Thunder-Celtics Preview

By MIKE LIPKA
Posted Jan 15 2012 2:11PM

Kendrick Perkins said it "felt like the worst day of my life" when he got traded away by the Boston Celtics.

As it turns out, he may have gotten out just in time - and moved to one of the best possible situations.

Perkins returns to Boston with the surging Oklahoma City Thunder to face his former team for the first time Monday night, and the aging Celtics are in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

These clubs surprised the league with their deal just before the deadline last season, with Boston sending Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. Perkins will be the only one of those four in this game, with Robinson having moved on to Golden State, Green recovering from heart surgery and Krstic playing in Russia.

Perkins, who spent seven-plus seasons with the Celtics and was the starting center on the 2008 NBA championship squad, said he was initially devastated by the trade but felt differently upon arriving in Oklahoma City.

"It kind of felt like the worst day of my life when I got traded from the C's, from being there so long. But when I got here, it kind of took my mind away from everything, I think, and everything just kind of blew me away," Perkins said last March. "It was kind of the worst but best day."

The Celtics' chemistry was negatively affected by the trade, with Kevin Garnett saying at the time that "you feel like you lost a family member." Boston was trying to piece together a roster for another title run, but it lost in five games to Miami in the conference semifinals.

Now, it appears the veteran-laden team's window is closing fast. Another loss Monday would give the Celtics (4-7) their first five-game losing streak and first four-game home skid since Garnett and Ray Allen arrived to join Paul Pierce in 2007.

They lost 97-83 at Indiana on Saturday, prompting Pacers leading scorer Danny Granger to wonder if Boston's stars are simply too old.

"One thing you can't battle, you can't fight, is age," Granger said. "They all are Hall of Famers, but you get to a point where age catches up with you and it's hard to compete at the level you once competed at. I don't know if they're there yet. They still could bounce back this season."

The condensed schedule, however, may be making things even tougher for the Celtics' veterans. Coach Doc Rivers said he had a bad feeling about Saturday's game just by looking at the schedule, which had Boston facing Chicago on Friday - an 88-79 defeat.

The young Thunder (11-2) are handling the frequent basketball just fine. They won three games in as many nights earlier this month, starting a six-game winning streak that continued with Saturday's 104-92 victory over New York.

Oklahoma City used a familiar formula, getting a combined 73 points from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Durant and Westbrook didn't even play in the fourth quarter of a game far more lopsided than the final score.

"You don't go into a game thinking that the starters will not play in the last quarter but it's always nice," coach Scott Brooks said.

All three of the club's offensive stars rank in the top 25 in scoring, while Perkins has provided a strong defensive presence inside.

That was also the key component he brought the Celtics. Boston still wonders whether it would have won another title if Perkins hadn't injured his knee during Game 6 of the 2010 finals against the Lakers, missing a narrow Game 7 loss.

Now, his new club looks primed for a championship run, leading the Western Conference and looking to improve to 6-1 on the road. The Thunder are also seeking a third straight victory in Boston after winning there last season despite Durant sidelined due to a sore ankle.

Westbrook's 3s lead Thunder past Celtics 97-88

By JIMMY GOLEN
Posted Jan 17 2012 1:30AM

BOSTON (AP) Russell Westbrook hit a 3-pointer and then shimmied his hands down his torso, bent his body at the knees and strutted down the sideline in celebration.

Just 39 seconds later - this time with less than a minute left in the game - he did it all over again.

Westbrook scored 26 points, including two of Oklahoma City's four 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes, to help the Thunder beat the slumping Boston Celtics 97-88 on Monday night. Kevin Durant scored 28 with seven rebounds for Oklahoma City, which won its seventh consecutive game.

"They started doubling K.D. later in the game," Westbrook said. "I just tried to be aggressive and find my open spots."

Paul Pierce scored 24 points, Kevin Garnett had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Jermaine O'Neal had 12 points and 11 boards for the Celtics. Rajon Rondo scored 12 points with nine rebounds and nine assists for Boston, which lost a fifth straight game for the first time in the New Big 3 era.

"None of us likes to lose; that's the frustrating part," Pierce said. "I think I like where we are headed, there are just little things that are really killing us."

After trailing by 10 points to start the fourth quarter, the Celtics cut the deficit to two before Durant hit a 3 that made it 81-76 with 4:42 left. Garnett made a pair of free throws, then Durant threw down a tomahawk dunk.

Oklahoma City then hit four 3-pointers in a row - one from Thabo Sefolosha, two from Westbrook and another from Sefolosha that made it 95-85 with 24 seconds left. The Thunder were 2 for 11 from 3-point range in the first three quarters and 5 for 8 in the fourth.

"We stayed with it," Durant said. "We made some good shots. Our offense is predicated on the drive-and-kick; that's what we work on every day."

Kendrick Perkins had seven points and five rebounds in his first game back in Boston since the trade that sent him to Oklahoma City and broke up the starting lineup from the Celtics' 2008 NBA championship team. In the first quarter, his old team played a video on the scoreboard with highlights from his 7 1/2 years in Boston.

"Mentally, I was out of it," said Perkins, the 27th pick in the 2003 draft. "It was unbelievable. I really appreciated it. It was something they didn't have to do."

Perkins went over to the Celtics bench before the opening tip to hug the coaches and chest-bump some of his former teammates, and midway through the first quarter a video tribute was played on the scoreboard. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, which Perkins acknowledged by walking to center court alone and waving.

"It was emotional for him. He grew up here," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "He's loved by his former coach, teammates and the fans, and rightfully so. He does everything that you want your player to do. ... That's a classy organization, for what they did on the scoreboard."

Boston cut the deficit to 83-80 with 2:25 to play, but Westbrook cut across the lane and whipped a two-handed pass to Sefolosha in the corner for the 3. After Rondo scored on a putback, Westbrook hit a 3-pointer of his own - then celebrated by strutting down the sideline.

Garnett hit Mickael Pietrus to set up a Celtics 3-pointer, but Westbrook answered again to make it 92-85.

The Celtics had not had a five-game losing streak since they lost seven straight and eight of the last nine games of the 2006-07 season, a year when they also had an 18-game losing streak that was the longest in franchise history. That summer they began assembling the New Big 3 - bringing in Garnett and Ray Allen to join Pierce, with Rondo and Perkins rounding out the lineup for a team that won the franchise's 17th NBA title.

Boston returned to the finals in 2010, but Perkins tore up his knee in Game 6 against the Lakers and missed Game 7, which Los Angeles won 83-79.

With Perkins' rehabilitation due to last well into the following season, general manager Danny Ainge signed Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal. Confident that they would remain healthy contributors, Ainge traded Perkins to Oklahoma City for Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green, but neither of them was able to remain in the lineup and the Celtics lost in the second round of the playoffs to Miami.

The trade looked even worse when Green was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, requiring surgery that put him out for this entire season. He is now a free agent.

Notes: New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty and receiver Julian Edelman took time off from their preparations for the AFC championship to attend the game. ... The teams split their games last year, each winning on the road. Durant missed the game in Boston with a sore left ankle. ... Thunder guard Reggie Jackson played at Boston College. ... The Celtics had 19 turnovers that led to 24 Thunder points; Oklahoma City had 13 turnovers that led to two Boston points.

Notebook: Thunder 97, Celtics 88

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday January 17, 2012 12:22AM

THE FACTS: Russell Westbrook hit two crucial 3-pointers in the closing moments, enabling the Oklahoma City Thunder to hold off a late rally by the Boston Celtics for a 97-88 victory in Kendrick Perkins' return to Boston. Kevin Durant had a game-high 28 points for the visiting Thunder, while Westbrook chipped in with 27. Perkins had seven points and five rebounds in the emotional homecoming to the TD Garden, where he played the first eight years of his career as a Celtic, before being dealt away by the team last February.

Paul Pierce carried the hosts with 24 points in the defeat. With the win, Oklahoma City has now won seven straight games overall and have the best record in the league at 12-2. Meanwhile, Boston has lost five straight games, four of which have come at home. Both of those streaks are firsts for Boston since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined the team in 2007.

QUOTABLE: "It was obviously a big win for us, knowing that Boston was the heart of a champion. They play very physical. We knew going into the game it was going to be a bumping, grinding it out type of game. I'm very proud of our guys. They really competed and they fought."
-- Head coach Scott Brooks

THE STAT: The Celtics once again dug themselves an early hole, spotting Oklahoma City an eight-point lead after posting just 17 points in the opening 12 minutes. That kind of sluggish start has been the rule rather than the exception during the team's lengthy losing streak, as Boston is averaging a paltry 16.8 points in the first quarter over the past six games.

TURNING POINT: After Boston closed within two points with under five minutes remaining in the game, Oklahoma City's offense exploded. Durant, Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha combined to hit 5-of-6 3-pointers over the remainder of the contest, and four of those makes came on consecutive possessions. The outburst enabled the Thunder to keep the Celtics from closing the gap down the stretch.

QUOTABLE II: "I really liked the effort we had tonight, the way we played it on the glass, the way we competed. I was telling the guys we need to keep playing like that night in and night out, because we can feel we are getting closer to where we need to be even though we lost tonight."
-- Pierce.

HOT: Sefolosha- The defensive stopper made the most of his open opportunities late in the contest, as Boston frequently doubled Durant, leaving Sefolosha with numerous uncontested looks from the outside. The swingman hit all four of his attempts in the final frame, including both from downtown to finish with a team-high 11 points in the fourth quarter. He finished with 19 points overall on 7-of-9 shooting.

NOT: Garnett -- The 34-year-old All-Star posted another double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, but the points came inefficiently for Garnett. The power forward struggled, missing several point-blank shot attempts on his way to hitting just five of his 19 shots on the evening. Garnett also had a team-high five turnovers.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Rajon Rondo -- The C's stud point guard flirted with a triple-double yet again in an entertaining battle with Westbrook. Rondo finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists over 40 minutes of action and has continued to establish himself as Boston's best player through the young season.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Devin McCourty and Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots took a little time off from their playoff preparation to watch the contest from courtside at TD Garden.

GOOD MOVE: In a classy gesture, the Celtics presented a video tribute to Perkins during the first timeout of the game. The emotional montage triggered a lengthy standing ovation for Perkins from the Garden faithful. The Thunder center acknowledged the cheers by repeatedly waving to the crowd as he took the floor after the timeout.

QUOTABLE III: "I have much love and greatly appreciate everything man. I love Oklahoma, but just being here for eight years and winning a championship. It's hard to replace. From what I learned and it's still got a special place in my heart here."
--Perkins on his ties to the Boston Celtics.

ROOKIE WATCH: Boston guard E'Twaun Moore continues to see regular minutes off the bench with Keyon Dooling sidelined. The former Purdue star and second round pick of Boston was aggressive for the C's, but struggled with his shot, missing all four of his attempts over eight minutes of action.

NOTABLE: Dooling (knee) and Chris Wilcox (calf) sat out the game for the Celtics. Both hope to return to action later this week. Opponents are averaging a 6.4-point lead over Boston at the end of the first quarter during their current five-game losing streak. The Celtics had their best rebounding performance of the season, grabbing 48 boards (15 offensive), compared to just 40 for the Thunder. The Thunder hit 18-of-19 free throws. Former Boston College star Reggie Jackson did not score in eight minutes off the bench during his return to the area. Boston had 11 of their 18 turnovers in the second half. Oklahoma City scored 24 points off those 18 turnovers.

UP NEXT: For the Thunder, Wednesday @ Washington, Saturday @ New Jersey, Monday vs. Detroit. For the Celtics, Wednesday vs. Toronto, Friday vs. Phoenix, Sunday @ Washington.

• Thunder: Maynor, Reid
• Celtics: Dooling, Wilcox

• Thunder: --
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #26 Pat Fraher, #63 Derek Richardson
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:23