Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “‘Nate is pure energy, man, I said it from Day 1, since he has been here,’ Celtic forward Kevin Garnett said. ‘We hated to lose E. House but not only is [Robinson] pure energy, he’s good energy. He’s almost like fresh air. He fits right in with our team, he’s unselfish. We all knew he could play, but his personality is what stands out most about him – very respectable person, very high energy. And, like I said, I love the way he plays. We love the way he comes out and just puts it all on the floor.’ Robinson came out firing as the Celtics took a 17-point lead early in the second quarter. His high-arching buzzer-beating 3-pointer over Tyrus Thomas to end the first quarter was an indication that the Celtics now have an instant offense, tough cover guard who can bring the ball up and play the point, as well. ‘He’s the reason, really, why we turned the corner like we did,’ Garnett said of Robinson’s performance. ‘I think he took the momentum himself and just ran with it. We were talking about the possibilities of what this could be with him, especially with he and [Rajon] Rondo on the court. Defensively, that’s going to be hell for opposing guards bringing the ball up. So, Nate’s a blessing in disguise for our team and we’re glad to have him.’”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “Kevin Garnett on the return of Gino: ‘Gino had so much dust on him I think everyone was sneezing.’ Doc Rivers on how Nate Robinson is getting along with his new teammates: ‘The guys love him. I think they love him more because he’s been donating a lot in the card games and I think that’s what’s ingratiated him more than anything.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “‘Teams are going to make runs,’ said Rivers. ‘In the first half, you can be up 15 or 20 — all you have to do is watch every NBA game. Teams make runs and then hopefully you respond and make another run. And basically that’s what we did today. We responded and made another run. Then once we got up the second time, we maintained it. ‘I thought the key was the third quarter. We came out and extended the lead and I think that’s when you take away games — when you’re up 10 at halftime and you get it to 20. Or you’re up 10 at halftime and they come back and cut it to one or two. That’s where the games are in the balance more. The first half is ebbs and flows, and they always will be. That won’t ever change.’”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “In present time, there’s no such thing as automatic wins; the Celtics take the floor every night with something to prove. And with tonight’s dominating 104-80 victory over the Bobcats, Boston took a big step towards proving that—even if there’s still a ways to go—they’ve got their minds, and most importantly, their bodies, right for a run at turning this ship around. The No. 1 reason was Paul Pierce. In his second game back after missing three straight with an injured thumb, the Celtics captain was every bit the superstar Boston’s become accustomed to. He scored 27 points in 27 minutes, and did so while showing no lasting effects from the rust that haunted him last night in Detroit. But while Pierce was very clearly the most game’s most dominant player for each of the 27 minutes he was out there, the Future Hall of Famer was, not surprisingly, at his best when the team need him most.”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘I don’t buy this stuff that they’re in trouble,’ Charlotte coach Larry Brown said of the Celtics. ‘They’ve had some injuries. They’re just starting to get healthy. They’ve got some new players like (Marquis) Daniels, Nate (Robinson) and Rasheed. They’ve got a great coach and great chemistry. This is the way Paul Pierce plays. Garnett was phenomenal. But I just like all the little pieces they have, because I think (general manager Danny Ainge has) done a tremendous job putting them in a position where they can just about play with anybody.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “The Celtics improved to just 17-11 at home compared with 21-10 on the road, which is second-best in the NBA to Cleveland (22-10). ‘It’s a start,’ Pierce said, still not convinced the Celtics are confident enough at the Garden. ‘We haven’t had a game like this in a while. We need to come out each and every game like this. If we just played a little bit better at home, we’d probably have the best record in the league. This is a place we have to establish ourselves.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “After his decent if unspectacular performance in last night’s 104-80 win over Charlotte, Davis has 62 offensive rebounds in 525 minutes, a healthy average of .118 per. To put that into perspective, Kendrick Perkins has .068 per minute and Kevin Garnett has .036 per minute. Only Shelden Williams (38 in 463, .082) is relatively close.”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

Related posts:

1. Morning Walkthrough: Robinson ‘dribbles to his own drum’
2. The Morning Walkthrough: Celtics interested in Nate Robinson?
3. Morning Walkthrough: ‘Who they said blocked that?’
4. The Morning Walkthrough: When you play Boston, it’s war
5. Morning Walkthrough: No better low-post defensive team than Boston

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