I didn't post a recap of Celtics-Bobcats

Ugh... What a failure I am!! In my defense, I fell victim to a poorly operated Thai food restaurant and missed the first quarter, waiting for food that never came. By the time I got home and turned the game on, Shaq had already transported back to the year 2000 and was in his groove on his way to posting 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks. I also had to wake up at 5:30 ON A SATURDAY MORNING to catch a bus to New York, so there was no time to write earlier today. Anyway- with no KG, no Perk, no JO and a struggling Semi, the Celtics were in dire need of a strong showing by the Big Guy- s you go Shaq-tus (even though he's obviously no longer on the Suns, I just love saying Shaq-tus. Best nickname ever).

In what was quite an ugly game, the moment captured in the picture above was definitely my favorite highlight. Shaq and Kwame Brown got tangled up under the basket. Kwame Brown brought Shaq to the ground, falling himself in the process. Once on the ground, the Shaq-tus rolled over on to Kwame Brown and rested for a couple of moments before being helped up by his teammates. Hip hop hilarious.

(Here is a video of the Shaq-tus playing Scrabble by his own rules. Those ESPN NBA Caravan commercials.... Soooo funny)

The Bobcats have shown improvement under Paul Silas. They have talent on their roster, but for the moment, they are an incomplete team lacking depth. The Celtics played short handed last night, and I've defenitly seem more inspired efforts coming from them- but even still. They're the Celtics, and the Bobcats were able to hang in there until about the 8 minute mark of the 4th quarter. They pretty much unraveled from there. Good teams find a way to win crappy games, and they hit shots when it matters. The Bobcats just aren't there yet. (Sometimes... Most of the time) The Celtics are.

Ciara and Lebron James?

The blogs are all abuzz with the latest rumor that Ciara and Lebron James are having a secret love affair. Is this true? Lebron is a father of three and his loooong time girlfriend/mother of his children/alleged fiance, Savannah Brinson, is a highly visible figure oft photographed by his side.

Plus, I love Ciara and I don't love Lebron, so it would WAMP if this turned out to be true! After the video for ride came out, me and my friends were obsessed for months. She makes the dancing look so easy, but trust me.... After MANY attempts of trying to replicate it, it's not. You can check that out below.

The blogs often link Ciara to ballers (Amare Stoudemire, Brandon Jennings, Al Horford and Arron Afflalo, to name a few) and none of these relationships have ever turned out to be true (at least publicly), so I wouldn't be surprised if this was a lie. *Crossing my fingers* Personally, I think she and 50 Cent have had a long term discreet love affair for years. So cute!!

Girls talk sports: Looking forward to Celtics-Bobcats

The Bobcats come in to the Garden riding a 4 game win streak, their longest of the season. Michael Jordan fired Larry Brown in December,  and the Bobcats have shown some improvement since. They started the season 19-9, but have compiled a 6-2 record since Jordan inserted Paul Silas in the slot as interim head coach. In 2008, Larry Brown insisted that MJ draft D.J. Augustin over Brook Lopez, a questionable move at best. MJ may have done away with Larry Brown, but the Bobcats have made due with the pieces that they currently have, and D.J. Augustin has remained as the point guard of the team. Since Paul Silas took over at the reigns, Augustin has excelled. He is averaging nearly 20 points a game while shooting 50 percent from the field. When Augustin scores at least 15 points, the Bobcats have an 11-6 record. Augustin has also taken better care of the ball since Brown left, as he has significantly cut down the rate at which he turns the ball over. The Bobcats roster also boasts two of my favorite non-Celtic offensive players, in Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. These two can get it going from all over the floor, and they can pile the points on in a hurry.

How do the Celtics beat the Bobcats? As always, controlling the pace is important. The Celtics never want to get in to a game where they're running up and down the court, playing at the other teams pace. It's important for the Celtics to get settled in offensively, make the extra pass, and get all of their pieces involved. Defensively, they want to be able to get settled in to their sets, so that they don't get caught in transition. The Bobcats have several serviceable rebounders in Tyrus Thomas, Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw. Together, that front line has come together to allow the fewest amount of defensive rebounds in the NBA. That being said, it's very important for the Celtics to clamp down on the rebounding, because it's been one of their glaring weak points this season.

In other news, Jermaine O'Neal might need surgery, and KG is a no-go for tonight, although his return is near. Also, Avery Bradley is on his way to the D-League. Are the Celtics preparing to make a move? With the possibility of in-season surgery looking more and more like it will become an inevitability for JO, and the move of Bradley to the D-League, freeing up a spot on the roster, it's a possibility... But who ever knows with this team? They play their cards very close to their chest, so we can never really know.

Rihanna has superpowers. I knew it.

Rihanna sat court side at the Clippers-Heat game last night in LA... Which the Clippers WON 111-105. Yes, the franchise that is so bad that many people call them cursed, the lowest of the low- the 13-24 Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Heat. The only logical explanation that I can think of for this to have happened is Rihanna. She's either a good luck charm for the Clippers, or she possesses the ability to curse the Heat. Either one of those would be cool, but I'm hoping for the latter. That way, maybe some kind of deal could be worked out where she's in attendance at many, if not all, Miami games.

Sitting court side, working her super powers.

Another shot of her in action.

Leaving post game, mission accomplished. All in a nights work.

Thanks Ri-Ri!!

Recap: Celtics-Kings

The Celtics pretty much dominated this one from start to finish, even without the help of KG (calf) and JO (knee). The Kings got in to Boston at 3:30 AM this morning, after losing an OT game in Washington- and their exhaustion showed. They were once again without Tyreke Evans. Demarcus Cousins looked better than I thought he would. He seems comfortable playing away from the basket, and once he diversifies his moves in the paint a little bit he'll be a very solid offensive player. Whatever defensive prowess he has in his reportoire was not on display tonight... But that goes for everyone else on his team, too. I was surprised that the Kings waited so long to put Samuel Dalembert in the game. He's had some good outings vs. the Celtics in the past.  For the Celtics, Paul Pierce set the tone in the first quarter, dropping 15 points. Rondo had 10 points and 13 assists, and kept everyone on track over the course of his 29 minutes of play. Speaking of Rondo's minutes tonight- even though the roster is shorthanded right now, nobody except for Semih Erden played more than 30 minutes.

Paul Pierce would be the obvious choice for player of the game, but I'm going to go with Marquis Daniels. My friend and I decided to go to this game at the last moment, and I have to say- Marquis' game is even more impressive in real life. He's just so smooth and confident. His line (26 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) does his performance tonight no justice. He does a good job of running the show when he's playing with the 2nd unit, but can also mesh just as well with the starters. He's also very stylish. Check out his outfit post game:

I'm diggin' the hat, boo. Weather appropriate and stylish at the same time, always a good combo. 

P.S.: Tonight marked Doc Rivers' 309th career win as the head coach of the Celtics. With the win he became the 3rd most winning coach in Celtics history, passing KC Jones. Congratulations to him. 

Gossip, gossip: Brandon Jennings dumps his girlfriend and sings Lady Gaga. Not at the same time.

For the past couple of months, Brandon Jennings has been going out with socialite/singer Teyanna Taylor. She's super pretty, she's from Harlem, she goes to lots of parties with other fancy, beautiful people, and she had one song that was kind of a hit, in 2009. She also talks publicly about being a virgin all the time. You go boo. Anyway, I guess Brandon Jennings wasn't down with that, so they broke up. See the below tweets. Read them from the bottom up. 

Brandon Jennings further solidified that he's weird and at least a little bit out of touch with reality by posting this video. 

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume she's better off without him. At least he's a good basketball player. 

Girls talk sports: looking ahead to Celtics-Kings

Not that it matters, but the Kings are 8-27 overall this year. The Celtics need to show up to play like they're 27-8, because they have a tendency to play down to teams with lowly records and the Green will want to avoid losing 3 straight. While the Kings are capable of scoring the ball (they scored 133 points last night against the Wizards), they don't really like to play defense (the Wizards scored 136 in an overtime win). On average, the Kings allow their opponents to score 116 points/game, while shooting an average of 52 percent. These are numbers I can get down with. This means that on offense, the Celtics need to move the ball around and be patient, because the Kings won't want anything to do with trying to play 24 seconds of tough defense. Defensively, the Celtics need to communicate much more than they have been as of late, and show some energy. The Kings are a team that want to run up and down and try to win the game by shooting the lights out. The Celtics need to set and control the pace.

Last years Rookie of the Year and the Kings leading scorer, Tyreke Evans, is a maybe for tonight. He's missed the last couple of games with a sprained ankle. If he does play, Evans is a tough match. He's big and strong, and a dynamic scorer. Demarcus Cousins is another potentially difficult match up, but he's an interesting case. I'd say that he's likely to become more of a problem in a couple of years, because he's really young and pretty immature right now. Faults aside, he's very talented and at 6'11 and 270, Baby will have his hands full trying to match him. KG is probably still a no go for tonight, but we can all agree he shouldn't rush back.

In happier news, here's a video of Delonte West back on the basketball court, putting up shots!

Injury watch: KG probably won't play tomorrow.

The Celtics will have to find inspiration using the same pieces that have been struggling for this last stretch, because KG is more than likely a no go for tomorrow.

Looking back: Game 37. Another clunker.

The bottom line: It was evident from the opening minutes of the game that Celtics fans were in for a long night. It was pretty much a continuation of the same dismal-ness that we saw in Chicago: no energy, no defense, and lots of jump shots. Barf!!! I'm pretty sure KG was in the locker room beside himself. Hopefully he changed the channel. I know I did :) The Celtics didn't take advantage of their size. They were smothered by the Houston defense all night and looked clueless when the Rockets played a zone.

On a night where everyone else looked like they'd rather be at home watching Auburn v Oregon battle for the BCS National Championship (congrats, Cam Newton), Marquis Daniels showed up ready to go... Too bad nobody else in Green joined him. Over the course of 24 minutes of play, he put up an impressive line of 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals in 24 minutes of play. So, shout out to him for being the only guy in Green who looked like he actually cared about winning. Jermaine O'Neal also showed some signs of life last night, which is always welcome.

The Celtics have now lost 4 out of their last 9 games. Let's hope we're not in for another long winter, like last season. Doc Rivers is pissed off, and I'm sure that the players share in his same sentiment. I hold out faith that this is a mental hurdle that this team can pass, and that they will return to playing inspired, team basketball (hopefully soon). It's so boring to say at this point, since it's been said over and over again- but they will undoubtedly be energized by the return of KG. Let's hope he's well enough to be on the floor tomorrow against Sacramento. We also have no idea how this team will play with a full roster, once Perk and Delonte West are back on the floor, but it's exciting to think about. All of the injuries undoubtedly make it harder for this team to win games, but it's not a valid excuse to lose games that they should clearly win. This team is way too good for that. Let's hope for a strong rebound against the Kings tomorrow.   

Gossip! Player, but not sport, related.

Wesley Johnson... Say it ain't so!! Media Take Out lies a lot... So hopefully this isn't true. But they're reporting that one of my favorite Syracuse alum's (and current member of the Timberwolves) has gone and knocked up a groupie. Boo.


Khloe Kardashian might be pregnant.  I wouldn't be too surprised, since not only is the the whole family is one big publicity stunt, but Khloe and Mr. Lamar Odom recently netted their very own reality show- and what could be better for ratings than a baby?

Looking back: an icky outing v The Bulls. Game 36 and looking forward to Celtics-Rockets tonight

After a brief, 24 hour, recess... I have returned!!


The Bottom Line: Ew. I'm glad it's over. It was the Celtics 5th game in 7 nights... And you could see that everyone was feeling tired. That's pretty much all you need to know. No real notable performances. RayRay showed some signs of life, but the Celtics weren't able to get it going and settle in to any kind of groove. Derrick Rose scored 36 points. 15 of them came from the free throw line. It's kind of crazy, because not only is that the difference in the game (The Celtics lost by 11), but D Rose went 15 of 19 from the line... And the Celtics as a team had 22 total free throws. The Celtics were probably due for a clunker. They shot 54 percent over the course of their 4 previous games, and shot only 37 percent against the Bulls. All of the stats that usually glow in Celtics games were down- for the game, they had 12 assists. Hopefully everyone's gotten a couple of good nights sleep in since then.

 He might be back tonight!

Moving on.... Celtics-Rockets, tonight at 7:30: Will KG be back? Maybe! Hopefully! Updates to come later. The Celtics are surely glad to return home, where they boast an Eastern Conference best record of 16-2, to square off with the Rockets, who have posted a record of 6-14 on the road this season.

How do the Celtics beat the Rockets? 


-I am a HUGE fan of overlooked, under-hyped talent... Lebron James? He's good but everyone already knows that. Danny Granger? That's more like it. And the Rockets have one of my favorite under-hyped talents in the NBA, in Shane Battier. He is an extremely intelligent and thoughtful, all around player. He can do a little bit of everything, he's graceful, and he absolutely makes every single person on his team better while he's on the floor. The Celtics will have to limit his impact, because he can control the flow of the game from the power forward position. It will be a good battle between him and Paul.

-The Celtics will have to play much better defense than they did in Chicago. The Rockets have a bunch of guys capable of putting the ball in the basket: Battier, Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks (questionable for tonight's game) and Kevin Martin (over the course of the Rockets last 4 games, he has averaged 30 points while shooting 56 percent from the floor). They average 104 points a game, good for 5th in the league. They're also not selfish with the ball. They average 23 assists a game, good for 2nd in the league (2nd to the Celtics!).

-With Yao Ming out, the Rockets are small in the middle. They start a lineup with 3 forwards (Battier, Scola and Jordan Hill). The Celtics should use their size to their advantage. That means getting Shaq involved often and early.