Celtics Central

“Grow begins when we start to accept our own weaknesses.”Jean Vanier

The Celtics have blasted their way to the front of the NBA and the front of the sports pages.

Even before they played a game, the new players were appearing on the covers of every national sports magazine and NBA basketball got a shot in the arm that it really needed.

The low Finals ratings of last season, the negative off court escapades of some of its highest profile players, followed by the explosive revelation that an NBA referee was involved with the mob were cause for concern in many corners of the NBA world. The owners are greedy. The players are greedy. Refs are tarnished.

The fans pay the freight for every fantastic dunk and for every uninspired player who just got his long term contract. They pay for all of it. The money they spend for hot dogs, beer, jerseys, caps and shoes for their feet, foot the bill for the entire 30 team operation. They are a very loyal and forgiving bunch for the most part.

While some were predicting the end of the world for the professional version of this great sport, others would blithely poo-poo just about anything that happened, short of teams closing shop for good.

The new look Celtics have verily exploded from the gate, going from 0-60 at 3.6 seconds, just like the Ferrari they have been compared to. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are everything they have been advertised as…and more. The Celtics are turbine powered, while the rest of the league is driven by old fashioned, high priced, inefficient gas powered engines.

What is lost in covering the redemption of the NBA through Boston’s shooting stars, is their coach, Glenn ‘Doc’ Rivers.

After 3 seasons of increasing youth and decreasing wins, culminating in a 24 win, 2nd to last place finish that included a franchise high 18 game losing streak, Doc was under heavy fire from the fans. Call it a bombardment – carpet bombing even. Every little thing was directly or indirectly linked to Doc Rivers. To be sure, his brother in current Celtic architecture, Danny Ainge was coming under increasing fire. The funny thing is that many fans loved the young players.

No matter how many games they lost, plays that were not followed, defensive assignments missed, inconsistent performances, important shots missed, calls they didn’t get because they were league nobodies, it was largely Doc’s fault, not the players.

Just as Paul Pierce was the hot button the year before, any Celtic message board debate could go on for pages and multiple threads, simply with the mention of Doc Rivers. Blood pressure would rise, blood would boil, curse words would be bleeped. Just say out loud… “Doc Rivers”, and veins would pop. Few were the defenders, and they would be beaten down in short order by the sheer number of fans who had grown impatient with the state of the team. To be sure, Doc wasn’t the only the problem, but he was looked at as the biggest one.

Personally, I have found myself stuck in a strange middle ground on Doc Rivers. I am Sweden in World War II. Any judgement I wanted to make about him, and most of the time I wanted to go negative on Doc, I just couldn’t condemn the man in toto. Crushing this man in condemnation for the plight of the Celtics just didn’t feel right. I couldn’t do it. There is a basic decency about this man that is undeniable.

No matter how incompetent the Celtics became, and how obvious some of Doc’s weaknesses appeared, there were ‘extenuating circumstances’, as they say.

Before the recent Atlanta Hawks game, I was standing right there in the crowd of reporters surrounding Paul Pierce, in the Celtic locker room, when Paul was asked if he saw a comparison of last year’s Celtic team to this Hawks team. He ‘got’ what the question was implying.

With just a short pause, he raised his eyebrows and said something like, “I’m not sure it’s similar. Remember, that Hawks team has a number of lottery picks on it.”

That observation is missed on many. It is an important distinction.

The Celtics had a #15 (Al Jefferson) and #18 (Gerald Green) pick that many were miraculously hoping would be impacting the game like top 5 picks. They were surrounded by other astute late 1st round and very smart 2nd round choices. But there was no Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Elton Brand, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Curry, Chris Paul, or Deron Williams on the team.

There wasn’t a Marvin Williams, Sheldon Williams (which could have been Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, or Randy Foye), or Josh Childress (could have had Deng or Iguodala) as there are on the Hawks. A Hawks team, by the way, that won exactly 30 games itself last season – 6 more than the futile Celtics.

3 lottery picks vs no lottery picks. I think that distinction is missed on many.

Doc knows he is not a perfect coach. He said himself, he works each year to become better at his job.

The addition of Tom Thibodeau is an admittance of that, of sorts. While offense has been reasonably good, defense has been a problem for Doc Rivers teams here.

Doc is known as a ‘players coach’. Some would say that is code for soft. It also suggests that he isn’t in control of any team stars. NBA stars have a lot of power these days. This isn’t your father’s NBA. He had just Paul Pierce. Now he has Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

Doc said the team is playing so well simply because the three stars like each other. They are willing to share the limelight and the ball. It’s nothing special that he or the coaches are doing.

That is exactly what a coach should be doing – focusing on the players when they win. Red Auerbach himself said the game is about the players. Yet, Red would take blame for losses. We have to remember that Red had very few losses though.

Doc has had some reknowned,…uhmm…. ‘independent’…. personalities on his Celtic teams in Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Ricky Davis, Gary Payton, Mark Blount, and Marcus Banks. Danny has moved all of them, save Pierce, in an effort to get Doc a team he can coach without a lot of other distractions to worry about. At the same time, he went younger and younger. Not because he wanted to, but because that was the only kind of talent he could acquire.

The last two years, the losses piled up. There is one thing about all of the Doc Rivers Celtic teams that I know. They have never quit on him in games, which means they haven’t quit on him personally. Last year would have been the year to do it.

Through all of the adversity last year, I watched game after game of the big dog knocking aside the little dog (the Celtics) and going along it’s merry way, only to find that little dog biting at it’s heals as the game wound down. Often the other teams’ starters would have to go back into the game to finish off a team that kept playing hard. Annoying….is what the Celtics were. You knew they would lose, but they didn’t give up. They simply didn’t know how to win.

I tried to think of what coach I could compare Doc Rivers to. Bill Fitch? Not likely. Lenny Wilkens? Possibly. Lenny was players’ coach and a teacher. Doc certainly has been a teacher these last few years.

I don’t know of any coach in NBA history that has gone through such an extreme change of team talent in one year.

When you have enormous talent as these Celtics now have, is Doc simply smart enough to not get in these players’ way as is suggested about Joe Torre, and more close to home, as K.C. Jones was?

Or is Doc quietly able to use his strengths to form the framework with which this team competes? Doc has just lost his father. He returned the very day of the funeral to coach the team against the Nets. Danny made it clear he was not expected to. When the team saw him come into the room an hour before game time, they were all lifted up. Kevin Garnett says that when a person gives all of himself as Doc does, he would die for him. Kevin is a serious man. He wouldn’t say something like without a strong affection for the man.

It is a players game. But if that is true, then how could Doc get the blame for the last few years of babysitting and teaching good players, but not game changing talent? So if Doc gets blame for the last few years, and I think he shoulders some of it for his game management, and other debateable decisions, he also gets some credit this year for knowing what to do know with a completely different roster of star powered veterans, even if it is just to make a clever game plan and let the players do the rest.

In truth, in years past, he tried to give players freedom on the court that they didn’t know what to do with. He allowed them and encouraged them to make on court decisions that they were not up to. He said you need a high basketball IQ for his system. I don’t want to see last year’s team IQ. It might require a special education class. A controlling Rick Carlisle, he is not. His coaching philosophy makes more sense for a veteran team of talented players. They know what do to when they have choices. They will make the right decisions far more than not.

He is on a short contract. He knows what is expected, and that is immediate success. The team’s 5-0 start is delivering that in spades. Somehow, I feel he is more a part of the early
success than simply letting the players play. But some say that is even intentional.

The ‘Get Rid of Doc Brigade’ is at bay now. There are a few tremors about him playing the stars too long. They will grow louder as the year wears on. The season is a marathon, not a sprint. To finish strong, Doc must find a way to win games and still rest his starters. The play-off performance will be far more important than the won/loss record during the year.

Still, I find this sprint from the gate to have immediate advantages. It solidifies the culture of winning. It sets up an intimidation factor in opponents minds and hearts. It proves to the three stars that they can do what they thought they might. It shows what can happen when three stars decide to share the ball and play defense. So far, Doc’s team is more prepared than his counterpart’s each night.

If this team stumbled out of the gate, the cry for Doc’s head would have been a roar. The quick start has simply made Doc Rivers a non-story. I’m sure Doc would like to be a non story all season long. That would mean he is doing his job and the team is contending. That is all he asked for. The successful story would be – ‘Doc Rivers the Un-story.’ That would mean that the Celtics are doing quite well indeed.

Doc wouldn’t have it any other way.

Boxscore

The Boston Stranglers attacked again last night.

This time the victims were found in New Jersey. They were the New Jersey Nets and the dirty deed was done by the 3rd quarter….. again.

We know who is doing it. The MO is the same and nobody seems to be able to stop these guys. Send out an APB (All Player Bulletin). Call the state police and send for reinforcements. The Boston Celtics are armed and dangerous.

“They got weapons and they’ll use them.”

Big guns…..’automatic’ weapons, it appears, and they’ll suffocate you with their aggressive defense. And there doesn’t seem to be anything you can do about it. Lock your doors and close your shades. If you invite them in, it’s too late. There’s nothing I can do for you.

With three teams victimized on Causeway Street in Boston, one in Toronto and now another in New Jersey, league officials and teams are getting worried. The body count is going up and coaches are shrugging while trying to figure out how to stop them. Even bad referee calls can’t stop them. They are beating good teams on their own home courts. Even without their best bench players, they continue to win.

They are said to be seen without a solid point guard or center. Either those rumors are untrue or irrelevant.

Last night, the Boston Celtic Crime Scene moved to the New Jersey as the Nets become the 5th victims in a row.

The Celtics season opening winning streak continues, as they soundly beat division rival New Jersey Nets 112 – 101. The lead reached 21 points and the Celtics were never truly challenged after that.

A competitive game was blown open in the 3rd period as the Celtics started on a 20-3 run to take a 7 point half time lead and run away with the game. New Jersey actually had led by a point after one quarter 27-26. The Nets went 0-9 shooting to start the quarter with 4 TOs.

Another eastern conference play-off contender, another excellent defending team, and playing surprisingly well at 4-1 out of the gate. Yet, it was another fairly easy Celtic win. You just can’t stop these guys.

New Jersey was 5th in the league in FG% allowed, holding opponents to .415%. The Celtics were 1st at .398. The Cs ended up shooting .456% from the field and a gaudy .525% (10-19) from the 3 point line. Paul Pierce (4-7) and Ray Allen (4-8) did most of the damage from deep.

Ray Allen started fast, garnering 14 by the half. Paul Pierce scored 13 of his 28 points in the 3rd period. Kevin Garnett continued his seasoning opening double double streak with 18 points and 14 boards. Ray Allen matched him with a double double of his own on 27 points and a surprising 10 rebounds. The Celtics continued their team rebound domination as well: 49-34

The large but agile Glen Davis received some primetime PT because James Posey and Brian Scalabrine were both out with injuries. He made the most of it, scoring 6 points, with 8 rebounds (6 offensive), 2 assists, 2 steals and a block in 17 minutes. He drew a charge on Vince Carter and caused a jump ball on Antoine Wright that became the Celtics ball. He did miss on an easy lay-up, shooting it much too hard, just before he caused the jump ball. He also fouled out. Never dull, he is a fun player to watch.

Rajon Rondo played a decent floor game finishing with 5 assists, 5 boards and 11points in 37:50 minutes. Kendrick Perkins went 4-5 with 5 boards and 2 assists in 18 minutes.

Eddie House was booed in his return visit to the team he played for last year. He also showed them what they missing with 13 points, 2-4 from downtown, 3 boards and 2 assists.

The Celtic were forced to shoot a mortal .456 after making 60% plus of their shots in recent games. They did keep up the team oriented passing as 23 of their first 31 baskets were assisted. That is an excellent stat.

In an emotional turn, Doc Rivers returned to coach the team tonight after attending the funeral of his father earlier in the day. He was not expected to be there.

Vince Carter sprained his ankle in the 3rd with the Celtics up by 20 and did not return.

This is the best start since the Celtics opened the 87-88 season with 6 wins. I’m beginning to think that it is realistic to expect this threesome to do something akin to what the original big three did. They are actually more talented offensively.

Allen and Garnett were both #1 options in this league for so long. Parish and McHale never were. Neither Parish nor McHale ever carried teams for whole seasons nor were as versatile as scorers. The criticism that there would need to be three balls on the court to make them happy is already being shattered. They are proving to be a very difficult team to guard.

They will lose a game. I just don’t know when. They get contributions from 6-7 players every game and the most tenacious defenses haven’t figured out how to stop them so far.

Even the most optimistic fans could not have expected this type of a start.

The victim count rolls on.

Next up: They play the Pacers at Indiana on Tuesday.

T

I’ll be out for the day so here is the pre-game report from FLCeltsfan on Celticsblog.

James Posey and Brian Scalabrine are out for this game. Doc Rivers is expecting Tony Allen and perhaps another bench player to play a more important role tonight.

New Jersey is playing well out of the gate (4-1) and should provide a solid test for the undefeated Celtics. The Cs are the last team in the league without a loss.

So far they have only been tested once (Toronto in OT) and this is without its bench being at full strength. Does the Big Green Machine meet defeat tonight? I’ll report in late tonight with the results and analysis.

T

Boxscore

What the heck is going on here?

The Celtics just methodically destroyed another opponent to start the season 4-0 for the first since the days when a healthy Larry Bird was flying around Boston.

They beat the Atlanta Hawks by 23, 106-83, after beating the Nuggets by 27 points on Wednesday. It’s been a good week. Tonight’s game was actually closer than the final score suggests. Don’t laugh. The Denver game was worse than the final score implied. I told you not to laugh, didn’t I? But both games were decided in the first half. The Cs are simply carving up their competition like it’s easy.

Tonight the Ceatles, the PGA Tour, the Boston Three Star (BTS) Express, the Green Machine, The Rutabaga Three (can you believe that someone actually wants to call them that?) or whatever else you want to call the trio ‘who are not to be called the Big Three’ added a fourth dimension…The House of Pain…Eddie House that is.

The ‘House’ was rocking with Eddie’s 19 big points on 7-11 shooting, including 4-5 house rockers (literally – lighting up an enthusiastic crowd) from downtown and a “look at what he just did to Tyronn Lue” ankle breaking cross over drive from the top of the key for 2. House and Tyronn received double technicals at one point for discussing the ‘whether’…that is…. whether or not the Hawks could stop the Celtic onslaught. Later House was knocked hard to the ground with an elbow by another Hawk. (I think it was Josh Smith. I’ll have to replay it.)

Brian Scalabrine also endured an ‘errant’ (not!) elbow from Al Horford that hit him with such force as to lay him out and give him a concussion. Brian will not play against the Nets on Saturday.

Once again the Celtics made a team look so bad as to cause them confusion and to eventually quit. Coach Woodson said…

“Hopefully, the next time when we see the Celtics, we’ll be a little more prepared, I guess, and ready to go because we only played a quarter and a half tonight.”

That’s fairly accurate, as the Hawks clawed back for their last lead of the game at 31-30 at the 7:23 mark of the 2nd quarter. The early beat downs are so complete that “No Mas, no mas.” is what the Cs are making opponents cry. By the end of the 1st half the Cs were up 55-41, never to look back. Roberto Duran at least waited until there were 16 seconds left in the 8th round to give up. This can’t be a trend…… can it?

So I guess, if you can’t beat the Celtics at basketball, you just beat them with your elbows. The impressive part about those two obvious plays was that Boston kept focused as a team and responded by making great plays, instead. That is a sign of a poised, purposeful team.

To be sure, Atlanta made a run in the 2nd half, but to no avail, getting as close as 8 points with 2:42 left in the quarter. Al Horford looked as good on offense as Garnett made him look bad on defense tonight.

While House was an added surprise, Kevin Garnett once again got things rolling for the Cs with a near double double in the first quarter (13 pts. 8 bds.) while Paul Pierce added 8 and he almost had 20 at the half once again (19). Garnett finished with 27 pts., 19 bds. and 6 assts. Pierce had 23 overall and Ray Allen had 14 points on some tough shots in the face of some really good defense.

Rajon Rondo’s time was cut into by House’s outstanding performance, yet Rondo logged a team high 7 assists to go with 3 steals in 29 minutes. Kendrick Perkins played an unsung 29 minutes, garnering 7 boards, 3 blocks, 2 steals and an assist.

The Hawks are a very good offensive rebounding team (12 per game coming in). They are also a very good perimeter defending (.286% allowed from 3 point line) team. Doc said the game plan was to keep them off the boards and continually attack the middle. They held them to 8 offensive rebounds and beat them on the boards 39-29. The Celtics scored 48 points in the paint on the night. Both missions accomplished.

I don’t think anyone expected theses results (4-0 with large wins) right out of the box.

The new look Celtics were supposed to take time to gel. They didn’t have enough bench support. They were going to have outscore the opponents to win because Pierce and Ray Allen don’t play defense. The big three were going to have to play 48 minutes a game. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. And maybe.

In the three home games the Celtics jumped out to 20 plus point leads in the first two. Tonight they could only muster a 17 point first half lead. Pierce and Ray Allen have both been singled out by Doc Rivers and opponents for tough defense. Pierce took three charges tonight including a couple of important ones. The team’s defense is magnificent so far and the three stars are playing very well together for the most part.

The only concern is that they are staying on the court for close to 40 minutes a night. Leads are evaporating, particularly when KG comes off the floor. Tonight, saw a Garnett-less unit lose the lead in the 2nd and then regain a 4 point advantage before Garnett was sent back in with 2 fouls at the 6:16 minute mark left in the first half. Luckily, he did not pick up that 3rd foul before the half ended. I actually would have liked to see if the KG-less unit could have widened the lead without him.

So far, the Celtics are currently playing in the Land of Ahhhhs (and Ooohs). One of these days they will meet a team with no heartless tin men, cowardly lions, or scared crows. It may take a top 5 team to provide that type of competition, but I’m betting not. New Jersey is playing well (4-1) and they meet tonight at 7:30 pm in New Jersey. The Celtics will be short handed with James Posey, Brian Scalabrine and (most likely) Scot Pollard out, nursing injuries. Still, the Celtics re winning without their bench being healthy so far. Can they

Doc Rivers will be gone for that game, attending the funeral of his father. Assistant Coach Tom Thibodeau will be expected to coach again in his absence.

The Boston Celtics 3-0 start has produced some lofty stats. This is what the Atlanta Hawks have to look forward to on Friday night:

All stats are courtesy of NBA.com

The team is first in the league in……

1) point spread at +16.33

2) team field goal pct at .521

3) team field goal pct. allowed at .389

4) difference in assists to opponents +7.33

They are also:

5) 3rd in the league in assists at 24.33

6) 3rd in 3 pt field goal pct. allowed at .283

7) 3rd in assists allowed at 17

5th in points scored at 106

9) 6th in points allowed at 90.33

10) 8th in 3 point field goals made at .394

Atlanta is a young talented team trying to move forward. The addition of Al Horford was huge, IMO. And Acie Law could be just what the doctor ordered at PG. Josh Smith is playing very well so far as stats are concerned, leading the league in blocks at 4 per and is 2nd only to Allen Iverson in steals at 3.50 per game. I think they are still a year away from.500 ball, but they should move forward in the win department this year.

Atlants is 2nd in the league at stopping the 3 ball (.280), making this a good game at seeing how well the Cs do against what appears to be a strong perimeter defending team. With Smith and Horford in the middle, things might not as easy as they seem against a team that has been down for a long time.

James Posey is listed as day-to-day for the Celtics, due to back spasms.

T

The Celtics plan on sending Gabe Pruitt, Brandon Wallace and possibly Glen “Big Baby” Davis to the Utah Flash according to the Boston Globe…

Rivers confirmed that first-year players Glen Davis, Gabe Pruitt, and Brandon Wallace are candidates to play for the NBA Developmental League Utah Flash. Rivers added that two of the aforementioned rookies could be sent to the Flash soon.

Director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, however, said it is less likely that the 6-foot-9-inch, 289-pound Davis will be sent since “we need his size.”

More quotes from last night’s game:

In a return to last night’s game, Coach George Karl had said before the game that, when looking at game films of teams so far he thought the Hornets looked like a scarier team to play than the Celtics. I asked him afterwards if he still felt the same way…

“Right now, the Boston Celtics are my champions.” (laughter)

More from coach Karl….

“They (Celtics) came out with a spirit and energy and took our spirit and energy away from us.

You saw three great players all committed to playing with each other and all had great passes, as often as they had great shots.

This is most in my career that I’ve ever been down at half time…..I love what they’re doing more defensively than offensively. This is a team that wasn’t a very good defensive team last year. It looks like they’re trying to be a great defensive team this team.”

On Paul Pierce and Carmelo…

“Pierce is one of the few guys in basketball who can put up a triple double any time he plays. We’ve tried to push Melo in that direction – to be more rebound oriented, more pass oriented, to be more than just scoring. In a lot of ways, Pierce showed him a clinic tonight.”

So last night’s stunner becomes history, but the Celtics climb another rung of the ladder on their journey. The amazing thing is that the stars don’t seem phased or taken in by all of the early success. That is a good mind set for the long haul, as there will certainly be days when things don’t look quite so easy. They seem prepared to deal with that as well.

Friday night’s opponent, the Atlanta Hawks are showing signs of life as they just beat their second 60 win (last year) opponent by beating the Amare-less Phoenix Suns last night.
Al Horford and Marvin Williams are playin big to go along with Josh Smith and Joe Johnson. Should be an interesting game.

Boxscore

The Celtics annihilated the Denver Nuggets last night 119-93, in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score would indicate – believe it or not.

The Celtics just aren’t fair. They weren’t just double teaming or triple teaming, they were…quadruple-teaming?

You will read a lot about the sensational Boston offense in tonight’s game elsewhere, but the real story was the defense. Just ask Carmelo.

Carmelo Anthony said that he was being guarded by 4 players all night, or at least that is what it felt like.

“They beat the (expletive) out of us tonight…..I seen double teams….I’ve never seen defense like that. Every time I touched the ball, I’m playing against my man, I’m playing against Garnett, I’m playing against Perkins, and I’m playing against Ray Allen. He plugging in there, too.

I played against four people every time down the court tonight….”

While it was the defense that took the Nuggets out of their game from the opening bell, it combined with an unstoppable offense in a devastating one-two punch to knock out this potent Nugget team by end of the 1st quarter with the Celtics leading 38-22. Rajon Rondo was a big instigator with 2 breakaway steals for lay-ups. They ended up with 8 fast break points and 22 points in the paint in the 1st.

You got a snapshot of what the night would be like, just 4 seconds in. Pierce scored a lay-up on a nice pass from Perkins. Garnett got things going with some nice outside shooting, sandwiched around a Rondo lay-up and the Nuggets didn’t know who to guard for the rest of the night. All 5 Celtics scored in the first quarter with Garnett leading the way with 12, followed by Pierce and Allen with 8 each.

By the 9:45 mark of the 2nd quarter, the rout was on. The score was already 45-22. The lead ballooned to 77-38 by half time. The Cs sustained an incredible 71% FG pct. throughout most of the game, until they started subbing freely in the 4th quarter. They limited Denver to 38% shooting at the half, while killing them on the boards 25-9. Boston’s 19 assists to Denver’s 8 further indicated the difference in offensive composure and execution.

The Celtics were equally good on both sides of the ball. They took whatever Denver gave them. When Denver tried to guard inside, the Celtics kicked it out for the open jumper. When they guarded the perimeter, the ball was passed inside or they drove the middle. The Celtics were completely dominant.

Nene (sprained thumb – 1st quarter) and James Posey (lower back spasms) both went out with injuries.

Pierce had 20 points at the half and KG already had a double double with 14 pts, 10 bds.

Carmelo Anthony…..“I don’t want to make no excuses. They beat us by 30 points tonight. It was an embarrassing loss, so we just gotta bounce back. Try to put this loss behind us.”

The defense was so good, he told me, he felt like he “could have been the best offensive player in the world” and not done anything against the defense he faced. “I can see that team there doing some big things in the eastern conference.”

Marcus Camby backed that up and credited new Celtic assistant coach,Tom Thibodeau….

“Celtics came and played a near perfect game. That team has a real chance to come out of the east. They’re looking like a well rounded, well coached team. I can see the assistant coach Tom Thibodeau….I played with him numerous years in New York and I can see he brought that defensive mentality, and that defense has definitely stepped up and a lot of credit should go to him.”

Other performances of note – Eddie House pulled a Rajon Rondo and had 6 rebounds and a steal to go with 11 points. Rondo, ironically had zero rebounds tonight. But he played an excellent floor game on both ends of the court. When I asked Carmelo about Rondo he responded…

“I don’t know why people (are) sleeping on him. I don’t know why. He’s a big key to that team. He can just spread the court out and score when the opportunity (is) presented to him, like he did tonight. Can’t really stop that.”

Kendrick Perkins played very solid if unspectacular defense and was 3-3 in dish-offs when the other guys were doubled, to go along with 3 boards, 2 assists, one block and a steal in 29 minutes.

The three stars combined for 71 points on a crisp 28 of 41 shooting, while leading the team with 18 of the 32 assists total. The ball was flowing freely tonight making the Cs a difficult team to guard.

So the Celtics put on their most impressive win yet and have beaten three very good teams, only being tested by Toronto and easily routing 2 other possible play-off teams.

Yet, in the post game press conference, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett think that they have “only scratched the surface” of what this team can do.

The only complaints I can think of is that they turned the ball over too much (20 times) and the Nuggets matched them in 3 point shooting at 7-19 .368%. Not bad ‘scratching’.

Atlanta is next on Friday at home.

The talented Denver Nuggets continue an east coast swing against the Celtics tonight in the second half of a back-to-back, losing to New York last night.

Denver is now 2-2 after starting 2-0 by beating Seattle and Minnesota, two weak teams, then losing to the Hornets, who are on a 4-0 streal out of the gate, and the Knicks last night.

They were looking forward to the importance of tonight’s game against the Cs, by resting Kenyon Martin (against NY) so he could play tonight. Until KMart’s knee is stronger they won’t play him in back-to-back games. It could have cost them a win.

Linas Leiza started at SG in place of J.R. Smith. Najera and Nene split minutes that KMart might have received, but don’t provide what KMart would have, defensively, against the big Knicks frontline.

The Nuggets are as talented a team as most in the this league. They have 2 annual NBA scoring title threats in Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, the league’s current Defensive Player of the Year in center Marcus Camby, a formidable frontline in a league
(Camby/Martin/Anthony) where talented height is rare, and a solid supporting cast (Nene, Najera, J.R. Smith)

Yet, they are not on most experts’ radar as a contending team. At 45-37 last year, they win more on talent alone, than team ball. Coach George Karl has gotten them to be winners, but so far has not been able to harness all of that talent into a true team. If that ever happens, this team could truly contend.

But getting Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony to include their mates more is no easy feat. And J.R. Smith has proven to be a great shooter (with a poor shot selection) so far and little else. He needs to improve his attitude and overall game.

Last night a similarly talented, but ill-fitting team beat them. Both teams need to find a way to maximize their prospects. Early on, it looks like NY might be getting a leg up. But it is a long season. Both teams will be interesting to watch as time goes on.

The Celtics continue to be circled on all of their opponents schedules, as evidence by KMart’s lay-off last night. It will be another good test for Boston. Though they are playing the 2nd game in 2 nights, Denver’s frontline will present a special challenge for the depth challenged Celtic frontline. Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins will need to stay out of foul trouble and on the court.

A another good match up will pit James Posey against Anthony. Both are natural SFs with height (each list at 6′ 8″).

Allen Iverson should provide Excedrin headache number #22 for Rajon Rondo. Kevin Garnett will be a real challenge for whoever guards him – Camby, Martin or Nene. Ditto for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

Carmelo is averaging 27.3 points to lead the Nuggets, Iverson is averaging 8.8 assists and Camby is boarding at 17.3 rebounds per game.

The new look Celtics hang their hat on defense. Denver is scoring at 104.8 points per game so far. The Celtics have held two good offenses to 89 points per game. Something has to give tonight. Let’s see who dictates the game.

I’ll be there and give you a full report afterwards, including quotes from the players and Doc Rivers.

T