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Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins Blow Leafs Away 5-1

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Last night loud cheers and excitement from the Black and Gold faithful flooded Causeway Street as the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in a crucial do-or-die Game 7. For Boston, the scenario was all too familiar. And for fans on both sides of the fence, this series was poised to reach a Game 7. 

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

For Toronto fans, the hope was that their young team would finally slay the dragon, as they have lost to Boston in the same fashion twice in a row. With Boston up 3-1 in the third, Bruins’ Charlie Coyle would seal their fate by netting a wrist shot in the final few minutes of the period. Within seconds at the end of the period, Patrice Bergeron would end the night as he backhanded another goal, making the final score 5-1.

FOURTH LINE MAGIC

Boston’s fourth line, along with goaltender Tuukka Rask (more on him later) were the heavy stars in last night’s wild victory.  The Kuraly-Nordstrom-Acciari trio proved to be huge in both Game 6 and Game 7. That line started things off for Boston, as Joakim Nordstrom ripped the puck through the pads and glove of Frederick Andersen, giving Boston a 1-0 lead.

Minutes later, fellow Swedish player Marcus Johannson sent one in with a wrist shot, making the score 2-0 Boston. As the lone goal of the night for Toronto (and the only one in the second period), John Tavares netted a goal that shot by Tuukka Rask, making the score 2-1. With Toronto just one goal away from tying the game, Boston’s fourth line would deliver one of the game’s bigger moments, as 26-year-old Sean Kuraly (coming back from a fractured hand) banked a goal that added some cushion to the Bruins lead.

Kuraly has scored five goals in 19 career post-season games. And yes, the Kuraly-leap was back and he was missed:

“We talked about him missing the start of the series. And you talk about a depth guy and think how much you can miss him, but we use him a lot of different ways for us.”

Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy

ALL ABOUT THE GOALTENDING

Tuukka Rask: a name that causes debate among fans and sport pundits alike. Those Tuukka haters are loud and very quick to point out that with Rask in net, the Bruins will never win a cup. And any goal that gets past Rask is a “soft” one, or rather “he should’ve had it!” No matter how you feel about Rask and the holes you can poke into his performance on any regular season game, last night the Bruins goaltender was impressive.

https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1120887082774409216

Along with a determined Bruins team, Rask was able to keep the Leafs at bay and allowed only one goal. He made 32 saves total for the night.

“I hope fans recognized what he did tonight…hopefully people get behind him and acknowledge that…It’s a big Game 7 win. I believe he was our best player. ”

Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy

“He was a big difference in tonight’s game. He made some big saves, controlled the rebounds, especially in the second period when they started pushing us. They were putting a lot of pucks at the net, creating more offensive zone time. Tuukka was just very strong for us. And we needed that. Sometimes it’s not always going to be perfect breaking out the pucks and making plays, but that’s when you have to rely on your goalie and that we did.”

Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara

NEXT UP: Against the Columbus Blue Jacket, Second Round, Game 1

WHEN: Thursday, April 25th at TD Garden with puck drop at 7:00 pm

Follow me on Twitter @pastagrl88

Where Are the 2016-2017 Celtics now – Free Agents

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I covered the players that got traded in my most recent article. The players that left via free agency had some say in their new contracts. A lot of these guys would have loved to stay on the Celtics. The fact of the matter is we couldn’t afford to re-sign everyone from last year’s team. Some of the most difficult decisions Danny Ainge made in the offseason was who fit into the team’s long-term plans, and who he would have to let go. The players that were lost all found great spots for their careers, and should be happy with the outcome.

A lot of these guys got an opportunity as a Celtic that allowed them to sign bigger contracts in free agency elsewhere. This can be attributed to the system that Brad Stevens runs. He maximizes a player’s talents while hiding their flaws. I view it as Ainge helping out players land in the right spots via trades. Brad Stevens helps players earn better contracts and be attractive free agents. It all comes down to the organization doing great work.

If you click on each players name, it will take you to their basketball reference page so you can see what they’re doing this year statistically and compare with what they did in Boston. I did this so I wouldn’t have to bore you with statistics here, but they are linked in case you’re interested.

KELLY OLYNYK

KO didn’t play less than twenty minutes a game in any of his four seasons as a Celtic. In turn he had some big time contributions. Game Seven against the Wizards last year comes to mind, where he went off in the fourth quarter and helped the C’s advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. He was a hero in Beantown after that. But Ainge couldn’t afford to keep him and stay out of the luxury tax, so he hit free agency and chose the Miami Heat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzssSy0l4LY

In Miami, Olynyk has an expanded role and has been a starter for the last eighteen games. His averages are career-highs across the board. With Olynyk continuing to progress, it’s safe to say the Heat got what they paid for. He signed a four year, $50 million deal. That means he is now making more per year than he made over four years in Boston combined. This is what you want to see out of guys. Stevens was able to set Olynyk up for success when he was with the Celtics, which turned into a big paycheck and bigger opportunity for him.

The Celtics have already played Olynyk and the Heat three times this season. The most recent outing was Olynyk’s return to Boston, and he went off for thirty two points and seven assists. I think it’s safe to say he feels comfortable playing in TD Garden. He also recently posted twenty-five points and thirteen assists, and is making a serious push for even more minutes.

JORDAN MICKEY

Another player that signed with the Heat in free agency is Mickey. After being drafted thirty-third in 2015 but never gaining traction with the Celtics, he has carved out a bench role for his new team. He has had a few games over twenty minutes when Whiteside was out, and is fighting to try to stay in the rotation. It would be nice to see him stick and have a successful career as a role player. He signed a two-year deal that holds a second year team option, so he will have to prove himself this year to stay in Miami.

JONAS JEREBKO

Jerebko singed a two-year $8.2 million contract with the Jazz. He is earning less than his $5 million per year in Boston. His decision was more about fit. He wanted to sign somewhere he felt he could make a difference, and has done that in Utah. What stands out from a similar stat line to what he posted in Boston is his three-point shooting. He’s taking more threes than he has in any year in his career, and is shooting a career-best 43% from deep. His role is to shoot and get defensive rebounds. In his return to Boston, he posted seventeen points, a season-best to date, to go along with seven rebounds.

Another interesting fact is Jerebko has started fourteen games already this year, more than his entire 2.5 years in Boston. The Jazz want to put shooters around rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is great at penetrating and kicking back out, making Jerebko a perfect running mate with the rookie. Quin Snyder likes to play what he calls advantage basketball, which is supposed to allow players that might not be as quick as the competition to get an advantage. The concept is centralized on off-ball movement, and is something that many teams, the Celtics included, practice. Because of this, the move from Boston to Utah has been pretty seamless for Jerebko.

AMIR JOHNSON

Amir is now in his thirteenth season. As a traditional big with below-average quickness and footwork, his value is quickly declining. Yet, the OG was able to land one of the better deals in free agency, signing a one year contract with the 76ers for $11 million. Just $1 million less annually than he earned in Boston.

Amir was a leader by example in the locker room in Boston. He is now looking to set that same example in Philly for their young core. On the court, he has given Joel Embiid some spot starts here and there. When Embiid plays, Amir gets in sparsely. In his return to TD Garden, he posted a full stat line of 6-6-4-3.

TYLER ZELLER

After picking up plenty of DNP-CDs as a Celtic despite his $8 million contract, Zeller had to take a huge pay cut in free agency. It’s a shame, because he really did contribute whenever he got in the game. He has always been a solid player, and I felt there would always be a place for him in the league. Regardless, he found himself more concerned with finding a team that would pay him rather than how much the contract would be worth.

He settled for the Nets on a minimum contract, but it has worked out well for him. After not seeing much time through much of the first month, Zeller broke through with a twenty-one point game. He entered the starting lineup for good a few games later. His playing time has seen a slight decrease since Jahlil Okafor was sent over via trade, but he is still starting. It will be interesting to see how long he can hold off the inevitable of Okafor taking the starting role.

JAMES YOUNG & DEMETRIUS JACKSON

James Young recently signed a two-way deal with the 76ers after averaging over twenty-two points per game in the G-League. He was the least valuable piece that came out of the infamous Brooklyn deal, never able to crack the rotation in Boston after being selected seventeenth overall in 2014.

Demetrius Jackson signed a two-way deal with the Rockets before the season, but it has apparently been terminated. He has since signed a ten-day deal with the Rockets, which started on January 6th. He is averaging sixteen points in the G-League.

BONUS: GERALD GREEN

GG was invited to Bucks camp, but inexplicably cut before the season. It seemed as if he would sit the season out, and perhaps retire. However his hometown team came calling. Green grew up in Houston, and was ecstatic when he got the call that they wanted more shooting. It didn’t make sense that a team that already shot more threes than any other team wanted to add more shooting, but it didn’t matter. Green came in and has made an instant impact. Through seven games, he is averaging twenty-five minutes and over seventeen points, shooting 50% from deep. He has made a big time impact off the bench.

CINDERELLA STORY

( Boston, MA, 03/24/17) Boston Celtics forward Amir Johnson (90) congratulates Boston Celtics forward Gerald Green (30) after his 3 pointer with a foul as the Celtics take on the Suns at the Garden. Friday, March 24, 2017. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill)

Gerald Green’s contributions during his second stint in Boston can’t be forgotten. In the first round of the playoffs when the Celtics were down 0-2 to the lowly Bulls. Stevens needed to make some changes. He inserted Green into the starting lineup for the third game. Green had logged just over five minutes in the first two games combined. He also hadn’t started the entire regular season. It didn’t matter. Green was ready to go. He scored eighteen points in Game 3, and sixteen in Game 5. The Celtics won four games in a row with Green in the starting unit to win the series 4-2. This is the stuff of legends.

It was only fitting that when the Rockets called Green, they needed him to suit up that night. Oh, and the Rockets were visiting Boston. Conveniently, Green was sitting at his house, in Boston. He still enjoyed the city, and kept his house after last season. He has the role in Houston he has always wanted, as a key piece to an all-out offensive assault. Averaging over eight threes a game, he is right where he needs to be, at home in Houston. Basketball has taken Green around the world and back, so it would be a fitting ending for his career to finish in Houston. Again, this is the stuff of legends.

FINAL THOUGHTS

For the most part, all of these Celtics landed in favorable spots, especially the players that were traded. It has been fun to see some of them come back to Boston and give them the love they fought for while they were here. It hasn’t been as fun to see them all torch the Celtics in their returns, back in a familiar place. Regardless, I wish all these guys the best of success in their careers as they continue to thrive in new roles.

REMEMBERING KOBE: THE CELTICS’ BIGGEST ENEMY OF THE CENTURY

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Earlier this week, the legendary Kobe Bryant had not one, but two jerseys retired in the Staples Center in LA. He put up amazing stats in both #8 & #24, and when asked, was hard-pressed to choose between the two.

“It’s really, really tough for me. I think 24 was more challenging, and I tend to gravitate to things that are harder to do. And physically for me it was really, really hard for me to get up, night-in and night-out, man. It’s a grind. … Thinking on the Boston Celtics. Having a bone fragment in my foot during that series. Having a broken finger. Muscling through that back half of the career. Some of the toughest stretches of basketball ever, man. And so, I guess if you force me to pick one, I’d probably go with No. 24 because of that.”

Truly one of the all-time greats, he was the man who went toe-to-toe with Paul Pierce in the Finals in 2008 & 2010, and generated real hate from Celtics fans across the world because of how good he was. I thought it would be fun to look back on his run from a Celtic point of view.

THE BEGINNING OF AN ERA

Before Kobe Bryant became a Laker, he was a lifelong fan of the organization. He watched old tapes of the Lakers-Celtics Finals as a kid, and grew to hate the Celtics as much as he loved the Lakers. So when the Celtics called him in for a workout, he was reluctant, but he did it. According to Celtics management at the time, he was more than impressive. But they wanted somebody who could come in and contribute right away. Bryant was a high schooler that needed to develop his game further. So, the Celtics passed on him with the 6th pick and went with Antoine Walker. Kobe was drafted 13th by the Hornets, immediately traded to the Lakers, and the rest is history.

As was predicted by many GMs around the league, Kobe took some time to find his groove. In his first season, he averaged just over 15 minutes a game. He showed flashes of his potential, but wasn’t a regular rotation player. In his second year, the mamba came out. Kobe made a huge leap, right into the all-star game. He was just 18 years old. By his fourth year, he was one of the league’s top players. Along with Shaq, the Lakers won 3 championships in a row from 2000-2002.

RIVALRY RENEWED

The Lakers were riding high, but the Celtics couldn’t get over the hump with Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce. After surprisingly making it to the Eastern Conference Finals and taking a 2-1 lead over the Nets in the 2002 playoffs, the Celtics-Lakers chatter was starting back up, but the Lakers were clearly a better team at the time. The Celtics were swept in the second round the next year and by 2004 were sold and under a massive change from top to bottom. New GM Danny Ainge decided to blow it up and enter a full rebuild, keeping franchise cornerstone Paul Pierce to build around.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2007 that the Celtics were stirring things up around the NBA, but all of a sudden they were being talked about as a serious championship contender. Ainge pulled off deals for both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and the Big 3 in Boston was ready to set the league on fire. But across the country, Kobe was determined to show the world he could win a championship without Shaq. He had his unforgettable 81 point game the year before and was entering full Mamba mode.

When the Celtics won the east and the Lakers won the west, talks of the rivalry reignited, and before long the teams were set to face off and attempt to write the next championship story. Kobe had already won 3 rings, but this was different. This was against the CELTICS. This was what he grew up dreaming about.

2008 FINALS

The Celtics had the better overall record and therefore had home court advantage. The drama began in Game 1, when Paul Pierce injured his knee early in the second half and had to be carried off the floor. He would return before the end of the 3rd and hit two big 3’s in a row, sending the TD Garden in a frenzy. The Celtics had all the momentum after and won what was eventually dubbed “the wheelchair game”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdU5pk7UXPM

After winning game 2 as well behind Pierce’s 28, the next 3 games were in LA. Kobe went off for 36 in Game 3 to propel the Lakers to an 87-81 win, but he was off in Game 4, and the Celtics took a 3-1 series lead. The Lakers won the next game with their backs against the wall, but all it did was let the Celtics celebrate on their home floor in front of their own fans in a game 6 blowout.

The Celtics won by 39 and the Celtics were NBA champs again. Paul Pierce won Finals MVP, and solidified himself as a true Celtics Legend with the help of his new all-star teammates. Kobe watched the team he hated most celebrate, and was already thinking about getting revenge. He averaged 25.7 points, 5 assists and 4.7 rebounds on 40.5% shooting to Pierce’s 21.8 points, 6.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds behind 43.2% shooting.

2010 FINALS

 

In 2009, the Lakers won in the Finals, but the Celtics didn’t make the party. They dealt with injuries all season and would have to wait till 2010 to get another chance, and the Lakers were waiting for them. Worse, Kobe was looking for revenge in the midst of one of his best seasons in which he hit 6 game winners. He was getting old, but he was still capable of things no one else could do on the court. That showed in the 2010 Finals, when he helped the Lakers pull off a comeback game 7 victory to seal his fifth championship and second consecutive Finals MVP. When asked which of his 5 championships meant the most to him, Kobe didn’t hesitate.

“The Celtics one. Not just because it was the hardest one to get but also being a Laker fan, there’s no greater feeling or dream than facing the Celtics in the Finals. We came up short in ’08, so now it was like the Basketball Gods were smiling down upon us all, because now we finally get a chance to get revenge. It would’ve been really painful for me to retire and not be able to have revenge on the Celtics. I know the history of the Lakers and Celtics, and I don’t want to be one of those players that was a Laker great that lost to the Celtics and never had a chance to redemption. So that Finals to me was the most important one.”

KOBE BEEF

It was official, Kobe Bryant was the most hated player, and possibly person, in Boston. Celtics Nation had to watch Kobe win his three rings with Shaq when we were just trying to get to the Finals. We watched him get another after falling short of the Finals in 2009. Injuries plagued the Celtics that year, most namely Kevin Garnett. He would come back from a knee injury in the playoffs, but wasn’t the same. And now, we had to watch him crush the hopes and dreams of hanging Banner 18.

Bryant may have had the last laugh in the Celtics-Lakers story of his era, but his quote about the 2010 championship being his favorite is really about respect for the Celtics more than anything. He understood this was the hardest thing he had to do in his career. Taking down the Celtics was bigger than taking down anybody else, like the Magic the year prior. That was all good and well, but Kobe wanted to beat the Celtics. He knew putting a championship stamp on the historic Celtics-Lakers rivalry would establish his legacy as an all-time great.

MUTUAL RESPECT

“I learned my lesson my rookie year, when I was talking to him. He fouled me out in like 7 or 8 minutes. From that point on, I knew I couldn’t talk to him. He was kind of buttering me up. He’s asking me where am I from, how you doing young fella? Where you from? I like your heart, young fella. Before you know it he’s head faked you three times and got the and one off the backboard, came off the pick and roll and dunked on you.” -Tony Allen

Tony Allen was the main defender on Kobe in both the 2008 & 2010 Finals. To this day, he is still one of the best defenders in the league. On Kobe’s farewell tour, he gave Allen a gift to show his respect for Allen’s hustle. Along with a pair of signed shoes was a message that read “To Tony, the best defender I ever faced!”. Kobe stated this numerous other times when asked about it. Turns out there was some truth to Bryant’s comments to a rookie Tony Allen.

KOBE’S LAST YEARS

It wasn’t until the Lakers started losing that I could appreciate what Kobe had done for the game of basketball. His last two years he was getting paid too much for the Lakers to bring in any significant talent, and Kobe wasn’t good enough to carry the team anymore. They became the laughing-stock of the NBA, the beginning of their rebuild unable to start until Kobe’s contract expired. His last season was one of the worst in Lakers franchise history, and was simply a year dedicated to Kobe.

In the midst of his farewell tour, Kobe defied human capabilities here and there, turning back the clock with some 30+ point performances late in the year. He could sense the end was nigh, and was going to leave everything he had on the court. Never was this as evident as his final game in which he dropped 60 big ones at 37 years old. But beyond that, he made his worst enemies love him in that game. It took all the way up to that last game, but as I watched him torch the Jazz I found myself rooting for him to score every time he touched the ball.

NO KOBE, NO PROBLEM

It was only acceptable because they weren’t playing for anything. Honestly though, even if they were I’m not sure I would’ve been able to contain my excitement. That performance was one of the grittiest things I’ve ever seen, and something only a true great is capable of. So this is for Kobe, the Laker legend that we all loved to hate, but couldn’t help but learn to appreciate. He has inspired players from everywhere, and is the most popular name among current NBA players when asked who their favorite is. Even players on the Celtics idolize Kobe Bryant. 3rd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, Kobe truly is the man, the myth, the legend. I’m certainly glad we don’t have to worry about that problem anymore.