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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 7:36:54 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1145431&format=textCeltics cut down Nets Winning looks easy at Garden By Mark Murphy | Thursday, January 15, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone For a moment the flow was reminiscent of, dare anyone think it, old times. Old times as in a month ago, back when they were still locked in the headiness of a 19-game winning streak. Kevin Garnett hit a baseline turnaround off a behind-the-back bounce pass from Paul Pierce [stats]. Garnett also feasted on Rajon Rondo [stats] lobs. Rondo even got credit for a basket when one of those intended alley-oop assists drifted through the cylinder. Paul Pierce had a five-trey, 18-point third quarter. Brian Scalabrine forced two timeouts by his old team with pull-up jumpers. Glen Davis hit his first career 3-pointer from roughly 40 feet to end the first. Everything moved that seamlessly in the Celtics [team stats]’ 118-86 win over New Jersey last night at the Garden. Pierce’s huge third gave way to another blast from the past, a full quarter of game-ending garbage time, complete with 12 minutes of rest for the starters. Coach Doc Rivers works in a high-stress field, but this was one of those nights when the stress level was lowered, even if for a moment. “Well, it’s always more enjoyable to win, at least in the profession I’m in,” Rivers said. “But for me, as a coach, it’s always more enjoyable to play right. Even when you’re winning, if you’re not playing well, or right, that’s not enjoyable for a coach, as enjoyable as it probably is for fans. “But I do think we’re turning in the right direction.” It obviously helps when Pierce, after a four-point, 2-for-9 shooting first half, doesn’t miss in the third quarter. The captain hit all five of his shots - from downtown. “You know I don’t get discouraged by misses,” Pierce said with a laugh. “It wasn’t that I was trying to get back out there and get it going. I just took advantage of the ball movement. When we swung the ball I was wide open, and I stayed aggressive. I thought I was a little tentative in the first half.” As many times as Rivers may have gulped at the sight of all those 3-pointers, he remained quiet. “(Pierce) had great looks,” Rivers said. “It’s tough, because you tell them when they’re wide open to take 3’s. Him and Ray (Allen), especially, and Eddie (House). And they were open. There was almost a line, though, you know. You were glad they were going in, because it was almost too many 3’s for our group and not enough posts. But they were open, we took them, and they made them.” The C’s even made one that wasn’t intended for the cylinder. “I was not surprised at all,” Garnett said of the sight of Rondo’s third-quarter lob finding net. “When it comes to throwing lobs, he is pretty much one of the best I’ve played with when it comes to putting the ball right where we need it. The thing you’ve got to do is sometimes just lob it in there.” And then, in an imitation of PA announcer Eddie Palladino, Garnett said, “Rajon Rondooo for twooooo.” Rondo finished with an 11-point, 12-assist double-double. “I thought that was a cool pass to KG,” Rondo said. Ultimately, the lob for two was one of the few circumstances that the Celtics couldn’t have it entirely the way they wanted it last night.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 7:38:34 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1145449&format=textCautiously optimistic Condition improves By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Beat | Thursday, January 15, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone They have won three straight. They have come up with big stops in the fourth quarter and overtime when they most needed to lock down, and they have kept the hammer down and run away from their opponent. In that the Celtics [team stats] had lost their previous four games (and 7-of-9 overall), the alteration in course is more than welcome. But don’t expect the Celtics to proclaim they’re out of the woods. “I never thought we were in the woods or out of the woods really,” coach Doc Rivers said after last night’s 118-86 rout of the Nets. “The point I was making before we lost in that stretch is that I didn’t think we were as good as we were playing, and when we were losing we weren’t that bad. “All we want to do is keep trending in the getting-better direction, and I thought during that stretch we were kind of just staying in the same spot.” Having lost to the New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats in the rude run, the Celtics are taking no victory for granted. But a fair look at these last three wins would note that two of them were over the Toronto Raptors, one of the more disappointing teams in the NBA. Last night the Celts hosted the New Jersey Nets, who, while making some nice strides, still showed up at the Garden with a .500 record. Blasting the Nets to smithereens is what the Celtics were supposed to do, but they’ve had a little trouble living up to their own expectations lately. The Celtics are not about to be lulled into a false sense of superiority by this triple scoop. “It’s not back, but it wasn’t back when we were winning,” Rivers said. “We want to get to a level where we think when the playoffs start that we can win. So that’s what we work on every night, and you can definitely see signs of us trending in the right direction. “It’s always more enjoyable to win. But for me as a coach it’s more enjoyable to play right. Even when you’re winning, if you’re not playing well or right, it’s not that enjoyable, because you know if you keep doing that, when you need to play well you won’t.” Voila. Christmas Day against the Los Angeles Lakers and most of the eight games that followed. “I thought we had a really big bump in the road maybe this last couple of weeks with consistency, something that we didn’t have a year ago,” said captain Paul Pierce [stats], who has been a torch on offense despite being clearly hobbled by a hyperextended right knee. “But maybe it’s something that we needed - who knows? - just to kind of give us a gut check. That’s something we haven’t had, because the regular season went so well for us a year ago. We really didn’t have any bumps in the road. But when you go through something like that, you really find out what type of team you are. “The four-game losing streak and losing three of four games out West, just being on the bus, being in the hotels, you find out more about one another. And what you’ve seen is this team is really together, regardless of what we’ve gone through. And this is something that we can use, especially down the stretch going into the playoffs, just getting to know one another a little bit more than in the past because it was such a smooth ride a year ago.” Like the economy, things may get tougher for the Celtics before they get better. They know they could still use an outside shooter and a tall guy, and there is a little more than a month of shopping days before the trade deadline. They know they are not as ready for a playoff showdown with the Cavaliers as they hope to be. But Rivers put on a bold front when asked if these last few wins help to ward off any doubts that might creep into the Celtics psyche. “The only people that have doubts are outside our locker room,” Rivers said. “That doesn’t affect us at all. They had doubts last year, too. And we’re fine with that.” And they’re a little more fine with the world than they were last week.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 7:41:53 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1145453&format=textSam Cassell sits and waits By Steve Bulpett | Thursday, January 15, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics The closest Sam Cassell gets to the spotlight these days are his pregame passings of Doc Rivers in the hallway. Cassell will usually introduce himself and tell the coach he’s ready to play. Rivers will laugh and pretend not to know him. The 39-year-old point guard has yet to get into a game this season, and while he’s transitioning nicely toward his next career as a coach, he’d still like to see the floor at some point. “It’d be nice, but I’m not trippin’,” Cassell said. “Doc’s been doing this long enough. He knows what I need. It’s not like I have to get ready to play 30 minutes a game or something. I just have to be ready to play 15 to 18 minutes at the most if they need it. So I don’t need much to get ready for that.” Rivers continues to insist that Cassell is still in the playing plans. “This is more me trying to get Sam through the season,” he said. “At the end, we’ll find out if he can help us or not. I think he can, but we’ll find our more later. Right now I just don’t see the need.” And the coach is not worried that Cassell will take on so much rust as to become unrecognizable. “No, I’m not,” Rivers said. “He does play in practice. I’m not concerned. He’ll have his time. You know, P.J. Brown didn’t play until March last year. Sam at least is looking at our offense every day, knows our system every day, is actually playing most every day.” As of now, Cassell and the Celts haven’t discussed whether he’ll have a job here next season. “We’re just taking it day by day,” Cassell said. “We’re trying to win a championship here, and it’s not going to be easy. We’re not even thinking about anything else.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 7:43:39 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1145452&format=textKendrick Perkins itching to play Hopes to face Shaq on Monday By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Thursday, January 15, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone Kendrick Perkins has had a vision concerning his return to action that is as big as the NBA itself. Phoenix, and more specifically Shaquille O’Neal, makes its annual visit to the Garden on Monday, and the Celtics [team stats] center knows he’ll be needed regardless of the state of his strained left shoulder. The Celts realistically don’t have another player to fill the role in this matchup, unless an LSU-on-LSU pairing of Glen Davis on Shaq floats your boat. But not so fast. The entire situation spells disaster, as far as Doc Rivers is concerned. The last thing the Celtics coach needs is his strongest big man putting a creaky shoulder in harm’s way just so he can battle the league’s most immovable force. Perkins says that if it was playoff time, he’d be playing right now. Rivers’ answer is that it’s not playoff time. “Because it’s Shaq and (Amare) Stoudamire, I absolutely won’t listen to Perk,” the coach said before last night’s 118-86 win against New Jersey at the Garden. “Unless I hear differently, I don’t plan to use him. To me it’s a health issue. “Obviously it will hurt us if he doesn’t play, and I understand that he wants to play. But wanting to and being ready to are two different things. We have to be very careful.” After all, Perkins had his third surgery on this particular shoulder last July. Even he understands the peril that would come with taking his first hit in almost two weeks from the Suns’ impending Hall of Famer. “I’m just trying to stay on top of it by working out in the weight room, things like that,” Perkins said. “It feels better. I don’t feel any pain right now. Right now I just have to listen to the doctors and go from there. “But I don’t know until I get out there. I’m just trying to get back, man, that’s about it. They’ve said I should be ready to play Monday. I know (O’Neal) is playing like an All-Star again, that’s for sure.” Baby for 3 Davis, who hit his first NBA 3-pointer last night from roughly 40 feet with four seconds left in the first quarter, has a better career trey average than Ray Allen. “Wow, 50 percent is pretty good,” said Big Baby, who made his first career attempt earlier this season. “I know it felt like a 3. I knew it was going in. It was a good shot. And when the clock is down I’ll take more. Also, Paul (Pierce) was telling me to shoot it.” As it turns out, Davis isn’t exactly a novice. “I shot 35 percent from 3 (at LSU),” he said. House OK Eddie House limped off the floor late in the game with what was described as a mild ankle sprain, though the guard has no intention of allowing the injury to slow him down. “It’s alright,” he said. “I’m going to play.” . . . Rookie Bill Walker, while logging his first minutes since being recalled from Utah of the Development League, finished with a large lump on his forehead. He and Patrick O’Bryant jumped at the same time to block the Nets’ Chris Douglas-Roberts, and butted heads. “I guess it was kind of like my welcome back gift,” Walker said. Wildcat offense Rajon Rondo [stats]’s career high during two seasons at Kentucky was 27 points in one game. At the time, Jodie Meeks was a high school player from Georgia. On Tuesday night, Meeks broke Hall of Famer Dan Issel’s Kentucky scoring record with 54 points in a win at Tennessee. Rondo knows Meeks. “He used to come and play at my camps,” the C’s guard said. “He’s averaging 25 points a game this year, so you know that he’s going to have a couple of games around 35. “He’s very strong. I know that he takes pride in his defense, because every summer when all the NBA guys come back, he wants to check them.” There’s one problem, though. “I don’t even know who Dan Issel was,” Rondo said.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 7:50:37 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/15/with_greatest_of_ease?mode=PFWith greatest of ease Celtics coast past Nets after dominant third By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | January 15, 2009 Paul Pierce insisted last night the Celtics' current form has not taken the edge off the chilly climate. "It's freezing outside," Pierce said. "I brought my gloves." But if anyone in the Boston area did not need handwear, it was Pierce - at least in the third quarter of the Celtics' 118-86 victory over the New Jersey Nets at TD Banknorth Garden. Pierce converted all five of his 3-point attempts as the Celtics (32-9) pulled away from a 10-point halftime advantage, allowing the starters to conserve energy for Saturday's rematch with the Nets (19-20) in New Jersey. The Celtics reached the halfway mark of the regular season two games behind last season's pace, their third successive victory helping to erase memories of a four-game losing streak. Pierce (22 points) matched a team record for perfect 3-point shooting in a quarter, most recently accomplished by Ray Allen in the opening frame of a 94-88 win at Toronto last Sunday. But Pierce showed few signs he was going to have the hot hand as he went 2 for 9 (0 for 3 on threes) in the first half. "You know, I don't get discouraged by misses," Pierce said. "I just took advantage of the ball movement. When we swung the ball, I was wide open, and I stayed aggressive. I thought I was a little tentative in the first half." Such decisive victories have been rare for the Celtics this season, even during their 19-game winning streak from Nov. 15 until a Christmas Day loss to the Lakers. No amount of caps, mittens, or scarves could have warded off the cryogenic funk of a 2-7 slump going into this week. "I never thought we were in the woods or out of the woods, really," coach Doc Rivers said. "The point I was making before we lost and went in the stretch, I didn't think we were as good as we were playing, and when we were losing, we weren't that bad. All we want to do is keep trending in the getting-better direction, and I thought during that stretch, we were just kind of staying in the same spot." There were signs this was going to be a difficult test for the Nets early on, as the Celtics' Glen Davis converted his first career 3-pointer just before the first-quarter buzzer. The Celtics appeared to be on the way to a blowout after Davis's 3-point play provided a 41-25 advantage with 5:55 left in the half. Though the Nets converted two of their first 11 shots in the second quarter, they got within 45-36 as Ryan Anderson scored with 2:41 remaining. Late in the half, Rajon Rondo lobbed for two Kevin Garnett dunks (with 3:05 and 1.3 seconds remaining) and sank an 18-footer at the shot-clock buzzer (with 2:17 to go). The Celtics failed to extend their advantage, Devin Harris's foul shot 0.9 seconds after Garnett's dunk making the halftime score 51-41. But the Celtics' defensive intensity was increasing, and Anderson would be the only Net to convert from the field in a 10:17 span covering the second and third quarters. If it seemed like everything the Celtics were throwing up was going in, Rondo's third-quarter lob was confirmation, the ball going in without a Garnett touch with 19 seconds left. "I was a bit surprised," Garnett said. "I said, 'Wow, that's in there.' " The Celtic starters clinched the verdict with a 37-19 third quarter, and the reserves not only protected the advantage, they turned the final quarter into a spectacle of Bill Walker (6 points) inside moves. "We were up 10 going into the second half, and we took care of the ball," Rondo said. "All we talked about at halftime was taking care of the ball. The guys were in a rhythm. "It's only three games but we're out of the dip we had. We're going to hang in there. We had some tough times but we handled it pretty well. We all played great but we've got to follow it up. It's like a playoff series - we've got to face them again Saturday."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 7:51:41 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/15/yi_peoples_choice___in_china?mode=PFYi people's choice - in China Home fans' support could make him All-Star starter By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 15, 2009 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - With each weekly update of the NBA All-Star balloting, Celtics fans may be asking themselves one question: Who is Yi Jianlian? The New Jersey Nets power forward, whose name is pronounced EE jee-EN-lee-EN, is projected to be the next great player from China, after Yao Ming. Right now, the 7-foot, 238-pounder seems more suited for the Sophomore team in the Rookie Challenge than the All-Star Game. But with a home nation of about 1.3 billion and Nets fans backing him, Yi is on Celtics 11-time All-Star Kevin Garnett's heels for the second starting forward spot on the Eastern Conference team. "It's only because there are a lot of Chinese people and a lot of fans," said Yi, who missed last night's game against the Celtics with a broken finger. "Even Yao his first time, the same thing happened. In America, there are a lot of players. In China, it's only me, Yao, and [Lakers rookie guard Sun] Yue here. "For me, I'm just focusing on the court and playing for the Nets right now. I'm not really focused on All-Star. I appreciate the guys who vote for me and the Chinese fans." While voting in NBA arenas has ended, fans can still vote online on NBA.com through Monday. Since the release of the first results, Yi has been behind Cleveland star LeBron James and slightly behind Garnett. Yi is averaging respectable numbers of 10.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and a .396 3-point percentage, but his statistics don't rate alongside those of Toronto's Chris Bosh, the Celtics' Paul Pierce, and Indiana's Danny Granger, who trail him in the balloting. In the final update last Thursday, James had 1.9 million votes, Garnett 1,375,814, and Yi 1,216,348 - 729,692 more than Pierce, the 2008 Finals MVP. The announcement of the All-Star starters will be next Thursday. "It's a popularity contest," Pierce said. "Being that China has more people than anyone in the world and a lot of NBA fans, we saw what effect that had when Yao came in. They support their players." Garnett, who was the leading vote-getter last season, initially heard about Yi's challenge from Pierce in Washington Dec. 11. Prior to that game, Celtics guard Ray Allen, referring to the Yi situation, said the NBA should consider changing the balloting to include fans, media, and general managers to make it more fair. "It's not about skill, so I'm not worried about it, if that's who the fans want to see," said Garnett Dec. 11. For a budding star like Yi, it's an honor to be mentioned in the same breath with the 2004 NBA MVP. "[Garnett is] the best power forward in the league," said Yi. "He's pretty good on defense and offense. He plays good on both ends." Biding his time While Yi dreams of following in Yao's footsteps and becoming the second player from China to make an All-Star team, he would prefer it not be this season. "I just appreciate all the guys that vote for me," Yi said. "The main thing is playing games this season." Despite Yi's words, Yao has no problem with the possibility of Yi being named an All-Star starter now. "[Yi] doesn't want to be in that position," Yao said. "Think about it. He did not vote himself. If anybody says he doesn't belong there, ask the fans. I remember KG said in the newspaper, 'This is not first-team All-NBA - it's an All-Star Game.' If fans want to watch the game, they want to watch the team they built. That's how it is." Yao can relate to Yi's All-Star situation. Then-Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was a 2002 All-NBA first-team selection. But with the arrival of Yao in 2003, the votes poured in from China and he ended up passing O'Neal for the West starting position. Chinese votes have also aided Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis, Yao's current and former teammates. "It's tough. Actually, I was nervous, very nervous to have Shaq on the bench," Yao said. "I felt like sometimes, 'Do I belong here?' But Yi has to understand that he's not just playing for himself, he's playing for those fans who voted for him. "I know there's a lot of talk about who should play in the All-Star Game and who should be starting. But I think you have to treat an All-Star Game just like a party. If you're there, have fun." When Yao and Yi played their first NBA game against each other last season, it drew more than 230 million Chinese viewers. In the three games before he was sidelined, Yi was playing All-Star-caliber ball by averaging 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds and nailing 4 of 9 3-pointers. New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank believed Yi was starting to come into his own and play a more complete game. With the Guangdong native's recent offensive surge, Nets executives began believing Yi might get voted in as an All-Star starter. A bad break The Yi campaign, however, could have been halted when he broke his right pinkie after totaling 16 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes at Milwaukee last Friday. Yi said Yao called him to check on the injury. "It's like bad luck," Yi said. "But it happened already. You just have to take your time and hang in there. I'll probably be back in like four weeks." Among Chinese athletes, none stands taller literally and figuratively than the 7-6, 310-pound Yao. The five-time All-Star was the face of China during the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the star of the men's national team. The Shanghai native also has lucrative endorsements from several companies worldwide and reportedly has been the richest celebrity from China for years. Yi, however, seems more popular with China's young generation. Yi's game is also more attractive than Yao's as he is a quality 3-point shooter and very athletic, evidenced by his putback dunk over the United States' Carmelo Anthony in the Olympics. "There are more young fans and young kids [in China] that consider Yi an idol because he's handsome, has a beautiful face, and is younger," China Central Television's Li Tian said. "He's a different kind of player. Yao is a huge size, very tall. But Yi is very fast. They're very different. "Yao is the standard and someone who really stands for the country. During the Olympic Games, Yao handled the flag. Yi is another kind of idol with young kids, middle school, high school. Even with the younger girls, it's different. He's not married. Many of the younger kids think he's better." Yi acknowledged that there is a lot of pressure on him to live up to the expectations placed on him to be a special NBA player. "But you have to play with that," he said. "I have to focus on the game and play hard every night. That's all I can do. All I can control." Despite hopes of playing in a bigger market, Yi was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 draft by Milwaukee. He refused to sign with the Bucks for several months before agreeing to terms Aug. 29, 2007. Through 66 up-and-down games, he averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds and did not make the All-Rookie first or second team. "He is a 7-footer, so he needs to get a little bit stronger, stronger than now, so he can play physically inside and not just be a face-up shooter," Yao said. "You don't want him to just be a 3-point shooter, or a guy just shooting 16- and 17-footers. Because of his size, he can go inside a little bit more to be more effective." Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said, "[Yi] has not played a lot of basketball. But he has a nice stroke on his jumper, he's 7 feet every day, and he has a great upside." With a new Bucks front office on board last summer, Yi and forward Bobby Simmons were dealt to New Jersey for guard Richard Jefferson June 26. While Yi got his wish of going to a bigger market, it was humbling to get dealt after his rookie season. "I was just surprised," he said. "Right now, I just forget about it and enjoy playing for the Nets." International impact The arrival of Yi has brought more attention and money to the Nets worldwide - with more coming. Chinese companies such as Nike China, the sports apparel company PEAK, and the popular website Sina.com (which has a Yi blog) are sponsors of the Nets now. More sponsorships are on the horizon. Yi does postgame interviews with Chinese media in front of a Nets-Nike sign in Mandarin and then takes questions from American reporters in English. About 40 Chinese media members attended Houston's game at New Jersey Dec. 22. There are eight reporters covering Yi full-time. Yi has made several community appearances in New York's Chinatown and has another scheduled tomorrow. "The marketing is bigger, but you have to play good, too," said Yi, who currently has endorsement deals with Nike, Sina, Wrigley's, Topps Trading Cards, and Yili, a dairy company. "Yi's potential is limitless," said Roy Lu, an agent with the William Morris Agency who handles Yi's marketing. "He is one of the most popular endorser candidates for Chinese domestic buyers and especially to those who are interested in breaking into the international markets and vice versa."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 7:53:24 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/15/house_hurts_ankle_but_says_hes_ok?mode=PFHouse hurts ankle but says he's OK By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | January 15, 2009 A night that seemed favorable for 3-point shooters turned painful for Eddie House. House twisted his ankle in the final minute of the Celtics' 118-86 win last night over the New Jersey Nets, but expects to recover by the time the teams meet Saturday. "Yeah, I rolled my ankle a little bit," House said. "But I'm all right. I'll get some treatment [today], treatment the next day." Glen Davis converted his first career 3-pointer, a 28-footer with 0.4 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. And Paul Pierce went 5 for 5 on threes in the third quarter, matching a team record for 3-point perfection in a quarter set by Ray Allen in a 94-88 win at Toronto last Sunday. The Celtics' record for most 3-pointers in a quarter was set by Dee Brown, who went 6 for 7 in a 110-99 win over Dallas Feb. 4, 1998. Davis's shot leaves three Celtic veterans who have yet to convert a 3-pointer in their careers: Kendrick Perkins (0 for 8), Patrick O'Bryant (zero attempts), and Leon Powe (0 for 3). Don't hurry back Perkins (left shoulder) said he could return for Monday's game against Phoenix. But coach Doc Rivers said Perkins probably won't return before the Celtics visit Miami Wednesday. "Right now, until somebody tells me differently, I'm not playing him," Rivers said of Perkins's chances of performing against the Suns, who could have a significant size edge with Shaquille O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire. Perkins was involved in conditioning workouts, weightlifting, and free throw shooting during yesterday's shootaround and pregame activities. "We need all our starters to play," Rivers said. "But at the end of the day, when a guy goes down, we've had it last year and in the past, someone else will step forward. We don't know who that will be, but we don't worry. You've got to make do. Injuries happen to every team. It's the strong teams that get through it and the weak teams focus on that one guy being out - we don't do that. We just keep playing. I would love to have a longer guy but I don't worry about things we don't have." As for O'Bryant, Rivers said, "We'll see. What we need him to do, we need him to do it all the time. I'm patient. I'm not playing him when he's not ready, and he's not ready yet. Just because you are 7 feet tall doesn't mean you play." Guard Tony Allen (right ankle sprain) missed his sixth game and said he hopes to return against Dallas Jan. 25. "I was scheduled to be out like 10 days," Allen said. "I'll probably be back on the 25th, around that time." Middle of the road The Celtics (32-9) became the first team to reach the halfway mark of the season. Milwaukee also played its 41st game last night. Last season, the Celtics had a 34-7 record at the halfway mark. In the 2006-07 season, they had a 12-29 record and were halfway through an 18-game losing streak. "We had a really big bump in the road these last couple weeks with consistency, something we didn't have a year ago," Pierce said. "Maybe it's something we needed to give us a gut check. It's something we've never had, because the regular season went so well for us a year ago. When you go through something like that, you really find out what kind of team you are. Being on the bus, being in hotels, you find out more about each other. What you see is, this team is really together. This is something we can use down the stretch, going into the playoffs, just getting to know one another just a little bit better than the past." . . . Bill Walker scored 6 points in the final quarter in his longest stint of the season, and first appearance since he was recalled from Utah in the Development League. "I didn't even know if I would play," Walker said. "But you've got to be ready. I don't look at it as garbage time - they could have made a run at us." High praise If Kevin Garnett needs an endorsement, he could use the following from Nets coach Lawrence Frank: "On so many levels, he's what's right about the game. He plays at such a high effort and energy level every night that if you can't match it, you are going to be in trouble. He raises everyone's game." Lucky stars Lucky (Damon Blust), the Celtics' mascot, filmed a skit Monday that is slated to be shown on "The Late Show with Conan O'Brien" tonight. In the skit, the 6-foot-7-inch O'Brien jumps off a trampoline and dunks.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 8:00:08 GMT -5
There are several video interviews if you go to the link www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/Rondo unfazed by Harris Link|Comments (0) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff January 14, 2009 10:54 PM TD BANKNORTH GARDEN -- Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo sat around and joked with reporters before the game, seemingly oblivious to the matchup with Nets budding All-Star Devin Harris that was less than an hour away. But after putting up 11 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes against Harris tonight, Rondo was all business. When asked if he took the matchup with Harris personally, he gave the same answer he's used when asked about matching up with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and other great point guards in the league. "I take everyone as a challenge, every point guard," said Rondo. "I respect all of my opponents before every game. He's having an All-Star year. He's playing exceptionally well." Harris did not play exceptionally well tonight. He committed six turnovers to just three assists, though he did finish with 17 points. “We didn’t take care of the ball, me included," said Harris. "I think I had 6 turnovers tonight. As a team, we didn’t do a good job of taking care of the ball especially a team like to turn it over and turn it into fastbreak points” The two point guards square off again Saturday in New Jersey. House says he's OK Link|Comments (0) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff January 14, 2009 10:48 PM Celtics guard Eddie House rolled his ankle with 44.6 seconds remaining in the game, but the backup says he will be ready for Saturday's game in New Jersey. "Yeah I rolled my ankle a little bit," House said after the game. "But I'm alright. I'll get some treatment tomorrow, treatment the next day...I'll be alright." With Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins already injured, the Celtics can't afford to lose another key bench player. Doc's state of the team address Link|Comments (0) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff January 14, 2009 10:46 PM Celtics coach Doc Rivers had some interesting things to say following his team's win tonight against the Nets: Are the Celtics back to form? "Yeah, I said that the other day, even in the first game in Toronto. It’s not back, but it wasn’t back when we were winning. We want to get to a level where we think, when the playoffs start, that we can win. So that’s what we work on every night, and you can definitely see signs of us trending in the right direction.” Are the Celtics "out of the woods"? "Well, I never thought we were in the woods or out of the woods, really. The point I was making before we lost, and went in the stretch, I didn’t think we were good as we were playing, and when we were losing we weren't that bad. We really don’t pay a lot of attention. All we want to do is keep trending in the getting better direction. And I thought during that stretch we were just kind of staying in the same spot.” Are there benefits to winning to quiet the "doubters?" "Well, the only people to have doubts are outside our locker room. We don’t -- that doesn’t affect us at all. They had doubts last year, too, and we’re fine with that.” Walker getting his feet wet Link|Comments (0) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff January 14, 2009 10:42 PM In his first action since being called up from the D-League's Utah Flash, Celtics rookie Bill Walker has 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. Walker said he is still getting comfortable to the pro game. "Only the strong survive," Walker said. "This is a man's game. Comfortable or not, you've just got to go out there and take it." Final: Celtics 118, Nets 86 Link|Comments (0) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff January 14, 2009 10:02 PM TD BANKNORTH GARDEN -- Paul Pierce poured in 22 points, 18 in the third quarter, while Rajon Rondo (11 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds) outplayed Devin Harris as the Celtics defeated the Nets 118-86 at TD Banknorth Garden. Keep it here for reaction from the locker rooms. Celtics-Nets game chat Link|Comments (1) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff January 14, 2009 07:32 PM Click "replay chat" to view a replay of the live chat from Wednesday night's Celtics-Nets game. Doc's pregame report Link|Comments (0) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff January 14, 2009 06:54 PM Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins are out tonight. But don't expect to see Sam Cassell coming off the bench with the Celtics shorthanded. Doc Rivers was asked before tonight's game if he was concerned at all that Cassell has yet to play a game for the Celtics this season. "No, I'm not," Rivers said frankly. "He plays every day in practice...He'll have his time. P.J. Brown didn't play until March last year, and didn't work out. Sam at least is looking at our offense every day, knows our system every day, is actually playing almost every day." Is Cassell riding the pine to get Gabe Pruitt more playing time? "It really has nothing to do with Gabe [Pruitt]," said Rivers. "It's more for me, trying to get Sam through the season. We'll find out if he can help us or not. I think he can. We'll find out more later, but right now I just don't see the need." Kendrick Perkins is out of tonight's game with that left shoulder injury, and he has already been ruled out of Saturday's game in New Jersey. Perkins "hopes" to be back for Monday night's game against the Suns. "Why would anybody hope to play against Shaq?" Rivers asked. "That makes me question Perk. Obviously it would hurt us if he doesn't, but I'm not going to play him until [trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] and Dr. McKeon tells me he's ready. That's one, because it's Shaq and Amare Stoudemire...it would hurt us in a big way, of all the games, not to have him." Perkins did some light shooting before the game and said he will continue to work out on his own when the team practices this weekend. He asked the trainer for some ice for his shoulder after working out before tonight's game. Tonight marks the 41st game of the season for the Celtics, marking the exact halfway point of the regular season. "Great record," Rivers said when asked to summarize the first half. "Our young guys are improving. Before the year if someone had said your record is where it's at, I wouldn't complain about it. So yeah, I'm happy." Rajon Rondo echoed his coach's sentiments, saying he was satisfied with his team's record despite the recent skid. "Hopefully we won't have another stretch like that the rest of the year," said Rondo. Rondo said he is learning Spanish during his free time on the road. He said he "doesn't want to stop learning" and gets bored on the road. Rondo estimates he spends 1-2 hours per day on his language lessons. "I tried French in college but I had to focus on the NCAA tournament," said Rondo. Perkins update Link|Comments (0) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff January 14, 2009 05:29 PM Kendrick Perkins, who will miss tonight's game with that left shoulder injury, is out shooting jumpers right now. No brace of any kind for Perk, and he looks to be moving well. Without Perkins, expect Brian Scalabrine to get the starting nod for the Celtics. The Celtics will also be without Tony Allen (ankle) tonight, leaving their bench awfully thin on experience. |
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 8:02:48 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x2125487762/Celtics-118-Nets-86-Cs-starting-to-streak-againCeltics 118, Nets 86: C's starting to streak again -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Jan 14, 2009 @ 11:34 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — The driver could have heated up the New Jersey Nets bus way before the final buzzer. Remember the Celtics of the 27-2 start? Well, those Celtics reappeared last night, and froze out the Nets at the Garden, 118-86. "I thought we really had a real big bump in the road the last couple of weeks," said Paul Pierce. "Maybe it was something we needed to give us a gut check ... with the four-game losing streak, with losing three out of four out west." Pierce pretty much put this one in the books by himself with a powerful third quarter: 18 points, five 3-pointers (in five attempts), one off the team mark set by Dee Brown. After Pierce's first two treys, he gave Garnett a sweet behind-the-back pass that the big guy converted for a 71-51 lead. Then the next three Pierce 3-pointers jilted the scoreboard this way: 74-53; 81-58; 84-58. That pretty much guaranteed all five starters could sit out the last 12 minutes. It was Bill Walker time. He played the whole quarter and made three of four shots in garbage time of near historic proportion. Pierce finished with a game-high 22 points. Do the math. He had just four at the half, shooting 2-for-9. It didn't bother him one iota. "You know I don't get discouraged by misses," he said. "I was a little tentative in the first half." Different story in the second half. "Once we started moving the ball around I just took the shots the defense gave me." "Paul had great looks (in the third quarter)," said coach Doc Rivers. "It's tough, because you tell them when they're wide open to take 3s. Paul and Ray Allen especially. (Eddie) House. And they were open." House (10 pts.) suffered a mild ankle sprain in the fourth quarter. "I rolled my ankle a little bit., but I'm all right." Kevin Garnett had 20 points and nine boards in 24 minutes. "In the second half," said Garnett, "everyone was aggressive. Ball movement was excellent." Boston outscored the Nets 67-45 after intermission. "They kicked us real good," said New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank. "We gave up a high volume of layups. ... I mean, they just got just what they wanted." Boston scored 27 points off 20 turnovers. The estimable Devin Harris had 17 points for the Nets, while Ryan Anderson, Brook Lopez and Keyon Dooling all scored 13. Rivers wasn't buying any slump stories about his team. "The only people to have doubts are outside our locker room. They had doubts last year too." Boston got some good work at both ends of the floor from Glen Davis en route to a 51-41 halftime lead. Davis finished the half with eight points, three rebounds and a block. He also had his first career 3-pointer. Garnett (14) and Ray Allen topped Boston's scoring. Allen had a 5-for-5 on treys night in the first quarter Monday against the Raptors. Harris had 13 for the visitors. Anderson, a rookie from Cal, chipped in with 10 while another rookie from the Pac-10, seven-footer Brook Lopez (Stanford), led all rebounders with seven. Garnett and Ray Allen had eight points each in the first quarter which ended with the Celtics up, 30-23. Boston shot 42 percent. Vince Carter went down with what looked like a twisted ankle five minutes into the game and was escorted to the locker room. But the superstar returned shortly after. These two teams hook up again Saturday in Jersey. For the Celtics, it's been a steady diet of Raptors and Nets this week. That will change when the Suns show up at the Garden on Monday. Kendrick Perkins, still nursing a sore shoulder, will be a game-time decision, although Rivers said Perkins will not play until the medical guys give him full clearance. If Perkins is a go against Phoenix, he'll guard Shaquille O'Neal. "Yeah, I know," said Perkins, resignedly. "I don't feel no pain, but the doctors want me to give (the shoulder) rest." Brian Scalabrine has been starting for Perkins. "He's done a great job. Scal plays hard every minute."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 8:23:16 GMT -5
www.gloucestertimes.com/pusports/local_story_014231855.html?keyword=topstoryCeltics in good shape, but may not be good enough On Pro Basketball Matt Langone 1Just a week ago the Boston Celtics were in the middle of an uncharacteristic four-game losing streak in a much-improved Eastern Conference. Simultaneously, they were finally showing some vulnerability for the first time in the regular season over the past year-and-a-half. Yet, Boone did not view that skid as nearly enough evidence that the defending NBA champion Celtics may be ripe for overtaking at the top of the league. "Losing streaks like that happen," said Boone, a 6-foot-10 third-year forward from UConn. "There are stretches when you know you're not playing your best basketball. But they're a great, great team, and it's going to take a lot to beat them when they are playing right. "They're still the Boston Celtics. It's fool's gold if you think they're falling off." Boone's Nets were in Boston to take on the Celtics last night at TD Banknorth Garden in the final game of the first half of the season for the Celtics. Boone was proven right, as the Celtics were nearly flawless in a 118-86 victory. The Celtics, who improved to 32-9, won their third straight. The game was over by the third quarter, as the C's pushed a 51-41 halftime lead to an 88-60 advantage entering the fourth. It's no question that through the first 41 games of the season, the Celtics have to like where they stand - a pace of 64 wins. "I feel good, we have a great record," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "At the beginning of the year if someone told me this is what our record would be, I wouldn't complain about it." Boston isn't far off last year's pace, when it went 34-7 through the first 41 games, en route to a league-best 66-win season. However, it seems last year's Eastern Conference and this year's is a night-and-day comparison. The Celtics went basically unopposed in getting the conference's best record last year, as Detroit was the only team within striking distance. But the Pistons still finished seven games behind the C's. Entering last night, Boston's mark was only good enough for third-best in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland (30-6) and Orlando (31-8) were both better. Of course, it's still early and probably premature to discuss playoff seedings. Still, the Cavs and Magic seem to be the real deal and don't appear likely to fade; meaning the road to the NBA Finals may go through one of those cities. It also means that right now, the Celtics would be playing a second round playoff series potentially without home-court advantage. As if the fact wasn't already known, the Celtics proved how important home-court advantage is in the playoffs last year. Boston didn't win a road playoff game until the Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit after an 0-6 start in away games. On a positive note, the Celtics will play a more relaxed second half schedule. The C's and the Milwaukee Bucks are the only teams in the East to have played 41 games already. "We've played 41 games and the Cavs have only played 37," said Rivers. "It was a tough start to the season for us, a lot of games squeezed into a small amount of time. The second half will be great because we can get some rest and more practice time. That will make us a much better basketball team." The Celtics should be a lock to once again win the Atlantic Division, as they now hold a 12-game lead on the second-place Nets. That will guarantee them a top-four playoff seed. But, it's the letdowns against inferior teams that could hinder how high that seeding is. The C's have already lost to the Bobcats, Knicks and Pacers, which may be evidence that the old doormats of the league can no longer really be classified as such. "The East has got a whole lot better across the board since last year," said Boone. "We have three of the four best teams in the league in our conference right now." Last night, New Jersey didn't exactly do much to prove the theory that there are no longer too many doormats in the East. However, the Nets will have another crack at the Celtics on Saturday. It will be the next chance to see if the Celtics have put that four-game losing streak far behind them and are ready to begin the path back to league supremacy.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 8:35:56 GMT -5
www.telegram.com/article/20090115/NEWS/901150781/1009/SPORTSCenter of attention Popular sub Scalabrine holds his own CELTICS NOTES By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF wdoyle@telegram.com Add a comment BOSTON — Brian Scalabrine started last night at center for the Celtics for the third game in a row in place of the injured Kendrick Perkins, and the opposing center was someone whose game he knows well. Scalabrine and Nets rookie center Brook Lopez share the same agent, Arn Tellem, and the two worked out together before New Jersey took Lopez with the 10th pick of the NBA draft. “I was surprised that he dropped that far,” Scalabrine said. “I thought for sure Minnesota was going to take him, especially with Al Jefferson.” Minnesota instead drafted O.J. Mayo with the third pick and dealt him to Memphis for Kevin Love, the fifth pick in the draft. Lopez averages 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds and scored 31 points Monday against Oklahoma City to become the first Nets rookie to score 30 or more since Keith Van Horn in 1998. Love averages 8.3 points and 8.2 rebounds. Mayo leads all rookies in scoring at 19.3 ppg. Kevin McHale was demoted from Minnesota’s front office to head coach after many of his personnel moves didn’t pay off. “I respect Kevin McHale,” Scalabrine insisted. “I respect everyone in the NBA.” Lopez is 7 feet, 260 pounds. Scalabrine is only 6-9, 235, and is more of a small forward than a center. But he held his own against the bigger man. Scalabrine had 9 points and 4 rebounds while Lopez had 13 points and 8 boards, but made only 4 of 14 shots. Most importantly, the Celtics are 11-2 over the past two years when Scalabrine starts. “I’m not going to block his shot,” Scalabrine said, “so I just have to fight him for position.” Perkins said the pain is gone from his left shoulder, but he’ll sit out until at least Monday as a precaution. “Scal is the type of player I would like filling my shoes,” Perkins said, “because I know he’s going to do a great job and do the best he can.” Celtics coach Doc Rivers is a big fan of Lopez. “I love him,” Rivers said. “I don’t know if you can say that. The last time I said that, a team called and said I was tampering. He’s going to be a terrific player.” Rivers also likes Lopez’s twin brother, Robin, who backs up Shaquille O’Neal with Phoenix. The Suns visit the Garden Monday night. Scalabrine is only 10th on the Celtics in minutes and often doesn’t enter games until the outcome has been decided, but the Garden fans cheer every time he touches the ball in anticipation that he’ll shoot a victory-cigar 3-pointer. “It was a little bit of a distraction at first,” he said, “because the crowd would cheer, but I can mentally push through that now.” Scalabrine wonders why the fans don’t cheer when little-used center Patrick O’Bryant gets the ball late in games. “Maybe it’s the 3-pointer thing,” Scalabrine guessed. “They really like the 3s.” With Scalabrine starting, the fans have stopped cheering every time he gets the ball. Scalabrine insists he’s not frustrated when he doesn’t play. “We’re trying to get homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs,” he said. “I can’t get caught up in anything different than that. If I don’t play a minute, or I start or I play 40, it doesn’t matter.” Even though he has started the last three games, Scalabrine still played his usual one-on-one game against Sam Cassell beforehand. Scalabrine won with a hook shot. “That thing with Sam gets my legs ready to guard anybody on the perimeter,” he said. If Perkins doesn’t play Monday, Scalabrine will have to guard Shaq. “I’d like the opportunity to start,” Scalabrine said, “but Perk is the guy who should be on the Diesel.” Rivers careful with Cassell Rivers continues to rest the 39-year-old Cassell in hope that he’ll be fresh during the playoffs when the Celtics will need him most. Rivers isn’t worried about Cassell being too rusty. “P.J. Brown didn’t play until March last year and didn’t work out,” Rivers said. “Sam at least is looking at our offense every day, knows our system every day, is actually playing (in practice) mostly every day. No, I’m not concerned by it at all.” Rivers said keeping Cassell on the bench so far this season has nothing to do with giving playing time to second-year guard Gabe Pruitt. “It’s more for me trying to get Sam through the season,” he said. “At the end, we’ll find out if he can help us or not. I think he can, but we’ll find out more later. Right now, I just don’t see a need.” Cassell said he’s willing to wait to play for as long as Rivers wants and expects to be ready whenever he’s called upon. “I knew coming into the season that he was going to wait and wait until it was time for me to start playing,” Cassell said. “I don’t need long to get ready.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 8:36:59 GMT -5
Pierce powers C’s to lopsided win Captain’s 22 points key 3rd straight win By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF wdoyle@telegram.com BOSTON — For much of the first half last night, Paul Pierce couldn’t make a basket, but he didn’t get discouraged. He never does. Then he couldn’t miss. Pierce made all five of his shots in the third quarter, each of them a 3-pointer, and finished with 22 points to lead the Celtics to an easy, 118-86 victory over the New Jersey Nets at the Garden. Boston beat its previous most lopsided home victory of the season by seven points. The Celtics have won three in a row after losing their previous four. In the first half, Pierce made only 2 of 9 shots and missed all three of his 3-pointers. But in the third period, he scored 18 points, one less than the Nets, as Boston outscored New Jersey, 37-19, to take an 88-60 lead. “I thought I was a little tentative in the first half,” Pierce said. “Once we moved the ball around and the shots were there, I was just taking what the defense gave me.” Pierce and the other Celtics starters, except for Brian Scalabrine, sat out the fourth quarter with the game in hand. Scalabrine returned in the final minute when Eddie House limped off with a mild left ankle sprain. House said after the game he felt fine and didn’t expect to miss a game. Pierce had reason to remain confident despite his cold first half. He had scored a season-high 39 points in his previous game Monday against Toronto and had averaged 30.3 points and made 60 percent of his 3-pointers in his last three home games. The Celtics improved to 20-2 at home and 32-9 overall. Team boss Danny Ainge and ex-Celtic Walter McCarty watched Pierce’s 3-point show a few seats apart in the front row. Ainge and McCarty share the team record for most 3-pointers in a game without a miss (six). Ray Allen was 5 for 5 in the first quarter at Toronto on Sunday. Dee Brown holds the team record for most 3s in a quarter with 6 of 7. Kevin Garnett collected 20 points and 9 rebounds as the Celtics beat the Nets for the sixth straight time. Rajon Rondo had 11 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds to win his matchup against Nets point guard Devin Harris. If Rondo hadn’t sat out the fourth quarter, he might have had his second triple-double. Harris led the Nets with 17 points, but had only 3 assists and 2 rebounds. Ray Allen and Glen Davis each scored 12 points and House had 10. All 11 Celtics who played scored. The Celtics are off until they visit the Nets on Saturday. Boston shot 56.4 percent and limited New Jersey to 38.8 percent. The Green also dominated the boards, 45-32. They’re back to playing the way they did when they won 19 in a row. “I thought we had a really big bump in the road these last couple of weeks with consistency, something we didn’t have a year ago,” Pierce said. “Maybe it’s something we needed to give us a gut check.” Ryan Anderson, Brook Lopez and Keyon Dooling each scored 13 points for New Jersey. Vince Carter left the game in the first quarter, wincing in pain with a lower leg injury. He returned, but made only 1 of 10 shots and scored just 4 points. Rondo combined with Garnett for an alley-oop tip-in, then found Scalabrine for a 3-pointer to push the lead to 58-41 early in the third quarter. A little while later, Rondo made it 63-44 by inadvertently throwing in a 16-foot hook shot that was supposed to be an alley-oop pass to Garnett. “When it comes to throwing lobs,” Garnett said, “he’s pretty much one of the best I’ve played with with putting the ball right where you need it. The only thing you’ve got to do sometimes is stab it in there.” “I haven’t thrown an alley-oop so consistently since I was in high school,” Rondo said. For Boston, Kendrick Perkins missed his third game in a row with a sprained left shoulder and Tony Allen sat out his sixth straight game with a sprained ankle. For New Jersey, Yi Jianlian missed his second straight game with a broken left pinkie. Perkins and Allen are expected back next week, but Yi could be out up to six weeks. Davis beat the first-quarter horn with the first 3-pointer of his NBA career to boost Boston’s lead to 30-23. “I didn’t even think,” Davis said. “I just shot it. The clock was down and it went in. I knew it was going in, though, when I shot it.” The Celtics outscored New Jersey, 11-2, over the first 6:20 of the second quarter to push their lead to 41-25. During that stretch, Nets missed all 10 of their shots and turned over the ball three times. www.telegram.com/article/20090115/NEWS/901150746/1009/SPORTS |
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 8:37:56 GMT -5
www.patriotledger.com/sports/x815896051/Remainder-of-the-Celtics-schedule-isn-t-quite-so-hectic?view=printRemainder of the Celtics’ schedule isn’t quite so hectic -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mike Fine The Patriot Ledger Posted Jan 14, 2009 @ 11:46 PM Last update Jan 15, 2009 @ 02:55 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — In the first 11 weeks (79 days) of the NBA season, the Celtics have played 41 games – half the NBA schedule – compiling a 32-9 record after Wednesday’s 118-86 rout of the New Jersey Nets at the Garden. Now they get to do it all over again, but there’s one huge difference. This time, they’ve got 13 weeks (91 days) to get in 41 games, and that spells one thing: rest. OK, two things: rest and practice time. “It’ll help us big,” said Celts coach Doc Rivers after his team’s 56.4 percent shooting performance. “We’ve played 41 games tonight and the Cavs have played, what? 36? 37? It was just a tough beginning for us. We had a lot of games squeezed into a short time.” That’s the truth. No team in the NBA has played more games, and only the Milwaukee Bucks have played as many. “Now we get, from this point to the rest of the season, to play 41 more games,” Rivers said. “That’ll be great for us. For me it’ll be great if we can rest, but more importantly, we get practice time the rest of this year. There’s a stretch in February where it’s tough. Other than that, we actually get to practice the rest of the season, and that’ll make us a much better basketball team.” The Celts have 10 occasions where they have at least two straight days off, including a six-day stretch during the All-Star break. In a serious departure from the past, they come out of the break not having to meet up Monday and play Tuesday. After they play at Dallas on Feb. 12, they don’t play again until Feb. 19 at Utah. The Celts feel that the lack of time together cost them during the recent four-game losing streak, amidst a stretch of seven losses in nine games. “We talk about that,” said Paul Pierce, who had 22 points, 11 on 5-for-5 3-point shooting in the third quarter, of the upcoming schedule. “We hope it’ll pay off in the long run. We’ll be able to get more rest. We’ve crammed in so many games.” The practice time, he said, is key. “It’s good for us. We need it. We haven’t been able to get much practice time, so with these next few days coming up, we’re going to get in the gym (they’re off Thursday, practicing briefly Friday) and work on the things we need to work on, clean up some things. We’re 41 games in. Second half of the season we’ll be able to get more practice time in.” Still, while the Celtics have slipped from their perch at the top of the league, it’s not as if they’ve suddenly taken a nosedive. “Well, I never thought we were in the woods or out of the woods, really,” Rivers said of the current three-game winning streak. “The point I was making before we lost, and went in the stretch, I didn’t think we were as good as we were playing, and when we were losing we weren’t that bad. We really don’t pay a lot of attention. All we want to do is keep trending in the better direction. And I thought during that stretch we were just kind of staying in the same spot. “I feel good,” he said. “We have a great record. Young guys are improving. The bench has been up and down, but it’s shown improvement. Before the year if someone said our record would be where it’s at, I wouldn’t complain about it. I’m happy.” “I thought we had a really big bump in the road these last couple weeks with consistency, something we didn’t have a year ago,” Pierce said. “Maybe it’s something we needed to give us a gut check. It’s something we’ve never had because the regular season went so well for us a year ago. When you go through something like that, you really find out what kind of team you are. With the four-game losing streak, with losing three or four games out West, being on the bus, being in the hotels, you find out more about each other. “What you see is this team is really together. This is something that we can use down the stretch going into the playoffs, just getting to know one another just a little bit better than the past because it was such a smooth ride a year ago.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 15, 2009 11:15:32 GMT -5
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