News 3/24

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1082475&format=text
Quick to the point
Cassell’s impact already felt

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Notebook | Monday, March 24, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Stuart Cahill
The Celtics [team stats] are a lot more comfortable with their championship chances today than they were three weeks ago, and the reason rests in a guy who made 2-of-17 shots in the last three games.

Sam Cassell has calmed the quiet concerns of a club that is going all-in, giving the Celts an experienced option at the point behind Rajon Rondo [stats].

No knock on the starter, but while he’s exceeded expectations, he is a second-year point guard with zero playoff experience.

Rondo has been spectacular at times, bedeviling Chris Paul in New Orleans Saturday with 10-for-15 shooting and 23 points. But that came on the heels of an 0-for-7 night with five turnovers in Dallas on Thursday.

Rondo is still the principal point, but the Celtics do feel better knowing he doesn’t bear all the pressure.

“Sam brings that element of a guy who’s been there,” Paul Pierce [stats] said. “He gives you that extra swagger. We feel his confidence in the locker room in the way he talks.

“Listen to this: I mean, honest to God, before the game (in Houston) started, Sam said, ‘Man, we’re going to go out here and win by a blowout,’ and you thought, man, this guy is a confident dude. He really believes that. And then we go out and win like we did (94-74) and he comes in and says, ‘I told y’all so.’ He just instills that confidence. He’s an extra mouth. He’s been there and done that, so you’re going to listen to him.”

Pierce then smiled and added, ‘Wait until he starts learning the plays.”

Indeed, Cassell has already been a factor, hitting the key 3-pointer in the win over San Antonio on Monday.

And even when he struggled in Dallas (1-for-9 shooting), he was still the one who found Ray Allen for the big 3-pointer late.

“Yeah, having Sam - having that extra point guard - is big for us,” coach Doc Rivers said. “But we’ve got to get it all together with him. You know, Sam comes in and our rhythm gets off track. We’ve got to get that right. So when we get back off the trip we’re going to have practice time, and I think that’ll be the most important time of the year for us.”

Cassell has evidently gotten it together with regard to the Celtics’ defensive emphasis. Recently he said, “On this team, if you don’t play defense, you don’t play - (expletive), for real.”

In Dallas, he was on the court down the stretch because he was part of a unit that was playing the best defense.

“Yeah,” he said with a laugh, “write that down. The people in L.A. said I couldn’t play defense.”

The ex-Clipper added later, “No doubt about it. It’s an issue here. It’s something that we constantly go over. We have good individuals but we also have a really good helping defense. Everybody’s helping one another out, and that makes it easier. When you know someone’s got your back and they know you’ve got their back, it makes it easier for everybody.”

Having Cassell has made it easier for everyone in Green to envision themselves going deep in the playoffs.

Almost perfect

The C’s arrived home after squandering a chance to make history.

Their 10 fourth-quarter turnovers (21 for the game, leading to 32 Hornet points) left them with a loss after wins over Milwaukee, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Had they beaten New Orleans, they would have been the first team to win four straight regular season games against teams 20 or more games over .500.

A win also would have meant just the second time in franchise history that the Celts were perfect on a five-game road trip. The 1972-73 team did that, and the scheduling back then makes its feat even more impressive.

After winning in Chicago on Feb. 13, the 1972-73 Celts won the next night in Omaha, Neb., against the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. They had an off day before winning at Portland, Golden State and Seattle on Feb. 16, 17 and 18, respectively.

Yes, they played games on three consecutive nights. And that’s with getting up in the morning and flying commercial.

Tourney favorites

After the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, Paul Pierce (Kansas) and James Posey (Xavier) are the only Celtics with their former schools still alive.

“We’re going to go all the way,” Posey said. “We’re going to shock the world.”

“No,” said Pierce, “Kansas is going to beat Texas. It’s going to be an all-Big 12 final.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/03/24/no_matter_the_hardwood_rondo_on_a_roll/

No matter the hardwood, Rondo on a roll
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 24, 2008

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge did a thorough background check on Rajon Rondo by calling his agent, mother, girlfriend, and several others.

No, this wasn't when Ainge and the Celtics were scouting Rondo before the 2006 NBA draft. Rather, it was earlier this month when Ainge was garnering information he needed to become comfortable signing off on allowing Boston's starting point guard to take part in his favorite hobby at a community event: roller skating.

"I did research and I did come to conclusion that he is a fantastic roller skater and he did it in his spare time," Ainge said. "Even with the research, I said, 'If there is a 1 percent chance of getting hurt, I don't want you to do it.' He said, 'There is no chance.' I said, 'One in a thousand chance?' He said, 'There was a 1 in a billion chance.'

"He had a lot of confidence and he wasn't going to do any tricks. I told him to go at your own risk, but if you get hurt I'm not paying you. He just laughed and went on his way."

Paul Pierce is a fantastic pool player. James Posey has a reputation of being a talented bowler. Ray Allen is an actor who starred in the movie, "He Got Game."

But none of the Celtics has a hobby that can be as physically challenging as roller skating, especially when considering the tricks Rondo can do. He takes very good care of his $150 boot-like skates that look new, but he rarely has an opportunity to skate during the busy season.

"I'm the best skater in the [NBA]," Rondo said. "I don't know who's good, but I'm the best skater in the league. That's just something I like to do outside the court. A lot of us like to bowl, too, but I'd rather skate.

"I'm in my own zone. It's never the same. I can learn. I'm not the best at it, so I want to continue to get better. I challenge myself every time I go out there. My friends are very good, they've taught me how to skate and they teach me everything. I've fallen a couple times, nothing too serious."

Rondo skated as a kid while growing up in Louisville, Ky. But it wasn't until the movies "Roll Bounce" (2005) and "ATL" (2006) arrived, which featured rhythmic roller skating, that he became interested again.

Two years ago, Rondo started skating in the offseason with friends back home in Louisville for as long as three hours at a time. He has watched "Roll Bounce" and "ATL" countless times to help pick up tricks.

"We would practice routines," Rondo said. "We would do certain steps, it's not really dancing. But we are doing the same thing on skates . . . I got good at it. Got my own skates and, from there on, I fell in love with it."

Rondo, 22, says he is very good at "trio," rhythmically skating with two partners. He said he often skates trio in Louisville with a group his age as well as a group of middle-aged adults. He said he has declined several offers to take part in skating competitions during the offseason.

Although Rondo often can be found skating at Robben's Roost Roller Skating in Louisville, he doesn't skate much during the season because "it's a lot on your legs." He hasn't found a favorite rink close to his Metrowest home that is big on playing R&B and hip-hop.

"A lot of people around the country try to do [trio skating] like us [in Louisville], but they can't do it like us," said Rondo. "They skate by themselves in Boston. They skate real fast and I consider it wild. But Louisville, we skate smooth with rhythm."

"I don't go often at all during the season. But in the summertime I go about three times a week and on weekends. Instead of going to the club, I go skating on Friday nights."

Considering how important Rondo has become to the Celtics, Ainge became understandably nervous when he heard Rondo was taking part in a community event at Roller World in Saugus earlier this month with 30 kids from Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

But after Ainge investigated - and got a promise from Rondo that he wouldn't be fancy - he signed off on it.

"[Ainge] thought I was going to get hurt," Rondo said. "There was a chance for me to get hurt, but I wasn't doing any tricks or anything. I was just running around with the kids going around the rink."

If you're at a rink and you see a guy who looks like Rondo grooving on skates, it's probably him. But disc jockeys, please don't announce his arrival. He prefers to skate incognito on a different hardwood than usual.

"Every time I go, I get shout-outs and stuff [from the DJ]," Rondo said. "I don't really want all that. I just want to have fun in my own little world. They embarrass me, but I don't mind it . . .

"I just like to go and have fun on my own. I want to have fun and skate just like they're doing.

"It was fun the first couple of times when people would say, 'Is that? Is that? It is.' But I just try to ignore it and keep skating."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080324/SPORTS/803240355/-1/NEWS
FREE THROWS: Record's out for Celts, but there's plenty to play for
March 24, 2008 6:00 AM
Saturday night's loss in New Orleans effectively ended the Boston Celtics' hopes of setting a new franchise win record, but that doesn't mean there isn't history to be made as the regular season comes to a close.

At 55-14 with 12 games left, they won't be able to reach the 68-14 mark from 1972-73, but can equal Boston's best record since — 67-15 in 1985-86 — by winning every game remaining on the slate. So with that in mind, we take a look at the reality of running the table.

Tonight, the Celtics kick off a three-game home stand with the Philadelphia 76ers, a pesky .500 team 8-2 in their last 10 games and seeded seventh in the East. It doesn't get any easier after that, with a home games against the Suns on Wednesday (also 8-2 in their last 10) and the Hornets on Friday, teams which gave the Celtics two of their only five Western Conference losses this season.

April Fool's Day will bring a trip to Chicago, but the joke is on Da Bulls. They haven't improved since trading Ben Wallace to Cleveland, and it should be an easy Celtics victory. That's followed the next day by a home game against the Indiana Pacers, who will likely still be without Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley.

Games at Charlotte and Milwaukee should also be winnable, despite how tough the Bobcats have played the Green this year, beating them 95-83 back on Jan. 9. The three-game road trip wraps up with possible playoff foe Washington on April 9, and the Wizards will be looking for (believe it or not) the season sweep.

The Celtics get a quick return home on April 11 for another tilt against the Bucks, even if all eyes will be on Fenway Park for the first Yankees visit of the season. Then, the Green go on the road for the final time in the regular season, with games at Atlanta and New York. While the Knicks will have likely imploded long before that meeting, the Hawks should be at worst fighting to hold on to the eighth playoff spot.

The season then closes out at home with the Celtics' first look at the Jason Kidd-less New Jersey Nets, who may be battling for their playoff lives.

It would be easy to go into cruise control with the Atlantic Division locked up, but with Detroit nipping at their heels, there's still homecourt through the playoffs to fight for. That's why the Celtics aren't going to let up down the stretch.

"We are just going to play our guys," head coach Doc Rivers told The Boston Globe. "Clearly, you want to cut down minutes. But I'm not a big believer, the same like the Patriots (who didn't rest their starters when give the chance to go 16-0). You don't change what you're doing."

"You may rest them in games as far as how many minutes they play," Rivers said. "But no, you just keep playing because of rhythm. You need rhythm. It's a rhythm game."

With just three more wins, this season will officially become the biggest turn-around in franchise history. It will top the 32-game swing the Celts achieved back in 1979-80, when a rookie named Larry Bird led the Green from a 29-win campaign to a 61-21 mark.

They can also surpass some of the best seasons Boston enjoyed under the original Big 3 — the 63 wins in both the 1981-82 season and the 1984-85 campaigns, and the 62 games won in 1983-84. Tying the Big 3's record of 67 wins may be a little more difficult, but looking at the schedule, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Of course, to really equal the 1985-86 Celtics, this year's version will have to bring home an NBA championship.



BIRD FLYING THE COOP?
Despite rampant reports the Knicks are set to dump Isiah Thomas at season's end and hand over basketball operations to current Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, the object of Jim Dolan's current affection is likely staying in Indiana.

Walsh reportedly met with Pacers owners Herb and Melvin Simon for eight hours on Friday. The believed outcome of that meeting is that for Walsh to remain with the team, they'd have to take away Indiana icon Larry Bird's day-to-day power in the organization. As team president, Bird — who was considered to be the heir apparent to Walsh — had been handling all of the team's basketball operations.

According to an unnamed source quoted in the New York Daily News, "barring something crazy happening, Donnie is staying. The players all got a sense on Friday that Donnie would be around."

Where that leaves the Legend is anyone's guess.

There is still some speculation the Knicks might offer the job to Jerry West, who won six titles as Lakers GM, plus Executive of the Year in both Los Angeles and Memphis. According to Newsday, three people close to West acknowledged he would be interested if the Knicks job was offered to him. Bird would also have to be considered a candidate for New York if he is let go.

Now that would really irk Isiah. Remember what happened the last time Larry took over a team that Thomas was coaching?

Tim Weisberg covers the NBA for The Standard-Times. Contact him at [e-mail]



HOT
168 IS GREAT

The Denver Nuggets' 168-116 win over the Sonics will certainly be a game for the ages, but even though the 52-point margin was a franchise mark, but it's not the most points they've ever scored. They put up 186 in a two-point, triple-overtime win over the Pistons back in 1983.

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

Kudos to Kevin Garnett for keeping his cool when accused by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor of "tanking" the last five games of his final season in Minnesota. The league chastised Taylor, although he has not yet been fined.

EAST IS A BEAST

Not since March 21, 1991, have two Eastern Conference teams led the NBA in winning percentage this late in the season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, as the Celtics (.797) and Pistons (.721) are doing now. Back then, it was Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls (.769) and Larry Bird's Celtics (.735) atop the league.

NOT

50 NOT SO NIFTY

The Nuggets, 42-28 after beating Toronto on Sunday, could become the first 50-game winner not to make the postseason. "I call it the Halley's Comet of the NBA," Nuggets coach George Karl told reporters. "Once every 99 years something like this happens."

GOODNIGHT, SEATTLE

Dr. Frasier Crane's sign-off can be applied to the city's quest to keep the SuperSonics in town with a bid to upgrade KeyArena. Commissioner David Stern called it "a late PR stunt" on ESPN Radio, and said if the city had "done this a year ago, we wouldn't be having the conversation."

BASS-ACKWARDS

A very public argument between Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and head coach Avery Johnson over the use of young forward Brandon Bass put Cuban at the center of attention this week; he kept it going with his zero-exception rule against banning bloggers from the Mavs locker room. For a guy who made his money in the dot-com boom, you'd think he'd realize the Internet is the future.