Celtics Central

The Boston Celtics, minus Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Glen Davis handily defeated conference arch rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 96-82 in their final preseason game. They also open the real season against them on October 27th.

They played this game in Columbus, Ohio so the Cavs can claim that it wasn’t really a home game. But they can’t claim that they didn’t try. Still, the less-than-full-strength Celtics beat them rather easily, even with Paul Pierce, playing just 13 minutes and scoring 11 points.

Doc Rivers had earlier suggested that he wouldn’t play the starters in this game. Whether it was a Bill Belichickian move or not, I wouldn’t know, but he did start Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce. According to the Yahoo recap, Pierce refused to sit the game out completely, though he played short minutes.

Here is Greg Payne’s account of Pierce in action from Celticsblog.com…

“So, while an unspoken tension bubbled between the two squads, an equally powerful rigidity enveloped Pierce and James throughout the entire first quarter. Paul was clearly locked in on Wednesday, as evidenced by the meticulous scowl that he wore on his face throughout the period. There were no smiles or pre-game laughs or that sense of looseness that comes with preseason. This was all business.”

There was a little pushing match between Mo Williams and Shelden Williams just before half time and Greg records that as well. Red’s Army has the video.

In an interesting move, Doc started Marquis Daniels with Rajon Rondo, and it worked pretty well as Daniels scored 17 points on 7 for 10 shooting to go with 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. Eddie House led the team in scoring with 21 points in 22 minutes on 8 of 14 shooting off the bench.

Centers of Attention
Kendrick Perkins added 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in his drive for time as ‘point center’.

In what might be a more significant than it appears, Zydrunas Ilguaskas played 22 minutes but the Cavs were only outscored by two during that time. Shaquille O’Neal played 20 minutes, scoring 16 points, but the Cavs were outscored by 11 during that time.

The big concern for adding the big guy is chemistry. There is some question whether LeBron and Shaq can both operate effectively as teammates in the low post together. Time will tell.

Pierce out dueled his famous 7th game nemesis from two years ago and Payne of Celticsblog has that…

By the end of the quarter, Pierce had taken six shots and James had taken six shots. Pierce made four of his, while LeBron hit just two. Pierce finished with 11 points and James ended the frame with seven (he knocked down three free throws as well). While the numbers don’t mean all that much, that sense of wanting to show up the other (in preseason nonetheless) surely does.

Rajon Rondo had 7 assists, 9 points, no rebounds, and 3 steals in 26 minutes. Rasheed Wallace started, played 30 minutes and had 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, a steal and zero turnovers.

Lester Hudson got sizable burn, playing 21 plus minutes, scoring 8 points on 3 of 5 shooting. In addition to his shoving match with Mo Williams, Shelden Williams played 21 plus minutes scoring 7 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.

J. R. Giddens played 20 scoreless minutes (0-3) in his new role as a defensive factor off the bench.

LeBron James scored 18 points (6 of 15 shooting) in 29 minutes to lead the Cavs.

While rumors persist that Doc Rivers wants to keep Michael Sweetney around and hopes that he rounds into game shape by mid season, Sweetney was sent home with the flu earlier in the week.

So the Celtics send an early message to a top rival. We are ready. Let the (real) games begin.

Boxscore

Portland has been on an upward climb over the last few years. Here are a number of Blazer previews in the Celticsblog circle of previews. The carousel makes multiple stops in Oregon country on this trip.

Blazersedge.com

There are plenty of reasons to be bullish on the Blazers and it seems darn near every analyst is. They’re protected against injury better than almost every team, going at least two deep at every position. They’re built to execute well in the halfcourt but they can run a little bit when needed, thanks to Miller. They’ve got big guards and little guards, athletic wings and physical wings, long 4s and big 5s: thanks to this depth and versatility, they’re far more prone to creating mismatches than getting exploited by them. They’re coming off a 54 win season, didn’t lose a single major piece and are a year more experienced than they were last season.

But entering this season, things aren’t quite clicking yet.

And it seems like it could take some time.

blazeoflove.com

Last season, Portland was one of, if not the most, efficient teams in the NBA.  This season, they should be as efficient plus even more explosive.  Andre Miller adds something the team has been lacking for years and that’s a point guard who is a match-up nightmare for the opposition.  And with Oden showing mass improvements in preseason contests and a lack of proven centers in the west, the Blazers should find buckets coming even easier.

ripcityproject.com

Coup: The Blazers used their heavily-watched summer money on Hedo Turkoglu, then Paul Millsap followed by a brief flirtation with David Lee before finally settling with Andre “I know all your plays” Miller. Through six preseason games, Miller has made it painfully obvious that he is the more dynamic and better playmaker than incumbent PG Steve Blake.

The worry at the time of Miller’s signing was his limited range, but he’s quelled much of those thoughts with his willingness to make risky passes that lead to easy buckets. Brandon Roy’s slow preseason has led to some questions about his ability to play off-the-ball with Miller —

asternwarning.com

Depth, it can be a blessing and a curse. As curses go though, it’s one that most coaches and GMs would kill to have. It’s one that the Blazers have.

After the signing of Miller, the Blazers have legitimate depth at every position. This brings roster battles which keep guys on their toes and ensure that a competitive team is on court at all times. Coach McMillan has so many options, he doesn’t even know (publicly) who his starting lineup will be as yet.

bustabucket.com

Obviously regular season goals are important, but this season, The Blazers need to advance in the playoffs. A good regular season goal is to win the Northwest division, win 50+ games and get a 2 or 3 seed in the playoffs.

Once Portland makes the playoffs, their goal has to be making the Western Conference finals. Last year, Portland had a 3 seed against a tough Rockets team and the outcome was less than favorable. That experience has matured this team and they will be looking for more this year. Winning in the first round of the playoffs would be great, but getting to the WCF is a reasonable and obtainable goal.

trailpost.today.com

The most significant moves of the offseason for this team were the ones that didn’t happen. GM Kevin Pritchard made a huge splash early with his dogged pursuit of Hedo Turkoglu after an incredible performance in a losing effort against the Lakers. We were prepared to offer every Portland firstborn for a three point specialist who 35% last year. Luckily, Hedo’s wife intervened and determined that Portland wasn’t multicultural enough for their needs, so they departed to the Great White North. Mrs. Turkoglu is the franchise MVP until Brandon Roy’s next buzzer-beater.

OK, so every game won’t be a defensive gem.

In defense of the Celtics’ defense, they did hold the Knicks to just .438% shooting and .318% from the three point arc.

The Celtics went with reserves down the stretch, and led by Marquis Daniels‘ 17 points (2nd best on the team) , they almost pulled out a second victory against the Knicks in this preseason.

Daniels tied the game for the last time at 1:40 with two foul shots at 103 all. The Celtics went cold from there.

Rajon Rondo led the Cs in scoring with 20 points and added 7 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes. Doc Rivers said that this game would be the last preseason game that the starters would play.  All the starters played between 23 and 32 minutes in this game.

Paul Pierce was third in scoring with 14 points and added 4 rebounds. Kendrick Perkins and David Lee had a rebound and turnover contest. Lee had 16 rebounds to Perkins 12, but they tied for game honors with 6 turnovers each. David Lee contributed 19 points to the Knicks’ cause.

Six Celtics were in double figures with Eddie House adding 12 points, Ray Allen shooting his way to 11 points, and Kevin Garnett addee 11 points, 7 rebounds, and two blocks.

I’m still away and wasn’t able to see the game so…

Here is the boxscore...

and here is the complete recap on Yahoo from Brian Mahoney, with Doc Rivers’ quick take on the game…

“A lot of good things. Some bad things,” said Rivers, who praised the play of his second unit. “They scored too many points. We’re going to score. We don’t like giving up that many points.”

The Celticsblog NBA Carousel of previews continues with the team that helped make it all happen, the Timberwolves. A new coach and new GM are charting a new course for the young, ‘filled with potential’ roster.

Here is a portion of Canis Hoopus’ take on the state of team:

Enter David Kahn.

While I think it is safe to say that most Wolves fans who were paying attention at the time of his hiring (all 1,700 of us) were upset that the team seemed to have bumbled its way through its most important new addition in years (Kahn seemed to be a secondary choice and candidates from the Blazers and Spurs appear to have walked away from the position), The Demolition Man quickly and confidently made a series of moves that have placed the Wolves in a position to win.

1. He turned Kevin McHale, Jerry Sichting, and Dean Cooper into Kurt Rambis, Reggie Theus, Bill Laimbeer, and Dave Wohl.
2. He turned two moderate-sized expiring contracts into Ricky Rubio.
3. He turned a Sebastian Telfair/Kevin Ollie point guard rotation into a Jonny Flynn/Ramon Sessions one.
4. He picked up an athletic big who can play the reserve 4/5.
5. He drafted the 2nd best shooter in the draft late in the 1st round.
6. He cleared (probably) between $13-15 milion in 2010 cap space.
7. He picked up another 2010 first round pick.

Best of all, Kahn has made the Wolves interesting again.

Here is a portion from emptythebench.com…

What are Minnesota’s biggest strengths?

Al Jefferson, rebounding, and a fresh start. Jefferson is one of the brightest young stars in basketball. He’s an All-Star caliber player with fantastic work ethic and post moves. Honestly, he may have the best low-post footwork in the NBA and his shooting touch is coming along. And while he’s miscast as a center, Jefferson can also clean the glass very well on both ends. Kevin Love will miss the first 6-8 weeks of the season with a broken hand, but when he’s in the game he’s one of the top five rebounders in the NBA already. Hopefully these two can learn to play defense together.

And last but not least: twolvesblog.com

Basketball wise, perimeter shooting is going to be a huge problem. Not from a general situational issue, but our shooting is so atrocious that it is going to make things much harder for others who try to play to their strengths. Who is Jefferson going to kick it out to when he is triple teamed in the post? How is Jonny Flynn going to penetrate when he draws the defense into the lane completely and turns it over? It is going to be a challenge.

So…will Al Jefferson have to endure yet another year of rebuilding?

As the eight ball would say…better not tell you now.

Tune it in here….

Here was the lead in:

Following the Celtics victory over the Raptors in Toronto, Celtics Stuff Live rocked it out on a snowy October Sunday night as the piece begin to fall into place for the C’s. Jessica Camerato of WEEI.com returned to the CSL airwaves to recount her interesting conversation with Ray Allen and his prospective jump into the world of politics. Jon and Justin talked with Jess about Scott Souza’s column on Lester Hudson, Big Baby’s maturity in the off season, and KG’s leap to being a close facsimile of his old self from the near cripple he was described as being by some in the national media.

We’ll see you Wednesday night for our live postgame show.

Click Here To Download The Show

First,  I want to let everyone know that I’m away for the week. My posts will be more infrequent because of that. I appreciate your patience as the Celtics head into their final preseason games. The season begins on October 27th for the Celtics in Cleveland against the division rival Cavaliers.

On Sunday, the Boston team continued to work together as they prepare for the real thing.  They have now racked up 5 straight wins as they slot in  their two new acquisitions, Rasheed Wallace, and Marquis Daniels, and Doc Rivers appraises what the rest of the roster can offer this season.

Of course, the main thing going forward is to get the starting five back in a comfort zone and a game rhythm. They are entering their third straight year as a unit and that shouldn’t take too long. All five starters have shown flashes of their capabilities at different points in the preseason.

Kevin Garnett took game honors with 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting in 28 minutes. Ray Allen started 4-4 and finished with 20 points  on 8 of 13 shooting, going 2 of 6 from beyond the three point arc. Kendrick Perkins led the Celtics with 7 rebounds in 16 minutes and added 6 points and a block.

Rajon Rondo led with 6 assists, and contributed 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Paul Pierce had a quiet game with just 2 points on 4 shots in 25 plus minutes.

Eddie House did what he does best, scoring in bunches, as he added 13 points in 18 minutes, third best on the team, while going 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Rasheed Wallace played after sitting out a game with a sore ankle. He scored 5 points in 24 minutes with 3 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal, and 5 turnovers.

Marquis Daniels produced 8 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal in 19 plus minutes. Glen Davis added 9 points, including 7 of 7 from the line, and had 3 rebounds.

Early in preseason, Doc Rivers had said that they were working with just a few sets on offense, and that Ray Allen and Paul Pierce weren’t really having any plays put in just for them. That has been the case throughout the preseason.

According to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, Doc will start to work things in for them shortly. He will also go hard and long with the starting five in the next-to-last preseason game, and then go with reserves in the last preseason game.

Murphy…

Expect to see longer runs by the starters today in Toronto and tomorrow in New York. But those hoping for a preview of the season opener in Cleveland on Oct. 28 will have to wait. Rivers said yesterday he will likely play his reserves the entire preseason game on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, against the Cavaliers.

So, in what could be viewed a common strategy move, Rivers will take the steam out of a preseason rematch of Eastern Division titans. The Celtics play the Cavs two straight times but only the second one counts (season opener). Doc will play mostly reserves in that last preseason game, before unleashing the starters against the team that led the league in regular season wins with 66 last year.

Yahoo Sports added this from Kevin Garnett…

“I wish it (the season) started a little earlier,” Garnett said. “The more preseason games you play, the more incidents, accidents, all of the above can happen. Five or six, this is where we need to be.”

So the Celtics seem ready to go for the new season. They play the Knicks on Tuesday before finishing at Cleveland on Wednesday night.

I’ll check in from time to time this week and then be back to a regular writing schedule next Monday.

Ray Allen Remains Unbeaten at Home in a Familiar Arena as the Celtics Drop the Raptors in Hartford, CT

He is now 27-0 at the Civic Center.

Ray Allen scored 8 points to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists as he personally remained unbeaten in Hartford’s Arena, formerly known as the Civic Center. But the only points that mattered were the ones he made before and afterwards with the Connecticut  media contingent there just to see and hear Ray just one more time.

The Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 106-90. Paul Pierce led with 17 all-purpose points, while Kevin Garnett added 16 in a strong performance, as he continues his comeback from knee surgery. The Raptors were led by Chris Bosh with 21. He scored 20 in the first half.

But to Connecticut–ites (if that is what we are), it was all about Walter ‘Sugar’ Ray Allen, the man with the sweetest jump shot in the game today, maybe of all time.

The Connecticut media hoard gathered ‘round the UConn slick shooter who went on to become an NBA shooting legend and is number two all time on the three point shooting list. He needs just 201 more to reach the 2500 milestone and 262 to become the all time leader. Reggie Miller is number one right now. Ray is just 34, and in great shape. There is no reason, save injury, that he won’t end up number one all time. It all started at UConn.

We came here (Civic Center) strictly to play basketball. This locker room is so funny walking into it because half the time…because Coach Calhoun was always somewhat (angry) at us at half time. (Laughter) So… I walk in here and I had a little chuckle about certain incidences that happened here in the locker room because I remember those like yesterday. And the players I played with sitting in here obviously the building has a lot of memories. You remember certain games, certain plays.

Jim Calhoun was there. Ray’s wife’s family is from Connecticut and a large family contingent led by his father-in-law was in attendance. Even a UConn women’s great and Olympic Gold Medalist was there.

Ray…

I haven’t seen Kara Wolters in a long time. She’s going to be at the game. We kind of got back in contact and she’s coming.

Of course, Ray was asked about some of those memories, like…how about a story about shy, retiring, ever passive Jim Calhoun?

I knew that question was coming up. (chuckles)

He probably doesn’t remember it but… this locker room wasn’t as wide as it is now. We had like… this board on the wall. It was wooden. I don’t know who we were playing. It was my freshman year. He was so mad that …and I’m young and still not understanding…why guys have towels on their heads when on the bench.

So we come in at half time and he just goes off. And he went to kick the chalkboard, and his foot got stuck in the chalkboard. (laughter) And he couldn’t get it out. Someone came over there to try to help him to get it out, and he couldn’t get it out. (more laughter)

I’m just sitting here, and (wondering) am I supposed to be laughing or maybe just hold a tight face?

And that was one of the stories he could tell publicly, I would guess.

Ray Allen played his college ball at UConn, from 1993-96, three years, as he went pro as a junior.  That means that he played a number of his home games at the Hartford Civic Center, now called the XL Center. It could seat approximately 18,000, compared to Gampel Pavilion which seats around 10,000.

According to the Yahoo report, Ray was 26-0 at the Civic Center, as it was known. Paul Pierce lost there with Kansas. Glen Davis lost there with LSU. Glen heard Ray say that as he was walking by.

Glen: Y’all talking about me?
Ray: No, you can keep walking. You’re going to come out with a win tonight, though. Remember that.

Rasheed Wallace, an ACC guy, had to stir up rivalries a bit with “Bull___Big East locker room!” as he walked out to the court.

The media attention and adoration of Ray continued well after the game. In between, the Celtics showed a little bit of what to expect from them this season. They are going to be making a fuss of their own around the NBA. The new look Raptors got a little taste of that.

The Game

There were two alley oop dunks to an ever more lively Kevin Garnett, one from Rondo, one from Perkins. Kevin unleashed his 17 footer… like money in the bank, while adding two blocks, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Paul Pierce was 6 of 9 shooting, with 2 of 5 from the three point arc, adding 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.  One play, Paul retrieved his own miss and went back up for a dunk

Eddie House and Ray Allen, the two best long range shooters on the team  had tough nights, going 3-12 from long range. Ray was 1 for 7 on the night overall.

Kendrick Perkins had a strong game after getting torched early by Chris Bosh. Perkins finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Glen Davis acquitted himself well and added 13 points, including a few baskets in heavy traffic and over the Raptor 7 footers Rasho Nesterovic and Andrea Bargnani. Glen constantly attacked the middle, taking game honors with 8 attempts, making 7.

Rajon Rondo was guilty of stealing the ball 4 times as he delivered 8 passes for assists, and generally created a bit of havoc for Toronto, while scoring 6 points.

Eddie House finished with 11 points, 4 assists, and a steal.

Second round draft pick Lester Hudson scored 12 points in the second half on 5 of 7 shooting, adding 2 assists and 2 steals in 13:30 of play.

Shelden Williams added 6 points on 6 attempts, while Marquis Daniels went 0 for 6, but had 2 assists. J.R Giddens added 4 rebounds and an assist in 13 plus minutes.

An overweight Michael Sweetney is attempting an NBA comeback. The Celtics are giving him time in the preseason. He added 4 points, 2 rebounds and a block in 10 minutes.

It was a memorable night, bringing an unforgettable UConn Husky home, one more time. He remains undefeated in Hartford. He will always remain so in the hearts of Husky Nation.

Celtics next game is also against the Raptors in Toronto on Sunday at 3 p.m.