Gino's Jungle

I'm not big on predictions ... I'm too obsessive and too fatalistic to go in those directions. I think anyone who makes a prediction is just setting themselves up for a slap in the face, and a bitter taste of reality. I've learned the hard way, at least in my own life, not to tempt the fates, because nine times out of ten, fate will call you on it, and the wake-up call is usually a cold one. It's even worse when you're making predictions that involve people other than yourself, cuz then any failure feels like a curse ... and you're the curse. OK ... I've set myself up ... it's out of the way now.

So here I go, (and please, no references to my usually overly-optimistic attitude ... those that know me know it well, those that don't won't care), I'm going to break my own rule ... and I'm going to put my neck out there where it will be quite easy to lop off should I err, (or just for the fun of it, for some). I know we're not even half-way through the off-season ... there are still roster spots to assign, holes to fill, chemistries to gel, and I'm quite sure that Danny has some surprises left up his sleeve. But despite all that, I make this prediction with as much certainty as I've ever had about this team: The Boston Celtics will be World Champions at the end of the 2010-2011 Season ... period.

There, I've said it ... let the jokers laugh, let the doubters question, let the scoffers scoff, let the haters spew their venom. It's an easy target to knock down, and there are a million reasons that it might not happen, and a million things that can get in the way ... the odds are stacked high against us, and the events are innumerable that have to go just right in order for us to even be in the position to have a chance. Our older players have to be in peak shape, our health has to be it's best come playoff time, our chemistry with new players has to solidify to a cohesive unit, Ubuntu and unselfish play have to be revived as the heart of Celtic Pride, and the intense, stifling type of defense that defined the acquisition of the 17th Banner, must be at the core of our game.

We have to be even more dynamic and energized than we were in '07-'08, because we're not getting any younger, and there's a level where injuries reach a point of diminishing returns. We have to put aside all the negative chatter, all the "has-been" comments and trash-talk that will undoubtedly rain down from every point of the compass ... let the new "Super-Team" hog the limelight and garner the praises of the press, while we relish our role as the underdog and the spoiler, and work our deed of quiet desperation. We have to remember the sweetness of that 17th Banner, but also remember the bitterness of having that 18th Banner only five points away, and snatched from our grasp, (by questionable means). We have to trust in ourselves most of all, and know with every fiber of our beings, that we have what it takes to get it done ... that we did it once, and can do it again.

Anyone who has ever watched these guys closely - the incredible intensity and overwhelming defensive strength of KG, the quiet perfection and clinical prowess of Ray Allen, the do-it-all abilities and never-say-die spirit of The Truth, the amazing ball-handling and physical resiliency of Rajon Rondo, the "In-Yo'-Face" dominance and on-the-edge tenacity in the paint by Perk, the 110% effort and over-the-top energy of Big Baby, the genius of Doc's coaching and his unparalleled ability to walk that fine line between mentor and friend - anyone who has watched them, knows that they are each capable of doing things beyond the reach of the merely "talented". When each of those incredibly gifted elements are in-sync and functioning as one unit, and those combined energies and abilities are flowing with the ease of a mountain stream, that's when you know without question, that this is how basketball was meant to be played ... and that there is no team on the face of this planet that can beat them.

It was there the first time they played together in Italy, it was there when they started the 2007-2008 season at 20 and 2, it was there in Game 6 of the Finals against the Lakers that same season, and it's been there many times in the last two years as well ... beating Orlando and Cleveland in playoff series when everyone had written them off, and stunning the Lakers by their performance in the Finals. Maybe I am a bit too optimistic for my own good, but this feeling I get about these guys and their ability to do what it takes to win another championship, has nothing to do with optimism, or denial, or an unwillingness to accept "reality" ... it has everything to do with knowing this team ... knowing the abilities they harbor, knowing the attitudes they cultivate, knowing that Celtic Pride is more than just a phrase to them, and knowing that they each possess the heart of a warrior, and together possess the heart of the ultimate champion.

I sense a renaissance is about to happen in this franchise, and it will be a renaissance in the heart and soul of each of the Celtic players ... for those who have been there, it will be a renewal of that feeling that they could conquer any foe they sought to, if they just wanted it badly enough, and a hunger for the sweetness of victory, and the thirst that can only be quenched by the sight of a banner raised to the rafters. For those who haven't been there, it will be a renewal of that childhood longing for greatness ... the fulfillment of the dreams of youth, that taught there are no goals too lofty, no mountains too high ... and a renewed belief that there are still things in this world worth more than what we can attain as individuals: those things that we can help to attain as a team.

A renaissance is happening this year ... I can feel it coming. These guys didn't stay together just to save on moving costs, they stayed together because they know, (like I do), that they can still get it done ... and they still have something to prove. One championship was great, but they know to be truly exceptional in the sight of history, they need more than one. They know it will most likely be a tougher task than the first one was, and the doubters more numerous, but they also know that deep-down, they have everything required to repeat, and a couple things more that no other team will ever have: Red Auerbach watching over, Ubuntu as a creed, Celtic Pride as motivation, and undying love and support from us ... the greatest fans in the world! Yes, "The Renaissance" is happening, and we have a ring-side seat ... I have a feeling green will be the "in" color this year!

I can't wait to get this thing started ... go Celtics!

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This article was originally posted on Celtics 24/7

Life was so simple two weeks ago. Bosh was still in Toronto. LeBron was still in Cleveland. And the sporting world actually paid proper respect to the original big three in Boston. All that is gone now and we can only hearken back to a gentler time, where a team’s worth was court-tested and proven, and where reverence outlasted idol worship.

Nostalgia aside, we’re in the here and now and one must assess the situation as it stands. So, it’s time to inject truth into the magical mystery world of James worshippers and far-too-early Heat wagon riders.

Miami, heavy a two-time MVP and PF All-Star or not, have a lot of work to do to prove their worth. Boston, on the other hand, with most of its core squad still in place, missed hoisting up a second championship trophy in three years by one blatant travel call missed, one ubercharge from Kobe left uncalled and about, oh, 15,591 pointless forth-quarter LA free throws.

Needless to say, the Boston Celtics are a championship caliber team. And with the addition of O’Neal, the C’s pick up yet another solid post player who can help out during the playoffs.

The Miami Heat, on the flip side of life, are taking a huge gamble by trying to piece together an Olympic-like squad of ball-hog specialists in order to walk their way to glory instead of fighting for it.

LeBron’s jump leaves the Cavaliers out of contention. Bosh’s leap means Toronto won’t be competing. Two good Eastern Conference teams were sacrificed for one.

The difference in Boston’s big three is simple. Ray, KG and Pierce were playing on habitually terrible ball clubs, years removed from the limelight, and at a point in their careers where unselfishness and actual team basketball was the only option.

The marriage was—and still is—a beautiful thing to watch. The three players were drastically different in terms of skill set, and all three, along with an upstart Rondo and still learning Perkins, sacrificed for the greater good.

Remember that, Miami, the first time LeBron turns to Terrell Owens when D-Wade takes the last shot, or when Bosh kicks the chair out after James puts up 40 on 30 shots in a losing effort.

The fact of the matter is that the NBA isn’t the Olympic Games. You can’t superstar your way to greatness; you have to play your way there.

So for everyone already penciling in Miami, don’t be surprised when a high seeded Celtics team knocks them out in 6 games.

Via the Boston Herald on jersey sales:

Kevin Garnett was third, Derrick Rose moved up to fourth and Dwight Howard was No. 5.

The top jersey sold was of course Kobe Bryant, and the 2nd was LeBron. After half a year out of the league due to injury, and his struggle to get back to where he was this year, it is good to see he is still an extremely popular player in the league. I was surprised to see that Rose passed Howard. I guess that means Dwight has to get back to being "Superman" in the slam dunk contest to gain back his fame.

The list is based on sales at the NBA Store and nbastore.com since the start of the season. Sales were up a combined 20 percent over last season

Not only am I a fan of the Boston Celtics, but I am a fan of the NBA in general. With that being said I like to see the television ratings go up,  and I like to see more fans of the game. Sales up = a good thing.

Bruised and Beaten - But a Warrior at Heart

You would have either not been watching the game last night, or you would be living under a rock to not notice the extra level of energy and ability Kevin Garnett brought to the floor in Game 1 against the Miami Heat. As was noted in an article by Jackie MacMullan, KG has been angry all year with basketball in general. Not angry so much with the team, or the fans, but his own physical ability. He has come to understand what his limits are due to his knee injury, but at the same time it frustrates him that people don't see him as giving it 100%.

Now obviously all year he took it kind of easy. I don't mean he slacked, but he didn't do anything that didn't need to be done. For example he did not try to throw down a monstrous dunk over someone- he would instead try to lay it in. He did that for one reason: there was no sense in going for the highlight play when the other way would get the same result.

So all year because of that people looked at him and said, "He doesn't have it anymore". Or, "His lift isn't there. His career is over as we know it." Sure, even last night he did not have the same lift as his prime, or even 07-08 for that matter, but it was visible that he was much less tentative.

What did it for me was the first 5 minutes of the game. Wow, what a difference the post season makes. (For a minute, since I haven't written anything really on the game last night, let me just say a few sentences about what I saw.) The first 5 minutes of the game was amazing. The Celtics were playing off the adrenaline rush of being in the playoffs for game 1, and they were busting it. It was special, and when the team cares, it gives me a revived reason to care more about the game I am watching.

Anyways, in that 5 minutes Garnett was going in overdrive. He was running the floor and playing absolutely fearless basketball. Throughout the game we saw a reemergence of the lob from Rondo (which occurred twice I believe). We also saw him take the ball and finish strong with dunks, instead of lay ins. Then early in the game he tried to go up and over his defender to slam it down in his face.

Sure, 2 points is 2 points in the regular season, but it is not just 2 points in the postseason. No, in the postseason 2 points can make a statement. A slam dunk instead of a lay in is a huge momentum changer. A dunk vs a layup pushes the crowd to the next level. This is when it is time for KG to let it all hang out. There is nothing else to "look forward" to anymore- it is already there. The postseason is the now. Garnett is now showing us why he saved this all up. He kept it in the tank to make a run when it counted.

Although he got ejected, and may or may not play in game 2, it was very intriguing to see his upgraded style of play that he is going to bring to the playoffs. The Big Ticket finished with 15 points on an efficient 6-10 night, and an all important 9 rebounds. NINE REBOUNDS.. That was what we needed more out of him right? It's time, and I like what I saw from KG, and the rest of the team.

Respect what you are seeing, because Kevin Garnett is playing through extreme pain for the team and the fans...

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

 

After Wednesday night's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Garnett was not happy with the calls that Thunder forward Kevin Durant was getting. He addressed the issue in the press confrerence by saying, "I thought we were playing Michael (bleeping) Jordan tonight the way he was getting the whistle. Durant damn near shot as many free throws as our entire team."

Was he lying? No. Durant got 15 opportunities at the line during the game, and capitalized on all 15. The Celtics as an entire team shot 17 free throws in the game. Well apparently the NBA can't handle the truth, today the NBA league office fined Garnett $25,000 for his comments following the game.

This is chump change to Garnett, the $25,000 is only .1% of his yearly salary. In my mind it was well worth the fine. It is time for more players like Garnett to stand up to the league in hopes to limit star treatment given to guys like Durant, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant.

To hear more about the corupt refereeing in the league be sure to listen to Tim Donaghy on the Celtics Late Night Show on May 10th.

So we've got losses coming left and right. We have blown lead, after blown lead, after blown lead. There isn't too much to be excited about right now. The team looked like coming out of the All Star break that the ship was righted, but in the 12 minutes of play against the Cavs last night, all confidence in thatt statement was shot down. I understand this video wasn't done yesterday, or even this year, but hey, its funny. Not all posts have to be long, drawn out, and with a dictionary in hand, right? Tell me he doesn't remind you of Will Smith.

When you think of the Celtics of today, who is the first person that comes to your mind? You may say Pierce, heck you may even say Rondo, but for me it is hands down Kevin Garnett. Of course Pierce has been on the team much longer, and he is the deffinition of a true Celtic. However, when it comes to the absolute leader, that man is KG.

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Although there is probably only 2 inches of the couch that holds my rear end during Celtics games, there is probably less than 1 inch when Garnett is playing. The thing is, you dont know what is going to happen next. For all you know he could be playing defense like a gorilla, or clapping his hands in the face of Calderon. Technical foul? No, intensity. Cockiness? No, intensity.

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Kevin, like no other player in the league, has exactly what it takes to get the crowd involved. In fact he personally addresses the crowd mid game to tell them where their better be, and it sure as heck isn't on that yellow chair behind them. Not always is it up to him, though. His mere presence on the court brings new life to the building and a new fear in the eyes of the opponents who step into the Jungle.

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Will he be rusty when he returns? You bet. It will take him a while. But if we remember back to last year, when he played in those few games, all it took was him being on the court and suddenly we saw a completely different team. The Celtics had a reason to play, and were motivated to win. We have seen lapses since KG going down, where it looked like the C's all but gave up.

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The Lakers are where we thought they woudl be. With their soft schedule to begin to season, they are finally starting to pick up on their road schedule. We knew they would start the first half of the season out ahead of the Celtics. Now is the time when everyone is coming back, and the Celtics are looking forward to games where they can show their strength. Remember, the Lakers still have 11 road games they need to make up. ELEVEN. As for the Cavs, we'll what happens when the C's and Cavs meet again later in the season.

According to multiple sources including Chris Forsberg from ESPN Boston, Kevin Garnett is back on the court today practicing with the team. On Sunday night we had Gary Dzen from the Boston Globe on the Celtics Late Night Show and he mentioned how KG was NOT participating in full court practices. Today that is not the case as we have heard multiple sources say the he is practicing with the starters.

Via Chris Forsberg's Twitter:

Garnett on court and practicing in 5-on-5 drills.

 

First time in seemingly forever that C's have full 1st team. Rasheed appears to be resting foot on sideline...

If you can't tell that is KG in the middle of the picture posting up in the paint, what a sight to see right? It was first reported late last week that Garnett would be available for Friday night's game but seeing him on the court today makes us question whether or not he could go tomorrow night in Detroit.

According to Forsberg's most recent report Doc say's that there is NO chance KG plays in tomorrow night's game. Hey, at least it was positive thinking.

CELTICS 92  HEAT 85

Yet again, for the second game in a row, the Celtics got out to a fast start on the offensive end. The only problem was they also let the Heat get out and run their offense. Like the vintage Celtics, however, the team figured out what was going wrong and fixed it throughout the remainder of the game. After giving up 31 points in the 1st quarter, the C's only allowed 17, 17, and 20 points in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters respectively.

The Heat as usual were lead by Wade who finished with 27 points and 6 assists. Even though he scored 27 points, he did so on 23 FG attempts and 8 free throws attempts. With that being said, the Celtics defense did their job in not allowing Wade to get to the rim at ease. A mixture of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Marquis Daniels (along with help defense) forced Wade to, for the majority, shoot contested jumpers. As a team, you can live with him shooting with a hand in his face. If he makes it, good for him, if not, the defense did its job.

With a late spark, Michael Beasley got into a rhythm for a period of time. He was knocking down threes, getting to the bucket, and getting to the line. At one point he looked like he would take the game over. That is, until KG came back in and gave him a reality check.

The leader of the Celtics was Kevin Garnett tonight. He went 11-12 from the floor and scored 24 points. Respect for these numbers comes in when we realize not all of them were layups or dunks. He was taking HIS jump shot and nailing it with precision. When that thing goes down like it has been, it is awesome to watch. But, like I said before, he not only was doing it on offense but on defense as well. He was a machine when guarding Beasley, and was helping and switching off onto other players like the old KG we know and love. KG was chosen as the Hardwood Houdini Player of The Week: View the award description by clicking here.

Flying under the radar in this game was the defensive work by Kendrick Perkins. I had previously done a post on Hardwood Houdini called, "Kendrick Perkins The.... Beast? Maybe?". In this post I questioned why his defense from last year had not carried into this year yet. Perkins did his work tonight with 3 blocked shots and only 3 fouls. He kept himself in the game, and what a gift that was for the Celtics defense.

As far as the team goes, I was impressed with what I saw. If you take out the one charge the Heat had in the 3rd, the Celtics were the dominant force all night. We were playing with more rhythm, movement, and feel for the game than were the Heat. If you were to throw out the first quarter, the C's probably hold the Heat to around 75 points and that is something to be proud of. The team should carry a lot of confidence going into Charlotte on Tuesday night, a place that has given them fits in the past couple years.

(Photo via NBAYahooSports)

(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)