Celtics-Bulls Writeup

A great game by the Celtics winning by an impressive margin of 116-93. Paul Pierce was the high scorer with 22 points. The C's as a team played very good as well. They got a season high 56 rebounds and also dished out 23 assists as a team. Also, all 5 starters had double figures, 6 in all. Another good note for the C's was P.J. Brown made his Celtics debut tonight getting 3 pts. and 6 rebounds.

Celtics dominated this game early and often, having their biggest lead be 28. Paul Pierce started the game off cold, but warmed up at the end of the second and after halftime. Celtics led in this game 95-73 at the end of the 3rd quater, something the Bulls did not want to happen. The Bulls were also playing short handed as Drew Gooden was ejected from the game for getting 2 technical fouls.

Sam Cassell didn't suit up for this game, but is expected to make his debut Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Celtics Concern:
Tony Allen didn't play very well tonight after coming off of a hamstring injury. He was sloppy with the ball, and didn't shoot very well going 0-4. He wasn't explosive to the rim and didn't seem to be in control of this game. Hopefully he can get it together tomorrow @ Memphis.

C's Upside:
Ray Allen's shooting slump only lasted 1 game. The C's made sure Allen was apart of the game by giving him the ball and involving him in plays. Perkins also put up another double-double with 14 pts. and 11 rebs.

Pierce, Allen, and Garnett did not play in the 4th quater which will allow them to be fresh in tomorrows game @ Memphis.

The Chicago Bulls NEVER led in this game. The C's came out strong and played strong the whole game. Chicago even took more shots than the Celtics but nothing was dropping for them as they fall to the best in the NBA.

Kevin Garnett was the player of the game with 16 pts. and 8 rebs.

Looking Ahead:
What's ahead for the Celtics? A very bad Memphis Grizzlies team who is in the process of rebuilding their team. The C's travel to Memphis tonight to take on the Grizzlies tomorrow night.

Box Score:
http://http://www.nba.com/games/20080307/CHIBOS/boxscore.html

Bulls-Celtics Preview

Tonight the Chicago Bulls come to town fresh off a win against one of the Easts top teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers. But, the Celtics are coming off a great game Wednesday night against a very good Detroit Pistons team. Some may think this will be an easy victory for the Celtics, but I won't be suprised if they Bulls put up a good fight.

The Bulls come in tonight still clawing for a playoff position as they trail the 8th seeded Nets by 1 game. But on the other side, the playoff bound Celtics come in with the best record in the NBA. Should be an easy game right? Well I don't think so, Chicago played a very good game against a good Cleveland team last night. If the Bulls offensive weapons come out like they did last night, then the C's better be prepared for a good game.

One of my concerns for the Celtics is how Ray Allen will come back from his 3 pts. effort against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. This broke a streak of Allen scoring 20+ for 7 consecutive games. But with the Bulls shaky defense, I can see Allen having a good game. Paul Pierce also had a low scoring game against the Pistons putting up 16.

My main focus will be Kevin Garnett, if he puts out an effort like he did against the Pistons on Wednesday, the Bulls are in for a long day. Garnett, who put up 31 pts. Wednesday against the Bulls, should get to the basket with ease as he will be going up against Drew Gooden and Joakim Noah.

If the C's take this game light, we could see an upset. But if they are as determined as they seem, there should be no stoping them tonight against the Chicago Bulls on their home court.

I will also be in attendance of this game, I'll be rockin the #20 Allen jersey. GO C's!

Predictions:
Allen comes out strong with 18 pts.
Pierce puts up 26
Garnett puts up 28 with 15 rebs.

Bulls try and fight and stick around but the 1st place Celtics are too much for them and fall 98-82.

Around the NBA: Playoffs

Well, with the playoffs coming fast, it is time to seperate the contenders from the pretenders. I'll start with the West and the Phoenix Suns. The Suns went from being a contender to a pretender in my mind. The Shaq trade is really hurting them as they are not able to spread the defense like they used to be able to do. Now, the Dallas Mavericks, I'm not entirely convinced they have what it takes to be a contender right now either, right now they are on the bubble of being a pretender. The Houston Rockets went from being pretenders to contenders very quickly, winning a franchise high 16 games in a row. The top teams in the West right now are the Spurs, Lakers, Hornets, and Jazz, all of which have championship caliber teams. Although I think the Hornets will need a little more experience before they make it to the big one.

Now on to the East, the very weak East. The only teams that are contenders in my mind are the Celtics and the Pistons. I know what you're thinking, "What about the Cavaliers?", right? Well as they really only have one good scorer in LeBron James, they don't have what it takes to be serious contenders at this point in time. But the Pistons and Celtics on the other hand, for the Pistons, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, all proven players. And for the Celtics, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, and James Posey have the experience to lead this team to the big dance.

The East seems like it will be a two team showing between the Pistons and the Celtics. In my opinion, the Celtics have the better team and will go on to win the Eastern Conference and go on to the NBA Finals.

There is one team that could shake up the East a bit that not alot of people are giving credit to, and that is the Orlando Magic. They hold two wins over the Celtics the season already. Another team that could be trouble to the top teams in the East is the Toronto Raptors, they are very young and are stacked with talent.

Back to the West for a quick minute, there is one team that has the power to stir up the Western Conference quite a bit too, and that being the Denver Nuggets. Currently holding on to the 9th spot in the West, they are rapidly gaining ground on the Warriors and may even replace the Suns in the play-off picture if the Suns don't turn the heat up.

As the play-off race begins to heat up, this looks like to be the most exciting road to the play-offs in recent memory, and the play-offs themselves look like they are shaping up to be really good themselves.

My predictions for the NBA Finals is going to be a classic match up between the Lakers and the Celtics, with the Celtics taking #17.

Celtics Reign Supreme

Celtics pulled out a very impressive 90-78. The C's had control pretty much from the beginning. Althought the Pistons did tie it at 69 at one point in the 4th qtr.

Garnett started off very strong scoring 19 pts. in the first half alone. Garnett finished the game with 31 pts. and and 6 rebs. Pierce had a fairly strong showing and put up 15 pts. and 5 asts. Rondo also played very well tonight putting up 16 pts. and 5 asts. On the Detroit side of the ball, Both Billups and Wallace put up 23 pts.

With this win the C's win the season series 2-1 and now have a 4 game lead in the East over the Pistons. The C's now look like they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics in my opinion played a very good, up tempo game and seemed to play as if it was a play-off game. The crowd was into it and the energy in the arena felt like a championship game. If the C's continue to play like this, the Chase For 17 will be very successful.

With this big game behind them, they look ahead to their next opponents, the slowly fading Chicago Bulls. With the Bulls not in play-off contention, hopefully the C's don't slack off and take this game seriously. With the talent the Bulls have, they are no pushover team.

Tonights Celtics Player of the Game would have to be Kevin Garnett.

Pistons-Celtics Preview (Wednesday)

Round 3 between the Celtics and Pistons will take place tomorrow night as the Celtics host the 2nd place Pistons. With both teams losing at home, we have a great game to look forward to tomorrow.

As the battle for home court advantage heats up, the C's will come in with the best record in the NBA and go up against a very good Detroit team. Celtics coach Doc Rivers is hoping his players will play like it is a playoff game as these are two very good teams. With the excitement of Sam Cassell coming to town, the Boston media asked if it would be a distraction to the team having him coming in. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett all believe it will not be a problem, and are all very excited to see how Sam will perform.

Another thing that C's fan can look forward to is the possibility of P.J. Brown making his Celtics debut against the Pistons. Doc Rivers has said that there is no hurry to bring in Cassell, but may see Brown playing a few minutes in this game.

With all the attention on the Celtics and their acquisitions, they are ready to go against the Pistons and are ready to take absolute supremacy in the Eastern Conference.

Prediction:
Celtics win a thriller in OT 124-120.
Allen has a big game and puts up 30 pts.
Pierce is Pierce and puts up 26.
And Garnett helps with 18 pts. and 14 rebs.

Celtics Aqcuire Veteran PG

Hello everyone, and welcome to my Boston Celtics blog. First I would like to say how great it is to finally have the magic back in Boston, and as they say "THE GREEN IS BACK!".

Now, to business. Celtics today will sign veteran PG Sam Cassell, who will bring much needed experience to the PG position as the C's look to take #17. Rondo is a great point guard and all, but bringing in Cassell to back him up was a great move in my opinion. This will bring play-off experience, and it brings a familiar feel to Ray Allen, who played with Cassell in Milawaukee and Kevin Garnett who was team mates with him in Minnesota when they had the best record in the West.

Cassell is expected to have a physical this afternoon and sign his deal tonight. He is also expected to practice with the team tomorrow before the Pistons game. Although he it is unlikely for Cassell to play tomorrow, another veteran acquisition may see some time tomorrow. Doc Rivers has said we might see P.J. Brown make his Celtics debut against the pistons according to the Boston Celtics official website.

As the C's continue to march on and take control over the East, the attention is all on tomorrows game against the Detroit Pistons. The C's and Pistons has split both games this season both losing on their home courts. As the C's play in Boston tomorrow, let's hope this doesn't happen again.

Another thing too, if anyone is interested in a great sports forum, check out The Sports Lounge: http://thesportslounge.ipbfree.com/index.php?act=idx. This forum covers Basketball, Baseball, Football, Hockey, and has a great community, I highly recommend you join if you are a sports fan.