Truth Be Told: Paul Pierce is Playing Like an All Star

Celtic Fans have long become accustomed to Paul Pierce making clutch shots and carrying the team through tough stretches.  While Paul has gotten older, maybe lost a step, and is showing some inconsistencies shooting the rock, no one will ever question his ability to hit the clutch shot.

Last night was just one example in a long list of game saving buckets from The Truth, but what he has done on the court for the Celtics since Rondo's injury has been incredible as he is the backbone of this team.  While KG is the heart of the C's, no one does the heavy lifting or puts the team on their back quite like the captain does. In this Atlantic Division Roundup, I'll look at the captain for the red-hot Celtics, who seem to be defying all logic, as well as a few notes from the rest of the teams in the Atlantic.

This season will likely be the first time Paul Pierce misses an all-star game since 2007 when he was injured, but it doesn't mean he isn't playing well enough to be added to the east squad.  With news out today that Bulls center Joakim Noah may skip the event, Pierce's chance of being called upon have skyrocketed.  Regardless of what happens with the potential roster opening, Pierce has been an all around force during the winning streak.

During the 7 game winning streak the Celtics have enjoyed since Rajon Rondo went down with a torn ACL, Pierce has averaged 18.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. While Pierce has only shot slightly over 42% from the field during the winning streak, many of the shots he has taken are at the end of a shot clock in isolation.  As the default point-forward when he is on the floor, Pierce is called upon to set up front court mates Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass for mid range jumpers as well as the distance shooters on the floor in Bradley, Terry and Lee.  All of the ball movement and penetration that Pierce causes was on full display on Sunday.  The Celtics halted the Nuggets 9 game winning streak, defeating Denver in a triple overtime heart-pounding game.  Pierce showed off his versatile game going for 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists, good for his second triple double during the winning streak and his 5th game with double digit rebounds in that same span. Filling in for Rondo is no easy task but Pierce has crashed the boards harder and shown an ability to create for his teammates in a way that he was not allowed to do earlier in the season with Rondo controlling the ball.

There is no way that this team is better without Rajon, but they are playing with more ball movement and more energy since he went down.  Are the Celtics contenders in the East? All I know is that no one wants to meet this team in a playoff series. When you've got the Truth on your side, "Anything is Possible!!!!"

Other Notes From around the Atlantic:

The New York Knicks have lost 2 of 3 after winning 5 in a row.  One of those two losses was against the lowly Wizards.  This team needs to show more consistency for me to believe they can truly compete.  Tyson Chandler has been averaging over 15 boards a game in February.

The Brooklyn Nets continue to struggle in loosing 3 of their last 4 and 6 of 10.  No one other than Brook Lopez is giving them consistent minutes.  They need to make a trade and fast.  No one believes this team is a true contender right now. Ownership is not pleased. There is so much talent here, but as of now, it has not come together as Billy King imagined it would.

The Raptors are a lot of fun to watch now.  Almost everyone is healthy and while Bargnani may be a traded, this is the team that could be together for the foreseeable future.  I'm not sure if they have enough to make up the ground and sneak into the playoffs, but Kyle Lowry, Derozan, Gay, Johnson, and Valanciunas is a good lineup with Ross, Bargnani, Lucas, and Gray coming off the bench.  I'm a fan.

Apparently Andrew Bynum will play in February.  wait WHAT!? Yep, we could see the actual 76ers soon. The anticipation is killing me.

Alright that's all for today.  Feel free to comment below...This division has a lot of storylines, are the Knicks a clear cut favorite? Do the Celtics really have a shot? Can the Raptors sneak into the playoffs? What is wrong with Nets?

Atlantic Division Player Grades

ATLANTIC	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	DIFF	STRK	L10
New York	25	13	.658	-	14-5	11-8	4-2	15-6	101.5	96.5	+5.0	Won 2	5-5
Brooklyn	24	16	.600	2	16-7	8-9	8-3	18-9	96.6	94.6	+2.0	Won 1	8-2
Boston	20	20	.500	6	13-8	7-12	4-4	13-12	95.0	96.0	-1.0	Lost 3	6-4
Philadelphia	17	23	.425	9	11-9	6-14	5-6	9-12	93.2	97.3	-4.1	Won 1	3-7
Toronto	15	26	.366	11 ½	11-9	4-17	1-7	8-12	97.4	99.3	-1.9	Won 1	4-6

The Atlantic Division is starting to become a two team race between the Knicks and Nets, thanks to the inconsistent play of  the Celtics of late.  In this Atlantic Division roundup, I'll give player grades for the first half of the season.

New York Knicks:

Raymond Felton: B 

Felton had played really excellent ball prior to his injury. His only downside was that he isn't an excellent shooter, but his ball handling, dribble penetration, and passing was key to Knicks hot start.  His 2 man pick and roll game with Tyson Chandler is a game changer.

Jason Kidd: B+

What Kidd has done at the age of 39 has been amazing.  He continues to rebound and distribute well despite his advanced age,  but what he has really done for this team is help to open up driving lanes by stretching the floor with his three point shot. He is shooting 42% from downtown this season and is a stabilizing force for this team.

Ronnie Brewer: C

A Classic glue guy, he plays only 19 minutes a night, but provides solid wing defense. If he was a good shooter, he'd play more.

Tyson Chandler: A

This guy continues to dominate the interior portion of the court on both ends. He sets excellent screens,  is a top tier rebounder, and is a great defensive player both in one on one situations and in help defense. He leads the NBA in FG% by a wide margin and is the perfect player to mix with volume shooters like Carmelo and Smith since he gets nearly all his shots on put-backs and alley oops.

Carmelo Anthony: A-

That's right, I didn't give Carmelo perfect marks.  We all know his prolific scoring ability anywhere on the court,  but he still has a propensity for poor shot selection.  He also leaves a lot to be desired defensively.  Carmelo was my MVP choice early in the year, but right now I'm not convinced of it anymore.  He is shooting it great from outside which needs to continue for the Knicks to remain on top of the division.  As well as Melo has played, he needs to elevate his play to a whole new level of efficiency if the Knicks have a shot at a championship.

Bench: B+

The Bench has done a great job scoring the ball, led by JR Smith.  Injuries have hurt the front-court depth as both Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby are going to need to be instrumental pieces for this team in the postseason. Amar'e, Chris Copeland, PP, and Novak are all playing well.  Iman Shumpert has returned to the team too, and while he will be a starter and likely move Kidd to the bench once Felton is healthy, it will only increase the depth of this unit.

Brooklyn Nets:

Deron Williams: C+

As poorly as Williams has shot the ball, he has managed to play well in all other regards since the coaching change at the end of December.  When he is on his game he is a top 5 PG, but so far he has not played like the franchise player he is supposed to be.

Joe Johnson: B

JJ is a truly dynamic scorer who is just starting to find his groove.  His shooting is also not where it needs to be, but he has a great ability for one on one play.  His play off of Deron will be key moving forward.

Gerald Wallace: C+

The guy gives his all every time he steps on the court, but he looks like a shell of his former self.  He can't shoot, which he never could, but he isn't attacking the glass or blocking shots like he used to.  I love him as a glue guy and he makes the team better, but he isn't playing great so far this year.

Reggie Evans: B+

He rebounds and hustles as well as anyone in the league. He averages 9 boards in 22 minutes a game. If he does anything else, it's icing on the cake.

Brook Lopez: A-

Lopez is an elite offensive player, shooting nearly 52% and leading the team in scoring.  No complaints with his offense so far.  He plays okay defense, but is just a average-at-best rebounder.

Bench: C

They have some solid pieces, but there is little front court depth.  The move of Evans to the starting unit and Humphries to the bench was a long time coming.  They just need a player besides Blatche to score and be active.

Boston Celtics:

Rajon Rondo: B-

Rondo has not played as well as his stats may indicate.  He often does not bring the necessary intensity to each game.  The thing about Rondo is that he can go by his opponent at almost anytime, often making making it look easy, but it has become far too common for Rondo to not be aggressive.  When he is aggressive, this team is good, when he is passive they are mediocre.  He is the engine of the C's train.

Avery Bradley: B

Well Bradley hasn't been back long, but he has shown elite defense in his return.  He can also knock down open threes and uses backcuts to get easy buckets. It's a small sample size, but right now he is playing solid.

Paul Pierce: B-

The Truth has not been his normal self so far this year, missing a lot of open jumpers and shooting a few too many threes. Saying that, he is still an elite player offensively and is the best one-on-one option for this C's team.

Kevin Garnett: B+

KG is starting to show age, but is still aggressive on both ends. He is shooting 50% right now and has been a great mentor for Jared Sullinger. KG is a winner, but needs to be a leader in terms of consistency for this team.

Brandon Bass: D

Bass has been terrible.  Defensively he can't stop anyone, Offensively he looks afraid.  He occasionally hits open jumpers, but its been an awful season for him.

Bench: B

What an up and down unit.  They have some great players who are just not gelling consistently.  Jared Sullinger is a beast, Jeff Green can dominate when he wants to, and Courtney Lee looks to have turned around after his slow start.  Jason Terry continues to struggle and Chris Wilcox has been injured.  They play great one game and poorly the next.

Philadelphia 76ers:

Jrue Holiday: A

Can you ask anymore from this kid? He has dominated the league offensively and shown good defensive promise.  He is scoring 19 a game and dishing out 9 dimes. Without any inside presence, those numbers are fantastic.  Unfortunately he is playing for a bad team.

Jason Richardson: C-

Richardson isn't shooting at an elite level, only 34% from downtown and when his shot isn't falling he is pretty useless on the court.

Evan Turner: B-

Turner just doesn't show the consistency we'd like to see from him.  He does everything well and still could be a star if he figures it out, but he is frustrating to watch game to game.  He needs to raise his 43% FG shooting percentage.

Thaddeus Young: B+

I love the improvement from Young. He has great energy, athleticism and ball skills, but he is undersized for a PF.  He is doing about all he can for this team, he just needs a big guy to play next too...cough cough Bynum Cough

Lavoy Allen: C

After looking really good in the postseason last year, Allen hasn't improved much this year.  His game is boring and would be fine for a backup PF, but he is having to start for this team and it's unfortunate.

Bench: C+

They have three serviceable bench players in Nick Young, Spencer Hawes, and Dorrell Wright, but no one else really.  This team just doesn't have the depth to be competitive.

Toronto Raptors:

This team has so many starting lineups, im just going to use what I think is their best...

Jose Calderon: B+

He is a boring player, but he rarely turns it over, shoots a high percentage from everywhere and dishes the rock to shooters.  His downfall is he isn't a slasher, but we knew this and therefore he has played as well as his potential allows for.

Kyle Lowry: B+

He does everything well and will thrive once Calderon is traded.  He hasn't shot the ball as well as he is capable of so far this year, but that hasn't stopped him from being efficient as a player. He leads the team in PER at 22.4 and has all-star potential.

DeMar DeRozan: B

He has played really well so far this year.  Not a good shooter but he gets to the rim at will and plays decent defense.  He will be a key piece as they rebuild.

Andrea Bargnani: D-

Shot the ball horribly and was allergic to rebounding when he was healthy.  They need to move this guy ASAP and make room for the young fellas.

Jonas Valanciunas: B+

The rookie played great before his injury.  He looks like a keeper as he hits the glass hard and can finish at the rim.  I look for a big jump his sophomore year.

Bench: B

I like Ed Davis, Landry Fields, Pietrus, Anderson and especially Terrence Ross.  This is a solid, athletic group that provides a lot of energy.  They lack star power, but they play well together.  Terrence Ross is a freak athlete who could be a star in this league soon.

Atlantic Division Roundup: Nets Shake Things Up

ATLANTIC	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	DIFF	STRK	L10
New York	21	9	.700	-	12-2	9-7	4-1	13-3	102.3	97.0	+5.3	Lost 1	6-4
Brooklyn	16	15	.516	5 ½	11-7	5-8	6-3	13-8	94.2	94.4	-0.3	Lost 1	4-6
Boston	14	16	.467	7	9-5	5-11	3-4	9-10	95.9	98.1	-2.2	Lost 3	3-7
Philadelphia	14	17	.452	7 ½	9-7	5-10	4-4	8-10	93.2	95.7	-2.6	Lost 2	2-8
Toronto	11	20	.355	10 ½	7-5	4-15	0-5	6-8	96.7	99.8	-3.1	Won 2	7-3

This has been a really rough stretch for the Atlantic Division as a whole, as only the Knicks and Raptors are above 500 in their past ten games. The Nets had a coaching change and the Celtics limped through their west coast trip.  Let's break down what has been going on.


The New York Knicks:
Last Week: 1-2
1. Loss @ LAL 100-94
2. Win @ Phoenix 99-97
3. Loss @ Sacramento 106-105
Upcoming Week: Projected Record: 2-1
1. Tonight vs Portland 7:30
2. Jan 3rd vs. San Antonio 7:30
3. Jan 5th @ Orlando 7:00

The age of this team looks to be catching up to them as injuries have been the major story-line in New York this week. News out of NYC is that PG Raymond Felton will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken finger, leaving Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni to handle the PG duties.  Felton is third on the team in scoring at 15.8 a game and first in assists at 6.2.  His ability to push the tempo and stretch the floor will be sorely missed.  Unfortunately for the Knicks, his injury is not the only one limiting the team right now.  Carmelo Anthony has missed the previous two games with a hyper-extended knee and is expected to miss at least one more.  In his absence JR Smith has been the teams go-to offensive player. In the two games Carmelo missed he scored 28 and 27 respectively.  We'll need to see how this team responds to being down a floor leader in Felton and how the depth is affected with the above mentioned injuries as well as the injury to backup center Rasheed Wallace, not to mention the reintroduction of Amar'e into the lineup this week.

Brooklyn Nets:
Last Week Games: 2-3
1. Loss vs Boston 93-76
2. Loss @ Milwaikee 108-93
3. Win vs. Charlotte 97-81
4. Win vs Cleveland 103-100
5. Loss @ San Antonio 104-73

Upcoming Games: Projected Record 2-1
1. Jan 2nd @OKC 8:00
2. Jan 4th @ Washington @ 7:00
3. Jan 5th vs. Sacramento 7:30

This team is now solely in the hands of Deron Williams.  I have been all over Deron this year, and rightfully so, as he mixed his poor play with a poor attitude. These weaknesses by Deron have had yet another of his coaches canned, as Johnson followed in the footsteps of the great Jerry Sloan in being outed by the talented point guard.  I think Deron is very skilled, without question his ball handling and ability to create in space is superior, but right now he can't shoot nor finish at the rim. For the season he continues to struggle, scoring 16.3 points, dishing out 7.5 assists and shooting a horrendous 39.9% from the field.  A franchise player shooting below 40% is an absolute joke, too bad no one in Brooklyn is laughing.  We will know soon what type of makeup this kid has, because, as I mentioned above, it's his team now more than it has ever been before. God Speed PJ Carlesimo.

Boston Celtics:
Last Weeks Games: 1-3
1. Win @ Brooklyn 93-76
2. Loss @ LAC 106-77
3. Loss @ GSW 101-83
4. Loss @ Sacramento 118-96

Upcoming Games: Projected Record: 1-2
1. Jan 2nd vs. Memphis 7:30
2. Jan 4th vs. Indiana 8:00
3. Jan 5th @ Atlanta 7:00

The Celtics got absolutely dominated by the teams of California this week, losing by a combined 65 points in their three games.  Rajon Rondo, who missed the Warriors game with a bruised hip, looked over matched facing rival Chris Paul (those two do not get along) and was underwhelming in his return against Sacramento.  This team relies on his energy and his ability to either create for himself or others, neither of which he did on this Cali trip. The impending return of Wilcox and Bradley, both of whom run the floor well with Rondo should snap him out of this funk.  The lone bright spot for the C's has been the outstanding play of Jared Sullinger.  The rookie  had averged 9 points and 7 rebounds over his last 5 outings, but it was energy and effort that were the real bright spots.  if he continues to play at a high level, Brandon Bass will become expendable.  For more on the Celtics, please read fellow Senior Blogger Evan Javel's piece, posted below the Atlantic Division roundup.

Philadelphia 76ers:
Last Weeks Games:
1. Win @ Memphis 99-89
2. Loss @ GSW 96-89
3. Loss @ Portland 89-85

Upcoming Games: Projected Record:  1-3
1. Tonight @ LAL 10:30
2. Jan 2nd @ Phoenix 9:00
3. Jan 4th @ OKC 8:00
4. Jan 5th @ San Antonio 8:30

I will admit that this team has had one of the toughest schedule over the past few weeks, but there performance is completely unacceptable.  Once thought of as an early season success story, this team looks lost on the court recently.  They lack a go-to scorer, and while he has showed flahes, Evan Turner does not look ready in any way to be that guy.  Jrue Holiday continues to play well scoring nearly 19 a game on 45% shooting, but is lacking a good partner for the pick and roll/pop game that is necessary for all teams to be able to run.  Thaddeus Young is the only player shooting over 50% on the team and no other player scoring over 7 points a game is shooting over 45% except for center Spencer Hawes who is shooting a pedestrian 45% (45% for a guard is acceptable, for a center it is poor).  This team just need Andrew Bynum back, they are hard to watch with their current makeup.  BRICK HOUSES ARE BEING BUILT EVERY NIGHT BY THIS TEAM.

Toronto Raptors:
Last Weeks Games: 2-1
1. Loss @ San Antonio 100-80
2. Win @ New Orleans 104-97 OT
3. Win @ Orlando 123-88

Upcoming Games: Projected Record 1-2
1. Jan 2nd vs. Portland 7:00
2. Jan 4th vs. Sacramento 7:00
3. Jan 6th OKC 1:00

This team continues to play extremely well.  Despite a lot of early season criticism, this team has showed poise and ability to create for one another.  DeMar Derozan has looked excellent in the past couple weeks, showing flashes of the star that could be.  Ed Davis continues to be an excellent glue guy, attacking the glass  and providing great energy. The great news in Toronto is that Kyle Lowry has not only returned to action from his injuury, but he has played really well in his two games since coming back. He has averaged 16.5 points, and 7 assists all while shooting an torrid 58%. With Lowry back in the fold, I think this team can continue to make moves up the east, possibly catching Phili in the next week or two. The Raptors have been the best team in the Atlantic over the past 10 games!

NETS FIRE AVERY JOHNSON

Not Smiling Today

The Brooklyn Nets have fired head coach Avery Johnson after starting the season with a 14-14 record.  Johnson was in the final year of his contract so the financial obligation for the Nets was not unreasonable to let him go. Assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo will take over coaching duties in the meantime.

Johnson was the Coach of the Month for November after an 11-4 start, but the Nets have faltered since, especially in losing embarrassingly on national television on Christmas Day to the Boston Celtics,

I believe this mainly had to do with the clashing of Johnson's system to the skill set of franchise player Deron Williams.  More to come.....