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.
Pierce huddled the team and said this kind of nonsense had to stop. And when the hosts tied the game in the fourth, Pierce came back in and scored 10 straight Celtics points to restore order. He had 14 in the quarter as the C’s defeated the Wizards for the third time this season. It was just the fourth time they’ve scored in triple figures, coming into the game 26th in offense at 88.9 point per game.
“I think they started talking a little garbage to him (Pierce), a little trash,” said Kevin Garnett, who went for 17 points. “We call that hitting the button. You know, Truth hit the button, man. It was good to see him have a game like this. We needed it.”
Herald – Truth can't be silenced
Paul Pierce dominated this game, but like I wrote in the game recap, there's plenty of room for improvement.
He still talks about being out of shape. You can see he's not as smooth offensively as we are accustomed to. I initially feared Pierce was washed up. Hell, we've never seen him look so bad. Despite all the doom-and-gloom surround the lockout, I thought the veterans would keep themselves in elite shape. Silly me.
I'm going to miss Kevin Garnett's quotes. He's great at providing player perspective and insight into the intricacies of the game.
Related links: Globe – Pierce lifts Celtics | CSNNE – Pierce leads way over Wizards |
On Page 2, walking boot or wing-tip for Ray Allen?
The good news for the Celtics after yesterday’s 100-94 win over the Wizards was that Ray Allen sported an immaculately shined wingtip shoe on his left foot instead of a walking boot.
Allen left in the second quarter with what the team termed a “jammed’’ left ankle, and X-rays were negative.
Allen said he will try to play tonight against the Magic at TD Garden, but his status is uncertain.
“Right now there’s pain in the back of the ankle,’’ he said. “If I had my druthers, I would have tried to come back out on the floor and try to work through it.
“It feels better, but we’ll see by [today]. It was the way [Vesely] was setting screens. He was stepping out and extending and every time I tried to go around it, his foot was in the way, so it just seemed like a train wreck waiting to happen.’’
Globe – Allen nursing ankle injury
If the injury was serious, Ray would have been sporting a boot and not dress shoes. My only concern is the uncommon nature of the injury. I'm guessing Allen misses tonight's game against the Magic,
Related link: CSNNE – Allen definitely won't rule himself out Monday
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Another Magic moment? | Observations from Cs win | Herald – Doc: We weren't ready | CSNNE – Celtics/Wizards: What you saw | With Rondo down, Bradley filling in nicely | CBS Sports – Magic/Celtics preview
Photos by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images
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