Photo by Stuart Cahill The Herald interrupts your breakfast to bring you this breaking news:
After much discussion and consternation, it has been learned that if Kevin Garnett cannot play or is limited at the start of the playoffs, the Celtics [team stats] still plan to show up.
And do well.
“People think it’s over for us if we don’t have Kevin or if Kevin isn’t a hundred percent,” said Paul Pierce [stats], “but we don’t look at it that way. No question we want him and we need him but, hey, we’ve got guys who are capable. They probably can’t give what Kevin gives, but that means it’ll just have to come from a combination of guys.
“But we’re confident we can win regardless of who we put on the court.”
Win a championship?
“Yeah,” said Pierce.
If a Garnett-less Green were to win the 2009 title, they ought to hang an extra large banner from the Garden rafters - one that drapes to the parquet floor. The magnitude of such an accomplishment would be hard to comprehend.
Kendrick Perkins [stats], in fact, has trouble getting the notion to stick.
“Oh, we’re still going to play no matter who we have or don’t have,” Perkins said. “I know we’re going to come out and compete.
“But winning it all without KG? It’s hard to say. I don’t really want to think about that. I’ve got confidence in us, but at the same time that’s the big fella we’re talking about.”
With Garnett missing all but four games since hobbling off the floor in Utah on Feb. 19, some other fellas have come up big.
“We haven’t really played with Kevin in a while, so we’re getting used to not having him around,” said Pierce. “Guys that haven’t been able to play but are playing now have stepped up. I think that’s going to help our team in the long run. It’s making us a better team.
“These guys are improving. I mean, if you look at the young guys, they’re vastly improved. (Rajon) Rondo, Perkins, Baby (Glen Davis) - these guys are getting better because of the experience they’re getting. And being that they’ve won a championship, it gives them a lot of confidence also.”
The most likely scenario will find Garnett being somewhat less than his best in the postseason. Perkins is preparing for that possibility and believing the Celts can maximize his limited playing time.
“Yeah, I feel that way,” Perkins said. “I think we can still win. I mean, obviously there’s no doubt in my mind that we need him. Like I said before, I’ll take a 75 percent or 85 percent KG over no KG, but we’re pretty confident that when he’s not in the game we can still win.
“We’ve just got to do a better job of building leads,” Perkins added. “We can’t keep letting teams come back on us when we get ahead. We’ve got to take what we’ve got and build a higher lead. When the game starts, we’ve got to jump on teams. Then when the second quarter comes, we’ve got to jump on them again. That’s how we’ve got to do it all through the game.
The Celts got their mentality in order just in time Wednesday against Charlotte. After playing some suicidal basketball (no ball movement, etc.), they came back for a win that could reverberate a while.
The C’s are a game up on Orlando for the second seed (even in the loss column). The one-game lead is even bigger when you consider the teams split the season series and that the next tiebreaker is conference record - where the C’s hold a two-game lead.
“I didn’t know that,” said Doc Rivers. “I have no idea about that stuff. But I guess that’s why it was a good win for us. They all are, but this would have been (a difficult loss). Against a team that’s playing as well as Charlotte is, you have to be able to accept a loss.
“But the way we played a lot of the night would have made it a little hard to take. And we do want that second seed. I’ve said that.”
They want Kevin Garnett, too. But the Celtics are willing to make do with what they have.
TONIGHT - 7:30 at TD Banknorth Garden. TV - CSN; Radio - WEEI-AM (850).
THE NUMBERS
3-0: Celtics’ lead over the Hawks in the season series.
10: Combined margin of victory in those three games.
10, 10: Glen Davis’ points and rebounds by halftime in the last game with the Hawks.
WHO’S HURT
For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett (strained right knee), Leon Powe (strained right knee) and Brian Scalabrine (post-concussion syndrome) are out. For the Hawks, Speedy Claxton (left knee) and Marvin Williams (back) are out.
WHO’S HOT
Eddie House has come off the bench to average 17 points in the last two games.
WHO’S NOT
The Hawks shoot 45.9 percent as a team, but are just 41.3 percent against the Celtics this season.
BOTTOM LINE
The Celtics will need another physical effort inside from Davis and Kendrick Perkins [stats] to beat the Hawks for the second straight Friday. The two did well against Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia, forcing the Hawks to rely more on outside shooting.
A fatigued Glen Davis leaned down and grabbed his shorts to catch his breath during the Celtics' 111-109 double-overtime victory Wednesday over the Bobcats. As he looked up, he locked eyes with Charlotte coach Larry Brown, who tried to take advantage by calling the next play for the man Davis was guarding.
"I was bent out over and Larry Brown called out a play for Boris Diaw," Davis said. "I'm looking at Larry and I'm like, 'That's coming to me.' It was a situation where it did come to me. Teams are going after us. We just have to go out there and play."
The "us" to which Davis was referring are the three healthy big men on the Celtics' roster. Injuries to Kevin Garnett (knee), Leon Powe (knee), and Brian Scalabrine (concussion) have whittled the Celtics' list of available big men to Davis, center Kendrick Perkins, and newcomer Mikki Moore. Opponents have been targeting the three in an attempt to get them in early foul trouble.
During this stretch of injuries, which also has included Davis being sidelined for four games because of a sprained ankle, Paul Pierce has played some center for the first time since high school and rookie small forward Bill Walker has played some power forward. With Garnett likely out until the last three games of the regular season, Powe out likely until the playoffs, and Scalabrine out indefinitely, the Celtics are making due.
"It's difficult because foul trouble kills you," said coach Doc Rivers. "It's tough. But I think what hurts us even more is when teams have a quick [power forward] and we don't have Kevin. That hurts us far more than the [lack of] bigs because we have nobody to guard the quick [power forward]. That's critical. We didn't know that before this. It puts us in a bigger hole.
"But [the challenge is] a lot of fun. Our guys are all pitching in."
Perkins played a career-high 48 minutes Wednesday, with 4 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 7 turnovers, and 4 fouls. He averaged less than 28 minutes per game in January and February, but played an average of 32.2 minutes in March, averaging 11 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks. And after having foul, and technical foul, issues early in the season, Perkins has figured out how to stay on the floor longer.
"Teams try to attack me early and get me in foul trouble," he said. "I see them try to run plays to go at me early. If I get in foul trouble, then our defense is really dead. The biggest thing with me is I try not to get in early foul trouble. Right now, I'm the anchor of the defense. I have to stay on top of game and play smart.
"It's a little bit more [pressure]. But there's a lot when [Garnett is] playing, too. I have to take on the role of talking more. That's the biggest thing."
"He's been great, physical," Rivers said about Perkins. "He's keeping his composure far better than he did at the beginning of the year. He's getting better each year."
Davis averaged 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 31 minutes per game in March. He hit the winning shot with a limited Garnett on the bench against San Antonio March 20, scored a career-high 24 points at Memphis the next day, and had 19 points and 12 rebounds with Garnett out of the lineup in win at Atlanta last Friday.
"It's making us play smarter and make the right decisions," Davis said of the team being at less than full strength.
The biggest challenge with the lack of available big men is keeping Moore on the floor. He is the Celtics' only true big man on the bench with Perkins and Davis starting. But in 18 games with Boston since signing as a free agent, Moore is averaging 4.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4 fouls in 18.3 minutes per game.
"It's tough to try to stay out of foul trouble, especially when you're trying to play aggressive," Moore said. "You try to come off the bench and play with energy so you can keep the lead or help our starters get the lead."
The Celtics are hopeful they will get Garnett back for the March 12 game in Cleveland. Garnett, however, isn't expected to be 100 percent the rest of the season, which will mean greater production will still be expected from Perkins, Davis, and Moore.
"I'm just trying to deal with it the best way possible," Perkins said. "Obviously, we miss [Garnett] out there on the court. I'm just trying to deal with it, fight through it, and just hold the paint down until he gets back. I miss him out there with everything he brings. But it's important for him to get healthy.
"The big thing with me is I want him to rest until the playoffs start. I want him back. I'll take a 70 percent, 80 percent KG over no KG. He ain't going to be 100 percent. But nobody is going to be 100 percent. When he gets back, the biggest thing with [Garnett] is I don't want him to worry about what's going on with us. If we lose a game, I don't want him to be [pressured]. I want him to be healthy and ready for the playoffs."
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports....ervous-about-KG Megliola: Feeling nervous about KG -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Apr 02, 2009 @ 10:22 PM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let me say this:
Uh-oh.
This Kevin Garnett business has got me spooked.
Worst Case Scenario I: If he's not ready for the playoffs, don't think for one lousy nanosecond that the Celtics can't go out one-and-done, no matter whom they play.
Worst Case Scenario II: If Garnett plays at less than 100 percent, if his right knee only allows him to log 25-30 minutes in the playoffs, that's a problem too. In the playoffs last season, Garnett averaged 38 minutes per game. The Celtics needed almost every second of them. The first two rounds were seven-game affairs, remember.
There will a lot of tough outs in the Eastern Conference playoffs, Boston's crown wearers have been targets all season. With a subpar KG, the target gets much larger. Without Garnett, anybody can beat them. They're kidding themselves if they think otherwise.
OK, call me an alarmist, I don't believe my fretfulness is misguided. The thing is, after leaving the lineup Feb. 19, it's been in again (for four games) and out again for Garnett. The medical folks thought he was ready to come back. Garnett, who can't watch a game unless he's in it, couldn't wait for the green light. We know now he came back too soon (see hindsight 20-20).
The Celtics brass is playing it close to the vest on this. The word "hopefully" is being thrown around a lot. But you can't tell me that before hitting the sack at night the last thing on the minds of Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers is the notion that Garnett might not be available when the playoffs start.
For now, Garnett is in the mix. He's maniacally obsessed with coming back. That's a good and bad thing. So what's the right time for his return? Is there one? They guessed wrong the first time. A knee has a mind of its own, especially if it's attached to an athlete who runs up and down hard floors, and turns 33 next month.
Garnett's got more mileage on those knees than I've got on my '99 Corolla. Now he's running (or trying to) on a tricky knee that already has taken him out of the lineup twice in 1<+>1<+>/<->2<-> months. That's a red flag for sure. The right time for Garnett's return, after one false start already, is at best a murky thing. April 12 at Cleveland has been mentioned. We'll see.
Here's the only certainty. When he comes back, If he comes back at all this season, how effective will he be? Rivers will be breaking out in a sweat every time Garnett's on the floor. That includes practice. One tweak of the knee, one bad landing, one yelp from Garnett, one limp, and it's over.
Paul Pierce said 75 percent of Garnett is good enough, but he's wrong. Seventy-five percent of Garnett in a December game against the Bulls is enough. It won't suffice in the playoffs against any of the beasts in the East. I'm not sure they'd get out of the first round with a 75 percent Garnett. If he's out of the playoffs completely, it says here the Celtics go down in the first round, no matter who they play.
As hard as they try, as committed as they are on defense, the Celtics simply can't fill, in a seven-game series, the wide gap the absence of Garnett would create. No way.
You have to think worst-case scenario, and peel back. The Celtics are going to have to tread softly through this. As much as they know an 18th banner is impossible without a healthy Garnett, the man has three years left on his contract at $20 million per. So that knee is pure gold to the organization.
The Celtics were blessed with few injuries last season. Garnett played in all 26 playoff games and averaged 20.4 points and 10.6 rebounds, both team highs (and the aforementioned) 38 minutes). It was a championship season that needed something from almost everybody. In essence, though, it was about Garnett, Ray Allen and Pierce. If any one of them wasn't wearing green, there would have been no title.
But there's no hiding it, the most important one was Garnett. That's still the case, if the Celtics are going to be a serious player in the postseason.
The Celtics have played passionately in almost every game with Garnett out. If the roundball gods aren't kind, and Garnett misses the playoffs, Pierce thinks the Celtics can hold their own. Nice try, captain, but you're whistlin' through the graveyard.
Pierce said this team doesn't make excuses, but if Garnett can't play, and the Celtics get knocked out in the first or second round, they'll have a built-in excuse. A big one, six-feet, 11 inches.
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