The Return...

 

Okay, people…we all know what today is. No need to beat the long-dead horserug…we know what it is, and it’s huge.

It’s huge, not because two of the greatest Celtics ever to walk the parquet are coming back home wearing enemy colors for the first time. It’s huge, not because this will be the "first time" for fans who have been secretly (and some not so secretly) in a state of mourning since the announcement of the “blockbuster” that sent our beloved Truth and Big Ticket down to Yankeeland, erasing all but the final traces of the glory days and opening the window to the long, cold winter that lay ahead for professional basketball in these parts.

No, it’s huge because, as they walk through that door, the glow of the past trails closely behind them and in theirs and our shared history of greatness, we see the future hope that we will one day rise again, just as we rose from the departures of Bill Russell and Red Auerbach and Larry Bird before them.

With ten first-round draft picks (TEN!!) over the next five years and several talented young players to place around Rajon Rondo (the last remaining vestige of championship sparkle, not counting members of the front office), the future is closer than some may imagine and The Return will be even more glorious than the return of two legends seeking to recreate that Championship magic with another team.

Welcome back, Paul…Kevin. But, don’t get too comfortable. We’ve got some plans of our own.

And, now…here are some stories from around the interwebs to get you even more amped for today’s big game:

Pierce, KG brace for Boston return
By ESPN's Chris Forsberg

Pierce, Garnett discuss their return to Boston
By the Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes

Also, check out: www.celticslife.com, www.celticsblog.com, www.celticshub.com, www.celticstown.com, and www.redsarmy.com to get your fill.

Oh, and one more thing...

 

The following post is the partial regurgitation of a story so good, we wish we wrote it ourselves! Follow the link at the end to catch the full story where it lives.

(The Following Story Originated On ESPN's "Boston Celtics Report" And Was Written By Chris Forsberg)

C's send message: Never write them off

By Chris Forsberg on February 26, 1:00am

Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty Images
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett put the Celtics on their backs in Utah.

The Boston Celtics sent a friendly reminder to the rest of the league with Monday's overtime win in Utah: Never write this team off.

Playing the final night of a grueling five-games-in-seven-days stretch that had seen Boston drop three of its first four contests out west coming out of the All-Star break, the Celtics had every reason to roll over in a particularly difficult environment. Instead, Paul Pierce put on a vintage display, scoring seven consecutive points in overtime, highlighted by a go-ahead 3-pointer and two tough jumpers as the Celtics emerged with a gritty 110-107 triumph over the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.

With the luxury of extended rest looming, Celtics coach Doc Rivers utilized a playoff-like rotation, shortening up his bench even on the second night of a back-to-back while treating this game like a bit of a must-win situation to salvage a frustrating road trip. Pierce simply wouldn't let this team lose.

"Whatever that is, it was the best win, for me, of the year," admitted Rivers.

{For the rest of this story, you can download it by clicking this link or visiting http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/Celtics.}

Anonymous Scout Says "C's Not Good Enough"

 

I just read this post on ESPN.com reporter Mark Stein's "Weekend Dime" and wanted to share it with anyone who passes through this way and (still) cares about the Celtics.

At first, when I read the thing, I had that indignant and righteous anger of a person getting told some hard truths by a stranger (hold-up, &*%$, you don't know me like that!), but as I thought about it for a second, there is indeed some validity to the assessment.

"For them to win games, [Jared] Sullinger pretty much has to have a double-double. And we're talking about a 6-[foot-]7 center. The other big issue is that they've got no one making any 3s. The Jet [Jason Terry] hasn't been on the runway very often. And Avery Bradley, for all his defensive prowess, isn't shooting the ball well, either."  

-- Anonymous Eastern Scout

I'm going to let you read the rest of this thing yourself and make your own judgement, but I WILL say this: I think there are some parts that are also off the mark. The C's can still win without the bench playing flawless basketball, Bradley has actually been shooting better of late (including 3s), and I believe that this group can still get the job done if they embrace the team philosophy.

There are a LOT of comments shooting around the blogosphere about the Celtics making this trade or that one and Danny Ainge and Wyc Grousbeck have been quoted about anticipating personnel changes, but as I've said before -- they really aren't going to blow it up, short of a LeBron or Dwight Howard (hold on for a second...I have to swallow that squirt of vomit that just came up) blockbuster, and unless they can get a quality rebounding-scoring-swatter of a center (think Sam Dalembertish or Marcin Gortatesque) for relatively cheap (meaning Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger stay put), they're going with what they have and will pick up some flotsam/jetsam that will be floating around the League with an unsigned contract after the trade deadline.

Contrary to what many may be thinking, that's not such a bad thing. Trust me.

For now, let's all just get ready for "The Return of Ray-Ray..."

THE BUZZ:

Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat
Sunday, January 27th, 2013
@ 1:00 p.m.
Boston Garden, Boston, MA

ESPN's Stuart Scott Once Again Battling Cancer

On a much, much more serious note, ESPN anchor Stuart Scott recently revealed that he will once again be undergoing chemotherapy to battle cancer. Striking a positive and defiant tone, Stuart has promised to “hit hard all day long” against his affliction.

He had first been diagnosed with the disease in 2007 and then suffered a recurrence in 2011, but came out free of cancer after treatment in each case.

Join me in wishing him nothing but positive vibes as he battles against this latest trial. You can leave a post on his personal twitter account, if you feel so moved.  

C's Shoot For Holiday Cheer At Children's Hospital, Boston Medical Center

With all of the attention that this blog has devoted to the Celtics' on-court actions, I didn’t want to let too many posts slip by without highlighting some of the good work that the team does off-the-court.

This past week, the team visited the Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center’s pediatric hematology program at Top of the Hub’s Skywalk Observatory for two holiday-themed parties aimed at lifting the spirits of patients at each facility.

ESPN Boston posted a nice article about the visits and several media outlets covered portions of the events, including this video from Boston’s WHDH-Channel 7 that also includes Boston Bruins Coach Claude Julien and Bruins President Cam Neely shopping for toys and sports memorabilia to deliver to hospitalized children.

There’s also a great clip of the visit from NECN, reposted by www.beyondthebuzzer.com, that features Kevin Garnett in a Santa Hat playing Connect Four with a young opponent and talking about the importance that he places on such events.

It appears most if not all of the team attended, from the players to the coaches, all on hand to try and help brighten the lives of children who can still manage to smile in spite of their difficult circumstances.

Keep up the good work, C's.

THE BUZZ: 

Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets
Friday, December 14th, 2012
8:00 p.m.
@ The Toyota Center, Houston, TX