You wanted fireworks? You got em.

And honestly, I’m not sure how to feel. On the one hand, the Celtics just got a top 5 point guard in the league at age 25 with 2 years left on a pretty reasonable deal. On the other hand, the Celtics just got rid of the heart and soul of the team for the past 3 years.

Last season, Isaiah Thomas’s averages were as follows: 28.9 PPG, 2.7 REBS, 5.9 ASTS on 46.3% shooting (37.9% from 3). For comparison, Kyrie Irving had: 25.2 PPG, 3.2 REBS, 5.8 ASTS on 47.3% shooting (40.1% from 3). Obviously, the production of these two superstars last year were comparable. The biggest difference between Irving and Thomas is their heights and their age. Thomas is 28 years old coming off hip surgery and Irving is 25 years old with a checkered history of knee issues. Assess that information how you will.

As for me, personally, not a fan of the trade. As much as it excites me that the Celtics just added one of the best point guards in the league, I think Ainge gave up WAY too much to their #1 rival in the conference. Giving Lebron James Isaiah Thomas, a solid 2 way forward in Jae Crowder, a question mark in Ante Zizic AND the 2018 Brooklyn Nets pick (which will probably be in the top 5) I don’t think necessarily bodes well for the future of the Celtics. Although, this point would be moot if both Lebron and Thomas leave after this season, but for the sake of argument just go with it.

And admittedly, I’m higher on Isaiah Thomas than most. House Nazzaro knows no King but the King in the Fourth whose name is Thomas. I think he’s a special talent and the type of journey he’s had throughout his NBA career only adds to his aura. Watching him drop 53 points on John Wall in a playoff game a few days following his sister’s death is one of the more memorable performances we’ve seen in Boston sports history. Add in the fact he was the last pick in the 2012 draft (Kyrie was 1st) and he’s only 5’9 in a league of giants, well, Disney couldn’t come up with a better story than that.

Isaiah Thomas embraced the city of Boston, and the city of Boston embraced him right back. And who’s to say that Kyrie Irving won’t do the same thing? I hope he does. But I hope he knows that he has some very big shoes to fill, courtesy of the Little Guy. Goodnight sweet prince, please don’t knock us out of the playoffs this year. And  as always, go Celtics.

Well we all kind of saw this coming, but it still doesn’t make it suck any less. Given his injury history and his contract being up at the end of the season, logically, it made the most sense to strike on an Avery Bradley trade while the iron was hot. But sometimes a hot iron can leave a nasty burn.

Is Jae Crowder better than Avery Bradley? I’d say no. Is Marcus Smart better than Avery Bradley? Most certainly not. HOWEVAH, Crowder has one of the most enviable contracts in the league (if you’re a GM of another team) and Marcus Smart is only 23 years old, so there’s room for growth. Not that Avery Bradley is old by any stretch of the imagination (he’s 27), but he will command a kings ransom at the end of the season, unlike Marcus Smart. Danny was smart (pun intended) to hang on to arguably his most valuable asset in Jae Crowder and to keep a promising young prospect who is becoming a versatile defender in front of our eyes in Marcus Smart.

Having said that, Avery Bradley was not only a great defender and an underrated rebounder, he was a great Celtic. Stoic and poised with a remarkable work ethic, Bradley was everything you wanted from a basketball player. On the court, he steadily improved his game every single year since his rookie season. Off the court, there was never any drama or showboating or anything that would be considered anything close to a distraction. Based off what coaches and teammates have said about him, he was a great person as well. RIP to the Tacoma Twins.

With Bradley gone, there is nothing left of the Big 3 Era in Boston and nothing left of that gawd-awful 2013-2014 Celtics squad (unless you’re counting Brad Stevens). It’s crazy to think that in four years, Danny Ainge has completely turned over this roster to make it an Eastern Conference contender that features not one, but three all stars (Horford sorta). As fans, I don’t think we could realistically ask for much else.

So in this new era of Brad Stevens position-less basketball, the starting rotation will look something like this (obviously I use these position titles very loosely):

PG – I.T

SG – Hayward

SF – Crowder

PF – Morris

C – Horford

Not the worst lineup I’ve ever seen if we’re ignoring rebounding. One thing I will say, is this team is going to score and it’s going to score A LOT. The team will probably get scored on a lot but for now, that point is moot.

So to Avery Bradley, I say goodnight sweet prince, and thank you for all you’ve done. And as always, go Celtics.

 

The Bruins are on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs and it’s all but a formality that the Celtics will roll over and die in Chicago. Basically, it’s a sucky week to be a Boston sports fan.

Fear thee not, however, because as Red Sox fans we have been #blessed with the 2nd coming of Pedro Martinez in Chris Sale. I’m not one to ever sit down and watch an entire baseball game, that wasn’t my bag baby, until I sat down and watched an entire Chris Sale game. I love his delivery, I love his intensity, I love how irrationally angry he was at himself when he walked Steven Pearce on 4 pitches. He has been better than promised and currently leads the majors in strikeouts. On Thursday, his stat line read something like this: 8 IP (in basically 2 hours nbd), 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 13 K all in 102 pitches. Here’s what you missed:

 

Sale has had 10+ strikeouts in his past 3 games and his average pitch count is around 105, which is crazy when you think about it. Most pitchers who strikeout 10+ batters usually range in the 118-122 pitch count. This guy is not only dominating batters, he’s doing it quickly.

And look, you can choose to take this past performance with a grain of salt because the Blue Jays stink and 6 of his strikeouts came against a washed up Jose Bautista and Jared Saltalamacchia, who realistically shouldn’t be on an MLB roster. However, Sale’s dominance isn’t a fluke. Every time he steps on the mound, you have a chance to see something special.

As likely as it is you’ll see something special from Sale, it’s 10 X more likely that you’ll see the Red Sox not hit for him. At all. In Toronto they finally got him 1 run in what should have been an easy win for the Condor. However, Farrell decided to go with Kimbrel over Sale in the 9th (Sale said he wanted to go back in) and Kimbrel immediately gave up a solo home run on his second pitch of the night, which tied the game. The Sox would eventually rally in the 10th off a Mookie Betts base clearing double to win 4-1, but you can’t help but feel for Sale. Sale  is 1-1 in 4 starts for the Red Sox with 2 ND’s. In all four starts, the Sox have scored 0, 1, 2, and 0 runs for him. And to think Chris Sale was frustrated in Chicago….

All I’m saying is that if you don’t want to think about the Bruins and Celtics collectively puking on themselves tonight, think about Chris Sale and all the happiness he brings us as Boston sports fans. Like a beautiful comet, he only comes once every 5 days, so make sure you  set your DVRs and get a look at greatness before Farrell makes him pinch run at 2nd base and tare his rotator cuff. God bless you Chris Sale, maybe one day the Red Sox will hit for you.

*I’ll try and do this after every Celtics/Bruins playoff game from here on out. Pretty self explanatory, all this blog is stuff I thought deserved to be highlighted and stuff I thought deserved to be shamed Game of Thrones style. Let’s go!

 

 

Highlights

Tuuka Rask

We start with the play of the often criticized goaltender. Since his 5 goal debacle against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 23rd, he’s looked like the Vezina Trophy winner of old. He stopped 26 of 27 shots and it’s a minor miracle that the game wasn’t 4-0 Ottawa after the first 5 mins of the 1st period. It’s only one game, but you have to be encouraged with what you see from Rask.

Charlie McAvoy

Is a +1 and 24:11 minutes of ice time in your first NHL game ever good? Above all else, the 19 year old BU product looked like he belonged, especially with his passing. Every pass he made was tape to tape and he looked oddly calm on the power play and minimized his defensive mistakes. No way that Butch takes him out once Carlo and Krug come back. Give Colin Miller or Liles the boot, but let the kid play.

Zdeno Chara

This is not Nam, there are rules here. When you play 25:32 minutes at age 39 in an NHL playoff game, basically never coming off the ice in the 3rd period, you get highlighted. Should he have cleaned Bobby Ryan’s clock going across Rask’s crease for the 1st goal? Of course. But he more than made up for his blunder for his defensive effort in a hard fought 3rd period.

Frank Vatrano

The lines were all over the place in game 1, which is kind of what we expected, but Vatrano stood out on every line he was on and was rewarded with a goal. He played one of his better 200ft games this season, with 3 shots on goal, 1 goal and 2 hits. Glad to have him back.

David Pastrnak

He’s been receiving some heavy criticism on Boston sports radio and I don’t really understand why. He was the only person on his line consistently getting good scoring chances. Yeah he missed the net a couple of times but you always heard his name battling for the pucks in the dirty areas and trying to make something happen. We reward effort in the highlights. Bite me.

 

Lowlights

The Entire 2nd Period

The Bruins 2nd period of hockey set the sport of hockey back 30 years. 0 shots on goal in 20 minutes of professional hockey is damn near impossible. At no point in those 20 minutes did the Bruins pretend like they had any interest in scoring a goal. Shame!

The Ottawa Senators Twitter

Highlight for Boston, lowlight for Ottawa. Solid chirp, just didn’t work out for the fine people up north. I hope this doesn’t deter them from throwing shade in the future. Playoff hockey is 100 times better when the two teams have Twitter beef. Keep fighting the good fight Ottawa.

Patrice Bergeron

For a man with the “A” on his chest and one of the key leaders of this team, I was very surprised how quiet a game he had. Yes he assisted the GWG, but besides that he did unfathomable amounts of nothing. You never heard his name pop up on T.V nor did you see him do anything to create any type of offensive momentum. Until there was 3:00 left in the game. He was good for 3 minutes. I guess that’s the main bullet point you can take away from this rant.

Butch Cassidy’s Hair

This will continue to be a lowlight until he gets a haircut or attempts to style it. I acknowledge his hair is thinning but he always looks like he rolled out of bed. Claude never had this problem.

 

*1 game down, 3 more to go. The Bruins play Saturday at 3 in Ottawa. Sounds like David Krecji will be back so in the words of the old country, Roll Bears!

I’ve gone on record doubting this team at every turn and saying it’s much like the flawed teams of the past two years.

Seriously. I’ve been wrong about this team at basically every turn, and once they made the playoffs and lost to Ottawa and Washington, no way did I think we were gonna sneak into the 3rd spot in the Atlantic Division. Well, the Hockey Gods have smiled upon this team, because low and behold the Maple Leafs choked against a struggling Columbus team and here we are. Boucher vs. Cassidy, Anderson vs. Rask, Burrows vs. Bergeron (round 2) and I for one can’t wait. Here’s a quick preview of how I think the series will shake out.

There’s no question that the Bruins have struggled to beat Ottawa this year, posting an 0-3-1 record in 4 meetings. The Bruins biggest problem has been scoring goals against this team and their 1-3-1 neutral zone trap. In the four games played this season, the Bruins have averaged 1.5 goals per game. Not great. However, Guy Boucher’s 1-3-1 defense isn’t the impenetrable fortress it sometimes seems to be.

To be successful against Ottawa, you need speed through the neutral zone and to get pucks deep (dare I say dump and chase). Although the Bruins have eluded the win column for quite some time against the Senators, I feel like they’re making progress against this team.

On the other side of the puck, the Bruins will be without both Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo for at least Game 1 (probably longer) which stinks. However, the good news (or fun news, rather) is 1st round pick Charlie McAvoy will be suiting up for the first time in a black and gold sweater. I don’t really care that management is burning the first year of his rookie contract because I think he can help when it comes to offensive production. This past year at BU, McAvoy  tallied 5 goals and 21 assists in 38 games. Although there will be a big learning curve, he will still be someone to keep an eye on as the series progresses.

These will probably be the defensive pairings for game 1, which I’m not wild about. In fact, I don’t think anyone is really crazy about these pairs. Obviously throwing McAvoy on the first defensive pairing in a playoff series is a tall task, but I think his game will compliment Chara’s better than McQuaid’s. I always have and always will hate the Miller – Miller pairing and Liles is what he is. Either way, I expect these to change fairly quickly.

As for the actual lines, it will be interesting to see if rookie Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson gets significant minutes, if any, in this series. He centered the 3rd line with Beleskey and Stafford on his wings on Saturday and didn’t cost the team at any point, which is all you can really ask of a rookie going up against the #1 team in the NHL. The lines were kind of screwy that game because of injuries and suspensions, so it’s tough to tell what Cassidy and the crew will do with them in Game 1. I think it shakes out something like this:

Marchand – Bergeron – Backes

Stafford – Krecji – Pastrnak

Moore – Nash – Schaller (assuming Acciari is still hurt)

Vatrano – Spooner – Beleskey (yuck)

I would love for Acciari to be healthy, bump Schaller on to the Spooner line, sit Beleskey and slide Acciari in with Nash and Moore and see them go to work again, but for game 1 I don’t see that happening. Spooner doesn’t do much for me, so I think it wouldn’t be far fetched if Spooner struggles early in the series that he gets pulled for JFK. We’re already burning a year of his rookie contract anyways, might as well use him. Spooner is an inconsistent player at best and a defensive liability at worst, at least with JFK he’s a bit of a question mark which makes it interesting. I think if anything, Cassidy moves SPooner to the wing and goes with a Vatrano – JFK – Spooner line than actually yanking Spooner for a game. This line probably wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. They will struggle defensively but should (in theory) be able to sustain some offensive pressure. Wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a thing Spooner rather than later (I’ll show myself out).

All and all, I think as Bruins fans this is the best matchup we could’ve hoped for in the first round. We get Brad Marchand back and Frank Vatrano and Tim Schaller are rounding into game shape again, so I think the Bruins have a fighters chance against the Senators. I think this series goes 7 games but the Bruins ultimately fall in the end, as the injuries to the defense are too much to overcome. Then again, I’ve been wrong about this team at every big turning point, which probably means the Bruins win in 5 and Ryan Spooner scores 10 goals. Idk. Roll Bears.

The early part of the 2017 season has been a bit of a struggle for the Red Sox. It seems each game a key guy is missing from the lineup. Most notably the A.L. MVP runner up, Mookie Betts was present and accounted for on opening day in his Air Jordan 12’s, but was sat down until Sunday due to the flu.

Lets keep going down the list shall we,

• Brock Holt- Out last Wednesday with stomach bug
• Robbie Ross Jr.- Only player to be put on the DL (10 day) for flu like symptoms
• Joe Kelly- Quarantined in the teams hotel on Saturday in Detroit with flu symptoms
• Hanley Ramirez- Him and Betts were both told by the team not to fly with them to Detroit
• Andrew Benintendi- Manager John Farrell informed us Sunday that Benny Biceps was blowing chunks during the 6th inning, but acted like a man and finished the game (Came through with a huge 2 out RBI yesterday)

In addition to the players, multiple coaches have been dealing with the same flu bug.

Apparently it is not just players and coaches being affected by this flu strain. Red Sox play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien had to leave the broadcast booth mid game on Saturday in Detroit (That’s too funny).

WTF is going on here? How did this thing even start, well luckily for you I put on my journalism cap and did some investigating. The first report of any player being effected by the flu was newly acquired first baseman Mitch Moreland Mitch Moreland out with the flu, Red Sox scramble for 1B replacements. Moreland is in his first year with the Sox and is tasked with the impossible, replace David Ortiz’s offensive production. As I am writing this Moreland has just doubled off Kate Upton’s boyfriend for his fourth straight game with a two bagger. HOWEVER, this does not/ should not let Moreland off the hook. Ladies and Gentleman we have our patient zero. Who does this guy think he is coming into the friendly confines of Fenway and sneezing all over his teammates, coaches, and favorite broadcast announcers. Yeah he might be swinging a hot bat but he’s the guy at the forefront with the shitty immune system.

If Moreland can give the Red Sox at least 50% of what David Ortiz did last season i’ll give him a pass. If we somehow miss the playoffs by a game or two and we look back to the this flu epidemic then we got problems.

Side note: To anyone that was upset at Xander and Matt Barnes for missing a few games to attend their grandmothers funerals, I say have you no heart? It’s April, R-E-L-A-X, if you skip your grandmothers funeral you are no friend of mine.

Here we go again. As soon as you’re out on this team (0-4 two weeks ago), they pull you right back in (5-0 last week), which brings us to the big showdown against the Lightning tonight at the TD Garden. In ever sense of the phrase, this is a nut up or shutup game for the black and gold.

The Lightning are 5-0-1 in their last 6 games but obviously the big storyline of tonight is Steven Stamkos will NOT be playing, which bodes well for the Bruins chances. Sort of. Tampa Bay is averaging four goals a game in their last six and put up six goals against this Bruins team just two weeks ago. Although they don’t have their captain, the Lightning are more than capable of grabbing a win tonight.

Which brings us to the other side of the coin, the Bruins. 5-0 in their last five including a gutsy win against the best team in the Western Conference in the Chicago Blackhawks is nothing to stick you’re nose at. The 4th line of Moore – Nash – Acciari (although they’re basically the 3rd line with the minutes they’re getting) has come to life, posting a +8 in the last five games. The Marchand – Bergeron – Backes/Pastrnak line has been phenomenal and the second line of Pasta/Backes – Krecji – Stafford line has finally found its shooting groove after the 4 game skid. It’s whatever combination of players they put with Ryan Spooner that concerns me and I believe will be a massive concern tonight. Butch Cassidy will probably roll out a line of Kuraly – Spooner – Beleskey, which will realistically go for -5 tonight against Erne – Gourde – Namestnikov. I’m not saying the Gourde line is necessarily murderers row, but they’re significantly better than the Spooner line. Even if they get bumped down to fourth line minutes, I’m still nowhere near confident enough that this line can produce anything substantial. Kuraly is vanilla, throws his body around where he can. Spooner has been terrible ever since he opened his mouth about Claude Julien (Vatrano as well) and Matt Beleskey realistically shouldn’t be on an NHL roster. Hopefully the Moore line has the stamina to work extra minutes tonight so this line sees as little ice time as possible.

Look, I wrote this team off as dead after the four game skid and I damn well didn’t expect them to win in Chicago after a back-to-back with Khudobin in net. Shame on me. But I have a sickening feeling that this game ends in a 2-1 Tampa Bay win in the last 3:00 or so. If this team is anything like the team they’ve had the past two years, they’ll blow this game. My gut feeling is we will. Then we’ll probably get the classic Torey Krug  interview after about how nobody is panicking and it will be business as usual and we’ll lose our playoff spot on the last day of the year against the Capitals. Obviously this playoff run is all about getting the third spot in the division and not the 2nd wild card spot, but it will be nice to enjoy some playoff hockey in Boston for once. That starts tonight. Ride the lightning baby!

First I have to start by saying, no David Ortiz in the clubhouse could derail this season faster than most fans think. The two marque signings from 2015, Hanley Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval are now without one of the best hitters in baseball history watching over them. Last season Hanley put together an impressive campaign playing in 147 games (his most since 2009 with the Marlins) 157 hits, 30 homers, and 111 runs batted in. Sandoval had a diverse 2016 season playing in only 3 games, recording no hits, and breaking at least one belt…that we know of.

 

(Wait for it…comedy)

These two worry me without Ortiz to put Hanely them in place when they screw up on or off the field (I promise at least one will). Reports do say that Sandoval is trending up, losing the weight that managed to BREAK HIS BELT last season, I feel like I can’t state that enough. Everything seems all right for Pablo Sandoval. IF (big if) these two can go an entire season without causing any headaches for the team, they should make the playoffs with ease. 

This is the first time since the Theo days where I am somewhat confident with the pitching staff. Obviously, the $200 million dollar man David Price is going to start the season on the DL with his mysterious elbow injury. Weak elbow could sideline pitcher into May. Luckily for the Red Sox they have the reigning Cy Young Award winner in Pretty Ricky Porcello.  Porcello will take the bump for the Sox on opening day. A spot I believe he earned last year and going all the way back to the second half of the 2015 season. Porcello is set to start over the newly acquired lefty Chris Sale. This will be Sale’s first season with the club and he is expected to be a catalysis in a somewhat strong Red Sox rotation. I would feel a lot more comfortable with a few more arms in the bullpen that can come in on short rest and give you a few bridge innings. I like what Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes bring to the table when they are called upon. The Red Sox NEED Craig Kimbrel to be better in late game situations than he was last year, no more 9th inning game-tying home runs. Kimbrel was named to the All-Star team last year as a closer and the team is hoping he can earn his way back for another appearance this July. 

I havent even touched on the best outfield baseball has to offer. Bennitendi, Bradley, Betts.

The team and fans alike are expecting big things from their outfield, but the most pressure has to be on rookie Andrew Bennitendi. Bennitendi seemed to be the only bright spot in last years playoff series loss to Cleveland. In 9 at bats over the course of the series, Bennitendi managed 4 hits, a home run, and an OPS of 1.111 (David Ortiz led the league with an OPS of 1.021 during the regular season). Manager John Farrell has gone on record stating, he thinks Bennitendi will bat third on opening day Left fielder Andrew Benintendi could be the Red Sox’s No. 3 hitter on Opening Day. This is a lot of pressure to put on a 22-year-old kid with only 106 at bats. 

Mookie Betts is hoping to add to his magical 2016 season which saw him finish second in AL MVP voting. Betts was simply amazing in 2016, batting .318, with 33 home runs, and 113 runs batted in. Betts shinned both in the batters box and in right field, racking up awards left and right. Betts captured the AL silver slugger award, Rawlings AL Gold glove, Wilson defensive player of the year, and two player of the month awards.

Jackie Bradley Jr. is hoping to pick up where he left off last April/May in the batters box, where he put together the longest hit streak in MLB last season at 29 games. Bradley seemed to find his bat at the beginning of last season to go along with his stellar defense in center. I personally enjoy seeing Bradley at the back-end of the lineup to add speed on the basepath for the 1-2-3 hitters.

The two constants in the infield are Bogaerts and Pedroia. Bogaerts is fresh off a World Baseball Classic which saw him hit 5-22 in seven games for the Dutch. Bogaerts had to travel half way across the globe to South Korea to play in the WBC. You can do that kind of stuff when you are 24 years old. Dustin Pedroia is set to turn 34 this season. Last season Pedroia was the model of consistency. Pedey played in 154 games (his most since 2013) batted .318, 201 hits, 105 runs, and 74 runs batted in. Pedroia’s 2016 numbers tend to get swepped under the rug with the seasons that Betts, and Ortiz had. Hopefully Pedroia can stay healthy for at least 140 games this year. This team’s #1 need is a leader in the clubhouse, a leader that has been to the promise land and knows what it takes day in and day out. I can not think of a more ideal leader than #15.  

 

The corners are a bit of a question mark at this point. The consensus favorites are Mitch Moreland at first base and Panda at third. Both come into this season with something to prove, Moreland is trying to bounce back from a season that saw him hit a meager .233 from the plate. Already having hit on Sandavol, we know he is having a bounce back spring. Spring Training means absolutely nothing I get that, but that is where your season starts as a player. You have to ask, is he getting productive at bats, is he fielding at a high level, and is he engaged? That last one is the most important. 

Behind the plate is a tricky situation as well. Your opening day starting catcher as of now is Sandy Leone. Leone was very productive at the plate last season, he batted a respectable .310 over 78 games. The problem with Leone is that he is not an everyday starter, Leone’s 78 games played last year was a career high for him. His backup might be the best defensive catcher I have seen play in recent years. Yes, there are more well-rounded catchers scattered throughout the league such as, Buster Possey in San Fransisco or Gary Sanchez in NY. However, when I watch Christian Vazquez behind the plate it is like poetry in motion. The guy is bouncing all over the place trying to set up for the perfect pitch, you rarely see a ball get behind him, he’ll gun you out at second even if you have a step on him and he always seems to be in sync with whatever pitcher is out there. If anyone was born for a specific reason, Christian Vazquez was born to be a big-league catcher, the guy understands the position inside and out. On the contrary his offense is bleak. In 57 games for the Red Sox last year Vazquez hit .233 with only one home run. If Vazquez (26) can figure out his hitting woes, the Red Sox might have their catcher for years to come. The guy the Red Sox thought would be their starting catcher for the next decade plus is in Pawtucket to start the year; Blake Swihart. Swihart was moved into the outfield last season where he saw his 2016 campaign come to an end after only 19 games, when he chased a fly ball into the left field wall, aggravating a previous ankle injury. Swihart is still on the 40 man roster so expect to see him in a Red Sox uniform sooner rather than later.

*Projected line up with projected stats:

D. Pedroia- .285 BA 16 HR 85 RBI

X. Bogaerts- .270 12 HR 70 RBI

A. Bennitendi- .275 BA 12 HR 85 RBI

M. Betts- .315 BA 27 HR 105 RBI

H. Rameriez- .280 BA 28 HR 95 RBI

M. Moreland .256 BA 22 HR 80 RBI

P. Sandoval .263 BA 16 HR 75 RBI

S. Leone- .290 BA 7 HR 60 RBI/C. Vazquez- .230 BA 4 HR 45 RBI

J. Bradley Jr- .265 BA 16 HR 76 RBI

Final verdict:

Red Sox win the AL East with 92 wins and eventually advance to the ALCS where they will go seven games with the Indians, and ultimately lose due to their lack of pitching. I hope I am wrong and they can somehow avoid Francona’s Indians, time will surely tell with this instalment of the Boston Red Sox. But first, what do you think Terry?

*Courtesy of Aidan Ahearn 

(Thomas the Tank Engine. Get it?)

So last night the Boston Celtics overcame a surprisingly gritty Miami Heat team 112 – 108 to pull even with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. With 8 games remaining, it certainly wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Celtics could very well steal the #1 seed for the first time since 2007.

The Celtics were far from perfect against the Heat last night, but there were some important moments that I think bodes well for their playoff chances. While Cleveland is sliding down the ranks ass over tea kettle, the men in green seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. Here’s a couple of things I noticed in last nights game that makes me irrationally confident that a Cavs/Celtics Eastern Conference Finals matchup is destined to happen.

Al Horford is Playing Like the Max Contract Player He is:

Al Horford has been one of the most polarizing players on the Celtics roster this year. There were games where he showed flashes of greatness and other games you’d need a pair of binoculars to see if he was playing or not. There’s no question that his arrival has sparked the MVP caliber season we’ve seen from Isaiah Thomas because of the way he’s able to space the floor. Still, he disappears a little bit more than you would expect a max contract player to. Many have criticized his play because of his contract. Well, criticize no more. In the month of March, Horford is averaging 15 PPG, 8 REBS, 7 ASTS and 1 BLK in 14 games. If he continues his strong play through these last 8 games and throughout the playoffs, watch out.

 

Amir Johnson: From Out of Nowhere!

Is 14 pts, 7 rebs and 5 asts in 3 quarters of play good? Sheesh, I didn’t think Johnson was capable of putting up those numbers. He’s quietly strung 3 pretty good games together (9 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts and 2 stls per game) and unlike in the previous 3 months of play, he actually looks engaged in what he’s doing. The Big Dog’s play has been a nice little wrinkle that makes this team so dangerous. When all five starters are contributing, they’re a tough out for anybody.

 

Brad Stevens is a Genius

The Celtics played a terrible first 24 minutes of basketball against the Heat yesterday, coughing up the ball 13 times and losing by  5 at halftime. After halftime, Brad shifted to a “small ball” lineup and outscored the Heat 32 – 17. The most incredible thing to me about Brad Stevens is this team is basically a team of cast offs that nobody wanted (besides Horford) and they’re competing with the Cleveland Cavs who have the best player in the world for the #1 seed. Not to mention, injuries have ravaged the Celtics starting lineup this year and they’re still here. Kind of makes you wonder what Stevens could do with a little more firepower (@JimmyButler).

 

Isaiah Thomas is Isaiah Thomas

Some day some smart college professor will teach an entire physics course on how Isaiah Thomas drives to the paint and makes layups against the likes of Hassan Whiteside. Every time I watch him play, I’m still in shock and awe at how not only he can get to rim, but finish over significantly taller defenders. I fear that this season he’s stringing together isn’t being fully appreciated for the absolute insanity that it is. Around these parts, we praised 5’9 Nate Robinson’s 13 pts, 2 asts performance in Game 6 against Orlando in 2010. Can’t imagine what we’ll do when 5’9 Isaiah drops 25 a game during this playoff run. Surely he’ll get his due credit….

 

Other Notes:

*The Cleveland Cavaliers have 3 back-to-backs remaining in their schedule and, oh yeah, play the San Antonio Spurs tonight. Out of their 10 remaining games, they play playoff bound teams 8 times including the Celtics on April 5th. For comparison, the Celtics only play 4.

*Marcus Smart still can’t shoot the ball, but him grabbing an offensive rebound from Hassan Whiteside and threading a pass through 3 Heat players to set up an Isaiah Thomas layup is one of the more impressive basketball plays you’ll see this season. If he can even learn to an average shooter he’ll be a star.

*The Celtics out-rebounded the Heat on the defensive glass 27 – 24. Boston doesn’t have anyone who can rebound the ball effectively so it takes a whole team effort, and nobody is putting that more upon himself than Jae Crowder. In the last 10 games, he’s average 7 rebounds per and, in the last 10 games, the Celtics are 8-2. Rebounding = good.

*Fun fact of the day: The Heat’s James Johnson is an MMA fighter with a second degree black belt and claims he can kick a basketball wedged between the rim and the glass. There’s no video evidence of this but at 6 feet 9 inches I wouldn’t put it past him.

 

The Celtics get  2 days rest before they’re back at it against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. By then, the Eastern Conference standings will become just a little bit clearer. Roll Celtics baby.

Since losing Game 7 on home ice to the Montreal Canadians in 2014, the Boston Bruins and their goalie have been in a tail-slide.

If you recall, that season Rask won the Vezina Trophy (the trophy awarded to the best goaltender in the league). However since that playoff series, fans have seen changes in the front office with the hiring of GM Donny Sweeney, and behind the bench with the firing of Claude Julian. Julian’s replacement, Bruce Cassidy made his presence felt early rattling off 7 wins in his first 8 games as interim coach. Cassidy did something his predecessor; Julian hadn’t in over two years, beat the Montreal Canadians in the Boston Garden.

That win on February 12th, was Tuukka Rask’s FIRST win vs a Canadians team at home during his entire career.

Since the Bruins last trip to the postseason in 2014 Rask has been anything but a former Vezina trophy winner. The past two seasons the Bruins have been in prime playoff positioning until mid March. During his last 29 March starts (2015-present) Rask is an abysmal 9-18-2. Tied for the third highest salary per NHL goalie at $7 million a year, you would expect Rask to be playing his best hockey down the stretch. Unfortunately this has not been the case, it is the opposite. Rask folds when the lights become bright and the pressure ramps up.

A prime example of Rask folding, is last years season finale vs Ottawa. The Bruins and Senators were both fighting for the final playoff spot in the Eastern conference. Rask was scratched from the game due to an ‘illness’…the guy had diarrhea. Rask to sit season finale. How is it that the most expensive player in the system can’t get his mind and body right for the biggest game of the year? I know what you are thinking,”Mike the guy had diarrhea, cut him some slack” to which I say nay, no slack shall be given. Do you think any of the greats would be pulling a stunt like that? If you don’t think Marty Brodeur is sticking a cork up there and making 40 saves, and netting at least one, you are dead wrong.

That is the problem with Tuukka Rask, he’s not great, he’s not terrible, he is serviceable. I think we have seen the best of what Rask has to offer and that was during his Vezina campaign. The dilemma with Bruins’ fans is their perception of how a goalie should play. 2011 gave the franchise its first Stanley Cup in 39 years, and also the greatest goalie performance of all time. Tim Thomas stood on his head in every series, making key save after key save. The Bruins played in 25 games that postseason with Thomas in net during each game.

A season and a half later and the Bruins were back in the cup finals. This time the B’s would matchup up with the high-powered Chicago Blackhawks in a win or go home game 6 at the Garden. Late in the third period the Bruins held a 2-1 lead, until Tuukka let 2 goals squeak by him in a span of 17 seconds. This is where I BELIEVE Tuukka lost his sack for big games. Granted, Rask came back next year and won the Vezina but something is just not the same. The goals he should be saving are going in the net at an alarming rate.

Now, late March in Boston and the team in danger of collapsing missing out on the playoffs for a third consecutive year, the Bruins have a choice to make.

Do you sit Tuukka Rask for Anton Khudobin? Khudobin is stringing together an impressive streak since the all-star game. Khudobin is 5-0 since then, whereas Tuukka Rask is 8-8. This past Saturday’s game vs. the Islanders was quit possibly the most important game on the schedule (up to this point). The Bruins entered the game riding a Tuukka Rask special (A 4 game losing streak). On Friday reports surfaced that Rask would not be able to play in the game due to a nagging injury. Tuukka Rask to sit out with a lower-body injury. When I read this headline it was, déjà vu, the guy couldn’t go in game82 of last season so why would I expect him to be a go in game75 a year later? 

Fortunately for Bruins fans, Rask sat and Khudobin stepped up. Khudobin was blocking shots, fighting to see the puck, and making stops when his teammates in front of him were nowhere to be found. Luckily, the Bruins managed a 2-1 win snapping their 4 game slide.

This is not the first time we have seen a goalie controversy going into the playoffs. Last year’s eventual  Cup Champions; Pittsburg Penguins rode rookie backup goaltender Matt Murray all the way to June. Murray came in to replace 2x all-star Marc-Andre Fleury. Another similarity between these two teams is their coaching situation. Half way through last season the Pittsburgh Penguins fired head coach Mike Johnson and replaced him with Mike Sullivan. This move propelled Pittsburg to the playoffs and ultimately the Stanley Cup finals. The Bruins this year fired Julien in early February and replaced him with Cassidy. Let’s hope the Bruins can channel some of the magic Pittsburg showed last season and make a run into the playoffs. In order to do that, the team might have to seriously evaluate the goalie position. In my mind, you ride the hot hand just like Belichick did with Brady and Bledsoe in 01′. Not all Penguin fans were in favor of starting a rookie goaltender in the playoffs, but that move was good enough to win another Cup.

Now I am not saying I think the Bruins are going to ride Khudobin all the way to the Cup finals, however maybe let him take the reins for the remander of the season or until he losses. 

UPDATE:

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