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[FLCeltsFan]

It’s more than star power
Celts get a lot from bench

By Mark Murphy | Tuesday, January 1, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
File this under sights you will see only in La-La land:

Dorchester homey and Celtics [team stats] regular Donnie Wahlberg and his brother Mark Wahlberg, a reputed Lakers fan, seated next to the Celtics bench Sunday night.

Meanwhile, across the floor, former Celtics/Lakers player-turned-actor Rick Fox hanging out for the entire game with teen golfer Michelle Wie and actress Sharon Stone.

Meanwhile, among those in uniform, Kobe Bryant was finally convinced, if he already hadn’t been, the Celtics were the real deal.

“I wouldn’t be (surprised),” said the Lakers guard about a Celtics team that just dominated his Lakers for the second time this season and its chance of reaching the NBA Finals. “Two teams hit me. One is the Pistons and the other the Celtics. They’re the cream of the crop (in the Eastern Conference).

“(The Celtics) are a great team. They have the veterans, and the floor-spreaders to complement their three stars.”

Jack Nicholson, nowhere to be found, was on location somewhere. But the star who banned everyone from wearing Celtics gear on the set of “The Departed” probably wasn’t going to give an endorsement, anyway.

And just as there was still a good-sized group of skeptics who doubted the Celtics’ mettle, based on the fact they hadn’t traveled west before last week, there will continue to be holdouts even after the Celtics aced their first Western Conference road test with a 4-0 record.

But that’s everyone else’s problem.

“I don’t care what the league thinks,” said Eddie House, one of the aforementioned floor-spreaders. “It’s about us, here in this room. We’re just improving every game and every day.”

Improving more, perhaps, than some thought possible.

The Celtics won in a variety of ways on this trip, and contrary to one of the common misconceptions hung out in the NBA mill by people like Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace, Celtics depth made much of it possible.

Credit the bench, for example, with turning around Friday’s win against Utah in the fourth quarter. House provided the 3-pointer that gave the Celtics their first lead since the first quarter, and Tony Allen almost single-handedly made the defensive plays necessary to break down the Jazz.

Only then did Paul Pierce [stats], on one of those phenomenal runs that the Celtics captain and few others can manage, polish off a tough Jazz home team with his 24-point second half.

For the second straight time, the NBA yesterday named Pierce the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. He averaged 27.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals as the Celtics won four times in five nights out west.

But before Pierce did his damage, the supporting crew played a prominent role on the Celtics’ trip, along with Kevin Garnett’s interior excellence and Ray Allen’s ability to bask in open opportunities.

“Part of the problem is that people just don’t really know our bench,” said Ray Allen. “Our bench is really as stubborn as our starters when it comes to winning these games. It’s just been a matter of them being tested.

“But I think there are constantly going to be questions on what is the weakness of this team as we go along. That’s just the way it is.”

One legitimate issue - the Celtics’ depth at point guard - was put on the line Sunday night, when Rajon Rondo [stats] missed the game with a strained hamstring. Tony Allen, not exactly a pure playmaker, started in Rondo’s place and finished with 16 points and four assists.

In the three games he did play on the trip, Rondo didn’t have a turnover. It’s yet another reason this 4-0 trip - whether the Celtics care or not - sent an important message to the rest of the league.

“You’ve got to respect it,” said Garnett. “It’s all work and effort. We’ve been able to focus on it a game at a time, and you see the results. We’ve been able to put our feet in the sand and say, ‘We’re going to make our mark here.’ ”

Article URL: www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1063883

[FLCeltsFan]

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

The road had many bumps
West opponents played it rough
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 1, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Rajon Rondo took two hard hits while driving to the basket in Sacramento last Wednesday. A hit to the head left Kevin Garnett motionless on the floor at Sacramento and an elbow to his face against the Lakers Sunday left him with four stitches above his eye. And Ray Allen was literally tackled by the Lakers' Lamar Odom.

With each win for the NBA's top team, the frustrated foes seem to get more and more physical. So far, the Celtics (26-3) have been the bigger men, but if the hard fouls continue, it will be interesting to see if they can continue to keep their cool and keep from getting injured, too.

"It's a different component, where we have to understand that this game is a lot more mental than physical," said Garnett after the 110-91 win against the Lakers. "Teams think, I guess, getting techs and trying to mix it up is the way to play us. We have to adjust to that. We're a very emotional team. A very compassionate team.

"We have to keep all that under wraps. We have to keep our energy centered and continue to stay focused on what we're doing. Sometimes it's easier said than done."

Of all the hard hits the Celtics have taken, the one Allen endured Sunday probably stands out the most.

With 2:57 left in the game, Allen was knocked into fans sitting courtside when he was tackled by Odom. A confused and angry Allen jumped up quickly and the teams exchanged words, but nothing more ensued. Odom was slapped with a flagrant foul 1 while Allen, oddly, also was given a technical by referee Bennett Salvatore. There were seven technical fouls in the game.

"I really don't know what happened," Allen said. "I don't know what Odom was thinking. I got the rebound and he tackled me. I know it's Sunday, but this is the wrong [sport]. I watched football the other day. I didn't think I was going to be involved in a tackle on the court.

"But then they gave me a technical, and I didn't understand why I got a technical for just standing there. I got thrown into the crowd.

"I didn't get hurt. But I could've got hurt. I went right into the bleachers.

"I thought that was totally uncalled for. I don't know what message Lamar was trying to send or what happened to make him so angry. But you just don't do stuff like that."

As the Celtics continue to win, Allen believes, the intense play of opponents will continue.

"Every night that we step into a building, people are going to step up and say, 'Hey look, we're trying to beat this team,' " Allen said. "A team with a bad record is thinking, 'We're going to beat this team. We're going to turn our season around.' Teams with good records will want to prove to the rest of the league that we're one of the elite.

"So, we're going to see the best of every team. We just have to play basketball. It's not like when we were on prior teams where people just came out and went through the motions. I think early we learned a lot of valuable lessons."

Said Celtics forward Paul Pierce, "We're going to get everybody's best shot. Guys are going to come out and try to talk us out of our game."


Pierce honored
Pierce was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the second time he has received the award this season. Pierce led the Celtics to a 4-0 Western road trip by averaging 27.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.8 steals, including a season-high 37 points at Seattle last Thursday.


Rondo day-to-day
Rondo said late Sunday night that he was uncertain whether he could overcome his right hamstring injury in time to play against the Rockets tomorrow at TD Banknorth Garden. "I don't know," Rondo said. "We'll see how it is. It's probably day-to-day." He suffered the injury late in the first quarter of the 104-98 victory at Utah Saturday night and missed his first game of the season against the Lakers. Tony Allen had 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, plus 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 6 fouls, and 4 turnovers in 42 minutes against the Lakers in place of Rondo. "I just got to rest," Rondo said. "I got time to rest my feet and my legs. I'm going to take care of my body right. The rest is going to help."


Days of praise
After losing twice to the Celtics this season, Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson gave them high praise. In fact, Bryant said he wouldn't be surprised to see the Celtics in the NBA Finals. "There are only a couple teams in the Eastern Conference that really stand out: the Pistons and the Celtics," Bryant said. "They're pretty much the cream of the crop of the Eastern Conference." When asked if the Celtics were the NBA's best team, Jackson said, "They certainly have been with us. I think Detroit is playing really well, too. But [of] the teams we have seen so far, they have shined." Bryant also gave high praise to the Celtics' supporting cast. "It's not just [Allen, Garnett, and Pierce]," Bryant said. "If you just had them, it would be easy to defend those guys because you could always pack it in. They made some great additions. They got great defensive presence coming off the bench. They are all shooters." . . . The Celtics took yesterday off and resume practice today in Waltham . . . Rockets star Tracy McGrady told the Houston Chronicle that he doubts he will play against the Celtics tomorrow because of bone bruise in his left knee.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x343124263

Jim Fenton: Western swing perfect for Celtics

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By Jim Fenton/Gatehouse News service
GHS
Mon Dec 31, 2007, 08:40 PM EST

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Boston, Mass. -
sk NBA players about the obstacles they face during the regular season and there is one that usually stands out.

The dreaded four games in five nights is a grueling part of the schedule they can do without. Having so many games in such a short amount of time can even take a toll on young players.

That makes what the sizzling Boston Celtics accomplished on their first extended road trip even more impressive.

Armed with the best record in the NBA, the Celtics ventured west for the first time this season and ran the table, winning all four games in a five-night span.

Challenge? What challenge?

They brushed aside the Sacramento Kings, Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Lakers and overcame the Utah Jazz to improve to 26-3.

All the talk about the Celtics failing to be tested should be put aside after that showing. They are more than eight weeks into a sensational season and have lost only three times.

They are 12-2 on the road with eight straight wins and have beaten all eight Western Conference opponents on the schedule.

Should the Celtics defeat the Houston Rockets tomorrow night at the TD Banknorth Garden, they will own a 27-3 mark, which will be the best 30-game start in franchise history. The 1959-60, 1961-62, and 1972-73 teams were 26-4.

Only a few NBA teams have gone 27-3 to open a season, including the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (who were 41-3 on the way to a remarkable 72-10 mark), the 1971-72 Lakers (who won 33 straight games on the way to a 39-3 start) and the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers (who were 37-3).

With a winning percentage of .897, the Celtics simply did not stumble in the opening two months.

They dropped three close games that could have swung in Boston's favor with a play here or there. They have been dominant at home, losing only once in the final second to the Detroit Pistons. They have had little trouble winning on the road, already matching last season's total away from the Garden.

Sweeping the first western swing was another eye-opening accomplishment for the Celtics.

They limited the Kings to 38 percent shooting, and other than a rough third quarter, were in command. The Celtics used a 37-point explosion by Paul Pierce to take care of former teammates Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak and the SuperSonics. In their toughest test of the trip, the Celtics held their composure and rallied past the Jazz when Pierce, after an unproductive first half, led the charge down the stretch.

Then, playing a rested Lakers' team on Sunday after being in Utah the previous night, the Celtics had no problems with Kobe Bryant and Co. Even with point guard Rajon Rondo sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Celtics finished the trip in style, turning to Tony Allen to handle a new position.

The Celtics limited two teams (Kings and Lakers) to less than 40 percent shooting, and Bryant made just 6-of-25 field goals.

Los Angeles had been on an impressive roll, beating the Phoenix Suns on Christmas and the Jazz last Friday, but they were no match for the Celtics.

On it goes for the team with the best record in the NBA.

The Celtics play six of the next nine games at home and don't play more than two consecutive road games throughout January.

Coach Doc Rivers continues to say the Celtics are going to keep improving as the season goes along, and it remains a scary thought. The season's halfway mark arrives later this month, another checkpoint for a team that has put together an incredible run.

If the Celtics play just above .500 basketball the rest of the way (27-26) they will finish with 53 victories.

It's hard to envision the Celtics falling into a .500 mode any time soon, so barring injuries, they are headed deep into the 60-win category.

The 1972-73 team set the franchise record by going 68-14, one game better than the 1985-86 team.

After what the Celtics pulled off during their four-games-in-five-nights trip, it looks like those numbers are going to be challenged.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080101/SPORTS/801010319

For rest of nation, Celtics worth hating again
By PAUL OBERJUERGE
San Bernardino Sun
January 01, 2008 6:00 AM
LOS ANGELES — Feel free to hate the Boston Celtics. Again.

Especially if you are a Lakers fan.

Or an NBA fan.

Or any right-thinking American who lives outside metropolitan Boston.

The ascendant Celtics are back, kicking butt and taking games, and if you are an NBA observer of a certain age — say, 30 or older — you're already starting to get creeped out.

We oldsters remember when the Celtics used to win. It all. All the time. So often, it was unnatural.

The Celtics are back. In a big, green-monster way.

They turned up at Staples Center on Sunday, playing their fourth road game in five days, missing starting point guard Rajon Rondo ... and they annihilated the Lakers, 110-91.

Boston now is 26-3, on pace to break the NBA record for victories in a season, mostly because they boast the league's only collection of three currently relevant superstars — Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

For a time, it was more than Just Another Game.

And what we appeared to have was the revival of what once was the league's most intense rivalry. The loathing seemed to return at a pitch worthy of 1969.

Five technical fouls? All in the first half.

Before hostilities began, some participants conceded it wasn't just another game.

"You can sense it," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Everybody's been talking about the game. The fact that people are excited about it is good for both teams.

"Last year, I don't know if anybody noticed we played each other, and maybe that was a good thing."