Friday, November 30, 2012

11/30/12: Celtics vs. Trail Blazers Stat Pack



*Entering Friday’s game, the Celtics are 5-1 on 1-day rest this season.
–The Trail Blazers are 2-6 on 1-day rest this season.

*Since 2007-08, the Celtics have a 22-14 (.611) record without Rajon Rondo playing.
–2012-13 … 0-1 (.000) —– With Rondo: 8-6 (.571)
–2011-12 … 8-5 (.615) —– With Rondo: 31-22 (.585)
–2010-11 … 9-5 (.643) —– With Rondo: 47-21 (.691)
–2009-10 … 1-0 (1.000) —– With Rondo: 49-32 (.605)
–2008-09 … 0-2 (.000) —– With Rondo: 62-18 (.775)
–2007-08 … 4-1 (.800) —– With Rondo: 62-15 (.805)

*Oddly, Paul Pierce has his lowest career rebound average against the Blazers.
–Worst: Portland – 4.7 rebounds per game (25 GP)
–2nd Worst: Utah – 5.0 rebounds per game (25 GP)
–3rd Worst: Memphis – 5.2 rebounds per game (25 GP)

*The Celtics remain 1 of 2 NBA teams yet to lose a game this season in which they have had a halftime lead.
–Celtics are 5-0 after leading at the half.
–The 76ers are the other team at 6-0.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time Regular Season Games Played–
17. Terry Porter 1,274
T-18. John Havlicek 1,270
T-18. Kevin Garnett 1,270      (On Friday, Garnett will move into sole possession of 18th place)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

11/28/12: Celtics vs. Nets Stat Pack



*Rajon Rondo’s final four assists of Sunday’s game were on baskets by Kevin Garnett, who now is tied as the leader of field goals made on Rondo assists during Rondo’s current assist streak.
–T-1st: Garnett 116
–T-1st: Pierce 116
–3rd: Bass 81

*Happy 30th birthday to Leandro Barbosa. What a fantastic Twitter handle he has: @TheBlur_Barbosa. He won the Sixth Man of the Year Award for the 2006-07 season as a member of the Phoenix Suns. Barbosa is now providing some much-needed bench scoring for the Celtics in 2012-13.
–On Sunday, Barbosa scored in double-digits for the 4th time this season.
–Before the Orlando game, the last time Barbosa had scored at least 10 points was the Brooklyn game on November 15.
–The Celtics have won the last 2 games in which Barbosa has come off the bench to score double-digit points.

*The Celtics remain 1 of 3 NBA teams yet to lose a game this season in which they have had a halftime lead.
–Celtics are 5-0 after leading at the half.
–The 76ers have the most halftime leads this season without a loss (6). The Bobcats are the other team (3-0 with a halftime lead).

*Milestone Watch:

Chris Wilcox is 1 defensive rebound away from 2,000 for his career–

–All-Time Offensive Rebounds–
22. Elton Brand 3,067
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,025            (Garnett needs 2 to move into 23rd place)

–All-Time Free Throws Made–
12. Reggie Miller 6,237
13. Bob Pettit 6,182
14. Paul Pierce 6,176                        (Pierce needs 7 to move into 13th place)

Sunday, November 25, 2012

11/25/12: Celtics @ Magic Stat Pack



*In 3 career games against the Boston Celtics, Glen Davis is averaging 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, both of which are his best against any NBA team.
–It is a product of him receiving more minutes with the Magic than he did with the Celtics, but he has started only 1 of his 3 career games against Boston.
–Although he is accumulating good statistics against the Celtics, Big Baby has yet to beat his former team. He is 0-3 against the Celtics in his career.

*The Celtics have won their last 5 meetings overall with the Magic.
–The last Celtics loss to the Magic: Exactly 23 Months Ago – Christmas 2010 (86-78, Magic victory)
–Celtics starting lineup for Christmas 2010: Nate Robinson, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal
–Magic starting lineup for Christmas 2010: Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, Brandon Bass and Dwight Howard

*Sunday night marks Jameer Nelson’s 534th career NBA game.
–He has played all of his NBA games with Orlando. In Magic franchise history, that is the 3rd most games for one player. Only Nick Anderson (692) and Dwight Howard (621) have played more in an Orlando uniform.
–With 10 made field goals on Sunday, Nelson would move into 5th on the Magic all-time list of field goals made. He currently has 2,533 and is chasing Anfernee Hardaway (2,542).
–With 5 defensive rebounds on Sunday, Nelson would move into 7th on the Magic all-time list of defensive rebounds. He currently has 1,341 and is chasing Bo Outlaw (1,345).
–With 6 turnovers on Sunday, Nelson would move into 3rd on the Magic all-time list of turnovers. He currently has 1,154 and is Darrell Armstrong at 1,159.

*After their victory on Friday night, the Celtics have now won their last 4 games that have been played on 1-day rest.
–On 1-day rest this season, they are 4-1 overall and are averaging 102.8 points per game.
–The Celtics’ lone loss on 1-day rest was more than 2 weeks ago to the Philadelphia 76ers on November 9.

*The Celtics remain one of 3 NBA teams yet to lose a game in which they have had a halftime lead.
–Celtics are 4-0 after leading at the half.
–The 76ers have the most halftime leads without a loss (5). The Bobcats are the other team (3-0 with a halftime lead).

*Milestone Watch:

Chris Wilcox remains 2 defensive rebounds away from 2,000 for his career–

–Celtics History: All-Time Assists–
5. Paul Pierce 3,971
6. Jo Jo White 3,686
7. Rajon Rondo 3,685                        (Rondo needs 2 to move into 6th place)

–All-Time Three-Pointers Made–
7. Dale Ellis 1,719
8. Rashard Lewis 1,705
9. Paul Pierce 1,703                        (Pierce needs 3 to move into 8th place)

–All-Time Free Throws Made–
12. Reggie Miller 6,237
13. Bob Pettit 6,182
14. Paul Pierce 6,172                        (Pierce needs 11 to move into 13th place)

–Celtics History: All-Time Steals–
1. Larry Bird 1,556
2. Paul Pierce 1,519                        (Pierce needs 38 to move into 1st place)
3. Robert Parish 873
4. Rajon Rondo 866                        (Rondo needs 8 to move into 3rd place)

Friday, November 23, 2012

11/23/12: Celtics vs. Thunder Stat Pack



*Oklahoma City has 4 players in the Top 25 of plus/minus during the 2012-13 season. Kobe Bryant leads the league at +131. Pau Gasol and Carmelo Anthony are tied for 2nd at +111.
–4th: Kevin Durant (+108)
–10th: Kevin Martin (+86)
–13th: Russell Westbrook (+75)
–Tied-22nd: Serge Ibaka (+57)

*Oklahoma City has the 2nd best effective field goal percentage (53.3%) this season in the NBA.
–Boston ranks 7th (51.3%).

*While the teams are somewhat similar with regard to offensive shooting percentage, their defenses are nowhere close. The opponent effective field goal percentage (opp. EFG%) for 2012-13 is a perfect illustration.
–Thunder: 5th lowest opp. EFG% in NBA (46.7%)
–Celtics: 4th highest opp. EFG% in NBA (50.4%)

*Oklahoma City averages 17.0 fastbreak points per game this season, which ranks 3rd in the NBA.
–The Thunder’s fastbreak efficiency (2.32 fastbreak points per possession) is the 2nd best in the league.

*The Celtics are 3-1 on 1-day rest this season.
–Their lone loss on 1-day rest was 2 weeks ago to the Philadelphia 76ers on November 9.

*The Celtics are 0-2 thus far this season on Friday nights this season. Both games have been played at home.
–November 2 vs. Bucks
–November 9 vs. 76ers

*The Celtics remain one of 6 NBA teams yet to lose a game in which they have had a halftime lead.
–Celtics are 3-0 after leading at the half. The Celtics’ 3 halftime leads are tied for the 2nd-fewest in the league.
–The Warriors and Clippers have the most halftime leads without a loss (6).

*Milestone Watch:

Chris Wilcox is 2 defensive rebounds away from 2,000 for his career–

–Celtics History: All-Time Field Goals Made–
2. Larry Bird 8,591
3. Robert Parish 7,483
4. Paul Pierce 7,479                        (Pierce needs 5 to move into 3rd place)

–Celtics History: All-Time Assists–
5. Paul Pierce 3,970
6. Jo Jo White 3,686
7. Rajon Rondo 3,669                        (Rondo needs 18 to move into 6th place)

–All-Time Free Throws Made–
12. Reggie Miller 6,237
13. Bob Pettit 6,182
14. Paul Pierce 6,165                        (Pierce needs 18 to move into 13th place)

–Celtics History: All-Time Blocked Shots–
3. Larry Bird 755
4. Kendrick Perkins 646
5. Paul Pierce 642                        (Pierce needs 5 to move into 4th place)
—            —            —            —            —            —            —            —            —
8. Cedric Maxwell 378
9. Tony Battie 369
10. Kevin Garnett 343                        (Garnett needs 27 to move into 9th place)

–Celtics History: All-Time Steals–
1. Larry Bird 1,556
2. Paul Pierce 1,516                        (Pierce needs 41 to move into 1st place)
3. Robert Parish 873
4. Rajon Rondo 864                        (Rondo needs 10 to move into 3rd place)

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

11/21/12: Celtics vs. Spurs Stat Pack


*A happy 57th birthday to the one and only, Boston Celtics radio broadcaster Cedric Maxwell!
–He shares a birthday with Stan Musial (92 today), Earl “The Pearl” Monroe (68), Harold Ramis (68), Goldie Hawn (67), Troy Aikman (46), Ken Griffey Jr. (43) and Michael Strahan (41).

*Both the Celtics and Spurs are in the top 6 in the NBA in team assist/turnover ratio.
–1st: Knicks (1.87)
–2nd: Celtics (1.74)
–3rd: Heat (1.69)
–4th: Bucks (1.68)
–5th: Raptors (1.622)
–6th: Spurs (1.618)

*Coming into Wednesday’s game, the Celtics are 2-0 this season on Wednesday nights (both at home).

*Coming into Wednesday’s game, the Celtics have only played one out-of-conference game, the fewest out-of-conference games in the NBA.

*Before Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, the Celtics were 4-0 with the starting lineup of Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett.
–They are now 4-1 with that lineup.
–Rondo/Lee/Pierce/Sullinger/Garnett: 2-1
–Rondo/Lee/Pierce/Bass/Garnett: 0-2
–Barbosa/Terry/Pierce/Bass/Garnett: 0-1

Wednesday’s game between the Celtics and Spurs features the 2 active leaders in all-time double-doubles.
–1st: Tim Duncan 737
2nd: Kevin Garnett 719

*Rondo is now 5 of 15 (.333) from 3-point this season. His career-high for 3PM in a season is 17 in 2009-10. His career-high for 3P% in a season is .313 in 2008-09.

*The Celtics have won 2 in a row at home after losing 2 of their first 3 home games to start the season.

*The Celtics remain one of 8 NBA teams yet to lose a game in which they have had a halftime lead.
–Celtics are 3-0 after leading at the half.
–The Warriors and Clippers have the most halftime leads without a loss (6).

*Milestone Watch:

Chris Wilcox is 5 defensive rebounds away from 2,000 for his career–

–Celtics History: All-Time Defensive Rebounds–
6. Antoine Walker 3,463
7. Cedric Maxwell 2,405
8. Kevin Garnett 2,403            (Garnett needs 3 to move into 7th place)

–Celtics History: All-Time Field Goals Made–
2. Larry Bird 8,591
3. Robert Parish 7,483
4. Paul Pierce 7,473                        (Pierce needs 11 to move into 3rd place)

–Celtics History: All-Time Assists–
5. Paul Pierce 3,968
6. Jo Jo White 3,686
7. Rajon Rondo 3,654                        (Rondo needs 33 to move into 6th place)

–Celtics History: All-Time Blocked Shots–
3. Larry Bird 755
4. Kendrick Perkins 646
5. Paul Pierce 641                        (Pierce needs 6 to move into 4th place)
—            —            —            —            —            —            —            —            —
8. Cedric Maxwell 378
9. Tony Battie 369
10. Kevin Garnett 341                        (Garnett needs 29 to move into 9th place)

–Celtics History: All-Time Steals–
1. Larry Bird 1,556
2. Paul Pierce 1,515                        (Pierce needs 42 to move into 1st place)
3. Robert Parish 873
4. Rajon Rondo 862                        (Rondo needs 12 to move into 3rd place)

–All-Time Free Throws Made–
12. Reggie Miller 6,237
13. Bob Pettit 6,182
14. Paul Pierce 6,159                        (Pierce needs 24 to move into 13th place)

Sunday, November 18, 2012

11/18/12: Celtics @ Pistons Stat Pack



*In the 2012-13 seasons, the Celtics are 4-0 with the starting lineup of Rajon Rondo, Jason Terry, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett.

*Via Elias: Rajon Rondo is the 1st player in NBA history to have at least 121 assists and 30 or fewer turnovers in his first 9 games of a season.
*Rondo’s 20 assists on Saturday against the Raptors are a big reason why the Celtics have the most assists per possession in the NBA this season.
–1st: Celtics (.264)
–2nd: Spurs (.263)
–3rd: Bucks (.250)

*The Detroit Pistons have lost all 3 of their home games this season coming into the game with the Celtics.

*Shockingly, Chris Wilcox (117 minutes played) leads the Celtics in plus/minus this season at +33.
–2nd: Rondo (+31) – 343 MP
–3rd: Garnett (+28) – 289 MP
–4th: Terry (+18) – 257 MP

*Only 4 Pistons players have a positive plus/minus this season and 3 of them have played less than 10 minutes each.
–The only Pistons rotation player that has a positive plus/minus is Corey Maggette (+3 in 2 GP and 36 MP in 2012-13).
–Kyle Singler is the next best Piston at -2 in 234 MP.

*The Celtics remain one of 8 NBA teams yet to lose a game in which they have had a halftime lead.
–Celtics are 3-0 after leading at the half.
–The Warriors and Clippers have the most halftime leads without a loss (5).

Saturday, November 17, 2012

11/17/12: Celtics vs. Raptors Stat Pack

*After winning the first 16 of 18 games against the Raptors in the New Big Three Era, the Celtics surprisingly have lost their last 2 meetings with Toronto.
–Both of those 2 recent losses were road games for the Celtics.

*I’m not saying today’s game against the Raptors should be an easy victory for the Celtics, but it is helpful that the Raptors’ raw rebounding rate (.472, 28th in NBA) is worse than that of the Celtics (.478, 23rd).

*Rajon Rondo is the Celtics’ 3rd-most important plus/minus player at +12 this season.
–As always, Kevin Garnett is the team’s leader in plus/minus at +23.
–In 2011-12, Garnett’s +266 led the Celtics.
–While Garnett did not lead the Celtics in overall plus/minus in the seasons before 2011-12, he did however lead the team in plus/minus per minute.

*The 3-man combination of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett is the 5th best plus/minus one in the league at +61.
–Best in the NBA: Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace and Pau Gasol at +91.

*In the New Big Three Era, the Celtics have a 22-14 record without Rajon Rondo playing.
–2012-13 … 0-1
–2011-12 … 8-5
–2010-11 … 9-5
–2009-10 … 1-0
–2008-09 … 0-2
–2007-08 … 4-1

*The Celtics are one of 8 NBA teams yet to lose a game in which they have had a halftime lead.
–Celtics are 2-0 after leading at the half, but the Celtics are tied for the 2nd-fewest halftime leads (2) in the NBA. Only the Wizards have fewer (1).
–The Golden State Warriors have the most halftime leads without a loss (5).

*Around the NBA: The standings have an interesting look today. 10 of the Eastern Conference teams have a streak of at least one win. However, only 6 of the Western Conference teams have won their last game.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time Games Played–
17. Terry Porter 1,274
18. John Havlicek 1,270
19. Kevin Garnett 1,264            (Garnett needs 7 to move into 18th place)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

11/15/12: Celtics @ Nets Stat Pack

*The Celtics have a 17-2 record against the Nets in the New Big Three Era. Since 2007-08, the .895 winning percentage is the best one for the Celtics against any of the NBA teams that they faced at least 10 times in that span.

*Can Jeff Green have another great performance on Thursday night? If he scores at least 15 points against the Nets, he will have his first back-to-back 15-point nights since March 16-18, 2011.
–In Green’s 34 career games in a Celtics uniform, that is the only instance in which he has scored at least 15 points in consecutive games.

*Since being traded by the Celtics in 2002, Joe Johnson has a 14-13 career regular season record against his former team.
–The Joe Johnson Trade (February 20, 2002): Celtics traded Joe Johnson, Randy Brown, Milt Palacio and a 2002 1st round draft pick (Casey Jacobsen) to the Phoenix Suns for Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers.

*The Celtics entered Wednesday’s game with the 3rd best Defensive Rebounding % (.769) in the NBA. They are now 8th with a .747 Defensive Rebounding % after giving up 18 offensive rebounds to the Jazz and grabbing only 29 defensive rebounds of their own.

*The Celtics record on the second night of back-to-backs this season: 2-0 (both on road)
–First night of back-to-backs: 1-2 (all 3 games at home)

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time Games Played–
17. Terry Porter 1,274
18. John Havlicek 1,270
19. Kevin Garnett 1,263            (Garnett needs 8 to move into 18th place)

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

11/14/12: Celtics vs. Jazz Stat Pack

*On Monday night against the Chicago Bulls, @LucidSportsFan pointed out to me that Rajon Rondo led the Celtics in points (20), rebounds (9), assists (10) and steals (5) without any ties, so I took a look at how often Rondo has achieved this feat in his NBA career.
–In Rondo’s 536 combined regular season and postseason games, only twice (including Monday) has he led the Celtics in those 4 statistical categories without any ties in the same game.
–The other game: Game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals (83-75 Magic victory over the Celtics) – Rondo had 19 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals
–What this means to me: We all knew that this was Rondo’s team, but now he is showing it statistically. I would guess that we will see more of these such games from him in the 2012-13 season.

*Rajon Rondo was very close to his 24th career (regular season and playoffs) triple-double. He still has 23 career triple-doubles, 18 of which have happened on national television.

*The Celtics now have a 3-1 road record and 1-2 home road. While it is early in the season, I thought it would be fun to find the times when the Celtics finished a season with a better winning percentage on the road than at home.
–There are only 2 instances in the Celtics’ first 66 seasons that they finished the season with a better road winning percentage than home winning percentage:
1. 1974-75: 28-13 at home … 32-9 on road … Celtics lost in Eastern Conference Finals
2. 2009-10: 24-17 at home … 26-15 on road … Celtics lost in NBA Finals

*The Celtics are attempting for their first 3-game winning streak of the season. The team’s last such streak was their 3 straight wins over the Miami Heat in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.

*Both the Celtics (4-3) and Jazz (4-4) are 3-0 this season when leading at the end of the 3rd Quarter and 1-3 when behind at the end of the 3rd Quarter (Utah’s other loss: tied at end of the 3rd Quarter).
–The Celtics are 2-0 this season when ahead at halftime.
–Last season, the Celtics were the last NBA team to lose a game with a halftime lead. They started the 2011-12 season 10-0 when leading at halftime. It took the Celtics until their 25th game last season (88-87 loss to Lakers) to end the streak.

*Oddly, the Celtics have fared worse on the first night of back-to-backs this season than they have on the second night. Tonight, they begin their third back-to-back of the season and all three will have begun at home and ended on the road.
–First night of back-to-backs: 0-2 (both at home)
–Second night of back-to-backs: 2-0 (both on road)

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time Offensive Rebounds–
22. Elton Brand 3,050
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,017            (Garnett needs 10 to move into 23rd place)

Monday, November 12, 2012

11/12/12: Celtics @ Bulls Stat Pack

*After playing 6 games, the Celtics have the 5th-best 4th Quarter margin (+2.2 points per game) in the NBA while having the 11th-worst scoring margin (-2.83) in the league overall.
–In the New Big Three Era, the Celtics have never finished in the top 5 in 4th Quarter margin.

*The Celtics are now 2-0 on the 2nd night of back-to-backs this season.
–Those 2 victories have impressively been on the road.

*Last season, the Celtics were 12-9 on no rest.
–Last season, when the Celtics were at home on no rest, their record was 8-0.
–Last season, when the Celtics were on the road on no rest, their record was 4-9.

*The Celtics average the 3rd most points per fastbreak possession (2.2) in the NBA this season after finishing in the bottom 10 in the league the last 2 seasons.
1st in 2012-13: Thunder (2.5)
2nd in 2012-13: Mavericks (2.4)

*Around the NBA: Before Sunday night’s game against the Miami Heat, the most three-pointers made by the Memphis Grizzlies in a game this season was just 6.
–In 27 minutes off the bench, Wayne Ellington made 7 three-pointers by himself on Sunday.
–The Grizzlies made 14 three-pointers as a team, the most by the franchise in a game since April 2, 2008 when Memphis hit 15 three-pointers against the Knicks.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-time Points Scored–
16. Patrick Ewing 24,815
17. Allen Iverson 24,368
18. Kevin Garnett 24,366            (Garnett needs 3 to move into 17th place)

–All-Time Three-Pointers Made–
7. Dale Ellis 1,719
8. Rashard Lewis 1,700            (Lewis needs 20 to move into 7th place)
9. Paul Pierce 1,691                        (Pierce needs 10 to move into 8thplace)


–All-Time Offensive Rebounds–
22. Elton Brand 3,050
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,017            (Garnett needs 10 to move into 23rd place)

Saturday, November 10, 2012

11/10/12: Celtics @ Bucks Stat Pack

*For the 22nd time in a Celtics uniform, Kevin Garnett has a double-double in consecutive games. His longest streak with the Celtics is 6, which he has done 3 times overall (most recently in February and March 2011).

*Before the Celtics lost to the Bucks on November 2, the Celtics had won the last 6 meetings against Milwaukee.

*Celtics have been victorious in their last 3 games at the Bradley Center. In the New Big Three Era, the Celtics are 6-2 on the road against the Bucks.

*The Celtics had the 5th-highest Team Assists per FGM going into the NBA’s games on Friday, November 9. With 31 assists on 37 FGM, the Celtics pushed to the top of the league in the category at .709 Team AST/FGM (2nd place: Spurs at .701).

*Milestone Watch:

–All-time Points Scored–
16. Patrick Ewing 24,815
17. Allen Iverson 24,368
18. Kevin Garnett 24,348            (Garnett needs 21 to move into 17th place)

–All-Time Offensive Rebounds–
22. Elton Brand 3,048
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,016            (Garnett needs 11 to move into 23rd place)

–All-Time Games Played–
17. Terry Porter 1,274
18. John Havlicek 1,270
19. Kevin Garnett 1,260            (Garnett needs 11 to move into 18th place)

–Active Double-Doubles–
1. Tim Duncan 735
2. Kevin Garnett 719                        (Garnett needs 17 to move into 1st place)

–All-Time Steals–
16. Magic Johnson 1,724
17. Ron Harper 1,716
18. Kevin Garnett 1,668            (Garnett needs 49 to move into 17th place)

Friday, November 9, 2012

11/9/12: Celtics vs. 76ers Stat Pack

*After 4 games, the Celtics are averaging 17.8 fastbreak points per game, which ranks 3rd in the NBA. In the New Big Three Era, the Celtics have never finished in the top 10 in fastbreak points. In addition, the Celtics impressively lead the league in fastbreak efficiency with 2.367 points per fastbreak possession.

*Rondo has registered more than 10 assists in 26 straight games, which is 1 game shy of the longest streak in NBA history by John Stockton in 1990-91 (Via ESPN Stats & Info). However, since most assist records have only been recorded well since 1985-86, so we are not sure that Stockton’s is the best streak of this kind.

*The Celtics began the New Big Three Era with 12 wins in their first 14 games against the 76ers. However, the 76ers have won 3 of the last 5 regular season meetings.

*After leading the league in Team Assists per FGM in 2011-12, the Celtics already find themselves near the top of the league in the statistic again in 5th place at .676 … 1st place: Bulls (.691).

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time Steals–
17. Ron Harper 1,716
T-18. Fat Lever 1,666
T-18. Kevin Garnett 1,666            (Garnett needs 1 to move into sole possession of 18th place)

–All-time Points Scored–
16. Patrick Ewing 24,815
17. Allen Iverson 24,368
18. Kevin Garnett 24,329            (Garnett needs 40 to move into 17th place)

–All-Time Offensive Rebounds–
22. Elton Brand 3,047
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,014            (Garnett needs 13 to move into 23rd place)

–All-Time Games Played–
17. Terry Porter 1,274
18. John Havlicek 1,270
19. Kevin Garnett 1,259            (Garnett needs 12 to move into 18th place)

–Active Double-Doubles–
1. Tim Duncan 734
2. Kevin Garnett 718                        (Garnett needs 17 to move into 1st place)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

11/7/12: Celtics vs. Wizards Stat Pack

*The Celtics have now won 5 straight games against the Wizards. The last time the Wizards beat the Celtics was April 11, 2011 (95-94 in OT in Washington).

*The longest streak of consecutive wins over the Wizards for the New Big Three Era Celtics is 6 games (December 2008 to March 2010). The last time the Celtics had a longer streak of beating the Wizards was a 7-game streak from November 1992 to March 1994.

*The Celtics are now 13-3 against the Wizards since the beginning of the 2008-09 season.

*Before Saturday night, the Celtics had lost their last 2 games against the Wizards that were decided by 3 or fewer points.

*I know it’s early, but the Celtics have 5th worst scoring differential (-7.0) in the NBA. The Knicks lead the league at +19.3 and the Mavericks are 2nd at +9.8.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time Steals–
17. Ron Harper 1,716
18. Fat Lever 1,666
19. Kevin Garnett 1,665            (Garnett needs 2 to move into 18th place)

–All-Time Offensive Rebounds–
22. Elton Brand 3,047
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,013            (Garnett needs 14 to move into 23rd place)

–All-time Points Scored–
16. Patrick Ewing 24,815
17. Allen Iverson 24,368
18. Kevin Garnett 24,309            (Garnett needs 60 to move into 17th place)

–All-Time Games Played–
17. Terry Porter 1,274
18. John Havlicek 1,270
19. Kevin Garnett 1,258            (Garnett needs 13 to move into 18th place)

–All-Time Three-Pointers Made–
7. Dale Ellis 1,719
8. Rashard Lewis 1,697            (Lewis needs 23 to move into 7th place)
9. Paul Pierce 1,685                        (Pierce needs 13 to move into 8th place)

Saturday, November 3, 2012

11/3/12: Celtics @ Wizards Stat Pack

*After going 1-3 against the Wizards in the first year of the New Big 3 Era (2007-08), the Celtics are 12-3 since and have lost those 3 games by a combined 13 points.
–The Celtics have held the Wizards to 3 or fewer three-pointers made in the last 7 meetings between the two teams (Celtics 5-2 in that span).

*On Friday night, Brandon Jennings recorded a career-high 6 steals and became the first player to record at least 6 steals against the Celtics since Chris Paul did so on December 31, 2010.
–The last player to reach Brandon Jennings’s statistics (21 points, 13 assists and 6 steals) against the Celtics was Kenny Anderson (22 points, 13 assists and 6 steals on February 28, 1996 for the Charlotte Hornets in a 121-116 loss to the Celtics).

*Out of the players who have played this season, the Celtics have 6 players with at least 9 years of NBA experience coming into 2012-13. The Wizards have none.

*Although the Wizards have only played one game in the 2012-13 season, they do lead the league with .812 Team Assists per FGM.
–The Celtics led the NBA in this statistic during the 2011-12 season (.665 AST/FGM during regular season). Boston currently has a .639 AST/FGM in the team’s first 2 games.
–Last season, the Wizards were 27th overall with .523 AST/FGM.

*Here is an oddity that most likely will not be seen during the rest of this entire season: the Celtics and Miami Heat are tied for the worst defensive efficiency in the league with 112.0 points allowed per 100 possessions.

*Milestone Watch:
–After recording 1 steal on Friday, Kevin Garnett is now 2 steals away from moving into 18th on the all-time steals list. Fat Lever is currently in 18th with 1,666 steals.
–All-Time Games Played–
18. John Havlicek 1,270
19. Otis Thorpe 1,257
19. Kevin Garnett 1,257            (Garnett will pass Thorpe by playing tonight)
–All-Time Three-Pointers Made–
7. Dale Ellis 1,719
8. Rashard Lewis 1,695            (Lewis needs 25 to move into 7th place)
9. Paul Pierce 1,681                        (Pierce needs 15 to move into 8th place)
–All-Time Offensive Rebounds–
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,013            (Garnett needs 14 to move into 23rd place)

Friday, November 2, 2012

11/2/12: Celtics vs. Bucks Stat Pack

*Rajon Rondo looks to extend his streak of regular season games with double-digit assists to 26 tonight. His current streak is the 6th longest in NBA history.
1. Magic Johnson: 46 games (1983-84)
2. John Stockton: 37 games (1989)
3. John Stockton: 29 games (1992)
4. John Stockton: 27 games (1991)
5. John Stockton: 27 games (1990-91)
6. Rajon Rondo: 25 games (2012)

*The Celtics have won 6 straights games against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Celtics’ last loss to the Bucks was April 14, 2010. The Celtics starting lineup that night was Rajon Rondo, Marquis Daniels, Rasheed Wallace, Michael Finley and Glen Davis.

*If the Celtics win their 7th consecutive game over Milwaukee on Friday night, the Celtics will set a new franchise record for consecutive victories against the Bucks.

*Almost 17 years ago to the date (Friday, November 3, 1995): the FleetCenter opened. The Boston Celtics’ first regular season opponent at the FleetCenter was, oddly enough, the Milwaukee Bucks! It was a 101-100 Celtics loss to the Bucks. Dino Radja scored 18 points and brought down 11 rebounds in the loss. Vin Baker scored 30 and grabbed 13 rebounds for Milwaukee.

*Former Celtics G/F Marquis Daniels returns to TD Garden. In 11 career games against the Celtics, he has averaged 11.0 PPG, his highest PPG vs. any NBA team.

*Milestone Watch:
–Paul Pierce recorded 2 steals in Tuesday’s game vs. Miami, bringing his career total to 1501 steals.
–After not getting a steal on Tuesday, Kevin Garnett remains 3 steals away from moving into 18th on the all-time steals list. Fat Lever is currently in 18th with 1,666 steals.
–Games Played–
19. Otis Thorpe 1,257
20. Kevin Garnett 1,256            (needs 2 to move into 19th place all-time)
–Three-Pointers Made–
8. Rashard Lewis 1,691
9. Paul Pierce 1,680                        (needs 12 to move into 8th place all-time)
–Offensive Rebounds–
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,012            (needs 15 to move into 23rd place all-time)