News 4/15

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087175&format=text
After appetizer, C’s get hungry for main course
Beat NY, draw ATL in playoffs

By Steve Bulpett | Tuesday, April 15, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
NEW YORK - After feeding their fans a bushel of bad basketball this season, the Knicks tried to placate their remaining patrons with free food last night.cw0

The concession stands offered chow and non-alcoholic beverages to anyone wishing to line up, and vendors went through the stands handing out free stuff.

The surreality spread to the Celtics [team stats] bench, where Paul Pierce [stats] sat in civilian clothes and ate popcorn - free popcorn - while, predictably, the Celts ate the Knicks’ lunch, 99-93.

“They didn’t play any of their (main) guys and they still won,” Knicks guard Nate Robinson said. “They still played hard.”

For different reasons, both coaches wanted to get this one over with.

Isiah Thomas wanted to avoid any ancillary abuse in what figured to be his last home game as Knicks coach. (“Fire Isiah,” one fan yelled in the fourth quarter. “He’s already done,” replied another.)

Doc Rivers, meanwhile, simply was hoping to avoid injuries - a bet he hedged by keeping Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen out of uniform.

After Dominic Chianese - Uncle Junior from “The Sopranos” - performed the national anthem (quick review: he sings with the fishes), the combatants wrote an uninspiring chapter to the whole Boston-New York thing. About all the Celts learned was that, with Indiana’s loss to the Wizards, they will meet Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.

“We’ll be ready for it,” Rivers said.

“We know they’re athletic. We know they’ve hurt us on the glass in every game that we’ve played. And they’re young but aggressive. They’re not going to back down from us. But you know what? It should be hard. It’s the playoffs.”

In preparation, the coach got Rajon Rondo [stats] to spread his wings a bit against the Knicks. With his offensive-minded mates out, Rondo came within a point of his career high with 23.

He and backup Sam Cassell combined for 21 points in the last quarter as the Celts came from two down after three periods to collect their 65th win of the season. Cassell finished with 22 points.

Rondo had just four points, two rebounds and two assists at halftime, when the C’s were down 54-49. But after Rivers told him to assert himself, the second-year point guard finished with team highs in points, rebounds (10) and assists (five). Rondo hit 11-of-15 shots.

“I really wanted to extend Rondo’s minutes because I’m probably not going to play him (tomorrow against New Jersey),” Rivers said.

The coach also got a look at Rondo and Cassell together in the backcourt.

“I don’t like it, but I loved (that pairing) today,” he said. “I was worried about it defensively, but honestly they were terrific, so maybe it is a lineup we can use. They play off of each other very well. Two high IQ players on the floor that can handle the ball makes you pretty good offensively.”

Rondo just did what he was told.

“He told me to be more aggressive, to stop settling for jump shots and attack the rim more,” he said of Rivers. “I want to stay within my role, but coach was calling plays for me and I just tried to execute and get my confidence for future playoff games.”

The Celtics improved to 8-0 on the road against Atlantic Division teams and to 38-1 against sub-.500 opponents. And they got away clean.

“You want to get out healthy,” Rivers said. “Honestly that’s the goal for us right now - getting out of games healthy and getting Sam as many minutes as we can squeeze in this short time. That’s very important for us.

“I just thought there was good energy from our team. I was very happy with the way they played.”

Soon enough, the Celtics will get a chance to feed on playoff teams.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087220&format=text
Masters champion gives Green halftime pep talk

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Tuesday, April 15, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
NEW YORK - The team in the green jerseys got a lift last night from a man who now owns a green jacket. Befitting the casual atmosphere as the regular season winds away, Masters winner Trevor Immelman was invited into the Celtics [team stats] dressing room at the break.

“He gave us the halftime speech. It obviously worked,” C’s coach Doc Rivers said after his team came back to beat the Knicks, 99-93. “It was great. Half the guys didn’t know him. It was really cool. They all gave him a nice standing ovation and shook his hand. We wanted everyone to touch what a champion felt like. He just said he’s been watching us all year and good luck.”

Only one Celtics player went looking for advice.

“Ray (Allen) afterward had him cornered,” Rivers said. “So now Ray’s golf game is all messed up because you know how that goes with lessons.”

Immelman also was introduced to the crowd during a first-quarter timeout. The theme to “Caddyshack” was played on the PA system.

Big three sit out

Allen, Paul Pierce [stats] and Kevin Garnett were on holiday.

“They’re boycotting,” Rivers cracked before the game. “They’re all not playing.”

While Pierce did have some left wrist issues (he bruised it in Atlanta), rest and the avoidance of trouble were the main reasons behind the move.

“You know, we’ve got two games left and they’re ready to play,” said Rivers, referring to the playoffs, which likely are to open in Boston on Sunday against Atlanta unless there is a Garden doubleheader with the Bruins [team stats] the day before.

“They’re ready, and so to me it’s more about rest, and we can use some of these off days to have a practice. Even (tomorrow), we’re going to go pretty hard in the morning with some stuff, even though we play that night (vs. New Jersey). I just like where we’re at right now.”

There also was the notion of taking care of the paying customers that will constitute another sellout in Boston.

“They’ll probably play a little bit in the last game,” Rivers said. “Not a lot. If you’re going to play them one of the two games, I’d rather play them at home.”

None of the three had any real problem with the break.

“No, they were pretty good (about it),” Rivers said. “We played them pretty hard in the Atlanta game, and you could just see they’re ready.”

It also was nice to avoid the Knicks, who engaged the Celts in some chippy games this season. Going against a New York team with nothing to lose was a recipe for danger.

“That crossed my mind,” Rivers said. “But I’d already made up my mind. It just gave me another reason not to play them.”

Pierce, by the way, should be fine. He received treatment for the wrist last night and expects to play tomorrow.

“It is swollen, but I don’t think it’s anything bad,” Rivers said. “I don’t even remember him doing it. We’ll just do whatever they do these days. If you have a headache, they give you an X-ray, so I’m sure that will be part of it. Guys get more X-rays in this day and time.”

Of a more questionable nature is Eddie House’s strained groin. He missed his third straight game last night, and Rivers hopes to get him in against the Nets.

Another honor

Less was more for Garnett, named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week despite averaging a little more than 25 minutes a game in the Celts’ 3-1 run. He posted 19.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.25 steals in the span.

“That’s great,” Rivers said. “Maybe we’ll keep sitting him and see if he can win another one.” It was the third time Garnett won the award this season and the 18th in his career. He’s the first Celtics player to win it three times in a season since Larry Bird took it home four times in 1985-86, the last time the C’s won a championship.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1087210&format=text

Hawks like their chances

By Associated Press | Tuesday, April 15, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
ATLANTA - For the first time since 1999, the Atlanta Hawks are headed to the NBA playoffs.

The Hawks clinched the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and a chance to face the top-seeded Celtics [team stats] when the Indiana Pacers, the only other team with a mathematical chance, lost at Washington, 117-110, last night.

The league’s longest playoff drought ended with Atlanta enjoying an off day.

“It’s huge for our franchise, when you talk about a young team coming together,” fourth-year coach Mike Woodson said. “It’s huge for the guys that have put in their time and worked hard. We’ve worked hard to overcome some things as a unit to get this team where it needs to be.”

Atlanta’s last playoff appearance came during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, when the team finished second in the Central Division with a lineup that featured Dikembe Mutombo, Mookie Blaylock and Steve Smith. The Hawks defeated Detroit in the opening round but were swept in four straight games by the New York Knicks in the East semifinals.

Now in the Southeast Division, the Hawks (37-43) made it back to the postseason largely because of a down year in the East. Even if they win their last two games, they’ll still finish four games below .500.

Still, the playoffs are a major step forward for a franchise that decided to rebuild after its loss to the Knicks and wound up needing nearly a decade to get it right.

The Hawks better enjoy it while they can. They will be huge underdogs against the Celtics, who have the league’s best record (65-16) and will have homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven series.

“They’re a team that obviously is very good,” forward Josh Childress said. “I like our chances. We match up pretty well with them. In the games we played them we have played well, but we weren’t able to finish. I feel like we’re still trying to get better at that. We’re a team that has nothing to lose. We’re going to go out there and just fight.”

The Celtics won all three regular-season meetings against the Hawks, including a 99-89 victory in Atlanta on Saturday night that kept the Hawks from wrapping up a playoff spot in front of a sellout crowd.

“It’s something we wish we would have done,” Childress said. “It would have been a lot better if we just clinched it.”

The Celts also beat the Hawks twice at TD Banknorth Garden, including a 23-point romp back in November. Atlanta was more respectable in early March, losing 98-88. The first two games will be at the Garden.

“It’s a great feeling, but we still have to worry about ourselves,” said ex-Celtics guard Joe Johnson, the team’s leading scorer. “We have to handle our business for these last two games to get ready. Just because we’re in doesn’t mean we can relax.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/04/15/celtics_dont_miss_a_beat?mode=PF

Celtics don't miss a beat
Big Three sit out, Knicks still fall
By Peter May, Globe Staff | April 15, 2008

NEW YORK - The visiting locker room at Madison Square Garden could not be described as comfy, spacious, or accommodating - although it could probably fetch $500 a night down here - but it was where Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett chose to watch the second half of last night's Celtics-Knicks game.

And they saw the Celtics do the same thing to the Knicks that they did when all three were on the court playing instead of spectating.

In what should be Knicks coach Isiah Thomas's MSG swan song, the quasi-Celtics rode the hot hands of Rajon Rondo and Sam Cassell in the fourth quarter and took a 99-93 victory before a sellout crowd seeking free food and beverage, not to mention an actual NBA game. If they showed up to see the Big Three, well, they simply ate.

For the second time this season, Doc Rivers sat Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, and, for the second time this season, the others rang up a win anyway.

Rondo (11 of 15, 23 points) scored 7 points in an early fourth-quarter run that gave Boston the lead for good. He then turned things over to Cassell, who had 12 of his 22 (his Celtic high) in the fourth quarter as the Celtics completed a 4-0 season sweep of the hapless cabal that Thomas has assembled. Overall, the Celtics have taken the last six from the Knicks and the last six games in the World's Most Famous Arena dating back to March 2005.

The Celtics trailed at the end of three - scandal! - and even trailed by 10 points earlier in the night, the first time this season the Knicks have had a double-digit lead over Boston. (In two of the losses, the Knicks never led.)

But the ever-resourceful Rondo, who was 1 point shy of his career high, opened the scoring in the fourth with a baseline jumper to start a 6-0 run that gave the Celtics the lead for good. The other points in the run came on layups by Brian Scalabrine (off a nice Glen Davis feed) and Rondo.

In some instances, a coach might call a timeout in that situation. Not Isiah. He didn't call a single stop-the-bleeding timeout all night, even though the Celtics went on a 19-2 run in the third quarter. He spent a good portion of the 48 minutes seated, watching the game.

The teams traded hoops until it was 88-86 Boston, when Cassell (7 of 18) knocked down a 3-pointer. Following a Randolph Morris hoop, Davis made a free throw and Cassell connected again from international waters, making it 95-88 with 56.4 seconds left. Both Cassell threes came on feeds from Rondo, who also had 10 rebounds and 5 assists.

Asked why he didn't get a career high in points, Rondo said, "Sam was taking all the shots." Indeed. Ten of Cassell's 18 shots came in the fourth quarter. He played 31 minutes as the Celtics try to get him playoff-ready.

"It was very important to get Sam as many minutes as possible," Rivers said.

The final minute was played to a crescendo of "Fire Isiah" chants, a season staple that had been absent for most of the night. (That's what free food can do for you.) Then, shortly after the horn sounded, the P.A. announcer wished everyone a nice summer.

Dominic Chianese, the actor who plays Uncle Junior on "The Sopranos" got through "The Star-Spangled Banner" without any profanity. It was Fan Appreciation Night, but there was not a lot of appreciative noise in the building, save for the Knicks dancers, for some guy who juggled and played the electric piano during a timeout, and for a cameo by Masters champ Trevor Immelman.

Scattered boos were heard when it was announced that Pierce was inactive. He was nursing a bruised left wrist, but he could have played if needed. Assuming the Big Three play tomorrow, and Rivers said that that is the plan, Pierce will have missed two games this season, Garnett 11, and Allen nine. The latter two were both healthy but were told to take it easy.

James Posey made his second start of the season in place of Pierce while Tony Allen subbed for Ray Allen and Leon Powe, returning from a two-game hiatus, started for Garnett. The Celtics started strong, then slumped in the second quarter, allowing Nate Robinson (a game-high 26) to practically score at will.

That's what led to the 10-point Knicks lead (53-43 with 2:16 left in the half) although a late Boston run cut the deficit to 5 at the break.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/04/15/receiving_advice_from_a_master?mode=PF
Receiving advice from a master
By Peter May, Globe Staff | April 15, 2008

NEW YORK - Newly minted Masters champion Trevor Immelman was in the house last night, seating courtside at the World's Most Famous Arena. (How does that happen?) But he wanted to see more than a game. He wanted to see the Celtics, up close and personal.

So, at halftime of the game, which the Celtics won, 99-93, Doc Rivers brought him into the Boston locker room. Rivers introduced his Orlando neighbor (the both play at Lake Nona) and the Celtics gave Immelman a standing ovation. Then, Immelman shook the hand of every Celtic, with Rivers telling his players, "touch the hand of a champion." The inference? Maybe it will rub off.

Ray Allen, one of the avid golfers on the team, got some private time with Immelman ("I'm sure Ray's game is messed up right now," Rivers joked) and Kendrick Perkins owned up to the fact that he watched the final round of the Masters Sunday afternoon.

"I recognized him when he came in," Perkins said. "I just didn't know he was that short."


Pierce takes a seat
The sight of a well-dressed Paul Pierce sitting in front of his locker at an NBA venue is not an unusual one. The Truth is a clothes horse. But seeing him in his customary nice threads along with an Ace bandage covering his left hand raised a few eyebrows before last night's win over the Knicks.

"I bruised my left wrist in the Atlanta game," Pierce said matter-of-factly. "I'm going to have X-rays tomorrow just as a precaution. I'll get some rest and we'll see how it feels. But I'll be all right and ready for the playoffs."

Rivers already had planned on giving Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett the night off anyway. All three sat, just as they did for the April 5 game at Charlotte, a game the Celtics won handily. Additionally, Eddie House also missed his third straight game with a strained right adductor. Rivers said House might be able to play tomorrow night in the regular-season finale.

As for Pierce, Rivers said he wasn't aware that his captain had even hurt his wrist.

"I don't think it's anything bad," Rivers said.

"They're ready to play," Rivers said of the players he rested. "To me, it's more about rest. I just like where we're at. I'll probably play them a little, not a lot, in the last game. It's home."

On a brighter note, Leon Powe, who missed the last two games with a sore right foot, returned, contributing 10 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes.


An MSG feast
Last night was Fan Appreciation Night at Madison Square Garden. So how do you reward fans for suffering through one of the worst, most bizarre seasons in Knicks history? Easy - free food! All fans attending the game could have as much free food and drink (non-alcoholic) as they wanted starting one hour before game time. It's the first time the Garden has done such a thing. Additionally, Knicks merchandise was on sale with discounts of up to 30 percent. The freebies and discounts were announced "to find a meaningful way to show our fans our appreciation," said MSG official Howard Jacobs. And would someone wearing a Garnett jersey have to pay? "We do not have a dress code," smiled a Knicks official . . . Rivers did not know that Garnett had been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the third such honor for the Big Ticket this season. While Garnett averaged 19.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals for the week, he also averaged only 25.8 minutes a game. "Maybe we'll keep sitting him and he'll get another one," Rivers cracked.


Hit the road, Isiah
Last night being the Knicks' regular-season home finale (they finish off tomorrow night in Indiana) also meant something beside free food: the likely last MSG gig for Isiah Thomas as Knicks coach. He needs a win against Indiana to avoid matching the team record for losses in a season (59), which has happened three times, including 2005-06, when Thomas was the president and general manager. And he is widely believed to be on new president Donnie Walsh's hit list. Asked if he wanted to coach next year, Thomas said, "My job is to do whatever the boss says. Since I've been here, I've been asked to wear a lot of different hats. I've tried to wear them and accommodate [the boss]." Rivers expressed sympathy for Thomas, whom he considers a friend. "I don't think Isiah is a bad coach," Rivers said. "I really don't."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.patriotledger.com/sports/sports_columnists/x436632371
NBA commissioner uses Celtics as example of how to build
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The Patriot Ledger
Posted Apr 15, 2008 @ 02:21 AM

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BOSTON — By MIKE FINE

The last time the Boston Celtics met the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA playoffs – that would be the finals, of course – was 1987, and that might be the last time Commissioner David Stern mentioned the Celtics in his annual pre-playoff conference call with NBA media.

The Celtics can no longer be ignored.

“It’s been a spectacular story for us, obviously with the Celtics having an extraordinary one-season improvement; the best in NBA history,” Stern said Monday. Beyond that, he wouldn’t bite on any angles involving the Celtics’ and/or the Lakers’ involvement in the postseason. See, Stern treats his franchises like children, sometimes petulant, sometimes excellent, sometimes troublesome, sometimes models of NBA decorum.

He will not express a preference for the Celtics, or the Lakers, who’ve transformed themselves into the teams that defined the ’80s.

“You know, I think it’s great for the fans in those cities,” said Stern before launching into a brief explanation of the league’s TV structure, with eight years of broadcast contracts lined up. “But, obviously, for me, at least, it would be great to see how excited the fans in those cities are.”

Stern does send a message to other NBA clubs, though, by using the Celtics as an example of how they can turn themselves around. While he praises the Atlanta Hawks for building through the draft, and the Philadelphia 76ers for sticking with a plan and going with youth, he sees the Celtics as one extraordinary yet doable story.

“That’s a big issue,” he said. “That’s about management. In some cases it’s about the draft. In some cases it’s about trades. And in some cases it’s about free agent signings. I think what that does begin to show is that, you know oh ye of little faith. Continued good management can turn around the fortunes of franchises relatively fast, faster than we think, and that was certainly true in the case of the Celtics. I mean, that sets the tone.

“But when you see a team like Atlanta, who has struggled for so long, and build through the draft, and then have a trade or you see a Philadelphia, which trades away its star player, but suddenly is thriving. Or even just to see how Washington stays around having lost two players and suddenly is energized for the playoffs. You recognize the importance that a signing, a trade or a draft pick can have in this league. And that’s what we promise all of our fans; that opportunity each year to see whether it’s going to get better based upon management.

“Obviously, the Lakers are a large market. The Celtics are a storied franchise, and if that happens, we’ll get whatever we get.”

The Celtics have proven that it can be done, even if it’s taken more than 20 years to get straightened out. It was such a long haul that it’s significant. It began with the deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, continued with the decline of the Big Three, the total collapse under M.L. Carr (although Carr left the franchise in good shape with seven free agent slots), the mismanagement and failure of Rick Pitino, the hard luck in being unable to obtain Tim Duncan in the 1997 draft, the lack of support from owner Paul Gaston and the eventual growing pains caused by the reliance on youngsters selected in the draft and through trades by the Danny Ainge regime.

Ainge, though, with the support of an energetic and completely committed ownership group, has gotten this thing turned around, and he’s created a new buzz throughout the league while rejuvenating the Boston basketball market. Celtics basketball is now must-see appointment viewing, with Comcast SportsNet ratings of 3.5 this season – more than double last. The Celtics have banged out the Garden every game this season. Their 10.5 percent attendance increase is second only to Portland’s 21.2 percent.

That’s good news, for NBA attendance actually dropped slightly this season, according to Sports Business Journal. Part of the reason for that is precipitous drops in New Orleans (having moved back home from a two-year hiatus in Oklahoma City), Indiana and Sacramento. The league, though, is healthier than ever, with a fantastic Western Conference playoff race and the resurgence of some of the weaker Eastern clubs.

The kings of the resurgence, though, may be the Celtics, who have accomplished a record 40-win turnaround – and counting – from last season, with the Lakers rebounding from a 42-win season, the off-season travails of Kobe Bryant and the mid-season acquisition of Pau Gasol. Suddenly, the NBA faces the possibility of a return to the glory days of the ’80s, when the two teams met in the Finals three times and either of the teams was in the Finals from 1980-89.

“I thought when I became commissioner, the natural state of what you did was you went to L.A. and Boston in June,” Stern said. “But we’ve had quite an intervening period of successful years without doing that. So I’ve got lots of franchises in the NBA, and no doubt that that will be a very highly rated series. But I think there will be others that will be more highly rated this year than in past years as well.”

Otherwise, Stern won’t bite on the possibilities of a renewal of sorts. He said that he wants “to have a situation where the event will come to define the teams rather than the teams defining the event.

“There is no question that there is a level of enthusiasm and excitement in L.A. and in Boston, and amongst the media that I haven’t seen for a while, and I understand what that’s from. That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.”

[FLCeltsFan]

forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/2008/04/celt_subs_sink_knicks_ship.html#comments

Celt Subs Sink Knicks' Ship
Boston won another game without the big three playing as Doc gave Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett the night off.


The Celtic subs plus Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins brought home the team's 65th win by the score of 99-93 over the New York Titanics.


The point guard tandem of Rondo and Cassell did the biggest damage scoring with 23 and 22 points. Well, Cassell wasn't really a point guard, as I had as many assists as he did this evening in almost 31 minutes.


Rondo led the team with 10 rebounds and 5 assists as well. Many of Rondo's shots were high on the difficulty charts. He had his outside shot going and dropped in some crazy off balance stuff to boot. He was 11-15 as he shot over Nate Robinson time after time. Cassell did have 5 rebounds.


James Posey got the nod at small forward, contributing 15 points on 5 for 11 from three point land. He also had 3 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Glen Davis added 13 points and 9 boards in 29 minutes. Leon Powe started at power forward and added 10 points and 5 boards in 19 minutes.


With Eddie Curry and Stephon Marbury out, the Knicks actually played a close game for much of the contest. They led a few times in the second half, even after withstanding an 18-2 run by the Celtics to take the lead.


With the unusual line up, the Celtics struggled a bit at times and only managed 13 assists on their 37 made baskets. They shot a solid .481 from the floor, and did try to run a purposeful offense, though not exactly one like we are used to...obviously.


After the Knicks took a lead of 75-73 entering the 4th quarter, the Celtics 'point' guards lived up to their name, putting up lots of points up to finish the Knicks. Rondo's 9 and Cassell's 12 fourth quarter points combined for 21 of the Celtics 26.


Thanks to some icebergs named Selfishness, Stupidity, and Arrogance, the Knicks' ship has been taking on water like the Titanic since early in the season. It's about to sink for good. Boston swept the beleaguered Knickerbockers 4-0 this season.


New Knick President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh was in attendance to oversee what was probably Isaiah Thomas' last home game as the Knicks' coach. Whether Thomas remains with the organization, remains to be seen. He is being paid a lot of money to just jettison him in an overhaul.


The rest tonight for the Boston Three Star (BTS) Express means they will play in the final home on Wednesday night against the Nets according to Doc.


Not much more to say. Everyone is just waiting for the play-offs to begin.


BTW... The Hawks clinched tonight, so they will be Boston's 1st round opponent. Celtic Nation is just waiting for the second season to start. Boston is loaded, rested, and as prepared as they can possibly be. Doc Rivers has done a great job getting the team to this point.


Soon the real wars begin.