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

 

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

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

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

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

On An Awful Day In US History, C's Topped The Heat 107-105 On Pritchard's Last-Second Basket

 

    Let's be real here: there were way more important (albeit horrifying) things going on in the world-specifically in Washington DC-today than an NBA regular season game between the Celtics (6-3 overall, 4-2 road) and the Heat (3-4 overall, 3-2 home) at American Airlines Arena. I'll take my cue from those two teams though and while they agreed to walk off the floor together in the pre-game warmups, issued a joint statement condemning the Kenosha cop not getting charged for paralyzing Jacob Blake (by shooting him seven times in front of his kids) and today's insurrection at the US Capitol then kneeled during the national anthem, they ultimately chose to go through with the contest. Therefore while it's tough to get too hyped up about anything at this moment, I have to note that Boston came away with a great 107-105 victory in their first meeting with Miami since getting eliminated in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals last September in the Disney World bubble playoffs. 

    Celtics-Bucks games are usually pretty entertaining these days (see: the season-opener on Dec. 23) and it feels like Celtics-Heat is not too far behind in terms of growing Eastern Conference rivalries. Boston ended their four-game road trip on a three-game win streak and this one featured a little bit of everything. The C's led by as many as 17 points (47-30) in the second quarter and seemed to have things wrapped up with a 10-point advantage (105-95) with only 1:17 left in regulation. Miami was not deterred though as forward/NESCAC legend Duncan Robinson (16 points, 6 rebounds) hit a pair of three-pointers (including a 4-point play) and point guard Goran Dragic added the dagger three-pointer to shockingly knot it at 105 with 13.4 seconds left. Point guard Marcus Smart (9 points, 6 assists, 5 fouls) drove into traffic and his wild layup attempt didn't even hit the rim. No worries though as rookie point guard Payton Pritchard (6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) flew in for the offensive rebound and putback that turned out to be the game-winning shot with 0.2 seconds left. 

    Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 27 points, 5 rebounds) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (21 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) were leaders on the court and then afterwards as they gave a moving Zoom press conference about how they viewed today's latest debacle in DC. Center Daniel Theis (13 points, 5 rebounds) was the only other Boston player to score in double-figures. Heat star Jimmy Butler (team-high 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) looked more like his superhuman bubble self than the hobbled guy from the start of this season dealing with an ankle injury. Thankfully, Boston did a better job on Miami center Bam Adebayo (15 points, 10 assists, 2 blocks) who completely dominated them in that playoff series. Former Celtics goof Kelly Olynyk (11 points, 5 rebounds) got a rare start and wouldn't you know, the Heat did not win. Second-year guard Tyler Herro (8 points, 7 rebounds) starts now for the Heat but he was a non-factor, shooting 2-for-8 from the floor.

    Decked out in perhaps the ugliest jersey in NBA history, Miami got off to a slow start, trailing 34-26 after the first quarter and then both teams went ice cold (blinded by the gross court that matched the putrid uniform?) with each scoring 19 points apiece for a 53-45 halftime lead for Boston. They might have all escaped the bubble, but the Celtics decided to bring back one of their staples there: a rough third quarter (getting outscored 35-27) which meant it was tied at 80 and anybody's game heading into the fourth quarter. Coming into this season, I don't think many people (myself included) expected Boston to be a great rebounding team but so far, they have been surprisingly tough on the glass. They grabbed 11 more rebounds (53-42) than Miami including 10 more offensive boards (16-6). Those numbers were illustrated further in both points in the paint (56-40) and second-chance points (21-10) which were two more areas that Boston imposed their will on the home team. The Celtics also had five more steals (7-2) than the Heat. 

    Boston returns to the empty TD Garden on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) for their first matchup with the new-look Wizards (2-6). Washington traded point guard John Wall to Houston for point guard Russell Westbrook a few weeks before this season began. As always, Westbrook has put up gaudy numbers while shooting guard (and Tatum's St. Louis buddy) Bradley Beal dropped a career-high 60 points tonight in a crazy 141-136 loss at Philadelphia (7-1) but that hasn't resulted in many wins yet. Washington obviously doesn't even pretend to play defense and Boston can be guilty of that as well from time to time so if you are a betting man, hammer whatever the over is for that sure-to-be high-scoring affair.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tweet

One-Eyed Olynyk & Turner (Another Triple-Double) Leads Celts to Key 100-87 Win vs. Pacers

Wednesday at TD Garden was one of those rare times when the Celtics felt totally relevant again at least on a local level for a few fleeting hours. Against one of the other shitbag teams that they are battling with for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, Boston (34-41 overall, 19-19 home) picked up a huge 100-87 win over Indiana (32-43 overall, 13-25 away). The C's went up two games on the Pacers and pulled within half a game of Miami (7th) and Brooklyn (8th).

Evan Turner's third triple-double of the month (13 points, 11 rebounds & 12 assists) propelled the Celtics but before, during and after the game, everyone was talking about Kelly Olynyk's (19 points) left eyelid which had been swollen shut after he caught an elbow by Shavlik Randolph in shootaround. The best part is that while discussing his injury with Celtics reporters, he managed to note that his buddy Dougie Hamilton has broken ribs, something that no Bruins writers knew (we had assumed it was a concussion). You've gotta love Canadians, they are such honest people.

Tyler Zeller also scored 19 points, Avery Bradley added 11 while Jae Crowder notched 13 points off the bench. George Hill led the Pacers with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. C.J. Miles scored 12 points and the ghost of David West put up 10 points and eight rebounds. Rodney Stuckey scored 16 points off the bench for Indiana.

Showing how much one superstar can determine an NBA team's fate, Indiana seems to have never adjusted from Paul George's gruesome leg injury over the summer. Other than him, granted he's a budding superstar, this is basically the same squad that was in the Eastern Conference Finals last season vs. Miami. Clearly, they've given up and they couldn't be bothered slumming it in the gutter for the eighth-seed and a quick exit vs. Atlanta a near certainty.

Boston carried over its momentum from Monday's win at Charlotte into this one. They were up 22-16 after the first quarter and 50-39 at halftime. The Pacers outscored the Celtics 23-18 in the third quarter but the home team closed it out just fine with a 32-25 fourth quarter.

A welcome byproduct of the Celts being competitive almost all the time is that for the first time in years, they are actually very enjoyable to watch. Whatever head coach Brad Stevens is doing to get the most out of a limited roster, he has accomplished and then some. Boston plays hard and unselfishly, a style that rarely works in the NBA (Spurs, Hawks this season, anyone else?). They grabbed seven more rebounds (46-39), dished out 12 more assists (29-17), made four more steals (9-5) and scored 10 more fast break points (19-9).

It is another really important matchup on Friday as the struggling Bucks (37-38) visit the Garden. Milwaukee is three games ahead of Boston so a win by the C's would cut that down to two manageable games. At this point, I've completely changed my tune and I want to see Stevens & Co. in the playoffs. After all, what's the difference between mid-first round draft picks? They might as well gets some postseason experience for everybody involved with this young team.

Tweet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tweet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tweet

Celtics Open 2014-15 Season With Low Expectations By Blowing Out the Nets

It is only one game so there is no need to call the Duck Boats quite yet but even the most cynical Celtics fan (points at self) has to admit that tonight's 121-105 demolition of the Nets at TD Garden was one hell of a way to start off the 2014-2015 regular season. For a team pegged to be a lottery team (again) with no hope of getting to .500, this result makes you wonder if we're simply underestimating the C's in year two under head coach Brad Stevens.

For the first time since 2002, Boston had eight guys score in double figures including all five starters (who each hit a 3-pointer as well). Rajon Rondo (13 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds) surprisingly started despite his recent broken hand. Naturally he flirted with a triple-double in 30 minutes of action. Kelly Olynyk led Boston with 19 points and six rebounds. Jeff Green had 17 points, six rebounds and two steals. Avery Bradley scored 15 points and Jared Sullinger rounded out (no pun intended, he's fat!) the starting five with 13 points and two blocks.

Paul Pierce is now with the Wizards and Kevin Garnett (10 points, 6 rebounds) entered his 20th (!) NBA campaign, this has to be his final go-around. The Nets got rid of bozo head coach Jason Kidd for the not wanted Lionel Hollins but it probably doesn't matter who is in charge because they have no clear direction. Some Yugoslavian rookie named Mirza Teletovic, a power forward, led the Nets with a game-high 20 points, six rebounds and two blocks off the bench in 23 minutes. He'll be starting in no time if he keeps up that type of production.

Brooklyn's old guy backcourt of Deron Williams (19 points, 8 assists) and Joe Johnson (19 points, 6 rebounds) would be quite a combination say five years ago but in 2014, you know that Williams will either get hurt, disinterested or both before Christmas. Former Worcester Academy (look it up) star Jarrett Jack added 11 points off the bench for the Nets, he always seems to play well vs. Boston.

Three of the newest Celtics, rookie Marcus Smart (4 steals), Marcus Thornton and Evan Turner (7 rebounds, 5 assists) all scored 10 points off the bench. The C's might not have the best starting five in the Atlantic Divison, let alone the Eastern Conference but it appears that they'll have way more depth than last season so that's worth something, right?

This was simply never remotely competitive as Boston led 32-23 after the first quarter and 67-41 at halftime. To put it into context, they only had one 20+ point lead previously in 2014 (last season). The Celtics outscored the Nets 34-31 in the third quarter before Brooklyn's scrubs made it a little more respectable in the fourth (33-20) but not really.

All these young guys on the Celts will have a few days to hear how great they look before things get real with a trip to Houston (2-0) on Saturday (8, CSN) followed by a meeting in Dallas (0-1) on Monday (8:30, CSN). Those are two definite playoff teams in the always loaded Western Conference and Boston typically plays poorly in Texas so it figures to be a different story from this evening's fun.

Tweet

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.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Celtics Get Much Bigger & Whiter In The Draft, What Is This 1985?

I tried not to get my hopes up too much but the Celtics had their highest first round pick (No. 16) in years so I was excited. Needless to say, tonight's events at the 2013 NBA Draft involving the Green and White didn't thrill me (more on that in a subsequent post). Boston selected Gonzaga power forward Kelly Olynyk in the first round then traded cash to the Pacers for a second-round pick (53rd) that they used on Colorado State center Colton Iverson.

I'm a huge college hoops fan and I actually like watching West Coast Conference games mostly because I always stay up late so I know more about Gonzaga, St. Mary's, BYU etc. than most. Olynyk is talented but it's hard to see him making a big leap in the NBA facing much more talented, athletic and tough opponents. In the mid-major WCC, he was able to dominate (17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds) against mainly scrubs. What gives him a chance is that he can shoot three-pointers and is pretty adept at shooting from all over the court. That should help him since even though he's seven feet tall, I don't think he'll be spending much time backing guys down in the paint.

As for Iverson, I don't know nearly as much as him despite the fact that the Mountain West Conference has been really good the last few seasons. He's a tough rebounder but the fact that he went this late in what I predict will go down as one of the worst drafts in recent memory doesn't bode well for his future in the NBA. Besides, late second-round picks are basically extra bodies for summer league and training camp. If you hit on one great but you can't expect to find that many gems.

Here's the best highlight reel I could find on YouTube of Olynyk this past season with the Bulldogs.


Tweet


Follow @RichSlate