The Celtics' Six-Game Winning Streak Ends With A Whimper As They Fell 102-96 To The Lowly Bulls

 

    The Celtics (31-27 overall, 18-11 home) had been playing so well lately-winning their last six games in a row-that we all started to forget the earlier problems that plagued them for much of this lackluster season. Unfortunately, their lack of depth, costly turnovers and brutal third quarters all came back in spades tonight at the TD Garden as they lost 102-96 to the Bulls (24-33 overall, 13-15 away). Swingman Evan Fournier (health and safety protocol) and center Robert Williams (left knee soreness) remained out for the C's while they were joined on the sidelines by guards Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart who both were out with illness (not Covid-19, apparently). Even with all those guys not playing, the Celtics should have still beaten a team that is clinging to 10th-place in the Eastern Conference and the final play-in spot. 

    Center Nikola Vucevic (game-high 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals) was probably the best player to be moved at the trade deadline this year and he's shown no signs of slowing down since coming to Chicago from Orlando. Point guard Coby White added 19 points and seven assists while journeyman Garrett Temple scored 13 points (I can just hear Charles Barkley saying his name during Inside The NBA's hilarious "Who He Play For?" segment) and veteran big man Thaddeus Young added 13 points and two steals off the bench. Finally, former Celtic Daniel Theis (6 points and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes) was pretty quiet in his first return to the Garden. As you can imagine, it was a mixed bag for the Celts as shooting guard Jaylen Brown led the way with 23 points while swingman Jayson Tatum followed up his 44-point explosion in Saturday's heart-pounding win vs. Golden State (29-29) with his first career triple-double (14 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists). The only issue with Tatum's game was that he shot 3-of-17 from the field which seems impossible for a player with his immense skills. Center Tristan Thompson added 11 points and five rebounds while spot starting rookie point guard Payton Pritchard tossed in 14 points.

    It wasn't going to be pretty but Boston was in decent shape as they led 30-24 after the first quarter but both teams went ice cold in the second quarter which resulted in a 48-42 halftime advantage for the C's. The Bulls woke up in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics by a wide margin-32-18. Boston rallied in the fourth quarter a bit (30-28) but it just wasn't enough. Chicago had three times as many offensive rebounds (9-3) which resulted in 14 more second chance points (18-4). The Bulls also recorded nine more assists (30-21), four times as many blocks (8-2) and three less turnovers (15-12) than the careless Celtics.

    For the first time in over a month-which is truly insane-the Celts have two days between now and their next game on Thursday (7, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden against the Suns (41-16 overall, 18-7 road). Future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul has helped Phoenix exceed expectations in a major way, they have not only the second-best record in the Western Conference but in the whole league. The only other time that these clubs met this season was on Super Bowl Sunday (February 7) in Phoenix, won 100-91 by the home team. For once, the C's will be rested while the Suns figure to be tired after playing at Philadelphia (39-18)-still the top team in the East-on Wednesday night. Dare I say it could be an NBA Finals preview for this summer? Haha yeah right, that's not happening. 

Tatum Returns & C's Easily Take The Second Game Of A Back-To-Back, Winning 119-103 At Chicago

   Let's be honest: there are so many bad teams currently in the NBA. I suppose that the same thing could be said about any of the other top professional sports leagues in the U.S. but it feels even more pronounced now with so many blowouts and utterly predictable results early on in this pandemic-infested season. Boston (10-6 overall, 5-4 away) got a gift from the scheduling gods this evening as they visited Chicago (7-10 overall, 2-5 home) at the United Center. The fact that the Celts had played last night in Boston (granted it was a joke against Cleveland) hardly mattered as they dominated the awful home team 119-103. The outcome was never really in doubt as Boston led basically from start to finish and pushed their advantage to as high as 22 points before cruising to another easy win. Star Jayson Tatum was back from his Covid-19 enforced two-week plus vacation and he looked fresh as lettuce with 24 points and five assists. 

    Guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) continues to play the best basketball of his brief NBA career while point guard Marcus Smart (13 points, 11 assists, 2 steals) had a double-double in place of a resting Kemba Walker (knee), center Daniel Theis (19 points, 3 steals, 3 blocks) played well once again and power forward Tristan Thompson grabbed 10 rebounds in only 17 minutes of action. Nobody scored in double-figures from Boston's bench but five guys posted at least six points: rookie Aaron Nesmith is finding his stroke as he canned three more 3-pointers, power forward Grant Williams and point guard Jeff Teague both scored eight points and finally guards Carsen Edwards and Javante Green each added six points apiece.

    My man Bulls head coach (and fellow PC alum) Billy Donovan has his work cut out for him trying to turn that franchise back into a winner after years of mediocrity. Shooting guard Zach LaVine (game-high 30 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) is the new Devin Booker: a guy putting up huge but empty numbers on a doormat team. My favorite Finnish basketball player (who knew that was a thing?) Lauri Markkanen scored 18 points and had six rebounds but Chicago's other three starters combined for seven total points. Not great! Power forward Thaddeus Young (16 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) barely missed out on a triple-double and small forward Otto Porter Jr. (13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) also had a positive impact off the bench for the Bulls. 

    The Celtics displayed no obvious signs of fatigue by jumping ahead 33-25 after the first quarter and never looking back. They were up 60-50 at halftime and 91-76 going into the fourth quarter. Boston mixed a good shooting night from the field (50.6%-46.6%) with an aggressiveness that we'd love to see from them a bit more often. They attempted twice as many free throws as the Bulls (20-10) and hit four times as many (16-4) which when you think about it is a very rare feat in today's crooked NBA. The C's have been noticeably solid lately on defensive rebounds (38-32) and they had five more steals (9-4) and six less turnovers (18-12) which propelled them to 16 more points off turnovers (35-19) than hapless Chicago. 

The two-game road trip should get at least a little more interesting on Wednesday (8:30, NBC Sports Boston) as the Celts pay their only visit of the season to the Spurs (9-8) at the AT&T Center. If Kemba plays against San Antonio-which I fully expect that he will-we could finally get our first glimpse of this Celtics team at full speed with their entire roster healthy and on the court together in this campaign. Boston's first meeting with the Lakers (14-4) happens on Saturday night (8:30, ABC) at TD Garden. I mention that so you won't be shocked if the C's are caught looking ahead a bit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tweet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Celtics Return The Favor, Beat Sixers A Night After Losing To Them

After a disappointing overtime loss last night in Philadelphia, Boston was able to put it behind them quickly as they dispatched the Sixers (11-9, 4-4 away) 92-79 tonight at TD Garden.

The Celtics (11-9, 7-4 home) were buoyed by their best defensive half of the season as they allowed just 28 points in the first half for a 20-point lead (48-28). The Sixers didn't roll over in the third quarter (29-22) but Boston was able to deadlock them in the fourth (22-22) for a rare easy win against Philadelphia.

I've said all season to anybody that would listen-mostly my dog and cat-that Jeff Green is the Celtics' X-factor. If they are going to get anywhere, they need him to get his game in gear. After a very poor start to 2012-13, he's picked it up in the last five games: 19 points, 18 points, 8 points, 19 points and 16 points tonight. When he wants to be, he is really good with a versatile game that few can match, particularly off the bench.

Kevin Garnett scored 19 points (with no rebounds), Paul Pierce had 13 points and nine assists while Brandon Bass added 10 points and Rajon Rondo notched seven points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and three steals. Jason Terry had nine points while Chris Wilcox (8 points) and Jared Sullinger (7 points, 9 rebounds) continued to give the C's good minutes off the bench.

Thaddeus Young (22 points) still played like an All-Star against Boston for whatever reason but at least Evan Turner (13 points) and Jrue Holiday (11 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds) were held much more in check than on Friday in Philly.

Boston's bench outscored Philadelphia's 34-21. For the game, the Celtics were on fire from the field (53.3%-39.2%) and they had nine more assists (25-16).

I can't say I'm a fan of this schedule as the Celts have busy weekends then nothing for days. They host the Mavericks (10-10, 3rd Southwest Division) on Wednesday (8 p.m., CSN), who are still without the services of the incomparable Dirk Nowitzki.

O.J. Mayo dropped 40 points tonight in Dallas' win against Houston but what are the odds that ever happens again? It will be Terry's first game vs. his former club that supposedly snubbed him when he became a free agent. That's the start of three games in a row for the C's with the Texas teams: Dallas, at Houston and at San Antonio.

UPDATE 12/9: Chris Wilcox was fined $25,000 by the NBA for flipping off the in-house camera at the game in Philadelphia on Friday night. I didn't see it but I guess the Kiss Cam showed him and Jared Sullinger sitting on Boston's bench. Classic, well worth the fine.

UPDATE 12/10: The Celtics recalled rookie center Fab Melo from the Maine Red Claws.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

I Bet That Rajon Rondo Would Trade His Triple-Double For A Game-Winning Shot

We were all treated to the full Rajon Rondo (16 points, 14 assists, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) experience tonight since he was easily the best player on the Wells Fargo Center's court. Of course, what everyone will remember most is that he not only missed a jumper at the end of regulation but also slipped and airballed another shot to close out overtime as the Celtics (10-9, 4-5 away) lost 95-94 to the 76ers (11-8, 7-5 home).

The two most frustrating aspects of Rondo's final miss are that Kevin Garnett (17 points, 10 rebounds) passed up a decent look in the post and truthfully, Rondo would have been best served driving to the basket for a layup since the lane appeared open. Every game of basketball needs a winner and loser so Philadelphia's Evan Turner (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) was the hero as he hit the last shot-a midrange jumper.

Great stat courtesy of Celtics radio announcer Sean Grande on Twitter (@SeanGrandePBP): In Rondo's first 22 triple-doubles, the Celts were 21-1. Now they've lost the last two of them-Game 7 vs. Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals and tonight.

I don't know what it is about Turner, Thaddeus Young (17 points, 12 rebounds), Jrue Holiday (15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) or the Sixers but they always seem to push the Celtics to the limit. It must be their young legs, they are morphing into the Atlanta Hawks 2.0 when they see Boston. Jason Richardson added 13 points and five steals while Spencer Hawes and his beautiful mullet notched 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.

By losing, Boston wasted a great effort by Paul Pierce (27 points, 5 assists) and his eventual replacement-Jeff Green (19 points, 8 rebounds off the bench). Not to pin the loss on two guys since basketball is a team game but Brandon Bass (2 points on 0 for 1 shooting) and Jason Terry (4 points on 1 for 12 shooting) picked a bad time to both have their worst performances of the season since they are both starters at the moment.

The Celtics shot better (43.2%-37.4%) than the Sixers from the floor and hit four more 3-pointers (6-2) along with five more assists (24-19) and three more blocks (7-4). Boston had seven more fast break points (16-9) but Philadelphia had eight more points in the paint (40-32). This game was lost by the C's since they had 10 more team turnovers (19-9) and the Sixers converted those into a 12-point advantage (21-9).

After losing the first two meetings of the 2012-13 regular season, Boston gets another shot at Philadelphia tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN) at TD Garden. If they can cut down on the turnovers and not leave the most important shots to Rondo, I like their chances. However, I can almost guarantee that it'll be another close contest since that is how it goes when they meet the 76ers and it's the second night of a back-to-back against an Atlantic Division rival.

UPDATE 12/8: The Celtics assigned rookie forward Kris Joseph to the Maine Red Claws.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

It's Only November, But The Celtics Are Not Right

Does someone want to let the Celtics know that the 2012-13 season has begun? For a team that has been known for its slow starts the last few years, I think it's safe to say they would be staring squarely at 0-5 right now if they hadn't played the Wizards twice already.

Boston (2-3, 1-2 home) fell 106-100 to Philadelphia (3-2, 2-1 away) tonight at TD Garden in a game that didn't seem that close since the Sixers seemingly led by nine or 10 points the whole time.

Rajon Rondo (14 points, 20 assists) and Kevin Garnett (19 points, 10 rebounds) have been themselves and this evening, Paul Pierce (24 points, 5 assists) decided to join them. Jason Terry was the only other guy in double figures with 13 points off the bench. The problem has been that the rest of the team hasn't really shown up yet, at least not consistently. And that's more than you can say for their so far invisible defense that allowed the NBA's lowest scoring team (that hadn't scored over 88) easily reach triple-digits, on the road.

I guess we shouldn't be surprised that the Sixers won since for whatever reason, they've been a bad matchup for the Celts the last few seasons. This was the same team that pushed them to seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals in May. Evan Turner (25 points, 11 rebounds) and Jrue Holiday (21 points, 14 assists) seem to be progressing into the stars that franchise desperately needs. Dorell Wright and Thaddeus Young both had 15 points while Nick Young scored 10 off the bench.

Philly led 23-20 after one quarter and 57-45 at halftime. It turns out that was too much for Boston to overcome since the C's outscored the Sixers 29-26 in the third and 26-23 in the fourth but it wasn't enough.

The Sixers hit three more 3-pointers (7-4), grabbed seven more rebounds (38-31), had five more steals (12-7) and four more blocks (7-3). The numbers that really stand out for Philadelphia were their advantage in fast break points (26-9) and points in the paint (56-48). The Celtics aren't going anywhere allowing that type of differential to a team without a dominant point guard (sorry Jrue) or big guy.

Boston travels to Milwaukee tomorrow night (8:30 p.m., CSN) to face the Bucks (3-1). You'll remember that Milwaukee spoiled the Celtics' home-opener a week ago, 99-88. That no show was the first sign that this team has some major issues to address.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

The Celtics Could Write A Manual On How To Not Close Out Series/Opponents In The Playoffs

I'm fairly certain as long as you live (and watch NBA basketball), you'll never see another game like the one between the Celtics and Sixers that we all witnessed this evening.

Boston opened Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on a 14-0 run. They parlayed that into a 46-31 halftime lead and increased it to as much as 18 (49-31) early in the third quarter. From there, the Celtics proceeded to gag it away until it turned into an unforgivable 92-83 loss.

It is not hyperbole to say that it was one of the worst losses (in terms of leads) in franchise history; Boston tied its record for biggest halftime lead blown in a playoff game so there's that.

So how does a team seemingly in complete control of a game and on the verge of taking over the series, fall apart in such epic fashion? The easiest explanation is that Boston's foul trouble caught up to them as Brandon Bass (15 points) and Avery Bradley (8 points) each picked up four fouls by the third quarter so they had to sit for long stretches.

Using the spirit of their superb head coach-Doug Collins-the Sixers are too young to give up even in a game that seems doomed like this one. They kept fighting, going to the basket and taking advantage of Boston's 17 turnovers which they turned into fastbreak points (27-13).

Any Celtics fan will rightfully complain about the free throw disparity: Boston shot 16 of 19 while Philadelphia was 25 of 36 but I can't pin the loss solely on that shady number and simply some homecooking NBA referees. Because to do so would mean that the C's deserved to win Game 4 and they most certainly did not since they peed down their leg Miami Heat style in the second half (37 points).

Big picture, I am still confident that Boston will win this series but this loss is troubling in that it mirrors their failure in the first round (vs. Atlanta) to step on a team's throat when it's down (in that case up 3-1). The Celtics had a great opportunity to really seal this up and get some rest but now it is a three-game series and they're guaranteed to have another game in Philly.

Paul Pierce had his second straight quality performance, he led Boston with 24 points and six rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 15 points and 15 rebounds but Kevin Garnett was held to nine points (3 for 12 from the floor), 11 rebounds and three blocks. KG committed a wretched seven turnovers.

Andre Iguodala led Philly with 16 points and seven rebounds, he hit a monster 3-pointer and a jumper in crunch time. Evan Turner (5 for 22 from the floor) had 16 points and nine rebounds while Jrue Holiday notched 11 points and seven rebounds.

The story of the game was the benches: the Sixers reserves outscored the Celtics 44-12. That's not a misprint. Lou Williams scored 15 points with eight assists, Thaddeus Young had 12 points, nine rebounds, Jodie Meeks tossed in nine points and Lavoy Allen put up eight points and 10 rebounds.

When you look at the box score, it's hard to believe that Philadelphia had to make such a crazy comeback since almost every statistic favors them. Philly had 14 more rebounds overall (52-38) including 12 more offensive boards (17-5), two more steals (9-7) and eight more points in the paint (34-26). Boston shot better (42.3%-37.8%), hit two more 3-pointers (7-5), dished out five more assists (23-18) and blocked four more shots (6-2).

If I know the Celtics, they'll follow their usual script of coming back with a win after a disappointing loss. We should have remembered that they like to fall short in the games following blowout victories. Still, if they get by the Sixers, we need to remember this Game 4 plus Game 5 of the Hawks series as the ones that got away from the C's.

Game 5 is Monday night (7:00 p.m., TNT) back at TD Garden. Boston split their first two games there in this series, winning Game 1 by a point and losing Game 2 by a point.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Celtics Roll Over The Sixers In Game 3 Of The Eastern Conference Semifinals, Take 2-1 Lead

After Game 1 and Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series were both decided by one point, the Boston Celtics chose to see what would happen if they showed up from the first quarter on; I'd say the result was all they could have hoped for and then some.

Boston took Philadelphia's best shot in the first quarter (33-28) and proceeded to pummel them into submission over the final three frames as the Celts won 107-91 tonight in Game 3 at the Wells Fargo Center.

In taking a 2-1 series lead and grabbing back the home-court advantage that they lost in Game 2, the Celtics led by as many as 27 points (105-78). Kevin Garnett (27 points, 13 rebounds), Paul Pierce (24 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals) and Rajon Rondo (23 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists) all surpassed 20 points in a game for the first time this season.

Michael Pietrus added 13 points off the bench but I'd be remiss if I didn't cite Boston's defense, which held Philly to 33 combined points in the second and third quarter.

Thaddeus Young (22 points) seems to be healthy now and he made his case for a starting spot in Game 4 over Elton Brand. Jrue Holiday had 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds while Andre Iguodala scored 10 points. Lou Williams and Jodie Meeks both had 13 points off the bench. The trio of Brand, Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes totaled 11 points, all together.

So is Philadelphia more like this than the gritty team they showed in Games 1 & 2? Were those close games enough to force Boston to wake up and realize that they have a very favorable road ahead of them if they can just keep winning? I guess we won't figure that out until Game 4 on Friday (8:00 p.m., ESPN). After all, the Celtics blew out the Hawks in Game 4 of the first round but then they lost by one in Game 5.

Pierce played by far his best game since Game 2 vs. the Hawks, when Rondo was suspended. He didn't even shoot well (6 for 17 from the floor) but he drove to the basket (11 of 14 on free throws) at will and threw down not one but two dunks.

Game 4 means everything because I think if Boston can win it, Philly will pack it in. Otherwise, it will be a series again. If you are a Celtics fan, you had to love their performance tonight because they were ruthlessly efficient: they never gave the Sixers any hope that they could win and they effectively took the crowd out of it.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Pietrus' Injury Overshadows Boston's Loss In Philadelphia

A serious injury in any sport always puts a damper on a game, no matter how important it is.

The Boston Celtics (25-22, 9-14 road) concluded their grueling eight-game road trip (4-4) with a 99-86 loss tonight to the Philadelphia 76ers (27-21, 17-10) at the Wells Fargo Center.

If they had won, the Celts would have moved into first-place in the Atlantic Division for the first time this season. However, for the second time, they were no match for the Sixers who now lead by 1.5 games but the Celts have a game in hand.

All of that seems insignificant though since Celtics swingman Mickael Pietrus suffered a serious injury late in the first half when he fell awkwardly on the court and his neck went back quickly. He had to be taken off on a stretcher and Boston released a statement that he had a "closed head injury" after the game.

At the time, the Celtics were leading but it is completely understandable that they ran out of energy and enthusiasm after seeing their teammate go down like that.

Plus, Ray Allen was already sitting out with an ankle injury and Avery Bradley suffered a similar injury (ankle) in the first half and he didn't return. He's hoping to return on Sunday, I'm not sure about Ray's status.

Elton Brand paced the Sixers with 20 points. Spencer Hawes had a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds), Andre Iguodala (14 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds) filled the stat sheet like always and Jrue Holiday scored 15 points.

Philadelphia is deep too since Lou Williams (19 points) and Thaddeus Young (12 points, 9 rebounds) are arguably their two most skilled offensive players and they both come off the bench.

Paul Pierce (9 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (8 rebounds) both scored 20 points for the C's. Brandon Bass added 18 points and Rajon Rondo handed out a quiet 17 assists, if that's possible.

These teams will meet one more time in the regular season: Sunday, April 8 (Easter) at TD Garden. I just found out yesterday that I will be there with front row seats behind the Celtics' bench, something I've never experienced so I'm hoping for a better result then.

After almost two full weeks on the road, mostly very far away, Boston returns home to face the Washington Wizards on Sunday. The Celtics beat the Wizards three times in January but they were all pretty close (8 points, 8 points, 6 points) so if they're not careful, Washington could possibly steal a win.

Most importantly, let's hope that Pietrus is o.k. and that wasn't as bad as it looked.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Farewell Illadelphia

Gotta love the NBA, where a bad team can outplay you for most of it and then you can steal the win with a last-second shot/defensive breakdown.

That was the story as old as time that unfolded last night as the Boston Celtics escaped with a 102-101 win over the 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Kevin Garnett (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks) took a lob pass from Rajon Rondo (19 points, 14 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) and scored a lay-in with 1.4 seconds left, giving the Celtics (18-4) their ninth straight win. For good measure, KG stole the inbounds pass that followed that to ice it.

The Sixers (7-15) looked good as their young talent was thriving and sometime star Andre Iguodala (14 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds) made two late baskets that appeared like it would equal a win.

Jodie Meeks led Philadelphia with 19 points (starting in place of rookie Evan Turner who was awful). Elton Brand played more like himself (13 points, 14 rebounds) than the ghost of the last few seasons. Jrue Holiday had 12 points and six assists while Spencer Hawes added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams (a certified Celtics killer) both had 16 points off the bench.

Ray Allen led Boston with a game-high 23 points, his second great game in a row. Paul Pierce (10 points) was silent all game but Glen Davis (16 points, 7 rebounds) continued to ball with both Shaq and Jermaine O'Neal out last night.

Boston shot 55.9% to Philadelphia's 45.7%. The Sixers owned the glass (39-33 overall, 15-5 in offensive boards) but three more steals (8-5) and blocks (6-3) helped the Celts clinch this tight one.

The Celtics go to Charlotte where they'll take on the Bobcats tomorrow night, a team they typically own, as they go for ten consecutive victories.