Ultimate Trolling: The Celtics Are Actually Going to Make the Playoffs This Season, Aren't They?

At this point, I would sound like an idiot to ignore the truth that jumps off the screen anytime you tune in: Isaiah Thomas (28 points, 7 assists) has brought so much life to the Celtics that now it looks likely that they'll make the playoffs this season. Boston (23-33 overall, 14-15 home) beat Charlotte (23-33 overall, 10-17 away) 106-98 tonight at TD Garden. That leaves the two teams tied with Brooklyn, mere percentage points behind Indiana (24-34) who is barely hanging onto the eighth spot in the dogshit Eastern Conference.

All season long, I've bitched and complained when the Celtics have won so let me get one thing straight: I'm not changing my tune. It still helps them more to lose and miss out on the postseason this spring but then again, they are unlikely to get a top pick (in a weak draft) since they are so many teams dedicated to tanking so how could it hurt to give head coach Brad Stevens not to mention all these young, inexperienced players a little taste of the playoffs before they get swept by the Hawks, Raptors, Bulls or Cavaliers?

Boston's bench outscored its starters 60-46 led by Thomas and Jonas Jerebko (16 points, 10 rebounds) who has to be the best Swedish basketball player that I've ever seen. Their other recent acquisition Jae Crowder added 14 points and six rebounds while proving to be a versatile defender able to guard all different size guys. Avery Bradley had 19 points and five rebounds including two putback dunks that sealed it. Marcus Smart (10 points) was the only other Celtics starter to score in double-figures.

The Hornets still have some good players but they are lost right now without former UConn star point guard Kemba Walker. Mo Williams had a game-high 31 points and seven rebounds which sounds great but he took 23 shots and only contributed four assists (with three turnovers). Former Celtic Al Jefferson was held in check (14 points, 8 rebounds), Gerald Henderson added 14 points, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) while Tyler's (7 points, 9 rebounds) little brother Cody Zeller notched 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

The Celtics were up 27-21 after the first quarter but the Hornets pulled ahead 49-45 by halftime. Charlotte increased its lead to six going into the fourth (75-69) but Boston scored a season-high 37 points in the final frame and held their opponents to 23.

For the game, Boston hit four more 3-pointers (14-10), dished out five more assists (24-19), scored nine more fast break points (19-10), 10 more points in the paint (38-28) and 13 more points off turnovers (21-8). Charlotte had twice as many turnovers (16-8) as Boston which ultimately killed them.

Sunday night (6, CSN) at the Garden should be fun as the Celtics welcome the best team in the NBA-the Warriors (45-11)-to town. I give Boston a better chance to win than you'd probably expect since that will be Golden State's fifth stop on a six-game road trip (granted they humiliated Toronto 113-89 this evening) and also the fact that the C's nearly shocked them in Golden State a month ago (114-111 loss on Jan. 25). I never thought I'd say this during the Celtics' 2014-15 season but I'm actually really looking forward to that matchup.

Tweet

Rondo Sprains His Ankle But Celtics Beat Jazz Thanks To Green & Barbosa

Finally, that was the Celtics' depth that we've been hearing so much about. Rajon Rondo (6 points, 10 assists) left the game with a sprained ankle in the 3rd quarter tonight but Boston (5-3, 2-2 home) was able to temporarily withstand his absence in a 98-93 win over Utah (4-5, 1-5 away) at TD Garden.

Their bench outscored Utah's 47-25. The two main reasons that the Celts still had energy and points even without their point guard were Jeff Green (16 points) and Leandro Barbosa (16 points). Green shook the Garden with an insane dunk over Al Jefferson (13 points, 14 rebounds) while also getting to the free throw line (6 of 7) and converting. Barbosa took over point guard duties from Rondo and it seemed like he was attacking the basket at will with a variety of shots.

Paul Pierce had a game-high 23 points and Kevin Garnett had 11 points and eight rebounds while Brandon Bass scored eight in Boston's third straight victory. The Jazz are a solid team but without a true star, they are destined for nothing but first-round exits in the Western Conference playoffs. Paul Millsap had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Mo Williams and Gordon Hayward had 14 points while Derrick Favors added 14 points off the bench.

An injury to Rondo can never come at a good time but tonight was the beginning of a brutal four games in five nights stretch for the C's. Needless to say, they'll need him back on the court as soon as he can go. Utah led 25-20 after the first quarter and 46-44 at halftime. Boston took control in the third quarter (29-24) thanks to plenty of fast break points (20-8 overall). The C's also got the job done in the fourth, 25-23.

Boston had a 10 percent advantage in shooting (50-40%), six more assists (24-18) and five more steals (8-3). Utah hit three more 3-pointers (7-4), grabbed 15 more rebounds (48-33, including 18-4 offensive) and had two more blocks (6-4). Four more turnovers (13-9) for the Jazz and two less made free throws (22-20) were probably the difference in a tight game.

Tomorrow night (8 p.m., TNT) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn is their first look at the Nets (4-2), who many feel could be a contender in the Atlantic Division. Any team with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries among others is no joke, even with puppet Avery Bradley working the sidelines.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Suck It Billy Crystal & Clipper Darrell

I might have forfeited sleep and sanity but that's a small price to pay since in return, tonight I was able to watch the best win of the season for the Boston Celtics.

Playing their second game in two days at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Celts (22-19, 6-11 away) were able to close on a 20-7 run for a truly awesome 94-85 win over the Clippers (23-17, 12-7 home).

This was the first time all season that Boston won the second game of a back-to-back on the road.

Paul Pierce (game-high 25 points, 7 assists) usually plays well when he returns home and this was no exception as he hit a huge 3-pointer near the end. Kevin Garnett (21 points, 8 rebounds) was great too and Ray Allen (15 points) survived a scary turned ankle. It looked bad at first glance, maybe something way more serious but after going to the back he returned a few minutes later and even finished the game on the court.

Brandon Bass had 10 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. The expected point guard showdown between Rajon Rondo (12 points, 10 assists, 3 steals) and Chris Paul (14 points on 3 of 12 shooting), two of the NBA's best, was a bust since Paul was basically invisible.

Freak of nature Blake Griffin led LA with 24 points and nine rebounds, DeAndre Jordan grabbed 13 rebounds and Mo Williams scored 21 off the bench with four steals.

This was the only meeting of the season between these two teams but you wouldn't know that by how chippy they played and how much trash they talked to each other. I complain all the time about regular season NBA games being dull but this one was great because it had an edge.

The Celts led 25-21 after one quarter but the Clippers rallied to take a 48-39 halftime advantage. Boston locked down on defense in the second half, outscoring Los Angeles 23-13 in the third and 32-24 in the fourth.

It was great for once to see the Celtics execute in crunch time and not fold like usual (such as yesterday against the Lakers). It gives us a flickering hope that maybe they can do that more consistently.

The C's shot 12% better from the floor (49.3%-37.3%), they attempted six more free throws (27-21) and made five more (23-18) while dishing out eight more assists (24-16) and blocking three more shots (5-2). The Clippers were beasts on the offensive boards (20-6) and rebounding in general (45-31), that's the only reason it was somewhat close.

Two games down on this eight-game road trip, six more remaining. Up next, the Celtics travel to Golden State on Wednesday for their only meeting against the Warriors. Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, David Lee and Co. are always tough at home. Boston will need plenty of rest since Golden State loves to run.

UPDATE 3/14: The Warriors made a blockbuster trade last night as they shipped Ellis, forward Ekpe Udoh and blob Kwame Brown to the Bucks for injured center Andrew Bogut and swingman Stephen Jackson. There's been reports that Golden State would get a draft pick too but I'm not sure. Regardless, it totally changes the complexion of tonight's game. Now, I expect the Celtics to win. Jackson used to be on the Warriors but he's way past his prime.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Clippers shock the Celtics at TD Garden

If I told you that Blake Griffin only had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists when the Los Angeles Clippers visited the TD Garden, you would have thought the Celtics had rolled by like 20+ points, right?

Welcome to bizarro world as the young superstar was held completely in check yet the Clips (25-40) won 108-103 over the Celtics (46-16), who were disinterested in playing defense all game.

Despite basically no-showing for three quarters, it looked like Boston might make an epic comeback as they whittled a 23-point lead (65-42) down to three (86-83) with less than six minutes remaining. That's as close as they would get though as Los Angeles made all their shots down the stretch and deservedly came away with only their seventh road win of the season.

Mo Williams (game-high 28 points) and DeAndre Jordan (21 points on almost all dunks) were the unlikely stars for the Clippers. Former Celtic and my old college buddy Ryan Gomes added 12 points, Randy Foye notched nine points and 12 assists while Chris Kaman scored 10 off the bench.

Ray Allen led Boston with 23 points, Nenad Krstic added 20 points and nine rebounds while Paul Pierce had 19 points. Kevin Garnett (5-for-19) put up 16 points and eight rebounds despite the worst shooting performance I can ever remember from him. Rajon Rondo also struggled from the field (6-for-15) but he had 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the game was when Boston's five newest players: Krstic, Jeff Green (6 points), Carlos Arroyo (4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in his debut), Sasha Pavlovic (2 points) and Troy Murphy (2 steals) were all on the floor at the same time. It speaks to Boston's immense depth (if Shaq and Delonte West ever get healthy) that these will mostly be bench players when Glen Davis returns.

Los Angeles was ahead right from the start, 30-17 after the first quarter and 60-42 at halftime. Boston recovered with a strong third quarter (24-16) and fourth (37-32) but it wasn't enough.

The Clippers shot 52.0% to 44.0% for the Celtics. LA hit three more 3-pointers (9-6) and had seven more assists (28-21). Boston made the comeback with six more steals (10-4), four more fast break points (12-8) and eight more points in the paint (48-40).

After seeing their five-game win streak snapped, Boston will try to get a new one started tomorrow night when they visit the City of Brotherly Love. The Sixers have been playing great lately but the Cs have owned them the last few years. This could be a potential first round matchup in the playoffs this season.

Our economy is based on LeBron James

You can't blame the poor, miserable souls of Cleveland and their NBA team from overlooking last night's game against the Boston Celtics.

Naturally, with LeBron James' first return to town scheduled for Thursday night, you can understand why the locals are gathering the pitch forks and flaming torches.

Sure the Celtics (13-4) waxed the Cavaliers (7-10) 106-87 last night at Quicken Loans Arena but nobody cares about that. How will they react to LeBron, that's all anybody is talking about.

So it goes with a franchise that was kicked to the curb by its homegrown superstar. Even in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland will struggle to make the playoffs, they just don't have that much above average (if any) talent.

Rajon Rondo led the Celts with 23 points and 12 assists. Two other Cs had double-doubles: Glen Davis 17 points, 11 rebounds off the bench and Kevin Garnett 11 points, 10 rebounds, who shook off a major scare when he stepped on Paul Pierce's foot and twisted his right ankle.

Marquis Daniels had his best game of the season with 16 points, Ray Allen added 12 points and Pierce had 11 points.

Anderson Varejao, Sideshow Bob's bastard son, led the Cavs with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Daniel Gibson (16 points) and Ramon Sessions (14 points) had big games off the bench for Cleveland which is now strictly a jump shooting team, always a recipe for mediocrity. Mo Williams and Anthony Parker both notched 13 points.

Things started out well for the Cavs as they jumped out to a 12-4 lead but Boston immediately responded and only trailed 23-21 after one quarter. At halftime, the Green were up 56-45 so you knew which way this one was going.

Cleveland is so bad that they couldn't even take advantage of the Celtics in the second half like most other teams. Boston won the third quarter (24-20) and fourth quarter (26-22), drive home safely Cavs fans.

Boston shot 50.6% to Cleveland's 39.0%. The Cavs made five more free throws (18-13) but the Celts had four more rebounds (49-45) and most importantly 10 more assists (29-19). Would you believe me if I told you that Boston outscored Cleveland 60-26 in the paint? True story.

The Celts return to Boston tonight to host the Portland Trailblazers at the TD Garden, who lost last night in Philly so they'll be smarting from losing to such a terrible team.

We are all Witnesses (to LeBron's last gasp with the Cavaliers)

It is not hyperbole to say that last night changed the landscape of the NBA for the next decade.

The Celtics finished off LeBron James and the Cavs in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, 94-85 at the TD Garden. Boston won the series 4-2 and moves on to face Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals beginning Sunday afternoon.

They also ensured that LeBron will likely leave Cleveland when he becomes a free agent on July 1, which means their franchise will go straight down the tube. The Cavs had a press conference today to say that they'll stick with head coach Mike Brown but as bad as he is, what does it matter if LeBron is gone?

Rajon Rondo-the unofficial MVP of the series-had one more fine performance with 21 points, 12 assists, five steals and three rebounds.

The other revelation in the shockingly easy series win was Kevin Garnett. He saved his best game for last night with 22 points and 13 rebounds. He started the game 5-for-5 and also had a dunk as nobody on Cleveland could matchup with him.

For his final game in a Cavs uniform, LeBron had a triple-double: 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists. If it's possible to have a quiet triple-double this was it; he also had nine turnovers.

Mo Williams finished with 22 points but the Celts held him to two points in the second half. Shaq scored 11 but he was Cleveland's only other player in double figures.

Paul Pierce and Rasheed Wallace had 13 points while Tony Allen scored 10, including a vicious dunk over Antawn Jamison.

The Magic haven't lost a playoff game yet, after sweeping the Bobcats and the Hawks. Overall, they've won 14 games in a row. Last season, Boston was up 3-2 on them in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season before choking and lost in seven games without Garnett.

It has all the makings of a great series and at this point, we're playing with house money and anything can happen. Nobody expected them to be here but if they can beat Orlando-the best team in the NBA-they're going to win it all.

Love it Live: the predictable NBA playoffs

It sounds strange or extremely cynical but I'm not even looking forward to the Celtics-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Semifinal series.

I felt that way before last night's game 1 loss by the Celtics, 101-93 at Quicken Loans Arena and I'm sure it'll only get worse.

Cleveland is a great team, although not much better than Boston. The thing about it that's so frustrating is that you know the NBA wants LeBron to win. He choked last season and now he's on the verge of free agency without any rings. In the NBA, the home team always gets the calls, especially in the playoffs. And when you have a superstar well you better believe they'll get a call on every play.

Making LeBron even more of a fraud is the fact that he does lame shit like pretending his elbow is severely hurt. All last night and I'm sure for the rest of the series, we'll have to listen to how tough he is for playing through pain, etc. Ugh, give it a rest.

Haha, sorry just had to get that off my chest since I will be thinking it for however long the C's and Cavs are playing.

Another fact of NBA playoff games is that no lead is safe, particularly if the road team has it. So while I was psyched that Boston led 26-20 after the first quarter and 54-43 at the half, I knew Cleveland would comeback and probably win.

LeBron did his thing with 35 points, seven rebounds and seven assists but the player of the game for Cleveland was Mo Williams (20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) who kept their team in it during the third quarter when the Celts tried to run away with it and LeBron was on the bench.

The loss overshadowed what was a great performance by Rajon Rondo (27 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds). During the broadcast, Reggie Miller rightly said that it should be a Big Four in Boston now, not Big Three.

Kevin Garnett had 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, Ray Allen scored 14 and Paul Pierce had 13 points (but only five points after the game's first few minutes).

Cleveland took 10 more free throws (31-21) and they took it to the basket at will in the second half when they had to get points. The Cavs outscored the C's 36-24 in the third quarter and 22-15 in the fourth.

The Cavs had 26 points off the bench while the Celts only had 12. In all honestly, this was a game that Boston should have won. Cleveland and their home crowd were lifeless for much of the game and what are the odds that'll happen tomorrow night in Game 2?

If the Celts don't settle for so many jumpers (when they're ice cold like Pierce), they should be in good shape. I think the margin between these teams is much closer than the national media will tell you but you already know how it will end: with a Cavaliers series win.

Can't wait to watch the Cavs lose in the playoffs, again

I can't pinpoint when it happened exactly but I hate LeBron James now. It's not on a Kobe, A-Rod or Peyton Manning level but it grows by the day.

I used to love him, but somewhere between the constant media coverage and the way he so pathetically went out in the playoffs last spring, I realized that he's a complete fraud, just like most professional athletes.

Yesterday's game of the Cavaliers at the Celtics had basically no meaning for Cleveland (60-17) since they locked up the top seed in the East and the NBA already but it was still deeply satisfying to watch the Celts (48-28) beat a good team, 117-113 at the TD Garden on Easter.

LeBron had his usual absurd performance with 42 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the Celts nearly choked away a 22-point lead but they held on to put an end to their three game home losing streak.

Ray Allen scored a team-high 33 points, including six 3-pointers, Kevin Garnett added 19 points and eight rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 16, Rajon Rondo had 16 points and 14 assists while Kendrick Perkins had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston was up 33-24 after the first quarter and 64-49 at the half but LeBron and Co. are never out of any game since he gets every single possible call (he took 22 free throws, making 14).

Mo Williams scored 17 points for the Cavs while Antawn Jamison (16 points, 10 rebounds) and J.J. Hickson (14 points, 11 rebounds) had double doubles. Anthony Parker and Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 10 in the loss.

The C's took the third quarter 34-32 but LeBron and the Cavs dominated the fourth (32-19). James even had a chance to tie it with a basket but he chose to be a hero and pull up for a 3-pointer with a few seconds left. He missed it, not surprising since that's his one weakness (going 0-for-9 on threes yesterday) and Garnett hit two free throws to let Boston breath easier up four.

If things stay the way they are, Boston and Cleveland will meet in the second round, assuming both win in the first round of the playoffs. I'd still rather see the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals but hopefully that matchup happens this spring.

Enough already

Based on a busy past few weeks (going to a bachelor party in DC, heading to the Cape for a few days), I haven't been blogging lately about the Bruins and Celtics. The real underlying reason however for my lack of posts has been the fact that these teams are too depressing and flawed to mention.

I realize that's no excuse but there hasn't been anything in the last few weeks (months really) to get excited about from either of these painfully flawed squads. The Bruins can't score goals and didn't stand up for themselves when their best offensive player-Marc Savard-was knocked out with a cheap shot last weekend in Pittsburgh. The Celtics just can't beat good teams and sometimes they don't bother showing up against garbage like the Nets or Pistons.

The C's took on the Cavs in Cleveland yesterday and it played out exactly like you'd expect: Boston (41-24) hung around for a while before LeBron James (30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals) and Cleveland (52-15) decided to start playing. End result: a 104-93 Cavs win.

For once, the Celtics' starting five wasn't too blame. Ray Allen had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists while Kevin Garnett (7 rebounds) and Paul Pierce each scored 18 points. Rajon Rondo added 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Boston's bench was weak sauce to the max with 15 total points. When you play the Cavs, particularly at home, you know LeBron will do his thing. The key is limiting the clowns surrounding him; yesterday Anderson Varejao had 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Antawn Jamison added 15 points and 12 rebounds while Mo Williams (14 points, 6 assists) and J.J. Hickson (12 points) played their roles to perfection.

The Cavs jumped out to a 24-18 lead after the first quarter and held serve at 54-48 for the first half. Boston made a run in the third quarter to tie it up but a long drought buried them. They can hardly comeback against the Wizards so doing that in Cleveland is impossible.

The Cavs took the third (26-24) and the fourth (24-21) as LeBron and his cronies danced non-stop.

Detroit comes to the Garden tonight. If we've learned anything this season, it's that the Pistons will hang around for way too long before the Celts will barely squeak it out. Who knows, maybe they'll lose?

Celtics prove once again that no lead is too big for them to blow

Last night was an all-too familiar script for the Celtics against a good or in this case, a great team.

They started out hot, up ten after the first quarter (31-21) and built the lead up to thirteen before eventually, the Cavs (45-14) decided to start playing and what do you know, they ended up winning a laugher 108-88 at a stunned TD Garden.

Ray Allen scored a team-high 21 points for the Celts (36-20) and Rajon Rondo had 19 points and 11 assists but he was shutdown after the first quarter when he put up 12 points and seven assists.

LeBron James had his usual game of 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds but it was his supporting cast that swung the momentum to his team's side. Mo Williams added 19 points, including four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter (35-14) and Sideshow Bob aka Anderson Varejao notched 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston was still up 56-48 at half and 74-73 after three quarters but they couldn't hang on since nobody wanted to step up in Paul Pierce's (thumb, flu) absence.

The Celtics had 32 points in the second half which is pathetic. They allowed the Cavs to shoot 52.6% while Boston was 40.7%. Cleveland had four more threes (10-6) and five more assists (24-19).

The running joke that is the New Jersey Nets comes to the Garden tomorrow afternoon for what should be a ritual sacrifice, no doubt instilling false confidence in what is not a very good Celtics team.

Celtics' free-fall continues, did the Lakers steal their souls?

If last night had happened during the Celtics' 19-game win streak it still would have been a tall task to come away with a win at Quicken Loans Arena.

Under the current circumstances, it was nearly impossible and it should be no surprise that the Cavs dominated, 98-83 as the Celtics still can't get out of their own way.

Cleveland (29-6) improved its home record to a modest 19-0 start which is been orchestrated by the best player in the NBA, LeBron James.

He had 38 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks in one of those performances that only James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe can pull off.

Boston (29-9) got a double-double, 18 points and 15 rebounds from Kevin Garnett but like most of the games during this seven losses in nine game slide, nobody else stepped up as the second banana.

Kendrick Perkins had 13 points, Ray Allen had 12 and Paul Pierce had 11.

Sideshow Bob had 14 points and nine boards for the Cavs, Mo Williams (the key to their championship?) scored 13 and Daniel Gibson added 10.

The loss pushes Boston to third in the Eastern Conference as the Magic destroyed the Hawks in a similar early-season conference showdown.

For the game, Cleveland shot 50.8% to Boston's 41.3%. The Cavaliers made half of its 3-pointers (8-of-16) while the C's were 5-of-19. The Cavs led by LeBron's perfect 9-for-9, doubled up the Celtics in made free-throws (24-12).

The good signs in the loss were that Boston outrebounded Cleveland (one of the top rebounding team in the league) by 12 (42-30) and had ten more assists (25-15).

That might be grasping for straws a little bit and it's understandable since Boston's recent play has been downright depressing. Since that Christmas day loss to the Lakers, the Celts have lost their collective mojo.

They have home-and-home sets with the Raptors starting tomorrow in Toronto and then later in the week with the Nets. Both teams are not very good so the C's have to get back on track with at least a split.