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 him .
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
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 wire. Basically, they pulled off a 96-67 run over the last 40 minutes of the game.
Pistons 57, Celtics 77, End of Third: Rajon Rondo has been the story of the third quarter, driving to the hoop and dishing off to teammates for some great open looks at the basket. He played the entire third quarter, and he's cheifly responsible for the Celtics exteding a nine-point halftime lead into a 20-point edge at the end of three. Rondo scored nine points and had four assists in the period (18 and 8 for the game to this point on 7/11 shooting), and that could easily be a double-double if a few more shots went down.
This is one of those NBA games where the home team quietly pulls away. Turnovers tell much of the story; the Celtics had just seven to the Pistons' 15. Let's see how the bench does to start off the fourth quarter. Speaking of which, Gabe Pruitt was on the floor to start the third.
Kendrick Perkins also helped the Celtics on the glass, coming up with five rebounds in the period.
Pistons 40, Celtics 49, Halftime: It's fair to say that the Celtics bench probably loves seeing "DET" on the schedule. With Tony Allen going for a repeat performance (nine points) after scoring 23 in his last outing against Detroit, the Boston subs have put up 21 points compared to six (all Jason Maxiell) from the Pistons.
Most of the hustle stats are close, but the Pistons have committed 10 turnovers to the Celtics' six. Detroit hasn't been able to get into any sort of offensive rhythm since Stuckey came in, and it's clear that he and Iverson have yet to chisel out how they should play together.
Both teams have been lights out from downtown, with the Celtics holding the edge (5-of-7) over the Pistons (3-of-5). Eddie House accounted for two of those, hitting back-to-back bombs after missing his first free throw of the year on a technical freebie. House is now 13-of-14. Luckily, Gabe Pruitt is still 1-of-1.
Looks like Ray Allen's free-throw fundamentals talk before the game was more pertinent than we thought, as the Celtics are 8-of-15 from the line.
- Couper Moorhead
Pistons 21, Celtics 21, End of First Quarter: The Pistons jumped out to a 13-2 lead (yup, another slow start), but the Celtics countered with a 12-1 run of their own behind six consecutive points from Rajon Rondo. Rondo has nine points in the quarter, including the rare pullup three.
Early signs are that this is not the Pistons team of eleven days ago. Their ball movement was fluid and rather than the passive Allen Iverson we saw trying too hard to fit in, he came out looking like he wanted to drop 30. That all changed when Rodney Stuckey came in to play point, pushing Iverson to off-guard. With Stuckey at the helm, the Pistons committed three straight turnovers and needed a couple bailout shots from Rasheed Wallace on other posessions.
- Couper Moorhead
Pregame Media Access
It's Allen Iverson's first visit to the Garden in a Pistons uniform tonight, and now that the Celtics are starting to see teams for the second go-round, there was plenty of straight hoops talk before the game (as opposed to philosophical ramblings about the effect of offseason moves).
Pistons coach Michael Curry called the Celtics' double-digit smackdown two Sundays ago a "dizzy spell" for his squad, and said they've used that game to address their weaknesses. With the Pistons going 4-1 since playing Boston, it appears as though Doc Rivers' warning that they will improve as the season progressed was spot on.
"It's not just Allen [Iverson] getting used to them, it's them getting used to Allen," Rivers said before the game, adding that Rasheed Wallace (14.2 points per game, up 1.5 from last year) has been helped the most from the Pistons' increase in tempo. "I think he's benefited the most from it, especially in transition. You have to load to the ball with Allen coming up with the floor, and to do that you have to load off of Rasheed.
"I was yelling 'Get back' the entire game and I hadn't done that in the previous years playing Detroit," Rivers added. "It worried me, even in that game. I was laughing with [coach Tom Thibodeau] after the game, I said, "I don't think I've said that 20 times in the past and the whole game I was just screaming getting back."
Though not having much to do with tonight's game, Ray Allen spoke at length about the keys to becoming a good free-throw shooter -- which he doesn't think he became until playing under Jim Calhoun at UConn (81% his final year). Asked whether he could help Rajon Rondo, who's shooting 53.5% from the line, Allen said he could but that it's up to Rondo to ask.
- Couper Moorhead
Ealry Pregame
If you haven't seen it already, check out CelticVision HD for video interviews with Coach Rivers, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as they talk about Allen Iverson and the new-look Pistons. While it seems like we've been calling evey other team the "new-look" [plug-in-a-team-name-here], the Pistons are probably the most dramatically different, relevant and successful since their deal for The Answer.
Tonight's game will be on TNT, which means a late 8 p.m. start and a late-night finish as well. Since the C's will be hitting the road for Minnesota after the game, it should be a brief postgame as the C's will be trying to get on the plane as soon as possible.
Holy Cross Honors C's Legends
Apparently, Holy Cross doesn't retire just anyone's jersey. Either that or there's a 50-year waiting period. Whatever the reason for the delay, the Cross raised Tommy Heinsohn's #24 (class of '56), Bob Cousy's #17 (1950) and Togo Palazzi's #22 to the rafters along with George Kaftan's #12 in a halftime ceremony at the November 16 game between the Crusaders and St. Joseph's in Worcestor, MA. All four men later played for the Boston Celtics.
- Peter Stringer
Tuesday, November 18 - Knicks at Celtics
Live from Courtside
110-101 Celtics, FINAL: This one was close, as the Knicks had cut the Celtics lead to 4 points with 2:06 remaining on a Duhon three and a Chandler put-back. They came into the game averaging just over 28 three-point attempts a night, so it should surprise no one that they hoisted 29 bombs Tuesday night.
But the shot of the night honors go to Brian Scalabrine, who drilled a three from the corner with 1:14 to play to put the Celtics up 107-99 and effectively smothered any run the Knicks could conceivably make.
We'll have more in postgame...
- Peter Stringer
Knicks, 77, Celtics, 89, End of Third Quarter: This is hardly a blowout, but Celtics never looked anything less than in control this quarter. The Knicks' field goal percentage has dropped to 43.8%, while the Celtics are hovering over 60%, mostly because they have been pounding the paint.
Ray Allen had six early points, but Rondo and Perkins carried the Celtics offensively in the quarter, scoring nine points apiece. Scalabrine also got into the action, hitting jumpers on consecutive possessions that were, to say the least, crowd pleasing.
For this to be a game, it looks like the Knicks are going to have to shoot their way back into it.
- Couper Moorhead
Knicks 47, Celtics 56, Halftime: The Celtics cranked up the defense in the second quarter holding the Knicks to just 6 of 19 from the field, and they quickly turned a two-point deficit at the end of the first into an eight-point lead thanks to their 19-9 run over the first 5:50 of the quarter. They finished the half up nine points, thanks in large part to Leon Powe, who continued to get it done on the offensive end, scoring 8 points in the quarter (14 overall).
The C's are dominating inside while the Knicks hoist jumper after jumper. The C's hit 10 of their first 13 shots in the period by pounding the ball inside and they're enjoying a 34-12 points in the paint edge.
Powe and Zach Randolph tied up under the basket and were both assessed technicals, but there didn't appear to be any suspension worthy conduct in the exchange. Given that Powe spent the pregame telling reporters how tough it is to stay under control when physical altercations start brewing, hats off to him for keeping his head on a night where the C's couldn't afford to lose any more manpower.
Knicks 28, Celtics 26, End of First: For awhile it looked as though the Celtics' (somewhat) slow starts would continue, but they've done a strong job controlling the tempo and the paint.
The Knicks aren't quite the Phoenix Suns, but they are putting up plenty of treys, hitting on 3-of-8. Quentin Richardson had nine early points, and yes, if you were wondering, he still does the double-fist head pound. Wilson Chandler has 10 points, but mostly on mid-range jumpers, and the Knicks as a team are shooting 52.2% from the field. With most of the Knicks' attempts coming from outside the paint, and the Celtics allowing less than 40% shooting from opponents all season, you'd expect that number to fall.
Scalabrine was solid if unspectacular (which is what Doc was going for) in his Garnett fill-in role, getting an assist and taking a charge before coming out for Leon Powe, who had six points in the quarter.
- Couper Moorhead
Pregame Media Access
The New York Knicks are tonight's opponent, but with regard to the questions before the game, it could be anyone. The story of the day, of course, is the one-game suspension of Kevin Garnett for a hit on Andrew Bogut in Saturday's contest against the Milwaukee Bucks. Brian Scalabrine will start in Garnett's place, leaving the second unit intact.
The Celtics didn't find the suspension particularly agreeable, with Doc Rivers calling it "ridiculous", Kendrick Perkins saying that it was "kind of messed up", and Leon Powe saying simply that, if it were up to him, he wouldn't have suspended KG.
"It just happens, it's the game of basketball," Powe said of the hits underneath the basket.
The quote of pregame, as is becoming habit, belonged to Perkins. Asked whether he had learned anything from Garnett about keeping his composure and limiting fouls, Perkins stared into the media huddle before offering this gem:
"KG, he's crazier than me," Perkins said. "What do you want me to say? If I said anything else I'd be lying to you."
As for Garnett's reaction to the suspension, he is not allowed in the arena tonight, and according to Doc, not even allowed to buy a ticket. He was at the team's shootaround this morning, though, and Powe said the Big Ticket had very little to say other than, "Good luck, guys."
- Couper Moorhead
Early Pregame
Doc Rivers isn't pleased with the NBA's one-game suspension of Kevin Garnett stemming from a league review of his altercation with Andrew Bogut in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's overtime win over the Bucks. Rivers called it "ridiculous".
Brian Scalabrine, first off the bench Saturday night, will get the start in KG's place as expected, so as to not disrupt the cohesion of the second unit.
Couper Moorhead will have more from tonight's pregame media access.
- Peter Stringer
Monday, November 17 - Practice
Rested C's Ready for Knicks
With their eight-games-in-twelve-days stretch behind them, the Celtics, now 9-2, caught their breath a little bit with a well-earned day off after beating Milwaukee in overtime Saturday night. The team returned to the practice floor Monday for a long practice, and they'll be ready to go against the visiting Knicks at the Garden tomorrow night.
As for what to expect from the Knicks (6-4), Doc likes what he's seen from Mike D'Antoni's new-look New York team and figures that the Celtics defense, despite its top-three ranking in points allowed (89.7, third) and field goal defense (39.6, first), will have to be on top of its game to get the win.
"They're putting a ton of points on the board so we're going to have to have a hell of a defensive night," Rivers said.
Jamal Crawford, who's spent most of his first seven seasons in the NBA as a secondary scorer, has become the Knicks go-to guy on the offensive end over the last year or so, and he's averaging a career-high 21.3 points per game in his first 10 games this season.
Crawford has been lethal from three-point land to start this season, shooting it at 46% from behind the line, and he's opening eyes as the Knicks seem to be taking well to D'Antoni's run-and-gun system.
"Crawford has been very good for a long time. He's a great scorer," Rivers said. "He can score off the dribble, he can score off the catch. When he has big games it makes it very difficult to beat New York."
Check the Audio Archive (right column) for audio from today's practice from Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Brian Scalabrine.
Saturday, November 15 - Celtics at Bucks
Giddens Headed for D-League
J.R. Giddens has yet to see the floor in a regular season game, and it was becoming clear that he'd have a hard time just getting on the floor in practice, let alone crack the rotation on this championship team. So Giddens stayed behind Friday night as the Celtics left for Milwaukee, and he'll be reporting to the Utah Flash this week.
Press Release: Celtics Assign Giddens to Utah Flash
Friday, November 14 - Nuggets at Celtics
Live from Courtside
94-85 Nuggets, FINAL: The Celtics suffered their first home loss tonight, and they were just killed in the paint along the way (42-20 on points in the paint). They also gave up almost 50% shooting and simply looked like a tired team that's played too many games in a short period.
Their end-of-the-third lead evaporated, and they had to play catch-up again in the fourth quarter. Despite Ray Allen tying the game at 82 with 4:17 to play, the Celtics gave up a 12-2 run over the next 2:30 minutes, and that was all she wrote.
Also worth keeping your eye on: Kendrick Perkins, who's had a history of shoulder problems, appeared to hurt his left shoulder in a wrestling match for the ball at center court. He didn't initially come out of the game, but was not on the floor in the final minute when the Celtics, trailing by 10, went to their gunners lineup.
64-65 Celtics, End of Third Quarter: And just like that, the C-Train is back on the tracks. Paul Pierce dropped 12 of his 19 points in the period, and the C's rallied from 15 points down to take a one-point lead into the final quarter. They trailed 59-44 with 8:37 left in the quarter, but put together a 21-5 run to take the lead.
Not much from the bench tonight. Non-starters have contributed just six points; five of those belong to Eddie House.
48-42 Nuggets, Halftime: Um, yeah, what happened? Ray still has 18, but the Celtics were outscored 25-7 over the first nine minutes of the quarter, and found themsleves behind by six at the half. The C's shot just 5/18 in the stanza while Denver was 11/21.
The C's are getting killed in the paint, 26-14, and their jumpers aren't falling, either.
23-29 Celtics, End of First Quarter: Ray Allen has it going early for the Celtics, dropping 18 points in the quarter and finishing the period with a pair of three-point shots. He's 6/7 from the field, and leads all scorers. Heck, he nearly outscored the Nuggets.
Chauncey Billups, whose physical brand of basketball and size is a matchup problem for Rajon Rondo, has nine points to lead the Nuggets. But Carmelo Anthony (1/5) has been kept wrapped up in his nine minutes of action.
Wednesday, November 12 - Hawks at Celtics
Live from Courtside
Hawks 102, Celtics 103, Final: Paul Pierce does it again. The Hawks put their best foot forward tonight, and they even appeared to have the game won after a Marvin Williams three from the corner, but Pierce (34 points) hit the backbreaker with 0.5 seconds left over the outstretched arms of Al Horford to make the Celtics 8-1.
For such a tightly contested game -- one that got close to playoff level -- the final play was decidedly simple.
"The last play was drawn up, get the ball to Paul Pierce, get the hell out of the way," Kevin Garnett (25 points, 12 boards) said. "Superman's in the booth. Let's go home. That was the play and if you don't believe that ask Doc Rivers and he'll say the same exact thing."
There wasn't any need to ask that question. Most Celtics credited the Hawks for their improved defense, but keep in mind that despite what you may be thinking based on a few exchanges between the two teams, this isn't quite a heated rivalry.
"The things that stick out is that they're a lot more defensively sound than they were a year ago," Garnett said. "It's entertaining, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a rivalry."
- Couper Moorhead
Hawks 77, Celtics 76, End of Third Quarter: In previous years, the Hawks might've folded after that mighty run by the Celtics in the second quarter, but this team is proving that the seven-game playoff series was no fluke.
Eight Hawks' three-pointers and 10 second quarter points from Kevin Garnett are preventing either team from taking control. Meanwhile, Flip Murray has a quiet 14 off the bench. The Celtics are still shooting just 42%, so, as Doc would say, the shooting odds are in their favor for the final stanza.
Zaza Pachulia will not be returning in the second half after suffering a sore shoulder (AC joint). Someone else will have to remind the Hawks that really, "nothing easy."
-Couper Moorhead
Hawks 51, Celtics 51, End of Half: Big Baby went back to the locker room midway through the quarter. No official word yet, but it looked like he did something to his lower back. Either way, he's available for the second half.
For awhile, this appeared to be the slow start that finally caught up with the Celtics. The worst of it came after a backcourt turnover from the Celtics became an open second-chance layup when nobody hustled back, putting them at a 16-point deficit. But whatever Doc said in the ensuing timeout put the team into playoff mode, and defense took over.
Not that there wasn't any offense. With the Hawks barely mustering a decent offensive possession, the Celtics ran off an 18-2 run to tie things up at 46, highlighted by a handful of and-ones. By the time Rondo lobbed the ball to Garnett for a monster jam, the Hawks' body language was spelling d-e-f-l-a-t-i-o-n.
To his credit, Solomon Jones tried to rekindle his team with a brief standoff with Perkins after a hard foul, but things dispersed quickly and Perkins shared some choice words with the Hawks' bench.
Stats-wise, Ray Allen has 15 points, Pierce has 11 and the Celtics are winning the battle in the paint with an 18-12 scoring advantage and four more rebounds than the Hawks. Both teams had their spells of sloppiness with 11 turnovers apiece.
-Couper Moorhead
Hawks 31, Celtics 24, End of First: It's becoming a theme. The Celtics are off to yet another slow start and fell behind early, 13-7, and spent the rest of the first quarter trying to catch up. And once again, the Celtics defense just didn't arrive in time for tip off. A Flip Murray three at the horn gave the Hawks their seven-point first quarter lead.
Al Horford had a huge game in Chicago, but he picked up two quick fouls in the first four minutes of the game, and with Josh Smith already out of action with the high ankle sprain, the Hawks suddenly found themselves missing a huge chunk of their interior defense.
We're looking for carry-overs from the playoffs series, but so far there hasn't been much in the way of physicality.
- Peter Stringer
Pregame Media Access
Pretty quiet before tonight's game with the Atlanta Hawks -- who got into Boston at 2:30 a.m. -- especially compared to last year's playoff series when Mike Bibby and Kendrick Perkins had a brief war of the words in the days leading up to Game 2.
After Bibby called Boston fans "fair weather fans" following a practice last April, Perkins responded by saying, "I mean, coming off a 2-for-10 night shooting, he would say something like that." By gametime, Bibby was questioning Perk's tough streak while the Celtics center said that he wasn't losing any sleep over anything Bibby had to say. Bibby shot 2-of-7 that night and was booed every time he touched the ball while Perkins posted a solid eight points and nine boards as the Celtics won by 19.
Tonight, a reserved Bibby stayed on the topic of the Hawks' unbeaten standing, while most words out of Perk's mouth were off-key lyrics.
Both Bibby and Hawks' coach Mike Woodson credited their seven-game series with the Celtics for the team's play, and defensive effort.
"It was huge," Woodson said of the series. "You couldn't draw it up any better. It left a great taste in these guys mouth in terms of their direction."
Asked whether tonight was more about them or the Celtics, Woodson said it's got to be about his squad because they are still trying to take what the Celtics have. If you haven't already, get used to hearing that.
- Couper Moorhead
Monday, November 10 - Raptors at Celtics
Live from Courtside
Celtics 94, Raptors 87, Final: Only two words are needed to describe that fourth quarter: Paul Pierce. After a first half marred by easy misses, Pierce scored 22 of his 36 points in the fourth, including back-to-back threes that kept the Celtics within one. The lead ping-ponged back and forth over the next few minutes before Pierce's turnaround jumper gave the Celtics the lead for good. Then, Celtics defense took over and that was all she wrote.
Credit the fans for their great sense of the moment, too. But one thing to take away from this win is that Pierce played 46 minutes and both Garnett and Ray Allen played over 35, and there are three games left to play this week.
- Couper Moorhead
Raptors 65, Celtics 59, End of Third Quarter:The Celtics starters progressively built up steam throughout the quarter, eventually forcing a run-stopping timeout from Sam Mitchell after a KG jumper and Pierce three brought the C's within eight. From that point on, the crowd's pulse doubled and the Big Three took over.
Garnett has been a madman, at one point even picking up Jose Calderon at half court. On a Chris Bosh post up, Garnett pushed him so much that three dribbles later, Bosh was three feet further out. The Big Ticket has 19 points and nine boards, and the Celtics have taken the points in the paint advantage, 22-20.
Of the starters, only Kendrick Perkins came out of the game (4 fouls), so it's up to the bench to keep the run going.
- Couper Moorhead
Raptors 48, Celtics 36, Halftime: At least for the first half, the Celtics' reserves won't be the heroes they were against the Pistons last night. In the first five minutes of the quarter, the bench was outscored 9-4.
Reports out of Toronto in the days leading up to this game were that Jermaine O'Neal was struggling with his new role next to Chris Bosh, but he's been playing at a different level than everyone else on the floor. And it's not just open jumpers he's hitting -- O'Neal fed a cutting Jason Kapono for a layup, and on one post up, he left Kendrick Perkins in the dust with a baseline spin move. O'Neal has 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, with eight boards and two assists.
As for the Celtics, their half can best be summed up by a pair of missed layups by Paul Pierce (9 points), one after completely blowing by his defender. They are getting the shots they want, despite some solid Toronto defense, but the shots just aren't falling. Garnett kept the team from falling into more of a hole with nine second-quarter points (11 overall), but 32.4% shooting from the team isn't going to beat this division opponent. While chances are that the percentages return closer to the norm, the Celtics will have to clean up the boards (the Raptors hold a 25-18 advantage) to get themselves back in this one.
Raptors 23, Celtics 18, End of First Quarter: The story of the game so far has been Jermaine O'Neal, who's got his retro shoes on as he looks more like the Indiana Pacers, All-Star version of himself. O'Neal has 10 points (5-of-10 shooting) on a number of turnaround jumpers in the lane over both Perkins and Garnett, as well as an alley-oop courtesy Jose Calderon.
The starters had a slow start on the offensive half of the court and the shots still aren't falling. The Celtics are shooting 5-of-16 from the floor and are being outscored 10-4 in the paint. The Raptors also hold a 5-0 advantage on second chance points.
- Couper Moorhead
Pregame Media Access
The top two teams in the Atlantic Division are facing off tonight, and as you can imagine, there's a few more members of the media around then there was for the Milwaukee Bucks barnburner.
Rajon Rondo had a bag of ice wrapped around his right elbow in the locker room, because, as Doc Rivers put it, he "twisted his body." Rondo said he just landed on the elbow against the Pistons, but you can't be too surprised he's icing anything given the way teams have been putting him on the floor.
Tony Allen spent some time with reporters after scoring 23 points against the Pistons last night, and anytime someone mentioned him being "back" from the pair of knee surgeries, Allen quickly announced that he's still not there. He's got the quickness to get by defenders, he said, but that explosiveness to rise up at the rim isn't back yet. As for a percentage for Allen's health, he took a few moments to come up with 82 percent.
If you ask most NBA fans over thirty who they think the coolest player of all time was, Walt "Clyde" Frazier would surely be one of the first names out of their mouths. If you want a less trendy, darkhorse pick for that discussion, though, throw out Raptors' coach Sam Mitchell, who's voice alone is keeping cool alive.
Asked whether he was surprised the Celtics have picked up where they left off last year, Mitchell, a former teammate of Garnett's with the Timberwolves, gave a few incredulous looks around the media huddle before responding.
"Unless someone kidnapped Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett over the summer..." Mitchell said. "Three future hall of famers, getting their first taste of glory, and they gonna let up? I don't know about human nature, but I know about athletes, and athletes that are said to be the best, they don't let up. The more they win, it becomes a drug."
-Couper Moorhead
Early Pregame Report
After blowing the Pistons out at the Palace, the Celtics return home for their first Atlantic Division game of the year, hosting the Toronto Raptors.
In the house tonight watching from the seats: Dino Radja, who played three seasons with the Celtics in the mid-90s. Radja posted career averages of 16.7 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Couper Moorhead will have more from Doc's pregame presser just before tipoff...
Sunday, November 9 - Celtics at Pistons
Celtics 88, Pistons 76, FINAL: It wasn't as close as the final score indicates, as the Celtics defense just devoured the Pistons from bell-to-bell. Winning their fourth straight game, the Celtics made it clear that they're still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Tony Allen had an impressive outing, scoring 23 points in 27 minutes, going 11/16 from the field and getting almost everything on layups. Given that Paul Pierce (seven points) and Kevin Garnett (eight points) went a combined 7/25 from the field, TA gave the Celtics a much-needed lift from the bench.
"I just took advantage of what the defense gave me. Coach said, 'Just attack', and that's what I did," Tony Allen said.
Ray Allen, who had 17 to lead the starters, liked what he saw from TA and the rest of the reserves.
"All the players around those guys stepped up and made plays," Ray Allen said of the bench. "The second unit has come in and competed. Those guys keep giving us the energy and the sky's the limit for them."
Tony Allen noted that the bench understands its role.
"We're supposed to come in with energy. We've got to be that lift for the starters if they're not getting it done early," Tony Allen said.
Coach Doc Rivers echoed those sentiments, calling the team's defense "the best of the year, by far", noting that his guys had active hands and were getting up into the Pistons' bodies. But again, Rivers emphasized that the play of his bench was instrumental in tonight's win.
"Our bench has been phenomenal. The last three or four games, our bench has been the reason we won," Rivers said. "They do all of the little things that as a group make them a good group. There's no one guy who can carry them, but when they played the way they've played, it makes them a very good basketball team."
69-49 Celtics, End of Third: The Pistons didn't draw any closer in the third, despite Tayshaun Prince taking the scoring lead with 21 points. Iverson scored just two points in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Pistons have to be concerned about Rodney Stuckey, who had trouble leaving the floor at halftime and his status at this point is unknown.
47-29 Celtics, Halftime: The Celtics defense absolutely overwhelmed the Pistons in the second quarter, and as a result, the Celtics outscored them 30-10 in the period to build a 47-29 halftime edge that had the locals booing the Pistons off the floor.
Allen Iverson's presence (8 points) has really messed up the Pistons' chemistry and it's clear that the Pistons will need some time to get their offense together. The Pistons, shooting just 25% from the field, did not score a field goal in the last 7:33 of the half. Meanwhile, with Pierce riding the pine (three fouls), Tony Allen played 13 minutes and scored a game-high 13 points in the half.
Rajon Rondo continues to be a target for opposing teams trying to intimidate him with some stiff shots, whether it was Rasheed Wallace's blind backcourt pick or a few hard hits on Rondo's drives.
17-19 Pistons, End of First Quarter: If you were expecting a defensive struggle, this first quarter certainly didn't disappoint. It took a full three minutes before either team could get on the board. But the news of the first quarter is three personals on Paul Pierce, the last of which was laughable and drew techincals on Pierce and Doc Rivers.
Saturday, November 8 - Open Practice
The Celtics staged an open practice Saturday at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint today for New England Baptist Hospital, one of the team's official sponsors, and while it was a brief session, the team sharpened up on some training camp drills before catching a 3 p.m. flight to Michigan for their big game against Allen Iverson and the new-look Detroit Pistons Sunday night.
Check CelticVision HD for interviews with Doc Rivers and Ray Allen from today's sesssion.
Friday, November 7 - Bucks at Celtics
Recap | Box Score | Perkins, Pierce Come Up Big vs. Bucks
89-101 Celtics, FINAL: Soctt Skiles summed it up in his postagme address. "They pretty much owned us [in the paint] from beginning to end," Skiles saif of the Celtics win over the Bucks Friday night at the Garden. Despite Milwaukee jumping out to a 25-12 lead to start the game, and shooting somewhere around 70% from the field, the Celtics put the clamps down and returned to the defensive form that made them champs last season. By game's end, the Bucks had shot under 40%, and the Celtics had the game tied up with a few minutes to play.
Given the team's recent travel woes, lack of rest and practice, a sloppy start didn't surprise anyone on the Celtics bench. But you really can't argue with the team's subsequent recovery.
"We were concerned with the start," Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. "That's I was just trying to burn, you know, minutes, get the game going for them. I didn't want to sub any of them out. [I] just thought it was a good way of getting them running."
Once the running started, it never really stopped. The Celtics outscored the Bucks 24-10 in fast break points, and in the paint, the 60-36 edge was even more dominant. In the middle of it all? Kendrick Perkins, who posted a career-high seven blocks in just 24 minutes. The last time he blocked seven shots? How about all of his senior year at Clifton J. Ozen High School, according to the averages, when he was good for 7.8 swats per game. Sure, it was easier back then, but with 15 blocks over his last three games, recently he's been making it look easier in the pros too.
Not one to blow his own horn, Perk said he's not out there looking for the block, and besides, he had some amends to make; he had five turnovers.
"I was messing up so bad on the offensive end that I had to make it up on the defensive end," Perkins said. "As long as I keep protecting the paint, [the blocks] will come."
Fourth Quarter: Back-to-back hoops from TA and Rondo made it 82-72 with 10:23 to play, and the Celtics slipped into cruise control from there on. Gino came out with the C's up 97-83 with 2:44 to play. Early? Perhaps...Bill Walker got his first taste of PT in garbage time and even got his first regular season bucket of his NBA career.
As for Kendrick Perkins, his seven blocks is a career-high. KG had his own 7-swat game last year, and the last Celtics player to block eight was Kevin McHale, who did it to the Sacramento Kings in the old Boston Garden in 1987.
70-75 Celtics, End of Third: The Celtics can't seem to pull away from the Bucks, despite Perkins blocking three more shots in the third. They're just 4/14 from three point land, but they do have 22 assists on 29 field goals.
47-55 Celtics, HALFTIME: The Celtics really came alive in the second quarter, mounting a 19-7 run over the last six minutes of the half to jump out to a 55-47 advantage. A KG fast-break dunk put the C's up 44-42 and they haven't looked back.
Kendrick Perkins, who had a huge game Tuesday night in Houston, blocked four shots in the first half as the CEltics dominated the paint. How about a 38-12 points in the paint advantage? Impressive.
30-23 Bucks, End of First: Not a lot of defense to be seen in the first quarter. For most of the first, the Bucks were hovering around 70% from the field as they built a 25-12 lead. When the Celtics D came to life, an 8-0 run got the C's back into the game and it was 30-23 at the end of the quarter. The C's did come up with four blocks in the first period.
Pregame Update
The Michael Redd-less (high ankle sprain) Milwaukee Bucks are in the house tonight, the first Celtics opponent in a brutal stretch which features six games in the next eight days, bookended by the boys in purple. With little time to catch their breath over that period, Doc Rivers said the team's only practice will be tomorrow, which will be open for a Celtics sponsor.
"We're going to have what I guess you'd call a practice tomorrow," Rivers said. "We don't see a decent practice until December, because of the [schedule]."
The talk in the Celtics room circulated around Rajon Rondo and his free-throw shooting woes thus far this season. Despite making 100 shots from the stripe a day this summer, usually out of 110, according to Rondo, he's shooting an Olden Polynice-esque 13-of-33 (39%) in the Celtics' first five games.
"I don't know what the story is; if I knew I'd definitely try to improve it," Rondo said. "I'm going to continue to try and get fouled and attack the rim. I'm not going to shy away from getting fouled because I have to make them eventually. I need to make them, especially being a point guard."
Many of Rondo's trips to freebie-land have been preceded by a hard hit underneath the bucket, which he acknowledged, saying that it may be the adrenaline rush contributing to the erratic nature of his shots.
"For some reason, it's just not going in right now. Some are long, some are short, but I'll get a rhythm," he said. "Once I get a rhythm, I'll lock in."
To counteract that, Rondo said Sam Cassell told him to focus on taking a breath before he shoots and even to stop and tie his shoes to buy some time. While he hasn't had the chance to try this yet, fortunately Rondo's laces are always loose so as not to cut off circulation in his feet.
- Couper Moorhead
Wednesday, November 5 - Celtics at Thunder
Live Game Update
96-83 Celtics, FINAL: The Big Three all came up big Wednesday night, with each guy flirting with a double-double. Paul Pierce, despite playing with a sprained hand, led the way with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Ray Allen had 18 and nine boards while KG chipped in 17 and eight rebounds.
"I got a little sprained hand I suffered last night," Pierce said of the minor injury. "I haven't been shooting the ball well, but I'm going to keep shooting until I get out of the slump."
While the Celtics fell behind early in the first quarter, the C's made the rally in the second period when the reserves took the floor.
"I really thought the second unit did a good job," Pierce said. "They played with energy, took the lead and we never looked back."
Heralded second-year player Kevin Durant finished with 17 points, but he disappeared for most of the second and third quarter and if that's the case, it could be a long, long year for the Thunder.
The Celtics, meanwhile, improved to 4-1 and will return home Friday night to host the 3-2 Milwaukee Bucks at the Garden.
70-55 Celtics, End of Third: The C's started to pull away from a young Thunder team in the third quarter, outscoring them 19-11 behind strong play from Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. Allen struggled early but started finding the groove and socred 10 of his 14 points in the third, while Rondo has nine assists and some nice plays on the defensive end.
The Celtics have clamped down on defense, coming up with nine steals and holding Oklahoma City to just 34% shooting.
51-44 Celtics, Halftime: The Celtics tipped off the second quarter by jumping out on a 25-7 run, while the Thunder went just 1-for-their-first-16 in the period. Leon Powe made his impression felt, leading the Celtics with 11 points at the half and some typical hard-nosed rebounding under the basket.
Delays have plagued the game, from net issues to floor moisture that had ball boys mopping up with towels between baskets late in the half.
29-21 Thunder, End of First: So far we're pretty even statistically, but a high-energy 11-3 Thunder run to end the quarter has Oklahoma City up 29-21 after the first. Ray Allen continues his fine play with four points, four rebounds and a pair of assists.
Tuesday, November 4 - Celtics at Rockets
Live Game Update
103-99 Celtics, FINAL: The Celtics (3-1) get a nice win in Texas, as Kendrick Perkins and Ray Allen both had huge nights. Allen dropped 29 points before fouling out on a questionable call. Perk, playing in front of family and friends, owned Yao on both ends of the floor as the Celtics controlled the paint and the tempo of most of this game.
Allen did most of his daamage against Tracy McGrady, who looked more than a step or two slow and failed to stay with Allen on the defensive end. Allen ran McGrady against picks most of the night, Reggie Miller style, before the Rockets finally switched up to put Artest on Allen in the waning minutes.
"It looked like Tracy was hobbled a little bit and we took advantage of it," Allen said. "The guys set some great screens and I got some good looks."
If anyone knows how to attack McGrady (not too mention knows his injury history), it would be Doc Rivers, who coached him with the Orlando Magic.
"Once [Allen] gets it going he's very difficult to stop," Rivers said. "I'm sure [McGrady's] not 100% yet."
All five starters scored in double figures for the Celtics, who visit Oklahoma City tomorrow night.
81-78 Celtics, End of Third: Rondo continues to play well, controlling the pace in a back-and-forth game in which the referees have been reluctant to blow the whistle despite some physical play. Perkins is having himself a nice night and has 15 points on 7/8 shooting.
Despite shooting 54% from the field through three periods, the C's have just a three-point lead.
58-53 Celtics, Halftime: After building a 16-point lead early in the second quarter, the Celtics endured a 20-7 Rockets run over 4:30 when the score went from a 43-27 edge to a 50-47 deficit. But the C's closed out the half strong and took a five-point lead into the half. Ray Allen has 12 points and four assists, while Perk and KG continue to work the glass.
Garnett, however, is having another rough shooting night, going just 2/10 in the half as his midrange jumper just wont go down. Ron Artest (9 points, 4 rebounds) has played well for the Rockets.
28-22 Celtics, End of First: The Celtics scored 14 of their 28 first quarter points on either dunks or layups, and the Houston defense, which coming into this game was among the best in the league, was non-existant. The Celtics also out-rebounded the Rockets 16-9 in the opening stanza. Yao Ming picking up two quick fouls certainly didn't help the Houston cause.
Rajon Rondo led all scorers with 10 points in the quarter.
Bill Walker Activated
7:31 p.m.: Rookie Bill Walker has been activated for tonight's game, while reserve center Patrick O'Bryant will not dress tonight for the Celtics' game against the Rockets in Houston.
Walker, if you remember, got into it with Tracy McGrady during the Celtics preseason game against Houston in Manchester, NH.
Saturday, November 1 - Celtics at Pacers
Live Game Coverage
95-79 Pacers, FINAL: A 12-0 too-little, too-late run by the bench wasn't nearly enough, and the Celtics fall for the first time this season to start their three-game roadie. KG had 18 points and 14 rebounds but still didn't look like himself.
The only thing uglier than the Celtics' 24 turnovers tonight? Danny Granger's new $60 million smile. Granger lost his two front teeth diving for a loose ball, and now we know what he wants for Christmas.
Doc Rivers won't use the 4 a.m. arrival as an excuse, but when everyone looks a step slow and you turn it over that many times, the travel woes have to have played a role.
69-58 Pacers, End of Third Quarter: The turnovers continue to kill the Celtics. Twenty one turnovers and counting is making it tough to make any sort of sustained run to chip away at Indiana's double-digit lead. Paul Pierce is attacking the basket more, and it might be one of those nights where the Truth has to put the team on his back.
48-41 Pacers, Halftime: The Celtics got as close as three points, but the Pacers riding Granger and T.J. Ford and the emotion of their opening night. But 14 turnovers is crazy for a half, and the Celtics will have to clean it up in the second half to get the win tonight. Five guys have committed at least more than one turnover here in the first half.
Given their 33% shooting, their isn't much to point to on the positive side for the C's, but Tony Allen did provide a nice lift off the bench with eight points.
27-17 Pacers, End of First Quarter: Danny Granger's 11 points are highlighted by an up-and-under scoop shot that you'll be seeing on the highlights tonight. The Pacers are looking to shoot at the first available opportunity, and so far it's working. The C's (8 turnovers) look a little sluggish, but a 4 a.m. arrival in Indianapolis will do that.
Friday, October 31 - Bulls at Celtics
Postgame Coverage
Celtics vs. Bulls: Recap | Box Score | Highlights
After Rough Opener, KG Rebounds in Game 1K
Live Game Coverage
96-80 Celtics, FINAL: Make it 2-0 for the C's, officially, after a game that was largely over after the first quarter. Pierce played 35 minutes, but KG and Ray Allen had light duty in making short work of the Bulls. A very professional win for the Celtics tonight.
70-54 Celtics, End of Third: Kendrick Perkins fouled out in just 21 minutes on opening night, and he's already got five personals through three quarters. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em, Perk...
With a comfortable lead and a game tomorrow night in Indiana (the Pacers' home opener), look for the starters to rest most of the fourth if possible. Garnett has 18/10, while Rondo has 14 and six dimes.
49-31 Celtics, Halftime: After a terrible shooting night on Tuesday (5-15), KG, playing in his 1,000th career game, has hit 7/10 for 16 points and seven rebounds, both game highs. And the paint dominance continues; the C's have a 30-12 edge in the lane.
And speaking of terrible shooting, the Bulls can't hit the ocean or the broad side of the proverbial barn. They're just 10/45 from the field. Tyrus Thomas is a brutal 1/10.
24-13 Celtics, End of 1st Quarter: By popular demand, live game updates are back. The Celtics dominated the paint here in the first quarter, as Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett all but marking their territory by posting eight points and seven rebounds between the both of them. The Celtics defense was tenacious, holding the Bulls to just 17% shootin and forcing seven turnovers. Offensively, the C's overwhelmed Chicago in the paint, 16-4.
Pregame Locker Room
The Chicago Bulls are in the house with this summer's No. 1 draft pick, point guard Derrick Rose. But despite the attention the rookie is receiving, the man of the day is the Celtics third-year point Rajon Rondo, whose rookie contract option was just picked up by the team earlier today.
In one of his more candid conversations with the media, Rondo talked about being happy with the team's no-brainer, and who wouldn't be, he said, having won a championship and returning the following year with the same team and a chance to repeat.
"I don't take anything for granted, but winning a championship helps," he said.
Asked about the possibility of being a Celtics' lifer, Rondo kept his head about him and commented on the business that, in the end, basketball is and will always be.
"You never know, it's a business," Rondo said after a pause. "Kevin [Garnett] was in Minnesota, I think 13 years, and he's in Boston now. So you never can say you want to be in one place throughout your entire career because, you know, General Managers can change, coaches can change, you never know what can happen."
But that's far along down the road, and Rondo knows he has a good thing going and wants to do what's best for himself and for the team.
"I love the organization right now, we're winning, that's what it's all about," he said.
- Couper Moorhead
Early Pregame
The locker room is about to open. With news of Rajon Rondo's option being exercised, we hope to catch up with him before tonight's game to get his thoughts...
Rondo Option Exercised
BOSTON, MA - The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has exercised the fourth year option on guard Rajon Rondo. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Thursday, October 30 - Practice
Cavs Set Physical Tone for C's Opponents
The ceremonies are over, the rings have been handed out, and the Celtics withstood their own sluggish start to get an opening night win against Cleveland Tuesday night. You couldn't ask for much more. So with all of that out of the way, the grind officially begins. Next up: the 1-0 Chicago Bulls, led by rookie head coach Vinny Del Negro and a standout rookie point guard, Derrick Rose.
"[The Bulls are] much improved. I was really impressed watching them the other night. Rose, he didn't have a great game, but you can already see that he's going to be a great player. He's already controlling that team, they're running at a better speed. His decision-making is what stood out," Rivers said of Rose, who finished with a not-too-shabby 11 points and nine assists (and four turnovers) in the Bulls' 108-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. "They're going to be a good opponent."
While the Bulls probably aren't as good as the Cavs on paper, they're not likely to play as physical a brand of basketball. The Cavs, with a seven-game playoff loss still fresh in their mind, seemed determined to push the Celtics around, and seemed to take particular interest in sending Rajon Rondo to the floor whenever he went to the bucket.
"I told him, 'It's nice to go to the foul line, it's better to go to the foul line shooting one.' You know what I mean? He took some hits and if he did that all year, that would be a concern," Rivers said. "You want him going at that speed all year and you want him getting to the basket without contact as much as possible, but this is a physical game."
To that end, Paul Pierce is expecting teams to try to lay the lumber on them every night.
"When you're the champs, teams are gunning for you. They're gonna try to find an edge. That's the way it is when you're trying to unseat the champs in any sport," Pierce said. "We've got to be ready to take everybody's best punch."
Wednesday, October 29 - No Practice
After Tuesday night's opening night victory over the Cavaliers, the Celtics will have Wednesday off before regrouping for practice on Thursday ahead of Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls.
Tuesday, October 28 - Cavaliers at Celtics
Postgame Recap
BOSTON - Paul Pierce exploded for 27 points and the Celtics capped a special night in style with Tuesday's 90-85 season-opening win over the Cavaliers at The Garden. Rajon Rondo had 14 points and six assists, while Leon Powe added 13 points as five C's finished in double figures.
The World Champion Celtics turned the page on their storybook turnaround Tuesday night when they handed out rings, and raised their 17th banner to the rafters.
Celtics vs. Cavs: Recap | Box Score | Ring Ceremony Video
Emotional Pierce Keeps C's in Check
More: C's Eye Repeat | Player Forecast | Ainge Promoted
Pregame Media Access
Lots of familiar faces at the Garden tonight with most national media outlets covering the game. The timing of the ring ceremony is throwing everybody off their routine, but Doc Rivers said there's no better distraction for which a team could ask.
If you find yourself wondering where LeBron and the Cavaliers are during the ceremony -- through the build up in your tear ducts, of course -- they've elected to stay in the locker room during the lengthy presentation.
Not that there's any hard feelings from the Celtics.
"First of all, I didn't know they were invited," Rivers said, laughing. "Number two, we're still going to have it. Because [LeBron's] not going to come, we're not going to cancel it. And number three, I wouldn't want to be there either."
"It's long, and secondly, they're giving us something that we want."
Much has been made of the Celtics carrying a shiny new target on their backs after topping the Lakers last summer, but Rivers said the team has actually gone through of bit of that before. This time, however, they've actually done something to deserve it.
"We were the beneficiary last year of being on every [magazine] cover and teams attacked us for that," Rivers said. "Because we hadn't won. I thought that they took that personally, you know, 'who're these guys, they haven't won anything.'"
The team just came out for warmups, and for a moment it sounded like the playoffs last season. The arena isn't even full yet.
- Couper Moorhead
Opening Night Coverage
if you haven't checked CelticVision HD already, check out Paul and Doc talking about the challenge of repeating as NBA Champions, and what they expect from tonight's banner and ring ceremonies. By the way, tip off is at 8:00 p.m., but fans should be in their seats for a 7:30 ceremony. Be there early!
Couper Moorhead has today's game preview, while Peter Stringer checks in with a feature on the challenge of repeating that runs in the latest edition of Parquet, available exclusively at the TD Banknorth Garden.
Monday, October 27 - Practice
Check CelticVision HD for updates from Waltham including interviews with Coach Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Sam Cassell.
Sunday, October 26 - Practice
All 15 players, including rookie J.R. Giddens (bruised left hip, day-to-day) went through Sunday's practice at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint in Waltham on Sunday, and the troops will meet again at 11 a.m. on Monday morning for a final day of practice before Tuesday's season opener against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Celtics.com will have complete coverage from Monday's session...
Saturday, October 25 - Practice
The word from PR chief Jeff Twiss is that "everyone busted it pretty good today" in Waltham. One minor note, J.R. Giddens has a bruised left hip and is listed as day-to-day.
Friday, October 24 - Practice
After two days off, Coach Doc Rivers called Friday's practice, "sloppy, as expected." That said, sloppiness didn't stop the troops from playing hard.
Rivers said that in the next four days, the team needs to get "on the same page" and get it's timing down to where the team is "game-ready instead of preseason ready."
"We've got to understand it's gonna be 82 games of being attacked every night," Rivers said.
Check CelticVision HD for interviews with Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. KG was especially candid today talking about his legendary intensity and how it rubs off on his teammates.
Wednesday, October 22 - No Practice
After completing their exhibition season at 6-2 with a 101-90 victory over the New York Knicks, the Celtics will have two days off before returning to practice in Waltham on Friday.
Monday, October 20 - Practice
Celtics Waive Darius Miles
BOSTON, MA - The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has requested waivers on forward Darius Miles. The training camp roster now stands at 15.
Darius was a model citizen during his time here in Boston. He showed that he still has a lot of basketball left in him," said Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations/General Manger Danny Ainge.
Miles signed as a free agent on August 22, 2008. The 6'9", 235-pound forward appeared in six preseason games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game.
Sunday, October 19 - Nets at Celtics
Rondo Sits, Pruitt Starts
Rajon Rondo's ankle sprain may have been mild, but it's enough to keep him out of today's preseason game against the New Jersey Nets. Rondo told reporters before Sunday's tilt that he could play if he needed to (i.e. if it were the regular season, he'd be suiting up) and hopes to practice Monday and play in Tuesday night's exhibition finale against the New York Knicks at MSG.
Check the Audio Archive for Doc Rivers' pregame interview.
Celtics vs. Nets: Live Scoreboard
Friday, October 17 - Knicks at Celtics
After sitting last night, the Big Three are expected to play big minutes, more like regular season minutes, in their preseason TD Banknorth Garden debut tonight against the Knicks.
Thursday, October 16 - Celtics at Nets
Big Three Sit While TA Drops 32 on Nets
Doc Rivers may have given Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett the night off, but Tony Allen was hard at work Thursday night, scorching the Nets for 32 points, 22 of which came in the first half.
"During the summer I worked on just taking what the defense gives me and putting pressure on the defense when I can," Allen said after the win. "I'm just trying to get better, game after game."
Meanwhile, Eddie House (21 points and five threes) and Brian Scalabrine (11 points and some solid defense) had nice games in the win as well. Despite House lighting it up, he was more annoyed with himself after the game for the shots he missed late (including two free throws down the stretch) and a key turnover rather than celebrating his hot shooting in the early goings.
"That's a bad shooting night at the end of the game," House said.
Check CelticVision HD for the highlights from the Meadowlands.
Tuesday, October 14 - Celtics at Cavaliers
Wallace Out, Pavlovic Doubtful for Tilt in Pittsburgh
The Celtics meet the Cavaliers in Pittsburgh, PA tonight, and the word from the Cavs is that Ben Wallace did not travel with the team for tonight's game, while swingman Sasha Pavlovic is listed as doubtful for tonight's game with a right ankle sprain.
Monday, October 13 - Practice
Perk Practices, Aims To Play in Pittsburgh
WALTHAM - Kendrick Perkins got his first taste of a full-contact practice since returning from shoulder surgery, and the Celtics brass were curious to see how he'd respond to taking some hits on the shoulder, it turned out that Perkins was the one delivering the blows on Monday.
"Perk looked good. He fouled a couple of people hard. Hit a couple of people with elbows. I saw three or four people grabbing their face today and I said, 'Oh, Perk must be back.' So that's what he does. He was good," Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said.
With one practice under his belt, Perkins will give it a go Tuesday night in Pittsburgh when the Celtics meet the Cavs again in another exhibition contest. The Celtics edged Cleveland on Friday night in Providence, RI.
"I don't know how much. I haven't talked to Eddie [Lacerte] yet," Rivers said.
"It was pretty good. I felt alright. My conditioning's a little off," Perkins said, also noting that his timing around the basket was a bit off as well. "I made it through today healthy and I'm just gonna keep building from here."
One guy who actually looked banged up was Leon Powe, who had his hand bent back the wrong way when he got tangled up covering a pick-and-roll Friday night in Providence. "My hand was stuck in a jersey, and he went that way, and I went the other way and it took my hand and bent it all the way back," Powe said.
As Powe talked about his hand, Brian Scalabrine was running through extended shooting drills with Ray Allen.
And finally, both birthday boys Doc Rivers and Paul Pierce enjoyed a serenade from rookies and new staff today. Rivers is 47, Pierce turned 31.
Check the Audio Archive for sound from Doc, Perk and Powe at today's practice...
Sunday, October 12 - No Practice
Technical Difficulties...
Celtics.com has been experiencing technical difficulties over the weekend associated with the NBA.com relaunch. Please bear with us as a few bugs are ironed out.
Saturday, October 11 - Rockets at Celtics
C's Win Another Nailbiter in Physical Contest
It may be preseason, but don't tell the Celtics they aren't allowed to play exciting basketball in October. A night after Bill Walker preserved a win by slapping the ball away at the buzzer, Gabe Pruitt canned a midrange jumper off the glass (he insisted after the game that, yes, indeed, he WAS aiming for the backboard) with six seconds to play that became the gamewinner as the Celtics beat the Houston Rockets 90-89 in Manchester, NH.
After the game, the C's locker room was rocking to the sound of loud rap music. Big Baby, clad in nothing but a towel, danced his way from the shower to his locker while his teammates chanted and egged him on, while reporters just took in the celebration.
When things finally settled down, and reporters huddled around Gabe Pruitt, KG and other vets were all over him. "Look at Gabe getting the media attention!" shouted KG, forcing Pruitt to hold back a grin as he tried to remain serious and finish his interview.
"I got a couple of good looks early, and that got me going," Pruitt said. For the last shot, it just felt good when I released it. It just happened to bank in."
As for the rest of the game, it was certainly chippy. Bill Walker took a nasty elbow from Tracy McGrady, one which was seemingly unprovoked. "[I was] just cutting hard, and I guess he didn't like the force I was cutting with. He tried to elbow me, so I guess we just got tangled up. I don't know what his problem was. I was cutting."
Eddie House and McGrady would later pick up technicals for continuing the conversation. Later in the game, Ron Artest and Paul Pierce played each other pretty physical. According to Doc Rivers, the Celtics have to be ready for teams to come after them. After all, they're the champs.
"Every game's been chippy so far. When you win it, people are going to attack you. You cant back down, but you have to be able to function through that stuff. I thought we did OK with it," Rivers said. "They're gonna get attacked, people are gonna talk trash. You've just gotta play through it all, no matter what happens."
Friday, October 10 - Cavs at Celtics
Celtics Edge Cavs as Allen Erupts for 25
The biggest question heading into this season was who will replace James Posey. But the question is quickly becoming, "Is Tony Allen the answer?"
Before the game, Allen was telling reporters that "Tony Allen isn't a story this year...Tony Allen fitting into the this team is a story." But despite downplaying his importance, he outplayed just about everyone on the court, Olympic gold medalist LeBron James (15 points) included.
Allen dropped 25 points, got to the line 16 times, grabbed four rebounds and handed out three assists in Friday night's 96-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Providence, RI. Allen was attacking the basket, went six-of-seven from the field and knocked down some outside shots as well, and played one heck of a ballgame.
"He attacks off the dribble, he's aggressive and he's tough to guard," Rivers said of Allen, who had just 11 in Wednesday's exhibition opener.
As for Allen, he was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. While his teammates razzed him for doing postgame interviews as they were on the way out the door, Allen maintained he was just "taking what the defense gave me" and "staying within the offense."
And for a guy who claimed at one point before last season that he thought he had a chance to be a part of the "Big Four", Allen was showing for the first time on the court that his time may have come. "I know it's the Big Three, but there are no Big I's and little yous," Allen said Friday.
The Celtics will stay over in Providence and then head for Manchester, NH tomorrow for a Saturday night date with Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets. Unless something changes, according to Rivers, the Big Three will play some minutes tomorrow night, it's just unclear how many. And Sam Cassell, who missed Wednesday's game in Amherst and was in street clothes for tonight's tilt, is expected to play in the Queen City against the Rockets.
Thursday, October 9 - Practice
Different Vantage Point for Rivers as Spectator
Doc Rivers didn't get to see the Celtics' first preseason game up close and personal from the sideline, but he did get to watch it live on TV, which was something of a new experience for the coach.
"I was able to watch a lot. I made it home right towards the end of the first quarter and I was able to watch the rest on TV," Rivers said, noting that he could have arrived at the game after it started but opted against it so that he wouldn't be a distraction to his team. "[It's a] different vantage point from your house. The first eight minutes of the game was terrific, defensively and offensively. After that, I thought the game got sloppy."
Rivers also enjoyed Bill Walker's loud slam over Theo Ratliff, and while he cautioned that Celtics fans have gotten excited over young athletic players who could slam but never really panned out (um, remember Gerald Green?), the coach isn't worried about Walker flaming out given his competitive nature and all-around game.
"The dunk was nice, obviously because it was a dunk and he got on SportsCenter," Rivers said. "I thought he played under control. My favorite play was toward the end, he got the post play and scored with a minute and a half left."
Check CelticVision HD for more from Coach Rivers and a brief interview with Walker as well.
Wednesday, October 8 - Celtics at 76ers
Doc Handles Personal Issues, Thibodeau Handles Team, Media
Celtics 92, Sixers 98 - With Doc Rivers back in Orlando tending to personal matters, defensive guru Tom Thibodeau was at the helm for the Celtics' opening exhibition game, a 98-92 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Amherst, MA on the campus of UMASS.
While the team took the L thanks to poor execution by the reserves down the stretch, there were some positives to take out of their preseason debut. Patrick O'Bryant (10 points and eight rebounds) looked solid, especially in the first half, working under the glass and showing some nice post moves on the offensive end. Thibodeau admitted that it appeared O'Bryant "ran out of gas" in the second half. While Rajon Rondo and the Big 3 played about 17 minutes each, Doc Rivers had made it known that he didn't expect his stars to play long against the Sixers.
That said, the starters did stake the Celtics to a quick 16-4 lead to open the game, and the intensity resembled the same fire they displayed in last year's exhibition opener against the Raptors in Rome.
Rookie Bill Walker, who raised eyebrows in Newport last week with relentless, agressive basket attacks, helped close out the first half with a pair of dunks, the first of which was a sweet alley-oop, and the second an absolute facial for old friend (should we emphasize "old"?) Theo Ratliff.
The Celtics will practice tomorrow in Waltham before bussing to Providence, RI to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, then invading ManchVegas (Manchester, NH) on Saturday night, when Yao Ming, Ron Artest, former Celtics-executive-turned-GM Daryl Morey and the Houston Rockets face the 17-Time NBA Champions.
Tuesday, October 7 - Practice
Back To Work in Waltham
WALTHAM - After a day off and an early departure from Newport, the boys were back in town at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint prepping for Wednesday night's exhibition opener in Amherst, MA against the Philadelphia 76ers. Technically, the tilt at UMASS is considered a road-game, but given the proximity to Boston, it's kind of like an extra home game for the 17-Time World Champions.
If you're heading to Amherst and hoping to see The Big Three, Doc Rivers has some advice for you: "Get there early."
"I don't know what it is, but it won't be a lot," Rivers said on Tuesday of the number of minutes he's planning for Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett through the first 5-6 preseason games. "It's almost like the end of the [regular season] last year, where we played them, but we didn't play them a lot."
Along those lines, a safe bet would be for the starters to play the first 6-8 minutes of the game, and possibly some time in the second half.
One guy who won't be seen at all in Amherst is Sam Cassell, who left Tuesday's practice early to head home to Baltimore to tend to family issues. And while Kendrick Perkins will probably make the trip, he isn't expected to play in the first five preseason games, according to Rivers' comments last week.
Rivers said throughout camp that he wasn't going to play his stars big minutes in the preseason, so that means extended auditions for the rookies and young guys on the New England barnstorming tour. Rivers said on Sunday that the first week of training camp is too small a sample size to truly gauge where the rookies are at to this point, so it stands to reason that he'll have a much better idea after they get their feet wet in this week's exhibition games in Amherst, MA, Providence, RI and Manchester, NH.
Sunday, October 5 - Day 6
Early Departure
NEWPORT - After a week in Newport, Doc Rivers decided to bring the team back to Boston and give the boys Monday off, rather than keep them here for the final scheduled day. With the first preseason game on Wednesday night (technically a road game in Amherst, MA) against the Philadelphia 76ers, a little time off is probably a good thing. The team will leave Newport on a 5 p.m. bus back to Waltham.
Rivers said that Newport was a great location for camp, and suggested that if the team were to establish a permament training camp location for future seasons, Newport would certainly be a candidate.
We'll have video from Doc and more on today's final session in Newport later this afternoon. In the meantime, we've got to start packing...
- Peter Stringer
Saturday, October 4 - Day 5
Open Scrimmage at Salve
9:00 p.m. - The Celtics staged an open scrimmage for NBA TV and the students and faculty of Salve Regina University Saturday night, and the green team (starters, veterans) overcame an early 9-0 run by the white team to earn a 47-40 decision after 30 minutes of play. Box scores weren't available for the contest, but by our calculations, Eddie House (unofficially) had 16 points to lead the White Team (reserves and rookies) while Ray Allen was in double-figures for the Green team (starters and veterans).
Friday, October 3 - Day 4
Scal Beats the Buzzer
2:37 p.m. - The attitude here is upbeat, and guys are cheering each other on. You couldn't ask for much more camp kumbaya (actually, we're still calling it "Ubuntu", come to think of it) than the Celtics are getting here at Salve Regina. Yesterday, Paul Pierce was handing out more chest bumps than Eddie House's son did in the postseason. And today, it was high-fives all around as Brian Scalabrine drained the game-winning threeball at the end of the final scrimmage game of this morning's practice session.
"We drew it up for Scal," Coach Doc Rivers said, noting that Ray Allen, who delivered the pass to Scalabrine, was the decoy on the play and it worked to perfection. "The entire team knew they'd go for Ray."
"Then ending was perfect. It was a lot of end-of-game situations," Rivers said of Friday's session.
Scalabrine wasn't the only one who had a strong session. According to Rivers, Darius Miles had perhaps his best practice of camp, despite thinking yesterday that he might need the day off.
Instead, Miles gave it a go and felt good.
"I'm used to four or five days of two-a-days," Miles said. "My first couple of days in Portland, we didn't have a day off until December."
The Celtics will have tomorrow morning off, and will practice tomorrow night in front of lucky Salve Regina students who won a raffle, as well as some school faculty and donors.
Thursday, October 2 - Day 3
Another One-and-Done for C's; Walker Impressing
2:08 p.m.: The original training camp schedule called for two-a-days all week, but Doc Rivers now thinks that going hard for one long session is better in the long run than doubling-down on workouts each day.
"If I beat three guys, we had to practice this afternoon. We'll have to go to the videotape," Rivers said, laughing about the footrace at the end of practice in which he sprinted against the team with an evening session cancellation hanging in the balance. "We didn't do a lot of doubles last year. We couldn't, it took an hour to get there [in Rome]. We're going three hours, two-and-a-half hours, [so] we don't need to do doubles."
What stood out to Rivers today was the play of rookie Bill Walker, who has been attacking the basket relentlessly in the last few days of scrimmage. Walker has finished at the rim with a few loud dunks already, not to mention a coast-to-coast finger roll toward the end of Tuesday's morning session.
"Billy Walker is playing extremely well right now. J.R. [Giddens] has to catch up. But he'll get there," Rivers said, noting that it's tough for the rookies to not be in awe of their All-Star teammates. "[Walker] attacks the basket as you saw today, and we're telling him it's a competition. They're your teammates, and it's a competition. I thought today, [Walker] came to play basketball and not be a spectator."
On the other hand, Rivers said that Giddens is still spectating. "Everything's new for him. J.R.'s at that point where all young guys get at; he's thinking instead of playing," Rivers said. "That doesn't go away for a while, so that doesn't concern us at all."
The good news is, help is on the way. Ray Allen spent several minutes with Giddens after practice handing out pointers from things he observed in the scrimmage, and Paul Pierce had a similar chat with Walker while others were handling media interviews.
Ray Allen gives J.R. Giddens a little mentoring after Thursday's practice at Salve Regina.
Peter Stringer/Celtics.com
Speaking of the Big Three, Rivers also noted that despite their heavy playing time in the exhibition season last year, you won't be seeing as much of Pierce, Allen and Kevin Garnett in the preseason this time around.
"Not as much as last year. Last year, we didn't know each other," Rivers said. "Early on, they won't play as much. The last two games, they'll play a lot."
Rajon Rondo hasn't stopped making passes in training camp. In fact, he's even delivering perfect spirals to his teammates. With practice over, a football emerged, and Rondo and Ray Allen decided to work on their go patterns. Rondo, of course, once dreamed of playing in the NFL before eventually finding his way to basketball. Check CelticVision HD this afternoon for some behind the scenes footage of their impromptu football game.
Also, look for more video updates from Rivers, Pierce and Tony Allen later this afternoon.
Morning Session Underway
11:02 a.m.: Word from the sidelines at Salve is that the team is having a "spirited" practice this morning. We'll have more when the morning session wraps up; look for an update around 2 p.m. or so.
Wednesday, October 1 - Day 2
Night Session Cancelled
5:30 p.m.: After two days of hard practicing, Doc Rivers gave his guys the night off from a scheduled 6-8 p.m. practice. They'll return to the practice floor at Salve Regina tomorrow morning.
Doc Praises O'Bryant
The boys went pretty hard again Wednesday morning, and earned high praise from Coach Doc Rivers for their intensity.
"We had a great practice today. The end was sloppy, I didn't like that part of it, but the first two hours, [we had] great focus. The execution was tremendous," Rivers said. "For a second day practice, it's one of the better ones I've been around."
On the flipside, Kevin Garnett told reporters that he didn't feel he himself had a good practice in colorful terms that we won't print here. But he agreed with his coach that overall, today's session was intense.
"I'm never happy with my performance. But that's me [looking] for perfection," Garnett said. As for the team? "[There was] a lot of hard work, diving on the floor, Doc was talking trash, it was a great day today."
Rivers said he was impressed with Patrick O'Bryant's effort today, and for the second straight day while Kendrick Perkins is unavailable for contact, O'Bryant got the nod with the first unit.
"Patrick had a hell of a practice. He was great today," Rivers said, noting that if he figures out how to play alongside Garnett, "things could be pretty good for him."
Check CelticsVision HD for today's video interviews with Doc, Paul, Ray and Kevin, and a little behind the scenes footage of Paul describing his first day of practice at Kansas, and how it relates to CSN sideline reporter Greg Dickerson's attire yesterday. This is the kind of stuff that goes on when practice wraps.
Morning Update
First off, Couper Moorhead checked in with Darius Miles, who's hungry to make his comeback with the Celtics.
Meanwhile, we'll have more updates from today's morning session this afternoon. And to be clear, training camp practices, like all Celtics practices, are closed to the public. Thankfully, Celtics.com has you covered.
Tuesday, September 30 - Camp Opens in Newport
NEWPORT, RI - The Celtics started off camp with a hard three-hour practice this morning at Salve Regina, and while Coach Doc Rivers said it was apparent that the team's conditioning needs some work, he liked his team's energy and thinks that they have a leg up with so many returning players who already know his system.
"I thought our guys came with the right energy," Rivers said of the morning session, which ended right around 1 p.m.. "It's different from last year. A lot of our guys can pick up stuff quicker. The guys returning [know our stuff]."
One guy who knows the stuff but can't show it is Kendrick Perkins, who's still restricted to non-contact drills only, and spent the end of Monday morning's session watching teammates scrimmage. Perkins got some extra midrange shooting in at the end of the session, but according to Rivers, he isn't expected to really take part in any of the training camp or play in at least the first four exhibition games.
"Hopefully I can get back into the contact work. I did all the drill work today," said Perkins, who told reporters he expected to wait another week or so before he could resume contact activity. "Just waiting on the doctor's orders."
With Perk on the shelf, newcomer Patrick O'Bryant got the nod to play with the green team alongside Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo.
"Patrick gets to play with the starters all practice. That can't hurt a guy like him. He's the only other tall guy," Rivers said, noting that while the media's been talking about Posey's departure, he's more concerned with the absence of P.J. Brown. "Patrick has a chance to take that role."
As for the Posey role, Darius Miles is hoping to compete with Tony Allen for those minutes, and Rivers liked what he saw out of Miles this morning, even if it was brief. But given that he's been all but out of the league for the past two seasons, Rivers will take what he can get.
"I thought by mid-practice he was spent, but he fought through it and played," Rivers said of Miles, who he says has "great instincts and feel" for the game.
Evening practice sessions are closed, so barring any major news, the next update will be tomorrow afternoon. Check the Audio Archive for soundbites from Doc, Paul and Ray.
Monday, September 29 - Cassell Re-Signs with Celtics
BOSTON - The Boston Celtics announced today that they have re-signed guard Sam Cassell. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cassell, a 6'3", 195 pound guard, is a veteran of 15 NBA seasons. Cassell won his third NBA title as a member of the Celtics last season after signing mid-season from the L.A. Clippers. Cassell averaged 7.6 points and 2.1 assists in 17 regular season games with the Celtics last season and finished the season with combined averages of 11.2 points and 3.9 assists per game. The 2003-04 All-Star scored 20 or more points 10 times last season including a season-high 35 points against the Indiana Pacers on November 7. He scored a high of 22 points with the Celtics against the Knicks on April 14.
Monday, September 29 - Media Day
Media Day is upon us today, as the Celtics will smile for the cameras and talk to every outlet under the sun before embarking on the voyage to Newport, Rhode Island for their 2008-09 Training Camp.
Celtics.com will have complete coverage tonight from Waltham, with photos, video and more.
Friday, September 26 - Tickets on Sale Today at 10 a.m.
Individual game tickets for each Celtics home game are on sale Friday, September 26 at 10 a.m.
Fans will be able to purchase tickets online at