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Brad Stevens forced back to (almost) where he started

 As the saying goes - The most stress is caused by things over which we have no control. Well, that is what Celtics GM, Brad Stevens is experiencing, after being forced by ownership to cut monetary costs by stripping the once-Championship roster considerably. Stevens came to Boston as Celtics coach prior to the 2013-14 season . Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, all members of the 2008 Title team , had been traded, and the roster had youngsters such as Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford vying for playing time. The Green ended the 2013-14 regular season with a 25-57 record , obviously missing the playoffs. In the following years, GM Danny Ainge left for Utah and Brad Stevens took his place as Head Honcho, eventually winning the 2024 NBA Championship with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way. Back to the present. The ravaged roster , now minus Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Luke Kornet (all lost to trades or free a...
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Grizzly Bears In Beantown

      Cs look to get back on track with a win tonight. Did you know the Celtics only give up about 109 points per game defensively. But.... they only score about 111 points per game. These are their averages and probably a tell tale sign of why we have the record we do. Clearly we play decent defense but just can't win in the clutch. This is what happens when you allow 4 incredible players to walk out that door. Once again thank you Billionaire Bill.       Losing 4 key players and JT being unavailable is mucking up rotations. JB’s playing like a superstar! But, JB’s not the finisher that JT is hence why we are where we are. They are out of sequence. White’s used to handling the ball as a facilitator and then the shot. Pritch is accustomed to coming off the bench. Joe’s been trying to get the starters set. It might be time to focus the second unit. The Cs could definitely benefit from getting a solid post player. One that can be a legitimate threat to s...

Celtics on a path of subordination thus far in the season

  Fans of the Boston Celtics are not used to this . After 12 games , The Green show a 5-7 record . Many Beantown fans are not thrilled with that, but the season is young - and so are many of the Celtics players that are trying to find a niche - in the NBA - and on one of the most-storied franchises in sports history. Boston fans are used to their basketball team being dominant , as opposed to subordinate . The Green were superbly dominant in the 60s , garnering eight Championships in that decade. They also ruled the 80s , taking three titles in the 10-year span. Head Honcho, Brad Stevens , prior to this season, was forced by ownership to strip the roster for financial purposes , ending up with four players heading elsewhere, and one (Tatum) heading to the bench with a serious injury. Money was saved, but at a significant price . I have been a fan of the Boston Celtics since 1960 , and frankly, particularly in the 60s, the Celtics domination of other teams could sometimes be borde...

Philly Again...

      Yet again we are playing the Philadelphia 76ers. I can't say the game really matters other than it's on NBCs peacock. With a win tonight the Cs can get back to 500. DWhite opens our scoring. Nice to see Minott get on the board with a corner three. Sam Hauser hits his first shot of the game. So far I'm seeing a Celtics offense that absolutely can't hit a shot. Defensively we are lazy and lacking effort. How can an entire team shoot so poorly and barely give any effort???      What are we watching Celtics fans? A team that needs something or someone but that ain't happening. Cs trail by ten but it honestly feels like we are down by 30. Cs will really need to find their heart in the second half. It starts with max effort in D and then actually making shots on the other end. Give me something to watch guys because that first half made me want to turn off the TV. This third quarter is already off to a rough start. With that said the Cs are starting to figh...

The Athletic places three Celtics in "Top 25 NBA Players of 21st Century"

  The Athletic chose a panel of 43 writers, podcasters and editors to vote for their 25 top NBA players of the 21st century - a tough task, indeed. But they did it anyway, and it was gratifying, as a Celtics fan,  to find three members of The Green , both past and present, on that list . Kevin Garnett came in at #11 , and his MVP Award in 2004 , as a member of the Timberwoves , was mentioned in the article - but his 2008 Championship with Boston was somehow omitted . That omission sticks out because "The Big Ticket's" addition to the Celtics was the transaction that spurred the Title. Paul Pierce came in at #20 . As one would expect, "The Truth's" 2008 Title with Garnett, and his Finals MVP Trophy in the same year, got him into the list. Jayson Tatum was the "Third Celtic Picked" (at #23) , and he belongs . His Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award and 2024 Championship got him there.   Voting in such a poll appears to be highly subjective . ...

Cs in Disney Part 2

      We are in Disney for one more night, will the Cs get it going? The question is do they have anything in store for the Magic. I just want to see a team that plays hard defense and crashes the glass. Cs are trending in the wrong direction, it's going to take a full 48 minutes to get this win. If not this season will continue to drag along. JT is on the bench and here to support his teammates. This isn't a cup game so I'm a bit more invested.       Cs are in their standard white jerseys with the green numbers and letters. Cs commit a bad foul right of the jump. Cs first offensive set is a turnover. That's not a good sign for the good guys. All of a sudden it's eight quick points for the Magic. DWhite gets the three and we are on the board. JB is really perfecting that midrange step back. Cs with an early timeout as they are trailing early on. The Celtics are running in mud and not competing right now. Unacceptable play right now.     ...

Early signs of Christmas in the North Country

 My wife, Linda, and I were on the road today doing a few errands. It is still early November , and it is snowing - not enough to generate bad driving conditions - but just enough to decorate the landscape . Our front yard with second snowfall of the season. Photo by Linda Lane And we saw our first tractor trailer loaded with Christmas trees heading for "down below" - as folks up here call anyplace south of New Hampshire towns such as Lancaster and Gorham. The Christmas trees are generally cut, bound and shipped in Northern New Hampshire e arly in November , and the baling machines compress the branches so tightly for transport, it is a wonder that they ever spring back to their original state. Our area of New Hamshire is know for many things, with heavy yearly snowfall being one of them. The area averages roughly 6-feet of snow each year , but the higher elevations can average close to 17-feet. The Balsams Resort, in nearby Dixville Notch , has been closed for 14 years...