Boston Celtics Blog – Page 78 – NBA Blog

Josh Smith shines, Hawks beat Celtics to take Game 1

The Boston Celtics lost Game 1 — and they may have lost their floor leader for Game 2.

Josh Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks built a big lead early, then held on for an 83-74 victory over the Celtics in their opener of the Eastern Conference playoffs Sunday night.

But this one will be remembered for what happened in the final minute, not the Hawks’ blistering start. While complaining about a call, Boston star Rajon Rondo was ejected for bumping an official and faces a possible suspension when the teams meet again Tuesday night in Atlanta.

“I didn’t intentionally chest-bump him, but that’s what it appears to be,” Rondo said…

Rondo, who scored 20 points and dished out 11 assists, clearly appeared to stick out his chest to strike the official. That’s a huge no-no and will almost surely draw the wrath of NBA Commissioner David Stern…

Garnett bounced back to put up 20 points and 11 rebounds. Paul Pierce had only 12 points, going 5 of 19 from the field and missing all six of his 3-point attempts.

“For us to win, I have to be a better player,” Pierce said. “I was a really big culprit.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Joe Johnson had another poor performance in the playoffs. It’s not as if he doesn’t know he’s going to get pressured. He handled it pretty well early (it helped that the Hawks played faster) but then Joe came out after halftime and seemed to want to go one-on-one.

“I missed a lot of wide open shots I normally make. I’m sure Game 2 will be a lot different,” Joe said. “I’m just glad guys like Jeff [Teague] and Josh was able to pretty much carry us down the stretch.”

You can’t fault Joe for missing open shots. Well, I guess you can, but that happens. More problematic were all the possessions that came to a halt because Joe was dribbling aimlessly (or, worse, getting stripped by Paul Pierce) while his teammates stood and watched.

“I look at the stat sheet and he didn’t have a typical Joe Johnson game shooting-wise,” Drew said. “Yet we still won the game. With this team, I always try to focus on the positive with things like that. He’ll watch the tape and, like everyone else, he will make adjustments. We will continue to run plays through him, put the ball in his hands and put him in position to score the ball.”

— Reported by Michael Cunningham of Atlanta Journal-Constitution Blog

Greg Stiemsma hopes to stick with Celtics

Greg Stiemsma is in the midst of a breakout rookie year with the Boston Celtics. Next season, he would like to continue that success in green and white.

Stiemsma will be a restricted free agent this summer with a qualifying offer worth $1.05 million. After traveling through Europe and the NBA Development League for years, the 26-year-old center would like to return next season to the team that gave him his first shot in the NBA.

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Stiemsma told CSNNE.com. “Next year’s going to kind of take care of itself, I’m hoping, so I’m not getting too worried about it yet. But at the same time, with everything that I’ve learned from these guys and this organization, I’d love to come back.”

— Reported by Jessica Camerato of CSNNE

Celtics waive Jermaine O`Neal and sign Sean Williams

Out with the very old, in with something new.

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed center/forward Sean Williams.

To make room on the roster for Williams, the Celtics requested waivers on center Jermaine O’Neal.

Williams, a 6’10″ center/forward, appeared in eight games for the Dallas Mavericks this season averaging 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. The product of Boston College also appeared in 27 games for the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League this season averaging 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Williams was originally drafted by the New Jersey Nets with the 17th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and has posted career averages of 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 134 career games split between New Jersey and Dallas. Williams was named to the NBA’s 2008 Rookie/Sophomore game and recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds in the contest. He recorded his best statistical season as a rookie with the Nets when he averaged 5.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.45 blocks per game.

Pierce leads Celtics to win over Magic

Paul Pierce had 29 points and a career-high 14 assists and the Boston Celtics clinched at least a tie for the Atlantic Division title as they held off a late charge by the Orlando Magic for a 102-98 win Wednesday night.

Boston (37-26) has a 3 1-2-game lead over New York (33-29). The Celtics have three games left and the Knicks, who beat the New Jersey Nets 104-95, have four.

Division winners are guaranteed to be seeded no worse than fourth in the conference and wouldn’t have to face Chicago or Miami in the first round…

The Celtics played without their starting backcourt. Point guard Rajon Rondo, who has at least 10 assists in each of his last 23 games, had a sore lower back after landing hard on it in Tuesday night’s 118-110 loss at New York. Ray Allen missed his sixth straight game with a right ankle injury.

Avery Bradley started for Rondo and finished with 23 points. Bass added 21.

Davis, starting in place of Dwight Howard, led Orlando with 27 points. Nelson had 19 points and nine assists. Howard missed his sixth consecutive game because of a herniated disc.

— Reported by Howard Ulman of the Associated Press

Celtics almost traded Ray Allen to Grizzlies last month

As the NBA trade deadline lurched into its final hour a month ago, league sources say the call Ray Allen long feared had come: Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers was on the line, telling him he had been traded. Allen had been sent to the Memphis Grizzlies for a package including O.J. Mayo and a draft pick, and the Celtics’ Big Three had come to a most brusque ending.

For 20 minutes or so, Allen had to process the information. They traded me to Memphis? And yet, as the disappointment dissolved to anger, Rivers returned with a messenger’s nightmare: Never mind. The deal fell apart. Take a deep breath and let’s go back to work again.

Before the Big Three could make it past the trade deadline, Allen-to-the-Grizzlies had to fall apart and discussions on a deal that would have sent Paul Pierce to the New Jersey Nets for an expiring Mehmet Okur contract and a lottery pick never reached completion, league sources said. Celtics general manager Danny Ainge loves the talent in the 2012 NBA draft, but he still gets one more run, one more chance with this group in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

Ray Allen attributes his ankle problems to having big calves

Ray Allen has missed more than 10 games this season due to right and left ankle injuries. As the Boston Celtics look ahead to their playoff push, health is of the utmost importance to the 16-year veteran guard.

In order to maintain his ankles, Allen, who has sat out the past four games with a sore right ankle, is paying extra attention to another part of his body: his calves.

He attributes some of his ankle problems over the years to his over-sized muscles. Allen underwent double ankle surgery in 2007.

“I’ve been told that I have huge calf muscles my whole life,” Allen, 36, said earlier this month. “But they’re always like the bane of my pain, of my existence, because I always feel tightness in there. When they do get tight, it keeps my ankles from moving.”

— Reported by Jessica Camerato of CSNNE

Melo has triple-double, Knicks rout Celtics

As the Celtics staggered to the locker room after getting hit by an NBA record-tying 3-point assault, the halftime musical selection perfectly summed up how they must have felt.

It was ”You Dropped a Bomb on Me” – and Carmelo Anthony and two sharpshooting subs sure did.

Anthony had 35 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double, and the New York Knicks made 19 3-pointers to keep alive their Atlantic Division title hopes with a 118-110 victory over Boston on Tuesday night.

JR Smith and Steve Novak both scored 25 points for the Knicks, who overcame a season-high 43 points from Paul Pierce and moved into sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference while trimming Boston’s division lead to 3 1/2 games.

Novak hit eight 3s in the highest-scoring game of his career. Smith made all seven of his 3s in the first half, equaling a team record.

”Our bench was great tonight,” Anthony said. ”Novak and JR, them guys combined for 50 points off the bench. When they get hot like that, it’s hard to deal with.”

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Kevin Garnett and Andrew Bynum named Players of Week

The Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Andrew Bynum today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, April 9, through Sunday, April 15.

Boston went 4-1 on the week, going 3-1 in games in which Garnett appeared. Garnett averaged 20.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks for the surging Celtics. He recorded three point-rebound double-doubles on the week, including a 21-point, 12-rebound effort on April 14 during a 94-82 win at New Jersey.

Bynum led the Lakers to a 4-0 week behind averages of 21.8 points, a league-best 16.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks. Bynum posted three point-rebound double-doubles on the week, including a 16-point, 30-rebound effort on April 11 during a 98-84 win over San Antonio.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Denver’s Kenneth Faried, Indiana’s Danny Granger, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, Memphis’ Rudy Gay, New Orleans’ Eric Gordon, New York’s Carmelo Anthony, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

UConn center Andre Drummond expected to enter 2012 NBA Draft

Andre Drummond will leave UConn after one season and enter the NBA Draft.

The official announcement may come sometime Thursday, or perhaps Friday, but sources at UConn, in the pro basketball industry and close to Drummond’s camp are telling The Courant he will go to the pros.

The Drummond family has been collecting information for the last few weeks and has met with coach Jim Calhoun several times. Two days ago, Drummond told The Courant he was not close to a decision. “Right now, I’m here and that’s all that matters,” he said.

But even by then, industry sources were suggesting he had made his decision. He is likely to be among the top six or seven picks in the draft, which could net him a guaranteed $5-7 million over the next two years.

— Reported by Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant

Rajon Rondo puts up triple-double, Celtics edge Hawks

Paul Pierce overcame a miserable shooting game with a key jumper in overtime and Rajon Rondo finished with a triple-double with 20 assists, 10 points and 10 rebounds to lift the surging Boston Celtics to an 88-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Kevin Garnett had 22 points and grabbed 12 boards before fouling out with just under 3 minutes left in OT, and Brandon Bass, who also hit a jumper in OT, scored 21 points.

It was Rondo’s 19th straight game with double digits in assists.

Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 21 points and Josh Smith had 20 with 11 rebounds. The Hawks had won eight of 11 since losing to Boston at home on March 19.

It was the Celtics’ 11th win in 14 games. Pierce finished with 14 points…

Boston guard Ray Allen was sidelined by a sore right ankle that had him out a few weeks ago. He had played the last five games after being sidelined six by the troublesome ankle.

— Reported by the Associated Press