SB Nation - Tony Allen

Daily Links 12/11

FLCeltsFan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:04:45 -0000

Herald    Early returns positive on Tony Allen’s work
Pistons shoot off win
Ray Allen, Paul Pierce hit milestones
Globe   Notes from shootaround
Celtics 104, Wizards 102
Video: Ray Allen reaches 20,000 points
Ray Allen through the years
Allen notches his 20,000th
Celtics tested by Wizards
Vote for Perk     Vote For Perk

CelticsBlog    Give a Gift, Get Thanks from Ray
Celtics Outlast Wizards
Behind Rondo, Celtics Fight off Wizards
Appreciating Good Tony
Loy's Place    Early All Star Results
Comments from the Other Side - Wizards 12/10
Random Thoughts After Going to See the Wizards
Nets Daily    Is Brook Lopez an All-Star?
Celtics.com    Ford Keys to the Game: Celtics at Wizards
Red's Army    Your KG Face of the Day
Don't Rush Tony Allen
Celtics vs Wizards Live Blog
Wiz Get Rondo'd!!!
Your Morning Dump... Where the Wiz lost a dare
CSNNE    Live from the Verizon Center in Washington!
Celtics 104, Wizards 102
Celtics Hub   Hanging on: C’s 104, Wiz 102
NESN   Live Blog: Celtics at Wizards
Rajon Rondo Nets Season High as Celtics Win Ninth Straight
North Station Sports    Gilbert Arenas: sleeper agent, struggling leader or hoops anarchist?
Celtics Grind Past Wizards 104-102
Kevin McHale is a golden god, wouldn’t stand for LeBron’s hi-jinx
Celtics Town    Where do I begin when discussing recent Celtics play?
Ray Allen reaches 20,000-point milestone
Celtics escape Wizards, 104-102
The Morning Walkthrough: Tony Allen was actually pretty good last night
Hardwood Houdini    Congratulations Ray Allen!!!
Celtics Use Some of Their Own Magic, Defeat Wizards
Lex Nihil Novi    Celtics (16-6) Pound Nuggets
Bird Strains Knee Ligaments in Win
18-4: Celtics 104, Wizards 102
Celtics Life    Tommy & Mike's Mailbag
Ray Allen's Ray of Hope
Throw It Down Little Man
Celtics 104, Wizards 102 Highlights
Celtics/Wizards Post Game Videos
Celtics Stuff Live      The Gold Rarities Postgame Show
NBA.com   Losing streak places Bulls on the brink of implosion
Ray appreciation day
20,000-Point Milestone: Ray Allen
Kobe in West, D-Wade in East take lead in All-Star voting
Slam Online    Decade’s Best: Shooter
Fox Sports     Surprises, letdowns after NBA's first quarter
Cavs News   Upcoming Road Games Will Test Cleveland’s Mettle
Green Street     Fast Break: Celtics vs. Wizards
Allen scores 20,000th career point
Rondo, Perk Trail in First All-Star Voting Update
Hardwood Paroxysm   Green From The Limit: Boston’s Shooting Less From The Corner
Lion Face/Lemon Face 12.11.09: Three Games of Goodness
Slam Dunk Central    Rapid-Rajon Leads Celtics To Ninth Straight Win, Beat Wizards 104-102!
Deseret News   Utah Jazz: TNT's Sager likes to add color to broadcasts
WEEI   Ray Allen - Locker Room on WEEI
Washington Examiner   Celtics 104, Wizards 102
ESPN   Time to go streaking?
Big 3 near top of early All-Star voting
Perkins among NBA's top young big men
Allen joins 20,000-point club
First impression: Celtics 104, Wizards 102
On the rebound
Challenged, Rondo makes the Wizards pay
TA making immediate impact
What's up with Semih Erden?
NBA Roundtable   Perk Article
Washington Post   Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards fail to come through in the clutch vs. Boston Celtics
NY Post    Nets still on track for Brooklyn
Bobcat Zone Red Claws Report: Walker continues to shine for Maine
Chron.com McGrady on pace to start All-Star Game — really
Bleacher Report    Never Can Say Goodbye: When Is It Time For an NBA Player To Retire?

Appreciating Good Tony

Jeff Clark — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:47:24 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

The Good Tony showed up.

Browse more photos »

Tony Allen is an easy target on this blog. He's known for his maddeningly low basketball IQ and frequent boneheaded plays. But he's on this basketball team and in the NBA for a reason. He's athletic, aggressive (which is important: see Gerald Green), and he gets after it on defense. When the stars align and he is focused on what he needs to do to help the team win, good things can happen like they did last night.

TA making immediate impact - ESPN Boston

Allen connected on 4 of 5 shots for eight points, with three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes. Most impressively, he finished with a game-high plus-14 in the plus/minus category, showing how much he contributed at both ends of the floor in a dominant second quarter for the Green.

"[Allen] was big for us," said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. "He came in and gave us some very productive minutes. He was able to play defense for us and he came back in the nick of time with Marquis being out so he was able to fill the void. We are able to put him on different guys, defensively, and what people don’t know is that he can get to the basket and score the ball, too."

"Tony was terrific," said Rivers. "That's what our bench has to do at times, help stretch out that lead."

There were some head scratching moments last night (like the double dribble for instance) but they were few and far between and were far outweighed by the positives he brought to the floor.

I was particularly impressed with his rebounding and going after loose balls. That kind of "get after it" mentality might be what has been missing from the team lately. Not that he alone is going to solve our rebounding woes, but sometimes it just takes the effort of one man to remind everyone else how to get after the ball with the same burst that you would use on a dribble drive. Sure, boxing out is great, but sometimes a guy that is boxed out can simply will himself around the screen and snatch the ball faster than his opponent. Our guys need to do more of that and Tony was that kind of guy last night.

Here's hoping for more of the same. He's got his ninth life now and he used it to help us to our ninth win. We'll see how much more of the Good Tony we see in the coming weeks, which would make Doc's job a whole lot easier with Daniels out.

Daily Links 12/10

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:09:35 -0000

Herald Rajon Rondo on point for his team
Marquis Daniels’ absence opens door
Allen Iverson’s no Answer for Sixers
Lakers silence all that Jazz to win 10th straight game
Scouting report: Celtics at Wizards
Globe Source: Daniels to miss roughly 8 weeks
Wizards thumbnails
Daniels undergoes surgery on wrist
Ray Allen through the years
Celtics’ Allen on verge of 20,000-point club

CelticsBlog     The Lobster Roll: Issue 3
Rubik's Cube
Remember This Finish Against the Wizards?
Loy's Place    A Few Random Thoughts on a Road Trip Day
Celtics Head Out on the Road Again - First Stop: Wizards
Hoopsworld    Celtics pay a visit to the Wizards
NBA PM: Wallace Cleaning The Glass
Sporting News   Tim Donaghy:
Let LeBron James Dance
Basketball-refs    Tim Donaghy Speaks
Agent Dagger    Teds Take: Wizards vs. the Boston Three Party
Seattle PI    Celtics pay a visit to Wizards
Yahoo    Allen hopes to keep lasting bond with Celtics
Wall's legend grows
Celtics 17   Eastern Conference Player of the Week Kevin Garnett Is Playing His Best Basketball Last Week
Red's Army   Tony Allen wasn't horrible... which is a good start
The Morning Dump... Where Perk likes to get as deep as possible
Fewer 3's mean an improved Sheed
Dwight Howard Spits on Balls
Live Blog Tonight at 8
Green Street   Celtics-Wizards Preview
Celtics Hub   Quote of the Day: Ray on 20,000
The Decline of the Corner Three
Ray Wants to Be a Celtic
NESN    Celtics Travel to Nation's Capital Seeking Ninth Straight Win
Live Blog: Celtics at Wizards
Technically, Rasheed Wallace Has a Lot More Work To Do
Loscy    10 Questions for Jon Duke from Celtics Stuff Live "
North Station Sports    Mark Cuban Is The Most Interesting Owner in Sports. Period.
Today’s Headlines – 12/10/2009
Celtics Town    Boston Celtics discuss Tim Donaghy's allegations
Tim Thomas spews anti-gay slurs, may or may not have hit woman with chair
Doc Rivers: Kendrick Perkins is Celtics' best defender
Throwing some dimes: What to do with 'Quisy's minutes?
The Morning Walkthrough: Ray Allen closing in on exclusive 20,000 point club
Rajon Rondo, mathematical genius?
Hardwood Houdini    Marquis Daniels out 6-8 After Surgery
Give or Take – Marquis Daniels and Glen Davis
Rajon Rondo Continues To Take It To Opponents
4 Sport Boston    4SB Podcast: The Boof is in the Booding
A Quarter Season Non-Crisis for the Boston Celtics
Lex Nihil Novi   Celtics Stumble Past Pacers 83-84
Run-and-Gun Nuggets Will Try to Play Some D 83-84
Volk Set to Replace Auerbach at Season's End 83-84
Celtics (16-6) Pound Nuggets 83-84
CelticsLife    NBA News: Tim Thomas has a T.A. Diner Incident
KG is Officially Back
Boston, We Have a Problem
Today's Video: '08/'09 Celtics Flashback
Gino's Jungle    Rankings and Reflections
Strut and Saunter: How Much Swagger Does Boston Need?
Welcome to the Jungle - Graham Brunell
ESPN   Daniels: I'll be back better than before
A new cast for Baby? Call security
Pierce, Rondo join Awards Watch
Hoop Data What’s Gone Wrong in Washington? Not What You’d Expect
Man in the Middle: A Look at Defending the Basket
D-League Digest    Rants from Grouchy Oscar: tired officiating complaints
Cleveland.com    Ejected and dejected: Cleveland Cavaliers lose their poise, then the game, 95-85, to Houston
South Coast Today    Celtics must make do without Daniels
Milford Daily News    Celtics notebook: C's thriving on the road
Josh Q Public   Rajon Rondo: Exclamation Point Guard
NBC Sports    Winderman: NBA’s season for hold ’em or fold ’em arrives
CT News   Rondo and Celtics: Assisted Living
State Press    Eddie brings the House down
Examiner   NBA receap Week 7: Rondo & Celtics winners of last 8, Bucks, Meeks in a jam
How to Watch Sports    Know Your Role: The NBA's Evolving 6th Man Position
Waiting for Next Year     Bring on Leon
Fan Huddle     Rebounding and bench woes continue to hound Celtics
Bleacher Report   Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic: Being Put to The Ultimate Test
SI.com   Kendrick Perkins is core of Celtics' defense, low-post scoring
SportsNet    Fast break: Dissecting Donaghy
LA Times Blogs   Celtics streaking, but Rondo still can't shoot straight
Mass Live    Celtics buzz: Rasheed Wallace says 'the truth is coming out,' Marquis Daniels gone for 8 weeks
RealGM    NBA Power Rankings For Mid-December
Norwich Bulletin   NBA: With Daniels sidelined, the recently returned Allen could step in for Celtics
Washington Examiner   First shot at a Celtics preview
CSNNE    Daniels undergoes successful surgery
'Sheed's shot (finally) starting to fall
HoopsAddict     Catching Up With Dee Brown
YouTube    Maine Red Claws Home Opener 2009
Slam Online    Decade’s Best:General Manager
Green Street    Doc Rivers on D&C
A Stern Warning   NBA Awards, 20 Games In - with Daniel Eade

Fans Deserve To Know How The NBA Conducts Business\"
Let LeBron James Dance
Basketball-refs    Tim Donaghy Speaks
Agent Dagger    Teds Take: Wizards vs. the Boston Three Party
Seattle PI    Celtics pay a visit to Wizards
Yahoo    Allen hopes to keep lasting bond with Celtics
Wall's legend grows
Celtics 17   Eastern Conference Player of the Week Kevin Garnett Is Playing His Best Basketball Last Week
Red's Army   Tony Allen wasn't horrible... which is a good start
The Morning Dump... Where Perk likes to get as deep as possible
Fewer 3's mean an improved Sheed
Dwight Howard Spits on Balls
Live Blog Tonight at 8
Green Street   Celtics-Wizards Preview
Celtics Hub   Quote of the Day: Ray on 20,000
The Decline of the Corner Three
Ray Wants to Be a Celtic
NESN    Celtics Travel to Nation's Capital Seeking Ninth Straight Win
Live Blog: Celtics at Wizards
Technically, Rasheed Wallace Has a Lot More Work To Do
Loscy    10 Questions for Jon Duke from Celtics Stuff Live "
North Station Sports    Mark Cuban Is The Most Interesting Owner in Sports. Period.
Today’s Headlines – 12/10/2009
Celtics Town    Boston Celtics discuss Tim Donaghy's allegations
Tim Thomas spews anti-gay slurs, may or may not have hit woman with chair
Doc Rivers: Kendrick Perkins is Celtics' best defender
Throwing some dimes: What to do with 'Quisy's minutes?
The Morning Walkthrough: Ray Allen closing in on exclusive 20,000 point club
Rajon Rondo, mathematical genius?
Hardwood Houdini    Marquis Daniels out 6-8 After Surgery
Give or Take – Marquis Daniels and Glen Davis
Rajon Rondo Continues To Take It To Opponents
4 Sport Boston    4SB Podcast: The Boof is in the Booding
A Quarter Season Non-Crisis for the Boston Celtics
Lex Nihil Novi   Celtics Stumble Past Pacers 83-84
Run-and-Gun Nuggets Will Try to Play Some D 83-84
Volk Set to Replace Auerbach at Season's End 83-84
Celtics (16-6) Pound Nuggets 83-84
CelticsLife    NBA News: Tim Thomas has a T.A. Diner Incident
KG is Officially Back
Boston, We Have a Problem
Today's Video: '08/'09 Celtics Flashback
Gino's Jungle    Rankings and Reflections
Strut and Saunter: How Much Swagger Does Boston Need?
Welcome to the Jungle - Graham Brunell
ESPN   Daniels: I'll be back better than before
A new cast for Baby? Call security
Pierce, Rondo join Awards Watch
Hoop Data What’s Gone Wrong in Washington? Not What You’d Expect
Man in the Middle: A Look at Defending the Basket
D-League Digest    Rants from Grouchy Oscar: tired officiating complaints
Cleveland.com    Ejected and dejected: Cleveland Cavaliers lose their poise, then the game, 95-85, to Houston
South Coast Today    Celtics must make do without Daniels
Milford Daily News    Celtics notebook: C's thriving on the road
Josh Q Public   Rajon Rondo: Exclamation Point Guard
NBC Sports    Winderman: NBA’s season for hold ’em or fold ’em arrives
CT News   Rondo and Celtics: Assisted Living
State Press    Eddie brings the House down
Examiner   NBA receap Week 7: Rondo & Celtics winners of last 8, Bucks, Meeks in a jam
How to Watch Sports    Know Your Role: The NBA's Evolving 6th Man Position
Waiting for Next Year     Bring on Leon
Fan Huddle     Rebounding and bench woes continue to hound Celtics
Bleacher Report   Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic: Being Put to The Ultimate Test
SI.com   Kendrick Perkins is core of Celtics' defense, low-post scoring
SportsNet    Fast break: Dissecting Donaghy
LA Times Blogs   Celtics streaking, but Rondo still can't shoot straight
Mass Live    Celtics buzz: Rasheed Wallace says 'the truth is coming out,' Marquis Daniels gone for 8 weeks
RealGM    NBA Power Rankings For Mid-December
Norwich Bulletin   NBA: With Daniels sidelined, the recently returned Allen could step in for Celtics
Washington Examiner   First shot at a Celtics preview
CSNNE    Daniels undergoes successful surgery
'Sheed's shot (finally) starting to fall
HoopsAddict     Catching Up With Dee Brown
YouTube    Maine Red Claws Home Opener 2009
Slam Online    Decade’s Best:General Manager
Green Street    Doc Rivers on D&C
A Stern Warning   NBA Awards, 20 Games In - with Daniel Eade

Rubik's Cube

Jeff Clark — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:17 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

Who replaces Daniels? Its not that simple.

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In many situations, if a non-star player goes down with an injury, you simply plug someone else into the lineup and make do. This isn't one of those situations. You don't replace Marquis with one player because this year's edition of the Celtics is build a lot like a Rubik's Cube. To move one piece, you have to move two others with it. Then you might have to move several more pieces around before you finally get the desired result (and you are still far from being done).

Headed into the offseason, the Celtics had 3 priorities. Get help in the frontcourt, get a backup wing, and bring in someone to help with bringing the ball up court. Sheed took care of the first priority and Daniels was supposed to take care of the next two. Now we've got some pieces to shift around.

Daniels brought the ball up with the 2nd unit and allowed House to play off the ball on offense and guard 1's on defense. Now House has to bring the ball up more (making him less effective) and Doc has to find ways to have either Ray or Paul on the court for most of the game. That will be a challenge when he's also trying to keep their minutes down to keep them fresh for the long run. Of course you could also just run Rondo for 40 minutes a night and pray he doesn't twist an ankle.

In addition, there's a hole at backup wing. The C's have no shortage of guys that can fill in here. First there's Tony Allen, who for all his faults can still provide defensive pressure on 2's (when healthy). Then there's Scalabrine who is better suited for the 4 but can fill in at the 3. Then there's J.R. Giddens who might be able to help us a bit in the rebounding department. Or you could call up Bill Walker from Maine, but he may have fallen behind J.R. on the depth chart (if only because of his preseason injury). You can also experiment with using Hudson at both the guard positions but I'm not sure the team is comfortable with an expanded role for him yet. None of these guys is an ideal solution, but that's why they are backups to begin with.

So what about the option of going out to pick up a player? The team has the assets to make a small to medium sized move with expiring contracts (Tony, Scal, Giddens) but that option has been on the table since the Summer. You have to think that if Ainge were to be forced into making a deal, he wouldn't be in the best bargaining position. He's better off (from a value standpoint) waiting till the trade deadline (by which time Daniels might be back anyway). Of course, if the right deal came along that made sense for both the short and long term, you pull the trigger, but that would be the case even if Daniels was fully healthy.

Lastly, there's the "break glass if needed" option of suiting up Ty Lue to take over the backup ball handling duties. However, to do so you'll have to cut Lester Hudson or someone else off the roster. I get the feeling that the team would like to hold off on this option unless all other potential solutions come up dry.

Further complicating matters (in perhaps a good way) is the impending return of Big Baby. He doesn't directly solve any of the problems created by Daniels' injury but he adds depth to the frontcourt which in theory could have a good trickle down effect on the rest of the team.

Once again, I don't envy Doc or Danny trying to make all these puzzle pieces line up and match when the pieces keep changing on the fly. The good news, however, is that the setbacks this team has faced thus far can be overcome. The short term might prove rocky, but the long term still looks promising (which is a lot easier to say after an 8 game winning streak). Lets see how the rotations look in February, which might again be different than how they look in May and June. Here's hoping the pieces all slide into place just in time.

Daily Links 12/8

FLCeltsFan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:35:13 -0000

Herald    Young Buck runs wild
Scouting report: Bucks at Celtics
Tim Donaghy has standards, just not high ones Tim Donaghy has standards, just not high ones
Globe     The power of words The power of words
Allen gets defensive
Chat with Gary Washburn right now
Jennings owes a bow to Garnett
Vote for Perk

CelticsBlog     Happy Birthday Larry Legend
Everyone Loves Brandon Jennings
Loy's Place    Celtics Host Bucks Looking for 8th Straight Win
ESPN    Tim Donaghy, disgraced NBA official, sticks to story: Biases helped bets
It's clear Daniels has been hurting
C's climb in power rankings
Garnett named the best in the East
Former Celtic mentored Jennings overseas
Owner sorry for Michael Jordan-Bryon Russell 1-on-1 hoax
Tim Donaghy's claims on trial
Nick Friedell's Blog - What happened?
NBA Basketball Power Rankings
Celtics 17    Iverson scores 11 in inauspicious return
Red's Army     Case of the Mondays: Lakers Lovefest Makes Me Wanna Puke
KG is the Player of the Week
The Morning Dump... Where Ray Gets Defensive
Andre Iguodala nails full court shot
CSNNE    C's Xmas list: Board game
Basketbawful     Happy Birdmas 2009!!
Celtics Hub    Statistical Oddities of Questionable Significance
Everybody Loves Ray
North Station Sports    Dwight Howard has worse hygiene than your garden variety preschooler
Anything Is Possible! KG Wins Player Of The Week
Keep Shooting Ray Ray!
Celtics Town    The Morning Walkthrough: Brandon Jennings was mentored by former Celtic Allan Ray
Is Tim Donaghy lying? Statistics prove it likely
Glen Davis has cast taken off, does 'light work' in practice
Lebron James bashing gone too far
Hardwood Houdini    Kevin Garnett – Hardwood Houdini Player of The Week
Hardwood Houdini NBA Power Rankings
Lex Nihil Novi     Larry v. Magic: Game 6 Preview
Red: Parish Doesn't Take a Back Seat to Anyone
Larry v. Magic: Game 6
Larry v. Magic: Game 6 Post-Mortem
CelticsLife    The decline of the White American NBA Player
More Donaghy
The Rarest of the Rare
What the Hell Happened to...Eric Montross?
Gino's Jungle     Write For Gino's Jungle
One at home then back on the bus.
Celtics Stuff Live    Covering the Celtics the Yahoo! Way V.2
Herald News    CELTIC KNOT:Boston has company at the top of the Eastern Conference
Charlotte Observer    CELTIC KNOT:Boston has company at the top of the Eastern Conference
Newest Bobcat's got your back - always
NESN     Celtics Seeking Eighth Straight Win as Bucks Visit Boston
Bucks' Rookie Star Brandon Jennings Set to Face Celtics
Bleacher Report   NBA Power Rankings: Lakers Still King but Magic, Celtics, Nuggets Closing
How Badly is Rasheed Wallace Out of Shape?
Dimemag      Most Improved NBA Player by Division
Back for the First Time
Slam Online    Phil Jackson on Women in NBA: No Way
Inside Hoops   NBA Rumors: Tuesday, Dec. 8
Patriot Ledger     The Shot heard ’round the Celtics
Cleveland.com    With Shaq and a beefed-up bench, there's plenty to like about the Cleveland Cavaliers
JS Online    Preview: Bucks vs. Celtics
Hoopsworld    NBA Power Rankings
Evan Brunell   The end of the Most Valuable Network, MVN.com
Sports Central     LeBron Develops Kevin Garnett Syndrome
BetUs    NBA Week 6 Hot or Not – Celtics are Back, Cavs Keep Rolling
FanHouse    Rondo Deserves to Be an All-Star
Tim Donaghy on '60 Minutes,' Puts Pressure on NBA
NA Sports     Coach of the Year – Worst. Title. Ever.
Orlando Sentinel    NBA Insider: The New Jersey Nets have sacrificed the present for the future
NBA.com    Kevin Garnett and Carlos Boozer named Players of the Week
My SouthEnd    Last Call for Tony Allen
Mass Live     Celtics buzz: Marquis Daniels out, Tony Allen in, and more
CBS Sports    Bucks-Celtics Preview
Herald Extra     Michael Jordan sighted in Orem for 1-on-1 challenge
American Chronicle      Quite a haul ; The Red Claws open a new era of pro basketball in Maine with a big win in their home opener.
TruFan    Are you ready for Tony Allen?

Daily Links 12/7

FLCeltsFan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:14:07 -0000

Herald   Daniels to miss Bucks game
Tim Donaghy says he didn’t influence games he bet on
Sore Marquis Daniels to sit out for Celtics
Kobe Bryant, Lakers set Suns
Globe    Daniels will miss Celtics-Bucks game
Cheap talk?
Cavaliers run (29-0) and hide
Daniels is headed to the sideline
Vote for Perk   Vote For Perk

CelticsBlog   Without Quisy, Who Plays More?
Should Woodson Get Extension?: Hawk Players Say Yes
Answering The Twitter Mailbag
Loy's Place    Tim Donaghy Tells His Story on 60 Minutes
Random Thoughts on an Off Day
Red's Army Your KG Face of the Day
The Streaky Celtics - Inside the Numbers
Could we still see Oden in a Celtics jersey?
No, Chicago... don't try to steal the ball or anything
Plays of the Week
Your Morning Dump... Where yesterday was a good day for TA
DLeague Digest    Putting it together up top the key for Walker
CSNNE    Tony Allen ready to go; Daniels downgraded
Allen ready to go, Daniels downgraded
Celtics Hub    Update: "Nolan Ryan Rondo" Aggravates Daniels Injury
If you were to ask me…
North Station Sports    Talking Stats: Overcoming Turnover
David Stern Responds to 60 Minutes, Donaghy Interview
Larry Bird Turns 52 Today!
Celtics Town Don't take the way the Celtics play for granted
Marquis Daniels injured by "Nolan Ryan Rondo"
Milwaukee Bucks give up 29-0 first-half run in warmup for game with Celtics
Improved depth not a bad problem for Doc Rivers to have
The Morning Walkthrough: Rebounding is the 'tear in C's fabric'
Hardwood Houdini     Marquis Daniels Quiet As Of Late
Marquis Out For Tuesday’s Game Against Milwaukee
Kobe Bryant’s Fakers (15-3) a Far Cry From Celtics (16-4)
Tim Donaghy Speaks Out During Interview
Lex Nihil Novi     Some Good Stuff Over at the Army
7,600 Fans Watch Celtics Down Bulls 83-84
Celtics Life    Today's Video: Celtics Team Mix
The Tiger Woods scandal: A Microcosm of Society
Daniels to miss Bucks game, while Tony makes his Season Debut
Gino's Jungle    Looking Back Into The Past: #0 Walter McCarty
ESPN    Big Baby's new cast
It's clear Daniels has been hurting
I'm Just Sayin'    Hoping for health
Sports Media Watch   Sports Media Watch: Kenny Smith on Tim Donaghy
South Coast Today   Free Throws: Celts get good lessons from road, no matter the foes
Bucks Diary    The NBA MVP Race (using Win Contribution)
Philly.com   West repays Cavs' patience with 21 points
Dimemag    Perfect Timing
NESN    Andres Nocioni Remains Intriguing Trade Option for Celtics
NewsOK    Boy was I wrong, but…
Bleacher Report    Pivot Points: The Lakers, Celtics, And Magic Are Streaking Atop the NBA
The Doubters Are Silenced: Rajon Rondo Is More Than The Real Deal
OSC   Maine Red Claws Win 115-89 Over The Springfield Armor
USA Today   Portland 115, Springfield 89
Green Street    Celtics Injury Update on Daniels, Allen
AP    West scores 21 points, Cavs rout Bucks

Answering The Twitter Mailbag

Jeff Clark — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:32:41 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

I want my Baby back Baby back Baby back Baby back Baby back Baby back

Browse more photos »

This weekend I wanted to do a mailbag to answer questions that some of you might have. I got most of my questions via twitter. Here's a sampling of the questions and my humble answers.

mikerobbo34 @celticsblog do you think the team considered signing Iverson?

I believe Ainge admitted that there was some internal debate about signing Iverson. Ainge has long been a fan so I would imagine it was Doc that vetoed the signing. I'm sure that Doc has respect for AI but probably felt that introducing a guy like that wasn't the best idea for the lockeroom at that point in the season. I agree. For all his offensive prowess, he doesn't seem to be much of an ubuntu type of guy. I think the Stephon experiment last year didn't hurt that much, but it didn't help much either. In the end, if everyone wasn't buying in, it wasn't worth another experiment.

Colin_in_NYC @celticsblog here's a Q - How many minutes do you think will Big Baby get when he comes back and where are they coming from?

That's a really difficult question. Shelden is much like Leon Powe in that he provides rebounding and energy but isn't always a good scoring option. I could see another platoon situation like there was with Baby and Leon last year. Both will be squeezed for minutes with Sheed coming off the bench as well. I think you'll see Baby when Doc feels he needs some more offense and Shelden when Doc really needs a rebound.

sw43 @celticsblog How will this team recover from the offseason departure of defensive stalwart Mikki Moore?

Thank you Steve Weinman. He'll be here all week folks. Tip your waitress. Wait, I thought we agreed that the Mikki Moore era never happened. As soon as Tom Ziller invoked the name of Mark Blount, I knew we were in trouble.

But seriously, even with Sheed not in his prime anymore, he is so much of an upgrade over what we had last year it is crazy.

WAD1980 @celticsblog will rebounding be the fatel flaw of the 09-10 Celtics or will Danny Ainge find a way to improve it?

Lets just say that it is a tear in the fabric. We can sew it up, patch it up, or ignore the problem. Ignoring it isn't an option because the tear will just keep getting bigger and leave a big hole in our attack. Patching it with an outside person might help, but might end up causing more problems than it is worth. I think we have players that can rebound but they need to make if more of a priority. Perk, Sheed, and KG should be able to board with anyone. Sheed and KG spend a lot of time on the perimeter on offense, but if they emphasized it, they could pull down more boards. I think.

4Hoopz @celticsblog why the Celtics? What's ur next fave' 3 teams? What players would you like to see in green? (realistically and/or unrealisticly)

Dad brought me to the '86 Championship rally in Boston when I was 11. That pretty much sealed the deal for me. Next 3 favorite? I'd have to say the Twolves (formerly because of KG, now because of Big Al and Gomes), Nuggets (I like Melo), and anyone playing against the Lakers (or Magic or Cavs). I've said before, Chris Paul is the only PG I'd trade Rondo for. Durant is unattainable but would look great in green. Ditto for Melo. Basically, once the big 3 move on, we're going to need some bigtime scorers to put next to Rondo and Perkins.

bigguyd @celticsblog what are the c's going to do with Tony Allen? Is he tradeable at his point or do we keep him as a good 12th option?

Sure he's tradable, he's got an expiring contract. As a player, however, he's not worth much at all. Couple his contract with Scal and JR Giddens and we can pick up someone for the stretch drive that might be able to help. The key will be finding a team willing to dump salary at the deadline and not taking on too many years (probably the reason why Nocioni isn't a Celtic right now).

Brian0414 @celticsblog in the offseason, any ideas of who we may be able to land?

Oh man, I'm notorious for looking ahead and thinking about the next step, but I'm not sure even I can look ahead that far. This team is built to win now. I'm not sure anyone knows what's going to happen this summer, including Danny.

My best guess is that we'll take whomever we can nab for the MLE like we did with Sheed this year. Hey, maybe if Shaq wants one more shot at a ring he'll sign on to be our Bill Walton 6th man.

CelticsCircuit @celticsblog: Is Rajon Rondo the best point guard in the Eastern Conference?

He's probably the best pure point guard, yeah. It will be fun watching him and Derrick Rose grow up together. Devin Harris had a heck of a year last year and Jameer Nelson is a heck of a player. But I like Rondo for the way he can dominate a game without needing to shoot the ball much.

katee_nbaluv09 @celticsblog do you think perkins is having an all star worthy season this year?

Good question. I'm not sure if I have a direct answer for you. On one hand, I have to make the case that his defense deserves recognition and his offense has rounded his game into an all around player. There aren't a lot of big men I'd trade him for in the East.

On the other hand, it will be very difficult from a logistical standpoint to get him on the actual All Star roster. You can bet on KG and Paul being there, I'm betting Rondo will be on this year, then you have to wonder how many Celtics they'll put on the team and you start to weight the pros and cons of putting Ray vs. Perk on the team. You can see why Doc avoided the question the other day. He doesn't want to get in the middle of that debate. In a perfect world, Paul, KG, Rondo, and Perkins go this year, leaving Ray to rest and spend time with family. But I'm not sure it will work out that way.

What would you do for a Klondike Bar? (Kiorrik)

I'd do a lot for a Klondike Bar, especially if it was funny. So the question isn't what would I do, but rather what wouldn't I do. Here are some things:

Root for Kobe for any reason. In fact, I have him on my fantasy basketball team and I routinely root against myself. I was hoping to jinx him by having him on my team, but so far no such luck. Also on my team are Kidd, Richard Jefferson, Boozer, Varejao, and Horford. I'm in 3rd place and hating every moment of it.
Advocate trading Paul Pierce under any circumstance. For the right deal I could trade Ray Allen. I can't imagine it happening before the last year of his deal, but I would trade KG. I would even consider trading Rondo or Perkins for the right deal. However, I don't think I could part with Pierce for anything.
Stop writing about the Celtics. I love that this blog has become so popular and that you all like coming here to discuss the greatest basketball franchise ever, but if I didn't have this blog, I'd still be writing about the team somewhere. I just can't get enough of this stuff and I am blessed to be part of this community. Cheers.

Thanks for the questions everyone. This was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime.

Game 19 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Boston

Zorgon — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:28:22 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

I was at this game! In truth, I've been to every Thunder-Celtic game ever. Kyle Weaver was simply astonished at my attendance.

Browse more photos »

This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Comcast Sports Net New England

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): CelticsBlog, CelticsGarden, There's like a Million Others

Matchup: The Celtics are one of, and possibly the best team(s) in the NBA. They've been cruising to the top ever since the season started, and they look to have a better year than last. As everyone knows, last season Kevin Garnett got injured towards the end of the year, leaving them not much better than the lower-seeded Bulls. But, this season, they have added the veteran Rasheed Wallace to their bench, along with Shelden Williams and Marquis Daniels. They come into the Ford Center on a strong 6 game win streak, with their last loss being November 20th to a strong Magic team.

Meanwhile, the Thunder are coming off of a expected win against Philadelphia, and a somewhat dissapointing loss against the Rockets. Don't get me wrong, the Thunder's track record is strong, but it's not nearly as serious as Boston's track record. It's going to be a complete uphill battle.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Kendrick Perkins

It's no secret that Kendrick Perkins is and always has been the weak spot in the Celtics starting lineup. Unfortunately, this year, he's much more than a weak spot, averaging 12 Points and 8 Rebounds. I'd expect him to pretty much dominate Krstic in the post. Hopefully Krstic will be able to step out and shoot his jumpers, but I don't think Boston's front line is as lazy as Philadelphia's.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Kevin Garnett

There's just no possible way I see Jeff Green winning this matchup. He's struggled against worse big men in the past, so I think the struggle will only increase when facing one of the best big men in the NBA.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Paul Pierce

This is probably the most interesting matchup of the game, as Paul Pierce and Kevin Durant have very similar games. I'd expect Durant to finish better, but only because he has less talent around him than Pierce does.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Ray Allen

Thabo doesn't do well against drivers, but he does do well against shooters. Hopefully he can phase Ray Allen a bit tonight, as it will probably be a big key into winning this game. That being said, expect Ray Allen to blow Sefolosha away in the scoring department, hands down.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo is averaging one less assist than points this year, so he's having his best assist year ever, along with his excellent defensive skills. Expect Russell Westbrook to struggle a lot offensively, yet (hopefully) revert to his assisting form.

Battle of the Benches

The Celtics win here, hands down. They have possibly the best true backup in the league in Rasheed Wallace, a solid streaky shooter in Eddie House, and another solid backup in Marquis Daniels. This isn't even mentioning defensively minded Tony Allen and perennial backup Shelden Williams, who easily beat the guys the Thunder have as 9th and 10th men.

Coaching and Intangibles

The Celtics have everybody healthy sans Glen Davis, and they are in full speed ahead mode as they try to rack up 7 straight and get home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Pretty much every intangible except for the fact that the Thunder are at home and more well-rested is on the Celtics side.

Bottom Line

Last year, we were able to compete with the Celtics for 2-3 quarters or so, but lost badly when they decided to put the accelerator down in the 4th quarter. Look for them to do the same tonight, unless Sefolosha can somehow stop the march of Ray Allen, Krstic can knock down some jumpers, and Westbrook can actually be productive offensively. Still, all of that is pretty doubtful.

Prediction: Boston 103, Oklahoma City 89

Hey, at least we'll be within range at halftime!

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I'll be in the Ford Center cheering the team on, but I'll be back to write a recap later tonight. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

Game #16: Boston Celtics (12-4) vs. Miami Heat (9-6)

DolPhanDave — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:12:08 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

Browse more photos »

Hey guys. No, I didn't avoid writing a post-game blog because of how poorly the Heat played against the Wizards on Friday night. I moved into a new a house and while we were supposed to have the Internet hooked up, it didn't quite work out that way. Hopefully I'll be up and running very shortly, but in the meantime I greatly appreciate your patience. For now, we'll count this as a post-game/pre-game blog.

So yeah, last night was pretty bad. D-Wade took way too many jumpers and seems to be shying away from his strength, which is driving the ball. Mario Chalmers had a decent night...I love that he took 15 shots because he seems to be at his best when aggressive on the offensive end, but he seemed to struggle against Earl Boykins (who I'm sure the majority of you reading this are taller then). Both Wade and Chalmers ended up with decent stat lines but any Heat fan watching knows that

Some positives from the game were Jermaine O'Neal, who continues to impress. He and Mike Beasley scored the first 18 points for the Heat, and Jermaine again was dominant on the boards, coming down with 13.

Moving on to tonight's HUGE redemption game, the Boston Celtics bring their ridiculous roster down to play in the Heat's house. After playing at Cleveland in their season opener, Boston hasn't really had any road tests (until tonight..?). They come in winners of three straight and four of the their last five, with the only loss coming at the hands of Orlando.

It will be tough for the Heat, who have been very inconsistent lately. They have lost four of six and can't seem to get back to playing the way they did the first few weeks of the season. Some of that may change as the Heat will likely welcome back Quentin Richardson, who anchored the Heat's defensive dominance during their hot start.

GAME NOTES

The Heat have lost eight of their last nine against Boston, with the win coming last season.

Boston is coming off of a win against Toronto in which they shot a season high 62.3% from the field.

D-Wade recorded only his second game this season scoring less then 20 points, but he had success against Boston last season, averaging 29.5 points in the four meetings between the teams.

Glen ‘big baby' Davis is out for Boston with a thumb injury and Tony Allen is probable with an ankle injury.

Jermaine O'Neal should be in the lineup tonight, but may not join the team on their upcoming western road trip. His uncle is very sick and Jermaine may head back to Columbia, SC to be with him. For more info on this story, click here.

Early 6pm tipoff from the AAA on a football Sunday. It would be nice if a good crowd shows up, hopefully in a great mood after a Dolphins victory.

Daily Links 11/26

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:40:15 -0000

First of all, let me wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!   And, now on to today's Links.

Herald   Ainge: KG making progress despite warning signs
Celtics thankful for Paul Pierce
Team keeps tabs on Kevin Garnett’s recovery
Lakers tower over Knicks
Report: Allen Iverson to retire
A rare turkey day game for Jazz: Thanksgiving game is first since 1978.
Celtics win just in time
Globe     Rivers on Garnett's minutes: 'Just by vision'
Celtics 113, Sixers 110
Pierce provides steady presence in win
Confidence is high for Rondo
In crunch time, Pierce took charge for Celtics
Net asset: Celtics’ late shooting puts this one in win column

CelticsBlog     Celtics Hang On For The Win
Big plays in 4th propel Celts over 76ers
Loy's Place    Comments from the Other Side - Sixers 11/25
Celtics.com   Tony Allen Took Boston Students Grocery Shopping for Thanksgiving Dinner
Ford Keys to the Game: 76ers at Celtics
MetroWest Daily    Celtics: Age not the issue for the C's
Celtics 17   Allen Iverson is calling it quits.
Red's Army    "KG wouldn’t be playing... if he was hurt"
And the Rollercoaster Ride Continues...
Celtics Hub    Game#15/82: C’s (10-4) vs. 76ers (5-9)
Is the "Flip the Switch" Cliche True? C’s 113, Sixers 110
Examiner    This Thanksgiving, Celtics fans have a lot to be thankful for
North Station Sports     NSS Live Game Chat: Sixers vs Celtics
Hardwood Houdini    Rondo Drinks Red Bull After Third, Celtics Win
Lex Nihil Novi     "Kevin Garnett is an Average NBA Forward"
11-4: Celtics 113, Sixers 110
Jabbar was No Russell 83-84
CelticsLife     13 Refs Involved in Gambling Scandal According to a Source
Celtics LIMP by Sixers....
Celtics/Sixers Post Game Videos
Boston 113, Philly 110 Highlights
Gino's Jungle     Gino's Starting Five
Celtic Nation Thankful For The Truth
CSNNE    C's/76ers: Live from the Garden
Rondo shoots the C's to victory
C's avoid upset, squeak passed Sixers
WEEI     Doc Rivers, Celtics Pregame on WEEI
Rasheed Wallace, Celtics Postgame Guest on WEEI
Liberty Ballers    Sixers lose to Celtics 113-110
Patriot Ledger     CELTICS NOTEBOOK: Garnett grinds it out to start
Celtics struggle again in victory over shorthanded 76ers
CELTICS NOTEBOOK: Returning from knee surgery, Kevin Garnett goes full speed
NESN    Paul Pierce Potent as Celtics Deep-Six 76ers 113-110
Paul Pierce Proves Celtics Would Be Lost Without 'Truth'
Live Blog: Celtics vs. 76ers
Hawks Out to Prove Themselves in Tough Eastern Conference
Dana Barros Says Celtics Need Consistency to Get Wins
Slam Dunk Central    Celtics Slip Past Under-Staffed Sixers 113-110
ProJo   Celtics 113, 76ers 110: A close call for Boston
Celtics beat Philadelphia, 113-110, after a wild finish
Celtics-76ers pregame: Rondo will not have to face Williams tonight
Celtics-76ers pregame: Celtics expect more from the 76ers
Celtics journal: Rivers is tired of questions about Garnett’s knee
Morning Journal     WAKE-UP CALL: A look at the Eastern Conference free agents thus far WAKE-UP CALL: A look at the Eastern Conference free agents thus far
Philly.com    Unemployed Iverson reportedly is retiring
Depleted 76ers are edged by Celtics
Green Street    Doc: Pierce is our MVP
Turn up the volume: Pierce imposes his will
Fast Break: Celtics-Sixers
NBA ref scandal re-opened
Sports of Boston    Pierce’s 27 Helps Power Celtics Past 76ers
CT News    Pierce, Rondo Lead Celtics past 76ers: 113-110
ESPN    Pregame notes: C's vs. 76ers
Pierce takes charge
Can Rondo's jumper create confidence?
Paul Pierce makes sure the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers
Celtics Stuff Live    Gang Green: Season 3, Episode 6
Dimemag     It’s a New Day
Telegram    Rivers: KG in time warp
Pierce cooks Sixers’ goose
Celtics slip by sorry Sixers
National Post   Doc Rivers not sure Iverson's retirement will stick
4 Sport Boston 14 Reasons Not to Count the C’s Out
Washington City Paper   Cheap Seats Daily: There Was a Time When Folks Weren’t Nice to Abe Pollin?
Fan Huddle    The Celtics Need Ubuntu More Than Ever
WHDH     Source: Gambler claims 13 referees involved in NBA betting scandal
Yahoo    NBA bans Kings scout for gambling on team
Ball Don't Lie    Allen Iverson retires
Crashing the Glass Celtics win ugly
Inside Boston Sports    C's Survive Another Close One
Josh Q Public    Giving Thanks To Boston Sports On Thanksgiving