News 4/17

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166220&format=text
Danny Ainge suffers heart attack

By Mark Murphy | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matt Stone (file)
Danny Ainge, the architect of the Celtics [team stats]’ 17th NBA title last year, is resting comfortably at Massachusetts General Hospital after suffering a mild heart attack yesterday morning.

The team’s executive director of basketball operations, who didn’t attend Wednesday night’s season finale against Washington because he felt sick, woke up with chest pains. Ainge was treated for a clogged artery, and is expected to stay in the hospital for several days. He is expected to miss tomorrow’s playoff opener against Chicago at TD Banknorth Garden.

According to WCVB-TV, the artery was completely clogged, and doctors inserted a stent to relieve the problem.

“We’re going to try and leave him alone and get some rest,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who broke the news to the team before practice.

News of Ainge’s heart attack kicked off a stressful morning for the Celtics coach, who also shut down Kevin Garnett for the playoffs following a painful workout by the forward.

Rivers told the team, but otherwise kept the news to himself.

“That’s why I looked the way I looked this morning,” Rivers said of his glum mood, which he said was actually influenced more by Ainge’s emergency than Garnett’s setback.

“That scared the hell out of me,” he said. “One put the other in perspective.”

The 50-year-old Ainge’s heart attack especially hit home with the 46-year-old Rivers because of their respective ages.

“We’re basically the same age, and it does scare you because of that,” he said. “It makes us all think that it’s time to get a checkup. When you hear that someone you know has had a heart attack, it really gets you.

“But the good thing is that he’s doing better. Let’s just hope that he gets out of the hospital soon and can attend a game.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166216&format=text
Ubuntu must rule again
Celtics motto huge need

By Ron Borges | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Lisa Hornak
The power of Ubuntu will be sorely tested this spring.

Ubuntu, a Bantu word popular in the new South Africa of Nelson Mandela meaning to focus on collective success and the welfare of the whole over the individual, became the Celtics [team stats]’ mantra last season. Coach Doc Rivers instilled the notion into a team made up of three superstars who had never played together and nine small planets rotating around those three suns.

It was a fragile mix but in the end the concept led the Celts to the NBA championship just as much as the play of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce [stats] and Ray Allen did.

This year the mantra remained unchanged, although the road was steeper. Now defending champions, the Celtics were in the crosshairs of every team they played. Worse, they lost their ferocious spiritual leader when Garnett went down with a gimpy right knee on Feb. 19, a mysterious injury that kept him out of all but four games the rest of the season even while being reassured time and again that it was nothing serious.

Yesterday it got serious.

Ubuntu, Rivers’ steady hand and talent got the Celtics through to a 62-20 regular-season record, second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and an 18-7 record without Garnett, but the sense always was that when the playoffs began Garnett would be back in the midst of a defense central to the Celtics’ recent resurrection.

Now, we know, he will not be. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not, most likely, until next season. Time for Ubuntu to step up.

The Celtics quickly went from odds-on favorites to at least reach the Eastern Conference finals to a team that cannot win. The Celtics don’t believe that but the world around them does. That is the difference between the world and a team that believes collective success is more important than individual glory. That belief’s real test will begin when the playoffs open tomorrow with the Celts hosting the upstart Chicago Bulls.

Even without Garnett the Celtics are favored, but the Bulls have won 12 of their last 16 and have two shooters who can bury you at any time, likely Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose and John Salmons. Add to that an effective eight-man rotation and a willingness to play the physical style the NBA playoffs demand and you have a potential problem for a weakened champion.

A larger one looms if the Celtics move on. Some fear Orlando. Everyone fears the Cleveland LeBrons, a team that, without Garnett, the basketball world thinks is beyond the Celtics’ grasp. To even get that far will demand a reliance on the principles of their motto above anything they could have imagined when Garnett was healthy and Pierce and Allen were on his right hand and his left.

Statistically, the Celtics offense has not been much affected by the absence of Garnett but defensively they have not been the same, especially against top competition like the Cavs. To defend what they won last year they will have to be and without Garnett’s presence down low that will be a challenge that has to be met not by any one person but by the group. By Leon Powe, Glen Davis, Mikki Moore and Kendrick Perkins [stats].

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge was quoted Wednesday as saying the team could not repeat as champions without Garnett. He later amended that but often times the first reaction is the true one.

So the supposition by many is that the Celtics cannot reach the Finals without Garnett let alone beat the likely Western Conference champion Lakers. With KG in street clothes, both the Cavaliers and Lakers are presumed to be significantly superior.

What the Celts are is what they said they’ve become. They are a team whose motto must become reality every night. They cannot survive any other way.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166218&format=text
Doc steady in rough C’s
Confident amid Kevin Garnett uncertainty

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Beat | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Lisa Hornak
The question was rolling around the mind yesterday morning. The question did backflips and belly-flops before slamming into the walls of reason.

Just how did we get all the way to April 16 with so much uncertainty about Kevin Garnett’s right knee? I mean, the guy suffered the most traumatic part of the injury on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City against the Jazz, and Danny Ainge said a day later that the forward had problems with the knee for a while. He said he had tweaked it against Dallas just before the All-Star Game.

So how can we reside in one of the great medical Meccas of the world and still be having questions about Kevin Garnett’s right knee after more than two months of scrutiny? How can this go on so long without a solution? Doesn’t somebody know, somebody with a degree and a scalpel?

The truth is the Celtics [team stats] already have climbed those walls . . . and slid back down to an honest but thoroughly unsatisfying conclusion.

“You couldn’t do anything about it,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I know that’s hard to deal with, but that’s just how it is. The problem with Kevin is not something you can go in and fix right away with a surgical procedure.”

And as one member of Celtics management said yesterday, “It’s not like we have stupid people working for us.” In fact, the Celts are fortunate enough to employ some of the best people, and if they have questions, well, they know other people with degrees.

“The doctors all say the same thing,” Rivers went on. “They actually wish it was something you could do surgery on right away, because then they could fix it. But they can’t. Rest is going to have to fix it. But the fact that it’s a tendon means it doesn’t need surgery. That’s far more frustrating, because you have to sit and take it.”

It’s been hard recently to take the constant repositioning of the goal for Garnett. He was coming back to practice. He was coming back to play the last couple of games in the regular season. He was coming back for the playoffs.

He was a very tall man in a shell game, and when the music stopped yesterday morning, Kevin Garnett was under none of them.

There are those who will say now that the Celtics knew all along that Garnett was done and that your faithful correspondents were led around by their notebooks these last weeks.

“What good does it do me to lie?” Rivers said.

And there are those that have heard about the spur in Garnett’s knee and wonder why team physician Brian McKeon doesn’t go get it.

“That’s what people aren’t getting,” Rivers said. “The spur has nothing to do with the injury. The spur he had in the beginning of the freakin’ year. It’s the tendon.

“And it’s going to get better. It will. It just takes more rest. A lot more rest. Probably rehabbing as hard as he did to come back irritated it. Kevin’s going to have to sit and do nothing for a long time.”

The Celtics already have begun hearing their 2008-09 epitaph. They may be able to get past Chicago in the first round, and even if they do steal a series from Orlando, Cleveland will dance on their graves in the conference final - to another Rick Astley song. (Oh, the indignity.)

Even Rivers is making a tee time.

“July 1,” he said. “You know, you have the parade and then the draft . . .”

Rivers understands the audacity of his words, and he knows, too, the word on the NBA street.

“I understand what’s being said, and now everyone is going to expect me to say, ‘Well, now everyone’s against us,’ ” he said. “Well, I’m not going to use that, because we’re for ourselves and we feel very, very confident that we can get this done.”

At least he won’t have to fight for space on that bandwagon.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166221&format=text
Looking back at the Bulls

By Mark Daniels | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics
With the Celtics [team stats] set to take on the Chicago Bulls tomorrow in the opener of their best-of-7, first-round series, here is a look at the three games they played this season:

Date: Oct. 31 at TD Banknorth Garden

Score: Celtics 96, Bulls 80

Star of the Game: Kevin Garnett (18 points, 10 rebounds)

Skinny: While netting a double-double, Garnett became the youngest player in NBA history to play 1,000 regular-season games. At the age of 32 years, 165 days, he broke the mark previously set by Shawn Kemp. The Celtics defense stifled Chicago from the start, as the Bulls scored only 13 points in the first quarter on 4-of-23 shooting. Rookie point guard Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 18 points. Paul Pierce [stats], Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo [stats] chipped in 14 points apiece.

Date: Dec. 19 at TD Banknorth Garden

Score: Celtics 126, Bulls 108

Star of the Game: Kendrick Perkins [stats] (25 points, 8 rebounds)

Skinny: Improving to 25-2 with their 17th straight win, Perkins went 12-for-15 from the floor in setting a career high in points. The Green broke out to an 11-point lead in the first five minutes of the game and never looked back. Ray Allen, who scored 27 points, was the only starter to see action in the fourth quarter. Rajon Rondo dished out 15 assists as the Celtics shot 59.5 percent from the floor and 50 percent (12-24) from 3-point range. Luol Deng led the Bulls with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Date: March 17 at Chicago

Score: Bulls 127, Celtics 121

Star of the Game: John Salmons (38 points)

Skinny: Playing without Garnett, the Celtics blew a 13-point, third-quarter lead in the loss. Paul Pierce scored 37, but Salmons (career-high 38) and Brad Miller (21 points, 14 rebounds) led the comeback. Rajon Rondo had 26 points to go along with 10 assists as the Celtics fell to 50-18. Coach Doc Rivers was ejected with 29.8 seconds left, which led to a rant aimed at referee Bill Kennedy. Rivers, who claimed that Kennedy goaded him, was fined $25,000. Kennedy was fined an undisclosed amount by the NBA for the incident.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166210&format=text
Celtics lose Ticket
But vow to fight on

By Mark Murphy | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Lisa Hornak
When Kevin Garnett walks through that door tomorrow he’ll be limping - and in street clothes.

Such was the message drummed home to the Celtics [team stats] forward’s teammates yesterday, after Doc Rivers said Garnett likely will be shut down for the playoffs following a painful morning workout.

The C’s coach said he could tell something was wrong “two steps” into Garnett’s early-morning run. Though Rivers last week was encouraged by the All-Star’s recovery from a strained tendon and muscle in his right knee, yesterday marked a dramatic setback.

Rivers said there is a slight chance Garnett could play again this season if the Celtics go deep enough in the playoffs, though the possibility is remote.

“He’s out,” said Rivers, whose team hosts the Bulls in Game 1 tomorrow at the Garden. “It’s not official, but it’s official as far as I’m concerned. He looked better last week than he did today. This came out of left field, honestly, but he’s done everything he can to try and get back on the floor.

“I saw him last week and he looked great, but this was much worse. They’re still doing treatment on him, but it doesn’t look good.

“You could see his face, and he was trying to mask that there was so much pain, but then he had to stop. You can’t mask that. The medical staff will continue to do their treatment, but right now this is it.”

Rivers, after telling Garnett about his decision, watched the big man deflate.

“He’s in a terrible state,” the coach said. “He’s here right now, but he doesn’t want to come out. He doesn’t want to talk.”

Some teammates, like Paul Pierce [stats], were well-prepared for the moment, however deflating it was.

“Over the last 10 or 12 games I put it in my head that if he’s not coming back, then we have to be mentally ready for it,” the Celtics captain said. “It just means now that we have to get even more out of what we’ve got.

“We’re still a very good team. There will always be doubters, but all that matters is who is still out there. Maybe we’re going to be underdogs, but I’ve been that way my whole life.”

Starting tomorrow against the Bulls, the Celtics will find out just how far they can go without last season’s defensive player of the year.

They went 18-7 this season without Garnett, as players like Glen Davis and Leon Powe filled in at starting power forward.

“We understand that we’re a defensive group, and the defensive player of the year is the face of our defense,” Pierce said. “But now we’ll have to step up.”

Recent history supports them.

“With the way we played in the last month and a half, we still feel good about making this playoff run,” Ray Allen said.

“Not much is being said about us. We’re not picked to win. So I think each win is going to build excitement for us.”

Though Garnett will be on the bench - management asked the normally reclusive forward to break from his preference of watching games in the locker room - such excitement is bound to make his lot more unbearable.

“I always felt there was a slight chance (Garnett) wouldn’t be back,” Allen said. “He has to make this decision for himself, and how his body feels. I’m devastated for him. This is the time of year we live for.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166228&format=text
Brian Scalabrine keeps his head up
Stays positive during long road back from concussions

By Mark Murphy | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Lisa Hornak
Brian Scalabrine has optimism in his blood. The Celtics [team stats] forward is to positive thinking what Paul Newman was to acting and salad dressing - synonymous with the concept.

So when Scalabrine was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome after suffering, in a horrible quirk, three concussions in a month midway through the season, he only thought about his return.

“I don’t feel he ever got down and out,” said his wife, Kristen Scalabrine. “He’s taken perspective of what he needs to do to heal. He wants nothing more than to be out on the floor. But I think he’s taking it all in stride.”

That has made Doc Rivers’ job a little easier. But the Celtics coach has been forced to weigh basketball against more basic issues since Scalabrine was floored by an elbow to the chin by Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki on Jan. 25, and stung again two days later during a collision in practice with then-teammate Patrick O’Bryant. By the time he collapsed Feb. 23 after taking a blow to the neck during an attempted comeback in Denver, the line was drawn.

When the symptoms were at their worst, and Scalabrine suffered from repeated headaches and dizziness that interfered with basic comforts like sleeping or reading a book, Rivers prepared himself for what could almost be described as a father-to-son talk.

Beyond basketball, he had to talk with Scalabrine - the father of a young daughter with another child on the way - about quality of life.

His condition - post-concussion syndrome - can get worse. Doctors determined that Scalabrine has suffered five concussions since he was a community college freshman. Each new concussion increases the likelihood that another will occur.

“I don’t know a lot about concussions, but I have to make sure we do the right thing with Scal,” Rivers said. “I just wanted him to make sure that he’s being honest with himself. It’s different from other injuries, where you can look at someone like Kevin (Garnett) and tell from his gait how he’s doing. We literally can’t get inside Scal’s head with this.”

Last Tuesday in Philadelphia, Rivers said he put the odds of Scalabrine returning before the end of the playoffs at “50-50 at best.”

Scalabrine, who hasn’t had that particular conversation with his coach, chooses not to give in.

“If someone were to bring that up I would probably worry about it,” Scalabrine, on his first road trip since January, said last weekend in Cleveland. “But I feel that one day I’ll consistently get better and better and I won’t have any more of these setbacks.

“Even coming now and watching the games there’s a couple of symptoms.”

Heightened awareness

By last Tuesday in Philadelphia, Scalabrine was running through a vigorous pregame routine, taking shots and curling off picks.

Forever looking for the bright side, Scalabrine has been careful not to fall prey to fear. He has heard the story of former Patriots [team stats] linebacker Ted Johnson, whose history of concussions led to clinical depression. He has heard of six former football players - he doesn’t know their names, though the late former Steeler Mike Webster and Philadelphia’s Andre Waters are part of the group - whose deaths have been linked to concussion-triggered depression.

“A lot of people have had concussions and live normal lives,” Scalabrine said. “You go to the extreme - like there are six football players who had some kind of self-inflicted death, you read about them. I actually brought that up to my doctor, and he said that’s a different kind of concussion from what I have.

“I don’t have a situation where the brain hit the skull and then swelled.”

Scalabrine was worried enough, however, that he asked Kristen to track his moods.

“I don’t have concerns about anything, mentally speaking,” she said. “But as a mother, the last thing I want to see is him going out and getting a concussion right away. But I’m sure he’ll be all right.”

Added Scalabrine: “My wife is always keeping track of my temperament, seeing that I’m consistent with my temper, and not getting really aggressive because of this. The only thing I really have are the headaches, which I’m slowly getting rid of.”

From high to low

The hardest part for Scalabrine to accept now is that he had reached a peak at the time of his first concussion. After three seasons on the outskirts of Rivers’ rotation, he had earned a regular, productive role.

Danny Ainge had allowed James Posey to sign with New Orleans, counting on others to combine to replicate what the talented swingman did so well.

Scalabrine, with his jumper, stretched the floor to a level approximating Posey’s proficiency. His defense on larger wing forwards earned praise from Rivers, who called him “an irritant.”

That is considered a compliment in Rivers-speak.

“I felt like I was playing the best basketball of my career this year,” Scalabrine said. “A lot of that is Doc. My first couple of years here I was playing real high-risk basketball - real high risk with no reward, not what a winning team basketball player would be. On a winning team you would have your studs to go make plays, and the role players to go out there and keep it simple. Doc stressed that from Day 1.”

Rivers and Ainge are trying to be honest now, even as everyone - Scalabrine included - educates themselves on an injury not associated with basketball.

“It’s new to some of us,” Ainge said recently. “You have to be on the lookout to see if he has a setback. That’s why it’s so hard to prognosticate these things. We’re worried about Scal. That’s why we’re trying to find the best doctors around to deal with this. His long-term health is what we’re concerned about. That’s why we’re taking it slow. But he’s made good progress.”

Scalabrine only hopes that progress is enough for a playoff return.

“Danny and Doc are my bosses, and when Doc said, ‘Scal, don’t worry about coming back - you have kids to worry about, the most important thing for you is to have a healthy life,’ I guess they were trying to take the pressure off of that feeling that I was letting my boss down,” Scalabrine said. “Everyone in society has that pressure to make sure their boss is satisfied. Danny said the same thing, but I said, ‘While you’re saying that I still want to get back. But it’s nice to know that you’re still in my corner.’ ”

After all, even the most positive thinkers need support.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166230&format=text
Kevin Garnett’s new role: Cheerleader

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Lisa Hornak
NBA referees are on notice. Bring ear plugs. The tall, bald guy on the end of the bench is shouting at himself, not you.

Forward Kevin Garnett, per request of Celtics [team stats] management, is about to fill a role he is known to hate, as a non-playing member of the bench.

“He will be on the bench,” Doc Rivers said after making the announcement that, barring a miracle, Garnett will not play in the playoffs. “I told him that we need him out there.

“We just hope that he doesn’t get a technical.”

All concerned know how beneficial even an inactive Garnett can be.

Throughout his inactivity - Garnett played in only four of the last 29 games of the season - the All-Star forward watched home games in the locker room. He was quick to offer advice.

He’ll now have a chance to do this in huddles.

“If he can’t be on the floor, then I’m sure he’ll be helping from the sidelines,” said Ray Allen.

Said Paul Pierce [stats]: “It’s very important that he be out there because of the way the guys look up to Kevin. He can help us just with the things that he sees.”

Surgery looms According to the Celtics, Garnett will need surgery on the knee, though not because of the strained muscle that is keeping him off the floor.cw-2

A bone spur in the back of the knee - a condition that Garnett apparently had before straining his knee muscle on Feb. 19 in Utah - will require a minor procedure during the offseason.cw0

But Rivers stressed that the bone spur is not related to the strained muscle, which the Celtics medical staff is also calling a strained tendon.

“He had to have surgery before he ever had the (knee) injury,” said Rivers. “We have four or five players who need minor surgery just to clean things up at the end of the season, but that’s just maintenance. Kevin’s bone spur was that kind of thing - just maintenance.

“But we’re not worried about anything long term with Kevin.”

Rivers declined to name the other Celtics who will require offseason surgery.

Strong as Bulls

Somewhat obscured by Garnett’s absence is that the Celtics have a game to play tomorrow against a young, talented Chicago team.

“Derrick Rose has really played like a seasoned veteran instead of a rookie,” Pierce said of the Bulls point guard. “They have other players. They have great shooting with Ben Gordon.”

In addition to the national telecasts, starting with ESPN’s broadcast of Game 1, CSN will cover Games 1-3 and 5-7, should the series go that far.cw0cw0

Powe packs punch

With Garnett out, Leon Powe’s return to the lineup couldn’t come a minute too soon.

The Celtics, size-deprived while the power forward sat out 10 games with a sore right knee, have to re-establish themselves under the basket.

“It’s put more pressure on us to make shots,” Rivers said of the C’s transition to a more perimeter-oriented attack without Garnett. “But we also still have to trust in our bigs.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166226&format=text
Glen Davis, Leon Powe eager to fill big shoes

By Steve Bulpett | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matthew West
Glen Davis said he and Leon Powe are ready to step into Kevin Garnett’s shoes and provide the Celtics [team stats] what they need in the postseason.

“I’m ready,” Big Baby said. “I have no choice.”

Powe said he’s ready, as well, but thinks the wrong question is being asked. Making up for Garnett’s absence isn’t just about Powe and Davis - and Kendrick Perkins [stats] and Mikki Moore, for that matter.

“No, man,” Powe said. “That’s the wrong question. We can come up with points and rebounds and some blocked shots, but the main thing is playing together and getting it done on the defensive end. I mean, me and Baby, we’re going to score some points. That’s point-blank. But we’ve got to be able to get it done on the defensive end and make sure we’re playing as a unit and getting everyone involved.”

Powe used history to support his assertions.

“You look at who we’ve got to play,” he said. “We’ve beaten those teams before, with or without Kevin. We’ve just got to go do it.

“I know the regular season is the regular season. It’s different. But we’ve had different guys out all year and we still kept winning. We beat Cleveland here, and that’s because everybody played well. Everybody did their role. Everybody was moving the ball. No one was trying to do it by himself. I think that’s what we’ve got to do now. We’ve got to play as a unit.”

When opportunity knocks, people like Powe have to produce - as he did March 6 when he came off the bench to record 20 points and 11 rebounds in a win against the Cavs.

“Man, it’s just basketball,” Powe said. “It’s still basketball. You go out there and you play. Me and Glen were going to be playing anyway; just now we have to do it at some different times. But it’s still basketball.

“Everyone’s going to go crazy because Kevin’s out, but all we’ve got to do is play Celtics basketball, and that’s moving the ball, setting picks, rolling, take your shot when you’ve got it and, the most important thing, come to play on the defensive end. We’ve got to pick it up on defense. We’ve definitely got to pick it up on defense.”

Davis isn’t taking it personally when people claim the Celts are done without Garnett. He, too, is leaning on his friends.

“We can’t win. That’s what everybody’s saying,” Baby said. “But it’s a new season. It’s 0-0, no losses and no wins. People don’t think we can win now, but I like coming in under the table. People don’t understand what kind of chemistry we have here and what we can do.”

The Celtics are 12-4 with Davis in the starting lineup this season, 3-4 with Powe, who opened the last two games at power forward. But Davis isn’t concerned about his place in the rotation.

“I just know whether I start or come off the bench I’ve got to bring it,” he said. “We all have to play better. It’s the playoffs.”

And it’s not like the Celts are bereft of talent.

“We’ve got other players, man,” Powe said. “Sure we’re going to miss Kevin a lot, but we’ve got other players, man. We’ve got Paul Pierce [stats]. We’ve got Ray Allen. We’ve got everybody else that’s been playing well.

“Yeah, we can play with anybody. Let us get out there. May the best team win. We’ll take that challenge.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166240&format=text
Bulls are preparing for Celtics as if injured Kevin Garnett will play

By K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls trudged down the Berto Center stairs after their lengthy film session Thursday morning clutching playbooks with the playoff scouting report on the Celtics [team stats].

And, yes, those reports contained pages on Kevin Garnett, even though Celtics coach Doc Rivers said it’s likely the All-Star big man’s sore right knee will sideline him for the entire NBA playoffs.

"I’m not buying that," Bulls forward John Salmons said. "I’ll believe that when I see it."

Derrick Rose added: "Knowing him, he would play if his leg was broken. We still have to think he’s going to play."

Celtics lore has stories of gamesmanship involving cold showers, sauna-like visiting locker rooms and dead spots on the famed Boston Garden’s parquet floor. But misinformation on an injury?

"Kevin could say all of a sudden he feels better and wants to play 20 minutes," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We’ll prepare for both ways just to cover our bases. That’s the smart thing to do. They have a very, very strong team, so there’s a lot to worry about, not just Kevin."

Indeed, the Bulls have an injury issue of their own, though Salmons’ refusal to barely acknowledge a strained left groin that clearly is hampering him showed his mind-set. Still, being mentally tough is one thing. Trying to guard All-Star forward Paul Pierce [stats] while playing at less than 100 percent is another.

"He’s a tough cover," Salmons said. "He has every move in the book. He’s real herky-jerky. He’s one of those guys where every jab step or pump fake he makes, you have to respect it because there’s nothing he can’t do on offense."

The 62-20 Celtics went 18-7 without Garnett in the lineup this season, though Garnett’s play transcends statistics. He’s the vocal and emotional leader of the defending champions, and the 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year would relish trying to limit Rose’s penetration.

The Bulls beat Boston 127-121 on March 17 at the United Center with Garnett out. Salmons outscored Pierce 38-37 in a duel that should make Bulls fans long for the days when "strained left groin" didn’t appear in the same sentence as "Salmons."

The tautness of that game is why the Bulls were saying all the right things for reasons beyond Garnett’s injury.

"They obviously play better with Garnett out there," Salmons said. "He makes them go on defense and causes mismatches on the offensive end. But we didn’t blow them out here without him. So we still have to play our game, regardless if he plays."

That game didn’t need a bound scouting report to detail: Run. And run fast.

"We can’t let them dictate the pace," Salmons said. "We have to get up and down the court. We can’t let them walk the ball up and run their set plays, because they have too many talented players. We want to cause turnovers, rebound and get up and down."

As always, Rose will have the keys to the car.

At 20, he is making his NBA playoff debut. So is Joakim Noah. Heck, even Salmons has logged only 20 mop-up minutes in eight career playoff games with the 76ers.

This is where veterans Brad Miller, Tim Thomas [stats] and even the non-rotation-cracking Lindsey Hunter are trying to aid Rose and the playoff-experience-challenged Bulls.

"I’m listening to my vets and thinking about all the stuff I’ve seen watching the playoffs," Rose said. "I’ll just try to stay focused, read the playbook and look at tape. It’s important to push tempo and not turn the ball over."

Rose won two high school state championships at Simeon and played in an NCAA title game with Memphis. Even he acknowledges that will mean nothing come Saturday.

"I wouldn’t say I’m ready for the NBA playoffs," Rose said. "I’ve been in tough games, but this is the top-of-the-line deal we’re going into and preparing for."

With plans to stop Garnett_even though he’s not playing.

"If that’s the case," Del Negro said, emphasizing the first word, "you’re taking a Hall of Famer out of the lineup. You’re taking a 7-foot defensive guy who controls the paint. You’re taking out a guy you have to double-team if he gets it down low, and even if you double-team him he fades away and can shoot over the top.

"He brings great intensity and length. He causes a lot of problems. Whenever you take a player like that out, you’re just not going to be as good. Talent is talent. Kevin has been as good as any player in the league since he has been in it. But they’re still very potent."

Still, the Bulls remain confident, even if they were blown out in both regular-season games in Boston and have never defeated the Celtics in a playoff series.

"We’ve shown we can compete with the best teams in the league," Salmons said. "Nobody’s thinking we’re going to lose the series. Everybody is thinking we have a great chance to win if we play our style."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1166222&format=text
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant have eyes on Finals date
Stars begin quest

By Associated Press | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
When Kobe Bryant was last seen in the playoffs, he was hopeless and helpless as his Los Angeles Lakers were being run over by the Celtics [team stats] in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

LeBron James never even got to a sixth game in his first time on the big stage, as Cleveland was quickly swept away by San Antonio.

Now, with one big injury in the Eastern Conference and too many flawed teams in the West, one of the superstars has a good chance of getting the ending he wants this time.

“If I’m not competing for the NBA championship, then I’m wasting my time and I’m wasting my teammates’ time,” James said. “To be in a position to be in the playoffs and to be in a position to fight for the NBA championship, I’m looking forward to it.”

The playoffs begin this weekend, with James and the Cavaliers hosting Detroit tomorrow in their opener. Also, Dallas visits San Antonio in a rematch of a recent postseason thriller, and Portland welcomes Houston for its first playoff game since 2003.

Bryant and the Lakers get started Sunday against the Utah Jazz. Then, Orlando hosts Philadelphia, NBA scoring leader Dwyane Wade leads Miami into Atlanta, and the New Orleans Hornets visit Denver.

Cleveland finished with a league-best 66-16 record and has homecourt advantage throughout the postseason. That means someone is going to have to beat the Cavaliers in their arena, where they were 39-2 this season - and that second loss came in the regular-season finale when James didn’t play.

They gives them a solid chance to get back to the Finals, where they were swept by the Spurs two years ago after mustering the worst offensive performance in the history of the championship round. This version is much better on that end, thanks in large part to Mo Williams, who delivered an All-Star season in his first year in Cleveland.

Their road won’t be easy, though. Few teams can match the postseason experience of the Pistons, who have made six straight trips to the conference finals. After that could be the explosive Wade, followed by perhaps the defending champion Celtics.

And unlike in 2007, when the Cavaliers weren’t viewed as title contenders, this time they won’t sneak up on anyone.

“They’ll be facing the kind of pressure we felt last year being the No. 1 seed,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

The Lakers’ Andrew Bynum, who missed the postseason last year because of a knee injury, scored 22 points Tuesday in a victory over Utah that set up a rematch between the teams in the first round.

“I am very, very, very excited,” Bynum said. “I have never played in an NBA playoff game - well, I played in Phoenix for a minute, but that doesn’t really count. I think I have a great chance to help push us over the hump.”

The Lakers didn’t need Bynum to storm through the West playoffs last year, winning 12-of-15 games. They’ll be favored to get through again with so many potential opponents entering at a disadvantage.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1166250&format=text
As playoffs start, does a LeBron-Kobe final await?

By Associated Press | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
When Kobe Bryant was last seen in the playoffs, he was hopeless and helpless as his Los Angeles Lakers were run over in Boston in Game 6 of the NBA finals.

LeBron James never even got to a sixth game in his first time on the big stage, as Cleveland was quickly swept away by San Antonio in the finals the previous year.

Now, with one big injury in the Eastern Conference and too many flawed teams in the West, one of the superstars has a good chance of getting the ending he wants this time.

"If I’m not competing for the NBA championship, then I’m wasting my time and I’m wasting my teammates’ time," James said. "To be in a position to be in the playoffs and to be in a position to fight for the NBA championship, I’m looking forward to it."

The playoffs begin this weekend, with James and the Cavaliers hosting Detroit on Saturday in their opener. Also Saturday, Boston — without injured Kevin Garnett — faces Chicago, Dallas visits San Antonio in a rematch of a recent postseason thriller, and Portland welcomes Houston for its first playoff game since 2003.

Bryant and the Lakers get started Sunday against the Utah Jazz. Then, Orlando hosts Philadelphia, NBA scoring leader Dwyane Wade leads Miami into Atlanta, and the New Orleans Hornets visit Denver.

Cleveland finished a league-best 66-16 and has home-court advantage throughout the postseason. That means someone is going to have to beat the Cavaliers in their arena, where they were 39-2 this season — and that second loss came in the regular-season finale when James didn’t even dress.

That gives them a solid chance to get back to the finals, where they were swept by the Spurs two years ago after mustering the worst offensive performance in the history of the championship round. This version is much better on that end, thanks in large part to Mo Williams, who delivered an All-Star season in his first year in Cleveland.

Their road won’t be easy, though. Few teams can match the postseason experience of the Pistons, who have made six straight trips to the conference finals. After that could be the explosive Wade, followed by perhaps the defending champion Celtics [team stats].

And unlike 2007, when the Cavaliers weren’t viewed as title contenders, this time they won’t sneak up on anyone.

"They’ll be facing the kind of pressure we felt last year being the No. 1 seed," Boston coach Doc Rivers said.

That’s nothing compared to Rivers’ problems.

Rivers said Thursday that Garnett won’t be ready for the postseason opener and may not play at all because of his right knee injury. The Celtics have been able to keep winning without their leader and perhaps have enough with Paul Pierce [stats] and Ray Allen to keep doing so early in the playoffs, but certainly would miss him against the Cavs or Lakers — if they get that far.

"I hate to be so frank, but I do not believe they have a chance (to repeat)," former NBA star and TNT analyst Chris Webber said. "KG, as far as how good he is and playing against him and seeing how he energizes the whole team, I don’t care who you are, you can’t do that from the bench."

Garnett was the key to a Boston frontcourt that pushed around the Lakers in the finals last year, which ended with the Celtics’ 131-92 rout in Game 6. This time, it’s Los Angeles that is healthy up front, with Andrew Bynum back from a knee injury to anchor the middle.

Bynum, who missed the postseason last year because of a knee injury, scored 22 points Tuesday in a victory over Utah that set up a rematch between the teams in the first round.

"I am very, very, very excited," Bynum said. "I have never played in an NBA playoff game — well, I played in Phoenix for a minute, but that doesn’t really count. I think I have a great chance to help push us over the hump."

The Lakers didn’t need Bynum to storm through the West playoffs last year, winning 12 of 15 games. They’ll be favored to get through again with so many potential opponents entering at a disadvantage.

San Antonio? No Manu Ginobili.

Portland? Too young.

New Orleans? Too injury-prone.

Utah? Can’t win on the road.

Denver might have the best chance, finally having earned home-court advantage in the first round after five straight exits. The Nuggets have a clutch postseason performer in Chauncey Billups, the 2004 finals MVP whose early season acquisition sparked a division title run from a team that began the season as an afterthought.

The all-Texas matchup between Dallas and San Antonio could be one of the highlights of the first round. The Southwest Division rivals met in the 2006 West semifinals, where the Mavericks won Game 7 in overtime on the Spurs’ home floor en route to the NBA finals.

It’s been mostly playoff misery since then for Dallas. The Mavs blew a 2-0 lead to Miami in those finals, were embarrassed as the No. 1 seed by Golden State in the first round in 2007, then lost again in the first round last year.

This time, they come in after a strong finish that vaulted them to the No. 6 seed after flirting with eighth and a dreaded matchup with the Lakers.

And just like James and Bryant, the Mavs are looking for a different script.

"What you want to do is get hot. That usually means you’re doing everything better," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Hey, there are 16 teams wanting to do that. I don’t think we’re any different than the other 15 teams. We’ve been playing well, we want to continue to move in an upward direction."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1166219&format=text
Derrick Rose, Bulls set to go

By Associated Press | Friday, April 17, 2009 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
DEERFIELD, Ill. - Just in case anyone was wondering, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose made one thing clear yesterday.

“I’m definitely going to be playing,” he said with a smile.

As surprises go, that’s about as shocking as a flight delay at O’Hare. Rose is healthy, after all.

But the status of star players is a big theme as the Bulls and Celtics [team stats] prepare to meet in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs tomorrow at the Garden.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Kevin Garnett won’t play in Game 1 and might not return at all, although the Bulls aren’t exactly buying that. They are, however, buying this: With or without Garnett, they’re in an uphill fight to advance.

“Anything can happen in the playoffs, I know that,” said Rose, Chicago’s rookie of the year candidate.

For much of the season, what happened to the Bulls wasn’t good, but a late turnaround put them back in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

Now, they have to shake off an ugly 109-98 loss to Toronto on Wednesday and brace themselves for the defending champions, even if Garnett is out.

“We definitely have a tough series ahead, but we’re confident in ourselves,” said John Salmons, a key midseason pickup. “We really think we can go out there and compete and play with the best teams in the league. We’ve shown that.”

The Bulls (41-41) went from 49 wins and the second round of the playoffs two years ago to 49 losses and the lottery last season.

The playoffs are new territory for Rose and Joakim Noah, while Tyrus Thomas and Salmons have limited experience. How they perform will go a long way toward determining whether the Bulls push - or beat - the Celtics.

“It’s definitely a good challenge to go up against the champs, especially the first time,” said Salmons, who’s recovering from a strained left groin , “just to compete and try to take down the top dogs.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/17/on_eve_of_playoffs_celtics_lose_garnett?mode=PF
On eve of playoffs, Celtics lose Garnett
Knee injury will keep star out of 1st round, maybe all postseason
By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff | April 17, 2009

Kevin Garnett, the warrior hero of the champion Boston Celtics, appears destined to watch this year's playoffs from the sideline, hobbled by a balky right knee that has kept him off the court for most of the past two months, the team revealed yesterday.

The disclosure, emerging after the team had previously minimized the severity of the injury, raised as many questions as it answered - most prominently, what is the extent of the power forward's injury? But this much seemed clear: With Garnett not playing, the Celtics' prospects for repeating their championship run dimmed considerably.

"He's out for the playoffs? Goodbye, Boston," said Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an orthopedic surgeon who previously was team orthopedist for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Even as the Celtics confront ed the prospect of entering the playoffs without the talent and brio of Garnett, they also were left concerned about the health of Danny Ainge, executive director of basketball operations. Ainge yesterday suffered what the team described as a mild heart attack and last night was reported to be recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said yesterday that as he watched Garnett struggle through a workout at the team's practice facility in Waltham, the veteran player's knee appeared swollen and locked. Consequently, the coach said, one-third of his star trio will miss the Celtics' first-round series against the Chicago Bulls, and the team expects that, in all likelihood, Garnett will be absent from further postseason play if the team advances.

"It's not official that he's out for the entire playoffs, but it's official as far as I'm concerned," Rivers said yesterday. "I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see it."

The coach described the injury as a strain to the popliteus tendon, which sits at the back of the knee, on the outside, and bisects the big joint that is the knee's fulcrum.

Garnett will probably have off-season surgery to remove a bone spur from the knee, Rivers said, but it's the tendon that is keeping him from playing.

But DiNubile said Garnett's symptoms and the projected length of his recovery do not seem consistent with the diagnosis. Instead, another orthopedic specialist speculated that the star player may be suffering from something more severe: damaged cartilage, perhaps, or a floating chip that might be lodged in a recess of the tendon.

"I'd say it's not likely" that it's a damaged popliteus tendon, said Dr. Riley Williams, the New Jersey Nets' team physician and an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. "It's such an unusual diagnosis. It seldom occurs in isolation."

DiNubile theorized that high-tech medical scans may be failing to identify the true source of the damage.

"He's probably having a meniscus tear they're probably not seeing," DiNubile said, referring to the cartilage that acts like a shock absorber in the knee. "I can tell you it's not a strained tendon. A strained tendon would not give you the swelling and the ongoing symptoms. That's not a strained popliteus tendon."

If the injury is something more severe - cartilage damage, for example - Garnett could be facing surgery requiring six months to recover, or even longer.

The Celtics said the team doctor could not comment in detail about Garnett's injuries because of league rules. But an NBA source, who requested anonymity, said there is no structural damage in Garnett's knee.

It was Feb. 19, in a game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, when Garnett reported pain in his right knee while jumping for a lob pass. After tumbling briefly to the court, he hopped on his left foot to the locker room. He was diagnosed with a strained knee.

The next day, Ainge said Garnett was expected to be out three to four weeks. When the day of Garnett's anticipated return arrived, March 15, Rivers said Garnett would accompany the team on its next road trip. Garnett returned to play five days later, appearing for 17 minutes in a win at San Antonio. He played in just three more games.

For patients with strains of the popliteus tendon, treatment typically consists of rest, ice, and physical therapy, said Dr. Helene Feiler, an orthopedic surgeon at Excel Orthopedic Specialists in Woburn. Most people with that type of tendon injury recover within two to six weeks, she said.

"So I would have expected him to have improved, if not recovered" by now, said Feiler, who trained at New England Baptist Hospital, home base of the Celtics' medical team.

Still, Feiler cautioned that it is always risky to jump to conclusions about an athlete's true condition without having access to complete medical records.

"That's what gets hard with a lot of these comments," Feiler said. "Does that really describe what's going on or not?"

It's also conceivable, another orthopedic surgeon said, that the reported diagnosis of a strained popliteus tendon only partially characterizes the full extent of the damage.

Dr. John Trey Green, chief of sports medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, said that when specialists encounter a strained popliteus tendon, it is usually in conjunction with something else that has sustained damage.

"It may be, in fact, that he had another injury in addition that is on the hush-hush. Perhaps he's got more," Green said.

Garnett arrived in Boston as part of a blockbuster trade in 2007, rounding out a trio of luminaries that also includes Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. He is a 12-time All-Star who, the Nets' team doctor said, may be showing the wear and tear of the grind that is the NBA.

"He's known as a warrior kind of guy, and he's kept himself in great shape. But remember what they say: It's not the age, it's the mileage," Williams said. "It's really a bummer. I'm a Lakers fan, but I love Kevin Garnett. What's not to love about the guy?"

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/17/forget_a_repeat_celtics_are_already_winners?mode=PF
Forget a repeat, Celtics are already winners
By Bob Ryan, Globe Staff | April 17, 2009

For the fan, it's better this way.

You know the deal up front. The Celtics will not become the 2009 NBA champions.

You won't be teased. You won't be living through one of those tedious, agonizing, will-he-or-won't-he scenarios. Barring some unforeseen medical miracle, Kevin Garnett is O-U-T, out of the playoffs. They now have a new goal - the Eastern Conference finals. That remains quite attainable. Orlando's good, but not scary good.

So relax. The pressure's off. Sit back and watch an entertaining team do the best it can, whatever that happens to be.

There is no other sane way to look at this.

But wait. I gather that some people are - I can hardly believe this - angry. Disappointed, I can see. I'm disappointed, too, but angry? About what?

Is there some kind of entitlement clause I never heard about? Have fans forgotten that when the Big Three were assembled there was an agreed-upon three-year window to produce title No. 17, and that the goal has already been achieved? People have no right to get greedy, especially when two excellent teams such as the 66-16 Cavaliers and the 65-17 Lakers are on the prowl. I'm not saying a healthy Celtics team couldn't have beaten either the Cavs or the Lakers, but I would not have expected them to. Big difference.

Now there is a legitimate question here, I'll grant that. To borrow a phrase, what did the Celtics know, and when did they know it? Some are asking if perhaps there's more going on here than a "sprain," and, if so, why wasn't it addressed immediately, perhaps surgically?

My answer is that I don't know for sure, but I doubt there was any information evasion going on. I think the brass is a bit gobsmacked by this development. As recently as Monday, here is what Danny Ainge had to say.

"I'm optimistic. Hopeful. We're just waiting to see. Hopefully, we will be 100 percent healthy, I think we will be."

I doubt he was referring to Gabe Pruitt.

But I think we all know what's really going on, and it's pretty simple. The Big Ticket has been punched for 1,128 games, regular season and playoffs combined. And Garnett minutes are unlike anyone else's minutes. A Garnett minute is at least a minute and 20, and maybe more. Nobody plays as intensely as Kevin Garnett - nobody. His right knee is saying "Ouch," or words to that effect.

It's got to be bad. This is Kevin Garnett we're talking about.

"After watching him run," Doc Rivers told WEEI yesterday morning, "there's no way . . . This was an honest run today. You couldn't fake your way through it; you know what I'm saying?"

Sadly, yes.

A Garnett-less Celtics is still a formidable foe. They were 18-7 without him this season, with seven of those victories coming over teams with winning records (Phoenix, Denver, Cleveland, Miami twice, and Atlanta twice). They score the ball, as they like to say nowadays, just fine. The problem comes at the defensive end, where Garnett was the physical and spiritual leader. They simply do not defend as well without Kevin Garnett in the lineup and - stop me if you've heard this - defense is what wins championships.

We're going to find out a few things in these playoffs. We will see, for example, just how far Glen "Big Baby" Davis has come in the past two months. Anyone watching this team in the 25 games since KG sustained his knee injury Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City knows that no individual on the team has personally prospered as much as Big Baby, who has broadened his offensive game by making himself a reliable face-up jump shooter and who just plays with more overall poise and presence than he did before.

Baby ended the season nicely, averaging 12.6 points since March 1 while putting up such numbers as 24, 19, 19, 19, 22, 15 and 21 in seven of the final 12 regular-season games. Can he maintain that pace in the most important games? That's a good question.

Baby and Leon Powe will be vitally important. Powe is well-established as a walking double-double waiting to happen. The biggest difference between the two is that Baby has at least grasped the basic concept of the vital defensive rotations from the beginning, whereas Leon still has a way of getting lost. But there are few more relentless forces coming off a bench in terms of attacking the glass and taking it to the hoop than Leon Powe.

But let's get serious. The man who will have to produce, who will have to bring nightly A games, who will have to be as good as he likes to think he is: The Captain.

Paul Pierce came away from last season's Finals with an enhanced reputation as a prime-time player. But that didn't seem to be enough for him. Unless I mistook what he was saying, he couldn't understand why people were hesitating to put him on the same level as Kobe and LeBron (and now, Dwyane). OK, Cap. If you really are that good, now's the time to prove it.

I, for one, won't hold him to that. It's no insult to be a great player, as Pierce is, and still be a cut below that reigning Holy Trinity of Hoop.

Chicago reminds me somewhat of last year's Hawks, with all those bouncy legs (John Salmons, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, etc.). They've got a great young point guard in Derrick Rose and lots of veteran savvy coming off the bench with Brad Miller, Kirk Hinrich and Tim Thomas, a guy who's always capable of dropping a quick 20 on you. But the Celtics should get by them.

That would bring up Orlando, with that great front line of Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis, but they will miss All-Star guard Jameer Nelson, and the Celtics have a very good chance of beating them.

Then it's all house money. The pressure would be completely on the Cavs. Should you hope? Sure. Should you expect? No. They're pretty good. Excuse me, He is pretty good. In fact, He is transcendent. If LeBron James can bring his team within a minute of beating the Celtics last season, why would you think he won't find a way to beat a Garnett-less Celtics team this year?

Anyway, you've already gotten your reward. Stop whining.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/04/17/reaction_to_news_varies?mode=PF
Reaction to news varies
Foes concerned, others skeptical
By Julian Benbow, Globe Staff | April 17, 2009

As word circulated yesterday that Kevin Garnett will miss the playoffs with a right knee injury, reaction ranged from the concern of close friends to the skepticism of potential postseason rivals.

Cavaliers star LeBron James said the news didn't come as a surprise.

"We all thought that he wouldn't be back for the playoffs anyway," said James. "I think it's still a really, really good team. Of course it doesn't help them that he's out because of how good he is offensively and defensively, but you really can't count them out with the power that they have still."

Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said he wouldn't believe it until he saw Garnett in street clothes.

"I think he's going to play, knowing his competitive nature," said Ilgauskas. "But I don't know what's going on with his knee. Obviously, if we meet them, we want to beat them. I feel for him as a player and a person because I know it's killing him to not be out there in that situation, and I've been in that situation, so I feel bad for him."

The only way the Celtics and Cavaliers could face would be in the Eastern Conference finals, so Cleveland guard Mo Williams was not yet focused on Garnett.

"It will be a while before we see them," Williams said. "We're not really concerned with Garnett right now."

Cleveland coach Mike Brown had a first-round matchup with Detroit on his mind.

"I'm not worried about [the Celtics] right now," he said. "I'm worried about Detroit. If they say [Garnett is out], then why not believe it?"

Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups, a close friend of Garnett's, said the two had been playing phone tag since Garnett's injury. Billups, who played with Garnett for two seasons in Minnesota, said he planned on contacting Garnett last night.

"I'm hurt about that because I know how passionate he is and how much he puts into winning," Billups said. "It's disheartening for me to know that he can't even compete to try to help his team try to defend the championship. I know it's probably the toughest thing of his career."

Lakers forward Lamar Odom said, "Of course it's a big deal. He's a big part of their energy. It's too bad he won't be playing."


Save a seat
Garnett plans to watch the Celtics' playoff games from the bench, which he didn't do while injured during the regular season. Watching a game he can't play in is like torture for him, which is why he's hasn't done it.

"I can feel where Kevin's coming from," said Kendrick Perkins. "It messes up his head. He can't take it."

But even if he isn't on the floor, his presence is welcomed by his teammates.

"As long as I know he's supporting us, that's all that matters," said Perkins.


Scalabrine closer
Brian Scalabrine took part in one-on-one contact drills with Bill Walker Tuesday and has begun other basketball activities. Coach Doc Rivers said Scalabrine, who has been out since Feb. 23 with concussion symptoms, could return for Game 3 of the first round Thursday in Chicago . . . The Bulls will practice today at Northeastern.