Bobcats outplay slumping Celtics

After 19 straight wins and an NBA record 27-2 start, the Boston Celtics have lost that swagger. The lockdown defense and the poise are missing, too, as teams line up to get a shot at the defending champions. On Tuesday, it was the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, as Raymond Felton scored 25 points and rookie D.J. Augustin added 11 of his 20 in overtime in a stunning 114-106 win that sent the Celtics to their fifth loss in seven games. Going from unbeatable to vulnerable in less than two weeks, the Celtics were searching for answers after being left battered, bruised...read full article

Bobcats put lid on Celtics in OT: Felton, Augustin lead way vs. reigning champs

There's a grease board in the Charlotte Bobcats locker room where assistant coaches scrawl a mini-critique of each opposing starter. Usually it's technical ("don't give up pick-and-roll"), but the warning about Boston Celtics All-Star Kevin Garnett was more elemental: "Don't get punk'd." Turns out the Bobcats punked Garnett Tuesday, holding him to 1-of-3 shooting in overtime and forcing him into two fouls. That was good for a 114-106 victory against the reigning champion Celtics at Time Warner Cable Arena. Satisfying as this would be...read full article

Bobcats add to Celtics slump with surprise overtime win

The Charlotte Bobcats stunned the Boston Celtics in overtime on Tuesday, grabbing a 114-106 victory to hand the NBA champions their fifth loss in seven games. Raymond Felton scored 25 points, Gerald Wallace contributed 23 and rookie D.J. Augustin came up with 11 of his 20 points in overtime as the host Bobcats won for just the 13th time in 35 games this season. "It was just a really good team effort," Bobcats coach Larry Brown told reporters. "Raymond...read full article

Celtics vs Bobcats Highlights

Raymond Felton scored 25 points and dished out eight assists, and fellow guard D.J. Augustin stepped into the limelight with a big effort in overtime, as Charlotte continued Boston's recent road woes with a 114-106 overtime victory. Augustin scored 20 points, double-double machine Emeka Okafor notched 13 points and a game-best 17 rebounds, Gerald Wallace added 23 points and six rebounds and Boris Diaw donated 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Adam Morrison contributed 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting off the bench for the...read full article

Felton, Augustin help Bobcats hold off struggling Celtics

Rookie D.J. Augustin scored 11 of his 20 points in overtime as the Charlotte Bobcats rallied to down the reeling Boston Celtics, 114-106, on Tuesday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Celtics have dropped five of their last seven since starting the season 27-2, which included a franchise-record, 19-game winning streak. The Bobcats strung together consecutive wins for just the fourth time this season and have yet to win more than two in a row in the Larry Brown era. Raymond Felton joined Augustin in the comeback as he netted 16 of his...read full article

Celtics Fall To Bobcats in OT

Raymond Felton scored 25 points, rookie D.J. Augustin added 11 of his 20 points in overtime, and the Charlotte Bobcats stunned Boston 114-106 on Tuesday to continue the Celtics' sudden slide.
Beaten by their surprising nemesis for the second time in two seasons, the defending champions came undone in OT, and they've quickly gone from unbeatable to vulnerable. After a team-record 19-game winning streak and an NBA-record 27-2 start, the Celtics lost for the fifth time in seven games, leaving battered, bruised and angry by Larry Brown's upstart...read full article

NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

It's been two weeks since the last edition of my power rankings, where the East's mighty trio of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando took the top three spots. But that was last year, and now that 2008 has come and gone, it's time for a new leader: the Lakers. There was plenty of repositioning elsewhere as well, including the Detroit Pistons re-entering the top-10 for the first time since mid-November.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-5) - Technically the Lakers are still a half-game behind the Celtics for the NBA's best record, but after L.A. beat Boston pretty convincingly on Christmas Day, then downed both Utah and Portland by double digits, there's no question who should be #1.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6) - LeBron couldn't rally the Cavs past the Heat last week on his birthday despite dropping 24 of his 38 in the second half, and I can...read full article

Celtics in united state

The Celtics failed to match the New York Knicks in both effort and tactics in a 100-88 loss Sunday, and they can expect a similar brew of energy and strategy when they visit Charlotte tonight. But the defeats - the 29-6 Celtics have lost four of six - have served more to galvanize the team than discourage it. "The adversity we've gone through the last two years, we almost revel in it," guard Ray Allen said. "We always bounce back from it. As a team, we've always...read full article

Boston's David Faces New Goliaths

Do not ask Boston's Sam Cassell if Rajon Rondo has improved dramatically. The veteran point guard will only offer up, "What do you think?" Maybe it is a stupid question, seeing as Rondo's third-year numbers are up across the board. Already third in the league in steals (2.23 per game), Rondo is also producing career bests in points (10.9 per game), assists (7.6 per game) and field goal percentage (51.7%). His player efficiency rating is also 4.8 points above the league average, thanks in large part to his ability to get into the lane. "He kills on layups," said...read full article

Celtics already setting sights on home-court advantage for playoffs

The NBA playoffs are a full three months away, but the Boston Celtics have the postseason in the back of their minds right now. The Celtics realize, perhaps more than any team in the NBA, how important homecourt advantage is in the playoffs. On their journey to winning the franchise’s 17th NBA title last season, the Celtics went a combined 0-6 on the road in Atlanta and Cleveland in the playoffs, and 8-0 at home. So they know how important gaining homecourt advantage will be in this year’s playoffs. Winning homecourt is...read full article