NBA – Chicago Bulls beat Boston Celtics to clinch the Eastern Conference Title

Ok, let’s be fair to the Boston Celtics and perhaps for the sake of precision lets just say that the Boston Celtics still have a mathematical probability of winning the Conference Title and holding on to the No.1 seed in the East for the NBA Playoffs. But on the other hand we must also say that the Celtics gasping the No.1 seed is as improbable as it is for the Bulls to lose all of its pending games.

For starters, the soon to be named the league’s MVP, the talented and spectacular Derrick Rose outplayed no other then one of the NBA’s finest point guards: Rajon Rondo. As if that was not enough, Rose, with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists almost, single handedly outscored the Boston Celtics Big three: Kevin Garnet, 10 points, 10 rebounds; Paul Pierce, 15 points, 4 rebounds; Ray Allen 7 points and 6 rebounds.

So this better be a wake-up call for the Boston Celtics if they are really hoping to emulate their National Championship in 2008. Sure, they made it to the finals last year, but considering all the rebuilding and insane investments that the teams in the Easter Conference have made, it is certainly going to be a bit more of a challenge to play the Bulls, the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic and the Knicks for a spot in the NBA Finals.

The guys from Chicago were playing with much more cohesion and style, there is really no doubt about it: the Bulls deserved the win. Boston was not at its best, and the Bulls made sure they showed everyone watching the game the Celtics many flaws. Chicago outscored the Celtics 44-22 in the paint, outrebounded them 44-35 and held Boston to 38.4 percent shooting. And that’s not the Celtics that we expect to see on a daily basis. That’s not the team that held the Miami Heat to a 3-0 record and which on Sunday could very well sweep the season with a 4-0.

Because there is simple one big issue: Derrick Rose has been certainly a prominent force in this new era for the Bulls. Because let’s face it, we haven’t seen the Bulls play like they have since, well, since Scottie Pippen and Micheal Jordan were working their way into becoming NBA Legends.

Rose was a one-man highlight reel against Rajon Rondo, beating him with his crossover and getting to the rim. His performance in the first half was just outstanding. Rose scored 16 points in the first two quarters as the Bulls build a 48-43 lead. Luol Deng scored 23 points, and Carlos Boozer added 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The bottom line: Rose outplayed Rondo and that just was not good news for Boston. Twice, Rose completely lost Rondo with hard crossovers. In the second quarter, Rose duped Rondo by stepping back and left, fainting to shoot, then crossing back to his right and flying pass three Celtics Players for the layup. It was a beautiful play that simply made Rondo and the Celtics look a bit too soft, too weak, and not quite ready yet for the Playoffs.

NBA – Boston Celtics rest its starters against the Washington Wizards

The Boston Celtics head coach, Doc Rivers, made a clear statement about where his priorities were going to be. Once the Miami Heat crushed the Celtics by 100-77 and thus basically secured the No.2 seed in the Eastern Conference, Rivers made a simple concession: let them have it. The Celtics are not going to fight for a better seed, they rather give rest to the Big Four: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

Because contrary to what happens with either the Orlando Magic, the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls, Doc Rivers has to deal with a simple fact: his team is a very veteran squad. Sure, his starters all know what it takes and what it feels to have won at least one ring (lets not forget that although not a starter, Shaquille O’Neal has more Championships rings than some franchises) but just as certain is the fact that they are old, and on the twilight of their professional careers.

With the exception of Rajon Rondo and perhaps Jermaine O’Neil, these group of guys need some rest, not because they are not well trained, or tired, but just because things start to change once you turn 30 years old, and most Celtics are a good bit pass that. Doc Rivers believes this mental break, this pause, could really payoff once the postseason begins. Sure, they have now given up the No. 2 seed, and are now matched up for a first round series against the New York Knicks, but a little rest could actually significantly improve the C’s chances of moving on.

This was also a good chance for the Celtics bench to prove that they have the talent and the prowess to one day, replace this extraordinary group of starting players. Doc Rivers has already announced that he will rest his key men during the season finale against the New York Knicks on Wednesday. So don’t keep your hopes up for an extraordinary preview of their playoffs matchup.

The Washington Wizards, on the other hand, took advantage of the situation and decided to work their way into a tight 95-94 win in overtime. John Wall led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists. It still didn’t help the Wizards from finishing yet another 23-58 season, that leaves them with absolutely no chance, not even close, of extending their season into the playoffs.

With a 55-26 season, the Boston Celtics will finish third in the conference, behind the leaders, the Chicago Bulls, which are seen a rebirth. Truth be said, the Bulls are playing like we haven’t seen them play, well, since those good old days of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Guided by the talents of the soon to be named seasons MVP, Derrick Rose, the Bulls are becoming quite an dominant force in the league.

The No.2 seed will then go to the Miami Heat, and its trio of superstars, that although having a regular season filled with brilliant runs and some disastrous streaks as well, have stayed strong and could become a referent in the Eastern Conference. They have the manpower to win the championship, but perhaps they lack the team efforts we can almost feel when it comes to both the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics.

NBA – Boston Celtics stays strong at the end of the season

Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Boston Celtics, is well aware of the fact that he has one of the most experienced squads in the NBA. He is also quite familiar with the downside of such an extensive experience in the professional circuit: his players are old. And yet, he has managed to find a good balance overall and the Celtics at 46-15 for the season, and 19-10 at home still stands strong this late of the season. But not without a couple inconveniences that the squad has managed to overcome brilliantly.

For starters, on Sunday at their visit to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, the Boston Celtics came out to the field with only nine players on uniform. Still, relying heavily on the experienced (and aged) Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, the Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 89-83.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points, recorded 5 boards, 4 assists and 1 steal and 1 block while Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Ray Allen was the man in charge of hitting the go-ahead jumper for the Celtics. But it really was all about the defense. The Celtics were capable of holding back the Bucks and keeping them from scoring a single field goal in the last three and a half minutes of game time. Boston has managed to win its fifth consecutive game and is still atop of the Eastern Conference, three games over the Chicago Bulls and 4 over the Miami Heat that has recently been stuck in a series of unhappy endings, dropping way too many games. Just for the record: Miami just recently lost its 5th straight game and sixth in eight games since the All-Star break.

Boston got 17 points from Nenad Krstic and 11 points from Jeff Green, two of the Celtics’ five new players acquired in the last 10 days. Because let’s face it, Doc Rivers is certainly going to need more than 9 players available if he wants to survive the Playoffs and once again take a shot at the NBA National Championship.

Brandon Jennings scored 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and 3 steals while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to yet another disappointment at home. The Milwaukee Bucks have lost 12 of the last 16 games they played and holding a 23-38 season they are far from turning this season into something even close to a success.

Boston has many injury problems that they need to deal with soon. The injury list includes the likes of Jermaine O’Neal (left knee), Shaquille O’Neal (right heel), Delonte West (right ankle), Glen Davis (left knee) and Von Wafer (right calf). In an attempt to bring in some additional backup, the Celtics signed guard Carlos Arroyo on Sunday, but he will not be joining the team unitl Monday. Nenad Krstic, who scored 11 points against the Milwaukee Bucks, was acquired on Feb. 24 at the trading deadline along with Jeff Green for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

The Celtics will play the LA Clippers in a matter of hours before hitting the road on Friday for their game against the Philadelphia 76ers. As of press time, the Celtics are a 9.5 point favorite on the NBA betting spread against the Clippers for tonight.

NBA – Philadelphia 76ers stun the Boston Celtics

Once again the Boston Celtics hit the headlines of our sports betting blog. The Celtics are starting to show signs of slowing down in the final stretch of the final season. The Philadelphia 76ers brought on a great game and guided by Elton Brand scored 14 points, while Spencer Hawes had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help the Sixers beat the Boston Celtics 89-86.

It really wasn’t much of a fight from the start. The Sixers held a 10-point advantage for most of the fourth quarter and they were certainly helped out by the Boston Celtics. They missed eight straight baskets over a 6-minute span late in the fourth quarter to hand in the win to Philadelphia. The Boston Celtics lost in this manner their eighth conference game of the season.

Looking for a quick review of how it all went down in the fourth quarter, well here it is: Lou Williams’ jumper just before the game hit the 5-minute mark put the Sixers ahead 83-81. And Boston never got ahead of them again. Jodie Meeks made two free throws after he was fouled hard by Paul Pierce on a fast break attempt and the Sixers were able to pull off one of their best wins of the season.

It was certainly a bad night for the Big Three. Either that or they were just not trying too hard. Truth is, the Celtics have already secured a berth in the NBA Playoffs and these three guys aren’t getting any younger, so not pushing it too hard on meaningless games could easily be part of a larger, long-term plan. Anyhow, these are their numbers: Garnett scored 14 points, Paul Pierce had 11 and Ray Allen finished with five. Jeff Green led Boston with 18 points. Extra kudos go to backup Nenad Krstic who had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Celtics.

NBA – Boston Celtics have the key to turn off the Miami Heat

It really seems as if the Boston Celtics know exactly what it takes to keep the Miami Heat under the radar. The Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo had a triple-double and Kevin Garnet came in with 19 points, 7 boards and 3 assists to guide the Celtics on a 85-82 come from behind win against the Miami Heat. In clutch time, the Heat took their chances and went for a three-point shot that would have sent the game into overtime. But surprise, surprise, it wasn’t Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh or LeBron James who took the shot, but Mike Miller who went for it and missed.

There are a couple of ways we could look at this situation. The Miami Heat has made a multimillion-dollar investment in signing in three of the hottest players in the league early in the season. The renovated team that included players of the caliber of Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James had a bit of an extended break in period but once all the mechanisms were working together and things got oiled up, the Miami Heat was capable of impressive wins over the strongest teams in the nation, including a Christmas Day win over the defending champions the LA Lakers.

But they have yet to know what it feels like to defeat the National Championship runner-up, the veteran-wise Boston Celtics. Here are the extra kicks: playing in the eastern conference the Celtics are expectedly the team that is going to dominate the Playoffs where they will probably face the Miami Heat (which is arguably the other strongest team in that conference). And that is where the situation takes an interesting turn.

Take a look at this: The Boston Celtics have won 12 of the last 13 games against the Miami, that is including a 4-1 series victory in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Yes that was before King James came over from Cleveland. But if you look back at that series you would realize that they then knocked LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers out in the next round. So sure, in the summer James made his move to Miami to join Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, but not muchas has changed: the Heat still haven’t been able to beat Boston.

Now, this is where it gets a bit scary for most Boston fans or at least those of us who have our high hopes, and made an early bet on the Celtics to go all the way: head coach Doc Rivers should really find a way to keep his squad healthy, as the Big Three, Paul Pierce, Ray Allan and Kevin Garnett, are all in the twilight of their careers and no matter how well they do in the regular season, it is all worthless if they are not as strong and as motivated as they are right now when the playoffs kickoff.

This was enough for the Celtics two snap a two game loss streak and maintain their healthy record of not losing three consecutive games so far this season. The Celtics will now play the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday and hitting the road to play Golden State, Denver, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah this upcoming week.

NBA – Orlando Magic breaks the Boston Celtics 14-game winning Streak

by Stephen Lars on Dec.30, 2010, under Basketball, Sports News

Orlando is starting to believe in their Magic. And that’s how Orlando took charge and defeated the Celtics by 86-78. With a decisive 4th quarter that saw Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick complete a jumper in the last minute while both Celtics’ Nate Robinson and Ray Allen each had airballs in the final seconds, the Orlando Magic went on to dominate the Boston Celtics and give them their first defeat since November 21st at Toronto.

Orlando Magic is giving us a brand new face. It seems like Santa finally listen to head coach Stan Van Gundy’s prayers and gave him one heck of a Christmas Day present. The Magic has just signed a few key player that include top-notch point-guard Gilbert Arenas from Washington and Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark from Phoenix. This Magic mix has been enough to bring in two outstanding wins over the San Antonio Spurs, ending their 10-game winning streak and over the Boston Celtics, cutting theirs at 14.

There is one factor that must be taken into consideration. Like we had stated before, the Celtics where winning, yes, they had the longest winning streak of the season, but they were certainly hurting badly. The Celtics had to rely on its backups for the better half of these 14 games.  Injuries had been playing a negative roll against the Boston Celtics. Point Guard Rajon Rondo has been out for 7 games now due to a sprained ankle and backup Delonte West has missed the last 13 after he broke his wrist. As a matter of fact, Jemaine O’Neal played for the first time since the streak began and Kendrick Perkins, who used to be the starting center, hasn’t played yet.

Still, there is one very distinct side of this injury prone and veteran based team. They Celtics kept on winning. If you take into consideration that the Big Three, that is: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are still healthy, the Celtics have managed to keep on winning, that’s something that they couldn’t do last year.

Brandon Bass scored 21-points and 9 rebounds while Hedu Turkoglu had 15 points as Orlando Magic defeated the Celtics 86-78 on Christmas Day. Jameer Nelson went out as the starter and collected 12 points while Roddick had 12. Dwight Howard got into foul trouble early on the game while keeping a close defense over Shaquille O’Neal. He collected 11 rebounds but was quite unproductive on the offensive end.

Orlando had been struggling recently. The Magic had lost 8 of its last 9 games of the season, and they were not capable of bringing a good record for the season until they underwent the big mid season swap of players. The Orlando Magic will now play the New Jersey Nets. As of press time the Magic are a -6-point favorite on the NBA spread.

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard had a couple of incidents on the court that ended early in the first three quarters. After a small wrestle, Howard was able to pull a sixth foul on Shaq and send him to the locker rooms early in the game.

NBA – Injuries keep troubling the Boston Celtics

by Stephen Lars on Jan.01, 2011, under Basketball, Sports News

Experience is a wonderful thing. There comes a moment when through experience we learn and we know what to expect under certain circumstances that allow us to outperform other that have not yet gained that experience. The big problem, or the big issue behind experience is that it usually demands from us many years of repetition, of doing one thing over and over again until we master it. This brings us to one issue: Experience is something we gain when we no longer need it. Yes, it’s a common place and not a very good one at that. But it helps to describe the scenario that the Boston Celtics are in right now.

It is not a secret that the Celtics have one of the oldest squads in the league. This is a team made of veterans of the caliber of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Shaquille O’Neal. Last year, injuries forced head coach Doc Rivers into giving additional rest to his stars relaying on the talents of the young point guard Rajon Rondo and on a solid and overall competent bench. This time around, things are starting to look a bit grim again.

The Celtics had come from 14-game winning streak, but it came at a very high cost. Sure, they fell 86-78 against the Orlando Magic on Christmas Day. Yes, they went on to defeat the Indiana Pacers 95-83 just three days later. But there was still a very high price to pay. A veteran team cannot take so much pressure so early into the season. Injuries start to arrive. Rajon Rondo has been sidelined for almost 6 games now due to a sprained ankle. Delonte West is out with a broken wrist. And just this Thursday, Kevin Garnett had suffered an injury early on the first quarter of the Celtics 104-92 loss against the Detroit Pistons.

The X ray and the subsequent MRI revealed that there where no broken bones nor was there any trouble with his surgically repaired knee. Still, the Celtics will have to rely on Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Glen Davis and Nate Robinson as KG will probably be out for at least two weeks. Stay tuned for more news on NBA action.

NBA – Boston Celtics take 10th straight win against Charlotte Bobcats

The Boston Celtics manhandled the Charlotte Bobcats as Ray Allen and Glen Davis both scored 16 points towards a 93-62 rout of Michael Jordan’s Bobcats. Oh, if you didn’t get a chance to see it, Jordan was just a bit shy of furious. And truth be said, Jordan had reasons to be so upset. The Celtics held the Bobcats to 62 points. That’s a tie for the second-fewest points scored in the franchise history, and it is a record breaker for games played at home.

The Celtics are looking strong. As a matter of fact, they are my personal favorite team to win the Championship. I do realize that this is a veteran team, that three of its starting five can’t play for 40 minutes, because let’s face it, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are not getting younger. But the team is working well. Rajon Rondo is arguably the best point-guard in the NBA, and despite his young and restless game and his inextricable poker-face, he is as committed to the team as any coach could wish. The bench is strong. That’s a plus. And then, either Glen Davis or a renewed Shaquille O’Neal are there to provide the muscle and the power under the rim whenever the team needs it.

At the beginning of the season there where three favorite teams to win the 2010-2011 NBA Championship. After the summer break, and LeBron James made the one-hour-long televised decision to move to Miami  Heat, the odds shifted and for the first time in a while, the Miami Heat where the favorite team in the odds to win the NBA Championship. The LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics then followed the Heat closely in the ML price.

As the season unfold, it seemed as if the Miami Heat was more hype then talent, losing twice to division rival the Boston Celtics and certainly struggling to find a way to get the new Big Three, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade all playing in the same tempo, and ultimately as a team. As a result the Heat lost three games in a row and had to receive a warning call before they got their act together and have now linked 9 consecutive wins for a 18-8 record so far this season.

The Lakers kept on been the dominant force on the Pacific Coast, and and at 17-7 they are currently the No. 1 team in the Pacific. The Lakers had a brilliant start, linking a series of wins before the team hit a 4 game slump, falling to the Utah Jazz, the Indiana Pacers, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets.

My main concern with the Celtics is their performance down the stretch. I would rather see the team struggling a bit right now, and perhaps having head coach Doc Rivers giving the Big Three a bit more of rest. At least the players are well aware of the situation. They are not here to bring in great winning streaks but rather been utterly brilliant in the postseason and working their way pass the playoffs and into the NBA Finals. This is the Celtics last chance, at least with this squad, to bring in another ring. They have what it takes. Boston fans probably hope that they can keep this rhythm once April is over and the Playoffs kick in.

NBA – Boston Celtics in last minute win over the New York Knicks

by Stephen Lars on Dec.17, 2010, under Basketball, Sports News

One can’t help but to get excited when basketball games are decided right in the las few seconds of a game. All the stamina, all the precision and the play-making that goes on and off the court create an atmosphere that is not only thrilling but nerve-breaking. Very few sports offer that sensation, that certainty that it all can change in a matter of seconds, that the battle can be fought down to the last second, heck, down to the last fraction of a second.

That’s exactly what happened when the Boston Celtics went on to play in the Madison Square Garden in New York. They where facing no other then the New York Knicks, a team that has been seriously fighting its way back into prominence. With less then a second to go, Amare Stoudemire, received a pass and aimed for the three-pointer.

The shot was perfectly aimed, and it went straight into the basket. The Garden was filled with Knicks’ fans screaming and celebrating a the top of their longs, the Knicks went on to celebrate on their corner. It was a great shot. But it was clearly out of time. Everyone was celebrating for what could have been a 119-118 win by the Knicks to put an end to the 10 consecutive game win streak that the Celtics had fabricated. But it was the story that could almost have been.

The Celtics on the other hand were brilliant. That team has been able to keep on collecting wins despite not having either Shaquille O’Neal or Jermaine O’Neal on their team due to injury. But even without the big guys, the Big Three have been taking over. Pierced scored 32 points for the Celtics as the Celtics gave on a great fight in this 118-116 come from behind win, to now hold an impressive 20-4 record; the best record in the Eastern Conference.

NBA – Boston Celtics defeat Milwaukee Bucks in OT

The Boston Celtics had to go into overtime to bring down the Milwaukee Bucks at the Boston Garden on Wednesday night. It was a great night for the Celtics, as, the Big Three: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Keving Garnett had brilliant performances during the game and next to the talents of the young Rajon Rondo, the Celtics went on to win 105-102.

Sure, these guys are growing old, but despite what happened last year, when the Celtics lost in the Finals to the LA Lakers, for the NBA National Championship, the team is still as competitive as it have ever been. This year they are going to have to find a way to steal the thunder from the Miami Heat and the sort of big-star coalition that was formed by the talents of Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, who took all the media attention during the summer break. The Heat is expected to be one of the best teams in the NBA for this season.

And then came the big day for Paul Pierce. Just at the beginning of this season, there where unconfirmed rumors that the talented veteran could be leaving that only team he had played for as a professional athlete. Good thing he stayed because after a free throw in overtime the great Paul Pierce scored his 20,000th point in the NBA. He is only the third player to reach that mark as a Boston Celtics player, next to John Havlicek and the NBA legend Larry Bird. As if that was not enough, Pierce kept on going after his record breaking point and scored an additional 5 more points to win the game in overtime.

Ray Allen had 23 points for the Celtics and Kevin Garnett had 13 points and 8 rebounds to his mark while Rajon Rondo finished with a double double with17 points and 15 assists. Andrew Bogut was the Bucks leader with 21 points and 13 rebounds while teammates Ersan Ilyasova and Carlos Delfino had 15 points each. Still it was not enough for the Bucks to take the lead in overtime and keep the Milwaukee Bucks from hitting a 1-4 mark this early in the  season.