The current state of the New England Patriots and the Boston Celtics are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. The Patriots are struggling to hold on to their Division lead where as the Celtics are the talk of the NBA town. The C's have a dominant road record of 12-1 (which makes there case for best team currently) where as the Patriots are a dismal 1-5 on the road. With the only road win coming with a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This game was at a neutral site in terms of crowd support as the game was played in England. New England is 0-4 in the United States road games and has looked nothing like the team we had expected. Also, the Celtics have won eleven consecutive games; the Patriots are 1-2 in there last three games.
The Celtics have opened the past two seasons a staggering 20-2, and at 20-4 there isn't much of a fall off. The additions of Rasheed Wallace and Marques Daniels seem more apropriately comparable to replacements for James Posey and PJ Brown (not the failed Stephon Marbary, Mikki Moore "Posey and Brown"). Wallace and Daniels make up for the lack of a bench we had last year, as they are secure the veteran talent on that reserve squad. Also when Glen Davis ("Big Baby") returns after his impressive season last year, the bench will be as strong as ever. Kevin Garnett looked great averaging over fifteen points per game and nearly eight rebounds. In addition to this, his chemistry with Rondo has been impressive. Rajon Rondo is having his best season of his young career and has looked strong in combination with KG; lobbing him alley oop dunks and assists to open looks. The Celtics are looking great and are not exactly a true contender in the eyes of the NBA public, but I am still holding on to my bold 70-12 early season prediction. This prediction was not published, but a few close friends will recognize the forecast of wins and losses. Look for the Celtics to continue their winning ways in this month. The Patriots on the other hand are traveling a road less known.
Bill Bellichick, Tom Brady, and the rest of the Patriots are in a situation that is rare for them in recent years. They only have a one game lead in the division (which they usually dominate) and have to prove they can win on the road. This weekend's game is a dangerous one because of the strong possibility for bad weather in Buffalo, and the next two are against a pair of desperate opponents. The Jaguars (7-7) and Texans (6-7) are vying for their playoff lives in the tight AFC Wild Card playoff race. The Jaguars will be a home game which is of much less concern with the Pats 7-0 at home. The Texans game will be in Houston which is a concern due to the 1-5 road record so far. Last season the Patriots went 11-5 without Tom Brady and missed the postseason. This year the Patriots at best, can tie this record, but hopefully make the playoffs. If you had told me that Tom Brady comes back to replace Matt Cassell and there is a chance we could have a worse record; I would have never believed you. How indeed is this possible? Well looking at the offensive statistics will not help you find the answer: Tom Brady: 23 TD-11INT, 3.830 yards. Randy Moss: 69 Catches, 1,074 yds, 9 TD. Wes Welker: 105 Catches, 1,158 yds, 4 TD. Even add in Lawrence Maroney with an unexpected 8 touchdowns. This seems just like the high octane 2007 Patriot offense that set the league afire, however this is anything but the 2007 team. The problem has been the defense and the failures of (believe it or not) the offense in clutch situations.
Despite all of the troubles for the Patriots, they will defeat Buffalo and win at least one more game to bring them to 10-6/11-5 which should be enough to wrap up the division. The Patriots will be primed for a playoff run and the Celtics will reach the all star break with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
-Can't intelligently speak on the Red Sox, but hopefully they execute some good trades and get themselves back to the playoffs.
