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Garnett and Rondo Lead Celtics to Blowout Victory

By Jenna Feldman on May 18, 2012 in

Kevin Garnett's intensity has been the key for the Celtics' playoff success this season.

After letting home court advantage slip by the slimmest of margins, the Celtics went in to Philadelphia Wednesday night and with a dominating 107-91 win Boston made a statement as they took it right back.

Kevin Garnett stayed hot, going 12 for 17 from the field and racking up 27 points as he pulled in 13 rebounds. Rajon Rondo pushed relentlessly throughout, scoring 23 and dishing out 14 assists while picking up six rebounds. Captain Paul Pierce, with an MCL injury that has held him to just 21 points combined in the first two games of the series, joined the show with 24 points and 12 rebounds of his own. The bench even got in on the fun with Pietrus scoring 13 and Bass adding ten.

Both teams stayed close through the first half of the game but when facing a seven point deficit to start the second, Kevin Garnet stepped up. The center hit seven jumpshots in a Celtics run that saw them up by as much as 13 and Boston finished the half with an 11-point lead at 60-49.

The Celtics came out of the break with an 11-2 run that put the 76ers down by 20 and the game was out of reach. Boston kept the pressure on and built their lead to as much as 25 in the third quarter and the 76ers wouldn’t get any closer than a 19 point deficit for the remainder of play. Doc Rivers questionably chose to keep Rondo, Pierce and Allen in the game until the final minutes despite the substantial lead.

Boston was able to silence a sell out Philadelphia crowd by snapping a win streak of their last four playoff games played at their Wells-Fargo Center. The 76ers can try to regain any sort of momentum they might still have in them tonight as the Celtics will try to take two games out of Philadelphia before returning back to the Garden Monday night.

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Wes Welker Signs Tender; Will Join Pats for OTA’s

By Brendan Tyman on May 17, 2012 in

Wes Welker announced on Twitter that he would be back with the New England Patriots in 2012.

New England Patriots’ wide receiver Wes Welker decided to sign his franchise tender and he will take part in the OTA’s and full-team minicamp in June. Welker announced via Twitter that he was taking a “#leapoffaith.”

Welker changed his stance to hold out for a long-term contract in April when he said on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni show on Monday he “has nine and a half million reasons” to play. Last month, Welker was talking about using his leverage to skip team offseason workouts, including the minicamp in hopes of receiving an extension.

The Patriots had placed the franchise tag on Welker where Welker would play on a 1-year deal for $9.5 million in 2012. Welker has 554 receptions in his five seasons with the Patriots and he has become one of the best slot receivers in the game.

In 2011, Welker hauled in 122 passes for 1569 yards and nine touchdowns. After the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLVI loss to the New York Giants, Welker was heavily criticized by many fans for not coming up with a catch with about four minutes remaining the Patriots held a 17-15 lead.

With Welker, 31 years old,  in the fold, this could mean the Patriots either work out a contract for the next couple of seasons or they can franchise Welker in 2013 at nearly $11.4 million. If Welker suffers a debilitating injury like in the 2009 regular season finale in Houston when Welker tore his ACL, this could hurt his free agency status next March. The Patriots are set financially when they reworked Tom Brady’s pact this offseason and with left tackle Matt Light’s retirement.

The Patriots and Welker have until June 15th to come to terms on an extension.

Welker’s commitment to the organization has never wavered. When Welker did tear his knee, he came back in 2010 in August without missing a game. While Welker did not have the same explosiveness inside, he ended the year with 86 receptions and he helped the Patriots’ offense record record-setting numbers after the Patriots had traded their top outside threat in Randy Moss during the season.

The Patriots are loaded at the wideout position. They currently have a dozen receivers on their roster with a mix of veterans and youth. The group includes Deion Branch, Brandon Lloyd, Chad Ochocinco, Jabar Gaffney, Donte Stallworth, Anthony Gonzalez Julian Edelman, and seventh-round pick Jeremy Ebert.

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Celtics Rally Past 76ers in Game 1

By Jenna Feldman on May 14, 2012 in

Paul Pierce was limited to 14 points on 3-11 shooting in Game 1 due to the 76ers athletic defenders.

Unlike the Celtics first meeting in the Quarterfinals against Atlanta, Boston was able recover from a sluggish start in Game 1 to beat the Philadelphia 76ers at the Garden on Saturday night. It was another stellar performance by big man Kevin Garnett that was the story, as the center posted a 29 point effort that pushed the Celtics over a strong, physical 76ers squad. Rajon Rondo added his eighth career postseason triple double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 17 assists and now leads active players in that category.

For the 76ers it was Andre Iguodala with 19 points and Evan Turner’s double double (16 points, 10 rebounds) that led the 76ers over Boston for much of the night. After being beaten in all aspects of the game including being out-rebounded 25-17 in the first half, the Celtics came back in the second and were 28-16 over their opponent off the glass.Down by 8 points with just nine minutes left in the game, Rondo and KG went to work. The point guard ran the show with five points, five rebounds and five assists and  nine points by KG  assisted a 20-5 run in giving Boston their final lead.Philadelphia would scrape back and came within a point in the final seconds of the game but it was Rondo who sprinted the clock off giving the Celtics their first win in the series.

The 76ers will be looking to take a victory out of Boston tonight at the Garden in Game 2.

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The Sad Saga of Josh Beckett

By Brendan Tyman on May 13, 2012 in

Josh Beckett was criticized after his latest rough outing in his start against the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.

Josh Beckett is tantalizingly talented. When Beckett came into the league with the Florida Marlins and in his first few seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Beckett’s fastball ran 95-97 miles per hour with a changeup in the high 80′s and a sharp breaking ball. This arsenal helped Beckett win two World Series, including the clinching Game 6 of the 2003 World Series with the Marlins over the New York Yankees. Beckett also finished 2nd in the Cy Young Award in 2007 finishing behind the former Cleveland Indians southpaw, C.C. Sabathia.

Over the past couple of seasons, Beckett has displayed the frustration from Red Sox fans on why Beckett has not fulfilled this promising pitcher into a pantheon of past greats like Nolan Ryan, who was another blazing Texas righthander. The fact is Beckett does not care. He’s content with his two World Series rings, making hundreds of millions of dollars, and just showing up when he he is slated to be on the mound (which isn’t the case all the time).

It’s not like Beckett is at the end of his career. This isn’t like when Dan Duquette said Roger Clemens “was in the twilight of his career.” Beckett is 31 years old and he had a 2.89 ERA in 2011. He was in the discussion for the Cy Young Award throughout last season until September when he got injured on the hill in Toronto on Labor Day.

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Celtics Outlast Hawks, Advance to Play 76ers

By Mike Tyman on May 12, 2012 in

Kevin Garnett (left) will need to keep Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand (right) in check.

The Boston Celtics barely escaped Game 6 with a series clinching victory after the Atlanta Hawks came up 3 points short at the TD Garden on Thursday night. Al Horford, who  had given the Hawks a newfound toughness since returning to the starting lineup in Game 5, missed the first of two free throws with a chance to tie the score with under 3 seconds remaining which led to the Celtics’ 83-80 victory.

Kevin Garnett was the best player on the court from the start to finish. He led all scorers with 28 points and added 14 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals. Paul Pierce was noticably restricted shooting the ball due to his sprained MCL and Ray Allen could not find his shooting stroke either. Rajon Rondo had flashes of brilliance during the Celtics’ 16-2 1st half run which helped them take the lead. However; he also turned the ball over 5 times and was unaggresive late in the game. Garnett’s epic performance was enough to shadow the subpar games of the other Celtics stars.

The Celtics will begin their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. While the 76ers struggled down the stretch after they started the season 20-9, they can still be formidable. The Sixers have seven players who could score in double figures.

The Sixers took two of three in the regular season from the Celtics. All of those games had one of the teams playing on back-to-back nights while the other squad was rested.

The 76ers are solid on the defensive end. Andre Iguodala is one of the best defensive forwards in the league. If Pierce (sprained MCL) continues to be hobbled, the Celtics could be in trouble with Iguodala. In the 76ers last two games against the Chicago Bulls, they did not allow over 78 points.

On the offensive end, the Sixers are led in scoring by their point guards, Jrue Holliday and Lou Williams. Holliday averaged 18.2 points per game against the Bulls and he shot 41% from beyond the arc. The Celtics could use Avery Bradley against these guards or Evan Turner to apply full court pressure.  Rondo can play defense on the other guard in the backcourt or the Celtics could be creative like they were in Game 6 when they put Rondo on Marvin Williams to have him post up.

In this series, the Celtics must win thee turnover battle. The 76ers are a great transition team because of their youth and athleticism. The Sixers are not a unit that will cough up the ball regularly. They averaged just 9.8 turnovers against the Bulls.

In the halfcourt, the Sixers are not a great shooting team. They shot just 40.7% in the series against the Bulls. The Celtics need to keep the 76ers in the halfcourt on the defensive end while taking advantage of their opportunities in transition and execute on the offensive end. The Sixers are not deep in the froncourt after Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes. If Pierce and Allen (bone spurs in ankle) continue to be hampered, the Celtics may need more performances like Garnett had on Thursday night.

This series could be like the Hawks where the first team to 80 points wins because of both teams’ ability to shut down their opponents.

Prediction: Celtics in 6

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Patriots Lose Another Pillar

By Brendan Tyman on May 9, 2012 in

For the first time in Tom Brady's career, he will not have Matt Light (72) on the left side of the offensive line.

Matt Light has been a stabilizing force on the offensive line for the New England Patriots for the past decade.

On May 7th, that reality came to an end when Light officially announced his retirement from the NFL and the Patriots. Light was drafted in the second round (48th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was not supposed to play much in the 2001 season and Bill Belichick had him projected to become a right tackle even though Light performed on the left side at Purdue University. He would make 12 starts and help the Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVI against the heavily favored St. Louis Rams.

Tom Brady is now the only active player from the Super Bowl XXXVI on the Patriots’ roster.

Light appeared on the field for 155 of 176 games in his career while being the starter for 153 of those contests. He was a three-time Pro Bowler (2006, ’07, and ’10). After the 2007 season, Light was named to the All-Pro team. There were five Super Bowl appearances in Light’s 11-year career and he was a member of three Super Bowl champions.

Light had his share of battles with speed rushers such as former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets defensive end Jason Taylor and Indianapolis Colts ends, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.

In the locker room, Light was known for his light personality where he liked to have fun with his teammates and coaches. Light pulled pranks on teammates and coaches, including Belichick. One time Light took out Belichick’s mouse attached to his computer in his office and replaced the mouse with 400-jolts of electricity.

There were several memorable moments in Light’s time as a Patriot, including watching ex-long snapper Lonie Paxton perform a snow angel after the Patriots’ comeback 16-13 overtime win over the Oakland Raiders in the 2001 AFC Divsional Playoff  game.

As Belichick said in the retirement press conference, “He had a great sense of when to lighten up and when to tighten up.”

After the conference, Light admitted while he was fending pass rushers away from Brady’s back, he battled from Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease affects the intestines and the sickness can be very painful. In the summer of 2004, Light missed the Super Bowl ring ceremony at Robert Kraft’s house because he was suffering from complications of surgery. He did not eat for months and his weight dropped from 315 pounds to 260 and Light was in the hospital for 30 days. In June, Light had to have 13 inches of his intestine removed.Yet, Light was still able to make it to training camp in the third week of August after seeking the advice of one of the Patriots’ team doctors, David Berger, at Massachusetts General Hospital. He made all 16 starts, including the run to the Patriots’ Super Bowl XXXIX victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2011, Light had one of his best seasons as a Patriot. According to Belichick, Light committed two mental errors.

Despite the loss in Super Bowl XLVI to the New York Giants, Light still went out on top and he was able to leave the game of football on his own terms.

 

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Celtics Take 3-1 Lead After Efficient Offensive Performance in Game 4

By Jenna Feldman on May 8, 2012 in

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce had the Garden rocking by shooting 10-for-13 from the field in the Game 4 victory on Sunday.

After nearly putting Boston fans into cardiac arrest Friday night in their Game 3 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Boston Celtics came back out and put on not only more of a relaxed show, but an entertaining one Sunday night. Every shot was sinking as the boys in green couldn’t miss anything from anywhere on court.

The Celtics started from the tipoff with an 11-6 run and ended the first quarter on another 11-4 run. In those 12 minutes alone, Atlanta turned the ball over eight times and Boston capitalized for 11 points of their 32-19 margin to end the frame.

The second saw much of the same as Boston could do no wrong. They shot 64% in the first half and took a 64-41 lead into the break. The only pause in momentum came while captain Paul Pierce lay on the court holding his left leg after taking an awkward fall that twisted his knee. In the morning shootaround, Pierce initially injured his knee on a freak incident. Pierce would walk to the locker room on his own strength. but didn’t return for the remaining minutes, as Doc opted to keep his knee on ice with such a lead.

Pierce would lead his team out to start the second half and they came out firing.  Pierce looked shaky to start, but he put away two solid threes and a run into the floor seats to pump up the fans got the Garden rocking again.

In the first four minutes the Celtics went on another huge run, outscoring Atlanta 18-2. Reaching an embarrassing 37 point lead (80-43), the captain took a seat on the bike and worked his knee.

The only answer Atlanta had all night came at the end of the third as a seven minute scoreless streak for the Celtics saw the Hawks come within 22 points. Back to back threes by Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen, with a Rondo layup in the last seconds, gave the C’s an 8-0 run that put them back up by 30.

Pierce sat the fourth quarter out in the locker room as starters Rondo and Kevin Garnett would finish their night with just under ten minutes remaining.

Whilel Pierce was the scorer of this game  with 24 points coming in just his 17 minutes of play, it was Rondo who proved again to be the playmaker. Rondo not only scored 20 points of his own, but he dished out 16 assists to seven different Celtics players with just one turnover in the game. The bench scored an impressive 28 points as Marquis Daniels, Greg Stiemsma, Mickael Pietrus and Allen all saw substantial playing time. Keyon Dooling nailed a couple of treys as the Celtics landed 11 of 24 three point attempts after shooting 18% in the first three games of the series.

The Celtics take a 3-1 series lead back to Atlanta Tuesday night in hopes of putting these quarterfinals behind them and moving on to face the winner of the series between the Philadelphia 76ers  or Chicago Bulls.

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Red Sox’ Adrian Gonzalez Has Come Up Empty in Boston

By Brendan Tyman on May 7, 2012 in

Adrian Gonzalez has gone through a difficult start in the 2012 season.

There’s a scene in an episode of “Seinfeld” when an attractive New York City tour guide walks into the bathroom with George Costanza (who is pretending to be a tourist) to find George in his underwear. The woman says, “George, I told you this city was going to eat you alive.” Is this what is happening with Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez? Is Gonzalez not tough enough to handle the crazed sports fans of Boston?

Gonzalez is in the first year of a contract where he is making $20 million  and he is in his second season in a Boston Red Sox uniform. Yet, Gonzalez is off to a sluggish start.

Gonzalez went hitless in eight at-bats, which is the first time in Red Sox history a cleanup hitter failed to reach base in 8 plate appearances in one game, in Sunday’s 9-6 defeat to the Baltimore Orioles. He struck out out off of Orioles first baseman/DH turned pitcher, Chris Davis (who also went 0-8, but he became the winning pitcher), in the 17th inning with Gonzalez representing the tying run. There were runners on first and second with Gonzalez unable to hit mid-80-mile-per-hour heat from Davis. It makes one wonder how Gonzalez would fare if he were to see 49-year-old Jamie Moyer, who has trouble even reaching 80-miles per-hour.

Before Sunday’s embarrassing showing, Gonzalez endured a stretch of 17 consecutive plate appearances without a hit before he reached base three times via a hit in Friday night’s game against the Orioles.

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Rajon Rondo’s Return Sparks Celtics

By Jenna Feldman on May 6, 2012 in

Rajon Rondo (left) had his way with Jeff Teague (right) and the Atlanta Hawks in the second half of the Celtics Game 3 victory.

Fresh off a one-game suspension that left the point guard feeling bitter, Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo returned Friday night in Game 3 at the Garden and recorded his 20th career triple double to lead the Celtics into a 90-84 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The 17-point, 14-rebound and 12-assist performance was his seventh in postseason play, tying him with LeBron James for second most among active players with 7 (Jason Kidd has 11 in his career). Paul Pierce posted 21 points and Kevin Garnett had 20 with his 13 rebounds. Ray Allen made his first appearance since April 10 and scored 13 of his own off the bench on 6-12 from the field.

The Celtics finally had all of their best back out on the court an the Hawks was undermanned, but this game still wasn’t pretty. The game saw 16 lead changes and the teams were tied 15 times, as the two stayed close throughout the first three quarters.

But it was a spark in the start of the fourth that caught Rondo and he set afire to the court. Doc Rivers noticed the point guard was timid, even sloppy, and encouraged him to step up—be aggressive, be a scorer. An ugly turnover to start the fourth quarter would be Rondo’s sixth and last of the game, as a quick assist, basket and rebound later would have him nearing his triple double. In the remaining 16 minutes of play after his costly turnover, Rondo notched 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and a couple steals.

The game wasn’t put out of reach for the Hawks though, who persistently fought back closing the double-digit deficit throughout the entirety of the last quarter. It was one last push, an 8-0 run, in the final minutes that left the teams at an 80-80 tie with a minute remaining.

With the Garden on their feet and nerves running high, the teams went back and forth for the last sixty seconds before a missed jump shot that Pierce would hit nine out of 10 times sent this game to overtime.

Atlanta would tie it up just once in OT, at 82-82, not even a minute into the final five before the Celtics were finally able to put them away.

Referring to the Game 2 win on the road in Atlanta, Pierce was quoted before the game as saying, “We fought for this home court advantage. Let’s not give it away.” The Celtics hold a 2-1 series lead and will host Atlanta back at the Garden Sunday night for Game 4.

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Celtics – Hawks Game 3 Preview

By Brendan Tyman on May 4, 2012 in

If Ray Allen returns, he will help the Boston Celtics space the floor, except if he takes shots from midcourt.

The Boston Celtics head into Friday night’s showdown against the Atlanta Hawks even at 1-1, courtesy of their 87-80 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday night. Paul Pierce scored a game-high 36 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in a throwback performance to the days when Pierce had to carry the team on his own in the early part of last decade.

Rajon Rondo returns for Game 3 after receiving a one game suspension for bumping official Marc Davis in the Game 1 defeat. The Celtics could also be getting back Ray Allen, who has been battling bone spurs in his ankle. Allen participated in the full practice and he took part in shootaround, but he needs to show that he can play in his pregame workout. Allen could boost an offense that has shot 3-25 from beyond the arc in the first two games of the series. Meanwhile, the Hawks’ power forward Josh Smith is a gametime decision after he came up limping with a knee injury at about the 4:20 mark in the fourth quarter on Tuesday. If Smith is out, Marvin Williams will be inserted into the starting lineup.

While all eyes will be on Rondo and how he plays after losing control of his emotions on Sunday night, the most critical matchup, regardless of whether or not Smith plays is Joe Johnson versus Paul Pierce. Johnson has not shot the ball well in either contest while Pierce struggled with his shot in Game 1 before shooting 12-for-26 from the field in Game 2. Both players are the leading scorers of their respective squads, but Pierce is the better overall player. Johnson is strictly a scorer.

The other intangible to watch is if Smith does see action on the court, how effective will he be with the strained tendon in his knee? Smith relies on his speed and athleticism to be effective on both ends of the court. If Smith is less than 100%, can Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett take advantage of this matchup? Williams brings length, but he is primarily a perimeter player and Garnett can take advantage by posting him up because Williams is smaller and lean. Williams is not a very good individual defender.

The Celtics were able to grind out the win in Game 2 by receiving contributions from players like Keyon Dooling (who made the first treys of the series in the 3rd quarter) by knocking down two three-pointers and Marquis Daniels, who was able to defend Johnson in the fourth quarter. Jeff Teague hurt the Celtics with his ability to hit shots from outside while using a quick spin move to get away from defenders who have cut him off in penetrating to the basket for the first battle and half of the second game. He was quieted in the second half because he was missing shots from outside and Avery Bradley refused to let him drive inside the paint. When Smith went out it hurt the Hawks because Smith can take a big away from the basket while the paint opens for Teague and Kirk Hinrich.

Ryan Hollins also provided significant minutes in Game 2 and if Greg Stiemsma is having trouble with his foot, Hollins could be the interior defender off the bench and also create energy with his athleticism on the offensive end.

The Celtics have the home court advantage and they have a chance to bury the Hawks, but they cannot let the Hawks hang around. The Celtics need to ride the momentum of their comeback from the 11-point deficit (65-54 in the 3rd quarter) in Game 2.

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