SB Nation Boston - Celtics 81, Raptors 73: Rajon Rondo, C's Top Toronto In Preseason Finale

Celtics Overtime: Rajon Rondo's Improving Shot And The Stiemroller

2011-12-22T12:01:31Z

Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing extra news, notes and analysis from each game. On Wednesday, the Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors, 81-73, in an exhibition.

What a long preseason, huh? Two games and we're already done. Due to the limited amount of time we had to see players in action, it's tough to judge the level of play that we saw from the 17 players on the Celtics' roster. Alas, we can only go with what we were given, and there certainly were players who stuck out.

Rajon Rondo Is His Same Old Flashy Self (Plus More?)

What's gotten into Rajon Rondo? The Celtics' flashy point guard was at his usual tricks again on Wednesday night, dishing out pretty passes here and there to impress the crowd. He did something else, too -- he made his jumpers. I know, shocking. Rondo finished the game 6-of-10 from the field with a team-high 17 points. Is this a new trend? Probably not, considering he did so against the Raptors. However, you have to think that Rondo has been putting time into his shot. If not, that would be irresponsible. If Rondo does develop a consistent jumper, he will finally reach superstar status.

Jermaine O'Neal, Brandon Bass Making Strong Impressions

If anyone had said that Jermaine O'Neal would be one of the best looking Celtics through this stage of the preseason, I'm pretty sure we'd have laughed at the notion. I know I certainly would have. Nevertheless, O'Neal has been nothing but consistent through this stage of the preseason and training camp. On Wednesday night, O'Neal had four blocks in 12 minutes before being lifted in favor of Greg Stiemsma and Chris Wilcox. O'Neal also had eight points, two blocks and three rebounds in the team's preseason opener against Toronto on Sunday. As Doc Rivers said, JO is the camp MVP.

Brandon Bass has also been extremely impressive in the three games that fans and the media have seen in the past week. Bass scored 13 points in the Celtics' open scrimmage and followed it up with a solid performance on Sunday (nine points, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks). On Wednesday, Bass finished with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Bass brings a unique skill set to the Celtics -- he's a big man who has legitimate range. He's just as comfortable taking a mid-range jumper as he is taking the ball to the basket. That will come in handy for the Celtics this season off the bench.

Greg Stiemsma Proves Enough To Stick Around (For Now)

Greg Stiemsma has certainly been a pleasant surprise so far. The C's camp invitee (who played in the NBA D-League last season) scored the game-winning basket with 12 seconds left on Sunday and had seven points and a pair of blocks for the Celtics on Wednesday. Now, again, we've only seen a small sample size from Stiemsma, but it's been solid. Stiemsma certainly has done enough to keep himself around on the roster, at least for now. He likely won't be cut before the start of the season, but don't expect him to stick around all season unless he makes the best of the minutes he gets.

Bottom Line: Two games, two wins and plenty of bright spots. The Celtics have a good amount of talent on their team, but getting everyone to click and play at their fullest potential is the tricky part. If the C's can reach that potential, they could have something really good going for them. If they can't, then there isn't much hope of winning a title this season.

Next Up: This time, it's for real. With the preseason now in the rear-view mirror, the Celtics turn their attention to the season opener against the New York Knicks at noon EDT on Christmas Day in New York City (TV/Radio: TNT/WEEI).

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

Celtics Vs. Raptors Final Score: Boston Coasts Past Toronto, 81-73

2011-12-22T03:04:04Z

BOSTON - Rajon Rondo's solid shooting helped the Boston Celtics take control of the game early, and the C's cruised to an 81-73 win over the Toronto Raptors in the preseason finale for both teams on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

"The starting lineup looked great today," said Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "Their speed, offensively they had it rolling. Defensively they were terrific. We turn the ball over too much, even with our starters. When you score 47 points and you shoot 53 percent but you have 10 turnovers and nine turnovers, you've taken away the chance to have a 60-point have because of your turnovers. That was the only thing we didn't like."

Rondo, who finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, helped get the C's off to an 8-0 run at the start of the game. Boston never looked back, building a 33-20 lead by the six minute mark of the first quarter. Boston closed out the half on an 11-11 run to take a 47-31 lead into the break. Rondo scored 15 of his points in the first half and Greg Stiemsma scored seven.

"He played great. It was good to see," Rivers said about Stiemsma. "It was nice because we played him with some of the starters, which we were trying to do. He can block shots, he can run the floor, he can make the shot from the elbow. That was great when he just jacked it. That was what we wanted him to do. It was a good showing by him."

Toronto whittled down Boston's lead to three, 53-50, with 2:32 to go in the third quarter courtesy of a 19-6 run, but the C's were able to withstand the barrage and build a 67-53 lead by the end of the quarter. Despite being outscored 20-14 in the fourth quarter, Boston was able to regain control and coasted to the win.

Jermaine O'Neal recorded four blocks and had two rebounds in 12 minutes. Brandon Bass finished with 12 points and E'TWaun Moore added 11 points off the bench for Boston, which made 27-of-69 field goals in the win. The Celtics finished with 20 turnovers and 16 assists to go along with nine blocks.

"He was great," Rivers said about O'Neal. "I told Jermaine before the game that we were going to play Greg a lot, we were going to try to get [Chris] Wilcox in one little stretch in the second half. I told him he wasn't going to play a lot, but he's been great."

Boston opens the regular season on Christmas Day against the Knicks in New York City. Meanwhile, Toronto will start its 2011-12 campaign against the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 26.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

Celtics Vs. Raptors Score Update: Boston Leads, 47-31, At Halftime

2011-12-22T01:43:12Z

BOSTON - Rajon Rondo led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting as the Boston Celtics took a 47-31 lead over the Toronto Raptors into halftime in both team's preseason finale on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Rondo's hot shooting paced a Celtics offensive attack that buried 19-of-36 field goals in the first period to shoot 52.8 percent. Toronto shot 29.3 percent on 12-for-41 shooting in the opening half.

Greg Stiemsma, who is playing for his shot at making the cut for the Celtics' roster, had an impressive first half, scoring seven points in 12 minutes. Jermaine O'Neal also had a productive half, registering two blocks and two rebounds.

DeMar Derozan scored 10 points and Andrea Bargnani added eight points and two rebounds for Toronto. Jose Calderon added five points off the bench and both Ed Davis and Amir Johnson scored two points apiece.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

Celtics Vs. Raptors: TV/Radio Schedule, Time, History And More

2011-12-21T20:20:28Z

Brandon Bass and the Boston Celtics host the Toronto Raptors in their preseason finale on Wednesday evening at TD Garden in Boston, MA. Boston beat Toronto, 76-75, on Sunday.

Event: Toronto Raptors (0-1) vs. Boston Celtics (1-0).

Date/Time: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 - 7:30 p.m. EDT.

Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 18,624), Boston, MA.

Broadcast Info: Wednesday night's preseason game between the Celtics and Raptors will be televised on Comcast SportsNet New England, with Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn and Greg Dickerson serving as the broadcast team. The game will also be aired on the radio on the WEEI Sports Radio Network (93.7 FM/850 AM), with Sean Grande and Cedric maxwell calling all of the action.

Odds: There isn't a line on this game, but the Celtics are normally favored over Toronto.

Boston In 2010-11: Boston finished with a 56-26 record and were first in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division, going 13-3 against divisional opponents. The Celtics breezed past the New York Knicks in a four-game sweep in the opening round of the playoffs, but the Miami Heat proved to be too much for the old and injured Celtics to handle.

Toronto In 2010-11: The Raptors were among the worst teams in the NBA last season, finishing with a 22-60 record and finished fifth (dead last) in the Atlantic Division, going 5-11 against teams in their own division.

Celtics Roster: Guards -Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling, Gilbert Brown (G-F), Marquis Daniels (G-F), E'Twaun Moore. Forwards - Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett, JaJuan Johnson, Paul Pierce (F-G), Michael Sweetney, Sasha Pavlovic (F-G). Centers - Jermaine O'Neal (C-F), Jamal Sampson (C-F), Greg Stiemsma.

Raptors Roster: Guards - Leandro Barbosa, Jerryd Bayless, Jose Calderon, Anthony Carter, DeMar DeRozan (G-F). Forwards - Rasual Butler, Ed Davis, Gary Forbes, Amir Johnson, James Johnson, Linas Kleiza (F-G). Centers - Solomon Alabi, Andrea Bargnani(C-F), Aaron Gray, Jamaal Magloire.

Last Time Out: Greg Stiemsma hit the game-winning bucket with 12 seconds remaining to lead the Celtics to a 76-75 win over the Raptors on Sunday in the preseason opener for both teams. Ray Allen scored 12 points, Marquis Daniels added 11 points and Kevin Garnett finished with nine points and seven rebounds to pace Boston. Andrea Bargnani led all scorers with 16 points and nine rebounds and DeMar DeRozan added 14 points for Toronto.

Storyline: Once again, the score is meaningless Wednesday night when the C's and Raptors meet in the last preseason game. For Doc Rivers and the Celtics, this will be the final chance to see which back-end players can make the roster, with Greg Stiemsma, Gilbert Brown, Michael Sweetney and Jamal Sampson all likely on the chopping block. As of now, it would seem like Stiemsma and Brown are safe, but tonight's game could go a long ways towards deciding who stays and who goes. Expect to see some time for the starters - minus Paul Pierce - but not too many minutes.

Prediction: As far as a score is concerned (and again, it really doesn't matter), this game will likely be close -- seeing how Sunday's game was close, too. I'll give the Celtics a slight edge. Final Score: Celtics 81, Raptors 76.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

Celtics Vs. Raptors: Boston Hosts Toronto In Preseason Finale

2011-12-21T12:01:17Z

Brandon Bass and the Boston Celtics host Andrea Bargnani and the Toronto Raptors in the preseason finale for both teams at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston, MA (TV/Radio: CSNNE/WEEI).

Boston (1-0) is coming off a 76-75 win over Toronto (0-1) on Sunday. Greg Stiemsma scored the game-winning basket with 12 seconds remaining in the game while Ray Allen (12 points) and Marquis Daniel (11 points) chipped in on offense.

Kevin Garnett (seven rebounds) and Bass (five rebounds, three steals, two blocks) both scored nine points, Jermaine O'Neal added eight points and Chris Wilcox finished with seven points and five rebounds in the win for Boston, which made 28-of-71 baskets (39.4 percent).

Bargnani led all scorers with 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds and DeMar DeRozan had 14 points for the Raptors, who shot 38.4 percent (28-for-73). Jerryd Bayless scored 10 points and Ed Davis finished with 10 points and 10 boards.

Paul Pierce will not play in the game and is expected to be out until the end of the week, according to Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. Pierce's status for the season opener against the New York Knicks is also in doubt.

Boston travels to New York for their regular season opener on Christmas Day while Toronto will open the lockout-shortened season against the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 26.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

No Paul Pierce? Big, Big Problem For Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics

2011-12-21T12:00:39Z

Paul Pierce is the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics, and there's really no arguing that point. Kevin Garnett may be the heart and soul of the defense and Ray Allen is the shooter with the rubber arm, but Pierce is the glue that holds everything together. Without Pierce, the Celtics just aren't as big of a threat.

Unfortunately, that's a scenario the coach Doc Rivers and the Celtics may be facing.

Pierce suffered from a bruised right heel during the team's training camp and has missed nearly all of camp, as well as the team's open scrimmage at TD Garden on Friday night and the preseason opener against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

"I'm concerned, not long-term, but I'm concerned short-term," said Rivers (via WEEI). "We have those two games right off the bat and he's gone one practice and that's basically it. So, yeah I'm concerned about it."

Pierce will not play in the Celtics' preseason finale and may be out until Friday. Pierce worked out really hard on Monday and was very sore afterwards, according to Rivers, and the C's captains status could be in jeopardy or the season opener.

No Pierce for one game certainly hurts, but what if it's more serious than we think?

As we've already established, Pierce is a very important member of this team. For the past decade, he's been the team's leading scorer and has a chance to finish his career with the most points in franchise history. Think about that -- this is a franchise that has had players like John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Bill Russell and so many more.

Even through the Celtics' resurgence to the top of the Eastern Conference and the league, Pierce has been at the forefront. In 2008, he was the MVP of the NBA Finals, and almost led the C's to another title two years later.

Without Pierce, the Celtics could easily slip to the middle of the pack in the East.

Make no mistake, the Celtics can still (and should easily) make the playoffs is Pierce was to miss a significant portion of time this season. However, upon reaching that point, there wouldn't be much hope for moving on. Think Boston can get past the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls or even the Atlanta Hawks or Orlando Magic without The Truth? Not likely.

Right now, it doesn't appear that the injury to Pierce is a serious one. However, the injury has seemed to drag out longer than expected, which does nothing but create concern. The last time the C's had an injury stretch out this long was Jeff Green, and he is missing the entire season with an aortic aneurysm.

For the record, I am in no way saying that Pierce's injury is even close to Green's, but teams do keep the real news about injuries under wraps for as long as possible. The longer this goes without a definitive end date, the more worrisome it becomes.

For now, it appears that Pierce will be out for a couple more days. If that's truly the case, then all should be well (until the next injury comes around). If it's not, the Celtics are in big, big trouble.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

Poll

Can The Boston Celtics Be Competitive Without Paul Pierce?

Yes.

66 votes

No.

113 votes

179 votes | Poll has closed

Celtics Vs. Raptors: Paul Pierce Out For Celtics Preseason Finale

2011-12-20T21:45:51Z

Paul Pierce will not play in the Boston Celtics' preseason finale against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday evening at TD Garden, according to head coach Doc Rivers who told reporters on Tuesday that he was concerned about Pierce's health.

"I'm concerned, not long-term, but I'm concerned short-term," Rivers told reporters (via WEEI). "We have those two games right off the bat and he's gone one practice and that's basically it. So, yeah I'm concerned about it."

Pierce has been suffering from a bruised right heel that has kept him out of the majority of training camp practices, the team's open scrimmage and the preseason opener against the Raptors on Sunday. Pierce is entering his 14th season in the NBA, all with the Celtics, and has scored 21,410 points and collected 5,847 rebounds and 3,661 assists in 964 career games.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

Kevin Garnett Taunting (In Preseason)

2011-12-19T17:13:42Z

Kevin Garnett is a fiery guy. As Celtics fans, we've known this for quite some time. He's the heart and soul of the C's defense, and the entire team for that matter. He brings the intensity and energy, regardless of circumstance. For example, here's KG taunting Toronto Raptors forward/center Andrea Bargnani. Nothing wrong with that, right? Well, no, but it was in a preseason game. Watch.

Love the fire, KG. Absolutely love it.

It's certainly a good thing that Garnett - who finished with nine points and seven rebounds in the Celtics' 76-75 win over the Raptors in their preseason opener - is getting up for games. Maybe tone it down a bit, though, KG? Getting pumped for things is great, but it also drains energy, and KG certainly doesn't have as much energy as he did at one point. For the regular season games, sure -- bring everything you have. Now, though, maybe tone it down a little bit? We need you out there when the games count for real!

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.