New Look Knicks Come to Town Hoping to Renew Old Rivalry
at 
New York Knicks (6-4) at Boston Celtics (9-2)
Tuesday, November 18
7:30 PM
Game #12, Home Game #7
TV: CSNHD, MSG, NBA LP 755
Radio: WEEI
TD Banknorth Garden
Game Thread l Chat
Knicks Blogs Posting and Toasting l A Knicks Fan Weblog l The Knicks Fix
The Celtics have renewed old rivalries with the Lakers, the Pistons and the Sixers and now the Knicks are hoping to renew another rivalry as they come into TD Banknorth Garden. The Knicks have a new GM and a new coach and a whole new outlook. They are now a running team that plays defense and have started the season 6-4.
The last time they started the season 6-4 was 1998, which was the season that they became the first number 8 seed ever to advance to the finals. With their early success this season, they are hoping that they will have similar success come playoff time.
The Celtics swept the series 4-0 last season which was the first time since 2002-03 that the Celtics were able to accomplish that. But, that was a far different team than they face tonight. Isiah Thomas is gone and Mike d'Antoni and his runnning game are in his place. Stephon Marbury is in the inactive list and Chris Duhon is running the show. And, just like every other team in the league after the Celtics's success last season, they are playing defense. The Celtics better not take them for granted.
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Regular Season Tilt Carries Personal Meaning
A Daily Babble Production
It has been more than eleven months since I signed on here at CelticsBlog (thanks again a million times over for having me), and those who have been reading for a significant portion of that time may have come to understand what friends and family have long known (and if you haven't picked up, it's time for me to come clean): I'm a bit of a nut.
My clothes don't match. Way back in my high school days, in the middle of the standardized test that came at the culmination of some silly AP course, I took a break from writing an essay so I could doodle two seasons worth of Celtics playoff schedules and results on the back of the exam booklet. The number of times I've used a comb to neaten my perpetually messy hair in my career remains in single digits. I've cried after watching sporting events that didn't turn out quite as I would have liked. When I was a freshman in college, I got frostbite on my lips for a week after walking four miles each way to a Chinese buffet in ten-degree weather on a Sunday morning because I really craved their almond shrimp. Which they only served at dinner. Fortunately, the restaurant is quite good overall. My alter ego is a fictional character from a television program whose target audience upper bound is somewhere around eight years old.
Only in this space, on this site, does the fact that I'm completely head-over-heels in love with this basketball team of ours not make the "I'm a nut" list. So thanks to you all for that.
Given the populace of this site's readership, it goes without saying that we want our boys in green to take every game. Each and every regular season game, each and every playoff game: They all seem like they mean everything for the two and a half hours while they are being played and sometimes for quite a bit of time afterwards.
But every now and then, there are certain nights on the regular 82-game slate that mean just a little bit more than normal. Sweeping the Texas triangle trip last year was special. Prevailing over the newly confident Hawks last week was big, considering how many Celts fans the Hawks almost put in the hospital with hypertension last spring.
But no matter the quality of the combatants, there is something about the four games with the Knicks each year that just does it for me, that puts my desire to get these games to a whole new level.
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Celtics Speak With McDyess, Get Lukewarm Reaction
The headline says it all. From the Herald:
The Celtics made their pitch and the big man let it slide on by. The early word after his trade from Detroit to Denver was that McDyess would take a buyout and return to the Pistons, and that is looking even more certain now. Ainge spoke to Andy Miller, McDyess’ representative.
“We spoke,” Ainge said, “but I didn’t get any sense that we should be optimistic about it.”
I'm sure nobody is surprised by this, but since it's "news", I wanted to pass it along.
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Daily Links 11/18
Herald NBA hits Kevin Garnett with one-game ban
Scouting report: Knicks at Celtics
Mavericks’ Jerry Stackhouse wants out of Dallas
Globe NBA suspends Garnett one game
Passion to teach drives Cassell
Magic: Pierce is close, but Bryant still best
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Houston Health Trouble Ahead?
The Rockets haven't wasted much time getting involved in the injury racket, and last night's game in Oklahoma City didn't help.
Already missing Shane Battier thanks to a preseason ankle problem, the Rockets suffered more serious issues last night when both Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest went to the bench thanks to injury. Artest may have sprained his ankle on a late take to the rim but swore he was fine after the game. McGrady's situation may not be quite as good: He left early in the third quarter after aggravating a problem with his surgically repaired left knee, and he is expected to take an MRI today.
While the Rockets held on to win against a terrible Thunder team, their already sputtering offense could be in a lot of trouble if McGrady misses any significant time, not just because of who won't be on the court but who will be on the court as well.
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KG Suspended
Via the Herald:
Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has been suspended one game without pay by the league for his role in Saturday night’s scuffle with the Bucks in Milwaukee.
Garnett struck Bucks center Andrew Bogut in the face with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Celtics' 102-97 win at the Bradley Center.
The suspension was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations.
In addition, Bogut’s foul that was committed on Garnett has been upgraded to a Flagrant Foul Penalty One.
Garnett will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Celtics host the New York Knicks at TD Banknorth Garden.
This, to me, is bogus. It seems like the league is more concerned with sending KG a message about the bad press received due to the Jose Calderon incident, than it is with KG's conduct here. If the league is going to suspend players every time one of them makes contact with another player above the shoulders, there aren't going to be too many eligible players left.
Meanwhile, there's news out of Phoenix that Shaq isn't likely to be suspended for his takedown of Rodney Stuckey, seen here. Anti-Celtics bias? We report, you decide.
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Summer Work Paying Early Dividends For Young Hawk
A Daily Babble Production
The personnel may have been similar, but the Atlanta Hawks team that strolled into the TD Banknorth Garden last Wednesday night had a different look to it than the one that left 34-point losers in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals this past spring. Despite the injury to the team's second-best player in Josh Smith, the Hawks that visited last week were more confident and composed and more efficient at both ends of the court than the team that lost four times on the Garden floor in the playoffs. Chiefly impressive among them was fourth-year forward Marvin Williams.
Though the Hawks lost a 103-102 thriller thanks to Paul Pierce's jumper in the final second, Williams made himself noticed with his improved outside shooting. A season ago, he shot 41.4 percent from the field in the playoff series with the Celtics, and he didn't take a single three-pointer in seven games. Last Wednesday night, he made each of his four attempts, including the Hawks' biggest for the game, a right corner trey to put Atlanta up 102-101 with seven seconds to play.
We noted during the offseason that Williams had sworn to spending the summer in the gym working on his perimeter shooting, and that appeared to be the case for one night in Boston. But as a mention in Peter Vecsey's column called to mind, though we're barely three weeks into the young season, the early returns seem to indicate that Williams' hot hand in Boston may be less the exception than the rule going forward.
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Daily Links 11/17
Herald Brian Scalabrine jumps at an active role
Globe No chants for success
Pollard's gesture
MetroWest Daily Courtside View: Superman has some sidekicks
Worcester Telegram Height, knee injury can't block Powe
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Blogger Power Rankings
Despite some shaky play, the Celtics held on to the 2 spot in the latest edition. Check the link for how the rest of the league shook out.
1 day ago
Green17
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Will Solomon, Stand-In Extraordinaire
Jose Calderon missed the Raptors' visit from the Heat on Sunday afternoon thanks to an injury, but Will Solomon made sure Toronto didn't miss him too terribly.
Not only was yesterday's game just the fifth start of Solomon's career, it was his first in more than six years.
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