I will be conducting a thread all about the Celtics, the NBA, and surrounding and relevent news item thereof. I will post frequently and I welcome all input from other users on JBB. Those of you familiar with me know that this thread will be like NO OTHER IN THE HISTORY OF THIS BOARD. For the rest of you, sit back and enjoy. My first official trip to the (sigh) TD Banknorth Garden will be for the preseason game tonight, the Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls. I will return later with my personal sights and sounds from the Celtics game. One.
Cool <div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">Great Idea for a thread, man. I'll put a sticky on it to keep it at the top of the forum.</div> Thanks, I appreciate it. I can't wait to see Scalabrine try to gel with a lineup tonight....it seems like just yesterday when we were booing him at the Shaw's Summer League. Marcus Banks got injured at the wrong damn time. One.
The Game <div class="quote_poster">Quoting GrnDynsty:</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks, I appreciate it. I can't wait to see Scalabrine try to gel with a lineup tonight....it seems like just yesterday when we were booing him at the Shaw's Summer League. Marcus Banks got injured at the wrong damn time. One.</div> I arrived at the game about 30 minutes early. I got to see Greg Tanguay, Dana Barros, etc. all milling around the arena. I also saw quite a few girls wearing cut up shirts and half shirts that said "Banks Backcourt" on them..by "quite a few" a men about TWENTY. Considering that Marcus was on the bench wearing tasteful business casual attire per the new league mandate that was pretty interesting. The Bulls came out to shoot around and Tim Thomas was nowhere to be found. The Celtics came out to thunderous applause led by Ricky Davis, the brand new face of the franchise. Considering that just three years ago he was considered a selfish player and the embodiment of everything that Middle America feels is wrong with the league I chuckle everytime I hear that. Paul Pierce is STILL the team captain and the marquee name, but the fans have embraced Ricky Davis aka Get Buckets. I saw a guy with red hair and a "It's Scalabrine Time" sign...I took it as a Sign Of The Impending Apocalypse...that and about 4 F5'S and a LOT OF FLOODS. The starting lineup on Chicago's side was imposing: PG Kirk Hinrich SG Ben Gordon SF Luol Deng PF Mike Sweetney C Tyson Chandler The Celtics countered with: PG Delonte West SG Ricky Davis SF Paul Pierce PF Raef LaFrentz C Mark Blount Let the game begin! The Celtics jumped out to a surprising early lead. Fans kept wondering why Delonte wouldn't push the ball. Paul kept getting open jumpers. Ricky Davis was driving to the hole. The Bulls looked they didn't know that they were supposed to play a game tonight. Mike Sweetney was slow to this defensive side of the court, however, once he got into the paint on offense he was unstoppable. The Celtics had the lead in the first quarter off of bad defense and open jumpers. Dan Dickau and Orien Greene pushed to tempo but assists were far and few between. By the end of the first half, bad passing, sloppy defense and an inability to gel as team, force turnovers and get easy buckets all allowed the Bulls to creep back into the game. Brian Scalabrine was largely ineffective, Mark Blount was shooting jumpers and spent almost no time in the paint. The only presence on the boards was Kendrick Perkins and Ryan Gomes. The absence of Marcus Banks, Tony Allen and Al Jefferson in this rotation is an obvious problem. The running game and ability pressure the other teams ball handlers, jump passing lanes and force turnovers made for a night of very unCeltic basketball. Delonte West's inability to force the tempo of the game was evident in thebattle between he and Kirk Hinrich, a battle that Hinrich won easily. The Celtics were outplayed by the Bulls bench of Othella Harrington, Andres Nocioni (who had SERIOUS trouble with his freethrows?), Chris Duhon and Kasib Powell. Mike Sweetney bullied his way to the hole without anyone to stop him after Kendrick Perkins fouled out. Curtis Borchardt spent about 20 seconds on the court...leading me to believe that he'll be released...considering that Scalabrine spent about 10 game minutes at the center position while Ryan Gomes spent some time at power forward. Towards the end of the game a mismatched Celtic lineup with no scorer or shooter went seven plus minutes WITHOUT SCORING. During this time people made for the exits and others moved up a couple of rows while others chanted for Gerald Green. He caught a bad alley oop from Will Bynum and dropped it in and hit a sweet jumper during his time on the court...he's still a little clueless on D, however. The Celtics deficit got bigger and bigger by the minute, to the point I started noticing how many members of the Celtics lineup on the court had more FOULS THAN POINTS! Scalabrine is an intangibles man, this means I don't want to see him trying to drive to the hole on Tyson Chandler when Justin Reed is open 18 feet from the hoop...Sheesh! It wasn't a total wash, I got a brand new Boston Celtics 2005-6 Season Schedule and had great seats in Section 18 behind the basket again (near my usual jumpoffs). I'll be back to discuss more tomorrow. One.
Other Items In other news, we all know that the Celtics are the ONLY team in the NBA without cheerleaders/a dance squad (unless you count those cute kiddies from the Phunk Phenomenon), this of course, does NOTHING to chance the perception of Boston by people that live outside of New England. The cheerleader team that the Celtics have wasn't around, instead it was just Lucky and some girl named Jen who announced and organized the time out games. The Celtics also don't have third or alternate color jerseys, a black Celtic jersey would fly off of the shelves. The logo could stand an updating. It was originally said that the logo won't change as long as Red's brother was alive. He passed away last year, but it looks like any changes will be far off in the future. While at most sports audiences in Boston, diversity is a problem, that is NOT the case at Celtic games...EVERYBODY comes to the Garden. Leading up to the game, the talk on FoxSports Net and ESPN was about the new NBA dress code. I feel that as a young Black man who grew up as part of the first Hip Hop Generation it's OBVIOUS that most of middle America feels alienated by the NBA now because it doesn't resemble the same league it did 25, 20, 15 or even 10 years ago. If I live in Montana, how could I relate to a bunch of innercity 20 year old millionaires with big chains, baggy jeans, bald heads, bandannas, doo rags and cornrows? The REAL ISSUE was the black eye the league received after that damn Pistons/Pacers brawl...the fallout was coming and it was being discussed in every barbershop. My problem is that the NBA keeps doing questionable things to try to reach out to another audience (ex. The All Star Weekend in New York with a Broadway (?) Theme, The All Star Weekend with a "flashback/disco" theme, The Elvis "All Shook Up" NBA Commercial, cutting Camron out of the Mariah Carey performance at Jordan's final All Star Game, Cowboy Troy performing at halftime of the last All Star Game, etc.) They refuse to embrace what the NBA has become in fear that it will COMPLETELY CUT OFF/ALIENATE AN ENTIRE SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION. My brother in law calls that "segment of the population" ALL OF THE UNITED STATES! (LOL) I believe that if you're making millions of dollars. Your likeness is in videogames played worldwide that generates hundreds of millions of dollars. The sport you play generates billions of dollars worldwide in revenues due to apparel and merchandise. To wear BUSINESS CASUAL WEAR WHERE CAMERAS ARE SHOULDN'T BE THAT HARD. However, the way the Dress Code came down and once you read the actually text and wording of the Dress Code as a young Black man you can't help but saying "Hmmm" as you read it and begin to suspect that George Bush may have had a hand in drafting it..... The Celtics lineup was created to score a lot of points by running up and down the court. If they can't push the tempo, force turnovers and initiate a transition game THIS TEAM IS IN TROUBLE. Last night made for some ugly, boring basketball that in no way resembled the brand of basketball they played last year. The key to transition basketball is defense, as of RIGHT NOW they don't have the personnel to play that type of game. Quick, athletic and explosive players like Al Jefferson, Dan Dickau,Marcus Banks and Tony Allen are KEY to that type of game...where Scalabrine fits in? I have NO IDEA. I'll be back with more later. One.
Hey, Grn. Long time no see. If I know your posts/threads (and I think I do ), then this thread will be very successful. I'm not exactly what you would call a Celtics fans, but I'll check this thread often. Good luck.
What's up! <div class="quote_poster">Quoting kobimel:</div><div class="quote_post">Hey, Grn. Long time no see. If I know your posts/threads (and I think I do ), then this thread will be very successful. I'm not exactly what you would call a Celtics fans, but I'll check this thread often. Good luck.</div> Thanks. I was watching that Toronto vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv recast and thinking that you and your brother must be enjoying this. Believe me, I remember the old Nets vs. Celtics debates we used to have back in the day. I just figured that if I can have a thread run for almost three years that made me famous worldwide on ONE SITE I might as well see if I can do it all again. The other big news is regarding Tony Allen's arrest. He is going to face a civil suit for allegedly punching that guy in the eye at Will Bynum's signing party in Chicago. One.
Yeah, I saw about Tony Allen. Bad news for the Celtics; Allen is a solid player off the bench, backing up Pierce, because he can do whatever the Celtics need him to: score, rebound, pass, or play defense. He's still young, and has a lot of time for his already pretty solid skills to develop. I don't see him becoming an all-star, but a good role player is for sure. I saw the Toronto vs Maccabi game (even though I hate both teams, I actually am a fan of Hapoel Jerusalem here in Israel). Maccabi played better than I expected, but Bosh simply ripped their defense apart. 27 points and 12boards...monster numbers by CB4. That shot by Parker at the end was magical, if not a fluke... I'm looking forward to reading more of this thread. So far, it's been my source of info. for Celtics news. Keep up the good work.
Finally For the first time this preseason, Al Jefferson has been back on the court. He looks like the same old Big Al from last year. For the first time this preseason, the Celtics forced turnovers and got out and ran. They looked like the same old Boston Celtics from last year. The blocks and steals were coming fast and furious, as were the passes for assists and offensive rebounds. Over the last two games, the following players have stood out: Paul Pierce Ricky Davis Raef LaFrentz Delonte West Mark Blount Kendrick Perkins Justin Reed Ryan Gomes Orien Greene Borderline: Brian Scalabrine Dan Dickau Outside Looking In: Will Bynum Curtis Borchardt Missing/Injured: Tony Allen Marcus Banks I expect Will Bynum and Orien Greene to be sent to the NBADL and Curtis Borchardt to be waived. I also think that once Marcus Banks gets back healthy, he'll send Dan Dickau packing as well. I'll be back with more details tomorrow. One.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GrnDynsty:</div><div class="quote_post">For the first time this preseason, Al Jefferson has been back on the court. He looks like the same old Big Al from last year. For the first time this preseason, the Celtics forced turnovers and got out and ran. They looked like the same old Boston Celtics from last year. The blocks and steals were coming fast and furious, as were the passes for assists and offensive rebounds. Over the last two games, the following players have stood out: Paul Pierce Ricky Davis Raef LaFrentz Delonte West Mark Blount Kendrick Perkins Justin Reed Ryan Gomes Orien Greene Borderline: Brian Scalabrine Dan Dickau Outside Looking In: Will Bynum Curtis Borchardt Missing/Injured: Tony Allen Marcus Banks I expect Will Bynum and Orien Greene to be sent to the NBADL and Curtis Borchardt to be waived. I also think that once Marcus Banks gets back healthy, he'll send Dan Dickau packing as well. I'll be back with more details tomorrow. One.</div> Well, I'm going to take issue with a couple things on this one. First off, it's Al's second game on the court this preseason, and he did look sharp, I'll give you that. Honestly though, I thought Al looked a lot better than he did last season. He was emotional, rough and tumble, and using moves we didn't see too too much of last year. Nextly, Ricky hasn't stood out by any stretch, I would definitely put him under borderline, but I think we're discussing whether these players are making the team or not, so I guess he goes under stood out. He hasn't done that in my eyes. He looked cold as ice tonight, and his offense is just plain shaky. He looks uncomfortable managing the ball on offense, and he looks increasingly more uncomfortable hawking it on defense. I'm calling this one right now, Ricky is nursing something. It's probably not serious, but he looks like he lost a step. I also noticed him applying more ice than usual to his left hand today, and that might be a sign too. Until tonight, I would not have said Dickau was borderline, I'd say get rid of him, he's been awful, but he showed heady play in the fourth quarter, and for that I was impressed and reasonably ready to give some minutes back. It seems when these point guards are playing with their backs to the wall, they perform. That's a good thing and a bad thing. Scalabrine is by no means borderline though, he has been just Godawful. His game shows no signs of improving, and I really think we might've whiffed on this one. But for three mil, I don't much care. Lastly, Bynum may join the NBDL, but not with Boston. He is probably done with this team, and I don't expect he will be rejoining us soon. And the only man who will joining the D-League with the C's will probably be Gerald Green, whom wasn't on the list for some reason. The projected roster as it stands: Starting: West, Allen, Pierce, Raef, Blount 2nd Unit: Greene, Davis, Gomes, Al, Perk Scrubs: Scalabrine, Dickau, Reed Non-dressed: Banks, Bordchardt This projected roster is for opening day, not the rest of the preseason, just for those with questions.
Yeah, but..... <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Crywalker:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, I'm going to take issue with a couple things on this one. First off, it's Al's second game on the court this preseason, and he did look sharp, I'll give you that. Honestly though, I thought Al looked a lot better than he did last season. He was emotional, rough and tumble, and using moves we didn't see too too much of last year. Nextly, Ricky hasn't stood out by any stretch, I would definitely put him under borderline, but I think we're discussing whether these players are making the team or not, so I guess he goes under stood out. He hasn't done that in my eyes. He looked cold as ice tonight, and his offense is just plain shaky. He looks uncomfortable managing the ball on offense, and he looks increasingly more uncomfortable hawking it on defense. I'm calling this one right now, Ricky is nursing something. It's probably not serious, but he looks like he lost a step. I also noticed him applying more ice than usual to his left hand today, and that might be a sign too. Until tonight, I would not have said Dickau was borderline, I'd say get rid of him, he's been awful, but he showed heady play in the fourth quarter, and for that I was impressed and reasonably ready to give some minutes back. It seems when these point guards are playing with their backs to the wall, they perform. That's a good thing and a bad thing. Scalabrine is by no means borderline though, he has been just Godawful. His game shows no signs of improving, and I really think we might've whiffed on this one. But for three mil, I don't much care. Lastly, Bynum may join the NBDL, but not with Boston. He is probably done with this team, and I don't expect he will be rejoining us soon. And the only man who will joining the D-League with the C's will probably be Gerald Green, whom wasn't on the list for some reason. The projected roster as it stands: Starting: West, Allen, Pierce, Raef, Blount 2nd Unit: Greene, Davis, Gomes, Al, Perk Scrubs: Scalabrine, Dickau, Reed Non-dressed: Banks, Bordchardt This projected roster is for opening day, not the rest of the preseason, just for those with questions.</div> Ricky has clearly been uncomfortable and out of sync with his shooting, timing, etc. That's nothing new for him in this situation. Whenever you take Ricky out of his usual routine, you screw up his timing. Once the rotation tightens up and roles become clearer (and he ends up being the clear second option on the team) his timing will be back and he'll be driving to the hole, making nasty breakway dunks and nailing jumpers CONSISTENTLY in no time. The same can be said for the entire team with the short minutes and tinkering with mismatched lineups to see if they fall into natural positions, etc. Ricky HAS BEEN aggressive, he has been scoring, and he has taken it open himself at many points to guard the primary ballhandlers in this preseason. I'm also adding in his play in practice and his leadership (he and Paul taking the young guys under their wings and teaching them about life AND basketball). He has accepted the role of being the FACE OF THE FRANCHISE WHEN THREE YEARS AGO HE WAS UNIVERSALLY REGARDED AS A MALCONTENT. I consider that being a standout. Everyone who has been here (JustBBall's Celtic Board) since the summer knows that I don't like Scalabrine as a player and I think he isn't worth the money Danny paid for him. He doesn't do anything particularly well and I don't see what purpose he serves on the court AT ALL. I thought Dan Dickau was overrated in college at Gonzaga and I think he's just servicable at the pro level and I was NOT IN FAVOR of the deal that brought him here. Now, with that being said. I received numerous e-mails from users saying that I was too harsh in my prior criticisms of Dickau and Scalabrine's games/talent level. I've tried to be less critical of them lately...I still think that Scalabrine FLAT OUT SUCKS and that overall Dickau has been outplayed by Orien Greene...who may end up 1st Team All-NBADL this year. As for Gerald Green, he does things in practice in and drills that make your eyes pop out of your head. He also makes defensive mistakes and has A LOT TO LEARN...he is also a project with the stroke, speed and altheticism to become a SUPERSTAR, NOT A ROLE PLAYER OR JUST A FUTURE STARTER, A SUPERSTAR. I see him being at the end up the bench getting a gang of DNP-CD's. If anyone goes down I see Orien Greene and Will Bynum going to the NBADL....even though with Tony Allen in the offing, I think there's a possiblity that he could be released as well as Curtis Borchardt. Borchardt has been HORRID. That is all. One.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GrnDynsty:</div><div class="quote_post">Ricky has clearly been uncomfortable and out of sync with his shooting, timing, etc. That's nothing new for him in this situation. Whenever you take Ricky out of his usual routine, you screw up his timing. Once the rotation tightens up and roles become clearer (and he ends up being the clear second option on the team) his timing will be back and he'll be driving to the hole, making nasty breakway dunks and nailing jumpers CONSISTENTLY in no time. The same can be said for the entire team with the short minutes and tinkering with mismatched lineups to see if they fall into natural positions, etc. Ricky HAS BEEN aggressive, he has been scoring, and he has taken it open himself at many points to guard the primary ballhandlers in this preseason. I'm also adding in his play in practice and his leadership (he and Paul taking the young guys under their wings and teaching them about life AND basketball). He has accepted the role of being the FACE OF THE FRANCHISE WHEN THREE YEARS AGO HE WAS UNIVERSALLY REGARDED AS A MALCONTENT. I consider that being a standout. Everyone who has been here (JustBBall's Celtic Board) since the summer knows that I don't like Scalabrine as a player and I think he isn't worth the money Danny paid for him. He doesn't do anything particularly well and I don't see what purpose he serves on the court AT ALL. I thought Dan Dickau was overrated in college at Gonzaga and I think he's just servicable at the pro level and I was NOT IN FAVOR of the deal that brought him here. Now, with that being said. I received numerous e-mails from users saying that I was too harsh in my prior criticisms of Dickau and Scalabrine's games/talent level. I've tried to be less critical of them lately...I still think that Scalabrine FLAT OUT SUCKS and that overall Dickau has been outplayed by Orien Greene...who may end up 1st Team All-NBADL this year. As for Gerald Green, he does things in practice in and drills that make your eyes pop out of your head. He also makes defensive mistakes and has A LOT TO LEARN...he is also a project with the stroke, speed and altheticism to become a SUPERSTAR, NOT A ROLE PLAYER OR JUST A FUTURE STARTER, A SUPERSTAR. I see him being at the end up the bench getting a gang of DNP-CD's. If anyone goes down I see Orien Greene and Will Bynum going to the NBADL....even though with Tony Allen in the offing, I think there's a possiblity that he could be released as well as Curtis Borchardt. Borchardt has been HORRID. That is all. One.</div> Allen released? What? I don't understand, what about his situation makes you think he'll be released? There isn't even a possibility of him facing any kind of jail time, and you want to just release him like that? Maybe I'm missing something, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Orien Greene won't see a second of the NBDL this year, if anyone's going, it's Green. And why release Borchardt? The man did exactly what was asked of him. I have no love lost for Borchardt, let me assure you, he's a wretched excuse for a big man, but he's been good on the boards and on defense, and he makes a nice insurance policy for a team that sees a big man go down for significant time every year. Not to mention that the Celtics have this nasty habit of hanging on to big men for just a liitle bit too long, and I think Curtis will be following in that mold. Bynum is all but cut, that's very clear. The man isn't going to be on this team soon. Listening to Tommy and (more importantly) Mike say that at the conclusion of the Nets game all but sealed the deal for me. If you aren't going to give scraps to a guy like Bynum is a double digit blowout, against a team of third stringers, it's a pretty clear message. Obviously, that argument cuts both ways, as Borchardt didn't receive many minutes either. I guess my real basis is the level of expectation and the amount of need at both spots, while allowing a little bit for past performance. The C's tend to keep bigs, shed guards (especially when they already have four at their disposal), and rooks who don't live up to their expectations don't get spots, that's all. Six was just that, six. He fouled smartly, blocked a shot or two, and grabbed a good number of boards in limited action, just what they wanted of him.
Bynum! Not Allen! <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Crywalker:</div><div class="quote_post">Allen released? What? I don't understand, what about his situation makes you think he'll be released? There isn't even a possibility of him facing any kind of jail time, and you want to just release him like that? Maybe I'm missing something, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Orien Greene won't see a second of the NBDL this year, if anyone's going, it's Green. And why release Borchardt? The man did exactly what was asked of him. I have no love lost for Borchardt, let me assure you, he's a wretched excuse for a big man, but he's been good on the boards and on defense, and he makes a nice insurance policy for a team that sees a big man go down for significant time every year. Not to mention that the Celtics have this nasty habit of hanging on to big men for just a liitle bit too long, and I think Curtis will be following in that mold. Bynum is all but cut, that's very clear. The man isn't going to be on this team soon. Listening to Tommy and (more importantly) Mike say that at the conclusion of the Nets game all but sealed the deal for me. If you aren't going to give scraps to a guy like Bynum is a double digit blowout, against a team of third stringers, it's a pretty clear message. Obviously, that argument cuts both ways, as Borchardt didn't receive many minutes either. I guess my real basis is the level of expectation and the amount of need at both spots, while allowing a little bit for past performance. The C's tend to keep bigs, shed guards (especially when they already have four at their disposal), and rooks who don't live up to their expectations don't get spots, that's all. Six was just that, six. He fouled smartly, blocked a shot or two, and grabbed a good number of boards in limited action, just what they wanted of him.</div> I was trying to finish my post yesterday so I could leave and I had a sentence fragment "cut & pasted" out by mistake so it reads sorta like I was saying that I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics released TONY ALLEN...actually it should read that I wouldn't be surprised if Will Bynum got released RATHER than be kept and sent to the NBADL WITH Orien Greene since Tony Allen's RETURN is in the offing and he will start or be the 6th man. I also think that Borchardt will be waived and once Banks comes back and is healthy the boot will promptly be put to Dickau's hindquarters. To review: The Celtics could release/waive Will Bynum and I wouldn't be surprised...even though I think they like him enough to keep within arm's reach. I think Orien Greene will end up in the NBADL to recieve playing time, run a squad and develop. Gerald Green will develop quicker under the wing of Ricky Davis and Paul Pierce and with the coaching and tutelage availabe in the NBA (Greene is an adult who played 4 years of college ball...Green has no such experience). It can go either way, though...Borchardt just sucks, ask the brass in Utah. One.
I know! <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Crywalker:</div><div class="quote_post">Just for everyone's info, I hate to say I told you so, but Bynum was cut today.</div> To review: The Celtics could release/waive Will Bynum and I wouldn't be surprised...even though I think they like him enough to keep within arm's reach. Right after I typed that, my boy sent me a text that Will Bynum got cut this afternoon. Good showing overall tonight. Even Scalabrine played well! One.
Ain't no thang. I definitely liked tonight's game, it was fun seeing everyone playing like they were 2 year veterans. What a step up.
Aw man! I missed last night's game....I'm watching the replay now. I just caught Ricky's back to back breakaway dunks. It's right before the half and they're on a 10-0 run with 38.8 left in the 1st half. I stayed up and watched the White Sox win the World Series for the first time in 88 years. This game also aired on NBATV last night but I was busy. They were up 56-48 at the half. I'm gonna watch this and post my thoughts later....Ricky really wants to play his best against Cleveland. One.
What a game! <div class="quote_poster">Quoting GrnDynsty:</div><div class="quote_post">I missed last night's game....I'm watching the replay now. I just caught Ricky's back to back breakaway dunks. It's right before the half and they're on a 10-0 run with 38.8 left in the 1st half. I stayed up and watched the White Sox win the World Series for the first time in 88 years. This game also aired on NBATV last night but I was busy. They were up 56-48 at the half. I'm gonna watch this and post my thoughts later....Ricky really wants to play his best against Cleveland. One.</div> That was a great ending to that game! A 21-4 run fueled by Justin Reed, Orien Greene, Dan Dickau and Gerald Green! J Reed hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. The press forcing turnover after turnover. That final floater by Gerald Green to clinch the game was crazy. Al Jefferson had the game from from hell and the C's still pulled it out thanks to Paul and Ricky. One week until the opener vs. New York at the Garden! One.
Happy Basketball New Year!!! It's my favorite time of year...the holidays! Happy Basketball New Year to one and all! The season starts tonight, the C's play tomorrow and the college season is right around the corner (BC is in the ACC, damn!). Orien Greene will be starting at point, that's pretty damn surprising and it makes me wonder if Banks comes back to form then who'll play, who'll sit and who'll be released/waived? The entire Atlantic Division is a toss up (save, possibly for the Nets) and I expect the C's to net between 38-44 wins this season. They have the inside track for making the playoffs as of RIGHT NOW in my opinion and challenging for the #7 or #8 spot in the East. The college season is going to be full of surprises, especially with Marcus Williams and A.J. Price pulling that crap in Connecticut and one will not play at all while the other is suspended for a major part of the season. I can't wait to see it all unfold. One.
That was an excellent game! The overtime session was chock full of excitement. They boarded like beasts, forced turnovers, passed the ball, pushed the tempo and ran EVEN ON MADE BASKETS...Delonte West, Ricky Davis, Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Mark Blount played excellent basketball. A 20-6 run in a 5 minute OT? Delonte got the Tommy Award for the night. That was spectacular play after spectacular play tonight. Delonte's block. Ricky's steals. Mark Blount's elbow jumpers. Raef's threes. Paul's drives to the hole and the subsequent free throws. The scoring breakdown is irrelevant, they played a TOTAL TEAM GAME. Why does Scalabrine wear #44? Is that the number of players that were available and better than him at the time the C's signed him? I'll comment more later...Great game! 1-0. Next game 11.4.05 vs. Detroit in Boston. One.
