News 11/6

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1130416&format=text
Celtics get their back up
Big night by bench keys win

By Mark Murphy | Thursday, November 6, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
OKLAHOMA CITY - The election-spiced fervor from Tuesday night was replaced by a college-like crowd, boisterously happy to simply have a new professional basketball team.

But the Celtics [team stats], who lost their first chance at a back-to-back win last Saturday in Indianapolis, weren’t going to slip the same way twice.

They simply rolled out a college-like box score with their 96-83 win over the Thunder, formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics.

The C’s bench, still an emerging group in search of an identity, turned in its most effective game of the early season, contributing 27 points to the cause.

Leon Powe scored all 11 of his points in one powerful 13-point burst in the second quarter, and mates Glen Davis, Eddie House and Tony Allen all had their moments.

Though starters Paul Pierce [stats] (20 points, nine rebounds, five assists), Kevin Garnett (17 points, eight boards), Ray Allen (18 points, nine boards), Kendrick Perkins [stats] (10 points, four blocks, nine boards) and Rajon Rondo [stats] (11 assists) all had major impact, it was the bench that rescued the Celts from some early lethargy.

Above all, it was the interior work of Powe and Davis that enabled Garnett (29 minutes) to take a much-needed rest.

In the midst of his team’s stretch of eight games in 12 days, Doc Rivers will need this kind of extended work from his reserves.

That was most apparent early in the second, when Powe went on his rampage. The Celtics starters finished the first quarter trailing, 29-20. By the time all three stars were back on the floor together, with five minutes left in the first half, the reserves had handed them a 40-36 lead.

“The second quarter was key for us,” Rivers said. “We played with a lot of energy and the bench played great. Big Baby continues to play well for us.”

Their 43.4 percent shooting performance was more than good enough, considering the 36.9 percent collected by the Thunder.

It was a long way for the young hosts to fall after opening with a 29-point, 50-percent (11-of-22) first quarter.

Though it’s early, the C’s bench may be finding its identity following the departures of James Posey and P.J. Brown.

“It’s a new year and everyone has to get used to it,” said Ray Allen. “It’s a matter of learning the first, second and even third options on plays for some of these guys. But this was just the fifth game for us.

“For every team in the league, playing the first 20 games is like getting your driver’s license. You learn how to drive after the fact.”

And in this case, the starters still had the honor of driving the victory lap.

Garnett essentially closed this one out with a three-point play that gave the Celtics an 89-74 lead with 2:23 left.

Ray Allen answered a Russell Westbrook 3-pointer, and 40 seconds later Pierce buried a 3-pointer for an iron-clad 94-77 lead.

Sloppiness had threatened to wash out the third quarter. The Celtics followed up a four-turnover first half with six in the third. The good news for them was that the Thunder were worse, with seven turnovers in that 12-minute stretch.

The Celtics, a team that knows how to turn the mistake of others into points better than just about any other team, parlayed Oklahoma City mistakes into a prolonged 17-5 run, and carried a 70-55 lead into the fourth quarter.

“We came in and did our jobs, keeping things afloat,” said Eddie House. “We don’t want to overlook that. But I think everyone on the bench is accepting their role, more than in the preseason. I think everyone realizes that the second unit has to hold its own.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1130430&format=text
An odd one for Ray Allen
Surreal night for former Sonic

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Thursday, November 6, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
OKLAHOMA CITY - Ray Allen admitted that last night’s 96-83 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder - formerly known as the team he used to play for, the Seattle SuperSonics - was surreal.

“It is odd,” said the Celtics [team stats] guard before the game. “Someone just the other day was saying how unusual this was going to be, and I had to agree.”

Odd, because during his 4 seasons as a Sonic, Allen threw himself into the effort not only to keep the team in Seattle, but to advocate for the new arena that was going to be necessary to prevent a new owner from moving the team.

Guess what happened.

“Everything I’ve ever drawn from the Sonics franchise comes down to the same question - where does it stand?” he said. “The feeling I get now from the new ownership is that now they just want a clean slate.

“It’s strange, because some of the guys I played with are still there,” said Allen. “I know it’s commonplace for guys to get traded, but in this case the whole team got traded, and that’s something you obviously never see.

“Most of the players liked Seattle,” he continued. “I’m sure that having to relocate to Oklahoma City is going to require quite a readjustment.”

Not surprisingly, Allen can feel their disappointment.

“Oh yeah, definitely disappointment, because the people in government in Seattle didn’t fight enough for what they wanted,” he said. “There was a lot of greed in the old ownership in wanting to unload the team so quickly, and they didn’t think about what was going to happen.”

Thunder owner Clay Bennett’s name may now be mud in Seattle, but you won’t hear any of that criticism from Allen.

“I thought he was a straight shooter,” said Allen. “He let me know what his intentions were immediately. He wanted to make a go of it in Seattle, but if things didn’t work out, then he had another plan. He was on the up and up.

“He owns properties all over America,” he said. “He didn’t need a team in Oklahoma City.”

Emotional game

Between a road win over the Rockets and the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, a matter even closer to Doc Rivers’ heart passed on Tuesday night.

It was the year anniversary of the death of his father, Grady.

“He missed the title and he missed this,” the Celtics coach said of Obama’s historic triumph. “But my mom told me that he probably would have been more proud of (Obama).

“She told me, ‘He always envisioned that you would win a championship.’ But he never envisioned this.”

Pol talk

Though the Celtics - by a 14-1 margin in favor of Obama - enjoyed a quick presidential celebration following Tuesday night’s win in Houston, there was a healthy dose of worry prior to the game.

Allen, for instance, fretted about the possibility of a electoral tie. He was intrigued enough to do some internet research on the history of the electoral college.

“I think the whole process should change,” he said. “You’ve given people the power of the vote, but the way things are set up, you have a say-so and also you don’t.

“You look at Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida - states with a high electoral count - and the focus turns to them,” said Allen. “That’s why we need a straight popular vote.”

Ming Dynasty

With Kendrick Perkins [stats] blocking his shot twice and Glen Davis bumping him out of the paint like a sumo wrestler, Yao Ming was taken completely out of his game Monday night.

Big Baby took delight in giving the 7-6 Yao - dubbed somewhat charitably by Rivers the best center in basketball - such a difficult time.

“I tried to out-think him; I tried to be a pest,” said Davis. “I wanted to get him mad and frustrated.”

[FLCeltsFan]

celticsgreen.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=bchistorian&action=post&thread=4986&page=1
Tony Parker drives 55 in win

By Herald Wire Services | Thursday, November 6, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage
Tony Parker scored a career-high 55 points, including a 20-footer at the buzzer to force a second overtime, in the San Antonio Spurs’ 129-125 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night in Minneapolis.

After Al Jefferson [stats] backed down Tim Duncan and sank a turnaround hook to put Minnesota up 116-114 with 2 seconds left in the first overtime, Parker took the inbounds pass, dribbled right, pump-faked once and let the ball fly. He let a sly smile creep across his normally stone face as the Wolves trudged back to the bench.

Jefferson paused to sit on the scorer’s table before play resumed and just shook his head as if to say, “What more can we do?”

San Antonio won for the first time in four games this season, and picked up its sixth straight win against Minnesota.

Pistons 100, Raptors 93 - Tayshaun Prince scored 16 of his 27 points in the second quarter, and Richard Hamilton had 22 to help Detroit improve to 4-0 with a win in Toronto.

Allen Iverson [stats] was unavailable for the Pistons because Chauncey Billups, one of three players traded to Denver in exchange for Iverson, hadn’t completed his physical.

Suns 113, Pacers 103 - Amare Stoudemire scored 49 points, falling a point short of his career high as Phoenix won in Indianapolis.

Stoudemire was 17-for-21 from the field, made 15 free throws without a miss and had 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Cavaliers 107, Bulls 93 - LeBron James scored a season-high 41 points - 15 on free throws - despite twisting his ankle, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 15 points and 10 rebounds as host Cleveland pounded Chicago.

Knicks 101, Bobcats 98 - Zach Randolph had 25 points and 13 rebounds, Nate Robinson scored all 24 of his points in the first half, and New York ruined former coach Larry Brown’s first game back at Madison Square Garden by beating Charlotte.

Heat 106, 76ers 83 - Dwyane Wade scored 29 points, Mario Chalmers set a franchise record with nine steals, and host Miami scored 12 straight points in the fourth quarter of a win against Philadelphia.

Hawks 87, Hornets 79 - Joe Johnson scored 24 points and Atlanta made 12 3-pointers to improve to 3-0 and drop host New Orleans.

Jazz 103, Trail Blazers 96 - Mehmet Okur had 22 points and nine rebounds, Carlos Boozer added 20 points and eight boards and Utah remained perfect (4-0) by beating Portland in Salt Lake City.

Bucks 112, Wizards 104 - Richard Jefferson scored 32 points, rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added 17 and host Milwaukee overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to put down

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view/2008_11_06_Referee_Scott_Foster_breaks_silence_on_Tim_Donaghy_mess/
Referee Scott Foster breaks silence on Tim Donaghy mess

By Associated Press | Thursday, November 6, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage
Referee Scott Foster broke his silence yesterday, discussing his role in the NBA’s betting scandal and his relationship with former official Tim Donaghy in published interviews.

Foster was tied to the scandal after it was reported in July that he and Donaghy took part in 134 phone calls from October 2006 to April 2007. There was no evidence of any criminal activity, but Foster was questioned about the calls during the FBI’s investigation.

“They specifically asked me, ‘Can you recall Tim pumping you for information?’ I was thinking, ‘How did I miss this? Am I a moron?’ ” Foster told USA Today.

Foster was cleared of any wrongdoing last month in the report done by former federal prosecutor Lawrence Pedowitz, who was hired by the league to investigate its referees operations department in the wake of the scandal. The report noted that Donaghy and Foster were close friends, providing a reasonable explanation for the calls.

Still, Foster said he told Pedowitz he wanted to speak on his behalf, which the NBA prevented him from doing during the investigation. Pedowitz recommended he be allowed to do so.

“I was talking about my family,” Foster told SI.com. “I told him, ‘There is no way that you can write a report that clears my name. Until the NBA lets me speak to the press and lets me let them see how angry I am about this, it’s not going to mean a hill of beans. People don’t want to hear from lawyers, they want to hear it from my mouth.’ ”

Foster worked in this year’s NBA Finals, won by the Celtics [team stats], which were overshadowed by the Donaghy scandal after the former referee’s attorney made fresh accusations of misconduct and bias by the officials. A month later came the appearances that Foster also was dirty.

“The day it broke, my name is in lights, flashing at the bottom of ESPN,” Foster told the New York Times [NYT]. “It’s on the Internet, my face is flashing next to Tim’s. Then the day the Pedowitz report comes out, a one-line thing says, ‘Referee is exonerated.’ ”

3Foster said he’s had no contact with Donaghy since word of the investigation began in July 2007, telling the Times that he’s “struggling with” his feelings for his friend and colleague, who is serving 15 months in a Florida prison

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/11/06/celtics_make_noise?mode=PF
Celtics make noise
Thunder silenced to conclude trip
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | November 6, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Celtics expected rough treatment on the road this season. They did not expect to have many cakewalks. And they got both on their first trip since winning the NBA championship last spring.

There will not be much easier opposition this season than the Oklahoma City Thunder, a 96-83 victim last night as the Celtics improved to 4-1. The Celtics began this trip with a 95-79 loss at Indiana, then overcame a physical challenge from the Houston Rockets in a 103-99 win.

The Celtics displayed flashes of the form that got them off to an 8-0 start last season in threatening to turn the win over the Rockets into a blowout, then easily blew out the Thunder 24 hours later.

The Celtics, who host Milwaukee tomorrow, took the lead early in the second half and maintained control, holding Oklahoma City to 26 points combined in the second and third quarters through a combination of stifling defense and the Thunder's lack of offensive direction.

Paul Pierce (20 points) converted a layup for an 84-70 lead with 3:20 to go, and that proved to be the deciding score. But the game was wrapped up long before that, allowing Kevin Garnett (17 points) to take long breathers (he played 29 minutes).

"That was intentional," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of Garnett's limited time. "I didn't want to give any of them a lot of minutes - eight games in 12 days - we're going to save fuel if I can. But this team [the Thunder] just plays so darn hard they don't allow you to do that, so we had to expend minutes for Paul and Ray [Allen]."

Rivers went to the reserves in the second quarter, a combo of Tony Allen, Glen Davis, Eddie House, Leon Powe, and Pierce rallying the Celtics from a 29-21 deficit. Powe scored all 11 of his points in the quarter.

"What we're trying to do with the second unit, we're trying to establish Leon as the post guy in that group," Rivers said. "Because in the past we go jump shot happy when the second group is in, especially unless Paul is on the floor. I really thought that was a good mix - it's just dangerous."

A 4-point possession, capped by Chris Wilcox's dunk off a missed foul shot with 17 seconds to play in the first quarter, gave Oklahoma City a 29-21 lead. After that score, though, the Thunder converted only once from the field over the next 9:44.

Pierce's 3-pointer with :02 on the shot clock ignited a 19-4 run over a 5:59 span. Powe's follow provided a 40-33 lead 5:58 into the quarter, the Celtic starters returning for the final minutes of the half. Kendrick Perkins's lane shot extended the lead to 46-36 with 2:54 left. Joe Smith broke a 6:03 Thunder drought from the field 21 seconds later.

"We had the penalty with 6 1/2 minutes left and we took five straight jump shots," Rivers said. "That's the little things we've got to get better at."

At the start of the second half, the Celtics created offense with coherent ball movement, plus some exceptional individual moves - a Rajon Rondo fake-behind-the-back-pass layup and a dizzying Allen dribble that concluded with an 18-footer, just before the shot clock was to expire - to extend their advantage to 64-53 with 4:14 left in the quarter. Pierce then exchanged passes with Rondo for a 3-point play to conclude a fast break and Allen converted a 3-pointer for a 70-53 edge with 2:56 to go in the third.

Perkins symbolized the Celtics' dominance during a 54-second possession, capped by Perkins's low-post move for an 81-66 lead with 4:37 to go.

"We were worried about this game after having a tough game [Tuesday] night," Rivers said. "The whole key for us is if we can make a team play against our half-court defense, we can do pretty well. But if we don't get back and we gamble for offensive rebounds, they can score because we are breaking our rules. Everything was a setup, they had to walk it up. We want to run, we don't want them to run, and I thought we did a better job of it."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/11/06/meeting_obama_one_of_their_goals?mode=PF
Meeting Obama one of their goals
Bonus of repeating is White House visit
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | November 6, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Celtics were enthusiastic about being invited to the White House to commemorate their NBA title in September. And the team set a goal to return, this time to be greeted by Barack Obama.

"That's what we said when we went there," guard Rajon Rondo said before last night's 96-83 Celtics victory over the Thunder. "We want to go back next year to see Obama. He's in office now and it's up to us to do our part."

Rondo said the team needed little motivation in a quest to win successive championships. But the players' political awareness has increased in recent months, and the team was plugged into election results following a 103-99 win at Houston Tuesday night.

"As soon as the game was over, we went to the locker room and a security guard told us Obama was president," Rondo said. "It hasn't hit me yet. After the game, you need to get your sleep and focus on the next game. But by [today] we should have time to really enjoy and appreciate it.

"We want to be the first Celtics team to win back-to-back [since 1969], and it would also be an honor to go back to the White House. I want to win as many championships as possible with this group of players. Our main priority is to win the championship, but it's a little something we say - 'Let's go see Obama.' "

Asked if he thought Obama would greet the Celtics as a fan, Rondo said, "He's probably a Celtics fan now. A lot of people love to watch us play."


Special anniversary
Election day was the one-year anniversary of coach Doc Rivers's father's death.

"I talked to my mom [Tuesday] night, and he missed us winning the title," Rivers said. "She said, 'He would be more proud last night [of the election results]. He always envisioned you winning the championship, but he never envisioned this.'

"Right after the game, the guys were celebrating Obama's victory, and we had just beaten the Rockets on the road. I thought it was cool. Usually basketball players are quiet politically. I told them I don't care who you vote for, I just want you to vote."


McDyess lottery
More than half the NBA's teams, including the Celtics, are expected to give the Detroit Pistons competition in an attempt to add Antonio McDyess.

McDyess was dealt along with Chauncey Billups and Cheikh Samb from Detroit to Denver Monday for Allen Iverson. McDyess is expected to re-sign with the Pistons if bought out of his contract. An NBA source said 17 teams have inquired about obtaining McDyess, a 2001 All-Star.

The Nuggets are working on a buyout of $6.8 million that McDyess, a 6-foot-9-inch, 240-pounder, is owed this season and next season. The complicated buyout package needs a few more days to be completed. Once a player is bought out, it would take 48 hours for him to clear waivers.

McDyess has been hoping to cap his career with a championship, which would seem to make title-caliber teams front-runners. The Celtics have a $2.392 million midlevel exception they could offer McDyess. Other NBA power teams with lucrative exceptions available include Cleveland ($5.1 million), the Lakers ($5.5 million), San Antonio ($2.085 million), Orlando ($3 million), Houston ($4.5 million), Utah ($5.5 million), and Toronto ($4.3 million).

Celtics president Danny Ainge, who declined comment, coached McDyess in Phoenix during the 1997-98 season. Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and McDyess were close friends until both were ejected during Detroit's 107-98 double-overtime win over Minnesota Jan. 19, 2007. Garnett and McDyess have the same agent, Andy Miller, and it's uncertain if the two have reconciled. McDyess averaged 8.8 points and 8.5 rebounds off the bench for Detroit last season. He could replace free agent forward-center P.J. Brown, who is unsigned and expected to retire.


Givin' it up
Glen Davis scored 9 points in 12 minutes against the Rockets and defended well against Yao Ming.

"I don't know if I'm surprised, I'm just proud of him," Rivers said of Davis. "It's maturity. He hasn't just been good, he's been fantastic. He's one guy who gives up his body. We set a lot of picks, we were off the charts setting picks [against the Rockets], and Ray [ Allen] getting open was not an accident."


Rain delay?
The first half included a delay because of condensation (from the ice below the floor) near the Thunder basket. And the second-half tipoff was delayed to repair a loose net at the opposite end of the court.


Banner semantics
The Spurs' championship banners designate the team as "NBA champions." And this week, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich questioned the Celtics' banners, which call the team "World champions."

"There's no such thing," Popovich told the Dallas Morning News. "Why can't we just be happy with 'NBA champions.' That's pretty cool. In the middle of the Celtics' [banner] it says 'world champions' in giant letters and 'Boston Celtics.' In the middle, in little teeny letters, 'NBA.' In brackets. What is that? Ashamed to be in the NBA? Or, I know it's really the NBA championship, but I'm going to go ahead and say world championship, anyway. I don't understand it."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x1528637167/Celtics-96-Thunder-83-Cs-rain-on-Thunder
Celtics 96, Thunder 83: C's rain on Thunder
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By Jeff Latzke/Associated Press
Associated Press
Posted Nov 05, 2008 @ 11:03 PM
Last update Nov 05, 2008 @ 11:04 PM

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OKLAHOMA CITY — Paul Pierce had 20 points and nine rebounds, Ray Allen scored 18 points and the Boston Celtics clamped down on the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 96-83 victory last night.

After giving up 29 points in the first quarter, the defending NBA champions held the Thunder to 25 percent shooting over the next two periods and didn't let them match that point total for the next 26 minutes.

Kevin Garnett added 17 points and eight rebounds, Kendrick Perkins had 10 points and nine rebounds and Rajon Rondo had 11 assists for the Celtics.

Boston moved to 1-1 on the second night of back-to-back games this season, after going 16-3 in those situations last season on its way to the NBA title.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 17 points, but had another poor shooting night in his team's new gym. He went only 6-for-15 and is 18-for-50 this season at the Ford Center. Jeff Green added 14 points for Oklahoma City, and Russell Westbrook finished with 13 after two late 3-pointers.

Oklahoma City opened with its best offensive quarter of the season, taking a 29-21 lead through 12 minutes. But Pierce opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer with a hand in his face, and the Celtics reeled off nine straight points to take the lead on Leon Powe's three-point play.

Boston continued to pull away as Oklahoma City started out 1-for-17 in the second quarter, and Perkins' layup provided a 46-36 edge.

Oklahoma City never made much of a dent in Boston's lead after that, and Allen's 3-pointer from the left wing stretched the advantage to 70-53 with 2:56 left in the third quarter.

Allen faced the unique situation of playing his former team in the new city that it relocated to after last season.

He talked before the game about how he hoped the NBA would return to Seattle and said again that he'd be willing to work to make that happen.

"It definitely worked," Allen said. "I think just to have basketball not only in Portland but in Seattle, it only does better for the league."

Notes: The game was delayed about 5 minutes while the net was replaced on the Celtics' end of the court during pregame warmups and another 5 minutes because of condensation under the Thunder's basket in the second quarter. The net was replaced again at halftime. ... Boston is two games into a stretch of eight games in 12 days that includes three back-to-back sets. "This is an amazing way to start a season. That's what it is, and we know we have to somehow get out of it," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ... Lauren Nelson, last year's Miss America, sang the national anthem. She is from Lawton, Okla. ... Celtics guard J.R. Giddens, a former Oklahoma City high-school standout, was inactive in his return to his hometown.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/ot/2008/11/stuck_in_the_middle.html
Stuck in the middle
Email|Link|Comments (0) Posted by Scott Souza November 6, 2008 05:55 AM

Back in his AAU days in Oakland, Leon Powe got used to playing the center spot. When you’re that age, unless you have the handle of a Magic Johnson or the explosiveness of a LeBron James, most muscular guys over 6-foot-6 know they’re headed straight for the post.

At a generous 6-foot-8 — he is probably closer to 6-foot-7 — Powe was content to bang in high school and even in college; he was an All-America power forward at the University of California.

But when it came time to turn pro, Powe figured it was time for him to catch a break. Although the adjustments of playing away from the basket would be daunting, he was pretty sure his center days were over.

“I was thinking eventually I would be a three [small forward], maybe a four [power forward],” he said of his expectations after the Celtics traded for the pick used to select him in the second round of the 2006 draft.

Three years later, not only is Powe still in the post, but he has become the defending champions’ rock off the bench there. He started in place of an injured Kendrick Perkins at center in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and has been the primary backup at center so far this season.

Through the first two weeks of the campaign, Powe has already found himself looking up nearly a foot at Houston’s Yao Ming and more than eight inches while guarding Cleveland’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

At first glance, Powe always appears to be on the wrong end of the mother of all mismatches. But as soon as opposing teams try to exploit it, they often find Powe plays a lot bigger than his size.

Powe knows he doesn’t have the height and length to bother a shot around the rim, so instead he tries to use his low center of gravity to force taller opponents out of the paint and away from easy opportunities.

“You’ve got to do your work early — pretty much above the 3-point line,” he said. “You can’t give up too much ground, because if you give up a lot of ground he’s going to be able to just turn and shoot that hook over you. You’ve got to keep them as far away from the basket as possible and make them take contested jump shots.

“I just try to use my strength, my muscle, to keep them at bay. In this league, you only have to do it for two or three seconds before you’re going to get help.”

Rivers has become a believer. After playing Powe sparingly in his first season-plus in Boston, the coach went to the crowd favorite extensively in the second half of last year and the playoffs. With P.J. Brown’s retirement — for now, anyway — Powe has earned the backup center minutes over 7-footer Patrick O’Bryant.

“I look at it as a lot of the same position,” he said. “Four and five, sometimes they’re much bigger [at center], sometimes they are a little quicker [at forward], but it’s the way you guard people. You have to be extra smart out there when you are a guy like me.”

Heavy rotation
After being blasted early in his Boston tenure for playing too many players in haphazard fashion, Rivers has had a relatively tight nine-player rotation early in the year. Powe, Glen Davis, Eddie House, and Tony Allen get most of the bench minutes.

Brian Scalabrine, O’Bryant, and Gabe Pruitt were the other active players in the first three games (Sam Cassell and rookies Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens were inactive) and received a bit more time in Indiana on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday.

Rivers said the rotation “evolves over the course of a season,” but it appears first crack at minutes will go to those who most helped win banner No. 17.

Payday coming
The decision to pick up Rajon Rondo’s fourth-year rookie contract option last week was an easy one. Negotiations will likely get a lot more expensive next year, when Rondo is due his first contract extension.

The Celtics got a bargain with the four-year, $16 million deal Kendrick Perkins signed last year, but that was before he started on a championship team. With Rondo already generating All-Star talk, his contract may be the team’s first big money issue since the Celtics crafted their $60 million troika of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.

Scott Souza covers the Celtics for OT and can be reached at [e-mail]