Bobcats-Celtics Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Feb 06 2012 1:52PM

Led by a scoring surge from Paul Pierce and a renewed effort on defense, the Boston Celtics are healthy and looking again like one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

Pierce will try to move into second place on the franchise's all-time scoring list when the Celtics welcome the lowly Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.

After a slow start and being hampered by injuries, Boston (13-10) has won four straight and eight of nine, including 98-80 over Memphis on Sunday.

Kevin Garnett matched his season high with 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Rajon Rondo, playing his second game after missing eight with a wrist injury, tied a season best with 14 assists.

The Celtics' turnaround is unsurprising to Pierce, who missed the first three games with a bruised heel.

"I think a lot of it has to do with us getting healthy," he said. "We were just a rusty group at the beginning of the year. ... We probably used those first eight to 10 games as a tune up, but I think now we've finally flipped the switch where we're playing more consistent ball."

Pierce scored 21 points Sunday to move nine behind Hall of Famer Larry Bird for second place on the club's scoring list. Pierce is averaging 23.4 points over the last nine games - up from the 14.6 in his first 11.

While the healthier lineup has helped the team offensively, Boston also credits it for the improvement on the other end of the court. Over the last nine games, opponents are averaging 81.2 points on 38.8 percent shooting against the Celtics, who have the second-best scoring defense in the NBA at 86.7 points per game.

"Defense is key the last three weeks for us," coach Doc Rivers said. "Our guys have bought into it."

The Celtics should have little trouble putting up those kinds of defensive numbers against Charlotte (3-21), which has dropped 11 straight while averaging 83.0 points.

Following losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland by a combined 77 points, the league-worst Bobcats are coming off a 95-89 defeat at Phoenix on Sunday that dropped them to 1-13 on the road.

Charlotte led by six at the half and pushed the advantage to 10 early in the third quarter, but it scored just 17 points in the fourth to allow Phoenix to rally.

Kemba Walker scored 22 points and Reggie Williams added 21, but they combined for just four in the fourth quarter, when Charlotte shot 35.3 percent.

"We just missed some shots that we should have made and they came down, executed their offense and they made shots," Walker said. "They really just outplayed us in the fourth quarter."

Williams made his third appearance and first start with the Bobcats after signing in December. Bismack Biyombo, the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft who was acquired in a trade with Sacramento, made his first start and had 11 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double.

Charlotte is closing a four-game road trip before returning home to face three teams leading their respective divisions in Chicago, the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia.

The Bobcats have won their last two meetings with the Celtics, holding them to fewer than 90 points in each.

Pierce passes Bird in Celtics' win over Bobcats

Posted Feb 07 2012 11:18PM

BOSTON (AP) Paul Pierce knew what was on the line with every shot.

The pressure was quite clear to Pierce and anyone else in the arena as he stood on the verge of passing Larry Bird for No. 2 on Boston's career scoring list. He needed only 10 points to overtake Bird when the Celtics hosted Charlotte on Tuesday night and those final three seemed as if they would never come.

They did early in the third quarter, then Pierce and the Celtics celebrated the milestone by increasing their season-best winning streak to five with a 94-84 win over the Bobcats.

"It was a relief. So much was hanging over me the last couple of days. Just hearing about it and knowing that you've got a game to play," said Pierce, who finished with 15 points. "Just to be mentioned with him, with this organization, is a great honor."

Pierce now stands alone at No. 2 - and it is quite a list - with 21,797 points, six more than Bird's total of 21,791. Only John Havlicek has scored more in team history with 26,395 points.

Pierce didn't even try to calculate the gap or how long it could take him to reach Havlicek.

"I think the fans would really appreciate another championship more than me passing Hondo," Pierce said.

Pierce nearly celebrated with a triple-double, coming up just short with nine assists and eight rebounds.

Rajon Rondo added 14 assists and 10 points, Kevin Garnett scored 22 and Ray Allen finished with 17 points on a night that clearly belonged to the team captain known as "The Truth" - which Mickeal Pietrus had written in big letters on a towel he waved for Pierce.

"I thought they tried so hard in the first half. I thought it was never going to happen," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "I mean, it was unbelievable how our guys were passing out shots. They were doing everything to try to get this thing."

Derrick Brown went 10 for 10 from the field for 20 points for Charlotte, but the biggest shooter Tuesday was Pierce on what normally would have been an off shooting night for him.

He had seven points at halftime, then got his big moment out of the way with 10:23 left in the third on a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

"I'm not going to lie. It was hanging over my head too much," Pierce said. "You kind of just felt it. It was hard to really ignore it and just focus on the game."

Reggie Williams scored 21 for the Bobcats, who lost their 12th straight despite staying within 11 points through the first three quarters. Kemba Walker had 16 points and seven assists for the Bobcats, who kept it close before Boston opened the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run.

"When you have to play your main guys for as long as we do, it gets kind of tough," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "We've just got to keep battling."

The outcome never seemed in doubt and fans focused on Pierce making history for a franchise loaded with it. There was no announcement - or need for one - as everyone seemed to know what Pierce's shot from the top of the key meant in addition to giving the Celtics a 48-40 lead early in the third quarter.

Pierce knew he had it, raising his arms as Boston fans gave him a standing ovation. The applause lasted for several minutes as teammate Garnett waved the crowd on for more.

The official announcement finally came during a time out with 5:14 left in the third and Pierce went to midcourt, blew a few kisses and bowed during another round of applause. There was one more when Pierce - a Celtic his entire NBA career - went to the bench with 3:57 left in the period.

"Paul had a chance to leave us when we were bad and instead of moaning that he wanted to go to a championship team, he stayed," Rivers said. "And he said, `I simply want to be a Celtic and I trust that we're going to win a title someday."'

Brandon Bass scored 13 and Garnett added seven rebounds for the Celtics.

Boston led 45-38 at halftime and after an even third quarter, the Celtics pulled away in the fourth, leading by as much as 18 against the weary Bobcats.

With Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers coming to town Thursday, the Celtics were especially relieved to have Pierce's accomplishment out of the way.

"You've got to play some amazing basketball," Rivers said. "Passing Larry Bird - that's impressive."

Notes: Boston's five-game winning streak is its longest of the season. ... Rondo played his third straight game after missing eight with a sore right wrist. ... Charlotte last won on Jan. 14, beating Golden State 112-100. ... Charlotte (3-22) has the worst record in the NBA and fell to 1-14 on the road.

Notebook: Celtics 94, Bobcats 84

Posted Tuesday February 7, 2012 11:55PM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Paul Pierce nearly finished with a triple-double and moved into second place on the franchise all-time scoring list as the Boston Celtics handily defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 94-84. The victory was a season-high fifth straight for Boston. Pierce passed Larry Bird in the all-time rankings to reach the milestone with a 3-pointer at the 10:23 mark of the third quarter, his 10th point of the night. The C's captain finished with 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and Kevin Garnett added a game-high 22 points as Boston led comfortably for the majority of the second half in the win. Reggie Williams posted 21 points in his first start of the season for the visitors. With the setback, Charlotte has now lost 12 straight contests, and have dropped 18 of their last 19 games overall.

QUOTABLE: "It was a relief. So much was hanging over me the last couple of days, just hearing about it and knowing that you've got a game to play. It's a great feat knowing you are going to be up there with all the great Celtics."
-- Paul Pierce on passing Bird and moving into 2nd place on C's all-time scoring list

THE STAT: After a sloppy opening half, with eight turnovers and just 11 assists, Boston began to move the ball much more productively on the offensive end. The hosts dished out 20 assists, while coughing up just three turnovers over the remainder of the contest, to finish with a season-high 31 assists.

TURNING POINT: After passing Bird in the record books, Pierce re-focused his efforts on distributing the ball to help Boston put the game away late. The All-Star small forward had four assists while keying a 11-0 Boston run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to help the Celtics open up a 18-point lead, their largest of the night.

QUOTABLE II: "It's just awesome. I told the guys you have to have several things [to do it]. Longevity, health, you've got to stick around here a long time and you've got to ball and play some amazing basketball. To do what he did here, passing Larry Bird, that's impressive."
-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers on Pierce's milestone

HOT: Derrick Brown -- Few NBA players ever have a perfect shooting night, but that's exactly what the reserve forward accomplished on his way to a career-high 20 points. Brown was lights out from the field, hitting all 10 of his shot attempts, helping to keep Charlotte in the game over the first three quarters.

NOT: Tyrus Thomas -- The veteran power forward dipped further into a shooting slump with his play tonight, posting just two points on one-of-six field goals. Thomas is now just shooting 23.4 percent from the field over his past four games.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Rajon Rondo -- In his third game back from a right wrist injury, the C's floor general delivered his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 assists.

ROOKIE WATCH: Kemba Walker -- The ninth overall pick in the 2011 Draft continues to progress in his role as starting point guard with D.J. Augustin sidelined. The former Connecticut star had 16 points and seven rebounds over a team-high 39 minutes of action.

NOTABLE: Pierce finished six points in front of Bird's mark in the record book with 21,797 points at the end of his evening. The TD Garden greeted the lifetime Celtic with a rousing standing ovation after achieving the milestone, along with a video tribute. John Havlicek is the all-time leading scorer in Celtics history with 26,395 points. Brandon Bass returned to action for Boston after sitting out Sunday's game with a sore left knee. Bass finished with 13 points off the bench. Keyon Dooling (hip) and Marquis Daniels (ankle) did not dress. Charlotte's starting frontcourt combined for just nine points. The loss dropped the Bobcats road record to 1-14 and they also have the worst record in the NBA at 3-22.

UP NEXT: For the Bobcats, Friday vs. Chicago, Saturday vs. L.A. Clippers, Monday vs. Philadelphia. For the Celtics, Thursday vs. L.A. Lakers, Friday @ Toronto, Sunday vs. Chicago.

• Bobcats: Augustin, Maggette
• Celtics: Daniels, Dooling

• Bobcats: Thomas
• Celtics: O'Neal, Pierce

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #6 Tony Brown, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:04