News 4/10

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1086189&format=text

Needy Wiz hold off Celts
Prove they are dangerous postseason foe

By Mark Murphy | Thursday, April 10, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
WASHINGTON - The Celtics [team stats] might be everyone’s sweethearts, but there are at least a few non-believers out there.

That will hold true as long as Washington - about to become someone’s postseason nightmare - still is alive.

The Wizards, who beat the Celtics twice in three days in January, became the only NBA team to claim superiority on the Eastern Conference’s top seed with a 109-95 win last night. Washington, which could finish as high as fourth in the East and as low as seventh, earned a 3-1 win in the season series against the Green.

The Celtics saw their seven-game win streak come to an end. Beyond the fact that Doc Rivers experimented with combinations in the second half - or that the Wizards had more at stake - this opponent clearly presents the Celtics with a rare matchup problem.

Like Philadelphia, another team that has played the Celtics with wire-to-wire pressure this season, the Wizards have the kind of athleticism and flat-out scoring punch that can give the C’s fits.

“They have a lot of confidence against us, a lot of firepower,” Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. “But the thing that stands out about them is their swagger.”

That swagger was bolstered last night by another victory against the team that has held the best record in the NBA since the first week of the season.

Neither a 28-point, six-trey performance by Paul Pierce [stats] nor a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double by Garnett was enough to overcome the likes of Antawn Jamison (27 points) and DeShawn Stevenson (14 points, four 3-pointers).

The Wizards also achieved another rarity last night, shooting 51.3 percent (40-for-78) against a Celtics team that leads the league in field goal defense, with an average of 41.8 percent.

Garnett is right.

Should the Wizards catch up with the Celtics again in the playoffs, they won’t lack for confidence.

“If that matchup was to occur in the playoffs, it gives us the confidence to know that we can match up with them,” Jamison said. “We’re taking their best shot, and things are going to intensify once the playoffs get started. I think it’s good to know that we beat Boston three times.”

If nothing else, the Wizards have put the Celtics on alert.

“I still feel like we’re the better team, but if we play them again, then it’s going to be interesting,” Pierce said. “But these were four close games. You can’t take anything away from them. They match up well against us.”

The Celtics also started to lose manpower, first when Glen Davis left for good in the second quarter with a strained hamstring, and later when Rajon Rondo [stats] followed suit with an upset stomach.

Perhaps the game’s choppy pace was too much.

The Celtics made a couple of forays early in the fourth quarter, cutting the Washington lead to eight points (85-77) on a James Posey hoop, and later six (91-85) on back-to-back 3-pointers from Eddie House and Pierce.

But even when Pierce hit his sixth trey with 2:28 left, cutting the margin to 101-95, that six-point cushion was like a wall.

Stevenson answered Pierce’s bomb with two free throws for a 103-95 lead with 2:05 left, and Jamison hit 1-of-2 just 20 seconds later to push the edge out to nine points.

Ray Allen, rushed back on the floor, missed a layup, leading to the dagger - Stevenson’s fifth trey of the game and third of the quarter for a 107-95 Washington lead with 1:29 left.

“They play great against us,” C’s coach Doc Rivers said. “No doubt about it.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1086191&format=text
No need for Cassell to rush back

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Thursday, April 10, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP
WASHINGTON - Sam Cassell said he’s ready to play again, though he’s a player. What he doesn’t have is the final say.

Celtics [team stats] coach Doc Rivers, who held the guard out of for a second game last night because of a strained back, would like to see Cassell build more time on the floor before the playoffs start but sees no sense in forcing the issue.

“He probably doesn’t have a grasp of everything we’re doing yet but he won’t know everything (by the playoffs), anyway,” Rivers said before last night’s 109-95 loss to the Washington Wizards.

“The injury doesn’t help, that’s for sure. This would be a good time for him to play but there’s nothing we can do about it. The bottom line is that if he’s not healthy, we can’t rush him.”

It appears that when Rivers is ready to make a move, Cassell will be ready to go.

“Yeah, I’ve got it down now,” Cassell said of what has to be learned of the C’s system. “I can go but the training staff won’t let me yet. So there’s no rush, know what I’m saying? We’re playing to win the championship. We have a bigger goal in this. But my back feels a lot better right now.”

Suck it up

Glen Davis left the game for good in the second quarter with a sore right hamstring. The severity of the rookie forward’s injury was waved off by Rivers.

Asked if Big Baby would be ready for tomorrow night’s game at the Garden against the Milwaukee Bucks, Rivers said, “Yes. He’s living up to his nickname right now.” . . .

Rajon Rondo [stats] left in the fourth with a stomach ailment. The point guard was bothered by a similar problem earlier this season.

“I don’t know if it’s food poisoning or what,” Rondo said.

Limited potential

Rivers will continue to limit minutes for his starters down the stretch.

During Tuesday’s win in Milwaukee he sat his starters for all of the fourth quarter and overtime, leaving the game to his bench to secure. Rivers gave his starters more playing time last night, with a minutes limit of approximately 30 minutes per starter the pregame target.

With homecourt advantage secure, Rivers admittedly doesn’t want to see someone get hurt. Such worry comes from personal experience.

“I have this scar on my (right) thumb to show for it,” Rivers said. “While I was with the Knicks we had already clinched (a playoff berth) but because the league didn’t want you holding players out near the end of the season, we all had to play the next game against the Bulls. So in the second (quarter) I ripped a tendon in my thumb, and that was it.”

There are, however, side considerations. Saturday’s game in Atlanta, for instance, could have major playoff implications, considering that the Hawks currently have a two-game lead on the Indiana Pacers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“Our guys will want to play and if they want to they will,” Rivers said. “But I won’t make them go. We view this as great preparation for the playoffs. There’s no recipe for how much time you give out.”

Held in reserve

In three games since returning from a 66-game absence due to knee surgery, Gilbert Arenas has been reinvented as one of the league’s best-known sixth men. The Wizards plan to keep him in the role, at least until the playoffs.

“I’d rather have him as the 16th man,” Rivers said. “I always laugh when people say that they’re better without him. We talked about what can happen when he’s matched up against other team’s second units, and it’s not good.

“Gilbert Arenas is a matchup problem every night for whoever he’s playing against.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/04/10/wizards_handle_celtics?mode=PF

Wizards handle Celtics
Seven-game win streak is halted
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | April 10, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Wizards seem to be the only NBA team that has the Celtics' number this season.

The Celtics ended a seven-game winning streak with a 109-95 loss to Washington last night at a sold-out Verizon Center. Boston (62-16) lost the season series, 3-1, to Washington (41-37). The Wizards' three Boston wins were by an average of 13 points.

"They've played great against us, there has been no doubt about it," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "Obviously, if we face them in the playoffs, they should have great confidence. If that's the way it shakes out, we'd love to see each other. That means we're both still alive. But I don't think either team will complain about that."

Paul Pierce had 28 points and nailed six 3-pointers in 37 minutes. Kevin Garnett had 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists in 31 minutes to earn his 29th double-double of the season. Boston also ended a three-game road winning streak and is now 4-3 in the second game of back-to-back games on the road. The Celtics were playing a night after winning in overtime at Milwaukee, although all their starters played fewer than 25 minutes.

The Wizards shot 51.3 percent and easily surpassed 100 points against the NBA's top defensive team. Antawn Jamison had a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Gilbert Arenas added 13 points and four steals off the bench. The Wizards also scored 52 points in the paint and caused 20 turnovers.

"We played well for 48 minutes," said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan. "We withstood a couple of their runs and we were able to stage a few runs of our own. It was one of those proud, manly games. You have to get through it and prove it to yourself that you can compete on a level like the Boston Celtics."

It's possible that the top-seeded Celtics could face the Wizards in the second round of the playoffs. And if that happens, will the season series matter?

"If we beat them three times, it wouldn't mean anything," said Ray Allen, who had 13 points in 37 minutes. "Once the playoff starts . . ."

Said Jamison: "It says a lot to beat the team, three games to one, throughout the regular season. If a matchup was to occur in the playoffs, it gives us confidence to know that we can match up with them. We're taking their best shot and things are going to intensify once the playoffs get started. I think it's good for us to know that we have the confidence to beat Boston three times."

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who had 4 points and seven assists in 25 minutes, went to the locker room before the start of the fourth quarter because of an upset stomach. Rondo believes he contracted food poisoning from eating a hamburger at the team hotel early yesterday morning. Rivers said Rondo should not have played. Glen Davis left the game in the second quarter with a strained right hamstring, but Rivers said the rookie forward would be fine.

"I'm just weak, nauseous," Rondo said. "Actually, right before the game I started feeling weak. My stomach has been bothering me."

Despite an 18-11 start by the Celtics, the Wizards finished the first quarter with a 30-25 lead. Pierce made his first five shots and had 14 points, including four 3-pointers, in the quarter. Garnett's tip-in just before the halftime buzzer sliced Washington's lead to 55-53.

Pierce scored 18 points in the first half, while Garnett had 15 points and nine rebounds. Jamison had 16 points at the half for Washington, which shot 52.6 percent. Boston shot 48.8 percent for the half and nailed 7 of 16 3-pointers, but allowed 17 points off turnovers.

"We did exactly what we wanted to do," said Wizards guard Antonio Daniels. "We wanted to get out of the gate and bring some energy to the game, get the crowd involved, and then go from there."

The Wizards took an 82-67 lead on a Daniels runner with 1:54 left in the third. Washington finished the quarter with an 82-71 lead after outscoring Boston, 27-18, receiving 8 points from center Brendan Haywood.

"We couldn't get any defensive consistency," Pierce said. "They shot the ball real well. We turned the ball over more than I'd like and it cost us the win tonight."

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Eddie House and Pierce trimmed Boston's deficit to 91-85 with 7:42 left in the game. Garnett's jumper with 5:33 remaining sliced the Celtics' deficit to 96-90. Pierce's sixth 3-pointer brought Boston within 101-95 with 2:27 left. But DeShawn Stevenson's 3-pointer with 1:29 left gave the Wizards a 107-95 lead and sealed the game.

"[The Wizards] have a lot of confidence against us," Garnett said. "They have a lot of firepower on their team. Obviously, they are a team that has been together for a while. What stands out is their swagger. They have a lot of swagger about them. They back it up. They play well against us."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/04/10/friends_of_auerbach_feast_on_the_memories?mode=PF
Friends of Auerbach feast on the memories
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | April 10, 2008

WASHINGTON - Every Tuesday during lunchtime, Kwok K. Cheung places a picture of the late Red Auerbach in an empty seat and a cold bottle of Tsingtao beer at the table in front of it at Shanghai Village Chinese restaurant in Bethesda, Md. Soon after, many of the former Celtics coaching legend's friends arrive to enjoy the weekly lunches and conversations he started years earlier.

"I definitely appreciate them still coming here," Cheung said in a phone interview. "I've known Red Auerbach for a long time. Of course, I miss him."

For years, Auerbach had lunch with a group of friends in and out of basketball at the China Doll in downtown Washington. The lunches became the backdrop of a best-selling book called, "Let Me Tell You a Story," by John Feinstein.

The China Doll, near the Verizon Center, where the Wizards play, is now closed. According to Auerbach's close friend, Dr. Murray Lieberman, the Tuesday lunches were moved to the Shanghai Village in 2006 because it was closer to the Hall of Famer's doctor appointments. Auerbach, who died at age 88 Oct. 28, 2006, was also a longtime friend of Cheung's and would regularly visit the restaurant.

The likes of Lieberman, Feinstein, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, former Washington Post sports editor George Solomon, George Washington University director of athletics Jack Kvancz, ex-Celtics great Sam Jones's son, Aubre, among others still carry on his Tuesday luncheon tradition. They keep in touch via e-mail and all have become close friends.

"Everyone likes each other and it's grown into a club," said Lieberman, who was Auerbach's urologist and close friend. "[Auerbach] would have said, 'This is great that this guy did something good for this guy and they didn't know each other before.' It was amazing to him that he created that.

"The lunches are every week, every week. Anything and everything gets covered."

In "Let Me Tell You a Story," Feinstein describes Lieberman as "someone Red trusted implicitly both as a friend and a doctor." Since he couldn't make a lot of the Tuesday lunches because of his schedule, Lieberman often had lunch with Auerbach on Wednesdays. Lieberman said he wishes Auerbach was around to see today's Celtics play, but added he was with them in spirit. Lieberman said Auerbach didn't watch the Celtics play live in Washington and preferred to go to games in Boston, where he is still idolized.

Lieberman attended last night's Celtics-Wizards game wearing a "RED" pendant and a watch from the 1984 NBA Finals that Auerbach gave him.

"He loved the atmosphere and the camaraderie of being there with the guys," Lieberman said. "He was great with the players that were there and felt great about Paul [ Pierce] and a lot of the others. He'd be really happy to see what they're doing today. You just wish he could be here."

Said Pierce: "[Auerbach] would have been one of the happiest guys [now]. But the thing about Red is he's going to keep stuff in perspective. I know we're playing well and we're winning. But he would come in during a day like today and say, 'Great regular season, guys, but the mission ain't accomplished.' He's one of those guys who won't let you get too high and won't let you get too low."


Cassell improving
Sam Cassell said his back spasms were much improved, but he still missed his second straight game last night, a 109-95 Celtics loss to the Wizards.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he hopes the 38-year-old will play this weekend, but Rivers and Cassell both noted there wasn't any rush. "I feel good, baby," Cassell said. "I feel better."


He backs Portsmouth
In 1992, then-Louisiana Tech forward P.J. Brown showcased his skills to NBA scouts by playing in the Portsmouth Invitational, which showcased senior college stars under the radar. It worked well for Brown, who is in his 15th NBA season. The Portsmouth alumni now playing in the NBA include Ben Wallace, Cuttino Mobley, Derek Fisher, Devean George, John Salmons, Theo Ratliff, Mikki Moore, Willie Green, Greg Buckner, Rasual Butler.

While some NBA executives have questioned whether Portsmouth is still a useful tool, Brown described it as "important" for players from lesser-known colleges.

"It was a great experience," he said. "For guys like myself, and I was a no-name coming into that tournament, it was a chance to make a name for yourself. It was a great opportunity with all the GMs and scouts around the league to show if you belong in the NBA."