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FLCeltsFan
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Perk is a Beast

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News 3/28 Mar 28, 2009 7:57:11 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 28, 2009 7:57:11 GMT -5

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1161699&format=text
Glen Davis’ double-double powers Celtics in Atlanta
Baby comes up big time

By Steve Bulpett | Saturday, March 28, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
ATLANTA - Kevin Garnett couldn’t play against the Hawks last night because his right knee was acting up. But not to worry, the Celtics [team stats] had his back - and a thoroughly impressive 99-93 victory.

Glen Davis made sure Garnett’s knee didn’t hurt the Celts too badly. Big Baby had 10 points and 10 rebounds by halftime, finishing with 19 and 12. Not only that, but he and Kendrick Perkins [stats] provided the kind of interior toughness that fairly humbled the Hawks.

This was clearly a group effort, with Ray Allen adding 22 points, Paul Pierce [stats] 21, Eddie House 12 and, in his smoothest game as a Celtic, Stephon Marbury 11. Rajon Rondo [stats], bothered by soreness in both ankles, had all nine of his points and four of his five assists in the second half.

“Really impressive,” said Doc Rivers. “I thought our bench - Eddie and Steph in the first half - was huge. I thought Mikki (Moore, two points, 10 rebounds) is playing better. And I thought Baby was terrific.

“Baby was physical. He got his body in the way a lot. You know, he’s a big man, and when he throws that body around, that’s good for us. And we needed it. We needed him to be big tonight.”

The game looked to be over after three quarters. The Celts had led by 17 with 7:25 to go in the frame after Rajon Rondo scored five points to cap a 10-3 run. Atlanta scored nine unanswered points in reply, but the C’s closed the period with nine straight of their own, ending with a Big Baby dunk with 1.6 left on a set play out of a timeout.

Davis scored on a free throw and a drive to open the fourth and make it a 20-point game. But the Hawks had a little more to say - enough that Pierce had to reluctantly re-enter the game with five minutes to go and the margin down to 12.

Atlanta got it as tight as four, but when Pierce missed a jumper with about 30 seconds to go, Allen tracked down the rebound. Pierce was fouled and hit two free throws with 18 seconds left.

In the end, Baby was still the big deal. His monster block of Joe Johnson in the second quarter - a power move that saw him stuff it at the point of release and hold on - was enough to impress Hawk legend Dominique Wilkins.

“That’s the best block I’ve seen in the last year,” Wilkins said. “A block like that, now that gets my respect. That kid is good.”

The Celts were, too, last night. Allen had eight points in the first quarter as the C’s forged a 28-25 lead.

Marbury stepped into the spotlight in the second quarter, knocking down three 3-pointers - the last with 1.8 seconds left in the half for a 52-42 C’s lead at the break.

“With their key guys out,” said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, “they still have guys on the team who can get in there and play. Glen Davis was huge tonight, and we had nothing to stop him. They banged a little harder than we did, and they hustled a lot harder than we did.”

From a steal and three-quarter court drive for a transition hoop, to getting up into Al Horford in traffic to draw a charge, Davis made his mark on the evening.

“I had to come in with a different focus tonight with Kevin out of the game,” he said.

Said Pierce: “He’s been playing well of late since he’s been in the rotation. He’s big and he’s developing a certain confidence about his game. You don’t know when Kevin’s going to come back or how he’s going to come back, so this is a big lift from Baby.”

Added Allen: “He played a hell of a game tonight. He probably doesn’t really understand it, but you can play a great game and still have a lot of mistakes. The game is not perfect, but the way Glen was playing tonight, he was hustling.

“Tonight we needed him to score and he did it for us.”

It was the kind of performance that helps give Garnett the room he needs to heal his right knee.

“Just mental toughness,” said Rivers. “We’ve got a group that believes they’re going to win games no matter who’s on the floor. They were talking about winning. I didn’t hear anybody talking about injuries.”

FLCeltsFan
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Perk is a Beast

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News 3/28 Mar 28, 2009 7:59:00 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 28, 2009 7:59:00 GMT -5

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1161716&format=text
Kevin Garnett rests knee
Soreness may keep him out tomorrow, too

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Saturday, March 28, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
ATLANTA - Four games after returning from a knee injury - in limited minutes at that - Kevin Garnett was kept out of last night’s matchup with the Hawks. Doc Rivers insists, however, there is no room for long-term concern with the All-Star power forward.

“No, I’m not concerned in the big picture,” the coach said. “I’m just going to make sure I don’t have concern by doing it this way. He’s just not feeling great, and we’re just not going to take the chance. So it’s a day of rest. (It’s) just soreness. Nothing structural or anything. It’s not at a point where he’s seeing any doctors or anything like that.

“It doesn’t (worry him) because he probably could go (against Atlanta). We just want to get it right, and if you can err on one of the two sides, we’re going to err on this side.”

Asked if Garnett would play if this a Game 7, Rivers replied, “If this was Game 1 of the playoffs, he may be (playing). But it’s not, so we want to make sure when that does come he’s ready.”

It’s more than likely Garnett will miss tomorrow night’s home game against Oklahoma City, as well.

“We’re just going to go day by day,” Rivers said. “I would say that because of this, sitting him down, I would probably say if we’re going to do it we’re going to do it more than one game, but I’m not sure yet. If he feels great (today), then (tomorrow) comes back into play. But I don’t know. There’s no reason to take a chance.

“He was sore the other day after the back-to-backs, but then he came back and played pretty well. It’s a little frustrating, and it’s tough for the guys because the lineups keep changing. When he doesn’t play, we play differently, too, so that’s been a little frustrating. But other than that, I look at the silver lining. It gets more guys on the floor hopefully to get them closer to being ready. So we’ll take advantage of it.”

According to Rivers, it’s still possible that Garnett will be on track for the increased minutes that were planned for the coming week. After tomorrow night’s game, the team has two days off. The rest could bring Garnett into line and warrant the extra playing time.

“Yeah, there’s still a chance of that,” Rivers said. “You know, listen, it’s uncharted waters. We don’t know where we’re going with this right now. What we do know is we’re going to do whatever it takes to get him to be 100 percent when the playoffs start. And whatever that takes, that’s what we’re going to do. At this point, I would say that for everybody on our team.”

In light of the fact the Hawks entered last night 11 games behind the Celts for the No. 3 seed in the East, there is no chance of dropping down. It’s also possible the C’s could sit Garnett for the final few games.

“We think about all that,” Rivers said. “We’ll see. We’re going to make that evaluation and determination at some point soon, but we don’t know right now.”

Official rule

The NBA’s Board of Governors finally voted on and made official Thursday the change in the rules reported here in February. The move is designed to prevent a reoccurrence of the bucket scored by Portland against the Celtics [team stats] when it had six men on the floor.

The officials discovered the situation after the Blazers had scored, and by rule at the time, they were not allowed to take it off the board.

Now when such an infraction is called, the offended team will have the choice of keeping the play as it was run under the imbalanced lineups or rewinding the game to the point where the infraction occurred.

“At least they decided it was the wrong decision, which we knew at the time, and they made a change to it,” Rivers said. “That to me is a good thing. Stuff like that happens. There will be another issue that we don’t know that’ll come up that none of us have thought about, and they’ll have to make a change. Sometimes they don’t, and sometimes they do. I’m glad when they do.”

Marbury returns

The Celtics worked out at Georgia Tech yesterday morning, which had a little more meaning for one player. Point guard Stephon Marbury played his one year of college ball there.

“This is where it started at,” he said. “This was my launching pad. Coming back here is always special.”

FLCeltsFan
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News 3/28 Mar 28, 2009 8:08:15 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 28, 2009 8:08:15 GMT -5

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/03/28/mind_over_matter_for_celtics?mode=PF
Mind over matter for Celtics
Davis picks up slack for injured Garnett
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 28, 2009

ATLANTA - The Celtics took care of business on the floor again with Kevin Garnett away from it.

The Garnett-less Celtics were up 20 points before defeating the Hawks, 99-93, at Philips Arena last night.

The Celtics are 11-6 this season without Garnett, who missed the game because of right knee soreness. The Celtics (55-19) are percentage points behind Orlando (54-18) for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

"Mental toughness," coach Doc Rivers said of winning without Garnett. "We have a group that believes it can win any game no matter who is on the floor."

Garnett, who declined interview requests, missed his 14th game of the season because of right knee ailments. Rivers said Garnett is expected to miss tomorrow night's game against Oklahoma City. With some solid practices, he could return Wednesday against Charlotte.

Glen Davis earned a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 43 minutes playing in place of Garnett.

"We just went out there and played basketball," Davis said. "No matter who's injured or who's hurt, we have to step up and play big. Our job is to go out there and play the game the way it's supposed to be played."

"We can't cry over spilled milk," added Paul Pierce, who poured in 21 points. "Hopefully, [Garnett] can just be healthy for the playoffs. Right now, that's the main concern. Kevin is going to do what he needs to do to get back out there. Meanwhile, the guys have to do what they need to do to step up."

Ray Allen scored a team-high 22 points and nailed three 3-pointers, and the Celtics received help off the bench. Eddie House had 12 points and hit 2 of 4 3-pointers, and Stephon Marbury scored a season-high 11 points. Atlanta's Josh Smith and Joe Johnson each had 22 points.

"They banged a little bit harder than we did, and they hustled a lot harder than we did," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said.

The Celtics had a 52-42 lead at halftime after Marbury nailed a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left. Boston made 6 of 12 treys in the first half, including three from Marbury and two from House. The Hawks were limited to 38.1 percent shooting in the half.

"We came out flat," said Hawks guard Flip Murray, who shot 4 of 13. "We didn't come out with any aggressiveness, and they outworked us."

The Celtics opened the third quarter with 7-2 run, topped off by an Allen jumper, to take a 59-44 lead. A second later, Woodson called time out. Boston finished the third with a 77-60 lead after a dunk by Davis.

Allen's 3-pointer on a pass from Marbury gave the Celtics an 89-69 lead with 6:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks (42-31) stormed back. A 15-2 run trimmed their deficit to 91-84 after a fast-break dunk by Smith with 2:52 left. With Atlanta challenging, Allen silenced the crowd with a 12-foot running jumper to give the Celtics a 95-88 lead. But Johnson followed with a 3-pointer with 1:11 left to keep Atlanta within reach at 95-91.

Pierce and Atlanta's Maurice Evans traded free throws, but after Allen rebounded a Pierce miss, he was fouled and sealed the game by making two free throws with 18 seconds left to push the Celtics ahead, 99-93.

The Celtics have a 3-0 season series lead against the Hawks with one game remaining, in Boston.

"We didn't play until the five-minute mark in the fourth quarter, and you can't beat a team like Boston when you don't start playing until then," Woodson said. "I thought they were the more aggressive team."

Said Rivers, "We made time short, too. It was amazing how many shots Ray made or Paul made out of a timeout or a broken play."

The Celtics finish the regular season with six of their final eight contests at home. Their next road game isn't until April 12 at Cleveland.

"We only have two road games the rest of the year, we have time off, we have practice time," Rivers said.

FLCeltsFan
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Perk is a Beast

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News 3/28 Mar 28, 2009 8:09:31 GMT -5

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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 28, 2009 8:09:31 GMT -5

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/03/28/garnett_is_out_with_knee_pain?mode=PF
Garnett is out with knee pain
He may not play until Wednesday
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 28, 2009

ATLANTA - Kevin Garnett's jersey was untouched inside his locker at Philips Arena last night, but the Celtics hope he will be able to put it back on soon after some solid practices.

Garnett missed the 99-93 win over the Hawks because of right knee soreness. He missed 13 games with the injury before returning to play the previous four games. Coach Doc Rivers said Garnett's latest ailment "wasn't an injury" and a doctor's visit wasn't necessary.

Rivers acknowledged considering sitting Garnett until late in the regular season and said a determination would be made "sometime soon." An NBA source said Garnett still has discomfort and tightening in his knee. Rivers said Garnett will likely miss tomorrow's game against Oklahoma City, but solid practices could allow him to return Wednesday against Charlotte.

"He's not feeling great and we're just not going to take the chance," Rivers said. "A day of rest . . . it's more just the whole knee strain. We're just going to go day by day. I'd say that because we're sitting him down that we'd probably do it for more than one game. But I'm not sure yet."

Rivers said if last night had been a playoff game, Garnett would have been playing.

After scoring in double figures in his first three games back, Garnett appeared hampered as he had 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting and eight rebounds in 17 minutes during an 84-82 loss to Orlando Wednesday. Garnett declined two interview requests last night.

"Its uncharted waters," Rivers said. "We don't know where we are going with this right now. But what we do know is we're going to do whatever it takes to be 100 percent when the playoffs start. And whatever that takes, that's what we're going to do.

"I'm not concerned about the big picture. I'm just going to make sure I don't have concerns."

Not in time
A new NBA rule arrived too late to help the Celtics. The NBA Board of Governors voted Thursday to approve a rule change regarding "too many players on the court," which took effect last night. Under the rule, when such a violation is called, a technical foul will be assessed and the non-offending team will have the option of accepting or nullifying the game action that occurred during the violation.

That rule would have helped the Celtics during a 91-86 loss at Portland Dec. 30. The Trail Blazers were assessed a technical at the end of the first half for having six players on the court, but a Portland basket was not waved off. The Celtics had momentum before that play. Referee Mike Callahan said in a statement after the game, "If we would have caught the six men on the court before the made goal, there would have been no score."

"A little too late," Rivers said. "I don't know why it took so long. It probably took until they had their committee meetings. I have no idea why it took so long. But listen, it affected us. The good thing about the league is they decided it was the wrong decision, which we knew at the time, and they made a change to it. That's a good thing when stuff like that happens.

"There will be another issue that will come up that no one has ever thought about and they'll have to make a change. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes they do. I'm glad when they do."

Asked what else he'd like to see change if he were commissioner for a day, Rivers said he'd help the referees.

"I think as far as officiating the games, they have so much to call," he said. "I just think it makes it very difficult for them to do their jobs. I've always thought that. There are so many different rules. If you think about it, on one play an official can call a three-seconds offense, a three-seconds defense, a five-second dribble offense, and then ref the rest of the game all on one play. If you give me the ball in the post, you have to watch me for a five-seconds count, you got to make sure no one is in the lane for three seconds, no one's in the lane for three seconds on defense. And then you got to actually ref the game."

Tough to stomach
Rajon Rondo had 9 points and five assists in 25 minutes despite two sore ankles. Rivers thought Rondo looked sluggish in the first half, but Rondo said it wasn't because of his ankles, rather a sandwich that didn't settle well.

"It was something I ate in the first half," Rondo said. "I didn't have a lot of energy. I shouldn't have eaten that before the game. I had Chick-fil-A with all that barbecue sauce and honey mustard.

"It didn't settle in too good. So I came in [at halftime] and had a couple bananas and some juice and I felt better in the second half."

Marbury heats up
Stephon Marbury entered last night's game averaging 2.7 points but had a season-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, made 3 of 4 3-pointers, and dished out 2 assists. "Once my legs get back, I'll be the freshest one out of everybody," he said. "It's just a matter of time. I'm not worrying about it at all. I'm just taking it in stride." Said Rivers, "Steph is playing better for us. We're going to need him down the stretch." . . . Rivers said Tony Allen, who is rehabilitating from left knee surgery, is expected back in a little less than two weeks . . . Former Celtics guard Sam Cassell visited his old teammates in the locker room after the game . . . The Celtics had their shootaround at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum instead of at Philips. Boston had its shootaround prior to the game in Orlando at a sports club instead of the Amway Center. Asked why the Celtics are having shootarounds at alternate sites, Rivers said, "We don't like using the other gyms. We like having our own control. We've done that everywhere. It's nothing personal. We just kind of like going to another gym and having shootaround when we want to have it. That keeps all the spies away. I'm joking."