3/10/12: Celtics @ Thunder Stat Pack

*Heading into Sunday, the Celtics have won their last 3 road games, tying their longest streak over the past 2 seasons.
–The last time they won 4 consecutive away games was 2010.

*Boston and Oklahoma City have 2 of the 5 longest current winning streaks in the NBA.
–In addition, they are both 9-1 in their last 10 home games and 5-5 in their last 10 road games.

*Oklahoma City has more blocks than their opponent in 14 consecutive games.
–It is the longest regular season streak by a team since the Pistons went 15 games in a row in 2006.

*In the Celtics’ first 20 road games this season, opponents shot 39% from deep.
–However, in the last 10 away games, opponents have hit only 31% of those shots.

*The Celtics already have as many wins on the road without Rajon Rondo (6) as they did with him this season.

*Via Kevin Pelton: Since Rondo went down, Pierce is averaging 40 percent more assists per minute than at any other time of his career.

*The Thunder are 20-0 this season when holding opponents to fewer than 100 points at home.
–34-2 overall when doing so.

*Oklahoma City has had just 4 different starting lineups this season.
–For 59 of their 62 games, they have had Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka and Perkins start.

*Kendrick Perkins has a plus/minus of +119 over his last 10 games, the 5^th-best in the NBA.
–Sefolosha and Westbrook are tied for 12^th in plus/minus (+99) over their last 10 games.

*The Celtics are 11-4 (.733) with the starting lineup of Bradley, Lee, Pierce, Bass and Garnett.
–That starting lineup has the most wins and has the best winning percentage among all Celtics lineups this season.

*On Friday, the Celtics shot at least 50% from 3-point with at least 20 attempts for the first time this season.

*The Celtics have made double-digit 3-pointers in 3 of their last 5 road games.
–This is the first time that they have had made at least 10 shots from beyond the arc in 3 games of a 5-game road stretch since 2009.
–The Celtics did not even have one game in which they made double-digit 3-pointers in their first 25 games away from TD Garden this season.
–Overall, the Celtics have succeeded when shooting well from downtown. They are 3-0 on the road this season when making double-digit 3-pointers, and 6-0 overall when doing so.

*Paul Pierce went for 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists on Friday. It was the 4^th time in the last 3 months that the Captain hit those plateaus. By the way, the Celtics have won all 4 of those games.
–It was the first time that Pierce has hit these plateaus 4 times within 3 months since 2003-04.

*Paul Piece has now had at least 7 rebounds in 6 consecutive games. That is his longest streak for him since November 2006 (also 6 games).
–Last time with 7-game streak of at least 7 rebounds: January 2005 (9 games).

*Jason Terry is now two 3-pointers away from his 13^th straight season (2000-01 to 2012-13) of making at least 100 shots from downtown.
–Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the only players to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–No other NBA players will be able to make it at least a 13^th straight such season in 2012-13.
–The record for the most consecutive seasons of making 100 shots from deep is held by Reggie Miller: 15 seasons (1989-90 to 2003-04).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Thunder
–The Celtics head to Oklahoma City hoping to sweep the series against the Thunder for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

*Milestone Watch:

–Paul Pierce is 1 offensive rebound away from 1,000 for his career–

–All-Time NBA Minutes–
6. John Stockton 47,764
7. Reggie Miller 47,619
8. Kevin Garnett 47,602            (Garnett needs 18 to move into 7^th place)

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
19. Kevin Garnett 1,967            (Garnett needs 1 to tie Ratliff for 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Points Scored–
14. Reggie Miller 25,279
15. Jerry West 25,192
16. Kevin Garnett 25,174            (Garnett needs 19 to move into 15^th place)

–All-Time NBA Points Scored–
19. Allen Iverson 24,368
20. Charles Barkley 23,757
21. Paul Pierce 23,728            (Pierce needs 30 to move into 20^th place)

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
T-8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dolph Schayes 6,712
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Paul Pierce 6,362                        (Pierce needs 14 to move into 10^th place)

By The Numbers: The Celtics on the Road

The Celtics are flying high as they head into Oklahoma City hoping to sweep the series against the Thunder for the first time since the 2008-09 season. It will be no easy task for Boston, a team that had struggled on the road before their most recent stretch. At the All-Star break, the Celtics had been losers of 12 of their previous 16 games away from home. However, after falling to the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center and the Lakers at the Staples Center, Boston has gone on to win four of their last five away games. This has been the team’s best road stretch in almost a year.

The Celtics already have as many wins on the road — six — without Rajon Rondo as they did with him this season. In addition, just a few weeks ago, the Celtics were the only projected playoff team with fewer than 10 road wins in 2012-13. Now, they have a respectable 12-18 away record. In comparison, the Indiana Pacers are just two games better on the road than the Celtics.

One of the reasons for the Celtics’ strong performance recently is their 3-point offense and defense. The Celtics have made double-digit 3-pointers in three of their last five road games. This is the first time that they have had made at least 10 shots from beyond the arc three times in a five-game stretch since 2009. The Celtics didn’t even have one game in which they made double-digit 3-pointers in their first 25 games away from TD Garden this season. Overall, the Celtics have succeeded when shooting well from downtown. They are 3-0 on the road this season when making double-digit 3-pointers, and 6-0 overall when doing so.

Regarding the outside shot, there is one player in particular to look for on Sunday. Jason Terry is now just two 3-pointers made away from his 13th consecutive season of making at least 100 shots from downtown. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the only other players to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13. The record for the most consecutive seasons of at least 100 three pointers made is held by Reggie Miller (15 seasons: 1989-90 to 2003-04).

The Celtics’ 3-point defense has vastly improved over the last six weeks. In their first 20 road games this season, opponents shot 39% from deep. However, in the last 10 away games, opponents have put up only 31% on those shots. After beginning the season as one of the worst 3-point defenses, the Celtics are now a top-tier one, as Brian discussed earlier this week.

While Boston is one of the worst overall rebounding teams, their defensive rebounding percentage is in the middle of the pack this season. The key for the Celtics is to avoid losing the rebounding battle by a large margin. In three of the last five road games, Boston has kept the battle close and won each of those contests. The Celtics are now 22-12 overall this season when either winning the rebound battle or losing it by five or fewer.

Rebounding along with 3-point shooting and defense against 3-pointers will be important going forward for the 2012-13 Celtics. Boston has been playing fantastically lately and will hope to continue their strong road play on Sunday at Oklahoma City on ABC.

3/8/12: Celtics vs. Hawks Stat Pack

*On Friday, the Celtics hope to win their 9^th consecutive home game, which would be their longest regular season home winning streak over the last 4 seasons.
–Last time they won 9 straight home games: 2009

*Via Chris Forsberg: The Celtics “pitched a shutout over the final 4 minutes, 36 seconds of Wednesday’s come-from-behind triumph in Indiana. The Pacers didn’t score on their final 10 possessions, missing seven shots and turning the ball over three times.”
–“In the small sample, Synergy data has the Celtics allowing a microscopic 0.4 points per play [in their zone]. To put that in perspective, Boston is allowing 0.822 points per play overall during this winning streak and 0.892 for the season (fifth best in the league). Synergy has Boston at 0.747 points per play overall in zone this season.”

*Via @STATS_Hoops: “The @ATLHawks Josh Smith has had a double-double in each of his last 5 games against the Celtics, the longest active streak against them”

*Via research from Phillip Maymin and his colleagues at NYU Polytechnic Institute, the Celtics had the highest acceleration among all NBA teams during the 2011-12 season (as explained fully in this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKRtCmoqdk).
–Paul Pierce was the most frequent accelerating small forward (29.06%) during last season.
–Ray Allen was the 2^nd-most accelerating shooting guard (25.56%) during last season.

*The Celtics are now 22-12 this season when “hanging in the there” with rebounding, meaning they either won the rebounding battle or lost it by 5 or fewer rebounds.

*Paul Piece now has had at least 7 rebounds in 5 consecutive games. This is now tied for the longest streak for him in the Kevin Garnett era.

*Jason Terry is now five 3-pointers away from his 13^th straight season (2000-01 to 2011-13) of making at least 100 shots from downtown.
–Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the only players to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–No other NBA players will be able to make it at least a 13^th straight such season in 2012-13.
–The record for the most consecutive seasons of at least 100 three pointers made is held by Reggie Miller: 15 seasons (1989-90 to 2003-04).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Hawks
–Wednesday at Indiana was the Celtics’ 2^nd-largest comeback this season.
–We all remember the 33-9 third quarter in the January 5 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta.
–That comeback was on the 2^nd night of a back-to-back. The team on the first end of that back-to-back: the Pacers.

*Milestone Watch:

–Paul Pierce is 1 offensive rebound away from 1,000 for his career–

–All-Time NBA Blocked Shots–
17. Larry Nance 2,027
18. Theo Ratliff 1,968
19. Kevin Garnett 1,967            (Garnett needs 1 to tie Ratliff for 18^th place)

–All-Time NBA Minutes–
25. Charles Oakley 40,280
26. Otis Thorpe 39,822
27. Paul Pierce 39,819            (Pierce needs 4 to move into 26^th place)

3/6/12: Celtics @ Pacers Stat Pack

*The Celtics have won 3 of their last 4 road games.
–In those 3 victories, the Celtics have registered an offensive efficiency of at least 7 points better than their average this season.

*Indiana is the best defensive efficiency team in the NBA this season.
–The Pacers’ current defensive efficiency is on pace to be their 2^nd-best one in franchise history.

*The Pacers have a league-best 52.7 rebounding rate (according to Hollinger’s stats).

*Indiana has a 25-6 home record this season, the 5^th-best in the league.

*For just the 3^rd time since 2007-08, Paul Pierce has scored at least 18 points and grabbed at least 7 rebounds in 4 consecutive contests.

*Jason Terry is now seven 3-pointers away from his 13^th straight season (2000-01 to 2011-13) of making at least 100 three-pointers.
–Paul Pierce became the first player to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–Ray Allen: one 3-pointer away from his 14^th straight such season (1999-2000 to 2011-13).
–No other NBA players will be able to make it at least a 13^th straight such season in 2012-13.
–The record for the most consecutive seasons of at least 100 three pointers made is held by Reggie Miller: 15 seasons (1989-90 to 2003-04).

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 18 consecutive games, now the longest streak of any team since 1985-86.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Pacers
–The Celtics won their last three meetings against the Pacers.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Rebounds–
9. Walt Bellamy 14,241
10. Wes Unseld 13,769
11. Kevin Garnett 13,764            (Garnett needs 6 to move into 10^th place)

–All-Time NBA Minutes–
26. Otis Thorpe 39,822
27. Hal Greer 39,788
28. Paul Pierce 39,786            (Pierce needs 3 to move into 27^th place)

3/5/12: Celtics @ 76ers Stat Pack

*Via Sean Grande: “On March 4, 2002, the Celtics came to Philadelphia 31-27, they won & closed 18-6. On March 4, 2013, the Celtics come to Philadelphia 31-27.”
–Boston won that 2002 game, 100-94, behind a game-high 28 points from Paul Pierce.
–In 2002, the Celtics then defeated the 76ers in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs (3-2 when the first-round series was a 5-gamer).
–In 2002, Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals that year, but lost to New Jersey in 6 games.
–In 2001-02, Jim O’Brien was the coach and the starting lineup for that March 4, 2002 game was Kenny Anderson, Tony Delk, Pierce, Antoine Walker and Vitaly Potapenko.
–The only remaining Celtic from that 2001-02 team is Pierce.

*Although the 76ers are in 9^th place in the Eastern Conference, they have the 5^th-worst scoring differential (-3.7) in the NBA this season.

*Not too long ago the Celtics were closer to missing the playoffs than getting home court.
–The Celtics are now just 2 games out of the 4^th spot (Bulls and Nets) in the Eastern Conference standings.
–The Celtics are 8 games above the 76ers (9^th place).

*The Celtics are 5-1 in their last 6 games in which they played on at least 3 days rest.

*While the 76ers have lost their last 10 contests on the road, the 76ers are still an above .500 home squad.
-One of their 17 home victories this season was their 95-94 overtime win against the Celtics in December.

*Jason Terry is just eight 3-pointers away from his 13^th straight season (2000-01 to 2011-13) of making at least 100 three-pointers.
–Paul Pierce became the first player to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–Ray Allen: one 3-pointer away from his 14^th straight such season (1999-2000 to 2011-13).
–No other NBA players will be able to make it at least a 13^th straight such season in 2012-13.
–The record for the most consecutive seasons of at least 100 three pointers made is held by Reggie Miller: 15 seasons (1989-90 to 2003-04).

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 17 consecutive games, tied for the longest streak of any team since 1985-86.
–Teams also with 17 straight games: Golden State Warriors (2012) and Toronto Raptors (2003-04).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. 76ers
–A win for the 76ers Tuesday would mean that Philadelphia takes the season series from the Celtics, 3-1.
–The last time the 76ers won a regular season series of at least 4 games against the Celtics was 2006-07 (also 3-1).

*Milestone Watch:

–Chris Wilcox is 2 rebounds away from 3,000 for his career–

–All-Time NBA Rebounds–
9. Walt Bellamy 14,241
10. Hal Greer 13,769
11. Kevin Garnett 13,758            (Garnett needs 12 to move into 27^th place)

–All-Time NBA Minutes–
26. Otis Thorpe 39,822
27. Hal Greer 39,788
28. Paul Pierce 39,756            (Pierce needs 33 to move into 27^th place)

Podcast: Bobby and Adam on the Eastern Conference Race

Bobby and Adam discuss the intriguing race in the NBA Eastern Conference.

2013 March 3: The NBA Eastern Conference Race

(Podcast Recorded on Sunday, March 3rd, 2013 – after the Miami @ New York game)

3/1/12: Celtics vs. Warriors Stat Pack

*On Friday, the Celtics hope to win their eighth consecutive home game, which would tie their longest regular season home winning streak over the last four seasons.

*Golden State finished February with a 4-8 record, by far their worst month this season.
–In addition, the Warriors gave up 109.4 points per game in those 12 games after giving up about 10 fewer points per game from October to January.

*The Warriors sport a 15-7 record against Eastern Conference opponents in 2012-13 in comparison to the Warriors being 18-18 against the Western Conference.

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 16 consecutive games, the longest streak of any team this season and the 2^nd-longest streak in the NBA since 2004-05.
–The only longer such streak since 2004-05: Golden State Warriors (17 games in 2012).
–Less than one year ago, Mark Jackson’s Warriors set that futile offensive rebounding record for the last decade.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Warriors
–The Celtics’ have played well at home against the Warriors in the Kevin Garnett era.
–On Friday, Boston hopes to make it a perfect 5-0 against Golden State since 2007-08.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Charles Barkley 6,349
12. Paul Pierce 6,346                        (Pierce needs 4 to move into 11^th place)