Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 25, 2008 8:49:44 GMT -5
ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2008/01/24/sports/sports03.txt
Sleep won’t come easy for Ray Allen
By MIKE FINE
The Patriot Ledger
BOSTON - Ray Allen didn’t figure he’d be sleeping very well Wednesday night, not after he was in the right place at the right time, grabbing a rebound, putting up a 15-foot shot, which for him is like a fisherman dropping a line in the ocean.
He missed at the buzzer, however, and the Celtics lost at home to the Toronto Raptors, 114-112.
‘‘I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight,’’ said Allen, who scored 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting.
‘‘I heard someone behind me saying, ‘Shoot it,’ and I know it was Kevin (Garnett). I knew there wasn’t much time, but it seemed like it happened so fast, and I rushed it. I’ll play it over and over in my head.’’
Allen said that when the Eddie House miss bounced off the rim to him, ‘‘I said to myself, ‘We’re probably going to win this game’ when you get a bounce like that.’’
Instead, what coach Doc Rivers will be playing over and over is game films of a loss that enabled the Raptors to can 15 3-pointers, to only seven - three by Allen - for the Celtics.
Needless to say, Raptors coach Sam Mitchell was holding his breath as Allen fired away.
Said Mitchell before the game: ‘‘Even if he’s not shooting well, in the back of your mind as a coach, he can make the next shot. That one shot can beat you or break your back. It puts pressure on the defense. You don’t expect really good players to miss shots. All it takes for really good players is to make that one shot to get your confidence back. You don’t even look at the stats sheet when it comes to a guy like that.’’
Around the rim
Kendrick Perkins doesn’t necessarily defend the 3’s, but he was also kicking himself after his four-point, three-rebound effort. ‘‘Our defense wasn’t there,’’ he said. ‘‘You can start with me, though. I didn’t think I brought the right energy. I think when I set the tone early we get off to a good start.’’ If recent history is any indication, he’s correct. Perkins scored 22 of his career-high 24 points in the first half of Monday’s win at New York ...
Another reason the Celtics had defensive problems: James Posey missed a second straight game with a bruised right index finger. ‘‘He’s looking better,’’ said Rivers before the game. ‘‘It’s his shooting hand, and he complained about it. My guess is (he’ll play) this weekend. They said if we sit him it would be anywhere between five and seven games. He’s meant the world to our team. He’s fantastic. He’s better than advertised. He does all the little things. It’s literally his play. He does all the little things that you don’t get a lot of credit for: taking charges, defending 4’s, defending 3’s, switching, talking on defense, but it’s the other stuff that are just as valuable. Tonight’s a game where we would need him. They do tend to go small at times and change their lineups and he’s so versatile. He’s perfect for us.’’ ...
The loss dropped the Celtics to 10-1 against the Atlantic Division and kept the Celtics from completing a four-game sweep over Toronto. The last sweep in the series was a three-game by the Celtics in 1997-98 ... The All-Star starters will be announced today, which means that Kevin Garnett will get an automatic berth, but Paul Pierce and Allen are near the top of the forward and guards lists. Mitchell said all three should make it. ‘‘If Paul and KG are rolling, Ray Allen gives them other things. If it’s Paul and Ray, KG takes a back seat. All three are capable of scoring. The last time I checked, all that matters is wins and losses.’’ The coaches will select the All-Star reserves ...
The Celtics were scheduled to look at a lot of game film today in advance of their Friday meeting with the Celtics jayvees - the Minnesota Timberwolves. ‘‘It’s gonna be a war here Friday,’’ Perkins said.
