Garnett's 27 Points Make Dinos Sore As Boston Beats Toronto For 5th Straight Win: 99-95

Good...   

Sweet...   

Lord.

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!

Take Of The Tape

Box Score

Next Up, The Los Angeles Lakers!

THE BUZZ:

The Boston Celtics vs. The Los Angeles Lakers
Thursday, February 7th, 2013
@ 8:00pm
The Boston Garden, Boston MA

Lacking Substance, Lazy Writers Try To Stick You Innuendo

Oh, for crying out loud!

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?

For crying out loud.

Celtics Continue Roll Against Sacramento, Crown Kings: 99-81

 

Trade the team, something's wrong here! We won without Rondo? How can this be!?!?!

Seriously, though, folks...I know these are the lowly Kings but A) they did it in the second game P.R.I. (Post Rondo Injury); B) this team absolutely pasted us the last time we played; and C) it was the quintessential cliché "total team effort" that would have probably beaten most other teams not in Seattle Sacramento.

Since the Fall of the House of Rondo, bazillions (BAZILLIONS, not Brazilians...sorry, Leandro) of Fairweathers expressed their well-honed kneejerk opinions about how the absence of Rondo basically guarantees that the Celtics will finish behind the Kentucky Colonels and the Yakima Sun Kings and out of the Playoffs for the first time in five years.

While rumors of their collective death have been greatly exaggerated, I'll admit that it still remains to be seen whether the C's will keep up their new brand of hippie-ball in which they share the round, orange love and deliver a slew of well-balanced butt-whuppin's to the rest of the NBA. However, if tonight (and Sunday, for that matter) is any indication...

Tonight, the Celtics went through competitive warm-ups, otherwise known as the "First Quarter," and then proceeded to form Voltron and enter "Crush...Kill...Destroy!" mode in quarter 2, dropping 59 points in the half and carrying a 21 point lead into the 3rd quarter. From this point on, contrary to a momentary lapse that allowed the Kings back to within 14 points in the 4th, the game was nothing more than extended Geno-time.

So, how did we do it you may be asking (and by "you," I am referring to the grandmother of six who accidentally stumbled onto this blog after mistyping "Greenhands" as she was looking for gardening gloves)? I would allude once more to the aforementioned Hippie-Ball. Six Celtics scored in double figures. Paul Pierce was the team high-scorer and he only got 16 for Pistol-Pete's sake!

The Captain added 10 rebounds 4 assists and 1 steal with only 3 turnovers and the rest of the team did their best Outsiders impression and continued to "Do It For Rondo." Kevin Garnett scored 13 points, snagged 9 rebounds and was the high man with assists for the night, posting 5 to go with 2 blocks and a steal; Jeff Green scored a seemingly effortless 12 points as did Jason Terry, who also added 4 assists; and Avery Bradley scored 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

And, since the blogosphere is in maximum overdrive from the Rudy Gay trade with the ESPN Trade Machine about to blow a virtual gasket with Celtics fans crying over spilled Calderon and lamenting the trades that could have been, allow me to talk about one that did happen a little over a year ago that should have even the Littlest Chicken breathing a sigh of relief.

Brandon Bass, one of the six double-figure Celtics tonight, scored 12 points and got 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. You know what the other half of that trade that sent him to Boston got? A broken foot, that's what (I smell a classic trap game coming up on Friday with no Big Baby to push our guys into a competitive lather).

One of the most notable of many notable items? The rebel-without-a-point-guard Celtics out-assisted the Kings, who happen to carry at least three above-average PG's, by a count of 22 to 13.

In any case, I think those folks that Doc Rivers referred to who were beginning to write the Celtics' eulogy are going to be getting a serious case of carpal tunnel from sitting at their computers, hands on the keyboard, waiting for the end to come. Relax, folks...and enjoy this brand of Socialist, share-the-wealth Hippie-Ball while you can. I hear the Celtics are about to trade for World-B.-Free and a 1984 second round draft pick.

Box Score

Tale Of The Tape

Celtics Lightly Mauled By Grizzlies In Bradley's Debut: 83-93

Another day, another loss.

The Boston Celtics couldn't salvage a close-ish game against the Memphis Grizzlies. There were moments of brightness, such as Rondo's return to double-digit assists for the second time in seven games, a Jason Terry transformation back into "The Jet" during the only portion of the game that resembled anything that could remotely be considered "down the stretch" for the Celtics, who did make a run to cut into what was a now-familiar lead of 10+ for the Grizz.

But, the greatest ray of sunshine through an otherwise cloudy sky was -- obviously -- the return of Avery Bradley.

Bradley looked to be in fine defensive-hawkish form, harassing his assignments up and down the floor in familiar fashion and, though his shooting was expectedly rusty, he still managed 4 points on 2-3 shooting in 19 minutes.

Bradley's predecessor as defensive stopper -- Tony Allen -- returned to the Garden to torment his former team with 15 points on 6-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and lots of defensive stoppage. He was joined in the light mauling of the Celtics by point guard Mike Conley, who scored 23 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal, while Rudy Gay dropped 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block on The Green.

Paul Pierce had 17, Garnett scored 12, and Rondo tallied 11 though none of them were able to shoot 50% for the night at Boston Garden.

Box Score

Tale Of The Tape

The Celtics next play against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, January 4th at 8:00 p.m.