News 11/13

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1132046&format=text
Paul Pierce’s shot ends rivals’ unbeaten run
Celtics deny Hawks again

By Mark Murphy | Thursday, November 13, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Stuart Cahill
Last April’s first-round playoff series was more than a one-time collision, more than, well, a first-round playoff series.

The Celtics [team stats] and Hawks now appear to be headed for a season or two of contentious, fan-pleasing basketball.

The Celtics needed 47.995 minutes to end the Hawks’ season-opening, 6-0 winning streak with a 103-102 victory last night at the Garden.

Paul Pierce [stats], again playing with a sore shooting hand and obviously still riding his 36-point wave from Monday night, hit a tough game-winner from 20 feet over Al Horford with a half-second left on the clock.

Pierce finished with 34 points, but his last shot still seemed frozen in time 15 minutes later.

“The last play was drawn up as get the ball to Paul Pierce and get the hell out of the way,” a near-breathless Kevin Garnett said. “Superman’s in the booth. Let’s go home.”

From what the Celtics could tell, the Hawks were ready to do exactly that when Marvin Williams, off an inside-out dish from Joe Johnson, buried an open corner trey for a 102-101 Atlanta lead with 7.9 seconds left.

Williams was swarmed by his teammates as Celtics coach Doc Rivers called a timeout.

Kendrick Perkins [stats] said he could sense what was coming.

“He works on those plays every day,” Perkins said of Pierce’s 20-foot step-back jumper, which the Celtics captain created by dribbling for space after drawing Horford off a Garnett pick. “When Marvin Williams hit that shot in the corner, I could tell that (Pierce) was mad. I saw them dancing out there. They thought it was over. But the Big Three is never over.”

As on Monday, when he immediately started to ice his hand after a 22-point fourth quarter, Pierce once again had an ice pack on the back of his right hand after the game.

No problem, Pierce said.

“Once I went to the right I had the big guy on me. I sort of got to my sweet spot and I felt good the whole time,” he said. “The play was to get the ball to Kevin and if they switched off, either hand off or he would take the drive down the lane. But they switched and put Horford on me, and I knew I could get to my spot. I got to it, and thank God it went in.”

Pierce has extra reason to give thanks, for these are not your father’s - or even your own - Hawks.

Instead, the NBA’s top defensive team squared off against a new Atlanta, No. 3 in field goal defense and fourth in scoring stinginess, in a game with more lead changes than a four-day golf tournament. The Hawks held to those defensive standards despite the absence of Josh Smith (ankle sprain) and the quick descent of Horford into foul trouble.

In a second half where the margin never moved above two points until a Garnett layup with 3:32 left, the teams took the lead a combined 23 times and tied the score another 10.

From three Maurice Evans 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to Williams’ bomb and a rain-making midair jumper from Johnson that tied the score at 99, the Hawks made big shots.

“It was frustrating just trying to get a stop,” Rivers said. “You’ve got two of the top four defensive teams in the league, and on every possession the other team kept scoring. That’s frustrating for a coach. Then you get up by three or four, and they make a 3. I mean, they made amazing shots. For fans, it was fun.”

And for the Celtics, it was their sixth game in nine days.

They have won all six. For the players, that has to be fun, too.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1132060&format=text
Hawks learn from Celtics

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Beat | Thursday, November 13, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Stuart Cahill
The Hawks came to bury the Celtics [team stats] last night, not praise them. But if they someday ascend to the throne now occupied by Caesar, er, the C’s, they will have to acknowledge, too, their great assistance.

Atlanta showed up at the Garden with a 6-0 record and confidence and a willingness to do the work necessary to take a giant step forward in its maturation. And while the Hawks knew they would be better this season - their kids are a year older - they don’t believe they’d be where they are without that walk through the fire with the Celtics in a seven-game first-round playoff series last April.

Though last night they left with a 103-102 loss, courtesy of Paul Pierce [stats]’s 20-footer with a half-second left, it should be noted the Hawks lost the four postseason games at the Garden by an average of more than 25 points. A one-point loss - without Josh Smith, mind you - therefore constitutes great progress.

“It means a lot,” Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said after the gallant loss on the second night of a back-to-back. “I think we’ve grown since last season, thanks to the Celtics. They put us in that mode, that frame of mind of, you know, you’ve got to come out every night and dig in and play, man.”

Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins, himself a veteran of postseason wars with the Celts, sees last year’s series as an invaluable lesson for a team that had much to learn.

“It taught our guys a lot,” ’Nique said. “That series gave our team a lot of confidence and it made us realize that we’re pretty damn good. And it showed us that when we play together and we play hard, we can play with anybody.”

They showed up in Boston for Game 1 looking like a collective Hawk in the headlights. Their eyes were wide and their chances of avoiding a sweep seemed slim. But when they fought back in Atlanta, the series, and the organization’s course, was altered.

Among the current beneficiaries is Woodson. Players just seem to listen to their coaches more when they believe they have a chance to be truly good. (Doc Rivers had better players to coach last year, but their attention to detail was heightened by the proximity to the prize.)

The Hawks did, in fact, lose that set with the Celtics, but Woodson feels there was more gained than simply three wins.

“It was huge,” he said. “I mean, you couldn’t have drawn it up any better. When people didn’t expect us to win a game, our young guys went back home and competed in front of sellout crowds. Like I said, it just left a great taste in these guys’ mouths in terms of the direction where they’re trying to go as a team.”

Instead of a collection of young players looking to establish their NBA careers, the Hawks are now more cohesive. Veterans like Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby now hang out with guys willing to play team defense.

“I think a lot of us young guys grew during that series,” said Al Horford, the second-year big man who wasn’t too shabby last year either. “We found out more about each other.”

And they are no longer lonely. There were just eight sellouts and an average of just more than 16,000 at Philips Arena last season - with fewer people actually showing up. Over two games this year, the Hawks are averaging almost 19,000.

“That series was so highly watched and fans got so into it that after we finished Game 3 there was no doubt Game 4 was going to be sold out,” Woodson said. “It was great fan support, which you need, which the Celtics have had for many, many years. Their fans have played a major role in them winning a lot of the titles they’ve won here.”

The Celtics may not love the battles they have to endure with the Hawks, but imitation is still the sincerest form of flattery.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1132062&format=text
All’s swell with Paul Pierce’s hot hand

By Celtics Notebook / Mark Murphy | Thursday, November 13, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Stuart Cahill
The question now is whether Paul Pierce [stats] is actually suffering from a sprained shooting hand and jammed fingers, or whether it’s simply overheated from scoring 70 points during the last two games.

“We’re gonna keep the hand the way it is,” said Kevin Garnett, casting a worried look at the ice pack on the back of Pierce’s right hand after the Celtics [team stats] captain hit the game-winner with half a second left in the Celtics’ 103-102 win over Atlanta last night at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Pierce, who said he sprained the hand just more than a week ago, hasn’t had an MRI or any other test taken.

“It’s getting better,” he said quietly. “The swelling is going down.”

That comment seemed to alarm Garnett.

“We have to put some swelling on that,” he said.

Back on guard

Mike Bibby walked into probably the unfriendliest arena he knows for last night’s game against the Celtics, and was treated almost nicely by an otherwise frenetic Garden crowd.

But the Hawks point guard almost seemed to relish his first encounter with Garden fans since last April’s first round playoff series. The point guard shot 2-for-10 with one assist in Game 1, later referred to Celts fans as “bandwagon jumpers,” and even later admitted he was attempting to take pressure off his young teammates by being so vocally rash.

“I don’t even care,” he said of last night’s return. “I know the coach (Mike Woodson) said what I said might have taken pressure off of us, but that might have made it a funner series, too.”

One memory that apparently isn’t so much fun for Bibby, however, is of Kendrick Perkins [stats]’ retort to his disrespect of Celtics fans.

Perkins, at the time, wrote off Bibby’s comments to “just because he had a 2-for-10 night,” to which Bibby shot back, “Kendrick had something to say about me, and I don’t know where all of a sudden he got this tough streak from.”

Bibby hadn’t cooled down by last night.

Asked about Perkins, he said, “Who?”

Across the hall, Perkins smiled.

“I’m just going to go out and play well, man,” he said. “I know that I went out and got my ring after that. I ain’t worried about it.”

Perkins, however, did admit to wondering about Bibby’s reception last night from a crowd that buried him with chants like “Where’s Bibby?” and “Rondo’s better” throughout the series.

“They could go after him again,” said Perkins. “You know Boston. But he brought it on himself.”

Ultimately, the crowd merely booed each time Bibby touched the ball in the first quarter.

Roll of McDyess

Antonio McDyess officially cleared waivers yesterday after being cut loose from Denver three days ago, and right on cue Ainge placed his first call to agent Andy Miller.

But Miller is a very busy man.

“I’ve left a message for Andy,” said Ainge, who has the $2.3 million left from the Celtics’ mid-level exception to offer.

Whether that amount is enough to sway McDyess from his apparent desire to return to Detroit is anyone’s guess.

“I really don’t know,” said the president of basketball operations. “I don’t have any idea of what’s going to happen until we talk.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/11/13/hawk_eyed?mode=PF
Hawk-eyed
Pierce zeros in on basket with 0.5 left to hand Atlanta its first loss
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | November 13, 2008

If the script this season calls for comebacks, the Celtics are playing their roles to the hilt.

Paul Pierce was the protagonist again last night, this time in the most dramatic last-second fashion.

For the second time in three days, Pierce (34 points) bailed out the Celtics in the final quarter, his jumper over Al Horford with 0.5 seconds on the clock providing the difference in a 103-102 win over Atlanta in a showdown of Eastern Conference leaders.

As in Monday's 94-87 win over Toronto, the Celtics (8-1) were nearly buried before digging themselves out of a 16-point hole in the first half against the Hawks (6-1). But the Celtics struggled to clinch this victory, despite having the Hawks fluttering in the second half without Zaza Pachulia (shoulder), who started in place of Josh Smith (ankle sprain).

In fact, the Hawks nearly pulled this one out, taking the lead on Marvin Williams's 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds to go. Then, the Celtics set up Pierce off a Kevin Garnett screen, Pierce going to the right of the lane, just in front of the Celtics' bench, lofting a 16-footer over Horford.

"Once I went right, I had the big guy [Horford] on me, I sort of got to my sweet spot," Pierce said. "The play was to get the ball to Kevin, and if they switched off, either hand off or he would take the drive down the lane. But they switched and put Horford on me and I knew I could get to my spot."

The Celtics equaled their nine-game pace of last season, clamping down defensively and concluding the second quarter with a 23-7 run following a timeout with 7:02 remaining, extending their winning streak to six games.

"I told them to play together," coach Doc Rivers said of the timeout. "Everyone was thinking of putting a shot up instead of playing together."

The pep talk worked, the Celtics then converting two 3-pointers and two 3-point plays in a 4:12 period to start a rally. The Celtics scored only once from the field in the final 2:30 of the half, but it was a spectacular Garnett 3-point play dunk off a Rajon Rondo lob, providing the Celtics with a 51-50 lead with 33 seconds remaining.

The Celtics appeared to have momentum, then the Hawks started the second half without Pachulia - yet, despite a size disadvantage and a 14-9 rebounding deficit in the quarter, the Hawks took a 77-76 lead on Flip Murray's foul shot with 4.3 seconds to go.

After Leon Powe's foul shot provided an 84-83 lead with 8:51 left, the Celtics were in the bonus situation and seemed to be in command. Sixteen seconds later, Powe drew a charge from Williams, who became the third Hawk to compile five fouls.

But the Hawks were resilient.

The Celtics went to the starters with 4:56 remaining, Garnett (25 points, 12 rebounds) breaking an 88-all tie with a third-chance, top-of-the-key jumper, then extending the lead to 92-88 off a Rondo lob with 3:33 left. Rondo just beat the 24-second shot clock for a 96-92 edge with 2:09 to go. Pierce, who scored the Celtics' final 7 points, countered a Maurice Evans 3-pointer with a 3-point play for a 99-95 lead with 1:37 seconds left. Joe Johnson (28 points) tied the game with two foul shots and a pull-up in a 28-second span.

Pierce's two foul shots with 21 seconds left and Williams's 3-pointer set up the final sequence.

"The Hawks have been playing really well and we knew it was going to be a tough game," Pierce said. "We watched them on film, how hard they play, they're one of the best defensive teams this year, and they have a lot of talent.

"The key for us is to continue to grow. We know it's a long season and it's a pretty tough schedule with the teams we're playing. We're playing a lot of playoff teams early. I always said you don't have to learn from losses, you can learn from wins. And, definitely, the last two games we're learning and we have to get off to better starts."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/11/13/they_created_this_monster?mode=PF
They created this monster
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | November 13, 2008

The Celtics helped create the newest monster in the NBA in the Atlanta Hawks.

The Celtics needed a clutch jumper by Paul Pierce with 0.5 seconds left to knock off the Hawks, 103-102, last night at TD Banknorth Garden.

That was against a Hawks team that was without athletic starting forward Josh Smith. That was against a Hawks team that was playing on the road on back-to-back nights after arriving in Boston from Chicago at about 2:30 a.m. yesterday. And that was against a Hawks team that entered the game with a 6-0 record.

"A great player hit a great shot," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "But I told my guys, and they never quit and they got in late this morning, that, 'We came out and competed from the beginning to the end.' I hated for the game to end.

"I like that. That game was played beautiful on both ends of the floor by both teams. Both teams wanted to win. And they made a great play at the end."

This monster was born against the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs last season.

The Celtics entered last postseason with an NBA-best 66 wins, a swagger, and championship dreams. As a weak eighth seed and winless against Boston in the regular season, the Hawks were supposed to be nothing more than a little stone for the Celtics to kick aside on the road to a title.

The script played the way it was expected to the first two games in Boston. But after Atlanta won all three of its home games by using athleticism, tough defense, and energy from a wild home crowd, the series was surprisingly pushed to a deciding seventh game in Boston. The Celtics ended up winning easily but, nonetheless, a monster was born.

"The Celtics forced us to have to defend," Woodson said. "And if we didn't defend, we don't win that series in Atlanta. They forced us to play the way that they played and it became a competitive series."

Hawks center Al Horford, a 2008 All-Rookie first team pick, said, "It gave us a lot of confidence. We have a lot of young guys, so it gave us a lot of confidence. It just made us better."

There was optimism but not much confidence in Atlanta at the start of the season.

The Hawks' breakthrough playoff performance lost luster when reserve forward Josh Childress departed to Greece and Smith actually signed with Memphis before his contract was matched. TNT and ESPN didn't believe, either, as Atlanta had only one nationally televised home game (Dec. 17 against Boston). The Hawks also had veteran point guard Mike Bibby, acquired last year in midseason, for an entire training camp and added two veteran newcomers in Maurice Evans and Flip Murray in the offseason. Even so, the national media didn't forecast Atlanta being more than a one-and-done playoff team not expected to win the Southeast Division.

But entering their first game in Boston since the playoffs, the Hawks were the Eastern Conference's only perfect team at 6-0. There were statement wins in New Orleans and Orlando. Only two games have been played at home. Suddenly, the Hawks yanked the spotlight and shined it on themselves. Sports Illustrated visited the Hawks the past two days, ESPN is interviewing any Hawk it can, and Woodson held court with the media pregame for about 15 minutes.

"People are just trying to figure out where we are growing as a team and where we are getting better and you can see that with the way we've been playing," Horford said.

The Hawks, who have the NBA's third-best defense, now play smothering defense like the Celtics. Like Boston, the Hawks have several star players, including 2008 All-Star Joe Johnson, Horford, Smith, and Bibby, with solid role players Marvin Williams, Zaza Pachulia, Murray, and Evans. Like Boston, Atlanta is coming out hard nightly and is showing poise in the clutch. And that swagger that Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen brought to the Celtics, Atlanta has that now, too.

"The swagger is there," Horford said. "We got that swag. We feel pretty confident."Sure, it's early in the season. But this talented, athletic, tough, and more experienced Hawks squad is much more ferocious now than in April. And this is a monster the Celtics will likely see down the line.

"We kind of just want to go out there and play the game the right way and let people know we are serious," Horford said. "That's what we've been doing. And tonight, even though we fell short, we still came out and gave it all we had."

Said Woodson, "We've grown a lot since last season, thanks to the Celtics."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/11/13/versions_of_play_vary?mode=PF
Versions of play vary
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | November 13, 2008

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were on the same page at the end of the Celtics' 103-102 win over Atlanta last night. But their interpretations of the final play differed after Pierce nailed the winner with 0.5 seconds remaining.

"The last play was drawn up, get the ball to Paul Pierce, get the hell out of the way," Garnett said. "Superman's in the booth. Let's go home. That was the play and if you don't believe that, ask [coach] Doc Rivers and he'll say the same thing."

Said Pierce, "Crazy. The play was to get the ball to Kevin and, if they switched off, either hand off or he would take the drive down the lane."


Rolling the McDyess
Count Celtics president Danny Ainge and guard Sam Cassell among those interested in contacting Antonio McDyess.

Ainge said he left a voice message with agent Andy Miller, expressing interest in McDyess, who officially became a free agent yesterday. Detroit remains the front-runner to re-sign McDyess, but must wait 30 days because he was traded by the Pistons to Denver last week.

Cassell said he might also call McDyess.

"It's all about what he wants to do," said Cassell, who is close to McDyess. "It's out of everybody's hands."

Rivers said McDyess "is a hell of a player," but could not comment further.

Miller did not return telephone calls.


All-Star lineup
All five Celtics starters are listed on the All-Star ballot, Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo for the first time.

"Just to be on it, it's surprising, more than anything; that's all I can tell you," Perkins said before the game.

Said Rondo, who had 10 assists last night, "It's an honor, I guess. I don't think too much about it."


Team is streaking
The Celtics have a six-game winning streak since Nov. 4 (a 103-99 victory at Houston) and are 6-0 at home . . . P.J. Brown does not plan to end his retirement, according to Hornets coach Byron Scott, speaking to the New Orleans Times-Picayune after Brown attended a practice in Westwego, La., Tuesday.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/11/pierce_the_prot.html
Pierce the protagonist (again)
Email|Link|Comments (0) Posted by Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff November 13, 2008 12:59 AM
If the script this season calls for comebacks, the Celtics are playing their roles to the hilt.

Paul Pierce was the protagonist again, this time in the most dramatic of last-second fashion.

For the second time in three days, Pierce (34 points) bailed out the Celtics in the final quarter, his jumper with 0.5 seconds on the clock providing the difference in a 103-102 win over Atlanta in a showdown of Eastern Conference leaders Wednesday night.

As in Monday's 94-87 win over Toronto, the Celtics (8-1) were nearly buried before digging themselves out of a 16-point hole in the first half against the Hawks (6-1). But the Celtics struggled to clinch this victory, despite having the Hawks fluttering in the second half without Zaza Pachulia (shoulder), who started in place of Josh Smith (ankle sprain).

In fact, the Hawks nearly pulled this one out, taking the lead on Marvin Williams' 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds to go. Then, the Celtics set up Pierce off a Kevin Garnett screen, Pierce going to the right of the lane, just in front of the Celtics' bench, lofting a 16-footer over Al Horford.

"Once I went right, I had the big guy (Horford) on me, I sort of got to my sweet spot," Pierce said. "The play was to get the ball to Kevin, and if they switched off, either hand off or he would take the drive down the lane. But they switched and put Horford on me and I knew I could get to my spot."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x1275807780/Celtics-103-Hawks-102-Truth-delivers
Celtics 103, Hawks 102: Truth delivers
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By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff
MetroWest Daily News
Posted Nov 12, 2008 @ 11:35 PM

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BOSTON — The chant "MVP! MVP!" started way before Paul Pierce blew the roof off the Garden last night.

With the Celtics trailing by a point, and time of the extreme essence, Pierce knocked home a miraculous jumper over Atlanta's 6-foot-10 Al Horford with 0.05 left on the clock, giving Boston a 103-102 win.

The Hawks looked like they might stay unbeaten (yes, the Hawks) after Marvin Williams drilled a corner three to put the visitors up, 102-101. Pierce would have none of it.

After Doc Rivers called timeout, everybody in the building knew the ball would be in Pierce's hands. Kevin Garnett said it was a matter of "get the ball to Paul and get the hell outta the way." And that's just how it went.

"We ran the play as designed," said Pierce. Sometimes those words come out tongue in cheek. But does anyone care?

The Celtics zipped to 8-1. The Hawks are 6-1. "We watched film, we saw how hard they play," said Pierce. "We didn't expect this game to be easy."

It was a tough 20-foot jumper from an angle, but Pierce said, "I got to my sweet spot." Just about any square on the parquet would have passed for a sweet spot the way Pierce was shooting. He finished with 34 points.

"Great shot," said Doc Rivers. "I told Paul 'average execution."'

Garnett went for 25 points and 12 rebounds. Ray Allen finished with 17, but just two in the second half.

The estimable Joe Johnson - he's good for 15 before he even leaves the hotel - led Atlanta with 28. Mike Bibby had 16, and Flip Murray and Williams had 14 each.

Atlanta coach Mike Woodson could only tip his hat to Pierce. "We did exactly what we wanted out of the timeout. We got the switch, (Pierce) just hit a great shot over a 6-9 guy."

"Paul just made a tough shot," said Johnson.

The game was tied at the half. The Hawks led 77-76 after three quarters. Boston was sluggish again at the beginning. They've trailed in the first quarter in seven of the nine games. "We have to get off to better starts," said Pierce.

Garnett said "we aren't a perfect team. We're in the process of getting better."

The last time the Hawks were seen in these parts, they took a hard, ignominious fall, administered by the Celtics. Boston's 99-65, over-before-it-began romp sent the Hawks to scattered golf courses.

The surprise was that, in the first round of the playoffs, Atlanta, which finished eight games under .500, had taken the 66-win Celtics to a seventh game. The Hawks couldn't pull it off, but it did get people wondering if the rebuilt Celtics were as prepared for a title run as was perceived.

It even got Rivers thinking. But as the postseason grinded along, the Celtics coach would reference the series with the Hawks as a crucible that ultimately served to toughen his guys up. A seven-game series with Cleveland, a much more likely scenario, followed. Boston snagged that one too.

"They discovered a lot about themselves in the playoffs," said Ray Allen, who called that series "too close for comfort."

But, said Garnett, "I wouldn't call it a rivalry yet."

So, yeah, maybe the Hawks did the Celtics a favor by scaring the be-jeebies out of them last May. But that didn't mean they were in any mood to show their appreciation last night when the two teams met up again at the Garden.

For the second game in a row, the Celtics fell behind by 16 in the first half, but got out of this one tied at 51. Consecutive conventional three-point plays from Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins cut the Atlanta lead to 46-42. Then Pierce and Perkins made a pair apiece from the foul line to tie it.

With 33 seconds left, Rajon Rondo's high lob and mean slam by Garnett provided the pre-Pierce highlight.

But you could throw all that out, because it became a less-than-a-second game, which of course was Paul Pierce's cue to put it in the win column.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar111208-pierce-gamewinner-hawks.html
Encore! Pierce Drains Gamewinner To Sink Hawks
By Peter F. Stringer
Celtics.com
November 12, 2008


Paul Pierce screams after sinking the gamewinning jumper, a one-legged fadeaway over Al Horford.
Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty
On Monday night, Kevin Garnett said he loves to see Superman come out of the booth. Apparently, no one told Clark Kent, er, Paul Pierce to put his street clothes back on.

If you didn't get a big enough helping of Pierce on Monday night against the Raptors, the Captain added an extra dollop of his ice-water-in-the-veins fourth quarter heroics to his growing regular season MVP resume with a rainbow fadeaway game-winner over Al Horford to pull out a 103-102 win at the Garden Wednesday night.

In 45 minutes, Pierce finished with 34 points, and spent plenty of time at the free throw line, going 15-of-16 from the stripe. But the only shot anyone was talking about afterward was the last one of the game.

Down 102-101 after a Marvin Williams threeball and would-be gamewinner, the Celtics had just 7.4 seconds remaining and took a timeout to draw up the play. The C's have been one of the best teams in the league out of timeouts when it comes to scoring buckets, and it's something that Doc Rivers prides himself on.

So you had to think there was a good chance somebody would get a good look, even if the diagram was pretty simple.

Even though Garnett, who dropped 25 points and 12 rebounds of his own, would say afterward the play was "get the ball to Paul Pierce, get the hell out of the way" and added that "if you don't believe that ask Doc Rivers and he'll say the same exact thing," Pierce offered a bit more insight on the playbook.

"Once I went right I had the big guy on me, I sort of got to my sweet spot and I felt good the whole time. The play was to get the ball to Kevin and if they switched off, either hand-off or he would take the drive down the lane, but they switched and put Horford on me and I knew I could get to my spot," Pierce said, once again icing his hand for an injury that isn't exactly kryptonite. "I got to it and thank God it went in."

Leaving just 0.5 on the clock, Pierce's shot popped the Garden crowd, and the Truth went to the opposite sideline to share the moment with the courtsiders.

"It was a great shot by Paul. I told him,'average execution,' but it worked out for us," joked Rivers. "Overall I just thought [it's] a good win for us, and another win where we didn't play great but we're still winning games. And that, guys, is a good sign not a bad sign."

Another good sign: the Celtics remain unbeaten at home, and the win propelled the Celtics (8-1) into first place in the Eastern Conference. It also ended Atlanta's winning streak at six games, and once again left a bitter taste in the Hawks mouths.

"We did exactly what we wanted out of the time out," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "We got the switch. He just hit a great shot over a 6'9" guy, Al Horford, who was hanging on him. Tip your hat to him. It was a great shot."

To that end, Pierce's teammates have gotten used to seeing him come up huge. While he hasn't hit a gamewinner since a December 6, 2006 win in New Jersey, his all around play has been superstar quality.

"Man, he's got a cape on his back sometimes," Eddie House said. "We've all been on his back; it's been the Paul Pierce show for the last two games in the fourth quarter. I'm glad he's on my team."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.nba.com/celtics/news/blog/postups-notebook-2008-09.html
Live from Courtside
Hawks 102, Celtics 103, Final: Paul Pierce does it again. The Hawks put their best foot forward tonight, and they even appeared to have the game won after a Marvin Williams three from the corner, but Pierce (34 points) hit the backbreaker with 0.5 seconds left over the outstretched arms of Al Horford to make the Celtics 8-1.

For such a tightly contested game -- one that got close to playoff level -- the final play was decidedly simple.

"The last play was drawn up, get the ball to Paul Pierce, get the hell out of the way," Kevin Garnett (25 points, 12 boards) said. "Superman's in the booth. Let's go home. That was the play and if you don't believe that ask Doc Rivers and he'll say the same exact thing."

There wasn't any need to ask that question. Most Celtics credited the Hawks for their improved defense, but keep in mind that despite what you may be thinking based on a few exchanges between the two teams, this isn't quite a heated rivalry.

"The things that stick out is that they're a lot more defensively sound than they were a year ago," Garnett said. "It's entertaining, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a rivalry."

- Couper Moorhead

Hawks 77, Celtics 76, End of Third Quarter: In previous years, the Hawks might've folded after that mighty run by the Celtics in the second quarter, but this team is proving that the seven-game playoff series was no fluke.

Eight Hawks' three-pointers and 10 second quarter points from Kevin Garnett are preventing either team from taking control. Meanwhile, Flip Murray has a quiet 14 off the bench. The Celtics are still shooting just 42%, so, as Doc would say, the shooting odds are in their favor for the final stanza.

Zaza Pachulia will not be returning in the second half after suffering a sore shoulder (AC joint). Someone else will have to remind the Hawks that really, "nothing easy."

-Couper Moorhead

Hawks 51, Celtics 51, End of Half: Big Baby went back to the locker room midway through the quarter. No official word yet, but it looked like he did something to his lower back. Either way, he's available for the second half.

For awhile, this appeared to be the slow start that finally caught up with the Celtics. The worst of it came after a backcourt turnover from the Celtics became an open second-chance layup when nobody hustled back, putting them at a 16-point deficit. But whatever Doc said in the ensuing timeout put the team into playoff mode, and defense took over.

Not that there wasn't any offense. With the Hawks barely mustering a decent offensive possession, the Celtics ran off an 18-2 run to tie things up at 46, highlighted by a handful of and-ones. By the time Rondo lobbed the ball to Garnett for a monster jam, the Hawks' body language was spelling d-e-f-l-a-t-i-o-n.

To his credit, Solomon Jones tried to rekindle his team with a brief standoff with Perkins after a hard foul, but things dispersed quickly and Perkins shared some choice words with the Hawks' bench.

Stats-wise, Ray Allen has 15 points, Pierce has 11 and the Celtics are winning the battle in the paint with an 18-12 scoring advantage and four more rebounds than the Hawks. Both teams had their spells of sloppiness with 11 turnovers apiece.

-Couper Moorhead

Hawks 31, Celtics 24, End of First: It's becoming a theme. The Celtics are off to yet another slow start and fell behind early, 13-7, and spent the rest of the first quarter trying to catch up. And once again, the Celtics defense just didn't arrive in time for tip off. A Flip Murray three at the horn gave the Hawks their seven-point first quarter lead.

Al Horford had a huge game in Chicago, but he picked up two quick fouls in the first four minutes of the game, and with Josh Smith already out of action with the high ankle sprain, the Hawks suddenly found themselves missing a huge chunk of their interior defense.

We're looking for carry-overs from the playoffs series, but so far there hasn't been much in the way of physicality.

- Peter Stringer

Pregame Media Access
Pretty quiet before tonight's game with the Atlanta Hawks -- who got into Boston at 2:30 a.m. -- especially compared to last year's playoff series when Mike Bibby and Kendrick Perkins had a brief war of the words in the days leading up to Game 2.

After Bibby called Boston fans "fair weather fans" following a practice last April, Perkins responded by saying, "I mean, coming off a 2-for-10 night shooting, he would say something like that." By gametime, Bibby was questioning Perk's tough streak while the Celtics center said that he wasn't losing any sleep over anything Bibby had to say. Bibby shot 2-of-7 that night and was booed every time he touched the ball while Perkins posted a solid eight points and nine boards as the Celtics won by 19.

Tonight, a reserved Bibby stayed on the topic of the Hawks' unbeaten standing, while most words out of Perk's mouth were off-key lyrics.

Both Bibby and Hawks' coach Mike Woodson credited their seven-game series with the Celtics for the team's play, and defensive effort.

"It was huge," Woodson said of the series. "You couldn't draw it up any better. It left a great taste in these guys mouth in terms of their direction."

Asked whether tonight was more about them or the Celtics, Woodson said it's got to be about his squad because they are still trying to take what the Celtics have. If you haven't already, get used to hearing that.

[FLCeltsFan]

sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3699524&type=story
Playoffs? This fantastic Celtics-Hawks clash requires a check of calendar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com


Paul Pierce roared his approval for a game-winner made with 0.5 seconds left against the Hawks.
BOSTON -- You had to double-check the calendar after this one. It's still November, right? In fact, the midpoint of the month has not yet arrived, so this still qualifies as early November, correct?


Because the scene at the end of this barnburner -- and more importantly, a half-second before the final buzzer, was like something you'd see in late May or early June.


Paul Pierce screaming in delight. Kevin Garnett punching at the air. The Atlanta Hawks walking off looking forlorn, but certainly not dejected. Not after the way they stuck with the defending champs all night, not with the way they had this one in their grasp until Pierce rose over 6-foot-10 Al Horford and buried a 20-footer from the right side with a half-second left to give the Boston Celtics a 103-102 victory Wednesday night over the previously unbeaten Atlanta Hawks.


"It was the NBA at its highest level tonight, and we just happened to come up on the short end," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "We've grown a lot since last season, thanks to the Celtics. They put us in that frame of mind that you've got to come out every night and dig in and play, man. I told our guys before the game it was going to be a dogfight, and it was one of those games where somebody had to grind it out."


Prior to Pierce's game-winner, Marvin Williams put the Hawks ahead on a 3-pointer (he was 4-for-4 on 3s, and it should be noted that he was defended most of the night by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Garnett) from the corner with 7.4 seconds left. After a timeout, the Celtics got the ball into the hands of their go-to guy, and Pierce put the finishing touch on a superb 34-point effort.


Marvin Williams' fourth 3-pointer looked like it might clinch the win for Atlanta.
After a 6-0 start, this night showed that the Hawks, who were blown out in this building four times during their seven-game playoff series against Boston last spring, are no fluke. This was their second game of a back-to-back set on the road, they were without Josh Smith, and did not have Zaza Pachulia for the second half after he injured his shoulder. What's more, this was the sixth quality opponent the Hawks had faced in their first seven games, they entered with the league's fourth-best defense, and they handled themselves with a considerable and admirable level of aplomb -- a character trait they simply did not possess last postseason when they were an entirely different team on the road than they were at home.


"I'm happy with my locker room, and we've just got to build off this game," Woodson said. "I thought we grew up in the playoffs, to push that team to seven games, it left a great taste in these guys' mouths.


"I don't look at this as a moral victory. A loss is a loss, and I'm sure the way we lost it doesn't sit well with these guys. But from a coaching standpoint I'm very optimistic and happy with the way we're going."


There's no doubt this game left the Celtics with something to think about, especially after they had to battle back from an early 16-point deficit to snap the crowd out of a malaise that seemed to linger throughout the building over the course of the first three quarters. A year ago at this time, the Celtics were killing teams almost as soundly as the Lakers (the NBA's only remaining unbeaten team) have been doing the past two weeks. But this season the Celtics have looked a little too uncrisp, a bit too fat and happy early in games (think Detroit Pistons, circa 2004-2007) before flipping their collective switch and playing their best basketball.


"We want tonight be a flagship to get our season going," Allen was saying beforehand. "We don't want to be a trampoline for anyone -- we did that for them last year."


But in the end, both things happened -- the Celtics had their house rocking like it did last June, and the Hawks showed they've already sprung to the level of the East's upper echelon.


Boston got great games out of Pierce (34 points) and Garnett (25 points, 12 rebounds, four assists) and better-than-mediocre games out of Allen (17 points, but only two in the second half) and Rajon Rondo (five points, 10 assists), but their bench was outscored 30-13 by Atlanta's (Hawks newcomers Flip Murray and Maurice Evans scored 14 and 13, respectively) and the Celtics had only five 3-pointers to Atlanta's 13.


Statistically, it was pretty much even. In fact, it was pretty much even all the way through, any way you looked at it.


Could anybody realistically say two weeks ago, much less six months ago, that Boston and Atlanta almost even by Nov. 12?


Didn't think so.


But the Hawks, at least for a night, were pretty much every bit as good as the defending champs. And so even though Woodson dismissed the notion of a moral victory, it pretty much amounted to that for Horford, who left the arena holding his head a lot higher than he did when last season ended so miserably and decisively in Atlanta's 34-point Game 7 loss.


"The swagger's there. We've got that swag," Horford said. "We want to let people know we're serious, and that's what we've been doing. We lost, that's the bottom line, but we get to play them a couple more times, and we'll be looking forward to those."


And, of course, we'll see where the Hawks are by the time they make their next trip to Beantown, which won't come until April 3. By then, it'll actually feel like spring outside. And there's no doubt that either of these teams will have trouble remembering the night in November when it sure did feel like winter had already passed.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.projo.com/celtics/content/projo_20081113_celtics_hawks.1aa888265.html
Atlanta's Mike Bibby doesn't regret calling out Celtics fans

07:32 AM EST on Thursday, November 13, 2008

By ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON - Atlanta guard Mike Bibby called Boston fans "bandwagon fans" when the two teams met in the opening round of the playoffs last season, prompting Boston center Kendrick Perkins to say, "Coming off a 2-for-10 shooting performance, you expect a guy to say something like that.

"We have the best fans in the world, but we don't expect other players to like our fans."

That started a war of words between the two.

"I don't know where [Perkins] got this tough streak from," was Bibby's response to Perkins. "His stat line was worse than mine. Until he does something in his career, for him to come at me like that, it kind of upsets me."

The Celtics ended up beating the Hawks in Game Seven.

When asked last night whether he wanted the media to deliver another message to Perkins, Bibby simply said, "Who?"

Bibby also said he didn't regret calling the Celtics' fans bandwagon fans, and that his statement, which fired up the Boston faithful, made the games more fun to play because he likes playing in a hostile environment.

"I think it made for a fun series," Bibby said.

The sellout crowd inside the TD Banknorth Garden booed Bibby nearly every time he touched the ball last night.

Credit the Hawks

While many NBA experts think Boston isn't as good as it was last year after Atlanta took the Celts to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, Boston guard Ray Allen said last night that the experts weren't giving the Hawks enough credit for being a good basketball team.

Atlanta entered the playoffs with the worst record among the playoff teams (37-45) but beat Boston in all three of the games it hosted in the opening round.

"Atlanta was a good team despite what its record was," Allen said. "I wasn't following them throughout the whole season, but despite what their record was, they were determined to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and they showed it in the first round. If they played that way all year, we probably wouldn't have met them in the first round. ... They pushed us to the brink."

The slow-start syndrome

The Celtics are making a bad habit out of starting games slowly.

Last night was just the latest example.

For the seventh time in their nine games this season, Boston was outscored in the first quarter, this time by the tune of 31-24 by Atlanta.

"We are turning the ball over a lot and we've missed a lot of free throws," Allen said. "We pass the ball and we get great shots, so we just have to continue playing the way we've been playing and the shots will fall for us.

The slow starts in games haven't had too much affect on the season so far."

The Celtics have outscored their last four opponents, 129-87, in the second quarter thanks in large part to the play of their bench.

"The second unit has played great for us," coach Doc Rivers said.

Boston outscored Atlanta, 27-20, in the second quarter last night.

Pierce's hand no big worry

Rivers said he wasn't too concerned with team captain Paul Pierce's playing with a strained right hand.

"I only worry when [athletic trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] comes to me and says, 'Hey, you should worry,' and he hasn't done that," Rivers said.

When asked whether Pierce has had an MRI on his hand, Celtics vice president of media relations Jeff Twiss shook his head.

Rivers said that he didn't think Pierce had an MRI, but he wasn't certain.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.projo.com/celtics/content/sp_bkn_boston_celtics13_11-13-08_SJC8O88_v11.3d4e11e.html
Pierce’s last-second shot helps Celtics turn back Hawks

07:37 AM EST on Thursday, November 13, 2008

By ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer

The Celtics’ Paul Pierce battles for a loose ball with the Hawks’ Marvin Williams during the first quarter of last night’s game at TD Banknorth Garden. Pierce finished the game with 34 points as Boston handed Atlanta its first loss of the season.


AP / Michael Dwyer
BOSTON — Paul Pierce did it again.

With the game on the line for the second straight outing, the Celtics turned to their captain and the man they call The Truth. And once again he delivered a clutch fourth-quarter performance.

One game after willing Boston past Toronto with a 22-point, fourth-quarter effort, Pierce scored 34 points last night, with the biggest two coming with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.


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That’s when he knocked down the game-winning basket, a high, arcing, 20-foot jumper from the right wing that gave Boston (8-1) a thrilling 103-102 victory over previously unbeaten Atlanta (6-1).

“The last play was drawn up to get the ball to Paul Pierce and get the hell out of the way,” Boston forward Kevin Garnett said. “Superman’s in the booth. Let’s go home. That was the play, and if you don’t believe that, ask Doc Rivers and he’ll say the same exact thing.”

Pierce said the play was drawn up a little bit different than that.

“Once I went right, I had the big guy on me, I sort of got to my sweet spot and I felt good the whole time,” Pierce said. “The play was to get the ball to Kevin [Garnett] and if they switched off, either hand off or he would take the drive down the lane. They switched and put [Al] Horford on me and I knew I could get to my spot. I got it, and thank God it went in.”

The Hawks came into the game with a chip on their shoulders.

They were looking to avenge their opening-round playoff loss in seven games to Boston last year.

Several of the Hawks, including head coach Mike Woodson, said that Atlanta’s series against Boston in the playoffs last year gave the Hawks the confidence to believe that they are one of the NBA’s elite teams this year.

“That was the biggest turning point of our basketball team, pushing [the Celtics] to seven games,” Woodson said.

“They put us in that mode, that frame of mind, that you know you’ve got to come out every night and dig in and play man,” Woodson added.

The Hawks entered the game tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the NBA, but Boston refused to let Atlanta win on the parquet floor of the TD Banknorth Garden, where the Celtics have not lost a game all season.

Rajon Rondo brought the crowd to its collective feet when he buried a 21-foot jump shot from the right wing to put Boston ahead, 96-92, with 2:09 remaining in the game. Maurice Evans answered with a 3-pointer for Atlanta to make it a one-point game.

On Boston’s ensuing possession, Pierce drove through the lane, connected on a layup, and was fouled by Evans.

With nearly the entire crowd chanting “MVP,” Pierce knocked down the free throw to give Boston a 99-95 cushion.

The Celtics got a stop, but a Mike Bibby steal gave Atlanta new life.

They put the ball in the hands of two-time All-Star Joe Johnson, who was fouled by Pierce on a drive to the basket.

He sank both free throws to cut Boston’s lead to 99-97 with 1:01 remaining. Atlanta called a timeout and forced Boston into a bad shot to regain possession of the ball. Johnson then connected on a 13-foot running jumper to tie the score at 99-99 with 33.6 seconds left.

The Celtics called a timeout with 29.4 seconds left and chose to clear the lane for Pierce to take Johnson to the basket, one-on-one. Johnson fouled Pierce who went to the line and knocked down both free throws amidst more MVP chants to put Boston back on top, 101-99, but Marvin Williams took the life out of the crowd when he stroked a 3-pointer from the right baseline, giving Atlanta a 102-101 lead with 7.4 seconds left.

That set the stage for Pierce’s game-winning shot.

“It was a great shot by Paul,” Rivers said.

“A great player hit a great shot, but I applaud my guys, you know, we never quit,” Woodson said.

Garnett (25 points, 12 rebounds), Ray Allen (17 points, 7 rebounds), Kendrick Perkins (9 points, 8 rebounds) and Rondo (5 points, 10 assists) all played well for the Celtics, who overcame a 16-point, first-half deficit.

“I thought our starters came out and played great,” Rivers said.

Johnson (28 points, 7 assists), Bibby (16 points), Williams (14 points), Flip Murray (14 points), and Evans (13 points, 5 rebounds) all scored in double-figures for the much-improved Hawks, who are one of the NBA’s top defensive teams this year and are hoping to take away Boston’s title this year.

“Until these guys are dethroned, they are the world champions still,” Woodson said of the Celtics. “We’re trying to get where they are. That’s the ultimate goal.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.eagletribune.com/pusports/local_story_318024518.html/resources_printstory
Truth prevails

November 13, 2008 02:45 am

—

Alan Siegel

[e-mail]

BOSTON — Paul Pierce is probably still floating today.

With 7.4 seconds on the clock and his team down by two, he took a handoff from Kevin Garnett, dribbled to his right and launched a fall-away 20-foot jump shot just inside the 3-point arc, in front of the "Celtics.com" logo painted on the sidelines and over the outstretched hand of 6-foot-10-inch Al Horford. The ball cut cleanly through the net with half a second remaining, giving Boston a 103-102 victory over the previously unbeaten Hawks.

"Sup-er-star," Celtics guard Eddie House said, enunciating each syllable.

Last night's outburst was just another pump of helium into the suddenly larger-than-life swingman, whose Nike-clad feet probably haven't touched the ground since June's championship celebration. If Celtics fans had their way, his likeness would appear as a giant balloon in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"Get the ball to Paul Pierce; get the hell out the way," Garnett said of Boston's strategy on its final offensive sequence. "Superman's in the booth. Let's go home. That was the play. If y'all don't believe, ask Doc Rivers, he'll say the same exact thing."

Pierce finished with a game-high 34 points. He went 8 of 14 from the field and 15 of 16 at the line. His driving 3-point play at 1:37 in the fourth quarter gave Boston (8-1) what looked like an insurmountable 99-95 lead.

The Hawks (6-1), however, fought back. Marvin Williams' 3-pointer from the corner gave his team a late 102-101 lead. At that point, Lawrence native Steve Holman, Atlanta's radio play-by-play man, leaped out of his seat.

Holman should've known. Only Pierce gets to walk on air at TD Banknorth Garden these days.

Former Celtic Joe Johnson, who led Atlanta with 28 points, seemed resigned to that fact.

"He's been making shots like that for quite some time in his career," Johnson said. "You had to know the ball was going to go to him. We did everything we could and he made a tough shot."

Everything, Pierce said, went as planned.

"Once I went right, I had the big guy on me," said the 11th-year veteran out of Kansas, who complimented the up-and-coming Hawks, who took the Celtics to seven games in the first round of the playoffs last spring. "I sort of got to my sweet spot. I felt good the whole time.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game. They have their defense together. We did not expect this game to be easy."

"They weren't undefeated for no reason," Garnett said. "They're a lot more defensively sound than they were a year ago."

Atlanta did get one more chance after Pierce's make, but Mike Bibby couldn't handle an inbound-pass with less than a second to go. Afterward, a sheepishly smiling Pierce entered the interview room with ice packs on his knees and right hand.

"We're not going to be talking about the hand tonight," Garnett joked about Pierce's sore but seemingly intact paw. "Please no questions about the hand."

In a way, it was ironic that Pierce is the one who needed so much ice. Guarding him is like tackling New York Giants fullback Brandon Jacobs. It's a miserable, painful job that often results in defenders scrambling to the cold tub or to their personal Shiatsu masseuse. Ask Horford, Johnson or Maurice Evans, who fouled Pierce while fighting for position at 2:22 in the third quarter. All Evans could do was wince and shake his head.

"I think he's a sneaky athlete," guard Eddie House said of Pierce. "You look at him and you don't think he's very athletic. He's one of the most athletic guys on the team."

At 6-7, 235 pounds, Pierce doesn't do it with silky smooth moves like Kobe Bryant, or with a picture-perfect jumper like Ray Allen, or with the playground showmanship of Chris Paul.

He does it his way. Power dribbles, off-balance jumpers and straight ahead drives to the basket.

"He plays at a perfect pace," House said. "He's just a great player, man. He's a superstar. What more can I say?"

[FLCeltsFan]

blogs.townonline.com/hoops/?p=1782
Don’t tug on Superman’s cape
Posted on November 12, 2008 by mfine
Filed Under 1 |

Kevin Garnett didn’t even wait for questions. “The last play was drawn up to get the ball to Paul Pierce,” he said, “and get the hell out of the way. Superman’s in the booth. Let’s go home. There was nothing else to ask.”
No, there wasn’t. Garnett took an inbounds pass, Pierce cut away from him, received a pass and made the jumper from in front of the Celtics bench, with half a second left, that gave his team a brutal 103-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
It was brutal because the Celtics, for the second game in a row, trailed by 16 in the first half and had to fight their way back. This time there were no 11-0 runs as there were against Toronto Monday. The Celts never led by more than four points, and trailed by a point when Marvin Williams canned a 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds remaining.
The Pierce jumper gave him 34 points, following his 36-point game of Monday. It handed the Hawks their first win after starting 6-0 and it had all the intensity of last April’s seven-game Eastern Conference first-round meeting.
These are new Hawks that nobody’s taking lightly any longer. “The thing that sticks out,” said Garnett, “is that they’re more defensively sound than last year.”
“Last year if they made a run like they did today,” said Atlanta’s Al Horford, “we would have folded up and it would have been a 20-point blowout.”
“It’s the NBA at the highest level,” said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, whose team is playing without injured Josh Smith, and was without Zaza Pachulia in the second half.
Horford, who had 23 points and 17 rebounds a night earlier against Chicago, was limited to 5 and 3 tonight.
The win was the sixth straight for the Celtics, who are in the midst of an eight-games-in-12-nights stretch, and while they haven’t been perfect, they’ve been impressive.
“It was another win where we didn’t play great,” said Doc Rivers, “but we got the win, so that’s a good sign.”
Rivers couldn’t believe how each team put so much emphasis on defense, yet couldn’t made a stop when it counted. “That’s frustrating for a coach,” he said.
“It’s definitely entertaining,” Garnett said.