Archive for the ‘celtics’ Category

Celtics’ O’Neal plans season-ending wrist surgery

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

By CHARLES ODUM

Boston Celtics forward-center Jermaine O’Neal will have surgery on his left wrist and miss the remainder of the season, adding more urgency to the team’s search for inside help.

O’Neal, in his 16th NBA season, already has missed 13 games with the sprained wrist. Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Monday no date has been set for the surgery.

The 33-year-old O’Neal has averaged 5 points and 5.4 rebounds in 25 games, including 24 starts, this season.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said before Monday night’s game against the Hawks the team hopes to add “one or two bigs” this week to replace O’Neal, who has been out since Feb. 22.

“We already had counted this in, honestly,” said Rivers of O’Neal’s inability to return. “We’ve had the `For Sale’ sign out. We’ve just got to get somebody to buy.

“I feel good that we’re going to find a couple of guys. … We’d like one that has a skyhook and is 7 feet tall, but we’re probably not going to find that.”

The Celtics, seventh in the Eastern Conference, began Monday night’s game in Atlanta only two games over .500. Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass and Paul Pierce were Boston’s three starting forwards against the Hawks.

Rookie Sasha Pavlovic, averaging only 1.9 points per game, was one of Rivers’ first substitutes against the Hawks.

Rivers said the team can’t be too selective in its search for help.

“Really, honestly, whoever comes, we’re going to look at him and we’re probably going to sign him,” Rivers said. “It’s pretty close to that.”

O’Neal, from Columbia, S.C., was a first-round pick by Portland in 1996. He also has played with Indiana and Miami. He averaged more than 20 points per game in four straight seasons with Indiana (2002-06).

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Rondo’s triple-double carries Celtics over Bulls

Monday, February 13th, 2012


Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo‘s performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.

“The way he played tonight, we’re a pretty tough team to stop,” the Celtics’ captain said Sunday after Rondo recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a 95-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls, who were without star guard Derrick Rose.

Running the Celtics’ offense smoothly without having to worry about covering the reigning MVP Rose, Rondo helped Boston rebound from a miserable loss in Toronto on Friday.

“I just think he wanted to win,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said when asked if Rondo may have been extra motivated. “I thought we played at a better pace today.”

Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 12 rebounds, reserve JaJuan Johnson had 12 points and Ray Allen 11 for the Celtics, who snapped a two-game skid. Rondo had season highs in both points and assists.

The win came after what Rivers called an “awful” showing in an 86-74 loss at Toronto. Rivers was very frustrated after that game and spoke about how it was “un-Celtic.”

“I knew they’d come out like that, coming off their last two games,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “They were very aggressive. I thought they got some very easy baskets early, which gave them confidence.”

C.J. Watson, who started in Rose’s spot, scored 22 points for the Bulls, whose win streak ended at five in the finale of a 6-3 road trip. Carlos Boozer also scored 22 and pulled down seven rebounds, while Joakim Noah had 16 points and nine boards.

“We got out-competed,” Noah said.

Rose missed his second straight game with what Thibodeau called “stiffness” in his back and is expected to see a specialist Monday after the team returns to Chicago. He originally suffered the injury earlier in the week and was limited in Wednesday’s win at New Orleans before missing Friday’s victory over Charlotte.

“I don’t know where it came from,” Rose said of the injury after the game.

Rondo seemed to roam free on offense for most of the game, driving the lane for easy baskets, taking open jumpers and setting up teammates. He had 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds entering the final quarter.

“Our energy wasn’t there,” said Rose. “We didn’t pick up our energy to the full court.”

But that may not have stopped Rondo on Sunday.

“Oh, man, he played great,” Johnson said. “I don’t think anyone expects anything less from him. The way he played today, he’s a great player – obviously. Best point guard in the league, and he played great.”

Rondo declined to speak to the media after his stellar effort.

The Bulls trailed by 14 with just over 5 minutes to play, but they turned up the pressure defensively and made a late run, pulling to 91-88 on Luol Deng‘s two free throws with 1:23 to go.

After a turnover by Pierce, Watson was short on a 3-point attempt and Rondo grabbed the rebound with 21.5 seconds to go. He was fouled and hit both free throws.

Watson missed the second of two free throws and Rondo grabbed his 10th rebound with 9.8 seconds on the clock.

“We just looked a little sluggish, came out a little slow,” Watson said.

The Bulls had closed the score to 72-68 early in the final quarter before Allen and Pierce nailed 3s during a 10-3 run that helped Boston take charge. Rondo had assists on both 3-pointers, driving the lane to collapse the defense before kicking the ball outside.

Rondo had fast-break alley-oop lobs for dunks on consecutive possessions to Johnson and Chris Wilcox that made it 86-72 midway through the fourth.

The Celtics had opened a 59-50 third-quarter edge on Rondo’s free throw before the Bulls scored eight of the next 10 points, closing the gap to three. But Boston improved its advantage to 72-66 after three on Rondo’s two free throws with 3.3 seconds left.

Boston held Chicago to 34 percent shooting in the first half and led 48-43 at intermission. The Bulls stayed close behind 11 offensive rebounds.

Part of the reason for Boston’s quick start may have been the poor showing in Toronto. It was just the third time in club history that the Celtics scored below 75 points and the first in 11 years.

NOTES: Boston was without F Brandon Bass and F/C Jermaine O’Neal. Rivers said Bass’ knee “swelled up” after Friday’s game and that “he’ll be out probably 10 days to two weeks.” Rivers said O’Neal had knee and shoulder injuries. … During his pregame press briefing, Rivers said his former assistant Thibodeau is somewhat like Patriots coach Bill Belichick because “he works so hard and he expects everybody to work as hard as him, which is impossible.” Rivers recalled a story about how Thibodeau had two teams chasing him before helping persuade him to take the Chicago job. “He actually had two jobs and I grabbed him by the shoulder and said, `Are you kidding me? You have a chance to coach Derrick Rose and you’re thinking about another job?’ Are you nuts? I actually said, `If it’s a penny to go there or $10 million to go to the other place, take the penny. In the long run you’ll be able to coach.’”

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Pierce passes Bird in Celtics’ win over Bobcats

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Paul Pierce knew what was on the line with every shot.

The pressure was quite clear to Pierce and anyone else in the arena as he stood on the verge of passing Larry Bird for No. 2 on Boston’s career scoring list. He needed only 10 points to overtake Bird when the Celtics hosted Charlotte on Tuesday night and those final three seemed as if they would never come.

They did early in the third quarter, then Pierce and the Celtics celebrated the milestone by increasing their season-best winning streak to five with a 94-84 win over the Bobcats.

“It was a relief. So much was hanging over me the last couple of days. Just hearing about it and knowing that you’ve got a game to play,” said Pierce, who finished with 15 points. “Just to be mentioned with him, with this organization, is a great honor.”

Pierce now stands alone at No. 2 – and it is quite a list – with 21,797 points, six more than Bird’s total of 21,791. Only John Havlicek has scored more in team history with 26,395 points.

Pierce didn’t even try to calculate the gap or how long it could take him to reach Havlicek.

“I think the fans would really appreciate another championship more than me passing Hondo,” Pierce said.

Pierce nearly celebrated with a triple-double, coming up just short with nine assists and eight rebounds.

Rajon Rondo added 14 assists and 10 points, Kevin Garnett scored 22 and Ray Allen finished with 17 points on a night that clearly belonged to the team captain known as “The Truth” – which Mickeal Pietrus had written in big letters on a towel he waved for Pierce.

“I thought they tried so hard in the first half. I thought it was never going to happen,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “I mean, it was unbelievable how our guys were passing out shots. They were doing everything to try to get this thing.”

Derrick Brown went 10 for 10 from the field for 20 points for Charlotte, but the biggest shooter Tuesday was Pierce on what normally would have been an off shooting night for him.

He had seven points at halftime, then got his big moment out of the way with 10:23 left in the third on a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

“I’m not going to lie. It was hanging over my head too much,” Pierce said. “You kind of just felt it. It was hard to really ignore it and just focus on the game.”

Reggie Williams scored 21 for the Bobcats, who lost their 12th straight despite staying within 11 points through the first three quarters. Kemba Walker had 16 points and seven assists for the Bobcats, who kept it close before Boston opened the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run.

“When you have to play your main guys for as long as we do, it gets kind of tough,” Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. “We’ve just got to keep battling.”

The outcome never seemed in doubt and fans focused on Pierce making history for a franchise loaded with it. There was no announcement – or need for one – as everyone seemed to know what Pierce’s shot from the top of the key meant in addition to giving the Celtics a 48-40 lead early in the third quarter.

Pierce knew he had it, raising his arms as Boston fans gave him a standing ovation. The applause lasted for several minutes as teammate Garnett waved the crowd on for more.

The official announcement finally came during a time out with 5:14 left in the third and Pierce went to midcourt, blew a few kisses and bowed during another round of applause. There was one more when Pierce – a Celtic his entire NBA career – went to the bench with 3:57 left in the period.

“Paul had a chance to leave us when we were bad and instead of moaning that he wanted to go to a championship team, he stayed,” Rivers said. “And he said, `I simply want to be a Celtic and I trust that we’re going to win a title someday.’”

Brandon Bass scored 13 and Garnett added seven rebounds for the Celtics.

Boston led 45-38 at halftime and after an even third quarter, the Celtics pulled away in the fourth, leading by as much as 18 against the weary Bobcats.

With Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers coming to town Thursday, the Celtics were especially relieved to have Pierce’s accomplishment out of the way.

“You’ve got to play some amazing basketball,” Rivers said. “Passing Larry Bird – that’s impressive.”

Notes: Boston’s five-game winning streak is its longest of the season. … Rondo played his third straight game after missing eight with a sore right wrist. … Charlotte last won on Jan. 14, beating Golden State 112-100. … Charlotte (3-22) has the worst record in the NBA and fell to 1-14 on the road.

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Celtics erase 27-point deficit, beat Magic 91-83

Friday, January 27th, 2012

By KYLE HIGHTOWER

The Orlando Magic trudged out of Boston this week, toting only embarrassment following a lopsided 31-point loss to the Celtics.

For a while it appeared as though the Magic would return the favor. Instead, the Celtics took advantage of Orlando’s fourth-quarter meltdown and erased a 27-point deficit to hand the Magic an even more humbling defeat on their home floor, 91-83 on Thursday night.

Paul Pierce had 24 points and 10 assists, and E’Twaun Moore added 16 points off the bench to help Boston beat Orlando for the second time this week.

Pierce and Moore had 10 points each in the fourth quarter to surge past a Magic team that led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter before shooting 2 for 17 from the field in the final 12 minutes. They scored just eight points in the period.

“Everybody was big,” Pierce said. “Obviously, when you got a rookie (Moore) who hasn’t played too much to come in and do the things he did – that’s big for us.

“This team decided to stand up and fight.”

Moore said the Celtics needed a game like this.

“It’s definitely a confidence builder for our whole team,” Moore said. “Knowing we can play with some of the best teams out there.”

Dwight Howard led the Magic with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Jason Richardson added 13 points, and Ryan Anderson had 12.

The Celtics have won three straight for just the second time this season. It also was their fourth consecutive victory over the Magic, dating to last season.

Since a season-best, five-game winning streak, the Magic have lost three times in five games, including a 31-point defeat at Boston on Monday.

“We thought it was going to be easy after the first two quarters,” Howard said. “We can’t allow that to happen. We’ve got to change. We have to change what we do, and guys have to know their roles and do it. That’s just the bottom line.”

The Celtics disrupted the Magic’s offensive flow in the fourth, so much so that it led to a pair of late, frustration technical fouls on Howard and Anderson.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said tempers boiled up so much that it got to a point where players were simply driving to the basket trying to make plays on their own.

“Their pressure, again, really pushed us sideways,” Van Gundy said. “We got frustrated with the officials and we got totally off our game.”

Asked if he thought the Celtics did better with Xs and Os late, Richardson said there wasn’t a singular scapegoat issue.

“It was everything,” he said.

After being mostly manhandled on both ends for three quarters, Boston found its energy in the final 12 minutes, sparked by Pierce and Moore.

The Celtics opened the fourth quarter with a 15-1 run and grabbed their first lead since the opening period, 79-76 with 7:32 to play.

The Magic went 0-for-7 from the field, missed 5 of 6 free throws and committed three turnovers during Boston’s spurt.

A free throw by Pierce after Anderson’s technical foul made it 84-78 with 3:47 remaining. The Magic got within 84-80 after a pair of free throws by Hedo Turkoglu, but no closer.

“That was a character builder for our team, it really was,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s all that we talked about at halftime. Not a big game plan, we didn’t make any big changes. We just kept talking about it being a character builder for this basketball team.

“We needed every single guy today and that was terrific.”

Early on, it seemed like the Magic’s night.

In a reversal of its dismal performance in the first half of Monday’s loss, Orlando led 58-37 at halftime on Thursday – eclipsing its point total in the entire first game by a basket in the opening 24 minutes.

With three starters out, including center Jermaine O’Neal, Rivers was forced to start Kevin Garnett opposite Howard.

The move worked out early.

Howard was whistled for two quick fouls – one while setting a screen, and the second defending Garnett about 15 feet from the basket. He was forced to the bench less than three minutes in.

The Magic picked it up on both ends without him, and closed the quarter on a 30-11 run to build a 16-point lead.

But all that energy evaporated when it counted.

Now the Magic, a team that was seemingly ready to turn a corner will have to look inward if they’re going to become an elite team, Van Gundy said.

“We’ve got to get to where we can just play the game,” he said. “I’ve got to find a solution to that.”

Notes: This marked the biggest lead the Magic have blown in a loss since 2001 when it blew a 22-point lead at Dallas. … Magic owner Rich DeVos and former guard Nick Anderson presented Howard with a plaque to commemorate him passing Anderson as the Magic’s career leading scorer. Howard broke the mark against Indiana earlier this week. … Rivers was given his third technical foul of the season with 8:47 left in the first quarter. … The Celtics played without G Rajon Rondo, who missed his fourth game because of a sore right wrist, G Ray Allen, who was out for a second game with an injured left ankle, and C Jermaine O’Neal, out because of a sore left knee. Rivers said Rondo is still in pain, and there is no timetable for his return.

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