Guards handed out assists

HOUSTON - Fifteen years ago, Rockets point guard Kenny Smith pulled aside rookie Sam Cassell, also a point guard, to tell him he was rooting for him, not against him. And recently, Cassell told Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo something similar.

Smith, now an NBA analyst for TNT, expressed pride in seeing his longtime friend Cassell become a mentoring figure with the Celtics.

"He's kind of ending it the way he started it," said Smith, whose broadcast team was on hand last night at the Toyota Center, where the Celtics were attempting to stop the Rockets' winning streak from reaching 23 games. "He's coming off the bench and is the guy who sometimes closes games out when the guy in front is stalling a little.

"We had a conversation one day where I pulled him aside and said, 'I want you to know, no matter what happens in a game, I'm never hoping you fail. My competition is not with you, regardless of what the papers say.' He thanked me.

"He called me three years ago and told me he had the same conversation with [Clippers guard] Shaun Livingston. I forgot that I told him that and he reminded me. He will have the same conversation with Rondo. I never felt when I was in the game and I looked over the sideline that he wasn't my biggest supporter. Rondo will appreciate that. That's hard to do."

During Cassell's first two NBA seasons, 1993-94 and 1994-95, he and Smith were teammates on Houston teams that won back-to-back NBA titles. Smith said Cassell played a solid role in the team's championship runs. Cassell averaged 9.4 points in the postseason his rookie year and 11 points his second season.

"He was a super integral part," Smith said. "We all had games throughout the playoffs where Vernon Maxwell, myself, Clyde Drexler and always Hakeem [Olajuwon], where without that effort from each of us, the Rockets don't go on. [Cassell] had games where you say, without the effort, the Rockets don't go on."

Said Cassell, "I was there the first time the city ever won a championship as far as sports. It was cool."

After three seasons with Houston, Cassell was dealt with Robert Horry, Mark Bryant, and Chucky Brown to the Suns for Charles Barkley and a second-round pick. Cassell hasn't won a title since being dealt by the Rockets, but he has a legitimate opportunity now in Boston.

"I was young, so I really didn't understand what winning a title was," Cassell said. "Now, I really do. I don't think any young player realizes what winning a championship is all about until you don't win it for a while and you try to win it again."

Smith believes Cassell is a great addition to the Celtics, most notably for the poise and experience he brings. Cassell made his first major contribution Monday night by nailing a key 3-pointer in a 93-91 win at San Antonio.

"He's not going to panic," Smith said. "That's big to have, when your point guard doesn't panic when things go wrong. When you're down 7, he won't panic. That's not saying that Rondo will panic, it's that Sam Cassell won't. When things are going awry, he can get it back on line.

"[Kevin ] Garnett and Ray Allen know that from playing with him, and Paul [ Pierce] will. And he's not scared to make the big plays. People say Sam makes the big shot, but he takes the same shot in the first as the fourth. He's not afraid to fail and not afraid to be a hero. He loves it."

Cassell, 38, also has played for Phoenix, Dallas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and the Clippers, but he still lives in Houston, he says, because of the people. Ex-NBA player and coach John Lucas also runs a workout and pickup-game program for NBA players there during the offseason.

"It's the best city to live in," Cassell said. "A lot of guys live there during the offseason. It's a nice city. Sometimes [the pickup games] are the best in the country. It's great. It's still my home."

Cassell's Rockets won their titles playing at an old arena known as The Summit. It was converted to a nondenominational mega-church called Lakewood Church Central Campus in 2003.

"That's where the history is at," Cassell said. "It's definitely different. But the times have changed. Old buildings can't last that long.

"The construction is still the same on the outside, but it's totally different on the inside. You wouldn't notice that it was an arena."

Cassell seems interested in continuing his NBA career after this season. Smith sees him remaining in the game as a coach once his playing days are over.

"He's a natural coach," Smith said. "He understands why things happen. He doesn't just do them. That's what makes him a great point guard."

An A in D-League

Celtics rookie guard Gabe Pruitt has been playing so well in his third stint with the D-League's Utah Flash that the team's general manager, David Fredman, recently called him a "special talent." The 2007 second-round pick has averaged 21 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.3 steals while nailing 16 of 39 3-pointers in six games after being reassigned March 4. Pruitt, who played sparingly in Boston, is expected to stay with the Flash for the remainder of their season before returning to the Celtics. "He's playing well," Fredman said. "He's really improved since we had him the first two times. He's working hard and gaining confidence in his game. When you sit so long, you need to play to reassure you on your work. He's working hard on both ends of the floor. He has a bright future. He's one of the top players I've seen in the D-League."

Time to rest

After playing back-to-back games, the Celtics will enjoy a day off in Dallas today before playing the Mavericks tomorrow night . . . Monday marked the first time this season the Celtics trailed by more than 20 points (22) and came back to win.