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Avery Bradley’s Role With the Celtics: Present and Future

By on May 20, 2013 at 11:12pm
(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) Some of Kevin Garnett's defensive prowess has worn off on Avery Bradley these last few seasons (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

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 »

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Indiana gritted out a victory over New York, and now gets to be the next team with the unenviable task of taking on Miami. (cbsnews.com)

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 »

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Miami didn't let Chicago gain any headway after being upset in Game 1 and became one of the final four teams in five games. (universetoday.com)

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 »

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Detroit did well to knock off Anaheim, but their arch rivals Chicago await. (http://angelinos.narod.ru/)

The second round of the NHL Playoffs is underway, and it should be fun. Chicago and Detroit face off for the last times in the same division. Boston and the Rangers face each other in the playoffs for the first time in 40 years. The Penguins face a Senators team that just won’t go away. Los Angeles finally hosts four games in a playoff series, but against a well-rested Sharks squad coming off a sweep as the road team.

All of it makes the series pretty difficult to choose, as just one of the series had a unanimous winner as predicted by our panel. No sweeps were predicted in this round, but predictions for how many games each series will last were also quite diverse.

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.

That all opens the door for some big movement in the standings after the second round, so check below for the second round picks, and come back once the round is complete for all the results.

Name Brian John Nick Taylor
Penguins vs
Senators
Winner Penguins Penguins Penguins Senators
Series
Length
5 5 6 7
Bruins vs
Rangers
Winner Bruins Rangers Bruins Bruins
Series
Length
7 5 6 7
Blackhawks vs
Red Wings
Winner Blackhawks Blackhawks Blackhawks Blackhawks
Series
Length
6 7 5 6
Kings vs
Sharks
Winner Kings Sharks Kings Kings
Series
Length
5 7 7 5
Total Points 19 8 13 11

Previous Results:

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Boston nearly gave away a 3-1 series lead, but erased a three-goal deficit to pick up a huge win. (iStockPhoto)

What a first round. The only team to sweep an opponent was a #6 seed. The Bruins undertook a comeback for the ages. Pittsburgh was given a run for their money by the Islanders. All of that produced a variety of levels of success for our panel.

The Penguins, Blackhawks and Bruins were all solid choices, and the Sharks weren’t far behind. The rest of the field, difficult to pick, produced mixed results. The length of each series was also hard to choose, further widening the scoring gap between our experts.

So be sure to check the results below to see who’s in the lead, and come back Thursday for the next round’s picks. Continue reading 2013 NHL Playoffs Expert Picks: First Round Results »

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Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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 »

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Golden State pulled off a huge upset against the favored Nuggets; can they do the same against a well-rested San Antonio squad? (http://tactwarrior.com/)

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 »

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