Archive for October, 2010

Kendrick Perkins was the starter on a championship team. He is regularly mentioned as one of the building blocks, alongside Rajon Rondo, of the post-Big Three future for the Celtics. His devastating new injury in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in June was used as an excuse by many Celtics fans as to why the C’s lost in Game 7. So you would like to think he is an important player for the C’s. If that’s the case, why does he sound like someone who is a little uptight about whether he even has a role on this team. [...]

First rematch of the year? Time for a preview. Encore?: The first half can’t go as badly as it did in the last matchup for Philly, can it? The Celtics held the Sixers to just 16 percent shooting en route to a 93-65 victory. It was a dominant defensive display for Boston and an outrocious outing for Philly. Should we expect more of the same? Well, Philly should have Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala back, but that didn’t help them in their last game against the Nets, a 90-89 loss in the last second(via a Stephen Graham three). But that [...]

Well, three games down for the Celtics, and three victories. This one went down to the wire, much like the game against New Jersey. The Celtics didn’t really seem to play that well, but they pulled it out in the end. Some noticeable trends from the first three games before getting into it. I’ve been keeping an eye on the rebounding numbers after the C’s struggled there last year. Much better, as the C’s won the battle on the glass again. Three games, three times the opponent has shot 40 percent or less. Defense will be this team’s identity, and [...]

With all the hullabaloo over Shaq, the other O’Neal got lost in the shuffle. But the spotlight will be on Jermaine if he does indeed make his debut in green, as expected, at the Garden this evening against the Toronto Raptors, who he had a brief cameo with in 2009. Last time we saw Jermaine O’Neal on the court, he was putting the finishes touches on what can only be described as one of the worst playoff series in recent memory. O’Neal, who will turn 32 on Wednesday, couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting 20 percent from the field in a [...]

Here’s what to watch for tonight as the Celtics make their 2010-11 debut at TD Garden. Hey, it’s not like there is any football on today…You may as well get fired up, Big Baby-style. Baby Steps: And speaking of Glen Davis, he’s the player I’m keeping my eyes on tonight. Why? He has simply been the most impressive Celtic on the court through the first two preseason games. I want to see him keep it up, on both the offensive and defensive ends. If he continues to be aggressive, while also playing smart, on the offensive end and work on [...]

If Pat Riley is doing it, why can’t we? Let’s start with the positives first. Well, positive depending on how you look at it. I would guess that most C’s fans would be happy to hear that Doc Rivers is giving some thought to coaching beyond the tenure of the Big Three in green, according to a recent article on Yahoo from Adrian Wojnarowski. I think that would be a serious mistake. This team is the perfect squad for Rivers to be coaching. A veteran squad like this needs a coach that can manage all the egos and understands what [...]

A little tardy to the party here, but a few thoughts on last night’s game as the Celtics moved to 2-0. Before you get excited though, know that Minnesota is also 2-0 on the preseason. Not that you would get excited about preseason results, but Minnesota might not win two games all year. That’s what happens when you have a roster with eight point guards. Onto the show… The Good Grand Marquis: Marquis Daniels is the most important player on the Celtics roster. Don’t believe me? Well, I’m not going to try to totally sway you now. You’ll have to [...]

Why three? With that little jog down memory lane complete, here are the three things to be on the look out for tonight when the Celtics are in Newark to face the Nets. Minutes: Doc said it last night, so don’t be surprised when the starters make have a brief showing. Why? It’s the second night of a back-to-back in the preseason. No need to work those old guys too hard. This gives Doc an opportunity to straighten up some of the jumble in the battle for bench spots, particularly in a crowded backcourt. With that in mind, I’ll be [...]

It is only the preseason, but one thing is for certain: the Celtics are going to be pretty good, and the Sixers are going to be bad. And with that, we are going to try out a format for postgame thoughts—the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Hopefully it will go over better than Shaq in his bow tie. The Good OK, so to be fair, no Elton Brand or Andre Iguodala for Philadelphia. But boy was Doug Collins’ team overmatched last night in Manchester. Still, there was a lot to be pleased about as the Celtics were back on [...]

Just like the Celtics, Hardwood Houdini is back! But before digging into the nitty gritty and giving my first assessment of the 2010-11 Boston Celtics, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Ethan Landy. I’m 22 years old and a graduate of Tufts University. Born and raised on the North Shore, I didn’t exactly travel too far for college. But with any possible drawbacks that could present, it did allow me to continue to follow my Celtics with ease. And I have done just that, through the good and the bad. From my first visit to the Garden when [...]