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.
“We would have a practice day the day before (Jan. 22),” Rivers said prior to last night’s 96-83 loss to the Bulls. “I’m just glad that he’s running right now. We’ll have a couple of practices over the next week where he can get on the floor and work with us.
“We’ll play him when he’s ready, and that’s it. But there’s an outside chance that Portland could be the return game for him.”
Herald: Ticket return might be good for Jan 22
He's running. That's good. And if he's maybe going to be ready for the Portland game, then he SHOULD be ready for the Lakers game. That's all I really care about.
Rasheed Wallace, by the way, should be back Monday.
Up next, Page 2... where Doc's not buying the excuses
Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty ImagesESPN Boston: Doc's Opinion: "We got our butts kicked""I don't know [if fatigue was a factor]," said Rivers. "The Bulls were fresh. They looked it. They looked athletic. They looked quicker. I thought they came with a sense of purpose tonight. I think they knew, obviously, this is our fourth in [five nights] and sixth in [nine days]. But that's not an excuse. It happens to every team. And I didn't think mentally we handled it very well."
Hey, we all knew this week was going to be tough. Take into account the minutes played in the Hawks debacle, the travel, and the back to backs... and last night's performance was not surprising.
The Celtics had enough energy to play about half the game last night... and they did. They just did it in little spurts here and there. At other times, it devolved into 4 guys taking the play off while one guy went 1-on-1 on offense.
To borrow from what a lot of the guys were saying last night... in an 82 game season, stretches like this are especially tough. There's SOOOO much basketball left, it's hard to find that something extra in the 4th game in 5 nights against a young, athletic, rested team.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Celtics caught in stampede | Schedule breaker | Derrick Rose points to a revival | KG's new cereal | Globe: Bulled over at home | Joakim Noah: The Bull you love to hate | Daniels expects cast off soon | ESPN Boston: Healthy Outlook | Better days ahead for C's | Home not where the heart is for Celtics | Souza: Notebook: KG, 'Sheed nearing routine | CSNNE: Talking points C's vs Chicago | WEEI: Bulls catch C's at "good time" | Fast break: Celtics-Bulls | 3 pointer: Bulls gore spent Celtics | Telegram: Celtics Notes: Rivers set to watch son | Hardwood Houdini: Breaking down Paul Pierce - with shot chart | Celtics Hub: Rajon Rondo: Elite Finisher? | CSL: Gang Green 3-12