Post Ups Notebook
Peter Stringer and Couper Moorhead "post" the latest from practice and pregame media sessions in Celtics.com's Post Ups notebook. Bookmark this page and come back for updates from the Garden and Waltham. You can send them .
Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author exclusively and do not necessarily represent those of the Boston Celtics.
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Post Ups Notebook
Tuesday, January 6 - Celtics at Bobcats
Live Game Updates
Celtics 106, Bobcats 114, FINAL: The Celtics are outscored 17-9 in overtime and drop a 114-106 decision in Charlotte for their second straight loss and their 7th of the season.
Celtics 97, Bobcats 97, End of Regulation: Pierce hits a turnaround jumper over D.J. Augustine to tie the game at 97-97 with 3.4 seconds to play.
Celtics 72, Bobcats 72, End of Third: The Celtics finished the third quarter on fire over the last two minutes, with Eddie House capping the rally with a steal and layup to tie the game at 72-72.
Celtics 47, Bobcats 53, Halftime: The Bobcats are out and running and enjoy a six-point lead at halftime. The Bobcats have gotten to the free throw line and they're winning despite the Celtics shooting 49% from the field. But turnovers are killing the Celtics, they've given up the rock seven times to just one Charlotte turnover and the 'Cats have capitalized.
Ray Allen has 13 points at the break, while Wallace has 19 for Charlotte.
Celtics 23, Bobcats 28, End of First: The Bobcats have jumped out early here against the Celtics, who've turned it over four times. Gerald Wallace has 12 points in the period, while Ray Allen has eight for Boston.
Tony Allen Ankle Injury
The word from Charlotte is that Tony Allen did not participate in today's shootaround and may not play tonight against the Bobcats. He is officially considered "day-to-day" with a strained right ankle and will be evaluated by Dr. Brian McKeon tomorrow in Waltham.
Sunday, January 4 - Celtics at Knicks
Celtics 88, Knicks 100, FINAL: The Celtics recent road woes continued as they fall to the Knicks at MSG. The Knicks stymied Boston's attack by keeping Rajon Rondo out of the paint and doubling down on KG. It apparently worked. Paul Pierce's 31 was not enough, and the Celtics lose on a night when both Cleveland and Orlando also dropped their games.
Celtics 68, Knicks 78, End of Third: The Celtics dug themselves a hole and will need a shot in the arm to take a win at MSG tonight.
>Kevin Garnett appeared to hurt his right calf after getting tangled up with a Knicks defender while making a nice behind-the-back pass to Perkins for the jam. We'll keep our eyes on that in the fourth quarter.
Celtics 53, Knicks 50, Halftime: The Celtics stepped up their efforts on defense in the second quarter, and they'll take a 53-50 lead into the half. KG's been doubled and tripled almost all night, but he has four blocks, while Pierce (15 points) and Ray Allen (12 points) are getting it done on the offensive end.
Al Harrington is lighting it up off the bench, scoring 20 of the Knicks' first 36 points. But three fouls took him out of the game late in the half and New York's attack stagnated significantly.
Celtics 24, Knicks 25, End of First: KG picked up 2 quick fouls while the Knicks shot 50% in the first quarter to build an early lead, but the Celtics had it down to a one-point lead after one. Paul Pierce did appear to knock knees with a defender on a jumper late in the quarter but seems to have shaken it off.
Friday, January 2 - Wizards at Celtics
Live from Courtside
Wizards 83, Celtics 108, FINAL: Mercifully, this one is over. Short minutes for the starters is a good thing. And the bench got a chance to get some badly-needed flow on the offensive end. We'll take it.
Wizards 55, Celtics 86, End of Third: Boston continues to build the lead, now up to 31 points, and the quarter was capped by Rondo's behind-the-back assist to a wide open Ray Allen for a three in the quarter. It's another Garden Party in the making.
Wizards 34, Celtics 58, HALFTIME: The C's outscored Washington 30-20 in the second period, and defense is once again getting the job done. Pierce has 17 at the break, while Rondo has nine dimes.
Wizards 14, Celtics 28, End of First: Well, if you were expecting the Celtics to come out like a house of fire in the first quarter, you were right. They shot 63%, held the Wizards to just 32% and Paul Pierce (13 points, 5/5) and Rajon Rondo (seven assists) tore them apart in the opening frame.
Pregame
It's a new year, which means new features for Celtics.com. We've launched a live homepage scoreboard module, complete with a live Twitter feed of updates from the game.
You can get the scores and feed on the Celtics.com homepage, or start following the beta launch of the Celtics feed at the official Celtics Twitter feed.
Tuesday, December 30 - Celtics at Trail Blazers
Postgame Quotes
Referee Mike Callahan to a Pool Reporter on the missed Six Men on the Court call:
"If we would have caught the six men on the court before the made goal, then there would have been no score. We would have called a technical foul on Portland and stopped play. After the technical foul shot (by Boston), Portland would have inbounded the ball as they were in possession before the stoppage."
Celtics Coach Doc Rivers:
"Portland came in and wanted to be physical. I thought that was great for us because all they were doing was fouling in the first half. But in the second half, I thought they were the more physical team, especially on the glass. I said it before the game -- the key to the game was that if we rebounded that we'd win the game and if we didn't, we'd lose the game. I thought they absolutely destroyed us on the boards. Our bench had two rebounds -- the entire bench had two rebounds...it's very difficult to win [like that]."
Celtics Center Kendrick Perkins
"This ain't nothing to hang your head about, we need to just keep working...we beat them on our home court, so I figured the way they came out, they were physically, so obviously, Coach McMillian told them to get physical...they came out and played hard, nothing else to say."
Celtics Point Guard Rajon Rondo
"We just didn't execute down the stretch, we didn't take care of the ball and we lost our focus when we had those leads."
Live from Courtside
Celtics 86, Blazers 91, Final: The Celtics kept themselves in this one thanks to Pierce, but the Blazers made all the big plays and carried most of the momentum through the second half. The difference was in the paint: 34-22 points in the paint advantage for Portland, and a 44-29 rebounding advantage.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Miami Heat tonight so the Celtics' hold on the top spot in the conference is safe, but they are still heading back to Boston with a 1-3 road trip under their belts.
- Couper Moorhead
Celtics 64, Blazers 64, End of Third Quarter: The Blazers started taking control in the second quarter after Oden's shove of Ray Allen, and in tying this low-scoring affair up heading into the final quarter, it seems like they have it.
Paul Pierce (18 points) and Rajon Rondo (11 points, a three and seven assists) answered some of Portland's best shots, but the Celtics only have 14 points in the paint to the Blazers' 24. The Blazers also hold the rebounding advantage, 34-23.
Those stats might have something to do with Doc Rivers staying true to his words regarding Kevin Garnett's minutes. The Big Ticket has played just 27 minutes and was not in the game to begin the fourth.
- Couper Moorhead
Celtics 45, Blazers 40, End of First Half: It's unclear whether it was intentional or not, but midway through the quarter Oden drew a technical by giving Ray Allen a hefty bump out of bounds. There was some talking between the teams afterward and it marked a distinct momentum shift in the game. The Celtics started committing the same careless turnovers (nine total) that the Blazers were in the first quarter, and Portland capitalized.
Here's one way to show how much the Blazers are missing Brandon Roy: the two guys getting his minutes, Fernandez and Bayless, are a combined 1-of-9 from the field.
The half ended with one of the weirder plays of the season when the Blazers came out of a timeout with six players on the floor. With an extra man, Travis Outlaw got an easy dunk, but because the refs didn't see the infraction before the bucket, the basket was counted and the Blazers were called for a technical.
Steve Blake (13 points) keyed the big run from the Blazers with hot shooting from the top of the arc, but he was getting open shots after the Celtics were forced to collapse on Greg Oden, who, presence wise, is playing one of the better games of his short career.
- Couper Moorhead
Celtics 23, Blazers 13, End of First Quarter: The Blazers have come out with more energy than they did in Boston, but they are also handing the ball over on a silver platter -- they had six turnovers in the first quarter. Jerryd Bayless, getting the backup shooting guard minutes with Rudy Fernandez filling in for Brandon Roy, had his first pass picked off by Rajon Rondo, and later, another pass deflected right off the hands of Travis Outlaw and out of bounds.
It's worth noting that at least 11 of Boston's points have come from the same spot on the far left wing. The Celtics have also been trying to take advantage of the Blazers' transition defense like they did back east, but Portland has gotten back and knocked a few outlet passes away.
Greg Oden had a much better start this time around, hitting both a hook and a short jumper over Perkins and drawing a foul on the Celtics' big. Paul Pierce paces the Celtics with eight points.
- Couper Moorhead
Sunday, December 28 - Celtics at Kings
Live from Courtside
Kings 63, Celtics 108, FINAL: The Celtics' bench outscored the Kings 24-15 over the final 12 minutes to salt away the victory and flirt with a 50-point win. That said, a 45-point win is the Celtics largest margin of victory of the season.
Kings 48, Celtics 84, End of Third: The rout is on and it's already garbage time with a quarter to play. Kevin Garnett posted 21 points and 11 rebounds in just under 23 minutes of action, and given the score, he's likely done for the night. Ray Allen also has 19.
The Kings have yet to score 20 points in a quarter tonight; they scored 14 in the third after dropping just 17 in each of the first two periods.
Kings 34, Celtics 59, HALFTIME: The Celtics are pouring on the defense, trapping in the backcourt and keeping the paint locked down. The result? A 25-point halftime lead. Pierce (12) and Allen (13) are leading the way, while the Kings are shooting just 25%. And finally, the Celtics bench has become a factor, scoring 18 points in the half, led by eight points from Eddie House.
Kings 17, Celtics 23, End of First: Kendrick Perkins is back in the lineup and has made his presence felt in the first period, pulling down five rebounds while KG grabbed six of his own. And the defense was back where it belongs, too. The C's held the Kings to just 25% shooting in the first quarter.
Game Preview
The Boston Celtics got off to the best 29-game start in NBA history, but knew that historic run would be tested with their first significant road trip of the season.
So far, it couldn't be going any worse.
Losers of back-to-back games after winning 19 in a row, the Celtics will try to get back in the win column Sunday night when they visit the struggling Sacramento Kings.
Friday, December 26 - Celtics at Warriors
Live Game Updates
99-89 Warriors, FINAL: This game turned around in the fourth quarter, as the Warriors outscored the Celtics 35-17 over the final 12 minutes to hand the Celtics their fourth loss of the year.
The Warriors' frenetic pace was too much for the Celtics tonight as Stephen Jackson dropped 28 points, and with Ray Allen fouling out and having really his first off-game of the year, the Celtics were missing a little punch in their game.
While Rajon Rondo neared a triple-double, the Celtics' defense didn't have a typical game as the Warriors shot a shade underneath 46%.
So after riding a winning streak for 19 games, the Celtics find themselves in the midst of a two-game losing streak. The last time the Celtics dropped two straight games was March 22-24, when they fell to New Orleans Hornets on the road and then came back to the Garden and lost to Philadelphia two nights later.
The Celtics have not won in Golden State since 2003.
72-64 Celtics, End of Third Quarter: The Celtics are letting the Warriors hang around, as Marco Bellinelli has 18 points and the Warriors crowd is starting to get into the game. Pierce has 20, while Rondo is on the verge of his second career triple-double.
51-39 Celtics, Halftime: Rajon Rondo is once again stuffing the stat sheet with a six-point, six-rebound and six-assist line at the half, while Paul Pierce is the Celtics' leading scorer with 13 points. Powe, in his homecoming to Oakland, was probably trying to do too much on the offensive end, and leads the team with nine attempts. He also has nine points to show for it, but also got a tongue-lashing from Doc Rivers on the sideline.
With Perk sidelined, KG appears to have stepped up his effort on the defensive end and has swatted three shots.
29-19 Celtics, End of First Quarter: With Leon Powe inserted into the starting lineup for Kendrick Perkins (left shoulder strain), the Celtics haven't been featuring their early post-up offense as usual, but he has been active on the boards. Paul Pierce is leading the way with 11 points for an offense that's clicking at a 70% rate.
Stephen Jackson, who dropped 30 points at the Garden on November 26, already has 11 himself, but given all of the injuries the Warriors have, it's not really clear who else could do the scoring anyway.
Perk Out, Leon Starts
Kendrick Perkins was a late scratch today after feeling the effects of a left shoulder injury sustained in yesterday's game in Los Angeles. He is officially considered day-to-day.
Thursday, December 25 - Celtics at Lakers
Celtics Quotes
Rajon Rondo's thoughts about the winning streak that ended:
"Nothing at all really, just try to start another one. We got Golden State tomorrow, give them (Lakers) credit, they played well tonight, and we just have to get ready for Golden State."
Rondo on Andrew Bynum's presence being a factor for the loss:
"For me none, I still try to attack the rim. He was a factor, he played well tonight but I think Gasol played well too. He made plays down the stretch."
Rondo on what ultimately lost the game for the Celtics: "Execution...execution. With two minutes to go we didn't execute down the stretch, we came out of the timeout and did not know what play to run and that just blew the game right there."
Celtics' Kendrick Perkins on the Lakers performance:
"They all made big shots at different times at the game. Kobe was Kobe tonight he made plays, Gasol made good plays down the stretch and big buckets. Lamar Odom at the end of the third knocked down two 3-pointers for them that kind of pushed it up and slowed our tempo down a little bit. Tonight they just out hustled us and worked harder I think. They were just hungrier than us. But we didn't shoot the ball extremely well, but that's not an excuse, our defense was breaking down and guys were missing coverages."
Perkins on getting their winning streak broken:
"You don't really care about the winning streak, you care about the win."
Celtics' Paul Pierce on his thought on the loss:
"You always want to get a win when you play a basketball game whether it's at home or on the road, but you know we lost to a team that played better than us tonight. Give them all the credit. We just have to play better down the stretch. I thought we were in the game most of them time but some points in the game we didn't execute and that was the difference in the ball game."
Pierce on his team's performance: "We just didn't execute like we wanted to. I thought we had some turnovers that we shouldn't have. Were usually a better team especially down the stretch even thought we turned the ball over a lot. Were usually a team that executes well when it comes to ball games but we didn't do it tonight."
Postgame Coverage
Celtics Coach Doc Rivers on the Lakers' performance:
"They played great, give them credit. The game was physical. It really was well played. It was very sloppy but they were less sloppy at the end. They made their shots."
Rivers on tonight's showdown:
"It was great; two teams who have the best record in the NBA, both teams are doing well, the two teams that made it to the Finals last year. We wanted to win but this game doesn't change our minds on what we feel we can do. It was a fun game to be a part of. Good lesson for us. We have to give the Lakers their due, they won the game. We'll see them again."
Rivers on his team's performance:
"For a team that has been phenomenal down a stretch of games, I didn't think we were very good tonight. I think that we took early shots on the clock. There was two minutes and twenty seconds left and we're jacking threes up with contested shots. The one thing we haven't been is that. We've been as composed as any team that I've seen in a long time and I thought quite honestly that we lost it a little bit at the end.
Sometimes you want to win the game so bad, each guy starts taking what we call the hero shots. I thought that we had a boatload of hero shots down the stretch of the game."
Rivers on the bench's performance:
"The bench was phenomenal. Between the end of the third they came down four and left up one with that crazy shot that Rondo drove and the hook that was about fifteen seconds too late. That was a big call in the game and that was our bench guys, minus Rondo. I thought the bench was absolutely fantastic."
Doc Rivers on the impact of tonight on tomorrow's game:
"We lost tonight and we have to start a new streak but other than that. Like I said before the game was a big game. We play tomorrow and we're going to get in a tough atmosphere I'm not worried about the physical fatigue, I'm worried about the mental fatigue tomorrow."
Live Game Updates
Celtics 83, Lakers 92, FINAL: Tied at 81-81, the Celtics offense stagnated after Rajon Rondo (12 assists) collided with Pau Gasol and was shaken up. The Lakers then went on an 11-2 run to close the game, with Gasol's and-one layup and block of a deep Ray Allen three among the highlights for the Lakers.
The Lakers certainly hyped this game up, and released streamers after earning the win. We're awaiting postgame reaction from the Celtics on this one.
The 19-game winning streak is officially over.
Celtics 67, Lakers 71, End of Third Quarter: The Celtics managed to grab a brief lead in the third quarter after trailing by as many as 10 points, and despite the complete lack of bench production. But the Lakers' outside shooting and some defensive breakdowns on the part of the Celtics finds them trailing heading into the final stanza.
Celtics 45, Lakers 51, HALFTIME: Kobe Bryant has 16 at the half, while Garnett is 6/6 for 12 points, including a pair of alley-oop dunks. Rondo (7 assists) picked up another cheap foul and will have to be careful not to foul out in this one.
Celtics 24, Lakers 23, End of First Quarter: The Celtics shot 61% in the first quarter and were looking to push the pace early, but with Rajon Rondo picking up two quick personals in the first three minutes, Eddie House came in off the bench early and the C's offense slowed down. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant is shooting first and will presumably ask questions later; he's already taken eight shots and has 10 points in the period.
A stat to keep an eye on: The Celtics had six turnovers in the period.
Game Preview
Just in case the build-up to Christmas Day isn't big enough as it is, the Celtics and Lakers will stage a 2008 NBA Finals rematch -- and potentially a 2009 NBA Finals preview -- today at the Staples Center (5 p.m. EST).
Riding a new franchise record of 19 consecutive wins and holding the best record in the league at 27-2, the Celtics visit a Lakers team that's been positively fixated on this matchup since the start of the season.
Tuesday, December 23 - Sixers at Celtics
Live from Courtside
Recap | Box Score | The Streak
Celtics, FINAL: History was made here tonight at the TD Banknorth Garden as the Celtics won their 19th straight game, setting a new franchise record. KG and Rondo each finished with 18 points, and Gino came out with 2:32 left to play, several minutes after the "BEAT L.A.!" chants started.
For more on the historic streak, check out our game-by-game breakdown...
78-66 Celtics, End of Third Quarter: With a lead of as much as 18 points, the Celtics looked ready to pull away, but the Sixers rallied late in the third and it's a 12-point game heading into the final stanza. Garnett and Rondo have 18, and the C's are crashing the offensive glass. But this one should be interesting; it appears that if the Celtics are going to make history tonight, they'll have to earn it.
58-44 Celtics, Halftime: Rajon Rondo comes alive and the Celtics extend to a 14-point lead. Rondo had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Sixers continue to lean on Iguodala and Andre Miller for their firepower.
29-25 Celtics, End of First Quarter: Andre Iguodala was lighting the C's up early but he picked up his second foul midway through the period and it slowed down the Sixers' attack. Meanwhile, Ray Allen and KG each have 8 points, the pace has slowed, and the Celts will start the second quarter with Allen and the bench.
Pregame Media Access
The winter storm may have officially passed, but it's still affecting basketball logistics in Boston. The Sixers' second team bus from their hotel still hadn't arrived when Doc Rivers was doing his pregame media address around 6:45, so only the Sixers personnel who'd taken the early bus were already at the arena.
One man who is at the arena but won't play tonight is Glen Davis, who is still feeling the effects of a concussion suffered in an automobile on Sunday during his commute to the Garden.
"He's still having headaches," said Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, who then joked, "That could be [because of] me."
With Baby on the shelf, Brian Scalabrine can expect to see more action tonight. And for those of you looking for the update on his one-on-one series with the-yet-to-be-activated Sam Cassell, Scal was reporting a 58-58 tie as of pregame tonight.
Scal says that the games help him get his feet warmed up, and playing against the smaller Cassell especially prepares him for his role as a defender, where he has to be versatile.
Oh yeah, and there's that whole 18-game winning streak. For the first time, Doc Rivers was talking about the potential of making team history, and was trying to recall some of the streaks he went on as a player with the Knicks and Spurs. But as he's said all year, making history for best starts and streaks isn't what the team set out to do. He reiterated the team's three goals, which are to win the World Championship, earn home court for the playoffs, and be a better team than last season.
In the immediate future, Rivers admitted that it's tough to keep the team focused on a game like tonight's when they had to pack up to be ready to depart for Los Angeles right after they finish here tonight.
"Well, it's tough, let's just be honest. The [Lakers] game has been built up before the season even started," Rivers said. "It's a Christmas Day game which is fun in some ways and not fun in other ways. But the travel part of it is tough. Guys have all their luggage here, and this is the only way we could do it."
Monday, December 22 - No Practice
The Celtics did not practice in Waltham today, but Glen Davis was evaluated by Dr. Brian McKeon today and was diagnosed with a concussion and a cervical strain resulting from his automobile accident. He is officially listed as day-to-day, but he is out for tomorrow's game against Philly.
Sunday, December 21 - Knicks at Celtics
Davis Released from the Hospital
According to P.R. chief Jeff Twiss, Glen Davis has been released from the hospital and will be re-evaluated by team physician Brian McKeon tomorrow. The Celtics will not practice tomorrow, and will regroup on Tuesday morning for a shootaround before facing the Philadelphia 76ers.
Live from Courtside
124-105, Celtics: Rondo's 26 points does the job and the Celtics have won 18 straight.
In other news, this piece from last year about Rondo is probably worth revisiting: Surrounded by All-Stars, Rajon Rondo Is the Quiet, Confident Quarterback of the NBA's Best Team
Knicks 87, Celtics 98, End of Third: Rajon Rondo goes 9/9 in the third quarter (18 points in the quarter, 24 points overall) but the Knicks' threes have them hanging around. C's lead 98-87 after three, but have a huge edge in the paint, 54-20.
Knicks 58, Celtics 66, Halftime: Well, it looked like the Knicks would fold up the tent and get blown out, but they've continued to launch threes and shoot their way back into this game, while the C's offense predictably cooled, at least a little. Nate Robinson and Quentin Richardson are doing the damage for New York, dropping 37 between the two of them. Robinson scored all of his 17 points in the second quarter.
Knicks 21, Celtics 40, End of First: The Celtics offense connected on 18 of their 23 attempts from the field for a 40-point quarter, while the Knicks are content to run down the floor and hoist a three. While the Celtics are bound to cool off, the Knicks are likely to continue the run-and-gun attack.
Glen Davis in Minor Car Accident
Glen Davis is not at the TD Banknorth Garden this evening. He's at a local hospital after getting into a minor car accident on his way to the arena. Davis sustained a concussion and whiplash but the injuries are not considered serious. He's obviously out tonight, but will be considered day-to-day.
Friday, December 19 - Bulls at Celtics
Live from Courtside
108-126 Celtics, FINAL: ...And the streak hits 17 games with no signs of slowing down, as the Celtics scored a season-high 126 points. While it wasn't quite a cake walk in the first half, the Bulls were a bit shorthanded and didn't have much beyond Luol Deng and a hobbled Derrick Rose in the third quarter.
Tony Allen's steal and windmill jam made it 110-89 with 8:43 to play pretty much ended this one, and only Ray Allen (27 to lead all scorers and 5/9 from three-point land) ended up playing more than 30 minutes tonight. So the C's should be nice and rested (barring any shoveling injuries) for the Knicks on Sunday night.
Bulls 82, Celtics 98The Bulls can't keep Rondo out of the paint, and Perk (a career-high 25 points) is loving it. The C's have a 50-20 points in the paint advantage and aren't working hard for many of their baskets. Hence, their 63% shooting through three periods.
Bulls 55, Celtics 57, HALFTIME: Rajon Rondo is up to his old tricks (10 assists), creating easy hoops by attacking the basket and riding the baseline with wide eyes. Kendrick Perkins has been dunking all over Chicago, and his 17 points lead all scorers. But the Bulls are right there thanks to their 5/10 three point shooting.
Rondo's not the only one passing; the Celtics have 25 field goals on 21 assists as a team.
Bulls 21, Celtics 31, End of First: Ray Allen led the way with 10 points, but Rajon Rondo is the catalyst again tonight, flying around and making things happen on the offensive end while the C's defense is swarming and held the Bulls to just 36% shooting...
Tough news for the Bulls, both Drew Gooden and Derrick Rose went down with injuries in the opening stanza; Rose hurt his right knee and may return, Gooden is out with an ankle sprain. And Kirk Hinrich is already on the shelf with a broken thumb, while Tyrus Thomas did not travel due to a concussion.
Pregame Media Access
With the threat of a snowstorm, many Celtics players spent the afternoon at a downtown Boston hotel rather than attempting to battle traffic from the suburbs.
Thursday, December 18 - No Practice
Friday's Game Will Be Played
The Celtics did not practice Thursday, but are scheduled to have a shootaround Friday morning in Waltham.
The Chicago Bulls arrived in Boston around 5 p.m. on Thursday night, and Friday's game at the TD Banknorth Garden will be played regardless of weather conditions.
Wednesday, December 17 - Celtics at Hawks
Pierce Expected To Play vs. Hawks
Word comes from the shootaround in Atlanta that Paul Pierce participated and is expected to play in tonight's game with the Hawks.
Monday, December 15 - Jazz at Celtics
Live from Courtside
100-91 Celtics, FINAL: The streak lives on, as the Celtics win their 15th straight game and improve to 23-2.
Rajon Rondo (25 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) was attacking the hoop all night, and while he was turning it over in the first half, he cleaned up his game in the second and finished with a near triple-double. Rondo's backwards, over-the-shoulder layup made it 97-89 with 47 seconds left basically sealed the deal.
Millsap was sensational for Utah, scoring 32 points and grabbing 10 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute of play.
Jazz 65, Celtics 69, End of Third Quarter: The Celtics came out of the break looking like they wanted to push the ball and the result was a 7-0 run. The aggressiveness held steady, but so did the stream of turnovers. Rondo has six giveaways, but he's also on triple-double watch with 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
The Jazz have quietly held their ground despite the beating they are taking on the boards, 40-22. Utah can thank its 26 points off 21 Celtics turnovers for the four-point spread at the end of the quarter, but oddly enough they have just two fast-break points.
Millsap is the high scorer with 23, but the Celtics have all five starters in double digits.
- Couper Moorhead
Jazz 43, Celtics 43, Halftime: It's been a sloppy game as both teams are turning it over. Rondo's been aggressive, but he's not taking care of the ball; witness his five turnovers contributing to Boston's 14. The Jazz have 11 of their own.
A Paul Millsap dunk at 3:37 mark tied it up at 37-37, and a goaltending violation against Kendrick Perkins put the Jazz up 39-37 marking a 23-9 Utah run. Millsap got 16 of his 18 points in the second period.
Perkins has been the star for the Celtics; he's got 12 points and 10 rebounds in the half.
- Peter Stringer
Jazz 16, Celtics 28, End of First Quarter: A refreshing 6:47 passed without a timeout to start the game, allowing both teams to settle into a rhythm. The extended run may have helped Deron Williams, who has three dimes and two layups after weaving through the defense. The Jazz scored five points after Brevin Knight replaced Williams late in the quarter.
Perkins and Garnett are making the most of Carlos Boozer's absence with a combined 16 points and 11 boards. The Celtics have 18 points in the paint and are dominating the Jazz on the glass, 13-6.
Garnett spent some time giving directions to Rondo off to the side between quarters, but Rondo's been doing well against the larger opponent in Williams with seven points and three assists.
- Couper Moorhead
Pregame Media Access
Even the Celtics can't escape the far-reaching grasp of Boston traffic. Due to an accident on I-93 North, Leon Powe and Kendrick Perkins both arrived late for the game and, as of 6:40 p.m., Rajon Rondo had yet to enter the locker room. Brian Scalabrine, who was also late, said, "Hey, that's life..."
Something else that's just been taken as a fact of life lately is the dismissal of NBA coaches. Reggie Theus was let go by the Sacramento Kings earlier today, becoming the sixth coaching casualty of the season. Doc Rivers fielded the usual questions about the trend, and gave the usual answers.
"I hope you guys can keep asking me about it," said a gainfully-employed Rivers. "I guess that's the silver lining."
If there is any coach in the league who's going nowhere, it's probably 20-year Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. Asked if he's frustrated with the injuries to Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, who's a no-go tonight -- Sloan showed no hesitation in saying, "No, that's part of basketball. You have to know that."
Eddie House will not be in the building tonight for personal reasons and Rivers said Gabe Pruitt will play in his place.
"I think he's earned it," Rivers said of Pruitt. "I think he's ready for it."
- Couper Moorhead
House To Miss Tonight's Game
Backup guard Eddie House will miss tonight's game due to personal reasons. He is expected to rejoin the team either Tuesday or Wednesday in Atlanta.
Game Preview
For all the good things that happened during the 2007-08 season, there remains one dreary day that the Boston Celtics remember: March 14.
That day the Celtics were, in Doc Rivers' words, "destroyed" while suffering their worst home loss of the season to the Utah Jazz, 110-92. The defeat snapped an 11-game Garden win streak in the process.
At 7:30 p.m. tonight, the Celtics (22-2) will put a 14-game streak on the line and memories will be ripe of what, at the time, Paul Pierce likened to a schoolyard bullying.
Sunday, December 14 - Practice
C's Haven't Forgotten Tune Jazz Played on Them Last Year
The Celtics had Saturday off but regrouped in Waltham on Sunday afternoon to prepare for Monday night's game against the Utah Jazz, a team that blew out the Celtics at the Garden last season, something that's not lost on Doc Rivers.
"They didn't win the game, they destroyed us," Rivers said of the 110-92 defeat at the Garden last March. "Deron Williams had 18 free throws in that game, and whether he made the free throws or not, he totally dominated us in that game. They're one of those teams where if you don't play well, they're very difficult to beat."
With that in mind, the Celtics may have won 14 straight games, but that doesn't mean they're playing perfect basketball. Rivers felt the team's play has fluctuated between incredible and poor during the streak, and he thinks the team is probably "between those two" right now.
"I don't know if [in] the New Orleans game if we played bad, or if we were tired, or it was [the Hornets]. The good thing is that we're still winning games under those circumstances," Rivers said. "I asked them what our record was; half of them knew, half of them didn't, and I said, 'It doesn't matter what our record is. It's about us getting better.' The record has nothing to do with us. That's the mindset we've got to have through Game 82."
Is that a hard sell for a team that's 22-2?
"No...this is a very receptive group to coaching," Rivers said.
Check the audio archive for more from Doc Rivers, Rajon Rondo and a lengthy discussion with Paul Pierce about his foundation's new emphasis on combating childhood obesity and how his own weight loss over the summer played a roll in his charitable efforts.
Friday, December 12 - Hornets at Celtics
Live from Courtside
94-82 Celtics, FINAL: Make it 14 in a row...
Speaking of 14, up 14 with 3:44 to play, the Celtics seemed to ease up, and Chris Paul needed just over a minute to cut the lead in half; an assist to West (dunk) and an and-one layup had the lead down to 89-82 with 2:37 to go.
But a give-and-go alley-oop with 1:43 to play made it 93-82, and Paul's offensive foul against Perkins effectively ended any threat.
Paul Pierce's 28 points led the Celtics, David West had 23 and 14 for New Orleans. They'll go for 15 on Monday against Utah.
Hornets 64, Celtics 69, End of Third: The Celtics used an 8-0 run spanning the middle of the quarter to pull away, and only thanks to the best efforts of Paul (12 assists) and David West (19 points) did the Hornets keep themselves very much alive.
After shooting poorly in the first quarter, the Celtics are now at 46.4% for the game. Some of this has to do with the Hornets defense slowing down after a hectic first half, but the Celtics are doing most of their damage in the paint (36 points) and haven't committed a turnover in the half.
The main thing Boston is doing to hold itself back from a double-digit lead is a 13-of-20 mark from the free-throw line.
- Couper Moorhead
Hornets 40, Celtics 39, HALFTIME: If the Celtics are going to keep the streak alive, they'll have to earn it tonight. The Hornets defense is swarming...yeah, I know, it's a cliche but it's appropriate here. They're buzzing around and disrupting the Celtics offense. Hence the 11 turnovers. They've also recorded seven offensive rebounds.
With both teams hovering around 40% shooting, there hasn't been a ton of offense. David West leads all scorers with 11 points; Pierce and KG have 10 apiece.
Did we mention how loud the building is tonight? Maybe Game Ops cranked up the volume, or maybe we just haven't been inside the Garden in a week, but man it's pretty deafening in here tonight. A Paul Pierce three and a Kendrick Perkins block on back-to-back possessions got the crowd really going, and a playoff-style "DE-FENSE" chant even started. And why not? The Celtics got stingy in the second period, as the Hornets hit just three of their first 12 field goals in the quarter until David West dunked on KG. Garnett responded with a nice up-and-under move right out of the Kevin McHale playbook.
- Peter Stringer
Hornets 21, Celtics 21, End of First Quarter: Chris Paul is getting the best of Rajon Rondo so far. Paul has five dimes and forced Rondo into two turnovers, one of which, an intercepted pass, preceded Doc Rivers taking Rondo out of the game at the 4:18 mark -- maybe the earliest he has come out of a home game all season.
Speaking of turnovers, the Celtics have given up 13 points off their seven giveaways. A late 7-0 run helped tie things up once the reserves came in, but the Hornets have been getting the easy buckets that Boston normally doesn't allow at home.
The Celtics are helping themselves with 14 rebounds, but they have also missed many of their inside attempts, the main reason they are shooting 36.8% from the field.
James Posey's first bucket was a leaning three-attempt that soared into the basket as the shotclock wound down. Shockingly, there were a few scattered boos coming out of the crowd, but they quieted fairly quickly.
- Couper Moorhead
Pregame Media Access
The media masses are in the building for tonight's nationally televised game and most of the Hornets were talking pregame, about, no surprisingly, former Celtic James Posey. Peja Stojakovic brought up all the little things that Posey does which don't show up on the stat sheet, while Tyson Chandler said that a championship-player like Posey was the missing piece for a Hornets team loaded with talent.
Recently acquired from the Washington Wizards, Antonio Daniels will be in uniform for his first game with the Hornets. Daniels, who said he will fit right into the pick-and-roll system of New Orleans, hasn't had any trouble fitting in with a contending team.
"We were 3-15 [in Washington]," Daniels said. "It's like, nah, nah, that was cool."
Two minor observations of the Hornets locker room: While most teams have a large fruit spread for the players, the Hornets were the first team I can remember seeing with a small bin full of candy bars -- mostly of the chocked-full-of-peanuts variety. Secondly, if you were wondering what opposing teams focus on when they come to the Garden, written in large letters on the white board was "GANG REBOUND!!!".
As for the Celtics, they apparently had a rough time flying in last night. Thankfully they got to see Posey before the game, and, according to Doc Rivers, received some of those world famous James Posey hugs. Doc also used the upcoming match up with Chris Paul to show how far Rajon Rondo has come as a point guard.
"This year they're calling it a matchup," Rivers said. "Last year they weren't saying anything."
- Couper Moorhead
James Posey on Receiving a Championship Ring from the Celtics
James Posey makes his return to the TD Banknorth Garden today, and during the Hornets shootaround this morning he told the media he was looking forward to getting his second championship ring. Posey won his first ring as a member of the Miami Heat.
"It's going to be emotional. Just coming here as far as what we were able to accomplish with this organization. It's known for winning and bringing titles and championships here. For us to be a part of that tradition, that history, it's going to mean a lot."
Thursday, December 11 - Celtics at Wizards
Celtics Set New Franchise Mark
Celtics 122, Wizards 88, FINAL: Ray Allen had 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter to put the C's up big in the first 12 minutes, and they never looked back, notching a 122-88 win to put them atop the NBA with a 21-2 record, the fastest start in team history.
Big Three Among Leaders in All-Star Balloting
The first returns came back from All-Star balloting, and Kevin Garnett (495,514) is second among Eastern Conference forwards in the voting, trailing Cleveland's LeBron James (643,786). NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce (153,512) ranks fifth among Eastern Conference forwards, while sharpshooter Ray Allen (174,155) is fourth among the East guards.
Center Kendrick Perkins faces a considerable uphill battle. His 24,777 votes place him ninth among Eastern Conference centers; Dwight Howard is the league's leading overall vote-getter at 775,933.
Rajon Rondo did not appear in the league-leaders for votes announced this afternoon on NBA.com.
Tuesday, December 9 - Practice
Check CelticVision HD for comments from Tony Allen, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce about the Celtics red-hot 20-2 start and the prospect of setting a new franchise record for the team's best start to a season in history.
Monday, December 8 - No Practice
After winning their 12th straight game, the Celtics will take Monday off and are expected to return to the practice floor on Tuesday in Waltham.
Sunday, December 7 - Celtics at Pacers
In-Game Coverage
Celtics 55, Pacers 57, Halftime: Ray Allen leads the Celtics with 14 points, but Marquis Daniels leads all scorers with 20 points, including a buzzer-beating half-court heave to put Indiana up at the end of the half.
T.A. Active and Available
Tony Allen, who missed the Celtics' last two games with a mild right ankle sprain, will be dressed and available for duty tonight against the Pacers.
Saturday, December 6 - Practice
The Celtics didn't practice on Saturday, but they had an afternoon flight to Indiana ahead of tomorrow night's 6 p.m. tilt with the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse, where they'll try to extend their current winning streak to 12 games and their NBA-best 19-2 record to 20-2. The Celtics suffered their only road loss of the year in Indiana at the beginning of November.
Meanwhile, you can check out the Celtics.com Media Download, where we talked to Marc Spears about Rajon Rondo's coming-out party, the Celtics bench, and what's going on around the Atlantic Division in New York, Toronto and Philly.
Friday, December 5 - Trail Blazers at Celtics
Live from Courtside
Blazers 78, Celtics 93, FINAL: The Blazers put together a run and forced the Celtics to bring their starters back into the game in the fourth, but couldn't get the margin below 11 points. That's 11 straight for the C's, and it's their first 11-game streak since 1986.
Blazers 51, Celtics 74, End of Third Quarter: Put it this way, it took the Blazers five minutes to score their first field goal of the quarter. That's this game in a nutshell. Seems that in all the talk of the Blazers possibly making a statement tonight, people forgot the Celtics could do exactly the same thing. And they are.
The Celtics have 36 points in the paint, 22 fast break points and a Rajon Rondo three at the buzzer, while the Blazers are shooting 37% from the field, and their transition defense is getting beat over and over again. School is in session.
- Couper Moorhead
Blazers 36, Celtics 49, End of Second Quarter: The bench did Leon Powe proud and held the lead, then the veterans simply out-hustled the young bucks and took control of the game. While the Blazers had been making the Celtics work in the half-court, there were at least four occasions when Rondo or Allen beat the entire Portland team back on defense for layups. As a result, the Celtics hold a 28-18 scoring advantage in the paint, and have 13 fast-break points. The closed the half on a 14-0 run over the last four minutes of the half.
The Celtics put the kind of clamps down on defense that can take a young team out of the game, and after making more than half of their shots in the first quarter, the Blazers are now at 40.5% from the field. The Blazers have too many weapons to count them out, but unless Nate McMillan can light a fire under them at halftime, it looks like it's the Celtics game to lose.
Blazers 21, Celtics 24, End of First Quarter: The Blazers are playing the Celtics dead even right now, as most relevant stat categories are close. Portland's defense looked strong until Ray Allen (10 points) was mysteriously left wide open for a three, and a layup on which Allen beat everybody back keyed a quarter-ending 5-0 run.
LaMarcus Aldridge is pacing Portland with six points, and his matchup with KG is one to keep an eye on. Rajon Rondo has been running through the center of the Blazers' defense and finding open players, which is always a good sign. Both teams are shooting above 50%. Portland is known as a deep team so it will be important for the Boston bench to do its job in the second period.
- Couper Moorhead
Pregame Media Access
All is calm on the Celtics front, as a relaxed Ray Allen mused about concerts -- he has to pass up on the occasional Jay-Z gig because he can't bring his kids to them, and prefers the concerts of bands he grew up with -- while Doc kept things short. Tony Allen, who's out tonight, would have to be doing very well to play on Sunday, Rivers said.
The Celtics coach went on to say that he thinks Greg Oden will become a dominant player. For those who still wonder what life with Oden would be like despite that shiny new trophy, it's worth noting that Rivers has hardly given it a few seconds of thought.
The visitors' locker room felt noticeably different than when the veteran teams like the Pistons or Magic are in town. The vibes best compare to what the Atlanta Hawks were like after taking a couple playoff games down in Atlanta and returned to Boston with the series unexpectedly tied.
There's a large locker to the far left that a team's star -- LeBron James, for example -- usually occupies. Instead, Brandon Roy, Portland's only All-Star, had his gear in the same spot that Ben Wallace did for Cleveland last year back in the right corner. Nearby, Travis Outlaw entertained Martell Webster and Rudy Fernandez with some of his best dance moves. The Blazers may be young, but they don't seem phased by the champs.
- Couper Moorhead
Thursday, December 4 - Practice
No Practice for T.A. Today
Not much to report from a short practice in Waltham. Tony Allen (right ankle) did not participate in today's session, which leads us to believe he may not be active again Friday against the visiting Portland Trailblazers.
In the meantime, Brian Scalabrine, who's been staying sharp by playing one-on-one against Sam Cassell after practice and before games, and Gabe Pruitt (who appears to be joining the Scal-Cassell fray) are the logical candidates for extra minutes. Coach Doc Rivers dismissed the idea of calling up J.R. Giddens or Bill Walker from the D-League for some short-term relief (by D-League rule, players can be called up at any time, but can only be sent down three times per season), which would indicate that their assignments are being viewed in the long term.
Speaking of the long term, no one knows it better than Greg Oden after he missed his entire rookie year due to knee surgery and is now finally getting a chance to show what he can do on the NBA circuit. Oden did make the trip to Boston last year, and he's larger than life in person up close when he's giving interviews, so we'd expect he'll have a rather large presence on the court as well.
Doc Rivers, like everyone else, is expecting big things from the big man who was once the apple of many eyes, the Celtics' included, in the 2007 NBA Draft.
"They're bringing him along, and he's going to be a dominant defensive player in our league," Rivers said of Oden. "I think right now defensively he's still learning the timing of the game, the speed of the game and the craftiness of veterans. But he'll get all of that."
Friday night's matchup also pits teams with two of the league's longest winning streaks against each other, so something's gotta give. The Celtics have won 10 straight games while the Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers have each won six consecutive games as of Thursday morning.
- Peter Stringer
Check the Audio Archive for interviews with Doc Rivers, Kendrick Perkins, Sam Cassell and Rajon Rondo.
Wednesday, December 3 - Pacers at Celtics
Live from Courtside
114-96 Celtics, FINAL: Make it 10 straight for the C-Train. Rondo finished off his first career triple-double in impressive fashion, racking up 17 assists, 13 rebounds to go with his three steals. In the process, he managed to overshadow Ray Allen's season-high 31 points. Allen's been filling it up, averaging 22.6 PPG over his last six games, and he's hit 23 of his last 41 threes over that time, for a blistering 56% from behind the arc.
Pacers 73, Celtics 88, End of Third Quarter: The third-quarter run trend is officially on, and for that matter, so is the rout. The Celtics have locked down on defense and the Pacers have gone cold, resulting in a 31-22 scoring advantage for Boston in the period.
Expect plenty of Rondo stories to invade the Web tomorrow, as he completed his first career triple-double less than two minutes into the quarter. Following a Celtics miss, Rondo (13 points, 12 assists, 10 boards so far) rebounded the ball and dished to KG for the bucket and the foul, all in one fluid motion. Just around 100 more to go to tie Jason Kidd's career mark.
Rondo did have 11 boards and 12 assists to go with five points against San Antonio last season.
It seems that as Danny Granger goes, so go the Pacers. He didn't score a point in the third.
- Couper Moorhead
Pacers 51, Celtics 57, HALFTIME: Rajon Rondo's been the story for the last two weeks and he's basically maturing in front of our eyes. After 6 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in the first quarter, Rondo has a near-triple-double at the half, posting 10 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists in just 21 minutes, and he's yet to turn over the basketball.
Yet despite Rondo's impressive line, the Pacers are right there with the Celtics, and this should be a good one down the stretch. The C's have had some big third quarters of late, so keep your eyes on how the boys come out to start the half.
Pacers 27, Celtics 28, End of First Quarter: Doc Rivers can't be pleased with the 14 points in the paint his team has given up, but with 16 of their own under the bucket, the Celtics are giving just as much as they get.
Seven second-chance points and Ray Allen's healthy start (13 points) kept the Celtics close in the early going despite efficient shooting from the Pacers. But a 7-0 run late in the quarter, and the evening out of the percentages, returned command to the home team. Danny Granger started out hot (nine points) as he was left open on a couple defensive rotations, but the moment he left the game, the Pacers offense stagnated.
- Couper Moorhead
T.A. Out Tonight
Tony Allen is a confirmed no-go for tonight, and it didn't even come down to a doctor's decision. TA tested his sprained right ankle with leg lifts and step ups before the game, and said he ruled himself out. The results of a precautionary MRI should be out by tomorrow, and Doc Rivers said team doctor Ed Lacerte hopes Allen will be back by Sunday's rematch with the Pacers. But that doesn't rule him out for Friday, Rivers said.
Jim O'Brien was reluctant to read too much into Indiana's wins over the Celtics and Lakers, saying they caught Boston just after the emotional high of the banner raising, and the Lakers on their first trip East. Still, there have been plenty of teams that haven't been able to take advantage of either team on the road, so give the Pacers credit.
While O'Brien is a former Celtics coach, there's one guy on his roster that Rivers wishes was a current Celtics player. Potential All-Star Danny Granger was yanked out of Danny Ainge's grasp in the 2005 NBA Draft, selected by Indiana just ahead of Boston, which took Gerald Green with the 18th pick.
"Danny was a guy we wanted," Rivers said. "We thought he'd be just perfect for our team. When it got to that pick, we saw it was Granger or Gerald Green, we were about to get one or the other. Obviously Granger so far has turned out to be better, but Gerald's a lot younger and there's still time for him. But it would have been nice."
And, answering a burning question for some intrepid media members, Rivers said that Granger reminds him of a cross between the Orlando Magic's Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis.
It was reported about forty-five minutes ago that Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell was fired. Just as with the end of the last regular season, when teams were making personnel decisions, the move provided Rivers with a reminder of the nature of his job.
"You win, you get to stay a little bit," Rivers said. "[You] lose, you hope Danny Ainge is on your side."
- Couper Moorhead
Tuesday, December 2 - Practice
A Dish Best Served Lukewarm?
The Celtics aren't calling Wednesday night's game at the Garden against the Indiana Pacers a "revenge game", but they're well aware that the Pacers are one of just two teams who've blemished their 17-2 record.
"We absolutely struggled against them on both ends of the floor," Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said after Tuesday's practice. "We've got to play our game and can't worry as much about what other teams are doing. We've got to keep trying to correct what we're not doing and do it better."
They're also well aware of the Pacers' young star, Danny Granger, who scored 20 points and had his two front teeth knocked out while diving for a loose ball in the Pacers' November 1 victory over the Celtics at Conseco Fieldhouse.
"Granger has turned out to be a star. He's a terrific basketball player," Rivers said, noting that the Celtics had eyes on him in the NBA Draft a few years ago. "We knew about him, but no one knew he was going to be this good, this quick."
Celtics captain Paul Pierce, who's an admitted League Pass junkie and has seen plenty of Granger on TV, also works out in the summertime against Granger and really likes his game after seeing it up close and personal.
I've been watching him develop as a player, and he's playing at an All-Star level this year," Pierce said of Granger, who's averaging just over 24 PPG and 5 RPG, while shooting a shade under 47% from the field. "He's their best player, he's doing a lot of things for them this year, and he should probably make the All-Star team this year."
You can listen to the full interviews with Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo in the Celtics.com Audio Archive.
- Peter Stringer
Monday, December 1 - Magic at Celtics
Live from Courtside
107-88 Celtics, FINAL: The Celtics' bench did the job here in the fourth quarter. Celtics reserves scored 14 of the Celtics first 18 fourth quarter points, keeping the game in hand for the starters to finish off down the stretch. Also of note, Perk picked up technical foul #9 of the season while arguing for a goaltending call that he'd actually already gotten whistled in his favor. Details.
Rondo had another impressive outing, scoring 16 point to go with 16 dimes. The Celtics improve to 17-2; the Magic drop to 13-5. Not bad.
Magic 65, Celtics 77, End of Third Quarter: Other than a Ray Allen three midway through the quarter, the Celtics haven't needed any drama as they methodically pulled away from the Magic. No fancy stats will describe the difference better than this: the Celtics are shooting 55.6% from the field, the Magic just 39%. That's what they call defense, and the lack thereof.
Once he stopped attempting 15-foot bank shots (clearly a work in progress), Howard got going with seven points in the third. It forced a quick double-take, but the box don't lie: Paul Pierce had 17 points in the quarter.
The only things keeping the Magic in the game are 17 second-chance points and 24 from Rashard Lewis. Orlando hasn't scored a single fast-break bucket.
- Couper Moorhead
Magic 46, Celtics 48, HALFTIME: The Celtics' 15 point lead has all but evaporated thanks to the work of volume-shooter Rashard Lewis. Lewis is 6/13 with 18 points, and while he's shooting just 41% from the field this season, he's getting it done tonight. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard has been contained by Perkins, and "Superman" is just 2/7 for seven points. But the story for the Magic might be the work of an old friend, the oft-injured Tony Battie, who has seven points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.
Ray Allen, who's been on fire over his last five games coming into tonight, is once again stroking the ball. He's got 14 to lead the Celtics.
Cassell Ejected: Sam Cassell hasn't played a minute all season, and it definitely won't happen tonight. Bob Delaney ejected Cassell for apparently arguing a loose-ball foul call against Kendrick Perkins from the bench with 4:40 to play in the half.
Tony Allen Injury update: Tony Allen went down awkwardly early in the second quarter and went back to the locker room followed by team physician Brian McKeon. The update from PR chief Jeff Twiss is a "right ankle sprain, will return"...
- Peter Stringer
Magic 18, Celtics 28, End of First Quarter: The Celtics couldn't have asked for things to be going much better. They are holding the Magic to 26.1% shooting from the field, in part because they are allowing Anthony Johnson to take open jumpers along the baseline. The Magic are doing the same to Rondo -- giving this the feel of a playoff game, at least from a technical standpoint -- but he's converted on 4-of-7 so far.
Looks like Doc has Kendrick Perkins on the Dwight Howard rotation, having left the game right after the Magic center, and the two are engaging in a bona fide duel. Backing up his quasi-fighting words before the game, Perkins is getting the best of Howard, holding him to 0-of-4 shooting. The Celtics have been swarming Howard whenever he puts the ball on the floor, and the lack of easy buckets would make Zaza Pachulia proud.
Stan Van Gundy got called for a technical foul following a Magic defensive three-second call midway through the quarter. That in itself was not unusual, except that Van Gundy was yelling loud enough that it was the ref in the far corner of the court that assessed the tech. Howard ended up walking over to calm his coach down.
- Couper Moorhead
Pregame Media Access
Even with the Eastern Conference's third-place team in the Garden tonight, the Celtics locker room maintained its regular-season calm that set in following the initial fervor of November's national TV victory laps. And even with Dwight Howard about to try and bring his gaudy numbers to the parquet, Kendrick Perkins maintained his cool that, really, he always has before tipoff.
Perk said he hasn't watched Howard this year, shaking his head when asked if he had even watched him on film, and said he just goes by what Doc tells him to do. Asked what his impression was of Howard after the Magic center won a gold medal in Beijing, the always-quotable Perkins responded:
"What's his impression of me after I won a ring?" Perkins said. "I don't watch people like that. I'm not a fan of everybody."
Perkins did concede that Howard is a good challenge, but added that he plays Kevin Garnett every day in practice, and Howard doesn't have a better post game than KG.
The other news was Doc winning his fourth Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award. Doc predictably shrugged it off and said it doesn't mean much, other than that his players made more shots and got more stops than the other teams. There are plenty of great coaches that haven't had good talent, he said.
One of Doc's "good" talents took the time to explain what makes him a good coach.
"I can tell that he's not lost what he knew as a player," Ray Allen said. "He understands how to manage who we are as players, [and] at the same time make sure he gets the best out of us...make sure we get the proper rest. But at the same time, he knows how to push buttons.
"He has the perfect balance of it all."
- Couper Moorhead
Rivers Named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month
BOSTON - Boston Celtics Head Coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers was named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for the month of November. This marks the fourth time in Rivers' career that he has been named Coach of the Month.
Press Release: Doc Rivers Named NBA Coach of the Month
Saturday, November 29 - Celtics at Bobcats
Live Game Coverage
Celtics 89, Bobcats 84, FINAL: The C's defense came alive down the stretch, and Kendrick Perkins finished his night nicely. His dunk at 77-77 gave the Celtics a 79-77 lead and they never looked back. He finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, including one against Raymond Felton in the final minutes to help secure the victory. Six Celtics scored in double figures, with Pierce leading the way with 19 points. Rajon Rondo handed out nine assists.
The Celtics move to an Eastern Conference best 16-2 and open their three-game homestand Monday night against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic at the Garden. Orlando also won tonight, 110-96 over the Indiana Pacers, who come to Boston on Wednesday night.
"I loved what we did tonight. You could see we were on empty tonight. Think about playing six back-to-backs in one month, with this being the sixth," Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. "There were a lot of jump shots hitting the front of the rim, but they just found a way so I'm really proud of them."
Celtics captain Paul Pierce says that playing so many back-to-backs early in the season will pay off down the road when the Celtics gear up for the postseason.
"These back-to-back games can be pretty tough, but we are grinding them out," Pierce said. "These back-to-back games get us prepared for the playoffs. I'm just glad we are able to get them done."
Celtics 66, Bobcats 62, End of Third: Richardson and Wallace each have 15 points for the Bobcats, who are keeping it close in a low scoring affair.
Celtics 45, Bobcats 43, Halftime: The Bobcats turned the ball over 10 times in the second quarter, including three straight on their last three possessions of the half, and the Celtics rallied to take a 45-43 lead into the locker room. While KG is clearly struggling (he's 1-for-6 from the field for just four points), Tony Allen and Paul Pierce each have nine to lead the Celtics.
The Celtics' vaunted defense hasn't quite been up to speed tonight, so we'll see if they can clamp down in the second half to salt this one away. Gerald Wallace got two of his 12 points on a crazy one-handed slam right down the middle of the Celtics D, something you rarely see with this team. Looked like a rare communication problem on the pick-and-roll at the top of the key.
Celtics 17, Bobcats 22, End of First: Last we checked, it was the Celtics who won in a blowout and the Bobcats who played into overtime last night, but the C's starters look a little fatigued and the team only shot a shade under 39% for the quarter while the Bobcats are just over 52% in the first quarter. Jason Richardson, who had the huge game against the Celtics at the Garden last season, leads Charlotte with six points while Paul Pierce has six for Boston.
Early Pregame Update
Gabe Pruitt (sick) did not join the team in Charlotte for tonight's game, but he will joining J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker on the inactive list, as they are on assignment with the Utah Flash in the D-League.
Speaking of Giddens and Walker, both had big games last night for the Flash, and Giddens' baseline jumper with just under a second to play sealed the victory for the Flash over the Austin Toros Friday night and capped his 19-point, 12-rebound night. Walker was also solid, scoring 23 points and had eight rebounds, and also assisted on the Giddens gamewinner.
Friday, November 28 - Sixers at Celtics
Live from Courtside
102-78 Celtics, Final: The fourth was essentially 12 minutes of garbage time. And that's good news since the starters got some well-earned rest; only Ray Allen played more than 30 minutes.
The Celtics have a 7 p.m. game in Charlotte tomorrow night.
Sixers 47, Celtics 73, End of Third: Maybe we should just say "End of Game", because this one is over. Ray Allen did the early damage, going 6/8 in the period by draining a handful of wide-open jumpers. And once again, Rajon Rondo had a huge third quarter. Rondo dished eight of his 12 assists in the quarter, his prettiest being an alley oop (and one) to KG that made it 73-47, brought the house down and all but ended this one.
Sixers 28, Celtics 46, Halftime: The Celtics started the quarter with an 11-0 run over the first 3:30 of the quarter, jumping ahead 33-16. After that, they were willing to trade hoops but refused to give any ground and took an 18-point lead into halftime. No Celtics player is in double-figures, but everybody who's been in the game not named Brian Scalabrine has got in the book for Boston.
Garnett, Perkins and Ray Allen all have eight points apiece for the Celtics; Brand's 12 points leads the Sixers.
Sixers 16, Celtics 22, End of First Quarter: The C's came out of the gates playing some active, suffocating defense in the opening minutes, holding the Sixers to just 2-of-their-first-9. Rajon Rondo was pinballing around the floor, and the Celtics really seemed to be disrupting the Philly offense. Meanwhile, 14 of the Celtics 22 points came in the paint, continuing the trend from Wednesday night against Golden State.
Elton Brand did get it going for the Sixers, scoring 10 points in the opening stanza.
Pregame Media Access
Most of today's pregame chatter concerned Allen Iverson missing practice -- not a game, practice -- yesterday in Detroit. The Celtics, for what it's worth, did not have any practice scheduled, and according to Ray Allen, that's what many Celtics were thankful for yesterday.
Check the Audio Archive for pregame remarks from Allen, Paul Pierce and Head Coach Doc Rivers.
Early Pregame
The Celtics will try to match the intensity the Boston Bruins brought to the Garden this afternoon in their 7-2 in over the Islanders when they play the second half of a rare Bruins/Celtics double-header tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The locker room is just about to open, so we'll have pregame notes just before tipoff at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 27 - Thanksgiving
No Practice
The Celtics are off today to enjoy the holiday, and they will return to the court Friday night when the Philadelphia 76ers come to the TD Banknorth Garden.
Wednesday, November 26 - Warriors at Celtics
Live from Courtside
Warriors 111, Celtics 119, FINAL: Rondo turned it around in the third, and the frantic fourth quarter kept the Celtics ahead as they continued to score in the paint and get to the free throw line. Tony Allen played out the fourth quarter in place of Kendrick Perkins as KG played center to match up with the Warrior small size and fast pace. Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rondo all had 20-plus in the victory.
Warriors 83, Celtics 86, End of Third Quarter: And the Celtics are back on top. Rajon Rondo basically took the game over in the third quarter. Doc always says that Rondo's at his best when he's pushing the ball up the floor rather than walking it up, and the third quarter was proof positive. Rondo scored 16 of his 20 points and had six rebounds in the third quarter. And most of those buckets came in the paint as the C's scored 24 of their 50 points in the paint.
Rondo's third-quarter line is even more impressive when you throw in his pair of steals and an assist in the period. And in case you wondering he's yet to turn over the ball all night.
Warriors 67, Celtics 54, Halftime: Wow. Well things sure turned around quickly in a second quarter that kept P.A. guy Eddie Palladino busy. The Warriors outscored the Celtics 39-19 in the period, with Corey Maggette doing quite a bit of damage by himself, scoring 11 of his 17 points. Stephen Jackson and Jamal Crawford each chipped in six of their own as well. Overall, the Warriors were 12-for-19 from the field, while the Celtics started the period 1-for-their-first 11, and finished just 5-for-20 on field goals.
Remember all of those points in the paint in the first quarter? It's been largely jumpshots in the second quarter.
Doc Rivers can't be happy with the turn of events, and he's already picked up a technical. We'll see what happens, but the Celtics probably want to slow down the pace in the third quarter rather than continuing to run-and-gun with the Warriors.
Warriors 28, Celtics 35, End of First: One quarter of basketball tells you all you need to know about the Golden State Warriors. They don't waste any time on the shotclock, shooting the first available look. And it seems the Celtics felt compelled to run with them tonight. Ray Allen and KG already each have 10 points, and Pierce isn't far behind with 7. Stephen Jackson, who's anything but gun shy, has 12 for the Warriors.
The surprising thing about this game? Points in the paint. You figured the Warriors would be a jumpshooting team, but 14 of their 28 came in the paint, while 18 of the Celtics' 35 where in the lane as well. And both teams, predictably, are shooting over 50% from the field.
Moment of Silence
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the moment of silence tonight for Helen Heinsohn, better known to Celtics fans as the Redhead in Needham. The wife of Tommy Heinsohn, Helen passed away this week after a protracted battle with cancer. Helen was a Garden fixture, attending virtually every Celtics home game alongside her husband.
Pregame Media Access
It was a pretty quiet pregame tonight, with very little chatter going on in the locker room, and Doc Rivers kept his remarks brief. He said there's no news regarding tapes featuring Kendrick Perkins picking up technicals, something they've apparently sent to the league.
"No...when you send film they never really respond, unless they're gonna do something," Rivers said. "We're just trying to notify them when it does happen [so they will] watch it in the future, more than the past."
Truth be told, Rivers was probably more concerned about the Golden State Warriors and getting home to Orlando after the game tonight to taste his mother's stuffing (according to Rivers, it's called "dressing") for Thanksgiving.
As for the Warriors and their new acquisition Jamal Crawford, who was just at the Garden last Tuesday with the Knicks before the trade, Rivers says Crawford is a perfect fit for Golden State.
"He plays exactly the way they play. I think it's a really good move for them," Rivers said. "It's a great move for him. I don't know if players, when they get traded, see that right away."
One move that the jury's still out on is Patrick O'Bryant's arrival in Boston, topical tonight since his former team is in the house. When asked about O'Bryant's progress, Rivers said that he's "coming along."
"He's working hard. He's a great kid. Early in the year, in the preseason, we were really on him about the tempo of his work. Him and Clifford Ray have been together far more than Patrick would probably like," Rivers said, chuckling. "But it's been great for him, and in the few practices we've had, you can see the improvement."
Tuesday, November 25 - Practice
This Talk Might Not Be Cheap
It's good to be king, but when you're on top of the mountain, everyone is looking to knock you down. And if they can't do it by beating you, they might try baiting you. That seems to be what Kendrick Perkins and the 13-2 Celtics are finding out, even though Perk says it's the champs themselves who typically start the chatter.
"We initiate a lot of the noise. That's just how we are. We've been like that since last year. That's just how we play," said Perkins, who leads the NBA with eight technical fouls. "Guys are trying to get at us so we're going to get at them first."
Perkins has been assessed eight technical fouls in just 15 games, but that's a number that coach Doc Rivers thinks is inflated by referees assigning double-technicals when two players get engaged in trash talk. While he doesn't expect any of Perkins' techs to be rescinded by the league, Rivers did say the Celtics will be sending tapes of the incidents to the NBA for review.
"A lot of the double-technicals where someone's saying something to him, and he turns around and they give him a double-tech, that to me is where the officials have to do their job," Rivers said. "I think it's easy to just say 'double-technical' instead of saying, 'this guy started it, we're just going to give you a tech.'"
The concern for the Celtics is that when a player is a assessed his 16th technical of the season, he is automatically suspended a game by the NBA. Perkins is well aware of the rule.
"I'm an emotional guy, but it's not anything I can't change. I can control it," Perkins said. "I blame it on myself. I'm a man. Nobody makes me do that."
Perkins insists that he can control himself and turn off the talking if he must. But he did say that he thinks that talking trash gives his team an edge, and Paul Pierce told reporters that it's just as much a part of his game as it was for Larry Bird, one of the undisputed kings of NBA trash talk.
"I use it to get in my opponent's head," Pierce said. "Sorta like what Larry Bird used to do in the day and Michael [Jordan] did. I use it more as a tactic. I'm not out there trying to fight anybody or cause any commotion. It's nothing personal against the other guy. I like everybody in the NBA."
As long as it's directed the right way and revolves around the game, Rivers, who played against Jordan, Bird and Magic, doesn't mind his team talking a little trash. After all, they are the champs.
"You want [them] to be emotional, but you don't want to have what we call emotional sabotage," Rivers said. "If our players are talking, it should be about, 'We're going to beat you, we're going to win.' There's nothing wrong with that. When it gets personal, then there's something wrong with that."
- Peter Stringer
Monday, November 24 - Off Day
The Celtics will have Monday off and return to the practice floor on Tuesday morning before facing the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night at the Garden.
Sunday, November 23 - Celtics at Raptors
The Celtics once again demonstrated why they are the reigning powers of the Atlantic Division.
Ray Allen registered 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and Kevin Garnett posted 15 points as Boston cruised past host Toronto, 118-103, on Sunday for its fifth straight triumph.
The C's, who defeated the Raptors earlier this season in dramatic fashion when Paul Pierce led a furious fourth-quarter comeback, never trailed in this one as they improved to 6-1 on the road.
Saturday, November 22 - Travel Day
After Friday night's 95-78 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Celtics spent the night in Minneapolis and had an afternoon flight to Toronto. There is no practice today due to the early afternoon start tomorrow in Toronto.
Friday, November 21 - Celtics at Timberwolves
KG returns to Minnesota to play in his first game at the Target Center as a member of the Boston Celtics after spending 12 years with the Timberwolves. Garnett did not play in the game last season due to an abdominal injury he suffered, ironically enough, against the Wolves in a January 25 win at the TD Banknorth Garden.
Walker Joins Giddens in Utah
BOSTON - The Boston Celtics announced today that they have assigned rookie forward Bill Walker to their NBA Development League affiliate Utah Flash. Walker is the team's second assignment to the NBA Development League this season.
Celtics Assign Walker to Utah Flash
Thursday, November 20 - Pistons at Celtics
Live from Courtside
98-80 Celtics, Final: Gino finally came out with 52 seconds to play, but he really should have been dancing at the eight minutes to play mark. The Celtics bench tipped off the fourth quarter with a quick 9-2 run in the first 4:00 of the quarter to quell any designs the Pistons may have had on making a run.
This was the first win at home that reminded us of the way it was in the Garden last year. Falling behind 13-2 notwithstanding, the C's dominated this one basically from wire to