Boston Celtics Blog – Page 112 – NBA Blog

Glen Davis shines in Game 2 vs Heat

Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe reports:

The Celtics were without Kevin Garnett. KG was sitting out a one-game suspension in the wake of his careless elbow during the mayhem of the final minute of Game 1 against the Heat.

No problem. In the proud tradition of Frank Ramsey, John Havlicek, and Kevin McHale, Glen Davis reminded us that he’s good enough to start every night in the NBA. Baby Grande torched the Heat last night, scoring a bull-rush 23 points with eight rebounds in 29 minutes of a too-easy 106-77 Game 2 victory.

Is there really any need to play any more games in this series? Bring on the Cavaliers, people.

It’s true. Boston’s boys of winter are peaking at the most important time of the year. The Causeway Street barn is our April Garden of Eden and the momentum won’t be stopped just because Garnett is suspended for a night. Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

Game 2: Celtics OK without Garnett in 106-77 win over Heat

The AP reports:

Even without Kevin Garnett, the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat.

Easily.

Celtics don’t miss Garnett in 106-77 win over Heat

With the good-humored but hard-playing Glen Davis filling in while the Celtics’ emotional leader served a one-game suspension, Boston rolled to a 106-77 victory Tuesday night that Miami coach Erik Spoelstra called “embarrassing.” …

Davis had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Ray Allen heated up in the third quarter and scored 25 points. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 29…

Boston outrebounded Miami 60-37.

Kevin Garnett suspended one game for striking Quentin Richardson

Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics has been suspended without pay for one game for striking the Miami Heat’s Quentin Richardson in the head with an elbow, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations. Richardson has been fined $25,000 for his role in the altercation.

The incident occurred with 40 seconds remaining in the fourth period of the Celtics’ 85-76 victory over the Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Saturday at TD Garden.

Garnett will serve his suspension Tuesday when the Celtics face the Heat in Game 2 at TD Garden.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Joakim Noah says Kevin Garnett plays dirty

John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (via blog):

“That was unbelievable yesterday, that Boston-Miami game,” Noah said Sunday following the Bulls’ workout at Quicken Loans Arena. “He’s unbelievable, that guy. I’m gonna say it: He’s a dirty player, man. That’s messed up.”

The dirty player in question is Boston’s Kevin Garnett, who was ejected for hitting Miami’ Quentin Richardson with an elbow during a stoppage. After his unsolicited condemnation of Garnett, Noah was asked if the Celtics All-Star should be suspended for Game 2.

“I don’t make the decisions, but he’s always swinging elbows, man,” Noah said.

Q.Richardson says Pierce, Garnett are actresses

Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (via blog):

OK, one night and we have a playoff series. Emotions are bubbling. Words, too. Quentin Richardson didn’t just get trades shouts and take a potentially costly elbow from Boston’s Kevin Garnett near the end of Game 1.

He called Garnett and Paul Pierce, “actresses,” after the game. As in: “Two actresses over there, that’s what they are.”

Thelma and Louise? Ginger and Maryanne?

Near game’s end, Pierce fell to the court by the Heat bench with what he called a shoulder stinger, something he’s had problems with the last month. Garnett stood over him. Richardson came in, said a few words and Garnett pushed him away.

So it began. Udonis Haslem came in Glen Davis got involved. A scrum formed. On the five-star, Knick-Heat playoff fight-meter, it was a 1 1/2. But it sets up the rest of the series as something to watch.

Game 1: Garnett, Allen lead Celtics past Heat

The AP reports: Kevin Garnett had 15 points and nine rebounds and the Boston Celtics played Miami-style defense to beat the Heat 85-76 in the opener of their playoff series Saturday night. Trailing 44-41 at halftime, the Celtics held the Heat to 32 points in the second half. And with substitute guard Tony Allen shadowing Dwyane Wade, the Heat star scored 26 points after averaging 33.7 in three regular-season games against Boston… With 40 seconds left in the game, a scuffle near the Miami bench resulted in two technical fouls against Garnett, an automatic ejection, and one each to Boston’s Glen Davis and Miami’s Udonis Haslem and Richardson.

Doc Rivers downplays possibility of leaving Celtics after season

Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe reports:

Celtics coach Doc Rivers downplayed the report that he was considering leaving the team at season’s end. He said he evaluates his future with the team each summer, taking into consideration his family more than anything else. He acknowledged, however, that this year has been a difficult one, challenging him to find ways to motivate a team plagued by injuries and inconsistency.

“I would say what I’ve said for the last three years,” Rivers said. “This is old news. I don’t think about it to be honest.”

Celtics sign Tony Gaffney and Oliver Lafayette

The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has signed free agent forward Tony Gaffney and free agent guard Oliver Lafayette to contracts. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“We believe that both of these players have good potential to help us in the future and we are looking forward to evaluating them during the summer,” said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations.

Gaffney, a 6’8”, 205 lbs forward, most recently played for Altshuler Saham Galil Galboa in Israel and appeared in one game scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds before his season ended prematurely due to a foot injury. The former UMass Minuteman and Massachusetts native averaged 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game as a senior in college. He was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year that season (2008-09) and was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team.

Lafayette, a 6’2”, 190 lbs guard, appeared in 48 games for Fort Wayne of the NBA Development League this season and posted averages of 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 38% from three-point range and 80% from the free throw line. Lafayette ranked 10th in the Development League in steals per game and ranked ninth in assists per game this past season. He recently was named an NBA Development League Co-Performer of the Week for the last week of the D-League season, and averaged 26.4 points, 8.0 assists and 6.4 rebounds over his last seven games.

NBA will discuss issue of players resting

The AP reports:

David Stern says the issue of players resting at the end of the regular season will be discussed among NBA executives, though he doesn’t see anything coming of it.

The commissioner says he is “troubled by it, because it would be our preference that healthy players play,” but says the decision is one that has always been left up to the teams.

InsideHoops.com Says:

I totally understand NBA teams about to enter the playoffs wanting to make sure their key players are healthy for the post-season. But of course, fans who are paying big ticket prices for games want to see good action, and not the bench guys playing while star players barely break a sweat or sit out entirely. But that’s just how it is. Fans going to the last few games of the regular season simply need to know that depending on a team’s situation, a key star or two may not be out there.

Bob Cousy thinks Rajon Rondo is awesome

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports:

Rajon Rondo already has Bob Cousy’s Celtics record for most assists in a season, but he also has something more valuable. Cousy’s respect and admiration.

“I’ve been saying since probably the first year that it seems to me he touches all the bases for a point guard,” said the Cooz. “If there is a negative – and I don’t know how much of a negative it is – he seems to be insecure about his shooting. But, hell, the guy’s shooting almost 52 percent. How much better could he be if he looked for his shot all the time? But that’s not the function of a point guard.

“Everything else is there. He rebounds much taller than he is. He’s a tough, tough defender. And he creates well. He adds a little something, so he’s obviously getting more confident with the moves and the imagination that he shows. As far as I’m concerned, he’s their most valuable player this year.”