News 2/17

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1074073&format=text

C’s at Hub of national interest
Green’s renewal program has Boston back as final destination on NBA map

By Steve Bulpett | Sunday, February 17, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matt Stone (file)
NEW ORLEANS -- Asking Celtics [team stats] fans whether their team is a legitimate title threat is roughly akin to surveying Fortune 500 executives on the subject of tax cuts. The bias runneth over.

It is perhaps more instructive to know that the best players in the NBA agree with the good people of Southie and Scituate and Salisbury. They share the opinion that the Celts are legit.

Indeed, while the Celtics (41-9) have yet to travel to San Antonio or Dallas or Houston and haven’t played Phoenix or New Orleans anywhere, the elite performers are stamping their contender credentials as valid.

“Definitely,” said Allen Iverson [stats], whose Nuggets host the Celtics Tuesday. “Definitely. Definitely. Their record says a lot. They’re definitely a contender. You know, when you’ve got those three guys and then you’ve got the pieces that they added as far as role players, the sky’s the limit for them.”

But those here for the All-Star Game see the Celts as more than just Paul Pierce [stats], Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen -- though they are clearly the exalted core of the production.

Said reiging league MVP Dirk Nowitzki: “I think the main thing that’s great about them is they all put their egos aside and how they play well off each other and really share the ball. They’re fun to watch, and they beat us without KG, so they have a good supporting staff and they have some shooters.

“I think (Rajon Rondo [stats]) is a lot better than a lot of people think. I think they are definitely for real in the East -- probably them and Detroit are going to be the best teams over there.”

As for the fact the Celts have gotten their act together so quickly, Nowitzki added, “You knew it was going to work out just because KG is one of those players who loves to share the ball, who loves to play with people together. So you knew it was going to work out.”

Proving their depth

The Celtics cemented their support last Sunday when they took down the Spurs without Garnett or Kendrick Perkins [stats] in the lineup. The leader of that vanquished team came away more than impressed.

“Absolutely they’re a real contender,” said Tim Duncan. “They’ve played some very good basketball in the first half. They’ve dealt with some injuries and still played some good basketball in this first half.

“It’s been a bit surprising to see that they’ve made the transition so smoothly with the addition of all the guys, but they have done it and they’ve got the talent to do it, so they’re right where they want to be.”

The Celts have proven their might against Eastern preseason favorite Detroit, splitting the two meetings thus far, with each team having won on the other’s court. But even though there was some rancor in the matchups -- some of the Pistons thought the C’s were a bit too happy with their victory -- the Bostonians have earned admiration.

“Best team in the league right now,” said Pistons guard Chauncey Billups matter of factly. “Best team in the league.

“You look at what they’ve got and the complementary players that they have. They’ve got the best record, and that’s no easy feat. They’ve had some guys go down, they haven’t played together every single game and they’ve been able to maintain and still continue to get wins. You’ve got to respect that.”

Billups’ backcourt mate, Rip Hamilton, concurred.

“They’ve got the best record in the league,” he said. “Their record speaks for itself. They’ve got a lot of great players and a great coach in Doc (Rivers).

“I was never surprised with their success so early because when you’ve got a great player like Kevin Garnett and another great player in Ray Allen and then you’ve got a great player there in Paul Pierce, them guys have played in the league for a long time so they really know how to play the game. They know each other’s styles from playing against each other.”

The Celts and Pistons will meet one more time in the regular season (March 5 in Boston), and basketball people all over are working up an appetite for a Boston-Detroit showdown in the postseason.

Hamilton smiled.

“It’s going to be fun ... if we meet,” he said.

Beat LA, beat LA

Kobe Bryant would be the first to acknowledge it wasn’t much fun for the Lakers when the Celtics took them out by 13 points in Boston and 19 in LA.

“When we played them, they were playing so well -- defensively, offensive execution, unselfishness, the shooting,” said Bryant. “I mean, they were really clicking. They were by far the toughest team that we’ve faced.”

As noted earlier, the Suns haven’t faced the C’s yet -- an oversight that will be corrected Friday in Phoenix -- but Amare Stoudemire has been playing attention.

“Boston’s been playing well,” he said. “We haven’t got a chance to play against them yet to really measure up, but they’re playing great basketball. They’re shooting the ball well from the outside. They’re defending the ball well.

“(The Celtics’ start) didn’t surprise me at all. Being a teammate of Kevin here in All-Star weekends, he’s similar to Shaquille (O’Neal). He has a great personality. It’s easy to adapt to him.”

Denver had to adapt on the fly last season when it traded for Iverson in December, and, with Carmelo Anthony out on suspension at the time, it took the Nuggets awhile to get on track.

“Man, sometimes all it takes is change,” said Anthony, looking at the Celts. “That’s all it takes sometimes.

“Yeah, they’re real. I can tell you that. They’re real. They’re a tough team. They’ve got the best record in the NBA and two or three (future) Hall of Famers on their team, so you can’t ever doubt them and say that they’re not real. As of right now, they’re the best team in the NBA.”

That concept doesn’t roll around too well in the head of Western Conference All-Star coach Byron Scott. He’s happy for Rivers, but he still has issues with the Celtics from his Laker days.

“I’m always going to have mixed emotions probably as long as Doc is there,” Scott, the coach of New Orleans, said with a smile. “That purple and gold and green and white don’t go well together.

“But I’m not surprised at all that they’re doing this well. I thought last year Doc was being ridiculed with the record that they had, but he had Pierce hurt most of the season. He just didn’t have the players, and great players make great coaches. I always knew he could coach. Everybody knew that. So I’m not surprised at all that they’re playing this way.”

The most significant change in the Celtics is on the less glamorous end of the floor. They enter the break with the best defense in the league. So while their ability to get scoring from a number of sources most fills the highlight reels, those who have to deal with them focus elsewhere.

Said Miami’s Dwyane Wade: “I think the best thing about them is they’re a good defensive team. They play with a lot of passion, a lot of energy. If they keep it up for the whole year, it’s going to be tough to beat them. But the second half of the season’s a different year. They playoffs are another year. We’ll see.”

Washington has accounted for two of the Celts’ nine losses, but Antawn Jamison isn’t being lulled into any false sense of security.

“In my eyes, they’re definitely one of the best teams when they’re healthy,” he said. “They can do so much. They’ve got three guys offensively who can take over a game at any point. But defensively ... I think that’s been the best defensive team we have faced all year. I mean, I’ve got to worry about trying to get around KG, then you’ve got (Kenrdick) Perkins and guards trying to take the ball away from you. If you beat Paul (Pierce), you’ve got KG trying to send it the other way.

“People wondered whether they could adjust and come together offensively, but to see them come together the way they have defensively is really a testament to the coaching staff. This is pretty much one of the best teams I’ve seen defensively in a long time.”

As a result, the C’s are seeing their people come back out of hiding.

“It’s just amazing how many Celtics fans there are,” said Rivers. “I walk in the hotel and there’s 20 people that I’ve never seen in my life and they’re wearing Celtic jackets and shirts. You underestimate that every time you go on the road.”

Judging from the thoughts of the stars, the Celtics’ days of being underestimated are over.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1074104&format=text


Mile-high plan from Garnett

By Steve Bulpett | Sunday, February 17, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
NEW ORLEANS - Assuming a major private workout today goes well, Kevin Garnett could be back in the Celtics [team stats]’ lineup Tuesday night in Denver.

Speaking at an adidas event yesterday morning, Garnett laid out his plan to get back from the abdominal strain that has cost him the last nine games.

“My fondest hope,” he said, “is to go through my couple of workouts that I have here, obviously enjoy New Orleans and enjoy the game, and then practice (tomorrow) and be ready for Tuesday.”

While this itinerary appears to be realistic, Garnett added, “I just said that’s what I want. You talk to Doc (Rivers), you talk to Eddie Lacerte and they might tell you something different. But I am getting better and I’m getting better fast.”

While Antawn Jamison, Chauncey Billups, Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan took to the floor with a local group of kids at the sneaker company event, Garnett confined his work to words of encouragement.

But even though he was replaced on the Eastern Conference All-Stars because of his injury, a short while later Garnett took to the practice court with the team and participated in layup lines. He moved to the side when the club began going over a few plays, but he came back at the end when the group was tossing up halfcourt shots.

“No, I wasn’t concerned, because he was already out there shooting,” East (and Celtics) coach Rivers said. “(Today) we’ll go full speed with him and see where he is.”

It was clear Garnett was wishing he was more a part of the All-Star team - a feeling obviously shared by the fans who selected him as an East starter in the process of making him the overall leader in votes.

“Every night that I haven’t been suiting up hurts, to be honest with you,” he said. “But I’m really at a good place in my mind. Mentally I’m in a good place. You know, my injury is what it is. It’s not like I can manipulate it or get it to do something else.

“But I’m here. My presence is here. I’m going to enjoy not only the guys but the festivities and the experience like I always do. But it is tough. I’m going to be one of the biggest cheerleaders out there and root on the East and enjoy it.”

Though he hadn’t been on the bench for the games, Garnett has been rooting on the Celtics and noting how well people have stepped up in his absence (the team won seven of the nine games he’s missed).

“Depth is important,” KG said. “Obviously people are going to make assumptions to what they want to say about this team, but our team is very deep. You know, James Posey, Eddie House and some of our young guys have been playing very well for us as of late. I think that’s proving that we are a deep team. It’s good that the young guys are getting the experience while I’m out. That’s something you can’t mimic in practice, so it’s a good thing.”

Garnett also believes it’s a good thing that Rivers is his coach.

“Great job,” he said. “Great job, man. Obviously, I’ve had numerous coaches in my years, and he is the best at motivating players, being very straightforward and the same time being soothing and understanding. It’s a rare mix.”

As for the change in venue to the Celtics, Garnett told reporters, “This is obviously a different chapter in my life. Minnesota was Minnesota. This is Boston - new team, new organization, new experiences in life. It’s been great so far.

“The prestige of this organization is uncanny. The history is what it is. To be a part of that is special. I’ve just been enjoying the ride. Obviously, we’re trying to establish ourselves and be something in this league, but it’s just good to be part of something with culture that has so many historical events. It’s definitely something special.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1074114&format=text

Howard ends Green’s reign
Magic center dunk king

By Mark Murphy | Sunday, February 17, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
NEW ORLEANS - Even Gerald Green had to admit that Dwight Howard advanced the art of dunking last night.

The former Celtic, in losing to Howard in the finals of last night’s NBA slam dunk contest, saw the Orlando center throw one dunk down after first catching the ball off the back of the backboard and reaching over to the other side, then come back with another slam wearing a Superman costume.

“Dwight, man, he did stuff I never saw before,” said the Timberwolves guard. “I was impressed.”

That’s saying something, coming from a player who opened with a creation he called “The Birthday Cake” - in which he took a bounce pass from Minnesota teammate Rashad McCants and dunked while blowing out the candle on a cupcake sitting on the back of the rim.

cw-2Had Green closed with that dunk instead of opening with it, perhaps the international audience (which for the first time voted for the winner via text messaging) might have gone the other way.

“No, I wanted to do it first and get it over with,” said Green, whose inventiveness in winning last year’s dunk title appears to have sparked a whole new wave of creativity in what some consider to be an aging event.

Howard, who failed to make it out of the preliminaries last year despite slapping a sticker on the backboard during one of his dunks, certainly pushed the envelope last night. He closed by grabbing the ball off a Nerf basket attached to the backboard before throwing it down.

“This was really for the big men,” said Howard. “Everyone says big men can’t dunk. But as everyone knows, I love dunking. Ninety percent of my shots are dunks.”

But even Howard will go only so far. After watching Green dunk in his socks with his third attempt, Howard shook his head.

“I wouldn’t try to dunk in my socks,” said Howard. “My feet are too valuable.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1074115&format=text

Big Easy’s back
All-Star Game helps revitalize New Orleans

By Associated Press | Sunday, February 17, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
.

NEW ORLEANS - Kobe Bryant starred in the first professional sporting event here after Hurricane Katrina. Now he’s back in the Bayou with the rest of the NBA’s best for a much bigger game.

All-Star weekend is the league’s grandest step yet in its efforts to aid New Orleans in its recovery from the August 2005 disaster, a chance to help people still in need - and ideally even turn some of them into basketball fans.

“I think it’s great for the city,” said Bryant, a 10-time All-Star. “They’ve obviously been through a hell of a lot and still going through it, and I think it says a lot to have the All-Star Game there.”

Bryant scored 40 points in the Lakers’ 113-107 victory over the Hornets on March 8, 2006. Two months after that, commissioner David Stern announced New Orleans would stage the league’s midseason showcase, even though it was far from a guarantee the city would be ready for it.

“This is not, despite the fact people want to say we took a chance, or we led with our heart, whatever, we thought it was the right thing to do but we didn’t think it was foolhardy,” Stern said. “We thought it was the right thing to do.”

Stern’s announcement came just nine months after Katrina had devastated the region, when just as many people were talking about leaving New Orleans as committing to go back. Besides the estimated $90 million the weekend will bring to the city, it’s a chance for New Orleans to show how far it has come since the hurricane.

“I think that’s part of the vision that David had, because right away he said we’re going to have the All-Star Game in a couple of years,” said Hall of Famer Willis Reed, a Louisiana native. “And I think that was great for him because he realized that this was going to be a great addition, it would be significant, it would give a good shot in the arm for everybody.”

Three days jam-packed with basketball, from Friday’s rookie challenge to yesterday’s skills challenges to tonight’s game should help do just that. And the biggest event of the weekend, Friday’s “All-Star Day of Service,” which included 2,500 people and all the players, worked to revitalize 10 sites throughout the city.

“I’m glad we’re going to New Orleans for that reason,” said Celtics [team stats] coach Doc Rivers, who will coach the Eastern Conference. “They need it. If you look at all the cities in America that need an All-Star Game, New Orleans needs it.”

The hometown Hornets will have a large presence, with Chris Paul and teammate David West on the Western Conference roster, which will be coached by New Orleans’ Byron Scott. Another Hornet, Peja Stojakovic, took part in last night’s 3-point contest.

It’s a rare chance for the Hornets players to perform before a packed house. Despite being at or near the top of the West standings all season, they rank 29th in the 30-team league with an average attendance of 12,645.

“Hopefully after the All-Star break, people will realize that we are back in New Orleans and we start getting the type of attention from our own fans that will help us as a franchise,” Scott said. One concern with bringing the All-Star Game to New Orleans was crime, which was an issue during last year’s All-Star weekend in Las Vegas. Union director Billy Hunter was among the people who expressed concern about New Orleans’ ability to deal with the swarm of people that All-Star weekend attracts.

But Stern remains confident everything will go smoothly.

“Is there always some crime? Sure,” Stern said. “But the rebuilding continues in a positive way and we think we have a contribution to make by calling attention to the opportunities that people have to pitch in, to make this into an American success story, rather than an American failure.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1074107&format=text

Rivers tosses defense out of plans

By Mark Murphy | Sunday, February 17, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
NEW ORLEANS - If there was any remaining doubt that Doc Rivers is the most microphone-friendly coach in the NBA, the notion was wiped off the board yesterday.

The Celtics [team stats] coach ran the Eastern Conference All-Stars through their only practice, such as it was. The 45-minute session, which was heavy on shooting contests and light on logistics, was conducted in front of a crowd at the New Orleans Convention Center, with Rivers wired for sound.

“Hey, he’s used to working in front of a mic,” Paul Pierce [stats] said with a laugh. “He’s been a broadcaster. He’s a natural.”

Sounding more like a game-show host than a drill instructor, Rivers didn’t disappoint.

The crowd found out about his strategy the same time as his players.

“The only two (plays) I want to run are on the break,” Rivers said, his voice booming over the sound system. “I’m not going to allow Tom Thibodeau to put in any defensive stuff, but he’ll be screaming at you to get back (on defense).”

As the two Celtics in tonight’s game know, Rivers has a great sense for when to throw away the clipboard.

“He understands what the All-Star Game is all about,” Pierce said. “He understands the players, because he used to be one.”

That’s why shooting contests, capped by a halfcourt shooting tournament with a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records on hand to put a new entry on the books, dominated the afternoon event before the Western Conference stars took the floor.

“He’s been here - he’s been on the players’ side,” Ray Allen said. “He understands what is going to be important to the game and what is going to be important to the fans. He enjoys what he’s doing, and that makes a big difference.

“His background makes it easy for him to put himself into our shoes. He makes sure that he makes a team decision when something has to happen.”

It’s not a surprise that Rivers, a transition-oriented coach, wants to run tonight against the heavily favored Western Conference stars.

Rivers gets to start Jason Kidd, who is still the most exciting transition point guard in the game. He also doesn’t want any part of a halfcourt slugfest with a Western Conference squad that includes power players Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer.

It would make a difference if Kevin Garnett was healthy, but beyond shooting during yesterday’s practice and even attempting a halfcourt shot, the Celtics forward will next log official minutes Tuesday night in Denver - provided he works out to Rivers’ satisfaction today.

“If we play halfcourt with that team from the West, we’ll get destroyed,” Rivers said. “You have Jason Kidd, what else would you want to do?”

Even the Nets’ point guard has been able to draw some relief from his All-Star role, with a pending trade from New Jersey to Dallas hanging in the balance because one of the principals - Mavs guard/forward Devean George - is blocking the trade.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the All-Star festivities,” he said. “I’m a Net until I’m told otherwise.”

In the meantime, it helps to have a former player running the show.

“I had no chance,” Rivers said of wearing the wire yesterday. “They told me to wear this and entertain the crowd. You’ve gotta let them have fun, and when it’s time for the game, stay out of their way.”

That was even true yesterday. When the practice ended, Rivers was able to check his BlackBerry immediately for a texted update on the game between Syracuse and Georgetown, where his son, Jeremiah, is a sophomore point guard.

“They’re losing by 12,” Rivers lamented.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/02/17/allen_town?mode=PF

Allen Town
Because wins are all that matter here, Boston is exactly where he wants to be
By Peter May, Globe Staff | February 17, 2008

NEW ORLEANS - Ray Allen thought he had a pretty good read on the Celtics' hold on New England sports fans, but he got a reminder last year when he was house hunting west of Boston. As he was being shown a property, the realtor stopped, pointed to a nearby pond, and said, "Do you know that's where Dominique Wilkins fell in while he was chasing his dog?"

Allen smiled as he told the story Friday. "So many legends," he said, "played in that uniform."

Wilkins was a Celtic for only one year (or one year fewer than Celtic-for-life Bill Walton) and his one season in Boston was not the stuff of which legends are made. Allen was already near (some might say "at") legendary status when the Celtics acquired him in a draft night deal with Seattle. He was a seven-time All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist, one of the league's most prolific scorers, one of its sweetest shooters, and one of its classier players.

All of the individual accolades, however, meant nothing to Allen as he began his third professional incarnation. He joined fellow frustrated stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce who, like him, had usually been the best player on a bad to mediocre team. All three were on non-playoff teams last season but two of them, Allen and Garnett, were at the All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

The confluence of talent and the sub jugation of egos and agendas have produced a remarkable first 50 games for the Celtics. Allen, Garnett, and Pierce are all here this weekend, along with their coach, Doc Rivers. And while Allen considers it an honor to be back, he is much happier at what is going on in Boston. He's winning.

"The All-Star Game is great," Allen said. "But I wasn't in any way, shape, or form worried about whether I was going to make it this time because it didn't matter to me. What matters is being a part of this situation, where I can play and win and be part of a group of guys who know what they're doing and have that cockiness and arrogance to win. That was what was most important."

To make it all happen required sacrifices, and no one has made more of those on the floor than Allen. He basically has had to learn a new way to play basketball. Whereas in Seattle he had the green light to pretty much do what he wanted, and with no threatening center or big man to play with, he usually fired away.

Now, he has Garnett. Now he has to look for Garnett every time he comes up the floor. "Sometimes, I feel like a rookie out there," he said. He plays an offense that thrives on inside-out passes and dribble-drive penetrations and kick-outs. And now he's on a team anchored by Garnett - one that is actually playing defense. Garnett sees to that.

That is why no one was happier for Allen than his coach when the word came from the NBA that Allen was being selected as a replacement for injured Wizards forward Caron Butler. Unless it was fellow University of Connecticut alumnus Butler, who was elated that he was being replaced by his mentor.

"He's always in my ear," Butler said. "Every summer. How to conduct myself. What to work on. What to get better at. I listen to him. He's one of the best. He's a perennial All-Star and that's where I want to be."

Rivers has seen what Allen has done this season; heck, it was Rivers who demanded the things Allen has done. And, the coach noted, sometimes those things go unnoticed by the stat-hungry people.

"I was very happy for him, and the reason I was happy is because his numbers have suffered because he sacrificed," Rivers said. "And when you sacrifice on a winning basketball team, you should be rewarded for that and not punished for it.

"Clearly, if Ray was on another team, he could throw up numbers that would look All-Star worthy and not have wins. But he would rather have the wins. And I'm glad that the league recognized that."

In five seasons in Seattle, Allen averaged 24.5 points per game. This year with the Celtics, he's at 18.5.

To say that Allen is enjoying things this season would be to dramatically understate his feelings.

"I feel like I've only played 10 games," he said. "That's just how fast it's gone because we've won in such a great fashion and we've had a good time doing it. Yes, it's hard work and we've all been doing it, but it doesn't seem like four months has passed by. It just seems like we just got together."

Like Pierce and Garnett, he has been on a team that made it to the conference finals. That team, the 2001 Bucks, came the closest to making it to the Finals, losing in seven games to the 76ers and Allen Iverson. Both Pierce (Celtics, 2002) and Garnett (Timberwolves, 2004) lost in six games in their only conference finals appearances.

Allen was on All-Star teams with Garnett when both played in the Western Conference. He was on an All-Star team with Pierce in the Eastern Conference, playing for the Bucks. Now, he's with them both - in an All-Star Game, and as the three men who drive the bus for the winningest team in the NBA.

"My mantra was always to put the work in and do the things necessary to put yourself in a great position [so that] later on in life, these are those moments that I'll be glad I took full advantage of," he said. "I've enjoyed myself and I've had the chance to do some things I never thought I would be able to do in my life."

Another Celtics legend-in-waiting? Only time - and success - will tell.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/02/17/after_sitting_out_9_games_garnett_is_hopeful_he_can_return_tuesday?mode=PF

After sitting out 9 games, Garnett is hopeful he can return Tuesday
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | February 17, 2008

NEW ORLEANS - Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has penciled in Tuesday's road game against the Nuggets as the potential date for his long-awaited return.

Garnett has missed the last nine games after suffering an abdominal strain against Minnesota Jan. 25. The 11-time All-Star will miss today's All-Star Game because of the injury.

Garnett, however, told the Globe that he hopes to play Tuesday at Denver and feels comfortable saying that because of how well his workouts have gone. He added that he will know more after tomorrow's practice in Denver as to whether his return will begin with limited playing time.

"I'm trying to play Tuesday," Garnett said during the Adidas "Basketball is a Brotherhood" event yesterday morning at the Morial Convention Center. "It's been miserable. To be honest, miserable. But I'm in a good place mentally. I'm dealing with it."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who is coaching the Eastern Conference All-Stars tonight, has said that Garnett won't return until he is 100 percent. If Garnett has a solid individual workout here today, a solid team practice tomorrow, and gets an OK from trainer Ed Lacerte, Rivers said he would feel comfortable allowing Garnett to return Tuesday.

Garnett worked out here yesterday and Rivers plans on attending his workout today, which the coach said will consist of "regular movement where he is not going to hold back." But if there are setbacks, the Tuesday timetable could be ruined. This will be the first time Garnett will take part in a full workout since the injury.

"[Today] is key. If he can't get through [today], then he can't practice on Monday," Rivers said.

On his All-Star Weekend, Garnett said: "My weekend isn't really consisting of a lot. I got a couple workouts with some of the guys from the Celtics. Other than that, it's simple."

Prior to this season, Garnett had never missed more than six games in any of his 12 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Celtics (41-9) are a surprising 7-2 in his absence.

Garnett has said he would not sit on the bench while injured because the urge to get in the game would be too strong. The fact that the team is winning has helped the 2004 MVP keep from getting down.

"We're still fundamentally sound. Guys are stepping up. Guys have been playing really well," Garnett said.

"I just want us to continue to be who we are, come with the passion every night, and play hard."

Garnett, who is averaging 19.2 points, a team-high 9.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, has been viewed as an MVP candidate.

If Garnett plays Tuesday, he will have had 24 days off.

When asked if the lengthy rest would aid him in the long run, Garnett said: "I'm sure you can look at it like that. Doc's trying to get me to look at it like that. But I only see the present and the present is what it is. It's me wanting to help my team.

"Looking down the road? I don't look that far. I try to keep [the focus] right here. That's what I'm trying to do. I'm sure later on it could come into play. Right now it's hard to go from playing to not playing."

Was there any way he could have returned earlier from the injury? "This is the type of injury where I couldn't," Garnett said. "I don't think I could've come back. These days that I've had [off] haven't been a thing to where you have a gauge. This is every two days you feel different, every two days you can be able to do this."

During the "Basketball is a Brotherhood" event, Garnett joined fellow Adidas endorsers and All-Stars Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, and Dwight Howard as they played with, coached, and gave words of wisdom to two dozen kids from the Adidas/PeacePlayers New Orleans Life-skills/Athletic Program.

"This is a new world for him, being injured," said Billups, a close friend of Garnett's. "When I first saw that he was out and he missed that first game, I said, 'He really has to be hurting, man, because he won't sit down.' He just won't sit out. I think he's learning that now being on a great team it's more important later. You want to be healthy.

"In Minnesota, he played through all that the best he could and gave what he had. It's not as important anymore when you're on a great team."

Following the event, Garnett didn't do anything strenuous; he shot jumpers and half-court shots without a hitch at the East's low-key practice. His fellow Celtics All-Star teammates, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, are cautiously optimistic that Garnett will be back Tuesday.

"We just want him to take his time and get healthy," Pierce said. "It would be great to get him back. We'll probably get him some time during this Western Conference trip. It's good to see him getting better. He was in good spirits. He was moving a little better. He was taking some shots and that's good."

Said Allen: "I want him back on the floor when he's 100 percent healthy. That's important. A couple of weeks ago, he was talking about, 'Yeah, I'll be back on the floor against Indiana. Yeah, I'll be back on the floor against New York.' I said, 'Take your time, take your time.' "

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2008/02/17/stern_reveals_sonics_preparing_to_bolt_seattle?mode=PF

Stern reveals Sonics preparing to bolt Seattle
By Peter May, Globe Staff | February 17, 2008

NEW ORLEANS - NBA commissioner David Stern revealed last night that the SuperSonics have offered to pay off the remaining two years of their lease at Key Arena, as well as the remaining indebtedness from the bond on the building, to facilitate their departure from Seattle.

According to Stern, the city rejected the Sonics' offer, which Stern said was nearly $30 million. "It's bad public policy," said Stern, who has been critical of Seattle's handling of the situation. He said the Sonics will either leave the city at the end of this season, presumably to move to Oklahoma City, or at the end of the 2009-10 season, when the lease expires.

"It's apparent to all who are watching that the Sonics are getting out of Seattle," Stern said in his annual All-Star Game meeting with reporters. "There's not going to be a new arena. There's not going to be a public contribution. I accept the inevitability at this point. There is no miracle here."

Stern also touched on a number of other points, among them:

There is no evidence to support that disgraced and terminated referee Tim Donaghy affected the outcome of any NBA games. Stern had said he wanted to meet with Donaghy at some point, but that has not occurred. "We were told it was inappropriate to meet prior to his sentencing," Stern said.

Everything is moving swiftly in the reinstatement process of Chris Andersen, who was kicked out of the league for two years for drug use. "The background checks are in full swing," Stern said. "We are working as fast as we can to conduct the speediest investigation we can." Both the NBA and the Players Association have to sign off on Andersen's reinstatement. If they do, the New Orleans Hornets will have 30 days to sign or release him.

The league has not spoken to the Mavericks regarding the statement of Jerry Stackhouse, who appeared to hint that there was a deal in which he would be traded to New Jersey in the Jason Kidd deal, released, and then return to the Mavericks. Nets boss Rod Thorn said no such deal was in place. "There can't be a deal in advance," Stern said. "He is allowed to go back if he waits 30 days. [Stackhouse] speculating on it doesn't make it an agreement."

That there is nothing new to report on possible expansion to Europe, despite a recent report that seemed to indicate something was close. Stern repeated what he has said all along - that any expansion to Europe is years away, will involve several teams, and can only happen when the cities have NBA-ready arenas. Right now, only London has an NBA-ready building, although one is soon to open in Berlin.

Howard duke of dunk

Magic center Dwight Howard scored a landslide victory in the Slam Dunk contest, crushing ex-Celtic Gerald Green in the finals by winning 78 percent of the fan vote. The winner was decided by text message and Internet voting. Howard had a series of creative dunks, including one from behind the basket, one where he took the ball off a mini basket stuck to the backboard, and another while wearing a Superman jersey and cape, although it looked as though it didn't quite qualify as a dunk. (Maybe that's why Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was questioning Howard's focus of late. He clearly spent a lot of time preparing for the contest.)

"I really wanted to win it for all the big men," said Howard. "Everyone said big men don't look good dunking. Everyone said I couldn't do it. I believe in myself. I believed I could do it."

Green, the defending champion, dunked once in his (green) socks and another time by blowing out a candle on a cupcake sitting on the flat part of the rim. Jamario Moon of the Raptors and Rudy Gay of the Grizzlies were the other participants.

Kapono king of arc

Jason Kapono of the Raptors blew away the two other finalists with a record-tying performance and repeated as the champion of the Three-Point Shootout. Kapono recorded 25 points in the final round, tying the record set in 1986 by three-time champion Craig Hodges.

"I felt pretty good out there," understated Kapono, who only missed five of 25 shots in the final round, where he easily beat Cleveland's Daniel Gibson (17) and Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki (14), the 2006 champion, a late replacement for the injured Kobe Bryant. Kapono, who won last year as a member of the Heat, is the sixth player in the history of the competition to win the title more than once. Two-time champion Peja Stojakovic (2002, 2003) was eliminated in the first round along with Steve Nash and Detroit's Richard Hamilton.

Injury report

Doc Rivers gave an update on the latest of the injured Celtics and it's a good news/bad news thing. Brian Scalabrine, who strained his right groin against the Knicks Wednesday, is the bad news part. "I think Scal is going to be out for a while," Rivers said. "We don't know how long. Groin pulls are tough." The good news was for Glen Davis, who strained his left quad in the same game and also has a knee bruise. "Baby's fine," Rivers said of Davis. "He should be back at practice [tomorrow] and playing Tuesday." . . . Three of Rivers's four children are with him this weekend and all were on the court for the morning "practice" of the Eastern Conference squad. The only one missing was Jeremiah, who plays for Georgetown. The Hoyas lost at Syracuse yesterday. "To me, over everything, that's the best part of this weekend, having the family here," Rivers said. "They get to meet guys. Just because I'm in the league, they don't know the players. [On Friday], Kobe Bryant sat next to [son] Spencer the entire bus ride. We had to go out in the rain and Kobe gave him his coat to wear and Spencer was on Cloud Nine. He has stories for a lifetime now."

Rookie advice

While the Kidd-to-Dallas trade remained unresolved, there is one person who hopes it stays that way - Nets rookie center and ex-Boston College Eagle Sean Williams. "Devean George, stick to your guns," Williams said. George, who has exercised a no-trade clause in his contract, has prevented the Nets and Mavericks from consummating the deal . . . Remember when Paul Pierce expressed amazement that Atlanta's Joe Johnson was selected by the coaches over Ray Allen? Well, Johnson heard about it - and dismissed it forthwith. "It doesn't bother me," he said. "It goes in one ear and goes right out the other. I don't let that worry me." . . . A representative from the Guinness World Records Book was at the Eastern Conference practice. Why? Because six players each had 60 seconds to see how many shots they could make from halfcourt. LeBron James and Kidd each made three, but two of Kidd's were underhanded. So the man from Guinness determined that both players set world records, one for underhand shots and one for overhand shots . . . Rivers said he hopes his team runs. "If we get caught up in a halfcourt game with [the West], we'll get killed," he said. The East is sorely lacking in big men.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x633174765

Courtside View: Posey a major presence for C's

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Scott Souza/Daily News staff
GHS
Sat Feb 16, 2008, 11:45 PM EST

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story Tools: Email This | Print This
When the Celtics put James Posey's name on a contract this August, they did it for three reasons - his defense, his experience and that ring. The dead-eye shooter's touch is proving to be a bonus.

Most of all, they did it because Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge knew that if his team was to embark on a deep playoff push this season it would be involved with tense fourth quarters on a national stage like the ones against the Mavericks and Spurs over the past three weeks. Those are the occasions when very good teams need guys like Posey - guys who have been there and guys who show their teammates who haven't what it takes to get the job done.

"Every quarter is important," Posey reasoned after last Sunday's 98-90 victory over the defending NBA champion Spurs. "But in the fourth, there is no 'Wait until the next quarter' or anything like that. It's just that you go out and try to get rebounds, or get a stop, anyway you can."

Posey will be the first to agree with coaches and teammates that being 41-9 at the All-Star break is only meaningful in the sense that it sets the team up for the final 32 regular season games and the playoffs. But with 31 games of playoff experience over the previous three seasons - second on the team only to Eddie House's 37 (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have a combined 18 playoff games over that span) - Posey knows how to win in the postseason. He has seen recently in weeks that this team may have the qualities that will allow it to do so.

He certainly saw it in the fourth quarters against Dallas and San Antonio when, despite playing without Garnett against the Mavericks and both Garnett and Kendrick Perkins against the Spurs, the Celtics maintained composure and prevailed.

"They made runs and we stuck together for the most part," Posey said of the efforts. "Once they made a shot, we came back and we either matched it or doubled it. We'd get two stops, or two scores, to their one.

"It was just getting a big stop, rebound - we made plays when we needed to. It was a little sign of mental toughness as well. Not complaining, just going out there and - if we messed up once - just sucking it up and being determined to do better the next play out."

They refused to get caught up in the antics of the opposition as well. Celtics coach Doc Rivers has said that doing so cost his team the playoff series against the Pacers in 2005, yet when San Antonio's Manu Ginobili tried flopping and flailing his way to a series of three-shot fouls in the closing minutes at the Garden last Sunday, the Celtics refused to bite.

"It's frustrating," Posey said of the veteran ploys. "Nowadays the game has changed so much. You have to adjust to it. We did a great job playing through those situations. If we continue to do that, there is nothing that should be able to bother us."

Posey agreed that there was value to seeing how the team responded to adversity against Western Conference powers.

"It's dealing with injuries, guys coming in and stepping up and providing that spark," said Posey, whose team is 7-2 in nine games without Garnett (strained abdominal muscle). "We have confidence in everybody in this locker room that they can come in and help us win. It just takes an opportunity (for them to show it). That's what you see happening right now."

With both the Spurs and Mavericks games on national television, a lot of people across the country got to see it happen.

"You have that little extra energy going up against a team that has been there," said Posey, who saw that from both sides after he won an NBA title with the Heat in 2006. "If we had that every night then we would be that great team. We still have a lot of work to do to get to that point. That's what we have to do - not get bored with the process - and keep working hard."

Posey has seen enough in this league that he is not about to be making any predictions based on the first 50 games, but because he has seen so much second-season basketball in recent years he can tell that this squad has makings of one that can stick around for a while through May and June.

"The coaches do a great job preparing us," he said. "Once we got out there and do what they ask us to do, we win. When we go out there and make things up ourselves, then we lose. It's crazy, but that's just how it is."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/278262.html

IT’S EASY BEING GREEN
Star- fortified Celticsare as good as advertisedin league’s first half
NBA MIDSEASON REPORT: By Rodney McKissic N E W S S P O R T S R E P O R T E R
Updated: 02/17/08 6:51 AM


The Boston Celtics walk with an unruffled confidence again.

It’s been a march from pedestrian to brilliance for the NBA’s best, executed by a proud franchise that could end with its first championship in 22 years.

A group of youngsters and role players that was only 24-58 last season, the Celtics have transformed into a bold (41-9) unit and have the best record in the league at the All-Star break.

They are 27 games ahead of their pace of a year ago, and while the first half of the season has been cruel to some Eastern Conference teams with high expectations, such as the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets, the Celtics are on pace to finish 66-16.

They have seen just two Atlantic Division crowns in 16 years and haven’t made a Finals trip in 21 years, but now face a more momentous spring and summer. Rather than gamely smiling through another trip to the NBA draft lottery, the Celtics have a team with veteran, playoff-ready athletes, shooters and arguably the game’s best all-around player.

After a busy offseason in which the Celtics anted up eight players and two first-round draft picks to add Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to a team that already included Paul Pierce, immediate dividends were expected.

“This type of pressure is great,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “Every coach wants this pressure. There are a lot of great coaches in our league who have never had the opportunity to coach players like this and their record doesn’t necessarily show the type of coaches they are.”

But the Celtics’ approach to this season is that of an underdog. In their mind, the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers remain the favorites in the East. “As far as I’m concerned Cleveland and Detroit are the teams we’re trying to catch,” Rivers said. “They are not trying to catch us.”

From the Celtics’ view, they haven’t accomplished much. Yet. Pierce, who was drafted by the Celtics in 1998 and has played on just three teams with winning records, has won only three playoff series in his nine seasons in Boston. Garnett and Allen have played in only one conference finals. The only player walking around with a championship ring is reserve swingman James Posey from his time in Miami.

“By the time ‘down the road’ comes, we will be battle tested,” Allen said. “Right now, we’re still a team that’s learning about ourselves. We’re young, and still have a lot of things we need to learn before we get to the point where we’re really grooving.”

The Celtics improved largely because of offseason moves made by Danny Ainge, the team’s general manager. In hindsight, they have to be the only team in NBA history lucky enough not to win the draft lottery.

The Celtics had the second-worst record in the league last season and were locked on drafting either Buffalo native Greg Oden or Texas freshman Kevin Durant. Instead, they landed the No. 5 pick and drafted Georgetown’s Jeff Green, whom Ainge quickly peddled to Seattle for Allen. A month later, Ainge traded five players and two first-round draft picks to Minnesota for Garnett. It is rare that a team can land two superstars the caliber of Garnett and Allen to play with a third star such as Pierce.

Ainge then added complementary players such as Posey and veteran guard Eddie House, and draft picks like Glen Davis to fill out the roster.

“Danny Ainge went out and spent the money,” Rivers said. “He did a great job and it was clear that the ownership was investing to win and it gives me a great opportunity to bring a group of guys together who have had a lot of individual success but no team success. It gives me a chance to get those guys together and get team success.”

The scary part is the Celtics are still playing well despite the fact they aren’t at full strength. Garnett has missed the last seven games with an abdominal strain. During a Feb. 5 game against the Cavs, Garnett sat out and Pierce was limited with the flu, yet the Celtics lost by only one point and complained about their transition defense.

“That ain’t Celtics basketball,” said center Kendrick Perkins. “That ain’t what we do.”

Then last Sunday, without Garnett and Perkins, who missed the game with a strained left shoulder, the Celtics defeated the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, 98-90, to push their record to a surprising 16-0 against Western Conference foes. Boston is 7-2 without Garnett.

“They’re the best team in the league,” said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, “so it’s not shocking that they beat us.”

But nothing is certain in the NBA these days. Has the balance of power shifted to Phoenix now that Shaquille O’Neal resides in the Valley or to L.A. now that it has Pau Gasol? What will happen if Dallas pulls the trigger on a deal for New Jersey’s Jason Kidd or if San Antonio becomes healthy again?

As for now, all eyes are on Boston. Once again.

Some midseason awards:

• MVP: LeBron James, Cleveland. Comment: Quick, name one other All-Star who plays with James? Give up? The answer is none. James isn’t quite a one-man band, but no other superstar in the league does more with less than James, whose numbers are through the roof (30.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg., 7.2 apg.) and are career highs.

Honorable mention: Kobe Bryant, Lakers; Tim Duncan, San Antonio; Kevin Garnett, Boston; Chris Paul, Hornets.

• Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant, Seattle.

Comment: Durant isn’t shooting at a high percentage and his rebounding numbers are a bit disappointing but no other rookie is being asked to carry a franchise. Durant could be one of the top 10 players in the league within two seasons.

Honorable mention: Al Horford, Atlanta; Jamario Moon, Toronto; Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee.

• Coach of the Year: Nate Mc- Millan, Portland.

Comment: Most people figured with Oden lost before the season even began that the Blazers would be headed back to the lottery, but Mc- Millan has this young team on the verge of the playoffs.

Honorable mention: Doc Rivers, Boston; Byron Scott, New Orleans; Phil Jackson, Lakers.

• Most improved: Chris Kaman, Clippers.

Comment: Nothing has gone right for the Paper Clips lately, except for Kaman’s production. His scoring has increased from 10.1 points to 16.5, and his rebounding average from 7.8 to 13.6.

Honorable mention: Jose Calderon, Toronto; Andrew Bynum, Lakers; Rajon Rondo, Boston; Beno Udrih, Sacramento.

• Most disappointing team: Chicago Bulls.

Comment: By now, the Bulls were supposed to be among the Eastern Conference’s elite, but instead the franchise is at a crossroads. Management can either break up the team or find a respected coach who can steer it in the right direction. The answer could be Larry Brown.

Dishonorable mention: Miami Heat and New Jersey Nets.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.telegram.com/article/20080217/NEWS/802170716/1009/SPORTS

Celts well represented in All-Star Game

Rondo finding good company ...Long, slow return from knee injury for Allen ...

BILL DOYLE’S NBA NOTES




From left, even with an injury to Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are still well-represented at the All-Star Game with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers all participating. (ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS)
Enlarge photo


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




From left, even with an injury to Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are still well-represented at the All-Star Game with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers all participating.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS)
Enlarge photo


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




From left, even with an injury to Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are still well-represented at the All-Star Game with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers all participating.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS)
Enlarge photo


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




From left, even with an injury to Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are still well-represented at the All-Star Game with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers all participating.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS)
Enlarge photo


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Barack Obama would love the NBA All-Star Game. It’s all about change.

At least, it is for Celtics fans.

For too many years, NBA All-Star Games meant watching stars from other teams. Oh, Paul Pierce would come off the bench to represent the Celtics and play a few minutes, but he usually wasn’t much of a factor. No Celtic played in last year’s game because Pierce was injured and the Celtics stunk.


But tonight’s All-Star Game is different. Kevin Garnett, voted the first Celtics starter since Antoine Walker in 2002, won’t play because of his abdominal strain, but Pierce and Ray Allen will still give the Celtics two representatives for the first time since Pierce and Walker played in 2003. With Doc Rivers becoming the first Celtics coach to coach in the All-Star Game since Chris Ford in 1991, Pierce and Allen could play important roles.

Rivers said all last week that he wouldn’t play Pierce or Allen much because he’d prefer to tire players from other teams. But if the game is close in the final minutes, don’t be surprised if Pierce, Allen or both are on the court.

Allen has averaged 13.9 points in seven All-Star appearances with Milwaukee and Seattle and scored a career high of 17 points in 2005. Pierce has averaged 10.2 points in five All-Star Games with a high of 19 in 2002.

Pierce insists playing in tonight’s All-Star Game won’t mean any more to him even though the Celtics own the NBA’s best record.

“I’ve always held my head high,” he said, “to be representing one of the best franchises in all of basketball, regardless of what our record was.”

Allen, on the other hand, admitted that he might strut a bit in New Orleans.

“With the first half of the season that we’ve had,” he said, “you can walk around and enjoy the success that we’ve had and let people talk about us and make a fuss over us. Then get back to work.”

Rivers played in only one All-Star Game, scoring nine points 20 years ago as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. This will be his first as coach.

“Stay out of the way — that will be my philosophy,” Rivers said. “It’s a players’ game, and I’m going to make sure it remains that way.”

The Celtics assistant coaches will be on the All-Star bench with Rivers, and they may take the game more seriously.

“I’m worried about Tibs (Tom Thibodeau) calling out defensive plays,” Rivers said, “Armond (Hill) pulling my pants leg and saying we should run the V twist play, which I’ll have to inform him is not in with this team. Between those two guys, and I’ll have them on both sides of my ears, it’ll be funny on Sunday because there’s no way they can be quiet.”

Rivers planned to make some public appearances in New Orleans, which is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

“If you look at all the cities in America that need an All-Star Game,” Rivers said, “New Orleans needs it. ... It’ll raise money for the city. I think that’s the good part of this whole thing. Besides the community work we’re going to do, I think the income we’re going to bring to the city is a very, very good thing. I’m glad we had the forethought to do it.”

Kevin Garnett sees Rajon Rondo becoming the next Tony Parker or Jason Kidd in a few years. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who coaches Parker, sees the similarities. He’d include Devin Harris of Dallas in the group of speedy point guards.

“You jump up on Devin Harris or Rondo or Tony Parker, they’re going by you,” Popovich said. “Everyone sort of backs off those guys, goes under on pick and rolls, on transition gets a few feet ahead of them to make them pull up for shots. That’s the conventional wisdom. Tony’s gotten better at it, Devin Harris had gotten better at it. So will Rondo.”

Rondo, who doesn’t turn 22 until Friday, has blossomed into a point guard who worries opponents in just his second NBA season.

“As the jump shot improves, he becomes scarier,” Popovich said. “I think he’s already exceeded expectations for this season on what people thought he might do. I remember reading or seeing things on TV that, ‘He can’t do it, he’s not a point guard, like no way’ and that kind of stuff. Well, obviously, there is a way. He’s done a heck of a job and showing a lot of people to be wrong.”

Rivers isn’t sure what to make of comparing Rondo to Parker.

“I want Rajon to be Rajon,” he said. “I don’t want him to be anybody but him. Having said that, if you’re going to be someone else, that’s not a bad guy to be.”

Rondo enjoys being compared to Parker.

“We are both very fast,” Rondo said. “We wear the same number (9), and we both play with great big men. He gets to the hole a lot, and he is very crafty with the ball, and he can finish very well.”

Rondo doesn’t finish as well, but he’s nearly four years younger than Parker.

“I have a lot to learn and I have a long way to go,” Rondo said.

“One on one,” Pierce said, “not one guard can stay in front of him and keep him from getting into the lane. He’s starting to show that each and every night, he can not only score, but find the open man.”

Harris didn’t play when Rondo had 14 points and 12 rebounds in a home win over Dallas on Jan. 31 and Parker sat out while Rondo contributed 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a home win over San Antonio last Sunday. It will be interesting to see how Rondo fares against Parker when the Celtics visit San Antonio on St. Patrick’s Day and how he does against Harris when the Celtics visit Dallas three nights later.

It’s been 13 months since Tony Allen tore up his left knee. Unfortunately, his doctors cautioned him that it would take 18 for him to fully recover from surgery.

“They said I’d feel like a brand new man,” Allen said.

By the time 18 months have passed, the NBA Finals will have started. The Celtics hope to still be playing then, but for the next few months Allen will have to work on becoming more consistent. He’s averaging 6.7 points and shooting a team-high 42.1 percent from threeland.

“Some days are better than others,” Allen admitted. “Some days I feel like, ‘Hey, I’ve got it.’ Some days I feel like I don’t. It’s tough on me really, but I’m fighting through it.”

Allen said he still feels pain in the knee at times. After combining for 31 points in back-to-back games, Allen tweaked his knee during a 5-point performance at Minnesota on Feb. 8.

“I didn’t say much about it,” Allen said.

At times, Allen looks like he has regained his quickness, but his confidence remains unsteady. Versatility remains his strength. Allen has been called upon to play shooting guard, small forward, even some point guard. He can also defend all three positions.

“He’s growing as the year goes along,” Celtics captain Paul Pierce said. “He has more confidence in his leg, more than anything. Then the more he plays, the better he’ll understand his role on this team. He has to have the mentality of a defensive stopper, and his offense is going to come.”

Allen plays his best when he takes the ball to the basket instead of settling for jump shots.

“When there’s a lot of time on the clock,” Rivers said, “with his speed and power to the basket, I just think for the most part he should just keep attacking the basket. I like when he does that. I don’t like when he dances with the ball. I don’t like when anyone dances with the ball.”

Duncan still producing
Tim Duncan, 31 and playing his 12th NBA season, is just as productive as ever even though his minutes are down.

Duncan used to average nearly 40 minutes a game, but he’s averaged less than 35 in each of the last four seasons, including just 34.6 minutes this season — tied for 62nd in the league. But he’s still contributing 20 points and 11 rebounds a night.

“He’s just more efficient each year,” Rivers said. “It’s hard to believe when you think about it.

“Earlier in his career when he got doubled,” Rivers said, “remember he used to carry the ball low and you could get deflections and turn him over a little bit. He’s really improved with his patience on the post. His jumper’s gotten better. He’s just a great team player.”

Rivers compared Duncan to Tiger Woods as a superstar willing to tweak his game.

“When you’re at the top,” Rivers said, “the only way you stay at the top, you have to keep improving. The ones who are at the top and fall quickly are the guys who settle. The biggest thing about Tim is he has never settled.

“Very few great players are willing to come out of their comfort zones and do that.”

[FLCeltsFan]

forum.connpost.com/celticscentral/

All Things Celtic: Keeping track and R & R


Just to keep you abreast of all things Celtics during this All Star break:


1) Kevin Garnett might return to action against Denver on Tuesday. The practice before that game will determine that answer.


2) 21 year old Rajon Rondo played with the 2nd year men in the Rookie-Sophomore game and had 6 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals.


3) Tom Thibodeau, defensive wunderkind, and Celtic Assistant Coach was the head coach for the Sophomores in the Rookie/Sophomore Game. The Sophomores won 136-109. The Sophs created 20 plus turnovers and had only 8 themselves. Go Tom!


4) Paul Pierce was knocked out in the 1st round of the Zo and Magic 8-Ball Challenge, a celebrity pool tournament. Paul won a similar event a few years ago. That's okay. He is on a better run this year.


5) As you know, as owner of the best record (41-9) in the East (and NBA) Doc Rivers is coaching the East Squad. He joked that he was going to play the players from the East Conference contenders - that were not Celtics - a lot of minutes (to get them tired out). Yeah, do it Doc. You rascal.


6) Ray Allen is representing on the East Squad as a replacement pick. 'Humble' Ray is more than happy to get in that way. Right after finding out he was selected, in the Celtics locker room after the Knicks game, he was asked if he would miss having a vacation. "No, I'm honored. I'll have plenty of time for vacations later." We need more players with attitudes like that.


7) Glen Davis is getting treatment for quad sprain and twisted knee that happened when he spun around on a drive that was blocked by Malik Rose against the Knicks. Return unknown.


8) Brian Scalabrine has a groin pull, though I'm not sure if you can treat that. Return unknown.


9) Scot Pollard has recovered from foot and ankle problems and can play if needed. His mind may never be normal, not that it ever was. A unique personality, Boston needs the 'Son of Poison' for it's play-off run.


10) Rajon Rondo lost a side bet he made with Kevin Garnett. He was supposed to make a windmill dunk in the Rook/Soph game. He missed. The bet? 100 push-ups at the winner's
command. We may see Rajon a little more buff, but a little arm weary coming out of the break. Go easy on him KG! We need those long arms for the second half of the season!


As I write this:


11) The Dunk contest just had a great Gerald Green (former Celtic) dunk, where he blew out a candle on a cupcake that seated on the rim as he dunked. The replay show it. I'm not kidding. Quite entertaining, and I don't even really like the dunk contest.


12) Dwight Howard with 3 incredible dunks, including one wearing a Superman outfit. Even entertaining to an 'old school' guy like myself. Well done by a guy who looks like he is flying through the air. Maybe he did come from Krypton. All three dunks were very, very creative. Now, if he could just make a foul shot.....


This week-end showcases the incredible athletic skills of the players in the NBA, and those skills are impressive. No doubt about it.


More on the Celtics incredible season coming.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/SPORTS/802170393


Allen still got game
February 17, 2008 6:00 AM
It was about an hour after the Boston Celtics headed into the All-Star break with a league-best 41-9 record. They had just schooled the New York Knicks on the parquet, but in the locker room, Filmmaking 101 with Professor Ray Allen was in session.

Standing with a group of four reporters who remained behind after the gaggle had moved on to Paul Pierce, Allen — who played the lead character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, in Spike Lee's 1998 film "He Got Game — sounded more like a movie star than an All-Star.

"In the industry, they don't like you to be too tall, because most people are shorter," Allen explained, before continuing on about two-shots, pan-downs and Tom Cruise standing on an apple crate.

For the record, Allen has appeared in more All-Star games (seven) than he has films (two — he was also in "Harvard Man"), and on that night had been named to his eighth by NBA commissioner David Stern as an injury replacement for the Washington Wizards' Caron Butler. It would be the second straight season he made the team because another player couldn't go, but last season it was more the team he played for, the lowly Seattle Supersonics, that was overlooked rather than Allen himself.

This year, he was the odd man out of the Celtics' new Big 3.

"When I wasn't nominated for All-Star, at the time I was happy for Paul (Pierce, selected as a reserve) and KG (Kevin Garnett was the leading vote-getter) and I'd go get some rest for the second half of the season," said Allen, who had to cancel plans for a quick Bahamian vacation. "Obviously, I'm ecstatic for my career to be able to be an eight-time All-Star. To be able to represent this organization, it's a great time for this organization and the fans. I definitely feel like I'm privileged and in a great situation."

When it was announced Garnett would not play in the game due to a strained abdominal muscle, Detroit's Rasheed Wallace was selected to replace him. It appeared as though Allen would be left out of the festivities, until Butler's left hip flexor strain gave him an opportunity.

"Deserving. Deserving. I'm not going to play him but two minutes, but it was absolutely deserving," Celtics/Eastern Conference coach Doc Rivers said.

As coach of the Eastern squad, Rivers can name who will start in Garnett's absence. It wouldn't be a surprise if he selected Allen, whose cause he has championed for weeks now.

"His numbers have suffered because he sacrificed. And when you sacrifice on a winning basketball team, you should be rewarded for that and not punished for it," Rivers said. "Clearly, if Ray was on another team, he could throw up numbers that would look All-Star worthy and not have wins. But he would rather have wins, and I'm glad that the league recognized that."

After averaging at least 23.0 points per game each of the last five years, including 26.5 ppg. a year ago, Allen is averaging 18.5 ppg this year. Though he's taking 6.2 fewer shots per game this year than last, his 42.6 field goal percentage is on track to be the lowest of his career.

When Rivers informed Allen at halftime of the game against New York, he said the veteran's reaction was typical to his stoic nature — just a knowing nod.

"That's about all you're going to get. He's such an emotional guy," Rivers said sarcastically. "He was happy, you could see it, but he's not going to give you much anyway."

While Allen did an admirable job in "He Got Game," he's always shown better range on the court than in front of the cameras. Still, he was all smiles when discussing his selection. Not for what it meant to him personally, but what it shows about his team.

"It's a great feeling," Allen said. "The great thing about this team so far is we didn't care who did what on this team, and everybody is contributing in some form or fashion. It hasn't mattered what we've done individually, and that's why we've had so much team success."

But the All-Star Game is one of the few times individual performance should be recognized. In addition to Garnett, Pierce and Rivers' involvement, second-year point guard Rajon Rondo was selected to play for the sophomore team in Friday's Rookie Challenge.

"I always thought he should be part of the original 12," Pierce said of Allen. "But he's there and he's going to represent the Celtics with me. I was getting lonely for a minute when Kevin wasn't going to play, and now I have Ray with me, and we'll have a good time."

"He should have been on there outright," Celtics reserve James Posey said. "He deserves to be on there.

"(Look at) how we've been winning, got the best record, what each of the Big 3 have done to help us get there. There should have been no question. They should have been the first three on the team."

Allen is just happy that the Celtics have a place at All-Star Weekend, reminding the league about the turnaround they've made with the trio of Pierce, Allen and Garnett leading the way.

"I think about Boston last year, and their representation was Gerald Green in the dunk contest," Allen said. "To have so many Celtics representing with the first half of the season that we've had, you can walk around and enjoy the success that we've had and let people talk about us and make a fuss over us, and then get back to work in the second half."

While Allen was headed for New Orleans instead of the Bahamas, he did make a stop in New York City to keep a scheduled guest spot on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on Thursday night. And when the 6-foot-5 All-Star shared a two-shot with the 6-4 talk show host, they didn't even need the apple crate.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2008/02/17/score_it_as_a_dubious_block?mode=PF

Score it as a dubious block
Move by a Maverick is difficult to defend
February 17, 2008

You really have to wonder what Devean George is thinking. How, exactly, is he watching out for his best interests by making himself persona non grata in Dallas and a league laughingstock just about everywhere else?

Yes, he had every right to do what he did. But that only becomes pertinent if there's a logical, rational reason for doing what he did. Frankly, there isn't. The next person to defend George for doing the sensible thing by blocking the trade to the Nets will be the first.

Basically, by exercising his right not to be traded, George is holding on to the hope - some might say delusion - that there's a team out there that will pay him more than the mid-level exception when he becomes a free agent this summer. This from a guy who signed for $2.369 million this season. Had he agreed to the trade, he would have surrendered the right to a huge payday and could not be re-signed by the Mavericks for anything more than the mid-level, currently around $5.35 million.

Vladimir Radmanovic went through a similar situation when he was with Seattle. He OK'd a trade to the Clippers, but in doing so, forfeited his rights to get a huge contract when he next signed. He ended up getting the full mid-level from the Lakers in free agency. And most would consider him a better player than George. In other words, you would have a hard time finding a team to pay George even the mid-level, as evidenced by what he's now making.

It might be easy to point the finger at the Mavericks or Nets for not recognizing this peculiar (but not all that unfamiliar) part of George's deal. You have to think they knew about it - and probably had a good chuckle over that particular clause torpedoing the deal.

And what is George's agent, Mark Bartelstein, thinking? Other than trying to extract a little extra dough? He already got George a 15 percent trade kicker (which he gets for many of his clients; even Scot Pollard has one). His advice should be obvious: Go to Jersey, kid, and make the most out of it.

Clearly, George can't stay in Dallas, where he is sure to be killed in print and over the air every time Jason Terry throws a pass into the loge section. (George went 0 for 11 in his first game after the trade fell through.) The prospect of getting Jason Kidd to go along with Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, and Terry has many Mavericks fans drooling (although some are lamenting the loss of Devin Harris) and would add some much-needed toughness and grit to the team.

As Kobe Bryant put it, "Dallas won 67 games last year. An opportunity to get a player like Jason is too good to pass up."

You may recall that Bryant threw a williwaw last year when the Lakers wouldn't part with Andrew Bynum as part of the package to get Kidd to Los Angeles. While Bynum has made a quantum leap this season, that has in no way diminished Bryant's ardor for Kidd, whom he knows he'll never see in a Lakers uniform now.

"Jason Kidd is one of the greatest point guards of all time," Bryant said. "Why wouldn't you do that deal?"

While the Mavericks and Nets wait for this thing to resolve itself - as Kidd noted, it'll be sooner rather than later with the trade deadline coming up Thursday - there's another potentially sticky wicket: Jerry Stackhouse. As part of the deal, he would go to the Nets. It was also assumed he would be waived, wait the required 30 days, then re-sign with Dallas. This is what Gary Payton did with the Celtics in 2005 - only a few days after a trade to Atlanta - and the league and union agreed to the 30-day waiting period in the next CBA. During those 30 days, Stackhouse could presumably sign with anyone.

But he seemed to indicate, in comments to an Associated Press reporter, that he would chill in Dallas, and it sure sounded like a prearranged deal with the Mavericks. Which raises the obvious question: Why would the Nets agree to waive him when Stackhouse would be on the books next season for $7 million and at least another $2 million in 2009-10. In fact, Nets boss Rod Thorn said Friday, "You can't make [prearranged] deals like that. They're illegal. I'm not going to do that. I'm perfectly willing to take him."

Kidd didn't appear to be losing sleep over the whole matter (and, as Stackhouse has noted, the NBA checks can be cashed anywhere).

"This isn't the first time I've been traded," Kidd said. "There's nothing that bothers me. We'll find out soon. The game of basketball won't change, just maybe in a different city.

"If I stay, I already know everyone on the team so it shouldn't be a bad thing. There's a lot of personality in that locker room and a lot of great guys I've played with over the last seven years."


Pierce is target of threat

Earlier this month, the Boston Police Department received a telephone call from the mother of a Dorchester woman named Denise Bey.

According to the police report, entered as evidence in a hearing last week in Suffolk County Superior Court, the woman said her daughter had bought a ticket for a Celtics game and was seeking to buy a gun. According to the complaint filed in court, the reason she was looking for a gun was "that she wanted to shoot Paul Pierce."

The mother also reported to police that her daughter had not taken her prescribed medications for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The police eventually tracked down Bey and, after hearing her tell them that Pierce was mad at her and that the FBI was after her, they decided to take her to Carney Hospital to be further evaluated.

Her picture was sent to ticket sellers at TD Banknorth Garden and, sure enough, a woman fitting her description tried Feb. 8 to buy a ticket to a Celtics game and asked for a seat near the Boston bench. She never bought the ticket, telling the seller it was too costly.

But threats like these need to be taken seriously, which is why the Celtics were in court last week, successfully arguing for a restraining order to prevent Bey from going near Pierce, and from entering the Garden on game days and the Celtics' practice facility and offices at any time.

The team will be back in court later this month to get a preliminary injunction and, down the road, will seek a permanent injunction.


NBA twists Bryant's pinkie to play

Kobe Bryant would just as soon sit out this evening's All-Star Game.

He has a torn ligament in his right pinkie, an injury that needs to be surgically repaired. But he is putting off surgery in hopes of getting the Lakers deep into the playoffs and then putting on the red, white, and blue for Uncle Sam in Beijing.

But the NBA is holding firm in its rule that if an All-Star plays in the game before the All-Star Game, which Bryant did, then he is deemed well enough to play in the big game.

"We'll do what we can to follow the rules, but it's a pretty crappy rule, to be honest with you," Bryant said. "But what can you do? I don't want to get suspended."

The Western Conference team will be coached by former Laker Byron Scott, who has a long and positive history with Kobe.

"It's going to be up to Kobe," Scott said. "I know the game is a big deal, but his long-term health is a bigger deal. If by playing it's going to be detrimental to his health, I wouldn't want to see that happen. I don't want to see the injury get worse."

An operation probably would result in Bryant being out of action for six weeks. If he were on the Celtics, there would be no question - he would have the surgery.


Etc.

Baker has trouble with dough

Vinnie's Fish House in Old Saybrook, Conn., has closed. And the bank that held the mortgage on the restaurant is foreclosing, claiming that former Celtic Vin Baker, who started the eatery, has defaulted on the loan. Baker was ultra-enthusiastic about the restaurant shortly after opening it in the fall of 2005. He even delayed returning to the NBA to get the business up and running. He eventually did sign with the Clippers in the spring of 2006 and later with the Timberwolves, but he has been out of the NBA since early last season. The Day of New London reported that a court filing in Middletown, Conn., claims Baker owes the bank nearly $900,000. Additionally, the newspaper said, the restaurant is delinquent on more than $20,000 in property taxes.

DJ and Nellie back on Hall ballot

The Basketball Hall of Fame stepped up to the plate Friday and rightly nominated the late, great Dennis Johnson for induction. It will be DJ's fourth time on the ballot, and, clearly, it's time to get him to Springfield. Another no-brainer is Don Nelson, nominated for the second time. But at least one 2008 All-Star wondered about a coach who wasn't nominated: Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz. "Why wouldn't he be in the Hall of Fame," asked Jazz forward Carlos Boozer. "He's one of those guys who brings it every night. There aren't a whole lot of coaches who bring it every night, but Jerry has been doing it for 20 years. I don't know why they wouldn't put him in there." The shoo-ins for induction in September appear to be Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Nellie and DJ are two of 12 more finalists.

Playoff exposure for Celtics?

Interesting take by TNT's Doug Collins about the fate of the Celtics in the playoffs. "Are they going to get the point guard play they need and can Kendrick Perkins give them the thing they need in the middle - defense and rebounding? And can Eddie House, James Posey, [Scot ] Pollard, and Tony Allen come in bench-wise and do what they do? The difference to me is this is a team that has never done it together yet and a lot of the other teams we're talking about have. There is no substitute for experience. When I look at Boston, come playoff time, that's when we're really going to see what their weaknesses are, because that's when they get exposed."

Suns awaiting dawn of Shaq

We've already seen what Pau Gasol has done for the Lakers. We might yet see what Jason Kidd will do for the Mavericks. But what about the other blockbuster - Shaquille O'Neal to the Suns? The Big Rigor Mortis is due to make his Phoenix debut this week and could well be on the floor Friday when the Celtics visit the Suns. Tim Duncan's take? "I don't know if [the trade] was made solely for [facing the Spurs]. People make it sound or seem like that," he said. "They've been a very good regular-season team and they've [gone] deep into the playoffs. I think they're trying to get over the hump and they think Shaq is the guy who can get them over the hump." Duncan's coach, Gregg Popovich, had some fun with the Gasol deal ("What was Memphis thinking? We all work hard and then, with one trade, the balance goes boom."), but he, like everyone else, is waiting to see what happens with the glacial O'Neal and the high-octane Suns. "They're not going to change the system and all of a sudden be rock 'em, sock 'em basketball," Popovich said. "They're going to figure out a way to slide Shaq in there just like they slid Kurt Thomas in there. It makes it tough for us in the sense that they have someone who can guard Timmy better."

Eastern play still pretty beastly

Remember all the preseason talk about how the Eastern Conference had narrowed the talent gap with the West? Oh well. At the All-Star break, the 23-30 New Jersey Nets would be the seventh seed in the East while the 32-20 Denver Nuggets would not make the playoffs in the West. Ten teams in the West had winning records, compared with five in the East. But maybe the most jaw-dropping number is 28. That is the number of games that the five teams in the Southeast Division had lost in a row as of last Wednesday morning. The Wizards and Heat had each lost eight in a row while the Bobcats lost seven straight. Alas, something had to give when Atlanta faced Charlotte that night (the Bobcats won). Washington and Orlando also won.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/02/17/go_go_dancing_all_over_reds_grave/

Go-go dancing all over Red's grave
Email|Print| Text size – + By Kate Darnton
February 17, 2008
DO YOU remember that excruciating moment as a child when you saw your first movie sex scene - and you were sitting in between your mom and dad at the multiplex? You sank lower in your seat, your heart beating fast, just wishing the kissing would be over already.

more stories like this
Mavericks' George makes a dubious block
Allen Town
Rondo will have to pay up
At break, Celtics in a better place
Walken in to claim his pudding pot
Flash forward to 2008. You're a grown-up with children of your own. You're chomping popcorn at the TD Banknorth Garden during halftime, swapping sports-talk with your father in-law, when the Celtics Dancers take the floor. The lights dim, the music pounds, and suddenly you've all been transported to the Bada Bing. Booties shake. Pelvises grind. Cleavage heaves. All that's missing for the perfect pole dance is the pole.

I'm not out to ruin everyone's fun, but last time I checked, the purpose of attending a Celtics game was to watch basketball. These days, you can barely focus on the action on the court for all the action off of it - the images flashing across the Jumbotrons, the hip-hop blaring in your ears, the promotional gimmicks for Foxwoods. I always walk out of a game feeling slightly dazed from all the sounds and lights. It's like I've been to a rave.

Red Auerbach, the iconic coach and general manager who built 16 Celtics championship teams, was disdainful of cheerleaders, who he feared would distract from the game. The Celtics would have cheerleaders over his dead body, Red said. And so the suits waited. In February 2004, Auerbach told the Globe, "They're just waiting for me to die so they can get cheerleaders." He was right. Two and a half years later, Red was dead, and at the first available opportunity the girls took the court.

What would Red think now? I guess with courtside seats going for hundreds of dollars, the team feels it has to provide a spectacle for its customers. This isn't just a basketball game; it's a show. And that's where the dancers come in. Based on my unscientific personal survey, the average Celtics game attendee is a late-30s white guy in a button-down on his third beer after a long day in the office. He wants to relax. What better way to get mortgage payments off the mind than with Cherie, Chantal, Jaclyn, and Jennafa in 3-inch white patent go-go boots and green Celtics jerseys that dangle just below the derriere?

The problem is that about one-third of the audience is female. And while we ladies can't help but be impressed by the dancers' skill and flexibility - I didn't know that legs could actually splay in some of those directions - some of us are a little put-off when the porn takes over the paint.

And yes, it is porn, i.e. erotic behavior intended to arouse a quick, intense emotional reaction. Even the homepage of the dancers' website declares: "Dancers in Sports Illustrated: Who needs the swimsuit issue?" When I clicked on the link, I got a close-up of one particularly well-endowed dancer who happened to be caught full-frontal at the very highest point of her high kick. In stretch-tight pants, needless to say.

As a fairly recent transplant from New York, I'm a little puzzled by all this. I thought that I was moving to the land of stiff collars and self-restraint. No one thinks of Boston as "sexy." Boston is classic. It's distinguished. It's Brooks Brothers and Bloody Marys.

Maybe that's why the Celtics Dancers' erotic interruptions feel so incongruous. And when I glance around at the game, I see plenty of baffled faces. There are suburban dads in attendance with preteen daughters, shrugging helplessly. They seem to be saying, "These aren't your role models!" There are respectable older gentlemen, like my father-in-law, who sinks deeper into his popcorn. Our eyes don't meet. There are also legions of teenage boys, their eyes like saucers, holding up their cellphones to get the perfect soft-porn picture to show off around school. I guess those are the customers the Celtics are hoping to please.

Sometimes it seems like sex has crept into everything in American society, from deodorant commercials to presidential politics. That's because we're a consumer society and if there's one thing that marketers know for sure, it's that sex sells.

Still, porn has its place, and that's not on the parquet of the Garden. You would think that having the turnaround team with the best record in the NBA would be enough for the Celtics. Personally, I wish Kevin Garnett's dunks weren't competing with Courtney's curves for my attention.