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Friday, Jan 9, 2009, 8:05 PM EST
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Celtics Schedule
Next 5 Games
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Cleveland
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Fri 01/09 | 8:00 PM EST |
| @ Toronto | Sun 01/11 | 12:30 PM EST |
| Toronto | Mon 01/12 | 7:30 PM EST |
| New Jersey | Wed 01/14 | 7:30 PM EST |
| @ New Jersey | Sat 01/17 | 1:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
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Houston
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Wed 01/07 | L 85 - 89 |
| @ Charlotte | Tue 01/06 | L 106 - 114 |
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New York
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Sun 01/04 | L 88 - 100 |
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Washington
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Fri 01/02 | W 108 - 83 |
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Portland
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Tue 12/30 | L 86 - 91 |
Q&A With The Cavalier
by Jeff Clark
on Jan 8, 2009 1:01 PM EST
in Articles
Putting the Rockets game behind us, we have a big game against the first place Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow (that still sounds odd). As a change of pace, I exchanged Q&A's with Brian (a.k.a. The Cavalier).
You may remember him from YAYSPorts and a promised Who Shot Mamba? movie that apparently was contracted out to the same folks who brought us the Big Dig. Now he's got a new blog that's called "Brian's Thoughts About Airplanes," ...or maybe it is "Mad Props To Baked Potatoes." It is hard to keep up. Maybe tomorrow it will be called "Pierce is chubby but he rocks my world."
Bottom line: Brian is an odd cat, and I dig that about him. So here's some light hearted thoughts to keep your mind off the big red button below.
See my answers to his questions at his site and his answers below.
1. What's the better move: The Crab Dribble or Rondo's fake-behind-the-back move that never fools anyone?
I'm not that familiar with the details of Rondo's false moves, but I firmly believe LeBron and Co went into the basketball dictionary, found the most obscure move they could find, and installed it as LeBron's "secret trademark" over five years ago. This was all in anticipation of unveiling its name in this, Year 6. You may think I'm a LeBron fanboy, but he often irks me quite a bit. He's all about the brand, and at least to me, it seems like winning only matters because its really good for the brand.
I'd also like to lay my estimation of the total time he takes for the chalk throw sequence Friday night at a full 15 seconds. The clock starts when he crosses the threshold of the scorer's table, and ends when he turns to walk out on the court. I'll keep an eye out for Rondo's back trickery.
19 comments
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Fan Experience At IZOD a Joke
by Steve Weinman
on Jan 8, 2009 1:00 PM EST
in NBA
A Daily Babble Production
The New Jersey Nets are taking an interesting approach to ticket sales this season. Their ability to sell tickets has been so underwhelming that they have resorted to coming as close as possible in the Ticketmaster era to literally giving away tickets.
A few weeks back, a relative forwarded me a link advertising a Nets promotion offering "complimentary" tickets to any of several games in December and January and a few select contests over the course of the season. All I had to do was go through Ticketmaster's standard online Nets ticket sales and use a coupon code provided on site, and I would have clinched my attendance privileges at the IZOD Center.
This sounded too good to be true, of course. It wasn't. A few clicks later, I had acquired four lower level seats to last night's Grizzlies-Nets contest for a total of $6.50. The tickets were listed as $0.00 but "[included] a $0.75 ticket fee." Why that is, I'm not sure, but I'm not complaining. Ticketmaster hit me with its standard nonsense, a $3.50 order processing charge, and the tickets were mine, to be left at will call.
To this point, I should really be a bit more positive. As a fan who loves going to games anytime, anywhere, it's fantastic to have an opportunity like this, and it's cool of the team to offer such a promotion (in contrast, the last time I bought four tickets to a Knicks game, they ran $160 and were supposedly acquired below face value). I'm grateful to the Nets for that, and I should preface the rest of these remarks by saying that because I went to the game with a couple of people I really enjoy being around, and because I would watch hoops from the middle of a crowded prison if need be, I had a blast on a personal level last night. But with that said, each trip to the IZOD Center makes it clear that giving away tickets might be the Nets' only way to get bodies in the seats, and the IZOD arena experience is as bad as any I've had.
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History Repeating - Market Correction
by Jeff Clark
on Jan 8, 2009 11:04 AM EST
in News/Links
ESPN's Daily Dime has an interesting chart today.
| Longest Win Streaks In League History (*won NBA title) | |||
| Year | Team | Wins | Following the Streak |
| 1971-72 | Lakers* | 33 | Lost 4 of 6 |
| 2007-08 | Rockets | 22 | Lost 5 of 8 |
| 1970-71 | Bucks* | 20 | Lost 5 of 6 |
| 2008-09 | Celtics | 19 | Lost 6 of 8 |
| 1999-00 | Lakers* | 19 | Won 11 of 12 |
Maybe Kelly Dwyer is right:
The Celtics lost again, but Boston fans should not be worried, and Laker/Cavalier/whomever-backers should halt the funeral proceedings. It's not normal for a team like Boston to win as many games as they did over the first two months of the season against competition that stiff. Teams were and are gunning for the C's in a way I haven't seen teams attack the defending champs since the 90s Bulls, and sooner or later the Celtics are going to lose a few. Regression to the mean. Learn to enjoy it.
15 comments
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No Rest For The Weary
by Jeff Clark
on Jan 8, 2009 10:59 AM EST
in News/Links
Yesterday we tried coming up with all the different reasons why this team is struggling. Nobody knows for sure except the guys on the floor (and maybe they don't know either) but they sure look tired. They just don't have that same swagger that they had early in the year.
When you get tired, you get sloppy. When you are weary, sometimes you can put together an effort for a stretch (like last night's solid first quarter), but eventually it catches up with you. Lately the team has been hitting a wall in the forth quarter. From the Globe:
The Year of the Celtic seems like a fading memory as the team's trademark strong finishes have turned into late-game collapses, a reversal of form as well as fortune. The Celtics also squandered late chances in a 114-106 overtime defeat in Charlotte Tuesday, continuing a trend that began with a Dec. 25 loss to the Lakers, the start of a road trip that broke not only the Celtics' 19-game winning streak but also their spell on the opposition.
And don't talk to me about the offense because I don't want to hear it. This team's identity is based on defense first and foremost. When we play defense the way we can, we win. Simple as that. All the other issues this team has (lack of depth, turnovers, etc.) are still there in the wins. They just don't matter because the defense more than makes up for them.
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Daily Links 1/8
by FLCeltsFan
on Jan 8, 2009 10:33 AM EST
in News/Links
Herald Rough “Cs” for Celtics
Dikembe Mutombo had eyes on Celtics
Celtics are sleepwalking
Cavaliers rest up for Celtics
Celtics fall at home, 89-85 to Rockets
Globe Celtics' offense dud vs. Rockets
Pursuit of glory is turning gory
What's the difference? For Rockets, plenty
Rivers thinks Garnett can tough it out
Various posts and video in the Globe Celtics blog
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The Silver Lining (Free Gabe)
by Jeff Clark
on Jan 8, 2009 8:05 AM EST
in News/Links
We'll get to all that went wrong and is going wrong with the team shortly. But for a brief moment, I wanted to bask in the glow of a paper thin silver lining. Gabe finally got some run and the coach was impressed. From the Globe:
The Celtics closed the third quarter with a Gabe Pruitt-Rajon Rondo backcourt, and Rivers said Pruitt will continue to receive more playing time. Pruitt was the only Celtic to score in the opening 7:43 of the final quarter. The Celtics were outscored, 18-11, in the fourth.
"He played well," Rivers said of Pruitt. "He made one mistake. To me, he was trying to play safe when he drove and turned it over - that's a layup or a dunk. To me, where Gabe has improved is defensively. He's decided that he wants to play and he wants to be defensive and he knows that's his way onto the floor."
Glad to hear it. You can see that Doc is (finally) tinkering with the lineups and trying different combinations to turn this thing around. I've never said that playing Gabe would solve all our problems (last night it didn't result in a win), but he brings a lot of things we need (fresh legs, athleticism, backup PG help, defense, ball handling, shooting, etc.). It also helps to take a look at him before we make any moves so we know what we have first.
With that said, rooting for a young player to get some burn and grasping onto that small "moral victory" as the team loses once again seems a little too 2006 for my taste. So I'm going to leave it at that.
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Celtics Hope that Home Will Cure What Ails Them
by FLCeltsFan
on Jan 7, 2009 6:48 PM EST
in Games
at 
Houston Rockets (21-15) at Boston Celtics (29-7)
Wednesday January 7
7:30 PM ET
Game #37, Home Game #20
TV: FSN Hou, CSN HD, NBA LP 754
Radio: WEEI
TD Banknorth Garden
Game Thread l Chat
The Celtics enter this game having lost 5 of their last 7 games with all of those five losses coming on the road. They are hoping that a game at home is what they need to right the ship and get them back on track. They have lost just one game on the Parquet all season and so it would seem that this may indeed help them to get back to their winning ways. The Rockets are 10-11 on the road and have already lost the first 3 games on their current road trip. Both teams are hurting and nursing injuries and both teams are playing in the second of back to back games.
The Celtics lead the all time series between these two teams 84-39. The Celtics swept the series last season for the first time since 1990-91. The most notable win came in Houston where the Celtics ended Houston's 22 game win streak. The Celtics won the first matchup this season in Houston 103-99.
These teams have played very physical and heated games against each other this season both in Houston and in the preseason. The Rockets seem to have taken on the personna of Ron Artest with cheap shots and physical play and the Celtics have been happy to play them physical in return which has lead to short tempers and technical fouls. With both teams being tired and hurting, we may see more of the benches in this one but it still should be a spirited contest with both teams trying to get back on track with a win.
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Atlantic Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Boston
|
29 | 8 | .783 | 0 | Lost 3 |
| New Jersey | 18 | 18 | .500 | 10.5 | Won 2 |
|
Philadelphia
|
15 | 20 | .428 | 13 | Won 2 |
| Toronto | 15 | 21 | .416 | 13.5 | Won 1 |
|
New York
|
13 | 20 | .393 | 14 | Lost 1 |
(updated 1.8.2009 at 10:04 AM EST)
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