Apr 1, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Terrence Williams (55) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves point guard J.J. Barea (11) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics start April with a loss in Minnesota as they were without Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Nikola Pekovic singlehandedly won the game for the Timberwolves as he scored 29 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Boston had no one who could stop him, being shorthanded in the front court. Pekovic wasn’t the only reason why the Celtics lost. Lack of energy, careless turnovers that lead to Minnesota fast break points, and very little production from Boston’s key rotational players also contributed. It could be argued that without Pierce, Garnett, and Rajon Rondo, tonight was a flashback to the 2006-2007 season.

The Celtics came out flat tonight on both ends of the floor. There wasn’t much defense which resulted in easy interior points for the Timberwolves, and their was no leader to command the offense for Boston. After tonight’s game, there should be a newfound appreciation for the Big Three and what they bring to the team. Without them Boston looked like a directionless college basketball team searching for someone to lead the team to a victory. Tonight was certainly not the way to start off a new month with eight games remaining in the regular season.

Turnovers proved to be a killer for Boston. When they got the Timberwolves lead to within single digits, the Celtics would make a careless pass that resulted in an easy bucket in transition for Minnesota. The Celtics definitely miss Rajon Rondo, or at least an established point guard who can fully direct the team on offense and make sure everyone is in the right position on a possession. When Boston was forced to operate in the half court set, they looked lost, unsure where to look for points on offense. Jeff Green was unable to step up tonight due to Minnesota’s defense, so Avery Bradley kept the team afloat with 19 points, but it wasn’t enough. Paul Pierce was definitely missed tonight, and can’t return soon enough as Boston needs a commander on the floor to play effectively throughout games.

Tonight felt more like a preseason game since the Celtics didn’t field their veterans and the bench got a majority of the playing time. With the Milwaukee Bucks winning their game, the Celtics are only a game and a half ahead of them for the final playoff spot in the East. If Boston doesn’t step it up, they’ll be facing the Miami Heat in the first round, which is a Celtics fans’ worst nightmare.

Boston needs to capitalize on games such as tonight. The Timberwolves were without their best player in Kevin Love and have faced their own fair share of injuries this season. With to without the veterans, the Celtics should have come away with the victory tonight. They take on the Detroit Pistons Wednesday, who have given Boston trouble in the past. Pierce is expected to play, and they’ll need him for the Celtics to get their first win of April.

Mar 30, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio (9) looks on during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, the Boston Celtics will be taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves without Paul Pierce who injured his right ankle in the first quarter of last night’s game against the New York Knicks. For the first time in six seasons Boston will have to play a game without the Big Three, who are all out due to injuries. If this was a playoff game there is no doubt Pierce would be playing, but with the season coming to a close, health is more important than positioning for the postseason. Luckily for the Celtics they’re facing the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves.

However, securing a win tonight will not be easy. There are three keys to victory for Boston. If they play the way they’re supposed to, even without Pierce, the Celtics will walk away adding another victory to the win column.

• The Celtics have to slow down Ricky Rubio. Allowing him to operate in the open floor and giving him time to make precision passes will eventually kill the Celtics later in the game. He’s the engine that makes the Timberwolves go, and if you slow him down, or at least make him sputter, Minnesota’s offense will do the same. Boston’s guards will have a tough assignment, especially Avery Bradley, but if he plays at the top of his game, covering Rubio like a shadow, the Timberwolves will have to look to someone else to step up and lead them to victory.
• Boston needs to push the tempo and rebound. For the Celtics, they go hand in hand. When the front line boxes out and the back court are on the run, fast break opportunities open up. However, they’ve had a hard time rebounding on both ends of the floor which has allowed opponents to get second chance points, and has diminished Boston’s ability to run the up-tempo offense. The Celtics win games when they run, plain and simple. In New York, the Knicks completely took Boston out of their rhythm, forcing them to take bad shots and staying out of the paint. It all starts with rebounding. If Boston keeps Minnesota off the glass and gets out in transition as much as possible they’ll win this game.
• Jeff Green needs to step up in a big way for Boston. With Paul Pierce out, it will be up to Green to score a majority of the starters’ points tonight. But to have a great game scoring 25-30 points, Green needs to stay out of foul trouble. He has a tendency to pick up quick fouls so he’ll need to tone down his defensive intensity and play smart. With him being the go-to-guy tonight, look for him to be aggressive early, starting the offense, and possibly finishing the possession with a strong layup or posterizing dunk. If there is a time he shows his full offensive arsenal, it would be tonight. He has no one else to share the scoring with, so it’s up to him to have a Paul Pierce-like night and get the Celtics a victory.

Starting April off strong is important. With the playoffs starting in three weeks, the Celtics will need to gather as much momentum as possible heading into the postseason. Health for this team should be the number one priority, but playoff seeding is close behind on the itinerary. Boston cannot afford to face the Miami Heat in the first round, and even though they’ve had success against the Indiana Pacers, staying away from the top two teams in the East is a must if they want to go far in the playoffs.

Jan 12, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1) warms up prior to a game against the Phoenix Suns at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been four and a half seasons since the 2008 NBA Draft was conducted, and it seems like a good time to re-visit the selections and determine how the Draft would go if it were re-conducted today.

There’s no change in the number one selection, regardless of major injury, but the rest of the top-10 shake out intriguingly, as a number of players leaped a third of a round in value, including two big men who are being paid handsomely by their respective clubs.

1) Derrick Rose (1)

Derrick Rose is the only one in this class to win an MVP award, though at least two others in this class have the talent to do so.  Rose led the Bulls to the best record in the Eastern Conference in consecutive seasons, and they had the best record in the entire NBA in 2010-11.

He’s a franchise talent, and though he is coming off of ACL surgery, many expect Rose to return to be as brilliant as he was pre-injury, if not more so.  Rose is a hard worker and has recently been dunking in practice, which is a good sign we’ll see the real Rose after the All-Star break.

2) Kevin Love (5)

Kevin Love has become the league’s best power forward.  He posts 20/20 games with regularity, and up until this season had been an accurate three-point marksman (even winning the three point contest over the All-Star weekend festivities).

Love is going to go down in the conversation with Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Moses Malone and the likes, for the best power forward of All-Time, when it is said and done.

Jan 11, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after a 3-point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. The Thunder defeated the Lakers 116-101. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

3) Russell Westbrook (4)

Russell Westbrook is the third franchise talent of this draft class.  Though he plays with the league’s best scorer Kevin Durant, Westbrook is not shy about making himself the primary option when games call for it.  He still averages 8.5 assists per game, proving that the selfish player labels are not so accurate, after all.

Westbrook is essentially a really good shooting guard in a point guard’s body, but at 6’3″ with a strong broad frame, Westbrook is able to post up of a lot of opposing point guard and take advantage of his physicality.  He should prove to be one of the best point guards in the league for the next decade.

4) Brook Lopez (10)

Brook Lopez is a dynamic scorer, but not much of a true center.  He doesn’t rebound the ball well enough, deferring to Kris Humphries to do most of the dirty work inside.

He’s returned more to the form he showed in his first seasons in the league now, though, and the Brooklyn Nets feature Lopez prominently in their well-rounded starting five.  Lopez was taken No. 10 overall, but after receiving a max contract, he’s shown he is nearly a franchise talent.  Just not quite.

5) Nicolas Batum (25)

Nicolas Batum is quickly becoming one of the league’s best swingmen.  Batum is a premier defender and is scoring well this season, too (a career high 16.6 points per game).  Batum is a career 37 percent three point shooter and helped France in the 2012 Olympics.

Will Batum enter the elite class of small forwards?  It’s possible.  He’s improved every season in his five-year NBA career and is seeing 38.7 minutes a night this year.  The Portland Trail Blazers have been a surprisingly good 20-16 behind the strong play of rookie Damian Lillard and All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge.  The future is bright in Portland and Batum is a big part of what they are building around.

6) Danilo Gallinari (6)

“The Rooster” has to be one of the more ridiculous nicknames in professional sports, but there is nothing ridiculous about Danilo Gallinari’s sweet jumper.  He hasn’t been hitting it at a high clip this year (just 40 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three), but over his career he has proven to be an effective scorer (just not the most efficient).

Gallo (much better nickname) has the potential to be a big scorer on a high scoring team, but would need to hit a much better percentage from the floor to move up much higher than the No. 6 overall selection in this draft, which incoincidentally was where he was selected in 2008.

January 6, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (34) dunks in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

7) JaVale McGee (18)

JaVale McGee lost his starting spot in Denver, but it stems primarily from the fact his asthmatic condition limits the amount of minutes he can play.  But when he does play, he’s been very good, and a number of Nuggets fans are calling for McGee to start once again.

McGee is extremely coordinated and put time in with the “Hoops Whisperer” Hakeem Olajuwon this summer.  It’s seemingly paid dividends, as his post repertoire looks much improved.  He already had the coordination and athleticism, but with some more big man coaching he could be an elite center.

8) Roy Hibbert (17)

Roy Hibbert is another player in this draft who received a max-contract due to position scarcity.  With all due respect to Hibbert (and to a lesser extent Lopez), I don’t feel he could have started back in the center rich talent pool of the 90s.  Hibbert is immobile, soft and doesn’t have particularly great timing, which results in a lot of reach-in fouls.

He’s still the third best center in this draft class, and he’s better than the No. 17 overall at which he was picked, but the Pacers are going to live to regret that max-contract, and likely already are with Ian Mahinmi playing so well off the bench.

9) Eric Gordon (7)

If I were re-ordering this draft two seasons ago, Eric Gordon would have been No. 4.  He’s more talented than everyone in this draft outside of Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook (Yes, more talented than Love, but Love’s work ethic puts him over the top), and if not for the knee injuries he would unequivocally be a perennial All-Star.

Instead, he’s seldom been on the court.  Gordon drew vast interest at the end of last season, but the Hornets retained his services as a restricted free agent.

May 15, 2011; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard OJ Mayo (32) shoots a layup against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha (left) and forward Serge Ibaka (second from right) during the first half of game seven of the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs at the Oklahoma City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

10) O.J. Mayo (3)

O.J. Mayo looked as though he might contend for Rookie of the Year early in the 2008-09 season.  For a season and a half in Memphis, Mayo looked as though he could be a 20-plus point per game scorer.  In his rookie season, he averaged 18.5 points per game.

In time, the Grizzlies seemingly outgrew their need for Mayo, as other scorers stepped up and Tony Allen’s defensive skills were far more need-appropriate than Mayo’s shooting.  Moreover, his shooting had become less accurate as time wore on.

It turned out, all Mayo needed was a change in scenery.  This season in Dallas, Mayo has returned to the brilliance he displayed as a rookie—plus some.  He’s averaging over 18 points per game again, but shooting a career high 46 percent from the floor, including a blistering 42.6 percent from three-point range.