Celtics Down Pacers
In their first matchup since game 7 of the first round of last year’s playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Pacers, 85-71 at TD Banknorth Garden. Shira Springer reports on the game, as the Celtics pulled away from the Ron Artest-less Pacers in the fourth quarter. Still, according to Steve Bulpett, Coach Doc Rivers was not happy with the play of his team, as he feels they needed to play better against a flat Indiana team. Lenny Megliola writes that this game was almost entirely devoid of flow. Shalise Manza Young says it may have been an ugly win, but it was a win regardless.
Much focus was of course placed on a player who didn’t even play in the game last night, that being Ron Artest. Peter May and Mark Murphy look at the disgust that his Pacers teammates have for Artest right now, with Jermaine O’Neal being the most vocal in wishing the forward good riddance. Buddy Thomas thinks he knows how any Indiana/Boston trade talks involving Artest must’ve gone. Jackie MacMullan looks at Paul Pierce putting the nightmare of last year’s playoff series with the Pacers in the past. His immediate reaction after the series was to request a trade, but as time went on, he realized Boston was the place for him. In an article that will no doubt please the Get Buckets Brigade, the Globe has a piece by Mindy Pollack-Fusi this morning which looks at Ricky Davis, his home, and his family life, noting that the forward hopes to remain in Boston for some time to come. Murphy has a piece on Mark Blount, and how he was playing so well last night that Davis wanted to do whatever it took to keep him on the floor last night.
Bulpett’s notebook looks at Marcus Banks being held back from last night’s game, and has Stephen Jackson saying good things about Kendrick Perkins. Young’s notebook also looks at the delayed return for Banks. Springer’s notebook examines the friendship that Paul Pierce and Jermaine O’Neal developed over the summer out in Los Angeles. At the end of the notebook, she had a quote from Ron Artest saying that Pierce is the toughest player to guard in the NBA, tougher than McGrady, Kobe or LeBron.
