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Rajon Rondo went to great lengths trying to stop this pass by the Raptors’ Jose Calderon. (Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff) |
Celtics notebook
He flips over flops
Rasheed Wallace was issued a technical foul 1:35 into the second quarter last night, but the Celtics big man believes the technical should have been called on Toronto’s Hedo Turkoglu - for flopping.
Wallace was whistled for a foul after clashing with Turkoglu, then referee Ed Malloy called the technical.
“I didn’t use no profanity, I just said, ‘He’s a flopper,’ ’’ Wallace said after Boston’s 116-113 victory at TD Garden. “And [Malloy] gave me a tech for that. The league should make that a rule - flopping.
“It’s not like I threw my shoulder into him, or it was a hard push, or real hard contact. Come on, now. Showing on a pick, I’m already there, he touches me - ‘Ohh,’ he acts like I shot him or something. ‘Ohh.’ That’s not basketball, man, that’s not defense, that’s garbage, that’s what it is.’’
Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers also were hit with technicals, following a Pierce dunk early in the fourth quarter that sent the Raptors’ Chris Bosh sprawling.
“It’s watered down, with all that flopping [stuff],’’ Wallace said.
“They set rules on us to the point where you’re taunting. When Paul dunked it and then, Paul didn’t say nothing, he just looked at him. Let The Golden Child do that or one of the NBA [Basketball] Without Borders kids do that and it’s all fine and dandy.’’
Asked if he was referring to Cleveland’s LeBron James, Wallace said, “Take a guess,’’ acknowledging that he was.
“I’m a straight shooter now,’’ Wallace said. “I ain’t going to [expletive] you all.’’
On the rebound
The Celtics were ranked 25th in offensive rebounding percentage and 19th in total rebound percentage before last night’s game against the visiting Raptors.“We’ve been a streaky rebounding team,’’ Rivers said before the game.
The Celtics were outrebounded, 31-26, in last night’s win. The also lost the battle of the boards, 39-37, in Wednesday’s 113-110 victory over Philadelphia.
“We have to be a more physical rebounding team,’’ Rivers said. “We’re not going to jump over everybody, we’re not a great athletic team that way. And, sometimes, we rely on that and we find out during the game we’re not, so I think that’s something we have to do better.
“We’ve been up and down in that. Overall, those are things we have to get better at. I don’t think it’s a crisis, or anything. But, I do think at times we have to play with a better sense of urgency, and prepare with a better one. We tend to put ourselves in a hole and try to climb out and think it’s going to happen, and that’s not going to happen every night. I don’t think we’re that type of team.’’
A perfect pair
Both Kevin Garnett (6 for 6) and Kendrick Perkins (8 for 8) were perfect from the field for the Celtics . . . The Celtics shot 48 for 77 (62.3 percent) and had 33 assists. Six of their misses were blocked shots by the Raptors . . . Swingman Tony Allen (ankle) participated in the shootaround yesterday morning but his return to the lineup has not been set. When Allen returns, J.R. Giddens and/or Lester Hudson could be sent to the club’s Portland, Maine, affiliate in the D League, Rivers said. “It will depend on how Tony is feeling,’’ Rivers said.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
