WALTHAM - While breaking bread and playing cards during the All-Star break, Celtics guard Eddie House broke down why it was good for his brother-in-law, Mike Bibby, to start new with the Hawks. But House also gave the veteran guard a warning about facing the Celtics in the playoffs.
House and Bibby will be reunited tonight when the Celtics host the Hawks at TD Banknorth Garden. And they could come together again in the first round of the playoffs if Bibby can help the Hawks fly to heights they haven't reached in years.
" 'Ya'll will be all right,' " House said he told Bibby. "But then I started laughing and said, 'Make sure you don't get the eighth spot or the seventh spot or it's going to be an early exit.' "
Since 2001, Bibby had enjoyed a stellar run with the Sacramento Kings that included a playoff trip each season until 2006-07. The 6-foot-1-inch, 190-pounder became the 61st player in NBA history to reach 10,000 points and 4,000 assists last season and will be considered one of the Kings' all-time greats.
But with Sacramento rebuilding this season under new coach Reggie Theus, Bibby yearned for a new start.
"I didn't think I fit their style anymore," said Bibby, who averaged 13.5 points and 5 assists in 15 games this season for Sacramento. "I wanted to go in a different direction. I don't think I was part of their direction."
There had been speculation about Bibby going to Cleveland to play with LeBron James. Instead, on Feb. 16, the Hawks surprisingly acquired Bibby in exchange for Shelden Williams, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright, and a second-round draft pick in 2008. Bibby joined a franchise that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1999.
"I knew it was time for me to go to a different place," Bibby said. "In trade talks, [Atlanta] never came up. I thought something was going to happen. I didn't know what. I never knew Atlanta."
Said House, "He was happy in Sacramento, comfortable there. He had been there for so long. But I don't think he was happy with playing there. I could just tell by watching the games that it wasn't the Sacramento basketball that he was playing when [coach] Rick [Adelman] was there. It was totally different."
Two days after the trade, Bibby and his fiancée had dinner with House and his wife, Charlsie, who is Bibby's sister, in Phoenix, where they live in the offseason. House explained to Bibby that, with the talented likes of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Al Horford, and Acie Law, Bibby could be the missing link to get the Hawks back to the postseason.
"I don't think he really wanted to go to Atlanta at first," House said. "He more wanted to try to go to Cleveland, but that trade was just nullified for whatever reason.
"But when he got traded it was more like, 'Now I got to uproot everything.' He was thinking about more of the negative, like, 'I got to live in a hotel for two months,' stuff like that.
"I told him, 'I don't think you have a chance to make the playoffs in Sacramento. You have a chance to make it in Atlanta; you're right there.' "
Bibby said the talk helped.
"I came to grips with it already," he said. "But when we were back home, we talked a little."
The Hawks are 3-4 since Bibby's arrival but have won the past two games. Bibby is averaging 13.4 points and 7.0 assists in 30.4 minutes per game, and is shooting 36.8 percent on 3-pointers. The Hawks entered yesterday a half-game behind Philadelphia for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
"[Bibby] has clearly had an impact and he makes Horford better, Josh Smith better. He's that type of player," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He is clearly engaged again in basketball. You can see that. He's got a smile on his face. He's happy. He's playing hard."
Rivers said he wouldn't be surprised to play Atlanta in the first round. Considering how long it's been since the Hawks have made an appearance, Bibby surely would be fine with that.
"We'll see what happens in the end," Bibby said. "We'll push to make the playoffs."
Rivers said newcomer P.J. Brown could suit up tonight, but he isn't sure Brown will make his debut. Brown believes he needs more time to learn the offense but will play if needed. "I don't feel 100 percent comfortable, but I do feel I could do something," said Brown, who took part in four-on-four scrimmaging yesterday. "But it's going to happen eventually." . . . Guard Tony Allen is expected to play after missing two games with a right calf strain. He is also battling flu-like symptoms.
