The Celtics lose to the Grizz. Left their execution in New York.

This was not the same team we saw in New York. The passion was not there, and execution was awful... Especially down the stretch. They got off to another slow start, and played an off-key game to hang in there for the whole night... Only to fall short at the end. Wamp.

I've been thinking about that seemingly ill timed Rondo floater. Doc Rivers now says he should have called a timeout... But it's easy to say that in hindsight, and so much harder to do while it's happening. Rondo is generally very trustworthy, and as we all know, he is the general of the offense... So we trust his judgement. I was surprised to see him throw that floater up- and not because there was so much time left on the shot clock and replays show that Paul Pierce was open in transition. I was surprised because he took that shot at the juncture in the game. He may be off his game as of late, but he has not lost his cajones and that is a good thing.

I leave you with a song from one of the baddest chicks on the planet, Nicki Minaj. It's called, "Dear old Nicki." It's basically a letter of reflection to herself, wondering where her old self went, and trying to get that person back. The Celtics could use the fight, grit, pride and passion that they had just last month, so I thought it was a good pick.

Bill Simmons likes to make fun of the WNBA.

Here's what it is: I like Bill Simmons. I read the Book of Basketball. The man knows a heck of a lot about the game and it's history, so I would never, ever take shots at him in that regard. I generally enjoy reading his columns, because along with being knowledgeable, he's a good writer and he's pretty funny. But here's a quick example of what I don't like, and what I can't get down with:

For those of you who don't know, Bruce Pearl is the now former head coach of the mens basketball team at the University of Tennessee. He got the axe today. Me being the nosy person that I am, and knowing that Bill Simmons has a nice, dry sense of humor that I can appreciate, I click on the link... And it brought me to the homepage for the WNBA. It made me realize that this was not the first time that Mr. Simmons has taken shots at womens' basketball, so I took the liberty of finding other examples from his twitter page: 

Love that we're trying to pique England's interest in NBA basketball with 2 Nets-Raptors games. Plan B: WNBApalooza.

Come on, UConn women! One half to go! #ESPNForcedMeToTypeThisTheyAreHoldingAGunToMyHeadRightNowHelpPleaseSendHelp


I fail to understand why behavior like this is still acceptable. First of all- that winning streak that he so sarcastically pretended to care about? That was 90 games. That is incredible. And now, about the jabs to the WNBA. The WNBA is only thirteen years old. It is not the established league that the NBA is, but in its young life, it has already had its fair share of stars. The women who play in the WNBA do so because they love the game. They are not the fame chasing, money hungry egomaniacs that some of their counterparts in the NBA so sadly are. You have to play for the love of the game, because the money simply isn't there for female ballers in America. Rookies get paid a minimum of $35,190... which is enough to support yourself, but not a family. On the other end of the spectrum, the maximum salary for veterans in the WNBA is $101,000. It's not chump change, but let's think of what a vet in the NBA makes. Let's take Erick Dampier for example, because I just happened to randomly think of him: $713,666. So Erick Dampier is sitting pretty, while female ballers play the WNBA season in America and then the majority of them play abroad in the off season, so that they can make enough money to support themselves. 


When I clicked on the link from the tweet that lead me to the WNBA homepage, a large picture of Diana Taurasi greeted me. If she does not qualify as a bonafide basketball powerhouse, than I don't know who does. She lead the University of Connecticut to three consecutive national titles, and over the course of her years at UConn, averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. After leaving UConn, she was the number one pick in the 2004 WNBA draft and was eventually named the Rookie of the Year. She has won two WNBA titles over the course of her career. She has also won 4 gold medals with the US National Basketball Team, along with 2 bronze. 

Diana Taurasi is not just a good female basketball player. She is a phenomenal basketball player, period, gender aside. Bill Simmons does not belittle male basketball players with similar credentials. You know why? Because they're hailed as superstars. They're Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Mr. Simmons might slip them the occasional snide remark, but he does not take shots at their manhood, or question the authenticity or validity of their careers. Can you imagine the outrage if he made fun of an NBA player for being black? The outrage would be deserved, and he would also justly lose his job... But he doesn't do it, because it's wrong and it's racist and he's not a fascist. Yet it's okay to make fun of a whole gender of people. Sadly, Bill Simmons is not alone in this ignorant, misogynistic way of thinking. It is the general attitude and mindset adopted by the majority of people in American mainstream culture today. 

Bill Russell became the first African American basketball player to achieve superstar status. Over the course of his 13 year career, he endured brutal racism. He played in the pinnacle of the American civil rights movement. The resistance to change and attitudes of hate held by white Americans all around the country manifested itself in NBA fans: there were fans that didn't want black people to be in the NBA, proprietors who didn't want him to eat in their restaurant, or sleep in their hotels. Bill Russell so heroically persevered through all of that, and blazed the trail for generations of Black basketball stars to follow in his path. Women have fought a similar fight, and have luckily progressed a long way from being second class citizens. But sexism is still alive (just like racism). It may be more disguised, but it's alive and kicking. Female basketball has a history of crusaders as well. The female game is not like the male game. It has it's own grace, it's own beauty and charisma. Nancy Lieberman and Pat Summitt have been champions of womens basketball for years. Cheryl Miller, Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Lesley gracefully followed in their footsteps. Candace Parker is a superstar now... And she dunks! Do you dunk, Bill Simmons? 

Maya Moore is a rising superstar. My point is that we're not going away! 

At the end of the day, I know Bill Simmons was joking. I do not personally know him, but I'm willing to bet that he doesn't walk around actively thinking misogynistic thoughts, and that is is not his intention to insult women... But there is an abundance of female basketball talent, and it deserves to be recognized and taken seriously, in a way that it currently is not.   

The celebs were out at Celtics v Knicks

Whoopi Goldberg and Lala were sighted chatting it up. An interesting pair...

Too bad Ciara couldn't make it last night. She usually sits with Lala... And wears the most amazing things. And shout out to Mike Gormon... When he and Tommy were talking about the celebrities present and they showed Whoopi and Lala... Mike Gormon had no idea who Lala was and only pointed out Whoopi. There's absolutely no reason why Mike Gormon should know who Lala is... But still, how refreshing! You go Mike. 

And you already know Spike Lee was in the building. He was seated next to Flo Allen. I can only imagine how that conversation went. Hilarious! Also, when Mike and Tommy talked about Flo and Spike, Tommy goes, "Nice hat! Where did he get that? Marthas Vineyard?" I'm not sure why that screams Cape Cod to Tommy... But hey. Whatever he says. 

Doc Rivers: "It was a good win, a bloodbath. But I thought it was beautiful." Celtics beat Knicks 96-86.

I talked about it before and Bill Simmons talked about it with Steve Kerr in his BS report: did the Kendrick Perkins trade take the fight out of the Celtics? Have the Celtics lost their fight? Are they less physically intimidating post-trade? 

These questions have arisen because, frankly, the team has played like the wind had been taken out of its sails. That wasn't so last night, and it was such a relief to see. After getting their butts handed to them in Houston and playing the worst that they have in years, they traveled to New Orleans and squeezed out a win against a much inferior team. In the face of these less than impressive last two games, I was nervous about the match up with New York. The Knicks are a team dealing with identity issues of their own, but the prospect of facing Amare and Carmelo was daunting. The Celtics did nothing to quell these fears in the first half, scoring just 37 points while allowing the Knicks to put 51 up on the board. There were some signs of life in the third... But they really turned it up in the 4th. 

Paul Pierce had THE LOOK on his face, and it was so good to see it back. He was a man possessed: The Celtics were going to win that game, no matter what. He scored 13 points in the final frame. And his teammates were right there with him. They displayed hustle and passion that has been missing in recent history. KG out hustled Amare, sprinting and wrestling with him for loose balls. Ray Allen got clocked and blood gushed out of his head, but he returned to action and spread the floor just by being there. And Rondo.... People were saying Rondo was "back" after that game in New Orleans. He wasn't. He was back last night. Shots falling for him around the basket (13 points), and he broke double digits in assists, with 12. But it wasn't about the numbers- it was about his hustle. He stifled Chauncey Billups. He fought for loose balls- most notably tracking down a long offensive rebound in the fourth, out-running Amare and hitting it off of him out of bounds to regain Celtics possession. Oh and he inadvertently elbowed Carmelo in the face ('Melo later got 6 stitches)... But he did that because he was fighting for control over a wild inbounds pass, and wrestled the ball away from Mr. Anthony. Yes! Carmelo started off on a roll, and it looked like he was going to score at least 40. He ended up with just 22 points, and only scored 5 points in the second half. 

It was the kind of win that the Celtics needed. They played together, they didn't waver and they out toughed a team boasting one of the most physically imposing guys in the league (Amare). And mostly, they showed that they're still a team that possess the will to win. And they imposed it in New York last night. Sorry Spike!

Rondo has a right pinkie injury.

A. Sherrod Blakely reports that Rondo has been nursing an injury to his right pinkie for the past couple of weeks. As we all saw last night, he aggravated this injury (a mystery to us at the time) and had to come out of the game. We learned after the game that he had actually lost feeling in his hand and finger for a couple of minutes. He iced the hand and returned to action with the finger taped. Rondo actually got it going last night on the offensive end a little bit, going 4-8 from the field and ending up with 9 points over 29 minutes of play.

Chris Forseberg captured this shot of Rajon icing on the bench.

Is this some kind of male-macho pride thing? Why walk around insisting you're not hurt, while everyone stands around speculating and questioning you? The good news is that the injury is not expected to cause him to miss any games. It does seem to have Doc Rivers wanting to reduce Rondo's minutes... And that's a good thing, he was playing too much. 29 minutes is an awesome number for him. Shout out to Delonte West for continuing to play phenomenal basketball and lightning the load a little bit on Rondo. *Fingers crossed* hoping that he can avoid any further injuries.

It should be pointed out that a right pinkie injury doesn't really explain why Rondo has been sluggish and a step behind. But hey. It's an 82 game season, and these guys didn't have much of a summer, after they played in to May. Hopefully these reduced minutes for Rondo continue, so that he can rest up, if not heal some of these nagging maladies. My faith in #9 remains steadfast.

Kenny Anderson's ex-wife vs. Antoine Walker's current fiance (who is now engaged Chad Ochocinco)

Okay so this TECHNICALLY doesn't have anything to do with the Celtics... But since the last post I wrote was kind of depressing, I needed something that made me laugh. And then I remembered this:

HILARIOUS! So what happened is this: Evelyn Lozada (the blond) used to be engaged to Antoine Walker. Tami, the other lady, is Kenny Anderson's ex-wife. I don't watch Basketball Wives, because I refuse, but apparently these two were friends... Until one day they got in to a fight and Evelyn dropped a bomb on Tami by revealing that she had slept with Kenny. Well, this clip is from the reunion, and Tami took it on herself to one up Evelyn, and revealed that she had slept with Chad Ochocinco, or Johnson, or whatever he's going by these days- who is Evelyn's current fiance. HILARIOUS! So sit back and revel in the cattiness.

Thoughts on the recent Celtics struggles.

(This has been one of my favorite songs for awhile... & Mr. West really captures how I've been feeling)

So I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with the Celtics. Watching my team, my most beloved men in Green, has suddenly started feeling like a chore after being a joy for much of the season.

Everyone's been pointing their finger at Rondo and wondering what's wrong with him, so let's start there. I found this depressing article written by Jeremy Lundblad at ESPN Boston chronicling Rondo's recent struggles, and let me summarize the gloomy facts here: In the last three games he has played 85 minutes... and scored 4 points. Coming in to March, Rondo was shooting 60 percent from the field from five feet or less. This month, that percentage has plummeted to 46 percent. When you figure in the shots he's taken from 5 feet or more from the basket, he is shooting at a rate of 36 percent from the field. Eeeek! Rondo isn't known for his scoring, so it would be okay if this was where his troubles stopped. But it's not. He has gone 6 straight games without reaching double figures in assists. Rondo started the season red hot, averaging 16.7 assists per game in October. That number has steadily fallen as the season as progressed, and he is now averaging 7.0 assists per game. Here's the most depressing statistic of all: The Celtics are 31-5 when Rondo has 10 or more assists, and 10-9 when he doesn't. So it is undeniable: something is going on with #9 and it is hampering his game.

Make no mistake about it: I don't blame Rondo for the Celtics recent struggles. Maybe he's injured, maybe it's something mental. Who knows? He is famously elusive. I just hope it changes for the better sometime soon. But you know what I really think the problem is? I don't think it's tired legs or fatigue, or any similarly themed theories that are often tossed out there.

I think that the chemistry has been completely thrown off with the recent overhaul of the roster. Are they a more talented and deeper team? Probably. But trading Perk without all of the other moves would have been enough to completely throw the flow off. Add on to that getting rid of the whole bench except for Glen Davis, Von Wafer and Delonte West, and it's enough to cause serious identity confusion. This is a team that preaches team and unity above all else. They don't talk about individual accomplishment: they talk about playing as a team to accomplish one goal, which is winning a championship. And now most of the pieces are gone. Obviously the "most important" pieces are still intact, but still, it's a completely different team. It's great to see Krystic playing out of his mind, and it's awesome that Jeff Green comes in off the bench and gives them an offensive punch they haven't had in recent history... But still- the only thing that makes Krystic and Green Celtics are the jerseys they wear. They haven't been on the same journey that Paul Pierce and the rest of the starting 5 (and Glen Davis) has been on. They weren't there to create the Celtic team identity. I'm just a fan and it's hard for me to adjust, and it's hard to feel a real connection there.

Even when they are clicking and playing well, it doesn't seem like they're having fun the way they were at the beginning of the season. Take the game against Indiana, when the bench came in and rocked. That was great. I was so happy to see a 2nd unit forming that looked like it could potentially be reliable for the Celtics. But there was no visible joy... And I know that sounds corny, but it's a simple example of something that's different. There's nobody visibly excited when the Celtics are on a roll. It used to be Nate Robinson FREAKING OUT for 48 minutes, screaming, waving his towel around, and jumping out of his skin every time something good happened. It was Marquis Daniels "letting the three's fly" and flying down the court with Nate every time someone made a trey. It was Luke Harangody, studious on the bench, the picture of intensity, completely zoned in on the game, standing up to cheer and high five his teammates. It's all gone now, and it's sad. Chemistry is a finicky thing. It can't be manufactured, and it takes time to create. Just because this team is "better" and deeper, it doesn't mean that the chemistry will be there. Maybe when Shaq comes back he'll lighten the mood up. Here's hoping... Because any sense of urgency that this team had seems to have fled the building along with the chemistry and camaraderie.