Stephon Marbury is one of those weird characters who has just the right mix of "crazy" and "keepin' it real" where you can't ever be sure whether to trust or distrust him. Personally, I think he's a bad apple who keeps getting too many chances, but some people feel differently.
After Marbury recently did a Knickerbocker-beat-down of an interview with the New York Post, I would imagine no one who plays professional basketball in the Big Apple is much of a fan either. Marbury's quotes are full of disparaging remarks, as he essentially urged any free agents to avoid Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni like the plague.
This is a case where championship experience really came into play. One team had it, and the other team didn't know what it was.
The Boston Celtics may have struggled and trailed throughout the night, but they knew when and how to rally, protecting their home-court advantage with a come-from-behind, 92-88 victory over the Magic. The Celtics took a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven series.
The Celtics were cool down the stretch when they made a 13-0 run, sending the Magic into a panic from which they never recovered. The Magic, who haven't been past the second round of the playoffs since 1996, unraveled like a team that never had played in this kind of pressure before.
Celtics 92, Magic 88: Recap | Box Score Celtics Lead 3-2 | Next Game: Thursday @ Orlando, 7 PM ET
CHICAGO -- In a tough, snarling, watch-your-back kind of city, someone decided to get too cute Thursday evening. Throughout the United Center, trails of rose petals were spread to celebrate Derrick Rose's arrival as the NBA's premier rookie. They were placed on seats, in the aisles, atop the sideline tables, pretty much everywhere but on the Jordan statue.
What was this, a social gala? And didn't the marketing mopes realize that the Boston Celtics, whose demise as NBA champions was being roundly forecast, are a proud team that wouldn't take well to gimmicks and might want to make the Chicago lads slip on their own stems?
Celtics 107, Bulls 86: Read Live Blog | Recap | Box Score Celtics Lead 2-1 | Next Game: Sunday, 1 PM ET @ Chicago
Stephon Marbury has not played well this season. The analysts on T.V. and (let's be honest) the fans in Boston have given him a pass because, well, he hasn't played real live NBA basketball in more than a year. Fair enough. He's rusty, he's learning a new offense and defense, he's (for the most part) coming off the bench, something he has rarely done in his career. I buy it: Starbury has stunk, but there are some mitigating explanations.
But the excuses stop holding water in four weeks when the playoffs start. If at that point Starbury still cannot play, Doc Rivers and friends will have to make a decision whether to feature him in the rotation or to bury him in Sam Cassell's old sweatsuit. According to a quizzical Starbury quote dug up by Reds Army, it's clear which result the guard himself expects.
Let's not blow smoke: tonight's NBA slate pretty much stinks. Most of the line-up should end with 20-point margins; a few others strike a certain tone of "who cares?" We need to trudge back to 2007 to find some pending drama, a good ol' reminder of the We Believe Warriors knocking out the juggernaut Mavericks.
If you're not excited by what's going on with Dwyane Wade right now, then just do us all a favor and stop watching basketball. Seriously. Because Wade's effort has been nothing short of cold blooded lately, evidenced perfectly by this absolutely ridiculous game-winner (at the 1:22 mark of the clip) he hit at the end of double overtime Monday night against the Bulls.
This is not "bait Celtics fans week" here at FanHouse -- promise. But this item filed by SI's Ian Thomsen caught my eye, so I thought I'd bring it to your attention.
During halftime of the Celtics' shorthanded loss to the Magic on Sunday, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo apparently stood up and addressed the team before Doc Rivers had a chance to do so. Orlando had jumped on Boston to lead 51-33 at the break, and even though KG and Rondo were in street clothes due to injuries, they decided to voice their displeasure with the perceived lack of effort.
The Celtics signed Stephon Marbury to provide some firepower off the bench, but on Sunday they needed so much more.
With Rajon Rondo joining Kevin Garnett in street clothes thanks to a sprained right ankle suffered in Friday's win over the Cavs, Marbury started his first game of the year ... with disastrous results.
Stephon Marbury made his Boston debut Friday against the Pacers, entering the game to a standing ovation from the TD Banknorth Garden fans late in the first quarter. Thanks to Tony Allen's thumb and Gabe Pruitt's DUI, the short-handed Celtics had no choice but to throw Marbury into the fire -- he ended up playing 13 minutes, finishing with eight points (4-6 shooting) and a pair of assists.
Not only has Stephon Marbury officially signed with the Celtics, he may even be in uniform for Friday night's game against the Pacers. But forget all that nonsense. What's really important is what number he'll be wearing, and that came out in the press release too. I know Marbury has his own line of shoes and everything (hard to forget when it's tattooed on his head), but adidas should really sign the man and remake this classic commercial, featuring Antoine Walker describing his job as Boston's original "employee number eight."
Stephon Marbury is one of those weird characters who has just the right mix of "crazy" and "keepin' it real" where you can't ever be sure whether to trust or distrust him. Personally, I think he's a bad apple who keeps getting too many chances, but some people feel differently.
This is a case where championship experience really came into play. One team had it, and the other team didn't know what it was.
CHICAGO -- In a tough, snarling, watch-your-back kind of city, someone decided to get too cute Thursday evening. Throughout the United Center, trails of rose petals were spread to celebrate 
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The Celtics signed 
