ItsTheBlog™

A day after beating LeBron James and the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics fell to the LeBron-less Cleveland Cavaliers. Huh?

How do the Celtics look like the Eastern conference champions they are in Game 1, but struggle mightily against a team that will fight to win 30 games this year?

Age.

Look at the Celtics starting five: Shaq (38, 19th season), Garnett (34, 16th season), Allen (35, 15th season), Pierce (34, 14th season) Rondo (young). The first four guys have 60 years of NBA experience and 141 years of age -- and that's fantastic. But it means that on back-to-back nights, it's completely conceivable that they might struggle. To compound this, the Cavs had something to prove last night in their first game without the King.

As Hayden at RhymesWithHondo put it, "[c]oming off an intense game the night before, in Cleveland against a Cavaliers team eager to prove itself without LeBron James, it stands to reason that the Celtics might have a little bit of a letdown."

So, while the irony may be there, and it may feel a bit like 2009-2010 rather than 2010-2011, this shouldn't come as a huge shock. The Celtics are built for the playoffs--when it really counts--to compete with LeBron and Miami, Dwight and Orlando, and Kobe and L.A. These regular season games are important, but they really can't be seen as too important.

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, etball, Garnett, Lakers, Lebron James, NBA

Well if everybody would have looked at the Heat Celtics game logically,(and who in the sports world really thinks this way?) then what happened opening night would not have a surprise at all. The defending east champs beat what right now can only be described as the US national team. If the national team really had time to gel and become a team, do you think they would have a problem beating Spain in the olympics? Probably not. Well the Celtics are like spain... With talent and athleticism. So yes of course the celtics were going to beat the Heat on opening night. Even Lebron having a run late in the game wasn't enough, because, would you look at that! Paul Pierce and Ray Allen aren't dead yet and some big shots from them were enough to put out that fire.

With all that being said, when Wade and Bosh get comfortable playing with Lebron they will easily be able to make runs of their own, and if James and Wade get hot at different times in a game then the Heat will be unbeatable. Doesn't matter what teammates they have on the floor with them, these players can carry their teams. The only difference this year is that they can take turns doing so.

-SR

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, LeBron, miami heat, NBA

The folks at ItsTheLeague.com take their stab at answering the following questions about the 2010-2011 NBA Season, which kicks off tomorrow:

1. What will be the 2010-2011 Miami Heat regular season record?

Michael Boyd (MB): 63-19
Karan Lodha (KL): 63-19
Matt Reyes (MR): 56-26
Steven Rojas (SR): 58-24
Kevin Reyes (KR): 61-21
Hayden Alfano (HA): 58-24
Cody Schumacher (CS): 63-19
Jayson Moss (JM): 65-17


2. What will be the 2010-2011 Los Angeles Lakers regular season record?

MB: 64-18
KL: 65-17
MR: 59-23
SR: 53-29
KR: 59-23
HA: 55-27
CS: 58-24
JM: 63-19

3. Who will be the 2010-2011 NBA Champion/the runner-up?

MB: Celtics/Lakers
KL: Lakers/Magic
MR: Lakers/Heat
SR: Heat/Thunder
KR: Lakers/Celtics
HA: Celtics/Lakers
CS: Celtics/Thunder
JM: Lakers/Heat


4. Who will be the 2010-2011 MVP?

MB: Kevin Durant
KL: Kevin Durant
MR: Kevin Durant
SR: Kevin Durant
KR: Kevin Durant
HA: LeBron James
CS: Kevin Durant
JM: LeBron James

5. In terms of points, rebounds, and assists, what will be LeBron James' 2010-2011 stat line?

MB: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8.5 assists
KL: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists
MR: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists
SR: 25 points, 7 rebounds, 9.5 assists
KR: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 8.5 assists
HA: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists
CS: 25 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists
JM: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists

6. Who will be the 2010-2011 Rookie of the Year?

MB: Blake Griffin
KL: Jeremy Lin
MR: Blake Griffin
SR: Blake Griffin
KR: John Wall
HA: Blake Griffin
CS: Blake Griffin
JM: John Wall

7. Predict seeds 1-8 in the 2010-2011 Western Conference playoffs. In particular, who will be the Lakers' biggest threat, and why?

MB: 1. Lakers
2. Mavericks
3. Thunder (Biggest threat because they are young and athletic, took Lakers to 7 games last year. )
4. Spurs
5. Utah
6. Portland
7. Denver
8. Houston

KL: 1. Lakers
2. Thunder
3. Dallas
4. Memphis
5. San Antonio
6. Portland
7. Denver
8. Phoenix

MR: 1. Lakers
2. Thunder (OKC will be the Lakers biggest threat with Durant having an MVP season but they will fall short of the Lakers and get the number 2 seed.)
3. Mavericks
4. Utah
5. Spurs
6. Blazers
7. Rockets
8. Nuggets

SR: 1. Lakers
2. Nuggets
3. Thunder (The Thunder will be Lakers biggest threat, and I think they will beat them. I think Kobe has an off year, I'm not saying he is done, but I think he will be playing at 60% energy all season and try to turn it on during the playoffs, and it won't work.)
4. Blazers
5. Suns
6. Mavs
7. Spurs
8. Grizzlies

KR: 1. Lakers
2. Thunder
3. Mavs
4. Jazz
5. Spurs
6. Trail Blazers
7. Nuggets
8. Rockets

HA: 1. Los Angeles Lakers (In terms of the regular season, I think all of the top five or six seeds could step up and challenge LA for the league's best record. Nagging injuries to the Lakers really could cause them to win fewer games during the regular season, especially at the start.)
2. Utah
3. Oklahoma City
4. Dallas
5. Denver
6. San Antonio
7. Portland
8. Houston

CS:1. OKC (OKC's youth and raw talent will lead them to take out the Lakers as defending champions)
2. Dallas
3. LAL
4. Utah
5. Denver
6. SA
7. Portland
8. Houston

JM:1. Lakers
2. Jazz (The Jazz have a new center and will mesh well with D. Williams dishing the ball)
3. Thunder
4. Hornets
5. Mavs
6. Nuggets
7. Trail Blazers
8. Spurs

8. Predict seeds 1-8 in the 2010-2011 Eastern Conference playoffs. In particular, who will be the biggest threat to the Magic, Celtics, and Heat, and why?

MB: 1. Celtics
2. Heat
3. Orlando
4. Atlanta
5. Chicago
6. Bucks
7. 76'ers
8. New York

KL: 1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Bulls
4. Bucks
5. Hawks
6. Celtics
7. Bobcats
8. Knicks

MR: 1. Celtics
2. Magic
3. Heat
4. Bulls (Chicago will be the next biggest threat finishing 4th in the East and will also make it to the conference finals but lose. The Boozer and Korver pieces will give them more depth at positions they lacked last season.)
5. Bucks
6. Hawks
7. Knicks
8. Wizards

SR: 1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Celtics
4. Bulls
5. Hawks
6. Bucks
7. Knicks
8. Cavs

KR: 1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Celtics
4. Bulls
5.Hawks
6. Bucks
7. Bobcats
8. Knicks

HA: 1. Boston
2. Orlando
3. Miami
4. Chicago (Chicago is the biggest threat by default, because any team seeded 5-8 will have to beat all three of the Celtics, Magic, and Heat without homecourt advantage. That's just ridiculous. Equally ridiculous, however, is the idea that Chicago could win two such series'. This is a three-horse race from the getgo.)
5. Milwaukee
6. Atlanta
7. New York
8. Philadelphia? I don't even know. I can't think of a single East team deserving of the eighth seed.

CS: 1. Miami
2. Orlando
3. Boston
4. Chicago (I dont see anyone really being a threat to the big 3 teams, but if i were to say one it would have to be Chicago, the combo of Rose/Boozer (when healthy)/Noah should be pretty tough to deal with.)
5. Atlanta
6. Milwaukee
7. New York
8. Philly

JM:
1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Hawks (Hawks want it and need it; also the Bulls, with a new team new attitude)
4. Celtics
5. Bulls
6. Knicks
7. Bucks
8. Wizards

9. Will Carmelo Anthony be traded during the season? To whom?

MB: New Jersey
KL: Knicks
MR: No trade
SR: He will not be traded, the Nuggets will have a good team and try to win with him for one more year.
KR: I think Carmelo stays put. If the Nuggets are really struggling at the deadline, they'll make a big effort to move him, but otherwise, I would guess he ends the season a Nugget.
HA: No
CS: No, I dont think he will be traded, but if he is it will be to NY
JM: Yes. Knicks

10. Will there be an NBA lockout next season? If so, what does that mean for the NBA?

MB: Better not be. Though I think there will be. If so, NBA takes huge hit. Will contract 2-4 teams.
KL: Probably... sad.
MR: Yes, they will need to cut the number of teams in the league in order to cut expenses.
SR: If there is a lockout it will kill all of the momentum this LeBron James saga has created for the NBA. More people will watch because of the Heat, and a lockout will kill those casual fans and even some hardcore ones.
KR: I sure hope not, but it's sounding more and more like a lockout is not only possible, but likely. All we can hope for is that it doesn't delay--or, worse, completely cancel--the 2011-2012 season.
HA: Yes. I don't want to talk about it.
CS: No, the league can't afford to take a hit like that, and things should get worked out in time.
JM: Hope not!

11. Who will be the NBA's leading scorer, and how many points will that person average? (Matt's version of this question: how many points will Kevin Durant average?)

MB: Durant, 30 ppg
KL: KDeez Nuts, 29.7 ppg
MR: Durant, 28.6 ppg
SR: Durant, he will average pretty much the same as last year, as I said before Kobe will cruise most of the season and lebron's heat won't have enough scoring to go around.
KR: Durant, 31.2 ppg
HA: Durant, 33 ppg
CS: Durant, 30.4 ppg
JM: LeBron, 30.8 ppg

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, Bulls, Lakers, NBA, predictions

So, it's been a while. But I'm trying to make a little comeback. With the NBA playoffs starting tomorrow, I figured a prediction post would be in good taste. I'll go series by series, and we'll see how I can do.

Eastern Conference

First Round

1. Celtics vs. 8. Hawks:
KG, Pierce, Allen, and Co. exhibited their dominance all season long. But the most impressive part wasn't the 27-3 record by New Years Day, it wasn't having only 5 losses all season to the deep Western Conference, it wasn't even their 35-6 home record. It was the fact that they sustained their ridiculous play in the months of March and April with the Big Three getting limited minutes and KG injured for much of it. These guys are for real. Scary.
Celtics in 4

4. Cavaliers vs. 5. Wizards:
This is definitely the most intriguing series of the Eastern Conference. Any team with LeBron has to be a favorite, but the Wizards proved to a lot of people that they can play this season--even with Arenas out. Now that Gilbert's back--albeit not at full strength--the teams will be battling for the chance to face the Big Bad Celtics in round 2. Home court advantage and a weak Arenas could be good news for the Cavs.
Cavs in 7

3. Magic vs. Raptors
Orlando showed a lot of people that they are for real this season, coasting to the Southeast's Division's best record and solidifying themselves as the consensus 3rd best team in the East. Hedo Turkoglu deserves consideration (if not the award) for Most Improved, and Dwight Howard isn't too far away from MVP consideration. The NBA's only Canadian team also showed it could play, but struggled down the stretch to finish 41-41. Even All-Star Chris Bosh said he's not confident in his team. Jose Calderon kept them afloat for a while, though, and they'll give the Magic a challenge. Not much of one, though.
Magic in 6

2. Pistons vs. 7. 76ers
Frankly, I'm surprised that the Sixers got this far. Iguoudala and Andre Miller are good, but these guys have benefitted hugely from the fact that the Eastern Conference is pretty darn weak. Detroit is a defensive beast and finished with the 2nd best record in the league. Philly will get one on their home court, but no more.
Pistons in 5

Second Round

1. Celtics vs. 4. Cavaliers
This is going to be a fantastic series. LeBron will be able to sit back and watch and learn as the veteran Celtics knock off the defending Eastern Conference champions. No doubt LeBron will put up a fight, but I just don't see these Celtics losing quite yet.
Celtics in 5

3. Magic vs. 2. Pistons
Hard to pick the Magic to lose, but they'll be facing a tough team with a load of experience in this one.
Pistons in 6

Conference Finals
1. Celtics vs. 2. Pistons
Veteran Big Three vs. the experienced defensive stalwarts. As good as the Big Three are though, this will be a huge test, as none of them have ever gotten past the conference finals in their careers. Unfortunately, I don't see it mattering, but this will be one hell of a series.
Celtics in 7

Western Conference

First Round
1. Lakers vs. 8. Nuggets
If there's a weak link in the Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers are fortunate to see it in the first round. Don't get me wrong, the Nuggets are the best #8 seed in NBA Playoff history (50 wins!), but when you talk about the best teams in the league, they simply don't make the discussion. Iverson, Carmelo, and crew will give the inexperienced Lakers some trouble, but not much. The Lakers are hot right now and still rolling.
Lakers in 5

4. Jazz vs. 5 Rockets
I'd like to let the Rockets 22-game winning streak about a month ago play into this discussion, but it just doesn't. T-Mac just can't seem to get past the first round in his career, and, without Yao this season, I don't see it happenening. Not to mention that Utah holds a league-best 37-4 record at home and holding home court advantage ought to help. Another first round exit for Houston is my opinion.
Jazz in 6

3. Spurs vs. 6 Suns
This is going to be my favorite matchup to watch in the first round of these playoffs. Phoenix's trade for Shaq was built to battle Tim Duncan and the defensive minded Spurs, and as the season winded down, the team seemed to gel, winning 8 of its last 11. The Spurs, on the other hand, have been struggling, and Manu Ginobili is just coming back from an injury, so his effectiveness will certainly be in question. Dare I suggest the defending champs losing in round 1? Dare to be bold.
Suns in 7

2. Hornets vs. 7. Mavericks
Pre-season, if you would have told me that the first round 2-7 matchup would be Mavs/Hornets, I would have certainly believed you. But I would have laughed if you would have suggested that the Hornets would be in the 2 slot. Yet, here we are, as Dallas finished a full 5 games behind the division champion Hornets. Chris Paul became a top MVP candidate, Tyson Chandler showed his defensive prowess, and guys like David West and Peja Stojakovic showed themselves plenty capable this season. On the other hand, the Mavs brought in Jason Kidd, but if he's helped them is up for debate. Dirk's playoff choking abilities may happen in the first round again, after the disappointing loss last season to the Warriors as the #1 seed.
Hornets in 7

Second Round

1. Lakers vs. 4. Jazz
These teams haven't met since December, so previous matchups don't mean much as a lot of things have changed. Home-court advantage will certainly help the Lakers, especially considering that Utah stellar home record I mentioned before. I'm going with the optimistic Laker fan pick on this one.
Lakers in 6

6. Suns vs. 2. Hornets
A fantastic battle of point guards in Nash vs. Paul. These two teams match styles with the run and gun game, and now the post-up battle in Shaq vs. Chandler. It's a good thing Shaq's old and Chandler can play defense.
Hornets in 7

Conference Finals
1. Lakers vs. 2. Hornets
In the battle for the MVP about a week ago, Kobe won. Both teams are inexperienced, but Kobe is the X-factor. He has been to the top, and he wants it too badly and is finally surrounded by a good enough supporting cast to let the Hornets knock him off his pedestal.
Lakers in 6

NBA FINALS
Lakers vs. Celtics
What a fantastic series this would be to watch and to re-live the glory days. The Celtics knocked the Lakers off twice in the regular season, but that was pre Pau Gasol. Garnett's a beast and will manhandle the Lakers, but if the rest of the squad can hold the Celtics in check, it could make for an interesting series. Call me crazy and incredibly optimistic, but I wouldn't be a true Laker fan unless I believed.
Lakers in 7 in the Garden in one of the best NBA Finals series in my lifetime.

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, Kevdog, Lakers, NBA, playoffs, predictions

Yes, they lost to the Bobcats, but they're still 30-4.

In the spirit of posting videos, if you haven't seen some of ESPN's commercials featuring the Big 3, they're pretty hysterical. It's good to see these guys having fun with life and win at the same time. (Though some may disagree.) Enjoy.





Also, another of my personal favorites, though its only tangentially Celtics related in that Bill Walton played for them a long time ago.

Bill Walton may be the worst commentator in basketball history. Watch him get over-excited about Boris Diaw (Who? Exactly).



"When I look at Boris Diaw, I think of Beethoven and the age of the romantics. This guy has got it all."

Wow, thanks Bill.

Labels: basketball, bill walton, boris diaw, Boston Celtics, idiot, Kevdog, NBA

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

Who said that it was going to take time for the "Big Three" in Boston to gel?

I know it's only 4 games, but so far, so good, for the newest trio in Beantown. Boston moved to 4-0 last night with a victory over the Atlanta Hawks (2-3). That follows victories over the Washington Wizards (0-5), Toronto Raptors (3-3), and Denver Nuggets (3-3). So, I know what you're thinking. They are sooooooo good that they can beat all the teams that are .500 and below. Big deal.

Wrong. It hasn't been so much about just winning, but it's been how they've won those games.

77-38. Anyone know what that means? That was the score of the Celtics-Nuggets game at halftime on Wednesday. Halftime. Ridiculous.

23.8, 22.5, 21.5. How about these 3 numbers? Those are the points per game totals thru the first 4 of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, respectively. How's that for consistency?

Pierce, Allen, Pierce, Garnett. These are the leading scorers in each game, respectively. What's that mean? They're sharing the wealth and the glory. More importantly, they're sharing period. These guys are old enough, experienced enough, and smart enough to know that it takes teamwork to win, and they are showing it.

20, 13, 13, 19. These are Garnett's rebound totals. What a beast. People are shooting, and they'll inevitably be missing, and who but the "Big Ticket" is there to snatch the board? To whoever disagreed with my MVP assessment, you're seeing KG make a good early push. The team is 4-0, and he's leading the way with 23.8 ppg and 16.3(!) rpg. Not enough touches to go around? I don't think so.

Is it too early to make any generalizations? Absolutely. Have they challenged some of the tougher teams in the league? Definitely not. Will there be blips in the road? Without a doubt. But, it's impressive, so far.

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

Today might well be my favorite day of the year. Aside from schoolwork and other obligations, the NBA season starts tonight. That means free trials of NBA League Pass and Stat-tracker, but als a beloved 9 months of knowing that I can turn on the TV virtually every night and see some good solid NBA basketball. I'm looking forward to it.


This season is quite an interesting one with a lot of questions. Many stars are demanding/have demanded trades, some have backed down. The Spurs are quietly still the league's best team. The Celtics may be threatening them, though. Young teams like the Bulls, Jazz, Rockets, and Cavs all may have a shot, and the run-and-gun Mavs and Suns in the West could also challenge the NBA champs.

That said, let's make some predictions before the season kicks off tonight.

1.Will Kobe be traded? - You heard it here, first. NO. Kobe will be a Laker at the end of the year. I'm 95% sure of this for 2 reasons. First, it's practically impossible to pull off a deal of this sort in the NBA, especially with Kobe's "no-trade clause" which allows him to veto whatever deal he wants. Read: Kobe doesn't want to go to anyone but a contender, and doesn't want to go to any contender that has to gut their team in order to get him. Who does that leave as his options? Nobody. The Bulls seem to have the best chance, but the package they would have to offer would include Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Joakim Noah, and likely more--too much to get rid of by Kobe's or anyone else's estimate. Second, Phil Jackson will lobby hard to keep him around. His comments this past week are simply motivating words to get him to perk up. Why would Jackson want to be around a team of scrubs after accomplishing so much in his career? He doesn't, and if Kobe goes, there's no question Phil will be gone soon after. Jerry Buss will get over his tantrum, Kobe will learn to deal with it, and Derek Fisher will make things at least a little happy in LA. No deal.

2. Will the Spurs Repeat? - Again, likely against the grain of what everyone else is saying, but I say NO. I think the league is more wide open than ever this year. The Mavs, the Suns, the Jazz, and the Rockets all have the chance at winning the west and knocking off the reigning champs. Then, you can go even further and say the east has gotten that much better. The Celtics will certainly compete, the Pistons are always there, and the Bulls (with or without KB24) also have a shot. This doesn't even include LeBron and the Eastern Conference Champion Cavaliers. I think the Spurs are great, but they've got an uphill battle in their quest to repeat. My prediction for the NBA finals: Suns over Celtics. That'd be a fun series to watch.

3. Who will win the MVP? - I got to go with Kevin Garnett here. He's going to rejuvenate the Boston lineup, the city of Boston, and the eastern conference in general. Duncan may play as good as ever, Nash and Dirk, too. But, KG will be the most valuable player, not just to the team, but to the city and the entire eastern conference.

4. Rookie of the Year? - Hard to not say Kevin Durant here, and I will. When Oden went down, everyone knew this was the consensus. His injured ankle in the preseason wasn't good, but I think he'll bounce back quickly and perform.

5. Any big moves before Christmas? - Neither Marion, Andrei Kirilenko, nor Kobe will be traded. I honestly believe that the Lakers are going to attempt to placate Kobe and bring somebody big in and get rid of Odom. Jermaine O'neal? Maybe. My guess is that no big trades happen before Christmas. The trade deadline in February, though, may be a different story.

6. What about the Mavs? - This is one of the most interesting (Read: saddest) stories in the NBA. After compiling the league's best record, the Mavs bowed out to the #8 seeded Warriors in round 1 of the playoffs. Then, we didn't hear much from that. Realize that this probably pissed them off, but also realize that the style they play just isn't conducive to playoff basketball. They call Dirk to "go-to-guy," but I can't think of any big situation where Dirk has, well, come up big. Even after going up 2-0 in the 2006 NBA Finals, what happened? Choke. The Mavs are a great team, but down the stretch, they tend to choke. Whether it be at the hands of the Suns, Spurs, Rockets, Jazz, Warriors (again), or, dare I say, Lakers, I predict another exit for the Mavs without making it to the Finals.

Comment and post your predictions. Tell me why I'm wrong, but let's check back in June, and we'll see what happens. I love this game!

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, Dirk, Durant, Kevdog, Kevin Garnett, Kobe, Lakers, Mavericks, NBA, Phil Jackson, predictions, San Antonio Spurs

Chicago Bulls presale tickets went on sale today, just as Boston Celtics presale tickets went on sale last week. Eagerly, I rushed online at just the time I was supposed to last week for the Celtics, and again today for the Bulls. At the precise minute the tickets became available, I typed in what I wanted.

Gone.
Both times.

Then, tickets "go on sale to the general public" the next day. Amazingly, tickets are still there. Tickets that weren't released in the presale. What's the point of a presale if you don't let the people who want tickets by tickets as advertised, "before the general public." Plus, you have to pay stupid TicketMaster fees. Screw that.

Labels: Boston Celtics, Bulls, Kevdog, presale, tickets

It's a little strange, because some media outlets are reporting it as being "agreed to," while others aren't going so far. In any event, it appears that Kevin Garnett is finally being traded.

The Celtics have reportedly agreed to sending half their roster to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for one of the best big men in the league. So what does it mean?

Well, for starters, with their trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics vault up the Eastern Conference. The problem? They literally have nothing else. Rajon Rondo is their 4th best player. That's right, unless you live in Boston, or play intense fantasy basketball, you haven't heard of him. He'll run the point with the trio at the 2, 3, and 4. Kendrick Perkins will perhaps play down low.

Fortunately, that trio can score about 70+ points per game and the Celtics won't need much else. Barring injury and assuming some cohesion, we could be seeing something special.

On the other hand, we've seen All-star experiments such as this go terribly wrong (see 2004 LA Lakers with Kobe, Shaq, Malone, Payton). That said, terribly wrong meant a trip to the NBA Finals, which the Celtics faithful would love, win or lose after so many years of futility.

The trade isn't final yet, so it's hard to say too much at the moment. But, if it goes through, I'll be glad to be in Boston this coming winter, and watch the trio in action live. Pierce can be the point man and score at will from the inside and out, Garnett can own the boards and the post, while Allen can rest his legs and sit on the outside and drain the 3 all day. If only these 3 never had to sit on the bench.

I like it. Way to go Danny Ainge. It only took some awful years for you to make some good moves, assuming it all happens.

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

No, this article isn't about another incident that occurred during Kobe's time in Colorado. This is about Kobe's future. Kobe Bryant will demand a trade. No question about that. The interesting thing about Kobe Bryant is that he is the only player in the NBA to have a no-trade clause in his contract. This means that Kobe cannot be traded without his permission. Essentially, Kobe has become France on the UN Security Council--Kobe has the power to singlehandedly veto any trade if he fills it is not in his best interest. So, the only way a trade will be carried out is with Kobe's assent.

The first question then becomes, what does Kobe want? Well, Kobe will want to play in a large market. He's used to that in Los Angeles. It's going to have to be a big market which immediately reduces the chances that he'll end up in a small city. Additionally, Kobe will want to play on a team with talent. Remember, because Kobe has the power to veto a trade, he can choose not to go through with the trade if the team he is going to is giving up too much.

The second question is what do the Lakers want? The Lakers will want to ideally send Kobe to the Eastern Conference (so he doesn't end up hurting them too much) and will want to gut that team of all its talent. The problem with trading a player like Kobe Bryant is that there is no equal out there in terms of talent. A one-for-one deal wouldn't work because the Lakers will always be on the losing end of that deal. So, the Lakers will inevitably end up gutting a team of its talent. But the problem here is that the Lakers will not trade Kobe if they do not get enough back in return. However, if the Lakers end up getting too much back in return, Kobe will veto the trade.

Herein lies the Catch 22 (or 24 in this case). So, unless a third team is added into the tryst, the chances of a trade are nill. Chad Ford over at ESPN outlines two trade scenarios involving three teams regarding Kobe.

His first scenario has the Bulls sending Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and P.J. Brown to Washington and the No. 9 pick to LA. The Lakers send Bryant to Chicago. And the Wizards send Arenas and Etan Thomas to LA.

Granted Arenas is no Bryant, but as my fantasy basketball team can attest, Arenas is an up and coming star with lots of potential. Arenas would do wonders for any team, especially when the Lakers lose much of the Kobe problem. If I were a Laker fan, I would have much to be excited about with Thomas and Arenas coming to LA.

The second scenario is the exact same except for the substitution of the Boston Celtics and Pierce.

I think the possibility of the second trade happening might be considered too good for Boston and not enough for the Lakers. Pierce is an excellent player, but I really don't feel he has the same amount of untapped potential that Arenas would give the Lakers.

And both of these scenarios are mere fantasy if Chicago isn't a big enough market for Kobe. But, if it was big enough for MJ, isn't it big enough for KB?

Labels: Arenas, Boston Celtics, Bryant, Kobe, Los Angeles Lakers, Pierce, threesome, Washington Wizards