Sports of Boston » Rajon Rondo

Celtics Report Card: Forgetting Football Ever Existed

Nick Bohlen — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:26:47 +0000

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!).

Pierce, Celtics Stomp Raptors to Post First Winning Record in A While

Nathan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:33:46 +0000

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.

Irving, Cavs Score Final 12 Points, Steal Win From Celtics

Nathan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:15:21 +0000

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.

The Atlantic, Week 4: Celtics’ Confidence and Andrea Bargnani Trending Up

Nathan — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:48:34 +0000

Welcome to “The Atlantic,” a weekly column where we ‘trend up’ and ‘trend down’ news and notes from the NBA’s Atlantic Division.

The Boston Celtics are no longer the most disappointing team in the Atlantic Division – the Knicks are. Is Andrea Bargnani a top-10 power forward? Can the New Jersey Nets still make the playoffs? After a cool stretch, things are heating up again in the Atlantic.

Boston Celtics (9-9, Second place)

Trending Up: Team Confidence

The Celtics’ confidence was at its lowest point of the season when they lost to Phoenix 79-71 a week ago at home. Since then the Celtics have rattled off four wins in a row while playing without Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. The team’s confidence is now sky high. E’Twaun Moore isn’t afraid to shoot the ball anymore. Marquis Daniels in playing more like himself. Avery Bradley looks confident enough to dribble the ball up the court without immediately passing it. Sasha Pavlovic isn’t backing down from anyone on defense. Even Chris Wilcox decided to show up for the season. The Celtics’ burst of confidence starts with the captain, Paul Pierce, who has been superb. Pierce is averaging 26 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in his last 4 games, whereas Lebron James is averaging 27.6 and 8 in his. No one in the league is playing with more confidence right now than Pierce.

Trending Down: Trade Talk

As long as this team continues to win, it stays together. Simple, right? Well, not quite. For now the trade talk has cooled, but if a Western Conference team blows Danny Ainge away with a deal for Pierce, I think he still takes it. Ainge has said he is not afraid to break this team up for the future of the franchise, and I believe him. Stay tuned.

Philadelphia 76ers (14-6, First place)

Trending Up: Jodie Meeks’ Shooting Stroke

Jodie Meeks was hard to watch to when season startedm but thanks to a strong week, he’s now shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc. For a team that’s short on effective long-range shooters, Meeks heating up has to be a good sign in Philadelphia.

Trending Down: Strength of Schedule

If you count Atlanta and Indiana as Philadelphia’s two good wins, the rest of the teams they’ve beaten have a combined winning percentage below 36 percent. Philadelphia’s strength of schedule so far has not been good. A third of the Sixers wins have come at the expense of Washington and Detroit. Now the Sixers embark on one of the toughest seven-game stretches any team in the NBA will see this year. Let’s check back in two weeks before proclaiming the Sixers ‘elite.’

New York Knicks (7-13, T-Third place)

Trending Up: Blueprint for Beating Them

When you get blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks at home, and a few days later get dominated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, you’ve got problems. The Knicks have dropped eight of nine because teams have figured out how to beat them. All you have to do is let Carmelo Anthony shoot the ball and then box the hell out. Anthony is shooting horribly in January. Until the Knicks switch up the isolation offense, they are going to keep losing games.

Trending Down: Mike D’Antoni

The Knicks are losing games they shouldn’t be. The Knicks roster has elite talent on it. The conclusion is simple: If the Knicks aren’t at least at .500 by the All-Star break, D’Antoni is gone. New York has former Altanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson sitting on it’s bench ready to take over should the Knicks let D’Antoni go.

New Jersey Nets (7-13, T-Third place)

Trending Up: Playoff Odds

The Nets have won two straight and are a game back of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Who currently holds that seed? Cleveland. If the Knicks keep losing and Milwaukee Bucks’ center Andrew Bogut struggles to recover from a fractured ankle, the door is wide open for the Nets. The last playoff team in the Eastern Conference is going to be a bad team; why shouldn’t the Nets aim to be that bad team?

Trending Down: Urgency to make a move

If New Jersey can sneak into the playoffs and Orlando decides to try and hold onto Dwight Howard, that puts the Nets in a really good position. In 2012, the Brooklyn Nets will have enough cap space to sign Howard outright. Waiting to sign Howard as a free agent instead of trading for him allows the Nets to hold onto their greatest trade asset, Brook Lopez. A scary thought for the Celtics and the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Toronto Raptors (6-14, Fifth place)

Trending Up: Andrea Bargnani’s Value

The Raptors are 6-5 with a healthy Andrea Bargnani in the lineup, and 0-8 without. You could make the case that no one in the league means more to their team then the 7-foot Italian forward. Bargnani is sixth in the league in scoring and posts career highs in rebounding, field goal percentage, assists, and free throw attempts. Bargnani is becoming one of the top-10 power forwards in the game. With Bargnani, the Raptors are a fringe playoff team. Unfortunately for Toronto, Bargnani isn’t healthy.

Trending Down: Basketball in Canada

It’s Hockey season in Canada and the Raptors have lost nine of 11. Do you think anyone in Canada really cares that there is currently a basketball team playing Toronto? Things couldn’t be uglier for Canada’s only NBA team.

Bass, Celtics Make Magic Disappear for Second Win In a Row

Nathan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:31:01 +0000

Brandon Bass and Paul Pierce had 19 points apiece as the Boston Celtics swept the TD Banknorth Garden floor with the Orlando Magic Monday night, 87-56. Dwight Howard scored 18 points and had 14 rebounds but was the lone member of the Magic to score in double figures.

Depleted Celtics Set Franchise Records

The contest was historic for both teams involved. The Magic connected on just 16 of 65 field goal attempts, setting franchise lows for points, field goals and shooting percentage. Meanwhile, the Celtics’ defense set franchise records for points, field goals and shooting percentage allowed in a game.

The Celtics played the game without five of their key players. In addition to starters Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo missing the game due to injury, key bench players Mickael Pietrus, Keyon Dooling, and Chris Wilcox sat as well.

Boston had to rely on Avery Bradley and Sasha Pavlovic to provide a spark with the starting backcourt sitting. Along with Kevin Garnett, Bradley’s and Pavlovic’s hustle ignited the Celtics’ red-hot defense. The trio combined for 10 steals and five blocks. As a team, the Celtics recorded season highs in steals (13) and blocks (nine). Garnett chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with his defensive prowess.

Bass Makes Trade for Davis Look Good

Monday’s game marked Glen Davis‘s first game back in Boston since being traded for Brandon Bass in November. Davis was a non-factor on offense, scoring six points on 2-for-9 shooting, but pulled down an uncharacteristic 11 rebounds against his former team.

Instead, Bass won the battle of backup power forwards. Bass shot an efficient 8-for-14 and pulled down eight rebounds for an invigorated Celtics bench. The Bass-led bench scored a season high 39 points. Marquis Daniels aided the Celtics’ bench effort with eight points and five assists.

The Magic could get nothing going offensively for most of the game. Howard shot 4-for-6 in the first quarter but finished the game on a prolonged 0-for-9 stretch. Bradley hounded former all-star point guard Jameer Nelson all night, holding him to five points, three assists, and five turnovers. The Magic had 23 turnovers – seven more than their total field goals.

Rondo and Allen Missing, but Allen Missed More

Despite the win, the Celtics missed Allen and his three-point shooting. The Celtics made just two shots from beyond the arc in 13 attempts. However, Boston made all 19 of their free throw attempts.

The Celtics are now 2-1 with Rondo out of the lineup. Bradley has averaged six points, four assists and two steals while filling in for Rondo the last the games. Rondo wore a cast on his right wrist while he watched the game from the bench. Rondo’s status moving forward remains uncertain.

Boston and Orlando will have a rematch of Monday’s contest Thursday in Orlando.

Celtics Report Card: One Month in, C’s Need Work

Nick Bohlen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:18:08 +0000

Welcome to our weekly Celtics report card! In this space, I’ll evaluate the team’s performance over the past week, assigning grades from “F” to “A+” (though be forewarned, there will be no liberal arts college grade inflation).

To come up with a letter grade, I will use a combination of statistics (looking at the box score), scouting (watching the games), strength of schedule (who the opponents are), and, of course, pure subjectivity (how I’m feeling on that particular day).

This week, the C’s will suffer from playing two cellar-dwellers in the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. A trip to the Super Bowl by the Patriots has me pretty giddy, though, so my good mood might give them some marginal help on their final grades.

Ehhh, on second thought, probably not. A meager 7-9 record has not left me happy. Time to be that unnecessarily tough teacher everyone always hates. So enough chit-chat. Let’s break out that red felt pen and get to grading this past week.

Starting Backcourt: C

I was tempted to give the starting backcourt an “incomplete” for this week, considering Rajon Rondo missed two games with a wrist injury, but that’s about as textbook as you can get to defining “cop out.” In those first one and a half games, though, Rondo looked impressive. He has been a man on a mission, and I love that he’s not afraid to get to the free throw line this year. His replacement, Avery Bradley, has been occasionally brilliant and generally solid on defense, but anywhere from “meh” to “my god!” on offense. In a bad way.

Meanwhile, Ray Allen went through a prolonged shooting slump this week, scoring just 33 points all week. The Celtics have to do a better job of getting him more than six field goal attempts per game, and a free throw shooter as good as Allen has to find a way to get to the line more than five times in four games.

Starting Frontcourt: C

You might say Paul Pierce is rounding into form with a 34 point, 10 assist, eight rebound performance against the Wizards, but I say let me know when he shows up against a team that has more than two wins. I can’t figure out why he’s still so out of shape when the bruised heel only kept him out for a couple of weeks. I know it’s not manly, but maybe jump on an elliptical? At least for a few minutes.

Simply put, Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O’Neal look old. Those knees have seen a lot of miles. The Celtics were out-rebounded by every team this week except for the Thunder, who also struggle on the glass. O’Neal and Garnett have to be better at setting the tone on the boards.

Bench Backcourt: D+

I’ve always considered Marquis Daniels more of a small forward and Mickael Pietrus a little bit more of a shooting guard, even though they’re both 6’6” and Pietrus actually out-weighs Daniels by 15 pounds. Apparently, though, Daniels is listed at SG and Pietrus at SF. So that means the backcourt off the bench is comprised of Daniels and E’twaun Moore (plus Bradley when Rondo is healthy).

I feel like that should be an automatic F on principle, if only because the Celtics are so incredibly screwed if both Allen and Rondo get hurt. What’s that? That’s happening right now? Awesome!

Bench Frontcourt: C+

The lone bright spot on an otherwise dim season: Brandon Bass! Mickael Pietrus! Sasha Pavlovic! Wait, one of those names doesn’t fit. Both Bass and Pietrus hit double digits in scoring in three out of four games last week. Bass did a decent job of rebounding, and Pietrus hit at least 50 percent of his three-point attempts in every game. But they took turns no-showing against the Thunder and the Phoenix Suns (the only quality opponents from last week, as I’ve already reiterated), so I can’t give them good marks to bring home to mom and pops.

Sorry, but no honor roll with this week’s report card.

Gortat Shines, Suns Burn Celtics

Nathan — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:10:28 +0000

Marcin Gortat scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Rajon Rondo-less Celtics, 79-71 Friday night. Ray Allen led the Celtics with 14 points and Paul Pierce chipped in 12 points and six assists.

Rondo looked on from the sidelines with a sprained wrist as the Celtics scored a season-low 71 points. Doc Rivers announced an hour before tip off that his all-star point would sit and that second year guard Avery Bradley would start in his place. Bradley scored 10 points and swiped three steals in his first career start.

Bradley harassed Sun’s star point guard Steve Nash on defense all night. Nash scored just 11 points and turned the ball over four times, but recorded nine assists and controlled the pace of the game.

The Celtics trailed by 11 at the half. Early in the third quarter the Celtics went on an 18-to-4 run to take the lead, but Phoenix responded with a 12-0 run of their own. After regaining the lead the Suns never turned back. Allen cut the lead to five on a threepoint play with just under three minutes remaining. On the next possession former Boston College star Jared Dudley hit a straight-away three to steal the game’s momentum for good.

Dudley led the Suns’ bench effort with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. Brandon Bass was the lone bright spot off the Celtics’ bench with 11 points and six rebounds. The rest of the Celtics bench scored just 10 points and grabbed a mere three rebounds combined.

The Celtics turnover and shooting percentage problems continued Friday night. Boston shot 40 percent from the field and turned the ball over 18 times. The Celtics also had trouble getting to the line and shot just two free throws in the first half.

Gortat and the Suns out-hustled the Celtics on the glass all night. Phoenix won the rebounding battle over the Celtics, 44-32.

If not having Rondo wasn’t bad enough for the Celtics, they also played without their backup point guard, Keyon Dooling. Dooling missed his fifth straight game with hyper-extended knee. Celtics’ rookie E’Twaun Moore struggled in Dooling’s place with just two points on 1-for-6 shooting.

The loss dropped Boston to 5-9 on the season. Luckily for the Celtics, they get the 2-13 Washington Wizards next on Sunday afternoon. The Celtics have already beaten Washington twice this year.

Trading Paul Pierce: The Truth Hurts

Dan Spritz — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:14 +0000

The Celtics need to trade Paul Pierce.

As a rational sports fan, I’ve come to realize that this is the best option. The Celtics aren’t going to win the NBA Championship this year, and they won’t be able to win it again with their current nucleus.

So they need to blow it up. This starts with Pierce, but why keep Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen once you’ve traded a third of the Big Three? The Celtics need to blow it all up.

Pierce’s Fading Glory

Believe me, I don’t want them to trade Pierce. He’s played his whole career here and has always seemed like the kind of guy who would retire a Celtic. He certainly wants to.

So, when the news came out that teams were inquiring about Pierce’s services, my first reaction was disappointment. After a 14-year career in which he has only played for the Celtics, it doesn’t feel right for his departure to come as the result of a calculated business decision.

At the same time, I cannot deny that it would be the best move for the team, and ultimately I am more invested in the Celtics than I am in Pierce. The fortunes of the two have been intertwined for so many years that it is strange for them to diverge.

This season’s team can’t compete. After their recent five-game losing streak that would have them at home if the playoffs began today, there is little reason for optimism.

Coming into the season, the consensus was the team could make the playoffs, but they’d have to sacrifice a few games to keep the aging roster healthy throughout this season’s grueling schedule. If they are already having problems, how can they possibly make a playoff push as the fatigue builds up? Even if such a push were to happen, what would making the playoffs gain them?

The question is, do you want to be sentimental or do you want to win? It would be nice to allow Pierce to ride off into the sunset, eternally a Celtic, but what would that mean? Ending his career as the fourth option on a 25-57 team playing in front of half-filled arenas? What kind of send-off is that? Wouldn’t it be better to welcome him back the way we welcomed Kendrick Perkins back this week?

I was at that game: The genuine appreciation and love the arena bestowed on Perkins was so overwhelming that I can’t imagine a better way to honor a player. The reaction Pierce would get would easily surpass that.

Pierce isn’t the superstar he once was. Since the Age of Ubuntu began, he’s averaged around 20 points per game. This season he’s averaging 15.7, more than three points fewer than last season.

While his minutes per game are down a bit, that’s not the culprit. Both his overall shooting and free throw percentages are down, while he’s attempting more three pointers per game than he has in four years.

Pierce’s free throw percentage has fluctuated throughout his career, but the overall shooting percentage is worrisome. He’s shooting 39.4 percent this year, down 8 percent. He’s never shot below 40 percent for a season, and only below 43 percent twice.

Pierce – who used to be able to herky-jerk his way to the rim with the best of them – simply isn’t driving as much. He doesn’t have confidence in his ability to score after contact – a major sign of a player in decline.

Trade the Rest of the Big Three, Too

And what of the rest of the Big Three? Garnett simply doesn’t have any explosion left. He can’t jump, which has had a detrimental effect on his whole game. His intense play was always predicated on the idea that he was a supremely gifted athlete. Without that athleticism, he’s just a tall guy who can get pushed around and doesn’t like to shoot.

Allen can still play a high level, but he’s too specialized for this team. He’ll always be able to shoot. You could stick him in the corner after he got his AARP card and he would be able to make open looks. That skill-set is wasted on this Celtics team, where there are no longer elite scorers for him to play off of. Allen can still get points, leading the team is scoring, but that’s the problem. It’s never wise for an offense to rely so heavily on a jump-shooter.

The best thing the team can do is trade the Big Three while they still have value. All of them.

Allen has the most value: With his ability to hit contested threes and a sky-high free throw percentage, he would be an asset for any time. His expiring contract makes him even more attractive. Teams looking to shed salary cap could acquire him for the playoffs while allowing them more money to pursue a free agent in the offseason. If they like him enough to re-sign, he will be available for much less than the $10 million he is getting this year.

Garnett is more attractive as an asset, even if he’s less attractive as a player. With a contract of over $21 million expiring at the end of the season, he could help teams open up a massive amount of cap room for free agency. Pierce, meanwhile, can be productive on a team that doesn’t need him to be the first or second scoring option. His contract doesn’t expire for a couple more years, but he’s more than capable of fitting in on a contender.

A Possibly Lost Cause

Either way, the Celtics are in for some lean years. I’m already chalking this season up as a loss and, depending on what they do with the Big Three, the next season or two could be rough as well.

If they trade all three and primarily receive picks, that won’t give Rajon Rondo any help for a year, since those picks will then need time to develop. Even if the Big Three aren’t traded and their contracts simply expire for cap room, there’s no guarantee a major free agent will sign in Boston.

It’s unfortunate, but we need to prepare for a number of Celtics losses the next few years. The first step to recovery is trading Paul Pierce, and the best outcome we can hope for is that that trade will mark the beginning of a return to greatness.

Gino Sighting! Celtics End Losing Streak in Blowout; Rondo Hurt

Brian Moller — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:42:44 +0000

After the longest losing streak since April 2007, the Celtics finally put another tally in the win column Wednesday night, dusting off the Gino video as they beat the Toronto Raptors, 96-73. Unfortunately, Celtics floor-general Rajon Rondo exiting the game early with what the Celtics are calling a sore right wrist overshadowed the victory

Rondo Injured in Third

With 2:12 left in the third, Rondo drove to the basket and was fouled hard by Linas Kleiza. While trying to catch himself on the way down it appeared his right wrist got stuck underneath him as he hit the parquet floor. He laid on the floor and Kleiza was given a Flagrant-1 foul.

Eventually Rondo rose to his feet and shot the free throws, then immediately exited stage left. Rondo’s night ended with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting and a career-low two assists. Word is the injury is nothing more than a sore wrist despite it looking much worse, and Rondo will be day-to-day.

Rondo and Pierce Swap Roles in First Half

On “Seats for Soldiers Night” at the Garden, the Celtics showed their appreciation by getting an early lead on the Raptors. After the first quarter, Boston had a commanding 29-14 lead and looked poised to blow Toronto out of the building.

A sluggish second quarter where the C’s only scored 15 points allowed the lowly Raptors to creep back into the game. It was 44-38 at the half.

Rondo had put together a nice first half, dropping in 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting, but had zero assists. Apparently, he switched roles with captain Paul Pierce, who had six first- half assists. Pierce finished the night with seven assists and only eight points.

The Celtics pulled away in the third quarter. They continued with an up-tempo pace and looked like the team the Boston faithful had been waiting for. The Celtics ended the third quarter up 73-55.

With the game well in hand, the fourth quarter featured a lot of garbage time ball for the bench. Mickael Pietrus finished with 12 points, and Brandon Bass had 13. Kevin Garnett also added 15 points and seven boards.

Follow Brian Moller on Twitter: @Brian_Moller

Celtics Can’t Overcome Westbrook’s Hot Shooting, Lose to Thunder in Perkins Return

Nathan — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:09:23 +0000

Russell Westbrook hit a pair of key three-pointers in the game’s final two minutes, part of a 26-point night that lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Boston Celtics, 97-88. Kevin Durant added clutch moments of his own, and leading everyone with 28.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24 points. Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O’Neal each recorded double-doubles with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and 12 and 11, respectively.

Monday’s game was Kendrick Perkins first game back in Boston since being traded to Oklahoma City last February for Jeff Green. Perkins finished the game with seven points and five rebounds.

The TD Banknorth Garden crowd gave Perkins a standing ovation when his named was announced in the starting lineups. Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers gave Perkins a big embrace before he took the court for the opening tip. Perkins spent his first eight seasons in the NBA with the Celtics.

Celtics Tie it in the Third, Can’t Hang in the Fourth

The Celtic’s trailed by seven at the half. Five minutes into the third quarter, the Celtics tied the game at 57 following a pair of O’Neal layups. The Thunder increased their lead to 10 before the Celtics cut the lead to two on a Pierce three-pointer with five and a half minutes remaining. The hot fourth quarter shooting of Durant, Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha was too much for the Celtics to handle, however, as the trio shot 5-for-6 from downtown in the game’s final five minutes.

Mickael Pietrus had his best game as a Celtic, recording 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Pietrus scored 12 points in the 4th quarter including three clutch three-pointers when the team needed a lift on offense. Rajon Rondo had 12 points, missing his second triple-double of the season by just an assist and a rebound.

The Celtics had an encouraging game on the glass, out rebounding the Thunder 48-40. The Celtics also recorded 15 offensive boards, but turnovers that killed Boston Monday night as the Thunder scored 24 points off 19 Celtics’ turnovers.

The Celtics have now lost five in a row for the first time since acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the summer of 2007.

Hopefully a struggling Toronto team will be the cure to the Celtics’ losing woes, as they host the Raptors Wednesday evening.