<div align="center"><span style="color:#2E8B57"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%">Heading West</span></span></div> <div align="center"> </div> Starting Wednesday, the day after Christmas, the Boston Celtics will be going on a 5 game West Coast road trip. To begin the trip, the C?s will take on Allen Iverson and the shorthanded Denver Nuggets (Camby injured, Anthony and Smith suspended) on Tuesday, December 26th. The following night, Wednesday (December 27th), the green will head to Los Angeles to take on Elton Brand and the L.A. Clippers. After a day?s rest, they will head to Oakland on Friday (December 29th) to take on Baron Davis and the exciting Golden State Warriors. To close out the trip, the Celtics will have a back to back showdown on December 31st and January 1st to take on the injury plagued Seattle Sonics and the young Portland Trail Blazers. <div align="center"><span style="color:#2E8B57">Injury Notes</span></div> - Paul Pierce will not be traveling with the team for the trip due to a stress reaction in his foot, which is reported to keep him out 2-3 weeks. - Wally Szczerbiak will travel with the team, and it is possible he will play on Wednesday. It?s not a definite, so don?t get your hopes up, but it is a possibility. Regardless if he plays Wednesday or not, Szczerbiak will play at some point on this road trip. - Kendrick Perkins, who has been battling a nagging plantar fasciitis injury, will be practicing on Tuesday, and his goal is to be available for action by Wednesday in Los Angeles. If not, Friday is the updated plan. - Michael Olowokandi will travel with the team, and it is likely that he will be ready to go by Wednesday. - Brian Scalabrine has been a little under the weather with the flu, but he will be all set come Wednesday. <div align="center"><span style="color:#2E8B57">No Tommy Points on the Trip</span> </div> Celtics long time announcer Tommy Heinsohn will not be traveling with the team for this road trip. He will have back surgery over the holiday weekend, and he is planning on being back in action when the Celtics return from the West Coast road trip on Wednesday, January 3rd, when the Celtics take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at home. Taking Tommy?s place on the West Coast road trip will be Celtics sideline reporter and co-host of FSN?s Sports Tonight, Greg Dickerson. <span style="color:#2E8B57"><div align="center">The Schedule</div></span> Tuesday, December 26th: @ Denver, 9:00 pm ET. Wednesday, December 27th: @ LA Clippers, 10:30 pm ET. Friday, December 29th: @ Golden State, 10:30 pm ET. Sunday, December 31st: @ Seattle, 10:00 pm ET. Monday, January 1st: @ Portland, 10:00 pm ET. Go Celtics! (This is my latest blog entry on celticsnews.com)
This trip could be bad, but its vacation week so I'll be up late watching all the games. I'm excited to see Gerald play more.
if you guys dont wint at least 3 of 5, this trip, we got dibs on the atlantic, the only exception might be the Knicks, they're doing okay.
If "doing okay" equals losing by 21 to worst team in the league, then yeah, they're doing great. As if five games without Paul isn't bad enough, we have to put up with Dickerson too, can't wait. It's going to be a tough trip, we'll see what the young guys can do.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RaptorFan#1 @ Dec 23 2006, 09:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>if you guys dont wint at least 3 of 5, this trip, we got dibs on the atlantic, the only exception might be the Knicks, they're doing okay.</div> Right, because these 5 games will decide the outcome of the Atlantic Division. Stop talking like the Raptors own the division. You guys are sickening me with this "we are #1" talk. You guys are a friggen half game ahead of New Jersey right now, and 1 game ahead of both Boston and New York. Hell, you are only 5 games ahead of Philly. This division is wiiiiiide open. Even if we go 0-5 on this trip, it's still not anybody's division. The division standings change daily because everyone is tied, within a half game, or within a game of each other (excluding Philly). You guys will have the west coast swings as well. You may be holding on to the division by the skin of your teeth for the time being, but I guarentee the standings are in a much different order in 5 days. Raptors fans, all of you, stop talking like you are on top of the world.
I agree, the Atlantic is the closest division in the league, it's wide open and everyone has a decent shot to win it. At this point it could be anyone, the Raptors have as good a chance as anyone, but they're not clear favorites like all you Raptors fans are saying after you're 1st for a day. Five games is nothing, it's December, not April.
Well, if Paul and Wally are still both out, I dont think this trip will be too great for the C's. Although the competition is relativley weak, the Celtics are not even near being healthy, and that is obviously going to affect them. Big Al, Green, Gomes, TA, and others are going to have to play great. I want to see Delonte play good.......
Even if we don't win much, which I'm not expecting us too, I'm still excited for this trip, just to see how the young guys do. I want to see Al keep putting up the big numbers he has been, and I'm hoping Gerald has more games like his last one. With our stars out, it's time for them to step it up and show us what they can do, and I'm eager to see how they perform.
