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.

Steph: "Yo, it was me who hacked your Twitter account." Pierce: "I was wondering what you were up to now."

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “Essentially, everything about Pierce’s tweeting was a lesson in how not to act in the NBA playoffs. But still, in the face of all sorts of common sense, we believed it. And I think I know why. It’s because even though, on paper, Pierce’s statements were antagonizing and offensive, to anyone who’d watched the first two games of the series they made complete sense. It’s because even though the words on Pierce’s Twitter page may not have been his own, deep down, we know that they mirror exactly what the real Paul Pierce and his Celtics are thinking. Bottom line: They think they’re going to sweep the Magic, and they don’t think anyone or anything can stop them. Not Orlando. Or an insane Amway Arena crowd. Or an enraged Dwight Howard. Not the fact that the Magic had beaten them three out of four times. Or that Orlando hadn’t lost two games in a row at home all year. Or that a majority of the experts had picked the C’s to lose. Nothing. They feel like anything they want on a basketball court is rightfully theirs.”

Jessica Camerato, WEEI – “‘I’d love to guard Pierce,’ Barnes told the Sentinel. ‘I got the chance to guard him a little bit the last game and felt that I did a pretty good job. But he’s really rolling right now, so we need to slow him down somehow.’ [...] ‘My third foul in the third quarter, when I tried to beat him over the screen, he fell down like I threw him,’ he said. ‘It was ridiculous. But the refs called it so it was a good play. It was a flop, 100 percent, and that’s how some guys like to play. But if the refs call it, it’s effective.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – By leaving Perkins to deal one-on-one with the No. 4 player in MVP voting, the Celtics are accepting the consequences. The sacrificial Perk is not disturbed. ‘Not at all,’ he said yesterday, comforted more by the 2-0 series lead on Orlando. ‘And if he scores, then you live with some of them. A few of the 30 points he had were too easy baskets that I thought we could have taken away, but we’re just trying to make it tough on him. You know, we’re not trying to overreact to him scoring. We’re not trapping or nothing like that. We’re just trying to make it tough on him, make it hard on him to score – not letting him get deep post-ups and stuff like that.’ Doc Rivers acknowledged the situation, though he didn’t think the Celts executed as well as in Game 1. ‘We don’t want him to go for 30, but when he goes for 30, he goes for 30,’ the coach said. ‘As long as he doesn’t go for 30 and then get everybody else involved, we can live with it.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Boston rookie Oliver Lafayette played AAU ball with Davis in Louisiana. He recalls Davis’ demeanor and focus seemed to change for the better when they faced some of the better teams, ones that featured future NBA talent like New Orleans Emeka Okafor. ‘He always gets excited for those games,’ Lafayette said. “He wants to show his best. He wants to prove he’s one of the best guys that plays this game at his position.’ Following Wednesday’s practice, coach Doc Rivers spoke with CSNNE.com about Davis and his knack for stepping up in big games. ‘He’s crazy enough to be confident,’ Rivers said. ‘That’s what we say. That’s what (former Marquette coach and Hall of Famer) Al McGuire used to say. He used to say, ‘Give me 12 unaware players and I’ll beat 12 aware players every time.’ Glen falls into that category. He just comes out and plays. He doesn’t give a crap where he’s at. That’s confidence.’ Rivers added that Davis’ problems usually come about in games where the pressure isn’t nearly as intense. ‘In non-pressurized games, he’s thinking . . . he’s thinking about putting on a show and doing all that stuff,’ Rivers said. ‘When he just shows up to play, he’s a really good basketball player. In the big games, he does that more. I love it. Now if we can get him to do that all year, he’d be perfect.’”

Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “‘They’ve beaten us twice here in the regular season,’ guard Rajon Rondo said yesterday. ‘We didn’t come into this season to win five games in a row in the playoffs. It’s about winning a championship and put another banner up, and we haven’t done that.’ Coach Doc Rivers is attempting to keep the Celtics focused, cautioning against complacency and overconfidence as the team has compiled a 10-3 playoff record. The Celtics’ 92-88 and 95-92 wins in Orlando extended their winning streak to those five games. ‘We’ve done nothing, we really haven’t,’ Rivers said. ‘We’re up, 2-0, but we’ve got to keep playing. Orlando was the favorite for a reason. They were playing better than anyone else in the playoffs, for a reason. Either game could have gone either way. This series is going to be that way. There’s not going to be a game where there’s comfort. Both teams are very good, both teams are very close, both teams are very similar in a lot of ways. So it’s not going to be a comfort game, whether at home or on the road. They have to think both games they could have won. You just keep focusing on execution and improving and getting ready. And each game is a single game. That’s what we talk about — that’s been our speech through this playoff series, all of the series.’”

Jarrod N. Rudolph, Boston Globe – “Magic coach Stan Van Gundy acknowledged the team would make some changes to help Lewis, but he wasn’t willing to reveal any of his plans. ‘No, I’d rather not,’ Van Gundy said. ‘We certainly had a little bit of a focus today both on some things that Rashard has to sort of do differently on his own, and we are going to try to do a couple of things for him. Nothing revolutionary and nothing that’s going to cause Doc [Rivers] and the Celtics coaching staff to go, ‘Wow, how the hell are we going to guard that?’ I don’t have those moments of genius inspiration, and they’re a very good team. But we are going to try a couple of things to give him more opportunities.’”

Shaun Powell, NBA.com – “LeBron James will be a free agent this summer; maybe you’ve heard. And Kobe Bryant is licking his lips because the aroma of another championship is strong once again. Also, the Orlando Magic swept a pair of playoff series and flashed some swagger. Yes, this dominated the NBA postseason discussion. For good reason. And now, another topic has sprung this spring, perhaps the most surprising of all. An old Celtics team came to a city built on amusement parks and like many tourists who flock here have looked young. Revived. Refreshed, even. And at times, convincing. They’re up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, after stealing a pair against a home team that hadn’t lost since early April. Yes, the same Celtics accused of being beyond their years, and injury-prone, and too unpredictable given their often-bumpy ride through the endurance test known as the NBA regular season. But these Celtics aren’t bringing along much from their recent past, unless you mean the triumphant 2008 season. In which case, yes, there is a championship vibe going on right now.”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “He did have something for the national television audience when asked about the possibility of a letdown going home. ‘Our fans aren’t going to let us relax,’ he said. ‘Y’all not going to let us relax. We’re going to try to close this out in two games. Y’all hear me? We’re coming home to close it out.’ Pierce then winked and told the Orlando crowd, ‘See you next year.’ While the Magic fans stew over the statements, the Celtics captain hasn’t taken any local heat. ‘No, I haven’t gotten any feedback,’ he said. ‘Yesterday I was pretty much home with my daughter all day, and she didn’t say nothing. It wasn’t a big deal to me. I’m just saying I want us to go home, I want our crowd to be ready, I want us to play our best, and I want us to win two games. That’s it.’ It’s fair to assume Pierce received a word or two from Doc Rivers. ‘I didn’t like it,’ the coach said of the comments. ‘I don’t mind the confidence part. That’s good. You’ve got to have confidence, but we want to be humble. And we haven’t achieved anything. I think that’s what he was trying to say; it just came out at the end. I wish they would have taken the mic away at the last couple of words. But up until then, he was pretty good. We do have to go home and our fans will help us, but we’ve got to do it on the floor.’”

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

After his team was thoroughly outplayed in two straight road losses, Rashard Lewis had this to say about his Orlando Magic.

“We feel like we’re the better team still.”

I bet Rashard also probably thinks he’s worth every penny of the $63 million he’s owed over the next three years.  The funny part of the whole story is that I didn’t even know Rashard was still on the Magic.

(P.S. – Damn it! I’m jinxing the C’s just like I told myself not to.  I meant the Magic are better.  Way better!)

Vince could have been one of the all-time greats.

Vince Carter’s game last night will be remembered for his missed free throws (honestly, did anyone have confidence those were going in?), but it was everything else he did that encapsulated his sorry-ass, underacheiving career.

Carter took bad shots, got murdered defensively, and the offense generally ran best when he was sitting on the bench.  The Magic’s early comeback — after Vince got into foul trouble while his early-game defense did nothing but encourage Paul Pierce to take over the game — all happened with Vince on the bench.  When J.J. Redick and Matt Barnes were together, everything just seemed to flow more easily.  Part of it is probably Vince’s shot selection.  I remember three really bad ones off the top of my head — two off-balance runners that drew nothing but backboard, and a three-pointer from the corner that he actually made.  It was a quick-release, contested, fadeaway three with 12 seconds left on the shot clock.

Just look at this quote from Rashard Lewis, after the game.  “Everybody’s trying to be the hero,” Lewis said. “Everybody’s trying to make the tough play. Hey, I wanted to do the same thing, but I just couldn’t get my hands on the ball.”

I just couldn’t get my hands on the ball.  Lewis didn’t say that too much last year, when Hedo Turkoglu was running the show.  He never seemed to lack touches when Hedo was around.  And good touches too, touches he could do something with.  Lewis is still the Magic’s biggest mismatch against the Celtics.  As much as it looks like Kevin Garnett’s completely dominated him, Lewis can go by him almost at will.  For awhile yesterday, Glen Davis defended Lewis.  Even then, Lewis hardly got touches.  Just to let you know, Rashard could get by Davis in his sleep.  But he only got one touch in a good situation.  The result?  A layup that followed one of the easiest drives to the hoop of Lewis’s career.  Believe me, Rashard’s still a mismatch.

He just doesn’t get the same opportunities as last season, because the Magic’s offense doesn’t have the same ball movement, the same fluidity it did when Hedo was around.  Hedo was a hell of a playmaker, but more importantly he was an intelligent basketball player.  He knew when to create his own shot, when to create for others, or when to simply swing the basketball around the perimeter.  He was someone who always seemed fun to play with.

Carter has been called a lot of things in his career, but fun to play with has never been one of them.  He’s still a wonderful talent, but he almost never fails to leave me shaking my head in disgust.  He takes bad shots, holds the ball for too long, and doesn’t know when to make the basketball play.  He attacks when he should swing the ball, and swings when he should attack.  He takes shots after a jab step from 26 feet out, but doesn’t relocate off the ball to get open looks.  Carter lacks the intelligence, or whatever else it is, that would allow him to consistently make plays that benefit his team.  He’s still a very good player, a game-changing player, but has never once tricked anyone into thinking that he’s reached the best of his abilities.

When he choked missed those free throws last night, I wasn’t even a bit surprised.  Why would we ever expect those free throws to go in, after Carter has taught us time after time that he gets smaller as the moment gets larger?  In between free throws, there was a cut to Carter’s face.  He looked equal parts confused and scared.  There didn’t seem to be a hint of confidence on his face.  Really, not a hint.  He almost looked like he was constipated, rather than an NBA star ready to make two big free throws to help his team steal a pivotal game.  In a way, his whole career boils down to that one face.  When it comes to big moments, Carter is either scared or confused.  He doesn’t know what to do, won’t work for an easy shot, and often fails to make the right play.  Sometimes – often, even — Carter has good games, but even when he does he leaves his fans wanting more (he does have SOME fans, right?).  And in big moments, he mostly leaves those fans with the same exact face he wore while he was on the foul line.

“We’re not taking good enough shots,” said Stan Van Gundy. I’ve got a news flash for you guys: It wasn’t Dwight Howard taking bad shots.

But we don’t rip into Vince Carter because he occasionally takes bad shots, or because he sometimes misses big ones.  We rip into him because he could have been really, really special.

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.

Van Gundy will have to do more than yelling if he hopes to win Game 2.

Game 2 is going to come down to which coach can push the correct buttons and make the right moves. I could talk about all the different match-ups at each position, but these teams know  each other well, and I believe the series will come down to who game-plans and executes the best from the sidelines.

In game 1, the Celtics executed their game plan to perfection.  You could tell from the start that their plan was to force Dwight Howard away from the basket (easier said than done) and maul him whenever he gets close , sending him to the line. In addition the green wanted to keep pressuring Rashard Lewis off the three point stripe, forcing him to make moves and beat them from off the dribble.  Lewis is a borderline all-star player, and he has shown at certain points in his career that he can make those plays from the dribble, but versus a great defensive unit like the C’s it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Matt Barnes was supposed to be the defensive stopper, but it looks as if back spasms are going to limit his play (he only played 22 minutes in the first game).  I  thought Barnes would be a problem, whether he  guarded Pierce or Allen to start.  Barnes started guarding Allen, and Allen showed that he can run even some of the best defensive players in the league ragged by piling up 25 points.  It will be interesting to see how Van Gundy adjusts to the Barnes injury, and how his team is affected from a defensive perspective.  While  Matt Barnes looks like he is much better suited to sell crack on Dorchester Ave in South Boston rather than be a reliable NBA player (sweet neck tattoos), when healthy he is a very serviceable defender.

Van Gundy failed to make the adjustments necessary to get his team over the hump in Game 1, and judging from how the game played out, I  wonder if Orlando can match up with Boston.  I know we have a long way to go in this series, but as Rasheed Wallace said after the game, “It looked like their butt holes tightened up.”  In order for the Magic to win, Magic studs Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson will have to lead the way in Game 2.  If the Magic plan to tie this series up, they will need to get  out of a half court game, and speed up the tempo, while getting Dwight involved with some easy buckets early.  Howard and Nelson are at their best when they feed off each other, and when Howard doesn’t get involved early, he has a tendency to disappear from games.

Rivers’ game plan is working true to form, and if they can make Howard beat them from the line, while keep Lewis and Carter in check, Boston will dominate the series. Surprisingly, the Celtics won game 1 without a significant contribution on the offensive end from Rajon Rondo or Kevin Garnett.  You have to believe– with the way those two have been playing– that won’t happen again.  KG was missing open looks, but Rondo really seemed to struggle with having the man with the tiniest head in the NBA (Dwight Howard) waiting for him whenever he beat Nelson off the dribble.  I am curious to see how Rivers devises some  creative ways to get Rondo more involved.

Regardless, Game 2 is as close to a must-win game for the Magic as possible. As good as the Green are playing, they cannot afford to go back to Boston down 2-0.  The key will be how Stan Van Gundy plans to get Howard more touches close to the basket.  If that happens, Howard gets going, the crowd gets going, Nelson gets going, and so go the Magic.

With the way Boston played in game 1 it seemed to me that they were fed up with all the crap going on with ESPN/ABC.  The Celtics were sick of seeing bullshit puppet commercials featuring Lebron and Kobe, sick of seeing stupid halftime segments of Dwight Howard interviewing himself as Superman. Boston is a blue collar team that is peaking at the right time, and if they play Howard the way they did in Game 1, they will be looking at a 2-0 series lead.  My prediction: 99-92 Celts……and maybe Matt Barnes gets caught with a crack rock in the locker room (seriously, you can’t tell me that guy doesn’t do some illegal shit, its a rule, more than one neck tattoo, you are a scumbag, see Delonte West).

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.

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston: “‘I always worry about [momentum], even when we win one game,” said Rivers. “We just haven’t been the type of team — and it’s strange because veteran teams usually handle that well — but we have not. We have not handled it well all year. You can always tell [when Boston wins games] because our practices are always louder when we win. So I know [Monday's] practice there will be a lot of talk and a lot of whistle-blowing to get them focused. That’s how we are.’ Boston certainly has a propensity to take its eye off the prize when things are going well. Heck, the Celtics nearly coughed up a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 1 win.

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston: What’s more, Boston is playing an inspired brand of ball. Its defense — ultra-physical and unapologetic — rivals the 2008 championship squad at times, while the offense is displaying more balance than most tightrope walkers. A bench shortened to the barest of bones is providing key contributions on the biggest of stages after being frustratingly inconsistent all season. Who could have possibly seen this coming? Rivers did. And during Monday’s workout, players heaped much of the praise on him for never letting players take their eyes off the ultimate prize.‘Doc Rivers is everything, he’s the glue that keeps us all together, the captain of our ship,’ said Kevin Garnett.

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe: The Celtics have earned the reputation as one of the league’s stingiest defenses the past three seasons, but that mind-set was missing most of this season. The Celtics allowed 100 points or more in 30 games, their defense slashed and overwhelmed by young, eager opponents who capitalized on their age.It wasn’t that coach Doc Rivers and associate head coach Tom Thibodeau adjusted the defensive sets or stressed help any less than two years ago. The problem was focus. Although the Celtics worked feverishly on defense every day, the players lacked the fervor to execute.

Michael Vega, Boston Globe: He took one look at the box score, winced at the goose egg beneath the column that read “3P,’’ and resolved to report to practice yesterday to address the issue the only way he knew how. ‘I got up a million shots,’’ Lewis said after practice at the RDV Sportsplex. ‘I’ve got to learn to do my part. I’ve got to knock down open 3-pointers in order to bring the defense out.’’’

Ron Borges, Boston Herald: Perkins may well play Howard better than anyone in the NBA because he uses a simple formula: Hold your ground like an oak tree in a blizzard and, if they let you, hold your man, too. ’Every night, that’s Perk,’ coach Doc Rivers said. ‘He’s the tackling dummy. He’s an offensive lineman in football. He doesn’t get credit but what he does is just as important as a jump shot. Most people don’t appreciate how hard it is to do what he does. He goes out and guards the guy he’s guarding. We rarely have to double-team a big (because of Perkins’ presence and defensive skill). Once you have to start double-teaming in this league, you’re done.’”

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