At halftime of last night's 111-103 victory over the Knicks, Celtics coach Doc Rivers turned to Ray Allen and said, "You'll have to go to New Orleans with me." Allen isn't the emotional type, so he nodded. He was more upset about a bad pass that resulted in a turnover in the final minute of the first half.
The message was clear, however. Allen was going to the All-Star Game. He was named for the second straight year as a commissioner's replacement, this time taking the place of injured Washington forward Caron Butler. It will be Allen's eighth All-Star appearance covering three teams (Boston, Milwaukee, and Seattle).
"Obviously, I'm ecstatic for my career to be able to be an eight-time All-Star," Allen said. "To be able to represent this organization. It's a great time for this organization and the fans. I definitely feel like I'm privileged and in a great situation."
The Celtics will have three players in the weekend festivities - Allen and Paul Pierce in the All-Star Game and Rajon Rondo in the Friday night game between rookies and second-year players. Additionally, Rivers will coach the Eastern Conference team and Kevin Garnett, selected as a starter by the fans, will be around, even if he can't play because of an abdominal strain.
"I think about Boston last year and their representation was Gerald Green in the dunk contest," Allen said, temporarily forgetting that the Celtics also had a cheerleader at the event. "And to have so many players of the Boston Celtics with the first half of the season that we've had, you can walk around and enjoy the success and let people talk about us and make a fuss over us."
Garnett may not play, but he is a visible presence already in New Orleans. The first billboard seen en route from the airport to the city's downtown is of Garnett. A huge picture of Garnett wearing a blue All-Star uniform (No. 5, of course) adorns an 18-story building overlooking the Superdome and New Orleans Arena, site of Sunday's All-Star Game.
Team obtains order
The Celtics obtained a temporary restraining order against a Boston woman in Suffolk Superior Court. The team succeeded in getting an order that would keep Denise Bey from attending Celtics games at TD Banknorth Garden and from getting within 300 feet of Pierce. A team attorney said Pierce has never met the woman, who has made threatening remarks toward Pierce in the past and is on medication. Pierce said he was unaware of yesterday's ruling . . . Glen Davis left the Garden on crutches after injuring his left quadriceps with five minutes left in the first half. He will have an MRI today. "It hurts bad," he said. "We'll see [today]." Rivers said he thought it was a twisted knee. Davis hurt the leg on a spinning move to the basket and was on the floor for several minutes before being helped to the locker room. Brian Scalabrine left in the first quarter with a right groin strain. Rivers said he hopes most, if not all, of the injured players are ready to go when the Celtics play Denver Tuesday . . . Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said he feels the most important player on the Celtics is Rondo. "He's the guy who really makes them go," Thomas said. "They don't have another guy who does what he does. He's tough. He's gritty. He rebounds. He's smart. He's a perfect complement to those guys. I can't say enough good things about him." Apprised of Thomas's comments, Rivers said, "Rajon is a tough to guy to replace. But let's be honest. You don't want to lose Kevin [Garnett]." . . . Kendrick Perkins missed his third straight game with a left shoulder strain. "Each day, I'm feeling a little better," he said. "I'm trying to work on my conditioning and taking it one day at a time." Asked if he thought he'd be ready to play after the All-Star break, Perkins said, "I hope so. But I'm not going to rush it. I want to make sure it's right so I don't worry about it when I'm on the court."
