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.

Dwight doesn't have too much time left on his season.

Kelly Dwyer, Yahoo! – “Boston wants it. Boston’s been there and they won it and they were built to win now and they have had every reason to pack it in after winning now, then, but they still want it. They leave you breathless, and your sentences running-on. They dealt with it all, they came back too early, they came back too weak, and they were told not to come back at all. They were told that it wouldn’t matter, even if they were to come back. And they came back, anyway. Celtics, man.”

Steve Buckley, Boston Herald – “‘I just wanted it,’ Rondo said, and he repeated the words several times, the message being that no further message was needed. He just wanted it. Why should it be any more complicated than that? Sure, he did throw out some boilerplate stuff, such as, ‘We’re not settling. We came in 2-0, but we gotta take one game at a time. And I’m just trying to do the little things on the court, the intangibles, and I came up with the play.’ Again: He could have stopped at ‘I just wanted it.’ It was perfect.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “‘We want it, we know we want it,’ said Davis, the unlikely source of a game-high 17 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Davis paced six Boston players in double figures, connecting on 5-of-9 shots, while adding six rebounds, half of which were of the offensive variety. ‘We remind ourselves we want it. Every day we have banners [in the Celtics practice facility], we see banners and we want another banner. That’s what it’s all about.’”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “‘It’s tough on the squad,’ said Vince Carter, who scored a team-high 15 points on 5-12 shooting. ‘We didn’t come out with a sense of urgency. We really didn’t do that. They did a good job of playing like they were down and needed to win more than we did. At about midway in the first they started pulling away from us.’ ‘Just effort,’ said Dwight Howard, who scored only seven points in 39-plus minutes. ‘They played a lot harder than us tonight. They went after all the loose balls. They did it from the tip‑off till the end of the game. That’s why they won.’ And finally, Matt Barnes summed it up best: ‘They kicked our ass from start to finish,’ he said. ‘They played harder and wanted it. They are what a good team is suppose to do.’”

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! – “‘This team is playing better in the playoffs than we played when we won the championship,’ Paul Pierce said. Garnett isn’t the best defensive player in the NBA now, and Pierce and Allen are less explosive on offense, but Rondo changes everything for Boston. The Celtics haven’t just beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic, they’ve pounded them into submission. LeBron James(notes) stopped playing in his series, and the Magic had so little belief they could get back into the East finals down 2-0 that they were willing to deliver one of the most unprofessional and pathetic playoff performances in a decade.”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel – “Remember just last week when the Magic were the hottest team in the NBA? They had the best record in the NBA in the second half of the season, swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs and had won 14 straight games dating back more than a month. ‘Five or six days ago, we were rolling, everybody was loving us, we were going to go to the finals,’ Redick said. ‘Now, everybody thinks we’re done.’ Correction, J.J.: Now, everybody knows you’re done. Sadly, everything the Magic have accomplished this season is going down the drain faster than the European economy. It’s one thing for the Magic to get knocked out of the playoffs by a better team, but it’s shameful for them to cower out of the playoffs like this. I’m not saying the Celtics totally dominated and intimidated them Saturday, but I think I saw the entire Magic team in the fetal position after the game, mumbling something like, ‘Mommy, please don’t let the big green men hurt me anymore.’”

Chris Sheridan, ESPN – “Never thought I’d write this, but the Magic looked every bit as bad as the Atlanta Hawks did in their Game 3 meltdown en route to getting swept in the second round. In Orlando’s defense, at least this debacle happened on the road. But as Van Gundy harped on afterward, there really is no defense for coming up with such a no-show when the stakes were so high. Boston’s defense is looking as dominant as it did in the 2007-08 championship season, and the offense is far more crisp than it was then. On one particularly impressive Celtics possession, the ball changed hands eight times before Garnett drained a 20-footer. But if there was one play that epitomized the difference in hustle and effort from the two teams, it came midway through the second quarter after the Celtics had already doubled up the Magic, leading 34-17. The ball got poked away in the frontcourt and Jason Williams ran to retrieve it in the backcourt, only not quickly enough. Rajon Rondo slid in and swiped the ball away, then managed to pounce back onto his feet and drop in a layup on which Williams didn’t even leave his feet to defend. ‘Several hustle plays all went their way, they were a step ahead on every play, they outcompeted us, and that particular play was just indicative of what was going on all night,’ Van Gundy said. ‘What’s most disappointing to me was that I didn’t have them ready to compete. It starts with me, it’s my job, I’m the coach, and I’m not happy about what I did tonight — my plan, my adjustments, my everything.’ Though he flogged himself afterward, Van Gundy addressed the team privately in the locker room after the final horn with team president Bob VanderWeide and general manager Otis Smith present, and didn’t just speak about this particular debacle, but what it represented in the bigger picture. Was this, he asked, the legacy these players wanted to leave for this organization after so many of them had worked so hard for so many years to build a team that was the favorite to win the championship just a little more than a week ago?”

John Hollinger, ESPN – “If there’s one truth about Boston’s unexpected playoff run this year, it’s this: The Celtics have come at their opponents with so much effort, that by the end each opponent has been beaten emotionally as much as physically. Saturday it was Orlando’s turn to have its spirit broken, after Cleveland and Miami already submitted in the first two rounds. Yes, Boston won Game 3 going away, 94-71, to take a commanding 3-0 series lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, but that barely scratches the surface of the real story: A frustrated Magic team had the fight taken out of them. One play from the middle of the second quarter perhaps defines it best — a play Kevin Garnett aptly called a ‘pure, I-want-it-more-than-you type of play.’ After a deflected pass rolled into the backcourt, Orlando’s Jason Williams trotted after it. Boston’s Rajon Rondo trailed Williams, but he didn’t trot, he flew. And when it appeared that wouldn’t work, he launched into a full-out dive, snatching the ball from Williams’s shoe tops while sprawling out on the floor. ‘I wanted to make a play on the ball,’ said Rondo. ‘He had the angle on me so I decide to dive for it.’ ‘I didn’t think he could get to it,’ said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. ‘I don’t think Jason Williams thought he could get to it, honestly. I don’t know how he got it.’”

John Schuhmann, NBA.com – “Then came the Cavs, winners of 61 games and the No. 1 overall seed who waxed the Celtics in Game 3 of the conference semifinals to take a 2-1 series lead. Three games later, their season was over among a flood of criticism and speculation. Surely the Orlando Magic wouldn’t go out like that. Like Cleveland, Orlando had serious dreams of winning a championship. After a surprise run to the Finals, they reloaded and went way over the luxury tax to put together a deeper, more versatile roster. Though the Cavs had the better record, the Magic were the best team in basketball after Jan. 1. They were both the second best offensive team and the second best defensive team in the league this season. Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, they were the best team on both ends of the floor, dismissing the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks without mercy. And now, three games later, the run is suddenly over. The Magic, charging toward the Finals, have run straight into a green brick wall before they could get there. Technically, this series isn’t done, but essentially it is. Maybe someday an NBA team will come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, but it won’t be the team that scored just 71 points in Game 3 on Saturday.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Celtics captain Paul Pierce admitted Boston studied all the pitfalls after losing to Cleveland in Game 3 to ensure they wouldn’t happen again. ‘We used it as a reference,’ said Pierce. ‘Every game is played different. Just because it happened in the last Game 3 doesn’t mean it’s going to happen this Game 3. It just kept us on our toes, really. That’s what I think the difference was in the last two days of practice. You look at that compared to the last couple of days before we played Cleveland in Game 3, [when] coach said we had our worst practice. We saw the focus, saw the urgency, and, at this point, we’re just too close to where we want to be.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘You feel it when we’re on the court and how we’re playing,’ he said. ‘You know, the guys smell it right now. They know what it feels like to be in a championship. They know what it feels like to win a championship. And you’re starting to see the urgency really, really come out the closer we get.’ Glen Davis confirmed there is a smell of blood in the Garden right now. ‘You sense blood,’ the Celtics forward said of Orlando’s teetering state. ‘It is addictive. But we have one more game.’ Rondo completed the play by getting up and making a difficult layup over Williams to put the Celtics up 36-17, sending the sellout crowd of 18,624 into hysterics.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘What we talk about is the things that are big for us is the 50/50 plays,’ Pierce said. ‘Loose balls, when the ball is on the ground, long rebounds when it could go either way. And it just seems like all series we’ve been getting to those. Rondo has been big in that department, getting those loose balls, chasing them down. That’s going to be the difference when you’re trying to win close ball games. It could always come down to one possession.’”

Mike Petraglia, WEEI – “And certainly no one expect Glen Davis to be dancing all over the Orlando Magic with a game-high 17 points. But dance Big Baby did when he connected on a lay-up with eight minutes to go in the second quarter and stomped around the baseline as he was also fouled in the process. He might as well have been stomping on the heart and soul of the listless Magic. ‘It’s not surprising as far as how well we are playing because we know we are capable of doing that,’ Davis said. ‘We are capable of putting together some good games, its just our turn, I think this year we have had some ups and downs, didn’t close out games like we were supposed to, didn’t finish games like we were supposed to. Now it’s just turning around for us, we are staying focused and we are making sure we are doing our job, everybody has a job and everyone is doing their job, we are just making sure that we do our job.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “The Celtics finished with 23 assists on 34 field goals. ‘I mean, that’s just unselfish basketball,’ Rivers said. ‘We keep talking about letting the ball find the open guy. You don’t have to find it yourself. The only guy we want dribbling it eight times is Rondo. Other than that, we want ball movement.’”

Kurt Helin, Pro Basketball Talk – “‘What I said to them after the game was there are a lot of guys in this room that have worked very hard to bring this franchise up a long way… to make this team to where it is a contender, to where it has gained respect and everything else,’ Van Gundy said. ‘And that game out there tonight, not just the score but the way it went tonight is disappointing because that is not who we are, that is not who we worked so hard to become. Between right now and Monday night there is going to be a lot of soul searching, a lot of pulling together. The easiest thing to do, for anybody to do when things go badly is to escape…. And try to escape blame as much as you can so it goes to someone else. It takes very mentally mature people to stand up and say no, I’m a part of this… If we don’t have that kind of toughness, we shouldn’t be here anyway.’ It doesn’t look like they do. And that is on the players.”

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

If you want to play some stupid video game, here’s Paul Pierce’s “Broom Bomber.”  I’m not really sure what this dumb game is supposed to be about, but I DO know that the only realistic thing about it is Dwight Howard launching basketballs out of a cannon.  They might as well just show him shooting free throws.  Plus you get to shoot Stan Van Gundy, so that’s always fun.

My only qualm with this game, besides the fact that it’s a waste of my time even blogging about this stupid thing, is that you can’t shoot Vince Carter.

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).

Mr. May? (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

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.

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “It’s taken six months and maybe a little longer, but the world has finally aligned with Rasheed Wallace’s orbit. In retrospect, his 17 points in Game 2 against the Cavs was a little bit of fool’s gold. Points aren’t what are at a premium for the Celtics big free agent signing. Defense and savvy intelligence are what’s needed now. ‘Hell, yeah this is what I enjoy,’ Wallace said. ‘It’s nut-busting time.’”

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports – “The Celtics’ frontline beat on Howard, yes, but they don’t let him get angles and they don’t require the guards to come and double Howard for them. They just keep their chests into him and challenge Howard to beat them with a back-to-the-basket game he doesn’t have down nearly as well as his dance steps. This allows the Celtics to stay out on the perimeter and protect the 3-point line. Orlando missed 17 of 22 3-pointers and they’ll never beat the Celtics unless those shots start to drop for them. ‘A lot of them jump shots, the buttholes get tight,’ Wallace declared. He was talking about the playoffs, about the time of year that he lives for at his advanced age of 35. He doesn’t take particularly good care of his body, but his mind is forever sound for the playoffs. When the Celtics were constructing a 20-point lead in the third quarter, Wallace had Howard so flustered that he completely lost his composure, his mind. Within 2½ minutes left in the third quarter, Wallace inspired Howard to get a double technical foul for tangling with him. Howard got a three seconds call because he was trying so hard to get into low-post position. Howard also tried to rush an offensive move on Wallace and got called for a travel. And, for good measure, Wallace completely crushed Howard across the arms when he had to give a foul. ‘He did some old tricks that were just terrific,’ Rivers said.”

Shaun Powell, NBA.com – “This was defense, the kind Howard hadn’t felt in these playoffs, the kind the Celtics threw his way throughout Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Sure, the Bobcats and Hawks ran bodies at Howard, too, but difference is, Boston’s bigs know what they’re doing. It begins with Kendrick Perkins, who’s both clumsy and clever all at once. And Big Baby Davis, who looks (and probably feels) like a Hummer. And finally, Sheed, who bumbled through his first season in Boston, who knows he’ll be judged for what he does (or doesn’t do) right now. When it counts. Collectively, they dared to check Howard one-on-one and the Celtics lived to tell about it. Gone is Orlando’s win streak, which had reached 14, dating back to April 4. Ditto for the Magic’s clean run through the playoffs. And now, the Magic must deal with a Celtics team knowing it has the equipment to slow the game’s most lethal inside player.”

Dick Scanlon, NBA.com – “‘They came out ready to play,’ said Vince Carter, who led the Magic with 23 points. ‘They jumped on us early, offensively and defensively. We fought like heck to get back in the game. Unfortunately, when you’re down that many points with about nine minutes to go, and with them defending like they did, it’s going to be tough.’ It was the Magic’s first loss in the playoffs, their first loss at home since March 14 and their first loss of any kind of since April 2. ‘It’s been that long since they lost a game?’ asked Pierce, who needed only eight shots to score 22 points. ‘We honestly didn’t realize that.’”

Chris Sheridan, ESPN – “Those schemes limited the Magic to just 14 points in the first quarter and 18 in the second. The Magic then allowed a 20-3 run midway through the third quarter as the Celtics went up 65-45, with Howard and Wallace getting double technical fouls toward the end of the run for getting a little too personal as they untangled their locked arms. ‘That was a wake-up call we really needed, in my opinion,’ said Carter, who was Orlando’s most aggressive player, attacking the paint and trying to create offense. ‘They’re relentless, they’re aggressive, they do a great job of contesting, especially in the paint, and it took us a while to figure it out, but when we did we played a lot better.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “The Magic had taken target practice on the Celtics from 3-point range in the past, but yesterday everything beyond the arc was a wasteland. The Celtics held a team full of snipers to 5-of-22 shooting from distance. ‘They have a list of guys that can beat you,’ Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. ‘It just comes down to one-on-one defense and everybody helping each other out. You have to contest shots and run them off the three. They are going to shoot 20 to 25-plus threes.’”

John Hollinger, ESPN – “Of particular note was the first 16 minutes, when Boston frustrated Orlando at every turn by getting hands on balls, running shooters off the 3-point line and denying Dwight Howard quality looks on the block. With eight to go in the second quarter, the Magic had amassed the pathetic total of 14 points and already were down 15 points; essentially, they built themselves a hill too great to climb. ‘I don’t think we were prepared for the level they were ready to play,’ said Vince Carter, who was just about the only Magic player to show up in the first quarter and a half and finished with a team-high 23 points. ‘They were ready to go from the jump, and we weren’t on their level from the beginning.’ ‘We were anxious,’ said Howard, who struggled to a 3-for-10 night and was responsible for seven of the Magic’s 18 turnovers. ‘I don’t think we moved the ball like we needed to get them off our bodies. That’s what we have to do to beat this team.’”

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “‘We said it going in,’ said Van Gundy. ‘It was what they did to Cleveland in the last series against them; very physical, very tough defensively. Eighteen turnovers. We’re not giving ourselves a chance to win with 18 turnovers.’ ‘Hands were big for us,’ said Rivers. ‘Because of their pick-and-roll game, I think that is one of the underlying keys for us defensively — the deflections and active hands. I don’t know if you saw early in the game, I think it was whoever got a shot, the whole team came down with their hands up because no one had their hands up. They were trying to remind themselves.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “‘Rasheed was phenomenal defensively tonight,’ said Rivers. ‘He’s been good in the playoffs for us and that’s what we wanted from him when we signed him.’ It took six months to deliver upon, but maybe that’s better late than never. ‘Because of the ups and downs, you had to remind yourself of that,’ Rivers said with a smile. ‘Everyone else was reminding me of what he wasn’t doing. One thing I’ll say about Rasheed and he said it throughout, ‘It doesn’t matter what I do in the regular season, I will be judged for what I do in the playoffs.’ I didn’t want him to take that literally throughout the season, but he did. But he’s been terrific. He’s a knowledgeable big who has a lot of game.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Kevin Garnett was one of several teammates and coaches who have talked with Wallace recently about the need for him to be that player. Message received. ‘His perspective is a little different from how he was looking at it before,’ Garnett said. ‘Plus, ‘Sheed’s a gutty veteran. He responds to when you give two cents, and when you’re being straight and up-front with him. He’s a no bull(bleep) kind of guy. It’s up to ‘Sheed. He’s a big part of when we win. And when we win big, it’s because he’s sound and he’s influenced the game.’ And all the talk Wallace has made about his best stuff coming through in the postseason? There may be some truth to it after all. ‘That’s what he has been telling us all year,’ Rondo said. ‘He’s a man of his word.’ Added Rondo: ‘It’s proven. He’s done it in the past. I haven’t been watching Rasheed all my life, but I’ve seen him recently. He’s a proven player in the playoffs.’”

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel – “Heading into the game, Howard said he wanted to use his quickness to force Perkins to move his feet. That rarely occurred in Game 1. Celtics players barely gave Howard any room to maneuver. ‘I think I got into a little wrestling match with all those guys,’ Howard said. ‘That’s playing to their advantage. They want me to wrestle and fight with them. That takes me off my game.’”

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel – “This was as thorough a four-point beating as you’ll ever see. The Magic never led at any point, dug a 20-point hole and looked as if they were caught flat-footed when the Celtics charged out with a Paul Pierce haymaker of a ’3.’ Vince Carter was shaking his head in the dressing room, mentioning the “Celtics’ intensity” several times. ‘You don’t want to make excuses,’ J.J. Redick said. ‘When you don’t do it for a few days, you forget how much you have to put into it, and we didn’t put enough into this game.’”

Zach McCann, Boston Herald – “‘The game most definitely felt different,’ said Magic forward Rashard Lewis, who scored a playoffs-low six points. “Going against the Atlanta Hawks and now to the Boston Celtics, the Celtics are a good team, a veteran team, a championship team.’ Those are the same Celtics who frustrated two of the game’s premier players – Dwyane Wade and LeBron James – in the first two rounds. Now, it’s the Celtics’ chance to frustrate Orlando’s collection of stars. ‘They’re relentless,’ Magic guard Vince Carter said. ‘They’re very aggressive. They work on their strengths. They play well together. . . . They do a great job of contesting, especially when you’re in the paint. And it took us a while to figure that out.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “You can almost picture the scene: The Celtics bunkered down for film study at their practice facility, coming off an intense six-game series with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, and watching tape of the Orlando Magic essentially waltz through the first two rounds of the 2010 NBA playoffs. But what stands out most is how the opposition offers little in the way of resistance against Dwight Howard, allowing Orlando’s uberathletic center to get to the rim uncontested and convert an array of dunks and layups. The Celtics are half appalled, half salivating. It won’t come that easy against them, they promise each other. And for all 39 minutes he was on the court in Sunday’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, absolutely nothing came easy for Howard as the Celtics took turns hacking away at him en route to a 92-88 triumph at Amway Arena. [...] ‘You gotta be physical, he plays physical,’ said Rasheed Wallace. ‘That was the thing we looked at on film; over the last two series, guys just let him do whatever he wanted to do down there. We’re definitely going to fight him.’”

Michael Vega, Boston Globe – “‘The reason he has an offensive impact is because he draws so much help,’ Rivers said. ‘You have to double-team him. He gets offensive rebounds and he throws them back out for threes. So we did a good job as far as his scoring numbers, but I thought we could do a better job, quite honestly, in helping on Dwight in getting back. You think about the J.J. Redick drives [in the fourth quarter], those are all Dwight Howard-generated. No one wants to leave Dwight, allowing their guards to get all the way to the basket. That’s what I mean, we have to do a better job. They scored 30 points in the fourth quarter. I thought it was mostly Dwight-generated.’ But for Howard to be a more-effective scorer, the Magic know they must help him get his numbers. ‘We’re going to continue to support and stay on him to keep him — try to make sure he’s not frustrated and just play basketball and have fun,’ Carter said. ‘I think he puts pressure on himself because he wants to win. He wants to be perfect or as perfect as possible and do what he has to do to lead this team because he is one, if not the captain of this team. He’s the leader. The leader trying to lead his team. At the same time, we tell him he’s not out there by himself. We’re going to support him. I think when he realizes that he settles down, and he did that later on in the game.’”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel – “Now we get to see. Now we get to find out. Now we finally learn if the Orlando Magic really and truly are championship material. We know what the high-flying, free-wheeling Magic can do when opponents lay down and play the role of frustrated foot wipes in the playoffs. Now let’s see what the knocked-down, beaten-up Magic can do when they get punched in the teeth during the playoffs. [...] ‘The game plan is a little harder against Boston.’ Van Gundy admits. ‘Against Cleveland, you focus everything on LeBron. With the Celtics, you’ve got to worry about ‘em all.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘We were sound for 48 minutes,’ Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. ‘It was not the type of fourth quarter we would normally like to have, but we were sound, very sound.’ The Celtics improved to 7-0 in the postseason when they receive 18 or more points from Ray Allen, who had a game-high 25 yesterday. But the Celts didn’t hit another basket after Allen’s 3-pointer with 5:34 left. ‘I warned them at halftime,’ said coach Doc Rivers, who told his players to expect a much sharper Orlando team during the last 24 minutes. ‘They had two or three (missed open) 3’s in the first quarter, and they had eight in the second quarter. That’s not a good sign for us, because they didn’t make them, but they got them. Eventually they would make them. That was a concern.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Judging from the ice packs on both knees – the left one from a hyperextension suffered just before Game 1 of the second round against Cleveland – one might think Perkins would prefer the finesse player after so much pounding. But no way. ‘I’m better against the power player, absolutely that’s what I prefer,’ he said. Perkins acknowledged that the pain persists in his left knee. It was bad enough to keep him out of Saturday’s practice.”

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel – “Barnes played 15 minutes, 30 seconds in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday, and he acknowledged after the game that he wasn’t as effective as usual. ‘I didn’t really get a chance to get it loose tonight,’ Barnes said. ‘But that’s no excuse. I wasn’t getting the job done, so Coach had to go with someone who was. I’ll keep getting treatment, and I’ll be ready for Game 2.’”

Tania Ganguli, Orlando Sentinel – “‘Ray Allen can really shoot,’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. ‘And he’s always on the move. He and [ Paul] Pierce both had really good nights … I didn’t think our defense was real good either, to be quite honest. I think we have to make some adjustments there.’ [...] ‘I predict [Pierce] will have a better series than he did against Cleveland,’ Boston forward Kevin Garnett said. ‘And we are going to need it.’”

Gary Dzen, Boston Globe – “The NBA’s second most prolific 3-point shooter of all time, Allen took what the defense gave him in the first quarter, pacing all scorers with 8 points without attempting a three. His two field goals and four free throws in the quarter came on a variety of drives and pull-up jumpers, and for most of Game 1 Allen torched the Magic on something other than his bread-and-butter outside shooting. ‘It was just the plays that I had,’ said Allen. ‘I knew that they were trying to force me away from my shot. Just watching the film all week, they were playing me so high over the top that when I go to the basket I have to keep my head up and look for the ball. I got my shot blocked two or three times. But for the most part, when the shot is not there I need to drive it.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘Coach [Doc Rivers] told me I have to take care of the point,’ Rondo said. ‘It starts with Jameer. A lot of people talk about Dwight, but Jameer, he’s the key. He makes those guys go.’ Nelson missed 10 of 18 shots, never able to leave his fingerprints on the game. ‘He’s more of a scorer,’ Rondo said. ‘He can create his own shot. You’ve got to get in his space, make him take shots over Perk.’ With Ray Allen (25 points) and Paul Pierce (22) providing the offense, it wasn’t necessary for Rondo to put up big numbers in Game 1. ‘If you game-plan for one type of guy, it seems like the other guys do a great job of [scoring],’ Rondo said.”

Kirk Minihane, WEEI – “On Feb. 27 the Celtics lost at home to the New Jersey Nets, who moved to 6-52 with the victory. This humiliating defeat came the day after a blowout loss at Cleveland, which at the time seemed little more than another failed test to see if the Celtics could sit at the NBA’s version of the adult table. They looked lost, old, and disinterested. Any Celtics fan with a even a shred of objectivity on that day would have told you that it was more likely they would get swept in the first round than be in the driver’s seat in the Eastern Conference finals after getting past the Cavaliers (raise your hand if you picked the Heat in the first round — it’s OK, made plenty of sense at the time.) But here we are. I’ve never seen a season like this. The 1968-69 Celtics are the closest template, but they made their run before I was around. Older teams just aren’t supposed to get better during the season. But it’s happened. The Celtics, in less than three months, have gone from a team that surprised no one by losing at home to one of the worst teams in NBA history to being called “the favorites to win” the NBA title by Jeff Van Gundy. And that proclamation probably surprised no one. No one paying attention, anyway.”

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

Give me that, "Superman."

This post is by the newest member of team Celtics Town, Kyle O’Connor.  Welcome aboard, Kyle.

Entering Sunday afternoon’s showdown with the Magic, you couldn’t help but wonder how the Celtics would respond to the huge series victory versus King James and the Cavs.  The green answered that question early on at the Amway arena in Orlando, FL this afternoon by acting as the aggressor from the start versus a shell-shocked Magic squad.  The result was a 92-88 Celtics win in which the Celtics thoroughly dominated play for three and a half quarters.

It was prevalent from the start that Paul Pierce’s goal was to assert himself on the offensive and defensive end.  The defensive scheme versus Dwight Howard worked to perfection as they forced him into 3-10 shooting and only 13 points.  Tom Thibodeau and the green did exactly what the Atlanta Hawks failed to do in the previous round, running big bodies at Dwight Howard and forcing him to make plays away from the basket.  First it was Kendrick Perkins forcing Howard to do his running hooks from 10 feet out, then came Rasheed Wallace who put in 20 solid minutes and used as many fouls as possible on “Superman.”  The Celts’ plan worked to perfection and unless the Magic (and Stan “Ron Jeremy” Van Gundy) make some serious adjustments they could be in for a long series.  Howard is a player who thrives off of fast break opportunities and garbage points, and the Celts did a great job limiting both of those opportunities.

Pierce flexed his muscle by showing what he had failed to show in the Cleveland series, that he can be the aggressor.   No matter who was guarding The Truth, it didn’t matter, he was getting wherever he wanted to on the court.  Whether it was his mid range game or getting to the basket, nobody could stop him from doing whatever he wanted to on the court.

Pierce’s aggression and play will continue to be a key as the series goes on, particularly because Rajon Rondo seemed to have trouble with the Magic defense.  He had no issues getting past Nelson and getting to the hoop, but he can no longer just flip the ball up wherever he chooses because of the big 7 footer standing there waiting for him.  In game 2 Rondo needs to be more aggressive on his mid-range game in order to get that floater in the lane that he has become so accustomed to.  

Ray Allen ran the Orlando defense ragged by dropping in 25 points on 2-5 from behind the arc.  He needs to continue spreading the floor to open up opportunities for Rondo and Pierce to get to the rim versus the tough Orlando front court.  Rashard Lewis, who was the key to the series win last year, was non existent due to the great defense by Kevin Garnett.  One of the best 3 point shooters in the league, KG forced Lewis to put the ball on the floor every time he touched it.

There was the classic blip in concentration halfway through the 4th quarter that let the Magic cut the once 20 point lead down to a 2 point lead in the final minute.  This was obviously aided by a phantom back-court call (How the hell does Carter tip the ball to Reddick and not get called for back court on that??!), but that is no excuse.  The point is that the green dominated this game for all but about a 7 minute span in the 4th quarter.  

They have the personnel to match up with Howard, and I don’t trust any team whose go to guy is Vince Carter in the 4th quarter.  While Carter did have a good game with 23 points, he is still not the closer that Hedo Turkolu was during last year’s run.  If you have been watching this team all year, you kept waiting for that run where the green relinquish the lead, but it never came.  It never came because this Magic team does not have a player that can take over a game/series, a la Lebron James.  If they get behind, they need to slowly and methodically work the ball to get open 3′s and get Howard the ball to make runs.  

The Celtics match up better with Orlando than any team remaining in these playoffs, this is because they have the bodies to match up with Howard, and the length and speed on the wings to get out on shooters.  Game 2 is a must win for Orlando on Tuesday night, and if the Green play at the pace that they played today, they could be coming back to the Garden looking to put their foot on the throats of the Magic.

A couple quick thoughts..

• Every single time Jameer Nelson brought this team close to making a monster run early in the second half, that was always answered by a hustle play from Glen Davis or Rasheed.
• Anyone else think that Marcin Gortat looks like he shouldv’e been in one of the Rocky movies at some point?
• Rasheed did a fantastic job getting in Dwight Howard’s head, this was evident by the double technicals the two took in the 2nd half.
• Matt Barnes has to have something bothering him.  I had heard before the game that he had some back spasms, but that was no the defensive effort I was expecting versus Pierce and Allen.
• Glen Davis did a monster job in using the rim multiple times to avoid Howard blocks.  He was like me trying to avoid traffic on 93 in the morning, but with a lot less yelling and obscene language (or maybe not).
• If the Celts can somehow come away with a game 2 win, do you think Josh Cohen from Orlando will back off his comments the the Magic are one of the greatest teams of all time? (What a dipshit that guy is, obviously from Florida.)

One quote from Ray Allen after the game was great:

“There were stretches in the season, we know each other so well now, where we were becoming less patient with each other,” Allen said. “We were getting on each other a little too much. We can take it, but we respected each other.

“When we started the playoffs, we said teams are going to hit us, they’re going to attack us. But when somebody scores on us, which they will, we go get the ball out and come back.”