No, I’m not a media critic, but there are some games of interest the rest of this week, beginning tonight.
Here they are:
Tonight
NBA: Atlanta at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
Both teams are undefeated and both have Boston connections. The Hawks pushed the Celtics to seven games in the opening round of the NBA playoffs last April and appear to have learned from the experience. They have beaten Orlando on the road and Philadelphia in their home opener. New Orleans has ex-Celtic James Posey playing big minutes and being more of an offensive force than he was here, for obvious reasons. Posey has averaged 13 points in three games and is an astounding 10-for-16 from beyond the 3-point arc. They are legitimate contenders for a championship. The Hornets should win, but expect this to be a good game.
Thursday
NHL: Bruins vs. Toronto (at the Garden), 7 p.m. (NESN)
This is Game 1 AFTER the game that may have changed everything with Bruins hockey. The way the Bruins stood up to Dallas’ physical play was exemplary, particularly with little guy Marc Savard, who leads the team in points and meaningful fights (one!). Expect the Garden crowd to treat this like a playoff game. The Leafs are decent at 5-4-4, one point behind the Bruins 6-3-3 mark. The Bruins were 5-2-1 against them last season.
Friday
NBA: Boston vs. Milwaukee (at Garden), 7 p.m. (Ch. 52)
While this game isn’t big drama (the Bucks are 2-2), the Celtics have a chance to be 5-1 heading into Sunday night’s game with the new Detroit Pistons. The C’s win on election night bordered on special, in terms of regular season wins. Houston called itself the 2008-09 version of the Celtics with their new Big Three (Yao, McGrady and new addition Artest) and Boston won. If the Celtics win tonight and then win on Friday, we can pretty much say not much has changed, despite the changes.
Saturday
NCAA football: BC vs. Notre Dame, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Both teams are 5-3 and Charlie Weis is not backing away from the fact that BC has beaten ND five straight times. Both teams desperately need this win. And we know BC has always had a Red Sox-Yankees kind of complex/perspective in this series. The teams are even. Both are decent. This will probably come down to the final drive. Weis is fun to watch. He is even fun to hear.
Sunday
NFL: Patriots vs. Buffalo, 1 p.m. (Ch. 4)
The Patriots season really begins on Sunday. This is a must-win if they are going to the playoffs. A win here, makes the frustrating loss to the Colts a little less important. This is the beginning of three straight AFC East games, which is followed by the Jets next Thursday night and a trip to Miami 10 days later. The Patriots appear to have things in place, especially at QB, to win this. But it will be physical and probably decided in the fourth quarter.
