The Celtics and Heat faced off tonight at the TD Garden, but some familiar faces missed the contest.  Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo did not play, and Ray Allen was inactive due to an ankle injury.  LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sat out for the Heat.

Sasha Pavlovic and Marquis Daniels led the way for the Celtics with 16 and 13 points, respectively.  Paul Pierce scored eight points in just 17 minutes of play.

It was a pretty uneventful game, low-scoring game.  The two teams were even at half time with 50 points a piece, but the Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 12 point victory.

Boston plays Milwaukee Thursday night for the final game of the regular season.

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”

Day 149: The NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement to end the lockout.

The two sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, and after coming to terms, all that is left is for the owner and players to cross the i’s and dot the t’s.  If everything goes according to plan, the season begins on Dec. 25.

In the past few years, the NBA turned Christmas day into a spectacle, scheduling the top matchups between famed teams and players.  After long and grueling negotiations that predicted no season at all, what better way to bring holiday spirit than with the season opener of the 2011-2012 season.

The Boston Celtics open in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks on Christmas, but there is plenty of work to be done in the 31 days prior to the game.

The Celtics have six players under contract: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, and Avery Bradley.  They also have three unsigned rookies: JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore, and Gilbert Brown (they have no rights).

The biggest challenge for the Celtics in the short off-season is going to be who they decide to re-sign and who they let go to look for better options elsewhere.  Jeff Green is a restricted free agent and has expressed great interest in remaining with the Celtics, and the front office should keep him around and give him another opportunity to showcase what he has to offer.

Then there is Glen Davis, Delonte West, Nenad Krstic, Troy Murphy, Sasha Pavlovic, and Carlos Arroyo, who are all are unrestricted free agents.

The Celtics should look for a better option than Davis, whose play is inconsistent at best.  West should be resigned to come off the bench and provide support to Rondo and the other players in the backcourt.

Krstic signed with a team in Moscow and is not expected to be back in Boston.  Murphy, Pavlovic, and Arroyo probably will not return, and the Celtics can find much better players to fill their sport.

Hold on tight because this training camp period is going to go by very quickly, so stay tuned to see who goes and who stays as we anxiously await Dec. 25.