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.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

I Guess Nobody Told The Celtics They Had A Game Tonight

Well I was all pumped up for the Celtics' (0-2) 2012-13 home opener tonight but that excitement quickly disappeared as they got trampled 99-88 by the Bucks (1-0) at TD Garden. Milwaukee led from start to finish and they easily should have won by 20+ if not for some garbage-time heroics.

After getting humbled by the Heat on Tuesday in Miami, I think we all assumed that with a couple days between games, the Celts would regroup and beat the Bucks. Unfortunately, Boston saw its five-game win streak in home openers get flushed down the toilet. It's also the first time since 2005-06 and 2006-07 aka before the new Big 3 era that the C's have started 0-2 in consecutive seasons. If it makes you feel any better, they began last season 0-3.

Brandon Jennings burned the Celtics for 21 points, 13 assists (a career-high) and six steals. His new backcourt mate Monta Ellis (14 points) was relatively quiet but Tobias Harris (18 points) and Ersan Ilyasova (7 points, 11 rebounds) not to mention the bench trio of Beno Udrih (10 points), Larry Sanders (10 points, 7 rebounds) and Ekpe Udoh (10 points) were all there to give Milwaukee the victory in its season opener.

Kevin Garnett led the C's with a very quiet 15 points. Rajon Rondo had 14 points, 11 assists (26th straight game with 10+ assists) and three steals and he was the only other Celtic starter that really did anything. Anybody seen Paul Pierce (11 points, 6 rebounds on 3 of 11 shooting) or Brandon Bass (10 points, 6 rebounds)?

The only positives to take out of this no-show for the home team were the glimpses of hope provided by Jeff Green (11 points), Jason Terry (10 points) and rookie Jared Sullinger (6 points, 7 rebounds). Don't ask me why Leandro Barbosa played seven minutes (2 points) after he took over in the 4th quarter against Miami?

It's easy to be sarcastic but however, there is no reason to panic with this team. Hey it could be worse-the Lakers are 0-3 after losing tonight to the Clippers. Still, with their first back-to-back tomorrow night in DC at the Verizon Center against the Wizards (7 p.m., CSN), Boston needs to find a way to beat Washington (0-1) and come home with a win. In a scheduling quirk, the two teams are off until Wednesday when the Wizards are in Boston. All the Celtics need is a win to build up their confidence and chemistry on the court that so far in two games, has been severely lacking.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

The Red Sox & David Ortiz Agree To A 2-Year Deal Before He Becomes A Free Agent

MLB's free agency period started at midnight but the Red Sox and David Ortiz agreed to a 2-year deal worth at least $26 million before the deadline. With incentives, he could earn as much as $30 million.

I had never really thought about Big Papi going anywhere else since his market was very limited and he wanted a multi-year deal. The fact that last season ended prematurely for him after he injured his Achilles meant that he was probably stuck here after all. Who else would want an old (37 in November) DH that was breaking down?

He tried to come back but only returned for one game before shutting it down completely, he finished with a .318 batting average, .415 OBP, .611 SLG, 23 homers and 60 RBIs in 90 games. He had been durable the last three seasons before 2012: he played in 150, 145 and 146 games respectively so there is hope that with extra time to heal and lengthy offseason, he should be healthy and at full speed in 2013.

Other than getting a new manager, this was the other most obvious and therefore easiest step for Boston this fall/winter in their endless rebuilding process. Now the decisions start to get harder: do they want to re-sign Cody Ross or go after somebody else like Mike Napoli or Nick Swisher? What free agent pitchers should they target?

In sports these days, you almost never see someone stay with one team for a majority of their career, especially from their prime to when they chose to retire. Not to get ahead of ourselves too much but you could make the case that Ortiz could be that rare exception: as long as he's still productive and a valuable member of the team, there is no reason to cut ties with the only guy left that was on the 2004 and 2007 World Series championship Red Sox squads. You can't teach that type of big game experience and it's something he has in abundance while most of his teammates are still very inexperienced in that regard.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Stop The Presses: An NFL Team Made A Notable Move At The Trade Deadline

I was all set to make fun of the NFL trade deadline this afternoon since noteworthy things rarely happen but then the Patriots forced me to temporarily change my tune. They flipped a fourth-round draft pick in 2013 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for cornerback Aqib Talib and a seventh-round draft pick in 2013.

This has the potential to be a great move and complete steal for New England, assuming (and this is a huge if) Talib can stay out of trouble for the rest of the 2012 season. He is without question, one of the biggest jokers and criminals in the NFL (which is saying something). He's been suspended twice: once for fighting with a cab driver in August 2009 (somewhere Patrick Kane nods his approval) and he's currently serving a four-game suspension for a PED (Adderall) violation. He is eligible to come back in Week 11 when the Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts.

So what is all the fuss about? Well, he was the 20th overall pick of the 2008 draft out of Kansas and unlike pretty much all the cornerbacks and safeties the Patriots have drafted in the last five years, he has mostly lived up to his enormous potential. For his career, he has 18 interceptions including three that he returned for touchdowns. Despite being on a team that has been constantly rebuilding, he managed to put up four picks in 2008, five in 2009 and six (in 11 games) in 2010.

At the moment, the Pats don't have a true No. 1 cornerback. A cynic would add, they don't really have a second one either. He's 26 so in the prime of his career and he has good size: 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, something which the Patriots lack in the back end. Talib suddenly changes that equation if he can get up to speed with the playbook. Maybe he can even teach his new teammates in the secondary to turn their heads. I have to believe a guy with his stats can do that. This move is the reason why New England released Sterling Moore yesterday. With this week off, who knows what the Patriots' secondary will look like against the Bills in a week then the Colts? We could see Patrick Chung and Steve Gregory back on the field at safety with Devin McCourty and Talib at cornerback. Or maybe McCourty stays at safety.

Above all, this shows that head coach Bill Belichick and the rest of the front office were willing to publicly admit what everybody already knows: their secondary is a disaster and the biggest obstacle they have to overcome if they want to win the Super Bowl in February. Talib might be a complete bust (doubtful given his on-field track record) but at least they were willing to take the risk, midseason no less.

UPDATE 11/2: Today, Sterling Moore was signed to the Patriots' practice squad. Here is how New England's practice squad, which has one open spot with just seven current members, looks at this moment:

FB James Develin

WR Jarred Fayson

DL Marcus Forston

OL Matt Kopa

CB Sterling Moore

WR Greg Salas

OL Jeremiah Warren

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Patriots Get Rid Of A Talented Young Cornerback, Wait What?

The Patriots might be in the middle of their bye week but it is also the middle of the 2012 regular season so they are still hard at work in Foxborough.

On the heels of releasing linebacker Bobby Carpenter yesterday, they surprisingly released second-year cornerback Sterling Moore this afternoon. To take their places on the 53-man roster, New England re-signed linebacker Mike Rivera (who has been with the team a couple times) and safety Derrick Martin, who has played six seasons in the NFL most recently with the Giants last year and was with the Pats during training camp. They also terminated the practice squad contract of defensive end/tight end Alex Silvestro.

Moore was an undrafted free agent that the Patriots discovered last season. He had played in all eight games this season (no starts) as a nickel back and made 13 tackles (12 solo) with one fumble forced and one fumble recovered. Considering the fact that he was released twice last season but ended up playing a prominent role in the playoffs means that I doubt they have completely given up on him (he's only 22). I bet they told him to hang tight and he'll be back on the team in a few weeks when someone else goes down or this Martin character proves to be a bum.

UPDATE 11/1: The Pats signed wide receiver Jarred Fayson to the practice squad today. Moore cleared waivers which means he's a free agent. He does have practice squad eligibility left though and New England has one open spot there.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

I Hear Halloween In Switzerland Is Wild, Right Chris Kelly?

I hate to bring this up since Halloween is truly my favorite holiday of the year so I'll keep it brief: Bruins center Chris Kelly is going to Switzerland to play for HC Red Ice. He joins teammates Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron who are also playing their trade in the land of chocolate, Swiss watches and Roger Federer.

If you're keeping score at home, he is the 10th Bruin to take their talents overseas-an NHL high (loads gun). Even better, when the Winter Classic is officially cancelled any day now, expect more B's to hop on the next flight. Kelly's deal is monthly with an out clause if the NHL lockout ends.

After having already missed all the October games with no November games set to occur, the NHL lockout is in full effect and shows no signs of ending anytime soon. Much like the NBA lockout last year or the NFL lockout (why can't we have an MLB lockout too?), I have become immune to the few brief daily news to come out of this debacle. Every day that goes by with no positive movement, I become more convinced that we won't have a 2012-13 NHL season.

The fact that the NBA regular season started last night-hello Celtics-only further hurts the NHL since casual fans will forget about hockey soon enough. If you need a hockey fix, I would recommend paying closer attention to NCAA hockey. We are lucky to have the best conference in our backyard-Hockey East-with plenty of nationally ranked teams in New England: Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, UNH, Northeastern, etc.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Happy Halloween To Tom Brady, Gisele & The Kids

With the Patriots enjoying the bye week and the only real break during the grueling NFL regular season, quarterback Tom Brady was named the AFC's Offensive Player of the Week today for the second time this season (after Week 4, October 3).

It's hard to picture a much more efficient but still spectacular performance by TB12 than the one he turned in on Sunday during New England's (5-3) 45-7 rout of St. Louis (3-5) at London's Wembley Stadium. He was 23 of 35 for 305 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. His rating of 131.1 was a season-high and it eclipsed the 120.1 against the Bills that earned the first award.

Whenever Brady has a good game, he always seems to break or tie some sort of record and this week was no exception. This was the 22nd time he's been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, tying Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Additionally, it was the ninth time in his career that he's thrown for 300+ yards, four TDs and no INTs which ties Saints quarterback Drew Brees for an NFL record. He also became only the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 300+ yards 50 times in his career.

After a bumpy start to the season, the Pats and Brady have won two in a row and put together their most impressive game against the Rams. It's no coincidence that he has pushed back into the NFL MVP discussion with 16 TDs, 3 INTs and an NFL-leading 2408 passing yards. Midway through the regular season, things are looking up in Foxborough. Happy Halloween everybody!

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate