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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 7:18:33 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1163338&format=textCeltics hit spring break Take down Hawks for fourth straight victory By Steve Bulpett | Saturday, April 4, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill With no games until Wednesday, the Celtics [team stats] left the Garden for a spring break of sorts last night. And they did so with a sense of satisfaction, acing their last exam with relative ease. Rajon Rondo [stats] had 13 of his 20 points in the third quarter, jump-starting the Celts to a 104-92 victory against Atlanta. With two days completely off before returning to practice Monday, the Shamrocks can bask in four straight wins. They have won eight of their past nine and are 5-0 in this stretch without Kevin Garnett. “You don’t want to be coming off a loss at home and sitting for four days with the playoffs around the corner,” Paul Pierce [stats] said after his game-high 21 points. “It’s time for us to start building some momentum right now. It’s our fourth game in a row that we won. We want to be playing well going into the playoffs, and it’s good to get a quality win tonight.” Kendrick Perkins [stats] had 12 points and 10 rebounds and matched his career high with seven blocks, while Glen Davis had 19 points for the second straight Friday against Atlanta. They softened up the Hawks with body blows before Rondo delivered the big shots to the head. The Celtics led by four at the half, but once Rondo turned on the jets the night changed dramatically. In addition to his scoring drives (and a big 3-pointer), the resultant Hawks attention left more room for the perimeter shooters. Ray Allen and Pierce hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to open the floodgates. “He was fantastic tonight,” Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said of Rondo. “He was fantastic. He hadn’t hurt us in the last few games, but he was huge tonight I thought.” Added Pierce, “When Rajon is aggressive and he’s scoring the ball, it opens up everything for all of us. Night in and night out, you know me and Ray are going to get our touches. But when Rajon is out there getting 16 points, getting layups and knocking down jumpers, it just opens up the floor for everybody as you can see - Perk getting layups, Baby getting wide-open shots, I’m getting good looks. Our offense gets pretty much unstoppable when he’s going.” Most important for the Celtics, they didn’t stray from their signature defense. The Hawks were held to 35.6 percent shooting, with Joe Johnson going 5-for-13 on the way to a modest 15 points. The Celts forced just 10 turnovers, but they were opportunistic and aggressive in transforming them into 12 points. And where the C’s were a bit sloppy with the ball at times, they gave up just 11 points on 17 turnovers. Holding the fort without reigning Defensive Player of the Year Garnett is key. “Well, they’re not that much different,” Woodson said. “KG, he’s just a double-double guy, and I think Big Baby and Perkins are filling up that void of him not being in there. “I think they’re doing an excellent job. A lot of that has to do with the fact that they’ve won the title so they’ve been through the ringer. They’ve been through big games last year in the playoffs, so they don’t shy away from it.” It can be expected that Pierce and Allen will do more in Garnett’s absence, but when Rondo and Davis each are going 7-for-10 from the floor, Perkins is making 5-of-7 shots, and Mikki Moore is hitting 4-of-5 off the bench, there are plenty of C’s on the rope taking up the slack. Six C’s scored in the third quarter, and five had assists. “I think it is kind of a gift for them to have KG out of the lineup because they are going to need guys like that to come in and step up,” Hawks forward Josh Smith said. “Big Baby has been doing it all season. I’ve been watching the Celtics play, and he’s been able to make an impact for their team, not just tonight but for the whole season.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 7:19:53 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1163373&format=textGreen getting time off for good behavior By Steve Buckley | Saturday, April 4, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill When the Celtics [team stats] trotted off the parquet last night after completing their 104-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, it must have been hard for them not to go right past the locker room, out the door, and into the idling taxi cabs out on Causeway Street. Destination: Logan Airport. Destination from Logan Airport: Any place that’s warm, sunny and out of the shouting distance of Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Because of a thankful fluke in the 2008-09 NBA schedule, the Celtics do not have another game until they host the New Jersey Nets next Wednesday night at the Garden. But having four days between games does not even begin to tell the story. For what matters to the Celtics - and, really, it must be like landing a timeshare in heaven - is that two of those days are being gift-wrapped by Rivers and given to his players as a pre-postseason bonus. Two days off. That’s two days without games, without practice, without jogging, without blackboard sessions, without stationary bikes and, woo-hoo, two days without standing around at HealthPoint and engaging in obligatory chit-chat with the sporting press. Were it not for the fact that the Celtics a) are defending NBA champions and b) happen to be playing with as much dedication and hearrrrt as last year, we’d all be complaining that, geez, for all the money they make they should be out shooting practice buckets. For instance, there would have been a congressional investigation had Rivers bestowed two days off upon the maladroit, pre-New Big Three 2006-07 Celtics. But that was then, and this is, well . . . wow: With last night’s win the C’s are now 58-19. “We’re playing really well right now, but we need a break,” said Rivers. “You know, Paul (Pierce), Ray (Allen) . . . all of them need a break, and, you know, I worry when we come out of a break because it will be four days off. And it doesn’t matter who we play, because (our opponent) will be in rhythm. But I would take this break right now. This is absolutely needed.” Now then, if you played for the Celtics and were given two clean days to use to your liking, what would you do? Before we begin, you aren’t allowed to answer if a) you’re just coming back from a long layoff (Stephon Marbury) or b) just coming back from an injury (Tony Allen). Turns out those two guys are not getting any time off. “I’ll be continuing my therapy,” said Allen, who returned to the lineup last night and logged 7 minutes after missing 23 games because of an injury to his left thumb. “I have a lot of work to do on my hand. No time off for me.” Marbury, still ironing out the kinks following his well-chronicled Knicks hiatus, says he will be in the gym shooting. “My choice,” he said. The rest? Big Baby Davis says he plans to take his girlfriend to the movies, adding that he hopes to get caught up on his laundry. Paul Pierce [stats]? He plans to take part in his baby daughter’s first birthday party, which is today. “At this point in my career I just try to use the rest as rest,” he said. “I’ll just take the two days off. I think my body needs it.” Good stuff. But Quote of the Day honors for this particular topic go to Mikki Moore, who plans to experience Boston. “I don’t really know this city, and I need to do something about that,” he said. “My wife has found out where all the little grocery stores are, but we’re going to drive around and look at some restaurants. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t like to eat the same thing too often. I like variety. So we’ll be looking at some places to eat. And maybe do some clothes shopping.” Again: Two years ago, a Celtics player would have been beat up on the radio for two days if he talked about rest, birthday parties and clothes shopping. Then you win a championship, and you keep winning, and when you get a couple of days off everyone in town turns down the volume so as not to disturb your rest.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 7:20:52 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1163372&format=textRusty’ Tony Allen better late in return By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Saturday, April 4, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill Tony Allen last night made his first appearance since Feb. 8 and, to no one’s surprise, it showed. The first two times he touched the ball in the 104-92 win over Atlanta, he clanged a jumper and traveled. Allen, coming back from left thumb surgery, was better later on, scoring on a reverse layup and looking more like himself on defense. “I expected that,” Allen said of the early trouble, “but in the second half I got my rhythm. I kind of knew what I wanted to do with the ball. I gave up a 3 (at the defensive end), which I’m pretty mad at myself about. But I had fun. I’m looking forward to the next game. “It was pretty fun for the most part. I got to run up and down and got to look at a few defensive coverages. It felt good.” Added Doc Rivers, “He’s rusty, but he’s good. You could see it’s just going to take time.” Wanting Moore Mikki Moore has been doing a bit better of late (nine points, six rebounds last night), but he’s clearly had his troubles as he seeks to slide in smoothly with the Celtics [team stats]. Fouls have been a big problem, and Moore showed some of his best moves as he maneuvered around criticism of the officials.cw0cw0 “I’m really trying,” he said. “I’m trying to show the coaching staff and my teammates that they can rely on me in the playoffs. It’s just frustrating, man. . . . It seems like every time I take a step forward, I take two steps backward. I can’t tell you why because I’d get fined for it.” After an orientation period, both Moore and Stephon Marbury now feel comfortable with the Celts’ system. In Moore’s case, it’s a matter of being able to stay on the court long enough to prove it. “I’ve learned the philosophy on offense and on defense,” he said. “So now it’s all about just staying on the floor and not making defensive mistakes. I’m not perfect, but it’s just sometimes it’s not in my hands.” The Celtics are confident things will work out for Moore. “One of the things I told Mikki is, ‘We don’t feel sorry for you. And you’re going to get it right.’ I tell him that all the time,” said Rivers. “We’re not an excuse-making team. We are a get-the-job-done team. And he’ll get it. I always finish it up with, ‘You will get it.’ ” True sportsman The Celtics have caught some heat around the league for trash-talking, but they’re also big at the other end of the spectrum, as well. Ray Allen was named one of six divisional winners for the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award. “You know, somebody has to be diplomatic out there and make sure that we at least don’t get too bad on the referees,” Allen joked. The Celtics guard, Chauncey Billups (Denver), Antonio McDyess (Detroit), Ronny Turiaf (Golden State), Michael Finley (San Antonio) and Antawn Jamison (Washington) were selected by a panel of seven former players. Allen won the award in 2002-03 when he was with Seattle. Allen is also doing pretty well with his game. With consecutive made free-throw streaks of 72 and 57 this season, he’s hitting at a 95 percent clip from the line. Unless he starts channeling Shaquille O’Neal the rest of the way, he’ll beat Bill Sharman’s franchise record of 93.2 for a season (minimum 100 attempts). . . . On the injury front, it appears Brian Scalabrine’s setbacks have come in part because he is pushing hard to come back from post-concussion syndrome. There was nothing new on Kevin Garnett (strained right knee) or Leon Powe (same injury). Garnett won’t take part in practice Monday or Tuesday.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 7:25:05 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/04/hawks_upset_bid_doesnt_fly?mode=PFHawks' upset bid doesn't fly Celtics have no trouble securing victory By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | April 4, 2009 They might not have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, but the Celtics have it now and are fully capitalizing on the situation. The Celtics (58-19) earned a 104-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks last night, remaining a game ahead of Orlando for the No. 2 Eastern Conference playoff seed. The Celtics have four days to prepare for their game Wednesday against New Jersey, the fourth of a five-game homestand, their longest of the season. This was a surprisingly easy victory, the Celtics' fourth this season and seventh straight in the regular season over Atlanta since April 10, 2007. And the Celtics' apparent comfort level illustrated the advantages of performing on the parquet. A strong start to the second half allowed the Celtics to rest Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo for most of the final quarter. "Right now, we're building on just playing good basketball going into the playoffs," Pierce said. "We started off not really rebounding the ball, but I thought we defended well the whole night, and that's going to be the key. That's our focus night in and night out, is the way we defend." Kendrick Perkins set the defensive tone with seven blocked shots, tying a career high. And Rondo stepped up the pace, igniting the Celtics' transition offense, scoring 13 of his 20 points in the third quarter. The Celtics went on a 10-point run over a 1:38 span early in the third, starting with Glen Davis's banker, followed by consecutive 3-pointers by Allen and Pierce, and a Rondo dunk off a steal out of a Hawks timeout for a 62-52 lead with 8:15 remaining in the quarter. Josh Smith broke Atlanta's 0-for-11 3-point drought with 7:31 left (the first of three straight Hawk threes), then dunked to pull the Hawks within 63-57 with 6:56 remaining. The Celtics then went into three mode for their final 9 points of the quarter for an 80-71 lead. Mikki Moore converted a 3-point play off a follow with 2:02 to go, then in the final 11 seconds Rondo hit a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer and made three free throws off a 3-point try as the Hawks attempted to give a foul. "[Rondo] has so many tricks up his sleeve," Perkins said. "The half-court thing, he knew they were going to foul him, so he threw it up and got three shots. His basketball IQ is through the roof. "When Rondo is aggressive, I think there is no team in the league that can beat us. I'm talking about when he is looking to score, I think he's one of the better point guards in the league, and I don't think he gets enough credit. He's been working on his jump shot and he's just got to shoot it with confidence." The Celtics started the way they finished a 111-109, double-overtime win over Charlotte Wednesday, Allen converting a 3-pointer off a Pierce drive 67 seconds into the game. But that would be the only three for either team until the second half, the Celtics finding the lane open for uncontested drives and the Hawks' lack of inside defending setting them up for failure, according to coach Mike Woodson. "Both coaches got each team fired up, and you could tell Coach Woodson probably came out and told them to play physical," Perkins said. "They tried to play physical, but you can't be something that you're not. Either you're physical or you're not, I don't care who tells you to be." Said Woodson, "I think they wore us down in terms of their physical play. The game was established in the first and second quarters. I mean, we gave up 12, 13 layups, and you can't do that against this team. To give up all those layups, it buries you if it's a close game." If both teams were posturing for the playoffs, the Celtics have a strong upper hand. "Everybody keeps talking about it's a rivalry," Perkins said. "How is it a rivalry? Last year, we beat them [during the regular] season, then they took us to seven games, then we beat them, 4-0, this year. When you have a team's number, keep it." Playoff seeding could go to the final week of the season. Cleveland is three wins from clinching the top seed, despite losing to the Magic last night. "We have a good schedule," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "We earned it. The first month was awful and they are paying us back now."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 7:26:18 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/04/tony_allen_gives_a_thumbs_up?mode=PFTony Allen gives a thumbs up Overall, he's pleased with return outing By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff | April 4, 2009 It's a safe bet that Tony Allen's rust would have shown with or without the downpour outside TD Banknorth Garden last night. Playing for the first time since Feb. 8 because of surgery on his left thumb, Allen struggled early in a 104-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The shooting guard played just three minutes in the first half and seven overall, finishing with 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, a block, and an assist. "I expected [the rust]," he said. "But I got to run up and down, got to look at a few defensive coverages. For the most part, I had fun out there." Allen didn't look like he was enjoying himself early on. After he checked in with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter, his first jump shot from the baseline was so long that it barely nicked the back of the rim. He followed that miss by traveling on the Celtics' next possession, and found himself back on the bench before the quarter was over. "I thought he was a little uncomfortable when he first got out there," said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. "But he was able to get out there and get his feet wet." That three-minute spell in the first quarter probably wasn't a fair tryout for a player attempting to get comfortable after missing 23 games, but that highlights one of Allen's other problems: competition. The Celtics are paper-thin up front with injuries to Kevin Garnett, Leon Powe, and Brian Scalabrine, but Allen returns to a crowded backcourt. Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen are accustomed to playing big minutes as starters, and Eddie House and Stephon Marbury split the backup minutes in the second and third quarters last night, leaving Tony Allen on the bench until the fourth. "He's rusty, but he's good," said coach Doc Rivers. "You could see it's just going to take time." It look less time than originally thought to get Allen back on the court. He had surgery Feb. 18, and at the time, it was hoped he could return for the playoffs. But doctors cleared him for full contact last weekend. So basketball, not health, appears to be Allen's primary concern at the moment. "I got in during the second half and got my rhythm," he said. "I kind of knew what I wanted to do with the ball." Playing with less pressure against the Atlanta reserves during garbage time, Allen looked more comfortable, slashing to the basket for a reverse layup for his only points. Allen could be a crucial piece of the puzzle during the playoffs. In his fifth season out of Oklahoma State, Allen was averaging 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 19 minutes per game before he got hurt. He's known as a defensive stopper, and Allen's role became even more important after James Posey's departure to New Orleans. "Tony is undersized for a [small forward], but he's strong enough to guard them," said Rivers. "So it does give us time. With Kevin being out, you're looking for ways to get Ray and Paul off the floor" While House and Marbury are dynamic scorers off the bench, Allen is the only reserve seemingly capable of staying with the LeBron Jameses and Kobe Bryants of the world during the postseason. "We're going to need him down the stretch, especially defensively," said Pierce. "That's what Tony really brings is a defensive tenacity to the game." Allen has been wearing a brace on his left hand during practices and games, and said last night that his thumb is about 75 percent. Driving to his right with his uninjured hand is not a problem, but Allen said he wasn't confident enough to drive to his left last night. He says fans will know he is 100 percent when they no longer see him wearing the brace. "My hand felt good," said Allen. "Nobody hit me there, so that was a good sign . . . I'm right there."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 7:28:28 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/04/inside_info_a_nice_job?mode=PFInside info: A nice job Davis, Moore, Perkins helped pick up the slack By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | April 4, 2009 The Celtics have major concerns with their inside play in the absence of Kevin Garnett (knee), Leon Powe (knee), and Brian Scalabrine (concussion). But the Glen Davis-Mikki Moore-Kendrick Perkins trio seemed just fine during a 104-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks last night. "If one or two of your bigs are in foul trouble, you're in trouble," coach Doc Rivers said. "And I thought Mikki did a great job when they got [Perkins] the early fouls. They attacked our bigs. You could see what they were trying to do. Fortunately, we didn't commit fouls. But they knew that if they can get two of our bigs in foul trouble, we were down to Paul [ Pierce] or Billy [Walker] at [power forward] and we don't have anywhere else to go." Moore (9 points, six rebounds) has improved his ability to stay out of foul trouble - he committed three fouls in 26 minutes against the Hawks. Both Davis (19 points) and Perkins (12 points, 10 rebounds, 7 blocks) had five fouls. "I've been getting experience and learning the game," Davis said. "I've been fortunate to get a lot of minutes and I'm learning a lot this year. Teams recognize I can shoot the jumper and I'm not going to be open as much. But it opens the floor a little bit, spreads the floor, because somebody has to guard me. "But they can't guard the pick-and-roll. I came here and I've learned how to really set a pick. I use my body - I have a great body, it's hard to get around me, I'm tough, quick. It's really hard to get around a pick when I set a really good one. I'm helping Ray [ Allen], [Rajon] Rondo, Eddie [ House], and Paul get open. "When I was in college, we had the pick-and-roll, but I had the ball in my hands more and everything was going to the hoop." Allen a sportsman Allen was named the NBA Sportsmanship Award winner for the Atlantic Division yesterday. Allen won the league award in 2002-03 while playing for the Seattle SuperSonics. Asked if he ever talked trash to opponents, Allen said, "I talk trash to the people I know, guys I played with in college or went to UConn. It's easier that way." Allen named Michael Jordan as a model. "It's something I learned from MJ," he said. "He talked a lot of trash but he would pat you on the back when you came back down the court, he would pick you up if you got knocked down. He was the ultimate professional." First up: Detroit? The Celtics are in position to meet the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics lead the third-place Orlando Magic by a game in the Eastern Conference standings. Detroit, in seventh place, yesterday announced the loss of guard Allen Iverson (back) for the remainder of the season. "They're different," Rivers said. "Without him, the ball moves more, but he scares you, too." Said Stephon Marbury: "In the playoffs, [Iverson] brings a whole other dimension to the game." Free time The Celtics planned to take the weekend off, then have two practices in preparation for Wednesday's game against New Jersey. Their five-game homestand concludes against Miami Friday. "It's good timing, and hopefully we can take advantage of it," Rivers said. "Obviously, the plan of six weeks ago for these days off was everybody would be practicing. But that's not going to happen. That's the only downside. But Paul, Ray, Perk can get rest and the second unit can get a lot of reps together."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 7:31:47 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x1916562299/Celtics-104-Hawks-92-Cs-have-hex-over-HawksCeltics 104, Hawks 92: C's have hex over Hawks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loading multimedia... Photos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winslow Townson/Associated Press Atlanta's Josh Smith collides with Kendrick Perkins during Friday night's game at the Garden. By Scott Souza/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Apr 03, 2009 @ 11:58 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — In last year's first-round playoff series, the Hawks gave the Celtics almost all they could handle for seven games. This year it was a four-game sweep in the regular season meetings between the squads with each victory coming a little easier than the previous one. A week after a 99-93 victory in Atlanta, the Celtics blew open a close game late in the third quarter and led by as many as 20 in a 104-92 triumph last night at the TD Banknorth Garden. "Everybody keeps talking about (Atlanta) being a rival," said Kendrick Perkins (12 points, 10 rebounds, career-high 7 blocks). "They keep saying a rivalry. How is it a rivalry? Last year, I think we beat them (3-0) before the playoffs. Then they took us to seven games. This year we're going 4-0 and it's still a rival? I don't understand that. I just think we did a great job this season of, when you have a team's number, just keep it." With the Magic annihilating the Cavaliers in Orlando 116-87, the C's remain tied in the loss column with for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs - with a two-game lead in the conference-record tiebreaker - with just five games left in the regular season. Paul Pierce led a very balanced attack with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists in just 30 minutes last night. Rajon Rondo had 20 points (7-of-10 shooting) and six assists, and Glen Davis had 19 points. "Atlanta's a good team," allowed Davis. "For us to sweep a team like that is a great accomplishment for us. But this is just one of many battles. There's an ultimate battle we've got to get to (in the NBA Finals). We know what to do. We just have to go out there and do it." After Atlanta scored the first four points of the second half to tie the game at 52-all, Boston rattled off eight in a row with a Davis basket and back-to-back 3-pointers from Ray Allen and Pierce, making it 60-52 with 8:27 left in the third. Rondo stretched the run to 10 straight points with a steal and dunk before a Josh Smith 3-pointer made it 62-55 with 7:23 on the clock. A second Rondo steal and layup had the Celtics up 65-57 when the Hawks answered with an 8-2 spurt. A Mikki Moore (9 points, 6 rebounds in 26 minutes) three-point play capped a 7-2 run for a 74-67 lead, and six straight points from Rondo (3-pointer and three free throws) in the final 11.2 seconds of the third put the Celtics up 80-71 entering the fourth. "Rondo's speed was an absolute factor in the third quarter," Rivers said. "We've just got to keep him doing that every night. It's amazing how they're feeding off his speed." Stephon Marbury's drive and a short Eddie House pull-up stretched the gap to 84-72 two minutes into the fourth. Another Perkins block led to a Moore put-back slam and a 91-77 lead at the 7:13 mark. Five straight points from Pierce and a Davis basket made it an 8-0 burst - and a 25-10 run overall going back to the third quarter - as Rivers went to the bench to close it out. Most of Boston's success early came going inside as the starting frontcourt of Davis (team-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting) and Perkins (8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks) controlled the paint despite both being in foul trouble. "Right now it's just - if one or two of your bigs is in foul trouble, you're in trouble," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "You could see what they were trying to do attacking our bigs. Fortunately, we didn't commit fouls after that." "We're working with what we've got,"' Davis said. "We've got to play smart. Today was a tough day - everybody had four fouls - but we went out there and played hard. That's what it's all about." Perkins was especially dominant defensively with the blocks. "I'm just trying to be the captain on the defense right now," Perkins said. "(Kevin Garnett) is out - the last line of defense. So I'm just trying to talk, be there for guys to step up for help. "Kevin always has the speech with me to go out there, be the anchor on defense, talk and be the loudest one. I'm trying to go out there and be that until he gets back."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 7:33:06 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x1916562301/Megliola-Some-much-needed-rest-for-CsMegliola: Some much-needed rest for C's -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Apr 03, 2009 @ 11:56 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON — The Celtics never had to worry about being a playoff team. It was all about finishing with the best record to get homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. That worked out pretty good last year, huh? It's not going to happen this time. The Celtics knew weeks ago, when Kevin Garnett was sidelined, that they weren't going to catch Cleveland. Truth is, if Garnett hadn't missed a game all season, the Cavaliers would still have finished ahead of the defending champs, based on their astounding 36-1 record a home. This LeBron guy has very big shoulders. Five games left for the Celtics, and the livin' still ain't easy. There's still some important business on the table before the playoffs, like finishing ahead of the Magic, in case they should meet up in May. That's why the 77th game of the season was important last night at the Garden. The Celtics took care of the Atlanta Hawks 104-92. Good thing too, because Orlando crushed the Cavaliers. The Celtics have four days off now. "It's great," said coach Doc Rivers, "no doubt. We're playing well, but we need a break. Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen). All of them need a break. I worry about when we come out of the break because we would've had four days off." Pierce led the balanced scoring with 21 (all the starters reached double figures). Rajon Rondo had 13 of his 20 in the third quarter, and it took some of the spunk out of the Hawks. "Rondo's speed was definitely in the third quarter," said Rivers. "When he's aggressive," said Pierce, "he's scoring the ball." Pierce is a known gym rat. But you won't be seeing him at the practice facility on the break. "At this point of my career I'll just use my rest as rest. We have potentially two more months to play." The Celtics' bigs especially need some down time. "Perk (Kendrick Perkins), Baby (Glen Davis) and Mikki (Moore) are logging too many minutes," said Rivers. "But we have no choice." The Celtics have gutted it out with Garnett out of the lineup. And it's not just him. Leon Powe's been out since St. Paddy's Day. Tony Allen's having another lost season and Brian Scalabrine has been out so long he has to show a photo ID to get in the Garden. You can almost hear Scal now. Hey, remember me? The tall redhead and fan favorite? Tony Allen returned to action last night and predictably was rusty in his seven-plus minutes. "He was able to get his feet wet," said Pierce. "We're going to need him down the stretch, especially on defense." Rivers never fails to show his appreciation for the guys who have had to soldier on. He's right. They've done a heckuva job without KG, their spiritual leader. Davis has upped his offensive game considerably, adding more evidence against the Hawks. His 14 first-half points resulted from his nailed-down short-range jumper and a couple of contortion buckets down on the block. The man's not wasting his new-found minutes, that's for sure. Big Baby as a go-to guy? I must be getting a little lightheaded. The flip side of Big Baby is Stephon Marbury. He's still struggling to get his act together. His first half was every bit as bad as Davis's was good. His only three shots went like this: airball on a three before the first quarter buzzer; straight-on jumper barely skims right side of rim; grabs rebound two feet in front of the basket, putback shot bounces off the front of rim as 19,000 people groan and think "I could've made that shot!" They were right. Marbury shot 1-for-7 for the night. Here's something you can't get enough of. Pierce drives to the hoop, Ray Allen parks himself beyond the arc. Two defenders follow Pierce. He kicks it out to Allen. You know how the story ends. It's a beautiful thing. It helped the Celtics win a game they had no business winning against Charlotte Wednesday. After losing twice in a week to the Celtics (and all four games this season), Hawks coach Mike Woodson said, regarding Boston playing without Garnett, "They're not that much different. I think Big Baby and Perkins are filling up that void." High praise indeed. But he knows the Celtics don't go far in the postseason without KG.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 4, 2009 8:51:09 GMT -5
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