Boston
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Boston Celtics beat the Memphis Grizzlies 90-88last night to take sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division heading into the All-Star break. How did they get this win despite giving up 12 point lead midway through the third quarter? How were they able to avoid the mental collapses so common in young teams? They did it by playing as a team, with every single Celtic stepping up.
The game-winning shot was hit by Ricky Davis and kudos to him for a terrific game. His mid-range game is arguably better than Rip Hamilton's because he is able to create his own shot 15 feet from the basket, where the shot is as good as a layup. If Ricky is elevating, you get the feeling the shot is going in. He is a terrific weapon.
The fact that the ball was in Ricky's hands at the end, and not for example Paul Pierce's, is no accident. In the waning moments, head coach Doc Rivers just wanted his team to do one thing on offense, and one thing on defense, and both things revolved around Memphis's Mike Miller. On offense, he wanted Miller's man to attack him, as he is considered the weakest Grizzlies defender. Miller was on Ricky Davis so the onus fell on the team to get the ball to Ricky. On three consecutive possessions, they were unable to isolate Ricky against Miller, and he had to pass it up to a better-guarded teammate with very little time on the clock. The Celtics did not score any of those times. On defense, whoever had Miller, whether through switches on picks or straight up, had just one assignment: not to give him an open three point look. Mille is Memphis's best three-point shooter. But somehow Marcus Banks got switched off and decided to fade into the lane to help against a possible Jason Williams penetration rather than stay with Miller. The resulting three-point swish tied the game. Finally, on Boston's last offensive play, they found Ricky. Ricky went right at Miller, stopped, faked, popped, swished. With a few seconds left, the Grizzlies threw up a halfcourt Mike Miller prayer with three Celtics draped around him. Boston wins.
Every player was critical. Rivers actually played every single available Celtic within the first 24 minutes of the game, which is a little ironic, given that the Grizzlies were the team most noted for playing deep into their bench. In particular:
Tony Allen was a real sparkplug this game. Not only did he have his usual weakside putback off of a Gary Payton missed layup, but he single-handedly pestered the Grizzlies into several key turnovers. He was listed as getting three steals but he probably caused just as many turnovers by denying the passing lanes. Fifteen points and seven rebounds for the rookie is a terrific line to go with his three steals and two assists, all in just 31 minutes.
Al Jefferson came off the injured list earlier than expected and played a solid three minutes with both ankles smartly taped. Big Al's biggest play was a huge rebound just as he entered the game against three Memphis players surrounding him. He just latched on to that ball for dear life and wouldn't give it up. He also had a terrific little hook shot in the lane on the other end which missed, but Pierce was there for the putback and three-point play.
Kendrick Perkins played a solid 10 minutes at varying times in the game. He had moves that you don't see from anyone else in this league but Shaq. One time, getting the ball in the deep post, he gave a little upfake to send two defenders helicoptering through their air, made a single strong two-handed dribble to get into better position, then through down a rim-rocking dunk that but for the jersey you would have sworn was a Shaq dunk. On another play, he got the offensive board with no other Celtic within the three-point arc and lots of Grizzlies around him. He put it up and missed but got his own rebound, then put it up again as he got fouled. He was a one-man wrecking crew down there. Perk has gotten a little taste for the minutes and he will be working his butt off, like he usually does anyway, to stay in the game and keep his minutes, whether that means Jefferson keeps sitting or Gugliotta or Blount or LaFrentz. That is the best possible attitude for a player because it ensures the team is putting its best players forward.
Paul Pierce, meanwhile, was fantastic no matter what the box score shows, and even it shows a lot: 19 points tied for game-high honors, four rebounds, three assists, and two tremendous blocks, including a beauty of timing to stop Earl Watson's fast breaking layup. On the possession after that, Pierce stopped another fast break single-handedly but was whistled for a phantom foul. There were a lot of those last night and a lot of complaining by Tommy Heinsohn. Pierce's defense has always been good not great but if he can get it up to this level on a consistent basis, if he can continue making blocks like Tayshaun Prince's on Reggie Miller last year, he is going to start competing with Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady for the title of best shooting guard in the league.
The Celtics put together a great win by remaining focused on doing what is best for the team. In this case it was attacking Mike Miller through his assignment, Ricky Davis. Every single player bent over backwards to make the right play to put Ricky in the right situation, and Ricky worked his magic as only he knows how. Though they are young, these Celtics are confident, and no one is probably more confident in the whole league than Davis.
NEXT GAME
Paul Pierce will be in the All-Star game and Tony Allen will play alongside other star rookies but the next time the whole team is together to take on a common foe will be next week as the men in green start take all next week to go Lewis & Clark on the NBA, visiting four Western Conference teams in five days. First up, right after the break, the Celtics (27-26, first in the Atlantic) visit long-time nemesis the LA Lakers (26-24, third in the Pacific). It's no Bird vs. Magic but Pierce vs. Kobe should be a good show as the two teams have similar records and styles and there will probably be lingering wounds from the All-Star game. The game is Tuesday, February 22nd. It starts at 10:30pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Fox Sports New England as Tommy Heinsohn is still looking for someone to love (he is rebounding from his relationship with Walter McCarty) and NBA TV in High Definition.
TEAM NOTES
The FleetCenter, excuse me, the GoldenPalace.comCenter today, will be renamed every day until February 28. For about $3,000, you can have it named after you. Most of the auctions are ending today around noonish. Check outwww.fleetcenter.com for links to the auction site. They have just added March 1 as a new date to be purchased; that auction expires in 6 days.
INJURY UPDATE
Justin Reed("knee" injury, yeah right) andMichael "Yogi" Stewart (another "knee" injury) are on the injured list.
Mark Murphy ofThe Boston Heraldwrites: Allen ultimately had five of his 15 points and four of his seven rebounds in nine fourth-quarter minutes. But that's not what Rivers remembered the most. Instead, sticking out like a pair of hideous blemishes, were unguarded 3-pointers by Jason Williams and Mike Miller in the last 1:42. Allen and Banks each had the respective assignments on those two shots, though Rivers was polite enough not to mention them by name later on. But the world-weary look on the coach's face said it all. Though he agreed that Allen is slowly earning his crunch time trust, Rivers also shook his head when he said, ``They scare the heck out of you. We gave up two 3's as a result of our young guys being really young. One of them lost Jason Williams, and then the other left alone Mike Miller.''
Steve Bulpett ofThe Boston Heraldwrites: The play was designed for Davis to get a handoff to Pierce if he could get free. With Miller guarding Davis, and with the Grizzlies overplaying Pierce, Davis' mind was made up. ``When I knew I couldn't get it to P, I kind of just kept it and went to work,'' he said. ``And I had Miller, so that's an obvious mistmatch. I just wanted to go at him and make the shot.'' The Grizzlies were out of timeouts and had to go right away. Pierce knocked away the long inbounds pass, and Miller's heave from near midcourt drew just air at the buzzer. ``The guy (Davis) is an unbelievable offensive player,'' said Brian Cardinal, who came off the Memphis bench for 17 points. ``This team has several options with Paul Pierce, Gary Payton, Ricky Davis.''
Peter May ofThe Boston Globewrites: Mike Fratello said he saw something in the seven years he coached Doc Rivers in Atlanta. He saw a future NBA head coach. "I knew he was going to be a coach," Fratello said last night, before his Memphis Grizzlies dropped a 90-88 decision to Rivers's Celtics at the Whatever Floats Your Boat.com Center."He had that inquisitive mind. And he always had a passion for the game. He's one of those people who could see beyond the end of his career."... The Celtics will spread far and wide today as their All-Star break begins. Rivers's plan is to go home to Florida, watch a little tape of the Lakers and Nuggets, and -- surprise, surprise -- play some golf.
Frank Dell'Apa ofThe Boston Globewrites: Ricky Davis was hoping he would have another chance.Davis missed a 14-footer with two minutes remaining, a shot that could have extended the lead to 89-82, enough points to clinch a victory for the Celtics over the Memphis Grizzlies last night. And Davis did receive another opportunity in the final seconds, from virtually the same spot on the floor, just to the left of the free throw line. This time, Davis's shot went in, with 3.9 seconds showing on the clock, the final points of a 90-88 Boston win. "I was a little off-balance," Davis said of the missed attempt. "But that play was over with and it was time to move on. I was hoping for one more chance to get it back."... "We wanted to try to create the matchup, either with one of the smalls or with Miller because of his fouls," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "And we thought he might get a little tentative, even though it was down the stretch. The play was for Ricky to flash to the ball, Paul to come off of the handoff, Ricky fakes it, and then he takes it. So the floor was spaced, more importantly, and Ricky got a great look at it."
Peter May ofThe Boston Globewrites: "I had Miller guarding me, so that's an obvious mismatch," said the ever-candid Davis, who finished with 12 points."I just wanted to go at him and make the shot. I'm always willing and wanting that shot." At this point, Memphis was out of timeouts. Fratello had burned a slew of them in what was a lethargic first half for his troops. A long pass went out of bounds off the Celtics, giving Memphis one final chance. But Miller really didn't get a good look, and his trey as time expired was short. The Celtics collectively exhaled and, when they all see each other again, it will be at the UCLA gym Monday, getting ready for the Lakers. By then, this one will be a distant memory, much easier to forget because of how it ended.
Steve Bulpett ofThe Boston Heraldwrites: The Celtics have pretty much thrown Al Jefferson into the fire this season, but last night they proceeded gingerly with the rookie as he returned from his sprained right ankle.Jefferson played just three minutes (two points, one rebound) in the 90-88 win over Memphis. ``He looked so good in practice I was going to play him early,'' C's coach Doc Rivers said, ``but then I thought about it and said, `You know what? I'm just going to ease him in to this.' He had some moments.''