Garnett against the Nets
January 18th, 2009 DKCMan
Celtics win
January 17th, 2009 DKCManPaul Pierce brought the Boston Celtics to the midpoint of the season with their third straight win and with hope that they’ve regained the rhythm that produced a 27-2 start.Pierce shook off a cold first half and scored 18 points in the third quarter by going 5-for-5 on 3-pointers to lead the Celtics a 118-86 win over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night.
The current streak follows a 2-7 slump and improved the Celtics’ record to 32-9, two fewer wins than they had midway through last season when they finished 66-16 and won the NBA championship.
“I thought we had a really big bump in the road these last couple of weeks with consistency,” Pierce said, “something we didn’t have a year ago. Maybe it’s something we needed to give us a gut check.
“When you go through something like that, you really find out what kind of team you are.”
On Wednesday, the Celtics were the kind of team that got off to the best 29-game start in NBA history as they posted their third most lopsided win of the season. ”
“They kicked us real good,” Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. “When talent works hard like that, you get embarrassed.”
Pierce led Boston with 22 points two nights after getting a season-high 39 in an OT win over Toronto. The Nets also won in overtime that night, beating Oklahoma City.
But the only tie Wednesday was 0-0. And New Jersey’s only lead was 13-11 on a 3-pointer
by Bobby Simmons. Ray Allen then gave Boston the lead for good with a 3-pointer that made it 14-13 with 5:56 left in the first quarter.”Even when you’re winning, if you’re not playing well, or right, for a coach it’s not that enjoyable,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “If you keep doing that, when you need to play well, you won’t. But I do think we’re turning in the right direction.”
The Celtics led 51-41 at halftime and opened their biggest margin, 112-79, on a basket by Patrick O’Bryant with 3:21 remaining.
Kevin Garnett scored 20 points for the Celtics.
The Nets were led by Devin Harris with 17 points, while Keyon Dooling and rookies Ryan Anderson and Brook Lopez had 13 each. Anderson made his second consecutive start in place of injured Yi Jianlian after sitting out the previous four games.
“We really let them control the momentum in the third quarter,” Anderson said. “They are a great defensive team (and) definitely altered our shots.”
Pierce went just 2 for 9 and had four points in the first half. But New Jersey’s Vince Carter was even worse — 1 for 9 with four points in the half. Carter limped off the court with a sprained right ankle with 7:09 left in the first quarter but returned 5 minutes later. He finished with four points on 1-of-10 shooting.
The Celtics quickly stretched their 10-point halftime lead by scoring the first seven points of the third quarter and 13 of the first 15.
With the score 58-41, Pierce made his first 3-pointer of the quarter, Rajon Rondo hit a basket and Pierce sank a free throw. His other 3-pointers put Boston ahead 69-49, 74-53, 81-58 and 84-58.
“I don’t get discouraged by misses,” Pierce said of his first-half problems. “When we swung the ball (in the third quarter) I was wide open and stayed aggressive. I thought I was a little tentative in the first half.”
Boston led 88-60 after the third period and Pierce rested throughout the fourth.
Both teams were missing big men. Yi is expected to miss four to six weeks with a broken finger and Boston center Kendrick Perkins sat out his third straight game with a sore left shoulder but is expected to return next week.
Are the Celtics done?
January 10th, 2009 DKCManMuch talk about how the Celtics may be done? After their recent struggles, are the Boston Celtics done? NO WAY! Kevin Garnett will lead his crew back to the top level soon. Blimp in the radar! Go Celtics!
Celtics running on fumes
January 10th, 2009 DKCManAs the final indignities of one more stunningly embarrassing evening ended for the Boston Celtics, a predictable picture played out on the bench: The Celtics’ stars sitting for garbage time, blank stares, listening to the surround sound of a Kevin Garnett lecture. On one knee, his back to the Cavaliers, Garnett barked a private plan to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen about a return to glory.
As much as anyone, KG’s voice rules these Celtics. They play at his speed, his fever pitch and ultimately rise and fall with the tone of his talent. When the Celtics were the most destructive there was a grudging acceptance of Garnett’s relentless ramblings on the floor, his penchant for starting small skirmishes. His greatest gift can be his greatest burden. Sometimes, these Celtics can be exhausting to everyone else. Sometimes, they’re just exhausting to themselves.
As LeBron James passed Boston in the break-down lane on Friday night, dropping 38 points and the Celtics behind the Cavs in the Eastern Conference standings, the defending champions are basketball’s most perplexing problem.
From a 27-2 start and a candidate to chase 70 victories, the Celtics have transformed into free-fall losers of seven of nine games. This has spiraled from a bad run for these Celtics to something far more damning: a crisis of identity. Around the NBA, officials are wondering: With a bad bench and an aging lineup, did the Celtics suddenly reach an expiration date as a championship favorite?
With so many suggesting that the Celtics are physically worn, here’s something else to consider: How about emotionally exhausted? This is the blessing and curse of KG. He’s a dervish of barking and bickering, yelling at everyone and no one. Night after night, he works himself into a frenzy to play the game. He seldom relaxes on the court, on the charters. Sometimes, he’ll just sit up wired on long flights home. If he doesn’t sleep, Doc Rivers once said, no one sleeps.
This has trickled down on the team, too. Pierce is incorrigible on the court. No one talks like him. Opponents have grown angry over the way that even the marginal Celtics seem so emboldened to behave this way, too. All in all, emotion fueled a ferocity for these Celtics, but it’s hard to believe that passion could sustain itself in the long run.
“If you keep punching your gas pedal as hard as you can, all the time, eventually you’re going to run out of gas,” one rival NBA general manager said. “You can only do that hype and talking for so long. You have to maintain a pace and a certain emotional level to stay up there for a long time. You can’t scream non-stop forever.”
More and more, the Celtics are dependent on Garnett, Pierce and Allen to carry them. Rajon Rondo has struggled lately. The Celtics are susceptible to bigger frontlines. The bench is killing them. They need help, but there’s little on the way. As history’s shown, Stephon Marbury’s arrival destroys basketball franchises. This has been incredible. The mere suggestion of Starbury has blown up Boston. Truth be told, Marbury will probably never be freed in New York.
What GM Danny Ainge wants is a shooter off the bench, but he’s struggling to find one. League sources say he made a bid for the Orlando Magic’s J.J. Redick recently, a guard he’s long coveted, but an offer of J.R. Giddens and Gabe Pruitt couldn’t come close to prying Redick. What’s more, Orlando isn’t motivated to fortify the Celtics. Suddenly, the Magic believe they can beat Boston. League executives say Ainge has become more persistent this week in searching out deals, but as a Western Conference executive said, “He just doesn’t have any players that anyone wants.”
Rivers insists he saw slippage late in the 19-game winning streak to suggest this slide was inevitable. As long as his boss gets him a boost on the bench, he’s trying to sell this sputter as a blessing. The Celtics appear destined to lose home court in the conference finals to Cleveland – and maybe Orlando, too – but Rivers had seen some of his players growing complacent, comfortable, and now he sees the sobering realization that’s washed over his locker room.
“This team hasn’t gone through anything,” Rivers said. “It’s been very easy for us. Sometimes you have to go through something to get to something. This team hasn’t. Last year we didn’t have this at all. And I was extremely concerned going into the playoffs. That was my one concern. We hadn’t been tested. We breezed through the season.
“Well, we can’t say that this year. We have gone through something. You find out a lot about your guys when you go through stretches like this … who wants to fight … who folds. So, it’s good for everybody.”
Suddenly, Boston isn’t so brazen. They aren’t so bold. This has been a champion that’s inspired a good deal of dislike around the NBA. Teams found them ungracious and unkind. Truth be told, they found them to be downright nasty.
“How you shut us up is you beat us,” Sam Cassell said. “That’s how you shut us up. The Knicks shut us up…Cleveland shut us up–nine teams shut us up. Beat us and you can shut us up.”
Nine teams and counting for the Celtics. They’re no longer chasing 70 victories and the Jordan Bulls this season. Now, they’re chasing LeBron and the Cavaliers. Out of nowhere, an identity crisis for the champions. As the rival GM said, you can’t just scream forever.
Cleveland blows out Boston
January 10th, 2009 DKCManThey circled this game on their calendar months ago. Last night, the Cleveland Cavaliers checked it off as another win.
Their biggest in a season getting special.
LeBron James scored 38 points, harassed Paul Pierce all over the floor and strengthened his case to be the league’s MVP front-runner as the Cavaliers, playing with a bottled-up intensity reserved for the playoffs, improved to 19-0 at home by beating the staggering Boston Celtics, 98-83.
James scored 23 in the second half. He added 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks and made Pierce’s life miserable for 35 minutes.
After the Cavs had built their lead to a comfortable 20 points in the second half, Cleveland fans began chanting “M-V-P!”
There was no debate this night on who was the best player — or which was the better team.
“We want to continue to protect our home court and we want to continue to get better. Tonight I think we got better,” James said. “We don’t want to take a step back because we got a big picture and a big goal. You don’t want to waste a game. We got really better tonight.”
With James leading the way, the Cavaliers handed the Celtics their second-worst loss of the season and dropped them to 2-7 since opening a league-record 27-2. Boston had to resort to fouling Ben Wallace to try to trim Cleveland’s lead in the fourth quarter, but the Hack-A-Ben strategy was hardly effective as Cleveland’s forward, a 44 percent free-throw shooter, made 5 of 10 free throws after being fouled on five straight possessions.
When he was taken out, Wallace shot a menacing stare toward Boston coach Doc Rivers, who pulled his starters with the outcome decided in the final minutes.
“We’re good,” Pierce said. “That’s the God’s honest truth. Nobody likes losing, but we’re going to stay positive. That’s our strength as a team.”
Pierce, who came in averaging 19.5 points, was held to 11 on 4-of-15 shooting. Boston’s leading scorer only got into double digits when James turned him over to Wally Szczerbiak in the fourth. Before that, James wouldn’t let Pierce get out of his sight, chasing up, down and around the 94-foot court.
James refused to take full credit for stopping Pierce, but he deserved it.
“You can’t continue to give him one look because of how good of a player he is,” James said. “My teammates did a good job of letting me know where they were behind me and helping me out. I didn’t do it by myself. It was a whole team concept.”
Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo added 13 assists for the Celtics, who shot only 41 percent from the floor and didn’t have their usual swagger.
“We have some money in the bank with the 19-game winning streak,” Rivers said. “We’re making a withdrawal we don’t want to make right now, but we’re still 29-9. This is a tough stretch. I don’t like it. But we’re going to right the ship. When? I don’t know.”
Anderson Varejao scored 14 points and Mo Williams 13 for Cleveland, which avenged a season-opening road loss to the Celtics despite playing without injured center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
The win was vital to the Cavaliers, who lost Game 7 in Boston in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals and want to secure home-court advantage during the playoffs this season. The first tiebreaker if the teams end up with the same record is head-to-head matchups.
James scored 13 in the third quarter, but it was his swarming defense — especially on Pierce — that allowed the Cavaliers to take a 72-60 lead into the fourth.
With James cutting off his driving lanes and keeping a hand in his face, Pierce missed all four shots he attempted in the third. After misfiring on a long 3-pointer just before the horn, a frustrated Pierce turned and said something to fans sitting in courtside seats. They just laughed as he walked to the bench.
Cleveland and Boston have developed a healthy, heated rivalry, something Rivers wishes was more prevalent around the league.
“I think you have to play a team in the playoffs to get a better rivalry, like us with Cleveland,” Rivers said. “I think that’s what starts it. You see a team every night, seven times, the next time you see them in the next regular season, you can’t love each other anymore.”
Cleveland’s fans were fired up and in playoff form before the opening tip and the team cranked up the pregame pyrotechnics inside Quicken Loans Arena to levels not seen since last season’s Boston series. The added flames may have been requested by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who was unable to make it down from his home in Detroit because of heavy snow.
The Cavaliers made their first six shots from the field and finished the first quarter 13 of 18 — James had four of the five misses — to lead 33-23 after one.
Garnett v. Bulls
December 19th, 2008 DKCManKevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics will look to continue their hot streak as the Chicago Bulls, the home of his high school he graduated from will come to town. A graduate of Farragut Academy in Chicago, the Garnett always loves playing his home team.
In his last game against the Bulls, Kevin scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, with 3 assists and 2 steals.
In his career against Chicago, Kevin has played in 26 games, scoring 19.7 points and ripping down 11.7 boards.
We say a quiet 16 and 9 tonight as the Celtics win.. AGAIN
Celtics over Hawks
December 19th, 2008 DKCManThe Boston Celtics looked to Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter.
Garnett scored 10 of his 18 points in the final quarter, and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson missed a late free throw that would have tied the game, helping the Celtics beat the Hawks, 88-85, last night for their 16th straight victory.
After Johnson missed the second of two free throws with 2.7 seconds left, Ray Allen made a pair of free throws with 0.7 seconds left for the defending NBA champion Celtics, who have a franchise-best 24-2 record.
It was only the second loss in 10 home games for the Hawks.
“I told K.G. to take us home down the stretch,” Celtics guard Rajon Rondo said. “I said, ‘Make something happen.’ He said, ‘No problem.’ ”
Garnett, quiet for much of the game, was 5 for 5 from the field in the fourth quarter after starting 2 for 10.
“It means we’re playing well,” Garnett said. “We want to play championship basketball. That’s what we’re building up to. Our goal is to win a championship.
“You play your role around here. You do your job. You do what you’re supposed to,” he said.
“We got a lot of great shots within the last few minutes of the game. Kevin hit two unbelievable shots,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said.
In the only other game this season between the teams, the Celtics beat Atlanta, 103-102, on Nov. 12 in Boston on Paul Pierce’s last-second basket.
Pierce added 18 points, and Allen had 16 for the Celtics.
The Celtics are 10-1 on the road and 14-1 at home.
“Sometimes it seems as though it’s a burden,” Allen said. “That monkey grows. It’s a good monkey, though. I’ve never been on a streak like this. It’s great to be a part of our winning here. I think our winning is based on our preparation.”
Johnson led Atlanta with 20 points, 10 in the final period. He was 7 of 7 from the line before the miss. Marvin Williams added 16 points, and Josh Smith and Mike Bibby had 14 each for the Hawks.
“I had a chance to get us into overtime and missed the second free throw. I made the first one and some of the pressure was off,” Johnson said.
“We drew the play up, and Joe got to the line, and the player that has carried this team the last four years went to the line,” Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. “You could not ask for anything different.”
The Celtics took the lead for good at 85-84 on Garnett’s basket with 30.8 seconds left. Rondo, who had 15 points, then made one of two free throws to make it an 86-84 lead with 9.1 seconds left.
Atlanta had won 12 of 13 at Philips Arena dating to last season’s playoffs when Atlanta made the postseason for the first time since 1998-98 with a 37-45 record and beat Boston in all three games at home but lost all four in Boston.
Garnett’s current numbers
December 19th, 2008 DKCManLet’s take a look at our boy KG’s current numbers:
2008-2009 season:
- 25 games
- 33.1 minutes per game
- 51.9 % from the field
- 82.1 % from free throw line
- 9.5 rebounds per game
- 2.6 assists per game
- 2 turnovers per game
- 1.3 steals per game
- 1.4 blocks per game
- 16.5 per game
Career:
- 1023 games
- 37.5 minutes per game
- 49.5% from the field.
- 28.4% from 3pt.
- 78.1% from free throw.
- 11.2 rebounds per game.
- 4.4 assists per game.
- 2.5 turnovers per game.
- 1.4 steals per game.
- 1.7 blocks per game.
- 20.3 points per game.
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