The Future is Now

The Celtics have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. The oldest players on the current Celtics roster are the newly acquired players Al Horford and Gerald Green, both being only 29. The longest tenured player on the Celtics roster is Avery Bradley, who got drafted by the team in 2010. Aside from Al and Gerald, everyone on the Celtics roster is under the age of 30 years old. Even the Celtics head coach, Brad Stevens, is only 39 years old! Former Celtic great, Kevin Garnett, who's about to enter his 21st NBA season, is actually older than him! The Celtics have one of the best young cores in the NBA. The Celtics "youth movement" consists of draft picks from previous years, like Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, James Young and Jordan Mickey. The Celtics added to their young core in this past year's draft. The Celtics used their third overall pick to select Jaylen Brown, a young forward out of the University of California, Berkeley. Throughout the draft, the Celtics drafted several other players, including two international players - Guerschon Yabusele out of France and Ante Zizic out of Croatia. The Celtics used their second round picks to select Demetrius Jackson from Notre Dame and Ben Bentil from Providence College. Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier have shown great development and look to have NBA-ready skills. Jordan Mickey has impressed in limited playing time, due to inexperience and fighting injuries. R.J. Hunter and James Young are both known as shooters and scorers, but both have struggled with that in the past, and will likely get very limited playing time in this upcoming season. Jaylen Brown was a projected lottery pick (picks 1-14) in this past year's draft and a lot of people were unsure about the idea of the Celtics drafting him. I, for one, was a believer in his ability and thought he was the right choice with that #3 overall pick. Jaylen has had his shooting woes in college, but I have more faith in his shot than most others do. He should be a great guy to have off the bench because of his scoring and athletic ability. The Celtics have an impressive young group of players, and they're all hungry for an opportunity. The potential is there with all of these players. Let's just hope the production is too.

 

July 31st, 2007

The Celtics finished the 2006-2007 season with an underwhelming 24-58 record, finishing last in the Eastern Conference. It was a rough year for the Celtics on and off the court. Unfortunately, the most difficult part of that season was losing the great Red Auerbach. Red passed away on October 28th, 2006. Red had spent over 50 years working in the Boston Celtics organization as a coach, general manager, president, and vice chairman. Red Auerbach was the backbone of the Celtics, and it was the toughest loss the Celtics took all season. The Celtics rough season continued thereafter, losing both Paul Pierce and Tony Allen to injury. Pierce would return to the court a little less than two months after his injury, but Tony Allen, a key player on this young and inexperienced Celtics team, tore both his ACL and MCL and wouldn't return to the court for the rest of the season. The Celtics also set the longest losing streak in franchise history, losing 18 straight. Another huge loss happened on February 22nd. Dennis Johnson, a former 3x NBA Champion and 5x NBA All-Star, had passed away from a heart attack. Two Celtics greats, had been taken too soon, and this didn't boost the spirits of an already distraught team and fan base.The Celtics needed change, and that's exactly what they got. July 31st, 2007 is a day that will forever be remembered by Celtics fans. This was the day that Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were officially introduced as members of the Boston Celtics. Ray Allen had played from 1996-2003 with the Milwaukee Bucks and with the Seattle Supersonics from 2003-2007. Allen was an 8-time All-Star during those years. After an ankle injury held him out for the end of the season prior, the Sonics decided to trade Allen, along with Glen "Big Baby" Davis and the 35th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and Jeff Green (who was taken with the fifth overall pick). Kevin Garnett was traded from Minnesota to Boston for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, two first round draft picks, and cash considerations. Prior to being traded to Boston, "The Big Ticket" was a 10-time All Star and the NBA's MVP in 2004. The Celtics had formed the "Big Three" that they'd been searching for since Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. July 31st, 2007 is so significant because it was the formation of a team that would win an NBA Championship in 2008, the first season these three had come together. It's just a shame they never brought another trophy to Boston. They'll forever be Boston legends, nonetheless.

Thank You Kevin Garnett

On Friday, September 25th, Kevin Garnett officially announced his retirement from the NBA via Instagram. Garnett posted a video of him saying goodbye to everybody. Kevin ends the 32 second video by saying, "stay tuned," as the words "farewell" and "thanks for the memories" appear. "KG" ended his 21-year career as a 15x All-Star, 4x All-NBA First Team, 9x All-Defensive First Team, NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2008), All-Star Game MVP (2003), NBA MVP (2004), and NBA Champion (2008). Kevin had a career that most couldn't even dream up. He accomplished everything he could. He was a true legend of the game. Kevin finished his career as the only NBA player in history to record at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 steals, and 1,500 blocks. Garnett solidified himself as a first-ballot Hall of Famer throughout his lengthy NBA career. In my opinion, "The Big Ticket," was the most intense player in NBA history. There's never been a harder working or more hard nosed player in the history of the league. Kevin gave it all he had every single time he stepped on the court. KG was one of the most notorious trash talker's in NBA history. Players like Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, and Gary Payton are known for being huge trash talker's, but from the stories I've read/heard, Kevin Garnett seems to top them all. Kevin will forever be one of the biggest bullies in NBA history. His trash talk and intensity is the reason why he's either loved or hated. Garnett is loved everywhere he played - Minnesota, Boston, and Brooklyn, and disliked by many other team's around the league. Team's will be glad to not have to play Kevin anymore. Kevin brought the intensity, drive, and determination to win every day that any team would love to have. Moments after winning the 2008 NBA Finals, Garnett famously belted out, "ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyjOy7fRzs0). This has stayed with me ever since that day. Every time I watch that interview, I get chills. Kevin proved that anything really is possible. Thanks for the memories, "Big Ticket." You will truly be missed.

Celtics Defeat Pelicans 117-108 - 1/7/17

On 1/7/17, the Celtics beat the New Orleans Pelicans 117-108. Avery Bradley didn't play during this game to an Achilles injury, so Marcus Smart stepped in as the starting shooting guard. Marcus impressed in the starting role, and alongside Isaiah Thomas, the simply couldn't be stopped. They were on fire from deep, connecting on a combined 11-18 shots from deep. Gerald Green also stepped up once again, who now seems to have a bigger role off the bench. The Celtics will look to continue their winning ways against Toronto tonight in a game where the Celtics could move into the second place spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Leading Scorers: Isaiah Thomas (38), Marcus Smart (22), Gerald Green (15)

Leading Rebounders: Al Horford (7), Crowder/Jerebko/Johnson (6), Marcus Smart (5)

Leading Passers: Al Horford (8), Marcus Smart (6), Kelly Olynyk (4)

☘  Player of the Game: Marcus Smart (22 PTS, 6 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 7-10 FG, 5-7 3PT) ☘

Celtics Beat 76ers 110-106 - 1/6/17

On 1/6/17, the Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 110-106. The Sixers looked impressive in the loss, even though their record shows that they aren't a very good team (9-25). The Celtics had a hard time containing Philadelphia's big men, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, until both got into foul trouble and had to sit out. After allowing the 76ers to score 39 in the second quarter, Boston was able to outscore Philly 59-44 in the second half. For the Celtics, Marcus Smart looked impressive, while Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Al Horford produced as usual.

Leading Scorers: Avery Bradley (26), Isaiah Thomas (24), Al Horford (19)

Leading Rebounders: Al Horford (12), Avery Bradley (9), Amir Johnson (5)

Leading Passers: Marcus Smart (8), Kelly Olynyk (5), Al Horford (4)

☘  Player of the Game: Al Horford (19 PTS, 12 REB, 4 AST, 2 BLK, 4-7 3PT) ☘

Celtics Defeat Jazz 115-104, Isaiah Has Another Career Night

On 1/3/17, the Celtics beat the Utah Jazz 115-104. In the first game after his incredible 52-point performance, Isaiah Thomas came through once again. Isaiah finished this game with a new career-high in assists. He dished off 15 assists to go along with his 29 points. Isaiah finished his scoring outburst against Miami with zero assists. He proved he was more than just a scorer in this game, showing off his passing along with his usual scoring. The Celtics next game will be against the 76ers on Friday.

Leading Scorers: Isaiah Thomas (29), Jae Crowder (21), Al Horford (21)

Leading Rebounders: Kelly Olynyk (7), Al Horford (5), Amir Johnson (5)

Leading Passers: Isaiah Thomas (15), Al Horford (4), Olynyk/Smart (3)

☘ Player of the Game: Isaiah Thomas (29 PTS, 15 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 10-18 FG, 5-8 3PT) ☘

Celtics Defeat Miami 117-114, Isaiah Drops 52 Points!

On 12/30/16, the Celtics defeated the Heat 117-114 in Boston's final game of 2016. Avery Bradley was absent for this game due to an illness, so someone had to step up big in his absence. Isaiah Thomas stepped up his game in a big way, ending the year with a bang, scoring a career-high 52 points. It was one of the most incredible performances in Celtics history. Thomas was the first Celtic to score 50 points since Paul Pierce did it in 2006. Isaiah had 47 with less than a minute left and had to pull up from way behind the three-point line to beat the shot clock. He hit the big three-pointer to get to 50. He later got to the free throw line to score his final two points to cap off his historic night, finishing the game with more points than Miami's starting five put together.

Leading Scorers: Isaiah Thomas (52), Al Horford (21), Jae Crowder (9)

Leading Rebounders: Al Horford (6), Amir Johnson (5), Terry Rozier (5)

Leading Passers: Jae Crowder (6), Jonas Jerebko (5), Horford/Johnson (4)

☘  Player of the Game: Isaiah Thomas (52 PTS, 2 REB, 1 STL, 15-26 FG, 9-13 3PT, 13-13 FT) ☘