Bombers Hold Off Celtics (12/22/46)

Before the game the Celtics signed Jack "Dutch" Garfinkel to play for the team. Virgil Vaughn is out for a while and Hal Crisler won't be here much longer, the Celtics needed some help and he's it.

                                                               IN

As for the game, so much for the new look Boston Celtics. The magic of Jerry Kelly, Hal Crisler and Red Wallace wore off big time as the St. Louis Bombers dropped the Celtics in a decisive beat-down. The Celtics were victimized by terrible shooting, hitting just 20 of their 81 shots. Connie Simmons was 3 of 13, Jerry Kelly was 1 of 13 and new Celtic Jack Garfinkel was 1 for 11. Al Brightman was 2 for 11 and it all added up to a bad shooting night. The Bombers led 36-23 at halftime mostly due to John Logan's game high 15 points. The Celtics failed to rally in the third quarter as the Bombers led 50-34 going into the final frame. Chuck Connors managed to spark a Celtics rally but the Bombers won the game 65-43 at St. Louis Arena.

                                                       Tom Packs laughs at the Celtics

Basketbawful Report:

Harold Kottman and Virgil Vaughn didn't play to earn the Ellison

Hal Crisler fouled 3 times and bricked a shot to earn a +4 suck differential and the Hamilton

Jack Garfinkel had 3 fouls and 2 points to earn the Hamilton

Jackass of The Night is Jerry Kelly. He took 13 shots and hit just 1 of them in a game decided by 12 points.

                                                                  Jackass Kelly

Final Thoughts:

So much for the Christmas spirit this year. The Celtics continue to foul up, fumble and bumble through this season and there's really no hope in sight. Who knows how things would have turned out if Honey Russell was there from day 1 to get some of the top players to play for the Celtics instead of put together this team of rag tags. It seems like every single team but the Celtics have a singular guy they can count on to take over games. The Philadelphia Warriors have Joe Fulks, the Bombers have Cecil Hankins and Toronto has Ed Sadowski. The Celtics don't have one of those guys and it shows. The loss dropped the Celtics to 5-16 on the season. Tomorrow night they travel to Pittsburgh to play the Ironmen. The game begins at 7:00 PM at Duquesne Gardens.

Celtics Rally Falls Short Against Bombers (12/19/46)

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! For three quarters it looked like the St. Louis Bombers were going to have their way with the Boston Celtics again. The two teams battled to a 16-16 tie after the first quarter but the Bombers pulled away in the second, leading 43-36 at halftime. Bob Doll had 22 points for the Bombers with John Logan assisting with 19. The Bombers led 65-52 going into the final quarter when the Celtics rallied. Al Brightman had 13 points while Wyndol Gray and Chuck Connors each had 12 apiece. Connie Simmons had 11 but Jerry Kelly was held to just 10. That was the difference in the game as the rally fell short. The Bombers held on to win this one 76-74 at the Boston Garden.

                                                        Bing Crosby dislikes losing

Basketbawful Report:

Red Wallace had 3 fouls and 2 points for the Hamilton

Harold Kottman didn't play to earn the Ellison

Virgil Vaughn didn't play to earn the Ellison

Jackass of The Night is Red Wallace. He had more fouls than points in just a two point game.

                                                            Jackass Wallace

Final Thoughts:

The Celtics had a chance to win this one but just came up short. If Johnny Simmons or Red Wallace hit just one more shot, this game could have gone to overtime and its anything goes. The only bright side is this is their third consecutive game where they at least had a chance to win, they just didn't get it done this time. The Kelly and Becker acquisitions have paid off, it just might be too little too late in the season with so many losses already. The Celtics don't have a star like Joe Fulks or Ed Sadowski so that will be their goal next season. The loss dropped the Celtics to 5-15 on the season, 1/4 of the way through. The Celtics look to rebound on December 22nd when they take on the Bombers again, this time at the St. Louis Arena.

Wallace, Celtics Defeat Warriors (12/14/46)

Christmas came early for the new look Boston Celtics as they won their second game in a row, beating "Jumpin" Joe Fulks and the Philadelphia Warriors. New Celtic Jerry Kelly pumped in 14 points while Moe Becker made his Celtics debut with 4 points. Boston jumped out to a 42-37 lead at halftime with Al Brightman pitching in 13 points. The Celtics took a 63-58 lead into the final frame with Chuck Connors helping out with 12 points. The key to the game was Fulks himself had 28 points while the highest scorer on the Celtics was Red Wallace with 19 points. The lead held and the Celtics had their first two game winning streak with a 77-65 victory over the Warriors at the Boston Garden.

                                                    Betty Hutton approves of the win

Basketbawful Report:

Virgil Vaughn didn't play to earn the Ellison.

Harold Kottman didn't play to earn the Ellison.

Warren Fenley fouled without scoring a point for the Fernsten level Hamilton and a +1 suck differential

Wyndol Gray fouled without scoring a point for the Fernsten level Hamilton and a +1 suck differential

Hero of The Night is Red Wallace. He pumped in 19 points to lead the Celtics in scoring to help take down the Warriors.

                                                            Hero Wallace

Final Thoughts:

Who would have thought Jerry Kelly would make this much of a difference. That's two wins in a row now with him in the lineup, even though he wasn't the leading scorer this time. Still, if Kelly can spark a new look Celtics team to play better, there might be hope for the team yet. Beating the Warriors even on a hot shooting night by Fulks is nothing to sneeze at and the Celtics should be proud. Hal Crisler will report back to the Boston Yanks soon but having him around with Virgil Vaughn and Harold Kottman out helps. The win improved the Celtics to 5-14 and look to win their third straight game on December 19th against the St. Louis Bombers at the Boston Garden.

Celtics Beat Falcons Behind Kelly (12/12/46)

Before the game the Boston Celtics made roster moves. The Celtics waived Mel Hirsch and signed 28 year old forward Jerry Kelly. Kelly was playing in the American Basketball League and the Celtics decided that he'd be a better option than the diminutive Hirsch. Also the Celtics traded Tony Kappen to the Pittsburgh Ironmen for 6'1 guard Moe Becker. Becker was averaging 6 points a game for Pittsburgh while Kappen was averaging 4. Things might be looking up for Boston.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, the Celtics' newest player happened to be the difference maker in tonight's game against the Detroit Falcons. Jerry Kelly pumped in 21 points in his first game with the team to lead the charge. The Celtics and Falcons battled to a 38-38 tie at the half with Stan Miasek scoring 19 total for Detroit. The Celtics took a 5 point lead going into the final quarter with Al Brightman assisting with 14 points. The Celtics held on in the end thanks to Art Spector returning to score 12 points. Boston Yanks receiver Hal Crisler actually suited up for tonight's game and scored 3 points as well. Red Wallace had 12 points as well as the Celtics finally won a game as they beat Detroit 73-66 at the Boston Garden.

                                                 Ingrid Bergman approves of the win

Basketbawful Report:

Virgil Vaughn didn't play tonight to earn the Ellison

Moe Becker wasn't with the team yet to earn the Scalabrine

Hero of The Night is Jerry Kelly. He had 21 points in his Celtics debut.

                                                                    Kelly The Hero

Final Thoughts:

Finally a good win by the Celtics and it was with a different lineup. Crisler and Kelly scored 24 points combined while the Simmons brothers scored a big fat zero. Still, it was good enough to win and the Celtics needed the win big time. Mel Hirsch wasn't getting the job done and it would be impossible to expect Kelly to be the savior, but his addition came at a good time. Hal Crisler will be going back to the Yanks but thanks for the three points. Who knows, maybe Kelly will spark the Simmons brothers, Wyndol Gray and Chuck Connors to step up their game. The win improved the Celtics to 4-14 on the season. The Celtics are back in action on the 14th of December when they play the Philadelphia Warriors at the Boston Garden.