Claws Jam Bakersfield

The Maine Red Claws, as expected, destroyed the league's worst team tonight in front of another sellout crowd in the Portland Expo. Despite Bill Walker being sent back up to the Celtics, Alexis Ajinca not at his best, and Lester Hudson only arriving for the second half, it was no contest. At various times the Jam tried to turn it into a contest. While it looked like they might get it going and make it a game, their rally never quite materialized. After the first quarter it was never closer than nine points.

Bakersfield started strong, to be sure. With less than three minutes left in the first quarter, they were only behind by a point. Initially, it seemed that they might be competitive. Perhaps their recent roster moves had been effective, or perhaps this would into a surprise challenge for the Claws, much like their first home loss. Then the Red Claws went on an 11-3 run, and by the end of the quarter the home team was ahead by nine points. That run would be indicative of the rest of the game. Maine never looked back, defeating the visitors by a final of 105-82.

It took Bakersfield the first three minutes of the second before they were able to score. While the Claws scored five more points in the second than they had in the third, the Jam scored the same. At halftime the Claws were in full command with an impressive 23-point lead - identical to the final margin.

Although a brief rally materialized for the visitors as they pushed from being down almost twenty points to finishing the third with an eleven-point deficit, they only barely got it into single digits when the rally fizzled. This was the only quarter where the Jam outscored than the Claws (35-27). For a while there the Jam looked impressive, but then the Claws dominated the fourth quarter.

It wasn't the NBA assignees who stood out, but Trey Gilder and Noel Felix. Gilder notched 18, leading the team in points, while Felix had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Although Hudson didn't see much time, he played well in 13 minutes and Ajinca was impressive despite a slow start, with 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Maine played a strong game, despite losing Walker and with Hudson only notching 3 points in 13 minutes. The Red Claws showed why they're one of the best teams in the D-League. They also proved they could dominate without their NBA assignees, and that they'll be competitive with or without help from the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats.

NOTES: Celtics GM Danny Ainge attended the game...the first-place Iowa Energy face the 3-7 Eerie BayHawks later tonight; an Iowa loss would leave Maine and Iowa tied for first place...Lester Hudson arrived late & only played in the second half.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Noel Felix; Honorable Mention to Trey Gilder

Red Claws Suffer First Home Loss

Last night the Maine Red Claws continued the weekend trend and snapped a winning streak with a disappointing home loss. They followed the lead of the Celtics' home loss to Philly Friday night in the TD Garden, which ended an eleven-game winning streak for Boston. Saturday it was the Red Claws' turn, as their 113-105 loss ended a seven-game winning streak, dropping them to 7-2 and ending their brief possession of the best record in the D-League. Another sellout crowd in the Portland Expo watched the Claws come out in the first half and let the Fort Wayne Mad Ants walk all over them. The visitors seemed to sink every basket early on, working together in a way they clearly hadn't during their Friday night OT loss to Springfield. By halftime the Red Claws were trailing 62-55.

The third quarter was better, and by the start of the fourth the Red Claws had a narrow lead. The third quarter was the Claws' best in the game by far, and they really began to sync as a team. It was looking as though they might not only pull it out, but pull well ahead of the Mad Ants - just as in the second quarter of the Celtics-6ers game it looked like Boston might put Philly away. As in that game, it was not to be. Fort Wayne readjusted and came out strong in the fourth quarter, erasing Maine's gains.

One of the problems for the Red Claws was a lack of scoring balance. The Mad Ants had five players in double digits and two others close behind with 8-9 points. Led by F Ron Howard with 30 points, the Ants had a fairly balanced, very effective offense last night. When the Claws started to readjust and pull ahead, they did too, dampening several attempted rallies.

Maine, meanwhile, had four players in double digits, and two of those were far closer to 10 than 20. G Billy Thomas and F Darnell Lazare had 11 and 12 points, respectively. Lester Hudson's anemic performance didn't help any (7 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists). Indeed, if this game was the only factor, Hudson would be staying in Maine and Walker would be headed back to Boston.

Bill Walker and Alexis Ajinca were both outstanding last night. Walker had 33 points, leading the team and keeping them in the game all night. Ajinca neared a double-double with 23 points and 9 rebounds, making good adjustments to read the plays. It was his best performance in Maine so far, and is indicative of steady improvement since the beginning of the season. Hopefully it's a trend that will continue for him, and hopefully they won't again have to carry the team on their back. Combined, they had half the points last night.

The team as a whole failed at the defensive end of the court last night. Much of the Claws' success can be attributed to defensive prowess, which is even more uncommon in the D-League than it is in the NBA. The Claws have won three games scoring less than 100, and two of those were less than 90. They're one of the best defensive teams in the D-League right now, but after last night they know that defense has to be there on every play in every quarter.

The Red Claws have had a few disappointing efforts even in their seven-game winning streak, but Fort Wayne's stellar shooting was too much for them to overcome. Clearly they were eager for the win and the Red Claws just weren't ready for another rally.

NOTES: Celtics GM Danny Ainge attended the game...Lester Hudson is expected to return to Boston for the 6PM tilt against the Minnesota Timberwolves...this was the team's third straight sellout...the next game is Saturday, Dec. 26, vs Bakersfield at home, 1PM.

Maine Red Claws Preseason Postgame

The Maine Red Claws played their first game tonight, a preseason game against the Springfield Armor in the Augusta Civic Center. For those From Away, Augusta is the state capital, about an hour north of Portland (the normal home of the Red Claws) up I-95. In front of a large, boisterous crowd that included Maine Governor John Baldacci and Celtics GM Danny Ainge, NBDL basketball was played in New England for the first time. Although the Red Claws fell to the Springfield Armor, it was an excellent chance for the state to begin to fall in love with the team. Maine's basketball fanaticism was very much on display.

The Red Claws looked rough, as is to be expected of any newly-established team. It's important to note that while the Springfield Armor are new to the region, they are a relocated team, unlike the expansion Red Claws. So the Armor have played together, whereas the Red Claws are a recently thrown-together group. Still, they played well, and Austin Ainge acquitted himself in his first performance as Head Coach.

The Claws were behind at halftime and looked lackluster for much of the first half, but whatever Austin said to them at halftime worked. They came out in the third looking strong, and it was an exciting, back-and-forth game for most of the second half. Unfortunately a few key missed shots for the Claws knocked them out with about a minute left, and they lost by eight points.

This team played unevenly, but with a lot of energy, including from recently-assigned Celtic Bill Walker. Walker looked good; in 25 minutes he scored 13 points, had 3 boards and no assists, tying with Tony Bobbit in both categories. Bobbit did better with 5 boards and an assist, though. The Claws' statistical leader was Darnell Lazare, with 19 points, 8 boards, and no assists in about 34 minutes. FULL BOX.

I've no doubt that with Austin at the helm they will improve tremendously over the course of the season. It was a great idea to do a preseason elsewhere in the state and build up excitement for the team outside their home base of Portland. Principle owner Bill Ryan, Jr., President Jon Jennings, and the entire Red Claws ownership group and staff have run an impressive, professional organization from the get-go. They've clearly learned from other teams how to do things right. Long before the home opener at the Portland Expo next Friday vs. Springfield (again) they've fully embedded themselves into the community.

They've sponsored a number of charity events, and the team's dancers have shown up at various events. They've held very effective open houses, letting folks visit the revamped Portland Expo facility, seeing how it will look on gameday. Their staff is friendly, helpful, and accessible - something I especially appreciate as a season-ticket holder. It's good to know, as a customer, that I'll be dealing with true professionals.

I recently received my season-ticket holder packet, and realized that I don't get a bundle of tickets - I get a card as a pass instead that functions as a ticket for every game. I don't know if every NBDL team does this or not, but I have not seen it done before, and I'm already thrilled by it. It makes my life immensely easier. I really hope that if it works, the Celtics consider doing the same for their season ticket holders in the future. This is one area where the Celtics could learn from the Red Claws.

All this explains why, in the middle of a recession, the Red Claws managed to sell a huge number of season tickets. Regardless of their record this year (and I think they will be competitive), they are a welcome addition to Maine. Indeed, not only Mainers but all Celtics fans should be thrilled with this new arrangement, as in the long term, it will work out very well for all involved.