RedsArmy.com - The Voice Of Boston Celtics Fans

Celtics-Bulls photo gallery

You know how we do it. Enjoy some pics courtesy of HoopChina from the C's visit to ChiTown on Thursday. Bonus GIFS after the jump...

RedsArmy presents FanFriday #23 "Lee from Oregon"

This week's Fan Friday features a name our readers should all be familiar with. Lee G., from Oregon, or as we here at RedsArmy know him, "Lee from Oregon". Lee was actually born and raised in Boston, and has been a Celtics fan all his life.

Lee started watching the C's in the late 1960's when his father would intently follow playoff games on their little black & white tv. Some of us take technology for granted, but I too remember that before the days of LeaguePass and cable tv, you'd have to listen to games on the radio if your family couldn't afford a tv. 

Growing-up in the Boston-area, Lee's mom worked at the old Kennedy's dept.store. Red Auerbach was a frequent customer and was on a first-name basis with Lee's Mom. One day in particular, Red came-in with a very tall rookie that needed a raincoat. Lee's Mom did not have any in stock that were long enough to fit this unusally long & lanky gentleman. After calling-around to numerous stores, she was finally able to acquire a nice raincoat that was suitable for then 20-something Celtics center Bill Russell.

Celtics-Bulls photo gallery

Here are some nice pics (Hoop China) from the C's 95-91 win over the Bulls on Sunday afternoon.

Bonus GIFs after the jump....

VIDEO: Rajon Rondo's Triple Double vs Chicago Bulls

On Friday night Rajon Rondo dropped quite the stink bomb on the city of Toronto.  He looked listless at times and entered rage mode on one of the officials, drawing a technical foul.  Boston fans were (and amazingly some still are) a bit over-critical following the disgusting loss.  Clearly this would mean that Rondo would just sulk against the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls, right?

Wrong.  Instead, Rondo went out and orchestrated a masterful performance, engineering his 15th career triple-double.  He's not perfect by any means, can be moody at times and apparently drives fans of his own team crazy.  But yesterday left little room for debate quite honestly.  He even went 4-4 on clutch free throws to ice Chicago's late-hot comeback attempt.  The guy plays hurt and steps up his game in the playoffs when you need it most.  There are better players out there but there aren't many better point guards in the league.  He has his flaws, but his abilities far outweigh those.  I've given up trying to argue this with people.  At this point, you either like him (and want him here) or you don't.  That's fine.  For now, sit back and enjoy the full compilation of his masterpiece.

  

Photo Gallery: Celtics vs Bobcats

Here are some photos via Hoop China from the Celts' 94-84 win over Charlotte last night. I was at the Garden, and it was such a fun evening. I've followed Paul Pierce since his very his 1st-game, and it's been a pleasure to watch him become one of the all-time great Celtics. Bonus "Ultimate Truth GIF" after the jump...

VIDEO: Pierce Surpasses Larry Bird on All-Time Scoring List

During last night's game there were several segments highlighting Paul Pierce before, during and after the moment he surpassed Larry Bird on the Celtics all-time scoring list.  Take a look at the video below to see a compilation of the best segments.  Also, I want to extend a huge congrats to Paul, one of the greatest Celtics of all time which is saying quite a bit for this storied franchise.  Just an amazing accomplishment but I agree with Paul: we all want to see you win one more championship!

 

 

Photo Gallery: Celtics vs Grizzlies

Here are some nice pics via HoopChina from yesterday's Celtics-Grizz tilt at the Garden. A couple of bonus GIFs after the jump...

JaJuan Johnson GreenLights vs Memphis

At this rate we might have to rename the GreenLights to the Triple-J Lights.  It's one thing to throw down some ferocious dunks in mop-up duty, or go 5-for-5 in extended garbaaaage time.  But during yesterday's matinee, Celtics rookie JaJuan Johnson got some regular rotation run mainly due to the absence of Brandon Bass.  Everyone got shifted up a notch in what has become the crop-rotation of bigs, and JJJ did quite well.  In the highlights you'll see him knock down some jumpers like he has before, but the one thing that stuck out was how he stepped right into them with zero hesitation.  Even on his miscues he still displayed confidence.

That's been relatively uncommon for rookies and young players on this team during the New Big 3 Era.  Nonetheless, JJJ will most likely be relegated to spot minutes once Bass returns.  It's great to see that he has prepared himself to be ready for whenever they need him.  If he keeps this up, they may call his number sooner rather than later.

  

• Some help defense on OJ Mayo's drives
• Good attempt at a offensive put-back lay-up
• Decent post defense on Gasol, creating a bad pass/turnover
• Good rebounding technique by finding Dante Cunningham and boxing him out, instead of looking for the ball
• Diving for a loose ball
• Running the floor well in transition
• Stepping right into jumpshots
• Blocking OJ Mayo's lay-up
• The wild alley-oop
• Beautiful high-post entry pass to KG for the dunk
• Blocking Gasol's lay-up
• Solid perimeter defense on Rudy Gay
• Blocking Josh Selby's lay-up

JaJuan Johnson GreenLights vs Raptors

Let me preface this by saying that I'm fully aware that these highlights are compiled from as Marv Albert would say, "extended garbagggge time," it was good to finally see a little bit of what JaJuan Johnson is capable of.  Sure, we've seen a few dunks here and there, but he got some solid consecutive minutes during the wee hours of Boston's Raptor extinction party last night at the Garden.  JJJ displayed that smooth jumper as well as showing some better movement down low.

All in all, it's good to see the C's have another option on the bench that Doc can rely on, even in a pinch.  And just as John said earlier today, if he and Moore can continue to develop, than Ainge may have finally re-assured C's fans that he can still draft with lower picks.  We can even start to toss in Avery Bradley's name as well, but I'll have more on him later.  Sit back and enjoy JJJ's first extended appearance on the GreenLight reel:

 

VIDEO: Complete Comeback @ Orlando

So last night's choke job against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home was how shall we say, not great.  While the return of Ray Allen was great to watch, including him draining threes as if nothing happened to him, blowing a significant lead late in the fourth quarter never leaves you feeling good for days after the fact.  Instead, we've decided to show something positive: the amazing comeback the Celtics pulled off down in Orlando last Thursday night.

It's been a few days, and the C's defeated the Pacers the next night in an impressive fashion, but this one deserves some re-watching.  It begins with Tommy Heinsohn's discouraging commentary (and rightfully so), during the second quarter when the Magic built their highest lead.  From there, you'll see the aggressive and smart defense that triggered several outstanding offensive plays to complete the comeback.  From KG's blocks, to Pierce's scoring, to E'Twaun Moore's incredible breakout clutch performance, the C's never relented.

So swish this around your mouth for a good fifteen minutes to wash out the bitter taste from last night.