Patriots Escape in Buffalo

Danny Amendola did his best to make Patriot fans forget about Wes Welker as he hauled in 10 catches for 104 yards in the Patriots 23-21 win over Buffalo on Sunday. Credit: Boston.com

It wasn’t their best game by any means, but the Patriots were still able to find a way to win as they escape Buffalo with a 23-21 victory over the Bills.

Despite star quarterback Tom Brady being off for much of the game seeming quite skirmish in the pocket and having trouble hitting his receivers in stride, the Patriots were able to jump out to a 10-0 lead.

Momentum shifted however in the 2nd quarter when running back Stevan Ridley fell and fumbled the football in Buffalo territory. The fumble was picked up and returned all the way back 74 yards for a touchdown by Buffalo’s Da’Norris Searcy.

The defensive score put the Bills on the board and gave them momentum which had been lacking due to their stagnant offense.

The Patriots went back up 10 after a touchdown pass from Brady to wide receiver Julian Edelman gave the Patriots a 17-7 lead. However, the Bills scored just before the end of the half to make it 17-14 after a Brady interception intended for rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld gave the Bills offense a short field.

The Bills offense shows its first sign of being able to move the ball when they march 80 yards down the field on the first drive of the second half for a touchdown to take their first lead of the game 21-17.

The Patriots offense continued to struggle with them failing to convert to score a touchdown on a fourth and one from the Bills one yard line.

The Patriots were able to come with in one after a 33 yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski with 10:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots defense continued to hold its own against the Bills offense and were able to get the ball back with 4:31 remaining in the game. Brady relied on three receivers during the final drive, relying on wide receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, and running back Shane Vereen.

Vereen who took over the bulk of the carries after Ridley fumbled the ball back in the second quarter, rushed for his first career 100+ yards rushing game.

Amendola meanwhile was making New England fans forget about Wes Welker as he continued to come up with clutch receptions on third down especially on the final drive. In total, Amendola made 10 receptions for 104 yards.

Edelman contributed with two touchdown catches and seven total receptions for 79 yards. Easily his best game as a Patriot.

Gostkowski capped off the comeback by kicking a 35 yard field goal to give the Patriots the 23-21 victory.

Overall, the offense still has a lot of work to do. Ridley has to hold on to the football and not fumble the ball. Undrafted rookie free agent Kenbrell Thomkins has to get back on the same page as Brady.

The bright spots on the offensive side of the ball? Amendola had a great Patriots debut making Pats fans forget about Welker as mentioned earlier. Shane Vereen stepped up in the backfield and Edelman caught two touchdown passes.

The defense also played very well holding the Bills to only 286 yards of total offense and giving up only 14 points on defense. Kyle Arrington also forced a fumble of CJ Spiller giving the Patriots offense a short field. The Bills offense also struggled moving the ball all game only having one lengthy drive.

While the Patriots still have a lot of work to do, it is encouraging to see the defense play well and Amendola having a big Patriots debut.

The Pats have a short week this week as they will host the Jets Thursday night in the home opener.

The Best Deal That Never Happened

Rodriguez and Ortiz nearly became teammates back in 2003

As Alex Rodriguez continues to appeal his 211 game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis steroid scandal, and tries to cover himself up while ratting out others, including a teammate, it reminds me how glad I am that the Boston Red Sox never completed that trade for Rodriguez back in December 2003.

It also makes me wonder how different things would have been for the Red Sox had the A-Rod deal gone through.

On Dec. 18, 2003, the Red Sox announced that their blockbuster deal with the Texas Rangers to send then-Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez to Texas in exchange for Alex Rodriguez was dead. Then, almost two months to the day that the proposed trade to the Red Sox fell through, commissioner Bud Selig approved a trade that sent Rodriguez to the New York Yankees in exchange for second baseman Alfonso Soriano, who went to Texas.

But let’s say that the deal wasn’t dead and that the trade had gone through. The Red Sox would have subsequently traded shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to Chicago in exchange for outfielder Magglio Ordonez.

Had the trade between the Red Sox and the Rangers gone through, the Opening Day line up for the 2004 Boston Red Sox might have looked like this:
1. Johnny Damon CF
2. Bill Mueller 3B
3. Magglio Ordonez LF
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. David Ortiz DH
6. Kevin Millar 1B
7. Gabe Kapler RF
8. Jason Varitek C
9. Mark Bellhorn 2B

There would have been no trade for Orlando Cabrera or Doug Mientkiewicz, who both turned out to be key additions to the Red Sox World Series championship team.

There wouldn’t have been the benches clearing brawl between the Red Sox and Yankees that was capped by a walk-off home run from Bill Mueller off of Mariano Rivera back on July 24 of that year. Maybe the Red Sox wouldn’t have needed a dramatic walk-off home run or maybe they don’t come back to win the game at all.

Had the trade gone down like it should have, the greatest comeback/biggest choke in sports history wouldn’t have happened. Maybe the Red Sox don’t win the World Series and would still be trying to end what would now be a 95-year-old curse.

This is all of course just speculation. We would never know what actually would have happened over the course of the 2004 season and the seasons that followed had A-Rod gone to the Red Sox.

We would know however that, had the trade had happened like it was supposed to, the Red Sox would be in the same position that the Yankees are in now. Handicapped by a massive and bad A-Rod contract, while at the same time wanting A-Rod to go away as soon as possible.

Do you think Johnny Gomes and John Lackey would have said the same thing about A-Rod appealing his 211 game suspension had they been on the same team? Probably not.

Instead of the Yankees having to deal with the steroid and Biogenesis questions surrounding the circus and pariah that is Alex Rodriguez, it would have been the Red Sox.

As it turns out, the Alex Rodriguez trade was the best deal that never happened for the Red Sox.

The Evolution of the Patriots offense

Expect Stevan Ridley and the rest of the Patriots running back corps to have a bigger role in the offense this season.

With all five of the New England Patriots leading receivers from last year either gone or missing part of the season due to injury (tight end Rob Gronkowski), Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will have to revamp the Patriots’ offense once again.

When Brady took over as the team’s starter in 2001 after starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured by a vicious hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, the Patriots were a balanced offense leaning more on the run.

That year Antowaine Smith (hardly a household name) was the Patriots’ leading rusher with 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns on a unit that ranked 13th in the NFL. That may not sound like much, but back in 2001, the Patriots didn’t have the high-flying offense that they have had the past five seasons; it was a much more balanced attack with the pass and run. In fact, New England’s passing offense that year ranked 22nd in the league.

Over the years, Belichick has tweaked and evolved the offense into the high-flying, explosive attack that they have had since the 2007 season. It has gone from a balanced rushing and passing attack to a pass-happy offense putting up 35 points per game.

But now, with leading receiver Wes Welker, plus Brandon Lloyd, Danny Woodhead, and Aaron Hernandez no longer on the roster and star tight end Rob Gronkowski likely to miss at least the first four games of the season, the Patriots pretty much have to rebuild their offense from scratch.

As of right now, New England is projected to start three rookie wide receivers in Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce, and Kenbrell Thompkins alongside Danny Amendola in the slot.

Dobson, the Patriots’ second round draft pick, is as good as advertised. He is big and strong, and throughout camp has been winning the jump ball situations, making some ridiculous catches. The only knock on him is that he struggles to gain separation from defenders, but when the ball is thrown to him, he will get up there and get it. He is a mix of Brandon Lloyd and Randy Moss — slower than Moss but bigger and stronger than Lloyd — and is quickly gaining confidence from Brady.

Speaking of Randy Moss, Dobson may be the best reciever to come out of Marshall since Moss himself.

Moving on to the tight end position, what was thought to be a strength coming into the offseason has suddenly turned into a position of need. Even without Gronk for the start of the season, it was thought that Hernandez would shoulder most of the load until he came back. But then the whole murder thing with Hernandez happened, and that plan went down the drain. Suddenly the Patriots are without a tight end.

New England, however, has made a few minor signings like the addition of Zach Sudfeld, a rookie free agent tight end back in May, who has turned into a stud in training camp.

Sudfeld has impressed during training camp and made a great touchdown catch on August 16 in a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, displaying great concentration.

The point, though, is that with all the new peices and inexperience in the Patriots receiving corps this year, expect a more balanced rushing/passing attack. Running Back Stevan Ridley had a breakout season last year, ranking as the seventh-leading rusher in the NFL with 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Expect a bigger role for Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden this year as well, to make what was the seventh-best rushing attack last season to be even better this year.

The Patriots never won a Super Bowl with a star wide receiver. They didn’t win one with Moss or Welker, who had two chances to bring the Lombardi trophy back to Foxborough, but quite literally let one slip through his fingers.

They won with receivers like Troy Brown, David Patten, Deion Branch and David Givens. They won with a balanced passing and rushing attack, with Brady throwing to whoever was open and not trying to force it into Moss or Welker.

So even though the Patriots have lost nearly all of their weapons, new ones will emerge and a more balanced, methodical offensive attack may lead them back to the Super Bowl.

The new face of the Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia

David Ortiz adds a few endearing comments of his own at Dustin Pedroia’s press conference announcing his new 8 year $110 million contract extension.

There is a new face of the Red Sox franchise. On Wednesday, July 23, 2013 the Boston Red Sox announced that they have agreed to an eight-year $110 million contract extension with All-Star second baseman, Dustin Pedroia.

The contract was announced on the Fenway Park field in front of media members and teammates on a makeshift podium and stage with Pedroia fittingly wearing a Red Sox uniform, a uniform that will most likely be the only uniform he wears for the rest of his career.

The deal will lock up Pedroia through the 2021 season when he will be 38. It will likely let Pedroia finish his career with and retire a Red Sock, much like Derek Jeter will with the Yankees. The deal will also make Pedroia the highest paid second baseman in major league baseball.

Pedroia was 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and was AL MVP the following year. A career .303 hitter, he has made five all-star appearances so far in his seven year career.

The Red Sox have had many faces of the franchise over the years; Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Nomar Garciaparra, David Ortiz, and now Pedroia.

Signing Pedroia to this type of contract is a risk — as any long term contract, especially one over five years — but this is a well calculated risk and is worth EVERY. SINGLE. PENNY!

Here’s why. Pedroia, while experiencing injuries in two of the last three seasons, has been fairly reliable and dependable. This season, he has been playing the entire season with a torn ligament in his thumb and has been able to hit .303 with 6 home runs and 58 RBI’s.

His work ethic is second to none showing up to the ballpark at noon for a 7 pm game, according to teammate David Ortiz.

“Greatness lies in the immeasurables. Character and the unique and extraordinary ability to unify and lead a team to heights that most thought were not possible cannot be measured. Heart and the unbridled passion and drive to win cannot be measured,” Pedroia’s agent Seth Levinson told MLB.com Red Sox beat reporter Ian Browne.

Pedroia, with his leadership and work ethic, is exactly the type of player that the Red Sox want to be leading their clubhouse to help the young guys like Will Middlebrooks and Jose Iglesias become professionals.

Pedroia is a player that the Red Sox can build around. The Red Sox made Pedroia that player by giving him this contract.

“Dustin’s value far transcends his statistics, and he is the epitome of the player who embodies all of the immeasureables that are necessary to win,” Levinson said.

Pedroia has shown that the heart of a champion can not be measured based on the height of the person for the first seven years of his career. Pedroia has eight more years to show us exactly what the heart of a champion and the will to win can bring.

Starting to feel a lot like 1967

“I believe that we will win more games than we will lose,” said Dick Williams, the Red Sox skipper for the 1967 season. Forty-six years later, 2013 Red Sox manager John Farrell echoed the same sentiment prior to the start of this season.

So far Farrell appears to be just as prophetic as Williams with his Red Sox already winning more games this year (70) than they did all of last year (69) with 45 games left to play.

The 1967 season most commonly referred to as “The Impossible Dream” was a magical season that saw Carl Yastremski patrolling left field under the shadow of the Green Monster while slugging his way to the Triple Crown.

Ace Jim Lonborg won 21 games and the Cy Young Award that year as well. It was a magical season that caught New England by storm and according to Red Sox NESN broadcaster Jerry Remy, “was what made Red Sox Nation what it is today.”

There are similarities between the 1967 and 2013 teams. Both teams had miserable seasons the year before with this current installment of the Red Sox posting the worst record since, you guessed it, 1966. The 2012 Red Sox went a miserable 69-93, while the ’66 Red Sox went a slightly less miserable 72-90.

Both teams had low expectations and were predicted to finish dead last in their division/league the following year. However both the ’67 and 2013 Red Sox have been one of the surprise team of the American League.

Through 117 games the Red Sox have a Major League lead 70 wins tied with the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have already surpassed their win total from last year. Through 117 games last year, the Red Sox were three games under .500 at 57-60.

Its not just that the 2013 Red Sox are doing well and winning, but how they are winning.

This edition of the Red Sox has featured 18 wins in their final at bat including 11 walk-off wins this season. That is already over triple the total of walk-off or final at bat wins all of last year. This Red Sox team has fight in them. Much like the city that they represent, when they get knocked down, they get up again stronger as ever.

The 2013 Red Sox are a resilient team playing in and representing a resilient city and because of that, fans are starting to get behind this Red Sox team again. Who knew that it would take less than a year for Red Sox fans to get behind this team again after the debacle that happened last summer?

Should us Red Sox fans be surprised by their amazing start? A start that has made believers out of Red Sox Nation once again much like the 1967 Red Sox made believers out of the city of Boston and all of New England?

In an article that I wrote back in October, I hinted at the possibility of an Impossible Dream Team 2 featuring the 2013 Boston Red Sox.

With 45 games and one and a half months left to play the Red Sox have turned a wishful dream into possibly a reality.

Can someone please pinch me to see if I’m dreaming?

Why the Red Sox should trade for Michael Young

Michael Young could be a great fit on this Red Sox team and could help them become legitimate World Series contenders.

The Red Sox, who have exceeded everyone’s expectations who through 101 games have the most wins in the Majors (60), are clearly in need of pitching and bullpen help. There is another move that the Red Sox could before the July 31 trade deadline that could help the Sox make a deep run into the postseason.

The biggest hole the Red Sox have besides the closer role this season has been third base. With Will Middlebrooks struggling at the major league level and being sent down to Pawtucket, third base has been a revolving door this season.

The Red Sox have had five different players play third base this season. Middlebrooks, Pedro Ciriaco, and rookies Jose Iglesias, Brock Holt and Brandon Snyder have all manned the hot corner for the Sox this season. But with Stephen Drew on the disabled list and Iglesias now playing shortstop in his absence that leaves the Sox with Holt and Snyder platooning the hot corner.

With all these short term replacement players filling in at third base, the Red Sox have reportedly shown interest in Michael Young.

Now Holt and Snyder have done a serviceable job during their time up at the big league level but they are not long term solutions. Holt’s costly throwing error in the ninth inning of the second game of a four game set with  the Angels last weekend ended up costing the Red Sox the game and is proof that the Red Sox need a more reliable long term solution at the hot corner.

Enter Michael Young.

Young is in his final year of his contract and, with the Philadelphia Phillies‘ playoff hopes fading, the Phillies should be looking to unload the veteran third baseman at the trade deadline in an effort to get younger and begin rebuilding.

So what would it take for the Red Sox to acquire Young? Based off of his age (he’s 36) I don’t believe the Red Sox would have to sell the farm in order to acquire the veteran third baseman. A mid-level prospect(s) like Manny Margot, Travis Shaw or even Holt or Snyder should be enough to get Young.

Adding Young for a half year rental makes both financial sense and baseball sense. He is having a solid season this year hitting .286 with seven homers and 31 RBI in 92 games this season. Although his power and RBI numbers are down, he has a propensity for hitting well in the clutch, which is great for a team looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Young also adds more veteran leadership along with Pedroia and Ortiz to a fairly young team while stabilizing the third base position which has been a revolving door for the Red Sox all season.

Since Young’s contract expires at the end of the season the Red Sox will be making a no-risk high reward transaction by picking up an aging player’s expiring contract.

Adding Michael Young along with adding more bullpen help could help make the Red Sox the surprise team in the American League to legitimate World Series contenders.

The only thing that could get in the way of this trade getting done is that Young has a no-trade clause.  Young might waive that to get back on a title contender, and with the addition of Young, the Red Sox could be that title contender.

An end of an Era

It appears as if Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have played their last game in Boston wearing Celtic Green.

Thursday night capped off the worst week ever in Boston sports when Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge pulled off one of the most shocking trades in Celtics and NBA history. Let me re-write that. It IS THE most shocking trade in Celtics history.

While the trade won’t be made official until July 10th, due to CBA rules, the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets have agreed upon principle to send Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets in exchange for Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, three first round picks (2014, ’16, and ’18) and three additional players including Reggie Evans and Keith Bogans to the Celtics.

Ainge had been critical of how Red Auerbach let Celtics legends, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale age on the Celtics roster, without getting anything back in return for them in a trade. Ainge remarked that he would never make the same mistake that Auerbach did.

What Danny didn’t realize is that Auerbach had a transition plan that was ruined due to two unforeseen circumstances in the deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis. Auerbach’s plan was to have Bias and Lewis learn under Bird, McHale and Parish while leading the Celtics to more championships in the early 90’s and beyond.

Instead Auerbach never had that transition period that he had planned due to the deaths of Bias and Lewis and a slew of misfortune had descended upon the Celtics for much, if not all of the 90’s.

But Auerbach had these transition periods from one era of Celtics greatness to the next. That is how the Celtics were able to be so dominant for three consecutive decades from the 1960’s to the end of the Bird era in the early 90’s.

Instead, Ainge didn’t want to make the same mistake that Red made.

We all knew that this day would come. A day when Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce would not be coming through that TD Garden door anymore. We, or at least I didn’t think that it would end so quickly.

First Ray Allen left for Miami in the offseason to chase his second championship which he helped achieve with a game tying three that was like a dagger in the heart to Celtics fans late in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to help stave off elimination for the Heat.

Little did we know that Ray leaving was just only the beginning.

Flash forward to this past week. Former Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers gets traded to the LA Clippers in exchange for a future first round draft pick.

Doc leaving Boston for the Clippers was what made this trade possible. Once Doc left there was really no reason for Garnett to stay so he waived his no trade clause and the rest as they say is history. If Doc was still here, in Boston, this trade doesn’t happen.

This trade signifies the end of an era of Boston Celtics basketball. First it was Ray Allen taking his talents to South Beach. Then it was Doc sailing on to LA to lead the helm of a new ship in the SS Clippers. And now this trade puts the final nail in the coffin in what was one of the greatest eras in Celtics history – At least recent history.

It was an era that saw two Finals appearances, an NBA title and three conference final appearances in six years. We knew that this era in Boston Celtics basketball was nearing its end, we just thought it would see both Pierce and Garnett retiring as Celtics. Instead they are heading to Brooklyn and the rebuilding process begins for the Celtics.

The Celtics are officially in rebuilding mode now. Temperamental point guard Rajon Rondo is now the elder statesman on the team and now needs to be their leader. Yet even he isn’t guaranteed to still be on the team next year. He may get traded too, who knows.

I have to admit though, Danny has some balls to pull off this trade. But it was the wrong trade to make and a bad one. Sure it might help make the Celtics better for the long run by unloading the Pierce and Garnett contracts giving the Celtics more financial flexibility, but as Bill Simmons said on draft night, “The video game would have rejected this trade on behalf of the Celtics.”

It will be hard to see or even think about Paul Pierce, the Captain, the Truth, the Celtics second all-time leading scorer behind only John Havlicek wearing anything else but Celtic Green. He IS the Celtics and has been for the past 15 years. Now he is a Brooklyn Net along with Kevin Garnett wearing white and black.

He stayed in Boston through the Rick Pitino years, and 2007, the worst season in Celtics history before Garnett brought winning back to the Celtics a year later. Not once did he ask for a trade when so many other superstars could have and would have. Instead, he wanted to be a Celtic.

Pierce will still have his #34 retired to the Garden rafters someday along with possibly Kevin Garnett. But it still wouldn’t have been the same as if he spent his entire career in Boston like he should have.

But no, Danny wouldn’t make that mistake.

I thought that the Celtics rebuilding process would happen gradually. I thought that oh Doc might leave but the Celtics would hold onto Garnett and Pierce to provide some veteran leadership until they retire as Celtics in the next one, two or three years. They would have a transition period like the Auerbach Celtics had for so many years.

But again, no, Danny wouldn’t make that mistake.

Why won’t you make that mistake Danny? To get the Celtics into the lottery a year or two sooner? Sometimes its okay to delay the inevitable.

Red wasn’t the one that made the mistake Danny. YOU were.

Worst Week Ever

It started with the Bruins losing the Stanley Cup Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks on home ice and ended with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett being shipped off to Brooklyn.

What a shitty week in Boston sports huh? First, the Bruins lose Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks in shocking fashion 3-2, losing their 2-1 lead in all of 17 seconds in the final 2 minutes of the game, failing to force a Game 7 losing the Stanley Cup on home ice four games to two.

About a day later, Doc Rivers jumps ship to LA to coach the Clippers in exchange for a first round pick. Meanwhile Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was being questioned about the murder of his associate Odin Lloyd who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s girlfriend. About a day after Doc left for the Clippers, Hernandez was arrested and charged with first degree murder. The Patriots subsequently released their troubled star tight end.

And now, to top it all off, the Boston Celtics traded the hearts and souls of the team, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, three first round picks (2014, ’16, ’18) and three additional players from the Nets including Reggie Evans and Keith Bogans.

Granted this trade will probably make the Celtics better in the long run, it is just hard to believe or see the Captain, The Truth, the Celtics 2nd all-time leading scorer behind only John Havlicek, Paul Pierce wearing a jersey other than Celtics Green. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it? I hope Paul Pierce and/or Kevin Garnett retire in the offseason just so I wouldn’t have to see either of those guys wearing a uniform other than Celtic Green.

This trade signifies the end of an era of Boston Celtics basketball. First it was Ray Allen taking his talents to South Beach. Then it was Doc sailing on to LA to lead the helm of a new ship in the SS Clippers. And now this trade puts the final nail in the coffin it what was one of the greatest eras in Celtics history – At least recent history. It was an era that saw two Finals appearances, an NBA title and three conference final appearances. We knew that this era in Boston Celtics basketball was nearing its end, we just thought it would see both Pierce and Garnett retiring as Celtics. Instead they are heading to Brooklyn and the rebuilding process begins for the Celtics.

This past week has been just surreal for Boston sports and their fans. All in one week, Boston sports fans have seen an opposing team skate around with their Stanley Cup on their home ice, Doc Rivers leave town for LA to coach the Clippers, a star tight end be arrested and charged with murder and see two Celtic legends whose numbers will one day be retired to the Garden rafters (Pierce at least, Garnett possibly) get traded to the Brooklyn Nets – a division rival. This really has been the worst week ever in Boston Sports!

Hey at least the Red Sox are in first place and have the best record in the American League.

Ray Allen’s Return to Boston Running Diary

Ray Allen received a mixed reception in his return game to the Boston Garden. The Celtics won 100-98 in double-OT.(Credit: Jim Davis/Bosto

So I have decided to do a welcome back Ray Running Diary. After what Ray Allen said about the Celtics organization leading up to the season, I hope Celtics fans vehemently boo his ass! No one shall talk ill of the Celtics and gets away with it!

1:00 pm EST: Great the walking triple-double machine, Rajon Rondo is out with a hyperextended knee. There goes our only hope of actually winning this game.

1:02 pm EST: Good news is that Jared Sullinger gets the start tonight! He has been the most consistent player on the Celtics and the best rebounder! I like the move

1:04 pm EST: And the first bad call against the Celtics have been made. Meanwhile the Celtics rebounding is absolutely terrible. The Heat had three chances on that possession!

1:12 pm EST: That was a awesome block by Courtney Lee on Lebron!

1:14 pm EST: The Celtics played a thank you Ray video during the media timeout in which there was a standing ovation. Ray then got booed when he entered the game. Good.

1:18 pm EST: How did Brandon Bass not get fouled there?

1:20 pm EST: Hey Jason Terry actually made a three point shot!

1:28 pm EST: Well Celtics fans booed Ray Allen and that’s kinda good, but the Celtics HAVE to do a better job of rebounding! Box out and grab the rebound with two hands! None of this tipping it up to yourself with one hand shit! Grab the damn ball and rebound!

1:33 pm EST: The ref just totally missed the moving screen  by Bosh! They will call it on KG but not on anyone else!

1:40 pm EST: Nice cut there by Barbosa to the basket for the easy layup followed by a nice fall-away jumper to cut the Heat lead down to four and force a Miami timeout

1:45 pm EST: I like what I have been seeing from Leondro Barbosa today. Providing a nice spark off the bench

1:48 pm EST: Wow, you know you are in a slump when you blow an easy layup like Paul Pierce did just there

2:02: Somehow without Rajon Rondo the Celtics are tied with the Miami Heat at halftime! This is what the Celtics need to do. If they can just somehow stay close with the Heat, they may be able to put themselves in position to pull off the upset!

2:13 pm EST: There are reports now, that Rajon Rondo may have a torn ACL injury which could spell the end to Rondo’s and the Celtics season. I hope that this is not the case.

2:24 pm EST: I think Paul Pierce is starting to heat up and get out of his slump with that three to make it a one point Miami lead

2:26 pm EST: Courtney Lee is playing some terrific defense against Lebron

2:29 pm EST: Celtics take their largest lead of the game at three 54-51 Celtics

2:30 pm EST: Have I mentioned how much I love Jared Sullinger?

2:36 pm EST: Doris Burke just got confirmation that Rajon Rondo did indeed suffer a torn ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season. All I can say to that is FUCCCCCK!!!!!!!!

2:48 pm EST: Jeff Green needs to finish on that no excuses

2:51 pm EST: Well after leading for most of the third quarter, the Celtics head into the fourth quarter down four 68-64. This game is the least of their worries now as they will have to continue the rest of the season without their star point guard Rajon Rondo.

2:59 pm EST: Terrible foul call on Jeff Green as Dwayne Wade goes to the line for two. Green barely even touched his arm. Wade bought that call from the refs.

3:05 pm EST: Jeff Green just had a monster jam to give the Celtics a three point lead. Have momentum now.

3:13 pm EST: That was excellent defense by Jeff Green to force a shot clock violation

3:21 pm EST: Paul Pierce with a beautiful spin move and tear drop fade away jumper gives the Celtics a two point lead 83-81!

3:23 pm EST: After reviewing the play it was ruled that it went off of Terry who then missed a wide open three

3:24 pm EST: KG hits a clutch jumper at the top of the key to give the Celtics their largest lead at four, 85-81 forcing the Heat to call a timeout with under a minute left to play!

3:27 pm EST: Pierce makes another bad turnover and Judas Shuttlesworth nails a three at the other end to make it a one point game 85-84. Is it odd that I don’t want to see Paul Pierce taking the ball up the court at the end of games? Celtics call timeout

3:29 pm EST: Celtics are forced to take another timeout as they can’t get the ball in. Celtics are now out of timeouts. I feel like the Celtics are about to let this one slip away once again.

3:31 pm EST: Jason Terry hits two of two from the line after getting fouled by Dwayne Wade to put the Celtics up three 87-84. Timeout Heat 21 seconds left.

3:33 pm EST: Ray misses a three, Lebron hits a three to tie it at 87 with seven seconds left. Jason Terry then misses what would have been a game winning three as this game goes to overtime. Go figure.

3:35 pm EST: If I’m not mistaken, I think this might be the third consecutive game to go into overtime for the Celtics.

3:37 pm EST: Great block by KG on Wade to begin overtime.

3:39 pm EST: Why does Paul Pierce always find himself caught in those traps?

3:40 pm EST: Where was Jason Terry and why is he out on the floor instead of Courtney Lee?

3:41 pm EST: Lebron got away with a push in the back of Pierce to put the Heat up four 93-89. Why is that not a surprise? Timeout Celtics.

3:44 pm EST: KG ties it with a little baby baseline jumper!

3:46 pm EST: Paul Pierce plays Dwayne Wade perfectly as Wade misses a game winner jumper. On to Double Overtime.

3:49 pm EST: Finally they call a reach on the Heat and Jason Terry draws a foul and nails two of two from the line!

3:51 pm EST: Barbosa doesn’t quite have enough on the tear drop and Pierce draws an offensive foul on Wade!

3:52 pm EST: That was too easy for Bosh. Tied at 95

3:53 pm EST: The Celtics inability to rebound is killing them in this game!

3:58 pm EST: That should have been a charge! No way that that was a blocking foul on Pierce! Typical Lebron rule. Apparently Lebron can’t get called for any fouls. Total BS!

4:00 pm EST: Clutch elbow jumper by Pierce gives the Celtics a one point lead 99-98 with 30 seconds left!

4:03 pm EST: Pierce grabs the rebound as Lebron misses a jumper and is fouled almost immediately! To the line he goes hitting one of two. Celtics up 100-98 five seconds left. Heat call timeout.

4:05 pm EST: CELTICS WIN! CELTICS WIN! CELTICS WIN! Shane Battier air balls the game winning shot snapping their six game winning streak WITHOUT Rajon Rondo! What a game, what a win! Hopefully this is the type of win that could potentially jumpstart this team to a playoff run. That will be a little more difficult now however with Rajon Rondo out for the rest of the year. No Rondo, no problem! Celtics win!

UPDATE: Celtics Radio Play-By-Play man, Sean Grande just tweeted saying that Rondo just told his partner Cedric Maxwell that he will be back in a couple of weeks. Not sure how serious he is about that statement though. Hope he is serious and is right!

Championship Game Picks

Well its Championship Weekend and three of the four teams that were in the championship games last year are in the championship game this year! The only team that is missing, thankfully for the Patriots are the New York Giants who failed to make the playoffs this year. In their place are the number 1 seed in the NFC, Atlanta Falcons who look to make it back to the Super Bowl since 1999, when John Elway led the Denver Broncos to their second and last Super Bowl victory. So without further ado, here are our Championship Weekend picks!

Ethan (5-3) (2-2)

2) SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (12-4-1) 29  1) Atlanta Falcons (14-3) 24

2) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-4) 31   4) Baltimore Ravens (12-6) 27

Jeff Gilley (5-3) (1-3)

2) SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (12-4-1) 37  1) Atlanta Falcons (14-3) 30

2) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-4) 27  4) Baltimore Ravens (12-6) 26

Brian (7-1) (3-1)

1) ATLANTA FALCONS (14-3) 24  2) San Francisco 49ers (12-4-1) 21

2) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-4) 31  4) Baltimore Ravens (12-6) 24

Just like last week, Jeff has provided us with his analysis for Championship Weekend you can read my take on the AFC Championship Game here.

Ravens VS Patriots:

This game is going to be one for the ages.  Maybe bot as good as the last game the Ravens played…but still good.  The real question for the Ravens is if they can ride the emotional high resulting from Ray Lewis’s impending retirement.  That, along with the way this game turned out last year, should have the Ravens playing their hearts out.  But sometimes, that is not enough.  The Ravens defense will have their hands full against one of the more balanced receiving cores in the NFL.  Corey Graham will most likely matchup against Wes Welker and Carry Williams will most likely draw Brandon Lloyd for the entire game.  Lloyd got the best of Williams in the first meeting this year but did not give up any big plays, just medium to short out patterns.  If the Ravens want to win this game, Joe Flacco will have to take them there.  He outplayed Tom Brady in last year’s AFC Championship by a significant margin but the Ravens just could not make the big plays at the end to win.  Flacco should be clean for most of this game.  With the changes the Ravens have made along the offensive line, the Patriots should have trouble generating any pass rush.  IF you match them up on paper, I would be inclined to take the Ravens because I think they match up better than the Patriots but the Patriots have Tom Brady and that should be the difference.  But the Ray Lewis retirement party will never end.  He is the greatest inside linebacker to ever play the game and is probably the best leader in sports history.  If you were to rank players all time, regardless of position, It would be hard to put Ray outside the top ten…maybe even top five.  Patriots win 27-26.

49ers VS Falcons:

Colin Kaepernick is something else.  He is a very talented thrower and is very big and very fast.  That Falcons should have trouble defending him when it comes to running the ball but I do think the Falcons can do some things on defense to limit him when it comes to throwing the ball.  Kaepernick has to watch out for Asante Samuel.  Kaepernick made a bad play that resulted in a pick six and Samuel will do that all day if he is not careful.  The 49ers have a great defense but I think Julio Jones and Roddy White will be too much for an over rated cornerback tandem to handle.   I don’t think there is too much to this game.  If the Falcons can limit what Kaepernick does on the ground, they can make any quarterback look bad…just ask Peyton Manning.  But I don’t think the Falcons will be able to do that.  49ers win 37-30 and go on to face the Patriots in the Super Bowl.