News 2/13

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1073190&format=text


Pierce, C’s flatten Indy
After Green’s slow start, captain puts it in overdrive

By Mark Murphy | Wednesday, February 13, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
INDIANAPOLIS - They came out flatter than the state of Indiana.

No Kevin Garnett, no Kendrick Perkins [stats], little sign of life. Faced with San Antonio under these conditions last Sunday, the Celtics [team stats] filled in their gaps with inspiration.

Faced last night with an Indiana team that had just put together two wins for the first time in over a month, their response was accommodating.

Stuck in front of a Conseco Field House crowd more excited by announced scores from the Purdue-Michigan State game than their Pacers, the Celtics were on their own.

They had to create their own inspiration in last night’s 104-97 win - a result that pushed their record to 40-9, the first team in the league to reach that win total. The Celtics are 6-2 without Garnett.

The difference, as usual, was sparked by added defensive pressure down the stretch and a glimpse of the old Paul Pierce [stats] - the one who made his living at the free throw line.

The Celtics captain scored seven of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, including six points from the line. He shot 10-for-12 overall from the stripe, in addition to 18-for-24 over the last two games.

Without Garnett to make those passes that seemingly only Garnett can make over the last eight games, Pierce has become more of a driver. Last night, that increased emphasis was enough to turn around a game the Pacers considered very winnable.

“I pick my spots,” Pierce said of when he turns to his old school game. “I try to bring to the game what I feel it needs. But I just wanted to be a little more aggressive and open up things for my teammates.”

Most of all, though, Pierce created the most important chances for himself.

“We talked about how we were taking too many jumpers,” said Doc Rivers, turning to the example of Pierce actually holding the ball instead of taking an open and makable trey down the fourth quarter stretch. “I shouted, and he said, ‘But you said to attack the basket,’ so at least he was listening.

“But he was aggressive in getting to the foul line. When he does that he’s so tough to guard.”

Per usual, the Celtics made up for a lot of sins with their work in the third quarter, pulling out as far as 10 points (75-65) on a Rondo 20-footer, and then protecting that cushion with a Pierce 3-pointer (82-73).

But the Pacers opened the fourth with a 9-2 run, and took an 86-84 lead courtesy of Shawne Williams’ pull-up trey.

Pierce finally got in the way with two free throws for an 86-86 tie, and drove again for the foul, this time hitting the second of two for an 87-86 lead.

The Celtics, finally in attack mode, shot 6-for-8 from the line after going to the stripe on four straight possessions before Ray Allen capped the 9-0 run with a corner trey off a sharp Leon Powe feed for a 93-86 lead with 6:33 left.

An increased attack mentality at both ends kept the Pacers off-balance, but by no means out of reach. Danny Granger’s 3-pointer cut the Celtics lead to 95-92, and with 3:08 left a Williams post-up sliced it to a point (95-94).

The Celtics, who went scoreless for almost three minutes while shooting 0-for-5, finally awoke on a Rondo drive. Daniels missed, and this time Pierce held the ball, letting the shot clock run down before driving to draw the foul with 1:32 left.

He hit both free throws for a 99-94 lead.

Granger hit the free throw after the Celtics were whistled for a defensive three-second violation, but Pierce buried the dagger with 52 seconds left when he hit a tightly guarded 10-footer for a 101-95 lead.

Rondo hit the second of two 10 seconds later for a 102-95 lead and an escape from a precarious night.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1073202&format=text


Celts, Knicks get ready for Round 3

By Mark Murphy / Celtics notebook | Wednesday, February 13, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP (file)
INDIANAPOLIS - The Knicks are back tonight for Game 3 of a series that has featured everything from embarrassment (the Celtics [team stats]’ 45-point victory on Nov. 29) to naked dislike, the latter exemplified by a Jan. 21 game in New York defined by trash talk and cameos by members of the Super Bowl-bound Giants.

Paul Pierce [stats] and Quentin Richardson were ejected following an inability to quiet themselves, and Eddie House enraged the Knicks bench with some colorful talk after hitting a 3-pointer.

But Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who was openly disgusted with his team’s behavior following that game, believes they got the message. No cautionary talks are in order.

“I’m not worried,” he said after last night’s 104-97 win over Indiana. “We play with great intensity. We won’t back down from that, but I don’t think we’ll lose our composure. Tomorrow, 20 guys are going to ask Eddie House and Paul about it, so I don’t think I have to say anything.”

Nor was Pierce concerned.

“Just another game,” he said. “We’re trying to build momentum going into the All-Star break, and that’s what we’re concentrating on. I’m not concerned about what happened the last time between me and Quentin.”

Perkins frets

The Celtics played their second straight game without Kendrick Perkins [stats], and the center also is expected to miss tonight’s game. Instead, Perkins has been told to rest his strained left shoulder and pray for a return to the lineup when the Celtics open a five-city western road trip in Denver next Tuesday.

Perkins admittedly is worried that despite surgery 1 years ago on the shoulder, he was re-injured.

“I’m kind of scared by it,” he said. “But I have to keep working on the weights and doing the things I need to strengthen it. They said something like this could still happen (despite surgery), but the MRI I had said that (the injury) didn’t mess up the repair on it. They say I’ll be back (for the Denver game), but I also don’t want to wreck it. So I guess I’m just out for now. I just want to try to rest and strengthen it.”

Rivers didn’t exactly calm the matter when he said, “I’ve been around long enough to know that when (a shoulder) comes out it’s in jeopardy down the road, too.”

KG shoots around

Kevin Garnett, who missed his eighth straight game, shot on the side during yesterday morning’s shootaround. The plan is to have Garnett, who is recovering from an abdominal strain, and Perkins back for the start of the trip.

“I hope so, but I have no idea,” Rivers said. “(Garnett) is improving. He’s done some more running, but that’s not playing basketball.”

Indeed, conditioning promises to be a problem.

“Conditioning is conditioning,” Rivers said. “He’ll be awful because he hasn’t been able to run a lot, but he’s doing things that he couldn’t do before, and he’s lifting in a way he couldn’t before.”

Just a number

The Celtics became the first team in the league to win 40 games, and befitting a group of players who have never been in that position, they were unsure of what the accomplishment meant.

“I don’t know how to act,” guard Ray Allen said. “Half of me says that it doesn’t mean anything, and the other half says you’ve never done that before, but it doesn’t get you anything. It gets other teams to play harder against you. Those will be tough games when we start on the road next week.” . . .

Rivers, the Eastern Conference All-Star coach, still hadn’t received word whether Washington’s Caron Butler, suffering from a hip flexor injury, decided to pull out of Sunday’s game. If Butler makes that decision, Allen could be added.

“I believe it would be the right thing to do,” Rivers said. “You can lobby and all that, but we’ll just see how it works out.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1073178&format=text

Pierce’s double-double leads Boston past Indiana, 104-97

By Associated Press | Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics
INDIANAPOLIS - Paul Pierce [stats] had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and the short-handed Boston Celtics [team stats] beat the Indiana Pacers 104-97 tonight to win their fourth straight game.

Ray Allen scored 23 and Leon Powe added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics (40-9), who were playing without injured starters Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins [stats].

Danny Granger had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, and Shawne Williams scored 14 for the Pacers (21-31). Indiana was playing without injured starters Jermaine O’Neal and Jamaal Tinsley.

Trailing by five points entering the fourth quarter, the Pacers took an 86-84 lead on Williams’ 3-pointer with 9 minutes left. Boston answered by scoring the next nine points, including Allen’s 3 to cap the run, to open a seven-point advantage.

Indiana cut the deficit to 95-94 following Granger’s 3-pointer and Williams’ layup with 3 minutes remaining, but the Celtics regained a 101-95 lead on Pierce’s jumper with 52 seconds left.

Allen scored 10 of the Celtics’ first 12 points of the game, including a 3-pointer to give Boston a 10-0 lead. The Pacers fought back, taking a 13-12 advantage on Troy Murphy’s two free throws later in the period.

Indiana opened its biggest lead of the game, 34-23, on Marquis Daniels’ basket early in the second quarter, but the Celtics regained a 49-45 edge following Rajon Rondo [stats]’s 3-pointer with less than two minutes left in the half.

In the third quarter, Boston extended its lead to 75-65 on Allen’s jumper with 3 minutes left. The Pacers got within 82-77 after layups from Kareem Rush and Murphy to end the period.

Notes: Garnett missed his eighth consecutive game with an abdominal strain, and Perkins was out with a strained left shoulder. ... O’Neal missed his 12th straight game for the Pacers with a sore left knee, and Tinsley also missed the game with a sore left knee. ... Granger extended his streak of consecutive free throws made to 56. He finished the game 5-of-5 from the line. ... The Celtics have won six of their last seven games. Their only loss came Feb. 5 at Cleveland. ... The Pacers, who play at Detroit tomorrow, dropped to 3-13 in the first game of back-to-backs this season.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/02/13/celtics_setting_the_pace?mode=PF

Celtics setting the pace
Victory at Indiana is their 40th of year
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | February 13, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS - The Celtics became the first member of the NBA's 40-and-over club last night.

With a 104-97 victory over the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse, the Celtics (40-9) became the first NBA team this season to win 40 games.

Only two Celtics teams have reached 40 wins faster; the 1964-65 Celtics were the fastest in franchise history, with 40 wins against only seven losses, while the 1972-73 team started 40-8.

"Half of me says it really doesn't mean anything," said guard Ray Allen. "Then the other half is like, 'You've never done that before, and I don't know how many teams have done that.' It's a great accomplishment.

"The first half of the season, a lot of teams will be talking about it. But it really doesn't get you anything. It gets teams to play harder against you. We've just got to get some rest during the [All-Star] break and be ready to buckle down."

Boston, which has won four straight, improved to 18-5 on the road and is now 6-2 without the injured Kevin Garnett. Paul Pierce scored a game-high 28 points, nailed 10 free throws, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished 5 assists. Allen scored 23 points and nailed three 3-pointers, while center Leon Powe added 16 points and 9 rebounds.

The Celtics were without Garnett (abdominal strain) for the eighth straight game and center Kendrick Perkins (left shoulder strain) for the second in a row.

"Until those guys get back, we have to hold down the fort," Pierce said. "Different guys are stepping up."

The Celtics play their last game before the All-Star break tonight at TD Banknorth Garden against the Knicks. But coach Doc Rivers was more worried about a letdown against the Pacers than the Knicks, since his team was coming off an emotional 98-90 win over the reigning champion Spurs Sunday.

"After the game Sunday, both teams were up," Rivers said, "and so you were worried about coming in here tonight. I was very happy with the effort overall. I thought it was a team game."

The Celtics went into halftime with a 51-50 lead. Allen had 14 points and two 3-pointers at that time, while Pierce had 10 points. Boston shot 42.5 percent from the field in the first half while the Pacers shot 44.2 percent.

Rivers, however, felt the Celtics were too perimeter-oriented - mimicking the Pacers' style - as they missed 9 of 15 3-point attempts.

"I thought we were them," Rivers said. "They are known for taking outside shots. We came out just firing. Early on, Ray was hot. At the timeout, I said, 'Ray's hot, everybody else doesn't have to shoot a three. Let's try to get everyone else going to the basket.' "

The Celtics outscored the Pacers, 31-27, in the third quarter to take an 82-77 lead. Pierce scored 10 points and nailed two 3-pointers in the period.

The Pacers opened the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run and took an 86-84 lead on a 3-pointer by Shawne Williams with 9:21 remaining. The Celtics went to the line on four straight possessions and took a 90-86 lead after two free throws by Powe with 7:20 left. After Powe's dunk with 5:31 left gave the Celtics a 95-88 advantage, the Pacers called a timeout seconds later.

The Pacers sliced it to 95-94 after a Williams lay-in with 3:08 left. A Rajon Rondo bucket and two Pierce free throws gave Boston a 99-94 lead with 1:32 remaining and Pierce sealed the game by nailing a jumper with 52.1 seconds left.

The Celtics' 22-20 scoring edge in the fourth quarter included a 9-2 advantage in free throws. Boston also had only two turnovers in the second half and none in the fourth.

"This was definitely a winnable game," said Pacers forward Danny Granger, who had a team-high 18 points. "We let it get away at the end with a lack of execution and our usual letdown in the stretch. They're a good basketball team. They executed, defended, and deserved to win."

While it's the last game prior to the All-Star break, Rivers isn't worried about the Celtics being motivated against their heated rivals tonight. During the previous meeting in New York Jan. 21 (a 106-93 Boston win), Pierce and Knicks forward Quentin Richardson were ejected for trash-talking in what was a physical contest.

"We just have to make sure we concentrate on our team," Pierce said.

"I'm not worried about what happened last time between me and Quentin. I'm here to help my team win. I'm not going to turn it into a one-on-one with him. I'm out there trying to help my ball club win."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/02/13/allens_optimism_is_guarded?mode=PF

Allen's optimism is guarded
Feelings are mixed about a Star turn
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | February 13, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS - While Celtics guard Ray Allen would love to be an All-Star, he hopes it won't be because his friend and fellow ex-Connecticut star Caron Butler can't play.

The Washington Wizards small forward has missed four straight games with a strained left hip flexor and is a game-time decision tonight against the Clippers. Doc Rivers, who will coach the Eastern Conference team in Sunday's game, said yesterday that if Butler can't play, he hopes Allen will replace him. Rivers also said he has received no word from the NBA on Butler's status.

"I do hope he's healthy," said Allen, who scored 23 points in last night's 104-97 win over the Pacers. "I don't wish anything bad on anybody. When the situation goes down, I got to do what I got to do to move forward.

"We have a real good relationship. I've always wanted to see him do well, and he's done great. And I like the way he plays. He plays hard. He plays the way the game should be played."

In regards to the All-Star situation, Butler told the Washington Post his health is the most important factor.

"I don't want to go out there, make it even worse than it is and have it turn into something that carries into the second half," he said to the paper.

The Celtics have two All-Stars in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Garnett, however, missed his eighth straight game with an abdominal strain last night against the Pacers and will miss the All-Star Game. The Celtics had hoped Allen would replace Garnett, but NBA commissioner David Stern selected Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace. If Butler cannot play, another possible candidate is Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu.

Allen said he has a commitment to appear on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in New York City Thursday, and if he isn't named to the All-Star team, he plans on taking a private plane to the Bahamas after the taping. If he is an All-Star, he would depart for New Orleans after the taping.


No pushing
Garnett said he is getting better and is running, but he has yet to return to basketball activity. Center Kendrick Perkins also missed last night's game, his second straight, with a strained left shoulder. Both will miss tonight's game against the visiting Knicks. While Rivers expressed hope that everyone will be available next Tuesday, when the schedule resumes with a game at Denver after the All-Star break, he said neither Perkins nor Garnett would return unless they were 100 percent. Rivers said he sees daily improvement in them. "If they are ready, they will play," Rivers said. "If they are not, I'm not going to push them. I'm not pushing either one until they are 100 percent." Perkins had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder two years ago, but he said an MRI showed that his current injury isn't related to the old one. "I guess I'm just out," Perkins said. "It's still sore."


Pollard available
Celtics center Scot Pollard had not played since Jan. 9 because of a sore left ankle, but the Celtics dressed him last night for use only in an emergency. Pollard, who wasn't needed last night, said he was fitted with tall ankle braces . . . Allen is a member of the Screen Actors Guild - having appeared in movies such as "He Got Game" in 1998 and "Harvard Man" in 2001 and numerous commercials - and has supported the writers' strike, which could be ending soon. He said the staff at "Late Night" wasn't aware of his affiliation. "I wasn't going to break the [picket] lines," said Allen. "They are still on strike and they'll probably end this week. You could get blacklisted if you did anything."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2008/02/13/04/4343-72/index.xml

Clark: Celtics are on point for the futureQuick quiz: What do the following names all have in common? Joe Forte, J.R. Bremmer, Shammond Williams, Mike James, Delonte West. If you guessed “shooting guards the Celtics tried to turn into point guards,” you were correct. Thinking back over the last decade or so, the best pure point guards I can recall on the Celtics include an aging Kenny Anderson and an already over-the-hill Gary Payton. As Tony Kornheiser would say, that’s it, that’s the list.


Marcus Banks had all the physical tools you’d want in a point but just didn’t have the instincts. Sebastian Telfair was always more hype than substance. The Celtics’ search for a solution at the point position has been something akin to the quest for the Holy Grail.


Enter Rajon Rondo, a second-year point guard who has been handed the keys to a team that features three perennial All-Stars. Pundits in the press were calling him the weak link. Coaches were counting on exploiting him in their game plans. But so far, Rondo has been up to the task and has shown he is more than capable of running this team.

His stats don’t always jump off the page at 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Still, it doesn’t take long to appreciate watching this kid play. Rondo is very comfortable with the ball in his hands, yet he doesn’t over dribble. He’s quicker than most people in the league, yet he never seems to force it.


Perhaps the most important thing you can say about him is the offense runs smoothly when he’s in there, and it doesn’t when he’s not. For that reason alone, Rondo is almost as important to this team as any one of the Big Three. This isn’t to say Rondo is a finished product. The point guard position is the hardest one to learn in the NBA. Rondo needs to continue working on his jumper, the finer points of his defense and decision making. But none of these are fatal flaws.


The Celtics have been quietly looking around for a veteran point guard, but not because they have any less confidence in Rondo. It is clear that whoever they bring in will be his backup (freeing Tony Allen and Eddie House to play shooting guard).

There’s no longer a debate about Rajon Rondo being ready to be the starting point guard on this team. The debate has turned into a discussion of how good he can be. Can he be an All-Star some day, or will he simply be a solid starter for years to come? Either way, the long search is over. The Celtics have found their point guard of the future.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080213/SPORTS04/802130498/-1/LOCAL17

Celtics 104, Pacers 97
Tell me if you've heard this one . . .
It's a recurring story: Pacers stay in game with tough opponent, only to flinch in final quarter
By Mike Wells
[e-mail]
February 13, 2008


At least the Indiana Pacers didn't find a different way to lose.
It was the same thing that has happened to them over and over again this season in their 104-97 loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
The Pacers hung around with the Celtics, who have the best record in the league, into the fourth quarter. Then they showed their vulnerability again.
They lacked mental toughness to make the right decisions. They continue to lack a go-to player. And they couldn't come up with a key defensive stop when needed.
The result was their eighth loss in the past 10 games.
"It's really repetitive and it's getting old," guard Danny Granger said. "We have to learn from it. . . . We let it get away at the end with lack of execution and our usual letdown in the stretch."
It's why, 52 games into the season, the Pacers are 10 games under .500 going into tonight's contest against the Detroit Pistons, who have the second best record in the league.
"We broke down at the end, as we have in past games," forward Shawne Williams said. "We must execute down the stretch on both ends of the court. The signs are there that we are getting better, but staying with good teams and beating them are two different things."
The Pacers trailed by five going into the fourth quarter when they used a 9-2 run to take their first lead since late in the second quarter, 86-84 on a Williams pull-up 3-pointer in transition.
The Celtics tied the score less than a minute later and took the lead for good when Paul Pierce, who had a game-high 28 points, made 1-of-2 free throws 21 seconds later.
The loss didn't come without the Pacers having their chances to either tie the score or take the lead. But as they have found out numerous time over the past few weeks, they miss Jamaal Tinsley's (knee) ability to create off the dribble and Jermaine O'Neal's (knee) presence in the post offensively.
While the Celtics had Pierce and Ray Allen (23 points) to go to when they needed points, the Pacers were forced to try to score by committee, which meant scoring on the perimeter.
Thirteen of the Pacers' 23 shot attempts in the fourth quarter were from at least 15 feet, including eight 3-point attempts. Granger led the Pacers with 18 points, and Williams had 14 off the bench.
"It's frustrating because we hang in there and give ourselves a chance to win, but we can't pull it out," Mike Dunleavy said. ". . . We just got a little stagnant offensively."
The Pacers had four turnovers and scored three points in the final 3:08.
"I think a couple of things in the fourth quarter really hurt us," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "Some untimely turnovers. We didn't make the best decisions. We missed a couple of shots right at the basket that could have turned the tide. They found a way to win and we did not. You move on."
Celtics

Percentages: FG .422, FT .828. 3-Point Goals: 10-28, .357 (R.Allen 3-8, Pierce 2-5, Posey 2-8, Rondo 1-1, House 1-2, Scalabrine 1-2, T.Allen 0-2). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 10 (13 pts). Blocked Shots: 6 (Rondo 2, Scalabrine 2, R.Allen, Pierce). Turnovers: 8 (R.Allen 2, Powe 2, Rondo 2, Davis, Pierce). Steals: 10 (R.Allen 2, Posey 2, Powe 2, Rondo 2, T.Allen, House). Technical Foul: Defensive three second, 1:20 fourth.
Pacers

Percentages: FG .425, FT .762. 3-Point Goals: 7-24, .292 (Diener 2-4, Williams 2-5, Granger 1-2, Rush 1-5, Dunleavy 1-6, Daniels 0-1, Murphy 0-1). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 16 (20 pts). Blocked Shots: 11 (Granger 5, Williams 2, Daniels, Diener, Foster, Murphy). Turnovers: 16 (Daniels 3, Dunleavy 3, Foster 3, Diener 2, Granger 2, Rush 2, Harrison). Steals: 2 (Dunleavy 2). Technical Fouls: None.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2008/02/13/2008-02-13_quentin_richardson_says_knicks_still_not.html

Quentin Richardson says Knicks still not in awe of Celtics despite blowouts
BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, February 13th 2008, 4:00 AM

Schwalm/AP
Quentin Richardson (l.) and the Knicks hope to put a hurting on the Celtics.


Quentin Richardson could have taken the easy way out when he was asked Tuesday if he wanted to provide any more bulletin-board material for the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks' small forward could have said something along the lines of, "I guarantee we won't lose by 45 points."

Instead, Richardson wouldn't back down from his original statement about the Celtics, the same way he wouldn't back down from Paul Pierce last month. In November, Richardson's quote - "We're not in awe of them. They ain't won no championships" - made its way into the Celtics' locker room.

When reminded of that comment, Richardson said yesterday: "I don't think we still are (in awe of them). We played them here at Madison Square Garden and we weren't. They're still the same Boston Celtics team. They had the best record then."

The Knicks are 15-36 going into tonight's game in Boston and are hoping to gain some momentum heading into the All-Star break - or at the very least, not be humiliated again. The Celtics have taken great pleasure in embarrassing the Knicks in Boston this year. In a preseason game, the Celtics won by 40 and backed up that performance with a 104-59 victory on Nov.29, the Knicks' lone appearance on TNT this season.

"It's pretty tough to come up with a point that's lower than that, on national TV," Eddy Curry said. "That was a tough one right there."

When the deficit that night reached 50 on its way to 52, a Knicks fan threw his jersey on the court in disgust, while members of the television audience only had to change channels to distance themselves from Isiah Thomas' team.

"They hammered us pretty good up there," Thomas said following yesterday's practice. "That game is in the books. There is no way of erasing it."

Thomas always tries to accentuate the positive and in this case he has two reasons to be optimistic. For one, the scores from the previous two games in Boston (including the preseason loss) don't carry over. More importantly, Boston's best player, Kevin Garnett, is sidelined with abdominal strain.

The Knicks' top two big men, Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry, are both offensive-minded players who have not meshed as a unit this year. When the Knicks snapped their eight-game losing streak Saturday night in Milwaukee, neither Curry nor Randolph was on the floor in the fourth quarter.

Thomas tried for two years to acquire Garnett from the Timberwolves and was outraged when Minnesota GM Kevin McHale worked out a deal with his old Boston teammate, Danny Ainge. Thomas called it a "Celtics trade" and that is just some of the bad blood that has surfaced between the two teams this season.

In the preseason, Garnett and James Posey exchanged heated words with David Lee. When the Celtics beat the Knicks on Martin Luther King Day at the Garden, Richardson and Pierce forgot all about non-violent conflict resolution and were both ejected for taunting. Late in the game, reserve guard Eddie House sank a three-pointer that made it 107-87 and shouted, "We'll --- crush you." Thomas immediately called a timeout and was glaring at House, who later said of the Knicks coach: "He's always got something to say. Wasn't nothing in particular to them. I would say the same thing if I was playing somebody else. They shouldn't take it so personally."

Thomas says his players haven't forgotten about House's antics but that there isn't much they can do about it. Actually, a hard foul would send a message. Thomas knows his team needs to be physical, but in control. In 96 minutes of basketball against the Celtics, the Knicks have never had a lead.

Thomas hates losing to Boston more than any other team. When asked yesterday if this year's club measures up to the great Celtics teams he played against in the '80s, Thomas said: "They don't. ... They're not good enough."

He even admitted to liking many of the current players, but quickly added: "I just hate that they're wearing a Celtics jersey."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.berkshireeagle.com/sports/ci_8247040

Assessing this year's Celtics
Sports
Article Last Updated: 02/13/2008 03:27:32 AM EST


Wednesday, February 13
GREAT BARRINGTON
I'm starting to hear it. The Boston Celtics are nearing the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA by at least four games, and people are starting to compare them with, well, other successful Celtic fives.

Let's put that on hold a bit. The best record in the NBA means only one thing: Over the course of the season, your team has been consistent enough to be successful most of the time. That's it.

My assessment of this season's edition of The Green is a favorable one. An observer cannot help but be impressed with the teams' commitment to defense. I recall reading a few weeks ago that many head coaches in the NBA are impressed with the Celtic defensive mindset, but more impressed that Paul Pierce has bought into it.

I agree. Pierce has been, for much of his career, the main focus on offense. The question was never that he slacked off on the defensive end. The question was, if he were ever part of a contending team, did he understand that it was more important to dig in on the defensive end, block out on the boards and work at playing "D" than it was scoring big numbers.

Frankly, I had my doubts. I was wrong. Pierce has


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been in the forefront of Boston's defensive effort. And he certainly still puts up numbers when he needs to, as we saw recently in the win over San Antonio.
Now to Kevin Garnett. MVP. Who else has turned a team around in such dramatic fashion? I saw him twice a year when Boston played the Timberwolves, maybe a couple more times on TNT during the season. He seemed a solid performer, certainly an All-Star. Did I think he would be the linchpin of such an amazing (to this point) team metamorphosis? No way. Garnett not only plays hard, he gets his teammates to play hard, leading by example. You can ask for nothing more.

But can we compare this team to the 1986 squad? The 1974 champs? The 1969 winners? Ah, I don't know. As far as the 1986 team, I ask the same question I always ask: Who guards Kevin McHale? Larry Bird? Rajon Rondo vs. Dennis Johnson would be an interesting matchup. Anyway, pushing that aside, every time Garnett is introduced before the game, I stand and bow in obeisance that Celtic fans finally have a good team.

Final thoughts on the Patriots and the Super Bowl. (They lost, if you missed it.) Overall, we have a team with three World Championships, four AFC titles and five appearances in the AFC title game since 2001. I'll take it, and I suspect every other football fan would, too. And congratulations to the New York Giants. They had to make some amazing plays to win that game, and they made them. When you make the plays, you should win.

As for the Patriots, well, they have a few holes to fill. I love Junior Seau, but there are no 40-year-old linebackers in the NFL for good reason. He should retire, and I say that with great regret. And Tedy Bruschi also needs to think about his future.

Still, this is the team to beat, in my humble opinion. I would not be surprised to see Tom Brady and Co. in the Super Bowl again next year. I hope they can win it.

[FLCeltsFan]

weblogs.newsday.com/sports/basketball/nba/blog/2008/02/isiah_says_rondo_is_celtics_mv.html

Isiah says Rondo is Celtics' MVP
Greenburgh, N.Y. – One more item from Knicks practice today and then I’ll leave you alone.

Isiah Thomas was asked how the current Celtics team compares to the great Bird-McHale-Parish teams that he competed against.

“They don’t,” Thomas said. “They’re not good enough to compare to those teams. Those three or four teams they had during that era … those are maybe in the top seven or eight teams to ever play in the history of the game.”



Interestingly, Thomas said the one player the Celtics can’t do without isn’t Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce. It’s their point guard, Rajon Rondo, who was widely viewed as the weak link on an otherwise solid championship contender heading into the season.

“He’s gone from being a question mark to, I think, their most important player,” Thomas said. “I think he makes it all work. With Garnett, Pierce and Allen, I think he has the proper attitude, the proper game. … He’s not out trying to prove people wrong. He’s out just playing the game. You thought he would get sucked into ‘he’s a guy who can’t make the outside shot,’ so therefore he’d start trying to prove that he can make the outside shot. But he just said, ‘OK, I’ll just keep taking layups until you stop me from taking layups.’ I think he’s the one guy they can’t do without. I think they can get by without having Garnett for a while. I think they can lose Pierce or Allen for a while. But I think if they lost him for any extended period of time, I think they’d be in trouble.”

Does that answer the question of which position Thomas thinks the Knicks have to change if they're ever going to emerge from their current state of dysfunction?

[FLCeltsFan]

news.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1072865

We hear:
By Inside Track
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - Updated 1d 7h ago


E-mail Printable (0) Comments Text size Share (0) Rate
That the Boston Celtics [team stats] baby boom continues. Word is, star forward Kevin Garnett’s wife of four years, Brandi, is “noticeably pregnant” just like captain Paul Pierce [stats]’s fiancee Julie Landrum, who is due this spring. Other Green Teamers on new-daddy diaper duty: Kendrick Perkins [stats], Leon Powe, Rajon Rondo [stats] and Brian Scalabrine. But don’t expect Mr. and Mrs. KG to make a lot of public hoopla about the baby news. The couple is “pathologically private,” according to Someone Who Knows.

[FLCeltsFan]

enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2008/02/12/news/sports/sports02.txt

40 is magic number for C’s



By Jim Fenton, Enterprise staff writer

BOSTON— In 11 of the 15 seasons since the retirement of Larry Bird in 1992, the Boston Celtics have failed to win 40 games.

With one more victory this week, the Celtics will have reached that number before the arrival of the NBA All-Star break.

The Celtics (39-9) have two chances to win their 40th game against sub-.500 teams, then get a five-day vacation before a tough trip out West.

Boston will be in Indiana tonight to face the Pacers (7:05, TV: Comcast SportsNet; radio: WEEI-850 AM), then host the New York Knicks at the TD Banknorth Garden on Wednesday night.

The Celtics are again expected to be shorthanded up front with Kevin Garnett (strained abdominal muscle) missing his eighth game and Kendrick Perkins (strained left shoulder) sitting out a second straight game.

The only times in the post-Bird era when the Celtics have won more than 40 games were the 1992-93 season (48-34); 2001-02 (49-33); 2002-03 (44-38) and 2004-05 (45-37), which was Coach Doc Rivers’ first year on the bench.

The Celtics have closed within the 40-win range by bouncing back from back-to-back losses to the Washington Wizards in a 48-hour span in mid-January.

That represents the only losing streak the Celtics have suffered since the season began in early November, but they got right back on track.

Boston has won nine of 12 games since those setbacks to the Wizards with the losses by a combined six points to the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics have even kept winning despite being hit with injuries and illness to stay atop the overall standings.

“Guys are stepping up each and every night,” said Paul Pierce. “New guys (are), and it’s good for us that our young guys are more than willing to step up and having the chance to do it. It’s going to be really good for us in the long run.

“We played with a lot of intensity (in a win over San Antonio Sunday despite being shorthanded), and that’s what it’s going to take to beat these elite teams in the NBA. Regardless, we’ve got to make up for our lack of players with our hard work and our hustle.”

While the Celtics continue to roll along, tonight’s opponent, the Pacers, are 21-30, though they have two straight wins.

The team that is run by Bird and coached by Jim O’Brien, who had success on the Boston bench earlier this decade, has just 10 wins in 24 home games. They are led by Danny Granger (18.0) and Mike Dunleavy (17.5) with Jermaine O’Neal sidelined due to an injury.

As was the case in Boston, O’Brien has the Pacers firing up plenty of 3-pointers. Indiana averages 24.4 attempts per game and is making nearly nine of them.

While this is Boston’s second trip to the Hoosier State this season, the Pacers will not be at the Garden until April 2.

The Celtics are 17-5 on the road, and they are on target for the most wins away from home since going 27-14 in the 1985-86 championship season.

There are two challenging trips remaining, the first starting a week from tonight in Denver. The Celtics, 16-0 against the West, will also make stops at Golden State, Phoenix, Portland and Los Angeles to play the Clippers over a seven-night span.

Boston hopes to have Garnett and Perkins back for the road trip, which will be followed by another five-game excursion in March.

“We just want to continue to play well,” said Pierce. “We realize we have to go back out West in about a week or so, so we want to get through this part of the schedule where we can get some guys back off the injured list and go in the second half of the season.”