LeBron James may be the league MVP and his team may be in the middle of a dominating postseason run, but in typical Boston fashion let’s gloat about one of our guys. The subject of conversation: Avery Bradley.

The Celtics guard was recently voted to the NBA’s second all-defensive team after receiving ten first team votes and five second team votes. This tally gave Bradley more total voting points (two points per first place vote, one per second) than both Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah, the centers on the first team. Going into an offseason filled with questions, Bradley and his defensive tenacity provide a sense of stability for the C’s.
Continue reading Avery Bradley’s Role With the Celtics: Present and Future »

The Conference Finals are now underway; it’s San Antonio vs Memphis and Miami vs Indiana. While Miami remains rested after cruising, Indiana was late in finishing off New York. San Antonio dispatched the upstart Warriors, while the Grizzlies manhandled the heavily favored Thunder.

In our panel, that extra rest for Miami, not to mention their Big Three, has kept them as the favorite, while Memphis’ win over a powerhouse contender has earned them respect as well.

As before, picking the winner of a series is worth two points, while picking how may games each series will last is worth one point.

So check below to find out how precisely how our panelists believe the next two series will go, and come back once the Finals are set for the results. Continue reading 2013 NBA Playoffs Expert Picks: Third Round »

The NBA is now down to its last four teams of the season. It’s now Miami vs Indiana and Memphis vs San Antonio. Memphis and Miami each cruised to five-game victories, while Indiana took their sweet time winning in six games and San Antonio also held off Golden State in six.

The lower seeded Pacers and Grizzlies were a bit of a surprise against the star-studded Knicks and Thunder respectively, but Miami and San Antonio’s victories kept our panelists close in the standings.

It’s still anyone’s game with two rounds left to go, so check below for the complete results so far, and check back later for the third round’s picks. Continue reading 2013 NBA Playoffs Expert Picks: Second Round Results »

The Celtics’ 2012-13 season came to a close on Friday, as the New York Knicks came away from TD Garden with an 88-80 win in game 6 of their first-round playoff series. It was the end of a rollercoaster season for the Celtics: they got off to a bad 14-17 start but won six straight games in January, then lost six straight right after that before losing point guard Rajon Rondo for the season to a torn ACL.

When many thought the Celtics were at risk of not even making the playoffs without Rondo, they bounced back with seven consecutive wins, eventually leveling off to finish the regular season at 41-40, in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

While the C’s showed plenty of toughness in winning two games after finding themselves down 3-0 to the Knicks, their lack of offensive firepower was also on full display as they failed to score more than 80 points in any of the four playoff losses. Now, they face a long offseason with a lot of uncertainty regarding what this team will look like in 2013-14. Let’s look at Boston’s key offseason issues:

Continue reading Celtics Facing Plenty of Offseason Questions »

The NBA is down to its final eight teams, and it was a fun first round to get to this point. Three lower seeded teams won their series, despite all eight losing Game 1. New York and OKC were given scares, while San Antonio and Miami (with 2013 League-MVP LeBron James) rolled to sweeps.

The second round looks to be very competitive, so we’re here to bring you our picks. The aforementioned, well-rested Heat and Spurs are picked to once more roll on to the final four. The Thunder and Knicks are also favored, but their resilient Round 1 opponents have cost them a bit of favor in the next round.

As before, correctly guessing a series winner is worth two points, while guessing how many games a series will last is worth one point.

So check below for the picks, and come back once the Conference Championships are set for the results. Continue reading 2013 NBA Playoffs Expert Picks: Second Round »

The first round is complete, and had plenty of drama. The Warriors pulled off a big upset against the best home team in the NBA. Houston pushed the Thunder before finally falling in six. The Bulls fought off the Nets in a grueling seven-game series. Now, they have the honor of facing a Miami team that’s had a week off to rest up and prepare. Good luck with that.

The Bulls were the only team to defy the predictions of all five of our panelists, who all had the Nets moving on. One person, though, was able to have the clairvoyance to see Golden State’s victory, which certainly helped out their cause. Memphis and Los Angeles were entertaining to watch as expected. Only two panelists picked the Grizzlies, but all five knew it would be close.

So where does this leave everyone after the first round is done? Check below for the results, and check back Monday for the second round selections. Continue reading 2013 NBA Playoffs Expert Picks: First Round Results »

The Celtics season is over, and another off-season of uncertainty now faces the team.

The Knicks led by as many as 26 points early in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics, led by Avery Bradley rattled off a 20-0 run and got the lead all the way down to four before the offense disappeared again and the boys in green fell, 88-80.
Continue reading Celtics Erase Fourth Quarter Deficit, Fall Short in Loss to Knicks »