Yay, we locked up the 2nd worst record in the NBA. Now everybody can root for wins in these last 3 games of the season, I’m friggen relieved. No more tank talk, no more “I don’t know if I want us to win or lose” talk. Now, it’s play as hard as possible and continue to develope, show off, and evaluate these young players.

I also want to add it that it was completely hilarious that Mo Williams did not play in this game. I called it in my game preview, and it happened. He played in their last game, he is NOT hurt, they attempted to tank and we beat them at their own game twice. I’m glad.

Gerald Green had a very good offensive night, I’m happy to see him continue this hot streak (3 straight games of 20+ points). He shot the ball pretty well, he was very aggressive all night long, and he didn’t avoid contact. Nice to see Gerald continue to play well and taking advantage of the playing time and touches he’s receiving.

Leon Powe was awesome tonight, he really was. He did OK throughout most of the game, but in that 4th quarter he was outstanding. He made key defensive plays, key rebounds, and HUGE buckets. He was so aggressive and he came up HUGE in that fourth quarter, even though we lost.

It was really nice to see Delonte back out on the floor. He did a solid job, nothing great. It was pretty much an average game for Delonte, but it was nice to see him back out there. We actually had 9 players tonight! Wow!

Ryan Gomes had a solid night tonight as well. He hit the jumper and he was working hard, as usual. He does this every night, he’s the most consistent player on the team (I’ve said that plenty of times). Another night at the office for Gomes.

Perk was alright, but he also made a lot of mistakes tonight. He was eaten up a couple times in the paint and turned the ball over too much, he was outworked by Gadzuric (of all people) and couldn’t handle his athleticism and length. Perk did have a couple nice post moves (out of nowhere, mind you), and he made some good passes as usual. But overall, not a very good game from Perk.

Rondo was alright, but he obviously didn’t have one of his better games. He made some great plays and he was all over the place, but he didn’t have a great night at all. The kid should be able to have one poor game every once and a while, right?

Kevinn Pinkney did a good job tonight. He got a lot of minutes down the stretch and he made some solid plays. He made two beautiful passes down low in a row, he was active, and he didn’t pass up any shots that were given to him. Once again, I think this kid could be on an NBA roster next year (probably not in Boston, but I could see him somewhere, or at least getting invited to training camp).

Allan Ray hit a few jumpers, but he made some bad rookie mistakes in the last couple minutes of this ball game. The first big mistake was actually following up on two great hustle plays. He jumped around and tipped the ball and kept the possession alive for the Celtics twice in 7-8 seconds. Then, he picked up the ball at the top of the key and failed to see Powe wide open under the basket… so he pulled it out to half court. Doc was so disgusted that he called a timeout. Then on that last possession, Ray screwed that up big time. He had the ball, he had his shooting hand free, he passed it to Leon Powe 18 feet from the basket with about 2.5 seconds left. That resulted in Powe panicing and just flipping it to Telfair at the top of the key who had to launch a 3 within 0.9 seconds. That was a horrible decision by Ray.

Bassy did ok. He obviously is not a good shooter and he did throw up some bricks, but he did nail a couple three’s and make a couple decent kickouts. I’m just glad that he’s not passing up every shot now.

• Gerald Green: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals on 9-16 FG, 1-5 3FG, 2-3 FT

• Leon Powe: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block on 8-12 FG, 2-2 FT

• Ryan Gomes: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block on 5-8 FG, 0-2 3FG, 3-3 FT

• Delonte West: 13 points, 4 assists, 1 block on 5-12 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-3 FT

• Kendrick Perkins: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 turnovers on 4-9 FG, 1-1 FT

• Kevinn Pinkney: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists on 3-10 FG, 1-2 FT

• Allan Ray: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal on 3-6 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-2 FT

• Rajon Rondo: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal on 2-7 FG, 1-1 FT

• Sebastian Telfair: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal on 2-8 FG, 2-5 3FG

Next Game: Sunday (4/15/07) on the road @ Orlando at 6:00 pm ET.

Sixers: 102

Celtics: 94

Well, it wasn’t our best game. We shot the ball atrociously from the outside and the defense was weak. We should have pushed the tempo all night, I wanted a much better effort on the glass and on the defensive end. Some of the young guns did well, but the team effort wasn’t to my liking. To sum up the game on one note: Steven Hunter scored 20 points.

Gerald Green had another solid night, like I predicted. He did make a couple sloppy herky-jerky moves, and he did go through a stretch where he missed a ton of jumpers in a row, but he did have a very solid game on the offensive end. He hit a couple tweener shots that I liked, he had an awkward (yet good looking) floating dunk where he glided upwards, he did make a couple solid passes. He really needs to toughen up around the basket though.

Ryan Gomes had a nice offensive night as well. In the first half, he was great. He really took it strong and got to the line in the first half. In the second half, that jumper was falling from 3 and mid-range. If he keeps improving his outside jumper, he’s the next Shane Battier, I’m telling ya. I really wanted Gomes to get on the defensive glass a hell of a lot more tonight, however. He also had a ton of trouble with Steven Hunter, who is also athletic and is a legit 7 feet tall.

Rondo had yet another solid night. We already know he can do everything (except shoot), but it’s so comforting that he’s doing it on a consistent basis as of late. He made some spectacular athletic plays tonight, moved the ball well, and brought the all out hustle/grit on both ends.

Perk and Powe were the only two guys on this team that actually rebounded tonight, and I applaud them. It was also great to see Perk able to handle the big minutes tonight, he must be feeling a lot better.

Allan Ray was on fire in the first half. He’s that type of player - when he’s on, he will score in bunches and nail a lot of jumpers from the outside. It was nice to see him shoot well tonight and bring some energy.

Sebastian Telfair did a very solid job tonight as well, before he got hurt in the 4th quarter (mild ankle sprain). He really pushed the tempo nicely and did a great job of hitting the open shooters and moving guys on the perimeter. He struggled with his mid-range jumper tonight, but he hit a couple three’s and did a good job running the offense. I hope his ankle is ok.

• Ryan Gomes: 26 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist on 7-15 FG, 3-9 3FG, 9-9 FT

• Gerald Green: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals on 10-21 FG, 0-5 3FG, 2-2 FT

• Rajon Rondo: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal on 4-8 FG, 0-1 3FG, 4-4 FT

• Allan Ray: 15 points, 3 assists on 6-12 FG, 3-7 3FG

• Kendrick Perkins: 5 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block on 2-5 FG, 1-2 FT

• Sebastian Telfair: 6 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 1 steal on 2-7 FG, 2-4 3FG

• Leon Powe: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block on 2-4 FG, 2-2 FT

• Kevinn Pinkney: 2 points, 1 block on 1-2 FG

Next Game: Friday (4/13/07) at home vs. Milwaukee at 7:30 pm ET. The Battle of the Ping Pong Balls, Part 2.

Hopefully he can recover smoothly and get back into shape this summer. Get well soon, Paul!

Some good moments, but overall, I’m pretty disgusted that we blew a 13 point lead and lost to the HAWKS (without their top players, as well). Doc pulled a bit of a tank job in the end of the game as well, once again, by limiting Perk/Gomes/Rondo’s minutes late in the game. The defense was horrible in the second half, nobody was aggressive enough offensively other than Green/Powe in the second half, and the C’s were outworked by a long shot on the glass. Again, I’m in complete disgust that the Celtics lost this game, and blew a 13 point lead.

Gerald Green was sensational tonight. He was scoring in many different ways, which was the most promising thing about it. He didn’t settle for outside shots, he was really attacking. He displayed his quick/long first step and blew past people, he knocked down the mid-range jumper, he was connecting from deep, he got out in transition, he was drawing contact, he was finishing with loud dunks, and he had his swagger going. When Gerald gets his game face on, and he gets that swagger, it’s his night. That happened tonight, and it was great to see. Hopefully this confidence carries over for these last 5 games.

Rajon Rondo had yet another excellent night (as he should have, going up against the likes of Atlanta’s guards). In the first half, his penetration was beautiful and he was finishing nicely at the rim, in traffic. He played good defense, he rebounded as usual, and he made smart decisions. More importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over at all in this game. This kid is a player.

Leon Powe had a very productive night as well. Sure, he had some trouble finishing again, due to the fact that he goes up too strong, but he still had a good game. I don’t care what his FG% was tonight, he was working hard. He was banging his body around and disrupting Atlanta’s bigs, he was a monster on the offensive glass, he was going up strong and getting to the free throw line. He’s going to have a long career in the NBA if he continues to do this (which I think he most certainly will).

Kevinn Pinkney did a nice job tonight, as well, in my opinion. The kid can play in this league, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he makes it on an NBA roster next season. He is about 6′10”, he can play both positions, he can shoot the ball from mid-range very well, and we even saw him hit a 3 tonight. He hustles and he’s athletic. Chances are, he won’t be playing for the Celtics next year, but I do believe that he can make it on an NBA roster.

Allan Ray played a ton of minutes tonight. He didn’t have his best game, he had trouble getting a clean shot off. It’s a good thing that he didn’t hesitate, however. Atlanta did a good job of contesting all of Ray’s shots, but he never hesitated even if a Hawk was contesting the shot. That’s all you want to see in a young shooting specialist like Allan Ray.

Ryan Gomes didn’t have his best night, but you’ve got to tip your hat to him for fighting through his elbow injury and playing when his team needed him. I’m glad he stuck it out. Same deal for Perk tonight, he is under the weather and he has flu-like symptoms, but he came out and played tonight anyway. Granted, he only played 15 minutes, but I’m still happy that he gave it a go.

It’s unfortunate that Telfair didn’t follow up on his great past 2 games, especially Saturday night in Indiana. He just wasn’t aggressive enough. He did pull up and hit a couple mid-range jumpers (one nicely done on the break), but he needed to attack more, like he did in Indiana. Confidence is the biggest key for Bassy, and I think once he missed his first 2 shots, he was too passive. That can’t happen, especially at this point in the season. Let’s hope he can bounce back tomorrow night.

• Gerald Green: 33 points (career high), 4 rebounds, 3 assists on 12-22 FG, 4-5 3FG, 5-6 FT

• Rajon Rondo: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals on 8-11 FG

• Leon Powe: 19 points, 7 rebounds (6 offensive) on 4-14 FG, 11-13 FT

• Allan Ray: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals on 3-9 FG, 2-4 3FG

• Kevinn Pinkney: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal on 3-5 FG, 1-2 3FG

• Ryan Gomes: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal on 3-10 FG, 1-3 3FG

• Sebastian Telfair: 4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal on 2-6 FG, 0-2 2FG

• Kendrick Perkins: 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block on 1-1 FG

According to Steve Bulpett, league sources have confirmed that the Celtics are prepared to offer Doc Rivers a contract extension this summer. Doc’s four-year deal, signed in 2004, expires at the end of the 2007-2008 season (which is next year).

Some believe it would be unfair to give Doc the boot this summer due to the youth and the injury woes, others feel he’s just simply not a good enough coach to deserve an extension after this mess. I, am somewhere in the middle. I do understand that this is most certainly not all Doc’s fault. Doc has no control over the injuries, he doesn’t have any control over most of the continuous mistakes some players make out on the court, and he is not responsible for the roster he has to work with. I think Doc is a great person, he works hard, he loves teaching, the players respect him as a person, and he does want to win, but I believe his flaws are too impeccable for Celtic fans to handle for much longer. Whether it be how he handles some young players, how he plays too much “small ball,” his failure to call timeouts at the proper times, his lack of substitution skills, his lack of offensive sets, his inability to let young players play through mistakes, etc.

I personally feel that while he’s a great person, there are too many flaws in his coaching for me to believe he is worthy of a contract extension. We’ll see how it all pans out this summer, only time will tell, but I think this organization would be making a big mistake issuing Doc Rivers a contract extension.

For anyone that has payed attention to this blog in the past, or is wondering why I stopped doing it, I really don’t know why I did. I am going to start doing it again, however. I enjoy talking about basketball, and I think I’d enjoy blogging again. So, I’m just making this post for new visitors or anyone out there that may have followed this in the past, to let you all know that I will be blogging again.