Prepare for yet another installment of “The Atlantic,” Sports of Boston’s weekly look at who’s ‘trending up’ and ‘trending down’ in the NBA’s Atlantic Division!

Paul Pierce is the hottest player in the Atlantic division, but do the Knicks have a new star? And are the Sixers on the brink of being considered a contender? It may not be as competitive as the Northwest, but there’s still plenty of drama in the Atlantic.

Boston Celtics (14-10, 2nd place)

Trending Up: Paul Pierce

Pierce is unstoppable right now, earning Eastern Conference player of the week honors Monday passing Larry Bird to become second all-time in Celtics’ scoring Tuesday. The Celtics turned their season around when Pierce got it together. If Pierce can maintain this level for the remainder of the season and the playoffs, there isn’t a team the Celtics can’t beat and nothing they can’t accomplish (hint hint).

Trending Down: Opponents points per game

Following their 94-84 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, the Celtics now lead the league in points allowed per game at 86.5. That’s four points better than the championship ’08 Celtics. Boston hasn’t given up 100 points in a game since giving up 115 to Miami in the second game of the season. In the last eight NBA seasons, no team has allowed fewer points per game than these Celtics. The Celtics’ offense is still at par or below, but it shouldn’t matter if their defense is historically good.

Philadelphia 76ers (18-7, 1st Place)

Trending Up: Quality wins

Wins over the Bulls, Lakers and Hawks look a lot better for the 76ers than wins over the Wizards and Pistons. Philadelphia’s strength of schedule is getting better and will keep getting better. The 76ers are really good, yet it remains to be seen whether they are ‘contender’ good or not.

Trending Down: Consistency

Beating Chicago by 16 looks good, but losing to Miami by 20 (twice) and losing to New Jersey in overtime looks equally bad. If the Sixers hope to contend for the 2012 NBA title, they have to bring their best effort every night. Right now, I’m not seeing that.

New York Knicks (10-15, 3rd place)

Trending Up: Lin-sanity

Jeremy Lin has become the talk of the town in New York, especially after scoring 28 points and dishing out eight assists without Amare Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony Monday against the Jazz. With Baron Davis’ status still unclear and Toney Douglass and Mike Bibby proving incapable, Lin has quickly become the key to salvaging the Knicks’ 2012 season. New York is 2-0 with Lin as its starting point guard. Go Harvard!

Trending Down: The Plan

Lin and Steve Novak are leading the Knicks to victories…wait…read that sentence again. The Knicks’ stars and key bench players were struggling to get victories, so they’ve turned to their scrubs. Mike D’Antoni finally deserves some credit for trying anything and everything to win and keep his job. The Celtics and Heat laid the blueprint for putting together ‘Big Threes’, but that doesn’t mean any three stars can be a ‘Big Three’.

New Jersey Nets (8-18, Tied for 5th place)

Trending Up: Close Losses

The Nets could be 3-1 in their last four instead of 1-3. A couple of Deron Williams turnovers at the end of the Minnesota game and a couple of missed shots against the Knicks have doomed the Nets. To compete with Cleveland, Milwaukee and New York for the last playoff spot in the East, New Jersey has to win the close ones.

Trending Down: Optimism

The Nets were in the playoff picture; now they’re out of it. Mediocre Eastern Conference teams have pinballed between optimism one moment and pessimism another; right now the Nets are in a pretty deep pit of pessimism.

Toronto Raptors (8-18, Tied for 5th place)

Trending Up: Linas Kleiza

The Raptors desperately needed Kleiza (or anyone really) to give their offense a boost with Andrea Bargnani out. Kleiza is averaging 20 points per game after recording a DNP in last week’s throttling by the Celtics. Kleiza can’t do enough to salvage the Raptors season as long as Bargnani is out, but he can help them avoid getting embarrassed on a nightly basis if he keeps performing at a high level.

Trending Down: Jose Calderon

Calderon started the season looking like an All-Star candidate but has since cooled way off, averaging just five points in his last five games. With his sidekick Bargnani sidelined and Raptors management scouting for the draft, you can’t blame Calderon for mailing it in. Conclusion: The Raptors are bad and Calderon has given up.

© Nathan for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Opinion, Rumors.

Paul Pierce had 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds Tuesday night, moving into second all-time in Celtics’ scoring as the Celtics coasted to a 94-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Kevin Garnett continued his strong play for the Celtics with 22 points and seven rebounds. Reggie Williams led the NBA worst 3-22 Bobcats 21 points and 5 assists.

Going into Tuesday’s game, Pierce trailed Celtics legend Larry Bird by nine points on the franchise’s all-time scoring leader board. Pierce drained a three-pointer with 10:23 to go in the third quarter to pass Bird and become the second leading scorer in Celtics history. The Celtics immediately fouled the Bobcats on the other end of the court to give Pierce a moment to take a bow at center court as the TD Banknorth Garden erupted.

The 10th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, Pierce has scored 21,797 points as a member as the Boston Celtics. Pierce now trails only John Havelicek, who scored 26,395 as a Celtic.

Celtics Take Control in Second Half

The Celtics never trailed in the second half of Tuesday’s game en route to their fifth victory in a row. Boston has now won nine of their last 10 contests.  The Bobcats dropped their 12th straight game.

The Celtics had trouble from deep range and shot just 17 percent from beyond the arc. The Celtics’ three-point struggles can be traced back to Pierce, who shot 2-for-10. Ray Allen scored 17 points but shot just 1-for-5 from downtown.

Brandon Bass had 13 points off the Celtics bench a game after sitting out with a swollen knee. Bobcats’ rookie Kemba Walker had 16 points and seven rebounds in another losing effort for the squad.

The Boston Celtics hit the court again Thursday night when they host the Los Angeles Lakers for the lone time this season.

© Nathan for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

After going 4-0 last week, the Boston Celtics were already potentially poised to put up some straight A’s. They had their revenge (93-90 over the Cleveland Cavaliers), wiped out the dinosaurs (a 36-point drubbing of the Toronto Raptors), got gritty in MSG (beating the New York Knicks 91-89), and proved themselves against a younger, more athletic opponent (topping the Memphis Grizzlies 98-80). That left the Celtics at 13-10, the first time Boston has seen the right side of .500 since they were 4-3.

Then Super Bowl XLVI happened.

(Excuse me while I go drown my pain in unintelligible Kurt Cobain lyrics and grungy power chords.)

Without rehashing the gory details, let’s just move ahead with this week’s grades, with the important caveat that I am clinically depressed from Sunday night’s devastating loss. Just know I will be assigning massive grade inflation simply to assuage my severely bruised and battered ego. I need something to hold onto, both literally (to support myself) and emotionally (my tear ducts no longer function properly).

Starting Backcourt: B+

Avery Bradley was reasonably solid in his two starts, even managing to contribute 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting (albeit against the Raptors, who really give their Jurassic Park counterparts a bad name).

Not exactly the kind of efficient production Celtics fans hope to get from Ray Allen, but he did manage to contribute a consistent dozen points per game.

Of course, the big story of the week was Rajon Rondo suiting up to play. Coming off an eight game layoff due to a nagging wrist injury, Rondo’s return Friday against the Knicks was predictably sluggish (7 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers). Rondo only mustered five points in his second game back, but dished out 14 dimes and led the Celtics to 26 fast-break points (more than the previous three games combined). He appeared to have a much better sense of timing and rhythm (as evidenced by this gorgeous feed to Jermaine O’Neal for the flush). Just his mere presence is enough to bump the backcourt up to a B+ for this week (or so I tell myself).

Starting Frontcourt: A-

I can’t say enough about Paul Pierce, who has absolutely elevated his play recently and took home the Offensive Player of the Week award for filling up the stat sheet night in and night out. His masterpiece, of course, was a vintage Pierce appearance against the Knicks, when he went off for 30 points, including a couple of absurd three-pointers to barely beat the shot clock in the game’s final minutes (one of which was waved off, but no less insane – just listen to the Garden roar).

Kevin Garnett has been draining some threes of his own, which he will incessantly remind you is within his range. Much to my preference, though, it was nice to see Garnett down on the block in the second half against the Grizzlies en route to 24 points (tying his season-high).

Meanwhile, O’Neal has been doing all the dirty work on the defensive end, drawing charge after charge at the cost of his already creaky knees. Hopefully they hold up and he continues to (pun alert!) take charge defensively (I warned you).

Altogether, I’d say that merits the first A of the season.

Bench Backcourt: C

Bradley continues to struggle when not hidden among the starting five (you mean not playing with perennial All-Stars hurts his stats? A revelation, I know); E’Twaun Moore remains lightning in a bottle (still waiting for him to strike twice); and Sasha Pavlovic has officially leapfrogged Marquis Daniels in the Celtics rotation (I’m pretty sure that was what the Mayans were talking about).

Bench Frontcourt: A-

The second unit of bigs gets our second A of the season! Doc Rivers is singing Chris Wilcox’s praises (following my lead from last week), while Brandon Bass and Mickael Pietrus are doing their thing (shooting, shooting, and more shooting for Bass; for Pietrus, that means being French).

In the surprise of the week, JaJuan Johnson showed a lot of promise for the future with some impressive garbage time performances (insert grain of salt here). In 32 total minutes of playing time, Johnson poured in 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting, with six rebounds and a couple of blocks. Johnson should be an exciting young player to watch develop as this year goes on. He has a chance to be the greatest Boston athlete to ever wear #12 (shhhhhh!).

© Nick Bohlen for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Opinion.

Another week by, and the All-Star starters are already in place. Only one, Carmelo Anthony, isn’t from a currently seeded team, so it should be a good game. In the meantime, teams are still shaking things up. Houston is falling while Miami is going back up. But Chicago and Oklahoma City are still running the show. But what’s happening in the meantime? Let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Sunday, February 5, before the day’s games:

West

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #8 Dallas Mavericks

All of a sudden, Dallas has lost three in a row. They’re still getting better, but not nearly enough to take down Oklahoma City.

#2 Los Angeles Clippers vs #7 Los Angeles Lakers

You can pretty much throw out home/away ratings here, but the Lakers are struggling at the bottom of the bracket, despite being just 1.5 games behind the Clippers. The teams are 1-1 against each other so far, but the Clippers were 2-0 in the pre-season. The Lakers are essentially carried by Kobe Bryant, while Chris Paul and Blake Griffin lead the entertaining Clippers. Without big man Lamar Odom, it’ll be tough for the Lakers to defend the Clippers’ pounding style of attack.

#3 San Antonio Spurs vs #6 Portland Trail Blazers

Neither team is very good on the road, so advantage Spurs. But San Antonio also has the advantage of riding a four-game winning streak, so momentum is not in the favor of the Blazers either.

#4 Denver Nuggets vs #5 Utah Jazz

Utah is great at home, but poor on the road. And Denver is pretty decent on the road themselves, which will only make things tougher on Utah.

East

#1 Chicago Bulls vs #8 Milwaukee Bucks

Chicago is still running the show. Milwaukee has put up some impressive performances lately (ask Miami), but but they still can’t hang with the best of them on a consistent basis.

#2 Miami Heat vs #7 Boston Celtics

Boston has won three in a row, finally getting above .500 again. But Toronto aside, they’ve had real problems getting and holding leads. With the explosiveness behind Miami‘s younger, stronger Big Three, the Heat should still be able to pull out a win.

#3 Philadelphia 76ers vs #6 Orlando Magic

All of a sudden, the Magic have won three straight. But Philadelphia has the better conference record, and they’re 12-3 at home. The one time they met this season (in Philadelphia), the 76ers were limited to 74 points, but the Magic only scored 69. Philadelphia still has the edge.

#4 Indiana Pacers vs #5 Atlanta Hawks

Both teams are close; Indiana is only ahead because they have a game in hand on Atlanta. Both teams are good at home and away. Indiana does have only two home losses and 10 road wins, so they may have to rely on their home crowd four times to put them over the edge if they are to win.

What Might Change Next Week:

• Not much looks to change, but the best chance seems to be if Cleveland beats Milwaukee, then either Philadelphia or the Clippers, then if Milwaukee drops another game.

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, NBA.

I know its Super Bowl week, but how ’bout a little NBA Power Rankings to hold you over?

1)  Oklahoma City Thunder (18-4) – Oklahoma City stays at number one, and it isn’t even that close at this point. What I find particularly incredible is that they’re the best team in the league while being 29^th in total assists.

2)  Miami Heat (17-6) – The Heat get a slight edge over the Chicago Bulls after defeating them earlier this week. It was actually a pretty bad finish to what was a really good game, but Miami squeaked it out.

3)  Chicago Bulls (19-6) – Not a great week for the Bulls, with losses to both the Heat and the 76ers, but it would be foolish to think they aren’t the first- or second-best team in the eastern conference right now.

4)  Indiana Pacers (16-6) – After the top three, it kind of comes down to who is playing the best basketball at the moment. No team in the NBA had a better week than Indiana. Right when I was starting to back off on my love for them too.

5)  Philadelphia 76ers (16-7) – The lockout has certainly produced some unbalanced schedules this season, and the 76ers are taking advantage. They have currently played about twice as many games at home then on the road, which would be fine if they weren’t a .500 road team. I’m giving them a pass because you can’t help who you play, but it’s something to keep an eye on as their schedule starts to balance out.

6)  Los Angeles Clippers (13-7) – I like what I’m seeing. Their record isn’t spectacular, but they are beating good teams (back-to-back wins over the Nuggets and Thunder earlier in the week). Baby steps.

7)  Denver Nuggets (15-8) – I still consider the Denver Nuggets as the hardest team to figure out, but I do know that 105 PPG is pretty good.

8)  Atlanta Hawks (16-7) – Consistently above average, incredibly boring.

9)  Los Angeles Lakers (14-9) – The last time I thought the Lakers had figured it out, they immediately started playing poorly and made me look dumb. Here’s to hoping the same thing happens.

10)  San Antonio Spurs (15-9) – Look, I know I shouldn’t be surprised with how well the Spurs are playing, but I am. I can’t help it.

11)  Boston Celtics (12-10) – You know what? I’ve really enjoyed watching this team battle the past two weeks. As frustrating as the first month of the season was, and as ‘done and old’ as the Celtics looked … this recent surge has almost made up for it. I’m not crazy. I still don’t think they can beat either Miami or Chicago in the playoffs, but I have to take my imaginary hat off to the oldies. I’m still not totally clear on what Kevin Garnett said to Craig Sager after their comeback win over Orlando last week (“bar fight,” “ball fight,” or both) but I must say, I really like watching (bar fights, ball fights, or both). Good stuff.

12)  Houston Rockets (13-10) – Kyle Lowry is better than I ever could have expected. I can’t put my finger on why I like them, but I like them.

13)  Orlando Magic (14-9) – If you watched the first episode of ‘The Association: Denver Nuggets” then you saw a conversation between George Karl and Doc Rivers right after Denver traded Carmelo Anthony. Karl wouldn’t admit it while he was still on the team, but he told Doc Rivers flat out that the Melo Drama was just killing the team and the trade had to be made. I can’t help but feel like the same thing is happening in Orlando with Dwight Howard.

14)  Portland Trailblazers (13-10) – The Trailblazers 10-1 home record is just as impressive as their 3-9 road record is alarming. I still believe in them.

15)  Dallas Mavericks (14-10) – The best thing I can say about the Dallas Mavericks is that I’m really enjoying the TV show ‘Shark Tank’ with Mark Cuban. The Mavs are decent, though, and that’s about it right now.

16)  Utah Jazz (12-9) – The Jazz haven’t been great lately, but their still holding down a playoff spot in the West … until either Portland or Memphis take it.

17)  Memphis Grizzlies (12-11) – The Memphis Grizzlies are good … until they’re not good. And then they are good again. So the question is, will they be good enough to be good enough to make the playoffs?

18)  Milwaukee Bucks (10-12) – I’ve got to hand it to the Milwaukee Bucks! Sure, the bottom of the East is pretty bad, but they handed out losses to both the Heat and the Lakers this week. Impressive.

19)  Minnesota Timberwolves (11-12) – I was hoping to see the Timberwolves get over .500 this week, but that didn’t happen. I still think they are playing good basketball though, and have an outside shot at making the playoffs. Also, Nikola Pekovic is a bad dude.

20)  New York Knicks (8-15) – On a team with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, I find it simply fantastic that the Knicks went to Steve Novak for the last shot Friday night against the Celtics. That was fun. How much longer will the Knicks stand by Mike D’Antoni?

21)  Cleveland Cavaliers (8-13) – The Cavs aren’t very good, but I’m happy for them. Kyrie Irving is the real deal.

22)  Golden State Warriors (8-12) – Golden State is actually playing pretty decent, but they have a super tough February schedule. Good luck.

23)  New Jersey Nets (8-16) – Guys, Anthony Morrow totally scored 42 points Friday night against the Timberwolves. I know, I know, I didn’t believe it either.

24)  Phoenix Suns (8-14) – Now back to our regularly scheduled Phoenix Suns comment: Trade Steve Nash.

25)  Sacramento Kings (7-15) –Jimmer Fredette earned his first DNP-CD during the Kings impressive win over the Trailblazers Thursday night. Everyone at BYU panic!

26)  Toronto Raptors (8-16) – I have to admit my disappointment in Ed Davis so far this season. I thought he showed flashes towards the end of last season, but it just hasn’t translated into success this year like I thought it might.

27)  Detroit Pistons (5-20) – The Pistons may be last in my heart, but I can’t put them behind the following teams…

28)  New Orleans Hornets (4-19) – How many different ways can I say not having Eric Gordon is killing them?

29)  Washington Wizards (4-19) – Shouldn’t this team be better? I mean, not MUCH better, but they should have more than four wins. If Kyrie Irving can get the Cavaliers to 8 wins, John Wall should be able to get the Wizards to five.

30)  Charlotte Bobcats (3-20) – The Bobcats’ current 10-game losing streak is truly impressive.

© Tony Xypteras for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, NBA, Opinion, Top Story.

When Orlando uber-center Dwight Howard recently said that he’s at least open to coming to the Celtics, bells went off at Sports of Boston headquarters. Or at least they would have, if a) we had a headquarters, and b) it bells in it.

Getting Howard would meet many of the team’s most glaring needs. He’s a true center, terrific at rebounding, scoring and blocking. He’s young, veteran enough to know how to succeed in the NBA. And he’s perfectly suited for who the Celtics will have left – Rajon Rondo,  E’Twaun Moore, Avery Bradley and Jeff Green – once the Big 3 leave after this season.

Of course, the Magic will ask quite a price to trade for Howard, and he’ll ask quite a bit himself if he reaches free agency. But how much is too much? Should the Celtics trade now or try to get Howard on the open market? Our writers weighed in:

“Offer 2 unprotected 1st-round picks, Avery Bradley, and a pair of expiring contracts (Allen? Pierce?).” – Taylor Avery

“Boston is better off hoping Howard stays with Orlando for the season and letting Danny Ainge do his magic (pun intended) in the off season.  If he can then bring back Garnett and Allen in reduced roles (for a reduced cost), I think I’ll like what I see.” – Josh Segal

“Let the contracts for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett expire. Then, maybe they can convince KG and Ray to return at a much cheaper rate. Then, if that happens, they can convince Dwight Howard that they will build around him, Rajon Rondo, a returning Jeff Green, Paul Pierce, and others. That team would likely compete for a conference title every year.

If you want to get creative…the Celtics could find a way to deal Paul Pierce for a younger talent that probably wont stay with his current team (maybe Eric Gordon or DeMarcus Cousins?). Then, they could let Ray and KG expire and build around Rondo, Gordon, and Howard.” – K.C. Downey

“My gut says the Dwight Howard sweepstakes will end in free-agency. … Small market teams generally don’t trade superstars in the hope that they can convince them to stay long-term, a la Tim Duncan. Houston, Brooklyn and Boston are the only teams with cap space this summer that Howard would play for. If Howard makes it to free-agency, the Celtics are in an excellent position.” – Nathan Hodge

“I would give anything people wanted.  But realistically Rondo plus draft picks are their only commodities. I think if I were Orlando I would look heavy at the Howard for [Knicks' Tyson] Chandler and [Knick's Amare] Stoudemire.” – George Cain

“I’d be willing to give up Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, both 2012 draft picks, Chad Ochocinco, and John Maine. I’d force them to take John Maine.” – Aryeh Rosenfeld

“I would do just about anything to land Dwight Howard (short of trading Rondo, that is – someone has to throw Howard alley-oops). But since the Celtics don’t have any trade chips to offer Orlando, I feel it’s up to me to persuade Mr. Howard to dress in green this offseason.

First, I would forswear any knowledge of Shaq’s (at least I think that’s what he was called) stint in Boston, permanently erasing him from the Celtics record books. To complete Howard’s instatement as the only Superman in franchise history, I would then burn the $10 T-shirt I bought from Rite-Aid bearing O’Neal’s #36 as part of a gory, fiery ritualistic sacrifice of Greg Stiemsma to the basketball gods. Speaking of deities, the final method of persuasion to complete my offering to Dwight Howard would be to make him my personal Tim Tebow to whom I would pray every night (especially before a big game). I would prove my sincerity and earnestness by tattooing his Clark Kent persona on my upper left chest and his caped appearance on the reverse shoulder blade, so that whenever I turned around he would undergo his phone booth transformation and deliver the Celtics and me from evil (namely losing to the Heat).” – Nick Bohlen

As for me, I’d give up Greg Stiemsma and Jajuan Johnson without hesitation, plus a first rounder in 2012 and a second rounder in 2013. While we’re at it, have Sasha Pavlovic. And since Howard’s coming from Orlando, they get to choose: for either every day for three months or every week for a year, I will favorably mention both Disney World and Waffle House on Facebook.

© Matt Goisman for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Now!.

Paul Pierce had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists for the Boston Celtics en route to a 100-64 thrashing of the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night. The Celtics improved to 11-10 with the victory and now post their first winning record since starting 4-3. Jared Bayless scored 14 off the bench for the Raptors who scored less than 70 points for the third time this season.

Ray Allen had 12 points and 5 assists, and Brandon Bass added 12 points and 9 rebounds for the hot shooting Celtics. The Celtics shot 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3.

Kevin Garnett hit a 3 to end the first half and push the Celtics lead to 22. The Celtics led the Raptors by at least 20 points the rest of the way. Allen connected from beyond the arc with 3 minutes remaining in the third quarter to push the lead to 30.

While the Celtics shot exceptionally, they also played stellar defense. The Celtics held the Raptors to just 32 percent shooting from the field. The Celtics allowed the Raptors to score no more than 19 points in a quarter. Boston also out-rebounded Toronto 46-39

Wins like Wednesday’s against will certainly help the Celtics weather the condensed season. Kevin Garnett played just 17 minutes and Jermaine O’Neal barely played a full quarter with 14 minutes. No Celtics’ starter played more than 26 minutes.

The Celtics’ bench not only chipped in minutes, but also had it’s best outing of the season. Boston’s bench combined for a season high 47 points. Chris Wilcox was the only active Celtic not to score. Rookie JaJuan Johnson had his best game of his young career as he scored 11 points and didn’t miss a single one of his 5 shot attempts.

Ed Davis had 10 points and 15 rebounds and was the only Raptor beside Bayless to score in double figures.

The Celtics hit the court again Friday when they clash with the reeling New York Knicks in a nationally televised game. Rajon Rondo missed his eighth straight game with a sprained wrist. Doc Rivers said before the game that Rondo may give it a go on Friday.

© Nathan for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

The first quarter of the year has come and gone, and the Boston Celtics started this week well on their way to a pretty good grade. They mustered a dominant defensive performance and a massive comeback in a home-and-home against the Orlando Magic, then managed a quality win over a playoff-caliber Indiana Pacers squad that had already beaten them twice this season.

Then the C’s soured it all Sunday by giving up 12 unanswered points over the final 4:24 to gift a win to the Cleveland Kyrie Irvings Cavaliers, squandering a chance to get over the .500 mark.

The NBA: Where the opposite of amazing also happens.

In other words, so much for the honor roll. Let’s jump right in and see how much that one loss brought down the grades for this past week’s progress report.

Starting Backcourt: B

Well this is awkward. Thanks to injuries, the recipe for the Celtic’s starting guards called for four cups Avery Bradley, two parts Mickael Pietrus, and a dash of Sasha Pavlovic. Disgusting.

Bradley left his mark harassing Jameer Nelson up and down the court in the 87-56 win over the Magic, then all but disappeared until an injury against Cleveland officially pulled him off the court. Pietrus neither dazzled nor disappointed, although it would be nice for him to make more than 37 percent of his shots. As for Pavlovic, I’m making the executive decision that the starting backcourt gets an automatic “F” if I ever have to see him play 34 minutes in a starting role again.

On the bright side, the Celtics did manage to sprinkle in a pinch of Ray Allen, who went 9-for-14 – including 4-for-6 from downtown – for 22 points in the loss to the Cavaliers. All things considered, with no Rajon Rondo and just one game for Allen, I have to say the starting backcourt was solid. Or at least solid-ish.

Starting Frontcourt: B+

Now THAT is what I’m talking about, Paul Pierce: 22.2 ppg, 8.8 apg, 6.8 rpg, all while running the offense as a point forward (Carmelo Anthony could learn a thing or two from The Truth). He does need to hold on to the rock, giving the ball away seven times against the Cavs and costing them a W.

I’d like to see a little more scoring from Kevin Garnett, but he (along with Jermaine O’Neal and his pointing prowess) frustrated Dwight Howard to no end. Between his defense and better consistency on the boards, KG looked a little better this week.

With O’Neal’s knees balking again, Brandon Bass filled out the starting lineup for the last three games this week. He really likes his nickname “No-Pass Bass,” doesn’t he (12 FGA, 1.5 AST per game)?

Bench Backcourt: C+

I would like to take this time to personally apologize to E’Twaun Moore (I’m assuming he reads my opinion of him and the Celtics religiously, or at least has Google alert). First of all, he has a sweet name. Bonus points. Second, though he didn’t do a whole lot in the other three games (especially since the point guard position is essentially nonexistent with Pierce running the offense), his 16-point outburst to spark the comeback in Orlando was extremely encouraging. And a positive +/- in every game is always, well, positive. Just for that, I’ll throw a plus sign on that letter grade.

Sorry, but I don’t really have anything to say to you, Marquis Daniels and Keyon Dooling. You don’t even deserve those links to your player pages.

Bench Frontcourt: B-

The return of Chris Wilcox has been a big lift, namely because the Celtics wouldn’t have a big man to come off the bench otherwise (let’s just say those Greg Stiemsma-Bill Russell comparisons faded pretty quickly, along with the Steamer’s playing time). Wilcox has grabbed six boards in each of the last two games while only playing 23 minutes a game. Against the Pacers, he even poured in 14 points to give the Celtics a lift offensively. It’s always good to see the only major offseason acquisition finally make a difference a quarter of the way through the season.

© Nick Bohlen for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Opinion.

Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and hit the game-winner as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Celtics in Boston Sunday evening, 88-87.  Ray Allen had 22 points for the Celtics in his first game back since missing 4 games with an ankle sprain. Paul Pierce added 18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as the Celtics couldn’t extend their win streak to 5 games.

Irving Seals Win As Celtics Falter Down Stretch

The Celtics led Cleveland 87-76 with 4:24 to go in the game but couldn’t muster another point the rest of the game. Rookie Kyrie Irving sparked a 12-to-0 Cleveland run to end the game.

Irving scored 6 points in the game’s final 4 minutes and assisted on two other baskets. With 2 seconds left on the clock Irving drove around E’Twaun Moore and Brandon Bass to score the go-ahead bucket. Pierce was unable to get a shot off a possession later as time expired.

Varejao Out-Hustles Garnett, Bass

Irving was the headliner for the Cavs, but Anderson Varejao was a key part of Sunday’s narrative. The veteran forward had 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and several key hustle plays during the Cavaliers late-game rally. Varejo stole a rebound from Bass with 23 seconds left on the game clock. That rebound gave the Cavaliers the extra possession that became Irving’s game winning layup.

Varejao and the Cavs pounded the Celtics interior which was without Jermaine O’Neal for the third straight game. The Celtics gave up a season-high 54 points in the paint to Cleveland. Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 7 rebounds, Brandon Bass had 13 and 5 but both struggled on defense Sunday.

The Cavaliers bench outscored the Celtics bench 30-14. Forward Alonzo Gee led the Cavs bench with 14 points and 4 steals. The Cavs recorded 11 steals and the Celtics coughed the ball up 16 times.

The Celtics and Cavaliers will face off again Tuesday night in Cleveland. Before Sunday’s game Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers said he hopes Rajon Rondo will be a go for Tuesday’s game. If Rondo can play, it will be his job to try and slow down Irving in the rematch.

© Nathan for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

After another week of action, things are starting to really heat up. Houston is rising, while Orlando is falling. Even Milwaukee’s getting in on the action. It looks like plenty will be shaken up in the rest of the season, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Sunday, January 29 at 8:00pm:

West

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #8 Dallas Mavericks

Dallas is getting better from their slow start, but the Thunder are rolling. They’re a West-best 11-2 in the conference, and have won their last four, leaving a Jason Kidd-less Dallas with a tough time.

#2 Denver Nuggets vs #7 Portland Trail Blazers

Similarly, the Blazers are doing well, but the Nuggets are actually good on the road, plus Denver’s won six straight.

#3 Los Angeles Clippers vs #6 San Antonio Spurs

The Clippers are only percentage points ahead of the Spurs, while both teams are great at home but poor on the road. When both teams are so similar, that home-court advantage means everything, and right now, the Clippers have it.

#5 Utah Jazz vs #4 Houston Rockets

Utah may have home-court advantage, but Houston is just about the hottest team in the NBA right now, having won nine of ten. However, they’ve still had some huge road troubles against good teams. This is another series where home-court advantage should mean everything as things stand.

East

#1 Chicago Bulls vs #8 Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee may be the least bad of all East playoff teams, but Chicago is much too good for Milwaukee to stand a chance.

#2 Miami Heat vs #7 Boston Celtics

Miami is continuing its rise back to the top, most recently knocking off Chicago in impressive fashion. Boston may be recovering from early season struggles, but they’re still having a rough time, and they won’t be able to keep up with Miami’s explosiveness.

#3 Philadelphia 76ers vs #6 Orlando Magic

Philadelphia is continuing to keep their record up, while Orlando is having trouble putting together points. And with Dwight Howard stirring things up in the locker room, Orlando will have a tough time putting together a meaningful run.

#4 Atlanta Hawks vs #5 Indiana Pacers

Indiana finally seems to be cooling off, at least compared to other teams around them. Both teams have one home loss, while Atlanta has the better conference record, so unless Indiana can make up their 1.0-game difference, they’ll have a tough time.

What Might Change Next Week:

• It’s a tough week for a lot of teams, but the biggest thing looks to be Dallas taking over the Division from Houston.

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, NBA.