Celtics Announce Charity, Then Hold Game 1 Give-Away To Knicks: 78-85

Okay, Folks...this one smelled like a 12-week-old boiled egg in an old sneaker lined with limburger cheese.

For those of you GreenHeadz looking for a recap, let me spare you the pain of a drawn out sobfest.

Eight turnovers (8!!) in the 4th Quarter...nearly all of them unforced and 4 of them by the otherwise transcendent Jeff Green (26 points on 8-15 shooting -- 3-5 from Threeland, 7 boards, 3 blocks and 2 assists), who had 6 total turnovers for the game. Green tied with Pierce, who frittered away 6 of his own possessions, 2 of which occurred in the 4th.

The Knicks over the same 4th Quarter stretch?

Zero. Zip. Notafinga.

That's the game in a nutshell. Not Anthony's 36 points. Not Kevin Garnett's abysmal shooting (4-12). Not the C's putrid bench scoring (4 points for the ENTIRE GAME!).

It wasn't even the fact that the C's could only muster a paltry 8 points in the 4th quarter. The bottom line was turnovers, turnovers, turnovers and more turnovers. The Celtics committed 20 turnovers [ UPDATE: I misspoke...TWENTY ONE TURNOVERS!!] compared to the Knicks rather conservative total of 13 -- great if the Celtics were running a popular bakery, but absolutely horrid if you're trying to win an NBA Playoff game.

Everything else that people may want to talk about in this game is irrelevant. The Celtics lost this one by 7 points. They had a lead in the 4th and turned the ball over 8 times in that quarter alone. Nuff said.

About the only great thing that happened in this game for the Celtics was the pre-game announcement that they would be committing to raise $200,000 for the victims of Monday's Boston Marathon bombing through their Shamrock Foundation for The One Fund. They'll be contributing $100,000 of their own dollars and raising an additional $100,000 with a series of future initiatives.

Hopefully, the Guys In Green will achieve their charitable goals off-court while delivering to their hometown the distraction of success on-court in Game 2 down in Madison Square Garden. They've already proven that they can handle the Knicks. Now, they need to prove that they can handle the ball.

And, you know what? I have every confidence that they WILL take better care of the rock and come out of MSG with a split as they head back to Boston for Game 3. I believe this because A) Doc will have them ready, B) They clearly have the talent to do it, C) the team has to realize that this was an eminently winnable game, one that they handed off on a blue and orange platter, and, finally...D) I know that they'll put on a better showing because there is no way on Red's Green Earth that they're gonna let THIS escape into the second round of the Playoffs:

Box Score

Tale Of The Tape

THE BUZZ:

NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs -- Round 1, Game 2:
Celtics vs. Knicks
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
@ 8:00 P.M.
Madison Square Garden
New York City, NY

Boston Celtics Dancers Strike Pose For Charity

I know, I know…it’s shameless. And, I don’t want to turn this blog into sporn (sport porn, naturally!), but I saw this bit in the Boston Globe and I thought to myself, “Self…is this something that you would want to read about on one of the other blogs of note that you frequent?” and my self answered, “well…I wouldn’t immediately close the box and go to another site, anyway...and plus – you haven’t even thought of what you're going to post today, which I find to be very irresponsible…it’s high time that you start taking things seriously in our life…” so, I interrupted and said to myself, “Self, unless you want to go right, here right now, I suggest you tighten your chops and let me finish writing this post!”

Look, the bottom line is that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the calendars go toward charity, and I’m all about helping others.

Which charity, you ask? Well, only the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, of course. You know…

Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation Mission Statement

The mission of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation is to extend the reach of the Celtics championship legacy into our community. The Shamrock Foundation benefits our children directly, through programs that provide education & support. The Shamrock Foundation also partners with community based organizations that provide healthcare, shelter & vital services for children in need.

So, hate me if you will…send me letters (actually, send me emails and posts…seriously, you guys who have been visiting the site have been reeeeeallly quiet), but there are children in need and there is charity to be given!

THE BUZZ:

The C's are taking on the Brooklyn Nets tonight at 7:30 in a grudge match so greasy and grimy that it's just dripping with the oil of vengeance! Or, you can look at it another way...game # 14 in an 82-game season.

I am, as I am sure the rest of you are, curious to see what the home team can do against Old New Jersey now that we have our conductor back in the fold. In their previous meeting down in the House That Jay-Z Built, the C's were without the services of El Maestro Rajon Rondo, who sat with a sore ankle, and the Nets prevailed in a close game: 102-107.

Now, with both teams on a decidedly upward trajectory, it will be interesting to see what a little home cooking and a LOT of Rondo can do.

Oh, and by the way...you MIGHT want to dust off the ol' Tivo so you can have a record of tonight's game -- should the streak continue against the Nets, it will put Rondo alone in second place for most consecutive double-digit assist games, behind only the legendary, incendiary Magic Johnson.

LET'S GO C's!!!

Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets
Wednesday, November 28th, 2012
7:30 pm
@ Boston Garden