- The Rockets had 45 free throws after 3 quarters. That's insane.

- Tommy Heinsohn is pushing Gabe Pruitt aggressively right now. I'm not ready to buy.

- The Bill Walker era could go a lot of different ways. Off the top of my head:

1. Guy who plays way too hard and gets injured as a result. Think Delonte West in Boston.
2. D-League stud.
3. Loose cannon.
4. Contributing role player.
5. Garbage time, highlight reel machine.
6. Overly excited, to the point that it's a little weird, end of the bench guy.
7. League leader in chest bumps.
8. Some combination of the previous 7 suggestions.

- "Classic Leon." - Tommy Heinsohn after Powe grabbed a rebound, tried to rip off Chuck Hayes' arm, and then got to the line. I still think Powe needs to be around a little longer and play more to have classic moments. But I was terrified of Powe at that moment.

- From my preview earlier today -

"If Patrick O'Bryant continues to impress and emerges as the back up center, Davis will be in a bind. He needs to approach these games with a sense of urgency. He's in a contract year, is competing for time with Leon Powe, behind KG of all people, and does not appear to be in peak condition. Furthermore, Powe gets buckets, is incredibly intense, and is also in a contract year. Davis could be relegated to the bench."

Davis must of read it as he responded with a solid effort. At the same time, even Tommy admitted that Davis was "huffing and puffing."

- One of the bigger stories in Boston's preseason has to be the 16 players the Celtics have on the roster right now. Who will get voted off the island? Barring a trade or Brian Scalabrine falling out of favor, Darius Miles and Sam Cassell (from a skill  level) appear to be the most vulnerable. Regular visitors know I don't think Cassell has much left in the tank. I also worry about his shot selection. On top of that Miles made a few nice plays in limited action. Yet, I'm coming around on Cassell a bit. His constant yapping might be an asset. I wish I could do a better job of articulating what I mean. Also Miles is the only one without a guarantee. One more point.

- I wouldn't call Patrick O'Bryant a stiff. Note to self - talk to Golden State Warriors fans about him. Get reactions.

- I liked how O'Bryant, Eddie House, Pruitt, Powe, and Miles played together.

- Given the fact that he played in the Olympics, I was surprised to see Luis Scola get so much time.

- Shane Battier is a tool. That doesn't mean I dislike him. Although I am worried that people might not be saying "tool" anymore. I should check on that.

I got a text from a reader at the game. It's not the highest quality as those aren't typically formatted for a larger screen. But I appreciate the effort. More importantly I can't wait to talk to him. This is an absolutely insane preseason game and he's right up close.

Meanwhile, a ton of basketball and extra curricular activity has already occurred and they've only played a half. Bill Walker and Eddie House going at Tracy McGrady. Kevin Garnett hustling to block Rafer Alston's lay up. Alston's dunk. Paul Pierce and Ron Artest getting into it, rolling on the court at one point. Tony Allen and Patrick O'Bryant in foul trouble. It's been chaotic.

And you know what? I feel good about this Celtics team. They came together like a gang tonight. I don't know what House said to McGrady when he came to Walker's aid, but I'd bet almost anything it included "motha" and a word that rhymes with trucker. It says something when the defending champs fight like hell to go into the half with the lead...in the 3rd preseason game. The NBA is in a fantastic place right now.

I'm coaching a road game today and don't have enough time to fully dive into the news that Comcast fired Bob Cousy. I have to say it caught me off guard for several reasons.

1. Cousy was incredibly positive last season and genuinely enjoyed being there. This wasn't like previous seasons where he complained the whole time.

2. It's Bob Cousy, one of the key remaining links to Red Auerbach. The Cooz!

3. Donny Marshall is okay as a studio guy, but I'm not sold on his broadcasting work.

4. There will come a point when you can't get Tommy Heinsohn and Cousy on the air together. There's no reason to force the issue.

Three Rockets to Watch:

3. Rafer Alston - There's a part of me that's still surprised that he's the top point guard in Houston. Not as surprised as the Dream Shake, but surprised nevertheless. Actually I only brought Alston up to remind everyone of the time Boston ended Houston's win streak on TNT and Rajon Rondo stood his ground:

Rajon Rondo and Rafer Alston Double Tech March 18 2008 (via bigmac15)

Still awesome. And yes if they had been at a night club Rondo would have been in trouble.

Catch more after the jump...

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- I was impressed with how quickly Mo Williams pushed the ball up the court when he set his mind to it. In fact during the first several possessions of the game Williams, and LeBron James, pushed the ball aggressively. And on one of those plays I caught Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the background, running as hard as possible with a, "You've got to be freaking kidding me" look on his face.

- I know Tommy Heinsohn annoys some people, particularly non-Boston fans. Yet every now and then he'll drop a Maurice Stokes reference. I respect that and fans of other NBA teams should too. As a side note the reference was part of a comparison to LeBron.

- Of course Heinsohn also yelled, "Classic Leon Powe!" at one point. Has Powe been around enough/played enough to have classic moves? Heinsohn went on to say that Powe will be better than Charles Oakley. Classic Tommy Heinsohn.

- Having said all that, Powe gets buckets.

More after the jump...

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I've been busy all day and it's not slowing down for a couple more hours. So I'm going to have to go light on the preview tonight. For me it's all about Mo Williams. Can he step up and help LeBron James share the offensive load? For the Celtics I'm watching Bill Walker and Rajon Rondo. I'd love to see the latter go after Cleveland's point guards.

It just hit me that Boston is scheduled to play Cleveland tonight. I need to get back in the swing of things. More on this one later.

via jussihakanen.files.wordpress.com

I spent the better part of my summer trying to dunk. Ultimately I failed. Yet in the process I got in better shape and improved several aspects of my game. And pick up basketball was a big part of my regimen. I had a regular game going for a month or so that rarely made it beyond 3-on-3. And it was usually 2-on-2. It turns out that familiarity builds...familiarity. So I was excited when open gym kicked into gear again this week. I looked forward to playing full court and guarding someone else.

Unfortunately only 7 guys showed up and I had to settle for half court 3-on-3. Alas. Winner stayed and the losing team shot to vote someone off the island. Thankfully the tempo was good and my team held serve for 4 or 5 consecutive wins. On top of that, I had one of my best open court showings since moving to town. Then in the fifth game I took a shot to the face while fighting for a loose ball. It stunned me and I stepped wrong, spraining my ankle in the process. That was it for me. As I write this I'm making use of 3/4 of the RICE acronym, thinking about how to implement compression and how hard it must be to play in the NBA.

The first time I got up close to a live NBA game it was amazing how big, strong, and fast NBA players are. The court seemed too small. I can't imagine taking a forearm or elbow from someone like Kendrick Perkins and continuing to be effective. Just throwing that out there.

Years from now we'll look back fondly on how overwhelming it was to be a Boston sports fan during the first decade of the new millennium. And by "we" I mean Boston sports fans. Everyone else will remember how obnoxious we were while our teams dominated. And it's moments like this I'll recall. Currently I find myself inexplicably excited about a sloppy preseason game to the point that I temporarily forgot about a looming Red Sox/Rays grudge match. These teams hated each other when Tampa Bay was bad! And now the Rays are loaded with swagger, talent, and a division title. Granted the 2004 Red Sox, 2001 and 2003 Patriots, and 2008 Celtics won in such a way that I could never be truly disappointed again. Yet I'd still love to see Boston stomp on the Rays and put an end to their Cinderella story. Go Sox.

Links to check out:

Fellow SB Nation blog - Over the Monster.
Fellow SB Nation blog - DRaysBay.
SB Nation's all encompassing MLB postseason hub. That's the type of thing that, with a basketball twist, could be fun come next spring.

via www.sbnation.com