Celtics Look to Snap Franchise Streak at 18 Games
The Boston Celtics have lost eighteen straight games, a franchise record that continues to grow to the dismay of players, fans and those in the Boston media. Tonight, the Celtics will play host to the Milwaukee Bucks (19-33) and will try to snap the streak before setting out on a difficult stretch.
After tonight’s game the team will be idle through All Star Weekend. When the Celtics return to action though next week, they will have to head out on a five game road streak against the league’s elite Western Conference teams. Taking on the Kings, Suns, Lakers, Jazz and Rockets — the Celtics will not only be facing the leagues best — they’ll also have two back to backs in that stretch.
Tonight though, it’s the Celtics and Bucks — and that means that Delonte West (10.9 ppg, 4.3 apg) will oppose Charlile Bell (12.3 ppg, 2.9 apg). The Celtics look forward to having both Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak back on the floor together for the first time in months.
For more on tonight’s game, please check out the Celtics.com preview as well as the preview over on Yahoo! Sports.
Finally, I want to apologize for the lack of coverage on the site recently… I’m proud to say that Delonte’s newest fan was welcomed to the world on Wednesday February 7th. As a result, I had been sleeping in a chair in a hospital and out of touch for a while… but things are all good now!
Have a great Valentine’s Day, and here’s hoping that the Celtics will cure a lot of heartache tonight!
Celtics Take on Clippers at the Garden
After tonight’s game against the Clippers, the Celtics will have either created an all time low, or stopped just short of disaster. Despite playing close and competitive games for much of the season, the Celtics are in danger of losing their 14th straight game tonight.
If the Celtics go on to lose, it will be the longest losing streak in this storied franchise history.
The Clippers come into tonight’s game with a 23-22 record while the Celtics own a hard to swallow 12-33 record. As the folks over at Yahoo Sports point out…
Boston has fallen to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, going 2-20 since a season-high five game winning streak from Dec. 9-16. One of the losses was a 100-77 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 27 at Staples Center.
After successfully fighting off the flu like symptoms that limited him earlier in the week, Delonte West is expected to start opposite of Sam Cassell for tonight’s game.
For more on tonight’s game please see the Yahoo! Sports Game Preview as well as the Celtics.com Game Preview.
Finally, we’ve got a game thread available for you to discuss the game and it’s related stories here on the Delonte.com forum.
Tonight’s game coverage is available on Fox Sports Net New England, with the Celtics Tonight pre-game show beginning at 7:00PM. Actual game coverage is expected to begin sometime between 7:30 and 7:45PM also on FSN.
Delonte Dishes 9 Assists in Celtics 111-98 Loss to Lakers
Having been on IV’s all day to replenish fluids, Delonte West fought off the flu he was battling enough to take the floor Wednesday night as the Celtics starting PG.
West ended up playing 36 minutes in the game, but like so many for the Celtics this season — the result was still the same. The Lakers handed the Celtics their 13th straight loss, powered by Kobe Bryant’s 43 point effort. After the 111-98 loss to the Lakers, coach Doc Rivers commented on the losing streak, now tied for the longest in Franchise history:
“Well, I guess that’s one way to get in the record books,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “Not the way you want to.”
Delonte West finished the game with just ten points after having struggled to find his range. He shot four for thirteen on the night, but did contribute a game high nine assists in the losing effort.
The Celtics will play next on Friday night when they tip off against the other team from Los Angeles, the LA Clippers. The Clippers are 23-22 on the season, and are led by Elton Brand (20.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG) and Sam Cassell (5.6 APG).