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After a misstep in Dallas left him stumbling, Boston Celtics guard Courtney Lee is getting back on his feet as the playoffs approach:


An excerpt from today's featured story:

* LEE ROUNDING INTO FORM: There may have been no more encouraging development for Boston during this weekend's Floridian soiree than the resurgence of Lee, who put together excellent outings in Miami and Orlando to again show that he has potential to be a key contributor in the playoffs. Playing against the Magic, who drafted him 22nd overall in 2008, Lee connected on 7 of 10 shots and matched a season-high with 20 points. It might have taken 80 games, but his weekend exploits suggest things finally could be clicking for Lee.

Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers wasn't about to overanalyze something he feels he's known for some time.

For weeks his club had been clinging to the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, and a 120-88 thrashing of the Orlando Magic on Saturday made it official. The Celtics will enter the playoffs next weekend as the seventh seed, primed for a matchup with either the current two-seed, the New York Knicks, or the third-seeded Indiana Pacers, who can still vault past New York into the second spot.

"Yeah, now we know, so that's about it," Rivers told reporters after Saturday's win. "We just know and we were preparing anyway, so we're just going to continue to prepare for the playoffs."

While Boston probably hasn't completely closed its scouting report on the Pacers, it's most likely gearing up for a matchup with the Knicks, as New York boasts a three-game lead over the Pacers in the standings. With three games remaining for each team, the Knicks would have to lose out and Indiana would have to win out for their spots to flip. The Knicks can end that conversation for good on Sunday, when they'll square off with the Pacers at Madison Square Garden.

But Saturday wasn't about potential playoff opponents. Saturday was about the Celtics, and the steps they took to continue making themselves as playoff-ready as possible. Perhaps a matchup with the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference was just what Boston needed to flush out some of the remaining kinks in its system.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce returned to the lineup after resting through Friday's loss to the Heat and helped pace an offensive assault that saw the C's register seven players in double figures. Garnett chipped in his best outing in recent memory, connecting on 7-of-8 shots for 14 points and nine rebounds in just over 18 minutes of play.

"We really wanted to establish Kevin, just get him some post rhythm," Rivers said. "I thought over the last week or two weeks he really got out of that and to get him back into that was nice."

Brandon Bass (14 points, five rebounds) continued his strong play of late, while Jeff Green fought through a wicked third-quarter hip check, courtesy of Orlando guard Doron Lamb, and finished with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists, even maintaining his aggressiveness on the offensive end with Garnett on the floor (something that's come into question over the last few games). Courtney Lee broke out of a recent offensive funk with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and Jordan Crawford matched Lee's shooting percentage and added 16 points of his own.

"It was good, especially guys like Jordan, Courtney -- they'd been struggling," Rivers said. "Jordan hasn't, but Courtney has, so I just thought it was important for him to get in a good rhythm offensively, so that was nice."

It all adds up to the Celtics being a confident bunch, despite being losers of 10 of their last 15 games. While they won't see a team as deflated as the Magic in the postseason, Saturday served as a needed confidence booster, as Boston reminded itself that when it's clicking on all cylinders, it's still a force to be reckoned with. And that has the C's feeling good with the playoffs right around the corner.

"I like our team. I like our team a lot," Rivers said. "And the key for us is get through these two games, have some great practices, and get ready for the playoffs. That's what you play the whole season for."

Winning on Saturday and locking up the seventh seed gave Boston needed control over its immediate future. While prepping for the playoffs means polishing offensive sets and defensive rotations, the Celtics also need their key guys in as close to peak condition as possible. Knowing his team can't slide one way or the other now gives Rivers the freedom to give the likes of Garnett and Pierce another game off, which he said he most likely will do.

"Well, we'll play them a little bit. I don't think they'll play both games," Rivers said. "But more our focus will be on what we need to run and what we need to do in the playoffs."

Rivers also said he'll most likely sit Jason Terry -- who missed Saturday's game in favor of rest -- for another game, and giving Green an extra day or two to relax his hip and the bruised left elbow he suffered in Friday's loss wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

The final two games of the regular season -- a home-and-away back-to-back Tuesday and Wednesday against Indiana and Toronto -- likely feel more like unnecessary detours for a Boston team so focused on the postseason. With not much riding on either outcome (unless Indiana keeps winning and makes the race for the second seed a bit more interesting), Rivers can focus on keeping his players in rhythm and, more importantly, keeping them healthy -- two key factors in the playoff success Boston believes it is primed for.

"Health is good, health is good. Kevin feels great," Rivers said. "We've given him a ton of rest over the last three, four weeks. We've given Paul rest, (Jason Terry) -- who didn't play (Saturday) -- will not play the next game, most likely. He may play in Toronto. So, our veteran guys have gotten a ton of rest, our young guys are getting a lot of playing time, which will get them going for the playoffs, so I think we're setting ourselves up for a pretty good run."

Rapid reaction following the Boston Celtics' 120-88 victory over the Orlando Magic Saturday night at Amway Center.

THE NITTY GRITTY: Courtney Lee led a very balanced Boston attack with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench. Lee was joined in double figures by six other Boston players, including Kevin Garnett (14 points), Brandon Bass (14 points), Jordan Crawford (16 points) and Paul Pierce (12 points), who also added six rebounds and a team-high eight assists. Orlando was paced by Tobias Harris (22 points) and Nikola Vucevic (16 points, 12 rebounds).

TURNING POINT: After leading 23-17 at the end of the first quarter, the Celtics seized control of this one in the second frame, outscoring the Magic 34-20 on the strength of a 15-0 run early in the period. From the 11:07 to the 6:24 mark of the frame, Boston held Orlando to 0-of-8 shooting, while Garnett and Pierce chipped in nine of the Celtics' 15 points, converting on four of the five shots they combined to take. Boston entered halftime with a 20-point lead (57-37) and never looked back.

C'S LOCK UP SEVENTH SEED: With the win Saturday, the Celtics locked up the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference standings, officially outlasting a late-season push from eighth-seeded Milwaukee. The New York Knicks currently hold the second spot in the East, and though it's still mathematically possible for the Indiana Pacers to vault past New York into the second slot, the Celtics will most likely be matching up with the Knicks when the playoffs get underway next week. With two games remaining on the schedule and their playoff seed set in stone, the Celtics now have a bit of leeway to rest some of their veterans for another game or two if they feel they need to.

PIERCE, GARNETT RETURN: Pierce and Garnett, who sat out Friday's loss to the Heat for some strategic rest and to nurse sore ankles (right ankle for Pierce; left for Garnett), returned Saturday and helped pace Boston's offensive attack. Garnett needed to play just 18:36, but over that time he scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting, adding a team-high nine rebounds and three assists. He finished plus-27 in plus/minus. Pierce put his stamp on a number of statistical categories, and early in the first quarter he reached the 24,000 career points milestone, becoming just the 20th player in NBA history to do so.

GREEN BANGED UP AGAIN: A night after leaving the Celtics' loss to the Heat early with a bruised left elbow, Jeff Green suffered another minor injury scare when he was hip-checked by Orlando guard Doron Lamb in the third quarter while trying to move around a screen. Green remained on the floor, wincing in pain, for some time, but eventually got up and was able to remain in the game. He finished Saturday's win with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. Count Green among those looking forward to Boston's day off on Sunday.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Celtics can take a host of positives away from their clobbering of the Magic on Saturday. In addition to locking up their playoff seed, they saw productive returns for Garnett and Pierce, and were able to get some key bench players (Lee and Crawford in particular) some needed floor time. With their short-term future a bit clearer now, the Celtics can enjoy Sunday's off day (count on head coach Doc Rivers to take in the final round of the Masters from the couch of his Orlando home), get a few players some extra rest (looking at you, Jeff Green), and gear up for the final two games of the regular season next week.

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce and center Kevin Garnett returned to the lineup against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night after sitting out of Friday's 109-101 loss to the Miami Heat due to scheduled rest.

Jason Terry, meanwhile, gets the rest treatment from head coach Doc Rivers on Saturday after logging 28 minutes in Friday's loss. For Terry, it's just his first missed game of the season.

Jeff Green started on Saturday, despite leaving Friday's game early in the fourth quarter after bruising his left elbow on a fall following an emphatic dunk. Green downplayed the severity of the injury after the game, and isn't expected to be limited on Saturday.

Pierce, Garnett and Green started alongside Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass.

The Boston Celtics (40-39, 13-26 away) visit the Orlando Magic (20-59, 12-27 home) on Saturday night at the Amway Center (7 p.m., CSN). Here's what to watch for:

* TERRIBLE OPPONENT?: Celtics guard Jason Terry blistered the Magic after Friday's loss in Miami, saying, "I don’t want to give them any fuel but, they’re terrible." The Magic own the second-worst record in both the Eastern Conference and the NBA (two games better than Charlotte). Boston has dominated the series lately, winning the last seven meetings (including two victories this season, even if it took overtime to win the last trip to Orlando). With the Celtics stumbling a bit to the regular-season finish line but set to lock up the seventh seed in the East with a victory, Terry called it a "must-win."

* C'S BRING REINFORCEMENTS: Boston is expected to have veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett back on the floor after they sat out Friday's loss in Miami. With only three regular-season games remaining and Boston likely to find more rest for their starters, this could be one of the final opportunities to work on both individual and team goals, including fostering chemistry with that new-look first unit (assuming guys like Jeff Green, who suffered a bruised left elbow on Friday night, suit up on the second night of a back-to-back).

* SYNERGY SNAPSHOT: The Magic rank 23rd in the league averaging 0.897 points per play, offensively, according to Synergy Sports data. The deadline deal that moved J.J. Redick stripped Orlando of its most efficient offensive player, but Tobias Harris, one of the assets acquired from Milwaukee, has shown real promise (putting up 30 points and 19 rebounds in a win over his former team earlier this week). Defensively, the Magic rank 25th in allowing 0.956 points per play. Orlando is middle-of-the-pack in defending spot-up shooting but struggles against most other top play types. Old friend Big Baby had been the team's defensive conscience, but no remaining player ranks better than the 59th percentile in overall defense.

* WHAT THEY DO WELL: The Magic rank seventh in the league in defensive rebound rate and Harris provides a nice complement to center Nikola Vucevic (who also had a monster game versus Milwaukee, finishing with 30 points and 20 rebounds). Orlando takes decent care of the ball (10th in turnover rate), and if they get hot with their shooting they can make opponents work. Nothing has come easy for Boston on the road this season, but this could help restore a little confidence -- despite Orlando's lackluster record -- by finding a way to post a victory with Pierce and Garnett back on the court.

The Boston Celtics can lock up the seventh seed on Saturday night and move one step closer to a first-round matchup with the New York Knicks.

Boston is three games up on Milwaukee with three games to play in the regular season, but the Bucks own the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning three of the four head-to-head matchups this season, which leaves the Celtics' magic number at 1. Any Boston win or Milwaukee loss would lock Boston into the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics visit Orlando on Saturday night, while the Bucks travel to Charlotte.

It was a long shot in recent weeks, especially given their struggles, but now the Celtics can no longer move up in the seedings. The currently sixth-seeded Bulls own a three-game edge with three games to play for each team and also carry the head-to-head tiebreaker (conference record).

Once the seventh seed is locked in, the only thing Boston will be waiting for is confirmation it will open the playoffs in New York next weekend. The Knicks are three games up on Indiana and, barring the unforeseen, should lock up the second seed as early as Sunday when the two teams meet in New York.

Jason Terry and the Celtics couldn't keep up with LeBron James and the Heat in Miami. Is there any postseason hope for JET to soar?

MIAMI -- Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green joked that his left elbow is "still attached" after an awkward landing forced him from Friday's game against the Miami Heat early in the fourth quarter and downplayed the severity of the injury while noting he should be able to play Saturday night in Orlando.

"Any time you hit a nerve, it feels numb down the whole arm," said Green. "And it wouldn’t come back as fast I wanted to, because we were still playing. But I’m fine."

Green spilled hard to the floor after a powerful driving dunk -- one of three on the night -- with 10:03 to play in the fourth quarter and, falling backward on the baseline, his elbow took the brunt of the tumble. He was wincing in pain on the bench as trainer Ed Lacerte put a shooting sleeve over the injury, but Green soon retreated to the locker room and did not return.

Green finished with a team-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds and two assists over 36:25.

"Birdman [Chris Andersen], he tried to run off [and] I felt his feet undercut mine," explained Green. "I know it wasn’t on purpose. It was just something, it was the first thing that hit. I’m cool, man."

Green, who was coming off consecutive tough shooting nights, was aggressive going at the hoop for much of the night (five of his seven misses came beyond the 3-point arc). On a night where the Celtics gave Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce rest for their sore ankles, getting Green back on track -- despite the injury scare -- was one of the biggest positives of the night.

"I thought Jeff was great. I really did," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I thought he attacked early on. I thought they did a good job, after that, of clogging it up. I thought Jeff made plays and we missed shots and the more we missed, the more they could clog it up to take away his drives. I couldn’t have been happier with the first half of Jeff. That was terrific. And their adjustment was pack it in and make guys make shots, and we couldn’t make them for a while."

Read on for more notes, including Jason Terry's explanation of his technical foul; Doc's take on Rondo traveling in the postseason; and praise for old friend Ray Allen.

(Read full post)

MIAMI -- Rapid reaction after the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 109-101 on Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena:

THE NITTY GRITTY
LeBron James scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting (mostly of the emphatic dunk variety) with 9 assists and 6 rebounds over 29 minutes, while Rashard Lewis scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting to spark Miami's bench effort (which also saw old friend Ray Allen score 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting). The Heat scorched Boston by connecting on 12-of-23 shooting beyond the 3-point arc. Jeff Green scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds before departing the game with a bruised elbow. Courtney Lee got hot late to finish with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Jordan Crawford got off to a fast start, but went cold late while scoring 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting.

TURNING POINT
Despite allowing the Heat to shoot a ridiculous 84.2 percent in the second quarter (Miami made 16 of 19 shots), the Celtics were still hanging around in the third frame. Eight consecutive points by Crawford, including back-to-back 3-pointers, whittled Miami's lead to five, but the Heat responded with a 7-0 run, including a layup from Chris Bosh for a 72-60 lead with seven minutes to play in the frame. Boston never got closer than seven the rest of the way, with Lewis unleashing a 3-point barrage spanning the fourth quarter as the lead ballooned as high as 16 early in the final quarter.

SCOREBOARD WATCHING
The Hawks rallied to top the visiting Bucks on Friday night, which means Milwaukee will remain three games back of Boston with three games to go. The Celtics' magic number to secure the seventh seed dips to one; any win (or Milwaukee loss) over the final three games of the regular season ensures Boston won't be back here in Miami to open the playoffs next weekend.

GREEN BRUISES ELBOW
Celtics forward Jeff Green suffered a bruised left elbow in the fourth quarter and did not return. Green was in a world of hurt after landing hard on his left arm after an emphatic dunk. He tried to tough it out on the bench, putting a shooting sleeve over the elbow, but soon retreated to the locker room with trainer Ed Lacerte.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics got a chance to give some role players extended run and, so long as Green's elbow injury isn't anything major, there were some positives to pluck from this one (Lee and Crawford had solid nights in spurts). Then again there were plenty of negatives, too (Jason Terry had another very quiet night; the 3-point defense was terrible; and defensive lapses were prevalent all over the floor -- though that could be expected at times without two starters). Boston expects to have Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett back on Saturday night when the Celtics wrap up a Floridian back-to-back against the Orlando Magic. Two days off loom after that before Boston completes its regular-season schedule with another back-to-back (the Pacers visit Tuesday before a trip to Toronto on Wednesday).

MIAMI -- Celtics forward Jeff Green suffered a bruised left elbow during the fourth quarter of Friday's game against the Miami Heat.

Green landed hard on his left arm after a powerful dunk early in the quarter and was in apparent pain. After checking out of the game, he tried to put a sleeve over the elbow, but soon retreated to the locker room with trainer Ed Lacerte for further examination.

Green scored 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting (five of those misses were beyond the 3-point arc) to go along with eight rebounds and two assists over 36:25.

The Celtics were playing without veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who sat out due to sore ankles.

MIAMI -- Talking with reporters a little less than an hour before tipoff, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers remained coy on his starting lineup, suggesting the team might sit one more starter beyond Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

"It’s something to do with injury, but not anything serious," said Rivers, who said the player was going through pregame warm-ups to gauge his availability.

The team later announced a starting lineup of Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Jordan Crawford, Jeff Green and Brandon Bass.

As for the Heat, Rivers said the Celtics were braced for them to play at least two of their Big Three, but said it doesn't impact their game plan much with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the floor.

"I could care less," said Rivers. "That doesn’t have anything to do with us. That’s more for them."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his team would run Wade hard after missing the last six games, but it won't quite be full throttle.

"We want him to blow it out and get his wind so we will just read it as the game goes," said Spoelstra. "He won't play his normal 34 to 36 minutes."

MIAMI -- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he didn't even give Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett the chance to talk their way into Friday's game against the Miami Heat. After consulting with trainer Ed Lacerte, Rivers elected to give his two veterans -- and their sore ankles -- a game off on this first night of a back-to-back.

Pierce and Garnett are expected to be back in the lineup Saturday night in Orlando.

"We have back-to-backs and we're trying to avoid back-to-backs, to be honest," said Rivers, which -- not surprisingly -- hints that the duo likely will sit again since a back-to-back closes the regular season next week. "I just thought this would be a way to do it. A lot of talk didn’t go into it."

Added Rivers: "I didn’t even ask, honestly, on this one. This would be the right way to do it. I talked to Eddie first, and we tried to figure out [what] would be the easier way for them, and he thought it would be doing it this way."

While Boston will be without its stars, Miami will have its entire Big Three as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will play versus the Celtics. The Heat will be without Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier.

Rivers played coy on his starting lineup but said it would be a bit of a curveball from the typical five the Celtics have utilized without Pierce and Garnett in recent games. That could mean a rare start -- or at least extended minutes -- for someone like Jason Terry, who tends to play his most inspired basketball against the Heat.

"This team gives me a spark any time," said Terry. "It doesn't matter, we could play them in summer, winter, spring or fall -- anytime I see a Miami Heat uniform, I’m fired up."

Rivers did note that he'll get the 35-year-old Terry some time off moving forward, a departure for a player who desires as much game action as possible.

"Doc knows best," Terry said about upcoming strategic rest. "Coaching veteran teams over the year, knowing what he’s going to need me to do and how many minutes he’s going to need me in the playoffs, he feels like it’s going to be advantageous that I get some rest in the next couple games."

And how does Terry feel about that?

"I like to play. But again, I’m going with Doc; he’s been in this position before, he knows how to handle it," said Terry. "This is the first time I’ve been 35, so I don’t know."

Even with a thinned lineup, Rivers said his team's priorities don't change over the final four games.

"We want to win all four and I would like a lot of guys to play well," said Rivers. "I still think there are things defensively that we have to get better in going into the playoffs, and so we’re still working on stuff. We have a lot of new guys and some of those guys are going to play in the playoffs."

With the growing likelihood that the Celtics and Knicks will be first-round combatants, Rivers was asked if it's difficult to not look ahead.

"I don’t yet, because it’s not secure yet," said Rivers. "But once it is secure, it won’t be very tough. I will be looking ahead."

The Boston Celtics (40-38, 13-25 away) visit the Miami Heat (62-16, 34-4 home) on Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena (7:30 p.m., CSN). Here's what to watch for:

* EXHIBITION SEASON?: With their seventh-seeded fate all but sealed and playing the first night of a back-to-back, the Celtics will err on the side of caution and rest both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce due to ankle soreness. After missing Miami's last six games (and eight of 10), Dwyane Wade is expected to return for the Heat, but LeBron James and Chris Bosh remain game-time decisions [Update: At shootaround, the Heat confirmed that James and Wade will play, while Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem will get the night off). Even still, the Celtics-Heat rivalry will lack the usual pizazz on Friday night. For Boston, the absence of veterans leaves extended playing time for younger players looking to make late-season cases for playoff playing time. The Celtics won't be focused on the end result, but getting individual players going instead.

* GET GREEN BACK ON TRACK: Jeff Green exploded for 43 points when Miami visited Boston last month, helping to fuel his monster month of March. He's slipped into a mini funk the last two games, missing 18 of the 25 shots he's put up (while settling for perimeter shots instead of attacking the basket). Without Garnett and Pierce, Green will be called upon to shoulder the scoring load and will get a chance to get himself back on track.

* CAN HEAT SPARK TERRY?: Jason Terry has often noted how the mere sight of Miami's colors gets his competitive juices flowing. Maybe more than any other player, the Celtics need Terry to pick up his play in the postseason and give the bench a sustained offensive spark now that Green is running with the first unit. Terry hasn't reached double figures in scoring his last three games and seemed particularly frustrated with himself after Wednesday's loss to Brooklyn in which he was 1-for-7 shooting with four points over 25 minutes. Terry can make people forget about his regular-season inconsistencies with a strong postseason, but ramping up a bit at the finish line would likely aid that cause.

* WHICH GUARD WILL STEP UP?: The recent return of Garnett has brought out the best in both Shavlik Randolph and Chris Wilcox, both big men playing well in shorter minutes. But the Celtics are still waiting for one of their guards to make a case for a potential larger playoff role. Whether it's Courtney Lee, Jordan Crawford, or Terrence Williams, there's additional guard minutes available if one of those players wants to snatch them up with their play over the final four games of the regular season.

The Boston Celtics can assure themselves of no worse than the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a win Friday night in Miami coupled with a Milwaukee Bucks loss in Atlanta. Boston holds a three-game edge on Milwaukee with four games to play in the regular season and its magic number is two given that the Bucks own the head-to-head tie-breaker after winning the season series.

Looking in the opposite direction, the Celtics are 2.5 games back of sixth-seeded Atlanta and still have the potential to climb, but with Boston ready to rest veteran bodies over the final games of the season, it's unlikely the team will shuffle up.

The New YorK Knicks saw their 13-game winning streak snapped Thursday night in Chicago, but a Boston-New York matchup remains the most likely scenario for the 2-7 matchup in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks hold a two-game edge over the Pacers. Boston might be able to help determine its own first-round opponent when Indiana visits TD Garden on Tuesday.

A look at John Hollinger's projected playoff odds, which predict the East will maintain order:

No Paul Pierce? No Kevin Garnett? Celtics vs. Heat simply won't have the usual hype, so wake us when the playoffs start: