Thursday, February 23, 2012

Patriots Cut Their Best Tweeter


No, it's not Ochocinco. It was guard Rich Ohrnberger. Who, for my money, is one of the funniest people on Twitter. Some examples:

































Hopefully, he finds a job with a new team and continues to tweet his philosophy so we can all bask in his wisely humorous thoughts.

Thunderstruck

Despite putting up 104 points, the Celtics simply could not keep pace with the Thunder last night. Each of the Big Three scored 20+, but it wasn't enough. The Celtics' bench only contributed 9. Meanwhile, OKC's scoring was more concentrated (Westbrook had 31, Durant 28, Harden and Cook each with 17), but also more potent.

The Thunder outrebounded the C's 43 to 32, including 10 offensive rebounds. 50 points in the paint for the Thunder.

If the Celtics had Rondo, I suppose they could have made this game interesting. This was an elite opponent that's been nearly unbeatable at home. So just by itself, this loss shouldn't depress C's fans. But even putting this game aside, there isn't much to be cheerful about either. Five straight losses, 7 of 8, and Cleveland is breathing down the C's necks for 8th place in the East.

If the Celtics lose in Cleveland next Tuesday, they'll be tied with them in the loss column.

This season has been painful to watch. There have been glimpses of possibilities of chances. Their last win in Chicago, for instance. But I don't think the Celtics have shown that they're capable of contending to win a playoff series against a good team.

I think it's time to seriously consider selling some of this team off and building for the future. There's no glory in finishing 6th in the Eastern Conference (which looks quite optimistic at the moment), being eliminated in a 6 game series, and keeping all your aging talent, along with your young but inconsistent talent.

There clearly won't be a chase for banner #18 in 2012-13 with this group of players. So as it becomes clear that there won't be a chase in 2011-12, why cling to them?

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Black+Gold>Blues

The St. Louis Blues hadn't lost a home game in regulation since December 3rd. This was a Step-Up game for the B's. Their key players all needed to Step-Up. Krejci had to play on the wing, Chara had to be a shutdown defenseman, and Thomas had to play well in net. Someone needed to score, too.

All that happened last night. And Marchand stepped-up to be the scorer. But his goals, like so many that these Bruins score, were products of solid play by his teammates. Chara's neutral zone presence, then Bergeron forcing a turnover gave Marchand his first opportunity. And it was Bergeron and Seguin who did likewise for his second.

This team based, decentralized scoring is why the Bruins are so streaky. When Bergeron is playing well, Marchand gets hot. When Bergeron is slumping, Marchand fails to produce. The same goes for Krejci and Lucic, and the rest of the forwards. Entire lines are either red hot or ice cold. There's no middle-ground when one forward slumps but the other two on a line are playing well. The whole line slumps.

Krejci played an uncharacteristically physical game as a winger. He needed a good night on the ice before we should expect to see some good stat nights. He was still +2 with 2 shots on goal and 2 hits.

Chara played defense the way he should. All the Bruins defensemen have to do on any given night is do their job. It's simple to say, sometimes difficult to do.

Thomas was very good. The second goal he allowed saw him slightly out of position. I'm unaccustomed to seeing him over-commit as he seemed to do, leaving 1/3 of the net open. But he atoned for it with the 30 saves he made.

The Bruins are in Buffalo Friday night. It would be nice to remind the Sabres that they are a 12th place team.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo