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.
“I don’t think any of us knows what that feels like,” Ray Allen said of a stretch that begins tonight against Denver at the Garden. “We haven’t been home that long all year. Hopefully I can get my bags unpacked.”
Herald: Celtics unpack, look to get right at home
“It’s a good test for us,’’ forward Paul Pierce said. “We definitely have some good teams. It’s good preparation. A lot of playoff-type basketball is going to be played in this next couple of weeks, especially with everybody positioning for seeding. We played well on the road but we have to play better at home.’’
...
“We have to get consistent [at home],’’ Garnett said. “We have to continue to share the ball, continue to be consistent with what we are doing, and we’ll be OK.’’
Globe: A little housekeeping in order for Celtics
Home struggles are so confusing.
But maybe those days are gone. The last 3 home games have ended with a Gino jig on the jumbo-tron. Granted, none of those teams are the Nuggets... but the Celtics are playing differently now.
And the Celtics are out of excuses. It's Spring... there are only 12 games left before the playoffs... and 8 of those games are at home. Denver is a playoff team and this is a potential Finals preview. And Denver lost to the Knicks last night... which makes me a wee bit nervous because they're going to come in here a little pissed off.
So sleep well in your own beds. Wake up and have a nice breakfast. You're going to be spending a lot of time in Boston from here on out. Time to make it home for you... and hell for other teams.
Coming up, Page 2... where Nate's a garbage man
Call Him ‘The Garbage Man’: Providing a spark off the bench may not be appealing to every player, but Robinson enjoys doing the dirty work on the court.
“It’s kind of like, it’s a job that has to be done. It’s kind of like a garbage man, that’s how I look at it, kind of like a garbage man. Everybody needs their garbage picked up and I’m that guy to do it. I’m the energy guy. I’ve got to bring enough energy for everybody, enough for the whole building.”
Camerato: Inside the Game: Nate Robinson and the Art of High Energy Basketball
Think of all the late-season acquisitions for the Celtics in the Big-3 era. Right now, Nate is easily the best at this stage. I know PJ Brown stepped up in the playoffs, but he didn't do much during the regular season a few years ago.
Nate is stepping in and paying immediate dividends. He's like one of those 5-Hour energy shots. A tiny little thing that gives you a big boost of energy.
Heeeeeeyyyyy... there's an endorsement idea. I thought of it first, Nate. If you get it... I get 15%.
By the way... there's a lot of fun stuff in that link. I do have to break out one more story from it:
“I remember one time I was like 15 or 16 and I was in Oakland, California. There was this park where I grew up called Bushrod, it’s in north Oakland, me and my family took a little trip up to another park called Mosswood. It’s like rival parks and my family went up there and we played against another family. I remember we put the money in a hat, everybody put in five dollars. … We played for hat, played for the money.
“I remember this one big dude, my cousin threw me an alley-oop and I caught it and I dunked on him. I was screaming and yelling. He was like, ‘If you do that again, I’m doing to kick your butt.’ I was like, ‘Oh man.’ So I’m going through the game, I was scoring, and it was game point. My cousin who was on fast break, she threw another lob and dude goes up and I was like, ‘A. Do I catch it and dunk on him? B. Do I let the ball go out of bounds and I lose and my family beats me up?’ (laughs) I didn’t know what to do.“
So I just went with my first instinct, caught it, and I dunked on him again. We got the money and we ran home. They were chasing us (laughs), they were mad.”
"She" threw another lob?
Can you imagine the looks on everyone's faces when a girl is throwing lobs to a 5'6" guy to take their money? I'd be looking around to see if someone was filming it for one of those "gotcha" shows.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Scouting report: Nuggets at Celtics | Globe: Nuggets Thumbnails | Rondo unsure about USA Basketball | ESPN Boston: Strong Finishers? | He's on board | Pierce reveals February knee drain | CSNNE: Celtics look to return to form at home | MWDN: C's jostling for playoff position | WEEI: Journey to the D League, Part 1 | How Antoine Walker lost $110 million | Celtics Blog: Why the 3rd seed is important | Celtics Hub: Does anyone miss TA getting minutes? | Ginos Jungle: Captains calm down Rondo | Celtics Town: Rivers' feud with Malloy goes way back