Tatum (51 Pts) Sets NBA Gm. 7 Record As Celts Eviscerate 76ers 112-88 To Reach ECF Vs. Heat

 

    For the second year in a row and the fifth time in the last seven seasons, the Celtics are going to the Eastern Conference Finals. How they got there this time was the crazy part as Boston's superstar swingman Jayson Tatum erupted for a 51-point, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals masterpiece as the C's broke open a close Game 7 this afternoon at TD Garden with a 28-3 run in the third quarter which pushed them over the finish line 112-88 over the Sixers. Their reward is a rematch with the Miami Heat who they memorably beat in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. After trailing 3-2 in this series (just like last year when they were down 3-2 to Milwaukee in the second round), it was a very Happy Mother's Day for the Celtics led by Tatum who had the game of his young life while also setting an NBA record for the most points ever in a Game 7. 

    Philadelphia actually got off to a very solid start as they led 29-23 after the first quarter before Boston rallied for a 55-52 halftime advantage. The third quarter-where the Celtics outscored the Sixers 33-10-is the type of playoff frame that gets head coaches fired. Then again, if you were Philly's head coach Doc Rivers, would you want to continue to work with noted dogs and playoff chokers like MVP Joel Embiid (15 points, 8 rebounds) and former MVP James Harden (9 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) who both rolled over and let this blowout transpire without any sort of fight back? What would have been an extremely rough off-season for Tatum if the C's had lost will likewise be a deservedly unkind summer for Doc, Embiid and Harden since the Sixers blew a golden chance to reach the franchise's first Eastern Conference Finals since way back in 2001.

    This will forever be remembered as "The Tatum Game" but Boston also got a solid performance from its other star-shooting guard Jaylen Brown who had his face bloodied but did not slow down as he added 25 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Tatum did what true superstars and (future?) MVPs do in Game 7s by putting his team on his back. The only other Celtic who scored in double figures was backup point guard Malcolm Brogdon who notched 12 points off the bench. Did I mention that Sixers power forward Tobias Harris led them with 19 points and five rebounds? Haha what else needs to be said about a gutless team that also received 17 points from point guard Tyrese Maxey and 11 points from wily veteran forward P.J. Tucker? 

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is on Wednesday (8:30, TNT) at the Garden and there will be no extra days off as each contest will be two days apart with the same exact start time. Heat superstar Jimmy Butler needs no introduction but this is yet another series where Boston rightfully enters it as a heavy betting favorite. Interestingly enough with Lakers-Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals tipping off on Tuesday (8:30, ESPN), this is the exact same final four that the NBA got in the 2020 bubble playoffs. Let's not get ahead of ourselves but it would be fantastic to see another Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals. More importantly, the Celtics have to quickly shift their focus to a team that while missing its sniper shooting guard Tyler Herro is still tougher and markedly better than the Hawks and Sixers. Boston is once again the superior team on paper but Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is maybe the best in the game so if the C's slip up, Miami could certainly upset them and reach the NBA Finals just like they did in 2020. 

Tatum (19 Pts) Wakes Up In The 4th Quarter As The Celts Survive Game 6 Vs. The Sixers, 95-86

 

    With his team's season on the brink, Celtics superstar small forward Jayson Tatum (19 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks)-named to the All-NBA First Team on Thursday-was nowhere to be found for the first three quarters of Game 6 tonight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. He started 0-for-10 from the floor and then 1-for-14 before he finally woke up with four clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Luckily for him and the C's, NBA playoff games are still at least four quarters long so the same guy who was a puddle with three (!!!!) points in the first 36 minutes, was somehow the same guy who outscored the Sixers by himself 16-13 as the Celtics locked down Philly for a heart-stopping 95-86 victory to tie the series 3-3. Game 7 of their roller coaster second round playoff series will be on Sunday at TD Garden (time and channel TBD), Happy Mother's Day! The winner of that deciding contest will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals vs. either Miami or New York (the Heat are currently up 3-2 in that playoff series). 

    Celtics head coach Bazooka Joe Mazzulla was under immense pressure as well entering this game (not quite as much as Tatum but still the microscope was squarely on the seemingly overmatched rookie head coach) but to his credit, he responded with a brilliant lineup change: he started center Robert Williams (10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) over guard Derrick White (9 points) for Boston's vaunted double big lineup. It worked perfectly as the C's got off to a great start: they led 29-22 after the first quarter and 50-43 at halftime after being up by as much as 16 points in the first half. Philly made their move in the third quarter-outscoring Boston 30-21-to take a two-point advantage (73-71) into the final frame. Only seven Celtics played in Game 6 but they all made valuable contributions. Point guard Marcus Smart was their best all-around player with a team-high 22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown-part of his first All-NBA Team (the 2nd)-added 17 points and six rebounds while power forward Al Horford grabbed 11 rebounds. 

    The Sixers really only had two guys that did much of anything: MVP center Joel Embiid had a game-high 26 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while point guard Tyrese Maxey matched him with 26 points, five rebounds and three steals. Playoff James Harden was in full effect as he stumbled his way to just 13 points (on 4-of-16 shooting), nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals. The rest of Philadelphia combined for 21 points which needless to say will not get it done in a potential close out game against a legitimate opponent. This was the second time in the series that the Celtics held the Sixers in the 80s (they scored 87 in the blowout Game 2 loss) so it is no surprise that Boston shot 42.3% from the floor and Philadelphia bricked their way to 36.1%. The Celtics made seven more 3-pointers (15-8), pulled down 12 more rebounds (50-38), dished out four more assists (22-18) and scored six more fast break points (24-18) than the flawed home team. Boston survived despite having six more turnovers (17-11) which led to seven more steals for Philadlephia (14-7). That is a tough way to live and they will have to clean that up for Game 7 if they want to continue their postseason journey. 

Speaking of Sunday, who really knows what to expect from either club? Philly won Game 1, Boston took Games 2 and 3, the Sixers won Game 4 in OT then shocked the Celtics in Game 5 before the C's responded in Game 6 when their backs were officially against the wall. For historical context, the Sixers have not been to the Eastern Conference Final since 2001 with Allen Iverson. Conversely, Boston is trying to get back there for the second season in a row and the third time in the last four years. Remember that the Celtics are only 1-2 at the Garden in this series (and 3-3 in this postseason) so simply being at home does not make this an automatic victory. Let's hope that this series keeps mirroring last season for Boston in this spot vs. Milwaukee where they won Game 6 on the road then came home to beat them in Game 7. They never seem to make things easy on themselves but if the Celts can just win on Sunday, that will make us feel a whole lot better (at least temporarily).

After Not Showing Up In Game 5, The Celtics Are Now On The Brink Of Elimination Vs. The Sixers

 

    In the biggest game of the season, Boston never showed any type of urgency and as a result, they fell flat on their face 115-103 to Philadelphia tonight at TD Garden. The Sixers now have a stunning 3-2 lead in their second round playoff series with a chance to send the Celtics home for the summer on Thursday (7:30, ESPN) back at the Wells Fargo Center. There is absolutely no excuse for the Celts as they got off to another fatal slow start and never recovered as NBA MVP and Philly's star center Joel Embiid (team-high 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks) dominated them along with the Sixers' very talented young point guard Tyrese Maxey (30 points, 7 rebounds) who had by far his best performance of this postseason. Boston's stars-small forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 36 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (24 points, 6 rebounds)-had nice numbers on paper but their team trailed by as much as 21 points so that all seems pretty hollow in reality.

    For a team that was a whisker away from a 3-1 series lead on Sunday, this is quite a dramatic change for the C's. They never really displayed any type of pulse as Philly led 33-26 after the first quarter and 58-49 at halftime. Nothing changed for the better in the third quarter as Philadelphia outscored Boston 30-23 and they cruised to a surprisingly easy road victory in the all-important Game 5 on the road. Keep in mind, when in NBA history when a playoff series has been tied 2-2, the team that has won Game 5 has gone on to win that series 82% of the time. Sixers shooting guard James Harden (17 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) and power forward Tobias Harris (16 points, 11 rebounds) both recorded double doubles in the win while shooting guard Danuel House Jr. added 10 points and five rebounds off the bench for Philly. Point guard Marcus Smart was the only other Celtic to score in double figures but he just had 14 points and shot 2-of-7 from the floor. 

    Boston's lack of energy all night and the way that they simply rolled over against what we thought was an inferior opponent is beyond scary. Yes, the Celtics rallied from a 3-2 deficit in this same exact spot last season against Milwaukee but it is tough to continue to live like this and expect to survive it again and again. The Celtics' defense has been a major weakness in this series (and truthfully all playoffs long) since the Sixers have scored 115+ points in each of their victories. Boston also fell to 3-3 at home in this postseason which will never get it done. Philadelphia wanted it more as they grabbed a whopping 13 more rebounds (49-36) than the home team and thanks to Embiid, they blocked four more shots (5-1). All series long, the C's have driven to the rim only to get stuffed by Embiid, maybe they could adjust to that a bit more?  Philly also had 10 more fast break points (15-5) than Boston which is hard to explain since head coach Doc Rivers' team plays a pretty deliberate style other than Maxey. 

    There will be so much on the line in Game 6 for the Celtics: head coach Joe Mazzulla's job should most definitely be in jeopardy if they lose and more importantly, we would have to wonder if Tatum and Brown will ever get it done together since they seemingly could not ask for a better path to an NBA title than what has unfolded for them this postseason at least in the Eastern Conference. Seeing the Bruins pull a Bruins and choke in the first round of the playoffs after a record setting regular season was bad enough but watching the Celtics piss away this wonderful opportunity would be arguably even harder to take since the NBA is typically so much more predictable and driven by its stars.

The Celtics Beat Themselves As The Sixers Escape Game 4 With 116-115 OT Win To Tie Series 2-2

 

    Anybody that has ever watched the NBA can tell you that every detail and a single possession or two can be the difference between winning and losing an important playoff game. Apparently the Celtics' woefully overmatched head coach Joe Mazzulla has not received that crash course yet as his team blew a golden opportunity to take a stranglehold of its second round series vs. Philadelphia. Instead of coming home with a 3-1 series lead, the series is knotted up 2-2 following Philadelphia's 116-115 overtime victory this afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. There are a million ways to breakdown this utterly predictable loss by the Celts but it really came down to this: their point guard Marcus Smart (21 points, 7 assists) had a chance to win it at the end of regulation but he missed a 3-pointer and then their superstar small forward Jayson Tatum (24 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks) could have taken a shot at the end of overtime that would have clinched it but instead, he took too long then threw it out to Smart for a three that he could not shoot in time before time ran out. Ugh. 

    For all the crowing we hear non-stop from the team, fans and bobo media members about how Tatum and Boston's star shooting guard Jaylen Brown (23 points, 5 assists) are the best tandem in the league, that sure was not the case in Game 4. Philadelphia's much-maligned shooting guard James Harden (game-high 42 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals) and the NBA's MVP center Joel Embiid (34 points, 13 rebounds) dominated the contest and outscored Boston's dynamic duo 76-47. You cannot argue that the Celtics have a deeper roster but playoff games are usually decided by star players and there was no question which pair was ready for this moment and which one came up short yet again in a key spot. If Tatum and Brown are as good as we think that they are (or maybe can be), they simply cannot lose this series to a washed up/playoff choker like Harden and out of shape/injury prone Embiid.

    Truth be told, if the C's had somehow pulled this off, it would have been a miracle since they sleepwalked through much of the proceedings. They trailed 27-19 after the first quarter and 59-50 at halftime when it felt like it should have been much more in favor of the Sixers. Despite being up by as much as 16 points and playing to a draw in the third quarter (33-33), you knew that Philly would have a hard time closing it out since they are not a very good team after all. True to form, Boston stormed back in the fourth quarter (24-15) with an excellent defensive frame (finally!) but it was still not enough to prevent overtime.

    Both teams only played eight guys apiece in the entire game and point guard Tyrese Maxey (14 points, 8 rebounds) was the only other Sixer to score in double figures. Boston's guard Derrick White added 12 points while center Al Horford (10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks) was immense defensively. Sixth Man of the Year and backup point guard Malcolm Brogdon (19 points, 8 rebounds) continued to play great as he earned more minutes (36-31) off the bench than White who hasn't been nearly as effective as he was in the first round series against Atlanta. I know that little Joey will not do it but starting Brogdon over White in Game 5 seems like a nice lineup change to me but what do I know?

    Just like many other times in the up and down regular season (which sounds crazy for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and NBA title favorite) and thus far in the playoffs, the C's will always be their own worst enemy-somewhere the 90s one-hit wonder band Lit smiles. They owned many of the stats in Game 4 except the most critical: the Sixers had three times as many steals (9-3), they committed three less turnovers (10-7), they hit three more free throws (19-16) and scored 10 more second chance points (19-9) than the Celtics. Game 5 on Tuesday (7:30, TNT) at TD Garden is obviously the biggest game of the season for the C's and like Game 2, it feels like a pseudo must-win because if they go down 3-2, it is tough to see them winning two elimination games with how all over the place they tend to be. 

Boston Regains Home Court Advantage With A Thorough 114-102 Victory In Game 3 At Philly

 

    The Celtics kept the positive momentum going tonight in Philadelphia as they picked up an impressive 114-102 win at the Wells Fargo Center in Game 3 of the second round to take a 2-1 series lead. Boston improved to 3-1 on the road in these playoffs while they also handed Philadelphia their first home loss of the postseason. It was a true team victory for the C's since all five starters scored in double figures led by star small forward Jayson Tatum (27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and star shooting guard Jaylen Brown (23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists). Sixers center Joel Embiid (game-high 30 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks) was presented with his NBA MVP award before the game but none of his teammates could really step up to help him most notably shooting guard James Harden (16 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds) who continued to be ice cold from the floor (3-for-14) for the second game in a row. The C's will have a great chance to really take a stranglehold in the series on Sunday afternoon (3:30, ESPN) in Philly. 

    They never built up a huge lead-the most that they led by all game was only 13 points-but Boston is clearly the better and deeper club and it showed in Game 3 as they had control for most of the contest. Philadelphia was up 29-28 after the first quarter but Boston took a 57-50 lead into halftime after center Al Horford's (17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) clutch buzzer-beating 3-pointer. The Celts kept it going in the third quarter (31-27) and sealed it with a solid fourth quarter (26-25). Boston just has too many weapons when compared to the more limited Sixers. Point guard Marcus Smart added 15 points and three steals for the winners while shooting guard Derrick White scored 13 points with six rebounds and backup point guard Malcolm Brogdon-the reigning Sixth Man of the Year-tossed in 15 points and six assists off the bench.

    Behind Embiid, I think that Philly's lightning fast point guard Tyrese Maxey (13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) is the only other guy that you really fear these days but he was held in check in Game 3 going 4-for-16 from the floor. Shooting guard De'Anthony Melton scored 14 points off the bench and Haverhill's own small forward Georges Niang added 10 points but neither of those guys is capable of doing much more damage than that in a tight playoff game. For once, it was nice to see Boston's defense propel them this postseason as they shot 44.2% from the field while Philly was under 40% (39.7%). The C's grabbed three more rebounds (45-42) and handed out for more assists (25-21) than the Sixers. Boston also had two more steals (9-7), four more points in the paint (32-28), four more second chance points (11-7) and eight more fast break points (15-7). None of those statistics sound like much but when you add them all up on the road in a tough environment, they can be the difference between a 2-1 series lead or trailing 2-1 which would completely change the complexion of Game 4 for both teams. 

    Speaking of that, let's hope that the Celtics have finally learned their lessons from the regular season not to mention the Hawks first round series and they can continue to shut the door on the overmatched Sixers. There is no need to go any further than five games with Philadelphia who has no business reaching the Eastern Conference Final this year. Boston has the blueprint to defeat Philly: Embiid can have a big game but as long as the Sixers' others are contained, the C's should take a commanding 3-1 series lead with a chance to close it out back at TD Garden on Tuesday. The Celtics are the best team remaining in the East no doubt and maybe in the NBA so it is nice to see them finally start to play like that on a consistent basis.

MVP Joel Embiid's Return Did Not Matter As Celts Destroyed 76ers 121-87 In Game 2 To Even Series

 

    You have to love the NBA playoffs where it feels like you are just as likely to see a nailbiter game as a regular season style blowout. Tonight at TD Garden, the Sixers surprisingly got the newly minted NBA MVP Joel Embiid (15 points, 5 blocks in 27 minutes) back in the lineup but then they proceeded to get run over by the Celtics 121-87 to tie the series at one game apiece. Philadelphia's shooting guard James Harden who dropped 45 points in a shocking Game 1 upset looked more like his indifferent, playoff choker self as he had 12 points (on 2-of-14 shooting!) and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes. You figured that Boston would win this one but with the way it transpired, it is hard to draw too many conclusions from this glorified exhibition game. The series now shifts to Philly with Game 3 on Friday (7:30, ESPN). 

    Five Celtics scored at least 12 points led by shooting guard Jaylen Brown who had a game-high 25 points and backup point guard Malcolm Brogdon (23 points, 6 rebounds) who hit a game-high six 3-pointers off the bench. C's superstar small forward Jayson Tatum had the worst playoff performance of his career (7 points, 7 rebounds in 19 minutes) as he battled foul trouble but it could not have mattered less as point guard Marcus Smart and shooting guard Derrick White each scored 15 points. Hell, even power forward Grant Williams came out of witness protection to toss in 12 points off the bench in extended minutes (29). 

    Boston was in control the entire way as they led 28-22 after the first quarter and 57-49 at halftime. It was all about the third quarter though as the C's outscored the Sixers 35-16 which made the fourth quarter largely irrelevant (Boston took that 29-22 just for kicks). As you would guess, the numbers were staggering in the home team's favor: the Celtics shot 7.5% better from the floor (46.7%-39.2%), they hit 14 more 3-pointers (20-6), grabbed five more rebounds (46-41), handed out twice as many assists (26-13), had three times as many steals (6-2) and five less turnovers (11-6) than the Sixers. Boston also notched seven more second chance points (21-14) and eight more points off turnovers (13-5) as they were up by as many as 36 points. 

    Embiid playing in Game 2 was a strange decision because you figured Philly winning Game 1 would buy him a little more time to rest and get his body right. He has never been known as the most in-shape guy in the league but lumbering around with a bulky new knee brace, he seemed even slower than usual which is saying something. They are just lucky that he did not get hurt but they still got what they came for in the first two games: a road win at the Garden. Boston will have to win at least once in Philadelphia to take this series so why not promptly get that out of the way on Friday? You cannot be too overconfident given how they struggled to put Atlanta away in the first round not to mention losing in Game 1 to Philadelphia but the Celtics are simply a better team than the Sixers so hopefully they continue to play like that moving forward.

In Tonight's Episode Of Boston Sports Failure, The Celtics Dropped Game 1 To The Sixers 119-115

 

    So apparently we live in sports hell now. For the second straight night, we were treated to an excruciating setback for the home team as this time the Celtics did the honors by losing Game 1 of their second round playoff series to the Sixers 119-115 at TD Garden. Philly's superstar center Joel Embiid (knee) was out and the Celts were a 10.5 point favorite, therefore no problem right? Nothing is certain though with this ultra talented but bipolar club. Sixers shooting guard James Harden tied his playoff career-high with 45 points (including the dagger go-ahead 3-pointer pictured above). Game 2 is Wednesday (8, TNT) back at the Garden and Embiid could return then, gulp. I am still confident that Boston will win the series but why do they keep making things more difficult on themselves? 

    When we take a step back like Harden (sorry), this result is not surprising at all especially considering how Boston repeatedly stumbled in the first round vs. Atlanta. Despite multiple players that are considered good defenders, their team defense is currently a complete mess. I know that every team scores 100+ points in each game in the NBA these days but this is getting ridiculous for the C's. Besides losing home court advantage right away in this series, the Celtics wasted a fantastic performance by its star small forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 39 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) along with a team shooting performance that seems impossible to lose with-58.7% from the floor and 17-of-18 from the free throw line. Turnovers absolutely killed them as they had a whopping 10 more (16-6) than Philadelphia which simply cannot happen in the postseason if you hope to win anything.

    Harden was the headliner but the others on the Sixers also stepped up with the likely NBA MVP sitting on the sidelines. Point guard Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points, power forward Tobias Harris added 18 points and five rebounds while something named Paul Reed had a double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) as Embiid's dollar store replacement. Finally, shooting guard De'Anthony Melton scored 17 points off the bench for Philly. Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown started out fast and finished with 23 points and six rebounds, point guard Marcus Smart added 12 points and seven assists (but also 6 turnovers) and center Al Horford notched 11 points and six rebounds. Guard Malcolm Brogdon (20 points) was great off the bench but he couldn't entirely make up for shooting guard Derrick White's (4 points) worst game of the playoffs and maybe the entire season. 

    In a high scoring first quarter, the Celts couldn't miss and they led 38-31 but it was all downhill from there as the Sixers took each of the final three quarters. Philadelphia cut it to 66-63 at halftime and it was tied at 87 going into the last frame. Philly hit seven more 3-pointers (17-10) and had seven more steals (10-3) than the hosts which led to seven more points off turnovers (20-13). The Celtics pulled down 10 more rebounds (38-28), dished out nine more assists (26-17), they scored 24 more points in the paint (66-42!!!!!) and four more fast break points (14-10) and yet somehow they still found a way to lose on their home court. I refuse to panic and call Game 2 a must-win (YAWN!) but yikes, things would get pretty sketchy if the Sixers can take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Everything Is Coming Up Celtics These Days As Al Horford Signs A Two-Year Extension With Them

 

    While the Patriots (6-6) stumble and try to stay somewhat relevant this winter, the Celtics (an NBA best 18-4) and Bruins (19-3-0, one point behind NJ-who has played two more games-for the top mark in the NHL) are both off to incredible starts to their respective seasons. That is actually one of the main reasons why I haven't written about either so far in these ridiculous campaigns: they have been mostly blowing everyone out so that gets pretty redundant and boring to discuss. Today at least brought some interesting off the court news for the C's as they signed veteran center Al Horford to a two-year contract extension worth $20 million. His numbers so far in 2022-23 are probably better than you realized: in 31 minutes per game, he's averaging 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 blocks. He is also shooting almost 50% on three-pointers (48.8%) which is way above his career average from downtown (36.6%). 

    With news of the Ime Udoka scandal breaking right before training camp started, you wondered how it would affect the team but so far first-year head coach Joe Mazzulla's transition has been seamless thanks to his absolutely loaded roster. By NBA standards, Al is already very old (he turned 36 during the NBA Finals last summer) and this deal will tie him to the C's through his 39th birthday in 2025. While that might seem a little crazy, if you have watched the Celts lately, you noticed that Horford is still a starting caliber player on an NBA title favorite. With fellow big man Robert Williams perpetually hurt and/or coming back from an injury, you need to have a legitimate backup plan for him since I doubt that he will ever play anything close to a full season. Enter Horford who was a Hawk for nine seasons (after being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 Draft) then he initially came here in free agency in 2016. After three good years, he briefly went to the Sixers followed by a short but miserable stay with the constantly rebuilding Thunder.

    When Brad Stevens reacquired him for next to nothing two summers ago, we all laughed thinking that Horford was completely washed up but he has proven everybody wrong by putting together a really nice return season with the Celtics culminating in his first ever NBA Finals apperance. He is too old to play in back-to-back games (like earlier this week) but who cares? Al provides stability and leadership to a team that still needs it despite the fact that Jayson Tatum has become one of the best players in the league and Jaylen Brown is an All-Star caliber player as well. With so many big personalities (and egos), every locker room needs a Horford-a calming presence on the floor and no doubt behind the scenes as well. Other than winning that elusive NBA title, he has done and seen almost everything when it comes to the game of basketball.

    Of course, this being the Celtics and Boston in general, this what looks to be absurd regular season for the C's won't really mean anything if they don't go back to the Finals and complete the job that they weren't quite ready to do last summer against Golden State. Few players ever get that storybook ending in pro sports but it seems well within Horford's grasp meaning that the Celtics could finally earn another banner and therefore he would retire on top. Until then, we should appreciate the maturity, classiness and sheer dependability of Horford who seems to be unique in many positive ways when it comes to the normally drama filled NBA. Al appears to genuinely like being a Celtic too and from what we can tell, he enjoys playing here which you also cannot put a price tag on.

The Celtics Pulled Off A Sneaky Good Deal By Flipping Moses Brown For Josh Richardson

 

    While we wait for the three team trade between Boston, Atlanta and Sacramento to hopefully go through sometime soon, the Celtics did make another notable move over the weekend by trading center Moses Brown (we hardly knew ya!) to the Mavericks for guard Josh Richardson. It beats me if Brown is any good since he was here for a little over a month (dealt from Oklahoma City in the Al Horford/Kemba Walker trade) and finished his glorious Celtics career with a grand total of zero games played. Richardson on the other hand is a much more known commodity since he's played in the NBA for six seasons: four with Miami, one with Philadelphia and one with Dallas. In five of those six years including the last five in a row, he's averaged at least 10.2 points per game which doesn't sound like much but it's nothing to sniff at. 

    In many ways, Richardson has already exceeded any outside expectations for what he would do in the NBA since he was a second-round pick (40th overall) by the Heat in 2015 out of the University of Tennessee. His career averages are pretty solid across the board: 12.3 points per game, 1.1 steals per game, 42.7% field goal percentage, 35.8% 3-pointer percentage and 83.2% free throw percentage. He's definitely used to being a starter in the league since he has started in 299 of 373 possible games and averaged 30.6 minutes per game so it'll be interesting to see what role he carves out for the C's. His best season in a pro was in 2018-19-his last in Miami-when he averaged a career-high 16.6 points per game, 4.1 assists per game, 1.1 steals per game and shot 86.1% on free throws as he started all 73 games that he appeared in.

    Brad Stevens and the Celts still have plenty of work to do with free agency officially opening in the NBA on Monday night at 6 pm. Free agent swingman Evan Fournier-who is currently tearing it up at the Olympics with France-is the main internal question facing Boston: do they bring him back after they traded for him last season or do they let him walk? The aforementioned three-way trade would reportedly culminate with them acquiring former legendary Providence College point guard Kris Dunn and center Bruno Fernando from the Hawks while center Tristan Thompson will get sent to basketball Siberia aka the Kings. I'll save my thoughts on that move until it actually occurs (or sadly doesn't). Until then, let's hope that by whatever means necessary, Stevens & Co. can pick up some more quality players because the Celtics still need plenty of them to improve on their lackluster seventh-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season.

According To ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, The Next Head Coach Of The Celtics Will Be Ime Udoka

 

    If you know anything about the NBA, whatever Woj says is basically gospel so while the Celtics haven't confirmed this big news yet, I think that you can take it to the bank. First off, you are probably wondering who the hell is Ime Udoka? Well he was an NBA journeyman player turned assistant coach who has worked for San Antonio and Philadelphia before his most recent gig with Brooklyn. While he lacks the name brand of a Chauncey Billups (another finalist along with Darvin Ham for this job), he clearly has the resume of someone that has been around the league for a long time in multiple roles. Most importantly, he has the approval of Boston's best players-Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-who he worked with at the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Team USA as an assistant coach. Marcus Smart was also on that team but unlike the Celtics, I'm not going to pretend like he is some linchpin of this club.  

    Without ever hearing it directly, I think it is safe to assume that one of the main reasons that Brad Stevens burned out as the Celtics head coach is that he probably failed to connect with many of his players. Right off the bat, Udoka checks many of the boxes that Stevens never can: he's Nigerian-American and he played for parts of seven seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, Knicks, Blazers, Spurs and Kings. He is also on the younger side (43) for a head coach like Stevens so that should also help him in terms of relating to current NBA stars some of whom are basically half his age. Off the court, he's obviously doing something right since his longtime partner is actress Nia Long-of Friday and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air fame.

    Stevens has a brilliant basketball mind but every coach-particularly those at the highest level and in a player-driven league like the NBA-has a shelf life. Boston has more than enough talent to finish better than seventh-place in the Eastern Conference like they did in the shameful 2020-21 regular season. It is all about maximizing their time with Tatum and Brown because once those current contracts end, who knows if they will still want to stay here for much longer? While the value of an NBA head coach on the surface is pretty low these days, one of their main purposes is to be liked (or at least tolerated) by the team's star players. If you have them on your side, then you have a shot at getting the most out of them. If not, you run the risk of losing your job very quickly since a coach is always easier to part with than a top talent in a league that is mostly built on accumulating it.

    Finally, in 2021 you simply cannot overlook the fact that in a league filled with players that are predominantly not white, it makes sense to have a coach that looks like most of the players. That is not to say that white head coaches can't be successful anymore but I am happy to see the Celts recognize that Udoka was a solid candidate (along with two other African-Americans) based on his own merits and it was long overdue to go in a different direction in terms of the race of the head coach. This is a franchise with a long history of great black head coaches: from Bill Russell to KC Jones and in more recent years Doc Rivers. Hopefully in the not too distant future, Ime Udoka will be remembered as one of the main factors in a positive culture shift within the C's when they desperately needed it most.

The 76ers Swept The Season Series With The Celts Behind A Monster Night From Joel Embiid (35 Pts)

 

    In recent years, the Celtics (25-26 overall, 15-10 home) have owned the Sixers (35-16 overall, 15-11 away) both in the regular season and more importantly in the playoffs. That script has definitely changed in 2021 though as Philadelphia has become one of the top teams in the NBA while Boston has regressed to a middle-of-the-pack club (at best) that has little chance against a team like the Sixers when it comes to the postseason. Philly left no doubt tonight at the TD Garden as they easily disposed of the C's 106-96 to take all three games of the season series. Don't let the final score fool you, it really wasn't even that close as the Sixers used a 22-3 run in the second quarter to lead by as many as 21 points as they cruised to an easy win and kept pace with Brooklyn (35-16) for first-place in the Eastern Conference. 

    Much like the Bruins, the Celts can't seem to shake their bout with Covid-19. They got swingman Semi Ojeleye back tonight but swingman Evan Fournier returned to the league's health and safety protocol for the second time already in his brief time here. Ugh. Anyone seen Tristan Thompson lately? It feels like he's been missing for months while he has tested positive for Covid-19 as well. Regardless, with a real head coach in Doc Rivers by his side, Philadelphia center Joel Embiid (game-high 35 points, 6 rebounds) has blossomed into one of the best players in the league. He can do it all including get to the line (20 free throw attempts) where unlike Shaq or many other clumsy big guys, he is a great shooter (he made 16 of those). Small forward Danny Green (17 points) is one of the better 3-point marksman (he made 5-of-6 tonight) in the NBA, point guard Ben Simmons added 12 points, six assists and three steals while power forward Tobias Harris (who made his first All-Star Game this season) had 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Philly's bench is for sure a weakness that will probably come back to bite them in the playoffs as they were led by something called Furkan Korkmaz who had 10 points. 

    If Boston is held under 100 points, you know that they aren't going to win since their defense will never hold any decent team under that. Mr. Empty Numbers himself swingman Jayson Tatum paced the home team with 20 points while shooting guard Jaylen Brown was held to 17 points. Point guard Kemba Walker (6 assists) and guard Marcus Smart each scored 14 points. Center Robert Williams has been one of the few bright spots of this frustrating season for the Celtics but tonight showed how far he still has to go: he fouled out in 14 minutes trying futilely to stop Embiid, scoring four points and grabbing nine rebounds in that short time.

    The truth is that I (along with any reasonable Celtics fans) knew that they had little chance to win tonight and the real test is tomorrow night when they host the Knicks (25-26 overall, 11-16 away) who you will notice have the exact same record as them. New York is also 5-5 in its last 10 games so they aren't exactly setting the world on fire either but unlike the C's, they are overachieving this season compared to the disappointing team in Green. Kemba will be out which is when Boston could really use Fournier. Get ready for the full Marcus Smart experience which always makes for a bumpy ride. Their only meeting of the season so far-which I have totally forgotten for obvious reasons-was a 30-point drubbing (105-75) by New York on January 17 at the TD Garden. Haha dare I say that it can't get any worse than that for the C's? 

Tatum Remains Out While Embiid & The 76ers Beat The Celts Again, Boston's Third Straight Loss

 

On Wednesday and tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics (8-6 overall, 4-4 away) did their best to ensure that Sixers (11-5 overall-best record in the East, 9-1 home) superstar center Joel Embiid (38 points, 11 rebounds) will be the Eastern Conference Player of the Week when that meaningless honor gets announced on Monday afternoon. In the two games, he combined for 80 points and 21 rebounds, is that good? Philadelphia won both meetings including this evening's 122-110 beatdown. Boston's superstar forward Jayson Tatum is still out as he recovers from a bout with Covid-19 but he's been practicing lately so the hope is that he can return to a game possibly as early as Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) vs. Cleveland (8-7) at TD Garden. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown tied his career-high with 42 points and he added nine rebounds but he couldn't do it all by himself for the Celts. 

    The losses to one of their biggest rivals were disappointing enough along with their first three-game losing streak of the season but the C's also saw their solid rookie guard Payton Pritchard leave with a scary looking right knee sprain. It happened on an awkward play as Brown fell onto Pritchard's knee while they were both going for a rebound. I am not a medical expert but with the way that Payton reacted to his injury and how slowly he went off the court with the help of Celtics trainers and the team doctor, it didn't look promising. We'll see what the diagnosis is but I'm guessing that he won't be in action anytime soon. Sigh. No matter who Boston tries to throw against Embiid-Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams, Daniel Theis or Robert Williams (who made his first appearance since Jan. 6 after he went down with the coronavirus)-it hardly mattered. Nobody on the C's has a chance to stop a motivated Embiid who only had to play 30 minutes in this one. Say what you want about Dwight Howard (12 rebounds, 3 steals) but he's a pretty decent backup center and also someone that the Celtics could have signed in free agency. 

    It wasn't all the Embiid show (OK, it mostly was) but Philly featured some nice performances from power forward Tobias Harris (23 points, 8 rebounds)-who I still think is one of the most underrated players in the league-point guard Ben Simmons had a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists while shooting guard Seth Curry (15 points) showed no ill effects from Covid-19 as he is the top 3-point shooter in the NBA at the moment. PS how confusing must it have been to have two brothers with such similar names like Seth and Steph (Curry) growing up in the same house? I wouldn't say that the Sixers have a great bench but they outscored Boston's 26-22. 

    Guard Marcus Smart (20 points, 7 assists, 2 steals) usually puts up good numbers when he gets to start but that doesn't mean it's his most effective role since he shot 7-for-17 from the field in a team-high 39 minutes. Point guard Kemba Walker (19 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) posted his same scoring total from Wednesday but he was able to play seven more minutes which means that his worrisome knee is responding well to the stem cell procedure he underwent in the off-season. After a strong first quarter where they outscored the Sixers 33-25, Philadelphia took over in the second quarter (24-19) although Boston still hung on to a slim 52-49 lead at halftime. The 76ers exploded for 42 points in the third quarter when the Celts could only manage 28. Boston got as close as four points (101-97) midway through the fourth quarter but Smart missed a layup and that was it since Boston could never find a way to slow down Philly's offense. 

    The Sixers shot a whopping 10% better than the Celtics from the field (55.6%-45.6%) and they grabbed 13 more rebounds (45-32) including 13 more defensive boards (35-22). The most important thing for the C's is to get the hell out of Philly and away from all of their delicious cheese steaks. You probably don't know it (and why should you?) but the Cavs might actually be decent for the first time in years. They are only a half game behind Boston after this mini-slump so Sunday's first meeting of the season is sneaky important for both clubs. UConn's Andre Drummond is one of the best centers in the NBA and guard Collin Sexton is quickly becoming a star for Cleveland in his third year in the league. What I'm trying to say is that make sure Celts-Cavs is the first channel you changed to when Bills-Chiefs goes to a commercial or at halftime. It certainly doesn't have the same high stakes or sheer entertainment factor of the AFC Championship Game (remember those?) but it is a tasty appetizer on a cold Sunday night in late January.

UPDATE 1/23/21: The Celtics official Twitter account sent an update about Pritchard tonight. An MRI conducted on him earlier today revealed that he has a Grade I sprain of his right MCL. "Pritchard is expected to return to on-court activities in approximately two weeks." Whew. This could have been way worse news about the rookie guard that's been a pleasant surprise early on this season. Granted, he probably won't appear in a game for at least three or four weeks but it's way better than a torn MCL or ACL that could cost him possibly the rest of the year. 

      

    

Without Tatum, The Celts Fade In The 4th Quarter As Embiid Drops 42 Pts In The 117-109 76ers Win

 

    Tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics (8-5 overall, 4-3 road) and Sixers (10-5 overall, 8-1 home) met for the first time this season and it turned out to be an entertaining game although Philly came away with a 117-109 victory. It was the first win for new Sixers head coach Doc Rivers against his former team. As a Celtics fan, the easiest thing to do after suffering a loss to one of their closest rivals, all you want to do is chalk it up to Boston missing its superstar Jayson Tatum who is still recovering from Covid-19. That is fair but you have a feeling that at almost any point in this campaign, you could say the same thing about most teams due to the pandemic and such a condensed schedule which is already causing tons of injuries. Sixers center Joel Embiid (42 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals) scored the most he's ever recorded against the Celtics but this was still a winnable contest for Boston since it was tied at 105 with 4:08 left in the fourth quarter. The problem is that without their elite closer (remember baseball?), the Celts fell apart in crunch time. 

    Besides Embiid's dominance and Tatum's absence, the other main issue was that Philadelphia lived at the free throw line all night. No really, as a team they attempted 25 more free throws (45-20) and made 23 more of them (36-13). For that reason, it's crazy that Boston was able to keep it that close. Complaining about fouls typically bores me to tears but you simply cannot overlook those absurd numbers. Besides the stats above, all that you need to know in that regard is that Embiid took 21 free throws by himself and made 17 of them. The uber-talented big guy will get most of the headlines for Philly but power forward Tobias Harris (22 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) did his mostly underrated thing, small forward Danny Green hit four 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds while point guard Ben "I Still Can't Shoot To Save My Life" Simmons had 11 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Guard Shake Milton scored 16 points off the bench for the Sixers and center Dwight Howard posted 10 rebounds in only 15 minutes. PS what other star in his generation besides maybe Derrick Rose (but that was because of a million injuries) has had a more bizarre career path than Howard? 

    Four players did basically everything for the Celtics: shooting guard Jaylen Brown had a team-high 26 points and five rebounds, guard Marcus Smart added 25 points and point guard Kemba Walker made the most of his minutes restriction (in his 2nd game of 2020-21) by registering 19 points and six assists in only 22 minutes of action. With some generous home cooking, Embiid got all of Boston's bigs in foul trouble: center Tristan Thompson (9 rebounds), power forward Grant Williams and backup center Daniel Theis (23 points, 10 rebounds) all picked up five fouls apiece. It was a close game almost the entire time until Boston ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. 

    If we're being honest, Philadelphia was also missing its best shooter-Seth "The Other" Curry (who is also out due to the coronavirus)-but they still managed to speed out to a 32-25 lead after the first quarter. Boston recovered with its best frame of the night (36-26) for a slight 61-58 halftime advantage for the road team. The C's actually extended it a little more with a strong third quarter (31-28) for a six-point lead going into the fourth. With no Tatum to let cook in the final 12 minutes, not to mention the foul trouble and Smart being the second best offensive option, it all added up to a disastrous ending for the Celts who dropped their second game in a row.    

    The free throw discrepancy will get the majority of the focus from this game but let's not overlook the fact that Boston had seven more turnovers (16-9) and the 76ers made four times as many steals (12-3) as them. Between that and Embiid's monster performance, the C's will never beat any quality opponent by being so careless with the ball. These same clubs meet again on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and with any help from Boston's team doctor Lucky the Leprechaun, Tatum will be back in the lineup for the first time in two weeks. Philly's win put them two full games in front of the Celtics-who have two games in hand-for first-place in the Atlantic Division. Assuming that he's healthy and motivated (both huge ifs), Embiid is way too good to ever be completely neutralized but here's an idea, hold him to under 35+ points and let's see what happens.

Celtics Sweep The Hapless 76ers Out of The 1st Round, Setting Up A Juicy Matchup With Toronto

 

    The Celtics and the Sixers have met 15 times in best-of-seven series in their storied NBA rivalry but this turned out to be the first time that there was a sweep as Boston sealed it with a 110-106 victory this afternoon in Game 4 at the Orlando bubble. It was another clunky effort for the C's but the bottom line was that they got the job done and advanced to the second round for the fourth year in a row thanks to a game-high 32 points from Kemba Walker who advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his long career. Jayson Tatum added a beefy double-double with 28 points and 15 rebounds, Jaylen Brown scored 16 points and Daniel Theis notched 15 points as the C's move forward to a much-anticipated meeting with the Raptors-a team that they've surprisingly never met before in the postseason (the only team in the East that can say that). 

    The Sixers had no real reason to show up for this pointless contest but they managed to make the Celts sweat a bit too much for our liking. Joel Embiid put up 30 points and 10 rebounds in his final game of the 2020 season. Tobias Harris (20 points) showed what he's made of as he returned from a scary fall earlier in the game when his face smashed violently against the court. Josh Richardson and Shake Milton both scored 14 points while the ghost of Al Horford managed to record maybe the least impressive double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in playoff history. Finally, Alec Burks scored 13 points off the bench for Philly but without Ben Simmons, this series was a wrap before it even began. The Sixers are a very flawed team so whenever next season begins, they figure to look way different both on the bench (coaches and players) and on the floor. 

    Boston got off to a slow start-trailing 32-27 after the first quarter and 58-57 at halftime. The turning point was Harris' injury late in the third quarter that forced him to go to the locker room for a bit with a towel covering some sort of cut near his eye. That propelled the Celtics to a 19-2 run into the fourth quarter, with a dagger 3-pointer by Tatum at the end of the third quarter that gave Boston a 12-point lead (89-77). Philly took the final frame (29-21) but their brutal 3-point shooting (9-for-34, 26.5%) and seven less assists (19-12) than the Celtics helped to send them out of the happiest place on Earth.

    I think I echoed the same sentiment in all four games vs. the Sixers that the C's would have to play much better to beat the Raptors and get to the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto swept Brooklyn today as well, which proves absolutely nothing since the Nets were the worst team to make the playoffs in either league this bizarre year. They don't have Kawhi Leonard anymore which seems quite relevant but the Raptors are still the defending NBA champs and they have played great lately (14-1 in their last 15 games). In many ways, they are a scrappy, tough defensive team like Boston with versatile guys like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet that won't be rattled. Also, if you like Brad Stevens, Nick Nurse is arguably better than him-he was named NBA Coach of the Year yesterday. For what it's worth, the C's went 3-1 against Toronto in the regular season.

    Game 1 is not until Thursday night (time TBA) so the only real thing to pay attention to the next few days when it comes to this series is the status of Kyle Lowry. The Raptors' do-everything point guard left today's blowout (150-122 over the Nets) with an ankle sprain and he's getting an MRI tomorrow. Obviously, they didn't need him to close out Brooklyn so they were probably being extra cautious looking ahead to a real opponent on the horizon. If he misses time or even if he's hurt enough to not be himself, that would be a huge development for both clubs. Stay tuned, either way this is going to be a fantastic series between what I believe are the two best/most well-rounded teams in the Eastern Conference-sorry Bucks.  

      

     

       

     

    

    

The Celtics Close On A 10-0 Run To Beat the 76ers 102-94 & Take An Insurmountable 3-0 Series Lead

 

    In their final breath at the Disney World bubble, the 76ers pushed the Celtics to play almost an entire playoff game before they predictably collapsed down the stretch. Paced by Kemba Walker (24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) who was the only relevant guy on Boston to have a solid performance, Boston did just enough to cover (degenerate gamblers everywhere rejoice!) but more importantly capture Game 3 by a final score of 102-94. I'd love to see what kind of outrageous odds that you could get on Philadelphia coming back from an 0-3 deficit and winning four straight games to take the series since get this: no NBA team has ever fully rallied from an 0-3 hole. Like contestants on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette going on a 2-on-1 date, I am sure that all the Sixers already have their bags packed and sitting by their hotel room doors ready to be taken away. 

    Despite the C's trailing 94-92 with 2:14 left in regulation, I can't say that I was sweating it too much since I knew that they'd find a way to come out on top without even needing overtime to decide things. It has to be a good sign long-term for Boston that they were able to win even though Jaylen Brown (20 points, 7 rebounds but 6-for-16 shooting) and Jayson Tatum (15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks on 6-for-19 shooting) were far from their best. Typical of a grinding, somewhat grimy contest, Marcus Smart (14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals) shined more than usual. Daniel Theis had eight rebounds, five rebounds and two blocks before fouling out (he literally got battered by Joel Embiid all night long) and once again, Boston's bench outscored Philadelphia by a decent margin: 20-8 thanks to Grant Williams (7 points) and Enes Kanter (6 points, 6 rebounds).

    This being the NBA, they were sure to assign one of their most crooked referees (which is really saying something) and true to form Scott Foster called four more fouls on Boston which resulted in 10 more free throws for Philadelphia. Tatum actually was whistled for three fouls in the first half hence why he never could really get untracked. Philly also dominated the Celts on the glass (57-45)-which could be a serious issue against a worthy opponent-including an absurd 20 offensive rebounds yet somehow Boston still found a way to get it done. 

    Embiid had a game-high 30 points and 13 rebounds which is misleading since he went 7-for-20 from the floor but 14-of-16 at the free throw line. He also had a game-high four turnovers and was a game-low minus-18 for what that's worth. Josh Richardson and Shake Milton both scored 17 points while Tobias Harris put up 15 points and 15 rebounds. With Ben Simmons out, this was played at Philly's preferred slow pace but their half-court offense was a disaster because as a team they shot 29.5% from the floor (2nd worst in the league this season!) which is horrid. Alec Burks scored nine points off the bench for them with the three other Sixers that appeared off the bench going scoreless. Yeesh. 

    I think I hear Philadelphia's team bus already idling outside the arena in anticipation of Sunday's matinee (1, ABC) beatdown on national TV. I wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the fastest games in NBA playoff history. After the Sixers get eliminated and BU alum Brett Brown is fired (since this is all his fault, haha right) shortly after that, perhaps he can be hired to be a monorail conductor at Disney World. It's been a minute since my last trip to Disney, is that still a thing? Needless to say, other than getting the sweep (which as I noted above is basically a given), the only thing the C's should worry about is keeping everyone healthy. I doubt the final score will be close so it would certainly help to get the starters out ASAP with Toronto (also up 3-0 on hapless Brooklyn) on deck for what should be a hell of a series, far from this waste of everybody's collective time and energy during a pandemic. 

 

    

      

    

Can This Shift To A Best-of-5 Series Because the 76ers Don't Belong On the Same Court as the Celts

 

    Boston spotted Philadelphia a 14-point lead in the first quarter (25-11) of Game 2 but it hardly could have mattered less as the Celtics rolled to an emphatic 128-101 blowout. They now lead the first round series 2-0 and this has all the makings of a sweep, I'm just waiting to hear the Sixers chant "1-2-3 Cancun" in one of their huddles while Brett Brown starts updating his resume and LinkedIn profile. On one hand, the Orlando bubble has shown us that nobody is unbeatable without the crutch of home-court advantage to fall back on as the top seeds in both conferences (Bucks and Lakers) each lost their Game 1 yesterday. Still, at this rate it'll be shocking if the C's don't win the next two games by double-digits easy. 

        I almost feel bad for Joel Embiid (game-high 34 points and 10 rebounds) because he is one of the NBA's best players but right now, his supporting cast is a bunch of nobodies and that's being extremely generous. Somewhere Ben Simmons wakes up in a cold sweat. No matter what they do, Philly has less than zero chance to win this series especially after losing the first two games. Then again, how much less engaged can they get? On the other end of the court, Jayson Tatum (33 points including 8-for-12 on 3-pointers with 5 rebounds and 5 assists) continues his rise to NBA royalty in his own right. At the ripe old age of 22, his potential seems limitless and he's lucky that he has more than capable teammates like Jaylen Brown (20 points, 5 rebounds) and Kemba Walker (22 points) around him.

    After outscoring Boston 33-27 in the first quarter (when they should have been up by way more), Philadelphia fell off a cliff for the rest of this laugher. The Celts posted 30+ in each of the last three frames: 38-24 in the second quarter, 33-18 in the third quarter and 30-26 in the fourth quarter. As you can imagine, basically the entire second half was extended garbage time and as such, many role players for the C's had nice nights. Starting for the injured Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart had 10 points on a very Smart-esque 3-for-11 shooting (1-for-7 on 3s!). Enes Kanter nearly had a double-double (10 points, 9 rebounds) in only 22 minutes of action.  Rookie Grant Williams added nine points and six rebounds for Boston while Brad Wanamaker scored seven points and rookie Romeo Langford notched six points. Hell even Tacko Fall had three points in his NBA playoff debut.

    If the roles were reversed and Brad Stevens was in charge of this junior varsity version of the Sixers, you at least could count on him getting the most out of the limited roster. Also, the team would always play hard no matter what. Unfortunately for the Sixers, they are stuck with Brown (not for long though!) who is woefully overmatched when he runs into any competent NBA counterpart. Then again, what can be reasonably expected of a starting lineup that includes such lumanaries as Josh Richardson (18 points), Shake Milton (14 points) and ice cold Tobias Harris (13 points, 11 rebounds on 4-for-15 shooting)? All that you need to know is that Boston's shaky bench-with its best player Smart starting-still managed to outscore Philadelphia's bench 41-20. 

    Be sure to begin your Friday night (6:30, NBC Sports Boston) festivities by watching the Celtics destroy the Sixers once again. Toronto is probably going to sweep Brooklyn and as I said, Milwaukee is at least guaranteed of playing a needless extra game in the first round against Orlando. Boston is a pretty young team overall but a little more rest would be a bonus before the playoffs really begin for them. This series is already a joke and call me crazy but I like watching competitive contests in the postseason. Leave the lopsided scores for sleepy regular season games in the dead of winter. I demand more entertainment, specifically I want to see Tatum, Brown and by extension Stevens tested against legitimate opposition.

The Celts Let The 76ers Hang Around But Take Gm 1 Behind Tatum's Playoff Career-High (32 pts)

 

    Let's be honest, this first round playoff series between the Celtics and the Sixers should not be a long one. After Ben Simmons went down with a knee injury last week, you knew that Philadelphia's days in the Disney World bubble were limited. Of course, Boston wasn't complaining since they earned the third seed in the Eastern Conference and the 76ers dropped down to the sixth seed so these rivals would meet right away rather than deeper in the playoffs. Game 1 tonight was not a classic matchup by any means but it should serve as a harbinger of things to come as the C's didn't play particularly well yet they still walked away with a 109-101 win. Jayson Tatum was the best player on the floor as he scored a game-high/career playoff-high 32 points with 13 rebounds and three blocks. 

    Many think that Boston has the best young duo in the league and Jaylen Brown certainly held up his end of the bargain with 29 points, six rebounds and three steals. Kemba Walker added 19 points and five assists while Gordon Hayward posted 12 points and a game-high four steals but unfortunately he suffered what looked to be a pretty bad right ankle sprain. He was seen after the game leaving on crutches as he headed for an MRI. Ugh, poor guy has had such an uneven Celtics career with all the injuries that he's dealt with. Let's hope it's not as bad as it looked like in real time. 

    Joel Embiid (26 points, game-high 16 rebounds, game-high 5 turnovers) is still an absolute beast but who else left on Philly scares you? Josh Richardson scored 18 points and Alec Burks produced the same amount off the bench while Tobias Harris added 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Filling in at point guard for Simmons, my man Shake Milton put up 13 points but without one of the best passers in the NBA (Simmons) not to mention ballhandlers, the Sixers turned it over 11 more times (18-7) than the Celtics. That coupled with Boston's seven more steals (12-5) and five more made free throws (23-18) were the only real differences in the contest. Oh and if you're looking for the ghost of Al Horford, he manged to have six points, seven rebounds and six assists with a game-low plus-minus of minus-18. Hey Al, do you wish you remained with the Celtics rather than go to the rudderless 76ers in free agency? Nevermind, you don't have to answer that big guy.

To Philly's credit, they came out on fire leading to a one-point lead (26-25) after the first quarter. Boston woke up and started to play their style in the second quarter which gave them a 55-49 halftime advantage. Naturally, when you thought that the Sixers would just roll over they actually controlled the third quarter completely (30-20) to go into the fourth quarter up 79-75. Philly's lack of depth and foul trouble to both Embiid and Horford (5 fouls apiece) helped Boston finally pull away a bit in the fourth though they had to sweat it out at the end despite what the final score might lead you to believe. 

    Once they start matching up with better teams further in the playoffs, Boston's bench will simply have to perform better. Tonight's total output of eight points from them is beyond embarassing. Marcus Smart (2 points, 0-for-5 shooting, 2 steals in 32 minutes) figures to slot into Hayward's spot in the starting lineup assuming that he's out for at least a few games. Smart tends to play better in the most important games and he certainly left room for improvement personally after tonight's stinker. 

    You have to love the sheer predictably of some NBA playoff series, especially those in the earlier rounds. I hate to forecast the future-which is truly futile in 2020-but here is how it'll go for the 76ers: they'll get swept by the C's or lose in a gentleman's sweep (5 games). They'll fire their head coach (BU product and Maine native) Brett Brown and replace him with some other NBA retread. Then Embiid and/or Simmons will demand a trade when they realize that Philadelphia is not going anywhere with this mostly average roster behind them. Anyways, see you on Wednesday night (6:30, NBC Sports Boston) for Game 2.   

    

     

    

     

    

    

     

    

No Matter How Bad Things Get For the Celtics, They'll Never Be the 76ers, So There's That

Ladies and gentlemen, the Philadelphia 76ers! The Celtics had the honor of meeting the NBA's current version of the Washington Generals tonight at the Wells Fargo Center and after a sketchy first quarter (where they trailed 27-22), Boston (4-6 overall, 2-2 away) rallied for a 101-90 win over Philadelphia (0-11 overall, 0-5 home).

The Sixers are a complete nightmare, they appear well on their way to another 26-game losing streak like last season, haha why not 0-82 this time? Now that is something to shoot for, they finished 19-63 in 2013-14. And we thought being a Celtics fan these days is rough (it usually is) but how about Sixers fans? Seeing that sorry team, you understand why nobody in such a great sports town goes to see them anymore or remotely pays attention to their constant losing ways.

I feel bad for Massachusetts natives Michael Carter-Williams (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Nerlens Noel (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) who are in their second and first seasons (Noel missed all last season recovering from a major knee injury) respectively with this D-League squad. It's silly to think that all this losing and constant talk of tanking won't have some negative side-effects on such impressionable young guys. They are both immensely talented and it would be a real shame to see it go to waste for much longer (MCW was the Rookie of the Year last season).

After going 0-3 on a painful homestand, the Celts just needed a victory especially considering the minefield they face in their next four games: at Memphis, vs. Portland, vs. Chicago and vs. San Antonio. With no real size inside for the home team, the Celtics' big guys were able to take advantage. Brandon Bass had a game-high 23 points and six rebounds off the bench while Jared Sullinger added 22 points and nine rebounds. Marcus Thornton put together his best game as a Celtic with 13 points and four steals off the bench and Jeff Green scored 11 points. Rajon Rondo had nine points, 13 assists, five rebounds and two steals.

If you play Fantasy Basketball, Sixers reserve guard Tony Wroten (21 points, 7 assists) is definitely an under-the-radar player that you want to own. Other than MCW, Noel and him, it's a team of journeymen nobodies like Henry Sims (14 points) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals).

In the first half, I briefly entertained thoughts of Boston losing this game and it nearly drove me to tears (not really but you get the point). The C's woke up in the second quarter (24-19) to enter halftime tied at 46. Boston's defense held Philadelphia to 22 points apiece in the final two quarters while they put up 27 and 28.

Keeping Philly to just 90 points represented Boston's best defensive outing of the young season. The Celtics shot 9.9% better from the field (49.4-39.5), dished out 10 more assists (season-high 32-22), scored six more fast break points (24-18) and eight more points in the paint (54-46).

In a hilarious scheduling quirk, the Celts' mini two-game road trip takes them from facing the worst team in the league to the best. The Grizzlies lost 96-92 tonight in Toronto but they still have the best record in the NBA at 10-2. If you decide to watch Friday's (8, CSN) game from the FedEx Forum, make sure that you have plenty of alcohol to get you through what could be a very ugly contest (if you support the Celtics).

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Evan Turner Joins the Celtics' Island of Misfit Toys

While we continue to wait for the Celtics to do anything notable to save them from another Lottery-bound season, they continue to pile up mediocre to average players. Yesterday, reports surfaced that they signed free agent swingman Evan Turner by using part of their midlevel exception.

The No. 2 pick in 2010 (behind Washington's John Wall), Turner can't be labeled a bust-at least not yet-since he's put up decent numbers albeit on some mostly terrible squads. He played 3.5 seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to Indiana last season down the stretch where he mostly rode the bench for the Pacers. For his career, he's shot 43% from the floor, 33% on three-pointers and 77% from the free throw line. Haha great, another guy that can't shoot, just what the Celtics already have plenty of (Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Phil Pressey, etc).

In 2012-13 (his best season as a pro), Turner averaged 13.3 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists with 0.9 steals per game. He's 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds so he's pretty solid for a small forward. He played 78 games his rookie season for Philly (14 starts), 65 the next year (20 starts), all 82 (started the whole way) in 2012-13 and 81 last season (56 starts but only 2 with Indiana) between the Sixers and Pacers. In the 2012 postseason, he averaged 11.2 points per game, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists with 0.9 steals per game as the Sixers fell to the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.

This is a typical low-risk, high reward move for the Celts, what they seem to specialize in these days since the ping pong balls never seem to bounce their way and big-name free agents don't want to spend the winter buried under snow in New England. Like many in the NBA, Turner doesn't have the best reputation (fighting Lance Stephenson in practice during the playoffs) but the hope here is that he'll reconnect with his old Ohio State buddy Jared Sullinger and things will improve in his career.

Of course, this could all be part of Danny Ainge's mysterious plan to gain as many assets as possible before unloading them for a true star. That's what we hope at least because otherwise, it looks like it'll be another forgettable season for the Green and White.

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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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