News 1/15

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1066591&format=text

C’s cast into cold spell
Collapse late, drop second straight to Wizards

By Steve Bulpett | Tuesday, January 15, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matthew West
Last night’s game might be seen as a fair microcosm of the Celtics [team stats] season thus far.

As was the case when they started 29-3 and proceeded to get a little happy with themselves, they drank in the love of the Garden crowd after going ahead by 14 midway through the last quarter against Washington.

The ensuing rap across their kisser will reverberate around the game for a while. Considering there are miles to go before a champion is decided, the 88-83 loss to the Wizards and the three defeats in the past four games might be just a slight bump in a long road. But the jolt was noticeable as the Celts lost consecutive games for the first time.

“There’s just a point where the game has kind of slapped us in the face,” Ray Allen said. “We have to take it and step up and all be men and come together even more.”

It wasn’t easy for the Celts to get all the way to defeat in this one. They had to squander the aforementioned lead, hitting just one field goal in their last 12 attempts. The C’s were outscored, 25-6, in the last six minutes. Caron Butler alone beat them, 9-4, in the last 3:10.

“Losing at home anytime as far as I’m concerned is tough,” coach Doc Rivers said, “especially when you’ve got a pretty good lead in the second half and thinking you’re going to take care of the game, and we didn’t.

“I thought when we got the lead we kind of let our guard down a little bit. And right when they got back in it, you felt we were in a little trouble because all of a sudden they had momentum. I thought we had a chance to knock them out, and we didn’t. We let them stay around.”

Still, the Celtics led by a point after two Paul Pierce [stats] free throws with 25 seconds left, but Butler scored on a drive and Kevin Garnett (23 points, nine boards) missed a turnaround. Butler hit two from the line with 8.3 left to make it a three-point game, and Allen clanged the iron with his trey to tie.

“It just came down to defensive stops down the stretch,” Pierce said. “I didn’t think we were as aggressive as they were down the stretch.”

When the captain added he was victimized on a straight drive by Butler, Garnett offered rebuttal.

“We gave up a direct drive to Caron Butler,” he said. “Not just Paul. We did. I want to make that clear.”

Even more clear than that is the fact the Celts aren’t playing with the same verve that carried them through the first 32 games.

“I think our energy,” Garnett said when asked the difference. “January’s probably the hardest of the schedule. “It is what it is. Everybody in the league’s going to go through the same thing, so we’re not bitching, moaning about none of that. It’s on the schedule. We’ve got to deal with it just like everybody else has to deal with it. We’re no different.

“But I think when you look at earlier tape and film of ourselves, we had a lot more spunk and energy. I think we spoiled everybody with how we’ve been playing to now, and it’s just a matter of refocusing and getting back on that right track. But easier said than done. It’s not something that you just go to sleep and wake up tomorrow and it’s done like that. It’s going to take some effort and some work. So that’s what we plan on doing.”

In honor of front row attendee Curt Schilling [stats], the teams engaged in a pitcher’s duel. The problem is the Celts have averaged 84.4 points in the past five games after being close to 100 before them. That’s partly attributable in the past two to Washington’s pace, but it is an issue.

“We’re a team that we know is typically going to score around 25 points a quarter, and we haven’t been doing that as of late,” Allen said. “I think defense can definitely affect the offense, but sometimes when you fall asleep on offense it can affect the defense, as well.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1066611&format=text

Losses test C’s mettle
First road block will define team’s character

By Tony Massarotti | Tuesday, January 15, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matthew West
In the unlikely event they had forgotten, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce [stats] now are getting a refresher on losing. The significance of this crash course really depends on them.

We all knew this was coming at some point, though we didn’t know when. No one ever does. But the fact remains that the Celtics [team stats] now are in their first official skid of this renaissance season, and we all know that everything is infinitely easier when you’re winning.

Losing doesn’t build character, as some might suggest, but it certainly tests it.

“I’ve always been the type to deal with adversity and see who you really run with,” Allen said last night at TD Banknorth Garden, where the Celts blew a 14-point lead with a little more than six minutes to play en route to an 88-83 loss to the Washington Wizards. “This is a team, and we know we’re being tested. We come out of this and figure out a lot about ourselves and fly high.”cw0

Before we go any further, let’s make this clear: The Celtics haven’t merely lost two straight; they’ve lost two straight to the same team with the second game played on their home court. Before last night’s game, coach Doc Rivers talked about how he loves the idea of back-to-back games against the same opponent, saying that it brings “human nature and the competitiveness of players” to the surface.

During the regular season, assuming a reasonably skilled opponent, it’s about the closest thing you can get to a playoff series.

Which is why it was so disturbing to see the Celtics fall on their faces.

For certain, the Celtics looked and sounded annoyed at the end of this game, and they should have looked and sounded that way. On Saturday night in Washington, the Wizards handed the Celtics their second loss in three games, 85-78. The Celts then came out last night and played as if the game was not especially meaningful, at least when they were up by 14.

Said Rivers: “I thought that when we got the lead, we let our guard down a little bit.”

When you get right down to it, this really isn’t about the losing. It’s more about the attitude. After the Detroit Pistons handed the Celtics their first home loss last month, Rivers actually admitted that one of the team’s early goals was to go unbeaten at the Garden. Now the Celts have lost at home three times, the past two in succession to the Charlotte Bobcats and Wizards.

This begs the question:

Does home dominance still matter to the Celtics?

The NBA season is a long, arduous journey. One of the Celtics’ most significant feats until recently was the consistent effort the team put forth every night for what amounted to roughly 40 percent of their schedule. Especially for a team built around three veterans, the Celts played hard. There were times you couldn’t help but wonder if maybe they would be better off pacing themselves a little for fear that their legs would be licorice come spring.

Does that mean a loss or two now might benefit them later? Maybe. Certainly, we all know the past four games (three losses) have been the exception rather than the rule. But we also know that these Celtics played better out of the gate than anybody reasonable could have expected, which makes it a borderline miracle that the team didn’t have this kind of stretch sooner.

Doesn’t it?

“That’s what everybody says, and I don’t buy it,” Rivers said. “I don’t ever expect it to happen. And when it does, I don’t accept it. Having said that, you’re going to go through something, and it doesn’t have to be losses. Team turmoil and things - hopefully, they keep making us better.”

Last night, for what it’s worth, the buzzword after the game was “energy.” Rivers cited the absence of it for his team’s lackluster play of late. So did Garnett. That is a nice way of saying the Celtics looked tired, even sluggish, and that the initial euphoria surrounding the team’s resurrection has worn off.

After all, it’s easy to get motivated at the beginning and at the end of a season.

Almost always, it’s the middle that’s hard.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1066612&format=text

Garnett figures it’s time to fix things

By Mark Murphy | Tuesday, January 15, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matthew West
The sound chamber was locked.

Before last night’s plunge to defeat, while the crowd still was swaying to the prolonged wave that Kevin Garnett gave them from mid-court early in the fourth quarter, emotion got the better of everyone.

The first loud “MVP” chant of the season started while Garnett was at the free throw line with 3:29 left and the Celtics [team stats] leading by nine points. He hit both.

As for the chant, well, maybe Washington’s Caron Butler, judging from his crunch time explosion in last night’s 88-83 win over the Celtics, thought the love was for him.

“MVP?” Garnett later said quizzically, repeating the question. “A chant?”

Garnett looked over at teammate Paul Pierce [stats] and received a shrug.

“Not even on my mind now,” he said when informed of what the crowd said. “I just have my mind on this team and trying to get it back on track, to be honest with you.”

Like everyone else, Garnett left the floor for good with a tight grimace, as if he were trying to keep all of that emotion inside. As the man at the center of this team’s intensity, that’s a lot of feeling to bottle up.

But nothing - not the chants, or the 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists - is going to distract him from the next task.

His team, still with an NBA-best 30-6 record, suddenly needs some fixing.

“It is what it is,” he said of the Celtics’ relatively tough January. “Everybody in the league is going to go through the same thing, so we are not bitching and moaning about none of that.”

Garnett said this like a father scolding his children.

“It’s on the schedule. We’re gonna deal with it, just like everybody else has to deal with it, and we are no different from that,” he said. “I think when you look at earlier tapes of ourselves we had a lot more spunk and energy. It’s just a matter of refocusing and getting back on that right track. It’s easier said than done. It’s not something that you can go to sleep and wake up and it’s (fixed). It’s going to take some effort and some work, and that’s what we plan on doing.

“Tomorrow is a practice day, a day to look at some film and fix some things and get ready for Portland.”

Garnett then said something that proves he’s completely over the top: “Thank God for film days.”

In other words don’t worry. This team is in the right hands.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1066613&format=text

No pressure for Ainge

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Tuesday, January 15, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matthew West
The Celtics [team stats] aren’t in a position where they will turn away from a high-quality veteran point guard should one become available. But the club won’t make any panic purchases just because it’s had recent problems against pressure defense.

“I’m very comfortable with this roster,” director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “When you get off to a start like this, there’s a lot of factors in it - a lot of people playing key roles. And you can’t underestimate or undervalue the personalities in the locker room or the personalities on the court. So you’ve got to be very careful of toying with the roster under those kind of circumstances.”

Ainge believes the current C’s have the personnel to deal with fullcourt defense.

“It’s not just on the point guard to break pressure,” Ainge said. “We have a lot of guys like Ray (Allen), KG (Kevin Garnett), Scal (Brian Scalabrine) and Big Baby (Glen Davis) that in my opinion can all handle the ball and make big passes. It’s not all about dribbling. There are a lot of ways to break pressure.

“The bottom line is that everybody wants (point guards) Chris Paul and Deron Williams and Jason Kidd, and those guys are special. But there’s not many of those guys around. And we have a pretty good point guard ourselves in Rajon (Rondo), and we have a lot of weapons around him. I think that breaking pressure is a team element. The easy way is with a spectacular point guard, but I believe that there’s multiple ways to beat pressure.”

Rondo back

The Celts welcomed Rondo back in last night’s 88-83 loss to the Wizards, but they were cautious with him. Rondo, who suffered a bruised back Friday at New Jersey and sat out Saturday’s game at Washington, didn’t play in the fourth quarter.

He went 21 minutes for the night, netting four points, two rebounds and two assists.

“I didn’t think he was moving well,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I wasn’t going to take the chance. That clearly puts us in a bind. We know that. But to me, I’m looking at the season as a whole.

“We could have brought Rajon back in, and that probably would have helped our offense run a little bit more efficiently, but I thought he was moving awful, and I wasn’t going to take the chance.”

The Celts can’t blame their recent offensive slump on Rondo because it began while he was still healthy.

“Definitely Rondo adds a different dimension to the game with his ballhandling, with his speed, with his pressure defense,” Paul Pierce [stats] said. “But that’s no excuse. Rondo’s a young player. He’s still learning.”

Coaching carousel

There was a time last summer when Tom Thibodeau was expected to be an assistant coach for Washington, not the Celtics. He accepted a job there and worked with players a couple of days before backing out of the job.

“You know what? In the NBA, nothing’s strange,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “Nothing is. After the things you see over the years - just recently with Billy Donovan (taking the Orlando job before returning to Florida) - nothing’s strange. It’s just the way it is, and you move on.” . . .

The C’s morning shootaround was postponed due to the snow.. .

Rivers on Detroit’s 24-point loss to New York Sunday: “It can happen to anybody. I actually watched that game, and it was just a crazy game.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/15/wiz_skid_celtics_lose_again?mode=PF

Wiz skid: Celtics lose again
They blow 14-point lead and drop second in a row

By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 15, 2008

In the span of a week, the Celtics have gone from phenomenal to mortal.

They blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter before losing, 88-83, to the Wizards last night in front of a sellout crowd at TD Banknorth Garden. The Celtics (30-6) have lost back-to-back games (and three out of four) for the first time this season and have dropped two straight at home for the first time.

"Nobody's gotten too big for their britches here," said Celtics guard Ray Allen, who had 16 points but missed 5 of 7 3-point attempts. "We've been excited each moment, each game that we've stepped out and played. There's a point where the game is kind of slapping us in the face. We have to take it and step up and all be men and come together even more.

The Celtics were up by 14 points, 77-63, with 6:22 left. Washington, however, went on a 19-4 run to take an 82-81 lead on a 3-point play by former University of Connecticut star Caron Butler with 40.1 seconds left.

After being fouled on a shot, Paul Pierce made two free throws with 25.9 seconds left to give the Celtics an 83-82 lead. Butler (21 points) responded with a finger-roll lay-in with 19.6 seconds left to push Washington back up, 84-83.

Kevin Garnett, who scored a game-high 23 points, followed by missing a short jump shot in the paint with 8.9 seconds left. After being raked on his eyes during a foul, Butler nailed two free throws to give Washington an 86-83 lead with 8.3 seconds left.

Allen's well-guarded 3-point attempt missed, and DeShawn Stevenson (four 3-pointers) nailed two free throws with 0.5 seconds left to seal it for the Wizards, who are now 17-11 without Gilbert Arenas.

The Celtics scored only 6 points during the final 6:21 of the game.

"The game was close, and there was just some opportunity for myself to get more aggressive and to make some big-time shots," Butler said. "My teammates were looking for me to step up and they were finding me on the floor and we just made some big shots."

Pierce, who had 18 points, said, "I don't think we were as aggressive as they were down the stretch. Obviously, with driving the ball, they got to the line a lot. And that's the way we have to play down the stretch. We've got to be the aggressor, and down the stretch we weren't."

The Celtics were outscored, 29-20, in the final quarter, shooting 7 of 21 from the field (33.3 percent) and missing 4 of 5 3-point attempts. Washington nailed two 3-pointers, scored 10 points in the paint, and sank 11 of 12 free throws in the final quarter.

"Obviously, a tough loss, guys," coach Doc Rivers said. "Losing at home any time, as far as I'm concerned, is tough, especially when you've got a pretty good lead in the second half and thinking you're going to take care of the ball and take care of the game. And we didn't.

"I thought they pressured us, and I thought when we got the lead, we kind of let our guard down a little bit. And right when they got back in it, you felt that you were in a little trouble. You know, when they cut it to 6, and 5, because all of a sudden they had momentum.

"I thought we had a chance to knock them out and we didn't. We let them stay around."

The Celtics have had some tough losses this season.

There was a 2-pointer at Orlando Nov. 18, their first loss of the season. A loss in overtime at Cleveland Nov. 27. The first home loss, against the Pistons Dec. 19. And there was a surprising loss to the Bobcats at home last Wednesday before the setback at Washington last Saturday.

But of all of them, center Kendrick Perkins said, last night's hurts the most.

"This is a tough loss," Perkins said. "When you've lost to a team two straight times, it bites you back. We are supposed to have better focus. We had them up 14, we're supposed to put them away. Those are tough losses.

"We are supposed to beat that team, man. That's the hard part about it."

The regular season is 82 games. It's almost inevitable even the best teams will go through a bad stretch. But during his team's first such spell of the season, Rivers disagreed.

"That's what everybody says," Rivers said. "I don't buy it. But right now it's happening. But let's see how quickly we can get out of it."

"It's a process," said Garnett. "[We're] going to take our lumps now. I'd rather take them now than later. I'd rather learn now than later, and that's the mind-set."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/15/slump_has_caught_them_off_guard?mode=PF


Slump has caught them off-guard

By Peter May, Globe Staff | January 15, 2008

Wait till last year?

Can we please turn back the calendar to 2007? These Celtics we've seen in 2008 bear little resemblance to the wrecking crew that terrorized the NBA in November and December.

Ever since the Celtics flew back from Los Angeles, conquerors of the Lakers for the second time and winners of four games in four tries out West, there has been, well, something missing. Against the Bobcats, it was Ray Allen. Last night, and the game before, it was Rajon Rondo. He didn't play at all in Washington Saturday night (an 85-78 loss) and he played sparingly last night, just 21 minutes, none in the fourth quarter. He has a bad back/hamstring.

And the Celtics again struggled offensively, managing just 83 points and losing for the second time in a row for the first time this season. It's also their second straight setback at the once-imposing TD Banknorth Garden.

Other than the gutty win over the Pistons in Auburn Hills Jan. 5, the Celtics have been, well, mighty ordinary in January, winning four of seven games. They eked out down-the-stretch victories at home over two Western Conference teams, Houston and Memphis, helped out by a celestial game from Kevin Garnett in the former and some misfiring Grizzlies in the latter.

There was the big win in Detroit and, since then, thud. Losses to Charlotte and Washington (twice) and a victory over the Nets in Jersey, which, as we now know, is no big deal. Portland, tomorrow night's opponent, shredded the Nets by 16 last night in Jersey.

So what's up? In their last seven games, they've scored in triple figures only once (100 points against Memphis) and have had 86 or fewer in their last four. Their last two point totals, 78 and 83, read like a John Daly scorecard.

"We're not scoring points for some reason," Kendrick Perkins said. "But it's better that it's happening now so we can clean it up."

This is hardly a novel idea - we've been discussing this since the summer - but what is keeping the Celtics from bringing in someone with experience to back up Rondo; in other words, a point guard? Or, failing that, why not thrust Gabe Pruitt into the mix? Isn't that why they drafted him? He may not be ready, but he at least has experience at the position. They could activate ex-Williams point guard Mike Crotty, their jack of all trades, and he'd probably be an upgrade.

Other than Garnett, Rondo may be the one guy the team can ill afford to lose because he makes so much happen out there at both ends. Watching Tony Allen or Eddie House trying to run an offense is like waiting for a turnover to happen. It's not in their DNA. It is in Rondo's. And he is a certifiable beast on defense as well as an excellent rebounder.

"That clearly puts us in a bind," coach Doc Rivers said of Rondo's absence. "We know that."

So does Washington. The Wizards caught a break in playing the Celtics twice without a healthy Rondo. As coach Eddie Jordan offered, "A lot of teams miss a key piece and they have to adjust to win. You lose a 3-point shooter, you plug in another 3-point shooter. That's not a problem. But with Rondo, a pure, push-it type of point guard, they can't duplicate that. It's like a shock to the system when you lose someone key and don't have anyone to duplicate what he does."

But it isn't just Rondo. Ray Allen was 4 of 15 from the field last night and is shooting a career-worst 41.2 percent from the field. The usually reliable Garnett missed five of six shots in the fourth quarter, including a short turnaround with the Celtics trailing by a point late in the game. They blew a 14-point lead in the final 6:22, managing just 6 points the rest of the way, 4 on free throws and the other 2 on a third-chance tip by Garnett.

They're still defending reasonably well - always a good sign - but they look a step slow.

"I think when you look at earlier tapes, we had a lot more spunk and energy," Garnett said. "It's just a matter of refocusing, coming in, and getting back on the right track.

"But that's easier said than done. It's a process. We're gonna take our lumps now. But I'd rather take them now than later."

Even with everyone healthy, it was unrealistic to expect the Celtics to keep winning at the dizzying pace they set in November and December. But with the arrival of 2008, the Celtics seem to have all the swagger of the Fred Thompson campaign. As Garnett noted, there's still plenty of time left in the race, er, season, to get it back to good.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/15/injury_limits_rondo?mode=PF

Injury limits Rondo
Back is a factor in performance

By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 15, 2008

While Rajon Rondo was back in uniform, his back kept him off the floor at the end of the game.

The Celtics' point guard scored 4 points on 2-of-6 shooting, dished 2 assists and grabbed 2 rebounds in 21 minutes during the 88-83 loss to Washington at TD Banknorth Garden last night.

He was returning to action after missing Saturday's loss at Washington with a back injury sustained Friday at New Jersey.

Rondo played 10 minutes in the third quarter last night but didn't play in the fourth quarter. Coach Doc Rivers described him as day to day.

"I just didn't think he was moving well," said Rivers. "I wasn't going to take the chance.

"That clearly puts us in a bind; we know that. But to me, I'm looking at the season as a whole. And we could've brought Rajon back in and that probably would've helped our offense run a little more efficiently. But I thought he was a little bit off and I wasn't going to take the chance."

Second chance
Assuming he's healthy, Rondo seems a safe bet to play in the Rookie Challenge Feb. 15 during NBA All-Star weekend. The game pits a nine-member rookie team against a nine-member sophomore team picked by the league's assistant coaches.

"It would be good to make it," said Rondo, who was not selected as a rookie last year. "But I still want to rest that weekend and get some time off to spend with my family."

Rondo went into last night's game 10th among sophomores in scoring with 9.0 points per game, second in assists (4.9), second in steals (1.67), and fifth in efficiency rating (13.1). It doesn't hurt that he is the starting point guard on the NBA's winningest team.

Rondo's competition at guard among NBA sophomores includes Portland's Brandon Roy, the Lakers' Jordan Farmar, Utah's Ronnie Brewer, Golden State's Kelenna Azubuike, and Memphis's Kyle Lowry. The sophomore team had five guards last year.

"He probably will [make] it," Rivers said. "I'd rather for him to have rest, to be honest. We don't have much of a break and we go straight to the West Coast."

Celtics rookie Glen Davis, however, will have a hard time making the roster for the game because of the long list of talented forwards in this season's class.

Even if Rondo isn't selected, he still plans on going to New Orleans to support his fellow Celtics on the Eastern Conference side. Rondo said he wouldn't be surprised if several other Celtics show such support.

"We are all close," he said. "We have fun. We're close off the court now. We'll support each other if somebody makes it. Kevin [ Garnett], he's going to make it. We'll probably be there to support him."

Asked how a team with eight new players got close so fast, Rondo said, "[Training camp in] Europe helped a lot. We have similar backgrounds. We like to do the same things. We like to play cards. Everybody likes to eat. We like the same music. We have a good time."

Wear it well
The NBA will announce today that the Celtics (team) and Garnett (individual) led jersey sales at the NBA Store in New York City and online at NBAStore.com through the holidays. It is the first time since the NBA began keeping track in 2001 that either the Celtics or Garnett were in the top spot. Paul Pierce was 12th on the individual jersey list . . . Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said that while his eyes are open, the franchise isn't having any heated trade discussions or eyeing any free agents . . . Davis said his sore right knee is feeling better and the swelling is down . . . Pierce, Davis, and James Posey will perform a special play with students from Mattapan's Taylor Elementary School this morning as part of the Read to Achieve Program. The play is based on the children's book "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type" by Doreen Cronin.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/15/new_nba_tactic_get_out_the_vote?mode=PF

New NBA tactic: Get out the vote
Bulls all elected to suspend Noah

By Peter May, Globe Staff | January 15, 2008

Celtics assistant coach Clifford Ray was a big-time glass-eater at the University of Oklahoma and an all-conference performer in the early 1970s. Yet one of his most vivid memories of his days in Norman was the night he and a couple of teammates sat outside the school gymnasium and tried to gauge how the basketball team was doing by the noise of the crowd.

Ray and his teammates had been suspended. What happened?

"Just some growing pains," Ray said. "It's the same thing he's going through right now."

The "he" to whom Ray referred is Bulls rookie forward Joakim Noah, who missed Sunday's game in Atlanta because his teammates voted unanimously that he not dress for the game. Why? Because he verbally abused assistant coach Ron Adams Friday at a morning shootaround and has been a handful for much of the season (wait for the Scott Skiles memoirs).

Noah had missed Friday's game in Philadelphia as discipline from interim head coach Jim Boylan for the behavior. The players then added a game, to which Noah said, "I'm a rookie. I mean, it is what it is. I've just got to move on, and there's nothing I can do about it."

This wasn't the first time Noah has come under the gun. The guy with the apparent pleasing personality and charm has, according to the Chicago media, been fined numerous times for tardiness.

"This has been building during the course of the season because he has had some situations where he's been late or not doing what the Chicago Bulls do," Boylan said. And the players simply got fed up.

It's at least the second time this season that a team has voted to suspend a player for a game. The Knicks voted not to allow Stephon Marbury to play in the Nov. 14 game against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Marbury had had a williwaw on the team plane and skipped a game in Phoenix the night before, flying back to New York. But coach Isiah Thomas overrode his players' wishes and allowed Marbury to play. The Knicks still lost. Boylan acceded to his players' wishes and the Bulls lost by 21.

Washington coach Eddie Jordan said, "I respect the fact that the players said something. That's the way it should be, especially with a rookie. Especially with a rookie."

Celtic Brian Scalabrine recalled a somewhat similar incident when he was at Southern Cal. The team had beaten Arizona State and was preparing for a big game against Arizona, which then boasted a team led by Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson. But the night before the game, several players broke curfew, Scalabrine said, and coach Henry Bibby went to the remaining five players - one of whom was Scalabrine - and asked them to vote on whether the curfew-breakers should play.

"Four of them were starters," Scalabrine said. "Coach Bibby was saying that they let the team down, but I know I was thinking, 'We're playing Arizona. This isn't the time to make a statement. I want to beat them.' So we voted and it was unanimous that the guys who had broken curfew be allowed to play. And we ended up getting blown out by 45.

"In the end, the coach didn't want to be the one who made the decision. And of the five guys who voted, three of them really didn't play that much, so they did what they thought was best for the team."

The Celtics of the Larry Bird era often wore their hearts on their sleeves. You knew, for instance, that Darren Daye wasn't the most popular teammate; almost anyone would offer that one up, albeit in a roundabout manner. Cedric Maxwell recalled an incident in which a brash newcomer by the name of Dennis Johnson got into it a bit with the coach, K.C. Jones. And, Maxwell recalled, the players sided with the first-year head coach.

"Sometimes, you can only make that happen when you have a veteran team, which we had at the time," Maxwell said. "But DJ was saying how he was right and K.C. was wrong and we went up to him and said, 'No, DJ, you're wrong. And you need to go in and apologize to K.C.'

"And you know what? That's what he did. For teams to get better and grow, there has to be some self-governing. Peer pressure can bring about a change just as much as anything a coach says."

Ray can't remember how many games he was suspended at Oklahoma. He didn't want to go into the reasons why, other than to say, "It was during the era of the black player and civil rights, and a group of us boycotted a game. So we were suspended."

But, Ray was asked, had he ever known of an instance when a group of players had voted to make a fellow teammate miss a game for, in essence, being a jerk?

"No," Ray said. "But I do remember one time when a group of players voted a player back on the team. And I know it happened because the player happened to be me."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x1019414588

Wizards 88, Celtics 85: Celts hit winter chill

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Photo by Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
Kevin Garnett looks to make a move against the Wizards' Caron Butler.
By Scott Souza/Daily News staff
GHS
Mon Jan 14, 2008, 11:49 PM EST

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Story Tools: Email This | Print This
Boston, Mass. -
Fool me once and you tip your cap to the opponent. Fool me twice and you have some self-examination to do.

For the second time in three days, the Celtics let a seemingly comfortable late lead slip away against the new-look Wizards in a losing effort that left them scratching their heads.

On Saturday, it was a 15-4 run to end the game in an 85-78 final on the road. Last night, it was a 25-6 onslaught over the final 6:32 for an 88-83 loss at the Garden that was the most numbing of the season.

After winning 29 of their first 32 games, the Celtics have now lost three of four - with last night's collapse not as easily shrugged off as the random defeats here and there over the first two months of the campaign.

"Obviously, a tough loss," acknowledged Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "Losing at home, as far as I'm concerned, anytime is tough. Especially when you've got a pretty good lead in the second half and thinking you're taking care of the (game)."

For the second straight game, they couldn't take care of the business that seemed to come so automatically to this team until the past week. When Paul Pierce drove around four Wizards for a dunk and a 72-63 lead with 7:45 left, then Eddie House responded to Kevin Garnett's calls to the crowd for energy with back-to-back long jumpers for a 77-63 lead, it looked like a series split with the surging Wizards (20-12 after an 0-4 start to the season).

But the scrappy and defensive-minded Wizards - who barely resemble the run-and-gun squad of recent years - slowed the game to a grind and took the Celtics out of their continuity. While they got many of the shots they wanted down the stretch, the hosts never seemed comfortable as the vast majority missed the mark.

"I don't think we were as aggressive as they were down the stretch," judged Pierce (18 points, 5 rebounds). "They were driving the ball and got to the basket a lot. That's the way we have to play down the stretch. We have to be the aggressor."

Garnett - who had team highs in points (23), rebounds (9) and assists (6) - said he was looking forward to watching the film of the two setbacks at today's workout and then setting about making sure the soft patch doesn't turn into a mudslide. He also quickly corrected Pierce when the captain tried to take blame for letting Caron Butler (team-high 21 points) get to the basket for the decisive two of his 11 points in the fourth.

"We gave up a direct drive from Caron Butler - not just Paul," he interrupted Pierce's mea culpa for the play. "We did. I want to make that clear. Paul didn't give Caron Butler a straight drive, we gave Caron Butler a straight drive."

After the Celtics built their 14-point led, Antawn Jamison's trey got the Wizards quickly back within nine, then Brendan Haywood's free throws cut the gap to 77-70 at 4:16.

"Right when they got back in it, you felt you were in a little bit of trouble," Rivers determined. "All of a sudden, they had momentum. We had a chance to knock them out and we didn't."

Two Garnett free throws off a Pierce steal temporarily quelled the Wizard uprising, but a Haywood put-back slam made it a five-point game at 2:15 - and a Jamison basket trimmed the edge to 79-76 at 1:46. DeShawn Stevenson then erased the 15-point lead on a 3-pointer before Garnett's tip-in made it 81-79 and prompted a Wizards' timeout with 51.5 ticks left.

But Butler took it to the basket for a three-point play, drawing the foul on Kendrick Perkins, and the Wizards were up a point with 40.1 to go.

Pierce hit a pair of free throws in front of an eerily hushed crowd of 18,624 to give the Celtics back the lead, but the Wizards ran off the final six from there with Butler's driving finger-roll the killer.

"It's not going to be easy," judged Garnett of snapping the mini-slump. "It's a process. (If) we're gonna take our lumps, I'd rather take them now than later."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x245521509

Megliola: back-to-back losses are reason to worry

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By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff
GHS
Mon Jan 14, 2008, 11:44 PM EST

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Boston, Mass. -
"I guess we've got to go back to the drawing board and see what's wrong."
- Celtics' center Kendrick Perkins

BOSTON - Maybe this is why they're called Wizards.

The fact that the Celtics are strutting around with the best record in the NBA doesn't mean much to the Washington Wizards. What else can you conclude, after the Wizards came from 14 down in the fourth quarter to knock off the Celtics 88-83 before a packed and stunned Garden?

You could call it a fluke, just one of those drab Mondays in the NBA, except it was the second time in three nights that the Wizards bopped Boston. Both times they held the Celtics to less than 90 points. That's not easy when Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are on the same team.

Matter of fact, the 30-6 Celtics have been held to under 90 points four straight games. "That's something we'll have to look at," said Ray Allen, "We've been preaching defense. We have to look at our offense."

The Celtics became the last team in the league to lose two straight. What's going on?

"Give (the Wizards) credit, they beat us back-to-back," said Tony Allen. "We've got to get back to playing our style of basketball. We've got to box out, rebound, push it on the break."

The Celtics were up 77-63 with 6<+>1<+>/<->2<-> minutes left and still got wacked. Did they let up with the fat lead? No way, said Tony Allen. "We were fighting for a win."

But nothing to worry about in the big picture, right Tony? Wrong. "We do worry about it. We worry about everything."

The result had Boston coach Doc Rivers scratching his head. "Especially when you've got a pretty good lead and thinking you're going to take care of the ball and take care of the game. We didn't."

"I don't think we were as aggressive as they were down the stretch," said Pierce.

The highlight of the first half (37-35, Celtics) was seeing Perkins dribbling behind his back (true story) to avoid a defender, then passing it off to Pierce who air-mailed it to Garnett for an alley-oop. That got the crowd up and screaming.

Here's how things change. A year ago the Celtics were looking for pity. Last night they're looking for revenge. They lost at home to the Pistons. They knew that one got away. Two weeks later, in Detroit, the Celtics won handily.

When the Wizards beat the Celtics 85-78 Saturday night in Washington, it was the fewest points Boston had scored this season. That didn't sit well with the Celtics. Last night the idea was to let the Wizards know just how lucky they were the other night. Fool them once ...

"We're being tested," said Ray Allen. "We'll come out of this and find out a lot about ourselves."

The Celtics had seen enough of the Wizards. Still, not everyone thinks playing two games in three days against the same opponent is a swell idea (familiarity breeds contempt?).Rivers would be happy to take it to the extreme.

"I wish they were all that way," he said before the game. "It's a lot like baseball where you have a two-game series. I wish we went there and played both games. I would love that. It would make games more competitive.

"When you see a team, and see them again, it's more competitive."

That doesn't mean it's fun.

"Everybody in the league is going to go through the same thing, so we're not bitching and moaning," said Garnett.

[FLCeltsFan]

aol.nba.com/celtics/news/blog/post-ups.html

Monday, January 14 - Wizards at CelticsThe postgame theme was clear tonight: The team lacked energy, and has lacked it since returning from the West Coast trip. Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers both talked about it in their postgame remarks. Also, Doc made it clear in his postgame remarks that he didn't think Rajon Rondo was 100% and that's why he played just 22 minutes.

The boys return to HealthPoint tomorrow for a noon practice.

Postgame Quotes
Doc Rivers: "Obviously a tough loss, guys; losing at home anytime as far as I'm concerned anytime is tough. Especially when you've got a pretty good lead in the second half and thinking you're going to take care of the ball and take care of the game, rather. And we didn't. I thought they pressured us and I thought when we got the lead we kind of let our guard down a little bit. And right when they got back in it, you felt that you were in a little trouble. You know, when they could cut it to six, and five, all of a sudden they had momentum. I thought we had a chance to knock them out and we didn't. We let them stay around. And then it comes down to -- I say it all the time -- it's a make/miss lead. It comes down to when it's a possession-to-possession game, if you're going to make shots or not. We got good shots. Kevin (Garnett) got a great look, and you'd take that all day. Paul (Pierce) got fouled on his, and made the two free throws. But other than that, Caron Butler made some big shots."

On the difference in the team for the last week: "I don't know. I think overall, energy, defensively and offensively. We're not making shots. I think that makes us press a little bit. So, hey, you go through it."

On the team needing more movement: "Well, it's tough to move when another team has the ball most of the game. You know what I mean? They're a team that runs their Princeton [offense] - 20 seconds on a possession. The good thing we did do tonight, especially, well, in the first half, we did do a terrific job: I think they had one offensive rebound, I'm not even sure of that. In the second half they had eight. That kind of kept them in the game again."

On Rajon Rondo's situation: "I just didn't think he was moving well. I wasn't going to take the chance. That clearly puts us in a bind; we know that. But to me, I'm looking at the season as a whole. And we could've brought Rajon back in and that probably would've helped our offense run a little more efficiently. But I thought we he was a little bit off and I wasn't going to take the chance."

Ray Allen: "We had leads and then they just had some plays, and it seemed like the ball just bounced in their direction at the end of the game. We didn't close the game out."

On being held under 90 points four straight games: "I think tomorrow it's something we have to look at. As much as we preach defense, offensively I think we've hit a little snag. We do have to score more points. We're capable of scoring 100-plus points per night, and right now we're not doing that."

Kevin Garnett: "I don't think we stopped playing, we definitely didn't stop playing. Trying to find a groove, come 4th quarters, it is what it is, we got our set plays that we go to, we went to them, we didn't hit shots when we needed to, didn't get stops when we needed to. Its as simple as that, they got some stops, I thought initially our ball movement was good just didn't make any shots. I felt like when we needed stops we didn't get stops and it cost us."

Paul Pierce: "Rondo adds a different dimension to the game with his ballhandling, with his speed, pressure defense. But that's no excuse, Rondo is a young player and still learning and when guys go down, which is part of the season happens every year, every team experiences injuries, other guys have to be ready to step up, we are more than capable and we are not going to use that as an excuse, we just gotta move forward and in the long run maybe it'll be good for us because other guys get opportunities, other guys get a chance to step up, because you never know, going into the playoffs who knows if we will be full strength, guys have to be ready to play."

In-Game Updates
88-83 Wizards, FINAL: After trading buckets, the Celtics found themselves down a point after a miss and had to foul Caron Butler, who sank two free throws and put the Wiz up three. Ray Allen front-rimmed a three that would have tied the game, and the Celtics have their first consecutive losses of the season. More reaction from the locker room on the way in the Audio Archive.

81-79 Celtics, 51.5 seconds/4th: The Wiz rallied all the way back to tie it up at 79-79, but KG tipped in a Pierce miss to give the Celtics a two point lead.

79-72 Celtics, 2:34/4th: We're not sure if Rajon Rondo is under a minutes restriction or not, but he's only played 22 minutes and is not on the floor down the stretch...

75-63 Celtics, 7:06/4th: House just knocked down a three from the left corner, seemingly his favorite spot on the floor. Meanwhile, KG is calling for the crowd and playing to the fans in the upper deck like a WWE wrestler.

68-59 Celtics, 8:57/4th: Tony Allen just threw down a baseline slammer and let out a primal scream. Nobody, and I mean nobody, loves dunking more than T.A. Here's hoping team photographer Brian Babineau caught his reaction on camera.

63-59 Celtics, End of 3rd: James Posey's three gave the Celtics a four point lead to head into the fourth quarter. Posey seems to have a knack for hitting transition threes, especially from the top of the key. And it stands to reason, since he regularly spends an hour after practice working on that very shot. According to his Celtics.com Hotzone Chart, Posey's 31-72 (43%) from the top of the arc on threes, but just 9-29 (31%) from the corners.

60-54 Celtics, 1:25/3rd: The Wizards have been consistently doubling both Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett in the post, and all the attention seems to be bothering then. They have five of the team's 12 turnovers.

Seen in the hallway at the half: Red Sox ace Curt Schilling waiting in the line for the press bathroom -- maybe he's blogging tonight's game for 38pitches.com?

37-35 Celtics, Halftime: Ray Allen (nine points, six rebounds and two assists) just beat the buzzer with a 17-foot baseline jumper to give the Celtics the two-point halftime edge. Stat of the half? The C's are just 2-10 from three-point land.

34-29 Celtics, 1:37/2nd: After trading baskets for much of the half, the C's have turned up the defensive pressure but still can't seem to mount any semblance of a run. Meanwhile, after playing 10 minutes in the first quarter, Rondo has been seated on the bench and it's unclear whether his back is acting up or if he's just getting an extended rest. He doesn't appear to be in any pain; he's seated with his fingers interlocked and a towel draped over his legs.

Much has been made of the Celtics' lack of a true backup point guard, but both Eddie House and Tony Allen have shown some impressive passing ability already tonight. While Allen still needs to improve his ballhandling, and Doc Rivers has talked about House playing a little too fast, both have a knack for playmaking and seem to have a command of the offense when running the point.

18-16 Celtics, 1:46/1st: Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers were involved in a very animated discussion with referee Derek Richardson throughout the timeout. We couldn't hear what was under discussion but something is afoot. Meanwhile, watching Steve Javie work up close explains why he's roundly considered one of the best officials in the league. He's very vocal on the court during play, and players seem to respond well to him during the game. He could be heard telling Garnett to watch his hands while trying to deny Brendan Haywood a spot on the box when he was attempting to post up early in the first quarter, and he does it in a very non-confrontational manner.

13-9 Celtics, 5:46/1st: The Celtics' defense looks dialed in here in the opening minutes (especially Paul Pierce), holding the Wizards to just 30% shooting (3-10 FGs) in the first half of the first quarter. And the ball movement that's been conspicuous by its absence is back en vogue, as the C's have four dimes on six field goals.

Pregame Media Access
Rajon Rondo will play tonight, according to Doc Rivers. Rondo was in the trainers room during media access and did not speak with reporters.

The scene in the locker room tonight was fairly subdued. Tony Allen was jumping rope under the watchful eye of Strength and Conditioning Coach Bryan Doo, while Ray Allen talked to reporters about the home-and-home set with the Wizards, comparing it to a mini-playoff series and talking about the adjustments teams make in the second game of such a set.

Additionally, Big Baby is still wearing an elastic wrap on his sore right knee, and was busy regaling the media with stories of his high school football glory, and talked about Nick Saban's failed attempts to woo him on to the LSU football team.

You can hear the interview with Baby, as well as Ray Allen and Doc Rivers in the Celtics Audio Archive.

Shootaround Canceled
Due to the snowstorm blanketing the greater Boston area, the Celtics canceled their morning shootaround in Waltham and will instead conduct a walk-through at 5 p.m. at the Garden tonight before their return match against the Washington Wizards.

Point guard Rajon Rondo (lower back) is considered a gametime decision for tonight

[FLCeltsFan]

www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=6915

Butler Wanted to Be Like Pierce

By: Jessica Camerato Last Updated: 1/14/08 11:48 PM ET



Adjust font size:Somewhere there is an aspiring basketball player studying Caron Butler's every move. But it wasn't too long ago that Butler was an aspiring basketball player himself who studied another player. On Monday night, Butler went head to head with the man he emulated and strived to be like -- Paul Pierce. Only this time, the student showed the teacher how to get it done.

"Through the course of my career watching Paul Pierce … I have always been a guy, when I was at UConn, always trying to model my game after him," Butler said, noting that both he and Pierce were 10th overall draft picks who "wanted to make people pay."

Butler faced off against his icon twice in three days. In those two games he dropped a total of 37 points, 16 rebounds, and shot 13-for-13 from the line. More importantly, Butler and the Washington Wizards handed the Boston Celtics their first losing streak of the season. But for Butler, this game meant more than just a win.

"[Pierce] was a guy that I always looked up to, so he was like a big-brother type," Butler said. "It was a pleasure to get the opportunity to go at him like that down the stretch … It was great competition and I am just happy we won."

Butler may have the chance to take the court with his idol next month, only this time it would be in the same uniform. Both players are racking up the votes for the Eastern Conference All Star team.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.telegram.com/article/20080115/NEWS/801150571/1009/SPORTS

Allen can’t find scoring rhythm

Fewer shots affect accuracy

CELTICS NOTES

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[e-mail]




The Celtics’ Kevin Garnett, center, passes under the net while the Wizards’ Brendan Haywood, right, tries to get a hand on it. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Enlarge photo


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BOSTON— Ray Allen has found life among the Big Three much bumpier than Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce.

Pierce continues to lead the Celtics in scoring and Kevin Garnett still scores, rebounds and defends, but Allen’s shot has been off target for much of the season.

In his last seven games, the veteran guard has shot 34.9 percent, including just 28.6 percent from threeland. For the season, Allen is shooting 41.2 percent, a career low, and averaging 17.6 points, his fewest in nine years.


No longer the primary option on offense, Allen doesn’t shoot the ball nearly as much as he did with Seattle or Milwaukee.

“It’s been an adjustment,” Allen admitted, “just learning where my scoring opportunities are, where I need to make my teammates better. It’s different when you don’t get a volume of shots.”

In the past, Allen shot so often, he kept a rhythm and if he did hit a slump, he could easily shoot himself out of it. He doesn’t shoot often enough now to do either.

“No one is going to take a great volume of shots here,” Allen said, “so we’ve got to be efficient, you’ve got to be in position and execute and know exactly what you’re looking for. We’re still in the adjustment phase.”

Celtics coach Doc Rivers insisted he hasn’t lost faith in Allen.

“If he’s in a flow by playoff time, I’ll be very happy,” Rivers said. “Honestly, you don’t see me worrying about it a whole bunch now. I’m literally not worried about it. It will happen.”

There is at least one thing the Celtics can do to help Allen find his groove.

“Teams are trapping Ray for the most part,” Rivers said, “when he comes off picks to get the ball out of his hands, so we have to do a better job of handling that.”

Allen could probably find his rhythm by becoming selfish and shooting more, but he’d hurt the team by doing so.

“I don’t have to worry or stress out about anything I do individually,” Allen said, “because the goal is to win.”

Not having teammates worry about their personal stats is new for Allen.

“It’s great to be part of a team that can win games and everybody is unselfish,” he said.

While Allen’s scoring is down, his defensive intensity is up.

“A lot of my focus has shifted,” Allen said. “I was so heavily oriented on the offensive end and now it’s changed. Defensively, we’re all so into it.”

A pinched nerve in his neck and a sprained ankle have hurt Allen’s shooting, but he says he’s feeling better.

“I try not to worry about it,” he said. “Every morning I wake up I take inventory, but I feel good. You’re never 100 percent during the season, but I feel good. I don’t have any complaints.”

Davis feeling better
Rookie Glen “Big Baby” Davis said his right knee felt better and the swelling has subsided.

“It’s not back to where I want it to be yet, but it’s not going to stop me from competing,” he said. “I can play through some pain.”

Davis had 1 point and no rebounds in 11 minutes last night.

Scoring, rebounding down
In their 29 games in November and December, the Celtics won by an average margin of 13.4 points, higher than the NBA single-season point differential of 12.3 set by the 1971-72 Lakers. In their seven games in January, the Celtics captured their four victories by an average of only 6.5 points.

In their first 29 games, the Celtics failed to win by double digits only five times. They haven’t won by double figures in any of their last seven games.

A big drop in scoring accounts for the main difference between the lopsided victories of the first two months and the close games this month. After averaging 106 points during the final three games of their Western road trip, the Celtics have averaged only 88.4 points this month and just 82.5 points in their last four games, including a season-low 78 points at Washington Saturday night.

Their January thaw has dropped the formerly red-shot shooting Celtics to 11th in scoring at 98.3 points a game. The Celtics still lead the league in scoring defense (87.11 ppg) and field-goal defense (41.3 percent), but they need to recapture their scoring spark.

Rivers attributes the scoring drop to settling for 3-point shots instead of pounding the ball inside, turnovers and poor rebounding. After leading the NBA in rebounding early in the season, Garnett has fallen to 14th at 9.9 a game. No other Celtic ranks among the top 70 in the league in rebounds. Pierce and Kendrick Perkins are tied for 72nd at 5.7 a game. The Celtics rank 17th as a team in rebounding.

“If you give up offensive rebounds,” Rivers said, “you’re not running and your scoring is going down.”

Oxford’s Talbert honored
Megan Talbert of North Oxford was honored on the court last night as the Celtics’ Hero Among Us. Talbert is COO of Helping Hands, Monkey Helpers for the Disabled, a Boston-based national non-profit organization which provides trained monkeys to assist quadriplegics with daily activities. More than 50 monkeys have been placed in homes, helping with turning on and off lights, holding books and turning pages, and assisting with computer operation.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.telegram.com/article/20080115/NEWS/801150561/1009/SPORTS

C’s under Wizards’ spell

Boston loses 2nd straight game

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[e-mail]




Washington’s Roger Mason (8) drives past Boston’s Tony Allen during the second quarter of last night’s game. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Enlarge photo


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BOSTON— The Celtics still own the NBA’s best record, but they are no longer playing like the NBA’s best team.

For the second consecutive game, the Celtics blew a fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Washington Wizards. Saturday night in Washington, they wasted a 7-point advantage and lost, 85-78. Last night, they were up 14 midway through the fourth, but fell, 88-83, at the Garden.

The 30-6 Celtics have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season and have dropped three of their last four, matching their total number of losses in their first 32 games.


Life won’t get any easier tomorrow night at the Garden because the hard-charging Portland Trailblazers visit.

“Portland is playing better than anybody in the league right now,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “Maybe that will be good for us.”

The Celtics need something to shake them out of their recent lull. They continue to play tough defense, but they’ve averaged only 82.5 points over their last four games.

“We’ve spoiled everybody,” Kevin Garnett said, “It’s a matter of refocusing and getting back on that right track, but it’s easier said than done. It’s not something that you go to sleep and wake up and it’s done like that. It’s going to take some effort and some work. That’s what we plan on doing.”

Garnett led Boston with 23 points and 9 rebounds to draw “MVP” chants from the sellout crowd, but missed a jumper with Boston trailing, 84-83, in the closing seconds. Paul Pierce scored 18 points and Ray Allen had 16, but continued his poor shooting by making only 5 of 14 shots.

Caron Butler scored 11 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to help Washington win its third in a row. Antawn Jamison had 20 points and 10 rebounds. DeShawn Stevenson scored 16. Washington has beaten Boston six of the last seven times the teams have met.

Eddie House hit a 3-pointer and then a long jumper to push the lead to 77-63 with 6:22 left. But Stevenson’s 3-ball from the corner capped a 16-2 spurt that pulled Washington even, 79-79, with 1:08 remaining. Garnett put Boston back on top, 81-79, when he tipped in a Pierce miss with 51.5 seconds left.

Butler drove baseline on Pierce, scored the layup and got fouled by Kendrick Perkins. Butler’s 3-point play put Washington ahead for the first time since early in the second quarter. Pierce hit two free throws to make it 83-82 with 25.9 seconds left. After a timeout, Washington isolated Butler on Pierce and he drove through the lane for a layup with 19.6 seconds to go and the Wizards led, 84-83.

Garnett missed a jumper and Butler grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Although poked in the eye, Butler made both free throws to put Washington up by three with 8.3 seconds to go.

After a timeout, the best shot the Celtics could get off was Allen’s errant 3-pointer with a hand in his face.

“When you need a 3 to end the game,” Rivers said, “you’re not going to usually get a good look. We were trying to get the ball to Paul and flare Ray, but they denied it. They did a nice job.”

Stevenson hit two at the line to end the scoring and give Washington nine points in the final 40.1 seconds.

Washington has beaten Boston twice in a row despite shooting only 36.8 percent Saturday and 38.6 percent last night. The Wizards shot 47.1 percent and limited Boston to 33.3 percent in the fourth quarter last night, however.

With Curt and Shonda Schilling watching from courtside, the Celtics took a 63-59 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Celtics outscored Washington, 34-22, in the paint, but Washington outscored Boston, 27-16, at the foul line.

Rajon Rondo started at the point after missing Saturday’s game at Washington with a sore back, but he spent the second quarter sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his back until the final seconds. Rondo also sat out the fourth quarter, played only 21 minutes and finished with 4 points and 2 assists.

“I just didn’t think he was moving well,” Rivers said. “I didn’t want to take a chance.”

The Celtics canceled their morning shoot-around because of the snow, but showed up at the Garden early to watch film. Then they shot only 41.9 percent.

Allen hit a 19-foot baseline jumper as the halftime horn sounded to give Boston a 37-35 lead and avoid the team’s lowest scoring first half of the season. The Celtics scored 36 in the first half of a 91-69 home win over New Jersey on Nov. 14.

The Celtics led, 34-27, late in the half before Washington pulled even, 35-35, with a big hand from Perkins. The Celtics center missed a dunk and a foul shot, committed an offensive foul and was called for a walk in the closing minutes of the half.

[FLCeltsFan]

blogs.metrowestdailynews.com/celtics/?p=902


Nobody beats the Wiz
Posted on January 15, 2008 by Scott Souza
Filed Under Uncategorized |

BOSTON - Some post-deadline thoughts on tonight’s stunning loss at the Garden.

It wasn’t that the Celtics lost their second game in a row for the first time this season. It wasn’t even that the Celtics lost to the Wizards for the second time this season. It was that they allowed the same thing to happen to them against the same team for the second time in three games.

So what happened? While Kevin Garnett said after the game that the Celtics didn’t stop playing (of course, they continued to put forth a good effort) they did stop executing on both ends of the floor. Defensively, they couldn’t keep the Wizards off the glass and had a hard time slowing them down at the point of attack. Offensively, they settled for jump shots after dominating the points-in-the-paint stats the first three quarters.

As much as Eddie House brings energy and outside shooting to the lineup in the fourth quarter, he can struggle defensively when his primary challenge is to stay in front of a good point guard. Pair him in the backcourt with Ray Allen, and you have a concerning combination. The alternative would have been pitting Tony Allen with Ray Alllen or House, yet Tony Allen has been turnover-prone on the offensive end late in close games (though he did not have a turnover tonight).

Another note on House and Ray Allen - behind Garnett they were the two next highest rebounders for the Celtics with six each. While it is a nice statistical anomoly for the backcourt duo - and shows their effort - that is could be a reason why the rebounds became harder to come by late in the contest.

Rajon Rondo’s absence hurt as well. He played 20 minutes, but was not around in the fourth quarter when the game was decided. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he just didn’t think he was moving well enough with his back bruise to keep in the game. It will be an interesting situation to follow going forward. You have to think Rivers would want to make a deicision to rest or go ahead with Rondo as a starter without worrying about whether he will make it through a game.

The good news out of the postame was that the mice were hardly scurrying. Garnett quickly came to Paul Pierce’s support when Pierce tried to take the blame for a late Caron Butler drive to the basket that was mildly contested. Ray Allen added in a separate interview that this is when you “see who you really run with” while predicting that the team would “come out of this and find out a lot about ourselves and fly high.”

No, it is not time for panic. But perhaps for the first time this season it may be time to make adjustments that go beyond simply trying to tinker with unabashed success.