Right from the beginning of this game, it looked as through it was the Grizzlies who played last night and the Celtics who had 3 days off. The Celtics came out strong and never looked back. They led by 17 after one, 14 after two, 26 after three and won with a score of 119-89. For the second game in a row, Doc was able to keep the starters under 27 minutes. Even with limited minutes, KG and Ray Allen both hit milestones for their career as KG passed 20,000 points and Ray Allen passed 18,000 points.
Rondo spent part of the game in foul trouble and finished with 3 points, 9 assists and 1 rebound in only 19 minutes. Ray Allen was the game's high scorer with 23 points to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. Pierce played well with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. KG scored 17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. Perk once again was a beast with another double double as he finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
House filled in for Rondo when he went out with 3 quick fouls and had 8 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal in 28 minutes. Tony Allen played well within the game and didn't seem to push things and finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Sam Cassell didn't play in this game but was on the floor before the game running drills and shooting. When he is activated, House will probably lose the most minutes with Tony also losing a few.
Posey was on fire from beyond the arc hitting 5-8 threes for 15 points. Big Baby had 4 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. He continues to play aggressively, diving for loose balls, giving up his body to take charges and hustling for rebounds. On one rebound, he hit the ground very hard and took awhile to get up. He will probably be sore tomorrow, but hopefully nothing worse than that. Leon Powe continues to make the most of his minutes with 6 points and 4 rebounds in just 12 minutes. PJ Brown played in his second game as a Celtic and finished with 2 points and 2 rebounds in 8 minutes. Scal played the last 6 minutes and had just 2 fouls to show for it.
The Celtics dominated in all areas of this game. They shot 58% from the field while holding the Grizzlies to just 40%. The Celtics shot 50% from beyond the arc while holding the Grizzlies to 26% on threes. The Celtics crashed the boards for a 14 rebound edge. The Celtics continued to move the ball well as they had 31 assists on 47 field goals. A good win over a team they were expected to beat in spite of playing the night before and getting into their hotel rooms at 4 am. It was great seeing the intensity in this game showing that the Celtics know they have to bring it every night regardless of the competition as they are in a battle for home court advantage in the playoffs and with the Pistons just 4 games back, they can't afford to let up.
The Houston Rockets have released Gerald Green to make room for a front court player because of injuries to Carl Landry and Yao Ming. I really feel bad for Gerald. He was so excited to be going to Houston from Minnesota. He said it was a dream come true and now he is a player without a team. Maybe another team who need scoring will pick him up for the rest of the season, but he probably will need to prove himself to a team in the off season to get any kind of deal. He may even need to go to the D-League in order to get enough experience to make another NBA roster. I like Gerald. He has a ton of potential but hasn't yet figured out how to transfer that potential into solid play. He had the Slam Dunk contest going for him last season, but now doesn't even have that. I really hope he can pick up his career somewhere and finally find his place in the league. Wherever he goes, I wish him luck.
Here are comments found around the Bulls' boards during their game with the Celtics. I knew there was some animosity against Posey from Bulls fans, but didn't realize how very much they hate him as several were hoping for an injury to him. As much as I dislike some players in this league, I would never want a serious injury to anyone. Just amazes me that some fans do. Here are the comments. Enjoy. I want an upset in Boston sooo bad.
BULLS LOSE!!! Imagine all the star calls Celtics get.
When you're getting frustrated at us losing in this one...just think back to how badly we got killed in December..and this game can't be as bad as that.
I can feel a win coming. 3 in a row baby!
This is it for me. If we cant be the Celtics, there is no reason to try for the playoffs.
Man the Celtics have a solid team now
Rondo looks really good. Like he could be the second coming of the glove if he develops a little more consistent J.
I bet if Bulls play Celtics at home again this year, they will beat them and even with this bad BUlls team, I still have no doubt that they would beat them.
I want to see us shut down the role players tonight. Rondo being the key. We gotta make him feel like an inexperienced 2nd year PG!
Don't realize how quick RR is until you see him in person, kid's a bullet.
I have a feeling Bulls will win this game.
Probably won't be as bad as last night's TNT telecast, but I expect to hear pretty much nothing but this...KGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKG KGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKG PIERCEPIERCEPIERCEPIERCEPIERCEPIERCEPIERCEPIERCE RAYRAYRAYRAYRAYRAYRAYRAY RAYRAYRAYRAYRAYRAYRAYRAYRAYRAY BIG3BIG3BIG3BIG3BIG3BIG3BIG3...blahblahblah
Rondo's jumper looks so much better now.
Perkins got a foul for being near Noah, Gooden got hit twice and did not get the call. Not a lot of love from the refs early.
Wow, the refs are treating Perkins like his Shaq..
Don't worry everyone. Soon as PJ Brown makes his appearance is when we'll make our dutiful run
Getting owned by Kendrick Perkins = your career should be over.
The Bulls always get killed by scrubs. Perkins? Give me a break.
Kendrick is a 59% FT shooter, he's gotta miss eventually right??
All the Boston big men have HUGE shoulders..
Celts are being allowed to get away with pushing and holding and grabbing. Bulls are being called for touch fouls. Refs don't need to help the Celts...they are the better team...and the Bulls are playing with no aggression anyway
Posey flies to the floor out of control... Foul on the Bulls.
The Bulls are getting ramrodded by the refs in a game where they'd be getting smeared either way. I really don't get it.
The refs have made bad calls. However, the refs aren't the ones shooting 36%, and the refs aren't the ones being dominated on the boards.
Note to cameramen... Cassell's head is big enough. Do not zoom in on it.
When Eddie House picks your pocket it's time to rethink your life.
That was a total FLOP by Posey. That dirty player should NEVER get a call...let alone on a total flop.
Stick a fork in us - we're done
Well this looks like one of those games that won't require me to watch the second half
Don't you want to see the Eddie House-lead group of scrubs continue to outplay everybody on our roster after they sit their starters in the third quarter?
I really hate Boston "fans."
I guess RONDO gets superstar calls now too.
If refs do this for Boston every game they'll win the Championship.
Drew Gooden meltdown in full effect.
Continue to say Boston wins this game no matter what as they have totally outplayed the Bulls. But the refs have been ridiculously bad tonight.
I don't know why the Bulls refuse to go to the basket. Boston has no great shot blockers.
Well, the game is basically over. The only reason to watch the second half is if I could get some sort of guarantee that someone will break James Posey's jaw
Can you imagine if we sneak into the 8 spot and we face these guys? Oh boy!
You do realize we'd almost certainly be facing the Boston Celtics. I hear they're pretty good
I'd like to see each of Boston's big three blow a knee by the end of the half. I hate the way the refs and the NBA kiss their butts.
Is anybody else tired of Cassell? He's old and he's not particularly good any more.
Now is the time to exact a measure of revenge on Posey.
Standing O for PJ.
Yeah, I thought Bill Russell had come out of retirement at first. But nope, just good ol' P.J.
Now we get to watch Dinosaur Brown torch us too.
PJ Brown steals from Noah
Time to cryogenically freeze P.J. Until the playoffs.
I wanna see PJ tear something, come on Doc put him back in.
Scalabrine looks pretty damn creepy bald.
Scalabrine looks like a Neo Nazi.
As long as the skinhead doesn't score.
Seems like Celts have 8 guys on offense and defense. Doc- when he was a analyst, he used to take notes from the game + ideas from other coaches, and he now uses them. That is a guy who had a game plan.
Yah, but the issue with the Celtics is their lack of depth!!! Our 10th man is way better than theirs (ok, that's not true anymore either)
The Bulls never showed up for this game. The Celtics pretty much dominated from start to finish in the 116-93 win. With another game tomorrow night, Doc was able to rest the starters in the fourth quarter, keeping Pierce Ray and KG under 26 minutes. It was amazing with the Celtics up 22 and less than 9 minutes left in the game, seeing KG on the sidelines standing and calling out instructions and encouragement to his teammates. Not long after he went to the bench for good, he could be seen shouting and making hand movements to make sure his teammates were talking to each other and communicating on the court.
Perk had his third straight strong game finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks and just 1 foul in just 27 minutes of play. KG had 16 points and 8 rebounds and fell just short of his 20,000th point. He needs just 7 points to hit the milestone and will surely hit it in Memphis. Would have been nice for it to have happened in front of the Celtics faithful in the Garden, though. Powe had a nice game with 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. Big Baby had 4 points, 1 assist and 1 block and single handedly took out the scorer's table as he dove for a loose ball and landed square on several people. PJ Brown came into the game with 1:24 left in the 3rd and got a standing ovation from the crowd. He finished with 3 points, 6 rebounds and 1 steal in only 6 minutes. The real benefit of PJ Brown (and Sam Cassell as well) will come from their experience and willingness to impart that knowledge to the Celtics younger players. Both have already been seen giving instruction to Rondo and the bigs during time outs and that is going to pay dividends in the playoffs.
Rajon Rondo also continued his strong play with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. The announcers said that Rondo was the first player out on the court and worked on his shooting for a couple hours before the game. It is that kind of dedication that is going to make him one of the premier players in this league. Ray Allen still struggled somewhat with 11 points on 2-7 shooting to go with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Sam Cassell was in the house but didn't play. He was seen cheering and encouraging his new teammates from the bench. He also went over to both House and Rondo when they came in for time outs and was giving them advice. This is the reason that he will be invaluable to this team. House played well and had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block. Posey had a good game off the bench with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Tony seemed to struggle in this game going scoreless but pulling down 4 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. Scal got some minutes for the first time since the groin pull kept him out. He lookes way different with a shaved head. The crowd urged him to shoot everytime he touched the ball. He finally hit a 3 on the last play of the game to go with 3 rebounds and 1 block.
I really disliked the ESPN announcers. They spent most of the game chatting about everything under the sun except the action on the floor. They showed graphics, inteviews and each other, all while the action was going on behind them. For all the criticism of Tommy being a homer from other teams' fans, he still calls the game as good as anyone out there. He doesn't ignore the game while talking about the Spurs and everything else under the sun. ESPN coverage is among the worst.
The Celtics shot 46% and held the Bulls to 32%. The Celtics out rebounded the Bulls 55-35. They also out scored the Bulls in the paint 42-24. The best thing about the win is that the starters got to take the whole 4th quarter off that should help them against the Grizzlies. It was good to see PJ Brown get his first minutes as a Celtic and he did a good job in his debut. The officiating seemed to be going the Celtics way for much of the game although the final free throw differential wasn't that far apart with the Celtics taking 43 free throws and the Bulls taking 38. But the Celtics seemed to be getting away with a lot of contact. I guess we deserve a break after all the bad officiating we have seen of late. After the game the Celtics were travelling to Memphis for their Saturday showdown with the Grizzlies.
The Celtics just won the biggest game of the season so far when they beat the Pistons. This win clinched a playoff berth, won the season series from the Pistons and gave them the tie breaker in case they finish with identical records. It would be easy for the Celtics to feel that they have arrived and let up a little. But, given the schedule to end the season, they can't afford to rest on their laurels. The Pistons are going to be right on their tails the rest of the way.
The Pistons' schedule is slightly more favorable than the Celtics'. The Celtics have 10 home games and 13 road games left. The Pistons have 13 home games and 8 road games. The Celtics have a tough 5 game road trip through Milwaukee, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and New Orleans that will take a lot of focus to come out of it with more wins than losses. The Pistons don't have any extended road trips left.
Since the Celtics are the front runners and have beaten many of the teams that they will face already, every game is a challenge. Every team will be up for the Celtics and play their best game against them. With the Pistons running behind the Celtics, they aren't as much of a target. Maybe there is something to the articles in the Detroit papers that say that the Pistons are happy to be playing in the shadow of the Celtics.
The Celtics seem to be peaking at the right time. KG is back from the injury and playing great. Ray Allen has been playing his best basketball of the season recently. Perk has been a beast lately and Rondo has gained poise and confidence. Sam Cassell and PJ Brown will be integrated into the team and ready for the playoffs. Even with a tougher schedule, the Celtics are a scary team. But, they have to continue to bring it every night to build momentum going into the playoffs.
Next up is the Bulls in the Garden. The Bulls are an interesting team. They have been playing very well since the trade that shipped Ben Wallace out of town. Noah is doing a good job at center. He is a good passer and last night had 20 rebounds in the Bull's win over the Cavs. The Celtics had a let down after they beat the Pistons the last time and they can't afford to do that now as they are heading down the stretch. Hopefully we will see them come out with the same intensity against the Bulls as they had against the Pistons. Because, after all, the Bulls may end up being a playoff foe as well.
Kendrick Perkins was definitely a beast last night as he scored 10 points, pulled down a career high 20 (Yes, TWENTY)rebounds, and blocked two shots to set the tone for last night's win over the Pistons. Perk absolutely dominated Rasheed Wallace who had 23 points but had to shoot 24 shots to get them. He also only managed 4 rebounds.
KG showed last night that he is all the way back from his injury as he scored 31 points to go with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. He scored inside and outside and played very good defense as well. He showed the leadership that has pulled this team together when he had words with Perk and Posey after they were fighting for a rebound. KG reminded them to communicate and they got the message.
Rondo showed that he is absolutely capable of running this team against the Pistons and any other team as he took it to Chauncey Billups the entire game. He finished with 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists and had the NBA Play of the Day (and maybe the month) when he blew past Rip Hamilton and went in for a monster tomahawk dunk in Maxiel's face. Maxiel fouled him hard and should have gotten a flagrant foul on the play since Rondo looked like a rag doll as he was slammed to the floor by Maxiel. This kid is tough. He got up and calmly went to the line for his free throw. No complaining, no emotion, just great composure. I loved the way Big Baby and KG rushed over to pick him up and KG was in his ear, probably telling him that he was THE MAN! He did get under Chauncey Billups skin as Billups picked up a technical in the 4th quarter and he had Rip talking to himself after the dunk. As great as that dunk was, I think my favorite play was where Rondo drove into the lane and got Chauncey to fall for the fake as he dipped his shoulder and drew the foul and hit the shot. Here is a look at Rondo's Play of the Day.
Ray Allen may not have scored much (3 points on 1 of 9 shooting), but his defense on Rip Hamilton was superb. He held Hamilton to a very pedestrian 15 points. He also took quite a shot from Rasheed Wallace as he was getting up from coming down wrong on his ankle. Bodies were flying everywhere last night.
Both teams took care of the ball with the Pistons turning it over only 8 times and the Celtics 11. Both teams had only 3 turnovers in the second half. The Celtics biggest lead was 14 and the Pistons cut the lead to 2 at one time and tied the game at 69 another time, but they never led. The Celtics outscored the Pistons 44-30 in the paint behind the strong efforts of Perk, KG and Rondo taking it to the basket.
This was a very, very big win for the Celtics. Sure, the Pistons played the night before and had to travel, but for a team of their caliber, that shouldn't have mattered. With so much on the line, it should have motivated them to play that much harder. The Celtics became the first team to clinch a playoff berth with this win and also won the tie breaker with Detroit should they finish with identical records. They also took a big step toward securing home court advantage throughout the playoffs. And, what should be scary to the other teams in the league, PJ Brown and Sam Cassell haven't even played yet.
Here are comments found around the Pistons' boards during their game with the Celtics. I think the most interesting one is the comment about Dave Cowens' words before the game that his Celtics would run this Celtics team into the ground. Not exactly what I would expect from him. Great win for the Celtics and fun to see the Pistons' fans playing it down.
I know this sounds terrible, but considering our recent past of overconfidence, I wouldn't be super disappointed with a loss in this game. I obviously am going to be rooting like crazy for us to win, but I feel like a loss here would improve the team, as strange as that sounds.
It is significant. But regardless of whether we win or lose, we need to play good. The game gains significance if one side blkows the other out. It also becomes significant if someone breaks out. We know our core is fine and so is their core, but if Rondo/Baby Shaq/Amir/Stuckey have significant games, it makes future strategies a bit more fluid.
I am really hoping that Cassel takes playtime from Rondo because it will hurt Boston. The bastard is 40. PJ brown isnt going to help the Celts either. He's also 40. I Know the last crop of remaining players left to be signed was thin, but TWO 40yo's?
Here's hoping Detroit loses.....last thing I want is them to think they have some sort of advantage. Nothing like a slice of humble pie to keep things in perspective. Also, a loss will make it much harder to get #1....avoiding #1 means avoiding Cleveland in Rnd 2.
Well the only thing is that Tony Allen will be playing over House, he missed a few games but is back now. He gives the Celts a legitimate starting caliber Sg off the bench, whenever he has been healthy he has been an effective starter including his rookie year when the Celts won the division, he just brings MUCH more to the table than House. Houses minutes are really gonna take a hit with the Cassell addition.
The networks just don't get it right sometimes. In terms of level of play, this game has the potential to be as good as any out there, yet its regulated to local TV.
God I can't stand listening to that washed up drunk bum colour commentator Boston has.
Exactly. I cant stand the Celtics announcers. Lets goo pistons!
For all intensive purposes, Boston should win this game. Not only are they fresh, but it does mean more to them than Detroit.
I hate having to watch a game on mute, but I got the Celtics telecast. Tommy makes me want to throw stuff at my TV.
The Celtics announcers keep saying that nobody could stop kg. I am pretty sure Sheed can stop Garnett anytime he wants to IMO.
I guess he just doesn't want to. Because KG has been absolutely abusing him.
Kg IS LIKE omg SOOO GOOOOOD, TO THINK WE COULD HAVE HAD HIM FOR RIP, SHEED PRINCE & AMIR1!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Celtics announcers just called Rip an actor. Lol. I guess then that makes Ray Allen and Pierce Shakespeare.
4 fouls on the precious Rondo.
Tony Allen is one of the many scrubs on the Celtics roster
Gotta love Kelser..."Rondo's become a human turnover in the second half."
Gotta love Kelser..."Rondo's become a human turnover in the second half."
Garnett does not miss rebounds
It's' funny how the Celtic announcers go crazy after Rajan Rondo. What a scrub
Oh well... We all know how little this means come late May in the ECF.
This game makes it clear that the Pistons biggest challenge is Boston
WE PRETTY MUCH JUST LOCKED IN THE #2 SEED. UNLESS BOSTON GOES ON A 6 OR 7 GAME LOSING STREAK, WE ARE #2.
Rasheed 4 rebounds. That's our center, folks
Don't worry; Ratliff= saviour
I was hoping we'd lose. But not lose like this Officiating was heavily in our favor for the 1sr 3 qtrs Rip turned into d-flop with his acting(I cant stand) Billups got wades touchie-touchie respect(I hate that for all players, including my hometeam) Sheed got manhandled by garnett. This is surprising. 3 straight games garnett outclassed him. Before this year they were usually neck to neck
What seperates Pierce and Allen from the Stones is their ability to (at any time) carry their team AND to get a shot during just about any possession. The Pistons don't have that. The Pistons have to set 2-3 picks for Rip just to get off a 15 foot jumper.Pierce sliced and diced us in game 2 setting up others and breaking down our D. Allen stays in Rip's shirt and almost brought them back from the dead in game 1.Their collective skill sets are solid with the ability to dribble, pass, shoot from the outside, finish at the basket, and to guard their man. Add that in with collective ability of the 3 as a whole and you have serious BASKETBALL challenges to overcome. Regretably the Pistons do not present anywhere near the same kind of difficulties.
The Celtics have one superstar in Kevin Garnett, that's it. Pierce and Allen are not superstars by any stretch. Very good players but no way a superstar.
The Celtics were supposed to win last night, they were off for 2 consecutive nights prior to this game and were at home. The Pistons on the other hand were on the road after playing the night before after coming home from a west coast trip. That is a scheduling win if I have ever seen one in this league. Now, if the Pistons have to travel to Boston after playing the previous night after a west coast trip while the Celtics are sitting home with their feet up in the playoffs, then I will agree that they are in trouble. I am pretty sure though that both teams play the same schedule in the playoffs.
Not too dissapointed bout the loss. With all do respect, I think we can beat Boston in 5 or 6 even if tey have homecourt advantage
Did you hear what Dave Cowens said before the game? He said, that his Celtics coached by tommy heinson would have ran this Celtics team into the ground. Just crushed them with there willingness to run and run and run.
The Globe is reporting that Scott Pollard will be out for the rest of the season with a torn tendon in his ankle.
Celtics forward/center Scot Pollard said before tonight's game against the Detroit Pistons that he will be out for the rest of the season with a torn tendon in his left ankle.
Pollard has had a lingering left ankle injury since October that hasn't healed.
The original injury revealed a slight tear that became a lot worse as shown on an MRI today, Pollard said.
"The season is over for me, it's frustrating," said Pollard, who plans to talk to a doctor before tonight's game and was uncertain when surgery would be scheduled. He also added he would like to have the procedure done in Indiana, where he last played for the Pacers.
He only played in 22 games this season, which is 20 more than Ratliff played in for the Celtics. It was a pretty wasted signing other than for comic relieve and Planet Pollard on Celtics Now. I figured he would be on the inactive list anyway once PJ Brown was ready to play. Once Sam arrives, Scal should join him on the inactive list.
On another note, a win tonight against the Pistons would clinch a playoff berth for the Celtics.
According to the Globe, Sam will be in Boston today for his physical and will attend the shoot around tomorrow but isn't expected to participate in it. \
New Celtics guard Sam Cassell is expected to arrive in Boston this afternoon and will take a physical tonight. The 38-year old will not make his Celtics debut against the Pistons on Wednesday night and it's uncertain when he will. Cassell is expected to attend the Celtics' shoot around tomorrow, but not expected to participate.
On Sports Tonight last night, Tanguay and Felger were debating whether Cassell would play Wednesday or not. Tanguay was certain that he would but Felger (and Marc Spears) said that he wouldn't. Looks like Felger wins. I doubted that we would see him in this game as it would be risky to throw him in the mix without any practice in a game this important. It isn't like we don't have a point guard. We should do just fine without him. But it sure will be nice when he is ready to play as well. UPDATE: Update on Sam's status from the Herald
Sam Cassell’s first appearance in town as a Celtic was brief. He passed his physical and exchanged the necessary paperwork on his contract — but headed to the airport afterward.
Cassell is returning to Baltimore to attend funeral services for a family member. He will not be with the Celts either Wednesday or Thursday.
With the signing of Sam Cassell, the Celtics no longer need to keep Gabe Pruitt in Boston as an insurance policy and have re-assigned him to their D-League affiliate, the Utah Flash.
The Boston Celtics announced today that they have reassigned rookie guard Gabe Pruitt to their NBA Development League affiliate Utah Flash. Pruitt is the team's fourth assignment to the NBA Development League this season and the third time for Pruitt.
Pruitt was averaging 2.0 points in 5.7 minutes per game at the time of the assignment. The 6'4 guard had appeared in nine games since his recall from the Flash on December 13, 2007. Pruitt scored a career-high seven points in his first game returning to the Celtics from the Flash on December 14, 2007 against the Milwaukee Bucks in five minutes of play.
Pruitt has size for a point guard and in his few brief stints with the Celtics this season, he showed some good things. I like the move to send him back to the D-League where he will at least get some playing time. I think Rondo and Pruitt will be a very good 1-2 punch at the point for years to come but for now, Sam Cassell is a much needed veteran to back up and Pruitt is gaining some much needed experience.
From the very beginning of the season, Celtics fans have been concerned about the back up point guard spot. It especially became an apparent need when the Celtics played the Pistons in Boston and Rondo struggled against Billups, and House wilted under the Pistons' pressure. Well, Danny was patient and passed on several point guards who became available and now has come up with the big prize. Sam will be in town for his physical today. According to the Globe he has already signed the papers to join the Celtics. We know he has a sore wrist. It would be very bizarre if after all this he didn't pass the physical. Nah, I won't even think about that.
Marc Stein's power rankings last week said that the Celtics were ranked #4 because they failed to make a move at the trade deadline. Since those rankings, Danny has signed the two biggest free agents without having to give up anyone. I still don't get power rankings. They are so subjective.
The owners are sparing no expense to build a championship contender. As I was reading about Sam being signed, I thought back to the years of Don "Thanks Dad" Gaston. Those of us who have been Celtics fans through the Pitino years and the Gaston years know how very good these owners are and what a great job Danny is doing. Thinking back to those years really makes me appreciate this season so much more.
It was on March 3, 1985 that Kevin McHale set the single game scoring record for the Celtics against the Pistons with 56 points. Unfortunately for McHale, his record didn't last long as 9 days later on March 12, Larry Bird set a new record that still stands when he scored 60 points against the Hawks. Here is our very own Doc Rivers talking about Larry's record game.
In watching the games this season the thought came to me that Kevin Garnett has to have the record for the most times that a player has to be separated from opponents during games. It seems as though every game they show KG mixing it up with someone or other. Along those lines, Sam Cassell is a big trash talker. He is coming to the biggest trash talking team in the NBA. Seems like a match made in heaven.
Perk is a Beast. From Perk's first season I have been on the Kendrick Perkins bandwagon. For several years I have said that Perk is going to be a very, very good center in this league and other than the guys at Perkisabeast, most people haven't agreed. Perk came into the league right out of high school. He spent one whole season getting into shape. If you look at Jermaine O'Neal, another center who came into the league directly from high school, he didn't do anything until his 5th season in the league. Centers and point guards take longer to develop, especially if they come directly from high school to the NBA. In his last two games he has averaged 15 points on 80% shooting, 10.5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4.5 blocks. KG credited Perk with making him look good in the Hawks game. Perk knows his role and is now playing it to perfection. Doc finally realized that the Celtics play better with Perk on the floor down the stretch during the Bobcats game. When the Bobcats came back to within 5 points with the small ball lineup, Doc put Perk back into the lineup and the Celtics pulled out the win.
I love this picture. Tim Duncan looks pensive, Kobe is all smiles, and KG looks like he is about to eat the other two for breakfast. In Mike Gorman's mailbag, he was asked which Celtic he likes to watch the most and this is his answer.
But if I had to pick one player it would be KG. Cowens and Bird have only matched his intensity on a nightly basis in the time I have been following the Celtics.
KG is definitely a special player. I didn't follow him that much in Minnesota, but watching him game in and game out, I don't think that even Bird and Cowens were as intense as he is.
The Celtics have been so good because of the attitudes on the team. From training camp on, every player has done whatever it takes to make this team work. There have been no egos. There is no whining about playing time and they genuinely cheer for the successes of the other. PJ Brown is the perfect fit for this team in that next to Ray Allen, he may be the classiest player in the league. He has said he will do whatever he can to help the team, even if it is just being a cheerleader and coaching the young bigs. Sam Cassell has said that he will be fine backing up Rondo and will do whatever is asked of him. I sure hope he means it because the last thing this team needs right now is a disgruntled player. When told that Cassell coming may affect his playing time, Tony Allen had this to say:
“Like I told you from day one, whatever I can do to help team. If that’s what happens, it would be unfortunate, but I’ll be, ‘Go Celtics, let’s go get this ring.’ If it’s handing out Gatorade bottles, that’s what I’d do. What ever it takes, I’m willing to help.”
Every player on this team has that attitude, including the team's 3 stars. But then, last year's team had great chemistry and very good character, even during the 18 game losing streak. Just like Red Auerbach used to do, Danny has been drafting and signing for character as well as talent and it is paying off. Ubuntu.
According to the Globe, Sam Cassell has cleared waivers and has signed a contract with the Celtics. He will be in town tomorrow and bring the paperwork with him. He probably won't practice with the team tomorrow, but does plan to participate in the Wednesday shoot around. It isn't known whether he will play on Wednesday against the Pistons.
