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Enemy Chatter: KG's been in Jamison's ear for 20 years

I often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Celtics after playing the Celtics. Here's a dose of 'enemy chatter' from Cleveland.

In his 14 NBA seasons, Jamison has heard trash talk reduced to a whisper, he said. Big talkers such as John Starks and Charles Barkley are gone. Rabbit-eared referees are quicker with the whistles and technical fouls.

But no one squelches Garnett. The emotional Celtics center remains one of the best and most prolific yappers in the NBA. He can unnerve opponents and take them out of their games, Jamison said.

"KG plays a lot of mental games and he's good at it," Jamison said. "He will hold and grab and talk. There's times I've tried to talk with him, but I don't do it much anymore."

Garnett, 35, has been in Jamison's ear for nearly 20 years. Both players grew up in the Carolinas and faced each other on the AAU circuit. Jamison said Garnett is the same player he was as a kid. Cavaliers rookie Tristan Thompson, who idolizes Garnett, was given a full scouting report on the "shenanigans."

And what are these shenanigans?

"Nothing appropriate for the newspaper or the radio," said Jamison, who relishes the challenge of playing the future Hall-of-Famer. "Let's just say the 'bar fight' [rant] was a G-rating for him."

Cleveland.com

Poor Antawn Jamison. He's had to listen to Garnett yap for two decades. Then again, I've know John for 20 years, too. Poor me.

Taking Stock: Celtics - Cavaliers

After every game, we'll take stock of how each individual performance affects the player's overall value.

Starters

Avery Bradley:  His D wasn't nearly what it was in the last Orlando game, and the 5 turnovers (a couple of them were really bad) were a problem.  And if E'Twaun Moore is going to play like he did last night, Avery... defense and all... will lose minutes.

Paul Pierce:  He had a stretch where he was just awesome.  But he also had 7 turnovers in the game. 

Kevin Garnett:  Not a bad night for KG.  14 and 7 is ok for him.  But I thought he was on his way to a 20-10 night the way he started out.  
 

 Brandon Bass:  I don't know if I'm being hard on everyone because I still have that sour taste in my mouth, but Bass had an OK but not great game.  His production in the books wasn't bad, but I just thought he could have been a difference-maker with some energy that was clearly missing elsewhere.    
 

Ray Allen:  

Didn't seem to miss a beat, did he?

Bench

VIDEO: Complete Comeback @ Orlando

So last night's choke job against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home was how shall we say, not great.  While the return of Ray Allen was great to watch, including him draining threes as if nothing happened to him, blowing a significant lead late in the fourth quarter never leaves you feeling good for days after the fact.  Instead, we've decided to show something positive: the amazing comeback the Celtics pulled off down in Orlando last Thursday night.

It's been a few days, and the C's defeated the Pacers the next night in an impressive fashion, but this one deserves some re-watching.  It begins with Tommy Heinsohn's discouraging commentary (and rightfully so), during the second quarter when the Magic built their highest lead.  From there, you'll see the aggressive and smart defense that triggered several outstanding offensive plays to complete the comeback.  From KG's blocks, to Pierce's scoring, to E'Twaun Moore's incredible breakout clutch performance, the C's never relented.

So swish this around your mouth for a good fifteen minutes to wash out the bitter taste from last night.

  

Breakdown: How the hell did Irving get that layup?

The Celtics had pissed away an 11 point lead but they still had a chance to win.  All they had to do was stop the Cleveland Cavaliers one time and they could go home with a winning record.  

But they didn't.  Kyrie Irving split the defense, laid it in, and now all that great stuff we watched over the past week has been erased.  Or at least pushed aside.  

So how did it happen?  Very simple.  Avery Bradley played a simple pick and roll poorly, giving Irving the opening he needed.

Here's the set up.  1-4 baseline spread.  Anthony Parker set a pick on Bass, and Anderson Varejao went up to set a screen on Bradley. 

Your Morning Dump... Did Paul Pierce take a shot at Doc Rivers?

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump. 

And, for Pierce, there also was frustration about a lack of fourth-quarter playing time, the 14th-year veteran openly wondering if things might have been different if he played more than the final 3:42, when the Cavaliers closed on an 8-0 run (part of a 12-0 spurt) and rookie Kyrie Irving's driving layup with 2.6 seconds to go provided the winner. 

"Maybe I should play a little bit more, I don't know," Pierce said when questioned about what the Celtics have to do to maintain a fourth-quarter edge. 

Asked if he was disappointed in being put back in so late, Pierce snapped, "No comment." 

Before anybody starts screaming about player-coach friction and ask whether Pierce was second-guessing Doc Rivers, keep in mind that Pierce soon after admitted the root of his frustration simply was not winning the game. 

"I'm more upset with losing, more so than not getting back in," he said. "Certainly I would have liked to have been in there to finish off the game, but the coaches make their decisions. At the time, you can understand when we have an [11-point] lead [with 4:25 to play] to rest the guys. So it's a double-edged sword." 

ESPN Boston - Frustrated by loss, Pierce vents

It's been a long time since I've seen Paul Pierce so bitter (watch the video to get a better feel of Pierce's attitude).

He's angry. Angry at the loss to the Cavaliers. And angry that Doc Rivers waited so long to insert him back into the line-up.

To his credit, Pierce repeatedly criticized his own play and turnovers (7). And he tries to couch his criticism of Doc Rivers, but there's some venom there. 

Will there be any long term damage to chemistry? Absolutely not. I won't be surprised if Pierce apologizes to Doc.

Related links: Herald - Decision doesn't sit well with  Pierce | CSNNE - Pierce unhappy with playing time in 4th | WEEI - Anatomy of a Celtics collapse | 

On Page 2, what's the deal with Rondo?

Celtics collapse, Cavs steal a win

"Part of me fears a let down.  The Celtics coming off a stretch of impressive wins over good teams to get back to .500 now face a lesser opponent."

That part of me was right.  I should have listened.

The Celtics gave up a season-high 54 points in the paint, the last two coming on a game-winning layup by rookie sensation Kyrie Irving (23 points, 10-14 fg).  It was the capper on a 12-0 run after the Celtics had taken an 11 point lead.  

The final was 88-87 Cavs.  The Celtics 87th point came on a Brandon Bass free throw with 4:24 left in the game.  The Celtics were 0-5 with 3 turnovers in that stretch.  The Cavs hit 3 layups and 4 free throws in the stretch.

The Celtics defense was terrible.  The bench was out-scored 30-16.  

Ray Allen was on fire in his first game back from injury, hitting on 9-14 shots (4-6 3pt) for 22 points.  Paul Pierce had a stretch in the third where he was in full takeover mode.  But other than that... I can't find much nice to say... or want to say. 

Box Score

Ray is in, Rondo probably isn't

Twitter / @SherrodbCSN: #Celtics Ray Allen tells r ... via kwout

I'd say this sums things up nicely. 

I'd still like Doc to ease Ray back in.  The rest of the guys have been playing well.  There's no need to play Ray 35 minutes no matter what.

How we see it goin' down: Celtics - Cavaliers

Tip: 6:00pm    Court: TD Garden    Watch it: CSN      Hear it: WEEI

                           Referees:  Marc Davis, Eric Lewis, Scott Wall

 Get your tickets here

The Matchup

Record: 9-9 (2nd Atlantic, 7th East)	Record: 7-11 (4th Central, 9th East)
At home: 6-5	On road: 4-7
Streak: Won 4	Streak: Won 1
Leaders	Leaders
Buckets: Pierce (17.7 ppg)	Buckets: Kyrie Irving (16.5 ppg)
Boards: Garnett (7.5 rpg)	Boards: Anderson Varejao (11.1     rpg)
Dimes: Rondo (9.4 apg)	Dimes: Irving (4.8 apg)
For the Stat Geeks:	For the Stat Geeks:
Offensive Rating: 100.6 (21th NBA)	Offensive Rating: 100.5 (22nd NBA)
Defensive Rating: 98.5 (4th NBA)	Defensive Rating: 104.3 (23rd NBA)
Pace: 89.2 (27th NBA)	Pace: 93.1 (7th NBA)

Last time

The Celtics won the season series with the Cavs last year, 2-1.

This time

Get it to: Paul Pierce

Like there's any other choice right now?  Do I really need to recount how sublime he's been?  Let this man do his thing.

Gotta stop: Kyrie Irving

This kid is probably going to be the rookie of the year.  He's one of probably a handful of guys who don't care who the hell Avery Bradley is or where Avery picks him up on D.  So instead of full court pressure where Irving could potentially get past Bradley and play 5-on-4, Bradley should fall back and pick him up just as he crosses half court.  Use the half court line as a pseudo-defender and try to turn him when he's got less space to maneuver.  It also lets the defense get set so they can help if need be. 

The Wild Card: Anderson Varejao

If the Celtics can keep him off the boards, then they'll be in decent shape.  If Varejao is being his typically annoying self, he's crashing the offensive glass, getting tip ins, flopping and drawing fouls... and just generally pissing us off.  If the Celtics can keep him from being "Anderson Varejao"... this will be easy.

How we see it goin' down

Part of me fears a let down.  The Celtics coming off a stretch of impressive wins over good teams to get back to .500 now face a lesser opponent. 

But this Celtics team is a little different.  Even if Ray Allen makes his expected return, Doc Rivers will have no qualms about limiting his minutes considering how well the rest of the team has played.  Ray can be worked in slowly... and the younger, higher-energy guys can still do their thing.  

And so can Paul Pierce.  I think Pierce gets the C's going early, I think Kyrie Irving has a tough shooting night, and I think even if Varejao gets a few offensive rebounds, they will not be enough to keep the Cavs in contention for very long. 

The Celtics defense is back in a big enough way to put the offensively challenged Cavaliers out of this by mid-second quarter.  Celtics take this one at home, and get their first taste of a winning record, beating the Cavs 98-79.

Your Morning Dump... Where we heap praise on Paul Pierce

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump. 

"I'll play wherever they put me," he shrugged. 

And that, in a nutshell, is what makes Pierce so valuable to the Celtics. Whatever the team is lacking, he's the one picking up the slack, often morphing his talents to fill a void. 

“I have to make more plays now that Rondo’s out," he said. "Usually, I’m the recipient of a lot of Rondo’s passes, but with him out, I’m taking on some part in that role and it's just up to me to be responsible, to know when to find guys and have a balance on when to score.”

Since Rondo went down, Pierce has also averaged 20.8 points, 6 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1 block over 34.6 minutes per game. Boston is 5-1 over its last six games, the only loss coming in what might have been Pierce's quietest night of the stretch against Phoenix.

ESPN Boston: Pierce "understanding what the game needs"

Pierce is averaging 8 assists per game over the last 6 games.  He is reason #1 the Celtics have climbed back to .500.  I've read a bunch of comments about how the young guys have helped power this team.. and they've helped.  But it's been Pierce's contribution as a passer, rebounder and scorer that have led the Celtics' resurgence.

This is why Pierce was mentioned when the vultures were swirling around the team when they were struggling.  Paul Pierce, who is still not all the way back, can still get the job done.  

It's been amazing to watch how Pierce stepped up lately.  His ability to do so is just incredible.

On Page 2:  The bench gets some love too

The Celtics have no shot at Chris Kaman

The New Orleans Hornets are trying to move center Chris Kaman and his $14 million salary. The Hornets are so intent on trading Kaman, they aren't playing him out of fear he may get injured. 

While Kaman and his 11.7 ppg and 8.3 rpg career averages would be a welcome additon to the Celtics, a trade is virtually impossible. The Hornets want something of value in return, not a Jermaine O'Neal, Chris Wilcox, JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore cocktail. Those salaries don't even work, but you get my point.

As ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg points out, the only chance for Boston is for Kaman to be bought out of his deal. If that happens, the Celtics could offer a veteran minimum deal.

Teams rumored to have interest in trading for Kaman include the Spurs, Pacers, Rockets and Jazz.

(Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)