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FLCeltsFan
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News 12/8 Dec 8, 2008 7:34:34 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 8, 2008 7:34:34 GMT -5

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1137458&format=text
Ray Allen, Celtics on mark
20-2 after 12th straight win

By Steve Bulpett | Monday, December 8, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
INDIANAPOLIS - There is one major reason the Celtics [team stats] were able to tie the best start in franchise history last night.

They know how to finish.

Paul Pierce [stats] forced overtime with a 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation and Ray Allen capped a 35-point night with some big hoops in the extra inning of a 122-117 victory over the Pacers.

“We stole the game tonight and we felt fortunate to do it,” coach Doc Rivers said after the team’s 12th straight win. “I felt that us being together longer showed, and our execution in overtime was phenomenal. The calm of that when you have veterans was huge for us.”

Having lost in their other visit here this season, Conseco Fieldhouse was beginning to feel like Kryptonite Coliseum for the Celts. But they ruined onlooker Larry Bird’s 52nd birthday by hitting 13-of-25 treys.

That gave the Celts a 20-2 record, the same mark held by last year’s team and the 1963-64 Shamrocks. Neither of those groups won their next game, meaning these lads have an opportunity to set their own standard on Thursday in Washington.

That chance looked to be done, however, when Kendrick Perkins [stats] missed two free throws with 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Jarrett Jack hit a pair from the line to give Indiana a 105-102 lead with 14.4 seconds to go. It was looking even worse when Allen missed a quick 3 at the other end.

But little man Eddie House came up big on the boards, tracking down the rebound and finding an open Pierce up top for the tying 3. Jack missed on two chances from behind the arc for the win.

From there, the Celts seemed in control. Allen had seven of the team’s 17 overtime points, and Kevin Garnett outrebounded the Pacers alone, 5-2.

“That’s what good teams do,” Pierce said. “We try to find ways to win. It’s not going to be pretty every night. But whenever you can find a way to win - especially with the way things were going tonight - we’ll take it.”

Allen and Garnett hit jumpers and Rajon Rondo [stats] scored on a high-arching drive as the Celts took a three-point lead in OT. Jack hit 1-of-2 free throws with 1:13 left, but Allen then put a down payment on the win with a 3 from the top of the key at 42.9.

The C’s lead moved to seven before Brian Scalabrine committed a dead-ball foul (one Jack free throw) and T.J. Ford hit a trey on the ensuing possession. But Pierce and Garnett ice it at the line.

Garnett finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds.

“It’s funny,” Rivers said. “I was upset after the game because I didn’t think Kevin got the ball enough. I thought he probably had six or eight points, and I look at the stat sheet and he was 17 and 20. He’s the only guy in the league that can have a quiet 17 and 20. He does his job every night, doesn’t really need the ball, scores on happenstance and in a way dominates the game quietly.”

Allen’s work wasn’t quiet at all. He tied his Celtics high for points, hitting 7-of-12 treys.

“Ray’s just on fire,” Rivers said.

“My body was feeling good,” said Allen, who’s hit 32-of-61 from behind the arc in his last eight games. “The ball was feeling good leaving my hands.”

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News 12/8 Dec 8, 2008 7:35:51 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 8, 2008 7:35:51 GMT -5

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1137517&format=text
Jim O’Brien has few regrets

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Monday, December 8, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
INDIANAPOLIS - Jim O’Brien admitted it was a bit hard to envision all this Celtics [team stats] success back when he resigned as their coach in January 2004.

“Yeah, but I think he pictured it,” O’Brien, the current Pacers coach, said of C’s president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “Certainly the owners pictured it. That’s the reason he was brought in, and he did an outstanding job of creating assets that enabled him to get the players he was able to get. So I have nothing but admiration for the job he’s done.”

Ainge has said he made O’Brien aware that a number of personnel changes were going to be made, but after the last deal brought in Ricky Davis, the coach believed he wanted to move on.

“It was very difficult simply because I was so close to the team that had gone to the Eastern Conference (finals),” O’Brien said of the club that lost the last two games of the 2002 conference finals to New Jersey and was swept by the Nets the following year.

“We in essence went from a team - or a bunch of the guys went from being a dismal team to a team that was two games away from going to the Finals. When those people started to leave, I just felt they were better off having somebody else to help Danny rebuild. And it just worked out perfectly for everybody.”

Pierce goes fourth

Paul Pierce [stats] had 17 points in last night’s 122-117 overtime win against the Pacers, moving to 17,346 for his career and passing Kevin McHale for fourth on the Celtics’ all-time list.

Robert Parish is next at 18,245, with Larry Bird and John Havlicek in the distance.

“I really don’t think about the past and the guys, but it is a great honor to be mentioned among the great Celtic players,” he said. “I’m just going to continue to play hard, and we’ll what happens when my career’s over.”

Kevin Garnett’s 17 points moved him ahead of George Gervin for 29th place on the NBA’s list at 20,723. Next up is David Robinson at 20,790.

Tony back in step

Tony Allen was back in uniform after missing the last two games with a sprained right ankle. He scored 12 points in 20 minutes.

“It was still sore,” Allen said. “I had no lift on my jump shot. I figure with these two days off I can focus on doing some exercises to strengthen my ankle. I felt the soreness but I fought through it.”

Sam Cassell went back to the inactive list. . . .

Rajon Rondo [stats] had more than 100 people in the stands supporting him. A large group from his home place of worship, the Little Flock Baptist Church, made the drive up from Louisville, Ky.

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News 12/8 Dec 8, 2008 7:36:58 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 8, 2008 7:36:58 GMT -5

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1137518&format=text
Big Baby Glen Davis isn’t afraid to cry

By Steve Bulpett | Monday, December 8, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP (File)
INDIANAPOLIS - Glen Davis is unapologetic about his display of emotion during the Celtics [team stats]’ win Friday night against Portland. Regarding his actions when he and the subs were confronted by Kevin Garnett after squandering much of a large lead at the Garden, Big Baby said, in essence, that’s his personality and he’ll cry if he wants to.

Davis could be seen throwing a towel and shedding a tear after Garnett pulled him back into a timeout huddle in the fourth quarter.

“I’m not embarrassed,” Davis said before the Celtics took on the Indiana Pacers last night. “I’m not embarrassed at all. I’m emotional about the game. That’s one of my best features - being emotional, playing out there with passion. Sometimes it’s not always good passion. Sometimes it’s bad, but that’s just me being young. You have to learn how to funnel that emotion and keep it inside until you put it out.”

The Celts were cruising against the Trail Blazers, but the starters had to be reinserted when the margin got back into the questionable range.

“We had to call a timeout because of the lack of intensity we were bringing on the floor,” Davis said. “And I was mad at myself that I had a big part (in that). I feel like I have a big part of funneling the defense and bringing the energy to the time. I held myself high and my teammates held me high and accountable for that.

“I’m just an emotional player, man. I kind of catch myself wanting to be perfect a lot, and I can’t be perfect, so I kind of get upset with myself. I am an emotional guy. It’s one of my upsides and my downfalls, you know?”

Coach Rivers noted there is no lingering issue.

“It was no big deal to me,” Rivers said. “I think it was made big by the way it looked, but I didn’t mind what KG was doing at all. I thought what he was saying was absolutely right. And it should have been a quicker conversation, but emotionally at the time Baby wanted to debate it, so he got emotional.

“The only thing I don’t like - and I told the team this and Baby this - is that if another player has to spend time calming you down, then you’re a distraction at that moment. We are an emotional team, and I want us to be an emotional team, but what I don’t want us to be is a distraction to each other while the game’s going on.”

What did Garnett say?

“I’m not going to get into what he was saying,” Rivers said. “It was delivered in Kevin’s way, but it wasn’t bad. I heard part of it and he was being honest. When Kevin talks, it’s never a personal attack. It’s always what the team and the group should do. He was talking to the team as a group. He wasn’t even talking to Baby at the time. He was talking to the team as a group, and there’s days where guys just don’t want to hear it and that was probably one of the days. That’s all right.

“The message was delivered and (Davis) heard it eventually. They still love him and there’s been a lot of jokes since that in our locker room.”

Any good ones?

“None that I can say,” Rivers said. “No, it was good right after the game. They were all laughing about it.”

It wasn’t the first time Rivers saw a player cry during a game.

“If you took a charge in my career from (Charles) Barkley,” said Rivers, “you probably cried afterward.”

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News 12/8 Dec 8, 2008 7:41:57 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 8, 2008 7:41:57 GMT -5

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/12/08/celtics_have_will_and_ray?mode=PF
Celtics have will and Ray
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | December 8, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS - After winning the NBA championship last season, the Celtics felt they needed to repeat in order to be regarded among the franchise's best teams. But after taking a 122-117 overtime win over Indiana last night, this group has established itself, at least statistically.

The Celtics (20-2) recorded their 12th straight victory to match the best start to a season set by the 1963-64 team, becoming the first Celtic team to win 20 of its first 22 contests in successive years.

Ray Allen (35 points) outscored the Pacers, 7-6, in the first 4:31 of overtime to clinch the result. Allen converted a 3-pointer with :03 left on the shot clock and 43 seconds remaining, then hit two foul shots 14 seconds later for a 118-111 Celtics lead. Though the Pacers rallied with a 4-point possession, their 2-for-5 foul shooting earlier in OT was decisive.

"We just found a way to win," coach Doc Rivers said. "[The Pacers] played terrific. We stole that one and that feels great. Ray's just on fire - he had a great game and great overtime, he hit all the shots when we needed him to."

Though they dominated the overtime, the Celtics were on the verge of defeat late in regulation. Paul Pierce misfired and Kendrick Perkins missed two foul shots after grabbing the offensive rebound with 23 seconds to go.

During a timeout, Rivers told the team, "We're still not out of the game," and he was right.

Allen's missed 3-pointer would have been their last gasp - but Eddie House controlled the rebound and found Pierce for a 3-pointer to tie the score at 105 with 7.4 seconds to go.

In the final seconds of overtime, Pierce (17 points) hit two free throws to move into fourth on the all-time team list with 17,336 points (one more than Kevin McHale) and Kevin Garnett (17 points) grabbed his 20th rebound of the game and added two more free throws.

"We spread the wealth," Allen said. "Paul or KG, if one of us has it going, that person can take a lot of shots. We got a little lucky [in overtime], scoring first and just making them play a little more on their heels by attacking them. Then, we got some stops when we needed to."

Perkins's free throw gave the Celtics the lead 18 seconds into OT, after Rajon Rondo took possession of Perkins's tip.

Rondo gave the Celtics some breathing room with a drive for a 113-110 edge with 2:14 to go. Then, the Celtics' defense forced an airball in the lane by Marquis Daniels and a turnover by Rasho Nesterovic followed by Jarrett Jack's make and miss at the line with 1:13 left. Allen then capped a 30-second possession with a straight-on 3-pointer.

The Celtics struggled offensively, though not as much as they did in a 95-79 loss to Indiana in the Pacers' home opener last month, often failing to move the ball quickly enough to the weak side. But the Celtics defense was tenacious enough when it counted. Boston held the Pacers without a field goal for the final 5:03 of regulation. Only Jack's six foul shots - after Troy Murphy's jumper provided Indiana with a 99-97 edge - kept the Pacers alive.

Indiana (7-13) was resourceful, Daniels beating the buzzer with a 3-pointer before halftime for a 57-55 lead and Jack countering Brian Scalabrine's 3-pointer with a buzzer-beating drive and an 81-78 edge after three quarters. But Jack launched an airball as the Pacers took the final regulation-time shot after gaining possession with 0.8 seconds on the clock following a Celtic inbounding turnover.

The Celtics started strong, Indiana's sixth turnover in less than six minutes leading to a Perkins free throw and a 17-9 lead, a minute before Allen's 3-pointer extended the advantage to 22-13 with 4:58 to go in the first quarter. The Celtics closed the quarter with an 8-1 run, Pierce's free throw providing a 32-22 advantage with 57 seconds to play.

But the Pacers went on a 13-3 spurt over 3:47 to start the second quarter, tying the scoreat 35 on Daniels's 3-point play off an inbounds feed. Garnett then keyed a Celtic rally, Perkins giving them a 52-45 edge with 2:10 to play. But the Celtics would score only once more in the half, House and Daniels trading 3-pointers in the final three seconds, the Pacers scoring 9 successive points and taking that 57-55 halftime lead.

The Celtic defense seemed to be putting the squeeze on early in the second half, Indiana converting only twice from the field in the first 4:56. But the Pacers' defending was also vise-like, forcing the Celtics to be resourceful, Pierce's drive with :02 on the shot clock giving them a 66-62 edge 3:08 into the half. But Daniels's drive tied the score with 7:04 remaining, Nesterovic then capping an 11-3 run for a 73-69 Indiana edge with 4:32 left in the quarter. The Celtics had a 4:18 span without a field goal before Allen's 3-pointer tied it, 75-75, with 2:22 to go.

"I'm actually surprised to see that their record is what it is," Allen said of the Pacers. "They are better than what it shows. It's a testament to our team that we didn't come in looking at their record and expecting to walk over them. We came in respecting them and knowing it was going to be a tough game."

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News 12/8 Dec 8, 2008 7:43:23 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 8, 2008 7:43:23 GMT -5

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/12/08/taking_shot_at_record_start?mode=PF
Taking shot at record start
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | December 8, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS - The Celtics (20-2) matched the franchise's best start to a season with last night's 122-117 overtime win over Indiana and can overtake the record set by the 1963-64 team and matched last year when they visit Washington Thursday.

On the way to a 59-21 record, the Celtics were 20-2 before falling to the Cincinnati Royals, 108-105, Dec. 14, 1963, a loss that ended a nine-game home winning streak. Last year, the Celtics won 20 of 22, then lost to Detroit, 87-85, Dec. 19, snapping a 12-game home winning streak.

The last Celtic loss was to Denver, 94-85, in Boston Nov. 14. They are 8-0 away from home since losing to Indiana, 95-79, in their road opener Nov. 1.

Emotional 'Baby'
The Celtics do not fit the profile of a group prone to ulcers. They do not stifle emotions and they are good at releasing tensions, judging by an incident involving Glen Davis and Kevin Garnett and the team's reaction. Garnett scolded Davis and the reserves after they had squandered most of a 25-point advantage during a 93-78 win over Portland Friday. Davis went to the bench with a towel over his head and television close-ups revealed him near tears.

Within minutes of the game's end, though, the Celtics' high spirits had returned and the incident was on the way to becoming the subject of humor, according to coach Doc Rivers.

"It was not embarrassing at all," Davis said before last night's game. "It was a lot of passion. Sometimes it's not always good passion, sometimes it's bad, but you have to learn to funnel that emotion. I was mad at myself, I just want to win and we were up. It was lack of intensity that we were bringing on the floor. I was mad at myself because I had a big part of funneling the energy on the team and my teammates hold me accountable for that. We weren't as focused as we should have been. We were up, 25-30 points, there's no way they should be getting back in the game."

Said Rivers:

"It wasn't a big deal, really. It was made big by the way it looked. I didn't mind what KG was saying at all, what he was saying was absolutely right. It just should have been a quicker conversation, but, emotionally, at the time Baby [Davis] wanted to debate it, so he got emotional. The only thing I don't like is, and I told Baby this, that if another player has to spend time calming you down, then you're a distraction at that moment.

"We are an emotional team and I want us to be an emotional team but what I don't want to see is us being a distraction to each other while the game is going on. I'm not going to get into what he was saying, it was delivered in Kevin's way, but it wasn't bad. I heard part of it and he was just being honest. When Kevin talks, it's never a personal attack, it's always what the team and group should be doing. There are days when guys don't want to hear it and that was one of those days. That's all right, message delivered. They still love him - Baby. And there's been a lot of jokes since then in the locker room. After the game, they were all laughing about it. It's an emotional game and it happens, and Glen is very, very emotional."

Hoosier statement
Rivers's son, Jeremiah, who transferred from Georgetown to Indiana University, attended the game. Indiana recently received an NCAA verdict - three years' probation - related to recruiting violations. "That was great, it's over, it's in the past," Rivers said. "They are all happy it's over with. That chapter is over. It obviously will set them back but, if you had to pick a guy to rebuild a program, I don't know if you could pick a better guy than [new coach Tom Crean] - his energy level alone. It's going to take a lot of energy to do what has to be done." . . . Tony Allen

returned after missing two games, scoring 12 points. "I was able to play through the pain," Allen said, "and focus on defense."

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News 12/8 Dec 8, 2008 9:22:31 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 8, 2008 9:22:31 GMT -5

www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081208/SPORTS/812080303
FREE THROWS: Rondo's play speaking for itself
December 08, 2008 6:00 AM

Rajon Rondo's teammates have been stumping for him as an All-Star candidate all season, but during the past few weeks, he hasn't needed any endorsements.

"I don't make cases for guys, because if everyone doesn't see it, then it's a shame," Rivers said. "He's the point guard of a team that's doing well. Defensively when he plays well, we play well. Offensively, when he plays well we're really good. That's all I can say. I don't know what else you need to say."

Nothing else needs to be said because as the old adage goes, actions speak louder than words. But we'll allow for one more endorsement from a perennial All-Star.

"I think for the most part Rondo is playing unbelievable basketball and we're sort of following the lead," Kevin Garnett said.

Not only is Rondo playing unbelievable basketball, he's also playing consistently — something that eluded him earlier in the season. The tipping point came Nov. 10-15, when in a four-game stretch Rondo managed just 13 total points while shooting 5-for-25, including going 0-for-1 against Milwaukee on Nov. 15.

Former Celtic point guard Gary Payton dumped on Rondo in an NBA TV appearance, saying "he got put into a situation" and accusing Rondo of being another average player that rides the championship coattails of superstars like Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Apparently Payton forgot the 2004 season, when a nearly washed-up Glove tried to do the same on a Lakers team with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone.

But starting with a win against the Knicks on Nov. 18 and through the 10 games prior to Sunday's in Indiana, Rondo shot 56-for-96, an astounding 58 percent. He averaged 14.1 points per game in that stretch.

"(I've been) attacking offensively," Rondo said. "I've been getting into the paint a lot lately, opening up seems for my teammates and gaps for myself."

"Ever since Gary Payton been hating on him, he's been playing great," Kendrick Perkins told reporters. "But that's Rondo. We know what he could do. Now he's just really starting to show it."

Against Indiana on Wednesday, Rondo nearly had a triple-double by halftime, finishing with 16 points, 17 assists, 13 rebounds and three steals.

"He was amazing. It seemed like there was three Rondos out there," Garnett said.

What's overlooked in Rondo's surge is how it has affected his back-court mate. Although Allen is averaging right around the same amount he was scoring before Rondo picked it up — around 17.5 points per game — it's been a much easier time for him. He posted a season-high 31 against Indiana last week.

"It seems that Rondo and I go hand-in-hand," Allen said. "When he's as aggressive as he is, it seems that I get so many easier looks. The last two weeks he's just been pushing the ball, just getting the ball up the floor."

Rondo has stiff All-Star competition when it comes to Eastern Conference guards — especially with the ever-popular Allen Iverson back. But he's certainly making a case for himself better than any of his teammates could.

"He's making leaps and strides each and every year," Pierce said. "You thought last year he was good, he's just getting better. He's learning the game. He's learning his spots. He's learning what kind of potential he has and it's just fun to watch him grow."

PRAY FOR "TRIPLE R"

Former Celtic Rodney Rogers, who was key to the team's 2002 run to the Eastern Conference Finals, was injured in an ATV accident on Monday. According to his college coach Dave Odom in the News & Observer of Raleigh-Durham, N.C., the accident has left him paralyzed from the shoulders down.

The 37-year-old Rogers, who retired in 2005 after a 12-year pro career that included an NBA Sixth Man Award in 1999-2000, had been working full-time as a heavy machinery operator for the city of Durham. Even though he was financially set, Rogers liked the challenge, and none of his co-workers knew he was a former pro basketball player. He was even promoted to a supervisory position six months ago.

Rogers already faced a great deal of challenges in his life. His birth father abandoned the family and died when Rogers was eight years old. His mother was nearly killed in a car crash in 1988, suffering severe head trauma and memory loss. Rogers has a deaf brother and another who served more than 10 years in prison for armed robbery, and his daughter Roddreka had to undergo neurosurgery when she was just two months old.

Nothing else is really certain about Rogers' condition, but hopefully it's something "Triple R" can overcome, just as he has so much else.

HOT

INCREASED VALUE

The Celtics are valued at $447 million in Forbes Magazine's latest listing of NBA franchise values, up from $391 million last year. The top spot still belongs to the Knicks ($613 million), but the Celts rank ninth, with the 14 percent increase second only to Portland (21 percent).

STABILITY

In a week in which Eddie Jordan (Washington) and Sam Mitchell (Toronto) got fired, the Jazz are talking with Jerry Sloan about another one-year contract extension that will keep him in Utah through next season. Sloan, whose 1,000th win earlier this season made him the only NBA coach to reach that mark with one team, is in his 21st season leading Utah.

REEBOK GOT RONDO'D

According to the Boston Herald, Rajon Rondo is no longer endorsing Reebok and is finalizing a five-year deal with Nike. It's great that Rondo is attracting this kind of attention, but what will happen to the "You Got Rondo'd" campaign which took New England by storm?

NOT

DOES CHARLES KNOW ABOUT THIS?

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy didn't use the word "cheating" when describing Dwyane Wade's palming of the basketball, but he implied it. "His ability to carry the ball right now, he's getting away with that," he said. Wade's response wasn't exactly a denial: "There's a lot of things going on," he said, "that could be called."

BYNUM BENCHED

Lakers coach Phil Jackson benched Andrew Bynum in the fourth quarter of a loss to Indiana this week, and Bynum let the media know he wasn't happy about it. "That's none of his business," the Zen Master's responded. "He just goes out and plays. That's his job … He's a kid, he doesn't know any better."

GOTTA BE THE SHOES

Retailer Steve & Barry's announced it was liquidating its 173 remaining stores last week, with NBA implications. It declared bankruptcy last year, was sued by Stephon Marbury for $2 million in unpaid royalties for carrying his "Starbury" line, and had carried Ben Wallace's "Big Ben" shoe for $14.98 a pair.