Rajon Rondo. Remember that name.

Half a decade from now Boston fans will be thanking the Celtic gods for leading this young, athletic, heck-of-a-talent of a kid to Beantown and play basketball wearing green all the way.

Game 4 is living proof and may have just been what the Doc ordered to soothe the pain and possibly cure the lackluster defense that was more than evident in Game 3 and Boston’s worst home playoff loss of the season, 95-124.

In front of 18,624 fans the TD Garden was a witness to a spectacular showcase in both ends of the floor – not from the King (LeBron James), but from the Prince, Rajon Rondo.

And chants of M-V-P much to the mockery of Cleveland’s monarch, and on the other end pride and respect on Boston’s 4th year veteran (yes, we can call him a vet already), where all that can be heard from the raucous crowd who not only got their money’s worth, but kept the Celtic pride alive and burning.

Once again, Boston got away with its Captain, Paul Pierce, playing a sub-par game (9 pts, 2 reb, 2 asst and 5 fouls). His last bucket however, courtesty of Rondo’s (there goes that name again) 13th assist, was a vintage “Truth” slam, probably a statement to the fans that he’s not done yet with his career and yes, he has yet to erupt and might just do that at the Q and exact sweet revenge on what James did the previous game at the Garden. Read the rest of this entry

Eastern Semifinals Game 3 Wrap-Up.

From the moment the Cavs made the first three buckets of the night, a funny feeling crept up inside the TD Garden .

Deja vu.

And just when you thought the Celtics already have the Cavs number, they build up a massive brick wall, then run right into it. They looked like the team that had a dismal 50-32 record (by their standards) and played more like it was a regular season game vs the New Jersey Nets.

Only it was the Cavaliers and LeBron James played like The King a basketball country never had.

For the record, LeBron scored 21 points in the first quarter, a career-high play-off performance.

For the record, Boston never lead throughout the whole game and was outscored every quarter.

For the record, the final score was 124-95, a 29-point lead (the highest was at 35) and is now the worst playoff home loss the Boston Celtics ever incurred. For a few minutes, even their own fans wondered if they were acutally seeing a Cavs-Celtics game, or a Deja vu of Game 1 between Orlando and Atlanta. Read the rest of this entry

What seems like an eternity of waiting is in reality, only 72 hours.

Equating to 3 solid days of rest for two teams that appear to be headed for a tooth and neck battle in the Eastern Semifinals.

If you’ve been watching the NBA Playoffs the past few days, I’m sure you can testify that of all the four remaining match-ups in the league, the Cavs-Celtics series is arguably turning out to be, shall we say, the best-seller among all the other flavors (Oh yes, there’s Orlando vs Atlanta, Los Angeles vs Utah, and Phoenix vs San Antonio … the last one probably coming as the second-best flavor in May).

All these other match-ups ended up with a 2-0 lead for the home team, with Orlando and L.A. looking fierce, dominant, and … bored. If not, for the brewing history of the Suns and the Spurs, their series would’ve been already overlooked by the basketball gods. Read the rest of this entry

Where will you be come April 18?

… and onwards til June?

For every NBA enthusiast out there, it’s quite obvious that these dates mean the most to you, especially if your supported team has already clinched a playoff berth.

The Western Conference has their spots locked and ready for a rumble. Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, Utah, Phoenix, Oklahoma City (first-time!), San Antonio (13th straight time!), and Portland are proud to be included in that list.

Rounding up the Eastern Conference, Cleveland (with home-court advantage throughout the playoffs), Orlando, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Milwaukee, and Charlotte are sounding like sure picks, with Toronto and Chicago battling it out for the last seed as of this writing.

As the 2010 NBA Playoffs blooms in the horizon, it’s but natural for the “average hardcore” fan to support his or her chosen team’s pursuit of the much coveted championship banner this postseason.

Tickets are already being sold like hotcakes, and along with that, the latest NBA gear as well. There’s nothing like strutting out the streets with your own Boston Celtics Backpack (if you’re a fan of “The Truth” or “The Big Ticket”) and believing that they still have what it takes to reclaim the throne and get Banner #18 as their own. Or as an alternative, if you live in the west coast somewhere in a place called “Kobe-ville” and know in your heart that his team’s gonna go for back-to-back championships this year, why not consider an L.A. Lakers Backsack to guide you in the journey ahead? (Note: it’s a rough ride for the defending champs as they just might have to go through an elite and experienced team on every stage of the playoff run.)

If I were a kid down in Cleveland or Miami, I’d sure love to see myself not just in a position to see LeBron or D-Wade face to face, but also wear my NBA Junior Jersey Backpack to let them know I’m one with them.

This April 18, make a statement. Make your team proud. Show the faith you have in them. Give the love that they deserve.

For the widest selection of backpacks, click here. Be sure to catch the spring sale before it ends, and get an extra 20% off on the latest merchandise!

And so the talk continues …

Roughly two seasons ago, it was a fading Boston Celtic team who topped the NBA world, when it acquired Ray Allen from Seattle and Kevin Garnett from Minnesota. Clearly, it was enough to convince Beantown’s then hometown hero, Paul Pierce, to give it one more shot. The rest is history as banner #17 is already up in the rafters at TD Garden. Considering the year before that, Boston was in a complete mess. 2008 however, not only became their turning point but eventually led to their story of glory.

It’s certainly debatable, but it just goes on to say that you can “buy” a championship. Just put on the right robust set of players, focusing at best on three all-stars who are willing to sacrifice for the good of the team, slap in a coach who’s got what it takes, and “preach defense” all the way. Oh, and let’s not forget the salary cap the franchise needs to lure in the right guys to dominate the floor.

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