Associated Press photo
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.
The Boston Celtics were losing, on the road, by near double-digits to a Sacramento team that's among the worst in the NBA.
So as Allen made his way towards the C's locker room at the half, he lit into this teammates in a way seldom seen or heard.
"I don't normally do that," Allen said.
Coach Doc Rivers stood outside the locker room and heard it all multiple voices.
"You could hear them talking that, 'We don't play that way. That's not Celtics basketball.' I heard Ray [Allen] and Kevin [Garnett]."
But according to players, it was Allen whose voice seemed to dominate all others.
[…] "Ray was kind of mad at us," Perkins said. "We just had to take it, bounce back and go from there. I thought guys came back in, took the coaching well, came in with the right mindset."
[…] "I was pissed at the way we played," Allen said of the team's first half performance. "I felt we took their confidence away [at the start of the game]. Going into the second quarter, I felt we gave them confidence back by not playing, not having energy."
CSNNE: Allen gets hot on the floor and in the locker room
Kevin Garnett yells, screams and curses when he's picking out which cereal to have for breakfast… so sometimes his halftime tirades can fall on deaf ears.
But when Ray's pissed… now THAT gets people's attention.
The C's didn't exactly come out like world-beaters in the second half. Sacramento hung around for pretty much the whole game. BUT, the C's did play better… and they played well enough to win. And as Chuck said after the game… wins at the end of west coast swings don't have to be pretty. They just have to be wins.
And maybe we can dispel the notion that these guys don't care. This would have been an easy game to pack in… but the halftime yelling shows that they care about these wins. They've got a 3 game lead on Miami and 3.5 on Chicago… so they clearly don't feel like they have much wiggle room.
So good win by the C's. And because of the weather, they get an extra day in beautiful Sacramento to soak it all in.
Paradise.
Related Links: Globe: Allen's blast lifted them
On Page 2: Doc's coaching the All Stars
After the final buzzer Tuesday, Celtics captain Paul Pierce walked over and embraced coach Doc Rivers. While Pierce was probably happy to have emerged from this four-game west coast trip with a 3-1 record, his sly smile also suggested he used the moment to remind Rivers that he's Los Angeles-bound for the NBA's 60th annual All-Star game.
With Tuesday's win, Boston improved to 37-11 and ensured it will have the best winning percentage in the East by the All-Star cutoff date of Feb. 6. Rivers, who utilizes much of his free time to jet around the country to watch his kids' athletic endeavors, probably didn't want to spend four days in Los Angeles for what amounts to a star-studded exhibition, but his star-laden roster could include as many as four Celtics reserves (non-starters are selected by coach's vote and will be unveiled later this week).
What's more, good friend and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will coach the West All-Stars. Rivers also coached the East All-Stars during the 2008 game in New Orleans, before Boston went on to claim Banner 17.
ESPN Boston: Rapid Reaction II
Congrats to Doc and staff. Here's hoping you get the four Celtics you deserve to go with you on the trip. Although I'm not sure I want to see our guys running around in spandex jerseys.
Yeah…. umm…. maybe we don't want Shaq playing in this one. (via The Basketball Jones)
Related links: Globe: Finish fit for a King | MWDN: Celtics deserving of rare All Star feat
The rest of the links:
Herald: Celtics surge past Kings | Shaq won't dwell on his stats | Walton gushes about Green then and now | CSNNE: On KG, Bin Laden, the Twitterverse & you | Rivers urges Rondo to get to the free throw line | Celts finish trip with win over King | ESPN Boston: Rapid reaction I | Forsberg on NBA Today | Biggest threat to C's in the East? | WEEI: Better late than never for C's | Talking Hoops episode 4 | Doctor knows best | Globe: O'Neal isn't starting anything
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
