Celtics - Getting Inside

Doc Rivers swears he isn’t fibbing when he says the Hawks pose a threat to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

The coach explained that it won’t “be an easy series. They’re athletic as heck. We’ve struggled with athletic teams—Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington. So it would be absolutely a tough matchup.

“But it’s what I told our guys. With what we’re trying to achieve, it should be tough and it will be tough. We just have to get ready for that.”

The Hawks certainly know they have to be ready.

“Hey, they’re the best team in the East right now—in the league as a whole, as far as record-wise,” coach Mike Woodson said. “Doc Rivers has done a wonderful job; that’s all you can say. You’ve just got to tip your hat to him, because it’s not a guarantee that when you put three All-Stars together, it’s going to work. And they’ve made it work. They’ve made their supporting cast play at a high level each and every night, and in doing that they’ve won a lot of games.”

But Atlanta sub Josh Childress is optimistic.

“I think, in that situation, we’re a team that has nothing to lose,” he said. “We’re going to go out there and just fight. No one expects us to win. No one expects us to be in this position to begin with. So when the time comes and if we do match up with them, I think it’s going to be great on our end. We just have to go out there and play.

“There is no high expectation. You know, they’re the ones with the pressure on them. They have to beat us, because if they don’t, it’s the biggest upset. We just have to go out there and play hard.”

Celtics 105, Nets 94: With their regulars once again on limited duty, the Celtics looked to their supporting cast. This time, it was Leon Powe who stepped up with a career-high 27 points to go with 11 rebounds against New Jersey Wednesday night in Boston.

Powe was a beast inside, hitting nine of 16 shots from the floor and holding off the Nets. He had 12 of his points in the last quarter, moving the Celtics from an early tie in the frame to an easy triumph.

“I’m just trying to go out there and do something to help my team,” said Powe.

The Celtics finished their season with four straight wins and victories in 11 of their last 12.

“Oh, it’s valuable,” said Doc Rivers of giving his bench players important crunch time minutes in the last week-and-a-half. “I doubt that you’ll see all five of them in together in the playoffs, but it gives each one individually a lot of confidence.”

Notes, Quotes

• Kevin Garnett managed to win the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award despite averaging a little more than 25 minutes a game in the Celtics’ 3-1 run. He posted 19.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.25 steals in the span.

“That’s great,” said Doc Rivers. “Maybe we’ll keep sitting him and see if he can win another one.”

• Doc Rivers is a golf nut, so you know he was enjoying it when Masters’ winner Trevor Immelman accepted an invitation to address the Celts at halftime of their game in New York.

“He gave us the halftime speech. It obviously worked,” said Doc Rivers, whose Celts came back from five points down to win by six.

“It was great. Half the guys didn’t know him. It was really cool. They all gave him a nice standing ovation and shook his hand. We wanted everyone to touch what a champion felt like.

“He just said he’s been watching us all year and good luck.”

Quote To Note: “All I can remember the last two or three years is coming here and promising y’all better days.”—F Paul Pierce, addressing the fans before the game.

Roster Report

Rotation: Point guard Sam Cassell, Shooting guard Ray Allen, Small forward Paul Pierce, Power forward Kevin Garnett, Center Kendrick Perkins. Bench—Guard Eddie House, Guard Tony Allen, Forward Leon Powe, Forward Brian Scalabrine, Forward Glen Davis, Forward P.J. Brown, Guard Gabe Pruitt.

Player Notes:

• G Rajon Rondo didn’t dress for the regular season finale. Both he and F James Posey were given a break after playing 41 minutes apiece Monday.

• G Eddie House was back in the rotation after three games out with a strained groin.

• G Sam Cassell got the start at the point and had nine points and four assists in 19 minutes.

• G Tony Allen closed out on a high note with 18 points in 32 minutes.