Every once in a while, I link to a few articles from other writers around the internet. You know, I throw some dimes.

1. I didn’t know Perk could move and groove like that. But if I ever hear “That’s that Houston!” again, I might chuck my computer out the window.
2. Delonte West is making a habit of being the last man in the gym.
3. Nate Robinson could swim in Shaq’s shoes. But running suicides in them is more fun. And so is trying to defend Delonte West in the size 22s. Nate: “I think that’d be a good punishment. Guys gotta run in Shaq’s shoes if you don’t do something right.”
4. Kevin Garnett ain’t lying:  “This chemistry has been very good. Needless to say, it’s a (bleeping) zoo around here. But we have to work on things at the same time.”
5. Tom Thibodeau offers high praise to Joakim Noah. “”His motor, to me, is very similar to Kevin Garnett,” Thibodeau said of Noah. “It’s high, high energy. I’ve never seen him low on energy. It doesn’t matter if it’s the start of practice, the end of practice, he’s just always in motion. I felt that on the opposing team, when we were competing against him, he’s one of those guys, he didn’t take any plays off. He’ll make four or five efforts on the same play.” Noah’s response: “”Kevin Garnett’s a heck of a player, so that’s very nice of him.”
6. Michael Finley didn’t always play basketball like your grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather.
7. Shaq’s shot at Chris Bosh: “They [the Miami Heat] got a great 1-2.” Zing.
8. As if the Celtics needed any more bonding, they’re going to the movies tonight.
9. The playoffs were very important to Nate Robinson. Very, very important.
10. According to Chris Forsberg, “Doc Rivers admitted Von Wafer hasn’t gotten a fair shot at proving himself yet. ‘It’s been unfair for him, honestly, because he’s kinda been with the third unit with Delonte [West] playing with the second unit. [Wafer] hasn’t had the opportunity to play with the better players. The same thing with Luke [Harangody], the same thing with Semih [Erden]. It’s very difficult to show how good they are. Preseason, we’ll see a lot more, then [Wafer will] be in with one of those [first] two teams, and then I think I’ll have a better look at him.’”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

According to Michal Finley’s agent, Finley is “keeping his options open” for next season. “Boston,” the agent said, “is definitely one of them.” (Boston Globe)

I’m pretty sure that’s agent speak for, “When he isn’t playing with his grandchildren, Michael keeps his phone with him at all times, praying that a team calls him. One of the teams he prays might call is the Celtics.”

(This will NOT be the Shaq you’ll see next season.)

Marc Stein had some interesting somewhat-Celtics-related tidbits today. The first? Shaq-tis. The Big Fella might come cheaper than we thought — at this point, no team is willing to pay him more than $2 million.

The Mavericks have abandoned the idea of a Shaq signing completely — “He is out,” according to one team source — since they have four centers currently on the roster until they can move the very available Alexis Ajinca. Atlanta, then, stands as the only team with a confirmed “live” interest in O’Neal. But Shaq, at last report, still wants assurances of a healthy slice of playing time as well as a salary that starts above the $5.8 million mid-level exception, which can be achieved through a sign-and-trade with Cleveland. No team out there, including Atlanta, is known to be willing to pay Shaq more than $2 million for next season.

As I wrote earlier, Shaq keeps looking better and better. Offseason beer goggles, son.

The next tidbit from Stein: Jason Kapono is available.

I’ve been advised that Philadelphia, with its surplus of swingmen, is open to moving sharpshooter Jason Kapono, who has one season left on his contract at $6.6 million. Kapono is a natural target for teams in the hunt for a perimeter specialist with Mike Miller and Kyle Korver getting snapped up early in free agency.

Red’s Army suggests Kapono could be an option for the C’s. I have serious, serious doubts. He couldn’t defend my mom. But he can shoot and he plays the three spot. That alone makes him valuable to the C’s right now, even though I am currently smashing my head against a wall.

Lastly, the Heat are looking at Mike Finley to possibly help round out their roster.

Two former All-Stars whom the Heat are far more likely to consider: Jerry Stackhouse and Michael Finley.

I wish Grandpa Finley luck in joining the Heat. Partially because he seems like a really good guy and all and partially because he wouldn’t help them one bit.

I tried to find a poodle peeing but couldn't.

Well, that couldn’t have possibly gone any worse. The Celtics missed 4,528,924 layups, Kendrick Perkins got injured, the Lakers bench got its groove back, Kobe kept it going, Pau played with some swagger, Rajon Rondo is still sleeping somewhere in the Lakers locker room, and I’m pretty sure Michael Finley died of old age while sitting on the bench.

It’s gut-check time on Thursday, ladies and gentlemen. Game 7, on the road, after getting smoked, against a suddenly-confident team led by arguably the world’s greatest player. As deflated as this game made me, I’m pumped for Thursday already… and also very, very afraid.

The good thing is, the Celtics can’t possibly play worse. The bad thing is, they’re still playing.

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.

Woj sure does know how to rub losses in. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Ron Borges, Boston Herald – “Sitting in a near-silent Amway Arena yesterday morning, Paul Pierce spoke about one of his favorite things – hearing once raucous fans in opposing arenas grow silent and then slink away after the final buzzer. Last night, he made that a stunning reality. ‘See you next year,’ Pierce snarled in the direction of several sad-faced Orlando fans as he walked off the Amway floor following a 95-92 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.”

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel – “‘They brought the fight to us in a lot of ways. I thought we withstood the hits,’ Rivers said. Pierce led the Celtics with 28 points, hitting three 3-pointers, scored 22 in Game 1. He was asked what has been the difference since his poor offensive output against the Cleveland Cavaliers. ‘I didn’t have to guard LeBron James,” cracked Pierce, who quickly added, ‘Nothing against Vince [Carter].’”

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “This is, as Doc says, the Paul Pierce the Celtics must have if they are to keep advancing. He is by far their best one-on-one player, the best, in fact, in the history of the franchise. (Some day, perhaps, stubborn old-timers will finally admit this obvious truth). He can get something at all times. It may not be pretty always, but he gets it, and many of those ugly maneuvers result in a trip to the free throw line. He long ago realized that there are no style points in this game. The only question for the guy throwing the ball toward the basket is, ‘Did it go in, or didn’t it?’ That, or ‘Did you get the friendly toot?’ Pierce is a truly a combination of the best the 21st century has to offer, combined with the best tricks of the old school. A defender never knows exactly what he’s going to do, because just when you think he’s setting you up for the step-back, he can spin a foot or two farther and take a face-up jumper. Or he can fake one way or the other, put the ball on the floor and go to the basket. Or he can torture his man with an up-fake, or two, or three, perhaps capped off by a lean-in that draws contact. And at the end of it, he hits the floor as if run over by the entire field of the Kentucky Derby, just in case the referee hasn’t already gotten the message. All this chicanery is making him one of the most despised players in the league. I’m not talking about the players, who appreciate what he can do, but the fans, many of whom have never before seen someone with a playing style that seems to have been superimposed from 1959. What he’s doing would be nothing special at Convention Hall, Cobo Arena, the old Madison Square Garden, or Chicago Stadium.”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Put it this way: If the Bruins played hockey as well as the Celtics did last night, they’d still be playing. ‘Ooh, real tough,’ Glen Davis said of the 95-92 victory against the Magic in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. ‘Man it was a fight. We don’t worry about how pretty the game is. We leave that to the pretty boys. We just go out and play the game like it’s supposed to be played.’ It is supposed to be played like this in the postseason. Fifty-four fouls that were called and 54 more that were missed. ‘It was a great game intensity-wise,’ coach Doc Rivers said. ‘It was a game of runs, very physical. They got the better of us in that, I thought. They brought the fight to us in a lot of ways. I thought we withstood the hits, and that’s something you’ve got to keep doing.’”

John Hollinger, ESPN – “You can’t just turn it on for the playoffs … um, right? Maybe you can, after all; at least if you’ve done it before. The Boston Celtics, champions in 2008, limped through the final two-thirds of the regular season and were mostly counted out heading into the playoffs. Magically, all that changed once the postseason started. Boston blew past Miami in five games, shocked Cleveland by winning the final three games — including a 32-point rout in Game 5 — and continued its stunning run by beating Orlando 95-92 on Tuesday to take a 2-0 series lead in their best-of-seven series. Game 3 is Saturday in Boston. The Celtics have won five straight games against the East’s two regular-season heavyweights — Boston’s first five-game winning streak in more than half a year — and as a result has one foot in the NBA Finals and is six wins away from claiming a second championship in three years. So … did they just turn it on for the playoffs? ‘I know it’s starting to look that way,’ said Paul Pierce, who scored a team-high 28 points and shook off a second-quarter chop to the face from Dwight Howard that resulted in a flagrant foul. But he insisted that the Celtics’ charge really began in the final 10 games of the regular season. The results weren’t there yet — they lost three times to lottery teams — but the spirit was.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Here’s how it unfolded: Garnett missed a 20-foot jumper with little less than eight seconds to play in a three-point game. J.J. Redick came down with the rebound, but waited an extra moment or two before signaling for a timeout. It might have cost his team a true opportunity for a tying shot. ‘I think he was just trying to call timeout to one of the refs, but the ref really couldn’t see him,’ explained Howard. ‘But Coach says, as soon as we got the rebound to call a timeout. So, you know, when you’re playing in a big game like this, it’s the little things that get you wins. Boston, they did all the little things to get the win tonight.’ Van Gundy was far more pointed in his assessment than Howard. ‘It would have made a big difference [calling timeout quicker], because if you watch the last play, Rashard [Lewis] got open,’ said Van Gundy. ‘But because we were inbounding in the backcourt, [Michael] Finley was back in the passing lane and we could not make the pass.’”

Michael Vega, Boston Globe – “‘We’re going to have to win these next two games if we want to win this series,’ Redick said. ‘But we got to start by winning one. At this point in time, it’s going to take a supreme effort to win anywhere. We could play at a neutral site and it’s still going to take a supreme effort.’ Now, the Magic must cling to the belief that the road will be a kinder and gentler place than home in the first two games of this series. Orlando, after all, won twice during the regular season at TD Garden. ‘That was the regular season; this is the playoffs,’ Howard said. “We know we can win, but we have to put it together 48 minutes against a good Boston team. This series is not over. I won’t stop believing that. I won’t let my teammates stop believing that. We’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to do it.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Forget “Ubuntu,” Boston has got its swagger back. And that may be far more important in deciding if the Celtics are ultimately able to win a world title than any humanist philosophy aimed at promoting team unity. These Celtics aren’t exactly the feel-good type. Boston wants to beat you up and then they’re going to take your lunch money, too. In an ultra-physical Game 2, the Celtics endured every haymaker Howard and Co. offered, and bounced back with two of their own. The Magic tried desperately to even this series with a late rally, and the Boston team of a month ago would have crumbled under the adversity. Not now. These Celtics have put together five consecutive postseason wins and are headed back to Boston with a commanding 2-0 series advantage. Also packed on their carry-on: an undeniable confidence.”

Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “‘I always say, when you’re bad, it takes just something small to turn you around, you’re not that far from being good,’ guard Ray Allen said before last night’s Eastern Conference playoff game against the Magic. ‘And vice versa — when you’re good, you can just tank it, immediately. You never have it figured out. And, as a team, you have to figure you get a break in the schedule somewhere, there’s so many different variables. So, you just try to take it one day at a time. As a coach, it’s like let’s hold on, you’ve got to keep cementing what everybody is doing.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Most of Vince Carter’s 16 points were empty and when he could have made the loudest statement of the night with two free throws, he missed them both, allowing the Celtics to retain their 95-92 lead. And when the Magic desperately needed a hoop when trailing, 93-90, Jameer Nelson launched a 3-pointer off a fastbreak that caromed off the rim and right into the waiting hands of Ray Allen. ‘We played a lot harder tonight,’ Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. ‘But we don’t sustain what works. We won’t stay with it. Our shot selection was terrible and we didn’t play smart enough. It’s not a matter of digging out of this. It’s a matter of going up there and you have to win a game. There’s no magic [when] you’re in a hole, 2-0. You have to go win a game.’”

Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “Rondo totaled 25 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds in a 45 1/2-minute stint. He also outdueled Orlando point guards Jameer Nelson (9 points) and Jason Williams (3 points). Rondo might have seemed to be carrying much of the Celtic load, but he did not consider it to be exceptionally heavy lifting. ‘I played 45 minutes but Paul [Pierce] had a lot of isos, he was very efficient,’ Rondo said. ‘So, on the offensive end of the floor I wasn’t always making the plays. Kevin [Garnett] made the plays, Ray [Allen] made the plays, as well. I don’t want to take my eye off the defensive end but on the offensive end I didn’t have to do as much as it may seem.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Garnett shot 5 of 16 from the floor for 10 points and had nine rebounds. He hit a handful of big shots, including a pair of jumpers and a dunk in the third quarter to fuel a 9-1 Celtics’ burst. But his pinch defense on Howard was key. ‘Overall he did a great job with his length,’ Rivers said. ‘Kevin knows he’s not going to win a muscle contest with Dwight Howard, but he does have length, and he stretched him out and he made him change some shots.’ ‘We had a ton of foul trouble today. That’s what I’m happy about, obviously winning the game, but winning the game with different guys in different positions, and everybody pitching in.’ ‘Dwight had 30 points and still had trouble,’ said Marcin Gortat. ‘All those guys — [Kendrick] Perkins, KG, Rasheed [Wallace] — do a great job.’”

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

It's nice to see you serve a purpose, sir.

I know it’s tough to earn $5.85 million in one night.  Hell, I would say it’s damn near impossible.  But Rasheed Wallace gave it his very best effort last night, hitting big shots and carrying the Celtics for an extremely important portion of the first half.  (By the way, if you didn’t watch the game I bet you think I’m lying.)

Okay, you say, but Rasheed hitting shots for one night doesn’t erase a season’s worth of damage.  17 points, on one night, can’t possibly rid us of the filth that was the first 85 games he played this season, does it?  Does it?

Maybe not, but the man came pretty damn close.  Those buckets weren’t just 17 points; they were game-changing, and potentially series-changing, points.  Let me set the scene:

• Rasheed subs in with 3:20 left in the first quarter, along with Tony Allen. Kendrick Perkins and Ray Allen take a walk to the bench.  Before Rasheed and TA play even a second, Lebron James hits a free throw to make the game 16-15 Celtics.
• Ten seconds after Rasheed checks in, Paul Pierce is whistled for an offensive foul, his second.  With 3:10 remaining in the first quarter the Celtics are clinging to a one-point lead, one of their stars is in foul trouble, and Glen Davis and Michal Finley just subbed in for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.  For those of you keeping score at home, the Celtics’ lineup now consists of Rajon Rondo and the four bums — TA, Finley, Davis and Wallace.  I write in my notes, “16-15. Uh-oh. Check out that lineup. Bad news.”
• Twelve seconds after Pierce’s charging foul, Anderson Varejao scores on a pass from Lebron and the Cavs take an 17-16 lead.  In my head, I see a chance at Game Two victory evaporating in front of my very eyes.
• Aha! Rasheed hits a short jumper from the right baseline to take the lead back for the Celtic.  It’s only a tiny jumper and, while I am both happy and surprised that Rasheed hit it, in no way did I foresee it being the start of something special.
• Fast forward a couple plays.  The Cavs haven’t scored again.  Rasheed catches a jumper at the top of the arc and drills it home.  Bam! Five points for Sheed, a 4-point lead for Boston.  Shock, utter shock, for me.
• Fast forward again.  The Celtics ended the first quarter trading baskets with Cleveland, and the score became 26-22.  The bum lineup is still in the game for Boston.  I am still worried they may blow the game before Boston has a chance to win it.  With Rasheed Wallace in the game (huh?), I shouldn’t fear.
• The Celtics start the second quarter with a 9-0 run and — obviously! Why wouldn’t he be?? — Sheed is the catalyst.  He hits one three-pointer and then makes a nice, agile foray to the hoop that he finishes with a right-handed half-hook.  The Celtics are now ahead, 35-22.  The bum squad is still in the game, but the crisis of playing without the Big Three has been entirely averted.  Rasheed Wallace has carried the Celtics on his lazy, underachieving back for about 7 minutes with 10 enormous points.  Game saved, season saved, mission accomplished.

As you see, this wasn’t just your average 13 first-half points.  These were pressure-filled, season-on-the-line, Big-Three-on-the-bench points.  Stretches like these are exactly what the Celtics foresaw when they signed Sheed (for three years — doh) prior to this season.  Of course they didn’t expect those aforementioned stretches would come once a year, but still — the Celtics needed those 13 points.  They needed every one of them.

For once, Sheed came through.  Let’s just hope he doesn’t throw a stinker next time out…

Like we’re all expecting.