I’m not very confident that the Celtics have much brewing right now, as we’re a mere 12 hours from the NBA’s trade deadline. We know that Nate Robinson is more than likely headed east on the MassPike, in return for Eddie House and J.R. Giddens. Will that be enough?

Not if the rest of the Celtics can’t find the magic that they had two years ago. I still believe in what I said a month ago, in that the C’s can win it all if Kevin Garnett stays healthy and can play regular minutes, but the odds of the rest of the season playing out as a fairy tale are unlikely. Our Big Three’s ages are 32, 33, and 34…and they’re not getting any younger, or healthier for that matter. A supplemental move, such as the Nate for Eddie deal, is Danny Ainge rolling the dice and making a statement that he believes his aging stars are capable of winning it all. I do agree with keeping Ray Allen if Ainge didn’t receive any legitimate offers, but I can’t imagine that Allen’s contract wouldn’t attract some decent offers. Add some creativity, and you’ve got a trade.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see the current Celtics roster get healthy and make a serious run this year, but I really don’t think that’s realistic anymore. Cleveland (aquired Antawn Jamison) and Dallas (aquired Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson) have gotten significantly better, and the ante has been raised. With Cleveland’s trade, the Phoenix Suns are left in a tough spot, with regards to Amar’e Stoudemire. My proposal is simple, the Celtics need to trade for Stoudemire. The Cavs can beat us…and they just got better. I think that Ainge could work a 3 or 4 team deal and land the Suns star. My trade scenario would have Boston send Ray Allen and draft picks (at least one 1st rounder) to Sacramento; Sacramento would then send Kevin Martin and Spencer Hawes to Phoenix; Phoenix sends Amar’e Stoudemire to Boston. You can fill in the other players involved that would round out the salary figures (which I have done with the Trade Checker). There’s a decent chance that Boston could even get another quality player back from such a deal, like Leandro Barbosa. Each team would benefit. Phoenix gets a big man and an All-Star caliber shooting guard back for Stoudemire when they thought they wouldn’t be able to trade him. Sacramento gets cap relief and supplemental players, and future draft picks. Considering they aren’t contending, and are looking towards the future, it makes sense. Finally, Boston wins Championship #18. They get younger at KG’s position, and add a player that can take over a game, if necessary. The Big (Old) Three need a scorer to fall back on, and Stoudemire fits the bill…and then some. Plus, there’s a chance Allen could get bought out and return to the Celtics in time for the stretch run, or at least in the off-season. The C’s would sport a starting lineup of: C-Amar’e Stoudemire, PF-Kevin Garnett, SF-Paul Pierce, SG-Tony Allen, PG-Rajon Rondo. The trade would move Kendrick Perkins to the bench, along with (almost) newly acquired Nate Robinson.

Obviously I’m not an NBA General Manager, but a deal like that seems to make sense all the way around. Danny Ainge has a chance to win another Championship this year, but he needs to make something happen. Trade Ray Allen now, while he is still an asset to teams. The Celtics are not favorites to win it all this year, and that wouldn’t change much a year from now if we don’t get better and younger.

The Celtics can win it all this year, if……they stay healthy and pull in a big name player before the deadline.

*As a note, I just found out that Kevin Martin looks to be headed to Houston, in a possible three-way deal between Houston, Sacramento, and New York, involving Tracy McGrady. So, my proposal is nixed, but hopefully Danny Ainge can fill in the blanks better than I can.

Last night against the Dallas Mavericks, the Celtics held a 50-41 halftime lead. They then proceeded to give up 58 second half points to the Mavs, en route to a 99-90 loss at home. For some, I may be stating the obvious here, but the Celtics really do need Kevin Garnett to stay healthy on a consistent basis to win. I’d been telling myself that they still had the ability to make a run at the Finals, even if Garnett was banged up and couldn’t always play. After watching last night’s game, it dawned on me that I was still on the Banner 17 high.

In their first season together, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Garnett brought Boston a record 17th NBA Championship. I was an infant when they won in 1984, and only 2 years old when they won in ‘86, so 2008 was special to me. I suppose that I could be a little bit spoiled (due to the fact that the Red Sox broke the Curse in 2004 and they won again in ‘07, and the Patriots won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years), but I couldn’t help but feel that the Celtics should have won it all again last season…without Garnett. I haven’t been a realist with regards to the Celtics since they won it all. I grew up in the Jordan Era of NBA basketball, where every kid I ever went to school with was suddenly a Chicago Bulls fan. I stuck with the Celtics…after Bird retired, when they drafted Eric Montross, when Dino Radja was their starting power forward, and even when we didn’t get Duncan. I defended my team to everyone, reciting the history of the team, and what they had done, but I could never defend them with real success until 2008. I knew that Garnett carried them in ‘08, but I suppose I didn’t realize that they needed him to in order to win.

After last night’s game, I come away believing that if Garnett is not at full strength from the All-Star break through to the playoffs, the Celtics will be ousted in the 2nd Round, again. Garnett was healthy and played the whole season with his teammates in ‘08, missed the end of last season completely, and he is missing significant time this season. History shows that the Celtics are a shaky team without KG. Since their Christmas victory over Orlando, the Celtics have lost 7 of 11 games. They had only lost 5 times all season before this stretch. The Celtics are playing without any passion right now, and it’s killing them. With Garnett, this would never happen. They’re giving up on loose balls, giving up on defense, and they’re letting other teams run on them. I just don’t trust that the rest of the team can self-motivate themselves, they need KG in their ear at all times. The Celtics had every opportunity to beat the Mavericks last night, but they couldn’t stay focused. They held a 9 point halftime lead, and they really only needed to buckle down and play defense for the last 2 quarters of the game…but they couldn’t.

Rasheed Wallace is not Kevin Garnett, and Doc Rivers should not be giving him minutes like he is. Wallace played 35 minutes last night, after missing the previous 3 games with a sore left foot. He scored 11 on 5-13 shooting (including o-4 from downtown), grabbed a whopping 3 rebounds, committed 5 personal fouls, and turned the ball over 3 times. Glen Davis played 15 minutes, and scored 6 points and grabbed 4 rebounds, one of which was an offensive board. I’m having trouble seeing what Doc sees in Wallace at this point in his career, considering what Big Baby did in place of Garnett last year, and what he’s done in limited opportunities so far this year. Maybe Doc Rivers needs a house in every NBA city, that way he’ll sleep in his own bed every night and maybe start making some good decisions.

Either way, the Celtics need a shake-up, and a healthy Kevin Garnett. As much as I’ve grown to love Paul Pierce and think he is a great leader, the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics was instantly Kevin Garnett. Garnett carries them, and without him they lose direction…and games.

Could anyone ask for more from this series between the Celtics and Bulls? It is by far the most entertaining and exciting to watch. Game 5 was another nail biter as the game was once again won in overtime, the third out of the five games that have gone into overtime, with Paul Pierce hitting 3 jumpers in just over a minute to push the Celtics past the Bulls 106-104. This is like watching the world’s best chess match. These two teams are about as even as it comes and anyone who has been lucky enough to get tickets to see these games, whether in Boston or Chicago, has gotten their money’s worth.

However, from a Celtics’ fan point of view, this win and series has been too close for comfort. I never expected Chicago to be this big of a hurdle for the Celtics. Sure, with Garnett out no game was going to be an easy win but they are hanging on by a thread. The Bulls could have tied this game up and sent it to double-overtime, which would have been very reminiscent of Sunday’s game, but Miller missed both of his free-throws to end the game. It seems like every game either comes down to a last second three-pointer or last second free-throws. Sure that makes for great television, as I’m sure the networks are loving it, and keeps the fans happy but it also begs the question: why are the defending champions having so much trouble with a team that barely made it into the playoffs?

The answer is obvious but comes off as an excuse…injuries. Yes, having KG on the bench is killing the Celtics. Having Leon Powe out for the playoffs is killing the Celtics. There are no big men to match up with the opponents. The Celtics have to play small ball with Pierce, Rondo and Allen hitting the clutch shots. Not to mention that the starters are playing an average of 50 minutes per game. It’s amazing that they still have the legs to keep going. I give them a tremendous amount of credit. Rondo has been playing like a true all-star, getting triple-doulbes, out rebounding just about everyone on the court and scoring more than 20 each game. (Tonight he had 28 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds) Pierce has proven why he is the leader by hitting the important last second shots and Ray Allen continues to display that magical touch of his. The problem is that anytime one of the big men steps on the court, such as Scal, Davis and especially Perkins, he tends to foul out because he is targeted right away. The Bulls know that without Perk or Scal that there is no one to match up with their big guys so they use that weakness to their advantage. The Celtics only answer is to move the ball around and use their veteran experience to find the open guy and hit the big shots. Unfortunately, in this day of top tier basketball, big men are essential to winning. I hate to say it, I really do, but considering the problems that Boston is having with Chicago and the consistency with close games and buzzer-beating shots, as exciting as this series is, I don’t see the Celtics going much farther. I still believe that they can beat Chicago but it will most likely be a game 7 situation, probably ending in overtime with a last second shot by Pierce or Allen. After that, the competition gets steeper and the problems worsen. I love the Celtics. Until the end of these playoffs they are still the defending champions. But this is not their year. Until they get knocked out though, I am going to continue biting my nails, screaming at the television and watching with great anticipation as this series continues because it truly is the best series in the playoffs so far.

It isn’t 100% official but it looks like Kevin Garnett will be missing the entire post-season. And let’s face it, nothing has been 100% official about KG’s injury since it happened but according to Doc Rivers, “He’s not going to be ready. After today (practice) there’s no way he can play.” This is upsetting of course but not all that surprising. In my last post, I displayed how KG’s status has been incredibly inconsistant and uncertain. The only good thing to come out of this news is that at least Doc and the team can prepare their game knowing that Garnett will not be getting on the court instead of involving him and then losing him come tomorrow afternoon. The Celtics have shown that they can win without Garnett and Leon Powe is expected to return to play. It will be a true test for sure for the Celtics and a truly painful experience for Garnett, who is one of the most competitive players to grace the court, to have to watch from the bench but it isn’t an impossible feat. The Celtics have a strong team and many players on the roster haven proven that they can make the clutch shots and Pierce is still the leader of that team. Their first test begins tomorrow at 12:30 when they take on Chicago at home. The targets are on their backs, we’ll just have to wait and see if Boston can continue their championship caliber performance without KG.

On a more positive note, Danny Ainge is recovering at Mass General Hospital after the minor heart attack that he suffered and is expected to make a full recovery.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Okay, this is getting a little ridiculous. I mean, I realize that the coaching staff and Celtics organization wants to make sure KG is 100% for the playoffs and not take any risks but how many times are they going to go back and forth with their decision to play him or sit him?

Let’s do a re-cap of the Kevin Garnett saga that began to unfold in late February:

Feb 20th: injures knee, expected to miss 3 games. After an MRI, it is decided that he will be out for roughly 10 games.

March 20th: KG returns to line-up but with very limited playing time. Better safe than sorry. His minutes slowly increase as the week goes on.

March 27th: Out against the Hawks.

March 31st: Out 4 more games.

April 1st: Will play when playoffs start.

April 12th: Will not play against Cleveland. Will play in the last 2 regular season games.

April 14th: Will not play in the last 2 regular season games. Will start in playoffs.

I am not saying that Kevin Garnett or the Celtics are being too careful or anything like that. If KG had to sit out these passed 2 months because his knee still hurt, fine. No problem. It is completely understandable. It’s just really annoying when I hear on the radio or TV that KG will be starting and that he is feeling better and then the next day it’s back to, well he’s not 100% so we’re keeping him on the bench. Stop toying with my emotions like that. Is he healthy or not? Are you going to come out when the first playoff game starts and say, “Well, Kevin isn’t ready yet, so we’re going to wait until the eastern conference finals…” or “He will be good for game 7 if we need him but until then, he is still resting the knee” ? Right now I have very little faith that KG will come back 100%. I believe that he will come back but if it’s too much of a risk to play him in the next two games just like it has been to risky to play him since the end of March, why should I believe that it will be risk-free to play him in the playoffs?

The big concern here is that despite the fact that the Celtics have been doing relatively well without KG on the court, they obviously have to change their strategy for when he is on the court. He brings not only a dominating physical presence to the game but a very powerful emotional presence as well. The team plays different when he’s involved. There is no disputing that. So if KG is going to play in the playoffs, how will that affect the Celtics who have been playing without him since his injury? More importantly, how will it affect the rest of the team if he does return and then re-injure his knee or make his already existing injury even worse? How will the team react if he has to sit out for the playoffs? Could they possibly win another championship without KG and the Big 3? It’s hard to say but I’m sure the majority of people would say no with confidence.

There have been so many injury issues that have plagued the Celtics this season and Garnett is at the top of the list. His injury hasn’t been all that hard to deal with but these back-and-forth calls on his return date and whether he is ready to play or not have been brutal and worrisome. All I want to know is, Can KG play and will he be 100% for the playoffs or should I and the rest of the Celtics fans expect him to play the role of back-up man and hope the rest of the team can pull it off? One thing is for sure, this will be nothing like last year when Pierce came back from the locker room with his knee brace on and hit consecutive 3-pointers, inspiring his team to win. If anything, the Celtics will most likely struggle in the first series before they get their rhythm back but I am very hopeful that that will happen and they will move on to recapture their title.

Ugly. Lackluster. Uninspiring. These are the only words I can think to use to describe the Celtics performance against the Cavs. It was as if the team didn’t even want to be on the court and that lack of desire definitely showed as the Celtics ended the first quarter with 9, that’s right 9 f’ing points and gave up 31 to Lebron and company. It was like watching a Globetrotters game. Maybe the Celtics ate too many chocolate eggs before the game or just figured that since their spot at number 2 in the eastern conference is secured, why put in the effort before the playoffs start? That’s the only justifiable reason I can think of to explain the complete lack of effort on the Celtics part.

The Celtics managed to pull their game together once the first quarter ended and they even outscored the Cavs 24-21 in the second quarter but by that point Cleveland was too far ahead for Boston to come back. It was a disappointing game to say the least, especially considering that this was supposed to be a hard fought match between two teams that may very well meet in the eastern conference finals. The Cavs just looked like they wanted it more, and if this were a playoff game, I would be extremely worried and pissed off about the Celtics poor performance. Pierce was the highest scoring player on the C’s with a whopping 14 points and other than Mikki Moore and Glen Davis, no one else on the team even got into the double digits. Meanwhile, Lebron had 29 points and four other Cavs players scored more than 10 points.

Kevin Garnett will be getting back on the court for practice this week and if his knee can hold strong he will be playing in the last regular season game against Washington on Wednesday night. Despite having 2nd place locked up and the next two games having no real meaning, I hope the Celtics will show a little more enthusiasm and passion this week. Losing 107-76, missing 52 shots and looking like a last place team on the national stage is just unacceptable.

It’s hard to believe that the playoffs are so close, especially with baseball season starting up, hockey season heading into the final stretch and lots of football news going around – it’s tough to look back and remember everything that has happened this season. It feels like it’s been years since KG got hurt but the Celtics continue to play hard and every player on the roster contributes. Rondo has been a key piece to the offense and defense of this team and there is no doubt in my mind that when the playoffs start and KG rejoins the starting line-up, the Celtics will be looking for blood. It’s down to the wire now and nothing short of victory is acceptable.

Doc Rivers made the decision to sit Kevin Garnett against the Atlanta Hawks. This may seem like a bad decision considering that the Celtics are now behind Orlando in the east and need to win the rest of their games so that they can go into the playoffs on a good note. Boston definitely doesn’t want to lose to Atlanta before the playoffs because there is a good chance we will be seeing them come playoff time. Confidence is everything. On the other hand, coach knows best. Rivers said that Garnett is “just not feeling great” and therefore he made the decision to sit the big man and give Big Baby Davis the starting role. Davis did not let Celtics fans down, scoring 19 points with 12 rebounds. Pierce and Allen had their usual productive night and with some help from the bench, specifically Eddie House, who had 12 points and Stephon Marbury, who was 3-4 from the 3-point line and scored 11 points, the Garnett-less Celtics beat the Hawks 99-93.

Rivers’ decision to sit Garnett proved to be a smart move. Not only did Boston prove that they can win without the big man but with extra time to recover, Garnett should be able to enter the playoffs at 100% or at least as close to that as possible. Pierce and Ray Allen continue to put up 20+ points a game and the lesser known players continue to make a big impact, bringing range and multiple threats to this injury ridden team. If they can keep this up, despite the fact that Cleveland is rolling and Orlando is now ranked 2nd in the east, above Boston, the Celtics will enter the playoffs strong and ready to defend their championship title.

The Celtics won their 4th straight game tonight against the L.A. Clippers and continue to remain 1 game up on Orlando. With the return of Kevin Garnett and the rest of the staring line-up staying healthy, the Celtics are rolling again. HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF. I didn’t want to speak too early and jinx it, but since it has been a few days and since the Celtics are winning games with KG only playing for a limited amount of time (he played 18 mins tonight, the rest of the starters averaged 30 mins) he is still producing and his emotional and physical presence has definitely given the team the boost they needed heading into the final stretch before the playoffs.

Cleveland is not completely out of reach but it would take a miracle to catch them. That’s just the reality of the situation. I wish I could say that Boston still had a chance to finish 1st in the east but that crown will very likely be given to the King and his Cavaliers. Good for them. But don’t get too cocky Cleveland/Lebron fans. While Lebron and the Cavs are playing great ball and having a lot of fun being on top, Boston is still the defending champions and the team to beat come playoff time. The Celtics biggest concern right now, however, is the Orlando Magic, who are oh so close to jumping Boston and pushing them down to 3rd place in the Eastern Conference standings. Wednsdays game will definitely be one to watch. I am going to assume that with the 3 games under his belt, Garnett will be seeing a little more playing time and will have a bigger role in Wednsday’s game. If the Big 3 can get their rhythm back, with the help of Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and the bench, the Celtics should be able to keep their spot at number 2 and add a little more space between them and Orlando. And who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen and they will finish number 1 in the East before the playoffs start. After all, Anything Is Possible!!!!!

The Boston Celtics continue to struggle amidst the seemingly endless injuries that have plagued the team since the All-Star break. It’s as if there is some kind of virus going around and every player on the team is bound to eventually get bit with the injury bug. In tonight’s game against Miami, Ray Allen and Leon Powe join the ranks of players who are not dressing for the game. Luckily for Boston, Dwayne Wade is also sitting out of this one; giving Boston at least a chance to come out with a victory. Although it is currently halftime and Miami is up 54-49. That is disappointing to say the least.

These injuries are really hurting the Celtics, who have dropped down to the third spot in the East behind Cleveland and Orlando. The idea of home court advantage is nothing more than a false hope and if the team cannot pull together and rebound from the streak of injuries and losses, the playoffs may be short lived. Last night was St. Patty’s Day, a holiday that is celebrated notoriously hard in Boston. The Celtics fell to the Chicago Bulls, who looked like they took the Celtics home jerseys and put their names over the logo, and to add salt to the wound, Doc Rivers was given his second technical and ejected from the game with 29.8 seconds left and the Celtics down 3 points. Rivers called the technical, “the most unprofessional tech I’ve ever had,” while venting to the press about the referee’s actions and call against him. Powe left the game after colliding with Ben Godron and hurting his knee, which is keeping him out of tonight’s game. So what else could go wrong?

After the game, Doc Rivers was asked about Garnett, who was expected to rejoin the team on Friday when the Celtics play San Antonio. However, Garnett hasn’t practiced since Feb. 19th and Rivers is worried that putting KG in too early could re-aggravate his injured knee or possibly cause another injury. Therefore, Garnett will return to practice on Friday and possibly play on Saturday, but that still remains to be seen. Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo have been playing on average, approximately 1 min – 1 1/2 more minutes per game than they did last year and the extra playing time and pressure present a scary scenario…Pierce getting injured just before or during the playoffs. With all the injuries, Pierce has been the go-to guy in many of the games and has carried this team on his shoulders with the help of Ray Allen, Rondo and the bench (especially Leon Powe who is an absolute stud) but he cannot keep this up. The Celtics need KG back. They need the big 3 to be healthy. They need Rondo to stay healthy. They need Tony Allen and Scalabrine back and they need to go into the playoffs with the worries of injuries behind them. There are only 14 games left in the regular season and I for one am keeping my fingers crossed and praying to Saint Patrick to bless the Celtics with the luck of the Irish heading into the post-season because right now, nothing short of a pot of gold can make Celtics fans feel good about the direction this team is heading.