It's Time To Face Facts: The Celtics Are Not A Good Team At The Moment

I guess we should be happy that the Celtics are returning home tomorrow morning (they had issues with their charter, forcing them to spend an extra night in the Windy City). Their 3-game road trip couldn't have gone much worse (barring injuries) as they went 0-3, capped off by a listless 100-89 loss to the Bulls tonight at the United Center. Joakim Noah (11 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 blocks) recorded his second career triple-double in the victory.

Don't be fooled by the final score, Chicago (14-10, 8-6 home) was up by 20 (95-75) in the fourth quarter before Boston (12-12, 4-8 away) made it closer than it actually was. Would you believe that this is officially the Celtics' worst start since 2006-07 aka before Kevin Garnett (10 points, 8 rebounds) came here?

You have to give Boston credit for one thing after their losses in Houston, San Antonio and Chicago: they were very consistent as they scored 88 or 89 points each time and allowed 100-103 points. Rajon Rondo (26 points, 8 assists) wasn't the issue as he played very well. Paul Pierce had 16 points and Courtney Lee added 14 points. That was it though, nobody else did anything.

Chicago had six guys in double-figures plus their bench outscored Boston's 37-16. Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 12 rebounds while Luol Deng also notched 21 points. Marco Belinelli scored 10 points with former Celtic Nate Robinson (18 points) and Taj Gibson (13 points, 5 rebounds) coming up huge off the bench for Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau-a Salem State alum and former Celtics assistant coach.

The Bulls outscored the Celtics in all four quarters. It was 28-23 Chicago after one quarter and 55-48 at halftime. The Bulls led 79-70 heading into the fourth before the wheels really came off for Boston.

Almost all the statistics favored the home team. Chicago shot 50% to 43.2% for Boston. The Bulls hit seven more free throws (21-14) and grabbed eight more rebounds (43-35) with 10 more assists (28-18), eight more blocks (10-2) and 12 more points in the paint (48-36). The Celtics had three more steals (7-4) and eight more fast break points (14-6).

Boston plays Cleveland (5-21, 5th in Central Division) tomorrow night at TD Garden (7:30 p.m., CSN). The Cavaliers shouldn't have any sort of advantage since they played at home tonight and lost to the Raptors 113-99. The team might be terrible but Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters are an excellent young backcourt while Anderson Varejao is playing at an All-Star level. The C's should win but it's not a gimme by any stretch, particularly with the way they stumbled this past week.

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Celtics Record Their First Quality Win Of 2012-13 Regular Season

Well that was more like it. In their seventh game of the 2012-13 regular season, the Celtics finally decided to show up and display some of the traits that make them one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference. Boston (4-3, 3-1 away) held off Chicago (4-3, 3-3 home) 101-95 tonight at United Center.

In getting over .500 for the first time, the Celts also notched a victory against a legitimate playoff team. This wasn't the Wizards or Bucks, the Bulls aren't a title contender without Derrick Rose in the lineup but they are still pretty damn tough to play against.

Rajon Rondo (20 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds, 5 steals) just missed out on a triple-double but he continued his double-digit assist streak (31 games and counting, 3rd longest in NBA history). All five Celtics starters were in double figures and their bench outscored Chicago's 27-18, something they've struggled with in this young season. Brandon Bass had 16 points, Kevin Garnett scored 15, Jason Terry added 13 and Paul Pierce notched 10.

I officially dub Luol Deng (game-high 26 points, 11 rebounds) and Joakim Noah (17 points, 11 rebounds) Celtics killers, assuming I hadn't done that already. It seems like they always have great games when they face Boston. Carlos Boozer had 15 points and former Celtics guard Nate Robinson put up 11 points and seven rebounds filling in for Rose and Kirk Hinrich, who got hurt over the weekend.

Boston shot 50.6% to 45.9% for Chicago. The Bulls made eight more free throws (24-16) but at least the Celts hit all their free throws, four costly misses down the stretch in the fourth killed Chicago. You'd expect the Bulls to have more rebounds (40-34) but the C's had four more assists (28-24), four more blocks (5-1) and three more steals (9-6) so there. Most telling, Tom Thibodeau's team had six more turnovers (14-8).

The Celtics jumped out to a 33-27 lead after one quarter and a 58-46 halftime advantage (their second largest margin of the season). Both teams scored 24 in the third quarter and Chicago made it interesting in the fourth (25-19) but they couldn't complete the rally.

Boston returns home for one game: they host Al Jefferson and the Jazz (4-4) on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m, CSN). Utah beat Toronto 140-133 tonight in triple overtime, no joke. Hopefully, they will be a bit fatigued from that insane contest as the Celtics shoot for their first three-game win streak of the season.

UPDATE 11/14: Rookie forward Kris Joseph and rookie center Fab Melo were sent to the Portland Red Claws today, Boston's D-League team. They have just opened training camp and it makes perfect sense since Melo has yet to play for the C's in the regular season and Joseph played once (for three minutes). They need to play a ton of minutes and that won't happen anytime soon with the Celtics.

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Rose-Less Bulls Slide Past Weary Celtics

Even without MVP Derrick Rose (who missed his 12th straight game with a groin injury, 22nd overall this season), the Chicago Bulls are a more than formidable opponent.

The Boston Celtics (30-24, 11-15 away) surprisingly jumped out to a 49-38 halftime lead but the Bulls (43-13, 22-6 home) eventually wore them down and won 93-86 at the United Center this evening.

With the victory, Chicago clinched the season series (3-1) as well.

Similar to last night's loss to the Spurs, the Celts played terrible but also pretty good for alternating periods of time. Unfortunately the final result was the same as they dropped back-to-back games against the Western Conference's second-best team and the Eastern Conference's best team respectively.

Luol Deng is a nightmare to guard for anybody and he proved it with a game-high 26 points, six rebounds and four steals. Joakim Noah had 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks while Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 14 rebounds. Starting for Rose, C.J. Watson notched 15 points and eight assists.

Paul Pierce led the Green and White with 22 points and eight rebounds. Kevin Garnett had 12 points and 14 rebounds. Both guys had decent numbers but they combined to shoot 13 of 37 from the floor, proof that they experienced tired legs. Not making an excuse, just stating a fact. Rajon Rondo had 10 points and 12 assists and Avery Bradley put up nine points as he was reinserted into the starting lineup. Ray Allen (14 points) played much better tonight than against San Antonio as he came off the bench but still played big minutes.

No shock that a Tom Thibodeau coached team won all the hustle plays. Chicago hit seven more free throws (22-15), grabbed eight more rebounds (44-36 including 14-7 offensive) and blocked six more shots (8-2).

Ever since they met in the playoffs three years ago (where does the time go?), the Bulls have always been an awful matchup for the Celtics and it's only gotten worse as Rose has developed along with his supporting cast and their role players. That's why it's so important that Boston stays in the No. 3-6 spot in the East, so they don't have to face Chicago or Miami in the first round.

Boston flies to Indiana for a meeting with the Pacers on Saturday night. Boston is 1-2 against Indiana this season, although they won the last one (94-87 on January 24 at the Garden). The Pacers are still holding strong to the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

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If You Like Basketball, You Have To Respect The Chicago Bulls

I have to give props to the Chicago Bulls, they are one solid NBA team.

After losing 95-91 at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon (Rajon Rondo's monster triple-double being the main reason), Chicago returned the favor to Boston by winning 89-80 tonight at the United Center.

The Bulls (25-7) improved to 11-1 at home while the Celtics (15-14) fell closer to the .500 mark. Boston began its five game road trip with a thud since predictably, they didn't have their legs after their pathetic loss to the Pistons last night. The Celts are 4-6 on the road.

Despite having the reigning MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls are about much more than him. They're long, they play outstanding defense, they're tough, unselfish and smart. Rose sat out against the Celtics again but this time his absence didn't matter since Carlos Boozer (23 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists), Luol Deng (23 points, 10 assists) and Joakim Noah (15 points, 16 rebounds) all put up double-doubles.

C.J. Watson was the only other Bull in double figures with 11 points while former Celtic Mike James (just signed to a 10-day contract) had eight points off the bench.

Rondo (17 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) was back to his best role: facilitator. It wasn't enough though since only Kevin Garnett (18 points, 10 rebounds) had what could be called a good performance after he sat out against Detroit. Paul Pierce (14 points, 6 of 16 shooting) and Ray Allen (12 points, 4 of 13 shooting) could never get into a rhythm other than Allen's flurry of 3s in the third quarter.

The only other bright spot for the C's was Chris Wilcox (9 points), who is really developing a chemistry with Rondo. They seem to team up on multiple alley oops every game now.

It was a strange contest as the teams went back and forth, playing well or terrible in consecutive frames. Boston led 24-16 after the first but Chicago took a 44-35 halftime lead after a miserable second for the Celtics. The Bulls increased the lead to as much as 16 but the Celts rallied and cut it to 60-59 heading into the fourth. Then they ran out of gas as usual.

A couple statistics jump off the screen: the Bulls hit seven more 3s (10-3), they pulled down 15 more rebounds (52-37 including 10 more offensive boards) and they handed out 12 more assists (27-15) which is wild considering Rose sat. So how did Boston make it somewhat close? Chicago had nine more turnovers (16-7).

These teams close out their four-game regular season series with another TNT Thursday night matchup on April 5. Boston must do everything in their power to avoid the No. 7 or 8 seed since they'll be virtually guaranteed to face the Heat or Bulls, the two Eastern Conference teams they simply cannot beat under any circumstances in a playoff series.

Boston travels to Detroit for a Sunday night game against the Pistons. The Celts will be looking for revenge after their embarrassing 98-88 loss to Detroit last night on their home parquet.

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This Is Only Going To Get Worse: Celts Lose Their 3rd Straight, Season Slipping Away

I pride myself on not being a typical honk that overreacts to every game and move by my favorite teams. Therefore, you have to believe me when I say "Blow it up Danny Ainge! Trade anybody but Rajon Rondo."

How are you enjoying your Boston Celtics experience in 2011-12 thus far, pretty terrible right? The C's (4-6) lost their third straight game tonight (all at home), 88-79 to the Chicago Bulls (11-2) at TD Garden.

Spare me the excuses that the Celtics and their apologists are already trotting out about it will take some time to get it together, short training camp, new faces, etc. Last time I checked, everyone had the same condensed offseason. Plus, it's a shorter season so bad starts are only magnified and more dire if you're unlucky enough to experience them.

Reigning MVP Derrick Rose had 25 points and seven assists but his supporting cast was equally impressive: all scored in double figures. Luol Deng had 21 points and 16 rebounds, Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer added 12 points apiece and Joakim Noah had 10 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.

Like the Celtics of a few seasons ago, the Bulls are a championship contender because they play such great team defense (thanks Tom Thibodeau-greatest Salem State alum of all-time). They hit the glass hard and don't allow second chance opportunities, making it hard for teams that don't shoot well to beat them on most nights.

Ray Allen led the Celtics with a quiet 16 points while Rajon Rondo had 14 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Paul Pierce had another bad shooting night (3 of 12) so he was held to 13 points. Finally, Brandon Bass had 10 points and nine rebounds as he was a late addition to the starting lineup. Who needs a center?

It's tough to choose where to begin when diagnosing Boston's issues. Clearly, they're way too old since they've only scored 100+ points three times so far this season. Most troubling, they've been held to under 80 in two of the last three losses. When you watch the games, you feel bad for Rondo because he has no teammates that can really keep up with him.

There's no shame in losing to the class of the Eastern Conference and one of the best teams in the NBA but the Celts aren't giving themselves a chance as they routinely start off games ice cold which results in double-digit first half deficits. Boston was down 20 (61-41 in the third quarter) but cut it down to one (67-66 after a Mickael Pietrus 3-pointer) in the fourth before predictably folding since they were so gassed from the big comeback.

Things are looking so bleak that even CSNE's Tommy Heinsohn sounded like he was on the verge of suicide in the first half when Boston trailed 26-13 (really) after the first quarter and 52-30 at halftime. When he can't be positive with his shamrock green colored glasses on, there's no hope for the rest of us.

The Bulls seem to put it on cruise control in the third quarter and to the Celtics' credit, they made it a game by playing well in that frame (26-15). Some careless turnovers by Chicago led to some runouts which is when Rondo is at his best.

Chicago closed it out in the fourth (21-20) to earn the NBA's top overall record and best mark on the road (7-2).

When you look at the box score, it's no surprise that Chicago won since they were better in almost every category that matters. The Bulls shot 4% better from the floor (45.3-41.3%), hit five more free throws (16-11), grabbed 12 more rebounds (46-34) and blocked three more shots (6-3).

I want to be positive but I just don't know how the Celtics are going to turn it around in the next few days or big picture, this entire season which I'm already getting sick of.

They travel to Indiana tomorrow night to face the Pacers, who won in Boston last Friday, before returning home on Monday to face the Oklahoma City Thunder-for my money the best team in the Western Conference. So yeah, get ready for a five-game losing streak. Ugh.

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Who is going to stop the D Rose and the Chicago Bulls?

It had been a long time (January 8) since the Boston Celtics had played the Chicago Bulls.

I knew Derrick Rose was playing at an MVP level and the Bulls were on fire but it was another thing to see them up close last night.

Let me say this: after watching Chicago (58-20) roll to a 97-81 win over the Celts (54-24) at the United Center, you have to say that without question, Chicago is the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

Hell maybe even the NBA. I know the Lakers always sleepwalk through the end of the regular season and then turn it on in the playoffs but damn, Rose (30 points, 8 assists) and the Bulls are playing awesome.

Basically Chicago seems like a younger, better version of the Celtics. They play outstanding defense, they're deep, they have a great coach (who knows everything about Boston) and most importantly, they employ Rose.

Nobody makes Rajon Rondo (7 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) look as bad as Derrick Rose does. His combination of size, speed and toughness is too much for Rondo to handle. There was some And-1 mixtape highlights last night as a couple times, Rose isolated on Rondo and blew by him with a filthy crossover. He still can't really shoot 3-pointers (2 for 5) but he hits his free throws (10 for 10) so Rose's game has never been at a higher level.

Luol Deng added 23 points for Chicago while Carlos Boozer had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Nobody on the Celtics had what you'd term a good game. Paul Pierce led Boston with 15 measly points, Kevin Garnett had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Jeff Green scored 10 points off the bench.

The good news is that should the seedings hold, Boston and Chicago wouldn't meet until the Eastern Conference Finals. Still, last night should make all the Green teamers tremble in fear when they hear about the Bulls and Rose.

Chicago led 26-18 after the first quarter and 48-43 at halftime. The Bulls started to pull away in the third (23-17) before taking it in the fourth (26-21).

The Bulls shot 47.4% to 38.4% for the Celtics. Chicago hit seven more 3-pointers (9-2) but Boston made nine more free throws (23-14). The Bulls pulled down nine more rebounds (44-35) and had seven more assists (21-14) and six more steals (9-3). Chicago made two more blocks (5-3) and most impressively, doubled up Boston in the paint (44-22).

Boston returns to TD Garden tonight to face the Washington Wizards. Last time these teams met, Washington shocked Boston in our nation's capital. It'll be interesting to see if Boston is into this game at all. They still have the No. 2 seed to play for but they could also mail it in while they wait for Miami on Sunday.

Celtics win sixth straight, over the pesky Bulls

Coming into the 2010-2011 season, nobody and I mean nobody could have expected Kevin Garnett to be playing at the level that he is right now.

KG is 34-years-old and after limping through last season following knee surgery, he looked like a shell of his former self that was on a real downslope near the end of his career.

You can put off writing your KG obituary just yet, the dude can still ball. Last night he helped the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 104-92 at the TD Garden.

It was the second time Tom Thibodeau and Brian Scalabrine returned and this time, the Celts (15-4) were able to get it done in regulation.

Garnett (20 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) and Rajon Rondo (12 points, 19 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) were the main ingredients in Boston's sixth straight triumph.

Paul Pierce added 18 points, Ray Allen chipped in 14 points and Shaquille O'Neal rounded out this balanced attack with 12 points.

Derrick Rose led Chicago (9-8) with 20 points and eight assists. Luol Deng had 15 points, Joakhim Noah added 14 points and 10 rebounds while Carlos Boozer (12 points) and Taj Gibson (10 points) also reached double figures.

Boston led 31-19 after the first quarter and 53-48 at halftime. However, just like whenever they play the Atlanta Hawks, the Bulls matchup so well with the Celtics that you never really feel comfortable until the game is over.

A strong third quarter by the Celts (29-22) helped them survive a not so great fourth (25-22 Bulls).

For the game, Boston shot 53.1% to Chicago's 41.9%. The Bulls made five 3-pointers to just one for the Celtics. Chicago made eight more free throws (25-17) but Boston had 10 more free throws (44-34) and 11 more assists (29-18). The Cs also had three more steals (7-4) and two more blocks (4-2). Finally, they continued their positive trend of owning the paint, outscoring Chicago 56-40 inside.

Boston will look to keep up the win streak as they go to New Jersey tomorrow afternoon to face the still miserable Nets.

Life without KG and Sheed is not fun

Pick an excuse: the Celts played the Bulls last night without Kevin Garnett or Rasheed Wallace and it was the sixth game in nine nights for Boston.

Whatever the reason, the Bulls (who had been blown out in their previous two meetings this season) looked like the team that gave the Celtics so much trouble in the first round of the playoffs last spring as they won 96-83 at the TD Garden.

Luol Deng scored a game-high 25 points, Derrick Rose added 17 points and eight rebounds while the world's ugliest man Joakim Noah posted 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Rookie Taj Gibson played well for Chicago (17-20) notching 14 points and six rebounds and Kirk Hinrich scored 11.

Boston (27-11) got a very quiet 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists from Paul Pierce and 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks by Kendrick Perkins but nobody else (save for 11 points by Eddie House off the bench) bothered to show up for an obviously tired C's team.

The Bulls are certainly not as good as the Hawks but they fit the young, athletic team mold that is so clearly Boston's kryptonite.

Chicago jumped out to a 29-18 lead after the first quarter and 47-39 at the half and the C's could never really make a definitive run in the second half. Boston outscored Chicago 24-23 in the third quarter but the Bulls closed with a 26-20 fourth.

Missing 13 free throws (15 for 28) especially for a veteran team that normally shoots so well is inexcusable for the C's. Predictably the Bulls owned them on the glass (50-39) and had five more blocks (10-5).

Thankfully the Celts have a few days to relax at home as they prepare for the Mavericks, the second best team in the Western Conference (still frauds), who come to the Garden on Monday night.

Another step closer to an NBA record

It's not enough to win in style, these days the Celtics also have to break or come close to tying incredible records in the process.

Last night, the host C's put up a season-high 126 points in a 126-108 win over the Bulls.

Boston (25-2) has won 17 games in a row, one shy of the franchise record and also one game away from the best start in NBA history (through 28 games).

Kendrick Perkins scored a career-high 25 points and hauled in eight rebounds as the Celts rolled. Ray Allen added 27 points, Kevin Garnett tossed in 17 points and Paul Pierce notched 16 points. Rajon Rondo had 15 assists (10 in the first half; 1 turnover) and four steals while Tony Allen put in 10 points off the bench.

For the Bulls (12-14), Luol Deng led the team with 19 points and seven rebounds. Andres Nocioni had 16 points off the bench, Derrick Rose had a quiet 15 points while Ben Gordon and Joakim Noah each added 10 points.

The Celts jumped out to a 31-21 lead after one but Chicago took the second quarter 34-26. Boston dominated the third quarter (41-27) and as a result, the starters sat most of the fourth quarter (28-26).

This was one of the first games (other than the ones I went to) that I caught most of and the passing display put on by the Celtics was nothing short of incredible. Everybody was looking to make the extra pass. They had 40 assists as a team.

Boston shot 59.5% to Chicago's 50.6%. The C's had nine more steals (14-5) and (20-13) seven less turnovers.

The New York Knicks come to Boston tomorrow night while this edition of the Celtics have a chance to tie those two aforementioned lofty NBA records.