Farewell to the Captain of the Tanking Committee of the Celtics-Jordan Crawford

The fire sale of the Celtics picked up some steam this morning as guards Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks were dealt to the Golden State Warriors in a three-team trade. Guard Toney Douglas goes to Miami and center Joel Anthony comes to Boston along with two draft picks (a first-round pick of the 76ers that is lottery protected for the next two years and Miami's second-round pick in 2016).

Boston squeezed all the "talent" it could by showcasing Crawford since this season began. Now with Rajon Rondo reportedly returning on Friday vs. Lakers (if you believe his mysterious tweet), the Celts had no use for one of the biggest clowns in the NBA (which is saying something). Crawford is the poster child of everything that people rightfully hate about the NBA: huge ego, takes really dumb shots every game, not a team player, far less talented than he imagines, etc. Still, he was having a career-year averaging 13.7 points per game and 5.7 assists per game.

Will Crawford get minutes in Golden State, one of the deepest backcourts in the NBA? Who cares. He's not our problem now and unfortunately, it sounds like Brooks will be waived by the Warriors. I know that my fellow PC alum has the talent to play in the league, he just needs another opportunity after he played well his rookie season with the Nets.

In case you forgot, Anthony is the stiff that looks 60 years old who has lucked out by being on the Heat the last few seasons. For tanking purposes, I'd love to see him start for the rest of 2014. Boston has lost their last nine games in a row heading into tonight's meeting with Atlantic Division leading Toronto (weird to say, right?).

The big chip left in Danny Ainge's arsenal is Rondo. Many have speculated that he'll be traded since if he's healthy, he could bring plenty back in return as the Celtics attempt to start over and reboot from square one. As we all know, this next draft is supposed to be incredible and Boston has a plethora of picks the next few years. That's the best way to rebuild since marquee free agents don't want to come here-time to face that harsh reality folks.

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Celtics Lose For the 10th Time in Their Last 11 Games, A Heartbreaker to the Warriors

When the highlight video is put together from the lottery-bound 2013-14 season, I hope the Celtics include some clips from tonight's 99-97 loss to the Warriors at ORACLE (all caps?) Arena. This was a game that Boston (13-24 overall, 5-14 away) had no business being in, let alone almost winning. Thankfully, Golden State (25-14 overall, 12-4 home) came to their senses long enough for Stephen Curry (19 points, 7 rebounds) to hit the go-ahead 3-pointer w/2.1 seconds left. Gerald Wallace is no Curry so obviously his 3-pointer at the buzzer had no chance.

Boston was a 12-point underdog and Golden State is seen a darkhorse contender in the Western Conference. This fell into the classic NBA trap game category since the Warriors were coming off a long road trip on the East Coast and who can take the Celtics seriously? Now Boston has lost 10 of their last 11 games to achieve the fifth worst record in the NBA. Don't stop until you get to the bottom fellas!

Jeff Green had a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. Jared Sullinger had a double-double off the bench with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kris Humphries (16 points, 14 points, 3 blocks, 2 steals) put together maybe his best game in Green and White (trade him immediately!) while Jordan Crawford added 10 points and seven assists.

Golden State is one of the few teams in the NBA that I always watch if they are on TV. Curry and Klay Thompson (17 points) aka the Splash Brothers are awesome, probably the two best shooters in the league, and they have some other nice pieces like Andre Iguodala (22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), David Lee (16 points, 7 rebounds) and Andrew Bogut (13 rebounds). Celtics killer/journeyman Marreese Speights had 13 points in 13 minutes. Maybe the C's can acquire him like they did with Jerryd Bayless earlier this week.

I kept waiting for the Warriors to pull away/the Celtics to fall apart like they usually do but it never materialized. Golden State led 24-21 after the first quarter but trailed 49-47 at halftime. The Warriors put together a nice third quarter (25-18) but needed Curry's usual heroics to get it done in a shaky fourth (outscored 30-27).

Here's a bizarre stat: Boston had eight blocks while Golden State had none. The C's go for the rare 0-5 road trip tomorrow night (10, CSN) in Portland (27-9, 1st in Northwest Division). After hanging with the Warriors, there is no chance in a back-to-back (and final game of a week-long trip) that the Celts can do that again versus one of the best teams in the NBA.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Celtics Exact Revange on the Timberwolves for an Earlier Beating This Season

Tangible evidence for how far the Celtics have come in only one month: on November 16, they were embarrassed 106-88 in Minnesota. Tonight at TD Garden in the teams' only other meeting of the season, Boston (12-14 overall, 7-6 home) outlasted Minnesota (12-13 overall, 5-9 away) 101-97. The Celts are maybe the third best team in the extremely weak Eastern Conference so it seems like the new plan is to win as much as they can with this group (thus upping their trade value).

Kevin Love (game-high 27 points, 14 rebounds) is still one of the best players in the NBA but unfortunately, he's also employed by a club that can't get over the hump once again. Monster Nikola Pekovic (13 points, 7 rebounds) was the only other Timberwolves starter in double-figures. Dante Cunningham had 12 points and six rebounds off the bench along with 10 points apiece from Northeastern's J.J. Barea (11 assists) and Alexey Shved.

Without Rajon Rondo (who has been cleared to practice), the Celtics lack a true superstar but they can win the Atlantic Division this season with a solid team that plays unselfishly with a very smart head coach (Brad Stevens) in total control. Jared Sullinger (24 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) had one of his best games as a pro. Avery Bradley added 19 points and five rebounds and Jordan Crawford (15 points) was the final Celtic with double figures.

Coming into this campaign, you would have thought the Celtics couldn't win when Jeff Green pulls one of his infamous no-shows. Well he scored eight points tonight but teammates like Kelly Olynyk (9 points) and Kris Humphries (8 points, 7 rebounds) picked him up off the bench. Maybe it is because so many of them have something to prove in the NBA (to cash in) or here but there are plenty of motivated players on the Celtics this season (hence first-place in the Atlantic Division).

It was tight the whole way even though it felt that Boston was in control. The Celtics were up 29-21 after the first quarter and 51-50 at halftime. Boston took the third quarter (23-19) and held off Minnesota's mild charge in the fourth (28-27). The only statistic that was much different for both teams is that the C's shot 44.2% from the field while Minnesota was 37.8%.

Up next, the Celts host the Pistons (12-14, 2nd in Central Division) on Wednesday (7:30, CSN). Detroit beat Boston 87-77 in the third game of the young season on November 3 in the Motor City.

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Not That There Was Any Doubt but Doc Rivers Picked the Right Time To Leave Boston

I'll never understand how anyone could blame Doc Rivers for leaving the Celtics for the Clippers. With Boston rebuilding and LA a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, who wouldn't take off on a new adventure in a warm climate with more money and power? Doc's first game back to TD Garden with his new team was tonight and the Clippers (15-8 overall, 7-6 away) held off the Celtics (10-14 overall, 5-6 home) 96-88.

The C's did a nice job honoring Rivers between the first and second quarter with a highlight video although their taste in music wasn't the best. As most expected, he was widely cheered when he got introduced before the game (as he should have been). Now we can all move on with our lives, PS thanks for the memories Doc. Oh that's right, they'll meet one more time-January 8 in Los Angeles. I'll assume that won't be nearly as emotional.

Chris Paul is what makes the Clippers a contender, for my money he's still the best point guard in the NBA (sorry Russell Westbrook). He flirted with a triple-double (22 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals). Blake Griffin was the only other LA starter in double-figures with 18 points (which I'm assuming all came via dunks) and seven rebounds. Ageless Jamal Crawford scored 21 points off the bench and Darren Collison had 10 points.

Boston was playing the second half of a back-to-back and it showed as they led 23-20 after one quarter and 45-39 at halftime before they faded in the last two quarters. Los Angeles took over in the third (27-19) and put it away in the fourth (30-24).

Jeff Green scored a game-high 29 points but in typical fashion didn't do anything else. Jordan Crawford nearly had a double-double with 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Brandon Bass put up a great line if you had him in Fantasy Basketball: 17 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Jared Sullinger added 10 points and nine assists.

LA hit six more free throws (22-16), made four more steals (9-5), scored six more fast break points (15-9) and 18 more points in the paint (42-24). Oh and the Clippers bench outscored the Celtics 34-4 so there's that.

It was a taxing couple nights so I'm sure Boston will be happy to rest tomorrow (assuming they don't have more than a light practice at most) before they host the Knicks (6-15, 4th in Atlantic Division) on Friday (7:30, CSN). You might remember that Boston whipped New York 114-73 on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. I'd say the Knicks can't possibly play any worse but then I look at their record and am not quite sure.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Now I've Seen Everything: Jordan Crawford Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

No single player better epitomizes Boston's (10-12) unexpectedly good (relatively speaking in the wasteland that is the Atlantic Division) start in 2013-14 than Jordan Crawford. When he was acquired last season from Washington, he seemed like a terrible fit: a me-first guy on a team of mostly unselfish players. That's why then head coach Doc Rivers buried him on the bench.

It's been a completely different story for Crawford this season, with Rajon Rondo still out recovering from knee surgery and Brad Stevens in charge, Crawford has been the de-facto point guard since Avery Bradley is an awful ball-handler and can't be trusted with the most important job on a basketball team. To everyone's surprise, Crawford is playing better than he ever has in his four years in the NBA. Today he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week while Portland power forward LaMarcus Aldridge received the honors for the Western Conference.

In three games last week (all Celtics wins), Crawford had 25 points and five assists against the Bucks on Tuesday, 22 points and eight assists against the Nuggets on Friday and 23 points and seven assists in Boston's blowout win at New York yesterday afternoon. He's also shooting 3-pointers at a very high clip lately. He had four vs. Milwaukee, two vs. Denver and six vs. New York.

What remains to be seen is what the C's do with Crawford once Rondo returns, then again maybe that won't be for a while (a man can dream, right?). Regardless, Crawford has proven to be a solid NBA player and now he suddenly is valuable either to Boston's future or they can trade him for something decent in return.

Boston is at Brooklyn (6-14) tomorrow night (7:30, CSN) to face the ghost of Kevin Garnett with bozo rookie head coach Jason Kidd intentionally spilling drinks on the court.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jordan Crawford Is Just the Man to Lead the Celtics to the NBA Lottery

Every good movement needs a leader and if the Celtics are going to be everything we think they can be-namely one of the NBA's worst teams this season-they need an uber bozo calling the shots. Someone so delusional and such an egomaniac that they will run this franchise right into the ground. Enter Jordan Crawford. Nobody would deny that he can score (team-high 24 points) but as long as he plays point guard, the Celtics won't win many games which is all we can ask for.

Tonight at TD Garden, Crawford had six turnovers as Boston (4-10 overall, 2-4 home) dropped their sixth straight game-97-82 to Indiana (11-1 overall, 5-1 away). This was an instant classic for the Green and White since they actually led 50-42 at halftime then they were outscored 25-8 in the third quarter en route to another decisive setback.

It was hard to choose the main star for Indiana as Paul George scored a game-high 27 points, Lance Stephenson (10 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) notched his second career triple-double, David West put up 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals while Luis Scola had 17 points off the bench.

Crawford almost always had the ball so that left little time for his teammates to do anything. Jeff Green scored 20 empty points while Jared Sullinger worked for 13 points and five rebounds.

I can already smell their seventh straight loss since Boston is in Atlanta (8-5 overall, 2nd in Southeast Division) tomorrow night (7:30, CSNNE) for a back-to-back contest. Josh Smith is gone from the Hawks and Philips Arena is a joke but let's hope that Atlanta takes care of business against the reeling Celts.

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Do I Hear Five Losses in a Row for the Celtics?

It didn't feature the pure carnage of Tuesday's ass kicking in Houston but tonight's 104-93 loss by the Celtics in San Antonio still got the job done. After having a few days between games, the Spurs (10-1 overall, 5-0) were noticeably rusty. Either that or they knew that Boston (4-9 overall, 2-6 away) is a joke so they didn't have to overexert themselves at good old AT&T Center.

San Antonio won their eighth game in a row while Boston dropped their fifth straight. The contrast between the two teams couldn't be much more drastic: the Spurs came within a few plays of another NBA title in June while the Celts have hit the reset button on their franchise. They might be boring and play in a one-trick city but the Spurs are basically the Patriots. Think about all their similarities: legendary coach that is hated by many, core group of key players particularly one icon (Tim Duncan), stressing the team over the individual and remarkably consistent.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 19 points and five assists. Promising young Kawhi Leonard had 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals; Duncan added 13 points and nine rebounds; Tiago Splitter put up 11 points and 10 rebounds while Danny Green also scored 11 points. Fatso Boris Diaw notched 12 points off the bench for San Antonio.

Jared Sullinger put up 19 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Avery Bradley and Jeff Green both reappeared with 19 points and Jordan Crawford tallied 12 points for Boston.

It was actually tied at halftime (48-48) but San Antonio outscored Boston 32-22 in the third quarter to take control for good. Spurs hit four more 3-pointers (8-4), seven more free throws (18-11), dished out nine more assists (27-18), made eight more steals (12-4), blocked three more shots (6-3), scored 12 more fast break points (20-8) and 12 more points in the paint (48-36). Finally, the home team scored 21 more points off turnovers (25-4) which begs the question: how did San Antonio not win by 30+ points?

These teams meet again, February 12 in Boston so you can pencil that in as another guaranteed loss. Speaking of certain defeats, the C's host the Pacers (10-1) on Friday (7:30, CSN) at TD Garden. Once again, Indiana looks like the team in the Eastern Conference with the best (only?) shot to knock off the Heat. For that reason alone, I think we can all agree that Indiana is a team to root for in the postseason.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Celtics Are In A World Of Trouble Without Rajon Rondo

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

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

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

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

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

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Things Are Not Going Well When This Goon Drops 29 Points In Your Eyeball

I'm really excited for the Celtics' regular season to begin, this preseason seems like it will never end. What's that? There are only eight games left now before the playoffs? Oh. Like an old person with dementia, it's hard to remember what month it is when you watch these pointless games. Tonight, Boston lost 110-100 to Minnesota at the Target Center as Paul Pierce (personal reasons) and Kevin Garnett (left ankle) sat out.

Showing how much fake life this entailed, Nikola Pekovic bullied his way inside to a game-high 29 points and five rebounds for Minnesota (27-46, 18-19 home). Andrei Kirilenko added 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals, Derrick Williams had 11 points and three blocks while Ricky Rubio dished out 10 assists as only he can. Dante Cunningham went wild off the bench with 19 points, five rebounds and two blocks plus Northeastern's J.J. Barea tossed in 11 points with seven assists.

Boston (38-36, 13-25) actually hung around for much longer than we could have expected thanks to Avery Bradley (19 points), Brandon Bass (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Jeff Green (10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists). The bench was great: Terrence Williams (14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) had his best game as a Celtic, Jason Terry scored 14 points and Jordan Crawford put up 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.

After five games in seven days, the shorthanded Celts limp home to face another miserable team-the Pistons (25-50, 4th in Central Division) on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., CSN) at TD Garden. It has the potential to be one of the real horrorshow games of the season which is saying something given how the last few weeks have unfolded for the Celtics.

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Knicks Have No Problem With The KG-Less Celtics

With Kevin Garnett (left ankle) out for the next two weeks (wink wink), there is a serious cloud developing over the Celtics. Tonight, they got blown out by the Knicks 100-85 at TD Garden. Besides KG, Courtney Lee (sprained ankle) also had the night off so even though Tyson Chandler (neck) was out for New York (43-26, 19-16 away), that meant that Boston (36-34, 24-11) had no chance to win.

The Knicks won their fifth game in a row while the Celtics lost their fifth consecutive game. New York has won the last two games in Boston to take a 2-1 season series lead, they wrap it up on Sunday at Madison Square Garden although there is a very real possibility that they could meet in the first round of the playoffs.

J.R. Smith had 32 points, seven rebounds and three steals off the bench for the Knicks while Carmelo Anthony added 29 points, eight rebounds and three steals. No other player for New York had double figures but who cares?

Boston had five guys in double digits but none of them had 20 points or more. Jeff Green had 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Paul Pierce put up 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, Jordan Crawford added 14 points and six assists in his first start as a Celtic while Brandon Bass notched 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Jason Terry had 10 points off the bench.

It doesn't matter how it happens but the C's desperately need a win tomorrow night (7:00 p.m., CSN) at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland against the shitbum Cavaliers (22-47, 5th in Central Division) who won't have Kyrie Irving in the lineup.

UPDATE 3/27: Lee and Garnett didn't make the trip to Cleveland so they're both out tonight.

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Was Andre Iguodala Really That Important? Because The 76ers Are A Mess Without Him

Remember when the Celtics and Sixers went seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring? Boston could certainly get back there this season but Philadelphia won't even sniff the playoffs. Apparently Andre Iguodala is the best player in the NBA since the Sixers (23-36, 17-16 home) are lost with him in Denver now.

Boston (32-27, 11-18) won their third consecutive game, 109-101 at the Wells Fargo Center tonight, to go a season-high five games over .500. After losing the first two games of the season series, Boston won the final two to finish 2-2 vs. Philly.

Avery Bradley had a season-high 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Paul Pierce flirted with a triple-double (18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and Kevin Garnett added 18 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Boston's bench outscored Philadelphia's 41-22. Jeff Green put up 16 points and five assists, Jordan Crawford scored 12 and Jason Terry notched nine points and six assists.

Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Evan Turner almost had a triple-double (18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals),
Jrue Holiday notched 18 points, 10 assists and four steals while Royal Ivey had 10 points. Dorell Wright (7 rebounds, 2 steals) and Arnett Moultrie both tossed in 10 points off the bench.

The C's led the whole way and this should have been decided by more but the Sixers made it somewhat interesting with some garbage time heroics. Boston was up 26-23 after the first quarter and 53-46 at halftime. The Sixers outscored the Celts 28-26 in the third quarter but Boston wrapped it up in the fourth (30-27).

Boston shot 9.6% better than Philadelphia (50.6%-41%), they hit six more 3-pointers (11-5), grabbed four more rebounds (49-45) and handed out 10 more assists (34-24). So how was this close? Well the Sixers had seven more steals (14-7), 26 more points in the paint (64-38) and 11 more points off turnovers (30-19).

If the playoffs started tomorrow, Boston (No. 7) would meet Indiana (No. 2). Wouldn't you know that the Celtics travel to meet the Pacers (38-22, 1st in Central Division) tomorrow night (7 p.m., CSN) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. In their previous meeting, Boston rolled to a 94-75 win on January 4 at TD Garden. Looking back, that is easily one of their best wins of the season. I highly doubt that they can duplicate a blowout like that tomorrow but I guess that we shall see.

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Who Needs Kevin Garnett? Celtics Embarrass Suns 113-88 in Phoenix

Since they were facing the worst team in the Western Conference, the Celtics decided to make it a little harder on themselves by giving Kevin Garnett the night off. It didn't matter at all though as Boston (29-26, 9-17 away) rolled over Phoenix (18-38, 12-14 home) 113-88 tonight at US Airways Center. The C's finally recorded a road win this season against a team from the West, snapping an ugly 0-7 start.

Jeff Green was the story as he had a career-high (with Boston) 31 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two blocks. Anybody left wondering if he could play or not? The Celts jumped out to a 13-0 lead to begin the contest and they never looked back, outscoring the Suns in every quarter and opening up as much as a 30-point advantage.

Avery Bradley was the only other starter in double-figures with 13 points and four steals. Chris Wilcox (14 points, 8 rebounds) had his best game of the season, Jason Terry scored 13 points, Jordan Crawford's Celtics debut was very positive (10 points) while Terrence Williams looked comfortable (9 points) in his second game with Boston.

Good luck trying to figure out what Phoenix is doing or who they're currently building around, that team is a disaster. Goran Dragic (19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and Marcin Gortat (10 points, 6 rebounds) are their only above average players. Markieff Morris added 11 points off the bench.

KG will return on Sunday (9 p.m., CSN) as the C's visit the Blazers (25-30, 4th Northwest Division). I wish it wasn't at the same time as The Oscars but I guess it gives us something to flip to during commercials and when Seth MacFarlane is really bombing. Boston wraps up their five-game post-All Star Game road trip with a back-to-back in Portland then Utah. They should beat the Blazers (who have lost 7 in a row) but the Jazz are another story. Utah is one of the toughest places to play in the NBA (Mormon power!) and the C's figure to be gassed by then.

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Celtics Flip Two Expiring Contracts (Barbosa, Collins) To Wizards For Jordan Crawford

The 2013 NBA Trade Deadline came and passed today without any major names being dealt around the league, unless you count J.J. Redick going to Milwaukee as particularly notable. The Celtics mostly stayed the same-Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are still in Green and White-although they made a minor move which could pay off quite soon. They traded injured guard Leandro Barbosa and useless center Jason Collins to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Crawford.

First of all, the Celts basically obtained Crawford (who has averaged 13.2 points per game this season, 13.4 points per game in his career) for nothing. Washington wanted Barbosa and Collins because their contracts expire after this season. As always, the Wizards are rebuilding so they are trying to unload as much money as they can. If you don't follow Washington, you are forgiven since they have been hopeless for years. However, if you consider yourself a basketball fan then you should know Crawford for two reasons. 1) He was great in college at Xavier and 2) He dunked on LeBron James (when he was at Xavier) which forced hyper-sensitive Nike to destroy all recordings of that special moment.

It might seem like Boston doesn't have much use for Crawford with Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee and Jason Terry all on the roster. There is a logjam at shooting guard with the C's but with Rajon Rondo, Jared Sullinger and Barbosa out for the season, they are in desperate need of bench scoring. Enter Crawford who has started less than half (62 of 149) the games in his NBA career yet still managed to play 26.2 minutes per game. Barbosa had provided a real spark after Rondo went down so Crawford should help replace what they lost when Barbosa tore his ACL.

Crawford will be motivated since he is back on a good team. He started out with the Hawks for 16 games in 2010-11 before he was traded to the black hole known as the Wizards. Being part of a contender that will be in the playoffs should do wonders for him as he regains his confidence. He was playing less since John Wall came back from an injury but he was having a decent season: .415 field goal percentage, career-high 34.5% on 3-pointers and 82% on free throws. I would expect him to make his Celtics debut tomorrow night as they continue their West Coast road trip in Phoenix (9 p.m., CSN).

Bigger picture, this lack of action proves that Celtics GM Danny Ainge was more willing to see what the current group could do in a watered down Eastern Conference versus trading KG or Pierce for future assets. I can't say I disagree with him, might as well give them one last chance (haha I know we've said that like the last three years) then re-evaluate the situation during the summer when I'm assuming many more big names will be available via trades and free agency. There was no reason to blow it up now when they've proven in the last few weeks that they can beat anybody.

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