reflections
January 10th, 2007 Wally Out 1-2 Weeks

Wally Szczerbiak

Celtics forward Wally Szczerbiak will miss 1-2 weeks of action due to aggravation of his previous knee and ankle injuries. Szczerbiak had knee surgery this past summer, and he also sprained both ankles in the month of December, but both injuries are bothering him once again. This is another big opportunity for Gerald Green.

Delonte West will also miss at least two games with aggravation to his back injury.

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January 7th, 2007 Celtics Go to Disney, Drop One to Magic

Grant Hill

On Sunday night, the Celtics went to Orlando to face one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference: the Orlando Magic. The Celtics displayed a terrible first half effort, came out very strong in the 3rd, but then had a rocky road in the fourth. Orlando went on to win the game 87-79, but it was a little worse than the score might tell you. The Magic killed Boston on the boards (51-31), they got to the free throw line 45 times, and they played some pretty good defense.

Leading the way for Orlando was Grant Hill, who scored 21 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and made some very nice defensive plays. Dwight Howard and Tony Battie each had a double-double on the night (18 points and 12 rebounds for Howard, 11 points and 10 rebounds for Battie). Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu combined for 7-24 shooting, so they each had off nights. Trevor Ariza also shot 1-6. Darko Milicic, however, was the only Magic player who made a big impact off the bench, scoring 12 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, blocking 3 shots, and fronting Al Jefferson (which denied a passing lane).

For Boston, not many people had themselves great games, but Tony Allen was phenomenal. The team shot 32%, but Allen shot 50% (7-14), he led the team in scoring, rebounding, tied for assists, and steals (21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists… 7 steals). Allen was all over the place defensively, and he played an outstanding game. Al Jefferson scored 12 points, grabbed 7 boards, and blocked 2 shots, but the team failed to go to him offensively at times. Delonte West did an OK job tonight, and he came up with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and he brought some great hustle. Kendrick Perkins played good defense off the bench, as he scored just 4 points on 1-8 shooting, but he also grabbed 5 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. Wally Szczerbiak scored 15 points, but half of them were from the free throw line (6 of 7 from the line), as he had another bad shooting night (4-15 from the floor).
Celtics forward Ryan Gomes had himself a rough night. In the first half, he only played 6 minutes, as he got into foul trouble (2 fouls in the first quarter, one in the 3rd). Gomes also did not play in the entire second half due to a stomach illness.

Player of the Game: Tony Allen

Tony Allen

21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 steals

Next Game: Wednesday (1/10/07) at home vs. Indiana at 7:30 pm ET.

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January 5th, 2007 Celtics Win Over Pau & the Grizz
Pau Gasol
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On Friday night, the Celtics went on the road to Memphis to take on Pau Gasol and the Grizzlies. It was an up and down, offensive powered game. The Celtics ended up winning a good one 128-119. The Celtics played hard all night long, brought energy, got great contributions off the bench, and they showed signs of some defense! Imagine that.
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Despite the home loss for Memphis, a lot of guys had themselves some very good games. Mike Miller had a great all around game. He started off shooting very well, as he ended up with 24 points. He also dished 14 assists and grabbed 6 rebounds. Pau Gasol had 24 of his own, as well as 7 rebounds and some great defensive aggressiveness, coming up with 5 blocks. Damon Stoudamire, offensively, did a very good job, scoring 17 points and dishing 9 assists. Stromile Swift came off the bench and had another good game, scoring 15 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and making a couple nice defensive plays. Hakim Warrick also had 11 off the bench, but he was only affective for a short period of time.
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The Celtics had a great game. They shot the ball 58%, including 9 of 15 from deep. The high point man was Wally Szczerbiak with 26, who has been in a real shooting slump lately. Wally finally had himself a good shooting night, hitting 9 of 14 from the floor, including 4 of 7 beyond the arc. Tony Allen had himself another 20 point game, as he attacked the basket, made some nice passes (dishing 6 assists), and playing some pressure defense (he also had 3 steals, and disrupted Mike Miller’s shots late in the game). Delonte West had himself an excellent game as well, scoring 16 points and dishing 11 assist, shooting the ball very well and picking great spots on the floor. Ryan Gomes knocked some shots down and displayed his soft touch around the basket, scoring 16 and grabbing 5 boards. Al Jefferson didn’t quite have himself his best night. He had a tough time defensively, he got in foul trouble, and he couldn’t get close shots to go down. He still finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
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The Boston bench tonight was outstanding. Kendrick Perkins, who I believe was the player of the game, was terrific. He played very tough defense, he battled on the boards, he played very hard, and he even displayed his hook shot three times. Perk finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in just 18 minutes. The stat line looks nice, but he aggressiveness meant so much more than any stat line ever could. Brian Scalabrine also had himself a great game. He was on fire shooting the ball, as he hit 5 of 8 from the floor, including 4 of 4 from 3 point territory. Scal finished with a season high 16 points, and he also played some decent defense on Pau Gasol. Sebastian Telfair also made some nice plays. Telfair finished with 7 points and 2 assists.
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Also, if you missed the game, make sure you watch the highlights and look out for that sweet alley-oop slam by Gerald Green (the lob by Sebastian Telfair).
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Player of the Game: Kendrick Perkins
Kendrick Perkins
10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks
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Next Game: Sunday (1/7/07) @ Orlando at 6:00 pm ET.
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January 4th, 2007 Theo Ratliff Out For Season
Theo Ratliff
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Celtics center Theo Ratliff, who was acquired on a draft day trade from Portland along with Sebastian Telfair, will undergo back surgery and he will miss the rest of the 2006-2007 season. Ratliff has been struggling with his lower back since training camp, and he only appeared in two games this season. In those two games, he posted averages of 2.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game, in a win over Charlotte and a loss to Utah.
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January 4th, 2007 Paul Pierce Injury Update
Paul Pierce
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Celtics star Paul Pierce, who has missed the last seven games due to a stress reaction in his left foot, is still uncertain about when he will return to action. When the injury first happened, it was said that it would be a 2-3 week time of absence. Pierce has already missed 2 weeks (and some change) with the injury, and Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said it is possible that Pierce doesn’t return to the lineup until January 19th or later:
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“That’s the earliest. It could be longer than we anticipate. That is not a guaranteed date.”
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January 4th, 2007 Rajon Rondo Mix

Rajon Rondo

By: yours truly

This is a mix of the Celtics young assassin, Rajon Rondo. He is a burst of energy, a good defender, a hustler, a good playmaker, extremely athletic, a penetrator, and a floor general. This kid is going to be something solid in the future.

Also note that all of these plays are from the Las Vegas Summer League 2006, 2006 NBA Preseason, and the first 2 months of the 2006-2007 NBA regular season.

Watch It: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRyzAVD-StU

Download It: http://www.sendspace.com/file/0g4jgk

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January 3rd, 2007 King James Lifts Cavs Past C’s
LeBron James
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On Wednesday night, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers came to town to take on the young and banged up Celtics at the Garden. It was a great game, with a great effort by the young Celtics, but they fell short and lost the game 107-104. Wally Szczerbiak missed a straight-away three to tie the game at the buzzer.
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For Cleveland, LeBron James was terrific as usual. He wowed the crowd more than once, he scored 32 points, grabbed 6 boards, dished 4 assists, and stole the ball 3 times. “Big Z,” Zydrunas Ilgauskas, had a very effective game as well. Al Jefferson had a tough time with him, as Ilgauskas went for 27 points and 11 rebounds. Drew Gooden had a quiet, yet affective game, as he racked up another double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Larry Hughes quietly had a good all around game, as he scored 14 points as well as dished 5 assists. Damon Jones also came off the bench firing away from deep, hitting 3 of 7 from downtown, going for 9 points.
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For the Celtics, the star of the night was Gerald Green. He only played 19 minutes, but he played outstanding basketball, scoring 21 points on 8-13 shooting, making a clutch drive (on LeBron James, mind you), and making some excellent hustle plays. Fourteen of those 21 points came in the second quarter. Tony Allen had another great game, scoring 22 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing 4 assists, and coming up with 2 steals. Allen played some nice pressure defense on LeBron all night long. Al Jefferson racked up another double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Delonte West had a very good game, all stats aside. He rotated very well defensively, made some outstanding passes in pick and roll situations, and he moved the ball very well. Delonte finished with 10 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals. Sebastian Telfair was very aggressive offensively, like everyone has been looking for out of him, and he ran the second unit very well. Telfair scored 10 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished 5 assists off the bench. Wally Szczerbiak scored 13 and also grabbed 5 rebounds, but he had yet another rough shooting night (just hitting 4 of 13, and only 1 of 5 from long distance).
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Player of the Game: Gerald Green
Gerald Green
21 points, 2 rebounds in 19 minutes
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Next Game: Friday (1/5/07) @ Memphis at 8:00 pm ET.
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January 2nd, 2007 Celtics Win Last Game of Trip, Start 1-0 for 2007
Sebastian Telfair
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On Monday night, the Celtics wrapped up their 5-game West Coast road trip in Portland to play Sebastian Telfair’s old team (the Portland Trail Blazers). The Celtics finally won a game on the trip! Boston won the game 89-81, and they finished up the road trip 1-4. The Celtics made some key defensive plays and late stops, and they showed great heart and fight all night long.
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For Portland, rookie Brandon Roy was the star. Roy scored 18 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished 5 assists, but struggled with his shot late in the game. Ime Udoka was very aggressive, as he finished with 11 points along with 3 rebounds and 4 assists. The usual star for the Blazers, Zach Randolph had a very tough night. Ryan Gomes played excellent defense on Randolph throughout the entire game, and Randolph finished with just 9 points on 4-11 shooting. He did manage to grab 10 rebounds, however. Young Martell Webster was dialing from long distance, as he hit 3 of 4 from downtown, and finished with 11 points off the bench. Old Celtics Raef LaFrentz and Dan Dickau did not play in this game.
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A lot of guys played well for Boston tonight. Everybody fought their hardest on both ends all night long. Tony Allen was one of those guys, as he continued his streak of excellent games, ending with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. Allen played excellent on both ends of the floor. Ryan Gomes, who did a phenomenal job on Zach Randolph defensively, also got something going offensively, as he posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Al Jefferson also had another double-double, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Wally Szczerbiak struggled with his shot, shooting just 4-14 from the field, but he got to the line and ended up with 15 points and 3 rebounds. Gerald Green threw down a couple dunks as well as play very actively, and he finished with 6 points and 4 rebounds on 3-7 shooting. Sebastian Telfair was not aggressive with his shot, but he made some very nice passes. Telfair finished with 2 points and 3 assists.
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Player of the Game: Tony Allen
Tony Allen
22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
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Next Game: Wednesday (1/3/07) at home vs. Cleveland at 7:30 pm ET.
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January 1st, 2007 Telfair Faces Old Team
Sebastian Telfair
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Tonight, Sebastian Telfair will face his old team, the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland drafted Telfair with the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft, but they gave up on the New York high school legend after just two seasons. In June, the Blazers shipped Telfair (along with Theo Ratliff and a 2008 2nd round draft pick) to the Boston Celtics for Raef LaFrentz, Dan Dickau, and the #7 pick in the draft (which was Randy Foye, in which they traded to Minnesota for the draft rights to rookie Brandon Roy, who was picked 6th).
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Sebastian has struggled at times in Boston, and he is in a major offensive slump as of right now, but he’ll be ready to go in Portland tonight with no worries or funny feelings. The last time Sebastian faced his old team was in mid-November, in Boston, where the Celtics won the game 118-90. Sebastian had a very good game that night, scoring 15 points (on 6-10 shooting) and dishing 7 assists.
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However, Sebastian just had a very rough month of December. In November, Sebastian played well, and posted averages of 10.9 points and 4.4 assists per game on 48% shooting. December, however, was a completely different story. Telfair only shot 31% from the floor, he only scored 6.2 points per game, and he only dished 3.5 assists per game. Also, he lost his starting job to Delonte West. Hopefully Sebastian can get back into the way he was playing in October and November, or we are going to have some real problems this season, especially if Rajon Rondo keeps improving and playing well when given a chance. Tonight is the perfect place to start a string of good games: in Portland against his old team and coaches.
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Other things to note about the game tonight:
  • The old leather ball returns! This is good and bad. Good because this is what the players wanted, but bad because the Celtics have very little time to practice with this ball before the game.
  • Raef LaFrentz and Dan Dickau, who played for the Celtics last season, will be on the bench for Portland. LaFrentz appeared in just 7 games this season, averaging 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game. Dickau has played in 16 games, averaging 2.1 points and 0.8 assists per game.
  • Delonte West’s status for this game is uncertain (back).
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January 1st, 2007 Celtics Lose In Seattle to Close Out 2006
Luke Ridnour
On the last day of the year 2006, the Celtics traveled to Seattle to play the Sonics. Boston made too many mistakes early in each quarter (especially the 1st and 3rd), but did end up making late runs. The problem was, the runs were too late. Seattle ended up holding on to win it at home 101-95 over the Celtics. Seattle shot an excellent percentage, while Boston struggled with their shooting a bit. Defense was the other major problem, as the C’s couldn’t really clamp down anybody.
For Seattle, the top performer was Luke Ridnour. He had 17 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and he ran the offense beautifully while picking excellent spots on the floor. Damien Wilkins, starting in place for the injured Rashard Lewis, had a good game as well. Wilkins finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists as he brought a ton of energy and only missed two shots all night long. Chris Wilcox was flying over anybody in a green jersey, as he hammered down some highlight dunks and finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds. The real Sonics star, Ray Allen, struggled tonight. He shot only 7-20 from the floor and ended with only 15 points, but he hit a couple big jumpers. Earl Watson also brought some energy off the bench and contributed 13 points.
For the young C’s, a few players had excellent games tonight. Al Jefferson went for another 20/10 night (finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds) and Tony Allen finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Allen brought a ton of energy and made some nice defensive plays as well. However, the real game-changer tonight was rookie guard Rajon Rondo. He came in and played 28 minutes, filling in for the hurting Delonte West, and he did absolutely everything on both ends of the floor. He made key defensive stops, took the ball to the basket, moved the ball very well, and he was extremely active on the glass. He finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block on 6-9 shooting. Wally Szczerbiak and Ryan Gomes struggled with their shooting, as did Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair. Green did end up shooting 6 of 13, for 18 points, but only 3 of 9 from downtown. Szczerbiak, Gomes, and Telfair combined for 7-25 shooting.
Injury Scare
Celtics starting PG Delonte West was having some back pains, once again. He originally aggravated his back in Denver on Tuesday night, taking a hard fall after a block attempt. He ended up sitting out the next night in Los Angeles, but he played Friday in Oakland vs. the Warriors, and he played very well. However, last night he was having some minor back spasms once again. Doc Rivers made a very risky decision and let Delonte play some extra minutes through the pain. Personally, I don’t believe it was the right move at all, but we’ll see how everything turns out. His status for tonight’s game in Portland is unknown.
Player of the Game: Rajon Rondo
Rajon Rondo
12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 block
Next Game: Tonight (1/1/07) @ Portland at 10:00 pm ET.
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