The AP reports: For the second straight game, the defending NBA champions trailed early then won by a big margin, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 101-89 behind 18 points and 10 rebounds from Paul Pierce on Friday night… Richard Jefferson scored 20 points and Charlie Villanueva added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee. Garnett had 16 points for Boston and Kendrick Perkins had seven blocks in 24 minutes. The last Celtic to get more in a game was Kevin McHale, who had eight against Sacramento on Jan. 9, 1987… Boston had 28 assists, 17 turnovers and 13 steals. Milwaukee finished with 22 turnovers and 17 assists.
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Nov 5: Celtics 96, Thunder 83
The AP reports: Paul Pierce had 20 points and nine rebounds, Ray Allen scored 18 points and the defending NBA champions clamped down on Oklahoma City after the Thunder’s fast start to run away with a 96-83 victory Wednesday night… Kevin Garnett added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Perkins had 10 points and nine rebounds. Allen also had nine rebounds as four of Boston’s starting five had eight or more. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 17 points, but had another poor shooting night in his team’s new gym. He went only 6-for-15 and is 18-for-50 this season at the Ford Center. Jeff Green added 14 points for Oklahoma City, and Russell Westbrook finished with 13 after two late 3-pointers.
Nov 4: Celtics 103, Rockets 99
The AP reports: Ray Allen scored 29 points, Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 11 rebounds and the Celtics shut down Ron Artest and Yao Ming to hand Houston its first loss of the season. Tracy McGrady scored 26 points, but couldn’t rally the Rockets down the stretch… Paul Pierce added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics. Yao went 4-for-14 from the field and scored eight points for Houston. “Probably one of my worst games of all time,” Yao said… Aaron Brooks scored 12 for the Rockets, but starting point guard Rafer Alston had an off night, going 1-for-6 from the field and scoring four points.
Nov 1: Pacers 95, Celtics 79
The AP reports: Danny Granger scored 20 points, new point guard T.J. Ford added 19, and a sellout crowd watched the Pacers beat the defending champion Boston Celtics 95-79 on Saturday night in their home opener… Ford, the key acquisition in the trade that sent Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto, also had four assists. Backup point guard Jarrett Jack, picked up in a trade with Portland, added 11 points and seven rebounds. Kevin Garnett led Boston with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Pierce scored 15 points, but shot 3-for-15 from the field. Ray Allen finished with 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting… The Celtics had 24 turnovers and shot 21-for-35 from the free-throw line on Saturday.
Oct 31: Celtics 96, Bulls 80
The AP reports: Kevin Garnett played much better in the 1,000th game of his career than in his first of this season. Boston’s intense leader had 18 points and 10 rebounds three days after a mediocre season opener and became the youngest player in NBA history to play in 1,000 regular-season games when the Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 96-80 Friday night… Rookie point guard Derrick Rose, the top pick in the NBA draft, led the Bulls with 18 points and made six of their 25 field goals. He also learned a lesson from the champs… Tyrus Thomas, on 2-for-17 shooting, and Ben Gordon, who went 3-for-10, scored 11 each. Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo scored 14 each for Boston.
Celtics exercise Rondo option
The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has exercised the fourth year option on guard Rajon Rondo. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The third-year product out of Kentucky averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.68 steals last season. Rondo also averaged 10.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.73 steals during the Celtics run to their 17th NBA Championship last spring. During the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend, Rondo started for the Sophomore team in the Rookie Challenge scoring six points and had six assists in 18 minutes. The former Wildcat was originally acquired in a draft night trade from the Phoenix Suns along with Brian Grant and cash considerations in exchange for a future first round pick on June 28, 2006.
Oct 28: Celtics 90, Cavs 85
The AP reports: Banner No. 17 is up in the rafters, and win No. 1 is in the books. NBA finals MVP Paul Pierce scored 27 points as the defending champion Boston Celtics followed an emotional ring ceremony and banner raising with a 90-85 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. LeBron James scored 22, but he missed a driving layup with 41 seconds left and two free throws in the last 11 seconds… Pierce had 11 points in the third quarter, when the Celtics outscored Cleveland 24-13 to take a 67-63 lead.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: For the Celtics, Pierce shot 10-of-19 for his 27. Rajon Rondo (4-of-5) had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Leon Powe (5-of-7) was terrific off the bench with 13. Tony Allen (4-of-9) had 11 off the bench. Kevin Garnett (5-of-15) was quiet. Kendrick Perkins grabbed 8 rebounds. For the Cavs, who started Delonte West at shooting guard, LeBron James was just 9-of-21 for 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams scored double figures. Anderson Varejao had 9 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. That was about it. Both teams were awful from three-point range.
Celtics promote Danny Ainge to president of basketball operations
The Boston Celtics announced today that they have promoted Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ainge to President of Basketball Operations. The team also announced that Ainge’s contract has been extended. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Danny has been a key part of building our World Championship team and basketball program,” Boston Celtics Managing Partner and Co-owner Stephen Pagliuca said. “He represents all that is the best of Celtics Pride and we applaud his success.”
Ainge, the 2007-08 NBA Executive of the Year, orchestrated the trades that brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston that brought the Celtics their NBA record 17th Championship during the 2007-08 season. Ainge was named to the position of Executive Director of Basketball Operations after the 2002-03 season. Ainge is currently in his 6th year in the position and his 14th overall with the organization.
“Danny was visionary as he assembled the players who brought home our seventeenth banner,” Managing Partner and CEO Wyc Grousbeck said. “His work ethic, character and insight earned him Executive of the Year and earned us a world title.”
During his 14-year playing career, Ainge won two World Championships with Boston (1984, 1986) and appeared in six NBA Finals (four with Boston). He finished his career third in NBA playoff history for games played (193) and sixth in most three-pointers made (172). He also finished eighth in three-pointers attempted (433). Upon his retirement, Ainge was one of three players in NBA history to make 1,000 or more career three-pointers (1,002), along with Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller.
NBA opening night rosters
The NBA’s opening day rosters are official, and now posted on InsideHoops.com.
This evening was the deadline for NBA teams to trim their rosters down to 15 players or less.
The 2008-09 regular season starts Tuesday, October 28. InsideHoops is your online basketball home. We’re pumping out more content this season than ever.
Enjoy the season!
Rockets want to be like Celtics
The AP reports: The Rockets hope Ron Artest can do for them what Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen did for Boston last season, forming a trio with Paul Pierce to lead the Celtics to the NBA championship. Boston was the worst team in the Eastern Conference in 2006-07, before Garnett and Allen arrived. “For that team to go from worst to first,” Tracy McGrady said, “that gives me hope.” Yao Ming dismisses comparisons between the threesomes by pointing out the glaring difference. “Boston already got a championship. They can say they have the best three guys,” Yao said. “We are looking for that day. I have that confidence that we can do that.” The Rockets don’t have to make as big of a jump as the Celtics did. Houston went 55-27 in 2007-08, its first season under Rick Adelman, and lost to Utah in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season.