The AP reports: Ray Allen scored 18 points and Kevin Garnett had 16 as the two newcomers who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA’s best record sparked them to a 104-81 win Sunday night in their playoff opener against the Atlanta Hawks. Garnett stopped a 14-3 Hawks run with a jumper, starting a six-point Boston surge that made it 35-27 in the second quarter. And Allen scored 10 straight Celtics points midway through the third that extended a 13-point lead to 67-48 with 5:39 left in the period… Eighth-seeded Atlanta, which ended the NBA’s longest playoff drought with its first appearance in nine years, was led by rookie Al Horford with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Joe Johnson added 19 points… Paul Pierce scored 16 for Boston and Rajon Rondo had 15.
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Apr. 16: Celtics 105, Nets 94
The AP reports: Second-stringer Leon Powe scored a career-high 27 points, adding 11 rebounds for his sixth career double-double, while Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and the rest of the Boston starters rested up for the playoffs. With their NBA-best 66 wins, the Celtics had already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round… Tony Allen scored 18 for Boston, which won its fourth straight game and the 11th of its last 12. Richard Jefferson scored 24 points, and Nenad Krstic scored 13 with a season-high 12 rebounds. The Nets ended up 34-48, missing the playoffs for first time since 2001.
Apr. 14: Celtics 99, Knicks 93
The AP reports: Isiah Thomas was booed during pregame introductions and fans chanted for him to be fired in the final minute. But while firing Thomas may be the popular decision with fans, Jamal Crawford cautioned that it may not be the right one… Doc Rivers gave Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen the night off, but Rajon Rondo had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who learned during the game they will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Sam Cassell added 22 points for the Celtics, who got a halftime pep talk from another champion who wears green: Masters winner Trevor Immelman, who watched the game the day after collecting the green jacket.. Nate Robinson scored 26 points and David Lee had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks. Rookie Wilson Chandler, who had been playing well lately, sprained his left knee in the third quarter. X-rays were negative.
Praise Kevin Garnett
The AP (Howard Ulman) reports: Maybe Garnett won’t win his second most valuable player award. Most stats favor Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Chris Paul. But if there were an MIP award for Most Intense Player, the leader most responsible for the Celtics’ record turnaround would have all the qualifications. He is the best player on the team with the NBA’s best record. He’s led the Celtics to the biggest single-season turnaround in league history, breaking San Antonio’s record 36-game improvement. And he’s the inspiration for a hard-working team that leads the NBA in point differential and lowest opponents’ field goal percentage.
The AP continues: “Look at the team. Look at the team’s record. Look at the turnaround,” Ray Allen said. “I think he’s probably the more unselfish guy in the NBA (of the top MVP candidates) that’s made his team better. It’s not just the offensive perspective.” Last season the Celtics were 24-58, their second worst record for a franchise that has an NBA best 16 championships. After trading for Garnett in the offseason, they are 64-16 after a 99-89 win Saturday night over Atlanta, their likely first-round playoff opponent.
Apr. 12: Celtics 99, Hawks 89
The AP reports: Sam Cassell and Boston’s backups outplayed Atlanta’s starters in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics prevented the Hawks from clinching their first playoff berth since 1999 with a 99-89 victory Saturday night… Cassell, 38, scored 20 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, as the Celtics outscored the Hawks 21-5 down the stretch… Kevin Garnett sat out the fourth quarter but led Boston with 24 points. Pierce and Ray Allen each had 14, also in three quarters… Joe Johnson scored 21 and Smith and Horford each had 17 for Atlanta. Bibby added 16.
Celtics now 36-1 against losing teams
The Boston Herald (Mark Murphy) reports: The Celtics are now a remarkable 36-1 against sub-.500 teams, which goes a long way toward explaining why they have the best record in basketball. “We play for ourselves, not other teams,” said Kevin Garnett. “That’s what (coach) Doc Rivers says to us. That comes to life when we play teams that don’t have any significance. “We tend to not play to the competition’s level, because we are playing for the postseason. We must experience the reps. If we go in thinking we have to take care of business, and give other players the chance to play, we need nothing more and nothing less.”
Apr. 11: Celtics 102, Bucks 86
The AP reports: Rajon Rondo had 16 points and 10 assists and the Celtics coasted to a 102-86 victory over Milwaukee on Friday night. The Bucks made more moves off the court than on it: They announced the hiring of former Pistons vice president John Hammond as general manager during the third quarter… Kevin Garnett scored 12 points with eight assists, leaving with 5:30 left in the third and Boston leading 72-47… Michael Redd scored 18 for the Bucks, Andrew Bogut had 14 and Ramon Sessions scored eight with 14 assists as the Bucks lost their fifth consecutive game. Michael Ruffin had nine rebounds off the bench despite a sprained ankle.
Apr. 9: Wizards 109, Celtics 95
The AP reports: After sitting out two games with a sprained right shoulder, Jamison returned to score 27 points as the Wizards ended Boston’s seven-game winning streak and became only the second team to win the season series against the Celtics. Jamison left no doubt that he was again full throttle by making 8 of 17 field goals, grabbing 11 rebounds and ramming home a one-hander over Garnett to cap a 10-0 run that gave the Wizards the lead for good early in the third quarter… Caron Butler had 13 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and seven turnovers for the Wizards, who handed the Celtics’ their second-worst loss of the season. Washington, which beat Boston in back-to-back games in January, joined Orlando as the teams to win the season series against the Celtics. Paul Pierce scored 28 points, and Kevin Garnett had 22 points and 14 rebounds for Boston, which had 21 turnovers and allowed the Wizards to shoot 51 percent.
Free food for fans at final Knicks home game
The New York Knicks, making a very smart PR move, are rewarding their long-suffering fans by giving free food and non-alcoholic drinks to everyone who attends the team’s final home game of the season, against the Celtics on April 14. That’s pretty awesome.
“Knicks fans are among the most passionate in sports, and we wanted to thank them for their loyalty and dedication to the team,” said Howard Jacobs, senior vice president, marketing, MSG Sports Teams. “Today’s announcement stems from our desire to find a meaningful way to show our fans our appreciation. We hope they enjoy themselves and we look forward to seeing them in the arena.”
More info here.
Apr. 8: Celtics 107, Bucks 104 OT
The AP reports: Sure, Doc Rivers could have summoned his Big Three off the bench to reclaim the big lead they’d built earlier in the game. All three Boston Celtics stars certainly wanted to get back on the floor. But Rivers didn’t want to play them in the first place on Tuesday, so he decided to let his reserves handle what suddenly had become an unexpectedly close game. It took overtime, but Boston’s bench managed to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 107-104… Bucks center Andrew Bogut provided some comic relief from what has become a lost season for Milwaukee, joking about his triple-double Tuesday—points, rebounds and turnovers. “My offense was terrible,” Bogut said. “I felt like a little kid out there.”