Red Claws vs. Mad Ants Preview

Maine Red Claws (7-1) vs. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (3-5)

7:30PM, Portland Expo, Portland, Maine

Tonight, in their third home game, the Maine Red Claws face off against the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Mad Ants. The Ants are associated with the Pacers (9-15), Pistons (11-15), and Bucks (11-13). In their last game, Fort Wayne fell to the Springfield Armor (1-7) 112-107 in OT, giving Springfield their first win of the season.

Not surprisingly, the Mad Ants have yet to see any NBA assignees. The Red Claws, of course, have three: Lester Hudson and Bill Walker from the Celtics plus Alexis Ajinka from the Charlotte Bobcats. Ajinka had an impressive performance in the last Claws game Thursday night, and Hudson has been tearing it up during his short sojourn to the D-League. Hudson is expected to return to the Celtics tomorrow for the 6PM Milwaukee Bucks game, but he'll no doubt end up in Maine again later this season. For now, though, this could be Hudson's only home game in a Claws uniform.

Without any NBA assignees, the Ants' leaders are F Ron Howard and F Rob Kurz, with C Jared Reiner putting up some number as well. Reiner and Kurz have NBA experience. Kurz was with LA's Other Team last year, and Reiner has had a number of NBA contracts but hasn't played in many actual games. In last night's game it was Kurz and G Kyle McAlerney leading the way.

The Red Claws shouldn't take Fort Wayne lightly. The question for the Mad Ants will be whether they'll be tired or hungry after their OT loss the night before.

Red Claws On A Roll

No, it isn’t some new delicacy. I’m talking about the Maine Red Claws, who – like your Celtics – are on a seven game winning streak despite some sloppy play and now have the best record in the league. This is helped, of course, by having the most players with NBA experience in the D-League, including Bill Walker and Lester Hudson as well as Alexis Ajinca of the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Red Claws were already a good team before Hudson joined them and they embarked on their two-day road trip to Erie, Pennsylvania to face the 2-3 Erie BayHawks. Despite being associated with the powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers, the BayHawks seem thoroughly mediocre. Although the Cavs have five players eligible for assignment, none have been sent down yet, and it looks like Erie could use the help.

The Wednesday game was a classic example of a good team winning despite a less-than-stellar performance. This formula should be familiar by now to Celtics fans. With the Red Claws, as with the Celts, this shouldn’t inspire panic but confidence. Truly good teams – especially in basketball – win even on off nights. This is, in many ways, what separates mediocre playoff teams from real contenders, and it was evident in the Claws’ 81-77 win over Erie.

Recently-assigned Celtic Lester Hudson led the way, getting 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in 38 minutes. Walker did well too, notching 16 points in about 27 minutes. Alexis Ajinca’s main contribution was in rebounds – eight – but he also played less in this game than recently. Hudson’s second-half sparks pushed the team to a win despite trailing in the first three quarters. While not as large a comeback as this past Sunday at home, it was impressive nonetheless.

The next night the Claws shook off the cobwebs and rolled to a 96-77 win over Erie. While Hudson (17 points, 9 rebounds) and Ajinca (14 points, 7 rebounds) were impressive, it was Trey Gilder – who was briefly with the Memphis Grizzlies – leading the team with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Both wins showed off the Red Claws depth. No Maine player had more than 40 minutes in either game, unlike the BayHawks, and the NBA assignees didn’t automatically lead the team in points or minutes. Unlike some D-League teams, it’s clear the Claws won’t be depending on their NBA assignees to win games. While Hudson and Walker were certainly helpful Wednesday night, Walker scored vastly less in the second game and they still rolled to a win. On Wednesday, Ajinca scored less, then stepped it up the following night. With this team, it seems like on any given night almost anyone could be the Player of the Game.

Jon Jennings has – from scratch – assembled what is now the best team in the D-League. They have the most NBA talent, the best record, and one of the most experienced coaching staffs around. He’s not only brought pro basketball to the Pine Tree State, he’s brought a very watchable on-the-court product that will serve both Maine basketball fans and the Boston Celtics well.

Wednesday Player of the Game: Lester Hudson; honorable mention to Bill Walker.

Thursday Player of the Game: Trey Gilder and his double-double; honorable mention to Alexis Ajinka.

Pleased To Be Aboard

Hello everyone!

I'm Jim, and I'm pleased to be joining the Celtics Town crew. A lifelong Maine resident, I live in the state capital and (shocker) work in government. However, I think you'll find what's really important for your reading pleasure is that I have season tickets to not only the Boston Celtics, but the brand-new Maine Red Claws, the Celts' new D-League affiliate. I'll be giving firsthand account of the action from my view courtside as the 6-1 Red Claws continue through their schedule, taking on the rest of the teams in the NBA Development League. I'll give you updates on how the Celtics assignees (right now Bill Walker and Lester Hudson) are doing, including my thoughts on their strengths, weaknesses, and overall potential. I'll also keep you informed about the rest of the team, including whomever the Red Claws may get from the Charlotte Bobcats, their other NBA affiliate team.

I'll also work to familiarize you all with the D-League in general. I understand that some of you out there may not have paid much attention when the Celtics' affiliate was in Utah or wherever - that's OK, I didn't either. Now I am, though, and so you will be too. I'll be doing full recaps after almost every home game, and even get in short recaps of road games, as my schedule allows. Of course, I'll be adding to the general Celtics commentary on the site as well.

Kendrick Perkins dominates Charlotte front line in easy 108-90 victory

This one was over when there were, well, about 36 minutes left. Actually, it might have been over even before that.

Honestly, the only reason I even watched the second half was to see when the Bobcats would surpass that ever-elusive 60-point barrier they fell short of last time (the answer: four minutes left in the third quarter), whether 'Sheed would pick up his second technical of the game (nope), and if KG would really come to blows with Nazr Mohammed. (And, if so, would Stephen Jackson fire bullets into midair to end the beef, only to get run over by a car -- or, in this case, Perk?) Sadly, none of that happened either.

All I need to do to explain to you how badly the Bobcats were outclassed is to tell you one thing: Nazr Mohammed (yes, THAT Nazr Mohammed) was arguably their best player. From my experience following the NBA, let me share some valuable knowledge with you: When Nazr Mohammed is your team's best player on any given night, you are going to lose on that night.

The player who's supposed to be their best player, Gerald Wallace, was completely non-existent. Greg Payne from CelticsBlog wrote an article titled "Paul Pierce Will Have His Hands Full With Gerald Wallace", but Pierce remained empty-handed the whole game, as Wallace more or less entirely disappeared. Mike Gorman noted, "Wallace wishes he didn't get up this morning," but his play was even worse than that. He probably wishes he doesn't get up tomorrow morning, either.

The Celtics, much like they've done recently, played great team basketball. They moved the ball terrifically, at times looking like a well-oiled machine. Playing against a Charlotte Bobcats team with an old, slow, and weak frontline, the C's did just what they should do; pound the ball inside. (Note: What the hell happened to Tyson Chandler? A few years ago, he was on the National Team. Yes, the USA National Team. And yes, for basketball. Now, he looks like Space Jam's Monstars took over every skill he ever had, as well as all of his athletic ability.)

Kendrick Perkins was dominant. He rebounded, he blocked shots, he scored, and he even threw in a between-the-legs crossover move to blow by Mohammed for good measure. (Okay, maybe "blow by" isn't the right phrase. How does "rumble by" sound? A little more accurate? Good.)

But you know what? That crossover, as nice and unexpected as it was, wasn't even my favorite part of Perk's game. So what was my favorite part, you ask? When he fouled a Charlotte player and, instead of sending a menacing scowl in the direction of Mr. Referee, he simply raised his hand and admitted the foul. It wasn't a nice play, and it wasn't positive for either Perk or the C's, but Damn! did it make me chuckle. Since when does Perk politely raise his arm after getting whistled for a foul? Seeing him do that proves true the old adage: There's a first time for everything.

Besides Perk, Ray Allen was Boston's other stud. After a prolonged slump left Ray shooting only 30% from behind the arc, it was nice to see the classy star break out for 27 points, including 5-6 shooting from three-point land. He drained a couple threes to start off the first quarter and, by that point, had already matched the total number of three-pointers the Bobcats would hit in the entire game. (Which, coincidentally, is also the number of threes they've drained against the Celtics ALL SEASON -- two.)

While just about everybody for the C's played well, one thing people might complain about is Doc's decision to put the starters back into a 20-point blowout with six minutes remaining. I see why you would complain; after all, who needs KG getting hurt playing useless garbage time? Still, I don't think it was all that bad. Even with those minutes, Ray Allen was the only starter above 33 minutes. (36 for Ray, 33 for Pierce, 31 for Rondo, 29 for Perk, and 26 for Garnett.) Maybe Doc shouldn't have put those guys back in -- and, really, I still don't get why he did. It was still a 20-point lead! -- but, with those minutes, nobody should be too worn out for Thursday night's game in San Antonio.

Anything else worth noting? Ummm... Garnett got into a little scuffle with Mohammed in the first half. Rasheed got another weak tech. (This time, he was walking off the floor when the whistle was blown. His reputation really kills him when it comes to techs.) Rondo was decent, Pierce had his first single-digit scoring output of the season, and Garnett continued his efficient play. D.J. Augustin barely played any minutes, Flip Murray was horrendous, and Boris Diaw is kind of chunky.

After winning in such convincing fashion, on the road -- again -- I want to say the Celtics are road warriors, but I think it has a lot more to do with who they played in their losses, rather than where they played those games. Had the Celtics played Atlanta, Phoenix and Orlando on the road rather than at home, they probably still would have lost all those games. Being on the road shouldn't help win games... right? Right?

Anyways, on a completely unrelated note, it sure is fun, ain't it?

Beating up on mediocre teams, that is.

Celtics not over-looking Charlotte

Via CSNNE:

“Charlotte is going to be a monster game,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “We’re going to have to match their energy somehow.”

Of greater concern for Rivers should be matching up with the 6-foot-8 Jackson, who plays at shooting guard while Gerald Wallace, a 6-7 athletic freak, plays small forward.

“They’re huge now,” Rivers said. “They’re saying, ‘whoever you put the 2 (shooting guard) on, we’re posting up.’”

I don't know about it being a "monster game," but certainly the Bobcats are a different team than the one the Celtics dismantled earlier this season.  The 'Cats not only added Jackson, but top reserve Flip Murray as well.  They pack considerably more punch now than the team that rolled over and played dead while scoring 59 measly points in the teams' first meeting.

Jackson is the biggest reason for the team's improvement:

“He definitely adds scoring and depth to that team,” said Celtics center Rasheed Wallace, another troubled but talented player who thrived under Brown in Detroit. “That veteran leadership to a young ball club is what they needed.”

Despite the huge margin of victory in their last game against Charlotte, the Celtics are well aware of the Bobcats' new look and attitude:

“Charlotte is going to be just as much a dog fight (as Miami), just as grimy,” said Boston’s Kevin Garnett. “We just have to be ready.”

Boston Celtics clamp down Bobcats, 92-59: Running Diary

Another night, another low-scoring win.

I think that might become a pattern with this Celtics team. While the Bobcats clearly didn't come to play, a lot of credit has to be given to Boston's defense for the ugliness of Charlotte's offensive attack. And by attack, I mean an attack of misses, bricks and turnovers.

I wondered in my game preview where the Charlotte scoring would come from, and the answer was D) None of the above. They just don't have anyone capable of creating easy shots, and they had a bad matchup with a Boston team that thrives on making even good teams take low-percentage shots.

It's hard to take too much from an early-season game. Or even a couple early-season games. But if you can tell one thing about the Celtics, it's this: Their defense is going to be very, very good. It's not often one NBA team holds another to only 59 measly points and 31% shooting.

Two years ago, the Celts had the best defense in the league and one of the best the NBA has seen in many years.

This year, they have the potential to be even better. All the additions they made this offseason (Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, even Shelden Williams and Lester Hudson) are defensive-minded players with the ability to affect a game by stopping the other team from scoring. They don't have James Posey anymore, but Wallace and Daniels combined should provide more defense than Posey could by himself.

And on offense? Rajon Rondo continued to play great, unselfish basketball. If anyone thought he might be gunning for his own in an attempt to get a bigger contract, think again. Rondo has played absolutely selfless basketball in the first game, taking whatever the defense gives him and running the team almost flawlessly.

KG looked good, Pierce looked good and Ray looked good. Two games into the season, the world is smiling upon the Boston Celtics. 2-0. Only 71 wins to go, 'Sheed.

Here's a running diary from the game...

First Quarter

Here's what Paul Pierce had to say in his pregame speech: "You see up there? [pointing towards the rafters] There's only 17 of them. I think we need another one." Are you excited yet for the home opener? Is your blood boiling?

Brian Scalabrine will be out again. With Big Baby down, the Celtics will really miss him. Shelden Williams played yesterday and Doc said something to the effect of, "He's a lottery pick for a reason. We just have to get it out of him." Doc, he's also a huge bust for a reason.

The Celtics are up 8-0 before I even settled into my couch. They're running, they're gunning, and Garnett looks great. Perkins had a sequence where he blocked a Felton layup then went outside, guarded Felton on the perimeter and blocked him again. No, no, no, no, no! Charlotte usually plays Boston really tight, but don't expect this one to be. The Celtics are locked in.

Garnett now has two blocks, Perkins has two blocks. Did I mention there's still 8 minutes left... in the FIRST QUARTER! The Celtics interior defense could be pretty damn lethal.

Boris Diaw finally hits a jumper to get the Bobcats on the board with 7 minutes left. But Rondo answers with a jumper from the top of the key. Have I ever mentioned that his form looks way better?

Ew. I just noticed Gerald Wallace's hair. It's worse than Marquis Daniels'. It looks like he has sticks of black licorice coming off the back of his head. Don't think that's what he was going for.

The Celtics are starting to play sloppy basketball. They're playing down to their competition, which is, admittedly, poor.

KG's looking good. Then again, I would probably score on Diaw in the post.

Nazr Mohammed with a tip-in that gets waved off for offensive goaltending. Isn't it about the time the rest of his NBA career gets waved off too?

Tommy Heinsohn after Rondo blew by Augustin for an easy lay-in: "One thing we know about Augustin: He didn't make all-defense in college."

Rasheed is out here drilling threes. By hitting two in the first quarter, he probably already hit more than the Bobcats will all season. 22-12, Celtics.

The Bobcats just have no scoring. Even their top scorer, Gerald Wallace, is only a garbage guy who lives off second-chance points and fast breaks. I'd say DJ Augustin is their best pure scorer, and he happens to be their backup point guard.

My roommate: "Mohammed is Not-zee best basketball player." Truer words have never been spoken.

22-13 to end the first quarter. Celtics will probably roll with this one. Charlotte just doesn't have the firepower to keep up.

Second Quarter

Celtics up 25-15, but it could be a lot worse. The C's aren't making the easy ones. I'm betting they'll start, and when they do, this will be a blowout.

Tommy Heinsohn: "Guess who's in the game!?!? J.R.!! When an announcer gets that excited to see you, you know you aren't a very valuable player.

Bobcats slowly crawling back into the game. The second unit hasn't looked nearly as good as yesterday. They simply cannot put the ball in the bucket right now. 29-23, Bobcats. This game reminds me of a summer league game. Nobody can hit a jumper, and turnovers galore. Actually, that might be an insult to summer league.

During the commercial, I switched to the Knicks game just in time to see Darko Milicic hit a jump hook. Sadly, I then saw him do his own version of Deshawn Stevenson's "I can't feel my face" routine. Really. I'm not kidding. I felt like I would if Earl Boykins started posting up for an entire game. He's just not supposed to do that.

The Celtics have looked very lethargic since that first spurt. Maybe its the back-to-back games, maybe it's age, or maybe it's just that they realized they're playing the Bobcats.

The Celtics are just a lot more physically imposing than the Bobcats. At any given time, the 'Cats have Boris Diaw or Vlad Radmanovic guarding Perkins, Wallace or Garnett. Mismatch city. The Celtics will be too physical and too big for a lot of teams this season.

Another commercial, another switch to the Knicks game. Walt Frazier says, "If Daequan Cook improved his off-the-dribble game, he'd be an All-Star." Really, Walt? Or maybe he'd be good enough to start for the Kings.

Just realized I haven't had a score update in awhile. Thankfully, there hasn't been a lot of scoring. 39-31 Celtics.

Ray's missed a lot of jumpers tonight, but he's such a weapon to have. Rondo just pushed it ahead to an open Ray on the fast break, and all of a sudden an 8-point lead becomes an 11-point lead.

42-31 Celtics at halftime. Ray Allen with 13 points is the only player in double figures. Somehow, I felt he was missing the whole half, but he ended up 4-7 from the floor. Huh? Celtics are really locking down, but their offense has been poor, poor, poor. I'm feeling an Eddie House outburst at some point in the second half. Why? I couldn't tell you.

Third Quarter

Tommy Heinsohn with another gem: "Go to the hoop! This isn't the world's greatest defense their playing."

Quick 8-0 run by the C's to open up the second half. They're getting easy buckets, and not giving up any. That's usually a recipe for success, at any level of basketball.

Make it 10-0. Garnett jumper. The Celtics are now making the easy jumpers. Is 8 minutes left in the third too early for Red Auerbach to spark up his cigar?

Make it 12-0. Pretty play, Garnett pass to a cutting Rondo, Rondo wraparound pass to Perk, Perkins reverse dunk.

Make it 15-0. The Bobcats seem to have given up. Every Celtics jumper is uncontested, every layup easy. Larry Brown must be supremely pissed off.

The 21-0 run (including a brief 6-0 run to end the first half) is finally over. It only took the Bobcats six minutes to score their first second-half bucket. But a Pierce three and a fast-break Pierce dunk increase the run to 26-2, and the Celtics are up 29 points. Rondo has 10 assists, and the Celtics are making things look very, very easy.

Update: Red Auerbach is now DEFINITELY smoking a stogie. No doubt anymore... No matter how much time is left.

Gerald Henderson, Jr. scores two free throws for the Bobcats third and fourth points of the third quarter. Did I mention there are only three minutes left in the quarter?

Rondo is playing such great basketball these first two games. After yet another pretty feed to Perk, he now has 11 assists with 2 minutes to go in the third quarter. He hasn't forced any plays, he hasn't turned the ball over, and he is taking whatever the defense gives to him. You can't run a team much better than Rondo has these first two games. You just can't.

The third quarter is now over. The Bobcats ended the quarter with a running Raymond Felton jumper, to give them a whopping total of 10 points scored for the quarter. 67-41 Celtics. Don't expect to see a lot of the Big Three in the final stanza.

Fourth Quarter

Charlotte shooting 28% so far. Scorching the nets.

Eddie misses his first three of the fourth quarter. I predicted him to have a big outburst in this second half, and I stand by my prediction. Eddie kills in garbage time.

Shelden Williams pulls down a rebound in traffic. He's got a strong set of hands, and positions his body well.

Lester Hudson gets his first minutes as a Celtic. Almost immediately, he gets a steal and a nice assist to a wide-open Marquis Daniels. I LOVVVEEE LESSTTAAAHHHHH!

The Bobcats are starting to get a few easy buckets as the C's have their 12th-man lineup in the game. Unfortunately for them, they're down 28 points. Which amounts to approximately three more quarters of scoring they'd have to do to come back.

House finally hits a jumper with 6 minutes left. There's still time for a barrage of threes to validate my prediction. Please, Eddie.

Giddens reminds me of Tony Allen as he picks up a foul flying into a jump-shooter. And being compared to Tony Allen is never, ever a good thing.

Eddie with a three! I'm in the process of being validated. I can feel it. The House is starting to burn up.

Eddie with another three, his third jumper in a row. Don't ever bet against House catching fire in a blowout. Ever.

I officially am really liking Shelden Williams' game. He does the little things well, gets rebounds and plays within himself. If he could just stop himself from shooting jumpers once in a while, the Celtics might have found themselves a real steal.

I didn't watch the last few minutes. Not that it mattered. My roommate wanted to watch the Yankees, and it was tough to convince him that watching a 30-point blowout was more important than watching the World Series. I tried to tell him he doesn't really want to watch the Yankees lose game one, but he didn't agree. Either way, the Celtics are 2-0 and the Yankees are down 2-0. It's a good night.

Note: Videos thanks to Red's Army.

NBA Season Preview: Charlotte Bobcats

Last year's record: 35-47
Head coach: Larry Brown
Projected Starters: Raymond Felton, D.J. Augustin, Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler

Overlook:

The Bobcats will look to escape the depths of mediocrity for the first time in the franchise’s existence. But that might be difficult with a roster headlined by Gerald Wallace. He’s good, and can fill up a box score, but he’s not good enough to lead the Bobcats out of the lottery.

X-Factor:

Jay – Boris Diaw. Remember when Diaw was a nightly monster, piling up points, boards, and assists? You don’t have to think back too far; he actually averaged 15 points, 6 boards and 5 assists per game for the Bobcats last year. When he’s aggressive, Diaw can make a lot of plays.

Tommy - Gerald Wallace is the heart and soul of this Charlotte team. And no offense to Wallace, because he is tough and athletic, but that gives your team a 45-win ceiling.

TJ - D.J Augustin has a chance to become an above-average point guard in this league. Playing under a Hall of Fame coach will most certainly benefit him. He has some weapons around him, but personally I don’t believe that they are ready to compete in the Eastern Conference just yet.

Biggest question mark:

Jay – Is this the most mediocre NBA team ever? They don’t have one player who stands out, but they have a ton of decent players. Gerald Wallace, Vlad Radmanovic, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Boris Diaw… the list goes on and on. All decent players, but nobody great.

Tommy - Who will go, Felton or Augustin? Both want to be starters, but they can't be paired together as the starting backcourt. Looks to me like Felton should be the one to go. But he's a Tar Heel like bosses Larry Brown and Michael Jordan.

TJ - Is the economy in the U.S so bad where a team in the NBA has to trade arguably its best player for someone that is talented but labeled as injury prone. The Okafor-Chandler trade made zero sense to me and because of that the Bobcats will fall farther away from that eighth seed that they were so close to last year.

Most compelling storyline:

Jay – Does Michael Jordan even know who’s on the team? Has there ever been a more disengaged team president? I would love to ask him who’s on the team. I can imagine him going on and on about the potential of Adam Morrison before I gently remind him that Morrison is long gone and that his “potential” never came close to translating to NBA success. For a guy hailed as the most competitive person ever, you’d think he’d give a better effort to make the Bobcats relevant.

Tommy - I'm sorry. Based on my definition of compelling, I'm finding it hard to come up with one.

TJ – Sorry Cats fans. I don’t see anything compelling about your team. Honestly, if I did not have to I would not be writing about your team. Or even thinking about them. I see you as a lottery team once again and nothing more; my advice to you would be to lose all 82 games and make a run at John Wall or Derrick Favors.

Player to watch:

Jay – I’ll go with Tyson Chandler here. Of all the decent talent on the Bobcats, he’s the newest addition. If he’s healthy and back to the player he was two years ago, the Bobcats will have a lockdown defender and terrific rebounder.

Tommy - Gerald Henderson; He'll realize he should have stayed one more year with Coach K.

TJ - Now that the best ever is in the Hall of Fame, will he stay out of the gym and in the front office? Yes I am talking about Michael Jordan. I could see him coming back to play in a few games this season, seeing that his team only has an outside chance to make the playoffs. Please do it Mike. Just come back to at least one game. If you came back when the Cavs are in town, the Lebron-Michael matchup could help the U.S. out of its recession. Every T.V. in America would have that game on.

Projected Record:

Jay – 33-49

Tommy – 40-42

TJ – 20-62