News 4/9

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1085982&format=text
C’s find a lot in reserve
Subs hang in to stop Bucks in overtime

By Mark Murphy | Wednesday, April 9, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
MILWAUKEE - The Celtics [team stats] led by 20 points with just over four minutes left in the third quarter when James Posey, unaware only three seconds were left on the shot clock, bailed out to Ray Allen for a 24-second violation.

Kevin Garnett was instantly off the bench, pumping his fist and shouting at the unit on the floor to wake up.

Judging from the decline that followed, there still is work to do. The Celtics’ 107-104 overtime win over Milwaukee last night evolved as an exercise in improvement for the group that may need it the most - the reserves who let that 20-point cushion slip away, as well as a 14-point edge (80-66) at the start of the fourth quarter.

When it got tight, Doc Rivers’ message to his bench was simple - sink or swim.

From midway through the third quarter on, the Celtics coach put fate in the hands of Posey, Eddie House, Glen Davis, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and - after Powe fouled out with 53 seconds left in regulation - Brian Scalabrine.

The result was awkward and often ugly. Teammates argued, and lost the ball. But with House hitting his only 3-pointer of the game with 1:29 left in overtime to give the Celtics their final lead, the result also was constructive.

Training camp for the bench, as Rivers has termed it, continues.

“I just didn’t like our body language and our bench,” the coach said. “We came out of a timeout and didn’t execute, and were missing guys who were wide open. We had a stretch where we were so mad at each other that we forgot who the opponent was.

“But I told them there was no cavalry coming.”

Not that the starters wouldn’t have loved to lead the charge. Paul Pierce [stats], who played his first game since the birth of his daughter Friday, was particularly eager to save the day.

“He just kept saying, ‘One possession, one possession,’ ” Rivers said. “Especially on that last play. Then they all wanted in.”

But that would have foiled the lesson.

“Doc told us it would be limited tonight,” said Garnett, who despite taking an early seat still finished with 21 points on the power of a 19-point first half. “But it’s time to be professional about this. These games are about preparation.”

As a result, Powe (28 minutes), House (32), Posey (35), Davis (30) and Tony Allen (31) all played more than the starters.

They were forced to fight for one of the tightest wins of the season.

The Bucks took their first lead of the game (101-99) on Desmond Mason’s 18-foot banker for the first basket of overtime, and Posey immediately answered with a corner trey for a 102-101 edge. Royal Ivey’s trey for a 104-102 lead with 1:45 left was immediately wiped clear by House’s first trey of the game with 1:29 left for a 105-104 Celtics lead.

The Bucks’ answer was a miss from Michael Redd - whose 3-pointer over Tony Allen with 10.5 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime. This time the C’s carved out some space when Posey, off a Scalabrine dish, drew the foul and hit both free throws.

The Celtics turned the ball over twice in their next two possessions, but weren’t forced to pay the price.

Though Milwaukee needed three points to tie, Ramon Sessions drove with five seconds left and missed the layup. Mason missed the rebound as well, and a very tired Celtics reserve unit headed for the locker room.

“We were able to gut it out for the most part,” Posey said. “But we weren’t able to execute on offense that well. We have to give (Milwaukee) credit for executing and sticking it out. But that’s what it comes down to is getting experience out of this, and doing the little things, and overall keeping your focus. The teams that do that go all the way.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1085985&format=text
Pierce boasts the good life

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Wednesday, April 9, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
MILWAUKEE - As someone who often changes his mind in these matters, Celtics [team stats] coach Doc Rivers reversed field and decided to play Paul Pierce [stats], newly returned from the birth of a daughter, in last night’s 107-104 overtime win over the Bucks.

But the Celtics captain returned crowing about a lot more than fatherhood, which would be a big enough event for most people. It was truly an incredible weekend for Pierce, starting with the birth of Prianna Lee Pierce on Friday, and culminating in alma mater Kansas’ triumphant national title on Monday night.

Considering that Pierce’s own run with Kansas never progressed further than the Elite Eight as a freshman before losing to Syracuse, he had a lot to crow about. He was, indeed, one insufferable Jayhawk.

“You have no idea,” said Kevin Garnett.

James Posey rolled his eyes.

“I’m just glad I wasn’t one of the people watching the game with him,” said the C’s forward.

Even those who saw Pierce first thing in the morning weren’t spared.

“His taunting started before shootaround,” said guard Ray Allen. “I heard him before breakfast, before we got on the bus, on the bus.”

Even Rivers had enough of Pierce’s strutting by the end of the morning shootaround at the Bradley Center.

“Of all the guys you would want not to win, he would probably be the one,” Rivers said of Pierce, who, upon leaving the court yesterday morning, spread his arms, looked around, and said, “You should all pay me.”

There were indeed teammates who had to pay up, though reportedly the penalties went more in the direction of pushups and other physically taxing measures than anything financial.

After claiming that Kansas’ win over Memphis entitled him to an interview-free day, Pierce stopped long enough to admit that the birth of Prianna Lee was a singular moment for himself and fiancee Julie Landrum.

“It was a great day for the Pierce household,” he said. “It hasn’t been that hard, but roles do change.”

Easy, perhaps, for the male half of the partnership to say, though Pierce is indeed doing his part.

“I’ve changed three diapers,” he said, later scoffing at the notion he just had a five-day break by pointing to the locker room floor, and saying, “This is rest right here.”

High praise

Considering he received more votes than players like Sidney Moncrief, Marques Johnson and Bob Lanier, there’s something to be said that in a recent Internet fan poll, Allen was voted the third most popular Buck of all time. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson had more votes.

Luckily for the fans, Allen played last night. He missed the first two games this season against the Bucks because of injury.

Sam Cassell, also named to the Bucks’ 40th anniversary team, has a theory about the Allen vote.

“What you have to understand is that the people who did all the voting remember Ray better than the others,” said Cassell. “Ask a 22-year-old guy who Sidney Moncrief is.”

With that Cassell shouted over to Glen Davis, “Hey Baby, who was Sidney Moncrief?”

Davis, puzzled by the question, said, “Sidney Moncreek?” before shaking his head in confusion.

Allen, who also missed last season’s game in Milwaukee as a member of the Sonics and who met with a group of Bucks fans before last night’s game, was simply happy to step on the Bradley Center floor again.

“The last time I was here I sensed a lot of hostility on the street from people, because they wanted to see me play,” said Allen, who also missed the induction ceremony earlier this season. “I would have loved to have been here that night with Glen Robinson, Vin Baker, Oscar (Robertson), all of those guys.”

Cassell hurting

Cassell, who strained his back drawing a charge on Charlotte’s Raymond Felton Saturday night and then aggravated the injury during Monday’s practice, didn’t play last night.

“It’s just irritating me,” Cassell said. “But you get to my age, everyone has these.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/04/09/celtics_call_out_the_reserves?mode=PF
Celtics call out the reserves
Bench does job in OT vs. Bucks
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | April 9, 2008

MILWAUKEE - With the playoffs in mind, Doc Rivers tested his bench down the stretch last night.

It eventually passed.

With home-court advantage clinched, the Celtics coach has said his main agenda the rest of the regular season is to get his bench ready for the playoffs. And with the starters resting for good after three quarters, the Celtics blew a 14-point lead before eventually earning a 107-104 overtime win over the Bucks at the Bradley Center.

"I just wanted to stay in Milwaukee a little longer," joked Rivers, an ex-Marquette star.

Kevin Garnett had 21 points, including 13 in the first quarter, on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the line in only 20 minutes. Reserve guard Tony Allen had 17 points while reserve forward-center Leon Powe added 14 before fouling out. Five Boston reserves all played more minutes than any starter.

While the bench held on for the win, Rivers was not happy with their overall effort and the finger pointing.

"I just didn't like our body language," Rivers said. "Sometimes things don't go right for you. We came out of timeouts and didn't execute plays. We were missing guys wide open. But you can't get mad at each other. The opponent is in the other color.

"We had a stretch where we were so mad at each other after someone missed a shot or someone missed a play we forgot that they were our opponent, and that can never happen.

"It's probably a good lesson for us. What I loved about it was through all of it they found a way to win the game."

Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen all returned after being given the night off Saturday at Charlotte. Pierce had 14 points in 21 minutes while Allen had 11 points in 22 minutes.

Rivers accomplished his pregame goal of getting his starters to play 20-25 minutes, so the Celtics will visit Washington tonight with them rested.

"We'll probably play them a little bit more [tonight], quite honestly," Rivers said.

On watching the last 17 minutes, Garnett said, "It was a little nerve-racking because you want your guys and your teammates to play well, man. You just try to tell guys what you see during timeouts when they mess up. Or, when the energy was low, try to keep the energy high and the morale up.

"There were mistakes, the team stayed together, and we finished this game off. And I felt they did that. They made shots, figured it out, and got the win."

The Celtics were up as many as 25 points, 74-49, in the third quarter, and they entered the fourth with an 80-66 lead.

But Michael Redd's lay-in sliced Milwaukee's deficit to 99-96 with 21.5 seconds left. Celtics forward James Posey missed two free throws with 16.7 seconds left that could have sealed the game. After pump-faking a flying-by Tony Allen to get free, Redd nailed a 3-pointer with 10.5 seconds left to tie the game.

"It was a great moment for our team," said Redd, who had a game-high 25 points.

Pierce asked to come back in for the final play of regulation but was denied by Rivers. Eddie House missed a 3-point attempt with 2.8 seconds left that could have won it in regulation.

"They were trying to come back in, but I told them they weren't coming back in," Rivers said. "I told our bench, 'It's on you.' It was great; great lesson for them."

Said House, "We were up 25. We had no business even going in overtime in this game. We could have been on the bus and the plane to Washington. We were able to fight and still get a win."

The Bucks picked up their first lead of the game, 101-99, after a Desmond Mason jumper with 3:31 left in OT. But Posey responded with a 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 102-101 lead. After Milwaukee's Royal Ivey and House exchanged 3-pointers, Boston held a 105-104 lead. Two Posey free throws gave the Celtics the 107-104 lead with 53 seconds left, and that's where it stayed.

"We were able to gut it out with mental toughness," Posey said. "We made plays when we needed to down the stretch."

Said Garnett, "It's good both ways. Like I've always said, rest is never a bad thing. Experience you can't teach. So for them to be in this game, getting the experience, getting the time, creates rhythm, flow, chemistry. It's a good thing."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/04/09/cassell_sits_this_one_out_with_back_spasms?mode=PF
Cassell sits this one out with back spasms
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | April 9, 2008

MILWAUKEE - Celtics guard Sam Cassell has back spasms, but he also said he will be back soon.

The 38-year-old Cassell, who acknowledged a history of back problems, missed his first game last night since joining the Celtics March 4.

Coach Doc Rivers said Cassell wouldn't play tonight at Washington and wasn't certain when he would play again in the regular season. But Cassell said it's not a major injury.

"I'll be ready for the postseason," he said.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pounder is averaging 5.3 points and 1.7 assists in 13 games with Boston. Cassell missed 12 games when he was with the Clippers earlier in the season with a strained left calf, but he had no other major injuries.

Cassell said he hurt the back while taking a charge on Bobcats guard Raymond Felton during Saturday's win. He said he was hurting during Monday's practice in Charlotte and he was walking gingerly yesterday.

When asked if he could have played last night if it was a postseason game, Cassell said, "If I had to I could definitely do it . . . a couple of Advil."


A happy Pierce
Forward Paul Pierce met the team here Monday after being away since Friday following the birth of his daughter.

Pierce said the birth "was a great day in the Pierce household." He's already changed diapers and joked that he's getting better sleep on the road.

"I didn't have no rest [at home]," he said. "No sleep. No day off. This is rest right here."

"I just told him congratulations," said Rajon Rondo, who has an infant daughter. "I'm new myself. Ray Allen gave him some advice."

Pierce also made sure teammates and media got an earful about his alma mater, Kansas, winning the NCAA Tournament Monday against Memphis.

"I heard him in the [hotel] hallway, at breakfast, and on the bus," Allen said.


A sounding board
Rivers said he was only a "sounding board" in Marquette's recent men's basketball coaching search. The ex-Marquette star is on the school's board of trustees and usually attends two of four meetings per year.

Brent "Buzz" Williams was promoted from assistant to head coach Monday, replacing Tom Crean, who departed for Indiana.

Rivers attended Williams's introductory news conference.

"For the most part I try to stay out of it," said Rivers. "I don't know the college scene that well. I just know who I know and I do have the ability to make calls."

When asked if he ever considered coaching in college, Rivers said, "I had an opportunity, not at Marquette, four years ago. I'm not even going to say the school and I told them, 'No thank you.' I don't want to recruit. Someday maybe. I love college basketball, but not right now.

"I don't ever want to go where my kids are playing or where my kids are being recruited. I think that would be an awful pressure. Your son has to make a choice and you're a college coach? I'd never do that to them."

The eldest of Rivers's sons, Jeremiah, is a guard for Georgetown. He considered going to Marquette, but the pressure of following in his dad's footsteps caused him to go elsewhere.

"He loved Marquette, he loved Tom Crean," Rivers said. "But he walks in the building and sees my Hall of Fame thing and you walk in the arena and my banner is hanging there. He was like, '[Wow], I don't want all that.' I agreed with him."


Scouting in all ports
Director of basketball operations Danny Ainge is attending the Portsmouth Invitation Tournament, showcasing the top "under the radar" college seniors, which begins today in Portsmouth, Va. UMass forward Gary Forbes and Rhode Island guard Parfait Bitee are slated to play. URI forward Will Daniels turned down an invite . . . The ratings of Comcast SportsNet's Celtics telecasts are up from last season. Through 69 telecasts, Comcast's games are averaging a 3.5 rating (80,500 households) vs. a 1.7 through 69 games in 2006-07.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/business/media/view.bg?articleid=1085944&format=text
The ball’s in Celtics court: Ticket demand skyrockets

By Christine McConville | Wednesday, April 9, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Media & Marketing

Photo by Matt Stone
The demand is like nothing they’ve seen in decades.

Last week, the Boston Celtics [team stats] hired a company to sell 300 sets of tickets to the upcoming playoff games.

But just two hours after the tickets went on sale, the team’s top brass received an urgent telephone call.

“The systems crashed,” Boston Celtics President Rich Gotham recalled this week. “The company was hit with 700,000 requests for just 300 tickets.”

The league’s winningest team is riding exceptionally high right now, with 41 soldout home games under its belt. And the Celtics’ leading edge extends beyond the court.

According to league statistics, the team’s jerseys, hats and other gear are top sellers.

The team is also leading the league when it comes to away-game ticket sales, Gotham said.

“The Celtics are hot,” said an otherwise modest Gotham. “In Boston, at a national level and at a global level.”

“Our TV ratings have almost doubled, and our sponsorship revenue has grown,” he said, “and sales of season tickets increased 40 percent.”

cw4 It wasn’t always this way.

Gotham, 43 and a Milford native, can recall the team’s glory days from his youth, when Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were household names. Each playoff season it seemed as if the entire city was rooting for our guys, usually against the too-slick L.A. Lakers.

But Gotham, who joined the Celtics as executive vice president in 2003 and was named president last year, came aboard when the Celtics were struggling mightily.

The team’s owners sought to make Celtics games fun events, even when the team was struggling, so they could generate revenue and reinvest profits in the player payroll.

It’s worked.

Last year, although the team’s performance was among the worst in the league, ticket sales and attendance levels grew steadily.

The owners used that bolstered revenue to sign marquee players Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and position them alongside Paul Pierce [stats].

This year, attendance levels have set team records.

“Even before we finalized the Kevin Garnett trade, our phones were ringing off the hook,” Gotham said. “After he was signed . . . the phones just didn’t stop ringing.”

Gotham, who spent four years at Internet star Lycos during that industry’s go-go years, said the current Celtics fever reminds him of the Internet’s golden years.

“It’s that same ‘the possibilities are endless’ feeling,” he said.