11/10/12: Celtics @ Bucks Stat Pack

*For the 22^nd 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 5^th-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 (2^nd 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 17^th 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 23^rd 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 18^th place)

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

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

*After 4 games, the Celtics are averaging 17.8 fastbreak points per game, which ranks 3^rd 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 5^th place at .676 … 1^st 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 18^th 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 17^th 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 23^rd 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 18^th place)

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

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 5^th worst scoring differential (-7.0) in the NBA. The Knicks lead the league at +19.3 and the Mavericks are 2^nd 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 18^th 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 23^rd 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 17^th 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 18^th place)

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

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 27^th 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 18^th on the all-time steals list. Fat Lever is currently in 18^th 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 7^th place)
9. Paul Pierce 1,681                        (Pierce needs 15 to move into 8^th place)
–All-Time Offensive Rebounds–
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,013            (Garnett needs 14 to move into 23^rd place)

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 6^th 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 18^th on the all-time steals list. Fat Lever is currently in 18^th with 1,666 steals.
–Games Played–
19. Otis Thorpe 1,257
20. Kevin Garnett 1,256            (needs 2 to move into 19^th place all-time)
–Three-Pointers Made–
8. Rashard Lewis 1,691
9. Paul Pierce 1,680                        (needs 12 to move into 8^th place all-time)
–Offensive Rebounds–
23. Shawn Kemp 3,026
24. Kevin Garnett 3,012            (needs 15 to move into 23^rd place all-time)

The Complete Guide to the Boston Celtics Milestones for the Upcoming 2012-13 Season

NBA All-Time List

Points Scored

14. Reggie Miller 25,279

17. Allen Iverson 24,368

18. Kevin Garnett 24,270                        (needs 99 to move into 17th place)

20. Charles Barkley 23,757

24. Ray Allen* 22,941

25. Paul Pierce 22,591                        (needs 351 to move into 24th place)

Games Played

11. Buck Williams 1,307

19. Otis Thorpe 1,257

20. Kevin Garnett 1,255                        (needs 3 to move into 19th place)

Field Goals Made

11. Dominique Wilkins 9,963              

12. Kevin Garnett 9,729                        (needs 235 to move into 11th place)

Three-Pointers Made

3. Jason Kidd* 1,874

4. Jason Terry 1,788                        (needs 87 to move into 3rd place)

6. Peja Stojakovic 1,760

8. Rashard Lewis* 1,690

9. Paul Pierce 1,678                        (needs 13 to move into 8th place)

Free Throws Made

10. Allen Iverson 6,375

13. Bob Pettit 6,182

14. Paul Pierce 6,101                        (needs 82 to move into 13th place)

-Jeff Green is 218 free throws made away from 1,000 career

-Rajon Rondo is 244 free throws made away from 1,000 career

-Brandon Bass is 258 free throws made away from 1,000 career

Offensive Rebounds

21. David Robinson 3,083

23. Shawn Kemp 3,026

24. Kevin Garnett 3,011                        (needs 16 to move into 23rd place)

-Paul Pierce is 37 offensive rebounds away from 1,000 career

-Chris Wilcox is 85 offensive rebounds away from 1,000 career

Defensive Rebounds

1. Karl Malone 11,406

2. Kevin Garnett 10,302                        (needs 1105 to move into 1st place)

-Chris Wilcox is 19 defensive rebounds away from 2,000 career

Total Rebounds

10. Wes Unseld 13,769              

11. Hakeem Olajuwon 13,748

12. Kevin Garnett 13,313                        (needs 436 to move into 11th place)

-Chris Wilcox is 104 rebounds away from 3,000 career

Assists

-Paul Pierce is 65 assists away from 4,000 career

-Rajon Rondo is 477 assists away from 4,000 career

Steals

15. Magic Johnson 1,724

18. Fat Lever 1,666

19. Kevin Garnett 1,664                        (needs 3 to move into 18th place)

-Paul Pierce is 1 steal away from 1,500 career

Blocks

18. Theo Ratliff 1,968

19. Kevin Garnett 1,908                        (needs 61 to move into 18th place)

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Celtics All-Time List

Games Played

2. Robert Parish 1,106

3. Paul Pierce 1,025                        (needs 82 to move into 2^nd place)

Field Goals Made

3. Robert Parish 7,483

4. Paul Pierce 7,406                        (needs 78 to move into 3^rd place)

Defensive Rebounds

7. Cedric Maxwell 2,405

8. Kevin Garnett 2,331                        (needs 82 to move into 7^th place)

Assists

4. Bill Russell 4,100

5. Paul Pierce 3,935                        (needs 166 to move into 4^th place)

6. Jo Jo White 3,686

7. Rajon Rondo 3,523                        (needs 164 to move into 6^th place)

Steals

1. Larry Bird 1,556

2. Paul Pierce 1,499                        (needs 58 to move into 1^st place)

3. Robert Parish 873

4. Rajon Rondo 843                                    (needs 31 to move into 3^rd place)

Blocks

4. Kendrick Perkins 646

5. Paul Pierce 638            (needs 9 to move into 4^th place)

7. Reggie Lewis 417

9. Tony Battie 369

10. Kevin Garnett 332            (needs 38 to move into 9^th place)

Note: Paul Pierce is already the Celtics franchise leader in three-pointers made and free throws made

* = Active players that are not on Celtics roster

Boston Celtics 2012-13 Mini-Preview

celtic-nation.com

The 2012-13 Boston Celtics are different from last year’s version in one distinct way: the bench. As of the beginning of the regular season, Avery Bradley will likely still be sidelined with his injured shoulders. Therefore, Courtney Lee will be slotted into the established starting lineup of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett. Yet, the Celtics still do have enough firepower from the bench with the likes of Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox, Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo and Jason Collins. In addition, for the first time since the start of 2007-08 preseason, Doc Rivers is having his team participate in the NBA Europe Live Tour. The second instance of this bonding experiment should bring together a team filled with a lot of fresh faces. However, the x-factor for this year’s Celtics is neither a player that the organization acquired this offseason nor is it an established veteran; it is Jeff Green, who is coming off of heart surgery that prevented him from playing in any games during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. He is such a dynamic player that can play either forward position and create unique offense by running extremely well with Rondo. I think he will live up to his hefty four-year, $36-million deal and be a huge asset to the Celtics in their pursuit of Banner #18.

2012-13 Boston Celtics Prediction: 57-25 record and NBA Championship.