Fri, 05/03/2013 - 7:53pm — Mike Petraglia

Maybe it was as simple as learning from Game 6 against Miami last spring in the Eastern Conference finals. Or Maybe it was just re-enforcing the obvious.

Whatever the reason, Doc Rivers made one thing perfectly clear before Game 6 with the Knicks Friday night – the Celtics, not the crowd, must be the ones to bring it against New York if they are going to become the fourth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after a 3-0 hole,

Fri, 05/03/2013 - 7:13pm — Anonymous
Kevin Garnett and Kenyon Martin ready to face off in Game 6. (AP)

Kevin Garnett and Kenyon Martin ready to face off in Game 6. (AP)

Maybe it was as simple as learning from Game 6 against Miami last spring in the Eastern Conference finals. Or Maybe it was just re-enforcing the obvious.

Whatever the reason, Doc Rivers made one thing perfectly clear before Game 6 with the Knicks Friday night – the Celtics, not the crowd, must be the ones to bring it against New York if they are going to become the fourth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after a 3-0 hole,

“I told our guys, we can’t lean on,” said Rivers. “We have to supply the energy. We can’t think because we’re here now that we can let our guard down. We’re playing a really good team and an extremely talented team. We have to do more to win, in my opinion. We have to be ready to do that.”

Rivers, surrounded by 25 reporters and photographers outside the Celtics locker room, said he’s also not putting much stock in the bad blood between the two teams after the exchange between Jordan Crawford and Carmelo Anthony.

“I don’t worry about that. I really thought that was much ado about nothing,” Rivers said. “I thought Carmelo said something to Jordan; Jordan said something back. It’s words. Obviously, then then words take their own meaning, I’m hearing that people are reading lips now and all this stuff. I had one of my assistants telling me what he thought someone said. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is getting too deep for me.’ I really don’t worry about it. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of healthy dislike, that’s all good. But let’s just play the game.”

Blog Author: 
Mike Petraglia
Fri, 05/03/2013 - 7:05pm — Anonymous
Doc spoke with Sean Grande before Game 6 at The Garden. The coach said that the Celtics players really want this win.

[0:00:06] ... our final piece of business. Is our conversation with the head coach Doc Rivers Rodney Leisle Harvard go healthcare Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Count us -- we had an interesting conversation before game five. I was thinking that. You faced elimination on the road three ...
[0:02:04] ... only earlier in the year mr. element of that umbrella. And this Brandon Bass Renaissance and it even though we didn't see much of it. Very little of it throughout the course this year fifth you ...




Fri, 05/03/2013 - 12:16pm — Mike Petraglia

WALTHAM — In the hours before Game 6, Terrence Williams reminded everyone of the animosity between the Celtics and Knicks in this series.

Fri, 05/03/2013 - 12:04pm — Anonymous
Terrence Williams fires up jumpers Friday morning before Game 6. (Mike Petraglia/WEEI.com)

Terrence Williams fires up jumpers Friday morning before Game 6. (Mike Petraglia/WEEI.com)

WALTHAM — In the hours before Game 6, Terrence Williams reminded everyone of the animosity between the Celtics and Knicks in this series.

“I always wanted to say this, that’s playoff basketball,” Williams said at Friday morning’s shootaround in Waltham. “Before I got here, I heard these two teams were rivals so you don’t expect anything less. But at the end of the day, it’s basketball. I think everything should be left on the court. Nothing should be escalated off the court like last game at the end of the game. Stuff like that shouldn’t happen but it’s playoff basketball.”

The back-up guard doesn’t think either team has any tricks in store for Game 6 at TD Garden. Williams made a point to once again bring up the Knicks funeral wardrobe before Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, and explained why that bothered him.

“No, there are no surprises,” Williams said. “At this point, I don’t think either team likes each other. We’re all for our guys and they’re for their guys. When people wear all black and say it’s a funeral, a lot of us have people that died in our own personal lives. That’s not really something funny. That’s not something to play with. You can say you’re going to end the series in New York but not [call it] a funeral. We know we don’t like them and we know they don’t like us.”

That bad blood was countered when Jordan Crawford verbally attacked Carmelo Anthony at the end of Game 5, giving the Knicks some ammunition in the war of words. Crawford didn’t play in Game 5 but Williams did. It was Williams, along with DJ White and Chris Wilcox, who was at the center of trying to keep Crawford away from Anthony and the Knicks.

“I was there, yeah,” Williams said Friday morning. “I don’t really remember. I put out of my mind. As you guys saw, I was trying to be the peacemaker. I grabbed Felton. I don’t want that to escalate. I don’t really remember.”

Has a message been sent from coach Doc Rivers and the staff about keeping the mouths shut before and during the game?

“I don’t know if it has or hasn’t,” Williams said. “It doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, we’re going to compete. If there’s a funeral, then there’s a funeral. If there’s fuel to the fire with that, then it is what it is but you don’t really have to have that conversation because we’re not little kids. We’re professionals. We’re going to try and handle our jobs every day.”

Williams was the only Celtics player to talk Friday morning as the team prepared for the 7 p.m. tip at TD Garden.

Blog Author: 
Mike Petraglia

The Celtics are going to do this.



KIRK MINIHANE

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Thu, 05/02/2013 - 11:49pm — Anonymous
David Ross spoke with Joe Castiglione & Dave O'Brien after tonight's 3-1 win in Toronto over the Blue Jays.
Thu, 05/02/2013 - 8:03pm — Anonymous
Danny Ainge takes a few minutes with us after a win that gave all of Boston hope, as the Celts now trail the fledgling NY Knicks 3 games to 2. Plus Danny takes the time to correct Salk on his interpretation of a quote from last week.
Thu, 05/02/2013 - 4:09pm — Anonymous
Jackie Mac joins the show following the Celtics extending the series to six games. Jackie discusses the Knicks trash talk, the heart of the Celtics, and Doc's game plan.

[0:01:21] ... and now I'm sure they'd like it back and and you know Mike Woodson isn't that kinda coach. And and -- -- to me was a reluctant participant this is really fueled by Derek nick and ...
[0:05:23] ... ambassador that bank shot it'll under the reading up. Or you imagine Brandon Bass are talking to Jackie McMullen ES PM boston.com multi Celtics game five win over the knicks. -- defensively a -- throughout the entire year was a -- that the three of us talked about say boy he signed the contract that is not the same player in this playoff series. That's the shoddy at last night but defensively against Carmelo that too many guys. Frustrate Carmelo Anthony -- the way Brandon Bass appeared to last night did it look -- as frustrating impersonate as it did on TV from -- I wanna get practice ...
[0:07:20] ... MVP in my mind the most reliable and most consistent players in Raymond Felton can't terrific I think they do not have an answer. They can't stop minutes too bad you Avery Bradley is essentially in ...
[0:11:16] ... game seven and if things get tight late may be Carmelo and JR Smith. -- four all come back from the Celtic team. Well it happens to be the first and it -- it you know ...






Thu, 05/02/2013 - 10:21am — Anonymous

Following the local broadcast of Game 5 between the Celtics and Knicks, Kevin Garnett provided another classic postgame interview — this time with C’s sideline reporter Greg Dickerson rather than Craig Sager.

“We’re scrapping,” said Garnett, who totaled 16 points, 18 rebounds and five assists in the 92-86 victory. “All that you about to say ain’t got nothing to do with it. We out here scrapping. This is survival. This is like a Game 7. Every game from here on out is like a Game 7, and we’re scrapping. Easier said than done right there.

“No shenanigans. No nothing. We know what they’re running; they know what we’re running. It’s just all out. Who wants this? That’s what it is. That’s all we’ve been doing these last couple games, man. They came out, they talked. We did no talking. We know we down. We put ourselves in this position, and we’re scrapping.”

He wasn’t done. And neither are the Celtics, who come home to Boston for Friday night’s Game 6.

“Put your hard hat on,” KG added. “Throw your hammer and your nails on there. It’s time to work. Let’s do it.”

Here’s the video:

Blog Author: 
Ben Rohrbach