The Smith brothers show up for Game 5 wearing all black but it was a NYK second-round berth that got blacked out. To signify the supposed “funeral” awaiting the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks showed up for Game 5 wearing all black but it was the Knicks that were the stiffs as the Celtics stunned New York, 92-86 to force Game 6 back in...

Far be it for me to give props to anyone wearing Celtic green but sometimes you just got to respect game when you see it forming. And Boston Celtics guard AVERY BRADLEY has plenty of game! Checkout this Bradley stuff over the Memphis Grizzlies’ ED DAVIS on Saturday… The Celtics lost to the Grizzlies, 110-106 with Bradley only scoring 8 points in 25-plus minutes but the 22-year old’s worth cannot be measured in mere...

Ticket punch: Garnett didn’t hesitate to throw jabs at Celtics critics who left them for dead after Rondo’s injury. Outside of the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics are the second hottest team in the East, currently on a modest 5-game win streak that has them seeded sixth in the NBA playoff race. That includes an amazing 14-4 since losing RAJON RONDO for the season. But Celtics stalwart KEVIN GARNETT wasn’t feeling any...

Sidelined indefinitely: Rondo may be faced with a long recovery period similar to the time Derrick Rose has been out. As I mentioned after Sunday’s unfortunate news out of Boston that Celtics All-Star guard RAJON RONDO had tore his right ACL and would miss the remainder of the NBA season, season-ending injuries are the single most devastating event in sports. In the aftermath of the Rondo news, NBA players from around the league...

Sidelined: Rondo was set to play his first All-Star game as a starter. Now he’ll miss the remainder of the season. Just before Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat, Celtics All-Star guard RAJON RONDO found out the extent of the knee injury he suffered Friday night in Atlanta. Rondo was diagnosed with a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Rondo, who was averaging 13.7 ppg, 11.1 asst and 5.6 rebs on the year, will...

Cereal killer: Garnett’s ‘Cheerios’ comment about Melo’s wife La La was enough to send him over the edge Monday. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why CARMELO ANTHONY wanted a piece of KEVIN GARNETT that badly Monday night during and after the Knicks loss to the Celtics at MSG. Now we have the answer. Apparently, Garnett, who’s been known for having a flip mouth on the court, made a disrespectful...

Melo has to realize that part of KG’s game is to get under opponents skin. He must avoid the set-up. Monday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks got extremely chippy as both teams met for the first time this season. CARMELO ANTHONY and KEVIN GARNETT went at it all night, even drawing double technicals for jawing at each other late in the...

Terry is known for stirring the pot when it comes to LeBron James and the Heat. Ray Allen has been added to mix. Last Wednesday, PAUL PIERCE dropped a season-high 40 points on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Celtics’ 103-91 win in Boston. It was Pierce’s 24th 40-plus game of his career as he shot a blistering 13-of-16 from the floor, along with eight rebounds and five assists. After the game, Boston teammate JASON TERRY gave...

Rondo certainly marches to the beat of his own drum…leaving some unable to fully grasp how to interpret him. RAJON RONDO makes his return from a two-game suspension for his ‘shoving match’ with KRIS HUMPHRIES Wednesday at TD Garden as the Boston Celtics host Minnesota but the C’s starting point guard says he learned nothing from the incident while taking a mini vacation South of the Border… Rondo’s...

Johnson’s adept dribble had Pierce looking like Uncle Ben trying to pick rice up off the floor Wednesday in Boston. As a side note to the Nets victory over Boston, checkout JOE JOHNSON giving PAUL PIERCE the bizness with this stutter-step-dribble-crossover-splash from deep… Johnson had Pierce reaching deep in the cookie jar on that move. Unfortunately, poor Pierce wound up on the floor picking up cookie crumbs! No wonder the...