March 2001 Boston Celtics Wiretap

Kings Cruise to Win at Home

Dec 31, 2001 2:00 PM

It sure looked easy. There's little doubt that a lot of hard work went into the Kings' 109-94 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.

There's even less doubt that the Kings made beating the Atlantic Division's second-best team look like no big deal.

Before the 100th consecutive sellout crowd of 17,317 at Arco Arena, the Kings improved to a league-leading 17-1 at home. Their 10th consecutive home win also improved their overall record to 23-9.

Tags: Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, NBA

Discuss
Pierce is Magic's Pride and Joy

Dec 31, 2001 1:47 PM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - You might think Magic Johnson would be a bit disturbed by the fact a kid who grew up in Inglewood, Calif., idolizing him would turn out to be a . . . Celtic.

Not so. Before the Celts left Los Angeles to finish their trip here against the Kings, the Herald checked in with Magic, who offered a strong testimonial for that kid, Paul Pierce. Johnson, in fact, is certain he'll be watching him in this season's NBA All-Star Game.

``No, I'm not upset he's a Celtic,'' Magic said, laughing at the notion. ``I'm proud of him. It's like a big brother-little brother thing that we have.

Tags: Boston Celtics, NBA

Discuss
Rough Road for Celtics

Dec 31, 2001 1:45 PM

SACRAMENTO - Last night as they chartered home, the Celtics weren't all that unhappy with the long flight. The further away they could get from the Western Conference the better.

After being crowned by the Kings, 109-94, and falling to 1-3 on the trip, the Celtics could find joy in geography. It's not that they mind playing teams from out here, it's just that they'd rather do it in their own house (5-0 against the West at the Fleet).

And while their wings may have been clipped a bit on the four-games-in-five-nights journey, they are still seven games over .500 as 2002 knocks.

The Celtics are not, however, as good as the 23-9 Kings. Last night, they were barely playing the same game. The Kings made 10 jumpers while shooting 60 percent in the first quarter and never looked back.

Tags: Boston Celtics, NBA

Discuss
A Little Webber Can Go a Long Way

Dec 31, 2001 1:44 PM

SACRAMENTO - Reports of divisiveness have been greatly exaggerated, it would seem.


The Sacramento Kings were off to a great start without Chris Webber, the 6-foot-10-inch All-Pro forward who was idled by a severe ankle injury. They were moving the basketball, and everything was great.

Tags: Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, NBA

Discuss
Kings Win and Entertain

Dec 31, 2001 1:41 PM

ACRAMENTO - Now that's NBA basketball.

If the Sacramento Kings were playing in Boston, the FleetCenter would be banged out every night, the scalpers would be dreaming about Caribbean vacations when the team was out of town, the bars and restaurants in the North Station area would have lines clear to Charlestown, and, best of all, the basketball lovers among the general populace would have a legitimate reason to think the 17th flag might soon be flying from the rafters.

For the Sacramento Kings are a team Boston could embrace. They play the game in a manner you people have seen before, and the way they toyed with the Celtics last night is about what happens every night in Arco Arena.

Tags: Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, NBA

Discuss
Kedrick Keeps Pushing

Dec 30, 2001 1:32 PM

For the first time since Chris Ford was roaming the sidelines in the early 1990s, a Celtics coach has a solid nucleus to call upon off the bench. In Eric Williams and Erick Strickland, Jim O'Brien has hard-nosed defensive stoppers for his frontcourt and backcourt. He has a highly capable backup center in Vitaly Potapenko.

But what O'Brien and the Celtics still lack off the bench is that pure athletic dimension that can alter the pace and/or direction of a game. Be it with a blocked shot, a steal or an electrifying dunk, a player who can deliver the type of play that ignites his team. The type of plays, in fact, that Kedrick Brown has been making in practice since training camp.

Tags: Boston Celtics, NBA

Discuss
Fingernail Clipping in L.A.

Dec 30, 2001 1:31 PM

LOS ANGELES - There had been two losses to start the trip, and the Celtics found themselves staring directly at a defeat to the Clippers on several occasions yesterday afternoon. With one game left on the journey today against the mighty Sacramento Kings, the Green were looking rather blue.

Yeah, and it was raining in Southern California to boot.

But after a triple-Houdini performance, the only moisture that mattered was the sweat of the Celtics' labor.

``I'm drenched from hugging the players,'' C's coach Jim

Tags: Boston Celtics, NBA

Discuss
DJ Likes Celtics

Dec 30, 2001 1:29 PM

LOS ANGELES - Dennis Johnson wasn't a happy man after being on the short end of the Celtics' 18th win yesterday. But the Clippers assistant coach is pleased that he isn't taking as much heat these days about being an ex-Celtic.

``In all the time when the Celtics were floundering and down,'' DJ said before the C's 105-103 overtime win, ``that's when people really like to hit you. And me being out here in Los Angeles, I took a lot of hits. A lot. People would try to rub my nose in the fact the Celtics weren't going to the playoffs, and even though I'm not working for the team, it still really bothered me to hear that kind of stuff.

``After all the years I spent with the Celtics - and I'm still most proud of my time there - I am so glad to see the team doing great again. I really am.''

First-quarter flop

Tags: Boston Celtics, NBA

Discuss
Williams Seals the Deal

Dec 30, 2001 1:27 PM

OS ANGELES Sometimes not doing something you should be doing leads to good things in the end.

Take a very big basket by the Celtics' Eric Williams in yesterday afternoon's satisfying 105-103 overtime victory over the Clippers. With 1 minute 8 seconds to play in overtime, and the Green and White trailing by 4 (100-96) following a Quentin Richardson 3-pointer, Williams found himself all alone in the right corner. Receiving the skip pass from Erick Strickland, the veteran drilled his sole 3-point attempt of the game to give Boston life at 100-99.

Tags: Boston Celtics, NBA

Discuss
Eric Unlikely Hero

Dec 30, 2001 1:26 PM

OS ANGELES - Put this game in a proper collegiate circumstance, with the packed gym and the bands and the cheerleaders and all the associated trappings, and people would have gone home saying, ''That's the greatest game I ever saw in my life.''

But it was just another day in the NBA, where this sort of stuff happens, without excess comment, about 200 times a year. Suffice it to say the Staples Center sellout crowd of 18,964 got a satisfactory afternoon's entertainment, even if most of them were not pleased with the result.

Celtics coach Jim

Tags: Boston Celtics, NBA

Discuss
Pierce Wants Whistles

Celtics Say Greed Is Good

Marbury Sinks Celtics

Pierce's Rimshot No Laughing Matter

Randy Ready For Waiver?

Celtics Snowed In Utah

Coaching Carousel

Jazz Outmuscle Celtics

Jazz Notes: Russell's return rapid

Celts trip and fall: Lose to Jazz to open road swing

Celtics not too Jazzed in Utah

Utah salts it away

Making the best of it

Jazz bench takes care of Celtics

Jazz Show Team Effort

Brown injury a taxing issue for Celtics

Tough Road Ahead for Confidents Celts

Stardom New For Pierce

O'Brien Likes Grizzlies Rookies

Center By Committee