Your Morning Dump... The road to victory goes thru KG

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.

By committing to getting position inside, the Celts occupied the Cleveland defenders and allowed Allen and Paul Pierce [stats] to shoot squared-up jumpers.

“Not only outside but the drives, as well,” said Rivers. “I thought establishing Kevin (Garnett) . . . you know, Kevin was going way too fast in the first half. But he still was a concern on the post, and I kept telling our coaches, ‘I don’t care that he’s not converting right now. They’re trapping. They’re worried about him down there, and if we keep hammering down there, eventually the outside would open.’ And that’s what happened for us.”

Garnett’s first seven field goals were paint products. (His last was an open 19-footer with 1:14 remaining and the Cavaliers crawling toward their dressing room.)

Hey, the fact KG took 21 shots was huge. By continuing to go into the post to wrestle with Antawn Jamison, it gave the Celtics a consistent presence that changed the game for others.

Herald - Hanging Tough

Like I stated in last night's game recap, I don't like KG taking 21 shots. Even with Antawn Jamison guarding him in the post, KG is the Celtics 4th best offensive weapon. If I was coaching the Cavs, I'd go one-on-one and let KG beat me. I don't think he's capable of dropping 25-30 points from the paint. He's too erratic with his post moves.

But... if Mike Brown is going to continue to double team him, then the Celtics should continue to feed Garnett the ball so he can find the open man.

On Page 2, Rasheed lets his play speak for himself.

To his credit, Wallace didn't talk to reporters following Monday's win. In past games, he's deferred to teammates like Glen Davis when they've carried the bench, and he didn't want it to seem he was thrusting himself into the spotlight for a single quality outing.

When Wallace wheeled around after getting dressed Monday, he simply slid his headphones on, picked up his iPad, and pardoned himself by walking through the middle of a camera throng hoping for some classic 'SheedSpeak.

"I thought Rasheed was phenomenal," said Rivers. "Obviously, the 3-pointers were huge, but his post play was good as well. I thought, defensively, he was so much better than he's been for us. We need that from him."

Sure the 17 points jump out, but how good was Wallace's defense? Perkins, the team's most consistent defender, offered a thumbs-up review.

"The whole time, he was focused," said Perkins. "He was doing a lot of great things for us tonight. That's what we need out of Rasheed every night."

ESPN Boston - For once, Sheed comes up big

As great as Sheed played in the 2nd quarter, Chris Forsberg points out he did very little the rest of the game. But hell, beggars can't be choosers.

My concern? An overconfident Sheed comes out bombing away in Game 3.

The rest of the links:

Globe - Attitude Adjustment | Cavs spirits takes big hit | Beating left them redfaced (Shank) | Wallace let play do the talking | Herald - Bitter rivals won't hide true feelings | Mo Williams vanishing act | Successful Sheed gives team great shot | Stern address the King | CSNNE - Rondo, Rivers sing same tune | Postgame interviews | WEEI - Celtics now Rondo's team | Yahoo! - Time for LeBron to act like MVP | Daily Dime - Celtics Pride