News 1/8

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1143887&format=text
Rough “Cs” for Celtics
Take on more water in home loss to Houston

By Steve Bulpett | Thursday, January 8, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matt Stone
The Celtics [team stats] have spoken often this season about the need to secure home court advantage for the playoffs. That point was driven home when they won two Game 7’s here last spring.

And no matter their recent road troubles, losing five of their last six away from the Garden, home is where the wins are for the Celts. Heading into last night’s run with the Rockets, they had won 13 straight on the parquet. Which is what made the result - an 89-85 loss to Houston - so hard to take.

Et tu, Garden?

“Tonight showed us it’s not just the homecourt,” Ray Allen said after his club slipped a half-game behind Cleveland, which routed Charlotte, in the Eastern Conference standings. “There’s things that we need to get back to doing, and you can’t hide from the road because you’re going to be on the road. And your home is not always going to solve your problems. It’s just what we need to do as a team.”

What the Celtics needed to do was score a few more points. After collecting 31 in the first quarter, they produced just 54 in the final three. And in the fourth, your defending NBA champions recorded a mere 11. The Big Three combined to make 1-of-10 shots, not exactly large.

The C’s shot 66.7 percent and had assists on nine of their 12 first-quarter buckets. They shot 34.6 percent the rest of the night.

Pierce was correct in saying, “Right now our defense is just not getting the job done,” but in five of their recent eight losses, the Celtics have scored in the 80s.

“Eleven points in the fourth quarter is not going to win a lot of games for you,” coach Doc Rivers understated.

And if the Celtics want to wail about the schedule and circumstances, don’t expect the Rockets to apologize for anything. Houston hasn’t played at home since New Year’s Eve and it came in on a back-to-back with three straight losses. And without the injured Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier.

But the Celtics had their chances. They led by three entering the last period and Gabe Pruitt (the kid looked good again with seven points and some tight defense) pushed the advantage to five with a couple of jumpers. But the locals graciously but foolishly opened the door by missing eight straight field goal attempts and turning over the ball once.

Houston retook the lead, but Rajon Rondo [stats] got free inside and Kevin Garnett found him with a nice pass for a layup as the Celts took an 85-84 edge with 1:34 left. But after each team failed on its next possession, Von Wafer stuck a trey from the right sideline with 43.8 seconds left.

Pierce (26 points) got a decent look at the other end, but his jumper didn’t go down. And when Yao Ming (26 points, 10-for-13 shooting while opposing center Kendrick Perkins [stats] went scoreless in 23 minutes) converted Carl Landry’s miss with 12.9 on the clock, the Celts were in need of a quick miracle.

Allen missed inside to dash that hope.

It was left to noted hoop mind Ron Artest, who got in a couple of good whacks on Pierce before fouling out, to deliver yet another blow to the Green.

“Yao Ming is the best center in the league surrounded by some good players,” he said. “But sometimes we forget that hard work is more important than talent. Last year Boston had hard work and talent. That’s why they ran through everybody.”

Ouch.

The Celtics continue to say that all is calm, all is bright. But this has to be wearing on them, and with Cleveland next on the agenda tomorrow, a continuation of this type of play could lead to a severely injured psyche at the least.

“I think the confidence is still there,” Pierce said. “It’s a long season and that’s what we try to tell each other. We bend but we don’t break. . . . Nobody’s pointing the finger. It’s a tough stretch, but we know what we are capable of.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1143892&format=text
Dikembe Mutombo had eyes on Celtics

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Thursday, January 8, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matt Stone
It appears Dikembe Mutombo recruited the Celtics [team stats] more than the other way around, which is part of the reason the big man was wearing a Houston uniform last night instead of green and white.

“I was ready to come to this cold city, but you were not ready for me,” said Mutombo, who re-signed with the Rockets on Dec. 31.

Knowing people in high Celtics places, Mutombo placed a call to the 617 area code.

“I reached out to the owner,” he said. “I know Steve (Pagliuca) very well, him and his wife, Judy, and his children. We traveled in Africa the year before, and last year we went to China together. It’s been a long relationship, a friendship.”

Mutombo told Pagliuca he was interested in being a Celtic, and the affection was returned to a degree, with coach Doc Rivers telling him he’d be a great fit.

“I was this close,” Mutombo said last night before watching from the bench as the Rockets beat the Celtics, 89-85, at the Garden. “It was no rumor. I was this close.”

The last choice was between the Celtics and San Antonio, but his old Rockets mates called and pleaded with him to return.

“I made myself available to come here (Boston), but I think in the last minutes, especially on the 24th and the 25th, I was feeling like I was not the only one in the picture anymore that they were looking at,” Mutombo said. “It kind of discouraged me a little bit. I thought they wanted me, but they were looking at someone else.

“Should I be on the waiting list or should I just go and take the offer that was there on the table?”

Rivers knew the deal.

“We just couldn’t pull the trigger as soon as he needed us to pull the trigger,” he said. “We liked him, too. We just wanted to wait and see what was out there, and he wasn’t willing to do that. And we understood that.”

Mutombo wasn’t the only current Rocket who had a chance to be a Celtic this season. Brent Barry spoke to Danny Ainge last summer.

“I did talk to Danny about it, but obviously the biggest thing was for them to find out what James (Posey) was going to do and what Eddie (House) was going to do,” Barry said. “That’s another reason to respect Danny Ainge, because you take care of your own when free agency comes up and you make fair offers. I think there were just some contingency plans where if those guys didn’t decide to come back that maybe Danny was going to give me an opportunity to come to Boston. I really appreciated that.”

TA sits out again

The Celtics were again without Tony Allen (right ankle strain) last night, and it’s possible he may not play again until the club hosts Toronto Monday.

Allen had an MRI, and while his injury isn’t believed serious, his status is in question.

“At this point in the year, if he’s not really 100 percent or close to it, I just don’t see the urgency of running him out there,” Rivers said. “I would rather for him to get healthy, and maybe by Monday he’ll be fresh legs for us, which we’ll need.”

The Celts will be completing a home-and-home back-to-back with the Raptors on Monday.

As for tomorrow night’s meeting with Cleveland, Rivers said of Allen, “I’m just assuming if he’s not playing tonight, it’d be tough for him to get healthy all of a sudden for (tomorrow).”

gftailRead the Celtics Insider at bostonherald.com.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1143891&format=text
Celtics are sleepwalking
Could use a Cavaliers wakeup call

By Ron Borges | Thursday, January 8, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matt Stone
These are the times that try men’s soles. Not to mention their heels and their heads.

The Celtics [team stats] are beat, a fact they made clear in the fourth quarter of last night’s 89-85 loss to the injury-riddled Houston Rockets at TD Banknorth Garden. In that quarter, on their home floor, with the game on the line, the defending world champions scored 11 points. They shot 22.2 percent. They were outscored, 15-6, in the final eight minutes of what became their sixth loss in eight games.

Fear not. It happens.

What the Celtics are up against at the moment are a lot of things, including an apparent letdown after a long championship run and a sprint out of the gate in defense of that title. Last night, as has been the case for two weeks, their defense was a step slow when it counted and their shots didn’t fall when needed. The reason had more to do with psychology and the beginning of an understanding on their part of why defending anything is a lot more difficult than storming the palace gates in the first place.

With 5.3 seconds left, the ball spun out of bounds with the Celtics trailing by four points. For an instant, it was unclear who would get possession. When it was awarded to the Rockets, young Von Wafer clenched his fists and smiled like the cat who just ate not only the canary but a few other birds as well.

For every Celtics foe, it will be like this because they not only won the world championship last year, they talked about it to their fallen opponents along the way. Now it is a new year and it has begun to dawn on them that those guys remember such slights and so every game becomes a lot more important to them than it can ever be for the defending champions.

The pressure of that, night after night, week after week can wear on you and so it has on a Celtics team that has played a lot of games in a short stretch with few nights spent in their own beds in between.

Tomorrow night these same tired Celtics must go to Cleveland to face the red-hot Cavaliers, who won their 18th straight at home last night, destroying by 30 points the same Charlotte Bobcats who beat the Celtics Tuesday night. A measure of how life is for the defending champions is that many of the Cavs, including LeBron James, sat in their locker room after beating Charlotte and watched the end of the Rockets’ win on TV. When it was over, someone asked James about tomorrow night and he admitted, “I can’t sit here and say it’s just another game.”

That’s what the Celtics are up against now - and for the moment it seems to have worn them out. To some that may seem worrisome, but it is better that this harsh realization of what they’re up against comes in January and not in June. It is an adjustment that is both physical and mental and no one in their locker room, glum as it was last night, believes it won’t be made.

Don’t be surprised then if it begins tomorrow night. Just 13 days ago the Celtics were the hottest team in the NBA when they went to Los Angeles to show off against the Lakers on Christmas Day and were beaten. They’ve struggled ever since.

Now the tired team that has lost 6-of-8 is limping into Cleveland to face the new hottest team in the NBA. What better place for a wakeup call than there?

“Cleveland is the team we put out of the playoffs (last season),” Paul Pierce [stats] said. “They are the best home team in all of basketball so they’ve been looking forward to this. We’re going to get their best punch. The way they’ve been playing at home has been unbelievable but the way we’re playing, this is a great way to get back on track.”

Now all they have to do is the hard part, which is play well enough long enough to remind those young Cavs, and everyone else in the NBA, that they still are who they think they are.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1143900&format=text
Cavaliers rest up for Celtics

By Herald Wire Services | Thursday, January 8, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
LeBron James scored 21 points before grabbing an early seat on the bench, Mo Williams added 15 points and the Cavaliers warmed up for their highly anticipated matchup with the Celtics [team stats] by blowing out the Charlotte Bobcats, 111-81, last night in Cleveland, raising their record at home to 18-0.

Although the Celtics have lost six of their last eight, James, who rested the entire fourth quarter, expects them to be back on their game come tomorrow.

“It’s not the end of the world they’ve lost a few. They’ll get it together,” he said. “I bet they won’t come in here (tomorrow) sluggish.”

Magic 106, Hawks 102 - Dwight Howard had 23 points and 19 rebounds, helping Orlando hand Atlanta just its third loss in 19 home games this season.

The Magic nearly squandered a 21-point advantage, going nearly 5 minutes without scoring in the fourth.

Raptors 99, Wizards 93 - Andrea Bargnani scored 25 points on 8-of-9 shooting, and shorthanded Toronto preserved a 21-point lead at Washington.

Just nine players dressed for the Raptors, who traded guard/forward Hassan Adams to the Clippers in a money-saving move earlier in the day.

Nets 100, Grizzlies 89 - In East Rutherford, N.J., Vince Carter had 25 points and a season-high 12 assists, and New Jersey beat Memphis despite missing leading scorer Devin Harris (sore right hamstring).

Memphis waived forward Darius Miles and acquired guard Shaun Livingston and cash from Miami for a conditional second-round pick in 2012.

Lakers 114, Warriors 106 - Pau Gasol had 33 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, Kobe Bryant added 21 points and Los Angeles rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit for its seventh victory in eight games, beating Golden State in Oakland, Calif.

Blazers 84, Pistons 83 - Travis Outlaw hit a fadeaway jumper with 8.9 seconds to go and host Portland snapped Detroit’s seven-game winning streak.

Timberwolves 129, Thunder 87 - In Minneapolis, Randy Foye equaled his career high with 32 points in just three quarters and Minnesota beat Oklahoma City for its fourth straight win.

Before the game, Oklahoma City acquired point guard Chucky Atkins and a protected first-round pick in this year’s draft from Denver for center Johan Petro and a second-round pick this summer.

Nuggets 108, Heat 97 - Chauncey Billups, Linas Kleiza and J.R. Smith scored 21 points apiece to help host Denver beat Miami for its fifth straight win.

76ers 110, Bucks 105 - Andre Miller hit a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left, finishing with 28 points and nine rebounds, and Philadelphia downed host Milwaukee.

Jazz 116, Hornets 90 - In Salt Lake City, Paul Millsap had 27 points and 14 rebounds to extend his NBA-leading double-double streak to 19 games and Utah dropped New Orleans.

Pacers 113, Suns 100 - Danny Granger matched a career high with 37 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that lifted visiting Indiana past Pheonix.

The Suns were without Shaquille O’Neal, who sat with a back injury.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1143882&format=text
Celtics fall at home, 89-85 to Rockets

By Associated Press | Thursday, January 8, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
BOSTON - Now the Celtics [team stats] are losing at home, too.

The defending NBA champions dropped their sixth game in eight tries Wednesday night, falling to the Houston Rockets 89-85 on Von Wafer’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 44 seconds left. It was the Celtics’ first loss in Boston since a Nov. 14 defeat to Denver sent them on a 19-game winning streak.

"In our last timeout, you could see it in our guys’ eyes. Like, ’Shoot, we’re going to lose this home game,’" Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "It bothered them. You could see that. And I was thinking ’That’s a good thing.’"

Yao Ming had 26 points and eight rebounds, clinching it on a putback with 12.9 seconds left to help the Rockets snap a three-game losing streak and a five-game road skid.

"Yao is unstoppable," said Rockets forward Ron Artest, who scored 17 points playing most of the game in foul trouble. "Then, when you have shooter surrounding him, it’s hard to guard him. He shot right over the top. When he’s playing like that, we’re going to be tough to beat."

Paul Pierce [stats] scored 26 points, and Kevin Garnett had 18 and eight rebounds for the Celtics, who opened the defense of their 17th NBA title with victories in 27 of their first 29 games. But talk of running away with another championship has disappeared as the people in Boston — and the rest of the league — wonder what’s happened.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy. I know, at times, we do make it look easy," Garnett said. "We are a very, very confident team. ... I feel we have the mind-set to weather the storm."

Wafer, starting in place of Tracy McGrady, had 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting. But he squared up for the open 3 when Aaron Brooks regained control of his dribble and made the pass into the corner.

McGrady had missed one game with a sore left knee before returning against Philadelphia on Tuesday night and struggling in the second half. Brooks came off the bench with 19 points for the Rockets, who avoided a second straight season sweep by Boston.

"Aaron Brooks made big shots in the fourth quarter," Yao said. " This is a big win for us, because we have a lot of respect for the Celtics."

Glen Davis scored a season-high 12 for the Celtics.

Houston led 62-55 early in the second half when Garnett scored on the fast break and then hit a jumper to cut it to three points. The Rockets managed just a pair of baskets, by Artest and Chuck Hayes, over the next 4 minutes while Pierce made six straight free throws and hit a 3-pointer to give Boston a 68-66 lead with 3:49 left in the third.

But Boston scored just 11 points in the fourth quarter, getting just two baskets in the first 9:17 — both by Gabe Pruitt.

Houston led 83-81 when Artest fouled out with 3:14 left. Pierce pointed him tauntingly to the sideline, while Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck stood at his courtside seat and waved goodbye.

Pierce made a jumper to tie, it then Yao missed one of two free throws and Garnett hit Rajon Rondo [stats] for a layup that gave Boston an 85-84 lead with 1:34 to play. Garnett blocked Brooks and came down with the rebound, but Boston couldn’t score and after Brooks nearly lost the ball, he chased it down and dished it to Brooks for the 3.

Pierce missed a jumper and Brooks grabbed the rebound over Rondo. After Carl Landry missed from in close, Yao put it in to make it 89-85.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/08/celtics_offense_dud_vs_rockets?mode=PF
Celtics' offense dud vs. Rockets
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | January 8, 2009

Bad bounces, deities, and dog days, miscommunication and misfiring. Since Christmas Day, those factors have trumped the Big Three, leprechauns, and ubuntu.

At least that's how the Celtics are explaining a slump that grew to 2-6 with an 89-85 loss to the Houston Rockets last night at TD Banknorth Garden.

The Rockets (22-15) crunched the Celtics (29-8) in crunch time, limiting them to two field goals over the final 8:34 and scoring the final 5 points as Boston's best shooters - Ray Allen and Paul Pierce - were off the mark.

"Overall, I thought we got the looks we wanted, but that's when the offense and the defense comes into play," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "You've got to get stops, and what happens if you don't, then you put more pressure on your offense."

The Year of the Celtic seems like a fading memory as the team's trademark strong finishes have turned into late-game collapses, a reversal of form as well as fortune. The Celtics also squandered late chances in a 114-106 overtime defeat in Charlotte Tuesday, continuing a trend that began with a Dec. 25 loss to the Lakers, the start of a road trip that broke not only the Celtics' 19-game winning streak but also their spell on the opposition.

Now the slump has come home to roost - this loss snapped a 13-game home winning streak dating to Nov. 14 - and relegated the Celtics to second place in the Eastern Conference going into tomorrow's matchup at first-place Cleveland.

"I told the guys, a lot of balls were bouncing around, going the other way," Rivers said. "Same thing that went your way during the 19-game stretch - we won some games we had no business winning. We got the right bounce. We made the right shot. Right now, we're getting the same shot, they're going in and out. They're getting second shots off long rebounds and making shots. They're having role players step up and make threes. This is how it is. This is just the NBA's basketball gods sometimes. You've just got to stay with each other and keep playing."

The last-minute "ins" were a 3-pointer by Von Wafer with 43 seconds remaining - less than a minute after his airball led to the Celtics' last lead - and a Yao Ming (26 points) follow. The "outs" included a Pierce charge and missed 17-footer, and an Allen lefthanded banker rolling off the rim.

But the Celtics' fate was set up long before that.

They overturned a 7-point deficit with a spirited rally in the third quarter. And the Celtics had a 5-point advantage in the final quarter, but hit a 5:51 field goal drought.

Gabe Pruitt was the only Celtic to score in the first 7:43 of the final quarter. Pruitt's 3-pointer extended the Celtics' lead to 77-72 with 10:03 to go, and another Pruitt jumper reestablished a 5-point advantage with 8:34 left.

But the Celtics' offense failed, and Aaron Brooks's 3-pointer off the dribble gave Houston an 81-79 edge with 4:32 remaining. A Kevin Garnett miss was the Celtics' 11th in 13 attempts in the quarter, the Rockets then taking an 83-81 lead on Yao's turnaround with 3:17 remaining.

Pierce (26 points) started producing clutch plays - he drew Ron Artest's sixth foul, then tied the score at 83 with 2:43 to play. Rajon Rondo's layup off a Garnett bounce pass put the Celtics up, 85-84, with 1:34 remaining. A Garnett block on Brooks set the stage for the Celtics to take charge - but Pierce was called for a charge and the Rockets clinched the win on a Wafer 3-pointer with 43 seconds to go and a Yao follow after a Pierce miss.

"Right now, our defense is not getting the job done," Pierce said. "That's one of the first things we talk about. That's the type of team we are, and when we don't defend, it doesn't allow us to get out and run the break. We're not causing turnovers like we want to. You can defend us in the half-court and get us into a slowdown game, which we can play. But our goal is go out there and shut things down. We are allowing too much dribble penetration. I told the guys we need to get our defensive swagger back. It's been broke these last 10 or 12 days. We know what we're capable of - it's just about going back to the basics and doing what we do.

"I think the confidence is still there. It's a long season, and that's what we try to tell each other. We bend but we don't break, that's what it's all about. We preach the word 'ubuntu' and what it means - that through difficult times, we stay together."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/08/pursuit_of_glory_is_turning_gory?mode=PF
Pursuit of glory is turning gory
By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist | January 8, 2009

These Boston Celtics were going to be better than the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls or the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers. They were on their way to being the 2007 Patriots or even the 1972 Dolphins.

They were Ted Williams in 1941, Denny McLain in 1968. They were JFK in 1960 and the Beatles in 1964.

They were 27-2. They won 19 games in a row. They were going to challenge the 1971-72 Lakers, who won 33 straight.

The Celtics were almost as perfect as Mitt Romney's hair and Gisele Bundchen's profile. They were Philip Seymour Hoffman in every role of his life (which includes "Along Came Polly," his true tour de force).

Then they went to Los Angeles on Christmas Day and got pushed around by Pau Gasol and some other guys from the mean streets of Malibu. They haven't been the same since.

It's a legitimate slump. In the wake of last night's stunning 89-85 loss to the McGrady-less Rockets at the Garden, the Celtics have lost six of eight, and five of their last six road games. In that span, they lost three times to sub-.500 teams. They lost to the seven-man Knicks. The swagger went south. No mojo. A rookie Bobcat (D.J. Augustin) said that if you don't back down against the Celtics, "they kind of fold."

Ouch. No more talk about immortality. Or perfection. Suddenly, the Celtics aren't even the best team in the Eastern Confer ence of the NBA. If the playoffs started today, Boston would not have home-court advantage against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are 18-0 at home and host the Celtics tomorrow night. Gulp.

Yeesh. What next? Tommy Heinsohn ripping the Green on Comcast? Lucky falling face-first on the fabled parquet? Doc Rivers going for a job interview with the New York Jets?

In these difficult days, we remember the words of Rivers during the winning streak. He kept telling us he wasn't satisfied. We thought he was being Belichickian. Turns out he was telling the truth about The Truth and Co.

"I kept saying, 'We're not playing well'; now you guys believe me," Rivers said last night. "You could see where the team was headed. And we're in it right now."

As always, there are multiple theories to explain the sudden slump. The Celtics are allowing too many easy baskets. They aren't hungry anymore. Rajon Rondo is playing like a 22-year-old (he is, in fact, only 22). They need another big. Kevin Garnett's numbers are down. Teams are gunning for the champs. The Celtics don't get enough scoring from the bench. They don't score enough points in the paint. They need Stephon Marbury. Too many days on the road. Too many jump shots. Or maybe Messrs. Garnett, Pierce, and Allen got confused and started to believe headlines about the Big Three in need of a government bailout.

"Teams are outhustling us and we're not coming up with the stops," Rondo said. "It starts with defense. We need to figure it out quickly. We're a very confident team, we're just not getting the job done."

The Celtics led by as many as 11 in the first half last night, but scored only 54 points in the final three quarters, and only 11 on 22 percent shooting in the fourth.

Rivers and Garnett think it's the law of averages as much as anything.

"A lot of balls are bounding around and going the other way," said the coach. "During the streak, we won games we had no business winning. Now we just have to trust each other and keep playing and things will work out."

"As of late, the basketball gods have been kind to others," said Garnett.

Boston led, 85-84, with 1:34 to play, but never scored again.

"With like 40 seconds left we had that last timeout and you could see in the eyes of the players, they were saying, 'We're going to lose a home game,' " said Rivers.

The Celtics fell to 18-2 at the Garden. Tomorrow they'll play a team that is 18-0 at home.

"Not a bad test for us," said Rivers.

"I think the confidence is still there," added Paul Pierce. "The great thing about this team is that we're together and no one's pointing fingers."

He means it. Fans and media might be a tad nervous, but the guys in the locker room are not worried. They've got a ton of experience and they've got a ring and they know how to fight through the NBA's midwinter blues.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/08/whats_the_difference_for_rockets_plenty?mode=PF
What's the difference? For Rockets, plenty
By Monique Walker, Globe Staff | January 8, 2009

These weren't the Houston Rockets of November. The defense was stronger, Yao Ming's play was more dominant, and the Celtics were left scrambling for answers that never came.

Much of the damage in last night's 89-85 Rockets stunner was done in the paint as Houston outscored the Celtics, 36-18. Yao scored a team-high 26 points, dropping 10 of 13 from the floor and adding 6 of 9 from the free throw line. There wasn't a comparable answer for the Celtics, who defeated Houston, 103-99, Nov. 4.

For nearly 37 minutes, Yao toughed it out against the Celtics' big men and came out ahead, grabbing eight rebounds. Rockets coach Rick Adelman said the goal was to force the Celtics' Big Three - Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen - into taking jump shots.

"We didn't want to have them get the ball where they could get layups," Adelman said. "They really hurt us in Houston on the boards, and whenever they missed, they got it back and they scored. They just kind of pushed us around, so we made a conscious effort of talking about that, so it's something we had to do."

These weren't the same Celtics who dominated Houston in their last meeting. Kendrick Perkins was 7 of 8 from the floor and scored 15 points in 34:53 in that outing. The Celtics picked up 42 points in the paint, compared with 26 for the Rockets.

The situation was reversed last night.

"I think they made the extra pass," Perkins said. "They got into the paint. They played great defense. Their defense was way better than it was the last time that we played."

Perkins got into foul trouble early and was held scoreless and had three rebounds. Early in the third quarter, he was on the bench with four fouls. He took just one shot, but that was not what bothered him about his play.

"Some nights it's going to be like that," he said. "Some nights I might get one [shot]. Some nights I might get 12. That's not my role on the team, to take shots. My role on the team is to play defense and rebound, so I just didn't do a good job of that. There's a lot of things that you could blame throughout the game that if we had done them better, we probably could have won the game."

As the Celtics reflected on their fourth loss in five games, the conversation returned to the play of Yao, who was held to 8 points (4-of-14 shooting) in the last meeting just four games into the season.

"Oh man, he was tough, real tough," Leon Powe said. "That's a very skilled big man. Man, he was real tough down low in the box."

Powe went on to describe Yao's ability to move his jump hook and his effectiveness on the boards.

"It's a very difficult matchup for anybody," he said.

When Perkins encountered foul trouble, it presented a chance for Glen Davis, who led the Boston reserves with 12 points in 22:46.

"I think they played a great game," Davis said. "We competed to a certain level and I think we played good in stretches, but they were more consistent."

As the Celtics prepare to visit Cleveland tomorrow, Perkins hopes the defensive struggles will not weigh on them.

"Right now, the biggest thing is that we stick together and just stay positive," he said. "When things go bad, teams tend to separate, but when we won 19 in a row, everything was all good. So the biggest thing for us right now is just to stick together."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/08/rivers_thinks_garnett_can_tough_it_out?mode=PF
Rivers thinks Garnett can tough it out
Some time off not the prescription
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | January 8, 2009

Kevin Garnett's right leg was heavily wrapped after the Celtics' 89-85 loss to the Rockets last night. But Garnett played 34-plus minutes and was the game's most aggressive shooter, scoring 18 points on 19 field goal attempts, many of them from outside the lane.

"He has soreness all over his body right now," coach Doc Rivers said of Garnett, who sustained a calf injury in the 100-88 loss in New York last Sunday. "It's been a tough stretch for us. We're going to get a break later, we just have to get through this. I'm taking him out earlier than usual. We just have to make do with what we have."

Asked if Garnett needed time off to recover, Rivers said, "If I thought it was something where it could cost us later, but it's not anywhere near that at all."


New look
The Celtics closed the third quarter with a Gabe Pruitt-Rajon Rondo backcourt, and Rivers said Pruitt will continue to receive more playing time. Pruitt was the only Celtic to score in the opening 7:43 of the final quarter. The Celtics were outscored, 18-11, in the fourth.

"He played well," Rivers said of Pruitt. "He made one mistake. To me, he was trying to play safe when he drove and turned it over - that's a layup or a dunk. To me, where Gabe has improved is defensively. He's decided that he wants to play and he wants to be defensive and he knows that's his way onto the floor."


Tony Allen has MRI
Guard Tony Allen underwent an MRI on his right ankle, missed his second successive game, and is expected to miss the Celtics' visits to Cleveland tomorrow and Toronto Sunday. "At this point in the year, if he's not 100 percent or close to it, I just don't see throwing him out there," said Rivers. "I'd rather for him to get healthy, and by Monday , he'll have fresh legs, which we'll need." . . . The Celtics' loss to the Charlotte Bobcats Tuesday vaulted Cleveland into first place in the Eastern Conference for the first time since March 21, 1989. "Boston is NBA champs," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "It doesn't really matter what our record is, what their record is. They are the ones that everyone is chasing. I don't really look at it as us having a better record than them because that can change at any time."


He took the sure thing
Dikembe Mutombo confirmed last night he was "this close" to joining the Celtics before signing with the Rockets in December.

Mutombo said the Celtics were at the top of his list - ahead of Atlanta, Cleveland, Memphis, Miami, and the Rockets - but failed to commit to him.

"All I was reading, what they were saying in the press, I feel at the last minute, especially on [Dec. 24 and 25], I feel like I wasn't the only one in the picture and that kind of discouraged me," Mutombo said before last night's game. "I felt that I had an organization here that wanted me. Should I be on a waiting list or should I take the option that was there on the table?"

Mutombo said he conversed with Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca, plus Rivers and assistant Tom Thibodeau, formerly a Houston assistant.

"I talked to [Thibodeau], I talked to all of them," Mutombo said. "I was a little bit excited. I was this close - there was no room. And I already told my kids I was coming here."

Mutombo said the Celtics seemed interested in players such as P.J. Brown, Alonzo Mourning, and Joe Smith. Brown has since announced his retirement and Smith is a candidate for an Oklahoma City buyout. Austin Croshere (Milwaukee) and Darius Miles (Memphis) have since been waived, but an NBA source said neither interests the Celtics.

"I can walk away from this league without winning a championship," Mutombo said. "But my feedback to the young is the most important thing - my impact on the generation to come. I left a lot of money on the table, but I realized that the money is not anything that brings happiness to us. Because I've given a lot of money away."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x1788461696/Rockets-89-Celtics-85-Slumping-champs-drop-another
Rockets 89, Celtics 85: Slumping champs drop another

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By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff
MetroWest Daily News
Posted Jan 07, 2009 @ 11:34 PM

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BOSTON — Okay, now it's serious.

The Celtics have lost six of their last eight after the Houston Rockets, playing without the injured Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier, punched the defending world champs in their collective mouths, 89-85, at the Garden last night.

What was thought of a few days ago as a natural bump in the road seems a little more serious than that this morning. Next up for Boston: the Cavs on the road tomorrow night.

"(The Cavs) have been looking forward to this," said Paul Pierce. "We're going to get their best punch. The way they've been playing at home (18-0) is unbelieveable."

Boston scored just 11 points in the fourth quarter, the Big 3 shooting just 1-for-10.

"You're not going to win many games scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter," said coach Doc Rivers. "We've just got to stay with each other, keep playing, and things will work out."

The Celtics had no answer for Yao Ming (26 points). The loveable Ron Artest had 17 before fouling out. But it was second-year man Aaron Brooks, who came off the bench and scored 19, that gave the Celtics even more fits.

"Right now, our defense is not getting the job done," said Pierce, who scored 26. "It doesn't allow us to get out on the break or get turnovers. Our defensive swagger has been broken the last 10 days or so."

Kevin Garnett (18 points, 8 rebounds) agreed. "We've had some slippage on defense."

A Yao turnaround gave Houston an 83-81 lead, then Pierce tied it. After Yao made one of two from the line, Garnett's pass threaded the needle between two Rockets, giving Rajon Rondo an uncontested layup for an 85-84 lead.

Then Von (Necco) Wafer nailed a three with 43.8 seconds remaining and the visitors were up 87-85. Pierce missed a short jumper (a good look). At the other end, Yao had a put-back bucket to finish it off. "Realistically, Yao can't be stopped," said Artest.

"I just tried to play the game I usually play," said the 7-foot-6 Yao. "Low post and swing the ball out. Try and make some shots. Nothing different."

The Rockets had lost three in a row and six of 10.

Garnett conceded this was a difficult part of the season, but said "we're a very, very confident team. We have the mindset to weather the storm. No one said it was going to be easy."

The Rockets pulled into a 52-49 halftime lead that left the capacity crowd flat. Or were the fans really beginning to worry about the Celtics, who had led by as many as 11 on a Gabe Pruitt jumper? Pruitt (7 points) turned in an impressive 15 minutes. "I thought he played well at both ends of the floor," said Rivers.

An Artest 3-pointer gave the Rockets a 50-48 lead. Brooks' layup extended it to four points.

Boston led 31-22 after the first quarter as Pierce (11), Garnett (10) and Ray Allen (6) racked up 27 of the points. Yao had 11 for the visitors.

It's not that the Celtics have suddenly become suspect. Was there some concern about their lack of success since the Christmas day loss to the Lakers? Sure. Not that losing to LA on its home court was a shock. The Celtics were riding a 19-game winning streak. Losing to the Lakers is never fun (that goes both ways), but it wasn't totally unexpected.

Losing to the Warriors the next night was. The Celtics took it out on the pitiful Kings two nights later, but the West Coast trip ended with a loss to Portland, which was playing without its best player, Brandon Roy.

It was a 1-3 voyage. Just a glitch? It seemed that way when the Celtics got back to the parquet and annihilated the Wizards last Friday. But the worst was to come: back-to-back losses to the Knicks and Bobcats, both on the road. The Celtics were still in rough waters. Rivers wondered if his team was tired, and wasn't exactly looking forward to tomorrow night's game in Cleveland. "It's been a tough stretch for us," said Rivers.

Rondo had a bad game against the Knicks and is slightly off from his long stretch of playing like an all-star. The Celtics have no true backup point guard. Rivers was asked if Rondo was feeling the weight of carrying the team. "I hope everyone feels it," said the coach. "I don't think (Rondo's) feeling more pressure than anyone else."

"Tough times just make you stronger," said Rondo. "We'll figure it out. We're a very confident team." It was another rough night for Rondo who only had five points and five assists in more than 33 minutes.

Boston is now 18-2 at home. "I thought our effort was right," said Rivers. "We just didn't make shots and plays and get stops at the end of the game."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/sidebar010709-fourth-quarters.html
Celtics Saddled with Fourth Quarter Struggles During Slump
Couper Moorhead
January 7, 2009
Celtics.com

With their 89-85 loss to the Houston Rockets Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics have now dropped six of their last eight and their first home game since November 14. Maybe the basketball gods aren't shining so bright on them during the January doldrums, but one thing has been lacking throughout what has become a bonafide slump: fourth-quarter offense.

The numbers tell a simple story. In their last six losses, the Celtics are averaging just 18.5 points in the final stanza -- 16 against the Lakers, 17 against the Warriors and 20 against the Knicks. They did manage 25 Tuesday night at Charlotte, but were then outscored 17-9 in overtime. The worst came Wednesday, when the Rockets put up 18 to the Celtics' 11.

Some of Boston's measly fourth-quarter offering can be chalked up to shooting 22.2% from the field, but the Celtics had hovered around 50% for most of the first half. The percentage plummeted because the shots were jumpers, and one thing that will always be true in basketball is that points in the paint are easier to make, but the attempts in the key are harder to earn.

"Sometimes Coach says we shoot too many jump shots, get jump shot happy and don't look to the post that much," Leon Powe said. "Our team, we can post up and when we do we're very good. We just gotta go out there and try to play with a balance."

The balance was not there against Houston. For the game, the Celtics had 18 points in the paint, and only two for the final quarter on a wide-open Rajon Rondo layup. The bucket was made possible by a Kevin Garnett post-up, exactly the type of play that had been missing from the arsenal.

"We talked about playing their Big Three, and we wanted to make them take jump shots," Rockets Coach Rick Adelman said. "We didn't want to have them get the ball where they could get lay-ups."

No reason, figuratively or literally, was larger than Yao Ming (26 points), who was largely responsible for both the Rockets' 36 inside points and the space that made their 9-of-19 shooting from downtown that much easier.

Yet, despite a stagnated offense, these are the Celtics, and discussions will always return to defense.

"Overall I thought we got the looks we wanted but that's when the offense and the defense comes into play," Doc Rivers said. "You've got to get stops. And what happens if you don't, then you put more pressure on your offense. So you know, clearly at the end of games, last three or four minutes, you've got to play great defense and we didn't."

The Celtics still got enough stops to hold a team scoring 96.94 points per game to 89. They also got 12 points off 14 Houston turnovers. But the points were not, and have not, been there in the fourth. Even when the defensive kinks get ironed out, there remain some on offense that can't be neglected. It's as simple as the numbers.

"Eleven points in the fourth quarter is not going to win a lot of games for you," Rivers said.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.patriotledger.com/sports/x1788461698/Nothing-s-working-for-the-Celtics-right-now
Nothing’s working for the Celtics right now

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By Mike Fine
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Jan 07, 2009 @ 11:34 PM

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BOSTON — Rajon Rondo knows one thing: “If it doesn’t kill you it will make you stronger,” the Boston Celtics point guard said.

What he might not understand is that his Celtics are killing their fans. The people who watched them roll to their 17th NBA title last season are seeing nothing more than an ordinary team right now, and when you consider that Wednesday’s 89-85 Garden loss to the Houston Rockets was their sixth in eight games, well, that’s a bit less than ordinary, isn’t it?

What’s the problem? What isn’t the problem? Celtics players seem to think it’s defense. Coach Doc Rivers says his club actually played pretty good defense against the Rockets. With Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen going 1-for-10 in the fourth quarter, with Rondo limited to five points and five assists one night after turning the ball over nine times, with the Celtics scoring only 54 points over the final three quarters, perhaps he has a case, but some of the accustomed championship defense might go a long way to promoting some easy offense.

Rivers tells his players that it’s going to be like this every night, but they seem to have forgotten.

They all know that these are the dog days of the NBA season, but what team doesn’t have to deal with that? The Celtics did last season. After winning 19 straight games, the Celtics have gone sour, and a loss on their home court to a team that was without Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier, and a team that lost Ron Artest to fouls down the stretch was like sucking a lemon sprinkled with sour milk.

Over the last couple of weeks the Celtics have been outscored by the Lakers, 12-3, down the stretch. They were outscored by the Warriors, 35-17, in the fourth quarter and they blew a 23-13 first-quarter lead to a Blazers team that didn’t have Brandon Roy. And Tuesday night at Charlotte? Outscored, 17-9, in overtime. Rivers didn’t even want to talk about that.

One thing the Celtics do talk about, though, is confidence and togetherness. If nothing else, they’ve got it.

“I think the confidence is still there,” said Pierce, who tied Houston’s Yao Ming for scoring honors with 26 points. “It’s a long season, and that’s what we try to tell each other. We bend but we don’t break, and that’s what it’s all about. We preach the word Ubuntu and what it means through difficult times. We stay together. Nobody’s pointing the finger. It’s a tough stretch, but we know what we’re capable of.”

Yeah, it is a tough stretch. The Celtics have played 37 games, 17 on the road, but had played six of seven on the road since Christmas Day when the 19-game winning streak ended in LA. Rivers notes that the team has been home for about three days since Dec. 23. He calls this the toughest stretch of the season.

Is that an excuse, though?

“I think it’s more mental than anything,” said Garnett, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. “I think when he said that he meant mentally tough. We’ve had two real difficult months, but we’ve weathered the storm. As of late we have had some slippage in the defense and it goes to show you what practice time (means) and the things you can clean up in practice, which we haven’t had a lot of.”

That said, Rivers is giving his team Thursday off, sort of a mental health day. He said he can accomplish a lot at a shootaround in Cleveland Friday. Yes, Cleveland, home of the NBA-leading Cavaliers. “We’re gonna watch film,” said Garnett. “Then we’ll conversate and try to get ready for Cleveland.”

“Conversating” is one thing, but if there’s one thing that’s going for this team, at least, it’s that the players are together, solidly behind one another.

“Everyone is heading in the right direction,” said Glen Davis, who did a nice job on Yao in the third quarter.

“We just have to get a piece here, a piece there to make sure we finish the deal. You can win a lot of games, but you can also lose a lot games. The characteristic of a champion is to fight back.”

“We’ve got to get our defensive swagger back,” Pierce said. “It’s been broken the last 10 or 12 days. We know what we’re capable of. It’s just about going back to the basics and doing what we do.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.telegram.com/article/20090108/NEWS/901080695/1009/SPORTS
Rondo feeling pressure

Point guard struggling during Boston’s skid

CELTICS NOTES

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[e-mail]





BOSTON — Talk of Rajon Rondo deserving to be an All-Star has certainly died down.

The third-year point guard did not play like an All-Star while the Celtics lost five of seven games following their 19-game winning streak. During those seven games, Rondo averaged 8 assists, but only 9 points, turned the ball over 3.1 times a game and shot just 41 percent.

“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure, I just take some responsibility for the last couple of games,” Rondo said.


The Celtics have trouble winning when Rondo doesn’t play well. Entering last night, Rondo shot 33.3 percent and averaged 7.5 points, 6.6 assists and 4.4 turnovers during the team’s seven losses compared to shooting 56 percent and averaging 11.9 points, 7.7 assists and 2.1 turnovers in their 29 victories.

Rondo admitted he feels the weight of the team on his shoulders when it doesn’t play well.

“I would say a little bit,” Rondo said, “me being the point guard, not being able to close out games down the stretch. That comes from execution and knowing what we need to run the last couple of possessions. I can’t put the ball in the hole every time, so we try to come out as a team collectively and play a lot better.”

Rondo thinks the Celtics simply must try harder.

“We need to get down and dirty,” Rondo said. “We need to fight for the loose balls. Get all the hustle awards, win the hustle stats. We’ve been getting beat in all those areas. Not the whole game, but on key possessions teams are out-hustling us and we’re not coming up with the stops and the big plays.”

The Celtics can’t work out their problems in practice because Rivers prefers to rest his team when they have only one day off between games. Rivers gave the Celtics today off, but they’ll have a shoot-around tomorrow morning in Cleveland before they visit the Cavaliers tomorrow night.

“Right now we’re using shoot-arounds for some of our practices,” Rivers said.

No liftoff for Rockets
Houston also stumbled into last night’s game, having lost six of its last eight games entering last night, but unlike the Celtics, the Rockets had a good excuse. They’re banged up. Shane Battier (inflamed foot) has missed the last five games and Ron Artest (ankle) sat out two before returning last night.

Tracy McGrady admits he hasn’t played well all season after undergoing knee surgery eight months ago. He sat out last night because the Rockets don’t play him back-to-back nights on his surgically repaired knee yet.

For Boston, Tony Allen missed his second game in a row and his fourth this season due to a sore right ankle. Allen underwent an MRI yesterday, but Rivers didn’t know the result of it. Rivers doesn’t expect Allen to play tomorrow night in Cleveland or Sunday in Toronto.

“At this point in the year,” Rivers said, “if he’s not really 100 percent or close to it, I don’t see the urgency of throwing him out there. Maybe by Monday (when the Celtics host Toronto) he’ll have the fresh legs that we need.”

Rivers said because the Celtics have played so many games so far Kevin Garnett was sore all over his body, not just his right calf which was kicked during Sunday’s loss at New York. Nevertheless, Rivers doesn’t plan to rest Garnett for a game.

Mutombo at Garden
Dikembe Mutombo made his first visit to the Garden last night, but as a member of the Houston Rockets, not the Celtics.

A couple of weeks ago, Mutombo was seriously considering signing with the Celtics, but he re-signed with the Rockets on Dec. 31 after the Celtics weren’t ready to commit.

“I was ready to come to this cold city, but they were not ready for me,” Mutombo said.

Atlanta, Miami, Memphis, Cleveland expressed interest in Mutombo, but he boiled his final three down to San Antonio, Houston and Boston.

Mutombo heard that the Celtics were also considering going after Alonzo Mourning, Joe Smith or P.J. Brown.

“That kind of discouraged me a little bit,” Mutombo said. “I said, ‘OK, I have about seven organizations here that want me and this organization that I want to go to, I’m told they want me, but they’re looking at somebody else. Should I be on the waiting list or should I just go and take the offer that was on the table?’ ”

“We just couldn’t pull the trigger,” Rivers said, “as soon as he needed us to pull the trigger. We liked him too, but we just wanted to wait and see what was out there. He wasn’t willing to do that and we understood that.”

Mutombo, 42, hasn’t played for the Rockets yet. He must be still rounding into shape the finger he waves after blocks.

The Celtics clearly need more height off the bench, but Rivers has not yet turned to 7-foot backup center Patrick O’Bryant.

“He’s getting closer,” Rivers said. “He’s working at it. That’s all he can do. Right now Baby (Glen Davis) and Leon (Powe) are in front of him and they’re pretty good players for us. He’s just got to keep working.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.telegram.com/article/20090108/NEWS/901080690/1009/SPORTS
Home doesn’t help C’s

Slumping Boston has lost 6 of last 8 games

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[e-mail]



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BOSTON — Entering last night, the Celtics had lost five of seven, but all of those losses had come on the road. At least they had the comfort of knowing that things would be better when they returned to the Garden where they had won 13 in a row.

Now what?

The Celtics’ recent slump extended to the Garden last night with an 89-85 loss to the shorthanded Houston Rockets. The Celtics have now dropped six of eight.


Did this team really run off a franchise-record 19-game winning streak earlier this season?

The Celtics lost on a Wednesday night for the first time this season, fell at home for the first time since Nov. 14 vs. Denver and have lost three in a row overall for the first time since Feb. 19-22 when they fell at Denver, Golden State and Phoenix. They bounced back from their three-game skid last year to post a season-high 10-game winning streak. Beginning another winning streak tomorrow night in Cleveland will be difficult because the Cavs haven’t lost at home all season.

“The way they have been playing at home has been unbelievable,” Paul Pierce said, “but the way we are playing, this is a great way to get back on track.”

Von Wafer drained a 3-pointer from the corner to put Houston on top for good, 87-85, with 43.8 seconds remaining.

The Celtics scored only 11 points in the fourth quarter when they made just 4 of 18 shots. They scored just six points over the last 8-1/2 minutes after Gabe Pruitt’s jumper gave them a 79-74 lead.

“Eleven points in the fourth quarter is not going to win a lot of games for you,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

The Celtics fell to 29-8, a half-game behind Cleveland for the best record in the Eastern Conference and a half-game ahead of Orlando for second-best record.

The Rockets were without Tracy McGrady (knee) and Shane Battier (inflamed foot), but Ron Artest scored 17 points in his return to the lineup after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury.

Yao Ming collected 26 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Rockets, who shot 48.6 percent. The 7-foot-6 center gave Kendrick Perkins fits. Perkins finished with more fouls (5) than points (0) or rebounds (3) and playing just 23 minutes. Houston’s Aaron Brooks came off the bench to pour in 19 points.

With 3:14 left and Houston on top, 83-81, Artest fouled out when he bumped Pierce. The Celtics captain pointed to the Rockets bench and waved for Artest to get off the court. He did, but he wasn’t happy about it. The Celtics failed to take advantage of his absence.

Pierce led Boston with 26 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Kevin Garnett collected 18 points and 8 rebounds. Glen Davis scored a season-high 12 points off the bench. Ray Allen made only 4 of 13 shots and finished with 13 points and team-high 6 assists. Pierce, Garnett and Allen combined to sink just 1 of 10 shots in the final quarter.

Rajon Rondo continued his spotty play of late with only 5 points and 5 assists.

Garnett dribbled in the paint, drew Yao to him and found Rondo alone underneath for a layup to give Boston its last lead, 85-84, with 1:34 left. Garnett then blocked Brooks’ drive and grabbed the rebound, but Pierce was later called for an offensive foul on Yao. Wafer answered by hitting his wide-open 3-pointer to put Houston on top. After Pierce missed a 16-footer, Carl Landry missed in close for Houston, but Yao put in the rebound to make it 89-85 with 12.9 seconds left.

Allen missed a drive in the closing seconds and it was all over for Boston. Rivers sensed his players believed it may have been over after Wafer’s 3.

“It was funny,” Rivers said, “with about 40 seconds left, our last timeout, you could see in our guys’ eyes like, ‘We’re going to lose this home game.’ It had nothing to do with confidence, but it bothered them and you could see that. I was thinking that’s good. ”

The Rockets had lost their last five road games, including their first three on their current road trip which ends tomorrow night at Oklahoma City. But if Golden State (10-26 entering last night), New York (13-20) and Charlotte (13-22) can beat the Celtics, why couldn’t the Rockets? Or anyone else, for that matter?

The Celtics couldn’t even agree on what’s wrong. Rivers blamed the offense last night, but the players thought the defense let the team down.

“Right now our defense is not getting the job done,” Pierce said. “When we don’t defend it doesn’t allow us to get out and run the break. We’re not causing turnovers like we want to. You can defend us in the half court and get us into a slow down game which we can play, but our goal is to go out there and shut things down. We are allowing too much dribble penetration. I told the guys we need to get our defensive swagger back.”

Pierce scored 13 points in the third quarter to help he Celtics take a 74-71 lead into the fourth quarter. The Celtics trailed by seven, 62-55, early in the third before Pierce scored seven points during a 9-1 spurt that put Boston on top, 70-67.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.projo.com/celtics/content/sp_bkn_celtics08_01-08-09_I3CSSQH_v11.3d910d2.html
It hits home: Even the Garden can’t halt Boston’s losing streak

01:00 AM EST on Thursday, January 8, 2009

BY ROBERT LEE

Journal Sports Writer

Pierce
BOSTON —The Celtics have fallen on hard times, and the rest of the league is taking full advantage of it.

They have quickly gone from being talked about as the greatest team in NBA history after beginning the season with an NBA-record 27-2 start, which includes a franchise-record 19-straight wins, to losers of six of their last eight games. The lastest came last night at the hands of the Houston Rockets, 89-85, at TD Banknorth Garden, only its second home loss of the season.

The Celtics (29-8) no longer have the best record in the NBA, and they have fallen behind Cleveland (28-6), whom they face tomorrow at the Quicken Loans Arena, for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

They are fighting with Orlando (28-8) for the second-best record in the East in the race for home-court advantage in the postseason.

There suddenly is a crack in the foundation. The Celtics, who pride themselves on defense, have not been able to make stops when it counts, and their offense has been stagnant in the fourth quarter of late.

That was the case last night against a Houston team playing without two of its starters — All-Star guard Tracy McGrady and forward Shane Battier.

Boston was outscored, 18-11, in the fourth quarter.

“We got great shots, they just didn’t fall,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said of the final period. “Eleven points in the fourth quarter is not going to win a lot of games.”

Houston snapped a five-game road losing streak with the victory.

“Our guys came out and competed for 48 minutes after we’ve had a rough road trip, and to come in here and beat these guys here, control the fourth quarter, just a terrific win,” Houston coach Rick Adelman said.

The Celtics entered the final session with a 74-71 lead, but the Rockets picked up their intensity on defense and outplayed the defending world champions down the stretch.

A Yao Ming fade-away jumper with 3:17 remaining snapped an 81-81 tie and gave the Rockets a two-point cushion.

On the Celtics’ ensuing possession, Houston star forward Ron Artest (17 points) fouled Paul Pierce, fouling out of the game with 3:04 remaining.

Pierce then buried a foul-line jumper with 2:43 left to tie the score at 83-83.

Houston answered when it passed the ball into the paint to Yao, and Yao was fouled by Kendrick Perkins on a hook shot. Yao only connected on one of the two free throws to make it 84-83.

Garnett then made a great bounce pass to Rajon Rondo, who was all alone underneath the basket. Rondo banked home a layup with 1:34 left to give Boston an 85-84 advantage.

Houston called a timeout to regroup, and they did just that.

After Pierce was called for a controversial offensive foul with 59.6 seconds left, Von Wafer (12 points) buried a 3-pointer from the right wing with 43.8 seconds left as Houston retook the lead, 87-85.

The Celtics called a timeout and called Pierce’s number. But his jumper over Wafer missed its mark, and Houston got the rebound.

“We got the shots we wanted,” Rivers said. “Paul Pierce in the middle of the paint, I think I’m taking all of those shots. He missed a couple.”

Yao then iced the game with a rebound and a put-back, scoring the final two of his team-high 26 points (along with 8 rebounds) with 12.9 seconds left.

“Yao is unstoppable,” Artest said. “Sometimes a center will have a good game against him, but realistically, Yao cannot be stopped.”

Boston’s Big Three provided the bulk of the offense. Pierce (26 points, 5 rebounds), Garnett (18 points, 8 rebounds), and Ray Allen (13 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) all played well on the offensive end, but Houston didn’t have any problems scoring after the first quarter.

The Rockets shot 48.6 percent from the field (35-for-72) for the game, and that includes a first quarter in which they connected on only 42.1 percent of their shots and were outscored by the Celtics 31-22.

Houston turned the tables on the Celtics in the second quarter, which the Rockets won, 30-18, to take a 52-49 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Boston outscored Houston, 25-19, in the third, before the Celtics fell apart in the fourth quarter.

“I thought our spirit was right,” Rivers said. “I thought our effort was right. We executed, we just didn’t make shots, make plays and get stops at the end.”