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Post by FLCeltsFan on Nov 25, 2008 7:35:00 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1134723&format=textCeltics subs heat it up Bench warmer By Mark Murphy | Tuesday, November 25, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Herald file If anyone is entitled to a scoring slump, it’s Paul Pierce [stats]. Before last season, the captain was like Atlas, bearing the weight of the Celtics [team stats] world by himself. And even since then, Pierce has been the go-to guy on a team of multiple options. So the fact Pierce has averaged 10 points during the past three games - and narrowly missed his second single-digit game in that span with a garbage-time layup during Sunday’s 15-point win in Toronto - certainly is noteworthy. But it’s also allowable, now that the Celtics bench appears to be regaining its identity following the departure of two cogs in last season’s championship drive - James Posey and P.J. Brown. Tony Allen, who came off the bench with 15 points in Toronto, and Leon Powe have emerged as solid reserve scorers. Glen Davis is, in Doc Rivers’ words, “the human pinball” - a player of considerable bulk who wreaks havoc under the basket thanks to energy some would call unusual for a player his size. Eddie House is hitting that downtown bomb with his usual frequency, and Brian Scalabrine, given the opportunity, has reminded people of what he does well - a little of everything, usually in mistake-free fashion. “Our bench could be starters anywhere else,” center Kendrick Perkins [stats] said. “We never lose a lot when they come in. “You can see it during our practices. They’re so intense because of the way (the reserves) play. We know what we can do now when we play anyone.” It certainly has given Rivers added confidence when it’s time to give 30-somethings Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen the rest they need during the course of a long season. “It’s really nice to see what our bench is doing,” the Celtics coach said. “It really comes down to what we’re getting from Tony, Leon and Eddie. They have been three solid scorers for us in three different spots on the floor. That has been very important in what we’re trying to do.” Scalabrine can see the bench’s personality re-forming as a result. “Absolutely,” he said. “We’re playing really well out of that now. When Eddie makes his shots, Tony takes it to the basket and Leon posts up, that’s great offense for us.” All of this talk of progress is nice, but Tony Allen has been through enough during his time with the Celtics not to sniff any flowers. “We need to get better, man,” he said. “I don’t care about everything else. We just have to get better. “We still have a lot of lapses, but we need more practices so we can just get better. Now, I’m not saying we’re playing bad. I’m just saying that there is still a lot of room for improvement.” Celtics notes Rajon Rondo [stats]’s breakneck performance against the Raptors, with the point guard dominating the pace with his speed, will be preserved in the Celtics’ archives. If nothing else, Rondo might want to occasionally watch the tape. “Rondo pushed the ball the whole time, and he put pressure on their defense the entire game,” Ray Allen said. “I think this was a textbook game for Rondo to see. He should do this every night. “But he has the help, so he can keep doing this. When he has Kevin, Paul and me out there, he can just pick and choose what he wants to do with the ball.” In addition to easy baskets, a more aggressive Rondo guarantees more time for the Celtics to function in the halfcourt. “It’s to get your offense at 19 (seconds) instead of 11,” Rivers said. “Most of the year we’ve just walked the ball up the floor.” . . . Helen Heinsohn, wife of Celtics legend Tommy Heinsohn, passed away yesterday after a six-year battle with cancer.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Nov 25, 2008 7:38:44 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/11/25/celtics_perplex_foes?mode=PFCeltics perplex foes They're proving tough to cover By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | November 25, 2008 The Toronto Raptors had difficulty figuring out what happened to them early Sunday afternoon. The Raptors set up defensively to limit Paul Pierce, who had burned them for a 22-point final quarter in the Celtics' 94-87 win in the teams' first meeting of the season. But the rest of the Celtics ran rings around the Raptors this time in a 118-103 victory, their fifth straight as they prepare for tomorrow's game against Golden State. Toronto stopped Pierce, who struggled to score 11 points. The problem was the other nine Celtics who were involved in the contest before garbage time, beginning with point guard Rajon Rondo, who started fast and did not slow down until being pulled after 26 minutes of playing time. "Rondo starting off the game, he pushed the ball the whole time, he put pressure on their defense and we got shots," Ray Allen said. "He kept penetrating. This is a textbook game for him - it's how he should attack every game. Rondo set a great tempo for us and got some easy looks. They were trying to guess where it was coming from all half. "I think this was one of the rare moments where we executed the game plan. We do make it look a lot tougher than this, and we have done that, so far. I think we took command of the game early and made sure we made some plays." Possibly because of the Raptors' attention on Pierce, they appeared to forget about Allen - but that is simplifying the situation. Anthony Parker spent much of his time in hot pursuit of Allen, but most of the time arrived too late to do anything meaningful. Rondo's 9-point first quarter (the Celtics led, 32-20) was a continuation of his high-speed choreographing. Rondo scored 11 points as the Celtics outscored Minnesota, 35-10, in the third quarter of a 95-78 win Friday (the starters sat out the final quarter). Five minutes into the game at the Air Canada Centre, every Celtic starter - Allen, Pierce, Rondo, Kevin Garnett, and Kendrick Perkins - had scored before the Raptors had converted a field goal. Asked if opponents are likely to change their approach to limit Rondo, Allen replied, "They have to help. And I'm on one side and Paul's on one side and Kevin's over there, Perk's got his post game going, so what do you do? You have to pick and choose what you want to be." Rondo's penetration seemed to knock the Raptors off-balance and set up easy, or at least open, shots for teammates. This was not a particularly good shooting day for the Celtics, judging by their free throws. But they had so many layups they actually shot better from the field (61.6 percent) than the foul line (60.0). The reserves were especially on target, shooting 15 for 23 before Gabe Pruitt missed thrice with the result long since clinched in the final minutes. "I don't necessarily have to get the ball to the post, but drive, as well," Rondo said. "My job is to get to the paint but attacking off the dribble. When guys are backpedaling, it's tough to defend a guy coming full speed at you. "It's part of me growing as a young player, knowing when and when not to attack. I have to keep teams honest - you can't help out because that leaves Ray, or Paul, or KG, and Perk is there for a dunk. "And those guys are unselfish. I took 11 shots [against Toronto] but they don't mind, as long as we get the win. "I am trying to put together a string of games, trying to be consistent. Except for the turnovers, I'm pretty pleased." Rondo outplayed Jose Calderon in the game. "He is a great player and I really respect his game and what he's done so far," Rondo said. "I was just trying to stay aggressive."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Nov 25, 2008 7:41:08 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2008/11/25/ginobili_comes_back/Ginobili comes back Spurs dominate in guard's return Associated Press / November 25, 2008 Email| Print| Single Page| Yahoo! Buzz| ShareThisText size – + Manu Ginobili returned from his offseason left ankle surgery, and the San Antonio Spurs celebrated with a victory. Discuss COMMENTS (0) Ginobili, who missed San Antonio's first 12 games, scored 12 points to help the Spurs beat the Grizzlies, 94-81, last night in Memphis. "I felt pretty good about it," said Ginobili, who played 11 minutes in his first outing. "I didn't rush it a lot. I took my time, found the open seam, made a couple of shots. I wasn't thinking about a great game on my first one, so I'm happy with what I did." Rookie George Hill scored 20 points and Roger Mason added 18 to lead the Spurs. Tim Duncan added 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks for San Antonio, which has won five of its last six games. O.J. Mayo scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half to lead Memphis, which has dropped seven of its last eight. Rudy Gay scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Darko Milicic had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Ginobili entered the game with 5:34 left in the first quarter and promptly made his first two shots, the first from outside the arc with the shot clock running down, and the second on a dunk. "I didn't want to take a quick one because I'm kind of rusty," Ginobili said of the 3-pointer he hit 1:27 after entering the game. "In that situation, you don't have any other options with the shot clock winding down, so I took it. It was good for my confidence that it went in." Bulls 101, Jazz 100 - Larry Hughes hit a 22-foot jumper as time expired to give Chicago a win over Utah, the Jazz's first home loss of the season. Hughes got the rebound after Derrick Rose missed inside with Utah leading, 100-99, and got off the winning shot in time. The play was reviewed and the shot stood to give the Bulls their second road win of the season. Rose finished with 25 points, including 10 in the fourth. Mehmet Okur had 26 points for the Jazz, who were without starters Deron Williams (ankle) and Carlos Boozer (quad) and three regulars. Trail Blazers 91, Kings 90 - Brandon Roy scored a season-high 28 points and host Portland rallied during the final six minutes to edge Sacramento. Joel Przybilla added 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Steve Blake had 12 points for the Blazers. Greg Oden made his first start for Portland since returning from a foot injury Nov. 12. Oden, the first pick of the 2007 draft, had 3 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 turnovers in 19 ineffective minutes. Rockets 107, Heat 98 - Yao Ming scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Ron Artest scored 20, and Houston finished off a perfect three-game road trip against the Eastern Conference by beating Miami. Bobcats 93, 76ers 84 - D.J. Augustin scored 25 points and added a career-high 11 assists and backcourt mate Raymond Felton added 23 points as host Charlotte used its new speedy and tiny lineup to beat Philadelphia. Hornets 99, Clippers 87 - David West scored 27 points and visiting New Orleans beat Los Angeles for its third straight victory. Magic 108, Bucks 101 - Dwight Howard had 24 points and 13 rebounds to help host Orlando beat Milwaukee.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Nov 25, 2008 8:13:00 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/news/obituaries/death_notices/view/2008_11_25_Helen_Heinsohn/Helen Heinsohn Needham, Mass Tuesday, November 25, 2008 E-mail Printable Text size Share (0) Rate Helen J. (Weiss) of Needham formerly of Newton November 24, 2008. Beloved wife of Thomas W. Heinsohn. Step mother of Paul Heinsohn of Norfolk and David Heinsohn-Roe of Clinton, MA. Daughter of the late Harry and Molly Weiss. Also survived by 5 grandchildren. Funeral from the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home 1305 Highland Avenue, NEEDHAM (Exit 19B off 128) Wednesday at 11:00 A.M. Funeral Mass in St. Bartholomew’s Church, Needham, at 12:00 Noon. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Visiting hours Tuesday from 4:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. Interment St. Mary’s Cemetery, Needham. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Helen’s memory to the New England Baptist Hospital C/O Development Office 125 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02120. Parking area adjacent to Funeral Home. For directions and guestbook please visit www.gfdoherty.com George F. Doherty & Sons Needham 781 444 0687
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Nov 25, 2008 8:35:09 GMT -5
www.patriotledger.com/sports/x181174856/Is-Paul-Pierce-one-of-the-NBA-s-top-five-forwardsIs Paul Pierce one of the NBA’s top five forwards? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loading multimedia... Photos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics. By Mike Fine The Patriot Ledger Posted Nov 24, 2008 @ 11:15 PM Last update Nov 25, 2008 @ 02:59 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — The topic has popped up quite a bit lately, although perhaps it has quieted down a bit in light of his last three games, in which he’s totaled only 32 points. Is Paul Pierce one of the top five forwards in the NBA? Good thought, and a natural topic given the 13-2 start of the Boston Celtics as well as some of Pierce’s individual accomplishments, but the body of work would seem to suggest that while Pierce is a great player – a Finals MVP would seem to confirm that – he’s not consistently ranked among the top forwards. First of all, let’s consider that while Pierce might not be one of the leaders in all offensive or defensive categories, he is a standout, one who has nerves of steel and has the ability to come up with the big performance at big times. And if he’s not one of the leaders in all these categories, it’s because he doesn’t need to be, not when he’s playing with the best players in the game. Pierce has learned to subordinate his immense talents for the good of the team. The championship ring reminds him of that every day. Celts GM Danny Ainge agrees with that. “I don’t even want to discuss it,” he said of the top five argument. “It doesn’t matter. We’re trying to become a good team.” “I don’t know,” said coach Doc Rivers, who gave his team Monday off after the weekend sweep in Minnesota and Toronto (the Celts host Golden State Wednesday). “I just know Paul is good every night we play him, and I don’t really get into that discussion. He’s terrific. He’s been terrific for a long time. I just think now that we’re winning games people are taking notice. He’s made big shots his whole career but when you’re playing on teams that are a little bit over .500 or a lot under .500 people don’t take notice to that, and now they do.” If you look at all NBA players, even all forwards, Pierce ranks far down the list. In two of the significant categories for the position, points scored and efficiency, which encompasses a complicated formula that ranks all facets of a player’s offensive game, Pierce isn’t even close to the top. He ranks 32nd in points scored, (19.0) and 34th in efficiency – 19.3, for whatever that’s worth – but consider that the league leader, New Orleans’ Chris Paul, has an efficiency rating of 31.5. The top 10 in that category: Paul, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire, Andres Biedrins and Tony Parker. So for the sake of argument, let’s limit the discussion to small forwards, Pierce’s natural position along with such NBA stars as James, Carmelo Anthony and Josh Howard. Of course, Pierce comes off better among his “peer” group. For instance, he ranks fifth in efficiency behind James, Danny Granger, Caron Butler and Andre Kirilenko. He ranks eighth in points. Step it up a bit: Pierce against above-.500 teams ranks only 10th in efficiency (16.4) and eighth in scoring, 18.7. His numbers are similar against Eastern teams only. So what are we saying? Well, maybe Pierce isn’t a top five player after all, but the story the statistics don’t tell can be seen only by those who watch him. What the statistics don’t show is a game-winning jumper with half a second left against Atlanta or a 22-point fourth quarter two nights earlier in a 36-point performance against Toronto. They also don’t show him getting a really nice rest during blowout wins, when his statistics aren’t being padded as James’ might be. There is one stat that can be quantified, though: The Celtics are the champions because they share the ball and have the talent to defend and play as a group. Using another formula called efficiency recap difference (between a team’s efficiency and the opponents), the Celtics’ defense ranks third in the NBA (behind the Lakers and the Cavs). They’re first in points allowed (89.9) and first in field goal defense (.397), and Pierce is a big part of that. Pierce is also part of the starting lineup that claims the top +/- rating, +18, in the NBA. Is Pierce a top five player, among all players, among forwards, small forwards? The stats don’t bear it out, but the Celtics don’t really care.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Nov 25, 2008 8:36:40 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x2096883742/Celtics-Champs-off-to-a-fast-start?view=printCeltics: Champs off to a fast start -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jim Fenton/Gatehouse News service MetroWest Daily News Posted Nov 24, 2008 @ 10:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was danger entering this season that the Boston Celtics might not get off to the smoothest start. Several factors could have worked against the Celtics, including a short offseason, the possibility of a letdown on the heels of winning a championship plus a hectic early schedule. But none have haunted the Celtics so far. The team with the target on its back is off to a 13-2 start. The Celtics have lost only a road game to the Indiana Pacers and a home game to the Denver Nuggets, putting together winning streaks of six and five games this month. Instead of going through an early-season letdown, the Celtics are having one of the most impressive starts for a defending champion over the past 25 years. Only three teams have had a better record through 15 games after winning the title the previous season than this year's Celtics. The 1984-85 Celtics, the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls and the 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers were 14-1 in the seasons following championships. Three other teams - the 1985-86 Lakers, the 1990-91 Detroit Pistons and the 1991-92 Bulls - were also 13-2 one year after winning a title. The '84-85 Celtics lost to only the Washington Bullets in their opening 15 games after starting with five straight wins. Boston went on a 10-game winning streak after that defeat and finished 63-19 before losing to the Lakers in the NBA Finals. The '96-97 Bulls were 12-0 to start the season before losing to the Utah Jazz, then went on a five-game winning streak. They wound up 69-13 and won the second of three straight titles. The '01-02 Lakers put together seven consecutive wins to open the season, and after a loss to the Phoenix Suns, ripped off nine more wins in a row. Los Angeles finished 58-24 before winning a third straight championship. Only four of the last 25 title teams have been below .500 through the first 15 games the following season. The Celtics have had to deal with the loss of two key bench players as James Posey signed with the New Orleans Hornets and P.J. Brown retired. But the starting unit, together for a second year, has been better with Rajon Rondo directing the offense, Kendrick Perkins showing improvement and Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen producing as usual. The bench has made contributions with Coach Doc Rivers going with Tony Allen, Leon Powe, Glen Davis, Eddie House and, lately, Brian Scalabrine. The Celtics played their first 15 games in a 27-day span, bunching eight of those games together in 12 nights. They have five of the next six games at the TD Banknorth Garden, starting tomorrow night when the Golden State Warriors make their annual visit. Ten of the next 14 games are on the parquet floor where the Celtics are 7-1 this season, 42-7 since the Garnett-Pierce-Allen era began. That should give the Celtics a chance to beef up their record even more before making the first of two trips out West, starting with a Christmas Day showdown against the Lakers. More than three-quarters of the regular season remains, and it's a long way until the playoffs begin in April. So far, however, the Celtics have showed no signs of a letdown or fatigue, getting off to a start that ranks among the best for a defending champion in the last 25 years.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Nov 25, 2008 9:15:14 GMT -5
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