Bruins Win Game One Against Flyers In Overtime

Yesterday afternoon the Bruins started off the 2^nd round play off series well with a 5-4 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.  Steve Begin and Patrice Bergeron took blood early in the first period with 2 goals for Boston.  The Flyers’ Parent and Pronger scored against Tuukka Rask in the 2^nd period to try to tie the game up, but Miroslav Satan snuck one in for Boston to maintain a one point lead.  The lead was back up to 2 goals in the third period when David Krejci scored for the Bruins, but shortly after was erased by goals for Philly by Richards and Briere.  Forced into overtime, the exciting game finally came to an end in the 13^th minute of overtime when Marc Savard scored the game winning golden goal for the Bruins.  Here are the awesome highlights:

Game two will be played in Boston on Monday night at 7 p.m. 

Celtics Defeat The Heat And Move On To Eastern Conference Semi-Finals Against Lebron And The Cavs

On Tuesday night, the Celtics knocked out the Heat in a 96-86 game five win in Boston.  The Celtics were up by 10 at the half, and although Dywane Wade put in a great effort for his team to chip away at that lead with his 31 points, the Celtics managed to finish the game with the same lead.  Ray Allen was a huge asset on offense with a team high 24 points and all five of his three pointers coming in the second half.  Pierce was the next highest scorer with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.  Rajon Rondo, the play maker guard, had an impressive 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists.  Here are the highlights from Game five:

Game one of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals against the Cavaliers will be played in Cleveland on Saturday at 8 p.m. WATCH OUT LEBRON!

BoSox Sweep Toronto In Three

Although they couldn’t pull off the sweep against Baltimore (due to a close 7-6 loss on Sunday), the Red Sox swept Toronto in the very next three game series.

On Monday night, the Red Sox traveled to Toronto to begin the exciting series against the Blue Jays.  The scoring went back and forth between the two teams, but eventually the Sox pulled out a 13-12 victory.  After a slow start, the only completely scoreless innings were the 2^nd, 7^th, and 9^th, with 18 hits for Boston, and 16 hits for Toronto.  Unfortunately for Beckett, who gave up 9 hits, a three run homer, and eight runs in the 4 innings he pitched, this game was meant to be a battle of the bats.  Our line up was able to back him up and outhit the Jays.  The major contributors were Jason Varitek with three hits and four RBIs, and Marco Scutaro with three hits and one RBI.  We eventually secured the win with much need help from the bull pen, including relievers Delcarmen, Okajima, and Bard, and our closer Papelbon.  Here are the highlights from the game.

Tuesday night ended in a better, but less exciting 2-1 win for the Sox against the Blue Jays.  This game was all about defense, which is why Clay Buchholz was the shining star with a great pitching start for Boston.  The game proved to be an epic battle between Buchholz and Shaun Marcum of Toronto.  Both pitchers gave up one run early on, but it was Buchholz who pitched 8 full innings, striking out 4 batters along the way.  Finally in the eight inning, with Kevin Gregg on the mound for Toronto, Mike Lowell drew a bases loaded walk to take the 2-1 lead for the Sox.  Click here for the highlights.

On Wednesday night, the Sox were successful in both taking the sweep, and also shutting out the Jays with a 2-0 win in the final game of the series.  This time the pitching champion came in the form of Jon Jon Lester, who had a season high eleven strikeouts, along with just one hit over seven innings on the mound.  His amazing performance was backed up by Dustin Pedroia scoring Darnell McDonald in the sixth, McDonald scoring Adrian Beltre in the seventh.  Bard and Papelbon filled in on the mound in the eighth and ninth innings to finish out the game and hold onto the win.  Check out the highlights here. 

Bruins Win Series And Move On To Semifinals

The Bruins have finally wrapped up their Quarterfinal series with the Sabres and are moving on to face the Philadelphia Flyers in the conference Semifinals.

Their first attempt at knocking out the Sabres was unsuccessful on Friday with a 4-1 loss against Buffalo.  The Sabres took the lead quickly with first period goals from both Adam Mair and Jason Pominville.  To make matters worse, Buffalo's Mike Grier tacked on another goal in the second period, while Boston remained shut out.  Some hope came for Boston in the third period when Johnny Boychuk scored, but this was quickly erased less than a minute later with a goal by Tyler Ennis for the Sabres.  A fight even broke out with mere seconds left in the game, but no players were suspended.  Watch the highlights here.  

Tonight, however, game 6 came back to Boston and the Bruins were able to win the series once and for all with a 4-3 win against Buffalo.  David Krejci was a huge asset for Boston, scoring his first goal in the first period and again later in the third period.  Mark Recchi helped out with a goal in the 2nd period, and Miroslav Satan scored the final goal for the Bruins in the third.  Kaleta scored for the Sabres in the second period, and Gerbe and Vanek tried to rally for a comeback with their two goals in the third period.  They came up short because of the Bruins' goalie and hero of the game, Tuukka Rask, who made of total of 27 saves throughout the game.  Watch the amazing highlights here.

The series against the Flyers will begin in Boston on Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.  

Celtics Head Back To Boston, Up 3 Games To One

After going up 3 games to 1 against the Heat in the quarterfinals, the Celtics tried to close out the series today in Miami, but were stopped by Dwyane Wade's resilient performance.

Game two on Tuesday night brought an in-your-face 106-77 win for the Celtics.  Dwyane Wade tried to put up a fight with his 29 points and 5 assists, but that was nothing compared the team effort by Boston.  Ray Allen scored a team high 25 points, and had five rebounds and three assists.  He was followed by a surprising performance by Big Baby Davis who contributed with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist.  Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins also helped out with 13 points each, along with Rajon Rondo who had an impressive 7 rebounds and 12 assists.  And all of this was done without Kevin Garnett, who was suspended for this game because of a fight in game 1.  Check out the highlights:




Friday night the teams met in Miami for one of the most exciting games I have seen in a while.  Literally an epic battle from the start, the two teams remained even for the entire first half and went to the locker rooms with Miami up by 1 point.  Pierce came in strong during the 3rd quarter to give Boston an 8 point lead going into the fourth.  However, Miami turned up the Heat in the fourth and with only 3 minutes remaining in the game they had tied it up 92-92.  Finally, with the score tied at 98 and just seconds to go, Paul Pierce hit a jumper at the buzzer to win the game 100-98!! He had a total of 32 points along with 8 rebounds throughout the game. Ray Allen tacked on 25 points and Rajon Rondo contributed 17 points.  Here are the highlights:




Tonight the Celtics had the opportunity to finish the series and knock out the Heat, but unfortunately Dwyane Wade had a huge performance and Miami won their first game of the series by 101-92.  Might as well start off with the craziest part and tell you that Wade scored FORTY-SIX points. Hard to beat that, lets be honest.  The Heat was actually up by 18 points at one time during the 1st half, then the Celtics came back during the second half to take the lead, but in the end Wade was on fire and started hitting every single shot to secure the win for his team.  These are the highlights from game 4:





Game five will be played in Boston on Tuesday night at 7 pm.  If the Celtics manage to wrap up the series this time, they may have to play Lebron next. 

Red Sox Win 4 Of The Last 5

Since the last miserable post about the Red Sox, they have actually won four out of the five games they played.  From Tuesday to Thursday they played a series against the Texas Rangers and won the first two games.  On Tuesday night, the Sox were down 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth against the Rangers.  Before the inning was over, Josh Reddick doubled on a fly ball to left field, scoring Victor Martinez and Jeremy Hermida.  Reddick was then replaced by pinch hitter Darnell McDonald,a substitution that would prove extremely influential for the Red Sox.  In his first at bat for Boston during the bottom of the 8th, McDonald hit a two run homer to tie the game at 6-6.  Closer Jonathan Papelbon did his job during the top of the ninth by not allowing the Rangers to score, which led to McDonald's even more amazing walk off single to end the game and win it for the Red Sox!! For some reason I can't embed the video, but click here to see the walk-off hit and the Fenway crowd go wild!

On Wednesday night the 8-7 victory was somehow even more exciting than Tuesday nights game.  This time the game was tied at 7-7 in the 9th, so the game had to go into extra innings.  Twelve innings to be exact.  In the bottom of the 12th, Kevin Youkilis became the hero of the night with another walk-off hit (this time a double) to win the game!! We did horrible last week and now have begun a walk-off winning streak...go figure with the Sox, right? Click here to see Youk's walk-off hit!


The boys weren't so lucky in the final game of the Rangers series on Thursday.  Poor pitcher Clay Buchholz had 6 scoreless innings, but lost it in the seventh when he gave up three runs to the Rangers.  That was all it took, and the Red Sox lost 3-0 in the end.  Rangers pitcher CJ Wilson shut out our offense in the 7 innings he pitched. 

Friday night began a three game series against the Baltimore Orioles, and the Red Sox took game one in a 4-3 win.  Big Papi hit his first home run of the season in the second inning to give Boston an early lead.  Then Hermida scored in the third and Beltre scored in the fifth to put the Sox on top 3-0.  Then all of a sudden the score was tied at 3-3 after a two-run homer from Orioles's Adam Jones in the seventh, followed by Julio Lugo (former Red Sox player) scoring in the eighth.  However, Adrian Beltre came through in the end by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth.  Per usual, Papelbon did his job well pitching in the top of the ninth to finish the game. Click here for the highlights.   

Tonight the Red Sox beat Baltimore again in game 2 by a close 7-6 victory.  The Sox were down 3-1 (thanks to a homer by Varitek), but came back in an unbelievable fashion by Marco Scutaro and Kevin Youkilis hitting BACK-TO-BACK three run homers in the bottom of the seventh.  Papelbon actually showed his mortality with his shaky performance in the ninth, where he gave up three runs, but somehow made it out alive and still gave Boston a win.

Bruins Up 3-1 In Series

The Bruins have won both games 3 and 4 at home in Boston to bring their lead in the series up to 3 games to 1.  

On Monday night, the Bruins defended their home ice in Boston to narrowly defeat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1.  Mike Grier scored first for the Sabres early in the first period, but the lead was soon erased by the Bruins' Dennis Wideman who scored 8 minutes later.  The scoreless second period was nothing but great defense from both sides and the goalies, Rask and Miller.  Then, in the 12th minute of the 3rd period, Patrice Bergeron came through strong and got a goal for Boston.  Here are the highlights for Wideman's and Bergeron's game winning goals:





Tonight the Bruins were victorious once again, defeating the Sabres 3-2 and taking a 3 games to 1 advantage in the series.  This game was so exciting that it could only have happened during playoffs.  The Sabres were up 2-0 by the beginning of the 3rd period thanks to a goal by Kennedy in the first period and a goal by Montador in the second.  However, an exciting rally by the Bruins led to an early goal by David Krejci and another one midway through the third period by Patrice Bergeron to tie the game at 2 a piece and send it into overtime.  Finally, in the second overtime, Miroslav Satan scored the golden goal that won it for Boston and sent the crowd at the Garden into an uproar.  Here is the exciting footage from his winning shot:



Game 5 will be played in Buffalo on Friday night, when the Bruins will hopefully win and take the series.   

Less Than A Good Start For The Sox

The Red Sox have had a rough season so far, and an even rougher past week.  They are now riding a pitiful record of 4 and 9, six of which losses came during the past week.  

In the road series against the Minnesota Twins from Monday to Thursday, Boston managed to pull out one win from the three games.  On Monday they lost 2-5 to Minnesota, with starting pitcher Jon Lester giving up four runs in five innings.  Twins' Joe Mauer had 3 hits and 2 RBI's.  On Wednesday night, with help from Jeremy Hermida's three-run, bases clearing double in the eighth inning, the Red Sox grabbed a 6-3 win over the Twins.  John Lackey pitched for 6 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and 2 runs.  Thursday nights game was absolutely horrible thanks to the Twins shutting out the Red Sox 8-0.  Not only was Tim Wakefield's performance on the mound less than stellar, the Twin's starting pitcher Fransisco Liriano completely silenced our team's bats.  

Unfortunately the weekend only got worse at Fenway.  The Red Sox were swept in a 4 game weekend series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  Friday nights 1-3 loss was delayed and then set in stone when it was completed on Saturday.  Saturday's regularly scheduled game was played out and the Red Sox lost 5-6.  Maybe Sunday and Monday's games will be better.  Not a chance.  The Sox lost to the Devil Rays by 1-7 and 2-8 on Sunday and Monday respectively.  

Yuck. This post was not fun to write.  One problem with having a sports blog is that you are obligated to still report on the games when your team plays horribly and loses.  Of course I would never let these losses sway my loyalty to the Red Sox, but it is a lot nicer and more exciting to write posts when they win.  You have to keep in mind, however, that your readers are expecting updates from your blog so you should provide both the good new and the bad news.  Hopefully from here on out it will be a lot more good news coming from the Red Sox!!     

Game 1 In The Bag: NBA Playoffs

The Celtics journey toward Banner 18 began well last night in the Garden with a 85-76 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the first round of playoffs.  The name of the game was Tony Allen who created a much needed spark when he replaced Ray Allen in the third quarter.  After the Heat quickly went up by 14 in the second half, Tony Allen came off of the bench to completely shut down Dwyane Wade, along with getting 14 points, 2 blocks, and 3 steals.  His efforts were completely necessary considering the fact that Wade had 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, most of which came before Allen was defending him.  Paul Pierce also played his part on offense by scoring the team high of 16 points, followed by Kevin Garnett with 15 points.  Ray Allen was virtually not in the game last night, but Rajon Rondo took up some slack for him with a double-double 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists.  Here are the highlights from game 1:   


With only 40 seconds left in the game, KG was given two technicals and ejected from the game for a supposed elbow to Quentin Richardson's face in front of Miami's bench.  He has also been fined $25,000 and suspended from the upcoming game 2 of this series.  Big Baby Davis, Udonis Haslem, and Richardson were all also given technicals for being involved in the altercation.  Game 2 at the Garden will be played on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on TNT. 

Admittedly a Fair Weather Bruins Fan: NHL Playoffs

By request from one of my readers, I have decided to give a few updates on the Bruins since hockey playoffs started this week.  I am admittedly a fair weather hockey fan for the Boston Bruins, but I assume that some of my other readers would also enjoy hearing more about them.  

The Bruins embarked on their playoff journey on Thursday and had a close 2-1 loss against the Sabres in Buffalo.  The Sabres drew blood first with a goal by Vanek near the end of the first period, and soon after with a goal early in the second period scored by Rivet.  The Bruins fought back and Recchi scored a goal in the second period, but were unable to tie up the game ever.  Here are the highlights from game one.




Then this afternoon the Bruins redeemed themselves with a 5-3 win against the Sabres in Buffalo, to even the series at 1-1.  Again the Sabres came out aggressively with Ellis and Myers both scoring in the first period, and Pominville scoring early in the second period.  Luckily, they would not score again, creating the opportunity for an amazing come back by the Bruins in which they would go on a 5-0 scoring run to win the game.  Chara and Ryder started things off, both scoring in the second period, followed by Recchi early in the third to tie up the game.  Chara and Ryder would both score again later in the third period to seal the victory.  Here are the highlights for game 2.  
  

Game 3 will be played in Boston on Monday night at 7 p.m.

Buck Off

Last night the Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 105-90 in a game that may have well been a preview for the first round of the playoffs.  It was a close game through out the first three quarters, but the Celtics managed to take it away in the fourth and secure a big win.  This quarter included three straight jumpers made by Pierce, a few flagrant fouls and technicals called, an ejection of the Bucks coach, and 2 clutch free throws by Ray Allen.  Pierce and Allen also led the scoring for the night with 24 and 21 points respectively, followed by Rondo who had 15 points on the game.  Rasheed Wallace and Big Baby Davis had big defensive games with 7 rebounds each, and Rondo had an impressive 10 assists (out of a total of 15 assists for the whole team!).  The Bucks were led by John Salmons who racked up 21 points, and Brandon Jennings who added on 19 points.    

Here are the highlights from last nights game.

The energy and intensity were extremely high in this game, which is something we can hope to see a lot more of come play offs.  Kevin Garnett didn't play this time, but we all know his presence in future games will boost the intensity ten-notch. 

Dark Wizards Magic

On Wednesday night the Celtics got back on their feet with a 115-104 win against the Toronto Raptors.  They had a slow start with just an okay first half, leaving them down 2 points when they headed to the locker room.  Doc Rivers must have had some good pep talk because the Celtics came out much stronger in the 2nd half and made winning look easy.  Little Rajon Rondo never fails to surprise us and was the high scorer with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.  He was followed closely behind by Pierce with 20 points, KG with 19 points, and Ray Allen with 18 points.  Michael Finley had an impressive 4th quarter off the bench as he gave Pierce a break and racked up 14 points.  The Raptors offense mainly came from from Sonny Weems who hit 21 points, along with Andrea Bargnani, Antoine Wright, and Jarrett Jack who all scored 17 points.  

 

 Anddd thennn last night the Washington Wizards performed their dark magic and defeated the Celtics 106-96.  As with all of our losses, too little too late: the only quarter in which we outscored them was the 4th, and by that time only 11 points more than them wasn't enough.  It's actually shocking that we only lost by ten points in the end considering we were down 52-31 at the half! Gross.  Rondo was the only one awake and had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 12 assists, followed by Nate Robinson with 13 points off the bench.  Everyone else...scored 10 points or less. Wow.  Now compare this to the winning Washington Wizards.  Andray Blatche racked up 31 points, followed by Shaun Livingston with 25 points, Nick Young with 19 points, and JaVale McGee with 14 points off the bench.  Notice any difference? 

Third Quarter Malfunctions

It always stings just a little bit more to lose to New York, regardless of the sport.  Last night the Celtics suffered a close 104-101 loss to the New York Knicks.  We were down by only 1 point at the half, but as some more previous games have gone, we ended up being outplayed in the third quarter which clinched the win for the Knicks.  We came back slightly in the fourth, but it was just short of what the Celtics needed to win.  Ray Allen led the team in scoring with 17 points, followed by Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins with 14 each, and Paul Pierce who added his own 13.  Perkins also had a great defensive game with 8 rebounds and 3 assists.  Unfortunately on the other side, Danilo Gallinari dominated for the Knicks with 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.  Earl Barron also played a tough game against us, racking up 17 points along with 18 total rebounds.  It may have also helped slightly if the Celtics didn't turn the ball over 18 times, just a thought.

BEST EASTER EVER!!

First of all, I’m in beautiful and sunny Florida with my family for Easter Sunday.  Second of all, the Celtics had a glorious 117-113 win over Lebron and the Cavaliers this afternoon!!  And third of all, the Red Sox beat the Yankees tonight 9-7 in the 2010 season home opener at Fenway!!!! YES! BEST EASTER EVER!!!

The Celtics had a 22 point lead for most of the game, but all of a sudden in the 4^th quarter Lebron decided to take over and completely erased the difference.  For the last few minutes of the game, the lead continuously switched back and forth between the Celtics and Cavaliers.  The final result, however, was also thanks to Lebron James’ big head.  With 10 seconds left, he had a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime, but instead chose to go for (AND MISS) the 3-pointer win.  After that, KG knocked down two free throws to give the Celtics their Easter win.  The big name of the game, despite what Lebron would like to think, was actually Ray Allen who scored a season high 33 points, including 10 field goals, SIX three pointers, and all of his 7 free throws.  His biggest shot came with 47 seconds left, when he knocked down a three to give Boston a 4 point lead.  

Finally, baseball season is here at last, and there is absolutely no better way to start it off than to beat the Yankees in Fenway Park on Opening Day!!  Down 5-1 in the fifth inning, the Red Sox got right back into the game with 8 runs in the next four innings to come out on top 9-7.  To really make the game a spectacular entrance into the 2010 season, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith sang "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch and Neil Diamond sang live his infamous Red Sox anthem "Sweet Caroline."  

Both this game and the Celtics game were a perfect combination to make it an awesome Easter in Boston!!   

Third Loss In A Row

I’m not sure why, but apparently were trying to start a losing streak instead of a winning streak.  Not only was last night’s 119-114 loss against the Houston Rockets our third loss in a row, it was also our second loss by 5 points in a row (woohoo…).  Once again though, at least it was a good show by the Celtics who rallied in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.  Pierce and Rondo tried their hardest and racked up 27 and 23 points, trailed surprisingly by Kendrick Perkins with 15 points.  We could have used a little more from Ray Allen this time, who only got 5 points last night.
  

The Rockets’ Aaron Brooks was the high scorer for Houston with 30 points, followed by Luis Scola with 27 and Chase Budinger with 24.  Apparently they aren’t missing big Yao Ming as much as I speculated in an earlier post.  I also think a big part of this loss came from not taking advantage of the 23 turnovers that Houston had.  We can make them turn over the ball as much as we want, but if we don’t score off of those then they are useless.  I am sick of this losing streak!!!

Doomed By Durant

Kevin Durant is a beast.  This Thunder player was the sole reason for the Celtic’s nail biting 109-104 loss to Oklahoma City last night.  We were winning by 4 at the half, but Durant’s unbelievable 37 points was Lebron-esque and too much for the Celtics to handle.  The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green backed Durant up with 21 and 17 points each.  It’s a shame that the Celtics lost because the scoring on our side was as unbelievably well-rounded as Durant was during this game.  Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace led the team with 18 points each, followed by Rondo with 16 points and Pierce with 15 points.  Ray Allen also knocked down 13 and Big Baby Davis hit 10 points.  Every single starter and player off the bench scored points to try to help the Celtics stay in this game.  It was a tough loss, but at least the boys still put on a good show.    

Smacked Down By The Spurs

Tonight the Celtics lost miserably 94-73 to the San Antonio Spurs.  As we usually are, the Celtics were close at halftime and only down by one point, but were demolished in the 3^rd quarter and outscored 33-17.  Pierce had 18 points, Garnett scored 12 points and Shelden Williams came off the bench with 11 points.  Ray Allen decided not to play tonight and went only 2 for 9 from the field.  The Spurs’ Manu Ginobili knocked down 28 points, with help from Richard Jefferson with 16 points and George Hill with 15 points.   All I can say is that the Celtics really need to start stepping it up in the big games like these if they want to be a big contender in the playoffs that are just around the corner. 

Gloating Central

A rematch on Wednesday against my boyfriend’s team, the Denver Nuggets, ended beautifully this time with a 113-99 victory for the Celtics.  We were actually supposed to go to this game in Boston, but somebody couldn’t take work off (lame).  It’s actually probably better this way though because as much of a bad loser I am, I’m an even worse gloater when I win.  Oh well, text message gloating will have to suffice this time.  Luckily I was able to watch this game because it was on ESPN.  The Celtics had a small lead early on, were up by ten at half, and just held onto the win through the 4^th quarter.  Carmelo Anthony (my boyfriends favorite player) did his best to thwart the Celtics by scoring 32 points, but his only other help came from JR Smith with 21 points and it just wasn’t enough.  Once again the Big Three came out strong to create a trifecta of scoring that’s tough to match up with.  Pierce led the team with 27 points, followed by KG with 20 points, and finally Ray Allen with 16 points.  Tony Allen also played well off the bench and contributed with 13 points of his own.  The Celtics were also able to capitalize off of the Nuggets’ 17 turnovers.  Let the gloating commence =).

Last night the Celtics made it two in a row by facing and defeating the Sacramento Kings 94-86.  The Celtics were up by a solid 20 points at halftime, but just barely held on as the Kings rallied and outscored them in the second half to cut the final lead to just 8.  The good news is that we won though, and the Big Three were all highly effective once again.  Pierce contributed 22 points, with Ray Allen and KG following with 20 and 18 points respectively.  Carl Landry played Carmelo Anthony’s role from the last game by scoring a huge 30 points to lead the King’s attempt at a rally but couldn’t do it all by himself.  Unfortunately for the Kings, not every team can have a Big Three, and it’s pretty hard to win with just a Big One.     

Everythings Bigger In Texas

Over the weekend and the last few days of freedom/Spring Break, the Celtics went 2 for 3 on the road.  On Friday March 19^th, the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets (sans Yao Ming) and pulled off a 94-87 victory.  The Big Three had a big game with Paul Pierce racking up 26 points, Ray Allen knocking down 19 points, and Kevin Garnett adding 15 of his own.  Some worthy competition came from the Rockets’ Luis Scola and Kevin Martin who each had 17 points each.  I have a feeling that the Rockets are missing Yao Ming a lot during his absence from his foot injury and surgery.  The Celtics rounded off this solid win with 11 team rebounds and a 62.5 shooting percentage. 

On Saturday the 20^th, the Celtics moved to another part of Texas where they had a 102-93 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.  Both the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters ended with the Celtics being a mere 1 point ahead of the Mavericks.  However, the Celtics came out strong in the final quarter and outscored Dallas 29-21 to ensure the victory.  Impressive scoring came from Pierce with 29 points, Ray Allen with 21 points, and Rajon Rondo with 20 points.  Rondo also had 10 rebounds and 5 assists to really be a team player.  Dallas had a good showing by Dirk Nowitzki (28 points), Jason Terry (18 points), and Shawn Marion (16 points), but came up short in the 4^th quarter. 

Then on Monday the 22^nd, we suffered a hard 110-97 loss to the tough Utah Jazz.  The Celtics were up by 5 at halftime, but apparently decided not to show up for the rest of the game.  The 3^rd quarter especially killed us as the Jazz outscored the C’s 33-19 to take the lead and hold onto it until the final buzzer.  Sadly Ray Allen was our higher scorer with only 15 points, followed by Big Baby Davis with 13 points and Pierce with 11 points.  Utah’s CJ Miles and Deron Williams were huge parts of their victory with 23 and 22 points each.  To make matters worse, the Celtics had 18 turnovers which could have only added to their second half demise.   

Can’t Figure Out Lebron

On Sunday the 14^th while I was basking in the sun in beautiful Mexico, the Celtics were once again stumped by Lebron James.  There’s something super human about this guy that the Celtics have not been able to get around this season.  This time losing 104-93 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, I’m almost starting to wonder if it’s even possible to get by this team once the playoffs get here.  Lebron racked up 30 points throughout the game, with team mate Anderson Varejao behind him with 17 points.  Ray Allen scored 20 points, Pierce and KG each had 18, and Rajon Rondo ended up with 16.  Even with well-rounded scoring like this, it will never be enough when Lebron continuously scores 30+ points against us.  I’m dreading playing James and the Cav’s again on Easter Sunday, but maybe Doc will have thought something genius up by then.

The next night our heads were back in the game and the Celtics bounced back with a decisive 119-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons.  The Pistons weren’t much competition, with their high scorers Will Bynum and Richard Hamilton only getting 16 and 14 points.  The Celtics had an even lower high score of 15 points, but three different players reached that, which one coming from the bench.  Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Michael Finley all scored 15 points, with KG and Big Baby Davis close behind with 14 and 13 points.  Every single player contributed to the win, including the 2 points from Tony Allen in 7 minutes of play.  Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson both had separate technical fouls, but neither affected the game.

 

On Wednesday the 17th (most appropriately St. Patty’s Day), the Celtics added another win to their record by defeating the New York Knicks 109-97.  It was a battle between Knicks’ David Lee and Celtics’ Paul Pierce who each scored an impressive 29 points.  The only problem for Lee: he doesn’t have the team to back him up like Pierce does.  The next highest scorer for the Knicks was Al Harrington with 16 points, whereas the Celtics had Kevin Garnett working extra hard to rack up 22 points to support Pierce.  Like I’ve said before, it takes a team to win, which is why the Celtics usually come out on top.

Red Sox Rockin’ Spring Training

During the second of week of Spring Training in Florida, the Sox are proving that they will be a serious contender for the World Series this season.  During six games from March 8^th-14^th, the Sox won 5 out of the 6 games and are looking great for our die hard Red Sox Nation. 

On Monday, they faced the St. Louis Cardinals and pulled off a walk-off 7-6 win in the bottom of the 9^th inning.  Beckett was the star on the mound while young Josh Reddick was the clutch batter during this victory.  Beckett started for the second time this Spring Training and struck out 3 batters throughout 3 perfect innings.  Papelbon, Okajima, and Ramirez also threw hitless innings (the Cardinals didn’t score until the 7^th when Manny Delcarmen was on the mound).  J.D. Drew started things off with a triple and later scored off a single.  Josh Reddick tripled in a run in the 5^th, doubled in a tying run in the 9^th, and eventually scored the winning walk-off run to finish the game.  Jose Iglesias also hit a 3 run homer on 2 outs in the bottom of the 8^th to put the Sox on top.

On Tuesday, Tim Wakefield used his famous knuckle ball to shutout the Florida Marlins as the Red Sox demolished them 9-0.  Wakefield threw for three scoreless innings, only giving up 2 hits and striking out one.  He had complete control over his knuckleball, allowing him to throw 22 strikes in only 30 pitches.  The Red Sox scoring was very well rounded, with almost the whole lineup contributing to the win.  Hermida had an RBI single and a double, Reddick had two doubles, and Kalish, Brown, and Ellsbury all had singles.       

Can’t win ‘em all.  The Sox lost 8-6 to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Wednesday.  At the plate, Jacoby Ellsbury started strong for the Sox with two homeruns and 3 RBIs.  Youkilis helped out with two hits and an RBI double, along with Pedroia’s 2 hits and a run in.  On the mound, Jon Lester didn’t perform quite so well.  In just 2 and 2/3 innings, Lester gave up two hits and a run, and walked one batter.  However, he also somehow managed to strike out four Rays batters during his outing, so it sort of balanced out.  His hard work was destroyed when rookie Adam Mills took the mound and gave up seven hits and six runs in just one inning!!  Papelbon succeeded in cleanly closing out, but the damage had already been done.

Thursday turned out much better and the Red Sox beat the New York Mets 8-2.  John Lackey started on the mound and for the second time this Spring Training threw three shutout innings.  He allowed three hits but never walked anyone.  It wasn’t until the seventh inning that the Mets scored their only points with back to back homers by Mike Jacobs and Jason Pridie.  Former Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay played against us for the first time since leaving as a free agent, and to the fans delight was 0 for 2.  Alex Cora, who also played for us, but way back when, hit a single for his new team.  Its interesting how different the fans will treat ex players depending on how/why they left the Red Sox.  The classic examples that come to mind are obviously someone like Nomar Garciapara (who was traded by the Red Sox) vs someone like Johnny Damon (who despicably signed with the Yankees as a free agent).  Now whenever Nomar plays against the Sox, our fans still cheer for him and show our appreciation, but Johnny Damon will forever be booed and despised for his complete lack of loyalty to Boston.  I still wear a shirt all the time that says ‘No Hair. No Beard. No Soul.’ In reference to Damon leaving the Sox for the Yankees who forced him to cut his hair and shave his beard to fit their required appearance.  Boston has the greatest fans in the world, but if you double cross us, don’t expect to still be loved. 

On Saturday the Red Sox had a 3-2 win over the Pittsburg Pirates.  Clay Buchholz was the starting pitcher and had an impressive outing allowing only one hit and one walk in 3 innings of work.  Papelbon once again showed off his closer abilities by pitching a single perfect inning.  At the plate, the Red Sox were quiet until the 7^th inning when Mike Cameron doubled and his pinch runner Darnell McDonald scored with Ryan Kalish off a single by Tug Hulett. 

Finally, on Sunday the Sox finished off the weekend with a 6-4 win against the Minnesota Twins.  Due to an unfortunate illness on game day, Josh Beckett was unable to start and was filled in for by Ryne Miller.  Big mistake.  Miller walked two and allowed 3 runs on 2 hits in just one inning of play.  Scott Atchinson, who has been in the Minor leagues for 3 years, stepped up and threw a scoreless inning for the Sox.  Dustin Pedroia hit a single in the 4^th and had an RBI double in the 5^th.  Jeremy Hermida double in the 4^th to knock in two runs, and Kevin Youkilis helped out with an RBI single in the 5^th.      

End Of The Four Game Winning Streak

Unfortunately the Celtics brought an end to their winning streak on the Tuesday night leading into Fordham’s Spring Break with a heart wrenching last minute 86-84 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.  Rajon Rondo led the C’s scoring with 20 points, but his sole efforts weren’t enough to hold onto the lead through all four quarters.  For the first time in a while, Ray Allen was basically useless as he played 34 min and only managed to score 3 total points.  KG and Pierce helped out a little with 12 and 14 points respectively, but Rondo needed much more help than that to defeat Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino of the Bucks, who scored 25 and 19 points each.  The Celtics held onto the lead until the fourth quarter, when it became a battle the finish with the Bucks ending up on top by 2 mere points.  There was also some drama 4 minutes into the fourth quarter, when Big Baby Davis got into an argument with Buck’s player Brandon Jennings, and both received technicals.

The next night on Wednesday March 10^th, the Celtics added to the misery by losing horribly at home in a 111-91 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.  I understand losing to the big dog teams like the Lakers and Cavaliers, but it just hurts seeing the C’s get crushed by a team like the Grizzlies who have a record of 34-31.  We were never even close in this game, only scoring 12 points in the entire first quarter.  The Grizzlies Rudy Gay easily scored 28 points, while the Celtics leading scorers were Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo with 17 each.  Pierce also had 14, but when you fall that far behind early on it’s nearly impossible to catch up.  I can’t imagine the fans at the Garden were very pleased with this performance, especially when we’re vying for a playoff spot.

I’m not sure what Doc Rivers had to say to his team after the previous two games, but whatever it was it worked because the Celtics came back strong on Friday March 12^th to defeat the Indiana Pacers 122-103 in the Garden.  With the Pacers sad record of 21-44, its no wonder we won, but at the same time we needed this victory to boost morale again.  The Celtics had a HUGE 2^nd quarter with 38 points and then never looked back.  Not surprisingly, Pierce led the scoring with 20 points and Rondo trailed behind him with 16 points.  However, the key to this game was the enormous help from the bench which scored a combined total of 54 points!!  Big Baby Davis and Nate Robinson each racked up an impressive 15 points during their time on the court. 

I will continue to post more of the updates tomorrow, so check back here and pray that this game gave them the momentum they need to roll on through to the playoffs. 

Celtics Working Hard While I Play Hard

Dear loyal readers (aka those of you in my class forced to sometimes read this blog),

I have been away for Spring Break in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and therefore have not been able to post about our favorite Boston teams.  Please keep checking back here, for I will post many much needed updates ASAP!! But just to give you a little sneak peek, my sources tell me that the Celtics have been doing PHENOMENAL while we were all partying in the sun around the world!! So, if you're still on break, raise your glass and cheer 'sweeeeet carolinnnee (bum bum bum)'!!! What do you think, Banner 18 this year??


Check back here soon for all the updates!! 

Sox Looking Strong During First Week Of Spring Training

The Red Sox are coming out strong in Florida this Spring Training, and so far are 5-2 after almost a full week of games.  They beat Northeastern on Wednesday 15-0, with a two-run homerun by Ortiz in the six-run fourth inning.  Later that day, they went on to defeat Boston College 6-1 with Youkilis, Julio Iglesias, and Ryan Kalish all contributing to the score.  

Thursdays game against the Minnesota Twins was a little closer, but the Sox pulled off a 2-1 win with the help of Dustin Pedroia and Mark Wagner at bat.  They suffered a couple losses on Friday and Saturday: a 0-5 loss against the Twins, followed by a 4-6 loss against Tampa Bay.  

However, they looked better again later Saturday with a 9-3 victory over the Twins, in which Tug Hulett pinch hit for David Ortiz to score a three run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning.  John Lackey looked great on the mound, retiring all six Twin batters he faced.  

Finally, on Sunday the Sox finished out the weekend with a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.  Lowrie had two hits, but Mark Wagner was the key factor with his go ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning.  Clay Buchholz seemed a little rusty on the mound, but was supported by Boof Bonser later on with 2 scoreless innings.      

Four Game Winning Streak

The Celtics victory tonight has extended their winning streak to four games!!!  On Friday night, they played the Philadelphia 76ers and beat them 96-86.  KG, Ray Allen, and Rondo were the big players tonight with 22, 16, and 16 points respectively.  Rondo also helped out as usual with 6 rebounds and 11 assists.  This made it a 3 game winning streak.

Tonight the C’s battled the Washington Wizards to pull off a close 86-83 win.  Down by 13 points halfway through the fourth quarter, it seemed impossible for the Celtics to come back.  Try telling that to Ray Allen, who can’t help but be the hero this season.  Pierce started off the come back with a 16 ft jump shot, followed by Rondos free throws, and finally Ray Allen’s breakaway slam dunk to erupt the crowd at the Garden.  Then still down with under 2 minutes left, Allen hits two 3 pointers right in a row to seal the deal and win the game.  

With a game high 25 points, Ray Allen proved to be the hero of the game during Boston’s 40^th win of the season.   

Celtics Cruise Through Pistons and Bobcats

The bench was a big help in Tuesday nights 105-100 win over the Detroit Pistons.  The game high scorer was once again Ray Allen, but this time with only 18 points.  Pierce finally came back, but seemed to be taking it easy and only scored 9 points.  Luckily, Nate Robinson and Big Baby Davis were huge off the bench with a combined total of 26 points.  The Pistons also had 18 turnovers, which didn’t hurt either.

Then last night, the Celtics hosted the Charlotte Bobcats and rolled over them with a 104-80 victory.  Its not too surprising that we won, seeing as how the Bobcats were terrible and only two of their starters reached double digits with a mere 10 points each.  But nonetheless, a win is a win is a win.  Paul Pierce was 100 percent back in action, scoring a game high 27 points.  The next two highest scorers were Robinson with 16 and Garnett with 12 points.  Besides Pierce outshining everyone, it was an extremely well rounded game with almost all members of the team contributing (poor Brian Scalabrine was 0-3 in his eight minutes of play).  Haha, go figure. 

A Sprained Thumb And The Flu

If the three home games over the last week have told us anything, it’s that we desperately need Paul Pierce to return.  I’m starting to think that even with a sprained thumb and the flu, he could have been an asset in those tough games.  We started off pretty well without him on Tuesday night, with a 110-106 win against the New York Knicks.  We showcased very well-rounded scoring with Ray Allen racking up 24 points and every other starter with 12 or more points. 

Then, on Thursday night, I might as well have only watched the Olympics because Lebron James kicked our ass, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to dominate us 108-88.   Although Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo put up a good fight with 21 and 19 points respectively, Lebron showed no mercy as he easily scored 36 points on the Celtics.  

And finally the most heartbreaking of all, the Celtics suffered an embarrassing 104-96 loss on Saturday to the New Jersey Nets.  Snooki from the Jersey Shore led the Nets with 27 points, followed closely by Brook Lopez with 25, Devin Harris with 23, and Courtney Lee with 21.  Snooki stated in an interview after the game that she was so good because her poof adds and extra 3 feet to her height.  Besides Kevin Garnett who had 26 points, the Celtics just didn’t seem to be all there. 

It’s obvious we can’t win it with a one man team, i.e. Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett.  It’s about time Pierce gets over his hurt thumb and flu symptoms, so that he can return and complete THE BIG THREE!!