No Blood No Foul

Enough with the “weak schedule” talk. It’s just the easy way out for crap basketball analysts who haven’t taken the time to watch the Celtics and break down their strengths and weaknesses.

The Celtics have absolutely crushed most every team they have faced. They have played every good team in the east including Orlando and Cleveland twice. They have demolished so-called contending west teams like Denver and L.A., and beat a damn good Jazz team in Utah’s building.

Furthermore, they have embarrassed teams to the point that they have resorted to cheap shots to salvage their pride. (more…)

I hope everyone in Boston watched the fourth quarter of tonight’s Celtics-Pistons game, because it perfectly highlighted everything that’s wrong with the Celtics.

1) Rajon Rondo is the weakest link. Sure, he had a good game stats wise, but how badly was he abused by Chauncey Billups? Don’t get me wrong, in two or three years Rondo is going to be one helluva player, but it’s much too soon to expect so much from someone so young.

2) The Celtics bench is weak. I’m amazed that anyone ever thought any different, but amazingly some people seem to think Boston has a good bench. Tonight’s game showed quite the opposite — Boston’s bench only scored 5 points and shot 22%!! A terrible performance. (more…)

Friday, November 2nd. The Celtics destroyed the Wizards 103 - 83. The game was over by halftime.

Wednesday, November 7th. The Celtics wrecked the Nuggets 119 - 93. Nuggets coach George Karl and superstar Allen Iverson both said it was one of the worst beatings they suffered in their careers.

Friday, November 9th. The Celtics blasted the Hawks 106 - 83. They had a 14pt lead at halftime and never looked back.

Tuesday, November 13th. The Celtics powered by the Pacers 101 - 86, proving they can win big on the road.

Wednesday, November 14th. The Celtics embarrassed the Nets 91 - 69 and hit 7-0.

Wednesday, November 21st. The Celtics pounded the Warriors 105 - 82. The Celtics went up by 9 pts at the end of the first and stayed in control the rest of the way.

So what’s the problem?

Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen averaged 35 minutes in blowout games!! (more…)

It’s been weird watching the Celtics throughout the pre-season and the first couple games of the year. For those of us who have followed the Celtics the last few years, it almost doesn’t feel like we’re watching our own team. It is more than just the additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The team has been remade from top to bottom into a legitimate force. When the second unit checks in, I am still expecting Ray Allen and Gerald Green to come in and toss up shot after shot while playing little to no defense. Instead, Eddie House has been coming in and tossing up shot after shot and playing little to no defense. (more…)

I’m putting my basketball analysis cred on the line and boldly predicting how the eastern conference playoff picture will look in about 6 months. While I’m nearly 100% confident in my picks for the west, I’m not entirely sure about any of these teams. With the exception of Detroit and Chicago, every other team on this list could fall out of the big picture. The truth is that most teams in the East aren’t that good, and teams that aren’t that good tend to be inconsistent. Anyways…

1) Detroit Pistons - Expect Flip Saunders to improve Detroit’s offense, and look for their bench to rival many teams starting squads. (more…)

This time last year I had very little hope for Tony Allen. Allen had showed very little in his first two seasons. Going into his third NBA season, I saw Allen as an athletic swing man who couldn’t shoot and made horrible decisions. Out of all the Celtics’ young players at the time, I put him above only Bassy Telfair in terms of potential. That isn’t much of a complement. If Brian Scalabrine was in his early twenties, I would have put him ahead of Telfair too. On top of his on court problems, Allen faced possible jail time for aggravated battery over an altercation in a Chicago nightclub. In short, I didn’t see much hope for Tony.

The first month of last season was much of the same. Tony Allen looked completely lost. It was obvious that Doc and Danny believed in Allen and wanted him to be a key part of the rotation. Unfortunately, he just wasn’t helping the team. Coming off the bench, Allen averaged 4.4 points a game with 0.5 assists. Tony had a few good defensive games but overall he stunk.

Then December came and suddenly everything clicked for Tony. (more…)