Report: Celtics front-runners for Asik

According to multiple reports, the Celtics are the front-runners in the Omer Asik sweepstakes.

Asik, who requested a trade from the Houston Rockets after the team signed Dwight Howard over the summer, is averaging 4.4 points and 6.8 rebounds in 17 games this year. He started all 82 games last season and averaged 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the trade talks have centered on a package that involves the Celtics moving Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, and a first-round pick. There are multiple reports that a third-team is likely to be involved, and Lee would be the one shipped to the third team.

However, Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe is reporting that according to an NBA source, there is "nothing going on" with the Asik to Boston rumors.

When they began fielding calls for the fourth-year center, the Rockets set a self-imposed deadline of December 19 to either move him or retain him.

Asik has two years and $20 million left on his contract.

Game 27 Preview: Pistons at Celtics

Brandon Bass and the Celtics will look to
avenge their loss against Detroit from November.

The Boston Celtics (12-14) are winners of two straight and look to win a third tonight when they host the Detroit Pistons (12-14).

These teams met back on November 3 in Detroit in what was an 87-77 victory for the Pistons.

The Pistons have alternated wins and losses in their last four games. They are coming off an impressive 101-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Detroit was the first team to beat Indiana at home this season.

On the injury front, the Pistons' Will Bynum (hamstring), Rodney Stuckey (shoulder), and Chauncey Billups (knee tendinitis) are all questionable for tonight's game.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are fully healthy, with the only exception being Rajon Rondo. Head coach Brad Stevens said at yesterday's practice that when Rondo returns is "up to him," but he is not expected back until after the new year.

Projected lineups:

Pistons:
Brandon Jennings
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Josh Smith
Greg Monroe
Andre Drummond

Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Jordan Crawford
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Jared Sullinger

Keys to the game:

1. All aboard: Boston is going to seriously need all hands on the glass tonight. Detroit is one of the better rebounding teams in the league, with their two gargantuan bigs in Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. These two are absolute beasts. After dealing with the league's leading rebounder in Kevin Love on Monday, Jared Sullinger needs to deal with Drummond tonight, who is fourth in the league in rebounding at 12.6 per game. Brad Stevens mentioned yesterday how the guards and small forwards have picked up their game on the glass during the month of December. That trend MUST continue tonight.

2. Slow down Smith: Historically, Josh Smith has not been good against the Celtics. However, he has been hot of late. He's averaging 31.5 points, 7 rebounds and has shot 57% over his last two games. Jeff Green has his hands full tonight.

Game 26 Preview: Timberwolves at Celtics

Jeff Green and the Celtics continue their five-game homestand tonight
against the Timberwolves.

The Boston Celtics (11-14) will look to win their second straight game tonight when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (12-12).

Boston is coming off a thrilling 90-86 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night. 

Tonight marks the second night of a back-to-back for Minnesota. They defeated the Memphis Grizzlies last night, 101-93.

These two squads met in Minnesota on November 16, a game that saw the Celtics commit 23 turnovers and shoot less than 40% from the field. Minnesota won that game, 106-88.

On the injury front, the Celtics will get Kris Humphries back tonight after he missed the last two games with a bruised right knee.

For the Timberwolves, watch out for Kevin Martin. Martin, who is averaging 20.6 points per game, went scoreless last night for the first time all season. He admitted after the game that he has been dealing with a sore knee. He is questionable for tonight's game.

Projected lineups:

Timberwolves:
Ricky Rubio
Kevin Martin
Corey Brewer
Kevin Love
Nikola Pekovic

Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Jordan Crawford
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Jared Sullinger


Keys to the game:

1. Keep turnovers low: As I mentioned earlier, the Celtics turned the ball over 23 times exactly one month ago against these T-Wolves. The Wolves scored 28 points off those turnovers. In Boston's 11 wins, they're averaging 13.4 turnovers. In their 14 losses, they're averaging 16.4 turnovers. Long story short, the Celtics have to take care of the ball.

2. An answer for the bigs: Minnesota is averaging 48.3 points in the paint this season, the most in the league. The C's need an answer for Minnesota's bigs such as Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Love.

Rondo cleared for practice

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens told reporters after today's practice that Rajon Rondo has been cleared for full contact in practice.

Rondo met with Dr. James Andrews yesterday, and Andrews gave him the O.K. to partake in full-contact practice activities.

Stevens said Rondo had an intense workload during today's 45-minute practice. When asked how he looked, Stevens shot a sly smile and responded, "Pretty good."

Stevens went on to say, "Rajon's doing more and more in practice every day. And he had a good trip yesterday, as far as getting good news."

Although Rondo has the green light, don't expect to see him in a game any time soon. Stevens said Rondo will not play until January at the earliest.

"He won't play in games, is what I've been told, until after the first of the year," Stevens said. "Hopefully, as we get into January, he'll be closer."

Game 25 Preview: Knicks at Celtics

Brandon Bass and the Celtics will look to defeat Carmelo Anthony and the
Knicks tonight for the second time this week.

The Boston Celtics (10-14) will look to get back on track tonight as they welcome the New York Knicks (6-15) to town.

As many may recall, the Celtics obliterated the Knicks on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, 114-73. New York is coming off an 83-78 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

The Knicks will be without starting point guard Raymon Felton, who is sidelined for the next two to three weeks with a hamstring strain. They're still without Tyson Chandler, who remains sidelined with after fracturing his right fibula. Starting shooting guard Iman Shumpert, who suffered a left knee bruise during Wednesday's game, is a game-time decision.

On the other side, the C's are coming off consecutive losses to the Nets and Clippers respectively. Rookie forward Kelly Olynyk is a game-time decision with a right ankle sprain.


Projected lineups:

Knicks:
Pablo Prigioni
Iman Shumpert*
Carmelo Anthony
Andrea Bargnani
Kenyon Martin

Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Jordan Crawford
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Jared Sullinger

Keys to the game:

1. Get the offense back on track: During their three-game winning streak prior to their two losses this week, the Celtics shot 51.8% and averaged 109.3 points per game. In their last two losses, they shot 42.6% and averaged 92 points per contest.

2. Handle Amar'e: Amar'e Stoudemire gives the Knicks another weapon. As the season has gone along, he has slowly gotten better, gotten more minutes, and become more comfortable. He's been hot of late, averaging 15.3 points on 68% shooting, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in an average of 26 minutes a night. The Celtics need to find an answer for him tonight.

Thank you, Doc

Doc Rivers acknowledges the crowd after he was greeted with a standing
ovation upon walking onto the court.

Bill Doyle, the Celtics beat reporter for the Worcester Telegram, asked Clippers' head coach Doc Rivers in his postgame press conference if it was too late to change his mind about leaving Boston. In his response to Doyle's question, Rivers said that coming to Boston was "the best decision I've ever made."

In retrospect, it might also have been the best decision the Celtics have ever made.

Upon being hired before the 2004-2005 season, Rivers was a former Coach of the Year winner. Although he took a lowly Orlando Magic squad to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons without franchise cornerstone Grant Hill -- in the previous year, the eighth-seeded Magic took the top-seeded Detroit Pistons to seven games in the first round of the playoffs -- ownership did not like what they saw out of Rivers at the start of the 2003-2004 season. A 1-10 start was all upper management needed to give Rivers the boot. Fortunately for the Celtics, the Magic will now always remember Rivers as the one that got away.

Rivers' tenure as head coach will go down in Celtics' history as one that turned the franchise around. But things were not always rosy for Doc. From the start, Rivers's coaching style drew controversy. His relationship with superstar Paul Pierce got off to a rocky start, and it took a while for them to see eye-to-eye. In the end, Rivers made Pierce more mature and helped him become a better player.

Many also called for his head after the 2006-2007 campaign (yes, I'm referring to you, Bill Simmons), a season in which the C's won a mere 24 games. Through it all, Rivers stuck to his beliefs and endured through all the trials and tribulations.

His patience was rewarded prior to the 2007-2008 season when the team acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. From there, one of the most iconic and memorable eras in basketball history began. There's no need to rehash everything this group did under Rivers during that six-year stretch, but I'll just pick out some of the big things. There's the 2008 championship and a 56-43 playoff record, two NBA Finals appearances, three conference final appearances, and advancing past the first year in all but one of those six seasons -- Rivers also led the 2004-2005 squad to the playoffs but failed to advance past the Indiana Pacers in the first round.

It cannot be overstated how many times throughout his tenure with the Celtics that Rivers said how much he loved this group. He fully immersed himself with the tradition of the franchise and the passion and culture of this city. "People don't get Boston," Rivers said last night after his Clippers defeated the Celtics, 96-88. "They don't understand, and I think you have to be part of it to get it...It's a special, different place." Rivers also went on to say, "It's a great place to be. I fell in love with the city."

If you want more proof, just go back to his press conference after Game 5 of the 2011 East semi-finals when Rivers said, "I'm a Celtic." He went on to sign a five-year deal that all but ensured that he would in fact remain a Celtic.

Unfortunately, we need to be reminded that sports are still a business. Rivers himself admitted in an interview with the "Felger & Mazz" program on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Tuesday that he walked out on his former club. And as much as fans and others might criticize Rivers for "abandoning" this team, answer this question: if you had the resume and reputation that Rivers has, and had an opportunity to go to a place where the chance of winning a title was much greater than where you were previously, and had the chance to have more power (Rivers is also the Executive of Basketball Operations in L.A.) and make more money, wouldn't you do the same thing?

Let's not remember Doc as the bad guy, because he's not. People are upset with him over leaving, and that's just human nature. So be it. Let's remember him for what he did while he was here. He was the third-winningest coach in team history with 416 wins behind Tommy Heinsohn (690) and arguably the greatest coach of all-time in Red Auerbach (1192). As he said himself, he will always be apart of Celtic history because he played a critical role in raising the team's seventeenth championship banner, and no one can ever take that away from him. He helped restore Celtic pride and brought basketball back into the spotlight in Boston.

And no one should ever forget that.

Thank you, Doc.

Final: Clippers 96, Celtics 88

The Celtics (10-14) go winless in their unofficial reunion week, as they fell to the Clippers (15-8), 96-88.

Boston held a 45-39 lead at the half, but the third quarter haunted the C's once again. The Clips came out aggressive at the start of the second half, and they went on to outscore the C's in the half, 57-45.

Chris Paul led the charge for L.A. with 22 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. They also got big buckets from Jamal Crawford, who scored 21 points off the bench.

Here's a brief recap:

The good:

* Jeff Green looked like a man who had something to prove to his former coach. Green finished with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-23 shooting.

* Brandon Bass is quietly putting together a solid season. He turned in another great performance tonight. He finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. It was Bass' third double-double of the season and his second in a row.


The bad:

* The Celtics needed to contain Chris Paul in order to win. They didn't, and they lost. Although the stats aren't ridiculously off the charts, Paul dominated this game. He was in control of this game from the very beginning.

* The Clippers scored 20 points off 18 Celtic turnovers.

* L.A. dominated the Celtics in the paint. A lot of their points in the paint were a result of penetration by guards Chris Paul and Darren Collison. L.A. outscored Boston in the paint, 42-24.

* The sign of a good team is when they beat you in the hustle categories. For example, the Clips edged the Celtics in second-chance points, 17-5, and fast-break points, 15-9. The Clippers capitalized

Boston will get a day off Thursday before welcoming the New York Knicks (6-15) to town Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm.

Game 24 Preview: Clippers at Celtics

Doc Rivers makes his much-anticipate return to Boston tonight.

After dropping last night's game to old friends Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and the rest of Brooklyn Nets by a final of 104-96, the Celtics (10-13) return home and welcome back another former friend, Doc Rivers, and his L.A. Clippers (14-8).

Tonight marks the first game Rivers will coach in Boston against his former squad. Rivers told reporters at this morning's shootaround that he expects tonight to be very emotional.

"Yeah, it’s going to be hard tonight," Rivers said. "I already told my coaches that it’s just going to be hard. You don’t spend nine years in one place and win a title and have the emotions you have toward the city and the fans and be normal when the game starts. That’s just not going to happen, at least I don’t think so. I’ve already prepared my coaches to be good coaches tonight, because it’s just going to be too tough for me."

The Clippers have dropped three of their last five games, but they're coming off a 94-83 victory on Monday over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Clippers signed veteran forward Stephen Jackson on Tuesday, and he is expected to be available for tonight's game. Starting shooting guard J.J. Redick will not play after breaking a bone in his shooting hand.

For the Celtics, Kelly Olynyk is questionable with a right ankle sprain.

Projected lineups:

Clippers:
Chris Paul
Willie Green
Jared Dudley
Blake Griffin
DeAndre Jordan

Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Jordan Crawford
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Jared Sullinger


Keys to the game:

1. Contain Chris: Last night, the Celtics had to deal with one of the best point guards in the league, Deron Williams. Tonight, they have to deal with Chris Paul, who is arguably the best point guard in the NBA. It would seem silly to say that as he goes so do the Clippers, but it's true. When Paul scores at least 20 points, the Clippers are 7-0. When Paul has at least 20 points and 10 assists, the Clippers are 26-3. Limiting his effectiveness is the biggest key to tonight's game. Look for Avery Bradley to do his best in disrupting Paul's rhythm.

2. Going green: Jeff Green's been on a tear as of late. Over his last 10 games, Green is averaging 19.2 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 49% from the field. Green has a favorable matchup tonight, as he will go up against Jared Dudley. The last time these two matched up, Green scored 31 points.

Game 23 Preview: Celtics at Nets

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will be seeing green
from the other side for the first time tonight.

It's that time of year! You know, that special time of year where families get together and spend quality time with each other.

For some, that might be known as the holiday season. For the Boston Celtics (10-12), that's known as reunion week.

Tonight, the Celtics will play the first of a back-to-back against some old friends. On tap for tonight: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets (6-14).

Of all the teams in the NBA, the Nets have been the most disappointing. They rank near the bottom in many of the major team statistics: 23rd in points, 23rd in rebounds, 24th in assists, and 26th in points allowed. Many of their star players (Pierce, Brook Lopez, and Deron Williams) have missed time due to various ailments. A total lack of chemistry, combined with the catastrophe that is Jason Kidd's head coaching abilities, have led the Nets down the wrong road.

For the Nets, Williams has missed the last nine games with a nagging left ankle injury, but he will play tonight. As for Pierce, he told reporters at yesterday's practice that there's a "good chance" he would play tonight. However, he is listed as doubtful. Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko are also out.

For the Celtics, Kelly Olynyk will not play, as he continues to recover from a right ankle sprain.

Projected lineups:

Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Jordan Crawford
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Jared Sullinger

Nets:
Deron Williams
Joe Johnson
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Brook Lopez


Keys to the game:

1. Sully vs. Brook: This is the most important matchup of the night. Over the past few weeks, Jared Sullinger has really come into his own. He is coming a player that the Celtics can build around. With that said, he's doing a hell of a job right now. Over his last ten games, Sullinger is averaging 14.9 points on 47% shooting and 8.2 rebounds. He'll have his hands full with Brook Lopez tonight. Lopez is one of the most underrated players in all of basketball. Lopez, easily Brooklyn's best player thus far, averages 23.8 points on 63% shooting and 7.2 rebounds in their six wins, while his numbers drop to 18.6 points, 52% shooting, and 5.5 rebounds. Lopez needs to be contained if the Celtics want to complete the New York sweep.

2. Right from the start: During their three-game winning streak, the Celtics have more than doubled up their opponents in the first quarter and have outscored the three teams, 101-49. The C's need that kind of hot start once again to propel them to victory.

Pierce practices, hopeful to play tomorrow

Nets forward Paul Pierce practiced today for the first time since fracturing the third metacarpal bone in his right hand and thinks there's a "good chance" he'll play tomorrow night against his former team, the Celtics.

Pierce has missed the last five games. He was initially supposed to miss two to four weeks with the injury.

"There's a good chance (I play tomorrow), but I'm not sure right now," Pierce said after today's practice. "Like I said, I feel good. I didn't really get tested. I'd like to get tested, as far as getting hit (contact). But I thought I shot the ball really well and got up and down well."

Pierce plans to go through shootaround before tomorrow's game and then make a decision on his status.

Blown out of proportion

Brad Stevens has his team on an even keel.

Make no mistake about it, the Boston Celtics have caught many by surprise.

If one were to ask basketball fans/experts/analysts/gurus before the season to predict the pecking order in the Atlantic Division through the first 22 games, a popular response might be the way the teams are in now...but in the opposite order.

No one saw this coming. This was supposed to be a "rebuilding year" -- whatever that term means nowadays -- not a season with a potential playoff run.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, Celtics fans.

Yes, they're 6-2 in their last eight games. In that stretch, they've beaten teams that, if the season ended today, would be in the playoffs (the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, and Denver Nuggets). They just beat the reigning Atlantic Division champion New York Knicks in the world's most famous arena by an astounding 41 points. And let's not forget their last-second victory in South Beach over the two-time defending world champion Miami Heat.

On the other hand, things haven't been all sunshine and rainbows. The C's have lost twice to the Milwaukee Bucks, the worst team in the Eastern Conference, and in one of those losses, they blew a 22-point lead. They blew a big lead to the top-seeded Indiana Pacers and were outscored in the third quarter of that game, 35-8. They fell to the Bobcats on their home floor. And while that Knicks win was impressive, let's not forget where the Knicks are right now: they sit dead last in the Atlantic, they're playing without their defensive anchor, Tyson Chandler, and three of their key players (Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton, and J.R. Smith, last year's Sixth Man of the Year) are underperforming and then some.

Let's also not forget that there are only three teams in the East with winning records.

Throughout the season, head coach Brad Stevens has been praised for his poise and calmness. Stevens stresses patience and is a big believer in not getting carried away during the highs and lows of a season.

"Never as good as you think you are, never as bad as you think you are, and you're never far from either," Stevens said after yesterday's 114-73 win over the Knicks. "It's one of those days in a lot of ways. But, also, we played pretty well. Can we play like that every day? Probably not. But can we bring the same intensity level and be as much of a team as we were today? Hopefully."

Stevens has made his message clear, and his message has stuck with his players.

"We’re not content with where we are at," Jeff Green said. "There’s still some things we can get better at. We’re following [Stevens'] lead. That’s our leader and he knows that there’s still some things we need to work on. He’s not content, and neither are we."

Added Jared Sullinger: "As a coach, you can’t really get too high off of wins like this because we turn around and play another good team in Brooklyn [on Tuesday] and so we’ve just got to be prepared to win. You can’t get complacent. We’re trying to just stay on top of the Atlantic Division."

The Celtics sit atop the division in a weak Eastern Conference. 60 games remain. A lot can happen between now and April, but for now, let's not get too excited.


* Jordan Crawford was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played December 2 through December 8. In three games this past week, Crawford averaged 23.3 points on 61% shooting, 6.7 assists, and 3 rebounds.

* Brad Stevens told reporters after today's practice that Kelly Olynyk went through a full practice and is "at worst very questionable" for tomorrow's game against the Brooklyn Nets. Olynyk has missed the last eight games with a right ankle sprain.

Practice report

A couple of items to hit on...

* Courtney Lee fully participated in today's practice. Lee missed the last two games after injuring his left knee in Wednesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Lee said he expects to play tomorrow against the Milwaukee Bucks.

"I'm going to shoot for it," Lee said. "It's up to coach if he puts me in or not."

* Kelly Olynyk shot some free throws, but that was the extent of his practice. The 7-foot forward is dealing with what head coach Brad Stevens said is a "significant ankle sprain," and it is unknown when he will return to action.

"Kelly is out and I think that probably still might be a week from what I can tell," Stevens said. "I don’t know the exact timeline on Kelly. It was a significant sprain, so we’re going to be smart and give him appropriate time to come back."

* According to Stevens, Rajon Rondo did "some practice" today, but there have been no advancements in his progress. Rondo was on the court in full practice gear with a brace on his right knee. He did some light shooting.

Rondo is set to meet with Dr. James Andrews in the coming weeks, and from there he is expected to be cleared for full-contact drills.

"He’s doing a lot in practice but he hasn’t been cleared for anything above that," Stevens said.

* Count Jared Sullinger among those who will not tolerate with any "tanking" talk. Sullinger told reporters today that just because outsiders do not have high expectations for this team, that does not mean that the team is giving in.

"Lot of guys expect us to just like tank for [top draft prospects Jabari] Parker or [Andrew] Wiggins," Sullinger said. "Y’all might as well throw that out the door. I don’t know why people keep talking about tanking. We got competitors around here, we’re not really like that. We don’t care if Jeff [Green] averages 20 [points per game] or I average 8, we just want to win. And show everybody that they can kiss our butts about that tanking stuff."