CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans

Fiddlin and Diddlin' Daily Links - 5/19

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:19:00 +0000

Herald   Ainge says Doc staying; Zarren turns down 76ers
Greg Cote: Knicks would have been spicier matchup for Miami Heat
Pacers knock out Knicks with 106-99 win in Game 6
He’s still on guard
McDonough: Fun in Suns
ESPN Report Card: The Incompletes
Celtics Green When It Comes to the Draft, No One Has a Clue
Happy Birthday to Kevin Garnett and a Few Thoughts
Celtics Blog Should Chris Wilcox Get Another Stint With The Celtics?
Hypothetical trade idea (conversation between Danny Ainge and Kevin Garnett)
Celtics Life The Forgotten Man: Chris Wilcox
Lex Nihil Novi   Pistol Pete and Truck Robinson Lead Jazz over Celts
CLNS Radio   Memories of the Boston Celtics Big Three Era
Red's Army Your Morning Dump… Where there is ‘major speculation’ that the Celtics will trade up or down in the draft
CSNNE Sullinger approaching recovery with patience
Slam Online Sam Presti: Thunder Won’t Amnesty Kendrick Perkins
Pro Basketball Talk   Nate Robinson unlikely to return to Bulls next season
Celtics Fan Chat Should the Celtics Keep ‘em or Sweep ‘em: Jordan Crawford
Cleveland.com Should the Cleveland Cavaliers acquire Paul Pierce?
Wicked Local Celtics offer summer camp in Waltham
Bleacher Report Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce's Potential Departure Means Jeff Green Is 'The Guy'

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Happy Birthday to Kevin Garnett and a Few Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Today, Kevin Garnett turns 37 years old.   Every Celtics fan today is wishing him a happy birthday. And, every Celtics fan is also wondering what KG is planning to do this season.   A few days ago, we got the good news that he wouldn't be needing surgery and that the problems he had with his feet at the end of the season should heal with rest. Not having to face a grueling rehab from surgery on both feet is definitely good news.

We learned that Danny hasn't contacted Garnett as yet because he doesn't have the answers to the questions that KG is sure to ask. I'm thinking that the first question is going to be whether Paul Pierce will be returning for another year.   We all know that Danny has a tough choice to make.   He has to decide before June 30 whether to exercise the option to buy The Captain's contract out for the $5 million buyout option or whether to try trading Pierce to get something of value for him.    All of that will have to be decided before KG makes his decision on whether to return.

As I stated in the post on the mock drafts, the majority of drafts see the Celtics going with another big man. We already have Fab Melo who still needs more time to develop his game. And, we have Sully, who will be returning from back surgery, and who showed tremendous potential before the surgery put an and to his rookie season.   Here is a little tidbit from CSNNE on the bond that KG has forged with Sullinger.

The rookie continued his mentorship with Kevin Garnett, who quickly took him under his wing as a student of the game during training camp.

"He still helps me out," said Sullinger. "We're constantly talking. Defensively, offensively, he keeps me in tune what the team has, what we need to do, what we don't need to do."

KG's value to the team goes way beyond his contributions on the court. His very presence gives the team a swagger. His advice and mentoring is priceless for the young bigs who will be counted on to lead the team in the next generation. Even if Danny needs to bring Paul Pierce back for one more go round to keep KG, I'm leaning in that direction. But KG must have help in manning the middle so that he can go back to his preferred power forward position. Let's face it, at 37, as much as he'd like to, he can't do it all any more.

So, today, I say Happy Birthday Kevin Garnett! And, I will blow out the candles on the cake and wish for another year with KG on the Celtics. I'm not ready for the Kevin Garnett era to be over in Boston. Hopefully, he isn't either.

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When It Comes to the Draft, No One Has a Clue

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:52:00 +0000

I spent much of the day watching the draft combine. The Celtics have just one pick in this draft, barring Danny making a trade or buying another pick, as he did when the Celtics nabbed Rondo. That 16th pick is the Celtics highest since KG joined the team. Danny's draft history in those 5 years has been mixed. Last year, he got a player who showed a great deal of promise in Jared Sullinger and who should be much better this season with the back issues behind him. The jury is still out on Fab Melo, who showed some flashes but who also is still very raw.

In 2011, Danny chose MarShon Brooks who was immediately traded for JaJuan Johnson, who spent most of last season in the D-League after being included in the trade for Courtney Lee. In taking Johnson, Danny passed on Norris Cole, Jimmy Butler, and Chandler Parsons, all of whom have been contributing to playoff teams this season. In 2010, Danny got another good player who has been a solid contributor in Avery Bradley with the 19th pick. In 2009, the Celtics had no first round picks.

In 2008, the Celtics chose JR Giddens with the 30th pick. Danny passed over Nikola Pekovic, Mario Chalmers, DeAndre Jordan, Omer Asik, and Goran Dragic to take Giddens, who has been playing overseas. As we can see, Danny's draft picks have been hit or miss. For every good pick like Sully or Avery there is a Johnson or a Giddens, who failed to pan out. Hopefully with the 16th pick, he can get someone who can help the team right away. After all, it's not all that far outside of the lottery.

According to SI's Chris Mannix, Danny may be looking to move up in the draft. Each team gets 18 interviews at the Draft Combine and many of the players that the Celtics have met with are considered to be lottery picks and are expected to be gone before the Celtics make their pick at 16. Of course, he could be hoping that one of them will make a Sully-like fall, or he could be looking to move up as being rumored. The Herald reported Danny's thoughts on the subject:

“We’re always having discussions about moving up and moving down and moving out,” said Ainge. “That’s just like every other year. But I don’t know what the chances are of that happening.”

He feels confident the Celts will have choices to make regarding deals involving picks.

“Sure, I think I will have chances,” Ainge said. “It’s always about what price you’ve got to pay to do that — and what are you going to get for that, of course. But there will probably be a lot of discussion, because this draft isn’t as star-studded as some other drafts.

“I think there are good players. There’s just not franchise changers. I’m just hoping we can find a good player.”

As for the draft itself, I checked out 38 different mock drafts. It seems as though everyone is making a mock draft these days. There are the more credible ones like Chad Ford's mock on ESPN Insider and Draft.net and Draft Xpress and then there are a couple that you wonder what planet they are living on when they have the Celtics picking Nerlens Noel or Trey Burke at 16. Somehow, I don't see those guys dropping that far in any scenario.

Of the 38 mocks, there were 17 different players mentioned as possible picks for the Celtics at #16. Most of the mocks have the Celtics going big, with a few suggesting point guards and a few others going with shooting guards or small forwards. Here is the list of players and the number of mocks that listed them as the Celtics possible pick.

Kelly Olynyk 7'0" Center, Gonzaga (6)
Rudy Gobert 7'1" Center, France (6)
Mason Plumlee 6'10" PF/C, Duke (4)
Dario Saric, 6'10" Forward, Croatia (3)
Tony Mitchell 6'8" PF, North Texas (3)
Dennis Schroeder 6'1" PG, Braunschweig (3)
Steven Adams 7'0" Center, Pitt (2)
Archie Goodwin 6'5" SG, Kentucky (2)
Mike Muscala 6'11" Center, Bucknell (1)
Jamaal Franklin 6'5" SG, San Diego St (1)
Lorenzo Brown 6'5" PG/SG, NC State (1)
Kentavious Caldwell 6'5" SG, So Georgia (1)
Gorgui Dieng 6'11" Center, Louisville (1)
Isaiah Austin 7'0" Center, Baylor (1)
Glenn Robinson 6'6" Forward, Michigan (1)
Trey Burke 6'0" PG, Michigan (1)
Nerlens Noel 6'10" PF/C, Kentucky (1)

The Celtics met with five prospects Wednesday at the Combine: Indiana’s Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo, Duke’s Mason Plumlee, French League center Rudy Gobert (who has a 7'8.5" wingspan), and NBADL standout Glen Rice Jr. Oladipo, who is considered one of the best defenders in the draft, is not likely to drop to 16 and the fact that Danny met with him is one of the reasons for speculation that the Celtics are looking to move up in the draft. The Celtics also met with 7'1" Maryland center Alex Len who, in spite of having ankle surgery, is also expected to go in the top 10 picks.

Another surprising interview was Nerlens Noel, a Boston native who lists the Celtics as his favorite team, KG as his idol, and getting alley oops from Rondo a dream come true. While Noel certainly won't be around when the Celtics pick at 16, this adds fuel to the fire that Danny is looking to move up.

So, given all of the above, I have come to the conclusion that no one really knows what will happen in the draft. It's always been an inexact science in that you never know if a player's game will translate from college to the pros and there are always the injury concerns as well (see Greg Oden). It would seem that predicting the draft is quite the inexact science as well. After the lottery and the workouts I'm sure there will be some leaks and the mocks will come closer together. But for now, who knows? It seems that your guess is as good as mine, or any one of the 38 mock drafts, for that matter.

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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' Daily Links - 5/18

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Herald Execs split on C’s chances
Rest assured, no surgery for KG
Globe A collision of Celtics nostalgia and reality
Celtics Green Ainge Making Decisions With One Hand Tied Behind His Back
A Few Summer League Notes
Stephen A Smith Stirring Things Up Yet Again
No Surgery Needed for KG
CelticsBlog Ainge elaborates on comments about Pierce and Garnett
2013 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Gorgui Dieng
Celtics may be looking to move up in NBA draft

Celtics Life Karl on the Kayak Episode 7- Featuring Dan the Camera Man
Projected top pick Nerlens Noel interviews with Celtics
ESPN Satisfaction guaranteed?
Report Card: Chris Wilcox
Lex Nihil Novi Sidney Wicks Drops 35 & 15 as C's Dump Bucks
Cowens' 33 Goes for Naught, as DJ and the Sonics Prevail
Celtic Nation What Went Wrong? A Quick Recap of the 2013 Season
CLNS Radio Exploring the Celtics' Trade Options for Paul Pierce
Red's Army Greg Oden comeback update: He looks unbelievable
What do we do with… Brandon Bass?
Your Morning Dump… No surgery for Kevin Garnett
CSNNE Bass ready to go to work on his game this summer
Should the Celtics sign Greg Oden?
NESN Report: Celtics Assistant G.M. Mike Zarren Turned Down Sixers’ General Manager Job
Celtics Share Old Footage of Tony Allen Touring Whole Foods to Celebrate Grizzlies’ Playoff Win
Celtics Town Washburn: Paul Pierce’s family is preparing for relocation
Green Street What Doc Rivers’ return means to the Celtics
Mass Live 2013 NBA Draft: Boston Celtics potentially looking to move up?
Celtics Hub Danny Ainge is Waiting on Talking Future with Kevin Garnett

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No Surgery Needed for KG

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Sat, 18 May 2013 02:59:00 +0000

Kevin Garnett will not need surgery on his foot/ankle. Medical staff thinks rest will solve the problem.
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) May 17, 2013

According to the Herald's Steve Bulpett, KG won't need the rumored surgery to remove the bone spurs from his ankles as had been previously reported. This is good news, as long as the rest takes care of it and doesn't just put a bandaid on the problem only to see it surface again next season if he comes back. But surgery is never good and so this is good news.

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Stephen A Smith Stirring Things Up Yet Again

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:10:00 +0000

We all know that Stephen A Smith loves the sound of his own voice. First we had Stephen A predicting a trade of KG, Paul Pierce AND Doc to the Clippers. Um. I'm trying to remember the last time a coach was traded. None come to mind. Of course he probably meant that the Clippers would trade for KG and the Captain with the assurance that Doc would leave the Celtics and come coach their team. At least, that's what I THINK he may have meant. With Stephen A, who knows?

No sooner had that rumor died down somewhat, with most people counting it out as being ridiculous with zero chance of happening, then he started a rumor that the Nets were actively recruiting Doc Rivers. That one didn't get much traction. Doc has 3 years remaining on his contract with Boston and other than a quick word after the Celtics were eliminated, hasn't addressed next year as yet.

Doc's not at the draft combine with the Celtics' brain trust, which fueled a few rumors. While many coaches choose to skip the pre-draft camp, that didn't stop rumor mongers like Stephen A from speculating. Doc has a very good reason for not being there, however. He suffered a pulled hamstring playing tennis on Mother’s Day. “I laugh because it’s kind of funny, but it’s not,” said Ainge. “It’s pretty bad.”

More After the Jump

Danny came out yesterday and stated that Doc would definitely be back next year. Today, Stephen A was back with more speculation. From an article on ESPN, we get this:

“According to my sources, Doc Rivers has intimated to people he’s close to that (leaving the Celtics) was something that he thought about, in terms of moving forward. As far as I’m concerned, he’s still thinking about it,” Smith said. “But he is under contract with Boston. Boston would have to let him out of his contract and give him permission to talk to somebody else, and I’m not sure he’s that willing. It would have to be a great, great opportunity.”

And, the fact that Danny gave a definite statement that Doc is returning didn't slow Stephen A down in the least as he added this:

“I mean no disrespect to Danny Ainge, he’s a champion as an executive ... but nobody is coming to Boston to play for him. They come to play for Doc Rivers, that’s just a fact.

“So if Danny Ainge wants to maintain his status as a legit executive this game, it would behoove him to keep Doc Rivers happy and keep Doc Rivers in Boston. Because the day that changes is the day that a lot of guys ain’t going to be too willing to come to Boston to play for Danny Ainge.”

It's definitely going to be an interesting off season.

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Ainge Making Decisions With One Hand Tied Behind His Back

noreply@blogger.com (bballee) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:38:00 +0000

or "We don't know where we're going, but we're making good time."

I am amazed not to have seen any discussion of the terrible handicap under which Danny Ainge is working. Ainge finds himself facing an off-season that proffers wildly disparate outcomes ranging from adding one rookie to the fourteen players now under contract, to turning over the majority of the roster. Yet he is hampered by a built in delay, perhaps a long delay that may stretch until long after most moves of the off-season should have been completed.

It is widely acknowledged that the first domino, and one likely setting the direction of this summer’s activity, is resolving the Kevin Garnett conundrum. Now this is not a novel situation. For several years there has been a question at the end of each season as to whether this immensely talented, professional, and proud Hall-of-Famer would return game to which he has given, and meant, so much. His off-season training regimen is legendary for its incessant and grueling nature. On the court he is a force of nature, but we only get hints of the extent of his daily preparations during the season to enable him to drive his aging body to the frenzied levels that he demands of himself. This season we’ve gotten circuitous (certainly not something this consummate professional would trot out as an alibi) hints of bone spurs in both ankles, and yet he rages on through the pain (something with which I have personal, and vivid, experience—and a pair of crutches in the back of the closet).

This off-season will entail, in addition to his 100-thousand mile checkup and service, shaving those bone spurs. The rehab will be lengthy and his usual summer torture will be on hold initially and severely curtailed for weeks if not months even when he is able to resume activity. We know that this proud warrior will be loath to return to the court if he cannot perform up to his enormously high standards. It seems to me that he will not really know if, or maybe whether, he can return at a level he demands of himself—not until August or September, perhaps not until November. So if Danny’s direction depends upon that Garnett domino, one that may not fall for months, what is Ainge to do?

Consider just how divergent are the paths depending upon Garnett’s availability. If you knew today that Garnett would be in uniform next season, what course would you chart for the Celtics the next four months? And if not, what direction would your plan take? As my old math professor used to say, the solution is non-trivial.

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A Few Summer League Notes

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:12:00 +0000

It's awhile until Summer League starts but without the playoffs for the Celtics, there isn't a lot else to think about. Last year, with 3 new rookies, the Celtics took in both Orlando and Vegas, but they have announced that they will be going to just the Orlando Summer League this year.

Jared Sullinger has little to prove and so would be best served by continuing his rehab and I don't believe we will see him in Summer League. Fab Melo, who spent the majority of last season in Maine, still looks raw and will be of particular interest to watch in this year's Summer League. The Celtics also have the 16th pick in the draft and whichever player the Celtics draft should be in Summer League, providing Danny doesn't draft someone who is injured.

The Celtics signed 3 players from China at the end of last season and the team has an option for all 3 for this season and we may see Shavlik Randolph, Terrence Williams and DJ White in Summer League as the Celtics determine which, if any will return for the 2013-14 season.

In addition, there have been a couple other players reported to be joining the Celtics in Orlando. According to David Pick, ex-Detroit Mercy PF-C Eli Holman, who registers double-double stats in Israel and former NC-State swingman Courtney Fells, now competing in Israeli playoffs will both be joining the Celtics Summer League entry in Orlando.

Vegas Summer League will be July 12-22 but I haven't seen any dates for Orlando yet. We'll keep you up to date as more information becomes available.

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First Domino: Doc to Return for 10th Season as Celtics Coach

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:37:00 +0000

Danny Ainge confirms that Doc Rivers is returning next season as #celtics coach. "We've got a coach everybody would love to have."
— gary washburn (@GwashNBAGlobe) May 16, 2013

According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Doc Rivers will return for his 10th season as the Boston Celtics coach for the 2013-14 season. Doc has 3 years remaining on a 5 year contract he signed in 2011. Danny's statement that we have a coach that everyone would love to have rings true considering the rumors that the Clippers and Nets, among others, were hoping to make a run at Rivers this off season should he consider leaving the Celtics.

There is always the hope that playing for Doc is also a recruiting tool as Danny tries to lure free agents to Boston in this off season. The biggest questions for this team still remain, however. Danny has said he still hasn't talked to KG as to which way he is leaning about coming back for another season because he's not prepared to answer the questions that KG is sure to ask. The first question has to be whether Paul Pierce will return to the team. But, for now, we know that Doc will be back and the first domino didn't fall, it was left standing, which really wasn't a big surprise.

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NBA All Defensive Team

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:01:00 +0000

Well, I've taken my week or so off after the Celtics' season ended to recover and now it's time to cover the offseason and look toward next season. I'll begin with my favorite subject in all of basketball - DEFENSE. The NBA announced the All Defensive team today and one Celtic and one former Celtic made the list. And, yes, I know that KG didn't make either team but this picture just says "Defense" like no other.

Former Celtic (and unrestricted free agent this off season) Tony Allen topped the list with 53 points, beating out LeBron James by 1 point. Others joining them on the first team are Serge Ibaka (46), Chris Paul (37), Joakim Noah (24) and Tyson Chandler (24).

Celtic defensive ace, Avery Bradley, made the second team with 25 points. Joining him on the second team are Paul George (27), Tim Duncan (20), Mike Conley (19) and Marc Gasol (12). It seems exceedingly odd to me that the Defensive Player of the Year, Marc Gasol, was on the second team, with the lowest point total of all players. Seems like the voting for these two awards should go hand in hand and if they don't, maybe the voting for one or the other should be changed. No other Celtics received votes. This is Avery's first All Defensive Team appearance but I'm sure it won't be his last.

As a side note, for just the second time in the past 14 years, Kevin Garnett was not selected to the All Defensive Team. KG is tied with Kobe Bryant, who also did not make the team, for the most All-Defensive Teams in NBA history. Both KG and Kobe have made 9 First Teams and 3 Second Teams.

Here is the list of players who received votes but didn't make the team.
Andre Iguodala, Denver, 16; Larry Sanders, Milwaukee, 16; Thabo Sefolosha, Oklahoma City, 15; Luol Deng, Chicago, 11; Dwight Howard, L.A. Lakers, 9; Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 6; Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 6; Kenneth Faried, Denver, 4; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City, 4; Shane Battier, Miami, 2; Nicolas Batum, Portland, 2; Corey Brewer, Denver, 2; George Hill, Indiana, 2; Mike James, Dallas, 2; Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio, 2; Tony Parker, San Antonio, 2; Dwyane Wade, Miami, 2; Metta World Peace, L.A. Lakers, 2; Eric Bledsoe, L.A. Clippers, 1; Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, 1; Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia, 1; Andrei Kirilenko, Minnesota, 1; Iman Shumpert, New York, 1; David West, Indiana, 1.

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Comments from the Other Side - Miami Heat Game 1 Bonus Edition 5/6

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:23:00 +0000

It's always fun to see the Miami bandwagon fans melt down after a loss. It's so funny to see them complain about the officiating when they get the benefit of the calls 99.9% of the time. In a game where the opponent took just 4 free throws more than them, they are certain that the game was fixed. They are used to getting all the calls and when a crew calls is somewhat evenly they feel cheated. And they go from LeBron is the GOAT to a choker. Too funny Enjoy!

I expect Miami to win this series in 4 or 5 games.

God I hate the Bulls and especially Noah and Nate. It would be such a pleasure seeing them whooped by us. I hope it would be an entertaining sweep

Blow these mother****ers out!

I hate the bulls sooooo much cant stand them and their overrated star rose I really hope we can win in 4

D'Rose latest excuse for not playing is that he has "muscle memory" so he won't even play

Heat win big tonight.... They ended our streak.....lets end their season

Make a statement.

LeBron the GOAT

Statue erected for Derrick Rose:

Well rested Heat vs limping club. Heat wins by 20.

It's not the philosophia of coach Thib to give up a game but man does he really think he will push Nate Robinson and Jimmy Butler with heavy minutes for the first game when Deng and Hinrich are out ?

Haslem is so bad.

Bosh getting killed by a one leg Noah

We getting killed by the refs

Welp... On pace for 8 points

Battier... Is still Crappier

Early foul trouble for Bulls :)

15 points has to be the lowest ever. 5 for 19. And its only a 6 point game... Bulls fans are excited, they just don't know yet

The Miami Heat machine is just getting started baby!!!!

Pick your poison. Let Bron have free reign in the paint, or give our 3 point guys room at the arc.

Wade is feeling it now Just pull the plug on the bulls already

Birdman outhustled by one foot Noah unacceptable

The heat just looked like the globetrotters And the bulls.. The generals

The key to guarding Nate Robinson: Give him open shots he'll miss them, he makes the difficult ones.

ARE THESE REFS NEW????? That clear path is BS

I feel bad for Nate Imagine a 270 pound, freakishly fast man diving at full speed and colliding with you, 2 days after another large man stepped on your head?

Nate is out with a “LeBron sat on my head”

Battier retire plz

Imagine if the Bulls were fully healthy OH GOD WHAT A NIGHTMARE !!!

Pathetic performance by LeBron.... Worst I've seen him play.

LeBron and especially soft as charmin Bosh need to wake the F up.

Wade cries too much! He should stfu and get back on defense

Boshzilla time.

Nate looks like a little kid next to Andersen.

Mad respect though, dude should get more than a vet min contract next year ..wherever he plays

Ha! Derrick rose may lose his roster spot to Robinson, the way nate is going =)

Lebron never shoots at the end of the half BC he doesn't want to hurt his FG%

He loves his stats, there's no doubt about It.

why the heck are the heat still struggling vs this depleted bulls team?/.It just baffles me how these scrubs always play over their heads when they play the heat.

Imo the Bulls probably have the best coaching in basketball. They always overachieve because of it.

There not scrubs.

Maybe they should have handed the MVP to little Nate!

Chalmers is so bad plz spo bench him

Wow these refs are unreal

We stop Nate in the 4th, we win the game.

Refs are keeping them in it. Looks like Stern wants this to be a Bulls win.

Man I ***ing hate Spo sometimes. Wade is leading the charge and he takes him out......

This is LeBrons problem. When he is struggling he doesn't impose his will on the game. He looks so passive out there. 5 points almost going into the 4th?

Jimmy Butler is owning LeBron right now....

Lebron James is UNREAL... Can you believe there were doubters on the forums and in chat???????? LOOOOOL He's taking over!

...Screw these refs MAN!!!!

Chicago getting away with fouls in the paint as usual.

I was about to say I don't like this small lead (lead is gone) I hate spo! Why birdman, battier, Cole, miller not playing?

They are in our head !

Pathetic man. We just can't shake these guys. Wade has been so bad in this 4th and Bosh is the invisible big once again.

Tom Thiboddeau is out coaching Spo.

Someone needs to tell these officials that its not their job to keep the Bulls in the game. So one sided.

What a choke..... SMFH. This sucks.

THE EASTERN CONFERENCE - WHERE DEFENSE AND UGLY MEET

This is crazy... Fouls for the Heat

23 free throws for the Heat, 25 for the Bulls when the Heat are penalized more than the other team and get fewer free throws, that’s further evidence that David Stern is rigging this game for the Heat, right?

5 on Noah.

Kick NOah out of the game - thug!

If we lose this game I'm gonna be so ****ing pissed there is so reason to lose to this depleted team

Bosh stinking up the joint

wade your a ****ing joke

Wade is so ****ing dumb!

*** YOU WADE

Seriously. Chalmers is a waste of space

Now this is ***ing going to be an incredibly tough series that we could possibly lose. Wade is the anti thesis of clutch now.

We deserved this one

If the Heat can’t handle Chicago playing shorthanded playing this way, they’d get embarrassed by Indy.

This is NOT a championship team and this team WILL Lose to the Bulls in 6 games you heard it here first.

Love Chicago coach for always yelling his players while spo can't.

I'm just disgusted beyond belief right now

Brother disgusted is not the word this Heat team made the city look bad tonight playing against a bunch of scrubs.

HOW CAN A SCRUB TEAM LIKE BULLS HAVE MORE FTS THAN THE HEAT REALLY REFS PITIED THEM

Miami looked liked the scrub team tonight, but Heat can't get cocky if they want to win. If they go in thinking they are the best I could see them losing if you have followed the playoffs you would know Bulls are damn good and have been good.

This Heat team is full of Divas, I saw this coming. But right now really Spurs look like the team that will win the NBA title, coaching is important and we don't have one.

The winner of game 1 wins the series like eighty-something percent of the time.

We sucked. Plain and simple. We got out-coached, out-rebounded, and out-hustled.

It was a SELFISH play by WADE.. He is too SELFISH whining at the refs instead of back checking and trying to be the hero with a 3pt? HOW MANY 3s did he make this year I DON'T REMEMBER A SINGLE ONE! And now he wants to be a hero with a crucial possession and throw up a 3????????

I still cant believe we lost to these bums, damn we suck

idk about you guys, but im almost fed up with bosh

Bosch is no longer a star He never seems to come big, he is just a so so player.

He never was a star.

Lebron being a passive ***** for the first 3 quarters Bosh always is a ***** could of fouled out Noah Wade by far the worst ball IQ I have ever seen Butler made him his ***** **** I'm so ****ing pissed right now

If Chalmers and Bosh continue to suck I don't see us doing any better against the Bulls.

So the MVP chokes and quits all in the same game He is who we thought he was

Kevin durant still a better player than Le bumb.

LVP of the game was Chris Anderson Chris Anderson had 1 rebound and 3 points easily being the least valuable player of the game.

We are getting swept.

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KG May Have Off Season Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Mon, 06 May 2013 02:25:00 +0000

Kevin Garnett missed several games down the stretch to rest a foot that was swollen. Doc let it slip that he had bone spurs. He played valiantly in the Celtics first round series against the Knicks. He averaged 12.7 points and 13.7 rebounds in the post season and played more than 40 minutes in game 6. There has never been a doubt that KG is tough or that he is a warrior.

Jackie MacMullen included this little bit of information in her recent ESPN article.

Team sources said KG might undergo offseason surgery to shave down the bone spurs in his ankles, an operation that is not viewed as a major procedure. Two of his teammates privately speculated he is considering retirement. "I have no clue," Doc admitted. "I was positive last year [he was coming back]. I'm not as sure this year."

Surgery on both ankles, regardless of whether it is major or minor surgery is a pretty big deal. KG has said that his decision to return will be tied up with Paul Pierce and whether he returns, but I have a feeling that the surgeries and rehab may figure into it somewhat as well. KG is a very proud and intense player and I have no doubt that if he has the slightest feeling that he won't be able to play at a high level, he will choose to retire.

[Discuss on CG Forums!]

Underrated Stat of the Night - Game 6

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Niemuth) — Sat, 04 May 2013 01:58:00 +0000

Before I start talking, I must say that there won't be a USOTN tonight. Does it really matter who didn't get enough credit? No, because the season's over and the Celtics are faced with a future of darkness. This loss was so depressing that I can't even care about it. This is just last year all over again.

The main reason why I'm so upset: all this. I love writing on this site. It's been a daily thing for months now. It's just become a part of my life. But now it's gone. I gotta pack up and wait 'till next year.

Before I shut off my phone and ignore the outside world again, I'm gonna go ahead and thank everybody else on this site. The readers, the other writers. Big thanks to FLCeltsFan and Loyalist for giving me this opportunity. My dream in life is to one day writer professionally for a major newspaper. I hope that one day someone well known will look down on my little profile here, and say there's talent in this 13-year old. But right now my place is here, and that's how it's staying. Again, I can't thank everyone here enough for what they've done for me. I know I'll constantly think about my experience here during the offseason, so don't be surprised if a random, "hey, what's up" post comes out of the blue. So, I'll guess I'll be back in Summer League. Until then, good bye.

Live Game Updates - Game 6

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Niemuth) — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:05:00 +0000

7:42: Tonight's first quarter is making me wanna puke. In case you haven't seen, the Celtics trail after 12 minutes, 24-10. They are putting no effort on either side of the court. Bye bye momentum. The C's don't want if.

8:24: At halftime, the Celtics still trail 39-27. At one point in the second quarter, this team was down by 18. After a 10-0 run, they got to within 8. But after that, the will to win vanished. They need to try in te second half.

9:13: Well, now it's 67-47 going into the last quarter. Period.

9:55: Despite rallying in the final quarter, the Celtics lost tonight 88-80. What a year it has been. I'm gonna really miss watching this team play. But on the bright side, now we can watch all the baseball we want.

5 Things Celtics must do to win tonight - Game 6

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Niemuth) — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:48:00 +0000

Tonight, the Celtics will look to even up their series with the Knicks when they play what could be their final game at the TD Garden this season. The Celtics have been in complete control in these last two games, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Right now, the Celtics are the better team. They have more experience and more momentum. I'll be shocked if they drop this one. Here are tonight's five things:

5. ONLY PLAY THE SEVEN GUYS:
On Wednesday, the Celtics only played seven guys the whole game. That strategy is a genius one that I want to see used again. If they do do that, they will win this game easily.

4. KEEP LETTING TERRY SHOOT THREES:
In Game Five, Jason Terry scored a productive seventeen points on six-of-sixteen shooting. 15 of those points came on three pointers. If he's making them, let him take more.

3. CUT BACK ON PIERCE'S SHOT AMOUNT:
In New York, Paul Pierce scored a nice 16 points on 6/19 shooting. The 16 points sounds good, but not the thirteen missed shots. He needs to pass the ball just a little more.

2. MORE SHOTS FOR GREEN:
While Jeff Green did lead the Celtics with 18 points on Wednesday, he only shot the ball 8 times. So imagine what he could do with 20 shot opportunities. He'd probably put up Lebron-like numbers.

1. LEAD AT HALFTIME:
The team that leads at halftime obviously has a better chance of winning than the team that trails. If the Celtics can get any lead halftime, even if it's just 1 point, they will have a huge advantage in the second half against a very nervous Knicks team.

Tip-off for this one will be at 7:00 pm ET. You can see it on CSN-NE and ESPN.

Preview and Official Report - Knicks Game 6 5/3

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:02:00 +0000

   at
New York Knicks (3-2) at Boston Celtics (2-3)
Friday, May 3, 2013
7:00 PM ET
Playoff Game #6, Home Game #3
TV: ESPN, NBAC, CSNNE, MSG
TD Garden
Referees:   Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy, Bennett SalvatoreThe Celtics continue their quest to become the first team in NBA history to come back from being down 0-3 to win a series. Doc looked to the 2004 Red Sox for inspiration for the Celtics comeback hopes. The Red Sox comeback is legendary in Boston. It helps that it was against another hated New York team, the Yankees. After losing the first three games of the series, the Red Sox won 4 straight to beat the Yankees and went on to sweep St. Louis to win the World Series.

Not only has no team come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series, but only three times in NBA history has a team rallied from an 0-3 deficit to even force a game 7 in a series. The Knicks did it in 1951 against the Rochester Royals, the Denver Nuggets came back against Utah in `94 and Portland did against Dallas in 2003. None were able to capitalize and win that 7th game, however.

The 2004 Red Sox title win ended an 86-year title drought so at least the Celtics haven't waited that long. The Knicks have to be feeling some pressure after allowing the Celtics to win the last 2 games, one of which was on their home court. They haven't won a playoff series since 2000, and their last championship came in 1973. Since it was the NY Yankees that the Red Sox came back to beat in 2004, the Knicks are also painfully aware of this story and are trying to use it as a motivation themselves to not repeat their baseball brethren's collapse. The Celtics have the pressure of needing to win to keep their season alive, but they have the momentum after winning the last two games.

The Knicks did a lot of trash talking before game 5. JR Smith said that the Celtics only won because he wasn't playing in game 4 and also denied knowing who Jason Terry is.   Kenyon Martin talked about giving the Celtics a funeral in game 5 and they all wore black funeral clothes to the game. The Celtics refused to respond before the game, preferring to concentrate on basketball. Jordan Crawford, who didn't play in game 5, caused a skirmish after the game and hopefully that won't fire up the Knicks going into game 6. The Celtics need to once again concentrate on basketball and force game 7.

Probable Starting Matchups
Probable Starters
Point Guard
vs
Avery Bradley vs Pablo Prigioni

Shooting Guard
vs
Paul Pierce vs Raymond Felton

Small Forward
vs
Jeff Green vs Iman Shumpert

Power Forward
vs
Brandon Bass vs Carmelo Anthony

Center
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Tyson Chandler

Celtics Reserves
Shavlik Randolph
Courtney Lee
Terrence Williams
Jason Terry
DJ White
Jordan Crawford
Chris Wilcox
Fab Melo

Injuries
Rajon Rondo (knee) out
Jared Sullinger (back) out

Knicks Reserves
James White
Quinton Richardson
Steve Novak
Jason Kidd
Kenyon Martin
JR Smith
Marcus Camby

Injuries
Amar'e Stoudemire (knee) out

Keys to the Game
Bench Play - In game 5, Doc went just 7 deep with Jason Terry and Terrence Williams the only reserves he played. Both played well, combining for 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, and most importantly, Williams handled the ball well against the Knicks pressure and also played some good defense. It would be great to get a bit more from the bench so as not to burn out the starters.

Defense - Defense wins championships and the Celtics ability to win this game will once again depend on their ability to get stops. The Celtics must once again stay on the Knicks shooters beyond the arc as if they get hot, they can bury you with 3 pointers. They also have to defend the paint to keep them from getting easy scores at the basket.

Execution on Offense - The Celtics have improved their execution on offense in the past 2 games. They have to continue to move the ball and find the open man. They also have to make smart passes and limit turnovers as the Knicks are very good at scoring off of them.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to win the 50-50 balls. They must be more aggressive in diving for loose balls, going for rebounds, and driving to the basket. The more aggressive team usually gets the benefit of the calls and also usually wins the game. We know the Knicks are going to be aggressive and try to close out the series and the Celtics must be more so. The Celtics simply must want this game more than the Knicks.

Rebound - The Celtics must make an effort to crash the boards and win the rebounding battle. They can limit the Knicks second chance points as well as their fast breaks by beating them to the rebounds. It is crucial for every player to fight for rebounds.

X-Factors
Home Court, Heart and Officiating
This game is going to come down to heart. How much do the Celtics really want this game. They have played well at home over the season and although they didn't respond to the home crowd in game 3, they won game 4 at home. Now they need to feed off the crowd and once again, dig deep to try to force a game 7 and keep their playoff hopes alive.

After seeing the officiating crew, this becomes an X-Factor. All 3 officials can be good and they can also be very bad, depending on whether they have an agenda in a particular game. We have to hope for the best but be ready to play 5 on 8 if necessary.

Official Report

Ken Mauer

Veteran NBA official Ken Mauer has officiated 1,545 regular season, 132 playoff, and 10 Finals games during his 26-season career. He was also a member of the crew that officiated the 1993 Europe Tour in London and the 2005 Denver All- Star game. Mauer’s resume includes six years of CBA officiating experience, nine years of collegiate officiating experience and 12 years of high school officiating experience in Minnesota. After spending most of his life in Minnesota, Mauer has settled in Ft. Myers, Fla. where he can still watch his cousin, Joe Mauer, with the Twins in spring training. Mauer was a three sport athlete in college at Minnesota where in 1977 he recieved All Big 10 baseball honors.

Mauer is very quick to call technicals and in one game, once ejected Doc less than 3 minutes into a game, and that was before the new "Respect the Game" rules. In a recent Timberwolves game he might have set the record by calling 5 technicals in a 10 second span. Just what we need, another Tech- happy ref. The Celtics have to be on their best behavior with Mauer calling the game.

Mauer was one of the refs charged with tax evasion and obstructing federal tax laws for receiving substantial taxable income from 1989 through 1994 and failing to declare it. He was one of the refs in the controversial Miami/Dallas Finals where the foul calls were totally lopsided, giving the Heat the title. In a Suns/OKC game last season, Mauer told Zabian Dowdell not to be a bitch about the calls. Dowdell asked him if he'd say that off the court and Mauer ejected him from the game for it.

The Celtics are 1-3 this season and 4-6 in their last 10 games with Mauer officiating. In 3 games last season he let both teams play and the officiating was good. In one loss to the Hawks last season, 18 fouls were called on the Celtics and 8 on the Hawks and the officiating was terrible. In his last game for the Celtics last season, ECF Game 2 vs the Heat, the Heat shot 47 free throws to 29 for the Celtics. He failed to call a foul on Wade for hitting Rondo in the head on a layup even though he was in position to see it clearly. He also failed to call a foul on Wade for kicking KG who was going up for a layup when he was again the ref in position to do so. He called a questionable clear path foul on Pietrus. Pierce fouled out on a very questionable call, joining Pietrus and Dooling with 6 fouls. LeBron James took 24 free throws himself. The first loss this season was in OT to the Bucks who shot 36 free throws to 20 for the Celtics. They refused to call an intentional foul at the end to stop the clock. They also ignored an elbow by Ilyasova to Green's head that left him on the floor and injured, even through Mauer was right there and saw the play.

It's tough to know which Mauer will show up - the good one that lets them play or the bad one that tries to control the game and make it about himself. The second loss was to New Orleans where the Hornets shot 31 free throws to 16 for the Celtics and the officiating wasn't bad in spite of the free throw disparity. The third loss was to the Hawks who shot 36 free throws to 20 for the Celtics and the officiating was terrible and biased toward the Hawks the entire game, especially in OT. The only win with Mauer this season was against the Raptors where the Celtics shot 35 free throws to 19 for the Raptors and the calls seemed to favor the Celtics. The Knicks are 2-1 this season and 4-6 in the last 10 games with Mauer. His home W/L record this season is 44-24.

Ed Malloy

Malloy has officiated 629 regular season NBA games and 32 playoff games, including three Finals games, over the past 10 seasons. Prior to joining the NBA, Malloy officiated for one season in the NBA D-League, three seasons in the CBA and three seasons in the WNBA. He worked the 2002 NBA D-League Finals and the 2001 CBA Finals. Malloy attended St. Joseph’s University before transferring to Philadelphia University, where he was a member of the basketball team and named the ECAC Player of the Year in 1993 and went on to earn a degree in Marketing. While in high school at Cardinal O’Hara, he was named the 1989 Most Outstanding Player in Philadelphia for his achievements on the basketball court. Ed Malloy joins Tim Donaghy, Duke Callahan and Joe Crawford as referees who graduated from Cardinal O'hara HS in Philly.

In 2003, when Doc was with Orlando, Malloy called a technical foul on Andrew DeClercq for staring. Doc called it one of the worst calls he ever saw (boy has he seen a lot worse since then!)and he said that he felt that Malloy had been intimidated all night. Fast forward to the Celtics game in Utah two seasons ago when Malloy, no longer intimidated, called 2 quick technicals on Doc and ejected him. Here is Doc's version of those calls.

“I just told Ed [Malloy], please keep officiating the game,” said Rivers. “That’s all I said. I thought the play before [the technical] was a clear travel in front of him. So I just said, ‘Hey Ed, it’d be nice if you’d keep officiating throughout.’ He gave me a tech. Then I said, ‘That’s the best call you’ve made all night.’ Usually, it’s nice to earn them, but [Monday's technicals were] another bad call.”

Malloy was also on the crew that officiated game 1 of the Miami series in the 2010 playoffs where 5 technicals were called and Kevin Garnett was ejected. He also officiated game 1 of the Heat series in 2011. In that game, after ignoring a flagrant foul by James Jones and then a second flagrant foul by Dwyane Wade, Malloy ejected Pierce for technicals when he objected to both flagrants against him in less than a minute. Last season he called game 2 vs the Hawks in the playoffs. The Celtics shot 31 free throws in that game vs 20 for the Hawks and got the benefit of most close calls. He also called game 5 in the Philly series in which the Celtics shot 33 free throws to 16 for the Sixers and again the Celtics got the benefit of close calls.

The Celtics are 1-4 this season and 4-6 in their last 10 games with Malloy as an official. The first regular season game, after a loss to Brooklyn in the preseason, was the win over the Lakers at home where the Celtics shot 25 free throws to 30 for the Lakers and the officiating wasn't all that bad. The second game was the loss on the road to the Bobcats where the Celtics took 25 free throws to 30 for the Bobcats and the officiating was ok. The last game was the loss at Dallas where the Mavericks took 28 free throws to 27 for the Celtics and the officiating was okay. The most recent loss was to the Raptors where Toronto took 28 free throws to 13 for the Celtics and there were more than a few questionable calls against the Celtics. He can be good and he can be very very bad on any given night. The Knicks are 0-4 this season and 4-6 over their last 10 games with Malloy. He isn't necessarily influenced by the home crowd. His home W/L record is 41-32.

Bennett Salvatore

Bennett Salvatore has been an official in the NBA for the past 30 seasons, and has worked 1,684 regular season and 203 playoff games including 25 NBA Finals games. The veteran official has also worked the 1993 and 2002 NBA All-Star Games, the 1993 McDonald’s Championship in Munich, Germany, and the 1997 Mexico Challenge. Prior to joining the NBA, Salvatore spent two years officiating in the CBA, and also has 10 years officiating high school. Salvatore missed the entire 2011-12 season with an injury.

Salvatore may just be the worst ref in the league, and that is saying a lot. Almost always one team or the other gets an advantage when he is officiating and I'll give you a hint, it usually isn't the Celtics.

Salvatore made one of the most controversial calls in NBA finals history in game 5 of the 2006 finals. The call basically gave the Heat their championship. Here is Bill Simmons' take on the call.

Salvatore called the foul on Wade's final drive in overtime (remember, the call where ABC couldn't find a replay to show that anyone touched him?) even though he was standing at midcourt a full 35-40 feet from the play, and even though two other refs were closer to the play. Not only was that NOT his call, he butchered it.

Another of Salvatore's "butchered" calls was in the 2008 conference finals when he waved off a contested 3-pointer that Paul Pierce had hoisted over Richard Hamilton, inducing Hamilton to leave his feet with a ball fake and land on Pierce's back. Pierce, however, was charged with an offensive foul for creating the contact with Hamilton. It was a terrible call. The thing with Salvatore is you never know what you will get. He can be good but he can also be very, very bad.

The Celtics are 4-0 this season and 8-2 in their last 10 games with Salvatore. The first win this season was over Portland at home in which the Blazers shot 37 free throws to just 20 for the Celtics. The second win was over the Kings where they shot 26 free throws to 20 for the Celtics. The third win was over the Bobcats where Charlotte shot 21 free throws to 20 for the Celtics. The 4th win was against Orlando where the Celtics shot 19 free throws to 15 for the Magic and the refs pretty much let them play. Despite the free throw disparities, the officiating wasn't all that bad in the first 3 games. The Knicks are 3-1 this season and 6-4 in their last 10 games with Salvatore. His home W/L record is 42-25.

[Discuss on CG Forums!]

Comments from the Other Side - Knicks Game 5 5/1

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:36:00 +0000

Knicks fans are hysterical. So boastful and full of themselves at the beginning and all their players are the best ever. They start losing the game and all their players are all losers and should be cut. And when all else fails, blame the refs. Pretty much, the officiating wasn't all that bad in this game. The Knicks shot 3 more free throws than the Celtics but neither team shot all that many and that should tell them that the refs were letting them play. They let a lot of contact go both ways and they missed calls, but again, it went both ways. Knicks fans are just like what they accuse their team of. Talk a lot of trash and then disappear when it gets tough. I remember Celtics fans standing and cheering for the Celtics for almost 5 minutes when their team was getting blown out. Those are fans.

Jason terry and Paul pierce are going to get absolutely decimated into the pieces of **** that they are. F Paul pierce and Jason terry, and kg to. Hitting that open shot from the corner like he has a chance of winning the series. Havr fun on the golf course

Knicks will definitely win this game. Still disappointed we didn't get the sweep.

I will be extremely disappointed if we don't have at least a 15-point lead by the start of the 4th quarter.

Hope jr absolutely abuses terry.

Jr is playing, knicks win, simple as that.

This blackout idea is really dumb. Why are we trying to motivate them for?

Knick fans in here need to stop being a bunch of pansies fearing the elderly Celtics... We will do in game 5 what we should have in game 4..

Really bad news that Joey Crawford is reffing tonight. Really bad.

According to Google, Crawford has a history of screwing over the Celtics as well

No excuses for losing tonight.

It's funny how Joey Crawford strikes more fear into our hearts than anyone on the Celtic roster

**** you Terry. Smiling and ****.

I ****ing hate Terry

I hate terry more than pierce these days

KG looked like a creepy old man or a sewage troll hunched over and walking through the tunnel.

I want Celtics fans to have 0 moments of happiness For the rest of time. So yeah, blowout would be nice.

It would be great If J Kidd in honor of his sportsmanship award just tackled Jason Terry today.

Jason Terry going around and running his mouth like a jackass is irritating. He shows up for one game when his man is out after being terrible for the whole season and suddenly he thinks he’s a post season hero. JR should have elbowed him in the mouth.

I know all about Celtic Pride and the fight of guys like Garnett and Pierce. That said, I think the Knicks are winning by 20.

KILL THEM ALL!!!!

KILL KILL KILL DIE DIE DIE

I'm guessing Celtics decided to try to save their offense for the second half instead today.

They're lost. Completely lost, especially on O It’s over. We have their hearts.

What made people think Avery Bradly is a quality NBA player?

He's a good defender Look up highlights on youtube. That said, he’s pretty underwhelming offensively. He’s also playing out of position.

LOL somebody said Boston would "come out amped" and get off to a quick "9 point lead". LOL not today buddaaayyy

Game over. They won't come back from this deficit.

They can't score for ****. They're not coming back from this

The funeral has begun in full swing. It's not just the death of this season's Celtics; it's the death of the big 3 Celtic era. The Knicks are making history.

Wtf we can't be riskin Ts though I loved seeing KG get thrown to the ground like that lol

OMFG hahah Kenyon knocks KG to the ground and then says to the ref "THAT's a foul"

That's exactly what I wanted to see kmart do...

So, the NBA wouldn't fine Kevin Garnett for obviously flopping, would they? It would be a fitting conclusion to his career.

Fake punk should get an Emmy

Refs generated offense has been more than 50% of their offense this series Unbelievable

Dear Kevin: Hope you didn't hurt your elbow when you used it to strike Kmart in the gut as you flopped

Thanks K Mart. Been waiting for a Knick to clobber that malnourished punk b

I need someone to dunk on Jason Terry

LOL @ this scrub Terry. It only took him 85 games to find his shot so now he's cocky

The Celtics look like they regained their swagger.

When you got a guy as hot as Brandon Bass you need to double or even triple team him.

that's funny

Is it me or does Paul Pierce travel every time he goes to the hoop?

Does Kidd have a concussion?

Hope he's not under the influence

Wow horrible finish to this quarter. 11 point lead down to just 2 and we are lucky were not behind. And to think PP and KG have stunk so far. Bass has saved them

JR Smith should get suspended again

It's sad but Melo is proving he isn't a superstar. Strictly a scorer who can't will his team to a win

This series must end tonight or we're in some deep ****

Celtics should have hung onto Jason Collins, apparently he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Might have beaten the Knicks singlehandedly.

JR should have went golfing today...

I'm fairly certain we just took Boston's best punch and the second half will be bad for them

These dumbasses just let Bradley go coast to coast

Run your mouth but don't back it up...****ing *******s

who's JR?

Enoguh with Melo being a superstar ********. The last 2 games have truly been pathetic. No words for how bad he been. You see why this guy is a career loser. **** this!!!

Refs suck but the Knicks suck worse Just don’t even care. Too busy whining

Are we sure Doc Rivers isn't officiating this game?

I preferred Terry when he missed every time

THIS IS PERFECT! SIMPLY PERFECT! The Knicks were down by as much in the previous blow-outs. This is playingEXACTLY like those games! WE’RE GONNA WIN!

I knew I couldn't trust this team I believe they could finally be good all season long, but these last two games have shown who they really are.

How is that not a tech on Green?!?!

He's not a Knick

Good, Terrence Williams is in the game Now all we need is Jordan Crawford

Only thing that worries me is if a scrub like Crawford goes off. I’m already pissed that Terry is

Jason Terry has easily become my most hated player in the NBA Ugly, arrogant and evangelical, a real triple threat.

Pierce killing us.

They will be gassed by the 4th quarter. Boston Always blows big leads

Can we cut Tyson Chandler? I'd rather have a chair on the court than his lazy ass.

Series is over. Boston will win 4 straight.

With our luck we might be the first team to lose up 3-0

Funeral my ass

We have one of the most mentally weak fan bases

Battered fan syndrome. The cure for BFS is to actually beat the Celtics and get rid of them once and for all. Until that happens, you're going to see our fans overreact and panic every single time.

Can't imagine how embarassed JR, KMart and everyone else who talked big, wearing black and all if we actually lost this game. Celtics is taking it one at a time, while some of the guys in Knicks are already looking forward to Indiana.

To be fair, ,the Knicks as a team are kinda **** when you think about it. JR's blatant elbow and then trash talking, funeral clothes, and their swagger despite not winning anything in a decade. Since we root for them, we don't really notice, but if I wasn't a Knicks fan I'd probably hate this team

After all that trash jr was talking he has sure been a no show

Melo is so slow.

Melo is so fat.

**** you Pierce. Just **** you

At least JR is lowering his value for next season.

We've got to come alive now or kiss the baby. Game 6/7 is gonna be hell. Take the series NOW.

Gonna watch Family Guy. This team deserves to lose 4 straight.

I'm just annoyed that JR talked **** before the game, and came out looking like this. If you're going to give a team bulletin board material, at least back it up.

Their not having their usual second half meltdown. That's bad for us

Melo sucks

"Steve Novak (back spasms) will not return." How do you get back spams when you don't do sh*t.

Knicks have a history of choking Reggie Miller anyone...

Melo isn't even a star.... Dude is overrated

Pierce had an old man's game when he was a young man, that's why there wasn't a huge drop off with age.

YUP KEEP LEAVING JASON TERRY AND PAUL PIERCE WIDE OPEN!

Great now Melo is hurt KG pulled his arm out of his socket. Wow KG dirty f***ER

Celtics dirty ****. **** them. Pieces of ****

I wish this **** KG would just **** retire already.

F*** YOU STERN F*** YOU F*** YOU THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PROLONG THE SERIES

Down 9 at home against scrubs.

JR ain't worth a big contract... he's a bum and will let you down

Can JR punch Terry in the face and then get ejected? Win-win.

Hey, at least they all wore their funeral attire

He is doing his best so we can afford him this off season. Talk about a team first player.

Someone lay Terry the **** out please?

I like how all of a sudden this **** Celtics team is hitting shots. I hate life.

They lit a fire under their a**.... Shoulda kept their mouths shut.

Jr is giving you NOTHING. Time for Copeland you idiotic excuse for a coach.

Mike woodson being exposed for the fraud he is

Doc >>>>>>> Woody.

Boston crowd will be crazy next game

And the Boston bombing is what scares me and will put them over the top

We are really shitty.. Absolute garbage..

I don't think I'll be able to root for the Knicks again

I f***ing hate carmelo Anthony I’ve never seen anyone play worse/lazier defense, and that includes amar’e. This is exhibit A as to why the “melo for mvp” thing is and was a complete joke.

F*** you Stern Go die.

Hahaha David Stern? Have you watched this game. Refs have nothing to do with this. Knicks just playing like shit

The Celtics are trying to let us back into this game But the refs and JR are doing their best to keep us out of it.

Not sure who is worse tonight...the Refs or JR.

Boston still ain't **** though. Still 9 minutes left to put together a rally. These geriatric jackoffs need to go down tonight.

Ok I see why melo only made it out the first round once. Dude is just pathetic when you need a leader.

I'm really starting to think this game is rigged

Yeah, the refs have a secret switch that puts a lid on the rim everytime JR takes a shot.

I can't even talk sh*t about Terry right now. He came up big, JR choked tonight. That's the truth.

We will not win Game 6. 0% chance we win. Game 7 Pierce and Terry kill us and we crumble under pressure. History unfolding before our eyes.

This Knicks team deserves to be booed

Celtics are like the Fing Pats just when you think they're down and out they step back up

The happiest days of my life
1. Wedding
2. Children
3. Whenever Paul Pierce’s ratface retires

If I ever see Jason terry I'm gunna ask him for an autograph kick him in the nuts while hes signing it burn it and walk away

There isn't a Celtic I don't loathe I think I broke my couch.

If jr elbows someone else this series I hope its Jordan Crawford... If he gets playing time

It amazes me how so many of you are blinds to games that are fixed... So the Knicks start the game 11-0 and Boston becomes great over night...lol

So Jeff green hitting clutch 3s and carmelo missing a bunch of shots makes the game fixed?

This game was not rigged. Melo and Smith didn't show up and the Celtics took advantage of it.

Knicks are garbage. Lost to a rondoless Celtics.

I want to see the Knicks wear black at press conference lol

Can't even finish off a mediocre, old fart Celtics team.... Pathetic.

I hope that Jordan Crawford/DJ White incident lights a fire under Melo's *** in Boston forreal..

Do those guys going after Melo after the game get any punishment or is that gonna be ignored?

No but by doing that they sealed their fate Friday this series isn't going pass six.

I'm trying to be optimistic but if Melo wasn't awake already some bench player taking about his wife or whatever he said isnt gonna wake him up, Its the fuggin playoffs

If we were the real deal we would've closed out game four. I truly believe that. Here we are playing games we shouldn't play, risking injury on our older players, and now we're even at a legitimate risk of losing this series. Not to mention the entire NBA is laughing at us because most Knick fans had us winning the championship after we took the first game at home.

The more I watch the more I think league just wants a game 7 more money more jersey sales.

What the hell are you talking about? So Melo & JR have agreed to miss 70% of their shots for the league to extend the series? But Felton hasn't agreed to it?

Players don't agree to anything refs can control a game.

Why are the knicks such a laughing stock?? Losing a game is one thing (see okc) but the trash talk and funeral attire just to lay an egg?? Cmon son. It makes it twice as worse because you lose and you look stupid

[Discuss on CG Forums!]

Funeral Averted as Celtics Stay Alive 92-86

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Allen) — Thu, 02 May 2013 03:17:00 +0000

Wednesday night the Celtics faced elimination on the road in Madison Square Garden. The team came into the night down 3-1 in their opening playoff series against the Knicks, looking to force a game six back in Boston. Kenyon Martin and the Knicks declared this a "funeral game" as the team dressed in all black to represent the series ending tonight. The Celtics had other plans as they came out firing on all cylinders knowing it was win or go home.

Doc Rivers ran a very tight shift tonight as just seven players received time in the game. Of the seven players, five scored in double digits with at least 16 points or better. Boston was able to come out and set the tone early with suffocating defense that translated to offensive production as they went into the break leading by 6. So far this series the Celtics struggles have come offensively in the second half setting historically low marks. That was certainly not the case as they matched the Knicks scoring with 47 points a piece in the second half and came away with the 92-86 victory.

Game 5 in New York: Celtics 92, Knicks 86 - Kevin Garnett reacts after being fouled. Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports

Much has been said about this Celtics team after being put in an 0-3 hole. Fans, commentators, and journalists alike have once again written the obituary and even discussed the Celtics' future going forward. Will Kevin Garnett retire, will the Celtics' pick-up Pierce's option, and should the team go into rebuilding mode have all been brought up. KG, Pierce, and the players continued to have a positive outlook going into tonight and refused to back down.

Doc Rivers elected to go back to his "big" starting line-up of Bradley, Pierce, Green, Bass, and Garnett. The team was led by their veteran, future Hall of Famers, Garnett and Pierce who both had tremendous performances. KG had a monster game going for 16 points on 5-9 shooting and 18 rebounds in 39 minutes (in his 18 season if you forgot), while protecting the paint with authority. Pierce acted as the team's offensive catalyst as he started almost every possession and came away with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Not enough can be said about the rest of the Celtics' role players this game. Brandon Bass and Jeff Green switched off on the defensive end guarding Carmelo Anthony and held him to just 22 points on 8-24 shooting and 0-5 from three on the night. Offensively Bass kept the team alive in the first quarter when it seemed like no one could get it going early. He continuously made big time hustle plays and shot a extremely efficient 6-7 for 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Jeff Green as well had a great offensive night going 5-8 for 18 points, the team high, and chipped in 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Game 5 in New York: Celtics 92, Knicks 86 - Kevin Garnett attempts a shot while Tyson Chandler reaches out on defense. Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics team as a whole held the Knicks to just 39.5% shooting and limited them to only 11 fast break points. Since Melo couldn't get it going, the Knicks looked to their second option, J.R. Smith who missed game 4 after his suspension for striking Jason Terry across the face with an elbow. Smith had a very cocky outlook coming into the night saying; "Oh yeah, it would've been over" after Tuesday's practice. "I'd have been playing golf today".

Actually, if he played in game four like he did tonight that certainly wouldn't have been the case. Smith started off the game going 0-10, not scoring a single point until the fourth quarter when he drew a foul and went to the line. J.R. did manage to get into a late game rhythm nailing three three pointers in the final frame but it was too little too late. He closed the game 3-14 finishing with 14 points and 4 rebounds.

The Celtics also received a giant lift from the bench, predominately from Jason Terry who had another solid performance. He finally looks like the player Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers expected when signing 'The Jet" to a three year contract. Terry preached the post-season was his time and he would be on another level and tonight he certainly was. Jet shot 6-16 on the night going for 17 points and had a team high +13 rating in the plus/minus category.

Game 5 in New York: Celtics 92, Knicks 86 - Carmelo Anthony drives past Brandon Bass. Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports

In somewhat of a surprise, Terrence Williams was the only other Celtic to record time in the game, soaking up 17 minutes of play which provided much needed rest for the starters. In the past T-Will has been praised for his high basketball I.Q. and he managed to display it tonight on basketball's biggest stage. He was reserved when he needed to be and attacked the basket with force finishing with 4 points on 2-5 shooting with 4 rebounds and two assists.

In fact, in the second half Doc decided to stay with T-Will and his ball handing skills over Avery Bradley who really struggled tonight. Bradley shot just 2-6 in the game for 4 points but more disappointingly got burned time and time again on the defensive end. Raymond Felton has had his way with the Celtics all series and did again tonight as he shot 10-19 for 21 points. I'm baffled by Bradley's play this series as he's been a total non-factor. He has really struggled to find his shot and seems to get beat time and time again by the Knicks speedy guards.

In the end, this was a great all around effort by a Celtics team on the brink of elimination. The team still faces a tall task needing to win out in order to move onto the second round. No team in the NBA has ever came back from a 0-3 hole but the Celtics look to return home and force a game seven to rewrite history.

In order to do so they must continue to apply defensive pressure and execute their offense to the fullest. The Celtics have been able to hold the Knicks under 90 points a game all series so the focus needs to be on their offensive sets. Game six will be played in Boston as they return to the TD Garden. Tip-off is still TBD but should be at either 7 or 8 o'clock on TNT or CSNNE.

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Underrated Stat of the Night - Game 5

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Niemuth) — Thu, 02 May 2013 01:50:00 +0000

Tonight's game 5 over the Knicks was probably this team's sweetest victory since game 5 of last year's conference finals. They went into a loud MSG filled with bandwagon fans and stuck-up players. And they did exactly what I expected, they won with their maturity. Even when they trailed by 11 in the first quarter, they were relaxed. On the court, the sky was falling. But on the bench, they were just fine.

Tonight's USOTN goes to the three-point shooting of Jason Terry. In this one, Terry finally played like he was supposed to. The "old guy" scored a nice 17 points on 6/16 shooting, including 5/9 from behind the ark. Thank you Jason Terry. You and Green are co-heroes of the night.

Now we must look ahead in this series. With the way they've played in the last two games, I don't see any chance of them losing game 6 at the Garden. So then it'll come down to a game 7 at MSG. If the Celtics do win game 6, I can't see them dropping game 7. That would just be cruel.

After game 3, I half-seriously brought up the '04 ALCS in which the Boston Red Sox came back to beat the New York Yankees 4 games to 3 after losing the first three games of that series. But right now, I believe we are saying the sequel to that Boston-New York classic. We are witnessing history being made. Let's enjoy it because I am 90% sure right now that the Celtics have this series in their back pocket.

Live Game Updates - Game 5

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Niemuth) — Thu, 02 May 2013 00:23:00 +0000

7:47: With 9:19 left in the second quarter, the Celtics trail the Knicks, 26-24. It's never good to trail, but the score isn't as bad as it seems. The Knicks actually opened this one on a 9-0 run, but the Celtics aren't giving up. They are making it clear they don't want their season to end. But remember, there are two halves in this game.

8:17: At halftime, the Celtics lead the Knicks, 45-39. They have now lead all three road games in this series at the half. They lost the first two, so they'll obviously hope for a better second half tonight. They are playing with a lot of heart right now and I think they'll take this one. But I've been wrong before.

8:55: After three quarters now, the Celtics still lead 66-60. That third quarter was just trading baskets for 12 minutes. Neither team improved where they were on the scoreboard at all. Which for Boston, is pretty good. They should do it again.

9:47: Yes, it has happened. The Celtics have lived to fight another day for the second time this week. Tonight, they held on to beat the Knicks, 92-86. What a game. If there's one thing we learned tonight, it's that this series is far from over. In some ways, it's just beginning.

5 Things Celtics must do to win tonight - Game 5

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Niemuth) — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:25:00 +0000

Tonight, the Celtics will play another elimination game. But now this one's in New York, where it's much harder to win. But if they're gonna win this series, the Celtics will have to win at MSG twice. Tonight's number one. Here are the five things:

5. MORE SHOTS FOR BASS:
In Game Four, Brandon Bass scored just 4 points on 2/3 shooting in 30 minutes of play. I don't understand this stupid strategy. Give the guy a chance to play the way he can.

4. HOPE BRADLEY MAKES HIS SHOTS:
In the Game Four win, Avery Bradley shot a weak, 1/7 from the field. His one make was on a three pointer. In my opinion, this season has been a huge disappointment for Avery. He needs to turn it around.

3. GIVE GARNETT MORE SHOTS:
On Sunday, Kevin Garnett played his best game of the postseason. Garnett scored a solid 13 points on 5/7 shooting. But he probably would've scored more if he'd been given more shots. Give him chances.

2. MORE MAKES FROM GREEN:
Despite leading the team with 26 points, Jeff Green shot just 9/22 from the field. While those stats aren't necessarily bad, they could be better. And tonight, they pretty much need to be.

1. SLOW DOWN RAYMOND FELTON:
In Game 4, Raymond Felton scored 27 points for the Knicks. Only Carmelo Anthony had more with 36. Melo's a big enough problem for the Celtics, they don't need two of him.

Tip-off for this one will be at 7:00 pm ET. You can see it on TNT.

Preview and Official Report - Knicks Game 5 5/1

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:05:00 +0000

at
Boston Celtics (1-3) at New York Knicks (3-1)
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
7:00 PM ET
Playoff Game #5 Road Game #3
TV: TNT, CSNNE, MSG, the Score
Radio: WEEI, ESPN NY
Madison Square Garden
Referees: Joey Crawford, James Capers, Sean Corbin

The Celtics are once again in a must win situation to keep their season alive. They were able to hold on to win game 4 in overtime and force a game 5. Now, they must find a way to solve their second half offensive lapses and get a win on the road.

The Celtics are confident that they can solve the problems that have been plaguing them in this series. They have played well in the first half of every game but then in the 3rd quarter, the Knicks pick up their energy and defense and the Celtics have mental lapses and turn the ball over and somehow forget how to score. They have to find a way to play aggressively for 48 minutes on both ends of the court.

No team has come back from an 0-3 deficit in the playoffs and so the Knicks are confident that they can close the series out and were talking trash about the Celtics funeral in this game. The Celtics would send the series back to Boston for a Game 6 on Friday with a victory, and to get it they must come out with the same energy they had Sunday. But, they also have to keep that energy for 4 quarters. They can't afford another big let down after the half when they are on the road.

Probable Starters
Point Guard
vs
Avery Bradley vs Pablo Prigioni

Shooting Guard
vs
Paul Pierce vs Raymond Felton

Small Forward
vs
Jeff Green vs Iman Shumpert

Power Forward
vs
Brandon Bass vs Carmelo Anthony

Center
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Tyson Chandler

Celtics Reserves
Shavlik Randolph
Courtney Lee
Terrence Williams
Jason Terry
DJ White
Jordan Crawford
Chris Wilcox
Fab Melo

Injuries
Rajon Rondo (knee) out
Jared Sullinger (back) out

Knicks Reserves
James White
JR Smith
Quinton Richardson
Steve Novak
Jason Kidd
Kenyon Martin

Injuries
Marcus Camby (foot) questionable
Amar'e Stoudemire (knee) out

Key Matchups
vs
Brandon Bass vs Carmelo Anthony
Brandon Bass was the unsung hero of game 4 as he played excellent defense on Carmelo Anthony. The Celtics will need more of the same from him in this game. It would be a bonus if he would add some offense as well.

vs
Paul Pierce vs Raymond Felton
Felton has been coming up big against the Celtics in every game so far. He is averaging 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Felton scored 27 on Sunday and Pierce has got to find a way to slow him down and especially keep him from getting to the basket.

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Tyson Chandler
The Celtics need KG to get more involved in the offense along with anchoring the defense. He also needs to find a way to stay out of foul trouble as he has been limited by quick fouls in previous games. The Celtics need to try to get KG going early and often.

Jason Terry vs JR Smith
The teams' 6th men have figured prominently in this series already. Jason Terry didn't show up in game 1 and was underwhelming in games 2 and 3. However, in game 3 he drew an elbow from JR Smith that resulted in the Knicks second leading scorer being suspended for game 4, when JET came up big in the 4th quarter and OT. The Celtics must try to limit Smith while at the same time getting production from Terry once again.

Keys to the Game

Bench Play - The Celtics need to get production from their bench. Jason Terry needs to come up big as does Jordan Crawford. It would be nice to get some production from Chris Wilcox and Terrence Williams also. But whoever Doc brings off the bench must hit their shots and be aggressive.

Ball Movement - The Celtics have to move the ball and quickly get up the court before the defense can get set up. They also have to avoid the urge to play hero ball and try to do too much. When they play team ball and move the ball to find the open man, the offense is much more efficient. At the same time, they must make smart passes and not turn the ball over as turnovers have doomed them in a couple of the games.

Rebound - Rebounding is always key. Rebounding takes effort and when they put the effort into crashing the boards, that effort shows up in other areas as well. They must continue to put out the effort to grab rebounds in order to limit the Knicks fast breaks and second chance baskets and to give themselves extra possessions.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to be the team that dives for loose balls, crashes the boards, hustles for the 50-50 balls and drives to the basket to draw the fouls. They also must be aggressive on the defensive end, denying passes and preventing easy baskets. They have to want the win more and play like it.

Defense - Last, but certainly not least, the Celtics must make defense a priority. It's still true that defense wins championships and the Celtics must prevent the Knicks from getting easy baskets and open looks. They especially have to stay on their shooters on the 3 point line as the Knicks can kill you from outside. But they also have to guard the basket because the Knicks are also very good at getting to the hoop for easy baskets.

X-Factors
Focus on the Road and Officiating
The Celtics have struggled on the road the entire season and have already lost the first 2 games on the road in this series. Can they focus enough to play well enough on the road to get a win?

Officiating is always an X-Factor. Will the refs call the game fairly? Will they favor the Knicks who are at home? Will they call the game tight for both sides? No one knows, but the answers could be the difference in the game.

Official Report

Joey Crawford

Over more than three decades in the NBA, Joe Crawford has officiated 2,449 regular season and 293 playoff games, including 47 NBA Finals games. Crawford’s playoff and NBA Finals totals are the most among active NBA officials. Over his career, Crawford has officiated the 1986, 1992 and 2000 NBA All-Star Games, as well as the 1993 McDonald’s Championship in Munich, Germany. Prior to joining the NBA, Crawford officiated in the Eastern League (CBA) from 1974-76. He graduated from Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Pa. and is a member of the Cardinal O’Hara High School Hall of Fame. In 2008, Crawford earned a degree in Liberal studies from Neumann College. Officiating can be considered a Crawford “family affair,” as his brother is veteran Major League Baseball umpire Jerry Crawford, and his father is retired Major League Baseball umpire Shag Crawford. Crawford is also very active in his hometown community of Philadelphia.

There is no shortage of controversy surrounding Joey Crawford, the biggest of which was a suspension for tossing Tim Duncan for laughing on the bench and then challenging him to a fight. He is known for his quickness to call technical fouls but also doesn't tend to be influenced by the home crowd as much as many younger refs seem to be. In the 2008 Playoffs, Crawford was chosen to officiate Game 4 of the Western Conference final between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the closing seconds of the game, there was a no-call where the Spurs' Brent Barry was unquestionably fouled by Derek Fisher. Crawford was the closest official to the call, and the NBA later apologized for the lack of a call. Crawford was also one of the refs who was involved in the income tax evasion convictions and was suspended at that time as well.

He is widely viewed as one of the refs in the NBA who can officiate with an agenda and shows his biases on the court, hence the controversy that seems to follow him throughout his career. The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 with Crawford and 4-3 this season. He called the 89-86 win over the Wizards in which the Wizards shot 17 free throws to 13 for the Celtics and the refs pretty much let them play. He also called the 101-95 win over Chicago where the Bulls shot 31 free throws to 16 for the Celtics and there were more than a few questionable calls. The 3rd game this season was the OT win over the Mavs in which the Celtics shot 30 free throws to 17 for the Mavs and the calls seemed to favor the Celtics for the most part. One loss this season was against the Grizzlies in which Memphis took 22 free throws to 16 for the Celtics but the officiating was good for the most part. The second loss was to the Knicks where the Celtics shot 28 free throws to 20 for the Knicks. Again, the officiating was good for the most part. Another game that Crawford called was the win over the Suns where both teams shot 23 free throws and the officiating was good. The final game this season was a one point loss to the Hornets where the Hornets took 26 free throws to 17 for the Celtics and the calls seemed to favor the Hornets. The Knicks are 4-6 in their last 10 with Crawford and 3-5 this season. His home W/L record this season is 36-29 and he doesn't tend to be influenced by the home crowd. In fact, at times he seems to delight in antagonizing the home fans.

James Capers

The son of former NBA official James Capers Sr., James Capers has officiated 1,015 regular season games and 54 playoff games during his 17-season NBA career. Capers made his first NBA Finals appearance during the 2011-12 season. In addition to his NBA experience, Capers has six years of CBA officiating experience, including three CBA Finals and two CBA All-Star Games. The community-conscious Capers was the recipient of the 1998 Monarch Award as Chicago Sportsman of the Year for his career and community achievements.Capers also conducts NBA Read to Achieve programs at two Chicago Public schools. He has also volunteered to train referees for the Philippines basketball association.

I've seen several posts from Lakers fans who swear he hates the Lakers. At least he has that in his favor. the last game Capers called last season was game 2 of the ECF and the officiating was terrible in that game. The Heat shot 47 free throws to 29 for the Celtics. Pierce, Dooling and Pietrus all fouled out. There were bad calls and missed calls throughout the game. Lebron James took 24 free throws himself, only 4 less than the entire Celtics team.

The Celtics are 6-4 over their last 10 games with Capers and 2-2 this season. One loss this season was the Nets game that resulted in a brawl. Capers gave Doc a T for yelling to Rondo. They let the Nets get away with pushing and shoving and hard fouls the entire first half. The Nets shot 17 free throws to 5 for the Celtics in the first half and 3 of those free throws were on technicals. They did better in the second half after the brawl, but the refs' failure to call the game evenly in the first half led to the fight. one win was over the Pacers. The refs let them play in the first half and then started calling more on the Celtics in the second half. The Pacers shot 28 free throws to 18 for the Celtics. Capers also called a flagrant 2 on KG, which resulted in his ejection. The league downgraded the flagrant 2 upon review which shows that it was a bad call. The other win was a 2 point win over the Bulls where the Bulls shot 17 free throws to 12 for the Celtics and they let a lot go both ways. The second loss was to the Heat where Miami shot 28 free throws to 13 for the Celtics and the game was pretty much called one sided for the Heat. The Knicks are 4-2 this season and 5-5 over their last 10 games. He is a "homer ref" with a home W/L record this season of 47-20.

Sean Corbin

The 17-year NBA officiating veteran returns for the 2012-13 NBA Season having worked 954 regular season NBA games and 44 playoff games, along with the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, 1999 Japan Games in Tokyo and the 1996 Schick Rookie Game. Corbin spent the summer of 2004 officiating basketball at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Corbin’s resume includes four years officiating in the CBA and nine years of collegiate officiating experience in the Big East, Southern, Southeastern, Mid-Eastern Athletic and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conferences. He also has four years of high school basketball officiating experience. Corbin, a Baltimore native, has been involved in charitable efforts in the city, including working for healthcare for the homeless. His athletic accomplishments still remain notable in the Baltimore community, where he played baseball and basketball at Coppin State College and Towson Catholic High School.

The Celtics are 1-4 this year with one loss to the Nets in the preseason and a loss to the Bulls where the officiating was terrible (although most of the bad calls were by Marc Davis rather than Corbin). Even Hubie Brown was complaining about how bad many of the calls in that game were. Corbin also called a win over Golden State where the Celtics shot 28 free throws to 22 for the Warriors and if anything, the officiating seemed to favor the Celtics. He also called a one point loss to the Hornets where the Hornets shot 26 free throws to 17 for the Celtics and the calls seemed to favor New Orleans. The last game he called was a loss to the Nets where the Celtics shot 17 free throws to 28 for the Nets and the questionable calls went Brooklyn's way. Corbin didn't call any games last season so the his previous games with the Celtics were all in 2009-10. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games with Corbin. The Knicks are 3-3 this season and 3-7 in their last 10. His home W/L record is 37-24.

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Comments from the Other Side - Knicks Game 4 4/28

noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:18:00 +0000

There sure was a lot of complaining about the refs in this game while at the same time they are talking about all the Celtics in foul trouble and their guys not in foul trouble. That's downright funny. Also, it never ceases to amaze me how they trash their own players when they miss a couple of shots or have a tough stretch and then when they hit a couple of shots they are awesome again. The epitome of bandwagon fans. I'm really happy that the Celtics are showing heart and didn't let these clowns sweep them.

Let's win this for JR

Brooms are out

BOS spirit seems broken, JR has been decent but nothing great this series. He can be replaced for a game. Knicks end it today

WE ARE SWEEPING THE CELTS

If the Knicks are gonna lose one it would be tonight. Will have to overcome Boston and the refs.

I don't know about u guys, but I rather face the heat, than Chicago. I want no parts of tib, Noah, and nate Robinson

Lets do this! Lets put the b***tches out their miseries

Break out the brooms. I can't imagine a scenario in which we lose this one.

I think the Knicks should goad Celtic fans as much as possible. Make this sweep painful.

Time for the Celtics to riverdance onto a golf course

I want the Knicks to just step on the Celtics throats. Crush them. 20-30 point win.

C's def showed up today....can they keep this up for the duration of the game?

We've been fouled atleast 3 times, like I said we're playing against the refs this game.

Refs trying hard to give the game to the Celtics that's y I thought we would lose this one 3 missed fouls already 2 on melo shots and 1 on chandler

Put JR in!!! Oh wait........

Celtics won't keep this up the whole game. We got this.

Garnett called for a moving screen? SHOCKER!!

If they need jr to beat these Celtics then they arent ready for the big time matches like heat,etc

Awww look at the Celtics trying to fight for their lives.

When we make a run they will be demoralized.

Below Average Braadley strikes again!

Shump is garbage

Why wasn't terry suspended for the blatant flop?

Are we in the right garden? A lot of knicks cheers.

Bass is an awesome defender

Lot of Knick fans there....

Melo is too fat to get around Bass.

The refs are giving them this game free of charge.

Even when the Knicks are getting completely dominated, Boston's offense is too horrible to even build a lead.

Pierce used to always hit those offensive rebound broken play 3's Now he doesn’t.

At what point in his career did KG establish that he is allowed to grab players on his screens I know he never gets it called but I mean at what point did they decide he would be allowed to do this

So here comes the section where Jeff green hits everything possible

Why the hell is QRich playing over Copeland....is Woodson drunk?

Q Rich SUCCCCCKSSSS

Die Q

Celtics suck!!! We are playing like crap, no Jr, playing against the refs, Melo is off, **** everyone is off. We just need to start making shots.

Kevin Garnett career per-game averages: 19.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 12.5 illegal screens

Kidd is worse than useless. Absolute liability.

I'm confident we can beat the refs and the antics of the Celtics. Boston is just that bad!

So Garnet just hangs on the rim shaking the whole basket and no tech..... I guess that type of showboating is fine to Averagy Bitchley, huh?

Qrich please make use of your minutes And hit Terry or Garnett

Good lord Q. Just punch KG out and get off the floor.

Does garnett elbow everyone after every play? Is that just his thing?

Does anyone else think Jason Terry has a punchable face? Because I do.

The entire Celtics team does. And Doc Rivers

It's nice for the Celtics and their fans to remind us why we hate them so much On a game to game basis

Sick of Melo getting no respect from refs.

The League is trying hard to extend this series to next week. Suspending J.R also helped.

**** these refs fix is in

They called NO fouls when Melo drove....

Refs completely dominating us

The refs are not on our side today

Refs trying hard to extend the series

Knicks vs C's plus refs. Just like the old days

The Celtics have been called for more fouls than the Knicks so far

They deserved most of them, unlike the Knicks.

Congrats terry. You're still a scrub

Pierce is such a punk

3 fouls on Garnett, huge!

Melo is playing like trash

I know the refs are blind but they apparently think Jeff Green is Lebron James

Jeff Green always gets those superstar whistles.

Melo was pretty blatant with that lane violation One call you can’t complain about

I don't just wanna win the series, I wanna sweep these fools...

Green is the key. Notice with KG on the bench, the C's are actually doing BETTER.

This is what you get with melo. He can shoot you into games, but he can also shoot you right out

Melo U r embarrassing

Knicks straight up don't deserve to win this game

Terry is such a bum

Woodson is useless. Let a chimp take his place.

I would loooooooove for the Knicks to make a comeback Just completely rip the Celtics hearts out

Wow Boston is horrible. Don't lose to these chumps, please.

I like Pierce's whiny rat face

Bradley plays D like a freakin gnat

4 on Green, 4 on Garnett. Refs helping us a bit now About damn Tim

Celtics in foul trouble. 4th qtr should be very interesting

Flagrant 5 on terry Banned for life?

That had more contact than JR's ejection.

That's not a flagrant. Still...F*** Jason Terry.

Another foul on the Celtics, then again, their entire team is foul

Pierce the master flopper

Paul Pierce that bum, he need to carry luggage wit em as much as he travel on the court

Jeff Green is a scrub

Someone elbow Terry, Send Q-Rich in, if he gets suspended a game, so what

The **** did we sign Q-Brick for? Get his fat ass out there and have him throw a cheapshot at someone.

Foul out Bass or Green and we win. Come on Knicks.

I want to see at least one Celtic foul out with at least 5 minutes left in the game

I want like four of them to do that.

That's embarrassing. I can hear ours fans out cheering theirs.

YEAH!!! GO FISHING BASS! Whos gonna hold melo now? They done

I wonder if the worst part of Kidd's championship run with the Mavericks was playing with Jason Terry, I’d hate that

It's going to be fun not to see Jeff Green anymore when this is all over.

The fourth quarters gonna be fun if garnett pierce bass and green all end up getting fouled out

Raymond Felton, going full... Nate Robinson?

You never go full Nate Robinson

No0o0o0o0o0o Pierce is doing it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course pierce hits that shot Hate that F***

Wow Garnett has been awful this entire series. Its sad to see.

Garnett with these fouls is actually worse for us Refs letting him set moving screens with impunity again

I want the Celtics to lose this game SO BADLY

I HATE THE CELTICS More than any team in sports

Is Q-Rich trash talking pierce from the bench?

Refs shifting the momentum back to Boston.

Wow, Knick fans chanting defense at the TD Garden.

This is literally going to be a Knicks vs Refs 4th quarter.

Shump balling today Iman is our future, just gotta keep developing him.

Melo was fouling the shyt outta Pierce lets go refs

Celtics need to pump more noise into their arena this is embarrassing. I hear more Knicks fans right now

Garnett doesn't set screens anymore, he just shoves guys.

Melo needs to put his big boy pants on and start hitting some ****ing shots. Cmon son, you looking like landry fields out there ffs.

I wouldn't mind losing this game at all if it meant someone elbowed Garnett in the face.

I'm ready to move on to the 2nd round, I'm tired of the Celtics. Cmon knicks lets do this.

Melo sucks

Melo's choking this game away...

Keep foulingout these silly clowns

OMG F**k the refs man, why are they calling that a foul on Shump..

I'm amazed Boston is keeping up at this point. I would have thought theyd have given up losing a twenty point lead.

Melo has justified every single negative thing said about him over the course of this series

Drive on Green and get him out of the game.

I don't like going to overtime... Knicks never seem to win

Can we sign Nate Robinson to a 5 minute contract?

Pierce going out fighting! Gotta hit everything from here on out Knickles.

I really hate Jason terry

Jason terry acting like he just won the championship Annoying little F***

I hated him when he was in Dallas And of course he goes to the Celtics

Someone should elbow terry in the face again Isnt that why we signed Q-Rich?

Keep in mind Jason Terry gets to play despite the fact that he went after JR

Illegal screen by Garnett wins it for them of course.

5 fouls were the best things that could have happened to him Refs chickenshit to call anything on him for the past 10 minutes

Of course. NBA can't let the Knicks sweep

WE WIN WITH JR SMITH CELTICS GOT LUCKY

Time to beat Terry into a f***ing pulp

Man I hate Terry. He literally deserves to have awful things happen to him.

JR killed us…and I say that as a big JR fan. Terry won that game for them even before he hit those OT shots.

I wanna punch Jason Terry in the face and then snap him in half.

I hate Terry. Dude sucks it up all series and he hits a big shot.

The corpse of Jason Terry decides to come alive now.

Melo sucks,fraud player.

GET THIS BUM MELO OFF MY SCREEN

Melo won't have a game like this again. JR will be back. Ray and Shump are in the flow. This was Boston's best shot. They fought, played tough. Kudos. Knicks in 5...

Can't believe we have to wait till Wednesday to end these fools.

The league wants the old folks in the Celtic jersey to have enough rest

[Discuss on CG Forums!]

Underrated Stat of the Night - Game 4

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Niemuth) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:13:00 +0000

Today, the Celtics beat the Knicks in overtime, 97-90. They aren't done yet. They might be done in a few days, but not now. Now they can enjoy this for a few hours. They won a playoff game.

Tonight's USOTN goes to poor performance of Avery Bradley. Bradley, despite playing 39 minutes, scored just 3 points on 1/7 shooting. He needs to do better than this. It didn't hurt them today, but it might in game 5. He needs to practice his shot a little.

I honestly don't know how to feel about this. I want to be happy, but I don't know if I can. They're still gonna lose this series. That thought makes this win feel meaningless. But when I think that, I think of Yankees-Red Sox '04. We should all think that.

Live Game Updates - Game 4

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Niemuth) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:15:00 +0000

After one quarter in Boston, the Celtics are ahead 22-17. They just look really good right now. Everybody's contributing. If they keep playing this, then they'll be back in New York in no time. Jeff Green has 6 points.

3:51: The Celtics and Knicks are heading into overtime tied at 84.

4:05: It's over. Not the series, but the game. The Celtics, despite blowing a huge lead in the second half, beat the Knicks in overtime today, 97-90. All I can say is, they're alive. Off to New York.