C's Trade Marcus Smart To Grizzlies & Get Kristaps Porzingis From Wizards In Three Team Deal

 

        It has been a rather bizarre few days for the Boston Celtics but with the 2023 NBA Draft just completed a few hours ago, we can officially say that guard Marcus Smart is now on the Memphis Grizzlies while power forward/center Kristaps Porzingis is a Celtic. I won't bore you with all the details of the three-way (hey now!) deal between Boston, Memphis and Washington but the most important part is that the longest tenured Celtic is out of here, the former Knicks All-Star/savior Porzingis comes to his fourth NBA team (NY, Dallas, Washington & Boston) and then point guard Tyus Jones goes from Memphis to Washington along with forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala who will join him in DC from Boston. On Wednesday, it looked like another Celtics guard-Malcolm Brogdon-would be included instead of Smart in a three-way deal involving the Clippers and not the Grizzlies to acquire Porzingis but it fell apart at the last moment (the teams faced a midnight deadline for Kristaps to opt-in to his player option for next season) since Brogdon's forearm apparently is in rough shape. Brad Stevens stuck with it though and ended up making a huge move that his club so desperately needed. 

    After going to five of the last seven Eastern Conference Finals (but only winning one of them!), it was clear that the C's needed a real shake up in terms of its roster. Star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both very good but something always seemed to trip up Boston before they could get that elusive first NBA title since 2008. For his Celtics career, Smart averaged 10.6 points per game, 4.6 assists per game and 1.6 steals per game. Part of why he became so overrated was that certain local announcers and media members would focus on what they called "winning plays," ignoring the fact that he also did a bunch of dumb stuff that constantly hurt his team both on and off the court. Along with being the longest tenured Celtic-he was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft-Smart was the unofficial captain of the team and easily the most polarizing Boston athlete this side of former Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. 

    Much like the sad state of politics in the United States these days, Celtics fans either loved Smart or hated him, there was no in between. Always a solid defensive player (he was on the All-Defensive first team three times), Smart was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. For whatever reason (no Ime Udoka?), the Celts lost their way defensively this past season with Joe Mazzulla in his first year as head coach. Additionally, Smart's overinflated sense of self became comical over the last few years as he talked down to both Tatum & Brown publicly along with Mazzulla which while warranted is still a no-no. He also flops incessantly and whines constantly to the refs which really starts to wear on you when you have to watch it over and over again for nine years. Oh and he was never a great 3-point shooter to begin with but somehow the ball would always seem to find him late in games and he has the confidence of Stephen Curry so he did not hesitate to let it fly.  

    Straight out of Latvia, Porzingis took the league by storm shortly after being drafted fourth overall in 2015 by New York. He was an All-Star in 2018-ironically his last season as a Knick-but not surprisingly for a guy that is 7-foot-3 and only 240 pounds, he has battled numerous injuries since then that have caused him to bounce around to a few other middling clubs. There is no question that coming to Boston should motivate him immensely since he has only appeared in 10 career NBA playoff games (all with Dallas). For his NBA career, Kristaps has averaged 19.6 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 1.8 blocks per game. Especially under Mazzulla, Boston became way too reliant on the 3-pointer and while Porzingis shoots plenty of 3s, at least he makes them at a better clip (36%) than Smart (32%). His health is by far the biggest question mark although he did appear in 65 games last season with the Wizards-his most since his second year as a Knick. He also averaged 23.2 points per game in 2022-23 which was a new career-high. 

    The bottom line is that Porzingis gives Tatum and Brown another guy that can carry the load offensively when either of them has a bad game or series (see Tatum in the 2022 NBA Finals or Brown in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals). The term Big 3 is so played out these days in basketball but at least on paper, this is by far the best running mate that they have had since they were too young when Kyrie Irving (yuck!) was here and Kemba Walker was about to go off a cliff when he was a Celtic. Kristaps will turn 28 in August so theoretically, he should be in his prime. After Smart gets over the shock of going to a new team, he will quickly realize that he is lucky to be in Memphis rather than on some rebuilding crap team like Washington. With Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant suspended for the first 25 games of the season, Smart will be their starting point guard to begin the year on what was one of the best teams in the Western Conference last season. 

    This could be the rare trade that truly helps both teams. Porzingis gives the Celtics a uniquely skilled player that is much different from their other big guys-the ancient Al Horford and an injury-prone Robert Williams. Smart brings toughness and playoff experience to a Grizzlies team that showed this past postseason that they were not quite ready for prime time yet. Since they lost Game 7 to Miami, Boston had made its coaching staff way stronger by hiring Sam Cassell, Charles Lee, Amile Jefferson (Tatum's buddy from Duke) and former Celtics great Phil Pressey to be assistant coaches. However, those moves mean very little when they are compared to getting Kristaps and saying goodbye to their loudest/most divisive voice in Smart. We wish Marcus well in Memphis but it was time to make a real change and credit to Stevens for having the guts to get it done.

For The First Time In Over A Month (January 24 & 25), The Celtics Have Won Two Games In A Row

 

    Without All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown (left knee soreness) in the lineup tonight at TD Garden, the Celtics (17-17 overall, 10-5 home) did just enough to come away with a 111-110 victory over the Wizards (13-19 overall, 7-10 away). Boston withstood a standard 46-point eruption from Washington shooting guard Bradley Beal (7 rebounds, 2 assists) who fell to an incredible 0-11 when he scores 40+ for the Wizards. It was not pretty at times but it got the job done as Boston's other All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum (team-high 31 points, eight rebounds & three steals) scored the last six points for the Celts and he helped play defense on his guy Beal who missed a corner jump shot at the buzzer that would have won it. With no Brown, point guard Kemba Walker (21 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and center Daniel Theis (20 points, 9 rebounds) ably picked up the slack while the next highest Celtic in scoring was shooting guard Javonte Green (8 points) who took Brown's place in the starting lineup.

You may laugh at Washington but the fact was that they entered this evening as one of the NBA's hottest clubs (they were 8-2 in their last 10 games). With that said, besides Beal-who is an All-Star as well-the Wizards don't have much in terms of quality players. Point guard Russell Westbrook had a double-double (24 points, 11 rebounds) while their other three starters combined for two points which seems impossible unless your dopey head coach is Scott Brooks. Washington's other sharp shooter-small forward Davis Bertans (20 points in 26 minutes off the bench)-is going to be a Celtic at some point in his career, you know that right? Sideshow Robin Lopez added 10 points off the bench for the Wizards. Celts center Tristan Thompson had a brutal shooting performance (1-for-9) but he still managed to grab 13 rebounds which included six offensive boards.

    Boston grabbed 13 more rebounds than Washington (49-36) featuring six more offensive boards (13-7) and seven more defensive boards (36-29). The Celts also handed out nine more assists (25-16) which is always a winning formula at any level of basketball. The C's led by five points (33-28) after the first quarter and both teams scored 27 points in the second quarter so Boston was up by five points (60-55) at halftime. The Wizards outscored the Celtics by two ugly points (21-19) in the third quarter which set up a very intense fourth quarter (won by Washington 34-32). This victory brought the home team back to the .500 mark (I can't believe that is a big deal this far into the season but here we are) while also moving them up to sixth-place in the Eastern Conference-tied with Miami and Toronto. 

    There are two games left in the first half of the regular season for the Celts and they are both big ones as they host the Clippers (24-12 overall, 12-6 road) on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) followed by the Raptors coming to town on Thursday (7, TNT) before everybody goes their separate ways during the All-Star break. Speaking of that, is there a way to make sure that Brown travels to his hometown of Atlanta for his first NBA All-Star Game but he stays safe health wise and sits out the actual game (thus learning from the mistakes that Kemba and Kyrie Irving have made that weekend in past years)?

Please Tell Me That Getting Blown Out By The Wizards Is Rock Bottom For The C's This Season

 

    Just when you think that things cannot get much worse for the reeling Celtics (13-13 overall, 7-9 away), they lay a complete egg on Valentine's Day against undoubtedly one of the worst teams in the NBA. Washington (7-17 overall, 3-9 home) was never even challenged this afternoon at Capital One Arena as they defeated Boston 104-91. Coming off of Friday's loss to another awful team-Detroit (8-19 overall)-you figured that the C's would be motivated and ready to show that they are not an utter mess. Welp, that didn't happen as they lost for the fourth time in the last five games and they fell to 3-7 in their last 10 games. Is that bad? I really don't know what Boston's excuse for playing so poorly will end up being. Other than guard Marcus Smart (left calf) remaining out, this was about as healthy as the Celts have been all season as forward Semi Ojeleye and center Robert Williams III both returned to the court. 

    Point guard Kemba Walker (25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (25 points, 7 rebounds) were both good for Boston but their next highest scorer was Jayson Tatum (6 points, 8 rebounds) who had one of the worst performances in his NBA career, going 3-of-14 from the field which is stunning for him especially against what should be a very favorable opponent to do some damage against. I'm really struggling to figure out a quick-fix solution to whatever is ailing the Celtics at the moment. Head coach Brad Stevens and/or GM Danny Ainge don't deserve to be fired, let's not be ridiculous, but it shows you how rough things have been lately that those words don't seem completely far-fetched. Still, it's all about the players and while the roster is flawed, they should not be sitting at .500 this far into the campaign. 

    The Wizards had five guys score in double-figures led by shooting guard Bradley Beal (game-high 35 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) who would be a lock for the All-Star Game if his team wasn't such a joke. Power forward Rui Hachimura added 15 points, the ghost of Russell Westbrook nearly had a triple-double (13 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds), center Mo Wagner notched 11 points and two steals while Sideshow Robin Lopez posted 10 points off the bench. It's not even halfway through this season but coming into today, I would have called it basically a must-win for the C's. They apparently didn't get the memo though as they never even made it remotely competitive. Down 29-22 after the first quarter, they trailed by double-digits (55-43) at halftime and then they gave up in the third quarter-getting outscored by 10 points (34-24). 

    I'm at a loss for words, this is simply not acceptable for a club that went to the Eastern Conference Final last season and had similar expectations in 2020-21 with two young All-Stars just starting to reach their prime years and a decent supporting cast around them. They trailed by 25 points today to a team that will be one of the front-runners to get the No. 1 pick in this 2021 Draft. They were outworked by a group of misfits that are already playing out the string: Washington hit 13 more free throws (31-18) and handed out 10 more assists (24-14). Losing to the Pistons should have served as a wake-up call and now it's on the players to figure this out or else Ainge might be forced to make some drastic changes. 

    Boston returns to TD Garden for a pivotal three-game homestand this week starting with Denver (15-11 overall, 7-5 road) on Tuesday (7, NBC Sports Boston) then followed by two games with Atlanta (11-15 overall, 5-6 road) on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). The Nuggets are better than their record indicates (like the Celtics, they reached their conference final in the bubble) and the Hawks are in a tailspin themselves but as these past few games for the C's have shown, they can't afford to overlook anybody at the moment-no matter if they are some of the NBA's worst teams.

Covid-19 Hits The Celtics But They Still Managed To Beat The Wizards 116-107 With Three Guys Out

 

    Playing outside of the safety of the Disney bubble this season, it was only a matter of time before the Celtics (7-3 overall, 3-1 home) had their own coronavirus outbreak. This morning we found out that center Robert Williams had tested positive for Covid-19 while center Tristan Thompson and forward Grant Williams will also be out for at least the next seven days since they are deemed to be close contacts of him. There were no excuses because Boston had a game to play tonight at TD Garden and but in truth, they were lucky it was against one of the worst teams not only in the Eastern Conference but in the entire league: the Wizards (2-7 overall, 2-3 away). I don't know if it says more about the pride of the C's that they led by as much as 28 points (77-49) in the third quarter or how hopeless Washington already is in early January. The Wizards showed a bit of professionalism when they cut that huge lead down to four points midway through the fourth quarter but Boston was able to hold on for a satisfying 116-107 win-their fourth in a row. 

    Down three of their top four big guys, all that Celts head coach Brad Stevens had left to choose from at center were Daniel Theis (10 points, 6 rebounds) and Tacko Fall (4 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks). Theis picked up two early fouls but he shook that off to play 29 minutes while Fall played a career-high 19 minutes. Boston's top two players forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 32 points, 5 rebounds) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (27 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) both played very well to make up for their missing teammates. Point guard Marcus Smart (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) is still struggling with his shot (2-for-10 from the field) but he made up for that by going 9-for-11 at the free throw line. Rookie point guard Payton Pritchard (11 points, 2 steals) hit the biggest shot of the night: a 3-pointer that boosted Boston's lead back to seven after Washington trimmed it to 99-95. 

    Wizards superstar shooting guard Bradley Beal (41 points) has scored a combined 101 points (!!!) in the last two games but his awful team has lost both of those. Nobody should blame him when he inevitably demands for a trade at some point soon this season. His head coach is that empty suit Scott Brooks and point guard Russell Westbrook (12 points, 8 assists) looks like a shell of himself. Other than that, who else is on the Wizards? Forward Rui Hachimura (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) is decent and forward Davis Bertans (13 points) is a nice three-point shooter off the bench (the C's wanted him last season at the trade deadline), but overall yuck. 

    Boston jumped out to a 33-28 lead after one quarter and they blitzed Washington out of the Garden in the second quarter en route to a 66-47 halftime advantage. The Wizards outscored the Celtics 34-30 in the third quarter and Washington took the fourth quarter (26-20) as Boston clearly ran out of gas but they made just enough winning plays to walk away with an impressive effort in tough circumstances (that'll probably happen to every NBA team in 2021). The C's attempted nearly twice as many free throws (30-16) as the Wizards and hit eight more of them (22-14). The Celts also grabbed 12 more rebounds (50-38) including five more offensive boards (12-7). If I were a Wizards fan (not that those exist), I would be pretty depressed about those numbers. 

    Boston is going to have to bring that same type of effort on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) as they host the Heat (3-4) in a rematch from their thriller on Wednesday in Miami. It'll take something special for the Celtics to beat them once again, this time without those three aforementioned guys. Heat center Bam Adebayo could have a field day against Theis and Fall but that's Brad Stevens' problem to worry about, not mine. Until then, let's be happy that the Celtics have one of the best records in the NBA and they are playing better team basketball in each successive contest.

UPDATE 1/9/21: It's a new year but we still apparently cannot have nice things as this afternoon trusted NBA reporter Shams Charania said that Tatum is "expected to enter quarantine and miss 10-to-14 days due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols." Bravo NBA, a little over two weeks into the regular season and multiple teams already have coronavirus outbreaks. What else did you expect happening with everybody outside of the bubble (which while miserable was also highly effective)?

UPDATE 1/10/21: Tonight's Celtics-Heat game has been postponed (according to Miami's Twitter account) because a bunch of players on both teams would have been out due to Covid-19 or contract tracing so it will be rescheduled for a later date. What a mess. 

UPDATE 1/11/21: You're not going to believe this but tomorrow night's Celtics at Bulls game has also been postponed along with tonight's Pelicans at Mavericks game. The NBA has a full on Covid-19 outbreak on its hands.

UPDATE 1/12/21: Tomorrow night's Celtics vs Magic game has been postponed as well and will be rescheduled for a later date. Lather, rinse & repeat. 

Unfortunately, Even the Celtics Can't Lose Every Game This Season

I pretty much only write about Celtics wins so needless to say, other than their two recent trades, I have been quiet lately regarding the Green and White. I had to break my silence tonight as Boston (15-29 overall, 6-17 away) held off Washington (20-21 overall, 10-11 home) 113-111 in overtime at Verizon Center.

With the rare victory, the Celts snapped a 10-game road losing streak and also won for only the third time in their last 18 games. Nothing from Boston's side can compare to this insane stat that I saw after the contest: John Wall (28 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals) has never been over .500 in his four years in the NBA. Wait, what? How is that even possible?

Playing on the road, in the second night of a back-to-back without Rajon Rondo (rest) and Avery Bradley (ankle), the C's shouldn't have been difficult at all for the Wizards to beat. So naturally, Boston got out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter (32-22) and 18-point advantage at halftime (61-43).

Clearly, Washington woke up in the second half-particularly in the third quarter when they outscored Boston 30-15. The Wizards also took the fourth quarter (26-23) and had a chance to win but Nene Hilario's (17 points, 9 reboudns) long jumper at the buzzer was a brick. Bradley Beal and Trevor Ariza both scored 14 points while Marcin Gortat added 11 points and 13 rebounds. Martell Webster scored 10 points off the bench.

Jeff Green had one of the best games of his career with a game-high 39 points (8 3-pointers!), nine rebounds and three steals. Rookie Phil Pressey had 20 points (5 3-pointers) before he fouled out in OT, Jared Sullinger put up another double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Gerald Wallace (9 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) filled the stat sheet but most importantly made the last-second driving layup to clinch it for Boston. In his second game with the C's, rookie Chris Johnson (9 points, 4 steals) showed how much he doesn't want to return to the D-League.

Boston hit eight more 3-pointers (15-7) than Washington, made five more steals (15-10) and blocked twice as many shots (8-4). They also scored seven more fast break points (21-14) and 10 more points off turnovers (20-10).

The Celtics' reward for this hard-fought win is a day off before they return to TD Garden on Friday (7:30, CSN) to host Kevin Durant-MVP, MVP-and the Thunder (33-10, 1st in Northwest Division). Durant has scored 30+ points in nine straight games which is the main reason why this is the first Celtics game all season that I've had any interest in attending.

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Oh, Kevin Garnett Is Still On The Celtics? That Changes Everything!

Kevin Garnett (12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) and Paul Pierce (15 points, 5 assists) were reunited tonight for the first time in nine games and the result was what the Greenteamers expected: a 107-96 win over the Wizards at TD Garden.

A victory against hopeless Washington (29-48 overall, 7-31 away) is nothing to beat your chest about except that the Celts (40-37 overall, 27-12 home) were repeatedly losing to teams like that the last few weeks with KG and/or Pierce out of the lineup.

Brandon Bass (20 points, 6 rebounds) had arguably his best game of the season as he shot 9 for 12 from the field and Avery Bradley scored 10 points. Boston's scoring was way more balanced than it has been in weeks, another byproduct of KG's return. All 10 Celtics that played more than one minute (sorry Terrence Williams) had six points or more. Chris Wilcox added 13 points, five rebounds and two steals, Jason Terry notched nine points and five assists, Shavlik Randolph had eight points and seven rebounds while Courtney Lee and Jordan Crawford both put up six points.

John Wall led Washington with 16 points and 10 assists. Martell Webster was the only other starter with 12 points and six rebounds. Former UConn star A.J. Price scored 15 points off the bench, Trevor Ariza added 14 points and three steals while Kevin Seraphin tossed in 10 points.

Boston is off for the next few days, they host Brooklyn (44-32, 2nd in Atlantic Division) on Wednesday (8 p.m., CSN).

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Celtics Flip Two Expiring Contracts (Barbosa, Collins) To Wizards For Jordan Crawford

The 2013 NBA Trade Deadline came and passed today without any major names being dealt around the league, unless you count J.J. Redick going to Milwaukee as particularly notable. The Celtics mostly stayed the same-Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are still in Green and White-although they made a minor move which could pay off quite soon. They traded injured guard Leandro Barbosa and useless center Jason Collins to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Crawford.

First of all, the Celts basically obtained Crawford (who has averaged 13.2 points per game this season, 13.4 points per game in his career) for nothing. Washington wanted Barbosa and Collins because their contracts expire after this season. As always, the Wizards are rebuilding so they are trying to unload as much money as they can. If you don't follow Washington, you are forgiven since they have been hopeless for years. However, if you consider yourself a basketball fan then you should know Crawford for two reasons. 1) He was great in college at Xavier and 2) He dunked on LeBron James (when he was at Xavier) which forced hyper-sensitive Nike to destroy all recordings of that special moment.

It might seem like Boston doesn't have much use for Crawford with Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee and Jason Terry all on the roster. There is a logjam at shooting guard with the C's but with Rajon Rondo, Jared Sullinger and Barbosa out for the season, they are in desperate need of bench scoring. Enter Crawford who has started less than half (62 of 149) the games in his NBA career yet still managed to play 26.2 minutes per game. Barbosa had provided a real spark after Rondo went down so Crawford should help replace what they lost when Barbosa tore his ACL.

Crawford will be motivated since he is back on a good team. He started out with the Hawks for 16 games in 2010-11 before he was traded to the black hole known as the Wizards. Being part of a contender that will be in the playoffs should do wonders for him as he regains his confidence. He was playing less since John Wall came back from an injury but he was having a decent season: .415 field goal percentage, career-high 34.5% on 3-pointers and 82% on free throws. I would expect him to make his Celtics debut tomorrow night as they continue their West Coast road trip in Phoenix (9 p.m., CSN).

Bigger picture, this lack of action proves that Celtics GM Danny Ainge was more willing to see what the current group could do in a watered down Eastern Conference versus trading KG or Pierce for future assets. I can't say I disagree with him, might as well give them one last chance (haha I know we've said that like the last three years) then re-evaluate the situation during the summer when I'm assuming many more big names will be available via trades and free agency. There was no reason to blow it up now when they've proven in the last few weeks that they can beat anybody.

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If Only Every Team In The NBA Were As Hopeless As The Washington Wizards

Thank God the Celtics only play the Wizards one more time this season and it's not until April 7 at that. These past two games between the teams have been so awful, for many reasons, that I'm happy to say Boston (2-2, 1-1 home) won't see Washington (0-3, 0-2 away) again for a long time.

Tonight at TD Garden, the C's followed the same pattern from Saturday's closer-than-it-should-be win in DC: they got up early then let the Wizards hang around for way too long. Luckily, since they are one of the worst teams in the NBA, Washington managed to crap its pants once again, allowing the Celts to escape with a 100-94 win in overtime.

Kevin Garnett led Boston with a game-high 20 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks, Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 14 assists and three steals while Paul Pierce had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Jason Terry finally looked like himself with 16 points off the bench and Brandon Bass added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Rookie Bradley Beal, Kevin Seraphin and Martell Webster each scored 16 points for Washington. Former UConn point guard A.J. Price had 15 points and seven assists while Chris Singelton added 14 points off the bench.

All we can hope is that once Boston starts playing some better teams, they will increase their performance level since right now through four games they've looked terrible.

Washington hit six more 3-pointers than Boston (10-4) but the Celtics prevailed because of the fact that they made 22 more free throws (28-6). The Celtics led 11-2 right away but only 21-16 after one quarter. Washington jumped ahead 42-37 at halftime. The C's got back in control with a good third quarter (29-16) yet they couldn't seal it (just like on Saturday).

The worst part is that with their last shot at the buzzer, they elected for a 3-pointer from Rondo when the score was tied at 88. You can never convince me that was the best look they could find. Bass scored five straight points in overtime, including an excellent dunk off a steal and pass by Rondo.

In a rematch of last spring's Eastern Conference semifinals (that went 7 games), the 76ers (2-2) visit Boston on Friday (7:30 p.m., CSN). They traded away Andre Iguodala to Denver and Lou Williams signed in Atlanta so Philadelphia will look much different. They have Andrew Bynum now but he has yet to play this season as he deals with his myriad injuries.

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Celtics Survive 89-86 Against The Wizards In DC

Rest assured that tonight's utterly forgettable game in DC won't be on Boston's highlight reel at the end of the season. Still, it served its purpose as the Celtics (1-2, 1-1 road) were able to pick up their first win of the 2012-13 campaign (get it?), 89-86 against the Wizards (0-2, 0-1 home) at the Verizon Center.

After looking like garbage in the first two games, Paul Pierce (27 points, 7 rebounds) and his teammates got off to a great start as they led 17-2 to begin the contest. The C's got the first quarter lead up to 16 (24-8) but surprisingly they would need all that cushion since the Wizards outscored them in the other three quarters.

Kevin Garnett had 15 points and seven rebounds, Rajon Rondo added 12 points and 12 assists (27th straight game with 10+ assists) and Jeff Green scored 11 off the bench. Jared Sullinger had seven rebounds in his first career start and Jason Terry had eight points off the bench.

It was a bizarre game as Washington's starters only scored 24 points, meaning their bench outscored Boston's 62-27. Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 21 points, Kevin Seraphin had 19 points and seven rebounds while Trevor Booker was the only starter in double-figures with 11 points.

Without its two best players-John Wall and Nene-a loss to Washington, even on the second night of a back-to-back would have been awful for the Celtics. After leading 26-12 after one quarter, it was 49-42 Boston at halftime. Washington cut it to 71-67 heading into the fourth quarter.

For a brief second, Seraphin put them ahead 86-84 with 2:56 left but Pierce answered with a 3-pointer and the Celtics held on. For some reason, Martell Webster took a fadeaway 3 on Washington's last shot when they only trailed by one point. Terry hit a pair of free throws with one second left to clinch it.

When you look at the numbers, it's hard to figure out how the C's won. The Wizards had 11 more rebounds (46-35), six more fastbreak points (17-11) and six more points in the paint (32-26). As if this game wasn't thrilling enough for you, both teams have no games for the next three days and then they meet again in Boston on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., CSN). If you know what's good for you, don't accept tickets to that stinker.

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Who Needs Ray Allen When You've Got Avery Bradley?

You have to love the Washington Wizards. The Boston Celtics came off a grueling road trip (4-4), missing both Ray Allen (ankle) and Mickael Pietrus (head) so they had plenty of excuses to struggle tonight back at home.

Yet the Celts (26-22, 17-8 home) were able to notch a pretty easy 88-76 win vs. the Wizards (11-37, 5-19 away) at TD Garden (their first game there in over two weeks).

It gave Boston a season sweep (4-0) against Washington and it was mostly thanks to Avery Bradley's career-high 23 points. He started in Allen's place (probably the first time in years that he's been a shooting guard) and he played great. I've been a Bradley critic from Day 1 but I can admit that he is getting better. He'll always have a role based on his outstanding defensive prowess but his offensive game is slowly coming along too.

Paul Pierce added 21 points and eight rebounds, Brandon Bass had 11 points and seven rebounds, Kevin Garnett scored 10 points and had six assists while Rajon Rondo dished out 11 assists. Greg Stiemsma had 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 20 points. Kevin Seraphin had 15 points and 11 rebounds, John Wall had 12 points and nine assists while Chris Singleton scored 11. Jan Vesely had 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Washington is a complete joke and as such, I can't waste anymore of my life right now bothering to write about them. Luckily for the C's, they face a similarly pathetic franchise tomorrow night: the Bobcats, in Charlotte. Boston beat Charlotte 94-84 on February 7 at the Garden. The only reason anyone remembers that game is because it's the one that Pierce became the second leading scorer in Celtics franchise history.

Yes it's a back-to-back and Allen is out again but the C's will be looking for the fourth win in their last five games against the NBA's worst team (7-39). Don't worry, if you miss tomorrow night, they play the Bobcats again on April 15.

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The Washington Wizards Are A Disgrace

I only listened to the first half of the Celtics-Wizards game on the radio this afternoon as I drove back from Rhode Island and then I periodically checked my phone for the score during breaks in the Patriots-Ravens game (don't ask me why).

Still, I'm not afraid to say that Washington (2-14) is a disgrace since they lost to Boston (6-9) 100-94 at the Verizon Center.

Rajon Rondo missed his second straight game with a wrist injury while Keyon Dooling (5th straight) and Chris Wilcox (6th straight) were also out resting their old bones. To make matters worse for the Celtics, Ray Allen sprained his ankle in the second quarter and never returned. Luckily for the Green, they were playing what I'm comfortable in labeling the worst team in the NBA.

If you're keeping score at home, half of Boston's wins so far this season are against Washington. What's more, the C's only have two road victories and would you believe that they were both in our nation's capital?

The Avery Bradley magical mystery tour continued as he got his third career NBA start. In 41 minutes, he put up a truly unique stat line: three points (on 1 of 8 shooting), seven assists, six rebounds and six turnovers.

WEEI's Sean Grande (Celtics radio play-by-play guy) brought up something that I never knew: Bradley was the top recruit in the high school class of 2009, ahead of No. 2 John Wall. Speaking of Wall, he led the Wizards with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Unless Bradley's mom, dad or another close relative was in charge of those rankings, I'll never get that designation (not that it matters).

Paul Pierce had an outstanding game, he nearly put up a triple-double with 34 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals. It was the fifth 30-point, 10-assist performance of his career (tying Antoine Walker's franchise record for the past 20 years) and first time he'd done it in almost six years. He's also only the third guy in the NBA (joining LeBron and Russell Westbrook) to have 34-10-8.

Kevin Garnett (17 points) was the only other Celtics starter in double-figures. Mickael Pietrus (14 points) and Brandon Bass (13 points, 9 assists) continued to be pseudo-starters off the bench.

Nick Young had 19 points for the Wizards while JaVale McGee scored 13 points and Jordan Crawford had 12 off the bench.

It's a shame that these teams only meet once more (March 25 in Boston) this season since it is one of the only guaranteed victories for the Celts these days.

Things will be much different tomorrow night as the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard come to Boston for the first of two meetings this week. Boston has no answer for Howard (not that many do) so expect him to put up monster numbers and for his team to roll since it's a back-to-back, the Celtics are short-handed and they're playing a good opponent.

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The Greg Stiemsma Era In Boston Is Everything I Dreamed It Would Be

I might be unemployed but if Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers feels like stepping down at any point this season, I think I'm the man to take his place. Proving that your favorite blogger knows his hometown teams, I suggested last week after losing in New Orleans that Rivers should shake up his lineup with the only possible solution: replacing zombie Jermaine O'Neal with rookie Greg Stiemsma.

Five days later, Doc must have read my post since today he made the switch when O'Neal sat out with some old man injury (sore hamstring/broken dentures). Stiemsma's presence helped spark Boston (3-3) to its third straight win and second in as many nights against the Washington Wizards (0-5), 100-92 at TD Garden.

Don't be surprised if the Wizards are the worst team in the Eastern Conference this season or maybe even the entire league, they are that awful. Washington is the only winless team remaining in the NBA.

Before training camp, I can honestly say that I had never heard of Stiemsma. Truth be told, looking at pictures from his college days at Wisconsin, I remember him (which is saying something since everyone on the Badgers looks exactly the same). It tells you something about O'Neal that The Steamer is already better and more consistent than him at this juncture.

In 21 minutes, Stiemsma had 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He provides energy and a defensive presence that the Celts lack without him protecting the rim. Plus, it allows New England to embrace its racist roots. We always need a white scrub to root for on the C's-somewhere Brian Scalabrine weeps.

So while O'Neal and Kevin Garnett (10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) age in dog years, Ray Allen continues to defy all logic and not get older at all. Remember when everyone wanted to trade him a few seasons ago? Well it turns out ol' Ray is still the best shooter in the NBA. This evening he had a team-high 27 points including an absurd 6 of 7 on 3-pointers. His prego wife was loving it, proving that he's accurate off the floor as well. Rim shot!

Paul Pierce added a season-high 21 points in his third game and Rajon Rondo had 13 assists (7 turnovers), seven rebounds and six points. Brandon Bass continued to be excellent off the bench for Boston with 14 points and six rebounds.

Andray Blatche, who is a fat slug, put up a game-high 28 points and nine rebounds based mostly on long jumpers and free throws. If you know a more soft and less motivated big guy than him (that's American and not European), I'd be shocked.

JaVale McGee (17 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks) had another nice performance against the Celts. His length and athleticism really gives them trouble, it's a shame he's on a currently hopeless team. John Wall had 11 points and eight assists (7 turnovers) while Nick Young scored 10 points on a brutal shooting night (3 of 14).

Boston's bench outscored Washington's 21-17 thanks to Bass and Marquis Daniels (7 points).

Predictably on the second night of a back-to-back, against the same opponent, it was close the whole way. The Celtics won because they hit seven more 3-pointers (10-3) and shared the basketball (28-14 assists). The Wizards made five more free throws (19-14), had seven more steals (10-3), six more blocks (10-4), six more fast break points (17-11) and 12 more points in the paint (50-38).

Washington head coach Flip Saunders, who I nominate for the worst coach in the NBA, was ejected for arguing about a non-call 1:44 into the game. He doesn't deserve to get paid for this game, seriously. He probably just wanted more time to style his sweet lax bro hair.

Washington led 24-23 after one quarter and 48-47 at halftime. The Wizards were up 70-69 heading into the fourth but the winless team wasn't able to notch its first win of 2011-12. Boston took it home with a 31-22 last frame.

Another patsy comes to town on Wednesday night as the New Jersey Nets (1-5), who are about as bad as Washington, visit the Celtics. It should be another win for the Green which will tell us absolutely nothing about them. The only aspect of it that interests me is seeing how my guy Marshon Brooks (rookie from Providence College) does for the Nets. He's been putting up nice numbers off their bench so far.

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This Much Is Certain: The Celtics Will Beat Shitbum Teams In The 2011-12 Reg. Season

I know we are only a few games into the 2011-12 NBA regular season but since it's shortened, I feel like I'm more justified in making knee-jerk reactions about the Boston Celtics. After all, that is what being a fan is all about.

Write this down in stone: barring things like back-to-backs or the end of long road trips, the Celts will pile up wins against bad teams and in the Eastern Conference particularly, there are plenty of those.

Tonight, Boston (2-3) won its first road game of the season by beating the Washington Wizards (0-4) 94-86 at the Verizon Center.

If you're ever played basketball at a YMCA or in a park, this was the classic old man team beating the younger one. The Celts used veteran intelligence to beat the much more athletic and quicker Wizards.

It also helped that Boston had the two best players on the court: Rajon Rondo recorded his first triple-double of the season (14th of his career) with 18 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds while Kevin Garnett had a breakout performance with 24 points and nine rebounds. KG was extra motivated since for whatever reason, he hates Washington's Andray Blatche (10 points).

John Wall (19 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) is the franchise player for the Wizards which is fine and dandy but they're screwed as long as Flip Saunders-a supreme bozo-is the head coach and knuckleheads like Blatche, Nick Young (18 points) and JaVale McGee (16 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks) are the best players around Wall.

Boston built up a nice lead with a solid first half. They were up 28-17 after the first quarter and 51-34 at halftime. Washington rallied in the third (26-22) and fourth (26-21) but the terrible first 24 minutes killed them.

Ray Allen scored 13 points for the Celts, Paul Pierce had nine points while Jermaine O'Neal and Brandon Bass (off the bench) notched eight points apiece.

For the game, the Celts shot nine percent better (50-41), hit three more 3-pointers (5-2), grabbed two more rebounds (41-39) and handed out 11 more assists (26-15) thanks to Rondo. The Wizards hit five more free throws (20-15), had two more steals (7-5), three more blocks (8-5) and eight more fast break points (19-11).

Boston's bench outscored Washington's by a 22-15 margin. I noted that because these same teams play tomorrow night at TD Garden. Just a beautiful scheduling move by David Stern (I know he isn't in charge of every schedule, humor me). The Celtics bench is deeper and better so they'll need it to play well again if they want to sweep this mini-series with the Wizards and keep Washington winless.

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Celtics tank game against the Wizards, setting up showdown with Knicks in 1st round of the playoffs

By sitting the Big Four, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers waved the white flag and admitted (without saying it) that his team was resigned to the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

The starting five of Jeff Green, Glen Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, Delonte West and Von Wafer actually played pretty well last night but they still lost 95-94 in overtime to the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center.

With the loss and Miami's win, Boston (55-26) clinched the No. 3 seed and also a first round meeting with the No. 6 New York Knicks.

Green led the Celts with 20 points and 15 rebounds, Davis had 20 points, O'Neal had 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks while West and Wafer both scored 11 points.

The main reason that the Big Four sat was to save their legs and prevent from injury. Unfortunately, West sprained his ankle in the third quarter and didn't return. If anyone deserves a break health-wise, it's D West. Poor guy has had to deal with a million different injuries this season. Not to mention, that's he's one of the only bench players Rivers can count on in the playoffs.

The Wizards (23-58) were led by John Wall's 24 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Crawford scored 17 points, Andray Blatche added 16 points and JaVale McGee managed 13 points.

Ironically, Boston closes the regular season with a contest tomorrow night at TD Garden vs. the Knicks. Talk about a meaningless game. You honestly couldn't pay me to go to that one.

Taking a cue from Rivers, I'm going to recharge my Celtics batteries and I'll be back for the playoffs. Looks like Game 1 will be Sunday at TD Garden. Should be a very entertaining series and I think the big-name opponent will help the Celts focus.

Celtics barely show up but still beat Wizards

Last night's Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards game at the TD Garden was so sloppy that it resembled the first time at college that you got drunk. Haha, yeah that bad.

Neither team was into it. Boston (55-24) won 104-88 over Washington (21-58) in a game that was much closer than that.

The Celtics battled through fatigue from Thursday's night beatdown in Chicago. The Wizards are just playing out the string in another Lottery-bound season.

Boston kept pace with the Miami Heat ahead of their battle tomorrow afternoon in Miami which will likely determine which team gets the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Three Celtics had double-doubles. Paul Pierce had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Rajon Rondo added 20 points, 14 assists and six steals while Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Nenad Krstic put up 17 points and six rebounds and Ray Allen notched 13 points.

Andray Blatche led Washington with 20 points and 10 rebounds, John Wall scored 20 points, Jordan Crawford added 19 points and JaVale McGree put up 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Tomorrow is the last important game of the regular season for Boston. After that, they travel to DC on Monday to face the Wizards (great scheduling) and then host the Knicks on Wednesday in the regular season finale.

Boston Celtics lose a disgusting game to the Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are an awful team. They had no business beating the Boston Celtics last night in DC except for the fact that the Cs (33-10) went ice cold in the second half (27 points) and the Wizards (13-29) made all the plays, like a banked in 3-pointer by rookie point guard John Wall (16 points).

Washington won 85-83 at the Verizon Center as Paul Pierce (12 points, 8 rebounds) had a chance to put Boston up one late with a jumper but it was long.

This game doesn't have any deeper meaning and there's no cause for panic since the Celtics had won five in a row coming into last night. It was just frustrating to see a garbage team, filled with scrubs like Rashard Lewis (18 points, 11 rebounds), JaVale McGree (16 points, 3 blocks) and Andray Blatche (11 points) make all the plays.

Don't get me wrong, I love Wall and I think his dance that he invented at Kentucky is one of the funniest things I've ever seen but he didn't do anything special last night. He runs up the court 100 MPH and then tries to pass back or do other things which you simply can't get away with in the NBA. I know he'll have a good career but let's not go overboard yet.

Kevin Garnett led the Celts with 17 points, Ray Allen had 16 points, Rajon Rondo notched 13 points and nine rebounds while Semih Erden started and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Boston put it on cruise control way too early (sounds familiar huh?) as they led 35-20 after one quarter (they were up by as much as 16 right away) and 56-46 at halftime. Washington played well in the third (24-16) and put it away with a bad high school girls fourth quarter (15-11). Yuck.

I'm not going to bother going through the numbers of this ugly affair since it was one of the worst games Boston will play all year and I'd rather not relive it.

The Celts host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night to face the NBA's worst team. If they do anything but beat the shit out of that mess of a team, it'll be a joke.

Celtics pick up must win over the NRA's favorite team

As they found themselves down 54-48 to the Wizards last night at halftime, the Celtics looked to end a three-game losing streak and more importantly, to prove that they're still relevant in the Eastern Conference (since they're behind Cleveland, Orlando and Atlanta) and the NBA.

Yes it is still before the All-Star break but the 2009-2010 season is more than halfway over and Boston is currently facing constant questions about the Big Three and the rest of the team, specifically is their window for a championship closed?

Ultimately the fact that the C's (30-16) won 99-88 at the Verizon Center will soon be forgotten by most except for the diehard fans unless its the start of a good stretch.

Six Celtics scored in double-figures, led by Kevin Garnett (19 points, 6 rebounds), Ray Allen (17 points) and Rajon Rondo (17 points, 12 assists). Paul Pierce had 12 points and eight rebounds but sat for the fourth quarter after hurting his foot at the end of the first half.

Rasheed Wallace scored 14 off the bench and Tony Allen added 10 points and six rebounds.

Between gunfights in the locker room, injuries and employing Flip Saunders (one of the biggest clowns in the NBA) as head coach, to say that the Wizards (16-31) are a mess is quite an understatement.

Amidst the rubble there is still talent, Caron Butler scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds with three steals. Now if we could just find a way to get him for Ray Allen. NBA oddity Earl Boykins scored 14 points off the bench while Mike Miller (13 points, 7 rebounds), Brendan Haywood (12 points) and Nick Young (10 points) also reached double-digits.

Boston started to tear away its recent malaise with a 26-24 third quarter but the championship team showed up for the fourth quarter as they smothered the Wizards, 25-10.

Washington star Antawn Jamison, who has been their best player all season, was held to 2-for-17 shooting.

Boston shot 54.8% while Washington shot 38.9%. The Celts shared the ball (24-15 assist advantage).

The Green come home for another very winnable game tomorrow night against the reeling Miami Heat. Dwyane Wade can always go off for 40+ points but the rest of his team is real boob soft.

See you next summer Obama

The Celtics let the good times roll last night in our nation's capital, surviving 104-102 against the Wizards for their ninth straight win.

Ray Allen scored 18 points, which helped him go over 20,000 for his career. Rajon Rondo led the C's (18-4) with 21 points (including a sick dunk late in the fourth quarter) and 11 assists. Kevin Garnett had 17 points, Kendrick Perkins added 16 points and 11 rebounds while Paul Pierce notched 12 points.

The Wizards (7-13) can still talk with the best of them but at the end of the day, they're just not very good. And I don't think having uberbozo Flip Saunders on the bench will do anything to change that losing atmosphere.

Gilbert Arenas led Washington with a game-high 25 points and eight assists. Brendan Haywood and Andray Blatche both scored 17, Antawn Jamison had 16 points and Caron Butler was held to 10 points.

The Wizards led 28-27 after the first quarter but Boston looked to blow it open with a 37-22 second quarter. Washington outplayed the Celts in the third (24-19) and the fourth (28-21) but they had nothing to show for it.

Winning was a direct result of good work at the free throw line (26-14) and on the glass (40-34). It wasn't pretty but it was a road victory and those are always tough to come by in the NBA.

The C's visit another underachieving team tomorrow night when they take on the Bulls.

The Wizards (for some reason) Own the Celtics

The Washington Wizards beat the Boston Celtics last night at the Verizon Center, 109-95.

With that, the Wizards won the season series, 3-1. Washington (41-37) is trying to get the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference (and home-court) but wherever they end up, they would most likely meet the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. In other words, don't worry about it for now.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics (62-16) with a game-high 28 points, seven assists and six turnovers in 37 minutes. KG had 22 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes and Ray Allen was the only other Celtic in double figures with 13 points in 37 minutes.

Antawn Jamison led the Wizards with 27 points and 11 rebounds. DeShawn Stevenson added 14 points while Caron Butler (11 assists) and Gilbert Arenas (4 steals) both scored 13. Brendan Haywood had 12 points and even Darius Songaila posted 10.

The Celts return to the Garden tomorrow night and face the Bucks once again. Should be a hell of a game.

Their former UConn star is better than ours

Sound the alarms, the Boston Celtics are falling apart. OK I kid, but the C's have quite obviously hit a speed bump as they've now lost two in a row and three of their last four after a 88-83 choke job to the Washington Wizards at the Garden last night.

The C's (30-6) were up by as much as 14 points in the fourth quarter before their offense completely disappeared and the plucky Wizards (20-16) put together a 25-6 run to close out the game and come away with the improbable win.

Washington's Caron Butler has become a star before our eyes. He took over down the stretch last night, making a 3-point play and a driving layup to clinch it. He finished with a team-high 21 points, six rebounds and two steals. Antawn Jamison had another double-double with 20 points and 10 boards. DeShawn Stevenson added 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals while Brendan Haywood notched 14 points and seven rebounds.

For Boston, Kevin Garnett led the way with 23 points, nine boards and six assists. KG had a key offensive rebound and putback late that put the C's up by one but he also later missed a turnaround jumper that sealed their doom. Paul Pierce had 18 points and five rebounds while the shaky Ray Allen had 16 points, six boards and three assists. I say shaky because he was just 2 of 7 on 3-pointers, including one that would have tied it on their last possession.

Kendrick Perkins had nine points. Rajon Rondo started the game but played just 21 minutes (4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists) before sitting out the fourth quarter. His back and hamstring continue to slow him down and the Celts are a noticeably worse team without him. Who thought that'd be true going into this season?

It was a dull first half as the teams had 18 points apiece in the first quarter and Boston held a slim 37-35 lead at the break. Boston was up four going into the fourth quarter but just like on Saturday at Washington, the fourth was when the Wizards put it all together and conversely the C's couldn't do anything right.

Boston outshot Washington, 41.9% to 38.6% but compounded that by making only 5 of 20 3-pointers. Once again, the Wizards were amazing on the free throw line (27 of 30) while Boston struggled (16 of 22).

The Celtics will have their hands full tomorrow when the Portland Trailblazers come to town. Winners in 18 of their last 20 games, the Blazers are the NBA's hottest team behind Brandon Roy and a solid supporting cast. It should be a great game as Boston tries to work out the kinks in their game.