Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Tip-Off: 7:30 P.M. ET

Projected Starters:

Boston (27-22): Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett

**Ray Allen (ankle) participated in the morning shoot around and is a game-time decision.

Utah (27-23): Devin Harris, Gordon Hayward, C.J. Miles, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson

Keys to the Game:

• The Celtics go for their third straight win tonight.  Philadelphia won last night, giving them a half game lead over Boston for first place in the Atlantic Division.  The winner of the division will definitely have an easier road through the playoffs, so Boston has to stay right on the 76ers’ heels.
• Boston’s front court has a tough matchup against Utah’s big men.  Garnett faces former Celtics Jefferson, while Bass will be assigned Millsap.  The Celtics are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, and tonight they have to get an advantage on the glass, and they need to limit the Jazz’s second chance opportunities on the offensive end.
• Pierce is coming off his best offensive performance in the past few seasons.  He needs to continue being the Celtics’ scoring leader and set the tone for the rest of the team.

» Continue reading “Celtics Look To Make Noise Against Jazz”

The NBA trade deadline came and went yesterday, and the Celtics did not make an deals.

Danny Ainge said as of 2:57, negotiations were still being discussed, but nothing was able to go through.  Reports said many teams were interested in acquiring Ray Allen, and even Paul Pierce, but Boston stood firm.

Allen and Pierce will be key components to the Celtics late this season as they make their push for the playoffs, but the fact that Ainge did nothing yesterday is just terrible.

Chris Wilcox is set to have heart surgery and will miss the rest of the season, and Jermaine O’Neal is rumored to be done for the year as well with his wrist injury.  There are also reports he wants Boston to buy out his contract so he can return to the Miami Heat.

That leaves Kevin Garnett to play center, a position he apparently hates playing.  Brandon Bass and rookies JaJuan Johnson and Greg Stiemsma are left to play alongside Garnett in the front court, which is not a great sign for Boston.

» Continue reading “All Quiet On The Celtics Front”

The award for Biggest Surprise goes to Brandon Bass.

Bass came to the Celtics from the Orlando Magic in a sign-and-trade for Glenn Davis.  He is averaging 11.6 PPG and 6.10 RPG in 25 games played this season.  He missed the last few games with a knee injury, but his impact at the start of the season helped Boston get where they are today.

He provides solid backup off the bench, and also stepped up in starting spots when Jermaine O’Neal missed some games with his injuries.  There have been very few games where Bass didn’t put up at least 10 points, which is a great contribution for the Celtics struggling offense.

» Continue reading “Boston Celtics Midseason Awards: Biggest Surprise”

It seems that this season, whenever one players returns from an injury, another one goes down.  The Celtics began the year without Paul Pierce, and they spent a few weeks without Rajon Rondo.  Jermaine O’Neal has been plagued with various ailments, along with Chris Wilcox and Keyon Dooling.

Now Brandon Bass is on the injury list.  Doc Rivers said the forward will miss 10-14 days with swelling in his right knee.

“We knew his knee was bothering him, but then he got the treatment, and he missed that one game,” Rivers said.  ”There was nothing said after the Toronto game.  Then [team trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] called me this morning and told me he was out, and out for a while.  That was a surprise.”

Bass’s injury comes at an inopportune time.  O’Neal missed Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, and he is listed as day-to-day.  The Celtics beat the league-leading Bulls yesterday, although Derrick Rose did not play, but they will especially need the two big men to get healthy if they want to make a run late in the season.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors last night 100-64, and if there’s any question about how the Celtics are feeling right now, check out Paul Pierce’s tweet below.

Last night’s win was a total team victory, with every active player making a mark on the stat sheet.  They shot 52 percent from the field and outrebounded the Raptors 46-39.

» Continue reading “Pierce Leads Celtics To Rout Over Raptors”

Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH

Tip-Off: 7:00 P.M.

Injury Report:

Rajon Rondo (wrist) is out for the Celtics.  Jermaine O’Neal (knee) will play.

Projected Starters:

» Continue reading “Celtics Look For Redemption Against The Cavaliers”

Location: Amway Center, Orlando, FL

Tip-Off: 8:00 P.M.

Projected Starters:

Boston (7-9): Rajon Rondo, Mickael Pietrus, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass

Orlando (12-5): Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, Ryan Anderson, Hedo Turkoglu, Dwight Howard

» Continue reading “Celtics vs Magic Take Two”

The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic last night 87-56, despite five players missing the game due to injury.  Rajon Rondo (wrist) missed his second game in a row, while Ray Allen (ankle), Keyon Dooling (knee), Chris Wilcox (calf), and Mickael Pietrus (shoulder) were also not able to play.

The Celtics are no stranger to injuries so far this season.  Paul Pierce missed the first three games with a bruised right heel, but the Celtics struggled to put up scoring numbers in his absence.  The difference in last night’s game was players filled their roles nicely and stepped up in big-time situations.

Sasha Pavlovic started in place of Allen, and he notched a solid line of nine points, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.  Avery Bradley replaced Rondo for the second straight game, and he was the key to Boston’s defense, who held Orlando to 24.6 percent shooting for the entire game.  Magic coach Stan Van Gundy talked about Bradley’s stellar performace:

» Continue reading “Depleted Celtics Find The Magic Touch”

The Boston Celtics beat the New Jersey Nets last night for their fourth straight win and going over .500 for the first time this season.  Here are your news and notes on this Thursday:

• Avery Bradley had a break-out performance last night, using his defense to propel his team to victory.
• Paul Pierce is getting back into his groove after missing the first three games with a heel injury.
• Five Celtics players made the NBA All-Star ballot.
• Doc Rivers is pleased with Brandon Bass’ performance so far.

Take a look at the upcoming schedule:

• Friday, January 6: Indiana Pacers @ Boston
• Wednesday, January 11: Dallas Mavericks @ Boston
• Friday, January 13: Chicago Bulls @ Boston
• Saturday, January 14: Boston @ Indiana Pacers

Sources reported the Boston Celtics sent Glen Davis to the Orlando Magic in a sign-and-trade for Brandon Bass.  The deal awaits player physicals before it is finalized.

Davis and Bass are similar players, but the deal rids the Celtics of Davis’ poor attitude and work ethic in recent seasons.  Bass averaged 11.2 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game, both career highs.

Bass has one year remaining on his current contract, which is worth $4 million.  He also has a $4 million player option for the 2012-2012 season.