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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 27, 2009 6:45:01 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1161497&format=textKevin Garnett defends Stephon Marbury Confident point guard will help By Steve Bulpett | Friday, March 27, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Herald file ATLANTA - Stephon Marbury is having a rough time of it as he tries to fit into Green. In Wednesday night’s loss at Orlando, he played just 6:21 - easily his low as a Celtic - and went scoreless (for his fifth time here) with one assist. Beyond some brief flashes, the point guard has yet to play the kind of game on which he built his reputation - or even the kind of game that would lead one to believe he can be a factor for this team. Fittingly, the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year came to Marbury’s defense. Kevin Garnett spoke up for his former teammate in Minnesota, both as a player and as a person. “Steph’s leadership I think has been sort of questioned and damaged, if you will,” Garnett said. “But once a leader, always a leader. I’ve been telling some of the young guys who haven’t seen a lot of Steph that I thought we got a steal in grabbing him. “Obviously, for whatever reasons, his different relationships with different ballclubs was a thing of the past. If you look at some of the guys on this team, they haven’t always had the best reps before coming. But we deal with each other how we deal with each other, and he fits right in. “Not only is he versatile, but people forget that Steph was one of the premier guards in this league for a while. And other than him not playing for a year, we all expect big things out of him. But I think he expects a lot of big things out of himself. He works extremely hard. You just don’t, excuse my French, be the (expletive) from a point guard standpoint, all them years of being who you are. Obviously, the facts are there, but you just don’t become that. You get that through hard work, watching film. I know what kind of drive he has inside, and I think he’s going to help us in the long run.” Garnett is well aware of the criticism Marbury has received at various NBA stops. In fact, it’s likely he had his own bone to pick when the point guard left him and the Wolves to pursue glory on warmer stages. But Garnett insists that none of what he’s heard can alter his impression. “That’s what you hold onto,” he said. “Someone can have an opinion. It don’t make or break what you know about that person. I feel like as youths, as young guys - especially in the early parts of our career - opportunity-wise we could have did a lot of special things. But individually guys have different things they want to obtain in this league and they want in this league. So I chalked it up. “Then I used to see him in the media. I never played in New York. I never experienced that. For whatever reason, it was what it was. I never assessed it, never talked about it. It was none of my business. I just watched it from the side and just knew that the Steph I know is sometimes not the same person that people perceive or put out there.” The Marbury known to Celtics [team stats] fans is a good guy who’s mainly been saying all the right things. He’s been putting in extra time after practice to get the system down and he’s played hard on the court. But after more than a year away from a regular-season game, Marbury also is shooting just 27.9 percent from the floor and averaging 2.7 points in 14 games.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 27, 2009 6:46:33 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1161498&format=textRajon Rondo: No rivalry here By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Friday, March 27, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by AP ATLANTA - On tap tonight for the Celtics [team stats] is a bout with a Hawks outfit that forced a Game 7 in the first round of last year’s playoffs despite a wide discrepancy in records. The Celts have won both meetings this season, but they’ve come by one and three points. There’s no question it’s become a good matchup, but point guard Rajon Rondo [stats] doesn’t see it as a rivalry just yet. “I don’t think much of it really,” he said. “I don’t like to talk trash, but in my eyes it’s not a rivalry. I don’t know if anybody else looks at it as a rivalry. People consider Cleveland a rival. We just went seven with Atlanta. That’s about it.” Don’t expect the Hawks to be so blase about it. “That it’s Boston is always a big deal because they’re still the champs,” said Josh Smith. “They get that from everybody until someone wins the title this year. “But it’s even more important for us because we’ve got to get our swagger back here at home. We need to keep that magic flowing here and not let that slip away.” The way the Celtics need to win is by stopping the Hawks and letting the offense take care of itself. “We’re going to try to win this game with our defense, not allow Joe Johnson to get going,” said Paul Pierce [stats]. “He plays well at home along with Mike Bibby. We have to try to grind it out.” Solving the Magic The Celtics finished the season series with Orlando at 2-2, though the C’s fought back under trying circumstances the last two games. “Right now, they’re confident,” said Pierce. “They beat us on our home floor. They beat us on their floor. They’ve won two in a row.” But the Celts are fairly confident, too. “Oh, definitely,” Pierce said. “Without a doubt.” According to Ray Allen, there are bigger things at stake than beating out the Magic for second seed in the Eastern Conference. “Right now, the way you look at it is there’s two games in our building and two games in theirs,” he said of the potential second-round matchup. “You know, we want to win games and it’s the regular season. We’re going to focus on what we need to do in these last games of the season. “But at the end of the day, the home team doesn’t always win Game 7. So we need to focus on what we need to do to get better.” Both sides may be downplaying the significance of homecourt advantage a little too much. The record shows that the team with the home edge is 2,052-1,048 all-time in the postseason. Big help Pierce on having Kevin Garnett continue to play limited minutes: “That’s what it is right now. It’d be nice to have him down the stretch (in games) but, hey, we’re going to need him for the long run. “Just having his presence out there in the game and on the bench, you know, it means everything to this ballclub.” . . . Rondo, who twisted his left ankle when Orlando’s Dwight Howard stepped on it Wednesday, was moving better. He’ll be evaluated this morning.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 27, 2009 6:50:58 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/03/27/celtics_allen_is_on_the_road_to_recovery?mode=PFCeltics' Allen is on the road to recovery He travels with team but his return is two weeks away By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 27, 2009 ATLANTA - "Gucci," as his teammates call him, wasn't himself as he sat quietly in the locker room prior to the Celtics' 84-82 loss to the Magic Wednesday. Tony Allen wasn't rapping to hip-hop music playing in his earphones. There was no trash talking with Eddie House, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, or Kendrick Perkins. Allen didn't engage any of the media with his warm greeting of "What's up, homeboy?" An injury has quieted one of the Celtics' most vibrant personalities. Allen is expected to return from left thumb surgery in two weeks, and the Celtics hope the Allen they know will be back soon. "Hanging around a lot of the guys, they ask me, 'When are you coming back? We need you,' " Allen said Wednesday. "Rondo will tell me, 'You got to come back, man.' [Pierce] says, 'When you get back, we're going to be good.' They say a lot of encouraging things. But it's got to get done." Allen is averaging 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 19.1 minutes in 40 games this season. He is also considered the Celtics' best defender off the bench. But after suffering a freak injury in practice after a bad fall, he had surgery and will miss his 20th straight game tonight when the Celtics take on Atlanta. Allen also missed 13 games this season because of a right ankle sprain. He missed the first 23 games of the 2005-06 season, the final 48 games of the 2006-07 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee suffered on a dunk attempt after the whistle, and wasn't at full strength last season as he tried to strengthen his surgically repaired left knee. Allen realizes his issues with staying healthy are a big concern. "My injury was a freak accident," Allen said. "[The thumb injury] was a freak accident. The knickknack injuries, those are just regular NBA [injuries].
"But the ones I really look at is the freak injuries, like me going to a layup after the whistle, tripping in practice and falling [on the thumb], those are the ones that have held me back. Both of those times when I've had these surgeries, I was on the verge of trying to come out of my shadow."
On trying to raise Allen's spirits, House said, "We just try not to talk about it like he has not been hurt. The more you talk about it, the more you think about it. You just stay the same, joke, laugh, and help him out any way you can."
Allen will see a doctor Monday, hoping for good news.
"I'm waiting on the OK from the hand doctor so I can get another brace to do more active stuff, contact," he said. "That's all I'm waiting on right now. I'm not catching right now. I haven't caught no NBA pass. I can shoot jumpers. I tried to dribble a little bit."
Once Allen returns, the reserve guard position will be more crowded with the addition of Stephon Marbury. Allen said he and Marbury can be a "good tandem."
"I'm going to play within the system," Allen said. "I'm going to be more cheerful, happy knowing what's ahead. I'm going to do whatever to help. That's how I will fit in, basically."
"Tony at least knows our stuff," coach Doc Rivers said. "So he'll be a little easier [to integrate] even though he's been out for what feels like the year."
Allen's return will bring the Celtics closer to being healthy. Forward Brian Scalabrine is out indefinitely because of concussions, and forward-center Leon Powe is out until the playoffs with a strained right knee.
Allen joined the Celtics on their two-game trip. It's his first time being on the road with the team since his surgery Feb. 18, which Rivers said is an indication he will be playing soon.
"I've been missing a lot of those road trips," Allen said. "A lot of those road trips I just wanted to be around the guys and get that feeling of getting ready for games, seeing everybody's mental focus. Off the court, we laugh and joke. But we keep that goal in hand of what we need to do, keep that focus.
"But at home it was pretty much boring. Too boring. I'm glad to be back."
Said House: "T.A. is all jokes all day. It's good to have him back."
Tonight's game isn't bringing back memories of last season's first-round playoff series for everybody. "I wouldn't consider it a rivalry," Rondo said. "I don't think much of [the playoff series], really. I don't want to talk trash, but in my eyes [Atlanta's] not a rival. I don't know if anyone else considers [Atlanta] a rival." The Celtics lead this season's series, 2-0, with an average victory margin of 2 points. "The first one was a buzzer-beater in Boston, and I felt we controlled that whole game until the very end," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "And that game here [Dec. 17] was back and forth the entire way. We've just got to figure out a way to put together 48 solid minutes against that team like we did in those three playoff games [at home], because that's the only way you're going to beat them."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 27, 2009 6:55:39 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x148103659/Celtics-Hawks-jockeying-for-playoff-positioningCeltics, Hawks jockeying for playoff positioning -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jim Fenton/Gatehouse News service GHS Posted Mar 27, 2009 @ 12:13 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three weeks from today, the Boston Celtics will be at their training facility in Waltham preparing for the first round of the NBA playoffs. The way things are shaping up, the Celtics might be getting ready for either the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Detroit Pistons or the Chicago Bulls. Those four teams appear to be the logical candidates as potential opponents for the Celtics to meet in the opening round, which starts either April 18 or 19 at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Celtics could finish either second or third in the Eastern Conference, pitting them against either the sixth or seventh-seeded team. The jockeying for playoff position continues tonight for the Celtics when they face the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena (CSN, WEEI-850 AM, 7:30 p.m.). Boston (54-19) is sitting in third place in the East, percentage points behind the Orlando Magic (53-18) with nine games remaining. The Celtics and Magic split their season series after Orlando held off Boston, 84-82, on Wednesday night, and if the teams finish tied, it would be settled by the better conference record. The edge right now would go to the Celtics, who are 34-10 with the Magic holding a 32-11 mark. The Celtics play six of their final nine games at the Garden, including five in a row after playing the Hawks tonight. Five of the nine games are against teams with winning records (two against the Hawks and one each against the conference-leader Cleveland Cavaliers, the Heat and the 76ers). The other four games are against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Charlotte Bobcats, the New Jersey Nets and the Washington Wizards. The Magic have six of their 11 remaining games at Amway Arena, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. Six of the 11 games are against sub-.500 teams, and the teams with winning marks that Orlando still has to play include the Heat (twice), Cavaliers, Hawks and Houston Rockets. The Celtics have put their focus on getting healthy in the final days of the regular season. Kevin Garnett will likely play less than 20 minutes again tonight against the Hawks, and Rajon Rondo, who sprained his left ankle in the loss to the Magic, will be monitored. Coach Doc Rivers has indicated that Garnett will start receiving more playing time next week. If the Celtics finish second behind the Cavs, they will meet the No. 7 seed, and entering last night, the Pistons held that spot. Winding up in third place in the conference gets the Celtics a matchup with the No. 6 seed, and the 76ers began last night in that slot. The Heat were just a half-game ahead of the 76ers while the Pistons were one game ahead of the No. 8 Bulls, so those positions are far from settled. The Bobcats, Bucks, Nets and Indiana Pacers are four games or less behind the Bulls in the race for the last spot. The Celtics will need to win six of their final nine games in order to reach 60 victories for a second consecutive season. The last time that occurred was the mid-1980s when Boston had at least 60 wins three straight years. The Hawks, who took Boston to seven games in the opening round a year ago, appear to be destined to the No. 4 seed in the East after slipping in at No. 8 with a losing record last season. Boston lost all three road games in the playoff series with the Hawks last spring, but the Celtics won on their first trip to Georgia this spring, 88-85, on Dec. 17.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 27, 2009 7:35:44 GMT -5
www.patriotledger.com/sports/x148103637/Celtics-goal-is-be-ready-when-playoffs-startCeltics goal is be ready when playoffs start -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mike Fine The Patriot Ledger Posted Mar 26, 2009 @ 11:52 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUINCY — The Boston Celtics found themselves in some hot water when they dropped a 103-97 Garden decision to the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals last May. The Celts had lost six straight playoff road games at Atlanta and Cleveland and they headed to the Palace of Auburn Hills with the series tied, 1-1. The Pistons were in their sixth straight conference final, having won the NBA title in 2004. There wasn’t any reason to believe they wouldn’t make the Celtics squirm. Boston quickly allayed any fears, however, blasting the home team in Game 3, 94-80, and when the series ended up going back to Auburn Hills for Game 6, the Celtics won that one, too, setting the stage for a finals appearance against the Lakers. Up, 2-0, and with three straight games on tap in LA, the Celtics followed up a close Game 3 loss with a close Game 4 victory at Staples Center, giving them a 3-1 series lead. Because of that road win, they were able to wrap up the title with a Game 6 rout back at the Garden. While it’s true that the Celtics have lost six straight games at Cleveland, including the playoffs, over the past two seasons, coach Doc Rivers thinks his team can win there. More importantly at the moment, he knows his team can win in Orlando, a possible second-round opponent, and it’s already proven that it can win in Philadelphia and Detroit. Philadelphia and Detroit are important because the Celtics could be facing one or the other in the first round of the playoffs. As they head into Atlanta tonight, the Celtics are a few percentage points behind the Magic in third place in the East. While it won’t remain exactly that way, they will finish either second or third. As things stand now, a third-place finish would mean a first-round series against Detroit. A second-place finish would pit them against Philadelphia. Just to throw a monkey wrench into the playoff preparations, Philadelphia started Thursday only a half a game behind Miami, while Chicago could move up and pass anybody, most likely Detroit. The Magic, at the moment, would be facing Detroit. Or they could face Philadelphia. Or Miami or Chicago. Bottom line: if the two higher seeds get out of the first round as they should, they’d be facing each other. Just as Rivers thinks he can win in Cleveland, he knows his team can win in Orlando. It’s already done so once this season, and came darned close despite the limited participation of Kevin Garnett Wednesday night. Rivers has said repeatedly that he doesn’t care if his team is forced to play on the road, having lost its home court advantage, because he thinks his team can win anywhere. Simply because Atlanta and Cleveland gave the Celtics so much trouble last year doesn’t mean it’ll happen again this year. For Rivers, there’s only one issue. “We would like to have (home-court advantage),” he said, “but for us, health is far more important. If you aren’t going to get the first seed, we want to be healthy, that’s the way we look at it. Obviously, we would like it, and we’re going to play for it, but we feel we can win anywhere, we really do.” That’s why Rivers hasn’t felt tempted to push Kevin Garnett into more minutes. Thus far Garnett hasn’t played more than 18 minutes, averaging 17, in the four starts since he returned from his right knee strain, and only now is the coach going to allow him to increase his numbers slightly. Without Garnett on the court the Celtics are a shell of themselves, but Rivers will not compromise his health at any cost. Rivers is also facing the dilemma of trying to reduce the minutes of Paul Pierce, who’s looked somewhat off his game for the last four games. Rivers is keeping a close eye on Rajon Rondo, who’s been dealing with a right ankle injury, only to have his left foot stepped on by Orlando’s Dwight Howard Wednesday. Plus, Rivers is looking at a stretch drive without Leon Powe, Brian Scalabrine and maybe Tony Allen. Bad enough that they won’t be around to help solidify the Celtics heading into the playoffs, but Rivers would sorely like to have them back in time to sharpen up prior to the playoffs. Rivers doesn’t care about second place or third place or how players aren’t playing. He simply wants to be ready for the playoffs.
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