duncan228
05-01-2009, 12:04 AM
Game 6 notebook: Big game doesn't soothe Allen (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=gamenotebookbiggamedoesn&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
By Sean Deveney
Celtics SG Ray Allen was the high man for the night, scoring 51 points and shooting 18-for-32 from the floor. Allen fouled out before the overtime in the previous game, causing Celtics coach Doc Rivers to jokingly tell Allen on the plane from Boston that more would be expected of him, because, "You're the only one with fresh legs." Turns out, he was right.
But Allen wasn't much in the mood to bask in the glow of his performance. "When you're on the losing end, you only think of the bad things," Allen said. "I am only thinking about the shots I missed and the plays we could have made to win the game."
Top job
Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, who is making his playoff debut as a coach, was asked whether this series was the best one he'd ever been a part of. "It's definitely the best series I ever coached," he joked.
Streaming Salmons
For the first time in the series, SF John Salmons looked like the versatile, attacking perimeter player he had been before injuring his groin at the end of March. Salmons shot just 37.0 percent from the field in the first five games, but he went 13-for-22 in scoring 35 points in Game 6. "That's as good as I've felt in this series," Salmons said. "I was just trying to be aggressive."
Slow to rotate
Already depleted with the loss of PF Kevin Garnett and PF Leon Powe, the Celtics were hoping for solid play from their bench, but they haven't gotten it—the reserves were outscored 35-11 in Game 6. The impact of C Mikki Moore, signed after he was released by Sacramento, was reduced to nearly nothing when Chicago began playing small lineups—Rivers opted for F Brian Scalabrine in those situations.
Rivers said he takes part of the blame for the inability to find an effective bench rotation, but he added that, ultimately, the reserves would have to play better. "Like I told our guys," Rivers said, "there are things as a staff that we have to do better, and there are things as a team and players on the floor that have to be better."
Tired of excuses
Fatigue? Rivers says there's really no room for fatigue. Rivers pointed to his son, an aspiring hoopster. "My son played five AAU games last Saturday," Rivers said. "It is what it is. We're not going to cry. They're not going to cry."
By Sean Deveney
Celtics SG Ray Allen was the high man for the night, scoring 51 points and shooting 18-for-32 from the floor. Allen fouled out before the overtime in the previous game, causing Celtics coach Doc Rivers to jokingly tell Allen on the plane from Boston that more would be expected of him, because, "You're the only one with fresh legs." Turns out, he was right.
But Allen wasn't much in the mood to bask in the glow of his performance. "When you're on the losing end, you only think of the bad things," Allen said. "I am only thinking about the shots I missed and the plays we could have made to win the game."
Top job
Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, who is making his playoff debut as a coach, was asked whether this series was the best one he'd ever been a part of. "It's definitely the best series I ever coached," he joked.
Streaming Salmons
For the first time in the series, SF John Salmons looked like the versatile, attacking perimeter player he had been before injuring his groin at the end of March. Salmons shot just 37.0 percent from the field in the first five games, but he went 13-for-22 in scoring 35 points in Game 6. "That's as good as I've felt in this series," Salmons said. "I was just trying to be aggressive."
Slow to rotate
Already depleted with the loss of PF Kevin Garnett and PF Leon Powe, the Celtics were hoping for solid play from their bench, but they haven't gotten it—the reserves were outscored 35-11 in Game 6. The impact of C Mikki Moore, signed after he was released by Sacramento, was reduced to nearly nothing when Chicago began playing small lineups—Rivers opted for F Brian Scalabrine in those situations.
Rivers said he takes part of the blame for the inability to find an effective bench rotation, but he added that, ultimately, the reserves would have to play better. "Like I told our guys," Rivers said, "there are things as a staff that we have to do better, and there are things as a team and players on the floor that have to be better."
Tired of excuses
Fatigue? Rivers says there's really no room for fatigue. Rivers pointed to his son, an aspiring hoopster. "My son played five AAU games last Saturday," Rivers said. "It is what it is. We're not going to cry. They're not going to cry."