2/25/12: Celtics @ Jazz Stat Pack

*Former Celtic Al Jefferson is 0-10 in his career against the Celtics.
–0-6 with Timberwolves.
–0-4 with Jazz.

*On Sunday, the Celtics shot 42.4% from the field.
–When the Celtics have a field goal percentage as low as they did against Portland, they are 4-12 this season.
–However, when they shoot at least 50% in a game, they are 13-2 in 2012-13.

*The Celtics are 3-1 on Mondays this season, their best record for any day.
–The Jazz are 6-3 on Mondays in 2012-13.

*The Celtics’ 2 three-pointers made Sunday were the 2^nd-fewest by the Celtics in a game this season.
–In addition, their 15.4% shooting from downtown tonight was their worst for a game this season in which they attempted at least 10.

*On Sunday, Jeff Green extended his streak of scoring at least 8 points to 15 straight games.
–That is tied for the 4^th-longest streak of his career.

*Jason Terry is 13 three-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: 11 three-pointers away from his 14^th straight such season (1999-2000 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).

*The Celtics are still in search of their 10^th road victory this season. The C’s are still the only current playoff team to still have fewer than 10 road wins in 2012-13.

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 15 consecutive games, the longest streak of any team this season and tied for the 2^nd-longest streak in the NBA since 2004-05 (15 games in 2007 by Phoenix Suns).
–The only longer such streak since 2004-05: Golden State Warriors (17 games in 2012).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Jazz
–The Celtics have won their last 4 meetings with the Jazz.
–Boston is 7-3 overall against Utah since 2007-08.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Charles Barkley 6,349
12. Paul Pierce 6,343                        (Pierce needs 7 to move into 11^th place)

2/24/12: Celtics @ Trail Blazers Stat Pack

*Paul Pierce currently has exactly 100 three-pointers made this season. It is now the 13^th consecutive season that he has made at least 100 three-pointers. As of right now, he is the only player to do so from 2000-01 to 2012-13.
–Jason Terry: 13 three-pointers away from his 13^th straight such season (2000-01 to 2011-12).
–Ray Allen: 14 three-pointers away from his 14^th straight such season (1999-2000 to 2011-12).
–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).

*Coming into Sunday, Pierce is on pace for 149 three-pointers made this season, which would rank as the 9^th-most three-pointers made in a season by a Celtics player in franchise history.
–Pierce is also on pace 411 three-point attempts, which would be the 7^th-most by a Celtics player.

*The Trail Blazers are currently on a 7-game losing streak, the longest current one in the NBA.
–It is tied for their longest losing streak since the 2006-07 season.

*The Trail Blazers’ 16.6 bench points per game are by far the worst in the league this season.
–2^nd-worst: Pacers (26.4).
–16^th-most: Celtics (33.5).

*Jeff Green finished with 31 points on 11-for-14 shooting as well as 5 blocks. The 5 blocks were a new career-best for him. The 31 points were the 4^th-most points that he has ever scored in a game (career-high: 37) and obviously his most as a Celtic (previous high: 21). It is also by far his most efficient game in his career.
–His single-player plus/minus of +26 was a career-best for Green.

*The last time that the Celtics won a game by at least 25 points was over a year ago.
–Feb 1, 2012: 100-64 victory over the Raptors.

*It was their first road victory of 25+ points since December 11, 2010.
–93-62 win at Charlotte.

*On Sunday night at Portland, the Celtics will be looking for their 10^th road victory this season. The C’s are still the only current playoff team to still have fewer than 10 road wins in 2012-13.

*The Trail Blazers have not made it past the first round of the playoffs since the 1999-2000 when Mike Dunleavy Sr. was coaching.
–6 first-round exits since then.

*How impressive was Jared Sullinger’s rebounding this season? He still leads the 2012-13 Celtics in total offensive rebounds with 92.
–2^nd is Bass with 89.

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 14 consecutive games, the longest streak of any team this season.
–The only longer such streaks since 2004-05: Golden State Warriors (17 games in 2012) and Phoenix Suns (15 games in 2007).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Trail Blazers
–Boston’s .900 winning percentage against Portland is the Celtics’ 2^nd-best winning percentage against any team since 2007-08.
–Only team that the Celtics have been better against in that span: Timberwolves (10-0 record against them).

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Charles Barkley 6,349
12. Paul Pierce 6,339                        (Pierce needs 11 to move into 11^th place)

2/22/12: Celtics @ Suns Stat Pack

*The last time Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris played on the same team in the same game: Elite 8 loss to VCU (71-61) on March 27, 2011.
–They combined for 23 points and 28 rebounds in that contest.

*The Celtics’ 0-7 road record this season is the 2^nd-worst one for any NBA team against the opposing conference.
–Worst: Detroit Pistons (0-8).
–3^rd-worst: Charlotte Bobcats (1-9).

*The Celtics are the only current playoff team with fewer than 10 road victories this season.

*The Suns’ 12-13 home record is the 6^th-worst in the NBA this season.
–The last time Phoenix finished a season with a below .500 home record was 2003-04 (Mike D’Antoni’s first season with the team).

*The Suns are 9-4 this season when scoring at least 100 points (9-33 otherwise).
–They are 1-14 when scoring 90 or fewer points.

*Via ESPN Stats & Info: Jordan Crawford is 1 of 7 players to average 18 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists per 36 minutes this season (LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Westbrook, Manu & Harden).

*Crawford is also 1 of 21 players to have done the following over the last 2 seasons: scored 13 points per game, made at least 1 three-pointer per game, shot at least 40% from the field and shot at least 79% from the free throw line.
–Only other Celtic on that list: Paul Pierce

*Although Crawford’s basic numbers are strong, his advanced metrics are poor. He is a high-volume, low-efficiency scorer.
–Via David Locke, Crawford this season scores 0.87 points per possession while on the floor (league average is 0.92) and only goes to the free throw line on 7% of his possessions.

*The Celtics have had fewer offensive rebounds than their opponent in 13 consecutive games, the longest streak of any team this season.
–The only longer such streaks since 2004-05: Golden State Warriors (17 games in 2012) and Phoenix Suns (15 games in 2007).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Suns
–Next to the Lakers and Nuggets, the Suns and Hornets have been the most successful teams (5-5 record each) against the Celtics since 2007-08.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Charles Barkley 6,349
12. Paul Pierce 6,338                        (Pierce needs 12 to move into 11^th place)

2/20/12: Celtics @ Lakers Stat Pack

*The Lakers are the only non-playoff team in the NBA that currently has a positive point differential this season (+0.7).
–The Celtics are back to a negative point differential in 2012-13 (-0.1).

*Via Elias: The Celtics have not beaten the Lakers twice in one calendar month since January 1975.

*The Celtics are now 0-6 in road games against Western Conference opponents this season.
–The Celtics are 8-16 (.333) overall this season on the road.
–2011-12 C’s road record: 15-18 (.455).
–2010-11 C’s road record: 23-18 (.561).
–2009-10 C’s road record: 26-15 (.634).
–2008-09 C’s road record: 27-14 (.659).
–2007-08 C’s road record: 31-10 (.756).
–2006-07 C’s road record: 12-29 (.293).

*Wednesday was a first for Paul Pierce’s career. It was the first time he made 2 or fewer shots, attempted 14 or more shots and fouled out in the same game.
–And it was only the 4^th time in his 1,208-game career (including the playoffs) that he made 2 or fewer field goals and attempted 14 or more field goals in the same game.

*The Celtics have now prevented their opponent from scoring 100 points in regulation in 12 of their last 13 games (Boston has an 8-5 record in that span).
–The Lakers have given up at least 100 points in 3 of their last 5 games. They have lost all 3, including the 116-95 loss to the Celtics. The Lakers won the other 2 games.
–Overall, the Lakers are 7-22 this season when giving up at least 100 points (18-7 otherwise).

*Pierce has recorded at least 5 rebounds in 16 consecutive games, the 5^th-longest streak of his career (including the playoffs). It is also tied for his 3^rd-longest regular season streak.
–Longest regular season streak: 18 straight games in 2004-05 and 2002.
–Longest overall streak (including playoffs): 23 straight games in 2005 and 2003.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Lakers
–The Lakers and Nuggets both have a .545 winning percentage (6-5 record each) against the Celtics since 2007-08, tied for the best regular season winning percentage vs. Boston in that span.

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Steals–
15. Kobe Bryant 1,796
16. Magic Johnson 1,724
16. Kevin Garnett 1,724            (Garnett needs 1 to pass Magic for 16^th place)

–All-Time NBA Free Throws Made–
10. Allen Iverson 6,375
11. Charles Barkley 6,349
12. Paul Pierce 6,334                        (Pierce needs 16 to move into 11^th place)

2/19/12: Celtics @ Nuggets Stat Pack

*The Celtics have won their last four games when playing on at least 3 days rest.

*In their first 6 games since Rajon Rondo’s ACL injury, the Celtics shot nearly 50% from the field.
–However, the team’s field goal percentage has plummeted to worse than 40% over their last three games.

*Coming into Tuesday, the Nuggets have lost 3 consecutive games.
–The triple-overtime loss to the Celtics was the beginning of that losing streak.

*Both the Nuggets and Celtics have won their last 7 games at home.
–Unfortunately for Boston, this game is in Denver.
–The Nuggets have the 3^rd-best home winning percentage among NBA teams this season.
–The Celtics are embarking on their season-long 5-game road trip.

*The Celtics’ 3 oldest players (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry) have played every game this season.
–The list of Celtics who have appeared in every game in 2012-13 (in order of oldest to youngest): Garnett, Pierce, Terry, Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and Jeff Green.

*Terry’s plus/minus of +94 in his last 10 games is tied for the 13^th-best among all players in that span.
–The 3-man combination of Garnett, Green and Terry has the 16^th-best plus/minus (+79) over the last 10 games.

*Kevin Garnett is currently averaging 15.1 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game
–Via ESPN Stats & Info: No player in Celtics history has averaged 16 PPG and 7 RPG for a season at the age of 36 or older.
–Garnett has averaged 17.7 PPG over his last 10 games. If he averages 17.7 PPG for the rest of the season, then he will hit the 16 PPG mark.

*Going into Sunday, Garnett had never been held scoreless and never played fewer than 7 minutes in an All-Star Game. Well, both of those things happened on Sunday: 0 points in 6:26 minutes played.
–His lowest All-Star scoring total going into Sunday: 2 points (2005-06).
–His lowest All-Star minute total: 7 minutes and 32 seconds (2 years ago).

*That was Garnett’s 12^th time being voted to start the All-Star game in his career.
–He has 15 All-Star selections overall, which is just under 25% of the 62 NBA All-Star Games all-time.
–In addition, those 15 selections are tied with Kobe Bryant for the most among active players.

*Brandon Bass scored a game-high 14 points last Wednesday against the Bulls.
–That was the 1^st time in the Kevin Garnett era (539 regular season & playoffs games) that the Celtics’ game-high scorer had 14 or fewer points.

*The Celtics have prevented their opponent from scoring 100 points in regulation in 11 of their last 12 games.
–They are 23-10 when holding teams below 100 points this season (5-14 otherwise).

*Ty Lawson joined some impressive company the last time he saw the Celtics.
–On February 10, he went for 29 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds in the triple-overtime contest at TD Garden.
–Before Lawson, the last four players to reach those plateaus in a game against the Celtics were Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Garnett.

*Pierce has recorded at least 5 rebounds in 15 consecutive games, the 5^th-longest streak of his career (including the playoffs). It is his 4^th-longest regular season streak.
–Longest regular season streak: 18 straight games in 2004-05 and 2002.
–Longest overall streak (including playoffs): 23 straight games in 2005 and 2003.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Nuggets
–The Nuggets have a .500 winning percentage (5-5) against the Celtics since 2007-08, tied for the best overall winning percentage (including regular season and playoffs) vs. Boston in that span.
–On Tuesday, the Celtics hope to sweep the season series from the Nuggets for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
–The last time the Celtics faced the Nuggets, Denver outscored Boston by 32 in points in the paint (62 to 30).

*Milestone Watch:

–All-Time NBA Regular Season Games Played–
10. Moses Malone 1,329
11. Buck Williams 1,307
11. Kevin Garnett 1,307            (Garnett moves into sole possession of 11^th place by playing Tuesday)

–All-Time NBA Steals–
15. Kobe Bryant 1,796
16. Magic Johnson 1,724
17. Kevin Garnett 1,722            (Garnett needs 2 to tie Magic for 16^th place)

NBA All-Star 2013: Kevin Durant Extends NBA-Record ASG Streak

Although Chris Paul was the 2013 All-Star Game MVP, Kevin Durant showcased his talent once again on the big stage. Durant came into the 62^nd NBA All-Star Game as the only player ever to score at least 30 points in consecutive All-Star Games. Then, he extended his NBA-record streak to three contests with a game-high 30 points in the Western Conference’s 143-138 victory.

Three days after the Miami Heat took down the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Durant exacted as much revenge as he could by getting the win over the Heat’s ‘Big Three,’ Erik Spoelstra and the rest of the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Durant will not be able to face the defending NBA champions again during this regular season, so it was good for him to finally get some sort of a victory over the Heat for the first time since Game 1 of the 2012 Finals.

With the second-best record in the NBA, Oklahoma City has performed well without James Harden. While Kevin Martin has shouldered some of the load, Durant and Russell Westbrook have had to take on more responsibilities on the offensive end of the floor.

Durant especially has provided his team with more offense in two glaring ways. First, through 53 games in 2012-13, he is averaging an NBA-best 29.2 points per game, 1.2 better than his average in 66 games last season. Second is his impressive propensity to get to the free throw line. Durant is taking 9.3 free throws per game, the second-most of any player this season. In addition, his 90.7% from the line leads the league and would be the best of his career.

Moving forward, the Thunder will need to have Durant saved up for a long playoff run. He is Oklahoma City’s best plus/minus player, and the team’s offense is 11 points better per 100 possessions this season with Durant on the floor compared to him off it. The Thunder’s offensive efficiency is tremendous with him and needs to continue to be if Oklahoma City wants to make it back to the 2013 Finals.

Podcast: Bobby and Adam on the Injuries in the Eastern Conference

Bobby and Adam discuss the most important injuries in the Eastern Conference. In addition, they debate how to deal with the future of the NBA Draft and they answer Nicola Bogani’s question about the possibility of the Celtics trading Rajon Rondo.

2013 Feb 17: Injuries in the East

(Podcast Recorded on Sunday, February 17th, 2013)