Dan Connors

Should Celtics Fans Boo Ray Allen?

By Dan Connors ⋅ January 26, 2013 ⋅ Post a comment

On Sunday, Ray Allen will return to Boston to play his former team for the first time since he took less money to play with LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Allen’s reception at the TD Garden will be among the top story lines. Should Celtics fans boo him as a traitorous enemy? Or cheer [...]

Patriots in for Physical Match-up Against Ravens

By Dan Connors ⋅ January 19, 2013 ⋅ Post a comment

It may not be judgment day, reckoning, or any number of the over the top Ray Lewis jargon that has infiltrated ESPN headquarters since his retirement announcement, but Sunday’s AFC Championship game between the Patriots and Ravens will be nothing less than a head-on collision. This isn’t the inexperienced trigger-shy Houston Texans we’re talking about. [...]

What Really Wins Super Bowls

By Dan Connors ⋅ January 12, 2013 ⋅ Post a comment

Great quarterbacks, great coaches, and great teams win Super Bowls. But along the way, every championship team has been helped by factors other than their own play. Whether it is a coin toss, a forecast, an odd rule or the ineptitude of an opponent, no recent Super Bowl winner has been crowned without some form [...]

Rajon Rondo Needs to Grow Up to Lead the Celtics

By Dan Connors ⋅ January 11, 2013 ⋅ One comment

Back when the Celtics Big Three was formed in 2008, Rajon Rondo was the question mark, the kid brother who would tag along for a potential title run and hopefully not screw things up. Oh how times have changed…and how they haven’t. Now established as the Celtics best player, Rondo is a perennial all star [...]

Brandon Bass’s Role with Celtics Diminishing with Emergence of Jared Sullinger

By Dan Connors ⋅ January 10, 2013 ⋅ Post a comment

Last season, Celtics power forward Brandon Bass had his best year as a pro, averaging over 12 points and 6 rebounds per game. By the end of the season, he was an every-game starter and one of the team’s more productive offensive players. Then the Celtics drafted Ohio State standout Jared Sullinger. So far during [...]

Is the Patriots’ Defense Championship Caliber?

By Dan Connors ⋅ January 3, 2013 ⋅ One comment

Yes. The New England Patriots defense is championship caliber. They were championship caliber last year. Their defense is better this year. No, Ty Law isn’t walking through that door. but in today’s NFL, he doesn’t have to be. No one wants to revisit February of last year, but if a certain undersized receiver had made [...]

Brandon Lloyd’s Been Good, But True Test Awaits

By Dan Connors ⋅ December 29, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

When the Patriots acquired Chad Johnson (formerly Chad Ochocinco) via trade from the Bengals prior to the 2011 season, many pegged him as the viable outside receiving threat the team had missed since Randy Moss left New England. If those prognosticators are blessed with even subpar vision, their egos have certainly taken an irreparable hit. [...]

Jeff Green’s Journey with Celtics Parallels Season So Far

By Dan Connors ⋅ December 21, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

Through 25 games on the NBA season, the Boston Celtics have struggled to find consistent play at a high level. They have had controversial assist streaks overshadow game outcomes, new faces trying to find their niche, and old faces trying not to look, well, old. All too familiar with this quest for reliable performance is [...]

Looking Back: Hector “Macho” Camacho’s Death Tragic, Yet Predictable

By Dan Connors ⋅ December 15, 2012 ⋅ One comment

Boxing, a brutal sport that can measure one’s spirit to survive, has no shortage of triumph stories. Many troubled young men walk into a gym, inhale the smell of blood and sweat in the air, and are instantly hooked. They begin to harness their aggression, transferring adolescent energy into a discipline that persists outside of [...]

A Reaction to the Newtown, Connecticut Shooting

By Dan Connors ⋅ December 15, 2012 ⋅ 4 comments

The elementary school shooting that occurred December 14, 2012 will always be remembered as a horrific tragedy, one that will likely spark a number of political and social debates, such as gun control and treatment for those with mental illness. However, after reading numerous Twitter and Facebook posts following the incident in Newtown, Connecticut, I [...]

With Addition of Aqib Talib, Patriots have Shown Change in Philosophy

By Dan Connors ⋅ December 14, 2012 ⋅ One comment

Bill Belichick often preaches consistency, but through the first eight games of the season, his Patriots defense was consistently mediocre and looked like the team’s weak link in its quest for another Lombardi Trophy. Enter Aqib Talib, the much maligned but talented young cornerback, acquired from the Buccaneers on Nov. 1 for a 2013 fourth round [...]

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