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 24^th 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 3^rd Quarter and 1-3 when behind at the end of the 3^rd Quarter (Utah’s other loss: tied at end of the 3^rd 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 25^th 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 23^rd place)

11/12/12: Celtics @ Bulls Stat Pack

*After playing 6 games, the Celtics have the 5^th-best 4^th Quarter margin (+2.2 points per game) in the NBA while having the 11^th-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 4^th Quarter margin.

*The Celtics are now 2-0 on the 2^nd 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 3^rd 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.
1^st in 2012-13: Thunder (2.5)
2^nd 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 17^th place)

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


–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 23^rd place)

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)