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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 7:58:30 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1162911&format=textOvertime pays off big for for late-starting Celtics Overcome mistakes to rally past Bobcats By Mark Murphy | Thursday, April 2, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone At their very worst last night, the Celtics [team stats] were unfit for public viewing. At their ugliest, they went nine minutes without a basket while shooting 0-for-11 with six turnovers. At their best? The Garden crowd, brought to its feet so many times this season, has rarely flown so high. Ray Allen, after hitting a 3-pointer to send the game into a second overtime, buried a baseline trey with two seconds left in the second OT for the Celtics’ 111-109 win over Charlotte. The Celtics guard managed this after uncorking that rarest of Ray Allen rarities on the previous possession - an air ball from downtown. “When you have one of the greatest shooters to play the game, it’s a no-brainer,” Paul Pierce [stats] said of his pass out to Allen for the game-winner. “Maybe three or four years ago I would have penetrated into three guys and shot a bad shot over the defense, but I trust my teammates to the utmost. I drew the defense, and Ray was wide open. “Regardless if he did air-ball the shot before that, I have total confidence in him.” The win, coupled with Orlando’s loss to Toronto, pushed the Celtics into second place in the Eastern Conference. The win also couldn’t have come against a hotter opponent. Charlotte, a young team with a chance of grabbing the East’s eighth playoff seed, is living the high life. They preceded last night’s narrow loss with a 10-point win over the Lakers Tuesday night in Charlotte. The Celtics can attest better than most to the danger of the Bobcats, who have now taken the C’s to overtime twice this season and won once, on Jan. 6 in Charlotte. But on a night when both sides posted scary numbers - the Celtics tied a season-high with 25 turnovers - Larry Brown naturally expected more. The Charlotte coach, noting that his team had tied a season low with seven free throw attempts, said, “When you get to the free throw line seven times and take 102 shots, something’s wrong.” Indeed, the Bobcats took 25 more shots than their mistake-prone hosts. But the Bobcats also had an eight-point lead with 2:04 left in regulation, before the Celtics closed with an 8-0 run that was fueled by the incessant Rajon Rondo [stats]. Rondo hit two free throws to tie the game at 93 with 27.6 seconds left, and the Bobcats polished off their 2:04 drought with a shot-clock violation. The Bobcats appeared to shake off that collapse, taking charge in the first overtime when Gerald Wallace blew in off the baseline for a hoop and a 99-98 lead with 2:14 left. As evidence of his sweet-and-sour night, Allen was blocked by Emeka Okafor, leading to a long possession - fueled by three offensive boards - by Charlotte that culminated in Diaw’s jumper and a 101-98 lead for the Bobcats. Pure shooter that he is, Allen shook off being swatted by his fellow UConn alumnus, and with 12.4 seconds left nailed a trey for the 101-101 tie. Raja Bell missed an off-balance 3-point attempt, and the Celtics once again had life. Allen, who would score 15 of his 22 points from downtown on 5-of-13 shooting, hit his fourth 3-pointer with 2:12 left in the second overtime for a 106-105 lead. Felton took the lead right back with a 20-footer, and after Rondo set up a Pierce put-back with a drive against fullcourt pressure, Okafor scored out of the post for a 109-108 Charlotte lead. Allen fell as he launched an air ball, but the Celtics got the ball back when Wallace answered with a miss of his own. The Celtics ran down the clock, Pierce drew the defense, and fired the ball out to Allen on the right baseline, who drained the game-winner. “We don’t want to continue that trend,” Eddie House said of needing to climb out of an eight-point hole late in regulation. “In the playoffs, teams are good and they execute. We want to be on the flip side.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 7:59:51 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1162917&format=textBig shot Ray Allen follows through with heroics By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Beat | Thursday, April 2, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone With 1:45 left in the first overtime, Ray Allen had his shot blocked by Emeka Okafor. With 33.9 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Ray Allen airmailed a 3-pointer from the right wing. In the words of future Senator Blutarsky, “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” Thoroughly undaunted, Allen followed up the block by hitting a trey that allowed the Celtics [team stats] admission to the second OT. Then, after his launch into the vapor (and a Charlotte miss), Allen stood patiently in the right corner as Paul Pierce [stats] drove and kicked the ball out. Allen accepted the pass and burned the Bobcats with a 3-pointer that gave the Celts a 111-109 victory. “That’s Ray,” Pierce said. “He’s a future Hall of Famer, and great players seem to find a way. When Ray misses a shot, it doesn’t discourage him. His confidence is through the roof regardless of if he’s missed two, three, four hundred shots in a row. He always feels like the next one’s going to go in.” Backed into a corner, the captain had to break down and admit he’d never actually seen Allen miss that many consecutively. “Never,” Pierce said with a laugh. “He’s never missed 300 shots in a row.” Pierce then turned decidedly more serious. “Hey, I’ll proclaim Ray the greatest shooter that I’ve ever seen in the history of the NBA. I mean, you have to say the guys like (retired Indiana Pacers great) Reggie Miller (are on that list). But you’ve got to talk about guys who’ve done it in crucial situations, and Ray has definitely done that.” In fact, Allen has done that twice in the last two seasons against the Bobcats, who are starting to take this stuff personally. “I know my sisters are at home watching and they live in Charlotte,” Allen said. “They’ve got to go to work the next day, so I at least want them to have something to talk about.” This morning Allen’s siblings can speak about a family member who went 1-for-7 from the floor over the third and fourth quarters and regained his stroke in time. “For a second, everything was flat,” Allen said. “I just needed to back away from it and get my legs back under me. I just clean-slated it. Eddie (House) was like, ‘I don’t normally say nothing to you, but your shot . . . everything is flat.’ It was all in my legs, and I knew it once the ball left my fingertips. It’s a funky thing for me. If my shots are flat, it’s all in my legs.” As Allen worked things out in his mind, House, the hero in the previous game, offered more encouragement. “It just takes one,” House said. “And I told Ray. I told him. I said, ‘Don’t worry, man. You’re going to knock it down when we really need it.’ And he did exactly that. You know, shooters aren’t afraid to take the next shot. Even after he shot an airball, he came back and hit the shot. That’s just a Hall of Fame player right there.” Allen chalked up the airball to “bad circumstances,” noting that he saw Kendrick Perkins [stats] get free under the basket and knew that he should have been making a pass as he went up to shoot. The last play was just a case of making sure he was in the right place at the right time. “I didn’t really expect for (Bobcats defender Gerald) Wallace to leave me,” Allen said. “Paul just had the wherewithal to throw it back to me, and that’s why I always try to put myself in a position where he has a choice to pass me the ball. Whether he does it or not, he always a choice. That’s the best thing we can do out there. When Doc draws up a play, there are so many different options, and we just have to pay attention and understand which ones are available. You’ve got Eddie on one side, then I’m on one side and Paul has the ball. So he has choices.” Allen was flattered that Pierce chose him as the best shooter, but he managed a rebuttal of sorts. “Well, he didn’t play with Reggie Miller,” Allen said. “I’m sure he would have seen the heroics from him day in and day out.” Pierce saw all he needed to see last night.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 8:01:59 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1162918&format=textDoc Rivers has faith in defense minus Kevin Garnett By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Thursday, April 2, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Matt Stone Now that Kevin Garnett is on ice until at least the last week of the regular season, speculation abounds about how effective the Celtics [team stats] forward will be in the playoffs. But Doc Rivers remains resolute about one thing - even with a limited Garnett, the Celtics can repeat as NBA champions. “Yeah, we can win if he isn’t 100 percent,” the Celtics coach said before last night’s 111-109 double overtime win over the Charlotte Bobcats. “And I think he will be 100 percent.” Larry Brown, his Hornets fresh off a rousing win over the Lakers on Tuesday night, refused to quantify Garnett’s impact on how well the Celtics can defend if their defensive leader is in a sub-par state. “They’re a great defensive team,” said Brown. “I don’t even think about the Celtics, really. I have enough to worry about with my own team. “But I got to coach Kevin in (Olympic) qualifying and on the Olympic team, and you can’t put a value on what he does for a team.” Welcome return Rivers had the rare luxury of actually welcoming someone back into the lineup last night, though Tony Allen never made it past the scorer’s table before the C’s coach had second thoughts about a fourth-quarter substitution. But Allen, sufficiently recovered from thumb surgery, was thus listed as eligible for his first game after missing the previous 21 to the injury. “I’m pretty good,” said the guard. “These last few games I can use to get my conditioning up. We’ll see how it goes.” One immediate benefit of Allen’s presence was lessening the burgeoning minutes burden on Ray Allen and Paul Pierce [stats] since the advent of Garnett’s knee trouble. “It helps me more with Ray’s than Paul’s minutes, but it does give us some important time,” said Rivers. “You’re looking for ways to get Ray and Paul off the floor, so this is important.cw0 “There’s no limitations. His legs are fine,” Rivers added. “It’s the hand that’s the issue. When you come back from a hand injury, your biggest concern is that someone doesn’t slap it. But his wind is good, and right now he just needs games.” Calculating Cal Rajon Rondo [stats] was relatively unmoved by yesterday’s introduction of John Calipari as head coach of his alma mater, Kentucky. “I don’t really know anything about him,” Rondo said, “but I’m sure they’re probably excited down there to get a new coach. It doesn’t take much to upset people down there. All you have to do is lose two games in a row and they get upset.” . . . A limited amount of first-round playoff tickets for home games 1 and 2 go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. There is a four-ticket limit per customer, with prices starting at $12. Tickets can be purchased at the Garden box office, at Celtics.com or at 1-800-4NBA-TIX
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 10:30:01 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/02/three_cheers?mode=PFThree, cheers Garden erupts as Allen gives Celtics the win By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | April 2, 2009 The Celtics consider the Charlotte Bobcats the definition of a nightmare first-round playoff opponent. Fortunately for the Celtics, they will not likely have to face the Bobcats again this season after earning a 111-109 double-overtime victory last night - 24 hours after the Bobcats defeated the Lakers in Charlotte, N.C. In fact, the seeding prospects of the Celtics (57-19) improved markedly as they took a one-game lead over the Orlando Magic for second place in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte (34-41) fell 1 1/2 games behind Chicago in the battle for the No. 8 seed. The scenarios for both teams hinged on Ray Allen converting the deciding 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining in the second overtime. Allen (22 points), who was living a bad dream for most of the game, led the way in OT, capping a rally as the Celtics overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Allen stole a Gerald Wallace pass and hit a three with 2:11 to go in the second OT to give the Celtics a 106-105 lead. Boston had a chance to gain a 3-point lead after a Kendrick Perkins block, but Paul Pierce's lefthanded drive missed. The Bobcats' Raymond Felton and Pierce (32 points) traded baskets, then Emeka Okafor's post-up banker gave Charlotte a 109-108 lead with 45 seconds remaining. Allen airballed a three off the dribble, but Felton missed on a drive, and Eddie House gathered the rebound. Pierce then found Allen in the corner opposite the Bobcats' bench for the winning shot. Raja Bell missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. "I didn't really expect for Wallace to leave me," Allen said. "But I know Paul. Paul just had the wherewithal to throw it back to me. And that's why I always try to put myself in a position where he has a choice to pass me the ball - whether he does or not, he has a choice." Charlotte, which took a 114-106 overtime victory over Boston Jan. 6, presented difficult matchups for the Kevin Garnett-less Celtics, who failed to adjust until it was almost too late. The Celtics, who host Atlanta tomorrow, went through a drought of 9:58 and shot 4 for 15 in the third quarter. Charlotte scored 33 points in the opening quarter, and the Celtics recovered with a 28-18 second quarter against a lineup missing Boris Diaw and Wallace. In the third quarter, the Bobcats went on 8- and 10-point runs for a 77-71 lead. The Celtics struggled after going ahead, 62-53, on an Allen 3-pointer 1:26 into the second half. Charlotte's double-teams threw the Celtics off balance, and they did not convert from the field again until Pierce's three off an inbounds play, cutting the deficit to 74-68 with 36 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Bobcats' 21-6 run included three Okafor dunks. Pierce kept the Celtics in contention by hitting a 3-pointer and drawing a three-shot foul in the final minute of the quarter. Felton stretched the Bobcats' lead to 85-73 with a drive with 8:48 remaining. But House's 3-pointer with one second on the shot clock and 6:01 remaining seemed to spark the Celtics. The Celtics closed regulation with a 14-4 run. Charlotte still was in command as Bell's banker out of a timeout made it 93-85 with 2:03 to play. But Pierce (1:44) hit a jumper, Rajon Rondo (1:17) a drive, House a transition three off a Rondo feed (54 seconds), and Rondo two free throws (27.6). The Celtics forced a shot-clock violation, but Rondo's one-hander rolled off the rim at the buzzer. Allen woke up after regulation, scoring 11 points in the overtimes. "I just needed to kind of back away from it and get my legs back," he said. "I went out of the game and clean-slated it." On the deciding play, Pierce drew two defenders and nearly a third as Wallace stepped away from Allen, then attempted to recover. "I mean, when you have one of the greatest shooters to play the game, it's a no-brainer," Pierce said. "Maybe like three, four years ago, I would have penetrated into three guys and shot a bad shot over the defense. But I trust my teammates to the utmost. I drew the defense, Ray was wide open - regardless if he did airball the shot before that, I have total confidence in him." Diaw hit a jumper from the corner in front of the Celtics' bench out of a timeout with 19.4 seconds left in the first OT. The shot capped an extraordinary possession in which the Bobcats missed three times but grabbed two offensive rebounds and controlled a jump ball. But seven seconds after Diaw's shot, Allen tied it with a three out of a timeout, then rebounded a Charlotte miss with two seconds to go. But the first OT ended as Celtics coach Doc Rivers's attempt to call a timeout was ignored by officials. Both Rivers and Charlotte coach Larry Brown believed they had cause to complain - the Bobcats tied a franchise low for free throw attempts with seven. "I love it when it looks like you can't win and then you come out and you still win the game," Rivers said. "That says a lot about your team."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 10:31:20 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/02/it_bears_repeating_health_key?mode=PFIt bears repeating: Health key By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | April 2, 2009 No NBA franchise has understood the challenge of repeating as champion over the last 10 years better than San Antonio. The Spurs have won four titles since 1999, but none back-to-back. Sure, better teams came along, such as the Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. There were moments in playoff games that still haunt the Spurs, such as the Lakers' Derek Fisher's winning jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining in 2004, and Manu Ginobili's foul on Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki in 2006. But of all the things that have kept the Spurs from enjoying championship parades on the famed River Walk in consecutive years, injuries are atop coach Gregg Popovich's list. "I know, for a fact, the years we won the championships we were 100 percent healthy," said Popovich last month. "Everybody was 100 percent, and I think that's the way it's got to be. Every team that has won it, that's been the case for that team." And that has to be the case for the Celtics if they are going to repeat. That is the reason Kevin Garnett has been shut down at least until the April 12 game against Cleveland because of continuing soreness in his right knee. Garnett has missed 16 games since straining the knee Feb. 19 in Utah. While the Celtics have showed they can win without him in the regular season, trying to knock off the Magic, Cavaliers, or Lakers minus their power forward would be a steep challenge. So instead, they have shut down Garnett with the hope that come playoff time, he will be healthy. "Kevin is as good of a player that we have in our league," said Larry Brown, whose Bobcats lost to the Celtics, 111-109, in double overtime last night at the Garden. History has shown that injuries are often the demise of teams looking to repeat as champions. Magic Johnson won five titles with the Lakers, but the only repeat crown came in 1988. "When it didn't happen, it was because of injury," said Johnson. "We were really unfortunate that one of our key guys usually got hurt. We were not able to repeat. And the times that we got beat, it wasn't because of lack of effort." Cedric Maxwell won two titles with the Celtics, but not back-to-back. While Maxwell said motivated opponents playing at a higher level made it tough to repeat, he acknowledged that injuries played a role, too. "It's huge," he said. "In 1982, that's when we had a rash of injuries. We got hurt. You have to get lucky. Last year, they were lucky." Since the Lakers' three-peat of 2000, '01, and '02, only one NBA champion has advanced to the Finals the next season. In 2005, a healthy Pistons team lost to the Spurs in seven games. "The two years I was there, for the most part we were unbelievably healthy," said Brown, who coached the Pistons from 2003-05. Popovich said he attempts to keep stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Ginobili healthy by closely monitoring their minutes and making practices light during the season. Celtics coach Doc Rivers has tried to do the same, but it has been tough because of the number of injuries. When he's played, Garnett has averaged slightly fewer minutes than last season, while teammates Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are averaging more. Last night's return of guard Tony Allen from thumb surgery should help Allen and Pierce. Said Ray Allen, "Doc has done a great job getting us rest. We want to be in for a long ride again. For the most part, that's the biggest deterrent is playing so many games and having so much on your bodies. There is really nothing you can do about it. You just have to be fortunate and take advantage of the ones you do have healthy." While the Celtics will not earn the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, they have a one-game lead on Orlando, even without Garnett. If Garnett is healthy, the Celtics are confident they can defeat the inexperienced Magic, or anyone for that matter, without home court in the playoffs. "Not to sound cocky or nothing, but I believe so," Kendrick Perkins said. "I don't think we should go seven games with anybody unless we are just [joking around] ourselves. I just feel we are a confident team. Guys have a lot of energy and the willpower to want to do it. As long as we get healthy, we'll be all right." Said Rajon Rondo, "I'm pretty confident in our team. We can win anywhere." The playoff road would be far from easy as the No. 3 seed. The Celtics won only three road playoff games last season en route to the title. As the third seed, they would likely have to overcome Orlando and Cleveland (36-1 at home) to get back to the Finals. "If you're not healthy, you've got no shot," Popovich said. "If you don't have the highest seed that you want, you've still got a shot if you've got your players." Said Rivers, "Obviously, we'd love to have the 1 seed or 2 seed. But if we are healthy out there, I'm very confident in our basketball team."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 10:33:03 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/02/rivers_is_optimistic?mode=PFRivers is optimistic Garnett expected back for playoffs By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | April 2, 2009 Coach Doc Rivers said last night he expects Kevin Garnett to return for the playoffs. And even if Garnett is subpar, his presence could lift the Celtics to a second successive NBA title. Rivers said of Garnett's return, "I think he absolutely will. There's always a chance [Garnett won't be ready], but I don't see that, I really don't. I would be very, very surprised if Kevin Garnett is not playing in Game 1 of the playoffs." Asked if the Celtics could repeat with Garnett at less than 100 percent, Rivers said, "Yes. I believe that. Defensively is where we need him, obviously offensively, too, with his shot and all that, his leadership on the floor. I really believe we can. And I think he will be [at full strength], or close to it - I don't know if he'll be 100 percent - but I do, that is the answer, without him being 100 percent." Garnett, who sustained a right knee strain Feb. 19, missed last night's 111-109 double-overtime win over the Bobcats and is not expected to return before an April 12 visit to Cleveland. The Celtics' chances of capturing the championship without Garnett? "That would be difficult, that would be very difficult," Rivers said. "But let's hope that's something we don't have to find out." Rivers said Garnett has come to accept his enforced rest period; he has missed 18 games this season. "Early on he didn't," Rivers said. "It was, 'I'm getting back, I'm getting back.' Maybe sitting out allowed him to take a deep breath. Absolutely, the maturity factor - not just Kevin, but most veteran players, they start looking at the big picture." The Celtics announced tickets for the opening two playoff games will be on sale starting at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Tony Allen back Tony Allen, who had missed 35 games with injuries this season, returned to the active list for the first time since Feb. 8 but didn't play. Allen, who injured his left thumb in practice Feb. 10, went through a full practice session Tuesday. Allen went to the scorer's table as a substitute in the fourth quarter, but did not enter the game, missing his 22d in succession. "I was going to get Eddie [ House], but then he caught fire and I sat back down," Allen said. "It is what it is - I ain't tripping. We got the win. It was a great feeling just knowing what to do at times and in certain situations. It feels great just to be out there." Before the game, Allen said, "It's been very frustrating. I thought I was getting on a roll after the San Antonio game [Feb. 8]. Then, unfortunately, the injury set me back. It's a small obstacle to overcome and I'm looking forward to getting back. I'd say I'm about 75 percent. Give it about two more weeks, I should be 100 percent." "His legs are fine," said Rivers. "We just have to hope he can make it through games. It's a hand injury, and when you come back from a hand injury, you just hope someone doesn't [hit it], but you know they will." Allen's return improves the Celtics' options at guard, allowing Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to rest. "It helps me more with Ray and Paul's minutes," Rivers said. "He is undersized for a 3 but strong enough to guard them. With Kevin out, you're looking for ways to get Ray and Paul off the floor at times, and this will help." Short on bigs The Celtics remain vulnerable in the frontcourt, missing Garnett, Leon Powe (knee), and Brian Scalabrine (concussion). The team's only centers/power forwards last night were Glen Davis, Mikki Moore, and Kendrick Perkins. "Not having Kevin and Leon and Scal - three 4s - makes us very small and slim, as far as the bench," Rivers said. "It's very important for Perk, Mikki, and Baby to stay out of foul trouble, and unfortunately, the way they play - and we don't want them to change the way they play - it's a tough one. There will be a game where we get stuck. The Chicago game it happened, and I wouldn't be shocked to see it happen again."
Rivers also described a worst-case scenario with possible second-round playoff opponent Orlando.
"Teams do go small against us," he said. "And not having Kevin or Scal - Kevin can guard Rashard Lewis, and so can Scal. But we've ended up having [Davis] guarding [Lewis], and that's not the best matchup for you."
Powe plans to return to practice the last week of the regular season.
Sweet Charlotte
Rivers reiterated his prediction Charlotte would qualify for the playoffs - the Bobcats were tied with Chicago in the loss column for the final Eastern Conference spot before last night.
"I said early in the year and I still do think so, but it's going to be tough," Rivers said. "They're good - if you're a 1 seed, they are not the team you want to see in the first round."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 11:04:03 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x148338132/Celtics-111-Bobcats-109-Ray-shinesCeltics 111, Bobcats 109: Ray shines -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Scott Souza/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Apr 01, 2009 @ 11:58 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — Given Paul Pierce's assessment of Ray Allen after the game, it's no surprise the captain looked to him when it was on the line. Down a point in the final 10 seconds of the second overtime last night at the TD Banknorth Garden, Pierce pushed the ball up the floor off a Charlotte miss for the final shot. With most everyone in the building thinking the Pierce was destined to take it, he instead found Allen for a corner 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in Boston's scintillating 111-109 victory. "I proclaim Ray the greatest shooter I've ever seen in the NBA," declared Pierce. "You've got to think of the guys who've done it in crucial situations, and Ray's done that." Allen was just 2-of-9 behind the arc for 11 points in regulation, but scored 11 more on 3-of-4 long-range shooting in the two overtimes. His 3-point attempt to give the Celtics the lead with 32.4 seconds left in the second OT caught nothing but air, but he didn't hesitate when given a second chance. "That's Ray," said Pierce, who had a game-high 32 points. "He's a future Hall of Famer. Great players seem to find a way. When Ray shoots and misses a shot, it doesn't discourage him. ... His confidence is through the roof, regardless if he's missed two, three, four hundred shots in a row, he always feels the next one is going to go in." "I told Ray not to worry, man," said Eddie House (18 points on 7-of-10 shooting). "You're going to knock it down when we really need it. He did exactly that. Shooters aren't afraid to take the next shot. They always have confidence in themselves. Even after he shot the air ball, he came back and hit the big shot. That's a Hall of Fame player right there." Allen said he just wanted to give Pierce options. "Paul had the wherewithal to throw it back to me," he said. "I just always try to put myself in position where he has the choice to pass me the ball, whether he does or doesn't. When Doc (Rivers) draws up the play, there's so many different options and we just have to pay attention to which ones are available." It was a thrilling end to a long, and often arduous, night for the Celtics. After battling back from two early nine-point deficits, they were down 12 in the fourth quarter after going nearly 10 minutes without a basket. Boston was down eight in the final three minutes before rallying to force overtime, and trailed in both extra sessions. "That was a great, gutty win," said Rivers. "There were so many times when we were down and could've given up, and just made big shots. Our guys executed down the stretch. It's funny, over the last week and a half that literally is all we've talked about - getting playoff ready where every possession counts. "I thought we were sliding for a while and now we are starting to get it back down the stretch." The Celtics were up nine early in the third before going without a basket for 9:56. Pierce finally ended the drought with a 3-pointer and the Celtics hit the fourth down 77-71. The Boston woes continued into the fourth as a Stephon Marbury jumper at the shot-clock buzzer accounted for their only points of the first 5:57 of the quarter, as Charlotte went up 85-73. A Glen Davis dunk made it 91-85 with 2:53 to go, but House was off the mark on his chance to halve the hole on the next possession. After Raja Bell and Pierce traded baskets and then a Rondo steal and drive, a House jumper made it 93-91 with 54.9 seconds left. The Celtics then forced the Bobcats into a miss and Rondo capped the 10-2 run with a pair of pressure-packed free throws with 27.6 seconds on the clock to even the score. Boston forced Charlotte into a shot-clock violation as the final seconds ticked down, giving the Celtics 3.6 seconds for a final shot in regulation. But Rondo's bank was wide off the glass. In the first OT, Boris Diaw hit a baseline jumper for a 101-98 lead with 19.4 seconds to go. Again, the Celtics responded just in time with Allen knocking down a catch-and-shoot trey from Rondo with 12.4 ticks left to force a second OT. An Allen 3-pointer gave the Celtics a 106-105 lead with 2:08 left in the second OT, but Pierce's drive to extend the lead rolled off the rim and Ray Felton put Charlotte back up a point with a jumper at the 1:09 mark. A Pierce put-back was followed by an Emeka Okafor basket, then Allen air-mailed the 3-pointer and Charlotte had a one-point lead and the ball with 32.4 ticks remaining. House grabbed a rebound of a Bobcat miss and the Celtics pushed the ball up the floor to Pierce, who found Allen for the winner.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 11:06:21 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x148338156/Celtics-Notebook-The-other-Allen-back-in-the-foldCeltics Notebook: The 'other' Allen back in the fold -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Scott Souza/Daily News staff GHS Posted Apr 02, 2009 @ 12:10 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — Celtics coach Doc Rivers looked down the bench last night and saw something he hasn't seen all year - depth in the backcourt. With Tony Allen back in uniform after missing 22 games due to left thumb surgery, Rivers had the full complement of veteran hands on deck he'd been searching for since the beginning of the season. "That really helps," said the coach of adding Allen back to a rotation that includes Stephon Marbury. "It helps me more with Ray (Allen's) and Paul (Pierce's) minutes. Tony is still undersized for a (small forward). But he is strong enough to guard them. So it does give us options. Especially with Kevin (Garnett) being out, you are looking for ways to get Paul and Ray off the floor at times, and we haven't been able to do that." Tony Allen began the season as the primary backup at both shooting guard and small forward with James Posey's offseason departure, but could see a lot more time at forward the rest of this year with Marbury and Eddie House sharing time in the backcourt. "It really depends on the other teams," Rivers said. "When teams go small, it allows Eddie and Steph to be on the floor together. When teams are big, then it makes it more difficult." Tony Allen said prior to Sunday's game against the Thunder that he was targeting next Wednesday as a possible return date, but after he received medical clearance from team doctors on Tuesday, Rivers said there was no sense in not getting him right back out there. "It's a hand injury," Rivers said. "When you come back from a hand injury you just hope someone doesn't (hit it). But you know someone will. He wouldn't have gotten clearance if they didn't think he could sustain it." The sixth-year swingman, who was originally forecast to miss the rest of the regular season after sustaining ligament damage at a Feb. 10 practice, said a month ago he hoped to return for the final few games before the playoffs. "I have jitters," he said before the game. "I don't want to come back and try to do too much. I just want to try to fit back in." Starting point guard Rajon Rondo said he doesn't think that will be a big problem even with Marbury now in the mix. "I'm sure it won't be hard," he determined. "Tony knows the system. He knows what Doc expects out of him. He's a defensive player first. He still knows his role and he'll fit in fine." Rivers acknowledged he did have some catching up to do. "As the season goes on you put in new stuff offensively," the coach said. "We had a tutorial (Tuesday in practice), which was funny because we were going over the old stuff with Tony and it was new stuff for him, while it was older stuff for Steph and Mikki (Moore). It was almost comical." *** While Rivers said he will be very cautious when it comes to bringing Garnett back a second time from his right knee strain, he dismissed the most dire worries about the reigning Defensive Player of the Year being lost for the season. "I think he absolutely will (be back)," Rivers said. "There's always a chance he won't, but I don't see it. I would be very, very surprised if Kevin Garnett is not playing Game 1 of the playoffs." Rondo, however, was a little more ominous in his advice. "He's a human first," he said. "I hope he gets better. I hope he doesn't rush back just for the playoffs. His injury is pretty serious, so it could probably end his career. He probably has three or four years left, so we want to make sure he has three or four years left and doesn't come back too soon and have to retire early." ... Leon Powe (right knee injury) worked out in a pool for about an hour yesterday as his rehab process took a step forward. He said he has been doing bike training and some light shooting, but is still likely two weeks away from returning to practice.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 2, 2009 12:17:35 GMT -5
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