A new low: Kings 118, Celtics 96

I'm at a loss for words.

This Celtics team has reached an all-time low.

Literally.

They go 1-3 on the trip, 0-3 in California, as they fall to the Kings, 118-96. For some perspective on how historically bad the first time since December of 1977, the Celtics have lost three consecutive games by at least 18 points. That's 35 years, people.

But not to fear, the second-coming of Christ is coming to Boston on Wednesday. Avery Bradley will cure all the problems, right?

Here's a recap:

The good:

* Imagine if Kevin Garnett had retired? Oh. My. Goodness. This team would a complete catastrophe. KG notched his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He also had 6 assists to go along with his always phenomenal defense. The problem was that no one else played a lick of defense.

* Jared Sullinger is going to be a very good player. Whether it's for the Celtics or someone else -- that's if he's used as a trade chip with the way he's played this season -- this kid is going to be household name in this league for a very long time. Sully finished with 10 points, 6 boards, an assist, and a steal.

The bad:

* Everything?

* After a big first half, Jason Terry completely disappeared. He only had 6 points in the second half on 2-of-5 from the floor.

* The Kings totally dominated in the paint, outscoring Boston 56-38. That's 47% of their points.

* All the Celtics' defensive woes start with dribble penetration. Jason Terry and the hobbled Rajon Rondo did an atrocious job of staying in front of their men.

* The Celtics have to stop digging such huge holes for themselves. In each of their past 3 games, they've had a 21+ point deficit. From 2007-2011, a span of 328 games, they had 10 such deficits. From 2011-2013, which is 96 games, they had 13. Courtesy of Celtics' radio play-by-play announcer Sean Grande.

* Three consecutive 30 point quarters to end the game is not exactly a recipe for success.

If you're looking for a nice easy win up ahead to help the Celtics get back on track, keep looking. Their next four games are against teams that are above .500, starting with a visit from the Memphis Grizzlies, the fourth-best team in the West.

Halftime thoughts: Kings 54, Celtics 49

The Celtics played an up-and-down first half to say the least, and they trail the Kings at the half, 54-49.

Here are some thoughts:

* After an abysmal performance last night, Jason Terry has responded quite nicely. He leads the team with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. One of his misses was a missed dunk attempt, so he's only missed one real jump shot.

* Jeff Green continues his aggressive trend, which is an absolutely terrific sign. He also has 14 points on 4-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. He has been driving to the hoop at will and only taken two shots outside the paint.

* The Celtics started the second quarter with Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, and Kevin Garnett. This is the third time that I can remember that this combination has been rock-solid defensively. They allowed the Celtics to go on an 8-0 run to take a 26-24 lead. They did not allow a basket until the 9:25 mark of the second on a put-back dunk by James Johnson. Doc needs to use this lineup more...it clearly works!!!!!!

* The Kings had 38 points in the paint in the first half. Furthermore, 22 of their 24 first-quarter points were in the paint. The Celtics only had 2 points in the paint in the first quarter on their final bucket of the quarter, an alley-oop from Rajon Rondo to Kevin Garnett drawn up by Doc Rivers. The Celtics bounced back with 16 points in the paint in the second quarter.

* The Celtics had 17 points off 11 Sacramento turnovers. The Kings had 10 points off 7 Boston turnovers. The margin was 14-6 in favor of the Celtics, but back-to-back turnovers midway through the second led to transition layups to cut the deficit closer.

* Boston had a lot of bad offensive possessions to end the first half. Lots of shots late in the shot clock, and they seemed to lose some of the momentum they gained throughout the second quarter. They should come out strong in the second half.

* 24 points in first quarter for the Kings. Less than the 25 I mentioned in my game preview, but they still managed to lose the quarter. Not a good sign...let's see how it turns out.

* Rajon Rondo does not appear to be himself tonight. He is visibly hobbling around. He only has 2 points and 4 assists so far.

* Side note: Leandro Barbosa had himself a crazy day. He flew 16 hours today...TODAY...to get here, from Sao Paolo. Doc doesn't want to use him, but knows he's ready if his number is called. You have to commend Barbosa for getting here after dealing with a difficult family situation and flying that long on game day.

Game 30 Preview: Celtics at Kings

It hasn't been all smiles for DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento.
Will he be in Celtic green before this year's over with?

After last night's debacle, things can't get any worse, right? 

The Celtics (14-15) will take their talents to California's capital as they take on the lowly Sacramento Kings (10-19), the second-worst team in the Western Conference.

The Kings are coming off their best win of the season against the New York Knicks on Friday night, 106-105. 

We all know what happened to the Celtics last night -- for those who went to bed and didn't get to watch any of the game, consider yourselves lucky. Last night was atrocious, but, it's in the past. There's no time for the Celtics to sulk in their sorrows. 

Rajon Rondo's status is still uncertain. After going through shootaround before yesterday's game, Rondo was deemed unable to play. Rondo and the Celtics are hoping that will change and that he will be able to play tonight. We should know for sure closer to game time, which is 9:00 p.m. Leandro Barbosa is expected to be available tonight.

Here's a preview:

Projected lineups:

Celtics:

Courtney Lee*

Jason Terry

Paul Pierce

Kevin Garnett

Jason Collins

Kings:

Isaiah Thomas

Tyreke Evans*

John Salmons

Jason Thompson

DeMarcus Cousins

* subject to change

Keys to the game:

1. A better start: I know I sound like a broken record, but it's true. The Celtics are in dire need of a dominant first quarter. The C's are 11-5 when allowing exactly under 25 points, making them 3-10 when they allow more than 25 points in the first. Needless to say, if the Celtics win the first quarter, there's a pretty good chance they're going to win the game. 

2. KG vs. Cousins: After getting completely shut down by the Festsus Ezeli last night, look for Kevin Garnett to get plenty of shots tonight, especially early on. I would look for the Celtics to come out of the gate looking for Garnett on the post. Although DeMarcus Cousins is going to challenge him a bit, KG still has the edge over the young, hot-headed big man. Garnett should get used to Cousins' tendencies; he might see them in a Celtics' practice in the future (wishful thinking, I know, I'll stop).

3. The JET needs to take off: We're 29 games into the season, and Jason Terry is still in limbo trying to figure out how he fits. Last night, Terry was horrendous. He was 6-of-19 from the floor including 1-of-7 from three-point land. Terry plays better when he's on the court with Rondo because when Rondo is not on the court, Terry has to carry some of the ball-handling duties, which takes away from him getting his shots and takes away some of his playmaking abilities. In games in which Rondo hasn't played, the JET is shooting 38%. Having Rondo on the floor tonight will make Terry better, but the former Sixth Man of the Year needs to play the way that he's capable of playing.

Head under water: Warriors 101, Celtics 83

You know what's ironic? If you were see the Clippers, Warriors, and Kings all in a row on the schedule  in past seasons, you would think 'well, there's an easy three-game winning streak.' Right now, those three games are very challenging games, and the Celtics are one game away from coming up short in all three of them.

The Celtics lose their second in a row -- these two losses are the worst consecutive losses for the Celtics since 2002 -- as they fall to the Golden State Warriors, 101-83, and they are now under .500 (14-15) for the first time since November 9. The Celtics led 7-4 in the first quarter, and an 11-0 run by the Warriors put them ahead for good. Boston cut the deficit to 8 in the fourth, but the hole that the Celtics dug themselves was too deep to dig out of.

Here's a recap:

The good:

* Courtney Lee was Boston's best player tonight -- not to knock Lee for his effort tonight, but I'm not sure if this is a good thing in the grand scheme of things. Lee had 18 points and 5 rebounds in 40 minutes. Lee had to carry a heavy load tonight with the absence of Rajon Rondo. Lee had to share ball-handling duties with Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Paul Pierce, and just about everyone else. His defense was up to his standards as well.

* The third quarter was not as bad as people think. The Celtics outscored the Warriors 27-19, and that was mostly the result of the bench.

* Jared Sullinger had 12 points off the bench. He was 6-of-8 from the floor with 8 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. 5 of his 8 rebounds were on the offensive end. He kept possessions alive and was apart of the Celtics' big run in the third.

* Jeff Green was 2-of-11. Not good. But the fact that Green took 11 shots is good. He drove to the hoop, made plays, and played good defense.

The bad:

* The Celtics will never win a game with Kevin Garnett taking 6 shots like he did tonight. It goes without saying that KG needs to be more involved in the offense.

* The Celtics will also never win a game when they shoot just 36% from the field.

* The Celtics' pick-and-roll defense was atrocious tonight. Golden State's guards got past the Celtics off screens, the Celtics' switches came late, and that all led to open shots for the Warriors.

* I'll be as nice and simple as possible with this: Paul Pierce and Jason Terry did not play well at all. They combined to go 10-of-39 with 6 turnovers. I'll leave it at that.

The Celtics are back at it tomorrow in Sacramento when they take on the Kings at 9:00 p.m. EST. The C's are hopeful Rajon Rondo will be ready to go.

Halftime thoughts: Warriors 57, Celtics 40

And I stayed up late for this? Boy it's get frustrating watching this team sometimes.

In once again another disappointing first half, the Celtics trail the Warriors, 57-40.

Here are my thoughts:

* After a horrendous first quarter on Thursday night, you would've thought the Celtics would come out strong in this one, right? Wrong. The Celtics trailed 24-9 at one point during the first on Thursday. In the first quarter tonight, they trailed by as many as 9, 24-15. This has been a trend since the Houston game. The Celtics need to start this second half focused and aggressive to make up for their poor opening.

* Kevin Garnett is getting his money's worth from rookie Festus Ezeli. The 6'11'' big man has made life difficult on the offensive end for KG. He only had 5 shots in 12 minutes for 4 points. Ezeli has been denying the entry pass into KG on the post. KG has had to battle every second he's been on the floor.

* Where did Jason Collins go? Maybe he would help down low, no?

* What happened to trapping Stephen Curry? Right from the gate, the Celtics doubled Curry as soon as he touched the ball. The Celtics did this for the first four defense possessions of the game, but then went away from it. He was unable to do a thing when doubled, and now he has 7 points on 3-of-4 from the floor.

* Paul Pierce is showing his age tonight. His jump shot is as flat, his legs have no lift, and he's having a hard time on the defensive end of the floor. He is 1-of-11 from the floor and 0-of-5 from the three-point line.

* Courtney Lee and Jared Sullinger are the only bright spots for the Celtics in this one. Lee, who started in place of Rajon Rondo, has 8 points on 3-of-7 from the floor including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, which is a good sign for Lee and the Celtics. He also has 4 rebounds and has been playing his usual solid defense. Sullinger leads the Celtics with 10 points on 5-of-6 from the floor and has 4 rebounds. Without these two, this would be a complete (bleep) show.

* The Celtics can't buy a basket so far. Their offense is struggling big time, as the C's have been missing a ton of jumpers and taking some poor and contested shots late in the shot clock. The C's are shooting a mere 32% to Golden State's 56%.

Game 29 Preview: Celtics at Warriors

Brandon Bass and the Celtics will have their hands full on the
glass tonight.

After one of their more impressive victories of the season, the Celtics (14-14) forgot to show up to the Staples Center on Thursday night, as they got pounded by the Los Angeles Clippers, 106-77, which only follows the pattern this team has set for themselves. One game they look good, the next they look as bad as the Charlotte Bobcats.

In any case, the Celtics need to dust themselves off and move on. Things don't get any easier, as they now finish their West Coast trip with a back-to-back that starts tonight against the Golden State Warriors (20-10).

For Golden State, this is the second night of back-to-back. Last night, they were victorious over the Philadelphia 76ers, 96-89. They have been the surprise team so far in the NBA this season. They are the fifth-best team in the Western Conference and don't appear to be going anywhere. They rank in the top 10 in points scored per game, rebounds per game, and assists per game.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are at a crossroads. They're a .500 team right now that's trying to hold down the fort until the long-awaited return of Avery Bradley next Wednesday night. 

Here's a preview:

Projected lineups:

Celtics:

Courtney Lee

Jason Terry

Paul Pierce

Kevin Garnett

Jason Collins

Warriors:

Stephen Curry 

Klay Thompson

Harrison Barnes

David Lee

Festus Ezeli

Keys to the game:

1. Stopping the young'uns: Over their last three games, Golden State is averaging 19.1 fast break points per game, which is good for third in the league during that span. However, they were outscored on the fast break last night, 15-9. Now considering tonight is the second night of a back-to-back for them, it'll be interesting to see if they get back to their recent running ways with tired legs. However, they have the eighth-youngest roster in the league with an average age of 25.2, so fatigue shouldn't be that big of a factor. The Celtics need to control the young kids and dictate the pace of the game.

2. A better start: The Celtics got off to the worst possible start on Thursday night, as they dug themselves into a 24-9 hole. The Celtics cut it to 4, 32-28, but then L.A. went on to outscore the C's 74-49. 30 points in the first quarter is a recipe for disaster for the Celtics, so the Celtics need to keep the Warriors in the low to mid-20s in the first.

Game 28 Preview: Celtics at Clippers

The Celtics will have their hands full tonight with Clippers' bigs.

In the 2009-2010 season the Los Angeles Clippers won only 29 games. This season, they already have 20 wins -- and we're not even through the end of 2012. 

In what will be their toughest challenge yet, the Celtics (14-13) will take on the league's hottest and best team, the Clippers (22-6).

The Celtics are coming off arguably their most complete and dominant performance of the season, crushing the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas day, 93-76. 

The Clippers also played on Christmas, and they beat the Denver Nuggets pretty handedly, 112-100.

L.A. is riding a franchise-best 14-game winning streak, and they're 13-3 at home.

It's all set up for the Celtics to squander any momentum they gained on Tuesday, but we'll see if they're up for the challenge.

Projected lineups:

Celtics:

Rajon Rondo

Jason Terry

Paul Pierce

Kevin Garnett

Jason Collins

Clippers:

Chris Paul

Willie Green

Caron Butler

Blake Griffin

DeAndre Jordan

Keys to the game:

1. Rondo vs. CP3: Rajon Rondo has had his hands full during these first two games of the road trip. First, he had to deal with Deron Williams, and he completely outplayed him. Now, he has to handle Chris Paul, regarded by many as the best point guard in the NBA. The five-time All-Star is averaging 16.0 points, 9.5 assists, and 2.7 steals. By comparison, Rondo is averaging 13.7 points, 11.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. The two have squared off 9 times, and although Paul edges him in nearly every statistical category, Rondo has the lead in the column that matters most: wins (6-3). Rondo thrives going up against other top point guards. Throw in the fact that the game is being played in the bright lights of Los Angeles, and that tonight's game is part of TNT's national-televised double-header, and it all adds up to what should be a huge game from Rondo. And we all know how well he plays when he's on national television.

2. Up for the challenge: The Celtics came out on Christmas and played terrific. That means they have momentum and will carry that performance into tonight's game, right? Wrongo. The fact that they played extremely well the other night has no significance towards what to expect tonight. Regardless, the Celtics need to bring their A-game tonight. This Clippers team is in the top ten in each of the three main statistical categories: they're third in points allowed, second in assists, and eighth in points scored. Boston needs another 48-minute effort from everyone in order to win this one.

3. No fast break points: Although it should be known commodity, I have to stress the importance of the Celtics limiting their turnovers. The Clippers are third in the league in fast break points per game, and everyone knows about the high-flying "lob city" Clippers. They have guys that like to run in transition and finish at the rim with authority. The Celtics need to do all they can to take care of the basketball and not give the Clippers a chance to turn this one into a dunk contest.

Leading them to the promised land

Like he did yesterday, Rajon Rondo needs
to point the Celtics in the right direction.

There are a few things in this world that I know are concrete. One is that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. Another is that the world is not ending any time soon -- take that, Mayans. And lastly, the Celtics will not win a championship if Rajon Rondo is not their best player.

Coming into this season, Rondo was surrounded by so much hype. He was a dark-house pick for the MVP, he was lauded by his teammates, coaches, and general manager as the new leader and face of the franchise, and his jersey was the fifth-best-selling jersey in the league. Much of that doesn't matter now after the inconsistent start of the Celtics. But there was a reason for all the hooplah.

Rondo made a name for himself during last year's playoffs, which included a mammoth 44 point, 10 assist, 8 rebound effort in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. In 19 playoff games last year, he averaged 17.3 points, 11.9 assists, and 6.7 rebounds in 42.6 minutes per game. In a word, he was sensational.

This year, like much of the other players on the roster, Rondo has been up and down at times. Although his stats won't reflect that, the way he plays is different from what shows up in the box score after games. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this team is dominant when Rajon Rondo is aggressive. Not just aggressive in looking for his shot, but being aggressive in looking to steal the ball, aggressive in defending his man, and plugging himself in the paint and snatching rebounds. Handing out assists and climbing the record books is one thing, but giving the game what it needs -- a line that Paul Pierce has made famous over his time in Boston -- is another.

Yesterday afternoon's performance in Brooklyn was probably the best game of the year for the Celtics. They look motivated and enthused, and they competed for a full-48 minutes. They beat the Nets in just about every category: turnovers, field-goal percentage, points in the paint, fast break points, free-throw percentage, three-point percentage, and, yes, rebounds -- it must have been a Christmas miracle.

But what about Brooklyn's 15-2 run in the third quarter you may ask? It's the NBA. Everyone makes a run. A game is full of runs, and it's about what you do to combat them. And the Celtics came right back with a 7-0 run to end the quarter and give themselves a 73-58 lead. But this piece isn't about the Celtics dominating performance on Christmas day: it's about Rondo. And who assisted on the second-to-last bucket of the quarter, then drained a three-pointer to end the quarter? That would be Rondo.

Rondo was the leader of this dominating performance. He did a little bit of everything, scoring a game-high 19 points on 8-of-16 from the field (including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the more accomplished players on the team, only scored 8 points a piece, but they both made their impact defensively as well as in other areas. Pierce had a game-high 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and a steal, while Garnett finished with a game-high 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. But Pierce didn't mind handing the scoring duties off to someone else: “I really didn’t have to rely on my scoring. They trapped me a lot, so I had to find the open man a lot. Rondo was in his scoring mode. The way the scoring went today, when you have balanced scoring like that, it’s fun to play that way.”

The way the Celtics played yesterday is exactly how they need to play every game from here on out. Rondo needs to be the best player on the team. This season, when Rondo scored at least 15 points, the Celtics are 7-5. When he doesn't, they're 7-8. Relying on Pierce and Garnett is a recipe for disaster. They will be worn out come April, and by relying on them up until then, they may already worn out. He has already gotten the votes of confidence from his peers, so it's time for Rondo to put the Celtics on his back if they want to get to the promised land.

Game 27 Preview: Celtics at Nets

Hopefully, the Celtics and Nets play nice and not naughty when they
square off this afternoon.

Merry Christmas to all!

This time last year, the Celtics opened the NBA season -- to those who forget, last year's season was affected by the work stoppage -- at Madison Square Garden as they took on the New York Knicks. They fell in a heart-breaker, 106-104.The green are hoping for a different result during this Christmas visit in the state of New York.

We all know what happened these two teams played. Rajon Rondo started chaos with Kris Humphries after he fouled Kevin Garnett pretty hard, Rondo's assist streak ended, three players were ejected, and the Nets continued their beat-down en route to a resounding victory.

The Celtics will hope to get some revenge this time around in the Barclays Center for the second and final time this season. The Nets (14-12) are coming off a 95-92 victory on Sunday night over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Leandro Barbosa and Chris Wilcox are not with the Celtics. Avery Bradley, who was planning on joining the team on the trip and possibly even playing today, is also not with the Celtics and will not join them out west this week. However, newly-acquired Jarvis Varnado is with the team and active for today's game.

The Celtics (13-13) are coming off a tough loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks last Friday night, 99-94. Boston is 11-17 all-time on Christmas day. Hopefully they'll deliver Celtic fans everywhere the gift of being over .500!

Here's a preview:

Projected lineups:

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo
Jason Terry
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Jason Collins

Nets:
Deron Williams
Joe Johnson
Gerald Wallace 
Keith Bogans
Brook Lopez

Keys to the game:

1. Countering Blatche and Evans:  Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans made their presence felt last time these two squared off. Andray Blatche had 8 offensive rebounds in 29 minutes. The entire Celtics team had 8 offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, Reggie Evans completely dominated Jared Sullinger. Evans and Blatche combined for 23 rebounds, more than half of what the Celtics did as a team. With the addition of Jarvis Varnado and the insertion of Jason Collins into the starting quintet, the Celtics should be better equipped to stop these two ferocious beasts.

2. Banging with the bigs: The Celtics should have no problem at the start of the game battling with Lopez and Humphries, as 7-footers Garnett and Collins will help clog up the middle. The trouble will come when one or both of those two are on the bench. The last time these two teams played, Jared Sullinger was eaten alive, Wilcox only played 7 minutes, and Collins came off the bench. Now Wilcox is out but in comes Varnado.

3. The bench needs to deliver some Christmas gifts: The Celtics bench has been really inconsistent of late. Their past three games, the bench has scored 15, 16, and 35 points in succession. Hopefully they're turning the corner, but like this team has shown all season, they'll take a few steps forward, then take ten steps back. We don't know what kind of performance to expect, but they need to contribute.

These are the new Christmas jerseys that the Celtics and Nets (along with
all the others playing today) will be sporting

Celtics add a big

It appears that my Christmas wish has come true: the Celtics have added a big man! The only problem is that it's not the big man that I, or probably anyone, was expecting.

The Celtics have signed forward Jarvis Varnado from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League. The 6'9" forward out of Mississippi State was a second-round draft pick of the Miami Heat back in 2010.

Varnado will sign his contract tomorrow and is expected to be active for Tuesday's game in Brooklyn.

In 8 games with Sioux Falls, Varnado is averaging 14.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks per game. On December 3, Varnado was named the D-League Player of the Week, after he averaged 15.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and a league-high 5.7 blocks in three games during that week.

After being drafted, the 22-year-old opted to gain some experience overseas in Italy. He was invited to Miami's training camp in 2011 and 2012 and was among the final cuts both years.

With Chris Wilcox out and since the Celtics opted to leave Darko Milicic's roster open, the need for a big man was vital. Varnado may not see much action, but they needed a big man, and Varnado's ability to rebound and block shots may get him some minutes. It goes to show what they think of Fab Melo. Nonetheless, let's see what the kid can do.

Practice notes

Some quick headlines from today's practice:

* Coach Doc Rivers announced that Chris Wilcox will be out 3-4 weeks with an ulnar collateral sprain in his right thumb. Wilcox injured the thumb last Tuesday in Chicago and has not played in either of the past two games. Part of the reason Wilcox hasn't played is due to the injury, and also due to his recent defensive struggles. Down goes one big man.

* When asked if the team was going to make a move to acquire a big man, Rivers responded, "You would think, but obviously that’s the one position where they don’t grow on trees. They actually grow. We just have to be patient. Obviously, we need another big with Chris being out. I don’t know if we’re going to get another big on this trip." This sets them up to acquire the one big that I want, right?!?!

* Jeff Green returned to practice today after bruising his left cheek and having some of his teeth chipped after taking an elbow from Ersan Ilyasova on Friday night. He sported a shiner under his left eye at practice today. "It's cool; added to my character," said Green. "Just another bruise that I've got to fight through." Maybe this will wake him up and get him on track. Green passed the concussion test on Friday night, fully participated in practice today, and is expected to be ready to go on Tuesday in Brooklyn. When asked if he would wear a protective mask, Green responded, "No, I'm not wearing no mask. I ain't hiding it. Everybody sees it; everybody knows what it is. Nothing's broke, so I don't have any reason to wear a mask."

* Fab Melo chipped in a triple-double last night with the Maine Red Claws. He scored 15 points, pulled down 16 rebounds, and blocked a D-League record 14 shots. When asked if there would be a potential call-up on the horizon, Rivers responded, "I haven’t talked to anyone that thinks he’s ready to come up yet," said Rivers. "There might be your answer." That's that.

* Kris Joseph was recalled from Maine today and will join the team on it's upcoming road trip. He started in last night's game and had 10 points and 7 rebounds in 37 minutes.

* Leandro Barbosa missed Friday night's game due to personal reasons and will not be with the team in Brooklyn on Christmas day. He is expected to join the team for the final three games of their road trip.

* Speaking of that road trip, there's a chance that Avery Bradley might make his season debut on that trip. He will travel with the team, but it's still uncertain as to if he will play. "I think there’s a chance," said Rivers, "but I don’t know what the chances are. I haven’t talked to anybody. The fact that he went through, again, today’s practice great ... I don’t know, I just try to stay out of that. Because he’s close and I don’t want anyone feeling like I’m pressuring them -- Avery or, more importantly, the doctors. Because Avery wants to play. I guarantee he wants to play the next game. But that’s something that I try to stay away from."

My Christmas wish for the Celtics

Things haven't exactly gone according to plan so far this season for the Boston Celtics. While many thought the Celtics would challenge for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, they are fighting for their lives to stay above water. No one expected things to be perfect from the get-go -- let's not forget there are nine new faces this year, so some patience needed to be exercised in order to form chemistry on and off the court -- but let's be honest, no one thought that on Christmas day that the Celtics would be 13-13.

Rajon Rondo said it best after Friday night's game when he said, "We are what our record is. Simple as that. As of now, you can't say we're better than what we are. Games we should have won, we've lost and only a couple games vice versa, so we've just got to keep finding a way." The Celtics have certainly shown flashes of being the elite, dominant team many projected them to be before the start of the season. Then, there are times when they look old, lost, and flat out mediocre. Sure, a team is bound to have some ups and downs during the course of an 82-game season. It's just the ebb and flow of the NBA.

But the apparent struggles of the Celtics reflect much deeper issues than just the peaks and pits of the regular season. In each of the five seasons since acquiring Kevin Garnett, the Celtics defense has always been in the top six in points allowed. This season, they're 18th. So far this season, the Celtics have allowed at least 100 points in 11 of the 26 games this season. Last season, they only allowed 100+ in 9 games.

During the offseason, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge decided to take on the ever so difficult challenge of trying to compete at a championship-caliber level while still trying to rebuild the team. It has been acknowledged by many in the basketball world that the Celtics are a team in transition -- the transition of becoming younger and handing the reigns to Rajon Rondo are the key elements in this transition -- but it's clear that the transition has taken longer than expected. Coach Doc Rivers echoed this sentiment on sports radio WEEI on Thursday morning:  "I understand the changes we made. We made a lot of them. One of our key guys has not played yet, but Avery [Bradley] is not Bill Russell. With that, plus with all the different changes -- guys buying into different roles -- it does take time. Did I think it would take this much time? I didn't. It also takes time for us as a staff to figure out the right combination. Not just the rotation, but the right group of guys who should play every night and the right group of guys who can stay consistent every night, and I think we're still searching for that."

Also participating in a radio interview on Thursday, Ainge agreed with Rivers' remarks, as he said, "I don't think it's there yet, and I'm not sure if it's going to be there in two weeks, but regardless of that, regardless of whether it's the perfect rotation, or we're missing players with injuries and all that, we've got to be more consistent."

The Celtics are in flux. It's clear that they aren't where they want to be, and with Danny Ainge throwing it out there that they still might not be where they want to be in a few weeks, to me, that's a red flag. That's a cause for concern. Maybe it's time to do something different. 26 games -- not to mention the 8 preseason games, for a total of 34 games -- is not a sliver: it's a decent chunk. And through 34 games, this combination of players is not functioning well together. Maybe it's time to do something drastic.

No one can get a full sense of what this team is going to be until Avery Bradley comes back, and it has been reported by various outlets that Bradley will accompany the team on it's upcoming road trip, but he is targeting January 2 as a possible return. January 2 is a week and a half from today. Danny Ainge threw out the two week comment on December 20, and two weeks from that date is January 3, the day after Bradley is hoping to return. One game of Avery Bradley with this group is not going to tell us anything. And as Doc Rivers has said before, Bradley is not Bill Russell.

With all that being said, it's time for a change. Right. Now. This whole team isn't together yet, so it's not like you're starting from scratch. The Celtics are going to have to go through an adjustment period yet again when Bradley returns, so why not just make it one big adjustment period. Not to mention, Christmas is only two days away. The Celtics deserve a gift just like everyone else, don't they?

What am I getting at? Well, for Christmas this year, my wish for the Celtics is for them to acquire...drum roll please...DeMarcus Cousins. Before you all line up on the Tobin, let me lay out my trade proposal:

The Celtics get: DeMarcus Cousins, Chuck Hayes, cash considerations
The Kings get: Avery Bradley, Fab Melo, and a 2013 first-round pick

He may be too big to fit under the Christmas tree, but Demarcus Cousins
would fit perfectly in the Celtics frontcourt.

Let's start with the bad: Cousins was suspended by the Sacramento Kings on Saturday indefinitely for "unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team." Everyone knows of Cousins' behavioral problems. He's had numerous incidents all throughout his life and even in the NBA. He isn't just the classic case of a kid with a lot of talent who couldn't get his head screwed on just right. This kid has all the talent in the world.

Here are the positives with DeMarcus Cousins. First, this is only Cousins' third season in the league. He's only 22-years-old. He's pretty cheap -- he's only making $3.8 million this season, and the Kings exercised their option for 2013-2014 at $4.9 million back in October. He has been extremely durable, as he's played in 168 out of a possible 174 over the past three seasons. He's a big man who can score, but most importantly, he's physical in the post and he's a phenomenal rebounder. Last season, Cousins averaged a double-double of 18.1 points and 11.0 rebounds. Of those rebounds, he averaged 4.1 on the offensive glass. The Celtics leading offensive rebounder as of today is Jared Sullinger, who is averaging 1.8. Even more importantly, Cousins is widely-regarded as a great defender. A big, physical defender is exactly what the Celtics need.

There's been a lot of talk about Anderson Varejao being a good fit. There has been speculation that Rondo would have to be included. With regards to the Kings, Rondo does not have to be involved, as they are already stacked in the backcourt with guards such as Isaiah Thomas, Aaron Brooks, Tyreke Evans, and Jimmer Fredette to name a few.

Cousins has had his run-ins with the Kings coaches over the years. But with a coach that is widely-respected as Doc Rivers and with the way that he runs his teams, Doc should have no problems keeping Cousins in line. Doc, along with Paul Pierce, Garnett, Rondo, and even Jason Terry will most certainly do all they can to keep him in check. Put Cousins in the Celtics frontcourt alongside Kevin Garnett for the rest of this season and for the next season, and he could blossom into one of the game's greatest big men. He has never had that kind of leadership before with the Kings, and during his time there, he's always been regarded as the man. In Boston, he won't be looked upon as "the guy," and he'll be guided by the veterans.

I would kill me to have to get rid of Avery Bradley, but we must not forget that this is still a business. I love the guy, and without him, the Celtics would not have gotten as far as they did last season. That being said, he is now a very valuable asset, and I'll mention for the third time, he's not Bill Russell. Is he the best on-ball defender the Celtics have? Sure. Do the Celtics need more help with perimeter defense? Absolutely. But opposing players will be less-inclined to go to the basket when they see Garnett and Cousins waiting to pounce.

Fab Melo is a very intriguing piece if I'm Joe or Galvin Maloof, the owners of the Sacramento Kings. Last night, Melo had his first triple-double with the Maine Red Claws. He had 15 points, 16 rebounds, and an D-League record 14 blocks. In 9 games with Maine, Melo is averaging 8.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, and is shooting 49.3% from the floor. The 22-year-old 7-footer is very raw, and in time, he can turn into something special. The Kings are going to need another big to replace Cousins, and if they can tap into Melo's potential, they would have found lightning in a bottle.

Chuck Hayes is making $4.9 million for the Kings. No disrespect to Hayes, but he is the short end of the stick in this one. His contract is a bit large -- he signed a 4-year, $22.4 million deal before last season, so he has two seasons left-- but it's the kind of bad contract Boston would have to take on in order for this deal to go down. That doesn't mean he doesn't have anything to offer. Hayes is a good rebounder, as he's averaged 5.5 boards a game in nearly 20.0 minutes a game over the course of his eight year career. And let's face it, the Celtics need all the rebounding help they can get at this point.

I'm not saying it's going to happen, but it should. It makes sense for the Celtics, and if Cousins doesn't work out, then let him go; his salary is not going to take a huge hit to the salary cap. This is just a hypothetical proposal that I feel makes sense for both sides. It's just a Christmas wish. We all have the one big thing we want for Christmas, and this should be the one thing the Celtics fans hope to find under their tree.

Carrying the load

Paul Pierce has done just about everything for the Celtics this past week.

Paul Pierce has always been able to put the team on his back and carry them to victory. It happened many times in the prime of his career, and in a blast from the past, he did it again on Wednesday night in an almost flawless performance.

There's no question that Pierce is still the best scorer on this team, and this week should be a reminder to those who might have thought otherwise. Coach Doc Rivers alluded to that in training camp: "He's a scorer. Scoring is hard in our league. When you can get a consistent scorer in our league, you start depending on that, so we depend on Paul, to even be better this year offensively. He's our scoring rock for sure. That's who we go to, and that's who we will always go to."

This past week, Pierce has had to carry a bigger load than usual. In three games played this week, he averaged 30.3 points per game. What's even more impressive is the efficiency with which he did it. He is 29-of-49 from the floor, which translates to red-hot 59.2% from the floor. Furthermore, he's 11-of-17 from three-point land, which equals 64.7%. In addition to scoring, the captain has done more than his share in other areas. He averaged 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists over his last three games as well. All of this should add up to a deserving Eastern Conference Player of the Week award.

It has been really entertaining to watch the display that Pierce has put on as of late, but it shouldn't be anything to get accustomed to. Pierce can't be expected to bear the heavy burden of being the dynamic scorer while also helping out in every other facet of the game on a nightly basis. For a 35-year-old who has logged nearly 50,000 minutes (including the postseason), that's asking way too much.

When it comes to asking too much, the Celtics have also relied way too heavily on Kevin Garnett. He, like Pierce, has had to do a little bit of everything, with the only difference being that in Garnett's case, he's had to do everything all year. From scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks, and of course the trademark defense, KG has had to carry this team. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's a discouraging sign that the best player on the Celtics is Kevin Garnett, and that's not good in the long run.

Garnett appeared to finally show some fatigue and age last night, as he turned in his worst performance of the season. KG was a mere 6-of-22 from the floor, missing many of the jumpers that he is usually money with. He badly missed a put-back jumper near the low block and not even getting rim. He front-rimmed a ton of his shots, an easy indicator of fatigue. During the overtime period, Garnett could barely run up and down the floor. The Celtics set him up for two wide-open looks -- he was so wide-open that even I could have knocked them down -- that he converted to start the period. From there on, it was a struggle. It was hard for him to even run up and down the floor.

Not only was fatigue evident in his offense, but in his defense as well. Garnett rarely boxed his man out last night. He allowed the Bucks to get many extra possessions off of offensive rebounds, especially from Luc Mbah a Moute and Larry Sanders, who combined for 7 offensive rebounds. Considering that many of those offensive boards came down the stretch when Jason Collins was on the bench -- and he only played 15 minutes, so he didn't help take the load off last night -- and Jared Sullinger had long fouled out, the onus was on Garnett once again to control the paint. Unfortunately, Garnett looked gassed and couldn't do it on his own.

The insertion of Jason Collins into the starting lineup is a good move. It has somewhat eased the burden on Garnett, something Rivers harped on after Wednesday's game. "I thought it made Kevin relax. He’s felt like he’s had to do so much.” The move was more of a reflection on Garnett than it was on Collins. It's an effort to let Garnett slide back to his natural power-forward position, it takes away some of the banging and wear and tear that Garnett had to put up with against the more physical big men, and it gives the Celtics another big to clog up the paint and control the glass.

Taking away some of the burden that these grizzly veterans have to bear has been a point of emphasis all season. But now, it's getting to a point where things can't get out of hand. Pierce and Garnett can only do so much. You can only bend them for so long before they will eventually break.

Final: Bucks 99, Celtics 94

Rajon Rondo didn't do too much to help Paul Pierce on this night.

It wasn't the apocalypse, but it was wildly entertaining. In what ended up being a crazy game, the Celtics fell to the Bucks, 99-94. The Celtics started this one off real well, then the momentum steadily swung to Milwaukee's side.

Things got really interesting in the final minute of the game. The Celtics rallied from a 7-point deficit with 42.2 seconds remaining in regulation and made an 8-0 run in the final 30 seconds to tie the game at 88 and force overtime. In the overtime, Jeff Green took an elbow to the face from Ersan Ilyasova and had to leave the game. He has a bruised left cheek and some chipped teeth.

All in all, a wild night at the TD Garden.

Here's a recap:

The good:

* Paul Pierce did it again. The captain finished with a double-double as he scored 35 points on 13-of-23 from the floor, grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, stole the ball 3 times, and handed out 5 helpers. Pierce was relied on heavily for the second straight game, and he came through in a big way. Pierce hit a jumper and got fouled -- he missed the and-one free-throw -- then stole the ball, and eventually hit the game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation all in a span of less than 30 seconds.

* Jeff Green did a little bit of everything tonight. The highly-criticized forward led all bench players with 14 points in 28 minutes. He also had 2 blocks and 4 steals. Green came up clutch in the Celtics' miraculous run. He threw down an alley-oop from Rajon Rondo to cut Milwaukee's lead to 88-85 and tipped the ball out to Pierce for the game-tying hot after a missed three from Jason Terry. The bad news will come later, but the Celtics would not have been in overtime if it weren't for him.

* The bench rebounded nicely after back-to-back mediocre performances. They scored 35 points, led by Green and Courtney Lee. Lee chipped in with 11 points and did a tremendous job on the defensive end.

* After allowing 26.6 points in the first quarter over the past five games, the Celtics' defense started off strongly tonight. They only allowed 17 points in the first, their lowest total allowed since December 8.

The bad:

* The other four members of the starting lineup (excluding Pierce) did not live up to their end of the bargain. Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry struggled mightily shooting the ball. They combined to go 7-of-37. The four starters other than Pierce combined to shoot 10-of-45. It was just one of those nights where the ball just wasn't going on. Hey, it's a make/miss league, right Doc?

* Perimeter defense continues to be a problem for this team, and it starts with Rajon Rondo. Rondo's inability to stay in front of his man leads to open cracks in the Celtics' defense. This led to penetration into the paint, and it would lead to open looks on the wings as the Celtics defenders swarmed to the ball.

* Rebounding -- although the offensive rebounding numbers weren't exactly staggering, it was an area that killed the Celtics down the stretch -- will always be a problem with the Celtics. The Bucks outrebounded the Celtics 57-44. It goes back to the basics: the Celtics need to a better job of boxing out. Kevin Garnett is one player in particular that needs to find a man when a shot goes up and get himself in the best position to grab the rebound. Brandon Jennings missed a free throw at the end of overtime, and Ersan Ilyasova tipped the ball away from Green and kept the ball away from the Celtics. It was one of many crucial instances in which the Celtics failed to do their job on the boards.

* As I mentioned earlier, Jeff Green took a blow to the face with less than 30 seconds in overtime. He was diagnosed with a bruised left cheek and a few chipped teeth. Green took a while to get up off the court, and as he walked off, he appeared a bit woozy. Although he's going to feel some pain in the coming days, Green's injury could've been a lot worse.

* The Celtics had a 10 point lead four times, and they blew every single one.

Things don't get any easier for the Celtics. The next time they take the floor will be on Christmas afternoon when they travel to Brooklyn for a rematch with the Nets. It's the start of a grueling four-game road trip which includes visits with the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings.

Halftime thoughts: Celtics 46, Bucks 43

The men in green have been solid so far. They lead the Bucks at the half, 46-43.

Here are some thoughts:

* Paul Pierce still hasn't cooled off from Wednesday night. He leads all scoters with 17 points on 7-of-10 from the field. He has scored the majority of his points around the basket.

* After being in total control for the majority of the half, the Celtics let their guard down as the Bucks went on a 10-3 run to close the deficit to only three points. Gotta close the quarter out better than that.

* Although Milwaukee went on a run at the end of the second quarter, it still doesn't take away from the defense the Celtics are playing. They only allowed 17 points in the first quarter, and take away the run at the end of the half, and Milwaukee only had 16 second quarter points. The Celtics have 8 steals and have forced 11 turnovers.

* Jeff Green is very active so far. He has 6 points, 3 blocks, a steal, a rebound, and an assist in 11 minutes. He isn't passive right now. He's moving around on offense, running the floor, and creating plays on defense.

Game 26 Preview: Bucks at Celtics

For the fourth and final time in twenty-five games, the Celtics (13-12) and Milwaukee Bucks (13-11) will go head-to-head, as they wrap up their season series at the TD Garden.

Boston is looking to start some sort of winning streak after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-91 on Wednesday night.

On the other hand, Milwaukee is looking to take the season series from the Celtics after winning 2 of the first 3 meetings. They are coming off a 98-93 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.

Let's see if the Celtics' luck with the two Jason's in the starting five translates into another victory.

Here's a preview:

Bucks:
Brandon Jennings
Monta Ellis
Marquis Daniels
Luc Mbah a Moute
Larry Sanders

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo
Jason Terry
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Jason Collins

Keys to the game:

1. Guard play: The key focus with the Bucks is always containing the duo of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. Last time these two teams faced each other, the two guards combined for 30 points on 11-of-30 from the floor. These two represent the only legitimate scoring threats for the Bucks, so stoping them should be a priority for the Celtics defense.

2. Calling on the bench: After back-to-back pathetic performances, the bench needs to step up. They scored 15 points on 6-of-16 from the field on Wednesday, and that was preceded by a 16 point performance in Chicago the night before. The starters are going to need the bench tonight -- and for the rest of the season for that matter -- to carry some of the load offensively.

A perfect ending to a long, crazy day: Celtics 103, Cavaliers 91

Paul Pierce had to have taken a dip in the Hot Tub Time
Machine before this one.

In one of the most tupsy-turvey 24-hour spans that a team could be apart of, the Celtics showed mental toughness and improved to 13-12 after defeating the Cavalers 103-91.

In a game that featured the insertion of the two Jason's into the starting five, the Celtics found a groove with the two and never looked back. Things got a little dicey after the Cavs made a 17-0 run at the end of the third and into the fourth quarter. But the Celtics could not be denied tonight. Not on a night where Anderson Varejao -- in a gift from the basketball gods -- was a late scratch, and not on a night where the captain goes bizerk.

Here's a recap:

The good:

* How can I not start with The Truth? Paul Pierce was magnificent and nearly perfect. Pierce had a game-high 40 points on 13-of-16 from the floor, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Not only was Pierce dominating offensively, but he also did a tremendous job on the defensive end. He tore up Alonzo Gee, was very active, and got his hands into passing lanes. He did it all tonight.

* Rajon Rondo was an aggressor tonight. He finished with 20 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Rondo was aggressive from the start, as he looked to push the ball and drive to the basket whenever he could. He led Boston's fast break attack, which outscored the Cavaliers 18-6.

* Although he will never light up the box score, Jason Collins has been a solid contributor when called upon. Tonight, he played great. He played great defense -- although he fouled out at the end of the game on a cheap foul I may add -- and was an enforcer down low. He was a plus +23.

* The team shot a season-high 60% from the floor. As I've said before, the offense hasn't been this team's problem: it's the defense.

The bad:

* I'll start with the good news about the Celtics' bench: they outscored Cleveland's bench 15-14. The bad news? They scored 15 points. I know it's difficult to score when you have a guy as hot as Pierce was, but the bench struggled once again. When Cleveland made that furious run to cut the lead from 20 all the way down to 3, it was the bench of the Celtics that was on the court. Boston's bench had a plus/minus of -33 tonight. Luckily, the Celtics had such a big lead when the bench was out there or else things would have completely fell apart.


The Celtics are back in action Friday night as they play the Milwaukee Bucks (yes, the Bucks, again) for the fourth and final time this season. Tipoff is a 7:30 p.m. from the TD Garden.

Halftime thoughts: Celtics 54, Cavs 46

The Celtics have had a rough 24 hours. They suffered a terrible loss in Chicago, then they had to stay the night and didn't land in Boston until 2:30 this afternoon. You would expect the C's to come out a bit gassed, but that isn't the case. After a decent first half, they lead the Cavaliers 54-46.

Here is some food for thought:

* Rajon Rondo apparently didn't turn off his aggressive switch, which is a positive for the Celtics. Rondo has been a force in this one. He's driven to the basket at will. He has 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

* The insertion of Jason Collins has made the Celtics better on the glass. When he is on the floor, they're a much bigger team. When he started alongside Garnett, the Celtics had two big men and usually a third guy in the paint whenever a shot went up on defense. They currently have the edge in the rebounding department, 21-20. However, they own a 19-13 edge in defensive rebounds, the area of most concern.

* The Celtics have done an exceptional job of containing Kyrie Irving this far. Irving only has 6 points in 17 minutes.

* Coach Doc Rivers switched up Kevin Garnett's minute cycle. Garnett came out at the 7:02 mark in the first quarter and did not return. He did not check back in until the 10:05 mark in the second and finished the quarter. KG wasn't gassed, as he scored 8 of his 10 points in that quarter. Interesting.

Game 25 Preview: Cavaliers at Celtics

Last night was just not the Celtics (12-12) night. After a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, the team's plane had technical issues that forced the team to spend the night in Chicago and travel to Boston early this morning, game day morning. We'll see how the travel affects the Celtics tonight.

They host the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers (5-21), who fell to the even more lowly Toronto Raptors last night, 113-99. On paper, this game is the Celtics' to lose. But, nothing has been easy for this team all season, and with the travel issues and the issues they have on the court -- especially on the second night of a back-to-back -- this game is far from a guaranteed W.

Here's a preview:

Projected lineups:

Cavaliers:
Kyrie Irving
Dion Waiters
Alonzo Gee
Tristan Thompson
TBA

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo
Jason Terry
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Jason Collins

Keys to the game:

1. Countering the youth: Although their record is not impressive, the Cavaliers have some good young talent. They have the former number one overall pick Kyrie Irving, whose quickly becoming one of the league's bright young stars. Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters are also dynamic and talented players as well. Both teams will have heavy legs, but the Cavs will have the fresher legs. The Celtics will be tired, but they need to find some mental toughness and take care of business.

A sinking ship: Bulls 100, Celtics 89

Nothing went right tonight for the Celtics.

Disappointing. That's probably the best way to describe tonight's game.

The Celtics go 0-3 on their road trip and fall to 12-12 on the season after getting crushed by the Bulls, 100-89. The final score is not indicative of how Chicago dominated this game. Joakim Noah led the way for the Bulls with his second career triple-double  From points in the point, bench points, to defense, the Bulls played a terrific game, as opposed to the Celtics, who in my opinion played one of their worst games of the season.

The good:

* Rajon Rondo was the lone bright spot in this one. Although he got a little jumper happy in the fourth quarter, he did all he could to carry his team, especially in the third quarter where he had 13 points. On the night, he had a season-high 26 points on 9-of-18 from the floor. He also had 8 assists and even hit 6 of his 8 free throws.

* I know I praise him too much, but it's much deserved: Kevin Garnett is the best player on the Celtics. He does so much for this team for the time he is on the floor. For a 36-year-old in his 18th season -- and a guy who passed John Havlicek tonight with the 8th most minutes played of all time -- he shouldn't be the best player on your team. He was once again very efficient with what he did during his playing time, scoring 10 points on 5-of-10 from the field and grabbed 8 rebounds.

* Courtney Lee played hard for the time he was on the floor. He had 14 points in 17 minutes.

The bad:

* For the fourth straight game, the Celtics let their opponent score at least 100 points. The last time I checked, no NBA has ever been successful with a defense that consistently gives up 100 points. It's the 11th time in 24 games that the Celtics have allowed at least 100. That's the main problem and that needs to be corrected ASAP or the Celtics will find themselves on the outside looking in really quickly.

* The Bulls did everything better. They shot better, defended better, were more physical, and were more aggressive. They dominated in the paint (48-36), on the boards (43-35), and in the assist column (28-18).

* For what was supposed to be a strength for this team, it has been a disappointment as of late, especially tonight. The Celtics' bench scored only 16 points to the Bulls' 37. The bench appears lost. To me, no one feels comfortable right now. These bench players need to find their role, something they should have done by now. We're more than a quarter of the way through the season, it's time for the bench to step it up.

* Kevin Garnett only had 2 shots in the third quarter. He ended up with the same amount of shots in the second half as he had in the first (5), but I'm not including the fourth quarter because Garnett went to the bench for good around the 6 minute mark. This continues to be an issue. Garnett needs to get the ball more often. The Bulls have been successful all season and tonight when running the offense through their big man Joakim Noah, and that's something the Celtics should consider.

Miscellaneous:

* The offense isn't the problem with this team. They're among the top half of teams in the league as far as scoring is concerned, so that isn't the issue. It's the defense. If they can't figure it out, things are going to get ugly, even uglier than they are now.

* So when Jason Kidd sticks his leg out after shooting a three, it's a defensive foul. But when Jason Terry does it, it's an offensive foul? Another example of the poor officiating in the NBA.

* Someone should have made Nate Robinson pay for flaunting his stuff all throughout the game. Sure, Robinson had a nice night, but he was embarrassing the Celtics. They've done it in the past -- Rajon Rondo fouled Dwyane Wade hard on opening night and started the melee at the TD Garden with Kris Humphries -- but they did not do it tonight.


The Celtics will get right back to work in less than 24 hours. They will welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.

Halftime thoughts: Bulls 55, Celtics 48

After a mediocre first half, the Celtics trail the Bulls, 55-48.

The Celtics are doing what they've been doing all season: playing exceptionally well offensively, but do not have a rhythm defensively.

Here are my thoughts:

* The main theme of this one has been the way the Celtics have followed the pattern they've created for themselves all season. They start out well, then as soon as Garnett goes to the bench for his first rest, you know what hits the fan. After allowing 27 points in the first quarter on Friday, then allowing 26 points the following night, the Celtics let the Bulls score 28 points in the first, followed by 27 in the second. The Bulls are shooting 54%. Pretty disheartening to see the defense stumble like this after it seemed like they found a little bit of a groove.

* After starting out really well as far as interior defense is concerned, the Celtics let the Bulls get way too many easy shots near the basket. The Bulls are dominating in the paint. They have 30 points in the paint to Boston's 16.

* The old guys are doing their thing and carrying the team. Kevin Garnett has 10 points on 5-of-5 from the floor with 7 rebounds in 14 minutes. Paul Pierce has 11 points on 5-of-7 from the field with 4 assists in 17 minutes. They can't do it for the rest of the game. They're going to need help.

* In a combined 20 minutes, Jeff Green and Jason Terry have only taken one shot each. Terry has played 14 minutes to Green's 6. Both need to be way more aggressive in the second half.

* The Chicago bench is outscoring the Celtics 14-3. Bad.

Game 24 Preview: Celtics at Bulls

Everyone is going to have to chip in on the boards tonight.

The Celtics (12-11) had a chance to show to people that they have turned the corner and that they aren't a .500 team. They had a tough challenge in front of them as they played two of the top three offenses in the game in Houston and San Antonio, so wins against those two on the road would have changed many people's outlook on the Celtics. Unfortunately, as been the case for most of the year, the Celtics failed and have left many people wondering just how good this team will be. They will try and right the ship tonight as they travel to Chicago for the second time this season to take on the Bulls (13-10).

The Bulls are coming off a tough loss last night at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, 80-71. Even without their All-Star point guard and former MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls have somehow found a way to still remain competitive. Their defense -- as would be the case with any defense under the helm of defensive guru Tom Thibodeau -- is allowing the second-fewest points per game at 90.4. Their 13-10 record has them a half-game up on the Milwaukee Bucks for the lead in the Central Division.

When these two squared off in the United Center just over a month ago, the Celtics led by as many as 13. However, following in the same pattern they've made for themselves all year, the Celtics let Chicago back in the game, and the Bulls made a furious run and almost pulled it out. In the end, the Celtics held on, 101-95.

That game wasn't easy. And even though Chicago played last night, tonight's game still won't be easy. Hell, no game this season has been easy. As Kevin Garnett would say, "It's what it is."

Here's a preview:

Projected lineups:

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo 
Courtney Lee
Paul Pierce
Brandon Bass
Kevin Garnett

Bulls:
Kirk Hinrich
Marco Belinelli
Luol Deng
Carlos Boozer
Joakim Noah

Keys to the game:

1. Get on the boards: I feel like a broken record every time I say that. But, when you're the worst rebounding team in the league, it has to be said. That's especially true for tonight's game because Chicago is the seventh-best rebounding team in the NBA. It's a mentality that each guy has to have. Each player has to drill it into his head that he needs to chip in on the glass (more so defensively than offensively).

2. Starting out strong: The Celtics need to do a much better job of starting games. They started out by sleep-walking through the first frame in Houston and allowing 27 points. They followed that up by allowing the Spurs to score 26 in the first on the very next night. Over their last three games, the C's are allowing an average of 26.0 points in the first quarter. They need to bring their A-game defensively tonight right from the start. Chicago may be a bit tired tonight, so getting the ball in the bucket may be a problem. Moreover, Chicago is 27th in the league in points per game at 92.5, so points may be even harder to come by for them, so the Celtics need to capitalize on that. However, they have the best first-quarter defense in the NBA, allowing only 21.9 points in the quarter. Over their last three contests, they are the third-best in that category, but only allowing an average of 19.7 in their last three first quarters. An intense, focused effort is needed for the first 12 minutes. Jeff Van Gundy always believed that whoever wins the first quarter will probably win the game. The Celtics need that mentality.

3. Capitalize on Chicago's mistakes: Chicago is turnover-prone. They turned the ball over 16 times last night leading to 13 Memphis points. They had 14 turnovers when they last played the Celtics, and they are eighth in the league in turnovers per game, a pretty high rate for a Tom Thibodeau coached team. Regardless, the Celtics need to capitalize on Chicago's turnovers. They need to run the fastbreak when they get steals, and they need to get as many easy baskets as they can, especially against a defense as good as Chicago's.

Boston, we have a problem: Rockets, Celtics

It just wasn't the Celtics night tonight.

The magic number coming into this one was 100. Keep the Rockets under 100 and the Celtics would have a great chance to win. They didn't, and as a result, they fell to the Rockets, 101-89.

Once again, the Celtics' defense let them down in this one, and this is starting to become a concern.

Here's a recap:

The good:

* Rajon Rondo seemed to get things going in the right direction in the first quarter. He drove to the hoop for a layup, found Courtney Lee cutting along the baseline for a layup, and stole the ball from James Harden and led a fastbreak. After starting 2-of-8, Rondo finished 4-of-5 for a total of 6-of-13. He had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 13 assists, and 4 steals.

* James Harden only had 6 points in the first half. The Celtics limited him nicely. The second half, not so much.

* The Celtics had 15 steals tonight, which were the second-most they've had in a game all season.

The bad:

* The second half was an absolute train wreck for the Celtics defense. In the third quarter, the Celtics continuously turned the ball over leading to easy baskets. They were trading baskets with Houston that quarter, something you don't want to do with the third-best offense in the league.

* If the Celtics continue playing the way they have been, they will get run out of the gym by the younger teams in the league. Houston is in fact the youngest team in the league, and they built their early lead by pushing the ball up the court as quickly as possible. The older (and not to mention tired) legs of the Celtics were not ready for the Rockets.

* The first quarter has been a problem all year for the Celtics, and especially against a young team that likes to run, the Celtics need to be ready from the tip. There's no excuses for them to be flat and jogging back in transition.

* To attest to the up-tempo pace, Houston dominated the fastbreak points, 25-11.

* Kevin Garnett did not look good tonight. He still managed to get 15 points and to shoot 50%, but he started only 1-of-6. Garnett's plus/minus was a -9 tonight, very rare for the Big Ticket.

* Did anyone notice that Greg Smith was having the game of his life? For the most part, Smith got whatever he wanted. He made his presence felt down low, and he continued to cause problems for the Celtics' interior defense.

It only gets tougher for the Celtics. They take on the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow night, who own the second-best record in the West.

Halftime thoughts: Celtics 45, Rockets 43

After being down 17-4 in the first quarter, the Celtics bounced back nicely in the second quarter and lead 45-43 at the half.

Here are some thoughts:

* Paul Pierce turned it on in the second quarter. He scored all of his 12 points in the frame.

* The Celtics woke up in the second quarter after basically sleep-walking through the first. They held Houston to 36.8% shooting (7-of-19).

* The C's have done a nice job of containing James Harden (knock on wood). He only has 6 points on 2-of-7 from the floor.

* The battle of the boards is nearly even. The C's are getting contributions from everybody, as everyone who has played has gotten at least one rebound.

* Boston has been very active on the defensive end. They're getting their hands in passing lanes, and as a result, they're deflecting a lot of passes and creating turnovers. The Celtics have 10 steals to Houston's 4.

* Trapping has become a staple in the Celtics defense as of late. Kevin Garnett and the rest of the Celtics bigs have done a nice job off of screens of staying with the ball-handler and making it difficult to give up the ball. The pressure created from the Celtics' traps has resulted in a lot of Houston's turnovers.

* As far as those turnovers are concerned, Houston is living up to it's status of being the worst in the league at turning the ball over. They have 12 already to Boston's 7.

Lee to start

In a late change, Courtney Lee will get his eighth start of the season att shooting guard tonight, and Jason Terry will head to the bench.

In 7 starts this season, Lee is averaging 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds. In 14 games as a reserve, he's averaging 4.6 points and 2.6 rebounds.

Lee, in his return to Houston, is in the starting unit primarily because of his defense. He's a better defender than Terry, and he should help stop Houston's offense, which ranks third in the NBA.

Game 22 Preview: Celtics at Rockets

The Boston Celtics (12-9) begin their brief trip through Texas tonight as they pay a visit to the Houston Rockets (10-11). 

Boston is coming off a grueling double-overtime victory on Wednesday night over the Dallas Mavericks. On the other hand, Houston is coming off a win on Wednesday night as well, as they defeated the Washington Wizards.

Houston is a tricky team to figure out. They score a lot, but they give up more than they score. They rebound really well and can dish out assists, but they turn the ball over more than any other team in the league. Who knows what to expect out of them tonight.

As far as the Celtics are concerned, one red flag that could come into play is a possible hangover from the high minutes from Wednesday night. It was the first double-overtime game for the C's since 2009. Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Paul Pierce -- the three players whose minutes coach Doc Rivers cares about the most -- all had a season-high in minutes on Wednesday. It'll be easy to tell if the Celtics are tired. If they opt for jump shots early on instead of trying to push the ball up the court, then this will be a long night for Celtics fans.

Projected lineups:

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo
Jason Terry
Paul Pierce
Brandon Bass
Kevin Garnett

Rockets:
Jeremy Lin
James Harden
Chandler Parsons
Patrick Patterson
Omer Asik

Keys to the game:

1. Force turnovers: The Rockets are averaging 16.6 turnovers a game, the most in the league. The Celtics are coming off a 13 turnover performance (keep in mind that was with 10 extra minutes) while Houston is coming off an 18 turnover night on Wednesday. The Celtics were 14-7 on points off turnovers on Wednesday, and they needed every single one of those points. If the Celtics can duplicate that performance, they'll be in good shape.

2. Crash the boards: Houston comes into tonight 6th in the league in rebounding, and the Celtics are still dead-last. While center Omer Asik brings down 11.5 a game, Houston enjoys success on the glass because it's a team effort. They have 8 players averaging at least 3.8 rebounds per game as opposed to the Celtics who have 5. The way to compete with Houston on the glass? Beat them at their own game: get everyone on the boards. It's the only way the Celtics compete for rebounds on a nightly basis, but that is especially the case tonight.

3. A tough test for the "D": Tonight will be a big test for the Celtics defense because Houston is third in the league in scoring. While the Celtics defense has shown improvement of late, they didn't turn in impressive defensive performances against the two teams ahead of Houston in scoring which are San Antonio and Oklahoma City, as the Celtics allowed 112 and 100 points respectively. The Celtics should aim to keep Houston under 100 points. When the Rockets are held to less than 100 points, they're only 4-6. When Boston holds teams to under 100 points, they're 9-4. 100 is the magic number tonight.

Turning the corner

It's pretty easy to say that I've been pretty harsh on Jeff Green. Those around me feel I'm his biggest critic. However, it's not because I think he's a bad basketball player: it's the absolute opposite.

When Green was traded to the Celtics in a franchise-altering move during the 2010-2011 season, there was much skepticism. Many Celtics fans (and players and coaches as well) hated to see their lovable big man Kendrick Perkins leave town. However, the bright side was the potential that Green had. Still, the move was unpopular to say the least, and that sentiment was aided with the poor performance of Green upon his arrival.

Before he arrived in Boston, Green averaged 14.1 points per game in his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the 26 games he played with Boston in 2010-2011, Green averaged a respectable 9.8 points per contest and shot 48.5% from the floor. Solid numbers, but not solid for a player like Jeff Green.

2011-2012 was supposed to be Green's time to shine. It was a chance to prove all the naysayers wrong and establish himself as a force to be reckoned with in this league. After finding an issue with his physical, Green nearly lost it all. It was discovered he needed heart surgery to repair an aortic root aneurysm, and he would go on to miss the entire season.

Jeff Green finished a pretty alley-oop from Rajon Rondo in last
night's victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The time lost on the court was time spent getting his life in order. He got his degree from Georgetown, and he became grateful for the little things in life. He realized what was important, and tapping out his full potential to become the player everyone thought he would be was one of the things he needed to do.

During the preseason, Green was very impressive. He averaged 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and shot 49.3% from the field. He finally looked like the player that president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and the rest of the Celtics thought they were getting when they first acquired him.

Once the regular season started, it was like a switch flipped back to 2010-2011. Green looked like he was lost and like he did not fit in. He was not the same, aggressive player he was during the preseason. In his first 15 games, he only averaged 7.7 points per game. For those games, he was Jekyll and Hyde: one night he would score in double-figures, then he wouldn't achieve that mark for another five games. Inconsistent is the best word to describe Jeff Green's play in those first 15 games.

On November 8, coach Doc Rivers praised Green in an interview with WEEI, but he also challenged Green to step up his game. "He can be really good -- whatever that means. But really, really good," said Rivers. "I think he has it in him. The question for Jeff, is he a guy that can consistently give you 20 points per night, or 18 points per night? It's in him, as far as what we see, ability-wise. But you have to have the ability and the mental [makeup], and that's what we'll find out, if the other part is in him."

Lately, Green has been turning the corner. Over his last 6 games, he's averaging 15.8 points. He's scored at least 15 in 5 of those 6 games, but a more important number is his shot attempts. In his first 15 games, Green was only taking 7.0 shots a game. In his last 6 games, Green is averaging 12.2 shots per game.

Although his field-goal percentage is not where he wants it to be -- he currently sits at 43.8% -- Green is staying positive. "I can't get down because I missed an open shot or an open three or a layup," said Green after Wednesday night's game. "I've got to continue to attack the rim, continue to be aggressive."

After Wednesday's game, Rivers said that he likes where Green is at right now, but believes there is room for improvement.“Jeff is staying aggressive," said Rivers. "We’ve just got to get him better."

Rivers, along with others across the league, feel Green has the potential to be a star and a cornerstone of the Celtics for many years to come. His play seems a bit lackadaisical at times, and he looks like he's moving in slow motion, not putting any effort and looking dumbfounded when things go wrong. According to Rivers, "Jeff's not going to ever show you intensity, even though he may have it, if you know what I'm saying. He's a poker-face player. You're just not going to get that out of him. But he has a fire."

The reason people get on Green is not only due to his lack of visible enthusiasm and emotional outbursts -- unlike the more popular Celtic players like Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo -- but because his ceiling is so high. Many view him as Paul Pierce's replacement, and seeing him not play up to his standards can be irritating.

Nonetheless, it appears Jeff Green is finally becoming the assertive, potent player that we all expected him to be. He's finally turning the corner.

A win's a win: Celtics 117, Mavericks 115

It may have been ugly, gross, hideous, dirty, bad, sloppy, insert any other negative adjective here, but they got the job done.  The Celtics came away with their 12th victory of the season, defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 117-115.

In a topsy-turvy game, both teams showed flashes of brilliance, yet both made silly mistakes. The Mavericks committed an NBA season-high 28 turnovers, while the Celtics almost let this one slip away after leading by as many as 14.

The good:

* I have to start with Paul Pierce. He led all scorers with 34 points on 11-of-25 from the floor. He also grabbed 6 boards, handed out 3 assists, and had 4 steals. After missing a few jumpers with Derek Fisher on him, Pierce finally realized that he had a 6 inch height advantage and drove to the basket for a  layup to put the Celtics up 101-99 in the first overtime.

* When this team needed him most, Rajon Rondo stepped up. He finished with a near triple-double of 16 points, 15 assists, and 9 rebounds.

* Although he ended up leading the Mavs with 24 points -- 3 of those points were on a meaningless three-pointer at the end of the game -- O.J. Mayo was held intact tonight. Rajon Rondo spent the majority of his time covering Mayo, and Mayo was only 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.

* Jeff Green continues to make progress. He had 16 points tonight in 27 minutes tonight. More importantly, he was assertive. He took 16 shots, which included a variety of drives to the hoop, jumpers, and three-pointers. He provided the highlight of the night when he provided an emphatic oop to Rajon Rondo's alley in the fourth quarter. It was another glimpse of what this kid can do when given consistent minutes.

* The defense in the first three quarters was really aggressive. They trapped and forced a ton of turnovers, leading to the Celtics dominating in points off turnovers.


The bad:

* The Celtics barely had anything left in the tank for the second overtime. They haven't played a double-overtime game in three years,

* The defensive rotations were very poor, especially off pick-and-rolls. And that may have had something to do with tired legs. Shawn Marion converted on a wide-open layup off a pick-and-roll to tie the game at 92 in the fourth quarter. It was one of many instances of broken defense.

* The end of quarter plays are really starting to bother me. Rajon Rondo took the last shot of regulation and airballed it. Paul Pierce took the last shot at the end of the first overtime and airballed that as well. Both shots went a total of 8 feet. This has been a trend not just this season but in past years as well. Something needs to change. Doc Rivers is widely considered to be the best coach at calling plays out of timeouts, but he and his staff need to come up with something different at the end of quarters and games.

* 60 of the 115 points from the Mavericks came in the paint. Their only legitimate center, Chris Kaman,  only played 24 minutes and scored 12 points. The rest came from their backcourt. How do the Celtics let that happen?

* For a team that only has one real big (Chris Kaman), the Mavericks easily outrebounded the Celtics, 50-42. That can't happen.

* Playing 40 minutes and only getting 15 shots is unacceptable for Kevin Garnett.

* The Celtics perimeter defense towards the end of this game was really sub-par. Rajon Rondo let the likes of O.J. Mayo and Derek Fisher get past him; he had a really difficult time staying in front of guys as the game wore on.


One side note: Celtics' trainer Ed Lacerte was presented the Joe O'Toole Trainer of the Year award for 2011-2012 during a timeout in the second quarter. It was the second time he has earned the honor. Considering the injuries the Celtics have had over the years and given the advanced age of the core of this team, Lacerte is one of the more valuable members of the organization. During last year's playoffs, coach Doc Rivers referred to Lacerte as the team's MVP. Well-deserved honor for a great guy.


The C's travel to Texas for the weekend. They will first visit the Houston Rockets on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. before heading to San Antonio on Saturday.