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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 21, 2008 6:10:15 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1081824&format=textCeltic sweepstates Winning ticket in Texas after besting Mavs By Steve Bulpett | Friday, March 21, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by AP DALLAS - Ray Allen came back just in time to get the Celtics [team stats] through their geometry test. After missing the last three games with a jammed left ankle, Allen drilled a 3-point dagger with 31.7 seconds left last night as the travelers from Boston completed a triumphant Texas Triangle with a 94-90 victory over the Mavericks. That’s three straight Lone Star wins, four in as many tries on this trip and eight in a row on the road. The operative phrase down here is “Yee-ha!” “We’ve all been through Texas, and you limp out of here,” Allen said. “To be able to come down and play the way we’ve played and the three different ways we’ve won games, definitely I think that’s something for the rest of the NBA to see. These three teams down here are still three of the best teams in the NBA, and you definitely have to reckon with them coming toward the playoffs.” The C’s showed some versatility, winning despite their lowest field goal percentage of the season, 34.5. (Their previous low was also in a win - 37.5 against Cleveland on Dec. 2.) Defense was their deliverance, as Kevin Garnett and James Posey combined to hold Dirk Nowitzki to 0-for-5 shooting from the field and two points from the free throw line in the last quarter. He finished with 22. The Celts needed every drop of “D” because they struggled with the ball, too. Ahead by four with four minutes left, they caught a chill, missing their next seven shots from the floor and two from the line. Dallas filled the gap with five straight points to take an 88-87 lead with 1:54 left. The last of those points came when Kendrick Perkins [stats] fouled out. That brought Allen back in after a near quarter-long rest. After a pair of misses by each side, Allen calmly hit the trifecta that gave the Celtics a 90-88 lead. Nowitzki missed a jumper, and Posey hit two free throws. Erick Dampier followed in another Nowitzki miss, but Garnett iced it with two free throws at 5.6 to complete a 7-2 finishing kick. “I made a decision in the middle of the third quarter that this was not going to be an offensive game, and whatever unit was playing the best defense I was going to stay with,” Rivers said. “You think about it, we had Sam (Cassell) on the floor over Rajon (Rondo) for defense. It wasn’t that Sam was great defensively. It’s just that for whatever reason that five clicked defensively, so we just stayed pat.” The C’s went with Paul Pierce [stats], Garnett, Perkins, Cassell and Posey down the stretch until Perkins fouled out. The Big Three - Allen, Pierce and Garnett - had 21, 22 and 20 points, respectively. Pierce and Garnett had 13 rebounds apiece. Cassell missed all three of his fourth-quarter shots (1-for-9 for the game) but had three of his six assists in crunch time, including the feed to Allen. “That’s kind of what we expected from Ray,” Pierce said. “Ray’s been the guy who’s knocked down big shots for us all season long. We look for him. We depend on him. And once again he came through.” And for the 14th time in the last 15 games, so did the Celtics. “Very emotional win, man,” Pierce said. “The guys are excited, and we’re on a mission. This team’s on a mission. We got into the huddle and me and Kevin said, ‘Hey, it’s good to win three in Texas, but we’ve got to get one more.’ ” That would be tomorrow night in New Orleans. But last night the Celts were savoring the fact they messed with Texas. “No one in this locker room has done this,” Garnett said of the sweep. “What’s good about it is we’ve done it together and we’ve done it the way we said we wanted to do things from Day 1.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 21, 2008 6:16:04 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1081826&format=textPain no problem Even injuries to key players can’t stop C’s By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Friday, March 21, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by AP DALLAS - Perhaps even more impressive than the Celtics [team stats]’ overall record is that they’ve continued to win even when a star has been out. Ray Allen was back last night - in a big way - for the 94-90 win over the Mavericks after missing three games with a jammed left ankle, but the club has gone 6-1 this season without him. And the C’s are 7-2 without Kevin Garnett. The two have both been absent together just once, a January win in Miami. “It’s a testament to Danny (Ainge) and what he’s been able to do in putting guys around us,” Allen said. “And then the guys as a whole just follow the script as far as Doc (Rivers’) game plan is concerned. We put the pressures of the consistent effort on each other, so when you get in the game you know what your job is. I think that becomes contagious with everybody. So if you lose a guy for a game or two, you’ve got guys who are going to step in and fill the roles. “You’ve got guys on the bench who are ready to do the job. Nobody tries to do too much over the top.” Rivers noted that in all but the aforementioned case, the Celts have always had at least two of their key three. “That helps,” he said with a smile. “Guys have good confidence. We run our stuff. One of the things I think we’ve done a good job of is when one of them has gone out we really haven’t changed how we’ve played. The only time we actually thought about it is when Kevin was out. We had to think about changing our style, especially defensively. But we didn’t. In retrospect, I’m glad. Sometimes the best move you make is not making a move. That was the case.” T. Allen held out Tony Allen missed last night’s game with a bruised back. After watching his high quality defensive effort on Tracy McGrady Tuesday, Rivers wants to make sure he’s right before he returns. “The one guy we have to get healthy again is Tony Allen,” he said. “I think he’s very, very important.” Allen wasn’t looking too good yesterday, so he got the night off. “My back’s sore and tight,” he said. “It ain’t as tight as it was and it ain’t as sore as it was, but it’s still up there to where I can’t play. It’s bruised and there’s muscle tightness around it.” Allen isn’t ruling out a return against New Orleans tomorrow night, though that seems unlikely. “Whenever I feel good, I’m ready to go,” he said. “Ain’t no telling how I’m going to feel (today).” Sore spot for Rondo Rajon Rondo [stats] fought through a sore back to get into the lineup, and he still felt some stiffness while going scoreless with three assists and five turnovers in 22 minutes. “It’s just sore,” he said. “I guess I just slept wrong last night. It’s nothing major.” . . . Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has been reprimanded by the league for his comments on Tuesday that Garnett was tanking games last season by allegedly taking himself out of the lineup for the last five games. According to sources, there is no word whether the reprimand includes a fine. . . . Garnett’s play of the night against the Mavs was his first-quarter dive to the floor to beat Jason Kidd to a loose ball. . . . After Rondo’s Kentucky squad lost to Rivers’ Marquette in the NCAA tournament, Rondo cracked, “I’m not glad we lost, but maybe now he’ll play me.” Rivers took the low road. “Oh, that was a given,” he said. “Some things you brag about. Some things you just assume. I am wealthier . . . no, I’m joking. I’m joking, commissioner.”
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 21, 2008 6:18:41 GMT -5
www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1081828&format=textEasy does it: KG pulls off online upset By Herald staff | Friday, March 21, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics Photo by Stuart Cahill The first-round ballots are in and fans participating in the Boston Herald’s online poll to determine the Greatest Celtics [team stats] Player of All Time cast their votes true to form. With top seeds Bill Russell, Larry Bird, John Havlicek and Bob Cousy cruising into the Sweet 16 with easy victories, the only upset came in the Grousbeck Bracket, where fifth-seeded Kevin Garnett defeated No. 4 Ed Macauley by 566 votes. Garnett, a first-year Celtic, will square off against Havlicek, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, in what promises to be an interesting second-round showdown. The closest finish in first-round balloting occurred in the Walter Brown Bracket with No. 4 Frank Ramsey slipping past No. 5 Reggie Lewis by a mere 96 votes. Second-round voting is open at www.bostonherald.com/sports. Readers can vote on head-to-head matchups between Celtics greats once each week as the field gets cut in half every Friday. The Herald will unveil the voters’ choice for Greatest Celtics Player of All Time on April 18 as this year’s Celtics squad heads into their first-round playoff matchup.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 21, 2008 6:26:12 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/03/21/three_for_the_road?mode=PFCELTICS 94, MAVERICKS 90 Three for the road Hustling Celtics pull off a rare triple in Texas By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 21, 2008 DALLAS - The Celtics messed with Texas and got away with it. They tamed the Texas triangle by defeating the Mavericks, 94-90, last night at sold-out American Airlines Center. The Texas triangle - consecutive games against San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas - is often the toughest part of an NBA schedule. Even so, the Celtics became the first team to beat the three Texas teams consecutively since Sacramento in 2001. It was also the first time Boston accomplished the feat since the 1986-87 season, and the fourth time in 13 tries. "The only statement is we're done with Texas," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "We don't want to see Texas anymore. It's a [heck] of a state, no taxes, and I don't want to see any of those three teams anymore [in the regular season]. They're just too tough. I'd rather move on." The Celtics began the trip by overcoming a 22-point deficit against the reigning NBA champion Spurs Monday. The next night, Boston erased the Rockets' 22-game winning streak in a 94-74 pounding. And last night, the Celtics outscored Dallas, 28-20, in the fourth quarter to finalize the sweep. "It's great. I looked at the schedule before this week and said, 'This is going to be the ultimate test for this ball club," said Paul Pierce, who scored a team-high 22 points. "The last time we came out West [in February] we struggled. Coming into these three games, this was the ultimate test for us. It gives us momentum going into the playoffs. What better way to do it than this?" Kevin Garnett, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds, said, "No one in this locker room has done this. What's good about it is we did it together. We did it the way we said we were going to do things at the beginning of the season, one game at a time. And it feels good." The Celtics (55-13) have won eight straight road games and four straight overall. The Mavericks (44-25), however, are 0-7 against teams with winning records since the arrival of Jason Kidd (2 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists) via trade from New Jersey and suffered another loss in the tight Western Conference playoff race. Ray Allen, playing his first game since bruising his ankle last Friday against Milwaukee, scored 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Rivers said Allen looked rusty and sat him most of the fourth quarter, putting him in with Dallas up, 87-86, with 1:54 remaining. With 33.1 seconds left, Allen nailed a running 3-pointer to put Boston up, 90-88. The Celtics held on by nailing four free throws to seal the game. Allen said he felt fine after the game. "It goes into the last two or three sequences offensively," said Allen of his 3-pointer. "We got good shots. The play Doc drew up brought me to the ball and the shot fell." Said Rivers: "Ray is such a professional. We put him in with two minutes left, he goes up and down the court and makes a three for us out of a timeout." Allen made sure the Mavericks fans had a long walk out of the arena after he had a long walk into it. He arrived via cab with three Celtics coaches hours before the game to get some shooting in. But an arena security guard forced them to take a long walk to enter the building because he didn't believe their credentials. "When we came to the security gate, the guy wouldn't let us get dropped off," said Allen, who played 31 minutes. "We told him we were [with the Celtics], we had credentials, and he said, 'No, you can't.' So I just got out and walked and I had my headphones on and said, 'I got a job I need to do.' He was just doing his job, I guess." The Celtics shot only 34.5 percent from the field and missed 12 of 16 3-pointers. Dallas, however, didn't shoot much better at 39.3 percent. Mavericks forward Josh Howard had a game-high 24 points and forward Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 19 rebounds (all defensive). The Celtics have won at Milwaukee, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas on this trip. And even as impressive as this time has been, the Celtics have one tough road game remaining against the Western Conference's top team in the New Orleans Hornets tomorrow night. "None of them were easy," said Sam Cassell, who had 4 points and 6 assists in 26 minutes. "We had to play our [butts] off to get where we are. But it ain't over yet. We know New Orleans is going to be ready for us. Hopefully, our defense will take us to where we have to go."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 21, 2008 6:26:56 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/03/21/league_fires_back_at_taylor?mode=PFLeague fires back at Taylor Minnesota owner lashed for comments By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 21, 2008 DALLAS - An NBA official said last night the league called Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and chastised him for recent comments about Kevin Garnett. Taylor, however, was not fined. Speaking to Minneapolis reporters Tuesday, Taylor said Garnett "tanked it" the last five games of the 2006-07 season while his teammates "still wanted to play." Taylor's comments came after he was asked about his franchise having a reputation for tanking games in recent seasons to aid its draft position. Garnett missed the last five games of last season with a sore right quadriceps. Garnett took the high road Tuesday, saying Taylor was good to him and it was not in his character to go "back and forth saying tasteless things." The first-year Celtic played in Minnesota from 1995-2007 and is the franchise's career leader in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. He was the league MVP in 2004. Despite Taylor's accusation, Garnett is widely viewed as the most intense player in the NBA. When asked after last night's 94-90 win over the Mavericks about Taylor being reprimanded, Garnett again took the high road and was more focused on his team earning a rare accomplishment of beating San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas in consecutive games. "I have no comments about that," Garnett said. "It was a great win for us. I'm glad I'm a part of this big history moment. There is a saying in [Japan], sayonara." Tony Allen sidelined Tony Allen missed last night's victory with a lower back bruise suffered Tuesday at Houston. Allen is rehabilitating with ice, electrical stimulation, and massages but still has pain when he walks fast. Even so, he is holding out hope to return for tomorrow's game at New Orleans. "My back's sore, real tight," Allen said. "It's not as tight as it was, as sore as it was. But the [pain] is still up there. The tailbone is bruised and there is tightness around it." The Celtics were 7-2 when Garnett was out with an abdominal strain and 6-1 without Ray Allen, who scored 21 points in his return last night. But considering two of the three All-Stars, including Paul Pierce, have played in all but one game together this season, the Celtics have been able to find success when one is out. "We still have two, that helps, and the guys have good confidence to run our stuff," Rivers said. "The one thing that we've done a good job of is when one of them goes out, we haven't changed how we play. The only time we actually thought about it, or I actually thought about it, was when Kevin was out. "We had to think about changing our styles defensively, and especially offensively, and we didn't. In retrospect, I'm glad. Sometimes the best move you make is not making a move." Center square Coach Doc Rivers has a defined playing rotation that will be intact throughout the playoffs and includes a center by committee. Outside of Boston's starters, guards Sam Cassell, Eddie House, and Tony Allen, and forward James Posey are solid parts of the rotation. But once starting center Kendrick Perkins goes out, Rivers will go with P.J. Brown, Leon Powe, or Glen "Big Baby" Davis based on the matchup. "That again will be by committee all year, all through the playoffs," said Rivers. "There are certain matchups [that work better than others]. For example, in the Houston game I put P.J. in and right when he went in, I knew it was the wrong game, quick game, energy game. When I took him out the rest of the game, I went with 'Baby' and Leon instead of P.J. and Leon or P.J. and 'Baby.' "So that's what's going to happen. One series might fit [Brown] and one series might fit 'Baby.' Leon is almost game to game with what they're going to give you." Military honors The Celtics will host 300 members of the United States Armed Services and their families for Monday's game against the Sixers in the "Seats for Soldiers" program. Seats for Soldiers allows fans to donate their tickets to members of the armed services. The soldiers will be honored during the second quarter during "Heroes Among Us." "We are extremely thankful to the Boston Celtics and their fans for giving troops the opportunity to go to a game this year," Major Kurt O'Rourke of the Army said in a statement. "Everyone is thrilled to have tickets to the game and is extremely appreciative of the generosity all these fans have shown."
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 21, 2008 7:18:14 GMT -5
www.lowellsun.com/basketball/ci_8637897Celtics are No. 1 ... bar none By Lynn Worthy, lworthy@lowellsun.com Article Last Updated: 03/20/2008 01:02:31 PM EDT Given enough time, even I will come around. In December I warned that Celtics championship talk was premature. It doesn't matter how good any basketball team starts the season, you can't hand out the title before you've even celebrated the new year. While we still can't start etching the Boston Celtics into the history books, that time is clearly inching closer. This week's victories on the road against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets, who had won 22 straight games, proved that this year's Larry O'Brien Trophy is the Celtics' to lose. Don't take this as a guarantee. The playoffs still present an entirely different animal. A seven-game series against a single opponent is quite different than the regular season. But heading into the playoffs, there is not a basketball team on the planet that should put more fear in the hearts, minds, and souls of opponents. Early in the season we heard opponents -- even the ones who lost to Boston -- shooting off their mouths about how the Celtics were being pumped up by media types and pundits. Even Ray Allen suggested you've got to wait 50 or 60 games until you start classifying them in the "elite" category. Tonight's meeting with the Dallas Mavericks will be the 68th game of the season, and so far the Celtics remain the best team in the NBA with a record of 54-13. They'll attempt to become the first team to sweep a road trip with consecutive games against -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas since the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings. Except for playoff performance, the Celtics have answered all questions. Rebuttals have been issued to all the critics. First, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett would never be able to co-exist. They were supposed to be at each other's throats, arguing for more shots and more touches. That never happened. Each is below their career scoring averages, and no complaints have been logged. After that, the common refrain was that the bench was about as deep as a puddle. Well, the younger players have gained experience and veterans were added during the season. How do the likes of James Posey, Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown, Eddie House, Tony Allen, Leon Powe, and Glen Davis look now? Factoring in the mixture of versatility and experience, I'd say they compare favorably to the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic as well as any squad in the Western Conference. Speaking of the Western Conference, the next knock on the Celtics was they were piling up wins while competing in the junior varsity division known as the Eastern Conference. That is until you factor in that the Celtics are 22-4 against the Western Conference. That's an .846 winning percentage if anyone is counting. The last I checked that was still pretty good, but I could be wrong. They've also won both at home (29-5) and on the road (25-8). The most impressive thing is that Boston's success isn't based on LeBron James or Kobe Bryant to be unstoppable. No, the Boston trademark is defense. You can have bad shooting nights, and injuries can take away scoring options. Defense, however, can make up for all ills. Stop the other team from scoring and you win. It's that simple. The Celtics allow the fewest points per game (90) and opponents shoot worse against them than against any other defense (41.7 percent from field). "I've never seen defense like that," Houston Rockets star and NBA MVP candidate Tracy McGrady told reporters after Tuesday's game. "If they play defense like that night in and night out, then the NBA is in trouble because that defense was at its finest." It's ludicrous to say a team is unbeatable, but right now the Celtics are definitely the best basketball has to offer.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 21, 2008 8:24:53 GMT -5
www.eagletribune.com/pusports/local_story_081071345.html?keyword=topstoryThese Celts have it all, especially pride Bill Burt Last night was a mulligan. The Boston Celtics didn't have to win. Their wins at San Antonio and Houston, on back-to-back nights, were historic enough, overcoming a 22-point deficit against the defending NBA champs in the former and ending a legendary 22-game winning streak in the latter. The Dallas Mavericks really and truly needed this win. They hadn't beaten a team above .500 since the acquisition of Jason Kidd, going a disappointing 9-6 since the trade, and they are currently seventh overall in the Western Conference and dangerously close to not making the playoffs (31/2 games ahead of Denver with 13 to go). But the Celtics passed on the mulligan and rallied to win at Dallas, 94-90. They decided they needed to win because, well, they're the Celtics and frankly, for the first time in a decade and a half, that means something. It's called pride. It's something Baby Boomers took for granted in the Dave Cowens years of the 1970s and the Larry Bird era of the 1980s. The 55-13 Celtics are on pace for 66 wins, a number surpassed by only one Celtics team before, maybe the greatest team the franchise ever had — the championship 1985-86 squad which won 67 games. But back to last night's win for a moment. The Celtics did not play well. Their point guard tandem of Rajon Rondo and Sam Cassell combined for a 1-for-16 evening. Overall, the team shot 34.5 percent, one of its lowest percentages of the year. But numbers don't matter, wins do. This Celtics team, which is universally noted as the best defensive group in the NBA, slowed this once-offensive juggernaut to a crawl. If you've listened to their last few opponents, you wouldn't be surprised. Rockets MVP candidate Tracy McGrady said of the C's, "It's a hell of a team over there. They outplayed us. I've never seen a defense like that. I mean, if they play defense like that, night in and night out, the NBA is in trouble because that was defense at its finest." Last night, the bench, which has been a mainstay during this recent hot-streak, wasn't so dependable. But that's OK, because the Big Three, played like the Big Three, scoring 63 points. Ray Allen's 3-pointer, to give the Celts a lead they would never relinquish, 90-88 with 31 seconds remaining, broke a 31/2-minute dry spell in which the Celtics didn't score. To be honest, I wasn't surprised. I am more surprised when Allen, who had been out three games with an ankle injury, or Paul Pierce don't make those shots. The Celtics deserve a break. They really do. But that break will only be one day of rest because they play at red-hot New Orleans tomorrow night. The Celtics don't need it. But I have to admit, there will be some bragging rights at stake. The Hornets recently took over the best record of the Western Conference (46-21) while winning seven of nine games, including over San Antonio, Los Angeles and Houston. I guess we will have to see. We will have to see if the Celtics feel that losing is unacceptable around here. Pride, when mixed with talent, we are finding, goes a long way. Unless I am misinterpreting what I am seeing, that long way might go to championship banner No. 17. You can e-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com. :::::::::::::# Streaking Boston has won 14 of its last 15 games The Celtics became the first team to sweep their Texas trip (San Antonio, Houston, Dallas) since Sacramento in November of 2001. Houston had won 22 straight games, the second longest streak in NBA history. The Spurs hadn't lost at home in six weeks. It was only Dallas' sixth home loss of the year. Boston is on a pace for 66 wins, second highest in franchise history.
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