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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 7, 2008 8:20:33 GMT -5
C’s grounded after trip Don’t overhype big win By Steve Bulpett | Monday, January 7, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics  Photo by AP Doc Rivers has done his best thus far to hold down the hysteria around the Celtics [team stats]. But with a victory at Detroit on Saturday, a 4-0 road trip out west late last month and a 29-3 overall record, the coach now has no shot. With Sports Illustrated set to join the praise parade with a feature story, and national outlets regularly staffing games, the hype-ometer is about to red line. Rivers knows a tidal wave when he sees one. “Well, I’m not going to try to keep it down as far as outside of us because I can’t control that,” he said. “But inside of us, we know that Detroit’s won a title, Cleveland’s been to the Finals, San Antonio’s won a title and we’ve done nothing. And that is something I will never stop telling this team because the day we start thinking about it and thinking we’re all set is the day we’ll be in trouble.” Looking at the split with Detroit thus far (the Pistons won at the Garden on Dec. 19), the Celts clearly are no sure bet to get out of the Eastern Conference come playoff time. But the warning has been issued: Basketball fans in this area should stock up for the coming storm. Food, water, ice, heart medication. Assuming the NBA air traffic control information is correct, the Celtics and Pistons are most definitely headed for a playoff collision that will bring every boxing cliche to life. The Celtics certainly proved they’re ready to rumble with the 92-85 win Saturday. But while they took pleasure in the payback, they were able to summon some perspective. “No statement,” Kevin Garnett said after the victory. “I just think you’ve got two good teams in the league. If you’re in the East, it’s going to definitely have to come through Detroit, along with Cleveland and some other teams. They beat us; we beat them. Nothing more, nothing less than that.” Rivers, meanwhile, isn’t hiding his joy with the turn of events for his C’s. “I like the team,” he said. “I love who we are. But beyond having good talent, the whole reason it’s working right now is because everyone’s willing to come out when we sub for them. Nobody cares about who’s getting minutes and who’s not. Nobody cares about those individual things. If we keep that, we’re in good shape.” Garnett echoed that sentiment. “I love how we are as a team,” he said. “I love how we mesh. I love how a (expletive) can crack a joke on me and I can crack a joke on him. When I tell somebody something, it’s not like I’m trying to (knock) him. When they tell me something, it’s not like they’re not respecting me. Ain’t none of that. Man, we’ve got a really, really, really rare group of guys, and it starts with Doc. He laid that down from Day 1.” So when Glen Davis went through a seven-game stretch that included three token appearances and two games he didn’t get in at all, he didn’t grouse. The rookie simply came out Saturday and scored 16 of his career-high 20 points in the last quarter. “You can’t worry about whatever goes on,” Davis said. “The coaches make decisions for the team, and I’m all for it. . . . I’ve just got to be ready to play. “The season’s real long. You’ve always got to keep your head in the right situation. You can’t worry about DNPs. The only thing you can worry about is W’s.” And if the wins add up to a heavyweight showdown with the Pistons deep in the playoffs, well, that’s just fine with the Celtics. “It’d be pretty nice,” Rivers said. “That means we’ve gone pretty far, and that means they’ve gone pretty far. I think both teams, if you said that right now, would be happy to see it.” For now, it seems both squads are trying to get in position to do some NASCAR-type drafting. Although Rivers told Saturday’s Herald that, “no matter the records, they’re still ahead of us in our mind,” Detroit doesn’t mind trailing the first-place C’s in the conference standings. “I’m happy that they jumped out like that and they’re getting all the press,” Chauncey Billups said. “I like for us to fly under the radar, just do what we do and keep it moving. Also, I think they deserve it. It’s a team that won (24) games last year and added a couple of great pieces. They deserve the press they’re getting. “It’s the best for us. We’re at our best when we’re hunting and not being hunted. Obviously, we’re being hunted by some teams under us, but the big fish right now is Boston. We’re at our best when we’re in that situation.” Article URL: www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1065009 |
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 7, 2008 8:35:56 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/07/play_of_celtics_bench_sits_well_with_mates?mode=PFPlay of Celtics' bench sits well with mates By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 7, 2008 AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Against the Pistons Saturday night, it was reserve Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Against the Grizzlies Friday night, it was reserve Tony Allen. And against the Rockets Wednesday night, it was reserve Scot Pollard. Much of the credit for Boston's 29-3 start understandably has gone to stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. But of late, the Celtics' bench has screamed for some attention, too, with its strong performance. "So much attention has been going to me, Ray, and Kevin," Pierce said. "These guys are overlooked every single night. Tony Allen has been playing his [butt] off for the last week and a half now. He's starting to get his confidence. Big Baby, when he has his opportunities, he's shining. You already know about Eddie House and [James] Posey. Scot Pollard's been great for us. It's been different guys every single night." The Celtics' bench entered yesterday's games 23d in the NBA in scoring per game with an average of 25.5 points, according to hoopsstats.com. And with perennial All-Stars Garnett, Pierce, and Allen scoring a combined 58.6 points per game, it's doubtful that Boston's ever will be one of the league's top-scoring benches. But of late, the bench has stepped up to help the Celtics win. During the last three games, the Boston bench has been eighth in scoring, averaging 34.3 points, as well as 14 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.3 3-pointers made. The Celtics' reserves also scored 42 points in the 100-96 win over Memphis, including 20 points from Tony Allen. House is averaging a reserve-best 8 points per game while Posey is averaging 7. "We ain't looking for no respect," Tony Allen said. "We're just trying to contribute. We are working hard every day to prepare for playoff-type-atmosphere games and stay poised with team basketball by sticking within the system." House said, "We are just doing our job. When Coach [Doc Rivers] calls on us, he is calling on us to spell the starters and give us a lift. On a night where we don't have a lift to stretch the game out, we have to keep the ship afloat. We can't let it sink." During Boston's 92-85 win at Detroit Saturday night, Davis was the key reserve as he scored 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to spark his team. While he made all six of his field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, no starter made more than two. The 6-foot-9-inch, 289-pounder entered the game averaging 4.2 points and had scored a combined 10 points in the previous five games. "It just feels good to be out there playing and to get a win," Davis said. "The bench is going to be the bench and we'll always be a part of this team. We might have our ups and downs, we might have not-so-good days. We just try to stay consistent to help our team win. "We are only worried about the 'W.' We are not worried about how many points the bench has. We don't worry about the media and how they talk about us. We just go out there and play." Said Pierce, "You've got to understand teams are not going to show respect for any of the other guys with me, Kevin, and Ray out there. I don't think they respected Baby out there. But when Baby gets his opportunity, he shows that he can play." One bench member to keep an eye on is Tony Allen. Allen has had his ups and downs this season while recovering from left knee surgery that sidelined him for the final 48 games of last season. But over the last five games, including one start, the 6-4, 213-pounder is averaging 11.2 points, 2 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and a .500 field goal percentage. Allen's biggest game off the bench this season came Friday when he scored those 20 points, a season high, on 8-of-15 shooting. He nailed two 3-pointers and had three steals. He said his knee is getting better every day, but he doesn't believe he will be at full strength until he can dunk on his opponents again. "I didn't put on my uniform for stats," said Allen, whose team resumes practice today after taking yesterday off. "I put on my uniform to win."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 7, 2008 8:39:02 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/green_room/2008/01/the_celtics_out.htmlSaturday Night Fight Email|Link|Comments (1) By Ian Rider January 6, 2008 02:32 PM The Celtics out-slugged the Pistons 92-85 at the Palace at Auburn Hills in what may have been the biggest game in the NBA to date on Saturday night. Few regular season games are anticipated and previewed for a week, like in the NFL. The match-up between these early season Eastern Conference standouts was an exception, being pined about and hyped for the better part of a week. Rarely does a game live up to the hype in any sport, but this game, like the first, didn’t disappoint. The game was called by more than a few media types, a measuring stick. Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace called it a big test. Here’s what we learned… The Celtics need another point guard. Rajon Rondo has made leaps and bounds in his young career but he isn’t the answer at the one for a team of this caliber. Rondo doesn’t get his best players easy shots on a regular basis. The offense doesn’t run through him in crunch time, and defensively, against big guards, he is a liability on the defensive end. Right now, Paul Pierce is the best point guard on the team. Don’t believe me? Watch the end of the last Pistons game, and the Rockets game. Glen Davis played like a man, but Rasheed blocked this shot. (AP Photo) Doc Rivers chose to put Tony Allen in the game late in the fourth at the point for defensive purposes, and he was even worse. Why do the Celtics believe that he is a point guard? What in his game has shown that he can run a basketball team? First of all, he can’t dribble. He’s not just an iffy dribbler, he’s a terrible ball-handler. He reminds me of when football players get on the basketball court. They are faster then everyone and throw down sick dunks, but they all dribble like my little sister. If there was such a thing as a carry in the league anymore, he’d turn the ball over every time he touched it. That’s pretty important as a point guard. Handling the ball; kind of a big deal. I think he is a solid player, and as a bench player, he can be above average, but he shouldn’t be forced into a position based on a lack of depth. Every two-guard in the league, and some threes, dribble better than Tony Allen. Stop putting him at the point. I’m sorry, these are just the facts. I’m not going to spend a lot of time on Eddie House. We all know he is a shooting guard. If we aren’t going to force people into positions based on necessity, let’s not start doing it based on height. He doesn’t even try to run the point when he is in. He dribbles over half court and hands it to Allen, Allen, or Pierce and runs to the corner. If Danny Ainge doesn’t make a move to acquire a real point guard, he’ll be doing a disservice to the veterans, the coaching staff, and the entire team. Not to mention the fans. This team has shown it has a legitimate shot at the NBA Finals in spite of their point guard. If they don’t address the point guard situation by adding a veteran, the blame will fall on Danny. Again. Paul Pierce is the Truth. Tommy Heinsohn regularly references the “fire in Pierce’s eyes,” and the Captain brings that every night. Pierce’s performance over the last month cannot be downplayed. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have been great, but when they don’t have it offensively, there isn’t much they can do about it. Pierce, who didn’t shoot well from the field (5-16), kept his head up, found the open man, and carried the Celtics to a win in a tough game on the road. He kept his head up on defense as well, getting a huge steal in the fourth quarter. Pierce is the only the Celtic that can carry a team on his own offensively. Garnett showed he can make the big shots down the stretch against Houston, but it was Pierce who was feeding him. It was the same Saturday for Glen Davis. Speaking of which… Glen Davis deserves a shot. I’m not going to use his nickname in this post, because Glen Davis played like a man on Saturday night. In doing so, he should have earned himself big minutes the rest of the way, and a spot in the nightly rotation. I don’t care about match ups, let teams try and match up with him. I was afraid I created a Green Room curse. I wrote that Leon Powe would be a force off the bench, and he has barely played. I complimented Scalabrine’s play off the bench and he hasn’t taken off the sweat suit yet. Then I wrote a whole post on Big Baby, and in the 15 games since he’d been a factor in all of two of them. Last night Davis was the deciding factor in the game, and it wasn’t just the 16 points in the fourth quarter. His offensive rebounds, hustle plays, and aggressiveness on defense are what made the difference at the Palace. Since they can’t beat ‘em, they’re going to beat ‘em up. The “Hack-A-Celts” model that teams have undertaken against Boston I had thought was only reserved for the squads that were overmatched. However, it was clear Saturday evening that even the best in the biz are going to resort to the jersey-clutching, trash-talking, tough-guy act that the Celtics have faced on a regular basis since their hot start. The All-Star for an evening, Jason Maxiell, tried to send a message to Kevin Garnett with a hard foul and some choice words that earned himself a technical, and the rest of the Pistons followed suit. No wonder Detroit is the most dangerous city in the country. There is a positive here. Every game the C’s see the oppositions best effort in a playoff atmosphere, and they continue to win. Come May, they are going to be an experienced team in these situations. Let’s just hope that they have all their starters with all their limbs intact by then. Something tells me if Kevin Garnett continues to play that intense, and take the shots that he is taking, he is going off the deep end one of these nights. Last night being at the Palace and all, I’m sure more than one of the fans were wearing mouth guards. Most of Boston's opponents have taken to punching the Celtics in the face as a defensive strategy. (Reuters/AP Photo) As a side note here, I’m starting to think that other teams, their fans, and the referees aren’t too fond of the extracurricular dramatics KG shows after almost every play. What has been covered in Boston as his “intensity” and “energy,” looks to other teams, fans, and the refs as taunting and showboating. The shots he and the Celtics have taken as a result aren’t a coincidence. Neither are the ridiculous amount of technical fouls the Celtics have gotten. Players, coaches, I won’t be surprised if Tommy Heihnson gets T'd up before the season is over. The Celtics are a better team than the Pistons, right now. I mean, why hype this game as a “big test” if we can’t hype the results? The Celtics played more composed and with better execution, with two of their best players in foul trouble throughout the entire game. Honestly, down the stretch, the Pistons looked tired. They looked old and cranky. They were whining the whole time and arguing. It was like watching my grandparents out there. At this point the Celtics have shown with their ridiculous record, and a split with Detroit, who the class of the East is. This loss by the Pistons will, no doubt, spark another 10 straight wins, and by March, the rubber match in Boston will be just as hyped as this one, if that’s possible. We’ll have to wait and see. Three things I thought while getting a technical foul called on me for trash-talking from my futon… This is the third or fourth game this season that the Celtics have struggled defending the pick and roll. Wait until they play the teams that have perfected it. They won’t beat San Antonio or the Suns if they don’t figure it out. The real Gino has been identified, and he’s actually admitting it! What’s more, he wants to cash-in. That’s why I never trust Italian-Canadian performing artists, that’s just the code I live by. More on Gino? Mike Dowling digs deep into this pointless story.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 7, 2008 8:50:55 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x625197597Celtics: KG more than just a terrific talent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mike Fine/Gatehouse News Service GHS Sun Jan 06, 2008, 08:58 PM EST -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story Tools: Email This | Print This Boston, Mass. - All he ever wanted was a chance, something that rarely happened in Minnesota. Kevin Garnett's taste of winning in the Midwest was limited to a Western Conference Finals loss in 2004. Oh, there were the eight consecutive playoff appearances prior to that - all resulting in a first-round loss - but for the last three years, Garnett had been banging his head against a wall, a superstar on a team whose fortunes were plummeting quicker than those nuts who jump in the ocean every New Year's Day. Now that he's been with the Celtics since August, Garnett is having the time of his life. He's not the superstar on a great team. He's one of several superstars who can blend in, settle down in a way only he can do, and concentrate on playing ball rather than what the front office is doing to wreck it all. "It's been cool," Garnett said. "It's been a lot of hard work, but it's been fun. This is the best group of guys I've been with so it's not even a challenge. It's fun. If I could think of one word to describe it, it's fun coming into practice every day. From A to Z you can get it. It's not like they cater to one or two (players). ... Every day has its challenges and it stays interesting, as you see. It's fun. I'm enjoying it. Obviously, winning makes it a lot more better but it's fun." Garnett doesn't look like he's having fun. He looks more like he's having internal plumbing problems. He does little talking before a game, he bangs his head on the basket stanchion, and even screams a rebel yell on the video screen. It's no act. The intensity can be seen once the game starts and the next day in practice. It's a mental game as well as physical. That Jan. 2 performance, in which he scored 11 of the Celtics' final 16 points while holding Yao Ming to only one meaningless basket, wasn't so much physical as mental. He knew the assignment was going to be his. He was mentally prepared. "It just seems that you always need that little bit of fire," said teammate Ray Allen, the reason that Garnett decided to accept a trade to the Celtics. "You catch a little fire and then he knocks down some shots for us. He definitely brings a lot of intensity, and I think a lot us feed off of it. We do it in our own different ways; he has his way, Perk (Kendrick Perkins) has his ways, Paul (Pierce) has his ways. We feed off each other, we feed off him and in our own little ways we bring that little bit of energy to the game." Garnett would like to think that the resurgence of the Celtics is more than just him, though. Yeah, he's intense, he's an Energizer bunny, a stalking shark with a one-track mind for feeding on the weak, but he's got the cast he rarely had before. "We have a lot of mentally strong guys," he said. "We don't have a lot of young guys. We have a lot of guys with experience, especially guys that have been through situations in this league. Doc (coach Rivers) said before the (Houston) game that we're going to go through different types of tests every night. We'll learn something about ourselves each and every night. A lot of us have been in this league double digits (years played), but he's' right, we've figured out something about ourselves and our teammates every single night and we gain confidence in that. "So the fact that we do have a combination of guys who are experienced, and are still learning, it's a rare mix and it's working and we believe in each other and we believe in the confidence because we've worked on repetition every day. On different things. We believe in that confidence, so it's a rare mix." Make no mistake about it, though, Garnett is the initiator, the motivator, the non-stop terrorizer who will not allow his teammates to take a second off. "I think that's who he is," Rivers said of Garnett's go, go, go mentality. "Him and Eddie House are very similar. It is amazing. What you guys don't see is when the lights are off and he's in the locker room or on the bus or on the airplanes." Rivers spoke of the recent red-eye flight back from Los Angeles. "When we landed at 8 (a.m.), he never slept. I watched two games, took an hour nap, and woke up and ... you could hear him all the way. I mean, he's in the back of the plane and you can hear him dancing and laughing. It's amazing. It's just rare when one of your best players is an energy guy as well. "That's a rare combination."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 7, 2008 9:17:42 GMT -5
www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080107/SPORTS/801070352FREE THROWS: Celtics not quite acting the part January 07, 2008 6:00 AM There have been some big wins for the Boston Celtics this season, both in margin and in significance. From last Sunday night's victory over the Lakers to Friday's narrow escape over Memphis to Saturday night's revenge game in Detroit, it's been an emotional ride that has drawn even the most casual of observers back into a deep, newly abiding love for the Green. The Celtics currently stand at 29-3, and included among those 29 are three wins over the teams that initially handed them one of those three losses. Saturday night completed the trifecta, as Boston fought the physicality and cohesion of the Pistons to come back for the statement win. "It was a nice win for us. We came back and returned the favor," head coach Doc Rivers said. "Our guys are excited — maybe a little too much, but that was a good win for our team." That excitement is causing one of the few grumbles true basketball fans have about this incarnation of the Celtics: act like you've been there before. But it's hard to act like that when, for the most part, none of these players have been there yet. The intensity of Saturday's game was evident from the get-go, when both the Pistons' Antonio McDyess and Boston's Kevin Garnett each picked up two quick fouls. But it didn't end there, as the pushing, swiping and griping continued throughout. So nobody could blame the Celts if they got a little overjoyous in their celebration. The Boston Herald reported that Paul Pierce walked off the court proclaiming his team the best in the NBA. Reserve James Posey jawed at some hecklers in the closing seconds of the win, according to the Boston Globe, copying the annoying tones of Pistons house announcer John Mason (the man who ingratiated himself into this writer's memory with his ridiculous 'Jer-REE Stack-HOWWSE'). "They're a little more happy than we were when we won our game at their place," Chauncey Billups said. "It was just a regular game for us with two good teams playing. They were kind of playing like it was the Super Bowl." "It's just a regular game, man, with two good teams playing," he reiterated. "This probably means a little more to them and their psyche than it was for us." Maybe Tommy Heinsohn said it best on Saturday night during the broadcast when he said, "The Pistons know what each other eats for breakfast; the Celtics only exchanged phone numbers two and a half months ago." These Pistons have been together for a long time. They've won together, including a championship. They can be whiny, they can be brutes, but when the game is over they act the same in both victory and defeat, sometimes even to the point where some question their emotional investment in the regular season. But they certainly act like they've been there before. If the Celtics truly want to get to where the Pistons have been over the last five years, that's the first lesson they should pick up. NUTS IN NEW YORK What's been going on in New York recently? And no, I'm not talking about how bad the Knicks have been playing. I'm talking about the utter sabotage of one of the NBA's premiere franchises. First, as Mitch Lawrence reported in the N.Y. Daily News, Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan refused to meet with Kiki Vandeweghe about the possibility of him taking over as Knicks' GM — the job Vandeweghe wanted more than any in the NBA — and instead he signed with New Jersey. Then, current Knicks GM and head coach Isiah Thomas apparently felt the need to tell the media Dolan made the right choice. "My belief and what I see and where I believe we can go as a team and an organization, I believe one day that we will win a championship here and I believe a couple of these guys will be a part of that," he said, not naming any names. "I believe I'll be a part of that. "As I sit here and I say it today, I know people will laugh even more at me, but I'm hell-bent on getting this accomplished and making sure that we get it done. And I'm not leaving until we get it done." Not only does Zeke think he can help New York win a title, but he thinks he could become the next Red Auerbach as well. "I don't necessarily just want to win a championship," he said. "I want to leave something that's going to stand for a long time. I want to leave a legacy. I want to leave tradition. I want to leave an imprint and a blueprint in terms of how people play and how they coach and how they respond when they put on a Knick uniform." Please, somebody stop him. This is crazy talk, and it only gets crazier if New York native Ron Artest joins forces with Thomas. Artest openly suggested that when he returns from surgery for bone chips in his right elbow, the Kings should trade him to the Knicks. "Anywhere I go, I can turn things around, given the opportunity," he said, sounding strangely like Thomas. "I definitely would not be opposed to it if that is my calling. I would not be opposed if something would happen. But I just want to win a championship." Even if the trade doesn't happen — and really, what would the Knicks have to offer? — Artest can opt out of his current deal this summer and head to the Big Apple, a move predicted in some extrabiblical texts as a sign of the apocalypse. Tim Weisberg covers the NBA for The Standard-Times. Contact him at timweisberg@hotmail.com HOT FINDING GINO Globe Celtics writer Marc Spears, who arrived from Denver in the offseason, is doing an outstanding job this season "” not only covering the team but in his quest to find the real "Gino," the Celtics' scoreboard video superstar. He even conducted an interview with the singer who inspired Gino's T-shirt, Gino Vannelli. The only downside "” Spears' inquiry into the allowance of CafePress.com's sale of bootleg versions of the Vannelli shirt led to them to take it down before I could order one! Thanks, Marc. PIPPEN STILL PLAYIN' Former NBA star Scottie Pippen made his debut recently with Torpan Pojat, the No. 1 team in the Finland league. He scored 12 points in his first game, and had nine points and nine rebounds in his second. Although he still intends on becoming an NBA head coach, the 42-year-old Pippen will continue to play in Europe for the time being. LEBRON'S FINISH LeBron James led the Cavaliers' 93-90 win over Toronto on Sunday with 24 fourth-quarter points, finishing with 39 overall. NOT BACK UP A SECOND While shooter Eddie House and slasher Tony Allen have relieved Rajon Rondo at the point-guard spot, the Celtics still could use a true back-up point guard. However, Yahoo! reported that the Celtics are not interested in signing Gary Payton, and other outlets are reporting that if the Grizzlies make disgruntled point guard Damon Stoudamire available, Boston won't be a potential destination. ZERO GILBERT? Wizards star Gilbert Arenas said this week that unless he fully recovers from his second knee operation in less than a year, he won't return to the court this year. "I have to protect the rest of my career, too, so I won't jeopardize that for just 15 games if I'm not 100 percent," he said. TAXING FOR A TEAM Oklahoma City residents will vote March 4 on a proposed one-cent sales-tax increase to help improve the Ford Center and bring an NBA team to town. The tax would last 15 months, generating an estimated $121.6 million to pay for an arena upgrade and a practice facility. undefined
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 7, 2008 9:53:01 GMT -5
www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2008/01/04/03/3235-72/index.xmlC’s are Perking upCenter finding success with his new role NBA. Just the perks of the job. Kendrick Perkins has seen a spike in his numbers from last season, the sheer benefits of sharing the paint with Kevin Garnett. He is scoring a career-high 7.0 points per game and shooting 59.2 percent from the field. Granted, most of those shots are within five feet of the basket, and they’re coming from low-post passes and offensive rebounds. But he’s shown a noble ability to play within himself. “I think I’m doing pretty good, accepting my role more than I do,” Perkins said. “And, when I get touches, I make the best of them. If I don’t, oh well. Just keep it loose.” Perkins doesn’t just reap the rewards of playing on the parquet with Garnett. The fifth-year center is making sure to pick Garnett’s brain as often as possible, and his face lights up when talking about Garnett the mentor. “[He has helped] a lot, tremendous,” Perkins said. “He’s the best in the league at what he does. I just try to not take the situation for granted and keep going hard every night.” Doc Rivers isn’t asking the world of Perk this season, and it’s clearly showed. Perkins has numerous chances each game to take uncontested jumpers from 12 feet, but he always passes them up, choosing to back into the paint to set up someone else. Instead, Perkins’s role is to play solid defense, grab any rebounds Garnett can’t swallow and convert easy put-backs. It’s that team-first attitude that has allowed the C’s to get off to a 27-3 start. “That’s the thing I love about our team,” Perkins said. “We don’t play for stats. We just play to win. At the end of the day, man, we’re all going to get a piece of the pie.” And, Perkins certainly gets his. Rivers made a point to acknowledge Perk’s performance against the Lakers Sunday night, particularly with his defense on Andrew Bynum. “That’s tough to do, and I thought it was his best game,” Rivers said. “I really did. Offensively, he is what he is. But defensively, when he plays with that type of energy and that type of focus, Perk is really good for your basketball team.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 7, 2008 9:54:34 GMT -5
www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2008/01/07/01/1914-72/index.xmlClark: What a difference a year makesThe Celtics entered 2007 like a lamb being led to slaughter. They dropped 18 losses in a row, a new team record. Fast forward to December, and the team is leaving the year like a lion. They are on top of the standings, and look to be one of the elite teams in the league this season. Here’s a quick look back at an amazing year: Off to a bad start already, the team suffered injury after injury. Paul Pierce, Wally Szczerbiak and Tony Allen all missed long stretches. Kendrick Perkins never fully recovered from plantar fasciitis, and Theo Ratliff was gone and forgotten about well before the new year. As the losses piled up, the fans’ attention started drifting to the future. Fans started openly rooting for losses to improve the team’s chances at winning the draft lottery and an opportunity to select Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Things got so bad that the media started wondering aloud if the team was tanking games. All that losing was for naught, though, as the team ended up with just the fifth pick in the draft. That moment, when the league rep pulled the Celtics’ logo out of the envelope, was like someone let all the air out of a balloon. Except the balloon was the heart of Celtics fans everywhere. From that moment, nobody could have dreamed how quickly the team’s fate would change. First, the team traded the pick and a few players for Ray Allen on draft night. It didn’t make much sense at the time, but Danny Ainge was far from done. His next move rocked the NBA and transformed the Celtics overnight. The C’s gave up rising star Al Jefferson and a package of players and picks, but they got back one of the best all-round players in the game in Kevin Garnett. The press conference with all three stars holding up their jerseys was the moment all the air was filled right back up in that balloon. Celtics fans went from devastated to elated in no time flat. From that moment on, it was a storybook year. The team bonded in Italy, came out of the gates strong and didn’t look back. They’ve already won more games this year (29) than they got all of last season (24). They are likely going to break the Spurs’ record for largest turnaround in one season (36 more wins). And, of course, barring unforeseen circumstances, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. Who could have imagined any of this a year ago? From the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. It has been one wild ride. Here’s hoping for even more fun in 2008.
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