I put Red as the picture, because he would never let what's happening happen.
I never thought I would be saying that a game against an opponent that is 16-30 is a must win, but in all reality it is. If the C's happen to lose this one, I will have to believe the C's packed it in for the first half of the year and are extremely mentally weak. After coming off 3 losses to competitors, this game in all reality should be a walk in the park. The Celtics need to play hard and make this a statement game. The lineups are:
PG R. Rondo 14.1 R. Foye 10.0
SG R. Allen 15.7 M. Miller 9.9
SF P. Pierce 19.0 C. Butler 16.4
PF K. Garnett 10.2 A. Jamison 21.5
C K. Perkins 11.7 B. Haywood 9.7
O.K. the Wizards don't have Gilbert Arenas, so he won't be an issue, so the only person who can beat us is the offensive minded Antawn Jamison. Jamison is a hard worker on offense, so I expect a hard game for KG, but still, I really don't think this should be a major problem. Rondo is better than Foye, Allen is equivalent to Mike Miller (Florida is gay), Pierce should own Caron Butler on offense, and Garnett and Perk should tool Jamison and Haywood (who is having a deceptively great year). I expect Paul Pierce to go off, because let's face it, he needs too. (along with Allen and Garnett).
Anyways, I'm pissed off.
Celtics: 112-72
Tommy Award: Paul Pierce
Monday, February 1, 2010
Celtics vs Wizards Preview
Uncapped Year Kills NFL Free Agents
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell came out yesterday and stated that the NFL will move into the 2010 season without a new CBA, which means 2010 with bee an uncapped year. There is also another fallout from this, which is all fourth- and fifth-year players are restricted free agents. This will kill the free agent class, so much so that Boston.com is called it he worst group of UFAs in a long, long time.
Just something to keep an eye on as the free agency period starts. For the Patriots they will now have guys like Logan Mankins and Stephen Gostkowski as restricted free agents, and Vince Wilfork is now all but guaranteed to be franchised.
Defending Coach Baron
I went to URI, I led the Fire Baron chants, I constantly trashed him on BMack and my radio show. Now, I'm humbled.
You know what. Jim Baron is an above average coach. URI let me down year after year, because of their hot starts and second half failures. However, Coach Baron is about to take our Rams to the big dance, and is sitting pretty with a 17-3 overall record. Figuring he has done this without a premier player is pretty amazing. If you mentioned the names Keith Cothran, Delroy James and Lamonte Ulmer, no casual fan would know who they are. But he figured a way to get the most success with his players by using full court press and run an offense that thrives on quick-hit baskets and always crash four players to the glass.
Baron has a career record of 336- 320 overall, and a 131- 118 record with the Rams. Not bad for a program that was haunted with sanctions from the NCAA thanks to Lamar Odom and Jim Harrick. Do I think this URI can go deep in the tournament? No. Do I think an opening round win is inconceivable? No. (maybe that is being a little too optimistic) But this year will mean a lot to recruits who are in the New England area and wants to get immediate playing time and doesn't feel like riding the bench at UConn or Temple.
So yes, I admit I was wrong about him. Go Rhody.
Couple Previews of LOST
These are actual scenes from the opening episode of LOST season 6. It's here if you want it...
Can't Wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Toronto Trades Could Really Hurt Bruins
Toronto made 2 trades this weekend. The deal is the Maple Leafs get Jean-Sebastien Giguere from the Anaheim Ducks for Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala. Then they turned around and got Dion Phaneuf from the slumping Calgary Flames. So, why is this terrible news for the Bruins?
Well, if you can remember when the Bruins traded Kessel to Toronto this got 2 first round pick, one of which was thought to be a top 3 pick, but with these deals the Leafs could very well climb the rankings, which will lower the Bruins pick in the draft. The question is what are the Bruins going to do about it?
Does this make the pick expendable? Because before the Bruins had stated that they were unwilling to trade that pick, but if it is not a top 3 pick, why not go out and deal it if you can make your team better?
These trades really could change the Bruins look at their team. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the draft maybe they will trade this pick. Just something to keep an eye on in the next couple weeks, because how the Maple Leafs play from here on out will directly affect the Bruins.
NFL's All-Decade Team
OFFENSE
Quarterback -- Tom Brady, Peyton Manning
Running Backs -- Shaun Alexander, Jamal Lewis, Edgerrin James, LaDainian Tomlinson
Offensive Tackles -- Walter Jones, Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace, Willie Roaf
Guards -- Larry Allen, p-Alan Faneca, p-Steve Hutchinson, Will Shields
Fullback -- Lorenzo Neal
Tight Ends -- p-Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez
Wide Receivers -- Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens
Centers -- Olin Kreutz, p-Kevin Mawae
Head Coaches -- Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy.
DEFENSE
Ends -- Dwight Freeney, p-Julius Peppers, Michael Strahan, Jason Taylor
Cornerbacks -- Ronde Barber, p-Champ Bailey, Ty Law, Charles Woodson
Linebackers- Derrick Brooks, p-Ray Lewis, Joey Porter, Zach Thomas, Brian Urlacher, p-DeMarcus Ware
Tackles -- La'Roi Glover, Warren Sapp, Richard Seymour, Kevin Williams
Safeties -- p-Brian Dawkins, Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Darren Sharper
SPECIALISTS
Punters -- p-Shane Lechler, Brian Moorman
Kickers -- p-David Akers, Adam Vinatieri
Punt Returners -- Dante Hall, Devin Hester
Kick Returners -- p-Josh Cribbs, Dante Hall
I can really only complain about London Fletcher not being on here. The guy has more tackles then anyone, so I would put him over Zach Thomas.
The Answer Says Ray Allen Has To Go
This is the saddest article I'm ever going to write. I hope this never sees the light of day, but it will, because I'm right.
No matter how much fire the Celtics have, it won't be enough. Sorry Boston. But this team is not the best team in the NBA. Even if they are healthy. Even if they play perfect, they are not the best team. I thought the game against the Lakers was one of the best games I've seen from the Celtics in a long time. They came out with fire. They fed off the home crowd. Garnett looked scary for the first time this year. Paul Pierce was on fire. Rondo was doing what we now take for granted, which is dominate the game. Rasheed was making intelligent plays with the basketball. Perkins had a tremendous game. Eddie House hit his shots. Tony Allen game the best game of his career. So what is wrong? What happened. Why am I looking at this game and saying this is a good thing. Look at all those positives and we still came out losing. Sure, you can blame that we gave up a lead. But you really can't. It;s the Lakers. You aren't going to beat them by 15 points. Over the course of a game these things balance out. Like when they were beating us by 13. This was a simple case of Kobe hitting a ridiculous shot. That's it. Nothing more. Ray Allen played perfect defense. Ray Allen Ray Allen Ray Allen. In my last article I said I have nothing bad to say about you, I still don't, but guess what, the Celtic's need to make a serious move. Or we are out in the second round. I see one move that makes sense for two teams.
Ray Allen for Andre Igudola.
What?! Are you Fucking crazy? Maybe. Maybe not. But I'll tell you that the Celtics need a number one man. This is Paul Pierce. And they need a number two man and I think this is where the offense has trouble. Who is it? Well sometimes its Allen. Sometimes it's Garnett. Sometimes it's Rondo. The roles are unclear. I love Ray Allen but we need young, high flying legs in the play off. Andre Igudola is such a good number two man that he's the Sixers number 1. This trade makes sense for both franchises.
Celtics- they need to shake things up. We need to get younger. Simple as that. What are we losing in Ray? The best shooter of all time. You ask who's gonna take the last shot in a game. The same guy that's been doing it for the C's the past 11 years. Paul Pierce. I would rather see Paul shoot and miss than watch anyone else take the shot. I'm sorry but it's true. Giving up Allen for Iggy, we'd gain more than we lose. Iggy we gain a dunker. A power player who can play the 2 and the 3 spot. This is a very good player and would fit well in their schemes. I fully support this move. I love you Ray, but we gotta shake things up. If we make a second round exit, the off season will be a disaster trying to build a team at the same time everyone is doing it.
Sixers- Your thinking why the fuck would they trade their franchise player for Ray Allen? If your thinking that then your not thinking. They've made it widely known they are trying to trade Iggy for an expiring contract. There been a lot of T-Mac talk. Now that doesn't make any fucking sense, since T-Mac hasn't done a damn thing in 3 seasons while Ray Allen has been hitting game winners, and won a ring. So If I'm the Sixers, I take the Ray Allen contract over T-Mac. I think there is no question that the Sixers will move Iggy before the deadline, the question is where, and for who? This team is gonna rebuild next year and would to dump Iggy, and that waste of space Elton Brand.
I won't be mad if this doesn't happen, but I really wanna see a move made. We need something to shake this team up. Ray Allen is the only expendable piece. Lets see what happens.
Interactive Homicide Map of LA
745 people were murdered in Los Angeles in 2009. Enjoy this Interactive Map of LA's murders.
DP, try to find something like this for New Orleans.
-The Commodore
Colts Might Have To Play Without Freeney
Dwight Freeney has a tear in one of his ligaments in his right ankle. The President of the Colts says he thinks he will play, but even if he does there are serious questions about how affective he can really be. Freeney is a speed rusher, and one would think with a torn ligament that your speed would be one of the things affected.
Either way, I think this is a huge blow to the Colts. Their only chance to slow down the Saints offense was to get a lot of pressure on Brees. Without Freeney playing (or playing injured) their ability to get pressure on the QB is clearly going to be affected. I have been going back and forth about who I thought would win this game. If I was to pick the Colts it was going to be because of the "Manning factor" and the Colts being able to make Brees' life hard. Now that the Colts will be playing without (or at least not at full speed) best pass rusher, I think this is the Saints game to lose.
I will save my exact prediction until this weekend, but I will say I'm picking the Saints.
Yeah, I Watched the Pro Bowl
It was the favorite go-to topic on sports radio the last week. "Nobody cares about the Pro Bowl." And to be honest, I had no idea what time it was on until I asked the bartender at Friday's yesterday afternoon.
You know what, keep the Pro Bowl. I watched it. And although I wasn't thoroughly entertained, but it was on, and what the hell else was? A commercial infested Matrix trilogy on AMC was the biggest competition.
Lots of players backed out of the Pro Bowl due to injury or disinterest. But even David Garrard looks impressive when the defense won't blitz, and Chad Ochocinco is your receiver.
Then you got players like Ochocinco, and Ray Lewis. Guys who just love to play.
You're not going to find competitiveness in an Allstar game, in any sport. And I'm fine with that. There's sufficient competitiveness in the regular seasons and playoffs.
And when there's nothing else on on a Sunday evening, I'll take a meaningless, halfassed football game over no Pro Bowl at all.
-The Commodore
Chris Paul To Be Out A Month
Well it looks like Chris Paul will be out a month from arthroscopic surgery. This sucks because the Hornets really need him especially with them being a team on the brink. However, since I hate Chris Paul I'm loving it. I hate him just as much as Kobe and LeBron. But when it comes to those two or at least Kobe, I respect their game. I think Chris Paul is one of if not the most overrated player in the NBA. It's very good to put up stats on a bad team that picks and rolls every possession. I hate his face, I hate the way he plays, I hate the stupid Rick Flair woo they do every time he scores in New Orleans Arena, he's just a douche. The Hornets would be much better off trading him and rebuilding, then using him as the face of the franchise.
I Love You Celtics, But I Got To Do This
What the fuck?
The last fucking three games have been a fucking embarrassment. I was willing to give the Atlanta and Orlando games a pass if you beat the Lakers, however, you went ahead and fucked that one up. In all three games there have been some common trends, the lack of killer instinct and just pissing away the game at the end. When we won it, it was because our defense would stifle teams in the third quarter and we would cruise to victory. Now we just don't play defense in the second half and limp our way to the end of the game. I guess I'll start with the blame game.
Doc Rivers has been a terrible coach this year. Sure he has had injuries to deal with, but he plays this very safe offense and loses all the aggressiveness the Celtics had during the game. He basically has Rondo wait until there are 7 seconds on the shot clock and then begins the play. That normally results in a turnover, or a rushed field goal attempt.
The Big Three are too unselfish. Someone needs to shoot the ball 35 times a game again, and I'm looking at you Truth. Kobe Bryant told Phil Jackson he wants the damn ball for the last shot. You should be saying that also. I want Paul Pierce to shoot the ball in every clutch situation and never pass it up, like NEVER. I don't want Rasheed to take a last second three, and I want Ray to only shoot in emergency situations. Paul Pierce is one of the most clutch players of our generation and he had a chance to prove that against his hometown Lakers, but he passed the ball up to Ray and we all know what happened. I can't say much about Ray other than his skills are just declining and if he is to resign here, he may have to be a 6th man. And KG, I don't know what to say about him either, other than he lacks that fire he once had and it's pretty obvious.
I'm fine with everyone else on the roster and their roles. Everyone else is pretty much doing what they are supposed to do.
This Celtics team will not win the Championship by playing like this. No way, no how. I don't know if they need the all star game to recharge or what, but if this is a continued trend, we aren't making out of the second round.
Now start fucking playing.
Yes, I'm Very Happy With an 0-1-1 Weekend
An 0-1-1 weekend and I'm a satisfied Bruins fan. No, I'm not happy that the Bruins got that one point. Although, that's nice considering the B's are 2 points behind 6th place, and 1 point ahead of 13th.
No, I'm happy with the way the Bruins played. Maybe it's the poker player in me. The attitude that "I didn't get the cards today, but I played well, didn't lose much, didn't make mistakes, just never got going." It's frustrating when you lose this way, but compared to how the Bruins had been losing, it's a fucking joy.
Firstly, the Bruins played two very good teams this weekend. The Northeast leading Sabres, and the Kings, who are the #4 team in the Western Conference.
Secondly, the Bruins ran in to two outstanding goalies this weekend. Both Ryan Miller and Jon Quick (sounds like a gunfighter) are going to the Olympics. Miller is a Vezina candidate, essentially leading the NHL in GAA (2.03), and SV% (.935).
I'm not making excuses. The Sabres beat the Bruins. The Kings beat the Bruins. But just barely. The Bruins played solid defense in both games, and they looked like a whole new team in the offensive zone.
The returns of Marco Sturm and Marc Savard (Claude Julien, please put these two on a line with Mark Recchi, just so we can call that line 'Marked Men') saw the offense evolve out of the primordial ooze of ABC hockey into a creative and entertaining unit.
What Sturm and Savard can do with the puck is simply fun to watch.
What Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder and Dennis Wideman do however, is like watching a midget try to piss at a urinal. It's just unfortunate.
Wheeler has all the skills, he just has no brain. He's still a sophomore player, so perhaps he'll learn. But in Saturday's game he had a truly Blake moment. He got the puck at the red line, streaked into the zone, using his speed and size to keep two Kings off the puck. Then he just drove straight into the corner, like a drunk driver with no idea what to do once he got behind the wheel.
But at least he moves the puck, unlike Ryder and Wideman, who play keep away with their teammates and constantly turn it over to the opposition.
But with Sturm and Savard, the Bruins notched a pair of power play goals. Bergeron's looking better, Lucic and Bitz are healthy, and Chara is playing with an inspirational fire.
Bruins host the Capitals in a huge matchup Tuesday night. Are they going to let a shootout loss crush their spirits? Or are they going to build on the positive?
I'm predicting a 4-2 Bruins win.
-The Commodore
Lakers 90 Celtics 89
The Celtics have now lost 3 in a row, and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. That should never happen when you have 3 guys bound for the Hall of Fame starting for your team. Boston did what they have been doing over the past month. Play great in the 1st half, then find a way to blow it in the 2nd half. Is it age? Bad coaching? Lack of depth? I don't know, but this ship is sinking fast.
Kobe Bryant sank the go-ahead basket with 7.3 seconds left, and the Lakers won 90-89 on Sunday for their third consecutive victory over the struggling Celtics. Ray Allen had a chance to win the game, but his shot missed and the Celtics are going to have to hear it from the Celtics faithful.
Lets start with the positives. Rondo had a hell of a game, and this guy really might be an MVP candidate in a year or two. Rondo had 21 points, 12 assists, and 5 boards. He dominated the game, had key steals, and tried to motivate this team. It was a wasted effort. Tony Allen had one of his better games I have ever seen scoring 14 points and holding Kobe to just 19 points.
That's it for the positives. Ray Allen was 2-10, Pierce made a blatant push off near the end of the game that really gave the Lakers the chance to win. Wallace only had 3 points, and once again refused to play anywhere near the basket, which could have helped as Boston was outscored 18-0 in the paint in the 4th quarter.
Listen I love most of this team. I love Doc, but at some point something has to change. I don't know if they need a trade, a new coach, or just a swift kick in the ass, but the Celtics can't be banking their season on Daniels coming back and sparking this team. There is still a good amount of time left before the playoffs, but this team needs to find themselves, and find themselves quickly.