News 3/21

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1160061&format=text
Kevin Garnett Spurs on Celtics
Return impacts outcome

By Mark Murphy | Saturday, March 21, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
SAN ANTONIO - At times last night it was hard to tell who was running the huddle, coach Doc Rivers or the player whose time had to be micromanaged.

Kevin Garnett, whether walking out to midcourt to lobby referee Mike Callahan during a timeout or screaming at teammates who had just fumbled away three straight turnovers, delivered a lot of energy for someone who only played a Rivers-mandated 15 minutes.

As it turned out, only a cameo appearance was needed to stir the flock.

The Celtics [team stats] withstood all sorts of crunch-time perils - and were helped by six straight missed free throws by Tony Parker and Michael Finley in the last 2:32 - to secure one of the more improbable wins of the season, an 80-77 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.

Evidence of Garnett’s influence abounded, from Kendrick Perkins [stats]’ snarling coverage of Tim Duncan to a wonderful head-to-head duel between Rajon Rondo [stats] (16 points, 12 assists) and his nemesis, Parker (25 points, eight assists, seven rebounds).

The big shots were supplied by Perkins and Glen Davis - the former after grabbing three equally huge rebounds down the stretch, the latter off a Paul Pierce [stats] assist with 5.7 seconds left - and Ray Allen came back from a one-game absence to score 19 points despite lingering stiffness in his right (shooting) elbow.

“I’m on the court with my jersey and socks on - it feels good,” Garnett said of sitting on the bench for the first time since suffering a right knee injury at Utah on Feb. 19, and getting involved in the game as only he can.

Added Davis: “He gives you energy just by looking over at him. I would grab a rebound and look over at him, and he’d just give you this look that made you feel it. Him seeing and saying things on and off the court just gives you an unbelievable feeling. We’re just blessed to have him.”

Garnett, per coach’s orders, was limited to seven minutes to open the game and again at the start of the third quarter.

All 10 of Garnett’s points came in the post-halftime stint. The Celtics took their first lead at 48-47 when Rondo flipped a pass back to Garnett for a dunk, and the visitors pushed out to a 57-52 advantage on his last basket.

Davis replaced Garnett with 4:54 left in the third.

“He had a huge impact,” Allen said of Garnett. “But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about this team, it’s that we’re able to adjust to just about any situation.”

Nowhere was the energy more apparent than in the game of Davis, whose 18-footer in the final seconds gave the Celtics a 78-74 lead, after the unthinkable happened for San Antonio - Parker missed four straight free throws after Finley missed two a minute earlier.

A Finley 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left only supplied the final score.

The missing element to the C’s game was Pierce (nine points, 3-for-16 shooting), who was blanketed for much of the night by Bruce Bowen and Finley. Pierce did register the game’s biggest assist when he swung the ball to the open Davis on the left baseline.

“I was so proud of Paul - the biggest play of the game and he made a pass to an open teammate,” Rivers said. “It was great that Baby made the shot, but it was great that Paul made the pass. When you trust the pass, teammates come through for you. It was just a great win for us under the circumstances.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/2009_03_21_A_cheerleader_no_more:_Kevin_Garnett_happy_to_be_back/
A cheerleader no more
Kevin Garnett happy to be back

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Saturday, March 21, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
SAN ANTONIO - Sitting on the bench for the better part of one game was difficult enough.

Kevin Garnett admitted following the Celtics [team stats]’ 80-77 win against San Antonio last night that he never could have spent the previous 13 as a cheerleader.

“That would have been tough,” said Garnett, who scored 10 points in 15 minutes. “I told Doc that. I could go in the back, but I couldn’t come out on the bench. I’ve been very up front with him. But at least I can contribute now.”

As much as his teammates may have been buoyed by Garnett’s virtuosity during a seven-minute stretch at the start of the third quarter, KG didn’t sound surprised.

“With my hands, my arms and my wrists, they all work the same as ever,” he said. “I missed some easy ones in the first half, but in the second I got in a little rhythm. I felt OK.”

As it turned out, Doc Rivers didn’t have to tie Garnett to the bench in last night’s tight fourth quarter - a prediction the C’s coach had made. Then again, it didn’t hurt for Rivers to also turn a blind eye occasionally - including once at the end of a timeout when Garnett walked onto the floor and started discussing a call with referee Mike Callahan.

“I didn’t want to see that, actually,” Rivers said. “So it’s good I didn’t. He’s an excitable man.”

But Garnett’s second training camp has only begun.

“We’ll see,” Rivers said of how much Garnett can expect to play tonight in Memphis.

Union cries foul

The NBA referees union came out swinging yesterday over the fact that Rivers and referee Bill Kennedy were both fined for Tuesday night’s incident in Chicago.

Union spokesman Larnell McMorris, while claiming that Kennedy was simply doing his job, said, “The only person in this scenario who has had a pattern of behavior that is unprofessional is Doc Rivers, not Billy Kennedy.”

Rivers, told of McMorris’ comments last night, said, “I won’t get too deeply into this, but to me it seems like the whistle blowers don’t like it when the whistle blows.

“Coaches have been publicly fined for years, and now everyone is being publicly fined. If it’s public for one, it should be public for all.”

When he was fined $15,000 for criticizing a referee earlier this season, Rivers’ wife, Christine, asked if the penalty was worth the outburst. Rivers said yes, something had to be said.

In the wake of his latest penalty - a $25,000 fine for lashing out against Kennedy after he ejected Rivers Tuesday night in Chicago - Rivers still feels he made a legitimate point. But the price for being outspoken is getting expensive.

“Hey, I’m the human stimulus package,” Rivers said of the $40,000 he has now given to NBA-sponsored charities.

Heightened alarm

When a player with a history of knee surgery is put on the shelf because of knee trouble, his team’s alarm rate automatically intensifies.

That’s the case with forward Leon Powe, who has gone under the knife on both knees in the past and is injured there again.

“The good news is that no surgery will be involved,” Rivers said of Powe’s current problem, which is expected to keep the forward out for at least another 10 days.

“But that’s good - he’s more upset with the way Cal got their (butts) kicked in the (NCAA) tournament (by Maryland on Thursday). He even talked me into taking them in my bracket.” . . .

Kendrick Perkins [stats], who had five blocks in one of his best defensive performances of the season, ended up in a nose-to-nose standoff with Tim Duncan early in the game.

“It was just two guys getting physical,” Perkins said. “He said, ‘Ain’t you moving?’ And I said, ‘I ain’t moving.’ ” . . .

Guard J.R. Giddens, who hadn’t been logging much time, was sent back to the Utah Flash of the NBDL.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/03/21/celtics_kick_it_up_a_notch_on_road_to_beat_spurs?mode=PF
Celtics kick it up a notch on road to beat Spurs
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | March 21, 2009

SAN ANTONIO - Coach Doc Rivers predicted the Celtics might have to "tie down" Kevin Garnett to keep him from getting involved in the fourth quarter of last night's 80-77 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Rivers was right.

Garnett scored 10 points in nearly 15 minutes of playing time, following a prescribed plan to sit out the final quarter and a half. Garnett followed the spirit of the orders to stay off the court, but could not contain himself otherwise, leaping off the bench to exhort teammates during a dramatic finish.

"I'm the best cheerleader in the league," said Garnett, playing for the first time since sustaining a right knee strain Feb. 19. "I just didn't have my pompoms on.

"This was a very positive night for me. I felt OK. When I pushed on the gas and opened up the engine a little bit, I felt OK. Hopefully, we can build on this and continue."

Kendrick Perkins provided a 76-74 lead with 2:11 remaining, and Glen Davis, replacing Garnett, converted a 17-footer off a Paul Pierce feed for a 4-point advantage with 5.8 seconds left. The Spurs missed six straight foul shots before Michael Finley hit a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining.

The Celtics (51-17), who visit Memphis tonight, appeared to have run out the clock as the ball went to Pierce. Rivers and San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich were shaking hands. But officials decided to review the final play and added 0.1 seconds on the clock, with Pierce finishing things with two foul shots.

Garnett and the Celtics started the game slowly, but Garnett sparked the team, his fifth successive and final field goal providing a 57-52 lead with 5:11 re maining in the third quarter. After clanging his way through the opening quarter, Garnett had a productive 7:07 stint at the start of the second half.

Rivers said before the game he would not allow Garnett to return to action, even if the score was close. And the Celtics stayed with the plan, Garnett's 17-footer off a Rajon Rondo behind-the-back pass his final act on the offensive end.

"We talked about a strategy, and Doc told me what he was going to do," Garnett said. "The true test is duration. Doc is going to limit me again [tonight] and I understand. We are getting ready for the playoffs and getting our rhythm. For myself, it's duration, getting better and better as the games go on, getting my timing back, things of that sort."

Garnett hit three outside shots, dunked off a Ray Allen penetration, and beat the Spurs in transition for a layup off a Rondo lob.

"The sad part was that when we took him out, he was playing terrific," Rivers said of Garnett. "You could see he was getting comfortable right before we took him out. But we had made that call and we stuck with it. I thought his energy was used more when he was on the court in the third quarter, that was huge for us. He came out at least twice and beat everyone down the floor - once, for sure, was where we threw the home run passes. All we talked about was running, getting easy buckets. I thought that energy spearheaded our surge in the second half.

"The whole spirit of the bench was great. [The Spurs] beat us [105-99 Feb. 8] and the guys really wanted to return that."

Perkins sparked the Celtics with five blocked shots in the opening three quarters, holding Tim Duncan to 4 points in the second half. Allen, recovering from a right elbow hyperextension, also started slowly but finished with 19 points.

Tony Parker (25 points) led the way as the Spurs took an early lead. But the Celtics regained the defensive effectiveness that had been missing without Garnett, the Spurs going through a 4:51 field goal drought spanning the opening quarters.

The Celtics took their first lead, 53-50, on Allen's 3-pointer with 6:37 remaining in the third.

San Antonio rallied for a 68-66 edge on Drew Gooden's free throw with nine minutes remaining. But after Parker tied the score, 74-74, with 3:27 left, the Spurs squandered a chance to take the lead as Finley missed two foul shots with 2:31 to go.

Perkins broke the tie 18 seconds later and Parker missed four foul shots in succession.

"Those guys played big, Big Baby [Davis] hit his shot, Paul got guys open shots, Rondo," Garnett said. "And my cheerleading."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/03/21/garnett_returns_to_lineup_in_limited_role?mode=PF
Garnett returns to lineup in limited role
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | March 21, 2009

SAN ANTONIO - Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett played in last night's 80-77 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, marking the first time the Celtics' regular starting lineup has been intact since Feb. 19.

Allen (hyperextended right elbow) has played all but one game this season, missing the 112-108 overtime victory over Miami Wednesday, and scored a team-high 19 points last night. Garnett (strained right knee), injured during a 90-85 loss at Utah, forcing him to miss 13 games, played 14 minutes 39 seconds and is expected to follow a similar restricted schedule tonight at Memphis.

"It's not the best situation," coach Doc Rivers said before the game. "We are going to increase incrementally his minutes as he goes and by the time we get to the playoffs he will have a better chance to be full stride. In the long run, this is a pretty good way of bringing him back.

"If it's the fourth quarter and a 3-point game, we are going to have to tie him down. But if he's sitting, it's a situation where he gets cold, and we can't take a chance with that."

The Celtics are approaching the final 13 games of the regular season, including last night's, as a playoff warm-up, at least in Garnett's case.

"For him, it's practice," Rivers said. "For the rest of the guys, it's the game.

"How we bring him back depends on the practice days, and there are not a lot of days we can practice, so this is the solution. I had two questions: Is he healthy? And if he plays now, is he going to continue to get healthier, or is it going to go the other way? The good news is if he plays, it won't hurt him.

"He is going to keep getting better and better."

In dealing with Garnett, who went through a two-hour training session yesterday morning, Rivers said the Celtics have learned from the Spurs' experience.

"[San Antonio] has gone through this before and it gives us something to watch," Rivers said. "They know that home court and injured means a loss, healthy means a win."

Allen also trained before the team went through a one-hour shootaround yesterday and said his condition had improved greatly since he was injured in a 127-121 loss at Chicago Tuesday. Allen said he could not extend his arm Wednesday.

"It's amazing what adrenaline does for you," Allen said.


Motivational speaker
Garnett's teammates said they were inspired not only by his play, but also by his encouragement from the bench.

"We haven't had his voice around for a while," Allen said. "Him being on the bench definitely helped the big guys on the floor. He had a huge impact."

Said Glen Davis, whose 17-footer clinched the result, "I got a rebound and looked over at him - it's the energy he has, he gives you energy just looking at him. That's what I love about Kevin - he's a wonderful guy and a competitor."


Disruptive force
Kendrick Perkins disrupted Tim Duncan's game in the second half. Duncan finished with 15 points.

"I was just playing hard," Perkins said. "[Duncan] is a future Hall of Famer and all that; I just wanted to go out and do my job."

Perkins said Garnett "brings a swagger and intensity, he's our leader on defense and gives the team a whole lot of swagger. We didn't shoot well at the start but we stuck with our defensive principles and that got us through the game."


Support system
NBA referees supported Bill Kennedy and criticized Rivers after both were fined following an incident late in the Chicago game. Rivers said Kennedy goaded him into a second technical foul and ejection. A referees' press release said Kennedy was correct and they were disappointed the league didn't stand behind him. The release noted Rivers has been penalized before this season for public complaints about officiating. "In some ways I know I was right, because of the fine," Rivers said. "I wish it didn't happen. It doesn't make me feel good for anyone else to get fined. I don't want to go deep into this, but it looks like the whistle-blowers don't like it when the whistle blows. I like the fact that - coaches have been publicly fined for years, and it's good when everyone is publicly fined. If it's public for one, it should be public for all." . . . Guard J.R. Giddens was reassigned to Utah of the D-League . . . Celtics legend Bill Russell, in town for a George Gervin charity benefit, attended the game.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x284723685/Celtics-80-Spurs-77-Return-to-form
Celtics 80, Spurs 77: Return to form
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Delcia Lopez/Associated Press
Boston's Kevin Garnett (5) drives to the basket as San Antono's Matt Bonner defends. Garnett scored 10 points in his return from an injury.

By Paul J. WeberAssociated Press
Associated Press
Posted Mar 21, 2009 @ 12:28 AM

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SAN ANTONIO — Kevin Garnett finally came back for Boston, but could only watch and writhe on the bench as the Celtics won a nail-biter.

Playing sparingly in his first game in a month, Garnett sat out a thrilling fourth quarter that ended with San Antonio missing six consecutive free throws to help Boston escape with a 80-77 win.

Ray Allen scored 19 points and Glen Davis hit a short fallaway with 2:10 left that wound up being the winner for Boston, which avenged a loss at home to San Antonio earlier this year.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 25 points but missed four free throws in the final minute when San Antonio needed only two to tie the game.

Garnett scored 10 points and had four rebounds in just 15 minutes after coach Doc Rivers promised not to work his All-Star forward too hard in his return from a strained right knee.

Tim Duncan had 15 points for the Spurs who, like the Celtics, are fighting to hold onto their high playoff seeding. The loss cut San Antonio's lead over Houston to one game for the No. 2 seed with the Rockets coming to town tomorrow.

The Spurs missed six consecutive free throws in the final 2:32, starting with two Michael Finley misses that would have given San Antonio the lead.

Paul Pierce had nine points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics.

Garnett missed 13 consecutive games for the Celtics and had not played since Feb. 19. He entered the game averaging 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds this season.

Rivers said he wanted to gradually ease Garnett back into the lineup. He compared the game to training camp for Garnett while the rest of the Celtics fought to maintain playoff positioning in the East.

Boston went 7-6 over the past month without Garnett, a mediocre run that helped Cleveland build a 4 1/2-game lead for the best record in the East entering the game.

The Celtics have 12 games left before the playoffs, including final meetings at Cleveland and Orlando, which is just a game behind the Celtics for the No. 2 seed.

Rivers, coaching his first game since being fined $25,000 this week for criticizing a referee following a loss to Chicago, said the Celtics have precious time remaining to fully Garnett back into the rotation.

Putting Garnett back in now, essentially, was one of Boston's few options.

"We basically sat around and counted all the practice days before playoffs. It's not a lot of them," Rivers said. "And this is a solution."

The Celtics sure could have used Garnett down the stretch.

Boston led by five in the third quarter before Parker, picking off a bad pass from Kendrick Perkins, took Rajon Rondo 1-on-1 at the other end and glided past him to tie the game at 61. Earlier in the quarter, Perkins got a technical foul for shoving Matt Bonner underneath after Garnett's first basket.

Boston took a 64-63 lead into the fourth, and Spurs rookie George Hill tied it at 66 on a layup after a nifty bounce pass from Mason. Two free throws by Drew Gooden on the next posession gave the Spurs their first lead since early in the third.

Rondo's jumper tied it at 70 with just under 6 minutes left, and the Celtics and Spurs went back-and-forth the rest of the way before Davis' jumper proved to be decisive.

Notes: Spurs G Manu Ginobili returned to practice with this week for the first time since the All-Star break. Ginobili has missed 17 consecutive games with a right ankle injury, but may finally be getting ready to return. "The progression has been steady. Hopefully in the next week or so we'll see him," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ...The Celtics sent rookie guard J.R. Giddens back to the NBA Development League yesterday. It's the third time Boston has sent their first-round pick to the D-League this season.