and long stretches where he never really fit into the gameplan, I am not going to lament him leaving here that much. It was time. The frustrating part is that Ainge wasted one of the only real assets that he had on the current roster. 

    Looking ahead, Thompson and to a lesser extent Teague should make Boston slightly better this season. Thompson was the fourth overall pick of the 2011 draft and for most of his nine years in Cleveland, he has tormented the Celtics whenever they matched up, especially in the playoffs. Once again, after LeBron left the Cavs, the franchise has turned into a disaster. However, Thompson has posted his two best seasons in back-to-back campaigns. Known as a ferocious rebounder with a limited offensive game, he has averaged double-doubles the last two seasons: 10.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 2018-2019 followed by a career-best 12 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He is much better overall than Daniel Theis and therefore should start right away. One of Boston's biggest issues in the bubble postseason-and dating back years now if we're being honest-was rebounding and Thompson immediately addresses that and at the age of 29, he figures to have some good productive years left in the tank. Getting away from the Cavaliers and onto one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference should also motivate him plus he'll be back in the playoffs where he seems to shine the most.

    On the other hand, Teague's peak is behind him (who knew that he was an All-Star in 2014-15?) but that doesn't mean that he can't provide some value to the C's at the ripe old age of 32. Additionally, with the way that Kemba Walker's knee wasn't right for much of last season including in the bubble, Ainge had no choice but to get someone that he could depend on when Walker undoubtedly misses more time with another mysterious injury that the Celts will try to downplay as always. Teague was the 19th pick of the 2011 draft by the Hawks. You'll remember that he was part of some fun playoff series between Boston and Atlanta early on in his career. After seven seasons in Atlanta, he played for a year in Indiana (his home state) before three years in Minnesota and then he was traded back to the lowly Hawks last season where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.2 assists per game. Unlike Thompson who can't hit free throws to save his life (61% for his career), Teague is excellent at the line (he's shot in the 80s for the last 10 seasons in a row). 

    The craziest part out of all of this is that the 2020-21 NBA regular season starts exactly a month from today. I'm not kidding, it really does return before the NFL playoffs have begun. Given that the NBA Finals just wrapped up in early September, that's preposterous. I thought they would surely start after New Year's but Christmas Day is such a ratings draw for the league that they simply had to fast-track this offseason to get those key holiday games in. Let's admit it: the league has a virtual sports monopoly on Christmas with usually five games (featuring many of the top teams and players) from the afternoon to late at night. About the only thing that makes sense is that they've cut 10 games off the regular season thanks to Covid-19 so instead of the 82-game grind, it'll be a 72-game sprint or something like that. Granted, I won't be complaining about any of this when it's the dead of winter, I'm stuck inside every night due to the miserable weather and that's where the NBA will be clutch in our pandemic lives.

Celtics Edition: How Can You Not Love This Team?

The amount of wildly entertaining games that the Celtics have produced in the past few months is out of control. They turned in another instant classic on Friday as Boston (34-27, 22-9) outlasted Atlanta (34-27, 15-19 away) 107-102 in overtime at TD Garden. The win was particularly meaningful too since it pulled the Celtics into a tie with the Hawks for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Boston has won its last five games overall and nine in a row at home. It was their franchise record 11th overtime game of the season and they improved to 7-4 in the extra session(s). Oh and they are 14-4 since Rajon Rondo went down. Go figure. Sure the C's blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter but the overriding positives were that they rallied once again and Jason Terry (19 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) had the biggest basket of all-a 3-pointer in overtime that put them ahead for good.

Paul Pierce had another great game with a team-high 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Kevin Garnett added 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals while Jeff Green put up 12 points off the bench. Jordan Crawford (9 points) also provided a spark in limited minutes.

Josh Smith had one of his his best performances that I've ever seen with a game-high 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Jeff Teague (26 points, 9 assists, 2 steals) and Al Horford (22 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) continued to torch the Celtics.

Boston led from start to almost finish as Atlanta tied it late then KG missed a jumper and Smith missed a rushed shot at the end of regulation. The Celtics were up 28-26 after the first quarter and 52-47 at halftime. The Hawks outscored the C's 21-20 in an ugly third quarter and then 26-22 in the fourth.

As it has been the case since Rondo got hurt, the Celtics' timely defense was the difference. They shot 5.8% better from the field (51.3-45.5) than the Hawks, made four more free throws (17-13) and had two more steals (9-7). The sneaky stat of the game was points off turnovers where Boston outscored Atlanta 21-9.

Boston improved to 2-1 against Atlanta this season with one more matchup remaining: March 29 back at the Garden. This victory was significant as well since the Celtics have to go to Oklahoma City (46-16, 1st in Northwest Division) on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m., ABC) to face the top team in the Western Conference. It's hard to see Boston winning that one no matter how well they play, the Thunder seem to be at another level than anyone these days (save for the Heat).

UPDATE 3/10: The Celtics signed D.J. White to another 10-day contract today. Shavlik Randolph's 10-day contract ends at midnight today and they're expected to re-sign him as well.

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Q: Who Blows A 27-Point Lead (In 1 Quarter) Then Loses in Double Overtime? A: The Celtics

Thank God the NHL has returned and the Bruins are really good because we need something to shield us from the flaming wreckage that is the 2012-13 Celtics. Boston's (20-23, 7-14 away) 123-111 double overtime loss tonight at Atlanta's (25-18, 15-7 home) Philips Arena was borderline impossible to execute. It is their sixth straight defeat, the longest losing streak in the Kevin Garnett (24 points, 10 rebounds) in Green era.

The Celts got up 48-21 in the second quarter but apparently that wasn't enough as the Hawks tied it at 59 midway through the third quarter. If that didn't make you want to jump off the Tobin Bridge, how about watching Kyle Korver (27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks) drain eight 3-pointers in the second half alone? Pass that bottle of bleach please.

Rajon Rondo (16 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) had his second triple-double in as many nights and third straight against Atlanta so he's probably content. Avery Bradley had 14 points while Paul Pierce struggled to get 12 points and six rebounds in 40 minutes. For once, Boston's bench wasn't the issue as they outscored Atlanta's 45-21. Jeff Green (17 points, 6 rebounds), Courtney Lee (16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) and even Jason Terry (12 points) were all excellent.

Al Horford put up 24 points, 13 rebounds and two steals, Jeff Teague had 23 points, seven assists and three steals, Josh Smith notched 17 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks and Ivan Johnson added 11 points (which has to be a career-high, only a slight exaggeration). Devin Harris (remember him?) had 14 points off the bench.

A soul crushing loss like this will overshadow something great that the Celtics actually did: they went 20-for-20 from the free throw line. Smith missed a layup at the end of regulation that would have won it but he made up for it by stuffing Pierce's predictable move and shot at the end of the first overtime. After that, Boston completely ran out of gas in the second overtime.

I suppose there is only one way for the Celtics to go from here: up. They can't possibly suffer two more brutal losses in the regular season on back-to-back nights. The Heat (28-12, 1st in Southeast Division) make their first trip to Boston on Sunday (1 p.m., ABC) which means that Ray Allen will be back. Luckily, since the C's are so bad at the moment, we won't have to be bombarded with that storyline non-stop.

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Celtics Let One Slip Away, Can't Close Out The Hawks In Merely 5 Games

Well the Boston Celtics made life a little more difficult on themselves tonight as they let Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first round series slip away to the Atlanta Hawks.

Rajon Rondo (13 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals) stole Marvin Williams's (15 points) awful inbounds pass with nine seconds left in regulation. The Celtics were down only one point but they didn't have a timeout remaining. Rondo had to freestyle and that wasn't a good thing as he dribbled into a corner and threw it away as time expired, Atlanta survived 87-86 at Philips Arena in a game that neither team seemed that that intent on capturing.

Boston still leads the series 3-2 so they have potentially two more cracks at knocking out the Hawks but this was frustrating since they had it right there for the taking. The Celtics were up 28-18 in the second quarter but it was tied 40-40 at halftime thanks to Rondo's buzzer-beater 3-pointer. I'll give props to the Hawks, a team that is usually so mentally fragile responded in the second half and led 66-56 late in the third quarter before an 8-0 Celtics run cut it to 66-64 after three.

Paul Pierce (16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) was awful all night but he hit a clutch 3-pointer to bring Boston within one (87-86) with 50 seconds left. However he missed a driving layup and after forcing a miss on Jeff Teague's (16 points, 5 assists) 3, Pierce had another chance to be a hero but he missed a mid-range jumper that was an airball.

Al Horford (19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals) was the unexpected star of the victory. It felt like he made every big shot in the second half, his baseline jumper was on fire. Not bad for a guy that wasn't expected to play in the series. Joe Johnson (15 points) started out slow as usual but he hit some timely baskets. Josh Smith's (13 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists) also played very well.

Kevin Garnett had 16 points and seven rebounds for the C's while Brandon Bass (14 points, 7 rebounds) had his best game of the series thus far. Avery Bradley was limited to 18 minutes, this was a Ray Allen type of game and he responded with 15 points including a dagger 3 late in the fourth quarter.

The biggest surprise for Boston was that Ryan Hollins (5 points, 4 rebounds) played 19 minutes while Greg Stiemsma (4 minutes) mostly watched from the bench. That may sound crazy but Hollins actually injected the Celtics with some energy and he had two monster alley-oops from Rondo.

There is absolutely no reason to panic, yet. The C's won their previous two home games at TD Garden in this series and I expect that they'll get it done in Game 6 (8:00 p.m., CSNE) on Thursday night. Even though the Bulls managed to stay alive tonight with a win against the Sixers, it would have been nice for the Celts to earn some extra rest for the next series. First things first, it's time to get rid of the Hawks.

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Rajon Rondo & Ray Allen Return, Josh Smith Sits & Celtics Survive OT In Ugly Game 3 Vs. Hawks

Games like tonight are perfect examples of why I will never gamble on sporting events (outside of March Madness and the Super Bowl of course). With Josh Smith out for Atlanta not to mention Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen returning for Boston, who didn't think the Celtics would roll in Game 3 at TD Garden?

It was an extremely ugly contest but the final result is all that matters as the Celts held off the Atlanta Hawks 90-84 in overtime to take a 2-1 series lead.

Boston could never put Atlanta away, until the very end of overtime. The C's led 76-65 midway through the fourth but the Hawks responded with a 15-4 run to tie it at 80. Each team had a chance to go ahead but Willie Green missed a jump shot (i'll always take my chances with him in that spot) and Paul Pierce did his usual isolation play before the buzzer and it didn't go in, like usual. I think it's time to retire that one Doc, I feel like it's successful about 5% of the time, if that.

As predicted by all, Rondo (17 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals) put up the seventh triple-double of his playoff career, 20th overall. Paul Pierce scored 21 points by living at the free throw line (14 for 14) since he was 3 of 12 from the floor. Kevin Garnett had 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Brandon Bass added eight points and five rebounds.

Allen (13 points, 6 rebounds) didn't skip a beat in his first appearance since April 10. With Avery Bradley going down with a separated shoulder, Ray was forced to log 37 minutes but he was able to do it. Mickael Pietrus decided to show up as well, he hit two 3-pointers which in a way turned out to be the difference in the outcome.

It has hard to explain how Atlanta hung tough when you look at numbers like starters Marvin Williams (11 rebounds), Jason Collins and Kirk Hinrich who combined for seven points. Did I mention that Tracy McGrady's (12 points, 9 rebounds) old bones played 41 minutes while some guy that ate Erick Dampier (6 points, 6 rebounds) lumbered up and down the court for 22 minutes?

Joe Johnson had a classic Joe Johnson game, the numbers look good on the surface but not when you delve deeper. I think he's a very good player but not great; this was exactly the time when the Hawks needed him to carry them (see: Pierce in Game 2) but he couldn't do it. He had 29 points and eight rebounds (good) but he shot 11 for 28 from the floor (Melo-esque). Jeff Teague (23 points, 6 assists) continues to play excellent basketball, I haven't seen him like this since he was at Wake Forest.

The tape from this game won't be going to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA anytime soon, that much is for sure. It lacked flow the entire way. Boston trailed 19-17 after the first quarter but led 40-38 at halftime. They each scored 20 in the third quarter then Atlanta edged Boston 22-20 in the fourth to send it to the extra session. The Hawks finally ran out of gas as the C's outscored them 10-4 in overtime.

Boston owned almost every major category. They shot better from the floor (40.5%-37.8%), hit 10 more free throws (22-12), grabbed three more rebounds (51-48), dished out three more assists (18-15) plus they had two more steals (10-8) and four more blocks (8-4). As far as I can tell, the only reason that Atlanta hung around was that they were dominant in the paint (52-36) for some unexplained reason.

Game 4 is Sunday night (7 p.m., CSNE) at the Garden and Smith says he'll play but I guess we'll have to wait and see. I'd like to think that the Celtics would roll but as tonight proved, the Hawks will stubbornly make this a competitive series when it really shouldn't be anywhere near this close. I will say that if Boston wins, I think that they will close it out in five. That's my hope at least.

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Paul Pierce Delivers A Vintage Performance As The Celts Win In Atlanta

The Boston Celtics have thrived this season when facing adversity so why should it be any different in what was so far their biggest game of the year?

Without Rajon Rondo (suspended) and Ray Allen (ankle), the C's were able to rally from down 11 (65-54) in the third quarter to win 87-80 tonight in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first round series with the Hawks. Boston got the all-important road win as the series shifts back to TD Garden this weekend tied 1-1.

Paul Pierce (36 points, 14 rebounds; 22nd career playoff double-double) had one of the greatest playoff performances of his storied career which is saying something. He scored the first nine points for the Celtics and continued to make all the big shots down the stretch. He was also 11 of 13 from the free throw line. He capped it off with his hood version of Tebowing (seen above) in a true WTF moment.

Kevin Garnett had 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Avery Bradley (14 points, 3 steals, 3 blocks) looked much more like himself than in Game 1. Brandon Bass has yet to breakout but he had eight points and six rebounds. They didn't put up numbers but Ryan Hollins, Marquis Daniels and Sasha Pavlovic all gave Doc Rivers minutes which is as much as you can ask from them.

Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 22 points although he missed a questionable 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter when Atlanta was completely falling apart. Josh Smith had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists but he left with a sprained knee. Jeff Teague has been a real surprise for the Hawks, he scored 18.

For a while it seemed like the Green might not make a 3-pointer this series after going 0 for 11 in Game 1 but Keyon Dooling broke the ice cold stretch with two long-range shots. Pierce also hit a three although the team still shot a brutal 3 for 14 on 3-pointers.

Boston's defense got the job done tonight as they continually got stops when it mattered. It was tied 24-24 after one quarter and Atlanta was up 44-41 at halftime. The Hawks led 66-61 heading into the fourth but the Celtics understood it was winning time and they proved that they can triumph on the road (not an easy task in the crooked and shady NBA).

The funniest sight was seeing the awful Hawks fans streaming out when there was a minute left to play. Atlanta is probably the worst sports city in America.

For the game, Boston shot 42.6% to 34.9% for Atlanta. The Hawks made three more 3-pointers (6-3) but the Celtics balanced that out by hitting 10 more free throws (26-16). The C's survived getting worked in the paint (42-26).

Game 3 on Friday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) could be pivotal in the series. With Rondo back and the energy of the home crowd, it wouldn't surprise me to see Boston win that and end up wrapping up the series in five games. On the other hand, I think all these games will be close so it's most likely going six or (gulp) seven games regardless.

I honestly don't expect Ray back in this series and we'll have to see what Smith's status is by Friday (with an extra day off), it was serious at the time since he never returned. I'm not going to rule him out yet but if Smith misses Game 3, advantage Celtics because he's Atlanta's top player. Getting this victory flips all the momentum in the series. Boston's defense is a constant but if they can also put together a decent offensive night, then they will be onto something.

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Celtics Lose 83-74 In Game 1; Same Old Rajon Rondo Gets Ejected & Likely Suspended

There is no other way to describe Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Celtics and Hawks: frustrating. Atlanta won 83-74 at Philips Arena but this being the NBA, an ejection overshadowed the actual play on the court.

Boston played terrible for most of the night; they were down 17 in the first quarter (29-12) and seemingly double-digits the entire game yet they cut it to four (78-74) with one minute left. That's when all hell broke loose. The C's were absolutely jobbed on what should have been a jump ball but instead was a foul call on Brandon Bass (8 points). Rajon Rondo (20 points, 11 assists, 4 steals) became so mad that he "accidentally" bumped into referee Marc Davis.

Rondo was ejected, the Hawks made some free throws and that was it. Except the fallout from another selfish and completely stupid act by Rondo putting himself ahead of the team will likely cost him Game 2 as well. The Celtics can't play any worse than tonight (offensively at least) but getting a win will be extra difficult if Rondo gets suspended for a game like everybody expects. I guess he didn't realize that he's Boston's best and most indispensable player.

Josh Smith (22 points, 18 rebounds) was a force for the Hawks while Jeff Teague (15 points) and Kirk Hinrich (12 points) played their roles to perfection. The scary part for Boston fans is that Joe Johnson (11 points) shot 3 for 15 from the floor including 0 for 9 on 3-pointers. There is no way he'll have another clunker like that.

Ray Allen was really missed by Boston, look no further than their 3-pointer numbers (0 for 11) to see how much of a difference he might have made. Paul Pierce (12 points, 6 assists) played but he might as well have not suited up since he was a detriment, going 5 for 19 from the floor. Luckily, the Celts never seemed to realize that he was ice cold. Old habits I guess. Kevin Garnett shook off a slow start of his own to get 20 points and 12 rebounds. Avery Bradley (10 points, 4 of 12 shooting) looked like a guy starting for the first time in an NBA playoff game. He wasn't a factor on defense either.

Greg Stiemsma had nine rebounds in 19 minutes but Atlanta's bench outscored Boston's 17-4. That number, coupled with the disparity in 3-pointers made (7-0) and rebounds (50-41) in the Hawks' favor were why they triumphed in front of their clueless "fans."

To say this was an ugly game would be doing a disservice to the world ugly. It was putrid, on both sides. Atlanta was up 31-18 after one quarter and 49-35 at halftime before they decided to make it close by turning it over non-stop. Boston rallied a bit in the third (18-16) and fourth (21-18) but their terrible start proved to be their main undoing.

With or without Rondo, in Game 2 (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., CSNE), the Celtics need two things: more offense and they can't fall behind so early by so much. Their defense was not an issue at all. I'm not calling it a must-win but coming back to Boston tied 1-1 would look a hell of a lot better than down 0-2.

UPDATE 4/30: Rondo was suspended for Game 2. Nice going Rajon.

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Everyone Should Be Back On Board The Celtics Bandwagon By Now

No matter what happens the rest of this season, I think we can all safely say that tonight's Celtics-Hawks game was the craziest one that we'll see all year.

Boston (34-24, 21-9 home) won the second night of a back-to-back, 88-86 in overtime over Atlanta (34-24, 15-16 away) at TD Garden.

With the victory, the Celtics improved to 19-7 since the All-Star break while they also leapfrogged the Hawks and Magic for the inside track of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Rajon Rondo (10 points, 10 rebounds, 20 assists) notched his sixth triple-double of the season (nobody else in the NBA has more than one) and 13th of his career in the regular season which tied recently retired Antoine Walker for second in franchise history behind some guy named Larry Bird (59). He also put up double-digit assists for the 19th straight game, the longest streak since John Stockton's 29 in 1992.

After picking up its biggest win of the season-so far-last night in Miami, the C's didn't have much left in the tank tonight but they still fought through that and came out on top. Despite the fact that Kevin Garnett (22 points, 12 points, 3 steals) and Greg Stiemsma (6 points, 8 rebounds) both fouled out in the extra session on bogus calls, the Green and White found a way to capture its ninth win in its last 11 contests.

I haven't even mentioned that Ray Allen didn't play (resting his ankle) and Mickael Pietrus (8 points, 6 rebounds) made his unexpected return. Brandon Bass had a monster game with 21 points and 10 rebounds. It was a scary few minutes in overtime when it looked like he went down with a serious knee injury but thankfully he bounced up and stayed on the court. Paul Pierce had 14 points but he looked the most tired with 6 for 19 shooting, including 1 of 8 on 3-pointers.

After getting punked last time in Atlanta, young point guard Jeff Teague (21 points, 6 assists) played well for the Hawks. Josh Smith (20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) was his typical self: making great plays on one end then head-scratching decisions on the next possession (6 turnovers, technical foul). Joe Johnson 14 points (5 for 17 shooting) was held in check by Avery Bradley (7 points) and goofball Zaza Pachulia notched 13 points and seven rebounds.

Boston was +17 in rebounds (56-39) and +9 on offensive boards (15-6) which both have to be season-highs. Rondo single-handily equaled Atlanta's assist output and his teammates accumulated eight assists as well.

I never mentioned the foul disparity, I'm not related to Tommy Heinsohn, but trust me when I tell you that the three clowns working tonight will not be needed in the playoffs. That's for sure. Boston survived getting called for eight more fouls (24-16).

However they choose to do it, the Celts need some rest in the next 24 hours in the worst possible way. Their one and only back-to-back-to-back is this weekend with visits to Toronto on Friday, New Jersey on Saturday and Charlotte on Sunday. If you drew up a three games in three nights scenario where a team could go 3-0, some combination of those three Lottery-bound squads would be it. I'm not saying Boston will go 3-0 but it wouldn't surprise me at all.

This team is on fire and it's been so much fun to watch. The C's have some extra incentive North of the border since the Raptors beat them 86-74 on February 10, easily one of the low points of the season.

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The Boston Celtics will beat you and you will do nothing about it

Sitting at the TD Garden last night with my girlfriend as the Boston Celtics took on the Atlanta Hawks, there was only one thing to say after Boston's balanced 102-90 win: this team is a machine.

With Rajon Rondo out for a few weeks nursing his ankle injury, Nate Robinson (14 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) and Paul Pierce (15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) took over ball-handling duties and did a fine job as the Celts (21-4) won their 12th straight.

Clearly, not having Rondo for a prolonged period of time is not a recipe for success but this squad has more depth than they did two years ago or last year and most importantly, Kevin Garnett (17 points, 14 rebounds) is back to being the Big Ticket and not another washed up veteran.

Ray Allen added 18 points and five assists, Semih Erden scored 10 points (as Shaq took another night off) and Glen Davis - Mr. Sixth Man of the Year - notched 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

When Von Wafer exited with a back injury, the Celtics were left with nine healthy players. Yikes. That meant some run for Avery Bradley, who got abused repeatedly by Jeff Teague (18 points) and Luke Harangody, who did hit two jumpers.

The Hawks (16-11) hung around for awhile but with two of their studs - Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford - out and Josh Smith (1 point in 34 minutes) looking like Ben Wallace's dad, they were bound to fail.

Marvin Williams had a career-high 26 points for Atlanta, Mike Bibby had 11 points and Zaza Pachulia was the only other guy in double-figures with 10 points which is always a good sign.

Boston was up 22-20 after one quarter and 44-43 at halftime. It only took one real run in the third quarter (31-26) for the Celtics to build enough of a lead to hang on. They also played well in the fourth quarter (27-21).

For the game, both teams shot at a high percentage (Boston 53.0% to Atlanta's 50.0%). The Cs had three more 3-pointers (6-3) but the Hawks made way more free throws (19-8) and four more rebounds (37-33). Boston won because of their passing (28-16 in assists), two more steals (12-10) and six less turnovers (18-12). A 50-36 points in the paint advantage also helped their cause.

The Celts will try and get a little more healthy (can't believe I have to worry about Wafer) before they host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon.