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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 6:48:14 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087981&format=textCeltics in it to win it One goal only -- a title By Steve Bulpett | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone The light don’t lie. As noted here earlier this season, the Celtics [team stats] have shined a spotlight on the wall of their practice facility next to the franchise’s last championship banner. It stands as an unspoken goal. But as the club embarks on the playoffs, there isn’t much room to debate their goals -- make that goal. “Well, I’m just going to just put it to you plain and simple, man,” Paul Pierce [stats] said. “I mean, my goal is to win a championship. Definitely you’ve got to take the steps to get there, but, hey, the ultimate goal is a championship with the team we’ve got.” Kevin Garnett said as much after Wednesday’s regular-season finale against New Jersey. “We expect to win this thing,” he said flatly. “Nothing less than that.” With the best record in the league, it’s not as if the Celtics are taking out their fedoras. And although they’re not expected to get any dangerous resistance from Atlanta in the first round, they know the road to a 17th banner for the wall won’t be smooth. But it’s clear they believe in themselves. “We ain’t taking nothing less,” Kendrick Perkins [stats] said. “That’s our goal. It’s been our goal since the beginning of the season. We’ve got our eyes on the prize. “I think we started out knowing we had the players to win, and then as the season went along and we saw what we could accomplish when we played the right way, that just made us more confident in what we have. “But the key for us is going to be defense. You can always do better on defense, and if we think that way and step it up, we’re going to do really good.” Ray Allen is a bit more philosophical on the subject. “I try not to even go in with any expectations,” he said. “I just want to let it be what it is for the moment. “We started out this season playing one game at a time, and it’s worked really well for us. If you focus on that one opponent, you don’t get too far ahead of yourself. I think Seattle had that problem when they lost to Denver in the first round (in 1994, after winning 63 games in the regular season). When you overlook your first-round opponent, you can run into trouble. So I don’t want to look too far ahead. I want to deal with the next game. “Sometimes you can face a hot team. Even though you’re playing in a seven-game series and the better team should usually win, you have to do your best and make sure you don’t get beat by a hot team. You can look back and there are a lot of teams that people thought should have won the championship and they didn’t. You have to just enjoy what you’re going through and keep trying to play better.” The Celtics understand the need to focus on each game; they are not blinded by the spotlight. But they know there is something large at stake here. “We take it one game at a time,” James Posey said. “But it’s about winning now. I mean, nothing’s guaranteed, but we want to win now. Why not be hungry to do so now? “We play to win every night. That’s been going on all season. We focus in on what we have to do to win the game we’re playing. Some games we’re better than others, but for the most part, we’ve been there. We’ve got guys in this locker room who like to compete. We have pride. It’s all about winning, and that’s what we want to do. “We’re in this to win.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 6:49:48 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087983&format=textSpeaking from experience: Celtics have little Even leaders still learning entering playoffs By Mark Murphy | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone The Celtics [team stats] may be good, but they’re not experienced. When Kevin Garnett attempts to spread the playoff word to his relatively green teammates, it’s with the faded memory of his own postseason experiences. His deepest postseason foray -- the 2004 Western Conference finals -- also was his last. That old thrill he shared with Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell is now a grainy black-and-white film, a little worn. Paul Pierce [stats]’s biggest playoff adventure -- the 2002 Eastern Conference finals -- requires even more work with a dust cloth. His last appearance -- leading an abominable collapse in the first round of the 2005 playoffs against Indiana -- would have been forgettable if it wasn’t so infamous. Ray Allen has been in the playoffs once (2005 first round with Seattle) since reaching the 2001 Eastern Conference finals with Milwaukee. Though Doc Rivers has coached four playoff teams, including one before now with the Celtics, he has never moved beyond the first round as a coach. Indeed, beyond bench leaders James Posey and Sam Cassell, no one on this team has won an NBA title. But when they walk out onto the Garden floor for Game 1 against the Hawks on Sunday in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the message will be fresh and urgent. Garnett remembers that much from what drove the Timberwolves before the Lakers popped their bubble with a 96-90 Game 6 win four years ago. “It’s so different,” he said of the playoffs compared to the regular season. “You can tell from the preparation to when you step on the floor. “You can tell from the energy. You can feel it from everyone in the city. It’s just very different. That energy can determine a whole series. The energy goes from one notch to two.” It could even be labeled a wake-up call. “It’s like getting doused with cold water in 32-degree weather,” Garnett said. “Or it’s like sticking your head out the window while you’re driving.” But Garnett caught himself on that one. Student drivers might have been listening. “I don’t recommend doing that,” he said. That would be cavalier or reckless, and the Celtics have been neither while putting together the best record in the NBA this season. One quality that bodes well for the playoffs is their consistent record of not playing down to the opposition. The Celtics are 39-1 against sub-.500 teams, and that remarkable consistency is unlikely to desert them now. Pierce, like his team, is different from the fourth-year player who drove the Celtics to the 2002 conference finals with his relentless ability to drive the ball. Introduced to his first playoff experience, Pierce averaged 24.6 points in 16 games that spring, including 46 points during a 120-87 Game 5 first-round win over Philadelphia. But it would be impossible, at 30, to have the same view of the postseason now. “I was just excited at being in the playoffs, just enjoying the ride, and I didn’t understand the magnitude of it,” Pierce said. “You don’t understand what you’ve done until you look back at it.” They won’t be looking back on this run for a while, if expectations are met. Anything short of the Celtics’ first NBA Finals appearance since 1987 will be looked on as a shortcoming. This team has been too good in the regular season for anything less. That’s also why records like the biggest turnaround in NBA history and the first 60-win season since the 1986 championship team have left the current players somewhat cold. So much more is expected now. “We have a bigger picture in mind,” Pierce said. “It’s great to get as many wins as we get, but that stuff all goes out the window once the playoffs begin. It’s all good for now, but like I’ve said we’re all 0-0 when the playoffs start. “I’m fortunate to be in this position, coming from where we were a year ago, and thankful that we have the players around now to do that,” Pierce said. “Everything we’re doing is great and dandy -- the records, the turnaround -- but this team is tremendously focused, and we wouldn’t even know about those things unless you brought it up. It’s all fun. It’s good for the media guide, the paper and the fans. “But we’re looking straight ahead with a common goal. We’re going to focus on that.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 6:52:26 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087982&format=textCeltics root for a Hawk Johnson impressed in stint here By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone (file) To succeed against the Hawks in these playoffs, the Celtics [team stats] will have to deal with Joe Johnson. According to Paul Pierce [stats], it should never have come to this. Pierce got a good enough sense during Johnson’s rookie year with the Celts to believe the team never should have dealt him away. But on Feb. 20, 2002, the C’s sent Johnson, Milt Palacio, Randy Brown and a first-round pick to Phoenix for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. “I knew Joe Johnson always had the talent,” Pierce said. “Even his rookie year he was able to put together a string of games. I just thought we gave up on him a little too early. But Joe Johnson showed that talent right out of the draft - a guy who could pretty much do a lot of things, could play multiple positions, is an All-Star (this year). He’s proven it. He’s got the Atlanta Hawks back to the playoffs, which we haven’t seen in quite a while (1999).” Even more curious in hindsight is that the Celtics chose to keep Kedrick Brown instead of Johnson. “I was a little bit surprised because I always thought Joe was the more talented player of the two,” Pierce said. “Definitely Kedrick at the time had some ability, but Joe showed a lot more potential than he did, so it was definitely a surprise. But I’ve seen crazier things happen in the NBA.” Missing KG Kevin Garnett was absent from yesterday’s practice, with sources saying it was due to the impending birth of his and wife Brandi’s child. “I know it’s for a good reason, because Kevin doesn’t like to miss practice,” Pierce said. Rivers would say only that it was “just family stuff. He should be here (today) for sure.” The coach added, “Practice was more peaceful, not a lot of yelling. It was quiet. It was actually strange.” The Celtics will go hard at practice today and back off a bit tomorrow in preparation for Sunday night’s series opener. Honored again Rivers was named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for April. It was his third such honor (he won for October/November and March). The Celtics went 8-1 in April, best in the league, but much of it was spent resting his regulars. “Exactly,” Rivers said with a laugh. “I sat them down and I told (the remaining players), ‘Don’t lose.’ Hell of a strategy, huh? Should I do that again?” Rivers, by the way, said that he, too, has been a recipient of one of the bear hugs James Posey throws on his teammates. “I have,” he said. “It’s very tight and longer than usual. It threw me off one game.” . . . The Celtics are divided on their playoff schedule, which opens Sunday night at 8:30. “I think it’s great,” Pierce said. “It keeps us pretty much on schedule of what we’ve been doing all year, playing night games. So as much as you’d like to get out there, there’s going to be about four or five games already played before we step on the court. But I don’t mind it.” Rivers sort of does. “I guess I would prefer playing Saturday or Sunday afternoon or Sunday at 6 or even 7,” he said. “But there’s nothing you can do about it anyway, so you just show up and play.” . . . The Celts aren’t bothered by the Hawks’ expressed confidence in print. “Whatever they’ve got to do to get themselves motivated for the series, you know, our team, we don’t have a problem with that,” Pierce said. “We’re going to be up regardless. We don’t need to direct anything toward the Hawks. They’re a very good team or they wouldn’t be in the playoffs. We’re just going to focus on what we need to do to try to win the series.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 6:55:49 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087989&format=textSam Cassell has Truck-load of Lewis memories By Rich Thompson | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill (File) On the hard-scrabble streets of East Baltimore, monikers matter more than proper names. Youngsters from the neighborhood build their basketball resumes on the asphalt playgrounds and recreation centers that dot the urban landscape. A basketball alias is normally well established by the time a street-corner wannabe gravitates to the gymnasium floor at famed Dunbar High School. Celtics [team stats] point guard Sam “Buckets” Cassell was well aware of the local legend called “Truck” when he arrived at Dunbar to play for coach Bob Wade (341-25), a former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback and Maryland basketball coach. Even though “Buckets” and “Truck” were separated by six scholastic seasons, the two men share the lineage of Dunbar maroon and gold plus the Celtics’ green. “Nobody from East Baltimore ever called him Reggie Lewis, we all called him ‘Truck,’ ” said Cassell, who graduated from Dunbar with the class of 1989. “To anybody from East Baltimore, his name was ‘Truck.’ People who called him Reggie, they weren’t from around there. We never called anybody at Dunbar by their real names. Reggie Lewis was ‘Truck,’ Reggie Williams was ‘Russ’ and Tyrone Bogues was ‘Muggsy.’ ” Lewis and Cassell are two of the five Dunbar players who would advance to the NBA on Wade’s watch. But Lewis was not considered one of the Poets’ can’t-miss college recruits from the class of 1983. While the major programs were wooing his teammates, Lewis agreed to play for current UConn coach Jim Calhoun at Northeastern. Lewis became NU’s all-time leading scorer (2,709) and led the Huskies to four consecutive league titles and NCAA appearances. Lewis’ efforts were rewarded when the Celtics selected him in the first round (22nd overall) in the 1987 NBA draft. “ ‘Truck’ was a guy who wouldn’t stop, but he wasn’t even a starter at Dunbar,” said Cassell. “When he got in the game he would perform and he could have started on any other team in the country. “But he couldn’t start for Dunbar and that’s amazing when you think about it. He was the sixth man and he averaged 16 points without playing even 20 minutes. Coach Wade played his starters a lot.” Lewis played six seasons with the Celtics (1987-1993) and scored 7,902 points. Lewis suffered a fatal heart attack in the summer of 1993 while shooting baskets at Brandeis University.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 6:56:27 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087985&format=textOperation KG’ a success Big ticket puts Celtics back on the map By Gerry Callahan | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone They lost 56 games in the regular season, and when it was over, they just kept losing. They lost a chance at Greg Oden and lost out on Kevin Durant, and then they lost all hope. Remember it? The end of the 2006-07 season felt like the end of an era for the Boston Celtics [team stats], a team that literally could not win for losing. It had been 20 years since the franchise last reached the NBA Finals, and it looked like it would be at least another 20 before it would even come close. Danny Ainge was on his way out the door, of course, and Doc Rivers wouldn’t be far behind. They had gambled on those ping pong balls, and they had lost. Tanking a season just isn’t the kind of thing you bounce back from easily. Nice try, guys. Maybe it’s time to give someone else a turn. We heard rumors about a trade that would bring Kevin Garnett to Boston early last summer, but his agent shot those down. Michael Wilbon, the respected Washington Post columnist and PTI guy, said it was racial, which could be the most laughable thing of all today, but back then, Garnett said he just wanted to win. Phoenix was thought to be his first choice, maybe Los Angeles. Boston was nowhere. It was nothing. Who would actually (italics) want (end italics) to come to Boston? A year ago, it was more likely Paul Pierce [stats] would want (italics) out (end italics) than Garnett or anyone else would want in. And maybe that’s what Ainge was thinking when he jumpstarted the greatest comeback in NBA history: (italics) What have we got to lose, other than, you know, our jobs?(end italics) Moments after selecting Georgetown’s Jeff Green with the No. 5 pick, Ainge packaged him with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak and shipped them to Seattle for seven-time All-Star Ray Allen and Glen (Big Baby) Davis, the Sonics’ second-round draft choice. Under normal circumstances, that would be considered a hell of a trade by Ainge, but in this case, it was not so much a trade as the first phase of Operation KG. The idea was to go at Garnett in waves, from Ainge and Doc to Pierce and Allen, and convince the 11-time All-Star to reconsider. Yes, he could win in Boston. (Italics) They (end italics) could win in Boston. One month after the Allen deal, two months after the ping pong balls seemed to knock the life right out of the franchise, the Celtics pulled it off. They have accomplished some amazing things in the last eight months, but none as amazing as the thing that started it all: They lured the great Kevin Garnett to Boston and turned him lose. The result was the second-worst team in the NBA becoming the best, and the 66-16 record was only part of the story. They didn’t just win, they won the right way: They played defense, they played together, and they played hard every night. They beat every team in the league. They won on the road (30-10). They rolled through the supposedly superior Western Conference (25-5). They never lost more than three in a row, and they won games even when there was nothing left to play for. And they seemed to do it all with that “Badfinger” song playing in the background, like they were following some kind hokey Hollywood script. The team that had done nothing right for two decades suddenly could do nothing wrong. A bench that had been called the weakest in the NBA was now the strongest. Veterans like P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell begged for a chance to play in Boston. The three superstars not only got along, they brought out the best in one another, “ubuntu” and all that. Ainge and Rivers, lame ducks eight months ago, were among the favorites to win awards, which brings us back to Garnett. His name has been mentioned among a small handful of MVP candidates, which already seems like an insult to the Celtics’ star. One question: How could (italics) anyone (end italics) be more valuable than Garnett? How is that possible? This was one of the most valuable one-season performances in the history of the sport. Chris Paul’s Hornets went from 39 wins to XX. The Celtics went from 24 to 66, the greatest turnaround ever. Garnett was the best defensive player in the NBA, and he turned the Celtics into the best defensive team. How can any discerning voter even look at points per game when the best part of Garnett’s game is unselfishness? He elevates the play of everyone around him, and does it every day. He could score much more. He chooses not to. He prefers to win, and last time we checked that was kind of the point of the game. Now that Garnett and the Celtics have made regular season history, the bar has been raised, oh, about as high as those 16 championship banners in the Garden rafters. Vegas oddsmakers have them favored to win No. 17, which is another measure of their extreme makeover. This was the worst team in the East a year ago, and the East could not compete with the West. Now it can beat anyone, anywhere. Now anything less than a title will feel like a disappointment. One year ago this week they were all done. This year they’re just getting started. Last year they got lucky and lost the lottery. This year they don’t need luck; they’ve got Kevin Garnett.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 6:57:50 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087986&format=textSweet emotion: Kevin Garnett’s edginess provides big edge By Mark Murphy | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone (file) There are different kinds of hustle and emotion, but in the NBA it boils down to two basic types. There is the genuine article the sort that once propelled Dave Cowens across the parquet in pursuit of a loose ball; the sort that leaves basketball players with floor burns as long and raw as skid marks. Then there is the kind for public consumption. “A lot of guys show it as if they know the camera is on, and then it becomes a show,” said Celtics [team stats] coach Doc Rivers. Outside of Minnesota, and those who had already played with Kevin Garnett, few knew exactly what to make of his emotional outbursts. Sure, he looked like he was playing with passion. But the one-time MVP could also look petulant, out of control, maybe even immature in light of those torrents of bad language he could famously spout. Was he one of those posers with an eye peeled for the nearest camera? “I didn’t realize it’s as pure as it is with Kevin until I coached him,” said Rivers. “With Kevin, it’s 100 percent pure. You can fool the fans, the media and coaches at times with that kind of behavior, but you can never fool your teammates. They are eventually going to know.” Well, they certainly know now. They’ve known since the first day Garnett walked into the locker room at the Celtics’ training facility in Waltham last September, and started dictating the pace. They knew for sure just prior to the first exhibition game in Rome last October. Rivers had called a huddle to open a morning shootaround, and didn’t have everyone’s attention. Paul Pierce [stats], the team captain of all people, was shouting something over to Leon Powe instead of paying attention. “We were talking about defensive coverage,” said Rivers. “Kevin saw what was happening and said, ‘Hey Paul, let’s pay attention.’ Paul immediately stopped, looked at the other guys, and said ‘My fault,’ and that was that. “Then two or three games later Paul told someone else to pay attention,” Rivers said. “That’s how it starts.” The best part is that on the eve of the Celtics’ first playoff appearance in three years, it’s not close to ending. Talking the talk Garnett’s deep emotional reserve has its share of inopportune eruptions. There’s that bad language, for instance. Garnett admits that in the heat of a game, his words can be better suited to a back alley than a family venue. One 12-letter expletive, in particular, seems to be his verbal weapon of choice. He delights in trash talking. At the seasoned age of 31, he is also the protagonist. Garnett got a rise out of Atlanta’s Al Horford last Saturday. Next thing you knew, the normally collected Hawks rookie was jabbering back in schoolyard fashion every time he made a play. On January 25 in a game against Minnesota at the Garden, while standing next to Al Jefferson [stats] during a free throw break, Garnett felt the need to colorfully remind the young man he replaced in Boston of the fact that he was an 11-time all-star. It didn’t take long before the Minnesota forward responded with Garnett’s favorite 12-letter expletive. Garnett recently admitted that he doesn’t always remember what he does -- like on the night of March 28, when he briefly got down on all fours while preparing to defend the Hornets’ David West. Now he looked like an attack dog instead of an 11-time all-star. “I can’t believe how focused he is, but I have to sometimes say to him, ‘Big man, enjoy it,’ ” said Pierce. “He’s kneeling on the sidelines when we’re up by 20 points, and he’s getting mad at people, and you have to say, ‘Hey man, relax.’ ” That doesn’t always work. During an uncommonly chippy game in Sacramento on Dec. 27, Garnett’s fuse was lit by a rugged player known for setting fires -- Kings center Brad Miller. Garnett had also been poked in the eye by another antagonist -- old friend Ron Artest. Artest further inflamed the situation by attempting to enter the Celtics’ huddle during a timeout -- a pro wrestling move that had Garnett complaining a little too passionately to referee Jackie Nies. Rivers, sensing catastrophe, and still not entirely familiar with his new star’s quirks, ordered Garnett to calm down. Garnett complied, and went through the rest of the game in a trance. “I killed him,” Rivers said at the time. “He’s the one guy I can’t tell to check his emotions, because it’s so much a part of what he does, and what our other guys feed off of. It’s almost like he was hurt by it. He stopped talking, and his game went a little flat. It’s not that he was pouting or anything. He just couldn’t talk anymore.” Looking back, Rivers believes he learned a lot that night. “He took himself out of the game, and I told him never to listen to me again,” said Rivers. “He has to understand that he is going to be the target every night, but that’s also what makes him go. He needs the edge.” That’s especially important, considering that Garnett’s edge has become the Celtics’ edge. When a reporter recently asked Pierce to make an argument for Garnett winning his second MVP award, the Celtics captain said, “Give me that notebook. I’d have to fill it up to explain everything to you about why he should win it. “His impact on the game is boundless,” said Pierce. “You can’t measure all of the things Kevin does for this team.” For crying out loud Know this much. If the Celtics win their 17th NBA title this year, there will be tears. It’s fortunate that Garnett sweats like a waterfall every night, because he’ll need something to mask the eruption. “If the Lord blesses us this year, you’ll see a lot of teary eyes -- Kevin, Paul, myself, a whole lot of boo-hooing,” said Garnett’s old Minnesota teammate, Sam Cassell. “When you’re a champion you let your guard down. “Kevin’s a guy who doesn’t let his guard down often,” Cassell said. “That’s what makes him Kevin Garnett. He drives me crazy sometimes with his emotion.” But Cassell, who knows Garnett better than most, can actually see a change. “He hasn’t slowed down a bit, but he’s older, wiser, more relaxed because he doesn’t have to do it all,” said Cassell. “But hell no, he’s not mellower.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:01:29 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087987&format=textPaul Pierce finds a new life By Tony Massarotti | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone (file) Paul Pierce has had better seasons, perhaps, but never really has had a better year. And so 12 months after the Celtics [team stats] finished the 2006-07 season with the second-worst record in the NBA, 12 months after Pierce and most everyone else wondered just where the Celtics were headed, now we know: to the playoffs. To the top of the NBA hierarchy entering this highly anticipated postseason. To a place where Pierce, like everyone else in a Celtics uniform, is part of something far, far bigger than himself. Finally. “He’s happier, no question, because of the winning,” Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said recently of the team captain. “But I wouldn’t say he’s changed. Paul has always been committed. He’s always worked hard and he loves the uniform. He’s always loved to play the game. (Losing) has put a burden on him in the past. That’s not fun for anybody, but now I’ve gotten to see a lighter side of him and that’s fun to see.” But really, what has not been fun about this extraordinary Celtics season? A year ago at this time, the Celtics finished the season with the second-worst record in the NBA. They had their fingers crossed for the lottery. Then the Celtics rolled snake eyes in the middle of May, and you had to wonder if Pierce’s eyes would roll back into his head. Now the Celtics have the best record in the NBA, the right to call themselves the greatest turnaround in league history, and Pierce, in particular, is being looked upon in a different light. This year, Pierce’s scoring average went down by more than 20 percent. His rebounding average went down by more than 10 percent. Yet he had more assists, fewer turnovers and more steals. He played better defense. He did it all in less time on the floor. “I think he’s had a great year,” Ainge said unequivocally. “I think he’s played a complete game. He’s played both ends of the court. He played to win. He won games for us with defense, passing and with rebounding, and he won games with scoring. There were times when we needed him to carry us offensively and he did. He’s a complete, winning basketball player.”cw0 Generally speaking, during his time in Boston, Pierce has said and done all the right things. For most of that time, he has been the best player on a bad team. In recent years, in the seasons before this one, there were whispers that Pierce was unhappy, that he might want out, that he was growing increasingly frustrated with a Celtics rebuilding job that sometimes seemed longer than the Big Dig. Now, alongside Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Pierce is having his best year in Boston. He has scored less. He has won more. “In our expectations in the (American) media, and even in front offices and among fans, everybody blames star players and coaches for not winning championships,” said Ainge. “You hear the criticism constantly, ‘He can’t get his team over the top.’ Paul was one of those players in that group. I think this is a relief for Paul to prove he can win.” And maybe now he can even win it all.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:02:53 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1088003&format=textCeltics are money at ticket gate By Steve Bulpett | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Mark Garfinkel There’s no question New Englanders enjoyed watching the Celtics [team stats], a fact based on 41 sellouts in as many regular-season games at TD Banknorth Garden. But those people weren’t alone. In the final league-wide figures, the Celtics were the biggest road draw, as well. At 19,042 per game, they beat out the Los Angeles Kobe Bryants by nearly 400 fans. Even more impressive is the fact the Celts attracted franchise-record crowds on consecutive February nights at Denver and Golden State. In the latter case, the standing room-aided group of 20,711 in Oakland constituted the largest gathering to ever watch a basketball game in California. “Since being here, it’s underrated how big the Celtic thing is nationally with fans,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Every stadium we go to, you see green jerseys. “And it was this way when we were losing here, too,” Rivers added. “It’s just that now that we’re winning it’s multiplied.” Director of basketball operations Danny Ainge agreed. “Boston’s a unique place that way,” he said. “If you were born in Boston, the teams stay a part of you. And now that we’re giving them something to cheer for, it’s good.” The addition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, not to mention the resultant victories, makes the Celtics big in the national picture. Back in the offseason, the team’s schedule was pulled back just before it was issued so the national TV networks could show a number of the C’s games to a larger audience. And the people have shown up in person, even selling out a game April 12 at first-round playoff opponent Atlanta, which had the 11th-worst home attendance this season. “We must be doing something right,” C’s captain Paul Pierce [stats] said. “People want to come check us out. . . . I mean, you love to play in front of the big crowds as a player.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:04:06 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087988&format=textRay Allen ditches star status for shot at title By Steve Bulpett | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Tara Caravalho Kevin Garnett is taking around 3 ��½�½ fewer shots a game this season. Paul Pierce [stats] is attempting about 4 ��½�½ fewer. But, numerically speaking anyway, the most sacrificial Celtic this season is Ray Allen. The fact the certified All-Star is perfectly content with more than seven fewer shots per game is a testament to the team-wide attitude that has delivered the Celtics [team stats] on the doorstep of the playoffs with the best record in the NBA. “I think what Ray’s done has been tremendous,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “Everybody really, but definitely Ray. Paul was already in the system and Kevin is a big, and bigs pretty much fit in any system. And Kevin by nature is a ball-mover to begin with. “But Ray was on a bad team in Seattle where basically they just gave him the ball and cleared it out. Ray’s good at that, but I don’t actually think he’s great at that. I think he’s better when he’s moving and catching and shooting and spreading the floor. That’s more like he used to play. In Milwaukee, he played more like the way he’s playing now. “But that was a big change for Ray. He doesn’t get as many touches.” Allen, however, will trade touches for wins any day. “I think I never really worried about shots,” he said. “You just play the game. For me, I’ve always just wanted to be a part of the game, and everybody’s playing the game the right way. With this team, you really don’t have to work as hard. When you’re winning games, it makes everything else so easy. “For me, I just have to find a way to be effective with what I do. Being out on the floor is good enough at times because a lot of people respect my abilities, and it takes a lot of pressure off the other guys.” Forsaking individual issues can be foreign to NBA players, who must face difficult competition on their path to the top. “I always remember when the Lakers won the championship (in 2000) and they had Glen Rice on the roster,” Allen said. “Glen Rice said during the championship that he looked forward to the next year because of the things that he didn’t get the chance to do. I just remember hearing that and thinking to myself, he’s won a championship so there’s really not much more that he needs to do despite a couple of games here and there that you probably wanted to shoot the ball better. “You just have to do what that particular team needs you to do. I think we’ve all had to sacrifice something at some point or another in the season this year. That’s what we had to do to get to this point, and I think the sacrifice takes even a greater level once we get to the playoffs.” Allen never had a problem with the theory, though there were some troubles as he tried to execute his new role early on. “I think that maybe the first half of the season I was still just trying to figure it out,” he said. “I could take shots, but a lot of times you’ve got so much help out there that just the simplest plays need to be made. But there’s the point where you realize you can’t get too comfortable, because you just kind of fall into a little zone where you’re just out there. “You’ve got to step in and be aggressive. It’s knowing when and when not to.” Those decisions will be even more crucial in the postseason, but Allen appears more than prepared.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:05:38 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087994&format=textPraise from way up high By Steve Bulpett | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by AP (file) He’s taller than Lucky the mascot, and he doesn’t move nearly as well as the team’s dancing girls anymore, but the Celtics [team stats] will have a pretty important fan cheering for them from afar during the playoffs. “When we’re out of it, I’m rooting for the Celtics,” said Larry Bird, who now runs the Pacers. “The only time I ever root against them is when we’re playing against them. “They’re very talented. They’ve got a lot of great parts. It’ll be interesting to see how the young guys play as they get deeper into the playoffs, but they’ve done a great job all year.” Bird has become a believer in the Celts. “I think they’re awesome to watch,” he said. “Obviously their defense is very impressive. They’re physical, they’re on the ball and they make things happen. “They’ve got a legitimate chance to win the whole thing. No question about it.” Bird is not alone. As the current Celtics are looking to supplant the 1986 edition as the latest to hang a banner over the parquet, the 1986 team has been looking back at them. “They’ve got a nice mix,” said Kevin McHale, the Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations who dealt Kevin Garnett here. “They’ve got (James) Posey coming in off a championship, and seeing what happened down there with some of the chemistry issues and stuff like that. They’ve got (Eddie) House coming in saying, ‘I make shots. This is what I do.’ They’ve got (Rajon) Rondo trying to prove himself. They’ve got KG, Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen) hungry and wanting to win. They’ve got guys that all fit in together. I think they got their veterans at good times in their careers. “That’s a nice, positive combination. But in basketball it’s how healthy you are and how you’re rolling in May that makes all the difference. The year after Portland won the title in ’77, they were like 56-6 - something utterly ridiculous. Then Bill (Walton) gets hurt and some things happen, and it all goes away.” Jerry Sichting hit jumpers off the bench for the 1986 team - and he narrowly avoided getting hit by Ralph Sampson in the Finals. He thinks the Celts have a chance to hit it big in the postseason. “They play hard and they play together,” said the Minnesota assistant coach. “They look like they’ve been on a mission all year, and that’s going to benefit them when the tough times come in the playoffs. “I think whoever wins the East is going to have an advantage. There’s so much of a dogfight in the West that whoever wins out here probably won’t have much left in the Finals.” KC Jones has enjoyed watching the way the Celtics developed as a unit. “When KG and Ray came in, it just perked up the rest of the players on the team - more particularly Pierce,” said the former Celtics coach. “All of a sudden Pierce is playing a whole different game than he was before. Then that just goes right down the line. But KG . . . his energy and his effort have been impressed on everyone else. “I like that KG is great on offense and he also plays hard on the defensive end. That’s where the money is at. And defense is what’s made this team really good. “It all comes from the coaches and then to the captains and the rest of the players. When people respect each other, that’s when you have unity.” Yet another player from that team to join the coaching ranks, Sam Vincent, was impressed even though his Charlotte Bobcats gave them a couple of tough games. “They’ve got a lot of weapons, but they’ve got a couple of big weapons,” Vincent said. “Garnett is a big weapon. “But I think the thing that’s different (from 1986) is our front line was so good. 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.” Danny Ainge may have the best perspective on the two teams, having started at guard in ’86 and built the current group from his post as executive director of basketball operations. “My unbiased opinion is that the 1986 Celtics team is still the best team in the history of the game,” Ainge said. “So this team has to win to be compared to the teams of the past. “I just don’t know how you can compare before this team has played in the playoffs. You can probably make a comparison when the season’s over, but right now this team has made a great run and they’ve got a lot of depth and stars that are all playing at the top of their game like the ’86 team. But it isn’t over yet.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:06:55 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087992&format=textFirst off: Matching up with the Atlanta Hawks By Mark Murphy | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill (File) Doc Rivers recently let out a deep laugh when asked about hiding strategies from the Hawks, whom the Celtics [team stats] beat for the third time last Saturday. The Celtics have defeated Atlanta by an average of 14.4 points per game. They don’t exactly have to experiment. “You don’t change who you are,” said the Celtics coach. “In my 20 years in this league, I’ve never seen a team come in and be different. If you do, you go home.” That counts doubly against Atlanta, the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, as well as the worst team in the NBA. Though the Hawks probably have enough in the way of athleticism and overall peskiness to occasionally test the Celtics, they also are a team that essentially runs six players deep, with two or three extra bit players thrown in. Over the course of a playoff series, that reserve will run dry quickly. The Celtics don’t have to change themselves for anyone in this league, especially in the early stages of the playoffs. Point Guard CELTICS -- Rajon Rondo [stats], 6-1, 175, second season, 10.4 ppg, 5.1 apg, 1.7 spg HAWKS -- Mike Bibby, 6-1, 185, 10th season, 14.1 ppg, 6.6 apg (with Atlanta) Bibby has enjoyed a nice revival in Atlanta since his mid-season trade from Sacramento. He has tied together every loose end for the Hawks while also reminding everyone why he was one of the league’s best before injuries started to squeeze him out of the spotlight. Rondo, who played high school basketball in Louisville for Bibby’s cousin (Doug Bibby) and actually spent time with Mike as a high school freshman, has thrived as part of the NBA’s most luxurious lineup. He’ll pressure Bibby with the knowledge that Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins [stats] have his back. Offensively, he also should be able to take Bibby’s aging legs into the paint. But Bibby has played in 51 playoff games -- a lengthy post-season track record. And he’s one of the smartest playmakers in the game. Over the course of a seven-game series, he’ll develop an even better read on his young foe. EDGE: HAWKS Shooting Guard CELTICS -- Ray Allen, 6-5, 205, 12th season, 17.6 ppg, .907 FT PCT. HAWKS -- Joe Johnson, 6-7, 235, seventh season, 22.1 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.6 rpg Allen’s offensive value was well-documented upon his arrival as a Celtic. But the great shooter’s defense, thought to be a weakness, has been much better than advertised. He has capably guarded some of the league’s toughest scorers, thanks in part to help from the Celtics’ blanketing defensive schemes. That’s a good thing, for Johnson is going to put Allen to work in this series. The former Celtics rookie, liberated by Bibby’s arrival, is a scoring machine. He has emerged in very much the same way that Paul Pierce [stats] has existed for the Celtics -- before and after the Celtics’ transformation -- as a do-everything wing player. Allen, who has sacrificed more of his offense than any other Celtic this season, may actually find his most important role taking shape in the defensive end. Johnson has become that much of a force. EDGE: HAWKS Small Forward CELTICS -- Paul Pierce, 6-7, 235, 10th season, 19.8 ppg, 4.6 apg, 5.2 rpg HAWKS -- Marvin Williams, 6-9, 230, third season, 14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg Williams presumably has the length to guard Pierce, but the Hawks forward, for all of his height, has the slenderness of a guard -- or a European big man. Next to LeBron James, Pierce is probably the most powerful wing scorer in the league, and he shouldn’t have much trouble taking this particular opponent to the rim. Though Pierce finished with a sub-20.0 scoring average for the first time in eight seasons, it’s not due to a decline in skills. He simply hasn’t had to force the issue with so many other options now available. The beauty of that fact now is that he’ll get Williams -- and Williams’ sub -- in single coverage for most of the evening. Look for Pierce to spend the lion’s share of this series at the free throw line. Williams simply doesn’t have the physical strength to get in the way. EDGE: CELTICS Power Forward CELTICS -- Kevin Garnett, 7-0, 253, 13th season, 19.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg HAWKS -- Josh Smith, 6-9, 235, fourth season, 17.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.8 bpg Smith is a gamer. He’s second in the league in blocked shots despite giving up size to his opponent on most nights. He’s athletic, and one of the best young defenders in the game. As such, he’s a better defender than most who lined up against Garnett over the last 82 games. But as one of three Celtics averaging more than 17 points per game this season, Garnett has displayed a more balanced game than ever. His playmaking has been invaluable -- indeed, (italics) MORE (end italics) of a factor in crunch time than his scoring thanks to all of the options at his talented fingertips. Also, he’s had the best season of any defender in the league, which will make this series a grind for the dunk-happy Smith. Garnett’s renewed fire considered -- as well as Smith’s youthful drive -- this also is the corner of the floor to keep an eye on if you’re looking for trash talk. Garnett got into it with Hawks center Al Horford last Saturday. But Smith will be more directly in his path. EDGE: CELTICS Center CELTICS -- Kendrick Perkins, 6-10, 264, fifth season, 7.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg, .620 FG PCT HAWKS -- Al Horford, 6-10, 245, rookie, 10.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg Considering his value to the Hawks’ interior defense, Horford is having a rookie of the year-caliber season. In that respect, Perkins is going to have a tough time offensively. Though the Celtics center appeared to hit a mid-season groove where his scoring matched his rebounding, he seems to have returned to that maddening habit of putting the ball on the floor before every shot instead of simply going up strong. On the other hand, he’ll continue to get plenty of looks thanks to Garnett’s passing. Defensively, he’s as solid as ever, with enough strength to neutralize Horford. EDGE: EVEN Bench CELTICS -- Forwards James Posey (7.3 ppg, .377 3-pt pct.), Leon Powe (7.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg), P.J. Brown, Glen Davis and Brian Scalabrine; Guards Sam Cassell and Eddie House (7.5 ppg, .391 3-pt pct.) HAWKS -- Center Zaza Pachulia (5 ppg, 4 rpg); Forwards Josh Childress (11.8 ppg) and Solomon Jones; guards Salim Stoudamire and Acie Law Danny Ainge did such a fine job adding complementary players to his roster, the Celtics can legitimately go 12 players deep, with a wide array of reserve shooters, bangers and defenders on call. The Hawks, on the other hand, simply don’t turn to the bench very often, beyond the ever-useful Childress. Pachulia has hurt the Celtics in the past, but his playing time appears to be on the decline. He played only 15 largely unproductive minutes last Saturday. Overall, three Hawks starters played 36 or more minutes in that game. Smith probably would have gone that route, too, if not for foul trouble. Law is a seldom-used rookie point guard, Stoudamire an effective but seldom-used deep shooter, with Bibby’s playing time likely headed up in this series. So look for more of the same now. The Celtics reserves are going to spend more of their time facing Hawks starters than the scant resources that exist on the bench. EDGE: CELTICS Coach CELTICS -- Doc Rivers, ninth season overall, fourth with Celtics HAWKS -- Mike Woodson, fourth season, all with Hawks Talk to any Celtic about his coach these days, and the first strength that gets mentioned is Rivers’ ability to pull everyone together. Don’t underestimate that skill. There are a lot of egos in that room, including one (Ray Allen) who has willingly sacrificed part of his game for the greater good. That selfless approach has spread through everything this team does. They are especially effective coming out of timeouts, and Rivers’ management of minutes and substitutions -- one object of criticism when he didn’t have the material -- almost always click. Rivers’ motivational skills have him at or near the top of the list for Coach of the Year. Woodson also has done an impressive job despite a short bench. But in the end he simply won’t have the same number of strings to pull. EDGE: CELTICS
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:08:29 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087998&format=textTrio’s chance for redemption By Steve Bulpett | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone (file) The wait for Paul Pierce [stats], Kendrick Perkins [stats] and Tony Allen hasn’t been as long as the Celtics [team stats]’ championship drought, but it’s been painful enough. The three are the only remaining sneakered soldiers from the club’s last trip to the playoffs. Pretty it was not. The seven-game loss to the Pacers in 2005 was marked by technical fouls and a pathetically embarrassing 27-point Game 7 loss on the parquet. That game aside, the lasting memories for many fans will be Pierce getting thrown out of Game 6 in Indiana and removing his jersey as he left the court. The Celtics lost their poise before they lost the series, and they remain angry, at least, about the latter. “I still think we should have won that series,” said Pierce. “I thought we should have won,” said Perkins. “That’s just my opinion, but that’s what I remember about that.” In the wake of the elimination, there were many calls to jettison Pierce. “It was bad, but I don’t think it was my low point as a Celtic,” he said. “I think it was the low point for people’s opinion of me, but I think my low point had to be a year ago. When I look at all my years, last year being injured and having all those losses was the lowest.” Perkins played a role in one of Pierce’s plays in that Indiana series. The Celts were ahead by a point with 12.9 seconds left when Pierce got fouled by Jamaal Tinsley and knocked the Pacer away to pick up his second technical. The Pacers chose Perkins, who had been sitting on the bench all game, to shoot the free throws. He missed both. Despite the fact the Celts won in overtime, the impression was left. “I try to forget about that, but I remember.” Perkins said. “That’s why I’ll always be trying to sharpen my game and just keep getting better, but I do remember that. I remember that feeling. It was just pressure. It was crazy. I was on the bench all game. Then I’m at the line. It was an experience, man, a learning experience. We did lose our composure. That’s part of just being professional, and we lost it. We know we’ve got to be professional now, and we’ve got a whole new team anyway. It’s going to be a whole lot different.” Pierce certainly agrees. “With the guys we have now, we have a little more experience, and I think we’re a little bit more mentally prepared for it,’ he said. “I think we have better discipline now, too, especially myself. You learn from the things you’ve done in the past. It’s been a few years, so definitely I’ve learned. “It’s going to be great just being back in the postseason once again. When you lose in the playoffs, and the way we lost with getting blown out at home in the seventh game, it’s a tough way to go out. No team ever wants to lose like that. “It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, but hopefully I’ll get a chance to erase that this year.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:09:13 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1087871&format=textThe winner is... Bill Russell Earns title of ’Greatest Celtics Player of All Time’ By Herald staff | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by File The polls are closed and Celtics [team stats] fans have spoken. The people’s choice for Greatest Celtics Player of All Time is Bill Russell. For the past five weeks, the Boston Herald has been conducting a bracket-style elimination pool, giving fans an opportunity to pair down our original 32 Celtics greats to determine the one Celtics player who deserves the title of Greatest Celtic. With Russell teamed up against Larry Bird in the final showdown, fans responded overwhelming in Russell’s corner. The big man, who powered the Celts to 11 championships during his 13-year career, earned 74 percent of the votes. Bird, who helped lead the Celtics to three titles during his time with the Green from 1979-92, came away with 26 percent of the final votes.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:10:03 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1088000&format=textTommy Heinsohn gives Celtics points By Steve Bulpett | Friday, April 18, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill (File) Tommy Heinsohn has seen the glory. And the gory. A Celtic in one form or another since 1956, he is once again aglow as his team heads into the playoffs. “This is a team,” said Heinsohn, adding proper emphasis to that last word. “The other teams in the league are a combination of players. This is a team. “They’ve got three guys averaging 20 points or under leading the offense and they’re happy. The three of them learned that when everyone’s a threat it’s easier for them to win, and that’s all they want to do now. All the personal accolades aren’t as fulfilling to them as what’s happening right now.” What’s happening now - the best record in the NBA - is something many thought impossible before last summer. A large number of Celtics [team stats] fans had come to believe that it would take many more years to build a team this good - and they doubted whether the current regime was capable. But Heinsohn saw signs. And they all led to his beloved running game. “First of all, you needed someone at the top who believed in fast-break basketball, and then you needed somebody to teach it,” he said. “The first thing this team did right was get a guy in Danny Ainge who believed that if you play quick basketball rather than big basketball, the talent pool is bigger. “The next thing they had to do was find a coach who believes in using quickness and knows how to coach it. I think Doc Rivers has done a great job. He’s the guy who developed all the players that made those trades possible. All the grunt work was done in developing those players.” Looking ahead, Heinsohn points with pride to the expectations that now accompany the Celtics. “All I know is somebody will have to play really, really great to beat them,” he said. “The Celtics are going to play hard and they’re going to play unselfishly. It’s not a matter of stopping KG (Kevin Garnett). It’s not a matter of stopping Paul (Pierce). It’s not a matter of stopping Ray Allen. You have to stop the whole team. “They’re going to be tough to beat because they play like a team. You’re going to see everyone make a contribution, from the starters to the bench. That’s how you win.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 18, 2008 7:11:57 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/04/18/regards_flowing_for_rivers?mode=PFRegards flowing for Rivers Fratello says he's NBA's top coach By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | April 18, 2008 Former NBA coach Mike Fratello has heard New Orleans's Byron Scott, the Lakers' Phil Jackson, Philadelphia's Maurice Cheeks, and Houston's Rick Adelman mentioned as candidates for Coach of the Year. But Fratello sees no better choice than his old Hawks point guard, Doc Rivers. "How much more can you do? The guy's got [66] wins. He's done it since the beginning of the year," said Fratello as the Celtics prepared to play the Hawks Sunday night at 8:30 at TD Banknorth Garden in the first round of the playoffs. Rivers played for Fratello from 1983-90. Rivers has said he feels most connected to the Hawks because they drafted him and he played eight seasons there. He was named the Eastern Conference's Coach of the Month for April yesterday, the third time he received the award this season. But when Rivers was playing, long before he was the 1999-2000 NBA Coach of the Year with Orlando or began roaming the Celtics' sideline, he often picked Fratello's brain. Such qualities make Fratello far from surprised Rivers is coaching now. "Very inquisitive. Wasn't afraid to ask you something," said Fratello, who will call Game 1 as an analyst for TNT. "He was listening, hearing, and trying to take something away he could use through the course of the game. "I don't think there is any question that Doc had the leadership qualities; he was a student of the game, he was always well prepared, always asked questions. If it wasn't clear or there were any gray areas left, he was quick to jump on it and ask about it." Fratello said Rivers was fortunate to play for other great coaches, including Hall of Famers Larry Brown (with the Clippers) and Pat Riley (with New York). "Just go through the coaches he played for after he left [Atlanta], you're talking about some very special people he was exposed to," Fratello said. "Doc's the kind of guy that would pick and choose and take the best things from the guys he felt were good and wanted to implement into his coaching style." When asked what he learned from Fratello, Rivers said, "His defensive preparation was as good as it got, in my opinion. Everything I do is from somebody, from one of those guys." During the Hawks' heyday in the late 1980s, Fratello coached Rivers, Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, Kevin Willis, John Battle, Randy Wittman, Cliff Levingston, Antoine Carr, and Spud Webb. But even with those stars, Rivers has him beat this season. The Celtics have three All-Stars in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. Boston entered the season with nine new players, including forward James Posey, who won an NBA title with Miami. Rivers also had to mesh in P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell after the All-Star break. During the regular season, the Celtics won a league-best 66 games, had the biggest turnaround in NBA history after winning 24 games last season, and were the only team to reach the 60-win mark. "From a coaching standpoint, [Rivers is] a great coach," said Wilkins, who is the Hawks' vice president of basketball. "To bring in the guys that he has brought together on that team, to go [from] 24 [wins] to [66] in one year. You don't get there just on talent alone. You need a system that can work for you. And this system works." Garnett and Pierce echoed Wilkins's sentiments following the season-finale victory over New Jersey Wednesday. Pierce described it as "work" to coach a star-studded squad and added that Rivers managed it without major drama. "I watch ESPN and read the articles and they talk about guys and he really hasn't been mentioned for Coach of the Year," Pierce said. "People don't understand what comes along with putting together a whole new team, meshing the egos of players that you have on this team. That's work. People assume that when you got Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen that this is going to be a great team. "The coaches have to do a job trying to maintain the different kind of attitudes. Maintaining the egos on a day-in and day-out basis. Usually with a team you have turmoil through the course of a long season and you have a lot of team meetings that are held within the players. Because of Doc, that has been limited on this team. I can't remember, but we had just one in-house meeting where players came together. "A lot of credit goes to Doc for keeping the guys focused day in and day out and meshing us on the floor, where we get the most of everybody on this squad." When asked to describe Rivers's importance to the team's success Garnett simply said, "Everything." Garnett added Rivers is "going to get us to where we need to be." "Doc's very straight up," Garnett said. "You know where he's coming from. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He doesn't care who you are, what you've done in this league. For this type of team, if he feels like we are not playing our hardest or he can get more out of us, he says it. He doesn't cater to anyone on this team." Fratello doesn't have a vote for Coach of the Year. But if he did, his inquisitive former point guard would easily be his choice. "Why wouldn't I? I love Doc Rivers," Fratello said.
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