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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:01:12 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1076998&format=textCelts scratch and claw through difficult victory Wounded ’Cats put up fight By Mark Murphy | Saturday, March 1, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill Roy Williams, his North Carolina team in town to play Boston College today, had a fine seat four rows behind the Celtics [team stats] bench. Williams told the crowd during a live interview in the first half that Scot Pollard was the best 3-point shooter he ever had while coaching at Kansas (the C’s backup center hit the only trey he ever attempted for the Jayhawks). He smiled when Paul Pierce [stats] hit a 3-pointer to end the first half, then stopped on the way to the locker room to remind his old coach that he, too, can shoot 3’s. Williams also must have walked away a tad confused by what he saw: The NBA-leading Celtics matched against a seriously damaged Charlotte Bobcats team stripped down to the league minimum of nine dressed players. By the end of last night’s 108-100 win, the Celtics had barely escaped an opponent that had almost as much in common with Williams’ college realm as their own. Considering the win the Bobcats picked up during their last visit here on Jan. 9, though, no one should have been surprised. Regardless of their situation on a given night, the Bobcats have a knack for taking the Celtics to the buzzer. “There are no bad players in this league, just bad teams, and (Charlotte) has some players who can really put it up on the board,” Kevin Garnett said. “(Jason Richardson) has been hitting the 3 this year like no other, and for some reason, this team has confidence against us. Any team can be beat night in and night out.” Garnett provided the big shots down the stretch, Ray Allen (team-high 23 points) hit the final free throws and Kendrick Perkins [stats] sprung for a rare 19-point game to go along with nine blocked shots. Despite 17 turnovers, which Charlotte turned into 23 points, the Celtics also continued to move the ball with flair. The C’s finished with 33 assists on the tail of a 27-dish performance Wednesday against Cleveland. Rajon Rondo [stats] was again the circulator, this time with a career-high 16 assists that are the most by a Celtic since an 18-assist performance by Sherman Douglas on March 1, 1995. The C’s needed every drop, too, with Richardson (30 points) keeping the Bobcats close all night. “I thought tonight we were more the culprit than them,” coach Doc Rivers said. “We had a chance to get away from them so many times, and throwing the ball around with bad breaks and bad shots, I thought we kind of let our guard down a little bit.” Garnett, still working back from an abdominal strain, triggered the final push with just under two minutes left. The Celtics had just gone through a dour stretch, missing seven straight shots, with a turnover, and going scoreless for 5:18 while Charlotte cut the margin to five points. The C’s finally broke the spell on Garnett’s 20-footer - good for a 98-91 lead with 1:51 left - and answered two Richardson free throws with another Garnett 20-footer. Garnett’s contributions were followed by a Perkins steal that led to an Allen fast-break bucket. Leading 102-93 with 1:13 left, the C’s had to withstand a big trey from BC alumnus Jared Dudley before Pierce polished off a quiet 13-point evening with two free throws. Allen hit four more free throws in the next eight seconds to finally seal a difficult night. “We should have been 0-2 against them,” Pierce said of carrying a 1-1 record against the Bobcats into the game. “Even though we felt like we could have won by a little more, the only thing that held us back was the turnovers. We had some mental lapses and those are the things that we have to clean up. We feel like it’s us battling ourselves, not the other team. It’s going to be about us and getting better in the long run.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:06:11 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1077000&format=textNever easy to defend this team’s offense By Steve Bulpett | Saturday, March 1, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Remember that “Three Stooges” episode where the water supply got into the electrical and gas circuitry and it was raining out of every opening in the house? Of course you do. Well, guys like Sam Vincent are these days feeling like our intrepid heroes as they wonder who’ll stop the rain. Plug one source of offensive flow on the Celtics [team stats] and it simply seems as if another begins gushing. Kevin Garnett got his second foul and a seat on the bench 3:09 after the opening tip against Vincent’s Bobcats last night. But just when Charlotte had to be thinking it didn’t have to worry so much about the inside, Kendrick Perkins [stats] put up four more hoops and a free throw to complete an 11-point quarter. On 4-for-5 shooting, no less. He finished with 19 points. When the Bobcats moved to shut off Rajon Rondo [stats]’s drives, he simply passed out to people like Ray Allen, who was going 5-for-7 on treys. And do you even want to get into Leon Powe posting an ultra-efficient nine points and four rebounds in 11 minutes? Maybe Moe could poke Paul Pierce [stats] in the eye and Curly could mistakenly drop an anvil on Garnett. But the water would still flow. “I think that’s just part and parcel of the fact they have so many weapons,” Vincent said. “When you have to stay close to Ray Allen because he may catch and shoot a 3, that opens the floor up for Rondo to go on a drive. When you’ve got to stay close to Garnett and not double-team, that gives him more room to move. “I mean, they’ve got so many things that they can hit you with that it makes it tough to stop any one thing. And I think that’s why this is a real good team this year.” Pierce was asked directly whether these Celtics can be defended. “I don’t think we can,” he said. “If we move the ball and we play unselfish and we can keep our turnovers down, we’re a tough team to guard.” If they move the ball and don’t throw it to the other team (they gave it up 17 times last night and came into the game 21st in the league in turnovers - about four more a night than Detroit), the Celts move from tough to near impossible in the guarding department. As long as they maintain possession, they should be able to find a good shot on most every trip up the floor. The emergence of the supporting cast has enabled the Celtics to ladle on the offense. And they’re still yet to mix in Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown. “I think teams are starting to take notice of our other guys, and that’s the great thing about this team,” Pierce said. “You’ve got guys who can step up like Perk, Rondo, Eddie House and James Posey. The focus night in and night out is going to be on me, Kevin and Ray obviously. So teams gear their game plan after that, and when they overlook these guys, they can really hurt you. Those are the guys who can help you win a lot of ballgames. When you look at championships being won, it’s usually because of great role players stepping up and getting the job done.” Vincent was a rookie guard on the last Celtic team to win a title. “I think the thing that’s different is our front line was so good,” he said. “That Parish-McHale-Bird front line is, you know, a pretty damn good front line. So it’s hard to compare that team to this team, but I still give the old team the slight edge because of Larry Legend.” It is foolish to compare the teams because the eras are so different. The game has changed, from expansion to the way it is officiated. What was good, hard basketball then is often a flagrant foul now. But what if you took it out player by player. Could the rookie guard on the 1986 team take the rookie guard now? Could Sam Vincent take Gabe Pruitt. “No comment,” Vincent said with a grin. “That’s all I’m going to say. No comment. It’s a different time.” A very busy time for the Garden scoreboard operator.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:10:55 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1076999&format=textAdding Cassell could only help By Tony Massarotti | Saturday, March 1, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill Sam Cassell should be here for dinner on Monday, and so the great Celtics [team stats] renaissance continues. Once, they all ran from Boston. Now, they cannot wait to visit. This is the move that Danny Ainge can make now, seven months after the life-altering experience that was the Kevin Garnett trade. This is the move the Celtics director of basketball operations needs to make, too. The one glaring weakness on this team is the absence of a backup veteran point guard, with all respect to Eddie House, a shooting guard who was being asked to do something he should not have been asked to do. Soon, Rajon Rondo [stats] will have his safety net. And the Celtics formally will begin final preparations for the playoffs. “(Ainge) asked me how I felt about it,” Rondo said last night at the Garden, where he recorded a career-high 16 assists (coincidence?) in a 108-100 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats. “I told him I thought it would be a great idea. It can only help me.” Which means it can only help the Celtics. Cassell is not a Celtic, at least not yet, though it all seems a formality at this point. The 38-year-old almost certainly will clear waivers at 6 p.m. on Monday, by which point he should be at The Fours waiting for a phone call. Presumably, the Celtics already have a space reserved for him at their table. Once again, Ainge has played this all masterfully. Before the season started, Ainge might have had Troy Hudson or Brevin Knight as a backup to Rondo. Now he gets the far more accomplished Cassell instead. In the interim, Rondo has turned into the point guard of the future and the present. Don’t you see? Back then, before the Celtics played a game, Ainge didn’t want Rondo looking over his shoulder. Now the C’s have the best record in the NBA and Rondo is more established, and it is the Celtics who do not want to second-guess themselves come playoff time. If Rondo starts games and Cassell finishes them, so be it. And no matter what happens this spring, Rondo still will be here next fall, while Cassell may not. “If he were to come here,” a playful Kevin Garnett said of Cassell, with whom he played in Minnesota, “I don’t think it would be a problem.” Let’s back up here for a minute. When the Celtics played the Detroit Pistons at the Garden on Dec. 19, the absence of a true backup to Rondo was glaring. So, too, was Rondo’s relative inexperience. When Rondo was in the game, Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups thoroughly exploited the matchup on Detroit’s offensive end of the floor. When Rondo was out of the game, the Celtics couldn’t consistently get the ball up court. With Cassell in Boston, even House benefits. Whatever minutes House loses to Cassell at the point, he will gain in efficiency at the shooting guard position. The bottom line is that House may not be on the floor as much as he has been throughout this resurgent Celtics season, an average of just under 20 minutes per game, but he will be a better player for those minutes he is. And what is playoff basketball about if not maximizing efficiency? Not so long ago, remember, the Celtics were a roundball laughingstock. The only things missing were Will Ferrell and a three-colored ball. Then Ainge traded the No. 5 pick in the draft for Ray Allen. Then he traded almost everyone else for No. 5, Garnett. Then House and James Posey - and now Cassell - decided to come to Boston. Now the Celtics have legitimate championship aspirations and Ainge has fortified the roster with Cassell and recently acquired forward P.J. Brown. A year after a wanting Doc Rivers hopelessly looked down his bench, the coach of the Celtics now has more players than he might know what to do with. As for Rondo, there will be those moments when he gets to play alongside Cassell, who is not here to replace him so much as he is to help, particularly in the eyes of the starting point guard. “He’d be at the (shooting guard),” Rondo mused. Even for Cassell, it would beat the alternative. At another time, in the same place, he wouldn’t have been there at all.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:17:50 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1077001&format=textGarnett moving in right direction By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Saturday, March 1, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill From the way he fought for rebounds and kept the ball alive in the fourth quarter to two huge crunch-time jumpers, Kevin Garnett appears to be getting both his mobility and timing back. But the Celtics [team stats] forward’s 17-point, nine-rebound performance during last night’s 108-100 win over Charlotte still offers just a glimpse of what is coming. “I thought I moved pretty well - what do you think, P?” Garnett asked Paul Pierce [stats], who nodded and said, “I told him yesterday that he’s starting to move a lot better.” Coach Doc Rivers gladly seconded that view. “He’s starting to get it,” Rivers said. “The one play was terrific, where he ran and just kept (the ball) alive. He’s looking better each day. I was a little concerned the last game, but tonight I thought he played well. What I did like is that he’s making that jump shot again, which will lead to the other stuff.” No mustard on that Though Rivers was happy enough with Rajon Rondo [stats]’s career-high 16-assist performance, he wished that the young point guard would have left one second-quarter dish to Kendrick Perkins [stats] in the bag. With all but one Bobcat not bothering to chase him downcourt off a steal, Rondo waited under the basket for Perkins to run in from midcourt for the easy dunk. Rivers, alluding to how the players of his era would have made an opponent pay for that kind of hot-dogging, said, “They’re lucky that they play in this generation, that’s all I can say. It’s nice when you see a runner and you want to wait on him, but not that long. You never know how the other team will take that. I always would have taken that the wrong way.” Brown prepping P.J. Brown could be in uniform as soon as tomorrow’s game against Atlanta, although actual playing time is another matter. “But I’ll play him sooner than later,” Rivers said of the next step in the 38-year-old power forward’s acclimation into the Celtics system.cw0cw0 “We have two days of practice coming up (today and Monday) to work him out. He just needs to play some.” Brown, with both knees wrapped in ice packs following his pregame workout, allowed that his timetable is inexact. “I want to be able to help this team,” he said. “But right now, for me it’s just a matter of trying to fit in.” That counts in all sorts of ways. He is, for example, amused by the “Boogie Fever” video the team puts on the Jumbotron near the end of wins - a clip that features a bearded character wearing a Gino Vannelli T-shirt. “I liked that,” said Brown, who saw the video during Wednesday’s win over Cleveland. “I like ‘American Bandstand,’ (censored) Clark, all of that.” More to the point, he’s old enough to remember those things. “I grew up in the ’70s a little bit,” he said. “I’m an old-school guy. I have to turn these guys on to some James Brown and Al Green. I’m not just talking about basketball, but life with these guys.” Chance to play Jared Dudley is back on the upside of the cycle in terms of playing time with the Bobcats, though Charlotte really has no choice. The Bobcats, beset with injuries that now include a concussion suffered by Gerald Wallace, dressed only nine players against the C’s. But the former Boston College star continues to impress when given the chance by Charlotte. “I’m playing a little more and I can feel a huge difference,” said Dudley, who recorded nine points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes last night. “I’ve played well. I’ve been consistent.” Sam Vincent, the former Celtic who took over the Bobcats coaching job this season, agrees. “This is a great opportunity for Jared to get minutes,” he said. “He’ll play a lot as we go on. I’ve liked Jared from the beginning of the season. The fact that he hasn’t played a lot has nothing to do with how he’s played.” Eagle eyes Dudley, true to his alma mater, has kept track of BC’s fading fortunes this season, and has stayed in particularly close touch with Tyrese Rice. He only hopes that the BC guard, despite an outstanding junior season, decides to return for his senior year. “I pray he stays in school, which I think he will,” Dudley said. “He’ll be a first-team ACC player this season, and they’re building for next year. If he performs his role this year, it will only help his stock. He’s a little frustrated because he’s so much more talented than everyone right now, but that’s going to be a much better team next year.” . . . Tony Allen, who missed his second straight game last night, has added a case of the flu to his strained calf. He also missed yesterday morning’s shootaround. . . . Before the game, the Bobcats waived guard Jeff McInnis.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:19:25 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/celtics/index.php/2008/02/29/no-pj-just-yet/No P.J. just yet Don’t look for P.J. Brown tonight. Doc Rivers just said he wants to get the new acquisition some minutes, but he added that Brown probably won’t be activated until Sunday’s game against Atlanta. … Tony Allen will miss his second straight game tonight. In addition to his calf problems, Allen is suffering from the flu that is making a very slow trip through the team. … No one in an official capacity wants to talk about Sam Cassell because he still has to clear waivers. Sam, however, has no problem telling the world that he’ll sign with the Celts if and when he clears on Monday. Good thing Sam can’t be accused of tampering with himself.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:20:44 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/03/01/celtics_hold_off_pesky_bobcats?mode=PFCeltics hold off pesky Bobcats By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 1, 2008 While several players talked openly about the likely addition of veteran point guard Sam Cassell, Celtics coach Doc Rivers had a more immediate issue on his mind. "I'm not worried about it," he said. "I'm worried about [Charlotte]." Considering how the Celtics had struggled against the lowly Bobcats, Rivers had reason to be concerned. This game was no different as Boston held on for a 108-100 victory in front of a sellout crowd last night at TD Banknorth Garden. "For some reason, this team has confidence against us," said Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, who had 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in 32 minutes despite early foul trouble. "They come up with a nonchalant attitude. They are going to make runs. Just because they have a not-so-decent record doesn't mean they are a terrible team. Anybody can be beat night in and night out, and we know that." Up by only 5 points with 1:23 remaining, the Celtics improved to an NBA-best 45-12 and completed a 9-4 February. The Celtics have won six straight home games and three straight overall. They barely missed the franchise-record start of 45-11 set during the 1985-86 season. Charlotte dropped to 19-39 overall and 4-22 on the road. This was reminiscent of the previous two meetings. The Celtics needed a Ray Allen 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat host Charlotte, 96-95, Nov. 24. The Bobcats defeated Boston, 95-83, Jan. 9, behind 34 points from Jason Richardson. "Look at the guys on the roster," said Richardson, who scored a game-high 30 points and connected on four 3-pointers last night. "You got Kevin Garnett, future Hall of Famer. Ray Allen, future Hall of Famer. Paul Pierce, future Hall of Famer. They're a top team in the East. "That brings everything out in you. I just love playing here. Great arena, great fans here, just love playing against those guys that bring the best out of my game." Pierce, who had 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting, said: "We should have been 0-2 versus them. Tonight, we really beat them." Allen scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and center Kendrick Perkins had 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks. But the Celtics' individual stat of the night belonged to point guard Rajon Rondo, who dished a career-high 16 assists with only three turnovers. It was the most assists by a Celtic since Sherman Douglas had 18 March 1, 1995. Of Rondo's assists, the one talked about the most after the game was when he stopped despite being alone underneath to pass to Perkins for a dunk in the first quarter. "They are lucky they are playing in this generation, I'll say that," said Rivers. "What do you think would have happened [back in the day]? . . . It's nice in one way that you see your big [man] running and you wait for him, but not that long. Actually, if I was a ref, I would have called three seconds on him." Said Perkins: "[Rondo] is very unselfish. Sometimes he is too unselfish." The Celtics led, 96-84, after an Allen 3-pointer with 6:09 remaining. The Bobcats, however, went on a 7-0 run to trim their deficit to 96-91 with 2:49 left. Richardson's two free throws with 1:37 left sliced the Bobcats' deficit to 98-93. But Garnett gave Boston breathing room by nailing a 20-foot jumper with 1:22 left for a 100-93 lead. Charlotte couldn't get closer than 6 the rest of the way. "Tonight, we were more the culprit than them," Rivers said. "We had a chance to get away from them so many times and [we're] throwing the ball around, just missed layups, bad breaks, bad shots. I thought we let our guard down a little bit."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:22:03 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/03/01/cassell_clear_to_here?mode=PFCassell: Clear to here? By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 1, 2008 Don't be surprised if Carmelo Anthony tries to call his fellow Baltimore native, Sam Cassell, about coming to the Nuggets. Or if Steve Nash gets in touch with ex-teammate Cassell about coming to the Suns. Or if Jason Kidd tries to persuade ex-Maverick Cassell to join him in Dallas. But even though Cassell is fair game until he clears waivers, as expected, Monday at 6 p.m., his agent expects his client to end up in a Celtics uniform. David Falk said yesterday Cassell will sign with the Celtics if he clears waivers. The 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pounder will sign a contract for the remainder of the season receiving a prorated amount of the veterans' minimum of $1.2 million. While Denver, Dallas, and Phoenix reportedly may pursue him, Cassell expressed interest in coming to Boston before and after accepting a buyout from the Clippers Thursday. Kevin Garnett said yesterday he is definitely in favor of Cassell coming to Boston. Garnett and Cassell were teammates in Minnesota from 2003-05. Garnett said Cassell, a two-time NBA champion, and recently acquired forward-center P.J. Brown would add solid experience. "I've been checking on Sam to see how he's doing," Garnett said. "Other than that, nothing real personal . . . well, nothing as far as basketball or whatever. But he seems to be pretty good. I talked to him a couple days ago. "He'd be good for us along with P.J.'s experience. I think it would be a plus. There are so many different situations when you go on waivers and stuff. So, who knows? Whenever I talk to my friends personally, I like to see how they're doing personally, mentally, and physically. And then we get into other things." Ray Allen said he spoke to Cassell Thursday and also believes Cassell would be a great addition. Allen and Cassell were teammates in Milwaukee from 1999-2003, and Allen acknowledged that a sales pitch was not needed. "The minute KG got traded here in the summer, Sam liked what we looked like," Allen said. "He thought we were doing big things. It's been a long time for him since he's been able to say he's playing on a team that's vying for a championship." Said Garnett: "Everyone here would benefit from [Cassell], his experience and his talent. The same with P.J. You can't look at it as a guy coming in taking minutes or whatever. You've got to look at it like, 'I'm in a bar fight with some guys that really know how to fight.' " Rondo a fan During the Celtics' recent five-game Western trip, point guard Rajon Rondo said he had a short conversation with general manager Danny Ainge about Cassell. Rondo was happy to hear in advance from Ainge that Cassell could be coming to Boston, and the second-year man is looking forward to playing with him. Rondo still would be expected to start. "Coach [Doc] Rivers has helped me out a lot," Rondo said. "He played the game for 13 years. But having a guy alongside you that's out there during the same situations, playing against the same players, will help me a lot." The Celtics guard who probably would be affected most by Cassell's arrival is reserve Eddie House. House, however, expressed good will toward the 38-year-old Cassell. "It's a big picture here," House said. "We're trying to do something special. I welcome him with open arms." When asked about the challenge of helping his players adjust to a new arrival, Rivers said: "We talk to them all the time. [The media] will make a much bigger deal about it than we will in our own locker room. Everybody handles it different. Whoever doesn't handle it well, we'll try to sit them down and explain every move we make is to try to improve the team." Tony Allen out again Tony Allen missed his second straight game with a left calf strain and also has the flu. Allen has expressed hope of returning Wednesday against Detroit . . . The Celtics are helping Brown learn the offensive plays with reading material and video. Rivers said Brown could make his debut tomorrow against Atlanta. "The main thing is trying to learn the system, the terminology, the schemes, and try to get as comfortable as I can with that," Brown said. "I think it's going OK. Physically, I feel pretty good." . . . North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who coached Celtics forwards Paul Pierce and Scot Pollard at Kansas, attended the game. Bobcats guard Raymond Felton and injured forward Sean May played for Williams at North Carolina. Williams's Tar Heels face Boston College today.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:28:17 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/green_room/2008/02/sam_he_is.htmlSam he is Email|Link|Comments (1) Posted by Jesse Nunes February 29, 2008 01:56 PM So, it looks like Sam Cassell is the answer to the long-asked question on the depth of the point guard position. The C’s look to be on the verge of picking up the piece they most desperately needed -- insurance for Rajon Rondo -- and didn't have to give up anything in the process. (Gotta love the buyout system!) And it's hard to argue that the Celtics could have had a better haul by March 1 than getting both Sam I Am and P.J. Brown. I have to say, though, I have some reservations. First of all, this is a tight team. They forged their bond in Rome, carried their "Ubuntu" philosophy over to the regular season, and for the most part have remained an unchanged unit since the preseason. They have a set starting five, and a set point guard. Rajon Rondo is that man, and has exceeded almost all expectations to this point in the season. So, bringing in a cult of personality like Sam Cassell to be the "backup point guard" makes me slightly worried. Why? Well, because of quotes like this: "Can I be effective with that team?" Cassell said before the Clippers played Boston Monday night. "I think that team is lacking … Rondo is a great young talent. In the playoffs, it takes more than talent to win playoff basketball games. Leadership means everything. Knowing who to get the ball to, knowing when to run, knowing when to set it up. I have experience." Sam shows his veteran craftiness on the defensive end. (Matthew J. Lee / Globe Staff Photo) Doesn't sound too much like a guy who plans on being a "backup point guard" come playoff time. It’s also not a ringing endorsement of Rondo's ability to succeed when the chips are on the table. And remember, it was Rondo who took Cassell out to the shed for a basketball beating when the C’s and Clips met a few weeks ago, ending with Cassell’s mob-like attempt at Rajon’s life after getting beat to the hoop for the 50th time in the game. Anyway, you have to wonder how Rajon is going to respond if Sam is going to be the de facto point guard in any crunch time situation. Then again, Doc hasn't been playing Rondo in those situations much this year anyway. Still, there's the whole Ubuntu thing … you know, the all-for-one and one-for-all Three Musketeers mentality the C's have been espousing all season. How does Sam I Am fit into that? When lobbying for a buyout from the Clippers, he sure displayed a good dose of modesty. "I know for a fact I've done tremendous things for this organization," Cassell told reporters in Los Angeles. "I've helped this organization have respectability in the city of LA, at least for a year, where everybody walked around with their chests out, and they can't tell me I didn't." Yeah, the Clippers were decent because of Sam Cassell ... at least until Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston went down. Am I being overly critical here? Probably. I just want to point out that this could be a locker-room changing type of guy, and I'm not convinced it’s going to be for the better. On the plus side, both Ray Allen and KG have a strong past with Sam, and should be able to facilitate the transition. If fact, you couldn't ask for two better guys for that. So now we'll have to wait and see how this thing plays out on the court. Can Sam still play at a level to warrant crunch time minutes? Offensively I have no doubt. Defensively I have many, many concerns. Still, despite my concerns on and off the court, I'd much rather take Cassell over nothing at all. The biggest threat to the success of this team -- an injury to Rajon Rondo -- has been mitigated. Now the C's could conceivably handle an injury to any single player down the stretch without collapsing completely. More ‘deadline’ thoughts. • Is there anything stranger than the “buyout” deadline in the NBA? The whole system seems screwed up to me. Right around the same time you have a bunch of overpaid, disgruntled former stars on bad teams all lobbying to be paid a lot of money to be let out of their contract. What other industry does this happen in? Sure, when a CEO of a large company takes a buyout and a golden parachute it’s always incredibly sketchy, but at least those cash windfalls are always met with outrage from the general public. How come the same isn’t true in basketball, where the payouts for leaving are in the millions of dollars? Plus, the whole system just makes the rich teams richer and the poor teams poorer. For the really good teams, they don’t have to give up anything more than the money it costs for a veteran’s minimum salary to make a major acquisition. But no really good players go to mediocre teams or teams on the cusp of making the playoffs. So the mediocre teams remain mediocre and the really good teams get even better. If the C’s didn’t benefit so much from the system I’d probably be a lot angrier with it. • Speaking of buyouts, after Mike Bibby was traded to Atlanta, I had been secretly hoping that the Kings would buy out Tyronn Lue, who was part of the deal. It seemed with Beno Udrich, Anthony Johnson, and Lue that the Kings had too many experienced point guards after the Bibby trade. And, I thought, if Lue was bought out, how perfect a fit would he have been for the C’s? He’s a bona fide backup point guard and wouldn’t come in with any illusions of usurping Rondo in the pecking order. He also has a great relationship with Doc Rivers from their Orlando days, so getting on board the team’s philosophy wouldn’t have been a problem, and he also provides much better defense than Cassell would bring. Anyway, only a few days ago my hopes were raised when the New York Times had a piece speculating that Lue would be bought out. This was followed soon after by this tidbit in the Orlando Sentinel: Lue just grinned Sunday when asked about the possibility of going to Boston, making it clear that he already had been thinking along those lines. He already has two NBA championship rings (2000, 2001) from his days with the Lakers. He would like to get one more, possibly in Boston. At this point, it looks like it wasn’t meant to be, Tyronn. Maybe next year. • I got a good chuckle out of this bit from Peter May’s Celtics notebook on Monday: A number of players on executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge's to-do list will become available, most notably Brent Barry tomorrow. Also possibilities: Sam Cassell (provided the Clippers buy him out and waive him by midnight Friday) and Chris Andersen (who would fit the need for an athletic big man, but who still is awaiting league and union approval on his reinstatement filings. Chris Anderson?!? Wow, that would have been rich (it’s a moot point now that P.J. Brown is a Celtic.) Still, how great would that have been? Think about it: sharing space at the end of the Celtics bench would have been Scot Pollard, who once looked into an NBA sideline camera and said "Hey kids, do drugs!" and Chris Anderson, who was kicked out of the NBA two years ago for doing drugs. I smell a new, potentially disastrous episode of Planet Pollard. • A few thoughts on P.J. Brown: It’s hard not to love this signing. Hopefully it means a few things. First, it should (finally) squeeze Scal out of any meaningful playing time (sorry Matt). Scal’s time had been dwindling as Big Baby and Powe have exceeded expectations this year, but with any more injuries Scal would have been back in the rotation. It’s hard to see that happening now. Thank goodness. P.J. also provides the veteran inside presence the C’s are lacking outside of Garnett. Big Baby, Powe, and even Perk have played the best you can expect of them so far this year, but having P.J. push them for minutes and provide some much-needed veteran wiliness in the post. It is even more important since Scott Pollard has been such a failure this year… I mean, how often is a Celtic more valuable as a comedian than as a player? Delonte was a funny guy, but at least he could play.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:31:32 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x1382806207Celtics 108, Bobcats 100: Perkins, Rondo lead charge -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Scott Souza/Daily News staff GateHouse News Service Sat Mar 01, 2008, 03:16 AM EST -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story Tools: Email This | Print This BOSTON - With P.J. Brown already on the bench, and the overwhelming expectation that Sam Cassell will be a Celtic once he clears waivers Monday night, the players the two additions figure to impact most did their best to stake a claim for a prime share of the new minutes pie last night. Point guard Rajon Rondo challenged a triple-double with nine points, six rebounds and a career-high 16 assists, while starting center Kendrick Perkins had 19 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots as the Celtics finally shook a Bobcats team that has been an irritant all season in a 108-100 victory at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Celtics needed a Ray Allen buzzer-beater to win in Charlotte on Nov. 24, then had their most lopsided home loss of the season (95-83) at the hands of the Bobcats on Jan. 9. But after another night of aggravation against the undermanned Bobcats, they eventually turned away the upstarts for their 45th win of the year. While Allen had a team-high 23 points (including 5 3-pointers), Kevin Garnett had 17 points and nine rebounds and Paul Pierce had 13 points, Rondo and Perkins accounted for many of the biggest, and most entertaining, baskets of the night. Late in the first quarter, Rondo had an open-court steal and waited for Perkins to lumber up the parquet for a reverse dunk rather than take it in alone himself. He challenged the big man a little more early in the third quarter when he fired a wicked skip pass in transition that Perkins gathered and turned into another dunk. “That one play where he had a breakaway and waited for Perk to come down just shows how unselfish Rajon is,” said Pierce. “He’s constantly getting into lane, understanding what his game can be. He’s learning more about himself as the year goes on and what kind of player he can be. When guys are getting open, he’s finding them. When they’re not, he’s finding ways to finish at the rim. He’s maturing before our eyes.” “I saw him do one yesterday in practice that was even better (than the skip pass) - the best pass I have ever seen him throw,” Perkins said. “It was something similar. But it was more And 1-like.” Some careless play early allowed the Bobcats a 14-7 lead before a Perkins dunk, Allen 3-pointer and a Rondo drive tied the game. Charlotte briefly went back up five and Boston responded with a 16-4 run and 30-23 lead on the fourth Perkins dunk of the quarter. “Charlotte has trouble guarding the pick-and-roll,” Perkins noted. “Their bigs don’t like to guard you, so I was rolling hard and guys were finding me with passes. I think we held it down until KG got back and Ticket got us going again.” A pair of baskets from former BC star Jared Dudley got the Bobcats within 33-32 in the opening seconds of the second quarter. It was almost all Celtics from there into the half as Leon Powe had seven points and four rebounds during an 18-5 run over the next 6:08. The lead hit 15 three times in the quarter with Pierce’s 3-pointer in the final second making it 61-46 at the half. The Celtics stretched the lead to 17, at 69-52, on the Rondo skip pass to Perkins and a Garnett jumper off a Perkins block. Charlotte crawled within nine over the next seven minutes before an 8-0 Celtic run restored order late in the third. Another Charlotte run of 11-2 run made it 88-80 at 8:59 of the fourth when Rondo’s 13th assist of the game found James Posey for a 3-pointer. Charlotte was down just seven, 91-84, two minutes later when Garnett scored off Rondo’s 14th assist and Allen knocked down a trey off the point guard’s 15th dime to restore a 12-point lead. Charlotte then made yet another burst, getting as close as 96-91with 2:44 left, but a pair of Garnett jumpers from Allen and a Garnett steal that went to Rondo, and finally Allen for the layup on Rondo’s 16th assist, finally settled the issue.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:33:33 GMT -5
aol.nba.com/celtics/news/blog/post-ups.htmlFebruary 29 - Bobcats at CelticsPostgame Wrap Up Game Story | Recap The best thing about joint press conferences is that every answer is potentially up for discussion, and in the case of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, some comedy too. So when I asked Kevin Garnett how he felt he was moving and if the abdominal injury is behind him at this point, Garnett initially deflected the question to Pierce. "I thought I moved pretty well. What did you think, P?" Garnett asked. "I told him yesterday he's looking better," Pierce said. "When you have an injury it's about getting your timing and confidence back." "Knocking a lot of rust off...The West Coast trip was good for me. Timing is everything. Tonight I thought I was overly agressive to begin the game. I like to be like that sometimes, it sort of gets my teammates going. I thought I was mobile and agile like usual. The Cleveland game was difficult for me, but hell, I got through it and we won that game and tonight was a better night for me." Rivers agreed with that assessment during his presser, which is available in the Audio Archive, along with sound from KG, Paul and Perk. Live Courtside Blog Live Scoreboard 108-100 Celtics, FINAL: Rondo's 16 assists will grab plenty of attention, but KG stood out to me. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and again, tons of stuff you can't see in the box score. A nice game for Perk; he blocked five shots. But KG is the Celtics.com Player of the Game tonight. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. 102-93 Celtics, 1:12/4th: KG hit a pair of baseline jumpers, and then came up with a steal to set up Rondo's 16th assist for a breakaway Allen dunk, all in the span of 40 seconds. That might do it... 96-91 Celtics, 2:01/4th: Make that scoreless for the last four minutes and the lead is down to five. 96-89 Celtics, 3:09/4th: The Bobcats are hanging around and the Celtics have gone scoreless for the last three minutes... 96-84 Celtics, 6:06/4th: Rondo just found Ray Allen alone at the top of the key for his 15th assist. HIs previous career high was 12 dimes on February 10 vs. San Antonio. 86-72 Celtics, End of 3rd: Well, Dwight Howard isn't the only one who can fly like Superman. Lucky the Leprechaun, fresh off the DL himself, just nailed a dunk off the trampoline with a Superman cape between periods. "YOU!!!!" 78-67 Celtics, 2:45/3rd: More on KG...He looks more and more tonight like the KG of the start of the season. He's tipping rebounds to himself above the heads of opponents, tracking balls down from several feet away, collapsing on guys who've cut to the basket, diving to the floor for loose balls, changing people's shots and erasing the mistakes of his teammates. He's also calling for the ball in the post again, which is something he just didn't seem to be doing much of on the West Coast trip. In short, he looks like KG. His current line: 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and ton of things that won't show up in the box score. 67-52 Celtics, 9:10/3rd: Rondo's ninth assist was a beauty; he connected on a long (almost from halfcourt) diagonal bounce pass to a streaking Kendrick Perkins for the layup. KG has picked up the intensity on the defensive end and looks much better than he did on Wednesday night. 61-46 Celtics, Halftime: Doc called timeout with 16 seconds left in the half looking to get a specific play, and it panned out nicely. Paul Pierce knocked down a wide-open three to end the half. Stat of the Half: Assists - Celtics 17, Bobcats 11 56-44 Celtics, 1:43/2nd: KG and Nazr Mohammed had to be separated at the last whistle while they had a staring contest. That earned them a double-technical foul. Meanwhile, Kansas coach Roy Williams was interviewed during the timeout by Willie Maye and he called Scot Pollard the "best three-point shooter I ever coached" before laughing it up and nodding at Pollard. 45-35 Celtics, 5:51/2nd: The Celtics have opened up their largest lead of the night as their ball movement continues and the Bobcats' defense seems a step slow. Garnett finally got in the book at the free throw line here in the second after picking up those two quick fouls in the first. On the defensive end, the C's have done a nice job of bottling up Richardson, who's dominating the ball for Charlotte but is just 3/10 from the field for 11 points. 33-28 Celtics, End of 1st: Kendrick Perkins is 4-5 from the field and 3-3 from the line for a quick 11 points in the first quarter. The Bobcats haven't really rotated well on defense so Perk has been able to dunk a few home. Rondo is racking up the dimes already; he's got six assists. Stat of the Quarter: Points in the Paint - Celtics 18, Bobcats 8. Also, we forgot to mention that the Bobcats announced that they released point guard Jeff McInnis before tonight's game. Coach Sam Vincent said before the game that the release was a move to give Raymond Felton more playing time at the point. 9-7 Bobcats, 8:51/1st: KG just sat down after he picked up his second foul, a rather hard shot against Jason Richardson as he attacked the hoop. Richardson, as you may recall, lit the Celtics up for 34 in their January 9 win over the C's at the Garden. A message, perhaps? Pregame Media Access Discussion in the Celtics locker room centered on the team's acquisition of P.J. Brown and speculation about the signing of free agent point guard Sam Cassell, who was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday afternoon. By rule, Cassell had to clear waivers before being eligible to sign with the team of his choice. With that in mind, Rajon Rondo was in high demand in the locker room, as reporters wanted to know how Rondo would get along with Cassell if he were added to the team. Rondo joked that if Cassell fouled him like he did the last time the Clippers were at the Garden, there'd be a fight. "It wasn't a big deal. I just wanted to get up and make my free throws. It was a frustration foul and that's just part of the game," Rondo said. As for his feelings about having a veteran point guard around to help with his own development, Rondo said Danny Ainge asked for his opinion and Rondo endorsed the idea. "I told him it would be a great idea. I think he can only help me," Rondo said. "He's been in the playoffs many times, and in certain situations he can teach me. He's a master of the midrange game and that's what I've been working on a lot this year." As for the Celtics' Wednesday acquisition, P.J. Brown spent about 45 minutes before the game working with strength coach Bryan Doo (loosening up) and Clifford Ray (low post moves) out on the Garden court. While working on his game is a priority, Brown said he also hopes to work with some of the Celtics younger players with regard to their tastes in music and fashion. He said Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis are at the top of his list for wardrobe makeovers. Shootaround Update and Game Preview P.R. chief Jeff "Twister" Twiss passes along word that everyone except for Tony Allen is participating in the morning shootaround. Doc Rivers said yesterday that he didn't think Allen would be ready to go tonight and this pretty much confirms his suspicion. TA has a strained right calf and is presumably "day-to-day". We'll look for an update at pregame access tonight or tomorrow's practice. For more details, check today's game preview. February 28 - PracticeBrown Getting Acclimated with Celtics' Culture P.J. Brown learned quite a bit about the Celtics during his first day of practice, but nothing more important than these two things: Gino and Ubuntu. After the hour-plus session at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint, Brown and the rest of his teammates were scooping up "GINO" T-shirts sent along by 70s crooner Gino Vanelli, whose image graces the now iconic shirt worn by a bearded, disco-dancing dude on the jumbotron at the TD Banknorth Garden when the Celtics have sealed a victory. Moments earlier, Assistant Coach Armond Hill was explaining the meaning of "ubuntu" (the Celtics' training camp mantra that has various translations equating to something along the lines of "I am because we are") and promised him a t-shirt with that slogan as well. So it was a busy day for Brown, who still needs to handle learning the team's offensive and defensive schemes. Since he's played for Pat Riley, he said some of Rivers and Tom Thibodeau's terminology and philosophies are familiar, but he did say that his brain felt like "scrambled eggs" as he tries to absorb all the information. "It was an adventure, I'll say that. But I got a lot of things done," Brown said. "I was a little winded at times but I was a lot better than I thought I would be." Doc Rivers said Brown would not be in the mix for Friday's game against Charlotte and reiterated that he's in no hurry for Brown to take the floor, but did say he'd be dressing his new big man sometime soon. "At the end of the day, the only way you're going to get things down is by going out there and playing and getting familiar with your teammates," Rivers said. "He's in very good shape for where he's been. When you're not playing in this league, to be able to get through a practice, that's pretty good." Brown says he's been watching plenty of NBA basketball this year, and likes what he's seen out of the Celtics, especially on the defensive end. As for what he'll bring to the table, Brown stresses that he's looking to add his knowledge and experience, or just be a cheerleader "like M.L. Carr" if that's what his role requires. "I just want to keep it going in the right direction. I don't want to mess up the chemistry. These guys have a great bond here. I don't want to mess that up," Brown said. "If you can't get along with P.J. Brown, you can't get along with [anybody]." Check the Audio Archive for interviews with Doc Rivers, P.J. Brown and Paul Pierce. Gino Time - at Practice??? P.R. Director Heather Walker has a special surprise for the guys today: Official Gino T-Shirts. We'll have the full report after today's media availability
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:52:45 GMT -5
B'cats scare Celtics again
By Bill Doyle Telegram & Gazette Staff wdoyle@telegram.com
BOSTON— For some reason, the lowly Charlotte Bobcats don't bring out the best in the Celtics.
When the Bobcats last visited the Garden on Jan. 9, they snapped Boston's nine-game winning streak and their own 11-game road losing streak while handing the Green its most lopsided home loss of the season, 95-83.
When the Celtics visited Charlotte on Nov. 24, they needed Eddie House's steal and Ray Allen's 3-pointer at the horn to win.
Last night, the Celtics led by 17 in the third quarter and took a 14-point lead into the fourth, but had to hold on to beat the Bobcats, 108-100, before the usual sellout crowd at the Garden.
"For some reason," Kevin Garnett said, "this team has confidence against us and they come out with a nonchalant attitude."
"I thought tonight we were more the culprit than them," Celtics coach Doc Rivers admitted. "We had a chance to get away from them so many times, and throwing the ball around and just missed layups, bad breaks, bad shots. I thought we kind of let our guard down a little bit."
The Celtics appeared to be in command when they took an 86-72 lead into the fourth quarter. North Carolina coach Roy Williams, on hand to watch some of his former players, even left. But Charlotte twice pulled within five in the final three minutes. Both times, however, Garnett answered with jumpers.
Garnett finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds and Ray Allen poured in a team-high 23 points as the Celtics won their fourth in a row and their seventh straight at home. They also improved to 11-0 at home on Fridays and 7-1 all-time on Leap Day.
The Bobcats have lost five in a row and 12 of 13. Gerald Wallace, their leading scorer, has missed the last three games with a concussion.
In Boston to coach UNC at Boston College this afternoon, Williams sat four rows behind the Celtics bench to watch Boston's Paul Pierce and Scot Pollard, whom he coached at Kansas, and Charlotte's Raymond Felton, whom he coached at UNC. Felton was impressive, collecting 22 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds, but Pierce had his second consecutive off-night, making only 5 of 15 shots after sinking just 4 of 14 with 6 turnovers on Wednesday against Cleveland. Pierce finished with 13 points.
The Celtics shot 52.3 percent through the first three quarters, but just 33.3 percent (7 of 21) in the fourth to help the Bobcats make a game of it.
Kendrick Perkins, playing with a sore left shoulder, finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds, the biggest being an offensive board with 30 seconds left to set up two Pierce foul shots that made it 104-96. Rajon Rondo scored 9 points and dished out a career-high 16 assists, the most by a Celtic since Sherman Douglas had 18 on March 1, 1995.
For Charlotte, Jason Richardson pumped in 30 points and Matt Carroll scored 16.
Even with an extra day in February this year, the Celtics still finished with the fewest victories in any month so far this season. They ended up 9-5 in February after going 10-5 in January, 13-1 in December, and 13-2 in November.
On the other hand, it was Boston's best February since going 9-4 in 1991 and only its sixth winning February since. February is traditionally a difficult month for the Celtics because they're on the road much of the time.
Interviewed during a timeout, Williams told the Garden crowd that Pollard was the best 3-point shooter he ever coached because he made his only attempt for him. After Pierce hit a 3-pointer to push Boston's lead to 61-46 at the half, he said something to Williams on the way to the locker room.
"I just told him I could shoot the 3, too," Pierce said.
Rondo dished out 6 assists in the first quarter, including one of the strangest of the season. He picked off an Emeka Okafor pass, then raced ahead of the field to the basket. Instead of scoring an uncontested layup, he waited a few seconds for Perkins to catch up, then handed him the ball for a dunk.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:53:39 GMT -5
www.patriotledger.com/sports/x1938849357Celtics expect Cassell to fit right in -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mike Fine The Patriot Ledger Posted Mar 01, 2008 @ 01:58 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — Just as there was no rush in bringing along newly acquired big man P.J. Brown, the Celtics were patiently waiting the arrival of little man Sam Cassell Friday night. Cassell, waived by the Los Angeles Clippers, will be a free agent once he clears waivers, and his preferred destination is Boston. There seems to be no indication that he’ll sign elsewhere. In fact, the veteran point guard has done and said just about everything to show his interest in becoming the backup to second-year starter Rajon Rondo. “He gives us that stability,” said Celts shooting guard Ray Allen before his team’s Garden matchup with the Charlotte Bobcats. “He’s a smart enough guy to know what he needs to do, to come here and help the team out.” Cassell expressed interest in joining the Celtics when the Clippers were in Boston on Feb. 6 but was forced to restrain comments because he was still a member of the floundering Clippers. The Clippers were anxious to let him go, saving about $1.7 million of his $6 million salary, and the Celtics can now pick him up for a pro-rated amount of $850,000. The Clippers were unable to come to a quick financial settlement with the 15-year veteran, which held up the separation process. The Celtics have been short a backup to Rondo all season, with Eddie House more suited to shooting duties than ball-handling. It was something Cassell noted as far back as last summer, according to Allen, a Cassell teammate on the Milwaukee Bucks from 1998-2003. “The minute KG (Kevin Garnett) was traded in the summer,” Allen said, “Sam liked what we looked like. He thought we were doing good things.” Cassell also played with Garnett, in Minnesota. The 38-year-old Cassell had been with the Clippers, his seventh team, since the 2005-06 season and was happy there, but when starting forward Elton Brand went down with an injury last summer, keeping him out of action for all of this season to date, the Clippers were unable to pick up the slack. They’d won only 19 games through Thursday. He is a career 15.9-point scorer, with 6.0 assists, and he plays with a fire and joy that make him an asset. “It’s been a long time for him since he had an opportunity to say he was on a team that was vying for a championship,” Allen said. “Sam’s a guy who you know what you’re gonna get. He’s a steady force. He takes care of himself and knows how to play the game.” Cassell has been dealing with a hand injury that has kept him out of action since Feb. 20, but there’s a feeling that he’ll be ready to go as soon as he’s eligible to join the Celtics Monday. The Celtics host Detroit Wednesday. He likely won’t see heavy action right off the bat – if at all – but could be useful down the stretch of some games. Rondo is shooting only .606 from the free throw line. Cassell is at .891. Rondo said he has no problem with a veteran coming to back him up, even if Cassell did get ejected for a flagrant foul on him in the Garden meeting. “It was a frustration foul, part of the game,” Rondo said, adding that Celts Director of Operations Danny Ainge spoke to him about the possibility of adding the veteran. “He asked me how I felt about it and I told him it was a good idea. He’s a veteran point guard who’s established.” Rondo said he didn’t feel the least bit threatened after speaking to Ainge. “I could learn a lot from (Cassel). He’s a master of the midrange game. That’s what I’ve been working on. And he (Ainge) told me he’s a good guy. He’s definitely going to help us out in the postseason.” Other Celtics can see the value of the deal. “Sometimes, even with Rondo at his age (22), he doesn’t have a guy in front of him, who he’s watching,” Allen said. “He’s done a great job, but sometimes, guys in front of you can talk you through things.” Mostly, Cassell would be a great fit for this group. “For what I know, he’s very emotional,” Allen said. “He’s a fun guy to be around. he’s a good teammate. He’s good in the locker room. People enjoy watching him play.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 9:57:57 GMT -5
forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/02/win_45_for_the_celtics.html#commentsWin #45 for the Celtics The next win for this Celtic team will be a career high for coach Doc Rivers, a one time Coach of the Year with Orlando. Doc Rivers patiently, and loyally developed one of the youngest rosters in the league for a few years, and dealt with a few 'interesting' and challenging personalities along the way (Marcus Banks, Gary Payton, Paul Pierce, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, and Antoine Walker - just to name a few.) It wasn't the way he wanted it. But it was the way it was. Patience is a virtue or... All things comes to he who waits.... like a three all star team led by one of the 5 most coveted players in the league. Glenn 'Doc' Rivers ended up with a coach's dream roster this year that has just gotten better with the signing of P.J. Brown and the imminent signing of Sam Cassell. To the surprise of everyone, this Celtic team hangs it hat on defense. Kudos to Doc for being willing to bring in Larry Brown (who ended up passing on Beantown) and finally bringing in Tom Thibodeau to construct this team's defensive schemes. They have made quick work of much of the NBA up to now and lead the entire league with 45 wins. Tonight's Game Tonight, they did just what they had to, and used not one ounce of energy more, to beat the Charlotte Bobcats. They made the Bobcats look good, and the score was closer than it should have been, by perplexingly settling for jump shots in the 4th quarter. They could have had their way in the paint in spite of Emeka Okafor and Nazr Mohammed in the middle for the Bobcats for much of the quarter. The team went from looking very good to looking rather careless in spurts, depending on what play you were watching. They missed a number of fast breaks with careless passing and decision making, but they were quite unselfish with the ball night as they garnered 33 assists on 41 baskets. Rajon Rondo had a career night in that department with 16 dimes to go with 9 points and 6 rebounds while doing an acceptable job defensively on high scoring Bobcat guard Ray Felton. Felton and Jason Richardson took over half of Charlotte's shots (43 of 82) as Richardson didn't meet a shot tonight he didn't like. He led the 'Cats with 30 points on 10-26 shooting. It seems that Pierce concentrated on defending JR for the rest of the game and scored just 13 points on 5-15 shooting, though he did hit a key mid range jumper near the end when Charlotte was within a few possessions of tying it up. Ray Allen was on all night, going 5-7 from downtown and leading the Celtics with 23 points. Kevin Garnett added 17 points and 9 boards, though few were of his baskets were inside. KG played 32 minutes but did not look himself, even though he engaged in his usual on court trash talking, this time with a frustrated Nazr Mohammed. They each received technicals. Garnett received a quick 2nd foul in the first quarter trying to cover for Paul Pierce when Richardson got by Paul and was heading for an easy two. PP looked disgusted (at himself) on the play. Even though Garnett went out and Davis came in, the Celtics made a run to tie the game and eventually took the lead in the quarter. Many of Rondo's assists went to big man Kendrick Perkins. Perkins scored 11 first quarter points on an assortments of dunks and lay-ins. PK ended with one of his most productive games as a pro, finishing with 19 points on 8-10 shooting, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals, 2 assists, and 4 TOs. I'm wondering if it is any coincidence that Rondo and Perkins each had big games as new comer PJ Brown has been practicing with the team, and was in attendance, while Sam Cassell is on the way. Hmm..... Brown has said he will try to mentor the young bigs on the team and his locker is next to Glen Davis' in the practice facility. Leon Powe played well with 9 tough points in the paint and 4 boards in 11 minutes, while James Posey was throwing more dimes (5) and hitting threes (2-4) to go with 4 boards. Glen also had a solid game with 7 points and 4 rebounds in 14 plus minutes. Big Baby gave Emeka a big back ache as he lowered the boom on Okafor on one play, as he jumped on his back (literally) when he tried to stop a sure lay-up from behind. Okafor crumpled to the ground under the weight. It was something to behold. Davis received a flagrant foul on the play. The Celtic bench all contributed nicely as Charlotte's defense left much to be desired. I've read that the team has given up on coach Sam Vincent as they have only won a single game ( are now 1-12) in the entire month of February. While it seemed they were competitive tonight, it was more of a case of the killer whale playing with a baby seal, before eating it as its next meal. The Celtics played a fairly slow almost deliberate game against them it appeared to me, in spite of their 108 points. So, Doc's next win is a milestone, though he has many more to add before the season is done.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 10:08:37 GMT -5
www.enterprisenews.com/sports/x210978510CELTICS NOTEBOOK: Rondo, Cassell tocross paths again? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jim Fenton ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER Posted Feb 29, 2008 @ 11:44 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — The last time Rajon Rondo saw Sam Cassell, they were involved in a play that resulted in a flagrant foul and an ejection. Rondo was driving to the basket in a game on Feb. 6 when he was knocked to the floor from behind by Cassell, who was the Los Angeles Clippers point guard at the time. Cassell was whistled for the flagrant foul, then ejected from a game that Rondo and the Boston Celtics went on to win at the TD Banknorth Garden. “It wasn’t a big deal,” said Rondo Friday night. “I just wanted to get up and make my free throws. It was a frustration foul, just part of the game.” The next time Rondo sees Cassell, they will likely be Celtics’ teammates and fellow point guards on the team with the best record in the NBA. The 38-year-old Cassell, waived by the Clippers on Thursday after receiving a buyout worth an estimated $800,000, is expected to sign with the Celtics on Monday night. Though other teams have interest in Cassell, all indications are Boston will be his destination, and now it’s a matter of waiting for the waiver process to expire at 6 p.m. Monday. Rondo, whose father is only eight years older than Cassell, is excited about the prospects of having an experienced player backing him up heading down the stretch and into the playoffs and won’t feel threatened by his presence. “I don’t think like that,” said Rondo before a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. “That would be selfish of me. I’m thinking of the team, and obviously a veteran point guard like Sam Cassell, who is established in this league, can only help the team and help me. “I think it would help me a lot. Coach (Doc) Rivers has helped me a lot because he played 13 years (as a point guard). To have a guy playing alongside you who has been in the same situations, it’ll help me a lot.” Rondo said that the Celtics executive director of basketball operations, Danny Ainge, has spoken with him about the prospects of having Cassell join the team. “He didn’t say he was going to take my spot, that he’s definitely here to help us in the postseason and help me develop even more,” said Rondo. “He asked how I felt about it. It wasn’t my decision. I told him I thought it’d be a great idea. He can only help me. He’s been in the game a long time.” Ray Allen, a teammate of Cassell with the Milwaukee Bucks, talked to Cassell this week. Allen said Cassell started thinking about playing for the Celtics once Kevin Garnett joined the team in July. Cassell and Garnett had success together with the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I think it’s been a long time for him since he had the opportunity to say he was on a team vying for a championship,” said Allen. “He’s been just a steady force. He takes care of himself and he knows how to play the game.” Brown may debut Sunday: Newcomer P.J. Brown may play his first game with the Celtics Sunday night when they host the Atlanta Hawks. The 38-year-old Brown, who signed a free-agent contract Wednesday and practiced Thursday, has not played a game since he was in the playoffs with the Chicago Bulls last spring. “I’m going to get him on the floor as soon as possible,” said Rivers. “He needs minutes just to work off some of the rust. Probably as early as Sunday, we’ll activate him. “I’m going to play him sooner than later. I don’t know when he’ll help us. I’m just concerned about getting him ready.” Brown will wear No. 93 in honor of his rookie season (1993-’94 and the year he got married). He had worn No. 42 ever since high school, but Tony Allen has that. Allen sits out: Tony Allen, who missed his second straight game with a strained calf, is also struggling with the flu and did not attend the game.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 1, 2008 10:09:27 GMT -5
www.patriotledger.com/sports/x1339289135Celtics hold off Bobcats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mike Fine The Patriot Ledger Posted Mar 01, 2008 @ 12:01 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — If you had a choice between a root canal and a ticket to the Celtics-Bobcats game Friday night, you’d have been well advised to settle for an evening in the dentist’s chair. It’s just that the lowly Bobcats have this thing about the Celtics, having already beaten them once in Boston while seemingly having them beaten in Charlotte, too, before a bonehead pass led to a Ray Allen buzzer-beating, game-winning jumper. “We should have been 0-2 against them,” Paul Pierce said. “Tonight we beat them.” The 108-100 win was far from easy, the Celtics squandering a 17-point third-quarter lead, letting the visitors crawl to within five with 1:37 left before Kevin Garnett hit a pair of jumpers to end a 0-for-7 Celtics scoring drought. “There are no bad players in this league,” said Garnett, who scored 17 points with nine rebounds, “only bad teams.” So the Celtics were forced to contend with the onslaught of 30 Jason Richardson points, plus 22 by Raymond Felton. They did so mainly because Allen, over the last minute, hit a fast-break dunk off a turnover, plus four free throws, finishing with 23 points. They also did so because Kendrick Perkins was a Star for the Day with 19 points, nine boards and five blocks. More than anything, though, as the Celtics await some backup help from Sam Cassell, Rajon Rondo came through with a career-high 16 assists, the most by a Celtic since Sherman Douglas’s 18 on March 1, 1995. “He’s maturing right before our eyes,” Pierce said of the second-year guard. The Celtics were ragged, giving up 23 points on 17 turnovers. They did it without Tony Allen (flu) as well as newcomer P.J. Brown (not active). They also did it without Garnett for much of the first half, thanks to quick foul trouble. “The only thing that held us back was turnovers,” Pierce said. “We had little mental lapses throughout the game.” So, as Pierce (13 points, 5-for-15) played in front of former Kansas coach Roy Williams (and Williams’ current team, North Carolina, too), the Celtics methodically picked apart the visitors with a 19-7 first-quarter run without Garnett and an 18-5 second-quarter run. When Pierce canned a three-pointer to end the first half, the Celtics took a 61-46 lead into the locker room and were sitting very pretty, having scored 17 points off eight Charlotte turnovers. There was no way the Celtics were going to submit as they did in their previous Garden contest with the Bobcats, who this time were without 20.6-point scorer Gerald Wallace (concussion). Garnett jawed at Nazr Mohammed in the second quarter, each picking up a technical, and Glen Davis picked up a flagrant foul when he slammed Emeka Okafor to the ground on a layup attempt earlier in the quarter. To their credit, the Bobcats didn’t stop playing. They closed to within nine late in the third quarter, only to give up eight straight Celts points, and a 7-0 run into the fourth pulled them to within 10.
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