Got The Job Done: The Boston Celtics do very little on the basketball court that's is pretty. They are a gritty defensive team and that's what they do.
Last night the Celtics got their first win of the season, while the Cavaliers and LeBron James got their first home loss of the season 95-89. The Cavs had two home losses all season last season, and already have their first.
Last night was also the first real game Boston forward Kevin Garnett played in and he clearly looked rusty at times, barely clearing the rim on a run out dunk that was ultimately a miss. Garnett said the game was an important test for himself and his team.
"I'm telling you man, I don't have any hesitations when it comes to playing," Garnett said to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. "Healthwise, I'm very decent and I'm very strong. It's a process. It's not a sprint. I'm a lot better at being patient with all this. Sometimes I'm thinking you all are expecting I'm dead or something. I'm far from dead. Believe that."
Garnett took a nasty foul trying to lay the ball in on Cavs center Shaquille O'Neal, who promptly laid Garnett to the floor. Garnett bounced up and pounded his chest letting his bench and the fans know he was not going away.
"As this year goes on, I think we will have more tests and more measuring sticks," Garnett said. "I was just a little banged up [last season] and hopefully I can get back to where I want to be."
Today the Celtic's are undefeated, we'll have to see what tomorrow brings.
Scott Ready To Lean On Okafor: Hornets' center Emeka Okafor has missed almost all of the Hornets pre-season and training camp, so the hesitation on head coach Byron Scott's part about inserting him into the starting lineup tonight is likely justified. Scott, however, says he's seen enough over the last three days to feel comfortable with Okafor having a bigger role and he'll like see his first start against the Spurs.
"I thought he looked good," Scott said to Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune. "I put him with the starters, and he fit in pretty well with them. He still has a real good grasp of what we're doing. And the guys took him to the side and tried to show him some other things. So that was a good sign. You could tell during the scrimmage, he really pushes himself.
"I've got to give him a lot of credit for that. He got a little winded there because he went the whole day today. He really didn't take any time off. I've got to believe he feels pretty good about the way practice has gone for him the last three days. Hopefully, there'll be no setbacks, and we'll see how he feels."
"I'm ready for him to play," Scott said. "As of right now, yes. If he wakes up (this morning) and we go through walkthrough and he feels good, then he'll be the starter."
Over His Girlfriend: So by now you have likely heard Celtics' forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis has been suspended indefinitely by the team for an off-court altercation which resulted in him breaking his thumb which will cost him at least 6 weeks of the season.
Reports from Laurel J. Sweet and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald say that Davis got into an argument with his "best friend" and former LSU teammate Shawn Bridgewater over what police say was accusations of alleged contact with Davis' girlfriend by Bridgewater.
The Celtics will be fining Davis and its being reported that Celtics primary owner Wyc Grousbeck was extremely upset over this situation and wants to be a punitive as he can be under the NBA's fining and suspension guidelines.
"He's going to have to chip in for this situation he caused," Grousbeck said to the Herald. "This was an unauthorized activity resulting in the team losing his services, and he's going to have to pay for that. There are going to be consequences for that.
"But we're still looking forward to his return. He's still a part of this team. We want him to get past this and get back on the court."
Davis signed a two-year $6.3 million deal this past summer after failing to drum up league interest in his services on a larger deal.
The NBA allows for a player to be fined 1/110th of his annual salary for every game a player is suspended or in Davis' case $27,200 per game.
No Eggshells in Miami: The HEAT open their regular season tonight in Miami as they play host to the Knicks. The major storyline that will follow the HEAT all year is the future of star Dwyane Wade, who like Chris Bosh in Toronto and LeBron James in Cleveland have contract options that could make them free agents in July.
Of the "Big Three", Wade continues to be the hardest player to read, and that's mainly because Wade's future in Miami may be tied to that of team president Pat Riley who could also be a free agent executive this summer. It has been speculated that Wade would not stay in Miami if Riley were gone, and Wade was clear this week that he would use his situation to force a move with Riley or in the trade market.
"I'm not that guy," Dwyane Wade said to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, "that uses whatever power he has over anyone."
"My focus right now is to move forward and get ready for the season," Wade explained. "I'm here. This is my team.
"I just look at it and say on the business side of things that I put myself in the position where I can control some of my own destiny, and that's hopefully right here in Miami."
"The good thing about an option year is you can always go back to the table and pick the option up," Wade says. "It's not dead throughout the whole year; it can always be revisited by us. I'm a very open-minded person."
"I know it will be a big summer for the Miami Heat, not only for me," Wade says. "I just want to make sure that we're doing the right things we have to do to get to the point where we're trying to win championships. I know that this organization is going to get to that point."
NBA Chats: It is Wednesday which puts me on deck for my weekly NBA Rumors Chat. I will get started at 10am and try and answer as many of your questions as possible. HOOPSWORLD's Coach Mike Moreau will pick things up at 12pm EST. Coach Mike is not a rumor/salary guy but if you want thoughts on the X's and O's of basketball or tips on improving your game as a player or coach, drop Coach Mike your questions now. Tommy Beer will host the late day chat at 8pm EST. You can always find the next NBA chat here: Upcoming NBA Chats.
