Herald  Execs split on C’s chances
Rest assured, no surgery for KG
Globe  A collision of Celtics nostalgia and reality
Celtics Green  Ainge Making Decisions With One Hand Tied Behind His Back
A Few Summer League Notes
Stephen A Smith Stirring Things Up Yet Again
No Surgery Needed for KG
CelticsBlog  Ainge elaborates on comments about Pierce and Garnett
2013 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Gorgui Dieng
Celtics may be looking to move up in NBA draft
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Kevin Garnett will not need surgery on his foot/ankle. Medical staff thinks rest will solve the problem.
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) May 17, 2013

According to the Herald's Steve Bulpett, KG won't need the rumored surgery to remove the bone spurs from his ankles as had been previously reported. This is good news, as long as the rest takes care of it and doesn't just put a bandaid on the problem only to see it surface again next season if he comes back. But surgery is never good and so this is good news.

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We all know that Stephen A  Smith loves the sound of his own voice.   First we had Stephen A predicting a trade of KG, Paul Pierce AND Doc to the Clippers.  Um.  I'm trying to remember the last time a coach was traded.  None come to mind.  Of course he probably meant that the Clippers would trade for KG and the Captain with the assurance that Doc would leave the Celtics and come coach their team.  At least, that's what I THINK he may have meant.  With Stephen A, who knows?

No sooner had that rumor died down somewhat, with most people counting it out as being ridiculous with zero chance of happening, then he started a rumor that the Nets were actively recruiting Doc Rivers.   That one didn't get much traction.  Doc has 3 years remaining on his contract with Boston and other than a quick word after the Celtics were eliminated, hasn't addressed next year as yet.

Doc's not at the draft combine with the Celtics' brain trust, which fueled a few rumors. While many coaches choose to skip the pre-draft camp, that didn't stop rumor mongers like Stephen A from speculating. Doc has a very good reason for not being there, however. He suffered a pulled hamstring playing tennis on Mother’s Day. “I laugh because it’s kind of funny, but it’s not,” said Ainge. “It’s pretty bad.”

More After the Jump
 

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Consider just how divergent are the paths depending upon Garnett’s availability.  If you knew today that Garnett would be in uniform next season, what course would you chart for the Celtics the next four months?  And if not, what direction would your plan take?  As my old math professor used to say, the solution is non-trivial.

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 It's awhile until Summer League starts but without the playoffs for the Celtics, there isn't a lot else to think about.    Last year, with 3 new rookies, the Celtics took in both Orlando and Vegas, but they have announced that they will be going to just the Orlando Summer League this year.

Jared Sullinger has little to prove and so would be best served by continuing his rehab and I don't believe we will see him in Summer League.   Fab Melo, who spent the majority of last season in Maine, still looks raw and will be of particular interest to watch in this year's Summer League.   The Celtics also have the 16th pick in the draft and whichever player the Celtics draft should be in Summer League, providing Danny doesn't draft someone who is injured. 

The Celtics signed 3 players from China at the end of last season and the team has an option for all 3 for this season and we may see Shavlik Randolph, Terrence Williams and DJ White in Summer League as the Celtics determine which, if any will return for the 2013-14 season. 

In addition, there have been a couple other players reported to be joining the Celtics in Orlando. According to David Pick, ex-Detroit Mercy PF-C Eli Holman, who registers double-double stats in Israel and former NC-State swingman Courtney Fells, now competing in Israeli playoffs will both be joining the Celtics Summer League entry in Orlando.

Vegas Summer League will be July 12-22 but I haven't seen any dates for Orlando yet. We'll keep you up to date as more information becomes available.

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Danny Ainge confirms that Doc Rivers is returning next season as #celtics coach. "We've got a coach everybody would love to have."
— gary washburn (@GwashNBAGlobe) May 16, 2013

According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Doc Rivers will return for his 10th season as the Boston Celtics coach for the 2013-14 season. Doc has 3 years remaining on a 5 year contract he signed in 2011. Danny's statement that we have a coach that everyone would love to have rings true considering the rumors that the Clippers and Nets, among others, were hoping to make a run at Rivers this off season should he consider leaving the Celtics.

There is always the hope that playing for Doc is also a recruiting tool as Danny tries to lure free agents to Boston in this off season. The biggest questions for this team still remain, however. Danny has said he still hasn't talked to KG as to which way he is leaning about coming back for another season because he's not prepared to answer the questions that KG is sure to ask. The first question has to be whether Paul Pierce will return to the team. But, for now, we know that Doc will be back and the first domino didn't fall, it was left standing, which really wasn't a big surprise.

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Well, I've taken my week or so off after the Celtics' season ended to recover and now it's time to cover the offseason and look toward next season. I'll begin with my favorite subject in all of basketball - DEFENSE. The NBA announced the All Defensive team today and one Celtic and one former Celtic made the list.  And, yes, I know that KG didn't make either team but this picture just says "Defense" like no other. 

Former Celtic (and unrestricted free agent this off season) Tony Allen topped the list with 53 points, beating out LeBron James by 1 point. Others joining them on the first team are Serge Ibaka (46), Chris Paul (37), Joakim Noah (24) and Tyson Chandler (24).

Celtic defensive ace, Avery Bradley, made the second team with 25 points. Joining him on the second team are Paul George (27), Tim Duncan (20), Mike Conley (19) and Marc Gasol (12). It seems exceedingly odd to me that the Defensive Player of the Year, Marc Gasol, was on the second team, with the lowest point total of all players. Seems like the voting for these two awards should go hand in hand and if they don't, maybe the voting for one or the other should be changed. No other Celtics received votes.  This is Avery's first All Defensive Team appearance but I'm sure it won't be his last. 

As a side note, for just the second time in the past 14 years, Kevin Garnett was not selected to the All Defensive Team. KG is tied with Kobe Bryant, who also did not make the team, for the most All-Defensive Teams in NBA history. Both KG and Kobe have made 9 First Teams and 3 Second Teams.

Here is the list of players who received votes but didn't make the team.
Andre Iguodala, Denver, 16; Larry Sanders, Milwaukee, 16; Thabo Sefolosha, Oklahoma City, 15; Luol Deng, Chicago, 11; Dwight Howard, L.A. Lakers, 9; Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 6; Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 6; Kenneth Faried, Denver, 4; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City, 4; Shane Battier, Miami, 2; Nicolas Batum, Portland, 2; Corey Brewer, Denver, 2; George Hill, Indiana, 2; Mike James, Dallas, 2; Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio, 2; Tony Parker, San Antonio, 2; Dwyane Wade, Miami, 2; Metta World Peace, L.A. Lakers, 2; Eric Bledsoe, L.A. Clippers, 1; Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, 1; Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia, 1; Andrei Kirilenko, Minnesota, 1; Iman Shumpert, New York, 1; David West, Indiana, 1.

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It's always fun to see the Miami bandwagon fans melt down after a loss.   It's so funny to see them complain about the officiating when they get the benefit of the calls 99.9% of the time.  In a game where the opponent took just 4 free throws more than them,  they are certain that the game was fixed.   They are used to getting all the calls and when a crew calls is somewhat evenly they feel cheated.  And they go from LeBron is the GOAT to a choker.  Too funny   Enjoy! 

I expect Miami to win this series in 4 or 5 games.

God I hate the Bulls and especially Noah and Nate. It would be such a pleasure seeing them whooped by us. I hope it would be an entertaining sweep

Blow these mother****ers out!

I hate the bulls sooooo much cant stand them and their overrated star rose I really hope we can win in 4

D'Rose latest excuse for not playing is that he has "muscle memory" so he won't even play

Heat win big tonight.... They ended our streak.....lets end their season

Make a statement.

LeBron the GOAT
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 Kevin Garnett missed several games down the stretch to rest a foot that was swollen.  Doc let it slip that he had bone spurs.  He played valiantly in the Celtics first round series against the Knicks.   He averaged 12.7 points and 13.7 rebounds in the post season and played more than 40 minutes in game 6.  There has never been a doubt that KG is tough or that he is a warrior.

Jackie MacMullen included this little bit of information in her recent ESPN article. 

Team sources said KG might undergo offseason surgery to shave down the bone spurs in his ankles, an operation that is not viewed as a major procedure. Two of his teammates privately speculated he is considering retirement. "I have no clue," Doc admitted. "I was positive last year [he was coming back]. I'm not as sure this year."

Surgery on both ankles, regardless of whether it is major or minor surgery is a pretty big deal.   KG has said that his decision to return will be tied up with Paul Pierce and whether he returns, but I have a feeling that the surgeries and rehab may figure into it somewhat as well.   KG is a very proud and intense player and I have no doubt that if he has the slightest feeling that he won't be able to play at a high level,  he will choose to retire. 

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Before I start talking, I must say that there won't be a USOTN tonight. Does it really matter who didn't get enough credit? No, because the season's over and the Celtics are faced with a future of darkness. This loss was so depressing that I can't even care about it. This is just last year all over again.

The main reason why I'm so upset: all this. I love writing on this site. It's been a daily thing for months now. It's just become a part of my life. But now it's gone. I gotta pack up and wait 'till next year.

Before I shut off my phone and ignore the outside world again, I'm gonna go ahead and thank everybody else on this site. The readers, the other writers. Big thanks to FLCeltsFan and Loyalist for giving me this opportunity. My dream in life is to one day writer professionally for a major newspaper. I hope that one day someone well known will look down on my little profile here, and say there's talent in this 13-year old. But right now my place is here, and that's how it's staying. Again, I can't thank everyone here enough for what they've done for me. I know I'll constantly think about my experience here during the offseason, so don't be surprised if a random, "hey, what's up" post comes out of the blue. So, I'll guess I'll be back in Summer League. Until then, good bye.
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7:42: Tonight's first quarter is making me wanna puke. In case you haven't seen, the Celtics trail after 12 minutes, 24-10. They are putting no effort on either side of the court. Bye bye momentum. The C's don't want if.

8:24: At halftime, the Celtics still trail 39-27. At one point in the second quarter, this team was down by 18. After a 10-0 run, they got to within 8. But after that, the will to win vanished. They need to try in te second half.

9:13: Well, now it's 67-47 going into the last quarter. Period.

9:55: Despite rallying in the final quarter, the Celtics lost tonight 88-80. What a year it has been. I'm gonna really miss watching this team play. But on the bright side, now we can watch all the baseball we want.
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Tonight, the Celtics will look to even up their series with the Knicks when they play what could be their final game at the TD Garden this season. The Celtics have been in complete control in these last two games, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Right now, the Celtics are the better team. They have more experience and more momentum. I'll be shocked if they drop this one. Here are tonight's five things:

5. ONLY PLAY THE SEVEN GUYS:
On Wednesday, the Celtics only played seven guys the whole game. That strategy is a genius one that I want to see used again. If they do do that, they will win this game easily.

4. KEEP LETTING TERRY SHOOT THREES:
In Game Five, Jason Terry scored a productive seventeen points on six-of-sixteen shooting. 15 of those points came on three pointers. If he's making them, let him take more.

3. CUT BACK ON PIERCE'S SHOT AMOUNT:
In New York, Paul Pierce scored a nice 16 points on 6/19 shooting. The 16 points sounds good, but not the thirteen missed shots. He needs to pass the ball just a little more.

2. MORE SHOTS FOR GREEN:
While Jeff Green did lead the Celtics with 18 points on Wednesday, he only shot the ball 8 times. So imagine what he could do with 20 shot opportunities. He'd probably put up Lebron-like numbers.

1. LEAD AT HALFTIME:
The team that leads at halftime obviously has a better chance of winning than the team that trails. If the Celtics can get any lead halftime, even if it's just 1 point, they will have a huge advantage in the second half against a very nervous Knicks team.

Tip-off for this one will be at 7:00 pm ET. You can see it on CSN-NE and ESPN.
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Knicks fans are hysterical.   So boastful and full of themselves at the beginning and  all their players are the best ever.   They start losing the game and all their players are all losers and should be cut.    And when all else fails, blame the refs.   Pretty much, the officiating wasn't all that bad in this game.  The Knicks shot 3 more free throws than the Celtics but neither team shot all that many and that should tell them that the refs were letting them play.   They let a lot of contact go both ways and they missed calls, but again, it went both ways.   Knicks fans are just like what they accuse their team of.   Talk a lot of trash and then disappear when it gets tough.    I remember Celtics fans standing and cheering for the Celtics  for almost 5 minutes when their team was getting blown out.  Those are fans.

Jason terry and Paul pierce are going to get absolutely decimated into the pieces of **** that they are. F Paul pierce and Jason terry, and kg to. Hitting that open shot from the corner like he has a chance of winning the series. Havr fun on the golf course

Knicks will definitely win this game. Still disappointed we didn't get the sweep.

I will be extremely disappointed if we don't have at least a 15-point lead by the start of the 4th quarter.

Hope jr absolutely abuses terry.

Jr is playing, knicks win, simple as that.

This blackout idea is really dumb. Why are we trying to motivate them for?

Knick fans in here need to stop being a bunch of pansies fearing the elderly Celtics... We will do in game 5 what we should have in game 4..
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Wednesday night the Celtics faced elimination on the road in Madison Square Garden. The team came into the night down 3-1 in their opening playoff series against the Knicks, looking to force a game six back in Boston. Kenyon Martin and the Knicks declared this a "funeral game" as the team dressed in all black to represent the series ending tonight. The Celtics had other plans as they came out firing on all cylinders knowing it was win or go home.

Doc Rivers ran a very tight shift tonight as just seven players received time in the game. Of the seven players, five scored in double digits with at least 16 points or better. Boston was able to come out and set the tone early with suffocating defense that translated to offensive production as they went into the break leading by 6. So far this series the Celtics struggles have come offensively in the second half setting historically low marks. That was certainly not the case as they matched the Knicks scoring with 47 points a piece in the second half and came away with the 92-86 victory.
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