March 16, 2009

Another Weekend of One Up, One Down

Paul averaged 16 points in the Celtics’ two games this weekend, but his 15 point, 11 board double-double couldn’t push Boston past the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday in Wisconsin.

BUCKS D DISRUPTS Cs
Milwaukee used the type of stifling defense normally reserved for the Truth and his Celtics Sunday, as they bested Boston 86-77.

The Truth battles for two against the Bucks (Getty Images).

Boston’s offense sputtered throughout the contest, surrendering an uncharacteristic 25 turnovers. The defense also missed forward Kevin Garnett, who was still out with a knee injury, as they gave up 21 offensive rebounds to a Bucks squad hungry to knock off the defending champs.

“A lot of that is just our effort,” Paul told the Boston Herald of the abnormal stats. “Those are the things that go either way, and today it went their way all day. Those are the things that we can control.”

He also would not use the injuries the Celtics’ have sustained as an excuse for the setback.

“We can’t have a woe-is-me attitude because of the injuries,” he said. “We’ve got to go out there and keep fighting until these guys come back.”

THE TRUTH TAMES GRIZZ
Paul’s 17 points and five assists helped the Cs snap their two-game skid Friday night with a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Beantown.

No. 34 put his stamp on the game by playing the role of distributor, helping reserve turned starter Leon Powe notch his first career 30-point performance and helping to bring the Celtics back after falling behind by six after the first quarter.

“Since he’s been put in a starting role, he’s been really playing well for us,’’ Paul told the AP of Powe. “That’s what we need now, especially with guys injured. Hopefully this will carry over when Kevin (Garnett) gets back.’‘

NEXT UP
Paul the Celtics hit the road to take on the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM Eastern Time.

RELATED STORIES
Villanueva scores 19 as Bucks beat Celtics 86-77 (AP, March 15, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090315/BOSMIL/recap.html
Celtics drop ball in defeat (Boston Herald, March 16, 2009)
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=...
Celtics bounce back with 102-92 win over Memphis (NBA.com, March 13, 2009
http://www.nba.com/games/20090313/MEMBOS/recap.html