Blog.WBRU

After the Boston Celtics dispatched the New York Knicks 124-105 tonight, and the Boston Bruins downed the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Saturday afternoon, the two teams did more than just solidify their standing atop their respective conferences. They ensured that nobody going to the TD Banknorth Garden to cheer on the home team has gone home dissatisfied for over a month.

The Bruins, winners of 22 of their past 26 games, last lost in Boston on October 23rd against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They continue their five-game roadtrip Tuesday night and do not return home to play again until January 1st against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Celtics are no slouches either. They haven’t lost at the Garden since November 14 (85-94 to the Denver Nuggets), and are currently riding an 18-game win streak to tie the best start in NBA history at 26-2. They face the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night before embarking on a four-game west coast journey of their own, returning to Beantown to face the Washington Wizards on January 2nd.

If the Celtics win Tuesday night, the Garden home win streak will be secure through the end of 2008. There’s no official statistic on the longest combined home win streak for NBA and NHL teams that share a venue, but this is pretty good. Oh yeah, the two teams have lost a total of two games at home this season.

Must be those five dollar hotdogs.

-BS

Don’t look now, but with the weather getting colder and the winter acoming, it looks like the Celtics and Bruins will make up for any post-Sox slumber.

The Boston Bruins, virtue of their first shootout win this past night against Chicago, 2-1, are now atop the standings. Well, the NY Rangers and San Jose Sharks have more points, but both teams have also played more games. Of teams that have played 15 games or less, the Bruins are tied for the most points at 21, with a record of 9-3-3.

Then, you have the Boston Celtics, who claimed their dominance in the East this past night. Truth be told, Paul Pierce shot a dagger into the hearts of Hawks’ fans, with a last-second jumper to beat the previously undefeated Atlanta Hawks, 103-102. The only team with a better record in the NBA are the LA Lakers, but please, what happened in June?

Get those stoves hot, not for baseball where it doesn’t appear as if the Red Sox will make any drastic changes this offseason. Rather, jack up the heat this winter and cheer on  two teams that are red-hot themselves right now, the Bruins and the Celtics.

- JE

The Boston Celtics played a preseason game last night at the Dunk against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They won, 96-94, on two Leon Powe free throws in the final minute. The Big 3 for the Celtics only saw playing time in the first quarter, and LeBron James was done after the first half, but it was still a treat to watch the defending world champions here in Providence.

The Other Allen - Tony Allen played 13 more minutes than any other player last night and scored a game-high 25. He was 13/16 from the free throw line, making it to the charity stripe often because of his aggressive drives to the hoop.

Big Foul Trouble Baby - Glen “Big Baby” Davis needed only 16 minutes to foul out with 6 fouls. Coach Rivers told reporters after the game that Davis was trying to play over his head and wasn’t playing within the system.

Here and There - Danny Ainge made the trip down to Providence. So did Lucky, the Celtics mascot. Both Kendrick Perkins and Sam Cassell were not dressed for the game. And for the Cavs, three players were not with the team: Sasha Pavlovic, Eric Snow, and Delonte West.

Playing Hard - Only a preseason game? The Celtics were not holding their effort back. On the first play of the game, Paul Pierce leaped out of bounds to save the basketball, which led to a fastbreak with Ray Allen feeding an alley-oop lay-up to Kevin Garnett. Pierce also made a great diving play on the court for a loose ball later in the quarter, and Glen Davis had a scary moment in the second quarter when he plowed into the scorer’s table.

Welcome to Boston - Just one game, but here is how some of the new guys stacked up.

• Bill Walker, the rookie out of Kansas State, looked like he will be a talent. He showed athleticism and heart, fighting for rebounds and put-backs.
• Patrick O’Bryant reminded me of a poor man’s Bill Cartwright. He has a similar style and build. He was much slender than I anticipated, but was surprisingly solid both defensively and rebounding.
• Darius Miles played less than four minutes, but seemed rusty and nervous.
• J.R. Giddens, the rookie out of New Mexico, played well. He made a very athletic block on a Cavs 3-point shot and then saved the ball by batting it off a Cavs player before it went out of bounds.

- Jeff & Mac

California knows how to party… whether it be in Las Vegas or Boston. Mr. Inglewood Paul Pierce was pulled over at 3am on the Vegas strip for “erratic driving.” Las Vegas cops briefly handcuffed and detained the NBA Finals MVP, but luckily Pierce passed his sobriety test. Pierce made a smooth move off the courts, deciding not to drive for the rest of the night.

The Boston Celtics agree to 2 year deals for both Allen and House.  Both players were key reserves for Boston, serving as back up guards for Rajon Rondo.