Written by Austin Kent, HoopsAddict.com
BOSTON CELTICS
Recap Rewind: The Boston Celtics have won three straight at home, including this week’s match ups versus the Orlando Magic and the playoff bound Cleveland Cavaliers… The banged and beaten Paul Pierce played 53 minutes in a double overtime win over the Magic, hitting jumpers to force the game into OT and eventually double OT… On Wednesday the Celts traveled to Philly hoping to keep their momentum despite the fact that they would be without a fatigued Pierce… Although they trailed by 15 in the second half and came back to tie the game, a win was not in the cards for Boston, and the Kyle Korver-led Sixers squeezed out the win… Back in the confines of the TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday, Al Jefferson and company looked to take on a Lebronless Cleveland squad… With each team’s respective superstars out of commission, it was a surprisingly even match… Delonte West broke a tie in the final seconds of the game, when his pair of free throws gave Boston the final lead 98-96.
Notable News: After the win against Orlando, Paul Pierce thought aloud about sitting out the remainder of the season. Pierce, who had already missed 24 games prior to Wednesday, referred to his previously injured elbow and wants to start listening to his body… Al Jefferson, in an attempt to fill the void, put together some solid scoring games of 23, 20 and 24 points this week… It is now mathematically impossible for the Celtics to qualify for the playoffs… Second year Gerald Green finished Sunday’s game against Cleveland with a career high 25 points.
Fast Forward: Coming up for the Celtics are games against Milwaukee, Miami and Indiana. With less than ten games of the season and no shot at making the playoffs, expect Doc Rivers to give some of his many young guys significant minutes… As Miami jockeys for playoff positioning and Indiana battles to get in, the Celtics would have their work cut out for them, even if they were at full strength.