Author: Inside Hoops

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Celtics off to their best start since 1972-73 season

At 7-0, and with four of the seven wins coming by 20 points or more, the Celtics are off to their best start since the 1972-73 season when they opened 10-0. The franchise’s best start of all time came in 1957-58 when Boston reeled off 14 straight victories to open the season.

Paul Pierce is leading the team in scoring at 23.4 points plus 5.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. But Kevin Garnett is truly dominating and has averaged 21.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. And Ray Allen is putting up 20.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Allen and Pierce are shooting 49.0% or better, and KG is hitting 54.6% of his shots.

Eddie House, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and James Posey add scoring. Perkins is averaging just 5.1 rebounds per game in 26 minutes. He needs to raise that number.

The Celtics as a team are shooting a fantastic 50.1% from the field.

Spurs vs Mavs is always a big game

The Dallas Mavericks won their first Southwest Division title last season, unseating the two-time defending Southwest champion San Antonio Spurs. It didn’t stop the Spurs from earning a fourth NBA title. The Texas powerhouses meet for the first time this season tonight (8 p.m. ET, TNT) when the Spurs visit Dallas in search of their fifth straight victory.

Dallas won three of four meetings last season en route to a league-best 67-15 record, ending the Spurs’ reign in the Southwest. The Mavericks, however, were upset in the first round of the playoffs by Golden State. San Antonio, eliminated from the playoffs two seasons ago by Dallas, took advantage and won another NBA title.

Both teams have gotten off to strong starts this season, with the Spurs (7-1) holding the best record in the Western Conference. They made a season-high 13 three-pointers on 27 attempts to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-92 on Tuesday for their fifth victory by at least 10 points.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks (5-2) have averaged 106.2 points in winning four of their last five contests. Jason Terry had 25 points – including 12 in the third quarter – as Dallas beat Philadelphia 99-84 on Tuesday. Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki averaged 27.3 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 51.7 percent from the field against the Spurs last season. Duncan averaged 19.0 points and 7.5 boards while shooting 51.9 percent against the Mavericks.

– NBA News

Bulls assign JamesOn Curry to D-League

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has assigned rookie guard JamesOn Curry to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League.

Curry (6-3, 190) appeared in all seven of Chicago’s 2007-08 preseason games and averaged 4.0 ppg, 2.1 apg and 1.9 rpg in 17.3 mpg. He joined the Bulls as their third draft selection in NBA Draft 2007 when they chose him 51st overall.

Through Chicago’s first six regular season games, Curry was placed on the inactive list. While with the Energy, he will remain on Chicago’s 15-man roster.

The Nets love your children, want world greener and cleaner.

The Nets do not want your great grandchildren to have to walk around wearing gas masks. Here’s what the team said today:

The Nets are committing to a comprehensive “greening” program for the franchise and have tipped-off a broad environmental assessment of their operations with the goal of adopting sustainable practices in the operations they control.  The Nets are targeting to become the first NBA team to become carbon neutral.

Initiatives will include improving energy efficiency, recycling rates, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and establishing green procurement policies the Nets use on a regular basis, such as paper and cleaning supplies.

The Nets have retained two firms, e4, inc. and The CarbonNeutral Company to assist in evaluating and executing their greening goals.

Geoff Petrie and Justin Williams speak on Williams investigation ending

Geoff Petrie: “We are all gratified  with the outcome of the investigation involving Justin Williams. It has been a  long month for everyone. He will be welcomed back as he rejoins the team for  tomorrow’s practice here in Sacramento. We want to thank our local law enforcement  officials for their thoroughness and  professionalism.”

Justin Williams: “Thank god that it’s  over with and I am looking forward to getting back with the team. I thank my  fans, family, friends, teammates and the Kings organization for sticking with me  through the whole ordeal.”

Eddie Jordan speaks on early season Wizards issues

The Washington Wizards have started the 2007-08 season with one win and five losses. Here’s head coach Eddie Jordan:

On the Wizards’ offense: “As much as people say we can score, we’ve got to execute.  We want to score with efficiency.  We don’t want to take a lot of bad shots that lead to fast breaks, or take bad shots that are not in harmony with the team concept.  You have to play as a team and share the ball.”

On the recent players-only meeting: “What I liked about our team meeting was that it was short.  The short ones are pretty concise and to the point, then let’s go to practice.  There are some that last too long, and it’s just a whole lot of talk.  I felt good when the team said they were going to have a meeting and they came back out in less than 15 minutes.  That was a good sign.”

On leadership: “Coaches appreciate leaders who are consistent every day.  When something needs to be said in the locker room, bus, plane, but certainly in practice and in games, coaches want captains that lead by example and through professional communication.  That’s what we want to see.”

On the play of Gilbert Arenas: “He’s quarterbacking the team and he’s talking.  He’s defending better.  I think it’s because of the emphasis we put on individual and team defense.  He’s getting over screens, he’s helping, he’s in good position, and he’s always in a defensive stance, which is a lot of strain on the legs.”

On the team’s community service event at Andrews Air Force Base: “Our guys have always been out in the community and I think we’ve got terrific character guys.  It’s nothing new and nothing different for us.  It’s not just something they have to do; they do it on their own.”

Al Jefferson starting season extremely strong

Through five games, Al Jefferson is leading the Wolves with averages of 19.6 points (49.4% FG%) and 12.4 rebounds per game. He has registered point/rebound double-doubles in all five contests. Rashad McCants’ 15.0 ppg ranks second on the Wolves in scoring. The third-year pro is shooting the ball at a 51.1% clip from the field, including 50% (8-for-16) from the three-point line. Center Theo Ratliff is averaging a team-best 3.5 blocks per game. The veteran from the University of Wyoming swatted a season-high six blocks against Sacramento on Saturday night. Sebastian Telfair is leading the Wolves with 4.6 assists per game.

Through the first five games, Minnesota center Theo Ratliff leads the league in blocks per game, averaging 3.5 per game.  Wolves Forward Al Jefferson ranks eighth in the league in rebounds per game (12.4).  Third-year guard Rashad McCants ranks amongst the league leaders in three-point shooting, connecting from long range 50% (8-16) of the time.  Wolves 2006-07 second-round draft pick Craig Smith ranks 17th in the NBA in field-goal shooting percentage at 55%.

Early season Pacers notes

The Pacers scored 46 points in the first quarter of the game vs. Denver, Nov. 10, and that was the most the team had ever scored in the first period of an NBA game.

In the game against the Nuggets, the Pacers had three players register double-doubles for the first time this season. In his first start of the season, Troy Murphy led the Pacers with 18 points and added 10 rebounds. Jermaine O’Neal scored 15 points while hauling in a team-best 12 boards and Jamaal Tinsley had 11 points and a season-high tying 10 assists.

In games at Charlotte, Nov. 9, and vs. Denver, Nov. 10, Shawne Williams collected a total of five steals. Those two games were the first of his career with more than one steal.

After starting the season 3-8 from the floor (.375) vs. Washington, Oct. 31, Jeff Foster has shot 13-22 (.591) in the last five games.

Mike Dunleavy has shot 27-50 from the field in the last four games, after shooting 7-17 in each of the season’s first two games.

The Pacers have forced their opponents into an average of 19.83 turnovers per game, which is the highest rate in the league.

Shawne Williams ended the week with double-digit points in consecutive games with 14 at Charlotte, Nov. 9, and a bench-high 12 vs. Denver, Nov. 10. That was the first time this season, and the third time in his career, that he has had 10+ points in two straight games.