The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

It's going to take more than the flu to keep Rondo off the floor come playoff time.

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Rajon Rondo, suffering from a debilitating flu bug that floored Tony Allen and Glen Davis earlier in the week, spent the active part of yesterday’s practice in a clinic above the Celtics’ Waltham practice facility. We had him do film, then we did a walkthrough and then we told him to go home. He’s going to play,” Doc Rivers said of tonight’s playoff opener against Miami at TD Garden. ‘He’s sick, pretty bad. Whatever Tony has kind of spread around the team. (Rondo) just isn’t feeling great, to be honest,’ said the Celtics coach. ‘I know he was throwing up and everything else. We sent him to the hospital for IV work, but other than that, it is what it is. Tony started with the flu and missed the last two games, and then Baby (Davis) got it. Baby was sick the game we played, and then he was really sick yesterday and now Rondo has it. All the hand-washing and all of that stuff – none of that stuff has worked for our team so far. I just hope they’re all ready for tomorrow. It’s too late (for precautions). They fly together and they live together for the most part.’ Tony Allen ran point for the first team during yesterday’s practice, though he doesn’t expect to fill that role tonight. ‘Rondo’s a warrior,’ he said. ‘He’s going to play tomorrow. He’ll feel a little better tomorrow. I’m pretty sure they’re going to drug him up and make him feel better tomorrow. Hopefully he’ll get back. I just drunk a gang of water and got a lot of rest. I felt good today – a little winded, but I expected that. Tomorrow I should feel better.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘They go small at times, they do a lot of different things,’ coach Doc Rivers said of the Heat. ‘We look for Perk in the post. They do help a lot [on defense], which opens it up for Perk.’ But Perkins’s biggest contribution in the first-round series that begins tonight will be his defense. The Celtics will face the difficult task of trying to control Dwyane Wade, who finished fifth in the league in scoring (26.5 ppg). ‘I’m not focused too much on the offensive end,’ Perkins said. ‘I’m really focused on the defensive end. Going into the playoffs, I really don’t care if I average 2 points. If I average 10-plus rebounds and over three blocks, then I think I’m doing my job. I’m a huge factor. Kevin [Garnett] and myself, just to start the game, we have to make sure we do give a lot of help, and at the same time control our man. I think Rondo is the key to the series. He should be a live helper all day on the defense end.’”

Michael Wallace, Miami Herald – ” The biggest thing Boston has going for it — along with four All-Stars in the starting lineup — is championship pride. Heat players insist they won’t get caught up in the Celtics’ tradition, and instead will focus on the team. But even that will be a daunting challenge. The mystery entering the best-of-7 series is trying to figure out which Boston team will show up. The Celtics went 3-0 against Miami this season, with none of the games decided by more than seven points. At one point in the season Boston parlayed its defensive dominance into becoming one of the league’s hottest teams. But then Pierce began to break down, and it took longer than expected for Garnett to regain his form after offseason knee surgery. Despite its up-and-down play, Miami is bracing for Boston’s best shot. ‘I wouldn’t read too much into that,’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Celtics’ perceived struggles. ‘We know what they’re capable of. We have to respect that. They’re former champions and they started the season as well as anybody. They respond when the lights are on.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “But Wallace has been a major disappointment, averaging 9.0 points and 4.1 rebounds, down from his career marks of 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. What’s more, Wallace was atrocious shooting the ball. He shot 40.9 percent overall from the field, the lowest of his career, including a dismal 28.3 percent from beyond the arc. Asked to grade his performance, Wallace admitted it wasn’t up to standard. ‘So-so, nothing to write home about, it was just so-so,’ Wallace said. ‘But I’m not worried about it. It was a down season coming to a new offense, so I’m not worried about it. I’m not making no excuses on how I shot the ball or nothing. I know I had a bad year shooting, but it’s part of it.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “But when the postseason arrived, Wallace was . . . different. ‘He definitely steps his game up for the playoffs,’ said San Antonio forward Antonio McDyess, who played with Wallace in Detroit for five seasons (2004-2009). ‘You never really know what to expect from Rasheed other than, he’s going to be come ready to play in the playoffs.’ But how well he plays, well, that’s another story. Whether he continues to struggle, or gets into a nice groove that makes him a fan favorite, it won’t matter either way to Wallace. ‘I’m going to be me, no matter if half the people like me, half the people don’t,” Wallace said. “I’m not here to please fans. I’m here to win a title. Some of the fans are mad with me. Some of the fans cheer for me. I can’t worry about that. I can’t play my game off that. I’m gonna go out there and do what I gotta do and get that ‘W.’ ‘”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald – “I have a feeling everybody is wrong. Overshadowed by the Dolphins — by Brandon Marshall mania and the upcoming NFL Draft — the Heat will upset the aging Celtics and advance. Part of that is Wade’s brilliance. Part of it is that the creaking Celtics, after a 23-5 start, have been a vulnerable .500 team at times seeming less experienced than expired. But part of it, too, is the larger sense that a Heat team that has spent the entire season overcoming isn’t done doing that yet. ‘I’ll say this about the group,’ coach Erik Spoelstra said. ‘They’re not afraid of the opponent, or the moment.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson oversaw drawings at the Board of Governors meeting to break ties among teams that finished the season with matching records and Boston won a four-way tie-breaker with San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Portland to shimmy all the way up to No. 19 in the 2010 draft. The Green could have selected anywhere from 19-22 after all four teams finished with 50-32 records. The four teams do reverse order in the second round, so Boston’s second-round selection will be No. 52 overall.”

Jessica Camerato, WEEI – “‘I think we got off to a great start,’ said Rajon Rondo. ‘But other than that, things just, I wouldn’t put a pinpoint on one particular thing but just things happen — injuries, communication failures, not playing together, not playing well, a mixture of all those each game, not finishing games. But it’s behind us. We’ve got another season under our belt. Most teams would be happy with 50 wins, but it’s more pressure, obviously, but it’s all about 16 wins now.’”

Harvey Fialkov, Miami Sun Sentinel – “Don’t expect Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade to look up in the rafters in a hostile TD Garden when he steps on the court for Game 1 against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. He doesn’t care about the record 17 championship banners or 22 retired jerseys, and Wade doesn’t believe in leprechauns either. ‘You can’t think about anything but the now,’ Wade said of the Heat’s first postseason series ever against Boston. ‘You can’t live in the past. You can’t live in the future. The tradition of the organization is amazing. The only time I’m going to look up at the banners is when a halfcourt shot is thrown up at the end of the quarter. You don’t think about them winning the championship in ’08 or they don’t think about us winning the championship in ’06 because it’s two different teams.’”

Bill Simmons, ESPN – “I thought the Celtics played their fans this season. Don’t rope us in with “ubuntu” for two years then turn your back on it like it was a kabbalah fad or something. Don’t tell us to embrace “The New Big Three,” then shop Ray Allen for eight months like he was a used car. Don’t tell us our best forward’s knee is fine when we see him limping. Don’t blame the effort of your players after a loss when you played all 12 of them like they were Little Leaguers, or when you keep playing the one guy who exhibits no effort whatsoever without calling him out once. Don’t sign a second center for big bucks, then act surprised when the incumbent center bristles about his playing time. So on and so on. It was an empty season filled with excuses, half-truths and false promises. Just because they won two years ago doesn’t mean fans had to blindly condone it. I once wrote that Miami’s 2006 title run was like a group of guys in Vegas spending crazy money at dinner, having a great time, ordering dozens of dishes and drinks and never once worrying about the check … and the 2007 Miami season was like the 10 sobering minutes when the check arrives and nobody can believe the bill. The check just gets passed around so everyone can stare it in horror, then the one dude with an MBA grabs it and figures out what everyone owes, and you limp out of the restaurant saying, “I can’t believe we just spent $250 apiece on dinner, I gotta hit an ATM,” but it takes an extra 10 minutes to leave because somebody has to take a dump and somebody else thinks they have a chance with the waitress, so the rest of the guys are just clustered in the lobby, totally full, a little bit drunk, a little bit tired, trying to rally for a big gambling night but knowing they’re about to get their asses kicked because you can never win in Vegas when you’re drunk, full and tired. Welcome to your 2009-10 Celtics postseason. The check has arrived. I hope I’m wrong.”

Ira Winderman, Miami Sun Sentinel – “Don’t expect Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade to look up in the rafters in a hostile TD Garden when he steps on the court for Game 1 against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. He doesn’t care about the record 17 championship banners or 22 retired jerseys, and Wade doesn’t believe in leprechauns either. ‘You can’t think about anything but the now,’ Wade said of the Heat’s first postseason series ever against Boston. ‘You can’t live in the past. You can’t live in the future. The tradition of the organization is amazing. The only time I’m going to look up at the banners is when a halfcourt shot is thrown up at the end of the quarter. You don’t think about them winning the championship in ’08 or they don’t think about us winning the championship in ’06 because it’s two different teams.’”

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

Michael Finley shooting hoops with Ray Allen. Finley has pretended to be a better shooter than Ray since becoming his teammate.

Yesterday, Michael Finley went through what he deemed his first real practice as a Celtic. So what was the biggest difference between a Celtics practice and a Spurs practice? (CSNNE)

“Lot of talking. Trash talking, I guess,” Finley continued. “A lot more aggressiveness, a lot more of letting the players just go out and play. There was also a lot less teaching than we had at San Antonio, but each team different, each approach is different, and I think the approach Doc takes with this team is suited for this team.”

I’m not too surprised to hear the Spurs don’t do much yapping at each other during practice. Tim Duncan is about as emotional on a basketball court as my right sock, and I wouldn’t consider guys like Tony Parker, Antonio McDyess or Rojer Mason, Jr. fiery.

Richard Jefferson can’t talk crap because he’s washed up, and Manu Ginobili can’t because all an opponent would need to say in response would be, “Nice bald spot, Manu.” George Hill can’t talk junk because he took naked pictures of himself that got circulated on the internet, and Keith Bogans can’t because he’s horrendous.

Coming from those bland, boring Spurs, Finley is clearly in a new element with notorious woofers like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace.

Despite the new, different atmosphere, Doc Rivers says Finley has adjusted  just fine.

“So far, [Finley's] as good as I’ve ever had as far as picking things up,” Rivers said. “But not only just picking things up, today we ran a play where you’re supposed to look for a big to slip, and guys who have been here haven’t thrown that pass yet, and the first time [Finley] ran it, Shelden got a lay up. I don’t know what it is but his timing is really good.”

High praise from the Doctor.

Though Finley called himself his own worst critic, even he had to admit the transition from San Antonio has gone better than he expected. (Boston Herald)

“It’s been a smoother transition than what I thought,” Finley said. “I thought it would be a little bit tough coming from a different team, a different organization, switching conferences – all those things going against me. But these guys have welcomed me with open arms, which makes my transition a lot easier and hopefully I can fit in quickly.”

Finley is a pro’s pro, and I don’t think it should come as any shock that he’s been quick to adapt to the Celtics’ schemes.

His shooting, though, has come as a surprise. After going more than a month without a bucket prior to signing with the Celtics, Finley has hit 10 of his first 14 shots with Boston.