Posts Tagged ‘Boston Celtics’

2012 NBA Finals Odds with Preview & NBA Free Picks

January 22nd, 2012 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Head Columnist) | Posted in NBA Basketball  
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The Full & Complete List of 2012 NBA Finals Odds Can Be Found Below

It is strange to think that we are at the quarter pole of the 2012 NBA schedule, but most teams are through right around 16 of their games. Here at Bankroll Sports, we are going to try to capitalize on some of the up to date 2012 NBA championship odds by picking out some of the teams with the best value.

We still think that this is the world belonging to the Miami Heat (Current 2012 NBA Finals Odds: 1.75 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) and that the rest of the world is just playing in it. Dwyane Wade has been out of the lineup at times, and the combo of LeBron James and Chris Bosh has still been able to carry the load against some of the best teams in the league. Come playoff time, there will be a whole new set of pressures placed on men like rookie Norris Cole, but considering the fact that he was able to come right in and produce, we are optimistic that the team is really in a lot better shape now than it was a year ago, assuming that the Big Three are ready for the playoff push and fully healthy in the summer.

If there is a team that is knocking off the Heat in the East, it is the team that they beat soundly in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the Chicago Bulls (Odds To Win the NBA Finals: 5.65 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Bulls have already played 10 road games this year, and they have already survived one major West Coast swing. They are undefeated at home, and they clearly play in one of the inferior divisions in the NBA, and unless the Indiana Pacers do really prove to be that legitimate of a contender, there is no way that this team won’t be at least the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Derrick Rose and the gang have another year of playoff experience though, and that might make all the difference in the world and give the boys from the Windy City the edge needed to win the whole enchilada.

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Out West, we think that the Oklahoma City Thunder (2012 NBA Championship Odds: 6 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) are the very deserving favorites in the conference. They inked Russell Westbrook to a long term deal this week, guaranteeing to keep he and Kevin Durant together for quite some time. The Thunder have looked great both at home and on the road this year, and though they do play in one of the tougher divisions in the league, they are clearly the best team in the bunch. As long as Durant and Westbrook stay healthy, this is team that is a true force to be reckoned with.

We’re still not ruling out the consummate underdogs in the West though, the Los Angeles Clippers (2012 NBA Finals Odds: 18 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). There is no doubt that this is the best team in the city of LA this year (in spite of the fact that, for some unknown reason, the Lakers still have the shorter odds to win it all). Dwight Howard has put Lob City on his list of potential trade destinations, and if he ends up combining forces with Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and Chauncey Billups, look the heck out! This all of a sudden could go from a team that has been the laughing stock of the league to one that wins the whole enchilada in a hurry.

List Of Past NBA Finals Champions
2011 NBA Champions: Dallas Mavericks
2010 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
2009 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
2008 NBA Champions: Boston Celtics
2007 NBA Champions: San Antonio Spurs
2006 NBA Champions: Miami Heat
2005 NBA Champions: San Antonio Spurs
2004 NBA Champions: Detroit Pistons
2003 NBA Champions: San Antonio Spurs
2002 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
2001 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
2000 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers

We aren’t that sure that it is going to last, but we think that it is worth taking a flyer on the Philadelphia 76ers (Odds To Win The 2012 NBA Finals: 70 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) right now. The Sixers are leading the Atlantic Division by four games, and neither the New York Knicks nor the Boston Celtics really feel like they are going to be challenging for the league title this year. Philadelphia ranks No. 3 in the league in total offense and No. 2 in total defense, and for as long as that keeps up, this is a team that is going to contend. Challenging in the playoffs might be a different story when it is all said and done, especially with the Bulls and the Heat in this conference, but if the 76ers do end up as the No. 3 seed in the East as they would be right now, they would certainly be worth the bet at these odds.

Up To Date 2012 NBA Finals Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 1/20/12):
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Miami Heat 1.75 to 1
Chicago Bulls 5.65 to 1
Oklahoma City Thunder 6 to 1
Los Angeles Lakers 8 to 1
Dallas Mavericks 16 to 1
Los Angeles Clippers 18 to 1
Boston Celtics 26 to 1
New York Knicks 26 to 1
Portland Trail Blazers 26 to 1
San Antonio Spurs 26 to 1
Orlando Magic 33 to 1
Memphis Grizzlies 40 to 1
Atlanta Hawks 44 to 1
Denver Nuggets 50 to 1
Indiana Pacers 66 to 1
Philadelphia 76ers 70 to 1
Houston Rockets 125 to 1
New Jersey Nets 150 to 1
Utah Jazz 150 to 1
Golden State Warriors 200 to 1
Milwaukee Bucks 200 to 1
Phoenix Suns 200 to 1
Minnesota Timberwolves 250 to 1
New Orleans Hornets 250 to 1
Cleveland Cavaliers 300 to 1
Charlotte Bobcats 500 to 1
Detroit Pistons 500 to 1
Sacramento Kings 500 to 1
Toronto Raptors 500 to 1
Washington Wizards 500 to 1

2011-12 Odds To Win The NBA Finals @ BetRevolution Sportsbook (as of 1/20/12):
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Miami Heat 1.25 to 1
Chicago Bulls 4.25 to 1
Oklahoma City Thunder 4.55 to 1
Dallas Mavericks 15 to 1
Los Angeles Lakers 9 to 1
Portland Trail Blazers 25 to 1
New York Knicks 16 to 1
Orlando Magic 25 to 1
San Antonio Spurs 25 to 1
Atlanta Hawks 35 to 1
Memphis Grizzlies 60 to 1
Boston Celtics 25 to 1
Phoenix Suns 125 to 1
Houston Rockets 105 to 1
Los Angeles Clippers 14 to 1
Denver Nuggets 45 to 1
Golden State Warriors 150 to 1
Utah Jazz 60 to 1
Indiana Pacers 48 to 1
Charlotte Bobcats 250 to 1
Philadelphia 76ers 24 to 1
New Orleans Hornets 150 to 1
Milwaukee Bucks 125 to 1
New Jersey Nets 125 to 1
Detroit Pistons 250 to 1
Washington Wizards 350 to 1
Sacramento Kings 150 to 1
Toronto Raptors 250 to 1
Minnesota Timberwolves 250 to 1
Cleveland Cavaliers 250 to 1

NBA Playoff Betting Trends: #2 Miami Heat vs. #3 Boston Celtics

April 29th, 2011 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Head Columnist) | Posted in NBA Basketball  
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The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat both have aspirations of beating the NBA Finals odds this year to claim glory. These two titans will run into each other like two runaway trains going in opposite directions starting on Sunday, and only one will be able to survive.

NBA Series Prices
Miami -195 vs. Boston +165 @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook
Miami -200 vs. Boston +170 @ SportBet Sportsbook
Miami -190 vs. Boston +155 @ BetUS Sportsbook

Series Trends and History
The Celtics did a nice job in this series this year in the regular season. They won 88-80 in a great game in October and came back to South Beach to score a 112-107 ‘W’. February’s meeting also went Boston’s way in 85-82 form at TD Garden. The difference making win went to Miami, though. In one of the last games of the regular season, the Heat scored a 100-77 victory. Because of that, they finished in front of the C’s in the standings and earned home court advantage in this series.

The Celtics are still 9-3 ATS over the course of the last 12 meetings in South Beach, and they had covered four in a row and seven out of eight before that romp here at American Airlines Arena. The favorite is 13-6 ATS in the last 19 clashes of these titans.

Keys to the Series
Key 1: The Battle in the Paint – There really isn’t anything more important in this series. The Celtics know that they have a huge deficiency without Kendrick Perkins. They might get Shaquille O’Neal back in the fold at some point during this series, but we don’t know whether it’s going to make much of a difference. If Joel Anthony and Zydrunas Ilgauskas can figure out how to give just a few contributions, that should be good enough for the Heat to dominate.

Key 2: LeBron’s Passion – LeBron James is going to be the best player on the court in this series, but that doesn’t mean that he is going to be putting up the best numbers. James was knocked out of the playoffs by these Celtics last year, and he really needs to be at his best to avenge that defeat from last year. Boston figured out how to bottle LeBron up last year, and if it does so again, the Heat are in a ton of trouble.

Key 3: Overcoming the Past – We’ve already mentioned just how badly the Heat played against Boston this year, but this wasn’t the only rock solid team that they didn’t do so great against on the campaign. Miami was knocked off twice by the Dallas Mavericks and all three times by the Chicago Bulls. This has been a huge problem for the Heat, and if they can’t get over their problems against the best of the best, they’ll never be able to beat the NBA Finals odds.

Lakers, Celtics Set to Square Off in 2010 NBA Finals Betting Action

June 2nd, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Head Columnist) | Posted in NBA Basketball  
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The 2010 NBA Finals lines are out, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re offering up our opinions on the odds to win the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics.

Complete List Of Current Odds To Win The 2010 NBA Finals Can Be Found Below

All season long, the Celtics were the team that underachieved. They only finished the regular season at 24-17 SU at home and just 12-28-1 ATS. They only averaged 99.2 points per game in spite of the fact that they probably had one of the most talented offensive lineups in the game. Heck, only finishing fifth in the league in total defense probably wasn’t anything to write home about either.

However, the C’s talked all about how they just needed to flip the switch and that things would be different in the playoffs. My, how they were right.

boston celtics 2008 nba champions nc e1275503196280 Lakers, Celtics Set to Square Off in 2010 NBA Finals Betting ActionThe only time that Boston has lost two straight games in the playoffs came in Games 4 and 5 against the Orlando Magic. They have already stolen five wins as the visitors in the postseason, and they are an amazing 12-5 ATS to show for 17 playoff efforts.

The “Big Four” are combining to average scoring 67.5 points per game.

“The Truth,” F Paul Pierce is up to 19.1 points per game after scoring 30+ points in two of the final three games of the Orlando series. His counterpart, G Rajon Rondo has made a real name for himself, as he almost averaged a triple-double in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

First it was D-Wade. Then it was King James. Finally, it was Superman. They all fell. The Celtics were right. The proverbial switch has been flipped.

However, it’s Showtime in Tinseltown now for the Celtics, which means that the Lakers are going to be rockin’ and rollin’ in an effort to win their second consecutive NBA Finals.

lakers 2009 nba finals champion 05 e1275503244757 Lakers, Celtics Set to Square Off in 2010 NBA Finals Betting ActionEven though Los Angeles was the #1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, this wasn’t exactly a dominant squad either. The Lakers limped down the stretch of the season and had to sweat just a bit about whether or not they were going to take home court advantage on the road to the NBA Finals or not.

Just like Boston, this was a team that was supposed to limp into the playoffs. G Kobe Bryant looked old. The youthful Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to take all of the energy out of them. F Pau Gasol was supposed to be too soft. The bench wasn’t supposed to be deep enough.

Durant, Boozer, Williams, Nash, and Stoudemire… All names that are now watching as those Lakers that were “finished” are playing to complete the successful defense of their crown.

Bryant has turned the corner in a huge way, as he has been absolutely lights out, particularly since early in that series against the Thunder. He has a streak of four straight 30+ point performances under his belt coming into this series, and his statistics are simply off of the charts. Kobe is averaging 29.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game in the playoffs, shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc.

F Pau Gasol has done plenty of damage as well, scoring right at 20.0 points per game to go with his 10.9 rebounds.

The bench might be under some scrutiny, but F Lamar Odom has done his share. In just under 30 minutes per game of action, Odom has compiled 10.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, which should set up a great clash between he and the secondary big men for the Celtics in the paint.

This is a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, won by the Celtics in six games. It was the official renewal of a team that had fallen from the days of Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and all of the other fantastic names that are sitting in the rafters at TD Banknorth Garden. 2009 was the year of the Lakers, as Bryant helped further solidify his name amongst Lakers greats like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

NBA Finals betting action starts Thursday night at Staples Center and will continue with Game 2 on Sunday before the series shifts back to Beantown for Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) starting on Tuesday.

Odds to Win 2010 NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

 

Sportsbook Bonus BOS Lakers, Celtics Set to Square Off in 2010 NBA Finals Betting Action LAL Lakers, Celtics Set to Square Off in 2010 NBA Finals Betting Action
JustBet Sportsbook 100% Free Play Bonus +165 -185
Diamond Sportsbook 100% Match Free Play +165 -195
BetUS Sportsbook 100% Bonus Up to $500 +155 -190

Updated Odds and Analysis 2010 NBA Championship (5/15/10)

May 15th, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Head Columnist) | Posted in NBA Basketball  
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Only four teams left in the quest to become the champs of the basketball world heading into the Eastern and Western Conference Championship series which begin on Sunday.

With the dismissal of the Cleveland Cavaliers from the postseason, the Orlando Magic (+120 at Diamond Sportsbook) are now the favorite to win it all. And why not? HC Stan Van Gundy’s team has won all eight of its playoff games and just ditched the Hawks by a combined 101 points. The Magic are now 14-0 SU and 12-2 ATS in their L/14 games overall dating back to the regular season, and they haven’t been beaten since the beginning of April. If Boston thinks it is winning this series, it is going to have to buck a very telling trend that is on the side of the men from the Sunshine State. Orlando hasn’t lost back-to-back games since January 18th. That’s 49 straight games without two losses in a row.

As you can plainly see, the Boston Celtics (+600 at Diamond Sportsbook) are deservedly one of the two longest shots on the board to win it all. It’s going to be hard to see how the C’s can get the job done against the Magic. However, Boston did win four out of five games against the team that was easily the favorite to take it all in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. G Rajon Rondo has made a name for himself in these playoffs, especially with his triple-double in Game 4 against Cleveland. The Kentucky product has averaged 18.0 points, 11.1 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and no one is questioning the fact that he has been the MVP of the team to date.

In the Western Conference, both teams are coming off of impressive clean sweeps of their foes.

The Phoenix Suns (+625 at Diamond Sportsbook) are the decided underdog to reach the NBA Finals. The Suns swept away the San Antonio Spurs in a series that many thought they were going to lose. HC Alvin Gentry has really gotten his squad together, as he is getting great contributions off of the bench and his starters are continuing to carry the load. F Amare Stoudemire has passed his biggest test to date, as he dominated the paint against F Tim Duncan and the Spurs. Now, he’ll need to take on the team that has arguably had the best inside presences in these playoffs.

In all likelihood, the Los Angeles Lakers (+130 at Diamond Sportsbook) are going to be short underdogs to win the NBA Championship if they run into the Magic in the Finals, which isn’t something that many saw as possible just a few weeks ago. LA rebounded from its iffy series with the Thunder by completely annihilating Utah in four games. G Kobe Bryant has been the subject of a lot of criticism, but he has fired back with five straight fantastic games. Kobe has scored at least 30 in all five and has averaged 32.0 points per game in that stretch. If Bryant can continue his assault on the basket, things are going to be very, very difficult for a Phoenix team that knows that it must shut him down to succeed.

Odds to win 2010 NBA Championship @ Diamond Sportsbook (as of 5/15/10):
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Orlando Magic +120
Los Angeles Lakers +130
Boston Celtics +600
Phoenix Suns +625

Weekly Sports Betting Rap Sheet (4/19/10)

April 19th, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Head Columnist) | Posted in General Handicapping  

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It’s playoff time once again for the men of the hardwood and on the ice! Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re still taking our best shots at the teams, players, and situations that really cost us sports bettors in a big way in the week that was.

Rap Sheet Picture of the WeekMontreal e1271612615632 Weekly Sports Betting Rap Sheet (4/19/10)
Montreal Canadiens G Jaroslav Halak, who blew a three goal lead and gave up this game-winner 31 seconds into overtime.

All of the home teams in the NHL playoffs should be ashamed of themselves. Not a single one of the are hitting the road up two games this week. However, the team we really need to take a stab at right off the bat is the Montreal Canadiens. The rest of the NHL hates you right now, Montreal. After all, the Habs were up 1-0 in the series after stealing Game 1 at the Verizon Center, and they held a 4-1 lead following LW Andrei Kostitsyn’s third goal of the game with just over two minutes to play in the second period. G Jose Theodore had already been ran out of the game and replaced by G Semyon Varlamov, and the Habs looked primed to take a 2-0 lead back to the Great White North. Not so fast, my friends. They were outscored 4-1 during the next 20 minutes of hockey, and then just 31 ticks into the overtime, C Nicklas Backstrom connected for the game-winner, his third goal of the game. Enjoy being bounced from this series in five games, Montreal. You had your chance to slay the giants in the playoffs, and now you’re going to pay the ultimate price for not succeeding.

Give it up for Jason Marquis, ladies and gentlemen! The right-hander has been an absolutely abortion of a signing for the Nationals on the outset of this season, as he has given up at least six earned runs in each of his starts and is 0-3 to show for it. On Sunday though, he had one of the more embarrassing starts that any pitcher has seen in this ’10 MLB betting campaign. Marquis gave up a single to Rickie Weeks, a single to Craig Counsell, a single to Ryan Braun, plunked Prince Fielder, walked Casey McGehee, plunked Jim Edmonds, and gave up a single to Gregg Zaun, and was promptly removed without recording an out. Seven batters faced. Seven batters scored. Solid job, Marquis. Your numbers for the year now? 8.1 innings pitched, 18 hits, 20 runs (19 earned), 2 HRs, 7 walks, 3 plunks, 3 strikeouts, a WHIP of 2.88, a batting average against of .419, and an ERA of 20.52. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Hey, Kevin Garnett, you haven’t cost us any money yet, but we totally see this one coming. For whatever reason, you decided to elbow G Quentin Richardson in the face with 40 seconds to play in a game in which your Celtics stormed back from a 61-47 deficit halfway through the third quarter to win by nine. Now, the NBA’s sheriff, Commissioner David Stern, is inevitably going to suspend you for Game 2 of this series (if not longer). Isn’t your team already woeful enough at home with you in the lineup that you can’t afford to take yourself out of a playoff game for no good reason? C’mon KG, you’re better than this.

Crazy KG May Cost Celtics Series

April 18th, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Head Columnist) | Posted in NBA Basketball  

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JustBet 4681 Crazy KG May Cost Celtics Series

Bos Mia e1271620382514 Crazy KG May Cost Celtics SeriesRemember a few years ago when the Boston Celtics were considered the “feel good champs” in the NBA? After all, F Kevin Garnett finally got his ring after all of those years mired in one of basketball’s many purgatories with the Minnesota Timberwolves, F Paul Pierce was finally recognized as one of the true warriors in the game, G Ray Allen was now an East Coast hero after being a Seattle send off that almost always flew under the radar, and other role players like G Rajon Rondo and F Glen Davis were just generally loved.

Now, the C’s are nothing more than the bad boys of the NBA that we can’t wait to see get knocked out of the playoffs.

One thing is for certain, and that’s that this team is becoming a lot like the Detroit Pistons both of the Chuck Daly era and the Larry Brown era. This Boston squad isn’t afraid to bloody you up a bit and smack you right in the mouth to get their point across.

Unfortunately, KG took that mantra a wee bit too seriously on Saturday night.

KG Crazy KG May Cost Celtics Series

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with fifteen points and nine rebounds on Saturday, but
will the elbow he threw at Miami’s G Quentin Richardson cost Boston the series?

The term “flipping the switch” was heard in the Boston locker room for the entire second half of the season. The Celtics went 27-27 in their final 54 games of the year, which is hardly acceptable for a team that was the most feared in the NBA over the L/2 seasons. After falling behind 14 points halfway through the third quarter in their Game 1 of the NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat, the proverbial switch was flipped.

Boston was fantastic over the next 19 minutes of play, outscoring the Heat by a whopping 23 points in that stretch to win the game going away. The switch has been flipped.

However, that same switch might’ve been flipped for Miami as well, and it had nothing to do with the basketball going into the net.

Garnett threw an elbow at G Quentin Richardson with 40 seconds to play in the game that earned him a pair of technical fouls and an immediate ejection. Commissioner David Stern is likely to suspend Garnett for at least Game 2 on Tuesday night, if not Game 3 in Miami on Friday as well.

Richardson responded after the game by referring to both Garnett and Pierce as “actresses.”

One thing is for certain though, and that’s that Miami is going to be ready to go regardless of whether KG is a part of the action in Game 2 or not. The Heat were nearly 3-1 underdogs to win this series at the outset of it. All action is off the board at all of the sportsbooks due to the potentially pending suspension.

Regardless of what the odds say about this series, you can bet that Miami has already taken Boston’s best shot and will be ready to take aim at the second round of the playoffs.

Weekly Sports Betting Rap Sheet 4/12/10

April 12th, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Head Columnist) | Posted in General Handicapping  
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It was an awkward week of sports betting action, as the start of the baseball betting season continued to cross with red hot sporting events on the ice, hardwood, and links. Here’s what we’re ranting about this week at Bankroll Sports!

Rap Sheet Picture of the WeekLunqvist e1271029875758 Weekly Sports Betting Rap Sheet 4/12/10
New York Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist, who was the losing goalie in Sunday’s elimination game for the final slot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Tiger Woods is really getting under my skin right now, and for various reasons. Not only am I irked that the entire PGA Tour betting event this week at the Masters was covered by Tiger this and Tiger that, but I also hate how everyone said that Woods couldn’t figure out how to put this together after taking six months away from the Tour. He’s still Tiger Freaking Woods. No, Tiger didn’t win it on Sunday, but he sure had his dramatic moments to finish just a few shots behind and with yet another Top 10 finish in a major. That being said, I’m still ticked that everyone spent so much time talking about Tiger that there were two stories that just totally went under the radar. Good thing that Phil Mickelson won the event, or no one would’ve ever remembered the name of the winner. I mean really… why not just give Tiger the Green Jacket, too? After all, he was the center of this whole ordeal these past four days, right? And why no love for 16-year old Matteo Manassero, who made the cut and finished at +4 for the tournament? If this kid can finish +4 at the age of 16 and make the Masters cut, maybe there’s another Tiger Woods on our hands that we’ll be discussing in a few years.

A week into MLB betting action and we already have a little bit of history… and not the good kind either. How’s about allowing a whopping 13 runs in an inning? Nice job, Pittsburgh Pirates. The 13 run outburst featured eight hits, four walks, three homers (one of which was to Edwin Jackson, the pitcher, who spent the last couple seasons in the American League), a triple, and a tad bit of miserable fielding to boot. It took three pitchers to get through the frame for the Bucs, as Darren McCutchen, Hayden Penn, and Jack Taschner were all used and all touched up. If you’re interested, through one week of play, McCutchen has an ERA of 24.30 and Penn has one of 30.86. Stellar ball, guys. Stellar.

Let’s take a stab at the Boston Celtics as well. Just a week after watching the San Antonio Spurs get destroyed by the New Jersey Nets, the C’s pulled off one just as sharp. In the fight for the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, they were knocked off by the lowly Washington Wizards on their home court 106-96. Even more embarrassing was the fact that they put up 42 points in the 4th quarter and still were beaten and beaten badly. The Wiz outscored Boston 52-31 in a very uninspired first half of ball. Over their L/52 games, the Celtics are only 27-25 after starting 18 games over .500 over the first couple months of the year. That won’t cut it in the playoffs, that’s for sure.

Help on the Way for the Boston Celtics

March 3rd, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Head Columnist) | Posted in NBA Basketball  
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It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to cross the Beatles with the NBA, but as I was scrolling through the box scores and game recaps from Tuesday night’s games, I noticed that the Boston Celtics found a way to scrap out a ‘W’ to get back into the win column against the Detroit Pistons. F Paul Pierce was back in the lineup, and in spite of the fact that he only scored nine points in a rather dismal personal effort, I had to think to myself, “Hmm… I wonder if Pierce wasn’t there if the C’s would’ve won this game?”

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DOC RIVERS2 Help on the Way for the Boston CelticsLet’s face it. Things haven’t been going so well in Beantown of late for the champs of two years ago. Boston is still in third place in the Eastern Conference, but it seems to be lagging well behind the Orlandos and Clevelands of this world. The Celtics are only 16-11 on their home court, and a woeful 6-20-1 ATS in those 27 games to boot.

Heading into the game against New Jersey just three nights ago, HC Doc Rivers hung a new sign in the locker room: “INDIVIDUALS WIN GAMES BUT TEAMS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS.”

Nice motivation, Coach. All your team did that day was lose to arguably the worst team in the history of the NBA on your own home court 104-96.

Pierce was out of the lineup that day nursing his injured thumb.

Enter: The Beatles.

Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Help! You know I need someone… Help!

pierce e1267614765303 Help on the Way for the Boston CelticsHelp arrived at the Palace of Auburn Hills when Pierce came back into the lineup a game after his team suffered the ultimately embarrassment. No one else would do. It had to be Pierce, the only player on this team that has grown up in green, to provide the help.

Now, here’s the next question: Was this just an average win against a lousy club, or was that 105-100 win at Detroit the start of something really great for the Celtics?

Methinks it’s the latter.

Finally, Boston is on the verge of being completely healthy, something that it hasn’t really been in months. C Kendrick Perkins is the only snag right now, but his flu will go away eventually, and he’ll be just fine. But it’s been awhile since this entire team has come out on the same court unified as one. It may or may not happen at home on Wednesday night against the Bobcats, but assuming that nothing else goes wrong in that game, the C’s should be at full strength just in time for one of the easiest stretches of games left in the season.

The Celtics are about to embark on a five-game stretch in which they play the 76ers, Wizards, Bucks, Grizzlies, and Pacers.

When together, it’s pretty clear that Boston should have one of the best teams in the NBA. Just throwing three future Hall of Famers in G Ray Allen, F Kevin Garnett, and the aforementioned Pierce on the court at the same time is awfully impressive. Throw in one of the NBA’s best point guards in Rajon Rondo and a bench that prides itself on defense, and the recipe is right for a championship.

Rivers is right about one thing: Teams win championships.

However, what he failed to mention is that every single individual has to be giving his all to the team for the team to function.

Everyone may be leaving them for dead, but now that the Boston Celtics are back at full strength, the championship could once again be within their reach.