Giardi: Howard, Magic present different challenge

Posted by Mike Giardi May 4, 2009 at 6:14 pm

The Celtics had their hands full against the Bulls in round one with Chicago’s perimeter players. Orlando presents an entirely different challenge.

The Magic are built around Dwight Howard, who is a double-double machine, and NBA’s defensive player of the year. The question for the Celtics is ‘how do you defend him?’. Do you double team him, allowing the perimeter shooters to fire away, or do you just play man defense, hoping Kendrick Perkins can handle the load?

No respect for the Celtics?

Posted by Mike Giardi April 28, 2009 at 5:22 pm

All season long the celts have complained that they haven’t gotten the calls that the defending champs deserve.

It is no surprise to them that it has continued in the series against the Bulls. Today Coach Doc Rivers made a statement to the refs and the NBA, that his team needs more respect.

Center Kendrick Perkins believes that as a whole, the Celtics “are not favorites with the refs”. He even goes as far as saying, “I don’t think the refs like the Boston Celtics.”

Why the Celtics Won’t Miss Posey

Posted by Jimmy Young July 16, 2008 at 6:36 pm

Its always tough to say goodbye to a key player on a championship team, but that’s what Celtics fans did today. James Posey signed a 4 year deal with the New Orleans Hornets, he wanted that 4th year, and he deserves it. Celtics nation knew that this day might come,  he was a one year rent a veteran, and it worked. The Celtics won their 17th NBA Championship. Can they win an 18th without James Posey? Yes, but it might be tougher, and they will have to find another veteran forward presence off the bench. Remember at this time last year, Kevin Garnett was still a member of the MInnesota Timberwolves. I just think, in time, the Celtics will be just fine, and Mr. Posey will join Dave Roberts, Dave Henderson, and Ted Washington as members of great teams who were one and done in Boston Sports.

Why The Celtics Won’t Miss Posey

Posted by Jimmy Young July 16, 2008 at 6:30 pm

Its always tough to say goodbye to a key player on a championship team, but that’s what Celtics fans did today. James Posey signed a 4 year deal with the New Orleans Hornets, he wanted that 4th year, and he deserves it. Celtics nation knew that this day might come,  he was a one year rent a veteran, and it worked. The Celtics won their 17th NBA Championship. Can they win an 18th without James Posey? Yes, but it might be tougher, and they will have to find another veteran forward presence off the bench. Remember at this time last year, Kevin Garnett was still a member of the MInnesota Timberwolves. I just think, in time, the Celtics will be just fine, and Mr. Posey will join Dave Roberts, Dave Henderson, and Ted Washington as members of great teams who were one and done in Boston Sports.

Celtics math: Big 3 + Game 6 = 17

Posted by Mike Giardi June 18, 2008 at 11:38 am

108 games later. 82 wins. One title. Enough said.
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Sweet Seventeen

Posted by David Green June 18, 2008 at 5:00 am

Where do you start? How do you even begin to talk about the Celtics’ domination on the parquet Tuesday night?

It was total. Unrelenting. Humiliating. And for Celtic fans, it was the most impressive and enjoyable 48 minutes in a long, long time.

A magical second quarter broke the Lakers’ spirit, meaning Game 6 would not feature yet another huge Finals comeback. How good was the 2nd? Try 11 assists on 11 baskets. An 11-0 run courtesy of supersubs James Posey and Eddie House. A 9-0 run going into halftime that turned a 14-point lead into 23… a run that “buried the [Lakers] emotionally,” according to Phil Jackson. You know what? The Zen Master was right.

The second half was a glorified victory lap for this team that brought glory back to Causeway Street after a 22-year hiatus that seemed decades longer. While L.A. couldn’t get anything going, the C’s got everything going. The Celtics had a Finals record 18 steals, including 6 from Rajon Rondo, whose pestering, aggressive defense set the tone early. The rebounding edge was 48-29 — including a 14-2 edge on the offensive glass, as L.A. couldn’t grab a single offensive rebound until the 4th quarter.

You could marvel at the stats of this one for ages. The 39-point margin of victory was the largest for a clincher in Finals history, and just a couple of points shy of the worst beating in any Finals contest. Ray Allen’s 7 threes tied another Finals record. (By the way, can anyone remember all the concern about Ray Ray’s struggles early in the playoffs? Yeah, didn’t think so.)

By the way, do you want to talk about home-court advantage? The Jungle earned its nickname in this series, especially compared to the disinterested crowd that sauntered into the Staples Center. I was there for Game 3, and I was embarassed by the atmosphere. The crowd made more noise when Hugh Hefner was shown on the Jumbotron than when some guy named Earvin Johnson made an appearance. On Tuesday, the place was rockin’ from the opening introductions, and it never let up until the last piece of confetti finally touched down on the parquet. The official attendance was 18,624 but it felt like thousands more.

The scene in the locker room afterwards was one of total jubilation. I’ll admit it; my job has many perks, but nothing I’ve experienced to this point compares with being in the middle of the madness Tuesday night. Even now, as I’m watching the trophy presentation on the ESPN replay at 4:49 a.m., I’m still at a loss for words. While it felt amazing to watch the Sox and Patriots spray champagne after their championships, the sting of having champagne and beer sprayed in your eyes as it’s happening is a much better experience.

Now it’s time for yet another parade in Titletown. I’m guessing a few people might call out sick on Thursday to watch the Celtics roll through the city on the Duck Boats that Doc took the new Big 3 on way back at the start of the year. Doc told them that’s how Boston celebrates champions… now they’ll get to see exactly what it’s like.

Collins: Lakers still breathing…barely

Posted by Chris Collins June 16, 2008 at 1:49 am

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 103-98 Sunday, forcing the series back to Boston for a crucial Game 6. NECN’s Chris Collins says that it was Paul Pierce’s heroics that kept the Celtics in the game, but the absence of Kendrick Perkins that hurt them.

Collins recaps Game 5 from the Staples Center and previews the homecoming in Boston.

Collins: The bench stepped up big time

Posted by Chris Collins June 13, 2008 at 1:51 am

NECN’s Chris Collins says it was the Celtics’ bench that stepped up and made the biggest comeback win in NBA Finals history possible. The Celtics won 97-91 in Game 4, and their 17th NBA championship is just one win away

Heady time for the Celtics

Posted by Ted McEnroe June 9, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Pretty heady time for the Boston Celtics. They lead their series in the NBA finals with the LA Lakers 2 games to none, but there was a big complaint after the game from Laker coach Phil Jackson, who was disgusted with the disparity in foul calls. Celtics shoot 38, Lakers get  a 10. Leon Pow or Poe as Jackson corrected himself after messing up Leon’s name with more free throws. One player than the in the entire Laker group had as a team. Paul was very aggressive. He deserved those foul calls. On the hand, the Lakers weren’t aggressive at all, and that goes right on down to Kobe Bryant who surprisingly has not yet attacked a basket. You have to give the Celtics deense credit. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, James Cosy and even the bigs for sliding over and life difficult for Kobe. They continue this in those 2 wins, they might come in L.A, and then they wrap this thing up before having it come back to Boston for. listen

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Collins: ‘The Truth’ came up huge

Posted by Chris Collins June 9, 2008 at 1:40 am

NECN’s Chris Collins says that ‘The Truth’ came up huge, despite not being 100 percent. He recaps Game 2 from the Garden, and is dreaming of a clean sweep in Tinseltown.

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