ItsTheBlog™

Sure, sure, the Red Sox won the World Series, and the Patriots are 1 win away from a clean 16-0 sweep of the NFL's regular season.

But, how about them Celtics?

Just a year removed from absolute futility (2nd worst record in the NBA at 24-58), the Celtics are 23-3, and looking like they won't slow down.

The Big Three (Garnett, Allen, Pierce, in case you've been asleep for the last several months) tends to get off to a hot start, the bench generally sustains it in the 2nd quarter, and the "Boston Three Party" (as a recent ESPN commercial calls them) rips everyone apart in the 3rd quarter.

Then, they rest. 20 of the 23 wins have been by 10 or more, 10 of those have been by 20 or more. The Celtics aren't just winning' they're destroying opponents.

The balance is also quite impressive. Pierce leads the way with 20.7 ppg. Allen's not far behind with 19.4, and Garnett's hot on his tail at 18.9. Not bad, eh?

And the best part? The stars aren't bickering. None of this 'I'm not getting enough shots,' or 'X (read: Kobe) is stealing my points.' These guys genuinely want to win and it shows. They share the ball, and they get open looks. It works.

Boston's excited, and they should be. I've gone to 2 games this year, and they were both blowouts. The stars got to rest and clown around on the bench while the crowd was able to smile and enjoy themselves. The atmosphere in the TD Banknorth Garden is so much more focused on the game, yet relaxed, as compared to the past 3 years. Before, the crowd was intense, but they knew they had an awful team to root for.

Now, they get to enjoy the victories. I'm sure it will become much more intense in the spring and come playoff time, but for now, it's new excitement.

They've got a long way to go and plenty to prove. There will be blips in the road (as evidenced by the 87-85 loss to the Pistons last week), but, so far, I'm certainly impressed.

And all of Boston gets to smile as it slowly takes over the sports world.

Labels: basketball, Boston, Boston Celtics, Garnett, Kevdog, NBA, Pierce, Ray Allen, Red Sox

So how about Andrew Bynum?

After all the issues this summer--from trade rumors galore to the internet video of Kobe bashing the big man in the parking lot of a strip mall--Andrew Bynum is finally coming into his own.

The young center finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds yesterday to play wingman to Kobe's 38 points as the two led the Lakers to a 122-115 Christmas Day Victory over nemesis Phoenix Suns.

Bynum's even earning praises from his opponents. "They've got a legitimate big man," says Shawn Marion. "Bynum killed us," says Coach Mike D'Antoni. "He looks really good and did a great job today," says Raja Bell.

Not bad for the guy who Lakers fans and Kobe wondered why the heck Mitch Kupchak refused to trade him for Jason Kidd.

He's no superstar yet, but he's averaging over 12 points and 10 rebounds per game, and only improving. Alley oops keep coming, and Bynum keeps putting them down. He's cleaning up the glass, dunking it down (I think I saw a stat where he's 2nd in the league in dunks this season), and playing great defense with many blocked shots.

At 18-10, the Lakers are finally looking good. Who would have thought just a two months ago that they'd be mentioned among the West's best? I couldn't be more thrilled.

Labels: basketball, Bynum, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA

Hank then:

"We wanted him to stay a Yankee. We wanted to let him know how much we wanted him," he said. "The bottom line is ... do we really want anybody that really doesn't want to be a Yankee? How the heck can you do that? Compare him with [Derek] Jeter. Jeter, since he was a little kid, all he ever wanted to do was play shortstop for the Yankees. That's what we want." -Hank Steinbrenner.

Hank now:

"I don't care about true Yankees. I mean, after all, A-Rod hits a bazillion gillion homeruns, and he's probably the best hitter to ever step foot on a baseball field. Ever. And Ever. I guess I want him on my team, even if he isn't a true Yankee. He'll learn from Jeter, eventually."

(see previous post)

I just remembered he said that first part. (chuckle chuckle)

Labels: A-Rod, True Yankee