The Celtics shot 52.2% from the floor and they were up 86-64 after three quarters, so the Pistons never really mounted much of a challenge.  Jermaine O’Neal shot 7 of 9 from the floor last night as he led the way for the Celtics with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocked shots.  Ray Allen (17 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 1 steal) and Brandon Bass (17 points and 3 rebounds in only 22 minutes) also had solid games for the Celtics last night.  Paul Pierce made his 2011-12 debut last night and he finished up with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in only 23 minutes on the court.  The Celtics are now 1-3 on the year.

The Celtics might be 0-3 to start the 2011-12 season, but you can’t blame 25-year old point Rajon Rondo for that.  Rondo has played in all three games for the Celtics so far this year and he is averaging 40.0 minutes, 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  He is shooting a sterling 54.8% from the floor so far this year.  Rondo has been dynamic so far this year as he has been looking for his own shot more while still averaging over 10 assists per game.  Rondo is now the main man on the Celtics, so they need him to keep the older guys energized.

The Celtics only shot 37.2% from the floor and they were outrebounded 48-37 as the Hornets looked like they wanted this game a lot more than Boston did last night.  Ray Allen (15 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal) and Rajon Rondo (13 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal) led the way for the Celtics in this game.  Brandon Bass (11 points, 4 rebounds and 1 blocked shot) and Keyon Dooling (10 points and 3 rebounds in 23 minutes on the floor) helped out the Celtics cause off the bench.  The Celtics are now 0-3 on the year.

The Celtics played well offensively last night as they shot 51.4% from the floor, but, they didn’t play any defense as the Heat shot 56% from the floor and they were outrebounded 38-28 by Miami.  Ray Allen (28 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals) and Rajon Rondo (22 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists) led the way for the Celtics last night.  Keyon Dooling (18 points and a steal in 24 minutes off the bench) and Brandon Bass (13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocked shots) had solid games for the the Celtics off the bench last night.  Kevin Garnett filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot in this game.  The Celtics are now 0-2 on the year.

The Celtics shot 51.3% from the floor yesterday and they outrebounded the Knicks 41-31, so they won….right?  Wrong, the Knicks outscored them 27-17 in the 4th quarter to snatch a win from the Celtics.  The Celtics left everything they had on the floor yesterday.  Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics in this game with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 13 assists and 5 steals as he had a monster game.  Ray Allen had a solid game with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists yesterday.  Brandon Bass was a beast off the bench for the Celtics in this game.  He had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 1 steal in only 28 minutes on the court.  Bass also shot a sizzling 9 of 13 from the floor in this game.  Kevin Garnett pitched in with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot.  The Celtics are now 0-1 on the season.

The Celtics have signed 29-year old SG/SF Mickael Pietrus to a 1-year deal for the veteran’s minimum.  Pietrus played in 57 games (4 starts) for the Magic and Suns last year and he averaged 19.4 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  He has now played in 496 games (150 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 21.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Pietrus gives the Celtics more depth in the backcourt and frontcourt, and that is needed because of the overall age of the players in the rotation.

The Celtics have re-signed 30-year old SG/SF Marquis Daniels to a 1-year deal.  Daniels  played in 49 games (0 starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 19.1 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  He has now played in 451 games (113 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 22.5 minutes, 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  This was a good pickup for the Celtics.

The Celtics have signed 28-year old PF/C Jamal Sampson.  Sampson last played back in 2006-07 with the Denver Nuggets.  Sampson has played in 72 games (5 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 8.8 minutes, 2.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  You can’t teach size, so it doesn’t hurt to give Sampson a chance to show what he can do.

UPDATE:  (12/22/2011) – The Celtics waived Jamal Sampson.

The Celtics have signed 29-year old power forward Mike Sweetney.  Sweetney last played in the NBA back in 2006-07 with the Chicago Bulls.  Sweetney has played in 233 games (73 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 15.5 minutes, 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  If Sweetney is in shape, he could help the Celtics off the bench….so this was a nice very low risk/high reward signing for them.

UPDATE:  (12/22/2011) – The Celtics have waived Mike Sweetney.

The Boston Celtics have re-signed 28-year old shooting guard Sasha Pavlovic to a 1-year deal.  Pavlovic played in 31 games (7 starts) for the Mavericks, Celtics and Hornets last year and he averaged 11.7 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 483 games (134 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 16.2 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  It was a good move to re-sign Pavlovic as he brings a lot of energy to the court off the bench.