Report by Brendan Sullivan
Brendan Sullivan takes a weekly look at the NBA teams in the Atlantic Division - Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors - and breaks down what happened the week before and what to expect in the week ahead, as well as injuries and trades.
Recap Rewind: The Celtics snapped back to business with Kevin Garnett back to speed. From Sunday to Sunday, the Celtics won five straight games, including a big Conference win over the Cavaliers, 92-87. Having Garnett back certainly helped, but huge efforts from undervalued starters Kendrick Perkins (30 points, 21 rebounds, 9 blocks, and 8 assists over the last two games) and Rajon Rondo (9.4 points, 8.6 assists over his last five games) allowed the higher-paid Celtics to cruise to wins over the Clippers, Bobcats, and Hawks.
Notable News: Amid all the major trades that went down right before the deadline, the Celtics decided to make a splash of their own in the free agent market by signing big man and resident Charlie Ward tosser PJ Brown. Although he has yet to appear for the C's, he will be an upgrade over Scott Pollard as a big man off the bench. That being said, nobody expected Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Leon Powe to step up as much as they have down low, so Brown will have his work cut out for him trying to find minutes. If the Celtics can make it deep into the playoffs, Brown's true value will show. The Boston Globe has also reported that Sam Cassell signed with the Celtics Monday night, bringing a much needed backup point guard to town. Eddie House had been the first man off the bench handling the ball for the Celtics, which was often times painful to watch. Now House can focus on his forte, shooting, while Cassell can handle the point and feed the second unit off of his penetrations. This move should certainly help the Celtics.
Fast Forward: The Celtics face the Pistons on Wednesday in a rubber match that will greatly affect both teams' collective psyche and confidence as we steam ahead towards the playoffs. The C's host the Bulls Friday night, before heading down to Beale Street to take on the Grizz Saturday.
ATLANTIC DIVISION REPORTS
Boston Celtics/New Jersey Nets/New York Knicks/Philadelphia 76ers/Toronto Raptors