Injury bug follows C's into postseason

By Marc D'Amico
May 12, 2010
Celtics.com

"The Diff" is a sly saying that Cleveland fans and Quicken Loans Arena use in association with the scoring difference between the Cavs and their opponent during a game.

When the final buzzer sounded on Game 5 Tuesday night, it read "-32" in numerous locations throughout the arena due to Boston's 120-88 blowout win.

On Wednesday, all the way back in Waltham, Mass., "the diff" was still a hot topic, only this time it was of a different nature. This "diff" goes by one name: Kevin Garnett.

With the Celtics now leading their Eastern Conference Semifinals series 3-2 against the Cavaliers, many reporters are drawing comparisons to the Celtics' 3-2 series lead against the Orlando Magic in the exact same round of last season's playoffs.

Boston eventually fell to the Magic, losing the final game on its home court, and when asked today about the parallels between that 3-2 series lead and this 3-2 series lead, players and coaches were quick to note that the two are drastically different situations.

The justification of that belief seemed endless: the C's are home for Game 6 this time, not on the road; Boston's roster is quite different; their opponent is not the Orlando Magic; the team is gelling at the right time this go around; etc.

But those differences pale in comparison to the fact that the Celtics have a healthy Garnett armed and ready during this postseason.

"It's a different ballgame when you've got one of your star players in there," said Glen Davis, who filled in admirably for Garnett during the postseason last year.

It certainly is, as Garnett has been a difference maker for the C's this postseason. He has played in nine of the team's 10 playoff games, missing one due to suspension, and averaged 17.1 PPG on 53.3 percent shooting to go along with 7.9 RPG. But it's not just his success in terms of numbers that have helped this team -- it's the fact that he can be on the floor as a leader and hold is teammates accountable for their responsibilities.

"When he wasn't there, that leadership -- we had it, the leadership from Paul and Ray and Rondo, but it's a whole different experience when (No.) 5 is in there," Davis said at practice. "When (No.) 5 is there, he makes sure everything runs right. If something's lacking, he says something and then he can carry a team. He can carry a team with his actions and things like that."

Many believed that his leadership and actions would be important during the last postseason when he sat on the Celtics' bench in street clothes, due to an injured right knee. Doc Rivers, however, knew otherwise.

"Like I told you guys last year, everybody was making a big deal about Kevin being on the bench," said Rivers. "Nobody listens to a guy, a player, that's not dressed. They just don't. I don't care how good they are, because you're not out there with them, and they know that."

Davis popped into the starting lineup during Garnett's absence last season and played a pivotal role in the Celtics making it as far as they did during the 2009 playoffs. He averaged 15.8 PPG on 49.1 percent shooting and pulled in 5.9 rebounds a night. But although his numbers were similar to what KG is putting up this postseason, he wants to be clear that the team is in a much better place with No. 5 on the court.

"Okay, I was scoring the points, matching the points that [Garnett] was doing, but he's a different person than me," Davis said. "He's a whole different breed."

Now that Garnett is wearing sneakers and a jersey to games, rather than a stylish suit and a pair of dress shoes, he can be the horse in the starting lineup and allow Davis to be his own breed off of the bench. That switch gives the team an entirely different dimension than it had against the Magic last postseason, and that could be the determining factor if Boston secures a different result this time around in the Conference Semifinals.