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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 6:58:50 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1068658&format=textNo defense for Celtics Raptors’ win can’t-miss proposition By Steve Bulpett | Thursday, January 24, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics  Photo by Matt Stone When the Celtics [team stats] met the Raptors last night, it was all about defense. Or, more precisely, the lack thereof. The Celts came in with the No. 1 3-point defense in the NBA. Toronto came in as the best 3-point shooting team in the league. Something had to give. And that something was the Celtics, who gave and gave and gave. The visitors were able to make 15-of-21 treys (71.4 percent) and shoot 58 percent overall to hand the Bostonians just their seventh loss of the season, 114-112, at the Garden. If the U.S. Border Patrol were that porous to the north, we’d all be speaking Canadian today . . . eh? “Doc (Rivers) made a real good point,” said Kevin Garnett, whose team remains the best overall in the league on defense. “We want to be known as a defensive team. That’s our bread and butter. At one point you’ve got to dig down and kind of figure it out.” It was hard to figure this one out from the figures. The losing team scored 112 points and shot 49.4 percent from the floor. The Celts outscored Toronto, 56-16, in the paint and had a 23-0 edge in fast-break points. But the Raptors, with four players scoring 20 or more points, just didn’t do a lot of missing, a trend that remained true at the free throw line to the tune of 19-for-19. “That was awful,” said Rivers. “The game was never a power game; the game was a finesse game. And we can win some of those games, but we can’t be a great team playing that way. And that’s why we lost the game. “They moved the ball, but they had probably seven 3s that clearly we were there and just didn’t close out all the way. Late in the game we had one right in front of our bench. We just stopped and stared at the guy, and he shot it. It was almost like we didn’t believe they would shoot another one. We call them dare shots. We had a lot of dare shots tonight that we gave up, and they made them. But that’s what they do. “We allowed them to play the way they play, and we never played the way we play. The fact that we had the chance to win the game was great and all that, but if we had won the game it would’ve been fool’s gold. But we’re a better defensive team than that.” Despite all this, Rivers is quite correct when he mentions the opportunity for victory. This one came down to the final seconds. The Celts led by as many as eight points in the final quarter, but the margin began to dwindle as the Raptors kept mixing in treys with their counterpunches. With the spread down to three after a Garnett dunk with 1:10 left, Chris Bosh drove for a jam and, after a Paul Pierce [stats] miss, Jose Calderon hit two free throws to give Toronto a 111-110 lead with 31.3 seconds remaining. Eddie House then missed a trey from the right corner, but the ball came back out top to Ray Allen, who drilled a jumper with 14.9 left. Calderon then drove the right side and scored while being fouled by Pierce. He made the free throw to put the C’s down two with 10.5 on the clock. House then missed from the right and Allen couldn’t squeeze in his follow-up attempt at a tie, leaving the Celts with their first loss to an Atlantic Division opponent in 11 outings. “They shot 71 percent from the 3-point line and 58 percent on field goals and we still had a chance to win the game,” said Garnett, who had a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds. “But we hang our hat on our defense, and looking at these numbers you’ve got to damn near shoot perfect to beat us by two. So I’ll take that.” It was about the only Celtics solace on a night when their defense was offensive.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 7:13:36 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1068694&format=textMiss leaves Allen at loss ‘I probably won’t be able to sleep’ By Mark Murphy / The NBA | Thursday, January 24, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics  Photo by Matt Stone The good teams beat themselves up at times like this, but the angst of a good shooter may be even worse when a shot doesn’t fall. Eddie House walked off the floor at the Garden after last night’s 114-112 Celtics [team stats] loss to the Toronto Raptors jabbing both sets of fingertips into his chest as a kind of penance and saying, “My fault, my fault.” He missed a baseline jumper on the last possession of the game, and he was willingly bringing all of the weight to bear on himself. So you can imagine how Ray Allen felt. Allen corralled House’s miss seconds from the buzzer. To get a better angle he dribbled to his left, away from the backboard. He is one of the purest shooters in basketball, but the 8-footer he rushed was off balance and out of rhythm. The ball bounced off the back of the rim as the helplessness set in. Allen’s shoulders slumped. “Because of the one at the buzzer I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight,” Allen said. “I got the ball and I was trying to get a better angle, and I heard a voice behind me say ‘Shoot it. That was Kevin (Garnett).’ “I’ll replay it over and over in my head now. It just seemed like it happened so fast and I rushed it. I was on the side of the basket, so it was hard to get a good angle on it.” They can’t all be smooth. They can’t all feel like the shot Allen buried with 14.9 seconds left. The made opportunity was gift-wrapped. House missed a jumper at that point, too, and the ball, almost like a bank shot in pool, rolled neatly out to Allen at the top of the circle. Allen scooped up the ball and without a hitch in his motion followed through with a quick-release 17-footer that gave the Celtics a 112-111 lead. With the exception of maybe the Toronto bench, everyone present took Allen’s play, right down to the rolling-ball rebound, as the sign of a done deal. Allen took it as a done deal. “I mean, the ball bounced right to me,” he said. “I thought that was probably the game after I got a bounce like that.” But sometimes even the bounces aren’t enough. Not when the opponent shoots 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from 3-point range. Not when the immortal Carlos Delfino looks more like Ray Allen than Ray Allen and goes 5-for-5 from beyond the line. As someone who has generally been on the other side of this kind of barrage, Allen could appreciate Toronto’s excellence. “Shooting 3’s is the toughest play to guard in today’s league,” he said. “A lot of times when you’re out there guarding someone (in 3-point range), the defense doesn’t want to help. The bigs and the point guard go (into the paint) and you have to make a decision.” The difference is that Allen, because of his reputation, rarely gets the kind of space that the Raptors shooters received last night. “Even if he’s not shooting well, in the back of your mind he’s going to make the next shot,” Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said of Allen. “That’s why you never pay attention to the stat sheet with a player like that. That’s what makes him so dangerous. I’m sure he feels the same way.” That’s undoubtedly true, excluding the memory of one nightmarish-sized 8-footer.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 7:18:11 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1068696&format=textRight time to take back seat By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Thursday, January 24, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics  Photo by Matt Stone Basketball players are pretty tough, and they’re smart enough to get out of the way of football players. In other words, it’s not necessarily an accident that the Celtics [team stats] won’t be playing Super Bowl Sunday. The C’s played earlier in the afternoon in Minnesota the last time the Patriots [team stats] were in the large game, but they’d rather their fans were completely free to concentrate on a contest in which more is at stake. “I think the Patriots are even-money every year to be in that game,” Celtics president Rich Gotham said. “So it’s smart for us to try to schedule around that.” Gotham also said the Celts try to avoid any conflicts with key sporting dates in the city or national events that might involve the region’s major teams. Posey still out James Posey sat out his second straight game with an injured right index finger, but coach Doc Rivers said the key reserve is moving closer to a return. “It’s getting better,” Rivers said before last night’s 114-112 loss to Toronto. “My guess would be this weekend maybe. That would be a week. They said if we sat him, it would take anywhere between five and seven days, but you never know.” The Celts host Minnesota tomorrow night and play in Orlando Sunday afternoon. Posey is shooting 43 percent from the floor this season and is just 10-for-35 on 3-pointers since suffering the injury Dec. 26 in Sacramento. “It’s had to affect him; there’s no doubt about that,” Rivers said. “It’s his shooting hand. It’s one of the reasons he’s not playing, because we want him to get healthy.” No love lost Raptors coach Sam Mitchell continues to laud former Minnesota teammate Kevin Garnett. “He’s happy. I can tell that from the times we’ve talked,” Mitchell said. “He really likes it here, and he’s as deserving of it as anyone. No one plays as hard as he plays in practices and games.” Mitchell expects Ray Allen and Paul Pierce [stats] to be joining Garnett on the East All-Star team. “I think all three of those guys are All-Stars,” he said. “Just look at the way they work together. If Paul and KG are on a roll, then Ray Allen does other things. If it’s Ray and (Pierce), then KG takes the back seat.” Class reunion Looking ahead to the Timberwolves’ visit tomorrow night, Rivers will get to see former pupils Al Jefferson [stats], Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair [stats] and Gerald Green. “The positive part was our relationships,” the coach said. “That was very positive. The games, on the other hand, were not.” Asked jokingly if he might slip up and yell at Green out of habit, Rivers smiled and said, “No, but Al, no doubt. I’m going to tell Al not to get back (on defense).” Jefferson had 39 points and 15 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ win against Phoenix last night. “Well, 20 and 10 every night. You can’t complain about that,” Kendrick Perkins [stats] said. “He’s a monster, and I just wish the best for Al.” . . . An investment group headed by former TD Banknorth president Bill Ryan and his son has launched an effort to bring an NBA Development League team to Portland. Ryan and his son, Bill Ryan Jr., who owns the Oxford Plains Speedway, are working with former Celtics assistant coach and team executive Jon Jennings. They also have signed on former C’s coach K.C. Jones as an adviser.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 7:25:21 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/24/celtics_left_seeing_triple?mode=PFCeltics left seeing triple Boston falls victim to 3-point shooting (15 of 21) of Raptors By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 24, 2008 The Raptors had the referees raising their arms to signal 3-pointers so many times last night at TD Banknorth Garden, you would have thought they were trying to start the wave. The Celtics surrendered 15 3-pointers to Toronto en route to a 114-112 loss. Boston (33-7) lost for the first time in 11 games against Atlantic Division competition this season. The Raptors nailed 15 of 21 attempts from beyond the arc, three shy of the record for a Celtics opponent, set by Seattle Feb. 22, 2004. Toronto (23-19) won for the first time in four meetings this season. "We felt like it kind of slipped away from us and we are kicking ourselves for losing," said Celtics guard Ray Allen, who missed a tying 9-foot jumper at the buzzer. "But give them all the credit in the world. They shot the ball lights-out tonight." The Raptors had four players score at least 20 - Jose Calderon (24 points, 13 assists), Chris Bosh (23), Anthony Parker (23), and Andrea Bargnani (20) - and reserve forward Carlos Delfino added 15 points. Delfino hit all five of his 3-point attempts, Parker nailed four treys, and Calderon and Bargnani each sank three 3-pointers. The Raptors also have former 3-point champion Jason Kapono, who didn't attempt a 3-pointer in 6 1/2 minutes. The Raptors shot 58 percent from the field (40 of 69) and made all 19 of their free throw attempts. "They were on fire," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "They made some tough shots, too. They really did. But to shoot 71 percent [on 3-pointers], half the guys in our league couldn't shoot 15 for 21 in a gym by themselves behind the three. And they did it with other people on the floor." Said Raptors coach Sam Mitchell: "We did a good job moving the ball. If we get shots, we can make shots." Kevin Garnett scored a game-high 26 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished 5 assists for the Celtics. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce each added 19 points and hit three 3-pointers, and Tony Allen scored 15 points. Boston scored 56 points in the paint to Toronto's 16. The Celtics had 23 fast-break points, while the Raptors had none. And the Celtics scored 29 points off turnovers. "They shot 71 percent from three and 58 percent field goal percentage and we still had a chance to win the game," said Garnett, who was unhappy with the officiating. "But like Doc said in the locker room, we hang our hat on our defense, and looking at these numbers, you've got to damn near shoot perfect to beat us by 2. So, I'll take that." Toronto entered the game as the NBA's best 3-point-shooting team, while Boston was the league's top team defensively against the 3-pointer. Something had to give. The Raptors hit six 3-pointers in the first half en route to a 57-55 lead. Although Toronto added six more 3-pointers in the third quarter, the Celtics hit four of their own and outscored the Raptors, 36-27, to take a 91-84 lead. "We just didn't defend the 3-point [shot]," Pierce said. "We talked about it [at halftime]. They are the No. 1 3-point-shooting team in the league and they got us in situations where they challenge you. Then they put four or five shooters on the court." The Celtics took their biggest lead of the fourth quarter, 94-86, on a reverse lay-in by Glen Davis with 10:31 remaining. The Raptors responded with a 25-16 run capped by two Calderon free throws to take a 111-110 lead with 31.3 seconds remaining. After Eddie House missed a jumper, Ray Allen nailed a 17-footer to put the Celtics back up, 112-111, with 14.9 seconds left. During a timeout called by the Raptors, Ray Allen pleaded with his teammates not to foul. But Calderon converted a layup with 10.5 seconds left to give Toronto a 113-112 lead, and was fouled by Rajon Rondo in the process. Calderon made the free throw for a 2-point advantage. After House missed a potential winning 3-pointer, the ball ended up in Ray Allen's hands along the baseline. Allen took one dribble to his left before shooting over the Raptors' 7-foot center, Rasho Nesterovic. But the shot didn't fall as the Celtics lost at home for just the fourth time in 22 games. "I won't be able to sleep tonight just thinking about that shot," Allen said. "I heard a voice behind me telling me to shoot it and it was Kevin. And when I got the rebound, I was in a swarm and it was almost like I was rushing trying to get it up. Like any situation, any time, any game that I've been in, I'm going to replay that over and over in my head."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 7:29:23 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/24/stars_are_aligned_for_allen_to_make_team?mode=PFStars are aligned for Allen to make team By Peter May, Globe Staff | January 24, 2008 Doc Rivers is going to New Orleans, although, as he noted yesterday, he hasn't spent "one ounce of time" thinking about what he'll do as coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Kevin Garnett has been the leading vote-getter all along and will be named one of the five East starters tonight, unless Barack Obama's New Hampshire pollsters have been counting the votes. That leaves two Celtics still out there for the consideration of the coaches. Paul Pierce, who leads the Celtics in scoring, assists, and minutes, is generally deemed a no-brainer. But will Ray Allen also get the nod from the coaches, despite having an uncharacteristically bad shooting season while also going up against some decent guards and swingmen? Well, Toronto coach Sam Mitchell thinks Allen can make plans for New Orleans Feb. 17. "All three of them should go," Mitchell said. "Look at their record. They can all go out and get 25 points, and if Paul and KG are rolling, then Ray does other things. But the last time I checked, the most important things are wins and losses." The reserves will be announced a week from tonight. Coaches can vote for five players by position and add two regardless of position. If the fan voting totals hold up, Garnett will be joined in the starting five by LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, and Jason Kidd. (Allen was third in the voting for guards.) There are, or should be, a handful of locks for the reserves: Chris Bosh, Pierce, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison. That would leave one spot available, with Allen in the mix along with Atlanta's Joe Johnson, Charlotte's Gerald Wallace, the Nets' Richard Jefferson, the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace, and, as a long shot, Toronto's Jose Calderon. Yes, that's right. Shaquille O'Neal's streak of 14 straight All-Star selections is coming to an end. (He missed the 1997 game with an injury.) "All-Star Games are great, but I've played in a lot of All-Star Games and been home in April," Allen said last night. "Sometimes it's the temperature of the league that allows you to make it instead of individual accolades." Allen has been in seven All-Star Games, including the last four with Seattle, and in only one of those seasons did the Sonics make the playoffs. Coaches historically tend to reward the player on the good team if there's a close call or, in the case of 2006 when four Pistons were named as reserves, reward both good play and accord recognition for getting snubbed in the past. The Celtics' stunning record should help Allen's case for having three Celtics in the Big Easy. "Our play speaks for itself," said Garnett. "The three of us have had a big impact on the league this [season], and it needs to be recognized." In the 1980s, the Celtics routinely sent three players to the All-Star Game. From 1984-91, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale were selected. In most of those years, Robert Parish joined them, with some exceptions, such as Dennis Johnson (1985) and Danny Ainge (1988, his only All-Star appearance). Three Celtics teams, the 1952-53, 1961-62, and 1974-75 editions, placed four players in the game. Of that group, only the 1961-62 team won the NBA championship. Six of Allen's All-Star appearances have come via the coaches' selection process; last year he was a commissioner's replacement for the injured Steve Nash. He recalled last night an occasion with the Bucks when he and Glenn Robinson were chosen but Sam Cassell was not. "He was having a good year," Allen said. "Potentially, he should have made it. It was a tough situation. "You're basically at the mercy of the coaches and the teams you play against. I'm always grateful to be picked, but every year, anyone can have a great year. I always take my hat off to everyone who gets chosen. If I didn't get picked, I wouldn't assume it was because anything was wrong with me, or something bad happened, or I wasn't helping the team out. That's the mentality of guys who feel they got snubbed. Sometimes you just have to take your hats off to the guy who gets picked." Allen, Pierce, and Garnett have been joined at the hip since the day of The Trade, whether posing for magazine covers, media guides, or cutting a humorous spot for ESPN. Garnett has made the biggest impact, Pierce has been playing as well as ever, but Allen has the distinction of having hit two game-winners, all the while having had to make the biggest adjustment of any of the newcomers. "Even when he doesn't score, people miss the value that he has for us just by spacing the floor," Rivers said. "So I don't get caught up in whether he makes the shot or misses the shot. He has such a value for this team, it's amazing."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 7:31:10 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/24/garnetts_no_1_goal_not_the_vote?mode=PFGarnett's No. 1 goal not the vote He's more concerned with title aspirations By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 24, 2008 While winning an NBA championship is first and foremost on Celtics forward Kevin Garnett's mind, he would be honored to become the league's leading All-Star vote-getter. The All-Star starters will be announced at 7 tonight on TNT. Garnett is not only expected to be voted in as an Eastern Conference starting forward by the fans but also the leading vote-getter. In the fourth and final update Jan. 10, Garnett had 1,756,251 votes, while Cleveland's LeBron James was second with 1,564,974. "It's always something when the fans vote for you," Garnett said. "I've always been very honored and privileged. Would it mean a lot? It would mean something as far as people appreciating what you do. So from that standpoint, yeah. "But for what we are trying to accomplish here and the goal we have set , it has nothing to do with it. But it is an honor."
Doc Rivers and his staff will coach the East by virtue of clinching the best record in the conference prior to Feb. 3. Celtics forward Paul Pierce and guard Ray Allen are strong candidates to be named reserves by the East coaches next Thursday.
"I just remembered the Pistons had a nice record in the East and they picked four guys [in 2006]," Garnett said. "It would really be special to have my teammates there. I've always said that when you do things through the course of a year, it's not just because of you but the people around you.
"Paul and Ray have made my transition a lot easier, as well as Doc, the coaching staff here, and the organization. If it was up to me, I'd bring my whole team and the organization."
Posey out again
Forward James Posey missed his second straight game with a sprained right index finger. Rivers said Posey could return tomorrow against the Timberwolves.
"It's not a severe injury," Rivers said prior to the Celtics' 114-112 loss to Toronto. "It's just something that the more rest you give it, the better it's going to keep getting."
Center Scot Pollard has sat out seven straight games because of the coach's decision. Rivers has opted to rest the 6-foot-11-inch, 278-pounder in large part to help his right ankle sprain heal. Pollard dunked during Tuesday's practice in full-court drills, but still limped while running.
"He's getting healthy," Rivers said. "We're just taking our time. There is no rush for us. I'm just going to wait."
When asked if he was concerned about Pollard's lingering injury, director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said, "I don't think so. We have the luxury of resting Scot right now because Big Baby [Glen Davis] and Leon [Powe] are playing so well.
"Scot's going to play. Scot's going to practice. But we have the luxury of letting him get right. We feel like there is going to be a time before this [season is] over and in the playoffs where we are going to need Scot Pollard."
Portland eyes D-League
Bill Ryan Sr., chairman of the board of TD Banknorth, and Bill Ryan Jr., owner of Oxford Plains Speedway, have joined former Celtics assistant coach and executive Jon Jennings in a bid to bring an NBA Development League team to Portland, Maine. Hall of Famer K.C. Jones is an adviser.
Jennings said the Portland group's application was sent to the NBA last year. League executives are expected to meet with the group next week. Jennings also said he and Ryan Sr. have had conversations with Celtics president Rich Gotham about becoming affiliated with the team.
Although a group from Manchester, N.H., also hopes to land a D-League team affiliated with the Celtics, Jennings is confident his group would get the nod because of its strong connections to the franchise. A D-League franchise likely would be awarded this spring and begin play during the 2008-09 season, pending other new East Coast franchises.
Home movies
Allen is the first of several athletes shown in a recent Jordan Jumpman shoe line commercial using video clips from their high school days and earlier. Allen said Jordan Jumpman received footage from his senior season at Dalzell Hillcrest (S.C.) High from his father . . . Guards Rajon Rondo and Eddie House will sign autographs at !!!GREENIAC!!!'s Sporting Goods in Natick's Sherwood Plaza tonight from 6-7:30.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 9:35:19 GMT -5
www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x952471053Megliola: Toronto takes the dare, and makes Boston pay -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff GHS Wed Jan 23, 2008, 11:33 PM EST -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story Tools: Email This | Print This Boston, Mass. - They're called "dare" shots in the NBA. Shots that aren't supposed to go in. Last night at the Garden, the Toronto Raptors made a living at it. The Raptors went trey crazy on the Celtics, and in the process drove Doc Rivers stir crazy. The visitors shot 3-pointers from the North End to Everett, and why not? They were going in. Much to the disbelief, and ultimate grief, of the Celtics and a full house of disbelievers. The Raptors were an amazing 15-for-21 from behind the arc, and not on many of them were they disturbed by a Celtic hand. "We call them 'dare' shots," said Rivers. As in, how dare you even think you'll make another one. Except the Raptors kept making 'em. "We didn't do a good job running them off their shots," said Paul Pierce. Toronto did a great job of swinging the ball. The Raptors moved it like they'd invented the art. The idea, of course, is to make the defense huff and puff, covering the floor, ultimately finding an open man. They worked it to perfection. "They definitely had a rhythm going," said Kevin Garnett. And how's this adding insult to injury? The Raptors won the game on a layup! With 10.5 seconds left and Boston up by a point, Jose Calderon drove the lane, made the bucket and got fouled. The conventional three, of all things on this night, put the visitors up by a pair. 114-112, and that's how it ended when Eddie House (a three) and Ray Allen (a two) missed at the other end. The Celtics had been 10-0 against Atlantic Division teams, and the top-rated NBA team defending the 3-pointer, which made this one all the more mystifying. "Doc made a good point," said Garnett. "We want to be known as a defensive team, our bread and butter." Defense? What defense? "It was awful," said Rivers. He wasn't exaggerating. The 3s were "the story of the game," said Pierce. But it was more than that. Toronto shot an eyepopping 58 percent from the floor, and at the foul line they were 19-for-19. "At least the foul line wasn't guarded," said Rivers with a bit of sarcasm. Then again, neither was much of the floor. "They attacked us," said Rivers. "They got a lot of easy baskets." Carlos Delfino went 5-for-5 from long, Anthony Parker 4-for-6, Calderon 3-for-4 and Andrea Bargnani 3-for-6. That stuff doesn't happen every night, folks. "They wanted this game," said Rivers. "They had three days of preparation. If we'd won it would've been fools' gold. But we're a better defensive team than that." Don't look now, but the Celtics have lost more games at home (4) than on the road (3). The Raptors are four games over .500, good for second place, but 11 games behind the Celtics in the Atlantic Division. Watch out though. They're pretty talented, led by the estimable Chris Bosh. Tomorrow night, the "We Used To Be Celtics" Timberwolves visit the Garden. Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Sebastian Telfair called the parquet home just last season. All three are starting for the Wolves. Antoine Walker is coming off the bench. Big Al is having a terrific season. He's averaging a double-double (20.4 and 12). Gomes was a starter, lost his job, and is starting again. He had a 35-point night earlier in the week and is averaging 11.2. Telfair is becoming the player Danny Ainge thought he might. He's averaging a team high six assists. Gerald Green has only appeared in half the games and, to no one's surprise, Theo Ratliff has played in just six games, a dubious upgrade, since he only played in two games for Boston last season. As for 'Toine, he's just playing out the string of his NBA life. Jefferson will get a big ovation when he's introduced by p.a. impresario Eddie Palladino. That's because Big Al's a good kid who's playing well and, cutting to the chase, because he was the key bargaining chip that got Garnett here. Don't expect Rivers to wax nostalgic when these ex-Celtics show up. They suffered a lot of losses together. "The games weren't very positive, but the relationships will always be," said Rivers. After last night's downer, the Celtics won't be in a very good mood anyway against their ex-playmates. They probably saw threes being drained in their sleep last night. All those "dare" shots. "We gave up a lot of them, and they made them," said Rivers.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 9:36:50 GMT -5
aol.nba.com/celtics/news/blog/post-ups.htmlPostgame Wrap Up The Celtics' defensive philosophy is simple: Run shooters off the three-point line and force them to take contested twos. And coming into tonight, it was working, quite smashingly. The Celtics were the best team in the league at defending the three point shot. But as the old bartender in Cocktail once said, and I paraphrase, "All good things end badly. Otherwise, they wouldn't end." For one night, anyway, the C's were a bad three-point defensive team. "You guys played better 'D' than us tonight. That was awful," Coach Doc Rivers said. "Listen, 58%, 71% from threes, 100% from the foul line. They played great, give them all the credit. They wanted this game and had three days of preparation." "They moved the ball but we had seven threes that clearly we were there but didn't close out all the way. Let in the game we had one right in front of our bench. We just stopped and stared at the guy and he shot it. It was almost like we didn't believe they would shoot another one. We had a lot of 'dare shots' tonight," Rivers said. As always, the complete Doc Rivers press conference, along with commments from Pierce, KG and Rondo are all available in the Audio Archive. In Game Blog 114-112 Raptors, FINAL: Ray Allen came up with a rebound in traffic and had a look at an off-balanced six footer that would have forced OT. It didn't fall bu the Celtics did. The loss marks the Celtics fourth home defeat of the season and the C's are 33-7 for the year. 114-112 Raptors, 10.5 seconds: Calderon went to the hoop on a high pick and got the and-one when Pierce tried to take a charge. Raps up 2. 112-111 Celtics, 14.9 seconds: Ray Allen picked up a long rebound of an Eddie House three and drained an 18' shot from the top of the key to put the C's up by one...Time for some defense... 111-110 Raptors, 31.3 seconds: Calderon (21 points, 13 assists) has picked the C's apart tonight and his two free throws put the Raptors up one. 110-109 Celtics, 38.4 seconds/4th: Suddenly this game got close. Baseline pick and roll defense is killing the C's right now, as Bosh created two easy hoops on the left side. 102-95 Celtics, 4:59/4th: Sam Mitchell did talk about wanting Andrea Bargnani to recognize when he has a mismatch and start exploiting it. We haven't seen that specifically tonight, but he's quietly put together a 20-7-7 to this point. There hasn't been much defense in tonight's game (KG was the exception early) and Doc can't be happy with Toronto shooting 55%, even if they are one of the better scoring teams in the league. That said, Toronto is not exactly known for locking down on 'D' either. Stat of the Night: Points in the paint. Celtics 52, Raptors 12. 91-84 Celtics, End of 3rd: Forget the Boston Three Party; the Raptors have been bombing away and connecting at a pretty ridiculous clip. How's 12 for 16 from downtown sound? And get this: reigning three-point champ Jason Kapono has played just six minutes and has yet to snap off a three of his own. Then again, Scalabrine brought the building to it's feet with a three of his own at the third quarter buzzer. The C's are shooting a respectable 6 for 13 from behind the arc. 72-68 Celtics, 5:30/3rd: The ball movement continues on both sides, as the teams have combined for 41 assists through the first 30 minutes of the game. Paul Pierce leads the Celtics with six dimes... 57-55 Raptors, Halftime: Yikes, where did the lead go? The C's went scoreless for about four minutes while Calderon and Nesterovic took over for Toronto. The Raptors are shooting 58% from the field and have connected on six of their eight three pointers, which is keeping them in the game. 47-39 Celtics, 5:38/2nd: Do you think TA reads the Post Ups on the sidelines? He just added seven points and is the leading scorer in the game. Gucci Mane would be proud... 38-30 Celtics, 8:51/2nd: Maybe I'm just imagining this, but it seems like everytime I catch Tony Allen rapping to himself in the locker room, he comes out on fire. He's got seven points in the first four minutes of the second quarter. 29-28 Celtics, End of 1st: Leon Powe seems to have found his way into the rotation, but he just picked up a pair of fouls in about five seconds and was promptly replaced by Rajon Rondo. Doc has often said that Leon should be using all of his fouls and playing physical when he's out on the floor, but that may not be what the coach had in mind... 16-14 Celtics, 5:52/1st: Kevin Garnett (8 points) has a couple of easy alley-oop dunks courtesy of Ray Allen lobs, and he's got a pair of assists and a steal, making himself a factor on 12 of the team's 16 points. The C's started trapping Toronto's guards to turn up the heat forcing a five early Raptors turnovers. Pregame Media Access The Celtics locker room had tumbleweed blowing through it tonight, but thankfully Sam Mitchell's pregame presser was entertaining. Coach Mitchell was a bit on the surly side, openly mocking questions and being somewhat uncooperative when reporters asked him about specific players. When he settled in, he told reporters that he thinks all three of Boston's stars deserve to be in the All-Star Game. As expected, James Posey will sit out tonight. Rivers was also asked about the upcoming reunion with his former players on Friday night when the Timberwolves come to town. "The positive part was the relationships," Rivers said of last year's team. "The games, on the other hand, were not very positive." The full interviews with Doc and Sam are available in the Audio Archive. Early Pregame The Celtics look for the season sweep over the Toronto Raptors tonight at the Garden. We'll check in with the full report from the Celtics locker room around 7 p.m. Also worth noting: The Minnesota beat reporters are already here tonight in anticipation of KG's reunion with the Timberwolves at the Garden Friday night. Tomorrow's post-practice interviews should be interesting. Tuesday, January 22 - Practice
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 9:49:47 GMT -5
enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2008/01/24/news/sports/sports05.txtThe defense rests for Celts By Jim Fenton, Enterprise staff writer BOSTON— They have put together the best record in the NBA thanks in large part to a defense that has been difficult to solve. The Boston Celtics give up just 88 points a game on 42 percent shooting, and only five opponents have cracked the 100-point barrier through 40 games. There have been few defensive breakdowns by the Celtics during their 33-7 start, but one of them was on display Wednesday night at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Toronto Raptors, who had lost three times to the Celtics earlier this season, found holes in the usually stingy Boston defense and fired away from 3-point range like few teams have ever done. The defense that has been so superb since early November let the Celtics down in a 114-112 loss to the Raptors, who made a remarkable 15 of 21 shots from 3-point range. The team with the best 3-point shooting percentage in the league simply picked apart the team that allows the lowest 3-point shooting percentage, and the Celtics allowed a season high in points. “They were in a groove,” said Celtics forward Kevin Garnett after getting 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists. “They definitely had a rhythm going. That's what they do. Seventy-one percent, it's hard to beat. “Doc (Rivers, the Celtics coach) made a real good point, man. We want to be known as a defensive team. That's our bread and butter. You've got to dig down and kind of figure it out.” The Celtics never really did figure it out against the Raptors and couldn't hold a seven-point lead in the final five minutes as they lost for the fourth time at home. Boston continually gave 3-point shooters like Carlos Delfino (5-for-5), Anthony Parker (4-for-6), Jose Calderon (3-for-4) and Andrea Bargnani (3-for-6) room to operate. When Calderon (24 points, 13 assists) wasn't penetrating and finding open shooters behind the line, he was scoring inside, scoring five points in the last 31 seconds on drives and foul shots. “We had a hard time getting out to their shooters and they were knocking it down,” said Paul Pierce, who had 19 points, nine assists and five rebounds. “We've shown the ability throughout the year to cover the paint and also cover the 3-point line. I don't think we did a good job of running them off their shots. They just spotted up.” The Celtics had not allowed a team to score 100 points since the Philadelphia 76ers got 103 in a loss on Dec. 5. The New Jersey Nets (101), Orlando Magic (104) and Cleveland Cavaliers (109 in overtime) are the other teams to break 100 against Boston. “We were playing defense on the fly instead of sticking to our own rules,” said Rivers. “It was a good lesson for us. “They moved the ball, but we had probably seven 3s that clearly we were there and didn't close out all the way. Late in the game, we had one right in front of our bench. We just stopped and he shot it. “It was like we didn't believe they would shoot another one. We call them dare shots. We had a lot of dare shots we gave up tonight and they made them. But that's what they do. We allowed them to play the way they play and we never played the way we play.” It was a rare sight, the Celtics playing a bit confused at the defensive end, giving up drives to the basket by Calderon and being unable to get back to the 3-point line to defend shots. Through it all, the Celtics still had a chance to force overtime when Eddie House and Ray Allen put up shots in the final 10 seconds, but they were unable to convert. “They shot the ball well, but we were kind of messed up on our trust defense,” said Kendrick Perkins. “I don't think it was there like usual. Against a good shooting team like Toronto, that kind of hurts you.” The Celtics had been allowing just six 3-pointers per game before the Raptors' barrage, but their lack of aggressiveness against Toronto outside weapons was costly. And the Raptors put on a show even without their best 3-pointer shooter, Jason Kapono, attempting one. “We've been great at guarding the 3-point line,” said Rivers. “We just didn't get there. They were on fire. They made some tough shots. “To shoot 71 percent, half the guys in our league couldn't shoot 15-for-21 in a gym by themselves behind the 3, and they did it with other people on the floor.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 9:56:33 GMT -5
ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2008/01/24/sports/sports03.txtSPORTS Offensive show pumps Perkins Kendrick Perkins played within the Celtics’ system Monday and the result was a 24-point performance against the Knicks. (File photo) By MIKE FINE The Patriot Ledger WALTHAM - The grin is slight but the message in unmistakable: Kendrick Perkins likes this scoring gig. OK, it’s only been one game, but the Boston Celtics center’s career-high 24-point effort against the Knicks Monday was a hoot. ‘‘Oh, it was exciting, fun to be a part of that,’’ Perkins said. ‘‘I was pretty pumped up about it, but I’ve gotta try to be consistent. That was just one game. We’ve got a whole lot of games left, including the playoffs, so just try to be consistent. ‘‘You’ve just gotta know your role. I’ve gotta know what got me those shots. I got those shots by setting picks, guys finding me. As long as I stay within my role the shots are gonna come. We’ve got a lot of unselfish guys.’’ Celts coach Doc Rivers said Perkins was able to score like that because he understood the situation. ‘‘The guy has to be there,’’ Rivers said. ‘‘If he’s not on the right spot in the post, I’m not gonna waste a possession. But if he’s in the right spot because he went and set a pick and he rolled to the right spot, then we do give it to him. But he scored through our offense. We didn’t call one set for him. When he stays in that I think he’s terrific.’’ Talking to the stars A day after declining to talk about his appointment as the Eastern Conference All-Star coach, Rivers did so Tuesday. ‘‘It’s a great honor,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ll take it. It’s not what I want. It’s nice, don’t get me wrong. Due to my players and my coaching staff I get that honor. For me, it’s middle of the season. It’s a great honor. I’ve been there before as a player. It’s nice. I don’t love talking about the All-Star Game.’’ Paul Pierce said he felt good about Rivers, simply because he had a hand in getting him there. He also feels that he, Allen and Garnett should make it. Garnett was the leading vote-getter in the last ballot that was released last week. ‘‘I would think we do, being what we’ve done and accomplished as a team as players. When you look back when the Pistons had a similar record they had four guys make it (Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace in 2006). Who knows? We have to wait and see.’’ Asked if he thought he could get more All-Star minutes with Rivers as coach, Pierce said, ‘‘I hope so. I usually don’t get those minutes in the All-Star Game. I tend to get overlooked, but it’s always an honor to make it.’’ Kudos to Giants Pierce, on congratulating four New York Giants seated at courtside in the middle of the game: ‘‘I was just congratulating them. Those are my peers, guys who’ve worked hard to get to a point where we want to get to, along with the Patriots, and I was just telling them congratulations, making it to the (Super Bowl).’’ Pierce is acquainted with one of the Giants, cornerback R.W. McQuarters, whom he played basketball against in college (Pierce went to Kansas, McQuarters to Oklahoma State). ‘‘I want the Patriots to win,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve been supporting them over the past five or six years, but I hope to see a good game.’’ The series The Celtics have beaten the Raptors four straight times, three this season, and the last two haven’t even been close. ‘‘Toronto could be a team we play in the playoffs,’’ Pierce said, ‘‘so every game is important. It’s not necessarily a statement, but we want a clean sweep to the series. We’ve been playing well against them so far and we just want to continue.’’ The Raptors are playing without point guard T.J. Ford (neck) and forward Jorge Garbajosa (knee). ‘‘Right now, in our position, we are pretty good,’’ forward Chris Bosh said. ‘‘We have a chance to make a move.’’ In the spotlight The Celtics’ bench has taken a hit because James Posey is out. Posey injured his right index finger at Sacramento last month and he thought he could play through it, but he was forced out of the New York game and will sit until the finger is healed. The biggest concern, of course, is Bosh. ‘‘We would love them to go small and get him off the floor,’’ said the coach. ‘‘That would be fantastic.’’
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 10:00:45 GMT -5
www.telegram.com/article/20080124/NEWS/801240631/1009/SPORTSNo one stuffs KG’s jumper Likely starter for All-Stars CELTICS NOTES By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF wdoyle@telegram.com BOSTON— Kevin Garnett’s turn-around jumper is one of the many ways he has turned around the Celtics. Celtics coach Doc Rivers likes to see Garnett take the ball strong to the basket, but he has no problems with him also relying on his turn-around jumper. “He should lean on it,” Rivers said. “No one’s really stopping it.” Garnett is shooting a career-high 54.9 percent. “That’s natural for people,” Rivers said, “to go to what they do best and then have a counter. He does have a counter. He goes to that right-hand hook. I would say early in his career he probably didn’t have that counter and he’s developed that.” Because the Celtics own the NBA’s best record, Rivers has already secured the head coaching job of the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 17 in New Orleans. Garnett will find out today when the fan balloting for the starters is announced if he’ll join his coach in New Orleans as a starting forward. Garnett was the leading vote getter at last count. The coaches vote for the All-Star reserves and those results will be announced a week from today. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen hope to join Rivers and Garnett at the game. Toronto coach Sam Mitchell, who played with Garnett in Minnesota, said he’d rank him among the top five in the NBA’s Most Valuable Player race so far and that he thought Garnett, Pierce and Allen all deserved to be All-Stars. Rivers will be the sixth Celtics coach to coach in the All-Star Game and the first since Chris Ford during the 1990-91 season. Posey still sidelined James Posey missed his second game in a row with a sprained index finger on his right hand. Posey’s shooting has suffered since he first hurt the finger on the West Coast trip just after Christmas. In his last 11 games, he has shot only 36.2 percent (21 of 58), including just 25.8 percent (8 of 39) from three-land. Prior to that, he was shooting 46.3 percent, including 49.3 percent from beyond the arc. “It had to affect him,” Rivers said. “There’s no doubt about that. It’s his shooting hand. He complained about it, as far as his shooting. That’s one of the reasons he’s not playing. When he has the ability to spread the floor, it’s big for us.” Rivers expected to play Posey mostly at small forward, but he’s played more at power forward because of his defensive ability. A sore right ankle has kept Scot Pollard out of Boston’s last seven games. The backup center has played in only 20 of the team’s first 40 games in part because of the ankle. Rivers put no time restrictions on Rajon Rondo last night. In his return to the lineup Monday in New York, Rondo sat out the fourth quarter after grabbing the back of his leg. Only two Celtics haven’t missed a game yet. Fortunately for the Celtics, they are the team’s two best players, Garnett and Pierce. Payton won’t be coming Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck told WEEI yesterday that he’d be open to adding a veteran point guard to back up Rondo, but he was against signing free agent Gary Payton because of the negative comments Payton made after leaving Boston a few years ago. Former Celtics return Former Celtics Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and Antoine Walker will visit the Garden tomorrow night as members of the Minnesota Timberwolves. It will be the first regular-season game for Garnett against his old team. “I’m going to tell Al not to get back,” Rivers joked. Rivers spent all last season yelling at Jefferson to get back on defense. “The positive part was our relationships,” Rivers said. “That was very positive. The games, on the other hand, were not very positive.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 10:02:02 GMT -5
www.telegram.com/article/20080124/NEWS/801240614/1009/SPORTSCeltics fizzle at the finish Raptors’ 114 most allowed By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF wdoyle@telegram.com BOSTON— After blowing a fourth-quarter lead and losing at the Garden, 114-112, to the Raptors last night, the Celtics took turns accepting blame. “I probably won’t be able to sleep, just thinking about that shot,” said Ray Allen, who missed a short jumper at the buzzer. “Our defense wasn’t there,” Kendrick Perkins said. “It starts with me, though. I didn’t think I brought the right energy. I take responsibility for it because when I set the tone early we get off to a good start, but it just wasn’t there.” The 114 points were the most allowed by the Celtics this season. They hadn’t allowed 100 or more points in any of their last 22 games and entered the night surrendering a league-low 87.4 points a game. Jose Calderon spent much of the game penetrating, then passing back out for open 3-point shots, but he drove for a layup, got fouled and made the free throw to end the scoring with 10.5 seconds to go. “He just went past me,” a disappointed Rajon Rondo said. “The way I played overall, I want to go watch film and get better.” After a timeout, Eddie House missed a long jumper. Allen grabbed the rebound, took one dribble and missed a short fall-away jumper at the horn. “I heard a voice behind me,” Allen said, “that said, ‘Shoot it.’ It was Kevin (Garnett). When I got the rebound, I knew I was in the swarm and it was almost like I was rushing trying to get it up. I’ll replay that over and over in my head.” Allen had grabbed a long rebound of House’s missed jumper and sunk a 17-footer to put Boston ahead, 112-111, with 14.9 seconds left. “At that point I said to myself,” Allen said, “we probably won this game when you get a bounce like that.” The Celtics fell to 33-7, but still tied a club record for best record through 40 games. The Celtics led by 11 in the first half and Paul Pierce’s 3-pointer put them up 102-95 with 5:06 left. The Celtics outscored Toronto, 56-16, in the paint, but the Raptors made 15 of 21 3-pointers, shot 58 percent overall and made all 19 of their free throws. Toronto shoots the highest 3-point percentage in the NBA (40.7). “Half the guys in our league couldn’t shoot 15 for 21 in a gym by themselves behind the three,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said, “and they did it with other people on the floor.” Too often those other people on the floor trying to guard the Raptors weren’t anywhere near their 3-point shooters. The Raptors swung the ball too well for the Celtics to keep up with them. The Celtics made 14 of 18 shots in the third quarter to build a 91-84 lead, but connected on only 7 of 25 in the final quarter when they were outscored, 30-21. The Celtics had their three-game winning streak snapped and lost to an Atlantic Division team for the first time this season. They had won their first 10 games against divisional rivals. Garnett had 26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Allen and Paul Pierce each scored 19. Tony Allen had 15 points and Rondo 14. Pierce dished out a team-high 9 assists. Calderon led Toronto with 24 points and 13 assists. Anthony Parker and Chris Bosh each scored 23 points. In his previous nine games, Andrea Bargnani averaged only 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds, but the 7-foot center collected 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists last night. Last night’s loss prevented the Celtics from completing off their first season-series sweep of Raptors in a decade. Brian Scalabrine closed the third quarter with a 3-pointer to push Boston’s lead to 91-84.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 24, 2008 11:22:42 GMT -5
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