Look beyond the sterling 9-2 record and watch the ebb and flow of the games played and you know there’s something amiss with the Celtics.  The defense that we know and love appears to be there for the most part, as the team is near the top in defensive field goal percentage (1st at 39.6%) and points allowed (3rd at 89.7 pts/g) just like last year.  But what appears to be lacking most is the offensive punch the team had last year.  The Celtics are only scoring 93.5 pts/g compared to 102.9 pts/g thus far last year – a whopping 9 point difference.  So instead of leading the league with a whopping 14 point scoring differential last year, they have a less impressive 4 point average margin of victory.  And you were wondering why your nails are shorter this November than they were last November?

So since this is Boston and we fans are more often inconsolable than not, we ask the tough questions.  What’s up with the downturn in the offense?  Is it the bench?  Do they miss James Posey?  Did they need to go back to Rome for training camp?  You expect me to know the answers to these hypothetical questions?  Well I’ll try. . . .

In this week’s edition of "Celtics Now" presented by Arbella Insurance, host Michael Holley brings you a very entertaining edition of "Holleywould". Subjects include making Rajon Rondo’s wrap around move mandatory, and Leon Powe playing a role on Michael’s NBA team anyday.

Also, check out these videos from this week’s edition of "Celtics Now" presented by Arbella Insurance.

Doc Rivers Mic’d Up at Practice

The Shamrock Golf Classic - Big Baby, Dickerson and Tanguay attempt to golf

Online Media Pass - A fan asks Eddie House this week’s question

Panel Discussion Part 1 - Guests Cedric Maxwell, Marc Spears and superfan Marty Joyce discuss Doc Rivers standing as a head coach in the league

Panel Discussion Part 2 - Guests Cedric Maxwell, Marc Spears and superfan Marty Joyce discuss the NBA All-Star Game

Send me your emails by clicking here and I will do my best to give you an answer!

Here is the 1st edition of the mailbag this season…

Mike, how long do you think it’ll take Rajon Rondo to be an All-Star in this league? He, in my personal opinion, is already a Top 5 point guard.

Mike: Could be awhile but I believe he is on the right track….Rajon has unique talents that ultimately will be recognized

Derek Rivera
Randolph , MA

Mike: Hope not…..don’t need to mess with the great chemistry that already exists on this team. 

Mike: Thanks ……they should hold up pretty well…..each is getting better by the week….the Celtics could ultimately add a PJ Brown type just to get a little more size….but Leon and Glen will do just fine in the interim.

It’s Game Night on The Dino Radja Experience!

In our latest episode Nick Altschuller and I take in an evening at the Garden and wax philosophical on an award-winning range of topics, such as:

***Paul Pierce’s Legacy 

***Peter Griffin’s beard

***Grande and Max’s new seats

 

and…

***That one really, really tall Celtics Dancer (who Nick may or may not have been previously accused of stalking)

We also go over some listener emails and anticipate the possibility of the greatest guest to ever grace out puny air waves.

Have a listen, and as always, send us feedback at dinoradjaexperience@gmail.com

The Dino Radja Experience: A weekly tribute to the Croatian legend and the team he left behind.

 

 The Dino Radja Experience: 11/12 [20:01m]: Play Now | Download

The Games

Monday, November 10 vs. Toronto

What It means: That we better hope the C’s didn’t burn themselves out at the Palace, because the Raptors will be hyped. But while Toronto certainly represents a tough division foe, I’m not sold on their long term success. The Raptors play zero defense (not surprising given their roster) and if the threes aren’t falling, Tom Thibodeau will have Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal in a pair of seven-foot straight jackets. 

Player to Watch: Jose Calderon

It’s very rare that you’ll ever hear say or write something negative about Rajon Rondo. In fact, it hurts my insides to even think anything negative about No. 9. That being said, if I could choose one Eastern Conference PG (not counting AI) to play for me this season, it would be Jose Calderon.

Now, in order to make myself feel a little better, I will point out that Jose just turned 27, and Rajon won’t be 23 until February. Ahhh, feels good.

Match-Up To Watch: Kevin Garnett vs. Chris Bosh

Although he certainly has a way to go in terms of intensity, Chris Bosh is the Kevin Garnett of this next generation of NBA Superstars.

Fun Fact: (Or maybe not so fun) In 13 career games against the Raptors, Kendrick Perkins has never scored more than six points or grabbed more than seven rebounds.

According to Scott Miller of CBS Sportsline, the Red Sox have been kicking the tires on Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis, possibly in hopes of acquiring the lefty veteran for Julio Lugo. Honestly, the thought of Willis pitching in Fenway gives me cold sweats. He’d probably be the anti-Lester, coughing up home runs like Bert Blyleven. But the prospect of dumping Lugo (who has no upside) for Willis, who does, still sounds intriguing.

Mind you, Willis had an ERA of 9.38 in 8 starts for Detroit last year, and a 5.17 ERA for the Marlins in 2007. So he seems to be trending downward. But he’s only 26 years old. He was sent to the minors last season, basically to re-learn how to pitch. If the Red Sox like his raw skills (and think they can turn him back into the pitcher who won 22 games in 2005), then why not trade him for Lugo?

With the emergence of Jed Lowrie, Manny’s pet is now expendable. The salaries of the two players are more or less commensurate: Lugo is owed $18.5 million over the next two years; Willis, $22 million.

Sure, that’s a difference of $3.5 million. But if I had that kind of scratch, I’d definitely spend it to be rid of Julio Lugo and obtain Willis. I mean, if you’re gonna be stuck with a salary, wouldn’t you rather it be a young left-handed starting pitcher than a no-field, no-hit shortstop?

Exhibit A:

November 15, 2002—Paul Pierce shoots 4 for 20 from the field and scores only nine points in a 97-86 loss to the Mavericks.

Exhibit B:

April 1, 2002—Pedro Martinez lasts only three innings and gives up nine runs to the Blue Jays in a 12-11 Red Sox loss.

Exhibit C:

September 7, 2003—Tom Brady throws for 123 yards, four interceptions and zero touchdowns in a 31-0 loss to Buffalo.

Exhibit D:

November 2, 2008—Rich Levine embarrasses his employers, family and self by going 2-12 on his NFL picks. 

I haven’t been able to look in the mirror all week. Instead, I’ve been scouring the web and watching more NFL Network than I did the Spice Channel in seventh grade. The time is now. On to the picks:

(All picks are made against the spread)

New Orleans at Atlanta (-1)

Atlanta comes into this game at a surprising 5-3, although three of those five wins came against the lowly Chiefs, Raiders and Lions. When asked to comment, Falcons coach Mike Smith said, "Hey, Shhhhh." Pick: Falcons

St. Louis at NY Jets (-9)

Jim Haslett said on Wednesday that Brett Favre might be the best player to ever play the game. After reading the quote, John Madden slipped the newspaper under his pillow, sighed contently and said, "Well, looks like someone’s spank bank’s full for the next couple months. Pick: Jets

Tennessee (-3) at Chicago

In this story posted on Sportsline, Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman discusses the team’s approach to the free-agent market. The Yankees, who refused to include Philip Hughes in a trade for Johan Santana last year, haven’t won a World Series since 2000, and now sound rather desperate to attract interest from marquee players.

Regarding his strategy, whether he’ll identify a clear No. 1 pitching priority on the free-agent market such as (CC) Sabathia and concentrate on him first, or whether he’ll cast a wide net and pursue many pitching fronts at once, Cashman said: "I’ll go after them all and see who comes after us. We’re going to be on the board on pitchers and position players. We’re going to show a lot of love and see who loves us back."

Aww, that’s sweet. I’m rich enough, demanding enough, profligate enough, delusional enough…and I need pitchers and hitters who don’t suck in the clutch and won’t choke under the glare of the NYC media, because we have a new billion-dollar stadium underwritten by the taxpayers, many of whom are now unemployed… and gosh darn it, I hope people like me.

Al Franken, locked in a senatorial recount in Minnesota, must be proud the Yankees’ general manager is channeling his old Saturday Night Live character Stuart Smalley.

Cam Martin also writes for CBS Sportsline and BugsandCranks.com.

Time to introduce a new segment here at Standing Room Only—Boston Celtics: The Week Ahead.

Actually, that not only introduces it, but explains it all the same. Let’s move on.  

The Games:

Tuesday, Nov. 4 @Houston

What It Means: Well, it should have meant, "The Celtics first tough road game of the season," but they don’t get much tougher—at least I hope—than that mess against the Pacers. So instead, this one just represents another big early-season test for the World Champs. 

Player to Watch: Aaron Brooks

The Celtics biggest weakness just happens to be one the Rockets’ strength—depth at point guard. Rafer Alston will get the start, but Brooks will have more of an impact—especially if Eddie House is the only thing standing between him and the hoop. He’s got Boobie Gibson’s range with Delonte’s "get to the hoop" determination. He’s also the nephew of former Expos OF/SS Hubie Brooks. 

OK, I made that last one up, but totally believable, right?

Match-up to Watch: Paul Pierce vs. Ron Artest 

I love watching Pierce face off against greats like Kobe, Lebron and DWade, but I’ll take a Pierce/Artest battle over those guys any day.  There was a time when I had big plans for this rivalry—didn’t we all? They were on the perfect teams. They were at the perfect points in their careers. They perfectly complimented each other’s games. And then… the Celtics started sucking, Artest started punching people in the face and the rivalry was over. Tear.

The New England Patriots traveled to Indianapolis to take on the struggling Cotls on Sunday night.  After fighting throuhg a tough game, to tie things up at 15 all, New England succumbed to a late Adam Vinatieri field goal which lifted the Colts to the win.

Here are some notes from the game courtesy Patriots Media Relations:

PATRIOTS OWN BEST 100-GAME STRETCH IN NFL HISTORY
Entering tonight’s game, the Patriots had won 82 of their last 100 games (including playoffs). New England’s 81-18 record in those 100 games was the best record by any team over any 100-game stretch in NFL history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Three teams (Green Bay, Pittsburgh and San Francisco) are tied for the second best 100-game stretch, with each having gone 79-21 over various 100-game spans. The Patriots’ most recent 100-game stretch leading into tonight’s game began with a 31-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 14, 2003.

WELKER TIES RECORD FOR MOST GAMES WITH SIX OR MORE CATCHES TO OPEN SEASON
On a 10-yard reception in the fourth quarter - his sixth catch of the game - Wes Welker tied the NFL record for most games with six or more receptions to begin a season. Welker has had six or more receptions in each of the Patriots’ eight games this season and ties the NFL record established by Jacksonville’s Jimmy Smith in 2001.

The Dino Radja Experience: A weekly tribute to the Croatian legend and the team he left behind .

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 The Dino Radja Experience: 10/31 [17:59m]: Play Now | Download

One game in the books, and a couple reactionary thoughts to go with it… 

***Was I the only one crying along with the Truth last night as he grabbed the trophy from Hondo, Tommy and the Cooz? What a moment. It was an emotional night for Paul, and he showed once again why he’s the Celtics on court MVP. But going forward, maybe it’s not a great idea to trade technical fouls with guys like Sasha Pavlovic. Lebron? Sure, but not Sasha. It’s not worth it. It’s a win for the Cavs. To Pierce’s credit, the skirmish seemed to take Pavlovic completely out of his game, but like I said, it’s Sasha! He’ll be on the bench in five minutes anyway.

***Would it be too weird if Rajon Rondo started wearing football pads under his uniform? Or how about a set of his old rollerskating pads? Listen, I don’t know why he has to crumbled to the ground so dramatically when he gets bumped. I don’t know why, in turn, it then takes him at least five seconds to get back on his feet. All I know is that every time this happens, it takes at least five years off my life. At this rate, I’ll be dead by Christmas. But on another note, Rajon finished the game with an impressive 15 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, and at the same time wasn’t nearly as effective as he’s capable of. Do we really have to wait until this summer to give him that long term extension? How about we just do it now. Right now. Danny, stop whatever you’re doing and get it done. I know he’s not eligible yet. I don’t care. Get a verbal agreement. It would be nice to be able to extend my Rondo fantasies out into 2015. 

Comcast SportsNet.com and Wicked Good Sports bring you our 17th annual NBA Preview from our Celtics broadcast and online team. These previews are much more fun when your team is the clear favorite across the board.

2008/09 NBA PREDICTIONS
Eastern Conference Finals	Boston vs Cleveland	Boston vs Philadelphia	Boston vs Toronto
Western Conference Finals	Portland vs LA Lakers	Utah vs LA Lakers	Utah vs LA Lakers
NBA Finals	Boston beats LA Lakers	Boston beats Utah	Boston beats LA Lakers
NBA MVP	LeBron James	Kevin Garnett	Kobe Bryant
NBA Coach of Year	Doc Rivers	Mo Cheeks	Nate McMillan
NBA Rookie of the Year	Greg Oden	Greg Oden	Michael Beasley
Celtics MVP	Kevin Garnett	Paul Pierce	Kevin Garnett
Celtics Most Improved	Tony Allen	Gabe Pruitt	Leon Powe
Eastern Conference Finals	Boston vs Toronto	Boston vs Orlando	Boston vs Cleveland
Western Conference Finals	Portland vs LA Lakers	New Orleans vs LA Lakers	New Orleans vs LA Lakers
NBA Finals	Boston beats LA Lakers	Boston beats LA Lakers	Boston beats LA Lakers
NBA MVP	Kevin Garnett	Chris Paul	Chris Paul
NBA Coach of Year	Doc Rivers	Maurice Cheeks	Jerry Sloan
NBA Rookie of the Year	Greg Oden	Greg Oden	OJ Mayo
Celtics MVP	Paul Pierce	Rajon Rondo	Paul Pierce

Last year it was all about 17, but this time around, 18 is king. Think about it. 18 banners. 18 years since the end of the last dynasty. 18 chipmunks twirlin’ on a branch, eatin’ lots of sunflowers on my uncle’s ranch (You know that old children’s tale from the sea?). 18’s what we’re all striving for. That’s the goal. Nothing else will do. So with that in mind, an 18-themed NBA Preview.

(Today is Part 1—All Celtics, all the time. Tomorrow we’ll take a quick look at the rest of the league, and then more about the C’s.)

Part 1: 18 Reasons the Celtics Will Repeat