Yes, Indeed, folks...though the season is only six games old, Jumpin' Jeff Green has already taken enough heads to warrant our very first "Conjunction Dunktion...With Jeff Green" post of the 2013-14 season.
So, sit back relax and then prepare to jump back up to your feet again and cheer, as the NBA's most carnivorous dunker plays whack-a-mole with the rest of the League.
---
Mean Jeff Green Gets Edgy With Reggie In A Preseason
Game Against The "New-Look" Brooklyn Nets
---
Proving That He's An Equal Opportunity Kind Of Guy, Jeff Throws One Down Against The Other Side Of Town vs. The New York Knicks
---
Making Those Toronto Dinos Sore, Jeff
Soars And Scores Against The Raptors
---
Making The Ball Disappear Through The Hoop Against The Magic, Jay Gee Went On A Spree In Orlando
---
Putting The Exclamation Point On This Week's "Conjunction Dunktion" As Well As Jason Maxiell's Head, J-Max Probably Wishes This Video Would Disappear
See? That wasn't so bad! Going down to Brooklyn to face the Nets and our old teammates (well, teammate, anyway...Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry had the night off.) played out like any other game. Sure, there was good old #34, the Truth himself, giving the game what it needs for the opposition, but it was like he'd been wearing his New York whites all along. Even seeing him greet his old teammates Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass and the others didn't make a...didn't make a...hold on....eyes tearing up...
Damn allergies!!!
Seriously, it was VERY strange watching the Captain come back and throw up one of his preseason special "getting the team involved" games against the MIG's (Men In Green), but nothing, I'm certain, compared to what it's going to be like when the other ex-patriots...er, ex-Celticots Garnett and Terry make their appearance at the Garden on January 26th.
As for the actual game, the C's were able to keep the game close and even had the chance to tie at the buzzer, though Courtney Lee missed a difficult acrobatic shot to let Brooklyn off the hook. Lee had a good game and showed flashes of regaining his offense as the C's high scorer. Kris Humphries showed up against his former team as well, and Jeff Green continued to right the ship from a slow start to the preseason.
What more can be said about this game that won't result in more tears allergies?
Actually, I'll let the truth be spoken by The Truth...
The Toronto game was another close one with the chance to win it at the end that didn't quite take. MarShon Brooks played well for the C's and looked more like the potential keeper many believed he could be with more experience and coaching. Green stayed on track and Kelly Olynyk, Vitor Faverani continue to make me excited about watching this team play together this season.
As the one or two of you who frequent this site might possibly have realized (keep hangin' in there, Mom & Dad!), a couple of tiny, nearly imperceptible shifts have taken place over the first hundred posts of this here GreenHeadz blog. The first and more obvious of these "shifts" would be that I no longer post every day as most of the more-than-one-person-writer blogs do. This a natural by-product of the site's next subtle alteration -- I don't do traditional recaps anymore, either. Part of my decision to dunk the recaps was, admittedly, due to time constraints that can best be summed up in a monologue. Ferris? A little help?
The other reason is that everybody and their next-door neighbor's plumber's accountant's sons do recaps and, with few exceptions, they're most often either of the usual rote, boring glorified box score-type or they just give you insights that you've already heard the Tommy Heinshon's of the broadcast world deliver during the game that's being recapped. And you, loyal readers, deserve better than last night's canned coverage, right? No? Okay!
In any case, what this new section, "GreenHeadz: It's A Wrap" aims to deliver is a unique perspective based on an assessment of a collection of games rather than a game-to-game rehash. And, if you'd like to catch action clips from each game, you can click the links for NBA.com video recaps.
I hope you enjoy this first edition, and even if you don't, I can always come over and rake the yard to make up for it (right, Mom & Dad?).
Ahem...
So...have these past eight games have been a crazy cluster or what?
Well, get ready, Peeps...we're about to do this "ye-olde serial recap" style:
When last we saw our heroes, they marched into Oklahoma City with a five-game win streak in tow, hoping to slay the giants of the West once more, as they did on November 23rd. Alas, a win was not to be, though the team played valiantly in the 79-91 loss. The weary and disappointed Men of Boston then wandered aimlessly into the lair of the Charlotte Bobcats and were mauled sufficiently, bringing their new streak to two losses and fouling the air behind them as they made for home.
Upon arrival to their familiar confines, they found the Dainty Dinosaurs from the Province of Toronto waiting to be joined by the Green at the table for a spot of tea. Instead, the Men of Boston transformed into the Green Goblins of Causeway St. and kicked the table over on the Raptors, trouncing them to the tune of 24 points (112-88) and spilling tea everywhere. The Goblins continued their rampage against their next opponent, exacting revenge from the Bobcats for even daring to slink into the home of the Goblins after showing them such inhospitality in Charlotte.
The Celtics had blazed a path through two of the lesser-lights in the Land of the Association of National Basketball, but still, they yearned for the opportunity to test their mettle once again against the iron of the League.
Enter the Heat of Miami and their Goliath, Sir LeBrawn.
The battle was joined at Boston's Garden and the inhabitants fought like a team of Emerald Davids, armed with enough stones to fell Team Goliath. The combatants scratched and clawed each other with the Davids gaining the upper hand on several occasions, and a Green Knight rising above all others in an attempt to level the greatest team in the land. Sir Jeff Green launched a barrage against LeBrawn and his Heat scoring 43 points with a series of whirling, slashing shooting attacks that LeBrawn could barely answer. But, answer he did, with 37 points
of his own and, though the two
teams rested at a standstill as the time for the contest had nearly run its course, LeBrawn levitated magically and sent a wish skyward that was answered with the final basket of the night. The Davids would fell no giant on this night and the Heat were allowed to escape their fate for the 23rd time in as many straight games, this time with only two points separating the victors from the defeated.
Possibly dejected, perhaps tired, the Green traveled to the City of New Orleans to trifle with Hornets. Though clearly the superior participants, the Green were unable to grow distance between their foes and consequently, the battle would hinge on a single second and a single shot. For the second time in two contests, the Celtics would fall in a joust that could as easily have fallen to their side of the ledger.
Sadly, the road grew no less treacherous as the Men of Boston arrived deep in the heart of Texas to face the Mavericks of Dallas, a collection of ornery fighters once defeated in this very season by the Celtics of Boston. The thrill of a victory twice would be nice, thought the Celtics. Though one of the Green warriors would carry an ember of fight onto the floor of his former home, the Celtics of Boston found themselves locked in mortal combat, woefully outgunned by the un-guardable Sir Dirk of Nowitzki and Sir Brandan of Wright. Alas, that spark which had been dimmed in their battle with LeBrawn and the Heat of Miami and eluded them in their struggles against the Hornets remained dormant, and the Men of Boston were sent in search of that flame that once burned brightly in honor of their fallen field general, Sir Rajon of Rondo.
The Green next entered the den of the bold bears of Memphis, a formidable pack of Grizzlies even without their most massive bear, Marc de Gasol. Enhancing their troubles was the absence of their own ferocious beast, His Highness KG and tenacious combatant Sir Lee of Courtney. As one might expect, the Boston battlers found themselves at the mercy of the fangs and claws of their opponents as they were mauled for much of the game. They would kindle a fire, however, stoked by the pride and indomitability of their Greatest Green Knight Sir Pierce, who lofted his mates on his broad shoulders and scored 26 as the Celtics of Boston stormed back from a deficit of 21 points, nearly absconding with the contest but falling at last by four and completing their road quest with nothing but dust and frustration to show.
The Celtics now stand before the Crossroads -- the precipice beneath them, the heavens above them -- notched firmly between the bottom portion of the race for Playoffs and mere games distant from the upper echelon of the truest combatants. They have amassed their final army with which they will join the battle -- most recently securing for the duration the services of White Knight "D.J.," and Sir Randolph of Shavilik to bolster the efforts of the newly recruited Sir Terrence of Williams and Sir Jordan of Crawford as they ride in earnest with Ticket in hand and Truth as their currency.
On the horizon for this team -- the vaunted Knickerbockers of New York. The team of Green will face the assassin Carmelo come Tuesday and two times before the fighting season begins with ample opportunity to better their standings and, thus, bring the battle to their own arena where the advantage lies. Was their rally at the end of their contest against the Grizzlies the beginning of that ember that will grow into the flame that blazes their path to glory -- much as it was the last time they jousted with Memphis and lost -- or will the streak of four losses grow, placing their ranking...nay!...their very season in jeopardy?
Methinks the former. These men carry chests full of pride, skill and the desire to prove that they were sorely miscounted when others were heaped with praise and expectation.
So, go...go, Celtics of Boston...go, and continue on your quest to announce before the Association of National Basketball that the loss of a single knight (or three...) is of no consequence to a band of brothers united as such are the Celtics of Boston. Go forth and return to us the Holy Grail...
So, can we FINALLY say it? Can we FINALLY get it out of the way for good?
Paul Pierce IS the Celtics. As he goes, they go. No Pierce, no justice...no justice, no Pierce.
Seriously, though, I know it's just one game and he's been out for others and the C's have sometimes managed to pull it out, but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and eschew the usual statistical self gratification and state purely and entirely from my gut...the Celtics have lost more games without Paul Pierce in the lineup than with Garnett out or Rondo out of the lineup, respectively. In other words, the Celtics best chance at winning with a missing player is with Pierce NOT being that missing player. Even when he's sub-par and sometimes even sub-zero, he still produces and helps to propel the team with his confidence and swiss-army knife-like skillz. To paraphrase the Louis Vuitton Don from Chicago, "Pierce could stand there with his points at zero and still be looked at as a F***in' hero." He's THAT good.
Enter the Toronto Raptors and cue the return of Captain Paul Pierce. Fifteen points, four rebounds, four assists, one block and one new milestone later? Celtics = 112 Raptors = 88 and Geno-Time.
While The Truth didn't do anything spectacular with respect to in-game statistics tonight (unless you count the all-out assault he executed against the basket all night, leading to 11 foul attempts and 9 makes), he still managed to pass the legendary Round Mound of Rebound himself, Sir Charles Barkley on the All-Time scoring list to gain top-20 status.
Kevin Garnett, the other Basketball-God-In-Waiting, also recorded an amazing achievement by doing Pierce one better, or should I say five better, by moving into 15th place all-time, passing Laker legend Jerry West with 25,201 points.
Yup, P2 just keeps on climbing the ladder of greatness as he moves ever closer to basketball immortality.
Special shout out to Jeff Green, who scored a team-high 20 points, 6 rebounds 3 assists, 2 steals and one block and the rest of the Celtics who have gotten back on the road to winning by thrashing the Dinos at home with a tremendously balanced scoring effort with no fewer than 7 players in double figures (BOX SCORE and Tale of the Tape).
Maybe it was all the trade talk. Maybe it was his 25,000th point looming just over the horizon. Maybe it was just due.
But, Good...Sweet...Lord!
Growing up as a young man, Kevin Maurice Garnett must have broken a lot of hearts on his way to basketball supremacy. I say this because tonight against the Toronto Raptors, on the heels of several rumors and much speculation about teams eagerly, hopefully inquiring as to his availability in trade, The Big Ticket unveiled some mad skillz directly related to his brand-new persona: The Big Tease. That's right. The Big Tease.
Sensing the amorous eyes of the basketball world fixed firmly on his 7-foot frame, Garnett walked out onto the floor of the Air Canada Centre and proceeded to show all of his suitors exactly how much they're never going to get, delivering his highest single-game scoring output since the Championship run of 2008.
Feasting on the Dinos as if they were Brontosaurus Burgers, KG netted a game-high 27 points on 11-18 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds IN JUST 26 MINUTES. Contrast that performance with Toronto's high scorer, new Raptor Rudy Gay, who scored 24, but had to take 24 shots to get there, making only 8. In fairness, he did get 10 boards, 4 steals and 3 assists, but he managed to sink only one shot in the 4th quarter amidst an aggressive Celtics defense.
As astounding as KG was tonight (did I mention he scored 27 in only 26 minutes?), he had some help from Captain Paul Pierce, who shot an abysmal 2-11 but still nearly got a triple-double by living up to one of his favorite sayings and "giving the game what it needs", which was apparently 12 points, 11 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists.
Courtney Lee had a strong 15 points, Avery Bradley got 11 and Brandon Bass scored 10. Coming off the bench, a very active and explosive Leandro Barbosa dropped 14 on 5-8 shooting with several baskets coming in crunch time as the Celtics took command of the game down the stretch.
When asked to give his assessment about the game and why the Celtics are beating teams without Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger, KG uttered these heartwarming and telling words, "We believe in each other." They apparently like each other, too, as evidenced by the embrace we saw Jeff Green (who played great defense) give Barbosa after the game and the smiles pasted all over the faces of the team.
Milestones? Did someone say Milestones? No? Well, we're talkin' about 'em anyway!
Doc Rivers got his 400th Celtic win and KG now stands at 24,994 career points -- for all of you non-math majors, that's just six points away from an impressive milestone. Tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Lakers, Garnett should join the only other active player in the NBA with 25,000 or more points. That player? Kobe Bryant. Bryant, by the way, recently said something to the effect of, "You guys don't want Rajon Rondo? Send him my way...I like everything that guy's about." Take THAT, Rondo haters!
Not to make early projections here, but the Celtics are now 2 games over .500, just 6.5 games out of first place in the Atlantic Division, and only 8 games out of the top spot for the Eastern Conference. Aww, Hell...I WILL make a projection, or at least, a prediction...the Celtics will win the Atlantic Division. After that? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLLLLLEEE!
Why do we never see these two in the same room at the same time? Hmmmm...
Okay, okay...maybe he wasn't chasing cookies, but he must have at least been THINKING about them as he went after the cookie-shaped ball that Brook Lopez was holding before he went down during yesterday's matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.
And, so...it looks like the first meeting of the season between bitter rivals familiar opponents the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics will be just as notable for who's not on the floor as who is.
According to reports from several mainstream media outlets, Pau Gasol will miss at least 6 weeks with a partially torn plantar fascia -- the connective tissue that supports the arch of the foot.
So, already, we have Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger out for the season on the C's side, and the Lakers have been struggling to keep Pau and Dwight Howard (torn labrum = the shoulder joint) healthy in shifts, to no avail. Howard might be forced into service due to Pau's most recent injury and that to 6' 10" center Jordan Hill's hip (labral tear -- jeez, I guess my purchase of that medical encyclopedia is starting to pay off! I TOLD you, Mom!), but I wouldn't count on the Lakers rushing anything with the potential to further injure their (if only for two more months!) slightly-tarnished star center.
I guess I'll have to get my "Dwight Howard: Circus Clown" photo ready for tomorrow...just in case.
But, tonight...it's a Rap (as in, "Rap-tors").
THE BUZZ:
Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors
TONIGHT! (February, 6th, 2013)
@ 7:00pm
Air Canada Centre -- Toronto, Ontario
UPDATE:
Toronto power forward/center Andrea Bargnani reportedly will play against the Celtics tonight.
Also, the Maine Red Claws welcome back Kris Joseph.
People...I know there's not much more out there to talk about -- though I think the ongoing saga of a Celtics team pulling together without their best player and rookie phenom is fairly sexy with enough leg to walk a few more weeks -- but, can we PLEASE put the "Garnett May Be Traded!!" futhermucking shullbit to bed? Please? Please?!?
Look...a day of reporting rumored hearsay is fine. A second day, I get it...you have to look at all the angles...beat the fantasy horse a little. But, folks...three days on a story that isn't backed up by a single credible source, makes no tangible sense to either team, and is essentially barred from happening in the first place because the main player mentioned in the deal has a "no-trade" clause...overkill, much?
I know I sound cranky, and maybe that's because we're talking about trying to trade one of the two Celtics that currently deserve to retire in Green (we'll talk about the rafters for Garnett another time...maybe when readers need sexy...) and it rubs me the wrong way when normally levelheaded talking-heads start behaving like they're on the latest episode of "Basketball Housewives From The Bachelor's Surviving Dancemom's HoneyBooBoo."
I know, I know..."this is what sportswriters and bloggers DO!" Some of 'em even get paid for it. I get it. I do.
But, how long can we kick that horse before it turns into powder? According to reports, Garnett has a number of conditions that would prohibit his waiver of the no trade clause he holds and one of them hinges on whether or not Paul Pierce is also traded. That's all I need to know. To paraphrase the father of a bumblingly lovable drink-share-worthy ex-president who is an ex-president himself, the Celtics are "not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent at this juncture."
Doc says as much at the 1:33 mark:
But, as I said...normally sensible folks are out there flogging this non-story so hard, they should face suspensions and fines before they're allowed to return to work. (Sorry, Sherrod...this was just three steps past one too many.
So, I implore everyone to get their sanity back and start reporting on other more interesting stuff that actually happened, like how Ron Artest will never be worthy of the respect of people calling him anything other than the name for which he became notorious (in a BAD way not B.I.G. way); our next opponent Toronto's more potent offense with the addition of Rudy Gay; how the Lakers appear to have righted their ship somewhat just as they prepare to invade the Garden on Thursday; and, finally...oh, hey, would you look at that...four-game win streak without our best player and rookie phenom!
Then again, aren't some of you still participating in Honey Nut Cheerioverkill?
Just when you thought it was safe to contemplate the meaning of a Rajon Rondo-less loss to a good Brooklyn Nets team, along come the Toronto Raptors to make you forget what the hell it was you were worried about in the first place.
Oh, the Raptors pretended to be competitive at several junctures during this one, but the Celtics started the game hot and ended somewhere between En Fuego and En El Diablo's Hiney.
Because this game wound up every bit the 18-point blowout that the score indicates, I'm gonna keep this one (relatively) short -- like 9 of Andrea Bargnani's 14 shot attempts.
The C's, riding on the sheer will of a returning and rampaging Rondo, ran out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter, but battled to turn back a prideful Raptors team that cut the lead to 3 in the 2nd quarter. The Dinos came even closer in the 3rd, cutting the lead to two at 55-53 (by the way...boos for the home team? Really, fans? I mean, it's not like the C's are 6-4 and only two games in the win column from the team with the best record in the League). Annnnyywaaayyy...
The Celtics ultimately shot 56.6% to the Raptors' 42.9% and never looked back in the 4th quarter.
Cutting straight to the highlights, and there were many, the Celtics benefitted from the continuation of several trends including:
* The Rondo Dimedrop Express chugged its way to 33 straight games racking up double-digit assists and closing to 5 the magic number needed to pass John Stockton and move into second place behind Magic Johnson for most consecutive games with 10 or more assists. Oh, and incidentally...he managed only 20 assists in his return from a one-game absence due to a twisted ankle.
* "Rondo to Wilcox" is alive and well.
* The Truth posterized yet another deserving rook with a sweet driving slam over the overly-aggressive youngster, Jonas Valanciunas.
* Jason Terry's comfort level grows with every game. On 7-10 shooting (4-7 from Threeland), Terry took top team scoring honors with 20 points.
* Speaking of growing comfort levels and confidence, how about that Jared Sullinger kid? Sully had his best game as a Celtic (though, admittedly, it wouldn't have taken much to achieve that distinction over his previous 9 games) showing powerful rebounding chops (11 boards) to go along with his college scorer's pedigree (12 points).
* Kevin Garnett and Jeff Green were models of efficiency, with KG scoring 15 points on 6-7 shooting and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes and Green checking in with 9 points on 4-6 shooting with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
Good thing the Green got some extra rest in this game, because they're traveling to Detroit to complete the second half of a back-to-back against a hungry Detroit Pistons team looking to find a patsy to help them climb out of the embarrassing 1-9 hole they've fallen into in this young NBA season.
In a game featuring many of the same exciting and frustrating characteristics that they've displayed through the first five, the Boston Celtics proved that when they focus on the kind of defensive effort that they delivered in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks, more often than not they'll leave the other team staring back at them like a deer caught in the headlights.
I won't go into too much of a rehash of the past few posts -- blah blah blah "The Captain, The Truth" Paul Pierce did it AGAIN, scoring 25 with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a blocked shot and solid "D"...yadda yadda Rondo, double-double with 10 points, 10 assists, streak still alive...Kevin Garnett, defensive powerhouse, 18 points, 6 boards, 3 assists -- but I will say that they were great again and really anchored the defense down the stretch when they made their run against a Bucks team that led by 4 heading into the fourth quarter behind a massive you-knew-it-was-coming breakout game from guard Monta Ellis, who scored 32 and dished 8 assists in a losing cause to counter his relatively quiet showing in the previous tilt against the C's.
Ellis was joined by center Sam Dalembert who scored 14 points and pulled in 8 rebounds; old-pal and former Celtic Marquis Daniels, who scored 12; up-and-comer and former fictional talk show host (not!) Larry Sanders, who hung a double-double on the C's with 10 points and 14 rebounds; and Ersan Ilyasova who put up 10 for Milwaukee.
The Celtics continued to make incremental improvements, both on offense and defense, with Jason Terry netting 15 in a starting role and Jeff Green supplying the kind of defense that will undoubtedly earn him more court time. Green, along with Pierce and Garnett, helped turn back the running of the Bucks with timely scoring and tenacious defense to help put the game away in the final minutes and seconds. Chris Wilcox continued to show signs of a return to his pre-open-heart form in fifteen active minutes.
Next up for the C's are the flower-less (No Rose...get it? No? Okay!) Chicago Bulls and then the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors. Should be an interesting week with more answers about how the chemistry experiment is coming along for the Doc(tor).
