Celtics Central

“We feel we can beat anybody in this league if we don’t beat ourselves.” – Kenyon Martin

It is so interesting when I first meet players. Sometimes they are nothing like you would expect. They can be better…or they can be less so.

K-Mart has this image of a league bad guy and a player with an attitude. He had a huge run in with Coach Karl a few years ago in the playoffs. He and Mark Cuban feuded in the media last season over Mark’s comments to and about a Martin family member. I’m sure there might be others.

Normally, as a writer, you want to pick out certain points in a player interview to focus on and build an article around that.

After speaking with Kenyon Martin, the Denver Nuggets power forward recently, I decided to just add a few comments to fill in around his own comments and let his own words tell the story.

He offered the Kenyon Martin view of his injury, his team, playing hurt in the NBA, Kevin Garnett’s injury, and the Celtics.

I found him a very confident player and a thoughtful interview.

Without further ado…

Celtics Central: They say that the status of your injury is ‘indefinite’ right now.

“Just waiting it out to see. Just taking it easy right now. Riding the bike a little bit. No basketball activity right now. Just trying to get the inflammation down.”

Tendonitis, left knee?

“Yeah…

If I can get to where I can tolerate some pain, that’s when I’ll try to play.”

Two weeks, three weeks?

We’ll see.

Before the playoffs?

“Definitely hoping before the playoffs.

I don’t want to go into the playoffs not having played any games. Been out a significant amount of time. Just want to make sure I’m okay….’cause I don’t want to go out there and the same things happen….Then I have to sit out the playoffs so…I’m not trying to do that.”

So you are on an anti-inflammatory now?

“I was. I stop taking them. I did the P-R-P treatment.”

What’s the PRP treatment?

“Plasma treatment. So I did that. I went to Vail and did that.

Trying to wait to see how that takes hold and I’ll just go from there.”

Assuming you are back for the playoffs….you guys made mention that you believe you can take the Lakers.

“We can beat everybody in this league. I think we proved it. If we don’t beat ourselves and come out and play our A game, we feel we can beat any team in this league. But right now the so called ‘team to beat’ is the Lakers. They’re the defending champions and they had to go through us to get there.”

Was there something about that series that made you feel, if you did a few things different, you could beat that team?

“We gave two games away…with two out of bounds plays.”

(Trevor Ariza made two separate last minute steals in two close games (1st and 3rd) of their series with the Lakers last season.)

“See what I’m saying?”

The Nuggets feel those games were winnable games, and they were. But let the record show both steals occurred with the Lakers up two points at the time each time.

“We were right there. It was 2-2. We were right there.”

Understanding K-Mart felt they gave a couple away, it must be noted they lost the last two playoff games by 9 and 27 points.

“Minus a couple of mental mistakes or breakdowns, we feel we could have (gone) on to the championship. I don’t feel it’s any different this year.”

If they managed to pull out those two early games, maybe the rest of the series would have been different. As it was, they played well at times, even dominated at times. But they eventually folded their tents.

The Nuggets are 2-1 against the Lakers this season with one game left between them.

Besides the Lakers, who do you feel is the biggest threat?

“In the league? I feel Cleveland’s pretty good…especially when they get Zydrunas back. Starting to play pretty good. Orlando’s always tough.

There’s a lot of good teams in the west…a few of them in our division.

We feel we can beat anybody in this league if we don’t beat ourselves.”

While the Nuggets are rebounding about the same as last year, you and Carmelo have picked it up in that category. With Marcus Camby gone, was that intentional?

“Yeah, that was my mindset. Just knowing the rebound trouble we’ve had in the past, since Marcus left…I took it upon myself….I told myself I’m going to try to average a double-double this year so…it’s right there.

I’m just trying to make sure I don’t rely on anyone else to do it. I take it upon my shoulders for em to go out and do it.”

But your game goes beyond rebounding.

“I’m an all around player. I don’t just do one thing on the court. I think that’s what a lot of people respect about me. That I’m not just one dimensional.

When Melo and Chaunce were out, there was a call for me to score the ball, so I did that. So rebounding, like you say…I enjoy the other three (parts) of the game, blocks, steals, making a good pass. Things like that. I’m mostly just an all around player. I’m not someone who (you might say) just does ‘this’ so you have to look out for ‘that.’ You can’t just play him for one thing.”

In watching the Nuggets for the past number of years, it seemed there was a core of you, Melo and Nene…that the Nuggets should have been doing better than you were. It’s only been the past few years that this team has been fulfilling its potential. What has been the difference the past few years?

“I think it’s just time. All of us are getting comfortable playing with one another. Before, we had Marcus (Camby) in the 5 spot. It was me and Marcus on the court together a lot.

But now Nene is in the starting role. Me and him spend a lot of time on the court together, so we have to build that chemistry.

I think, our frontline is one of the best in the league. Hands down.”

When push comes to shove in the middle of a game, who is the emotional leader of the team?

I think myself.

Yeah, I look at my self as that. Try to motivate the guys. Try to get guys to do the right things.

I try to lead by example first and foremost. I always play the same way every time I take the court.
I don’t pick games where…oh I’m going to play hard this game or I’m playing this guy this day so I’m going to play this way. I don’t do that. I treat everybody the same.

Assessing the Celtics…

“There’s talk in the media that they’re getting old or whatever with Kevin. They’re still good. They still got a good team. They got a great coach in Doc. He does an excellent job of getting those guys to play.

I think they made some moves to help them by getting Michael Finley, Marquis Daniels, and Nate Robinson. So they’re still a team to reckon with.

Everybody tries to write them off. They just won the championship two years ago. That isn’t too far removed.”

So you don’t think they might be getting a bit too old for it?

“I don’t think so. They got…what…Ray is 34? 35?” (He is 34. He will be 35 in July.)

Celtics Central: and he’s in the best shape of all of them.

“Paul is 33. (He’s actually 32). I think KG might be 34 (He will be in May.)?

You look at us. I think Chauncey is 33. I’m 32. I’ll be 33 this year. A.C. (Anthony Carter) is 34.
(small laughter.) See what I’m saying?”

Celtics Central: Could say the same thing about you guys (laughing)

It was said with some lightheartedness. But it does bring out a point. No one is a saying the Nuggets are too old. But their star player is 26 years old and is healthy. And yes, that makes a difference.

“It comes down to injury and… things like that.

People try to write you off or if you lose a few games in a row. That’s what people do in this league.

Everybody has an opinion. But everybody doesn’t know what everybody goes through in order to try to play.”

I would have to agree. You can say a lot about NBA players, good or bad, but if you saw how much many of them go through in order to play every night, you would be surprised, if not amazed. More knees and elbows are iced than at a hockey game. And the media doesn’t even see most of the pre and post game ‘therapy’ for the players.

K-Mart’s own observation lends some credence to the theory that suggests Garnett may have returned too soon.

“I’ve watched KG a few times and I’m like…he’s just trying to gut it out. He’s not ready yet but…he’s stuck it out. That’s why he’s somebody’s trying to get this team…to go out and lead by example and get the rest of them guys to see…if I’m hurt playing this way, then you guys need to pick it up.

There’s a respect factor going on. But they’re a damn good team still.”

Paul Pierce recently admitted that he may have pushed coming back too soon himself. Garnett is a warrior like no other. But he’s not getting any younger either.

But they both feel so much was/is at stake. As it is, they won’t have home court through out.

KG’s play of late has been encouraging. He is looking better, more often. So has Pierce’s play improved. What each of them has gone through just to play every night and perhaps are still going deserves admiration and is inspiring.

From a distance, Kenyon Martin sees the leadership and sacrifice of Kevin Garnett. Martin understands that he himself is not so young anymore. He will rest as much as possible before seeing how much he can contribute come playoff time.

As Kevin Garnett is the Celtics’ emotional leader, so is Kenyon Martin to the Nuggets.

They are both still damn good teams. Both teams have a ‘puncher’s chance’ at a title with everyone healthy.

Garnett wants to get in as good a shape as he can for the playoffs.

Kenyon Martin is just waiting to get back in the ring at this point. When he does, the Nuggets emotional leader will make them a better ball club.

Without Kenyon Martin, Denver’s title hopes are history.

I should have put this up sooner but…

Celticsblog.com’s founder, Jeff Clark (formerly known as Ranter) will be on Celtics Stuff Live tonight after the Spurs game at 11:00 p.m.

He will be with Justin Poulin, Jon Duke, and..I believe…Kevin Henkin. Good stuff.

Be sure to check it out here…

Celticsstufflive

More specifically, can Carmelo fill Pierce’s shoes and lead Denver to an NBA Title?

For that to happen, Carmelo has to be something he has yet to be in his in his career. The guy who can ‘will’ his team to playoff wins.

He must become the true go to guy when defenses are shutting down his on court brethren. When points are hard to come by, Carmelo must be the guy they count on to deliver. And he must deliver.

He must also be the big time NBA star who plays defense that impacts the game.

He must be the player that says, ‘We will not lose this game.’ And then goes out makes that reality. He must make big plays at either end of the court.

In short, he must become something closer to Paul Pierce or Kobe Bryant than he has so far in his career.  He must step out of their shadows… and become them.

Is there a Paul Pierce or a Kobe Bryant ‘side’ to the NBA star entering the prime of his career?

Kenyon Martin…

Carmelo… we know he’s a great scorer, but now we’re asking him to do a lot of other things.

Carmelo has that ability…or shall I say potential to ‘do a lot of other things’ and still be a great scorer. Does he have the mindset? And, more important, does he see it that way?

Carmelo told Celtics Central that he does…

Yeah, I mean, of course. I think I’ve been nothing but that for this team. To be able to know when it’s crunch time that I can make something happen and I will make something happen.

Getting Chauncey, bringing his winning experience over to us, that helped everybody out.

As far as for me…I think my teammates know that when it’s crunch time they know that they can depend on me.

Do you think that this that this year, with or without Kenyon, that you guys can go all the way?

Yes, I do.

Even without Kenyon?

Yes.

I wouldn’t expect him to say any less. But will they actually do it?

Few pundits expect it. Can Carmelo elevate his game like Paul Pierce or Kobe and take this team farther than you might expect?

I would not expect this team to go far without Kenyon Martin. The Celtics recently a dismantled the Nuggets middle with a gimpy Chris Anderson and Martin out.

But assuming K-Mart comes back for the playoffs, as he is expected to, and is reasonably healthy (tendonitis basically requires rest and inflammation reduction), can this team win an NBA title?

Carmelo will be 26 on May 29. This is his 7th NBA season.

He has a solid, talented roster around him with Billups, Nene, Martin, J.R. Smith, ‘Birdman’ Anderson, Arron Afflalo, and rookie Ty Lawson.

As I was preparing this piece, just by coincidence, Lynn Worthy of the Lowell Sun was making a Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce comparison this very morning.

Television pundits, please continue to place Carmelo Anthony on the highest pedestal you can find. Even though he may slide right off it come playoff time like a six-year-old hitting a Slip ‘n Slide with a full head of steam.

ESPN, keep running that video feature with Anthony spouting off about how he wouldn’t even show up if he had to guard himself.

TNT, cue Charles Barkley with his common refrain about Anthony being the best pure scorer in the NBA.

All I know is that a healthy Paul Pierce made defenders “pick their poison” before Melo ever even stepped foot on the Syracuse University campus. At 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds, Pierce has presented the same problems Anthony presents. Only Pierce has done it for 12 NBA seasons and he’s got an NBA championship.

Carmelo gets a lot of media love. He has a huge offensive game. He is a clutch shooter. He attacks the rim for a lot of his scoring. A 37% three point shooter last season, Melo is down to .308 this season.

Pierce needed the right pieces and got them. Carmelo has had a solid core of talented teammates for years now. You can say they have been growing together.

There are some comparisons you can make between the two teams.

When push comes to shove in a game, in a critical point in a game, who is the emotional leader of the Nuggets?

Kenyon Martin…

I think (it is) myself. Yeah, I look at myself as that. I try to motivate the guys, get guys to do the right things. Or if I see something in the course of the game…I can say it to them, try to help. I’m going to say it to them. No matters if it’s Chaunce, Melo, Ne, J.R… who ever it is. I look at myself as a leader of this team.

Kevin Garnett is the Celtics emotional leader and defensive leader. While no one on this side of sanity is at the intensity level of Kevin Garnett, Kenyon Martin assumes an identical role on the Nuggets. Like KG, he has health issues. He is out of action right now. How quickly and how completely K-Mart recovers from his knee issue will affect his post season play.

Chauncey Billups is probably Denver’s answer to a combination of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen as the heady point guard who is the head of the offense and hits clutch shots.

Nene is a more versatile and mobile center than Kendrick Perkins. Perkins is a better interior defender.

Eddie House? The Nuggets have J.R. ‘Mansion’ compared to House’s contributions. J. R. Smith is like the ‘Lamar Odom factor’ on the Lakers. When he is on, he changes the game and makes the Nuggets almost impossible to beat.

Shot blocking Chris Andersen has, by far, the best on court/off court rating (+11.3) on the Nuggets. Some say he is over rated. Some say he is under rated. I say he is a great fit for Nuggets.

I’ve always felt that the core of the Denver Nuggets, starting with Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, and Nene Hilario provided enough talent to compete with the NBA’s top teams. Even with Andre Miller and Marcus Camby, for years they underachieved, in my opinion, admittedly a somewhat distant observer.

The Denver Nuggets have been a talented team for a while now. They added Chauncey, gave away Marcus Camby, and moved Nene to starting center. Arron Afflalo has made the most of his move as the Nuggets starting shooting guard with career highs in minutes, points and shooting pct.

Arron gives way to J.R. Smith, a deadly shooter who has been rounding out his game more the past two years.

As Lynn Worthy rightly says about the Celtics…

The Celtics need everyone healthy to make a playoff run, but they need Paul Pierce to take them to another level.

The same is true about the Nuggets.

They need everyone healthy. But it must be Carmelo that takes them to another level.

Kenyon Martin is the emotional leader. Chauncey is said to be the brains and the difference in this team.

But it must be Carmelo embracing a Kobe Bryant or Paul Pierce mindset and role and delivering on that, for this team to break through, and have a real chance at a NBA title.

Those are big shoes to fill. Will Carmelo Anthony finally fill them?

The Celtics had a good game plan. But they’ve had good game plans before.

They wanted to trap Chauncey Billups up at the top and get the ball out of his hands on one end. On the other end, it was to pound the ball into the paint against a weakened Denver front line.

They knew the Nuggets were shorthanded in the big man department with Kenyon Martin out with tendonitis in his left knee.

They also know that Chauncey Billups is having a career year (20.0 pts.) in the scoring department at the ripe old age of 33, and that ‘Mr. Big Shot’ at the helm makes this Denver far more dangerous than it was before he came.

Both strategies worked to perfection and the Celtics walked off the court with a 113-99 win.

The lead got as high as 21 points in the 3rd quarter before a Denver run cut it to 8. Lately the Celtics are responding to runs with runs of their own and they boosted that lead back up to solid double digits and held it there for the win.

48 minutes of effort and multiple contributors, including some strong support from the bench were signatures of this victory.

Paul Pierce continues to look more like the old Paul Pierce with successful aggressive drives to the rim. He led the Celtics with 27 points with 14 of them coming in the first quarter. Paul was 7 of 7 from the line, while adding 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block on Carmelo Anthony while playing him one on one on a drive.

This is a critical component to a Celtic resurgence. They are simply a better team when Pierce is aggressive offensively. And that has been missing for a large part of the season.

Glen Davis…

Paul Pierce…he’s turned his game up to another whole ‘nother level…him being the player we need him to be for this team. When guys don’t have it going…we need a guy who, for sure, can score. So, he’s been the big difference.

Rajon Rondo was extremely active and finished with a triple double with 15 assists, 11 rebounds, and 11 points.

Rondo hauled in an incredible 6 offensive rebounds to lead a Celtic team that grabbed 17 offensive boards on the night. The Celtics are dead last in the league in this category.

Denver Assistant Coach Adrian Dantley, who is filling in for Coach Karl…

Well, he hurt us getting to the rim. We tried to take away his penetration and you know, Rondo’s an excellent ball player. What can you say.

This again speaks to game plans. Having one and making it work are two different things. The Celtics were able to force their will upon the Nuggets and that has often been a missing characteristic through their ‘ride through mediocrity’ since Christmas.

Celtic chemistry and the sheer will to win are starting to emerge again in the final weeks before the season ends and the playoffs begin.

Kevin Garnett added 20 points on 20 attempts and had 10 rebounds and appears to be trying to be aggressive offensively and on the boards with 4 offensive rebounds. That ties his season high (three times).

Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 32 points on 9 of 23 shooting and 13 of 16 from the foul line.

Tony Allen – Quiet Assassin

Tony…

“…They got a quiet assassin and whenever you want to unleash him, he’s going to be ready.”

Tony Allen was the surprise factor with a solid 20 minutes at both ends of the floor. Consistency may be a challenge at times for Tony but the unheralded player is one of the best finishers in the NBA.

With Rondo and KG finding him often on his energetic bursts to the hole, Tony finished with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting that were all dunks and lay-ups. But he was asked to defend a variety of Denver players and he brought that tenacious Tony Allen defense to all comers.

Tony Allen…

Yeah, I had a few assignments…Chauncey, Carmelo, J.R. Smith. Basically what I was trying to do was crowd their space and make them make passes and make the other guys beat us and we were able to finish out with that game plan.

Rondo created a steal on the other end of the floor and got the ball back on the fly from Kevin Garnett, and proceeded to make a sensational, highlight reel, left handed, behind-the-back fast break pass to Tony Allen for a dunk.

In Doc’s new approach to getting the most out of every player, he’ll make rotation changes if he has to. Marquis Daniels got 3 quick fouls with little else to show in 6 minutes of play. Tony got the call from there on.

When asked if Marquis was healthy, Doc quipped….

Everybody’s healthy. He just…. he didn’t play great tonight and we needed energy, and so we went with Tony.

The Resistible Force Meets the Moveable Object

The Celtics had been having trouble winning at home and were particularly bad against the better teams with a 1-8 home record against teams that are .600 or better.

The Nuggets have been having trouble winning on the road and were 17-18 on the road.

Of course, something had to give.

The Celtics took another step forward in getting back to Celtic basketball and playing well at home with this victory.

Mitigating the victory was the fact that Denver is without their head coach George Karl, and their defensive and emotional leader, Kenyon Martin. (Karl is out while receiving  treatment for throat cancer.)

Martin’s absence was a big part of why the Cs were able to exploit the middle so much, finishing with 58 points in the paint.

Boston looked pretty good in this game, and it is another move in the right direction. But they also allowed Denver to shoot 50% through the first 3 quarters and 6 for 13 (.462) from the three point line for the game.

Denver is also the NBA leader in getting to the line and they went to the charity stripe a huge 37 times in this contest.

When Denver made a move to small ball with Carmelo at the 4, they made a run and got a 20 point lead down to 8. The Celtics finally countered at the end of the 3rd and reversed the momentum.

A few stand out statistics:

1) The Celtics had 28 points off turnovers to the Nuggets 4 points.
2) The Celtics had 23 second chance points to the Nuggets 8.

The Celtics still have work to do, but recent signs are encouraging. They could yet have something to say about who the next NBA Champion is.

Keep watching as the season winds down. Their next 5 games are at home.

They play the Sacramento Kings next on Friday night.

Here are a couple of good articles from the Boston Herald.

One is an interesting interview the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett did recently with Knick’s top man Donnie Walsh about Larry Bird’s coaching days. He says he was a great (not good…great… coach). Here are a few quotes….

Walsh was explaining that Larry Bird was an even better coach than commonly perceived and that Bird had taken more than a few steps down the aisle with Washington in 2003 before deciding to move into the Pacers front office.

I never knew that. And Walsh cleared up another half truth about Bird’s coaching ability.

After Bird hired Dick Harter and Rick Carlisle as his defensive and offensive assistants, respectively, the notion arose that he was more of an overseer in the operation.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” Walsh said. “Larry was involved with everything. He was totally hands on. I mean, he let the coaches have their say, but he was in on everything.

But he saves the best quote for last….

(Walsh) looks back on a coach he ranks with the best in the game – even with his friend, Larry Brown.

“Larry Brown wants to teach. . . . But when you have a great team,” Walsh said, “Larry Bird will take them as far as they can go. He’s the best manager of a team I’ve ever seen.”

There was no doubt that Larry Bird did a great job of coaching his team to the Finals in 2000. But I thought he did an equally good job of making his team believe they could beat the invince-a-Bulls two years before. They almost did, before losing the 7th game.

Glen Davis – Finesse No More

The second article is by the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy on the new found niche and re-invention of Glen Davis…

Glen Davis quite possibly has figured out his greatest value. He is, for example, the only Celtic who makes a consistent attempt to crash the offensive glass.

His renowned bulk has the effect of a bowling ball in the paint. Saturday night in Dallas, with 6:02 left, Davis burrowed out some space, grabbed a Kevin Garnett miss and muscled his way through three Mavericks to score.

With Leon Powe gone, Glen is now aiming for offensive rebounds, being the energy guy, and scoring at times.

“If you want to talk about the last two weeks, then yeah,” Rivers said of Davis’ progress. “Over the last two weeks he has been very consistent, and that’s what we need him to be. He’s not a finesse player and he has to remember that.”

I’ve always said that Davis has some solid natural instincts for the game…

“I have to bring energy, play defense, take what the defense is giving me, do my role and set picks,” he said. “I have a knack for the ball, being there the right time at the right time, reacting to the ball. Some people just have the ability to do that. My strong point is offensive rebounding. Go back up, try to get a foul, try to get an and-one.”

Glen has endured an inordinate amount of blocks trying to score inside. He needs to reduce that going forward and either find a way to score, draw a foul or just kick it out for a better shot.

Glen still believes in his ability to score, and has done so at times recently, though that’s not what they are asking of him…

“I can shoot the ball, I can post a guy up, but that’s not what they need me to do,” he said.

But coach Doc Rivers is looking for an energy boost from Glen, first and foremost….

“When he comes in with energy, that’s when things really start to happen for him. Even if he just comes in looking to bring energy every night, then he’s going to be a better player.”

Both articles are good reads. Check them out.

The Boston Celtics showed real signs of life with their 4th straight win and are 9-3 over their last 12 games.

It might be too soon to call it a resurrection, but Easter is only two weeks away.

The Celtics already had a good Friday against the Rockets and played the second half of a back-to-back against a well rested Mavericks team. You could call it Saturday Night Live for the Cs as they made it a 2 game Texas sweep.

Old Celtics Back?

For a team that has been called old and has looked old for parts of this season, old again is the theme as in…they looked like the old Celtics. You know, the Celtics that comeback and win games in the 4th quarter against tough teams with a combination of good defense and offense.

They came back from 7 down in the 4th quarter to beat the Dallas Mavericks, a team that had won 14 of their last 15 games, and are now being considered a legitimate threat in the west.

Rajon Rondo (20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) was huge down the stretch. Paul Pierce looked more like his old self. Ray Allen continues to shoot the ball well since the trade deadline. Could this team actually be coming together?

Paul Pierce led both teams with 29 points and he did it the old fashioned Pierce way. He was attacking the middle, getting to the line (8 for 10 attempts), hitting mid range jumpers, all while dishing off for 5 assists and playing solid defense .

But it was Rajon Rondo’s late game rim assault that brought this one home. Rondo made three straight driving lay ups of high difficulty in 1 minute and 15 seconds to give Boston a 94-91 lead.

Pierce hit a huge open 3 pointer on a surprising dish back out to the top of arc from Perkins underneath to make it 97-93. Rondo added another driving lay up on a pass from Pierce, after Paul stole a Nowitzki pass with 1:18 left in the game to make it 99-93.

Ray Allen Sparks the Celtics Move
After Dallas went up 82-75 with 8:34 left, Ray Allen hit a jump shot and Rajon rattled home another jumper to make it 82-79 before Dirk Nowitzki responded again to make it 84-79.

Ray Allen then drained his 4th three pointer (4 of 8 ) of the game. After Dirk again hit a jumper, Glen Davis made a lay up to get it to 86-84. Then Kevin Garnett hit a jumper to tie it at 86 all.

(Save for a game where Ray went 0-3 shooting, Ray has shot 50% or better in every single game over the last 12 games.)

From there, Rondo and Pierce took over, and after giving the Mavericks too many open looks up to that point, the Celtics’ defense finally clamped down.

After a Dirk Nowitzki three point play brought Dallas with 92-91 with 3 minutes to play, Dirk did not take another shot. Nor did the Mavericks make another shot on 6 attempts with only one attempt drawing a foul.

This was very encouraging because Dirk was getting far too open until then and scored 12 points in the final quarter. Instead of giving up yet another lead, the Celtics took the lead away from a team that was 24-10 at home.

This was the first really meaningful win for the Celtics in a long time. The Celtics hadn’t beaten a quality team since they downed Portland by 20 points on February 19th.

Starters Looking Good

It was the Celtic starters that pulled this game out.

Kevin Garnett added 8 points and 9 rebounds with 5 steals including 2 in a row on a crazy back-and-forth sequence where both teams threw the ball away multiple times.

Kendrick Perkins played solid defense with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

The bench was lead by Glen Davis with 7 points but was outplayed by the Maverick’s bench.

Still, this had to be a confidence booster for the up and down Celtics. They haven’t been healthy all year until lately. It is starting to look like they are putting things together for a stretch run.

Their timing couldn’t be better.

We will have to see if this improved play continues. They play another tough team at home in the Utah Jazz (27-8 at home) on Monday.

This article from Jack Jemsek of Celtics Stuff Live is from a few weeks ago, but it is well researched and still relevent.

After an encouraging win last night against the Celtics’ kissin cousins, the Charlotte Bobcats, a team they seem to own this year and the previous win against the Detroit Pistons, another team with problems, are they on an upward trend?

With this team, it is hard to say. Ask me again in a week or so.

Here is a piece from Jack Jemsek’s article describing the Celtic’s uncanny ability to lose leads and keeping Ray Allen…

Ten collapses in games after substantial leads had been secured is a lot to suffer in approximately six weeks. Most definitely, following the Celtics has not been for the faint of heart for their fans. Enter the blasphemous “Trade Allen” or “Do Something” demands by their fans as the trade line approached (I recall a Celticsblog.com poll indicating about 2/3 voting to trade Ray with over a 1,000 votes cast). I was a proponent of “stay the course” with the Big Three, and fortunately that is what the Celtics chose to do. Of course I’m a half century old and appreciate what a healthy veteran can accomplish, but I just don’t see urgency.

Besides retaining their key personnel (which Eddie House was not), finishing the season and getting a decent seed would seem paramount. I see this as a “fork in the road” moment for the team.The rest is here and documents each of those lost leads game by game. There is more and it is a good read.

Check the rest out here.

Plus there is bonus Neil Young song at the end. Ya gotta love ol’ Neil.

Hi everyone.

I want to let you know that I will be changing the frequency of writing on Celtics Central.

Due to other priorities and time constraints, I can not write as often as I would like to.

No, I am not jumping off the bandwagon as the Celtics sink.

I didn’t jump on the bandwagon when they traded for Kevin Garnett.

Just to keep the record straight and head off any misinterpretation, I started blogging regularly 2 years before the big trade.

If and when I can clear my schedule going forward, I will try to write more regularly again.

I thought of daily linking of other stories here, but even that requires a bit more time than I can currently give. Besides, there are a number of other fan sites that already do that. I don’t see a need for it.

In the meantime, I am exploring adding another writer to take over the lion’s share of writing here.

Unless and until that happens, I will put up one analytical or opinion-type article approximately once a week.

Whether the Celtics fall apart, get it together and contend for the title…or something in between…they are still our team. I will still be rooting for them in any circumstance. I hope you will keep the faith, too.

Clearly there is an underlying story (or two) to their current troubles. I will keep watching them play and hope they can work things out.

As I have said for the last 5 years (and really since childhood) …Go Celtics!

Don’t forget to check out and participate at Celtics Blog for your daily fix of Celtic news.

Also listen in to (and read) CelticsStuffLive regularly. And join in at CelticStuffGroup for more comments and news.

Keep your green colored glasses on.