Location: United Center, Chicago, IL

Projected Starters:

Boston: Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett

Chicago: C.J. Watson, Richard Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah

First Quarter:

• Bradley gets the start tonight in place of Allen.
• (9:28) Bulls have two early turnovers. The Celtics need to take advantage of these extra scoring opportunities.
• (7:44) Pierce hits a three-pointer on the break. He looks on tonight, which is a good sign for Boston.
• (5:35) Great basket off the dribble for Rondo. The combination of him and Bradley is one of the keys for the Celtics tonight.
• (3:30) Allen gets his first minutes of the night. Let’s see how that ankle holds up tonight and see if he can get some of that rust out of his system.
• (0:41) Stiemsma picks up his second foul.

Location: United Center, Chicago, IL

Tip-Off: 8:00 P.M.

Projected Starters:

Boston (15-13): Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal

Chicago (24-7): C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah

**Derrick Rose is out tonight.

Keys to the Game:

• Garnett’s status for tonight is uncertain.  He was a very late scratch last night, which means it could very likely that he plays tonight, but there is always a chance he sits.  Either way, the bigs have to contribute because Garnett will not be 100%.  Chris Wilcox stepped up last night, and JaJuan Johnson has made the most of his time off the bench.  They must provide support defensively against Boozer and Noah, and they must be options on offense if Pierce and Allen have off nights, again. » Continue reading “Celtics Begin Road Trip In Chicago”

Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Tip-Off: 3:30 P.M.

Projected Starters:

Boston (14-12): Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal

Chicago (23-6): C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah

**Derrick Rose is a game-time decision (lower back).

» Continue reading “Celtics Look To Bounce Back Against Bulls”

The Boston Celtics lost to the Toronto Raptors 86-74 last night, their second loss in a row.  They take on the Chicago Bulls tomorrow afternoon.

Here are your Saturday news and notes:

• Check out the recap of last night’s loss.
• Doc Rivers called his team’s performance “awful.”
• Are the Celtics still interested in trading Rajon Rondo?

The Celtics are in search of their 18th championship in franchise history.

It’s been a tough day.  The New England Patriots lost in the Super Bowl yesterday, and I’m stuck in the middle of New York, surrounded by Giants fans and other people who just hate the Patriots and all other Boston teams.

I think it’s safe to say it could be a tough couple of days, at least until the Super Bowl coverage blows over.

It’s time to focus completely on the Boston Celtics, who have played well as of late and could continue to improve now that Rajon Rondo has returned to the lineup.  Let’s take a look at the road ahead:

• This week is more like a thorn between two roses.  The Celtics take on the Charlotte Bobcats tomorrow night at the TD Garden.  Charlotte has the worst record in the NBA, so look for Boston to take advantage of this and put together another convincing win. » Continue reading “Can The Celtics Drown My Super Bowl Sorrows?”

There’s that old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Well, the Boston Celtics are broke right now and need some serious fixing.  They lost last night 88-79 at the hands of the Chicago Bulls.

Last night, it was a story of two halves.  The Celtics were down by 19 points at halftime, but managed to comeback and get within one point late in the game.  Despite the made baskets and stops, Boston was unable to pull ahead of Chicago when momentum was on their side.

The Celtics are flat out struggling.  Players and coaches can hide their concern as much as they want, saying it’s better they’re struggling now than at the end of the season, or they’ll find a way to fix their slow starts, whatever…

I completely support then notion that if things are working, don’t change them.  But something is not right with this Boston team.  They are off to a 4-6 start and riding a three-game losing streak in a shortened season that is all about fast starts.

» Continue reading “Celtics Lose Third Straight, Time For Some Changes”

Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Tip-Off: 8:00 P.M.

Probable Starters:

Boston (4-5): Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal

Chicago (10-2): Derrick Rose, Ronnie Brewer, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah

» Continue reading “Celtics Face Off Against League Leading Bulls”

The Boston Celtics have not played since last Friday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers.  While some may have thought it would be a good opportunity to get some rest before welcoming the defending champion Dallas Mavericks to town Wednesday, Doc Rivers had other plans.

Practice consisted of a lot of conditioning, which Rivers told reporters was lacking so far this season:

“You have to be in shape first,” Rivers said.  “You can have all the intensity you want, and I think our guys do.  But after three minutes and your lungs hurt, you’re no longer thinking about intensity, you’re thinking about survival.  How can I get through this next five minutes?  And then you’re not playing the same.  So, we have to be in better shape.”

The Celtics went through a two-hour practice yesterday, which included ” a ton of running.”  They will need their legs behind them in their upcoming games.

They face off against the Mavericks tomorrow night, and then they player the Chicago Bulls and the Pacers in back-to-back nights over the weekend.

One plus for Boston’s roster will be the debut of Mickael Pietrus against Dallas.  When asked about joining his teammates on the court, he said:

“I think I’ll be able to help my team.  I went through practice with no pain.  I told you guys I’d be ready to go in two weeks and two weeks came.  I’m very happy I could go through practice with my teammates and get stuff done.”

Hopefully he does “get stuff done” once he takes the floor and adds that extra presence that has been lacking thus far.

Individual game tickets go on sale next week, so here is a guide to the best games of this shortened season.

The upcoming holiday season is the perfect reason to buy Celtics tickets.  Maybe that is what the league had in mind all along; a nice marketing ploy to end the lockout right before holiday shoppers finish up everything on their list.

Take a look at some notable home games on the Celtics 2011-2012 schedule, and good luck buying!

• January 11 vs Dallas Mavericks: The first matchup against the reigning NBA champion.
• January 13 vs Chicago Bulls: The past few seasons, the Bulls were in the hunt during the playoffs, so the Celtics get another test to see what their chances are come May and June.
• January 23 vs Orlando Magic: Another in-season test against a potential playoff opponent.
• Februrary 3 vs NY Knicks: A Christmas day rematch, this time in Boston.
• February 9 vs Los Angeles Lakers: First matchup against Kobe and the Lakers, and there is always a chance the two teams will see each other again.
• April 1 vs Miami Heat: LeBron and the gang come to Boston for the first time in the season.