Block party for Celtics

The Boston Celtics took care of business last night, dispatching the Philadelphia 76ers, 99-82.  Both teams were swinging heavy gloves in the first half, but it was the Celtics who held Philly without a point to start the second half for almost five minutes. 

Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo led the C’s with 18 and 16 points respectively.  Rondo controlled the pace of the game all night, dishing out 13 assists, and appearing to officially be out of the recent slump that kept him quiet the last few weeks. 

The Celtics defense led the way, tallying 8 blocks, and holding the Sixers to 32 2nd-half points.  Leading the defensive effort was Jeff Green and Jermaine O’Neal.  Green was all over the place, turning aside three shots, and pulling down seven rebounds.  J.O’Neal constantly disrupted shots with his length, providing much needed bulk inside since the departure of Kendrick Perkins.

The C’s will now face a true test as they head to the Windy City to tangle with the Chicago Bulls.  This game will be spearheaded by the point guard matchup of Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose.  Boston currently holds a 2-1 series advantage this season, and more importantly, will look to prove that they are still the top-dawgs in the Eastern Conference.

Celtics look to finish regular season strong

A possible preview of the first round will be taking place tonight when the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers.  Philly currently holds the 6-seed with a 40-37 record, and the Celtics find themselves a half game behind the Miami Heat for the 2-seed. 

The C’s will look to add some more bodies to the lineup tonight as Nenad Kristic and Troy Murphy returned to the practice court yesterday.  Obviously, Shaquille O’Neal will be in street clothes nursing a right calf strain, and many ponder if the best move from here would be to shut the “Big Shamrock” down until the playoffs (about two weeks away).  

If it wasn’t for Tom Thibbodeau leading the Bulls to the best record in the East, Doug Collins would probably be the hands-down selection for coach of the year.  Collins has taken the Sixers out of the doldrums, and re-energized an organization rich in tradition.  Collins has assembled a youth movement, and has blended that talent with the superstar play of Andre Iguodala.  Philly is definitely a team on the rise, and a possible first round date in a couple of weeks might not be the best thing for the C’s; that’s why it’s very important to finish these last six games on a winning note, and lock up that 2-seed.

LBJ heads to South Beach

As if you thought LeBron James would stay in Cleveland, he’s taking a lot of money, and bringing his game to Miami, where he will form a star-studded lineup featuring Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.  Now the question that begs to be answered, did James quit on Cleveland when they lost to the Celtics?

It almost seems that once James realized the Celtics were going to be a very tough out in the Conference Semifinals, he decided to leave the challenge up to his teammates, and not bear any of weight on his shoulders.  His career in Cleveland ended on a sour note, highlighted by James taking his shirt off in disgust before he made his way to the visitors locker room at TD Garden.

Now, time will tell how good this Miami Heat team will be.  Sure, they’ll have a “Big 3” that is down-right scary, but what will they have for depth, as we have seen first-hand that championship teams involve strong bench-play.  How well we’ll these three superstars mesh throughout an entire season?  Remember, you can only play with one basketball.  As good as the Heat could possibly be, and the fact that they’ll be everyone’s pick to win it all, I wouldn’t anoint them Eastern Conference champions just yet. 

Despite the bumps and bruises, Red Sox keep rolling

John Lackey won his seventh straight game at Fenway Park this season, improving to 9-3, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 8-5.  The win moves the Red Sox ahead of the Rays for second-place in the AL East (1st in the Wild-Card), and knots the season-series at four games apiece. 

Last night’s game started as a classic pitching duel, with James Shields matching Lackey in zero’s across the board.  The two pitchers were effective early and often, but David Ortiz changed the stat sheet in the bottom of the fifth, crushing a three-run homer over the bullpen.  The flood-gates opened soon thereafter, as Jason Varitkek (2 RBI), Bill Hall (2 RBI), and Daniel Nava (RBI) added to the offensive outburst.  

Hideki Okajima, Scott Atchison, and Dustin Richardson combined their poor pitching to all the Rays back in the game, turning an 8-1 lead, into an 8-5 hair-raiser.  Jonathan Papelbon would be called in to finish off the game, and record his 18th save of the season, while recording just one out, the last one of the game. 

The Sox and Rays will conclude this quick two-game set tonight.  Matt Garza (8-5, 4.10 ERA) will take the bump for the Rays, and Daisuke Matsuzaka (5-2, 4.50 ERA) will hurl for the locals.  Matsuzaka is 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA in his last three starts.  First-pitch is scheduled for 7:10. 

Donovan’s goal in the 91st-minute advances the US

It will forever be known in American soccer folklore as “the goal”.  With the game deadlocked at zero, and 90 minutes already in the books, it was the US making the most of the extra time. 

With England defeating Slovenia, 1-0, the US could not settle for a draw, or else they would’ve been sent home, but the play of the game, and perhaps the history of American soccer, took 11 seconds to develop.  After a Tim Howard save, the ball was thrown down-field to Landon Donovan, who dribbled up the sideline before passing it to Jozy Altidore, Altidore took the pass and sent it into the box looking for Clint Dempsey, who’s foot found the ball and rifled it off the hands of Algerian goalkeeper Rais M’Bohli, the rebound came to Donovan who wasn’t going to miss from there, and just like that, history was made. 

The win advances the US into the round of 16, where it becomes do or die time.  The Americans won its first group since 1930, edging England in a tiebreaker which consists of goals-for (US 4-2).  Coach Bob Bradley and his Americans will look to move one step closer towards the World Cup, as they will face Ghana this Saturday at 2pm, ABC will provide the coverage. 

US is focused on advancing to elimination stage

It’s simple, if the US defeat Algeria today, they will advance into the elimination stage for the third time since returning as a consistent World Cup team back in 1990 (after not qualifying in four decades).  Our Americans have yet to win a game in this year’s cup, although they haven’t lost one yet either (1-1 draw vs England, 2-2 draw vs Slovenia).

Even when the US advanced in 1994 and 2002, they failed to win their group finales, losing to Romania, and Poland respectively.  Losing however, is not an option today.  The US can do no worse than a draw to advance, but if England beats Slovenia, coupled with a US draw, then England and Slovenia will advance.  If England ties Slovenia, and the US tie Algeria, it will come down to goal differential, which US holds that tiebreaker heading into today.  Basically, the US will eliminate any headaches providing they win, therefore they will count on their own destiny to advance. 

Hopefully the stars of the US will show up in a big way, and I’m talking about Jozy Altidore, and Landon Donovan, along with stout goalkeeper Tim Howard.  These three players are better than anyone on the Algerian roster, and they need to prove that today.  This game will start at 10am, ESPN will have the coverage.

Lakers force Game 7 with dominating performance, 89-67

Well, it’s here!  A Game 7 will be played in the 2010 NBA Finals, and there really is no other way for these two juggernauts to finish their season.  Many local fans speculated that the Celtics would have to beat the Lakers, and the officials if they wanted to win the championship in Game 6, considering that the NBA would want to have a Game 7. 

That wasn’t the case last night, as the Lakers thoroughly beat down the Celtics, increasing the margin with each quarter, taking a 10-point lead after the first, a 20-point lead at the half, and a 25-point lead heading into the fourth.  To make matters worse, Kendrick Perkins went down with a knee injury in the first-quarter, and did not return.  It’s being diagnosed as a sprained knee, and Perkins status for Game 7 is unknown.  If he can’t play, the Celtics will either go with Glen Davis or Rasheed Wallace to start the game. 

It was Kobe Bryant who attracted all of the headlines after Games 4 and 5, as the media questioned him on trying to beat the Celtics by himself, and not getting his teammates involved.  Bryant proved that assessment wrong, scoring 26 points on 9-19 shooting, while grabbing 11 rebounds.  This time, the Lakers supporting cast showed up, led by Pau Gasol’s near triple-double (17 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists), and Ron Artest (15 points, 3-6 3pt).  The Lakers bench also completely outplayed the Celtics reserves, outscoring the Green 25-8 (21-0 at the beginning of the 4th).  When the Lakers have that many different scoring options, they’re a tough team to beat. 

The Celtics have shown that they can bounce back from embarrassing losses this postseason, and momentum hasn’t carried any weight whatsoever in this series.  Game 7 will be Game 7.  It’s center stage for all the star players to be at their best, and it’s the highlight of any sporting event.  Hopefully, the Celtics lick their wounds, and come back ready for prime-time this Thursday night.  Tip-off is scheduled for 9pm, ABC will have the coverage.