Photo by Matt Stone In his quiet moments, if he even has those, Kevin Garnett probably knows. He knows whether a few more DNPs will allow him to heal up and be ready for the playoffs or whether something more serious is going on in that right knee. He knows if this still will be an issue in 2 weeks when the playoffs begin or if it was just a little late-season speed bump.
He knows whether the Celtics [team stats] have any chance at all of hoisting their 18th banner at the end of this season because the whole thing depends on how he feels.
Anything’s possible? Are we sure about that? Garnett screamed those words last June when the Celtics claimed the NBA title, but no one in his right mind believes it now. One thing clearly is impossible: winning it all without the biggest of the Big Three, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and the Celtics’ tone-setter extraordinaire.
It has been 40 days since Garnett landed awkwardly on an alley-oop attempt in Utah and returned to Boston with what the Celtics called “a muscle strain” in his knee. At the time, Danny Ainge estimated that his star would miss 2-3 weeks, and for a while the injury did not seem like a deal-breaker at all. Perhaps it was even a blessing in disguise, some said, giving Garnett a chance to rest while Leon Powe and Big Baby Davis step up in his absence.
Well, the defending champs don’t look so blessed right now. Garnett missed 13 games before returning to limited duty, and now he’s gone again, out at least until Friday against Atlanta. While the Celtics have performed admirably since the injury - winning 12-of-19 - their hopes of repeating took a serious hit while the big guy was gone.
The team fell out of the race for the top spot in the East and trailed Orlando for second place going into last night’s action. If they don’t finish ahead of the Magic, the Celtics are guaranteed homecourt advantage in just one round of the playoffs. They likely will have to win in Orlando, in Cleveland, and in Los Angeles to take the title. Last year, with a healthy KG and a clutch James Posey, they couldn’t even win in Atlanta.
The Celtics won 66 games last year and finished nine games ahead of the Lakers. They were 21 games better than LeBron James and the Cavaliers. They were the best team in the NBA from wire to wire, and although it was a struggle in the playoffs, they closed the deal, making Ainge and Doc Rivers look like geniuses. Books were written. DVDs were issued. The Big Three were on the cover of every magazine but Oprah’s.
It was their year, their time, the one shining moment for this boldly assembled collection of aging superstars who had grown tired of wandering in the NBA wilderness without a chance at a championship. Here was their chance at last, and they took advantage. They won it all, and they did it with real selflessness and a sense of urgency.
Now the problem: It was always a seize-the-day scenario for Ainge, wasn’t it? It was always all about the 2007-08 season, from the Rome trip to the 39-point rout of the Lakers in Game 6 of the Finals. If this were a movie, that’s where it would end: with Rivers soaked in Gatorade and Garnett rambling uncontrollably about the top of the world.
No one ever talked of building a dynasty around this nucleus, and for good reason: The Big Three all are in their 30s and all have been playing hard for a very long time. Winning one title was going to be the easy part. Keeping it up was going to be tricky, maybe even impossible.
Garnett is almost 33 and already has played 5,000 more minutes than Larry Bird did before Bird’s body gave out. And with Garnett we’re not talking about Artis Gilmore minutes, either. We’re talking about a Steve Prefontaine pace: Just go ’til you drop. Pierce, 31, and Allen, 33, aren’t much different. There never was any question about the hearts of these champions; it’s the knees and ankles and lower backs that eventually would derail them. Happens to the best.
Meanwhile, the Cavs already have won 60 games and are coasting to the best record in the NBA. They are 35-1 at home. Their leader is 24 years old and about to win his first MVP. He’s tossing in underhanded, 75-foot shots for Steve Kroft on “60 Minutes.” His smiling face is on all the magazines. It’s LeBron’s time now, which puts in the Celtics in an interesting position as they head into the playoffs.
They’re underdogs now. Long shots to even get out of the East. You can almost hear Garnett now: No one respects us, no one thinks we can do it, no one gives us any credit at all. He has a new rallying cry, which is good because he needs one.
Winning without a healthy Kevin Garnett is not possible.
Photo by Stuart Cahill Mikki Moore matched his scoring high for the Celtics [team stats] with one hyperactive quarter during Sunday night’s win against Oklahoma City.
The Celtics forward scored 12 points, mostly off back-cutting dunks, and if only everything could be this easy for Moore.
But right now this prolific flurry counts as a flash - a sign of what could yet be possible for a player who admittedly has struggled to fit in.
That’s why the start of April is so important for Moore and Stephon Marbury, his fellow newcomer to the Celtics.
The Green only have seven games left in the regular season, which also translates into one of their most promising stretches of practice time since the start of the campaign.
“Very important,” Moore said. “I have to get my timing back. Me and Steph have been trying to do all of that in games.”
Marbury’s plight has been one of inactivity. The veteran point guard is attempting to shed rust that has accumulated for approximately a season and a half away from the game, save for last fall’s training camp with the Knicks.
Though Moore was with the Kings this season before his release and signing by the Celtics, his role wasn’t a major one.
“I wasn’t playing that much at all in Sacramento,” he said. “In terms of my reaction time, I’m still getting back into it.”
As Moore has discovered, the process isn’t that simple. Before Sunday’s offensive breakthrough, his most identifiable trait was a preponderance of fouls. He has averaged 3.9 fouls in an average playing time of 18:36, with three disqualifications in 17 games. He often has been late to spots in defensive rotations, accounting for what he calls a large number of “soft calls.”
Part of the problem, Moore said, is learning to trust his teammates at the defensive end. Tom Thibodeau’s system is a marvel in terms of filling gaps and picking up penetrators.
“Just let go,” Moore said of his chief challenge in developing a feel for the defense. “I have to know that if I let my man go, my teammates will get him.
“My teammates have told me that, ‘Let him go and we’ll get him.’ ”
Marbury, going through his own adaptation pains, is almost there as well.
“We talk a lot,” Moore said. “We haven’t had that much practice time, so we’re trying to get this all down in games. But all of our teammates have been great with us.”
That said, there’s nothing like a 12-point quarter.
“It felt pretty good to get that gorilla off my back,” Moore said. “I let the game come to me.”
The Celts hope more will follow for Moore.
“You know he plays hard,” Paul Pierce [stats] said. “That’s the first thing you ask him to do until he learns the system. He’s improving each and every game, understanding what we’re trying to do defensively. Thank God he hasn’t fouled out in a couple of games
Photo by AP Kevin Garnett is expected to miss his 15th game in the past 19 tomorrow night when the Celtics [team stats] host Charlotte, and the notion continues to grow that the state of the forward’s knee is worse than initially thought.
But Danny Ainge continued to insist yesterday that the initial diagnosis of a strained right knee muscle hasn’t changed.
“Nothing has changed from our initial diagnosis to where we are now,” said the Celtics president of basketball operations. “We’re just being cautious.”
Though Garnett was forced to miss the past two days after playing limited time in four straight games, Ainge also disputed the notion that Garnett’s condition has worsened.
“This isn’t a setback,” Ainge said. “Not at all.”
The Celtics are scheduled to have their first full practice in more than a month today at the team’s Waltham facility, but Garnett is not expected to participate. Coach Doc Rivers has said Thursday is the more likely practice day for Garnett, with Friday night’s contest against Atlanta a likely target for a return to game action.
“We’re still evaluating the process,” Ainge said. “This is still a day-to-day evaluation. I think KG is playing great. He doesn’t feel 100 percent, and you can see that. But the more rest we can give him, the better off we are going to be in the long run.”
Don't ask Eddie House about making Celtics history right now. Just let him know where he stands once the regular season ends, so he's not distracted beyond the arc.
With seven games remaining, House is closing in on Danny Ainge's franchise mark for 3-point shooting percentage in a season. Ainge hit a franchise-best 44.3 percent (85 of 192) during the 1986-87 season. House is shooting 43.5 percent (134 of 308) through 74 contests.
"I'm not even paying attention," said House, who made 3 of 9 3-point attempts in a 103-84 win over Oklahoma City Sunday. "I'm just playing, man.
"Things like that will throw you off. If you start thinking about that, you might start pressing. You just play basketball and don't think. Just play. Until it was brought to my attention, I wouldn't pay attention to that."
Said Ainge, now the team's president of basketball operations, "I didn't even know I had the record. I heard Mike Gorman on the broadcast say that when I was in the locker room watching the game [against the Clippers March 23]. I didn't even know."
The respect between House and Ainge as long-ball shooters goes back some years.
House was a big NBA fan while growing up in the Bay area and followed Ainge's career. During his 14-year NBA career, Ainge shot 37.8 percent from 3-point range while playing for Boston, Sacramento, Portland, and Phoenix. Upon his retirement, he was one of three players in NBA history to make more than 1,000 career 3-pointers, along with Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller. Ainge finished his career sixth in playoff history in 3-pointers made (177).
"I remember how good he was as a shooter," said House. "I remember him with the Celtics. I remember him with Portland. I remember him with Phoenix. He always seemed to be on winning teams and doing his job on winning teams."
Ainge became a fan of House's quick catch-and-shoot skills when he was starring at Arizona State. House shot 36.6 percent from 3-point range for the Sun Devils from 1996-2000. During that time, Ainge saw lots of House while he was coaching for the Suns.
"He has no conscience," said Ainge. "He has good mechanics. Eddie is one of those I would hate to call 'born shooters' because he's worked hard on his shot. But I remember watching Eddie as a freshman at Arizona State just shoot shots and he was a very special shooter at that stage of his life. A really good shooter."
House said he realized he had a gift for shooting when he was in junior high, and he has put hard work into the craft. He has shot 39.3 percent from 3-point range for his career, he entered yesterday ninth in the NBA in 3-point percentage this season, and he made a career-high eight treys against Sacramento Jan. 28. House has made 653 3-pointers in his career, and he gets fired up in entertaining fashion once he gets hot.
"No one really taught me how to shoot," House said. "I just was able to shoot. When I was younger, I just worked at it. I noticed I had the ability I had and just kept on working on it."
Despite all that, House wasn't invited to this year's NBA All-Star 3-point competition, which was just down the street from Arizona State in Phoenix. Even so, he was a good sport and attended the contest.
"I was there to enjoy it, not to be bitter about anything," he said. "It wasn't in the cards."
While House is leading the Celtics in 3-point percentage, teammate Ray Allen is shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range, has nailed a team-best 184, and is first in NBA playoff history in 3-pointers per game (2.6). Allen, one of the NBA's most storied shooters, said the keys for House's 3-point shooting success are "great screens and our transition game."
"I'm just taking my time, making sure I take a good shot, a rhythm shot," House said. "I don't try to force anything. When you force shots, you tend to miss shots. It's like a snowball effect. You miss shots and then the next thing you keep on missing and missing.
"You take open shots that you regularly take in game situations or practice situations. Most of the times you knock them down."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers told House to slow down after he missed both 3-point attempts in the first half against the Thunder. House responded by nailing 3 of 7 in the second half.
"We tell Eddie, 'If you've got to rush it to the point where you are worried about getting blocked, you should pass it,' " said Rivers, who gave his team yesterday off. " 'And if you can just take your shot in rhythm and get it off, you should shoot it.' And that's basically what we use."
Said House, "I've always got confidence in my shot. When I'm not making it, you have to figure out that adjustment, and make the adjustment, and I feel like I made the proper adjustment."
The addition of guard Stephon Marbury has aided House, too. Rivers has been playing them together with Marbury at point guard while House plays shooting guard. Such an offensive set-up has actually allowed House to run more off screens for open 3-pointers.
"He told me a few games back that he likes the ball in the open court because that's when he's at his best," Marbury said. "If I get a rebound or somebody kicks it to me, I look immediately to pass it to him. He's going to make something happen. If he doesn't get a shot, he's going to definitely get somebody a look."
Said House, "I think I'm getting about the same looks the same way [with Marbury]. When I was running the [point guard], I was doing the same thing I do now. I try to find the open creases or come off a pick-and-roll or come off something like that or where we run a couple plays that we have in for myself."
And if House keeps nailing the treys, Ainge's newfound record could soon be an old one.
"He was a big part of our team when we won our championship last year," said Ainge. "He made big shots during the season. He's a great, great shooter."
Re: News 3/31 « Reply #4 on Mar 31, 2009, 9:04am »
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports....nding-into-form Celtics: Marbury, Moore rounding into form -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Scott Souza/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Mar 30, 2009 @ 10:05 PM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stephon Marbury couldn't help but chuckle at the notion.
After a dozen years in the NBA battling the perception that he is one of the most self-absorbed players in the league, the main criticism of his game after a month in Boston is that he is not shooting enough.
"They want me to shoot the ball," Marbury acknowledged following Sunday's 103-84 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. "But I shoot when I feel it and when it's there. I've never been a volume shooter, despite people thinking that I didn't pass the ball."
The stats back up Marbury's claim. His 15.8 career attempts per game are high for a point guard, but rank well behind those of Ray Allen (16.3), Paul Pierce (16.9) and Kevin Garnett (16.3), who all, like Marbury, spent the bulk of their careers as the focal point of their respective team's offense. Yet now that he has landed in Boston after more than 13 months out of the league, some, including Celtics coach Doc Rivers, think Marbury is taking the pass-first mantra to the extreme with a mere 4.4 attempts in 17 minutes a night.
But Marbury doesn't quite see it that way. When he takes the floor, especially with the starting unit but often with the reserve corps as well, he sees plenty of chances to score. Only he often sees better chances for his teammates as he slowly shakes off a year's worth of rust.
"I like to take shots I feel like I'm going to make," said Marbury, who is shooting at a 31.9 percent clip since making his Boston debut on Feb. 27. "If I'm not going to make it, I'm not going to take it. I'd rather make another play."
One of his favorite targets has become reserve backcourt mate Eddie House. While House and late addition Sam Cassell battled for minutes by the end of last season, so far the sharpshooter has fulfilled the coach's prediction that House would be the biggest beneficiary of adding another ball-handler.
"I love playing with guys that can shoot the ball," Marbury stated. "When a guy's hot and can shoot, I'm constantly trying to find them. When I played with Allan Houston, I used to make it my business to get him the ball. It's an easy assist and that gets the team going. (Sunday night), Eddie sparked us and he got us going."
House scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half Sunday and was a frequent source of Marbury's Boston career-high seven assists.
"He told me a few days back to get the ball to him in the open court whenever I get the chance," House said. "That's where he's at his best. Now every time I get a rebound, or if someone kicks it to me, I look for him immediately. I know he's going to make something happen. If he doesn't make a shot, he's definitely going to get somebody a good look."
Though Marbury only scored two points Sunday, his seven assists, coming off his 11-point effort on 4-of-5 shooting at Atlanta Friday night, suggest Marbury is starting to get up to speed.
"I'm getting settled in," he said. "I'm definitely getting more comfortable with the system. Just learning the offense is tough, let alone not playing for so long. But I'm starting to get my legs. I feel like I'm turning the corner.
"I'm just trying to get open shots. I know once guys get comfortable playing with me it's going to open up things for myself."
Boston's other newcomer, Mikki Moore, has had similar adjustment difficulties after playing sporadically in Sacramento prior to his trade deadline-day buyout. But, like Marbury, he also seemed to take a big step forward on Sunday with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.
Though Rivers gave the team yesterday off from practice, both are looking forward to the rest of the two-week homestand, which features only four games between now and April 12 and plenty of gym days.
"My wind is good, but my reaction time is off," Moore admitted. "I am starting to get it again now. I've got (three) more weeks to get it going before playoffs start.
"Me and Steph talk about how we don't have much practice time here. It's hard to get into working on your game in the game because you don't want to go out there making any mistakes. In practice, you can make mistakes and learn from it because it doesn't cost you as much. But we understand our roles on this team. We understand it's going to be a hard time to adjust. But all of our teammates have been great helping us get there."
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